< 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!
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< 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 Thomas Dunn on Jan 6, 2017 13:45:39 GMT -7
Vincent's curiosity was nothing of the sort, and it made Tom smile to think that this man - an errand boy, essentially, though more interesting - thought he could trick Tom into some kind of answer. Oh, no. Tom would not have survived this long if it were easy. On paper, his experiments had been relegated to tests on insects (ants), small mammals, and then large mammals. He was certain the Artavian government had destroyed any evidence of their own involvement in mind control... And so, there would be no paper trail. Tom merely had to watch his mouth. He couldn't allow his pride to run away with his life.
"Not in the tests with non-sentient beings, no. It works by adding a higher priority motivation. I suppose not unlike Enchantment magicians do... No, the books are based on my experience with patients who have required brain surgery," He picked up one of the books and thumbed through it. He'd read it to Green often. It was his first choice following reset. It featured a father who worked hard to provide, and a daughter who worked very hard to do right by him. It conditioned her perfectly. He continued: "Children receive these books for a reason. They are the best at creating connections in the brain. They do it swiftly, and without fail. For patients with tumors, this allows them to recover more quickly, the brain more easily healing with the ease and intensity of the brain activity. My hypotheses is that the same will be true with this implant. It will allow the brain to adapt to it's presence more quickly. Beyond that--" He placed the book back on the shelf and smiled at Vincent, "Children's books are made for conditioning. They do not only teach children to read, but how to behave. And most children's books like to teach children to follow orders. This should also help in making the transition for our patient as smooth as possible."
His smile was congenial, but it's purpose was anything but. He was pleased with himself. He turned around and made his way to the door, opening it and gesturing to Vincent. The smells of Green cooking dinner as she had been instructed hit his nostrils, and he realized just how late it was getting. He had not intended for anyone to come examine the facility, and he had particularly not expected them to take this long. The interviews with his patients had been more than time enough. He thought of ignoring it and guiding Vincent away - but decided to continue his show of hospitality. He took an exaggerated breath and sniff in, letting out an 'ah', "Seems as though dinner is nearly prepared. Might you stay for a meal, Vincent?"
Post by Vincent Laeretti on Jan 8, 2017 7:01:37 GMT -7
He wasn't surprised to hear Tom's perfect little answer just waiting to be delivered upon Vincent's inquiry. He was trying to bait the man into talking, yes, but it obviously was not going to be an instant success. That's not how a good interrogation worked, after all. When your target had carefully-guarded secrets... the only way to have those revealed was to let them feel secure. Make every attempt possible to fray their nerves, and pilot yourself into failure in the process. Let them see you agitated, frustrated by your failures, let them think they had won and that your every further attempt was nothing more than an embarrassingly desperate play for an obvious slip of the tongue.
It was only when they were truly convinced by their own assurance and pride that they finally opened themselves up to checkmate.
He frowned at the dinner invitation, his expression clearly indicating his apparent distaste at the idea of staying to eat, but then glanced at the clock on the wall with an expression of begrudging consideration. It was getting late, and he hadn't eaten. It was... reasonable, to take Thomas up on the offer. He sighed, and spoke in a resigned tone, barely-masked irritation in the words as well. "Yes, I believe I will. It will do me some good have some food in me if I'm to settle our contractual matters."
And now he'd finally dangled the bait. His entire performance with Thomas thus far had been leading up to it, tantalizing Tom with the taste of blood in the water; his discomfort, his annoyance, his hatred, his failures to find anything amiss, and now his grim resignation as he "begrudgingly" agreed to dinner. But now, mentioning settling the contract, indicating that his visit would soon be at an end, and that Tom would have his pirate subject... this was the first instance in the entire visit that Vincent had finally put forward the notion that he would be giving in. The question was: was the shark frenzied enough on the scent of blood that, at the sight of the meal, it would finally abandon a shred of its caution and expose itself to the fisherman's spear?
Of course, it would be a blatant lie to say that Vincent didn't certainly feel all of those negative things for Thomas that he'd been utilizing in his demeanor all evening; he quite clearly did, and found Tom to be completely and totally detestable. But the best deceptions were always those that were woven in truth.
Vincent followed Thomas down the stairs towards the kitchen with his usual impassivity-tinged-with-slight-annoyance, but he was ever carefully watching and waiting now. If Tom was going to slip at all, it would be very soon.
Post by Thomas Dunn on Jan 8, 2017 10:55:15 GMT -7
Ah, was he giving up? He seemed resigned to dinner, resigned to the idea that Tom had won this little bout. Not that it would have mattered, of course... Vincent didn't seem to realize that Tom had already won. The contract was signed, and his permitting Vincent access to his facility was merely a show of good sportsmanship. No matter what happened here, Tom would come out on top... Though he couldn't say he minded the chance to go two for two.
"This way," He told Vincent, leading the man out of the pirate's room - which he locked with the code behind him - and back out the hall into the living quarters, and to the attached kitchen which was smelling fantastic. Green was working away at a meal, and she had set the table for two. "Miss Green," He called, acting as though he did not want to startle her. In truth, he needed to ensure that she knew the situation. Miss Green was something he only called her in company, when she was the Doctor's assistant, and not his ward. He didn't bother to wonder what Vincent knew of merfolk history, if he had, he might have thought twice about offering dinner. Instead, he remembered how perfect she acted in company. He supposed he was to thank for that.
"Miss Green, I'd like you to meet Vincent," He brought the two closer together, "He's with the SSPB, and he'll be joining us for dinner tonight. Have you made enough for a third plate?" He knew that she would take less for herself if necessary. She was well-trained.
Post by Acacia-Green on Jan 9, 2017 12:12:01 GMT -7
Green was just finishing supper when Father called to her. No, not Father. Doctor Dunn. He only ever called her Miss Green around guests, which meant that there was a different set of rules now. She turned the burner of the stove off to let the meat simmer but not burn and as the doctor and his guest came into the kitchen she was just taking a pan of roasted vegetables out of the oven. She placed the pan onto a set of coasters on the counter and then turned to greet the two of them as the doctor was introducing her to Vincent, who was with the SSPB. The Sumish Sea Peacekeepers Brigade, her mind supplied helpfully. She flashed a friendly smile at Vincent, genuinely glad tor a guest, and took in his appearance. He was tall, at least half a foot if not more taller than she was, and where she was slight he was lithe, and even under his clothes she could see that he was strong. She supposed he would have to be, if he was to be good at his job. She herself was not strong, though her job did not require her to be. Her strength was in her personality, her kindness. When she had a job it was as a nurse and caretaker to Doctor Dunn's patients, and she was able to connect with them in a way that the doctor pretended to but never could. Some part of her felt that if he had brought Vincent here to meet her, it was so that she could do the same with him - connect in a way that he hadn't.
The doctor asked if she had made enough for a third plate and she glanced back at the food as though she didn't already know exactly how much of everything she had prepared. When she turned back she nodded and smiled again, answering, "There's more than enough for a third, Sir. The more the merrier." She'd heard the phrase before and thought it fitting. She took a step towards Vincent and put out her hand to shake, adding. "It's a pleasure to meet you Vincent." She wasn't even pretending.
Last Edit: Jan 12, 2017 23:52:17 GMT -7 by Acacia-Green
Post by Vincent Laeretti on Jan 10, 2017 3:57:00 GMT -7
He would admit that the kitchen smelled lovely, and he was curious to meet this Miss Green whom Thomas had been mentioning all evening. His dutiful assistant, it would seem. Vincent considered the possibility that she could be a chink in his armor, that he could perhaps learn more through her, but he didn't want to bet too heavily on the idea; after all, if Thomas was as careful as he had seemed, he would likely not have disclosed anything troubling to his assistant, or alternatively she was simply too faithful to Thomas to ever crack under an interrogation.
The possibility still existed, though.
He was surprised, however, to actually meet her. She seemed younger than he had been expecting, not far off from Vincent's own age, and her name was almost literal. Her skin was not quite actually green green, but the shade was certainly in the spectrum. Vincent moved his eyes all over, taking in ever feature, and tried to come to a quick analysis before even opening his mouth in greeting.
After one second, he hypothesized Lamini on account of the skin tone. This was nixed as a possibility due to a combination of an unusual hair color and eyes that didn't match up to the Lamini pattern - teal eyes for green skin, green eyes for teal skin. There were occasional exceptions to that rule, but when they occurred, the hair color was always the trademark Lamini Black or White. When unusual hair color occurred, the eyes instead always stuck to the pattern. There was very little genetic variance in Lamini DNA.
After two seconds, he was raising his hand to meet her offered one, to take it in a shake, but he was looking at her hair. Clearly not a natural white, as it showed evidence of fade, and there were still a number of vibrant colors streaking through it. Her skin had a very slick look to it, but it did not percolate with moisture. A water embodiment was crossed off the list of possibilities. Her ears lacked the signature point of an elf, and her features were lacking in some of the tells, so she couldn't be a tide elf, either. That left only one possibility for someone of her unique set of physical traits: merfolk.
After three seconds, his hand made contact, he smiled at her, and they shook hands in genial greeting. He noticed that her hand lacked webbing. All modern merfolk had webbed limbs. The fact that she was lacking in this meant that she had to be one of the few remaining merfolk in the world that belonged to the older strain, the variety that had tails instead of legs. Except, Miss Green clearly possessed a pair of legs.
Curious.
"It's a pleasure to meet you as well, Miss Green," he replied warmly, his face betraying none of the thoughts that had raced through his mind in the last brief moment.
He found her troubling. Her combination of features was all wrong for what she had to be, as there was no other species that was a remote possibility. He suspected potential mutation. Perhaps the hospital was on more contaminated ground than Thomas wanted him to believe. Perhaps this girl was a willing component to his deceptions. And perhaps...
Vincent took his hand back and looked to the table, nodding at Thomas. "Shall we sit then? We ought to get this discussion underway before the hour draws later."
Thomas nodded back and the two took a seat at the table, Miss Green dutifully setting another plate before she returned to finishing the meal preparation. "Oh, Miss Green?" Vincent called, not looking at her as he pulled out a small notebook, busying himself to appear as though he was simply preparing to take notes on his and Thomas's conversation. "May I get your first name, please? Jotting it down for my report."
A name that fitted almost perfectly to her appearance. No first name offered even upon introduction. Vincent's naturally suspicious mind immediately assumed it was an alias. Because he had also considered the possibility, much as he had with Thomas's patients, that this could be one such "subject" of Thomas's questionable experiments. After all, the way the man had spoken earlier very clearly suggested he'd had prior test subjects that were not insects or animals.
Post by Acacia-Green on Jan 10, 2017 12:08:05 GMT -7
Vincent looked like a nice guy. He probably was a very upstanding citizen if he worked for the SSPB. She wondered briefly what he was actually doing here, but figured that they would probably chat a bit while they ate and she could ask him then. Vincent said to Dr. Dunn that they should probably 'get this discussion underway' and she figured it would be soon enough that she would get her answer regarding his purpose here. The two men sat down while she set up an extra place at the table and then returned to the food to get it plated and bring it out for them. She herself usually had a pretty light appetite so she was perfectly alright with giving herself a smaller helping in order to evenly divide the rest between Vincent and Dr. Dunn. She hoped Vincent liked the food she had prepared. She didn't know if he ate meat, or if he liked cooked vegetables, or if he had any allergies, or what flavours he liked... The last thing she wanted was for her first impression with him to be ruined because he hated her cooking. She took great pride in her cooking.
As she was finishing plating the food Vincent asked her for her first name and said he was jotting it down for his report. "Lily," she responded easily, setting one plate on her forearm and grabbing the other two in hand to bring over to the table. She set the plate for Vincent down first, as he was a guest, and then the one for Dr. Dunn, and then herself. "Of course that's just the name I chose when I came here, because Merfolk don't really have names." She flashed a smile as she took her seat. "I didn't realize the SSPB were doing a report on the hospital," she mused. "Can I help with anything?"
Last Edit: Jan 12, 2017 23:52:32 GMT -7 by Acacia-Green
Post by Thomas Dunn on Jan 10, 2017 21:10:45 GMT -7
She was perfect, and it was all because of him. She was doing exactly as he had taught her, and yet doing it so well that even he could have been fooled.
The false life had been his creation, not Abernathy's. It was a way of protecting their assets. Not unlike having double agents... This was storing multiple personalities and drives into a single mind. Her activation code was simple. Miss Green was all he needed to say, and the combination between the words and his voice would start this personality. Clever, quick, with a history. Not the Green he preferred, but a Green that was better in company.
"Perfect sear on the meat, Miss Green," Tom interrupted briefly, enjoying his meal as he watched for Vincent's reactions. Would he still be able to find reason to fight the inevitable?
Post by Vincent Laeretti on Jan 13, 2017 20:21:04 GMT -7
"Ah, thank you, Miss Green," Vincent replied cordially, jotting down the name she gave him. There had been no hesitation in how she gave it, but Vincent would still be cross-referencing it for investigation later. But, she had confirmed to him, using her own words, that she was a merfolk. Validating though it may have been to have his hypothesis immediately confirmed, it also only added weight to the question of why she had legs.
Tom made a compliment on the meal that Vincent had yet to taste, so he put his journal away after jotting down a couple more notes. He noticed that Miss Green had not started eating yet either, despite having set a plate and serving for herself. Vincent cut into his meet with a fork and knife, giving her a light smile as he did so.
"Won't you be eating, Miss Green?" he asked.
He watched for her reaction. Her serving size looked small, as though she had only taken a small portion for herself after serving the main of it to Vincent. Their food did not have the same size or complete look to it as Tom's plate had. There was always the possibility that they could be trying to poison or manipulate Vincent with tampered food, and if that were the case, he'd rather see what might become of someone who ate from the food that had been separated off from his portion.
OOC Note: Was thinking Green might hesitate here since Tom hasn't told her she can eat yet. What do you think? Or would her Lily Green persona not be bound by that?
Post by Acacia-Green on Jan 13, 2017 23:59:57 GMT -7
Vincent thanked her and scribbled some more notes in the notebook he had out at the table. Dr. Dunn meanwhile complimented her cooking and, like always, the compliment was like water in the desert. It quenched her parched soul in a way that nothing else could, and she flashed him a smile. "I'm glad you like it," she responded. She couldn't help but notice that Vincent completely ignored her question, and wondered if they cared about proper manners in the SSPB or if they were too busy fighting crime and saving the world to keep up with such things.
After a moment of jotting down some more notes, Vincent put away his notebook and asked if she would be eating. She raised a brow. "Of course I will, Vincent, how kind of you to ask." Her tone indicated perhaps that she thought it was a particularly rude question. "I was always taught that proper table manners should have the cook eating only once all the guests have been taken care of, and you were busy writing notes so I was simply waiting because it was the polite thing to do. I'm not sure what gets taught elsewhere though, so pardon me if it seems strange to you."
Post by Thomas Dunn on Jan 14, 2017 0:16:46 GMT -7
If Tom had been testing her, Lily Green would be passing every one with flying colours. She was still His Green - but this one could so easily pass for a person. She had character that the usual Green lacked. She held beliefs - these helped her connect with patients. It helped them fall for her. To trust her.
In this situation, it helped to push Vincent's buttons in a way that was so far from perfect behaviour, that Tom might have thought for a moment she had reached full self-awareness. But he knew better. He was just that good. He took another bite to keep himself from breaking, taking his time chewing it before putting his cutlery down. He smiled over at Green and then turned to Vincent: "She often insists I leave the lab reports off the table as well. We can continue our discussions afterward, perhaps."
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