•♣• Echoes of the Earth •♣•

[TheSamm]

A lost monarch.
A man with no memory.

The Dire Forest is older than humankind, and perhaps the source of all life.
Humans wage an endless war against the woods and its inhabitants, using iron and flames to cut and burn.
Wild magic erodes their cities like the wind and water.
It seems that one must perish if the other should survive, but is there another way?

[TheSamm]

TheSamm's Characters:

Name: Alvador ("Al")
Occupation: Wandering Amnesiac
Eye color: Olive green
Hair: Short and black

General Appearance: Alvador is average height, maybe a little on the taller side for a man. He is lean and just a little muscular, but a tad stronger than he appears. His name (if it really is his name) is tattooed on his chest, just above his heart, with a faded brown ink that he cannot identify.

Weapon of Choice: While Alvador doesn't remember ever wielding a weapon, he has a surprising amount of muscle memory with a sword.

Other Skills/Talents: It is yet unknown why, but Alvador can read, write, and speak the native languages of the Dire Forest and its inhabitants, including humans.

Brief Background: Alvador awakens in a small settlement near the edge of the Dire Forest with no recollection as to where he came from. He is not even certain that his bane really is Alvador, and only takes up the name because it is printed on his chest.

• • • • • •

Name: Kamaryn ("Ryn")
Occupation: Wandering Guardian in Disguise
Eye color: Turquoise blue
Hair: Long, straight and blonde

General Appearance: Kamaryn's appearance is a little complex. When they are not human, their form is a ball of bright blue light in a nearly transparent, serpentine body. As a human, Kamaryn starts off as a slender, waifish young woman with little in the way of endowments because she finds she is received best by strangers with this appearance. Kamaryn may also transform into a human male if it fits the situation, and in this form his appearance remains mostly the same except that he becomes much taller and gains musculature. They retain an attractive face because they have found that humans find beauty both endearing and intimidating, which can be beneficial to them.

Weapon of Choice: Generally speaking, Kamaryn is a lover and not a fighter. They prefer to begin with diplomacy, but if threatened they may cast magic or even transform into a dragon-like beast. However, their flesh is weak to iron and so they fear blades and arrows.

Other Skills/Talents: Kamaryn is, above all else, a guardian. While their shapeshifting abilities are useful, they excel at reading the thoughts and feelings of other living creatures. It is that talent which they are hoping to use to understand humankind.

Brief Background: Kamaryn has traveled within human communities for the past six years hoping to understand the relationship between humankind and the Dire Forest. During this time they have learned a lot about humans, but they still have a long way to go.

[PoppyLynn]

Rough and horrid, but wanted to get at least something up so we could jump in! Don’t worry, my actually writing is better :D.

Name Cecilie N. Iucrua
Species Half-Elf / Half-Human
Occupation heir to Divinity’s throne, but believed dead
Eye Color gray
Hair Her hair is near white in color, straight for the most part, and reaches a few inches past her shoulders.
General Appearance Being a half-elf half-human, Ceci carries a few traits from both of her parents. She has the tipped ears of her mother, curviness of her father’s human genes, and beauty found in both. She has a rounder face than an elf ever would, lacking the sharp and angular aspects their kind is known for; however, her ears are more pointed than most half-breeds, nearing the same length as her mother's side of the family.
Weapon of Choice this various, Ceci having a preferred weapon for different situations. The weapons she considers herself half-decent with and like above others are as followed: daggers, bows, and whip made of pure energy she can summon.
Other Skills/Talents Cecilie can harness magic, though it doesn’t always turn out well. The young woman has a lot of power bottled up in that little body of hers, but being fewer in her years, she is far from mastering any school of the magical arts. Small feats, she can usually perform without too much of a hiccup, but even these are not guaranteed. It depends heavily on her mindset and focus. The only thing she can rely on to go off without a hitch is her energy whip.

May add in more as I think things up

Brief History Half breeds, though highly frowned upon by the entirety of Divinity’s Reach, are not as rare as many liked to believe. The abuse half-breeds face ranges from place to place and person to person. In Ceci’s case…her existence was a hell storm. Daughter of an elven woman and the King of Divinity, mind you this elven woman was not his wife when Cecilie was conceived. To make matters worse, his human wife had yet to bare a single of child of his. Ceci was his first born. The King’s first child was not only a bastard but a half breed. Disgraceful.

Elf lover, a name thrown at the King in a very bad way, and he had no leg to stand on because, well, he did love an elf. Did this mean he loved his kind less or the Elven race more? The answer didn’t matter. It escalated the ever growing tension across Divinity. After her mother was assassinated and Cecilie was nearly killed, Ceci was handed over to her Elven father who demanded she be raised elsewhere to ensure her life was safe. During her leave, the King managed to conceive a child with his wife, finally, a male no less. The future king, right? Well, he should have been. But it was revealed that the King planned to hand his throne over to his first born, still, to his female, bastard, half breed, who’d finally been brought home for good. It was the last straw; the war Divinity’s Reach had been having within its boarders spike high and fast. A storm on the castle took place, the whole royal bloodline being whipped clean…except for Ceci, who just managed to escape the onslaught.

Since then, she’s been on the outskirts of Divinity, trying to device her next steps.

Very, very vague. So much is missing, but all good things come in time, including the details of her history.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Name Damari K. Alcott
Species Human infected with lycanthropy
Occupation Sell-Sword / Monster Slayer
Eye Color Pale Green
Hair short cropped, dark brown hair, and matching scruff on his face
General Appearance Dame is around average height for a man, standing at about six feet in his human form. Lean muscle packs itself over his body, an ounce or two of fat at most over his frame. Scars decorate his skin, most straight and thin, the tell-tale signs of sword slashes, but several that look more as if his flesh had been ripped at by sharp teeth.
Unlike shifter werewolves, lycan are bipedal creatures, often looking mangy; what little ‘fur’ they do have is often coarse and  sparing. He has a huge wolf-like head and stands at just shy of eight feet when changed. His eyes turn to that of amber when changed.

Weapon of Choice broadsword while in human form, both wielded one handed and two, and his teeth and claws when in his lycan shape.

Other Skills/Talents he is good with a sword, can shift into a giant beast whenever he wants…and whenever he doesn’t if he gets riled up, and a very good tracker/hunter, mainly hunting his own kind if they are considered feral and dangerous.

Probably more to be added as I think them up

Brief History He was born to a knight and his wife. Dam was trained by his father to follow in his footsteps. He did just that. But upon being bitten by a lycan during a hunt him and several other warriors were sent to kill for sake of protecting a popular merchant town, he had no choice but to leave the ranks or be killed for the monster he now was. Dame became a sell-sword to gain coin, but his primary focus became hunting down monsters to keep the same fate that was bestowed upon him from happening to another human.

Very, very vague. So much is missing, but all good things come in time, including the details of him history.

[TheSamm]

Alvador found himself standing quite suddenly in a room of such intense darkness that he could not see his hands in front of him. He was bewildered, for he could not recall how he had arrived there. Then, in the distance, he spotted a faint glimmer of light. It was green, and of such saturation as he had never seen before. He did not know whether it was safe or not, but he knew somehow for certain that it was alive. Moreover, it was the only other living thing there. He approached it, but without being able to see the ground in front of him he was unsure of whether he was really moving. The light slowly grew, and and he broke into a run. The air began to feel like water, and at first he felt slowed down, but then the light began to grow with such velocity that it left him stunned. The light enveloped him in a flash, and all around him were trees the size of tall buildings and leaves the width of his armspan. He looked to the right, and it seemed that he was atop a hill or part of the way up a mountain. When he looked out, all he saw was a vast expanse of plant life.

There came an abrupt pressure in the back of his head and he winced, but before he could raise a hand to touch it he felt a hard pulse and everything went black. Having lost consciousness, he fell from the great roots where he had perched and tumbled a ways down the hill until he came to rest between the vines.

When he awoke again, Alvador was lying nearly naked on his back in another dark place. He could feel a soft sheet over him and something wrapped about his waist, and he was lying on a bed of wool. At first, he wasn't sure he had opened his eyes because the shelter he was in was pitch black. Terrified and confused, he sat stock-still in the shadows and tried to remember where he was; or who he was, for that matter. He couldn't remember anything at all. But as his vision adjusted, he was able to make out the boundaries of the little room. Some faint light filtered through tiny cracks in the ceiling, but it was just enough. Slowly he sat up and looked around. He tried to speak, but it was almost as though he'd forgotten how. Perplexed, he cleared his throat and tried again.

"Er... Hello?" His own voice in the silence hurt his ears. Nobody responded. Figuring he couldn't be completely alone because somebody had to have brought him there, Alvador rose carefully from the bed and tried to remember how to walk. Was he always so clumsy? He could not recall that, either. Cold air settled on his skin as he moved across the room, looking for a door. He found one, and upon opening it he found himself in a long hallway. This area was lighter due to a couple of small, slim windows on the wall to his left. Curious, he went to one of the windows and looked out. Upon seeing the trees, he suddenly remembered that he'd had a nightmare, but he didn't remember what it was about or what had happened before that. How frustrating.

Alvador continued down the hallway and opened another door. This room was dark like his room had been, but the moonlight from the windows in the hall dimly illuminated it. There was yet another door on the other side of this room. He headed toward it, wondering all the while whether or not he was still dreaming. When he opened it, a gust of cool air met him and he shivered. There were other buildings like his scattered upon the hill, and corners were lit by fire in strange glass bottles. He looked up and saw the moon waning high up in the sky. It was close to midnight. How did he know that? He started to think he'd hit just his head and hoped that this problem would go away soon.

"Is anybody there?" He called out, looking for some other sign of life to prove he was not dreaming.

[PoppyLynn]

The Dire Forest, name taking effect for the obvious reason that the beasts hidden under its leafy-canopies were anything but small, had its perks. No one dared to enter, being one of them, unless they were desperate. Needless to say, the newly formed insurgents had been promptly pushed to this point. The abrupt overthrow of King Victor Iucrua had sent a bolt of shock across Divinity’s Reach, the new declared king taking advantage of this and cutting down what he could of the forces that would dare to swell up in retribution of the massacred royal family. The crown’s castle within Terragot, the capital of the Reach, had been stained red top to bottom with the blood of near everyone who had the misfortune of being within its walls on the day of the takeover; out of the few who did escape, it was made certain none of the royals were left alive, especially the half-breed elven girl who’d been lined for the throne. They’d made sure to gut that pretty little elven woman as soon as they saw those pointy ears; ashamed they assumed that because she had pointed ears she had to be the elf girl sired by the King.

The handful that escaped the slaughter rushed from Terragot, heading South on foot, and for those lucky enough to find a mount, horseback. They made their way first to the town nearest Terragot, only to find that it seemed the castle was not the first place to be hit. The stench of decay had already started to loom over the city. The traitors had leveled the town, perhaps to ensure no aid be sent to Terragot when they made their move? The refugees needed to find safety so they could try and gather themselves, to learn their next move; the only place that could provide protection without needing an army? Dire Forest. See, desperate.

Their numbers were small, but others were trying to make their way to the place the insurgents were held up at. The only problem? Getting to them was not the easiest of task, especially if coming by night.

A howl, the human ranger at Cecilie’s side immediately shutting his mouth, and he followed the young woman’s gaze out to the thick of the forest down the small mountain side. “Was that…?” He just barely found his voice, it cracking as he choked out the question he didn’t want the answer to. Another howl and his voice was lost once more.

“I believe so,” the young woman said, scanning her eyes over the forest.

“What…what do we do?”

A gust flowed from behind them, pulling her silver hair over her shoulders and for a moment traveling as if it was a part of the unseen force. Just what they needed, something to carry their scent down to the beast prowling too close for comfort in the forest. The wind slowed, Ceci raising a hand to tuck most of it back behind her pointed ears as she said, “Pray it doesn’t come this way.” Her gaze went to the ranger, solemnness twisted into with the whisky grays of her eyes. Another voice caused the half-breed to look over her shoulder.

Standing outside one of the shelters they’d taken home to was one of the rescued the insurgent had managed to drag through the forest and to their little ‘haven’.

”Is anybody out there?” he asked, looking about to try and answer his own question. With them being cloaked in Night’s blanket of darkness beyond the faint rays of the moon, and not being near any of the torches mounted on the corners of the home, it would be hard for him to sight the ranger and Ceci.

“Keep track of it,” she instructed the ranger, referring to the beast roaming the woods. She turned and began up the hill, going towards the stranger they’d saved. “Yes, a good handful of us, in fact.” She slowed her pace for a few strides before coming to a stop a couple yards from the small stairs he stood at the top of. “But careful not to wake them. First impressions are everything, no?” She offered a smile, probably looking far too innocent and ‘delicate’ with her soft, round face, kind yet clouded eyes, and that smile present. But the smile faded, with it a chunk of that naïve and innocence so many mistake her for still having, when she heard another howl.

[TheSamm]

Alvador noticed the woman with somewhat of a start. He had fully expected to still be in the throes of a nightmare, and her voice cut the silence like a knife. In the moonlight, her hair shone a lovely silver. He was immediately struck by her beauty and awkwardly hesitated to answer.

"I-I suppose so. S-sorry." He replied. It was cold out and he was beginning to shiver. He looked around for any clue as to where he was, but to his dismay there wasn't a shred of familiarity to be had. "Ah... Where are we?"

[PoppyLynn]

A reply from the stranger took a moment, hesitation catching hold of his tongue for one reason or another. There were plenty of things that could be making him feel odd, perhaps even out of place, starting with the fact he’d been stripped near bare, leaving only enough only enough to allow some modesty. Add in the fact he probably had no idea where he’d been dragged off to, and it was more than understandable for him to collect himself.

Upon giving a reply, a stutter eating at some of his words, Ceci’s lips corked up just noticeably at the edges. He would apologize for his calling out? It wasn’t as if he’d actually done something wrong; it was only natural, in his position, to do as he had, but still, he offered a sorry up to Cecilie. It was sweet, such a thing being scares in the chaos tearing at the Reach.

A visible shiver took to his body, the chill in the air sapping at what little warmth his body was retaining, but the man paid it no mind, instead focusing on looking around. The look on his face asked his question before his voice could, but Ceci waited for him to say, ”Ah…Where are we?”

She gave no pause in providing an answer. “A few hours on foot within the Dire Forest.”

[TheSamm]

"Dire forest...?" Alvador asked, confused. He didn't recognize the name. For that matter, he couldn't think of any names at all. It felt as though they were on the tip of his tongue, but he couldn't summon them. It was like trying to grab fish in a pond. He tried hard to remember what happened before he lost consciousness, but doing so merely gave him a headache and he touched his left hand to his temple.

Alvador took another glance around, looking for anything familiar to grab onto, but he couldn't get a grip. There was nothing but the sky, the moon, the stars, the trees, and the little wooden shelters like the one he had awakened in. He was in pain, so he couldn't still be dreaming, right? Alvador even went so far as to examine his own body, wondering how he could not recognize his own hands and arms. A dark mark on his chest caught his eyes and he looked down. At first he thought it was dirt, but it didn't wipe off when he tried to remove it. After a moment, ge realized what it said: "Alvador". He didn't know what it meant or why it was there.

"I am lost." Alvador said, looking up at the sky. He knew what the moon and the stars were. He knew what clouds were, and he recognized the grass beneath his feet. How he knew these things and not others was beyond him, and he realized that prior to seeing these objects he had no clue what they were, either. It was only upon encountering them that he realized he knew their names.

"I don't know how I got here," Alvador said, "and I don't think I belong here. I think I already know, but tell me... Is this place real?"

[PoppyLynn]

Confusion washed across the man’s face as he repeated back their location, straining for recollection. Cecilie’s eyes narrowed, head tilting slightly as she studied him. He was having trouble recalling the name of a renounced location across The Reach. Everyone knew of the Dire Forest, and if they didn’t…well, that begged a lot of questions, of which Ceci would ask at some point or another. For the time, she remained observant, seeing if recollection would come to him. It could, perhaps, just be a fuzz he was in after having been unconscious for so long. Despite there being no gash wounds on his head, the stranger could have endured some serious blunt force trauma to that noggin of his. Memories could be all sorts of jumbled in that pretty human head of his.

He searched his own flesh, looking for something…for answers? So it was true, then? He was lost? ”Alvador,” he said, reading the ink across his chest, still hazed by confusion. His eyes went to the sky, confessing he was lost. Then he went on to say he knew not how he got here, which was understandable considering he hadn’t been awake for the journey…and it was lucky, to, considering the little dilemma they faced along the way. The next question he asked, managed to cause Ceci to take in a deep breath. Ah goodness…

“As real as you,” she confirmed, straightening her stance before motioning for him to follow, “and no human, really, belongs in these woods…” She gave a glance over her shoulder to him as she guided them to another door across the way. “The magic, both dark and light within it,” her gaze went back to before her as she neared the door, going to open it as she continued, “can make you feel uneasy.” That was probably what he was feeling, why he felt off. In the small cabin, empty cabin, she walked to a table and lifted up a stack of simple clothes, turning to hold them out to the man. “It’ll pass with time, or you’ll grow us to it…and as for how you got here, we brought you upon finding you near dead on the brink of a warzone.”

[TheSamm]

Alvador followed Cecilie slowly into the other cabin. It was quite a lot like the one he'd come from, but it appeared that somebody was actually living here. Cecilie offered him some clothing, which he accepted graciously. He realized then that he had been nearly naked the whole time, and he felt humbled by Cecilie's nonchalant acceptance of the fact. He held the clothes there awkwardly, suddenly unsure if he was expected to get dressed there in front of her, and listened to her talk.

He believed Cecilie when she said the place was real. Alvador couldn't remember ever having a dream as vivid as this, though to be fair he was only beginning to recall the one. It was dark, and there was a woods... These woods? Maybe it wasn't a dream after all, but that would have raised more questions. Cecilie tried to offer some explanation for his discomfort, but Alvador became confused when she brought up the subject of magic. As she mentioned it, Alvador recognized that he did feel a distinct sense of discomfort relating to the woods, but he'd just chalked it up to how incredibly immense it was. The trees were the most enormous structures visible, to the point that they blocked out much of the sky all the way down to the horizon. The pitch blackness beyond them was also unsettling, as Alvador had absolutely no idea what could live there. Judging by this woman's armaments, however, he could hazard a guess that there was imminent danger.

Though he was curious about the concept of magic, Alvador was soon distracted by Cecilie's retelling of how he was discovered. Nearly dead? Her words caused him great alarm. He became even more concerned upon learning that he had been discovered near a warzone. Alvador didn't remember anything at all about a war, and he couldn't help but wonder if he'd left anybody behind. It occurred to him that although he seemed to know what war was in essence, he couldn't recall any specific wars he knew about. All of the incomplete information in his head was really frustrating. He sure hoped that as he encountered and identified many smaller things--as he had done with the trees and the grass--he might get some larger chunks of his memory back in the process. When he was certain Cecilie was done speaking, Alvador took the opportunity to learn more.

"Er, I'm sorry," He apologized yet again, "I'm sure I'm being a bother here, but I have so many questions. I don't know what you mean by 'magic'. And I don't know your name."