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Post by fluffymcsnuggles on Jun 1, 2020 17:30:04 GMT -8
Nienna had only spent a few days in Hurricane Keep. She sold off the last of her jewels and fine cloth to stay at an inn. It was getting expensive of course, and with no income, she was going to have to find a way to pay. She did not know what to do to earn money. After all, she wasn't collecting taxes anymore. She would rather not be holed up in a study room all day again writing letters or going to endless meetings where she wished her soul would just leave her fucking body. No, she wanted something exciting, something worthwhile, where she could make a difference. That's how she found herself staring before one of the many bounty boards. Her eyes narrowed as she grabbed one in particular. Arsonist bandits? The worst part of it was they were willing to destroy wildlife for a few measly furs and meats. If they can't hunt out in the natural world they shouldn't be hunting at all. She had to admit, she wasn't entirely comfortable with the idea of having to eliminate them all but- she's looked men in the eyes as her parents had them executed. So death wasn't totally strange to her. She folded the piece of paper and stuffed it into her bag, following the directions to the village that was having to deal with these blithering fools. It wasn't too far of a walk, but considering the last few weeks of her life were aimless wandering it felt nice to walk with a purpose for once. One other than going about the impossible task of getting her throne back. What a stupid thing to even believe. It was for the best. She hated being on the throne, she hated being queen... Or so she kept telling herself. A small part of her didn't really believe it. But what was there to be done? She let out a deep sigh as she finally spotted the first few houses that indicated she had finally arrived at the village. She needed to talk to someone who had more information on the criminals in question. Hopefully, there was a guard stationed around or someone of some credibility or authority. Perhaps a small tavern is where she could get more information. She made her way to such an establishment and walked inside taking not of the patrons. " Excuse me... May I get a moment of your time?" She asked the person behind the counter. She wouldn't be long. She'd like to get this over and done with as quickly as possible. The more she let them linger, the greater the fires that burned. “ I’m mostly a traveler. I happen to be here for work actually...” Nienna pulled out the request she grabbed from the bounty board and handed it to her. “ I was hoping yo get a little more information on these bandits. Where were the last seen? Do they have a suspected place where they reside? How often have they been setting fire to the forest?” She asked. Nienna wasted no time with this, she needed the money and the sooner the bandits were eliminated the better.
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Post by swiftyuki on Jun 1, 2020 20:44:23 GMT -8
The woman behind the counter seemed to notice the newcomer. "Sure hon, just a moment!", she said as she turned back to whatever she was doing. She put something away and then turned around to lean on the countertop for the girl. "Can't say I've seen your face around here before. What can I do ya for?"
Behind the woman were drinks of all sorts for adults that were lined up in a lovely array to showcase what their humble little tavern had to offer. To the side of the entrance, there was a bulletin with similar bounty markers, more notably showing all five pyromaniacs over bounties that were elsewhere. All sorts of people were here. The tavern drunkards, the merry men, the ones who kept to themselves unless a fight broke out. There were a few other souls seemed to match a random aesthetic compared to this little village. They didn't seem to be digging for information. They may as well be travelers just passing through or muscle for hire for the sake of security during their stay.
Outside the windows, the sunlight was dimmed a yellowed tone as smoke stained their sky, but this seemed to be a normal occurrence as no one seemed to bat an eye to the dimmed tint of light. Some days the sun was a simple red dot amongst a deep grey, others it was like this, a yellower light than what it should be. "Would you be interested in a drink hon?"
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Post by fluffymcsnuggles on Jun 2, 2020 6:31:49 GMT -8
Nienna's eyes drifted to rest on the patrons. None seemed like much of a threat- yet. Looks can be deceiving after all. Her gaze floats to the window and she squints at the strange sight outside. The sun looked strange in this village. She had heard of this natural phenomenon but it was supposedly rare- nobody here seemed to pay it much mind which was stranger still. Or perhaps it was all the smoke lingering in the sky from the burning of the woods. Nienna pulled her attention back to the lady behind the counter. She blinked in realization she was asked a question. " Ah um, no thank you. I'd rather be sober for this job. Perhaps afterward when I'm finished." There was always a chance she was never coming back- but that sort of attitude would do nothing but hold her back. Still, it was good not to underestimate her opponents. Hence why she came for more information. " Has anyone seen the faces of the bandits by the way?" She asked. Knowing who exactly she was looking out for would be helpful. She would hate to have harmed someone who wasn't complicit in the bandits' crimes simply by mere association with them. |
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Post by swiftyuki on Jun 2, 2020 8:19:38 GMT -8
"Bandits? I'm guessin' you mean the five arsonists that's causing these here fires?" At the mention of it, the tavern grew a little more quieter. Like some were listening in on the conversation now. "They roam around the forest just outside of town. Most of the ones that have gone in after these bandits were either killed off by suffocation or burning. Best make sure you're prepared to fight those five in a world of pure fire, hon." There were a few uncomfortable shifts from those who appeared to just be commoners that lived here. Either friends or family that were brave souls killed or severely wounded beyond recognition.
The tavern lady gestured to the bounty board. "All's we got for information on them is over there. Not much other than following the trail of smoke and entering where the fires are the densest.", she said before she went to a container and pulled out a large cube of ice, a cup, and a knife. She began to shave it off into a shape. "No one's ever seen their faces in a city since these bounties were placed. Likely eatin' off the animals the animals and avoidin' the law, trading with caravans or some other body in the dark."
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Post by fluffymcsnuggles on Jun 2, 2020 9:01:45 GMT -8
" Yes. The lousy 'hunters' who are probably killing off more potential game than catching it," she remarked. She used air quotes around hunters. Normally Nienna would never dream of showing this much attitude to anyone. But- well she was a stranger here, she had no appearances to upkeep. No one whispering about her every word, or every step she made. Nienna held back a frown at the knowledge of knowing others have gone before her never to return home. " I'm sorry for the grief these people have caused you. I will do my best to make sure they cause no more pain. Thank you for informing me," she said. It was a good thing Nienna knew a bit of cryomancy- but she would need a source of water to deal with that. Maybe she could use her elemental wards... Best to think of a strategy now, but how she was planning on going about it- they wouldn't even know she was coming. Surely the bandits wouldn't wander too far from a water source so she could use that to her advantage. A pity no one was able to describe their faces. It would have helped a tad bit but she still got some good information. " I'll be on my way then. Your information has been helpful so I thank you," she said. She grabbed the bounty back and rolled it up putting it into her bag. She gave a wave goodbye to the tavern keeper before heading out. She took a deep breath and began to think over her plan. Ideally, she'd like to do it silently. Though it wouldn't hurt to put up an elemental ward should things go awry but that would mean she is confined to her spot until she chooses to break it. Perhaps she should wait on the ward until it was necessary. Her constructs of light might be swift enough to take them all out. She wanders to the edge of the village and looks back one last time. Now to go find the trail of ash and smoke. Five versus one wasn't so easy- but so long as she stayed hidden she would have a bit of an advantage. She tried to stick to the thickest parts of the forest. She grabbed the cloth on one of her spare shirts and ripped off a piece tying it around her mouth and nose to protect herself as best as she could from the smoke and kept low creeping through the brush. |
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Post by swiftyuki on Jun 2, 2020 10:33:11 GMT -8
It was easy to find where the smoke grew dense. Nienna would pass by several people, including a person hidden under a green cloak staring at the direction of the fire. They were completely obscured save for their eyes but Nienna may have been too oriented to notice anything about this person.
Nienna was close enough to even see a redness in it, the smoke bouncing off the light of the fire. As she was nearing the fires, she could hear a crackling and then the scene shifting into a blacked out sky with the sun left as a red dot. Its runes completely hidden with the smoke, the only light given a bright orange sea of fire before her. The sounds of crackling embers and trees groaning as they fell, crashing of branches everywhere. No animals could be seen, either fled or already murdered from the smoke and fire. There was no sign of the mages as of yet. Perhaps they were deeper in the fire. A net of safety woven from the surrounding burning flora that would spook or harm anyone that dared tried to cross their path and stop them.
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Post by fluffymcsnuggles on Jun 2, 2020 10:42:54 GMT -8
It was interesting to see people linger by the fires. Suspicious, actually... Her gaze caught onto the figure obscured by the green cloak. She was going to have to watch her back here, for all she knew that person very well could be a part of this. Nienna looked on at the burning scene of hellfire and she could feel a boiling rage flow through her blood at the amount of disrespect for natural life here. These people were disgusting. She could even feel the corners of her lips twitch into the smallest of frowns before she forced that stone cold mask back on her features once more. She knew if she was going to pursue these people she would have to go deeper into the flames, right at the heart of the inferno. She was going to have to be careful, watch out for falling trees and harsh flames that might try and lash at her. She could feel the tips of her fingers tingle with magic, for now she would only use the freeze spell to protect herself from the harsh flames and hopefully soothe some of the fire. She moved forward deeper into the flaming forest, the harsh heat teasing her skin. She did well not to breath too deeply for fear of choking on ash and smoke, though her make shift mask would do well to keep some of the debris out. She had to focus on finding signs of the attackers- probably where the flames burned the hottest was where she needed to go. Her gaze drifted to the sky for a moment, blackened by smoke... The sun seemed like an oppressive red force glaring down at all before it. She shuddered at the scene, it felt unnerving but she had faced worse. Waking up every day knowing it could be your last does that to you. Any flames that stood in her way she used her freeze spell to dose them out before moving forward. She didn't want to do too much in case she left an obvious trail for others to follow. |
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Post by swiftyuki on Jun 2, 2020 22:36:34 GMT -8
Fireballs flew and a loud crash of a tree falling was heard. A laugh sounded in the roar of flames. "Brothers! Brothers look!" Though no figure was seen until the audible one dashed through as a quick flicker of a figure through the flames after something. Other voices were heard further down, a call of their catch or kill, whichever Nienna would prefer to call it. The man sounded like a maniac, almost like he found comedy out of this tragedy. Should she approach where the man went, she'd find a deer struggling, crushed under a felled tree that was burning and the man approaching it and just waiting for it to die to take back with him. Spell Name: Flame Volley
Spell Main Element: Fire
Spell Sub Elements: N/A
Affinity Strength: 4
Function: The caster fires off a mass of 10 projectiles in a frenzy, each being able to ignite flammable objects if not snuffed out (clothing, straw, etc.). Not very accurate.
Availability: Open.
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Post by fluffymcsnuggles on Jun 3, 2020 7:46:04 GMT -8
Nienna tensed and stilled upon hearing a voice. She could hear the flames flying past her and hitting a tree. The crash seemed to shake the ground and the forest seemed to shudder and groan, another life taken. She kept close to the ground and followed the sound of the crash. No doubt their quarry was caught in the crash. She hung back as she saw a deer struggling underneath the branches. Her stone-faced expression morphed into one of horror at the scene. Instinct screamed at her to approach the deer and help it- but that would be suicide on her part. No more animals... This deer would be the last one. Her eyes flicked up to see the man and she felt her rage boil over. A few glowing arrows formed behind her mimicking the light of the flame. She had made three arrows and hoped for her aim to be true. She fired all three towards the man, arrows made of pure light bursting through the flames and attempting to embed into his body and end his rotten life. She then scrambled from her spot into a different hiding place should they try and take their wrath out upon her. Spell name: Animated Photo-Construct
Spell Main Element: Light
-Spell Sub Elements: --
Affinity Strength: 6
Function: A slightly more advanced use of Photo-constructs, these are moveable by the user and can be used as a form of weapons like flying daggers or lances and can travel with the photonmage rather than stay in one spot.
Availability: Open |
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Post by swiftyuki on Jun 5, 2020 5:39:01 GMT -8
One arrow flew astray, towards the side and into the deer, ending its misery. The mage turned around to face who that was that shot their kill, only to have two more pin into their body. He let out a loud scream from the punctures. Surely if his call earlier didn't summon his borthers, this absolutely did. "BROTHERS! BROTHERS! HELP ME! WE HAVE AN INTRUDER!", he kept screaming, hands al0ight with orange flames and throwing them wildly at Nienna. The group appeared around the new face. Two stepping in to the side of their overly dramatic fire alarm of a brother, one in her peripherals and one directly behind her. "What do we have here? Someone meddling in our business?" A voice boomed behind her. Their sound was deep, and a look behind showed a man who was likely the oldest, the leader. He had a neatly trimmed beard, just enough hair that covered his chin and jawline, hair slicked up and longest in the front. Of all of them, they appeared to be dressed in a fine red silk with yellow sashes somewhere on their body. His rested diagonally. Another seemed to be relatively buff, his robes were sleeveless and his sash was tied around his waist with the ends behind his back. Two of them that were on either since of the pincushioned brother appeared to be twins, lanky in build and fairly young. They were dressed similarly, a perfect mirror where the sashes rested over the shoulder and lay vertical if there was no wind or hard movement. The only difference that lay with the twins were that the sashes rested on the opposite shoulders. The last brother, screaming at Nienna, had his sash tied loosely around his waist, the ends resting off at the sides and appeared to be decently muscled.
NPC - Health Left
1 - 10
4a - 40
4b - 40
7a - 68
7b - 70
7a:
Spell Name: Flame Volley
Spell Main Element: Fire
Spell Sub Elements: N/A
Affinity Strength: 4
Function: The caster fires off a mass of 10 projectiles in a frenzy, each being able to ignite flammable objects if not snuffed out (clothing, straw, etc.). Not very accurate.
Availability: Open.
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Post by fluffymcsnuggles on Jun 5, 2020 8:17:16 GMT -8
Fuck! Well, there goes being subtle. Nienna made a mad dash away from the volley of flames that tumbled after her. She was lucky that she just barely managed to miss them, however, her dodging led her to be surrounded. Her eyes darted around for a way out. No sign of that. Guess she was going to have to go on the defensive mode here. Nienna wasted no time sending up an elemental ward of ice to block out the flames. It would only hold for so long though. She had to think of something else- besides while she was here she couldn't move or risk breaking the ward. That wouldn't be a bad thing, the ice could dig into their pompous asses. From inside her ward she spoke, keeping herself calm and composed despite the hammering of her heart. " Business? Is that what you call burning down a forest? You would be able to catch much more game if you actually learned how to hunt properly rather than burning the whole thing to the ground," she replied cooly keeping her eyes on them. She considered her options for spells. Maybe she could summon more constructs of light while she was in the ward. She also considered the nasty trick up her sleeve, but it was a question of whether she would have a good and safe opening to perform such a spell. She must not let doubt get the best of her, though the small voice in the back of her head screamed she was going to die. Not like she was unfamiliar with the threat of death. It hung over her head every day since she was born into this world. However, she's lived this long and she will not let some stupid arsonists turn her into a pile of ash. She had to be smart, she had to be careful, and she had to be on her guard. She kept her eyes fixed on them all. Perhaps if she took out the eldest the rest would run off. It wasn't the best plan, but it was the only one she had at the moment. Spell name: Elemental Ward
Spell Main Element: Arcane
-Spell Sub Elements: Varied
Affinity Strength: 1 (cast at affinity 7)
Function: All mages should learn to make a shield with their magic. This shield allows them to block some attacks and deflect projectiles. Depending on the element, they can also deal elemental damages to the opposing mage by expanding and bursting the ward. Doing so means the caster would need to recast it to continue deflecting attacks, but bursting it allows for them to move while the enemy is guarding or staggered.
Availability: Open
Affinity - Ward Duration - Burst Damage Multiplier
1 - 5 turns (-2 from critical dmg) - 1x
4 - 10 turns (-4 from critical dmg) - 2x
7 - 15 turns (-6 from criical dmg) - 3 |
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Post by swiftyuki on Jun 5, 2020 11:40:17 GMT -8
"What's some upstart like you to tell us how we run our business?", said one of the twins. Both of them moved a step closer to close distance with Nienna. "Honestly, if you were gifted with what we had, don't you think you'd hunt with magic instead of a tool?", the other said in with a snide note in his voice, gesturing at the arrows in their idiot brother. Both of them stepped forwards again, turning to the side in a perfect mirror and making an attack then and here. Nienna had to move fast and think fast or get incinerated by the twins.
NPC - Health Left
1 - 10
4a - 40
4b - 40
7a - 68
7b - 70
4a and 4b:
Spell name: Firebolt
Spell Main Element: Fire
-Spell Sub Elements:
Affinity Strength: 3
Function: The user casts a ball of fire the flies in a single direction towards a target. If it lands, it inflicts fire damage and can ignite objects that are flammable.
Availability: Open
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Post by fluffymcsnuggles on Jun 5, 2020 12:21:47 GMT -8
" I'm tired of this pointless talk," she said with a sigh. A few simple words told her there was no use reasoning with them. They were complete idiots anyways. They had very little hindsight it seemed. Their 'business' wouldn't last all that long if they continued with this model. Nienna's eyes narrowed as she watched the twins step ready to burn her alive. She burst her ice ward towards them as they stepped around her before stepping out of the way. The fire bolts whizzed right past her singing her hair. That was way too close for comfort. She hoped those spikes would hurt like a motherfucker when they found their mark. Nienna then summoned forth ten daggers made of light behind her before launching them forward in a volley of attack towards the eldest of them all. Surely at least one of them would hit her mark. If not that was just plain old bad fucking luck. She could feel the sweat gathering on her brow as the fire burned around them. Her eyes darted to the burning trees. Perhaps she could use this against them... " You've ever been told what happens when you play with fire boys? You get burned," she growled. For now though she had to make sure she wasn't going to get burnt to a crisp in the process. One wrong step and she would be as good as dead. Her eyes stayed focus on her quarry before her. If she can out run a volley of arrows she can fucking do this. She took a few steady deep breaths, though it was getting harder to breath by the moment with all the smoke in the air. This had to get done. No more deaths... not while she could do something about it. Spell name: Animated Photo-Construct
Spell Main Element: Light
-Spell Sub Elements: --
Affinity Strength: 6
Function: A slightly more advanced use of Photo-constructs, these are moveable by the user and can be used as a form of weapons like flying daggers or lances and can travel with the photonmage rather than stay in one spot.
Availability: Open |
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Post by swiftyuki on Jun 7, 2020 13:03:12 GMT -8
The one with the sash tied behind them seemed to agree with Nienna. They didn't seem to be a mage of many words either. He bolted in front of the arrows, taking most of the hits of the arrows for the eldest, much to the surprise of the others. He fell almost like other animals of the forest, just less in flames. The leader still seemed to get pinned with arrows, but was still standing. "You insolent little...", he started as flames rose, licking over his robes. He cared not for the arrows in his body, but it was obvious that he was in pain. She killed his brother, his beloved idiot brother. She attempted harm on him. She entered into their business and acted as if she had a right to say how they should operate! Some nobody from who knows where, a short and cold upstart. His gaze bore into Nienna, a burning glare that melted through her icy exterior and straight into her soul. The other three brothers took no waste as they began to attempt a move on the girl as well, they wanted vengeance on this trespassing murderer. How dare she. The one who screamed to alert Nienna she was near them unleashed a ball of blinding light, something that made the fire around look dim, and threw it in the direction of Nienna. She was surrounded by a more intense world of fire and if she didn't move, she would be set on fire by several means, mostly from what the eldest was casting.
1 - Deceased
4a - 40
4b - 40
7a - 68
7b - 50
4a and 4b cast Flame Volley - a total of 20 projectiles firing around/at Nienna
7b
Spell name: Spontaneous Combustion
Spell Main Element: Fire
-Spell Sub Elements: Death
Affinity Strength: 7
Function: Some fire mages are able to ignite objects from a distance. It's not as easy even at the base level as it requires intense concentration. The ability to do this involves the ability to focus on the soul or origin point, regardless if the caster can see it or sense it. The mage would focus on a specific point within and cause the spark to ignite. This spell is mainly used on living targets, but can be used with dead or inorganic things too.
Availability: Open
7a
Spell name: Explosive Luminous Orb
Spell Main Element: Light
-Spell Sub Elements: Fire
Affinity Strength: 5
Function: When gathering enough light, it eventually becomes a destructive force capable of inflicting damage. The user can create a dense orb of light and send it to travel in a direction or bounce off walls and then detonate it, inflicting burns to those unaccustomed to intense light.
Availability: Open
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Post by fluffymcsnuggles on Jun 7, 2020 13:23:59 GMT -8
Her eyes widened in shock as suddenly a brother came rushing forward to protect his own. He fell to the ground dead, just like the deer from before. Nienna could feel the shock begin to flow in her veins. She killed a man by her own hands. A man who had a family who loved him. One he was willing to protect and die for. Her heart began to hammer in her ears. Part of her began to wonder if she was no better than them. No...there was no time for thinking like this. She couldn't afford to be distracted by moral implications. What good did morality bring? They had killed more innocent souls than her. Plus, the man that fell was by no means innocent. Still, she couldn't deny that gut-wrenching feeling that nearly made her freeze in place. The heated glare from the eldest was enough to make her shiver, just slightly. She grits her teeth and began to back away. Nienna squinted as a bright ball of light was launched her way. She ducked low but that didn't quite help her when it came to the volley of flames. One caught on her shoulder and she yelled out as the fire began to quickly consume her skin. She wasted no time rolling away on the ground and popping back up into a sprint running around their left side casting a simple freeze spell on her burning shoulder. She then raced behind a burning tree that still managed to stand tall. Not for long if she had any say about it. She summoned a light construct in the form of an axe now, swinging at the base of the burning tree. She kept pushing the burning trunk towards the mages waiting for the tree to crack and fall towards them, she aimed to crush at least one of them like their many kills before. Or perhaps it would separate them for a little while which could be to her advantage. If she could get at least one of them alone she had a spell that could break every bone in their pathetic bodies. Her shoulder ached in pain as she kept pushing the tree in the direction she desired. It left her a bit vulnerable but the tree should hopefully be enough cover. She only managed to take down one and there were still four of them. The odds were not looking good. She was lucky that her body learned to regenerate its own mana for a time. But how much could she use before she ran out? That concerned her to no end. How much longer could she stay in this burning wasteland and still breathe? She couldn't let those people in the village down. At times like these, she wished her parents had permitted her to train with the guards of her kingdom. Magic was useful yes- but going up against other mages, especially outnumbered did her no favors. Then again, they could have easily just burnt her to a crisp if she was armed with a blade alone. Nienna took a deep breath trying not to cough on the smoke. She gave one more final push and the tree came tumbling down. Now time to go on the defensive... Spell name: Animated Photo-Construct
Spell Main Element: Light
-Spell Sub Elements: --
Affinity Strength: 6
Function: A slightly more advanced use of Photo-constructs, these are moveable by the user and can be used as a form of weapons like flying daggers or lances and can travel with the photonmage rather than stay in one spot.
Availability: Open
Spell name: Freeze
Spell Main Element: Water
-Spell Sub Elements: Ice
Affinity Strength: 4
Function: The mage is capable of altering water's property from a liquid state to a solid. The difficulty in freezing a liquid is subject to its properties and may require a higher affinity for liquids and liquid-like substances such as plasmids and gels.
Availability: Open |
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