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 maddox rothscus ✨ on Jul 1, 2018 13:17:38 GMT
silence stretches for a second more, and the spiders seem not to notice that they have lost one of their own. swiftly, noiselessly, he sees another fall with a flash of flame. still, the nest is undisturbed. perhaps this plan will go well after all.
third time's the charm, or so they say, except that this time it all goes terribly wrong; there is nothing, and then there is a spider screeching bloody murder, the sound strangled and unnatural and downright wrong. maddox leaps into action, hurdles a fallen log, raises a condensed wall of wind as a shield above him as he half-sprints half-jumps right into the nest.
the webs resist at first, then moosely comes charging in with all notions of stealth abandoned; lowers his antlers and begins to rip and tear through the webs surrounding the eggs. maddox sheds the coat and grabs the eggs, wraps them loosely like the world's worst present and ties the ends to keep them secure. tries not to think about how they feel.
"these things are fuckin' huge!" he yells back; there are five whole clusters, and he has saved but one bunch of them. well, tough luck. kasimir's plan is likely the best option these eggs will get.
a spider's giant leg crashes down a little too close for comfort, the creature shrieking in pain with flames licking up its limbs. maddox skitters back, hauling himself onto moosely and clutching the bundle of spider eggs firmly, ducks past the thrashing spider with his heart in his throat and bursts out of the webs.
"catch!" he tosses it to kasimir, trusts that spider eggs are sturdier than to break on impact, and lashes out with a gale of wind to keep the spiders at bay so kasimir can fly.
Post by kasimir burovski ✨ on Jul 1, 2018 14:10:04 GMT
blue moon
you saw me standing alone
he swerves sharply left to avoid a flailing leg, never more grateful than now that the luminous wings he sprouts are incorporeal. the clearing seems entirely too small a space for the chaos happening right now. with a litany of curses running through his brain, kasimir sends a swarm of swallows racing towards the nearest spider right before he lunges to catch the eggs. they are... surprisingly heavy.
the swallows explode upon contact with the spiders, sending further chaos into the mix. there is inhuman shrieking and flailing and too many legs, wind tearing through the trees and kirjava darting through the clearing as a blur of gold and brown and black with fireblades extended from her claws to slice into the spiders where she can reach. the ground shakes as with rudimentary earth techniques in response to the spiders' rage. shreds of sticky spiderweb strands dangle from the branches just waiting to entangle anyone who passes by.
it is truly, utterly havoc.
he flees as fast and far as he can, shooting high into the sky first to avoid everything happening below. the thrill of kirjava's bloodlust, kirjava's adrenaline, hums golden in the back of his mind. it is very, very uncomfortable to know that his familiar and his friend are fighting some monsters straight out of a nightmare realm but he is not there to help; so uncomfortable, in fact, that after he has gone far enough that the sound of battle has faded into the night, kasimir summons a clone, passes it the eggs, orders it to flee to town, and starts racing back towards the spider's nest.
he is not injured, which means kirjava has not been injured, which is good. he hopes maddox and moosely are fairing similarly.
Post by maddox rothscus ✨ on Jul 2, 2018 5:09:56 GMT
he watches only for a split second as kasimir clears the canopy, then his world explodes into the absolute chaos that is: giant spiders thrashing and screeching in ways he swears are making his ears bleed; fire flashing at the corners of his eyes following the deceptively small form of a gold-edged ocelot; earth shaking beneath his feet in the spiders' frenzy; the wind screaming and howling with its edges flattened into blades.
at some point, he thinks he might have lost track of everything that is happening. a spiderweb catches on the edge of the axe as he takes a wild swing. there's a sharp pain that spikes up his shoulder at the resistance -- probably pulled something again -- then he redoubles his efforts and feels the blade connect. the spider screams. maddox curses something incoherent.
the best defence is offense, or so someone has once told him, and he takes such words to heart. there is a faint glow to the axe, runes curling around its hilt, a dull green reflected in storm-grey eyes. he cuts, slashes, parries a set of dripping fangs. gives himself wholly to the battlesong running through his veins and the wardrum beat of witch and familiar heart alike. he fights recklessly, perhaps more than he ought to; a spider's leg catches the pair in the side and it is enough to send them sprawling. there's a crack somewhere there shouldn't be. the pain is registered. disregarded. no venom had been involved -- negligible, then.
he stumbles back a few steps, almost slipping on the blood-spattered ground, just as moosely struggles back upright with an undignified snort. the air beside him coalesces into razor-sharp fangs and glittering eyes, a barely corporeal serpentine form racing forward with a roar, teeth bared.
for better or for worse, there appears to be some trepidation with which the spiders regard him. or at least as much fear as giant spiders may be capable of. he backs up towards the nest once more, faintly hoping that he can take this opportunity to dissuade them from accidentally destroying their own eggs.
Post by kasimir burovski ✨ on Jul 2, 2018 7:57:25 GMT
blue moon
you saw me standing alone
kasimir bursts back through the trees to a scene of chaos: the howl of wind, splatters of ichor and inky spider's blood coating the floor. there are severed legs too, some glowing with the faint orange of cauterised wounds ( kirjava's work, he assumes ), and the earth has opened with several cracks and fissures that were decidedly not there before. tatters of spiderwebs hang across the trees, floating in the air; kirjava avoids them with a deftness her diminutive size affords that the spiders do not have.
nothing is on fire, which is good. not that he would have blamed his familiar for using brute force to annihilate the problem if it became necessary, but he is nevertheless glad that they will not end up castigated for mass environmental damage. moosely looks like a figure straight from the a novel with wind swirling around him and antlers upon which the remnants of webbing still hang from.
and maddox is there with an axe glowing faintly green, runes lit up and reflected in his eyes like a storm descendent from the hellgates. for a moment, kasimir's breath catches in his throat; for a moment, everything is still; for a moment, all he can be is relieved at his partner appears fine-
or not.
but there is no time to think; the split second pause shatters as a spider lunges shrieking and dripping blood out towards maddox. kasimir swoops straight in from above to stab it clean through the head. the remaining ones scream, too, and the earth shakes again, quaking, trembling, hairline cracks splitting beneath their feet. a rush of mana, fierce and wild; he sends a flock of explosive swallows racing to meet their enemy while he dives back into the fray with his sword of burning fire.
Post by maddox rothscus ✨ on Jul 2, 2018 9:49:30 GMT
there is not a single ounce of grace in the moose's entire body, and it does not deter him in the slightest. he skirts the edges, sending leaves scattering and branches breaking and spiderwebs tearing, meeting any resistance with mulish stubbornness. he crashes headfirst into a spider's leg and brings up a wall of wind to deflect fangs as long as swords; he calls up a gale and sends it screeching towards an incoming spider and watches as the creature struggles against the wind. the earth bucks and writhes under his feet, but the familiar simply leans into the chaos and lets it carry him to his next target.
moosely deals with pain far better than maddox, anyway.
maddox, who is caught off-guard by a spider lunging towards him, moving far faster than it really should; impact seems imminent and he braces for the bite, then the spider falls short with a furious screech as kasimir dives into sight, bisects its skull with one clean swipe, and whirls off in a flurry of crimson and silver. for a moment, he is tempted to simply stand back and watch, then momentum carries him forward and the blade buries itself in the spider's skull as well.
a block of earth hurtles towards him at impossible speed, but this -- this is magic, and this he can handle. think of it like a spar with zeph.
the rocks seem to slow, and but a hair's breadth from his outstretched palm, they stop. then they ricochet backwards at full force, the sound of rock impacting against spider punctuated only by a victorious shout from the purifier.
Post by kasimir burovski ✨ on Jul 12, 2018 15:06:46 GMT
blue moon
you saw me standing alone
it feels so familiar, this dance of chaos and magic. wind and fire, rage and skill, the glint of steel whirring through the air as they set themselves against the brute force of monsters intent on their demise. were the stakes not so high, it would almost be fun; adrenaline sings and his familiar's bloodlust answers its call, a golden song melded with crimson. as formidable and massive as the spiders are, nimbleness, fire, and the ability to fly prove to be more than a match enough; they are also, in the end, mere obstacles to be felled against a witch with wind at his command and a lethal dual-headed axe.
maddox and kasimir, moosely and kirjava - they fight with the same drumbeat echoing in their steps and fit together too well to be taken down so ingloriously.
a final flash of fire, of wind, of steel; a spider screams, and falls silent. its corpse collapses to the ground with ichor staining its sides, next to the still bodies of its fellow brethren and various dismembered limbs scattered about. night falls in layers upon the clearing, still and dark and silent. for a moment, the only movement is the ripple of wind through shadowy foliage and the flutter of tattered pieces of web like a final white flag of surrender.
kasimir alights next to maddox, wings folding away to nothingness as he dismisses his blade; kirjava joins him a moment later, eyes glowing like smokey lamps in the dim light. he surveys the scene silently.
Post by maddox rothscus ✨ on Sept 26, 2018 4:22:36 GMT
they make quick work of what remains and the silence comes swiftly, falling across the battlefield like a funeral shroud. the clearing is motionless compared to the frenzy of action from before: apart from some still-twitching legs and the remnants of a whirlwind ( now a simple evening breeze ) rustling the leaves and shreds of spiderwebs, all is still. maddox yanks the axe from a spider skull, gives it a good whirl to clear the green-black blood from its blade, and clips the axe back into its holster. and then, unceremoniously, he lets his legs fold under him and he takes a seat on the clearing floor.
he mops his hand over his face, exhales deeply, and remarks, “i hate spiders.”
moosely takes this time to pick his way over the spider corpses, snorting in derision. with a decisive shake of the head, the familiar sends a gust of faintly sparkling air washing over the trio, casting breath of life to relieve the pain of any potential injuries obtained during the fight. partially out of concern, but mostly to quell his witch’s wordless complaints about an injured rib. ‘it’s just one rib, how many more do you have?’
maddox takes a moment to collect himself, before looking back up at kasimir. “thanks for that save, by the way.” a pause. “also, where did you send the eggs? i should probably grab them and report back.” and, with some luck, everything will be solved and he can go back and have a good long sleep in a bed that is neither near a spider’s nest nor in a forest.
Post by kasimir burovski ✨ on Sept 28, 2018 2:00:35 GMT
blue moon
you saw me standing alone
evening wind swirls around them, a gentle breeze bearing naught of the razor-sharp fury and rage of a moment prior. shreds of tattered spiderweb dangle from the dark-limbed trees like flags of surrender, luminously pale in the light of the moon. kasimir watches with growing concern as maddox sinks to the floor, a hand dragging down his face with what seems like exhaustion edging his movements.
he moves over to his partner, eyes scanning him over quickly for any serious wounds, before joining him on the ground. "with good reason," he murmurs, a wry quirk to his lips. a hand hovering over maddox's shoulder; a gentle touch. "anything serious?" he asks, even as moosely makes his way towards them accompanied by a soft, tingling wash of air. a spell, perhaps?
he offers a half-shrug at the gratitude, thoroughly uncomfortable with being thanked for something he considers... not quite a duty per say, but something to be expected, something unspoken and quiet and true. whatever they are, maddox and moosely and kasimir and kirjava, whatever they are, fighting back to back, wind to fire, feels... comfortable. "anytime," he says softly, before quickly moving on to the question. "i sent a clone to carry them to town. i do not know if it has arrived, but the eggs were undamaged as i last saw them."
kasimir rises to his feat, brushing back strands of crimson that have fallen out of their hairtie and into his face, and extends a hand to the purifier. he casts a critical eye at the mess of a clearing, at the corpses of giant spiders sprawled out like shadowy mounds, at the scours and fissures littering the ground, at the remnants of webwork drifting from the branches. then looks away, looks back at his partner and the moose familiar. "shall we?"
Post by maddox rothscus ✨ on Sept 28, 2018 2:50:28 GMT
“nothing i can’t handle,” comes a murmur in response. he is exhausted, that much he can barely hide, but bruised or broken ribs are one of many easily concealed injuries. besides, the pain is already subsiding. thank god for new techniques -- he is suddenly grateful for the extra work he put into learning it not too long ago, even though the process of learning healing techniques as opposed to the typical offensive fare took an unholy amount of effort.
he remains seated for a moment longer, feeling as though he could simply sink into the ground and take a nap, right there and then, among the mess and gore of the battlefield and still-lingering scent of charred spider flesh. for a moment, he contemplates it, despite his earlier words and any pressing sense of duty. surely, the people of eclipse town have waited a few days, they can afford to wait a few hours more while he takes a nap. then he notes kasimir’s outstretched hand, exhales softly, and accepts the offer to pull himself up.
ah, well. he’s got to get the job done somehow.
moosely takes that as an invitation to begin his bulldozer-esque method of clearing a path before them, abandoning every ounce of moose-given ability to navigate forests to instead trample out before them, splintering branches with his antlers and stomping on unruly bits of vegetation. it looks like a stampede of deer had moved ahead of them, instead of a singular moose stuck in perpetual irritation.
“how many creepy-crawlies do you think this forest has?” he says, by way of small talk en route to their destination. the forest beyond their makeshift path is silent and dark in the twilight silence, likely concealing no small amount of secrets. “because if we find any more, i think i might just lie down and die.”
Post by kasimir burovski ✨ on Sept 28, 2018 3:47:52 GMT
blue moon
you saw me standing alone
he tugs maddox upright, feelings his arm muscles protest at the additional strain; this, he reflects wryly, he will likely feel for days, and remember for far, far longer. seven meter tall spiders with maddened eyes and venom dripping from their fangs are not something one would find easy to forget, after all - and to anyone that would find it so, he would like to offer his most sincere condolences and a heartfelt desire never to exchange lives.
the journey back towards eclipse takes far less effort than he was expecting, what with moosely forging on ahead leaving broken branches, trampled bushes, and a clear and easy trail for them to follow. it is actually rather peaceful, rampaging moose aside; nothing seems to stir in the underbrush aside from a soft, non-threatening breeze. perhaps, he reflects with a rare bout of optimism, anything that maybe would have attacked them have now been scared away by the previous fight and the very determined moose.
"if they are anything like the spiders, i would rather not think about it," kasimir replies with a touch of wry humour, a little too grounded in the reality of the arachnids to be dry. "if we encounter any more, i might just lose my temper and burn them all. you can purify my flames before i start a forest fire, can't you?" jesting aside, kasimir is actually ( mostly ) serious - any more monstrous insects and he rather thinks few would blame him.
Post by maddox rothscus ✨ on Sept 28, 2018 4:34:37 GMT
he smiles, tired and genuine, huffing out a small chuckle. “i think i can, at least,” he offers. in a more energized state, it would be less of a question to exercise any modicum of control over a fire elemental’s flames, with no shortage of ways in which he could attempt to corral it before a forest fire started. in this current state, running on fumes, the hypothetical question poses a little more of a challenge.
the journey takes a little shorter than anticipated, partly due to the easy path laid out before them and partly due to good company. the forest behind them grows darker and deeper yet as twilight fades to night; the path before them grows lighter as golden lamps begin to dot an overgrown forest path. gradually, the path grows, widening to a quaint cobblestone road on the edges of eclipse town.
he doesn’t live here anymore, but there’s something unmistakably familiar about these quiet streets. they draw a few curious glances, as battle-tattered folks are wont to do, but no more than usual. moosely, hooves clattering on the cobblestone floor, sets off in search of their client to inform ( and in the process of doing so, likely terrify ) them of the mission’s conclusion. maddox, on the other hand, turns to kasimir. “any idea of where your clone might be?”
Post by kasimir burovski ✨ on Sept 28, 2018 4:52:26 GMT
blue moon
you saw me standing alone
they make their way back to town draped in the soft twilit veils of comfortable quiet, at ease with the simplicity of companionship and a steady tread and the night overhead. eventually, the soft glow of mellow lamplight emerge from the depths of darkness, illuminating an overgrown path and meanders towards town till it eventually widens into an actual inlaid road that leads them to their destination. eclipse, too, is quiet and dark, night having settled over the roofs, sleepy and soft. civilisation is a welcome sight after the inhabitants of the forest, and kasimir finds himself thinking quite longingly for a small room and a cleansing shower.
there are a few people around, but none pay them much mind. kasimir glances around, scanning the edges of the forest and town for the shadowy figure of his clone. "it should be close by," he says, peering deeper into the undergrowth. kirjava slips out into materiality to help search, eyes golden and lamp-like and far superior for the dark. "it should have stopped as soon as it had reached eclipse, but it did take a slightly different trajectory than us."
a flash of triumph and a mental nudge from kirjava; kasimir points to the left where the treeline meets the houses, behind a towering trunk where stands a vaguely humanoid figure crafted out of shadows, clutching something white in its arms. "over there." he makes his way over, handing over the eggs over to maddox and dismissing the clone with an absent wave of hand. "would you like me to come with you and explain my employers' orders?"
Post by maddox rothscus ✨ on Sept 28, 2018 5:36:53 GMT
he follows the trajectory of kasimir’s outstretched hand, finding the clone shadowed by the trees, once again impressed by the versatility of the affinity. the vaguely kasimir-shaped figure clutches the eggs in its arms, of which maddox eyes gingerly as he approaches. please don’t hatch please don’t hatch please don’t hatch.
fate, for now, seems to be on their side. the eggs remain blissfully still as maddox gathers them up in his arms, mildly grossed out by the slimy feeling against bare skin. moosely, sensing his feelings through their shared mindspace, laughs at his discomfort without restraint.
“that’d be good,” he says with a nod, relief palpable as he begins to move in the general vicinity of his familiar, where he has presumably found their employer. to have someone to verify the exact happenings would be greatly appreciated, considering the fact that lacking a valid explanation would paint the mission as nothing short of an abject disaster.
it doesn’t take them long to find maddox’s employer’s office -- a single cottage-like building standing marginally higher than the rest in a row of similar houses, though the decorations of this row are remarkably more no-nonsense than the residential areas. it is also one of the few buildings still lit at this time, its door hanging ajar just enough to catch a glimpse of an oversized creature waiting impatiently within.
“sorry for the delay,” maddox says, peeking around the shoulder of his familiar to the official seated behind a desk, arms crossed and looking mildly worried by the large moose. carefully, he lays the spider eggs out on their desk, dismissing the moose as he does so. the room suddenly feels far larger than it had a second before.
“there were some complications,” he says mildly, nodding towards kasimir. “a conflict of interests, one could say.”
Post by kasimir burovski ✨ on Sept 28, 2018 9:59:17 GMT
blue moon
you saw me standing alone
he follows maddox to a small building built in the fashion typical to eclipse, dark wood and low roofs and carvings on the windowsills, ducks in after his partner and waits quietly until needed. amusement dances through his eyes as maddox lays the eggs down, pale and round like grotesque pearls splayed out against the wood - the look of horror and bewilderment on the employer's face is worthy of song.
professionalism, kasimir reminds himself as maddox gestures towards him; he inclines his head at the man staring at them as if they were madmen and explains succinctly, "the cave weavers have been the cause of several deaths and pose a serious threat to sundial infrastructure; as such, the sundial council had tasked me with eliminating them and their nest. upon realising the conflicting interests," he nods towards maddox, "we determined that the best course of action would be to eliminate the weavers, but bring their eggs back for eclipse to raise and harvest. we hope you find this compromise acceptable."
not that there is much that can be done, should the man decide otherwise. dead spiders are dead spiders, and cannot be brought back to life ( even the mere thought of such makes kasimir want to return and burn the corpses so that the possibility is entirely dead ). either way; "i must report back to the council now, too," he says politely, touches maddox's shoulder with a murmured, "take care, please," and takes his own leave.
dear kasimir burovski ✨, maddox rothscus ✨,[break] Congratulations on completing your acolyte test! Your rank has been updated, a new emblem has been added to your inventory, and you've unlocked a new location: CAVE WEAVER REFUGE in the tunnels of Eclipse Town