< 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 Nikolai Swiftwind on Dec 22, 2016 18:32:02 GMT -7
Nikolai was surprised to hear that Violet thought most magic could be warded against by even people who couldn't use magic themselves. When she said enchantment could be warded against by foil he heard the laugh but took her seriously, and made a mental note to find out what foil was and get as much as he could for the younglings they found.
When she said that willpower could fight against enchantment, and that she didn't imagine anyone being able to make him bow, he smiled. Willpower, huh? That sounded almost too easy, but would explain why the youngest ones were taken. Too young to fight against the magic.
They had been walking with a group of merchants and finally arrived in Asmin, where everything was bustling with activity. It looked like they were setting up for something important. Violet certainly looked excited, and she pulled him over to a booth selling something that looked like colourful clouds. She asked if Centaurs had festivals and he nodded vaguely, distracted by the cloud she had bought for him. "We kind of have festivals, but they're not like this. What is this?" his question was directed to the cloud on a stick that he was holding.
Post by Violet Macar on Dec 22, 2016 19:28:23 GMT -7
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"You've never. Had. Cotton. Candy?" Violet looked almost horrified. She clutched her chest, and the hand holding the cotton candy met her forehead in a look of tragedy. It hung close to her mouth and she absently licked some more of it into her mouth, speaking as it melted against her tongue, "It's candy darling. Sugar and air, the most pure thing I can imagine." She brought her hands down and laughed, "If I could live on candy, I would. There's nothing quite so exciting to the taste buds. Have you ever heard of popping rocks?"
Post by Nikolai Swiftwind on Dec 22, 2016 19:54:19 GMT -7
Cotton candy. Looking at it, he chuckled. Candy that looked like cotton, it made sense. He had no idea how they would make it look like that though. Violet meanwhile seemed positively horrified that he had never experienced it before. Then again, she was prone to the dramatic, so it was also possible she was only mildly surprised about it.
She explained that it was sugar and air, which moved back to his cloud theory. She seemed to really enjoy candy. Nikolai liked sweet things on occasion but he much preferred salty things. He wasn't going to turn down the candy though, as it was nice of Violet to purchase him some and he was still very intrigued by it. It seemed to melt away when Violet licked it. Interesting.
She asked if he had ever heard of popping rocks and he furrowed his brow in confusion at the topic departure. "That sounds dangerous," he replied.
Post by Violet Macar on Dec 22, 2016 20:55:27 GMT -7
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She nodded sagely as he commented on the danger, her eyes narrowing, "Oh yes, it is. The candy is almost a powder, but not quite. Think a coarse salt--" She rubbed her forefinger and her thumb to emphasize her point, "You think it's a candy sugar. But when you put it in your mouth... POP!" She yelled the word, gathering the attention of those within earshot. She didn't seem to mind.
"But actually, it's more of a crackle in your mouth, but you can hear it, which is quite amazing. Otherwise it tastes like straight sugar," She shrugged and went back to her cotton candy. As she enjoyed the sights and the sounds, she surveyed the area. There were a few places they could go to look for a youngling - or at least another clue. One of the buildings being erected solely for the festival. The circus. The underground - was there an Asmin underground? Probably. Perhaps a bird's-eye view would be more useful... "Does Anja see anything, darling?"
Post by Nikolai Swiftwind on Dec 22, 2016 21:41:53 GMT -7
At first, Nikolai actually thought she was being serious. He probably should have known better from Violet by now, to be honest, but she just looked so solemn that it caught him completely off guard when she shouted 'pop!'. He shied away from the noise and his tail flicked back and forth as he realized she had been joking and yet had startled him. He shook his head and let out a huff as she continued her description with less dramatics this time, saying that popping rocks was basically sugar that crackled a bit in your mouth. "You are quite the storyteller," he commented dryly.
He brought his cotton candy to his mouth and touched it with his tongue gingerly, watching with fascination as it seemed to melt away from where he touched it. He licked it and realized that it would take forever to eat it if he just did that, so he took a bite from it and was surprised at how quickly it melted in his mouth. And wow was it ever sweet. He supposed it if was basically just sugar then of course it was nothing but sweetness. And maybe a little bit of flavour too, because it tasted a little like strawberry. Huh. "This is actually very good."
Violet asked him if Anja saw anything and he looked up at her circling overhead. He whistled and she called back, and Nikolai shook his head. He didn't speak bird, but he knew if Anja saw one of the younglings she would probably fly to them. If there were any younglings around here, they would be inside or out of sight.
Nikolai looked around at the area, the hustle and bustle, and his eyes settled on something he hadn't noticed at first, mostly because he hadn't actually seen one but had heard it described many times in scary tales as a child. A circus. "There," he said, pointing at the tent that was being erected. "I would bet all the gems I have that if a youngling was here, they would be sold to the circus." Some people already called centaurs freaks, and he had heard many stories about centaurs being captured and forced to perform tricks in such shows.
He didn't know where they would be kept though. Somewhere nearby maybe? In a cage, likely. The younglings had been missing for more than a month now, so that would be more than enough time for a circus to buy one, or more, of the younglings and whip them into some sort of circus act. The cotton candy seemed to lose its taste at the thought.
Post by Violet Macar on Dec 23, 2016 11:12:19 GMT -7
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As Nikolai pointed out the circus, Violet had different memories. Her's were cheerful, going there as a child - heck, going to them as an adult - and enjoying the spectacle of it. As she recalled the experiences though, she realized why Nikolai might have been so quick to accuse the kindly folk that work in circuses. Beastfolk were not uncommon attractions. A lion man being 'tamed'. A loxodon woman with a wooly beard as a freakish attraction. Centaur tricks wasn't a far reach.
"Hold your hoofs," Violet said, putting a hand out to urge Nikolai not to rush in, "Astute observation, darling... And if it's true, they'll certainly not be divulging their secrets to one on four legs. And this..." She pulled Nikolai over, urging him into an alley and long out of sight of the circus. Before his eyes she began changing once more. Her earlobes lengthened to fit coin-sized earring - which her earrings then expanded to fill. Her face became long and pointed, and her nose grew two sizes. Her hair fell in a mess of blue curls, and her hair ties fell before her eyes and turned into large, horn-rimmed spectacles. Her body seemed to shrink in size, losing several pounds of fat and muscle to become rail thin and lanky. Her clothes billowed out into silver and sapphire robes with chiffon scarves keeping her both warm and utterly fashionable - in a weird, almost witch-like way. "This is why you have me here." As a finishing touch, she transformed her quill into a glass ball.
"Madame Zostra is need of job," She introduced herself with a thick Aiss accent, bowing before Nikolai.
Post by Nikolai Swiftwind on Dec 26, 2016 18:02:30 GMT -7
Violet was right when she said that if there were younglings around, the people who stole them certainly wouldn't admit it to a centaur. Nikolai didn't like the idea, but he would have to sit out on this one. Violet pulled him into an alley and used her magic to transform herself into a very small, very old lady with billowing robes and what appeared to be a crystal ball. She spoke then and introduced her new persona as Madame Zostra, and Nikolai laughed quietly and nodded approvingly. "Alright Madame Zostra, I suppose I'll leave the reconnaissance to you. Meet back here in... an hour?" He had no idea how long something like this was supposed to take, as he had never actually done it before. Violet seemed like she had though, so he hoped she would give him a better idea of things. He wondered what he should do while he waited. Try to find out things on his own, probably. But be sneaky about it. Maybe he should disguise himself too.
Post by Violet Macar on Dec 27, 2016 18:25:49 GMT -7
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"An hour," Violet repeated in her own voice before clearing her throat dramatically and giving herself a deep rasp that made her sound like she'd enjoyed far too many pipes in her time. She twirled her fingers at Nikolai as she departed the alley, offering him a last wink before she turned out of sight.
The circus was an impressive structure, she had to admit. The signs told her it was The Holt Brother's Circus, and that they would be presenting a BRAND NEW ACT! this year. The chances of centaur children within had increased. Violet massaged a smirk into a neutral, mystic expression and slowly waddled her way towards a group of burly men moving equipment. With her approach, the men turned with interest - though no fear. She was frail. Old. There was nothing about her to be threatened by... In fact, she was far more curious than concerning.
"You lost, ma'am?" One of the men offered, stepping apart from the group to take her arm, perhaps to help her walk. It just annoyed Violet, and she decided to play it in character by yanking her arm away and waving her hands at him erratically, "Not lost! Never lost..." She calmed herself as he raised his hands defensively, showing himself to be no harm. With a flick of her wrist, her "crystal ball" flew from between her legs (it helped get the achy walk right) to her hands. "Madame Zostra has been meaning to come here... Madame Zostra may be later than expected, but Madame Zostra supposes late is suitable, given the festival remains many moons away."
"What're you talking about, lady--" The man spoke, and Violet spoke the words at the same time. It seemed mysterious, she was sure, but was really just a simple prediction. She watched his face as the words came out, and spoke exactly what it seemed like he would speak. His eyes widened with amazement, and he spoke again - Violet once more matching his words, this time even mimicking his tone: "How'd you-- Whoa. You're good! Guys!"
As the other men came to their friend, she continued her introduction: "Madame Zostra foresaw this, silly boys. Madame Zostra foresaw that she would work at this circus... This year, during the Winter Storm of 5152... Madame Zostra has worked many -- but this--" She looked up at the sky and gestured somewhat wildly with the crystal ball, floating it vaguely with her transmutation magic, "The crystal and the stars have shown her that this shall be Madame Zostra's final show..." She turned her sights back to the men, "Certainly you would not deny the fates, nor an old woman her last hurrah?" She said the last few words with a meekness that was strengthened by the wisp of a body she was inhabiting, by the spindly, wrinkled wrists and the reflective spectacles. She stared at them - but they saw only their reflections in their eyes.
"Tell you what," One of the men broke the silence. He was the oldest of them, clearly, with graying red hair and a bushy beard and mustache that made him look obviously Aiss, "Prove to me you are the real deal. Tell me what our brand new act is this year -- and I'll think about it." One of the other men oohed at this suggestion - obviously under the impression that no one outside of their circle could have known a thing about it... But Violet just smirked.
She wanted to turn back and give a big thumbs up to Nikolai, but she held herself in character. Her smirk turned to a frown as she concentrated, pretending she was gathering information from the crystal ball instead of just passing the time to make it seem more mystical. She moaned and oohed and groaned and ahhed and eventually, she let the crystal ball fall to the ground with a safe clunk. It rolled under her robes, and seemed to disappear. She answered the question finally, her words dragging as she feigned mysticism, "The new act is... Quite dazzling indeed... The... The Dazzling... The Dazzling Centaur!"
Two of the men dropped their jaws, looking to the eldest in shock as he simply smirked. "Close, but no cigar. It's the centaurs. More than one."
Violet's eyes widened behind her spectacle, and the smile at the information fit with Madame Zostra's reaction as well, "Silly, silly man... Madame Zostra must insist... The plural of centaur... It is centaur."
"She's right, Biggie, it's centaur--" "No way man, it's centaurs. When something's more than one, it's like, with an s. You know?" "What about sheep? Sheep ain't sheeps." "Yeah they is?"
The arguing continued, Violet content to only throw in complications as it seemed to stray more towards centaurs. She didn't know which was right, but if she was confident enough, it ought to work eventually... She wondered how Nikolai was doing...
Post by Nikolai Swiftwind on Jan 1, 2017 19:11:52 GMT -7
Once Violet walked away, Nikolai deflated a bit. It was easy enough for him to forget how far away he was from the tribe, from his people and the land he was familiar with, when he was with Violet. Travelling with her made him feel like he still had a tribe, and wasn't completely alone in this adventure. Now though, he was forced to face the fact that he was alone in a foreign country, and despite this being the winter festival of peace or whatever it was called, he had not seen another centaur here at all. He was beginning to get the feeling centaur were in fact very rare. He supposed they would be, outside of the tribes they travelled with, because few left willingly and most that were left behind were old or too sick to go on, leaving them not long for the world. Thinking about it was... a little depressing, actually.
He had no idea what he was supposed to be doing now. He realized how idiotic that was as soon as he thought it, but it was true. He wanted to find the younglings more than anything, but now that they had followed the lead to Aissic and Violet was looking into the circus, he looked around helplessly for a few moments thinking of what his job was now. H had to do something, anything, because he was beginning to get weird looks just standing around like he was. Not that he hadn't gotten enough weird looks anyway. His hindquarters weren't conventional, as far as bipeds were concerned, and some of them were really rude with the amount of staring they considered acceptable.
He started walking without knowing where he was heading. He was sure he would come across something interesting soon enough. This place was a hub of activity. Too much activity if you asked him but he kept his eyes open for anything out of the ordinary or any other items he might recognize from the younglings. He doubted he would be so lucky with a clue as he had been back in the town of thieves and crooks, but he had to be on his guard just in case.
Post by Violet Macar on Jan 3, 2017 17:31:56 GMT -7
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"Alright, alright! I give," The man finally groaned, "We'll get ya a tent set up, but ain't no prime real estate deal, y'hear?" Violet nodded, transmuting her crystal ball back to her as if she had conjured it, "Madame Zostra sees this as acceptable."
"Tabs, ye show her 'round to everybody, a'right?" Two of the men walked off, while a third - Tabs, presumably - remained. He was a slight gent - a boy really - with a face prickled with acne. Likely not an adult quite yet, and seemingly without any real skills to show. Not any Violet could tell from a look and the brief conversation, anyways. Though he did know that the plural of sheep was sheep, so he at least wasn't a log. If Violet had made a younger, bustier psychic, this part would have been easier.
Tabs motioned for her to follow him, and she continued her show of walking like a geezer. The crystal ball was back between her legs, making her look legitimately crippled. As they walked, she made light conversation with the young man, predicting obvious things about his life to convince him more of her amazing-ness. He had never touched a woman, he was the smartest in his family... She even managed a guess at his favorite book - though it was obvious when he'd patched an image of it to the back of his pants. Before they got to the cast tent, Violet stopped him.
"You know... All the talk of centaur... Madame Zostra must admit, she has never seen one up close before..." The more she said 'centaur' the more she thought she was probably wrong, and that the plural of centaur was in fact centaurs, but now she needed to stick with it, no matter how much it bothered her. "Does Tabs think--"
"I'm gonna stop you right there, ma'am... You're nice and all, but... The centaurs... Centaur... Whatever-- they're the stars of the show this year! They're not s'posed to be bothered and--" Violet grabbed the boys hand and began peering closely at it, tracing his lines with a wrinkled finger. "Uh, ma'am-- I..." Her other hand went to his face, silencing him with another finger, equally wrinkled.
"Shh. Madame Zostra will make offer... She will read your fortune. In return, all Tabs does is tell her where the centaur are. Then, Zostra can diviiiiiine them, and see them with her eyes, without seeing them at all! And Tabs has no trouble, and centaur are unbother, and all are pleased, hm?" She looked up at him with the massively magnifying spectacles. The boy flushed and he looked around to see if anyone was there and then - with a sigh - nodded. "I... I kinda wanna know something--"
"Shh!" She said once more, "Madame knows, dear Tabs, Madame knows... You wish me to read your love line, hm?" The boy flushed more and nodded. Violet leaned in over his hand, breathing heavily over them. "It is very clear that you have had no luck in love thus far... But... I see the cause is not in your luck, and it is not in your destiny--" She looked up at him pulling his hand towards her so that the two were nose-to-nose. "It is yoooooOOOooooOOOOOOoooou... Ooou."
He looked insulted. Good. Break 'em down, then build them back up. "Your confidence, child, is the problem. You believe you will fail before you try, and your anxiety colours each and every interaction you have with the more vaginal of our species." The word made him fluster more, and he tried to pull away, a cough catching his throat, but she pulled him right back in as he finished, "While not every woman will like you, and most will not love you, there are women who would be charmed by you -- if you could muster charm. Charm comes from confidence... Which you have within you, as we all do. If you set it free, I foresee in your future... A kiss, from a lovely girl... And it will arrive before the end of the festival. But to receive it, you must set yourself free, Tabs."
She repeated herself as she let go of his face-- "Set it freeee..." and then as she backed away from him-- "Set it freeeeeeee." The two stared at each other in silence for a while before Violet broke it by saying: "So?"
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.
