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.
“What separates nightmares from reality? Slumber? Or perception?”[break] -Unknown, Untitled Grimoire[break][break] The scene is a bright and cheery day at a reserved section of the Sundial Park. Though the park, in hindsight, is not so recognizable to be what it is today. Few houses are visible on the horizon, and the park is less tidy and more wild and free. Five people are scattered in a rather quiet section of the park, not realizing of course that this vague section of their lives is but a nightmare.[break][break] Or is it real?[break][break] Suddenly, the air fills with a vile miasma and lavender streaks stain the once-sunny atmosphere of the park. A vague and almost subtle rumbling begins from underground, like the beginnings of a sinister earthquake. It never gets further than a low rumble until small holes begin to appear in between the patch of sheer green gas.[break][break] A thick, red substance starts appearing from the pores of the grassy surfaces. The liquid starts to make thick, acidic, and bubbling puddles on the ground. And it seems to darken with each passing second, latching onto the ground and anything else with a vice-like grip and hardening. [break][break]
Sometimes it's hard to learn from all your mistakes
Percy can't remember how he got there, or how long he's been there. The part that's mostly got him panicked is that he feels a tightness in his chest that wasn't there before, and a certain amount of freedom to his movements. He's in a hoodie - this much is very good - but his binder is missing and his jeans are old and torn. The only relatively sturdy thing about what he's wearing is his boots, with their hard soles and comfortable fit.
He was dazed and confused, looking at his hands and inspecting the area slowly, squinting into the sky.
"Where am I?"
He felt like he sounded muffled, and realized there was a distinct ringing in his ears - probably stress induced - and wondered where to go from here. He took a few steps around his immediate area, at least until things starting to turn for the worst. He was seconds away from opening his mouth and calling for someone, a stupid move but he at least needed to know if he had friends or enemies here, until the miasma rolled in like a thick fog. He cursed under his breath and shoved his nose under the collar of his hoodie, eyes stinging as it slowly seemed to descend.
The rumbling concerned him a lot more though.
He gasped as this....weird....fluid shit started sprouting around, and he turned on his heel and booked it to the nearest tree. While it seemed to be sticking to just about everything, he figured if he hauled ass upwards maybe it couldn't get him? He decided to stick to some of the more middle branches, crouching low and scanning the area. Things were popping up way too fast to make his way much further and Cassi wasn't responding to his mental pleas.
Sybil, a frightful little deer, simply stood there in the park. He had nightmares often, and usually when they happened, he'd just try and process everything before doing his best not to get eaten by that wolf or chased by a creepy witch. So like usual, he'd glance around the park, watching the clouds tumble across the sky. But he had the most peculiar feeling, he was sure he was doing something before... This? Had he fallen asleep? Sybil shook his head, squeezing his eyes tight as he tried to wake up. Nope. It was one of those nightmares.
Did this feel real? He was unsure, most dreams always felt real until you wake up and realise they aren't. He took a step forward towards the centre, only to spin around at the sound of someone shouting. People? He heard a desperate and confused tone in their voice. "Hello?" he shouted back, hurrying around this rather wild park as he started noticing others in the same situation. In fact, he recognised one as Evanora... Why on earth was she in his dream? Sybil groaned, annoyed that he couldn't determine the nature of the situation. "Evanora!" he'd cry out, trying to get her attention.
It felt so real. He called out for his familiar, but nothing. Could Arveen even enter his dreams? Sybil would assume so since it's part of his own soul but... Nothing. "Oh no..." he would utter as he started to turn and run towards Evanora. "You seem so real. What's going on?!"
Eyes widened as the sky was adorned with a purple mist, like this once peaceful dream had in fact turned into a nightmare just like that. A small gasp left his lips as he stepped backwards, unintentionally into a bench. Then, the earth begun to shake. "Woah!" he yelped, tripping to the ground as holes started appearing along the grass. And what came from these holes? Magical bubbling lava. Naturally. Sybil saw someone scramble up a tree rather quickly, so quickly in fact that it made him wonder if this person had been put in magical lava situations before.
"I'm doing what he's doing!" he'd exclaim, rushing towards another large tree and doing his best to scramble up top. Sybil would have preferred to run towards one of the houses in the distance, but it just didn't seem like he'd make it in time. And now he'd wait as the strange liquid made its way towards him.
The sun was so... normal at first. It felt like the sun always did... warm and inviting. There was pretty much nobody around... no random npc type people just roaming around like normal. Nothing of the like. It was silent. Quiet. It was frightening. Was something wrong? Was something wrong with him? Had he lost his hearing?
"Hello!?" he shouted, feeling a little bit of relief at the sound of his own voice. So it was just unnaturally quiet here. Was this some kind of dark magic that was causing this? Was somebody messing with them... or was somebody doing something much more sinister. He was alone. This wasn't good. He patted himself down looking for something... anything he could use on himself for help... a phone... a looking glass... anything? Nothing. Then came the strange puddle and sounds as the earth began to shake. It was very unpleasant.
"What the heck." He grabbed onto the tree next to himself for some stability because of the shock of the earth moving. It wasn't very powerful... even someone like him could do more and if he really tried. It was just surprising was all. He had to find some help. He pushed away from the tree and started walking, careful to avoid the strange hardening puddles that where starting to form all around. This was so weird.
"Is anybody there!!! He was being louder than he probably should have been... but he wanted someone to answer him... someone to be there with him. He wished someone was there. He felt so alone right now. There was something so wrong about this but he couldn't put his finger on what or how. If only he was better with magic. Purification would probably be really helpful right now. There were other voices in the distance. That was a good sign. He had to move towards them.
Post by kasimir burovski ✨ on Jun 21, 2017 0:16:19 GMT
and i won't feel a thing
reality is a lovely place, but i wouldn’t want to live there
he cannot feel kirjava.
it is the dawning realisation, the first thought that crystallises as clear as glass, a blade slicing through the haze that has descended upon his mind and jolts him to full awareness. it is ice water in his veins, the long, cold fingers of deadly terror wrapping around his heart, the echoing, aching reminder of a loneliness he barely remembers.
he cannot feel kirjava. he has not been this separated from her since she had first materialised.
his breath is icy in his lungs; his eyes flickering rapidly around the park in an attempt to discern the cause of this mental blockage. it is bright, sunny. too sunny. wild growth tangles its hands across the landscape that is its canvas, primally wild in a way that is unnatural in this cradle of a supposedly civilised world. instinctual unease crawls up the vertebrae of his spine. he feels watched. judged. visually dissected as if he were prey caught in a hunter's gaze.
he does not remember how he arrived here. hands itching to reach for the daggers always on his person. every sense on hair-trigger alert. is this an illusion?
and suddenly:
lavender bleeds into the sky, sickly and wrong in an inhuman way impossible to describe with mere words. his skin feels too tight, too loose. miasma fills the air and rumbling fills earth below his feet; as pools of dark, bubbling crimson begins to leek through the grass, it is almost as if hell had superseded reality and is forcing itself into existence.
he cannot stay out in the open, nor on the grass, not with the rapidly degenerating conditions. the few houses he can see on the horizon are far too distant to be of shelter. swiftness grafts itself to his feet as he races towards nearest trees, launching himself up and into the branches with practiced ease.
the problem is, there is already someone in occupancy.
blond hair, deeply tanned skin - a boy maybe a few years younger than him has taken refuge in the broader middle branches, crouched low and hidden in the foliage that hangs thick like a verdant curtain. kasimir does a rapid analysis of him before deciding he seems of no immediate threat - though of course appearances can be deceiving.
he does not ask if he can stay. the situation is answer enough in and of itself, he thinks. "my apologies," he says instead as he moves to secure himself, positioning himself in a fork of branches just a little higher than the boy.
There was a tree with people. That was what came from him rushing in the direction of voices. Holy shit there were people. The ground was less slowly becoming infested with that god damn... sorry... gosh darn floor lava stuff. It was like that floor game as a kid you know? Where like you hid from the floor or carpet. It was kind of like a dream being here. So strange.
"PERCY!?" he shouted up the tree. For magics sake thank the council he saw someone he actually recognized and knew. I mean it was also a plus it was the cutest boy he knew. Literally an 11/10 because lets be really he only crushed on the hottest boys. Thank the lord he gave Charani like any time of day too it was like the best thing that had ever happened to him.
He grabbed onto the tree where the other boys were and attempted to climb up. He wasn't the most agile person in the world. Honestly he wasn't the most athletic person in the world. He was flexible though and could do like a handful of push ups so like he could totally climb this tree. Yup. Totally could climb it... just not quickly. Like at all.
"Mother of pearl why is this tree so tall!!! He huffed to himself as he was out of breath from climbing. Thank god he was off the group at least though. He looked around at the other two people that were currently in the tree besides himself and the very lovely Percy. You know those other two people... uh... you know. The one boy looked very familiar though... probably from the coven. He knew his face for sure so he had to be from Jester's Den or the Helios Knights as those were the only covens he associated with usually. "So what's with the weird magicy dreamy thing going on right now?" He was purposefully close to Percy. I mean why wouldn't he be?
So far everything felt strange and wrong. Like he couldn't feel his familiar at all. It was a strange feeling. Like missing a limb you know should be there. On the plus side... if this is a dream or some kind of very elaborate illusion... well then at least it was with Percy. A percy with clothes on which was very unusual but a percy none the less.
Sometimes it's hard to learn from all your mistakes
Percy is dizzy.
Part of him wants to cry, to weep for Gabriella like he's more of a child than he was before, like this is some kind of....nightmare.
Of course.
He curses under his breath, and his gaze flickers to the stranger who clambers up next to him in the tree. Bright red hair and pale skin, a pretty face, but not the one he wants to see. Not one of the three he wants to see but one of the faces he wants to see is dead and that train of thought doesn't help the jerking in his stomach. He simply nods with an unfocused gaze, panicking on the inside.
It's his first test as a hero and he's already failing and he knows it, and it's killing him inside.
But that voice.
"Cha!?"
He looks down, leans a bit too far in his haste and nearly falls out but manages his balance. He helped haul him onto the same branch because why wouldn't he want to be close to him? Percy's eyes were wet and still a bit unfocused, but sharpened as he grabbed Cha's hand. He took a few steadying breaths, thought for a few terrifying moments maybe he wasn't cut out for this hero business, and blinked rapidly.
Post by evanora galestorm on Jun 21, 2017 10:48:53 GMT
ashes to ashes.
Today, it seems as if Sundial Park is as peaceful as ever. Warm sunlight hugs her skin. The sun hands above her, and she reckons that it's almost noon. Evanora has always liked such beautiful days, but she can't help but feel that somethings...off here. A premonition, of sorts.
She turns suddenly as someone calls out to her. "Sybil?" Where did he comes from? She knows that this is a dream, and yet it doesn't feel like one. A glance around shows that there's other people here, and she has a feeling that they're people that she's made up, either.
"I don't know..." She says in response, just as she sees the disgusting liquid bubble up from the ground. "But we need to go!" She yells, and seeks to help Sybil up when he trips and falls. She follows close behind him, hands grappling to grab onto the branches. Hopefully they'd escape the liquid--she's too scared to think of anything else, a nightmare she can't seem to wake up from. Luckily, it seems like the whole group thought the same, and have already tried to escape the poison's grasp.
His breath was quick and short, his body trembling at the whole idea of the situation. Sybil was... feeling things. He could literally feel everything around him. So that would mean the sludge would hurt him as well right? He didn't want to take any chances, that stuff looked like it had a mind of its own. But at least he felt somewhat safer with Evanora, even though they weren't exactly super close or anything. It was nice to see a familiar face.
"Wow." he stuttered, gawking at Evanora, "You look so... Real?" his finger would reach up to poke her cheek. That's if dream Evanora let him anyway. But Sybil was starting to wonder who these other people were and where he had seen them before. He had heard that dreams use people that you walk past on the street. "Ugh, this isn't a dream is it." he tried to tell himself that this was real, it would make him take things more seriously. But it just wouldn't make sense? How did he get here?
Sybil kept glancing down to the acidic goo that was making its way closer and closer to the trunk of the tree. Was it safe up here? "I don't know if this tree will be strong enough to withstand whatever that stuff is." But, the sludge looked like it was hardening rather quickly. Did that mean they could jump on it afterwards? Just how long would this last anyway?
Sybil clung to the tree, gritting his teeth and closing his eyes. "Argh! Wake up wake up wake up!"
Post by kasimir burovski ✨ on Jun 21, 2017 13:06:48 GMT
and i won't feel a thing
reality is a lovely place, but i wouldn’t want to live there
he and the blond haired boy are not the only ones with the idea of taking refuge in the arms of a tree, kasimir realises five seconds after he adequately secures himself, when another boy runs to the base of the tree and begins hauling himself up. or trying to, at least. (he appears to have some difficulties. if the situation were any less grim, kasimir would find it rather humorous, actually.) but as the brunet yells up into the branches a name kasimir assumes to be that of the blond, frustration wells up, hot and jagged. he all but wants to strangle the boy - truly, why would anyone draw attention to themself in such a manner?
the one he assumes to be 'percy' leans out to greet the brunet, almost topping over in the process. kasimir kind of wants to bury his head in his hands. or whack some common sense into the two. lava is boiling up out of the ground and there is a visible miasma of wrongness in the air, literally, and the pair are ignoring all and acting as if it were an everyday reunion?
and then, the two start making heart eyes at each other. of course. of course now is the appropriate time.
a few meters from them in the tree to their left, kasimir hears another boy muttering something about needing to wake up.
...maybe he would be safer on the ground after all.
your group completed the win condition of the previous round. no particular deaths have occurred, though injuries may occur/continue to occur at your own discretion. [break][break] the previous win condition was individual in nature. the condition was simply do not touch the reddish substance. congratulations, and good luck once again! you'll be needing it :')
[attr="class","stafftemptitle"]
group a round 2
“...after the results of the experiment conducted in the City of Light, over 60% of the victim's families were revealed to have ties to..., in addition, surveyors remarked that they...[and] complained about chronic insomnia”[break] -An Unpublished Edition of The Verda, a research journal (1781)[break][break] The blood-like substance starts turning black and suddenly, as though it was never blood but rather a thick black metal with the weight of a mountain, the park starts collapsing in areas where there are ‘puddles’.[break][break] Seconds before the park collapses, the black metallic patches hover over the ground dangerously as though observing the surroundings and waiting for something. And then they crash downwards- called by an irrefutable force. They crash like spiraling bullets, and the entire field is left a fissure in the wake of their destruction.[break][break] Nearby trees wave and begin to topple, tilting and eventually snapping at the base, tumbling forwards in a messy and potentially dangerous criss-cross of branches. The people in the trees are force to dangle helplessly from the branches that poke their heads into the giant crack that runs far too deep into the ground, and the pain they feel is very real. Terrifyingly so.[break][break] Below is only blackness.[break][break] And then the branches snap; one by one.[break][break] The characters spiral into the fissure, but luckily they manage to stay close the to edges. Their feet and/or hands snag on rough and random ledges, with some falling deep and others several meters above, some landing on all fours and others barely landing at all. Different pieces of the earth poke out at odd angles between, beneath and above the characters, teasing them. The characters are now scattered horizontally and vertically, and above them, they can see faint hints of the purple-blue sky and the park that once was.[break][break] Several branches fall in with them and disappear noiselessly into the abyss below- rocks and clouds of dust forever lost in the darkness. There is a deathly silence and they are reminded that just minutes ago the earth was rumbling. [break][break] The red-black substance is nowhere to be seen.
The strange red goo got closer and closer. There was nothing they could do. They were all going to die. He gripped Percy's hand waiting for everything to go black. He was right in a way. Everything went black... at least the strange red poison goo did. They were like super heavy stones weighing on the ground they stood upon. Slowly holes started to form where the black tar like substance pushed the ground down with its mass.
It went faster and fast before he felt the tree give way below himself. He could feel his body falling. Free falling. All he could feel was the strange weightless flight and a warm hand connected to his. He was holding onto Percy for dear life like a child latching to its mother's fingers. He could something pulling at his arm. Like someone was grabbing and pulling at him to keep him up. It was a large jolt as he stopped moving if only for an instant. There were snaps heard above as the tree branches quickly broke in succession and plummeted the witches into the strange fissure.
His feet dug into the dirt as he felt himself fall, stumbling on a small jut of earth that he can sort of stand on. There seems to be little stability to the fissured earth like it would give any second if he wasn't careful. He didn't like this. He didn't like this one bit. He hands had grabbed out to the earth in front of him... loosing Percy in the final fall and catch. He could see that he wasn't to far from what looked to be Percy and another person. That was a good sign. They weren't super far down the fissure at least. With some oomph and luck maybe they could climb out... assuming this was stable enough to do so.
"Is everyone okay!?" he shouted up towards the other people around himself. He saw four other people scattered around so that seemed like everyone. Thats good. Nobody was dead at this point. That was definitely good. "I don't suppose anyone knows climbing spells!?" he shouted up. Honestly if he thought about it he could float some rocks into the wall and create a sort of climbing wall if need be. Assuming his magic worked in this place. He hadn't actually tried using any spells.
"Also another question... is can we even use our magic here... like has anyone tried??" He had been with the group for a total of like thirty seconds before the tree went all boom boom and this freaking fissure made its way into this strange ground. They just had to find a way out right? Get out. That was all his body was screaming at him. GET OUT.
Post by kasimir burovski ✨ on Jun 22, 2017 13:52:16 GMT
and i won't feel a thing
reality is a lovely place, but i wouldn’t want to live there
the ground collapses in on itself, crumpling under the weight of the suddenly hardened obsidian liquid like delicate rice paper beneath a toddler's fist. shattering, fissuring, fragmenting into pieces as an abyss opens its endless yawning mouth and pulls. it is the very gates of hell opening before his eyes, the advent of the apocalypse wrapping long fingers around his throat leaving purpling bruises beneath their grasp; it is the toppling of trees as if caught in a hurricane's eye wall, it is the lashing of branches in a lattice that all but invites death.
he cannot go anywhere, cannot do anything save cling onto his branch as if it were his lifeline (it is) and pray to a god he does not believe in.
and there is a snap
and there is freefalling
and he lands with a jarring force that echoes in his bones on a tiny piece of earth that is all but disintegrating beneath his feet.
he intakes a hissing breath as he smothers his exclamation of pain, instead rapidly scrambling to his feet and looking for somewhere else to leap to before the platform he stands on completely crumbles away. blood is roaring in his ears with the volume of thunder and his heart judders against his ribcage, hammering out everything he dares not voice. he looks up - the surface is not too far away yet, not too far from his radius of reach, perhaps he could blink up?
his ledge shivers under his weight, crumbling a little more till he has barely the space to stand - and it makes his decision for him. he may well die either way - he loses nothing if he tries. mana wells up in his veins, his palms, pooling in his feet and flaring as he BLINKS-
-a dizzying rush of colour, psychedelic and wavering and warbling like a dying bird's cry, the sickening feeling of his stomach twisting inside out-
-and he falls, fingertips brushing the edge of freedom, safety, mana twisting wrong in his veins as he falls
and
f a l l s
and desperation, raw and primal and wild, screams in his blood, and his mana surges
and his fingertips shred leaving crimson trails down the walls where he claws to for life
his bones cry out at his rough landing
and he is left with a ghost of his would-be demise shuddering in his lungs, primal terror tattooed across his heart, and the uncertain future like iron weights crushing the ligaments of his spine.
Post by evanora galestorm on Jun 22, 2017 14:29:26 GMT
ashes to ashes.
For now it seems like the cover of the trees keeps them safe, and she watches as each puddle suddenly collapses in itself, leaving a fissure in its wake. She clenches each branch tighter, as if she could hang on forever and watch the destruction from afar. Unfortunately, she cannot--the fissure widens beneath them, and the tree she hangs from falls from its very roots.
Evanora cannot afford to die.
She inhales sharply in realization when she hears the branch crack, and when it snaps, she's freefalling into the air. Her body tumbles, and she can barely right herself before catching a glimpse of someone else. Her hands run ragged against the sharp earth before she finally catches herself on a protrusion. Her shoulder screams in pain, and she nearly drops from such jolt.
With another push she manages to grab another, and hangs just above kasimir burovski ✨ 's ledge.
Evanora could drop down easily. She smiles in relief.
But then she realizes how loose the earth hangs from his perch, with rocks already falling apart under the weight. It's unstable at best, and she could tell that he could fall at any moment. She wouldn't want him to die because of such a selfish action. Evanora's heart beats in realization, and she nearly hesitates in spite of herself.
"Goodbye."
Her arms push against the rough earth and she falls into the void, watching as the people above her disappear in the distance.
Post by kasimir burovski ✨ on Jun 22, 2017 15:18:36 GMT
and i won't feel a thing
reality is a lovely place, but i wouldn’t want to live there
his breath stutters in his chest as he struggles to calm his racing pulse, the searing pain in the tips of his fingers burning a hole in his mind. he is flattened against the walls, digging into what little handhold he can find to steady himself on this unstable ledge. but it is okay. he can balance, he can stay on for as long as the ledge will hold him.
he can survive. maybe.
a shadow falls over him, the sound of cloth whipped by the wind and a small avalanche of dust and loose dirt tumbling from above. kasimir looks up to see a blond haired woman catch herself on a protrusion just a few meters above his ledge, halting her downward momentum. she could easily drop down next to him. she looks down at him, eyes blue as the high summer skies as she smiles in relief; he starts to shift over, to make room for her in a silent invitation. it is all but crumbling beneath his feet, but what kind of person would he be to deny her this chance at survival?
but then, her smile fades, and she hold his gaze with her blue, blue eyes. "goodbye," she says, and it takes a split second for kasimir to parse her meaning before she's falling, letting go-
-and he lunges forwards to grab at her, fingers just barely closing in a vice-grip around a slender wrist. he cannot help his scream of pain as his arm is jerked to the limits of what human tendons are meant to endure, but he hangs on, his training helping him to force himself past the pain. his feet are slipping rapidly towards the edge; he fumbles for the protrusions on the wall, fingers digging into the rock and hanging on for dear life- oh god, the pain! -and his breath is shuddering now, heaving and shaking against his ribcage
the earth shakes, crumbles some more, but against all odds stays intact for now. kasimir grits his teeth, closes his eyes, and pulls, heaving the blond witch up with every fibre of energy he has left in his body, the blood on his fingers slicking both their hands. "why?" he bursts out, unable to help himself.
He was being louder than he probably should have been... but he wanted someone to answer him... someone to be there with him. He wished someone was there. He felt so alone right now. There was something so wrong about this but he couldn't put his finger on what or how. If only he was better with magic. Purification would probably be really helpful right now. There were other voices in the distance. That was a good sign. He had to move towards them.
