[Other FULL] The Elements [T] [IC]

[YellowGardevoir]

The Elements

GM'd by YellowGardevoir and mickeydog515​

Welcome!
Welcome to the IC Thread of The Elements! If you would like to ask a question, or are interested in this RP, please visit the OOC Thread here. Chapter One will begin as soon as this thread goes through, so be sure to check back for that. One note before we begin, NPC creation is allowed and probably necessary, but don't go extremely overboard. This is a multiplayer RP for a reason, we should be interacting with each other, not NPCs! One other rule regarding NPCs is refrain from manipulating those in leadership positions. This doesn't mean you can't have them speak, but their overall actions have to be controlled by mickey or myself to avoid potential breaks in the storyline. Once again, asking is always the best policy if you're concerned!
Prologue:
Many eons ago, matter and energy lay strewn about the blackness without order. However, in this infinite darkness there was light, solitary and unknowable. Arch-eon, the primordial god, existed. He saw the latent potential in the void and began to shape it with his will. His first act of creation was the Elder Gods. Five separate beings, they had dominion over energy and light. For an unknowable amount of time these gods dwelt with Arch-eon, and gave order to the void. And so Arch-eon wished that there be things in the void. Things made of matter. With the assistance of the Elder Gods, Arch-eon created the Major Gods.Six of these there were, each with dominion over an element. These Major Gods went with Arch-eon to a certain place in the void. He spoke unto them, saying, in the language that existed before words, "This is the place where I would create a world." And so it was that the gods joined their separate powers and formed a magnificent world. As the powers of the Major Gods merged together, a new power was formed. These Fusion Gods were the spiritual children of the Major Gods, though all were given life with the spark of Arch-Eon. To each of the Fusion Gods was given a shared dominion from each of their parents, each with a unique result from each pairing.

There was great rejoicing among the Gods, for they saw that they had created something beautiful. But even among the Gods there was a flaw. The god of Darkness, M'Rak, felt that he could obtain greater power by eliminating one of his fellow gods. He prepared in secret strengthening his abilities beyond all of his brethren. But he desired more. He launched a surprise attack against his counterpart, Lucinda. The peaceful embodiment of light, M'Rak knew she was the weakest of the gods, and lacked the drive to control others that M'Rak possessed. He attacked Lucinda when she was alone, hoping to overpower her quickly enough to avoid detection by the other gods. But this was not a fight he could win.

Lucinda sent out a distress call the moment he attacked her. He had anticipated this, but what he had not prepared for was the strength of her defense. Her shield of light thwarted his efforts for longer than he had foreseen. The other gods, hearing the call from Lucinda, rushed to her side. They found her curled behind a shield of light, with M'Rak hammering away at her with pulses of darkness. The other gods detained M'Rak, swiftly if not easily. He was brought before Arch-Eon, who passed swift and immediate judgement. Eternal banishment.

M'Rak was outraged. "Am I not the strongest of your children?" he asked, using the language that existed before language. "Did I not magnify my gifts more than any other? Why then are you banishing me?"

"Because my greatest desire is for peace and life," responded Arch-Eon.

M'Rak was furious. He swore revenge as he left, vowing that he would eliminate all the gods, and take their power. The gods payed him little heed.

With a void in the governing elements, Archeon summoned Lucinda before him. He took her essence and, with it, formed a twin for her. Luna, the new goddess of Darkness, was nigh on identical to her sister, and the world entered an era of peace. But somewhere, M'Rak remains, and it is only a matter of time before he takes his revenge...
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Many ages passed, and life appeared on the planet the gods had created. They were fascinated with its many forms, but they were most interested in a particular species. Man. The race of men was weak physically, outmatched by every other predator who competed for the large game that was humanity's main food source. But the race of men had two distinct advantages. One was the endurance of their bodies. Much energy was bestowed upon the race of men, and this energy they used to great affect. They could pursue prey for much larger distances and for much longer periods of time than any other predator, and their nomadic lifestyle was aided by their upright stance. They other great advantage they had was their mind. Human creativity and imagination was limitless, and they created tools, weapons, art, music, and more. And, from the depths of the human mind came their greatest strength of all: the ability to manipulate Aether, the divine power of Arch-Eon. Though they lacked direct powers of creation, strong-minded and powerfully-willed humans could manipulate the elements like the Elder and Major Gods and their children, though to lesser extents.

These Aether users were initially rare, a result of chance, but their innate strengths made them desirable partners and their strengths were passed down in their children. Occasionally a random person shows an affinity for this manipulation of energy, but for the most part only those who are descended from the original few have the capability.

Over time, the race of Men discovered ways to boost their Aether wielding potential. Aether flows through everything, and, like water over the landscape, it wears paths where it flows easiest. These pathways exist in individuals as well, and provide the source of Aether to manipulate. Using this pathway theory, humanity developed many different stances to increase the flow. Many different beliefs arose, each claiming that their style was the best. Groups of like-minded individuals came together and codified their beliefs, forming schools to teach their practices.

These schools exhibited a general animosity and, at times, fierce rivalry with one another. They held many competitions between the strongest members, each attempting to secure itself as the most powerful Style. War was common in those days.

Ages passed. The race of men grew weary of war. Cities began to sign peace treaties with one another, hoping to reduce the fighting between schools. They created a worldwide competition, with each school placing their strongest mages into teams. These teams traveled to each school, and fought against a group of mages picked by the respective school. Each school could only be challenged once by any one school, and the victors earned points toward the competition. The winning school was made officiator of the World Congress, and received additional delegates. This made the competition a major event in world politics, and a focus point of every school.
You:
You are a mage of any school, and a member of that school's Offense Team. You are proficient in your chosen magics, though the amount of time you have been a member is up to you. Each school has a selection process, which will be discussed under the Locations section. The event begins with a tournament, and the members of each school's Offense Team participate. Your characters will take place in the tournament, and in the events following. If you have any questions, let one of us know!
Rules:

• Basic Pokecommunity and Roleplay Rules apply, and can be found here. Failure to comply to these will result in the removal from the RP.
• Powerplaying and Godmodding have the potential to be greatly misused, especially in this RP. If you want to do something, ask! We're nice guys.
• Joint posts are fine, but ensure the person you're jointing with knows about it…
• Combat results should be determined in the OOC thread before combat. Discuss the most likely results based on each other's character. If necessary, one of the GMs will randomly determine the victor. This is also a general option if neither party wishes to debate on a victor.
• This RP will be done in chapter format. A goal will be given at the beginning of each chapter, and each character should attempt to fulfil the objective. If a chapter is taking too long, GMs retain the right to manipulate events so that the story progresses.
• Romance and violence are allowed, but let's keep it PG-13. This is rated T, after all.
• When in doubt, ask! Once again, this RP is being GMed by YellowGardevoir and mickeydog515.

Accepted Characters:
We have room for 12 characters, including mickeydog and myself. Please note that only two RP'rs can be from any one School. This is to promote diversity among characters.

Shen Mozetomei from the School of the Elusive Path as controlled by mickeydog515
Renee Shostoni from the School of Unbound Thought as controlled by mickeydog515
Jade Hornbeam from the School of the People's Magic as controlled by YellowGardevoir
Atka Ataciara from the School of the Brittle Edge as controlled by YellowGardevoir
Trevor Redquill from the School of the Focused Mind as controlled by Godzil
Gujen Krao from the School of Inevitable Perfection as controlled by Bardothren
Sennis Nikasura from the School of Artistic Combat as controlled by Bardothren
Aralon from the School of Dragon's Might as controlled by pichuwickham
Kaede Yagami from the School of the Restrained Fist as controlled by catbus176
RESERVED-HIDDEN WAY: Classical Insect
Angelos "Angel" Kai Marlowe from the School of the Hidden Way as controlled by Kikpanther
RESERVED-PEOPLE'S MAGIC: Zatanna

Special thanks to The Last Sentinel who we blatantly stole from graciously gave the template for this post. ​

 

[YellowGardevoir]

Chapter One​

The Opening Ceremonies are only a few days away. As a member of the Offense Team, you are required to attend them, and to participate in a tournament to celebrate. They are held in Aldhaven, and so for the first chapter you need to get your character from your School to Aldhaven. At the time of posting this, none of the accepted characters are from the same School, but feel free to examine the map and see if your paths would cross on the way there. This is mostly to get our feet wet, but the action starts soon!

I've included the Locations tab for your convenience.

Spoiler:

Map:
Cities are denoted by the first letter of their name capitalized.

Spoiler:

Aldhaven (People's Magic)

Spoiler:

The largest city on the continent. Located at the meeting of the two largest rivers that cross the continent, this city quickly became a trading hub and cultural center. The School of the People's Magic makes it's home here, and is a major political force in the city. The opening ceremonies of the international competition are held here. A democratic republic.

Drakken Keep (Dragon's Might)

Spoiler:

A large castle. Has stone walls and a hierarchy much like medieval Europe. Functions as an independent city. Lead by The Dragon, the leader of the School of Dragon's Might and effective lord of the surrounding area. He is chosen from among the clans of the plains in a yearly competition of strength. Inhabitants of the surrounding area look to the School of Strength and its pupils as protectors, though many of the citizens can be called upon to form a militia if the need arises (to protect the school and surrounding villages from attacks by the rulers of the other clans of the plains.)

Eastmont (Restrained Fist)

Spoiler:

Located on a high plateau, this was formed by a group of travelers that became stranded on the isolated peninsula and had to learn restraint in order to survive. They later built passages through the mountains to spread the lessons they learned to those patient enough to listen.

Skymouth (Artistic Combat)

Spoiler:

This school resides at the top of a mountain, and has no citizens other than members of the school. However, it has a sister city in the form of Rivermouth, which is about a day's round trip down the mountain. Many members of the school have family and friends in Rivermouth.

Rivermouth

Spoiler:

A prosperous trade city on the coast, Rivermouth trades the goods produced in the School of Artistic Combat .A very lively city, the streets are flushed with goods, pieces of art, and magitech, all ready for a potential buyer.

Lavorgo (Elusive Path)

Spoiler:

A quiet oasis town that grew up around a large pool of water formed by the point where one great river splits in two. The town became a school after it's runners became famous for the speed at which they ran across the hot desert sand, a tactic originally developed to avoid blistering from the heat of walking on the sand barefoot. The town maintains minimal connection to the rest of the world, as it's only connections are the rivers, upon which only trade boats are allowed to travel, and a road known as the Oasis Maze, which runs between the scattered oasis of the enormous desert. Most opposing schools ignore the school rather than attempt to cross the confusing Oasis Maze or pay the large fee required to travel by river. Thus, their defense team is more tactics focused than combat ready.

Zizak (Hidden Way)

Spoiler:

Located in a large swamp at the edge of the continent, this city features an opulent and oriental palace surrounded by a sort of slums with small homes and dark, narrow alleyways. Visitors are not welcome.

Maylūs (Focused Mind)

Spoiler:

Located in a forest of massive redwood trees, this city is built almost entirely in the air. Bridges and tree houses make up the majority of this city, and the school is entirely incorporated into the city.

Bassa (Inevitable Perfection)

Spoiler:

Carved into the canyon wall, this city is almost completely controlled by the school that makes it up. Grandmasters here use the smooth canyon walls to illustrate that through hard work and time, anything can achieve perfection.

Jancigny (Brittle Edge)

Spoiler:

A small city in the tundra, this city owes its existence to hydrothermal vents that enable residence in the bitter cold. They have perfected a magical greenhouse that enables crops to be grown, even in the dead of winter. This school has an understandably low population, but dedicated mages travel from all over the world to learn from the master here.

Tassa (Unbound Thought)

Spoiler:

Built inside the crater of a enormous, sleeping volcano, where the heat off the magma below the surface protects the school from the harsh weather of the frigid north. Has obsidian walls surrounding it, raised by an earth Mage long ago to protect the school from potential eruptions of lava.

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[mickeydog515]

How does anyone live here? Renee thought to herself as her team rode across the vast tundra. Despite being the height of the "warm" season, snow covered the ground, and a harsh, chilling wind was blowing straight into her face. After taking 5 days to cross the mountain range that surrounded Tassa, her team had trek another day to make it to Pine Ridge, an outpost town where they were meeting up with the team from the School of Brittle Edge. From there the two teams would travel together the remainder of the tundra. The schools are supposedly joining together in order to help each other cross the tundra, with Unbound Thought providing "Heat Canisters", hot volcanic rocks from the volcano that Tassa rested on held in metal drums and sealed with powerful earth magic so as to not let heat out, and Brittle Edge providing the knowledge of how to survive the tundra's frigid nights. If they already know how to survive on the tundra though, why do they need out rocks. I think they really just want to scope out our team. Renee kept these thoughts to herself however, as the grandmaster traveling along side her would probably most angry with her to hear her, that and trying to talk over the howling wind proved extremely difficult. Well if they want see what i'm capable of i'd be more then happy to show them, Renee thought as a grin spread across her face, as long as They can actually put up a fight, they can see and watch me all they want, If I want to practice while their around i'll just make sure to increase the speed..

As night was about to fall, Renee's team approached the small, wooden building that comprised the entity of Pine Ridge and she quickened her pace. "Finally," she said as she hurried towards the promising warmth and comfort of the small abode, for she wanted nothing more right now then a warm fireplace and an open training field. They would have to wait until tomorrow to meet the team from Brittle Edge, but that would simply give Renee more time to practice using her swords again after what felt like an eternity, and she could hardly wait to see what her competition would be.

 

[YellowGardevoir]

Atka Ataciara​

They were making good time. The summer heat had been kind to them, and most of the snow had melted before they had to make the trek. Atka wore only light furs, and was considering removing those as well. No sense overheating while traveling. Atka said a small prayer of thanks to the sun spirit for hastening their journey.

Atka's team had been instructed to meet with another School's team at a village named Pine Ridge. Atka had never been there, and every step her horse took was the farthest south she had ever been. Already she could sense a difference in the air.

They arrived at the Pine Ridge lodge about three hours after the sun had closed it's eye. They entered the lodge, hoping to arrive before the team from Unbound Thought, but when the stepped through the door the lobby was filled with several Unbound Thought mages. The heads of the teams introduced themselves to each other and began their negotiations. Atka ignored them and glanced around the room. These mages wore far heavier clothes than the mages from Brittle Edge, and seemed to be a more talkative crowd. All except one young woman, who sat to the side at the dining table, sharpening a sword. It was the sword that drew Atka's eyes.

It was obviously of well make, but what caught her eye was the extraordinary amount of energy inside it. It was almost like the blade had a soul. She walked toward's the mage. "That's quite a sword," she said. "Do you plan to use it in the tournament?"

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Jade Hornbeam​

Jade hated when it was hot.

On cool days you could wander the streets and peruse the goods that lined the shops. Or take walks through the central park that was the pride of the city. You could even study in the School's library if you wanted to, grab some books and sit in a study room with the window open. But on hot days there was nothing to do but practice basic air magic to avoid broiling in your own skin.

It wasn't this hot often. The city was fairly temperate, and lots of wind came off the large river that the city was built around. But for the few days around the time of the tournament, in mid-summer, it was sweltering.

He sighed. The tournament was this weekend. The teams of several other schools had already arrived, and more would arrive shortly. He was a member of the Offense Team, which meant he would be competing in this first tournament, where the members of each Offense Team were pitted against each other randomly. The winning player received a blank marker that gave their team the equivalent of a takedown, immediately putting them ahead the other teams.

His stomach rumbled. He glanced at the sun. It was about noon, which meant the dining hall would be serving lunch soon. Or he could eat somewhere in the city. He rose from his window seat and looked out over the city. Opening the large bay windows, he climbed up onto the ledge and looked down. Good, he thought. There aren't any tourists on the street. Jade grinned. Locals knew him and his antics, but strangers often yelped when they saw the boy jump out of the window…

He took a deep breath to calm himself, trying, as always, to enter the elevated state of mind Psychic mages strained for. But, as always, he was distracted away from it. The wind was ruffling his hair. The sun was hot, and a trickle of sweat dripped off his nose. There was always something. Satisfied he had enough energy for his task, he stepped off the ledge.

As always, the first instant was terrifying. Though he frequently did this, he had a fear of heights that he had never really been able to kick. This was his attempt to therapize himself. And the practice wasn't bad, either.

Jade was only really good at one thing. Though a self-proclaimed Psychic specialist, this was more of a description that was used for lack of a better term. True, he was highly proficient in psychogenesis, but he wasn't really good at much else. Even the basic applications of Psychic magic, thought reading and telepathy, were beyond his limited reach. He knew a fair bit of elemental magic, but didn't really have any specialties. Or talents.

Focusing, he waited until he was about three feet off of the ground, then formed the image of what he wanted in his mind. He landed on a soft, purple-black bubble, then stepped off gently onto the ground. He glanced over his shoulder at his construct. He couldn't keep it up forever, so he allowed it to fade from existence. Continuing on, he walked into his favorite pub. Plenty of time for fun before the main event, he reasoned. Might even find a foreign lady to have some fun with in the mean time. He snorted. Yeah, right. Good one, me. Still, there were quite the large amount of people in the city. You never knew what could happen around the opening ceremony.

 

[Groc]

Trevor Redquill ​

The day had finally arrived, and the team gatheres outside the school to begin the journey to Aldhaven. Trevor brings up the rear, having spent too much time triple checking his checklist to make sure everything was in order. Awaiting them is the Charon, a redwood airship that would take them to their destination.

Well, it was more of a dinghy than a ship, but "airdinghy" doesn't have the same ring to it that "airship" does. Honestly, the Charon was barely large enough to carry the team, but it was fast, sturdy, and reliable. They would get to Aldhaven easily.

"Of course, we won't be travelling by air the whole way. That would expend far too much energy." Trevor explains to anyone who cares to listen. Most didn't, but letting him talk was easier than keeping him quiet. They all board the boat, Trevor still talking.

"I've read about trips like this, and overheard the flight plan. We'll just be flying out of the forest until we reach the lake. Then we'll ascend the waterfall and sail the rest of the way upstream to Aldhaven! Much better than walking, wouldn't you agree?"

The pilot advises everyone to strap in, and the Charon lifts off from it's platform, rising slowly above the tree line. Once clear of the canopy, the boat makes a straight shot for the great lake in the distance. With little else to do, Trevor settles in with a book, using his Psychic magic to levitate it and turn the pages. At this point, his telekinesis was as natural as using his own hands, but it never hurt to practice his skills and improve his precision.

 

[mickeydog515]

Renee Shostoni​

The sound of steel grinding on stone was music to Renee's ears, there was simply no more beautiful sound then a sword about to reach the peak of it's capabilities, about to reach perfection. This sword, part of a pair that she had started working on after hearing she was going to be part of her school's offence team in the upcoming tournament, was her finest work yet. She was finishing refining the shape of the blade, applying touches here and there to make it preform at its best, when the team from Brittle Edge arrived. Renee allowed herself a momentary distraction as she reached out with her steel aether to test the newcomer's equipment. By doing so she could get a general idea of the age, durability, and maybe even left over bits of aether, of any piece of steel, be it blade or armor. One by one they entered the room, and one by one Renee's hopes were let down. Any weapon or armor she reached out to was relatively new, but otherwise had no other points of interest. None showed great amounts of use or even work put into making them. Deciding it was a lost cause, she returned to her work, and was slightly surprised when a voice spoke to her.

"That's quite a sword," it said. "Do you plan to use it in the tournament?"
Looking up Renee saw a girl no older then her standing in front of her. She was dressed lightly considering the weather outside and had a strange look to her, something between a shaman and a nomad Renee guessed. The strangest thing about her though was that no matter how hard Renee tried she couldn't find any steel on her, which either meant she didn't carry it on her or she didn't have any at all, both concepts Renee found strange. "Yes I do," Renee replied, "It is my latest masterpiece, I call her Stella." Renee then unsheathed another sword from the sheath attached to the right side of her belt. This one was nearly identical to the one she had been sharpening except it had a red gem inlaid in it's hilt instead of a yellow one. "And this," she said with pride in her voice, "Is her twin brother, Voldan."

 

[pichuwickham]

Chapter 1: Aralon

Aralon tightened the belt that held the saddle on his horse. He remained silent while all of his class mates chattered about strategy and how easy it would be to win in the tournament. Aralon however remained silent, as he often did. He did not enjoy talking to people, and often kept his thoughts and feelings to himself.

"Aralon, aren't you excited for the tournament? or are you being your cold self as always?" One of the other students said.

Immediately Aralon whipped around. He did not know which of them had said that, but he was not happy about it. He spoke to the crowd that was now all looking at him, "Excitement... I'm not sure that that's the proper word to be using. This is not for excitement. This is for victory and honor. And as for me being my cold self... I guess you will have to live with it."Aralon turned back to his horse and mounted. He reared the reins and went to the door of the barn. The rest of his class mates followed him and they all began to ride towards Aldhaven.

They all road together in perfect formation, and upon arrival to the city they all slowed there horses to a trot and road in a single file line down the road. They all looked the same, and you couldn't tell them apart. Each student wore the same black robes, and they all had one thought in mind, and that was of winning.

On the inside, Aralon was scared. He did not often show outward emotion other than anger and sternness; however, he was very afraid. He was scared of losing this tournament. How couldn't live with himself if he lost, because he knew that failure could cause the downfall of someone else.
​

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[mickeydog515]

Shen Mozetomei​

The crowd roared as smoke filled the air. Shen and his opponent were evenly matched,trading blow for blow, but Shen was growing weak. If he didn't end this soon, he wasn't sure if he could pull out a win. He called to the storm already brewing above him, asking for his power as he raised his spear skyward. In a flash of brilliant light, lightning struck the tip, causing the spear to glow with power. In one swift motion, Shen leveled the point at his opponent and charged, using the lightning's power to increase his speed. His opponent tried to prepare a spell, but Shen was faster. His spear struck, sending the power of the lightning he'd called earlier straight into his unfortunate foe. As the smoke cleared Shen's opponent collapsed to the ground in front of him, unconscious. Ten long seconds passed before a horn rang out across the arena, Shen had won. This was followed shortly by cheers, some of which sounded like they where chanting his name. "Shen.... Shen...." They started small and grew until it felt like it was one voice, one that sounded extremely familiar. "Shen.... Hey are you listening to me?!" Then Shen's vision of the arena faded and he found himself in his room at the School of Elusive Path. He blinked, regaining his grip on reality.

"You really need to stop zoning out like that," said the voice who had interrupted his dream, "Now come on, we need to finish packing, the boat from the School of Artistic Combat is arriving tomorrow."

"Oh Sonaki it's you," Shen said as he turned to see her standing in front of him, "I already finished most of my packing, and I was just thinking about the tournament."

"Don't gimme that crap you were daydreaming again," she said, a tone of anger in her voice, "I had to stand here yelling your name for 2 minutes to get your attention, the Grandmaster wants all our luggage packed and stored in the lobby by nightfall so the harbor staff can move them onto the boat when it arrives."

"Ok, thanks for letting me know," Shen replied, looking out his window to see that the sun was beginning to set over the desert, "I'll go take them down now."

"Alright, but don't zone out again, and make sure you get some decent sleep." she replied, the hardness in her voice fading.

"Same goes for you," Shen said grabbing his luggage, "After all you're just as important as any of us on the offence team for this tournament." his words weren't far from the truth. Even though Sonaki was on the team designated for defense, not offense, she was coming to the opening ceremonies as the "field tactician" for this years tournament. This meant that it was her job to use her extraordinary telepathy ability to both relay messages and battle plans made by the defense team here at the school and to help protect the team from other team's psychic scanners reading the minds of the offense team to find strategies and weaknesses.

"I'll be fine," she stated as she turned to leave, "You need someone there to watch over you guys after all."

"Yeah, I guess your right," Shen said with his voice full of sarcasm, "We might get lost without you guiding us."

"If by "we", you mean "you" then yeah you're right," She said playfully as she walked down the hall to her room, "I've already put my stuff downstairs so i'm going to bed now."

"Oh ok, Good Night," Shen called as she entered the door.

"Night" She called back.

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Shen anxiously twisted the end of his shirt, a nervous habit of his, as he and his team waited at the harbor the following morning. Despite going to bed early, he was still tired, as he hadn't slept as soundly as he would have liked the night before, but then again he never slept well before a day like today.

The weather was hotter then usual, the heat of the Sun baring down relentlessly on the dry sands that surrounded Lavorgo. Not even standing near the river's edge offered relief on days like today, and shade barely lowered the temperature by a few degrees. Which made the sight of Artistic Combat's ship all the more startling.

The ship was massive first of all, barely fitting into the port, it looked more like a freight ship then a passenger boat. It also gleamed brightly in the sun, causing Shen to think the boat was covered in ice, until he saw that the whole boat was actually made of ice with a wooden skeleton to conceal the insides. As the boat pulled into the harbor, Shen could see that none of the ice had even begun to melt. How the heck did they manage to make that much magic ice Shen thought as a bridge made of ice formed, connecting the deck to the end of the pier. I wonder if they'd be mad if I asked later, probably. Shen and his team boarded the boat, initially making sure not to slip, only to realize that the ice wasn't even slippery, or even cold for that matter. Geez, what a bunch of show offs Shen thought as he walked down the main hallway to his cabin below decks. Still I gotta say that the craftsmanship is amazing, they even carved designs into the walls on the inside. Shen was so entranced by the ships design and how it was made that he almost missed his room, which was near to end of the row on the farthest right side.

He walked in and placed down his stuff, thankful that everyone got their own room, he hated sharing his space with others. He unpacked the stuff he'd need to go to sleep tonight, blankets, pillows, and some clothes he'd wear for the 3 day sail to Aldhaven. Once he got settled in, he laid down on his bed and began to think. His teammates were up on the deck talking and chatting up with the students of Artistic Combat, some apparently even knew each other from the last tournament. Shen wanted nothing to do with that, thought, as he preferred to be alone, or at least with some close friends, most of which he'd left behind at the school. Sonaki and the Grandmaster were the only two people he truly knew on this ship, all the rest where strangers or acquaintances that he hadn't meet before being accepted to join the offence team. So he sat alone in his room and thought about things, what the tournament would be like, the construction of the ship he was on, and what kind of people and places he'd see while this tournament took place. Having never been able to leave Lavorgo, Shen had spent many days in the library, reading about all the different schools and cities of the world, though he was most interested in the stories of ancient ruins and the bits and pieces of ancient lore they contained. While they were mostly just considered stories, they contained tales of gods and ancient powers now lost to his modern world. Shen had made it his goal to visit each of the ruins he had read about during this world trekking tournament. Shen's stomach growled loudly suddenly, interrupting his thoughts. Oh crap it's almost dinner time and I haven't even found the dinning court yet! Shen left his room in a hurry, making sure to lock it on the way out with the key Artistic Combat's Grandmaster had given him when they got on the boat, before taking off down the hallway towards the main hallway.

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I think I should travel up to Skymouth every once in awhile when I have money, dang can they cook a good meal! Shen thought to himself as he left the dinning court. He came to the crossroads where the two school's compartments meet, and was about to head to the deck to look at the stars when he heard a faint sound come from the hallway to his left. Shen stopped and listened more closely, Is that music? it's coming from the Artistic Combat's compartment. Not that this was a surprise, he knew Artistic Combat was a school for musicians, artists, and dancers, but he hadn't thought any would be practicing with the Elusive Path team on board to hear them, and especially not at this time of night. Curious, Shen cautiously entered the compartment, unsure if he was allowed to enter, and followed the music to the room farthest to the left, which was cracked open ever so slightly. Peeking inside, he saw a young girl, slightly older then himself, playing..... nothing? How can that be? Is she actually making music out of thin air?! Then the girl turned slightly towards him, and Shen realized that she wasn't playing nothing, but a cello that was almost entirely see-through against the icy wall behind her, which meant that it was either made of crystal or ice Shen guessed. He stood there and watched her for a few seconds, enraptured in her music, before deciding he should leave before she notices him. As he turned to leave, however, he steeped on a board that hadn't been fully covered in ice, causing a loud creaking sound. Shen flinched, hoping the girl hadn't heard him, but it was too late.

 

[YellowGardevoir]

Atka Ataciara​

"Yes I do," the young woman replied, "It is my latest masterpiece, I call her Stella." She reached to her side and unsheathed another sword. This one was almost identical, but had a red gemstone inlaid in the hilt. "And this," she said, briefly raising the hand holding the new sword, "Is her twin brother, Voldan."

"Stella and Voldan..." Atka murmured. These were powerful names. They bore a faint resemblance to the names of two Great Spirits, specifically the Great Spirit of Fire and Metal. Interesting that a smithy would know of such things. She said as much. "Those names hold power. They bear a great resemblance to the names of two powerful spirits. Spirits I would not dream of calling upon in aid. Beware, swordswoman, you risk tampering with things you know not of. Those names may bring wrath rather than glory. If these blades have not been consecrated, I suggest finding less potent names."

 

[mickeydog515]

Renee Shostoni​

The stranger's words were harsh, and caught Renee of guard after the initially innocent sounding question. "I don't know what your spirits have to do with my swords, but you're correct that the names hold power. For they are the names of the gods of fire and metal in ancient lore, and my father taught me that before crafting anything, especially a piece of equipment, you should pray or pay respect to them. 'Cause if you don't, the work will turn out brittle, have defects, or even cause it to fall apart before it's complete. So, by giving having these swords bare their names, I am paying them respect and sending out a prayer. One that asks for their support in battle whenever I draw their blades, and one that brings them honor when I become the best swordsman, in the world." She leveled the edge of Voldan so that it's point rested a foot in front of the stranger's face. "If you doubt these blades or my skill," Renee said, her voice as hard as the blade in her hand, "Then why don't you put them to the test and find out?"

 

[YellowGardevoir]

Atka Ataciara​

So these swords were named after this young woman's gods. How interesting. She wondered if these gods bore any additional resemblance to the spirits. She was about to ask a question along those lines of thinking when her train of thought was interrupted by a sword. In her face. The young woman was speaking again. "If you doubt these blades or my skill, then why don't you put them to the test and find out?"

Atka was surprised. Not many would be so hasty to challenge someone. Especially someone they knew nothing about. She spoke, her voice hard. "In my culture, challenges are serious matters. Still, I suppose I might as well witness the results of your craft. Besides, it would be beneficial to practice before the tournament. Perhaps you'd rather duel outside? Quite a bit more room to swing your sword." With that, she walked out, readying herself for the inevitable combat.

 

[mickeydog515]

Renee Shostoni​

Renee didn't know who was more surprised, the girl when she challenged her or Renee when the girl accepted. Either way Renee could hardly hide a smile as she stepped outside to face her new foe. They stood about 15 feet apart, standard distance for a duel. Renee sheathed Stella, the sword she was working on earlier, into it's sheath attached on the left side of her belt and took up Voldan with her right hand. She covered it with her left the sword pointed towards her opponent, who took a deep breath as if to gather her thoughts. Renee's swords where about 3 feet in length and double-edged, but made of an extremely light material that allowed the blade to be used with only one hand. Although Renee preferred to use two at first to increase the power of her strikes without using magic, she would switch to one hand if this foe proved strong enough to warrant the power of both swords. She took a few seconds to analyze her foe once more, and again sensed no metal on her, meaning she'd be fighting without a weapon and without any protective armor, meaning she was either very foolish, or had a few magical tricks up her sleeve. Renee bet on the later. We're the standard dueling distance apart, meaning It'll take me about 10 seconds to get her in striking distance if she doesn't move, 5 if I enchant my boots with lightning. I'll just have to hope she doesn't do anything too extreme before then. Just as she was preparing to start the match, she realized she forgot a crucial detail about her foe. "Hey, mind if I ask you a question before we start?"

The girl had a look of shock in her eyes momentarily, but was quickly replaced by cold determination once more, "Yes, what is it?"

"What's your name? I'd like to know the name of my foe before the duel begins."

"Atka Ataciara," the stranger responded, her voice hard as she attempted to keep her concentration, "And your's?"

"The name's Renee Shostoni. I'm ready when you are, so good luck!" Renee said taking up her ready stance once more.

Atka stared at her for a long moment, a question in her eyes. Finally she spoke. "Hmmm. Likewise." With that, she started chanting in a language Renee didn't recognize. A cold wind suddenly raced across the battlefield, and with it Renee could have sworn she heard the sound of drums. The battle had begun.

 

[YellowGardevoir]

Atka Ataciara and Renee Shostoni​

Renee wasn't sure what this girl's chanting was about, but she wasn't about to sit still and find out. She charged forward, sword ready for a wide slash upon arrival.

Atka knew she didn't have the time to call one of her more powerful allies, but she wondered if some of her more minor spirits would do the trick. Calling in the words of the ancients, she called out, "In the name of the Great Spirit, I call upon thee, the eyes of the storm! Come forth, Sterna!" As she chanted, a mist rose around her, obscuring her from Renee's view.

As she uttered the last syllable she heard a voice in her mind. We hear, Oathcaller. We obey. The mist surrounding her twisted and solidified into several ghostly birds, who immediately flew, screeching, at Renee, who ducked and twisted to avoid them, all the while drawing nearer and nearer to Atka. The spirits turned and gave chase.

Atka stepped quickly backwards, creating more distance between her and Renee. She was hopeful that Renee would have to pause and deal with the tern spirits, giving her more time to summon a more powerful ally.

Renee was faster than Atka, and would have caught up with her in no time. But the spirits were even faster. They dive-bombed Renee, knocking her to the ground. With the air of someone who'd done it a thousand times, Renee rolled out of her fall, regaining her footing and slashing at the spirits as they came in for another attack. She intercepted two with her stroke, the power in her sword ripping their essence into mist. The last spirit, sensing a losing battle, faded into the ethereal.

Atka was momentarily surprised at the speed of which her spirits were dispatched. That sword must be something special indeed, she thought. But she was already chanting, summoning a far more powerful ally.

Renee noticed her opponent was chanting again, and rushed to stop her. She swung her sword in overhand arc, intending to obliterate her foe. Her view was somewhat obscured by the mist surrounding Atka, but she could she her shape dimly through the fog.

The blow connected, but Renee could feel something was wrong. There was too much resistance, too soon. The fog cleared. Atka was surrounded by a ghostly bear, and had caught Renee's sword before contact had occured. Renee was thrown to the ground by the spirit's retaliating blow.

Rolling away from the bear's follow-up ground pound, Renee regained her footing and brought out her other sword. With a wild battle cry, she rushed Atka, determined to cut her out of this ethereal beast. A loud slam stopped her short.

Renee and Atka looked towards the source of the sound. It had been the door of the inn, and it was held open by the leaders of both Offense Teams. They were clearly angry, and demanded Renee and Atka to come inside. They were sent to their rooms, though not before Renee was able to say, "That was a good fight. Shame it didn't last long. Hope to see you in the main event!"

Atka stared at her. "I suppose... I look forward to seeing you again as well."

 

[YellowGardevoir]

Chapter Two​

The Opening Ceremonies for the World Games is a massive spectacle. The main event is a massive tournament between members of each Offense Team. Each team selects a single person to represent them, and the winning representative gives their team a point towards the main event. People from all over the continent come to see them. The city also hosts a cultural celebration the week before and after, and various goods and foods from around the continent are available for these two weeks. However, tourists should be aware of the increased crime that occurs around this time, as pickpockets and thieves alike know that there are many full pockets and little common sense about many wealthy tourists.

The only goal in this chapter is to compete in the tournament. If anyone has any questions, let me know!

Tournament Rules

• Victors should be decided in the OOC Thread, following the rules already established.
• The bracket has been randomly generated and is below. Issues with match-ups should be taken up with one of the GMs.
• Matches take place in a circular arena about 50m in diameter. Combatants are sealed inside the arena by a protective dome of aether that nullifies all incoming magic, only access in and out of the arena are those provided by officially sanctioned medics that warp out fallen combatants. The terrain of the arena is changed at the start of each round to a preset type dictated by the voting of the crowd. Once the dome is raised and the terrain set, a 1 hour time limit is set.
• While it stands as an understood rule that the death of a combatant should be avoided at all costs, it is also understood that mistakes can happen, and that if any combatant dies during a match, it was by their choice to keep fighting past their limit that caused this. any obvious attempts to kill an opponent with no way to fight back ( i.e. after a match has ended) will result in an immediate removal of the combatant that attempted the murder and a complete reversal of the results of the match.

Bracket
The matches and battlefields are:
Sennis v. Trevor-Open, dirt floor arena. Very Basic
Jade v. Aralon-Rocky arena, lots of things to hide behind. Rough Terrain
Shen v. Kaede- Dense jungle, lots of trees and undergrowth.
Angelos v. Renee-Tall grass, a few rocks. Walking can be difficult with the grass.
Gujen and Atka don't participate until the match before them is completed. This was done at random.
​

 

[catbus176]

Kaede Yagami Chapter 1(a bit delayed)

​

A sweet aroma flowed through Kaede's nostrils as his mother removed a pie pan from the oven. "I've always loved you cooking mom especially the sweets" said Kaede while trying to hold back saliva.
"Well they are one of the few things that can awake you from a nap, but thank you sweetie", said Kaedes' mother.
"You're one to talk you sleep as much as I do", joked Kaede.
Together they ate the pie and shared laughs. Kaede felt sorrowful that he wasn't going to see his mother or her cooking for a long time but was quickly interrupted by one of the members of the offense team Mayumi Kannagi, whom admired Kaede for his magical prowess but didn't get to talk to him much because of his aforementioned napping habit.
"The caravan is leaving, we HAVE to go now!", exclaimed Mayumi.
OK see ya mom. I love you.
"Goodbye Kaede I love you", said Kaede's mother while a tear flowed down her face.

The mother and son quickly shared a hug before Mayumi dragged Kaede out the door, before he could grab his belongings. The two futilely
sprinted towards the caravan in the distance.
"We're never gonna make it" exclaimed Mayumi.
Oh yes we will, brace yourself.
Suddenly Kaede grabbed Mayumi and catapulted the ground he was standing on, sending both of them flying. They landed in the caravan, which resulted in a cartoonish hole in the roof. After recomposing her self, Mayumi started to rant at Kaede but he was already napping.

When Kaede awoke, he was in Althaven. Rested and eager he left the caravan to meet some new people. He wandered into the nearest alley where a man was sitting with a compass and a large sack of money. The man motioned toward Kaede and Kaede sat in front of him.
"I'm running a little gambling game here", the man informed Kaede.
"The rules are simple if I spin the dial on this compass and it lands on north or east, I win but if it lands on south or west then you win." "Easy enough right?"
"Yeah sounds pretty easy to me." responded Kaede.
"Good well to play it costs ten gold." explained the man.
I don't have any money.....whimpered Kaede.
Well since you look so pitiful I'll take that necklace you're wearing.
Not my mothers necklace but then again it would be a chance to win a ton of money, hard choice.
"I accept your terms but only if I get your sack of money if I win.", Kaede said with a confident voice.
"Then let the game begin", shouted the man. As soon as the man said that, Kaede activated his magic and was analyzing the properties of the compass. He realized it had a weak magnet spell on the north and east points. Realizing a chance for victory, Kaede removed the spell quickly and changed the properties so it was weighted on the south side. The spinner continuously span until it eventually stopped on the south point exactly. The man horrifyingly looked for a good 5 minutes until Kaede started asking for his money.
"So where's my money?", asked Kaede. The man gave him a deranged look, took out a knife and lunged at Kaede. Kaede softened the knife until it dissolved. The man fell to his knees and still had a deranged look on his face. Kaede grabbed the bag of money and left the man, uncaring of his mental state.

Kaede continued to wander around the streets trying to locate his team members but got bored and bought a room and a small feast in the local inn and promptly fell asleep on the bed scattered with gold coins.