1. I wouldn't recommend getting too intimate with your party members, because you have a wedding ring on your finger that wasn't there before. Your memories were messed up when you were summoned. In other words, you got married and forgot about it. Your wife is still alive and kicking. Definitely kicking. This RP is fundamentally an action/romance story, kind of a twist on the old "arranged marriage" theme. 2. The Darkspawn are more than just an annoyance. The Haven towers were built to stop them. In fact, I was tempted to use the Post-Apocalyptic flag for this RP...
You, Edward Bain, have been transported to another world.
Thank goodness.
In your old life, you didn't have a girlfriend. Perhaps you had one in high school, or you had one in college, or you never had any luck at all. One way or another, by the time you landed your first job, you were single. Video games and tabletop games, on the other hand, were another matter. Your fictional characters were great with the ladies! They'd get married, have children, slay dragons, make loads of money, and live happily ever after.
It's no wonder you found yourself wishing to live in a fantasy world.
As fate would have it, that's exactly what happens. A magic circle appears under your feet, and you're transported to a fantasy world filled with dragons, danger, and dames. There's magic everywhere, monsters a-plenty, and even a sort of game system you can use to level up! And to top it all off, you were deliberately summoned here to save the world - a real-life chosen hero!
It isn't all sunshine and roses, though. Nobody is entirely forthright about the costs of magic, for one thing. Some people behave like NPCs, even though this appears to be real life. Your friends and allies seem to have ulterior motives. And then there's the teensy little fact that the world is actually in peril, with a deadline and everything, and you really do have to save it.
I should probably talk about that more. This world is named Aion, and most of the civilizations on it are roughly medieval. Magic was discovered only recently (about a generation or two prior to your arrival), so many logical applications haven't made their way to the broader public yet. There are numerous sapient races here; humans are far and away the most dominant, taking up around 99% of the world's population. The remaining 1% are incredibly diverse - fauns, lamia, centaurs, mermaids, ents, dwarves, orcs, and many more too numerous to list. Perceptions of these races vary between cultures. Some people worship them, some people eat them for afternoon snack, and some people don't even blink twice when they see them.
Most of the world's civilizations are huddled around the six Haven towers dotted around the planet: Northaven, Southaven, Easthaven, Westhaven, Midhaven, and Althaven. These Haven towers are vast, monolithic constructs that stretch so high into the sky that it's almost impossible to see their peaks except from a great distance. Each one of them generates an impenetrable forcefield large enough to surround an entire continent. Nobody is quite sure what they're guarding against, since few have ever dared to venture that close to the edge (or lived to tell what they found there). The Haven towers themselves have no visible entry or exit, and are too durable to break into by force. To get beyond the forcefield to other continents, one would have to pass through underground labyrinths, each teeming with deadly traps and hostile monsters within confusing mazes of tunnels.
That means most of our adventure will take place on one continent - Northaven, where the Kingdom of Man, Zodiac Tribes, and Aetherion Alliance are founded.
The Kingdom of Man appears to be your run-of-the-mill medieval fantasy country, with a monarch at the top, landowning nobles beneath it, and commoners at the bottom. As it is closest to the equator out of all the northern countries and situated on mostly level ground, it enjoys rain and vegetation in abundance. The people there seem relatively normal except for one thing: they are all universally and fanatically patriotic. From the moment they can understand their native language, they become devout patriots for their king and country. Oddities aside, they are otherwise a smart, industrious people with a lust for adventure. They've developed a robust guild system to handle the constant Darkspawn raids that plague the continent, and are generally the most secure of the three nations.
The Aetherion Alliance, by contrast, is a curiously elf-like civilization (though they are all still humans). At first glance, they come across as peaceful, nature-loving tree-huggers with a knack for magic. Truth be told, however, their society operates on good old-fashioned "might makes right." Your place in society is determined almost entirely by the strength of your magic, and only the strongest have the right to command others. Of course, like any human culture, individual expressions of this culture vary. Some are happy to serve under someone with weaker power if they're exceptionally skilled, while others can sometimes bluff their way into higher positions. Every now and then you may even find an occasional quack who doesn't give two hoots about magic power at all. But by and large, their culture is driven by power. Visitors tend to be more awed by their extravagant splendor than they really ought to be.
The twelve Zodiac Tribes are trapped by the other two nations up in the frigid north, huddled close to Northaven Tower itself. As their moniker suggests, they are a fractured lot with few solid bonds between any of their tribes. Some live in ice houses, some in clay huts, some in caves, or whatever else they can find to work with. The Pisces Tribe, for instance, subsists mainly through fish farms (hence the name) and lives in ice-built cities, while the nomadic Aries Tribe lives further south and subsists primarily through constant raids on their neighbors.
While the three nations coexisted in relative peace, the balance of power tipped and fell off the scale entirely when the Witch appeared. This mysterious individual appeared suddenly in Northaven and immediately targeted the Kingdom with single-minded fury. Using her staggering knowledge of ancient magics, she created a diverse army of mechanical golems that the knights were powerless to stop. Left unchecked, she could conquer the entire continent (if not the whole world) all by herself. To make things worse, she forged an alliance with Abraxas, a black dragon of unimaginable power able to raze entire cities with a single breath.
Desperate to halt this unstoppable force, the Kingdom summoned you, the Hero, to fight back. You're an Ascendant (better-known as an "elf" in this world), a long-lost race of immortals that once ruled the world. Silvery hair and pointed ears mark your species. How you went from mere human to that is beyond you. Even curiouser is how you can still recognize yourself in a mirror, if barely. While you're not the only person the Kingdom summoned to their aid, you are the only Ascendant of the lot.
That makes you an attractive prospect for all the eligible young ladies in the Kingdom. You could, of course, indulge yourself in their affections and let the world burn, but if you're not too keen on seeing ordinary people get trampled by the strong, you could instead recruit these ladies into your party and take them with you on your quest to save the world. The Princess, your female Knight, and the Aetherial Queen are mighty allies rivaling you in power. If you can manage all their conflicting agendas within your budding harem, you could potentially even rule the world yourself.
Use your powers well, chosen one. But remember: all is not as it seems. I chose that title for a reason.
Race: Orc (Her adoptive mother is an elf child, Soleil Carnelis, pictured on the right. About 30 years old.) Birthdate: Krugh 12th, 7492 Affinity: Terramancy Talents:
Unarmed martial arts
Spearfighting
Masonry
Wilderness survival
Hunting
Problems:
Hubris - Caeda developed an inflated pride from her martial superiority to all challengers up to this point. She is particularly proud of surviving her migration through the Or-Clans.
Untrustworthy - She's as likely to pursue her own ends as follow through on her promises. Having rarely lived among large groups of individuals, she doesn't yet appreciate the value of a good reputation.
Liar - When her pride is well and truly challenged, she resorts to lies to maintain her sense of self-worth.
Hard Learner - Due to her hubris, she doesn't accept feedback very well, so the only way she learns is the hard way, through trial and error. That she survived fighting the Or-Clans long enough to get good is nothing short of a miracle.
Recommendation Letter: To Apotheosis Arcanaeum Admissions,
Firstly, you'll have to pardon my poor writing skills, as I rarely have opportunity to write recommendation letters. I feel strongly that I must make an exception to that trend, because this young lady, Caeda Carnelis, is possibly the most promising warrior I've ever met from the Or-Clans. That her mother is not an orc cannot be a coincidence. She was adopted by an orphaned elf child, Soleil Carnelis, and together survived migration through the Or-Clans - a marvelous feat in and of itself. Her skill with the spear is peerless, and her ferocity unarmed cannot be underestimated. Her magical potential is uncommonly high, though as we currently lack master arcanists at this facility, we referred her to Apotheosis Arcanaeum for further education.
Feel free to contact me for any further details at the aerocode written on the back.
Sincerely, Jong Li-Wei, Master of Polearts at Xiadan Martial Arts Academy
Other: Her personal goal is to unite all the Or-Clans under one banner - hers. She will stop at nothing to achieve it.
I did not, at first, understand the depth of the Cup I had chosen to drink.
Perhaps I should have asked a question: Why would a man, having found the Cup which humanity sought through the millennia past, decline to partake thereof, and give it to another? Who would value the company of Outcasts over the treasures of eternity? The depravity of humankind should have precluded it from the Beginning. I shudder to think what judgment shall pass upon those lips that drank of that forbidden Cup.
Yet willingly I drank, and I do not regret. Only through the lens of monstrosity can I now see the landscape of humanity. The life of man is like a wisp of flame, here for but a moment, and gone as quickly as it came. A man may choose how he shall fuel that flame, for as tobacco and oak yield different rewards from the fire, so do the works of men from life.
But a man may strive for a lifetime and a day and accomplish nothing but to feed his flesh to the earth. Even a whole host, striving with all their might, cannot light the way for humanity far beyond their generation. Give a century or two, and civilization is once again wreathed in utter Darkness.
What I've come to learn is that it takes just a few good people to chart the course for the future. That tiny spark of Good, so easily smothered, can, with nurture and care, light such a fire as shall burn into legends. How many more lives could be bought if all they who burn were kindled? How far could the light pierce the darkness given a spark and a chance? So many precious souls, too many, meet their end bereft of any joy or accomplishment. I want to find them, embrace them, and tell them it’s okay to burn. I want them to burn and burn until the very equilibrium of good and evil warps in our favor.
I want Good to start winning for a change.
Such efforts lie far beyond the power of ordinary men. I believe I understand, now, why our adoptive father could not bring himself to partake of the Cup: he could not muster within himself the power to foresee a future beyond the murk of his past . Only children such as we, with no knowledge of the past and no thought for the future, could accept that kind of power and the responsibilities it entails.
And I would drink it again in a heartbeat.
Preface Consider the following story an apology for my long absence. I've set myself a deadline to always write before or on Monday 4-5pm MST, so 3-week absences of this sort shouldn't happen again. Please enjoy this short story, set in Ruby's world prior to the events of The Backwards Castle. __________
The city of Midhaven was many things. It was diverse, for starters, and one almost had to take three semesters of Intercultural Studies to avoid offending someone. It was also one of the better-governed cities on the planet, which was why people didn't need three semesters of Intercultural Studies to live a largely peaceful life here. What the city was not, however, was warm, in either sense of the term - as Erudessa quickly discovered when the fifth inkeeper in the area slammed the door in her face that night.
"Nice to meet you too." She tightened her coat and trudged down the street to locate another inn. Xenophobia was surprisingly strong in this corner of the city. Throwing money around would bring more pickpockets than friends, and nobody would talk to strangers at this time of night. Finding a place to sleep, let alone any local connections for the hunt, was proving a pipe dream.
Erudessa sighed and stared down a narrow alley.
Looks like I'm making friends with the dirt again. What'll I find there this time: villains or vagrants?
Shadows flickered in the dark. There was something, just a hunch, perhaps, that told her to go there. Only one way to find out.
Her eyes soon adjusted as she picked her way through the alley. The graffitied walls, failed pentagrams, discarded pottery, and piles of waste suggested people once lived here. The new king's policies, it seemed, were working, and so (hopefully) were the vagrants. Which meant that the likelihood of encountering them in an alley was less likely.
Erudessa touched a hand to the wall to place a warning spell on it. It couldn't hurt to have a little extra time should those shadowed figures choose to try her, if they dared. She found clean little corner and snuggled herself into it. A laugh soon found its way out of her throat.
"The others would so get a kick out of this, seeing me here," she muttered aloud to herself. As she chuckled at the idea of being caught sleeping in an alley, she lifted her gaze to the sliver of night sky above her. It's definitely been a while since I last had to live like this. With a heavy sigh, she laid her head against the wall, closed her eyes, and listened to the sweet call of sleep. Before it could take her, a sharp headache induced by the warning spell forced her to her feet. Erudessa summoned a forcefield around herself and diverted mana to her palms.
"Speak!" she commanded.
The sound of labored breathing rose up from around the corner, deeper into the alley. She stretched two fingers around the corner and sent a mana pulse. One soul, motionless, non-threatening. Erudessa rounded the corner to find young woman, stained black with blood and clutching a bundle in her arms. It took her a moment to realize she'd found one of her targets: Uroh Tei, a former covert operative, wanted for treason against the Council. The reason for that treachery lay in her arms. From the looks of it, someone else got to Uroh before she did.
Erudessa dispelled her energies and knelt at the woman's side. "Are you okay?" she asked.
A faint glimmer from the woman's face meant she'd opened her eyes slightly. Erudessa touched the woman's shoulder and asked again. "Are you okay?"
Her head shook slightly, and she clutched the bundle tighter.
Even traitors deserved a fair trial. She didn't deserve this. Her child didn't deserve this. Erudessa diverted energy to her palms again, this time for regenerative magic. "It's okay, I'm a healer. I can help."
Uroh batted her hands away.
"Let me help you," Erudessa pleaded.
She raised the bundle slightly.
In that moment, it struck her. There is only one soul here. She felt sick to her stomach.
Erudessa swallowed hard. "Wait, I don't think-"
Uroh mustered her strength and rasped, "Please!"
Erudessa froze. How could she not know? I can't tell her. The knowledge would break her. If the passing were but a few seconds ago, I could have helped, but this child is long gone. What am I supposed to do, animate her like a zombie? I'm not doing that.
The Ascended were not gods, contrary to popular belief. They could not raise the dead. But perhaps...perhaps it couldn't hurt to pretend.
"Give me a moment." Erudessa moved back around the corner out of sight. She confronted a pang of guilt for the plan she was about to consider. Would it be wrong? I could solve so many problems this way, but is it right to take...and to deceive like that? Would she be happy that something, anything of her child's memory would continue, or angry that it isn't whole?
Erudessa folded her arms and mulled it over.
If she lives past the trial, I'll tell her myself. No lies.
She cast a delayed teleportation spell on herself and returned to the woman's side. "I can help, but...there is a price."
"Name it," Uroh whispered.
"Give me the child."
Uroh closed her eyes. Every second felt like a minute. At length, she nodded, and loosened her grip on the bundle. Erudessa lifted it into her arms and bowed her head. "Thank you, Uroh Tei. The child shall live. I swear it."
As she left the alley, Uroh's only response was a slight smile and a wet trail on her dirty cheek.
Erudessa came to small place near the city's edge, where a retired mercenary couple made a living in blacksmithing. They'd enjoyed a solid reputation as kind, upstanding folks, and they longed to have children, but were denied opportunity to adopt any due to their background.
She gazed into the child's still, pale face. "In a few moments, little one, life shall fill your eyes once more. My only regret is that it will not be...yours."
She knocked on the door, then touched her mouth to the bundle and breathed. A chill formed in her heart, small at first, and grew until her whole body became numb. All the colors of the world faded to gray and blended together in a blur of light before, at last, succumbing to darkness. The void beckoned, and she answered it.
Then, she breathed in.
The arms that clutched her vanished before the door opened.
"Oh! Who left a baby on my doorstep?" said a woman's voice. "Whimpering whiskers! Where's your mother, little one?" Erudessa attempted a reply, but only a cry came out. The voice decided this meant that she was hungry - which she was, incidentally. Attempts at expressing this yielded similarly unpleasant noises. "Rodger dear! I found a baby!"
The merc came stumbling to the door rubbing his eyes. "Julia! I knew you were canvassing orphanages, but you went and bought that little chicken-fried f*cknugget from the agency?"
Julia scoffed. "I found her on our doorstep, I'll have you know. Go get the applesauce out of the icebox. Little one's starving!"
I will live your life in your place, little one. Wait for me - I'll have many stories for you by world's end.
__________
The longer Kaath conversed with Walker, the more Ruby wanted to sink into the floor. She never meant to hurt Kaath. But the girl had to shoulder the burden of suspicion from the moment the party arrived, so Ruby's words, meant just as routine confirmation, triggered her frustration. Worse, there was nothing about Kaath besides a shadowed complexion to warrant such suspicion. Talkative, helpful, and easygoing, Kaath offered them aid in their time of need, only to be rewarded with glares and sour words. What if the experience made her wary of people ever after? What if she chose to smother the kindness in her heart because of this? Perhaps such a conclusion was unlikely, but humans sometimes turned to evil over lesser grievances. She would never forgive herself if that happened.
She could not look Kaath in the eye for the rest of the conversation. An apology was in order, but she didn't much feel like embarrassing herself by apologizing within earshot of the others. Then again, the error was public; a public error demanded a public apology. But Kaath and Walker were still talking, and interrupting to make an apology would be awkward at best, and flat-out rude at worst.
Ruby ran her hands through her hair. What do I do? When do I do it?
The opportunity arose when Violet summoned her and Walker to a private chat. Ruby waited until Walker was some paces away before speaking.
She swallowed the lump in her throat and shifted to sit on her knees.
"Kaath...I want to apologize. You've helped us, helped me, more than I deserve, and I treated you with suspicion. It was wrong of me to suggest you hurt Violet. I don't-" The lump in her throat returned, and could not be swallowed without smarting her eyes. "I didn't-" Tears began to well up. Don't cry. Don't cry. Be strong. Don't cry now. Dammit! She was not as strong as initially surmised, and the moisture threatened to spill onto her cheeks. Ruby bowed her head to hide them and plodded on. "-please don't stop being kind just because of an old fool like me. Can you- can you- please forgive me?"
She waited a few moments to learn whether Kaath would accept it. But she could not wait too long, lest the others wonder at the holdup and return to find Ruby in tears. At length, she wiped her eyes, got to her feet, and joined the meeting.
For once, the ambient darkness proved a friend, enshrouding the signs of tears in shadow so what traces remained would not be visible. Ruby dusted off a section of the cold stone floor and folded herself on top of it. "How may I be of service, Violet?"
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