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","inkpost"]new day, new wand, new opponents. miro is eager for a new challenge, the familiar’s steps light and playful as he lopes forward. ninos is- tired. it’s easy enough to ignore the memories when you’re out there and duelling, but in the downtime between, they catch up all too easily. they always do. he enters the arena with dark circles under his eyes and hopes that the lighting here is enough to hide them ( what sort of grand event would it be if it didn’t let participants look their best? ). compensates with a bold stride and ramrod straight spine.[break][break]
there are fault lines running deliberate and dark through the ground, and he eyes these warily. the floor shifts slow even now, like the rolling surface of the sea except that it’s solid and beneath him and looks nothing like the sea. silently, he calls miro back to him, bids the familiar closer; the painted wolf is sharp ebony and ivory alike, pale eyes a mirror of the witch’s as he doubles back to skirt around ninos’ heels. he knows one opponent is higher in rank and suitably stronger, and that the other is likely more experienced.[break][break]
you know, think about it a little bit more and he figures they’ve probably got a better right to be here than he does. he’s just ninos, you know? an unremarkable teaching assistant, son of some crooked merchants with bloodied hand, an unnamed guard at some unknown monster-riddled outpost; he’s just some boy in an alleyway with scraped up knees and it’s strikingly odd to him right now that he’s in a helios knights-hosted duel.[break][break]
fate’s a tricky one, he thinks.[break][break]
there’s a bell that rings and shakes him out of his reverie, so he sheds exhaustion and turns his eyes to the shifting, oddly-cast shadows on the ground. it’s every person for themselves out here, a battle royale of one-man armies. witch and familiar alike work in tandem for this initial strike, the shadows closest to heath and claire abruptly solidifying and lashing upwards in an attempt to form a cage of shadows. [break][break]
Claire and Vani stands at the arena, grim and ready. Claire wears her usual armor, slightly modified to give the advantage of light weight. She has her brand new wand ready, and she pours mana into it, ready to be unleashed in a spell. She eyes her two competitors. Both males, both she hasn't seen before. What can they do, and can Claire counter it?
The wild boar isn't much lively today, and he looks at Claire with grim eyes. That's when the white-haired Knight sees the pure lust to destroy. Claire touches his tusk for a second, her grim smile mirroring his lustful eyes.
A sign. A signal.
Claire should have known. Vani itches action. He has held himself back for so long, for so many years as a Knight, but Claire should have known--the lust is still there, just muted. Today, as their very own shadows turn against them, as their own element clashes against them, it reignites.
Vani bolts straight out to heath ambroise, the ground solidifying into ice as he skates (SKATER) to the direction of the man aiming to barrel into him. If he would evade, the boar will chase him. Claire meanwhile lashes her wand in front of her, creating an invisible barrier (STALLING SCROLL) that stops the shadows from trapping her in. She then glides straightforward, with no unnecessary motions rather than pure intent to reach them and punch the hell out of them. She then augments her speed (AUGMENTATION FOR DUMMIES #2) and heads for ninos knight.
With the skater and the speed augment in effect, Claire hopes she can dodge incoming attacks. The Knight would wait and see what her opponents are capable of.
[attr="class","itemsclaire"]items used //
[attr="class,"imageclaire"]
tldr // vani skates to heath, claire casts stalling scroll to stop cage of shadows, then skates towards ninos with augmented speed
Fill the air with what you like Another weekend massacre of opinion Don't be afraid of the knife Sometimes you have to cut the limb to
Post by heath ambroise on Apr 4, 2018 22:20:58 GMT
The end of his last duel had been unexpected but incredibly interesting. Once the initial worry and shock from Charani’s collapse had worn off, he’d desperately wanted to get to the knight to interview him on what had happened. Did seer’s collapse often from their vision? Still, that would have to wait as the journalist moved onto round 2, a surprising battle royale. He eyed his opponents as they all entered the arena, grimacing at his surroundings. His affinity wasn’t suited for this place. The bigger spells he had probably wouldn’t work. Sinclair flicked his tail in irritation but refrained from complaining. Without much pomp and circumstance, the match started, and Heath is forced to act. He whips out his wand as Sinclair bristles as the shadows begin caging them in.
He had barely any time to notice the other witch make it out, before her familiar is set on him. Ice. “Fuck.” is the simultaneous thought that both Heath and Sinclar have. While he doesn’t like the idea of being gored by a boar, he decides to let Vani come at him. At least then he would waste less mana on trying to escape. Besides, he’s not about to try to outrun a boar unless he’s really desperate. “You’re joking.” Sinclair hisses loudly as he scurries about the cage. It easy for him to slip out but he hesitates. “It’s fine.” The blond reassures as the tip of his wand glow bright blue, an essence wafting out of it and moving in between Vani and himself. The essence solidifies into sharp, bird shaped icicles, before shooting outward to meet the boar.
“Get out, but don’t stray too far from me.” With that the coati shimmied out of the cage while snapping back, “I don’t like this plan!”. Heath smiled grimly. He was totally about to get gored by a boar. On the other hand, if the cage stayed but, the Boar would just hit himself. Then what? Try to catch a ride? Jump? Was he going to parkour his way out of this?? Yes. Probably. Whatever happened, he prepared himself to make a getaway. Sinclair stayed near the cage, sliding away once Vani got close for impact.
items/spells used: wand | storm of swallows | skater
[attr="class","inkpost"]there’s nothing wrong with the tactics employed, theoretically - entrap your opponent, pin them in place to finish them off with something deadly accurate. but that’s the thing, you see; it’s theoretical, and rarely does that hold up against a determined enchantress that charges at him with startling speed. there’s no frills to her movement, not one unnecessary breath. no inch of effort is wasted, and it’s pure intent and efficiency that comes hurtling at him at augmented speed; just enough of time to realise that he’s definitely got to keep on his toes for this match.[break][break]
there’s a sharp intake of breath -- alarm flashes across the bone-bright whites of his eyes -- and he snatches one of the glass vials from his belt and flings it in what he assumes is claire’s trajectory. does her speed match her agility? he’s not sure, and neither is he willing to stay put to find out. as the glass vial shatters and sheerfire dust explodes, ninos is already moving, breaking off to the side, sprinting and scrambling across a still-rising platform to gain some distance between them.[break][break]
preoccupied as he is, he trusts in miro’s own judgement for the matter of one heath ambroise: the cage of shadows closes neatly over the intended target, and for a moment, there is shared surprise across both familiar and witch at the lack of resistance. there’s a brief pause as miro considers the methods of pressing the advantage, before he decides that perhaps non-interference is the best idea. [break][break]
he maintains a steady lope in a crooked pattern, changing directions on a whim, though his eyes are fixed on heath and vani. the cage stays up, stark ebony and seemingly firm. waits a breath and then-[break][break]
lets the cage melt away, back into the incorporeal shadow of the ground. as quickly as he can, miro replaces the cage with shadow tendrils that attempt to hold heath and his familiar in place, or at least impede their escape. the sun-cast shadows coalesce into a shifting, writhing latticework of inky threads.[break][break]
Post by claire fermont on Apr 8, 2018 11:53:32 GMT
Vani expects Heath to scramble, to scatter hoping to escape the fearsome boar with his life. When the ice witch stays put and decides to meet the boar head-on, Vani roars in anger. "The fuck you take me for?!" And so the boar decides to lower his tusks as he gets closer, aiming to maim the blond witch--okay, maybe not maim, just toss him into the air and let his bones crack as he falls.
Claire scoffs at the scene adjacent to her. As usual, Vani gets carried away easily. She points her wand at her familiar and casts a quick augments his endurance (AUGETE: CLAUSTRA), just so he stays safe and unscathed. That moment gives Ninos the advantage however to throw the vial at her. It's a straightforward trajectory, and Claire pushes the speed augment to its limit in order to dodge the vial with skater. The vial explodes--another thing Claire does not expect.
'So he's an alchemist,' Claire notes as she tries her best to put distance between her and the explosion. The speed augment has already faded. She then casts a quick Claustra on herself (AUGETE: CLAUSTRA) before whisking her wand forward. Ninos would find himself being crept upon by a large wall of ice (LARGE SPREAD) hoping to trap him in.
Vani, on the other hand, feels absolutely empowered. He meets the needles without as much wincing thanks to the augmented endurance, but is careful to shield his eyes from the attack. Before meeting the black cage, Vani erects a wall of ice (LARGE SPREAD) behind Heath and his familiar. It's a relatively slow entrapment, but it does not matter, really. Vani barrels into the black cage... or so he thought. The cage melts, and if Heath and his familiar would not resist, it would hold them in place.
"HAH!" Vani exults. Perfect. It seems that Ninos would want to take out this one out, too. Vani angles his tusk at Heath, ready to send him flying.
[attr="class","itemsclaire"]items used //
[attr="class,"imageclaire"]
tldr // claire casts endurance augment on vani, pushes speed augment in order to dodge the sheerfire dust. speed augment fades, claire casts endurance augment on herself, then hopes to trap ninos between large spread. vani barrels into heath
Fill the air with what you like Another weekend massacre of opinion Don't be afraid of the knife Sometimes you have to cut the limb to
Post by heath ambroise on Apr 10, 2018 2:12:50 GMT
The cage disappeared, and a surge of panic ran through his heart. He could see it. He could feel it. This had been a bad plan and he should’ve thought of something better. He doesn’t take the familiar for anything, in fact, Heath held no opinion, unlike Sinclair who was furious. The blonde struggled in the tendrils while Sinclair only growled among the shadows bracing for impact. It’s hot and brutal and the pain mixes with the nauseating butterflies and he goes airborne. Oh, he could kill to be a wind witch right about now. ‘Tumble you idiot!’ Sinclair snaps, irritated by what he feels is panic and the edges of a defeatist attitude. Not today, thought Sinclair Ambroise. His very reputation was on the line.
The journalist slams on the ground and rolls a couple of times, free of the tendrils but badly bruised at best and fractured as worst. Sinclair writhes feeling the bruises, but adrenaline and anger push him through. As Heath gets up, freed and a little unsteady, spots about the ground glow with harsh blue light before sharp spikes of ice shoot out form the ground. Sinclair's not quick to forget, but he's glad the coati is taking the lead right now it gives him time to shake off the leftover butterflies. The cluster forms near Vani and Miro attempting to spear them or at the very least nick them, while Heath puts distance between the other familiars. He keeps an eye on Sinclair, mutual agreement on giving each other space to maneuver. It worked out well enough last match.
Heath turns away from his friend, the coati’s eyes trained on the ice cluster as he is eager to see their opponents’ maneuvers. Sinclair places himself between the two familiars and his witch, covering his partner. Heath turns his attention to Claire and Ninos and points his wand. There's a glow at the tip as he focuses on the wands of his opponents, pain and determination flash as he imagines rough thorns bursting out of a stalk, or in this case the wand. He flicks his wrist and with a flash a vine materializes form the tip of his wand and goes for a sweep underneath both the witches, eager to knock them down. He’d keep his distance. He didn’t want the boar to toss him into the air again. On any other circumstances that might’ve actually been fun?? Just...not today. Not. Today.
[attr="class","inkpost"]she’s faster than expected; the realisation runs through his veins as cold as ice. then, with a sinking feeling in his gut, he realises it’s not so much the cold hard truth as the metaphor suggests, but an actual, literal, wall of ice not-so-slowly creeping up on him. alarm spikes through him, eyes widening as he finds the nearest path of escape -- where to go where to go where to go-[break][break]
the uncertainty and panic alike, spiralling knife-sharp down the familiar bond, is enough to get miro to falter. the canine looks towards ninos in a moment of concern and confusion, knocked off-kilter, and in that moment agony spears across his shoulder. miro lets out a high-pitched yelp of pain, and ninos winces instinctively, feeling the injury mirrored in feeling if not in physicality.[break][break]
he needs to get out, though, and the delay has allowed the ice wall to almost completely surround him. ninos has no choice, then, other than to force his way out. gritting his teeth, he pulls out another vial of sheerfire dust, aiming at the base of the wall to hopefully weaken its foundation enough to kick his way through.[break][break]
in that moment of panic, he’s forgotten heath’s own attacks: between one breath and the next, the world spins sideways, and then the vial explodes. his vision goes white.[break][break]
feels his shoulder impact hard and merciless against a fractured ice wall and an old pain lance up his knee.
[break]
a tendril of shadow curls around his waist and pulls, harsh, hurried; miro, on the other side, attempting to pull ninos, stumbling, out of a cloud of dust and ice. choking back coughs and wondering how long more he can go before his legs finally give out, he points his wand and aims a retaliatory knockerbacker towards the closest target -- the knight augmentor.[break][break]
Post by claire fermont on Apr 13, 2018 3:40:08 GMT
Claire finds the ice wall crumbling as Ninos throws another vial at its base. Claire, like her familiar, slows down momentarily, waiting for the commotion to pass. Both the witch and the familiar still has remnants of endurance augment, though at this moment it could withstand just one more strong attack before fading. Her standing still is apparently the wrong move, as she finds two wands pointed at her.
On the other hand, Vani roars in triumph as his tusks meet the blond witch and his familiar. "GOTCHA!" He flings them into the air. The skater and his relentless speed would causes Vani to crash into the ice barricade. The ice collapses on Vani, and while it does not hurt him at the very least because of the endurance augment, it would greatly slow him down. For a moment Vani stays still, waiting for the ice to collapse completely before judging his next move... unfortunately, that time does not come, as the ground turns a familiar ice blue. Vani rears, scrambling out of the way, but his effort is futile as for the nth time his size hinders him.
There is familiar restriction magic put in here, to no doubt, but still, the size-restricted Vani looks pretty damn big. He hits one spike after the other. At first he is able to barrel into the spikes, but as the endurance augment fades, he begins to feel flickers of pain in every side.
Claire curses under her breath, feeling Vani's pain. She swishes her wand forward in a hasty attempt to cast a STALLING SCROLL. The scroll is only able to block the whip, and the knockerbacker that follows shortly after completely shatters it, and because of its hastiness, Claire gets blown backward by its remnants.
And then--she disappears. Vani materializes in her place, (SCROLL OF THE SWITCH) still thrashing around, and she in the middle of the spikes, completely still. She points her wand to heath ambroise and casts a KNOCKERBACKER to the best she could aim to in a moving person. Vani, on the other hand, thankful to be freed from the uncomfortable spikes, skates forward again (SKATER), lowering his tusks, doing the same move he did to Heath. He puts an ice barricade (LARGE SPREAD) behind ninos knight and his familiar, seeing as they are still on the ground.
This time, he goes for Ninos and his familiar.
[attr="class","itemsclaire"]items used //
[attr="class,"imageclaire"]
tldr // vani hurt by the spikes, claire got hit partially by the knockerbacker. witch used scroll of the switch. vani barrels into ninos with skater and large spread behind him. claire casts knockerbacker to heath
Fill the air with what you like Another weekend massacre of opinion Don't be afraid of the knife Sometimes you have to cut the limb to
Post by heath ambroise on Apr 14, 2018 2:52:53 GMT
Sinclair is ecstatic at the chance to finally land some hits of his own after all the abuse he and Heath suffered. Ooooh, if only they were on natural territory, and not whatever synthetically enchanted metal this was. Then, their opponents would be seriously hurting right now. Sinclair’s tail flicked back and forth intently. Suddenly, an explosion hit their ears and both witch and familiar were startled. “We’re staying back.” Heath explained to his partner. He didn’t want to stick around if someone was throwing explosives. Especially since punching people was probably automatic disqualification and that would be his only reaction to seeing something explosive near him. The dust began clearing and Sinclair hissed loudly in alarm as the boar vanished only to be replaced with the witch herself.
Heath immediately focused his mana to his feet, the soles of his sneakers glowing with pale light. Sinclair shot to the right of Claire, and Heath narrowly brushed past to the left. He felt the edges of energy whizzing past, and the skates after Vani and Ninos. There’s a bit of stumbling from the quick start but in a few seconds, he regains his balance, and more importantly, his focus. Sinclair, for some reason, is the more graceful of the skaters and attempts to slide far enough to keep Claire and the other cluster of opponents in his sights. Heath quickly wipes the sweat forming under his bangs before he waves his wand, and a cloud of mist disperses in front of him before solidifying into bird, shaped spikes and shooting forward. Sinclair, imitates his witch as he begins casting the spell. The same sort of energy appears before becoming floating icicles. The swallows go flying as the team attempts to simultaneously hit their targets. It was a last-ditch effort, but at it wasn’t like they could come up with a better plan at the moment.
items/spells used: wand | skater | storm of swallows
