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Post by Shitakibo on Nov 30, 2023 1:13:20 GMT -5
After the frigid winds of Frost Gale, the Marsh Flats was pleasant departure. Word had been passed through Keyke's network that an Elder Hydra had displaced itself in search of new territory, headed for King's Valley and fresh hunting grounds. Unfortunately for those in it's path, the creature was also a destructive force of nature. Taki was grateful for the well defined problem at hand, even if such an opponent would push even the most seasoned mages and warriors to their limits. Trekking across Charon, the group made haste to try and get ahead of the Hydra's path. Making camp for the night on the edge of the Black Bog, Taki and her companions helped set up tents. Over a crackling fire, she fixed the group a hot meal and enjoyed eating that night under the cool, clear sky. Life buzzed all about, creating a gentle chorus of sounds punctuated by the crackling fire. As they were winding down, she pulled out her traveling pipe and it's kit. "If anyone would also like to partake, please feel free to join in." Taki said, pulling out a small pouch full of pungent herb and packing a pinch in the pipe. Taking a length of hemp wick from the kit, she lit it on the edge of the campfire before passing it across the top of the pipe. Taking a deep breath with it tightly pressed in her lips, the bowl began to glow brightly as a small flame flickered playfully. As the shaman's lungs filled, the small flicker danced about for a brief moment before joining the other wisps of smoke that rose from the pipe. She held her breath as she held out the pipe for whoever might want it. The earthy, herbacious flavor of the smoke as it swirled through her body trickled through her nerves and eased the ache in her still frosty joints. About five seconds later, she exhaled through her nose towards the glow of the fire. The shaman visibly looked relieved as she took the next breath, her body releasing tension as the potent smoke worked it's magic.
Quest Name: Ten heads are better than one
Participants: Two or more
Location: Marsh Flats
Post Requirements: 8 post per person, 250 words per post
Reward: +1 Mystical Archive Ticket, +1 Hydra Core
Description: A ten headed elder hydra has been spotted leaving the Marsh Flats and making it's way towards King's Valley. The scarred and battle worn Hydra is extremely powerful and has been terrorizing locals as it moves from the marsh in search for new food and prey. Locals are asking for powerful warriors to track this Hydra and eliminate it, bringing peace back to the grasslands of King's Valley.
Special Requirements: At least one member of the group (PC only, no NPC's) must be knocked unconscious during this fight.)
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.
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Noble
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Dragon’s Cradle
Life is a game, we are the pieces and the environment is the board. Wanna play?
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Post by Lady Keyke Runi on Dec 4, 2023 3:06:15 GMT -5
To the wonders of the Marshes! After the fight with the Chthonian, I could feel a bit of what it had tried to do still lingering in the back of my head, almost like how I can always feel that uneasiness of my curious void waiting to merge once again. Either way, I know no matter the circumstance, I can't let my mind lower in any form. I shake my head, "No thanks, I need my brain to always be in its best form at all times." I pause as I look around the area before giggling as a memory resurfaces. "Plus, years ago, I accidentally got stuck in one of these trees. Who knows what I would act like or even how my brain would process anything." I shrug my shoulders as I think about the many impulsive thoughts I have but push down on habit at this point.
Looking down at the water near us, I let a smile form as I reminisce over the familiar silly memory. The nice feeling lasted for only a few moments. My overactive mind never allows any memory to stay in one place unless under tight analysis. It is quickly replaced with camping thoughts, security of the area, and possible attacks from us or to us while we wait. My brain counters every thought with plans and co-plans, and I never note them, as each plan is under the simplest category to where even basics can handle the thought I had. I stick out my tongue as my thought process ever changes, keeping the smile there to keep up my high spirits as we plan things out.
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Post by Shitakibo on Dec 5, 2023 6:52:38 GMT -5
Nodding her agreement, she finished her smoke while taking a stroll around the area to be courteous to their choice. She noticed Keyke's thoughtful look, it reminded her of watching Shion plan her webs when she needed a new one. Spinning plans on plans, watching in her mind's eye as the various possibilities unfold and are trimmed away by experience. Taki's own thought patterns had difficulty with such complexity and forethought, but she made up for it with insight and patient flexibility. She stretched her body, doing gentle cartwheels and step-overs that looked more like a scorpion learning to walk on it's tail. While she knew she could probably call upon powerful magic, she still felt a thrill pitting her own skill and ability without it to a task.
Once she'd finished her stretching and returned to the small gathering, there was a devious grin on her own features. Walking over to Shuchu, she pat the golem gently and spoke in soft, hissing whispers for a few moments. With a nod, she held up a hand to the others as the construct lifted one of it's sturdy, crystalline limbs. It crashed into the ground with a muffled thud that sent a seismic shock into the town. Taki's face seemed to stare through the solid stone, her Geomagnetic Sense enhanced by the golem's pulse. With her raised hand, she passed it over the ground in front of the pair and drew the earth to her magic. As the gentle tug of magic fades, a shifting replica of the town cascades from the loamy soil. Figures moved about on a layered set of disks depicting the different parts of town in surprising detail.
"Perhaps this will help you trim the excess threads dear friend. Come show this shaman the webs you're weaving." Taki said with a sly smile on her face, though her concentration did not waver. Every few minutes, she would give a simple hand signal to Shuchu, who would send another quiet rumble as the display revealed it's contents.
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Dragon’s Cradle
Life is a game, we are the pieces and the environment is the board. Wanna play?
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Post by Lady Keyke Runi on Dec 29, 2023 1:41:59 GMT -5
My mind does wander round as it thinks, much to my dismay when I am trying to focus on single thing. I feel the first rumble, which kicks my mind out of its forced trance for analyzing and watch the magic pulse. I could feel the forms being reflected on the ground as the magic shows me every movement, the exact numbers, and every object that could help or hinder the fight. I bring my tongue back into my mouth as I see the landscape before me. Without any trying on my end, my brain takes over the problem and reaches to the exact calculations over everything being seen.
I unknowingly start to mutter as I look the board over, searching for the hydra. "The people are running east, confirming the intel from them. There's a path being made in the trees, ever so slightly, but still far from the people, likely chance on that being the Hydra, or another large creature. Vibrations long the ground show a distinctive increase of volume in that area as well. Looks almost over ran by flora and slowing the thing down from so many obstacles. Perhaps something we can take advantage of if we stick to the higher concentrated parts of the marshs. Not to mention, previous journals have spoken of it's natural regeneration, meaning we have to take it down quickly.Along with having to deal with the chance of it holding an elemental breath and venom, but that was never agreed upon when they spoke of Hydras..." My brain finally slows down as I look over to Taki with a smile, not realizing I spoke the many parts of the puzzle not yet finished as I speak, "I can say that we'll probably need a lot of your big spells in the battle over here." I point at the area I was just analyzing.
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Post by Shitakibo on Jan 10, 2024 1:56:11 GMT -5
"That shouldn't be much of a problem. Venomous Hydras are probably a bit more concerning than those with Elemental breath weapons, but nothing we can't handle. Should I take point on this hunt or would you prefer the lead?" Taki replied, watching the display's patterns for herself and deciding how she might approach the situation. The obvious route was the most direct, engaging the creature to halt it's progress. They could also launch a ranged assault, drawing it's attention and hopefully path of travel away from populated areas. Rarely would such a creature be uprooted, so she could only imagine what driving force would set them on such a path.
Much was changing, all across the land the spirits stirred and moved in great flows like the currents of the oceans. Taki's pile of requests normally dwindled to a few sparse last minute needs, but this year's seemed to have a need to grow like a springtime youngling. Vulcadreus was a nightmare situation for all involved, willing or no... not to mention the events leading up to it. While she only was aware of them second hand from her mentor, she knew their implications were far reaching and would shape society for the age ahead. If powerful spirits, beings from other realms and times were intent on destroying this world for their own ends, she would stand against it... even if she stood alone.
With other adventurers, like Keyke and many of those she called friend, she doubted that would be the case in the end. Plus, her own companions were improving their skills with each adventure and growing more reliable by the day. Hydras were something she'd fought before and knew about taking down, most creatures and beings were in some way comprehendable. Beings like Vulcadreus though, they befuddled the forces of nature, changed the fundamental principles that reality built itself on. Understanding probably wasn't something they could even begin to process.... much less have any desire or care to.
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Post by Lady Keyke Runi on Mar 12, 2024 0:03:13 GMT -5
I nod an let my mind wonder a bit, with how much has changed this last year, from a complete shadow to gaining so much popularity, I need to back off a bit. I mean, sure, my business has grown to cover Charon, but as it stands now, becoming a leader for something like this, especially when something happened back home to make my itch almost irritable at all times really didn't spawn great trust in myself. I raise me hand a waved over to her, "You go ahead, I'm mainly here as intel and assistance, as per usual." I cover up a ting of energy from escaping my hand by closing it and bringing it back to me. I stand back in my thinking position as I breath rhythmically to control gain what ever control I can from myself at this moment.
Grand, now even my magic is trying to fluctuate out of control. I look back at the map before looking at Taki, tilting my head as I focus on trying to listen to her words. Each word, either from her casting a spell, or the side effects only gaining even more power to be affecting my vision, I watch as each word get spoken like a spell, or at least a piece of magical energy. My eyes unfocused for a moment before turning back to look at Taki herself, not the enticing magic surrounding her, and definitely sticking away from pushing my pulsing energy at the words that seems to be now dissipating.
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Post by Shitakibo on Mar 18, 2024 11:52:13 GMT -5
"I hope this side of me doesn't prove to be off putting, but I've been dying to pit my changing body against such a foe." There was a wild, primal look on the shaman's face for the first time in quite a while. Her many hands extended a set of sturdy claws as her body settled into a relaxed crouch. Her outfit changed, as if the cloth were made of a complex fluid, it painted itself over the shaman's form in what amounted to a set of tribal wrappings. She shed her cloak and brooch, handing them to Shuchu for safe keeping.
"Keep watch here and be ready if something goes wrong, we may need a withdrawal in force. Time to thrash a force of nature... as a force of nature." The sly smile on Taki's face hinted at the wild battle brewing in the shaman's mind. She needn't wait for the sun, if this were to be a hunt with Keyke's support. All she need do is not get snapped up by the jaws of the Hydra at hand and they'd prevent more disasters.
"Let the hunt begin." She said to Keyke, an air of cautious excitement clinging to the shaman as she radiated the stirring emotions as spiritual energy. Her normally crimson eyes were washed out with cyan light that seemed to steam from within. She crouched, getting a feel for the direction she needed to go to intercept the creature. Taking a deep breath, she exhaled as her body bolted into action. Even without magic, Taki'd trained her body beyond it's limits through many adventures and all the time between. She didn't so much run as launch her body from one 'step' to the next, clearing several meters of distance under the acceleration. She kept her arms close to her body, shifting their weight to help her balance as she navigated the wild bog at her feet.
There really weren't many good ways to cover such ground, either flight, some form of jumping/bounding, or just brute forcing your way through the muck and mire. Since time was working against them, Taki chose the fastest natural way. Flight probably would shave more time off, but that wouldn't be in spirit of the challenge. Even so, her body settled into a calm and practiced rhythm as she navigated the woods as if they were her own yard. Each step spreading her senses through the ground gave the shaman otherworldly mobility, even if it were the first time she visited. Black Bog was no stranger to Taki, so she poured on the speed, leaning into her pace and pushing her body.
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