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Nobles of Null is a forum based roleplay site where sci-fi and magic collide. Here, Earth remains fractured and divided despite humanity reaching out to the stars. Worse still, the trans-human slaves of one major power have escaped, only to establish their own Empire, seething with resentment at abuses of the past. Even the discovery of aliens, though medieval in development, has failed to rally these squabbling children of Earth together with its far darker implications. Worse still, is the discovery of the impossible - magic. Practiced by the alien locals, nearly depleted and therefore rare, its reality warping abilities remains abstract and distant to the general populace. All the while, unseen in the darkness of space, forces from without threaten to press in. For those with eyes opened by insight, it is clear that an era is about to end, and that a new age will dawn.
IDS Yīnghuā - Log 2.0: "If you are far from the enemy..."
- Thread starter CadetNewb
- Start date
"You should always be a little mindful of your appearance, we're going to be doing diplomacy at a party. If I can get my markything in blue that would be best. I mean, I'm not going to complain if it is in some other color but if you don't make your preferences known you could end up with anything," Jun replied.
The Aos'Si took her tools in hand. Brushing golden hair off of chocolate dark skin, she then flipped the signet ring on her finger to reveal the insignia resembling an alien plant, its leaves radiating much like a palm frond.
"Of course you have a heartstone - " Lady Nimue gently spoke, approaching Wen with wax and parchment seal, " - all of you." she eyed the whole group for emphasis. "You are here, traveling on a branch of the Cosmic Tree, after all. The gift is received, willing or not." Turning her gaze to the wax stick in hand, a flame appeared, floating over its tip. Crimson droplets fell on Wen's armor, binding the parchment to him before she deftly pressed the seal of her ring into wax. "This will also mark you as a guest to the meeting, under my protection," she explained, smoothly adding, "Not that you need it."
"Well, the mother-empress never told us if Wen's heartstone was classified or not, but I assume it is," Hoshiko replied to Reina. With the spell seal placed on Wen's chest like it were a medal, Lady Nimue pulled out a deep blue wax stick - just for Jun - and proceeded to do the same for them all in turn. Being able to get a better look at one another's seals though, it quickly became apparent that Lady Nimue's hand had depicted an issue tree, cleverly describing protective spell's properties, intent, and the if-when circumstances that would function, all as a piece of art. Hoshiko couldn't help but remark, "These are so cool!"
"Now, do any of you recall being told anything about an ebb and flow?" Lady Nimue asked, immediately bringing Viz Istenno's words to mind. "The ebb means your mana is departing your heartstone - hopefully to do magic - and should feel like thus." All the Daqinren felt the faint sensation of their vigor leaving their body, and Hoshiko immediately slapped Wen across the head.
"You better not shoot her like last time!" she shouted
"Like what?!" Nimue looked on in horror.
The sun began to shine on them as they neared the light at the end of the tunnel, but it somehow felt like they were still in the dark.
"Of course you have a heartstone - " Lady Nimue gently spoke, approaching Wen with wax and parchment seal, " - all of you." she eyed the whole group for emphasis. "You are here, traveling on a branch of the Cosmic Tree, after all. The gift is received, willing or not." Turning her gaze to the wax stick in hand, a flame appeared, floating over its tip. Crimson droplets fell on Wen's armor, binding the parchment to him before she deftly pressed the seal of her ring into wax. "This will also mark you as a guest to the meeting, under my protection," she explained, smoothly adding, "Not that you need it."
"Well, the mother-empress never told us if Wen's heartstone was classified or not, but I assume it is," Hoshiko replied to Reina. With the spell seal placed on Wen's chest like it were a medal, Lady Nimue pulled out a deep blue wax stick - just for Jun - and proceeded to do the same for them all in turn. Being able to get a better look at one another's seals though, it quickly became apparent that Lady Nimue's hand had depicted an issue tree, cleverly describing protective spell's properties, intent, and the if-when circumstances that would function, all as a piece of art. Hoshiko couldn't help but remark, "These are so cool!"
"Now, do any of you recall being told anything about an ebb and flow?" Lady Nimue asked, immediately bringing Viz Istenno's words to mind. "The ebb means your mana is departing your heartstone - hopefully to do magic - and should feel like thus." All the Daqinren felt the faint sensation of their vigor leaving their body, and Hoshiko immediately slapped Wen across the head.
"You better not shoot her like last time!" she shouted
"Like what?!" Nimue looked on in horror.
The sun began to shine on them as they neared the light at the end of the tunnel, but it somehow felt like they were still in the dark.
NecroDrake
New member
Reina shrugs at Jun, "Point taken. I didn't think you'd take it so seriously and think critically about this," She holds up her hand before Jun can respond, "And before you take offense, you've been quite out of it all day. Satōdzuke no tsuki no yume [砂糖漬けの月の夢]. I'm glad it seems like you've been grounded after floating for so long. How are you feeling? No major side effects?"
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Reina shocked at this revelation, "Really? I haven't been planet side very long... All the reports say that its a gradual process. Is that why the 'phenomena/contamination' affected us all so strongly in our respective meeting places?"
After the seal was applied, the snake woman notices what feels like an additional heartbeat in her chest, echoing the flow of her life blood. Giddy at the prospect, but also a little horrified that such a process could happen to her so easily and without her knowledge... She accepts the situation but loses herself in pondering what that means for her moving forward.
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Reina shocked at this revelation, "Really? I haven't been planet side very long... All the reports say that its a gradual process. Is that why the 'phenomena/contamination' affected us all so strongly in our respective meeting places?"
After the seal was applied, the snake woman notices what feels like an additional heartbeat in her chest, echoing the flow of her life blood. Giddy at the prospect, but also a little horrified that such a process could happen to her so easily and without her knowledge... She accepts the situation but loses herself in pondering what that means for her moving forward.
BucketBlue
New member
Aitana's eyes remained locked on Reina for a while, after the doctor had taken away the heartstone. Giving the gem away was probably a good idea, but her intrusive thoughts were telling her to take the treasure back, by any means necessary. "You have one of those in your body?" She asked Wen. "...What is that like?"
As the seal was applied and a wave of fatigue hit her, she couldn't help but chuckle to herself. This felt like only a small fraction of what the heartstone was offering her, but it was intoxicating nonetheless. "This should be an entertaining gathering, I would have brought something nicer to wear if I knew this was part of the mission. Anything we should know before we arrive?"
As the seal was applied and a wave of fatigue hit her, she couldn't help but chuckle to herself. This felt like only a small fraction of what the heartstone was offering her, but it was intoxicating nonetheless. "This should be an entertaining gathering, I would have brought something nicer to wear if I knew this was part of the mission. Anything we should know before we arrive?"
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The wax was cast, the seals placed, and with the passing of the initial shock, it felt as though something was almost imperceptibly drawing from their very life force. In comparison, Lady Nimue's teaching tug on their mana felt like a sharp yank. If she or Viz - in the case of the more senior members - had not taught them the feeling, they would not have come to notice it at all.
Now they could feel the tiniest of capillaries sending their energy to the seal, and they could feel how it could be snipped at any time they chose.
"Well Reina, I guess we normally get heartstones slowly?" Hoshiko shrugged, not too sure herself. She wasn't too sure about the process or anything, but then started to realize that Reina and Aitana had even less of a clue than she did. "Then again, we're passing through something that might be an Einstein-Rosen Bridge," the tiger princess suggested, hoping that'd help to give some sort of context to what was going on. "Maybe that accelerates the whole process?" In the end, they were all groping about in the dark.
"Excuse me, what happened to the last person that tried teaching you magic?" Lady Nimue asked, a little more seriously. Hoshiko's ears flicked about as she tried to track the multiple conversations happening all at once.
"No, I don't think we need to dress up extra fancy," Hoshiko sighed at Aitana's suggestion. She didn't like the idea of dressing up formal with medals and such on their chests. Unless it was a dress! "We probably look more official wearing our armored bodysuits, and - "
"WHAT. HAPPENED?!?!" Nimue shouted, her hackles raised. Hoshiko froze on the spot, and soon realized that all of the Aos'Si on the platform were now listening in at the windows or doorway, their guard duty be damned. Before Hoshiko or the others could reply though, sunlight and hot, humid air washed over them. The testudine creature was quick to follow the nearest road, but all around them, the endless cacophony of a rain forest. A great shadow drifted between them and the sun, and looking up, massive boulders floated through the air, their tops festooned with small rainforests of their own.
"Oh shit, what do I say?" Hoshiko thought. "Wait! We're back online!" Quickly reloading Reina's 21st Century Vintage Cafe, the princess found everything where the left it, save for the busted wall. It simply opened up into the side street of the city now, the Aos'Si assets now gone. Overhead, they started getting heavily degraded comms from their orbital assets.
And their dropship too!
Now they could feel the tiniest of capillaries sending their energy to the seal, and they could feel how it could be snipped at any time they chose.
"Well Reina, I guess we normally get heartstones slowly?" Hoshiko shrugged, not too sure herself. She wasn't too sure about the process or anything, but then started to realize that Reina and Aitana had even less of a clue than she did. "Then again, we're passing through something that might be an Einstein-Rosen Bridge," the tiger princess suggested, hoping that'd help to give some sort of context to what was going on. "Maybe that accelerates the whole process?" In the end, they were all groping about in the dark.
"Excuse me, what happened to the last person that tried teaching you magic?" Lady Nimue asked, a little more seriously. Hoshiko's ears flicked about as she tried to track the multiple conversations happening all at once.
"No, I don't think we need to dress up extra fancy," Hoshiko sighed at Aitana's suggestion. She didn't like the idea of dressing up formal with medals and such on their chests. Unless it was a dress! "We probably look more official wearing our armored bodysuits, and - "
"WHAT. HAPPENED?!?!" Nimue shouted, her hackles raised. Hoshiko froze on the spot, and soon realized that all of the Aos'Si on the platform were now listening in at the windows or doorway, their guard duty be damned. Before Hoshiko or the others could reply though, sunlight and hot, humid air washed over them. The testudine creature was quick to follow the nearest road, but all around them, the endless cacophony of a rain forest. A great shadow drifted between them and the sun, and looking up, massive boulders floated through the air, their tops festooned with small rainforests of their own.
"Oh shit, what do I say?" Hoshiko thought. "Wait! We're back online!" Quickly reloading Reina's 21st Century Vintage Cafe, the princess found everything where the left it, save for the busted wall. It simply opened up into the side street of the city now, the Aos'Si assets now gone. Overhead, they started getting heavily degraded comms from their orbital assets.
And their dropship too!