Riven Wight

Of Science and Magic

Despite the late hour, the moonlight glittered off the thick snow, reflecting its light and making the world visible for miles between the bare tree branches and needles of the trees that thrived in winter. Which also meant that Thea could be easily spotted between them if her captors came after her above ground.
She wove her way through the trees as quickly as her wary body allowed, each step awkward. She tripped a few times when she caught the edge of the cloak with the too-large boots or encountered an unexpected obstacle hidden by the snow, thankful for the times when she just managed to stay upright with the aid of a nearby tree.
Her body ached. Her left arm protested at even the simple action of drawing the cloak closed around her to stave off the bitter cold. Her right side screamed in protest. Yet, she forced herself onward, legs begging for rest. The chill of the night bit at the exposed skin of her face despite the cloak’s hood, and turned each exhale into a puff of vapor.
When at last she found an animal path, she hesitated; though deer and rabbit tracks mingled among the packed snow, there was one set fresher than the rest formed by the padded paws of wolves.
Thea took a deep breath. She would have to watch out for more than one kind of wolf in these woods. Freeing a thick, fallen branch from the snow, she began to use it as a walking staff, her grip on it tight and ready to use it as a weapon if needbe.
The going was slow. What felt like hours later, the animal path met what looked like a main road, the snow packed down by carts, horses, and the feet of other travelers.
Thea hesitated, before stepping onto it, keeping close to the trees. The bare limbs turned into more furs and pines, any of which she could use for cover if she caught even a whisper of a hint the Sages’ men were near.
When the moon had set and the first light of dawn turned the clouds overhead into a sea of light gray, the road ahead of her split.
She scowled. The mysterious guard had failed to mention a fork in the road. She looked down both paths, debating on which one to take. She consulted the compass, but even it gave little insight. Either path could bend to lead into town.
Thinking the right-hand path looked more promising, the left leading to what looked like a frozen lake in the distance, she limped onward.
The gray had begun to turn into the brilliant red streaks of dawn. She glanced up, but quickly looked away, the intensity of even those searing through her eyes. She could not remember the last time she had seen daylight. But even in that faint light, she saw no signs of a town, and she doubted she could go much further.
Her vision blurred from pain, lack of sleep, and over exhaustion, she took another step, and her legs buckled beneath her. She fell to her knees, her grip on the staff the only thing keeping her from fully meeting the ground.
She scrunched her eyes shut and bent her head for a moment before opening them. Between the opening in her cloak, she saw a dark patch fresh blood soaking the right side of her filthy nightdress.
She let out a shaky exhale. She had done too much, too soon. Her body had only just begun to adapt to the newest plates moving with and pulling at the skin around them. There was no telling what kind of damage lurked beneath the fabric.
A bark echoed behind her, and her heart skipped a few beats.
With a gasp, she hurried to her feet as quickly as she could, pulling herself up with both hands on her branch-turned-staff.
She spun around, her cloak flaring open. She scanned the trees as she raised the branch in both hands, unsure if she would rather the bark to have been from a wild dog, or ones the Sages had brought in to sniff her out.
She inhaled sharply through her nose when a massive gray and black wolf stalked from the trees, a snarl pulling at its long mouth and a rabid gleam in its golden eyes. She dared to glance once behind it, wondering if there were more to follow, before focusing on the wild dog. She locked gazes with it and tried to make herself look as large as possible, spreading out her cloak as well as she could without compromising her hold on the stick.
“Get away, you foul beast!” she shouted, trying to scare it off.
She took a couple slow steps back as the beast came forward, careful to keep from tripping on the hem of the cloak, but froze. As she watched, ice crystals burst to life around the wolf and beaded in his fur, making his form glisten like the snow around him.
“What?” she breathed, her hands trembling slightly.
Something about this felt eerily familiar. For a split second she tried to delve deeper into the thought, but her head started to throb, and she had an eminent threat to deal with. She swallowed, hard, and steadied her grip on the sick.
“Off with you!” she yelled, swinging the stick through the air. She turned a grimace at the pain that raked her side from the action into a snarl.

Of Science and Magic

Ah. Gotchya. Glad you got the chance to get to it! Heh.

Quick question: "The air around him thickening as a wave of what felt like ice-cold water slid over his fur..." Would that be something Thea would see, or just something he felt, like a precursor to a burst of power? If the former, what would it look like to her?

To Cure a Curse

I promise I read it twice, just for good measure. Caught the around evening, but managed to overlook the rest both times. Sorry! Yay for being an unobservant jerkhead.

Take your time! I'll try to not keep you waiting long for my own PM response. :-)

Heh, thanks! ^.^ No idea what it's from, but Bill Murray. And coffee.

Of Science and Magic

It was enjoyable. Thanks!

So, since it's been so long since an IC post, I want to ask if you still have interest here, or if that's dwindled. As always, I would take no offence, and understand that happening, I'd just like to know if I should give up on the RP or not. I'm okay with waiting, but the last two of yours have been a two-month wait. Is everything okay on your end? If you're still up for this, I'd love to know if it's just a case of not having the time, inspiration, or a mix of both.

A Land of Wonder and Nightmare

Indeed it does! Which reminds me. I should probably tell you I updated the info section a while back and added some of the rules of magic. However, so you know, not all of it has come up in the RP, and I still need to work some kinks out of it.

Thanks! Glad you like it so far! And that’s exactly why Elayra was willing to argue against it. xD And, “And I thought Walmart was depressing,” had BETTER make it onto your list of quotable phrases!

Also, yay for info dumps. xD I mean, it kind of has that small mentioned purpose, but hey. I think since this is a RP, I don’t feel quite as guilty about info dumps... Heh.

Now that’s a garden I could get behind! I kind of want to go Goodwill hunting for trolls now and make that happen. Those things are so creepy…


Thinking of trolls, though, the next season of Trollhunters is scheduled to come out December 15th! That’s what I read on a post from their Facebook page, anyway.


You’ve actually passed up two possible alternate endings, prior to reaching the demo’s end. At least, I believe it’s only two. I’ll have to look. There’s an option on the home screen that gives you a layout of what you’ve done, and what options you passed up. Doesn’t tell you about the endings, though, until you get them, but it does give you a list of the ones you run into, and how many you have not encountered yet.

xD Well, I’m sure you have plenty of time to come to a decision! It’s a difficult debate, to be sure!

A Land of Wonder and Nightmare

Elayra cringed when Ghent finished, his voice piercing the quiet. But at least he was following. For once, she only shook her head instead of giving him a lecture on not needing his help. She glanced upward, then to the base of the trees, gauging which direction the sun rose by the positions of the shadows cast by the plant life, and headed south. She cast another glance behind her, matching her pace to Ghent’s so he was never far from her, and watching for Drust.
Drust hesitated a long moment at the opening between the wall of trees, before following after the two teens. His neck twitched and he clenched his teeth when the wave of emotions flooded over him. His hands balled into fists, and he forced his breaths to come in a steady, calming rhythm.
As soon as he was clear, what looked like brown putty oozed from the ground, twisting its way upward. In no more than a couple seconds, it reached the height of the trees around it and solidified into a mirror image of them, completely blocking the path to the gate into Harrow Hollow Hill.
No matter how hard any of them tried, the gentle rustle of their steps sounded loud as they hiked deeper into Hollow Forest, roots and vines threatening to catch their feet if they were not careful. Drust kept a cautious distance between himself and Ghent, his hands clenching and unclenching at his sides. Leading the procession, Elayra cast frequent glances to Ghent and especially their guardian, worry and even nervousness gleaming in her eyes despite her best efforts to hide it. She struggled to fight off the despairing thoughts running through the back of her mind, trying to sink their roots deep enough to take full control.
Quicker than seemed possible, the barricade disappeared from view, obscured by the forest’s plant life. If not for the subtle movement of occasional rustling leaves, the forest seemed almost frozen in time.
Not noticing Ghent had stopped, she went a couple more paces before glancing behind her at his question.
“Keep. Moving. Boy!” Drust snarled, his head twitching and his voice tense as he halted well behind Ghent. The lines snaking from the corners of his eyes pulsated to their own rhythm, expanding and decreasing with a quick beat that made Elayra’s breath catch.
“Walk and talk,” Elayra whispered. She reached back to once more take Ghent’s wrist, in part to make sure he kept moving, but partially to remind herself she was not alone, no matter what the spirits of the forest tried to make her believe.
“It’s a defense of Hollow Hill,” Drust answered Ghent’s question, his words gruff. He offered no other insight, the Knight in no mood to explain anything.
“According to legend,” Elayra began softly, eager to fill some of the eerie silence, “this forest was once a normal forest. But then, the portals appeared out of nowhere, taking the forms of hollows in trees that had grown overnight. The people living here devoted themselves to studying them, to figuring out how they worked and where they led. They became the first Jumpers. They tried to keep the portal’s existence a secret until they knew more about them, but word got out, and people began to flock to them.”
Elayra shuddered and glanced around, the sensation that they were not alone, that something else lurked amidst the trees, invisible, creeping down her back. She licked her lips, and continued, keeping a diligent eye cast around them.
“There were those who wanted to simply learn whatever they could, their intentions harmless enough. But there were also people who wanted to exploit the portals for selfish gain. Fights broke out regularly over how they should be used.
“Then, a powerful sorcerer bypassed what little security the portals had back then. He snuck into other worlds and rallied an army to vanquish those who tried to keep the portals from him and his like. The war that ensued nearly brought Wonderland to its knees. The people feared this sorcerer and his magic companions.”
She glanced back to Drust, trying to put as much sincerity into her next words as she could. “But there’s always a light in the dark.” Her gaze shifted to Ghent, then to the trees ahead of them. “Three people came together to put an end to the war: Absolem, who was said to be half of the physical realm, and half of the Spiritayum, as well as the first man to fully connect to portal magic; Edelia, the most powerful vinifcium the world has ever seen; and…” she paused and took a deep breath. “And Zandon Heart, a cunning thief and warrior who had never tasted defeat in battle.
“Together, they formed their own army, even gaining support from a few of the denizens of the Spiritayum. Their final battle occurred in this forest.”
She halted and spun to the side, pulling her sword a couple inches from her sheath, sure she had seen movement in the corner of her eye. Only the silent forest greeted her. She took a steadying breath and continued forward.
“The trio met face-to-face with the sorcerer in battle. Together, they overpowered him and his men, but the number of lives lost was innumerable.
“Because of the involvement of the Spiritayum, they say that battle created a tear here, where the realms of the physical and spiritual collided, trapping the souls of the dead, dooming them to an eternity haunting these woods. The emotions of war—fear, desperation, sorrow, pain—remained with them, soaking into the land, both souls and feelings providing another defense. Some spirits are helpful, and only ward off those meaning harm, while others...”
She let the words trail off. She swallowed, the sensation of otherworldly presences tingling over her skin as if the tale of their fate had made them gather around to listen, invisible amidst the daylight spearing through the lush canopy.
Perhaps now, surrounded by the haunted woods, was not quite the best time to share the tale. The shadows suddenly felt darker, more sinister. Even the glittering dust motes felt like they held malicious intent. A mysterious breeze blew through the trees, brushing by and toying with her and Ghent’s hair. Its whispered voice, somewhere between natural and supernatural, made a chill run down Elayra’s spine.
They were out there, watching, waiting for them to let their guards down, and she knew she would be defenseless against them. As defenseless as she was against the Red Queen.
Her free hand clenched, and her grip on Ghent tightened. She clenched her teeth and growled, trying to banish the thoughts, to push away the mental tricks the cursed forest and its dead inhabitants were trying to play.

To Cure a Curse

Cool, cool. But again, it's important to mention those factors in some way! You said nothing about full-fledged snow that I recall reading, just that the lake was partially iced over, so I was missing that visual, as well as the terrain itself. Nothing on how difficult the path would be to navigate was mentioned. Remember, readers (including a partner in a roleplay) are not in your head! It's the job of a writer to paint a vivid picture with words. Missing descriptions or actions makes for missing visuals. I don't remember any snow being previously mentioned in past posts, either, other than noticeable in the distance, only the cold, but that could just be because it's been so long since I've read past posts. If that's the case, I apologize for my mistake with that sentence!

To Cure a Curse

Quick writing suggestion?

Watch distance-to-time, and/or remember to describe a reason for something happening quicker or slower than it should. It's possible for a person to walk five miles in roughly around two to three hours, depending on the person. An elk would be capable of making that a lot quicker, especially if we're talking roughly a straight line. Details, details, details! :-)

Of Science and Magic

A poke to say hello! How's it going? Did you have a good Halloween?

To Cure a Curse

As they had before, the duo rode in a comfortable silence. Rayadell watched the trees, listening to the sounds of the forest for signs of any other bandits, but heard none. The closer they got to the small town, the more wary of her the trees grew, their whispers tapering off to a silence as the afternoon grew into the aging evening.
The further they went into the pass, a deeper chill coated the air. Frost glittered off prickly grass and brave shrubs. It turned bare tree limbs into diamond-encrusted sculptures and rested on the needles of firs and pines like opulent garland.
Rayadell took in a deep breath, relishing the fresh, crisp cold that flooded her lungs. It had been so long since she had tasted the true, mountainous cold.
When they left the pass, soon leaving them facing a steep drop-off, Rayadell glanced toward the lakeside town, then down the path sloping gently downward, weaving its way through the forest to avoid obstacles, while substantially lengthening the journey to the town.
She sighed, the sound heavy, yet quiet. It would have been quick and easy just to glide down from the pass to the town. Beneath her cloak, her wings twitched at the thought, the extra appendages growing irritated of their awkward positioning and eager to spread out. She shook her head with a frown. Daytime flights were never an option.
It took longer for them to reach level ground than she expected. By the time they arrived at the gates, the sun had all but sunk behind the mountains, casting them in an early twilight the night was quickly consuming.
She tilted enough from her seat behind Calanon to get a better view of the town’s gates.
Her gaze ran over the intricate carvings just visible in the dwindling light. Her attention snapped to the guards atop the gate when one of them called out, before Calanon pulled the elk to a stop and answered the man.
“Tarora Shadefell,” she answered immediately when Calanon gestured to her, her voice raised so the humans could hear, her own hood long since blown back during their ride. Only her hair, trapped and kept in place beneath her cloak, hid the marked side of her face. “We travel with the desire for adventure and seeing the beauty of your mountains,” she partially lied, hoping that would be enough to be granted entry. “We seek food and lodging for the cold night ahead, no more, no less.”