< 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 Markus Woodrow on Dec 14, 2016 15:27:22 GMT -7
Mid-Day on the 12th The Winter Storm, 5152
The Noble Eastwind An Hour or Two From the Coast of Aissic
The Noble Eastwind was the most beautiful ship on the water - at least in Lord Woodrow's opinion. In fact, it easily beat out the ships of the sky, too. It's lines were clean and always well-varnished. The sails were of the highest quality, and every piece of the ship was custom-made to perfection. Even the flag was hand-sewn by celebrity hands. Lord Woodrow would never quite admit it, but he was more proud of the ship than of anything the SSPB had accomplished. It was the vessel of a God.
And today, the godly vessel would cut through the waters with a speed (almost) unmatched as Lord Woodrow took himself, and a most impressive crew to Aissic for the last few days of the peace festival. Vincent was on board, along with some others of his star staff... And of course, Tehodis. Tehodis who lacked an arm. Tehodis who was alive and well but... Well, their relationship certainly wasn't the same. He had invited her because he had promised, but it made him feel cagey on his own ship. Whenever he caught sight of her, he would find somewhere else to be. Whenever she caught sight of him, he was certain she was glaring. It made him sick.
Thankfully, it was a business trip - and he did in fact have plenty of business to do, even before they reached the port of Tarifa and transferred to land-bound sleigh travel. There were two non-SSPB members on board the ship, which was a rarity. A prisoner, and a guest. Thomas Dunn. He very much enjoyed Dunn - though could not say the same for Vincent. It seemed that each time Woodrow wished to see the two of them, Vincent would make a point of excusing himself, or finding somewhere else for Thomas to be. It was too bad, as Woodrow felt the two quite similar... But perhaps they would warm to one another when Tom's plans came to fruition... Which brought in the other guest. The prisoner on board was a member, or rather ex-member, of the Defiled Grail. Tom had done the work necessary on the girl, and it was his hope - and Woodrow's - that this festival would be the ideal place for her to lead them to that rotted waste of a ship.
For now, however, Woodrow would simply enjoy the sailing. He was at the helm of his ship, steering it lazily towards Aissic as he had done many times before. He would expect the deck to get more lively as the lunch service ended - though he also hoped that Tehodis would keep to her room, and keep from him seeing that god-awful arm of her's.
Post by Tehodis Kitai on Dec 14, 2016 16:52:09 GMT -7
Tehodis was moody.
Sure, she was alive. That was usually a positive. But there was no one on this ship that she had to thank for that. Lord Woodrow had nearly killed her. He had poisoned her. His refusal to think anything less than the best about himself had left her poisoned, had resulted in her arm being amputated, had followed to see her traveling across countries while dying to find a cure... And now here she was. A worthless chunk of her past self. She wasn't used to it, and she hated it.
She would attempt to use her arm often. She would reach for a doorknob, try to grab something that was falling, try to use it to steady herself -- but it wasn't there. It did nothing. It only ached, on occasion, or felt like nothing. She was weaker. She was pathetic. And it was all because of him. And yet, he had still insisted on her attending this voyage to Aissic. What did he hope to gain from such an invitation? Her forgiveness? Unlikely. Did he hope that her other arm would get frostbite and fall off as well?
The only saving grace was that he knew to avoid her. Anytime his eyes met her's, he would scurry away like the rat she saw him as. Not that she was out and about much. Her lack of an arm embarrassed her. Mortified her, even. She kept to her cabin during the day, clutching at the magical charm she had been given as a pity gift. Or perhaps a gift of fear. The day she returned from her 'adventure' to find a cure, she had gone into the magic shop, starving, her missing arm siphoning away her energy, and the man had jolted. He offered her a free charm, to keep her fed, and advised her to come by when the magic wore thin. During the night, she would wander the ship, getting a lay for it. There were only a few places she hadn't visited yet, and she was certain to explore them later that night.
In fact... Why later? The last places she wanted to explore were lacking in people at all times of the day. And most of those on board were dining. So, why not go now? She raised herself from the bed she'd been curled up on - a challenge with only one arm - and slowly did up the buttons of her blazer. When she had returned to work, there had been a new uniform for her. With the arms sewn in. She hated looking at herself with it on. It looked strange, empty, stupid.
She wiped the tears out of her eyes (with her only arm) and then turned to the door, putting an ear against it to make sure no one was lurking outside. Once the coast was clear, she opened the door and found her way to one of the service doors, which she unlocked with a key she had guilted a cabin-boy into giving her. She was careful as she navigated through the rooms here, most of them full of dangerous falls and rickety ladders... But as she took her time, and moved as slowly as possible, she eventually found herself with the luggage. The things that were too big, too unwieldy, or too unnecessary to make it into the cabins.
No one would be here of course... But that was for the best. She decided she wanted her day to be spent investigating, or as some would call it: snooping. She sat herself down next to a pile of bags, and slowly began opening them one by one, examining their contents and trying to find something of interest. She certainly wouldn't expect for anyone to interrupt her.
Tagged. I would love for her to encounter any stowaway, so if you'd like to hop in, please be my guest. Maybe Kikuriku Gouken would be interested? ( :
Last Edit: Dec 14, 2016 16:52:40 GMT -7 by Tehodis Kitai
Post by Thomas Dunn on Dec 14, 2016 18:53:24 GMT -7
These were the days that Thomas discovered he enjoyed the sea. He'd never actually sailed - not on water, anyways - and often thought it primitive. However, as he stood on the deck, the seabreeze brushing his face, the smell of it catching in his lungs... Well, he had to admit there was an appeal. He would still take piloting through the starry skies of Artavia above all other forms of travel, but this was downright pleasant.
Also pleasant was the way that Vincent despised him. It was a tad bit of a shame, considering he liked the man much more than he liked Woodrow... But it damn fun to toy with him. He'd make sure to know where Woodrow was at all times so that he could casually "interrupt" the two. He'd do his best to ensure that Woodrow always wanted to invite him for a late night scotch, that Woodrow would think he was 'plain fun', so that he'd be invited to do things with the two that Vincent likely thought sacred.
Finally, it was the power he held. Even if Vincent didn't like him, he had proven what he could do. Katerine Vexler - she had told him his name, though he preferred to call her ACACIA-DARK when alone, was the proof in the pudding. She followed his every order. Markus had been so amazed that he had even asked Tom to have her do "tricks". It reinforced his opinion of the man as a charmless noble, but he made her do them. Stand on one foot. Perform a children's nursery rhyme dance. Kiss Woodrow's boot. The man was quite entertained... And the crew were impressed. Never before had a pirate been so obedient.
"Another fine afternoon," Tom grinned as he joined Woodrow up by the ship's wheel. It was surprisingly different from an air ship. Woodrow offered a nod of greeting as he held the ship to its heading, and Tom took it as an invitation. "You know, my Lord, I've been thinking... About the uses for our dear Miss Vexler."
Last Edit: Dec 14, 2016 18:53:45 GMT -7 by Thomas Dunn
Post by Markus Woodrow on Dec 14, 2016 19:10:58 GMT -7
He really enjoyed Thomas Dunn. The man was a straight-shooter. He was charming. Incredibly intelligent. And just plain fun. So when he emerged from below deck and came to join Woodrow, he smiled and nodded, knowing the man would accept the wordless invitation.
It was business that had brought him over, however. Pleasant business, but there would be no time for getting to know him more deeply. He spoke of the pirate - too politely, he thought - and Woodrow thought of how easy Tom had made it to control her. She would do anything he instructed, and dammit, she'd smile as she did it. He wondered how difficult it had really been for Tom to do it, if perhaps he'd do it again. It wouldn't hurt to have a few of these things kicking around, after all.
"Other than her leading us to the rats' nest, I presume?" He asked, motioning for his navigator to take the helm. He took his gloves off and placed them in his pocket, motioning for Tom to follow him to the lavish table set up not far from the wheel, "It so happens I've been thinking about the same thing."
Post by Thomas Dunn on Dec 14, 2016 19:16:53 GMT -7
Tom followed Woodrow obligingly, taking a seat at the table while Woodrow remained standing. He liked how the man didn't even flinch anymore. Just accepted Tom's quiet show of power. He leaned back in the chair and crossed one leg over the other. "I had wondered if perhaps she might be better served in another role entirely, actually," As he spoke he noticed that Woodrow seemed taken aback by the suggestion, but he continued before he could be interrupted, "She doesn't have specific information. Not the way that a higher ranking crew member would. She can show us the signs, of course... But there are other routes. For example, if the pirates were to 'rescue' her, well..." He left the rest unsaid, hoping Woodrow was at least smart enough to pick up on this simplest of ideas.
Post by Markus Woodrow on Dec 14, 2016 19:35:46 GMT -7
Let the pirates have her back? His knee-jerk reaction was to say no. His second reaction was to say no, but to elaborate that he didn't want to risk losing such a valuable asset. But his third reaction was this:
"Would it work? You being so far away from her? I thought that the technology was locked to your scent, or what-have-you. The pirates could be hundreds of miles from your door, Thomas. As much as the idea sounds wonderful on paper, I'm not going to risk an asset like this for the mere chance of having a double-agent. Going after the pirates slowly has worked so far."
Post by Thomas Dunn on Dec 14, 2016 19:49:03 GMT -7
Ah, the man was still using old technology. He supposed that was a tad Tom's fault, he hadn't, after all, told Woodrow exactly how the little pirate doll worked. He shook his head a little, but used a smile to make the words sound friendly, instead of condescending, "Pheromones, yes. You're quite right about all that... My old technology required my presence. The original technology. With your funds however--" More like with the presence of Acacia-BLACK-- "I was able to do some upgrades. Now, there's a small release inside of her brain. It's not enough to last years, but for a solid month or two, it offers enough of my personal chemical to her brain, which is what "encourages" her to follow my instructions. Give her simple enough instructions and she could be across the world from me and she'd still do what I asked."
Post by Markus Woodrow on Dec 14, 2016 19:58:01 GMT -7
Woodrow took his own seat and leaned in as Tom spoke, always interested in how men like Tom and Vincent made these things work. Although he had to admit, Tom's biology was more intriguing to Woodrow than Vincent's engineering. Altering the mortal body just seemed more godlike to Woodrow. He wondered if Tom had a patron who gifted him with such talents.
As he pondered this, he noticed another familiar figure joining the deck. He knew that Vincent wouldn't wish for Markus to make the decision on this on his own, knew that he would chide Markus later if he did -- and so he called him over. Besides, Vincent would have an interest in the things Tom was talking about.
Who knew, maybe he could learn something.
"Vincent, come, pull up a seat--" Woodrow didn't even notice that Tom was in Vincent's usual seat, "Thomas and I were just discussing what to do with our little prisoner. I want to know what you think of it all."
Post by Kikuriku Gouken on Dec 15, 2016 2:32:12 GMT -7
Being a stowaway wasn’t Kikuriku’s natural calling. He preferred the luxuries of not hiding out in a cabin with a bunch of luggage – the finer things. He liked comfortable beds, plush pillows, and the smell of something other than people’s sweaty, unwashed laundry. But when he’d heard about a possible clue to his mother’s whereabouts in Aissic, he just had to jump onboard. Literally, onboard a ship that he could only assume was bound for Aissic.
If I’m going to be stuck in the luggage cabin of a ship, it might as well be the nicest ship on the dock. Air travel makes my stomach hurt.
So Kiku had snuck upon the Eastwind, a rather nice looking ship full of distinguished looking people and fancy looking items – all of which called out to Kiku to be stolen. It took a great amount of inner strength to not nip one or two items, but he decided that it would be better to do so on the way out. The joys of being an Ajatar meant that he could hide in the shadows with whatever obnoxiously expensive item he wanted.
He had been lost in thought about all of the things that he would enjoy taking when he noticed someone enter the luggage cabin. His first thought was that maybe they had arrived in Aissic, but they’d only left a little over an hour ago. It had been a long time since Kiku travelled by sea, but he was certain that it did not go that fast. He had put on a diaper for the long haul – he would regret it if it was only an hour.
Hidden in the shadows, he could clearly see a woman enter the room. A beautiful woman, albeit a bit frail looking. And there was something amiss with her, though Kiku couldn’t initially put a finger on it. It wasn’t until she began rummaging through people’s luggage that he realized what was off; she only had one arm. His initial thoughts centered on the difficulties of getting undressed with only one arm, but he immediately wiped those thoughts away when he noticed that she was going through more than a few bags. She was stealing. Probably.
“Well, well, well…” Kiku said, remaining hidden inside the shadow right near the woman. He was close enough to her that he could almost smell her. In a not creepy way – he was just that close. “What would a pretty girl like yourself be doing stealing from the rich folk onboard this vessel? Should I alert the guard?”
Although Kiku saw many more benefits teaming up with this woman to steal everything on board, he had a bit of a greedy side. He would chat her up first, and then convince her to give him all of the shiny things. And then maybe get close enough to her to find out what happened to her arm – it was clear from how she moved that she was not born with the arm gone. You could tell by how she clumsily handled the cases that she wasn't used only have one arm to use. It was amusing to watch. Amusing and sad.
Post by Tehodis Kitai on Dec 15, 2016 10:26:58 GMT -7
At the sound of someone talking, Tehodis reacted badly. If Vincent were here, he would have scolded her. But that definitely wasn't Vincent's voice. She had fallen back, dropped the bag she had been working on opening, and was struggling to right herself again. She silently cursed her stupid arm, realizing again just how bad a place Markus Woodrow had put her in. It was one thing to struggle to raise one's self out of bed, it was another when there was a mysterious person watching you do it. It was one part mortifying, and one part concerning. She was a sitting duck. Or a lying duck, anyways.
"I'm not stealing!" She quickly clarified as she finally managed to get to her knees. Standing would be another issue entirely, but at least she was only lacking the height her calves could provide her. She reached to her belt for her rapier, but as her hand found nothing, she remembered it was sitting in her room. Her hand next went to her badge - which was also missing, "I... I'm investigating! Ensuring there's no contraband aboard--" Why was she answering to this mysterious person? She couldn't even see the person. For all she knew they were a cabin boy - who she certainly didn't need to be so nervous around; or a stowaway - who was a threat, but could likely be talked down; or... a pirate. In which case, she really wished she'd had the foresight to bring her rapier.
"Show yourself!" She commanded, her voice wavering just a little as her balance did. She likely outranked whoever was speaking from the shadows. She wouldn't let them make her afraid. She wouldn't be afraid.
Tagged.Kikuriku Gouken! Notes. Just a note that in the first post I set her up with a uniform that is built for her one armed-ness! But her clumsiness with the one arm should certainly be enough to make it obvious she's not used to being down an arm! Thankfully she's not waving around a loose piece of fabric... Gosh, awkward.
The skin OTHERWORLD was made by JAWN of WICKED WONDERLAND.
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