this is Salem, a land filled with magic and maladies. It is a place where witches and their elemental familiars gather, a home to legend and
lore that predates time itself. Yet of all the wicked and wonderful stories the past can tell us of, the most magical are the ones yet to happen.
This is Salem - this is the start of your very own journey. Welcome to starfall
Starfall is an animaga witch roleplay set in mostly modern times. Members play as witches in a world plagued by monsters, where the only safe spots are walled cities. Starfall strives to be a character-driven roleplay with expansive lore and a highly interactive plotline. We want to allow members to
create and look back on a magical journey, and mold the site and its plot as their characters grow.
It's probably dangerous to go out at night in another town, Caleb had thought of that to himself. He couldn't sleep, though. Sleep was probably by far a thing he couldn't really comprehend, especially at night. Sleep was nothing but a burden. Sleep was just a disturbance to your time. Sleep was--
A pang of nervousness suddenly filled him. He should've listened to Aria. He should've stayed back home and slept the night away. But his consciousness was telling him to get out of his room and enjoy the night walking around, in a town he didn't really know of, even. What if he got into danger here? He was mute, he couldn't shout even if he wanted to. Aria can't hear him either; she's too far off in Sundial sleeping in her cage.
He was quite doomed. Maybe.
Well, at least he had his notebook with him. Carefully shifting the page, he sat just next to a moonlit tree and wrote something down to ease his nervousness about this other town. It looked quite empty, but there are people here. People he didn't know. And no one would ever try to answer him if he just wrote a question in his notebook like that. No one would take him seriously.
Now he was tired, he was sure of that. Throwing his head against the bark of the tree, he closed his eyes and dozed off.
[attr="class","gearcore"] Zephyr was no stranger to travel. In fact, it was a major component of his job as a train mechanic. With tracks winding through the monster-infested wilderness, it usually made sense to bring along someone who could repair crippling damage to the vehicle on the journey.
Thankfully, this particular trip hadn't been terribly eventful: no monsters, no mechanical breakdowns, and no railway robberies. The mechanic couldn't have asked for an easier paycheck. Unfortunately, he was scheduled for the trip back to Sundial as well, so he couldn't enjoy Eclipse Town for too long. A few hours at most. Not one to let an hourglass drip idly, Zeph hops off of the locomotive before it fully stops, offering a quick parting wave to the conductor, which is mimicked by the monkey familiar perched on his shoulder. He didn't even bother to change out of his work clothes of heavy boots and overalls dirtied by ever-present smudges of coal and grease before heading towards the heart of the little town.
The stranger would have likely gone unacknowledged if it hadn't been for Zeph's prosthetics. Though greatly improved from even the pat year, they could not feel, and therefore often got tripped up over small obstacles in the terrain. For example: the stretched-out legs of a person resting up against a tree...
"Shit--!" the blond blurts out as he feels himself tumbling forwards, though he manages to catch himself soon after in a few wobbly, graceless strides. As soon as the mechanic was sure his face wasn't about to have an unpleasant collision with the ground, he spins around to check on the human obstacle. Though it rare, sometimes his legs inflicted more damage than he realized. "Sorry -- You alright?" he asks quickly, glancing over the stranger to make sure there weren't any bones bending in directions they weren't supposed to.
Caleb didn't care about anything else anymore. He considered sleep a burden a while ago, but now he wanted nothing more than sleep. A dream suddenly fills his mind as he dozed off. His mother, holding him in his arms while his father was nowhere to be found. Children bullying him in school. Him moving into Sundial to start a new life. Him feeling the sudden movement of his legs--
His eyes burst open once he feels a foot's collision with his outstretched legs. Caleb rubs his eyes and looks around, then sees the culprit to his disturbance. What looked like a man older than him, with blonde hair. Caleb blinked and tried to see if he wasn't dreaming. He wasn't alone in here after all!
When asked if he was okay, the dark-skinned boy kept quiet. Oh no, he was mute. Should his notebook help in this predicament? He signalled for the man to wait for his reply, before grabbing his notebook. He started to write something in it before showing it to him, an answer jotted down in blue ink.
"I'm fine, thank you for asking. What are you doing here in this fine night?"
[attr="class","gearcore"] Admittedly, Zephyr thought it was a bit odd when the stranger didn't respond, and instead signaled him to wait. It looked like he was writing, so maybe someone had hit him with a jinx that made it impossible to talk? Or he could have just had a painfully sore throat? Regardless, the mechanic was willing to wait a few moments for the guy to finish writing.
The darkness of this time of night, though partially mitigated by the glow of the nearby town and the recently-arrived train, was difficult to read through. Zeph squinted and leaned in closer, but didn't want to impose too much in the stranger's personal space, so in the end he cast a simple illumination spell on his hand, causing it to emit an unearthly pale blue glow. Ah, much better.
"Just work, frankly," Zeph answers the written question with a shrug, "I'm a mechanic, and th' train stations pay us decently t' ride long distances or weird hours. I just got in on that beaut over there." He motions vaguely towards the station, where light from the locomotive was being diffused throughout the billowing smoke from the still-hot engine.
As he says this, Spock, his spider monkey familiar, leans forward from his shoulder and signs: "Do you know how to sign?"
The young male watched as the stranger tried to squint his eyes to read his notebook. He sighed sadly to himself. It was dark, so there's a good reason why he should be doing this. He then saw him cast a strange spell which caused his hand to light up. Caleb watched in awe at the light. He hasn't seen any of this magic before, so there was no wonder why it looked so majestic.
When he was given a reply, the boy simply nodded and smiled. Ah, so he was a mechanic. It must be interesting to watch some people tinkering with malfunctioning trains and making them work normally yet again. Caleb smiled and began to jot down a few notes again, handing them over for the man to see.
"Ah, that's interesting. I'm sorry for having you to emit strange light just to read my message, but I am a mute. Therefore I need a notebook to relay my messages on. There is also another option, but..."
He was caught in a surprise when a spider monkey appeared from the man's shoulder. Ah, his familiar! Caleb smiled at the primate and waved. The monkey then started to sign something, and he understood. Caleb had been taught by his mother about how to sign before, so he should get this right.
As a reply to the monkey, he also did some hand gestures for her and her master.
"Yes, I do know how to sign. Hello there. May I know your names?"
[attr="class","gearcore"] "Ah, no worries, mate; it's not a high mana-drainin' spell" Zeph reassures after Caleb writes out an apology. He doesn't get a chance to read the next couple of sentences before Spock interrupts.
Even though the monkey communicated with her witch mentally, and even verbally when others weren't around, Zephyr had made a point to learn how to sign as well, so he was able to follow the exchange just fine.
The monkey clenches her fingers while keeping them spread apart from each other. She then brings her hands together, sliding the knuckles of each hand into the gaps between the fingers of its opposite, reminiscent of the teeth on a zipper or (in this case) a pair of gears. "This's Sprocket," Zeph adds to the display of her signed name, "Most call 'er Spock for short, though. I'm Zephyr." The mechanic signs a variant of "mountain" when he says his own name, causing the shadows cast from his glowing hand to slide all over the place. Though Fane had picked a new verbal name for him, Sprocket had picked the sign, taking inspiration from the identically named mountain at the fringes of Gale Valley. The monkey thought it was only fair that she should be able to pick a name for her witch, since her witch was able to pick a name for her.
"What's your name?" Spock asks silently, immediately followed by the question of "Do you have a place to stay?" Her signs are sharp and to the point. After all, it isn't common to find a young and seemingly sober person sleeping on the edge of the street in the middle of the night if they had a good home to go back to. "Yeh, it's prob'ly not the safest bein' passed out on your own at night," Zeph adds.
Sprocket. Zephyr. He should remember those names. The young man nodded in response, smiling at both of them before signing to them. It's nice to know both of you. My name is Caleb D'Grayson. Again, nice to meet you. He wasn't really sure how to sign his name, since he doesn't know how to sign names unlike how Sprocket had done it, but he does have his notebook. In case both did not understand, he wrote his name on his notebook and showed it to them again, with an apology in blue ink.
I'm sorry yet again. I don't know how to sign my name, and am used to writing on my notebook. But do not worry; I sign with conversations just fine.
So Zephyr was out for work, and out with his familiar. He smiled softly. I have a familiar too, you know. A bird. She is still at home. He signed yet again.
When asked if he had a place to stay, he nodded. Yes, I do have. I live with my familiar Aria. You don't need to worry.
[attr="class","gearcore"] Zephyr, admittedly, got a bit lost around midway through Caleb signing out his name letter by letter. Was the "D" a middle initial? Had Zeph just misinterpreted? Thankfully, Caleb turned back to his pen and paper. "Caleb, -- am I sayin' that right? -- yeh, it'd be good if ya write that name down for me. I'm a bit outta practice with signin'." Spock confirmed that Zeph had gotten the first name correct, at least, providing mental affirmation along with a physical nod.
"Got it," Zeph said after he read his new acquaintance's name, his eyes still scanning the rest of the written text as he spoke, "Aah, makes sense. The part about writin' more often, I mean. Don't worry if you're more comfor'ble with talkin' that way; I don't need t' be anywhere in a hurry." Zeph knew from personal experience that the vast majority of people in smaller towns didn't know sign language. There might have been some communities in the big city of Mirrorlight who could speak it, but Zeph hadn't explored enough of that place to know for sure.
"Ah, so ya live close?" Zeph asked when Caleb mentioned that his familiar was at home. Being physically far from one's familiar could be dangerous, since using elemental magic relied on the closeness of witch and familiar, both in body and mind. Being far away meant that one wouldn't be able to help the other if something dangerous happened. "Do you need to return there?" Spock adds, still unconvinced that this boy was as fine as he claimed.
Zephyr stated -- though halfway asking if he had said his name right, in which Caleb nodded -- that it was better if he put down his name like that. Caleb sighed to himself. He was sure to be making a hard time for Zephyr to read his texts in the middle of the dark. The young man snapped his notebook shut once Zephyr got his name perfectly. Sprock did mention that Zephyr got his first name right, which might mean that he didn't quite understand his last name. So he wrote it down again in bold, capital letters. Just in case he needs it.
CALEB D'GRAYSON
He was glad that Zephyr and his familiar both understood his situation about not able to sign some words. He learned basic sign language, but names and other compliacated words he wouldn't be fine with just his hands. He got lucky, he thought, to have brought his notebook all along.
Caleb started signing with his hands again. I am glad that you both understand my situation. I do prefer writing in my notebook as means of communication, but it just might annoy others. That is where my sign language comes in handy.
When asked if he lived close to this town, he shook his head, then signed again, pointing towards a tall apartment building which was located in Sundial City. Sadly, no. I live halfway across this town, in Sundial City. I heard Mirrorlight Metropolis comes first before Sundial, so it could be a few minutes or even hours before I return there, if I calculated correctly.
Sprock inquired if he needed to return there, and he nodded worriedly as a reply, standing up from the tree he just bent down upon. I really, really do. Aria, my familiar, would surely be worried for me. She'd be asking me where I was all night.
Then, a thought occured to him. He didn't know a way back from here! He sighed sadly to himself, then looked hopefully at Zephyr and Sprocket. He needed to go home, but to venture all alone again would be dangerous, and he could get more lost.
Heaving a deep breath, he turned and scratched the back of his neck, before signing again.
D-Do you both know a way home? A-And if it's alright with you... can I come with you as you travel?
[attr="class","gearcore"] Oooh, it was an apostrophe. Those were tricky. "Caleb D'Grayson," Zeph reads from the paper, pronouncing the last name just a bit incorrectly around the first few syllables, but getting close enough to be understood.
"I don't mind either, frankly" Zeph admits to Caleb's expressed preference of writing over signing. "Well -- as long as ya don't mind me leanin' in t' get a good look't the text," he adds with a shrug.
Up until now, Zephyr has seemed fairly laid-back about this coincidental meeting, but when Caleb mentions that he's from Zeph's home town, the mechanic balks. "You're from Sundial?" he asks, unsure if he should be more concerned or impressed about this new acquaintance's ability to get lost and function independently from his familiar. "That's not a short walk, mate. Ya sure ya didn't stumble into a portal on your way over here?" It was a valid question; Zephyr himself was known to play around with teleportational Gates, and had built himself a significant collection of these doorways to other places across Salem. Unfortunately, none of them linked Eclipse Town to Sundial... yet. Still, it was probably possible for someone else to have pulled it off.
The mechanic ponders over what would be the best path for Caleb to take home. Not on foot, obviously -- there were too many monsters in the night, "Well... I s'ppose we can take a look n' see if a portal was how ya got here... Or ya can take th' train back with me. That's where I'm headed in less 'n an hour.", he offered, not really knowing if the boy (who'd just yesterday been a stranger) was up for that kind of adventure;
@caleb i apologize for any sleep-deprived lack of quality ;u; -pats caleb rapid-
here lies everything, the world i wanted at my feet
Zephyr looks at the name written in his notebook, before saying it again. Caleb nods at this, glad he got the name quite right. He then says he doesn’t really mind his preferred way of communicating with others – writing in his notebook – so long as he didn’t mind Zephyr leaning in to read the text. Caleb can understand that well. He nodded at this statement, then turned to Sprock with a smile. He didn’t know why, but seeing he wasn’t all alone in this unknown town was very relieving. If he were alone; without his familiar, too, then he would surely loose his mind.
Once he mentions that he came from Sundial, he saw Zephyr’s surprised look, telling him that it wasn’t a short walk. Caleb’s eyes widened in surprise by this. N-Not a short walk? He couldn’t clearly remember anything, just that he wanted to explore outside Sundial, so he decided to go to Eclipse Town. Did he walk all the way here or was Zephyr right – he talked about how Caleb might’ve stumbled into a portal – that he was transported here using a portal? When he asked about it, Caleb lowered his head in uncertainty. He doesn’t really know... he should tell Zephyr.
I... I’m afraid I don’t know. I could be forgetful sometimes. You might be right, though, about me having accidentally stepped into a portal on the way. To tell you the truth, I felt kind of tired all morning, waking up just to get out of the house. I was exhausted up until nighttime. A small smile formed through his face as he added, jotting down. I guess that means it’s still my own fault, right? Not sleeping a wink and getting lost as a result...
He stopped when Zephyr told him that they could see if there really was a portal here... which was a much more plausible approach. Of course he could always choose to go to the train with Zephyr for home... S-Sure... if you want, I want to first check if there are portals here, though I don’t want to be a burden to you...
[attr="class","gearcore"] As Caleb begins writing again, the hesitant motions of his pen and his downturned posture gave Zephyr the distinct impression that he was either lost and confused, or lying. Granted, the crafter couldn't fathom the potential motives of the latter.
He waits for Caleb to finish writing before taking a look at the paper, holding the notebook steady in one hand to better read the written text. His brows furrow in silent concern as his eyes glance over the sentences about being exhausted. That sort of thing seemed to be turning into an epidemic in Sundial; if Caleb's familiar hadn't been back in that city, Zeph probably would have suggested staying away from there.
"Yeh, we can check for portals first," the crafter agrees as he releases his hold on the notebook, "But I wouldn't go blamin' yourself for somethin' like this. I hear there's been all sorts o' weird sleep patterns plaguin' people in Sundial." It had all started with that night when nightmares swept across the city and dozens had died in their sleep. Afterwards, there had been cases of sleepwalking and unnatural tiredness -- nothing as dramatic as that first night, but it certainly felt like something big was approaching.
"Do ya remember which way ya wandered over here from?" he asks, glancing from the station, to the surrounding woods, to the developed portion of the town, pondering where a potential portal was most likely to be hidden.
here lies everything, the world i wanted at my feet
Caleb looks at Zephyr and nods in understanding once he says they should check for portals first. He smiles gratefully at the mechanic and his familiar, before his eyes widen at the mention of sleep plagues in Sundial. So that must be how I ended up here! Caleb thought, before shrugging off the thought. It was impossible. After all, Zephyr had already said that portals had sent him here, and Caleb knew it may be because of his recklessness. There would be enough reason as to why he needs to be careful when walking out of Sundial in an exhausted mood, though.
Caleb stands up and turns left, then right. Sitting down near the tree was getting boring than he ever thought it would be. When asked which direction he had come from, he turned and pointed to the right. That is where I came from, if I could remember, he signed to them, specifically to Sprock.
Meanwhile, back in the skies of Sundial, Aria, Caleb D'Grayson's familiar, flew through the air, anxiously looking down for any signs of her master. She had told him not to go off by himself, but he was too stubborn and went, anyway. Aria knew he shouldn't be going off in nights like this. It could be dangerous.
[attr="class","gearcore"] "Then that's where we'll start!" Zeph declares with a confident nod, "Ah, but first--" The crafter's voice trails off as he begins rummaging around in his canvas utility bag. After a short cacophony of metal clattering, he pulls out what at first seems to be a metal sculpture of a crow. After a moment of Zephyr pushing its disheveled-looking appendages back into their proper places, though, the contraption's amber eyes open and its wings extend experimentally. Zephyr opens his atheneum interface: a flat, bluish hologram filled with near-incomprehensible text notes and scribbles of mechanical concepts. The bird's eyes appear to turn the same light shade of blue just before it leaps from the crafter's hand and soars up above the rooftops. The image on Zephyr's interface changes to display a bird's eye view of Eclipse Town and the surrounding forest from the perspective of the flying contraption. "No point in limitin' ourselves t' a view from the streets, yeh?" Zeph notes with a grin as he begins walking off towards the town, with his interface hovering steadily next to him.
"The trouble with Gates is that they can look like just 'bout anythin' with a frame. Doors, windows, manholes-- all sorts o' options for 'em," the crafter notes as he glances between the buildings in front of him, to the interface of rooftops above, "So lemme know if ya see anythin' familiar."
In the sky, the crow's frame glints with a metallic sheen in the moonlight, inadvertently giving away its location to other creatures (and beasts) traversing the nighttime air.
[attr="class","victoriousscroll"]Caleb smiled as the mechanic seemed to acknowledge his statements, but then stops and grabs a metal sculpture of a crow from his utility bag. The young man watches in amazement as the sculpture's eyes glow a bright amber, before it turns blue once Zephyr makes some changes Caleb couldn't quite understand. But the hologram and the bird still amazes him. So after the bird soars through the skies and Zephyr mentions not limiting the views of the streets, Caleb grins and walks over to Zephyr, following him and observing the interface.
How... exactly, does this work? He wanted to ask; at least, if Sprock could read whatever he was saying, then he won't have to sign. He turned to Zephyr with a curious look on his face. I mean... it's amazing how you can create these contraptions and make them work with only a snap of a finger. This must be your affinity, perhaps...?
Then he frowned when Zephyr mentioned how portals can be tricky, being in the guise of doors and holes and many other entrances you can think of. That... must be difficult to figure out... He muttered doubtfully, but still managed to smile. But I'll be sure to point out anything that seems off or familiar to me.
##~##
Aria had been flying for hours now. The forests were being suspicious to her, that was for sure, but he must be traversing the other streets. She wanted to rest for now, perch on a tree and forget about Caleb for a minute, but alas, she couldn't do that. Caleb was her master. And a mute one, even. He might be in danger right now. And with a mute master, he was sure to fight whoever threat is but he couldn't shout for help.
The hawk cursed under her breath and forced her tired wings to keep flying in the skies. She continued to navigate the streets, then the forests again, then vice versa--
--A crow...?
The hawk raised an eyebrow, but she decided to approach it. What would a crow be doing here though, she wondered? The hawk decided to go after the crow, watching its unusual eyes. It doesn't look to be a normal crow, though... crows usually don't have blue, bright eyes.
It looks to be a machine for Aria.
She then wondered who could've produced a machine like this. Perhaps someone Caleb had met and decided to make a distress signal? Aria's beak cracked up into a smile as she followed the crow. This might lead her to Caleb's whereabouts and where he actually is.
She just hoped that this crow would lead her to the right place.
Ohmigosh it took quite long, but here it is! Have a curious Caleb and a wary Aria XD
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