Legend of Ransera

Posted: **Tue Apr 11, 2023 11:42 pm**

"Sanctuary of, uh-" Embarrassingly, two decades of service as noviate and acolyte had not given Imogen instant recall of the names of each of the Sunsinger Sanctuaries, but that pause gave her a moment to realize that perhaps the name wasn't going to mean all that much "-the training-house of my company. You know, bring in young ones, get them familiar with weapons and war. They liked to let the kids pick out what they liked best, and then--mostly--learn first-hand why you should just stick with a saber."

She'd never gone through precisely the same process, but only because her uncle had taken it upon himself to teach her the greatblade at a young age. She suspected he'd simply feared that, given her mother's bad influence, he wasn't going to get the chance to teach his stupid self-sacrificing style to any of his other nieces or nephews. Imogen wondered idly if having gone through training at the Sanctuary rather than in the safehouses would have taken some of the sting out of the initiation Master Gerhard had chosen. She suspected it wouldn't have.

Moon's offer broke the witch from her reverie.

"Yes, I guess it's not letting up, is it?" The Sunsinger stretched, her joints popping alarmingly as the still-unfamiliar human form obliged. "Don't imagine there will be too many shadow beasts this close to the city."

Imogen started moving, walking gingerly back onto the main thoroughfare towards the city proper. Her staff was still glowing, though not shining as intensely as it had when she'd opened the Window a moment past, and the unsteady puddle of light around them was caged by the falling water, giving the shadows below the trees an almost liquid appearance.

"Bit odd, really. Wasn't two weeks ago that I was in, um, Gel'Grandal. Place was practically overrun with the things at night. The gangs were fighting them in the streets with mortars, I kid you not. There were shadow creatures the size of buildings when what's-his-name showed up, uh, Aoren. And the other one. And of course, there was a dragon in Zaichaer, rampaged across the countryside. Makes you wonder why they're so aggressive in some places and not others, right? Still, I'm no elementalist, shouldn't speculate."

The witch swept her staff and its attendant light in front of herself, peering suspiciously into the shadows. At this angle, it was quite apparent that her eyes were not, in fact, human, but thin cat-like pupils over a light violet which never bled into white. For herself, Imogen appreciated the benefits of a little night vision. She cut a frightening figure, a small woman, soaking wet, hair dripping on every side, eyes glowing with reflected light. Mouth always open, just... saying stuff.

"I suppose I ought to be asking you what the news here in Kalzasi is, I haven't been in town for months. Wasn't there a, uh, succession, sort of thing? I never quite understood that, I thought you were meant to wait until the prince was dead to pick another. Back home, you know, the government just got replaced by military coup every now and again."

Posted: **Sat Apr 15, 2023 8:55 pm**

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The strange woman he’d managed to stumble across was esoteric, certainly, but she was charming and held plenty of intrigue to her by her very nature. Jae-Seong canted his head as he considered her explanation of the Window. Her company?

“...and which company is that?” Though his voice always veered towards placidity, his curiosity was audibly piqued. While he was aware that she might cite a name that meant nothing to his ears, he couldn’t help but ask.

At the mention of the shadowbeasts, his gaze shifted towards the treeline, looking in the opposite direction to the city for just a moment. Turning his head back, “...that’s correct. Kalzasi proper has very few…incidents.” He’d hunted and killed his fair share by now, mostly for the sport of it.

Now that they were moving and without prompting, Imogen opened her mouth to speak again, words falling out in a deluge not dissimilar to the rain around them. He didn’t mind. As for himself, he usually strayed away from verbosity. For others? He found the trait endearing.

It also wasn’t as if she spoke about complete and utter nonsense. The odd-looking girl recounted miscellaneous events from across her recent travels, citing both Zaichaer’s outskirts as well as having been all the way out near Gel’Grandal. It certainly made sense that she’d opted to accept the rune of Traversion, prone as she was to travel.

“The dragons…? I’m not sure. Their temperament often matches their scales, in my experience.” And while each one was an individual, one could hazard a decent guess at their disposition through this method. “I am an Elementalist, though very new to it…I underwent two initiations in quick succession. Bit of a risk…but the chain of threshold sickness has delayed my growth as a student.” Perhaps an over explanation, but he didn’t want to give her the impression his skill was anything more than, well, what it was.

Current affairs in Kalzasi were a tricky thing. “Theoretically, yes, we usually do wait for a prince to die before we pick another, but…everyone is growing restless. People are picking arguments, pushing for their own agendas, it’s…becoming far harder to further stall.” He paused, an expression of consideration on his face.

“Beyond that, there’s the influx of refugees from Zaichaer we’re contending with, and that’s…unfortunately more uncomfortable than it really should be. The hostility between states has plagued the humanitarian efforts. Then there’s the talk of a woman emerging with wings; and no, not via some Animus machination or similar, but the true features of an Avialae.” This part was mostly hearsay, but given the mouths he’d heard this from, he was inclined to believe it.

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'Thoughts'

"Synskrit Tongue/Speech"

"Common Tongue/Speech"

"Inandoth Tongue/Speech"

Posted: **Sun Apr 16, 2023 1:00 am**

Curious that Kalzasi should be so lightly touched. She wondered vaguely if there were some sort of pattern behind the seemly-random aggression of the shadow beasts, just as she'd posited last year for the sudden outbreak of wild storms.

"Oh, we're very local to the south, I doubt you'd have heard of it. Called the Sunsingers, on account of, ah-"

The witch raised her staff again, then brought the butt down upon the road below her. There arose a sudden roar of energy, light and sound, as silvery flames burst forth from the weapon without warning. Mystic fire leaked upwards from Imogen and her weapon, contrasting with the pleasant blonde sunlight emanating from the staff's dawnstone. To an Elementalist's eye, however, the silver fire bore little resemblance to pure fire aether.

"It's an old spell, you see. Very handy, burns away curses and poisons and so forth. The old stories called the magic "blades of reaved sunlight", which is not technically correct, but that's the motif." The Ork did not mention its primary function, which obliterated defensive magic. As chatty and carefree as she might be, she saw no particular reason in throwing aside tactical advantages for free, even if Moon seemed like an inoffensive companion. After a moment of demonstration, she drew the flame back within the staff, which shone with silver for a second longer before the magic subsided within the Reaved steel.

As Moon danced lightly around the topic of the succession crisis, the Orkhan-turned-human shook her head with annoyance. "Well, whatever works for everyone, I suppose. Plus, who can say if someone's fit to rule based on birth, eh? I've never really spoken to Prince Talon, so I wouldn't venture to guess." Imogen's private opinion was that the whole system of monarchy was a scam perpetrated by a handful of rich families who used their power and wealth to boostrap their own spawn to positions of leadership, but she had to admit that the romantic traditions of monarchy (which were absent from Zaichaer as a whole, but still performed regularly in operatic performances) were quite attractive. In any event if Moon was, as she suspected, actually a rich man, he might well be a member of the nobility and take a dim view of such exposition.

Imogen paused as Moon described the refugee crisis, but her face became all the more confused at the mention of an avialae woman.

"Ah... forgive my question, but I don't understand why that would matter. Surely Kalzasi is full of Avialae women?" They'd been a rare bunch in Zaichaer, but she'd certainly seen more of them in her trips. She took a moment to try to recollect the women she'd seen- and after a few moments of trying, realized she had indeed never seen any winged women.

Posted: **Sun Apr 16, 2023 3:24 am**

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‘Sunsingers’ was actually a name that Jae-Seong had heard on the lips of travelers, but…they never deigned to elucidate much beyond the most basic of information on the subject. He knew that they were a Zaichaeri witch coven, most of which he actually did know the names of, but the finer points of their inner machinations he was woefully ignorant. Many of his varying sojourns took him within Zaichaer’s vicinity…though he did avoid the city proper. He’d been a couple times, and, he was, admittedly, not at all a fan.

There wasn’t an exceptional amount of time to ponder this before the present witch demonstrated what was, apparently, a signature magic of the Sunsingers. The swordsman crossed his arms in consideration, drawing one hand to his lips– it was a lovely sight, certainly pretty, but he wasn’t daft. Surely, there was far more to it in function than beauty or simple fire. If she would show and not tell, however, he figured it was too early to ask. Mayhap when they had a greater rapport built, he would.

“I’ve heard tertiary information about Zaichaer’s covens, Sunsingers included. A keen ear and my profession does bear fruit in terms of information, at the very least…but I’ll add that you’re the first Sunsinger in particular I’ve personally met.” True enough.

The swordsman grimaced at her response regarding the succession, his face briefly twisting into something of a sneer; an expression of great disdain– this, however, only lasted for a few fleeting moments before the man self-corrected and moved to restore serenity to his features.

Setting his jaw, he swallowed, then spoke. “This works for nobody. We’ve done nothing but squabble for months, prince or no, it’s…insufferable.” Keeping the venom of his emotions from seeping into his words was a monumental task; he loathed politics.

With his focus being on regulating his emotions, he failed to notice that he’d subtly given away a hint about his status, exasperated at the subject as he was. He did, however, realize shortly after he'd said the words, and a twist of irritation pulled at him regarding his own carelessness, but ah well. Perhaps it'd be nice to speak more freely.

The subject was poisoned further by his mixed emotions regarding Talon in particular. The two were tied by blood, and he’d effectively watched the other grow up, even accounting for his absences. Watching events unfold as they had was…tumultuous, to say the very least. Jae-Seong’s actual opinion of the prince was positive overall; it was just that the circumstances surrounding him complicated things so.

Looking away from Imogen, straight ahead, he continued, “...but actually, that’s been a point presented. Talon’s absence has given ample room for those opposed to our current system to speak. Their points are…not invalid, but assuredly self-serving, lacking in the altruism that they would pretend to have.” Here, he almost sounded haughty, his words woven lightly with pretension; somebody socially observant could deduce he looked down upon some certain Kalzasern nobility. There were even the faintest traces of scorn upon features normally so serene.

Of his personal feelings regarding exactly whom he thought should wear the crown, and the mere fact that he even had a say, he would not state outright. “I’d never oppose a meritocracy, but…we would have to dismantle everything we’ve built and start over for anything to ever be truly fair, and then one must ask, is that worth it?” He spoke almost wistfully, like a dreamer on a subject they knew full well was fleeting fantasy, and yet…he longed for that fate, in a way.

The swordsman sighed, closing his eyes for a moment. “It’s…painfully complicated.” He did adore his family and the principles which served as a foundation for his house, striving to embody them in his own way, even, but every garden has its snakes, and he did wish that Kalzasi as a whole offered more opportunities for people to earn prestige, claim nobility, the like.

Imogen’s ignorance on Avialae broke the tension that had taken root in the swordsman’s form. He couldn’t help but chuckle at the question. “Technically, yes, we’ve plenty…they’re just…incomplete. Avialae as a species is a broken one.” He’d never say this to a native. Ever. But a foreigner? There was catharsis in honesty...and this one's aloof wordiness already had him talking way more than he ever normally would.

“I assume you’re ignorant, too, to how Avialae came to be? We were made, not born.” Jae-Seong himself was half Avialae by blood, and the grace of his Rathari features allowed him to fully recede those Avialae traits at will– his Lycanthropy was a little odd as a result, and normally, he hid his avian features for the sake of being a bit more unassuming. Wings were, after all, quite unwieldy.

“...and our women? For whatever reason, no matter how pure the blood, they lack the hybrid traits the men have. I’ve always found this to be a pity; a race created by Necromancy, and over the years, nobody has figured out how to remedy this…issue?” It was very obvious that this bothered him, much as he did try to hide it.

“However…this might’ve changed. I’ve yet to spot her, but loose lips have clued me into the existence of at least one woman graced with wings.” And regarding this mystery, he so badly wanted it to be true.

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'Thoughts'

"Synskrit Tongue/Speech"

"Common Tongue/Speech"

"Inandoth Tongue/Speech"

Posted: **Sun Apr 16, 2023 1:14 pm**

Moon's cautious reply caused the witch to raise an eye. Even in the High City itself the identities and names of the covens had not been matters of general circulation; confined in the popular parlance to rumor and legend only, or to the dusty binders of the Order's after-action reports. Perhaps he associated with the Circle? She'd known a few of their mages to seek the protection of the Sunsingers from time to time, and so she figured that they must know something about it.

Nevertheless, it was her next off-handed comment which seemed to bring actual rancor to the man's lips. She turned her head, looking almost astonished as the warrior held forth his low opinion on the state of the dynastic stalemate. She chose to hold off on any comment on the matter until Moon finally reached her last throwaway comment and launched into the most interesting thing she'd heard yet that evening.

"Well, I'd heard the story, of course. There's a series of plays by the great bard Dietrich covering the war, and the split of Kathar and Synnekar. Der Krieg, in dem sie Vogelmenschen machten, and then of course Nachdem sie den Krieg gewonnen haben, kämpfen die Brüder, ending with the triumphal Ein Bruder ist versklavt, um dem Kaiser zu dienen, und der andere ist versklavt aus Angst vor der Hölle, which is six and a half hours long and they bar the doors so you can't go to the bathroom while it runs."

Imogen sounded almost wistful about this insane statement, and her eyes were distant, lost in some blissful memory. "...well, at any rate, I suppose it's not all that unusual. You know, the Orkhan were sculpted by Malgar out of the flesh of a slain greatwyrm. Fundamentally the same sort of thing, I'd imagine." She might have reached for examples of the other races, but she knew very little of their histories, save for when they were contained in epic Zaichaeri operas.

"Anyway. As I said, back home the main way we saw a new administration take power was a coup. One day you'd have the banners and pictures of one hard-faced man wearing a snazzy hat, then there'd be a week of explosions and gunfire and boys rushing through the streets in uniform, and then there would be new pictures on all the walls. Hard to get too attached to whoever was sitting up in the big metal tower."

The witch shrugged.

"Not as it matters much, now. I've seen the inner city with my own eyes, there's naught but ruins and chaos-twisted. The metal tower is gone, like it never was, and all that's left is a wound in the world." Imogen's face went dark for a moment; then, suddenly, she grinned.

"There's a message there, innit? An institution can seem eternal, unchangeable, impossible to challenge, and then the next day it's a smoking ruin."

Posted: **Sun Apr 16, 2023 6:40 pm**

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Never the predictable one, the first thing out of Imogen’s mouth was a recitation of what knowledge she did have regarding the origins of the Avialae. The trilogy of plays she listed were in a language he did not understand, one he could only assume was Kathalan, but the titles sounded more like statements than, well, something one would entitle a work of art...perhaps that was the normal over in the Imperium?

Jae-Seong looked at her blankly, blinking in slight disbelief, unsure how serious she was about the last part. Kalzasi was a mix of cultural influences, so within it, many forms of art thrived, including, of course, theatre. While he was a more casual consumer, he was a fan, and yet for any performance he’d sat through, they’d…never blocked exits. What a strange practice, and one that sounded fairly unsafe.

Before he could really formulate a response, she continued, comparing Aviale origins to that of the Orkhan. “I suppose that’s similar in principle." The swordsman sounded briefly contemplative.

"Their creator was divine, however…Avialae were made by a mortal Necromancer, and I do think that’s a notable difference.” It did speak to the fallibility of mortals, he supposed, that a race forged by Malgar wouldn’t be wrought with the flaws that Avialae were; as far as he knew, their women weren’t fundamentally lacking in features compared to the men, or vice versa. Of course, he was no expert in the finer points of Orkhan anatomy, but if such flaws existed, they were not nearly as egregious nor well known.

“At least Malgar finished his work, no?” Though his overall tone maintained its calm, his words were pointed.

Again, when she spoke about her experiences, he blinked at her in disbelief; yet if he did think about it, knowing what he did about Zaichaer, ought he really be surprised? “That’s, ah…fascinating.” The casual way in which she spoke about it was also alarming, but if such things were really normal, then…desensitization made sense. “...and how many of these coups did you live through…? I never really kept up with Zaichaeri politics.” He avoided keeping up with those of his own home, much as he knew he really shouldn’t be so careless.

“I imagine that possessing power would be more than passing precarious, in that case…” but she was right. There was, so he’d heard, very little left. “...but yes. Everything that stands may one day fall.” That was one reality he'd accepted long ago; nothing in this world is a constant.

A foreboding thought, indeed, but Jae-Seong did not fear change– magnitude aside.

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'Thoughts'

"Synskrit Tongue/Speech"

"Common Tongue/Speech"

"Inandoth Tongue/Speech"

Posted: **Mon Apr 17, 2023 3:54 pm**

All of the talking back and forth proved a most effective means of passing time; as the two traded thoughts on the monarchy and succession, they also grew ever-closer to the city proper. Had Imogen a bit more experience, she might have risked Blinking to take her out of the rain and to her favorite hotel directly... but she did not. Besides, that would have been a particularly abrupt and rude way to end a conversation.

"Perhaps." the witch allowed, "I haven't met any gods myself, so I couldn't say. But if their work is truly without flaw, I'd like to give a few of them my thoughts on eczema. I can't say all their choices meet with my approval."

A bizarre sort of heresy, but Imogen was serious enough about it. The Zaichaeri worshipped no gods; the Sunsingers often did, but the context of the society of her youth had left the Orkhan girl with peculiar views on the divine and the mortal duty of obeisance.

"Oh, a couple. There was one just before the city exploded, you know. The usual thing, one of the ministers went around and bribed enough of the officer corp that once they were in office, nobody would have enough guns to toss her out. Fliers everywhere calling the last guy a traitor, posters with smiling people, the works." Imogen shrugged. "The people who get worked up about that sort of thing are the people who have a lot to lose, right? Not like I care who collects the taxes, as long as they're not dumb enough to start stupid wars."

She could hardly remember what the war they had started was supposed to have been about. The assassination at the wedding, obviously, but why had they done that? Politics seemed, to her, to be largely an excuse for rich assholes to do stupid things on a whim and later claim it was for the good of millions.

"Never even figured out how it got blown up, you know." Imogen confessed, "I've been to the blast site, it was nothing but dread mists and ruin. That building contained more abjurinium than anyone's amassed since the Clockwork Empire and a hundred Negators and someone still flattened the thing. I'm not one of those who blames Kalzasi, to be clear." She hurried to add, "I'm not sure even Briathos could have managed it, but they certainly couldn't have kept a working like that secret."

The pace of Imogen's thoughts and legs both slowed as they entered the city.

"Well, I appreciate the company. If you happen to find a good opportunity for me to watch a little Kalzasaern swordplay, do send me a note. I put my address on a card, it's among your things."

Posted: **Tue Apr 25, 2023 12:58 am**

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Jae-Seong had met the divine on more than one occasion, but outright stating that would out more about himself than he, at this point, cared to share. Imogen’s commentary on the subject pulled a breath of laughter from him, which might seem abrupt, given his composure thus far– but one can only stay stoic for so long given the oddities this woman was prone to espousing.

“I’m inclined to agree that many of the choices of the divine boggle the mind…but their powers are limited by their domains. Each one is unique, in that regard.” Of course, some could, but others with entirely unrelated divine domains? Skin conditions would be outside of the purview of most, tragically.

Jae-Seong rose a brow at the woman’s account of Zaichaer’s most recent coup. “...and now, it was all for naught.” He didn’t imagine that something so mundane would have actually served as catalyst for the sheer level of arcane tragedy that had leveled the fallen city. “Funny, isn’t it? In an instant, all of that ceased to matter.”

When it came to what exactly could have caused that, Jae-Seong shrugged. “I think it’s beyond petty political squabbles…because you’re right. Zaichaer being an anti-magic stronghold, I doubt anything short of direct divine meddling could’ve caused what happened.” Now, perhaps that was blasphemy, but the man simply could not see it any other way. For Zaichaer’s demise to be orchestrated entirely by mortal men, however? That, to him, was an impossibility. “Wise of you to see beyond those who blame Kalzasi.”

Passing the gates of Kalzasi city proper, the two of them paused. And to the last thing she said, he responded. “Sure. You seem to be a mage of reasonable skill, too– I might suggest a joint venture on a bounty rather than simple sparring.” They could do either, really, but the latter served for joint profit.

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'Thoughts'

"Synskrit Tongue/Speech"

"Common Tongue/Speech"

"Inandoth Tongue/Speech"

Posted: **Tue Apr 25, 2023 8:28 pm**

Review

Moon

Lore: 14 lores, which may relate to swords

Points: 10xp, may not be used for magic

Injuries/Ailments: All wet

Loot: Water, I guess

Notes: Swords swords swords swords

Imogen

Lore: 14 lores, which may NOT relate to swords

Points: 10xp, may not be used for magic

Injuries/Ailments: Too cold ):

Loot: Stole some clothes

Notes: "Let's go kill a guy"

Legend of Ransera

Part Of You Wants To Believe Me [Moon Jae-Seong]

Re: Part Of You Wants To Believe Me [Moon Jae-Seong]

Re: Part Of You Wants To Believe Me [Moon Jae-Seong]

Re: Part Of You Wants To Believe Me [Moon Jae-Seong]

Re: Part Of You Wants To Believe Me [Moon Jae-Seong]

Re: Part Of You Wants To Believe Me [Moon Jae-Seong]

Re: Part Of You Wants To Believe Me [Moon Jae-Seong]

Re: Part Of You Wants To Believe Me [Moon Jae-Seong]

Re: Part Of You Wants To Believe Me [Moon Jae-Seong]

Re: Part Of You Wants To Believe Me [Moon Jae-Seong]