Zeroth

Why Were We Reincarnated as Orcs?!

Feeling my oats this morning, so we get a fast update!

Why Were We Reincarnated as Orcs?!

Orc Camp

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@ERode

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Once, a near miss. Twice, a sidestep. Thrice, clearing distance. Esfir timed her opponent's attacks once she'd gotten used to his rhythm. Her longer weapon made a wide arc as her opponent drew back another heavy blow. CRACK! She heard the wood split as her polearm landed across both of the other runt's shins. The orcling let out a high pitched squeal and pitched forward.

Unable to catch himself, he hit the ground face-first. Moaning and making little pathetic sobs, the creature curled in on himself to nurse his stinging legs--Esfir's strike had left a painful looking welt across both of them. Combined with how hard he'd hit his head, it was unsurprising that the runt didn't want to get back up. Auguz approached the whimpering child and rolled him over with a half hearted kick.

"You lose! Now go fight someone else til ya win!" He picked the runt up by one leg, eliciting a shriek, and tossed him back out into the crowd of onlookers. To Esfir, he turned and dug something out of his pocket. He gave her a half smirk as he handed her a small object--a rat's skull, picked clean and bleached white.

"Good job, Runt! Take dat to da guards outside da Warchief's place, and ya gets ya reward! From here ons, you's a propah Orc--get big and strong, for da tribe!"

Congratulations! You have fulfilled all requirements of the Agronak Warband.
As a Runt, you have no assigned jobs. Seek out other Tribe members for trades and companions. Survive until reaching your next Stage.

NEW QUESTS HAVE APPEARED:
Quest Giver: ???

• Discover an Area you have not explored yet.
  You have explored: Orc Camp, Nearby Forest, North Caves (Entrance).
• Slay a Creature with the "Boss" Tag.
  Your current Level is 4. Until this Quest is completed, the "Boss" tag will apply to the current level scale. Defeating a scaled Boss at higher levels will decrease EXP gain.

Will you Accept a Quest? Y/N

SYSTEM:Esfir

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@King Cosmos

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Skill Progression:
Martial Arts (Goju-ryu) - Rank I > Rank II! At Rank II, "small" boost to defensive blocks and offensive counters is increased to "medium" boost!

SYSTEM:Akeno

As Akeno approached, her opponent watched her with wary eyes. His lip curled as a low growl rumbled from his throat. He tensed as she stepped into his range...and then, as she took another step, he lunged!

It was a straight forward strike, one she was prepared to block with her shield--yet nothing happened.

A sharp impact rapped her shin, sending unpleasant tingles up and down her leg! This runt seemed a little smarter than average--he had figured out that she would defend, so that first strike had been a feint! Now that he had scored a distracting blow, he quickly circled around towards Akeno's injured side and lunged again!

This one came down at her head for real, but from an angle her shield didn't cover. Her opponent seemed to be hoping that the stinging strike to her leg would slow her down too much to turn in time...

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@Kazemitsu

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"Wow, we only spent a life and death struggle together and NOW you wanna know my name?" The other Runt chuckled. "But okay, sure. I'm Vark, short for Varkgorim, which is a name I'm gonna change at some point when I come up with something cooler." He struck a sudden pose with his fist extended that seemed intentionally goofy. "And I'm gonna be King of the Demons!"

Taking his own spider legs and other bits he'd gathered from their quest, the greasy-haired orcling headed off to do his own thing. The last Grunthor heard of him was his creepy cackling as he rubbed his hands together like a kid planning a prank...

Grunthor's lackluster efforts didn't seem to make much of an impression on the older Orcs he approached. Bowbh, at least, was more eager to speak to him after being shown the ore, but Shamar seemed almost disgusted with him for some reason and had practically thrown a roll of fishing line and a small hook at him to get him to go away. But, in the end, all he really wanted was the quests anyway.

QUESTS ADDED!
Quest: Get Ore for Bowbh
Quest Giver: Bowbh the Blacksmith
Quest Details: Bowbh needs more ore to make various things for the tribe. If you bring him at least 5 Ore Pieces, he will forge you one item of your choice (so long as the needed materials are available). No time limit.
Other Options:

• Bring an Ore of High Quality
• Bring more than 5 Ore Pieces
• Bring a Rare Ore

Acquired Loaned Antler Pickaxe
Lost 8 Giant Ven Spider Legs
Acquired Well Made Stone Knife

Quest: Get Fish for Shamar
Quest Giver: Shamar the Head Hunter
Quest Details: Shamar wants fish if you want to trade for clothing. If you bring her at least 3 Fish from the Southeast Lake, she will give you one item of your choice (so long as the needed materials are available). No time limit.
Other Options:

• Bring at least 1 Fish of High Quality
• Bring more than 3 Fish
• Bring a Rare Fish

Shamar has given you 1 Long Braided Fishing Line and 1 Bone Hook.

SYSTEM: Grunthor

The next morning, he got to do things he was good at, but somehow didn't even manage to get excited about that either. After unga-bunga'ing his way through the training with the rest of the runts--several of whom he would notice were his own pit-mates from the day before--he was given a choice of weapons.

Many of the other runts laughed uproariously when he picked two shields, and Auguz gave him a look that said 'really, dumbass?'

His tubby opponent charged, swinging his polearm in a big circle. Grunthor blocked it with only one shield, and only one arm on said shield, while carrying the weight of another shield. The impact was heavy and loud, and numbed his arm from the elbow down.

Nonetheless, his shield-bash knocked the other runt back a step. The fatter orcling sputtered in outrage, then managed to get his polearm to swing back around. It came up and over this time, coming down hard at Grunthor's head over the height of the shields...

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@ReusableSword

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As Agar gave into his primal instincts, bashing another orc child over the head with a big chunk of wood over and over, Auguz smiled and nodded. Soon the other runt was unconscious, droplets of blood seeping from his severely bruised cranium. Auguz shoved Agar off of the opponent, then shook the downed runt til they woke up crying.

"Shaddap, loser! Get back in line for yer next one!" said the Head Warrior, before booting the sobbing wretch back into the crowd. He then turned to Agar and held out a small object in his hand--a rat's skull, picked clean and bleached white.

"Good job, Runt! Take dat to da guards outside da Warchief's place, and ya gets ya reward! From here ons, you's a propah Orc--get big and strong, for da tribe!"

"Oh, but one more ting!" Auguz seemed to think of something, catching Agar by the shoulder before the Runt left. "I see ya got yaself a strong skill! Good! But be careful what ya eat--you Runts ain't got room for lots of Skills! It's betta to find strong Monsters, or ones that got better Skills for Orcs--things we can use with our weapons, or makes us stronger! If you just scarfs everything ya see like a dumb mukh, who knows what ya gonna get!"

Congratulations! You have fulfilled all requirements of the Agronak Warband.
As a Runt, you have no assigned jobs. Seek out other Tribe members for trades and companions. Survive until reaching your next Stage.

NEW QUESTS HAVE APPEARED:
Quest Giver: ???

• Discover an Area you have not explored yet.
  You have explored: Orc Camp, Nearby Forest, Deep Forest (Quarter).
• Slay a Creature with the "Boss" Tag.
  Your current Level is 4. Until this Quest is completed, the "Boss" tag will apply to the current level scale. Defeating a scaled Boss at higher levels will decrease EXP gain.

Will you Accept a Quest? Y/N

SYSTEM:Agar

Black Clover: Fool's Arcana

@Databug I'd wait at least a little while so we don't have a situation where two players are just alternating back and forth. Maybe consider a collab if you think a conversation or interaction would be more drawn out?

Black Clover: Fool's Arcana

@Databug Accepted! Was her brother killed somehow, or just arrested?

Black Clover: Fool's Arcana

@ERode@Xaltwind@Duthguy@Expllo@imia@Agunimon@SilverPaw@Remram@Th3King0fChaos@Databug@Kero

AND WE'RE LIVE, AHEAD OF SCHEDULE AND UNDER BUDGET!

_{The budget was zero, of course, but you know...}

Black Clover: Fool's Arcana

^{Humanity came close to decimation by devils. But just one man...inspired others to break through their limits, and come together to fight! As Magic Knights, they saved humankind.
Thereafter they called him the Anti-Magic King. He became a legend--along with his friends, rivals, and allies.
It has been one hundred and fifty years since that day.}

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Kikka - Common Realm

A line of drums began to roll, and triumphant horns blared. Throngs of people lined the road beneath the enormous coliseum of Kikka to cheer their friends and loved ones. The wide, colorful banner over the coliseum's gate proclaimed the Magic Knight Selection Exam, an opportunity that came but once a year.

The Clover Kingdom was a mountainous country, and Kikka was quite large for a city in the Common Realm. Layers of housing and other buildings followed the sloping landscape, and at the heights of each cresting hill was an enormous wall of stone. But above all of them, in the far, blue-tinged distance, stood the Royal Capital as if judging the next generation of its protectors. A warm sun and a clear blue sky watched from above as the wind stilled in anticipation.

Vendors in colorful tents dotted the cobbled streets, eager to sell their wares to observers and participants alike. Some among the crowd could already feel the tingle of Mana in the air, as so many hopeful mages gathered. A big, rough looking boy with a shocking head of orange hair and a thickly freckled face barged through the crowd with little care for whom he might bump into.

"Miracle Potion! Come try my Miracle Potion!" called one of many peddlers to everyone who passed, a rotund man in colorful striped garb. "It'll increase your Mana for two whole hours! Your spells will be twice as strong!" Many of the would-be-knights, especially those of noble birth, passed the man with their noses upturned...but others slowed their walk, clearly tempted by his offer.

There were many other distractions along the coliseum road. The smells of fresh treats drifted through the air like curling, beckoning fingers. A young blonde man, with a numbered badge on his chest to mark him as an applicant, wobbled from cart to cart as he precariously balanced several varieties of snack foods.

Several small tents outside the coliseum's gate had long lines for this year's applicants. Official looking men and women with clipboards would take the name, age, hometown, and other relevant information of each applicant before assigning them a numbered badge. There were easily a few hundred people here. One poor girl, wringing her hands as she looked around with tired, deep-set eyes, kept getting cut in line. Every time she would simply try to go to the next shortest queue, and yet due to a lack of assertiveness the same thing happened again...

From across the Clover Kingdom they had all come; for this day, they had prepared their resolve. Some walked with heads held high. Others muttered to the stones at their feet, shoulders bent under the weight of unknown burdens. Many an eye glinted with the foolhardy confidence of youth, or the stony glare of steadfast determination. Many boots bore mud and scuffs from long days of travel throughout the divided realms of the kingdom. Those of noble blood, however, displayed their status with immaculate fashion and fresh, clean faces. But every young man and woman, tomes in hand, strode towards the gaping portcullis as if prepared to walk into the maw of a dragon.

Today, some would become Magic Knights, and others would fail. All would start from the same place--but how far each could go would be decided by their results.

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Kikka - Coliseum Road

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The red-headed young man stood with a canvas sack over his shoulder, looking up into the hills. The circular, megalithic defenses gave the city a terraced appearance, like some of the fields he had seen in the smaller villages of the Forsaken Realm. Yet the castle beyond must still dwarf them, he thought.

Just how enormous was it, the Clover Castle, if it could still be seen towering like this from so far away? The whole time he had traveled, the youth had never seen it go completely out of sight. Like the north star in the night sky, as long as one kept the capital in sight they could almost certainly find their way anywhere in the kingdom.

"Tristan Goffe! You're number 176!" called the official. Tristan adjusted his bag as he took the small wooden badge he was offered, and pinned it to the shoulder of his cloak. As Tristan left his place in line and proceeded towards the updrawn portcullis, he gulped and placed one hand on the leather book-holster at his side.

His grimoire let off an ever so light glow, like the yellow embers of a forge peeking through an iron grate. Reassured by its presence, he tried to control his breathing.

"Hmph. More Commoners this year than ever." sneered a voice to Tristan's left. He glanced over, and saw a trio of boys around his age wearing much better clothing and looking quite smug. Oddly enough, the one who'd made the comment had black hair coifed into a brilliantly gel-slicked and shiny pompadour. Tristan wondered if it was one of those fashion things where rich people intentionally imitated the lower classes out of "humility" or something. "It's a shame what's been happening these last few generations--even the Golden Dawn takes them in now! They'll let anyone call themselves a Magic Knight!"

The red head let the comment slide off his back and kept walking, but the three nobles kept pace with him. They were all going to the same place, after all. The one with the pompadour stepped closer to him.

"Where are you even from? One of those orphans the church wastes so much of our tithes on, hm?" Tristan didn't answer. "Hey! The fellow with the red hair, I'm speaking to you!"

"...I'm from Cheka. My family owns the forge there." Tristan gave the noble a side-glance as he deadpanned his answer.

"Hmph! Never heard of it, of course!" Pompadour chuckled as he looked over his shoulder at his two cronies. "But, you know what? I can respect a craftsman, to some degree!" He suddenly threw an arm around Tristan's shoulder, and the commoner boy immediately fixed him with a cold look. "How about this?" Digging into a pocket of his petticoat, the boy produced a jingling bag of coin. "I'll give you...let's say, 5,000 Yule, to go back home today, huh? You can buy yourself...I don't know, a nice hammer or something!" Tristan started to duck out from under the other youth's arm, but the noble stepped to the same side and tightened his grip. Again, he shook the bag of coin. "C'mon, it's easy money! Isn't that supposed to be what your kind's all about...?"

Tristan's lip curled under the collar of his cloak. For one thing, a proper smith's hammer could cost several times that amount, and it was an insult to his craft. For another, if it weren't for this kid being a noble, he would've been much more forceful about removing his arm...

Black Clover: Fool's Arcana

Announcements

Current Player Status: Apply CS for Approval
Current Arc: Magic Knight Selection Exam

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06.26.2024

• IC Opened! RP Begins!

Black Clover: Fool's Arcana

@Xaltwind Rather than trucks and cars, why don't we measure it like this XD

• Default, no roll - Pipe Bomb
• Rolls a bit - Grenade
• Maximum Roll - Redneck Shenanigans

Otherwise, yeah, that sounds fine to me! Accepted!

Black Clover: Fool's Arcana

@ERode Ah, I see, so her fear isn't so much giving up everything in pursuit of her goal, but becoming a different person over the course of accomplishing it. That'll do it for me then! Accepted! --oh you actually already had it in Char Tab that's fine XD

@Xaltwind Okay, so after ALLLLLLLL this work...Uh...The Bomb Bowling spell! I know, I know, I'm even the one who suggested it! But, how much of a potential size/power increase are we talking here as it "snowballs?" Like, if it's starting at the size of the classic cartoon bomb (an aesthetic which I love), I'm thinking it's like, softball sized to begin with and is basically a grenade? What did you imagine as being its "maximum" size/strength? Other than that, everything else is fine!

@Duthguy@Expllo@imia@Agunimon@SilverPaw@Remram@Th3King0fChaos@Databug@Kero No rush to those still working on characters, but I think I can put the finishing touches on the opener very soon! Would everyone prefer to start sometime this evening/tomorrow, or hold til the weekend?

Black Clover: Fool's Arcana

@DatabugAs far as I know there isn't any particular big Academy for magic like, out of Harry Potter or anything. The Magic Knights are picked via Selection Exam, which seems to be free for anyone who's received a Grimoire to attempt provided they can make the journey (which seems pretty hard for those in the Forsaken Realm).

There are churches scattered all over the kingdom, and many of them also serve as orphanages or schoolhouses for the local children, especially in the Forsaken Realm's small villages. The church and state seem to be separate entities from what little we see, as far as I know there's no Pope-like figure or anything. Life inside one of these church orphanages seems to be about what you'd expect from medieval fantasy fare--a bunch of grubby little kids with big dreams that nobody wants, but who seem to get by well enough unless you need one of the priests or a village mayor to be cruel for the sake of a tragic backstory. You know, the usual.

From what we've seen, the villages of the Forsaken Realm mostly get by on agriculture and raw material production. Asta's hometown, Hage, is known for some kind of fantasy potato-analogue crop that most other people look down on as peasant food but that the orphans at the church eat with almost every meal. The Common Realm seems to have more big towns with craftsmen and merchants, along with a few touristy spots.

Discrimination between high > low classes, and strong > weak wizards, is basically just treating them as second class citizens. As far as I remember there aren't any instances of say, slavery, seen in the Clover Kingdom, but there's a lot of "you aren't even fit to shine my boots!" kind of stuff on behalf of the nobility.