< 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 Leigh Haskell on Feb 4, 2017 9:46:21 GMT -7
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[attr="class","wavesundtext"] Leigh couldn't stop watching the Captain and the Phoenix. She didn't understand why he kept her around - she wasn't one of them. Sure, she was powerful, but how much did that matter when you couldn't trust when they were gonna drop you like a sack of potatoes and blow you sky high?
Nicole's nudging brought her out of her scowling at the mage, and she floated her eyes back to the horizon. They were making good headway. Leigh felt a tickling in her stomach - excitement. That wasn't what Nicole was curious about, though. The Phoenix. Of course. Sure, she wasn't fawning, but it still caused Leigh's brows to furrow. "Don't know much. She keeps to herself, her brother, and Cap. From Rielcia, I think... And blows shit up. Which is fine and welcome when we need something blown up - but I don't like to think about what happens when she decides Cap isn't worth her time anymore. Wight might be annoying, but she's downright dangerous. My recommendation? Don't trust 'mages'."
Post by Nicole Vanros on Feb 19, 2017 16:57:34 GMT -7
Rielcia was so far away. Then again, so was Acheron. Made sense that a pirate crew would travel far and wide and gather as many people as they could. Leigh's warning was too broad, though. Her father was certainly a mage, an Evocator just like the woman must be, and Zechariah… well, kina's were mages by their nature, weren't they? Rielcia's reputation always came from its Schools of Magic, although the woman was an elf, not a kina. "What do you mean 'Not worth her time'? Is she just here to tag along, or… does she have something on the captain?"
This wasn't supposed to be a place for them to spend their time. Even if Nicole had only really been a part of the crew for a day at best, she could understand that much. The merchant vessel was full of innocents, but the captain was keeping a living time-bomb on the ship. The entire crew was supposed to be united against Markus Woodrow, not making enemies of each other. "I get it, don't trust her, but… it'll probably be a bad idea if she thinks I don't like her, right? Better to stay on her good side."
Post by Leigh Haskell on Feb 20, 2017 19:17:38 GMT -7
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[attr="class","wavesundtext"] Leigh rolled her eyes, scoffing a little. Nicole was so damned precious. It was a nice concept that you could be all goody-good and be friends with everyone... But some folks simply didn't want friends. Leigh didn't usually. Phoenix definitely didn't. She was a selfish, prudish bitch - and that was that.
"I d'no what she's got. But she's not here for piracy, not here for Woodrow. She's here for herself... And that's something you gotta know, 'specially as we're about to get into a fight," She put her hand on Nicole's shoulder, looking her in the eye with an almost threatening look, "Being a pirate is a team game. Just like in Magei - we've gotta have each other's backs. So long as you play for the team, the team'll play for you, alright?"
Post by Talindra Pherithil on Mar 3, 2017 2:12:55 GMT -7
Tali scoffed when she heard the captain speak. Calling to him? The sweet prospect of revenge had been calling to her for decades, and yet she still remained stuck on the man’s floating piece of rubbish because she understood that sometimes, one had to forgo their desires in favor of doing what had to be done. In this case, that meant waylaying merchant vessels when they could have been sailing into the very heart of Submiere. But the sorceress knew better than to argue with the Captain when he put his mind to something. It might have been a one-track mind, but it was a determined one, and at the very least she could respect that.
As the captain continued to address her the high elf stretched her right hand, before narrowing her eyes and pointing a single finger at the small shape of the ship in the distance.
“A mage of my talent is hardly in the habit of giving 'warnings shots', Merlyn, but so be it. As you desire, the other ship will remain seaworthy. And…”
Peering over her shoulder Tali looked toward where Leigh and Nicole were still busy chatting, a wistful smirk on her lips.
“…I am afraid I do not understand what you mean. I am hardly the one instigating anything, but perhaps you had better speak to some of your crew. A few of them seem quite eager to make fools out of themselves.”
Not to mention his fears of any kind of magical duel were completely unfounded. Most of the crew were illiterate, let alone having enough magic to call anything involving her a fight, and not just a massacre. The implication otherwise was foolish. And the same went for the merchant vessel.
“You insult me, Merlyn. Magic is not a game to be betted on. But…”
Removing herself from the wooden railing of the ship the sorceress took a few steps back and a deep breath.
“…I also resent the implication that you think my magic is not capable of terrifying a simple merchant vessel, and that is hardly a challenge I will allow to go unanswered. You have your bet, Captain. Now I would advise that you stand a little further back.”
Lifting her arms up to either side Tali closed her eyes and began to concentrate, centuries of experience allowing the sorceress to block out everything around her. The commotion of pirates preparing their arms and the fluttering of the sails faded away to be replaced by nothing but the beating of her own heart, and taking another deep breath, she began to feel magical energy course through the veins of her arms as the first threads of her spell took shape. The air around the Grail began to noticeably warm and even shimmer to the keen observer, though the high elf waited to unleash what she was preparing. It would only have the desired effect if the merchants were close enough to witness it, and then…
Then she would show Captain Merlyn what kind of “warning shot” she could give.
Post by Merlyn Astra on Mar 6, 2017 12:45:01 GMT -7
A grin came across Merlyn’s face as he listened to his business partner. It would not be right to call the Phoenix his comrade, as the only bond they had shared was the contract of him reclaiming her homeland. When she began mentioning his crew and them making fools of themselves that was something he began to laugh at. Only a noble, a person with a real education would use that as a reason for why others would be instigating a fight. Then again, Merlyn had to partially agree, but it made him imagine how a Mage of Rielcia would fare should she not be able to use magic, surely she might learn that there are far greater powers than just words in this world. There was a reason why those without magic had created ways to fight on par with it, and none of it had to do with the “words” they used.
Magic? Not a game to be bet on?, he laughed internally while grinning even more. While he appreciated his crew, having someone that treated him like nothing more than a regular person was a nice exchange, especially when they were able to spar with their varying life experiences.
“I think my current position is quite nice, I’d rather not have to move,” he smiled over his shoulder to the mage that was now crafting her spells.
“Also, isn’t everything a game to be betted on, you never know when a choice you make could end in your death, so isn’t simply living from day to day a bet that you will continue to be alive the next day?” He questioned while he focused in on the merchant vessel again. That was the life of pirates after all, a gamble that could easily result in someone’s death, but if you were to survive there would be riches to be shared and spent.
Time passed and the Defiled Grail had gotten close enough to the merchant vessel that the attack could begin. He looked to the cannon crews at the front of the ship on the top deck that were near him. “After the Phoenix gives us cover fire chain shots, aim for their masts to stop her movement! And then we take her a prize, so do your best to not damage her!”
As soon as the warning shot was given, the crew would open fire with chain shot to destroy the masts and force the merchant vessel to slow down. While a pain to repair, the damage was still something that could be repaired, and for getting another vessel the cost was fine. A larger fleet would still be needed should he wish to battle the SSPB and come out with victory.
“Boarding teams, prepare for us to come aside!” ____ Tags: Leigh Haskell , Kali , Nicole Vanros , Talindra Pherithil Notes: Go ahead and to the warning and feel free to start the boarding/fighting after that, btw that does mean Merlyn wins his bet.
[attr="class","vpostbg"]With her attention focused on her magic Tali heard only snatches of what Merlyn said, and even with what she did hear the sorceress made no effort to reply. As foolish as they were. Instead she only opened her eyes and stared at the growing form of the merchant ship. Their ship’s elegant design, something which even Tali could admit was brilliant, meant that the Defiled Grail was closing the gap even before the other vessel could so much as swing it’s bow around. Soon the high elf could make out the small dots of sailors clambering over the deck and rigging of the merchant ship, and their erratic movement made her smile. Even the mere sight of the Grail was enough to cause panic with her reputation at sea, let alone having the ship approach at full masts, and the sorceress was all too ready to make this all that much more of a nightmare for them.
A few moments later the Grail was nearly on top of the merchants, and Tali heard Merlyn give the order to prepare for battle. Which meant that she was up. Planting her right foot behind her the sorceress lifted her arms and unleased her spell. At once and with the sound of rushing air a great swirl of fire engulfed the bow of the Defiled Grail, though Tali took care to keep a gap between her magic and the wooden timbers. Keeping the flames steady with a hand the sorceress then used her other to begin to shape them, coaxing her creation to life in the chaos before her, and with more the care of a painter in her gestures than the will of a pirate. A bet, Captain Merlyn? Please.
What Tali did was nothing less than an art.
The sorceress thrust both her hands forward and out from the center of the fire erupted the form of a great wyvern. The beast, all made of flame, flew low toward the merchant vessel, a trail of hissing steam in its wake as it skimmed the surface of the sea. Weaving her arms Tali then directed the fiery creature to circle the other ship. Each moment saw the wyvern rise farther and farther away from the water, until the sorceress was making the beast almost dance among the sails of the merchant vessel. A few, futile shots rang out from the deck below, but Tali smiled ever wider when she saw many of the little dots dive for cover instead, and even one man hurl himself over the railing and into the water below. Simpletons. The captain may have wanted the vessel whole, but that could hardly stop her from having a bit of fun with its crew all the same.
Still, Tali knew her little game had to end sooner than later. With a final flick of her wrist the wyvern climbed high into the sun, before folding its wings and diving toward the ship like a fiery comet. A moment later the beast exploded over the merchant vessel, showering the deck and all on it below with small embers, and breaking one of the masts near in two as the gunners aboard the Grail began to fire their chain shot. And to think some claimed she was unhelpful. The sorceress was a little less happy though when the cannons on the merchant vessel answered back, a few stray shots splashing near the Grail.
The fools still wished to fight…and no doubt Merlyn was thrilled at the fact.
With a sigh Tali retreated from the bow and moved to where the boarding parties were being gathered. Picking the least unsavory, and smelly, of the lot to stand near, the sorceress found herself approaching the rookie and Leigh again, giving the former a smile and all but ignoring the latter. They still had a fight on their hands, after all, and the last person the high elf wanted to be next to was the one she owed money.
“I do hope you enjoyed the show, Nicole. These pirates may fail to appreciate the finer aspects of magic, but I believe you might. Perhaps they could even learn a thing or two from you and that uniform. I, for one, am keen on seeing you in action, so do be careful…”
The sorceress glanced at Leigh.
“…boarding can be deadly for even the most experienced sailor.”
Post by Leigh Haskell on Mar 19, 2017 7:14:51 GMT -7
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[attr="class","wavesundtext"] If Leigh was the kind of person who grinned (or even smiled), she would have been all teeth as the Captain commanded the likes of her to position. Instead, the only way to tell that she was downright excited was how she tugged Nicole into position with a bit more urgency than usual.
As they found a position, her hook located one of the ropes above her and she pulled to test it's strength before better positioning her body for what was coming. She'd need to project off the deck, onto the rail, and then swing over with enough momentum to make it - with weapon in hand to turn down anyone trying to disinvite her. There had to be a few of them who would go before the gangway, after all - they had to make sure no one detached it. It was dangerous, and Leigh loved it. Her hook was nearly singing in her wrist, desperate to make purchase against flesh.
"Wait till the gangway's up," She instructed Nicole, no longer really looking at her as she eyed the activity on the other ship. They looked panicked - which they had every right to be. The Grail was a threat all her own, and while Leigh wouldn't admit it aloud... The Phoenix's fire wasn't a detriment. In fact, the one thing Leigh would admire about The Phoenix was her caution. Someone with fire like that could ruin the ship they were aiming for, blasting it apart - defeating the enemy, sure, but ruining the reward. The Phoenix, however, coloured inside the lines.
Today was no exception.
She crafted a beast of fire - it was a little cool, but Leigh still wouldn't say it - which roared to life and flew at the merchant vessel, sparking them to life. It was real now. Fight or flight - and flight wasn't an option. Cannons fired back, hitting the drink with loud splashes - and to Leigh, it was percussion in the music of battle. She was ready. All she needed was the command and--
Leigh turned to hear Talindra approaching, chatting up her recruit, and Leigh almost let the rope drop from her hook, almost let her position fall, almost took the bait. Instead, she gave the woman a grimace, gave Nicole a raised-eyebrow look of be careful with that one, and bared her teeth with a quick, and sharp: "Yeah, friendly fire can be a bitch, watch out for it, Princess."
Post by Nicole Vanros on Jan 24, 2018 10:34:55 GMT -7
The masked woman was terrifying. Nicole's father was an evocator, but he would never dare perform a display on the scale of what Nicole was seeing unfold before her. A monster of flame soared around the merchant vessel, scaring several of its sailors away. As the Defiled Grail itself began to warm up, Nicole looked to some of her own crewmates. They had known her long than Nicole had, and yet some of there nevertheless scared, and turned their eyes. And yet, others were cheering and hooting at the mage, desperately hoping to see more.
As the beast began to dive, Nicole wanted to tell the mage to stop, but flames were already raining down upon the merchants. As soon as it all seemed finished, Nicole had to take a moment to wonder if anyone had was seriously injured… or worse. It didn't seem like it, and that the mage really could have just been scaring them. Still, something about it bothered Nicole. When she had joined this crew, the first thing that Leigh, Wight, and the captain each told her was the freedom that came with being a pirate. Certainly, that freedom was still not something Nicole had quite adjusted to, but it was something for her to look forward to.
The mage, however? She didn't seem like she had the same sense of what "freedom" meant. She was reckless. A loose canon, waiting to burst, especially if Leigh was right, and the mage simply decided that the captain wouldn't be worth her time anymore.
As the merchant vessel began to return fire, the mage approached Nicole, and simply smiled. “I do hope you enjoyed the show, Nicole," she said. "These pirates may fail to appreciate the finer aspects of magic, but I believe you might. Perhaps they could even learn a thing or two from you and that uniform. I, for one, am keen on seeing you in action, so do be careful. Boarding can be deadly for even the most experienced sailor.”
That last part was directed at Leigh, who seemed to return the snipe. "Yeah, friendly fire can be a bitch, watch out for it, Princess."
Nicole could practically feel the hostility between the two of them, and her natural instinct was to take Leigh's side. Nicole grit her teeth, trying not to say anything, but she still feel her lips quivering. She turned away from the mage, hoping to not meet her eyes, afraid of what the mage might see.
"You know what to do," Nicole said to Leigh. "I'll follow your lead, and catch up when I can. I promise I won't let you down."
Post by Merlyn Astra on Feb 9, 2018 0:37:38 GMT -7
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PREDATOR AND PREY
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After giving the commands to ready themselves for boarding, Merlyn moved to the side of the Defiled Grail and took one of the grappling hooks from a boarding member. As the helmsman angled their ship in, Merlyn began twirling the hook, trying to get some momentum before he loosed it at the other ship. The toss was more than enough to get over the side of merchant vessel, and before the hook could be tossed off, Merlyn and those behind him pulled hard until the hook was stuck. Then came the hard part, pulling the ships together without losing a line. Other teams down the side of the ship were all doing the same, attempting to pull the Grail closer. [break][break]
When they got close enough, Merlyn stepped up onto the edge of his ship, looked back with a playful smile and gave the command, “take her a prize!”[break][break]
And with that, he leaped across the distance between the ships, missing the deck of the other ship, but getting where he wanted to be. Scaling the side of the ship, Merlyn began moving sideways towards the helm, keeping himself from becoming a target until he reached where he wanted. It was the years of being on a vessel that he could perform such fine maneuvers, to hold onto even the smallest part of the hull and still be able to keep moving. From the design of the ship he had plenty of room to put his hands and work in his toes. Eventually he got to the helm, and climbed to the railing and jumped over it. He swore he could have heard a squeal from the helmsman at his sudden appearance. Merlyn however wanted to join in with the fun and punched the helmsman, knocking him to the ground with one blow, not that he was down for the count, but he might act like it now. With his act done, the others on the bridge began to turn and face him, pointing their guns and blades at him. Meeting that, Merlyn drew one of his swords and a dagger, getting a smile that any observer would call demonic. “Let’s dance.”[break]
I don't want your money I don't want your crowd See I have to burn Your kingdom down
[attr="class","vcred"]Leigh HaskellNicole Vanros - 714 damn i actually remembered aolis existed for once
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[attr="class","vpostbg"]Tali’s smile widened when she heard Leigh speak, and she spared the pirate a quick side glance. Friendly fire? The choice of words was certainly not lost on the sorceress, and the implication was…amusing. Tantalizing, even. Truly, all it would take was a flick of her wrist and the mighty and feared Leigh Haskell would blow away in the ocean breeze. Who could even say one way or another what exactly transpired in the heat of battle? But there would be little fun in that. As much as she detested the pirate with every fiber of her being, tormenting her was one of the few ways Tali kept sane amidst all the other uncouth degenerates.
Though Nicole added an interesting new element to it all.
“Princess? I do believe I like it. It suits one of such a unique disposition. Though I find myself surprised to hear you know of any royalty past the stamped crown of a whiskey bottle, Leigh.”
Turning her attention back to Nicole the sorceress raised a brow in surprise when the new pirate turned away, her eyes refusing to meet Tali’s own. Pity. Perhaps Leigh had already twisted her hook into the poor woman’s mind. Told her of how dangerous and unpleasant and untrustworthy the high elf was, or perhaps another of the other hundred rumors which had drifted through the Defiled Grail since Tali had first arrived on it’s deck. True, they would be mostly right. But it would have been nice to have another pirate who she could converse with and not feel sick to the stomach, past Captain Merlyn himself.
And, of course, her brother.
“May the whims of Osmene favor you, Princess. They can be quite the fickle little things.”
Spotting Aolis emerging from beneath the deck, Tali gave Nicole one final wave and then brushed past Leigh with hardly a glance, before approaching the other high elf. Like herself, the man was quite a sight to see amongst the ragtag collection of pirates. His silver armor, forged in the fires of Agnazzar, glimmered in the ocean sun, and the short leaf-bladed spear which he carried rested easily across his shoulders. Sorceress and warrior, the pair of them still looked the part of Rielcian nobility. There were certainly days where even now Tali could hardly believe where those same fickle whims had left the two of them.
“Antagonizing your allies again, dear sister? I thought the whole point of your plan was to gain them.”
The sorceress dismissed Aolis’s grin with a hard stare as the two fell in stride toward the nearest gangplank and its boarding party. Already the helmsman had pulled the Defiled Grail alongside the merchant vessel, and the pirates closest to the edge had latched onto the ship with hooks and were pulling the vessel ever closer to the starving blades and barrels of the crew.
“My plan is ten years delayed because of my ‘allies’. If our situation was not so desperate, I might even entertain the term ‘liabilities’.”
The closest group of liabilities parted as the pair entered their ranks. Some of the nearest pirates shot the high elves hard glares and gnashed their teeth, but many rattled their weapons even harder, and one particularly brave man even gave Aolis a hearty clap to the back. As isolated, feared, and disdained as the two of them often were on the Defiled Grail, their prowess in a fight was equally well known, and even Tali knew the survival rate of the small group had just gone up exceptionally with their presence.
Barring any ‘friendly fire’.
Unsheathing her sword, the sorceress took up position beside her brother as the gangplank was slowly raised and then thrown across the deck of the opposing ship. The first pirate to cross was thrown back by a volley of shots as a guttural scream saw Tali watch the fool tumble from his feet and stain the waves below in red.
“Now do be careful, Aolis. Without you I do believe this ship would lead me to insanity.”
With a mutual nod both brother and sister then joined the boarding party as the pirates surged across the deck of the merchant vessel, beginning the assault with a wave of insults, pistol smoke, and fresh drawn blood.
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