ASTHENOA

[capemods]

WHO: The imPorts trapped in a video game.
WHERE: The virtual world of Asthenoa.
WHEN: 10AM August 26th to 11PM August 31st.
WARNINGS: Violence and fighting. Alert me of anything else for updates.
SUMMARY: A comedy of errors: imPorts are trapped in a Vulcanus-made video game.
FORMAT: As you like it.



Asthenoa is a land set on lush rolling hills under a bright blue sky eternally streaked with clouds. The only celestial variance comes during the nightly setting, where an eternally yellow full moon partially hides behind those clouds. The people of Asthenoa may be human, or elven, or dwarven, or they may have animalistic features, but none of that is of great social concern. Asthenoa has always been this way. The heart of the land is a medieval town set upon one of the highest hills, and the middle of that town sits a majestic stone castle. The busiest part of the town is the center, which hosts the marketplace. There you can buy necessities, or meet the blacksmith and other artisans at their working studios. Beyond the artisanal studios are the taverns and the inns.

Beyond the cheerier inns is a place called The Shriveled Shrike. If you head to the second floor and knock on the third room door thrice and rub your knee against the handle once, it will magically open and expose to you a staircase. People of the Rogue class know this inherently.

The staircase is five flights long. It leads to a black market in a mile long, mile wide underground bunker, where gambling and other darker magicks are indulged. You might meet a necromancer or three. You might run into trouble.

If you were to step out beyond the town, you would have to cross a moat via the drawbridge. It’s always closed up at nighttime, you can only pass during the day.

Beyond the moat (where serpents might swim) is a hilly pasture. Beyond the pasture is an enchanted forest. Strange things happen in these gnarled woods – this is where mystical creatures lurk. Acres of dark wood house sparkling lights and floating orbs and very unusual flora. The fauna includes many mythical beings, including centaurs and fairies and griffins. There could be even more hidden within secret caves or pools of darkening water.

You feel the need to venture past this alluring wood. You feel it deeply.

Comments

( closed to kenzi )

[invoking]

[ The walk hadn't been a long one, but it was still a ways out of the town that by the time they entered the forest, Gil could feel himself out of breath and wondered how Kenzi was doing. ]

Let's rest here for a few minutes.

[ His attention then falls on their new surroundings, taking in every little new detail he lands on. He's traveled through forests before, but something about this one radiates in the most unusual ways and all around them he can senses something -- maybe magic -- crackling in the air.

Save for the chirping of birds and noisy bruxing of rodents that echo from every direction, it's quiet where they've stopped to rest. ]

[wisecracked]

[The moment Gil suggests stopping Kenzi flops down on the ground with a loud sigh. She tugs at her boots but naturally they don't seem to want to come off.] Uuuuuugh, I already hate this place. [She whines before flopping back onto her back and staring up at the branches overhead.]

This place really creeps me out. [Even though it doesn't seem like too bad of a forest.]

[invoking]

The sun's still out for now.

[ Which is a good thing; who knows what sort of creatures roam this world and what will appear once the sun has gone down? He keeps the crossbow on hand, looking up at the trees and having to crane his neck to see how far they go. He can't make out where it ends. ]

Do you have any weapons on you?

[wisecracked]

[Kenzi closes her eyes, fully intending to take a nap despite the possibility of monsters.] Just a dagger.

[invoking]

Do you know how to use it?

[ He peels his eyes off the trees and looks downwards at the base of it, examining all the strange fauna he's never seen before. ]

[wisecracked]

Sharp part goes into things, how hard can it be? [It doesn't have the reach of her sword but it's the same principal right?]

[invoking]

Hopefully it won't come down to that.

[ He grips the handle of the crossbow tighter, just in case. Meanwhile, he catches a small grove a few feet away, filled with various flowers he's certain he's never seen before today. Drawn to them, he moves away from Kenzi and the tree. ]

[wisecracked]

[She hears him move, lifting her head a bit just to see where he's going before laying it back down. Probably just has to take a leak or something...although how one is supposed to do that when the clothes don't seem to want to come off is beyond her.]

[invoking]

[ He's not too sure what he's doing, his mind on autopilot as he traverses through the small field of flowers. Upon closer inspection, he recognizes the roses, lilies, statice, oleanders... but it's a palish pink flower that grabs his full attention. He gazes long at it, careful not to step too close to damage its petals or stem.

Despite this grove being filled with the most unusual flowers, this foreign flower stands out to him as the most ethereal of them all. After mulling over it, he carefully extracts it from the ground and heads back to Kenzi, holding it delicately in one hand. ]

[wisecracked]

[Kenzi manages to doze off while Gil is admiring the flowers. She's such a heavy sleeper that any monster could have snuck up on her and killed her before she could ever react, and so Gil is able to do the same. The sneaking that is.]

[invoking]

[ As he looks on and notices the sleeping Kenzi, he lets her rest for a few minutes extra while he keeps an eye out. A part of him wishes he had a cigarette to smoke -- or a map to look at. He regrets not picking one up in the town. Maybe he could have traded a jewel from the armor for one. ]

[wisecracked]

[She might sleep for a while and be hard to wake if he lets her doze too long.]

[invoking]

[ He allows her fifteen minutes before he finally begins to nudge her gently in an attempt to stir her from deep sleep. While it hasn't gotten darker (which is odd, the sun hasn't budged it seems), they still need to get a move on. ]

Kenzi.

[wisecracked]

[It takes quite some nudging before Kenzi even begins to stir. She grumbles and swats at the offending foot at first before she finally rolls onto her stomach and pushes herself up.] What?

[invoking]

We should get going.

[ He offers a hand to help her. ]

[wisecracked]

[She rubs at her face before looking up at him. She takes his hand and lets him pull her to her feet.]

How is it still sunny? [Because that's obviously more important that anything else right now.]

[invoking]

[ Until she's gathered herself, he waits by her side, bending over to pick up the crossbow and quiver. He still has the lotus in his other hand. ]

The sun must take a while to go down.

[ Again though, the atmosphere of the forest strikes him as peculiar. ]

[wisecracked]

Maybe... [Although she finds it odd.

She stretches and inhales deeply once on her feet. After she feels more awake she notice the flower.] Pretty.

[invoking]

[ Gil looks to it once again, suddenly aware of how odd, not to mention unmanly it is for him to be carrying around such a flower. A flower like this, so pure and pretty, shouldn't be carried about by the likes of him.

He extends his hand with the lotus, offering it to Kenzi now. He tilts his head so he doesn't have to look at her, his cheeks tinted with a pinkish glow. ]

[wisecracked]

[Kenzi blinks at first, not really believing that Gil is giving her a flower. But she eventually reaches over and takes it with a large smile and a little squeal.]

Awwwwwwe, you're so sweet. [She moves quickly, as quickly as she could have with her TK, only she's not using it, to plant a kiss on his cheek. After which she happily dances away as she tucks the flower into her hair. She does a jig if you will. Little hops and wiggles that look silly but certainly expression her happiness for such a little gift.]

[invoking]

[ It's a compulsion that feels right, so he does it. However, as he feels warm lips plant against his cheek he chokes and stumbles back, clapping an armored hand -- which he regrets because that hurt -- to his face. ]

U-Um...

[ But he's without words, watching her... do whatever it is she's doing. ]

[wisecracked]

[She's doing a happy dance, geez man, get with the program.

She does a little twirl, ending it with a hip thrust before she pauses and looks at Gil, face reddening just a tad.]

Uh...I thought we was going.

[invoking]

Going -- oh, right. [ He nods and slowly proceeds to lead the way, trying not to think about what just happened. ]

[wisecracked]

[Kenzi carefully tucks the flower into her hair and skips after Gil. For the first time since entering the forest she's actually in a good mood.]

You know...it is kind of pretty here. Even if a little creepy. [It's just all too picture perfect to be real.]

[invoking]

[ He nods, albeit shakily at first. He's still trying to ignore the kiss and the buzzing heat in his cheek. He thinks his heart might stop or beat so fast it explodes in his chest. ]

It's oddly quiet so far, so... so we should keep an eye out to be safe.