[System]
Child of: Light

Nickname: Aura

Age: 31

Gender: Female

Sexuality: Pansexual

Relationship Status:Single

Species:  Fairy

Occupation: A solider of the Light

Likes:
• The Kingdom of Light
• Children of the Light
• The happiness of those around her
• Nature
• Music
• Peace
• Murdering Children of the Dark

Dislikes:
• The Kingdom of Darkness
• Children of the Dark
• Her own fears
• Sadness
• War

Fears:
• Losing her purpose
• The Fall of the Kingdom of Light.
• Darkness. Not the people, not the kingdom. Darkness itself.

Two small silver hand axes that she uses for short ranged combat. They are holstered onto her sides within leather loops when not in use.

Personality:
Most of the time, she's a typical Happy-go-lucky girl, walking around with pep in her step and interacting with others with an exuberant attitude. Always willing to lend a helping hand, but she does get a little too overbearing if she stays around you for too long. Even when she's on duty, her sunny personality still shines, but she can get serious if the situation calls for it.

When it comes to the Kingdom of Darkness, Aurora has a nearly visible hatred of it. She sees them as the reason for all of the conflict, and will do anything it takes to end their evil. She actually enjoys fighting them, and will actively seek out vassals of the Kingdom of Darkness to kill them on the spot. If she ever fights with one of their soldiers, she will always aim to kill. She has never taken a prisoner within her whole career, and it's gonna stay that way.

History:
Aurora lived in a small village not too far from the border of the kingdom, along with her two older sisters, father and mother. She wasnt as outgoing as she is now, actually being quite timid in the shadow of her older sisters. Her family loved her, and she them. The war had already started, but her family believed that the fighting would stay on the Kingdom of Darkness' side. How could the Light possibly lose to Darkness? She never really thought of life on her own, as she believed that her family would last forever. Until her life changed within a fortnight.

Somehow, some way, a vampire had gotten over the boundry and made their way to her village within the cover of night. The vampire burst into the faries' home, killing the family members one after the other and drinking their blood. Aurora was the last one alive, and got a lucky hit with a broken wooden stake lying on the floor of the bloodied home. The vampire fled, tending to their wounds, and leaving Aurora without family, nor purpose.

Even in the wake of this tragedy, Aurora persevered out of sheer self-preservation, keeping herself collected and sane through sheer willpower, and joined the Kingdom of Light's military. She quickly lost much of her timidity within the Corps, and slowly but surely recovered from the incident. All enemies of the Light fell before her blades, and she became imfamous throughout the Corps, even as one of the lower ranking members. She still remembers the vampire's face, and vowed to find and kill them when she saw them again.

Extra
• Aura has a really bad habit of sleeping in, waking up late and never getting to events on time.
• Is apart of Rida Miloth's company, annoying the older fairy to no end.
• When it comes to Phantoms, they are the only Children of the Dark that she will act normally with. She cannot hurt them, and they normally can't hurt her. Plus, they ARE the souls of those that died prematurely, so she feels sort of sympathetic toward them.
*New!*
•After a near death experience by the hands of the wraith, Livia, Aurora is now able to touch Phantoms.

Theme Song

[User]
The book in Asher's hands was snapped shut, frustration seeping out of him as he got up to return it to the shelf. Having been confined to bed rest by Valentine, there was little for the prince to do other than read but unfortunately, the prince had already read every book he owned several times over. And to make matters worse, they were no longer helping him take his mind off of things. From the memories his father dredged up to the multitude of events that had transpired the day before, there was a good deal the prince was trying to avoid.

After putting the book back, Asher couldn't help but admire Valentine's work on his hand. A few quick clenches reminded him once more that it was still almost as good as new, something he had questioned the possibility of mere hours ago. Sure, he had to stick his hand into the alchemist's brew of darkness-knows-what, but it was an awfully small price to pay. Even if the smell made him question just how badly he needed his nose for a few excruciating minutes.

The prince's attention shifted to bandage covered torso, which was partially obscured by his open robe. The mage had left him with a cracked rib and a nasty burn, but for the most part those two injuries had already been taken care of. However, it was the serious case of light poisoning that had left Asher so weak and also what caused Valentine to insist that he get at the very least a week of rest before even thinking of returning to the battlefield. Glancing back up at his collection of books, he quickly realized that there was no way he was going to make it through the day, much less a week, before going stir crazy.

The robe quietly fell to the floor as he made his way to the dresser. Literature on his side of the border had its merits, but the prince was getting tired of its tendency to be dry and unimaginative. Something we have those archaic vampires to thank for, he noted as he pulled on a black, long sleeve shirt. No, if he was going to be confined to this room for a number of days, he was going to be reading something different. A small grimace crept into his expression as he donned a dark cloak, as that meant he needed books from the other side of the border. Which meant he was going to need a trade city that had managed to remain neutral in the war. Which meant he was going to Linore.

[Assistant]
For the most part, Octavia ignored Rida's rant. "While I am glad that you joined me, I must ask that we not talk much. I do not wish to blow my cover. Just think of the amount danger I would be put in if anyone found out about who I was. This may be a Neutral Zone but I am still at risk here." She said quietly to the faerie as she continued to look at the booths.

A certain booth caught the Angel's attention; a jeweler. However, what she was in the market for wasn't jewelry, but rather, a chain. After a few minutes of looking, she chose a pendant chain and attached the Star Dust from before, then tied the pendant around her neck.

Octavia continued down the aisles of the market and stumbled upon a vendor selling a specific book that caught her attention, A Rose on The Battlefield. She had read the book many times before, yet she couldn't recall where she had placed her own copy for quite awhile now. Thus, she decided to purchase it and placed it in her bag as she carried on her merry way.

[User]
Although Hale fully knew that Aurora was feeling fine after the rest and the healing magic but she kind of grew worried when she suddenly sprung up to her feet and stood on the bed. She also had a huge smirk on her face. And so Hale simply listened to her. So her name was Aurora Pierce and it seems she was a really loyal soldier of Light. Eradicate enemies of the Kingdom of Light huh? Well now, what exactly was Hale to the Kingdom of Light? She wasn't really sure.

But then Aurora mentioned a name she thought she'd never hear again. "Ah, so young Rida became a warrior? I knew her parents you see, influential people they were."  She pointed out. It had only been fifty years since she has been in service to both sides as the neutral side.

Back to the person in front of her. It seems no one would be able to get her to at least look at the Darkness's perspective. Well not that Hale minded. Yes, of course she wanted to end the war but these were just soldiers. Someone influential should be the one to end it. Like perhaps the prince or the princess? Just perhaps of course. "You know that I needed only a simple answer right? Now go rest, I think you've outdone yourself." She said. "Although your energy says that you are fine." She pointed out.

---

Dollie

Now this was something else. The house itself seemed alive. Well, it is alive. Tendrils crept up and then settled near their feet. "Now this is a house." He said, a smile on his face under that helmet of his. He then nodded and then Naya went towards... presumably where her room was. He then took off his helmet, as a sign of respect, just like how one takes off their hats inside a house. He looked around for a place to sit and then saw a nearby chair.

Reluctant. He was actually reluctant to sit down. Well since the house itself was alive, he began to feel conscious. "Wow, I never knew I could feel like this inside a house." He muttered to himself before sitting down and then waiting for Naya to come back. But again, this house was impressive. It could do all the housework for you and you just need to say the word. Then one of the tendrils offered him a cup of tea. "Much appreciated house." He said before taking the cup and then drinking for it. That actually tasted pretty good. Surprising since most of the herbs that can be used for tea didn't even grow on this side of the border.

Thirty minutes seemed to have gone by in a flash for Uriel. Perhaps he became too relaxed on the chair, partially thanks to the tea he just drank. Naya reappeared to the lobby and he stood up. He watched as the tendrils of the house began to pack Naya's things. He let out an odd one syllable chuckle. "It seems your own house is concerned about your well being." Must be nice to at least have one sentient being worry about your life.

Suddenly, Naya clasped a pendant around his neck. He then took a good look at the pendant. It looked pretty good actually. And the effects were better. "Extra resistance to light magic? Now that is something that will be useful to me in the future." He said, an odd smirk on his face. This was something he really needed. As a demon, he was weak to light and this just gave him protection to it. He then tucked it under his armor so it wouldn't get destroyed accidentally. "Thank you very much Naya... but what did you mean that it was meant for me?" He asked. Sure as a soldier this would be perfect, but this was meant for romance wasn't it?

"Anyway, let's go. Let's get your grimoire back." He said before placing the helmet back over his head. He then waited for her to take the lead. It was as if he was back to escorting nobles again but this time he was escorting a young witch who lives in a border town. Well it was a nice change of pace anyway.

[Assistant]
As Aurora sat on the bed, reviewing her own thoughts, they slowly turned back to her squad leader, Rida. She may not be the strongest, nor the fastest of the faeries, but her mind was sharper than any weapon, more powerful than any brute force could match. Her wit would snap like a whip, and battle tactics would appear in the redhead's mind faster than an arrow could fly. She was her commander, and oh-my-god-Rida-didn't-know-if-Aurora-was-dead-or-not. How could she? Aurora never reported in since the skirmish in the Kingdom of Light. After that, the brunette had been flying solo, with no contact with the Kingdom in any way besides the Princess.

The soldier quickly got off of the bed, retrieved her equipment, and holstered her weapons into their leather loops. "Sorry, I just remembered that I have some place to be." Aurora explained her rush as quickly as possible, downing the rest of the water within her cup, and half way to the door. She opened the door, and gave Hale a mock salute. "See you later, Trai-Healer!" Aurora nearly slipped with the nickname she had for the elf, her mind going on overdrive as it calculated the fastest route from this area. Hopefully the woman who lived in this cottage didn't notice.

Shutting the door as fast as possible without being rude, Aurora quickly noticed that nothing around her looked familiar, except for the Deathwood. If the faerie wanted to get home, she was going to have to pass through there and hope she found some kind of landmark she might have passed by yesterday. To be completely honest, Aurora had never been this deep inside of the Deathwood forest before, having delt with most of the enemies of the Light at different areas around that side of the border, but never the Deathwood for some reason. Well, there was no time like the present to learn something new, right? Aurora took off, her flight a little less straight than it normally was as her right wing protested at the movement. The faerie had no time to heal, she needed to get to her commander, and no soldier rested until they reported in.

North


[System]
Species: Human

Gender: Female

Age: UNKNOWN

Nationality: UNKNOWN

Weapons and/or equipment: UNKNOWN

Backstory: UNKNOWN

[User]
"What?" Saddam spluttered as the team received those coordinates. "Have you lost your damn mind?" Thebes wasn't so sure. He was mindful of the advanced tech the Datius had showcased throughout this expedition. She had proved a very resourceful asset in a variety of combat scenarios, but it still took the Sacred Band leader a half-second to commit to a strategy which seemed so crazy.

"CoWiUnCo." Thebes barked when Rareth fired some kind of bright light, awkwardly hefting his gun above the claws grasping his chest and aiming at the point set in front of them. The four syllable shorthand wasn't strictly speaking accepted terminology, but he knew all of the soldiers under his command would understand it as "Comply With Unorthodox Commands". The team reacted immediately, as did 595 who had regained some conscious control and was vaguely following the plan.

Energy bursts, a tungsten bolt and one solid laser beam disappeared into the hole created by the bright flash, and they carried on firing until it shut again. The fliers bucked and rolled, thoroughly spooked by all the action, but still on course. There was no immediate sound from the predator above them, until it's carcass crashed into one of the cargo bots trailing their convoy at a couple of hundred miles per hour. The package of robot and dead flesh thundered down to the plains below, and exploded in a huge fireball.

[Assistant]
From what she could see through the linked cameras, Rareth's plan had worked perfectly. Their shots passed through the wormhole and cut straight through the creature above them. Regardless of its size, it was not as if it was armored to deal with high-powered weaponry. However, they were not fortunate enough for it to simply die alone in silence. It was only moments after its death that it came crashing down below, and took one of their cargo droids with it.

"Nirann, report! What did we lose?" Rareth asked right away.

Nirann hummed a moment and spoke in a tone as if he was grimacing along with it. "That was bot two, so…that was the transit station. Do I have permission to panic yet, or…"

"Permission denied." Rareth retorted immediately. "As long as we have the comms mast, we can get another transit station. Just focus on here and now. Any other contacts? More threats?"

Nirann again checked the cameras of the cargo bots, along with his own body's sensors. There were more living things in view, especially below, but nothing that seemed like it had an interest in them. "Uh, nothing that I can see. Yet."

Rareth wasted no time, and made sure to keep the Nirann on-track. "Then keep working. When we do get a new transit station, you will need to make sure we can return through it."

[User]
"Well, it worked…" Carthage scoffed, craning her neck to survey the wreckage behind and below them. "Let's hope we don't need to leave in a hurry." Dr Ngata murmured, looking straight ahead at the beacon. Thebes couldn't help but think that amounted to quite an expensive maneuver, but needed to keep morale from dropping off a cliff. "We'll make it work." He asserted gruffly. "Everyone get ready, we're close."

They approached a cluster of mountains that they could see from the air formed a loose 'X' shape. Visibility was getting a bit spotty, but 595 could see flood plains surrounding most of this formation. The mountain in the middle was big, even by the standards set so far in this simulation. A broad, towering edifice of black rock, with a luminous beacon of white light on one shoulder about three quarters of the way up.

Now that they were closer, the Agent could see that something similar to snow coated the top of the mountain, including the area around the beacon. There appeared to be a white winding path leading up to a small plaza. And as they approached, the light dimmed so much as to allow them a good look at the beacon's features with their night vision.

It was a tall, rectangular building made from ivory-coloured stone. Rows of snow-topped steps led from the plaza up to a plinth of solid stone. A row of massive pillars circled the whole structure, sustaining a large sloped roof with exquisite carvings and murals. Light spilled from an opening in the front and rows of large windows 595 spotted along the sides.

"That...was not what i was expecting." Dr Wetherall remarked, breaking the stunned silence. "It looks like something from Earth." Athena commented, as a freezing wind and flurries of snow whipped off the sides of the mountain and into their faces.

The fliers took them down onto the plaza and released them. Then, one by one they took off again and swept away. 595 stared at the structure, mountain on her right and open expanse of plains off to her right. She felt like she'd seen this building before somehow. "Lets scout the perimeter, make multiple points of entry if we can." Thebes commanded. "Knossos, take Carthage and skirt left. Athena, Saddam, right. You're with me, ma'am. Ma'am!" 595 didn't respond, already creeping toward the front steps with her rifle raised.

[Assistant]
Frigid, snowy mountains were not locations that Rothians would often visit willingly, but it was far from Rareth's first time out of her comfort zone. Besides which, between her suit and her implants, she did not feel the cold. Although she would not have admitted it openly, she did allow herself the briefest moment to take in the sight of this place they had came to. Its architecture was alien to her; like nothing she had seen on Rothia, or anywhere else among their colonies. Athena said it reminded her of Earth, and Rareth had no way of knowing how accurate that assessment was.

Whatever its origin, this structure clearly represented something significant in this simulation. Everything else they had experienced had either been simple animals, natural features, or the creations of primitives. This was something else entirely. Its architecture and artistry implied much more advanced origins; although, Rareth still could not be sure if its creators were the same as those who had created the simulation itself. Hopefully, such questions would be answered soon enough.

The Sacred Band approached the situation as expected of soldiers, securing the area and identifying tactically relevant information. Rareth had no objections there, but it was Agent 595's behavior that unsettled Rareth. She ignored Thebes and started approaching herself, weapon drawn. This was not the first instance of her strange behavior that Rareth had noticed, especially after the incident in the caves, and she would not ignore it.

"Agent!" Rareth firmly declared as she stepped up just behind 595. "What are you doing? We have not come here to pick a fight. I will not have our first impression with this being to be to threaten it. You have been acting strangely for a while now; do not think I have not noticed."

[User]
595 didn't turn to face the Rothian. Her visor remained pressed against the delicate scope of her beam rifle. The bright white light emanating from the open entrance was proving hard to filter. "I'm just trying to see inside. This thing already knows we're armed to the teeth and leave a trail of destruction in our wake; why try and hide that at the expense of our security? Our presence is known, we can be certain of that."

She opened her other eye, and saw Knossos and Carthage sprinting around the left side of the structure. Then, the light disappeared from her scope as Thebes stepped in front of her rifle with his back to her and hands linked. She recognised it as a peaceful, respectful way to contain her authority, developed during the long wars that mercenaries like the Sacred Band had fought on Earth and the inner worlds.

The Agent slowly lowered her weapon and holstered it, blinking hard a few times. "Alright, we'll do it your way. Have we found any other entrances?"

"Just the windows." Knossos crackled over comms "Every ten metres or so - no coverings." Thebes jumped in "Can you see through?"

"No sir - they're too high up. We could climb?"

[Assistant]
"I am not saying you should relinquish your weapon; I am saying you should not be pointing it at our host when we walk into its home." Rareth looked down and narrowed her eyes at the Agent, then retracted her helmet specifically so she could see the expression. She was not aggressive, nor did she seem angry, per se, but everything about her tone showed that she was deadly serious. "I do not know what will happen inside this place, but it very well could decide whether we leave here alive. I want to make sure that, at the very least, there will be no surprises from the allies beside me."

Rareth walked a short distance up the steps as well to place herself between 595 and the entrance. "I have seen you as being aggressive, so far…trigger-happy, I think you might say. But that is not even what has the most of my concern. You have acted strangely, especially in the caves. One of those insects disintegrated to ash in your hands, then you seemingly disappeared from reality itself. You appeared in another part of the cavern in an instant, with your IFF tag no longer transmitting. Yet, you showed such little concern at this. It took such convincing for you to even see a medic. Was it pride, or something else? I want there to be no surprises in there; I want us to fully understand each other. So, is there anything you have not shared that would be…relevant to this?"

[User]
595 inhaled sharply through her nose, with gritted teeth and taut posture. It took every ounce of will she possessed to maintain her composure. How dare this alien meddle in her affairs! "You want to do this now?!" The Agent eventually hissed, peeling back her visor and staring right into the Rothian's eyes with her own augments. Two of the dots were solid blue, one blinked red.

"I am fine. Perhaps if everything in this fucking place wasn't trying to kill me, i'd be less inclined to violence. With all this shit going on, frankly I'm relieved one of the creatures had the courtesy to wipe my memory once it was done trying to eat my face!" Thebes had slid directly in between the Agent and Rareth now, gently holding her back. "What's going on back there?" Knossos asked over comms. "Hold on, give us two minutes." Thebes ordered.

"In case the Grand Datius needed a reminder, I don't answer to you. I serve Outremer, where people are dying every minute we waste, speculating if a sin-eater like me has her head screwed on properly! You do not have to like me, but I am finishing this mission and getting what we need to stop that from happening.." 595 spat, jabbing a finger at her own breastplate while stepping back away from the Rothian. She looked at the Human soldier in between them. "Thebes - have your team take a look through the windows. Right now." Thebes nodded. "Move in, both sides." He quickly relayed.

[Assistant]
"Perform reconnaissance only. Do not enter the building yet, nor engage in any hostilities." Rareth said to Thebes before quickly returning her attention to the Agent. "Yes, this is the only time we have to do this. I would have brought this up earlier, had we not been attacked. We might be in a simulation, but we are still on Rothia. For as long as we are on my homeworld, you do answer to me."

Rareth turned her head briefly to look up at the structure looming over them. "The being that brought us here has not yet shown any aggression towards us. I will lead the way, and I will take the risk, but I do expect you to stay your hand. By definition, the beings of this simulation are an uncontacted civilization within Rothian space, so it is the Rothian government which has jurisdiction over first-contact diplomacy. You said it yourself: Outremer needs help, and we have agreed to help you. So, do not trample upon our agreement and goodwill along with it. So, I ask again, is there anything the rest of us should know? You disappeared, then reappeared by seemingly impossible means. I cannot even be sure that you are the same Agent 595 that entered that cave. Your mind could have been influenced, or even replaced, by something in the simulation when you disappeared. If you could share your recording of the incident, sensor readings, the medical report from Knossos, anything that might help us understand what happened…that is all I want: transparency."

To reinforce her point, Rareth quickly sent the Sacred Band a copy of all of her recordings and other data from their time in the caves. Everything she saw, heard, and felt, they could access.

[User]
595 actually laughed out loud, shaking her head in derision. "Transparency? Oh that is rich, coming from you Datius! The pointy end of the entire Rothian apparatus, elevated to mythical status and shrouded in mystery, attached to wars across the galaxy, is asking me to explain myself." Dr Wetherall, who'd been watching this exchange in shock with the rest of the civilians, raised a hand and tried to interject. "Umm, the floor..."

"Stay out of this!" 595 snapped, before jabbing a finger at Rareth. "Perhaps we should start with you explaining that wormhole tech you've been keeping a secret. That would've been useful to know about before Memnon died protecting your flank. Maybe we could've done things differently." The Agent stared at the Datius, as dull blue lights emanating through the hairline cracks in the plaza beneath them started shining brightly in patches where the snow wasn't piled up. "We need to-" Thebes started but couldn't finish.

"ENOUGH." a voice boomed in their heads. 595 saw Rareth and Thebes were picked up like ragdolls, to float a couple of feet from the floor. Then she realised the same entity had immobilised her and the civilians in the air as well. An invisible manipular field forced their arms to their sides and their feet together. 595 tried to speak, but she couldn't move a muscle. Their suits powered down, and one by one they floated in a line toward the door. 595 tried to send a message using her mind implant, but that seemed to have ceased functioning too.

They entered through the double doors at the front of the structure, into a grand rectangular gallery. Pillars stood on either side, and the high, open windows behind them were embedded in thick outer walls. Torches flickered in their sconces, but the real light in the room came from the figure sitting in a throne at the far end of the room. It looked Human in shape, before morphing into a Rothian silhouette and then back again. It seemed entirely composed of light energy, with no real features other than an outline.

The rest of the Sacred Band were already lying prostrate on the floor a short distance from the steps leading up to the throne. The invisible fields laid 595, Thebes, Rareth and the civilians alongside them, heads facing the ground. Eventually, the Agent realised her muscles worked again. "Are you ready to talk to me? I don't have much time." The being asked out loud, in a dry, raspy voice.


[System]
Age: 32

Appearance:
Height: 6'1"

Weight: 185 lbs

Likes:
+Caffeine
+Reading
+Conspiracy Theories
+Working-Out
+Talk Radio
+Cars/Trucks/Vehicles/etc.

Dislikes:
-Seafood
-Sports
-Cold Weather
-Bad Grammar
-Authority
-Disorganization

Zodiac Sign: Gemini

Special Talent: Legendary Alcohol Tolerance

Profession: Mechanic/Owner Apex Designs, a small, single-door garage, tucked away on the industrial Southside end of town with enough room for about three cars inside.

Bio/Personality:
Joel is a man who views himself as someone not necessarily doing what they want to do in life, but doing what they're good at. He enjoys repairing the automotive woes of many of Sol City's wealthy clientele. However, even though his work is considered some of the best in the city, he's often equally known for his lengthy vacations and costly invoices. Additionally armed with a business degree that he earned off of an only briefly offered scholarship in his youth, he very carefully balances work, play and sometimes outright laziness. He keeps no set schedule and can be found in his shop sometimes at the most bizarre of hours.

Outwardly, Joel has a very arrogant aura that often turns off others. He's been told that he's "unapproachable" and though he likes the thought of being intimidating, sometimes he does feel a genuine desire to have deeper conversations. He enjoys flirting and being in some social venues, but often feels bored and out of place. He doesn't consider himself extroverted. Interestingly, he tends to talk non-stop while working on vehicles and has his own crowd of conversational regulars, often the bored and retired older men of the city, that stop by just to see what he's working on.

Joel is very aware of his eccentricities and has a warped sense of justice. He enjoys watching people that may have wronged him or refused his advice "get what they deserve" to the point of comedy. He likes that some may look down on him for his chosen profession, but at the same time wishes he was doing something else. He's never satisfied for very long.

Favorite Song:

Tell us about yourself:

Age: 32
What part of the world are you from?: VA, USA
How many years have you been writing/roleplaying: Around 17
How often do you have time to post?: Usually 2-3 times per week, maybe more depending on my work schedule/other things.
Anything else you want to mention?:
I actually work a pretty cool job, but it does demand a lot of time out of me sometimes. I'm married and have three kids. Roleplay/Writing is one of my few surviving hobbies in adulthood next to working out and reading a book occasionally. I usually only have time to write one game at a time here on the Guild so this is it for now. I'm going to my level best to make sure its a winner. I try to take care of my players, so if you're reading this and thinking about joining, we'll be glad to have you.

[User]
Paige Kennedy

The reaction Paige anticipated looking for she oddly enough found in herself. She could believe Milo's tone when he said he still had the same photo and had not gotten rid of it after all this time. Her ears were trained for lie detection and she knew him well enough to tell when he was lying or holding back. It was her first reaction though... When he spoke the words and happily chuckled, she felt relieved, but couldn't explain exactly why to her own mind. He seemed nearly nonchalant about it. A strange departure from his interrogative attitude about Ana at the Winter Party and almost the same as when she arrived at his place to dispatch Jackie. Even if he had the same photo, she didn't expect him to be quite so at ease. Intrigued, she accepted the picture back from him and leaned back crossing her legs and resting one arm lightly on the seatback. "We sure did win," She stated matter-of-factly with a grin. "And yeah, I think you won the party after too- first place drunk."

The thought of it jogging in her memory view was turning her grin into a full-on smile and combined with the progress they'd made against the sake, she was loosening up. A solid, near non-stop week of heavy investigative work was wearing away like a detox out of her veins. When he brought up his poor car, left on blocks in that parking lot, she laughed heartily, "Was that one of those times you felt like you needed to defend my honor?" She laughed. In her head, she replayed that night as well, though not with completely vivid recollection. She had a few drinks herself and could not exactly recall what started the battle or if they even had anything to do with it. "I think we won the fight though," She said. "I remember that one guy," She continued, "I don't think he'd ever been hit by a woman... That was right before you slugged him blindside, you fight dirty." She said with mock accusation pointing her finger. She refilled the sake cups again. The thought of taking Monday off was becoming firmly more entrenched in her plans. She knew getting the time wouldn't be a problem, particularly after the returns the last twenty-four hours brought.

[Assistant]
Milo Ventri

---

---

 Milo laughed as she mentioned him as the first place drunk, he had put down more than his fair share to be sure, but they had a ton of fun that day, "And the crowd went wild." he chuckled out as he recalled the drunken haze they had all awoken to the next day. Milo recalled the fight, and tried to think of the reason he had actually punched the guy, "Honestly, either I was trying to defend your honor, or, I was really tired of listening to you guys try to tell him to fuck off kindly." Milo took a bite of his food, the sushi was fresh and was really quite good, he was glad he decided on this place. Milo could still remember the fight was his fault, he had definitely thrown the first punch, but she was right, the three of them won pretty handily against those barflies. "I don't fight dirty, I just fight not to lose." Milo chuckled, as much as he liked his sword fighting, he actually disliked fist fighting, and always fought to end it quick and without him being hurt as much as possible.

 Milo poured the last of the sake into his cup and downed it. Milo leaned back into the chair and sighed, "I miss Delta some days, other days, I wouldn't trade what I have seen and done for anything." While this wasn't necessarily true, Milo had had too many drinks and not enough blood to know. "I have seen more of the country than I thought I ever would, met a ton of people, and learned a lot of skills. Leaving everything behind, it was hard, but I don't think I could have grown with out having done so. Trials and tribulations and whatnot." Milo smiled, his face already showing that he was a bit tipsy. "I'm sure you have had your share of good times since leaving right?"

[User]
The hours following the race went by quickly for Joel: The podium celebration and the champagne spray, the official post-race press conference and numerous interviews with local and national press. Everyone wanted and interview with him and Tommy. He remembered talking to at least two people from ESPN on separate occasions as the cameras flashed and crowds continued unendingly. Tommy was used to the limelight and the sportscasters had some fun bringing up his NFL days while Joel was getting tired of answering the same questions over and over. He barely had an opportunity to really celebrate and only managed a few quick words with his dad, Marlin and the rest of the crew before being whisked away to talk to another microphone and camera. When he finally made it back to the hauler, the large trophy and plaque commemorating their victory was laying in one of the bunks where Lou had placed it. Joel didn't even remember handing it to him.

Glancing at his watch as he woke up from a short doze, Joel eyed the big trophy in the bunk across from him with a sheepish grin. He was still in the bottom half of his race suit and knew he had about an hour or two to get ready for the sponsor's gala. There wouldn't be any time to head back home for anything extra, but the hauler's amenities were ample and built in consideration that the drivers should ride as comfortably as their car. The all black designer suit they'd brought back from Ginza was hanging in one of the narrow storage closets. He chuckled to himself at how Tommy had been forced to buy it back in Tokyo and the night's festivities would mark only the second time it had ever been worn. Still somewhat groggy, he pulled himself up from the bunk and grabbed a cold Red Bull from the refrigerator to help wake up. There was apparently a night of free boozing ahead and he wanted to be able to enjoy it fully. That, and he was looking forward to arriving victorious in front of Marlin's aunt… or cousin… or whatever relations that bigmouth woman represented and then drinking the rest of them into destitution.

He showered and dressed, not accustomed to taking more than ten minutes to put on clothes, he had to Google how to tie a tie correctly and then it took him a few tries to get it straight enough that he was satisfied. He was partly enjoying the solitude and quiet of the hauler and as he started out Tommy met him at the stairs throwing on a jacket and adjusting an expensive pair of cufflinks on his wrist."I can't believe you're still gonna drive that thing." He said shaking his head with a grin.

"Hey, it's practical," Joel said with a shrug. He glanced around. The temporary pitlane had partially cleared out, but the majority of the teams' trucks and equipment were still around in various stages of teardown as everyone hit the town for the fading evening. People walked about slower and there was a general sense of finality in the air. "Just right up the road." He threw one leg over his motorcycle and hit the starter. The Harley sprung to life with an electrical wine and then a crackling rumble. Joel thought he looked rather dashing combining the black suit and bike against city lights and the flaming splash of coloring sunset last gasps of daylight provided.

"I'll be right behind you." Tommy shouted over the noise. He had an SUV and a driver waiting.

"Don't forget your purse, bitch." Joel said with a wide grin. He flipped his sunglasses down and thundered off.

The chaotic broadcast of his exhaust bounced and echoed across the front of City Hall. He was a little early and the circular drive out front looked like hasty preparations were in their last stages. A few catering vans were wrapping up and people bustled around nervously to the smell of fresh bread in the air. Heads turned and some even pointed at his vehicular breach of proper evening protocol, but no one said a word. Being the race winner had its perks and he twisted the throttle once more for good measure. A valet came out and looked confused, but another brushed him aside and greeted Joel graciously to park the bike in a secured area. He continued up the steps alone remembering that the last time he entered City Hall was nearly a decade ago for traffic court when some dull SCPD officer ironically had written him a ticket for loud pipes. They can all suck it now. He thought to himself with a smirk. He gave a low whistle as he looked at the immaculate spread OHI had set up and flipped his sunglasses up on top of his head. Part of him was hoping no one would recognize him in their hustle to get things ready and he eased over to the nearest bar to get some pregame alcohol flowing. When the barman noticed him, he put one finger over his lips and slinked up to the counter.


[System]
Age: 24
Occupation: Blacksmith
Ring: Black crystal ring of Space

Appearance:

He is around six foot tall and moderate build, he sports many small burns and scars around his hands and forearms from his long hours in the forge.

Biography: As a young boy in the slums of Solruk, Orgin took to the crafts quickly. The youth was most at home with tool in hand and a flame to stoke his inspiration, it was all the magic he had ever needed. he became a somewhat accomplished smith and tinkerer, many small gadgets and his forged tools kept him in business and that was enough.

Soon enough Orgin found himself in quite a predicament, a smith from another city had come into town, his steel and his prowess far exceeding anything the young man could produce. The end of his life in view, Orgin took one final chance, he traveled farther than he had before in search of better material. The trek left him tired but he knew that if this didn't work he would be ruined, he could never be anything more. Orgin dug, and dug, but the ore was no better, he feared the worst, but just as his hope started to fade, his pick broke though to a small cave, as he stepped though the hole he saw that the cave, maybe only the size of a bedroom, had one stalagmite jutting up out of the floor. As Orgin lifted a torch and looked in he saw, resting on the pillar, was a ring set with a jet black gem. The stone was nearly pulling him in, and as he grasped the ring he knew this could be what saves him.

Orgin returned home to Solruk, no one, no material at all, only the ring, he rushed to his home and packed all of his tools, Solruk was no longer home for him, he knew that this ring was special, but this city was no longer worth the time. On the road out of the city he thought to himself, Why is the ring special, why do I care? as he pondered the idea, his rickety cart hit a rough bump and his hammer fell from the cart. Orgin thrust out the ringed hand to the hammer as it fell only to see a distortion around it, and in the instant, the hammer was in his hand. Orgin stared at the hammer, then the ring, he began to laugh and grin, this was something special, and he would find out how far it went.

[User]
It had only been a while but Brandon has nearly filled his bag with all the goods he managed to buy and his gold pouch wasn't very low yet. Maybe he could visit another two shops before leaving the town. So he entered one of the food shops that dot the town.

"Pleasure doing business with you!" He called out. Brandon had only exited a store when Shawn suddenly stiffened and sniffed around. The brown haired male looked curiously at his pet, wondering what had gotten into the black Labrador. It then took off, much to Brandon's shock. He quickly chased after the dog, nearly bumping into anyone who was in the way. For a pretty old dog, he ran so fast. But the only thing he was worrying was why his dog was running away.

Shawn brushed against Jill's legs and barked. However, it was no angry bark - it was more friendly. Its tail was wagging. It was as if it was sensing her sadness and then wanted to see if she needed some help. Though, to be perfectly honest, a dog suddenly charging at you doesn't seem to be the friendliest of sights.

Brandon was close behind. "Shawn, what are you doing!?" He yelled out before skidding to a stop beside the black dog who was still staring at the girl, ignoring his master completely. Brandon frantically looked between his dog and Jill. "U-Uh, I'm sorry! Did my dog do anything to you? I don't know what overcame him. I am so very sorry!" Brandon kept bowing to the girl. He then turned to Shawn. "You should apologize for disturbing the lady too!" It would seem that the two had some form of connection that you would see a master and his pet. Shawn's tail stopped wagging and it looked down on the ground as Brandon reprimanded the dog.

[Assistant]
It had been ages since Jill had left for the marketplace, yet nothing among the various stalls had caught her interest. She walked by each vendor lazily, giving their items only a half-interested fleeting gaze before moving on. Since when had business here been so dry? Jill thought to herself. Then again, these were everyday people selling everyday items. It was unfair of her to expect them to have rubies on display when only a small fraction of the populace could afford that sort of thing.

"Fresh fruit! Fresh vegetables! Get them while you can!" An old lady beamed up at the passing by crowd, causing Jill to let out a loud yawn, her eyes now slightly teary. This was much to the old lady's disapproval, who muttered something about rude whippersnappers under her breath, causing Jill to sprint away from her stall.
Jill's thoughts returned to the family drama she had left back at home. She was now having second thoughts. Was she making too much of a fuss about nothing? Would it be better for everyone if she just went along with their plans quietly? What if she was in the right after all? Maybe her family was in the wrong for always deciding things for her. She swept away her bangs in frustration and trudged forward, not really looking where she was going.

She had barely passed another shop or two, when all of a sudden she noticed a dog plunging forward in full speed. Sometimes she wondered where dogs got all their energy from, she herself could barely manage doing her daily chores. She turned around, curious to find out what the dog was after. There was nothing out of the ordinary. No master waiting for it with a treat, no wild animal to give chase after. It took Jill a moment to register that the dog was dashing towards her. When it had finally dawned upon her, Jill turned back at the dog in dread only to find out that it was now only a few steps away from her. Why me? She thought as she shut her eyes and instinctively crouched down; almost shrieking in fear as she did so.

Well? Was the dog going to bite her? Jill wondered,as she slowly mustered the courage to open her eyes. The dog was there alright, brushing against her, but it didn't seem as hostile as she had feared. It gave a friendly bark, dissolving any qualms Jill had had about the dog's nature. Jill laughed nervously, falling back in relief. She hesitated for a moment, but ended up petting the dog. It seemed nice enough, now that Jill was calm and collected. For some weird reason,she felt a tad bit better. It was probably swell being a dog Jill thought as she petted the dog. Dogs don't have any worries...do they?

She heard someone shouting in the distance, the sound bringing her thoughts back to her surroundings. She looked around and saw a few kids who had stopped to stare at her, while some adults went about their business but only after giving her a condescending look.
She had freaked out completely, after all. Talk about an over reaction, her inner voice criticized. Jill immediately got up, dusting her self off, making up her mind to never again let a dog get the better of her .
The shouting figure was that of a boy, who stopped abruptly beside the dog. Jill figured out that he was the dog's owner. Before she could gather the energy to get furious and go on about how the owner should've kept his dog on a tighter leash, he had already started apologizing. In fact the more he apologized, the lesser she felt like complaining.

"It's alright,you don't have to apologise!" She exclaimed; and she meant it.

"Your dog's done nothing much,that is, besides almost scaring the daylights out of me" she added with a grin.

[User]
"Oi there! Miss! I've got a question. May I have a second of your time?"

Cait swore under her breath, the man at the bar had obviously figured out that she'd taken his money. She thought momentarily of running but a quick glance around told her there were city guards nearby and so far the man wasn't making a fuss. She pulled her hood a little lower over her eyes, trying to obscure her face a little more in case she was going to have to make a run for it. The man would have to make a very convincing argument for her to part with the coins.

She whirled around and shot him a charming crooked half smile, "I suppose I can spare a moment, but just a moment. I'm afraid I'm not local, if you're looking for directions." She was momentarily distracted by the man's ring again, something about it called to her. She grabbed the ring she wore on a chain around her neck. "Interesting piece you've got there. How'd you come by it?"

It couldn't be like hers...or could it?

[Assistant]
Orgin stood overlooking a small stand of his wares, the day had been dragging on and the small things he had for sale at this point were not selling well, however the hope of a sale vanished from the mind as a small brawl in the street broke out. He looked on silently as the men got to their feet and dusted off. This seemed to start a chain of events that led to quite a commotion, he watched as a rather large dog bounded after a woman, he watched as two more people leave the pub as well, seemingly with intent.

What on earth is going on in this town today, it seems it may be a hair lively for what I need. He thought as he began to reconsider having stopped here. The only reason he had even come to this town in the first place was to speak with a scholar or a dealer of antiquities in order to glean some sort of idea what kind of ring it was he now wore, but the strange bustling that was occurring it couldn't be coincidence, could it?

Orgin began to pack away his goods for the day not before strapping a strikingly heavy short sword to his waist, he figured that this would be a good a time as any to either look about town, perhaps even speak with some of the locals about the ring. Before Orgin could even take a few steps, he noticed the second pair to come from the pub, now speaking to each other in the street, more peculiar was that both of them sported a fancy ring, of which seemed to be the topic of their discussion. Orgin tried to inch closer, not wanting to outright jump into a strange pairs conversation, however he did want to see if he could hear them and learn if perhaps this was the day he learned something about the ring.
Maker


[System]
Age: 16

Gender: Female

Appearance: Is... something the matter?

Arcana: II Priestess

Personality: Kotori is, by any standard, a quiet girl. She rarely speaks if not spoken to directly - and even when she does, she only does so in a soft voice. She isn't one to put herself forward and, in fact, actually prefers to keep her distance from others, making her a rather timid person. She is, however, rather diligent; always doing her utmost at any given task. Given her weak constitution, she dislikes most physical activities and, in fact, often sits out during P.E. She also seems quite conscious of people's eyes on her and quickly feels uncomfortable when that is the case.

Given these traits, Kotori is not exactly the most sociable person - though that doesn't really seem to bother her. Most of her free time she spends studying or helping her mother around the family flowerstore in the Warakuma Shopping District.

Equipment/Skills:
Weapon - Japanese Umbrella: A bamboo-and-paper umbrella.
Armour - School Uniform: The standard female Warakuma Highschool Uniform.
Accessory - Small Locket: A small heart-shaped pendant worn around the neck; kept in a pocket while at school.
Skills - Does well in her studies. Knows a large number of flowers by name. Quite capable at Flower Arrangement. Is strongly near-sighted. Low stamina.

Background: Kotori is the only child of the Shirohane familiy, who have lived in Warakuma for generations and are known for their flower shop in the Warakuma Shopping District - the shop is on the ground floor while the family home is on the floor above. Unfortunately, Kotori's father - a kind man who was never seen without a smile on his face - passed away in a car accident three years ago, leaving her mother to look after both the store and the child. Fortunately, Kotori was by no means a troublemaker - though after her father's death, she did become a lot more quiet and reserved. Though saddened by her husband's passing, Kotori's mother remains a cheerful person at heart and does her best to keep both the store going and watch over her daughter.

Apart from these things, Kotori's childhood had few other noteable events. She hasn't joined any clubs at Warakuma Highschool or actually made any real friends due to her nature, never being one to draw much attention. Furthermore, she isn't much of an athlete; quickly getting out of breath and has sat out during P.E. a number of times due to this already - though she doesn't feel all too bothered by this.

Persona: Kikuri-Hime

Appearance: Kikuri-Hime

Abilities:
Dia - Light Single-Target HP Recovery
Patra - Cure Single-Target Fear/Rage/Confusion ailment
Zio - Light Single-Target Electricity Damage
Strong against Electricity
Weak against Physical

[User]
Warakuma Central Shrine
Wednesday
July 13th, 2015

As Rui waited at the meeting spot alongside Kotori, it became increasingly apparent they weren't coming. At around the same time as Kotori opened up her phone, he too ended up doing so, just a string of messages from one after the other, having various different plans. Akane had a deadline to meet so she was able to come tomorrow, since Summer Comiket was coming soon, very soon, and Alexei was dragged to help her. Matt and Shizuka made last minute plans to do something else but were coming to the festival another day, while Ryan had a family dinner to attend, then there was Sen and Mako who both had very vague messages saying they couldn't come, it stood out since those two were the only vague ones. Then came Ayano who also spoke for Kami saying he came down with a summer cold and she was caring for him. As he scrolled down a myriad of other familiar names had not been lit up for a long time too.

He let out a somewhat dejected sigh, but then was reminded that he wasn't alone here at least. Kotori's voice broke his train of thought as he turned to her. She seemed to have entered a similar mood, but it would do no good to just go back now. He gave it a bit of thought, before sighing again,

"I guess it can't be helped", he began. Everyone's beginning to go their own paths, and that was fine. He predicted after this entire cult business was over, everyone was going to begin to focus on the paths they want to take in life in full force.

"Everyone has their own plans, so let's make our own right now", he continued, he stopped leaning up against the fence and stood up properly and turned to Kotori, offering her a hand.

"Let's enjoy the festival tonight then, just the two of us", after all, it would be a waste to just go back now.

[Assistant]
Kotori Shirohane - Warakuma Central Shrine | Wednesday, July 13 2015

Following Kotori's words, Rui's own sounded somewhat disappointed - it seemed like he'd been looking forward to going around the festival with the others too. At that, Kotori's gaze drifted back down to the ground. Considering that they'd already taken a brief tour of the grounds, he probably wasn't going to be too interested in doing the same again, she figured, considering that they'd mostly done so to tide over the waiting for the others who, as he said, had their own plans - and they, in turn, should make their own.

"Uhm... right..." she said, even as she began wondering just what to do with the rest of the evening now that they were going their separate ways. She took a breath before shifting her eyes back up at Rui, who turned to face her - but just as she opened her mouth to say the inevitable goodbye, he held out his hand toward her. "Eh?" she said instead, her brow furrowed in confusion - at least for the few moments before she realised, in time with his own words, that she had actually just misunderstood him. Apparently, the plans he was talking about didn't mean going their separate ways - in fact, quite the opposite.

"E-eh?!" she most eloquently put her surprise before realising that he was waiting for her response - or at least, an intelligble one. "A-ah, uhm, I..." she fumbled for a moment before settling for a quick nod. "Ye-yes, uhm, let's," she finally managed, as she quickly perched her glasses back upon her nose following the hasty head movement - which led to her sight coming to rest of Rui's still outstretched hand. She blinked once, twice, before looking back up at Rui, then down again - for some reason, it almost looked like he was holding it out for her.

That, of course, had most assuredly be her misconception - no, there was probably some other explanation for the gesture. But unfortunately, Kotori couldn't seem to come up with any on the quick. Should she just ignore it? No, that would probably seem rather rude. Maybe ask? No, she'd already wasted so much time just thinking on it - she really shouldn't keep him waiting even longer. And so, before she'd quite made heads of the situation, she found herself laying her hand in Rui's - and almost immediately felt her face heat up as she realised how this might appear to any onlookers.

Kotori hastily glanced to either side, hoping not to catch anyone looking in their direction - and was rather relieved when she didn't do so. However, she did notice that by now, the lanterns all around were making up the majority of the illumination. The scenery was cast in a warm orange light, setting the festive mood for a warm summer evening. The amount of people, she noticed, had also increased quite a bit - it seemed that only with the dying of the light did the festival truly come to life.

Of course, the people! That must be it, Kotori thought - the reason that Rui had offered his hand in the first place. It wouldn't do to get separated in the crowd and having to spend more time trying to find one another, after all. Yes, that made sense, Kotori thought with a nod - even as her eyes wandered to the sight of Rui's hand grasping hers. Only now did she notice how her whole hand fit inside his. Were all boys' hands this large? Or were hers perhaps just small? She could feel a slight roughness, too, probably stemming from his time spent at the kendo club - and in the mirror world, where he regularly put his sword skills to the test on the frontlines and protecting those further back.

And it was warm, too - much like they had been when he'd placed his hands on her shoulders before. Of course, all of this did not help in the slightest at abating the particular shade of red that her cheeks had chosen for the occasion of her over-thinking - even as, in turn, she began to worry if her hand might be too cold or sweaty. In fact, her mind was so preoccupied with this strangest of arrangements that she hardly even noticed where Rui was leading her until they slowed as they reached the first food stalls.

In all the hubbub, Kotori hadn't even noticed how long they'd put off eating, seeing as the original plan had probably been to do so with the others - and she was feeling a bit peckish. Besides, a festival foods were to be enjoyed at a festival, she figured - they weren't an everyday occurence after all. As such, Kotori spoke up - or at least she did on the second or third try: "Uhm... Sh-Shinichi-san? A-are you, ah, uhm... I mean, is, uh, is there anything y-you would like to eat?" As she spoke, she tried - and failed - to not think too much of the warmth surrounding her hand; all the while glancing in any direction but down - and only occasionally up at Rui for the briefest of moments as she awaited his response.

[User]
Warakuma Central Shrine
Wednesday
July 13th, 2015

So it seemed to be decided, he'll be enjoying the festival with Kotori. She seemed to be anxious, well not quite anxious but more she was flushed red. Ahh... Could this be a date, now that it's just them two? Well there's little point thinking hard about that right now, but the idea didn't seem bad to him. She seemed to be waiting for him to answer her question, what to eat... Indeed, a difficult question considering how much they saw on the way here, including shaved ice, yakitori, yakisoba, and a load of other summer foods and even games at different stands.

"I wonder indeed, maybe we should go back in now and whatever catches our eye, we'll get some", he suggested to her.

[Assistant]
Kotori Shirohane - Warakuma Central Shrine | Wednesday, July 13 2015

As it turned out, Kotori's suggestion was met with acceptance - though Rui proffered no particular preference, he wasn't opposed to the idea in principle. As such, they would continue along the various stalls and stands and occasionally stopping for a closer look. On occasion, Kotori would also try her best - which, by the looks of it, wasn't particularly convincing - to appear somewhat non-chalant as they passed by some stands. Specifically, these stands were those where she happened to recognise the owner as someone she knew, such as her neighbour two doors down - mostly because it would most definitely be far better to avoid any embarrassing misunderstandings about why, exactly, she was visiting the festival with just one instead of many friends rather than having to explain it at a later point in time.

Aside from that, the two could take a little more time to look at all the festival had to offer, whereas before they'd only really been trying to pass a little bit of time with a brief walk through. In the warm glow of the various lamps, they could not actually take their time and appreciate the many offerings and, in the case of a particular food stand, even try their wares. But even though there were a great many things to see and the overall atmosphere was very much a pleasant one to enjoy, Kotori did find herself occasionally slightly distracted - for once though, it wasn't due to her mind wandering to the mysteries of the mirror realm, but rather the person who stood beside her. Or in front, depending on what walking arrangements the crowds around them actually allowed. Yet at the same time, she didn't speak up all that much - but thankfully, the hustle and bustle of the whole festival ensured that her quietness didn't feel particularly awkward.

Either way though, Kotori did quite enjoy the second and slower walk through the festival grounds; even though she occasionally thought it a a bit of a shame that the others had not been able to come whenever she saw something about the festival that she thought they too might have enjoyed - a list of things which, as they approached the largest square that of the premise upon which a bonfire had been constructed, would quickly come to include the traditional dance that was about to be held thereupon. Though this was mostly due to herself - Kotori always had enjoyed watching a dance, after all.


[System]
Appearance -

Skills - Tsim travels quickly through the sands, swimming through it like a great fish or worm. This ability has also taught him the mastery of ambush. However Tsim is a scholar first and for most, with a wealth of knowledge, relics, and treasures at his disposal. Mostly willing to trade stories and talks of Culture rather than devour you.

Magical abilities - Tsim has extensive knowledge in the magic of illusion and is able to cast from a wide pool of spells. His only offensive abilities is his breath, taking the form of a solid stream of intense heat.

Backstory - Tsim has always been an advocate for peace among dragon kind, staying out of any and all major conflicts in recent history much like his forbears did. Sure when he was young and reckless he would go out and fight like a sword on the wind but those days have long since past after a run in with a very large and very powerful dragon. The batter was short lived and it shattered Tsim's confidence in his indestructability gained from youth. After nursing his wounds, Tsim dedicated himself to the work his ancestors started, the advancement and preservation of knowledge.

Through this pursuit Tsim has traveled throughout many lands, scouring desolate ruins from long dead civilizations and digging for their knowledge, treasures, and secrets. During one of these expeditions Tsim traveled to a dwarven hold, so ancient it was nearly recognizable as being such. In it he found many things, old tomes, hordes of gold, and mighty arms and armor. However there was something dark inside the depths, something that could never reach the surface nor could anyone else find it.

To prevent its discovery Tsim called upon his strongest mystical allies and together they hid the opening with a powerful illusion, causing anyone to come close to voluntarily decide to turn around and leave. In addition he moved his holding to the Desert of Flames for further protection and now lives as the guardian of Ulthage.

Holdings- The Desert of Flames

Current location- The Horde of Knowledge, Tsim's personal library.

Allegiance- Independent, several colleges of study and research.

Other
- IN HONOR OF RYLATH
- In generally a pacifist, but will fight tooth and nail when provoked.
- Harbors no ill will towards humans or dwarves, no one is responsible for their ancestors actions.
- Has a live and let live policy with the corrupted and even has a friend among the more mellow members.

[User]
Smaug

An hour after he took flight from his home at Lonely Mountain, he encounters the dragon who disturbs his rest. Beyza. He comes to a halt as his wings continued to put him afloat.

"WHO ARE YOU that would stand against me?" he answers back with a growl and a flare from his lips, "You have disturbed the peace of my land. You have awakened me from my beauty sleep, including my WRATH that comes with it! Turn back now, while you still can, or I will rip you apart, limb from limb!"

[Assistant]
Beyza.
A huff of smoke expelled from his barely visible nostrils, a crimson hue emanating from his chest. This dragon must have been corrupted or something, to believe that he could travel into his territory and command him to leave was direct challenge to himself. He flapped his wings harsh, throwing the currents towards the challenger.

"You're in my land," he told him, a growl echoing in his throat. "You have but one more chance before I send you to Rylarth."

[User]
Smaug

Smaug was not daunted by Beyza's display. Soon, his chest began to glow a fiery orange hue from his chest, with fire brewing right at the back of his throat. He then suddenly boasts out a laugh as his wings also began to beat faster.

"Rylath you say?" Smaug sneers as his voice begins to boom, "You are forsaken... no HELP will come!"

[Assistant]
Beyza.

"I need no help for the likes of you. I will rip your wings you and send you spiraling to the depths."

He flew off towards Smaug, spiraling in a fashion that brought him over the large reptile. He brought his talons down onto space that connected his shoulders and wings, ready to through his flight off balance with powerful force.

[User]
Smaug

As soon as Beyza began to speed at him, Smaug roars as he speeds towards him with thundering speeds. Yet it fell short once his wings got caught by the talons of his enemy. Roaring in rage and pain, his neck then bites Beyza's tail, allowing him to escape the talons and beginning coming back for another attack.

[Assistant]
Beyza.

Pain rippled up his tail, making him release the dragon in hurry. In the next moment however, he sped towards the dragon. It was a risky move but risks were meant to be made. He let out a fierce roar and charged the beast, hoping to pierce his back or wings. A dragon's wings were pretty weak, even if they were bulky and strong.

[User]
Scolopendra

The six headed serpent let loose a thundering growl from all its heads simultaneously, sounding much like thunder in a great distance and only very remotely like a single, short laugh. 'Lord Scolopendra' was certainly no title anyone ever thought of adressing it with before. It kept its distance while the dragon spoke, and only after he finished Scol opened the maw of its main head and two smaller ones so speak in the old dragon tongue, incomprehensible for its human followers, and further distorted from not really using its vocal chords in centuries. Even to Graguth it would sound thick with accent and rattling with the burning acid in its throat.

"DESCENDANT. OF. RYLARTH." Every word came from the main head, but also from one of the insignificantly smaller ones, and the latter changed with every word. The monster nodded all of its heads once, paying respect to the bloodline for a brief moment before picking up again.

"WHAT. KIND. OF. EXPERIMENT." Though the pile of corpses was a rather obvious tell, Scol didn't know just how much the council knew about its abilities. It didn't bother with how far the rumors originating at the borders of the Witchlight Jungle travel around the world. For the first time, it pondered how much good or bad the spreading superstition could do to its plans. Either way, it would have Graguth spell it out himself, eager to learn if the world was over- or underestimating its abilities.

[Assistant]
Smaug

Yet as Beyza sped towards the mighty Smaug, the crimson dragon was already ready for a counter attack. He snarls as his belly began to light up with a fiery hue and blasts fire all over his enemy. He will not allow such a measly dragon to beat him! He then swoops towards Beyza, trying to latch onto his giant side horns.

[User]
Graguth was slightly surprised by the accent, but tried not to show it. He did have a small shine of excitement in his eyes in his otherwise composed expression. "The experiment would consist of you raising one of these bandits for me to breath fire around. As is rumored my fire is corrupted and creates a toxic smoke that eats at living materials." He gave a moment to collect his next train of thought. " Though I have no idea if it has any effect on the undead," he said with a glance towards the west. Then with a sort of surprised yip, " not that I would plan to use it against you, or any number of those who serve you. I would rather you consider some form of alliance with the counsel. You seem like a very honorable dragon.

Truth is Graguth would have loved to even try to ask his brother if it had an effect on the undead, but he was sure it would lead to some form of fight. Though meeting with Scolopendra was a good compromise. A dragon that had fought along side his grandfather was a very good compromise indeed.

[Assistant]
Ro

Ro roosted on top of his tower, unable to enter it due to his massive form his massive wings spanned out over the entire top leaving very little room for the group of followers who were arrayed out near the stair well. One of the mages he had in charge of necromancy bowed and spoke very nervously. "My lord, it's ready." Ro raised his head and looked the nervous man over. "Good..." He said, his voice shaking the man to his core, as the dragon rose and the minions quickly cleared the top of the tower as he took flight. His wings making a large gale of wind as he circled the tower and landed in the village square. As he drew near he heard what seemed to be a million voices enter his mind, the voices of his most loyal followers. "Master" They seemed to whisper in his head, as the undead in the city hailed their great leader. He owned them body and soul and he loved it.

He heard the sounds of the door to the tower opening and out came a hideous beast, a dragon that had been twisted. Grafted onto it's skin were metal plates, and it's mind entered Ro's and it spoke in gibberish. Ro tried asserting his will over it but it resisted it's mind too broken it would need to go back and more experiments performed on it before he could control it. "It's no good, it won't listen go back to working on it." Ro snapped at the gathered mages who trembled at their lords anger. "Yes Dead Father." Said the leader who bowed and exited, rolling the beast back inside. Ro looked at the black legionnaire who seemed frightened of him. "Go and gather your leaders and empty the land we are going without the beast. And anyone who stands in our way will fall." Ro said, his voice calm but the anger that boiled beneath the surface came out, the legionnaire bowed and ran to go notify his leaders as once again Ro took flight and flew over his city more and more voices filling his mind as they cheered their leader and the aspect of feeding on the living.

[User]
Scolopendra repeated the small eruption of a laugh. Graguth was either quite blatantly trying to flatter, or his assessment of Scol was terribly off. Either way, the six heads implied a nod.

"VERY. WELL."

Curious about this peculiar flame breath itself, Scol began to perform its magic, a process that was never witnessed by human eyes before. It would give them an idea of how defenseless their deity was when performing this kind of magic, but that mattered little for the serpent. At this point, the humans would not consider rebelling, Scol simply gave them no reason to.
Two of its heads fell into a low channeling tone, taking breath in turns so the deep sound would never be interrupted. They both stared blankly at something in the far distance beyond Graguth. Another two heads of the beast kept focused at the destined corpse, conducting snake-like movement through the air but keeping quiet. The main head spoke a few words, older than the dragon language itself. Words the corruption wrote into its mind, words not even the serpent itself fully understood. The sound of its voice nothing more than a whisper, but at the same time all-present and seemingly coming from all directions at once, including from inside the listeners head. After a few minutes of this procedure, the body slowly rose, with exhausted movements and visually tormented in incredible pain when the dead muscles broke free from the stasis of death. The undead turned around to face Graguth, and as its lips moved, so did the mouth of the sixth head of Scolopendra. The only sound however came from the still intact vocal chords of the dead man.

"Go ahead." And he spread his arms as if to embrace what was coming his way.

[Assistant]
Taking a step back from his great library, Tsim gazed upon it fondly as a new scroll was added to the collection. This one on the Razor-Quill Boars that made their home in the Desert of Flames. They really were quite interesting beasts. How they could survive the heat of the day was beyond him yet but he would learn eventually, he just needed to commission a scholar and maybe a hunter. Being as big as he was did have some disadvantages, alas there was no way of changing that. With That though he went on his way, it had been so very long since he had taken time for himself and decided now would be the time. Walking upon his great wings like a macabre bat Tsim left his cave and took to the skies after a long stretch of his odd wings.

Soaring through the sky brought out a great glee from Tsim, for all his eloquence and knowledge he was still a dragon. Deciding to indulge on his baser pleasures he quickly flew and dove into the great sands of the desert and began to move through it like a serpent of the seas in search of a meal. Traveling swiftly through the sands Tsim found what he was looking for, relatively. Stopping his movements, Tsim raised from the sands slightly, only enough for his horn and snout to leave the sand. Smelling the air Tsim unveiled his target to be a Gurn, a large lumbering thing with tough meat but alot of it. The creature was old, exceedingly large, and at the end of its rope. Perfect.

Dipping down back into the sand, Tsim dug deep before surging upwards and exploding from underneath the beast. Up in the air it rose as Tsims jaws punctured its rough hide and crushed the organs underneath, its death was painless and swift. After gorging on the soft innards and larger meats of the creature, Tsim took to the air once again and left the rest for the scavengers. After several circles he found the largest rock in the Desert of Flames, the uppermost part of a once great mountain, and laid himself upon its surface. Preparing for a long nap upon its sun warmed surface.


[System]
Age: 16

History: Born to a single mother in East London, Atticus has struggled with poverty his entire life, including having to go hungry for days on end, all so that he and his mother could survive in their "Shed with Beds" as the landlord called it. In spite of his hunger, Atticus knew the only way up in the world was to grind and scrape and claw his way up there, pinching every pence he could get, and he knew he had to be willing to take a pound for his Pound. Working three jobs usually, he scrounged what he could with his mother to be able to eat at least two meals a day, at which point he felt content, more than glad to stave off hunger on bread and maybe jam if they could get it.

Of course, living in the slums of London isn't always sunshine and roses. Being the small kid, there were naturally asshats who'd pick on him, and despite how bad it got sometimes, Atticus kept his chin up and didn't fight back. Ma said that good boys don't fight for no reason. Course, they stopped picking when the sprout reached about 1.9 meters. Growing up was hard, especially since he eventually had to get an education and leave his mom to work to feed them both. It was either that or by government mandate he'd be taken away and put...somewhere. He didn't really know, just that he hated anybody trying to take anything else away from his Ma. Begrudgingly, Atticus Haywood enrolled in Magiciana, hoping that maybe some real good parlor tricks might be enough to get him into show biz.

What your dream is: "Well...I guess making a lot of money would be nice. Yeah. Then I could afford to move Ma Somewhere nice. Guess I always wanted to be an actor...Hey! The hell are you laughing at? Wha-A COMEDIAN? MA!"

What kind of magic your char has: the magic of cockney! Unknown to him currently

[User] Megan nodded slightly at the chubby woman and held her pale hand out for her blood to be drawn. She winced when the nurse pricked her finger. She grumbled, glaring at the nurse. She really didn't like nurses. They prick you with sharp objects and that wasn't cool according to Megan. People to burn after all of this is done: this fucking nurse. she began to make a list in her head. Along in that list was several other people she had already made enemies with. "Can I go now? I have someone I need to meet up with." She crossed her arms. Waiting for the nurse's reply.

[Assistant]
(for some unknown reason that mention did fuck all)

Jack heard the voice and made his way to room A. When he got there, he saw a chair and an orb in the center.<what?>.jack walked over and took his hood off and he sat down wondering what might come of this.

[User]
Mateiu lips turned upwards in a wry smirk, being fairly unperturbed by the look he was receiving. On the contrary, Mateiu was somewhat amused by Loki's reaction, as well as the fact that Loki didn't seem to mind asking a complete stranger to cease their actions. In Mateiu's experience, people were often too put off by his size to tell him to stop whenever he was engaged in an activity that could be considered annoying, making his current predicament all the more refreshing.

Mateiu's smirk broadened a bit, he complied, though not without one final pop as his teeth clicked together audibly. Mateiu continued chewing his gum at a much less audible volume, "Satisfied?".

[Assistant] *Loki nods looking relieved* "Yes thank you" *He looks around him realizing he managed to get deeper into the throng of people and looks anxious again his hands going into his pockets. His posture returning to the anxious positioning. With his eyes hidden he doesn't have to worry about the borderline fear that can be found in their yellow depths.*

[User]
a huge mess

"Well..." The plump woman took a moment to look over everything before looking back over to the grumpy girl. "There doesn't appear to be anything particularly strange, so you're free to go." Giving her a cheerful smile, she gestured toward the door as she removed her gloves before washing her hands. She recorded the information quickly before starting to set up for the next student, humming quietly.

[Assistant] Megan was out of the the second the nurse said that she could go. She then looked around for Atticus but when she couldn't find him she instead looked for someone else she could perhaps hide behind. She then saw Mateiu and Loki talking, well it looked more ike arguing but it was good enough for her. She walked over to them, people kinda staring at her. She didn't like it. Megan stood in front of them and folded her arms. "Mind if I hide behind you two?" She spoke in a calm sort of tone.

[User]
a huge mess
*Loki looks over at Megan and raises an eyebrow* ".... do what now" *Oddest request he has ever gotten so of course he had to make sure he heard her right*

[Assistant] "Hide behind you." Megan's tone never changed. She also had a straight face and a a sort of relaxed posture. She stared at Loki, trying to see what was behind the sunglasses, which was rather difficult to do, but that didn't stop Megan.

[User]
a huge mess
*Loki stands there with a perturbed expression on his face which is visible even with the sunglasses then he shrugs* "Weird but okay... i guess." *having been taken off guard by the random request*

[Assistant] "Thank you." Megan then slouched to a smaller height then stood behind him. She glanced around every now and then she would glare at the ground as though it had pooped on her stuff. Which of course was not true by any standards. Please finish soon Atticus... she thought while glaring at the ground.

[User]
@Im a huge mess
Mateiu had begun to slouch a bit more again as Loki, satisfied with his compliance, began to wander away. He hadn't quite gotten far when a voice called out, catching Matieu's attention. Mateiu's face scrunched a bit in confusion at Megan's request, however he made no comment of it. After Loki gave her the go ahead Mateiu simply shrugged, and resumed watching the crowd, casting a brief glance at the newcomer as she glared down at the floor like it owed her money. Thus far no one seemed too pleased to be here. Mateiu saw an opportunity to have a bit of fun with these sour grapes.

Mateiu snorted as the corner of his mouth turned up ever so slightly, "Well aren't you just a ball o' sunshine? Who pissed in your cornflakes this morning?" he jested without actually looking at either Loki or Megan specifically. He wasn't sure who would respond first, or if either would even respond at all, but he'd be damned if he had to continue sitting in silence until his name was called.

[Assistant] "No one. I just don't like this friggin huge crowd and people staring at me!" Megan snapped back. She looked at Mateiu with her hazel eyes and looked him up and down. "Who pumped you full of sunshine." Ok, that was rather lame, but she knew she had to retort back to him SOMEHOW. And that reply was the only one Megan could think of with her mind racing about her destiny and it's meaning.

[User] Mateiu gave a small chuckle and shrugged in an exaggerated manner as Megan took the bait. her response was rather odd, but Mateiu didn't miss a beat, growing up with three brothers had taught him how to roll with the punches when it came to a slam, "What can I say? A glass of sunny delight'll do that for ya." he remarked with a not-so-subtle hint of sass. He'd gotten a response, now was Mateiu's chance to actually talk to someone and alleviate his boredom. Mateiu stood back up to his full height and stretched a bit, letting his sheer size take away some of the attention that may have been on Megan, "But hey, let's not worry about who's pumpin' who with sunshine, or the crowd for that matter, what's yer name grumps?".

[Assistant] *Loki stands there looking generally unamused his rigidly in his stance seems brittle.* "Both of you are odd" *to neither one of them in particular the tone sounded like a grumble commonly heard from an animal instead of a person*

[User] "Megan Starling. And you're as tall as Atticus. Perfect" A grin slowly crept across Megan's face. It looked like she was hatching some sort of evil plan. Really evil. She moved to stand in front of Mateiu. "And your name? Or must I just call you giant sunshine?" She looked up at him slightly. If I can get this guy on my side, then I'll have two of the tallest kids in this whole goddamn school on my side. Megan thought as she waited for his reply.

[Assistant] Mateiu shrugged off Loki's response and snorted once more as he prepared to fire back with a rebuttal. before he got the chance to do so Megan stepped in and introduced herself, as well as mentioned that happened to be as tall as someone else she knew. Mateiu was a tad put off by the look the smaller girl had on her face but he did his best not to let it show, "Mateiu Lockhart. Who's Atticus and why do you suddenly look like you wanna push someone off a cliff?".

[User] "He's someone. Hrs just in the test rooms right now. Also I'd much rather prefer to burn someone than push them off a cliff." Megan's grin quickly vanished. She crossed her arms and continued to look up at the much taller teen, even though she herself was no shorty either. She was actually kinda tall at about 5"9. Megan frowned slightly. "How long is he gonna a take..." She murmured to herself

[Assistant] *Loki snaps his attention to her* His hands going out of his pockets* "That is not funny" *His tone takes on a serious note. To him fire is terrifying, in fact if anything near him was to light up fear would take over. Fear with him usually needed up with him shifting into the first form he thinks of and doing all he can to escape. Even, if it means he attacks something in his way. His fire phobia is something he has been working on for a long time with no real improvements.*

[User] Megan blinked slightly at Loki's reaction. "I won't torch you. You're an ally. Or if you'd prefer...friend?" She attempted a friendly smile and failed. Miserably so. She waited for Loki's reply then looked away. "This place is too crowded. I don't like it..." She spoke, trying to get a conversation going. Easier said than done with Megan. She didn't like crowds nor talking nor most people. She'd rather be reading or burning stuff right now. Not standing in a crowd and actually TALKING to people.

[Assistant] *Loki grumbles he too would rather be anywhere else then here. He felt claustrophobic with all the people.* "I really don't care what you call me" *He then hears her comment on it being crowded and nods* "I hate being in crowded areas as well *He sighs heavily and looks up at an intercom as if trying to will it to say his name, he can't of course, but still.*

[User] "I wish I was home. It's a lot quieter. Well except when my grandma decides to play her 'classical' music as loudly as the gramophone will allow her too." Megan giggled slightly but quickly smothered the noise. God this is starting to get awkward. Where's a friggin distraction when you need one?!? She thought while looking around. She needed to get out. With or without Atticus. It didn't matter to her.

[Assistant]
Atticus listened intently to the explanation the examiner gave of what his magic did exactly. "So...I can shake things and make sounds. That's...err...not exactly what I expected. But hey, that's still brilliant! I could be a one-man band!" he said excitedly, looking on the bright side of at least HAVING a specialty. Even if it wasn't "The kind of magic where I can make it rain money and then use the money to buy a house" kind of magic. Vibrations were cool. Proceeding with the next step, he started seeing what sort of path his future could lead to...looked like construction work. Sighing disappointingly, he just sorta...slumped over. It was work at least so...that was fine. If he could afford a place to live and food, even better. Not letting it get him too down, he proceeded to the medical examination part.

A couple of surprised yelps and syringes, Atticus was cleared with a clean bill of health. Besides being malnourished by a margin, he was in decent health. Identified as A- with his blood type, he was pretty sure that was good. A's were good in school, right? Walking out with a bandage on his right upper arm, he quickly spotted Megan and Loki and smiled, quickly making his way back over. "So, Megan, how'd your testing go?" he asked with a great amount of care, really wanting to know if someone else got something cool. Maybe if someone got that money magic he could ask them nicely for some. Or not.