In the city square…
Kamal would notice both Noir and Menat acquire their strange fragments from his position. He raised his brow, intrigued that they would decide to pocket their findings instead of revealing them outright. But alas, he keeps quiet, opting to watch them. (12, 17)
Casrare offers his insight to Kamal along with conveying a few questions in regards to the other pillars. “The other pillars might seem close but this spell makes it difficult to navigate through the city. One moment, you’ll be here and the next, you’ll be on the other side of town with monsters at your heels,” he says, rubbing the back of his neck.
A slight smile forms on his lips as Casrare’s form seemed to change and blackened clouds form around him. “Hey— before you go off on your own, you should take this with you.” Kamal would take a dagger from his sleeve, making an s-curve in the air.
“Baath Thuban,” he says, commanding the rukh to form a small snake made of pure, radiant light. It slithers up Casrare’s leg and finds itself comfortable around his neck. The snake would feel warm, almost comforting to the touch, and look up at him with cute, beady eyes. Its tongue flicks out, slapping lightly on his cheek.
Casrare would find no resistance in his flight with the only thing stopping him being the dome of fog that hung above his head. While up in the sky, he would be able to see the near-exact location of all four towers. The one beneath him, one nearby to the north-east, another to the far north west, and the last in the center of the city, the largest of all.
“Be careful out there, kid. If you run into trouble or a beautiful girl who uses shadows, just send it back. It’ll find me.”
Noir enters a nearby building with her companion Haku. Upon entering, she would find towering shelves; filled shelf to shelf with a muted assortment of books. If she were to search the shelves, none of the texts would stand out as anything related to their plight. To her, it would seem as though an ordinary library with little to nothing out of place. (5)
In a stroke of luck, Haku would discover a tome laced with magic just resting upon the floor. Upon inspection, it’d be clear to any magician that gets their hands on it that the magical make-up is similar to that of the pillar. The label upon the cover is rather worn, unable to be read. If one was to try to open it, they would notice a lock linking two metal loops holding it shut. (15)
Menat continues to search around the plaza for any other orb fragments. Without having to go very far, she would find another piece hidden under a rucksack. If she placed both her pieces together, the orb would begin to glow, binding them to each other. (20)
Kamal would take interest in her miraculous find, tossing a small pebble at Menat's head to get her attention. Stricken with a slight irritation in his voice, he calls out to her. “Oi! Why don’t you share your discovery with the rest of the class? Or do you and the pretty one plan on keeping them to yourselves?” From the volume of his voice, Noir would be able to hear him from within the building should she decide to remain within. If not, she would be met with a sour glance.
Despite her efforts, the small child is only further frightened by Manaka. Tears stream down her face, staining her cheeks. She whimpers, throwing her hands over her ears and shouts. “Go away, monsters!” The black rukh around her would only turn more violent as her emotions built up.
However, the booming voice of Tai-Shi catches her immediate attention. She seems to light up and rushes to him, clasping her arms around his leg. Her large, cerulean eyes peer up at him and then back at Hyperion and his group. She points at them, her expression was braver than it had been before. “Bad monsters...”
Down inside the crypts…
“No need to worry. I have no intentions of attacking you.”
Asha stands at pause for a moment before taking a light breath. Adrastos would notice the aura around her shift. Like a chill pricking at the back of his neck. No matter how hard he looked, he would find no evidence of magical influence within the space save for the black rukh that fluttered around her. While his lack of emotion would lend him a hand, there was no doubt there was something odd about this woman.
Suddenly, her eyes open wider. Reaching into her sleeve, she pulls out an orb. It was slightly larger than her palm and a deep red in color. Magic exudes from this object as orange and black rukh begin to gather. “This key,” she states, chuckling breathily, “I wonder... what secrets may it reveal?”
The strange woman turns on her heel, continuing to walk further into the crypt. “Come, dear death,” she beckons, turning her head to look back at him. “Walk with me. We shall savor the shadows and sweet perfume.” She turns away, her pout apparent in her voice. “So much to do in such little time. I have waited so long. So, so long...”
Even if Adrastos decided not to follow her, there was only one way to go. He would notice the stairs had disappeared. The torches glow dims lower and lower as she strolled down the path, leaving only the orb to light their path.
In an alleyway far… far away…
The shade circles Ghost, placing a hand on his cheek. Its gentle, caressing touch was like searing ice on his skin. “Oh, but it is.” Her voice purrs in his ears in a symphony of tones.
He collapses to the floor which brings forth a peal of mocking laughter. “Are you that much of a coward? Did you think I could not track you down?” As he zoned out, the shade would observe him, circling idly around him. When he awoke from his subconscious, he would find himself unable to break free of the magic that had taken hold of the space. (8)
The shade would ignore Moka and instead, send her from the space. Light would return to her vision and his Ace would appear back in the alleyway just outside of the city hall. Unfortunately for her, Ghost would be nowhere in sight.
In the endless abyss, Ghost was trapped. Before him, the realm would shift into an endless wasteland. The dry, cracked dirt beneath his hands seemed to go on forever. Dead trees and dehydrated bones scattered across the landscape. His mother stood beside him.
She takes in a deep breath, almost at peace as she exhales softly. “Isn’t it beautiful?” A gentle sigh passes from her lips. “All of this is… it’s all you.” Her arms stretch out wide before landing softly at her sides. A black snake slithers around her arms, hissing at Ghost as it passes by him.
“You *will* be a king, after all. It is only a matter of time.”
- NPCs:
- Kamal:
Name: Kamal
Tier: ???
Tier: Magician, ???
Magic Types: Clairvoyance, Light, ???
Rukh Type: Black
Damage Required to Defeat: ???
Description: A young man, standing at about 188 cm (6ft 2in) with a lean build and pallid complexion with bright, golden eyes. His hair is dark and cut rather short. The most defining feature about him is his long, beak-like mask filled with medicinal herbs that he dons upon his face. He wears a rather dark, plain outfit, opting to cover his torso with a bulky coat.
Weapons:
Dagger - It appears to be a simple, plain dagger made of iron. While the blade isn't very good for cutting or stabbing anymore, it can cast spells while still being able to do some minor damage.
Traits: ???
Abilities:
Seeking Serpent - The user creates a snake out of light magic that can be placed in a specific location or given to a target. It will stay in that position or on a target up to 3 kilometers away. Upon detecting danger, it will return back to the user, leaving a trail of light behind. The trail lasts for the entire thread or if dispelled by the user.
???
- Asha:
Name: Asha
Tier: ???
Rukh Type: Black
Damage Required to Defeat: ???
Description: A young woman, standing at about 176 cm (5ft 8in) with a lithe build and pale complexion with gentle, violet eyes. Her black hair drapes down to her waist. The one thing that is most noticable about her is that she never stops smiling. She wears a plain, black uniform beneath a medical jacket.
Weapons: ???
Traits: ???
Abilities: ???
- Little Girl:
Name: ???
Tier: ???
Rukh Type: Black
Damage Required to Defeat: ???
Description: A little girl about 130 cm (4ft 2in) tall with a rather thin build and pallid complexion with large, blue eyes. She is dressed in plain rags with cuts and scrapes along her legs. A bit skittish but in the presence of those she trusts, she stands a little taller.
Weapons: ???
Traits: ???
Abilities: ???
- Player Notes:
ROUND TIMER
All NPCs are now in their own spoiler tags to save space. Any NPCs leaving the prologue will disappear from that list next round.
As usual, feel free to continue exploring and making your own decisions within the confines of your areas. Everyone, including NPCs, remains limited to one investigative action. Keep in mind, there may not be much left to discover.
Kamal has made it aware to everyone in the square that
Menat and
Noir have been concealing information.
However, we're in the last stretch of the prologue! Keep note of the information learned in this thread as it'll be helpful for future goals. This was the safe zone. Once you leave this area, it'll only go down from here.
Casrare is now in possession of a snake that serves as an extra means of reuniting with the group and/or
Kamal. Keep in mind that this snake is a one-time use. Once he returns it to its master, it will not be able to come back.
In addition to this, Casrare is the only character with the exact locations of all of the towers. However, Diana has a rough estimate of distance and direction.Casrare,
Adrastos, and
Ghost may make short posts in this thread in order to exit but will be moving on to the next part. Do not proceed past the information given. After this round, those posts will go up in order to keep everything timed. Any NPCs you left behind must be posted for if you do not wish to fade them out.
As always, please let me know if I forgot to include anything. I'll add it as soon as I can.
Here is the roll breakdown for those who are interested:
- Breakdown:
The rolls are not entirely in order. I rolled for Kamal once before I rolled for Noir and once before I rolled for Menat.
Kamal rolled a 12 and a 17 on Noir and Menat in regards to noticing them stash their orb fragments. This caused him to be aware of their secrecy and call them out.
Noir rolled a 5 on her search roll which resulted in a failure. Haku, on the other hand, rolled a 15 which allowed him to find a locked tome. What is inside, I wonder?
Menat rolled a 20 on her search roll. This guaranteed her the luckiest find of all: The last orb fragment! Now to get the other piece and slap that bad boy into the tower.
Ghost rolled an 8, granting him yet another narrow failure to escape the shadowy abyss. Now in a desolate wasteland... I wonder what is in store for poor ol' spooks.
