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 Dec 16, 2018 12:03:00 GMT
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[attr="class","m1scroll"]the office is silent and empty. it is oddly reminiscent of that time he broke into a government official’s office for hired sabotage. a drawer not too far off slides open almost as if by magic; he gets the hint. time to snoop.
he heads for the drawers, tentatively tugging on them to check if they were locked — they aren’t. opening them and quickly rifling through its contents, he quickly wishes that it had been. pictures of women, all vaguely similar and— “oh,” he says, feeling his soul physically depart his body as he notices the stains. he longs for the sweet embrace of death. he closes the drawer as quickly as he can, and heads for the bookshelf, praying that it yields less disturbing results.
the books themselves are negligible, but this isn’t the first shady office he’s raided. he sticks his hand behind the shelves and blindly feels around for a moment, praying not to touch anything icky. he finds, instead, some kind of switch. “i think i got something,” he whispers back. click.
the bookshelf, to his disappointment, does not slide away to reveal a secret corridor behind it. instead, the sound doesn’t seem to come from the bookshelf at all. he scans the room, wondering what has changed. it’s like a game of spot the difference, and he is losing.
oh, wait— there’s something, isn’t it? “hey, was that there before?” he says, pointing at the rug, before realising billy can’t see him pointing. “the rug, uh, thing. lump.”
"Ah yes. The rug. Yup still ugly." And he was right. There it sat... still ugly. Still mocking them with its gross colors and bad pattern. Now with a lump to make it even more gross. Well Maddox was somewhat useful after all.
Welp. Time to flip the rug and see what they got. The rug would of course start to roll upwards as Billy... you know moved the ugly ass red rug out of the way to reveal a metal hatch that had been displaced.
"Aha. Super villain aesthetic... gets em every time." He hummed as he would try to move the hatch fully open now that it was visible. There was a metal ladder that lead down to a very dark and somewhat damp area. "After you."
The area down below was much less pleasant than its upstairs counterpart. There was this foul odor that permeated the place... like bleach perhaps? Mix with something else. He couldnt quite place it.
The dimly lit hallway would be fairly wide and if he looked to his left he would see what looked like cages? Large cages. The closer you get the easier it would be to see that they were pretty deep. It was hard to see if there was anything inside. If he got close a girl would jump out of the darkness... ragged and emaciated. Grabbing out being held back by the metal bars of her prison cell.
She wasnt the only one. Keep going and there was two other rooms to see. One with a metal table... slab like with chains on the walls and some tools. The other room seemed to be some kind of lab? Or something like that. It was hard to tell.
Post by maddox rothscus ✨ on Dec 16, 2018 12:37:04 GMT
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[attr="class","m1scroll"]he politely avoids stepping on the rug while billy rolls it away. and, whaddya know, it’s a secret entrance. “they should really learn to hide their switches better.” always the bookshelves, or beneath the desk. “and maybe get a proper designer.”
a metal ladder descends into the darkness below, dark and unwelcoming. he stands at its edge, peering downwards, already dreading what lies below. people are always on leviathan’s case about being shady and all, but he likes to think that they operate with more dignity and style than this. they have better rugs, definitely.
he begins to make his way down the ladder, acutely aware of an odd smell, chemical and sharp. bleach, or some kind of disinfectant? at least it’s not the sewers again. anything smells better than that. he finds his way to the ground, moves out of the way so billy doesn’t somehow step on him, and takes a look around.
the shadows stretch deep, and the corridor yawns dark and infinite before them, lined neatly with rows of cages. against his better judgement, he inches closer, until something leaps out of the cages at them: a girl, gaunt and dressed in little more than rags, her eyes sunken deep into their sockets. she claws at empty air.
holy shit.
maddox stumbles a few steps back, startled and momentarily frozen. can she see him? wasn’t he invisible? a shiver runs down his spine, and he hastily moves on, continuing down the corridor. he pokes his head into one room, noting a cold metal table and the rusted chains on the walls with rising apprehension in his gut. the other room holds scientific apparatus, haphazardly scattered across what might be a laboratory bench.
“hey, buddy?” he looks over his shoulder ( uselessly, of course, because they’re both still invisible as far as he can tell ). in the tone of someone who has no idea what they have just stumbled upon, he whispers, “what the hell?”
"Ah yes. Hello darkness my old friend~" he hummed to himself as he followed on the ladder downward. On the plus side this invisibility potion he whipped up was pretty effective. It was lasting much longer than he expected. It was kind of nice.
The girl could see Maddox as he got closer. Or well... sense more like. One look at her eyes would show they had glossed over... no longer working. At least physically speaking of course. Some kind of sensory magic perhaps? Maybe something like a detect life spell being used.
"This is literally a mad scientists lair. How unoriginal." He said this with a sigh. He was hoping for something much cooler. I mean sure this was something that he could easily use to discredit this branch of the Helios Knights. Something that would put that hush hush in the populace as a member with power was found to be a bad person. Like really bad.
"Mild experimentation at best. I'm sure he has to have lab notes somewhere. See what he was trying to do or some evidence of whos the mojo behind it. Ya know?" There were lab reports strewn across various tables in the science lab part of the underground bunker. Something about researching permanent enhancements on live test subjects. Unwilling test subjects.
There were maybe five or so girls in that cage. The rest were probably dead or being used as lab rats somewhere else. More than likely dead. They were dead. He already knew that since he had seen their bodies in the building next door... or at least their unmarked graves buried in the dirt basement of the warehouse next door. He wouldnt say that though.
"Now how do we get them out of here without the guards. I can tell you I dont have enough vanishing drought for that. Any ideas?" How would they get the girls out. Would they be able to? Or would the girls even listen. No doubt they were damage and traumatized.
Post by maddox rothscus ✨ on Dec 16, 2018 14:02:36 GMT
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[attr="class","m1scroll"]he shakes his head as it to clear it, as if it would throw off the chill at the back of his neck. it doesn’t really help. wordlessly, he steps into the science lab, almost as though expecting something to leap out at him again. when it doesn’t come, he makes for the table quickly, leafing through the documents ( and making sure to carefully place them where he had taken them from ) and committing any bit of information that seems relevant to the athenean interface. he does so with startling speed, quickthink in full force.
“got us a name,” he says, and adds shortly after, “and they're experimenting with permanent enhancements, i think. some new type i don’t know. weird as hell.” he thinks, briefly, of the odd village in the forest he had seen.
he remembers hearing tales of the strength of those strange witches. he wonders if this scientist, privy to the knowledge as collected by the knights, may have been trying to replicate similar results.
“i’ve scanned all the lab reports.” he’s skimmed all of them, from the reports detailing the abduction of such individuals, to the tests conducted on them. “i, uh, i have no idea how to get out, if we’re still trying for stealth.”
he looks down at his hands, which are now beginning to re-appear slowly. he can see the floor through his hands! spooky. “we should get the girls out, though. witness accounts, part of the mission, and all that.”
cautiously, he steps up to the bars of the cage, still out of reach of clawing hands. he reaches out, exhales slowly, and peels back the frenzy and panic in their minds. one by one, gradually, there is a momentary flicker of something a little more human in their eyes. they need to be somewhat rational to follow an escape plan, he figures.
“i can’t keep this up for that long, what’s the plan?”
"Well isnt that lovely. Always trying to mess with their military power huh~" he hummed to himself while Maddox did his thing with memorizing the things. He had pocketed a few documents for later use.
The girls were the next target. Billy watched as his cousin did some kind of magic to like calm them or something? It was very interesting... and something he filed away for later use. It could be very useful later down the line. Very useful indeed.
"Well that's handy." He said this with shark toothed grin on his face. Now they could just burn the place to the ground but that would destroy lots of evidence that he kind of wanted to get preserved. The eye witness testimony would be very helpful regardless though.
"I can put the guards to sleep. We can then try to sneak our way past while they are all knocked out. They dont seem that strong so it shouldnt be very hard." He would just create a mushroom circle to force them to sleep. The mushrooms would dissipate after a short time leaving behind no physical evidence that they were here... well aside from the missing girls.
"Sound good to you? How about we get them into that basement area and I will come back to grab you when Ive taken care of the guards?" If the other man agreed he would make his way upstairs while his cousin dealt with getting the girls upstairs. The vanishing drought had nearly worn off at this point making him look kind of... spectral? Like see-through.
Post by maddox rothscus ✨ on Dec 17, 2018 0:47:01 GMT
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[attr="class","m1scroll"]he turns to regard billy, now vaguely incorporeal, over his shoulder. “that’s handy,” he echoes back, returning a steel-sharp smile. dropping people to sleep, just like that? always useful. unfortunately for maddox, the only way he can ever force someone to sleep is with an elbow to the temple. nothing particularly graceful.
“sounds good to me,” he agrees, turning back towards the cage as his cousin vanishes up the stairs, silent and as stealthy as before. just a little spectral, that’s all. he could probably make the guards think that they were haunted, really. all it took would be a little more mind-meddling, and that’s always easier when they’re asleep.
a rusted lock and chain keeps the cage shut. nothing magical as far as he can tell, and he doesn’t want to risk losing the effects of the current purification spell to launch a proper examination, so he takes a gamble: he pulls out the axe, spins it in his grip and lets it grow to its full-size, and politely tells the captives to take a step back. they do.
the axe comes crashing down onto the chain with startling accuracy, and it falls in a rattle of rusted metal ( he sticks out his leg to partially catch it, muffling the sound as best he can ). with that complete, he pries open the cage door, and motions for them to follow.
they make their way up the stairs and into the basement, this merry band of five unfortunate souls and one slightly nervous purifier. maddox pours his concentration into maintaining the spell as he absently ushers them through and tells them to wait, reaching back for the bookshelf to re-close the hatch and roll the carpet back into place. then he waits.
Sixty seconds. The young man walks up the stairs and vanishes... or so it would see if you looked straight ahead. His body morphs into that of something very not human. A translucent snake slithers its way on the ground towards the first guard.
Fifty seconds. The first guard doesnt see it coming. Mushrooms sprout up around him as he turns to grab something. There is a soft thud as he hits the shelf on his way down falling asleep quickly. Weakling.
Fourty seconds. The other guard hears this and calls out to the other guard. Is he okay? Did he drop something? Is something wrong? He makes his way towards the ghostly snake and the ring of mushrooms.
Thirty seconds. The guard sees the mushrooms around his fallen companion. His hand glows with energy... mana. More mushrooms sprout under him as he tries to cast his spell. His eyes grow heavy... his body limp. The mana dissipates quickly without his concentration.
Twenty seconds. The snake moves towards the outside window. He slithers across the ground towards the front entrance where the guard will put up the most fight. The greatest chance of seeing their escape. More mushrooms sprout below them. Their eyes get heavy. Their weapons heavy. They too fall to the ground. Asleep.
Ten seconds. The snake slithers it way back inside, its form shifting back into that of a human now made solid. The potion having worn off in the meantime. He starts down the stairs to see the girls and his cousin.
Zero seconds. "Okay. Guards are disabled. Time to get a move on." The window was still the best option. They could go through the main door but that risked someone else finding them. Catching them. He should have put them all to sleep but that was very mana taxing to be honest. Putting so many people and keeping them asleep. They needed to leave. Now.
Post by maddox rothscus ✨ on Dec 17, 2018 1:42:44 GMT
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[attr="class","m1scroll"]there is a dull headache beginning to form at the back of his head, as one does when he has to hold a prolonged concentration spell. devoid of fear and panic, the former-captive-now-almost-free girls begin to talk among themselves in hushed whispers, while maddox paces the base of the stairs. and not a moment too soon — as soon as he spots billy, he turns back towards the five, motioning rapidly. “we’re getting out of here, follow us.”
he takes the steps two at a time ( but quietly as he can, grateful that his familiar isn’t here to stampede up the stairs like an entire herd of buffalo ). time is of the essence, both for billy’s sleep spell and his own purification magic. the window is still left open, and he grabs a rickety-looking chair and shoves it under the window ledge to help them climb through. he waits for them to climb through, impatience and anxiety building gradually, practically leaping through as soon as everyone else is across. bends his knees to absorb impact ( hears them give a crack in protest nonetheless ).
“head to the treeline,” he says, as he briefly checks in with the drones, which hover above the sleeping guards. the images begin to blur before they wink out completely, the concentration on that dropping rapidly in favour of maintaining the purification spell for as long as possible. the headache continues to grow.
There is no ruckess. No fight. No fine tuned battle they have to win in order to survive. All it took was a hefty amount of mana and a few potions. That was it. He really didnt need anyone else besides Maddox at this point. That worked out well.
Each girl rushed and climbed ou the window as quickly as they could. Each were in various states and shapes of duress even with the magic keeping their minds mostly intact. Some had obviously been subjected longer than others.
They were outside. Good. To the treeline. Maddox was right. The sleeping spell has already started to weaken as the mushrooms slowly decayed and vanished from the circle. Maybe another two or three minutes before the guards would start to arouse. That was more than enough time.
"Okay. Theres the contact we are suppose to meet not far from here to the mission. I say we get the girls there for safety and let them deal with getting them back to their families and that." He knew that wasnt totally the case. They would get their testimonies... treat them. They would do so much more to help... because he willed it. I mean they knew who was really behind this request after all.
The guards would probably find themselves scratching their heads soon enough. Trying to figure out what happened. What happened before they went to check on the girls. Theyd probably assume a break in for supplies... weapons. That kind of thing. At least at first.
Besides. He made sure to save the best in his pocket. Something after he would spread to the local news through an... anonymous source to a certain reporter he knew would run the story. It was a good story after all. Ranked officers abuse of power and helios knight experimentation on civilians. This would bread unrest for sure. Just like they wanted.
Post by maddox rothscus ✨ on Dec 17, 2018 2:12:41 GMT
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[attr="class","m1scroll"]“sounds like a plan,” he says, as he waves them towards the treeline. time and time again he refreshes the purification spell, intent on keeping them focused on getting back to their contact. can’t have them suddenly start panicking and breaking off on them after getting this far, after all. that’d ruin all that they’ve done, sneaking in and stuff. all in all, though, that is one of the more successful stunts that he’s pulled off, and with minimal force as well. that vanishing drought really did the trick.
the trek through the forest is far slower than their initial race here, given that they were now slowed in their larger group. on the bright side, at least they know a route back now. he lets billy take the lead back to their contact, focused on keeping the spell up and active, and trying his best to keep an ear out for any trouble behind them, just in case some guard decides to scout a little ways away to figure out what has happened.
later, he’ll probably puzzle over the experiments and the names collected. there’s a decidedly scientific corner of his mind that wants to tear apart the lab reports and scrutinize every last inch of them, trying to work out the logic behind them and if there are better ways to achieve those results. it’s almost a challenge, he thinks, something to ponder over meal times and a new potential project to look into. because if the knights are thinking of maximising their military power, then he might as well look into it as well — just that leviathan will do it better, of course, and with less of a mess than this.
but that is later, though. for now, he focuses on getting the girls to where they need to go, and then he’ll go grab his reward. and maybe take a nap later too.
The treck back is slow but easy. He isnt the one pouring his mana heavily into five young women to keep them calm after all. He just has to lead them the ten minutes it would take to get to their contact just outside the city. It was easy. Well... it wasnt hard.
Each girl made it and that was good. That way they had more numbers in order to testify about what had happened. What had occurred to them. Now he would just have to 'accidentally' leak this information. Thank god he knew heath ambroise so itd make getting this out there much easier than normal.
There was a young woman in a red hood waiting for them with a wagon behind her. There was a body guard with her that was dressed in some sort of harlequin-esque outfit with a curved blade. He gave a small wave to the woman and moved closer to her to explain what they had discovered and about the girls. Well... at least enough of it to get his point across.She would take the girls in, using what looked to be water magic? Healing some of their superficial wounds with her mana. They would take it from here.
"Well that was quicker than I thought it would be. Always a pleasure to see you cuz. Guess I'll see you around" He hummed as he vanished in a puff of smoke again. He really liked using that teleportation spell didnt he?
Well the mission was successful at least? Even if it was just but a taste of what was to come. Now he just had to get this information to the public. At least more than it would normally. The knights would try to suppress this after all. They wouldnt let that happen.
Post by maddox rothscus ✨ on Dec 17, 2018 2:42:53 GMT
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[attr="class","m1scroll"]over the course of their ten-minute trek, the headache escalates to a pounding migraine. the relief he feels when they emerge from the woods and finally see the wagon is palpable. while billy moves to explain the situation to their contact, maddox stays back, focused on maintaining the last few moments of the spell before the woman steps forward to begin healing them. only then does he let the spell fizzle out, and it is like a taut string snapped — he notes the tension flood back into their bodies like a shot of adrenaline, but to their credit, they don’t run. it’s not his problem at this point anyway.
“i’ll see you around,” he calls after billy, or the colourful smoke cloud that was previously billy. ah, that cousin of his, always teleporting places. he rummages around in his pockets for a bit, and pulls out the obsidian statuette of a horse behind his back, and channels the smallest current of mana through it. a friesian mare melts into existence beside him. let them think that it is his familiar. they’ve seen enough of his face already, and if he brings moosely out, it’s a dead giveaway to anyone who might need to identify him.
he swings up onto the horse and nudges it forward, sending the horse cantering down the path. it’ll be some time before he properly reaches home at this rate, but that’s plenty of time to go over the notes in his interface and maybe add some of his own. nothing quite marks a successful mission like stealing things from the enemy and improving them for your own purposes.
[attr="class","m1items"]THE MODERN ATHENIAN: DRONES THE MODERN ATHENIAN: QUICKTHINK PURIFICATION OF RESOLVE THANATOS' AXE OBSIDIAN MARE item 6 item 7 item 8
