Posts from Taiji

Until Aloris separates us or someone else does.

Hero, don't turn your back on Art.

True friends are never abandoned.

Her body still aches, but now this pain no longer consumes every single thought. The past... Was there anything there besides suffering? Only isolated, faint images come to mind. And it would have been better if they didn't...
It seems she was once a Teiosian? What a terrible thought. Perhaps it wasn't her? Strange... Come to think of it, she had only heard about her life before the experiment from the experimenters themselves, but she remembers absolutely nothing from it. In the first days after the experiment, there was at least pain. And hatred. Much hatred. Primarily, of course, toward those who caused her so much pain for a completely incomprehensible purpose. However, it seems she managed to pay them back... Perhaps not all of them... There was some pipe, other utensils; she managed to use all of it by accelerating with her acquired wings. These white, feathered wings are very strong and surprisingly useful.
She tried once more to make sense of her feelings. Who is she, and what place does she intend to take in this world? No, that is a stupid question; she is an outsider here. Humans, non-humans — they will not understand, they are all enemies, for they are overflowing with evil. And evil must be destroyed.
She did not remember what her name was before. But now her name will be Ariel.

***

Ariel flew in a semi-conscious haze for many days. It seemed she encountered some checkpoints, patrols... But none of that mattered when you can climb so high that you cannot even be seen. Rage seethed in her blood almost all the time, especially at the sight of other people, but common sense forced her to avoid armed soldiers. Although a lone traveler straying into these lands faced danger from the skies.
Obtaining food was more difficult. The pennies Ariel received from robberies still had to be spent somewhere, which became a sheer torment. She could not stand the way people looked at her, marveling at her unusual wings and rather unkempt appearance. Perhaps also at her beautiful face — something of the Teiosian remained in that regard, although this face had lost something elusive. Something that made people around not just admire the owner of the face, but in the most literal sense lose their minds at the sight of it.
However, over time, there were fewer and fewer people around, and obtaining sustenance became harder. Ariel found some rats and other small creatures, but even this became a difficult task. And the surrounding forest, while not appearing to have changed much, became somehow anxious, oppressive. In one place, the exhausted ex-Teiosian wanted to lie down under a tree and rest, but some caustic drops began to fall on her from the branches, leaving terrible burns on her wings, so she barely managed to get away. Obviously, even the local flora was ceasing to be friendly, not to mention that the animals around were also quite problematic.
Finally, Ariel reached some settlement, but the locals showed no friendliness and immediately rushed with bows to "greet" the appearing curiosity. So she had to fly away as quickly as possible, again. A few kilometers away, some wooden cult structure was found; it seemed empty, and Ariel decided to hide inside and wait it out. However, as it soon became clear, someone was inside after all...

***

A person who has lived in the Dark Lands for years cannot be so easily knocked off their feet, even if you are a strange creature with wings. Although it was a good attempt, given the circumstances. A second attack did not happen at all: the Calevrite quite deftly knocked the "toothpick" the opponent was armed with out of her hands. Ariel wanted to continue with her fists, but her gaze met the gaze of the opposing Knight — and she noticed that she had never seen such calm eyes. There was no fear, surprise, or disgust in the man's face, which she had grown accustomed to, so all her rage instantly vanished, as if it had never been there at all.
The Knight tossed aside the rusty sword Ariel had been using and introduced himself.
-- Hello, I am Ludovig Lionheart. What did I do to deserve your attack?
The woman remained silent, and so the Calevrite also remained silent for a while.
-- Who are you? M... You are clearly of flesh and blood, like me, so you must need help. There will be no services today, and my brothers are procuring food for us. Stay and rest, and I will try to heal your wounds and remove that frightened expression from your face. I possess healing magic and we had a staff somewhere, I will find it now.
While Lionheart stepped away into some small room and rummaged through it, Ariel decided that she needed to slowly get out of here, but, barely standing up, she lost consciousness.

***

It seemed this was a white streak. Ludovig treated Ariel as a human and even more. It seemed he considered her... an Angel. This was not Ariel's fault; she constantly tried to convince Lionheart otherwise. However, she was not particularly convincing even to herself. What arguments did she have, only faintly remembered dialogues of the Enclavists? And perhaps Ludovig was right in some way? No, it is unlikely to be about an angelic essence, but could this be perceived as a rebirth, a kind of second chance given to her? Lustful Teiosians were the worst of the non-humans, but now she feels completely different. There is, however, another problem — rage. This feeling seethes in her almost all the time, even now, although it gets better when the Knight is nearby.
Lionheart told her much. Primarily — about their mission here in the Dark Lands. Most Calevrites now believed that their country was going through difficult times and that all their strength should be concentrated on survival and preserving their faith, but twenty years ago Ludovig and his like-minded companions chose a different mission for themselves; they decided to go into the Dark Lands and give hope to those who needed it so much. It was terribly hard, and often they were opposed not only by the Dark Lands themselves, but among humans, the Calevrites often found no understanding. Many had become so hardened that they had practically lost the remnants of civilization. Of the entire group of Calevrites, no more than a quarter had survived to the present time, but the remaining ones had been tempered into veterans who could handle almost anything. And they were all priests, so they tried to stop periodically near populated areas, build a temporary wooden church, and serve mass.
During their journey, they saw much. And here in the Dark Lands, there were still rays of light. Many people were interested only in survival and satisfying their needs, but there were also dreamers. They passed fairy tales and legends to one another, spoke of better times, and hoped that such times would come for them too. One legend was special — the legend of a hero, the Red Fury, who once, when the Dark Lands were much smaller than they are now, saved many people and gave people hope for a time. Even now, some believe that the Red Fury comes to the rescue in a moment of extreme danger. Although if anyone knew, Ludovig certainly knew that the last legend definitely had no basis in fact.
The Calevrite diligently recorded everything. The legends, among which there were more details and useful information than one might expect. And the dangers of the Dark Lands, everything they encountered, and how to fight it. Both books were quite hefty. There was also something else — artifacts. Some of them possibly belonged to the Red Fury, if the rumors are true. For example, a wonderful sword whose bluish glow so calmed the nerves in the Dark Lands... And, no less importantly, dispelled the darkness ahead. In the end, the kind Lionheart gave all this to Ariel, his new friend and student, although a much more valuable gift was the amulet that Ludovig always prayed over.
The Calevrite's companions viewed this friendship very negatively. They claimed it was perfectly obvious they were dealing with another non-human, and one should have nothing to do with such a thing. Telling a non-human about the Calevrite faith, sharing one's innermost knowledge and skills — was like casting pearls before swine, or worse — initiating an enemy into one's secrets. And yet they did not dare expel the wanderer against Ludovig's will, who had long since become a common mentor and leader for them all.
This page of history ended with the arrival of armed locals at the church doors. Dissatisfaction had been brewing among them for a long time; the Calevrites often tried to help, but instead, rumors spread that they brought bad luck, that the gods turned away from people, unable to tolerate the Calevrite church nearby, in which words about the falsehood of all these gods were repeated every day. Ludovig decided it was time for them to leave, since they were not welcome here. This had happened before — in some places the Knights did not leave voluntarily but were expelled in a similar manner, but Lionheart somehow managed to avoid bloodshed. Those he could, he calmed; those he could not, he disarmed with a firm, experienced hand, and without the main instigators, the crowd more or less quieted down. But this time he could not restrain the seething rage of one person: unfortunately, at the critical moment, Ariel rushed into battle and created a real massacre. The Calevrites were drawn into the fight and casualties were unavoidable, and the worst part for them was that people died right in the Temple. After everything ended, Lionheart literally begged Ariel on his knees to leave. He later, of course, regretted driving her away, but she regretted even more that she could not restrain herself. For all her known life, she has been guided either by fear or rage, and how terrible it was to lose the only person who understood her because of another mistake! Oh, she will never forget the look with which Ludovig looked at her that day... It seems that one "rebirth" will not be enough here.

***

Ariel rushed wherever her eyes led and tried not to think about everything that had happened, but she began to attack people more and more frequently and without reason. However, after relatively prosperous living in the Calevrite church, her physical condition worsened. It helped when she left the Dark Lands; in relative safety, she was able to recover a bit.
After a series of murders committed in the vicinity of Veldaran, the local guard began to search for her, so Ariel took a risk and went to the Dark Lands once more — to wait out the storm. She saw some small house — its door was broken and everything inside was overturned, so the house seemed abandoned and could serve as a shelter. The ex-Teiosian decided so. Later, a detachment of the Order of the Border passed by and seized the uninvited guest inside, easily recognizing her as a dangerous criminal.

Characteristics:
Strength -- 30
Constitution -- 28
Agility -- 0
Perception -- 0
Speed -- 34
Intelligence -- 0
Will -- 10
Wisdom -- 9
Charisma -- 0

Origin and Race:
Teiosian:
Passive Submission — a male character must pass a will check, otherwise he will be forced to obey. Men deal half as much damage to Teiosians, receiving twice as much from them.
Character has the ability to fly and receives +10 to movement speed and +40% to evasion. Immunity to fire element.
Enclave:
- all Teiosian skills (except those related to flight)
+ attack during movement, not at the end
+ 1 evasion per unit of speed
+ hunter skill cost is halved

Skills:


(2)


(3)


(B, C, E)


(1)

Stats and skills are preliminary, I might change them later.

Inventory:
- Fury's two-handed sword, worn but clearly of high quality, preserving the owner's sanity in the Dark Lands and a source of light
- Calevrite amulet, granting its owner wisdom (though for some this is clearly not enough)
- light Knight armor, also a gift from Ludovig
- book "Legends of the Dark Lands: Red Fury"
- book describing some dangers of the Dark Lands
- some (dis)honestly earned money

P.S. Well, if there's anything not lore-accurate, I'll fix it. Hope everything is okay.

legend of the cryptids

It's time to start gaining experience from them.

Nah, their universe seems pretty mediocre. They just have some good artwork – that’s their only merit.

And even the artwork isn't all that great...

Which path do you prefer, the green one or the red one?

Green. I can't even imagine what I would do in red.

I'm also for green. I'll be overjoyed when they start attacking us.

Basically, I'm running low on imagination; I want to play, and I liked Kefirka's build, but copying it 100% is boring, so I'll copy it 95% x) And yeah, shadowverse farewa.

[0:29:24] Drakkoshka: Is this a calevrit or an asian?
[0:29:40] Drakkoshka: http://sv.bagoum.com/getRawImage/0/0/ghosthoundsexton
[0:30:31] Ark: neither calevrit nor asian
[0:30:52] Drakkoshka: Then WHO?!
[0:31:11] Ark: just some guy
[0:31:15] Drakkoshka: Some random in a coat?
[0:31:31] Ark: a guy in a coat

Hikaru had no idea how lucky he was to be born in Onozuka. His parents were scholars and kept an extensive library at home, so from childhood, Hikaru spent more time with books than with people. He was very interested in magic, and although spells were now much harder to cast than described in the old books, the boy managed to learn a few things and experienced indescribable delight when he launched his first fireball. His parents did not interfere with their son, only asking him to practice somewhere far from the library. Hikaru found this suggestion reasonable and began going outside the city every day, taking books, magic stones, and a couple of sandwiches, having found a lovely glade for training. There, he met a homeless puppy of a purebred noble breed. Naturally, there was no question of taking a mutt home, but whenever Hikaru stepped out the door, the dog was right there. The beast greedily devoured whatever treats the boy brought for him, let himself be petted, and responded to the name Kiba. The hardest part for Hikaru was training him to stop chasing fireballs, but he managed that too.
Time passed; Hikaru grew up, and his four-legged companion grew old. The youth had to think about where to settle in his adult life. He could have followed in his parents' footsteps, but his heart longed for adventure. Hikaru was a smart guy and understood perfectly well that a pampered city dweller, which he was, wouldn't last a week on the road, so he wasn't in a rush to leave. On the other hand, the history of Ertenia was of particular interest, and Hikaru always enjoyed reading descriptions of events from ancient times. But at the same time, he hesitated until the last moment and delayed his decision to seriously pursue the sciences...
One day, while Hikaru was resting in his favorite glade with Kiba, he heard a piercing woman's scream from the forest. Without wasting a second, the youth clenched a couple of stones in his fist and rushed toward the sound.
The screaming girl was sitting in a tree. Beneath her prowled two eerie creatures; seeing them, Hikaru remembered why all decent parents strictly forbade children from going into the forest. Onozuka was far from the epicenter of the catastrophe, but its echoes could be found even in this peaceful and prosperous land. For example, monsters like these, which might have once been wolves or bears. And right now, these creatures were clearly not opposed to dining on human flesh.
Without thinking twice, Hikaru launched a fireball at them. One creature was killed instantly; the second, tucking its smoldering tail, fled deep into the forest.
The girl climbed down from the tree. She looked embarrassed and slightly irritated, sharply refused the help Hikaru offered, and was already about to leave.
- You could at least say thank you, - the youth said, sounding a bit offended, - I think I just saved your life.
- Well, thanks, you didn't have to remind me, - the girl huffed, - I could have handled it myself, as if it were a big deal. Two mutant wolves.
- Is that exactly why you climbed a tree and screamed? - Hikaru inquired snidely.
- Where on earth did you even come from! - the stranger flared up. - Do you even know who I am?! I am, for your information, a battle mage of the Order of the Verge, and I am on an important mission! And you, you, brainless city... WHY ARE YOU LAUGHING?!
- A powerful battle mage - conqueror of trees, - Hikaru managed to squeeze out, shaking with laughter. Then, having finished laughing, he added: - Don't worry. I won't tell anyone. Your reputation will remain intact.
- I would be very grateful, - the girl replied coldly. - I assume you can lead me to your settlement.
- Only on one condition.
- Now what?
- You stop looking at me as if I owe you a bag of gold.
On the way, the girl became more talkative - reluctantly at first, but then with great enthusiasm. Her name was Inga, and she really was a battle mage of the Order of the Verge - although a rather young and inexperienced one. The Order had sent her to these lands with a mission to clear the forest of monsters, but Inga had spent all her stones and found herself in a rather awkward position. And although Hikaru had saved her life, she couldn't help but be angry with him for catching her in such a state.
Hikaru listened to her with glowing eyes. The Order of the Verge seemed like a very tempting organization where even a bookworm like him could find a place. Moreover, long-awaited adventures lay ahead, and perhaps a chance to apply his fire magic skills. Therefore, before Inga could finish her story, the youth began trying to join her company. The girl resisted for a while, but mostly for show - after all, there had never been a woman's heart in the world that could resist a brave guy who came to the rescue.
Hikaru's parents did not take his decision to leave very positively, but they didn't try to hold him back and even helped him pack properly for the journey. And so, a couple of days later, Hikaru and Inga, who had replenished her supply of stones, set off. Faithful Kiba followed his master, and neither he nor his new friend objected to the company.
The journey was long; during their wanderings, the pair made a living by hunting mad mages, mutants, and other foul creatures. They managed to emerge unscathed from many scrapes; it goes without saying that Hikaru and Inga quickly became inseparable. Kiba, despite his advancing age, remained their loyal friend and helper until the very end.

The opponent was a teyosiyka - a wicked witch who had enslaved all the men in the village and demanded bloody sacrifices every day. Hikaru was forced to stay on the sidelines and simply pray that the demoness wouldn't be able to bewitch him. Inga bravely entered the fray, casting lightning. The teyosiyka launched a deadly spell in response. Inga would have been finished, but Kiba threw himself in the path of the fireball and took the hit. Inga remained unharmed, and her lightning struck down the monster... However, the faithful dog no longer cared.
- Kiba, no! - Hikaru rushed to the still-smoldering body, ignoring possible burns. - No-no-no, buddy, it can't be! How could you... - tears welled up in the youth's eyes.
- Hikaru... - Inga hesitated for a long time, but finally said: - I might be able to do something...
- Can you resurrect? - hope flared in the guy's eyes.
- No, but... Well... You probably won't like this, but...
- Just tell me, please!
- It won't be exactly a resurrection...
- Do something, anything!
- Well... alright. But I'm not sure it'll work...
Taking several stones, Inga leaned over the dog's body and began to whisper something. For a while, nothing happened; but soon Kiba slowly rose, grumbling something. His burns did not heal, and his fur continued to burn.
- You... This...
- I am a necromancer, - Inga said quietly. - A beginner, but this is just a dog...
- Kiba is not "just" a dog, and you know it perfectly well.
- Fine. A very wonderful, kind, and smart dog. And that's good. A human requires a ton of stones, and I've never tried raising people. But here... One or two stones a month to maintain, um, existence. That should be enough.
- Well... Thank you, I suppose...
Meanwhile, Kiba accepted that he would have to tread this earth a while longer and licked Hikaru on the nose.
Inga's magic did not save the dog from decay. Soon he began to smell quite bad, and his appearance became frankly gruesome. When the decay process ended and only a skeleton remained of the unfortunate dog, both Hikaru and Inga breathed a sigh of relief. Otherwise, Kiba remained the same dog - chewing his owners' boots, chasing sticks, and biting bandits' thighs. He even became more energetic and active, since age was no longer a hindrance. Meanwhile, giving in to Hikaru's persuasion, Inga taught him a couple of dark magic tricks and told him that the Order's fortress had many strong and experienced mages, including necromancers, who would teach magic much more effectively than she could.

There wasn't much left until the fortress of the Order of the Verge, but in another skirmish with monsters, Inga suffered serious injuries and could not go any further. The field medical kit was unable to help; Hikaru, to his shame, had never been known for a strong physique and could not carry his friend.
- Leave me and go on your own. Tell them what happened to me.
- No, Inga, I'll find someone...
- There's no point... By the time you reach the nearest settlement, I'll already be dead.
- But... You...
- Necromancy won't help me. Ironic, isn't it?
Hikaru leaned over the girl and took her hand.
- Everything will be alright...
- Take my diary... My stones... All my gear. It'll be enough to get there... get back to the road and go south... You'll make a good member of the Order.
- I just can't leave you, I have to try...
- You've learned nothing... Still the same brainless city softie, - Inga smiled tenderly. - That's why I fell in love with you.
- I love you too. I'm sorry I can't save you...
Hikaru stayed with Inga until her last breath. When the girl passed away, he buried her, took the gear as she asked, and headed south. The faithful dog followed him - now he was the only memory of his friend.

Inventory:
Money.
Magic stones.
Book on the history of Ertenia.
Book on magic.
Inga's diary.
Medical kit.
Food.
Light cuirass (like the one in the pic).
Fashionable chain (like the one in the pic - idk why he needs it, but whatever, let it be, maybe it'll be useful).
Fashionable coat.

Stats (+300/15=20 from exp):

Strength: 0
Constitution: 10
Dexterity: 5
Perception: 5
Speed: 10
Intelligence: 40
Will: 50
Wisdom: 30
Charisma: 0

Resident of a prosperous land: companion, submission, mind reading - free.

Combat Training

1. +3 HP for each point of constitution.

Demon Hunter

1. Will checks are twice as high.

Fire Mage

A. Fire magic damage +(wisdom)%
B. Combustion. Deals (magic power*8) damage to the opponent.
C. Fire Shield. A character attacking the target in melee combat takes 100+(magic power*5) damage.
D. Raging Flame. Deals (magic power*14) damage to characters in a 5x5 area.

Dark Magic

B. Submission. Forces the selected character to follow the wizard's orders.
C. Mind Reading. The caster learns specific information from the head of the selected character.

Companion

Kiba, the dog skeleton from the picture (bottom one, was too lazy to erase the top one in Photoshop). In theory, he should have some immunities to various crap and not want to eat, because he's a damn skeleton. And other various things as you see fit, because he was once a dog. You can ignore the fire from the pic, or add some resistances to it, as you see fit. In return, you figure out how to balance it; well, you definitely can't resurrect this cadaver, and raising him with necromancy is unlikely, but generally, you'll figure it out, you know best. He can be fed stones, as written in the quente, but just not too much so he isn't too greedy, otherwise I won't be able to feed him and I'll have to beg for stones from party members.

I'm also for green. I'll be green with joy when they start attacking us.

By the way, the main healer seems to be able to use magic without stones. If you go to him, please ask him how he does it. Maybe even ordinary mages can do it that way.

[0:29:24] Drakkoshka: Is this a Kalevrite or an Asian?

It's an Ishanade.

I wouldn't even consider other options if the Ishanad were available, but...

[02/23/2017 16:13:55] Drakkoshka: And why, just as I decided to switch to mages, did you remove the Ishanad from the setting...?
[02/23/2017 16:14:54] Rowan: Because...
[02/23/2017 16:19:46] Drakkoshka: Because, gladiolus, it's obvious.

Light cuirass (like in the picture).
Stylish chain (like in the picture – not sure why he needs it, but whatever, let it be, maybe it will come in handy).
Fashionable coat.

And isn't the cuirass fashionable?