< 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 Ophelia Rothchild on Jun 21, 2018 10:35:58 GMT -7
When Ophelia arrived at the beach-house, there didn't seem to be anyone there. No servants were outside maintaining the greenery, no one answering the tinkling bell on the string she pulled to announce her arrival, and Ophelia thought that she must have confused the day, until she reviewed the correspondence in the orange leather snap bag and saw that it clearly stated she was to visit the property on the seventh. Today was the seventh, she had verified it before leaving the family home that morning, and there was no possible way that Claudius had misspoke the date when dictating the letter, nor did she believe his trusted assistant (and lover) would mistake the date with his quill.
She began to worry. What if Claudius had indeed sent someone to watch her in Gemarton? She thought that he had trusted her to visit her parents without a watchful eye, but what if he had only said that because he knew about her and Ichabod? Or what if he had seen the comfort Luciano had given her just days ago. What if something absolutely awful were to happen? The terrifying thing about her anxiety was that it was entirely possible that was the case. She did not know what kind of terror Claudius could inflict, he certainly wasn't a villain, but she had not had to fear it so deeply before.
Steeling herself at the door and nodding at herself in the glass reflection of a window, Ophelia began to make her way around the beach house, to see if perhaps there were people towards the back of it, perhaps enjoying the view of the Jewel Shore that the place gave. She took a deep breath to relax, her breathing limited by the corset cinched very tightly around her waist, and the many warm layers she had on that were pleasant for the cold winter morning, but that seemed to constrict her more. As she walked, her cream skirt dragged in the glittering sand, and she lifted it, her blue gloves not quite warming her fingers as they left her middle.
As Ophelia made it around to the back, she felt her shoulders relax somewhat as she saw him. A man at the end of the cliff-side that the property sat upon, looking off onto the jewel shore which glittered faintly through the clinging frost. She didn't recognize the man, she had not met the 'Zota Vanros' she was told to visit here at the beautiful beachfront studio Claudius had arranged, but she had to hope it was him. Perhaps she would not go close to the cliff...
She only walked within ten feet of the man, her steps quiet in the sand, and then she cleared her throat gently and spoke in a quiet voice, "Zota Vanros, I take it?"
Post by Zota Vanros on Jun 22, 2018 9:53:46 GMT -7
The Jewel Shore was beautiful.
Beyond serving as the prospective site of Zota's expedition, Zota was in awe of its work of nature. As frustrating as it was to try and fail to secure permission time and again to dig beneath it, Zota could scarcely find reason to blame them. If one sought the purest image that captured a "rich" history of a nation, it was the Jewel Shore. Gemstones with the myriad colors of the rainbow gleamed in the sand, inviting all who dared look to walk, or perhaps even claim the sand for themselves, though of course the law prohibited anyone to take from it. In fact, that was the greatest legal matter Zota had to concern himself with - where the beach ended, if at all, and where his expedition could begin. Zota had no choice but to maintain a lie that he was seeking treasure. If he had told them that someone had spoken to him all those years ago, and he was trying to free that person, they would think him insane. Nor could he simply force his way into the underground, lest he be caught. Perhaps not today, or tomorrow, but eventually, they could catch him. He would not be regarded as a lunatic or a criminal. This had to be entirely legitimate. He has not a usurper. He was not an upstart wanting for what he could not have. He would be king one day, that much was certain, but until now, he had nothing to show for it.
When was the last time Zota had felt… anxious? It was a trouble sensation, but one he could not set aside. Edgar, along with some… "help", had found a painting, supposedly of Zota's ancestor, Arcas van Rosse. Supposedly, one of the last kings of Dirys. It had the potential to prove Zota's birthright, but it was too good to be true. Zota could not expect the painting alone to be enough. It could be but the first piece of a larger puzzle, but only if it was legitimate. Zota needed someone who could verify the painting, and among the various art dealers in Dirys, there were few with as fine a reputation as Claudius and Ophelia Rothchild. He had never met them himself; this could be a gamble - he had every reason to believe anyone would attempt to swindle him - but Zota would have to settle for reputation alone.
"Zota Vanros, I take it?" A young woman, no older than Edgar, approached him. As lovely as she was, she was surprisingly younger than he had expected.
"Indeed I am," Zota answered, shaking her hand. "And you must be Ophelia."
He dressed casually for this. While this was a business deal, he would not to put on airs. The painting was being safely protected within a suitcase that was standing beside him. He would walk her through the details of the painting slowly. If he opened by simply asking her to prove that his ancestor was the former king, it would not be the best foot to open this discussion on However, he would not be satisfied unless she explicitly confirmed that the painting was genuine. Of course, the painting itself did not necessarily prove that he was descended from Arcas, but he would worry about that later.
"Forgive me if I seem like I'm daydreaming. The Jewel Shore is simply one of my favorite places. The perfect spot for this meeting, wouldn't you think?" He picked up his suitcase, and nodded towards the beach house. "Well then, shall we get down to business?"
Post by Ophelia Rothchild on Jun 26, 2018 10:29:28 GMT -7
Part of Ophelia relaxed when the man confirmed his identity, even if it really meant nothing in the grand scheme of things... Ophelia did not know much of who Zota Vanros was, and for all she knew he could have been sent by her husband, or he could be lying entirely. She would need to look beyond those anxious thoughts however, as she potentially had a job to do, and deep down she knew that Claudius was not an evil man, and would not be capable of the things she was worriedly imagining.
The man shook her hand, and she smiled pleasantly along as he apologized. She had to agree with him, as she looked out onto the shimmering shore. It wasn't as gorgeous now as it could be on a perfect summer's day, but the winter had its own charms that this place displayed beautifully. The frost made the sea look almost like crystal, a perfect pairing for the glittering colours of the shore. It was this one place that she thought no artist could ever truly create, it was a place created by the divine, and they had a talent no mortal could ever possess. She hummed her agreement, stealing another look out before he reminded her of the work she was here to complete.
"Of course, please," She nodded as well, allowing him to lead the way towards the house, though walking half a step behind him on the same side as the suitcase, "Claudius told me little of the work you'd like us to look at. I wasn't certain if that was a limitation of his written correspondence or... I believe I'm here to validate a piece's authenticity? Is there anything more you can tell me, Mr. Vanros?"
Post by Zota Vanros on Jul 29, 2018 7:43:58 GMT -7
Zota gently laid the suitcase upon a table in the beach house, humming affirmatively to Ophelia's question. He wasn't particularly certain what Ophelia had meant by a "limitation" of her husband's correspondence. If anything, it was that Zota himself had been sparse with the particulars of this meeting, and Claudius only had so much to work with to tell Ophelia to organize this.
"Yes, that's quite right," he told her. Slowly lifting the painting from his resting place, he pulled aside the cloth covering it, revealing the young man garbed in the ostentatious cape of peacock feathers. Zota did not obscure the name "Arcas van Rosse", but neither did he draw attention to it. He trusted that Ophelia would quite easily take notice of that, and it was better to let her draw her own conclusions than to speak with even a hint of desperation. What was more concerning, however, was the lie he would have to give her. He could not readily confess that Edgar had been traipsing through a lost tunnel and simply "happened" upon it. He needed Ophelia to believe not in the potential that the portrait offered, but in his - and his family's - nobility; not that of blood, but that of character.
"I believe my son Edgar had found someone attempting to pawn this on the black market," Zota said. There was no way he could twist his words so as to claim that he was technically correct. Alas, the notion that this was a portrait that needed to be rescued was the narrative he had chosen, and he would push that as far as it could carry him. "It would only be proper to return it to where it should belong, such as museum, or anything you deem appropriate."
For a moment, he almost considered adding far more specific suggestions; in Edgar's ballroom, in the center of Dimant, or even Raul Dalte's very office. The possibilities of granting the portrait a public display were endless, so as to send the message, "This was once your king."
Whether or not Zota could their next king would depend entirely on Ophelia's judgment.
Post by Ophelia Rothchild on May 1, 2019 8:56:30 GMT -7
While the portrait was a beautifully crafted piece of art, Ophelia had little reaction as it was revealed. After all, she was intended to be an impartial judge today. Most works that she appraised were excellent forgeries anyways, so there was no use in gasping at the beauty of something until it was proven to be worth such a response.
Her eyes roamed the piece carefully, looking for tell-tale signs of a forgery. The things Claudius had trained her eye for. There were no bristles lodged in the paint-- which was heavily layered and revealed to Ophelia the many works and reworks that the creation of the piece had gone through. If nothing else, it was a real piece of art. Fakes were purposeful, too perfect. Art was full of small flaws.
The question remained: was it worth anything? That was the true question Zota was asking her.
"It's beautiful," She admitted as she glanced over at her husband's customer. His eyes gave nothing away, but Ophelia did not have a keen eye for people either way. The work would have to speak for itself.
She next looked at the frame itself. It was old, certainly. And it did not look like it had been repurposed. Where the frame surrounded the canvas you could see that the two were very nearly molded together with age. This was no lie insinuating that a quality frame had been put around a modern portrait.
Her hand hovered over the sides of the frame, drifting down to the base where the placard was firmly attached to give title to the piece. Arcas van Rosse, it read, though Ophelia didn't pay mind to the words and how they (and the man in the painting) bore such resemblance to the man watching her work. Instead, she noticed the old style of engraving, the clean straight edges with the build up of brass dust in the rounded corners of letters. Her mouth formed a small 'o' as she conceived of all these details together.
"This is quite a piece, Mr. Vanros," She finally stated, pursing her lips and bringing her gaze back to him. Claudius had taught her not to give away too much while doing an appraisal. It was how he made his money. She had once thought of it as lying.
"I believe more examination would need to be done to properly place the work in time, and in worth. There remains a possibility that this piece is worthless, you see, even if it is not a fake. I believe that my husband and I could arrange a deal for it this week, however. Should you be so inclined to part with it."
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.
