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[DarkArtemisFowl]

((I had it confirmed by GM that anyone I link with will take penalties to actions when I'm nearby because of the drain of the link, and generally will feel unusually tired and/or tire quickly. It shouldn't kill you or do any permanent harm though. meta-knowlege, I know, but Lenglon would feel guilty about not telling you up-front when I knew it would happen. DO NOT feel guilty if you want too say no, or put limits, or whatever. bear in mind Ahrian's age, she isn't going to properly take into account your character's safety if you don't help her do so.))

((Yeah, I expected that much. I know what Raphael's getting into, but this will make it all the more interesting.))

Raphael became nervous, thinking that she would judge him to be too odd to hang around with and just leave. It didn't help that she was staring as if he was some sort of curio from a long-forgotten time.

And then, she poked him in the chest. He flinched instinctively, surprised to find that anyone would stand being within three meters of him due to his ghostly behavior and appearance. It gave him mixed emotions that she actually accepted him in a way. He felt content and sad at the same time, though he could not put his finger on what exactly made him have negative emotions at this time. Maybe the visions and the nightmares he's been having recently have been eating at him, wearing him down.

He wouldn't lose this chance to help someone in need and, just maybe, form an interpersonal relationship for once. Well, not counting the ghosts that he regularly chats with, considering that they appear to be quite dead already. A living person to talk with would be nice for a change.

He listened intently as Ahrian explained the mana link. He found it intriguing, but was also wary about a new type of magic that he had never experienced before. Still, he was not going to back out now.

"Well, I don't think it would be too hard to find some paint or something for the symbol. There's a body artist over on the other side of town that I think I'd be able to borrow a tool from," he suggests. "But let's not get too far ahead of ourselves just yet. 'course, this mana link seems like a very big thing. Did you notice anything about Khaine when he was sharing mana with you? And how long would the mana link be safe before endangering one or both of us because of the mana consumption?"

[Lenglon]

"Umm, I... I'm not sure. He marked me right after he summoned me, I never saw him without the link. It... seemed permanent to me. but Kaine was really powerful. I think it's safe though."

[DarkArtemisFowl]

Raphael mulls over this new tidbit of information, not sure about what he should do. This mana link could destroy his life, consuming his soul for the mana. Then again, it's not like he was already taking care of himself. Too many times, he had been dangerous with his powers and could have killed himself. It's not like he's breaking any trends here.

"Hmm... it's tough. I mean, I haven't experienced anything like this before. But honestly, how bad could it actually be?"

He doesn't really sound convinced by his own words. Acknowledging that he is somewhat apprehensive, he begins a proposal instead.
"Okay, I agree, but on one condition: you and I have to watch out for each other and make sure that neither of us is put in danger because of this. This is a pretty big commitment to attach our mana to one another. As long we can both assure that, I think I'd be okay with doing this. Deal?"

[Lenglon]

"Okay. I'd be doing that anyway. I don't want the person keeping me alive to get hurt, you know? You getting hurt would be really bad for me too!"

[DarkArtemisFowl]

Raphael tilts his head slightly and gives a small smile, saying, "Yeah, that too. As long as we can manage that, then I guess I'm cool with this happening. Can you wait about ten minutes? I'll be back with the paint." He stands up and brushes off whatever crumbs he still has and waves to Ahrian before throwing himself over the edge of the window, hanging on by his hands to the outside and finally letting himself down.

Twelve minutes go by before Ahrian hears someone outside the building again. A familiar voice calls out "I'm back!" and, a few moments later, Raphael throws a tied-up, cylindrical fabric bag into the room. Immediately after, he repeats his previous technique and hauls himself up once again into the quiet space that he calls his home. "Well, the old woman seemed to be in a happy mood today. Of course, she was curious as to why someone like me would need paint, but she still let me bring this along for now." He picks up the bag and unwraps it, revealing a wooden container filled with black dye and what appears to be a wooden "brush" of sorts, which is supposed to direct the paint through its hollow center and allow it to flow out through a hole at one of the ends. The other has a lipped end that can collect the paint.

"Okay, we have the paint. What now?" he asks, fidgeting around a bit due to either nervousness or excitement of some sort.

[Lenglon]

"Ok, now I need to paint this circle on you. Roll up your sleeve please"
I then get to work, slowly and carefully copying the circle from the book, checking and double-checking for any errors, and making sure Raph isn't fidgeting while I try to paint on him.
"Stop it! You're going to smear the paint. hold still."
once I finish, I wait a bit to make sure the paint has mostly dried and start digging through my bag, then glance up at him and say "Hold out your hand and look away."
Whilst Raph isn't watching, I pull out a needle and carefully prick his thumb with it.
"Ok, now, I need you to put your thumb against my mark, and chant this part from the book."
I bare my shoulder again and turn to show my mark to Raph.

Spoiler: incantation (click to show/hide)

Circle of strength, circle of giving
Let this binding of power be my gift
Magic flows from me to strengthen you
Use this gift wisely and well

I grant this power and bind this charge:
Your newfound strength shall be your pledge
to use this power as I command
My trust binds you; use this power well

"Try to not rub anything against your paint, ok? I think the link will break when it rubs off."

[DarkArtemisFowl]

Raphael follows Ahrian's instructions, still a bit too energetic to handle himself. He does manage to keep still for long enough to allow Ahrian to copy the symbol onto his arm, however.
"Sorry, it's just... a bit of a new sensation, I guess."

He then listens to Ahrian and presses his thumb to her own mark. Taking a deep breath, he looks to the book and begins the incantation.
"Swirl of stragt- wait, dammit... let me start over.

"Circle of strength, circle of giving,
Let this binding of power be my gift.
Magic flows from me to strengthen you;
Use this gift wisely and well.

I grant this power and bind this charge:
Your newfound strength shall be your pledge
to use this power as I command.
My trust binds you; use this power well."
Throughout the recital, he keeps his eyes closed. A few moments after he finishes, he asks, "Is that it? Oh, and don't worry about the paint. After it dries off, it should stay there for a very long time, apparently. I made sure about it with the body artist. At least, I hope she was being truthful."

[Lenglon]

"Now just channel a tiny amount of mana through the link, I should feel it coming in, and our marks should get a very very faint glow to them if it worked. after that we'll be done."

[Mr.Zero]

Prologue: Leo Westerland & Ronald Bones
(I'm not sure where you got the ranch quest from but I'll roll with it!)

Spoiler: RP of the players (click to show/hide)

In an old, shady tavern
 
The Witchhunter, my mentor, sits and smokes in a poorly lit area of the tavern. In all my two years, I've never seen his face, he's always been enveloped in smokes and shadows, and in daylight, he's always worn a blank white mask. We're here for a reason. He says today's a big day for me.

"Hello, Today's your big day. It's Test Day! Time to sink or swim!" He leaned in closer to snuff his cigar, and continued. "I've got a job set up for you! you are to meet up with a Mr. Leo. 6 years your master, and 8 years your youth, he'll make sure you don't fail too badly, or not, but that's your problem, not mine." He then stands up, and walks to the door. " You are to be at Havard-on-Travem, and Leo should be there to greet you. If he isn't there, find your own job.Oh, and I'll be watching, make it a good show!" He then left me in the tavern, and I went to Havard.

At Havard-on-Travem

"Hello, Leo. I see, you're a fellow desert-man." I stretched out my hand to meet his. " So, what's our job?"

Leo nodded, greatly confused.

"The usual, you know. We're going to see a breeder about some missing livestock. It might be some bandits, or a Warg, of maybe Demons. I think just one big Demon, probably...well, it's all about chasing leads, you know. Even if one in ten jobs is you know, real Demons, then you've got good odds. Well, the odds have gotten better for Demons lately. Now it's more like four-in-ten...

Well, anyway, let's go see that rancher."

....

On the way, Leo breaks the ice.

"So, how many Demons have you killed?" He asks casually.

Action: To the rancher

((Lightblue for me))

Follow Leo

"I really haven't dealt with many demons, just some imps to help me shoot at quick, small targets, so that the others were easier. The Mentor sent me through a crash course, showing me what the different ammos do and correcting my aim. I'm decent, but still not up to par with most others of my kind. I'm pretty sure you know I started late, this isn't really my calling, but he saw potential in me, so he taught me the ways of witchhunting."

"Also, I am not offended by you thinking I look odd, so don't think you'll hurt my feelings by anything you say. I've been through worse. Being a former graveyard keeper didn't help either."

Leo shrugged. Well, he got this guy completely wrong.

"...Oh-kay...well, don't sweat it. I don't think the Demons care what color our skins are, anyway, and neither do I...anyway, it is also a surprise you're...new to this. I guess you weren't raised to be a soldier from the crib, like I was...well, let's leave that for another day.

As for Demons, don't worry. The nasty ones won't be caught out here without their minions-most like we'll see outriders and scouts, or the equivalent of Demonic deserters-Venatores, Bovem Contumacem, Infernum Cane's, Sanguinem Milvi...if we're really unlucky, a Tacet Filius!'"

The village where Leo and Ronald met is called Haram, it lies in the center of 2 mountain slopes with Bremia being North-East, Tarkan steppes being North-West, Brehonia being South-East and the Terjan wilds being South-West from the village. North of the village is the River Garam, East is the Tiorian lake, West are the mountainous slopes of the Garam mountains and South the Terjan lowlands marking the less dangerous forests of the Terjan Wilds.

Having met each other and exchanged a couple of words, Leo and Ronald travel further to a nearby ranch where there's supposedly something to do. The specifics aren't know but people from the village specifically said that this issue requires a specialist or two to solve, where specialist would be anyone varying from being an inquisitor all the way to a mage. So they assumed both that it were demons of some sort causing a ruckus, though not powerful enough to attract any other specialists.

A quick ride on Stranger brings the duo to the ranch. The ranch looks like any regular ranch. Large fields surrounded by small moats and wooden fences, with horses, cows and chokobos grazing in them. In the center a couple of wooden sheds and a farmhouse.

At the farmhouse they stop, waiting to see if anyone is there. Luckily there is as an middle aged lady, dressed in a skirt wearing an apron with bunned up hair comes outside.
"Hello there, is there something you're looking for?"

Leo takes the word as he's slightly more normal and charming than Ronald.
"Yes, the local townsfolk from Haram said that you have an problem of sorts that requires the aid of specialists?"
"Ah, yes that's right. My husband knows more, he's in the backfield repairing the damage done by whatever caused it. You can walk around the house to him. Meanwhile do I need to tend to your horse?"
"Ah, no tha-" before Leo can finish stranger already walks towards her.
"A will of his own..." Leo mutters.
"Seems, he likes you. We'll get going."

The duo walks around the house reaching the somewhat hidden field. Here the damage can be clearly seen as several ripped open cows lie further back in the field and the fence is totally shattered. On the ground there are visible footprints, claws, hooves, hard to tell, there are a lot of them so it means that there's more than one. In the back there's a burly man, looking off into the distance where a blood trail is heading to.

You approach him.
"You here for the job?" he asks, not looking your way.
"Yes."

He turns around
"Good. I don't need to tell you what they did, as you can see for yourself. I also don't know who or what did this, but it were probably some demons. Wildlife wouldn't have done this, at least not this brutally. Even if it hailed from the Terjan Wilds.
The deal is simple. Kill whatever killed my flock, bring me the heads and I will pay you. Be it with gold, animals, secrets or favors from the townsfolk. I simply can't afford to lose another flock in these dark times."

Sounds simple, you both think.
"The trail goes West, the attack happened overnight so I think they're hiding in a cave around there. Good luck friends, hopefully you'll return unscathed."
We will.

The duo says as their final words before marching to the fringe of the slopes.

(On turn 1, you'll be at the fringe of the Garam slopes)

[Dwarmin]

(I'm not sure where you got the ranch quest from but I'll roll with it!)

((I thought the OP was setting up for all the players. Didn't know we would have one on one prologs!

Also, I doubt salsa has anything to say to me, so I think you can move on. ))

"...Oh, yes. Mr. Bones. I know it's not likely, but have you seen a certain woman lately-She has beautiful dark red hair, pale skin, cool green eyes, and rides a white charger with a black spot on it's nose named Matchlock-she's a lancer like me. I have been looking for any sign of her, recently...we were close companions, but recently separated. She goes by the name of Araline Lenore...have you seen or heard anyone matching that description?"

The young mans tone suggests he's actually quite worried.

[Mr.Zero]

Prologue: Ahrian & Raphael Markaus

Spoiler: RP of the players (click to show/hide)

You see a young girl of around 14, maybe 15 years of age? She's unarmed, wearing a badly stained and visibly worn dark blue cloak over a thinning dark grey blouse and dark green skirt. There is a large brown leather bag slung across her shoulder, and it isn't empty, but isn't full or bulging either. She is carrying no obvious weapons, and her hood is up. Her hair is white and extends beyond her shoulders. It is mildly unkempt. There is a set of white-furred tails sticking out behind her back, though partly covered by the cloak they are far to large to keep hidden, and they actively flick about as she looks around, clearly alive.

She is near the entrance to the town, with road dust all over her, and is looking around anxiously. She seems to be actively avoiding letting anyone get to close to her, backing away when someone approaches and checking for people behind her often. she is overall rather jumpy and timid-looking.

"Um, does anyone here know where I can find a mage? Someone that knows magic? I need help. Any kind of magic-user will do. Please? Anyone?"

...

On the side of the street, an unassuming man with a peculiar appearance sits atop a couple of wooden crates, his legs crossed and set upon the ground. He is engrossed within a book with a worn and dirtied cover, as if it has seen many hands over the years. His eyes are covered by a dark, fair-brimmed hat that keeps a circular shape and is raised in the center, much like a porkpie hat. Overall, his black-grey coat and clothes, pale complexion, and posture seem to ward off any potential conversation partners, though he does not seem to mind that at all. In fact, he seems to be rather content to not be bothered.

"Um, does anyone here know where I can find a mage? Someone that knows magic? I need help. Any kind of magic-user will do. Please? Anyone?"

The man raises his head slightly, not enough to make anyone notice, but enough to see just a little bit under his hat. His eyes fall upon a girl who is looking around and, apparently, is the source of the voice. To him, she seems to be like the orphans that he used to hang around with - dirty clothes, wandering look, a sense of constant fear. He recognized those traits well.
Yet, there was something... off. Of course, he was puzzled by the six tails, which he had never seen before in his time around the town. But there was something more than that. There was a sense of familiarity that was creeping up on him, and the air around him felt cold.

The sensation hit him like an explosion. He shut his eyes as he received infinitesimally small mental snapshots, one by one. An image of a gray-haired girl laughing, her innocent eyes and her circular glasses entrancing him. A muddy corridor and a shower of rain filling the dense night. A whimper and some soothing sounds coming from the man himself, trying to comfort someone. The feeling of another warm body next to him, an embrace that he had never known before.

And then the images shut off. He blinked several times and gasped silently, trying to process the visions that had attacked him. He looked back to the girl, this time paying more attention. She had piqued his attention, as there was something that was jolted inside of his mind when he judged her appearance. He carefully closed the book he was previously reading and slid it into a pocket within his coat. Waiting a few moments to recover his mood, he sat upright, uncrossed his legs, and lowered his head while addressing the girl softly.

"Hey, white-haired girl. You said that you need a magician?" He raised his eyes once again and calmly beckoned the girl over. He kept watching the streets, looking at the shadows and the corridors. He wanted to get out of the streets, as magic went into a gray area in these lower parts of the town. If he could not help the girl, at the very least he would be able to direct her to a better place to search for trustworthy magic users.

She advances towards the speaker, approaching until just slightly outside his reach, and listens to him speak, staring at him intently, trying to gauge him.
"I, yes, um. I..."
She pauses for a moment, attempting to figure out what she was going to say.
"I... could... could you tell me who you are? I... I'm going to owe whoever helps me a... a lot. and I want to know you're trustworthy before I say more... Is that ok?"

The man raises an eyebrow and a small smirk develops from the right corner of his mouth. "Raphael Markaus, resident specter of the town," he begins with a warm tone. "I have certain interesting... 'qualities' that, you could say, delve within the field of magic and paranormal contact." As he talks, he continually observes the street, keeping a lookout for anyone in the shadows or windows of houses or shops.
"Well, what may I do for you, miss... uh.." His voice falters as he fails to recall whether or not you introduced yourself earlier.

"Ahrian. I..."
she pauses, glancing about and making sure no one else is listening to the conversation before speaking again.
"I'm a variant kind of Familiar, drawn from another world instead of from the dead, and my master died a short while ago. I need to find someone to make a mana link with me to sustain me here, before what mana he left me with runs out. I have some of his notes, and one of the things in them was how to do it, but whoever I bond with is going to have a massive amount of power over me. I... I think I could be of great use to you, if you want. I mean, my master had to work really hard to summon me, I think. But I need to know if I can trust you first. Could... Could we find someplace to eat and talk this out?"
((note: if you agree, Ahrian will follow you to wherever you lead, pulling her hood down (revealing her ears) upon going inside and once sitting down ask you again "could you please tell me about yourself?" - feel free to have me auto-do those actions in your response if that's the case, speeding up the story as a whole.))

Raphael was taken aback by these new pieces of information that were coming his way. First the fox tails, then she comes from another world, and her master is dead? Now she wants someone to create a mana link with? He had experience with apparitions and ghosts of all kinds, but never this sort of magic before. Still, he was no less interested despite the fact.
"Mana link," he echoes. Once she mentioned "power," he felt like he tasted iron in his mouth. It was a sour word for him, and he wasn't comfortable with it. Still, this was a chance to help someone in need.

And, besides, he might enjoy having someone to talk to who isn't creeper out by his appearance or demeanor.

"But I need to know if I can trust you first. Could... Could we find someplace to eat and talk this out?"

Raphael snaps out of his muse and looks around once again. He seems to tighten up a bit, a bit on-edge now. "Uh, sure. I have a small, boxed-off room in an abandoned building that I'd like to call my home, but I don't spend enough time there to really call it that. Still, it's quiet enough to serve the purpose." He hops off of the crates and motions for Ahrian to follow him.
The two acquaintances move through empty corridors and deserted walkways within the lower parts of the town. It's an odd pathway, but Ahrian seems to trust Raphael for this short journey. After a minute or two of more walking, Raphael stops at a two-story, degrading wooden building. It looks like it hasn't been lived in for at least four years. Raphael looks over to Ahrian and says, "Yeah, I know it doesn't look like much, but that's why I like it. It's been boarded up from the bottom floors for a long while, so we're going to have to take an unorthodox entrance." He steps a few meters away from you and climbs on top of a wooden bench, testing it to make sure that it is stable enough for his purpose. He then backs up to the edge of the bench and uses it to run and jump, catching the edge of the second-story windowsill and using it to haul himself inside. He leans out of the window a few moments later and calls out to Ahrian: "I should be able to pull you up from here." Ahrian nods and grabs his hands, noting that his hands are rather rough - possibly a product of too much time spent on the streets. He hauls her up without trouble and she lands inside, observing the humble abode.

It goes without saying that the room, only slightly larger than a caravan wagon, shows its age without shame. The only door to the room is boarded up with decaying pieces of wood, and the entire place is dusty. The only furniture that exists is a single, wooden table that holds several bags of various items inside. Besides a pile of folded cloth in one of the corners, the room is otherwise empty. There is a window that is only somewhat barricaded to the left side, allowing Ahrian and Raphael to observe the quiet avenues below. Rays of light squeeze their way in between the wood and the small windows, with no other light source to warm up the area. Ahrian, after making sure the place is safe, pulls her hood down and sits down near the window overlooking the avenue, looking outside every once in a while. "Um, could you please tell me about yourself?"

Raphael pauses before he moves to the table, finding it odd that someone would ask about him. He shrugs and turns to the table, preparing a quick midday meal for the two of them to enjoy as they talk. "Well, I honestly don't know much about my own life, to be honest. My childhood was a blur, something that I can't quite remember correctly. What I do know is that I was orphaned early on in life and lived on the streets for a decent amount of time. I was eventually fostered by a somewhat wealthy couple and tutored, where I learned how to read, write, and do some basic math at an elementary level. I guess they hoped that I would be able to inherit their business when they grew old. Unfortunately, I think that something about me freaked them out. Maybe it was the apparitions that I would see, or the aura that I might've projected. Either way, they left the town quietly and abandoned me, just like my original parents. I was still very interested in reading though, and I picked up books wherever I could and just read. I'm still not the most educated, but I like to think that I made it pretty far on my own.

"At any rate, no one would take me in because of my weird appearance and nature. Eventually, I just grew too old to be taken in and gave up on it, learning to be sort of... nomadic, I guess? For a short amount of time, I trained under a rogue and learned a thing or two about swords. I couldn't stay with that man for long though, because he started moving into grey territory with his schemes. I didn't want to be a part of that. I don't have my own sword yet, unfortunately, but it'd be pretty cool if I could attain one soon..
Eh, whatever. My life's not too interesting, I would like to think. At least, compared to your situation."

Raphael turns to Ahrian and walks over, handing her a lettuce sandwich with tomatoes and cheese, a similar one within Raphael's hands. he also retrieves a cup of water from a jug on the table and also hands it to her. "I know it's not much, but it's what I have left over from this morning." He lets Ahrian take a few tentative bites and begin eating in silence before continuing the conversation. He swallows a bit of his sandwich and says, "What about you, how did you turn up here?"

Ahrian is completely unperturbed by the run-down state of Raphael's home, and upon entry looks around in a fashion more fascinated than worried. As Raphael tells his story, Ahrian listens attentively, but her eyes watch his hands as he moves. when he mentions his "weird appearance" she chuckles a little, but it fades into a faint smile... up until he mentions her situation, at which point her smile almost instantly fades away.
"I... I wasn't always like this. My parents were doctors, and we went between a bunch of small villages. But when they failed this one time, the townspeople... they... they..."
Ahrian balls her hands up into fists and shuts her eyes, taking several deep breaths before continuing.
"I was rescued by my sister, and she took care of me ever since and taught me about magic and stuff, but we got split up. I was waiting for her when someone tried to summon me, and I let it happen because I was hoping it was her. Instead, I got brought here, and enslaved to this mean guy named Kaine."
She becomes slightly angry as she mentions Kaine, but keeps talking anyway.
"He got sick though, and a couple days ago the sickness killed him. So I collected my stuff and any of his notes I could find, especially ones about me, and ran before any of his friends could enslave me too. But just like he'd told me would happen, I've been feeling weaker since he was gone, and he said it would keep getting worse and worse until it killed me. Soooo. I'm looking for someone I can get mana from, at least until I can figure out how to get home."
She sets her (only nibbled on) sandwich down in front of her.
"Umm, what... what kind of work do you do?"
She watches him closely as she asks.

Raphael continues to eat away at his sandwich while listening to Ahrian speak. Throughout the ongoing conversation, Raphael continues to feel like he's missing something that he can't recall. There's some familiarity to her words that is messing with his head, but he can't figure out why. He feels especially bemused at the mention of Ahrian's sister. Once again, something that he can't quite pull out of the deepest recesses of his mind. He shakes his head slightly and tries to force the feelings out of his brain, as it will do no one any good if he continues to flood himself with doubt.

At Ahrian's question, he finishes off the rest of the sandwich and cleans off any crumbs that have fallen on his clothes. "Work, huh?" he repeats. Chuckling softly, he replies, "I don't really do any official work. Nothing in the ways of business, anyhow. If you're asking what I do in my free time, well... I guess my main thing would be protecting people. Orphans, beggars, runaways, people of that kind, y'know? Like you, I have a connection to another world, but not in your way. I think I might be connected to the dead or something. At any rate, I'm able to see and talk with ghosts, spirits, ghouls, and just about any other poor soul that still has bonds to this world. Sometimes they even help me out with some cool powers and stuff, though it costs me heavily to use their powers. It's unhealthy for me, but sometimes it is necessary to do what I must. Usually, I just use the power of the ghosts to scare away any potential muggers or thieves and to allow the innocent people to escape.

"I guess that's what I could say I do. I just.. don't want other people to end up like me: on the move, with no one to communicate with and no one to care about. I'd like to make some people smile once in a while. So I decided, why not help people who are in my place?"

He lets Ahrian mull over his response before putting his own question forward. "So, let's say you get back to your world, wherever it is. What're you gonna do there? Are you sure you can find your sister again?"

"I don't know if I can find her, but I'm sure she'll find me! I just have to do my part. I promised her I'd take care of myself while she was away. She wouldn't leave me, I just need to go somewhere I can be found easily."
Ahrian closes her eyes for several seconds, then opens them and turns to silently stare directly into Raph's eyes, standing up and leaning forward with the palms of her hands on top of the table as she stares at him unblinkingly.

O.O

O.O

O.O

O.O

O.O

O.O

-.-

-.-

^.^

and then pokes him hard in the chest with her right index finger.
"You pass!"

She then begins digging through her satchel, and pulls out a book with a bunch of papers placed in it at various pages, puts it on the table and starts flipping through until she finds what she's looking for. it appears to be a section on mana links, and sketched out on a piece of paper shoved into that section is a drawing of a magic circle. Ahrian then takes off her cloak and pulls up her left sleeve, revealing a matching ?tattoo? that is black with slightly irregular brown edges, almost like a brand, that rests on her left shoulder.

"Khaine put this mark on me, and I'm pretty sure it's how he set up a mana link with me. The drawing on this page is slightly different, but I found the one just like mine later on where it talks about the receiving end of the link. I'm pretty sure that the main thing to set it up is marking yourself with this somehow, probably with something that won't rub off super-easy? I don't know much about what it'd be like to be giving me mana or whatever though. I mean, when I lost my link and started running out of mana then I started feeling tired and stuff. I don't know if making a link like this would make you feel bad too."

Raphael became nervous, thinking that she would judge him to be too odd to hang around with and just leave. It didn't help that she was staring as if he was some sort of curio from a long-forgotten time.

And then, she poked him in the chest. He flinched instinctively, surprised to find that anyone would stand being within three meters of him due to his ghostly behavior and appearance. It gave him mixed emotions that she actually accepted him in a way. He felt content and sad at the same time, though he could not put his finger on what exactly made him have negative emotions at this time. Maybe the visions and the nightmares he's been having recently have been eating at him, wearing him down.

He wouldn't lose this chance to help someone in need and, just maybe, form an interpersonal relationship for once. Well, not counting the ghosts that he regularly chats with, considering that they appear to be quite dead already. A living person to talk with would be nice for a change.

He listened intently as Ahrian explained the mana link. He found it intriguing, but was also wary about a new type of magic that he had never experienced before. Still, he was not going to back out now.

"Well, I don't think it would be too hard to find some paint or something for the symbol. There's a body artist over on the other side of town that I think I'd be able to borrow a tool from," he suggests. "But let's not get too far ahead of ourselves just yet. 'course, this mana link seems like a very big thing. Did you notice anything about Khaine when he was sharing mana with you? And how long would the mana link be safe before endangering one or both of us because of the mana consumption?"

"Umm, I... I'm not sure. He marked me right after he summoned me, I never saw him without the link. It... seemed permanent to me. but Kaine was really powerful. I think it's safe though."

Raphael mulls over this new tidbit of information, not sure about what he should do. This mana link could destroy his life, consuming his soul for the mana. Then again, it's not like he was already taking care of himself. Too many times, he had been dangerous with his powers and could have killed himself. It's not like he's breaking any trends here.

"Hmm... it's tough. I mean, I haven't experienced anything like this before. But honestly, how bad could it actually be?"

He doesn't really sound convinced by his own words. Acknowledging that he is somewhat apprehensive, he begins a proposal instead.
"Okay, I agree, but on one condition: you and I have to watch out for each other and make sure that neither of us is put in danger because of this. This is a pretty big commitment to attach our mana to one another. As long we can both assure that, I think I'd be okay with doing this. Deal?"

"Okay. I'd be doing that anyway. I don't want the person keeping me alive to get hurt, you know? You getting hurt would be really bad for me too!"

Raphael tilts his head slightly and gives a small smile, saying, "Yeah, that too. As long as we can manage that, then I guess I'm cool with this happening. Can you wait about ten minutes? I'll be back with the paint." He stands up and brushes off whatever crumbs he still has and waves to Ahrian before throwing himself over the edge of the window, hanging on by his hands to the outside and finally letting himself down.

Twelve minutes go by before Ahrian hears someone outside the building again. A familiar voice calls out "I'm back!" and, a few moments later, Raphael throws a tied-up, cylindrical fabric bag into the room. Immediately after, he repeats his previous technique and hauls himself up once again into the quiet space that he calls his home. "Well, the old woman seemed to be in a happy mood today. Of course, she was curious as to why someone like me would need paint, but she still let me bring this along for now." He picks up the bag and unwraps it, revealing a wooden container filled with black dye and what appears to be a wooden "brush" of sorts, which is supposed to direct the paint through its hollow center and allow it to flow out through a hole at one of the ends. The other has a lipped end that can collect the paint.

"Okay, we have the paint. What now?" he asks, fidgeting around a bit due to either nervousness or excitement of some sort.

"Ok, now I need to paint this circle on you. Roll up your sleeve please"
I then get to work, slowly and carefully copying the circle from the book, checking and double-checking for any errors, and making sure Raph isn't fidgeting while I try to paint on him.
"Stop it! You're going to smear the paint. hold still."
once I finish, I wait a bit to make sure the paint has mostly dried and start digging through my bag, then glance up at him and say "Hold out your hand and look away."
Whilst Raph isn't watching, I pull out a needle and carefully prick his thumb with it.
"Ok, now, I need you to put your thumb against my mark, and chant this part from the book."
I bare my shoulder again and turn to show my mark to Raph.
"Try to not rub anything against your paint, ok? I think the link will break when it rubs off."

Raphael follows Ahrian's instructions, still a bit too energetic to handle himself. He does manage to keep still for long enough to allow Ahrian to copy the symbol onto his arm, however.
"Sorry, it's just... a bit of a new sensation, I guess."

He then listens to Ahrian and presses his thumb to her own mark. Taking a deep breath, he looks to the book and begins the incantation.
"Swirl of stragt- wait, dammit... let me start over.

"Circle of strength, circle of giving,
Let this binding of power be my gift.
Magic flows from me to strengthen you;
Use this gift wisely and well.

I grant this power and bind this charge:
Your newfound strength shall be your pledge
to use this power as I command.
My trust binds you; use this power well."
Throughout the recital, he keeps his eyes closed. A few moments after he finishes, he asks, "Is that it? Oh, and don't worry about the paint. After it dries off, it should stay there for a very long time, apparently. I made sure about it with the body artist. At least, I hope she was being truthful."

"Now just channel a tiny amount of mana through the link, I should feel it coming in, and our marks should get a very very faint glow to them if it worked. after that we'll be done."

Ill wrap it up soon enough....

Having met and establishing a mana link between each other, the duo believes that the Circle might be of help in their individual quests. In Ahrian's case it would be a way to return to her world and in Rapheal's case to find a means of enlightenment for the people of this world to complete the mission given by his deity. You feel somewhat attracted since both of you aren't from this world or dimension, so you both understand the hardships that you are going trough.

A little bit of asking around quickly nets you the name of the town where the Circle is located. It's well-known in Brufia so finding it isn't too difficult of a task. Though getting there is something else since the journey on foot takes a couple of days. So you start traveling to the town of Hexadris where the Circle lies.

All goes well, until the duo stopped by one of the towns to resupply, the town is located near the center of Brufia in a somewhat desolate area. After leaving the town Ahrian noticed that a hooded figure started following the duo.
"Raphael, that man is following us." Ahrian whispers.
"Don't be silly he might be going to the next town."

The sky gets cloudy and it starts raining, the town is nearly out of sight. The rain masks most of the sound, though Ahrian's sharp hearing still picks up rustling coming from the nearby tree line.
"Raphael, there's something in the bushes."

He looks and spots shades, though he can't quite make up the shapes of the shades. That doesn't matter as a mounted figure and 2 others block the road ahead and the hooded figure behind unsheathes his sword.
"It seems you're right. Prepare yourself, they don't seem to be friendly."

A good distance from the mounted figure they stop and more lackeys appear from the forest.
"Hand over the girl and nothing will happen to you." He shouts.
"As if I would. I prefer to sleep without a feeling guilt, can you?"
"GUT HIM. DON'T HARM THE GIRL, SHE CAN BRING UP A FORTUNE!."

The bandits charge! Brace for combat!

(The next turn you will be locked in combat, woo! Instructions will follow in turn 1)

[Mr.Zero]

Back to index

Turn 1: Bandits Amock

Before you continue.

• Combat resolution will be done in quicktopic, for some it may be familiar. The combat will be done privately between the players involved. At the end of the combat, the quicktopic link will be made public and a quick summary will be made of the fight for those that prefer not reading a heap of text.

Player/world actions

World Actions

No world actions.

Player Actions


Dwarmin (Leo Westerland)

Reach the mountain slopes.

(-)You arrive at the slopes, then sun is setting and it's starting to get dark. Luckily the sky isn't cloudy and there are little trees around, so the moonlight is illuminating the surroundings well. The trail however is difficult to see. A while back Stranger rejoined, he's very observant so he might be of help. Or you could set up camp for the night and wait it out.


Blazing Glory (Katrianne Ellen)

Reach the village

(-) You reach the village and Lior drops you off, you take your farewell and proceed further into the village. The village is similar to the village from your childhood. Dried fish and meat are hung, small livestock in the open and wooden & hay houses. The village looks quite poor but the people look happy or at least as happy as you can be in these times. People occasionally glance at you, but pay no real attention to you. The presence of soldiers is probably normal around here because of the fortress.

You see a few vegetable stalls and a bit further a smith. Lior said to ask around for the exact where-about of the breeder, or I could go to the next town to aid the hunting party.


DarkArtemisFowl (Raphael Markaus)

Reach the circle

(-) Stuck in combat with bandit mob.


Lenglon (Ahrian)

Reach the circle

(-) Stuck in combat with bandit mob.


Salsacookies (Ronald Bones)

Reach the mountain slopes.

(-) Shared turn with Dwarmin, see his for information.


Player Data

Spoiler:  Player Information (click to show/hide)

Leo Westerland, Sometimes mocked as "Goldenrod"
Age: 24

Appearance: A young man with healthy tanned skin, dark green eyes, and slick golden hair worn shoulder length. He has a wide, friendly face and an aquiline nose-handsome in most ways, and prefers a small, neatly trimmed beard, of a darker gold than his hair. He is tall, but slender, willowy but tough. A small chunk of his left ear is notably missing. He often wears simple garb in the manner of a hedge knight-a spotless white tunic, tough wool-spun breeches, and a faded grey-red tabard on his chest, and he usually hooded in white as well. He often sports a battered heraldic round-shield in his left hand depicting a sort of insect with eight legs, two claws, and a stinger on it's tail, encircled in a triangle of daggers, on a field of grey-red. He wears a small black stone embedded in a medallion, on a simple bronze chain necklace about his neck at most times.

Biography: Hails from the fringe of the Harathi Desert, just south from the Tarkan Steppes. Leo is the youngest son of a noble family, a rider from birth, and a risk taker. He has spent most of his life in the murky depths of Harathi Noble life-where morality is cheap, and honor is a extravagance-blood and water are the only debts worth repaying. His youngest years were spent carousing, and wasting money-until he killed another young man in a duel at 16, in a fit of temper. He started moving on then, disgusted and tired of his life, and hasn't looked back since-he decided to honor the code of the Lancer, more or less...he was maybe fortunate, since his lands were engulfed in the Demon War merely two years later.

Leo has at times been a message runner, a sellspear, and a bandit, though for good reasons-as the youngest son of his family, he is unlikely to inherit anything, and the only thing that makes him more valuable from other fighters is the horse he rides, a tough desert stallion named "Stranger". Recently he has met a companion on the road, a woman named Araline Lenore, that he was quite taken with-she's a Lancer like him, or claims to be. Unfortunately she's also recently gone missing during a melee with some very odd sorts-Leo has been searching for any sign of her for about a month now, with no luck...in truth, when he heard of the demons, he shrugged and paid it no more mind at the time, citing his own concerns-even though it was his own homeland that was on the forefront of the war, from what he's heard there's little he could do, or imagines he could do-what he hears is mostly horror stories, and he wants no part of it. Leo is a man who very rarely considers the larger world, or any bigger target than the enemy planted in front of him, or the woman he hopes is waiting for him.

Spoiler: Stats (click to show/hide)

Strength::9
Dexterity::9
Intelligence::4
Constitution::10
Perception::4
Charisma::7

Spoiler:  Player Condition (click to show/hide)

Healthy
No Fractures
Sane

Spoiler: Skills (click to show/hide)

Competent High Diplomat
Competent Spear user
Novice Animal Care

Spoiler: Inventory (click to show/hide)

Aligment Pebble(Misc.)[Changes color depending on the aligment of the holder. Must be held]
Chainmail Armor
1h Shortspear
Medium Iron Shield
Demonica Encyclopedia
Stranger(regular horse mount)

Spoiler: class (click to show/hide)

 

Spoiler: Notes (click to show/hide)

Lancer Class

Spoiler: Killboard (click to show/hide)

Spoiler:  Player Information (click to show/hide)

(Gender: Female.)
Age: 26

Appearance: She keeps her brown hair in a pony tail while her eyes are something between blue and green, she has a scar on the left side of her forehead, likely caused by talons, she tries to conceal it but her left eye has a habit of twitching when she's annoyed, she often has a tired look from not resting enough, despite her various physical flaws, she is appealing to most people, and her voice is clear, she has a muscular build which manages to stay within proper proportions, but only just.
Biography: Katriane was born as a only child to a poor farmer named Darrion Hillis and his wife Geneve Rossana, when she was 4, Rossana passed away, but Darrion, rather then becoming more distant in grief, embraced Katriane as his only family left, he taught her about a few plant types and how to make a fire, but not much else, Katriane only learned of her true destiny when she was 21, when demons attacked her village and she managed to fend off some demons with a wood cutting axe when they broke into her house and she rallied the village to fight long enough for the local lord, who went by the name Garion Calder, to learn of the attack and kill the demons with his forces, Darrion survived but lost his legs, Garion employed Katriane as one of his body guards and it became obvious that she didn't simply have a stroke of extreme luck, when Garion learnt of this he personally taught her the best he could of the ways of war, after 2 years as a body guard and later 1 year as his adviser, she had left his employ and wandered for the last 2 years, making her mark wherever she could, she grew distant from her father when she had less and less time to visit him, even though she is distant, she still truly cares about him, despite her extraordinary abilities, she isn't very well known.

Spoiler: Stats (click to show/hide)

Strength::10
Dexterity::8
Intelligence::7
Constitution::9
Perception::7
Charisma::6

Spoiler:  Player Condition (click to show/hide)

Healthy
No Fractures
Sane

Spoiler: Skills (click to show/hide)

 Novice Survivalist
Competent Tactician
Competent Sword User

Spoiler: Inventory (click to show/hide)

Brooch(Misc.)[Contains a small framed picture of Katrianne's Mother and Father]

Spoiler: Class (click to show/hide)

 

Spoiler: Notes (click to show/hide)

Vindicator Class

Spoiler: Killboard (click to show/hide)

Spoiler:  Player Information (click to show/hide)

Spoiler: Stats (click to show/hide)

 

Spoiler:  Player Condition (click to show/hide)

Healthy
No Fractures
Sane

Spoiler: Skills (click to show/hide)

 

Spoiler: Inventory (click to show/hide)

Spoiler: Class (click to show/hide)

 

Spoiler: Notes (click to show/hide)

Spoiler: Killboard (click to show/hide)

Spoiler:  Player Information (click to show/hide)

Spoiler: Stats (click to show/hide)

 

Spoiler:  Player Condition (click to show/hide)

Healthy
No Fractures
Sane

Spoiler: Skills (click to show/hide)

 

Spoiler: Inventory (click to show/hide)

Spoiler: Class (click to show/hide)

 

Spoiler: Notes (click to show/hide)

Spoiler: Killboard (click to show/hide)

Spoiler:  Player Information (click to show/hide)

Spoiler: Stats (click to show/hide)

 

Spoiler:  Player Condition (click to show/hide)

Healthy
No Fractures
Sane

Spoiler: Skills (click to show/hide)

 

Spoiler: Inventory (click to show/hide)

Spoiler: Class (click to show/hide)

 

Spoiler: Notes (click to show/hide)

Spoiler: Killboard (click to show/hide)

Graveyard

No one's dead yet!

Notes

- Do not be warned for the slowness of the RTD, I'm alive and well just on vacation in Ireland and laptop-use is limited.

[Dwarmin]

"We should find a place to hole up for the night-we won't get much sleep, I think, unless it's the sleep of the dead. It's likely whatever we're hunting is going to pay us a visit tonight..." Leo muses to his silent friend.

"It's best we build a big fire and keep it lit all night-sleep lightly, carry torches, hour shifts each until the sun comes up. On top of a hill, maybe-cut away shrubbery to deny cover and feed the fire. They'll see two of us and likely think their numbers can carry them...well, we'll just have to do our best."

Action: Find a good place to camp for the night that is easy to defend, with clear sightlines and some height-set up watch fires and shifts to keep a look out for visitors.

[blazing glory]

Ask someone nearby.

"Where can I find breeder? I'm a...mercenary, and I heard he might have work."

[Salsacookies]

"Yeah, sounds like a good plan." I begin to set up camp, and get a good look of the surrounding wilderness. "Y'kno, It's very hard for me to imagine something so evil can hide in someplace so beautiful. I despise deception, makes you wish it's real, only to discover it's out to kill you."

Some though later, I begin to load bullets into my weapon. "So, what should we expect, other than little gremlins biting at our ankles?"