< 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 Leigh Haskell on Mar 11, 2017 8:01:25 GMT -7
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[attr="class","wavesundtext"] "Least you can do is right," Leigh said, grabbing the wrapped thing from her hammock and finding a place for it in the back of her pants, under her jacket. She took Nicole's hand with her left, with her flesh, and lead the other woman through the halls of the hull.
As they walked through the lanes upon lanes of hammocks, Leigh explained, "This is sleeping quarters. Hardest part is gonna be finding a place to sleep. Gotta find someone with a schedule opposite you, 'n share usually. Some of the higher ups get their own all the time, most of us are in these halls - but you're prolly used to not sleeping in private, soldier girl." She pointed out some of the utility closets - brooms, mops, buckets, rags, everything she'd need for cleaning, which Leigh noted she'd likely have to do as the newbie. She pointed out Mal's bed (and put something under his pillow at the same time), and then they reached a set of doors near one of the ladders up. "Dining hall, kitchen, annnd," She shoved open one of the doors to reveal a small, 10x10 room dominated by the scent of leather and physically by a large tanning rack. Behind it, an elven man sat, peeking around to see who had entered. His eyes rolled right over Leigh and onto Nicole, and his smile was plain.
"Leigh Anne," He stood, coming to almost 5'6" and being minuscule compared to the tall and muscled Leigh, who scoffed at this nickname. "Still not my name, Farenbow," Even her gruff tone, and the glower she gave him as he approached (his height more and more noticeably smaller than her) he didn't flinch, smirking instead as he waved her off and looked to Nicole. Leigh continued: "Newbie needs something less... Denominational. If you've got the time, I've got a couple gold pieces for it."
Farenbow ignored her, looking Nicole up and down, sizing her up. "And who do we have here?" He finally asked, clearly asking Nicole, not Leigh.
Post by Nicole Vanros on Mar 20, 2017 22:15:11 GMT -7
Leigh's tour was less than glamorous. It figured that Nicole would have to stop from the bottom, and it wasn't like Nicole could complain. This was still her best option, after all. The mention of higher ups - as if there was anything more than just "Captain" and "everyone else" - was a little intriguing but she had to take this one step at a time. She needed to actually fit in with the crew before she could even imagine any sort of position of authority within the ship. She was just a newbie. At best, the rest of the crew would see her as one of their one, and her history as a soldier would just be that, history.
By the time Leigh had brought Nicole to the tanning room, the leather was so refreshing. It smelled less of wood, water, and… more water. The apparent "owner" of the room, Farenbow, was rather handsome. Elves just had that sort of charm to them, and Leigh was proof enough of that, even under all her dirt and rags. Before Leigh could even finish introducing Nicole to Farenbow, the man quickly looked over Nicole. She could feel his eyes on her, like he didn't even need measuring tape to figure out her measurements. Nicole folded her arms over her chest, and adjusted her shoulders to look more confident, rather than trying to protect any modesty.
"Call me Nicole. I'm a soldier… well, I was a soldier over in Dirys. Not that I really have any business wearing this outfit anymore." Was she seriously expecting pity from him? Is this how she was going to introduce herself to every single person on this ship? Hi, I'm Nicole! I almost shot Markus Woodrow, but I got arrested, so they kicked me out of the army and Leigh and Wight brought me here. I totally screwed up, but you can totally count on me to help you out! It was self-pity dressed up as the kind of greeting that a polite commoner would rely on to kiss up to someone better than them. That explained how her father could so flawlessly shift from barking orders to sweetening his words for an audience's sake. "I don't mind being a… 'newbie', I guess. I was just wondering you might have something a little… pirate-y."
It's not like the Defiled Grail had anything resembling a dress code. From the few glances she got from the majority of the crew, everyone seemed to be wearing whatever they felt like. Hopefully Farenbow didn't think that Nicole's idea of a pirate aesthetic was Leigh's rags. Nicole didn't even need to see how the leather, the smell alone told her that Farenbow had plenty to work with. Surely he'd have enough to craft something practical.
Post by Leigh Haskell on Mar 23, 2017 10:26:08 GMT -7
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[attr="class","wavesundtext"] He seemed amused by Nicole, if nothing else, and took more than a moment to come up with his own reasons for why a Diryn soldier was now standing in his tannery. His knowing look at Leigh, and the way his eyebrows communicated to the half-elf said more than enough about his opinions. "There's no such thing as 'pirate-y' Nicoletta," Farenbow seemed to enjoy changing people's names, making them fit his whimsical cadence, "There's only you."
"Take Leigh Anne, for example. She's had that jacket since before I met her, and refuses to let me craft a new one. Instead, I've merely altered it to better suit her. Simple, well-fitted, but the back--" He swirled his index finger, a simple insistence that Leigh turn around, which she did with a begrudging frown. Farenbow then lifted Leigh's mat of hair, revealing the back of the jacket, which was absent in the traditional sense - and replaced with a finely made zigzag pattern of leather with various trinkets sewn and clipped on. "This is Leigh Anne. Utilitarian - but personal."
Dropping the veil of hair, Farenbow returned to his tanning station, ignoring Leigh's grumbles. "He thinks he's some kind of head doctor," She sneered a little to Nicole, but then flipped the gold towards the elf anyway. Farenbow caught it with ease, and smiled blithely at the two. "So, Nicoletta. Who do you identify most with... The soldier, Nicole... Nicole, the young girl who wrongly became a soldier -- or... Is there some new identity, some new personhood you've discovered within yourself?"
Post by Nicole Vanros on Oct 26, 2017 13:54:16 GMT -7
Nicole was a little confused by the way Farenbow called her "Nicoletta", but she wasn't exactly put off by it. Leigh was more put off by her own nickname, but Nicole couldn't help but smile. Farenbow seemed pleasant. Sincere. She couldn't really hold it against him that he was being so playful. He was having fun.
That was really what Nicole was starting to figure out about the crew of The Defiled Grail. Between Leigh, Wight, Farenbow, and even the captain, everyone seemed free to enjoy themselves. In a way, perhaps she could learn from that. This wasn't the military, but there was still a pecking order on the ship. And yet, it's not like she had to toe the line. She'd been welcomed precisely because this ship valued freedom above all else.
Nicole considered Farenbow's question carefully. Nicole hesitated to look to anyone else, but she could feel Leigh's eyes watching her. Maybe it wouldn't matter what she told Farenbow, but her answer could define how Leigh would see her. "I know I'm not a soldier anymore, but I won't say it was wrong for me to be one. It's just that I'm done with that life. I want to know what kind of life I have now." But she still had a family. Her father. Her brothers. But Farenbow wasn't asking about Nicole Vanros. He was only asking about Nicole. "I don't know who I really am right now. But I'm in this crew to find out who I'm going to become."
Nicole stopped herself. This was supposed to be about clothes, not about reflecting about identity and self-worth. "Okay, how about you just make something a little loose-fitting? This uniform can feel a bit restraining at times. Last I think I want is to die from heat stroke."
Post by Leigh Haskell on Oct 28, 2017 20:25:31 GMT -7
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[attr="class","wavesundtext"] Leigh listened as Nicole spoke, forcing away the urge to shake her head and sigh. Nicole was just going to drop her old life just like that? Just after Woodrow had stolen it away? Sure, she didn't want Nicole to be a soldier, or some snobby heriess, and certainly she didn't want to help her regain those things... But... But something. How could she so easily 'let it go'? Leigh had been harping on her own past for somewhere around a decade now, and still wasn't ready to let it go. She couldn't really tell if she was annoyed, angry, or maybe even impressed, and before she could figure it out, Farenbow clapped his hands together in response to Nicole's self-description.
"To the future, Nicoletta," The elven tailor smiled, approaching Nicole and conjuring forth a measuring tape, "I shall invent something suitable for your baptism, your rebirth as a member of our crew."
"But loose-fitting," Leigh clarified, picking at the underside of her short nails to make it seem like she was only half paying attention. Farenbow laughed and shook a finger at her, repeating 'loose-fitting' to himself as if it were a funny joke. He measured away at Nicole, doing each part of her body twice to 'ensure he had the right numbers'.
While he busied himself, Leigh took to circling the cluttered room, not touching anything, but getting as close to it with her eyes. Those eyes eventually found a small strongbox and her hook lingered the counter around it as she asked, "Any colour preference, Nick?"
Post by Nicole Vanros on Jan 11, 2018 19:27:18 GMT -7
Rebirth. It was so strange to think about it like that, but Farenbow was right. Leigh and Wight had taken her out of prison, put their faith on her to not let them down, and Leigh brought her to the captain exactly so she could accept her place here. Not just as a member of any crew, but the crew that was going to take down Woodrow. That was Nicole's now, no matter what else she wished she could do. Good luck trying to become king, dad. Guess I don't get to be your little princess now.
Farenbow was enjoying taking measurements a little too much. Nicole stepped away for a moment, throwing the elf off his concentration, but Nicole stood back in her proper place, and let Farenbow resume. First Woodrow, then Farenbow… even Leigh, to be honest. People were little too eager to get close to her.
As Leigh called out to her, Nicole wasn't sure if she liked "Nicoletta" or "Nick" more. "Nick" was shorter, quick to the point… but "Nicoletta" rolled off the tongue more fancily. Or maybe that was just the way Farenbow said it. "I'd ask for something red to go with my hair," Nicole chuckled, "But I think I should go for something a little more plain. Nothing that sticks out much. Maybe some generic shade of brown?"
Leigh seemed a little disinterested. Had she blown Leigh off somehow? Nicole cracked her knuckles, and raised her hands behind her head. "Or… I don't know. What do you think would look good on me?"
Post by Leigh Haskell on Jan 12, 2018 10:53:58 GMT -7
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[attr="class","wavesundtext"] While Farenbow had busied himself with Nicole, and Nicole had busied herself with the joys of fashion, Leigh had busied herself with the little strongbox. It was about the size of a dinner roll, but far more fanciful. It's body was a blue colour, with gold trim that suited Farenbow perfectly -- but it wasn't his. Leigh had traded it to pay for her own 'costume' upgrades, and she planned on getting back. She wasn't going to steal it, you didn't steal from your fellow crew, but she did want to make sure 'Bow hadn't left it to tarnish, or worse... She needed to make sure he hadn't opened it.
It looked well-kept, though. Recently polished, though a little worn around the lock as if he had been picking at it. No success, as far as she could tell. That was good enough for her 'till she could buy it back off of him. That would be soon, she hoped. At least it would be if she stopped getting arrested.
Nicole's voice brought Leigh back to reality, the new recruit calling for Leigh's attention. She replaced the strongbox on the counter as she turned, her back firmly blocking what it was she had been focused on. Farenbow was busy looking at fabrics, so if he'd caught her he wasn't mentioning it, which likely meant he hadn't caught her. Farenbow loved to mess with Leigh.
Nicole was asking about colour choices of all things, garnering a scoff out of the permanently black-clad pirate. She was asking Leigh about colour? Of all people? She opened her mouth to make such a mistake clear, but closed it as she took Nicole in. She was annoying, absolutely, but striking. And she was angry, maybe not right now, but Leigh had seen that anger. It was the anger that had charmed Leigh. Anger usually did.
She stripped off her jacket as she stepped towards the red-head, then moved in behind her, and draped it over Nicole's shoulders. The two met eyes in the full-length mirror before them, Leigh stooped somewhat to gaze over Nicole's shoulder. The leather jacket was too big for the soldier, Leigh's frame being both taller and bulkier, but the colour and texture stood out. It made the fire in her hair all the redder, the blue of her eyes strike hard like the sea in a storm, and her skin flash like the moon above a calm ocean. In any case, Leigh liked it.
Post by Nicole Vanros on Jan 21, 2018 20:22:26 GMT -7
Leigh placed something on a counter and leaned against it. She acted like she had been caught doing something she wasn't supposed to, which was... odd for her. Leigh had little to no sense of shame about her, but she seemed to be trying to hide something. Nicole was wrong. It wasn't that Leigh was disinterested in the conversation; she was a little too interested in something else.
More to the point, Leigh simply opened her mouth for a moment in response to Nicole's question. Then, Leigh took off her jacket. That jacket, which she wouldn't let even Farenbow replace, was then placed upon Nicole. It was a little heavier than Nicole had expected, but it still beat wearing a military uniform.
"Black," Leigh answered at last.
As Nicole let the jacket rest on her, Leigh led her eyes to the mirror in front of them. As she stared at her own reflection, Nicole wasn't entirely sure what she was seeing. She recognized herself, of course, but she could Farenbow's question was echoing at the back of her mind. Who was she, really? A soldier? A young girl who should have never been a soldier?
Whoever she was, whoever she could be, one thing was certain. Nicole needed Leigh. Nicole needed a mentor she could follow, and learn what it meant to be a pirate, to be a part of The Defiled Grail. And more than that, Nicole needed a friend.
Slowly, she took the jacket off, and handed it back to Leigh. "Black," Nicole repeated. "I can do that. Alright, Farenbow, I think I'm ready now." Nicole looked at her fingers, and pursed her lips. "...And maybe throw in some fingerless gloves, too."
Last Edit: Jan 21, 2018 20:23:49 GMT -7 by Nicole Vanros
Post by Leigh Haskell on Jan 26, 2018 8:03:25 GMT -7
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[attr="class","wavesundtext"] Farenbow certainly seemed as though he wanted to interject, but instead he simply shook his head and smiled vaguely. He placed the fabric he was holding gently back into it's shelf, and then moved to the collection of blacks that had their own section of space. "Black," He began, "Black absorbs every colour apart from itself. It is influenced by the world around it, taught to be as Black as it is by the colours whom dare touch it. Black it is, mie Nicoletta."
With Nicole's measurements taken and fabrics chosen, Farenbow dismissed the two of them to do his work. Leigh told Nicole that it wouldn't take long to finish, Farenbow was quick and he always prioritized a new piece over a fixer-upper. For now, she'd just find herself a bed to call home.
She lead Nicole through the halls, and into the lanes of hammocks. "Like I was saying, sleeping quarters are a bit of a wash," Leigh shrugged, "We got a whole fleet, so there's room on other ships, but they're more dangerous, with lower grade artillery. This is the mothership, so if you can find a spot, take it. Mark it, defend it, whatever. Find your partner and stick with 'em, don't ruin that relationship 'cause they'll find a way to make your life hell. If you really can't stand to share, there's some empty hammocks in the hull, but I don't recommend it. You should just take one and find somewhere to put it. Broom closet, kitchen, anywhere you can find a spot... No special quarters for royalty here, Nick.
Post by Nicole Vanros on Jan 28, 2018 19:05:57 GMT -7
Soon she was going to have her own outfit. Nicole couldn't help but be excited about the prospect, as childish as it sounded. The longer she wore the uniform, the more she like it was trying to turn her up on the inside, labeling her a traitor to her country, and someone who didn't belong on this ship. The sooner Farenbow finished, the sooner she could feel like she did belong.
Her home was still waiting for her in Dirys, but she couldn't go back. Not yet. Nicole needed distance. She wasn't throwing away her old life, so much as putting it on hold. At least until she was ready. Of course, she had no idea when she would be, but… people were bound to be looking for her, so it's not like she could expect a welcome home party just yet.
"You and Wight are probably the closest thing I have to partners here," Nicole said with a shrug. She couldn't tell if Leigh was giving her general life advice, or if that was her way of saying "Don't cross me."
Nicole took a step away from Leigh. "Guess I should get to know the rest of the crew, then. Wouldn't want to be leeching off of you two like a parasite." In a way, it was almost embarrassing expecting to rely on Leigh. She wanted to see Leigh as a friend, but Nicole felt more like a child expecting her mother's permission to run off on her own. After a moment of silence, Nicole added, "Thanks again, by the way. I don't know what I'd do if you two weren't there."
The skin OTHERWORLD was made by JAWN of WICKED WONDERLAND.
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