Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[swordsmith04]

Hasala jumps slightly as the woman knocks on the door. He glances at the other man in the shack with him before crossing to the door and opening it.

[Beirus]

Jason blinks to get his bearings. He watches as the other man in the shack goes to open the door, remaining on his cot while trying to get a glimpse of the woman outside when the door opens.

[Xantalos]

Xan enters!



The old personality Xan, since the new one isn't determined yet.

[piecewise]

Xan enters!



The old personality Xan, since the new one isn't determined yet.

Take the same choice or one of your own?

Jason blinks to get his bearings. He watches as the other man in the shack goes to open the door, remaining on his cot while trying to get a glimpse of the woman outside when the door opens.

Hasala jumps slightly as the woman knocks on the door. He glances at the other man in the shack with him before crossing to the door and opening it.

Hasala gets up and opens the door. The woman barges straight in past him and then pushes the door closed behind her. She's paler skinned then both of you, though still still heavily tanned, and her bare feet are still covered in a light coating of wet sand. She's sweating and out of breath and has a hunted look to her, eyes glancing about and ears cocked to listen for something.

"You seen Jhn?" She asks not looking at either of you and instead just leaning against the closed door and staring side long at the wall, almost as though trying to look straight through it into the hall beyond.

You both have the distinct knowledge that "Jhn" is her boyfriend, and that you have all know each other for a while. If feels odd to remember things you've never known.

[swordsmith04]

Consider whether this new knowledge of mine includes seeing Jhn recently, then answer.

What else do I know about this... reality?

[Beirus]

Try to remember the woman's name and other details about her. Also try to remember whether I have seen Jhn, then answer the woman, calling her by name.

[Xantalos]

...
Let's try #1 for now.

[piecewise]

Consider whether this new knowledge of mine includes seeing Jhn recently, then answer.

What else do I know about this... reality?

Jhn works...he works at the docks, one of the free divers they pay to scape the bottoms of the superliners. You've known them both, him and the woman, for a few years now. You met them when you moved here from one of the smaller islands in the greenmilk sea. You work at the docks too, but as a welder. You're not at work because they don't need you right now.

You blink and try to remember the associations with these words. Greenmilk sea? Superliner? Those meanings don't come, at least not now...they feel like they're deeper in your head.

You shake your head and reply, managing not to sound startled by the sound of your own voice and accent.

"'aven't seen him since day 'for yest. Probably down at the docks."

Try to remember the woman's name and other details about her. Also try to remember whether I have seen Jhn, then answer the woman, calling her by name.

Her name is...Mel...Melsbeth? You call her Mel though- painful flash of a fragment of conversation, you speaking to her and someone else at a lunch counter, wooden bowl of seafood mess and m-corn  in front of you- and she's a friend. You met her through...what was the name Hasala went by here? You met her through him, when he came to live with you in this apartment. She's a beach comber, sells the scrap and valuables she finds. Originally came from one of the superliners but went landwalker to be with Jhn. There's something else there, something worrying. She's got something dangerous tangled up with her in your feelings, underlying dread.

...
Let's try #1 for now.

I want you to look at this:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

What can you tell me about it?

[Xantalos]

Ritual circle of some kind, probably from Perplexicon, probably powerful from the large size of it. Nothing about what it does though.

[Beirus]

Try to figure out why that feeling of dread is associated with Mel.

[swordsmith04]

((Would I know the same things about Mel as Beirus does, or would I have to think about it myself, first? If so, I'll do that now.))

Sit back down at the table and examine the partially disassembled machine if Mel leaves.
If she doesn't, ask her what's wrong.


Feel free to ignore the part below if you don't want me doing two things at a time.

Ritual circle of some kind, probably from Perplexicon, probably powerful from the large size of it. Nothing about what it does though.

Since I said 1 or 2, and you've answered, I'll have a go, I think.

Spoiler: Rune Dissection (click to show/hide)

Hmm. Nonsense words, probably meant to be runic or magical. "Ishtal" shows up twice, further implying that the words have meaning. The runes with "Ishtal" are the ones connecting the other circles together.

The words exist in a circular border around the runes, and not all the of the runes have them; the words possibly refine or focus the power of the runes, another layer of complexity.

The runes and the words are within circles, some of which are connected. Notably, every circle inside another circle is connected, pieces connecting together to form a whole.

There's a circle of runes within the larger circle of runes; the runes inside the inner circle are isolated from the runes in the outer circle, except by the connecting line, a "spell" within the "spell".

The connecting lines are either straight, curved, or zigzag; the zigzag connection occurs only once, while the curved connection occurs between the central rune of each "spell" (the one with "Ishtal"), and runes with an odd word. The word has no space to give it a beginning or an end, so I can't tell what the first letter is; it's probably not an anagram, so I'll identify it with the first letter at the 12:00 position, spelling "Chotar". The curved line might be indicative of the "Chotar" word, or more likely it indicates what kind of effect the rune it connects has on the overall "spell". The zigzag line only occurs once, in the inner "spell"; I'm thinking it either mean "input" or "output".

The central runes are larger and more complicated than the other runes, probably the "core" of their "spell".

The "core" runes are both the same size. As are the "Chotar" runes, and the runes without words.

The outer "spell" is less complicated (fewer runes) than the inner "spell".

There is one "Chotar" rune in each "spell", and both have the curved connecting line and are larger than the unworded runes, but smaller than the core runes. A power source, maybe, or an opposite for the zigzag connection; one might be the input(s), the other the output(s).
All that adds up to... not much. Without knowing what the words or the runes mean, I can't decipher what it does. I'm fairly certain about the role of the core runes, and the "Chotar" runes are probably one of the three possibilities I suggested. The zigzag-connected rune is an oddity; it has a special connection, but no word around it, and is the same size as the other unworded runes.

I'm gonna take a shot in the dark here and guess that this adds up to a summoning or undead-creating ritual, with the inner spell summoning or creating the actual creature, person, etc. being summoned or created and the outer spell binding it to the service of the caster. Because why not.

[piecewise]

Ritual circle of some kind, probably from Perplexicon, probably powerful from the large size of it. Nothing about what it does though.

Alright.

When you think of magic, what do you think of? What comes to mind? You can list as many things as you want.

Try to figure out why that feeling of dread is associated with Mel.

You think about it hard for a moment, so hard you miss what she's saying to you. She and Jhn have a dept to Shark-tooth Shen, the dockyard boss and unofficial king of the Rust and all territories along the west boarder of the island. And Shark-Tooth Shen doesn't like unpaid dept. So far they've been paying, but there was always the fear of what would happen if they didn't.

((Would I know the same things about Mel as Beirus does, or would I have to think about it myself, first? If so, I'll do that now.))

Sit back down at the table and examine the partially disassembled machine if Mel leaves.
If she doesn't, ask her what's wrong.


Feel free to ignore the part below if you don't want me doing two things at a time.

Ritual circle of some kind, probably from Perplexicon, probably powerful from the large size of it. Nothing about what it does though.

Since I said 1 or 2, and you've answered, I'll have a go, I think.

Spoiler: Rune Dissection (click to show/hide)

Hmm. Nonsense words, probably meant to be runic or magical. "Ishtal" shows up twice, further implying that the words have meaning. The runes with "Ishtal" are the ones connecting the other circles together.

The words exist in a circular border around the runes, and not all the of the runes have them; the words possibly refine or focus the power of the runes, another layer of complexity.

The runes and the words are within circles, some of which are connected. Notably, every circle inside another circle is connected, pieces connecting together to form a whole.

There's a circle of runes within the larger circle of runes; the runes inside the inner circle are isolated from the runes in the outer circle, except by the connecting line, a "spell" within the "spell".

The connecting lines are either straight, curved, or zigzag; the zigzag connection occurs only once, while the curved connection occurs between the central rune of each "spell" (the one with "Ishtal"), and runes with an odd word. The word has no space to give it a beginning or an end, so I can't tell what the first letter is; it's probably not an anagram, so I'll identify it with the first letter at the 12:00 position, spelling "Chotar". The curved line might be indicative of the "Chotar" word, or more likely it indicates what kind of effect the rune it connects has on the overall "spell". The zigzag line only occurs once, in the inner "spell"; I'm thinking it either mean "input" or "output".

The central runes are larger and more complicated than the other runes, probably the "core" of their "spell".

The "core" runes are both the same size. As are the "Chotar" runes, and the runes without words.

The outer "spell" is less complicated (fewer runes) than the inner "spell".

There is one "Chotar" rune in each "spell", and both have the curved connecting line and are larger than the unworded runes, but smaller than the core runes. A power source, maybe, or an opposite for the zigzag connection; one might be the input(s), the other the output(s).
All that adds up to... not much. Without knowing what the words or the runes mean, I can't decipher what it does. I'm fairly certain about the role of the core runes, and the "Chotar" runes are probably one of the three possibilities I suggested. The zigzag-connected rune is an oddity; it has a special connection, but no word around it, and is the same size as the other unworded runes.

I'm gonna take a shot in the dark here and guess that this adds up to a summoning or undead-creating ritual, with the inner spell summoning or creating the actual creature, person, etc. being summoned or created and the outer spell binding it to the service of the caster. Because why not.

((If you get near each other I'll assume you whisper it back and forth and share like that))

You don't have to ask, she starts telling you the story in a harsh, rapid whisper, never leaving the door.

"I was down on the beach, getting some stuff from one of the outcroppings with my hook -you know the one on a stick, that lets you get down  into the holes and get the stuff that piles up there?-and Fisheye- Shen's guy, the one with the milky eye-" she gestures at her own left eye, " he came up behind me. And I was standing with the pole there, right?" She holds her hands out in front of her, "and when he said something I spun around" She spins halfway around and then stops. "and..." She goes quiet for a long moment and slowly moves her hands up to hold her own throat. "I pushed his body into one of the holes but they know he was out to see me and when he doesn't come back they're going to go looking and they might see the body or the blood. I tried to cover the blood up with the sand but there was so much of it and..." She's quiet again.

[swordsmith04]

"...Right. I'll go look for Jhn; you need to get out of here, away from Shen." Hasala looks at the other man caught in this... vision, or dream, or whatever it was. "Can you go with her?"
Say the above, but with appropriate accent.

Consider whether I'd need some sort of ID to get into the docks. If so, look for/take it. Either way, head down to the docks. Make sure I take that screwdriver with me, in a pocket or something. If I can't conceal it, don't take it. If there's a better concealable weapon in the room, take that instead.

On the way down to the docks, try to remember as much about Mel, Jhn, Shen, and the island as I can. If I do have ID, check it for what my name is. If not, try to remember that too.

[piecewise]

"...Right. I'll go look for Jhn; you need to get out of here, away from Shen." Hasala looks at the other man caught in this... vision, or dream, or whatever it was. "Can you go with her?"
Say the above, but with appropriate accent.

Consider whether I'd need some sort of ID to get into the docks. If so, look for/take it. Either way, head down to the docks. Make sure I take that screwdriver with me, in a pocket or something. If I can't conceal it, don't take it. If there's a better concealable weapon in the room, take that instead.

On the way down to the docks, try to remember as much about Mel, Jhn, Shen, and the island as I can. If I do have ID, check it for what my name is. If not, try to remember that too.

(feel free to respond to Xan's questions as well, by the way. You seem more in depth than him anyways.)

[Xantalos]

(feel free to respond to Xan's questions as well, by the way. You seem more in depth than him anyways.)

((CHALLENGE ACCEPTED))

Magic is/would be/was/etc the creation/manipulation/destruction of anything and/or everything via some sort of ritual, which for me right now is a fancy word for 'process'. Most times it takes the form of summoning and manipulating several 'classical' elements, ie fire, water, lightning, etc, but can also take the form of pretty much any supernatural ability: magical shapeshifting where the initiator of the ritual, or 'caster of the spell' transforms into another species very quickly, usually in under half a minute, yet retains their human intelligence despite having no human brain to house it in; various magical curses such as lycanthropy which at predetermined times, ie nights of the full moon, transform the afflicted into an animal ie a wolf or a monstrous form of said animal ie werewolf or something else entirely; summoning rituals/spells/etc that usually call forth residents of another dimension. Most common are demons/angels from the current caster's Heaven or Hell, but various other species are summoned as well, ie fairies, fae, etc, tentacled horrors from the Dungeon Dimensions, or pretty much anything that the caster imagines, as some of these spells summon some magical substance, ie ectoplasm, and shapes it into the shape of the desired creature. I could go on for forever about the various effects that can be seen as magic, but pretty much any effect that is labeled as supernatural is magic. A lot of these magical effects are contained in the form of spells, short rituals and such directed by the craster's willpower, but they can also be in various other forms when 'cast' - words, thoughts, motion, emotional states, pretty much anything really, just depends on the type of magic. There's also magic in the world/that makes up the world that is usually stronger than 'cast' magic. There are additionally various magical creatures like dragons, unicorns, etc. There are also various sentient magical creatures such as vampires, gnomes, etc, but at the higher end of the power spectrum, there are spirits, gods, etc. Depending on the world, it might end up being made out of our type of matter, or magic, or something entirely different. There're also various magical substances like warpstone, lyrium, etc. These are usually made up of solidified magic, usually of another dimension's make. This dimension is usually thr source of magic if that's the case, such as the Fade, the Warp, etc. This dimension may or may not occasionally invade the neighbouring dimension where the players'/readers'/etc perspective comes from. This usually takes the form of demonic incursions, etc. Additionally, with magic comes the concept of souls, an abstract concept, a thing that contains the memories/vital essence/etc of a person and usually goes to another dimension or afterlife after bodily death, or as in the case of Dark Souls, they're more an effect produced by animate creatures that can be consumed when the creature is killed and used to increase one's own soul power, which usually translates into an increase in physical abilities.
There's also more science-themed magic, such as the outright reality warping of the manips in ER, but since it's usually explained through technobabble, it's referred to as 'space magic'. There's also very advanced science in works of fiction that usually is outright magic just disguised as science. This can be seen in Total Annihilation with the nanolathes/etc. These effects aren't more classical magic like fireballs and such, but more esoteric stuff that'd be impossible to do in physics as we understand it.
There's ALSO cases in which magic is a sentient/semisentient force in the universe that it's casters more channel through themselves than actually cast, such as the Force from Star Wars.
To sum up, basically anything that is impossible by our current knowledge of physics could be classified as magic, but it can also be more explicitly labeled as 'magical' forces, such as the aforementioned summoning fore las from nowhere.
Any supernatural effect/entity/etc.