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louisweasleyisgonnakickyourarse · 4 years

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The Sexy Seventeen

“Happy Birthday Lou Lou!”

Louis groaned as his most pesky, most favorite cousin set off a mini firework within his cot. Confetti and enchanted sparkling dust burst forth in a loud pop singeing the top of the navy drapes. Around the dorm other sixth year Ravenclaws began to stir, roused now by the noise. But this was to be expected, even if it was annoying to be woken up by a party popper this early in the morning. Albus Potter had done this every single year for his cousin’s birthday since they had started at Hogwarts, and while the rest of the sixth year Ravenclaw boys never were pleased about it, they had gotten used to it.

“Fuck off.” Louis groaned, trying to turn over and pull his blanket up over his head. This proved impossible however as Albus was currently straddling the redhead and shaking his shoulders violently.

“Get up, get up, get up!” Albus cheered, “Everyone’s waiting for you. I brought you coffee.” The slytherin’s words lifted at the end, a delighted smile on his handsome face knowing his cousin would be seduced with the offering of black caffeinated nectar.

Louis muttered a curse or two, but relented, if only for the coffee. Louis had never been big on celebrating his birthday, not because of the attention or anything, it just didn’t feel special to him anymore. When he’d been little and still able to celebrate at home, it had been a bit different. It meant cake for breakfast, and usually getting skeev muggle school and go do a fun activity with his best mates Rose and Albus. But at Hogwarts, well birthdays had lost most of their luster. There were no parents waking him up with birthday kisses or family coming over to wish Louis a happy birthday. That was really what he had liked the most about his birthdays growing up, it was another reason for everyone who wasn’t at Hogwarts to get together.

Now Louis didn’t consider his birthday a sad thing, even if the tradition had come to an end, it was just less important to Louis than it used to be. But not to Albus who had tried to make a day of it every single year. Although Louis would never admit it, it warmed his heart and him and Rose always tried to do the same in return for their Slytherin. But usually for Louis’s birthday it was the three of them sneaking out of the castle, ditching class and going into town. They’d get take out, fuck around a little bit, usually snowball fight, and in recent years, smoke something then head back to Hogwarts.

But unbeknownst to the Ravenclaw, Albus had something different planned for this year. A surprise party. It was, after all, Louis’ seventeenth birthday, the most important birthday for any witch or wizard. He was officially an adult now, and thus the world would soon be his oyster. He could even start learning to Apparate come spring if he wanted which Louis was very interested in. Not to mention he could choose not to come back to Hogwarts for his seventh year. But Louis planned to finish out Hogwarts properly. He was still unsure of what he wanted to do in the future so he figured he’d just try and take as many classes as he could to keep his options open.

“Up you go Lou Lou, big day.” Albus encouraged, finally getting off of Louis. The Redhead mumbled something sleepily but shifted off his covers and grabbed at the coffee cup Albus had placed on his night stand. After a deep few sips, he finally got to his feet and changed out of his pajamas into a pair of athletic shorts and an old sweatshirt. Albus gave him a curious look, not sure why his cousin was putting on workout clothes instead of his usual jeans and jumper.

“Interesting get up Louis.” Albus commented.

“All I did was smoke cigarettes and sit around all summer, Al. Andrews is making me go for a run with him every morning after breakfast.” Louis explained understanding his cousin’s confusion.

Andrews was in reference to Tyler Andrews, the Ravenclaw Quidditch Captain. He was a a good captain in Louis’ opinion, but tough. After they had all returned to school and started practicing again, Andrews had noticed Louis’ decline and refused to allow it. He was putting pressure on all the sixth years in particular as they made up a decent portion of the team. It was unlikely Louis would be the only one fetched after breakfast.

“That’s crazy, he can’t make you do that.” Albus said stubburnly.

“Not all of us can just sit on a broom and look pretty Al, some of us have to actually play Quidditch.” Louis teased, mocking as he always did, the position of seeker.

The two tousled a bit before they were laughing and heading down into the common room, where, as Albus had promised, the cousins who remained at Hogwarts were waiting for him. There was Rose of course, but also Lily with her two Scamander twins, Hugo and even little Lucy who had just started her first year. They greeted their cousin with a very loud rendition of ‘Happy Birthday’ and many hugs and kisses before they all went to breakfast together and proceeded to sing to Louis again just to embarrass him.

The morning post came with a pile of letters for Louis from several relatives, even his Veela cousins. But at the top was a a little box that Louis knew was most likely a watch from his father as was tradition. As the eldest in the Weasley family, it was Bill who had inherited Arthur’s watch on his seventeenth, and now it would be Louis’. The gift felt intimate, private, and so he stuffed it into the front of sweatshirt in order to open it latter and read the accompanying letter. Bill, like his son, wasn’t a man of many words, but the things he did take the time to write or say were usually important.

However there was one person in particular Louis was hoping to get a happy birthday from, even if he would never admit to the desire out loud. And that, of course, was Caerwyn.

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astralishq · 3 years

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♡ ; astralis hq has added one new wanted connection!

( louisa caerwyn ), our ( synnove karlson ) faceclaim, is looking for their ( illegitimate/bastard half-brother ). they are a ( 300-50(ish) / 30s ) year old ( half high fae / half other species fae ) allied with ( the dawn court ) and currently serving as ( a knight / captain of the guard ). the mun ( does ) require you to contact them here before applying. suggested fcs: ( douglas booth, matteo martari )

#ahqwanted #group rp #appless rp #semi appless rp #oc rp

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voxdaemonica · 3 years

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@wickedgxmes (Kael & Nate)

The training grounds were a flurry of activity that morning, the familiar chorus of barking and shouts as hellhounds and soldiers ran drills across the mountainous terrain. There was an uncertain air around many of the soldiers that day, an unspoken tension making everyone far more excitable than usual. Kael could see it in the hushed murmurs as he glided over the troops, and in the ways in which each movement seemed slightly more rigid than usual. News in Astralis always traveled remarkably fast when the High Rulers were involved, but nothing had quite spread as quickly as the news of Dawn’s most recent demise. It was no wonder the Night Court’s army was on edge, when so many were split about it.

Nate wasn’t a hard man to find among the mix of guards and infantry; there were only so many who, even in the most strenous of circumstance, would find themselves relaxed. And it was a fundamental rule that no Dubois could resign themselves to the shadows for long. The War General landed beside him, his swift descent causing a small breeze in its wake. “One might think that with all this time to gossip, our army might fare better as journalists rather than soldiers.” Kael observed dryly, offering a courteous nod to Nate before stepping in line with him. It would do their subordinates some good, to see both the Captain of the Guards and the War General so interested in their progress that day. “I believe we should give our troops a reminder of what they can do with all that spare time, rather than wasting it on speculation, don’t you think?”

That being said, there was no point ignoring the dragon in the room any more than they had to. “So which side are you on, Captain? Elation or dread?” Kael asked, inquiring gaze settling on Nate intently. “Had they not done their trial run on Night Court grounds, I think I might have congratulated the humans this time around. They’ve done us quite the favour, eliminating a pest as annoying as Lord Caerwyn.” Indeed, he would lose very little sleep over the demise of that particular Fae, given how frequently he used to enjoy antagonizing Gabriel and the rest of the Night Court elites. “That being said, it does pose some concern, to have an enemy we know so little about committing such high profile murders beneath our noses. What say you about the whole affair, Dubois?”

#hellhound general: kael #hellhound general: convo #hellhound general: nate #hellhound general: starter

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iudae · 4 years

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overview

charming fair ambitious intelligent

insensitive short-tempered superficial arrogant

QUICK FACTS

- he is the son of a muggleborn witch and a half-blood wizard, both employed at the ministry of magic and residents of a small town near newport, wales.

- he grew up amongst both magical and muggle children, but never attended muggle primary school. instead, his parents and grandparents would take turns looking after and teaching roger.

- his love for quidditch was first sparked by his paternal grandfather arthur davies, who was equally as obsessed with the sport and vehemently supported the tutshill tornados.

- before attending hogwarts, roger had already practised flying on a children's broomstick, and played quidditch with family and friends. he tried out every position, as they would usually rotate, and both the positions of keeper and chaser suited him well.

general

FULL NAME

his parents, penelope and dilwyn davies, settled on the name roger caerwyn davies. roger was his mother's suggestion, while his father pitched the traditional welsh name.

NAME MEANING

roger: glorious spearman, from germanic hrod "fame, glory" and ger "spear"

caerwyn: from welsh caer "fortress" and gwyn "white, fair" or wyn "loved, blessed"

NICKNAMES / ALIASES

he had many nicknames in his youth, given by both friends and family: ro, rory, roger-dodger, rog (or rather 'rodge') and it's diminutive roggie. the latter is still used as a loving pet-name by his mother, even though he would prefer her to stop. now, friends only ever call him rog or simply roger. his colleagues know and call him by his last name.

DATE + TIME OF BIRTH

roger was born around ten in the morning of the first of june, 1978. it was a thursday.

ASTROLOGY

his starsign is gemini, with the moon in aries and leo ascending. he was born in the year of the horse on the chinese zodiac calendar.

PLACE OF BIRTH

the midwife came to assist penelope in goldcliff, where he was born in his living room of his childhood home.

RESIDENCE

all his life, his parents have inhabited the pretty little house in goldcliff. for years roger called hogwarts his home just as much as goldcliff. after graduating, he soon sought independence and moved into an apartment in bristol, england. it is a mere twenty-minute flight over the channel to tutshill, the town his team is situated in, and close to the welsh border.

SPECIES

wizard

BLOOD STATUS

roger is a half-blood, descendant of a muggle-born witch from cornwall and a half-blooded welsh wizard ( son of another half-blood wizard and a pureblood witch ).

SOCIAL STATUS

both penelope and dilwyn live comfortably off their wages as civil servants. it is a job that both dilwyn's parents had, therefore their inheritance is equally as solid, whereas penelope's parents live self-sufficiently as farmers. roger was born into a perfect middle-class life, complete with a neat little house on the welsh countryside.

as a quidditch player he earns considerably more, which allows him to maintain an upper class bachelor lifestyle.

FAMILY

penelope herald and dilwyn davies would have never expected to be end up leading a boringly normal life, because neither of them were either normal nor boring. penelope had graduated at the top of her class, and the ravenclaw was determined to make a change in the world. she began her career at the very ambitious bureau for international magical law as an intern, where she met dilwyn. the hufflepuff seemed to her like a hard worker who yet never lost sight of the fun in life, and equally as idealistic as she was. they fell in love head over heels and started a tumultuous and stimulating relationship. they married only a year after meeting, to some a very rash decision, and in 1978, at the peak of the war, became the parents of a healthy baby boy. penelope had never envisioned herself as a mother, leading a settled life, yet she found herself to be oddly happy in this situation. their life adopted a new, slower pace, and she enjoyed every minute of it. over the years, she and dil grew into the sort of life she would have hated as an idealistic young woman, comfortable and routined, and there was nothing more satisfactory than it. as long as they didn't feel boringly normal, they weren't.

roger never had any siblings, but grew up surrounded by his loving family: his grandmother alys davies, a proud and wicked woman who seemed to know everything but betray nothing except for rare and surprising occasions; her husband arthur davies, a brilliant man who nonetheless would rather stand out thanks to his humour and passion for quidditch; their son and dilwyn's older brother albert and his wife camilla, incredibly warm people who would treat roger as if for their own son, and their own son reginald, a few years older than roger and always a source of inspiration and subject of his awe.

on his mother's side, his grandparents eunice and mortimer are two diligent and caring, who until their old age tend after their little farm, and penelope's younger brother elliot, whose wife patricia, a muggle too, bore him a lively little daughter named Phoebe, who in her toddler age ( around the time when roger was finishing school ) is already displaying signs of magic.

PETS

when growing up surrounded by animals, roger never really needed another companion, but for his eleventh birthday his parents bought him a young majestic eagle owl to accompany him to hogwarts. rex remains his close and loyal companion to his day. he is a very astute bird with a great sense of pride that is easily offended.

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pullmeforthplungemehome · 5 years

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Lives & AUs masterpost

Lmao under construction rn

1st life - Lucius Caerwyn Llyr Pendraic, The Spare

The bastard child of a Petty King and his Knight Captain’s wife, Lucius was given over to an allied lord to raise. However given the nature of his birth he was not well respected in the household, and instead of trying to please his foster family he leaned into being an outright ghoul back to them.

Once he became too much for the family in question he was sent back to the King, who with great chagrin acknowledged him and began to keep him in his household. In order to do something about the wealth of bad behavior he brought with him Lucius was inevitably pushed into squiring.

Seen as near useless for various reasons, Lucius’ life didn’t improve amongst the knights so neither did his temperament, assigned to squire for many different men over his time in the citadel. Only one managed to tolerate him for a long period, and it was one of the oldest and most patient of the knights: Yvain the Lionhearted.

Eventually Lucius grew into a poor tempered adult and met the physician’s apprentice, a younger man named Merlin whom he loathed on sight (and was loathed by in return), trading bad tempered jabs after their first meeting in the physician’s chambers.

Through pure happenstance Merlin ended up saving the lives of many (including Lucius) in a sudden attack, causing the King to give a half-assed show of gratitude. In lieu of a real reward Merlin was given the “privilege” of serving the royal household, more specifically: he was saddled with taking care Lucius.

Not knowing how to be anything other than an asshole and an idiot Lucius got along terribly with Merlin, half of the time refusing to make use of him and the other half spending his time purposefully running him ragged. He was continually faced with a cold hearth and even colder meals, and when further subtly enacted vengeance were taken it started to sink in that perhaps it was not smart to fuck with the help.

2nd life: Resurrected because of the power vacuum. Tasked with setting the balance of things straight he worked hard to try and make any difference but it was a struggle with how damaged the world was at large. Died young.

3rd life: Brought back again and struggled similarly, though this time found the way to actually restore the Earth in some fashion. Died prematurely due to antagonistic forces unrelated to quest.

4th life: Bored and spiteful the gods put his sister back into play, not anticipating that her ruminations at the end of her first life would effect her in the new one the way they attempted to put the siblings against one another. The pair set the playing field for further healing, though both lived to average dying age instead of passing by other means.

5th life: Sibling plot comes to fruition and the world is healed as much as it is able. Hedging her bets Ganeida goes on to lead a relatively normal life. Lucius, however, cannot with how much he regrets, and asks a gift of the gods despite how much they’ve already tortured him.

***

Beast Dad AU - Establishes self in Vesuvia at some point before Cybel arrives with the Perleravian Merchants; eventually finds this scrappy, dinky orphan wandering around and tries to look out for them as best he can having only half the possible hours in human form, eventually full on adopting them.

Gladiator AU - Caught in the night by Black Market traders, purchased by Lucio for exhibition matches and showy night fights. Mostly kept a secret and instead of being acknowledged as a shapeshifting type Lucio claims he bought a matched pair of “beasts” for his arena. Takes care of Muriel whenever he eventually enters into the equation.

Kept Pet AU - Not as bad as it sounds; caught by Black Market traders in the night, bought by Nadia post her waking up because she doesn’t believe the merchant when he claims that Cai is just a shapeshifting beast trying to trick it’s way out. However, due to the nature of the curse and her desire to help out/negate a potential threat for her citizenry, she keeps Cai in the more private part of the palace grounds.

Pirate AU - in seeking something to alleviate his curse he ends up on many trade routes and eventually encounters Mazelinka. After getting on so well he spends some time as part of her crew, eventually meeting Portia on her way to Vesuvia. They develop a bizarre friendship, eventually in which she encounters him in his cursed form with Pepi, in which very needed head scritches ensue.

Needs Directions AU - meets Asra on the road and they fuck. 🤷‍♀️

Apprentice AU - Because of Cai’s unique circumstances he maintains patchy knowledge of himself and the goings on. This is more merciful than it seems. Things aren’t broken exactly between Asra and Cai but Asra’s frequent trips give him a bad sense of deja vu. Julian he feels Concern For (TM) and with Nadia he feels a sense of lingering nostalgia that drives him crazy. He Does Not Like The Goat. The scarf hurts.

Jail Break AU - spin off of the Gladiator AU; instead of presumably being freed by other means Muriel and Caillte escape the arena together after hours and are on the run

#Myth & Legend | About Caillte #Space & Time | Alternate Universes

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clan-of-reaching-stars · 5 years

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What Was Stolen: The Duel

@jadedragons

I promised gay pirate lore and I finally deliver!

Link on a Google Doc

“What makes the captain so sure now is a good time to get another crewmate?” Hadrien asked, he leaned against the railing of the ship to make conversation with Caerwyn, who deftly stitched a torn sail.

“Aren’t you supposed to be cooking, Hadrien?” the Pearlcatcher asked, his tail wrapped around his pearl to keep it safe while he worked.

“The stew’s boiling, you can’t all keep me down there forever you know,” Hadrien raised one hand to his forehead, “away from the world as though I don’t deserve the sunlight, or the fresh air-”

“Or to get us chased out of port for your horndog ways,” Caerwyn replied, still guiding the needle and thread while Hadrien gasped.

“That was cold, and I have only does that once.”

“That’s one time too many Hadrien,” Caerwyn tossed the rest of the sail over his crew mate, “hold that would you?”

There were muffled huffs of displeasure but Hadrien sat still while Caerwyn worked, he examined his stitches carefully and nodded.

“As for the new crew member…” Caerwyn whipped the sail off Hadrien leaving him blinking, “I believe our captain is planning something and we’ve been short handed on a few raids now.”

Hadrien shrugged his shoulders, “another mouth for me to feed.”

“And another tail to chase,” Caerwyn flicked his tail to expertly toss his pearl into his hands, “Lumen! The sail is fixed!”

The Nocturne dropped from the Crow’s nest to join them, eyes landing on Hadrien, “aren’t you supposed to be cooking?”

Hadrien let out a sigh, “everyone's a critic.”

“We’re just hungry!” Solstice yelled from the crow’s nest, “feed me you-”

“Look the captain’s back!” Hadrien pointed while Solstice hissed another insult at him, the Imperial glared up at her while Lumen took the sail.

“Hadrien! Get to work!” Lumen was rolling a ball of rope in his hands in the same way Caerwyn was rolling his pearl, “Solstice, Lux, Poe! We need this sail hoisted!”

“Aye!” Solstice jumped from the crow’s nest to the rigging, the mirror swaying on it with ease while Caerwyn made his way to the dock to greet their captain, Lumen not far behind him.

He halted to let the first mate pass him, Starwind stepped aboard and breathed in the sea air.

“Welcome back,” Lumen greeted her warmly, smelling the air as well though Caerwyn doubted that he could smell anywhere close to how Starwind did, “And this is?”

“Elhaearn,” the Pearlcatcher that spoke was larger than most of the crew, a green Serthis lay coiled lazily around his neck and shoulders, he flashed a quick smirk at Caerwyn. “I was told your crew need a swordsman.”

“Indeed,” Caerwyn spoke with a nod to his captain, “I am Caerwyn and while I’m something of a duelist I cannot fight the crews battles on their own.”

“Hey,” Caerwyn shifted easily as Noctis shoved him. The mirror glanced down at Elhaearn and his Serthis, all four eyes narrowed before he nodded once. “You sure he’s the one cap’n?”

“I can smell the magic on him,” Starwind replied simply, and Noctis backed off, “at least I think I can. Caerwyn, what do you think?”

He sized up Elhaearn openly now, as the other pearlcatcher did the same his pale green eyes - Wind’s Child has far to Roam - watched Caerwyn carefully, lingering first on his sword and then on his pearl.

Caerwyn could see no sign of his own pearl and assumed he’d hidden it somewhere in his bag or in a pocket somewhere. He passed his to his tail to rest his claws on his sword, “I believe that a position on this crew is always earned?”

Starwind grinned, “well said.” She leapt to the helm with a roar, “clear the deck!”

Hadrien settled at the door to the kitchen while Ekhi took her usual spot at the bow. Everyone else scaled the rigging like rats fleeing a flood. Elhaearn looked to Caerwyn for clarification, he was doing an excellent job of schooling his features to hide his confusion. This would not be an easy fight. The serthis coiled tighter around Elhaearn’s neck for a moment.

“You might want to lose you friend for a moment,” Caerwyn stepped onto the now cleared deck, shedding his cloak to leave him only in his armor, Solstice hung from the rigging and he handed over his pearl.

“If you drop that Solstice I will make you scour the ocean floor for it.”

“Relax Caerwyn,” for Solstice’s flippant tone she held it as though it were an egg, “now kick his ass.”

“Such language,” he remarked, turning to face Elhaearn again, “this is simple, we duel to first blood.”

Elhaearn nodded once, “what is this talk of magic though,” he lifted his hand to his neck to let the Serthis slither down his arm to the deck, “and where is a safe place Sierril to watch from?”

“He can sit with me,” Ekhi offered, the imperial shifted to make room, “and the magic…” she trailed off and looked at Caerwyn, before both of them turned to Starwind.

“Earn your place in the crew and you’ll earn your answer.” The captain declared with a grin, “Caerwyn will test your steel.”

Caerwyn gave a small bow to Elhaearn, “when you are ready.”

Elhaearn’s blade was a curved duelist’s blade, sharp and wicked. Caerwyn used a more traditional blade, both of them sized up the other’s blade as they circled each other on the deck.

They exchanged a few cautious swings, swords striking off each other with no chance of hitting, testing their blades and the other.

And then Elhaearn lunged. Caerwyn found himself on the defensive, parrying and twisting around the deck to avoid the other’s flurry of blows.

“Eager are you?” he asked with a powerful leap backwards to give himself space, “I know she said earn your place but sloppy attacks are no way to prove your worth.”

“But they weren’t sloppy were they?” Elhaearn raised his head and lunged again, only for Caerwyn to dodge and swing at him. An awkward but well timed swing back from Elhaearn prevented the blow from landing, the crew cheered loudly. He twisted away from Caerwyn with a smirk.

“And tell me Caerwyn, what made you worthy to test me?”

Caerwyn let out a huff, “cheeky.” He flashed a grin, “it’s a good look on you. But not nearly as good you’ll wear defeat.”

They swung at each other again, spinning around the deck in a flurry of parrys, thrusts and exchanges, ducking weaving and twisting around each other like the winds in the Twisting Crescendo.

Caerwyn watched him carefully as they circled each other, catching their breath and looking for weak points. Elhaearn’s style was like none he had ever seen before, one made largely of quick strikes and primarily thrusts and jabs. His own style was based more on slices and strokes of keeping out of reach until he landed a blow on his opponent, a more defensive style compared to Elhaearn’s open offensive style.

One thing was certain though, Elhaearn had his vote for joining the crew. Caerwyn also had no intentions to let him win. He parried and knocked aside Elhaearn’s next few strikes while making no attacks of his own. He’d found his opening.

A telegraphed move that Elhaearn easily parried was the distraction. Caerwyn’s tail curled around the other Pearlcatcher’s ankle the way it curled around his pearl and pulled. Elhaearn’s eyes widened in the moment he had to process was had just happened before he was sent sprawling on the deck, open for Caerwyn to give a light slice on the shoulder.

“And first blood is mine.”

The crews cheers were welcome but largely ignored in favor of watching his opponent.

Elhaearn stared warily up at him as he offered the hand not currently holding his sword, “you didn’t stab yourself when you fell did you?”

“No,” Elhaearn hesitated a moment longer before accepting his hand and allowing Caerwyn to help him to his feet, “I was fortunate in that regard.”

Caerwyn smiled at him, “well fought.” He dropped Elhaearn’s hand to turn to Starwind, “he has my vote!”

Starwind raised one paw to instantly silence the crew, “would any speak against him?”

For a moment there was only the sounds of the sea and the ropes creaking under the crew’s weight.

Starwind looked to Elhaearn and grinned a toothy grin, “then welcome to the crew.”

When she dropped her paw the cheering broke out with the crew spilling down the rigging to greet their new crew mate, Solstice stopped only to pass Caerwyn his pearl back.

Elhaearn looked overwhelmed by the sudden crowd so Caerwyn backed off to where Hadrien still sat at the stairs.

“He’s handsome isn’t he?”

“Not a word Hadrien, not a word.”

#Flight Rising #Caerwyn #My Lore #Elhaearn #Pirate Lore #What Was Stolen

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haverdoodles · 3 months

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bloom 🌷

— (caerwyn & te'lise)

a tender love blossoms.

these two have officially been freed from ties to both dragon age and bg3 :) and i am pleased to announce that they will soon have their own tale to tell!

#caer’lise #captain caerwyn #te'lise #the apothecary #the every door #fantasy #art #valentines day #haverdoodles #haverdoodles oc #dragon age #bg3

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probablyottrpgideas · 6 years

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Game Recap Series: EIS 0

Since I started this series I’ve only been playing my Dungeonbowl campaign, which has meant I had completely forgotten to do an Up-to-Speed post for the actual real proper campaign I’m running. Since we had our first session of that game in over 2 months last Sunday, I need to do a recap, so I’ll push through the update as quickly as possible before I get to that session. Here goes:

In the land of Caerwyn, there is one central government, the Tyrian Empire, and the largest institution within the Empire is the Imperial military. Given this juggernaut of resources, many people enlist as a means to pull themselves out of debt or receive training they otherwise would have to pay a lot of money for.

Through a variety of reasons, a pool of new recruits all join at the same time, and underwent basic training.

Group A (PCs)

Avoyelles Isani: Drow, Circle of Twilight Druid, Charlatan (Feygate) Arner Diomal’st’ano: Eladrin, Sorcerer/Cleric, Archeologist (Encarlin) Nerra: Half-Elf, Skirmisher Rogue, Criminal (Imperial) Eleric “Relic” Mort: Human, Champion Fighter, Gladiator (Imperial) Jimothy Tames: Githyanki, Battlemaster Kensai, Merchant (Imperial)

Group B (NPCs)

Nichollo Gioirdani: Eladrin, Evokation Wizard, Folk Hero (Feygate) Sorel Conera’st’ona: Deva, Storm Cleric, Outlander (Encarlin) Errol Goddard: Pixie, College of Maestro Bard, Artist (Imperial) Farren Selch: Feytouched Githzerai, Path of Brawn Barbarian, Urchin (Imperial) Robert Tames: Razorclaw Shifter, Inquisitive Rogue, Charlatan (Imperial)

During their training, rather than be transferred to one of the many formal units, they are instead put through a rigorous induction test (involving being dropped with minimal resources and separated from one another in the middle of a blizzard) to join the mysterious and prestigious Empire Intelligence Services.

After their induction the two teams were assigned separate senior agents; Group A would be led by Celia Sapienza (Eladrin, Shinobi Kensai, Guardsman, Feygate) and Group B would be led by Glymmer d’Embry (Elf, Wyrmling Shogun, Scion, Imperial). Group A were then given their first mission; investigate a series of disappearances in the northern town of Farren’s Landing that had the local guard puzzled.

Arriving in Farren’s Landing and setting up their temporary base in the top level of a local inn, the group began investigating the three disappearances that they knew of, as well as organising a meeting with a locally known smuggler who might be able to provide them with information. Within the course of their investigation they discovered a number of details; all three disappearances featured a paw print as of a large dog, and two of the three featured closed and locked doors. They also discovered that one of the disappeared was a member of the local crime family, and that all three had interacted in some way with the local manor. Arner and Relic visited a local dog training yard with a mould of the paw-prints and confirmed Arner’s suspicion that the culprit was using some kind of Blink Dog.

Using Celia’s cover story that they were the retinue of a minor Feygate noble to establish an audience with the Duke, the team investigated the manor and discovered that a number of scholars from the arcane library had been recently dismissed. One of those figures, a young sorcerer named Dareg Shille, had been messing about with Blood Magic, and after discussing with the senior arcanist what sort of mutations could be achieved using blood magic the team began to believe that Dareg Shille had twisted a once good-aligned fey into assisting him in abducting townsfolk.

Using both the Pollan crime family and the local guard for assistance, the team tracked Shille to the flood-water tunnels under the city and, despite being forcibly separated by the Blink Dog’s ability to grab hold of them and teleport them away, they slew the dog and Shille, although they were too late to rescue any of the abductees.

While in town, they received a message from command of a new mission; the late brother of the Duke of Farren’s Landing had apparently been having an affair with the young sister of the Empress, and the two had been trading letters that, should they be made public, would embarrass the royal family. The team had to track down the hiding place of the letters and bring them back to command. By discussing the details of the Lord’s personal life with the residents of the Duke’s manor, the group identified a hunting lodge deep in the nearby forest, and travelled out there to retrieve the letters. However, as they pulled the letters from their hiding spot, the group was ambushed by unknown assailants, who used blinding and stunning alchemical explosives to temporarily subdue the party. When they recovered the assailants were gone and the letters still remained, and no-one was quite able to work out what had been taken/done. Still, they returned the letters to command, and their CO Warren Caine told them not to worry about it, as without more to go on they couldn’t really do much more anyway.

Returning to the field base the team had a week of rest before being sent off on their new mission; a mercenary guard for a lord of the royal court had been accused of the murder of the lord’s son. Ma Wei, a talented and dangerous arcane archer, had resisted arrest and fled, heading north. The last word anyone had was of her boarding a boat at Farren’s Landing.

The team geared up and returned to Farren’s Landing, without Celia (who was on another mission at the time), finding the docks and asking around to see if anyone had seen an elf matching Ma Wei’s description. A few people mentioned they had seen her getting on an ice-cutter, implying that she was heading further north into the frozen polar continent of Kalteheim, although they could not remember the name of the ship she had boarded.

Needing passage to the north for themselves, the team went looking for someone with a similar ice-field ready ship, and were directed to Emilie Greys (Shade, Nightstalker Shadowblade, Pirate), captain of the Viaggiatore. Greys turned out to be a Shade, and what’s more her entire crew were comprised of the dregs of mortal races, be they shadow creatures or shapeshifters or even an ogre. After a minor scuffle with sahaugin saw the team step in to protect the crew, they were accepted as friends and the journey continued much more congenially.

Halfway to Kalteheim, the Viaggiatore stopped off at a small island town called Isla Helado to restock, and the team, with nothing else to do, decided to investigate a local haunted castle. Once there they destroyed the ghost of the old Imperial commander and the skeleton soldiers, broke the enchantment on the armoury, and cleared the place out. In the process, a ghost of a dog imprinted on Relic, and now follows him around (the team now call him Zero, after the ghost dog from The Nightmare Before Christmas).

While stuck on Isla Helado, the team were treated to a story/mass hallucination by the skaldic ships quartermaster, Lucas Rimeweather AKA Old Man Exposition. Through his storytelling the team got to live through the story of how Captain Greys became a shade, 1000 years previously when the Viaggiatore crew were only six;

Captain Ysalt Margaine: Deva, Shugenja Cleric, Pirate, Imperial E4-G13 AKA Birdbot: Warforged, Path of the Eagle Totem Barbarian, Gladiator, Imperial Amaya DeSaad AKA Goldfist: Lightborn, Sweet Science Pugilist, Vigilante, Imperial/Fallow Elena Willow: Hamadryad, College of Courtship Bard, Courtesan, Feygate Everett McCree: Changeling, Shadow Spy Rogue, Cultist, Imperial Emile Greys: At the time, a regular human

The story went that Emilie, seeking the power to wreak vengeance on those who had killed her family, had tried and failed to become a Shade. So the crew went to Marnati City and sought out the expertise of a non-binary Elven magician called Maester Delver. Delver told the crew that the only way to save Emilie was to complete the full ritual, turning her into not only a Shade but a Shadowblade. The ritual could only be found in the Isle of the Lost in the Shadowfell, and to get there they would need to be able to travel across the planes. They suggested that the best way would be to bind the soul of a planar travelling creature to their vessel, and they provided the crew with some soul-binding artifacts. Meanwhile, the crew tracked down rumours of a Shadow Dragon hiding in the islands south of Caerwyn, and so travelled there. They got the location of the Shadow Dragon, found it, slew it, and bound its soul to the Viaggiatore. Once complete, they travelled into the Shadowfell and found the Isle of the Lost.

Retrieving the correct ritual required them to complete the challenge of the seven virtues. The first room was a puzzle, testing their wisdom, where they had to solve a riddle to find the key to the next room. The second was a large battle arena with a cage door that only allowed a single combatant through. Birdbot went through and faced off against an Earth Elemental on his own, testing his courage. After this was completed the cage lifted and Birdbot was attacked by a fearsome dracolich, forcing the others to rush to his aid, testing their loyalty. Once they realised there was no way they could defeat the dracolich the team had to lay down their weapons, testing their humility. They then passed into the next room, which was filled to the brim with treasures untold, which they had to walk past without touching, testing their temperance. At the end they had to place something of value in the empty chest in front of the door, testing their charity. The last room was a gigantic library of scrolls; this, a test of their faith, simply meant they had to select one scroll without looking at it and continue on. Here, at last, they messed it up, and while they retrieved the ritual they were forced to leave Birdbot behind. They rescued Emilie and the story ended there.

Finally arriving at Fort Rast in Kalteheim, the team signed on as crewmembers of the Viaggiatore so that their names could be withheld from the ships manifest and then quietly came ashore, seeking out a local inn named the Frozen Hearth. There they asked around with the locals to see if anyone had seen Ma Wei, and they were directed to a local Bard who had been away for a while and recently returned. Av and Jimothy interrogated the boy, and found that he had indeed come through on the ship Illusion of Choice, where he had been friends with Ma Wei. He directed them to the hunting paths north of the fort, and the group decided to see what they could find. While this was happening, Nerra thought she saw someone following the group, but said nothing.

On heading out for a look around, the team became acquainted with the peculiarity of the local fauna of Kalteheim; largely, that everything was giant. Proximity to high magical fields had caused all natural creatures to take on colossal sizes, with rabbits the size of lions and wolves as big as mountains. Also at around this time, Celia appeared with bad news; Robert, Jimothy’s husband and member of the B team, had been badly injured on a mission. Jimothy left to be with his husband while he recovered, and the team were joined by Kitt Delkatt (Human, Hunter Ranger, Consort, Imperial), a new recruit.

While out on the Hine Plain, a frozen wasteland north of the fort and the apparent direction Ma Wei had travelled, the group encountered an Ice Titan, a snow fox three or four times the size of an elephant. They tried everything, from hiding to running to fighting, but the creature seemed to barely notice their attacks. In the end, the group were saved by an unlikely ally; another Ice Titan, a wolf so large that its head was a mere shadow in the sky, which crashed out through the snow and snapped up the fox in its jaws like it was nothing.

The team continued on until they reached a gorge, where they found evidence of someone having climbed down inside. Following the trail, the team was attacked by a hail of magical arrows, and they might have been in danger had Celia not revealed that they were there on behalf of the Intelligence services, not the police. Ma Wei, nervous but now curious, allowed them inside the old Stealth Corps. fox-hole she was hiding in. The two groups discussed their positions and came to the conclusion that someone was setting Wei up; the best bet would be to take her into EIS protective custody while they looked into the frame job.

While they were discussing things, however, they were attacked by pursuer that Nerra had almost seen; a Chaotin (homebrew elvish subtype) assassin with powerful psychic abilities. The team were all, barring Avoyelles, paralysed by the assassin and would have died, were it not for Zero possessing an Ice Titan and eating him.

On the way back to the Fort, half the team fell into a fresh ravine and discovered an ancient, abandoned temple, where a gauntlet of necromantic power was killing any wandering traveller and turning them into skeletons. One such skeleton had retained his mind, Mac Bonney (Awakened Undead Skeleton, Marksman Rogue, Archeologist, Imperial) and he assisted the team in fighting off the hordes of skeletised bugbears, minotaurs, ogres and a powerful bone naga. In return, Mac was brought back with them to the EIS camp.

After this lengthy trip the party were paid their salary and given the chance to come stay in the Imperial Capital city of Tyria for a while, which would give them the ability to visit Robert and catch up with Jimothy. While in town they got to know their fellow spies, including getting better acquainted with Errol, Farren, Warren and Glymmer on a personal level, as well as go shopping and generally explore the metropolitan excesses on display. Jimothy, who had begun to develop a reverence for Kord, found a temple to the thunder god and explored the possibility of becoming a paladin. He also got into an underground boxing match with Relic and handed the fighter’s ass to him.

Their leave was cut short however when Warren received word that the two cultists who had been captured after the attack that had left Robert injured had revealed something in their interrogation; something terrible was going to happen in the small town of Brattenhome, east/south-east of Faelmarch. The team were dispatched there as quickly as possible.

When they arrived, Relic detached himself from the group; Avoyelles, who had been flirting heavily with the fighter, took this as an opportunity to sulk following the recent revelation that he had a wife, and so no-one questioned it. In truth, he was spending his time on a separate mission for Warren, looking for an old equipment cache hidden somewhere in Brattenhome which contained some documents Warren needed retrieved in secret.

Meanwhile, the rest of the team filled his spot by befriending another traveller passing through the town, a copper dragonborn named Alketh (Dragonborn, Evokation Wizard, Sage, Imperial). They began their investigation, and quickly discovered that a young elvish storehand, Yushiro Nakai, had disappeared. As it was late when they arrived they turned in shortly after, but the next morning Yushiro reappeared, shortly before mutating into a horrifying spider creature. The team dispatched her, and then spoke with the sheriff of the town to discuss what had happened. He asked them to keep the investigation quiet, but that he would help them out if they needed it.

The team then took a quick trip into the forest to follow up a lead (dead-end; the Walshes were not cultists at all but vryloka isolationists, and while they were antagonistic towards the team intruding onto their land they were not investigated further). On their return to town, however, they found that five more townsfolk had been kidnapped in the night, and the town was now in uproar. Getting a meeting with the mayor, the team identified what they were in town to do and the mayor gave them access to whatever resources they wanted. The group split up to conduct parallel investigations into a number of leads, including the homestead of one of the disappeared folks, the fishing boat of another, and a creepy warehouse at the edge of town. The group in the warehouse were attacked by another mutated villager, a trio of giant spiders and a swarm of regular spiders, and they barely escaped with their lives.

Which brings us, at last, to the most recent session...

#EIS with OTT #recaps

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