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For all readers and writers
After much ado, our new tagging system is here and being rolled out to the userbase. Read more here!
An Apostle's Anti-Apocalyptic Adventure Agenda (Worm Post-GM/Experimental Log of the Crazy Lich)
Frozen Flame
Fragment of the Devourer
- Location
- The Darkness Beyond Time
[X] Chitter Fritter Ditter Skitter
Silently Watches
Professional Stalker
- Location
- Right behind you
[x] Copacetic
Inter-dimensional Football's Guide to unwitting destinations
Argidoll
And hast thou slain the Jabberwocky?
- Location
- Dreamland
Alright, there seems to be a tie of sorts, so I'll provide some more details on each of the options available.
-Somehow my Generic Isekai Storyline put a Boat on the Rails and is Flying with the power of Puppy Angst
This option is offers the weakest foundation upon which to grow, but is also the most open in terms of developmental choices and provides the most time to acclimate and grow before the shit begins hitting the fan. Your new identity would be a replacement for a fairly important side character within the original setting: Princess Glina Carson of the Sleuweir kingdom.
As the king's beloved child, you would be a direct descendent of the Mist bloodline of the now destroyed Kingdom of the Mist, a nation that once unified the entirety of the Northlands, a territory equivalent to all of Scandinavia going by Earth metrics. For reference, the surface world of this setting is more or less equivalent to modern Europe and Russia combined in size. Other mortal planes of existence such as the Underdark or the Dragon Realm tend to around this size as well, trending towards the smaller end. The Mist Kingdom was a border nation among the human kingdoms, guarding against the invasions of the Beastmen tribes (think 40k beastmen; if you want anime catgirls, you'll have to find a half-breed) within the frozen mountains of the northlands, who seek a return to their homeland prairies annexed by the human empires. This was primarily supported by the Aurora Knights, a military order started by the first king of the Mist, who made a deal with the primordial spirits dwelling in the mountains. These knights rode upon Frigid Nightmares, powerful shapeshifting frost spirits that allowed the Mountainous wastes of the north to be turned into an impenetrable barrier. Notorious for being stubborn and suicidally determined, the people of the Mist Kingdom led an unbroken vigil for almost two thousand years, and remained undefeated until three hundred years from the present time, where they were betrayed by the nations they guarded from the beastmen hordes. Under assault by both a beastmen legion and a demonic invasion from the Abyss, the Church of Holy Light colluded with the various other human nations of the time to annex the Mist Kingdom for its mineral resources, and declared a crusade against the beleaguered nation. Thus fell the Kingdom of the Mist, with the Twin Princes leading a final stand within the nation's capital of Diffendor. The repercussions of this betrayal resonate to this day, and the splinter kingdoms of the Mist all share the Mist country's heritage. The Sleuweir Kingdom is one of three inheritors of the Mist Kingdom's legacy, however, it has chosen to employ diplomacy in favour of military traditions, even bribing the beastmen tribes who seek to invade it, redirecting them towards the neighboring Kalosan Kingdom, a puppet nation of the St. Antonio Empire, in a bid to protect its own people. It is this situation in which you would be born, heralded by the fall of a god.
Your blessing, and innate concept of [ Sacrifice ] is taken from the corpse of Tremat, God of Aestheticism, a subordinate of the God of Holy Light. Be careful with it, Concepts should not be something available to someone underneath the rank of Saint, and if you're found out, there will definitely be a lot of suspicion around you. Of course, that's only one half of your problems: you have also been "blessed" with a strangely strong demon bloodline, originating from one of the Twin Princes: Karwenz, Favoured Child of the Abyss. He was the reason for the demonic invasion 300 years ago, as the Abyss always claims it's own. While you can draw power from his bloodline, take care, as demonic children are rightfully seen as ticking time bombs; demons often use mortal descendants as pawns within their own agendas.
-Chitter Fritter Ditter Skitter
This is the magic specialist option, under this scenario, QA is converted into a spiritual symbiote attached to your soul. It could technically be classified as a familiar, though the bond runs much deeper than such a title would imply, as severing the two of you would more like as not be lethal for at least one half of the pair. This conversion is… less than clean, and has, as a result wiped much of QA's data. On one hand, it means it will not be a dangerous influence upon you, and indeed, will instinctively protect you from mental effects as well as act as a secondary quantum supercomputer brain/soul. On the other hand, much of its functions are either gone or corrupted, and it cannot interact with the world on a physical level, being, for all intents and purposes, a spirit. It will still provide its multitasking, though it is limited in scope compared to what it could originally do. These capabilities grow with you, and you may eventually be able to recover certain computational abilities, including pre,post, and peri-cognition. You do keep an Earth style physical body though, so you are physically pathetic, even worse than this world's humans, who are literally the lowest tier possible for a sentient being in terms of physical capability. Packaged as such, you would be delivered via transdimensional snail mail to an emotionally repressed unstable psychotic obsessive yandere Life/Biology specialist mage named Amelia.
I swear it's entirely a coincidence.
Anyway, concerning Amelia, you shouldn't have to worry about her turning you into fertilizer for the monsters in her garden, she prefers the company of children for their innocence and genuineness. Since you'll start as a five year old, she'll take you in at first, and you'll have a chance to properly win her over, hopefully before she can bypass QA's mental interference and examine your true nature. Yes, she's an emotionally repressed soul reading serial killer manchild with the power of a god. Still, as long as you can fulfill her desire for a proper family, she'll teach you all kinds of terrifying things, and who knows? Maybe she'll mellow out under your influence.
As for the place you land in, the Mage Country Arlodante is less a proper nation and more the most massive mage guild in existence. Although it does have normal mortal lords and people, all power is centralized within the capital city from which the country spills forth. The City of Arlodante itself is wizard heaven, essentially being a city made of Mage towers, libraries, and experimental laboratories. For the socially awkward shut-in hermits that dominate most arcane classes, having sources of information and experimental resources next door is a godsend, as is the chance to interact with actual peers. Organized into a bewildering array of factions and organizations (really, they're more like officialized clubs of otakus than anything), mages gather together to further themselves in the pursuit of knowledge. Political power is held by the Truth Overseers, a council of ancient and powerful Semigod tier Mages (Amelia was one of those, but was impeached for conducting an impromptu vivisection on her predecessor) who don't want the position. Why? Because they don't hold any real power over other factions anyway, and are much more interested in their own research; if they enjoyed being bureaucrats, they wouldn't have become Semigod mages in the first place. A typical Truth Symposium will have at least half of the Overseers finding excuses not to go, and consists of 30% bragging about their own accomplishments, 50% attacking or plagiarizing the other Overseer's works, and 20% fighting over promising new acolytes. They also sometimes squeeze in political decisions into the last five minutes, which basically means everything that gets there passes (let us all take a moment of silence for the poor mortal administrators working to keep everything in order behind the scenes). Within Ardolante, as long as you can survive the random experiments going on all over the place, bumping into irate 700 year old loli's, escaped test subjects, Amelia's crippling debt, explosions, a population consisting of 100% otakus, and explosions, you'll be able to quickly propel yourself to new heights. Or, you know, you could leave. Your choice.
-Copacetic
This option is named for the fic of the same name, for those of you who don't know. It's pretty famous in the Worm fandom and in it {SPOILERS}.
Anyway, this option means Taylor physically merges with QA's shard physiology, deleting all of QA in the process, and earning you a semi-crystalline, semi-organic body capable of growing to match Titan giants and Immemorial Dragons. Eventually. Entity physiology allows for all kinds of neat tricks, potentially unlocking the ability to physically manipulate space-time, perfect dynakinesis, and maybe even Scion's beam of Fiat. That comes with growth though, and that requires time and power. Power that you can gain by ripping the energy from the world around you. Entities are pretty ridiculous, even without bullshit thinker powers to backup your physique. The most you get in that regard is hyperkinesis, allowing for a perfect understanding of your body. You don't get thinker bullshit. You want that, pick the above option. You're probably going to struggle with magic due to the properties of being a SPACE INVADER, so you'll be limited to physical combat styles. As befitting of a SPACE INVADER, you're getting sent in by comet. Don't worry, you'll survive it. Might draw some attention though, especially in the Underdark.
For those of you familiar with D&D, that name may ring a few bells. The Underdark is essentially another mortal plane like the main surface world, and is indeed closely connected. That said, it is significantly more dangerous, hosting essentially all of the species and individuals who were too dangerous or unstable to tolerate and were exiled from the surface. Societies are often defined by species divides, much like the surface world, but unlike the surface world, racism, enslavement, and genocide are common occurrences during interspecies conflicts. The Underdark is dangerous even without that though, as the majority of everything is somehow toxic or inhospitable, even if it's just mineral dust floating in the air that causes lung problems. The underdark is a place where Might Makes Right, a result of the Abyss's influence, and demons and devils are not uncommon if you look in the right places. The Underdark is ruled by the four Underground Autarchs, each one representing a different faction of species. Shou Niya, a manticore beastman, represents the beastmen tribes, such as the pigmen and the centaurs, Eduar Ainsturna unites the humans of the underdark (who are the most numerous here as well as on the surface because humans are essentially sentient cockroaches), Dragon Empress Molly rules the Red and Black Dragons (as much as dragons can be ruled anyhow), and High Priestess Kajah dominates the Drow matriarchies as the chosen child of the Spider Goddess Lorci (it's not Lolth because of copyright). You land in Sulfur mountain city, which is unique among the underdark cities in pretty much every conceivable way. It's… you'll have to see for yourself. At the very least, it's definitely safe compared to the reset of the Underdark and there's no lack of interesting people around.
Hopefully this will provide some context for these votes.
Edit: Huh, while I was writing this, it seems Chitter Fritter Ditter Skitter pulled ahead. I'll leave the vote open for a couple more hours in case people change their minds.
-Somehow my Generic Isekai Storyline put a Boat on the Rails and is Flying with the power of Puppy Angst
This option is offers the weakest foundation upon which to grow, but is also the most open in terms of developmental choices and provides the most time to acclimate and grow before the shit begins hitting the fan. Your new identity would be a replacement for a fairly important side character within the original setting: Princess Glina Carson of the Sleuweir kingdom.
As the king's beloved child, you would be a direct descendent of the Mist bloodline of the now destroyed Kingdom of the Mist, a nation that once unified the entirety of the Northlands, a territory equivalent to all of Scandinavia going by Earth metrics. For reference, the surface world of this setting is more or less equivalent to modern Europe and Russia combined in size. Other mortal planes of existence such as the Underdark or the Dragon Realm tend to around this size as well, trending towards the smaller end. The Mist Kingdom was a border nation among the human kingdoms, guarding against the invasions of the Beastmen tribes (think 40k beastmen; if you want anime catgirls, you'll have to find a half-breed) within the frozen mountains of the northlands, who seek a return to their homeland prairies annexed by the human empires. This was primarily supported by the Aurora Knights, a military order started by the first king of the Mist, who made a deal with the primordial spirits dwelling in the mountains. These knights rode upon Frigid Nightmares, powerful shapeshifting frost spirits that allowed the Mountainous wastes of the north to be turned into an impenetrable barrier. Notorious for being stubborn and suicidally determined, the people of the Mist Kingdom led an unbroken vigil for almost two thousand years, and remained undefeated until three hundred years from the present time, where they were betrayed by the nations they guarded from the beastmen hordes. Under assault by both a beastmen legion and a demonic invasion from the Abyss, the Church of Holy Light colluded with the various other human nations of the time to annex the Mist Kingdom for its mineral resources, and declared a crusade against the beleaguered nation. Thus fell the Kingdom of the Mist, with the Twin Princes leading a final stand within the nation's capital of Diffendor. The repercussions of this betrayal resonate to this day, and the splinter kingdoms of the Mist all share the Mist country's heritage. The Sleuweir Kingdom is one of three inheritors of the Mist Kingdom's legacy, however, it has chosen to employ diplomacy in favour of military traditions, even bribing the beastmen tribes who seek to invade it, redirecting them towards the neighboring Kalosan Kingdom, a puppet nation of the St. Antonio Empire, in a bid to protect its own people. It is this situation in which you would be born, heralded by the fall of a god.
Your blessing, and innate concept of [ Sacrifice ] is taken from the corpse of Tremat, God of Aestheticism, a subordinate of the God of Holy Light. Be careful with it, Concepts should not be something available to someone underneath the rank of Saint, and if you're found out, there will definitely be a lot of suspicion around you. Of course, that's only one half of your problems: you have also been "blessed" with a strangely strong demon bloodline, originating from one of the Twin Princes: Karwenz, Favoured Child of the Abyss. He was the reason for the demonic invasion 300 years ago, as the Abyss always claims it's own. While you can draw power from his bloodline, take care, as demonic children are rightfully seen as ticking time bombs; demons often use mortal descendants as pawns within their own agendas.
-Chitter Fritter Ditter Skitter
This is the magic specialist option, under this scenario, QA is converted into a spiritual symbiote attached to your soul. It could technically be classified as a familiar, though the bond runs much deeper than such a title would imply, as severing the two of you would more like as not be lethal for at least one half of the pair. This conversion is… less than clean, and has, as a result wiped much of QA's data. On one hand, it means it will not be a dangerous influence upon you, and indeed, will instinctively protect you from mental effects as well as act as a secondary quantum supercomputer brain/soul. On the other hand, much of its functions are either gone or corrupted, and it cannot interact with the world on a physical level, being, for all intents and purposes, a spirit. It will still provide its multitasking, though it is limited in scope compared to what it could originally do. These capabilities grow with you, and you may eventually be able to recover certain computational abilities, including pre,post, and peri-cognition. You do keep an Earth style physical body though, so you are physically pathetic, even worse than this world's humans, who are literally the lowest tier possible for a sentient being in terms of physical capability. Packaged as such, you would be delivered via transdimensional snail mail to an emotionally repressed unstable psychotic obsessive yandere Life/Biology specialist mage named Amelia.
I swear it's entirely a coincidence.
Anyway, concerning Amelia, you shouldn't have to worry about her turning you into fertilizer for the monsters in her garden, she prefers the company of children for their innocence and genuineness. Since you'll start as a five year old, she'll take you in at first, and you'll have a chance to properly win her over, hopefully before she can bypass QA's mental interference and examine your true nature. Yes, she's an emotionally repressed soul reading serial killer manchild with the power of a god. Still, as long as you can fulfill her desire for a proper family, she'll teach you all kinds of terrifying things, and who knows? Maybe she'll mellow out under your influence.
As for the place you land in, the Mage Country Arlodante is less a proper nation and more the most massive mage guild in existence. Although it does have normal mortal lords and people, all power is centralized within the capital city from which the country spills forth. The City of Arlodante itself is wizard heaven, essentially being a city made of Mage towers, libraries, and experimental laboratories. For the socially awkward shut-in hermits that dominate most arcane classes, having sources of information and experimental resources next door is a godsend, as is the chance to interact with actual peers. Organized into a bewildering array of factions and organizations (really, they're more like officialized clubs of otakus than anything), mages gather together to further themselves in the pursuit of knowledge. Political power is held by the Truth Overseers, a council of ancient and powerful Semigod tier Mages (Amelia was one of those, but was impeached for conducting an impromptu vivisection on her predecessor) who don't want the position. Why? Because they don't hold any real power over other factions anyway, and are much more interested in their own research; if they enjoyed being bureaucrats, they wouldn't have become Semigod mages in the first place. A typical Truth Symposium will have at least half of the Overseers finding excuses not to go, and consists of 30% bragging about their own accomplishments, 50% attacking or plagiarizing the other Overseer's works, and 20% fighting over promising new acolytes. They also sometimes squeeze in political decisions into the last five minutes, which basically means everything that gets there passes (let us all take a moment of silence for the poor mortal administrators working to keep everything in order behind the scenes). Within Ardolante, as long as you can survive the random experiments going on all over the place, bumping into irate 700 year old loli's, escaped test subjects, Amelia's crippling debt, explosions, a population consisting of 100% otakus, and explosions, you'll be able to quickly propel yourself to new heights. Or, you know, you could leave. Your choice.
-Copacetic
This option is named for the fic of the same name, for those of you who don't know. It's pretty famous in the Worm fandom and in it {SPOILERS}.
Anyway, this option means Taylor physically merges with QA's shard physiology, deleting all of QA in the process, and earning you a semi-crystalline, semi-organic body capable of growing to match Titan giants and Immemorial Dragons. Eventually. Entity physiology allows for all kinds of neat tricks, potentially unlocking the ability to physically manipulate space-time, perfect dynakinesis, and maybe even Scion's beam of Fiat. That comes with growth though, and that requires time and power. Power that you can gain by ripping the energy from the world around you. Entities are pretty ridiculous, even without bullshit thinker powers to backup your physique. The most you get in that regard is hyperkinesis, allowing for a perfect understanding of your body. You don't get thinker bullshit. You want that, pick the above option. You're probably going to struggle with magic due to the properties of being a SPACE INVADER, so you'll be limited to physical combat styles. As befitting of a SPACE INVADER, you're getting sent in by comet. Don't worry, you'll survive it. Might draw some attention though, especially in the Underdark.
For those of you familiar with D&D, that name may ring a few bells. The Underdark is essentially another mortal plane like the main surface world, and is indeed closely connected. That said, it is significantly more dangerous, hosting essentially all of the species and individuals who were too dangerous or unstable to tolerate and were exiled from the surface. Societies are often defined by species divides, much like the surface world, but unlike the surface world, racism, enslavement, and genocide are common occurrences during interspecies conflicts. The Underdark is dangerous even without that though, as the majority of everything is somehow toxic or inhospitable, even if it's just mineral dust floating in the air that causes lung problems. The underdark is a place where Might Makes Right, a result of the Abyss's influence, and demons and devils are not uncommon if you look in the right places. The Underdark is ruled by the four Underground Autarchs, each one representing a different faction of species. Shou Niya, a manticore beastman, represents the beastmen tribes, such as the pigmen and the centaurs, Eduar Ainsturna unites the humans of the underdark (who are the most numerous here as well as on the surface because humans are essentially sentient cockroaches), Dragon Empress Molly rules the Red and Black Dragons (as much as dragons can be ruled anyhow), and High Priestess Kajah dominates the Drow matriarchies as the chosen child of the Spider Goddess Lorci (it's not Lolth because of copyright). You land in Sulfur mountain city, which is unique among the underdark cities in pretty much every conceivable way. It's… you'll have to see for yourself. At the very least, it's definitely safe compared to the reset of the Underdark and there's no lack of interesting people around.
Hopefully this will provide some context for these votes.
Edit: Huh, while I was writing this, it seems Chitter Fritter Ditter Skitter pulled ahead. I'll leave the vote open for a couple more hours in case people change their minds.
Last edited:
Prologue 0.2
Argidoll
And hast thou slain the Jabberwocky?
- Location
- Dreamland
Prologue 0.2
[X] Chitter Fritter Ditter Skitter
Grasping hands, shattered claws, the sun is speared and shattered, the eyes are looking, looking, staring, scratching…
You sleep in unmoving silence as the past is torn from you, memories blurred and sharpened by an unpresent force. Eventually the flurries of movement fade down, and for an instant there is nothing.
Then the stars blur into form. They race by is impossible patterns, dancing both away and towards you as space and time become a kaleidoscope of lines and colours.
Your eyes close…
Amelia Milan examined the sample before her. Judging from the way the seed was squirming in it's womb, it was about to hatch. Whispering words of comfort towards the unborn child, she carefully contained her excitement as a tangle of vines burst through the shell and began tearing into the womb around it, roots taking hold and quickly draining the blood and nutrients around it and began tentatively reaching into the soil. Amelia observed as the womb gurgled and collapsed into the soil, the living souls within being drained away and digested by her beloved creation. She would have to dispose of the assorted indigestible garbage later, it would be inconvenient if the rest of the mercenary corps found evidence of the fate of their compatriots.
Filing away the thought, Amelia turned her attention back towards her creation, caressing the vines as they began to blossom. Each flower opened to reveal an interior lined with teeth and acidic saliva, and under Amelia's watchful gaze they began tearing forth towards the other living victims buried throughout the garden. Grass began to sprout along the path of the vines which seemed to drain the vibrancy from the air. As the vines reached the various hosts, the flowers began to tear apart the helpless mercenaries while the blades of grass drained the souls from the cooling bodies. Satisfied, Amelia held the original vine against her cheek, listening to the flow of life beneath the thorns as her darling began to feed. She allowed herself a moment with her child, whispering nursery songs through the spiritual connection between them. From her body sprouted two other, equally mutated plants. The first spun forth from her pale green hair, winding together into an array of pulsating blood red thorns, each of which opening into a draconic mouth lined with rows of vampiric teeth. The other sprouted from her kidneys, a cacophony of various flowers sprouting out of one another, forming a tendril of flower heads, each giving off a unique exotic aroma. The three plants wrap around her body, and for a moment, Amelia Milan can pretend she has a family.
The moment is broken by the ringing of the laboratory's automated alarm spell. She sighs, and closes her eyes as her darlings withdraw into her body. The youngest shrinks upon itself, the vines and leaves withering away as nutrients are drawn back into the core. The central vine bloats with sustenance and curls up, continuing to shrink as it does so, finally fully reverting into a seed. Giving her youngest child a goodnight kiss, Amelia swallowed the botanical marble, shifting her esophagus as to deposit the seed in a cavity next to her heart, where it could draw additional sustenance. As her robes rid themselves of contaminants, she took a moment to run through various long-practiced expressions. Deeming herself ready, she fixed a small smile upon her face and made her way up to the the door. Outside stood a nervous looking acolyte, a slender young male, whose curly red hair framed a shy smile as he played with the clipboard in his hands. Looking deeper, she could see sensations of timidity coloured with hints of adoration played through his soul. Amelia disliked him immediately.
"E-excuse me, Ms. Amelia, uh, there's been a package for you."
Indeed, a large wooden crate stood behind the acolyte, sealed in a bizarre combination of intricate ominous magic runes and poorly drawn rainbows. Amelia took the pro-offered clipboard, taking care not to touch the male's hands as she read the barely legible ink scrawled across the form. No, actually, upon closer examination it wasn't legible at all, it was literal mess of gibberish concealing some form of mind altering effect. Maintaining the smile on her face, she put forth a barrier and turned towards the acolyte, only to find he had disappeared. She brought up her defenses and subtly shifted towards a defensive stance, preparing to—
:{&^^$%45456@>>{%&^345l;['36{:^>>{$%.l;[5[.^45[.5[6[;[;&%&%?;/;6]4(*(}:
Elsewhere, a strange kaleidoscopic creature was humming to itself as it pulled the human skin off of its body.
"This ROB stuff is a lot more work than I thought it would be. Dammit, I don't wanna do work!"
— No, such a plot would happen in this way, a package was too suspicious in the first place, if any of the Archmages were going to act out against her, it would definitely be in the form of a hundred step plan with fourteen contingencies and false bottoms. At the very least, they would send out a proper declaration, as it would be nigh impossible to kill her quietly. Concluding that she would be secure, she turned back, a network of roots sprouting from the ground and dragging the package in after her. Within the security of the front hall, Amelia carefully dismantled the runic defenses and erased the crayon rainbows, taking not of the even more complex rune structure hidden beneath the childish drawings. Within the crate, nestled in a bed of straw, was an intricate stone statue of a child curled into a fetal position. A strange disturbance seemed to surround it, distorting her attempts to read the soul buried within the stone. With a word, the petrification slowly reverted, revealing a pale human girl. Her long curly hair spilled forth from the stone, covering her naked form. Placing a hand on the child's forehead, Amelia once more attempted to connect with the dormant soul, only to once again be rebuffed by that strange effect. Pinching the sleeping child's cheek, she noted the strangely frail composition of her form. The child shifted at the touch, grasping hold of her hand, reaching out and holding tight to the source of warmth. Smiling, Amelia summoned a cradle of velveteen flowers, and reached out again.
The lights begin to soften and mutate, shifting back and forth between half-formed images. Sometimes there are places you know, places not quite different, but not the same. Others become people, faces and forms dressed in strange costumes, disconnected yet familiar. The lights steadily begin to flow together, drawing forth into a single sigil.
Vote on what Taylor remembers most of her past life. This will have lasting repercussions, so think carefully on which part of Taylor dominates her personality.
[X] A Golden Portal, blinking from wasteland to wasteland (Administrator)
[X] A Young Woman, standing before a storm (Martyr)
[X] A Metal Chrysalis, leaden with filth (Survivor)
[X] Chitter Fritter Ditter Skitter
Grasping hands, shattered claws, the sun is speared and shattered, the eyes are looking, looking, staring, scratching…
You sleep in unmoving silence as the past is torn from you, memories blurred and sharpened by an unpresent force. Eventually the flurries of movement fade down, and for an instant there is nothing.
Then the stars blur into form. They race by is impossible patterns, dancing both away and towards you as space and time become a kaleidoscope of lines and colours.
Your eyes close…
Amelia Milan examined the sample before her. Judging from the way the seed was squirming in it's womb, it was about to hatch. Whispering words of comfort towards the unborn child, she carefully contained her excitement as a tangle of vines burst through the shell and began tearing into the womb around it, roots taking hold and quickly draining the blood and nutrients around it and began tentatively reaching into the soil. Amelia observed as the womb gurgled and collapsed into the soil, the living souls within being drained away and digested by her beloved creation. She would have to dispose of the assorted indigestible garbage later, it would be inconvenient if the rest of the mercenary corps found evidence of the fate of their compatriots.
Filing away the thought, Amelia turned her attention back towards her creation, caressing the vines as they began to blossom. Each flower opened to reveal an interior lined with teeth and acidic saliva, and under Amelia's watchful gaze they began tearing forth towards the other living victims buried throughout the garden. Grass began to sprout along the path of the vines which seemed to drain the vibrancy from the air. As the vines reached the various hosts, the flowers began to tear apart the helpless mercenaries while the blades of grass drained the souls from the cooling bodies. Satisfied, Amelia held the original vine against her cheek, listening to the flow of life beneath the thorns as her darling began to feed. She allowed herself a moment with her child, whispering nursery songs through the spiritual connection between them. From her body sprouted two other, equally mutated plants. The first spun forth from her pale green hair, winding together into an array of pulsating blood red thorns, each of which opening into a draconic mouth lined with rows of vampiric teeth. The other sprouted from her kidneys, a cacophony of various flowers sprouting out of one another, forming a tendril of flower heads, each giving off a unique exotic aroma. The three plants wrap around her body, and for a moment, Amelia Milan can pretend she has a family.
The moment is broken by the ringing of the laboratory's automated alarm spell. She sighs, and closes her eyes as her darlings withdraw into her body. The youngest shrinks upon itself, the vines and leaves withering away as nutrients are drawn back into the core. The central vine bloats with sustenance and curls up, continuing to shrink as it does so, finally fully reverting into a seed. Giving her youngest child a goodnight kiss, Amelia swallowed the botanical marble, shifting her esophagus as to deposit the seed in a cavity next to her heart, where it could draw additional sustenance. As her robes rid themselves of contaminants, she took a moment to run through various long-practiced expressions. Deeming herself ready, she fixed a small smile upon her face and made her way up to the the door. Outside stood a nervous looking acolyte, a slender young male, whose curly red hair framed a shy smile as he played with the clipboard in his hands. Looking deeper, she could see sensations of timidity coloured with hints of adoration played through his soul. Amelia disliked him immediately.
"E-excuse me, Ms. Amelia, uh, there's been a package for you."
Indeed, a large wooden crate stood behind the acolyte, sealed in a bizarre combination of intricate ominous magic runes and poorly drawn rainbows. Amelia took the pro-offered clipboard, taking care not to touch the male's hands as she read the barely legible ink scrawled across the form. No, actually, upon closer examination it wasn't legible at all, it was literal mess of gibberish concealing some form of mind altering effect. Maintaining the smile on her face, she put forth a barrier and turned towards the acolyte, only to find he had disappeared. She brought up her defenses and subtly shifted towards a defensive stance, preparing to—
:{&^^$%45456@>>{%&^345l;['36{:^>>{$%.l;[5[.^45[.5[6[;[;&%&%?;/;6]4(*(}:
Elsewhere, a strange kaleidoscopic creature was humming to itself as it pulled the human skin off of its body.
"This ROB stuff is a lot more work than I thought it would be. Dammit, I don't wanna do work!"
— No, such a plot would happen in this way, a package was too suspicious in the first place, if any of the Archmages were going to act out against her, it would definitely be in the form of a hundred step plan with fourteen contingencies and false bottoms. At the very least, they would send out a proper declaration, as it would be nigh impossible to kill her quietly. Concluding that she would be secure, she turned back, a network of roots sprouting from the ground and dragging the package in after her. Within the security of the front hall, Amelia carefully dismantled the runic defenses and erased the crayon rainbows, taking not of the even more complex rune structure hidden beneath the childish drawings. Within the crate, nestled in a bed of straw, was an intricate stone statue of a child curled into a fetal position. A strange disturbance seemed to surround it, distorting her attempts to read the soul buried within the stone. With a word, the petrification slowly reverted, revealing a pale human girl. Her long curly hair spilled forth from the stone, covering her naked form. Placing a hand on the child's forehead, Amelia once more attempted to connect with the dormant soul, only to once again be rebuffed by that strange effect. Pinching the sleeping child's cheek, she noted the strangely frail composition of her form. The child shifted at the touch, grasping hold of her hand, reaching out and holding tight to the source of warmth. Smiling, Amelia summoned a cradle of velveteen flowers, and reached out again.
The lights begin to soften and mutate, shifting back and forth between half-formed images. Sometimes there are places you know, places not quite different, but not the same. Others become people, faces and forms dressed in strange costumes, disconnected yet familiar. The lights steadily begin to flow together, drawing forth into a single sigil.
Vote on what Taylor remembers most of her past life. This will have lasting repercussions, so think carefully on which part of Taylor dominates her personality.
[X] A Golden Portal, blinking from wasteland to wasteland (Administrator)
[X] A Young Woman, standing before a storm (Martyr)
[X] A Metal Chrysalis, leaden with filth (Survivor)
- Location
- The Surface Of A Hostile Planet
[X] A Young Woman, standing before a storm (Martyr)
So the options are Khepri, Weaver, and Skitter. I'm gonna go with Weaver for now, since I'm a bit burnt out on locker scenes.
So the options are Khepri, Weaver, and Skitter. I'm gonna go with Weaver for now, since I'm a bit burnt out on locker scenes.
- Location
- Planet Earth
hmm, gonna have to avoid weaver as I'd rather have a character that actually values their life, so that leaves the survivor at any costs and the administrator. Admin would probably be better for utilizing Taylor's new abilities, but I like the sound of survivor more even if it does mean a locker scene. Also, admin might have more than a few social issuesI'd rather not deal with, although that could be interesting.
[X] A Metal Chrysalis, leaden with filth (Survivor)
[X] A Metal Chrysalis, leaden with filth (Survivor)
- Location
- Boston, MA
[X] A Metal Chrysalis, leaden with filth (Survivor)
Argidoll
And hast thou slain the Jabberwocky?
- Location
- Dreamland
To clarify, Taylor is not being divided into varying periods of her life. She' s still going to have memories of Gold Morning you pick [ Survivor], for instance, but the option chosen determines which part of her is most prominent. She's had much of her memories soft wiped, with people in particular being almost completely blanked out. Taylor isn't going to remember Lisa and what kind of person she was. She'll remember Tattletale, and how she was an important friend, how she was a snarky piece of shit, as well as the general basics of her power, but the emotional connections she would lose by being sent out into a new world have all been deadened. All the same Taylor is still going to be Taylor, freshly recovered from Gold Morning. Choosing a certain option does not make you Khepri or Skitter or Weaver. Also, You and QA are separate, if closely intertwined beings. Taylor is Taylor, and QA is QA.
Also, I've decided to remove the mystery box Golden Middle Finger System, since it would ruin a lot of potential plot threads and plans. Essentially it would have been a fragment of the ROB that brought Taylor to Eich that stuck around to watch her do stuff. It would have allowed for stat screens and informational boxes that provide exposition, as well as serve as a gag maker. The problems I ran into while planning stuff were that:
A) it would ruin a lot of dramatic tension by outright offering information on people you meet.
B) I can't figure out how to plot out interactions between it and Taylor, who is a decidedly serious character.
C) the plot thread it dangles is not something I can act on without shifting directly into endgame.
Sorry about this, but I'm cutting the system from the story (before it came in).
Also, I've decided to remove the mystery box Golden Middle Finger System, since it would ruin a lot of potential plot threads and plans. Essentially it would have been a fragment of the ROB that brought Taylor to Eich that stuck around to watch her do stuff. It would have allowed for stat screens and informational boxes that provide exposition, as well as serve as a gag maker. The problems I ran into while planning stuff were that:
A) it would ruin a lot of dramatic tension by outright offering information on people you meet.
B) I can't figure out how to plot out interactions between it and Taylor, who is a decidedly serious character.
C) the plot thread it dangles is not something I can act on without shifting directly into endgame.
Sorry about this, but I'm cutting the system from the story (before it came in).
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Frozen Flame
Fragment of the Devourer
- Location
- The Darkness Beyond Time
[X] A Golden Portal, blinking from wasteland to wasteland (Administrator)
Silently Watches
Professional Stalker
- Location
- Right behind you
[X] A Golden Portal, blinking from wasteland to wasteland (Administrator)
- Location
- Here & There
[X] A Metal Chrysalis, leaden with filth (Survivor)
Enthusiast#117
This is not the Profile you are looking for
- Location
- United States
[X] A Young Woman, standing before a storm (Martyr)
Genesys
(Discrete Mokona)
- Location
- California
Mages in ELCL, and picking a personality.
Skitter, Weaver, or Khepri with the most personality influence.
Khepri has a ...lacking personality. I'm not particularly interested in watching first person or third person limited of a protagonist that is more of a force of nature than a concious being, though of course it wouldn't be full. Still, I won't pick this option.
Skitter planned a bit, but was somewhat naive...
Guess I'll go with Weaver. Self-sacrificing characters aren't too uncommon in MCs anyway.
[X] A Young Woman, standing before a storm (Martyr)
Skitter, Weaver, or Khepri with the most personality influence.
Khepri has a ...lacking personality. I'm not particularly interested in watching first person or third person limited of a protagonist that is more of a force of nature than a concious being, though of course it wouldn't be full. Still, I won't pick this option.
Skitter planned a bit, but was somewhat naive...
Guess I'll go with Weaver. Self-sacrificing characters aren't too uncommon in MCs anyway.
[X] A Young Woman, standing before a storm (Martyr)
- Location
- United States
[X] A Metal Chrysalis, leaden with filth (Survivor)
Theaxofwar
Definitely not a Bunny Cat in disguise.
- Location
- Standing right behind you
[X] A Young Woman, standing before a storm (Martyr)
- Location
- Brazil, São Paulo, Cunha
[X] A Golden Portal, blinking from wasteland to wasteland (Administrator)