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.
hestia hemsworth has worked for valerus since anyone can remember his debut on the screen. the man before her looks nothing like valerus at all, but she supposes that the weight he throws around on stage can be quite different from what he's usually like. a head of messy bed hair and pale, lifeless face look upwards at the ceiling.[break][break]
"he went through a lot of a trouble," she begins, biting her lip and hoping she doesn't say much to worsen the condition. "he used time altering to make sure no one was running too fast, and told all the knights around before hand. had a few of his friends redirecting potentially harmful spells..." [break][break] but her voice trailed off. a dozen or so years and she still felt suffocating uncomfortable before people of a higher rank than her. she looked up to the brown eyes of cain delacour. "so what i'm trying to say is...go easy on him?"
Cain decalour usually considers himself a carefree person. he can take a joke--after all, that's the spirit of a jester, but with the recent happenings, he can't help but think that may be a joke that was taken a little too far, despite the steps Valerus took to make sure everything was safe. [break][break] Perhaps he's just paranoid from his recent mission. [break][break] Maybe it's the stress. [break][break] But regardless, he'd promised the council that he'd sit down and talk to him. Cain runs a hand through his hair, looks at the assistant curiously, and snorts. [break][break] "If I go easy on him he'll just get himself into more trouble." He says, clapping his hands together for emphasis. Precautions or not, Valerus had nearly ruined the jamboree. [break][break] "Valerus," He says, voice exasperated, "It's time to wake up."
Somewhere in his mind, the numbers and calculations are still flying about. Two minutes thirty seconds. Had he exceeded that limit? He felt like his mind was about to explode, and then he heard it. An explosion. He was dead....[break][break]
An eye opened. Or maybe it was Cain just setting off fireworks. Was that Hestia? Who the hell was Hestia? [break][break] "Shut up, Cain. It took me two and a half months preparing that scroll and I didn't screw up, give me a break." He rolls over on the bed, hand flying off and scraping the ground lazily. [break] "Besides, the masses are happy."
Cain nearly sputters, resisting the urge to yell at Valerus, and sits himself on a chair beside the bed. On further observation, it seemed like the scroll did take a number on him. Valerus rolls over on the bed with the lethargy of a lazy summer day. [break][break] "I think they'd rather see you dead right now." He says, and sighs. Cain leans his face into his palm, suddenly exhausted now that he's sitting down. The initial panic and stress have already taken a toll on him. He's too old for this. [break][break] "You could've at least told me."
"But they still want to see me, no?" he quips instantly and then regrets speaking at all because he feels numb shortly after. His eyes close again and he's greeting with the nauseous feeling a flying straight into the clouds on a broomstick-- the last time he did that, he thinks, was during a duel. But he can't remember much from more than a day ago, lest the migraine kicks up again. [break][break] He snickers. "Yeah well, I didn't even think you'd be back for the damned event, Mr. Hotshot." [break][break] Hestia gasps somewhere besides his bed and then rushes to do what she calls 'fixing.' "Please don't mind him, Mr. Delacour. He's got a head injury and I don't know if he should be seeing anyone right now..." Of course, it hadn't exactly been possible to refuse the knock on the door from a high priest.
Cain rolls his eyes because if anyone would say something so shallow and snarky at the same time, it's Valerus. "Not all attention is good attenion." He says, looking slightly concerned when Valerus suddenly grows pale. He seems to settle soon enough though, and add a quip to boot. Valerus, despite being physically out, will always be the same. [break][break]
Hestia gasps from beside him, and Cain can't help but wonder how much she knows. Actually, he kind of feels bad for her--she's always cleaning up after his messes, and knowing Valerus, he can get himself into the dirtiest ones out there. [break][break]
"You're right Hestia, at least if anyone had to get hurt, it'd be him."
Valerus groans loudly, and at this point even he's not sure what pisses him off the most: the surging pain in the back of his mind, or that fact that Cain's being such a whiny loser. Or something. [break][break] He rolls off the bed, and Hestia squeaks, attempting to help him up. Valerus bats her hands away and begins hobbling off to the cellar for some ice. "Fear is good though," he hollers from the other room. "Makes people happy to be alive." When he waddles back he has a pouch of long-lasting-ice pressed to his skull to numb the pain. [break][break] "Isn't that the spirit of the Jamboree? Making people remember the good things. Making people treasure the peace..." His voice trails off. It's hard to see whether he's being serious or just out of it because he doesn't know himself.
When the conversation takes a more serious turn, Cain can't help but wonder if everyone's been like that lately, or if it's just him. Valerus is one of the strongest witches in Salem--he's Cain's right hand man, despite his somewhat eccentric personality. [break][break]
Cain sighs. He supposes that it's alright as long as nobody got hurt. He eyes the ice pack that Valerus lays on his skull, his gaze sharp. Is he being serious? Or was this still part of the joke? Despite being a jokester, he can't quite tell. He can never tell with Valerus. [break][break]
Cain's voice is more terse than usual when he speaks, and he's sure that Valerus can tell the strain. "You should understand, Valerus. Fear makes people do stupid things."
Valerus isn't the type to kid himself despite what it may seem like. He's an arrogant jackass and he knows it, but for all the people he can disdain, Cain is someone he can respect. And even in his half-dead and half-unconscious mind, he can sense that something is off, and that vague sensation turns up the sharpness in hs eye. [break][break] The icepack tumbles out of his hand, crashing to the floor. He's standing and staring at Cain, fingers going white until his arm, too, falls limply at his side. His head moves a little to the side as he eyes Cain from the corner of his eyes. [break][break] "What's got you in such a bad mood?" he asks point-blank, stilling the atmosphere despite the casual nature of the question. [break]
Cain has to remember that for all of Valerus's jokes and personality, he's at core, an acolyte and an expert in illusions. He's known Cain for years, even before he became the coven leader. And despite Cain's best efforts to act like everything's normal, he knows that he's been caught. [break][break]
The icepack crunches as it hits the floor, and Cain looks at him to see a different Valerus. One that he sees when they're on a crucial mission or emergency. The atmosphere suddenly shifts, silence deafening under such tension. He looks at Cain in a much sharper, dangerous gaze. [break][break]
He stands, stuffs his hands in his pockets, and pauses, considering whether it'd be worth it to tell him or not. [break][break] "...Let's just say that i've been more wary of what's been happening lately"
Had it been any other day, Valerus would surely have smirked wide lipped and then proceeded to whine or jokingly lament that his closest friend didn't love him anymore since becoming a high priest. But he knows and Cain knows that Cain's been caught. And it's probably the injury acting up, but for once he just wants answers.[break][break]
"Oh yeah? That assingment of yours? Where the hell were you anyway? I thought you weren't coming for the Jamboree and I'd have to hold the fort myself 'til you come crashing in the night before."[break][break]
Vaguely, he remembers it being one of the reasons he went through with such a crazy stunt anyway.
Sometimes Cain wonders if Valerus ever felt resentment at him for surpassing his rank; a true jokester turned coven leader, leaving one of his closest friends in the dust. Ten years ago, Cain would've never even dreamed of achieving suck a high position. Sometimes, it still feels so surreal . [break][break] But despite their past, he's glad that Valerus has always stayed by his side. Cain sighs, ready to respond until he hears the awkward shuffling of Hestia in the background. "Ah," He breathes, tension suddenly broken into something much more...uncomfortable. "If you could, Hestia." He says, closing the door behind her. [break][break] Cain licks his lips and summons the courage to admit what's been bothering him for the past couples wees. "You probably noticed that there's been more incidents with monsters lately," He admits, struggling not to avoid his best friend's gaze. [break][break] "There's something going on out there. Something big, and I don't know what it is."
Valerus closes his eyes and winces, the pain in his head surfacing again as the ice's effect begins to fade. Hestia's already long gone, and when he opens his eyes he sees a Cain he's never quite seen before. Suspicious, uncertain. Like something's run him over, mentally and physically. It's an odd sense of despair to see his friend look like this, but he can hardly concentrate on the sight before he tumbles forward, towards the bed once more.[break][break]
"If you don't know," he begins, hissing as his body hits the mattress. "Then I don't know if I want to know."[break][break]
Exhaustion runs its course through his body. He should take the doctor's advice and sleep. "But when whatever's happening breaks out, I'll be on your side, Cain."[break][break]
And his head crashes against the headdress of the bed, eyes snapping shut in finality.[break][break]
as a coven leader, Cain has had his fair share of worries and grievances. He's always thinking about what to do next, but never has he felt so uncertain and unconfident about Salem. And now he knows that Valerus can tell; he's been more ragged for wear. He can't hide the bags under his eyes, and he can't lie to his best friend.[break][break]
Valerus suddenly sways, exhaustion catching up as well. Cain walks forward to catch him in case he falls on the floor, but luckily he manages to land on the bed, his last words strangely supportive despite what they'd been talking about before. [break][break]
He snorts, pausing to stare at him before reaching for a blanket and laying it over Valerus. If there's anyone he can depend on, it's him. And he can't help but feel more hopeful for things to come. Push or pull, jokers stay together.[break][break]
"Thanks Valerus." He says, lips twisting into a grin before he leaves, door softly closing behind him.
the purifier's heart hammered against her chest as the close slides shut behind her. what kind of information was cain giving valerus? despite being the illusionist's shadow, hestia was always unsure if she was doing her job correctly. it was nerve wrecking...but exciting. [break][break] her small frame leaned against the back of the door and one gloved hand removed the glove from the other. glistening in the faint light of the room, a unicursal hexagram bound by a crescent moon stared back at her. [break][break] it was difficult being a spy-- it required a type of quick thinking and a certain level of dangerous, intoxicating autonomy. every day was a day you could die. but she'd risk it all... [break][break]
