Introduction
The Garden is a massive world, designed around guilds, βGamesβ of all types and used to test the mundane to the greatest demons in creation. The Garden itself is a fantastical bright and fantasy-esque world akin to Wonderland and other High/Bright Fantasy worlds you can imagineβ¦at least in some places. In others it more reflects a Post apocalyptic Fantasy land-scape, perhaps that in itself is a wonderland, especially if one is familiar with American McGeeβs Wonderlandian world of psychological disturbtion (I just made a wordβ¦yes, yes I did). The latter places are where great battles have been conducted, or Demon Lords have forced Guilds into cruel Guild games of their own design.
There are Various Cityβs around the place but no small towns, and Guilds have either buildings, large tracts of lands or entire sections of The Garden that they call their own, some even reside in other dimensions. The Garden itself on a map would be a flat square shaped world, however it functions as if it were a globe when travelling along its length. The world is four times as large as that we know and so various quick and possibly even instant means of transportation are availableβ¦for a price.
Technology
Technology in the little garden is some-what tricky, Powers and Genetic Changes play a big a role in society and combat as Technology does and so the lines have begun to blur. Especially considering Technology and people from nearly every time period seem to be cultivating in The Garden without affecting any city or groups advantages over others. The Garden remains in a constant balance when it comes to Technology, that is not to say that there is not more advanced tech elsewhere or expensive and hard to access materials available to the highest bidder. It is more to say that a Guild or Cityβs standing is not ranked or even reliant on it.
The Story
The story itself will revolve around peoples OCβs and their guild, The Nameless. A guild that was wiped out by a Demon Lord and is only just beginning to rise again, they have very few people who can participate in the games and despite owning a large piece of The Garden they have barely any resources as the land itself has been turned barren and lifeless. All the rewards they earnt in previous games removed and stolen along with their banner and several members of higher rank.
The characters will hopefully come from all walks of life and various time-lines if they so choose and will be tasked with rising in the ranks and participating in Guild Games to regain the guilds status and earn rewards to rebuild the land-scape. However, at any time the characters may leave the original guild and join another that they think will suit them and their needs better, in fact doing so will help add some interesting plot points to the role-play.
The characters will of course begin from the bottom and will be relatively weak and new to their powers/weaponry of choice. In most cases at least, things will depend on what people ask about etc, I am planning to accept as many PMβs as people send and answer any questions people have about characters or anything they themselves wish to do in the RP.
The (Perhaps evil) Plan
Well, the plan is to make this an extremely long-lasting and expanding role-play. That eventually spans across various genreβs and across many re-incarnations / new role-plays within the same world and after the events of the previous. Hopefully starring the same or at least some of the original characters, at least as NPCβs but hopefully as advancing/ leading characters. Albeit new characters could join etc through out and if anyones character had died or left the party the role-player is free to re-join as another if they so choose.
Regardless, the plan is to create an extremely long lasting and evolving story in the same world, one that gets more complex and in depth as time goes on. One that has characters you become attached to and that creates a sense of awe as the world expands and changes drastically.
For post size I expect at least 2-3 paragraphs per post, far less for fights between two player characters for quick exchanges, and 4 paragraphs minimum for important or drastically influential posts.
Character Skeleton
[Personal Detail]
Name:
Age: (Relatively young for your race/species please, it helps to evolve characters more as time flows)
Place of Birth:
Personality: (Description of a paragraph or more please)
Appearance: (Description of a paragraph or more please. I'd also like a picture if you so please.)
Spoken Languages:
Theme Song: (Entirely optional, if you think a song may help sum up your character or hint to things in the future)
[Combat Section] (Try not to just fill this section up with whatever so you can have one in every slot, think about your character deeply. and remove stuff you don't need for them.)
Weapons:
Powers:
Technology:
Skills:
Proficiency:
[Back-story]
Father:
Mother:
Connections and Affiliations:
History prior to The Garden:
Feel free to add or remove and make this look far better then it does, this is a straight up out-line of what I would like for you to have on your CS and I do some-what expect more variety and changes to be made however its fine to just stick with this as well.
The Story So Far... Write a Post » as written by 15 authors
The grasslands were as they had always been since the Demon Lord, barren and devoid of all but the most basic and hostile life. That is to say aside from the small community of Nameless that lived in what barely passed for a fiftieth of what they once enjoyed. However today was different then others in one way, standing atop a jagged crystal rock at the base of a monolithic mountain a kilometer out from the small village was a young woman and man, side by side. The woman wore a black and red short dress, white frills lining the border between the black and the red about two thirds down, the dress ending just above her knees in similar frills before her slender legs. The woman had flowing black hair and a pair of rabbit ears twitching upon her head as the wind blew past them, gracefully lifting her hair in the cool breeze. All things considered, she was what most considered perfect, and yet she stood upon the rock hands on hips with an obviously lesser man.
He stood taller then her with messy blonde hair and a white coat, blonde stubble lining his strong jaw and hinting at his more rugged status within The Garden, black muddy boots and bloodied bandages wrapped around his hands,other then that he had draped himself in traders clothes. A massive pack of supplies and a nomadic staff in one hand, a pouch of jingling coins clenched in his other hand as the two conversed. Obviously having enough of the conversation the woman sighed and held a hand out, in which the bag was swiftly placed and left, the man quickly retreating away from the rock and heading back towards the small village in the far off distance. Turning only once to watch the beginning of the ritual he had payed for with the last coin he owned.
Deep within The Garden, through cracked pipes, empty AEther cords and broken corridors lay an immense room submerged completely in darkness. Not a single flicker of light visible even at its core and not a single light having been visible for centuries. However in a single moment the room changed, the cracked pipes mended, the AEther cords began to pump as they should and the corridors melded back into glory, perfect stone and golden lining all leading towards the room, hidden behind a vast ornate door. A room that still lay in the darkness, a circular room that in its glory lead to a pin-wheel centre. Dozens of thin path-ways and vast abysses in between leading to a great platform
A single beat, one thump and a glimpse of light pulsated through the room, revealing thousands of cords and vast holes in the outer walls of the room. Within the centre the beat sounded again, and The clockwork heart made itself known, gears churning and whirling rapidly until the room finally became alight once more, light streaming from the core of the heart and through the many vast holes. To where the light traveled was unknown but the room had been freed from the darkness once more, its former glory restored and the clockwork heart was beating just beyond the door in the corridor. However as quickly as it occured, as fast as the AEther flowed, it ended abruptly. Only the soft hum of the gears and the occasional thump of the heart interrupting the suffocating darkness that had settled once more over the room.
The light had traveled however, and would make itself known across dimensions and time, piercing worlds and erupting from cores. The heart had chosen carefully however and not all were submitted to the light, however if one were inclined to step inside and dare to touch, to dream of something new and unexplainable. They would see The Garden, specifically a beautiful woman standing atop a rock, pillars of runes and varying colours erupting around her ruins of pure black stone appearing before around her, torches and runic lighting spread through out. The Monolithic mountain tearing apart and falling down to earth, to be pieced back together in a massive spiraling and roman-esque pillar, set in the dead centre of the ruins. A golden portal appeared behind her at the entrance of the maze-like ruins and the view would soon change to the portal, staring directly at the same mysterious woman now standing in front of a magically sealed entrance into the maze, with her arms folded across her chest, simply waiting. Dozens of screens began to appear and an especially large one appeared inside a booth, a large podium arising in front of it for addressing the crowd, which would apparently be seated as large seats erupted from the ground made from the same base stone. This occured even as thousands of letters spread across worlds with a special brand upon them, falling into the hands of select individuals from all walks of existence no matter their circumstances.
As far as The Garden and the woman were concerned, their had never been a light in the room, The heart did not beat, no letters had been sent. The Black Rabbit had simply done the job she had been payed for, a portal had been opened and if one were to wish for another life, a single hope for something different and new, they would be presented with the opportunity, a carbon copy of the portal standing directly in front of them,unknown to all others around the wisher.
The Recruitment for those without a name had begun, and so they would be preparing with earnest and traveling to the stage she now stood upon, a beacon for all those wishing to enter a new world.
The setting changes from Phyrexian Grassland to The Garden
The setting changes from The Garden to Phyrexian Grassland
Then he remembered. Remembered the pain he'd felt. The soul searing agony of his only families death giving way to real physical torture.
The screams ripped their way from his throat as his body seemed to fill with a burning all encompassing agony, it had felt as if his blood was boiling, like he was being killed over and over but was unable to die. He'd screamed until his vocal chords burst, screamed in silence, then screamed anew as they reformed in his throat. Finally after what felt like hours, he was allowed oblivion. The restful abyss of sleep.
The next he woke, he could taste ash in his mouth, but he found the flavor didn't bother him, rather it came as an odd sort of comfort, same as the heat. He couldn't explain why, even years later he wouldn't be able to explain why the tastes of sulfur, and ash in his mouth didn't repulse him.
Sometime later he finally became aware enough to realize he was laying face down in a pile of ash, his arms quickly found purchase beneath him, and he levered himself to his feet, swaying from side to side for a moment before surveying his surroundings with shocked eyes.
His home was a pile of smoking ash. He nearly fell to his knees, but caught himself mid collapse. He to the day still did not quite recall all of the events that led to that point, him standing in the wreckage of his childhood home, a strangely familiar rhythmic clang in his ears, or why he ran, still wearing the three piece suit and jacket he'd worn to his grandmothers funeral, he fled into the woods surrounding their home, and wasn't seen again for some time.
He still remembered the terror that filled the first few months of his "awakening' as he called it. The strangeness of his body changing, like a fucked up second puberty.
Having his fingers suddenly become metal talons and gouge at trees, that he now bled red hot metal, his eyes glowed in the darkness from within their sockets like some kind of demented Jack-O-Lantern, or the discovery that he no longer ate or drank like a human, but needed heavy metals to sustain himself, craved them like the forge he'd later know himself to be, and devoured them, like the smith he was through name and choice.
Life became at once, more and less difficult. A chasm formed between him and other people, he was something else, and he couldn't let anyone know, he became even more withdrawn than he had been in his youth, ignoring anyone that came looking for him, and keeping to himself.
At the same time however, he no longer felt shackled by the things he used to worry about, he no longer cared and in that was a new kind of freedom, and objects freedom, free from the fleshy cares of humanity. Oh, he still retained some things from before, baser instincts and urges, but they were dulled, they were no longer the shining edge they once were, and he was content with that.
It came one day that he just wished he could leave, that he could go somewhere he could be himself and be of use. He was stepping into a cross walk as he had these thoughts, and was clipped by a car that came speeding by, he was thrown backwards.
He never saw the golden portal that opened beneath him as he fell, but he most assuredly noticed the transition from city, to ruins, and the presence of the one who summoned him would become unmistakable in the coming years.
She was beautiful in an otherworldly sort of way, every part of her spake of alien majesty, the most obvious feature being her tall rabbit ears. He was struck speechless, surrounded by ruins in a strange new world, and with an obviously not human women before him. He gave himself a pat on the back for not passing out.
He watched the strange women for a moment longer before he finally stood, brushing dirt from his suit, and pressing a cigarette into his mouth, never lighting it, but smoke still spilled from his mouth around it. He opted not to speak, waiting on something to happen that he could understand, or that could give him answers.
The setting changes from Phyrexian Grassland to The Garden
"You wish to WHAT?!" The Demon Lord, Kaul shouted in shock and exasperation.
"I wish to compete in the games, Father." Lady Kaula said, the demon princess' voice held no fear, no wavering in her resolve.
"What in the name of Lezaza would you want to do a thing like that for?" He said turning away from the window he was gazing out of when she entered.
Kaula's true intentions were to find Aizen, Leader of the Nameless. Honestly, the man was no more then a rumor, a myth but if he did exist, surely he'd be in or atleast around the Games. Of course, She couldn't tell her father that, he made it his mission to destroy that very entity, subsequently destroying her dream of a new, better, lighter life.
"I am bored, Father. I need something to do with myself."
"And the games will do this for you, Kaula? Filled with those weak creatures? Please." He said with a smug scoff. Her father's ego left her with a sour taste in her mouth, She hated it. She hated him.
"You've trained me in Demon Magick, Made me hone my skills and for what. To sit here, in in SkyTower and watch Vee-Ryn City, from a distance" Kaula said, feeling her anger and frustration growing.
"That is to protect yourself."
Kaula let off a scornful laugh pacing the floor. "Hah, For what, Father? Paper cut? Beware the merciless edge of paper," She said waving her hands. Typically Kaula was a patient person, but her wanderlusting soul was becoming restless and her hate of her father increasing with every moment he made.
*"Ecanhne rouy malc, Kaula!" Her father barked in Veerynian, causing Kaula to stop but her face held no fear, just a look of deifance.
"I am tired of floating could this damned tower!" She barked back and in a cloud of smoke her father appeared in front of her, grabbed her by her throat, lifting her off her feet. "You will not speak to me in that tone."He said eerily calm, Kaula's eyes still held defiance, even as her airways were constricted. She opened her mouth to speak but all she could do was choke. His grip loosened and she dropped to the floor.
She propped herself up on her hip with her hands. "My apologizes, Father." She said softly, feigning regret. She was a master manipulator. "I'm just so tired of the monotony of this place. I was to explore my power. Not with sparring partners. I want to see what I am capable of." She said looking down and her father walked back to the window, his hands resting behind his back. Kaula looked up, her eyes watching for the reaction she knew was coming.
"I understand."
Kaula smirked.
Just as she expected.
"I understand the need to exert your power. The need to expliot your superiority to these...lesser beings."
Kaula fought the urge to laugh, His pride would be the death of him. She would make damn sure of that.
Just looked down at the ground as her father turned to her.
"Raise, Kaula"He said and she did as she was told. "You may compete in the Games. Show them the power of the Veerynian. Lest they forget." He said and touched her face. She fought the urge to recoil. "Yes Father," She said and he dismissed her.
She walked back towards her chamber, down the large corridor, with the seemingly endless windows allowing the setting sun to shine, casting her shadow against the wall to her right, giving her bronze skin an orange glow. As the gentle swish of her black leather body hugging dress with a ink black train tailed behind her and her heels clicking, echoing throughout the corridor, a devilish smirk lined her full lips, relishing in the small victory.
Soon enough, she would be closer to her goal. She wanted the Garden to be returned to it's former glory, back to the place she dreamed of since she was a child. A place her father ruined with his greed and ambitious.
For now, She needed to find Aizen. She needed to join the Nameless...if it even existed.[/font]
*Enhance your calm.
If one were to enter the small forest in which Aera lived, one could hear the sobbing of a lonely forgotten girl.
"Master....Why did you leave? W-Was I not good enough?" She cried into her pillow as she remembered the times she had with her Master.
He had trained her to be the swordsman she is today. Even gave her his Roukenkan, his prized sword from his father's father's father who forged it from the blood and bones of yokai. Why would he leave suddenly? Why?
"I...I wish I could start all over... A-A new life with you M-Grandpa....We could train in the garden, laugh as we told stories before bed...t-t-travel to town to see my parent's graves...I-I miss you Grandpa...I-I wish I could start all over again with you...I'd give anything i-if only that were possible... "
As soon as those last few words were mentioned, she found herself nearly blinded by a light as a gate opened in front of her. That isn't what caught her eye however, what did was that she could see her master clearly beyond that gate.
"MASTER!!!! MASTER YOUKI!!" She rushed through the gate hoping to get to him, only to find the gate had shut behind her and that her master was never really there. She fell to her knees and cried, realizing her wish would never come true.
In the city theyβd told her she was crazy when she asked directions to the Nameless lands and told them she intended to walk. Guides had told her over and over again that such a journey could take months on foot, maybe longer. They repeated it so many times she wondered if they thought she was too dumb to understand. But she understood perfectly, and saw no harm in spending so long exploring the lands of the Gardens.
A week out from the city she encountered a herd of lumbering animals so large she could not see the end of it. Rather than go around she walked through the middle, petting the four-legged things as they grazed happily. Some looked at her with simple thoughts of welcoming, though others were more disturbed to see a foreign creature among them. She responded to them with calming thoughts, conveying that she meant no harm.
As the day wore on she hungered and stopped for a meal. She took a seat next to an animal that rested its belly on the cool ground. She ate dried fish from her pack and watched the clouds move across the sky.
She saw something high above, and thought it to be a bird. But as it got closer, falling directly to where she sat, it became clear that it was something else. She lifted to her feet and stepped lightly out of the way as it landed in dent sheβd made in the grass.
It was an envelope, the paper thick and cream colored, with a unfamiliar symbol emblazoned on it.
She looked up to the animal and asked, βDoes that happen often around here?β
The animal was too sleepy to give any true response.
She cocked her head at the envelop and bent over to lift it. The instant her furry fingers touched the paper the world around her turned a bright white. The grass, the herd, all of it vanished and she was somewhere completely new.
The setting changes from The Garden to Phyrexian Grassland
She was left in the wake, a circle of smoking grass around her as she fell to her knees, gasping and shuddering in agony the world spinning about her in a blur as she spun and collapsed, spasming on the ground and heaving for breath and clutching disorientedly at the ground as her body and clothes smoked lightly, her eyes open and wild the glowing white pupils flicking back and forth in their sockets as she tried to gain a bearing on her surroundings.
She lay on the cooling grass for a period of time that was indiscernible to her as her breathing slowed and the world stopped spinning. The Draenei swallowed thickly and rubbed her chest as she slowly rolled over on to her hands and knees, feeling about for a moment before clutching her staff in one hand upon finding it and shakily standing to her feet, looking about with blurred vision at the towering mountain and unfamiliar, alien faces, she stepped back, holding her staff awkwardly in front of her defensively, her knees weak and shaking and she turned her head back and forth, stammering in her native tongue, demanding to know where she was and who these aliens were, her eyes wild in confusion and fear.
The group he saw seemed mostly confused, asside from one entity. A blue haired girl with bunny ears. "It would seem she is the one who brought us here, or at least she has something to do with it." He thought. He looked at the rest of the group, a crying girl, something that reminded him of a demon and man dressed in a black suit. "I should probably keep an eye on all of them, no telling if and when they could attack. Did I bring any crystals?" He thought as he reached for a non-existing pouch on his waistband and an exually non-existant necklace. "Of course not, because that would have been the smart hing to do when randomly jumping into another world. Well it seems that I'll have to make due with the energy I have stored inside me and whatever I can scavenge from my envoirment. Let's start with the light and heat hitting my skin, if I am carefull they shouldn't notice." He thought as he shifted his focuss to taking small amounts of energy from the light and taking little bits of heat from the air and binding the energy into sugars, just like what a plant does. It wasn't much he could salvage without him turning into a black lightless void and showing the cold air through large clouds of watervapour condensing, but he didn't want to show anything of what he was doing.
River sighed heavily as he exited the small hovel of a home he had spent the night in, the vast wastelands presenting themselves to him once more and punishing him for his transgressions. A vast sandstorm had whipped into existence in the nearby vicinity and he knew he couldn't out-run it, but to stay was to invite his hunters to tear him apart when he eventually dropped from weariness. He decided to carry on despite the circumstances, he was not going to enter the hovel again...not anymore. His hunters would know the reason clearly as they followed his trail, he was not the most discreet survivalist, he did not even care as his sluggish and dragging foot steps made sweeping imprints in the sand below him, or at least the horrifying waste of mutation that held the same consistency.
Not long after his departure a wolf-like snout poked into the hovel,followed by an armored claw that tore the tattered wooden door off of its hinges to allow for the massive gate of the monolithic wolf man to bow lowly into the safe hold. Wrinkling his nose in disgust and grabbing a nearby lantern at the sight before him, shattering the glass containing the flame and throwing it atop the mess to cleanse and eventually burn the hovel. Retreating out through the door to chase his quarry, the man who had left behind the bodies of a small family, drained and bitten into and removed of all life, even their souls devoid to leave behind mere grey and ashen husks that soon burned away. There had been barely enough to burn to begin with after the man had his way, but they deserved some sort of burial even in this world.
Days later, as his feet gave out from under him and his knees hit the wastes, the sandstorm had finally ceased after an eternity. His skin ripped to shreds by the true unforgiving rubble-like content of the sand beneath him, his bones broken and his eyes half blinded by shrapnel, this was why he was forced to drain those who barely scraped by to live, this is why he carried on with the weight of souls on his shoulders and didn't simply allow himself to be caught. He had taken too many lives in his first moment of desperation, an act he regrets to the depths of his black heart, but it was too late to repent now. These were the thoughts that passed through his head as a clawed hand seized his shoulder and brought him up to hang feet off of the sands he was sure would bury him. His face turned to stare into the amber eyes of a snarling armored wolf man almost twice his size, a curved blade pressed against his stomach, his one functioning eye peered back weakly as with a simple nod he awaited the piercing of the blade into his leathery hide. He deserved death, his carcass born open to the suns rays and its predators...and his hunter knew that, had followed his trail of destruction since the day he began this life and went back against everything they had stood against,together.
A small tear ran down the fur of the colossal wolf mans face, a sight River barely caught before the wolves choked roar echoed through the empty desert. In response River smiled sadly and brought a broken hand up to rest on his best friends blade hand, the hunters eyes wide in disbelief, in sorrow. Tears began to drop slowly from down Rivers jaw onto the arm of the wolf and the sands below.
"It's okay....I won't make you do this, but...I'm glad it was you that found me..."He choked out with a cough,taking hold of the blade and driving it deep into his left side with a cough of blood "I only wish, things had been different....that I could have stuck around for you Rain, maybe in the next life..." He said with a sad smile, blood beginning to pour from his mouth and down his jaw, his body going numb and slack. 'Yeah...maybe, in the next life' he thought as he began to slip into unconsciousness the final sight of his friend pressing his head deep into his armored chest, his fur wet and glistening around his jaw. "Idiot...armor...hurts." He joked before sealing his eyes shut.
The wolf simply lay there, his friend that he had hunted for so long finally gone for good, it was an intensely confusing feeling...the man deserved more then he had been given, he was sure of it. He couldn't bury the body but he tore off his tattered red cloak and placed it over the Incubus before trudging off slowly in the other direction, his eyes still wide in disbelief and his weapon clenched tightly in an armored claw, the blood still dripping off of the tip. One thing was for sure, he was going to make sure nothing like this ever happened again, and as that thought crossed his mind an immense light erupted behind him, one that he ignored in case his friend had god forbiddingly been revived simply for him to have to die again, he had done enough already. Even as the beam swallowed his friends body and the cloak, tearing them apart and creating them a new he did not once turn back or stop from trudging onwards.
The red haired Incubus opened his eyes staring at a small crowd of people,a girl was crying in the background..no..she sounded just like the girl from the hovel. He must have finally arrived in hell, 'At the very least my parents aren't here' he joked uncomfortably with himself before sitting up from his laying position and clawing his way up into a standing point, his arms across his chest. No, this wasn't hell, he wasn't injured, what had happened to the wasteland? His friend? The all consuming darkness?. It seemed the people around him were just as confused, for now he rushed over to the girls side, attempting to comfort her with idle chit-chat and faked niceties, comforting was something he was skilled in and yet he couldn't explain how he did it. He kept one suddenly operable eye on her, the other on the figure everyone else had trained their eyes upon. An attractive woman standing merely a few feet away with a pair of rabbit ears sprouting from her head, they were waiting for something, everyone could feel it and so he waited. A billion questions running through his mind and a thousand self-hateful messages blowing through his mind and impeding even the questions that far out-numbered them.
All he knew for sure, was that even if he had been given a second chance. It wasn't the one he wanted, and the first opportunity he got he'd find some way to repay Rain, and make sure the deed that he had been put through did not go without any merit. No matter what that meant.
But one stood confidently, very at ease with the scene before her. It only made sense that this was her place, or that at least, she was familiar with it.
βExcuse me, rabbit woman, who are you? And what is this place?"
"I-I'm sorry... I-I must look like a wreck... M-May I ask who you are and why y-you approached me?"
With her short silvery hair, stormy grey eyes and her childish looks, she seemed at lot less threatening that she really was. A lot cuter too, though she won't admit it. She was quite small in stature compared to the Incubus as the top of her head reached his nose. Her green skirt had been stained with her tears, and so had the ground. She looked no older than 13 and was all alone in this new world. Without thinking, she hugged the Incubus tightly.
"T-Thank you though...f-for comforting me... I don't really have a name but Mas...Grandpa called me Aera so just call me Aera as well. May I ask what you're name is?...and Where we are?"
She seemed to have snapped out of her sorrow and regained her senses.
"To leave someone hurt or crying, especially from the heart, is a crime. Something I never wish to take part in. My names River." He replied in a soft tone of voice, however he was startled as they hugged him. Awkwardly patting their back before hugging them back just as tightly, unsure exactly how to react. This hadn't really happened before and he was still bewildered by the sudden change, the entire movement of the world was a bit much.
River however managed to chuckle as they flusteredly asked his name again in their current state. Where they were he couldn't answer and so he simply hugged them once more before nodding his head towards the Rabbit who stood a little off, standing a head and waiting as everyone stared them down, even beginning to actually ask the woman questions.
"I don't know I'm afraid...but I think we might be about to find out." He noted finally,still keeping one eye on the rabbit, the other focused on the girl he was comforting. Things had changed quite abruptly in mere seconds hadn't they?.
The woman tapped her foot impatiently on the stage as she awaited the stragglers to bundle together with the rest in front of the vast ruins, a crying girl appearing and quickly being comforted by a stranger with spiky red hair. She scoffed inwardly and kept her looks of disdain to herself, instead leveling a neutral gaze on them and the rest of the crowd, weaklings didn't last long anyway and they'd be sent home with the rest of the unfortunate random rabble.
Finally however she was given the cue as in a burst of blue light a group of around fifty people, mostly children and teenagers aside from one large grey haired man appeared in the rows of seats and the booth nearby. Those in the booth obviously higher ranking or more important members, made increasingly obvious by their age difference to the small crowd of young who sat fidgeting already in their spectating seats. The most noticeable was the tall grey haired and bearded man who sat in the center of the group upon a large wooden chair. A kind smile upon his features as he good naturedly chatted with the others around him before falling silent, brushing his white coat off of the sides of the large chair and directing his attention along with everyone else's to the Black Rabbit who glared at him impatiently.
"Welcome! One and all! To the recruitment game of The Nameless. I realize many of you are disorientated and confused, but you all have one thing in common. You wished for something new, a second change, a fresh start. I the Black Rabbit granted that wish, but it doesn't come entirely free." She announced with a fake and overly cheerful smile, bouncing around the place excitedly "You have been chosen from all across existence to compete here in The Garden in a recruitment game to join the infamous nameless guild. You will compete and fight and complete any of three victory conditions to earn your place amongst their number." She stated, before darkly smiling and turning to the group who gathered before her.
"Those who lose will be sent back to whatever reality they came from and wiped of all memory of this place, Those who win get to join the community here who are staging the recruitment game. Without a community even if you find your back here or a way to stay, you won't survive long! To live here you have to have great skills, a guild or have enough cash to live it up with city life!" She announced excitedly, real excitement. She always loved the bad news part of the announcements. "Now most of you are mundane, normal people, but some of you have gifts, or intelligence. You are to use these gifts in any way you deem necessary to complete the conditions, don't worry about death because for this game you have the wonderful Black Rabbit as a judge! All deaths will be temporary and simply result in an pleasant trip back to your own reality!" She stated twirling on the spot before tapping her foot twice on the ground, a rain of golden scrolls falling gently from the sky and wafting into the hands of every competitor.
"The rules are simple and written on those sheets as with the victory condition, however even if you complete the conditions its up to the guild master whether or not you make it in! It's not all about brute force or power here, you have to prove you'll be worthwhile having around!" She cheered, gesturing to the grey haired man at the mention of a guild master, in reply he simply waved kindly before being hidden by the bouncing rabbit. "You have only a short period of time before all remaining contestants are wiped out, so on my signal go!" She stated finally, stepping back and taking a seat on the ground, a small party popper materializing in her hand as a shiny golden throne broke from below to accommodate her. The rabbit humming happily to herself as she gave them all time to read. Behind the group lay the entrance to the maze, which despite its regular appearance and black stone rubble walls was entirely different once entered, to enter was to be transported to a far off place where the game would truly take place. The spire still an obvious peak,however reaching it was a different matter. In this true maze the walls were made of the same black-stone and the surroundings more resembled a dungeon, to be entirely accurate a gargantuan dungeon that spanned across several islands both large and small. Various trials,monsters and traps awaiting those who entered within.
The Golden items however were going to be the fun part for the spectators, each was located in a separate circular room past all the traps and monsters they could have possibly crammed into the points leading to them. To claim each item one would have to face a trial or defeat a monster or opponent, a seemingly straight forward task, if one was fortunate enough to find a single room that they alone gained access to and without competition for the item. To make matters worse not all circular rooms yield an item...however all do yield a challenge and an opportunity to remove some competition. Outside the circular rooms one is only subject to the competition and the mind-numbing and yet simple maze, along with various traps and creatures of strange descriptions, all in all..the game was going to allow only the strong and the intelligent to make it through.
However one first had to read the scroll to begin to at grasp what they had to do.
Rules:
1:You may use any means you require necessary to meet the conditions however exiting the maze or breaking its walls in considered cheating, you must find a way to make it through with what you have.
2:This is a solo event so working together to achieve a singular condition will only reward a single person.
3:Attempts to harm spectators or official judges will result in temporal banishment and removal from planar existence.
Victory Conditions:
To win this game one must at least one of these conditions.
1: Complete the maze and climb the spire within three minutes, after obtaining at least three golden items hidden through-out the maze.
2: Defeat five other participants and climb the spire, defeating the unique guardian who challenges you at its peak after unlocking your unique arcane door at its base with a golden key.
The final condition yields an additional reward along with the basic rewards for winning the game
3:Open all three Arcane Doors, located at: The Spire, The North Corner, and The Hidden Rune upon the maze wall. Using various Golden Items, no clues are given to which aside from The Spire.
Rewards:
One is able to join The Nameless Guild
Given a Lazul Card (Stores Gifts and Categorizes ones natural gifts and powers)
Gifted the Voice of Aniya (A magical gift allowing one to communicate with those in The Garden.)
Given Lodging and a small sum of two hundred coin for basic supplies and living.
Additional Rewards:
Given a Personalized Estate building and increased gold sum of four hundred coin.
Given choice of workshop for personal and shared use amongst guild.
Ignoring dismayed cries of unfairness,petty complaints and confusion. Black Rabbit raised her party popper and grinned as she pulled the string to fire it, a penetrating beam of light flashing high into the sky and after several minutes of rumbling, bringing lightning to crash down directly in front of the judge and announcer. A Golden and Ornate Spear weapon, or perhaps it was a halberd appearing and being picked up in her twirling hands before she halted it in front of her with a perfect innocent smile. The microphone placed in between two parallel blades either side of the shaft making itself known as her voice echoed out even louder then the remaining ringing of lightning and thunder.
"Let the games, Begin!, any late-comers will be ported directly into the game and given a scroll,now get going!"
Aera glanced over at the ghostly blob which floated over to her. This 'Myon' seemed to be nothing more than an ordinary ghost. This was untrue of course, since Myon is Aera's soul manifested in a ghostly form. Losing Myon would cause her to fade from history.
Like a little girl hugging her teddy bear, Aera hugged Myon tightly with a worrisome expression on her face. "I told you before, stay close to me at all times. I can't exist without you, nor you without me remember? Good." The blob had given what looked to be a slight nod. It then took the form of Aera, making an exact copy of her just a bit more... pale.
"Now, back to the task at hand..." She walked up to the rabbit eared woman to hear what she has to say.
The setting changes from Phyrexian Grassland to The Garden
The setting changes from The Garden to Phyrexian Grassland
"Well I'll be leaving I suppose," with twirl on his heel Dan prepared to skip his way out of this stupid place. However the sudden crashing of a bolt of lighting caused him to make the turn 360 degrees and hop his way towards the noise. It appeared his first examination of the scenario had been wrong, this place was no boring shit, it was a place of extremely attractive rabbit women, WITH SPEARS. Dans blood began to pump as he made his way towards the the gem of a lady, gracefully gliding through the air the with power of Air Manipulation he had yet to even realize he had. With a sudden flash he appeared... elsewhere, a place with stone walls and a distinct lack of people.
His hands began to twitch and his veins enlarged as he realized he had been torn away from the best thing this afterlife had to offer, a crinkling noise echoes from his right hand. Dan aimed his eyes towards the paper and read it over carefully, a smile appearing across his face slowly. Clearing his throat Dan raised his left and to his tie, straitening it out as he carefully folded the letter and sent it into his breast pocket, he had been given a task be the love of his life, and it was to scuffle. With a sudden thrust of his arms in the air Dan let loose a howl "OH YEAH! LEEEEEEEEEEET'S SCUFFLE PLEBEIANS!" Dan began to sprint in the only direction he saw, forward. Sure he wasn't sure who he had to fight, 'But who WON'T be terrified of the guy with a sword pointing through is hat!'
He'd thought this place was surreal when he'd first arrived, but that took the cake. He still wasn't entirely sure what he was seeing was real, but for now, he'd humor his own delusional mind, and consider everything around him as a real, and potentially fatal event.
"What have I gotten myself into?" Wayland muttered as golden scrolls fell from the sky, he was chewing on the filter of his cigarette by that point, ignoring the people around him, copious amounts of ash pouring from around his cigarette, he read one of the scrolls given to them all moments before, the rest of these people had began appearing after he did. Figures I'd be fashionably early, he thought to himself. No small amount of depreciating sarcasm evident in his inner voice.
"Let's see, working together isn't against the rules, but two people doesn't mean half the work." On the contrary, he thought to himself, you would have to complete two win conditions. And of course another rule would be:Don't bite the hands that feed you. Wayland's words, but basically what it meant.
As people began reaching the end of their scrolls, dismayed and angry voices rose in a cacophony around him. He honestly didn't know what to expect, or how to feel. They obviously wanted people to do their best to "Win' these games, so much so they encouraged the use of lethal force, he was sure there were people inn the crowd more than willing to do just that.
She said it herself. We're all people that wanted to escape. No doubt we all have different reason for wanting to do so.
"I guess I'll just have to keep on my toes." He muttered one last time, before turning his attention away from the scroll, he snapped it shut shoving it into a pocket, before turning and making towards the maze at a relaxed gait. No way was he going to be stuck out in front with hundreds of potentially murderous people crowding in behind him.
Even if they probably couldn't harm him, no point in taking chances. The game was afoot.
Her master had set such tasks to her in the jungle, find fifty ripe fruits that were out of season, convince two sworn enemies to meal together without speaking to either. They were not tasks of futility, but of learning. He taught her through her own unsuccessful labors.
It seemed unlikely the rabbit woman was trying to teach her anything. She looked up passed the energetic creature to the crowd gathered in the stands. Many affected looks of indifferent boredom, but one watched the scene with a sharp eye. The grey haired man in the wooden chair watched those gathered below, taking in the details of their words and actions. He was learning.
If this was really the Nameless, really the guild she sought, it was of them she wished to learn. It might be possible to do that, to understand their character and culture through the test they built for her.
She tossed the parchment aside, unconcerned with the rules or the prizes, such things where only reflections in the water, vanishing when the surface is disturbed. She cared about what lay beneath the surface.
Hoping lightly in the air, over the heads of some still reading, she made for the gate, passing a tall man who smelled of nicotine and smithery. She gripped the bo in her hands again, using it as leverage as she leapt through black stone archway. When her feet touched the ground again she was somewhere else, a confining dungen, no signs or guideposts to give hint of where to go next.
Just before the rabbit gave the go sign Ivan pulled in all the energy around him turning himself into a lightless void forming clouds of icecold condensated water around him. "At this point they must already have realised the easiest way to win is to defeat 5 without special powers and defeat that guardian, looking like this should avoid unneeded confrontations. Not to mention give me more energy playroom for the task at hand. However the word unique draws my attention, does it mean that for everyone there is a special guardian, or does it mean there is only one and thus only one can win via that condition."
The go sign was given and like mad and starving rabbits seeing a carrot everyone rushed into the maze. Ivan rushed in as fast as he could, using one of the participants who had been trampled as a step to jump over the participants fighting at the entrance. He ran around the corner as fast as he could and he erected a lightning barrier behind him. "It will probably just slow them down, but at this point every inch of distance between me and those brawling madmen would be nice." He quickly ran around the next corner in case one of them broke through the barrier instantly and would go after him. "Presuming they just want golden objects for the conditions I could procure them from T-energy, but that would take too long for the race, unless I had some source of power I could drain, maybe a cyborg or perhaps a human. Still I highly doubt they would make it this easy when the other rules are quite a pain."
He took a moment to look up at the spire."That will be my refference point and ultimatly one way or another my target. With how it cast it's shadow I should be to the south west of it." Then with a steady pace he set of deeper into the maze, frequently looking back at the spire and estimating his position.
Quickly though he was stopped by his first trap, more out of shock than actual danger as blazing fire spew out of the walls and ground, right in his face. The flames were more of a help than anything, the heat of the flames and their light would yield Ivan a lot of his much needed energy. However he had not the luxury of time and keeping in mind that the safest goals timer was ticking continuesly. Perhaps the sound or the light from the activated fire trap had attracted attention, but one way or another Ivan found himself being slammed against the wall beyond the firetrap before he had the chance to move on. The slam itself wasn't too hard, but wether this was on purpose or just a lack of power he had not time nor desire to find out. He looked at his attacker and decided to attack the nerve system of the in leather armor clad man. A swift electrically sharged headbutt knocked the man out cold in a wild spasm as nerve signals misfired throughout the body. "I wish I had been able to resolve this challenge peacefully, but it seems in the end I have no other choice than to do what must be done." He said to the unconsious man as he bended down to see if the man had anything he could use.
An apple, a bag of silver coins and a pouch of shoe polish. Not really the golden object he was hoping for, but then again this could be more usefull. Though maybe he should have tried to decontruct him, with his nerves failing to send signals to lungs and heart he is quite unlikely to survive anyways. "God, what am I thinking. No, no, no, I am not going to lower myself to that level. I stand above such greed and arrogance. The use of such dark ways have costed too many innocent lives already. It would have taken too much time anyways." He thought as he felt the weight of the time limit ticking down on him, with so much time wasted and no progress to show for it.
The hall bent to the right, and as the wall curved a huge, sprawling form came into view. It looked like a tree, but made of some inky black matter. It filled the hallway, blocking passage, the limbs seeming to grip into the wall. The branches and leaves swayed as if blow by a breeze Tiotio could not feel.
She slowed to a stop and tilted her head at it. It had no odor, and made no sound. It might have been made completely of shadow, but she knew too little of magics to know if that was really the case. She gripped her bo loosely in both hands, moving into an attack poster. Twisting the bo around, spinning on her feet, she summoned a pillar of air and forced it up into the branches of the tree.
Not a single leaf fluttered in response. She walked closer, carefully reaching her bo to it. The moment the wooden staff made contact with the blackness, a powerful force tried to rend the weapon from her hand. She spun away, ripping the bo free. Small drops of the blackness came with it; they shook loose as she waved the bo, and drifted back across the hall to reform with the tree.
There was a strange thwack and a crash rang out beside her, glass and a yellow liquid burst across the ground. Where the liquid touch the tree the blackness vanished.
She looked behind her to see the dwarf, armed with a crossbow.
βYou figured it out,β she smiled.
βI was aiming for you.β
The crossbow fired again, but instead of a blot, a round vial of yellow liquid flew toward her. Tiotio pushed off with her bo, launching herself at the dwarf and landing on his shoulders, her dexterous toes gripping into the fabric of his coat.
He spun wildly, trying to shake her loose. She brought the end of the bo down, striking him hard directly between the eyes. He stumbled, then fell to the ground. She leapt away, knocking the crossbow from his hands and she landed.
Behind her the yellow liquid was eating a hole in the trunk of the tree, exposing a hallway, and a rounded room beyond.
The dwarf had many more vials dangling from his belt. She reached for them, but did not see in time his hand come up and smash into her left arm. Scalding pain blinded her for a heartbeat and she shrieked a high pitched cry that echoed through the halls. The yellow liquid dripped down her arm, but after the initial shock, she ignored the pain.
She brought the bo around and stuck the dwarf again, this time in the temple. There was a dull thud, and his body went limp. She took the vials from his waist and put all but one in her sack. The last she threw at the tree to widen the opening. She pulled a green scarf from his neck and used it to bandage her arm.
Before she passed through the gap in the middle of the shadow tree, she heard a whoosh and turned to see the an empty hallway, the dwarfβs body nowhere to be seen.
The ghostly blob hovered in front of Aera as if talking to her. A cold breeze went by before Aera responded to Myon's 'question'.
"Yea, I guess you're right Myon... Maybe I should ask her...," She turned to face the bunny-rabbit girl and politely asked her question. "Excuse me, I have a question. Myon here is my ghost half...er my soul to be specific... I noticed one of the rules says this is a solo thing, so I was wondering is Myon counted as an extra person? If she does, that would be quite problematic as I cannot exist without her and visa-versa. So, does Myon count as another person or not? Also, this unique guardian... is the guardian.. er.. 'made' to fight the specific person who does condition #2?"
Deciding to set her thoughts aside for now she steeled her mind as best she could, clasping her hands together and opening her mind, letting the Light fill her with what calm and serenity she could muster.
There were many questions and much outrage boiling in her but she knew she had to lay them to rest until after this trial. She knew that she was far, far away from Draenor but she also knew that if she were to be sent back it would be only a matter of time before the Horde found her and then, no doubt, make a short but agonizing sport out of killing her.
At least in this strange alien realm with these strange alien creatures she had a fighting chance.
Seriene tightened her grip on her staff, opening her eyes and growling softly, baring her fangs and rolling her shoulders, her shoulder-plates lighting up as thee faint blue feathers arched out of each of them, ethereal and wavering in an invisible wing, a spiked ethereal halo glowing faintly over her head as she followed the other contestants, determination glowing in her luminescent eyes as she charged forward, her hooves clacking gently against the stone of the ground as she ran through the gates, her mind almost frighteningly calm with the rays of the Light flowing through her thoughts.
The Draenei knew that she was no true combatant and against most of the foes littered about the maze and even the other contestants she would have no chance against them. Her best bet was to find the three items and ascend the spire, avoiding all combat while possible. As much as a smite to the face stung she was positive it wasn't enough to fell a truly seasoned warrior, of which there seemed to be plenty in the mix. In fact she'd already seen several individuals hacking away at one another, several more being left, severely wounded or dead in the hallways and various rooms of the twisting labyrinth. It made her heart ache seeing such wasted life, but she had to remind herself that their deaths... Were in fact temporary, and helping them would no doubt simply lead to her own untimely demise.
Seriene cursed her lack of stealth or combat ability as she narrowly missed being spotted by what appeared to be a very unhappy furred hoofed, demon beast. She wanted to think "mancow" though she had no idea what in the Lights name a "mancow" was. Though she thought she heard someone shout disbelievingly after her departure "A fucking MINOTAUR? What the hells?!"
She shook her head and forged onwards through the labyrinth, clutching her staff in both hands, its soft glow and the glow of her ethereal halo and feathers tinting the bland stone around her a soft whitish blue as she aimlessly wandered, a glint of something eventually catching her eyes.
The priest bent over and picked up the object, a golden figurine, one she immediately recognized as a Naaru. Seriene gave a sharp gasp as she inspected the golden figurine, figuring that it must be one of the items required for her to pass onwards through this challenge.
She swallowed and opened one of the pouches clinging to her hip, slipping the item away and looking about worriedly for anyone following her before running back into the depths of the labyrinth, eager to find the rest of the items and be done with it.
Pravus spoke mostly to himself. He had an eternity left ahead of him and so many bodies to bury it would take him almost that long to do so. It made a certain sense that he'd start talking to himself. He wasn't going to have more interesting conversations with any of the bodies. In front of him the fresh dirt of his latest mass burial rested atop the many corpses below. With them many an Empowerment gem was buried. If it was in their possession then he had no right to take it from them. Robbing the dead, a practice strictly forbidden in the duty of a Grave Tender. He felt better off burying the gems anyways. They had drawn the dark spirits to each of these poor victims.
He peered out through his mask's glass eyes towards the horizon. The sun was beginning to set as it always does. As much as he would like to simply gather bodies and dig 'till he was done he was not the only thing that returned from death in this city. Some of the cities many dead did not sleep well and there was something about the air in Sed. It was still, more still than air had the right to be. No wind, not even a single breeze could be seen ever since he came back from death's embrace. It was as if even the air in this city was dead.
Pravus reminisced about the day he saw the spirits come. Looking out he estimated that they came from the direction of the imperial capital, Tiatha. I wonder if they swept through the heart of this empire like they did with us or if it originated there. A question worth answering one day but I cannot abandon my duty. I must bury the dead of this city and say my prayers for them so they can sleep. He started to make his way back home where he would hide from the larger more nocturnal aberrations the living dead have become until sunrise. The undead that roamed the streets of Sed at night would gather bodies, much like Pravus does, but instead of burying them they would eat them, growing larger and more deformed as they fed. He did not look forward to the day when he would need to put these creatures down and bury them, putting their souls and the souls of all those they consume at ease.
As he passed a large fenced of section of dirt he felt a pang of depression, one of the few feelings he could still feel. He knew that the fenced off area was once a rather gorgeous garden with exotic fruits, vegetables and vibrant flowers. It made him think about the good days. Back as a child when he could run through the streets without a care in the world. He would often pass this very garden. This nostalgia turned sour with the rotten flavor of reality as he heard a building's groan in the distance. Things were stirring.
I understand that I must honor my father's wishes in being a Grave Tender but this task I set myself up for is impossible. Yes, I have an infinite amount of time to live and bury the dead so that they may rest but what happens after I've buried them all? I cannot bury myself. I could dig a grave and lay in it but it would become the only open grave I've never tended to. Should I end my time here in that grave then who would say prayers for me so that my soul could leave this world in peace? It cannot be done. If only... If only there were somebody, anybody who was still alive. I could pass on after burying this empire of the dead and leave that person the burden of tending my grave so that this horrible land could be erased from history and slip into the serenity of nothingness. His attention was stirred as he approached his childhood home.
"There is only me to answer me." He opened the front door to his home greeted not by his loving mother, father or even his other siblings. All that greeted him was silence, a blanket that fed on his very sanity day after day. He was especially careful to make sure nothing was watching him as he cautiously closed and locked the door behind him. He stepped into the kitchen, walking through a dead memory of a long lost happiness. He was about to practice reciting his burial rights in preparation for the next day when something stood out in the corner of his vision. Having seen his home and everything else basically undisturbed for decades seeing an alteration was like seeing a thumb where another finger should be on his hands.
There was a door standing upright upon his father's grave. His family had made sure that his father would be buried within sight of the house. The door however was new. It wasn't attached to any building nor was there anything behind it that it barred entry from. It was just a door serving no other purpose than to make his day more interesting. His shovel still in hand, Pravus made his way through the back door and out towards the hill. The sunset's glow reflected off the metallic door giving it a golden orange sheen. He knew this door could not be an ordinary one. Between the coincidental nature of it being placed directly in the middle of his father's grave and Pravus's own familiarity with enchanted items he had a great suspicion that there was magic at work here.
Curiosity won out over caution and he grasped the golden door's knob. Before he could even open the door he was swallowed by a brilliant golden light. The world turned to light and he was nothing for but a moment shorter than time could even recognize.
---
He was only mildly disoriented as the golden light died down to reveal a strange circular stone room. This room was ornately designed with gold borders and ornately carved pillars. The experience of traveling in an instant to a strange new place was not a new experience for him. Travel Stones operated in a very similar fashion. To his sides there were two doors, one on the left and one to the right. He was about to ponder as to where he could be and why when all of a sudden an item suddenly transported itself into his hand via the same golden light that brought him here. He opened it and read the rules and conditions set for him as well as listing the rewards for completing aforementioned challenges.
It seems I have been selected for some form of test. Interesting. Either this is all automated or someone is running this... Tower? He looked over to see a clear window set rather high up in the wall. As tall as he was, he couldn't see much of the remaining dungeon below. The only feature of this strange location he could gleam was a grand spire set with glowing veins. This also was not an unfamiliar sight for him, having seen orichalcum wires and cables that conducted magical energy in such a fashion. As a matter of fact Pravus now believed he was summoned into a facility in the imperial capital city, Tiatha. This deduction didn't seem far-fetched at all.
Not knowing how long it may take him to navigate this facility and not wishing to engage in combat if he didn't have to Pravus opted to try and complete the third victory condition which happened to be the most rewarding thankfully. With that goal now in mind he had another decision to make. Left or right?
---
He chose the left door which was the smaller of the two doors. Ahead of him stretched a long corridor which seemed narrower at the end. Pravus was about to step ahead when he heard soft footsteps up ahead. He ducted behind the doorway he came through before lowering the beak of his mask and leaning his head out enough so that he could see while remaining discreetly hidden. Through his barred glass eye he was able to make out the soft feminine form of a woman traveling his direction ahead. He was able to make out some details even as indistinct as they were. Long platinum blonde hair, pronounced ear points, a leaf green tunic that reaches only partway down her thighs, a slender hourglass figure, brown leather boots and a golden harp clutched tightly to her. She was nervous as evident by the way she mousily skittered in his general direction.
Just as this strange woman passed into the narrow passage a stone beneath her foot pressed down causing the skimpily dressed woman to let out a sharp, high pitched yelp in surprised response. The trap sprung into action as multiple long silvery spikes jutted out from both walls, several of these deadly spikes perforating the young woman. This sudden impalement certainly surprised Pravus to some extent. It was evident now that this place wasn't just any facility. With deliberate death traps that seemed somewhat excessive for mere security measures it appeared to him that this structure was built for the purpose of challenging those placed within it. The penalty for failure was also clear.
Pravus was not present for the opening introduction and explanation of the Black Rabbit so he was not aware that death in this dungeon was temporary. To him this poor young soul had just had her life cut brutally short. It was most unfortunate in his eyes. More unfortunate to him however was that she needed to be buried now and there was little dirt around. He contemplated digging a hole through the floor but he pondered if that would count towards damaging the walls of this facility and disqualify him. Considering how failure was rectified here he didn't want to oppose the rules and take his life into his own hands. The only option here was to take the body with him until he completed the task set to him by the scroll after which he hoped he would be able to go and find suitable earth for her burial.
He was not about to simply rush heedlessly along and simply grab the now deceased woman after seeing her come to her end at the hands of the architect who designed these death traps. Holding his shovel at the neck, just below the head, he reached out and tapped the various tiles that the floor before him consisted of to check for triggers without putting himself at risk. Even undead as he was he didn't want to take the damage as it would hamper him greatly and the less hampered he was the better. The hall preceding the spike trap was safe as he made his way across to the narrow opening filled with long sharp metal spikes.
He saw the depression in the floor as the trigger was held down by the woman's body. He deducted that the center of the passage was one long trigger. The way through was to step around the middle, keeping one's back to the walls as this was a narrow stretch of the hallway indeed. Firstly, however, he would need to deal with the matter of the dead body that was holding down the trigger first. Closer to her now he could see from an objective view point that this woman was quite lovely. Had he still been alive he might of felt something for her, well, before she was violently stabbed to death. An interesting detail he spotted was the matter of the harp.
The elegantly crafted golden harp she possessed was completely undamaged despite having had spikes clearly go right through it. Back to the matter of the trap itself he knew he would need to pull the body off of the trigger before the spikes would retract, allowing passage once again. He used the edges of his shovel's head to drag both the woman and her harp back to him. Now that her body was off the trigger the spikes retreated back into their holes, waiting once more for another victim to puncture.
Pravus grabbed the body of the unknown woman by the waist, hoisting her up onto his shoulder in a single shoulder carry. With the corpse on one arm and the harp in another he was now ready to pass through the trap. Cautiously he inched along the wall, taking care to not touch the trigger with his feet in any way. Slowly but surely he made it past but this was only the first obstacle. He most certainly did not look forward to having to face them with all this extra weight slowing him down somewhat. Still, despite the threat of dangers looming around every corner he pressed on. his eyes watched the environment keenly and his shovel held firmly in his grip prodded the path ahead of him, always careful of traps in whatever forms they might come in.
Few things were more dangerous then a desperate mob with no hints of predictability, however it seemed he might not have to deal with them. For after everyone had funneled into the maze safe for himself, the girl, and the spectators. A thump resounded across the barren wastelands, one that made his ears stand upright above his hair and his tail flick out of the back of his pants, twitching and curling nervously as his cat-like eyes began to peer into the horizon, past the crowds and The Rabbit woman to the rolling dead hills and all to familiar piles of wastelandic 'sand', and he was not the only one for The Rabbit ignored the girl before him and pricked her long ears in the same direction as River. Something was coming, something big.
Standing atop the hill, a large wolven man clad in black and bronze armour stood growling. A large cleaver hefted over his shoulder and a curved blade resting at his waist next to a twitching claw, he had heard the rumors of The Nameless reforming and reported it to his leader, unfortunately they had decided to saddle out for an assault on the recruitment and he had been picked to give the orders.
His one glowing white eye stared across the large field in between them and their quarry, energy crackling around the rim of his only means of vision, the other eye covered by a pitch-black patch of cloth that curved around behind his twitching white ears. His fur was mottled and patchy in places due to deep scarring, dirt, or dried blood he still hadn't gotten around to fully removing. A weak looking man rushed up beside him, half swallowed by his leather armour and fidgeting before the wolf gave the okay for him to speak.
"The recruits have already entered the maze sir, T-they have The Rabbit and Aizen but the rest of them are just children, maybe teenagers at most. They have a few minor players and guild members with Aizen but they're just as the rumors stated. Completely incapable of fighting us back....sir." The little man fumbled out,before receiving a nod and rushing off back to the safety of the rear guard. This was going to go easier then expected, the wolf too was new to the garden and so The Nameless were simply a group of people that he had been ordered to kill. Something he was going to carry out no matter what the cost.
Besides, even if he were merciful he doubted they could defeat the army he had at his back, whilst small in numbers and barely considered seasoned the warriors behind him were confident and loyal, not to mention they were made almost entirely of mindless black husks who he spared no sympathy for. They were simply shadows made to flesh, warriors birthed from stolen memories and given the tools of their trade, bar the leather clad messenger and a few select officers within the army, the loss of men was completely forgivable and boringly simple to rectify once he returned to his master.
The wolf yawned once and then snarled, raising his cleaver into the air before shoving it forward with a roar that echoed across the empty and silent wastes. Lines of the husks rushed past him, a black river of shadow that bent around him like a solid boulder lodged in the bed of the wastelandic sands below the mass, finally they finished rushing past and headed for the small crowd and rival guild. The sands felt like home, if not only to him, it was a pity he would have to stain them with similar blood with all one hundred of his black husks.
A shadow flitted next to him for a moment as a women dressed in flowing black cloth appeared by his side, shadows dancing in her palm and a large spider climbing around her person with a small swarm in tow of it, followed by a large lion man clad in armour not unfitting a paladin, a massive kite shield by his side, a large hammer held in his opposing hand. Slowly his own group of officers amassed; An elemental of flowing silver, A flower-like warrior with curving purple blades, Something akin to a diseased ridden humanoid rat and an otherwordly fully armoured man wielding no visible weapon. They were a strange and mismatched bunch who had been only days before pieced together from a similar summoning to that which The Black Rabbit had just taken the time to do at the base of what was once a mountain.
With a grunt, a nod and an insane giggle the small group walked at a brisk pace behind their army, allowing themselves time to judge what they'd be facing, if anything at all. In the background the thumping continued and eventually made itself known as a behemothic golem peaked over the hill they had previously stood upon, the golem had been just in case they required any kind of siege but it would more then likely join the battle at its own pace. Long after the wolf and his group would arrive at the scene to its own disappointing realization.
Rivers eyes widened and he gritted his teeth at the sudden appearance of the horde, a wolven man stood out to him and his sharp teeth bit through his bottom lip, blood dripping down his chin as he watched the plague of warriors,no,shadows, rush across the wastelands towards them and the group of young. Black Rabbit saw them just before he did and immediately pushed past the girl, Aizen suddenly behind her and gesturing to the crowd to take shelter in the booth, the various other guild members that had taken seats in their with him also amongst the crowd to help them in any way they could to be comfortable and more importantly safe inside the booth.
The Maze would suddenly begin to glow yellow, whaning and fading in and out of existence before shattering like illusionary glass, leaving the participants standing even more confused then they ever had been at the third sudden change they'd experienced in such a short amount of time, Rabbit wasted no time on politeness or frivolities and frantically brought the spear microphone to her lips and roared to the startled group as familiar golden portals opened up along a wide line behind the participants.
"All Participants, evacuate back to your worlds! The event has been called off, I repeat, evacuate to your own worlds! We are under attack and for your own safety you must return home!" The message was clear enough, but in case they had any white knights in the group she bit her lip and spoke into the microphone once more despite the obvious and blatant lie "We can handle everything here, step through the portals and leave this place!" she ordered before tearing the microphone from its place between the blades and running off to assist Aizen and the others in making sure those unable to fight were safe.
Before heading to stand at the base of the hill leading up to the mountain, her golden spear in one hand as she spread her legs and got into a fighting position. A yellow rune opening up below her and glowing brightly as Aizen and the various others joined her side, now they had the agonizing job of waiting for the husks to get close enough for an opportune charge.
River however wasn't going to let them do so alone, instead of retreating through the portals he rushed forward and stood by a woman garbed in a somewhat revealing red and gold cloth dress. She emenated a pinkish aura and gave him a serious nod and a nervous smile before bringing her arms in front of her in a cross to prepare her magic, eight pink arms flourishing behind her as she did so. River simply nodded in return and began his own preparations, his breathe coming out as frost and his shardic wings tearing through his back with a loud and painful rip that left him doubled over and groaning, however he had no time to rest and was helped up by a supporting hand from the woman beside him.
Once he stood upright he took the same position as the woman beside him,hoping it would help in some way as small crystals of ice began to prick through his skin and grow across his rapidly cooling body. His fiery red hair and eyes standing out from his now blueish skin, he grunted heavily and swept one hand out across the distant hill that sat around three quarters from where the hoard had begun, large pillars and sharp spines of Ice erupting and growing into a small forest-like crystalline wall between them and their foes.
The action earned him a grateful nod and even an encouraging thumbs up from a few of the guild members as he bent doubled over and huffing, others were too concentrated on preparation and gathering enough mana for the long-lasting fight they were assuredly heading into. However the wall would seem to become useful sooner rather then later at this rate.
The Plague had already reached the half-way point.
The setting changes from Phyrexian Grassland to The Garden
Seriene gasped and looked about herself in confusion as the walls of the colossal maze shimmered and disappeared, revealing the two armies upon the hills and horizon, a few flashes of recent, traumatizing memories tearing through her mind and making her momentarily weak at the knees before she shook her head and straightened, tightening her grip even more about her staff, knuckles turning pale around it, her fangs bared.
She balked momentarily at the blaring message from the closest army, assumedly the one belonging to the so-called "Nameless" and she turned to see the various golden portals ripped open around the edge of the fields.
She wouldn't go back. Couldn't! She would suffer and die for certain, at least here she could help, at least here she could survive, for a time at least...
The Draenei steeled her nerves and charged forward, faltering in her step for a moment as some pseudo-demonic thing sprouted some sort of unholy forest, the priest looking about uneasily as she found herself surrounded by all manner of unholy looking beasts, swallowing and silently giving a prayer to the Naaru, hoping against hope that she wasn't unwittingly aiding some demonic legion...
Seriene sighed softly before raising a hand, speaking a word softly as bluish light engulfed her and the ethereal image of an ankh appeared above her head momentarily, as light and strength flooded those near her, small purple diamonds of ethereal anergy appearing over their heads before vanishing, though the fortitude the light blessed energies gave stayed within them.
The Draenei breathed deep, trying to ignore the looks she got from the beings around her, lifting her head and squaring her shoulders, clasping her staff in both hands and pulling her hood up over her head, mostly holding her eyes, if not for their bright glow.
Whatever came now... She was ready as could be...
That was... Until she saw the walking mountain of a golem of course.
View All »Arcs
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Welcome home, Promethean. Here, you can manage your universe.
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Add Setting » 6 Settings for your players to play in
Settings are the backdrop for the characters in your universe, giving meaning and context to their existence. By creating a number of well-written locations, you can organize your universe into areas and regions.
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By creating Collectibles, you can reward your players with unique items that accentuate their character sheets.
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(case-sensitive, as usual) — this can be followed with /take Item Name
to retrieve the item into the current character's inventory.
Mobs
Give your Universe life by adding a Mob, which are auto-replenishing NPCs your players can interact with. Useful for some quick hack-and-slash fun!
Mobs can be automated spawns, like rats and bats, or full-on NPCs complete with conversation menus. Use them to enhance your player experience!
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View All » Add Character » 20 Characters to follow in this universe
Newest
Mathew Miles
"Not going to live for nobody else, not going to die for anybody else either"
'Qwerty' aka Experiment 'Sludgepile'
The manic, battle-hungry, extra-gluttunous, senient pile of Plasmophlemge
Spindel Peridot
"when you spend a couple thousand years in hibernation, you tend to forget some things."
Irina Neventelde
"I'm not just gonna listen to you, y'know. Idiot. Don't even try it!"
Keres Leventis
"Some people think I'm narcissistic, but I like to think I'm just self-aware."
Pravus the Grave Tender
"I shall bury them all. When you die, I shall bury you too."
Seriene Arvor
A devout novice battle priest of the Naaru and a once firm defender of Karabor.
Tiotio
"Do not seek for the truth, only stop having an opinion."
Dan Breeze
"Wanna scuffle! I'll scuffle! I'll scuffle right proper!"
Trending
Dan Breeze
"Wanna scuffle! I'll scuffle! I'll scuffle right proper!"
Mathew Miles
"Not going to live for nobody else, not going to die for anybody else either"
Keres Leventis
"Some people think I'm narcissistic, but I like to think I'm just self-aware."
Tiotio
"Do not seek for the truth, only stop having an opinion."
Seriene Arvor
A devout novice battle priest of the Naaru and a once firm defender of Karabor.
Wayland "Brimstone" Smith
"Hammer and anvil! Can you hear their beat? Can you hear the screaming? Can you hear the keening of the blades?"
River Saetyrix
An extremely laid back Incubus with the wit of a sarcastic feline.
Irina Neventelde
"I'm not just gonna listen to you, y'know. Idiot. Don't even try it!"
'Qwerty' aka Experiment 'Sludgepile'
The manic, battle-hungry, extra-gluttunous, senient pile of Plasmophlemge
Spindel Peridot
"when you spend a couple thousand years in hibernation, you tend to forget some things."
Most Followed
Irina Neventelde
"I'm not just gonna listen to you, y'know. Idiot. Don't even try it!"
Spindel Peridot
"when you spend a couple thousand years in hibernation, you tend to forget some things."
Tiotio
"Do not seek for the truth, only stop having an opinion."
Mathew Miles
"Not going to live for nobody else, not going to die for anybody else either"
'Qwerty' aka Experiment 'Sludgepile'
The manic, battle-hungry, extra-gluttunous, senient pile of Plasmophlemge
Keres Leventis
"Some people think I'm narcissistic, but I like to think I'm just self-aware."
River Saetyrix
An extremely laid back Incubus with the wit of a sarcastic feline.
Seriene Arvor
A devout novice battle priest of the Naaru and a once firm defender of Karabor.
Pravus the Grave Tender
"I shall bury them all. When you die, I shall bury you too."
View All » Places
144 posts · 9 characters present · last post 2014-05-10 20:54:07 »
Vast plains of grass and large fields were the norm at one point here near Kerris, but after a game with a Demon Lord the Phyrexian Grasslands are withered and barren waste-lands devoid of all but a tiny almost village area home to The Nameless.
0 posts · 0 characters present · last post 1970-01-01 00:00:00 »
The Southern Corner of the Garden, A city sunk into the glaciers of ancient ethereal ice. Kind-hearted and hardy are the people here, and ironically its trade of food and all things heat-related is well known in The Garden.
0 posts · 1 characters present · last post 1970-01-01 00:00:00 »
The Garden ↪ Terralis Owner: duramon
The Eastern Corner of The Garden, vast cities spread across the tops of ancient and nearly indestructible mushrooms grown from the earth. All things natural, pure magic and genetic tampering are the norm here, seen vastly as the symbol for peace.
0 posts · 1 characters present · last post 1970-01-01 00:00:00 »
The Norther Corner of The Garden, a floating city reliant on its vast hub of guilds and sky trade routes.
0 posts · 0 characters present · last post 1970-01-01 00:00:00 »
The Western Corner of the Garden, home to the hardiest monsters and roughest terrain. Will and Law is an Iron fist and its residence and guilds hold true to this standard, Kreigland is known for its seclusion from the other corners and cities.
Fullscreen Chat » Create Topic » The Garden: An Arcadian Boneyard: Out of Character
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I'm confused....
by Ritnio on Wed Dec 18, 2013 7:44 pm
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- Last post by chaotix14
on Fri Dec 20, 2013 5:17 am
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I'm confused....
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Look, guys seriously.
by Questionable Object on Sun Dec 08, 2013 3:57 pm
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- Last post by Zalgo
on Tue Dec 10, 2013 9:05 pm
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Look, guys seriously.
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One day I'll be a god, but not today.
by duramon on Sun Dec 08, 2013 2:08 am
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- Last post by Ritnio
on Tue Dec 10, 2013 8:25 pm
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One day I'll be a god, but not today.
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I'm not the GM but can I talk about tagging?
by Questionable Object on Sun Dec 08, 2013 12:17 am
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- 426 Views
- Last post by Questionable Object
on Sun Dec 08, 2013 12:17 am
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I'm not the GM but can I talk about tagging?
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