Avalux Kesterven
Dedicated
Roleplay posts: 106 
Age: 42
Appearance: Avalux is quarter elven which makes his age slightly hard to guess. His hair had turned a silvery blonde when he was quite young and most of the signs of age on his features are due more to squinting to read in candlelight than his years. He is on the tall and lean side but not to an excessive degree. Perhaps a hair's breadth over six feet and with enough meat on his bones to be healthy. His features are angular and they have a slightly severe cast as his habitual expression is a frown of thoughtful consideration.
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Equipment: Utterly insufficient for the task he has been presented with but he has the essential. A fresh notebook, a pen enchanted to replenish its own ink over time, a rune scribes etching tool, his glasses, and various crystals for creating apparatus.
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Skills and Abilities: Avalux is a magical engineer (Artificer if you wish to offend) and researcher. He specializes in the creation of devices that use magical power to power mechanical designs. He tackles magic with the scientific method trying to quantify something that most people believe to be unquantifiable. His drive and determination to do so often make him overlook certain things.
Registered: Nov 14, 2021 12:43:02 GMT -5
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Post by Avalux Kesterven on Apr 1, 2023 8:17:17 GMT -5
The conversation shifted onto a topic that Avalux was ill-equipped to give an opinion on. His teenage years hadn't been far removed from his adult years. He'd been told that he had no aptitude for magic as he'd entered pubescence despite his desire to study it. Admittedly, he supposed he'd shown a level of rebellion by choosing to study it regardless of his tutors and parents trying to stop him from wasting his time. But they hadn't strictly forbidden it just discouraged it and he'd ignored them. This had, ultimately, worked out in his favour considering he'd turned the Kesterven Company into one of the richest and most powerful forces in the world though he supposed if he had inadvertently brought the floods with his industrialization of magic perhaps he should have listened after all.
With that depressing thought out of the way, he decided to turn his attention back to the conversation. Jun spoke of the dichotomy between dark and light magic which he found interesting in an abstract sense. His inability to feel magic as a force and only observe it as a phenomenon gave him a rather detached view of it. Hearing her speak of it as it related to the inner self almost seemed antithetical to him. But he wondered if that was the issue with his approach. Magic was innate to people, treating it as a force to be harnessed like fire rather than a part of the sapient condition might be part of where he'd gone wrong. His memories of sacred places being drained of mana to fuel his industry still loomed heavily in his mind.
"Hrmmm?"
Avalux blinked, as a question was directed at him drawing him back into the conversation and away from his musing. Jun told the basics of the story in her typical manner which he'd come to find quite endearing. The repeated clarifications drew his gaze to Jun as she leaned toward him and his expression shifted. The distance left it as a small, tender, smile formed on his features the first he'd had since the start of the conversation. He gave a small chuckle and said.
"I lost my glasses during the confrontation so I saw almost none of that. But yes..."
With the last two words, he turned his focus onto Isolde to answer her comment if not the question.
"I am extremely grateful to have met Jun. She is the most singularly remarkable woman that I've ever had the pleasure of meeting. I would not go so far as to say doing so made the floods worth it considering how many other people suffered. However, I would say that meeting her has made the experience for me on a personal level a far more positive one than I might have otherwise had, even without the consideration that I may very well have died without her assistance."
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Isolde
New
Roleplay posts: 6
Appearance: A dark-skinned woman with snowy hair draped down to the nape of her back. Dark devilish horns sprout out from her head. The white dress fit for a new bride is now replaced with an obsidian-colored dress fit for a funeral. Her smile is wickedly playful. Her icy red eyes are intense enough to stare right through someone's very own soul.
Skills and Abilities: A counter to Valera. Isolde transforms the large claymore weapon wielded by the angel into a longbow. She stores her ammo in the other dimension between the valleys of her chest.
Biography: Valera and Isolde, never one without the other. Isolde the trickster that reveals herself at night always ready to cause a little drama. Valera the righteous warrior shines proudly in the sun. Both inhabit the same body, there can never be one without the other. Their personalities are as different as day and night. Isolde may have always been a part of Valera, dormant and hiding. The parts of Valera were never allowed to bud into the surface. All she remembers is one day she existed. Cursed to live her life in the night. Isolde does not mind but she wonders what the warmth of the sun might feel on her cold skin.
Allegiances: Valera
Registered: Feb 4, 2023 22:24:45 GMT -5
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Post by Isolde on Apr 6, 2023 22:34:53 GMT -5
Isolde was more present during Valera's teenage years. Isolde was Valera. She had the whole world ahead of her. Valera was filled with optimism. She was carefree and wild. She was the occasional jokester in her youth. She was a rambunctious teen, always thirsting for adventure. That version of her all changed when the war cqme. She was barely an adult when she was drafted. They told her they would send funds to her family if she fought. Her family were not well off. The grueling days of endless bloodshed went on for years until the carefree spirit she once was, was sealed far into the reaches of her mind. Isolde doesn't remember when Valera sealed her away. Valera did all the fighting and made all the tough calls. Isolde just drifted into nothingness to be reborn once again in this time.
"Dark magic? People do often find that sorcery to be wicked. You do make quite a good point. Light and dark balance one another. Much like natural light, there can not be light without a shadow. Maybe I am the shadow to Valera. I do not remember much of what has happened but I know there was a time that I was her, or I guess she was me? It's hard to say. Maybe The path she continued, there was no room for my antics. You have a vast amount of knowledge, Jun. It's refreshing to hear someone so passionate. Maybe I exist now to help bring out a more playful side and balance out her serious nature." She taps her fingers together as she talks.
The conversation shifts with Jun telling the grand tale of Avalux and the panther shaped beast. "That's a great tale. It sounds that your frog familiar fought bravely. It's efforts were not in vain."
"It is unfortunate that you lost your glasses. It seems you were able to find another pair since then." Isolde smiled as she listened to his sincere words. "You two compliment each other well, not just in terms of friendship but in terms of ability. That's the best way for a partnership to be. A life and death situation does make bonding a little quicker." Isolde concocts an idea in her brain. If these two were in another life and death situation would they further their relationship? No no, that isn't the way to think about it. Seeing how these two talk about each other truly makes her want to amend her relationship with her other self. It would be a joy to be on good terms with Valera.
"The moon is luminous tonight. It's a wonderful sight" Isolde randomly comments, closing her eyes to bask in the moonlight. "I apologize if I am keeping you two up"
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Jun of the Celadine
Dedicated
Roleplay posts: 305 
Age: 33
Appearance: Jun stands at about 5’ 4”, with a willowy, slightly rectangular build. Her tawny olive skin has lost its flush from constantly wearing cloth armor, and she is dotted with small scars, including wrinkled patches of old burns on her left arm. She has deep brown, slightly hooded eyes and not quite straight dark auburn hair. Her face is still youthful and strong, though her gaze suggests she’s seen way too much for her age.
Equipment: An emerald, muddy long coat-style gambeson. A chrome blue longsword with a rusty hilt. Rusted shackles on her wrists ending in broken chains, giving a false impression that she had been a prisoner; the bracelets are easily removed.
Skills and Abilities: What remains of Jun’s power is a mix of animal friendship and elemental control. She can communicate with and control weaker animals, like insects, and request the help of larger, sentient animals (though they are not compelled to obey her). She can perform subtle manipulations of fire, water, earth, wind, and other “elements” like light and shadow. Her most unique ability is to imbue elemental magic into other life forms and channel her spells through them.
She is a decent cook and survivalist and has a solid academic understanding of agriculture and ecology. She is also a decent sword and hand-to-hand fighter.
Biography: Jun of the Celadine was a stereotypical hero of legend. She was one of Isra's mightiest spellcasters, had gone on dozens of adventures, possessed several powerful artifacts, and helped bring peace to the world on many occasions.
A notorious overachiever and workaholic, Jun had driven herself to near madness pursuing powerful magic. In standard fashion, it was the power of friendship that kept her sane.
Now Jun must cope with the fact that much of the world she helped protect has been lost, and that most of the magic power she had accrued over the years has stopped working.
Her family (whose whereabouts are unknown) was a clan of farmers and gardeners. Her tribe lived in peace and harmony in a mostly forested region. Every two hundred years or so, their people produced a powerful mage and master of all elements. Jun was not this chosen one, but rather her grandmother was. Still, Jun's (somewhat unhealthy) obsession with keeping up with her ancestor made her a pretty close second.
Jun has no regrets about her journey, though she sometimes wishes she had spent more learning other skills, like cooking and dancing. She also feels she made a poor lover, though it's likely her old partners passed away in the floodwaters anyways...
Registered: May 25, 2021 13:33:31 GMT -5
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Post by Jun of the Celadine on Apr 9, 2023 20:28:40 GMT -5
Jun thought she might be imagining it, but it seemed perfectly obvious that Isolde was egging the couple on along particular path.
"...passionate... playful... find another pair... not just in terms of friendship... partnership... bonding..."
Jun smiled politely and respectfully at Isolde's kind words, desperately trying to give her the benefit of the doubt. Much of her words at face value were perfectly reasonable, surprising for a demoness. Maybe she was just imagining-
"... keeping you two... up."
Her heart began palpitating.
But it wasn't just the obviously scintillating subtext of every tenth word that came out of Isolde's mouth. It was also the story of her youth that resonated with her. Jun had also lived a life of constant danger, and parts of her had been suppressed as well. The last time she had let down her guard in that respect, she had almost broken a man's heart. How much worse would things be if she decided to actually settle down with someone, and then have them, or herself, torn away from that. She didn't ever want to do that to anyone. And she didn't want to do it to Avalux.
But, like Valera's and Isolde's story, that was all in the past, wasn't it?
"I think, after all you two have endured, you both deserved to be happy."
Jun was also talking to herself.
"Well, speaking of keeping us up, I think that, despite the fact that you don't need to sleep, it would be best if you had a private place to meditate and write down your thoughts for your other half to reflect on. I think you should have your own tent tonight."
She turned to Avalux.
"And I think we should share a tent tonight. I uh, I also have some things I'd like to talk about with you. If, if that's ok."
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Avalux Kesterven
Dedicated
Roleplay posts: 106
Age: 42
Appearance: Avalux is quarter elven which makes his age slightly hard to guess. His hair had turned a silvery blonde when he was quite young and most of the signs of age on his features are due more to squinting to read in candlelight than his years. He is on the tall and lean side but not to an excessive degree. Perhaps a hair's breadth over six feet and with enough meat on his bones to be healthy. His features are angular and they have a slightly severe cast as his habitual expression is a frown of thoughtful consideration.
-------------------------
Equipment: Utterly insufficient for the task he has been presented with but he has the essential. A fresh notebook, a pen enchanted to replenish its own ink over time, a rune scribes etching tool, his glasses, and various crystals for creating apparatus.
-------------------------
Skills and Abilities: Avalux is a magical engineer (Artificer if you wish to offend) and researcher. He specializes in the creation of devices that use magical power to power mechanical designs. He tackles magic with the scientific method trying to quantify something that most people believe to be unquantifiable. His drive and determination to do so often make him overlook certain things.
Registered: Nov 14, 2021 12:43:02 GMT -5
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Post by Avalux Kesterven on Apr 30, 2023 18:14:04 GMT -5
"Hrmm? No, it is the same pair of glasses. I just found them after Jun saved me from being mauled."
Avalux said when Isolde commented on his fortune in finding a new pair. Honestly, he had no idea where he would even find a new pair considering the state of the world. He certainly didn't have the material to create and polish glass. That realization made him frown. He'd be in quite a bit of trouble if he lost his glasses, he couldn't see more than a few feet in front of his face without them. Perhaps he should look into some way to enhance their durability, though where he would fit in runes for that when they were already laden with runes for reading mana he had no idea. Maybe he should just get a chain or some string tied to them so if they fell off they'd just hit his chest. That was a bit more feasible.
This was all to say that Avalux was not picking up on the same energy that Jun was. But perhaps that was part of the point. She was wild, impulsive and creative while he was methodical, patient, and logical. They complimented each other, a ying and a yang, a light and the shadow just as the demoness said. What that might lead to, how that might end, it may very well not matter. Sometimes the choice was one that had to be made because there was no other way forward.
"Share a tent?"
Avalux said and looked at Jun in shocked surprise. That seemed a bit improper to him and he opened his mouth to say as much.
"I suppose that's alright."
As he closed his mouth a slightly perplexed look crossed his features. He'd not been planning on saying that but for some reason the words had slipped out in place of his original plan. In the moments before he'd spoken it had occurred to him that he did not, particularly, care if it was improper. There were plenty of benefits to the two of them sharing a tent and it wasn't as though they hadn't slept in the same room before. She'd used the spare cot in his single-room workshop, house, boat contraption before when they'd worked late researching. It was fine, just closer quarters.
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Isolde
New
Roleplay posts: 6
Appearance: A dark-skinned woman with snowy hair draped down to the nape of her back. Dark devilish horns sprout out from her head. The white dress fit for a new bride is now replaced with an obsidian-colored dress fit for a funeral. Her smile is wickedly playful. Her icy red eyes are intense enough to stare right through someone's very own soul.
Skills and Abilities: A counter to Valera. Isolde transforms the large claymore weapon wielded by the angel into a longbow. She stores her ammo in the other dimension between the valleys of her chest.
Biography: Valera and Isolde, never one without the other. Isolde the trickster that reveals herself at night always ready to cause a little drama. Valera the righteous warrior shines proudly in the sun. Both inhabit the same body, there can never be one without the other. Their personalities are as different as day and night. Isolde may have always been a part of Valera, dormant and hiding. The parts of Valera were never allowed to bud into the surface. All she remembers is one day she existed. Cursed to live her life in the night. Isolde does not mind but she wonders what the warmth of the sun might feel on her cold skin.
Allegiances: Valera
Registered: Feb 4, 2023 22:24:45 GMT -5
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Post by Isolde on May 7, 2023 19:56:07 GMT -5
"Thank you greatly Jun. Things have been bittersweet for Valera. Her youth stripped away from her, much too soon. She was barely old enough to have gotten a taste of the world. Still wide eyed and bushy tailed. Battle changed everyone, even those with the strongest of wills." Isolde said sadly. Isolde wanted the best for Valera but she also wasn't willing to give up this new life yet. Having tasted the sweet air, she will not be quelled to return so easily.
"I will stay in the other tent then while you two discuss your business. I have much to reflect on. Thank you both for your help in trying to mend our situation. I will start a journal and hope she is willing to read it when the morning comes."
"Avalux, is your vision severely hindered without your glasses?" Isolde wondered, she knew of people who would be perfectly fine without their glasses, while others would be a stumbling mess without them. If Avalux will be greatly impacted without his spectacles, Isolde might want to find a way to make him a back up spare. She enjoys collecting things, maybe with the glass and some polished wood, she could make another pair. The difficult part would be determining what thickness to cut the lenses to.
"I wish to see if I can help by seeing if I can craft another pair for you. It is the least I can do to repay for your kindness. I have read bits and pieces about crafting various objects." The fiend had lots of free time on her hands. She loved to gain new knowledge and had a love for tinkering. She even reforges the large beastly sword Valera uses into her more graceful longbow. It seems that no matter how much the sword changes, it will return to its bladed form come sunrise.
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Jun of the Celadine
Dedicated
Roleplay posts: 305
Age: 33
Appearance: Jun stands at about 5’ 4”, with a willowy, slightly rectangular build. Her tawny olive skin has lost its flush from constantly wearing cloth armor, and she is dotted with small scars, including wrinkled patches of old burns on her left arm. She has deep brown, slightly hooded eyes and not quite straight dark auburn hair. Her face is still youthful and strong, though her gaze suggests she’s seen way too much for her age.
Equipment: An emerald, muddy long coat-style gambeson. A chrome blue longsword with a rusty hilt. Rusted shackles on her wrists ending in broken chains, giving a false impression that she had been a prisoner; the bracelets are easily removed.
Skills and Abilities: What remains of Jun’s power is a mix of animal friendship and elemental control. She can communicate with and control weaker animals, like insects, and request the help of larger, sentient animals (though they are not compelled to obey her). She can perform subtle manipulations of fire, water, earth, wind, and other “elements” like light and shadow. Her most unique ability is to imbue elemental magic into other life forms and channel her spells through them.
She is a decent cook and survivalist and has a solid academic understanding of agriculture and ecology. She is also a decent sword and hand-to-hand fighter.
Biography: Jun of the Celadine was a stereotypical hero of legend. She was one of Isra's mightiest spellcasters, had gone on dozens of adventures, possessed several powerful artifacts, and helped bring peace to the world on many occasions.
A notorious overachiever and workaholic, Jun had driven herself to near madness pursuing powerful magic. In standard fashion, it was the power of friendship that kept her sane.
Now Jun must cope with the fact that much of the world she helped protect has been lost, and that most of the magic power she had accrued over the years has stopped working.
Her family (whose whereabouts are unknown) was a clan of farmers and gardeners. Her tribe lived in peace and harmony in a mostly forested region. Every two hundred years or so, their people produced a powerful mage and master of all elements. Jun was not this chosen one, but rather her grandmother was. Still, Jun's (somewhat unhealthy) obsession with keeping up with her ancestor made her a pretty close second.
Jun has no regrets about her journey, though she sometimes wishes she had spent more learning other skills, like cooking and dancing. She also feels she made a poor lover, though it's likely her old partners passed away in the floodwaters anyways...
Registered: May 25, 2021 13:33:31 GMT -5
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Post by Jun of the Celadine on Aug 11, 2023 0:05:02 GMT -5
Yah, battle tends to do that.
Jun excused herself and went around the camp, preparing the tents for their sleep. Feeling renewed sympathy for Isolde and Valera, she had no qualms now with Isolde and Avalux getting to know each other better.
I had no idea I was the jealous type. She thought guiltily.
A few hours later...
Once they were all settled in and ready for bed, Jun had finally run out of time to rehearse her words. They were in their sleeping bags, in the same tent. And it would be absurd if they went through the trouble of breaking (admittedly no longer enforceable) propriety just so they could chat about metal ores.
Well, actually, Avalux might have been fine with that. But no, she was committed.
"Valera had a point about Isolde causing chaos. I feel like my mind's running a mile a minute now." She looked up at the very uninspiring ceiling of the tent, as if there were actually stars on the canvas.
"During our fishing experiment, we were having a conversation about why we never pursued romantic interests. I said I didn't want to leave an orphan or widow behind, and you were focus on research. I imagine there was an aspect of rebellion in it too, since you hated your family playing matchmaker. And then we were rudely interrupted by... seals of all things." Thankfully horse-carriage sized pinnipeds were a rare threat now that the MK-1 was safely near the Usquean village.
She turned over in her whole bag to Avalux, but she didn't (perhaps couldn't) look him straight in the eye just yet. "For reasons which you... may have figured out," she said softly. "I'd like to ask you if you still feel that way."
-----
Spera decided she would keep Isolde company while she reflected on her dual nature. She curled up next to her in the shape of a fuzzy donut, wings withdrawn flat. The creature slept silently, not snoring at all.
However, a few minutes into her rest, Spera awoke. Her ears perked up, as if she heard something alarming. Then she started sniffing aggressively at the base of the tent. At first she made motions with her paws to try to dig through into the ground. But then she stopped, and her back arched and hairs stood on end.
Isolde was free to surmise that the creature was just playing, if she wanted.
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Avalux Kesterven
Dedicated
Roleplay posts: 106
Age: 42
Appearance: Avalux is quarter elven which makes his age slightly hard to guess. His hair had turned a silvery blonde when he was quite young and most of the signs of age on his features are due more to squinting to read in candlelight than his years. He is on the tall and lean side but not to an excessive degree. Perhaps a hair's breadth over six feet and with enough meat on his bones to be healthy. His features are angular and they have a slightly severe cast as his habitual expression is a frown of thoughtful consideration.
-------------------------
Equipment: Utterly insufficient for the task he has been presented with but he has the essential. A fresh notebook, a pen enchanted to replenish its own ink over time, a rune scribes etching tool, his glasses, and various crystals for creating apparatus.
-------------------------
Skills and Abilities: Avalux is a magical engineer (Artificer if you wish to offend) and researcher. He specializes in the creation of devices that use magical power to power mechanical designs. He tackles magic with the scientific method trying to quantify something that most people believe to be unquantifiable. His drive and determination to do so often make him overlook certain things.
Registered: Nov 14, 2021 12:43:02 GMT -5
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Post by Avalux Kesterven on Aug 13, 2023 9:47:15 GMT -5
"I am short-sighted, so I would be severely inconvenienced if my glasses were lost or damaged. Though, I would be more put out by losing the enchantments on them. Thankfully, those also increase durability in addition to letting me see the magical spectrum. If you are inclined to try your hand at making a pair, I would encourage it. There are people who probably have had impaired eyesight their entire life in these lands and never had the chance to acquire corrective lenses."
Avalux said, while he wouldn't object to having a spare pair himself he was relatively secure in his eyesight. Unless someone was actively trying to destroy his glasses they were unlikely to be damaged appreciably by accident. With that said, it seemed that it was time to retire for the evening. He found himself feeling slightly nervous as he went into the tent and settled down next to Jun. They'd slept in the same room before but never in such close quarters. Still, it wasn't as though anything untoward was going to happen, at least, he assumed so until Jun started to talk.
The subject wasn't as benign as their current survey but rather something of a more personal nature. He listened in silence until she finished because he was stunned by the topic she'd chosen. The last question, or well, technically not a question she'd asked without asking which was a very Jun thing to do, but that left him in a situation where he had to consider how he would answer the question.
"My mother and father did try to play matchmaker early on but by the time I was in control of the family finances they couldn't do so anymore. That being said, my focus on research hasn't changed exactly but... I've never had a research partner before and that does make things different."
There was a long pause as he wasn't sure if he should say the next part but after a moment he finally said.
"I would say that having you in my life, helping with my research has given me a new perspective. It is strange to admit, but I actually prefer being here with you to my old life. What about you, has your worry about such matters changed?"
It wasn't, a yes or a no, it wasn't an admission of romantic intent. But Jun was a smart woman and she'd probably be able to deduce what he was saying. Had the man's thoughts on romantic partners changed? Not directly, but her inclusion as a factor made him open to it in a way he'd never been before. A realization that made him quite glad that it was dark inside the tent as his cheeks were burning.
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Jun of the Celadine
Dedicated
Roleplay posts: 305
Age: 33
Appearance: Jun stands at about 5’ 4”, with a willowy, slightly rectangular build. Her tawny olive skin has lost its flush from constantly wearing cloth armor, and she is dotted with small scars, including wrinkled patches of old burns on her left arm. She has deep brown, slightly hooded eyes and not quite straight dark auburn hair. Her face is still youthful and strong, though her gaze suggests she’s seen way too much for her age.
Equipment: An emerald, muddy long coat-style gambeson. A chrome blue longsword with a rusty hilt. Rusted shackles on her wrists ending in broken chains, giving a false impression that she had been a prisoner; the bracelets are easily removed.
Skills and Abilities: What remains of Jun’s power is a mix of animal friendship and elemental control. She can communicate with and control weaker animals, like insects, and request the help of larger, sentient animals (though they are not compelled to obey her). She can perform subtle manipulations of fire, water, earth, wind, and other “elements” like light and shadow. Her most unique ability is to imbue elemental magic into other life forms and channel her spells through them.
She is a decent cook and survivalist and has a solid academic understanding of agriculture and ecology. She is also a decent sword and hand-to-hand fighter.
Biography: Jun of the Celadine was a stereotypical hero of legend. She was one of Isra's mightiest spellcasters, had gone on dozens of adventures, possessed several powerful artifacts, and helped bring peace to the world on many occasions.
A notorious overachiever and workaholic, Jun had driven herself to near madness pursuing powerful magic. In standard fashion, it was the power of friendship that kept her sane.
Now Jun must cope with the fact that much of the world she helped protect has been lost, and that most of the magic power she had accrued over the years has stopped working.
Her family (whose whereabouts are unknown) was a clan of farmers and gardeners. Her tribe lived in peace and harmony in a mostly forested region. Every two hundred years or so, their people produced a powerful mage and master of all elements. Jun was not this chosen one, but rather her grandmother was. Still, Jun's (somewhat unhealthy) obsession with keeping up with her ancestor made her a pretty close second.
Jun has no regrets about her journey, though she sometimes wishes she had spent more learning other skills, like cooking and dancing. She also feels she made a poor lover, though it's likely her old partners passed away in the floodwaters anyways...
Registered: May 25, 2021 13:33:31 GMT -5
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Post by Jun of the Celadine on Aug 16, 2023 18:19:11 GMT -5
Jun smiled, accompanied with a single, soft chuckle. She instinctively loved being called Avalux's research partner, even though it was an almost cold, analytical reaction. She expected it. It would almost have been a relief if Avalux said that he just wanted to stay research partners. He almost did say that, but being with him for this long had taught her how important precision was, especially with his speech.
He had basically just confessed to her that she was the best thing that ever happened to him.
Jun sat up in sleeping back and thought about his last question. Was the worry really gone?
Jun felt laughably disappointed in herself as soon as the tears welled up. Although the tent was dark, a sniffle and a sudden pained breath were clearly audible.
"Honestly?" Her voice cracked. But she said the next part with a smile, as if her emotional instability was a source of dark humor. "It comes and goes."
She slapped her knees. "But," she said with a surprisingly calm and measured voice, "after giving it some thought1, I've decided that I'm not going to let it stop me from being happy." She chuckled slightly. "This is just how my life is. Go out for lunch, pull a lizard girl out of the ocean. Go on a beach stroll, save a runescribe from a panther. Go on a mineral expedition, save a half angel demoness lady. I'm cursed."
(1Goddamn it, Isolde)
She reached out her hand, and extended it to Avalux.
"I'll just have to try harder to always come back alive, for you."
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Avalux Kesterven
Dedicated
Roleplay posts: 106
Age: 42
Appearance: Avalux is quarter elven which makes his age slightly hard to guess. His hair had turned a silvery blonde when he was quite young and most of the signs of age on his features are due more to squinting to read in candlelight than his years. He is on the tall and lean side but not to an excessive degree. Perhaps a hair's breadth over six feet and with enough meat on his bones to be healthy. His features are angular and they have a slightly severe cast as his habitual expression is a frown of thoughtful consideration.
-------------------------
Equipment: Utterly insufficient for the task he has been presented with but he has the essential. A fresh notebook, a pen enchanted to replenish its own ink over time, a rune scribes etching tool, his glasses, and various crystals for creating apparatus.
-------------------------
Skills and Abilities: Avalux is a magical engineer (Artificer if you wish to offend) and researcher. He specializes in the creation of devices that use magical power to power mechanical designs. He tackles magic with the scientific method trying to quantify something that most people believe to be unquantifiable. His drive and determination to do so often make him overlook certain things.
Registered: Nov 14, 2021 12:43:02 GMT -5
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Post by Avalux Kesterven on Aug 16, 2023 19:26:54 GMT -5
Avalux sat up as she did, reaching to his side and picking up his glasses to slip them back on his nose. This felt like the sort of conversation where he would appreciate being able to see her clearly, even if the light was rather dim. It surprised him when he felt his heart skip a bit at his words before a measure of relief came as a weight lifted from his shoulders. He'd had absolute faith in his basic deductive reasoning when she'd speculated he'd known the reason she'd asked the question, but it appeared as though his heart had not agreed with his brain's logic.
"Considering what would have transpired if you had not been present for some of those adventures, there is a measure of irony in the fact that your curse is to be a blessing to others. And considering I was present for that last one, I will continue to try my absolute hardest to make sure we both stay alive."
There was a slight upward quirk of his lips as he said that but the slight quirk grew wider until he was grinning from ear to ear. Not that he was aware of the fact he was presently smiling like an idiot as he looked at Jun, though how his awareness of the situation might change could have an impact on it. But it was hard for a man who had spent so much of his life alone trying to understand the universe to find someone who he wanted to understand.
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Jun of the Celadine
Dedicated
Roleplay posts: 305
Age: 33
Appearance: Jun stands at about 5’ 4”, with a willowy, slightly rectangular build. Her tawny olive skin has lost its flush from constantly wearing cloth armor, and she is dotted with small scars, including wrinkled patches of old burns on her left arm. She has deep brown, slightly hooded eyes and not quite straight dark auburn hair. Her face is still youthful and strong, though her gaze suggests she’s seen way too much for her age.
Equipment: An emerald, muddy long coat-style gambeson. A chrome blue longsword with a rusty hilt. Rusted shackles on her wrists ending in broken chains, giving a false impression that she had been a prisoner; the bracelets are easily removed.
Skills and Abilities: What remains of Jun’s power is a mix of animal friendship and elemental control. She can communicate with and control weaker animals, like insects, and request the help of larger, sentient animals (though they are not compelled to obey her). She can perform subtle manipulations of fire, water, earth, wind, and other “elements” like light and shadow. Her most unique ability is to imbue elemental magic into other life forms and channel her spells through them.
She is a decent cook and survivalist and has a solid academic understanding of agriculture and ecology. She is also a decent sword and hand-to-hand fighter.
Biography: Jun of the Celadine was a stereotypical hero of legend. She was one of Isra's mightiest spellcasters, had gone on dozens of adventures, possessed several powerful artifacts, and helped bring peace to the world on many occasions.
A notorious overachiever and workaholic, Jun had driven herself to near madness pursuing powerful magic. In standard fashion, it was the power of friendship that kept her sane.
Now Jun must cope with the fact that much of the world she helped protect has been lost, and that most of the magic power she had accrued over the years has stopped working.
Her family (whose whereabouts are unknown) was a clan of farmers and gardeners. Her tribe lived in peace and harmony in a mostly forested region. Every two hundred years or so, their people produced a powerful mage and master of all elements. Jun was not this chosen one, but rather her grandmother was. Still, Jun's (somewhat unhealthy) obsession with keeping up with her ancestor made her a pretty close second.
Jun has no regrets about her journey, though she sometimes wishes she had spent more learning other skills, like cooking and dancing. She also feels she made a poor lover, though it's likely her old partners passed away in the floodwaters anyways...
Registered: May 25, 2021 13:33:31 GMT -5
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Post by Jun of the Celadine on Aug 17, 2023 18:13:49 GMT -5
And with that, an indescribable weight fell off Jun's shoulders. Jun was at least aware of the stupid grin on her face as she held Avalux's hand.
For a solid few seconds, Jun simply stopped thinking, her mind enraptured in bliss.
"I... I don't even know what this is going to mean." She chuckled. "Like, what do we have to wear matching flower bands around our necks or drink some sort of weird tea together or..." What was it all going to mean? She had paid little attention to the romantic rituals of the Usqueans, or even her own people. She didn't think they were even all that relevant anymore now that the old world had quite literally been washed away.
Jun had been in a relationship once, a swarthy mercenary filled with sweet words and ego. It... was mostly physical. It was a lot of physical. There was very little actual thinking involved on either end. (The lack of blood flow helped ensure that.) In a way her bond with Avalux was the opposite, an intertwining of mind and spirit, and a great deal of mutual respect. The more Jun thought about it, the more she realized, they were basically already together. They just needed to... say it, to act it out, to let go.
Jun scooted closer to Avalux, still in her sleeping bag, and tried somewhat awkwardly to interlock arms with him. She had a feeling Avalux wasn't any more well-versed in the ways of intimacy than she was (at least as two nerds), so figuring out how to flow together, so to speak, was going to take time.
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Avalux Kesterven
Dedicated
Roleplay posts: 106
Age: 42
Appearance: Avalux is quarter elven which makes his age slightly hard to guess. His hair had turned a silvery blonde when he was quite young and most of the signs of age on his features are due more to squinting to read in candlelight than his years. He is on the tall and lean side but not to an excessive degree. Perhaps a hair's breadth over six feet and with enough meat on his bones to be healthy. His features are angular and they have a slightly severe cast as his habitual expression is a frown of thoughtful consideration.
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Equipment: Utterly insufficient for the task he has been presented with but he has the essential. A fresh notebook, a pen enchanted to replenish its own ink over time, a rune scribes etching tool, his glasses, and various crystals for creating apparatus.
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Skills and Abilities: Avalux is a magical engineer (Artificer if you wish to offend) and researcher. He specializes in the creation of devices that use magical power to power mechanical designs. He tackles magic with the scientific method trying to quantify something that most people believe to be unquantifiable. His drive and determination to do so often make him overlook certain things.
Registered: Nov 14, 2021 12:43:02 GMT -5
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Post by Avalux Kesterven on Aug 20, 2023 8:09:33 GMT -5
Jun shifted in closer and he moved to accommodate. They wound up less with their arms interlocked and more with their arms wrapped around each other. It was a slightly awkward half-embrace the easiest thing to manage while they were both still in their sleeping bags. This area was one where she definitely trumped him in knowledge but as with most things, he brought his usual logic to the problem.
"I think, that we are the ones who get to decide what it means."
He said softly, he was keeping his voice low in the dark of the tent because he didn't want to disturb the serenity of the moment. There was a certain pleasure in the casual intimacy and proximity they currently shared, enough so that for the first time in a long time he found he actually wanted the touch of another human being. It was a strange realization, that he actually wanted to be near someone and felt nothing amiss about the act.
"Considering I've never engaged in any kind of courtship, it will probably help if we figure out what works for us. Though, that mostly appears to be getting very enthusiastic about how to solve new problems with magic. So I am not sure how much is actually going to change."
The man added with a slight chuckle. So far as it went, he didn't know that wearing flowers or drinking a weird tea would accomplish anything for the two of them. But they'd gotten where they were now because they enjoyed spending time together and it would be good to continue focusing in on that in his opinion. Though they could certainly explore new avenues as he was enjoying her proximity even if his cheeks felt like they were about to burst into flame.
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Jun of the Celadine
Dedicated
Roleplay posts: 305
Age: 33
Appearance: Jun stands at about 5’ 4”, with a willowy, slightly rectangular build. Her tawny olive skin has lost its flush from constantly wearing cloth armor, and she is dotted with small scars, including wrinkled patches of old burns on her left arm. She has deep brown, slightly hooded eyes and not quite straight dark auburn hair. Her face is still youthful and strong, though her gaze suggests she’s seen way too much for her age.
Equipment: An emerald, muddy long coat-style gambeson. A chrome blue longsword with a rusty hilt. Rusted shackles on her wrists ending in broken chains, giving a false impression that she had been a prisoner; the bracelets are easily removed.
Skills and Abilities: What remains of Jun’s power is a mix of animal friendship and elemental control. She can communicate with and control weaker animals, like insects, and request the help of larger, sentient animals (though they are not compelled to obey her). She can perform subtle manipulations of fire, water, earth, wind, and other “elements” like light and shadow. Her most unique ability is to imbue elemental magic into other life forms and channel her spells through them.
She is a decent cook and survivalist and has a solid academic understanding of agriculture and ecology. She is also a decent sword and hand-to-hand fighter.
Biography: Jun of the Celadine was a stereotypical hero of legend. She was one of Isra's mightiest spellcasters, had gone on dozens of adventures, possessed several powerful artifacts, and helped bring peace to the world on many occasions.
A notorious overachiever and workaholic, Jun had driven herself to near madness pursuing powerful magic. In standard fashion, it was the power of friendship that kept her sane.
Now Jun must cope with the fact that much of the world she helped protect has been lost, and that most of the magic power she had accrued over the years has stopped working.
Her family (whose whereabouts are unknown) was a clan of farmers and gardeners. Her tribe lived in peace and harmony in a mostly forested region. Every two hundred years or so, their people produced a powerful mage and master of all elements. Jun was not this chosen one, but rather her grandmother was. Still, Jun's (somewhat unhealthy) obsession with keeping up with her ancestor made her a pretty close second.
Jun has no regrets about her journey, though she sometimes wishes she had spent more learning other skills, like cooking and dancing. She also feels she made a poor lover, though it's likely her old partners passed away in the floodwaters anyways...
Registered: May 25, 2021 13:33:31 GMT -5
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Post by Jun of the Celadine on Aug 21, 2023 17:23:19 GMT -5
Jun did her best to get as close and comfy as possible to Avalux. Her arms found purchase on him, and her weight shifted within the sleeping bag a few times until they were able to fit together comfortably in their half embrace.
"Maybe we'll start small... Little cute stupid couple things like... making each other tea and... kissing each other on the cheek... and... that thing where... we... poke each other's feet under the table... and..."
...
...
*Zzzzzzzzzz... Zzzzzzzzzz... Zzzzzzzzzz*
(It had been a long day.)
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Avalux Kesterven
Dedicated
Roleplay posts: 106
Age: 42
Appearance: Avalux is quarter elven which makes his age slightly hard to guess. His hair had turned a silvery blonde when he was quite young and most of the signs of age on his features are due more to squinting to read in candlelight than his years. He is on the tall and lean side but not to an excessive degree. Perhaps a hair's breadth over six feet and with enough meat on his bones to be healthy. His features are angular and they have a slightly severe cast as his habitual expression is a frown of thoughtful consideration.
-------------------------
Equipment: Utterly insufficient for the task he has been presented with but he has the essential. A fresh notebook, a pen enchanted to replenish its own ink over time, a rune scribes etching tool, his glasses, and various crystals for creating apparatus.
-------------------------
Skills and Abilities: Avalux is a magical engineer (Artificer if you wish to offend) and researcher. He specializes in the creation of devices that use magical power to power mechanical designs. He tackles magic with the scientific method trying to quantify something that most people believe to be unquantifiable. His drive and determination to do so often make him overlook certain things.
Registered: Nov 14, 2021 12:43:02 GMT -5
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Post by Avalux Kesterven on Aug 25, 2023 19:04:14 GMT -5
Avalux listened to her various ideas on the sort of things that they could start their relationship with. Well, they already had a relationship but the new facet of it that he found he was looking forward to. Her ideas were cute and simple, things he'd never have thought he'd want but the idea of doing them with her made his heart flutter in his chest. It was a very strange sensation for the analytical man but not one he was going to shy away from.
He let out a soft chuckle when she started to snore and with some small movements, he repositioned once again so they could be more comfortable now that they were heading to sleep. He didn't find it as easily as her but not due to anxiety or a lack of comfort. He was simply clinging to consciousness so he could enjoy the feeling of her pressed against him as he listened to the soft sound of her breathing and occasional snore.
Eventually, though, he drifted off his mind pondering what new developments the morrow would bring.
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Valera
Established
Roleplay posts: 20
Age: unknown
Appearance: In the daytime, she appears as a black-haired angel with two sets of wings adorned in a wedding gown, though she is not set to be married. Her skin is fair and soft while her eyes a gently sky blue. At night she morphs into horns with darkened skin and hair white as innocence but this form is far from that. Her eyes from the gentle blue to a burning red.
Equipment: Her weapon of choice is a long claymore, slow but deadly. She wears little armor when she is an angel while the dark dress is fused with metal to act as a form of armor.
Skills and Abilities: Not so much a skill but more of a personality swap, come sunlight she is as sweet as the bees and flowers but when the sunsets she bares her teeth on the hunt for some excitement. Her personalities changing like day and night, no one knows which one is truly her.
Biography: Once a human in search of immortality. She sought out a higher divinity only to be cast down from there she sought a deal with the devil, his flame burned her for weeks. She was too sinister to live amongst the angels and too angelic to live among the demons. She now lives as both an angel and a demon, but never to become solely one of the other. Valera condemned to live her life belonging to no one and no place.
Registered: Feb 18, 2022 17:30:49 GMT -5
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Post by Valera on Sept 1, 2023 12:05:53 GMT -5
The morning came gently, washing away the night. The horns of night no longer adorned her head. Her wings sprouted from her back, breaking the skin like a spear and revealing their magnificence in the sun's rays. Isolde was kind enough to walk away from the camp for Valera so as to not disturb these new friends. The arrow wound from yesterday came and went, like a phantom. No blood, no scar, not even the little trace that she has ever been wounded.
Valera had spent the morning gathering food and hunting. The light flapping of her wings can be heard as she returns to the camp, a bag full of berries and a goodly sized rabbit in her clutches. The night's memories are hazy. She had noticed a small book left for her by her nightly counterpart. Maybe that will recount the missing pieces of the night, or maybe it is another avenue to taunt the cursed angel. Either way, she will ask her newfound friends what has happened.
She sat down and began cleaning and stripping the rabbit. A small breakfast, but enough to get them through.
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Jun of the Celadine
Dedicated
Roleplay posts: 305
Age: 33
Appearance: Jun stands at about 5’ 4”, with a willowy, slightly rectangular build. Her tawny olive skin has lost its flush from constantly wearing cloth armor, and she is dotted with small scars, including wrinkled patches of old burns on her left arm. She has deep brown, slightly hooded eyes and not quite straight dark auburn hair. Her face is still youthful and strong, though her gaze suggests she’s seen way too much for her age.
Equipment: An emerald, muddy long coat-style gambeson. A chrome blue longsword with a rusty hilt. Rusted shackles on her wrists ending in broken chains, giving a false impression that she had been a prisoner; the bracelets are easily removed.
Skills and Abilities: What remains of Jun’s power is a mix of animal friendship and elemental control. She can communicate with and control weaker animals, like insects, and request the help of larger, sentient animals (though they are not compelled to obey her). She can perform subtle manipulations of fire, water, earth, wind, and other “elements” like light and shadow. Her most unique ability is to imbue elemental magic into other life forms and channel her spells through them.
She is a decent cook and survivalist and has a solid academic understanding of agriculture and ecology. She is also a decent sword and hand-to-hand fighter.
Biography: Jun of the Celadine was a stereotypical hero of legend. She was one of Isra's mightiest spellcasters, had gone on dozens of adventures, possessed several powerful artifacts, and helped bring peace to the world on many occasions.
A notorious overachiever and workaholic, Jun had driven herself to near madness pursuing powerful magic. In standard fashion, it was the power of friendship that kept her sane.
Now Jun must cope with the fact that much of the world she helped protect has been lost, and that most of the magic power she had accrued over the years has stopped working.
Her family (whose whereabouts are unknown) was a clan of farmers and gardeners. Her tribe lived in peace and harmony in a mostly forested region. Every two hundred years or so, their people produced a powerful mage and master of all elements. Jun was not this chosen one, but rather her grandmother was. Still, Jun's (somewhat unhealthy) obsession with keeping up with her ancestor made her a pretty close second.
Jun has no regrets about her journey, though she sometimes wishes she had spent more learning other skills, like cooking and dancing. She also feels she made a poor lover, though it's likely her old partners passed away in the floodwaters anyways...
Registered: May 25, 2021 13:33:31 GMT -5
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Post by Jun of the Celadine on Sept 4, 2023 16:27:55 GMT -5
Valera would have a fair time around the forests. They weren't all that different from the forests back home, besides the occasional unfamiliar creature. Owl foxes weren't the only oddities among the mistborne isles, though luckily most of them were harmless. As Jun had warned, magic was harder to use in these lands, though not impossible.
But from near the rocky outcroppings up on the hills, if Valera flew by them, would come a visceral foreboding with no obvious source. It would come on so hastily, and evaporate just as suddenly as soon as she moved away from them, that it obviously wouldn't be from something she ate. She might occasionally spot something bright and colorful, like a gemstone, in the shadows of the rocks, but as soon as she approached them they would disappear.
...
Jun was normally an early bird. Technically she had woken up early, but when it came to actually exiting the tent, she found herself weighed down by her own embrace around Avalux's shoulders. It was such a warm, perfect place to be that she didn't ever want to leave it. In fact, it almost made her nervous to do so, like she had been given a gift that could shatter at any moment. Eventually though, the urge to pee and brush her teeth were too strong, so finally she pulled herself out of the sleeping bag and gently slapped some sense into her cheek. Alright, no need to be weird.
Since she failed to get up in a timely manner, she didn't have quite as much time to contribute to the morning breakfast as Valera, but luckily Spera had sniffed out some edible grubs, crickets, and termites, enough for Jun to fill a fourth of a basket. She came back to the camp to find Valera skinning her rabbit. "Wow, good job." She smiled. "I think I have some salt if you wanna preserve the skin."
Jun began assembling the ingredients for a small bug stir fry.
"Your other half wasn't so bad, although she did manage to cause a bit of chaos. I think she left you some notes in a journal."
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