| Welcome to Imythess, the border between dreams and reality. We hope you enjoy your visit. Imythess is a creative writing board where you narrate the story of a character in the medieval land of Imythess, on the planet Chaon. Each topic is an opportunity for your character to interact with the world and its peoples by cooperatively writing pieces of a story with other members, one post at a time. We call this role-playing, because you assume the identity of your character as if it were your own. In order to play, you must register an account for each character you would like to write about, and begin their tale by filling out their basic profile information: Race (human, elf, demon, etc.), class (warrior, mage, etc.), physical appearance, and any other personal details you would like to describe. You are also encouraged to come up with some background history information for what your character's life has been like up to the point at which their story in Imythess begins. There is no approval process or application required to join, so long as you follow the rules then you are free to write whatever character details you choose. Registration is simple, fast, and completely free. Create a character now! If you're already a member, you can log into your account below: |
- Pages:
- 1
- 2
| [P] The Endless Knot; [Private: Thousand Night Winter] | |
|---|---|
| Topic Started: Mon Jul 11, 2011 12:56 am (308 Views) | |
| Caz | Mon Jul 11, 2011 12:56 am Post #1 |
 
|
Upon the death of the prominent businessman Bryson Cazmia, succession and inheritance battles raged through the small noble family. Most of the turmoil was decisively crushed by Erin's strong-willed mother, but there were still plenty of complaints after the man's will was read. Erin, the youngest of five and not particularly well-liked by her family, had been entrusted with a single possession: Bryson's most valuable horse, a rare white Kydoji mare. These elven-bred animals were the stuff of legend, and it definitely carried itself that way. It held its head high like a haughty nobleman as Erin led it out of the estate's stables, unsure of what to do with it exactly. Her family would kill her if she sold or otherwise passed off this important gift from her late father. Caz frowned at her new mount, apologetic, as she re-entered the somewhat bustling streets of Taras. "Sorry," she told it. "You'll have to live modestly for a little while." Actually, the horse was surprisingly friendly despite its demeanor. It wasn't afraid of Vika, Erin's dog, and it didn't try to trample her. The way it took in the world around it seemed like it was rather intelligent, too. Cazmia led it by the reigns through the winding streets of Taras until she reached the completely rebuilt market district. She darted from shop to shop, restocking her supplies from the trip to her family's estate, until the horse's saddlebags were full. Still the animal didn't seem to mind, cheerfully prancing behind Erin. Vika was her usual self, occasionally flopping near the wizard's heels or running off to investigate a curious smell. Cazmia purchased lunch for herself, her dog and her newly-acquired horse and took a seat at the nearest roadside bench. Placing the open bag of feed on the seat next to her and putting a slab of cheap meat on the ground, Erin nibbled on her own meal once both of the animals under her charge were properly situated. Vika practically inhaled her lunch and was quickly off again to investigate the area. The dog excitedly greeted everyone that passed by, tail wagging and body practically bouncing on her front paws, as Erin watched with amusement. After a few seconds it looked like she was really taking to a strange woman with a spear; the dog's eyes were focused on the objects dangling from its head. Caz figured the person wasn't dangerous and continued nibbling on her lunch. Edited by Caz, Mon Jul 11, 2011 12:57 am.
|
 |
 
|
| Thousand Night Winter | Wed Jul 13, 2011 1:23 am Post #2 |
|
Thousand Night Winter walked through the nearly rebuilt streets of Taras. It was already crowded a fair amount, and the people seemed happy. Too happy. A woman called Kirsikka had explained to her why Taras would never rise properly ever again, the world having left it far, far behind. The thought saddened her - what was in store for this formerly great city? The sun hovered directly above, and Soko protected herself from it with a wide brimmed straw hat. She rather liked the hat, especially after the tradesman was willing to make a pair of horn holes in it. She wandered the city, walking down whatever alley she wished. Thieves in this town didn't bother demons, but the roving packs of 'concerned citizens' did. Soko sniffed the air, rising onto her toes and raising her nose slightly higher. Fish! Grilling fish! She squeaked and darted out of the alley, appearing before the man's stall. Seared tuna in the Nalai style, one of her favorites. She ordered a whole rack and gave the man a precious few coins for his food. It was pricey, but Soko needed a little pick me up. She darted over to a nearby bench, quickly crossing the bustling street. She sat down,wrapping her tail around her hip and letting it hang down. She planted her spear behind her and secured it with her back arch. Soko unwrapped her meal and began to eat, when a dog appeared. Soko gave the dog one of the little medallions before rewrapping the package. The demon stood and walked over to the hound's apparent owner, the one with the oil paper slick with meat slices and blood next to her feet. Soko sat beside her and ate slowly. "You've got a cute dog." The demoness said. She handed the woman a little medallion of seared tuna. "Want some? I'm Soko Nephi, shaman." Soko explained. Hopefully her comment would be a good icebreaker. She glanced about the woman, noting the staff. "Ah, a mage! I'm an ice mage myself." Soko said around a bite of tuna. |
|
|
|
| Caz | Thu Jul 14, 2011 2:29 am Post #3 |
|
"Her name is Vika!" the girl replied with a smile, accepting the slice of tuna. "Wow, you're a shaman? Well, I suppose that's fairly obvious-- there just aren't many shamans around here. In Taras. Or any religion, really. Kind of odd." The dog jumped up onto the bench between the two, wagging her tail and panting before laying down. Caz scratched her behind the ear with her free hand. Behind the bench, her newly-acquired horse still munched lazily from the bag of feed. Soko noted the staff laying against the bench next to her. "Oh!" Delighted that she had pointed it out, Caz pulled it closer into view with her free hand. "I'm a runic mage, so all of these lines and symbols on it are for casting." She took a bite of the tuna in her other hand. "This is delicious! Of course, these aren't the only runes I use. I've got loads of them in tomes back home. It's all surprisingly complex. I've always wanted to try elemental magic, though." She ate the rest of the fish in one bite and leaned forward, almost reaching out to poke the shaman's spear. "Is that what you use to cast? That spear? What are all those little things for, dangling off of it?" Listening carefully, Caz's intense stare broke for a moment as she recalled something. "Ah, I forgot to tell you my name! I'm Erin Cazmia, arcanist from the Academy of Magic. I do lots of work with archiving magical relics and stuff like that -- it's pretty neat." |
|
|
|
| Thousand Night Winter | Sat Jul 30, 2011 2:33 am Post #4 |
|
Soko patted Vika between the ears with a smile, delicately scratching the dog with her claws. She smiled warmly, revealing her small fanged canines. "Oh, uh, well a shaman in training really! I technically am a full shaman but that was just a ritual so I could leave the village." Soko explained. Her cheer was lost slightly as she strangled the depressing memories from her head. She'd make it! Soko folded her legs for comfort and leaned back slightly. Her eyes drifted skyward, her wings gave a slight twitch. "Runic magic? That's with weird magical symbols of power, right? The mages guild in Striberg had you guys listed as one of the many 'types'. I'm more of a willpower sort. Chant what the magic forces through you, then make it real with will." Thousand Night Winter explained. She lifted her spear, the array of teeth, small bones and shells clattering together. The tip was an odd, icy material that appeared to be bone. "I cast with it. The tip is the focus. It isn't that great as a weapon, and I can barely even hunt with it! The teeth are from big animals, like bears, sea lions, and orcas. The bones are generally knuckle bones from whatever creatures with small enough knuckle bones, really." Soko said with a little giggle. She put the weapon down and focused on finishing her food. Her mention of archival work made TNW perk up slightly. Hunting for magical artifacts seemed fun. Did she have a cool uniform with scarves and runes? "An archivist? What do you do? Do you guys have a snazzy magical uniform?" Soko asked, eyes wide with curiosity. |
|
|
|
| Caz | Sun Jul 31, 2011 1:23 am Post #5 |
|
Cazmia pondered the question far longer than any normal person probably would have. "It's actually really complex. There's formal wear, extremely formal wear, a robe for daily life at the University, a cloak," she indicated the blue and white cloak she was wearing, "and an optional pointed hat." Erin gave a quick but dramatic sigh, as if the talk of attire was legitimately exhausting. "People are so concerned with appearances -- and formalities. It's a waste of effort." The shaman asked her what it was, exactly, she did as an arcanist, and this returned Caz to her previous levels of overbearing excitement. "Lots of stuff! It's amazing! It's like being paid to go treasure-hunting except you're also studying the treasure and learning a lot, not just pawning it off, and it's not really treasure but more important than treasure. And you get to travel everywhere and meet really nice people!" Almost before she was even done talking, Cazmia's demeanor visibly shifted, as though she was distracted by a new idea. The girl bounced to her feet, a wide grin on her face. Anticipating something, Vika also got up, her tail wagging. "I shouldn't just tell you what my job is like, I should show you!" She pointed to her horse, who looked up at them with a quizzical, vaguely insulted expression. "I got a horse today! We could go anywhere! There's plenty of work to do on my way up north. Come with me and help out! I'll even pay for your stuff." Caz moved in extremely close to the girl -- to the point where they were almost nose-to-nose. She grabbed both of Soko's wrists as an earnest plea. "C'mon! It'll be really fun!" |
|
|
|
| Thousand Night Winter | Sat Aug 6, 2011 3:08 am Post #6 |
|
Soko's questions were answered, widening her smile. Her tail attempted to move, even though it was stuck on the bench. The bulk of it stopped immediately, but the tip of her tail moved as quickly as it could. Cazmia walked right up to Soko, nose to nose with the girl. For a moment she stared into Caz's eyes, and then licked her on the nose. "An adventure? Sounds great! Your horse can handle two riders, right?" Soko asked. She stood and hugged Cazmia, her goal totally forgotten. A few days later they stopped at a ruin, a decaying fortress. Soko glanced up and down the monolith, tapping her spear's butt on the ground as she did. Her arm jarred when she hit a stone half-hidden in the knee high grass. "So you work here? Are there artifacts?" Soko asked. She took a few steps, taking care to stretch her sore body from riding on a horse with no saddle for days. She bent over and touched her toes with spear in hand, and then stood up fully with a tail wiggle. She checked her hip bag quickly, peeking in to see her oilpaper wrapped lunch. "Mm. This'd be a great spot for a picnic, but ruins first, right?" Soko said. Her mind flickered around all the little plants around them, quickly getting distracted from the task at hand. Wouldn't it be nice to have a garden? The demoness slowly walked towards the ruins, swaying back and forth as she did. She pivoted on one foot and walked backwards, sporting a wide with sparkling white fangs. "Do you get in fights much out here? Bandits? Undead? Deeeemooonsss?" The shaman asked, her voice full of dramatics. |
|
|
|
| Caz | Sat Aug 20, 2011 1:46 pm Post #7 |
|
Cazmia put her hands on her hips, staring up at the colossal structure. Half of it was crumbled to the ground and overgrown with vines and brambles, but the other was relatively intact. That would be their goal. "A long time ago, the elven general of this fortress was kind of infamous for his extravagance," Erin explained. "He had a lot of gold stuff. It's probably been picked over by now, but the Academy got word that one of his most prized possessions is still in here -- and it's of interest to them. That's... that's all they said." Her lips curled into an exaggerated frown. "They didn't even tell me where in this thing it was." Soko asked her if she ever got in fights on her missions. "No, not really. The Academy likes to put me in 'low-risk' missions since I have a tendency to attract any sort of enemy that might be in the area- ack!" An arrow whizzed by Cazmia's robe as she spoke, disappearing into the knee-high grass. "Scatter, Soko!" She clambered off, narrowly avoiding a few more of the projectiles. Enemies poured out of the front door of the fortress. Humans with glowing red eyes were flanked by a few zombies, which charged mindlessly toward the pair. "Demon-possessed bandits with undead minions! You were... remarkably accurate, Soko," the half-angel called back to her new friend. |
|
|
|
| Thousand Night Winter | Sat Aug 20, 2011 2:42 pm Post #8 |
|
Soko glanced over as Caz explained the history and her position. The sweet little blonde thing seemed like a bumbler. Caz began explaining that her missions were low risk, at least until an arrow whipped by. Before she was even told to scatter, Soko had already bolted and dived behind a column. Her joke had become real, and Soko hated the undead. She really hated the undead. She peeked over at Caz as she reiterated what was attacking them and groaned. "Well, if you've got spells start slinging them!" Soko shouted. She began muttering, her fingers working through a spell. Grass tickled her feet, cold swirled around her. She popped over the fallen column, and picked her target with an outstretched arm and open palm. Energy burst forwards, leaving snowflakes in its wake. It struck one of the larger mercenaries, leaving a magical sigil in his chest. His whole body glowed through his clothes before ice burst forth, filling the air with cold and shards of ice. Blood spilled from his now ruined clothing, his allies scattered away from him, nursing wounds of their own. An arrow from the fortress clipped Soko's horn with a loud, hollow noise and the girl ducked again. Her chest heaved as she centered herself magically. That spell still took quite a bit out of her! She began weaving another as quickly as possible, but without forcing it. A man jumped over her cover, just in time for her spell to be completed. Holding the sphere of cold energy in one hand, she jammed it into the man. The air chilled noticeably as he fell over. The spell had not killed him however, and Soko leapt onto him. She awkwardly jammed her claws into his throat before he could get over his shock. She ripped the claws out, hot liquid spraying across her. Soko glanced up to see what Caz was up to. |
|
|
|
| Caz | Sun Aug 21, 2011 2:15 pm Post #9 |
|
Vika barked, running alongside Caz. "Why aren't you running away, horse?!" she shouted to her fairly new pet, who was standing in a stately pose just down the grass. The horse glanced at Caz and started moving forward, allowing her to mount it. It cantered around the falling arrows, holding its head and tail up unflinchingly. "Okay, let's see if this works..." she mumbled partially to herself and partially to her horse. Holding out her staff by an end, she pulled her mount by the reigns into a sharp turn, urging it into a circle so the staff brushed the grass in a pattern. The white horse outran zombies and bandits alike, creating a train of enemies behind Caz while she cast her spell. When she finally finished the circle in the grass, it flashed yellow. Runes traced themselves into the soil within it, creating an elaborate symbol. Cazmia rode away, looking back at the result of her spell. The ground within her circle exploded upward, throwing grass and dirt everywhere. A monstrous creature made of sinewy root muscles covered in a grass "pelt" burst from the ground, mauling some of the nearest zombies in an impressive display of gore. It took the horde's attention away from Cazmia, who rode over to a fallen column where Soko was hiding. "Jump on!" she called down, holding out an arm to help the shaman onto the horse's back. "My friend will take care of that group." By the time they emerged from behind the column, the nature golem had already destroyed nearly all of their remaining enemies. It noisily munched on a zombie, pulling chunks of it into its thorny jaws and snapping them up into its gullet like a crocodile. Cazmia smiled at it like a proud parent. "He just gets a little hungry sometimes, don't worry about it." They finally reached the entrance of the ruin, where Caz dismounted and led her pets inside. They reached two staircases: one that led up and another that went down. "Where do you think it would be, Soko?" Caz asked, her short triangular ears drooping with indecision. "Should we split up or stay together?" |
|
|
|
| Thousand Night Winter | Wed Aug 24, 2011 2:01 am Post #10 |
|
A golem burst out of the ground and killed everything in short order as Soko looked on. Caz whipped around the cover on her pretty horsey, inviting her onto it. She clambered aboard immediately, flopped over the horse's rump. It was not a comfortable few steps before they stopped again. The shaman righted herself, staring at Caz's golem. "It...certainly cleans up after itself. You control it, right?" Soko asked, her voice quavering at the edges. Caz looked pleased, which calmed Soko greatly. She dismounted with the animals and walked carefully. Were there traps, she wondered? "Adventurers always go down. We should go up." Soko said. She truthfully didn't know a thing about adventurers, but it seemed like shaman-y wisdom. She lead, pointing her spear up the stairs as she went. Her stick was considerably more lethal than Cazmia's stick. The stairs were oddly in fairly good condition for an old spiral staircase, and she timidly stepped out on the second floor. She whipped the spear back and forth quickly, checking the halls. "Okay, how do we do...your thingy?" Soko asked. She glanced around quickly, and then pointed to a random passage. "Ah, well, might as well go in this direction. Say, Cazmia, what got you into this field of magicking and having a really nice horse while doing it?" Soko asked. Her tail whipped about gleefully even as she kept her spear pointed forwards. Her claws clicked on the ground, otherwise the dim fortress was totally silent. |
|
|
|
| Caz | Thu Aug 25, 2011 6:33 pm Post #11 |
|
"I give him recommendations," Cazmia answered cheerfully. "We don't quarrel often." The golem lowered on its haunches, pinning the corpse of one of the demon-possessed bandits so it could loudly rip chunks off of it. Bones crunched between its long jaws, sending viscera flying everywhere. "Mr. Nature Golem, could you please keep the courtyard safe? Thanks! And don't eat my horse!" She rode off, not really expecting an answer from the brute. The runic mage nodded at Soko's perceptive observation about adventurers, and they proceeded up the spiral staircase. They emerged at the source of a series of winding corridors, and Cazmia turned to press her hand against the wall. She closed her eyes and focused for a couple seconds. "I can sense a tiny bit of magic," she said, "but I don't know which direction it's coming from. Best just to keep going forward." As they walked, the shaman asked Caz about her own past. "You mean like doing this job for the Academy?" she thought for a few seconds, staring up at the ceiling as she tried to collect all her memories together into a coherent answer. "I graduated from the Striberg Chapter of the Academy after my family was displaced from Taras. You know, that demon attack and all that. Top of my class, so I got a job with them. After being a research assistant for a little bit I told them I wanted to travel, and they said they had a perfect job for me. Now I'm here. As for the horse..." She looked down at her clasped hands, trying to come up with a not-awkward way to explain it. "When my father died, he left that horse for me. Didn't explain why. My family was in kind of an uproar when they found out, since a lot of my aunts and uncles are huge equestrians and I haven't ridden a horse since I was little. They kept talking about how nice of a horse it was, but I don't really see it, honestly. It's just a white horse with... kind of an attitude, actually." Cazmia's ears perked up when she gave a cursory check of the wall. "Wait. I can feel something. Let's turn right up ahead!" Her walk turned into a bounding half-jog, her cloak and robes flapping in the wind her speed created. She came upon a small room with a view. "Must've been a storage area. Or a dungeon. I guess those are the same thing, in a way, heh." Running her fingertips across the wall, she used her innate sense of magic to search for the hidden object. "Wait..." Crouching down in front of a corner, Caz lightly tapped the wall with her runic staff. Apparently not hearing or seeing what she wanted to, she switched to a different brick and did the same thing. It took several bricks before the sound of the tapping turned hollow. Caz slammed the butt of her staff against the hollow brick, dislodging it. She reached in, pulled out the brick, and then stuck her hand in again. "Whoah." The wizard straightened, turning to face Soko. A very small, ornately decorated box was in her hand. "It's in here, whatever it is." She tried to pry it open, but it didn't budge. After about a minute of exertion, Cazmia gave up and offered it to the shaman. "Can you open it? It's stuck." |
|
|
|
| Thousand Night Winter | Mon Aug 29, 2011 12:56 pm Post #12 |
|
Thousand Night Winter nodded at the girl's statement. She still didn't entirely trust a golem that ate people. It also sounded like the creature quarreled with Caz. Wasn't that dangerous? Summons with minds seemed so much more...vulnerable. The two walked upstairs after Cazmia gave the golem rather depressing advice. Soko simply nodded at the girl's observation about a nearby magical source. It could be the artifact or one of their foes. "Caution." Soko said to the girl's remark. Her claws clicked on the floor as they moved, Soko listening quietly to the girl's life story. It was even more clear the girl was somewhat of an eccentric, and a rich one at that. Soko's mind drifted to money, and she instinctually reached for one of her bigger vices, her pipe. She packed it full of tobacco and lit it, smoking as they walked. Caz darted into a room, and Soko followed casually. She entered to find the girl searching the walls, and quickly slid up behind her as she did. Caz tapped the wall, until it made a different noise. Soko blinked as the girl retrieved the brick and a small box. "Well. Whatcha got there?" Soko asked. Caz said what they were after was inside the box. The slim blonde struggled with the box as Soko watched on, hatching her own plan. Like she predicted, the girl handed it to her. She jammed a claw into the box's lock and wiggled it around. It had no pins or parts, it was simply a tube she found. "Uh. How does this lock even work? It doesn't have any lock parts!" Soko growled. She planted the box on the ground, and pressed it against a wall. She planted her spear down, wedging its butt into a hole in the perpendicular wall. She raised the spear slightly, so the blade was inches from the rim of the box. Soko went through several quick incantations, wiggling her hand at the spear's blade. Cold tore into the room, and a blade of ice surged from the spear's end. It struck the box as it grew, sinking in deep. Soko winked and stepped on her spear, shattering the ice. She reached over and tried to open the box, but it stayed stuck. "That's no good." Soko murmured. She stood, raising the box to eye level. On closer inspection, the ice blade hadn't sunk into the box, it had stopped entirely! With a roar she threw the box across the room, and cast another spell. She pointed at the box and immediately glyphs appeared on it. Seconds later it exploded cold, rocketing into the air on shards of ice. The box remained unharmed. "What is with this stupid little piece of wood!" Soko growled. She stomped over and retrieved it, trying to pry off the hinges with her claws. |
|
|
|
| Caz | Sun Sep 4, 2011 7:52 pm Post #13 |
|
"Wait! Don't hurt it!" Caz rushed forward, but was forced to stop and shield her face with an arm. Tiny shards of ice brushed across her robe. She took the box from Soko, holding it up with a carefulness one wouldn't normally lend to a apparently indestructible object. First she looked closely at it. Despite all the punishment they'd put it through, the box showed no sign of scratching or wear. She held it up to her ear and shook it; it made a dull sound. Cazmia lowered it to shoulder-height, scrunching her nose in a look of intense thought. Eventually, she got an idea. "Maybe you just need to ask it nicely. Box, would you please open for us? We work for the Academy of Magic, so whatever is inside you will probably just be studied and then put in a museum. It won't be used for evil or anything." Nothing happened. In a fit of rage, Erin chucked the box out of the window. When it crashed loudly into the ruins a few dozen feet down, Cazmia had a sheepish look on her face. "We, uh... maybe we should get that." |
|
|
|
| Thousand Night Winter | Sun Sep 18, 2011 4:33 am Post #14 |
|
TNW stood with a hand on her hip and one on her pipe. Caz was attempting to reason with the box. Nothing happened. Moments later the box was sailing in an arc out the window, a frazzled little blonde staring at it as it went. "Good news is that it'll probably survive the fall! At this point, I think the box is invincible." Soko muttered. She leaned out the window, eyes on the tiny little box far below. It looked unharmed. Soko handed her pipe to Cazmia. She rubbed her hands together and vaulted out the window, her wings snapping open to slow her fall. The demoness landed, and scooped up the box with a few neat steps. Her wings flared open once more, working in a powerful rythm. She quickly rose to the window, throwing the unharmed box in first. She swooped in, clawing at stone and landing awkwardly on the ground. "Wings weren't made for that sort of an opening, although I think a swallow would tell me otherwise." Soko grumbled. She turned over and sat up. She reached out for her pipe and took it from Cazmia, taking a few thoughtful puffs. "Was this elven person known for anything in particular?" She inquired. |
|
|
|
| Caz | Fri Sep 30, 2011 7:49 pm Post #15 |
|
"But I love swallows," Caz murmured to herself, wringing her hands together. Moving on: "Like I said, everyone thought he was needlessly extravagant, but he was also a very private person. If he managed to bewitch this box to be completely invincible and unopenable, I wonder what kind of secret he might have been trying to hide." She picked up the box, studying it so hard and so close to her face that she appeared to have crossed eyes. When this proved to be a useless action, she simply stowed the item away in her satchel. Caz and TNW sat in a local tavern a few hours later, the box sitting on the table between them. Caz had most of her upper body flopped onto the table, her head resting on her bent arm and the other hand poking the invincible box. "I'm so curious," she whined. "What could even fit in here? It doesn't make sense." She pushed herself up, looking back over at Soko. "We'll find a way. I'm always running across random magical anomalies during my missions; maybe we'll find something in another assignment that can open this box." Cazmia plopped her satchel on her lap and rifled through it. She procured a scroll and placed it neatly on the table. Using the invincible box as a paperweight to keep it open, Erin looked it over. "It's a list of assignments. They're..." she read some of them extremely quickly, "...They're all really dangerous." Erin flopped onto the table again. "I already feel like I need a vacation, Soko." |
|
|
|
| 1 user reading this topic (1 Guest and 0 Anonymous) | |
| Go to Next Page | |
| « Previous Topic · The Ruins of Taras · Next Topic » |
- Pages:
- 1
- 2
2:23 PM May 19
