Completed [The Womiyu] Orientation

A babysitter by any other name.

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Considered one of the most mysterious cities in Mizahar, Alvadas is called The City of Illusions. It is the home of Ionu and the notorious Inverted. This city sits on one of the main crossroads through The Region of Kalea.

[The Womiyu] Orientation

Postby Anton on July 30th, 2012, 7:09 am

9th Spring, 512 AV

The two of them sat there for awhile, across the table from each other. The Womiyu Library was a vast place, with books aplenty, but rarely visited, rarely appreciated by many of it's residents, and so they were alone this day. The first of them, a young man, was regarding an important looking piece of parchment intently, while the second of them, a young boy, simply tried to look alert and interested at what his older companion was doing.

And failed terribly at it.

It went on for awhile.

And finally...

"Your name is Antoninus Arrius?" the man asked.

It was such a mouthful, really. So much pomp and affectation thrown into two words. It made him sound like an old man with a needlessly long beard, one that wore robes the colour of stars and smelled of cheap ointment and dried leaves. He never liked the name, nor did he ever learnt who gave him it to him; it was simply there since he could first talk and write, etched into him with a searing, embarrassment-laced knife.

Whoever did probably served Rhysol though. Or Kyrsus. Might even have been elevated to their right hand for committing such a vile sin. My dread servants, it is with dark joy that I present to you your New Voice, anointed for forever ruining this otherwise brilliant child's life with a truly idiotic name! Strive for greater evil, vile ones, though they may pale when placed beside this true act of malice!

But yes. Yes it was his name.

"Anton will do, sir." he said, his voice

"A mutual exchange then," the man's voice was mellow and strong, and made his own sound like a soft whisper in comparison. "Drop the sir. Huntell will do, Anton."

Huntell's appearance was a mirror into the future, of what Anton could have possibly looked like -or at least hoped to- in a decade or so. He had the same long brown hair and dark brown eyes, a similarish long, straight face, and the same sort of thinish body. But the combination of an extra 2 feet of height and the way he carried himself made all the difference in the world. Huntell looked dashing in his silencer uniform.

Anton's uniform, on the other hand, was just a shade short of looking like an azure potato sack on him. "You'll fill out soon enough!" the priest who issued it said. "You're a growing boy!" he added. He was doubtful on both counts, but more annoyingly, he had to pull up the sleeves every 5 steps he took.

"Do you know why you're here, Anton?"

"No," Yes, new nursemaid.

"Your begin work as a silencer next week." He paused, and when he spoke again, his words came slower, as if he were choosing them most carefully. "But to be made silencer at your age...that is an unprecedented thing. Some from above are unsure that the right choice has been made. They want to monitor your progress, they want to see how you fare in the line of duty."

Bingo, nursemaid it was.

"And that's where I come in. For an indefinite period of time, I will be your handler. Your mentor. Your lecturer. Missions from above will come through me, and there will be a training regime instated for you. Right now, we have a week to get you ready for your first assignment."

Irritation poked at Anton. He was expecting a supervisor, yes, a direct superior but not one that would dictate his everyday life. He was a full-fledged silencer now, right? He could live his own life outside work, right?

Wrong.

But all he did was smile and nod his head enthusiastically.

"Now," Huntell picked up the parchment. "It says here that you're a mage-type. Major discipline is Reimancy, with voiding and projection as minors. We'll move to the training grounds. See what ya got."
Last edited by Anton on October 11th, 2012, 5:36 am, edited 1 time in total.
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[The Womiyu] Orientation

Postby Anton on July 30th, 2012, 12:42 pm

The training grounds were always a soothing place, more garden and sunshine than a large, underground room had any right to be. And it was consistently that way too. One of the perks of being situtated directly under Ionu's religious nexus, Anton supposed. It was also, conveniently, empty. Anton had heard rumors of the storm above the surface, about how it had spawned djed-scarred beasts in it's wake, and most of the silencers had been tasked to fight the monsters.

And here he was. Doing just not that; an inconvenient timing for an inconveniently-sized person.

Huntell was setting up the training dummy across the room, his back turned to Anton. Which meant more waiting. Much, much more waiting.

At a whim, he snapped open his auristic sight.

It was like a soundless explosion of absolute brilliance each time, one that engulfed the world around him in a flood of colors and lights and sounds, of indecipherable swirls and mingling and constant motion between the three. Everything has an aura, and it showed. It threatened to overwhelm him, threatened to force him down. His sight was an untrained one, he was willing to admit that much to himself in quieter moments, underdeveloped and sloppy.

But it was enough to send perception.

He filtered it all out, drawing his focus to the red-lit shape of light, skittered with other colors that reflected emotions and moods, that was Huntell, lingering solely on him. He observed the interplay between the colors, the way they moved and fluctuated in intensity and shade, the way they would mingle and separate. And as he focused even more, as he drew closer and closer to the heart of the matter, the colors started to make a certain sense, form certain patterns that, while not telling a coherent story, were at least interpretable.

And through it, he saw glimpses of it.

There was the vaguest touch of tedium, of tiredness. There was also a grimness to it, and beneath it all, a certain emptiness. But there were other things too. Nicer things. There was a whimsical touch to his mood, a mixed optimism.

And finally, there was the definite sense of the aura growing bigger, growing stronger, growing closer and more-

He was an idiot.

He sewed up his sight, to find Huntell standing right infront of him, with a faint smile and a quirked eyebrow.

"I just need a small demonstration to gauge you." Huntell said. "Your element is?"

"Elements." Anton replied. "Wind and water."

"Let's try wind then. Let's start with a small one. Keep the ball rolling slow, right? I only have so many dummies, after all." When Anton nodded, Huntell then gestured to the first training dummy, and made a rolling 'own time, own target, If you please' gesture with his fingers.

Anton took a deep breath, exhaled, and then began the process. The res poured out immediately after, thin and gaseous, wafting off his body to contain a space directly infront of him. It began attracting air to it, all the while rapidly growing stronger, growing surer, the potential intensity rising up and up and up...

Then...it exploded forth: A massive gale of wind that surged forth, sending the wooden dummy blasting off it's hinges, ripping off large chunks of it at a time as it was caught in the violent gust, and sending it flying into the air.

His vision blurred for abit...

There was silence for a moment.

"Small, I said" Huntell started, with a resigned sigh, as if he had seen this so many times over. "Not disproportionately large."

Water came next.

Once again, the water res, fittingly, flooded out from him. coming to occupy a space around him, spreading around him like some patchy oddly-shaped cocoon. The cocoon flexed and swirled, fluid like the element it was supposed to emulate, and simultaneously separated and transformed itself into a dozen spheres of water. He set their trajectories, took aim at the maimed dummy, and sent them rocketing off, one after another, with power and speed enough to strike into man into unconsciousness at the right spot, or at the very least, deliver a truly painful, stinging blow.

A dozen resounding smacks later, and the maimed dummy wasn't so much maimed anymore as it was a pile of wet, smashed-up wood

And this time, Anton felt it. The wooziness. The tiniest but surest tremors of his body. The slightest of thrills that rose despite his sudden bout of dizziness. He rarely used spells like on such a relatively large and lethal scale. It was mostly a show to impress his new mentor, he admitted, and the drain was, for the first time, noticeable. And it was chilling.

And exciting.

Huntell must have noticed it too.

"I think we can stop here," he said. "You've done well. 2 elements at your age! That's very impressive. Now, come. Long day, lots of material to cover."

"Ice," Anton whispered. "I can do ice."

He couldn't, really. Never tried before. But he was feeling abit bolder today. Abit more adventurous than he had ever felt before.

"I'm sure you can," his voice turned a shade firmer. "But not today. We can try that and your minor disciplines in the days to come."

They locked eyes.

And when their shared gazes broke, Anton followed behind his mentor quietly.
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[The Womiyu] Orientation

Postby Anton on August 2nd, 2012, 3:15 pm

"What's it like on the outside?"

They were in the library again, seated at the same spots. The moment of tension had gone and pass, as did Anton's sudden episode of djed-charged adrenaline. Likewise, the time for magic had passed too, and mundane theory, of books and studying, took it's place.

"You mean Alvadas?"

"I mean everywhere!" Anton half-shouted, waving his arms wildly over his head. "I've read the books, Huntell. Read about a place within a lake and about a jungle of snakes that turn into man as they please. I read about a town where nobody can tell you what to do and a city ruled by the children of the other gods. There's so much out there, Huntell!"

It was then that he caught himself, for he was half out of his seat. The outside world was always a key trigger to his enthusiasm. Since childhood, all he ever knew were the walls of the Womiyu, with it's libraries and pretty garden-like training rooms.

It was a beautiful home. It was also a beautiful cage.

Huntell merely smiled at his outburst. "About time you started acting your age."

Anton flushed red. "I don't want to act my age."

"You're 56?" Huntell asked, his tone frustratingly deadpan. "Huh. Could have fooled me."

Anton chose not to dignify that with an answer.

"Well, oldie, I'm guessing you'll like the next lesson to be a lecture, rather than a story. Very well then, Alvadas, home of the Ionu, God of Illusion and Trickery, is located at in a valley at the-"

"It starts with 'Once upon a time' right?"

Huntell smiled again. "Only for a ten year old."

Anton tried his darnedest to make the smallest, most rigid, most grudging nod he could muster.

"Pen and quill, squirt. You're still taking notes. Gotta know what's up before you face it. Alright, ahem...

"Once upon a time, there was a little boy who refused to have a haircut, he-"

"It's not that long!"

"I swear to Ionu, I thought you were a girl when you pranced in with that dress-" A quill to the face cut him off nice and good. Followed by the blank book.

The story was postponed for a few minutes due to certain events, and when it returned, the protagonist was most drastically altered.

"Once upon a time," Huntell began again, rubbing his face. "There was a little squirrel named shortstuff." He got a death glare for that one, but didn't really seem to mind. "Shortstuff was so tiny a squirrel, that one day, the a great wind caught him in it's gale, and blew him far, far away-"

"Is the wind a metaphor for the oppression that undisciplined mages have always levied against the normal people?"

"...Sure. Anyway, the wind blew shortstuff far far away, and then as suddenly as it began, it stopped, sending shortstuff tumbling to the ground. When shortstuff stood up, what stood before him was a great statue. Okay, fact check time."

"Why?"

"Because a baby silencer has to learn about Alvadas's biggest door."

Grumble, grumble. Pout, pout.

And he talked, and Anton did write.

Alvadas and the Gaping Maw
  • Located in a valley at the very beginning of the Kitrean mountain range. It sits on the edge of the Suvan Sea, linking it to Sultros across the water.
  • Its trade routes connect the Kalea region with the Suvan Sea, forming a valuable trading route (What? Note: Research meaning of trading route)
  • Gaping Maw - Creepy. Entrance and Exit to Alvadas
  • Smiling statue. Looks alive. Very tall.
  • “You have come in search of the City of Illusion. Tell me, stranger, why are you here?” it will say to visitors. Upon receiving answer, entry is permitted
  • Note: Try hurling insults
  • Alvadas always in motion. No fixed streets or houses. Appearances and locations may change at any time. Never, ever, ever trust the signs. Be open to illusion and it's wonders, or be forever lost in a city that hates you
  • Sanity centre only point of consistency


"Done. Carry on, Huntell."

"Eager, aren't we? So Shortstuff tried to answer, but being a squirrel, he couldn't speak, so he died alone outside the walls. The end."

There was the briefest flicker of dawning horror of Anton's face, which was quickly replaced by, well...

Even with Huntell sitting down, Anton was too short to strangle him.

But he tried. Oh yes, he tried.
Last edited by Anton on August 3rd, 2012, 2:53 am, edited 1 time in total.
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[The Womiyu] Orientation

Postby Anton on August 3rd, 2012, 2:50 am

There was quite abit of negotiation after shortstuff's controversial death, some of it verbal, most of it physical. Eventually, they reached a compromise. It turned out that shortstuff was a magical squirrel, one who had no problem teleporting past giant statutes and into cities of illusions. Wasn't much use with giant gusts of wind, apparently.

"And as his furry brown body materialized into the city, he found himself in the presence of the Azure triad."

"They were hanging around the entrance?"

"For weeks." Huntell nodded solemnly. "Their duties are very demanding."

Anton gave him a skeptical look, and he simply replied with a quick wink.

"And each of the triad then did call forth their minions, for they saw in shorstuff a threat capable of easily destroying Alvadas. The triad each held power over an arm of the Womiyu, and so they tried to destroy the squirrel in their own little overspecialized ways.

"The Listeners came first. "Oh, there's a squirrel!' they said. "It's making noise!" they observed. "It's a threat," they continued, but that was all they could do, for ears could no more wield a weapon than a speaker could grow a pair of balls.

"The speakers came next. Except, they didn't. They cowered in their rooms and cried themselves to sleep, and had dreams of crippling impotence and impending girliness.

"And then a lone silencer stepped forth, picked up shortstuff, and slit it's throat, and a cheer erupted from the city, an acknowledgement of the silencer's inherent superiority within the Womiyu."

Silence followed. Fittingly.

"Can squirrels survive a slit throat?"

"Yes."

"I don't think there was a very fair representation of the others, Huntell."

"I disagree. I think it sums it up quite well."

"Why are they being paid if they cower in their r-"

"Okay, fact check. Quill. Book."

Sigh. Poor shortstuff. He picked up the quill, and took down notes as Huntell spoke.

Alvadas Government, departments, and the Womiyu
  • Azure triad - 3 members of differing ages - teenagers, adult, and oldie. Chosen by Ionu or the city. Each heads one arm of the Womiyu
  • Heads Alvadas Government. Decides on funding.
  • Madam Shylock - Oldie - Leads the Listeners
  • Alluvia Lighting - teenager - Leads the Silencers - Super Chef - Boss's boss's boss's boss's boss's boss. Responsible for shortstuff's damaged throat. Will have revenge unless given cookies.
  • ...Someone? Huntell doesn't know. Some teacher he is. Leads the Speakers.
  • Allowed to choose one ambassador to speak for them, and represent them
  • Term of service is life. Can be kicked out if God or alot of people shout alot.
  • Two departments - Illusion and Succors of the Indeviant Body
  • One head, one supervisor per department
  • Illusion head - Cornelius fudge? Flint? Supervisor - Vena/Varla Swivle (Transvestitism? Morpher? My prayers are with her-him.)
  • Department deals with unravelling, understanding, and applying illusion
  • The first rule of the Department of Illusion is that you don't talk about...
  • May be a front for evil. Like kitten smuggling
  • Overseer > Coordinator > Analyst > Surveyor
  • Succors of the Indeviant Body head - Silva Mist. Supervisor - Gregor Blogress
  • Health department - physical and mental
  • Tracks health. Employs healers. What's a health quota?
  • Stationed at high-risk areas sometimes
  • Wardman > Specialist > Healer > Internist
  • Womiyu - Silencers, Listeners, Speakers
  • High hands give high fives. Also command each corner of the Womiyu. Of them, he or she who gives the highest five is named the highest. Responsibility to attend to corner of the triad
  • Listeners - spies, informants, watchers.
  • Silencers - Keep little children in cages. Also kill stuff. Cases given to them are unsalvageable.
  • Speakers - laugh and sing and parade about crimes to the public. Huntell won't shut up about their lack of manhoods.


"And then what happened to shortstuff?"

"He retired to a graveyard."

"As a part-time gravedigger?"

"Yes. That is what happened."
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[The Womiyu] Orientation

Postby Anton on August 3rd, 2012, 5:37 am

As Anton lay there on his mat that night, staring up at the ceiling, he thought about alot of things.

He thought about his name, which didn't sound as cool as Huntell Alken.

He thought about the Womiyu, the only cage he ever knew.

He thought about magic, thought about a life without the means to conjure water and wind, without the means to reach the tippity top of a bookshelf.

He thought about Overgiving, about dying before he saw the sea. Or had his first kiss. Or riding a horse. Or having a kitten. Or so many other thousands of things he could do.

He thought about the coming week, the prelude to his becoming a silencer

He thought about how much much a part-time gravedigger earned.

And lastly, he thought about friends, and how when it all came down to it, he really had none.

He thought, he thought, he thought.

But thoughts were just that, right? Thoughts.

Best banish them and get some sleep.

He reached out with his djed, pouring it into the area just before the ceiling, using his inherent energy to purge the space around it, to give rise to night on another plane of existence. The void portal started tiny, practically non-existent, but it grew slowly but steadily, gathering strength from Anton's will, eventually reaching the size of his palm before it could grow no further.

And that was the point, wasn't it? It started small, grew, and stayed small.

Stayed small.

He stopped fuelling the portal, and it just sort of...faded away when he wasn't looking. Fell in on itself, he supposed.

Time for bed.

But one thing was certain. One thing defied doubt like nothing else could. One thing didn't need much thinking about.

Huntell was a horrible storyteller.

And someone he could work with for a long, long time.
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[The Womiyu] Orientation

Postby Fallacy on August 4th, 2012, 1:37 am

XP Award!


Name:Anton
XP Award:
  • Reimancy- 3
  • Auristics- 2
  • Voiding- 2
  • Writing- 2
Lore:
  • Aura: Huntell Alken
  • Huntell Alken
  • Story of Shortstuff
  • Womiyu (Organization)
  • The Womiyu: Chain of Command
  • The Azure Tirad (Organization)
  • The Azure Tirad (Leaders)
  • The Gaping Maw
  • Alvadas Constantly Shifting
  • Alvadas (Geography)
  • Huntell is a bad storyteller
Notes:

What an amazing thread. It made me laugh and chuckle more than a couple times and was very entertaining. I could tell that a lot of thought and effort was put into this, and so I hope you are not disappointed with the rewards gained. If you think that I missed something please dont hesitate to PM me.

For your first thread it was rather well laid out, flowed well, and was overall well written. Not exactly what I expected from a newbie, and so, be it true or not, I have suspicions that this is an alt PC. If its not, then please take it as a compliment because you really impressed me. The manner of storytelling was impeccable and had just the right amount of everything.

As much as I enjoyed it I do have a few notes. Magic use, more specifically with Auristics. I see in your CS that you only have a 5 in that skill. I would expect him to struggle more with it, but instead you made it seem almost natural. He is just learning the skill, and so please try to portray it that way :) There is nothing wrong with struggling and learning things the 'hard way'. It makes for a more believable character and really makes the journey all the more rewarding when you can do it on command like that. Please describe the process more, and less on the immediate results. Same thing with Reimancy, though displayed good, more detail on the actual spell itself, the res production, and whatnot. Though it had nice flow and didnt hinder the overall tone of the thread, which was nice. Just if you want more XP its all in the details.

Again, great thread. LOVED reading it. Most enjoyable one Ive read in a while. *Give Anton a gold star! and his writer one too*

Any questions or concerns about the rewards gained please send a PM :)


12 hour shifts have started, and Im working 6-7 days a week mandatory overtime. My replies will be slow until I can adjust to this new groove.
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