Dawn of the Silver Age

ShoddyProduct
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Dawn of the Silver Age May 8, 2023 2:50:43 GMT

Post by ShoddyProduct on May 8, 2023 2:50:43 GMT

Viarri had been travelling for months. She had set out at the onset of the new year, though her final destination was unclear when she left the Traveler's shadow. Her goal, however, was; the Hunt. Specifically, tracking down a Warlord who, in an act of near terrorism, had wiped out a small settlement near her patrolled territory, her kingdom, with the assistance of a Fallen House. It had set the Iron Lords into a fury, that they would be so bold as to attack helpless people, so close to the seat of their power. A full on crusade had nearly resulted, but it would be too risky for everyone to leave at once, and it was only one Warlord. Viarri took this Hunt upon herself, as it was her people who had been harmed, and so it would be her Light that would avenge them.

He had fled north, and she pursued. Unfortunately, by luck or fate, the Warlord had evaded her, and the further they had gotten from her home, the more difficult things became for her and Ignus. It was well into spring when she arrived on the coast of Prince Edward Island, as it was named. Why it had been named such was a mystery to her, but that was of no importance. She came in pursuit, of both her adversary and allies, and she knew of one for certain who would be willing to help, she hoped, given the proximity of the threat. The Awoken lifted her arm, palm up, and with a soft twinkling sound, Ignus Fatuus materialized.

"Need a refresh on the trail, Willow. Any traces of Light. Want to know if they're headed in the direction of the settlement." The Ghost tilted, nodding in it's own way, before zipping off, through the trees. After a moment, it returned with its report.

"It appears our quarry is heading north-northwest, away from the settlement. Do be advised, though, Lady Viarri, there appear to be other traces of Light around. I am not familiar with the signatures. It may be best to warn Malakha and Azazel-90."

Viarri responded with a nod. "If they're in range, go ahead and get in touch. Otherwise, I'll keep walking. Gotta get there to meet up regardless." She then continued her trek, the remains of Charlottetown just mere minutes away, on this cold spring morning.

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Dawn of the Silver Age May 8, 2023 15:11:50 GMT

Post by UmbraSight on May 8, 2023 15:11:50 GMT

It was always books that Lerna’s troubles revolved around, their placement and the information within. There were many books that were hers scattered about the world waiting for her to collect them, but that was the problem with having no place to put them. If she wanted to look something up, then she needed to go to the book and hope those who kept it safe for her remembered their promise to do so. Sometimes they did, and sometimes their great great grandchildren didn’t.

The last month had been an upheaval of her original plans to head west, sparked by the dusty memory of a paragraph she had read a few decades prior. A discussion on the effects of gravity upon deep space, and on the flow of light. Useful perhaps for a theory she had been polishing in the back of her mind, if the book remained with the family who had promised to keep it.

The island was different than it had been some time before, perhaps a new warlord had claimed themselves a new little kingdom? That was of no real consequence to Lerna, so long as they didn’t decide to turn Charlottetown into a battleground, too many lives and books lost to that across the world. She never could understand wanting to play king at the end of the world, but that seemed to be how these things went.

She didn’t pay much attention to the voices she caught ahead of her in the forest, if they had need of assistance they could ask. Or perhaps her little Spark could, he always seemed to enjoy talking to strangers.

//... into the dark she stepped, but never did she feel free of the gaze...//

Fang
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Dawn of the Silver Age May 10, 2023 3:34:18 GMT via mobile

Post by Fang on May 10, 2023 3:34:18 GMT

It wasn’t a problem that Lerna spent a lot of her time chasing down half remembered passages and books left with some random whosit, really. They had nothing but time, infinite amounts of it as far Spark could tell. They had been following this same pattern for at least a couple of centuries, and in no way did Spark let something as petty as boredom get in the way.

”Lerna… I am bored.” She had been contemplating again, walking silently as she ever did while turning over ideas and rumination in her articulate mind. He was used to the silence. He was also used to being ignored when he complained. Not that he was really complaining. One might call it a test of sorts, an observation that Spark had similarly been rolling over in his… well he didn’t really have a brain, did he?

As if the words were some sort of cosmic password the faint cadence of voices bounced between the trees. A successful test, as these things went, though Spark was hardly surprised. He was extremely intelligent after all. With a soft whir perhaps made for the simple pleasure of auditory stimulation Spark zipped his hovering shell to Lerna’s field of vision.

”Do you hear voices!? I hear voices! Lets go see who it is! Maybe its a friend, or someone interesting. Oh oh! Maybe its an enemy and you can beat them up! Its always fun to watch you fight. Okay maybe not when you get hurt. Remember that time you got cut in half and the enemy was so smug they didnt see me rez you? Good times. What was I saying? Voices!” Spark was so thankful he did not need to breathe to communicate. Imagine only being able to say a few things at a time before you had to recharge!

Last Edit: May 12, 2023 23:12:20 GMT by Fang

ShoddyProduct
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Dawn of the Silver Age May 13, 2023 3:20:06 GMT

Post by ShoddyProduct on May 13, 2023 3:20:06 GMT

Viarri stopped dead in her tracks, and her Ghost dematerialized nearly instantly, retreating to safety as the Iron Lord scanned the trees, searching for the source of the voice she had heard. It had been a language she understood, which narrowed it down to a few choices, but that didn't guarantee safety. She reached for her bow silently, holding it tightly as they searched for movement. It took longer than she had liked, likely due to the color of the clothing and the fact that whoever it was, was heading directly for her.

"Send the comms through. I'll deal with this, stay out of sight," she said, a whisper to her Ghost, before knocking an arrow.

She rose, drawing the arrow. Two figures, one humanoid, dressed in all black, with a light beside them- a Ghost. So, a Risen. That could be very bad. "Hold there. Don't move. Identify yourself, I don't want trouble here."

-----

Ignus, reluctant to not keep an eye on Viarri, obliged her. Their mission was important, but if things went poorly, they could revive her and they could carry on once the danger had passed. Instead of watching a potential conflict unfold, they began scanning the comm frequencies, before settling on one that they felt was fitting.

"Hello? Greetings, this is Ignus Fatuus, Ghost of Lady Viarri, Iron Lord. I believe this is Malakha and Azazel-90, correct? My Risen and I have come in search of the two of you, to ask a favor. Help in a Hunt, to be precise."

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Dawn of the Silver Age May 16, 2023 20:42:35 GMT

Post by Ghostly on May 16, 2023 20:42:35 GMT

Denali didn't mind the cold much anymore, there was a certainty in it. Warmth kept you alive, but a great fire was just as likely to burn down your camp as it was to keep you comfortable. Dry camps had been his saving grace when the sound of marching boots and alien calls echoed through the trees. He'd awoken in the West, but the East was calling.

Belle had healed his wounds, but the armor plating still remained cracked and compromised. Crossing the prairies had been a struggle, but after the ambush in Juneau, Denali wasn't keen on walking up on any other warlords or scavenging parties. He'd reloaded a mag and a half of rounds for his Khvostov, but it was a moot point - he'd used the gun as a bludgeon, and now it was in dire need for repairs. He still had his spear, Belle, and the light - more than enough.

The coast was kinder, still as grim and cold but coastal air was refreshing. The spring was upon them, the snow would melt and maybe green would return. The East coast seemed a safer bet than the west - he'd heard rumors' of warlords who collected the husks of dead Ghosts on the Seattle Waterfront. Denali doubted them some, but he sided with caution. He couldn't lose her.

Someone held this territory, Denali knew that much. But what was one boat? He was certain he could find something seaworthy on the coast, and once he found one, it would be smooth sailing (heh) all the way South to the Traveler.

Voices, neither distant nor close broke the silence in the trees. Denali dropped low, holding his weight on his back foot as he stepped lightly into cover. "Belle? Did you hear that?"

. . . I could never hold enough of you in my hands . . .

trandy
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Dawn of the Silver Age May 16, 2023 21:52:44 GMT Ghostly likes this

Post by trandy on May 16, 2023 21:52:44 GMT

Belle would have rolled her eyes, if she had any. Instead, she circled in the sky, nervous at the sound of voices that didn’t seem to be that far away.

“Not this again, I just resurrected you!” Her female voice complained in a crisp whisper. The woods were hardly a place to make friends, and if whoever was talking didn’t mean any harm, Denali would likely do or say something that’d change their minds. “Let’s go the other way, Before you get any more stupid ideas!”

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Dawn of the Silver Age May 17, 2023 22:11:08 GMT ShoddyProduct likes this

Post by Annasiel on May 17, 2023 22:11:08 GMT

The island was alive with flickers.

Little fireflies across the plains, dancing to and fro in the dark around. Malakha did not like this. It could means friends, of course - and allies were always good to find - but it could just as much mean enemies.

"My Prince -"

Her voice was soft, quiet, almost imperceptible, more a whisper of a thought than words. Her Risen did not answer. Either he did not hear her, or he was preoccupied with something else. She turned to him. He had taken this land for his own some time ago, wrenched it from the hands of others far less competent than he was. Some sought to rule for the sake of ruling, for the feeling of power over those they saw as lesser beings.

Azazel was not like that. He could be strict. He could be cold. But - his rule was one of order, not of tyranny. There was a line there. Sometimes - sometimes cruelty was necessary, to set examples, to prove control. It - was useful, as a tool. At least for him. Malakha understood that, however much she didn't enjoy it, and it had turned the Island of Prince Edward from a shattered fragment of the old world into an iron bastion of the new. Her Azazel was the Prince Edward, now, and under him, the island survived.

One of the flickers was calling out to her, now. Malakha listened. She was good at listening. Far better at listening than talking, she thought, and even better at knowing - and this, she knew, was something important.

"My Prince." she raised her voice, slightly, turning visible at his side. "A Lady Viarri of the Iron Lords is - asking for our help, in a hunt. For your help. Would you like to speak with them?"

She paused.

"It would be... good, I think, for you to get out of the house."

Then she was gone again, waiting, but hidden.

Last Edit: May 17, 2023 22:17:03 GMT by Annasiel

Yesterday, upon the stair,
I met a man who wasn't there!
He wasn't there again today,
Oh how I wish he'd go away!

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Dawn of the Silver Age May 17, 2023 22:37:44 GMT via mobile ShoddyProduct likes this

Post by UmbraSight on May 17, 2023 22:37:44 GMT

“If you don’t wish for trouble then why point the arrow in my direction? Your words and actions seem incongruous.” Lerna’s words were followed by a sigh as she slowed to a stop. She raised a hand, motioning for her little spark to make himself scarce before things soured. She made no motion for the rifle on her shoulder, perhaps it would see its use in another life, should her current be found wanting, but that was not yet her life.

Now there was the question of why this one was so itching for a fight, wasn’t there? A warlord nervous Lerna had come to poach her claim perhaps? Always squabbling over scraps and wasting the opportunity they had been given, those would-be lords. An unfair thought, perhaps, knowing as little as she did about the woman’s intentions. She sighed again, a tilt of her head sending a ripple of motion through her black robes.

“Very well, I am Lerna, and that was my little spark who is hiding himself away, and I happen to be heading to Charlottetown to read a book I had been given as payment for a service I had been provided some decades ago. Which, unless you find yourself interested in the practical applications of nothing, I doubt would hold much interest for you.” She shrugged, “now, I return that question back to you.”

//... into the dark she stepped, but never did she feel free of the gaze...//

Quirbles
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Dawn of the Silver Age May 20, 2023 5:45:06 GMT ShoddyProduct likes this

Post by Quirbles on May 20, 2023 5:45:06 GMT

"READY OR NOT, HERE I COME"

PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND - CHARLOTTESTOWN MANOR

Now playing The Delfonics; > Ready or Not, Here I Come (Can't Hide From Love) <

The Prince had been dreaming.

He did not stir from his throne as Malakha invoked his title; dilapidated headphones remained upon his head, ancient and brittle and yet maintained to the best of one's ability in the advent of armageddon. They had been with him when the sprite had awoken him, and so they stayed upon his person at all times.They were a reminder. A memory. A distinct fetish of the past that so feverishly eluded him, stark and tangible against the nebulose burden of amnesia. He knew what they were for, but not why they were for him.

The music, though, was comforting all the same. It calmed him; on occasion, when the light was low and the sound was pleasant in his mind and the anger abated, he could hear glimpses of forgotten voices trapped between the notes. These anachronistic requiems were one of the only items that tethered him to his past, and so he kept the small music-box close. In the brief time that had passed since his awakening, it had been kept safe by his hand. The thought of losing it was as enraging as it was terrifying, and so he resolved not to indulge such thoughts, fleeting as they were. Fleeting as every thought was, to the dreaming Prince.

A second invocation, louder, drew his unfocused gaze back to the present. A Lady Viarri had asked to speak with him-- the Iron Lords. The first name, he did not know; the second, he could recall after the briefest bout of a stupor, as if his mind veiled the revelation from him ever-subtly. There were certain truths that were ought to be remembered. His name. Why he was here, within Charlottesville. The name of his ghost, and the name of the group he had allied himself with. Nevermind that he had taken the armor from a corpse and effectively passed himself off as an Iron Lord when he had first arrived at the island; nobody knew, and nobody needed to know. What he remembered was that it was a good thing, to have allies. Malahka was in charge of diplomatic affairs upon the island, while he handled most matters of the sword and shield.

"I do not know who that is." The Prince spoke, hand delicately withdrawing the headphones as he leaned forward. "May be a trap. The third theft in a month to happen to our coffers." It had only been one; the first had been real, but the second and third were ill-placed memories of the year prior. To him, it was all the same. "This is what they do. They pose as sheep, but bear the fangs of wolves."

His hands clenched at the thought.

"To steal."

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Dawn of the Silver Age May 21, 2023 20:30:26 GMT

Post by Annasiel on May 21, 2023 20:30:26 GMT

Malakha reappeared over his shoulder, floating a little lower.

"One time," Malakha corrected. "The - other times were many seasons ago, my Prince."

And it hadn't exactly ended well for the thief. Azazel distrusted even those who meant him no ill will - for those who provably wronged him, they garnered no mercy. Drifting downward, she nudged at his shoulder.

"They might not be thieves. It's always a good thing to help."

Allies were not something her Risen was good at making, and she wasn't ready to make another enemy of a possible ally yet. Besides - he really did need to get out of the house. The fresh air would do him good. Not - breathing it - but, well. That was a metaphor, wasn't it? Or a saying. Air didn't really have curative properties even for organic lifeforms, beyond the necessary support of functions.

Well.

The change of scenery would do him good. There we go.

"Ignus Fatuus, this is Malakha, ghost of Azazel-90. We can help."

She faded out again, disappearing somewhere behind Azazel.

"If they're who they say, we make friends. If not - you want to be there to keep an eye on them... right?"

Last Edit: May 21, 2023 20:31:05 GMT by Annasiel

Yesterday, upon the stair,
I met a man who wasn't there!
He wasn't there again today,
Oh how I wish he'd go away!

Ghostly
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Dawn of the Silver Age May 23, 2023 3:18:02 GMT

Post by Ghostly on May 23, 2023 3:18:02 GMT

Denali cocked an eyebrow beneath his helmet. "How did you know I was-" He stopped himself, he was that obvious wasn't he? What did she call him again - an open book? Typically she tacked reckless or dumb onto that sentiment but the point still stood. "It's not like I'm looking for a fight, I just wanna see who it is - maybe it's someone nice this time!" His voice was still low but enthusiastic.

"Oooh maybe they have food! Maybe they even have soup!" He slunk forward through the undergrowth, stepping lightly along the damp moss. He remained as quiet as he could until he came close enough to see who the voices belonged to - a pair, armored and armed. One held a bow and arrow and was pointed for the other - he had yet to decide who he'd come to fight for if it was to become a fight.

. . . I could never hold enough of you in my hands . . .

Fang
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Dawn of the Silver Age May 23, 2023 5:25:04 GMT via mobile

Post by Fang on May 23, 2023 5:25:04 GMT

The ghost went silent instantly, the tip of the arrow threatening enough in its glimmering sharpness. Before Lerna’s hand had even finished rising he flickered out of sight, observing her response to the threat with mild amusement. If they didn’t lower their weapon Lerna was going to destroy them, and if she until she was killed he would resurrect her again and then…

A light, at the edge of vision. Spark knew his job was to watch Lerna’s back, nothing like an invisible buddy for such a task. ”Someone else, on the ground at our nine.” Just a whisper for his Chosen. ”Could be their ally. I could send a comm.” He didn’t have to speak the alternatives, Lerna would make her decisions and he would support her.

ShoddyProduct
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Dawn of the Silver Age May 24, 2023 5:47:33 GMT

Post by ShoddyProduct on May 24, 2023 5:47:33 GMT

"Just a safety precaution. You know how our kind can be, especially this far from the Light."

Despite the tension between the two of them, Viarri lowered her bow, though kept her hands ready. Too often she had died to a lack of preparedness. She took a moment, considering what her mirror in this moment had said. Charlottetown, and for a book. Definitely not a Warlord, or even a bandit. For sure Risen, but not one who seemed to particularly mean any harm. That was a welcome sight, to be certain, though whether this one could be recruited to the cause was still up in the air. If she were familiar with the territory, but not affiliated with the Iron Lords, it could be a cause of contention in the future.

"I'm Viarri, an Iron Lord." She spoke the title with dignity, an assumption there that she would know what the title meant, and what it stood for. "I'm here on the Hunt, on the trail of a Warlord who fled this way after razing a village. Risen, human. Half his band was made of Fallen. I've been tracking their warpath ever since they fled from the south. No idea what they're doing here on the island, but I intend to find out before Azazel and the people of Charlottetown have to deal with them in my stead."

As Viarri rose to her full height now, she felt a whisper in her ear, as Willow returned with a message. Thank the Traveler the message seemed to go across well. A Lord, this far from the rest... Well, they could tend to be temperamental. Paranoid, even, being so surrounded by threats. Thankfully, she was here to get rid of at least one of them.

Her attention turned back to Lerna. "Seems I've made an appointment with the Lord of this island. By coincidence, it seems we're heading the same way. Care to have a travel partner, for the few minutes?" Her tone was softer now, more welcoming, almost friendly, now that intent had been established.

The bow had not returned to it's place on her back.

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Dawn of the Silver Age May 24, 2023 20:12:49 GMT via mobile

Post by UmbraSight on May 24, 2023 20:12:49 GMT

“Mm, fools playing king at the end of the world.” Lerna said, offering up words of agreement as the bow was lowered. She raised a hand and tapped a finger against her mask as the other risen graced her with an introduction of her own. An Iron Lord by the sound of things, strayed far from the Traveler’s light as she chased after a Warlord. It wasn’t a new story, but one she had heard far too many times before. Still, it wasn’t her war, and she had her own objective that didn’t include someone else’s revenge story.

“Too many willing to squander a gift given so freely for such petty reasons, it seems. For that I wish you well on your hunt, may the light provide, Viarri.” Her head twitched as her ghost spoke, though she didn’t turn to look behind. “Pause a moment on that little spark.”

An ally of Viarri seemed unlikely if she were so quick to draw an arrow, though that was an assumption on her part.

“It seems there is another nearby, my ghost can attempt to send a message if you so wish. If it is your target then perhaps it is better for an unaffiliated risen to ask their mane than the hunter, yes?” The hand on her helmet returned to her side. “And if all is clear, I will not mind having some company as we walk.”

Her rifle had not left its place on her back.

//... into the dark she stepped, but never did she feel free of the gaze...//

trandy
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Dawn of the Silver Age May 26, 2023 19:01:45 GMT

Post by trandy on May 26, 2023 19:01:45 GMT

“Someone nice? When did we ever meet someone nice in the woods?!” Belle’s high pitched voice rang louder so Denali could still hear her as he walked away. For a moment she considered leaving him to get in trouble by himself, but she knew what would happen if she did: Death. “Wait for me!” She called, floating after her chosen one and turning invisible when they approached the bushes.