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.
Post by percival grayreme on Apr 28, 2017 15:34:08 GMT
[attr="class","Morning"]
[attr="class","mff"]
[attr="class","scarlett"]Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.
[attr="class","windyscarlett"]
It is a sunny, Saturday morning at Sundial. Birds are chirping, flitting from branch to branch, enjoying the gentle breeze. The sun is slow to rise, giving people enough time to bask on its heat without getting sun burnt. Stores are opening for business one by one, signs being flipped and staff getting ready for service. The people of Salem are doing about their own business, some off to work, to school, or to good times. The day starts without stress for almost everyone.
Almost, because there is a certain illusionist looking at his wallet repeatedly, hoping the once abundant cash would reappear. Percy had done the math several times already, counting the numbers and the days and the expenses over and over again. His heart thunders, and he takes a deep breath. Exhales.
He might not make his rent for this month.
When Percy realized that, he immediately went to the Leviathan headquarters and picked up a mission. He needs to work. That is the only way to earn money, unless he would sell his scrolls... Percy chose the former. That is why he is here at Amagika Park, sitting on the edge of a wishing fountain dejectedly, sighing deeply to calm himself down. He is still cheerful as he can be, however today his laughter is nervous and his smile quivers.
Seraph nudges his arm, which prompts Percy to look at the mute swan. His familiar is on the fountain's waters. As per request of Missus Lafaye, the fountains are close for the public today so her coin could be retrieved without the witches getting hit by coins thrown at the fountains. Seraph offers a coin at Percy, and Percy examines it and compares it to the picture of the coin attached to the mission paper.
With the illusion, the coin looks like an everyday bronze penny. With the illusion, however, the coin is a silver piece of metal with intricate carvings of an owl, laurels, stars, and weapons. At one side the words 'Pallas Athene' was carved carefully. Percy dispels the illusion, and the coin Seraph brought him did not match the picture.
Percy smiles kindly at his familiar before dropping back the coin in the fountain. "Sorry, buddy, but this seems to be a different coin. Guess we'll have to wait for the other person so work could be done easier..."
While eating a small loaf of bread, Tony ran as fast as he could to Amagika Park. Loki was curled up and resting happily around his neck, the motions and swaying sending him to a peaceful lull. If he wasn't in such a rush right now, he would've attempted to rouse the polecat. His familiar shouldn't be taking it easy and enjoying himself when he was here stressed out and in a wild panic.
Finding a coin in the fountain sounded simple and easy enough. But when he heard that someone had accepted the mission and was already hard at work, he suddenly exploded in a rush. Sadly, he didn't even have enough time for breakfast and had to snatch something from the kitchens. He probably owed Gryffin for that, but thanking his friend was far from his thoughts at the moment.
Every step he took closer to the park felt like another hour wasted - and an hour the other person could spend looking for the coin. There was a big chance that he would be removed from the inclusion of the mission if he arrived there and the task was already done. Since he didn't know who his partner for this mission would be, he couldn't risk the chance that they'd do it. He had to somehow make some kind of contribution so he could prove that he had been sharing the load.
After what seemed like days, he could see the large rides looming above him. At any other time he would've been tempted to turn the other direction and start enjoying the amusement park, but his narrow-minded focus was hard at work and he turned in the direction of the trees and playground. His 'breakfast' was gone as well, enabling him to run even faster.
He pumped his legs with energy, running as hard as he could towards the large fountain. Sitting on the edge of it was a brown haired man with a swan at his side. Tony skidded to a stop right in front of him, bending over as he held onto his knees and drew ragged breaths. It took him a while to get air back into his lungs, and once he did, he looked up at the other witch.
"Tell me you haven't found the coin!" He glanced down at the other's hands, trying to see if he held any coin, but even if he wasn't, Tony couldn't be sure.
Post by percival grayreme on Apr 29, 2017 14:53:53 GMT
[attr="class","Morning"]
[attr="class","mff"]
[attr="class","scarlett"]Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.
[attr="class","windyscarlett"]
Well, Percy thinks, taking a deep breath. He lingers his hold to the coin for a little longer as he thinks. This is high time to be optimistic! It's not the end of the world. The Leviathan gets almost half a month before the rent is due. He is positive he could accumulate enough money to pay, if he works hard enough. Finding renewed strength, Percy gets ready to start this mission, regardless if his partner arrives. It's close to 8AM anyways, the designated time.
Then Percy is alerted by a fast zooming figure that seems to be coming to his direction. Percy waits, raising both his eyebrows in anticipation. The figure comes to be a person, with brown hair and a cat-creature curled around his neck. Percy knows this person is his partner.
The Leviathan is startled, however, with the sudden outburst.
"Oh, this? No, this is not the coin we are looking for. Don't worry," Percy reassures the guy easily. "I was waiting for you. I haven't started."
Percy tries to make sense of the man's behavior. He seems to be as eager, if not more, for work than Percy. Percy's natural sense of competition spikes. This is not a contest, Percy is aware. So long as they retrieve the coin (it does not matter who actually retrieved it), then both of them will rewarded. But even if that is the case, Percy feels like he does not want to lose to this guy.
But manners first, of course. Percy opts for a quick introduction before he rolls up the knee-length maong shorts he is wearing. "I am Percival Grayreme. Percy for short. I'm glad to be working with you. I really hope we find this coin as soon as possible. I badly need that reward. My life depends on it," Percy exaggerates, his words reminding him of his own problem.
"But I bet this would take a lot of time," he adds, standing up. Percy surveys the whole of the large fountain. Seraph follows his lead and swam gracefully in the middle of the waters. A whole bunch of coins glitters as the faint sun rays hit them beneath the water. "Just look at the number of the coins we have to go through. Not to mention it has a layer of illusion on it."
When the brown haired man reassured him that he hasn't found the actual coin, Tony let out a sigh of relief. "Yes! I'm not too late." Then his head snapped up when the other man added that he had been waiting for him this whole time. "You have? That is so touching! I think I'm going to cry." He really did look like he was about to tear up, but he held it back, wiping an imaginary tear from one eye.
Belatedly, he realized that this man could just be lazy and didn't want to do all the work without him. That was fine as well. In that case, Tony could be the one to complain to the council and demand that only he got the reward.
Watching the other man start rolling up his shorts, Tony realized that he planned on stepping into the fountain and getting wet. He opened his mouth, about to tell the other that it wasn't necessary, when he realized that if he said that, he would be doing all of the hard work of hauling out coins from the fountain. As quickly as that, he snapped his mouth shut and grinned as he gave the other a two-finger salute instead.
"Anthony Skies. Tony for short. And I'm sure between the two of us, we can find it in no time at all." Walking up to the other man, he slapped his back lightly in comfort. "Cheer up my friend. You're not going to get anywhere with that kind of gloomy thinking. You have to be more confident! I can do it! Say it with me now."
Post by percival grayreme on May 2, 2017 14:07:51 GMT
[attr="class","Morning"]
[attr="class","mff"]
[attr="class","scarlett"]Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.
[attr="class","windyscarlett"]
Quite surprised with the appreciation, Percy cracks a smile and relaxes his posture. "Well, I thought it would be easier if we work together, that's the only reason I waited. Two pair is better than one, right?"
Percy's only response to the introduction is a nod. Then he turns to the fountain and is about to start the job when he feels a hand lightly smacks his back. Wide-eyed, Percy looks at the man, properly, for the first time today. Tony looks older than Percy, and the Leviathan is sure the guy is indeed older than him. He looks sure of himself and is as cheerful as Percy is, when he is not moping around worrying how to pay rent. Fair-haired, slightly tan skin, and glasses. So this is Tony Skies.
"Yeah," Percy admits, sighing deeply. Right, he can't continue to wallow. Wallowing will not get him anywhere. He needs to move and have a positive outlook in life. In short, he needs to regain his old self: regain the Percy who used to positive in all-smiles.
Then he slaps himself in the cheeks. Hard. With both palms. He cringes at the act, but then feels more energetic after. "You're right, I can do it. Thanks," Percy says genuinely. "Now, to start with the mission... Seraph!" he calls to his familiar. Seraph floats until she's right in front of Percy. The Leviathan sheepishly looks at Tony. "I believe we could complete this mission. But how is the real question. How about..." Percy trails off, only to snap back to life and snapping his fingers.
"Maybe we could narrow this down. Seraph, can you bother gathering coins you think is plausible to be the coin? No need for careful scrutiny, just a skim would do."
The sound of a slap made Tony jump in surprise. He glanced at Percy and saw him hitting himself for some unexplainable reason. "Uh...are you okay?"
Just before he could start questioning the sanity of his partner and the possibility of this mission becoming even harder or more dangerous, Percy spoke up once more. He seemed more sure of himself now, and Tony supposed this was good. As long as he wasn't going to hit anyone else that is. Tony didn't think his pep talk would cause such a violent reaction in the other man.
At Percy's call, the swan, whose name was Seraph and was floating in the fountain, swam up towards them, ready to start the grueling search.
Tony let out a sigh as he scratched the back of his head and stared dismally at the large fountain before them. Going through each coin in the water was staring to become a harder task the more he thought about it. "Didn't the mission state that it looks like a penny? Then we'll just have to grab all the pennies and nothing else."
Looking back at the water, he picked out one of the coins underneath the surface and held out his hand. It quickly shot out with a small splash, and smacked right into his palm. He thumbed it for a second before holding it out to Percy. "See? We'd only need to look for these type of coins."
Post by percival grayreme on May 8, 2017 17:46:21 GMT
[attr="class","Morning"]
[attr="class","mff"]
[attr="class","scarlett"]Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.
[attr="class","windyscarlett"]
"Yes, I'm fine," Percy answers easily. He gently rubs his stinging cheeks, then cringes at the contact. Seraph floats near him, suggesting he uses Healing Spring. Percy politely declines his familiar with a smile before continuing his sentence. "I'm just giving myself a slap back to reality. If I don't, I won't be able to function properly. Not that I am a machine, but you get the idea."
It slightly puzzles Percy, though. His partner seems too lax compared to him, who is currently wanting to go home. He wishes he hasn't taken this mission, while the guy also may feel the same, but he is not too shabby about it unlike Percy whose face is already distraught just from thinking about finding said coin.
"Okay, now that is cool. How did you do that?" Percy asks. He opens and closes his palm and stares at it in wonder. "If I can do that then, yes, this'll be a lot easier and less messier. Please teach me!" For the first time in his life, Percy is blunt and direct with his words. He can't be doubted now, because his eyes are full of nothing but genuine curiosity.
Now that he is staring at the guy, Percy takes a look on his appearance. Brown hair, glasses, medium-build... nothing odd about that. But somehow, Percy's getting an odd feeling he can't quite pinpoint. He feels like he's missing something vital...
"Right!" Percy exclaims as a light bulb suddenly flicks on in his head. "Introductions! Oh man, I can't believe I forgot to introduce myself. Let me. So," Percy pauses, composing himself. Then, with another easy smile, says, "My name is Percy. Percival Grayreme. It's nice to meet you. I apologize for being difficult before, I'm just thinking about a lot of things."
When their usual, introduction chatter fades, Seraph would catch the attention of his master. Percy looks at her, and is delighted to see the pennies she has collected. "Great job, Seraph," Percy says, retrieving the coins. He had the image of the penny memorized, so he goes on to scrutinize each penny, hoping that his luck is on point and would give him the snowflake coin immediately.
@anthonyskies , 367 words, maaan this is writer's drought orz
Given the other's explanation, Tony couldn't fault him for slapping his cheeks to get a hold of himself. Percy seemed to be going through some rough times, and was having a hard time of it. He wouldn't judge the other's situation, or his methods of coping.
While playing with the penny he took, spinning the coin and letting it roll across his fingers, he grinned and puffed up his chest at Percy. "It's a neat trick I learned from my master. I could teach you, but it'll take up time we need for the mission." His senses could tell that the coin wasn't illusioned so he placed it down at the edge of the fountain.
As he reached out for another penny in the fountain, Percy reintroduced himself. Tony paused as he stared at the brown haired man, coin forgotten, and tilting his head to the side.
After everything he learned of Percy so far, this behavior was perhaps normal or expected. Percy seemed to have forgotten how they'd already exchanged introductions just a few minutes ago. It did happen after the slap, so it could mean that he'd been distracted and so out of it before - with so many thoughts running through his mind - that most of their conversation then went over his head.
With a smile, he shook his head and waved a hand as he introduced himself once more. "Anthony Skies. Tony for short. And don't worry about it. We all have those moments." Some worse than others, but he wasn't going to mention that.
"Anyway, let's just split up and work our way through all of the pennies in the fountain. That seems to be the only thing we can do with our current skills." Finally, he used his spell to pull out several more coins, then inspected them quickly, one by one.
Post by percival grayreme on May 12, 2017 4:38:59 GMT
[attr="class","Morning"]
[attr="class","mff"]
[attr="class","scarlett"]Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.
[attr="class","windyscarlett"]
Percy nods, eager. He sets to work, calling Seraph. The mute swan clacks in agreement, and circles the fountain. Percy goes around the structure, surveying what he thinks could be pennies. He rolls up his sleeves and scoops several coins. Five of them are pennies, but all are not illusioned. Percy sets the coins in the edge of the fountain. Seraph brought coins, and for a second Percy is happy Seraph found an illusioned coin. However after he dispels it, the coin turns out to be an ordinary penny.
He pets Seraph's tiny head, then off she sets out again. Percy sets aside the found coins. The process is repeated several times for thirty full minutes. Retrieve, ordinary penny, set aside. Retrieve, illusioned coin, ordinary penny, set aside. Retrieve, illusioned penny, dispel, different coin, set aside. It is tedious, frustrating work. Percy really regrets taking up this mission.
He checks half of the coins near the rim, while Seraph takes care those in the middle. Soon Percy finishes his area, which leaves Seraph retrieving coins. The familiar, however stressed, is still graceful in her swim. She scoops several coins on her beak, careful not to choke in it, and swims to Percy.
The Leviathan checks each coin carefully. There is an illusioned penny... and when he dispels it it reveals a strikingly familiar coin. Percy pulls out the mission paper, double-checks, and it turns out quite a disappointment.
"Oh, man. This hardwork," he murmurs, dejected. He turns to see what Tony is doing. Maybe the man had better tricks in his sleeves? Except for that magnet-like trick, of course.
Watching Percy work alongside his efficient swan, who was grabbing as much of the coins as it could further in the center, made him throw a glare at Loki. The polecat was enjoying the shade underneath a large tree, curled up nicely and sleeping the early morning away. He'd throw him into the water if he could, but that would make a big mess out of them and he didn't want to make the mission harder than it already was.
Sighing, he could do nothing but keep picking up coins and tossing them over his shoulder when they weren't the one he needed. It was going to be a pain to have to gather all of those coins again and spread them out on the fountain when they were done. Maybe he could just take them all with him.
"Really? You would stoop so low as to pick coins from a fountain? It'll barely be enough for a cup of coffee at the sundial." Loki's condescending voice reached Tony's ears and he immediately pulled back against that idea.
"I - I'm not that desperate for coin now dammit! It was just a joke, geez." He let out a heavy sigh as he picked up another coin.
A few more minutes passed, and compared to Percy he hadn't done as much. Percy did have another set of hands - or beak in this case - helping him out. But neither of them have found it yet.
"You said it," Tony muttered in agreement to Percy's comment. His back was groaning as he kept bending over to look for any pennies. Those further to the center were out of his reach, but he managed to pick the pennies out among the rest of the coins. It was getting harder to see them from this far though. "Just keep going. We'll find it eventually."
Post by percival grayreme on May 15, 2017 10:24:12 GMT
[attr="class","Morning"]
[attr="class","mff"]
[attr="class","scarlett"]Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.
[attr="class","windyscarlett"]
From what it looks like, Tony is at the same predicament as Percy. The Leviathan turns back to work. He just hopes that they would find the penny soon, or else they'll be stuck in the basking noon heat. It's already nine, and they haven't even covered the other half of the fountain.
Since he's done with the coins near the rim, it's time to actually set foot into the fountain. He dreads this moment. Percy glances at Tony, slightly envious. He has it so much more convenient than Percy. Sighing as nothing can be done, Percy refuses to give in just yet. He sits on the rim, and tests the flexibility of his reach. Seraph looks at him, tilting its small head. Percy looks at her too and sticks his tongue out.
"I'm just prolonging my agony, Seraph. You know that." Percy scans the restless water, and began picking up coins. He manages to cover a quarter of the fountain before he saw the peculiar penny. He squints his eyes to make sure he's seeing right. Is that a red coin? But then he blinks and the red coin is now a penny. Curious, Percy submerges his hand and picks it up--
Seraph, bewildered at the small explosion, turns to the direction and flares her wings in defense. What she sees is her master holding a smoking coin with a frozen expression of shock. Then he recovers.
"What? Who uses exploding coins in wishing fountains? That's absurd!" Percy drops the coin, which is indeed illusioned to the extent that it explodes when touched. He is not hurt, just extremely surprised. He almost falls into the fountain, too, with the shock! Percy backs away, standing up, his eyes scanning the hundred more coins under the water, apparently realizing that some of them would be illusioned or enchanted just like the exploding red coin.
Great.
@anthonyskies , 314 words, prolonging the mish lol
The sound of splashing water - louder than what he'd grown accustomed to hearing - pulled him out of his focus on searching for more pennies. When he glanced to the side of his companion, he saw Percy beginning to wade through the water. At least he wasn't complaining or trying to make excuses for avoiding the work. Tony himself would do it if necessary, and he hated it when others refused to make the same effort.
He returned to looking for pennies, pulling another one and flicking it towards the growing pile by his side when he discovered it as a dud.
Just as he was about to pull another coin, he heard a loud explosion nearby. He jumped in surprise, swinging around with his hands up, ready to fend off whatever or whoever it was attacking them. A second later, he realized there was no one else around, and Percy was half-submerged in the water, looking at a coin he held in his hand in disbelief.
It didn't take him long to figure out what happened, and once he was sure that Percy was fine, he started laughing. "Oh man, that was great! I can't believe I didn't think that there'd be prank coins in here." Tony himself had occasionally tossed in some coins charged with spells - the task of which he'd commission from his friends in the coven. There was even the possibility that his own coins were still around here somewhere.
"Let this be an important lesson, Percy. You should always be - " As Tony spoke, he'd been reaching out for another coin. The moment he caught it, the penny flashed with bright light and sent electric shocks throughout his body.
"GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA"
Smoke floated up from Tony's slightly signed hair as he dropped the coin and fell down on his butt. His entire body twitched slightly as the spell faded, the aftershock remaining for a bit longer. He groaned as he picked himself up, using the edge of the fountain as support.
"I m-m-meant to do that." He glared back at the fountain, thinking of how awful people were for throwing prank coins into the fountain.
Post by percival grayreme on May 17, 2017 5:42:29 GMT
[attr="class","Morning"]
[attr="class","mff"]
[attr="class","scarlett"]Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.
[attr="class","windyscarlett"]
Percy's lower half is submerged in the water, but instead of feeling cold he feels his cheeks flush in embarrassment. Stupid stupid coin! Stupid stupid mission! He does not feel too discouraged, though. He finds his situation hilarious, and so he laughs with Tony, gasping for air and surrendering to the heavens. The ends of his shirt is wet, too, but it's too late to worry about that.
"Thanks to that prank coin I'm going home with half of me soaking. Seraph, don't you know a technique that lets you completely drains water from an area? That'd be incredibly useful." Seraph stares at him dryly, and Percy sticks his tongue out. "I dunno, maybe a miracle happened," he says in his defense.
Letting go of the conversation, he stands up, bringing several coins with him. He examines each one. Luckily none of them are prank coins, but none of them is the right coin, too. "This day is getting worse by the minute. You see what I mean now?" Percy snickers, watching the shock fade and Tony recover. The expression in the man's face is only too familiar to Percy. He is wearing that expression for a while now.
"Then-" Percy says, licking his lips. Seraph swims to him in an attempt to stop him, but it's too late. "Make it happen again!" Percy yells as he scoops another coin and throws it to Tony's general direction, splashing him with water although it does not reach him. He grins triumphantly and gives him a thumbs up.
Percy has not the slightest idea if the coin is a prank coin or not, just that it is illusioned. Little did he know...
@anthonyskies , 280 words, little did he know he had thrown the right coin
Hearing Percy wish for a spell to drain water out of someone made Tony hum in thought. "Well that's really a neat spell to learn. Wonder if the old codger would know about it..." His thoughts were somewhat distracted by the possibility of harassing his teacher for something new to learn while still pulling coins out of the fountain. The prank coins that could still be somewhere scattered among the other coins in the fountain didn't worry him in the slightest. More often than not, the coins held tricks and spells that would inconvenience the victim or take them out temporarily. There wouldn't be any kind that could prove fatal. Anyone who found a coin like that would have the most rotten luck.
When he heard Percy shouting, he glanced upwards and spotted a coin flying in his direction. Instinct had him lift a hand up to catch it in his palm. His thought process followed later after that, as he yelped and tossed the coin from one hand to another in the hopes of avoiding the spell that could trigger at any minute.
When nothing happened, he stopped flailing and placed a hand to his chest as he drew short, ragged breaths to calm down. "Percy how could you?! You could've gotten me killed!" he cried.
Blowing out a sigh of relief, he looked down at the coin that he caught and stilled. It wasn't a prank coin, but it was illusioned. On his contact, it slowly dissipated, revealing a familiar looking penny.
"Hey Percy. Come over here and check this out." He walked closer to the other man to meet him in the middle or go all the way to where he was standing, holding out the coin towards him for inspection.
Post by percival grayreme on May 18, 2017 15:37:02 GMT
[attr="class","Morning"]
[attr="class","mff"]
[attr="class","scarlett"]Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.
[attr="class","windyscarlett"]
That's when Percy realizes that Tony also had a dramatic exaggeration in his words. Very much like him, only more mischievous. "Killed by a prank coin is overkill." He winks at the poorest of the poor puns like it is the funniest joke ever to be made. Seraph hides her face beneath her broad wings as Percy laughs at his own joke.
"See, it didn't do anything," Percy reassures his companion. "It's a harmless coin, but it is illusioned. I wonder what that is?"
As if on cue, Tony calls him, and he tilts his head to the side before stepping out of the fountain. His clothes are heavy, and his feet drags. He makes a mental note to take a bathroom break later and wring out the water. He's ready for all the stares he'll receive later.
Percy meets Tony in rim of the fountain. He sits there as the weight of his maong shorts is too heavy for his liking. "What about it?" He takes the outstretched coin from the man and scrutinizes it. His eyes turns into slits as he tries to validate his findings by looking one more time. He feels Seraph peer on it, too, from behind. "Seraph, I think this is the coin we're looking," Percy breathes. He then gets the mission paper. The coin looks exactly like the one in the photograph.
He grins at Tony, then, and holds up the coin. He also holds open the reference photo with his other hand. "Looks like we found it. In a truly unexpected way."
This means... money! Percy almost tears up just from thinking about it. His rent!
