Lost Legends

  • Thread starter Deleted User - 819397
  • Start date

Deleted User - 819397

In the land of Soria, people and animals live in harmony to an extent unheard of by any of the neighboring countries. Every person at the age of 18 is sent into the wild with others of their age to find an animal of their choosing and form an unbreakable bond with them. The method of forming this bond varies from person to person, and no one knows how they will do it until they find the animal destined to become their partner. The partners then form a limited telekinetic bond, allowing communication, but not to such an extent as to allow control over each other. Each person may only take one partner, regardless of if their first choice is alive or not. This alone would not be intriguing to the lands around Soria, but there is another side to this. Animals in the great land are, in a word, incredible.

From giant spiders who leave a trail of fire everywhere they go to wolves who hunt with the power of ice, there are no animals considered "normal" by other countries' standards. There have been many attempts to catalogue all the kinds of animals that exist, but all such endeavors end in failure. It is not uncommon for a human to have an animal companion that no one else in Soria has had in a century. As such, all animals are considered sacred in Soria. Killing one is the highest crime one can commit, and no meat is eaten anywhere in the land. The combination of human will and animal might makes all Sorians fierce warriors, but they are a peaceful people. No one dares to challenge them, as they know that compared to the Sorians, they have no power. All attempts for a non-Sorian to form the bond have ended in failure. Only the Sorians have the mental ability to form bonds.

While all Sorian animals are beyond imagination, there are some legendary even to the magnificent country. Dragons, Krakens, and other beasts that are known as legendary throughout the entire world are as such in Soria. No one has even seen one of these beasts in millennia. However, there are stories of a time when a select few Sorians have bonded with the legendary beasts, and they invariably altered the course of Sorian's destiny with this mighty creature on their side. However, any who go out on their trial looking for any remnant of these beings always return disappointed. It seems they have disappeared forever.

The Story

You are a Sorian of 18 years. You are about to embark on your journey to find your animal companion. As is tradition, all Sorians eligible for this expedition are beginning it at the same time. Soria is vast, but you are embarking with others from your town, and you will doubtless meet others from other places on your journey. You have no clue what kind of animal you will pick or what your method of bonding is, but that is as it should be. You may have hopes for a certain kind of companion, but only destiny will decide your choice. Along with all this...there's always the small dream that you will run across a lost legend...

The Rules

1. This story is OP driven. I will have a main character, but I reserve the right to add NPCs at my choosing. I choose if a war should break out at some point (right now I don't have plans for that though...that's not what this RP is about) Also, I am the only one who will make the final decision as to if and where a legend will appear, and if one does appear, I choose what it is, down to its power.
2. You may only choose ONE animal companion. This is true even if your choice is killed.
3. For all non-legend animals, you may pick what you run into. Dog with lightning? Cat with darkness? It's up to you. However, remember you may only pick one animal. If you make a choice, you cannot change it later...even if you should run into a legend. Also, keep in mind that animals are sacred in Soria. You cannot kill one...doing so would turn all others against you, be they animal or human. How many creatures you run into is at your discretion.
4. You may pick your own form of bonding with your animal. However, it cannot include force.
5. The time setting here is medieval. Therefore no guns or explosives. However, I am changing one aspect of traditional medieval society, and that is that women are equal to men in Soria. Outside the country it's traditional medieval society, so be careful should you venture out of Soria.
6. Another side of this adventure is to bond with others your age. This can be friendships or romances...be creative :)
7. Keep it realistic (within the scopes of the RP). Soria is very peaceful, VERY low crime rate, so no drug-addled past or whatnot. It is medieval times, so keep things located in there...this includes town names.
8. No one may come from the capital city (which I'll introduce later.) This is for a good reason...which again will be revealed later.
9. All standard forum rules and Campfire Stories rules apply.
10. Have fun! This RP is wide open for experimentation, and I anticipate this will be a great RP :).

The Character Sheet

Name: (self explanatory)
Age: (must be 18, so don't copy this line.)
Gender: (SE)
Appearance: (SE)
Personality: (SE)
Hometown: (anything but the capital...you can choose names, or pick a place that's already been created by another person. Also include the general location of the town (north, south, etc.))
Parents: (names and animals)
Skills: (what are you good at...and what are you not? NOTE: This is my way of doing that assigning traits. You cannot be good at everything, and you must slowly adapt your character if a need arises. Also, bonding cannot be on here, since you have no idea what to do now)
Animal Hope: (What animal do you hope to bond with? THIS IS NOT BINDING...in fact, I encourage you pick something different from what you end up bonding with...character growth opportunity here)
Bio: (SE)
--------------------------------------

Name: Jonathan Edo
Gender: Male
Appearance: Longer blond hair, 6' even, blue eyes.
Personality: A mellow person, but also very determined. Friendly, and well-liked.
Hometown: Malkirk, located in the southwest.
Parents: Mark and Fria Edo, with a blazing hawk and a flying stingray.
Skills: Pros- hiking, swimming, cooking, living off the land, optimistic, quick on his feet, good with directions. Cons- Not a skilled fighter, lack of organizational skills, has insomnia, several bad allergies, sometimes acts without thinking while pressured.
Animal Hope: Jonathan doesn't have a specific animal in mind. Rather, he's keeping an open mind to see what animal he ends up with.
Bio: Jonathan was born and raised in the small town of Malkirk. Malkirk sits on the Nantel river, and has an optimal spot for swimming. Due to this, the main animal companions in Malkirk are either marine life or animals who feed off of fish. Jonathan has always loved swimming. One of his favorite pasttimes was trying to outswim his mother's stingray. He only won once, but the experience made him a great swimmer. His other main activity growing up was going with his father (and his father's hawk) on hiking trips. His father taught him how to live off the land, and also how to cook. Jonathan's parents are the main farmers for Malkirk, but he has no wish to continue the family business. He prepares to set out on his journey to find his animal companion full of hopes, dreaming of finding not only an animal companion, but a human companion as well, continuing on his family's tradition of finding their love while on the journey. He has no ambition to find a legend, but obviously he wouldn't mind finding one.
 

DeletedUser13682

Name: Rolf Smith
Gender: Male
Appearance: short hair of brown, graying already at the temples, 5' 6", weight 8 stone (112 lb, 51 kilos), near black eyes
Personality: determined, sometimes to the point of perfection, restless, sometimes selfish, but will still help with others usually
Hometown: Todwick, in the north (gains accent similar to a Northern English accent)
Parents: John with flying ******* with mastery over fire and Chrysanthemum with land shark, mastery over the earth
Skills: good at athletics, average in knowledge, good at survival good in a fight and improv, bad at finances, patience, organisation
Animal Hope: something that can breathe fire or ice or control earth or something like that, also, one that can fly
Bio: Rolf was born to John and Chrysanthemum Smith, in the town of Todwick, weighting 8 lbs 3 oz. He grew up, a very active and strict lifestyle, both his parents were fighters for the nation, a peacekeeping force, should war arise. He has trained to be like his parents, and expects to be like them when he grows up, with ambitions of leading at least the town garrison. Rolf has made friends, many of him like-minded, and they would play many games of peace keeper. Though not against the concept of love, Rolf would rather focus on his career than find potential partners, and so, does not expect anything to happen on the trip except maybe make new friends and find his animal
 

DeletedUser28032

Name: Cercei Dóiteáin
Gender: Female
Appearance: 5'6" with Long red hair and emerald green eyes, traditional blue woad tattoo's cover her face and arms, has a Gaelic style Accent.
Personality: Shy, nervous and untrusting of the "Towns people" independant with a streak of reckless arrogance
Hometown: Nomadic, though generally lives around the Roisin valley to the north of Malkirk
Parents: Keiran and Caitlynn Dóiteáin, Fire Fox and Shadow Lynx
Skills: Pros: Fishing, tracking, athletics, Herbalism
Cons: Cooking, Cleaning, Following orders, crafting
Animal Hope: One of the big cats a lynx like her mothers perhaps
Bio: Born as a nomad or Sais as they are more commonly known, Cercei has spent her entire life on the move. She has become quite adept at living off of the land over the years although her lack of human conact outside of the Sais community has left her somewhat awkard around other people although she hopes that the upcoming test will allow her to overcome this shortcoming and although her mother says that she should meet a nice young man, she is doubtfull of this but hey who knows.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Cercei watched the sun rise over the valley like she'd done most of her life. Today she would go out into the wilderness in search of her soul mate, the animal that would be with her till the day she died, if only in spirit.
She'd watched the others come back over the years with their companions and had been envious of them, although not all came back accidents happened and some found love and moved away to the towns leaving the Sais way of life behind. Her mother Caitlynn had quietly urged her to find someone whilst on the test but she couldn't see it, who'd put up with her?
far below in the valley she could hear her father calling her, the test would begin soon she'd best prepare. Getting up off of the long green grass she started walking back down towards the encampment and the test that awaited her.
 
Last edited by a moderator:

DeletedUser

Name: Gunnar Anders
Gender: Male
Appearance: Tall, about 6'1. Blonde hair in a ponytail, and a stylish goatee to boot. Has a "glascow smile" on the left side of his mouth (ever seen the Joker in Dark Knight? There ya go). Athletic build. Brown eyes.
Personality: Very happy, comedian. Has a dark side, but usually that doesn't come out. He also believes in the practice of meditation. Likes to drink, but not an alchoholic. Loves to fight. Has tattoos of sea animals on his right arm, and a giant hammer (sort of like Thor's Hammer) on his back. Has a Nordic type of accent.
Hometown: Odar (Nordic type town. Vikings and all that. On the northern coast. Based off Odin.)
Parents: Thor and Anastasia Anders, ice wolf and lightning deer
Skills: Talented fighter and wrestler. Boatsman, tactics, carpentry, working with fire, cooking (not meat, but potatos, veggies, ect.) , hiking, adventuring, and a radiant personality nobody can dislike. Terrible with flirting, anything involving mathematics and science, and anything else that does not involve the above
Animal Hope: The legendary Fenrir, the original and king of wolves. Or the legendary Cthulhu, monster and god of the sea.
Bio: Gunnar is a Odin, a citizen of Odar. His parents are legendary fighters, who helped found the city of Odar. They are not barbarians in the sense, but more or less like Vikings. They believe fighting is a way of expression, but they do not declare war and are not an aggressive bunch. The only real troublemaker to come from Odar is Loki, the trickster. He was the one to give Gunnar the "smile" across his face, in a battle to claim the hand of a beautiful maiden. Gunnar didn't even get the woman either, as she eloped with an older man right before the wedding. Gunnar now goes on his adventure to find his animal companion, hoping to either find the legendary creatures Cthulhu or Fenrir. And if he's lucky, he might find a nice girl if he gets the chance.
 
Last edited by a moderator:

Deleted User - 819397

Today was the day...everyone across the land who was 18 years of age would be heading out to find their animal partner. Jonathan had been gathered with the other young adults in front of the mayor. He knew that the speech that was to be delivered across the land. Every town, every nomadic tribe...the same speech, given verbatim. Even the king himself would give the speech to those in the capital. A sense of greatness spread throughout Jonathan...things were getting started.

The speech started predictably enough, talking of honor, and how sacred animals were...how it was truly incredible, the bond they would form. After about a half hour, the truly interesting part began. "Now, do not think that you can bond with the first animal you find. No, that is the worst mindset to go out with. Also, do not think that just because you have your mind set on a certain animal, that that is the animal you will bond with. No, the animal you will bond with will be the one destined for you. You will know it instantly when you see it, and then you will know how to bond with it. If you travel in groups, do not try to bond with an animal in the same way someone else does. Every person does it in a unique way. You will know your way when you meet the animal you are destined to be with. And, now...good luck! Bring honor to your family, your town, and your country by undertaking the greatest adventure of your lives!" With that, the mayor dismissed the 18 year olds. The time had begun.

Jonathan quickly decided he did not want to travel with someone else from his town. Part of the point of the journey was to meet new people...and anyone who came across a group of people who knew each other would feel ostracized. He traveled north for a bit, looking around for animals. It wasn't hard to spot them...birds and insects were the easiest to spot...especially since many insects were bloated far beyond what those outside Soria were. However, all of the animals avoided him or shrieked at him before exiting swiftly. Jonathan began to feel a sense of hopelessness...how could he bond with an animal if they wouldn't stay near him? As if to compound on this feeling, he promptly walked into a low branch and was whisked off his feet, landing hard on the ground. Grumbling, he rubbed his sore stomach. If he hadn't been preoccupied he wouldn't have missed the obvious branch, but there you had it. Standing, he continued on.

(Although I didn't specify, it seems you all understood what I meant by legend...essentially if it's considered myth or fantasy by our culture, it's a legend.)
 
Last edited by a moderator:

DeletedUser25825

Name: Fren
Age: 18
Gender: Female
Appearance: Fren is very small for a Sorian female. She has the innocent waif-like appearance befitting an afflicted person. Her eyes are far from dull, but her lack of discernable communication indicates not much happening upstairs. She dresses in a homespun frock-style dress that's cinched by a grass belt. Her brown hair is long, and unkempt. She wears no shoes, and most of her exposed skin is be-decked in dirt smudges.
Personality: Care free and child-like
Hometown: Unknown
Parents: Unknown
Positive Skills: Foraging, survival, art, music, mimicry
Flaws: Skittish, low intelligence, non-combative, dependent
Animal Hope: Her guess is as good as yours
Bio: Fren is definitely Sorian, but that's about all that can be gleaned of her past. She appeared in the Village of Mintar at a very young age. Her bedraggled appearance, lack of communicative ability, and ferelness led the village elders to believe her parents either were killed or abandoned her deep in the forests. As is proper amongst Sorians with the afflicted, they acknowledge her existence, and provide shelter or food on the extremely rare occasions she accepts. She can be found; spending her days in the mud crafting sculptures of fantastical beasts that she may or may not have seen in her travels, playing a myriad of tunes on a crudely made reed flute, or more often not found at all. She makes it a habit to disappear for days, weeks, or months at a time into the surrounding forests.
 
Last edited by a moderator:

DeletedUser13682

Rolf woke up to the sound of bugle, the usual reveille that had accompanies Rolf nearly every day of his life. After morning workout and breakfast, Rolf's parents gave him a going away present, a new pack, filled with useful items, like compass, knife, map, tinderbox, and sewing kit. After Rolf packed the rest of the necessities, he shouldered the pack and walked to the center of the town, where the speech was just about to be read. Rolf counted 8 people total, 6 boys, 2 girls. Of course he knew them all, but it was time to listen to the speech, not talk with friends.

"Bring honour to your family, your town, and your country by undertaking the greatest adventure of your lives! Now go, find your partner!" With that, the garrison leader dismissed the group, and they set off, the other seven heading in a group to the east, Rolf deciding to go alone for now. Instead of going east, he went roughly southwest. There were reports of some good sightings there, not as common as good sightings in the east, but the southwest proved promising for the types of fauna Rolf was searching for.
 

DeletedUser25825

Fren sifted her fingers through the dry dirt she sat on, drawing intricate spirals and lines, oblivious to the excitement around her as the other youth of the village she currently occupied gathered to listen to the reeve. She startled as a bugle sounded. She lifted her head and looked around as the gates were opened and the youth began to trek out. Ada, one of the village elders walked over to her and waved both of her hands in a shooing motion as she said, "Off ya go Fren. Go into the forest."

Fren smiled at the old lady, widened her eyes in excitement as the woman smiled and waved at her again, and then nodded. She stood up and wandered off after the others who were leaving into the forest. She walked a short distance into the forest, looked over her shoulder as the gate shut, and then returned her attention to her surroundings. She closed her eyes, inhaled the dank smell of the forest, and spun in a circle with her arms out-stretched. She stopped spinning, and looked at her surroundings again.

She tilted her head to the side, and called out. She grew still as she listened for a response, received none, and called out again. She heard a voice say, "I swear it's a Froth cat. Clear as day and right near the village!" A group of three crashed into the clearing and their excitement immediately vanished. "Oh", the one who'd been leading said, "it's just Fren. Fren, go that way!" The boy pointed, causing Fren to look that way. She looked back at him and he nodded, as he pointed again. She smiled, turned and walked off in the direction he'd indicated.
 
Last edited by a moderator:

DeletedUser

The adults cheered. The 18 year olds from the town of Odar, ten in all, had just walked past the main gate. Gunnar Anders, son of Thor and Anastasia, was among them. He was dressed in brown cotton pants, with shoes made of fur to match. The fur was collected off animals instead of skinned. He wore a white cotton shirt, long sleeved. The sleeves were rolled up however, and the collar was loose fitting. He wore a necklace with his father's companion's tooth, the ice wolf he had named Charles. No one knows the meaning of the name, but it was his choice, not anyone elses.

Gunnar also wore chainmail over his shirt, to protect himself from danger should it unfold. With his luck, it would. He had a backpack to carry the equipment he was giving, including a woodcutting axe, a water canteen, a compass, a knife, tinderbox, and some other useful items. At his side, he carried a short sword. The sword was not for killing, but more for finding more about others. Such is the way of the Odins.

He continued to walk south, as the ten of them split up to go their own ways. He walked along the coast, looking for animals, and if luck be it, Chtulhu.
 

DeletedUser28032

Cercei gathered stood at the foot of the ancient barrow upon which the clan elder stood, the fathers of those going out to the wilds stood in a semi circle around him as he spoke the traditional words, the same speech as was spoken by every other town and creed throughout Soria, however where the Sais differed was that as well as a search for their soul mate it was a test of survival, a rite of passage into the clan.
Each of them was to venture into the wilds with nothing but an ancestral blade to craft and forage the means of survival. Cercei stared wide eyed as her father presented the wide curved knife (OOC:Think Kukri) before her, she marvelled at the magnificent scroll work that adorned the handle, feathers hung from the end of the handle by a length of rawhide.
Taking the heavy blade in her hands her father smiled "Sionnach and myself reworked the blade whilst you was gone, careful its very sharp" Cercei returned her fathers smile before looking down at Sionnach her fathers fox, standing by his legs, its crimson fur shining in the early morning sun "Thank you, I won't let you down" "I know, now you best get going" and with that Cercei planted a quick kiss on her fathers cheek before heading off into the forests surrounding the Roisin valley she planned to follow the valley south before taking a dog-leg east.
It was after a couple of hours walking in the pleasant morning sun and now several miles away from the encampment, that she heard a noise up ahead, stooping low she gazed towards the stand of oak tree's hoping to catch a glimpse of what had made the noise, perhaps it was her soul mate?
 

Deleted User - 819397

Jonathan had been meandering north for a while, following the river. Things weren't going well from his perspective. After a time he reasoned that the fact he had lived near this river for his whole life, and never felt a connection to an animal, might mean his animal wasn't a water-dweller. Curving away, he started going northeast. All of the animals he met did the same thing...left immediately. It was beginning to frustrate him...he hadn't thought it would be easy, but this was something else. It was in the event of trying not to scare a large spider when he walked right into the creature's web. It was so thin and transparent he hadn't seen it at all. The web then started crackling, followed by arcs of electricity jolting into his body. He didn't scream, but a strangled moan escaped him. Electric spider, obviously. He thrashed until the web broke (prompting the spider to flee) but the effort drove him to the ground with a grunt. Grumbling to himself, he stood back up and kept walking.

----------------------------------------------------------

At the Capital

King Petra was feeling quite content...but not content enough. The ceremony had gone off without a hitch, and the new adults were on the hunt. Good luck to them... Petra frowned. His own son, Cante, was 18...but Petra had forbidden him to go out on the search. He had his plan, of course, but telling Cante at this stage would be disastrous. He stroked his companion, the venom cougar that had nearly killed him when he first met it, before telling his guards to summon the Shades.

The Shades at face value were simply part of the King's entertainment. However, that was only their basic function. They always dressed in black, with their faces covered, revealing only their eyes and their black hair. There were two girls and one boy, all siblings. One had a ghost panther, one a stone vulture, and the last a vampiric squid. They were the king's assassins...among other things. Petra faced them and nodded. "As I'm sure you are aware, my son, the Prince, is 18 this year. However, I do not wish him to join the hunt. Instead, I will have you do it...only not any animal will do. I require a Legend for my son. He is weak, spineless. Only through the bonding of a Legend will the people ever respect him. I care not what kind...find one and bring it before Cante. Dismissed." The Shades nodded and swept out.

Petra then clapped his hands for his lunch. The cook came in, trembling, holding a silver platter. He placed it before the king and took off the cover. There was meat on the plate...animal meat. The cook hurried away, not wishing to look at it. The first few times he had prepared it for the king, he had been violently ill. However he had been threatened with a punishment worse than death not to tell anyone or refuse to prepare the meal...so he did it, though it revolted him. Petra inhaled deeply before picking up his silverware...and dug in.
 

DeletedUser

Name: Aron "Sneezle" Arkon
Age: 18
Gender: Male
Appearance: A small man, about five feet six inches and weighing around 120 pounds while soaking wet. He has lackluster blond hair that he keeps in a pony tail. His pale blue eyes rarely meet sunlight.
Personality: He isn't exactly bookish, for he only has basic learning, but something along those lines. Reserved, shy, unobtrusive.
Hometown: Aeroth, small town that is concentrated around a large academy and chapel.
Parents: Father: Akiel Akron (Animal: A Falcon named, ironically since the bird was by some freak of nature, a vegetarian, Render, who could speak and reason just as well as a human being.) Mother: Arielle Akron (Animal: A Cat with the ability to both speak and, oddly enough, tell the future.)
Skills: Sorting, Stuffing and generally making things as compact as possible.
Animal Hope: Sneezle always wanted to have some sort of large Canine. Maybe a Wolf or Dog, Sneezle would settle for a Coyote.
Bio: Aron "Sneezle" Akron was born in the small hut outside his parents mercantile store in Aeroth. He attended basic schooling at the chapel in his hometown, where his tutor, a scholarly looking monk with half a head of brown hair, discovered the boy's natural ability to break things down, pack them away and generally compress everything needed. It turned out, that was one of the last times he ever went to school for soon he was making a small amount of money, breaking things down and stowing them away for local merchants and traders. He became isolated from his peers and soon had no friends in Aeroth and so, he lived that way, growing in upon himself more and more as the years went by.

_____________________________________________________

Sneezle walked about aimlessly. How could the gods do this to him? How could they allow him to be so totally abandoned and then not do anything about it? To say that the reserved youth was uncomfortable would have been like saying it was probably a good idea to flee a boulder crashing down upon you. Sneezle was more then uncomfortable, more then miserable, he felt tormented. Hundreds of times the boy had looked out over the walls of Aeroth and seen tens, twenties and even thirties of the massive dogs roaming around. Yet, the moment Sneezle turned eighteen, they all suddenly vanished. Running into the mountains, as if to spite him.

Suddenly, he couldn't control his anger and he threw his head back and shrieked "Where have all you wolves gone!?! You damnable wolves! Come out you hellspawn!". Sneezle's voice echoed and reverberated off the canyon, mountain and valley walls, probably going all the way back to his home below the snowline.

Sneezle looked around, his heart soaring as, as if summoned by some feat of magic, a lone wolf appeared, standing atop a large rock, precariously sitting near a ledge that must have dropped to the very center of he world. This wolf was wondrous to behold, he must have stood four feet high thick gray and black fur covered him head to tail and great sharp fangs protruded from under a pair of pulled back lips that were jet black.

"I would have friends if I had one of those. I could probably saddle it and ride into Aeroth!" Sneezle began an awkward fumbling climb up the steep incline to where the Wolf sat, waiting for him. The going was tough and the sharp rocks, shrubbery and gravel cut at his hands and plucked at his clothes, but Sneezle pressed onwards.

The wolf suddenly turned and with a single great leap, jumped at least thirty feet further up the mountain. That wasn't what caught Sneezle's eye, however, for the leap of the great beast had dislodged the rock it stood on and now it barreled straight down the mountain towards him. The eighteen year old had no other choice, he threw himself to the side, desperately scrabbling against the rocky mountain's face for a hand or foothold, but finding none.

Sneezle began his fall. With each bone jarring impact, the boy's vision momentarily blurred. Sneezle flew more then fell, for most of the time he was rolling through the air, down the face of the mountain. He felt his bones strain in their sockets and scrapes, cuts and gouges open up along his face and chest. Snow and debris covered him head to toe, the snow stinging the cuts and burning deep down inside his chest and face.

Sneezle finally came to rest where he had started, at least one hundred feet from where the boulder had dislodged, which was still barreling down the mountain, but luckily away from him. Curling himself up into a little ball, assuming a fettle position, Sneezle put his burnt, bloodied and stinging hands to his face and cried like a little baby. Until finally, he fell into darkness.
 

DeletedUser28032

Cercei watched the small stand of tree's patiently waiting for whatever had made the rustling noise to come out.
After about ten minutes of this she was about ready give up when a small bird came out, the goldfinch hopped amongst the leaf litter in search of small insects, it was beautiful, what person wouldn't be happy to have something so beautiful and delicate as that?
Quietly stepping out from behind the bushes Cercei moved slowly and silently towards the goldfinche like her father had taught her to do, the finch glanced up once or twice in her direction yet made no attempt to flee from her, maybe this was the one?
Her hand trembled slightly as she reache out to stroke the small birds delicate feathers she was so close.
The cry of outrage echoed down the valley although she couldn't hear the original message Cercei knew that it had come from human lips, startled the bird shot into the sky singing merrily as it flew away.
Cercei stared at the patch of ground where the bird had been sat her hand still out to stroke it. Her outstretched hand curled into a fist as the rage boiled up inside her, had her mother been present to hear the string of insults in her native tongue she would have been apalled and Cercei would have gone hungry.
Storming off Cercei decided she'd try her luck elsewhere, maybe down by the river or the mountains. She also promised that if she ever found the idiot who'd scared away her bird she'd give them a piece of her mind or take a piece of theirs.
 

Deleted User - 819397

Jonathan continued his trek north. Nothing else he had come across had allowed him to get as close as that spider had...which led him to believe maybe a spider was his destiny. That wouldn't be bad...they were fast, strong, and their webs always were infused with whatever their power was...as he had felt with the electric one. In addition to that, many of the spiders were large enough to ride on...a nice little touch. However, he hadn't seen a spider since the electric one, so then again, perhaps not. Wishing that he had been given a little more information as to how to tell if the animal was the right one, he continued traveling...he'd stop for dinner soon...

----------------------------------

Name: Mandan Shaydaak
Age: Unknown
Gender: Male
Appearance: As one of the three Shades, he has long black hair, and always covers the rest of his body with black fabric...aside from his eyes. The eyes are the only way to tell him apart from his two sisters...each of their eyes is a different color. He has violet eyes.
Personality: Cold, the quietist of the Shades. He has a lack of compassion for others.
Hometown: Unkown
Parents: Unknown
Skills: Stealth, assassination, tracking. Not a great shake in social events.
Animal: Ghost Panther, Shak.
Bio: Mandan is the only male Shade. Very little is known of his or his sisters' past. He is a great fighter in his own right, and combined with his panther, he is nearly unstoppable. His animal is, naturally, his greatest strength. When riding it, he can pass through objects, allowing him to cover massive amounts of terrain in a short time. Each of the Shades has a name they are known by. He is known as the Landcreeper.


------------------------------------

Mandan heard sobbing nearby as he and his panther Shak bounded across the land. He directed Shak toward the sound, not out of pity, but because he figured that it might be possible a legend had hurt someone. However, upon arriving he found Sneezle lying unconscious, bloody. Snorting with derision, he hopped off Shak, and together they approached the young man. It was obvious from the lack of animal he was 18. Mandan prodded Sneezle with his boot. Sneezle's eyes fluttered open. Cursing, Mandan leaped back a pace. He saw Sneezle slowly turn his head toward him before falling unconscious again. With any luck, he decided, the boy would think it a dream. Getting back on Shak, the two of them headed off in the direction they had been going before the disturbance. A Legend had to be found.
 
Last edited by a moderator:

DeletedUser

Gunnar continued to walk until he hit a beach. He sat down on the ground, looking out over the foggy sea. It got...eery. Quiet. Gunnar continued to look out as he saw a squid-like tentacle rise from the sea. He jumped up as he saw it.

"Cthulhu!" he yelled out.

Bubbles and waves started coming towards Gunnar, and it finally hit the beach. A giant squid came forth, having the ability to speak. It kept it's main body in the water, but it's mouth and tentacles lay on the beach.

"Cthulhu? No, not I. I am Ktula, named after the greatness of the sea. I am not he," the squid spoke.

"Damn...I shall continue to search then. Thank you Ktula."

"No, thank you. For I have now found dinner. You think I am a peaceful beast? No. I am named after Cthulhu for one reason. I am a monster in my own right. Now, get in my BELLY!" the squid yelled out. It's tentacle came at Gunnar, coming at him. Gunnar raised his sword, and as he did so, the tentacle wrapped around him.

Gunnar was brought into the air, being swung around like a toy. Gunnar gained his composure and chopped off the limb with his sword. He fell, crashing down onto the sandy beach. He lifted his face up, spitting out sand from his mouth.

"This is going to be a challenge," Gunnar muttered as he went back into his battle stance to finish fighting off the creature.
 

Deleted User - 819397


Name: Kyana Shaydaak
Age: Unknown
Gender: female
Appearance: As one of the three Shades, she has long black hair, and always covers the rest of her body with black fabric...aside from her eyes. The eyes are the only way to tell her apart from her siblings...each of their eyes is a different color. She has blue eyes.
Personality: The most violent of the Shades. Has a very short temper
Hometown: Unkown
Parents: Unknown
Skills: assasination, fighting, intimidation. Not good with anything that tries her patience.
Animal: Vampiric Squid, Tiralka.
Bio: Kyana is the youngest Shade. Very little is known of her or her siblings' past. She is the most ruthless fighter, and is known for her short temper. She does not have the figure of a woman, making her look incredibly similar to Mandan, apart from her eyes. Her vampiric squid is a giant squid, size-wise, and matches Kyana's ruthlessness perfectly. Each of the Shades has a name they are known by. She is known as the Seadevil.

----------------------------------

Kyana had been tracking the squid...it was the only living thing for miles. However, upon its attacking the man up above, she was content to leave. Upon hearing the man attack back...with intent to kill...she ordered Tiralka up. She and her partner burst through the surface of the water. Tiralka leapt on the squid and sunk its teeth into it. The two of them fell into the sea, thrashing as they fought. Kyana leapt off Tiralka as they surfaced, drawing her whip, made from the only tentacle Tiralka had ever lost in battle, as she did so. Landing in front of Gunnar, she lashed out with the whip, not to injure, but to grab his legs. She then pulled, dragging him down. "What the heck do you think you're doing, peasant?" she yelled. Despite having been underwater, she was completely dry. "If you killed that animal, you would be driven from Soria!" Tiralka burst up again, sliding smoothly to join his partner. "I had to have Tiralka here kill it, which I did NOT want to have to do. Now, give me one reason why I should let you walk away from here." She saw that Gunnar had fight in his eyes. "And if you dare attack me, you will NOT be walking away." She cracked the whip pointedly.
 
Last edited by a moderator:

DeletedUser

Gunnar was surprised by the aid of this...assassin. Ghost? Whatever it was.

Gunnar kept his sword in hand, prepared. He looked at her, smirking. His "glascow" made him look like he was grinning madly.

"For I was not the one who attacked. Am I not supposed to defend myself? I must live, for the sake of my family's honor. I am Gunnar Anders, son of Thor and Anastasia. I am an Odin, a member of the village of Odar," he yelled out.

He sheathed the blade, putting his hands behind his back. "I am simply a Viking, looking for his companion. I came here, looking for an animal. My goal is to find Cthulhu, legendary sea monster and destroyer, or Fenrir, king of wolves. Thinking this squid be him, I asked. He talked back, and after thanking him for his help, he attacked me. I did what any would do. I am no killer, but I would defend. As you could see, I stood in place, in a defensive, not offensive, attack stance. I sheath my blade to show you I mean no harm. Who are you, my lady? I can tell by the sound in your voice you are no man, yet you can fight and attack like the best of them."
 

DeletedUser

Sneezle's pain addled brain came back to consciousness at the beckon of a boot prodding his shoulder. He opened his eyes and regretted it, as the incoming light blinded him and made him wish to vomit his guts out all at once. The specter that Sneezle saw momentarily, before he slammed his eyes shut again was a vision from the deepest, darkest, most deranged pit that hell had to offer.

It stood tall over where Sneezle lay crumpled on the ground, clad all in black. It's piercing violet eyes bore deep into Sneezle's very soul, as if the devil himself had manifested on this cold mountaintop to take drag him to a fiery place of blood and death. Sneezle let out one last sob, before he lost consciousness for the second time.

Sneezle didn't expect to wake. He expected to be in the blackness forever, just to float through it without the pain and the suffering that existed on the other side of the black veil and it was delicious.

A tiny figure scurried from rock to rock, as it approached the human that laid, broken and bloodied among the scattered rubble from the giant rock slide that had occurred earlier. Luckily, for the human, was that the rocks had mostly missed where he lay in unconsciousness and had instead, cascaded all the way to below the snowline.

If a man had been sitting upon a rock, watching the shadowy creature crawl towards the limp and unconscious boy, one would merely think it was a trick of the light glistening off snow. Until the tiny rodent left the comfort and secrecy of a nearby boulder and ventured towards the boy, who was now close to death.

Surveying the damage, the rat only thought to relieve the poor boy's suffering for the few moments it would take for the boy to pass out of this world and into the next. Sneezle's hand was open slightly, and at the prodding of a wet nose, the hand opened wide enough for the rat to push himself into the small cave created by the boy's hand and the ground. The rat snuggled close into Sneezle's palm, offering all of the warmth he had to give, to aid the poor soul into crossing. Yet, in that single movement, hope itself was born.

There was a brilliant flash of bright light deep inside Sneezle's unconscious mind and he felt a bone deep ache. All the broken bones, the torn cartilage, the bone deep gashes in his skin began to knit together at a visible rate. Sneezle's form was once again recognizable as belonging to a human. His eyes went from lifeless, staring, unseeing at the dirt and trodden snow in front of him, to bright and alive orbs. For the first time in god knows how long, Sneezle felt. He felt the furry presence in his palm and, with arms that were no longer broken and useless, he picked it up and looked the light brown rat in the eyes. Suddenly, Sneezle felt true love for the tiny creature and he knew, even though he had not found a wolf, dog or coyote, he had found something better. He had found a true friend. The small rat, knew so too and he held out a single paw, towards Sneezle's nose, in friendship.
 

Deleted User - 819397

Kyana listened to the account, and at the end, snapped her whip. However, it was only to roll it up, and doing so she put it away. "If that is indeed the case...then perhaps I acted too rashly. I apologize. However, your tone needs work. Shouting at one who just bested you before you could react is asking for trouble" Her eyes flared slightly as Gunnar asked her name. "If you are truly asking for my NAME, you will not get it. Only my siblings may know that. However, I am known as the Seadevil..." she frowned. "I can tell you do not recognize that name though." Sighing, she tried again. "Although I probably shouldn't be telling you this, I cannot stand ignorance. I am one of the Shades...and I see you HAVE heard of us now." Beneath the cloth that hid her face, she grinned. "I appreciate the gesture of your compliment. Not many can best me or my siblings..." Her tone became abruptly more serious. "Now, what are you doing that you attracted such a large squid?" As she said this, she stroked the side of Tiralka absentmindedly."
 

DeletedUser25825

Fren spent the majority of her morning digging through the loamy soil in search of tubers and roots. She'd pull some out, smell them, and either bury them again or consume them. She occasionally paused in what she was doing to look up and around at her surroundings. After taking her fill of what the forest provided, she wandered deeper into the forest. She would pause often to brush her dirty hands over the surface of one of the trees, or investigate a flower, or other non-consequential thing, which would grab her attention.

Unlike the majority of the other young adults wandering all over the lands, the animals and insects she came across rarely fled from her presence. Many would pause to curiously watch the girl approach them, as she gibbered at them in her language of sound mimicry and coos. She'd gently brush her hands over their hides smiling at the sensation of the textures beneath her calloused hands. She'd giggle as the animal would nuzzle against her shoulder, in the palms of her hands, or bump their flanks against her, before either it or she grew tired of the presence of the other and wandered off.


In the afternoon, she lifted her head as she heard the excited shouts of humans not far off. She wandered in that direction and saw the three boys who had shooed her off earlier in the day. One of them was grinning broadly, as he rode triumphantly on the back of an enormous razor-tooth boar. Fren tilted her head to the side as she watched them continue to trek through the forest, as the one who'd found his partner animal bellowed out an uncouth song of victory. The other two that walked with him appeared to be envious, yet still hope was evident on their faces figuring one of their group had been successful on the hunt already. They spied Fren and waved at her while shouting out their excitement. She straightened her head, and backed away into the denser foliage out of their sight, which caused them to laugh and continue on their way.


Fren wandered deeper into the forest, far from the more traveled areas where the more dangerous animals were known to reside. Occasionally, she'd spy tracks of animals that she'd learned did not approve of her presence, which caused her to deviate from her course. Her encounters with animals became rarer, and the ones she did would rarely stay within reach of the afflicted girl. Most would merely perch high from her reach, or stand firm as they watched her with baleful eyes as she gawked at them from afar.


As dusk began to fall, she happened upon an overgrown stone wall, which marked the edge of a long ago abandoned village. She carefully climbed over the wall, and wandered amongst the buildings. This village's residence now consisted primarily of large ferocious cats, and spiders. Fren wandered between the buildings, until she heard the cry of a Sky Cat. She smiled and looked up into the canopy, easily spying the creature hiding in the foliage. She chittered at the cat, which leaped down from its perch to land in front of her. She lowered her eyes, though she couldn't remove the smile on her face. The cat walked passed her, brushing it's sleek blue tinted body along her side. Fren giggled as the cat whipped its tail gently into her face. She grabbed gently onto it, turned with the cat and walked after it. Any outsider to the situation, might mistake this meeting as a human and its partner animal, but it was simply not the case. It was more just friends meeting up for a visit.


Fren followed the cat, pausing occasionally to investigate some discarded article never before noticed, or more likely forgotten by her, on the numerous visits to this village. The cat entered one of the buildings, and Fren climbed up the deteriorating wall that attached to the building. She settled on top of it, looking up through a break in the forest canopy at the night sky slowly revealing itself. She yawned and went to sleep.
 
Top