< 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!
but the flesh will have it's way. and i'm already gone. i'm gone.
[attr="class","ohlovebody"]The night was cold, and the mines were more dangerous than ever. There were many reasons that it was dangerous to work in this chill. Your fingers would lose their feeling, your cheeks would go to raw, and the rest of you would soon follow. Warming spells helped somewhat, but they were never strong enough, and never cast often enough, because mages and charms were expensive.
The other danger of working a cold night like this was the risk of an explosion, which was what really brought the nerves out in the workforce. The lower you went, the deeper you were, the more dangerous it was. Methane liked cold. Methane went boom. It didn't help that the walkways were slick with ice from the daytime's melt, meaning you could take a steep fall over twenty feet. You would survive, probably. You would work again, if you were lucky. More likely, you wouldn't. Which meant you would starve.
Natalia hated the winter for that reason the most.
It was a time when food sources were low, when desperation was high; spirits were down, and crime was soaring. Every year it seemed to get worse, a life of hell right here in Fortuna. She was always hungry.
Tonight was a mixed kind of blessing. She was on the schedule during the day, where the sun offered enough warmth to curb a few of the mine's seasonal dangers, which meant she wasn't working the evening. Her chances of survival and having another day of work were increased, which was nothing but a good thing... But the day shift was always paid less. Not like it was a huge difference, but when you had next to nothing... Well, it meant a whole lot to be off on the better paid shift.
That wasn't the whole of it, though. Despite missing out on her night pay, everyone considered her to be getting the coldest night of the year off work because she was what they not-so-affectionately called a 'picknose'. The word had been coined when she got her scar, and was used for everyone who refused the drama of revolution. She got 'special treatment' according to a sect of the fellow miners. Having one of the most dangerous nights off just contributed to further destruction of her reputation... Whatever little she still had, anyway.
As far as having the night off, she wanted to spend it in a tavern somewhere, some place that had music. That was another point against winter: No street performers. All of the music was inside, and inside meant that there was a cover charge. Could she afford a drink if push came to shove? Yeah, maybe. Did she want to waste some dollars just for the soul remedy of music? Yeah, probably. Was she going to?
...No, no it was going to be another night away from the barracks, and away from the enticing sounds of the city streets. She couldn't be trusted around temptation.
Natalia bundled herself as best she could. Her miner's underclothes, thicker winter pants and sweater (though cheap, she'd just replaced them and they already felt worn), and a hand-made scarf another miner had owned that she'd scavenged from their things after they'd died. It was the warmest thing she wore, which in some ways was a cruel reminder of how cold the rest of her was.
But at least she would get to be alone.
She had brought with her a canister of soup that had been warm that morning, a canteen of water with herbs to cover the taste of rust from the faucet, a single match (she couldn't afford to waste more than one), a satchel of dry paper she could use for kindling and a small knife. It would have to do.
On a small mountain overlook above one of the old, tapped-out mines she'd worked in the past, she settled down with a deep sigh.
"Well, cheers," She muttered as she unscrewed the cap on her soup, "Survived another day."
In Telon, times were always hard. In the winter, times were worse.
Not for Siofra, of course. The slave trade was booming. It turns out that when you got hungry enough, and cold enough, and desperate enough, even selling yourself into slavery started to sound reasonable.
And it was easy to just kidnap them as well. Hard to fight back when you’re frozen and starving.
Siofra didn’t do any of the heavy lifting, so to speak, but Tyr was kept especially busy this time of year with all the new ‘contracts’. All day the Leo had been organizing raids, discussing deals, and sending messages to useful contacts. But finally, now, the work for the day was finished. Or at least, the day was practically finished and so Tyr had retired for the night. As the person in charge Tyr could pretty much do whatever he wanted.
As someone completely anonymous and unknown to the world, Siofra could do pretty much whatever they wanted too.
Now Siofra was Bronwyn, and after such a long day it was time to escape for a while. The girl’s short frame was dressed in fairly standard winter fare. Her feet were cradled snugly in a pair of soft leather boots, wool on the inside for comfort and warmth and fur on the outside for more warmth and of course style. She wore a pair of warm tights beneath a heavy winter dress, over which she donned a stylish long coat with beautiful flowing sleeves lined with silver fox fur. The look was completed by a pair of white leather gloves and a fluffy scarf. When she put her hood up, the wild red curls of her hair stuck out the side around her face in a way that looked practically adorable.
Of course, she needn’t have bundled up quite so much as she also had a very capable heating charm on a chain around her neck, but Bronwyn had a flair for appearances, and she looked cute as hell in this winter outfit.
Bronwyn might think something like how it didn’t matter what she looked like because she was planning on going somewhere where nobody was likely to see her anyway, but Siofra knew that when you were acting, you had to always, always stay in character. Whether you were in the middle of a crowded bar or alone on a deserted island where nobody could possibly see you, you must always remain in character.
Both Bronwyn and Siofra wanted to spend the rest of the night getting a little drunk and not being around so many people. At least away from all the people demanding things from them. Sometimes even acting got tiring, and even someone like Siofra could use a break occasionally.
In the most stereotypical of picnic baskets lined and topped with soft furs Bronwyn carried a bottle of spiced mead, a block of soft cheese wrapped in wax paper, a loaf of warm bread, and a canteen of hot chilli. Carrying it was all for show of course - she also carried on her person a storage charm in the shape of a small locket in which she kept a variety of items and could have easily stored the basket until it was needed.
The benefit of having all the money a person could ever need was that Bronwyn could enjoy a night like this, the coldest in the country, in comfort and tranquility. As she walked through the city streets she could hear jovial singing coming from the taverns at the same time as she could see the less fortunate huddled around dying fires in the alleys and probably freezing their feet off. It was so typically Diryn. Bronwyn kept walking. Once outside of the city there wasn’t anyone to see, even the main road deserted this late at night, and the world had a hushed, deserted quality to it that was peaceful. Calming.
The snow on the ground out here was white, rather than the murky brown of the mud and muck of the city. The city lights didn’t reach far out here either, but on such a cold night there were no clouds to hide the stars and the bright moon high above, which gave ample light by which to travel.
The girl stopped and quirked her head, wild curls bobbing, as she spotted a fresh pair of footprints leading off the beaten path and up up up to a spot where now she could see a faint flicker of firelight. Green eyes settled upon the sight and the girl began to follow the new trail, a faint smile on her lips and a bounce in her step.
As she made her way along the path she saw the source of the light - a tiny fire - and the source of the footprints - someone wrapped head to toe in winter-looking gear who was drinking something from a canister. Bronwyn’s face crinkled pleasantly as she smiled upon seeing the person, and she waved her free hand and greeted, ”Wow I can’t say I was expecting to meet someone else out here this late! Can I join you at your fire?”
but the flesh will have it's way. and i'm already gone. i'm gone.
[attr="class","ohlovebody"]Up here in the silence of the night, Natalia could sometimes almost hear music. It wasn't the stuff they played in the city, and not even like the music occasionally tuned in the barracks. It was a memory of the sounds from another life she had once lived. They were as calming as they were saddening, and made her melancholy as she sipped the familiar cold of the soup and pictured the spring as if the thought could warm her. She hummed a little, hummed along to the music in her head, and forgot everything.
If she hadn't been caught in her reverie, she might have noticed Bronwyn. She definitely would have noticed Bronwyn. She would have heard the crunching of feet, and would have had a sense someone was approaching and would have schooled herself into stifled, appropriate silence. She also wouldn't have been spooked.
"Wow, I can't say I--" was what Natalia heard before her canister spilled from her hands and began to empty itself into the greedy snow. She had a split second to choose between her knife, which she might use to defend herself, and the canister, which had her sole meal until colder oatmeal before the next day's shift.
Like she always did, she went for the soup. Her stomach clenched as she looked into the canister, half of the half that was left, was now in the snow. If someone wasn't there she might have reached out and shoveled the stuff into her mouth, but she had just enough dignity to hold off as she heard the rest of what the woman said: "Can I join you at your fire?"
Natalia turned then, taking in the strange that had stumbled upon her. And strange it was: A woman in dress far too good to be this close to the mines. She had to be someone important, or someone just plain lost. Nothing else could explain why she'd be here, and not tucked safely within the city in the warm of a nice inn with nice food and nice people and a nice, big bed to curl into after all the nice of the evening was done. Natalia felt a surge of jealousy, a small flicker of desire to attack the woman and hope she had something of worth on her. She held herself back, though. She had not turned to crime, and she wasn't going to. She wasn't going to. She wasn't going to. She wasn't--
The woman was probably afraid. Natalia was afraid. The woman looked weak, and harmless, but most mages did. And most mages could kill you with a concentrated thought. The woman, maybe, thought the same thing about Natalia. Or maybe she was always confident, and didn't second-guess the world. There were folks 'round Dirys who had those kinds of privileges.
"Sure," She responded, completely in spite of herself. She grasped the pine branch she'd been using to stoke her fire and gave it a few good pokes. Sparks of ash fed into the air, glittering for a moment before cooling to the chill, and then the smoke blew away off the overlook, the wind in Natalia and her new stranger's favour. She moved then, shifting her back off the rock she was using to lean against and offering it to the woman out of habit. She was dressed nicer, she should have the nicer spot.
Natalia sat cross-legged a comfortable distance away, gesturing to the spot to show the woman how helpful she could be. It never hurt to serve when you could. There was something else she could offer though, if the woman was lost, and so Natalia sniffled a bit and attempted advice: "City's just a mile off though -- that way? Sure be a lot warmer for you there, Miss."
Rosy lips formed a soft ‘o’ for a moment as the woman startled and spilled her canister on the ground. She finished her question as the woman picked it back up quickly, inspecting it before turning back to inspect Bronwyn. Bronwyn smiled disarmingly, dimpled cheeks flushed a light pink though whether from cold or the walk or embarrassment at having startled the woman was up in the air.
A moment later the woman agreed to share her fire and Bronwyn’s smile deepened and she did a little half curtsy. Her gaze drifted to the sparks when the woman stoked the fire, then back to the woman as she scooted over and motioned towards the spot she had been sitting against the rock as though offering the seat. ”Thanks!” she replied, her tone of voice indicating pleased surprise.
She set her basket down and used her now free hands to sweep her dress and coat under her as she sat, folding her legs under her and off to the side delicately. The other woman commented that the city was only a mile off and that it would be a lot warmer for her there, and Bronwyn turned her gaze back to the woman and the distance between where they sat now.
”Ah that’s so kind of you, but I actually just came from the city. I wanted to get out for the night and have a picnic under the stars,” as she mentioned them she looked up to the sky reverently and trailed off or a moment before seeming to catch herself and chuckling a little, turning her attention back to the other woman. ”I’m sorry I made you drop your thermos. I guess you weren’t expecting anyone else to be here either, hey? Let me make it up to you.”
She moved the picnic basket so it sat between the two of them and she opened the lid, revealing the contents. ”I brought chilli, bread and cheese, and of course some spiced mead. I only have the one bowl and everything though, would you be okay with using your own?” She gave the woman an earnest look with a bit of a sheepish smile, as though embarrassed that she hadn’t thought to bring two sets of everything.
✉ notes: Feels weird writing Nat when I'm so full!
my heart it aches to stay
but the flesh will have it's way. and i'm already gone. i'm gone.
[attr="class","ohlovebody"]Natalia did her best not to stare. She was good at keeping her head down when she had something to focus on like the rhythm of the mines, but less so when it came to quiet moments like this. All she had to look at were the clouds, the fire, and the stranger. The stranger was by far the most interesting thing here, but also the least appropriate to gawk at. She sat so... Fancy. Natalia shifted as if to mirror her fireside companion, but the movement felt wrong before she even finished it. She gracefully settled for cross-legged instead.
The stranger told Natalia she'd come from the city, and had left it for a picnic. Natalia's eyes widened in confusion and her brows screwed before she schooled herself to impassivity. A picnic? Her mind wasn't going to release the shock as easily. It was the coldest night of the year. If Natalia could afford it, she would have been inside anywhere warm eating anything warm. Was this another of those privileges some mysterious and legendary people in Telon could afford? Spending a night in the cold for pleasure?
She missed something the woman had said as she fretted over the potential insanity (or insanity of wealth) the woman represented, but suddenly the basket was between them and it's insides were revealed. Natalia thought she might cry as she saw steam rise from the chilli, as she eyed the thick and crusty loaf of bread, as she took in the light sweat that had gathered on the cheese from the warm, and then the woman mentioned spiced mead?! Natalia's mind crunched, and her stomach flipped, and her eyes almost teared.
The last time she'd had spiced mead was before she took the job, her last free spring in fact. Her lover and her had shared their cups with a group of other celebrants. It had warmed them long into the fall. She shivered now, remembering what warmth was like, and how far she was from it.
Wait, had the woman just offered to share? Why was she smiling like that? Was this a joke? If Natalia said yes would the woman laugh at her foolishness? Had she died in the cold, and this was her afterlife? This woman simply offering such a luxurious meal was so unbelievable that Natalia's paranoid went into overdrive.
She knew that she should say no. If the woman had offered a blanket for the cold, she would have. If she had held out coins, Natalia could have refused. But food? Food. She couldn't ignore her gut, no matter how hard she tried. It's protests were too loud, too all consuming. So instead of saying no, she just nodded her head in an undignified and dumbfounded way without managing the concept of words. Her hands shakily removed the cap of her canister, the closest thing she had to a bowl, and brought it towards the basket.
"Natalia," She suddenly said, as if remembering something long forgotten, "Natalia Anjali, my name, I'm sorry, that was very rude. I accepted your food before I even said my name, I'm sorry. Please forgive me, Madam."
Bronwyn’s smile widened as the other woman held out her thermos, the one that she had dropped earlier, and she made a move towards removing the chilli from the basket but stopped as the other woman blurted out a name. Natalia. Bronwyn’s mouth dropped open for just a moment in surprise as the woman continued introducing herself and apologizing for having not said so earlier.
”Oh my goodness, Natalia, I’m so sorry! Where are my manners? First I make you drop your thermos and then I completely forget to introduce myself. I’m Bronwyn. Bryn works too. Madam makes me feel old,” she laughed lightly then and picked up the canteen of chilli and unscrewed the top, motioning for Natalia to move her canister closer so she could pour some into it while she continued to speak. ”It’s a little spicy, but the bread and cheese will help temper it and of course the spiced mead makes everything better. Perfect for a winter night, right?”
but the flesh will have it's way. and i'm already gone. i'm gone.
[attr="class","ohlovebody"]The strange woman's name was Bronwyn, and while Natalia did not know much about names she thought it was an appropriate one. It sounded kindly, and yet as rich as the woman must have been. The name of a benevolent Queen.
Natalia nodded as Bronwyn spoke about the food, about how good it would be for a night like this. She mentioned the chili was spicy and Natalia was even more desperate to try it now. Spices. She had not had spices in years. Everything she ate tasted delicious because she was always starving, but when she really thought about it she missed spice. She missed flavour. She missed springs and summers spent on a neighbour's porch as they slathered a rack of meat with a heavily spiced sauce. She locked her lips together to prevent herself from over-salivating, from embarrassing herself, and nodded silently at Bronwyn's statement.
She sucked and swallowed with her mouth closed to dry her mouth and managed: "Th-thank you, ma-- Miss. Miss Bronwyn." Natalia caught herself before saying 'ma'am', knowing it would be too strange to dare saying Bronwyn's name without an honorific of some kind. This woman was someone important. She must be. No one could be so generous with their food if they weren't.
Her thanks given, Natalia did not think for a moment to let Bronwyn eat first. Manners would dictate as much, but the chili in her cup looked thick with beans and meat and the smell was intoxicating and there was no way she could stop herself from tasting it. She brought the cup to her lips, lacking in a proper spoon, and opened her mouth enough to let in all of the chunks. The food was too hot, but that was a good thing. She hadn't had a hot meal in so long - it was always cold or lukewarm. The spices hit the back of her throat and her nose tingled, but she swallowed and smiled, and turned her head away from Bronwyn to wipe her lips of any mess upon her sleeve.
At the thanks, and the correction from 'Ma-' (Madam? Ma'am?) to 'Miss', Bronwyn giggled bashfully and said a quick "You're welcome," and pulled her own bowl from the basket, pouring chilli for herself as Natalia began to drink hers. Well, as much as thick chilli could be drank. Once her own bowl was half-filled she twisted the cap back on her canteen and put the remainder back in the basket, taking out the bread now and breaking a chunk off to stick in her chilli while Natalia was wiping her mouth on her sleeve.
Then Natalia turned back to her and said that the chilli was amazing, which earned a rosy blush from Bronwyn and a slightly shy "Thanks." A moment later she perked back up and bit back a smile before blurting out, "Oh! You've still got some right...oh, here lemme get it," she said, reaching out to brush her thumb lightly against Natalia's cheek, just on the edge of her lips. The touch was not entirely casual, and it lingered for just long enough that it was apparent.
But then she pulled her hand back looking surprised, and she furrowed her brows and exclaimed, ”You’re freezing! Don’t you have a heating charm?”
but the flesh will have it's way. and i'm already gone. i'm gone.
[attr="class","ohlovebody"]Bronwyn's hand on Natalia's face was almost like an electric shock. She flinched a little, and then froze, terrified that whatever she did to cause it the first time she'd do again. It wasn't as though Bronwyn's touch had felt painful, or disgusting -- it had merely felt wrong. It was warm, and soft, and umarred by physical labour. But-- here was this affluent woman, mingling with a dirty miner, and she had just reached out and brushed fingers over her cheek, near her lips? Not just brushed, no... Lingered.
Natalia was confused, but she wasn't an idiot. The woman was... She wanted... Natalia pushed the thought out of her mind and listened to Bronwyn exclaim shock at the miner not having a heating charm. A part of her wished to explain to her the cost of such things, but another part was somewhat charmed by the innocence of someone so well-to-do. Maybe, just maybe, Natalia could force herself to relax. (Unless this was just a trick)
"N-no," She managed to say, a small laugh colouring her tone, "But don't worry! You know, sometimes when you're cold for a long time, you stop noticing it."
Despite Natalia's laugh and her possible attempt at lightening the mood, Bronwyn's expression was first shocked, and then incredibly worried, and she moved the basket to her other side and motioned for Natalia to move closer. "Oh you poor thing, my dear new friend, we can share mine! I thought for sure you must have, to be out on a night like this. Come, sit next to me and it should cover us both." As she spoke and motioned with one hand her other went to the chain around her neck and she pulled it up past her scarf and then over her red curls and then held it out as though to show Natalia. The pendant itself was a ruby outlined in gold, shaped like a little fire. It might have been tacky for a heating charm if it wasn't worth so much that it could feed a family for a month.
"Here, you can hold it until you warm up - it has an area kind of effect but it's warmest closest to the charm." She turned her attention then fully back to Natalia, looking up at her through dark lashes with the ghost of a smile on her lips, as though worried perhaps the woman might refuse.
The skin OTHERWORLD was made by JAWN of WICKED WONDERLAND.
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