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.
He had only vaguely met Aidens grandparents after his Adept ranking came through and the young weaver passed. He had gotten kind of an off-putting feeling from them... at least this set of grandparents. The other woman was very sweet and friendly. He wanted her to be his grandmother even she was so great. Maybe one day. Oops.
He was to meet aiden emerson in front of the house for the mission. He hoped the other boy didn't oversleep and was the one to great him. Some of the maids sometimes made whispers and hushed voices whenever he was over and they looked at him. It was an uneasy feeling to say the least.
The teenager has his 'battle gear' ready to go this time. By that he meant black almost see-through leggings and black strappy boots with a red jacket to cover the mesh top he was wearing. Honestly it looked more like he was going to a rave when the jacket was unzipped. Thankfully he was being modest around them because... you know old people.
He gave a gentle knock on the door... ready to get this started.Maybe they could do something more fun after all of this. Maybe ice cream or a movie. Like a date. Or something.
The door slowly opened to reveal a form. Whose form would it be? He hoped it was Aiden but with his luck it would be a butler or maid who let him in. Then it would be all awkward for a few minutes before Aiden showed up... or worse his grandparents showed up to brief him before the red head showed up. Awkward. .
The request bothers him. It’s personal. He can tell. Maybe this was a way to force him to use his purification after deciding weaving would be a much better demonstration of his power. He doesn’t know. The request makes him nervous. He’d shielded Charani as much as he could from this family. While, how protective he was of his friend’s presence only heightened the rumors from that night, he continued to do so, shrouding Charani from even more attention. He didn’t want them involved in his life just as much as they didn’t really want him as an heir. Unfortunately, even if he killed his own father it was starting to be difficult to find others in the clan to challenge him. They were far away, they had their hands in their own businesses, their magic prowess was lacking. He was not the best there was, that title reserved for one woman and one woman alone, however he wasn’t just rising in the rank of his coven but his family’s power structure as well.
The request is awkward. He knows there is only one person they want to see, only one person they want him to bring. He knows. He doesn’t know another purifier he can ask for help. So, he waits, idly knitting the beginning of a scarf. A regular scarf, although the display at his exams probably have set many on edge about his weaving. His sits on the grand steps, the double staircase’s marble freezing his ass off. He doesn’t speak with the passing butlers or maids. There’s a knock and within an instant his crafts are dropped into the abyss that was his pouch of holding and he’s on his feet. He adjusts his tie, dusts off his rear, and steps to the door at a brisk pace. Like hell was he about to let one of his closest friends get dragged around this hell hole without him. As he opens the door, his scowl softens into a small smile. “Hey. Thanks for coming.” He greeted, opening the door wider to allow his companion in. “I don’t really know other purifiers.” He added, silently apologizing for making his friend come back here.
“C’mon, Madame Marjorie is waiting in the dining hall for our brief-” he explained, pausing for a moment as he gave Charani a good look over his outfit. “You look nice. Hopefully today doesn’t mess it up.” He said closing the door after the brunette entered before taking a deep breath to steel himself for this meeting. “C’mon, and when she offers you tea don’t drink it. It’s bitter.” He explained, softly, before leading him to meet the matriarch.
Aiden is thankfully the one to answer to door. Good. He is all dressed up in what I can assume is his current mission outfit. It looks nice... he looks nice. His eyes look a bit tired and filled with minor annoyance probably from having to do this mission but otherwise he looks fine. Cute.
"Its okay. I just like to think of it as an excuse to spend more time with you~" the young man said with a soft and pleasant hum echoing in his head. He loved going on easy or simple missions with aiden emerson since there was little threat to them getting hurt and he got to spend time with the boy.
He would turn a little pink when his friend complimented his outfit. I mean that was honestly the intent with this but still it felt nice and kind of warm to hear it out loud. It was much appreciated. "Thanks."
"Okay. I'll let you do the talking." They would make their way to the large room where she stood. She looked cold and intimidating just like before. Older and regal perhaps was a nicer way of putting it. Kind of like his own grandmother... but without that soft gaze she would have when she looked at him or his sisters. It was like a distorted image... odd and a little unsettling.
The nerves would get to him and he would instinctively try to seek out aiden emerson hand for comfort. Probably not the best idea but who said good ideas were what he specialized in? That is not a thing here in Salem. The older woman would finally begin to speak and tell them of their mission. An artifact they would have to purify locked within a vault. This seemed very convenient... almost like an excuse to force Aiden to use his purifying magic.
Aiden shrugged, appreciating the sentiment but he couldn’t bring himself to feel happy in this place. “I guess its bearable when you think of it that way.” He murmurs, not wanting to be too loud as they treaded through unfamiliar territory. He nods once more, sighing quietly in his tailored suit as they make their appearance before his grandmother, Madame Marjorie. Or, as she asked that he call her, “Grandmother Marjorie.” His words don’t need to bring her attention as she had already been waiting, watching. He sees one of her personal maids moving out of the room, having already deposited a silver teapot and a trio of cups and saucers. A small wire tower for cakes and cookies stood at the ready. He noted, he wasn’t seated directly opposite her as he was accustomed to, but right beside her. Face unchanging, he did his best to look neutral. Give nothing up. The less she knew, the better.
He feels his heart jump in surprise as he feels his friend’s fingers seeking out his own, and there’s hesitation that’s not usually there and a mild shaking as he gently grasps back. He’s not comfortable here, that much is clear, and he’d rather keep his strange and magical relationship with his best friend to himself than be forced to share it with someone else. Especially when that someone had no business knowing in the first place. He hasn’t even had time to really talk with Charani about much, having gone straight into preparations for his adept test after that night. They are seated to her right, Aiden does not make a movement for the cup. “I know you’re quite eager to complete this errand for the family, Aiden. But allow me a moment to thank your companion for assisting you. I’m sure, he is of the utmost confidence.” She said, slate grey eyes trailing from her illegitimate grandson to Charani. She seems to scan over his for a moment, dissecting his face and pulling information from a seemingly unlimited catalogue of information. She’s checking his pedigree no doubt. “Grandmother Marjorie, this is-” Aiden begins before she cuts him off. “Charani Petrov . Thank you, for treating my grandson with such…care.” She says airily. Aiden falls silent, an oppressive weight on him as the old woman stares back at him. He bows his head unwilling to meet her eyes. He couldn’t win a staring contest with her.
She clinks a small spoon into her cup as she recounts that this task is to be kept close to the chest, secret. After all, it is a family matter. She explains the Emerson family has a couple of artifacts created back when purification was still new and was attempting to expand its reach and accessibility. Part of this is a collection of glass lenses for reading glasses, magnifying glasses, or even a compact. A way to inconspicuously detect anomalies. There seemed to have been something in that old collection where a curse was detected. As heir, it was Aiden’s job to clean it up, and dispatch any and all hexes and charms that may come to damage any of the servants or family members near it. “You’ve done so well, Aiden. This should only take you a couple of hours, at most, correct?” she asked, eyes like a hawk on her redheaded grandson. The resemblance to her kin growing every day.
“Yes, of course, Grandmother Marjorie.” He said before standing up and pushing in his chair. “If you’ll excuse us.” The old woman smiled as the boy got up, lifting a teacup to her lips and sipping quietly, he eyes watching the pair of young men as they exited. The oppressive room quickly abandoned. “Two hours tops.” he spat once they’d put enough distance between each other. “Let’s fix up the stupid glasses and leave.” He didn’t intend on even notifying them of his departure. He began to lead the seer down empty halls, a deep scowl returning, shoulders tense in irritation.
They are in the room seated on the right of the cold woman. The ice queen Grandmother Schnee Emerson. Her demeanor is as cutting as is her stare as she watches the two boys. It is kind of unnerving but nothing he hasnt seen a thousand times before. The perks of coming from a wealthy family.
"No please. The pleasure is all mine Lady Emerson. I am happy to be of any help to my close friends family~" the young man said with a soft and polite tone as he used often at so called family or business dinners. It was something his grandmother had drilled into him and his sisters to be polite yet always with an iron glove tucked under your chin. Of course he was never really good at that last part being far to kind.
He would follow his red haiared friend on his way out giving a soft bow to the grandmother as he left to catch up to his friend. "A pleasure to see you again." Sure it had only been for a brief moment before but it was still a nice gesture right? Better than any meeting he had with any of the maids staring at him.... even the nicer ones.
"That shouldnt be a problem. Im thinking pizza afterwards what do you think?" He offered something for them to do after. He was attempting to put the young mans mind off his grandmother and this frankly low level mission that had been forced upon him by a family he didn't particularly care for. He would walk close to the boy to try and comfort him. The halls were pretty empty... this was probably not an unusual occurrence given the size of the place. The main manor was the same way.
Their footsteps echoed in the open halls, and Aiden’s angry murmurings came to a stop as he paused to double check the direction they were going before leading his friend out towards the correct wing. As they round a corner he glanced back at Charani. “Oh uh…pizza-” there’s a pause as a memory surfaces of a small pizza establishment, Charani and himself holding each other, murmuring things- and then he immediately shoves the memory for analysis and dissection later because that wasn’t a memory but a very, very vivid and wild dream, courtesy of one small brunette walking next to him. Pink dusts his cheeks. “Yeah! That. Seems fine. We can grab some on the way home.” He returned, green eyes shifting away from his friend and down the hall. Home being, anywhere but here at this point.
The redhead eventually points to a set of steps. “The vault is in a basement section of the North Wing. I’ve got a key that should work.” He said as they began their descent a few levels. The areas before had been well light, with big windows to let in the natural sunlight, as well as plenty of lights and chandeliers hanging over head in decoration. Here however, the sunlight because to get drowned out by stonework and sconces molded into the rock began to slowly light up, anticipating the witches.
“It’s kind of dusty here, but as you can see no one would willingly come here.” It was creepy in an overdramatic way. It didn’t need to be this creepy. It was a vault after all. Better have it hidden than obviously creepy and forbidden. He reached into his pouch, picking the antique key with a thick, decorated head. “Last I checked there’s only really one door and then just, ‘proof of blood’ or whatever.” He’d never actually been into the vault himself. The door wasn’t very dramatic, he noted. Just old looking. As they reached a stop, Aiden stuck in the key before pushing open the door with a long, loud creak. “Great hide and seek spot.” He said, as more lights flickered to life, making a path for the pair.
"That sounds great." Pizza sounded good right now. It was filling and had that greasy aesthetic that he just loved every so often. Plus that means time spent waiting for the pizza to cook in a nice place... alone... with Aiden. Wait home. His home or Aidens home? Would he spend the night? Ah so many unanswered andddddd he just realized Aiden was talking to him. Oops.
He didn't really hear much about the dust or about the vaults location. He heard something about a key and that was it. Time to guess... since this was his family vault he probably had a key? He would go with that.. "Oh a key. That sounds handy."
The lights around them would flick to life as the passed through the large door. It was obviously very old given how it creaked with little provocation. It was kind of creepy down here to be quite honest. At least he was here with a strong and handsome boy... hahaha oops he meant a nice friend.
"What kind of curse do you think they have put on them?" The sooner they figured out how the curse worked the easier it would be to purify the object. Sure they were both fairly powerful witches with one who had a long history of using purification magic but still that didn't mean it would be super easy.
“It’s like a key to the house almost. Madame Marjorie has those but mine’s…just as good??? Sometimes???” Aiden said with a shrug. He was sure to find certain places he couldn’t crack open with the key, he just hadn’t tried. He’d gone off on a hunt once, found a place he thought may have been his father’s old room and then chickened out from opening the door. He wasn’t sure he wanted to know. He felt a shiver run down his spine as he remembered his letter. Maybe…maybe he should take a peak soon. The letter had seemed more like a huge taunt than a congratulation. He’d kept it to himself all the same, not knowing what to do just yet.
“Mmm…I don’t think the lenses are extremely powerful… it’s a collection after all…” he said waiting for the lights to get a little brighter before proceeding. “Might just be some kind of really strong hex that makes the glasses stick to your body. Or like, cursed so you can’t really see anything through them, much less mana anomalies.” He returned. Grandmother Marjorie hadn’t actually explained what exactly was wrong with them. Just that Grandfather Warren had checked in on them the other night and something had felt…off. Of course, he didn’t bother looking into it or fixing it, allowing the problem to fester so Aiden could come along and clean it up himself.
“It could just be one of the protective enchantments turning old and deteriorating. These pieces are…pretty fucking old.” He added with a shrug. He couldn’t really be sure until they arrived. The locked door led to another long, eerie hallway. Nothing could be easy in the Emerson household. Probably rooms for storage. He didn’t think many people came down this this place to clean.
"Im sure we will find out soon enough." Beyond the abyss. To the ends of the planet. They would find their answer. Though of course it wouldnt take that much effort. Flowery words to hide the depravity of this house of lies. It would be a simple task to do this as this was nothing more than a test. He was sure of it.
A simple hex was probably correct. They had to be getting close to the vault by now. The hallways of this place looked like an old castle and it was very strange. Maybe they had built and renovated something very old into this building. It would explain the decor if nothing else. "Utility can trump power."
Something that might not be as strong but is more adaptable and useful in a general sense was sometimes much more dangerous than say a huge beam canon. You know it all depending on what the person was using it for. Or their intentions upon using the object. For something such as say trying to get into a warded area or vault. An object like this could be very dangerous.
"Well whatever it is we will figure it out. Together." Together. How he desired this togetherness. Something similar to what he felt with Perceus but somehow also different. It felt good though. It felt warm and all encompassing yet a little awkward. Bumbling. It was kind of cute. He was kind of cute. Er. They walked down another hall and Charani was already getting bored of hallways.
"Do they like own stock in hallways or something?" I mean it was a fair assessment. Or maybe this space used to be like a dungeon. Oh in a dungeon with Aiden. Tie me up daddy. Oops. Nope. But seriously what is with them and hallways. Like this was just getting ridiculous.
Aiden managed a smile at his friend. “Yeah, with you helping me it should be a quick fix. You’re a better purifier than me after all.” He returned. He was competent himself, but he believed Charani had far surpassed him a long time ago. Which was fine. His preference was clearly weaving after all. As they wandered about he didn’t really know what to think of the décor down here. It seemed derelict, but at least functional. As much as the family spouted that he was the new heir, the rightful heir, he actually didn’t know much about them other than they were old blood and they had a lot of irons in a lot of different fires. Aside from purification prowess, they had more or less tried to diversify their specialty and businesses in an attempt to avoid being dethroned in one single industry. Probably the result of watching monopolies collapse throughout their time.
“I suppose. There’s gotta be a reason its protected…aside from being old and expensive.” He said with a shrug. He hadn’t exactly toured the premises after being accepted into the family. If anything, the fact that he spent so much time away meant that whenever he was around he was relegated to more pressing matters. Whatever those were, was determined by the whims of his grandparents. He hummed glancing at different doors, key at the ready before turning to his friend after a moment. “Yeah, together, And then we can get pizza and dust off the cobwebs in our hair.” He said letting out a small laugh. It rang out, echoing through the stone corridors.
“I think it’s more of a simple way to keep intruders from finding what they want.” The redhead added with a shrug. This was pretty tedious though. It felt like they’d been walking long enough. He hadn’t thought the basement was that big, for one vault. He touched the wall for a moment before activating Detection, the spell opening forth an extra sense. Like a radar, he’d be able to better lead them towards the stupid vault. At least the massive amounts of protection magic on the thing would be like a beacon in the darkness to them. “Oh…I guess we were kinda close?” he spoke as he moved towards the the source. “I think we turned one hallway too early but…” he explained as they rounded yet another corner. “It’s over there.” He said pointing as a door that actually did look like a vault. It was thick and old and it seemed to hum to Aiden with magical energy.
He held the key towards it hoping it would activate something just by being near it. The end of the key seemed to sharpen however, morphing into a small blade. “Hmmm, they’re really out to freak us out, Charani.” He said laughing as he showed his friend the knife. This was unnecessary, truly. Couldn’t she have just allowed him to walk in? Why a knife? That was too dramatic. But sure fine. “Could’ve been just a finger print or like, a passcode…” he murmured as s spot on the vault glowed for a moment before a little section seemed to open up to reveal a tiny, stained dish. He grimaced, poking the knife into his thumb before squeezing out a drop of blood and wiping it onto the dish. It receded into the ether, and he heard a series of clicks and movements form the door before it creaked open slowly.
"I dont think I'm actually better than you at purification. More practiced maybe but not better." How someone used their magic was always different. Unique. It was like a fingerprint but like in tight pants with a nice butt and strong arms and a cute face. You know. Things that were unique to every witch and not specifically those down here. Nope. Haha.
After a few more moments the other boy used some magic to get them where they needed to be. The key turned into a knife and there was a bowl that looked a bit rusted. Or stained maybe? Blood magic. Hard to replicate someones blood versus say a keypad or magical lock. It was smart but kind of gross. Dark. Close to dark magic but not the same. Blood magic. Frowned upon.
"Blood magic is hard to replicate. Its kind of dark but it is effective."
The door slowly unlocked itself with tons of clicks, clanks and fwooshes. It was a large vault that probably housed a bunch of different artifacts of the family. You didn't get to be this rich and powerful on the backs of nothing after all. His own family had their own collections of artifacts in different locations just the same.
"Well. Time to get to work then?." Together. He would grasp for his friends hand as they would walk into the vault. What they were looking for wasn't that hard to find. Everything seemed to be in a set order or place. What those orders were... well he couldn't be sure. Alphabetical... by enchantment or by year of creation. It was not something he had knowledge of.
"Found them?" There was a pair of glasses in a glass case along with some other set looking items. A pipe and some other things he didn't really recognize. Now they can purify it together through the power of friendship. Or you know... magic. Like actual magic.
He frowned at Charani but didn’t argue with him on the matter. Wasn’t practice the same thing as power? He kept the thought to himself as they continued right along. Aiden glanced over at Charani as he sucked his thumb before spitting it out after remembering many other Emersons had touched the dish with bloodied fingers. Ew. So ew. He wiped I off on his slacks. They were black so a little blood wouldn’t matter. He nodded at the seer. “Yep. Hopefully this is the extent of my family’s Creepy aesthetics.” He said as the pair slipped into the vault. Like before the room seemed to light up with their presence, reflecting off enchanted glass cases and glinting of glass and metal.
He glanced around unsure of himself. There were small plaques with titles and dates, perhaps at one point the Emersons had loaned these out for museum displays. He reads over a basic convex lens, noting its basic use. The lack of attachment to anything else lets him know it’s just a prototype and he moves on, not sensing anything particular curse-like form this one. “Uhh…not yet?” he spoke looking around the room.
It was kind of overwhelming to be surprised with this much history. In the corners he spotted a couple of shelves of books. Maybe old ledgers or important documents to the family. It was cold down here. Any temperature enchantments probably kept the room purposefully cold. He moved over towards his friend, hovering next to him as he looked over the cases. He walks around the wide room before settling himself in front of a display case with a few different magnifying glasses in it. “I…I think it’s here. The second last one on the left feels off.” He said pointing at a simple looking magnifying glass with a polished, cherry wood handle. He taps the knife-key on the display case and is shrinks back down into a smaller key. “Look at this with me. It’s kind of subtle.”
"Agreed. Lets hope so." Less medieval torture aesthetic and more rich person with way to much money would be what he hoped for. You know like the random assortment of stuff his grandmother had. All of it obviously expensive and kind of matching together but like... not really? Disconnected from reality. Thats a good way of putting it.
After a few more moments the other boy thought he found something. Charani went to Aidens side to look at the thing he was pointing at standing very close to him. Like very close. He probably didnt realize he was doing it... or did he? Who knows.
"Hmmm... let me see." His green eyes would drain of color as he used his clear sight spell. The other boy had good instincts. It looked to be jinxed or hexed somehow. Something seemed off about it... like it was two spells together that were not mixing.
"Yeah... it looks like someone cast a hex that is disrupting the original enchantment." They just needed to figure out what the hex did and then reverse it. They could just go the easy route and cleanse the whole thing of mana but that would drain away all the power the object had making it useless. His grandparents probably wouldn't like that one bit.
There’s a fluttering of awkwardness within the boy as his friend steps just a bit too close to him, and while they’d been far closer before it breaks his concentration on the artifact. Spatterings from the dream try to push back to his current thoughts and he forces them down. Now is not the time to have this conversation. Not only is it not really pertinent to the mission at hand, it’s also not a safe one to have on these grounds. He didn’t like how well-informed Madame Marjorie was about his life and those he roamed with. He doesn’t like how Sir Warren is so on top of his magical progress, and his connections within the coven. Maybe it was the strain of becoming someone else’s chess piece. Rich people had so much crap to deal with. What a waste of money.
He takes but a microstep away as he begins to unlock the display with care, in case there’s a reaction from the hexed item. Though, he has a feeling the effects take over once it’s in use. The glass case lets out a soft click, and he slides a glass panel sideways. He reaches into the case to touch the magnifying glass before stopping halfway and retracting his hand to dig into his pouch for gloves. “I’m not sure what’s with it yet, but I don’t want it to glue itself to my hand.” He murmured before stopping his search, snorting at himself, and pointing at the object. He muttered a few words before it began to slowly levitate upwards and out of the case. Aiden set it on top, so they could better analyze the cursed thing.
“Not sure what the problem is specifically…but I think maybe if we negate the enchantment we want maybe we can purify the bad one?” he asked, blinking as he went through a list of spells in his head. “I don’t think I have…anything that won’t completely fuck this up and make it a dud though…” he added as he tugged his tie a little bit looser.
"We could tag team it. One person suppresses the known enchantment and the second person purges away whats left. That way we dont have to exactly know what the hex does." At least in theory that would work. They would just purge away the remaining mana not being suppressed by the other witch. It was like wiping off the dishes of a table with a table cloth below it. Cleaning just above the table without disturbing the wood. Charani would of course unconsciously invade his friends personal space with that step back he had taken taking back more space than he probably had before... if that was possible.
After this idea came about the red head was using telekinesis to move the object about. That was probably one of the smarter things Aiden had done in quite some time. Best not to touch what they dont know. If it was some kind of curse that would be even more dangerous. Best not to touch it with bare skin.
"Do you want to suppress or purge? I will do whatever you want me to do." His green eyes would have their color back. They were full of honesty and to be fair something more. He would do whatever the boy wanted him to do... and a bit more that he desired. Desire.
"Which... do you know what they are supposed to do? That would be helpful." They were probably something to do with vision or reading given the object that was enchanted. Speed reading glasses or glasses to see mana changes. Those were the most likely enchantments that could be on them. This would probably be done faster than he expected.
