< 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!
[attr="class","gilles2"]Her sudden chuckle succeeded in taking Gilles by surprise, so unlike her intense anger - for which his hatches had been well battened. He observed with curiosity as she focused herself with measured breaths, and how as she did, the rain around them began to lighten, and then stop. He had already recognized her power, but this? He could comfort himself with a thought of coincidence, but he could do nothing but doubt such conclusions.
This Chief was controlling the storm. No, not just that. Could she have very well been the storm? Did she control it consciously, or did it respond to her moods? Gilles was enamoured.
He glanced to the sky as she revealed it, just as Miynie had done for Khades in their trade. Hidden stars turned to a blanket of glittering light ahead. The stars nurtured his queries and theories. They asked him to learn about her, this Chief. He needed none of their encouragement.
"Freedom. Unity. Protection," He assured, believing wholly in his purpose.
His answer was good enough, and it earned a brief nod from Xanthe though her attention was divided. She was thinking, trying to remember something... She had seen the history between Aurcaele and his people, and the memory when they said it should be 'taken care of'. What Aurcaele had done to the glowing ones in the past was indeed horrific. She had only seen brief memories of their mistreatment and it had upset her deeply. If they ever treated her people like that, or tried to force them to pray to their goddess, not even a peace treaty could quell her wrath. But, for the good of Atton, she had signed the treaty with them. Perhaps it would prevent their history from repeating itself. She wondered if Gilles knew this, and that was why he had shown her the history of them. Or perhaps he didn't, but he had wanted to show that their peoples each had a history of fighting for freedom.
She remembered now. "Protection from Aurcaele. From all threats that bear down on us. And should another be revealed, hidden by night or magic, that desires freedom such as us, Eleusia shall be for them." She looked to Gilles. "Miynie told your Supreme of Atton long before the storms protecting it fell. She wanted you to find us." No, not find them. She hadn't told them where Atton was or how to get there. She had given them a vision of its existence so that when Atton revealed itself they would be there for it. Why?
"Atton signed a peace treaty with Vieri, Niseca... Aurcaele. The peace treaty wrote Atton as a country in Eleusia. I did not know what Eleusia was, but I see now it was fate. If Eleusia signs the treaty, it will give them protection from Aurcaele as well."
[attr="class","gilles2"]Gilles had not yet known about the treaty. It had not been announced outside of the peacekeepers. Yet, his face showed no surprise. It was as Tristan had theorized. Aurcaele, of all places, had been the first to take up the offer from Feofil Peti and Erik the Sharp-Eyed. It was possible, if what the Chief was saying was accurate, that Feofil was even now sending a missive to Fort Giakohs, to inform them that he had gotten Aurcaele under control, and had served Eleusia by unifying Atton within it. A missive to request their signing.
Gilles had always thought Feofil a clever man.
She was clear with her words, and Gilles nodded his understanding. "You speak well," He complimented, admiring up at her. Ellis Danton was a skilled teacher, it appeared. And the Chief, an impressive learner. He wished to teach her more, and to learn from her in return. He wanted her to come to Giakohs, and meet other Evokers who would admire her as deeply as he. To meet Tristan, who could better understand and convey the intricacies of the treaty she had signed. The weaknesses of it. They were, after all, only ink on parchment.
"We would wish to," He continued after letting his compliment settle in the air, "Could it come... Somewhere absent of Aurcaele. Until we become certain of our... Safety."
She spoke well, he said. It earned a small smile and a quirk of her brow. She had learned much from her time with Ellis and, later, the Peacekeepers. Once she had opened herself up to actually learn from the invaders rather than fight against them, she had been able to pick up more in the past weeks than in all the years before. It helped, of course, that Ellis was a good teacher. They had learned from each other. There was much still she didn't know, but with the existing treaty and possibly more countries to join, it seemed there may yet be time to learn. She spoke better common than almost any invader spoke Attonian.
Gilles continued a moment later, thoughtful with his words as always, and said that they would like to sign it. He asked, however, that it be somewhere away from Aurcaele until they could be sure of their own safety. She did not have to think on that long before she nodded. "The treaty is in the temple with Feofil and the Peacekeepers." And Erik, her anger reminded her. And Ellis. Yes, perhaps the temple wasn't an ideal location right now. With Erik's betrayal and Aurcaele's history with Gilles' people, that left only Feofil and the Nisequois peacekeepers that they could both trust. "I will go where you are safe, but I will not go alone. Feofil will come." Ellis would be a better translator if things came up that she didn't understand, but she trusted Feofil.
[attr="class","gilles2"]Gilles was pleased with her suggestion, and her acquiescence. She clearly had no interest in involving Erik for the time being, and was empathetic enough to understand why he may not wish to have Aurcaele present. Niseca, they could surely agree to. He imagined Tristan would be less perfectly enthused, but Gilles hoped his ally would still see the success here.
He nodded to her suggestion, and then finally stood. Gilles' motions were soft and careful despite his size, as if he still wished to ensure she did not take his movement as any kind of a threat. "Feofil is welcome. He is most trusted. He knows our location," He told her, and then he queried her on the timeline: "Three days?"
She had not expected Gilles to say no, however hearing him agree to Feofil coming was still a relief. He said that Feofil knew their location, and she nodded again. She was also fairly sure she knew their location, as she had scouted the locations of all the invading tribes - countries - when they had come here, though she hadn't done such a thing in some time now and it was possible they had moved since. "Three days," she repeated in agreement. Three days was long enough for him to return to his people to prepare for the meeting, but not so long that they could set up a particularly dangerous trap if that was what they intended. She didn't think they would do such a thing, but even though she found herself trusting Gilles she wasn't ready to let her guard down. Just in case.
With this agreement it seemed their meeting was coming to an end. Xanthe closed the distance between the two of them and reached up to place her hand against the back of Gilles' head, pulling (gently) down as he was too tall for her to reach otherwise. For a moment he didn't move, and was likely confused as to what she was even doing, but then he leaned down until his head was about equal to hers, and within reach now she put her forehead against his. An Attonian custom. "Thank you, Gilles."
[attr="class","gilles2"]When she reached up to pull his head, Gilles had not moved, as he did not understand what she was attempting to do. He also had not moved because the sudden physical connection to her had created a small static shock in his brain. It was not painful, but rather invigorating, and it had stopped him in his tracks for the confusion of it. Once he had righted himself, and understood better her intent, he leaned into her tug, and felt her forehead press against his.
The magic of her was intense. It was like touching the amulet when he was starved. Only he wasn't starving, and this was stronger. He felt the small scrapes from the piercing rain heal as if he had taken a full day's rest. Felt the mental fatigue at the corners of his mind dissipate. He had beheld powerful magic users like this before, and they had aided in his restfulness, but... She was so much more intense. Gilles knew, with no doubts in his mind, that he would do most anything to ensure Rielcia became allied with her and her people, and wondered briefly how powerful the warriors of her people must be.
She thanked him, and he returned the gesture, realizing only now that he did not learn her name: "Thank you-- Chief of Atton."
The magic under his skin hummed in tune with hers, and with their touch she felt connected to him more than just physically. It was like and yet unlike when she had done the same to Ellis. Ellis had no magic, but they'd been connected just the same. She hoped Gilles would not bring her the same disappointment.
"Xanthe," she replied when he spoke, releasing him and flashing a smile. "Three days. Sa tsenthe v'nesaqs" They would meet again soon, and with their signatures the treaty would expand to five invading countries. They may not get every country to agree to peace, but with enough allies they could defend Atton against those who would prefer war. Her words were ones of parting, and so she did. Placing a hand on the Jaosi S'na she disappeared in a flash of lightning.
Gilles had given her much to think about in such a short time, and she would need these three days to sort out her next steps. She wouldn't return to the temple today, as had been her plan. Not until she had time to think about what Erik had done, and what she was going to do with him. If he had truly led Kav'nok to slaughter the peacekeepers, his own people, there would be no redemption. And Aurcaele... She knew its soldiers had killed many of her people, Kav'nok's brother included, but both Ellis and Pelagia had tried to clear the air. They had signed the treaty, turned against the ruler who would have them slaughter her people, and perhaps had turned over a new leaf against their past. If they hadn't already signed the treaty she might have second thoughts after what she'd seen, but she would hold them to the peace they promised. Yes, there was much to think about and the war was not yet won, but they were closer now than they ever had been.
The name echoed the sound of lightning, and formed over his tongue as easily as his own name. Easier. The name was... Honest to the Chief he had watched over the past hour. He felt assured in what it predicted of her. "Three days."
He watched as she departed, this time able to see her go through the tree with his own two eyes. It was a strange kind of Conjuration for a woman who held a strange kind of Evocation, and Gilles was curious. He watched after the tree for several moments after she disappeared in that near-binding shock of lightning, and then approached it with mild caution. It was just a tree, though one that fed on the lightning pulsing through the earth and air. He moved a hand to touch it, and could see the static formed between his red palm and the black of the tree.
And then, with his other hand, he grasped his amulet, thought of Fort Giakohs, and saw the golden lines appear in his mind's eye. He took a step forward, a strike of lightning coming down upon where he stood before the tree, and Gilles disappeared.
His teleportation left a mark. A scorch, a singe, of two feet standing before the tree, and a palm print of copper red on the wood of the tree.
The skin OTHERWORLD was made by JAWN of WICKED WONDERLAND.
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