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 claire fermont on Apr 20, 2018 14:33:19 GMT
Vani huffs upon hearing the clanky witch mention his glorious presence. Nicknames... he knows the reason behind his nickname. Claire gave it to him when she was still a tiny whee kid. Vani, short for Vanilla, Claire's favorite ice cream flavor. She said his white fur reminds her of the color of Vanilla. He had protested quite a lot, but the witch didn't budge. In some sort of a panic, he quickly says, "Don't tell them! Actually I'm Lord Awesome, that's my nickname! Nothing else!"
But the white-haired witch seems to not hear him. She shakes her head calmly, and Vani slows down and nudges her. Twice. She looks at him, then pats his tusk. "You are awesome, I know, but that is not your nickname." And then, addressing Zephyr and his familiar, "I call him Vani. Short for Vanilla, my favorite."
And she says that with a straight face, a matter of fact.
The witches and the familiars would soon reach the house of this so-called Alice. Zephyr knocks this time, but silence meet them.
"What if I knock it down?" Vani asks.
"We could, but we shouldn't," Claire answers.
She might change her mind, though, with the rather blunt, dismissive answer of the woman. Claire steps in front, and the woman's eyes narrowed as she sees the Knight's Crest. "We're investigators of the recent bank thefts. Are you Alice Houlgate?"
"I knew this would come... Alice is my daughter. Come meet her."
Claire starts to move, but is met with an arm blocking the doorframe. "We're just going to ask some questions--"
"In my watch," Mrs. Houlgate insists, and Claire's right eye twitches. "She has something important to share, apparently, and wants her safety to be secured."
Claire glances at Zephyr. This might be something... "Yes, we'll hear it. The Knights would ensure Alice Houlgate's safety."
[attr="class","itemsclaire"]items used //
[attr="class,"imageclaire"]
notes // NOTES HERE
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
[attr="class","gearcore"] Zephyr hadn't expected the boar to react the way he did to being asked his name; the crafter had legitimately been trying to be friendly rather than poking around sensitive topics. Since when were nicknames sensitive information? That said, he was even less prepared when this warrior woman told him that she'd named her beast of a familiar after her favorite flavor of ice cream.
That was honestly the most adorable thing he'd heard all week. Zeph hesitated to say this verbally, however, due to the boar's apparent embarrassment.
"Well..." the blonde said after a thoughtful pause, "I ain't heard of any law that says ya can only have one nickname, so "Lord Awesome" sounds just fine t' me. But, for th' record, there's a lot worse titles in th' world than bein' called your witch's favorite." Like "Moosely," for example. The Rothscuses had absolutely ruined Zeph's expectations for familiars' names.
When they finally arrived at Alice's address, they were met with a woman who was less than forthcoming. Frankly, Zeph wasn't sure if she trusted her.
Still, Zeph nodes as Claire glances at him. This was the closest they'd been to a lead thus far.
And so, Alice's mother lets them inside. Well, almost all of them. "Your familiar will need to wait out here," the woman insists, glancing down at Vani with a displeased gaze, before opening the door to them. The inside of the apartment is cozy, but far too structured and bare for Zeph's personal tastes. "Ali! They're from the Helios Knights -- I've let them in," the mother announces in a hushed tone, as to not alarm the neighbors. Though he isn't a Knight himself, Zeph doesn't see a need to correct her.
"Ah, yes, thank you..." the younger Houlgate says from the kitchen table. She has bookish glasses and her mother's chestnut hair, but without the streaks of white. Her fingers are knotted together and cannot seem to settle on a single definitive position. "I heard you're here about the thefts, and I have--" her voice trails off as she looks up at them. Claire's imposing figure seems to cause her initial hesitation, but her gaze then spends a concerning amount of time on Zephyr, from his face, to the goggles around his neck, the tools at his belt, and his worn work attire. The crafter shifted his weight, not used to being scrutinized like this, and unsure if he should interrupt her silence. Thankfully, she speaks first: "I apologize if this is an insensitive question... but are you one of those people who practices magic by creating machines to shape the mana for you?"
It was now Zeph's turn to glance at Claire, unsure of where this line of questioning was going, or why he was even being questioned. "Uh, yeh. I dabble."
The young woman's eyes widen at the confirmation, shining with what Zeph was pretty sure was hope, though he really couldn't be sure at this point. Before he can ask why, she wordlessly rushes to another room of the house and -- from what he could hear -- seemed to be frantically looking for something.
Post by claire fermont on Apr 23, 2018 4:02:13 GMT
Vani is a simple boar. He just wants to be appreciated, to have his fur brushed, to be looked up upon, and trample over his enemies. Such simple desires. Just imagine his delight when Zephyr actually says he'd call the boar Lord Awesome! Boars can't express much emotion, but judging from the way he yips and wags his little tail, you can tell that he's absolutely happy. "Yeeeee! Lord awesome!" Vani repeats again, just for the awesome feeling he gets.
As you can already see, he's ecstatic. And a simple-minded boar.
Claire stares at Vani, and then at Zephyr disapprovingly. "Don't spoil him too much," Claire says sternly... or so she tries to. At this point she is just humoring the conversation, and it can be heard from her tone. "Fine. Vani the Awesome, that is your new nickname."
Sure enough the boar whines, but it has Awesome in it so he's not going to complain that much. Besides, Zephyr already told him that some familiars are more jeopardized than him. He might as well suck it up.
The witches and their familiars would then approach the Houlgate residence. The woman seems to warm up upon seeing her crest, and at the very least seems to trust them. Vani eyes Spock, then, and that is his only reaction otherwise. Being big sure have its downsides. What of there's free food in there?
Claire rolls her eyes then, and continues inside right behind Zephyr. Alice Houlgate carries the look that reminds Claire of librarians, only she is an accountant. At the very least she seems to be more welcoming than her mother. She notes the way Alice's eyes widen as she looks at Zephyr.
Claire returns Zephyr's glance. Puzzle pieces seem to fit in one by one. How did the culprits enter the banks without being spotted or seen... How did they manage to break in without tampering with the vaults. There are still a lot of missing smaller details, but the bigger picture is already visible.
And when Alice brings back a small chain, Claire knows. Alice stops in front of them, clutching the bronze chain against her chest, looking away sheepishly, occassionally glancing at the two. Claire steps back. Alice seems be breathe a sigh of hushed relief. "That is a portal, right?" Claire asks. Alice nods curtly. "What does it have to do with the thefts?"
Alice, with a small voice, begins detailing what she knows. "I found it lying at the desk of a co-worker... She has already gone home and I thought she had left it. So I took it to return to her, but I never had the chance because the bank got robbed that evening and they took her in as primary suspect."
"Do you know why?" Claire presses further. Alice bites her lip before answering. "She became one of the many suspects the guards just pointed. That night the authorities got so close to catching the duo. I never got the chance to return this to her. I experimented and... found out that it's a portal, and that it stretches." She experiments on it, and sure enough the metal chain unlocks. It stretches, but does not activate.
And, seemingly out of the blue, the puzzle pieces click in. The stories remain the same... Unsuspected, unaware, detained, but the thefts continue. It could only mean... "Puppetry or brainwashing enchant," Claire says, to which Alice just stares at her curiously.
[attr="class","itemsclaire"]items used //
[attr="class,"imageclaire"]
notes // NOTES HERE
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
