< atton revisited > The information page for Atton has been fully revised and updated with the new map!
< updated calendar > The Fortuna calendar has been updated in the "Other" lore section! This includes a document which displays the calendar for you to see, making it much easier to understand.
< moving map > The first functional map has been released in the News section! This map is also interactive, allowing you to drag and drop between points in order to determine distances. This is the first iteration, and there's more and better to come!
< first annual awards > The results for the First Annual Fortuna Year-End Awards have been posted! Go and take a look at who the finalists were, and who took home the big prizes!
< new default skin > Our new skin has passed the beta test, and is now the new Default for the forums! If you have any issues with this skin, send a PM or Discord to Mellie.
< human lore update > Humans have been updated with TWENTY-FIVE subraces/subcultures which add numerous options, and a little extra lore and flavour.
< magic lore update > Magical Lore has been enhanced with the addition of a post on Magical Education. From Beginner to Expert, this is how you learn the spells.
< a change to member groups > Member groups are now based on storyline! You can change your displayed storyline by editing the settings in your profile.
Welcome to the world of Fortuna, a land of fantastic proportions. This is an original fantasy roleplay that takes place in a world developed over nearly a decade of work and collaboration. We aim to encourage all participants to have a hand in the stories of the characters here, and the world around them. Your choices are key - so make them with pride. You decide who wins the wars, you decide who becomes King, the world is ours, and together we will bring it to life!
Sometimes, Xanthe felt nostalgic. The temple had been abandoned for years, but it had been one of her favourites before the destruction. She clicked her tongue in frustration thinking about the leader who had done it, thinking himself to be more powerful than the deity the temple was built to worship. He learned the hard way that no mortal could be greater than a deity, and a deity that protects its followers can also wreak untold destruction on those who turn from it.
She had been upset when the invaders had taken it over, feeling that it was a slight against the deity of storms to sleep where her people used to pray and worship, but she had seen that it was not out of malice but of conservation that they had done so, when shortly after Xanthe had seen all the other invaders building their rock and metal abominations on her land. She had learned over time that the invaders in this temple and others had no intention of attacking her people. The other camps, though, were more than happy to pick them off one by one. Every day her people grew weaker as the invaders slowly stomped their way through her land. But even the invaders had not taken everywhere yet, and Xanthe made sure her tribe was safe at all times.
She approached the temple slowly, wary as per usual despite the track record that they meant no harm. She still wasn't sure if it was an elaborately long con to get her guard down. If they made her think they would protect her people, and tried to lure her tribe into the temple, she was sure it could only be as an ambush to wipe them all out at once. It would be a brilliant plan, really. Maybe too brilliant for the invaders, as she wasn't entirely convinced they were that smart. Brutish and pigheaded for sure, but not that tactical.
She kept to the forest and tread carefully, wanting to be near the temple but not wanting to alert the invaders that she was here. She spied on the invaders often, but did not go out of her way to interact with them. They were untrustworthy, foreign, and most importantly of all they were invaders in her land that she wanted gone. She knew she had only two options to rid Atton of them, and that was to either convince them with words or with force, but she did not yet know enough of their language to do the former and her people were not united enough yet to do the latter. For now, she would spy. She would learn. Some day, when everyone had learned their lesson, the invaders would be gone.
Post by Ellis Danton on Nov 11, 2016 9:38:44 GMT -7
As usual, Ellis was alone.
A few nights prior, he had gathered information on a raid being planned by the Malscure-Rielcia alliance, had been celebrated for his competence, been permitted to sleep in a bed for a single night, and then had been given a new assignment. In all that time, he hadn't even managed to utter a word. He had come here for the express purpose of bonding with other men. He came here in order to get over whatever twisted idea was in his head, or his heart, or his gut -- out. And instead he spent his time quiet, alone, and in the few moments he had with others... Still quiet, still alone.
Was this just who he was?
These thoughts felt like infections that he had no way to fight -- and while alone in the forest, scouting, spying: It was all he could hear. It sure was lonely.
His new assignment was this: Go to the Broken Temple Fort and attempt to discern how strong of a relationship the Vier and Nisequois forces had with one another. Look for any cracks showing that Vieri - seen to be weaker, a better target - might want to flip from their peacekeeping trajectory. Their leader was seen as a bit too much of a warrior for Vieri's usual piety, and Ellis' leader wanted to be the one to convert him... So far, she would have no luck based on what Ellis had seen. But he had a duty, and to return without that information, let alone any good information would be an embarrassment. He would not be commended for a job well done, his fellow soldiers would not raise a tankard to his name, and he would not get to spend a night in the fort.
He refocused himself. When he did, he noticed something he should have noticed sooner - a light rustling in the grass. It was faint, whoever it was had impressive stealth... But it was still there when he strained his ears to hear it. He put his hand to his crossbow and lifted it as his eyes scanned the trees around him, and the trees across the temple's clearing. He couldn't see anything. He loaded a bolt into his bow for safety, and closed his eyes to focus on the sound.
It was coming from behind him, to his left.
He turned cautiously and aimed his weapon at where he believed the noise to be. He didn't want to speak - but if it was an ally, he didn't want to kill them. He thought of words he might not stutter on: "R-r-reveal yourself." Damn. Close.
He crouched low in the grass, steady in his position, and silently prayed to Ayniea that he wasn't about to get ambushed.
Last Edit: Nov 11, 2016 11:35:02 GMT -7 by Ellis Danton
Xanthe had not been inside the temple since before the invaders came, but she hoped to one day restore the beautiful building to its former glory. Once her land was free. She brushed past a small shrub and ducked under the low branch of a scraggly tree, keeping her eyes trained on the building ahead and on the lookout for the guards she knew were posted nearby. She spotted someone ahead, though, who did not look like one of the peaceful ones. This idea was confirmed, more or less, when he turned and raised one of their strange weapons in her direction. She paused, seeing that he could not make her out amongst the shadows and did not yet spot her. Her leather armour blended in well with the trees of Atton and the tattoos on her face and arms broke up the sight of bare skin to better blend in with the dappled shadows of a forest. That hadn't been the primary reason for either the tattoos or the armour, but it was a thankful function nonetheless.
She considered slipping away and returning to camp, but also couldn't help but notice this man looked shockingly different from most humans she had seen around here and she was interested. His shock of red hair was fascinating, and very different from either the darker hair or light blonde she had seen on the foreigners previously. She wondered what made this man so special that his hair was unique. Was it a dye to signify his place in the tribe? Perhaps the colour was bright so he would stand out amongst the others, perhaps to better protect him in the chaos of battle, or show that he was strong enough he could defend against the extra targeting? Or perhaps it was the opposite, and he was bait to draw fire away from the others.
The man spoke then, saying a phrase (albeit a bit brokenly) that she had learned well these past eight years. She watched him crouch and hold his aim, and despite everything she found herself interested enough that she decided to stay. Walking casually through the underbrush, Xanthe approached the border and stepped out into the grass. She watched the man carefully but showed no fear toward the weapon aimed at her. "Who are you?" She questioned. Her accent was thick, but understandable. This was a question she had long since learned properly.
Post by Ellis Danton on Nov 11, 2016 12:03:38 GMT -7
The thing in the brush was not as he expected. He had thought perhaps it was an ally, sent to relieve him of this fruitless labor; he had thought perhaps it was an enemy soldier, hidden in the brush to attack; he had thought it could have been the wind playing tricks on him by shaking the trees and shifting the shadows. It was none of these things -- it was something he had yet to see in his time here.
A native.
He jumped in surprise when she revealed herself, but was quick to move the crossbow so that it fired its bolt into the ground instead of into her. It might have been a mistake. They were usually supposed to kill natives on sight - weren't they dangerous? - but his instincts told him it would be a bad idea. Still, he quickly grabbed another bolt to load into the bow as he shook. She didn't seem to be afraid of him. Why would she be? He was acting like a child.
"St-stand down!" He commanded in a quiet voice, not raising the crossbow as his shaking hands struggled to get the bolt in place. Could natives even understand commonspeak? He didn't know. He didn't know anything about them. His orders had always been centered on the other invading forces. Never on the natives themselves. Yet she had asked him who he was, she must have understood. Good. Then he would continue his command: "By... By the order of Warlord P-p-Pelagia Xista and Queen F-fabelle -- I order you to st-stand... To stand d-d-down!"
Xanthe was amused to see the man startle when she showed herself, though she tensed upon hearing the weapon fire. She was prepared to defend herself and in the brief moment after hearing the shot she drew and raised her sword, but was surprised to see the man immediately lower the weapon. The bolt buried itself harmlessly in the ground in front of her and her brows furrowed in confusion. It would seem his hair colour wasn't the only thing unique about him. Xanthe knew that if it had been any other invader they would have taken the shot.
Despite lowering the weapon the man began to reload it quickly as though expecting her to attack at any second. She was sure the invaders told all their soldiers that her and her people were savage monsters set to attack on the slightest whim so she wasn't surprised. The man seemed to be afraid though, or perhaps just uncoordinated, as he had difficulty both speaking and reloading his weapon. She understood him enough to know what he meant, as once again it was a common phrase she had heard these past years. She wasn't sure she wanted to put her sword away if the man was planning on reloading his weapon with the intent to use it, but she supposed she also had enough magic to defend herself even without her sword out. The second time he told her to stand down, with more words before the order that she wasn't entirely able to translate, she sheathed her sword and held her hands palms up in front of her to show she was now unarmed. After a moment, she spoke again. She put emphasis on her words to show she wasn't going to back down from her question when she repeated, "Who are you?"
Post by Ellis Danton on Nov 11, 2016 12:48:38 GMT -7
She listened. She understood. She put her weapon away? Honestly, Ellis was confused. He was unprepared for this, weak, and it had shown. If what he had been told of the natives was true, he would have been dead, dying, or at least knocked out cold by now. Instead, this... It was a girl, yes, he hadn't registered it at first -- this girl had sheathed her weapon and held her hands up. Was it a trick? Even if it wasn't a trick... What was he supposed to do now? Arrest her and take her back to Fort Fabelle? Try to knock her out and risk being seen by the peacekeepers? He didn't really know, it hadn't been a part of his training... But she had asked a question, and seeing as she had listened to him, he thought he ought to answer.
"I'm... I'm Ellis," He told her, and gestured to the symbol on the breast of his jacket. The Aurcaeli flag was hard to see through the dirt he had caked over himself to hide, and he didn't know if she knew what it would have been otherwise... But it seemed like a way to communicate. "Aurcaele." Should he have said his name at all, he wondered? Should he have named his country? Or should he have made up all of it for his own safety -- could it be dangerous to share your name with natives?
His hand finally clicked the bolt into place, but he didn't raise it. She wasn't acting like a threat. He decided instead to return her question: "Who uh-are you?"
Xanthe watched the man silently, her gaze intense as he seemed to think for a few moments before finally answering her question. Ellis, he said. Such a strange name but then again all of the invaders had names that seemed strange and foreign to her ears. She watched him point to a symbol on his coat and then say something else, Aurcaele. Ellis of Aurcaele. She knew of the Aurcaelians, much like she knew of all the tribes of invaders, but didn't know anything specific about them. "Ellis," she repeated, testing the name on her tongue. Her gaze shifted to the weapon as the bolt clicked into place and she visibly tensed though made no move to draw her weapon or to run. The man didn't raise his weapon and instead spoke again and asked her who she was.
She knew that as he had answered her question she was bound to answer his, and as long as he was being peaceful she would entertain this meeting. Perhaps it would be an opportunity to learn. "Xanthe," she replied. Following his lead on it, she gestured to her own breast before moving her arm to gesture towards the land around them. "Atton." She took a step forward to narrow the distance between them as it was clear at least for now that neither had any intention to harm the other, but she did so slowly to not startle the easily startled man. Interacting with him was in a way like interacting with a wild animal. It felt like at any moment he could attack or run and she didn't want him to do either. "I mean you no harm," she spoke, sounding almost like she was reciting a script. The peaceful ones said this phrase to her often and she knew what it meant. Her knowledge of the invaders language was vastly incomplete but she knew some words and some specific groupings of words due to their common use around her and in the camps she spied on. She didn't grasp yet how to combine most words into unique phrases but that was the trouble with learning a language through spying intermittently as opposed to through teaching.
"Why are you here?" Here in Atton or even just here specifically by this temple, given that she knew the Aurcaelians were not part of the peaceful ones. She wondered if she would even understand his answer.
Post by Ellis Danton on Nov 11, 2016 13:32:41 GMT -7
He couldn't resist a light chuckle when she said Atton in the way he had said Aurcaele. Of course he knew where she was from, there was no way a woman such as her could have come from the civilised, modernised lands that he had... But then she moved her arm and gestured to the area around her, and the chuckle faltered to nervousness. Then she stepped forward, and Ellis almost lifted the crossbow -- she insisted she was of no harm, but he couldn't be sure. He'd heard the stories.
When she asked her next question, he hoped that his answer would not provoke her. She seemed calm, able to reason - and really, it wasn't his choice that lead him here. To the temple, or to Atton. Hopefully she would understand that. He took a deep breath, and carefully pulled the loaded string free on his bow, effectively disarming the weapon. He placed it on the ground and stared at it for a moment before deciding on an answer to her query. "Orders... Uh... In-Instructions?" He tried to think of words she was certain to understand, she did quite well with the language, but he didn't want to stumble into an inflammatory sound. He pointed to his eyes with two fingers, and then to the temple while speaking: "I-I... Came t-to see. Scout? D-do you know, do you, do you know th-that word? Scout?"
Xanthe didn't understand what was funny about what she said but she noticed briefly the man's expression softened and he almost didn't seem afraid. A moment later though his previous demeanour returned however she was glad to see he did not attack or run when she moved closer. Her gaze once again focused on his weapon as he made a move with it but to her pleasure she noticed it was simply to place it on the ground. Now they were both unarmed.
The man said orders, which was a word she knew, and followed it with another word that she did not know. The way he said it though made it sound like it meant the same thing, so she made note of that. This would prove to be a learning opportunity after all. She watched him point to his eyes before pointing at the temple which made it seem like he came to watch it, much like she herself was going to do before this meeting had occurred. He said words she understood. See. Scout. She nodded when he repeated it questioningly. "Scout," she confirmed. "I know." She wondered if he had come to scout for nefarious purposes. Perhaps the Aurcaelians wanted to attack the peaceful ones and he had come to scout for their weaknesses. She didn't like that idea and her brows furrowed. She pointed to the temple. "Peace." She didn't know how better to get across her idea that they should not be attacked. Especially while they resided in the temple of the storm deity. Broken as it was, it was still a temple and if it should be attacked that would only anger the deity further.
Post by Ellis Danton on Nov 11, 2016 14:10:23 GMT -7
She was really something, wasn't she? She must have been communicating with civilised folk for a while to have gained this much know-how about the language. It was impressive actually - he couldn't speak her language, that was for sure. Some might even note that he could barely speak common, stumbling over it like some idiot fool. His face flushed in embarrassment as she continued to flaunt her understanding. But when she said "Peace" it brought his attention. She knew what these people did, which proved she didn't just know the language - she knew the application of it.
"Yes, yes! They're p-peacekeepers. Th-they..." He stopped himself as he considered what Xanthe's position might be on this whole situation. He hadn't ever really considered what the savages thought before. It wasn't what he came here to consider. "They w-want, they, they want to st-stop us from... Fr-from helping. Fr-from..." How could he put it in words she would understand? "Civilising... M-Modernizing... Muh-uh... Saving y-your people. T-teaching?"
He hoped she understood. He knew that the Aurcaeli forces wanted to ensure the Attonian people were taught about Ayniea, they wanted to build beautiful structures, help the Attonians modernise and become as strong and beautiful as Aurcaele was. The peacekeepers just wanted to let the savages go off on their own to wallow in their primitive ways. They did not want Atton to join the world stage. Pelagia Xista did.
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