< 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!
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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 Acacia-Green on Jan 17, 2017 18:26:18 GMT -7
Green flashed a friendly smile to Black when he thanked her and said he was sorry to be disrespectful. Then Father nodded approvingly to her and she was practically fit to burst from pride. This was going well, she thought. Father had been so looking forward to bringing Black home and now here he was, here they all were. It would take some getting used to, and maybe some more teaching of proper manners to Black, but this could work.
Suddenly, Father stood and backed away, knocking his chair over in his haste. Green stood as well and watched as Father wrapped his hand with his napkin - the hand that had been holding Black's wrist. Green could tell immediately that he was in pain, and she looked in horror to Black, the only possible source of Father's pain. What had he done? Had he hurt Father on purpose? How could he? Why? She wanted to do... something but she didn't know what. She wanted to stop Father's pain, but she didn't know how. Her magic couldn't heal pain that had already happened; it could only prevent pain from happening in the first place. That gave her an idea for the future at least, but right now she felt useless.
Luckily Father's voice cut through her panic and gave her an order, something to focus on. Remove the charms and put them back in the safe. She could do that. She picked up Black's plate and brought it over to the safe, sliding the charms off the plate and into the safety of the heavy metal. She then closed the safe and made sure it was locked. Step by step, something to focus on, something to make her feel useful. She also made sure to note for the future that Black should not get so many charms at one time. Oh no, was it her fault that Father had gotten hurt? Her fault for giving Black more than he could handle?
She did not hear the brief exchange between Father and Black, probably on purpose, and Green's worry about being at fault for what happened was assuaged a bit when Father smiled at her when she returned her attention to them. Father wouldn't smile at her if she had done something wrong. He asked her to take Black to the conditioning room and prepare him, and Green nodded. "Yes Father," she replied obediently.
She moved forward and put out her hand for Black to take so she could lead him out. She had already forgotten about food, even though neither her or Father had eaten anything yet. She would have worried about leaving Father hungry if she wasn't so busy worrying about Father being hurt by Black.
Post by Acacia-Black on Jan 17, 2017 20:30:41 GMT -7
Thomas knocked his chair to the floor. He would survive, but he was suffering. That was enough for the moment. Thomas commanded Green to take the charms away, and she did so without any hesitation, denying Zechariah the chance to gather even more power.
As fun as this was, Black would regret it. His cover had to be slipping, and he needed to keep it up, even if Thomas may not fall for it. Zechariah stood from his seat and kept his hands behind his back as he bowed before Thomas. "I'm sorry, master. As you said, I'm not accustomed to being so full. I must have… overloaded, perhaps. I apologize for the pain it must have caused you." Bowing had the wonderful benefit of allowing Zechariah to hide his smile.
Green offered her hand, and once he was certain his touch no longer carried its necrotic energy, Zechariah let her take his hand. The "conditioning room" did not sound pleasant, but he had to keep playing along for now. Green needed to be occupied somehow, and leave Zechariah alone with Thomas. She would just get in the way, or worse, she could do something, anything to help Thomas.
Let me out!
Zechariah's eyes twitched. Taking in the power of the charms didn't help him, it would help Black just as much. As soon as Black would take over, he could tell Thomas and Green everything. Zechariah's hand squeezed Green's. "Lead the way." He looked back Thomas, who was probably going to micromanage every step of them walking to the conditioning room. Even if he had agreed to go with Green, she probably still wouldn't leave until Thomas granted his permission.
Post by Thomas Dunn on Jan 18, 2017 12:55:28 GMT -7
He decided he would permit Green to be alone with Black. Properly supervised, of course. He knew not only that he could trust Green, but also that even if the bits of Zechariah that Black couldn't control wanted to harm Tom - he likely wouldn't hurt Green. No, Green was innocent. Pure, and sweet. Simply doing as ordered. "Thank you, Green," He smiled, approaching her and lightly kissing her forehead, a listening pin being tucked into the pocket of her dress. As he broke away from her, he patted Black on the shoulder, a fatherly pat - not the beating he so desperately wanted to give. No, there was a time and place for everything.
"I shall meet the two of you there shortly," He told Green, gesturing with his hand, which was now showing a light spotting of blood from his hand, "I'll attend to this first. I trust you to prepare Black completely, Green." With that, he left the kitchen, going back down the hall to the rooms, where he went into his own personal quarters.
OOC. Continue on without me for a bit! I'll jump back in at some point.
Post by Acacia-Green on Jan 18, 2017 15:51:15 GMT -7
Black bowed and apologized to Father for what he had done, explaining that he was unaccustomed to being so full. Something about his apology rang untrue to Green, perhaps because she had spent so long being so sensitive to the tone of Father's voice, or the specific way he phrased things. He said he apologized for the pain it had caused Father, and the choice of saying that over saying he was sorry was very similar to how Father phrased things, and it was very telling. Green's worry only grew.
Black took her hand and gave it a little squeeze as he told her to lead the way. Before they left though, Green turned her attention back to Father who thanked her and smiled, which would have been more than enough praise on its own. But he didn't stop there. He moved closer and kissed her forehead. Green did not know anything about the chip that was implanted inside of her, nor did she know anything about the way Dr. Dunn had used his own pheromones in the creation of the mind control and as the stimulus for the obedience it caused. All she knew was that when Father stood close by, and when he kissed her forehead, it was as though a part of her that was always empty, empty but she didn't realize it was so, was filled. Her eyelids fluttered shut and her heart beat just a little faster, swelling with a feeling she called joy or pride or love because that was what she thought those things would feel like. The moment was over as quickly as it began, but the effects would stay with her much longer.
Father patted Black on the shoulder, perhaps as forgiveness, and spoke to Green when he said he would meet the two of them shortly. When he gestured with his injured hand and Green saw the spotting of blood she gasped delicately. Regular blood she could handle with ease. It was part of her duties to sometimes take care of patients. However seeing Father bleed was entirely different, and once again she felt a strong desire to do something, but there wasn't anything to do. What had happened was done, and she had been instructed to get Black ready. Father said he trusted her to prepare Black completely and she nodded, watching him leave before heading out of the kitchen as well with Black in tow.
Holding his hand, she could feel the steady thrum of magic flowing beneath his skin. The blackness that showed through his otherwise pale complexion. She wondered again if he would have hurt Father if she had given him less charms. She wondered a lot of things. "What did you do to Father?" she asked Black as they walked down the hall towards the stairs. She hadn't seen what had happened, simply the aftermath, and she wondered what it was his black magic did.
Post by Acacia-Black on Jan 20, 2017 14:01:01 GMT -7
Thomas's pat almost seemed sincere. If nothing else, it meant that he wasn't willing to punish "Black". Not yet. Once he left, Zechariah followed Green through the hallway. It was tempting to brag to her about how he had hurt Thomas, but she genuinely seemed concerned. He could correct her that Thomas was not their father, but she was so loyal to him that she was bound to tell him anything Zechariah said. Zechariah needed Green to trust him, but he would also have to lie. He was hesitating, and she needed an answer.
Black would sneer, so Zechariah did just that. "I did nothing, it was Zechariah. Ever since I've left Dirys, he's been trying to take control of my body. I truly am grateful that you gave me those charms, but putting them away was for the best." It was disgusting to have to say these things. Yes, his power would have helped his other side reawaken. "With how long I've been away, I've had time to form a separate identity, and he believes that he owns this body." He wrapped his fingers together. He had been reborn, and had a chance to be who he has before ACACIA-BLACK. "I imagine it was like being under the effects of an Enchantment spell. Someone had possessed me. He used my body to hurt the master." She had asked what he did to master, not who did it. "I know this will sound scary, but that was a minor Necromancy spell. Worry not, though, as the master will soon recover. Even with the small portions of power that Zechariah took, he was only able to tear layers of skin from the master's hand."
It was as close enough to the truth as he could get, but his lies had carried more truth to them than he had expected. It was only his belief that he owned this body. The man he was before he became Black was dead, and Zechariah was just a creation of Zota Vanros. No, his father hadn't "created" him, he gave him purpose. Except his father was Thomas Dunn. Zota made him forget about his family, and his grandfather long ago. Was there a funeral? There had to have been, and Black had missed it. How much did Zota know? He couldn't have known anything, but someone must have told him something. He didn't need to know anything more, he took Zechariah in because he saw someone he wanted to help, but Zechariah was just another lie.
He was on his knees, screaming. Something was clawing at his brain. His hands were scratching his head, trying to press that force back down, but he couldn't find it. Other species such as humans had a process known as "throwing up", but his throat was trying to push up a weight that did not exist. Pressure gathered around his forehead, and his knees couldn't stop shaking. The kina fell forward, and his vision went black.
Post by Acacia-Green on Jan 20, 2017 17:13:30 GMT -7
Black replied that he hadn't done anything to Father. He said it had been someone called Zechariah but Green didn't know anyone by that name, and she had not seen anyone else in the kitchen. Black said that this Zechariah had been trying to take control of his body ever since he left Dirys and Green paused, shocked to hear such a thing. Who was this person, and why were they trying to take over Black? Eventually he said that during the time he was away he formed a separate identity who thought the body belonged to him, and Green continued to be surprised and also horrified by the news. What would it be like, having a completely separate mind inside only one body? How could such a thing happen? How could they save Black from someone inside his own head? But... that must be why Father had asked her to prepare him. Father could fix this - he was a doctor, he could fix anything.
Black said that what had hurt Father was a necromancy spell. That was the magic she could feel beneath his skin. She had no feelings for or against necromancy as it could be used for a variety of things just like any magic could, but knowing what he could do meant she knew how to protect Father from it. She was going to say something, maybe try to reassure him that Father could fix everything, maybe ask why he always called Father 'the master', but before she could get any words out Black had doubled over and was clutching desperately at his head. She took a step back, both concerned for his safety and completely unsure of what she should do. She didn't know what was wrong or how to fix it, but in a moment it didn't matter because he collapsed to the floor seemingly unconscious. She rolled him to his side, the safety position (not that a Kina could accidentally throw up and choke on it) and felt for a pulse. Kina did have pulses, and thankfully so did Black. He wasn't dead, but there was something very wrong with him to have caused this. Something that Father was surely going to fix.
She might be able to lift him up herself, if she really tried. Kina were light, much lighter than normal humans, but Green was very weak. She would try though. She had been told to bring him to the room and prepare him, and that was what she was going to do. The biggest problem was that they were still at the top of the stairs and the room she needed to bring him to was downstairs, a part of the hospital. She gripped Black's arms and tried to pull him to his feet, and though he wasn't very heavy the fact that she was weak certainly did not help her get him righted. Eventually though she got him up to the point where she could wrap one of his arms over her shoulder and support him as though he wasn't just dead weight.
Approaching the stairs, she put him between her and the bannister so she could use it as support on the way down, and somehow she managed to do it without dropping him. Her legs were quickly tiring from the extra strain to lift and balance, but she was not going to give up now that they were on the same floor as the conditioning room. She walked carefully with him, moving to the wall to again use it as support while she made her way through the hall and finally came to the room. Once inside, she used most of her remaining strength to lift him onto the operating table. She huffed out a relieved laugh and caught her breath while she got some medical supplies gathered and began preparing Black for operation.
Last Edit: Jan 20, 2017 17:13:51 GMT -7 by Acacia-Green
Post by Thomas Dunn on Jan 23, 2017 18:41:09 GMT -7
He ought to have been cursing his hubris. He had believed - and strongly - that his implant would be flawless, even so many years later. He had been spoiled by Green, who he had been updating year after year. Sometimes month after month.
Tom was not capable of thinking less of himself, however. He did not believe it was his implant that was flawed, and he did not believe that it was his pride that had lead him to this point. No. It was Zechariah. His hand was aching. Creams and bandages only did so much. The rest would be left to time - and to revenge. Oh how Tom would revel in the death of that ungrateful little book-keeper.
He gave Green more than enough time to prepare Black, but kept an ear for the magical pin he had placed in her pocket. Sure, he disliked magic... But it had it's uses, and the crafty Listening Pin was one of them. He wrapped his hand as his two subjects spoke, Green unshockingly questioning Black (no, Zechariah) about what he had done. It seemed to be Black who answered her, frustrated at his impotence in the face of his new mind. Tom smiled at this. It proved him right - it wasn't the implant. It was Zechariah.
And Zechariah would not be a problem for much longer.
When the screams started, Tom started. He resisted the urge to throw the magical receptor at the wall for the pain the sound caused, instead slamming his fists painfully on the desk. He was up in a flash, and rushing out the door and to the hall he knew Green would have taken. It was empty. Where was she?
He began rushing through the hall, pausing at each door and peeking inside. Finally, he got to the operating theatre, and as he peeked in - he quieted himself as much as possible. Green was inside, and was doing just as expected. Preparing Black. He was unconscious (perhaps anesthetized?), and she was acting as if it were any other patient. Had she... Hurt him? Tom stared in wonder at his perfect Green. She was programmed to protect him, that much was true. Would it go so far as to take revenge against those who had harmed him? If so... He would need to be more cautious with RED2, who was almost ready to join her sister.
He opened the door completely, no longer covering his sounds, and approached Green. He pretended to be assessing her work, one hand mindlessly at his collar as he looked over her shoulder. Finally, after waiting far longer than necessary, he offered her a dead-pan compliment, "Well done. Have there been any anomalies, Green?"
OOC.Acacia-Green ...I am sorry! I didn't realize it was my post!! #oops
Last Edit: Jan 23, 2017 18:42:16 GMT -7 by Thomas Dunn
Post by Acacia-Green on Jan 23, 2017 19:58:44 GMT -7
Green went about preparing Black as Father would expect of her, however when she measured out the anesthesia she did not inject him with it as she did not know what had happened to make him fall unconscious and wanted to let Father determine whether it would be safe to do so. She knew as much about medicine as she was able but Father was the doctor.
While she worked she also worries, which seemed to be a common theme to her life recently. She worried about Zechariah who Black had said wanted to hurt Father. She worried about Black, who had to fight an invisible enemy just for his own body. She couldn't imagine what that struggle would be like. How could you fight something inside your own head?
She heard the door open as she was setting the needle, filled with anesthesia, into a small metal dish near the operating table, for use when Father determined Black stable enough. Her eyes went immediately to Father's bandaged hand as he stepped into the room but she looked away to continue her work while he moved over to oversee her. She worked in silence until she finished with everything she was capable of doing herself, and Father finally spoke.
He asked if there were any anomalies and she averted her gaze and replied, "Yes Father. Black lost consciousness shortly after we left. I had to carry him the rest of the way. I do not know what caused it, but it might have something to do with.. Zechariah? He mentioned the name just before it happened. Will you be able to fix him?"
Post by Thomas Dunn on Jan 24, 2017 10:21:03 GMT -7
Ah, so he had fallen unconscious. Tom wouldn't admit to the mild disappoint he had that Green hadn't done this to him - but perhaps it was an idea for a future update. However... It did confirm his earlier suspicions. Black was fighting tooth and nail against Zechariah. Enough so to completely tire his body. It was likely his mind was still racing, the two fighting for superiority... Tom would offer Black some aid.
"Yes," He answered simply, his eyes locked on Black as he circled the table once around, "Zechariah will do all in his power to harm Black - as well as you and I. But..." He stood behind her and placed one hand reassuringly on her shoulder - the bandaged one, to reinforce the dangers of Zechariah - "I believe with his sister's aid, we can not only fix your dear brother... But save him from this 'Zechariah'." He gave her shoulder a light squeeze, and then went to the sink where he began to properly wash and sanitize his hands. Once clean, he held them out for Green to glove them. The operating theatre may have been old, but that didn't mean his procedures were.
"Turn him onto his front, Green," He asked in a measured tone, picking up the needle of anesthesia, "I shall need you to shave the base of his skull. Like you did for our last patient... But today, I would like you to remain and observe. I believe you have shown potential for this work." He was complimentary, but that wasn't his motivation. No... He wanted Green present in the off-chance that Zechariah had more fight left in him. Her presence, he believed, would temper him. And if not...
Post by Acacia-Green on Jan 24, 2017 12:55:46 GMT -7
Father assured her that Zechariah would do everything he could to hurt them all, but he had said he could fix him. He moved over to her and placed his hand, the bandaged one, on her shoulder and while the proximity was calming as it always was, there was something else this time too, more than usual anyway. She normally felt like Father was her protector, in the way that fathers were, but right now she felt like the protector - she couldn't let Zechariah hurt him again.
Father said that with her aid he would be able to fix Black and save him from Zechariah, and she believed him - he was the best doctor in the world. If anyone could save Black, it was him.
He scrubbed in and she put his gloves on as she was trained and practiced to do, but as she did so she thought again of the magic she had felt in Black when she'd taken his hand - the magic that had hurt Father - and as she thought of it she tried to will her magic into protecting Father from it, imagining putting a magic protection on him as easily as she slipped his gloves on. She hoped it worked. Even if it didn't, she would find a way to stop Zechariah if he tried to do it again.
Father told her to turn him onto his from and she moved to Black's side as Father explained that she would shave the base of his skull. She had just placed her hands on her brother's shoulder but paused when Father told her that he wanted her to stay and observe the operation, saying that she had shown potential. She was pleased with the compliment, and she was glad it gave her a reason to be here to protect him in case Zechariah tried anything else.
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((Ooc: Figured I'd leave it there because this is a great time for Acacia-Black to wake up!))
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