Lore of Leyuna RPG (FRPG)

[The Kingpin]

"It's not like I'd do anything particularly cruel with such a lure," said the Knight with a lopsided grin, his tone playful, even mischievous as his fingers continued to press and trace along Vix's own, pausing when he found the scar on her thumb. She may not have noticed, but the smile on his face fell somewhat as he remembered exactly why it was there.

[Hopeflower]

Arsenic considered Andruil over the rim of his mug. 'No,' he agreed, and given the knight's belief that he wasn't trusted with such matters, the speed and ease with which he did so might have come as a surprise. But then, it wasn't so long ago that Andruil had come to find Arsenic when he'd been standing in front of a simple grave, wrestling with Viho's return to the village. 'But it's still better not to let my mom's favorite tea turn into a weakness.' He tilted the mug a little for emphasis.

Andruil's faltering hadn't gone unnoticed. The scar was hidden from view as Vix's hand curled around his and squeezed; silent forgiveness given without being asked for. "You ever wonder if maybe you're just a little too careful?" she teased gently.

"No such thing in our line of work," Rowan pointed out. Her tone might have been on the flippant side, but she wasn't about to encourage Arsenic to be less careful. Not when the evidence of many, many close encounters marked his body.


"Mortality is the very reason I'm doing any of this," Viho said quietly. "Whatever my past, I can't afford to fail my students again." With that, he turned to head back to what was coming to be home.

[The Kingpin]

The Knight returned the gesture, giving the Innkeeper's hand a firm but gentle squeeze, bringing it up to his lips before planting a small kiss on the back of the thumb. "I think that is something that can be said for us all. Much as I would love to frolick through fields, streets, ballrooms and taverns without a care in the world, it would be... irresponsible not to exercise a bit of caution," he commented, trying not to draw too much attention to the moment.

[C S]

As Viho's footsteps in the snow receded, Desrium ran a finger across his eyes to clear away the film of frost that was accumulating. An indicator of time immobile, or of worsening conditions, he could not divine, nor was it something he thought about. The elf's last words kept the armored being company for a little while longer. Be it a life of decades or a life of centuries, failures were guaranteed. Likewise, so were victories. Those were Desrium's thoughts before he too moved on from the streetlight to patrol the cold night.

Someday, Viho may realize he was restoring balance in his life.

Someday, he may know peace.

[Hopeflower]

'Common sense, really.' Arsenic shrugged and went back to sketching, seemingly content to leave it at that.

Vix conceded the point with a tilt of her head. She gave Andruil's hand another gentle squeeze, then reclaimed hers to start her own explorations.

"Besides," Rowan continued, "if we ever caught Nick letting his guard down, it'd be for one of two reasons: He's drunk off his *** or poisoned, or it's not him."

At that, Arsenic smiled again. 'Someone has to stay vigilant.'

[The Kingpin]

Andruil's brow arched at that, tapping his fingers against his chest distractedly before raising one as if to interject. And he did. "I believe those were three reasons, Rowan," quipped the Knight matter-of-factly, head tilted, sideways though it was, in the direction of the raven-haired assassin.

[Hopeflower]

"If you swallow it and it leaves you a staggering mess, it all counts as one reason," the scarred assassin fired back without missing a beat.

'Technically,' Arsenic drawled, smoothing his thumb over some of the lines on the paper to soften them, 'she's not wrong to lump them together. Alchohol induces several symptoms I'd definitely associate with poisoning.'

[The Kingpin]

"I can't argue that," relented Andruil. After all, it was one of the reasons he'd stopped drinking heavily. Easier for friends to tell when something was definitely wrong and not just a case of having one too many.

[C S]

Trudging through the deep snow that piled high over the subsequent hours meant that Desrium had time to think while he maintained his scarlet vigil. He thought about motivations: what divisive cause was worth braving such an inhospitable night? The steadfast watch that would have been prowling the rooftops and perched on the supports of awnings and balconies alike on any other night had been beaten back by the whims of the seasons that gave no quarter to the intents of man and things that shared the silhouette. If they could not tread the dangers of their unsung duty to force back against the hate that coiled its way through the city streets, then how could their foes be any more dedicated to their foolhardy ends.

After some time, the armored being conceded that there were some facets of humanity -- and elf, dwarf, orc, goblin and so on -- that he would never grasp if he could not understand them as he was. The same hurdles that stopped the sapient races from understanding each other at times would be insurmountable to one who existed just outside of their realm. It was that basic root of conflict that created these foes, who might not have been foes had any number of things in their lives been different. It was that core which the likes of Morrelie drew her greatest strength, irrational and unstable though it was. It was the type of toxic influence that drove a nation to stand against all others, in the name of a god that would have extinguished it outright had he not decided he could not be bothered with carrying out his own extermination.

For that, Desrium came to ponder balance for Draxon. It was overtaken by such senseless hostility, and it had committed much crimes against its own people as well. As his greaves broke up and pushed aside snow, the Paladin thought,

"Perhaps this is to be expected when a backwards mentality is suddenly, perhaps too abruptly, sent forward. Like a structure pushed past its limits: things will fall, and break. I have seen as much when the Keep was thrown down to Tyrbenetus along with the mountains that held it aloft. I have also seen how a structure can be maintained, repaired, and expanded, no matter the duress."

Desrium continued walking through the snow, reflecting on the snowflakes in contrast to the grains of sand that sprawled across that wasteland across the Jade Sea. He thought it a splendored thing, past the bloodshed on both fronts. He had the honor of walking upon such a large, moving world, one with places he was unlikely to go, and things he was unlikely to see. He wondered if there were any like him on some far-flung shore, contemplating a future where all of Leyuna was aware of each other, and willing to move as a whole to a greater age. It was for this new vision, that he kept walking while Leyuna turned underneath his heavy boots. The Stalwart Paladin counted the hours away with his footsteps.

He had scoured the city with his eyes and greater senses, and still silence was all he had detected.

The night had been too cold, and too rough for the war of good and evil, evidently. An uneasy armistice brokered by the world itself.

Desrium felt this was best as he stood outside the doors of Septimus place, as he knew it was a hallowed day for many across Aster that had come. Doors he had dug out with his own metal hands. His eyes were burning away into the darkness of the pre-dawn. He would sense Viho long before he actually saw the elf. If only he could just send his greetings and cautions across distance.

Greetings. Beware the ice. Do not fall.


The viking and her present company moved through the city gates, some having an easier time than others. Bouldron's bulkiness gave him trouble still. The rocky ogre's shoulders rattled the metal sheets and portcullises held up by ropes and chains, prompting him to grunt and growl in mild annoyance while he tucked his substantial forearms in, literally dragging his knuckles to some extent. His smaller brethren were careful to give him a lot of space in cramped confines, choosing either to stick to Evisa's side as she swaggered confidently along, or to shorten their stride and keep some distance behind the earthen elemental.

"It looks like Faafengar came all the way from the north-stream to here," Evisa commented on the other side of the incomplete and snow-ridden wall, ignoring or oblivious to the anxieties of being crushed by a wayward stone limb. She looked the outskirts of the city up and down. In the blue gloom of the early hour, the snow seemed to give off its own haunting light. It reminded her utterly of home, in as many good ways as bad. Lots of snow was great to have around. It also meant shoveling. Lots of shoveling. Feeling like the helpful sort, Evisa gathered up a band of what should be her most potent snow-movers. Should be. They were still getting used to their abilities, but either way it was going to be a good learning experience.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say he was calling me out, the viseghandiis." Evisa looked back at her small group and wagged a finger. "That's a bad word. Only I can say it because I'm older."

One spindly translucent figure turned her head over and made a series of tones akin to the sound of cracking glaciers. Sharp and striking, surprising of such a relatively small thing.

"No, I'm not going to tell you what it means." Evisa crossed her arms. "Maybe when you're older. Or taller, at least."

That got a bunch of indignant crackles and the small icy elemental stalked forward a few paces. Down the grooves in the shards that produced from her back like spines, a blue tinted light began to emanate. Soon, with each step the elemental took, the bigger she seemed to get. It was no illusion. The surrounding snow was drawn to her, possessed by her supernatural powers. Clumps of white ran up her legs and built up her bulk like a figurative snowball, and what a snowball it was.

Evisa whistled through her helmet, which echoed and sounded like a chirp. Learning experience was right. The exercise promised to display how the young elementals were developing their skills. The formerly-small one that Evisa decided to nickname 'Snowball' as she watched her grow was a notable sort. Snowball was the kind that didn't show the cards she was playing with. She was the kind that did not make it obvious she was even playing the game. With an ample supply of snow to work with, she was building herself a tall body that shared her spindly frame. Soon, she would be a stick-figure compliment to Bouldron, whose dark earthen tones were a stark contrast to the roaming ice.

"That's gonna freak some people out, probably. I'll handle it when it needs handling," Evisa told herself, hands on her hips. She then glanced over to the others.

"Alright, Bouldron, do your big-guy thing. Anekai, now's the time to put your fire to work. Oedon, go ahead and..."

[The Kingpin]

The Knight looked up from the ground as he walked through the dimly lit light blue streets. Familiar voice, familiar sounds, but not ones he had been in direct contact with more than a couple of times. Clad in his hooded wirshah, Andruil had been roaming the streets in the early hours for reasons not unlike Desrium's own. He had proven to be a diligent student to Viho, there on time without fail and more than once preceding Firel's own arrival at Septimus Place. But just because that first day had proven too early an arrival did not mean he changed his habits. Instead, he spent the earliest hours of his day patrolling the streets in search of clues. Any clues. Footprints, oddly placed objects that didn't quite fit the norm for the areas he passed through, scents. Anything that could be anything was observed, and his routes, varied though they were, had been crossed frequently enough since his arrival here that he knew what did and did not belong.

That said, it wasn't every day he heard Evisa and the troupe of elementals in her charge passed through. It was almost funny to think that, on his first time coming here under Desrium's rule, they had been something he made a point to avoid. This time, he was tempted to investigate. An informal inspection of their activities, as it were. It was, as much as any footprint or misplaced item, an oddity in his routine, and one he was more than willing to take a look at, if for nothing more than pure, plain curiosity.



Far from the snow-caked streets of Brodudika, the dragoness lay resting, curled up in the shelter of several rocks. She wasn't far from the Thunderbird's Peak, a few yards below in a dip in the side of the mountain that was too shallow to be a cave, but too deep to be a simple overhang. It didn't lend her much warmth, but it broke the flow of the mountain breeze, which was enough. With the still air, her plumage was able to do the rest, and the dragoness kept herself buried in her tail and wings, fluffed and comfortable.

She had been unsettled most of the previous day, guilt and concern swirling into a toxic cocktail of self-loathing that only the Thunderbird's presence was able to dispel. It was no surprise then, that she chose to sleep in it.



The cause for her concern was currently stirring from slumber himself. The Scholar rolled over in the bed he had shared with his...mate? wife? He didn't know anymore. He had himself to thank for that particular bit of confusion. It didn't matter, however. As long as happiness was the result, who cared about the details?

It took him a short while to gather his usual clothes, folded and put away as they were since he had donned the 'poor elvish merchant' outfit. Not that he'd need them once he was in the air, of course. But it would save having to address someone naked the next time he had to suddenly shift forms. Digging around the stacks of books, arcane supplies and gold and jewels was surprisingly tedious, more due to the fact he was trying not to wake the Mage from her slumber than due to having misplaced anything.

His coat hung over the back of Syria's chair, under her own. His waistcoat, shirt and trousers were in a little stack on a table, weighed down and kept flat by half a stack of peredomancy books that were ever so slightly off-centre, the remaining ones lying beside the surface. Some lay open, others perched on the front and back cover, looking akin to the slanted roofs of some houses. They'd been nudged on the duo's way in the previous evening, celebratory and uncaring as they were after the night's events.

Night's events. That was a funny one. Looking at the dim glow of the sky through one corner of the satchel's momentarily raised top, Septimus guessed it could not have been more than three hours ago. Even further reason for him not to wake the mage. He decided to save getting dressed for outside. Floating the books over to the table where they settled silently, he then gathered his clothes and boots, and climbed the ladder out of the satchel. Giving a final glance to the sleeping mage, he adjusted the sheets so that she was comfortably tucked in, and made his way out of the satchel.

Of course, knowing that the odds were against another period of relaxation like this happening for a while, the Scholar succumbed to temptation then and there. Setting his clothes aside, he made his way over to the pool, which seemed to bubble and boil even as he approached it. Steam wafting up from it once more, Septimus descended into the soothing waters, content to let himself soak, and think. Perhaps meditate for an hour longer. After all, he could always make up the time when he was in the air.

[Hopeflower]

The night wasn't finished with the inhabitants of the city just yet. As Viho made his way toward where he'd meet up with Desrium, the elf found himself needing to cover his face to ward off the cold bite of the wind and the flurries of sharp ice crystals it carried. The weather was going to make for a quiet solstice, at this rate. Not that he'd mind sticking to his plan of staying inside, relaxing with a hot drink and a good book. At the very least, it might keep everyone else inside, too - and that meant another little while of peace, tense though it was.

A stray thought went to telling his students to stay home and keep warm today. Maybe if the wind picked up any more. He certainly had time to make that kind of decision, with how early he was up.

[C S]

In time, Desrium saw the teacher coming down the street. Most of him, really. The snow piled high on either side of the elf and he went through the straight that was as wide as the armored being himself, being the one who created it in his patrols. The paths that crisscrossed the city were a convenience, however unintended. However, that still left the citizens the issue of getting through their doors.

"Viho," Desrium greeted as he closed in on the entrance. "Good tidings, I would hope."



Snowball was taller than the small houses that stood around her. In her wake were streets mostly clear of winter. Her thin body had since become more compacted with snow and ice, taking on an appearance that was rapidly growing to match the stone ogre himself. Eventually, her footsteps would shake the ground she walked upon.

Bouldron was one street over. His huge hands collected fittingly huge amounts of snow and his fingers forced the freezing powder into collections that were as hard as his own body. While his method did not make things easier for people who needed to head out in the next hour or so, it did leave its mark. He lined the road with snowballs larger than the boulders in Jiier's Corner.

Anekai was shorter than Evisa, it was true. He was not massive like Bouldron, and could not change sizes like Snowball -- Tydrio to everyone else -- but his power was potent and wild. It more than made up for what he lacked in presence. As such, his method was just a tad inefficient in clearing the snow, in that his method involved blasting himself through the air with bubbles of heat and light. Steam trailed his twirling body and his orange light was greater than any streetlight still lit. People could easily mistake it as the light of dawn shining through their windows.

Even those whose windows didn't face the east.

As for Evisa, she had no favor for fancy tricks and wild abandon. She walked down her street with her confident stride, exuding a radiance that gently molded the snow around her, then boiled it away into the heavy, cold atmosphere. Likewise, her light was prone to making people think they had slept in too late.

[The Kingpin]

Andruil had to step back to avoid the hurtling fire elemental zooming past him, walking out behind it to face the way it came from. He had a moment to absorb what was going on before his head tilted slightly. "You are aware that whatever you melt and burn away will turn to slick ice later, yes?" he asked the Lady of Light, a brow raising as he looked down at the ground under his feet that would likely be layered with that very ice. The sheer amount of heat exuded by the Viking left the Knight reconsidering his choice of attire, everything not under the cover of his wirshah soon feeling unpleasantly warm. He hadn't known it was even possible to have sweaty feet and hands when the rest of him was comfortably cool. Ah, the wonders of magic, he mused, caught somewhere between amusement and irritation over the odd sensation.

[Hopeflower]

"As good as can be expected." The elf tugged his scarf down to speak more clearly once shielded from the unforgiving wind and proceeded to start rubbing some warmth back into his face and hands. At least he could be grateful that with some sort of path cleared, it hadn't taken him very long to get here. He didn't want to imagine trying to struggle through waist-high snow drifts. "And you?"

[C S]

Desrium looked about at the road behind the elf, then at the overcast sky. "I have found that I fare the same in all conditions. Tundra and desert are one and the same to me. I am not blind to the perils of those who do not share this trait, however." He turned and, with only a finger, knocked on the door to the ministry. Even then it seemed too loud for his liking; the hinges rattling from the short impact.

The receptionist opened the door thereafter, took the slightest amount of time to take in what he was seeing, then stepped aside for them to enter. "Ah, benefactor. I was not aware you would be visiting."

"My apologies," Desrium replied, making no move to step forward until Viho did.



"Oh yeah. If I were back in Vanguard, it'd be a pain to use a spade. It's all a good workout, don't get me wrong, but when you are a walking flare..." Evisa leaned over to one side and pretended to brush some offending speck off of her leviathan hide. "That's why I brought the likes of her along," she said after, pointing to the shape that rounded the corner of the street. The icy titan lumbered and swung her arms about. It was almost a cliche to expect her to roar into the dark sky. Instead, she simply sought out another snow-clogged passage from her uniquely tall vantage point and thundered along to it, her movements weighty and deliberate.

"I'll admit, she could probably handle this city all by herself, but eventually she's going to get too large to fit inside it without breaking something. That's also something to handle when it needs handling," Evisa added, speaking mostly to herself by the end of it.

[Hopeflower]

The sideways look Viho gave Desrium would not have been out of place had he just discovered some fascinating object he was about to take apart and study. The psychomancy instructor didn't ask, however, and strode inside with his usual nod of greeting as though nothing was out of the ordinary.

"I'm guessing you and your researchers will need to know exactly what's wrong with my arm to be able to do anything about it," was what he said instead. He couldn't stop the instinctive tensing of his spine at the thought of someone having such knowledge of his weakness.

[C S]

"It would expedite the process to address the issue directly, as opposed to devising an alternative means," Desrium answered. After seeing the contraptions used in Valenhad's sled-ship industry, it was very likely to him that Viho's arm would end up in a cast of metal, hinges, gears and chains if magical applications failed to produce results. Being encased in armor, it was one outcome he would only accept if all other avenues were not fruitful.

[The Kingpin]

Andruil watched the icy giant stride through the streets, momentarily at a loss for words. His lips parted to speak, but a pause stretched out before he finally said, "I can see why they are worried."

Clearing his throat, he tilted his head. "Could she not do several trips? Walk outside and drop what she has collected before coming back in?"

[Hopeflower]

"Very well." Viho took a slow breath and pushed aside his misgivings. "A shapeshifter came after me, after I made the mistake of injuring a few people he cared for." He didn't look at Desrium as he spoke, and his low, even tone bordered on a succinct, emotionless report. "I've lost most of the use of that arm, and a lot of the feeling below the shoulder." The elf rested a hand on the limb in question. Beneath the padding of the brace, the crippled shoulder ached in time with his heartbeat. "Without a brace, I can't function thanks to the pain. Even now, it's constant."

[C S]

"It's what I was considering, yeah. Though, I think at this point she could just lean over the wall and shake off some excess. Not over the gate, I'd hope. In fact -- hold on, bud." Evisa backed up to one side of the street, lowered her stature and took off towards the other in an impressive sprint from a dead stop. The distance was short, but the viking built up enough momentum to send herself skywards onto the roof of a house. Her boots thudded onto the shingles and made snow fall from the edges of its awnings. From there, she kicked off again, intercepting the thundering path of Tydrio.


Desrium nodded. "I will ask of an aid for you to take in these beginning stages to numb the pain. I already gather that you and Andruil have put prior grievances aside," he stated simply, then proceeded into the lobby. The receptionist, noting the topic at hand, graciously made himself scarce behind his desk and occupied his thoughts with paperwork. At first, it seemed Desrium was going to take the stairs, until he bypassed them entirely and made his way around the back of them. The suited man spoke up then. "Mister Viho, if I can interrupt for just a moment. A miss Araya came to me yesterday with a message. She says she's 'bored of taking things easy' and that she plans to resume classes and her deliveries soon."


Evisa latched onto the elemental's side. Tydrio turned her trunk, moving her arm out of the way to look at the viking with what would have been inquisitiveness in a regular person. Evisa took it as an opening, tensed her muscles, and scrambled up the side of the snowy behemoth, gloves grappling icy handholds and boots catching the uneven surface of her enormous body. In short order, she climbed up to Tydrio's shoulder, where she took a seat.

"How about you make one last round before chucking some snow over the side of this bowl, huh?" Evisa suggested. "Mind the gate, though. That's a lot of snow to dig through, and I'm not looking forward to explaining to Desrium why no one can get in or out of his city."

Tydrio crackled her response. It really was like hearing an icy shear fall apart. Not exactly the most comforting sound to hear in the aftermath of a blizzard.

"Sure. I'll ask Oedon to collect all the moisture Anekai and I have created while you're off. Oh, one last thing. If you can give me a good toss to where I just was..."

Evisa stood up and walked along Tydrio's arm, stopping in her waiting palm and nestling herself in the center. She gave the icy giant a thumbs up. Tydrio then lobbed Evisa through the air.