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 heath ambroise on Nov 25, 2017 2:47:39 GMT
He did what he was told, and he did it well. That was the only reason he had managed to even garner a task that required so much trust. If one was being optimistic about the whole thing which, Heath was not. Realistically, if this didn’t go well he could end up in jail. Being efficient was just how to mitigate that. Not to say he didn't feel loyalty or gratitude to his employer, but once again he was considering ways to distance himself from them and carry on a more honest life. Heath mulled this over as he waited for his test subjects to arrive. The room that had been rented out was simple enough. No windows, but there was decent lighting. It was a little cold. Granted, he was in the basement of an exotic herbs shop. There were a few crates in the corner but not much else in means of stock. The owner had been gracious enough to provide a round table and multiple chairs for the other guests. As well as some cups, a pitcher of cold water, and some bread rolls. Heath nibbled on one and Sinclair had ever so graciously popped into existence for the snack as well before darting off when he was done.
The young man tapped his foot in annoyance. Always the first to arrive and the last to leave. Heath stared at the door, waiting for it to creak open already. The aforementioned product, lay safely in a satchel provided to him before the meeting. The stuff inside untouched, as specified. With his instructions given, Heath had simply transported it here and glanced at it every few minutes. The curiosity was starting to eat away at him. As his boss washed their hands of it after handling, the water had turned magenta. He wanted to know how ridiculous this was going to be if it could dye water bright pink. Heath huffed as the curiosity began to eat away at him. In his head he chanted rhythmically, ‘They’ll be here soon’.
I press the button and[break]it bursts into life[break]This time nothing will escape my sight
As much as Ling would like to say that she's started to get a handle on her impulsive streak and be able to reign in her curiosity, she... really hasn't. After all, she wouldn't be here if not for that insatiable itch to find out what weird and wacky side effects these new potions will induce. In her defense, the last time she took a mission like this, it went pretty well, all things considered, and she even made a friend out of it! Besides, it's not like it could be too dangerous, right? They'll probably have cleansing elixirs and preventative measures and stuff. And if it is a little bit dangerous regardless, well. It's not like some of the experiments she's run over the years weren't dangerous either.
Well, it's a bit too late for any regrets now. Arriving at the exotic herb shop specified by the mission contractor, Ling looks around curiously before she heads down to the basement. There doesn't appear to be anyone around, and if she's honest, it's a little bit creepy, but hey, it's nothing she can't handle. The door creeks open beneath her touch, horror movie style, and ok, her apprehension is raised by another notch at that, but peering around the wood, she sees a blond haired copper-eyed guy sitting at a round table, satchel by his side.
She brightens. Whatever potentially creepy atmosphere is all of a sudden disrupted - she smiles at the blond, waving a greeting. "Hey," she says cheerfully. "Are you here for the mission? I'm Ling, nice to meet you!"
Desmond's personal choice of poison was alcohol. He didn't feel the need for more variety than that.
However, the Silvertongue was known to generally have an expendable human or two in his possession: loose threads from completed information extractions or canceled jobs. Their memories had been severely altered by his associates, but tinkering with the mind was far from reliable. So they would be used, one way or another, before expiring. Today, they would be guinea pigs for a cheap underground alchemist.
"It's an experimental drug," Des explains to them as they walk obediently at his side. There was one man and one woman, each would have appeared experienced and rough around the edges, had they not been ignorantly hanging on every word from his lips. "There's a chance that it will return your memories to you, though the side effects may be quite bizarre. You still want to go through with it, yes?" They nod. Over a week ago he convinced them that he was their friend, working in their best interest. Having been mentally reduced to little more than blank slates, they didn't know any better.
Having worked in much worse, this house seemed pleasant enough to him.
As he descends the stairs, Des spots his contact, plus one familiar face which he didn't want to see anywhere near here. For a moment, he is speechless, anger and concern bristling behind a neutral gaze. But he recovers. "I've brought two more testers for you. I hope you don't mind if I stay to see the results for myself." Desmonds states, his tone making it clear that he is not asking for permission, since there is only one answer he would accept.
Post by saskia burovski on Jan 9, 2018 13:46:00 GMT
past experience dictates caution, as does luci, a voice quietly reproachful by her side. ambition and some stubborn, dogged pursuit of usefulness leads her to the antithesis of caution, which in this case takes the form of potion testing. the request is everything but trustworthy, even for one as optimistic as saskia is. ‘nonfatal’ is not quite as reassuring as she wants it to be.
“but, honestly, no reward without risk, right?” saskia chirps, looking to luci even as her hand rests lightly on the door handle. she is met with a sigh of resignation before the bear barges in ahead before her, eager to get the job over and done with.
there are a few others already there along with their contact, only one of which she vaguely recognises from brief passes in the keep. no name comes to mind, however. she edges forward, finding and meeting the blond man’s gaze with more confidence than she truly feels. “hi! i’m here for the, uh, testing?”
Post by heath ambroise on Jan 18, 2018 19:34:05 GMT
As the door opened, Heath set down his roll and quietly clapped his hands together to clean off the bread crumbs. He stood up to great the first, a young girl. Far younger than he expected. He furrowed his eyebrows together for a moment, caught in surprise but then shrugged it off and instead offers her his hand for a shake. “Nice to meet you too. Thank you for coming, Ling.” He states with a nod, not bothering to hand over a name himself. The next three waltz in, this time less cordial. Heath watched for a moment figuring the witch leading them would not be participating. Smart. “Do what you want.” He replied as he looks over the two companions before his eyes moved to the door once more. A large bear shoves itself through, followed promptly by a younger witch. He blinks away his surprise and quietly wonders if it’s actually a stroke of good luck that their prime demographic for the potions are present.
“Right. Let’s proceed then.” He announced as he looked over at the door. Someone on the other side tugged it close with a thud. “I’ll be observing and recording the potions effects so be sure to be vocal about how you are feeling.” He began as he worked on unbuckling the clasps around the satchel. He tossed the flap over with ease. “Have a seat. You’ll be ingesting doses from vials.” He probably fit more than enough of the thick, pink liquid for 3 rounds. 3 was a good number and this was just supposed to be one test. There would be more. He eyed the contents inside curious as to how it almost looked metallic in a way before pulling out 4 vials, and carefully unwrapping the soft cloth around them. They were about the length of his thumb and ended in a point. He then set each dose down next to a cup and served his taste tested half a cup of cold water. He looked up at Desmond, hesitating before asking, “Would you like some water?”
While waiting for an answer, his pulled out a small dark red notebook and a pencil before looking over the scribblings he’d been given. A variety of possible side effects had been written out for him already and he was really only there to verify these possibilities were actually going to be outcomes. For a marketing perspective. “If you could try it and also give me feedback on the taste of the potion itself, that would be helpful as well. It is apparently supposed to taste like cherry pie with whipped cream. Hiccups are normal. So is dizziness and hysterical giggling. Just remember to breath.”
The blond guy - probably their employer, or at least the representative sent - seems nice, if rather professional. Taking her cue from him, she straightens her back, schools her own expression into something more appropriate for business, and shakes his hand; then, seating herself at the table, she waits for the others to arrive.
The next to walk in is a pair of rather intimidating-looking witches, a man and a woman both with cooly blank expressions, followed by another older man. She... doesn't think too much at first, giving all three of them a cheerful wave; but then, but then, something stirs in her chest and her mind and for a moment, for a moment she can't breathe because there is a supernova flaring to life behind her eyes, millions upon millions of stars burning in the lightless, chasmic sky that is her memories, ink-dark void that shudders and swells and screams out to grasp the cold ( loving ), hard ( warm ) eyes of the dark-haired ( familiar, beloved ) man ( fath- );
She blinks, and realises that she's accidentally zoned out while staring at the dark-haired man. Offering him a sheepish smile in apology and not-quite-subtly mouthing a 'sorry' at him, Ling's gaze darts to the final arrival - a pink haired girl probably a little older than her, and a giant beautiful glittering bear. Awesome. She waves at them too.
And like that, everyone's assembled and it's time for the testing to start.
Ling picks up the vial she'd been given and looks at it closely from all angles, curiosity evident in her eyes. She tilts it to the side, careful not to spill any, and watches the almost metallic looking pink liquid slosh around. "It's quite viscous," she muses, slowly swirling it around. "More so than most potions I've seen, anyways. Is that 'cause of increased concentration or something?"
She likes her sciences. There's a reason why she likes taking so many missions on weird experiments and cool tests.
Briefly, she wonders if she should ask what the effects are, but then dismisses the thought. If she hasn't been told yet, then likely the experimenters want an uninfluenced evaluation of effects. With that in mind, she downs it quickly- then immediately gags and grabs for her water as the taste hits. "That," she declares, pulling a face, "does not taste anywhere near as nice as cherry pie."
But clearly, the potion seems to work fast as Ling feels the urge to giggle bubble up in her chest. Slightly impatiently, she waits for the actual effects to sink in.
Desmond was a bit concerned that this drug distributer had somehow managed to gather equal parts young girls and hardened mercenaries to test this particular potion. If its effects were dangerous, would he be able to do anything about it? He hadn't seen his daughter's death in his scrying pools, but he hadn't seen his wife's either. He pondered the idea of stopping the experiment -- it wouldn't take much to knock the glasses out of the blond's hands and say some bullshit about seeing bad omens in the water -- but that wouldn't change Lù-Xī's willingness to participate in something like this in the future. She can feel her eyes on him, and he does not return her gaze, nor her greeting. He will stay, he decides, and will allow this to proceed. He'd prefer that these events happen in his presence.
"I have no desire to consume anything from his building, thank you," Des replies to the experimenter neutrally as his two sheep took their seats. He settles for leaning against the edge of a table at the edge of the room and observing in silence, making sure to keep his eyes on the duo he'd lead here more often than the girl who was born with his blood.
Upon drinking the odd concoction, both the woman and man grimaced at the flavor.
"This is... wow--"
"I... never want to try the pies you're baking."
"Yeah, this is way too strong."
"Too-- hic! Oh, th--hic!" the woman, clearly flustered by the sudden onset of hiccups, clasps her hands over her mouth, though the rest of her body continued to make little jumps as they continued.
The man chuckled at her sudden affliction, but the laugh which was meant to be quiet and short quickly rolled into a wave of giggles. Naturally, this got the hiccuping woman laughing as well, rendering them both barely able to speak, despite trying fruitlessly to suppress the potion's physical effects.
Post by saskia burovski on Jul 2, 2018 5:53:31 GMT
saskia regards the entire situation with the open curiosity of someone who has dabbled little in such fields. luci is somewhat more cautious, her motions far more sedate than the crimson-haired witch who tracks every movement like an excited puppy. she waves cheerily at the dark haired girl, who can't differ too much from her in terms of age, offering the rest a sunny grin.
she takes the potion eagerly, examines it to no effect. she hasn't the slightest clue of alchemy or any related fields, save for the one particular potion that keeps her breathing. her knowledge of that, even, is cursory at best. as far as she can tell, this is simply a very pretty potion. probably safe to drink, right?
( she thinks briefly about what her brother might say if he saw this. probably something like 'don't do that, it might not be safe'. and, really, on any other day, saskia would probably agree. she shouldn't be putting herself in any unnecessary danger. but really, where's the fun in that? )
besides, their employer looks pretty professional. he's got a notebook and everything. and there's that taller man who is probably a responsible adult. and she has luci! everything will be fine!
saskia takes a seat, the bear resting her head on the witch's lap. she downs the potion quickly, without flinching, an eye twitching at the taste. "i think that- hic- description needs reevaluating," she manages, barely, already on the verge of uncontrollable giggles as the other two begin laughing and hiccuping as well.
Heath shrugs at Ling. "Possibly, I was only present for the end of the brewing of these so I’m not sure.” He states. He took notes, and wrote recipes down. The closest he got to touching the potion was getting the ingredients for his boss. “What does it taste like?” he asked as he set his pencil on paper, ready to annotate her experience. Practically all the test subjects begin hiccupping or giggling and he wonder if he should've kept that a secret as well. Whatever the case, it was common enough of an occurence for his master to have made a note of it.
As he scribbled down the effects next to each subject information, he set the notebook in his lap and began unwrapping round two. The vials were exactly the same. Heath set them down before the four before gettinf up to refill their water cups as well as offer some of the bread rolls for the taste. He knew cherry pie and whipped cream was too specific. But had they listened to him? No. He wasn't an alchemist but he doubted adding baking soda and salt to a potion was going to create the flavor of pie crust. Oh well, at least now they had first hand feedback. It tasted bad.
"I am in no rush and I would rather wait than watch anyone here choke. Please gather yourselves as best you van and when you are ready you may proceed with round 2." the blonde said as he picked up the empty vials and began wrapping then up and putting them away. He then sat down and went back to dutifully taking notes. He glances over at Desmond adding, "I may need you to pick up more water from upstairs if we run low." he wouldn't dare leave these people without proper supervision. Should anything go wrong he had some purging vials. Nothing fancy, just something to make a subject wretch should the effect of the potion be too strong to handle. At least, that's how the boss had explained it.
"I ask that you all talk me through your experience. It will help the development the more you talk to me."
( the tall, dark-haired man that stirs something heavy and thundering in her chest does not even look at her, and something in her aches like she has lost her hopes and dreams and warmth all at once. 'look at me,' a part of her wants to shout, 'look at me, see me, love me' - but she does not, because he is just a stranger, and she does not know him, and he is not important there is nothing unusual look away lookawaylookaway- )
And then Ling is too busy ( failing at ) fighting off uncontrollable giggles to think of anything else. "I-it t-t-tastes a b-bit like- like uncooked dough? a-and overwhelmingly overripe ch-cherries," she manages to get out between her giggling, before giving it up for a lost cause and just doubling over in laughter. And hey, laughing feels good ( though being forced to laugh not so much ) - better than uncontrollable hiccups in her book.
She makes grabby hands at the water, eventually getting some in her mouth ( after several attempts, and a good amount spilled onto the table ), and the urge to laugh continuously begins to subside a little. Or maybe it's just a placebo effect - in scientific trials like this, who knows. "Alright," she says, and has to pause as a fresh bought of giggles wrack her frame. "Okay. I- I think the effects of round one was fairly obvious here. Very strong urge to laugh for me. Not much else though."
And if that's round one, she really doesn't know what to expect of round two. What kind of demand does a giggling or hiccuping potion have, pranks aside? The vial containing the second potion looks pretty much identical to the first, and Ling finds herself hoping that it isn't just more of the same. Uncontrolled giggling isn't too bad, all things considered, but it's not exactly something she wants to experience for extended periods of time.
That said, she did sign up for this, and she's getting paid for it too. "Bottoms up!" she says cheerfully, raising her vial in a toast before downing it all.
Desmond was not quite prepared for how Lù-xī's laughter would twist a dagger through his chest. He thought that he'd distanced himself enough to the point where it wouldn't hurt this much -- but by the Fates, she had the same laugh as her mother, and his heart bled.
The reaction which crosses his features is stifled and bent by self-restraint, and likely comes off as a twitch of irritation.
He needs to remind himself that this girl is not the woman she resembles. He is a stranger to her. She is not his daughter. (If he repeats the lies with the truths together for long enough, he's sure he'll start to believe them all.)
"Of course," he says (was his tone colder than just moments before?), "Just let me know where to find it when you need it." He keeps his eyes on his two guinea pigs, not because he was invested in the results of this experiment, but because he was not certain that if he made the mistake of glancing at Lù-xī in this moment that he could keep his resolve of isolation from crumbling.
Those two seemed to be in much brighter spirits, albeit fruitlessly attempting to restrict the effects of this first potion. As they say, ignorance is bliss. "It's... it's like being tickled," the woman manages to say between bouts of hiccups and giggles, "r-really annoying, actually!" though she didn't seem to mind too much, since both she and the man took the next drink the moment they had a respite from the effects of the first.
Post by saskia burovski on Aug 27, 2018 6:42:44 GMT
delightful ( or annoying ) as the induced laughing fit might have been, it leaves an odd aftertaste. like that one time she misread the baking instructions and put way too many tablespoons of baking soda in it. chemical and weird and just generally not something she would willingly try again. luci gives a vaguely concerned rumble. saskia waves it away; it isn’t anything dangerous. just mildly unpleasant. but at the same time, its effects are…certainly something.
she notices, eventually, a glass of water and some bread rolls available. carefully, oh so carefully, she takes a sip of water. hiccups. sips some more. hiccups again. giggles. gladly accepts some bread rolls as an alternative ( oh, these taste way better than the potions. blessed, amazing bread. what simple joys in life these are. )
they do eventually dwindle down, though, to the point where she can comfortably take a drink of the water and finish off the bread roll in hand. luci keeps a watchful eye, frowning as hard as a bear can frown. “i’m not going to die,” she tells her familiar, between slowly dissipating giggles and hiccups.
luci, unconvinced, only murmurs, ‘well, i hope so.’
a new vial received, saskia only takes a moment to examine it inquisitively – not that she gleans anything from the brief observation, having had little experience in alchemy. she waits a second or two longer to confirm that the former effects have passed, shrugs, and mirroring the rest, downs it in one go.
Post by heath ambroise on Aug 27, 2018 7:03:32 GMT
Heath nods politely at the feedback, his pen whizzing on the page of his little notebook. He seems to study the young girls for a moment, eyeing them for any additional, physical side effects that may have cropped up. To his relief there are none. The same is said for the other test subject, the adults. Though, overall everyone is feeling giggly and hiccup. It reminds him of drunks. “I see, severe adjustments will have to be made to the flavor. No baking soda.” He notes, his tone dull but his writing pressure harsh. What. Did. He. Say? What did he SAY? He silently apologized to every individual present because multiple doses of shitty cherry pie just…it was going to add up to a whole bunch of disgusting. He looked around briefly. Where was the bucket? He’d brought a puking bucket right?
He wasn’t sure how intentional the tickling feeling had been, but he made a small note to ‘tone it done, boss’. Too much, and they’d be choking on their drinks. Now that he thought about it maybe this was supposed to be a mixer potion. Though, it didn’t matter now. The effect would be felt faster if they just down the syrup themselves, right? No harm done. He looks over to Desmond as he replies. He hesitates before giving him a cordial nod. Had he imagined something? No, it was nothing. He was sure of it. He had to focus on his tests. What would there be this time.
Heath glanced at the notes he’d been provided by the master chef themselves. The group down their second doses and he collect the vials carefully, wrapping them up in cloth and putting them back in the briefcase. “Again, if you feel uneasy or unsettled-” He tried not to say nauseous. “Feel free to help yourselves to the bread. It should give you some other taste to think about in the meantime.” He said, gently pushing the bread rolls forward before sitting back in his chair. “I would like to remind you all that the effects, while strange as they may be, are all temporary. Should anything last longer than what I’ve been given in the notes I have a backup.” Aka, the puking bucket. And he guaranteed, it would not taste better coming back up. As the mention of death, he’s also quick to add. “The potions aren’t that powerful. Your safety is guaranteed.” He slows down, tilting his head when he thinks he spots something growing amongst a subject’s hair, but he isn’t quite sure yet.
