Armana
Freshman
[M:0]
Armana wishes you all a merry christmas!
Posts: 47
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Post by Armana on Oct 20, 2008 21:03:25 GMT -5
A soft breeze rustled the branches of the ancient trees. The sharp tang of sea salt hung heavy in the air, carried by the soft breeze across the ancient shipyard. Armana didn't like the smell of the ocean herself. It smelled nothing like flowers, in fact the scents were on the opposite sides of the spectrum. Flowers smelled sweet while the ocean had a strong, tangy scent. But Armana had to go through here to get to the mainland; she had no other choice.
Armana sighed and slowly climbed down from her perch on the thick tree truck. There was a slight creak, but Armana trusted the branch's sturdiness. Her feet touched the ground and Armana felt her thin sandals sinking through the thick wet mud. The cold mud encroached upon her toes, and Armana couldn't help but wince. She wasn't used to this. Back in her old forest, there was no thick wet mud. The mud in the forest was wet enough to support life, but not to the point where it was like a swamp.
She slowly made her way to the dock. Armana had no idea where to go now. Was she supposed to get a ride on a ship, or go through the forest? She had no idea. "Hello? Anyone?" Armana called quietly. Her voice was low and silent out of habit, and she realized she would need to be louder to get ahold of anyone. "Hello?! Anyone out there? I need some help here!" Armana hoped someone would hear, if there was even anyone around.
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Post by Ladd Russo of the Russo Family on Oct 21, 2008 17:12:57 GMT -5
"You're lively," a man in the fog expressed. His voice was on the flatter, lower register, but not entirely unemotional. There was a calmness and security woven through it, as if he expected everything, and also anger, as if he did not accept all of it. It was easy to see, however, that the rage was not directed at Armana. With purposeful strides he moved towards her, and his words had a smile in them, even if it was not visible.
A deep hood hung over his face, shadowing it in the dim light of the shipyards until it was only a dark shape. Somewhat bizarrely, it was just a hood, its tattered fabric extending a bit over his bare chest and back before ending without cloak or jacket. An old, scuffed pair of black pants was all that he wore otherwise; he did not have on shoes or even socks. If he was cold, he did not show it, and his powerful looking arms were strapping an alarmingly large hammer to his back. It was smeared with a bit of blood.
"Do you still need help?" he asked, darkly casual.
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Armana
Freshman
[M:0]
Armana wishes you all a merry christmas!
Posts: 47
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Post by Armana on Oct 23, 2008 0:19:58 GMT -5
"Ack!" Armana cried out as a voice came from the shadows. She took a few fearful steps back before she steadied herself. If it had meant to hurt her, it probably already would have. She sighed in relief at the realization that it was a human.... or was it? Armana noted his tattered hood and mostly bare body, as well as the bloody hammer on his back. Now she was scared, eve more then before. She wished it had just been a bear or some kind of creature... this guy was scary!
To Armana's ears, his voice sounded dark and uninviting. It sounded like he didn't approve, though she wasn't sure whether he was disapproving of her or something else. Armana sighed and replied to his question, "Yes, I need help. Would you happen to know how I get to Twilight Moon Academy?" Armana asked the strange man, her voice an equal combination of fear, confusion, and hopefulness.
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Post by Ladd Russo of the Russo Family on Oct 23, 2008 14:45:42 GMT -5
"Calm down," he advised flatly, but not unkindly. A certain detachment in his attitude that made it difficult to classify his actions as 'cruel' or 'kind', just... there. It would increase her danger to go out there in her current state. Most predators could sense fear, and the lake had its fair share of creatures searching for the unsuspecting prey. Of course, some just went for any flesh, which was why his hammer was tainted at the moment... one reason why, anyway. It would not be fair to say her fear had no effect on him as well as those beasts.
He looked at her for a long moment without saying anything, but then started to move up onto the wooden platform. The man stopped at a large ship that seemed almost in worse condition than the walk, if that was possible, but both were still above water so far. "I am your Master Teacher for Twilight Moon Academy," he told her. "You may call me Odell. I don't know your name, but it says you are half angel. It made me wonder whether I had just an overachiever or an actual divine in my presence."
Though it seemed no one was there except the thick shroud of fog and a cold wind, Odell held out a few coins to the air in front of the ship and nodded. The coins disappeared and he walked onboard, glancing back once to make sure Armana was following.
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Armana
Freshman
[M:0]
Armana wishes you all a merry christmas!
Posts: 47
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Post by Armana on Oct 26, 2008 18:13:31 GMT -5
The strange man's cold words were still somewhat frightening to Armana. She didn't understand how he was so collected, or how his words seemed to contain many emotions and none at all. "Wait... you're my head teacher?" Armana asked, somewhat unnerved. Armana didn't intend to sound rude, although that was probably how it would come across.
Armana nervously followed the teacher down the platform, taking careful steps. She was worried that if she took one wrong step, the whole thing would collapse! When they finally came to the boat, Armana couldn't help but stare at the boat, completely dumbstruck. Would it even float? Armana didn't make a move to step onto the boat, it just looked way too unstable.
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Post by Ladd Russo of the Russo Family on Oct 26, 2008 19:30:45 GMT -5
If Odell thought her comment was impolite, he didn't show it. "Yes, I am," he affirmed, leaning on a railing to face her. The ship moved out into the lake, slowly at first, but picking up speed as it settled into a steady glide. How it was moving was harder to say, since the sails had long since rotted to nothing, and no oars stuck from the sides of the vessel. Hear and there a whisper could be heard amongst the stretching of old ropes and cracking of stressed boards, but to the naked eye they were alone.
The wind shifted the man's hood and pants silently, though it was not as strong as it was on the shore. "You will have many other teachers, but they will have many other students. You are the only one I will have, and I have the duty of raising your potential to its peak."
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Armana
Freshman
[M:0]
Armana wishes you all a merry christmas!
Posts: 47
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Post by Armana on Oct 27, 2008 21:35:37 GMT -5
"Really?" Armana asked. She said it in a decently kind manner, trying to make it seem like she was happy about it. However, in her mind entirely different thoughts were running rampant. Oh... great.... This isn't good! I got the insane guy for my instructor! Somebody help me! Armana leaned against the side of the boat, but a sudden creaking made her shoot upright. She realized it might be safest just to stand.
The boat moved through the waters without help from anything. The current was weak, so she had no idea how the old boat could glide so effortlessly through the endless expanse of water. Armana realized it was probably magic, but she decided not to let it bug her too much. The man could use magic, big deal! She could use magic too, that's what her songs were. But if he was going to be training her, she was glad he knew magic after all. The question was, did he know the magic of song?
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Post by Ladd Russo of the Russo Family on Oct 28, 2008 11:43:15 GMT -5
He nodded and then retrieved a thick packet of paper from one of his pockets. Sifting through them with a firm grip (lest the wind steal it), he finally settled on one colored an ashy gray and put the rest back where they came from. Odell offered it to Armana impassively, explaining it as, "Your classes. There are a few you must choose as electives."
The paper was straightfoward enough, with neat rows of white script against the dark paper.
Classes Mandatory:
Magic Weaponry Beastry Master
Interests: (Please select one from each, aloud.)
Music/History/Potionry Flare/Holy/Summoning Dragoon/Samurai/Thievery Puppetmaster/Survival
Odell watched her, and it was not hard to tell she was less than pleased. It was not something to be bothered with. Perhaps it was even his fault... should he have worn a shirt? Yes, he remembered that it was standard among humans, and probably even more so among the divine. The thought of all that cloth constricting and rubbing against his skin him made him feel claustrophobic, but either way, there was nothing he could do about it now.
"Flare is a class of dark magic, to be used for offense," he explained, in case she was unfamiliar with it. "Holy is more centered on healing magic, though some of its skills can also be used for attack, if a more righteous kind. Puppetmaster is a class centered on controlling objects using the mind. If there is anything else, I can explain further."
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Armana
Freshman
[M:0]
Armana wishes you all a merry christmas!
Posts: 47
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Post by Armana on Oct 28, 2008 22:00:54 GMT -5
Armana looked at the paper, and suddenly she felt a little sullen. The mandatory classes didn't look that great. Weaponry and Beast-training? Well, Beast-training wouldn't be too bad as long as she didn't have to train any gruesome or horrible creatures. She wouldn't mind training something cute! As for weaponry, that wasn't very exciting. She hated weapons! All they were good for was hurting. As for magic, that would help her with her songs. But Master..... she had to spend master with this creepy guy!
Then Armana's eyes slowly moved down to the electives. One of the choices was obvious, but the rest weren't so easy. She didn't no whether to pick Summoning or Holy magic, and she didn't like any of the choices in the third and fourth tiers. "Well..... song is one I'll do.... and Holy I guess. But dragoon, samurai, thievery? And puppetry or survival training? Are there any other choices besides those?"
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Post by Ladd Russo of the Russo Family on Oct 29, 2008 21:12:29 GMT -5
"You do not have to attend any classes, but there are exams at the end of the year you are expected to pass," the man answered. "For your year, those are the only choices, but I don't understand why they aren't enough for you. You should be trying everything before you decide what you truly want in life." He looked up to the prow, where the fog was rapidly thinning. The school became visible, warmly glowing against a velvety sky and shimmering in what was left of the mist.
"That is, if you have any goal at all. This school must have a sick sense of humor, with the students that it gives me."
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Armana
Freshman
[M:0]
Armana wishes you all a merry christmas!
Posts: 47
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Post by Armana on Oct 31, 2008 0:11:37 GMT -5
Armana wondered whether that was an insult or not. Did he think that she didn't want to learn? She decided to pass it off. Still, no matter what he said, a lot of these classes were rather unappealing. "Can I not do any of the ones in the third and fourth rows and instead do two in the first and second?" Armana asked, hoping for a yes. She didn't want to learn how to fight with a sword or steal; it just wasn't something she was interested in.
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Post by Ladd Russo of the Russo Family on Oct 31, 2008 11:43:52 GMT -5
Half-angel... how was he going to deal with this? He would probably be in danger just touching her... Thankfully he was not much for contact, so that was at least an avoidable issue. But as to what to teach her? What then, Odell....? There must be someone in the academy with more experience in holy ideals, that could advise him in this. He disliked falling short of a goal, and this time it was to properly teach a student in a way she would appreciate.
"That would involve being in two places at once, as the classes in the same rows share the same times," he said blandly, again considering that. "I'll see if it can be done. If this is possible, I need to know the ones you intend to take. It may not be, so I also must hear what your normal schedule would be."
The ship rumbled a bit as it scraped against the opposite dock. This dock was a thing of thick good wood and sturdy construction, compared to its brother on the other side. A ramp was brought over so that the two passengers could get off, apparently by nothing.
Odell seemed to be deep in thought, but he looked up again at the turbulence of their stop. Then he talked, somewhat more slowly than before, as if he had difficulty with it. "You should consider all of your classes. I realize they may not seem interesting, and you may not be comfortable with the idea of fighting. You are almost an angel, so you would not often have reason to fight. But because you are half-angel, I think you would want to defend others who cannot defend themselves. Words are fine in the cage of court, but all the real problems of the world are solved with bloodshed. In the end, you may be able to prevent a lot of harm if you can hold your own. Few people of noble disposition want to consider harming others, but in the end, that is the reason they get harmed. Because only evil picks up the sword."
He ended the talk with a flat and monotone voice, as if he didn't like saying such things.
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Armana
Freshman
[M:0]
Armana wishes you all a merry christmas!
Posts: 47
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Post by Armana on Nov 19, 2008 23:58:25 GMT -5
Armana listened to Odell intently. She knew most of what he was saying was true, but she refused to acknowledge that she would have to fight. Armana figured she could solve things with song and love.... but her teacher obviously thought different, and so Armana decided an argument with her head teacher would be pointless.
"I understand. Thank you for checking for me," Armana told Odell, her voice a note higher from the thought of possibly being able to take the classes she desired. "If I can, I'd like to take Potions, Holy, Summoning, and music," she told him with a little more confidence. Then Armana's voice sank a note as she gave him her alternate schedule. "Otherwise I'll take music, summoning........ samurai.... and survival, I guess."
Armana looked to the new dock. It was very sturdy in appearance and their time in the ship had been surprisingly short. She stepped on to the new dock with the confidence that it would support her much better then the old, disgusting one. It didn't creak under her footsteps.... a good sign.
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Post by Ladd Russo of the Russo Family on Nov 24, 2008 16:13:21 GMT -5
Again Odell passed a coin to the empty air, nodding once and murmuring 'you may leave now'. "It will be brought to my adviser," he added to Armana as he walked along the dock. "I will have the answer sent to your dorm room, when you choose it."
Twilight Moon Academy could now be seen, an expanse of castle-like structures, often engraved with detailed stonework or studded with windows that glowed from lamplight inside. The main foyer and gate were enormous, waiting under a well lit arch, with only a five-minute's walk of lush lawn separating it from the beach.
Her Master Teacher also offered a purple-ish orb, about the size of a fist. It seemed almost like a snow-globe in the way its insides moved, but there was no predictability of gravity causing it. "For you. It will be useful," he told her.
"You have arrived here during students' Break. You may explore the school or eat a meal, but no classes are occurring now. Do well." Odell nodded to her, an obvious dismissal.
***Armana received Lavender Orb*** There are swirls of purple inside it, and it's cool to the touch... The user of this orb will be able to summon The Echo, or a Spaeron. Fairy-like in size, this creature has purple-edged white wings instead of hands, and similar feathers instead of hair. It's skin is ghostly white, and more feathers cover its body and frame its face. The Echo can reproduce any sound it hears, and if the sound is magical, it can double the intensity of a spell. Warning: Summoning can be tiring. A user new to it should practice before an actual battle, or the energy drain may cause them to lose.
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Post by Ladd Russo of the Russo Family on Nov 24, 2008 16:15:45 GMT -5
(Congratulations! You have passed the Ghost Shipyards. I see no problem with your roleplaying, so you are open to almost any area in Twilight Moon. As Odell said, I'll have to check with the other mods about the class thing, but that shouldn't be a problem during Break. Get out there and meet some new friends. ^_^ If you have any questions, feel free to PM me any time. In a few days I'll have your character's signature box as well.)
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