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.
the search group trudges further east and further away from sundial. the path is foresty and seems to get denser as they get closer and closer to the actual forest of percival. the skies above them are cloudy and the sun seems to be playing games of hide and seek. luckily, they manage to catch a trail. it's old, but easy to follow. someone's been careless. [break][break] as they continue to travel, they see a few rocks seeemingly break off from the earth. the ground seems to split. beneath them, a wide-mouthed cave grins upwards, ragged rocks lining its lips. odd. the cave is not marked on the map.[break][break] when they stop to examine it, they notice that the forest has gone awfully silent. the loud thrum of insects seems to have quietened, birds are no longer yelling at every interval. in these moments of clarity, it becomes apparent that the plants and vines that lace the entrance are positively twitching and ready to attack. [break][break] the plants seem quite different from the ones they faced, and this time, they are far more prepared. at the same time, it seems far too obvious for their assumed plantshaper to be lurking inside that cave. do they follow the trail despite the fact that it could be a trap? or do they look for another opening to the cave? or abandon the trail altogether? [break][break]
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the group has found a few days old trail and they have followed it to the entrance of a cave. a cave which isn't marked on their map at all. they don't know whose trail it is, but it's unlikely anyone else is wandering around in the forest. that being said, something is off, and there are obviously-sentient vines willing to keep them away from the cave. will they take the initiative this time and attack, or attempt to find an alternative route? you have 48 hours to decide. [break][break]
Sometimes Sybil felt like he knew where he was and exactly what time of the day it was, but with each passing second, his actions just blurred into one. The sun seemed to peer behind the clouds from different positions in the sky each time he looked, night and day felt like they were intruding into the others territory and the behaviour of the wildlife reflected that quite clearly.
But the mass of writhing flora reminded him that this wasn't Sundial anymore. In fact, this place wasn't really anything. Swallowing the lump in his throat, Sybil would uneasily scratch at the wood of his broom, leaning on it ever so slightly.
"I- It's not on the map..." an uncomfortable glance towards the group, "I don't fancy searching a cave that nobody knows about. C- Can we stick to the path?"
TLDR; Sybil votes to leave the cave and continue on their trail
[attr="class","intext"]"Suspicious caves not marked on maps. Definitely not dangerous. Definitely not a trap." Sima mused aloud, "Could it be an illusion?" She glanced to Maddox as if he might be able to provide an answer, then turned her attention ahead again. "We could investigate the surrounding area, see if the trail picks up elsewhere. If not, we come back. Check out the cave." She offered.
Unmarked caves were certainly dangerous. While much of the area might be uncertain or poorly explored and mapped even worse, she didn't want to charge into the cave without taking the proper steps first. If they were to head in, she wanted to do everything possible to make sure it wasn't a trap. Measures to ensure it wasn't a monster math. Measures to ensure it wasn't illusion magic with someone hiding in the shadows. She didn't want to charge straight to their deaths.
Post by maddox rothscus ✨ on Sept 3, 2017 6:00:26 GMT
that was you.
as they trek, the pain dulls into discomfort; he devotes his attention solely to the trail ahead, a winding path of broken twigs and scuffed earth. he wishes moosely were here to help him track -- there is some merit in having a woodland creature as your familiar, but the sprained ankle is likely to cause the moose even more trouble than himself. ( idly, he wonders if a sprained ankle will be the death of him, and the thought is more amusing than anything else. )
but they come to a cave, and a hush falls over the forest as they do -- he consults the map, frowning ever so slightly -- it is unmarked. but the trail leads on, into the cave, and the group hesitates, some pausing to voice their opinions. that, together with the vines waving threateningly at its entrance, are enough to dissuade him for the moment. he levels a glare at the sentient plants, half-expecting them to unleash another torrent of mana-draining pollen, but the attack doesn't come.
"can't tell if it's an illusion," he tells sima, but the thought nags at him: if it is, then it is a pretty good illusion; he had not sensed any obvious indication of where reality ended and illusions began ( and frankly, he had not been able to in that nightmare either ). "it's possible that they might have just given us an inaccurate map. i mean, if they're not allowed to move far from the temple, it's not like they can map out every corner of the forest, right?" but it is clear that he does not entirely believe his own words.
"we can come back later if we can't find a trail." he is already moving, backtracking a few steps and drawing out one of the chain link gates his brother had given him earlier. mana flickers to life around it, though the other half of it remains closed -- this, he entrusts to sima. but, comes the thought, if this is an illusion, their quarry may be waiting straight ahead ( and leaving would only permit them to escape ).
ugh, reverse psychology. he hates mind games.
a smarter person might have hesitated. maddox -- not so much. "sorry. just going to test a theory." he raises his hands, feeling the mana curl through his fingers. "it might be good to keep a safe distance away," he calls over his shoulder, lips curved into a wry grin. "not sure what will happen."
if it is an illusion, it would simply ( hopefully ) dissipate. if the plants are real, perhaps this will subdue them. he is sure to stand a fair distance away, at the periphery of his ability, just in case they decide to take a bite out of him. with some luck, this will open up their choices. his eyes narrow in concentration; there's no harm in trying, he hopes.
Post by lucena zamóre on Sept 3, 2017 11:50:50 GMT
I've been watching your kindness keep A lonely company Look at the fire and think of me I've been watching you creep Around my wandering feet Trying for years to flee
The path around them seemed to hush, the sound of birdsong growing to halt and the comforting buzz of insects fading into an eerie silence; it was all too odd. Lucena turns her head towards the mouth of the cave, wine colored eyes attempting to peer into its dark entrance though she unable to see anything more than the ragged rocks that lines the opening. Two members in their search party seem to voice their concern, however, the third poses an interesting question and she turns her attention onto the brunette in question.
“...it’s not like they can map out every corner of the forest, right?”
He was correct to an extent, it would have been an impossible feat to map every corner of the forest with monsters lurking within its shadows; lurking and simply waiting their chance to strike the unsuspecting, “People may live out in the wilderness and they can get used to it, but it would be impossible to map out everything in this forest.” Lucena voices her agreement, it wasn’t worth the trouble to do such a thing; too many risks, a hassle within itself.
“I’m not against finding another path, but doesn’t it concern either one of you that the forest has suddenly grown so quiet? I don’t exactly see a reason for the wildlife to suddenly grow silent.” Her gaze switches between the various faces of her group members though she doesn’t quite make a move for the unmarked cave; instead she simply takes a step back upon the request of one of them– she never caught his name.
tl;dr: Lucena agrees with Maddox, having an extensive map of the place wouldn’t quite add up with their story and the area around them basically implies that it would be impossible with all the trouble lurking. Doesn’t mind finding another path, but voices her concern about the quiet forest around them. Takes a step back away from the entrance upon Maddox’s request.
playing cautiously is usually a good idea, but with the forest deathly silent, it's a given that something dangerous and unknown is coming their way. just as mana swirls to maddox's fingertips, there's a giant roar that rips through the forest's silence. the sound of it breaks all concentration on the spell and causes the mana to hum for a second but reject the purification attempt-- the plants seem to numb for an instant before lashing out again with twice the energy.[break][break]
the plants twitch as though having anticipated the turnout- they are ready to defend the cave from any that tries to enter. [break][break]the beast that comes at them is gigantic- at least thrice the size of a normal lion with a spiked tail and menacing, red eyes. the fur looks more like the skin of a snake, and its jaws are lined with double rows of gnashing, razor-sharp teeth. it leaps forward through the trees, ready to attack its prey. it seems to be alone, which is a good thing- but do they risk staying outside to place bets on that claim?[break][break] the thing that strikes about the beast is that it is in no capacity small enough to fit into the low-roofed cave. the plants lash out- nearly enough to scratch their skins. they have no time to think. both options are dangerous. and there's no way they will escape this without the scars to show.[break][break]
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the group has made 1/3 unfavorable choices so far. currently, they are faced with braving an unknown but presumably highly dangerous monster or the sentient plants that seem to guard the mouth of an old, out-of-place cave. the trail leads into the cave. the group is free to take alternative measures to deal with the threats. this round will last 48hours and each character may only post once. failure to post will result in moderate to severe consequences for the character. [break][break]
[attr="class","intext"]Oh. Oh. Well now this was certainly bad, wasn't it. How shitty, this whole ordeal. Sima was quite determined to never step foot in the forest again if she survived this. Too much weird shit and too much big shit trying to kill her. The monster roared and Sima took a generous step back. Adina materialized around Sima's neck as she turned to the plants. There was no way they could fight that thing and survive, she was sure, so to the cave it was. Mana wrapped around her fingers and she cast Technique: Spears on the sentient plants. Rock jutted from the ground, skewered them where lucky and grazed them where unlucky. "I vote the cave!" She was already running for it, unwilling to wait for a consensus among the group. She wanted to go while she'd stalled some of the plants.
Post by maddox rothscus ✨ on Sept 6, 2017 1:33:26 GMT
that was you.
"...doesn’t it concern either one of you that the forest has suddenly grown so quiet? i don’t exactly see a reason for the wildlife to suddenly grow silent," says the girl with silver hair and maddox, in retrospect, regrets not listening earlier.
he focuses on the mana until a roar shatters the silence and his concentration alike, looking up so quickly that he can feel the strain in his neck. a moment -- the plants freeze -- and the next -- they thrash wildly once more, the attempt rejected. "oh, you've gotta be kidding--"
but he doesn't get a second chance at the purification: the monster lands behind the group, and he is suddenly and painfully aware of how fragile a human neck must be to a beast of that size. sima rushes forward, past him ( 'i vote the cave!' ) and he is inclined to do so as well. between the devil and the deep blue sea; he is open to any course of action that gets him away from those razor-sharp teeth.
what's the worst the plants could do? he doesn't answer himself. "i hope everyone's ready for some spelunking!"
the problem lies in the plants ( there is something suspicious about them, but he can't quite place what it is ): as he watches, adina loops herself loosely around sima's neck, spikes erupting from the earth to attack the plants. a sharp spike of pain lances up his calf as he runs towards the cave entrance, ankle close to giving way beneath the sudden weight, and a twinge of genuine apology as he calls up moosely -- the familiar barrels into existence, bellowing in both pain and rage. the duo bring up the rear of the group, waving the others forward ahead of them. perhaps he can buy them some time: a surge of energy and the mana coalesces into a brief gale, sweeping up dust from the forest floor and towards the monster.
he'll have to satisfy himself with that as a distraction; there is no time, no time at all. a sword forms in his hand even as he drags himself to the cave entrance, moosely following right by him; there's a gracelessness that marks their actions, a certain desperation to survive that forces them to move even though the moose is limping and maddox is certain he'll end up breaking his ankle completely if he pushes it too far. ( still, broken ankles are probably preferable to death. )
he holds his breath, tries to focus on the hack-and-slash of the motion to clear a path for the rest. the monster can't get into the cave -- all that's left is to pray that the plants don't kill them first.
- uses fierce gale to stir up some dust and also try to distract the monster, tries to usher rest of group ahead of him - screeches and tries to cut up some plants with blade of wind - moosely sticks close to him for convenient desummoning if they get into the cave
There probably wasn't much point in him saying anything. It was as if right on time that the monster appeared as Sybil started to look for a way around the cave. It was bloody huge, a gargantuan lion-thingy(?) started waving its tail-thingy(?) around as if it were dying to crush some skulls. Sybil stumbled back, using his broom to hoist him up and get back to the group.
Suddenly, writhing plants didn't look so scary.
"Into the c- cave!" he'd cry out, jumping onto his broom and whizzing forwards as fast as he could. Despite the sudden attack from these vines, Sybil didn't do anything to fight back. He just wanted to see if he could dodge them and dart inside the cave. After all, his spells would likely cause more harm to the group than help. He really did need to get better at casting them...
TLDR; Screw that monster, Sybil's going inside the cave. Attempts to dodge any vine whips o3o
THERE WAS NO LIGHT I SWEAR I COULD SEE A REARING FEAR
Lucena could feel the regret rush over her when she realized that she had made the wrong decision, she decided to step back with the rest of the search squad despite her own concern of the forest and she is; faced with her own consequences when a roar shatters the once silent forest around their group. She noticeably winces at the sound before attention settles onto the large beast; peering back at its harrowing red eyes with her own.
Soon, the members of her group rush past her and towards the cave in a matter of moments and she couldn’t help, but follow dumbly after them when the fear kicked in alongside the adrenaline. Lucena was far more comfortable with taking the pain inflicted by plants rather from a monster that could kill easily without second thought. She stumbles in the slightest as she makes her way towards the ragged entrance of the cave, her attention turned away from the large creature and purely focused on the plants dead ahead– should she really push herself?
The thought lingers within her slightly frenzied mind and soon, her familiar makes the choice clear for her. The small kestrel slowly bleeds himself into existence, wings flapping as he soars just above her; just take the risk. Lucena draws her breath in, the action slow and careful, before she feels the air around her bend slightly at her will… rippling… thinning…
She grunts under her breath, her hand jutting out towards the plants that blocked the entrance of the cave and forces the thinned slices towards the creatures; simply hoping that the assault would be enough to pause their own attacks.
tl;dr: lucena regrets not going to the cave in the first place, but follows the others towards the cave anyways. she attempts to attack the plants with slices when she approaches the entrance of the cave hoping that the plants would be convinced enough to draw back their assault.
The witches crash into the cave, plunging into the darkness and through the plants, a tangle of limbs. Elbows and knees bang into heads, and they stumble into the darkness. The plants whip at the group; lacerations dot their bodies as they pass. [break][break] Fortunately, they manage to break through and leave the creature behind. [break][break] However, JP BELASCO is missing from the group. The plants attempt to wrap their vines around him, and would gladly feed him to the chimera. The group hasn't gotten far. Should he manage to escape the plants, he can catch up with the group. [break][break] As they grope around the cave, their eyes will adjust to the lighting. Closer to the entrance they will see a smudged hand mark against a rock, evidence that their target has been here before. There is no going back now; they continue deeper into the cavern. [break][break] The cave is damp and rather dark, quiet to one's ears until thump. Beneath their feet they can feel slight rumbles across the floor, a sound that they can't quite comprehend yet. Thump. Louder, a rock or two crumbles from the wall. Suddenly, a flock of bats screech and rush overhead, a cacophony of chaos. Highly agitated, they fly towards the entrance of the cave. More thumps echo throughout the trek, growing each time before the very sound shakes the walls--and then subsides completely. [break][break] Before long, they come upon a fork in the cave. [break][break] In the left, a faint red light washes against the walls. It's crowded, and should the group enter, would not provide much space to run or fight. [break][break] To the right is only darkness. They can likely get around by groping and feeling but there is no telling what could happen in an environment so dangerous. [break][break] do they go left towards the red light? or do they risk going into the unknown on the right?
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the group has made 1/3 unfavorable choices so far. currently, they have managed to make it past the monsters. they stumble through the darkness, hearing thumps that come in louder successions until it completely stops. a rush of bats fly overhead, highly agitated and unsettled. they come to a fork, and can choose to go either left or right. [break][break]jp has been left behind, and is currently being attacked by plants. he needs 2 posts to catch up to the group; one to defeat the monsters, and one to catch up. jp has 72 hours to post twice. for everyone else, this round will last 48 hours and each character may only post once. failure to post will result in moderate to severe consequences for the character. [break][break]
THERE WAS NO LIGHT I SWEAR I COULD SEE A REARING FEAR
She could feel her own limbs catch hold within the bramble of the vines, serrated edges pressing against her pale skin as forces herself to submerge head first into the darkness of the cave; her mind too frenzied to acknowledge the slight warm of blood pressed against her skin– keep away from the beast, keep far away from the plants. Lucena soon turns on her heels when she managed to stumble further from the entrance, untrained eyes glancing around the darkness of the cavern in order to see the faces of her group members; all must have been there, right?
It was difficult to remember the different faces from her group and how many had truly been there, especially with how unfamiliar she was with the members though she hadn’t heard anyone cry out nor point out the absence of anyone quite yet. If she had, she would have took the chance to save whomever, “I’m glad that neither one of us wandered far– is everyone alright, not too hurt?” Lucena breathes out a slow breath, her vision slowly adjusting to the blanket around them; her attention briefly settling onto the handprint that was marked on the cave’s wall.
It seemed that their group had been on the right path though she hoped that they could have discovered it sooner than to be confronted by a chimera, however, what happened cannot be fixed and all they could really do was search for the target that surely the root to the mess. She allows a small sigh to leave her and when she was certain that their group could move, she would trudge deeper into the cave; her own hand pressed against the cavern walls and her familiar reluctantly nestles himself on her shoulder.
Lucena would stumble over the uneven ground of the cave once or twice, the cavern still difficult to navigate despite her adjusted eyes; there was only so much the human body could do, “Do either one of you have an illumination scroll or possibly a light elemental?” She asks after a moment, her words growing quieter as she spoke and the cavern seemed to rumble around her– bats darting past in a frenzy and she braces herself.
The rumbling, however, does not seem to stop and upon reaching the fork to the cave; the sound seems to subside immediately. Lucena reluctantly turns her head to either pathway though her gaze seems to linger on the dim red light that pooled out from the left side of the fork, “I… I have no idea what that was, but I’m not taking my chance being stuck in the dark.” She admits, and unlike the first time, she moves towards the cramped passage without hesitation; whether the choice was foolish or not, she had yet to find out.
tl;dr: Lucena stumbles into the cave, a little cut up from the plants, but relatively fine. She asks the others how they're holding up before deciding to trudge further into the cavern upon seeing the smeared hand print and asks if there is a light elemental. When she reaches the fork in the cave, she decides to go left without hesitation because some light is better than no light, right?
Post by maddox rothscus ✨ on Sept 9, 2017 12:00:03 GMT
that was you.
the sunlight peters out, what few rays illuminating swirling dust motes as the witches stumble through. he reaches back just in time to dismiss moosely as they crash into the chaos, the wind blade dissipating as he trades fight for flight; a vine whips across his ankle; leaves a searing red line of pain -- he almost trips, snarls, pushes on despite it. they are charging forward with the desperation that comes only with survival at stake, sharp elbows and knees and he swears he can feel the breath of the chimera against his back as darkness takes the group completely.
and then, just like that, they are through. like the rest, he stops only when certain he is far enough from the entrance, leaning against the cave wall as he takes inventory: all limbs, intact. group members, probably all present. he searches only for one particular pair of golden eyes, and upon finding them, can breathe a little easier.
he slows his breathing, and wishes his eyes would adjust faster. eventually, he notes the handprint against the wall. huh. so maybe they are on the right track."i think we're all good," he answers, looking briefly around the group once more. "no one's dead, at least." in the dark of the cave, and the knowledge of the beast lurking outside, his words hang a little more heavily than intended.
they make their way deeper into the cave, with nowhere else left to turn; he limps along, steadily, stubbornly, leaning more against the cavern walls than he would like. an uneasy silence reigns, broken only by a brief question. "not a light elemental," he answers, though as he speaks, his atheneum interface shimmers into existence beside him and emits a dim green-blue glow. "but this might help a little." the offered light barely stretches beyond the periphery of their group, but at least they're not tripping as much anymore. he inspects the walls and the floor as they move, wondering if their quarry had been careless enough to leave behind any more tracks.
their footsteps are muted as they shuffle cautiously forward, until it is broken by a series of thumps, and the unholy screeching as bats burst forth from the darkness, clearly agitated. he braces himself for something elseto pounce out of the murky darkness ahead, but it does not come. the thumps, however, continue, and leave them with no choice but to continue onwards until they reach a fork in the road.
there is only a brief consideration. the left side emits a dim red glow, the right, nothing at all. he tries not to think what may be waiting for them in the dark; whatever light the interface provides sheds no insight. "same here," he says, and moves towards the red light.
- summons up atheneum interface to give them some light - inspects walls and floors as they move for any telltale tracks - decides to go left bc tbh screw the dark USED: GATE PURIFICATION: FULL RESET
[attr="class","intext"]Sima heaved a sighed when the monster failed to chase them into the cave. She wondered briefly if they were trapped here. No exit except the one they cam in through, a horde of plant monsters and whatever the hell that other creature was blocking them in. She tried to put it out of her mind. Forward, first. "Who knows what could be lurking in the dark." Sima stared into the inky black of the right path, "With no real source of light, I say we go left." And the others seemed to agree. Adina was still wrapped around her neck, magic at the ready. Her nature was Earth, but she wasn't sure how much use she would be if something attacked them while they squeezed through. Better something than nothing, though, right? She heaved another sigh and followed Maddox through.
Everything whipped past his face as he flew into the thicket of the flora. Each tendril, thorn and unnaturally bladed leaf would whip and slice at his skin. Luckily, he'd tucked his face close to the broom so the most damage was just across his arms, legs and back. Due to the speed in which he was flying, the sudden stop he had to make caused him and the broom to lose balance and roll to the floor... "Agh! How embarrassing." he muttered to himself, slowly pushing himself up.
It seemed they were safe, one of the other members were nowhere to be seen. Shaking the thought from his head, he'd start looking around (or trying to at least). "Y- Yeah, it's quite dark. Don't think I can fly in here either." Sybil felt his heart drop, he wasn't going to be very useful right now. His ability to manipulate mana was... Troubling to say the least. So he relied heavily on the use of his broom to make the group at least think he could help them.
"That red light, seems like a sign to tell us to not go that way but-" he glanced at the other more darker path, "I'd agree with the f- fact that I'd like to see."
And at last, after this whole time of the mission, he felt more comfortable. The Chimes were all aligned with the element of darkness. It was evident his parents and brothers had control over the element due to their snide and 'sinister' nature. Sybil however was the total opposite, sometimes he wondered why he didn't get light. Perhaps it's a genetic thing? But the fact is, he still felt comfortable in the dark - even if it did slightly remind him of being buried alive.
"I have no control over light but my darkness spells might w- work? I can try to conceal us all if the time arises but... Just letting you know I'm not much use in that regard."
TLDR; whines about getting hurt, prefers the red tunnel, lets everyone know of his darkness spells
