Yankee

Hello here is Axia

Welcome to the Guild!

Hello!

Welcome to RPG!

Greetings!

Welcome to RPG!

Wardens of the Glade: A Light Fantasy RP

@shallow grave At risk of potentially cluttering up the OOC...

My answers

Like ERode said, since these are the opening posts its way easier to freely write without worrying that you're going to mess someone else up. Exposition, character thoughts and feelings, etc. added to their actions just kind of naturally build the post out too.

I'm actually the same as you. It takes me hours to write a paragraph sometimes. I was looking up the history of sugar for my own post, making notes on travel, culture, etc. in our real world to sort of apply them to this fantasy one. I do a lot of research too and still get tons of shit goofed up, and I write slow. And I get easily distracted. So it sometimes takes me days to write even short posts, just working on it in chunks. Either that or a whole day. The one I just posted took me a few days for sure (that I then had to slightly adjust as other people posted ahead of me. I even got sniped by ERode writing this lmao).

Do you just trust each other to read everything multiple times and look for stepping stones to your next posts?

Yes! I do that, at least. I love reading everyone's writing, I've reread all of the opening posts in this RP quite a few times already. It's half "I want to read this again" and half "I want to make sure I didn't miss something." Which leads me to...

Do you send your responses accepting that large parts of your post simply won't be addressed as other players perform their characters in incongruent ways?

Also yes! If everyone always responded to every single other action it probably wouldn't flow as nicely. Well, I'm sure a lot of people could make it work. I can't without my writing become stilted I feel, even if I want to. Depending on the character I'm playing, I'll just focus on what I feel I have to respond to then pick a few other things that I think might jump out to my chara.

Anyway, if you feel there's a learning curve then just lean into it. I'm sure you'll do fine! There are also some decent guides in the Articles section of the forum you could look into, or just jumping in and finding a group or partner will prob work the best at judging what's too much and what's too little. It definitely depends on who you are writing with, too.

Wardens of the Glade: A Light Fantasy RP

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"Put it over there- there I said, there!"

"It looks better over here!"

"But it will sell better over there!"

Before a squabble between young man and old woman could break out, the latter's daughter rounded the stall with her arms laden with goods. She walked up to Ashraf and dumped several bundles into his arms, which he received with a soft oof instead of a complaint. He peered around the pile as she spoke to him.

"It's been a few days now, you know there's no arguing with her," she sighed, which seemed to rile her mother up all the more.

When Ashraf first set out for the Grand City of Atutania, he'd done so on foot. It was about halfway through the journey that he realized he'd have to pick up his pace or he might not make it for the first day of trials, which would have been very embarrassing for his planned comeback. Then, like the gods were goading him onward, he met a small wagon train on the road. One of the families allowed him to hitch a ride with them, so in return once they'd arrived in the city early that day he lent them an extra pair of hands to set up their booth. By the time everything was unpacked, organized, set up and priced, it was well on into the morning. Then, the family's matriarch pressed a few coins into Ashraf's hands and affectionately told him to scram.

It was a paltry sum, but he wasn't in Atutania to make money in the first place. The last and only time Ashraf had been in this city, it had been for the same reason he was here now. He wasn't well acquainted with it at all, but the sights and sounds he took in while walking the cobbled streets elicited a vague sense of déjà vu. He shook the feeling away.

Things would not go as they did before.

...however, as before, Ashraf did allow himself some leisure time before going straight to the proving grounds. There were numerous initiate hopefuls that fretted so much their minds broke down before their bodies even had a chance to endure what was in store. Ashraf was not one of them. He took his time walking among the merchant stalls all vying for the attention of the holiday crowds, taking a genuine interest in many of the booths. As a festival, it was relatively small and tame compared to those in Hahral. And as a market, it didn't compare to the colorful caravans that still crossed the desert, selling their unique pieces in town and on the road and then disappearing; couldn't compare to the sprawling souqs of Akoth or Atuunis, bazaars stuffed with wares of incredible make both local and foreign... but it was lively, and the pride of everyday people -from chefs to weavers to blacksmiths- was on full display.

After enjoying some warm food and perusing many of the artisan stalls, Ashraf's came away with his coinpurse a little lighter. Not that it had been that heavy in the first place. He ran his fingers gently over two matching bracelets of opposing colors, the tightly woven Atutanian wool soft even under his calluses. Souvenirs for his sisters, though he'd have to post them home. He didn't plan to leave Atutania any time soon, after all.

He put the gifts into his small pack and started to make his way toward the proving grounds. As he neared the area, the festival gradually transformed. Farther away from the Warden's trial grounds the Day of Heroes celebrations reflected what Ashraf assumed was the usual Atutanian festive fair - but closer, and the spectacle of the trials seemed to cultivate a more fervent atmosphere. Heartier, healthier, and more expensive food was advertised to hungry initiates, smiths suggested weapon repair or outright replacement at a premium, and of course charming salespeople offering supposed blessings to the Warden hopefuls.

"Good luck charms for initiates!"

"No need for luck."

"Talismans for safety, compete without getting a scratch!"

"Anyone afraid of getting hurt should grow and come back next year."

"Improve your love life!"

"Oh? Another time maybe!"

When he made it to the queue, though there were still some people lining up behind him, the number of initiates ahead of him and already in the proving grounds made it clear he was one of the last people who was going to sign up. That was fine, it wasn't like being early scored them any points... wait. Did it?

As Ashraf sorted through his memories of two years ago, his attention was caught by a few of those ahead of him. Was that... an elf? Ashraf's eyes trailed over her long ears and ornate armor. He'd never seen one before, and didn't know anyone who could honestly claim they had either. How weird. Short, too, which he didn't expect. Then again he wasn't much taller, so he really couldn't judge. After she'd stormed off, the next name announced happened to be just as surprising. Siada? As in the Siada of Atuunis?

Ashraf leaned over to get a glimpse of the prince whose family tried their best to make every merchant's life in Hahral miserable. The lavish silken, gold-embroidered robes, the ostentatious bow on his back, the entitled speech... The young Siada seemed like a prick, which Ashraf had expected. He suppressed a click of his tongue as the prince entered the grounds. Was this a special year, or something? It wasn't just those two; there appeared to be quite a lot of high profile participants this time, if the unsubtle gossip being passed around was to be believed.

A few minutes and a more than a few people later and Ashraf crossed the threshold into the proving grounds himself. He felt a tingle of anticipation shoot through him from head to toe. He remembered how grueling the first few days had been, and would be, but he was undaunted. Before anything else he observed the other Warden hopefuls first, wondering if he could get a look at any other minor celebrities, but no other faces or names jumped out at him.

After a moment he noted a lady knight's approach. Actually, on second glance it was more likely she was here for the trials herself. Ashraf regarded her with a curious raised brow, up until she offered him a piece of hard candy and his eyes lit up. A very friendly initiate, then. Although the Free Cities were large and drew in people of many cultures, for the children growing up in Akoth there was one cardinal rule of society that must be followed, less one wanted to invite scorn and misfortune... if someone offered you food, you took it. With a smile at that.

He popped the sweet into his mouth, pressing the pad of his thumb to his tongue to clean away the sugary residue. The combination of body heat and a sunny day made the candies a little sticky. Now this was a nostalgic taste, he thought, though his father would probably curse at him for feeling nostalgia at his age. Nowadays Ashraf preferred honeyed fruit or candied nuts, even smooth cocoa or pastries for his sweets, but simple rolled sugar like this was still good. These were well made too, with a nice amber color and clear enough to see the air bubbles inside.

"Thank you," he told the woman, warm smile still firmly in place. "You have good taste. Have you had halva before? Try the sesame kind."

He had no idea if she was well traveled or just happened to pick a random candy, but the suggestion worked regardless. If only he had anything to return the kind gesture with. All he could offer at the moment was some casual chatter, which he gave freely, until they parted. Ashraf bid her goodbye but not good luck. If she made it through the first day he'd find her again.

Rather than go to either the targets or the practice dummies, Ashraf made his way over to the dueling circle. His martial prowess had improved a lot, now he wanted to test himself against his peers. These were the people he would both be competing with and serving alongside, so getting a sense of how strong they were (and how strong he was in comparison) early on would be helpful. The Warden's trial adage had haunted him for the last two years - he needed to know where he stood now. Fortunately there was already someone in the circle, a taller man wielding a nasty looking mace. That would be perfect, the heavier weight of a mace could make up for the shorter reach against Ashraf's own weapon of choice.

He dropped his own pack at the ring's edge and stepped into the circle. Ashraf was smaller than the average man, lean and clearly confident. He was dressed in simple, heat-venting clothes and a necklace of glass beads, and upon his back were a few wrapped poles - one longer than the others. Though Ashraf hadn't arrived early enough to hear the minor noble's offer of a spar, the fact that he was practicing inside the ring was invitation enough.

"Ready to move on from shadows to a real partner?" he asked the other man, golden eyes bright and smile turned toothy. He reached up and took the longer weapon in hand, bringing the butt of it down onto the ground with a satisfying clack. He unwrapped its head, revealing what had been all too easy to guess: a sturdy but plain spear.

Hello!!

Welcome to RPG! If you have any questions feel free to ask. I do see HP and HP-adjacent RPs pop up here from time to time, can't say the same for Hunger Games though. Hopefully you can find a partner or two to click with here though!

What to Expect from Me

Welcome to RPG! You'll have to stick to the forum for RPing here, but otherwise have fun!

World of Light: the Endless Now

Ace Cadet, Pit,
Primrose, & Therion

Level: 9 - Total EXP: 260/90 --------- Level: 8 - Total EXP: 162/80
Level: 11 - Total EXP: 187/110 ------ Level: 10 - Total EXP: 115/100
𝙱𝙿 ●●●●● ---------------------------- 𝙱𝙿 ●●●●●
Tuesday Morning.
Location: The Dead Zone
Word Count: 2512 (+3 exp)

Other than a few mishaps, things were going about as well as could be expected. The Seekers were in rough, unfamiliar terrain which they had to navigate while avoiding invisible enemies that could hardly even be tracked if not for the BBs a few select members of their group carried with them. Since they could even fight said enemies, every one of these mishaps that didn't lead to a direct encounter and a BT dragging off a friend was frankly a win.

The banuk werak greaves turned out to be very helpful for the Cadet as they moved. Slick stone and loose rocks were still a danger to watch out for, but the mud didn't hinder him at all. It neither slowed him down nor made him slip, which was good news for the rest of the group too - the stable field emitter had a decently smooth ride so far, and with a steady pace set there wasn't much danger of someone accidentally finding themselves outside of the safety zone due to something its carrier did.

For others things were a little rougher. Any stumbles Primrose made were quickly corrected, either by her own leg and core strength or her companions catching her before she fell. Therion's natural dexterity helped him also avoid falling, though he looked to be one of the most miserable Seekers due to the rain and mud combo in the first place. Once the group really got moving (though still relatively slowly all things considered), Pit found himself struggling a little. He was pretty light, so he didn't sink so much as slip, and with his wings protectively wrapped up in the raincoat he couldn't just push into the air to avoid getting planted in the mud.

All in all it was a difficult, tense, but successful trek so far - made a little easier after the horned mercenary Snake provided a topographical map. And as everyone made their way through mud, over stone, and around quicksand while the odradek swiveled and chirped, they eventually made it to a deep crevice that ran right through their way forward.

There were a couple of routes they could take from here - even the right hand side that Goldlewis informed them was full of BTs was technically an option. Though the first person to make their preference known was of course the picky queen of Floralia. She manifested her own route in the form of a crystal large enough to be used as a bridge, or at least part of one. She also said what pretty much all of them felt, that the less time spent under the rain the better.

"You and everyone else," Therion remarked quietly. He looked at the crystal Sectonia had summoned, then across the expanse, until finally he looked over towards the ravine's edge. The chance of falling would probably be roughly the same on either route. The rain itself was unpleasant and annoying, so even though going straight across via an air bridge like this would most likely be faster, the rocky overhangs on the edge would offer a break from the downpour. That was enough for Therion to make his own decision about which path to take.

"I'm gonna head that way, meet you all on the other side," he said, nodding his head towards the area Ms. Fortune had pointed out.

"Allow us to accompany you," Primrose replied, laying a hand on top of BB Peach's pod. This way, he and anyone else that opted to take the route down through the ravine would be able to sense BTs in that area, if there were any to begin with.

The two of them activated their bubble shields just before leaving the safety of the emitter's range, hurrying towards the path sheltered by rocky ledges.

Right away the Ace Cadet figured he wouldn't be able to take the same path. With the emitter in hand he'd have to watch out for the roof ledges, and anyone that wanted or had to rely on the field would be forced to come along with him. The area they could walk on down there didn't look all that wide either, so it would be harder to keep everyone within the field unless they cozied up pretty close, which meant it would be easier to fall off too. There was also the question if some of their group could even fit down there. And since avoiding BTs was a top priority, that left two routes.

It was obvious on his face which one Ace preferred. He hadn't shrunk away when Sectonia opened her portal, but he did suck in a quick breath and hold it, eyeing the whole affair with apprehension.

It might not have been so clear to most of the current Seekers, but after their shared experience on the Maw, the survivors had walked away with fears starting to manifest in their hearts. Some grew afraid of the dark, of being bound, or being eaten. Some worried about not being able to eat, or being separated from others. But for the Ace Cadet, a man who'd grown up orphaned in poor villages and whose profession saw him into the deepest reaches of the environment in order to pit himself against carnivorous monsters much larger than himself, these were fears he'd already faced. The Maw had left him with a much more esoteric concern, the very thing that had seemed to put them into that predicament in the first place: magic.

What used to be just the stuff of fairy tales was a tangible force in this world, something that could come out of nowhere, create any number of effects, and had no observable rhyme or reason to how it worked. It unnerved the hunter. Being around his magical allies was one thing, but interacting with their magic was another. He couldn't tell if the crystal platform itself was a magic construct or just being held aloft by Sectonia's power, but either way he was hesitant to take this new route.

But it wasn't just himself he had to worry about at the moment. He could hand the emitter off to someone else and scurry down in the ravine, but passing off responsibility wasn't his style. Using the crystal route would be quick and easy - probably the most painless route for everyone involved. He knew that.

After a few moments he started breathing again.

"How stable is this?" he asked, casting a glance toward the ravine's ridges and the crashed ship beyond them before his gaze turned back to judge the chasm's distance.

"I wouldn't offer it as a solution if I wasn't sure it'd hold everyone here crossing it."

With his free hand, the Ace Cadet scratched at the back of his head. Sure, of course Sectonia was confident in her abilities and wouldn't be trying to dump everyone into the molten bed below, but her response wasn't the most crystal clear answer.

Even while the hunter hesitated, others were quick to accept Sectonia's crystal bridge. Still within the field emitter's range, Pit hopped the short distance between the ravine's edge and the platform, landing on the large pink gem's flat top. He tapped it with his foot, testing it out on Ace's behalf. Even the angel could see that Ace wasn't very enthusiastic about this plan, to say the least. But the gemstone held up, and Pit called back softly.

"Seems fine. And this will definitely be the fastest way," he said, pointing back to the Qliphoth. Everyone could see it now, and using the crystal platforms would let everyone head directly towards it without worrying about detours to get around more difficult terrain. "C'mon, we don't wanna waste any time, right?"

That was true, so with a slight nod of his head Ace relented. "I don't lava this plan, but... okay. Floating crystal path it is."

He steeled himself and hopped over as well, making the decision for anyone else that planned to rely on the stable field emitter. They began making their way atop the crystal, but it wasn't long before the scoutfly cage at Ace's hip gradually changed from glowing green to red, the insects alerting to danger they could actually sense. Pit seemed to sense the same thing, but with all the interference he had no clue where it was coming from - not until a bulbous cacodemon floated up from beneath the crystalline platform.

As soon as it entered the SFE's range its flight faltered, but it didn't seem perturbed. It opened its toothy mouth wide, gathering crackling blue energy inside of it and launching a few bundles of concentrated plasma at the Seekers. Immediately Pit moved to intervene, quick-summoning his orbitars. It blocked one of the plasma balls just fine, but the reflect was extremely lackluster, the plasma just dispersing against the demon's body once it was returned to sender.

Though Pit's weapons were weakened within the boundaries of the SFE, Ace's weaponry had no such issues. He kept his rigging pulled in close as not to mistakenly knock someone with it, instead sliding the emitter's pole into the crook of his arm and bringing the breechshot up to take aim. The first shot ripped through the demon's upper lip, tearing off one enlarged fang. The hunter pulled the bolt on the rifle's side back and pushed it forward again, quickly ejecting and chambering another round as though he was already an expert with this kind of bowgun. The second shot blasted through the demon's bright green eye and it sputtered, groaning and teetering in the air. It opened its mouth with intent to spit up more plasma balls, but at that point anyone could finish it off - though since he was already firing, the Ace Cadet obliged. He shifted to take proper hold of the SFE again afterward, the bowgun in his other hand.

As the cacodemon crumbled to ashes, there were a few tense moments when the group wondered if the noise would draw any BTs toward them. But there was no movement from the odradek indicating they were around, so either they were far enough away that even gunshots couldn't reach them, or they couldn't get to the Seekers where they stood over the lava ravine.

There were still the demons of course. Pit carefully peered over the edge and looked down below their platform, informing the group, "there are more of those things coming up - they're using us like a big umbrella!"

Still, in force like this there wasn't much that could really threaten the Seekers, and without the threat of the BTs they could move and fight relatively worry free until they reached the other side.

Meanwhile, the same wasn't true for those that opted for different paths. Within the sheltered half-tunnels at the ravine's edge, monsters clung to the rock to avoid the timefall themselves. Their dark colored bodies let them easily blend into the shadows, making anyone that unknowingly approached their hiding spots an easy ambush target. Especially since they'd have to avoid slipping and being sent over the edge into the lava below, on top of the point of most concern: the BTs.

As Primrose and Therion lead their way and moved along the edge under the rocky cover above, mindful of the uneven terrain but grateful for a break from the rain, BB Peach seemed to sense something - and the odradek attached to Primrose's shoulder swiveled. Feeling that chill the dancer paused, waiting for its scan to point out where the danger was. The odradek turned its flower-like face upward, its petals beginning to click together... but when the Orsterrans followed its gaze with their own, instead they found the face of a demonic prowler staring back at them from the ceiling.

A false positive? Primrose thought, conjuring a dark flame in her hand as the now discovered prowler threw out its stealth tactics and pounced with its deadly claws outstretched. If only they could be so lucky. The demon bounced against the Baldur Shell that had formed around Primrose, and Therion wasted no time in jumping in to stab at what he assumed were the creature's vital points. At the same time the odradek continued pointing upward, steadily clapping faster. Realizing what that meant, Primrose called out a sharp, short warning. "Wait!"

It was easier said than done, as the demon was tougher than it looked. Even wounded, weakened, and bleeding in multiple places due to Therion's attacks, it let out some aggressive gurgling as it continued to swipe at the thief. He fought it off, leveraging his own speed to avoid any deep gashes until the prowler sprang away, latching itself back onto the wall. By that point the odradek's clapping had turned to ominous spinning. Primrose stood as still and quiet as she could, save for one clench of her fist. The fire in her hand turned from black to flickering orange, mimicking the lava below and casting a better light around the immediate area. Now she could see it, the tarry handprints making their way down over the ledge onto the stone ceiling, crawling along it and the walls towards the sounds of the scuffle. It was headed right for Therion and the prowler, but it would reach the latter first. It was no comfort, as no one wanted to find out if a voidout could be triggered using a demon. They had to quickly and quietly end the fight.

Primrose's newest striker Bianca appeared ahead of her, raising her great sword up and thrusting it through the prowler's chest as it prepared to jump. When Bianca withdrew her blade and disappeared, the demon lost its grip. Therion took hold of it as it fell, then heaved its wailing body over the ledge and into the chasm. It would turn to ashes long before it hit the lava below, but its death cries were loud enough to keep it in the BTs metaphorical sights. The handprints had chased the noise and for one pulse pounding moment circled close around Therion before they rushed to the edge of the rocks where the prowler's last noises had come from.

The Seekers in the ravine held their breaths, careful not to move or make any sound as the black handprints crawled over the area. They trailed down over the side of the cliff and then back up, unwilling or unable to move into the open air. They paced in the area and then slowly began to climb back up the wall, wandering the ceiling over everyone's heads. It was a few more moments before they crawled back over the upper ledge above them, and the odradek went back to clapping its petals together to show the specter was steadily moving away from them once more. Only once they were sure the coast was clear did they keep moving, carefully making their way underneath the BT on the stones above them and towards the end of the chasm to meet back up with the others. Primrose's odradek continued scanning all the while.

Chapter One: The Arrival

Welcome to RPG!

World of Light: the Endless Now

Hello, everyone, I'm Almost. I'm hopping in the story. My character, Yunaka, will be in the Qliphoth.
Can't wait to see where this goes!

@AlmostEternity

Hiya papaya! And welcome!