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.
"you are kind souls for helping us with the monster our sister's been cursed to become." maribelle says, leading the group deeper into the temple. her lantern sways as they descent deeper into the temple, casting a sickly warm light on concrete walls. she pauses when a rumble suddenly shakes the ground beneath them, dust falling from the ceiling as a rumble rolls through the church. the howling is closer now, and instinctively their mind warns that there is something frightening behind these walls. [break][break] "isobelle...i fear that it may not be long until she breaks free from her entrapment." [break][break] before long, the group finds themselves at the step of a giant stone door. the sister pries it open, holding it just so each witch can go through, one at a time. [break][break]
when the last witch goes through the entrance, to an empty chamber beneath the church, the sister's expression turns hollow and inexplicably cold, "apologies. but i forgot to mention...the curse. it spreads." and the door shuts closed behind them, leaving only silence within. [break][break] the walls are high and the room is spacious. it looks like a chamber once used for grand holy rites, or even grander sacrifices. there are murals and pathways scattered across- grand arcs and large pillars as well. a spreading curse? they had not been informed...was this a betrayal? quick attempts to open the door or shout for help make them realize that the room is likely enchanted against them. [break][break] do they have the courage to go deeper into the chamber? or do they try to force their way back out?
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ooc notes
the group has seemingly been tricked- they are now locked in a room with whatever 'monster' that isobelle has become. the 'curse,' they are told, can 'spread.' with this in mind, and the sudden locking of the door, does the group attempt to break off the enchantments and tear down the room, or do they venture deeper in hopes of uncovering or fighting whatever mystery lies ahead? the group has 48hrs to respond to the situation and make a decision. [break][break]
Claire is quick to decide. "Do not touch the enchantment!" she roars, voice echoing against the enclosure. She is an enchantress herself, and she well knows how dangerous enchanted objects are. It is a diverse affinity--infinite, even, as it is still evolving. Touching these could mean everybody's demise at this early stage. "These enchantments are strong enough to keep the sister in check. It's definitely a notch higher than our levels. Everybody, we stay together."
The original plan is to knock out the sister just enough for her to be unconscious. She needs help, and maybe there is a possibility to get her back to normal.
"The plan has changed," Claire says. "We will find the monster and subdue her before the curse spreads to us. That is, if she had become a monster who attacks for no reason. If she has not yet transformed, we attempt to turn her back and expel the curse."
From the start, Claire has been doubting the sisters all along. Now they have walked down right to their trap. She curses mentally, feeling the responsibility weigh down on her shoulders. She looks at their small group, and promises herself--no deaths.
She only hopes she is making the right decision.
The only thing left now is either to venture further or... how about they play the odds to their favor? She looks at the ceiling, the pillars, the arcs, and buzzing mana manipulated and bent against its natural state of rest. "I need your opinion on this. How about we try to use our surroundings? And the enchantment in this place? It could be useful if there is a trap here, so long as we find it first and play it against the monster."
☂
TL;DR tells the grp not to touch the enchantment. tells them to subdue the sister asap if she is already the monster, but if she's just otw to monsterness, they attempt to turn her back and expel the curse. asks them to test the enchantment around the place and see if they can use it to their advantage
The witch they were following seemed suspicious. They all seemed suspicious. He was just being paranoid. Maybe it was the nightmare replaying in the back of his mind again and again without rest as he subconsciously watched people be ripped to shreds in front of him... felt himself starting to drown before waking up.
The one sister slightly held open the door as they each passed through. He was the second through the door. The place was rather large... larger than one would expect from the outside. Some kind of enchantment perhaps? The other three quickly trickled in before they were locked up in the place by the sister with a so called spreading curse.
No doubt someone would try to open the door... someone closer than himself and they would discover that they were trapped. If he really tried maybe he could dispel the magic around the door? No... if this curse was truly that strong that this kind of protection was needed they could be dooming the entire country to it. Maybe it was some kind of plague?
The woman seemed to have the same idea he had. There was nothing good to gain by tampering with someone that was probably very intricate... it had to be to keep the curse out. They had to forge ahead.
The young man took a small step forward before turning on his heel and looking back at the other two. "I don't think this place will let us out easily... I vote we move on ahead," he said with a calm voice and a smile. It was fake. Everything was fake. He didn't feel afraid though that much was true. Right now he didn't really feel anything but numbness. Was he a bad person? Was this his punishment? He would deserve it if this was.
Naomi turned around as the door started to close. It took a second to really understand what that one chick actually said. She started to run limp over to try and get out of here, but boar lady said no. The stupid room is enchanted.[break][break]
Instead of potentially hurting herself, Naomi decided to calm back down. Gotta be the responsible adult for once. Of course, the room had to be locked behind them. Otherwise, this supposed monster could escape whenever. This didn't change anything. [break][break]
The others were out there finding a cure for the dumb curse right now. If that actually worked, then there was nothing to worry about. The spell only activated when someone tried to leave the area, which was kind of impossible right now (not that she wanted to spend any more time with these sisters).[break][break]
There are probably other spells in place to keep the girl distracted. Something had to prevent her from standing here all day, trying to get out. Like most things, the enchantments were beyond Naomi's understanding, but if Claire thought it could help then hey that's cool. "If it don't involve killing us all, then knock yourself out." [break][break]
She knew what she said was dumb but didn't feel like thinking about it anymore. Her only techniques involved breaking things, which could be used to set off a trap from a distance? Maybe? Who knows. [break][break]
[break] Ignore the door, it's better to keep going. Nothing's changed. Everything will be alright. Naomi's too stupid to figure out traps.
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[attr="class","onlytimelyric1"]dance like you're disappointed
Post by cassidy wolfe on Sept 3, 2017 16:00:27 GMT
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[attr="class","TheHandmaiden"]
J
The sound of their steps lay eerie against the concrete walls, and she looks down the hall wearily when a rumble shakes the floor under her feet. It doesn't take long to filter through the door, but before she can react, the door behind them is snapped shut. She whips around, hands reaching forward to try the door before Claire's voice roars behind her.
Enchantments are a mystery to Cass, and she trusts Claire's judgement, if her strength has shown anything so far. It probably wouldn't be wise to mess with it. She looks around the room, feeling for the mana. It vibrates around her, crackling against her own. It gives her a distinct feeling of hostility, and she doesn't wish to push against it.
"What kind of enchantments do you think are in here?" She says. Cassidy has no idea. She's only an augmentor with few spells to her name. It wouldn't be too difficult to try and cast her a weakening spell on the door--but she's going against enchantments too strong for her to handle. That spell can easily backfire and injure her.
Someone in their group steps forward, and she is eager to agree. "Yeah, it might be better if we keep going. For our sake." She murmurs. They've already been through so much. It would be a shame to die even before they got to the girl.
❀ asks the group about the enchantments, but ultimately decides to move on ❀ @group
the group agrees to move deeper into the chamber, and find themselves funneled into a hallway. dimly lit flames line the walls, casting a sickly orange glow across paintings and murals plastered across the surface. it's not long before they stumble upon a large room. spacious, much like the last one. pillars line up across the room, supporting the chamber's tall ceiling. terse silence hangs over them as they walk through, presence made known by the sounds of their breaths and steps. [break][break] a chandelier slowly sways above them, broken and tattered. it makes a soft jingly noice but then rows harsher as the sways gain momentum. [break][break] the witches will barely have time to react before a monster drops on the ground between them, ground quaking from its impact. [break][break] its humanoid body is covered in fur, and stands on two feet, slouched slightly. with slitted yellow eyes and a snarl etches across its snout, the monster is strangely wolf-like in nature. tattered clothes hang off of the creature, remnants of a frilled pink dress that might have been a little girl's. [break][break] it is isobelle, the sister victim to the curse. [break][break] any attempts to escape are likely met with a chase. the monster is incredibly hostile, and is very unlikely to listen to any type of logic or reasoning. it's clear that the only choice in here is the fight to survive. [break][break] will they prevail against the monster? or perish in the process?
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ooc notes
the group has made 0/3 unfavorable choices so far. as a result, they have gained the first strike against what appears to be an abomination- a cross between a young girl and a snarling, hyper-agile wolf. what kind of curse is this? they have no real idea. the group will be attacking the monster- please mention in detail all feats you wish to attempt. depending on the techniques used against the monstrosity and the effectiveness of coordination and strategy, the group will either be given an advantage or a setback in the next round. mention the scroll, technique, and restraint (if any) used against isobelle. you have 48 hours to post, but each character will only be able to post once. [break][break]
The ground began to quake. It was like something hard and sturdy was pushed through the ground. That was the kind of feeling he got when the hybrid creature descended upon them. They had to break into a formation. No doubt the most senior among them... aka Claire would be the one to lead the charge. Given how she was she would probably be up front attacking the creature. That would leave one more person to help her out while the others provided back up and possible long range attacks.
He figured he'd probably be regulated to the back. He didn't have much in the way of hand to hand abilities compared to Claire. Most of his magic focuses on long range abilities and canceling mana thanks to the whole purification thing. Maybe they could use that later to break the curse? Then again if he didn't know how it worked he couldn't very well break it... especially not a curse that could turn someone... a little girl no doubt... into a creature like that.
Charani would try to roll away from the creature. As much distance as he could manage in an instant. With her build the creature no doubt had powerful physical attacks. Given the spreading nature of the curse who was to say it couldn't be transmitted via a scratch or bite even. He couldn't know. Wouldn't know. He'd just have to trust the other and work together. The good part about this was while he had never personally worked with Claire he at least knew of her. She was part of the Helios family so he could trust her for sure. That was all he needed.
The real question is what did he have on him. A knife. A wand. Some scrolls. That was it. He'd have to make due. "It's coming, just tell us what to do Claire." he shouted as he put his hand on his bag, ready to grab something at a moments notice. In his other hand he held a simple knife that he usually had on him. It was just basic steel and nothing special. It came in handy sometimes though. You never know.
Charani waits for her to call out for him to attack, staying at the ready. He feels the small dog familiar materialize and ready itself. She shouts for him and the dog familiar to use Earth shower so he does. He pours his mana into the earth below them as hunks of rock rush towards the... well you get the picture. Rocks smash wolf thing. That's the plan.
------- Sums: Rolls away from creature to get some distance from claws. Grabs knife. Puts other hand in bag for quick access to items. Shouts for Clare to take charge so they can coordinate and attack. Uses Earth Shower with familiar when told. Techniques: Earth Shower Items: N/A
Claire is quick to react. She had seen it coming, but had not anticipated how quick it would be. The chandelier creaks and in an instant the sister drops onto the ground. Quakes shake the whole cave. When the dust clears, the abomination shows itself. A creatures between a wolf and a girl it is, ready to kill. Should she not be able to kill them, she would just spread the curse.
"Be prepared to attack!" Claire yells. Quickly she holds out her hand and focuses on the mana around the sister. The next second pause scroll is cast. She finds it quite difficult to control, still she is sure it would gain the group an advantage. As she casts the scroll Vani materializes beside her, roaring with hostility, blue eyes training to the monster.
"Charani, Naomi! Alter the surface of the earth to further slow her down! Cassidy, we go in now! You coming in from the right!" Each of them knows each other's abilities. Claire, in particular, has them memorized. "Naomi, Stance Shift! Charani, use earth shower as soon as we get away after the first attempt to hit! Cassidy, attempt to reverse enhance the girl!" Even as she says this the earth below her feet freezes into ice and spreads, and she slides on it towards the monster. Together with the boar, Claire charges from the left.
Just as she reach the sister mana charges to Claire, increasing her strength by folds. With a sweep of her leg Claire attempts to knock the sister off her feet. If it hits Claire would then proceed to kick her away from them. If not, Claire would attempt to punch her in the muzzle with an uppercut as she is currently crouched.
"Charani, now!" Claire yells, jumping out of the way to make space for the other Knight's earth shower.
If all goes well Claire would be out to safety and say, "Charani, be prepared to use full-reset later. Everyone! Keep your familiars close. We're going to knock her lights out."
☂
TL;DR Claire commands her group members like a pokemon trainer. Tells Naomi Oliver to use stance shift, Charani Petrov to use earth shower after Claire gets away from her first attempt to hit, cassidy wolfe to use boon and bane of augmentation. Claire herself uses Pause Scroll to slow the monster, Skater to near the girl and Augmentation for Dummies #1 to sweep her off her feet and kick/punch her. Gets away and tells Charani to start the earth shower.
Damn. Guess it was time to actually do something for once. All this time Naomi expected the girl to be bigger, but a monster's still a monster. Didn't feel like the right time to complain when it could still tear their heads off.[break][break]
The initial panic that set her heart racing dispersed as Naomi realized what she needed to do. Okay, yes, Claire was the one with the plan, but no one had to follow along just because she's Miss Important Knight Lady. Everyone could make their own decisions. Naomi just happened to reach the same conclusion. Not like she had that many options to begin with.[break][break]
"Prince!" The zebra appeared right where she was standing as Naomi took a step backward. They had to do this before the girl could properly attack. After taking a deep breath, both lifted their right leg is sync and stomped hard on the ground.[break][break]
The area beneath the wolf girl started to crack as Stance Shift began its work. The floor split apart as if a giant sword had cut into the earth, leaving behind a cross-shaped scar in its wake. It only needed to slow the girl down, prevent her from charging while the others moved to punch her.[break][break]
Doing too much would only slow everyone down and defeat the whole purpose of even trying. For a second Naomi wished that she was the one capable enough to go beat up the sister, as she probably had the least to lose. Then sanity kicked in and she changed her mind.[break][break]
[break] She listened to Claire and kicked some dirt. Stance shift cut a little plus shape under wolf sis so she doesn't bail.
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[attr="class","onlytimelyric1"]dance like you're disappointed
[attr="class","onlytimelyric2"]IN THE WORLD
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*stares longingly at chandelier* one day, you're going down.
Post by cassidy wolfe on Sept 7, 2017 14:22:16 GMT
[attr="class","TheHandmaiden05"]
[attr="class","TheHandmaiden"]
C
An unsettling silence hangs in the air, so quite that she can hear the sounds of her own pacing heartbeat in her ears, like the drumroll to a grand finale. She's nervous--there's no doubt that they're going against something big, and that they may not even be strong enough to survive against it. Claire is a novice, but can four witches go against a creature of this monstrosity?
She tries not to think about what she'd argued about with Juls last night, how she'd partly volunteered for this group because she didn't want to see him today. Cassidy is as much of a fighter as she is a lover, but she can't be that strong. It's fine, she'll come back tattered and hurt but alive. And he'll be tired and with a broken arm -- it's only herbs and such. He should be okay, but she doesn't know. This mission has already given them more surprises than they can handle.
When they enter the room, she glances at the others warily before entering. Tall pillers line each side, and their footsteps echo reverberate back as they make their way inside, the hairs on the back of her neck raise upon sight of the swaying chandelier. Cassidy rolls out of the way of an incoming monster, claws inches from her body. Dust is left in it's wake, but she takes a couple seconds to register what just happened.
Tattered remains of a dress, hair--fur lines nearly every inch. Isobelle. They will battle a creature she could barely will herself to look at.
She forgets any reservations about fighting and channels her familiar. "Vali, I need you!" At the smell of a fight, he instantly materializes, growling in hunger. Cassidy charges from the left, channeling The Boon and Bane of Augmentation, and seeks to weaken the creature. Should it hit, she'd attempt at a kick at the sister's snout while Claire would sweep a leg under he creature. She follows her and leaps out of the way of the earth shower. With everything, perhaps they really can make it.
❀ leaps out of the way and attack from the left, uses boom and bane of augmentation and attempts to kick at the monster while claire sweeps at her legs. jumps out of the way. ❀ used boom and bane of augmentation ❀ @group
As soon as the witches move in, the wolf roars--hardly affected by the reverse augment. Instead, it's reflexes are as quick as ever. It clamps its jaws around cassidy wolfe 's foot when she attempts to kick it, but stumbles when claire fermont 's leg makes contact. Naomi Oliver 's stance shift hits and confuses the wolf. She looks around in confusion, yellow eyes flickering across the room before earth rains from above, burying half of Cassidy's body and the wolf under stone. [break][break] There's silence. [break][break] No one should dare to approach the pile of rocks. Moments pass before the pile of rocks shake violently, and the wolf suddenly breaks free from the encasement, blasting the rocks away in unbridled rage. Cassidy is flung across the room, and fragments of stone fly at Naomi Oliver and Charani Petrov . [break][break] The wolf stands on its hind legs and snarls before attacking, teeth sinking into Vani's leg, claws moving to pierce at his sides. claire fermont will feel as if her whole body was being assaulted--there's violent pain and a piercing loud noise, like the mockery of her familiar's voice, severely crippling her abilitity to cast spells. [break][break] will they prevail against the monster? or perish in the process?
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ooc notes
the group has made 0/3 unfavorable choices so far. while the group has not made the worst choice, it was not the best choice, either. because of this, the wolf-girl has managed to clamp onto cassidy's leg. when it was hit by a stance shift, it briefly blinks in confusion before being buried by the earth shower. cassidy is pushed back from the force, her leg crippled. [break][break] the wolf has attacked vani, and claire will feel the effects of the attack. while claire cannot cast spells, vani is still able to. depending on the techniques used against the monstrosity and the effectiveness of coordination and strategy, the group will either be given an advantage or a setback in the next round. mention the scroll, technique, and restraint (if any) used against isobelle. you have 48 hours to post, each character can post up to two times. [break][break]
There is silence. It happens in an instant. For a heartbeat Claire dares to hope that maybe, just maybe, their plan has worked. The dust from the earth shower clears, and that's the moment Claire sees that Cassidy has been buried underneath as well.
"Cassidy!" Claire lurches forward, but her speed doesn't match to the velocity of the rocks that comes flying as the sister breaks free from the mountain of rocks. The black-haired woman is flung across the room, and judging from the looks of it her leg has been crushed. "Shit," Claire curses. Defend, someone defend her--
The next thing Claire feels is the searing pain on her leg. The next thing she hears is the agonized roar of the sweet, sweet boar. Vani. The witch falls, legs giving up, but she catches herself on her elbows thus able to prop herself up. The boar isn't about to have his leg bitten off, and he kicks the snout of the sister with as much as strength as he could muster. As soon as the wolf is off the boar the pain subsides, but with a cost.
Vani limps towards the witch and helps her up. Claire holds on to Vani's tusks and with great difficulty, stands on her feet. Her head whizzes, her vision blurs, and she bit her lip, hard, until it bleeds to keep her focus. Both the witch and the familiar is in no shape to move, if only they would be given a short minute to recuperate. Still, Claire moves to Cassidy, slowly but surely. Vani follows close behind.
"Keep your familiars close and stay away from the monster as much as possible!" Claire roars. "And keep the attacks coming!"
☂
TL;DR Claire attempts to help Cassidy, but it stopped shortly with the pain as Vani gets bitten. Vani kicks the sister off and limps towards Claire, helping her up. Claire makes her way towards Cassidy once more and tells the group to keep their familiars close and keep the long-range attacks coming
ITEMS USED: ➺ PAUSE SCROLL ➺ AUGMENTATION FOR DUMMIES #1
Post by cassidy wolfe on Sept 9, 2017 15:31:26 GMT
[attr="class","TheHandmaiden05"]
[attr="class","TheHandmaiden"]
S
he flinches when the wolf wraps it's jaws around her leg, and with a quick tug, sends her crashing to the ground. She inhales sharply, the air knocked from her lungs. Her mind buzzes, and she uses her other foot to try and batter the wolf away. Before they can move react, they're showered in a cascade of large stones, burying half of her body in its wake. The rocks lay heavy on her legs, and she's pinned underneath.
Is it over? Cassidy pauses, and she looks on with horror as she feels vibrations against her skin. Before she can react, she's flung across the chamber, the world rolling through her vision until her body comes to a stop. She props herself on her elbow, disoriented and clutches at her leg. Warm blood drips from where the fabric has ripped, and she chokes out a sob of pain before recollecting herself.
What would Juls say if he saw her like this?
She pushes against the ground, urgency at it's highest. She takes a glance at Claire. Bloodied and barely able to move, she still makes the effort to meet her. Cassidy breathes and shakes her head, pointing back to the monster. "I'm fine--focus on the beast. We need to take it down first!" She reaches out for her Vali, the tiger limping to meet her.
"Vali, help me--" She says, and slings an arm around his shoulders and manages to sit up, channeling her strength to use a KNOCKERBACKER against the wolf. Her fate would be sealed should the wolf choose to target her.
❀ tells the group to focus on the wolf. ❀ used boom and bane of augmentation ❀ using knockerbacker ❀ @group
Cassidy is soaking on her own blood, and she can barely stand up. Claire is halfway to her, almost, almost--
"We need to take it down first!"
Claire halts, the haze her mind is in dissipating for a while. The Knight is reminded of the big picture, the ultimate goal, the thing that needs to be done. As much as she hates leaving comrades to their own accord, she has to do this. There'd be no point in helping Cassidy if the sister manages to obliterate the group. Claire grits her teeth before turning to the monster once more. Vani positions himself in front of Claire, stance ready to defend her from the horrendous monstrosity.
Already telling Vani the plan, Claire raises her arms. She envisioned an enclosure, but it blurs. Regardless the temperature in the cavern drops, air freezing with an audible pop. The sister is suddenly flung back, and her back would hit a wall of ice. Claire wheezes, and she almost loses her balance if not for the boar that moved to her side to support her. The duo is able to hold the technique to completion, though obviously Vani contributed a lot more to its success.
The monster would now find itself surrounded by a wall of ice. It's closed in circumference, completely trapping the sister's movements on all sides should it be successful. The frigid wall is a rushed work, but it should work just fine.
"Earth shower! Continue altering the earth! You two, aid each other!" Claire barely is able to raise her voice, but she still managed to croak out an order. "Be ready to dodge at any given time!"
☂
TL;DR Claire turns her attention back to the sister. Together with Vani they used Large Spread to trap the sister inside a wall of ice. Tells the fledgies to help each other when needed, and to continue attacking with earth.
ITEMS USED: ➺ PAUSE SCROLL ➺ AUGMENTATION FOR DUMMIES #1
So far she was failing at her job. Naomi only decided to do this in order to serve as very attractive bait. The actually useful kids needed to do their thing in order to complete the job, so having two of them get attacked instead kind of ruined the plan. The One Dude might be badass but, like, he couldn't deal with that shit on his own. [break][break]
Naomi tapped Prince to let him dematerialize for a moment 'cause she had rock pieces to dodge. Not a fan of her own element being used against her but whatever. She hid behind one of the pillars, hand pressed against the smooth stone, when an idea started to form. [break][break]
Her familiar appeared to the left with a look that seemed to imply well, what now? [break][break]
"Give me a minute" she basically whispered, not intending for the others to hear. Not that it mattered. Probably didn't need to say anything. Guess her mental capabilities were maxed out trying to think of something better to do. Something that didn't inevitably kill one of them.[break][break]
It was hard.[break][break]
In the meantime, Prince had to be the useful one, as always. He snorted and began to use rupture to continue to mess up the ground. The idea was to separate the wolf sis off in her own corner of the room, while the rest of them stayed on the other side. Of course, it would take a while to actually work because earth is slow.[break][break]
[break] This sister's the worst. Used rupture to give the wolf girl her own little corner of happiness and rocks.
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[attr="class","onlytimelyric1"]dance like you're disappointed
