Spade

Avan-Sol

"Ladies and gentlemen, we are witnessing history. For those of you just joining us, tonight's events started out rather routinely, with the Syracuse University football team lead by their defensive captain Damien O'Shalna defending their home field against Rutgers for the division championship. It was an amazing game to say the least, O'Shalna and his record setting defense only allowing three points in four quarters, stuffing the run and getting to the quarterback 7 times over the course of the night. Rutgers had their own impressive defensive effort, but lost the contest by allowing the game's only touchdown in the third quarter.

Well that's all said and done as the game ended about 10 minutes ago but what happens next is pretty interesting. Instead of proceeding with the traditional trophy ceremony, the majority of the team, it's safe to say all of the Fae players followed Damien to the east end of the field and began to what I can only describe as some sort of prayer. Now our people are telling us that they're showing tribute to their fallen assistant coach, who is elven and in the hospital after being assaulted during an anti-fae rally sometime last month. This pro-fae demonstration is only a small part of the recent happenings here at Syracuse. The fae rights movement has done nothing but gain traction and momentum here in New York City, but we would never believe that it would reach this level.

Make no mistakes folks our cameras are still rolling and we're still broadcasting because this isn't an act of hostility. The authorities have been called off after the initial confusion. No arrests have been made, nobody has been hurt because this is an act of peace and a display of good will on behalf of the Syracuse football team. What this comes down to is the basic right of existence. These kids are discovering their history, their potential and they want to be respected for being different. These kids want to be respected for being themselves.

Mark Eisen, in his last game called for Syracuse University football.

---

"This is fucked, man."
"We have to know if it's gonna work if you do a full sprint across the river at full rush. It's gnarly but it's the only way we'll know it's flawless."
"I know, it's just...fucked."
"It's sketchy Damien I know, but I wouldn't ask you to do this if I wasn't entirely confident in my work."
"You can't just do it yourself? This is sketch, man."
"Damien I'm 3 feet tall I know it'll hold my weight, I need someone solid for this."
"You couldn't get Domerix out here? Orcs are solid."
"Orcs also don't trust magic that isn't Orcish."
"This is fucked."

"Just get ready, I'm mixing a fresh batch for you right now." the gnome said, rummaging through his knapsack for different powders, oils and pastes needed to make the salve they were out there to test. The gnome was Windsor Sinclair, a 5 year graduate of a 10 year course in fae science. Windsor left his premier internship in Manhattan to join Damien and show that fae science wasn't just pixie dust and fireworks. A pioneer in functional potions and concoctions of all sorts, Windsor's latest creation was a salve that could be applied anywhere on the body and would allow the user to walk, run and hopefully sprint across bodies of water as if it were solid ground. He had already demonstrated it for himself, but needed to be sure it could hold someone with real bulk, like Damien. The leader of the Sea Tigers always expressed that he would never ask his guys to do something he wouldn't, so naturally Windsor went to the man himself. There they were, mid day on the banks of the roughest part of the river. Damien checked the straps to the harness that was made to his measurements. Adjusting the fit, the harness allowed him to carry a gnome comfortably for an extended period of time, causing no strain to the shoulders or back. It all pllayed into an upcoming task Damien was putting together, but that was still in the works. They needed to know if the salve would work, first.

"Done, here you are." Windsor said, handing over the open container of blackish brownish paste. Damien took a long look at it before dipping in two fingers and applying one stripe under each eye, resembling the eye black he used to wear on the football field. Taking a nervous deep breath to try and shake the tingle in his gut, Damien paced a few steps back just before the treeline meet the riverbed. There he stood focused, doing his best to dial in and push away any hesitation in his mind. As if a gun went off, Damien swiftly dropped his hips and took off, full sprint dead ahead towards the river. Nerves made their way back into his mind, but he didn't slow down. Letting out a shout as he touched the last of dry land, Damien maintained his high speed as he sprinted clear across the river. Water splashed up from the impact of his strides as he kept in line straight across to the other side. His steps thudded hard as he slowed himself down and looked back across the river to see Windsor with his hands up in victory, both he and Damien smiling in excitement. It was an awesome moment. "That was insane! Fuck yes!" he shouted before they both began laughing. Damien calmly walked back across the river, the rapids morphing around his form as he caught his breathe.

"Let's get out of here, c'mon, I'll give you a lift." Damien quipped, getting down on one knee.
"Asshole."
They both laughed and headed back to camp. Which was a mixture of old public buildings, an abandoned subway terminal, tunnels and a maintenance tunnel junction that was out of use for a few decades. There were also plenty of tents, towers and treehouses and the canopy allowed for plenty of sun with just the right amount of privacy. Either way, Alistar's scout lines kept great watch of not just their home, but their entire part of central forest. It was a real community, there were gnomes, elves, orcs, satyrs, pixies. Pretty much every kind of fae was represented to one volume or another, but they were all equal. Damien made sure to nod and wave to as many as he could, or to those who noticed him. Everyone had been really busy lately, art, music, lectures, there was a boom in creation for the large group of fae. The two walked Windsor to his large tent and said their farewells, Windsor shouting excitedly, telling his fellow scientists about their accomplishments. Damien walked in the shade through a group of tents and past small office buildings before reaching the largest in the center.'MANNING COUNTRY CLUB' read across it's tired concrete front, which had been reclaimed by Gaia, covered in moss and vines. The walls inside the main atrium were lined with statues, idols and paintings. Many had offerings at their base or underneath them. Some fae were even in the middle of praying, communicating with their chosen deity. The building carried a respectful silence, but a satyr played the pan flute in the distance. The melancholy tune echoed through the halls as Damien walked past room after room of statues and people meditating, before finally reaching his own.

The statue of Liara was deceiving. Her noble dressing covered her shapely form, and her crown appeared much more majestic. She looked upward, as if from the sea to the surface but Damien could still feel her gaze upon him. At her feet, a tiger laid dormant, peacefully asleep in it's master's comforting company. It was a stark contrast from the coldness of his dreams, of which only Damien was familiar with. An elven craftsman constructed the statue for Damien, using only instructions from a centuries old book detail her existence, and of the hundreds of warriors that worshiped her and died vying for her love and approval. It was how the goddess was remembered in the hearts of men. Damien presented a lone water lotus he had picked from a certain spot along the river. Placing it at the statues feet, Damien took a deep breath and looked up at her.

"In a few days, I'm going to do something I've been meaning to do for a long time. It's what I've been training myself and these Tigers for. I'm here today, to ask that you make sure things go our way and we can find out what happened to Avan. I'm not here to beg, or ask for protection, just make sure he stays out of my way. Make sure Ulrich doesn't fuck anything up for us. He's my brother, and I miss him, but we are men with different purposes now. Make sure he knows that-"
"Damien." a voice echoed from down the hall, it was Damien's captain Alistar, his steps grew louder until he stood in the doorway. "Damien, we found him."
"How?" Damien asked, his fists clenching as he kept his gaze on Liara's statue.
"Earlier today, one of my guys saw him. I'm sorry to interrupt, it's disrespectful, but I think you needed to know."
Damien sprang up to his feet, looking his scout captain in the eyes, "Grab three more of your guys, let's go."

Avan-Sol

I'm really busy with work this weekend, but I promise I'll have something up by tomorrow night. I was gonna try and throw something up really quick but I'm just too tired to post quality right now.

Avan-Sol

My goddess has shown me many things, but what speaks to me the most, is that true salvation can not be achieved through negotiation, but reached by brazen victories.


Name: Damien Cass O'Shalna
Age: 24
Build: 6'2 230lbs

"Damien's always been plagued by nightmares, since he was a boy we would always rush to his room as soon as the screaming started. He said it was a beast that chased him, it would chase him through a thick forest, he would talk about how it was so foggy he would trip and fall and get up and keep running. They always ended the same way, he would run out to a beach, the beast chasing him into the water. He usually woke up by then, but sometimes...he said sometimes he'd drown until a woman would grab his hand. We took him to the best doctors, consulted the city's best psychologists. I mean, we would put him through test after test. He must have had his brain scanned at least a dozen times but they would all say the same thing, 'he's fine, he'll grow out of it.'." the voice began to tremble with confusion, "they never stopped, even when he was a teenager. He would lock his door, he said he had to fight the beast in his dreams but he never won. It wasn't until..."

"Wasn't until when, Mrs. O'Shalna?"

"It wasn't until he started reading those books, spending time with Faes. When he found out he was Fae, something clicked inside of him. He was able to figure it out, but I lost my eldest son, and that still hurts me to this day. He was a 5 Star Recruit, won All-American honors, First Team Collegiate Defensive Captain. He received the Ray Lewis Award for being the best linebacker in the country -- just look around, his awards are all over our living room, it's all I have left of him." the occasional sniffle came around, Damien's adoptive mother reached for a tissue and tried to calm herself, "It was this Avan kid, some kid he met in class that said he could rid him of his nightmares. He was the one that gave my Damien all of those old books, that spoke of gods and old traditions. He would go swimming every morning, up before the sun was, gone. I should have known then, I should have known I would lose him! He sat me down, he talked about how he was finally able stop the nightmares. He said 'Mom, I was never supposed to fight the beast, the beast was meant for me to embrace.' He spoke of all these things I didn't understand, he wouldn't stop about his one true goddess, the one he was meant for."

"Can you tell me the name of the goddess he began worshiping please?"

Mrs. O'Shalna laughed through her tears, the name brought her a miasma of different emotions. The goddess in question was the one who cleared Damien's clouded mind, cured him of his nightmares but also infatuated him so much he disconnected from his adoptive family all together and create the Sea Tigers, a movement of Fae that would eventually become his new family, as he felt it was intended to be so. Mrs. O'Shalna wiped the tears from her eyes, and looked up at her wall to a picture of Damien when he was still a child.

"Liara...her name is Liara."

---

Damien's boots left heavy imprints in the sand as he walked out to the beach. Central Forest cut clear through the sea, and the forest was dense enough to allow him to follow the river bank all the way without being seen by any drones. His scouts recognized when he was on a walk, and kept their distance out of respect for their calm leader. He removed the leather spaulders and vambraces, undoing his belt so he could slip his neomesh shirt off. His sword made a soft thud as it hit the sand. A twig snapped in the treeline, prompting Damien to stop and smile. His elven captain, Alistar made his presence known as he emerged from the treeline with a concerned look on his face.

"Are you going to see her again so soon? Frequent visits are unlike you, Damien. I hope you're not quarreled by our recent developments. Had I known it would have bothered you so, I would have waited until a better time to tell you."
"This isn't about Helen, Alistar, I've just got some things I need to hear from her right now, which is why I'm doing this. I'm fine, and when the day comes where something burdens me so much it hinders my ability to lead these men properly, you will be the first to know."
"Not the orc?"
"No, not the orc."

They both laughed, and Alistar nodded in acceptance to Damien's reassuring words, "Cool, you win, I'll see you in a bit then, boss." and with those last words, Alistar the Shadow walked calmly back into the forest. Damien used the rhythm of the waves to focus his mind, clear his thoughts. Slowly he began to walk into the water, eyes still closed, waves gently crashing into his form. Things went quiet, things got dark and Damien opened his eyes to find himself in the silent vastness of an immensely foggy beach. Waves crashing in the calm distance. Damien blinked himself into a focus, listening for her footsteps. He grew impatient after a few minutes, knowing she was watching him clearly through the fog. It was what this goddess did, constantly testing, teasing, waiting.

"I know you're there, I'm sure you like what you see."
"The re-opening of old wounds make my lovely man stronger and I need to you to be strong. How could you think of her again when you know you have me, my love? Her chance was so long ago, and I grow tiresome waiting for my king to come see me again. Your unfocused mind worries me, my king. Am I not beautiful enough for you, dearest? Are my gifts not rewarding enough to keep me in your heart?"
"You know that's not true. You are everything to me. Her time is over, she chooses Ulrich over me. She's Ulrich's and I am yours Liara, I am yours and no one else's" he spoke sternly, looking around for her figure to appear among the fog. Soon, it did. Her soft skin and hypnotizing curves approached him with soft footsteps. She wore nothing but a short, soft transparent toga and a crown lined with the teeth of a large tiger. She smiled and examined him with silence, her lips curving maliciously upward as she slowly walked around him, her finger tugging at his waistline.

"Your words calm my heart Damien, they make me long for the day when you will finally join me here and become my king. You would have me everyday, my love. I would be yours and you would be mine and we would have eternity together. You know it's what your heart desires, my love. Please Damien, take your life and join me." she spoke, her words infections to Damien's affection as she pressed her body against his, her hand pressed firmly on his chest, enticing him.
"I have things to take care of, you know I can't."
The air grew tense as Liara's blue nails slightly dug into Damien's skin. In the distance, a growl could be heard, footsteps circling the two became clearly audible. Damien was frozen, Liara's hold on him was too strong for his will to break. Her hand made it's way to the back of his neck, snatching it in close in one intense motion.
"Maybe I should take you myself, now that you are grown and strong enough to be my king. What if I decided to take you away, all for me to hold sway over? My love, I desire you with all of my heart, let me bring you into my world forever." she whispered sharply, words laced with chilling anger. Damien was finally able to break free of her hold, grabbing her hand and removing it from his neck, her nails leaving burning scratches.
"Not today." he whispered, and for a moment, they looked deeply into each others eyes before sharing a deep, passionate kiss.

Damien awoke amongst the wet sand, looking around before seeing his gear bundled a few yards away. He got up and looked around before feeling the burning cuts on his chest and neck. For years, he had accepted Liara as his one and only true love, destined to join her after a good death, but Helen and Ulrich would come to make things much more interesting.

Cleansed: Peace Keepers (Post-zombie apocalypse/recovering population/urban exploration/survival)

Very interested. Would definitely have fun with this.

What Are You Listening To?

What Are You Listening To?

Dark fantasy and adventure

Was thinking of a soldier or mercenary on the hunt for a certain criminal after being paid handsomely by one of the kings. I'm thinking the king voids their arrangement after suspecting it being a scam of some sort. Still working that part out in my head, but I'm going in that direction. Would that be cool?

What Are You Listening To?

Dark fantasy and adventure

[laggy double post]

Dark fantasy and adventure

Misery, darkness and struggle around every corner. Racial tensions and the looming threat of total oblivion.

Sounds like my kind of dance. Definitely interested.