Noble
IS OFFLINE
21
Renown
Human / Fellblood Hybrid
Wicked Fiends Beware
1,259 POSTS & 0 LIKES
|
Post by Javal Zarrias on Nov 28, 2023 11:30:40 GMT -5
Today Javal was taking on a light mission or at least he thinks as he sits in his quarters listening to Nadia go over the details.
“Alright, my liege there appears to be something off with this particular village people are reporting odd behavior. A small oasis village called Jubhin on the outskirts of Zeinav is usually very loud and vibrant but now something has changed. They have exhibited mindless behavior akin to something like an undead working all day and night. What’s even weirder is what they’re working on, they just dig big holes scattered across their town. We’re being asked to take a look and look at what’s going on. I have a sneaking suspicion this may be related to a necromancer, magical artifact, or some sort of spell”.
Javal nods and says, “Well it seems easy enough no matter what this is causing I’m sure we can take it down no matter what”.
The group then heads out, Javal hands his Ray bow to Nadia and saddles up Asleipmir, Meryl, and the rest elect to stay behind on the ship believing it to be a boring mission. So Nadia rides Asleipmir as Javal jogs alongside the steed, the three making good progress to Jubin village.
As the group arrives it is how Nadia reported everyone just digging holes from the elderly to the young in scattered areas in the village. He was about to step inside when he heard a familiar voice call out from behind him. He turned around and a wider smile than usual appeared on his face as he recognized the familiar fellblood figure in front of him.
“Hey there friend it has been some time since I’ve seen you”, he then holds his hand out for the other fellblood, “So Master Moonweaver what brings you here?”.
Quest Name: Mind over matter
Participants: Two or more
Location: Anywhere
Post Requirements: 8 post per person, 250 words per post
Reward: +1 Mystical Archive Ticket, +1 Chthonian Parasite
Description: Reports of strange behavior from a small local hamlet or village have started to circulate, rumors of weird habits or social encounters happening to those who visit this small little village. The locals seem to be under some kind of spell or affect, acting like mindless golems. They work from sun up to sun down, just digging massive holes in random places and we really don't understand why. Heroes are being asked to visit these remote villages to investigate the source of this strange behavior.
Special Requirements: Your investigations uncover a powerful Chthonian that is taking up residence in the hamlet and has brain washed the local population. What the monster is after is still unknown, but you do know that this creature must be defeated in order to free the victims from its control. After investigating and uncovering the truth, you must kill the Chthonian.
Mystical Archives tickets are awarded once per player, so you do not get multiple Archive tickets for doing this quest more than once with more than one character.
|
|
Golden Consortium
IS OFFLINE
17
Renown
Zeinav Desert
Scam? I’ve never pulled a scam in my life! I don’t even know what a scam is!
715 POSTS & 0 LIKES
|
Post by Morrigan Moonweaver on Nov 29, 2023 11:37:23 GMT -5
A grandiose, cloth-covered wagon was parked delicately at the outskirts of Jub’hin, an outpost village somewhere between Zeinav City and the coast. An inconsequential little place, really - mostly a mercantile post, a trader’s respite and a place to hold ocean water while it was undergoing magical purification processes. A practical, quaint little place that Morrigan had never bothered visiting. Despite the fact that this settlement was for business, in true Zeinavian fashion it was a central hub for partying and pleasure as well. There were casinos and magical fighting pits and any mortal sin that a human might take pleasure in.
And some months ago, Morrigan Moonweaver - Wizard of the Wastes, enchanter, diviner, storyteller, yada yada yada, you know the spiel - who had come into quite a bit of renown in the Zeinavian courts as of late through general schemes, crimes, japers, and chicaneries, had been invited to such a village to…
Entertain at a children’s birthday party.
Work was hard to come by when one was taking a break from the snake oil business.
But it paid well, and Morrigan could never pass up the chance to put on a show and have all the attention on them, no matter the occasion. There was only one minuscule issue with the request.
When Morrigan parked their wagon and set up shop a little ways away from Jub’hin, there was none of the usual fanfare that usually accompanied a wizard’s spectacular entrance. The charlatan had hopped off their wagon and landed in the sand, shielding their eyes from the sun while they surveyed the area. ”Where the hell is everyone…?”
As expected they received no response, because the entire place was silent and empty! There were no sounds associated with the hustle and bustle of life. It was a ghost town! Already weirded out, Morrigan made their way into the city proper, only to grow even more confused. It wasn’t a ghost town at all. Rather, the village’s inhabitants were all… digging.
No, really. Morrigan had even made their way through the outskirts of the village and tripped on a deep hole in the packed sand, falling flat on their face. And the person digging the hole just kept moving, digging with glazed over eyes as if they hadn’t even noticed Morrigan. That was when the charlatan realized something was truly wrong. Everyone noticed the sparkly, bright, absolutely wonderful fellblood! Something was well and truly wrong here. Something that had spellbound every single inhabitant, forcing them to move like puppets dancing on strings. This wasn’t natural. And if someone, or… something, had done this to these people, then there was only one thing for an intrepid alchemist and illusionist to do.
Morrigan had to get the hell out of dodge.
That was exactly where the charlatan was headed when they spotted something moving in the distance, some kind of envoy. Oh, shit. If they saw Morrigan here then they’d wonder why the Wizard of the Wastes was running away from danger rather than towards it - and obviously quickly absconding was out of the question when the others had clearly seen Morrigan too. Which meant there was only one option. With a quick bit of sleight of hand and a burst of glitter Morrigan announced their presence with a small smoke popper, waving their hands in the air. “Did somebody call for a Wizard?”
The tall one turned around, and Morrigan’s eyes widened in recognition. Oh, it’s Javal. Again. They relaxed their stance, wiggling their fingers at him in a casual wave.
The taller fellblood approached Morrigan jovially before holding out his hand to shake, which Morrigan did with movements far too emphatic and strong for someone of Morrigan’s stature. They affixed a wide, almost unnatural grin they often did when meeting clients.
“If it isn’t Master Javal Zarrias, as I live and breathe! We have got to stop meeting this way, friend!” Exactly how they had to stop meeting, Morrigan did not elaborate. But they had begun to notice that wherever Javal was, trouble did not linger far behind; though in this case Morrigan was fairly certain they’d found the trouble first. “As for what I am doing here? Well, I…”
Am running away from the freaky spellbound village.
“Why, I am here to investigate the oddities of this town, of course!” They announced boldly, releasing Javal’s hand so they could rest their hands on their hips with a proud grin, chest puffed out and tail swishing behind them. Morrigan was rather short, but they were very good about making themselves feel bigger than they were. They patted the wicked, curved desert scimitar on their hip - a new blade - one whose etchings on the metal and the leather-wrapped hilt closely resembled the spiraling geometric tattoos on Morrigan’s arms.
“I’m certain if you’re here then you’ve received word of the strange behavior of the people in Jub’hin.” Their Zeinavian accent dragged on the word. “As a concerned citizen and master mage, it is only natural for me to wish to protect my home. And I assume with your strong sense of Justice, friend, you are here to do the same!” Bringing Pets Nugget (Phoenix, Beastmaster III - Counts against Pet Cap Skull Snail (Does not count against Pet Cap) Junior (Black Bog Leech - Does not count against Pet Cap) Skewt (Counts against Pet Cap)
|
|
Noble
IS OFFLINE
21
Renown
Human / Fellblood Hybrid
Wicked Fiends Beware
1,259 POSTS & 0 LIKES
|
Post by Javal Zarrias on Nov 30, 2023 5:44:29 GMT -5
“Oh, is that my friend Master Morrigan Moonweaver? I’m here to investigate. We got told by the government to check this place out. They said this place has been kind of weird so told is to make sure everyone’s alright being weird at least in peace I think. I don’t know anything about this, only the stuff Nadia told me about when she went over the mission. All I know is folks here are acting strange so the least we can do is make sure they’re alright. I hope they don’t have any sort of disease because then I’d be forced to make sure all of them are better before I leave", he says pondering this out loud.
Nadia then moved in front of her liege sneering at the fellblood glaring at their eyes as she met them, “Yes we are here to check in on these strange-acting people for the sake of justice not some silly curiosity”, the moon elf said now alongside her liege.
She didn’t like Moonweaver, not one bit they seemed crude and buffoonish and she saw right through their little clown act. It made her very frustrated that her liege would even take the time to address such a buffoon as well as hear him tell her about how the other fellblood had helped him out. She could immediately recognize as she heard him that the other fellblood was not a very nice fellow, just another charlatan trying to take advantage of her master’s foolishness at least that’s how she saw it.
“Well then, master, Moonweaver, and company let’s start looking around to see if anything sticks out besides digging, digging, and more digging”.
Bringing Pets: (1/2): Asleipmir (Nightmare Steed), Bringing Minions: (1/3): Nadia Sadrine (Warlord Minion)
|
|
Golden Consortium
IS OFFLINE
17
Renown
Zeinav Desert
Scam? I’ve never pulled a scam in my life! I don’t even know what a scam is!
715 POSTS & 0 LIKES
|
Post by Morrigan Moonweaver on Dec 2, 2023 11:47:30 GMT -5
Morrigan’s eyebrows rose into their forehead as Javal described that he and his company had been specifically requested to investigate this matter by the Zeinavian government. When in the world had they been consulted? They weren’t even from these lands… the fact that there were dire matters around here and the Sultan, whose ungrateful ass Morrigan had saved twice now, hadn’t even thought to consult the great Wizard of the Wastes to check it out, admittedly stung a little. Not that Morrigan would have even done so if they’d been asked to, but it was the principle of the matter!
Putting on an exaggerated face, Morrigan put their hand on their hip, and flipped their braid over their shoulder before striking a pose. “Well, naturally, as one of the most accomplished mages of Zeinav, and a respected member of the Mage’s Guild and Golden Consortium, I, too, was humbly asked to investigate this matter. I’ve done a preliminary scope of the scene, and can confirm that the inhabitants of Jub’hin are acting… out of the norm. They are working like insects in a hivemind, not even stopping when someone interacts with them.”
They paused, considerate, when Javal mentioned a disease.
From the way they acted, Morrigan was not so certain that this was any kind of illness. They showed no physical signs of ailment, nor any physical deterioration. They did not even seem to suffer from exhaustion. Javal suspected this to be a plague - Morrigan was certain that they were spellbound.
They looped around, putting an arm around Javal’s shoulders while leading him on, closer to the village. “My friend, there’s no need to worry. My initial findings and expert opinion suggest that this may be the work of magic rather than a poison. But rest assured, if that be the case, you are in the presence of a master alchemist in addition to an accomplished mage! Should there be any poison, it is but a trifle to clear up.”
They angled their head backwards, shooting little miss Nadia Sadrine a skeptical glance. She was, of course, sharper than her boss, but that was no big matter. Morrigan had Javal’s trust, for now; he had no reason to doubt the charlatan’s intentions, considering Morrigan had saved his life more than a few times at this point. Nadia didn’t like them? The sentiment was mutual, honey. But they could deal with it.
“Ah, but is curiosity and concern not the hallmark of justice?” They asked, their tail swishing behind them. “We fight for the same goal, Miss Nadia Sadrine. Let us not allow petty squabbles tear us apart when our enemy, whoever that might be, is united - united the people they have captive under dark magics that ought to be our immediate concern.” Ah, yes, pretending to take the moral high ground. That would surely ruffle her feathers.
Morrigan brought their fingers to their lips and whistled, calling forth a large bird made of rainbow-colored flame from their wagon. Nugget came and perched on their shoulder with a bow of her head, ready to hear what Morrigan might ask of her. They scratched her under the beak, a smile on their face. “Nugget, I need eyes in the sky for any oddities. We’ve got a situation on your hands. Keep an eye out for any movements out of the norm… if even one of these people stops digging, I want to know about it.”
Nugget obeyed with a coo before setting to the skies… Morrigan watched her rainbow plume for a moment before turning back to Javal.
“Now. Shall we enter the city proper? There is safety in numbers, and I daresay between the two of us we shall unravel the tangled threads of this mystery.”
|
|
Noble
IS OFFLINE
21
Renown
Human / Fellblood Hybrid
Wicked Fiends Beware
1,259 POSTS & 0 LIKES
|
Post by Javal Zarrias on Dec 4, 2023 3:40:26 GMT -5
Javal nodded his head as he heard Morrigan confirm why they were there he had full trust in his friend and believed them wholeheartedly, “Woah that’s awesome friend Morrigan! Knowing your skill and talent at wizardry I am honestly not surprised in the slightest. If some random fellblood hero from Thorock would be invited by the government then it makes total sense for one of its dearest heroes to get invited to help out as well. After all, if somebody like your stature wasn't, that would be pretty foolish and unwise. Yeah, it’s weird how they’re behaving, insect-like it makes my guess at it being some sort of curse or disease even likelier I think at least”, the fellblood said with full honesty.
Javal turned his head curiously as he heard Morrigan’s suspicions out, “Hm, spellbound you say friend Morrigan? What type of spell would this be? I don’t know exactly much about any other magics besides the sea but I’ve never seen anything like it. However, if you say it is the case then I have complete and total faith in your words my friend. For with the both of us I’m sure we can figure out how to break this strange spell on these poor people no matter if it may be magic or alchemy we shall free them of their prisons!”, he declares.
Nadia’s eyes glared at the purple fellblood as they spoke. Her blood was boiling, her liege was falling for the clown’s trickery once more and they were starting to get on her nerves. However, she was holding back for the sake of her liege not wanting to upset him considering that he thought of Morrigan as a friend.
Her voice with a tone of venom as she spoke, “For now Moonweaver we are of the same goal, we’ll deal with this strange force together although we may not need your skill considering my master is formidable in his own right”.
She then turned her head away from the fellblood in a pout as she was determined to get this over with as fast as possible.
Javal looks up at the phoenix and heads for the skies in amazement, “Woah friend Morrigan when’d you get that precious little friend? And yes of course, let’s head in and get to the bottom of this as fast as possible so everyone can be cured”.
Nadia angrily quickly corrects Morrigan as she says, “Between the three of us we’ll find the answers”.
|
|
Golden Consortium
IS OFFLINE
17
Renown
Zeinav Desert
Scam? I’ve never pulled a scam in my life! I don’t even know what a scam is!
715 POSTS & 0 LIKES
|
Post by Morrigan Moonweaver on Dec 5, 2023 23:13:18 GMT -5
Alright, alright, I know I wasn’t really asked to handle this issue, there’s no need to rub it in…
Morrigan merely crossed their arms and nodded, putting on false bravado to prevent from getting upset about it. It was not as if Javal truly knew that Morrigan’s reputation was… greatly exaggerated. His retainer, who seemed a touch smarter than him, seemed to have sussed that out, though Morrigan was not especially worried about her. Javal’s trust in them had been deeply entrenched in his psyche by now. They turned to stare at the city, unnerved by the… silence. Loathe as they were to admit it, Morrigan loved the life and activity that lurked in every corner. This was wrong, and they knew it.
“I’m quite versed in the different types of magic.” Not, in essence, a lie. They’d done some studying during their time with the Mage’s Guild; primarily, it was limited to curses, and their knowledge was limited without being able to comprehend the formulae arcanum. But Morrigan had heard of a curse in which one was stripped of their own free will to carry out the simple commands of another. To pull off such an enchantment on this level, a practical army - they’d have to be a powerful mage indeed. Which Morrigan truly did not fancy an encounter with.
“If I had to guess, I’d wager it was a powerful curse woven from necromantic and enchantment magyyks.” They mused, rolling their tongue on the word magic. “Though even then, the inhabitants of this town would only be able to carry out simple, individual commands. It might be interrupted if they were harmed, or snapped out of their reverie.”
And if worse came to worse, Morrigan could always try calling upon their mana curse to break the magical hold of whatever had sunk their claws into these people.
They grinned while Javal marveled over Nugget, still playing at nonchalance. “A magician never reveals their secrets, Master Javal Zarrias! Perhaps once we’ve solved this conundrum, I’ll tell you the full story over drinks, though… if you’re paying, of course!” They jested, confident they’d at least get a few drinks out of it for Javal’s interest.
Meanwhile, Nugget soared overhead, the phoenix’s keen eyes peeled for any sudden movements. Oddly enough, she did not observe anything that stuck out to her; such a pattern being odd because all the humans she could see were all creeping around in the exact same patterns. From hole to hole, digging seemingly random patterns into the dirt. At first, Nugget wondered if perhaps they were being set to dig out some kind of summoning ritual, but from the sky she could see no shapes in the dirt. It appeared completely random. From hole to hole they went, digging deeper to the sand until they reached a certain point, only to stop, move to another empty, blank plot of land and start anew.
The phoenix frowned and continued cutting through the air, searching for any one person that might have appeared out of place.
Morrigan raised their brow when Nadia Sadrine interjected, resisting the urge to point out their omission of her had not quite been accidental, because they were petty like that, but more importantly they cared about keeping their relationship with Javal cordial. “Right. The three of us.” They amended, stepping back into the limits of the city proper.
Inside was much the same as it had been moments ago. Morrigan pulled out a flask from their bag, a swirling magenta-colored potion filled with far too much glitter than was healthy. “For now… process of elimination, yeah? We’ll figure out if this is a disease or malady that can be cured. Onwards!” They blazed forth, approaching the first hole they could find. Clearing their throat, Morrigan called out, “Excuse me, good sir? Might you mind taking a moment of your time and break from your horrid digging to answer a few questions of ours?”
Well, asking was always worth a shot, no? Besides, one caught more flies with honey than vinegar.
… But the villager did not respond. He made no indication he’d even heard Morrigan in the first place. The charlatan’s tail swished behind them, deep in thought, their nerves growing the longer the villager went without responding. Merely digging, digging, digging. He could go on forever if they didn’t do something about it.
“Welp. I think if we’re going to break them from this pattern then we’re going to need strength.” Morrigan snapped their fingers. “Javal, see if you can’t pick this man up and bring him to me. I’m going to administer the potion, see if that has any effect.”
|
|
Noble
IS OFFLINE
21
Renown
Human / Fellblood Hybrid
Wicked Fiends Beware
1,259 POSTS & 0 LIKES
|
Post by Javal Zarrias on Dec 6, 2023 16:40:05 GMT -5
Javal nods in agreement and says, “Why of course friend Morrigan you are indeed one of the most skilled mages that I know, like Lady Kamille. Have you guys met before? I’d love to see you two go toe to toe in a contest of magic. I’m not too sure how’d win there, to be honest, but my curiosity compels me to wonder. I have a fairly good control of sea magic although I am interested in looking for a master who could train me and make my skills greater”.
Nadia rolled her eyes at Morrigan doubting the fell blood's ability in magic from what Ariadne had told her nothing that caught her eye in terms of skill even if the prismatic spider chirped the fellblood’s coolness.
The fellblood looked curiously and was paying deep attention to Morrigan’s theory, “A curse you say who was the caster then? Do we have an evil witch or wizard to blame? Do you think they're hiding? Is it one of the people who’s hiding in plain sight from us? That would be a dastardly idea, what do you guys think?”.
He marveled at the phoenix as it left, “Woah I’d truly love to hear the story for that, I’d love to pay for drinks as many as you’d like”.
Nadia interjects, “They’d be paying for themselves my liege after all I wouldn’t want them to take advantage of your kindness", she smirked at the other fellblood.
Javal and Nadia follow behind Morrigan as they try out their potion on a zombie villager.
He nodded and exclaimed, “Aye aye Morrigan”, and walked over to the villager gently grabbing him by the feet carrying him over his shoulder, and putting him in front of Morrigan holding him still by the shoulders.
“Alright Morrigan, do your excellent work, my friend, hopefully, it’s an easy fix thanks to your skill”.
|
|
Golden Consortium
IS OFFLINE
17
Renown
Zeinav Desert
Scam? I’ve never pulled a scam in my life! I don’t even know what a scam is!
715 POSTS & 0 LIKES
|
Post by Morrigan Moonweaver on Dec 14, 2023 12:01:15 GMT -5
“Why, Lady Kamille is a respected ally and friend!” They asserted, flipping their braid over their shoulder, unable to resist the urge to brag… about accomplishments that were not even their own. “You’ll have to forgive us if we decline the opportunity to go toe to toe. Our powerful and destructive spells would probably wipe the country of Zeinav off the map from even so much as a casual spar!” More like Morrigan might be wiped off the map if they dueled Kamille. “Though I respect her prowess as a mage. You couldn’t do better for a teacher… except for myself, of course!”
They burst into a bout of raucous laughter.
“Hmm… as for the origin, the manner of their behavior seems far too complex for this to be something simple. I’d wager that whatever did this still pulls the strings from the shadows - or hides in plain sight.” Which meant they stood on the precipice of a delicate operation. Free the villagers while being mindful that one of them might be a wizard in disguise. Be cautious while not harming the victims. This was a damn mess. Morrigan was most certainly going to be leveraging those free drinks later, without Miss Nadia Sardine’s influence keeping them from the coin in Javal’s pockets.
They’d figure that out later. For now came the test as to whether these potions could free these poor victims. Javal obeyed with a salute, moving to hoist up the digging villager and placing him in front of Morrigan. The man put up no resistance, akin to a doll being picked up and moved to another location, only to be played with somewhere else. It should be safe enough to feed him…
With a practiced illusionist’s flourish Morrigan procured a potion from their bag, uncorking it with their thumb. “Alright, down the hatch!”
Only, as they stepped forward and tried to force it down the villager’s mouth, something… snapped and shifted. Like a zombie, the villager came alive, writhing and squirming in Javal’s grip, thrashing in an attempt to break free. He jerked his head to the side, resisting drinking the elixir - he flailed his arms and kicked, planting his sandal straight in Morrigan’s torso and kicking the alchemist away. Morrigan hit the sand with an “OOF-“, the wind knocked out of their lungs.
Only when Morrigan and their potion were a safe distance away did the villager fall still once more, docile. Blank-eyed. Morrigan rubbed at their arm, pulling themselves into a sitting position with an irritable grumble.
“What the…?”
It must have had some sort of defense mechanism against anything that served to break it from this spell!
Now what the hell were they supposed to do about that?
Morrigan pulled themselves to their feet, a thoughtful frown on their expression. They could force the potion down the victim’s throat, or have Javal do it, but given the man’s reaction there was a chance they’d do serious harm. “Okay, plan B. If we cannot free them individually, we need to find the source and break it there.” Meanwhile, Nugget was still investigating the village for any signs of anything out of the ordinary. A difficult task, when everything seemed to be out of the ordinary. It seemed as if life had just come to a halt when the villagers were put under this spell. There were still abandoned wagons and carts in the middle of the road, doors open where people had left their homes. Food and weapons and bags abandoned where they’d been dropped. People without shovels and tools simply dug with their hands, their bodies covered in sand and dust and dirt.
How long had they been like this? How long had it been since they’d imbibed food and water? Troubled, the ancient phoenix of the Yudraehati temple forged on in search of any oddity. If not in the people themselves, then in the town.
Hello, what do we have here?
The phoenix slowed in the air when she spotted a single, nondescript tavern in the back of the town near a small oasis whose doors were still closed. It was possible that there’d been no one in the town inside when it happened, but every single detail was important. The rainbow colored bird ducked, perching on a nearby crate to peer in an open window. The inside was dark, barely lit by her own flame. But she could see just fine. The empty tables, the spilled drinks, the abandoned card games… when she locked eyes with something in the dark.
All at once a presence entered her mind, a great and terrible evil pressing down on her thoughts. Nugget recoiled, a great dread gripping her heart when she realized what it was - what was hiding in that tavern.
Mind-bender! Intellect devourer! Begone, foul aberration! She opened her beak in a horrible shriek, a bolt of fire in her mouth that she shot in the air, but it was far too late. Her vision went black and her body was no longer her own as the Chthonian’s will overpowered her own.
As Nugget’s vision went black, her last thought was an apology towards her owner - and the hope that she did not do anything she would regret.
|
|
Noble
IS OFFLINE
21
Renown
Human / Fellblood Hybrid
Wicked Fiends Beware
1,259 POSTS & 0 LIKES
|
Post by Javal Zarrias on Dec 18, 2023 0:35:11 GMT -5
Javal nodded in understanding as he thought about Morrigan’s words before smiling, “That’s great to hear friend Morrigan that you’ve met her, she truly is one of Charon’s strongest witches. Although my selfish desire to see the true power of awesome magics going toe to toe I understand your refusal. After all, you are correct, so much insane magical power might reduce the very ground you two would stand on. For as much as I like seeing awesome magic, I would prefer everyone to be okay so I shall keep my curiosity to myself and just imagine what it would be like in my head. Truly one day I should ask you as well as Kamille to help me understand how to be a better mage, for as much as I am a swordsman I need to understand the magical arts better so I can add its power to my slashes”,
Javal let out an audible gasp as he listened to Morrigan’s theory, “For real Master Morrigan? Whoever this dastardly villain behind this incorrigible curse is around us? Could it be this puppet fellow I hold in my grasp pretending to be in a trance-like state?”.
He then gripped the man whom he was holding by the shoulders and shook him vigorously shouting, “SIR ARE YOU THE MASTERMIND BEHIND THIS OPERATION?”, the man simply stayed in his trance, the only sound of acknowledgment being his mouth making a faint noise as he shook”.
He then held the man tight as Morrigan tried making the fellow drink their magical concoction. Javal frowned and held the man in place with his firm strength (1) even as the man kicked and screamed, knocking his friend away.
“Mister please hold still let us help return you to normal, we’re just attempting to assist you”, his grip relaxed as suddenly the man returned to his previous zombie-like state.
He frowned once more before calling for his friend, “Are you okay friend Morrigan? My apologies for not restricting him more it appears whatever you did to him riled him up for a moment. Where could the source be?”.
1. Bulls Strength
|
|
Golden Consortium
IS OFFLINE
17
Renown
Zeinav Desert
Scam? I’ve never pulled a scam in my life! I don’t even know what a scam is!
715 POSTS & 0 LIKES
|
Post by Morrigan Moonweaver on Dec 20, 2023 21:08:22 GMT -5
As instructed, Javal picked up the mind-controlled digger…
And started rigorously shaking him.
“Ack, Javal Zarrias, not so harsh! We wouldn’t want to rattle what little brains he has left after his mind has been melted into this, would we?” Morrigan chided, half-expecting the poor bastard to snap out of it, but the roughhousing was utterly ineffective. The man was still limp and docile, as if he’d been born to do nothing but dig through the sand his entire life, and he was not but a doll when he could not fulfill his purpose. Morrigan could see the sand caked in his nails where he’d resorted to digging when his shovel hadn’t worked.
There was no wondering about the why of all this. Why did someone bother sifting through the sands in the first place? There were ancient secrets buried in the deep, lost treasures sacrificed to the annals of time. It was only a matter of unearthing them. Morrigan needed to know the where, and the what. First, they needed to break him from his trance. Perhaps when he was free, he would possess some semblance of an answer for them…
Or, at least, that was the intention. But oftentimes even the best laid plans were doomed to fail.
Morrigan wheezed, pulling themselves to their feet. Their delicate frame was not made to take hits; rest assured, they wouldn’t be pulling a stunt like that again. Their tail flicked behind them while they rubbed at their ribs, checking for any breaks the way they’d seen Kvasir do in the past. Nothing seemed seriously broken… just bruised. I’m not going to be able to wear crop tops for at least a week while this heals!
“I’m fine, I’m fine.” They waved off Javal’s concern, covering up the irritation that someone would dare kick them with a nonchalant grin. “Someone’s feisty, eh?” Now that he was still once more, Morrigan traipsed closer, experimentally, and pressed their finger on his nose. “Boop!”
Nothing.
“It looks like whatever commands they’ve been given allow them to defend themselves when their core priority is threatened as well.” They noted. “And if I can’t get the chance to heal them with my alchemy, then our best bet is to seek out the source. As for where it is…”
They scanned their surroundings before bringing their finger to their lips in a sharp whistle. Waited for Nugget to return… but nothing happened. Morrigan’s brows furrowed.
“That’s weird. She should come when I call.”
This place was a ghost town, devoid of threats. Nothing could have happened to her.
… Could it?
Nothing except for the one behind all of this.
“They’d have to remain in the city limits.” Morrigan started; slow, dawning horror in their voice. “A spell this big couldn’t be maintained from a distance. Not to mention if they’re seeking something in this town, they’d want to be close by when it was found.” They wouldn’t want to risk it getting lost. And it was entirely likely that they’d want to be able to oversee what was going on in the case of nosy interlopers ruining their plans.
Well. If there was one thing Morrigan was ever good at, it was being a nuisance.
Morrigan smirked, a dangerous gleam in their eye. “And wherever they are, they’re well hidden - their presence, concealed. If we can’t pay them a house visit, what do we do then, Javal Zarrias?”
They started rifling through their bag before pulling out what they were looking for - a small velvet bag, containing confectionery delights from Morrigan’s old, discontinued Hearth Day chocolate line. They twirled one in between their fingertips for a moment before placing it delicately between pointed teeth.
“You drag them out.”
And then they bit down.[1]
All around them, the wind began to pick up - slow at first, then certain and violent. Within seconds, what had started out as a harmless breeze had become a full-blown tornado. A violent storm that started ripping through thin wooden buildings, picking up sand… and covering up the holes that had already been dug.
Morrigan cackled and pressed their hands together. Now it was time for the real fun to begin. Come out, come out, wherever you are! 1. Storm Chocolate - Call Tornado
|
|
Noble
IS OFFLINE
21
Renown
Human / Fellblood Hybrid
Wicked Fiends Beware
1,259 POSTS & 0 LIKES
|
Post by Javal Zarrias on Dec 21, 2023 5:34:34 GMT -5
“Sorry friend Morrigan Moonweaver I just thought maybe if I shook him enough, he’d wake up. Looks like it’s no use he’s just stuck like this now unfortunately until we can find whatever type of dastardly fiend has caused his current slumber”.
Nadia herself couldn’t help but have a slight smirk of amusement as she saw Morrigan getting attacked by the figure for trying their alchemy. She was indeed finding this ‘Master Mage’ in front of them very funny to say the least although it did irk her still to think that her ever so kind and valiant master had fallen for their obvious tricks and lies.
“Good to hear from my friend Morrigan Moonweaver but please tell me if you need healing I can heal any surface wounds if this tricky fellow has caused you any injuries!”, Javal exclaims, still a little concerned.
“Is your phoenix alright Morrigan? I should hope it didn’t get lost during its search. I get lost all the time but have Nadia here to help me. Does your phoenix have a Nadia to help here? I should hope that whatever type of nefarious mage didn’t get your precious companion”.
Javal placed the zombie-like villager down carefully, standing them back up as he clasped his hands together, “If we cannot visit their house, then we shall visit every house until we find their house. When we then find their house we shall bow in respect towards the villain considering it is their house, perhaps if they invite it in with lunch we shall eat it considering it would be rude to refuse. If they offer drinks we must take them up on them as well considering it is manners for the house guests we shall be. It is then and only then that we shall pummel whatever manner of image into the ground of their own home in the name of justice”.
Javal was taken aback at Morrigan’s last remark, barely able to process it before suddenly all around them a storm had formed. A powerful tornado had ripped the air around them destroying sand buildings and everything around them. The tornado threatened to pull the three of the adventurers into it but thankfully Javal was used to the adverse effects of summoning a tornado thanks to his training with Ronrik.
The fellblood closed his eyes and placed his knuckles in front of him, pressing them against each other as he stood deep in thought. He pictured the tornado in front of him, he could feel the wind around him as it flowed through his hair, scratched his body, and filled his ears with its wild untamed call. After a moment of just seeing the tornado Javal opened the palm of his left hand and let his right fists get wrapped around by his left. He then saw it in his mind the giant tornado had quieted and calmed and suddenly he, Morrigan, and Nadia were made the eye of the storm and were safe from the tornado’s effects for the time being (1).
1. Eye of the Storm
|
|
Golden Consortium
IS OFFLINE
17
Renown
Zeinav Desert
Scam? I’ve never pulled a scam in my life! I don’t even know what a scam is!
715 POSTS & 0 LIKES
|
Post by Morrigan Moonweaver on Dec 25, 2023 14:53:25 GMT -5
Javal’s concern was quite touching. Unfortunately, the only thing wounded was Morrigan’s pride. They spat out a wad of sand and waved him away with a burst of glitter procured via sleight-of-hand and a well-hidden pocket inside their silk brocade. “Nothing a good bit of rest won’t fix, I assure you.” Best not to let Javal cast his magic on them and risk him seeing how little effect it could have on them. Their pesky mana curse was prone to fluctuations of whimsy, as unknowing and difficult to understand as the person who bore it. And though they’d… come to a hesitant sort of acceptance regarding their own limitations, it was still best to keep it all a secret. By now, the wizard persona was more than just a ploy to sell snake oil - but self protection, and means with which to further conceal their abilities from those who might covet them. In a world where spellcasting was the norm, rare it was someone with the innate ability to counteract it to exist. Only now was Morrigan beginning to realize that. Morrigan’s face contorted in an unpleasant expression as Javal asked after Nugget. She’d gone off on her own before, though in a situation such as this she didn’t stray far. She, too, was a coveted creature. And if whatever was behind all this had gotten to her… Well. Morrigan Moonweaver was as vindictive as they were petty, and they had no qualms razing a village for what was theirs and their own. They ran a hand through their braid, assessing their options. “No - I brought none of my entourage with me on this venture, save her and a few other small animals.” Morrigan tried their damnedest to conceal their irritation about that fact. Thankfully, the topic had already moved on. There was no time to mope when they could simply solve the issue. They smirked while Javal gave his tirade about Justice, of righteousness and… manners, and accepting anything they might offer because of some sake of propriety. “No, no, no! One must never accept drinks from a being they believe to have nefarious intent, Javal Zarrias. Unless they are from myself, of course.” They tacked on at the end. “In which case you can always implicitly trust that everything I give you will work one hundred percent of the time, as intended.”They finally found what they were searching for in their bag, “Besides. There’s a much easier way to go about this. All we have to do is make them pay a visit to us.” Morrigan never was good at being subtle. A tornado seemed an apt way to make a splash. Except… the longer it continued, the more frantic and out of control it became. Morrigan was centered to the sandy earth via their own enchanted sandals, but Javal was not so fortunate. [1] He was nearly bowled over by the raging tempest until he was able to cast some sort of spell, weaving mana out of the air to create an almost protective bubble around them. The rest of the village was not so fortunate. Funny thing about tornadoes. Morrigan realized as they watched houses rip themselves apart. Without the screams to accompany them, they’re quite hollow.The effect was almost unnerving. Still, nothing happened - no wizards emerging from their homes, no victims breaking out of their spell. At least, nothing, until the tornado nearly plowed right into the village’s local inn and tavern, and before it could hit… Merely tapered off. Wind still buffeted the air from the storm, the last remnants of the magical spell. Still, the tavern remained untouched, as if magic had a difficult time worming its way inside. Almost as if something inside was - ENOUGH[2] The projection wormed its way straight into Javal and Morrigan’s minds, like the harsh heat of a dissonant drum. A hissing screech they could not hear. Morrigan clapped at their ears, though the effort was too late. The parasite had wormed its way straight into the charlatan’s brain, eating at their thoughts. “Ah!” They cried out, doubling over in pain as their body rejected the dark telepathy. Everything ached. They could hear nothing but the same whisper - ENOUGH, ENOUGH, ENOUGH - in a cacophony in their mind. DO NOT INTERFERE. LEAVE, NOW, BEFORE YOU JOIN THE MANY.
1. Rooted Boots 2. Telepathy - Chthonian
|
|
Noble
IS OFFLINE
21
Renown
Human / Fellblood Hybrid
Wicked Fiends Beware
1,259 POSTS & 0 LIKES
|
Post by Javal Zarrias on Dec 27, 2023 4:44:38 GMT -5
Javal smiled as the air whirled around them, “I’m sorry to hear that you do not have a Nadia to assist your phoenix. I would offer my own retainer’s services however if I were to do that I believe I would not be able to get home”, the fellblood laments.
Nadia herself simply smirks at the purple fellblood thinking they’ve already lost their precious pet due to incompetence.
“Why shouldn’t I befriend Morrigan? Wouldn’t it be rude to reject whatever hospitality is given to us, vindictive or not? And of course, friend I have complete trust in you and your drinks I promise”, the fellblood says in total sincerity. He doesn’t have a grasp on rejecting people’s manners and is completely blind to Morrigan’s sneaky behavior.
“Woah, how do we bring them to our friend Morrigan? Do we have to go knock on every single door? I shall get started on that right away”, he attempts to step forward quickly remembering that they're in the eye of the storm, and if he’d walk through he'd spin and swallow into its windy razor maw.
Javal stood for another moment waiting for the storm to temper and as it did he looked a little saddened at the destruction it had left in its wake. Before Javal could check the damage he felt his head being intruded on by a voice. He kneeled as the painful wave of dark thoughts entered his mind, something was there and didn’t want them snooping around. Javal tried to shake it off but the voice still echoed, his mind was in pain. He could feel the intruding voice hammer inside his skull imprinting its words on every thought.
He slowly stood holding his head gritting his teeth and glared at the unharmed tavern quickly Nadia rushed over to her liege helping him stand.
“What is going on? Who’s there? Please don’t tell me I’m losing already”, the fellblood says, holding his head worried he was about to enter killdrive suddenly.
|
|
Golden Consortium
IS OFFLINE
17
Renown
Zeinav Desert
Scam? I’ve never pulled a scam in my life! I don’t even know what a scam is!
715 POSTS & 0 LIKES
|
Post by Morrigan Moonweaver on Jan 10, 2024 11:34:20 GMT -5
Morrigan waved a dismissive hand with a spray of glitter everywhere. “It is fine. I simply believed this venture to be too dangerous for those of my entourage, including the students who train in magic under myself.” Again, at this point, it was worth noting that Morrigan had been invited here to entertain at a children’s birthday party, and had been rather caught with their pants down, or so the expression went. They could roll with it. Javal was sincere enough to still believe everything Morrigan was saying, at any rate.
A trait that was bound to get him in danger one of these days.
“Ah, but see? You’ve fallen for a classic folly here, my friend. Believing that honor trumps all. See, where you believe in giving everyone a fair chance, and keeping up the strict morality known as ‘manners’, you’re neglecting to take into account that those who wish you ill shall not treat you with the same courtesy. In that case, self preservation trumps good tableside etiquette. You cannot vanquish evildoers if you are not alive to carry out justice, correct?”
Any further attempts to school Javal in cunning and strategy were cut short by the voice invading Morrigan’s mind. Their very body strained against itself as it fought to reject the aberrant magic; but their enemy was strong, far stronger than Morrigan’s mana curse. The sheer force, the wrongness of it all, sent Morrigan to their knees, heat trickling from their ears, the sound too much, and they pulled their hands away from their face to see crimson smeared across their palms. Their ears were bleeding.
“N-no.” Morrigan grit their teeth, the word ripped from their throat. Everything felt close and distant at the same time. Like they were swimming through sand. The tornado was dying down now, but Morrigan couldn’t forget what they’d seen. The wind that hit the air like a solid wall, as if something had stopped it. “Javal, some… something’s here I feel it -“ All of the villagers had stopped digging, stone still, their eyes trained on the intruders, I see you, I see you.
They grit their teeth, tail thrashing behind them wildly. “It’s there, in the tavern -“
A harsh screech interrupted them, a shadow passing overhead. Morrigan squinted, glancing upwards to find a swath of multicolored flame diving right for them. “Nugget!” They breathed in relief. She was okay. Relief immediately turned to dread when she opened her mouth, heat simmering in the air, flame drawing in their breath - a bolt of fire pierced the air, aimed right for them.
“Run!”
|
|
Noble
IS OFFLINE
21
Renown
Human / Fellblood Hybrid
Wicked Fiends Beware
1,259 POSTS & 0 LIKES
|
Post by Javal Zarrias on Jan 11, 2024 3:49:08 GMT -5
Javal barely had time to even make a single clear thought before he felt his mind get overwhelmed by the pounding voice rumbling in his mind. Blood was coming out from his ears he knew as much as felt it begin to splatter on his shoulders. Something was going on, something didn’t want them to hear something was angry. Before Javal could do anything else his mind drew a blank as his eyes flashed a sudden yellow, the origin of the mind control wasn’t the only thing that got woken up. He was suddenly put into deep sleep as the image in front of him changed from reality into a simple dojo room he was familiar with. Instead of Javal being in charge someone else had decided to show himself as his posture changed, markings appeared on his body, and even his appearance changed, growing a foot and his body growing in muscularness.
“Will you shut the fuck up with all that racket yer pissing me off. If you don't then that’s fine I'll make you stop”, a voice coming from Javal says.
It appears that the sudden mental intrusion had woken up the monster inside Javal and had now taken hold of his body convinced to handle the situation himself. He glares at the tavern, the fellblood knows that Morrigan is right, whatever bastard woke him up is hiding away there. He smirks as he spots Nugget coming for them firing off a fire bolt right at their heads.
“Nah, running’s for cowards, I ain't no coward purple partymaker”, he then charges up water in his stomach. He can feel it emerge in his throat and he glares down at Nugget and opens his mouth aiming towards the firebolt barreling through the sky towards them.
He then fires off three aqua bullets (1) straight at the firebolt hoping that’ll be enough to douse the attack. He then fires off one bullet at Nugget and a final bullet at the tavern.
“Is all you get is a big bird and a big brain bastard”, the fellblood chuckles as he pulls out his katana from its sheathe.
“You fucked with the wrong person today”, he then glances at Morrigan, “Hey purple one I don’t think I met ya before but just stay outta my way and you’ll be fine”.
1. Aqua Bullets (5/5)
|
|