AWKWARD ZOMBIE

"We have been in poverty for too long! Join me, and we shall overthrow our tyrannic government! Join me, and we shall pave way for a new age of prosperity for Madoitus!" He said, raucous cheering immediately following. The figure at the podium holds both hands in the air in a triumphant manner, and steps back from the podium. He walks away from the crowd, into an isolated area.

"Great speech Geoffrey, we'll have that government overthrown in no time."

"Yes, it wont be long now. Propaganda only works so fast, though. It helps if the people already hate their government." Geoffrey replies.

"What are you talking about?"

"Oh, nothing. Let's just focus on our goals, and carry on with the plan."

___________________________________________________________________

The four Magmasan soldiers sent by the king are on their way to achieve their objective. They are traveling through the mountains so as to not attract attention. Their first hint should have been the thunder clouds. Every soldier is blasted by weak lightning bolts simultaneously, toppling them onto the ground.

"Are they dead?"
"I don't know, go check."

Someone comes out from a hiding place, and goes to investigate the bodies.

"Hey, I think they're unconscious." They said, 5 other men immediately coming out from their hiding spots, and went to join the scout. One of them goes for a closer look, and is immediately blown back 10 feet, by a sudden blast of fire. The pyromancers simultaneously jump onto their feet, and start firing off blasts in all directions. They regroup farther back, near an outcropping of rocks.

The lightning mages recover, and quickly form a semicircle around the pyromancers. The battle has begun.

Mutt watched the stranger talking to the crowd of irate workers. The speach ended before she could get close enough to study him too thoroughly. He stepped away from the podium and away from view.


The people were angry. If rallies like these are being held in other towns, this might be too much for her master. This was something that worried Mutt. Nothing was too much for Failsafe.

She stepped up towards the empty podium. She should probably give a speach or something, to try and reinstall order. She climbed the wooden stairs and towards the blowhorn.

"Umm, hello people of Madoitus.."
"HEY! You're the Prodigy!" A crowd member yelled.
"Yeah, you're the king's pet!" another chimed.
Mutt blushed a little.
"I.. no that's not what.. I'm supposed to create order when chaos-"
"SHE'S HERE TO SILENCE US! SILENCE THE PEOPLE!"
A rock flew from the audiance and pegged Mutt in her left shoulder. She was stunned. Her people are turning on her.
More rocks started to fly. Mutt stopped them from hitting her, causing them to stop mid-air. A wall of rocks started to collect in front of her outspread arms.

"So much for keeping a low profile..." Garrett sighed. "But at the very least, we got some information out of the wench. I suspect all countries of having a spy somewhere, but to think Altuania has enough spies to keep tabs on every country..."

"And those spies need an information network as well as a central hub of communication, and means of reaching the home country...how many people are working for that blasted land?" He grit his teeth and rubbed the bridge of his nose in frustration. He had no idea what Altuania's intentions were--and he hated not knowing things.

"So I suppose the plan now is to make our way back to Koriamire and wait for our rendezvous with...whoever the Altuanians send this time. I hope your band of mercenaries will be sufficient enough to help us survive this with our heads still attached. I don't have the same level of confidence in them as you do, m'lady."

By this point in the conversation they had reached the inn where they had left Marcus. Garrett began to open the door and stopped short as he was greeted with a red-faced Marcus. A grin was plastered on the Pyromancer's face and he had a half-full glass of spiced wine in his hand.

"THERE ya are!" Marcus exclaimed. He stepped forward and nearly tumbled into Garrett. "Y...you took so long that...I came dow' her' to...to...kill the time." He hiccuped slightly and giggled. "They have good wine, y...ya know."

Garrett scowled. "We leave you alone for merely a few hours and you wind up as drunk as that wench." He snatched the glass of wine out of Marcus's hand and sniffed it. "Feh. Cheap wine--I bet it's got punch mixed with it." He drained the rest of the glass and handed it back to the teetering Marcus. The pyromancer frowned at his empty glass briefly before Garrett dragged him upstairs to the rooms with Greylin following behind them.

The three of them entered their room, where they were greeted by a sleepy Pips. The rusty little cat had been napping on the bed. Garrett shut the door behind him and spun on his heel to face his comrades. "So. Altuania's planted roots in every country and we've managed to send a message through one of those roots. Now it's time to tap that same root and see if our gamble has paid off--shall we depart soon?"


((Hey, let's get a map up for Altuania!))



((...I had fun making this. Can you tell?))

Name: Altuania
Capital: Tanchein
Leader: King Durasca
Other: Altuania is considered by other countries to be 'the melting pot'. This land is filled with different races of mancers from all over the world. There is no majority or minority race here.

Altuania was a fairly peaceful country and a major trade hub for many years. However, a few years ago the previous king died without leaving an heir behind--he had no children or siblings. A major power struggle began within the kingdom, and the crown was finally awarded to Eliron Durasca. Durasca had high standings among the caste system of Altuania, and he used his status and his immense wealth to barter his way to the throne. Since then, the kingdom had become more secluded as the King implements new trade barriers and begins to overhaul his military system. Nobody outside the inner circle at Tanchein knows the identities of the military leaders, but their soldiers are efficient and brutal.

The main geographical landmark of Altuania is the mountain range running through the center, known as The Spine. The Spine has managed to create a bit of a cultural barrier, as it is difficult to traverse. As such, North Altuania is more developed and...'Stuffy', and takes pride in their complicated political system. South Altuania is more of an old-culture type society, and does not have a huge hand in the political aspects of the country. As such, South Altuania is usually oblivious to the goings-on of the central kingdom.

The gorge south of The Spine is known as Tremaltin Pass. The region there is prone to earthquakes, which caused the formation of the gorge, and the city nearby (which shares the same name of Tremaltin) keeps a constant watch on the region to help keep travelers safe from the quakes.

sup guys can i join

Deiphobus wrote:sup guys can i join

((Sure. Once you fill out the character form on Ablu's post in the first page, you can start whenever.

Also, I'd recommend reading through the thread if you haven't already so you can get a basic understanding of the plot. And if you have a Skype, you should ask Ablu to add you so you can discuss the plot with us.))

could you summarize the thread in a thesis statement and 3 bullet points for me

Deiphobus wrote:could you summarize the thread in a thesis statement and 3 bullet points for me

I posted a summary on page 15, but I still highly recommend reading the entire thread, at some point.

Name of country: Altuania
Capital City: Tanchein
Leader: King Durasca

Other: Altuania has no element to call their own, they have a large military consisting with hundreds of mancers of each element. Many years ago, Altuania was split 9 ways, and each country gained control of their own region. Over time, the regions each country controlled gained their own individual governments apart from their host countries. The regions grew closer and closer together, trading with each other, and they began to question the ways of the world.

Why were the countries of the world so separate? Why had so many false rumors started about different countries, that were so far from the truth? Altuanians severed what ties were left with their host countries, and demolished the borders of the regions, merging into a singular country. The citizens had their own ideals, that there should be no distinguishment between the mancers of different elements, and the people of the world should be one.

Over a long period of time, the general population has forgotten about their roots, and only few people know the history of Altuania. They still know their ideals to this very day though, and will stick by them to the end.

As Hal entered the room, he saw Karin and Helen drinking heartily from wine glasses, laughing and joking together in the room, spilling small amounts of wine on the floor, completely drunk. Helen expressed to Hal as he walked in, "Hal, you're here!" She hobbled over to him, spilling wine on the floor as she continued, "Your sister and I were talking, won't you join us?" Karin tripped over herself and smiled at Hal in an awkward way.

Harold was ready to welcome the two, but he stopped once he saw their current state. Hal's expression turned to one of shock, then of anger at his sister Helen, for what she had done to Karin. He helped Karin up to a couch, and took her wine glass.

"Helen! What have I told you about getting into our wine cellar?!" He said, trying to keep an even tone, trying not to let his temper flare up in front of Karin. "And this behavior--this is my house, I hope you haven't forgotten."

Helen looked at Hal, smiling, her face red from the alcohol. "Don't worry brother, we were merely enjoying ourselves. No harm done, you know?"

"No harm--!" Hal was furious by this point. He spoke through his teeth at her, saying "Thanks to your antics, i have to get the carpet professionally cleaned, and that is--do you know what is going on in our countries? This is the last thing I need to bother with."

"Oh, is that so?" Helen asked, giggling. "Don't worry, I'll pay for it."

"And with what cheddar?" Hal asked. "Ours? Because I haven't seen you work an actual job yet!"

"Hey, don't worry, cheddar is cheddar!"

"No it is--you know, forget it. as long as you can deal with it, fine. I've got serious matters to attend to." Hal said, rage subsiding. He turned to Karin, and sighed. This was the first time he had seen her in months, and his sister had to mess everything up. He was looking forward to some company, and filling her in on what had happened. Obviously, that would have to wait until she had sobered up. Some good air would probably help with that. He made a mental note to take her outside if she wasn't suffering anything too adverse.

Karin inched her way to Hal. Her face glowed a bright red as she smiled at Hal. She uttered to him, "Hey, Hal. Thanks." With that, she shifted her way back to the sofa and fall onto it. She mumbled to him, "You know, Hal. I can clean this up. Or at least keep the stain from..." She trailed off into silence and looked Hal in the eyes, remaining silent. After a few minutes of this she conveyed, "Hal, I'm fine. C'mon, let's go for a walk in the courtyard."

Marcus rocked on his heels, coming dangerously close to tumbling down. Grey caught him by the arm and yanked him back up, and he stared at her with his eyes half closed. He raised a hand. "Hey, I ha... I have a question." The woman looked at him curiously. "Are you and Garrett a... a... wass the word... a thing?"
Garrett blinked, looking startled. "A...thing?" He looked completely taken aback. "No! Of course we're not together, you drunken wretch!"
Grey grinned. "Ouch, my feelings. Too good for me, pretty boy?" She teased. Marcus hiccuped.
Garrett blinked again, looking even more confused. "What? N-no! I didn't say that..." he spluttered, at a loss for words. The Prodigy laughed, taking delight in his indignation. Soon she sobered up and dropped Marcus on the bed, where he looked around, not sure where he was anymore. She opened up her bag.

"Let's see, I have something in here... Aha!" She pulled out a container. "Jane gave this to me in case I needed to cover up." She popped the top off, revealing a powder her skin tone. She dusted it under her eyes, caking it just right so it looked natural. Marcus giggled.
"Heh. She's a giiiiiiirl."
Grey ignored him. "Garrett, would you mind covering Marcus's eyes and looking away for a minute or two?"
"Uh-huh..." Garrett mumbled. He was still a bit confused about the previous conversation. Why were women so hard to work with when they were actually smart?

While they had their gazes averted, Grey quickly pulled her top off. She switched her clothes for a long-sleeved tunic and pants, pulling boots on where she'd previously been wearing sandals. Marcus giggled again, and she shot a look back at them. They were still looking away, meaning the Pyromancer had found something else funny. Probably Garrett's hand. She sighed.
"Alright, I'm ready," she said as she dropped Omen in her bag.
"Then shall we leave before this fool vomits all over the floor? If he does the innkeeper will probably make us clean it up." Garrett hauled Marcus to his feet and the Pyromancer giggled. Garrett grimaced and herded him towards the door.
"We never should have left him alone."
"Agreed."

Ablu2 wrote:"Whoa, what's going on?" Miji asked. This whole trip was proving to be a disaster, he wished he had remembered about the less than friendly conditions in Kudzu before he set out, or he would have simply went to Madoitus instead.

(Hey Madican log on skype so we can get all this done in one or two big posts instead of these fail tiny posts.)

Mary sighed. "Honestly, try to remember things for longer than five seconds. You're going to talk to the Council. Now sit still and shut up or you won't be able to hear them."

The vines reached Miji's head and slipped into his ears. They didn't go far, just enough to resemble what this world wouldn't recognize as headphones. There was silence for a moment and then three ancient voices speaking in unison.

"The Herald's messenger. You bear no mark of nature on the outside, but we sense your mind is not wholly your own. Listen, and do not resist, lest the damage to come be even more severe."

At the same time Miji would suddenly feel like he was flying. In one eye he saw the wooden statues of the council, and through the other were the tops of trees. He felt power, age, and wisdom beyond his belief as the Herald opened the mental link.

And then, he felt pain lance behind his eyes when the Herald spoke in his mind.

"AH-HA. THE LITTLE MAGE SURVIVED THEN? GOOD. THEN LISTEN WELL TRAITORS OF THE FOREST, THE IMMORTAL ROOT HAS DEIGNED TO ALLOW ONE OF THIS CITY'S INHABITANTS TO SPEAK WITH IT, SO THAT THIS CONSTANT WAR AGAINST YOU CAN END.

BUT THE ROOT WILL ONLY SPEAK TO ONE WHO CAN WITHSTAND ITS VOICE WITHOUT PERISHING. THE STRONGEST OF MAGES. YOU CALL THEM PRODIGIES. SEND ONE OF YOURS TO THE CALM SEA AND YOU MAY BE ABLE TO ATTAIN PEACE THROUGH NEGOTIATIONS. REFUSE TO SPEAK WITH THE ROOT, AND I WILL PERSONALLY LEAD EVERY CREATURE OF THIS FOREST IN A MARCH UPON EVERY LAST HUMAN UNTIL NONE REMAIN. THE IRON PATH WILL NO LONGER BE SAFE FOR ANYONE, I WILL MAKE SURE OF THAT.

THE IMMORTAL ROOT WILL EXPECT THE PRODIGY IN ONE WEEK. DO NOT ANGER IT. I, THE HERALD, HAVE SPOKEN!"

The connection vanished and Miji found himself with a fierce headache where his expanded consciousness used to be.

(Included in the battle are 4 B rank Magmasans VS 2 b rank Cairnians and 4 C rank Cairnians. Also, NEW RANKING SYSTEM YAY. If you've played Fire Emblem, it's like the mastery system.

F is the lowest, you have no magical prowess.
D is still low, you can control your element, but barely.
C is average, you can fight, but your abilities aren't anything to write home about.
B you are a competent mage, most people don't get any higher than this.
A rank is as high as you can hope to be, you are among the highest tier of mancers. Mancers in this category are highly skilled.
S rank is rare, few people achieve it. You aren't getting here without thousands of hours of practice under your belt, and gifted magical ability.)

The Cairnians immediately try to surround the Magmasans and spread out, whilst the Magmasans fortify their position. The two higher ranked lightningmancers are in the middle of the semi circle, launching attacks at the pyromancers to cover their companions' advance. Two of the pyromancers focus on the Cairnians, the other two run out of their position to stop the weaker Cairnians from advancing.

The pyromancers focus fire, and eventually kill the 4 weaker Cairnians, at the cost of 1 magmasan, leaving Cairns at a disadvantage. The Cairns troops retreat, and the Magmasans let them go, to reminisce over their fallen ally. Those soldiers knew they were coming. How was this possible? Was there a spy in Magmasa? The four soldiers go back to Magmasa, having failed their mission, and having news to report.

Marcus pushed Garrett away and told him "H-Hey I'm fine, Don't Hara- Harass me!" Garret just wiped his chest with his hand and looked at Marcus in utter disgust, Marcus was stumbling and leaning on different furniture. When he got a good foothold Marcus took a close look at Grey "Well, I didn't know we ha- we were in the presence of a queen here" then Marcus approached Grey and said "You are the beauty that lights the flames in my heart" Grey started laughing.

Garrett gave a growl of disgust. He knocked Marcus's feet out from under him and hoisted the Pyromancer over his shoulder. "Say that again and I will throw you out the window you little wretch."

Grey laughed again. "C'mon, Garrett, let the kid have some fun! At this point he's doing better with women than you are."
Garrett scowled. "Well, excuuuuuuse me, Princess."
She smiled at him, raising one eyebrow. "I think you were more fun when you were drunk." Garrett dumped Marcus unceremoniously onto the floor "I think we need somebody to hold his hand on the way out of town."

Double posts
are terrible things

Madican wrote:The connection vanished and Miji found himself with a fierce headache where his expanded consciousness used to be.

Miji held his pounding head, and attempted to make coherent thoughts. "Ugh, it sounds like you've better go do that... ugh... I've got a fierce headache." He stuttered, before fainting. His body was too frail to handle something like the Herald speaking through him, and it couldn't handle the pressure. He would wake up in a minute or so.

On the way out, they were confronted with a somewhat typical scene. The stablemaster backhanded one of the stablehands. "Idiot!" He roared. Grey's eye twitched as she tried to keep her expression blank.

"You worthless son of a bitch!"
The young girl crept up, watching from behind a trash barrel. Her entire body ached, and she rubbed her arm where the new markings were still tender.
"I had to do it!"
Another open-palmed slap to the face. The dark-skinned teenager stood his ground surprisingly well, matted and dirty hair hanging in his eyes. He still chopped it off on occasion, and it hung down to his shoulders now. The girl watched with wide eyes, clutching the gravel beneath her with weak fingers.
"You had to do nothing!" Her father roared. "You leave me to take care of that girl, and then you sell her!" The lighter-skinned man grabbed his son by the collar, lifting him off his feet. He spat on him, and her brother did nothing to wipe it off. They stared in each other's eyes for several moments, and her father released the young man.
"Leave. Now." The bearded man growled. "Get out of my sight."
Isaiah scurried out of the alley, and Grey let out a little gasp and melted into the shadows as he passed her. He stopped and looked around, then kept running.
Her father watched him leave, then sat down in a puddle on the ground. He rooted around the empty space.
"Where's my daisies Thezera?" As he said this, he found what he was looking for, and drank heavily from it.
The girl crawled silently away.

Not watching where she was going, Grey stumbled suddenly, righting herself before she fell over.
Garrett looked at her. "Are you alright? It's not your little...problem, is it? You remember what happened with the horses a while ago."
She shook her head. "No. Sorry. I was just... thinking." She shrugged, too distracted to make a joke as she normally would.
Garrett's eyes narrowed. "You are uncharacteristically somber, m'lady. What's troubling you?"
"I bet it'sh... womanly thingsh!" Marcus giggled.
"Hah! No, I don't get those anymore." She replied. "And Garrett, it's nothing. I was just remembering." She gestured towards the stable. "You know, that little show reminded me of something."
"...Care to elaborate?" He asked. Marcus opened his mouth to say something, but she waved her hand and pulled some of the shadows up to gag him.
"When I was younger, I happened upon my father beating my brother. Not too unusual, because that happened a lot, but the reason was something other than 'being born' this time." She stared upwards. "My brother had recently attempted to sell me to some slavers. They were... unsuccessful." She lightly touched her arm, the markings hidden under cloth. "My father beat the shit out of my brother and banished him permanently. It was strange for me, because at the time I was under the impression my father did not give a daisies." Another little shrug. "Maybe there's just some things even drunken, Thezera addicted fools won't do."
Garrett's eyes widened slightly. "Thezera? Your father abused that substance?"
She nodded. "Evidently I get my Shadowmancing from his side of the family. My mother could barely cloak herself. Anyway, my father thought it would help him get a job if he was more... capable. It backfired. Badly."
"I'm not surprised. Thezera is illegal for a reason."
She laughed. "I never said my parents were smart. In fact, I'm not sure where the hell I fit in with them. Maybe my grandmother was a really smart slave?"
"Slave? Where was your grandmother held? Slavery's been outlawed for a while in Altamoore."
"From what I've heard, slavery was outlawed completely in Bavarel only fifty years ago. That's why Fenlocke was so much worse off than some of the other cities. They just set the slaves loose with barely any coin and no idea how to take care of themselves. The emperor's fault, I presume."
Garrett made a sound of disgust. "Oh, yes. Our wonderful and noble Emperor, may he live forever. He seems to become more incompetent with every passing season."
"You should try carrying on a conversation with him over a cup of tea. He does his very best not to offend in any way shape or form, and yet he constantly brings up my life before I became Prodigy." Marcus's eyes widened, but she didn't notice. "'So, you lived in the streets?' He says. 'Not that that's... bad... or anything... I mean yes, that's awful! How was it?' As if he wants to write a novel about me or something."
Garrett shook his head. "My father met him once. Came home drunker than a dog and proceeded to rant about the Emperor's ineptitude. If father calls someone inept, then there is a very great cause for concern--he wouldn't know inept if it goosed him."
Grey grinned, then stopped for a second.
"Oh, right."
The wrap around Marcus's mouth dissolved.
"Shall we continue onward, kiddies?"