< atton revisited > The information page for Atton has been fully revised and updated with the new map!
< updated calendar > The Fortuna calendar has been updated in the "Other" lore section! This includes a document which displays the calendar for you to see, making it much easier to understand.
< moving map > The first functional map has been released in the News section! This map is also interactive, allowing you to drag and drop between points in order to determine distances. This is the first iteration, and there's more and better to come!
< first annual awards > The results for the First Annual Fortuna Year-End Awards have been posted! Go and take a look at who the finalists were, and who took home the big prizes!
< new default skin > Our new skin has passed the beta test, and is now the new Default for the forums! If you have any issues with this skin, send a PM or Discord to Mellie.
< human lore update > Humans have been updated with TWENTY-FIVE subraces/subcultures which add numerous options, and a little extra lore and flavour.
< magic lore update > Magical Lore has been enhanced with the addition of a post on Magical Education. From Beginner to Expert, this is how you learn the spells.
< a change to member groups > Member groups are now based on storyline! You can change your displayed storyline by editing the settings in your profile.
Welcome to the world of Fortuna, a land of fantastic proportions. This is an original fantasy roleplay that takes place in a world developed over nearly a decade of work and collaboration. We aim to encourage all participants to have a hand in the stories of the characters here, and the world around them. Your choices are key - so make them with pride. You decide who wins the wars, you decide who becomes King, the world is ours, and together we will bring it to life!
Post by Kikuriku Gouken on Jan 18, 2017 10:40:28 GMT -7
She didn’t understand him. Or, at the very least, she didn’t understand the gravity of the situation. Ichabod wasn’t just some player who knocked up women and convinced them to not keep his offspring. Kikuriku didn’t have any proof of his suspicions, but he knew that they were rarely wrong. Well, rarely wrong as long as it had nothing to do with whether or not a woman was into him. He’d been wrong about that many times before.
Kiku sighed deeply as he rubbed the back of his head. He knew that this would be a hard sell, but he was hoping that an inquisitive mind of a journalist would have a little more sense of curiosity. A baby-eating psychopathic demon was about as interesting a thing that Kiku could think up, and he had quite the vivid imagination.
But, I suppose I can’t blame her. I’d be skeptical too if an impossibly handsome man came into my house with equally as impossible stories about some guy that he met in the woods who eats people because he told a scary story. I almost wish that I didn’t promise Rose that I’d keep quiet about what we learned at the Glass Tomb. I’m almost certain that this and Ichabod are connected.
Although it seemed that this would be a fruitless adventure, Kiku was overjoyed to have two hands of him, both belonging to women. Different women! He clasped both Violet and Greens’ hands with his own, and smiled at them. He lingered longer on Green, who’s reassuring smile seemed thoroughly genuine. He felt bad for having dragged her along on this pointless journey, as it seemed that she was very uncomfortable. “I don’t think you understand. I wish that I could explain it better, but I can’t. Just… at the very least, you have to trust me. Ichabod is a name that you’re going to remember, and you’re going to look back and think ‘Ah shit that handsome devil was right.’ I’m just trying to do the right thing.” He smiled meekly, this time looking down at the mattress that he was laying on. He let go of the girls’ hands propped himself up, heading towards what he imagined to be the kitchen to finally get Green some water.
Violet’s mess of an apartment didn’t have much in the way of glasses, but Kiku managed to find a surprisingly clean mug in one of the cupboards. He rinsed it out, just in case, and filled it with water. He walked back to mattresses and handed the water to Green, smiling softly at her.
“You know, I’m disappointed. I have to be honest; this went much better in my head. I came a long way to try and relay this information. I’m sure that it’s important.”
Post by Acacia-Green on Jan 18, 2017 13:56:49 GMT -7
Green let Violet take the strange device back and gave her a confused look when she shook it and said she thought Green wanted water. The water in there smelled weird, and she admittedly hadn't realized that Violet passed it to her so she could drink it. Did Violet think she was a rude houseguest for refusing the water she was given? Was that why she took it away? How was she supposed to have drank it anyway? Violet used the device and Green wondered if that was how you drank the water, but the smoke made it seem like that probably wasn't the way..
Violet passed the device away and said that it was possible the man in Kiku's story was using the pennyroyals to give to women he had lain with who did not want to bear 'the fruit of his loins'. She had changed her quill into a pennyroyal and seemed to be joking around with it, maybe taunting Kiku, before changing it back into a quill, and then placing her hand over Green's own hand on Kiku's knee. She moved Green's hand up Kiku's leg a bit and assured Kiku there wasn't much to stress about. Kiku didn't seem particularly reassured by Violet's words, but he took each of their hands and smiled at them both, and when he smiled at her longer - something she definitely noticed - she felt a surge of pride.
When Kiku said that Ichabod was a name they should remember, Green made sure to repeat it a few times in her head to ensure she would remember it, just in case. She hoped his story wasn't true, because the thought of a baby-eating cannibal was scary, but she also didn't doubt Kiku because his conviction was really convincing. After a moment he let go of their hands and got up from the mattress, and for a moment she worried that maybe he was going to leave now except he didn't. He returned with a glass with water in it and handed it to her with a smile and Green simultaneously felt bad for making him go out of his way to get her water, but also so happy that he had done so. "Thank you," she said while taking the glass from him, though she then looked to Violet to see her reaction. This was her house after all, and her glass with her water in it. A part of Green was looking for her permission.
"Where did you come from?" Green asked Kiku, when he said he had come a long way to relay the information. Artavia was a far distance from most other countries, not to mention how it floated and was thus more difficult to get to.
Post by Violet Macar on Jan 18, 2017 16:52:55 GMT -7
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When Kiku left, she flopped herself back over to one of the other mattresses, laying on her back and reading the notes in her journal. Just a page before Kiku's horror story were some of her notes on Nikolai's situation. Perhaps, she thought, she'd have been more interested in Kiku's story if it had the realism of Nikolai's. Or even a through-line. Nikolai's tale moved her in a way that something like a baby-eating monster just couldn't. Was she... Oh god... Maturing? She thought she'd avoided such a thing by remaining so cool for so long. She was thirty-eight, she couldn't mature now!
"Alright alright," She said, writing the name down a few more times for good measure, "I won't forget the name. And tell you what, Keeks - if I'm able to scrounge up a single ittle-bittle morsel of good goss' that confirms your side, I'll owe you one."
She didn't react as Kiku came back with water, more focused now on the journal in her hands than anything else. It was hard to imagine how one could hold up a thick journal and write in it with a quill at the same time while lying on your back - but it was likely how Violet did most of her work, and in fact - she would claim - kept her writing hand from getting too pushy and smudging ink. She perked up at Green's question though, only now realizing that she had somehow obtained a glass of water. She looked at it quizzically for a moment, as if not recognizing it at all. "I thought I'd lost that mug," She finally smiled.
Post by Kikuriku Gouken on Jan 19, 2017 16:22:07 GMT -7
Keeks.
It was a name that Kikuriku hadn’t often heard, and was reserved for his closest of friends. He thought fondly back to Na’il, and their adventures around Muerte. Na’il, who was killed by Elias Harel, a man who was nothing compared to Ichabod. The thought of just how evil Ichabod might be made the hairs on Kiku’s neck stand right up. He had no proof of anything, just a nagging gut feeling – but this feeling shook him to his core.
Snapping out of his daydream (day-nightmare?), he turned his attention to Green who had asked him a question. Where had he been since he left the Esper Wood? It had all seemed a blur in retrospect, but Kiku knew that he had travelled across Muerte with Rose. After Muerte, he pretty much came straight to Arett. “Well, it was more of a figurative long way. I actually didn’t travel that far at all, I don’t think. Aside from the fact that Artavia is, you know...” Kiku waved his hand in the air. “I’ve just been through a lot; fought a hundred Xankwile beasts, got trapped in a fleshy prison… I was a Tomb raider as well. It’s just been a long couple of days, but Ichabod never left my thoughts. That’s all I meant.” Kiku smiled again at Green. She just seemed to demand a smile whenever he looked at her.
Leave it to the adorably simple Green to take a phrase so literally.
Post by Acacia-Green on Jan 19, 2017 17:03:50 GMT -7
Finally, eventually, Violet looked over at Green and for a harrowing moment Green was worried she would tell her she couldn't have the water, but eventually she just said she had thought she lost that mug and smiled. Green smiled back and took that as more than enough permission for her to drink the water, which she happily did. Water always made her feel better. She drank the whole glass before Kiku was finished talking, which was good because about halfway through when he started talking about his adventures she got really into the story, like a fascinated child. He fought a hundred Xankwile? He got trapped in a prison of flesh? He raided a tomb? She hung on his every word, even though it wasn't a story so much as a brief summary. She had never been farther from home than the market, and Kiku had been on all of these amazing adventures! She wondered what it was like to go on an adventure.
He smiled at her when she finished talking and she collected herself enough to smile back, but realized she had definitely been staring in wonder while he spoke. Would he notice that? More importantly, would Violet notice that? For some reason she felt that if Father found out about Kiku he would not be happy about it. Even less if he found out Kiku was telling stories about daring adventures in far off lands. "Wow," she ended up saying, in regards to those stories, especially because apparently he had done all those things in only a few days! "Ichabod must be really scary, to be more scary than a hundred Xankwiles."
Post by Violet Macar on Jan 19, 2017 17:17:31 GMT -7
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Violet was listening intently, too, though not staring quite so much as Green. She had to admit it was adorable how much Green was amazed by Kiku, and even more adorable the way that Kikuriku looked at her so adorably. She wondered how mad Tommy would be if Green found a boyfriend. She wondered if she might be able to convince him to accept it. Or distract him enough that the two could have their fun. She filed those little nuggets away for later...
For now, she would focus on the story. Xankwile? Fleshy prison? Tomb-raiding? This was suddenly more exciting. Why hadn't he lead with this?! She jotted everything down so as not to forget to ask, and then shook her head almost disapprovingly. "Keeks, Kiku, Kikuriku, darling -- you've gone toe-to-toe with deadly beasts, found yourself locked into a prison made of flesh, and raided a tomb, and you started with a pennyroyal picking bard? Dear," She stood up and clasped his cheeks in either hand, squeezing them slightly and jiggling them around, "You've no sense of flair."
Patting his cheek and looking from him, to Green, and back to him again, she flounced onto the bed and struck a match to get some more smoke from the glass object before pulling her journal out once more. "Now, tell me about this tomb."
Post by Kikuriku Gouken on Jan 20, 2017 15:14:51 GMT -7
Shitballs.
Kikuriku realized as Violet’s ears perked up that he had made a mistake. He had promised Rose that he would keep their journey together – and the impending world doom – to himself. He swore that he wouldn’t tell a soul, and in a moment of sheer stupidity… he slipped up. He bragged too much, and now Violet had the scent of a real story. Not that Ichabod wasn’t a real story, but tombs have a certain… foreboding aura to them. They were almost always interesting.
Kiku refused to let his worrisome thoughts betray the happy look on his face – he had to downplay the importance of the Glass Tomb. Luckily, Green had pointed out the Xankwile bit, so at the very least, he could always return to that.
“The tomb eh? Nothing special, really. The Glass Tomb, ever heard of it? It wasn’t nearly as exciting as the stories claim – a lot of the traps were actually just… metaphorical traps. Something about mirrors and your reflection. Honestly, it was really boring. Small time stuff. Nothing there, really.
Now the Xankwile thing, let me tell you! There I was, minding my own business in the Mot deserts when this woman – frail little thing – runs up to me, begging me to help her! She had upset some Xankwiles while playing with some marbles or something – walked right into their lair. There were at least twenty of them! Teeth snarling, poisonous barbs at the ready. I immediately felt bad for her – poor thing was crying, there was snot everywhere! Like, in her hair and stuff.
Now, Snotface was no help in this fight because she was so distraught, so I had to do the whole thing myself! I didn’t mind though, anything to help someone in need!” Kiku winked at both girls. He was talking straight out of his ass, molding the story of his adventure with Rose to his liking. He was sure that she wouldn’t mind, if she knew that the alternative was him leaking to a reporter that the world was in danger.
“I even have battle scars! Check in out,” Kiku quickly unbutton his pants and dropped them, showing off the large scar that remained on his leg where he was bit. The scar would have been much worse had Rose not applied the healing salve to it, but that wasn’t something that these two needed to know.
It would be a long while before Kiku realized what he had done – and when he thought back on the moment that he dropped his pants in front of two unsuspecting women… he’d be sure to come up with a better reason to do so.
Post by Acacia-Green on Jan 20, 2017 16:05:54 GMT -7
Violet asked about the tomb and Green would admit to being interested in the story as well, however when Kiku talked about it he said that the tomb itself hadn't actually been very interesting. He did, however, start telling the story about him fighting off a bunch of Xankwiles (the thought of ever seeing a Xankwile was worrisome enough, let alone having to fight a whole group of them!) and he got really into that. He said that a woman had accidentally gotten them angry and he had to protect her and he fought them all! Green had absolutely no reason to distrust him, and she hung on his every word.
He excitedly told them he even had battle scars, and Green was perhaps a little (a lot?) surprised at how quickly he dropped his pants to show them the large scar on his leg. What surprised her more than that, though, was what his legs looked like. Green had seen bare legs before, occasionally, and Father had told her that her legs were... different than most. But she always seemed to forget just how different. Kiku had called this a battle scar, and while it was large and looked like it probably hurt a lot if it came from a Xankwile, Green's own legs were also covered in scars. Some were small, barely even noticeable, and some were like Kiku's, long white lines or jagged edges where skin met other skin. Her legs were a tapestry, like gruesome art, but Kiku's skin was smooth but for the battle scar he showed them.
Before her brain could catch up to her actions, her hand reached out and she ran her thumb lightly down the length of the scar while her fingers circled the side of his leg. She looked distant, as though perhaps deep in thought or concern and maybe even awe. It was a moment later that she realized what she was doing and she pulled her hand back quickly as her eyes widened with shock. "I-I'm sorry," she stammered.
Post by Violet Macar on Jan 20, 2017 16:33:57 GMT -7
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While the story about the Xankwile was certainly exciting it wasn't really newsworthy, and Violet had to admit to complete, and utter disappointment that the tomb was nothing special. It was something else that excited her thought. Mot deserts, she repeated to herself in her mind. He was from Muerte (which would explain the gorgeous tan), or visited Muerte recently. Muerte was the exact thing she was interested in now. Well, Muerte, and Malscure. But if he had any information about Muerte that could help with Nikolai... Well damn, this could have been more than serendipitous.
Unfortunately for Violet's fuzzy memory, Kiku dropped trou. Sure, he had on underwear, but it didn't do much to conceal the kinds of things Violet liked. He was just as well muscled as her first glance would have liked her to believe, strong calves, defined thighs. She couldn't help but lick her lips a little... But, she didn't touch. Green (much more surprisingly) did. Violet's eyes widened with some kind of glee, and they flew to Kiku's face to see his reaction... And then she tugged on Green's arm (though Green had already started to pull away).
"Dear gracious Greenie," She half-scolded, "Doctor Dunn didn't teach you not to just reach out with greedy green fingers at a man's thigh?!" She laughed a little. "I'm sure if you'd have asked, Keeks here wouldn't have minded a little man-handling... Would you, darling?"
Post by Kikuriku Gouken on Jan 20, 2017 18:59:15 GMT -7
Kikuriku hadn’t expected the reaction he got when he dropped his pants. Typically, when he dropped his pants around relative strangers, they ran away in disgust. This time, they both seemed intrigued to varying degrees. Violet licked her lips, somewhat seductively. Green, on the other hand, got handsy – and Kiku was more than thrilled about that. Before she recoiled in shame, Kiku noticed a dazed, almost trance-like look on her face. Either his legs were a huge turn on for her, or his scar spoke to her.
“Don’t apologize! It’s totally fine! Like Vi said, a little touching is always welcome.” He shot Violet a sly grin, immediately getting the sense that she was the sort of person who enjoyed some under the pants touching. Perhaps even under the underpants.
“Since we’re all being quite friendly, do you have any scars Greenie? I mean, it’s only fair, since you got up close and personal with me.” Kiku was joking around with Green, but he wouldn’t object if she actually got to undressing. What was the harm in having a little bit of fun?
The skin OTHERWORLD was made by JAWN of WICKED WONDERLAND.
FORTUNA-RPG was created by MELLIE. Images belong to their respective artists. All codes and scripts belong to their respective coders. Please DO NOT take anything without the owners' permission.