first verse Augury: Ten of the Void

[Lunar Blessing]

On 7/13/2019 at 9:17 PM, xinoehp512 said:

"No," he whispered, eyes unfocusing slightly. "No, I told them. Don't bother me. Leave me alone..."

He shuddered.

Infinity steps outside, “Come on, we need to go.” She gives him a smile 

[+Sorana]

12 minutes ago, I think I am here. said:

Sometime later there was a knock on the door and a couple men entered, using a copy of the key Shana had. One of the men was Price, who stood within the doorframe. And one of the men was a guard, unarmoured but carrying a sword. He was there in case Sagitta tried to run, as she’d obviously outmatch Price if it came to physical competition.

He noted she looked much better than she had when they’d first interacted. The dirt had seemed to wash off, and now Price could better see the Ta’e’iloan features on her face. “Wake up,” he said, looking at his ledger. A little early.

“Testing time.”

Sagitta woke with a start and jolted upright, panting. The voice, she couldn't place it, the bed the room. It took her a moment to grasp where she was, what she had missed. The base, she was in the base and she had agreed to do some of his tests. Because she needed food. She stood up, pulled on some shoes and noted the guard with the sword. Unarmed, but as she had no weapon, he probably wouldn't need a sword at all. Sagitta judged they way he stood, how he held himself and a slight smile touched her lips. He would need that sword. And probably she still stood a chance against him.

"I'm ready."

She told Price and felt her heart beat faster. It felt bad, wrong. The whole situation was wrong.

[Archer]

A cave at the base of a mountain. Twelve years ago. Pre-dawn.

“You are very good at this. I mean that quite sincerely. This is exactly how I’ve always imagined taking drugs would feel like.”

The elderly lady reached a wizened hand out of the sleeve of her flowing, blood-red robe and threw some more sand from her satchel onto fire that Tion and she sat around. The knees of her crossed legs bounced irregularly.

“The smoke’s a bit much, I think,” Tion continued. “I’d be fine with just the little that’s actually here. ‘Filling’ the cave is kind of overkill, don’t you think?”

The old woman continued to throw grains of sand on the embers. They made harsh hissing noises whenever they landed. When she finally spoke, her voice was scratchy and barely audible.

“Tell me, child, for how long have you sought the Oracle Under the Hill?”

Tion flicked out his fingers, counting the years that had gone by since he had first taken an interest in the sage’s work. When he had only a thumb left touching his palm, he held them up for her to see. “About ninety years, give or take a season.”

Her pale eyes studied him skeptically, but she did not challenge him on it. “Then why is it that now that you have found her, you seem solely intent on mockery?” she queried.

“Because,” Tion replied with a giggle, “you’re not the Oracle.”

Another handful of sand was thrown, more aggressively this time.  

“I have advised a thousand kings and generals,” she rasped. “You are the first to question my credentials.”

Tion ignored her. “So where is she?” he asked. “Ancient lady, looks a bit like you with less hair? Penned the book about the bunny? Renowned among historians for receiving Truths that make absolutely no sense, but make for hilarious reading?”

He pushed on some of her emotions a bit with his mind. “Barry’s Backyard Adventure was never meant to be published,” she grumbled.

“Look,” Tion pressed, “It’s pretty obvious that you aren’t a Truth. Short of having a noose around your neck and an angry mod of villagers chasing you, you’re a textbook example of a gal with the Sensation instinct.”

This time, she ignored him, instead choosing to groan dramatically. “Arghhh!” she screamed. “I am receiving a vision!”

Tion was unimpressed. “Your grandmother was better at that,” he chided.

She dropped the act. “Fine!” she hissed vehemently. “She’s been dead for eighty years. What are you going to do about it?”

Tion was taken aback. “Do?” he said, easing up on the amount of Power he was channeling towards her.

“Go ahead! Expose this order to the world!” she dared him. “See how the lords of this land react when you decry their favourite seer.”

The god of Sensation furrowed his brows.

“I can’t do that. There’s at least seven fiefdoms nearby where local rulers’ authority is largely based on your blessing. I’d be directly responsible for civil unrest at best, and civil wars at worst. This society runs on instincts. Bad things happen when they’re undermined.”

*****

The most popular secret glade in the forest. Present Day. Nighttime.

“Quite right!” Tion replied to Luna and Truth’s assertions regarding Creativity. “It takes all ten gods to make the world run as it should, including him.”

He did not know whether fighting was considered an art, but he would not have been surprised if it was. Not the dirty, no-holds-barred desperation fighting that he had seen practiced on battlefields, but the showy, sword juggling, demonstration form of combat that most military elitists played at seemed right up the god’s alley.

“Now, Truth,” he said, changing the subject while he waited for Negation to spill whatever clever plan they undoubtably had brewing, “you never did answer my question. Can you lie?”

He was being blunt, but some knowledge was worth obtaining regardless of how other people felt about the tactics employed to get it.  

*****

“Then why?” screeched the current Oracle Under the Hill. “Why did you visit me?”

Tion got up from his seat on the rock, shook his legs awake, and started heading towards the exit.

“Because,” he called over his shoulder as he walked towards the threshold of the chamber, “your grandmother told me to.”

The old lady screamed in frustration. Tion brushed some cave dust off of his coat as the light of the sunrise greeted his return to the open air.

A half-emptied bag of sand hit him in the back of the head as he stepped outside.

[AonEne]

Quote

On 7/15/2019 at 8:25 PM, Ax's Boyfriend said:

Also, how would y'all feel if Creativity only spoke in song?

I would be fine with that. 

On 7/16/2019 at 11:44 AM, Archer said:

He did not know whether fighting was considered an art, but he would not have been surprised if it was. Not the dirty, no-holds-barred desperation fighting that he had seen practiced on battlefields, but the showy, sword juggling, demonstration form of combat that most military elitists played at seemed right up the god’s alley.

he waited for Negation to spill whatever clever plan they undoubtably had brewing

Both  at least imo. 

Er, keep waiting... 

 

Edited July 19, 2019 by AonEne

[+Ark1002]

Quote

23 hours ago, Archer said:

I would very much like it if Creativity only spoke in song. Tion would not, but who cares what he thinks. 

Well, song and poem.

Apparently can't get it up today, sorry.

 

[overlord stick]

12 hours ago, Archer said:

The most popular secret glade in the forest. Present Day. Nighttime.

“Quite right!” Tion replied to Luna and Truth’s assertions regarding Creativity. “It takes all ten gods to make the world run as it should, including him.”

He did not know whether fighting was considered an art, but he would not have been surprised if it was. Not the dirty, no-holds-barred desperation fighting that he had seen practiced on battlefields, but the showy, sword juggling, demonstration form of combat that most military elitists played at seemed right up the god’s alley.

“Now, Truth,” he said, changing the subject while he waited for Negation to spill whatever clever plan they undoubtably had brewing, “you never did answer my question. Can you lie?”

He was being blunt, but some knowledge was worth obtaining regardless of how other people felt about the tactics employed to get it.

Truth hesitated. Could he lie? "I can, but, I can't. Well, what I mean is that I physically can't, but it goes against everything I stand for. I'm not sure what you meant to gleam from that question, but there's your answer."

Edited July 17, 2019 by Emperor Stick

[I think I am here.]

22 hours ago, Sorana said:

Sagitta woke with a start and jolted upright, panting. The voice, she couldn't place it, the bed the room. It took her a moment to grasp where she was, what she had missed. The base, she was in the base and she had agreed to do some of his tests. Because she needed food. She stood up, pulled on some shoes and noted the guard with the sword. Unarmed, but as she had no weapon, he probably wouldn't need a sword at all. Sagitta judged they way he stood, how he held himself and a slight smile touched her lips. He would need that sword. And probably she still stood a chance against him.

"I'm ready."

She told Price and felt her heart beat faster. It felt bad, wrong. The whole situation was wrong.

“Okay. Lucky for you, I’m also the supervisor for your tests.”

He gestured for her to follow and tried to lead her and the guard to a small testing chamber dug into the ground not too far from the sleeping wards. The chamber had a couple other people in it, with documents and pencils, and had a very tall ladder leaning against one of the walls.

The guard tried to look intimidating and tried to lead Sagitta into the room.

[+Sorana]

24 minutes ago, I think I am here. said:

“Okay. Lucky for you, I’m also the supervisor for your tests.”

He gestured for her to follow and tried to lead her and the guard to a small testing chamber dug into the ground not too far from the sleeping wards. The chamber had a couple other people in it, with documents and pencils, and had a very tall ladder leaning against one of the walls.

The guard tried to look intimidating and tried to lead Sagitta into the room.

The guard grabbed her arm and led her into the testing room. Sagitta grimaced but didn’t resist. She had agreed. She had agreed to it. She needed to go home. She was strong, she could do this. The room with it’s lights, it scared her. She was always in control, it was her life and she decided what to do. When she had a sword, then she was in control, it depended on her skills to survive. But she had no idea how to survive here.

[I think I am here.]

6 hours ago, Sorana said:

But she had no idea how to survive here.

The guard tried to lead her to very centre of the room, right in the view of all the scribes lurking the corners observing everything they could about her and frantically scribbling on their notepads.

Price took his place a little in front of them, facing Sagitta. “We’ll begin with an interview,” he said, more for the scribes than Sagitta. They’d stopped calling it an interrogation since a couple years ago, though there was no question that it was.

“What can your instinct do?” He asked Sagitta in the almost completely siletnt room. “Please be as detailed as possible, any lies will be found through testing and consequences yielded to.”

[John Flamesinger]

John gasped as he hit the ground. He could see everything, but nothing.

When he sat up, it was dark.

"Hello?"

Quote

I was gone for way to long.

And I am going to be gone for longer in a few days. This is going to be interesting.

 

[+Ark1002]

Quote

This character is very... unique.

BIO:

Spoiler

Name: Hallucinatio (Creativity)

Sex/Age: Appears anywhere from ten to fifty, and can be of either gender

Appearance: Varies widely. Manifests at numerous ages and as both genders, and anywhere from five feet to seven feet. Three things remain consistent between bodies. Eyes: A kaleidoscope pattern, shifting, in the colors of the rainbow, shifting, with the black and the white on the eye switched. Hair: The shade of silver, in a long ponytail, with small gemstones, amethyst, ruby, and aquamarine imbedded in the strands. Nails: Fingernails and toenails are long, with an extremely slowly turning black and white swirl, like a hypnotism thing. The body is always covered in tattoos, with tattoos on the arms, legs, chest, back, and neck, and with one on each  side of the eyes. The tattoos tend to be animals and quotes from poetry, with the exception of the tattoos by the eyes, which are always a symbol of some sort. Skin color varies, as does muscle/fast mass. Usually wears a long coat with many large pockets, died in various colors, or made of animal fur.

Instinct: Creativity

Nationality: Hopearaa. Could look like they come from any different nationality.

Personality: Unpredictable, but always tends to be overly dramatic, as if they were in a performance.

Weapons/Equipment: Trident, handle folding, pitch black and imbedded with quartz flecks. Dagger, rainbow blade and tiger fur handle. Shortsword, brilliant white blade with a purple sheath and handle. Five containers-two orbs that shatter and release gas, and two needles for injection, one dart shooter-full of a chemical that puts the brain on a hyperactive hallucinating and creative mode. Wide range of paint brushes, three small jars of paint. Flute, banjo, harmonica, hand drum, mouth harp. Pen and pencils.

Family: N/A

Backstory: Over the years, his mental state degraded further and further. He had small mental issues, but they continued to grow, as he left them as they were, not attempting to change. They began to take over his personality step by step, leaving him hyperactive, only able to speak in song or poetry, and generally acting erratically. He grew more and more unstable, and started to try and create "plot" in the world, spinning mortals against each other, using music and art to inspire conflict. This turned darker and darker, and it changed to inspiring lust, greed, violence. He began to live in a state of extreme paranoia, with strange views of the world, his only goal an "interesting" world, one violent and chaotic.

Villain

 

@AonEne

[Lunamor]

Quote

What would the layout of the Tühine base be like?

@I think I am here.

@AonEne

@I’m not sure who else to tag

[xinoehp512]

On Tuesday, July 16, 2019 at 10:40 AM, Blessing of Potency said:

Infinity steps outside, “Come on, we need to go.” She gives him a smile 

His expression darkened slightly. "After what happened?"

[BringerofShadows]

Quote

Nobody heard the screams…? 

 

[+Sorana]

7 hours ago, I think I am here. said:

The guard tried to lead her to very centre of the room, right in the view of all the scribes lurking the corners observing everything they could about her and frantically scribbling on their notepads.

Price took his place a little in front of them, facing Sagitta. “We’ll begin with an interview,” he said, more for the scribes than Sagitta. They’d stopped calling it an interrogation since a couple years ago, though there was no question that it was.

“What can your instinct do?” He asked Sagitta in the almost completely siletnt room. “Please be as detailed as possible, any lies will be found through testing and consequences yielded to.”

Sagitta faced them, almost surprised by the question. She looked at him, only for a heartbeat, for another heartbeat and realized, that while she could have entertained them hours with information about their military and weapons, she had no idea about how to reply to that.

"I can soften sword-blows."

She said finally, thought about what else she did.

"And the impact of the armor on my joints, meaning I can jump down a few feet."

That was it. She doubted it was everything her instinct could do, but it was, what she knew about it. She'd focused on what she needed, she was a soldier, not a scientist.

[old man moomba]

Luna sighed and discontentedly began breaking the arrow into pieces.

[I think I am here.]

9 hours ago, Lunamor said:

What would the layout of the Tühine base be like?

Quote

Ene might have a better idea, which is why I purposely left lots of it vague when they enter the base, just detailing the testing areas. I’d imagine a courtyard surrounded by buildings, for sleeping quarters for the soldiers, and places to eat. I imagine a large part of it would be underground so maybe unassuming size. With large walls around of course, acccessed only by gates.

 

4 hours ago, Sorana said:

Sagitta faced them, almost surprised by the question. She looked at him, only for a heartbeat, for another heartbeat and realized, that while she could have entertained them hours with information about their military and weapons, she had no idea about how to reply to that.

"I can soften sword-blows."

She said finally, thought about what else she did.

"And the impact of the armor on my joints, meaning I can jump down a few feet."

That was it. She doubted it was everything her instinct could do, but it was, what she knew about it. She'd focused on what she needed, she was a soldier, not a scientist.

Price wrote down the words, and the scribes by the sides continued scribbling whatever it was they were analysing about Sagitta. It wasn’t exactly very detailed, but that was fine. Gaining more detail was the purpose of the tests. He gestured to the ladder that leaned against the wall, about 25 feet in height.

“You’re not wearing armour, would that mean you’d be able to soften more of a fall?” He asked, then noted something on the ladder. “Please climb to the maximum height of the ladder where you think you can fall without sustaining any injuries.”

[+Sorana]

34 minutes ago, I think I am here. said:

Price wrote down the words, and the scribes by the sides continued scribbling whatever it was they were analysing about Sagitta. It wasn’t exactly very detailed, but that was fine. Gaining more detail was the purpose of the tests. He gestured to the ladder that leaned against the wall, about 25 feet in height.

“You’re not wearing armour, would that mean you’d be able to soften more of a fall?” He asked, then noted something on the ladder. “Please climb to the maximum height of the ladder where you think you can fall without sustaining any injuries.”

Sagitta failed to see the connection between a fall and her armor, but she still climbed up the ladder. It was high, but she climbed maybe six feet up. Too high to not injure herself, but she had her instinct. He was right. Without the armor, she could influence the impact itself and jump down without getting hurt. It was the same.

Sagitta swallowed her nervousness and then let go of the ladder.

She was falling, and she reached out for – there was nothing to reach out for. She was used to the metal, to move it, to use it, but there was no metal. There was only air and her body and –

She hit the ground with her back, the impact forcing the air out of her lungs. Sagitta groaned in pain and didn’t move for a while, until the pain lessened slightly. She rolled over and pushed herself of the ground. She knew about pain. You didn’t learn how to wield a weapon without pain. Her movements were stiff, but she did move.

“The answer is no.”

She forced her voice to be steady,

“I have no idea how to do that.”

[I think I am here.]

9 minutes ago, Sorana said:

“The answer is no.”

She forced her voice to be steady,

“I have no idea how to do that.”

Price frowned when she hit the floor with a thud and the scribes in the corners took a break from their writing to gasp quietly. Price made some more notes on his ledger —Inexperienced beyond habitual uses.

Price looked to his assistant supervisor to continue the tests but the assistant just shrugged, of what they did know about Intensity — because they did know some things — reducing the intensity of falling was a basic move. If Sagitta couldn’t do it... the assistant supervisor didn’t know if she’d be ready for the other tests at all.

Price sighed and looked to Sagitta. The thing was, she was already reducing her fall, she’d said her herself. Just perhaps in a way that she’d practised, with armour. “Get some light armour,” he said to the assistant supervisor and the man ran off, out of the chamber. Price looked to Sagitta again.

“When you’re in your armour, and you ‘reduce the impact of it on your joints’, what does it feel like? How do you do the action? Is it like your pushing on the metal? Pulling?”

Or does it feel like, for a brief moment, the power of destruction itself? But no, that was just his own instinct. Entropy.

[+Sorana]

29 minutes ago, I think I am here. said:

“When you’re in your armour, and you ‘reduce the impact of it on your joints’, what does it feel like? How do you do the action? Is it like your pushing on the metal? Pulling?”

Or does it feel like, for a brief moment, the power of destruction itself? But no, that was just his own instinct. Entropy.

Sagitta took the armour and started to put it on. The favourite movements calmed her, despite the part where it was leather and no metal. Still, armour was armour.

She paused, looked at Price, suddenly feeling sorry for her performance. Judging their reactions, they really didn't want to hurt her, at least not all of them did. Provoking them by trying something she'd never done before-

"I imagine my armour hangs on strings. So that I don't have to carry the whole weight. It helps with marching a whole day and it helps with jumping. Same with a sword. When it's about to hit me, I simply convince it, that it's pulled back from me by something."

Her face brightened when she remembered something.

"Actually it works with things someone throws at me as well."

Edited July 18, 2019 by Sorana

[I think I am here.]

17 minutes ago, Sorana said:

Her face brightened when she remembered something.

"Actually it works with things someone throws at me as well."

Price’a frown quirked up to a little grin when her face brightened and she began to recall more about the Instinct. She looked more comfortable in the armour as well. The scribes, meanwhile, we’re going crazy in their ledgers about how she described using the Instinct.

“Alright, we can work with that. Next time you jump of the ladder —maybe choose a smaller height?— try imagining the strings are attached to you than any object. And that when you began to fall, the string pulls you a little up to lessen it?” He looeked to the assistant supervisor, who was back, and he nodded. “Begin test.”

[+Sorana]

31 minutes ago, I think I am here. said:

Price’a frown quirked up to a little grin when her face brightened and she began to recall more about the Instinct. She looked more comfortable in the armour as well. The scribes, meanwhile, we’re going crazy in their ledgers about how she described using the Instinct.

“Alright, we can work with that. Next time you jump of the ladder —maybe choose a smaller height?— try imagining the strings are attached to you than any object. And that when you began to fall, the string pulls you a little up to lessen it?” He looeked to the assistant supervisor, who was back, and he nodded. “Begin test.”

Sagitta nodded. Strings attached to her. That sounded easy.

The climbed up the ladder again, only half the height and without allowing herself a moment to hesitate, she jumped. Instinctively she pictured her armour getting pulled up and landed softly on her feet, without the need to bend her knees at all.

"I'm sorry. I got that part with fastening them to me wrong. Should I try again?"

[I think I am here.]

1 hour ago, Sorana said:

“I'm sorry. I got that part with fastening them to me wrong. Should I try again?"

“Yes, please.”

To Price it seemed attaching the ‘strings’ to the armour would reduce the intensity of the weight, making it lighter and easier to move around in. But lighter armour wouldn’t do anything for a fall.

Edited July 18, 2019 by I think I am here.

[+Sorana]

8 minutes ago, I think I am here. said:

“Yes, please.”

To Price it seemed attaching the strings to the armour would reduce the intensity of the weight, making it lighter and easier to move around in. But lighter armour wouldn’t do anything for a fall.

Sagitta nodded. To her. It was about her. Moving them seemed so difficult, so she simply let the strings remain where they were. Instead she attached new ones to her body and smiled slightly. A challenge. She could do this. It was nothing, but a challenge.

Jumping of the ladder she grinned when she realized that it worked and landed softly on the ground. Triumphantly she showed Price a thumbs up.

[I think I am here.]

18 minutes ago, Sorana said:

Jumping of the ladder she grinned when she realized that it worked and landed softly on the ground. Triumphantly she showed Price a thumbs up.

Price smiled and it was now his turn to write something on his ledger, a tick.

“We’re trying to test the limitations of this ability,” he said, growing a little bit excited. “Try jumping from the top of the ladder. And I wonder if the more ‘strings’ you attach, the greater the magic use?”