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.
[attr="class","gearcore"] The look of curiosity is all Zeph needs to assume that Caleb's interested in the mechanical crow. (Granted, it took very little prompting to spark a conversation about machines with the crafter) "Aah, I found the blueprints for that beaut mixed in with a pile o' Atheneum scrolls. Th' eyes link up with an Athenian's interface, so whatever it sees gets projected here." Zephyr points to the blue-tinted, semi-transparent screen of his own interface, then taps it to bring up what appeared to be controls, "An' it can be directed from th' same interface it's linked to, usin' mostly th' same physics of a normal bird t' fly. It took me somethin' like 20 tries t' get th' first build right." The wings, in particular, had been giving him problems during the construction -- primarily due to the vaguely documented feather design and his inelegant blacksmithing tendencies.
Speaking of his interface, a flitting movement on it catches the corner of his eye. Turning the clockwork raven's gaze and slowing his own walking pace, Zephyr zeroes in on the airborne mystery. "Hey, so speakin' o' familiar things... you don't happen t' know any birds o' prey, do ya?" The interface displays Aria, flying behind the slowly circling crow, while Zephyr's fingers hover above the controls, uncertain of if this animal was simply friendly and curious, or if it meant to attack.
[attr="class","victoriousscroll"]Caleb could only listen and stare at the interface with a gaping mouth as Zephyr started explaining to him some things that Caleb doesn't really get at all. It was boggling his mind; however could Zephyr even make a thing as complicated as this, the young man wondered?
Atheneum scrolls sound like hard work, but regardless of that they could still do amazing things like this machine over here. Hearing the statement '20 tries', the young man's eyes widened as he whipped his head to Zephyr. T-Twenty tries?! He exclaimed inwardly, looking at the machine once more. But looking at this thing... it's no wonder.
But then Caleb's wonder was interrupted when Zephyr suddenly mentioned a 'bird of prey', and upon facing the interface, sure enough, a falcon-like bird was shown, seemingly following Zephyr's machine.
A-Aria! He almost shouted, watching his familiar spiraling around the machine. That's my familiar! Ah, she really did follow me out here, didn't she...? He mumbled with an inward chuckle, then turned to Zephyr and Spock with a worried and pleading look on his face.
P-Please... can you take me to her?
~*=*~
Aria was starting to lose her patience. She didn't know where this thing was leading her, but if she needed any leads to where her master was, she had to follow. Besides, its a machine. And while Caleb is totally helpless with machines, maybe there is someone with him sending a distress signal.
Or maybe... a threat signal?
The falcon's face scrunched up with anger, and she flapped her wings faster towards the thing. Besides, Aria hadn't remembered Caleb going out of the house all so suddenly. If he did, he'd go tell her right away, so it's only out of him to just up and disappear like that.
So whoever was the owner of this crow would get a sign or appreciation, or a gut in the face.
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[attr="class","gearcore"] Caleb's look of recognition is instant, so Zephyr makes a point to maintain the mechanical raven's non-aggressive stance. "Ah... well, that design hasn't got any vocals t' let 'er know you're here. But I s'pose we could just go t' her instead..." The crafter appears thoughtful for a moment, and shares a glance at Spock as the two of them mentally exchange a few quick thoughts.
Cloudcutter?
Won't fit through the bag -- I was thinkin' a broomstick.
Blue?
That's always the best pick.
At the affirmation, Spock climbs down her human's arm and jumps into Zephyr's bag, seeming to vanish into the too-small container. The only other hint of what had just occurred was feint glimmer around the bag's mouth: the telltale sign of an active Gate, linking back to Zeph's workshop.
"You're not afraid of heights, are ya?" the crafter asks the other witch, not too concerned about his answer since, in the worst case scenario, he could just fly up to the other familiar himself and explain the situation. Little did he know, however, that deciding who would fly the broomstick which Sprocket was currently retrieving was a moot point. Just a few quiet moments passed before the flap of the bag suddenly flew open and a lightning-quick, blue-tinted broom rocketed skywards, sending Zephyr's unbound hair into a windblown frenzy.
"SPOCK-- BE CAREFUL WITH THAT!" the crafter worriedly shouted after the broom which was being piloted by none other than his own familiar. A gleeful cackle could be heard in response, but that quickly faded as the monkey gained distance between herself and her earthbound companions.
It was easy enough to spot the figures of the two birds, both blocking out starlight as they flew through the night. Sprocket holds on to the broom's shaft with her feet and tail, and uses both hands to wave enthusiastically at the avian. As she nears, she starts signing every variation for "come here" or "follow me" that she knows.
[attr="class","victoriousscroll"]Zephyr tells him that the crow has no way of telling Aria that they're here, only increasing the doubt that Caleb is feeling. O-Oh... is that so... He muses in his mind, his face filled with doubt. He turns to the hologram and looks at Aria, already frowning at the crow. He just hoped she wouldn't attack it or something.
He then turns to Zephyr and Spock, noticing the two of them deep in conversation. He blinked and raised an eyebrow, but continued to watch them anyway. Caleb's eyes widened when Spock entered Zephyr's bag; but nothing was moving inside. Had she completely disappearing into the bag?! That's quite... unimaginable...
The young man walked up to him with a worried look on his face. Uh... uhmm... He was about to sign, taking a chance to look at the bag before turning to Zephyr. Your familiar... where did she go? Did she just... disappear into your bag?
When asked about not being afraid of heights, though, he chuckled softly and shook his head. No. Not really. He replied with an amused look. Why, do we have to fly and meet Aria--
He almost yelped in surprise when a blue broom suddenly shot itself out of the bag, and was piloted by none other than Spock herself. Caleb stared at the flying monkey in disbelief, simply listening to Zephyr's yells to her about being careful with the broom. This was only followed by Spock's giggles, and then she was off.
Caleb blinked a couple of times, before turning to Zephyr with a look of disbelief. Wha... was that... was that what you were talking about earlier with Spock?
Up in the sky, Aria was starting to get irritated. Can't this crow be of any use and lead her to her master?! Her claws were getting sharper and she was about to teat apart this mechanical crow, when suddenly--
From the distance she could see a monkey in a flying broom, making her question what she just saw. What... what the...? She then saw the monkey gesturing for her to follow it. The eagle-hawk raised an eyebrow, turning to the crow and questioning herself whether to follow the monkey or not.
...She followed it. Maybe the monkey will take her to her master instead of this stupid crow.
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[attr="class","gearcore"] "Oh, that? It's sorta like a Gate built into th' openin' of my bag-- see?" Zephyr opens the flap wide to give Caleb a better look of the other side (which, though it was inside a crate and didn't reveal much, at the very least proved that it wasn't merely the inside of a bag, "It's real useful for bringin' along more things than I can cary, which, y'know, is kinda a daily event for me."
After Sprocket zips away on his broom, Zeph groans, one hand sliding down the side of his face as he runs through the probable consequences of this. His gaze shifts to Caleb as he spots the other male signing, however. "Yeh, that's how I was thinking we were gonna get up there, but I guess Spock wanted t' say 'hi' in person. She's... uh... a little impulsive," the witch comments apologetically.
Meanwhile, Spock is delighted to see Aria begin to follow her. With a big, toothy grin, she signs the letters one at a time, as big as she can in the dark to help the raptor see: C-A-L-E-B
And then, she steers the broom into a nosedive. It was more exciting than any amusement park ride she'd been on, and her exhilaration could be heard through her thrilled shriek. The broom pulls up close to the ground -- the broom's bristles even brush the ground as it breaks to a halt.
"Aaand I think that means she got 'er attention," Zeph notes to Caleb as he squints up at the night sky for any sign of the bird coming towards them.
[attr="class","victoriousscroll"]As Zephyr begins explaining what all of that was, even opening the flap of his bag to show him what's actually inside, the young man nods and smiles, leaning over to see what's inside. Then he giggles -- at least, tries to -- then starts signing again, pointing primarily to the bag. Yes, I can see that. Especially since you have a job that fits it.
He then talks about Spock and how the broom was supposed to be used to meet Aria; the young man's face lights up as he turns to the monkey in the flying broom. I guess Spock's just really excited that way. He signs, a small smile making his way towards his face.
Meanwhile, the hawk-eagle grows irritated every minute. What was this monkey supposed to be doing, meeting her here with a-- is that a broom?! But the monkey then starts signing to her, and luckily she is able to see what she is trying to tell her.
C-A-L-E-B
Caleb?! At this, she looks quite excited. "Where is he? Take me to him! Please!"
She doesn't need to ask anymore. The monkey steers and dives down from the distance, and Aria follows the other animal as to where they would go; they seem to know a lot about her master's whereabouts, so why let the chance pass?
Caleb looks up at the sky and, as Zephyr had noted, sees the figure of an eagle diving down towards them. He grins, looking at Aria's figure as she continued to dive down from the air; Caleb turns to Zephyr with a small smile on his face. Thank you for this. He signs, then turns to Spock. You too. Thanks for guiding Aria over here.
Aria smiles once she notices the figures standing from below; one of them was too recognizable for her to ignore. Caleb! She calls out, a large smile still plastered on her face. Caleb! I'm so glad you're alive!
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[attr="class","gearcore"] "No problem," Zeph replies with a chuckle. He could see the relief wash over Caleb's features and hear it in his familiar's voice. He was glad they'd found each other again.
Spock, on the other hand, is far less humble, and proudly puffs up her chest with a self-satisfied grin. She knows she's the hero of this story. The broom she's riding makes a slow loop around the others as they have their reunion.
"Will you two be alright here? Caleb mentioned t' me that you're from Sundial," Zeph asks, not quite comfortable with walking away until he was sure they'd be okay on their own. "I'm gonna' be takin' a train back t' Sundial myself. You're welcome t' catch a ride on it if ya need." After all, he was very good at his job as a mechanic, so the conductors often let him get away with small things from time to time, like letting a friend ride for free. Most of their money was earned from transporting supplies and materials in bulk, so a few unpaid train tickets for human passengers was nothing to worry about.
"We'll be leavin' in..." Zeph takes out a pocket watch to glance at the time, and his eyes suddenly widen in alarm, "Shit!! Two minutes!" The crafter immediately breaks into a sprint back towards the train station. He wouldn't have been so concerned if the conductor was anyone else, but this one had left without him on multiple occasions for just being a few minutes late. "If you're comin' on the train you'll have t' run -- otherwise, good luck!" he calls back to Caleb as he runs away, raising a hand in a brief wave.
[attr="class","victoriousscroll"]Caleb receives a 'you're welcome' from the mechanic, something he also appreciates, and Aria is rather amused with the monkey familiar's prideful disposition. It's all done and said; Aria found Caleb, and she's glad to have done so. Then, Zephyr declares that they would be finally leaving, saying they'd be going by train.
Caleb would've thought it would be a great idea for them to also hitch a ride with Zephyr... of course, if he is fine with it and thinks he isn't being a burden to him anymore. But then again, it would also be quite logical; how else would Caleb and Aria be able to return home? Walking would take days, maybe even a month (or worse if they would exaggerate it, a year). And plus, he wouldn't want to end up bumping into portals again. He's now terrified that he may get into some place else.
The young man turns to the mechanic, scratching the back of his head with a shy look. A-Actually... I was thinking maybe I could hitch a train ride with you-- He was cut off when Zephyr declares they would be leaving in two minutes, and rather in a panicked mood. Of course, this wasn't a surprise for him. If the train leaves without Zephyr, then what worse could it be to be left alone here and wait for tomorrow to come?
Just as soon as Zephyr yells at them and wish them good luck, Caleb runs after the blonde, Aria flying behind him. W-Wait! We're coming with you! He wouldn't expect him to hear this, but running to try to catch up with him was enough a sign. The train already seems to be an important aspect, after all. They need to get the hell out of here and back home.
If they could get to the train station in time, they wouldn't have any more problems taking a ride back home. That is... if they catch up. Which Caleb hopes they will.
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[attr="class","gearcore"] Zephyr isn't much of a sprinter -- at least, not when running down twisting and obstacle-filled backwater streets. Although having mana-powered prosthetic legs made running a quick and painless task over long distances, the limbs' inability to feel and his one functioning eye's lack of depth perception were the cause of many trips and missteps. Usually, he'd just hop on a broom and fly over the difficult terrain, but a certain primate familiar was being an asshole and keeping his closest broom just out of reach.
"Spock, if I get fired fer this I swear--" he begins, leaving the threat incomplete as he nearly careens into a fish market-stall (albeit deserted for the night).
And she had the gal to laugh, cackling and howling into the otherwise silent night as she swerves to broom out of reach yet again.
The crafter lets out an exasperated groan as he rights himself, only missing half a step in his rush to return to the station. "Ey, ya better keep up!" he calls back to Caleb, "I'm only gonna be able t' stall for a couple seconds!"
Luckily, they weren't too far from the train station, so Zeph ended up just over a minute late. Even so, he could hear the sounds of the the locomotive already grinding to life, slowly at first, but audibly accelerating. The crafter mutters a string of curses under his breath and reaches forward. As he does so, the wheels of the train screech against the metal rail as if breaking (though the vehicle only slows, rather than stopping completely). And then, with a flick of his wrist the door of one of the train's carriages opens before he even reaches it. Still on the broomstick, Spock easily flies through first and has enough pity for her witch to not close the door behind her.
Zeph jumps on next, breathing a sigh of relief and leaving the train's breaks on for a few moments longer to give Caleb a chance to join him.
The silence after he releases the breaks only lasts a beat before a gruff, angry-sounding voice shouts Zephyr's full name from closer to the front of the train, causing the engineer to wince. "Ah... an' that'd be our lovely conductor. You, uh, might wanna' hide for a bit," he whispers to Caleb with an apologetic grimace.
[attr="class","victoriousscroll"]The train makes sounds that indicate it's coming to life; it encourages Caleb to run faster than he is right now, Aria flying behind him and flapping her wings. She remains calm, as she is a winged bird and would be able to catch the train with just a few flaps, but Caleb is a man who requires legs to hurry up. Of course he could have used one of his techniques to sprout wings, but he does not want to tire himself and spend mana.
So of course, his only option was to run. The train is only a few distances away from where he is now, so Caleb knows he could probably catch up before it leaves completely. Zephyr urges him to hurry up, as he has but little time left to stall the train; it only makes Caleb run much faster than a few moments ago.
He sprints and attempts to quicken his tseps; he's decent at running but he never considers himself fast enough to chase locomotives. But before the train goes out of sight, he is finally able to enter the train a few moments after Zephyr, avoidinng abandonment in a town he happens to have been teleported into. Caleb pants as he stands on the metal floor of the train, hearing the wheels hitting the train tracks.
Goodness. I almost got left behind... thank you. He signs, rather quickly, but he hopes Zephyr gets the message. The smile leaves his face, however, once he hears the voice of a rather grumpy man calling Zephyr's name. The blond indicates that this is the conductor, and asks him to hide; Caleb agrees to this. Because after all, he wasn't totally welcome in this locomotive, as he doesn't really have a ticket to board unless he's willing to pay.
He finds a stack of large boxes standing in the corner of a shadowy part of the train, and this is where he hides. Aria disappears from sight after that warning. From the shadows, he watches Zephyr and wonders what might come to him once the conductor reaches this compartment.
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[attr="class","gearcore"] The man storms into the train cart which they'd just leapt into looking as if furious smoke was about to begin spewing from his ears. He was a few inches shorter than Zephyr, but heavier from both his beer gut and laborer's muscles. His thick, peppered-grey mustache was by far his most defining feature (and, from what Zephyr knew about him, also a point of pride).
"You're lucky the train's still runnin' smooth with a forced stop like that, boy, else I'd be firing you on the goddamn spot!" he shouts, face red as a firestorm as he invades Zephyr's personal space with the whole of his being, headed by an accusatory finger shoved in the crafter's face. Zephyr at least has the good sense to feign some remorse with a worried frown and a flick of his gaze to the side. (Unfortunately the effect was undermined a bit by Spock gleefully spinning around and around on the hovering broomstick behind him, a childlike woAAhhAAhhAAhh-- droning out from her lips in tune with her rotation. Being dully familiar with her contrary nature, the conductor deemed it best to ignore her completely). "I hope you got yourself some rest with those extra minutes of leave, 'cause you've just earned yourself a spot on the full night shift! If I find so much as a dent on this train by the time we reach the station, you're through, hear me?"
Zeph gives a short nod and a quick "Yessir," aware that his current superior's threats rarely held real substance... as long as he didn't push back too much. (In the background, the broom stops spinning and Spock makes a show of going limp and letting out a dejected whine, saddened by their prospective lack of sleep.)
"Good," says the older man with an air of finality, despite lingering to stare Zeph down as if hunting for a hint of deception from the engineer. Thankfully, he doesn't seem to find any and moves to go back to the front train car. "Well get on with it, then; you're on the clock!"
Zeph jumps at the order, rushing to a closet in this room to fetch a pair of gloves before the door between the train cars closes behind the conductor and he visibly slumps and lets out a quiet wheeze. Rather than continuing the act, he walks over to the stack of boxes and knocks on the top, speaking in a soft enough voice to be muffled to unwanted listeners by the constant rumble of the train flying along its tracks. "Hey! It's safe t' come out now. Sorry 'bout that... Dutch runs a right ship, but he's a softie underneath. Deep underneath, but I swear he means well. That aside, welcome t' the Maritime Rail! It's not always this excitin', but we might get hit by a couple o' bumps in the night. Want me t' grab some snacks an' find someplace where ya can relax n' catch some shut-eye? Or ya can hang out with me while I'm doin' mechanic-y junk if ya want somethin' t' do."