< 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 Nora Fisher on Jan 5, 2018 12:42:51 GMT -7
The temperature in Artavia varied only rarely. They were so high up there wasn't much for weather here, no rain or snow or wind or anything really. She'd even heard the tourists complaining there was less air here at all compared to the rest of the world. She supposed it was good it was this way, because as a kid on the streets she likely wouldn't have survived this long if the winters here were icy cold or the summers got harsh. Maybe it was mostly lucky for The Pariahs, who relied on the street kids and could get away without providing them even the most basic of protections. The cloth footwear she wore were worn through in more than one place and her clothes certainly weren't warm enough to withstand anything colder than temperate weather.
Nora's fingers fiddled with one of the rips on her shirt and again wondered how bad it would have to get before she was allowed a new one. She couldn't buy herself one of course because she was supposed to be bringing any money back to the base and if any of the olders found out she had spent some on something as frivolous as a new shirt she would be sleeping outside for a week - and they would take her new shirt for themselves. She frowned at the thought and stood as the nearby clocktower struck noon. Half the day gone already, and she'd barely made the minimum. She needed to work harder if she was going to have enough to hide some away.
District III was busy at the best of times, and now that it was The Coin of Fortune it was even moreso - people were travelling for business or pleasure and the airship docks were crowded to bursting with all the bodies. She stood on a walkway overlooking the docks, having come up here to escape some of the bustle after spending a morning pickpocketing the tourists, and now she would have to return. Her stomach grumbled unhappily, but she was used to not eating until the evening. She like any of the street kids was only fed if she brought back enough for the gang, and though sometimes she nicked an apple or some nuts from a vendor she had realized quickly there were Pariah eyes everywhere, and if they caught you disobeying the 'spirit of the rules' they would see to it that you were punished. So she followed their rules obediently, for now, but someday she would have enough saved up to buy a ticket out of this place.
She ran her fingers through her dark hair and worked out some tangles as she walked off the bridge and made her way down the stairs towards the main thoroughfare. She hated when her hair got tangled, but there was only so much she could do with just her fingers. Slipping among the crowd with the ease only a street kid could have she kept her eyes peeled for targets. People with loose bags or obvious jewelry or wallets just sitting in their back pockets - it was like they wanted to get robbed. But that was why coming here was always such a good plan. Even on a slow day there were plenty of unwitting tourists. The biggest problem was keeping an eye out for the guards and the police - they knew just as well as Nora and The Pariahs did that this was prime for thievery and as Nora had already seen with her brother, if you got caught stealing you were sent away and never heard from again.
Green eyes caught sight of a wealthy looking individual with a fancy timepiece on his wrist. It wasn't the first time she had seen such a thing, after all this was Artavia of all places, but it wasn't very often she saw one so elaborate. If she got it for the gang she would surely assuage any suspicion they still had about her after almost getting caught with her stash! Now it was time to stalk her prey until she found the right moment to bump into him and slip it off his wrist, so she started tailing him through the crowd.
Post by Nuada Ua Ghrian on Jan 5, 2018 15:33:01 GMT -7
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Nuada sighed as he took another step forward in the neverending line to get into Artavia from the port. He shifted his weight to his other foot while he waited for his turn. This is why he disliked the floating landmass. He could deal with the atmosphere, just as he could deal with many number of environmental factors. It was just part of his profession. He continued waiting his turn in line until he heard, “Next!”[break][break]
After he reached the customs officer, Nuada presented what he considered a “pass”. It was but a signed document stating that he was a monster hunter, and with it was a bounty flier he had picked up while at the last port. A job in Artavia to eliminate a group of Tree Devils that were depleting an area of woods was what called the hunter to Artavia. Hopefully this would be enough to satisfy what the customs officer needed to let him through.[break][break]
“Aren’t you a little well-armed for killin’ just a few Tree Devils?” the customs officer said while looking over Nuada, then looking back at the documents to make sure they were not faked, not that he could tell from what he was given.[break][break]
Nuada leaned down a little bit so he could look the officer in the eyes while he spoke, “Maybe if ya were takin’ care of this all on yer own ya ‘ould bring all this too, then again, I don’t know how much need ya ‘ould have for weapons. Ya know, with the sittin’ on cushions all day.”[break][break]
The grin on Nuada’s face as he glanced down to the seat the officer was added into the stature and intimidating appearance of the armed monster hunter was enough for the officer to simply hand the documents back and motion Nuada through. Giving a gesture to send the hunter through, Nuada passed through the security of Artavia, entering District III. [break][break]
A bustling crowd of people surrounded the monster hunter as he looked around. The first thing that he wanted to find was a place to spend the night. He was in no hurry to hunt the beasts he was sent here for, with the help of one of the mages he would make it to his destination with no troubles. As long as he had the coin for it, anything was possible. Nuada ran one hand across where his purse was kept to ensure it was there. After doing so, he stepped deeper into the crowd, keeping his eyes peeled for a place to spend an evening, perhaps even get a few meals. As far as he was concerned, he would have no troubles until the next day. But this hunter had a tendency for different events to occur, all because of his birth, there was no telling what might happen outside of his plan.
Post by Nora Fisher on Jan 5, 2018 18:24:34 GMT -7
The moment came as the man stopped at one of the market booths set up to catch people who were fresh off the boat. He was idly peering at some shiny bauble or another when Nora ran up behind him and bumped her shoulder against his, using the distraction to deftly unclasp the timepiece and slip it into her pocket as she stumbled forward and caught herself, turning back sheepishly and apologizing for bumping into him. The man harumphed as though frustrated, but Nora noticed with disgust when his gaze slid toward her more womanly features, which were only barely hidden past the holes in her shirt. She pulled her shawl tighter around her and turned away, slipping back into the crowd and feeling dirty, more than just from stealing this time. She decided that she had to at least try to sew up the shirt or patch it or something, because she couldn't handle being looked at like that by anyone else.
It was then that she noticed a figure that stood out among the rest, and it looked like most everyone else had noticed him too because they were giving him a wide berth. He looked like he was about to go on a one man siege of the whole district, and her first instinct was to stay as far away from him as possible. But then her brain caught up and told her that anyone with that many weapons had to have a lot of money, and if she could steal his coin purse she would be that much closer to escaping. Hell, he looked like he had enough money to buy a first class ticket to anywhere in the world. Now the only question was, did he carry that much coin with him?
Well, that wasn't the only question really. There was also one more that was very important: if she got caught while trying to steal his stuff, how dead would she be? Judging by that arsenal the answer was: Very. But if she succeeded, and he did have as much money as it looked like he had, she might be able to get out of here for good. And that was worth the risk.
She started tailing him, and when she caught sight of what looked like a coin purse she tried to think of a plan. The usual push and run probably wouldn't work on this guy, so it would have to be something better. Maybe she should start a fight, then hide behind him like she was scared and get to his purse then? She groaned. If she could just do that magic thing again with the coins she wouldn't have to do this at all, but no, of course she couldn't get that to work again. And now here she was following some guy who looked like he could kill her a hundred different ways without even unsheathing one of those weapons, and trying to think of a way she could rob him blind. By the gods, this was a terrible idea.
Last Edit: Jan 5, 2018 18:28:12 GMT -7 by Nora Fisher
Post by Nuada Ua Ghrian on Jan 11, 2018 13:30:27 GMT -7
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The waiting-in-lines was quite boring to Nuada, and his thinking that simply getting out of the lines and into the city would make his life easier was very quickly proven incorrect. He went right out of the relatively controlled crowd in lines, to a bustling mass of people all attempting to go where they were headed. The result seemed almost like chaos to the hunter, though he was able to have some personal space because of his size and demeanor. Still, it always surprised him when he visited small, cramped cities like this one, with just how many people could all live together and not start fighting. Even in the city he called home, it was rare if a crowd, like the one here, were to form. Normally it was only on certain market days, but other than that, there was nearly always enough room to walk comfortably.[break][break]
Nuada was lost in his thoughts while considering the mess he had gotten into. He had so far passed two establishments that met his criteria for becoming his home during his job. What finally pulled him back to the real world was the sight of something nearly as unusual as him. Standing outside one of the many shops on the street was an Orc. Nuada knew as much about Orcs as any person, though he might have more practical experience. On several occasions during his work, he had met some elderly Orcs that were wandering and looking for a good place to die. But the Orc standing before him was different than the ones he had met. They looked young and strong and were armed with appropriate weapons of war, not the flimsy blades some people carried for so-called “protection”.[break][break]
“The fuck you lookin’ at,” the Orc grunted, loud enough for Nuada to hear over the crowd. While no one stopped what they were doing, Nuada did direct himself to approach the Orc.[break][break]
“Not very of’en tha’ ya see an orc oop here amoong the clouds,” Nuada grinned back as he came to a stop in front of the Orc.[break][break]
A scowl was all the stereotypically aggressive Orc could show, perhaps to further dissuade anyone from attempting to get near or even speak to him. He did not like a human getting in his face and staring too much, and so he was only able to growl out one more warning, “Keep on walkin’ human, before I smash your fuckin’ face in.”[break][break]
“I don’ think now ‘ould be a good time ta tussle muh friend, I’m sure ya got a job ta do and so do I,” Nuada smirked as he turned to start going back to his search for an inn. He did not get very far when he felt a strong hand grab his shoulder. Before he knew it, he was spun around and was punched in the face by the very irritated orc. The blow was enough to push the hunter into the bustling crowd, knocking some people over. Nuada was quick to recover. Once back up, all his attention was focused on this orc. Until this little bout was finished, he would have to put off finding a place to stay.
Post by Nora Fisher on Jan 12, 2018 13:34:37 GMT -7
Nora was still trying to figure out how she could snag this guy's coinpurse when the man seemed to piss of an orc by looking at it too long. Must be a newbie or something, she thought, as the man even spoke back to the orc (with the strangest accent she had ever heard!) instead of hurrying away before it could get ugly. Actually, the man was covered head to toe with weapons and looked about ready to throw down, so she supposed maybe he just wasn't afraid of some uppity orc. She couldn't be sure what was going through his head, but what was going through her head was bingo. This could be her chance.
The man and orc had a bit more of a back and forth and Nora crept closer to the both of them (as close as she could while still hiding in the crowd) to watch for her opportunity. And then there it was, like a sign from the gods, the orc spun the man around and punched him right in the face, making him stumble back into the crowd. Nora barely managed to avoid getting bumped into herself, but this was the moment she was waiting for! The man was getting up now, and so were the other people he had knocked over, and in the bustle of it all she bolted forward and snagged the purse, using a small blade to cut the strap of it rather than trying to untie or slip it off of him. She could feel immediately that it held a comfortable weight and she could only imagine what kind of money she would find in it, but she didn't have time to stand around and count coins and it would be too obvious if she just opened it up right there, so instead she stepped back into the crowd and tied the cut straps of it around her belt. This guy clearly wasn't from around here. But he had also withstood a very painful-looking punch right to the face from an orc, so she was sure he would survive without the purse. If he survived the fight with the orc anyway.
Post by Nuada Ua Ghrian on Feb 3, 2018 10:10:59 GMT -7
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After having gotten up, and directing all his attention at the orc before him, Nuada quickly brushed himself off, and that is when he noticed. His search for an inn would need to be put off not just because of this fight he now found himself in, but because the pouch containing his gold was missing. The hunter’s attention was broken for only a few seconds as he tried to scan the crowd to find the person who might have taken his purse, if they were even in this crowd. This was his mistake as he felt another impact to the other side of his face. This time he held his ground, only stepping back to take the blow. At least now he would have symmetrical injuries.[break][break]
“Alrighty then,’ he smirked and then ducked under a third attempt to hit him by the orc. Nuada knocked the orc’s arm to the side and then delivered a powerful blow of his own to the orc’s face, sending them stumbling backwards. Wanting to level out their hits, Nuada kept up the assault and delivered another blow to the orc’s face, knocking them back into the wall they were already against. The loud thud from the blow definitely meant it hurt. The hunter stepped back to give the orc some room. If they were going to have a fight it needed to be somewhat equal.[break][break]
Recovering from Nuada’s blows, the orc renewed an assault that could only be called a rage. The hunter, though appearing bulky, was well suited for fighting, and blocked the blows and returned his own. The fight appeared to be quite even as every so often they were able to connect with areas of weakness. However, in the end, Nuada was able to break through the orc’s defenses and deal a strong enough punch that the orc was knocked out.[break][break]
Now, onto the other mat’er, he thought while now scanning the streets. How could he find the person that stole from him? Probably with the same abilities he used to hunt monsters, though this would not end in the same glorious battle. The streets were still crowded and made it hard to find anyone. Maybe if he could get a higher view then he could see something. He quickly navigated his way to an alley before creating one of his spells. The magic was quick to cast and took effect immediately. Setting up for a jump, Nuada leaped up. It took several jumps off the various parts of the buildings to reach the rooftops, and once there he cast another set of his transmutations, while dispelling the increased jumping ability. Now with enhanced sight and hearing, the hunter began to listen and search the various crowds. Looking for anyone that fit the criteria of being a pickpocket. Any that looked out like they were from out of town, any that looked wealthy or even well off were all removed. That left a few people. Then he had to further narrow it down to people that looked as if they would actually be able to get away with pickpocketing, and that left only two subjects. Nuada would have to rely on intuition in order to get the right person, and the small girl was getting away.[break][break]
Nuada would attempt to cut them off down the way, coming out from behind a corner. He cancelled all of his current transmutations and began running across the rooftops, where he cast another transmutation to lessen his impacts from falls, and jumped to street level again. As he reached the corner, ready to catch the thief, he realized that the effects of physical and magical exertion at this altitude might not be the best choice of actions if he wanted to maintain his stamina. Once he noticed the pickpocket get close, he stepped out, “now where migh’ ye be goin’ with my gold?”
Post by Nora Fisher on Feb 7, 2018 13:26:29 GMT -7
Nora didn't stick around to see the rest of the fight. Whether the man got beat to shit or held his own against the orc was less important to her than her own wellbeing, and the money in this coin purse could put her that much closer to freedom. The man clearly had his own life in order, so who needed the money more, really? She made her way through the crowd and away from the fight, squeezing between the onlookers with the ease of a small girl forgotten and ignored by society, until she joined the steady flow of foot traffic moving away from the docks and further into the city. She walked at a pace that was quick but unsuspicious, and she kept her eyes scanning the crowd for the man, guards, or any of the Pariahs. It was important that none of the gang saw her score, because if they did and she didn't come back to the base with it at the end of the day they would know she was hiding things, and she didn't think her fate would be any better than Teddy's.
No. There had been days maybe when she wished she was dead, but not anymore. She was determined now, determined to get out of this and she was so close now. She almost had enough money to buy a place on an airship, and after that all she needed was to figure out how to get identification papers. Maybe she could just pull them out of the bag like magic. She'd done something like magic once, so maybe she could do it again. The thought tempered her positive feelings somewhat as she thought about her continued inability to reproduce the magic she'd done before. Maybe she could go to the library, and read about it? But if a Pariah saw her... It was for the same reason that she couldn't just ask someone else who could do magic or try to look in on a school that taught it - if anyone from the Pariah's suspected she could do magic they would know she'd lied about hiding money. They would kill her. Or maybe worse they would try to use her, to make her use her magic for the benefit of the gang. They would break her, and she knew she could be broken.
Almost there now. Almost to the alley where she kept her stash hidden. She'd seen no sign of the man or guards or Pariahs and she had almost gotten over her nerves when suddenly the man stepped out from a side street directly in front of her and asked where she was going with his gold. The shock of it earned a yelp from the girl and she back-peddled so fast she tripped over her own feet and landed on her backside. How had he gotten there so fast? How had he found her? She was surprised into inaction only for a moment before flipping over and pushing herself to her feet like a sprinter, taking off in the other direction with her heart racing. She might not be able to outrun him in a straight shot but in the streets and crowds maybe she had a chance.
Last Edit: Feb 7, 2018 13:27:45 GMT -7 by Nora Fisher
Post by Nuada Ua Ghrian on Feb 9, 2018 0:30:33 GMT -7
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Nuada was finally able to get a good look at the girl who had stolen from him. Not that tall, but then again most children weren’t, and dressed in rags. A part of him felt pity for those who had to live like that, but he quickly dismissed the thought. No one likes to be pitied, in fact he would feel the same to any who thought his rough childhood, constantly getting beaten up and being told it will make him stronger, was something worth pitying. Then the thought came to him, maybe he could simply let the lass have his gold, he knew he could find a way without it, he had before. That was of course until he saw her turn to sprint away, moving through the crowd like a mouse running from a cat. Nuada let a sigh escape as he muttered, “why do they aw’ways run…”[break][break]
Now that the thief had decided to run, he would give chase. At first Nuada tried to run through the people, but his size was putting him at a disadvantage. He could barely keep track of the girl. If only my owl were here, he thought, then he would not have to rely on his own sight to keep track of the girl and it would be easy to find her, no matter where she ran. Still, the hunter was not going to let himself be outdone by a child. Hopefully for the last time in the city, he cast one of this transmutations, increasing his speed. While normally this would not help, all the hunter had to do now while running was find ways to fit in the openings and he could still cover his distance. [break][break]
When the streets finally got a bit clearer, he could still see the target of his chase, and he hoped that she would give up soon.[break]
Post by Nora Fisher on Feb 9, 2018 12:49:22 GMT -7
Nora was hoping that there was a way she could outrun, outmaneuver, or hide from the man she stole the money from. She could see he was chasing her and she had already seen how intimidating he was, and she was almost definitely sure getting caught by him would be very bad. She didn't know anything about the fact he could do magic, though at this point she could hardly be more afraid of him. Just keep running.
She wove through the crowd with only the occasional glance back to confirm that, yes, he was still behind her (and gaining), and she ducked into side streets and alleys and tried to shake him but he was always still there. Still chasing her. She couldn't run forever, but she had been hoping that he would at least run out of steam before she did.
Then, an idea. It wasn't a good idea, but the ideas of someone in a desperate position were often more bent on survival than anything. She was afraid of the Pariahs but at this point it was about as afraid as she was of the man chasing her. Maybe if she could outrun him long enough to find some of the older members they could protect her? Or maybe not. They hadn't been able to protect Connor. But she could try. She ducked into a side street with a new destination in mind, but she was running out of steam. Her lungs were on fire and she could still see the man following her, and she knew she wouldn't be able to run for much longer.
Post by Nuada Ua Ghrian on Feb 12, 2018 4:30:56 GMT -7
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Jus’…how…far…do…ya…plan…on…runnin’, Nuada questioned in-between his dodging of various obstacles. The unexpected crates, low-hanging signs, barrels, other passersby, and of the worst of all, the chamber tossers. It was as if this girl knew exactly where to run in order to make it the most difficult for him. After the quick thought of that he remembered it was a chase, not exactly the tracking kind of hunting he normally did. [break][break]
As he followed his target, he did not notice the scenery changing away from the appearance of wealth that the main streets had, but was more reflective of the real community living in Artavia. Clotheslines crossing the buildings, and all sorts of rubbish that was left in the alleys. While there was still enough room to move comfortably, there was no reason for Nuada to think differently that the end to his chase would be coming. When he finally got within distance of finally catching her, or at least making this wretched chase come to an end, he felt the same sensation he got when being stared at by the larger monsters that wandered the wilds. And before he knew it, he was trapped by three men, each having come out of separate alleys to cut him off. This is when Nuada realized he had run into the den.[break][break]
“What brings you to this part o’ town?” one of the men in front of Nuada asked with their Artavian accent. It was easy to tell that these men were brigands and were probably also in the business of relieving visitors of their excess weight. [break][break]
Nuada glanced over his shoulder to see the one man behind him was brandishing a knife, though he was trying to keep it hidden behind his body. Though to one that was used to such situations, Nuada knew exactly what he was hiding. The two men in front were most likely armed as well. There were two ways that this situation would turn, and the Hunter hoped only the first option would be needed.[break][break]
“I’m ‘ere for tha’ girl,’ he said while pointing a finger, ‘she stole something from me and I wan’ it back, tha's all.”[break]
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.