Beorhun

[COLOR=Navy][SIZE=1]Alaster leapt out of bed, grabbed his twin swords, Avenger and Redeemer, and ran outside into the pouring rain. The rocky, uneven ground was slick and shiny in the night, and the fog around him made it so that he could barely see the lights of Halma, or the five armed men right next to his house. "Who the hell are they?" Alaster thought. "Never mind, ready yourself." Haburasho answered silently. A man, garbed in fine silver and black robes walked up to Alaster. From the red flame in his eyes, it was obvious that this man had a dragon. A particularly violent and dangerous one, at that. He grinned, and suddenly a voice, loud and clear as day, rang out in his mind. "I know who you are, Alaster Seraphim. And I know who you are, as well, Haburasho, one is a trator to his cause, a coward in the line of honor, and the other is far worse. The other is a traitor to the purity of his own race, and a traitor to the spirits of his people. For this, both of you shall die." Alaster readied his swords, before Haburasho stopped him. "Wait, this one is a mind reader." The man laughed a terrible, grating, hollow, mechanical laugh, and the voice resumed. "Quite correct, Haburasho. I also know that you plan on fighting me. That is unwise...but then again-" "I was never a dragon of wisdom." Haburasho replied. A blaze of white light shone out as Haburasho emerged. A red flame erupted, and the other dragon came out. He screamed at the man. "Kill him, kill him now!" And they crossed swords. One of the other four held his hand out, and a jet of flame set Alaster's house ablaze, and they charged at him. Alaster spun his blades around, and began to fight. He deflected a blade, and a staff, and a pair of short swords, and then darted past thre group into the flaming building that was his house. If this was to be a fight, then they would fight on his terms. Haburasho darted around in the night sky, swiping at the ebon black dragon attacking him. He would not back down from this fight, and he hoped that Alaster would do the same. He lunged at the dragon, and was sliced across his tail by a bladelike wing. He had to be- "Unpredictable? A pity, I can predict everything!" He screeched before biting Haburasho on the tail and throwing him down to the rocky cliffs. He tumbled down, and regained his balance. The black dragon hovered there, just floating and chuckling to himself. The five men leapt into the bulding, brandishing their blades. Alaster looked out as Haburasho burst up from the canyon before getting thrown back again by the black dragon. He looked up at the ceiling, which was close to collapsing, and looked over at the men closing in around him. Alaster jumped, dug his swords into a beam in the ceiling, and kicked another beam, causing half the house to collapse, spraying ash into the misty night air. Two men were crushed, and another was lit ablaze. He screamed and ran off the cliff, plummeting into oblivion. Alaster fell to the ground, Redeemer still stuck in the ceiling. "Damn, and I really thought that would get them all." He thought before raising his sword to block the man in silver and black. He was still on his knees, trying to get back up. He threw the man back, got up, and kicked the other, the one with the fire dragon, back into the flames. He got up, silent and unaffected by the fire. "Oh, right. Fire dragon." He thought before slicing him across the chest with Avenger. He then, however, felt the man in silver's sword plunge into his stomach. He looked over at the man, who, emotionallessly, twisted the sword around and pulled it out. He fell back into the ashen rubble. Haburasho looked over at the house. He feinted at the black dragon and flew inside, tossing the man in silver outside into the storm. Alaster was badly wounded, he lay on the floor, wincing in pain. The black dragon dashed toward the house. "Haburasho, now!" Haburasho returned to Alaster and Alaster lifted Avenger to slice the dragon, who staggered back. He roared and flew off. The man in silver also ran. The man with the fire dragon, however, was still lying on the ground, writing. Alaster got up, still hurt, and walked over to him. He planted the sword firmly on his neck. "Now, sir, I've got two options right now. Either I give you the honor and the mercy of a quick and painless death by my friend Avenger here, or I let you burn to death, slowly and painfully. Who sent you?" The man sputtered, before finally saying: "Emara...high...temple...Sorry, masters...I have failed you..." Alaster shrugged, and plunged the blade into his neck. He grabbed Redeemer and leapt out of the building, which collapsed soon afterward. He sheathed his weapons and looked out into the thick, impenetrable night. As he fell to his knees, his wounds still not healing, he soon realized the only course he could take. He was going to Emara. OOC: I hope this is good, it was a pretty long post. Even so, I tried to add some...you know, [I]punch[/I], to everything. :animeswea [/SIZE][/COLOR]

[SIZE=1][COLOR=Navy]...Well, I suppose that it is necessary to have everyone introduce their characters, Silverwolf. I'll just go with it... :animeswea Alaster walked down the dusty streets of Halma. It was an interesting city, to say the least. Built into the walls of one of the deeper canyons, it was connected by a series of bridges and natural arches of stone. He was heading back to his house at sunset when he saw three punks walking towards him. Dressed in all black, one of them shoved him against the canyon wall. The trio stopped. "Hey! What's your problem, man!?" He said, brushing dirt off of his clothing. The others chuckles. "Yeah, he messed up your nice shirt, Bruno!" The leader shoved Alaster again. "Yeah, I think you should watch where you're going, you wouldn't want something...unfortunante to happen to you, now would you?" Alaster turned around, he was unarmed, and fighting on the streets of Halma was forbidden... On the [I]other[/I] hand...These punks needed to be taught a lesson. He wheeled around and kicked their leader in the gut. He stumbled back into his two cronies, Alaster readied his fists, but instead of a fight, the three stumbled, and ran off. Idiots. In any other time, he would have avoided the fight, but, hey, he had nothing to lose anymore, right? He cracked his knuckles, and continued to walk... Later than night... [I]It's snowing in the forest. The needles on the trees are covered in twinkling ice, making a wall of mirrors around the small group of soldiers. The soldiers are dressed in all white, and are cautiously moving across the snowy ground. It's impossible to tell if it's sunrise, sunset, or somewhere in between. Suddenly, their leader stops the group, hearing rustling in the bushes around them. He's barely able to utter the word 'ambush' before the first member in his group falls. He ducks, and sees-[/I] Alaster awoke in a cold sweat, the images of that dark, cold, blood-soaked day still fresh in his mind. He then heard the voice of Haburasho, his dragon, in his head. "Master?" "You saw it, didn't you?" "I see what you see, you know that." "This shouldn't be troubling me." "But it does, and it always will." "It wasn't my fault, was it? It was-" "It was as much your fault as anything else's, Master. Take that as both solace and discomfort." "...You're right." "Thank you...wait, I sense...something. A fell wind approaches. Get your swords, I fear that battle is coming to us..." Alaster leapt out of bed, grabbed his twin swords, Avenger and Redeemer, and ran outside into the pouring rain...[/COLOR][/SIZE]

[COLOR=DarkGreen][SIZE=1]Ooh, this certainly looks like a good one, Albel. Name: Alaster Seraphim Age: 21 Personality: Altough seeming harsh and uncaring on his exterior, beneath it he is a kind, caring person who is loyal and committed. He is a little cynical at times, and pessimistic about many things, he still is a loyal fighter and will die for his cause. Because of this, he comes off as rather stubborn most of the time. Kingdom: Hemar Position in the Kingdom: Alaster was once the captain of the high Guard of Hemar, but he was cast out for reasons that the Royal Guard would not care to divulge to the public. Alaster lives on the outskirts of the capital of Hemar, content to ignore and be ignored, yet his patriotism and his sense of honor are still strong...(Note: His dishnorable discharge from the Royal Guard will be revealed during the story...) Appearance: [URL=http://hyung-taekim.org/albums/userpics/10001/saladin.jpg]Alaster Seraphim[/URL] Other: Alaster uses his twin swords, Avenger and Redeemer, when he is outside the city. He is well-trained with these weapons, and he refuses to use anything else. Bio: Alaster Seraphim was born in the kingdom of Romet, and his mother died when he was very young. His father did not have a job, and resorted to thievery to feed his son. Ever since his father assaulted a guard after he was caught stealing bread, Alaster had a seed of resentment for his father. They were constantly moving around Romet, until eventually his father was caught once again, and he became a murderer. His father fled the kingdom, dragging his son with him, and they found safe haven in Hemar. His father, however, had connections to the criminal syndicates in Romet, and he was eventually killed because he abandoned the Kingdom, and the syndicate. Alaster learned that his father was an Ex-Soldier, who had been cast out because of his ties to the Syndicate. He took up his fathers swords and became a guard, rising through the ranks of the army until he became one of the youngest guards in history, the same year he got his Dragon, at the age of eighteen. He was a member of the guard for two years, before his father's fate came to haunt him. He was cast out of the high guard, as his father was, and he had to barter to have his life spared. He was cast out of the Palace, stripped of his rank and his honor, and now he lives on the outskirts of the capital. Dragon Spirit's Name: Haburasho Dragon Spirit Type: Dragon of Honor Dragon Spirit's Power: Haburasho can heal the wounds of Alaster, making him heal very quickly, and making him resistant to many different types of diseases. He can also heal others with his touch. Dragon Spirit's Weakness: Because of this, he lacks the offensive power and strength of many other Dragon Spirits. Because of this, Alaster must rely on his speed and his guile to win many fights, because the spirit makes him weaker physically. The spirit is also, as a dragon of honor, unwilling to give in, even to the death of Alaster and himself. PM me if there needs to be any other changes. [/SIZE][/COLOR]

[COLOR=DarkOliveGreen][SIZE=1]-The Simpsons: It's only gone downhill. It's still kind of funny, but it's only a shadow of what it used to be, and it's getting worse every year. Just end it before it soils its brilliant, decade and a half long legacy. -Most Reality...oh, who am I kidding? All reality TV Shows-Anything worthwhile that there was in Reality TV at the start has been lost. I honestly think that they stay on the air because there's a large group of people who like to watch rednecks and morons yell at each other. They're boring, pointless, and most of them boil down to people screaming at each other and crying/getting drunk for an hour. I think I'm preaching to the choir here, but...come on, networks! -Any Incarnations of Dragon Ball that there are left: Honestly, was there any creativity in this show after, oh, I don't know, the first episode? It boils down to anime people looking angry and screaming, while other people gasp and then...one punch is thrown. It's boring, and there's been way too much of it. Dragon Ball Z, Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball GT...what are they on, now? I wouldn't take Family Guy off the air. It manages to consistantly be funnier than a lot of other animated shows out there, and yet it's drawing a lot of fire, for some reason. I agree with the whole MTV thing, though. They only play videos at, like, 1 in the morning to 4 in the morning, and usually it's all crappy rap music. MTV stands for Music Television! In the eighties, it created the music video, and now look at it! :animesigh ...I'm done now. [/SIZE][/COLOR]

[COLOR=Navy][FONT=Century Gothic][CENTER][B]Prelude: The Dark Hours[/B][/CENTER][/FONT] [SIZE=1]The moon was blotted out by the inky black smoke that eminated from the smokestacks in the 3rd District. The fountains had stopped running, the streetlights had stopped glowing, no sound was on the streets, spare the unyielding click-click of the Clockwork Guardians, who protected the town. Outside the walls, an army moved, slowly and quietly through the night. The guardians stopped momentarily, and moved toward the walls. The moon pierced the smoke long enough to show the gleaming of rifles and arrows in the distance. A tall, imposing figure walked along the lines of soldiers, looking out at the city before him, calculating his final additions to the plan. He stepped aside, and gave the word. "Fire!" A rain of arrows fell onto the town, and balls of flame sailed over the walls. The streetlights turned on like wildfire, and the sirens on every corner began to ring. The archers traded places, the cannons reloaded, and another volley was sent. Inside the city walls, there was anarchy. Soldiers rushed to the gate, and to the walls. Guardians, their sleek metal frames illuminated, leapt off the walls with all the grace and speed of a cat, and made a charge to the front lines. A volley of gunfire rang out, and the first line of clockwork soldiers fell. Another volley. A cannonball struck the Chapel of Kathos, causing one of the towers to collapse, spraying rubble and dust into the air. The soldiers lined up on the walls, readying their rifles. A rain of arrows fell onto them, and many fell. Finally, they counterattacked, and the figure on the front lines fired a white arrow into the night, illuminated by the fragments of moonlight that fell sharply onto the field. From out of the forest there came a set of siege towers, battering rams, and ladders. Another volley came at the town, another volley at the siege from the walls. The towers came closer and closer, a thick sheet of iron soullessly knocking cannonfire aside. The towers reached the wall, and a horde of soldiers, clad in red, swarmed over the Order Soldiers... Morning broke slowly over Michel's Crossing, as the Goblins took in the remaining soldiers and civilians captive. This was the war, after all. For four hundred years this had been the war. This was not the first time the Goblins had taken Michel's Crossing, and what would follow would not be the first time that the Order would make a sweeping counterattack to retake the city. They would use their guardians, and their soldiers, and their pious faith in Kathos and his Brotherhood, and the war would continue. The figure, General Kyran, looked at the scores of musketeers the Guardians had wounded. He had seen Michel's Crossing taken before, and he had called a retreat from places like Michel's crossing too many times to count. He sighed as he saw his soldiers convulse and die from the poison darts of the guardians, thinking that maybe, just maybe, it would be different this time... The City of Easterath, however, was already preparing to retake the city. Soldiers lined up in the chapel to pray to the brotherhood, the Guardians were being loaded up wth poison darts and ammunition for their guns. This was the war, after all. For four hundred long years of suffering, this had been the war. Kathos and the brotherhood of Seven would watch over them, they would assure them that the city would be retaken. The Order, however, was facing a war on two sides: on one there was the goblins, who eternally tried to take the river and get into Order Territory, and the Independants, who rebelled from the Order and were now trying to attack it from the west. They would survive, however, they would endure. Why? They had gods on their side, and that is what mattered. The soldiers walked, one by one, into the trains, ready for the long battle ahead of them... If it was the will of Kathos, then they could not fail... - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Okay, so you can choose to be in the Goblin Army or in the Order (The story will start with the retaking of Michel's Crossing) or a member of the Independance, which has a base near Easterath, and they are helping the Goblin War effort. [B]The Basics of Welcome to the War [/B] Guardians: Four-legged mechanical constructs that are the brunt of the offensive war effort for the Order. Some have been hijacked and retooled to fit the needs of the Independance. They are armed with two rifle arms, a poison dart gun, and a bolas (spelling?) on the arm opposite the dart gun. Kathos: The Head of the Brotherhood, crafted the world, lives in the Watchtower. The Brotherhood: A Collection of Seven Legendary knights who served Kathos, revered as semi-gods, each one guards over an aspect of existance. Live with Kathos in the Watchtower The Watchtower: A gigantic tower that can be seen anywhere on the continent. Stretches into the clouds, resting place of the Brotherhood. No mortal has ever reached it. It's surrounded by a series of tall, impenetrable mountains and a desert with ravaging dust storms. [B]The Signup:[/B] Name: Age: Side: (Order, Independance, Goblins) Weapons: (Rifles, bows, swords, etc...) Job: (Soldier, Medic, Tactician, oh, and you can't be a Guardian.) Sex: (Male or Female, duh.) Appearance: Pic or Description Why They've Joined (Side): "Because he/she was bored" doesn't work.[/COLOR][/SIZE]

[SIZE=1][COLOR=DarkOliveGreen]No doubt. Hands down. FFX Yeah, I hate to jump on the apparent bandwagon with this one, but, hey, FFX is simply the better of the two. Okay, so it didn't revolutionize the series in any particular way (apart from the voice dubbing, which, admittedly, FFX-2 does better.) but it's still much better than FFX-2. Honestly, I can't see what the deal was with the sequel. The combat was uninvolving and involved little strategy (a friend of mine had all three in warrior spheres, mashed X in every battle, and usually came out on top.) The writing was very unimpressive, and it felt to me like an entirely different team of people were handling the characters, they just didn't act or 'feel' the same. The soundtrack in FFX is beautiful, haunting, and melodious, whereas FFX-2 took down that brilliant foundation and threw it aside, tossing a boring, bad, 70's disco soundtrack (there's a few diamonds in this rough, but they're the exception, not the rule.) I'm not going off on some fanboy rant, or maybe I am, but that's not the point. FFX had a great story (boring, effeminate heroes nowithstanding) with a great soundtrack, a deep, intuitive level up system, and graphics that, for their time, were breathtaking, more so, in fact, than FFX-2 (in terms of chronology, FFX was released in 2002, and FFX-2 is barely an improvement, but it was released two years later!) and, well, it's just a lot more fun to play. It was compelling, FFX-2 was boring. It was serious and haunting, and FFX-2, well, I was ashamed to even be caught playing it, the asthetic was so childish and soulless. :animesigh I'm done now. No contest. FFX takes the cake. [/COLOR][/SIZE]

[SIZE=1][COLOR=Blue]I'm surprised that no one's put Dark Cloud or Shadow Hearts on this list. Both of them are really underrated RPGs that came out fairly early in the PS2's life cycle. Dark Cloud was a really fun, really inventive game, mainly due to the Georama system, an the plot and characters were just so...esoteric that you couldn't help but have a good time with it. The first few hours of it are absolutely enchanting, as you struggle through the first dungeon, waiting to get the shop in town rebuilt (you'll know what I mean when you play...), and after that, the game slowly burns down to a fairly satisfying conclusion. Sure, some of the enemies are cheap and there are a few bizzare glitches, but I really enjoyed it. Now, it did get a sequel, but I can't say anything about it, seeing as I haven't played it. Okay, so it was supposed to be the Zelda Killer, or so I've heard, but I really can't find many similarities. Now, on an entirely different (and much more dark and bloody) level, there is Shadow Hearts, which could be one of the most original RPGs (in terms of story) that I've ever played. The judgement ring system, the plot, the characters, it was all done so well that its a shame that the sequel wasn't worth the packaging it came in. In the first few hours, you land yourself in a town filled with flesh-eating shapeshifters, has anyone seen that in another RPG? Shadow Hearts...what else can I say? It's kind of a shame that each console now has its own niche in terms of common genres, and I say that because a lot of the good RPGs are on PS2 (except KOTOR.) and I'm not a big fan of the PS2, but hey, what can you do? [/COLOR][/SIZE]

[COLOR=SlateGray][SIZE=1]Well, I do think that, while not all the n00bs are bad, a lot of them just don't look at how you're supposed to post. I mean, it's like I was the only one who actually read the stickies about how to post in the adventure square and in the inn. Oh, yeah, and then there's the introduction threads...*cold shiver*. Then again, we all went through those phases, when we were still learning the ropes of OB (conversely, I'm not entirely sure I understand them completely, even now...) I think that if someone starts off well enough, then they'll be a contributor to the site and they'll be accepted. If they keep spamming threads, making stupid, pointless comments and are generally just a pain in the ***, which doesn't tend to happen often, then those are the ones who generally end up getting banned. So, on that note, I haven't noticed many bannings in recent OB history, so...I'm not exactly sure that the whole thing's gotten n00bified. Now, on a related note,I'm not sure who put this quote on the site, and I'm not sure which thread it was in, and I'm not exactly certain that it's been used already in the thread and I just didn't notice, but it's one of my favorite quotes, and it goes a little something a like-a-this-a (Note: this isn't the exact quote.) [/SIZE][/COLOR] [QUOTE]Most of the spammy, stupid newbies are weeded out within a few posts, so only the dedicated, serious members generally remain on the site.[/QUOTE] [SIZE=1] [COLOR=SlateGray]This whole noobification thing has happened before and it'll happen again. Will most of them stay on the site? Well, probably not, they'll get bored and move on, but will we still have to bear with them for the short amount of time that they're here? Well, sure, but OB is a changing and evolving place, the ebb and flow of successful RPGs in the inn varies as often as the seasons, and with the fall of the influx of n00bs we'll have to bite the bullet and realize that there will always be noobs and there will always be spammy posts and there will always be introduction threads. I apologize for being Grandiose. [/COLOR][/SIZE]

[SIZE=1][COLOR=DimGray]Exactly. I don't see why everyone seems to bash on Nintendo merely because they're saving all their best stuff for a later conference (Like E3 06 or something else a bit more obscure) The fact of the matter is, Nintendo has almost always been the first to put innovative stuff on their consoles. Allow me to damonstrate. Rumble Pak: Started on N64, now is on...everything. Wi-Fi Online Play: Started with DS, now is seriously being ripped off by Sony. Seriously. Wireless Controllers: Started with Wavebird, now is on...yeah, everything. I'm not some nintendo fanboy, I own a PS2 and an X-box, and I'm probably going to have a PS3, an X-box 360, and a Revolution in my house when they come out. Is this based on the scarce showings that everyone saw at E3? No, it's because I'm a gamer, and each console provides excellent games of their own right. Will 360 own my soul because it was released first? No, will PS3 rule me because it has some truly stunning graphics? Of course not. Will the Revolution rock my world because Nintendo has a strong first and second party backing, with a few third party designers, and they have guaranteeable good games? No, not necessarily. Right now there isn't much to talk about with this new console war, but I think Nintendo's making a smart move so that someone doesn't rip off their stuff before these new consoles come out. Don't start off on a new console war when the first one isn't even over! And that's all I have to say on the issue. [/COLOR][/SIZE]

[COLOR=DimGray]Okay, so that looks really cool, and the whole 'revolutionary' aspect of downloading via Wi-Fi is really nice, and the system in and of itself looks very cool, sleek, and sexy. However, I'm not sold on any of the new systems yet, because a system lives or dies based on its games, and that's why I'm leaning toward Revolution in this upcoming '2nd Generation War' because of the fact that I can download, and have on my Revolution at any time, every Zelda Game ever made...Man, think of it. I haven't seen a lot of gameplay for any games on any of the new consoles, and that's understandable, because release is still a while off. However, I stumbled over something in EGM that I found very interesting about Nintendo (it's related to the whole 'console war' thing, and I really think it ties in well with everyone saying that the PS3's going to crush Nintendo and Microsoft.) I don't have the exact quote here, but it was from the newest issue, in the interview with Reggie-Fils Aime, about the Revolution and the Successor to gameboy (still has yet to be seen...) Anyway, it amounts to the fact that Nintendo will always be there, even if they play second fiddle to Sony or Microsoft. I just really like that, because I think that it's really uncouth and really just...stupid, of Sony or Microsoft to try and destroy gaming corporations (like Sega...) It's like this stupid machismo thing with those guys, that its a contest to shatter the third person in the arena at the time. But I'm getting off topic. I'm looking forward to this next generation (even though my wallet is currently preparing for its walk down the green mile, aka the Electronics Section) I bought the Gamcube first in the last slew of the Next Generation Consoles, and, unless something really changes my mind, I'm going to probably buy the Revolution first in this slew of Next-Next Generation Consoles. [/COLOR]

Dissapointment games...Well, I'd have to say that it would be Final Fantasy X-2. Everyone was hyping it up to be this amazing RPG with a story better than FFX, and it was really just...meh. The dressphere system was immensly unbalanced (you could have a party of three warriors and mash X the whole time, and win every battle). The story was weak, most of it wasn't even very understandable until about halfway through the game, and the ending was...dissapointing to say the least. Yes, it looked good, but if good graphics made great games, then Ninja Gaiden would be the greatest game ever made. Still, though, this game was incredibly overrated and was plain dissapointing for me.

This is an interesting one. You see, on one hand, my loyalty lies with Nintendo, it always has and it always will, but there are a few PSP screenshots that seriously make me think. The DS has some good-looking games, but the PSP just looks downright amazing. However, the DS is striving for something new and creative, and people really black ball it because of that. It is not, by any means, a conventional console. Right now, my money is on the Nintendo DS, for three simple reasons: [B] 1. They have name recognition in the handheld market 2. They released the DS almost six months before the PSP, and the PSP still doesn't have a solid release date. 3. Nintendo has a large and loyal fan base that is more than willing to plug $150 on a new handheld, even if only one or two of the launch titles are worth anything. [/B] Still, I've heard a lot of talk about the PSP, and I am trying to look at both sides of this issue. The PSP has Advent Rising, and Metal Gear Ac!d, both of which look like more than amazing in terms of graphics, although MGA's card-combat system looks...questionable. Could that and a price tag only 50 dollars more than the DS make it dominate? I'm keeping an open mind, and I won;t go buying either one until the verdict on the PSP is in, and I've gotten a chance to play it (I've played a bit of DS, and I thought it was pretty good.) Until then, I'm not saying anything one way or the other, despite strong points on both sides.

OOC: GRRRR! I miss so much when I'm gone! [SIZE=1][COLOR=SlateGray] IC: As soon as the fight began, Halas realized the stupidity of using a sword. The rough pommel of it was heavy and felt unnatural in Halas' hands. Still, it was silver, and was likely to do well against the huge white balverine. Halas began to wave the sword around clumsily at the towering creature, who reeked of blood and rotting flesh. He was hit, and he flew back into the wall, falling flat on his face. He got up, slowly, looking at Hashu fighting against the giant creature while Arian pelted it with silver arrows, but none of them seemed to do much against the White Balverine. He shrugged the arrows off, and Hashu was barely able to pierce the creature's skin with the sword. Halas threw a fireball at the Balverine, right as it stood over Hashu. It stopped, and turned to Halas, hunched over at the other end of the cave. It bounded over, and began to attack Halas. Clumsily he tried to dodge out of the way, but to no avail. He was thrown around like a rag doll, always being hurt, but not enough to seriously wound him. Finally, Hashu's silver blade pierced the back of the Balverine, and it collapsed on the floor, letting out a nauseating and almost deafaning roar. "Was that it?" Hashu said, pulling the bloody sword out of the back of the creature. Halas shook his head, the entire scene unfolding in his mind. They would leave, and the balverine would tacke them, tearing each one apart, completely by surprise. "Stab it again." Halas said, glancing down at the balverine. "What?" Hashu said, obviously wanting to be done with this entire thing. "Just get it over with, I'm getting sick of all these stupid balverines." Arian replied. Halas readied the sword, and was ready to bury it in the Balverine's heart when it knocked him away. It wasn't dead, not yet, at least. Hashu rebounded and charged at the Balverine, slashing wildly at it. Halas was dumbstricken, and he didn't know why. Suddenly, he found words coming out of his mouth, echoing in the depths of his mind. "Run!" He yelled, his eyes blank and glazed. "Damn it, Halas! Help us! I can't...activate...hyper mode-" His words were cut short as the balverine tossed him across the cave. "Hashu, Arian, Everyone, RUN!" An aura of red flame began to formulate around him. Suddenly, fire burst out of him in a nova, sending a wave of flame in all directions, lighting the cave in a red inferno, as a torrent of smoke formed around Halas. When the smoke cleared, he saw the singed walls of the cavern, the charred bones of the white balverine, and his friends were nowhere in sight. His vision blurred, but he thought he saw them emerging from behind the walls or from behind a pile of Balverine corpses, but he fell faint, and collapsed on the floor...[/COLOR] [/SIZE] OOC: Bleh, not my best post by any means, but I haven't posted here for a looong time.

Now, I've posted a lot of RPs in the past, and all of them have been, well, awful, to say the least (Well, Remnant was good in my opinion, but it never got off the ground.) That can be attributed to many, many things, as well. Titles, post quality (in my earlier threads, unless I'm missing something) or just that they were released at the wrong time. Still, I've had this idea percolating in my head for about a week now, and I'm putting it here to see what people think of it. Here's the basic plot, written in non-dramatic terms. The whole thing details a group of individuals who have been banished to a world called Eros (Tentative title), after their death which wasn't supposed to happen, or some entity banished them there. Eros is a place for souls in balance, either a completely neutral soul, a good soul that did one terrible act, or an evil soul that gained enough redemption to be neutral at the end of their life. Eros is a world without sunlight, with numerous realms that are lifeless, entailing the nature of the world. The purpose, the thing the characters are trying to accomplish is to escape from this living death, either to the afterlife or the world where they once were. Soulstorms, the titular event, are waves of tormented spirits that roam Eros, sweeping any in their path to join them in their eternal wandering. Now, back to the characters: How do they escape Eros? What will happen to them once they do? Well, that would develop as the story went on, I haven't thought that through because I want this RP to not be restricting to the people taking it. Naturally, there will be more to this when/if it ever appears in the inn, but this is the bare skeleton of the story, I'll add more. If anyone has any suggestions/comments/rulings on this, post.

Life of a Bard In the kingdom of Altheris, there was great unrest among the people of the kingdom. Armies of Nords from the lands of the north were massing, led by an enigmatic leader whom none of the soldiers of Altheris had seen. Not to mention the hoards of bandits that threatened to destroy Altheris from within... Day by day, as the cloud of war hung over the people of Altheris, they turned to their leader only to see a frightened man too young for his position in the throne. The land was saturated with fear, but still some gave hope to them, however, they did not come in the form of most... On the streets of Lathen, it was empty, and rain fell from a blue sky onto the muddy roads. Strange, melancholy music drifted out the door of the tavern labeled 'The Grey Horse'. A band, a group of bards, was rehearsing, hoping only for a few pieces of gold. They began to play a slow, haunting melody. The rest of the entire tavern stopped as the music took form and filled the crowded room, as if time itself had ceased moving for the moment. Drunks quieted, the bartender leaned back in his seat, it was obvious that no one would be doing much while these sorcerers of harmonies and melodies played their songs. These bards represented the last bit of good left in the people of Altheris. Who were these people, these sorcerers of words, these makers of music? They were but ordinary people, simply trying to make a living. They drifted, without fear of bandits, between city and weary city. They, however, gave hope to the people of Althiris. They brought out the last of the adventurous folk, the last breed of people who were fearless in this time. They were comrades, all knowing and loving each other. Yet they remained humble, almost obvivious to the respect that people gave to them. Some were young, some were older, and others were people trying to evade their past... These people wandered, making small amounts of money from the less perfect people of Altheris. What made them so perfect? What made them stand out and be able to spiritually arrest even the most raucous of drunken barbarians? Most importantly, where did they come from, and why were they such an enigma to the common folk? The signup: The positions are...well, members of the band. Any amount will do, as long as its above 4 people. I would, however, like a singer/poet for the band. Name: Age: 15-35 Instrument: Other Abilities: Defining Attribute: Beauty, Scariness, Charisma, etc. Appearance: A pic would be nice, but a description needs to be about a paragraph long. My Signup: Name: Weaver Age: 21 Instrument: Oboe Other Abilities: Is apparently good at fencing, persuasive. Defining Attribute: Charismatic Appearance: A pic will be upcoming, but for now, here's a description. Weaver has long, dark blonde hair, and brilliant light blue eyes. He wears a brown coat, which is kind of worn and tattered, with a blue shirt and black pants under it. He, despite his slightly older age (for the time period) looks very young, and his face has no scars or signs of any age. He has a large, brown belt, with a pouch on the back where he keeps his instrument. Also, he wears a brown scarf which also looks weathered and tattered. He also has a scabbard on his belt.

[COLOR=SlateGray][SIZE=1]"...what do you mean, serious trouble?" Halas looked at the stunned Von. "Balverines." There was a pause. [Balverines? They sound...familiar, somehow. I don't think I've ever encountered one.] "A Balverine, here?" "Not a bavlerine, [U]balverines[/U], a whole pack of them." He shut the book and grabbed the pistol, immediately heading toward the door. "What are you doing?" Halas yelled at Von. Von turned to him, a look of urgency and worry in his eyes. "Ci, she's out there, unarmed, practically alone, against a pack of a dozen of those things!" [Arian's out there, too...] Halas nodded, and followed Von into the woods, grabbing the book as he left. It was quiet, spare the crackling of the leaves under their feet. The sun was rising swiftly over the forest, but it was still dark and cold underneath the canopy of dying leaves. Von had the gun in his right hand, and he was ready to activate his power if something caught him by surprise. Suddenly, there was a rustle in the bushes, and Von pointed the pistol into the dark. Halas made dual fireballs, ready to turn this entire area into a towering inferno if that's what was needed to take out a pack of Balverines. Suddenly, Ciarra walked out and both of them set aside their weapons. Arian followed soon, and Halas' heart and mind were set at ease. "Where have you two been?" Halas asked. Ciarra nodded, and began to speak. "Don't worry about the Balverine, we took it out." She said, glad to have put this behind her. "Don't celebrate just yet, there's more of them." Halas handed the journal to Arian, and she looked over the scratched, bloodstained pages. Just as she finished, Hashu walked calmly out of the brush, completely unharmed. "There's something all of you guys have to see." He said, motioning for them to follow. Von spoke up. "There's a pack of Balverines loose in this forest." "I don't care! There's something you all have to see!" Hashu stormed into the woods. Slowly, each one followed him. He led them to a small outpost, steel, with a single computer. Ci paled as she saw it. "...I'm not going near that thing." She said shying away from the doorway. Halas was the first to walk in, looking at the dusty old monitor. Hashu followed, looking at it. "This holds the secret to all of our pasts. I know now my purpose in this, and all of you can learn the true potential of your powers!" He said, ready to activate the terminal, but Arian interrupted him. "Uh...we have company!" Halas ran outside, and saw that the entire area was surrounded by Balverines, at least twenty strong. He readied a fireball, and threw it at one of the closest creatures...[/COLOR] ----------------[/SIZE] OOC: Ooh, the plot thickens!

Yeah, I think that American Idiot is definently Green Day's best album. I honestly can say that there isn't a bad song on it, from start to finish. Alright, so Extraordianry Girl isn't exactly great by any stretch of the imagination, but each song is good, and the album as a whole just plain rocks. My favorite American Idiot song? Hmm...probably a tie between Boulevard of Broken Dreams and Jesus of Suburbia. Boulevard is one of those songs that I can listen to over and over and over, and Jesus of Suburbia is undoubtedly one of Green Day's best songs ever, bar none. Oh, and as for those of you who thought that it shouldn't be a Parental Advisory album, well, it may not have been entirely deserving of it, because there are sparing few songs that say ******* that stand out in my mind, but it does swear an awful lot. Still, American Idiot is one of my favorite albums to come out this year.

Azure, I have to agree with you. Isn't it a tad bit too early to be thinking about making this a full-fledged anime and video game? I'm not telling you its wrong to dream, but you're shooting a tad bit too high. Making an entire, 30 or 40 hour game by yourself? Uh...yeah, no. I'm not too serious about it, I like anime, I enjoy drawing manga, but I'm not going to try to make anything big, it's not wat I want out of life. Now, if you want to pursue it, then more power to you. I'm just saying that you're getting a bit...overzealous. [QUOTE] YAY! I'm glad that SOMEONE likes the idea. I agree completley with him. EVERYTHING will sound like Inuyasha. Having someone fall in love in the plot would make it too much like Inuyasha. I say, it was a good thing that you like the idea. I was getting REALLY tired of listening to a broken record.[/QUOTE] Well, we may have gone a bit too far, but still, if something sounds like Inuyasha, then that can't be helped. You got offended at some constructive critisism, which will really hinder you if you ever want to make games as a career. Oh, and about the falling in love thing? That might just be me, bit I think it's become kind of a cliche to have a love sub-story in a manga or any form of storytelling, if I may get on top of a soap box here. Why would Miroshi have to fall in love? If he has no soul, how COULD he fall in love? Is it entirely necessary to the story to have Yuantarin, or Miroshi, or anyone else fall in love? My answer, at least, is no, it's there as a false attempt to add character to your characters, and a love subplot is not the only way to do that! But now I'm getting overzealous, and slightly hypocritical, so I'll stop there. I was being a jerk about this, and it was probably not in my place to do so, but still, think on it. To quote Azure, you're going to have to compromise parts of your story to make it seem original. If people saying that it's too much like Inuyasha, prove them wrong, instead of waiting for someone to agree with you.

OOC: Too soon to post? Well, no matter, this is getting to be rather interesting. ----------------------------- [COLOR=SlateGray][SIZE=1]Halas was scouting out the villiage for weapons or any more signs of what could have done this to an entire town. The guns were gone, from everywhere in the town that he had searched. Fog was settling in on the forest, and the sun, barely rising over the hills, barely broke through to provide a small amount of light. Luckily for Halas, he had a light in his hands. He felt a small bit of guilt and worry for Arian and Ciarra. Or was it just Arian? He shook his head and wandered into a small cottage. Even in the small amount of light, he could see that it was empty. Still, he looked about, there was a cabinet with sparing bits of food. None of it had expired, meaning that Helega couldn't have been deserted too long ago. He kept looking, they definently had enough food. [What about Arian, though...what if she got hurt?] He suddenly heard Von yelling at him from across the village. "Hey-Halas! I think I've found something!" Halas turned and ran into the cellar where Von was. Von was standing above a corpse, looking down at it. The corpse was wearing a tattered white lab coat, and had a book tightly clutched in his hand. Von was carefully yanking a gun out of his other hand. He pulled out the clip and looked in it. Nodding, he looked over at Halas. "We've got ourselves a weapon." He tossed the gun over to Halas. There were three bullets left in the clip. Not nearly enough if they were up against something that could empty an entire town. Halas looked at the book, and pulled it out of the dead man's grasp. It was dusty, and some of the pages were torn out of the back. He set it aside and looked at the man that had been holding it. There were numerous cuts and lacerations across his chest and arms, and his glasses were cut cleanly in half. Von, however, seemed more interested in the book, he picked it up, and opened it, smoothing out the pages. His eyes widened as he read, and as he turned the page, he looked up at Halas. "I think we have a serious problem." [/SIZE][/COLOR] ----------------------- OOC: I don't have anything, my mind is completely blank.

[COLOR=SlateGray][SIZE=1]Clouds shrouded the moon above, making it very hard to see. The city was emptied, which really brought up more questions than answers. Why was it deserted? If the people were killed, where were their bodies? Why were they not told that Helega was merely dust in the wind? Ciarra and Von were out looking about the villiage, and Halas stood alone on the outskirts. Suddenly, he heard rustling in the woods. He quickly whipped around and held his fists up. Nothing, there was nothing behind him. his mind must be doing a real number on him. Suddenly, he heard Ciarra's voice coming from one of the empty buildings. "Uh...I found something!" She sounded like she was trying to hide being repulsed. Halas joined the others as they walked inside the rotting building. Halas drew in the smell of rotting wood and decomposing flesh. Ciarra was looking down at a crumpled mass of blankets below them. A few pained moans emenated from the blankets, and Von moved forward towards it. A voice came from it, a pained, grunting voice: "Come no closer! I do not wish to hurt you!" The pale, grizzled face of a man poked out of the blankets, and looked at them. His eyes were glazed, and he had a look of pain and madness on his face. Ciarra backed up, and bumped into a desk. "Who are you?" Halas said, walking closer to the form on the floor. "I...I am the owner of this place. This...was once my inn. The...it dragged the people from the village. First the women, then the men. The last of us...told the rest to flee, before it awoke again..." He trailed off, and made a stifled scream. He huddled back into his protection, and began to shiver. "What...what took them?" Arian said, but there was no reply. A single, shriveled hand came out of the rags, pointed into the forest, and fell with a resounding thump onto the wooden floor. Halas looked at his hand, and a light began to brew in it. He held it out, to survey the room. There were drag markings and a few corpses on the floor, and the man's rags were soaked in red. The windows were shattered, and it looked as if people had tried to hide in here before something forced them out...and slaughtered them. Halas and the others immediately retreated outside, where the clouds began to clear. [Well, something had to happen sooner or later.] [/SIZE][/COLOR]

[SIZE=1][COLOR=SlateGray]Halas had no idea what to do. He didn't know his power, hell, he didn't even know if he had a power. He grabbed the gun off of the first biker and looked at the clip. Empty. He looked over at Arian, who was looking at her hands with a look of disgust and curiosity. Ci was obviously confused, and sat down in the sand. He tossed the empty gun to the ground, and looked out at the dunes. One of the bikers had fled. "All that work and we don't even get a weapon." He said, kicking the empty gun. His mind was troubled. Well, it was always troubled, but it was more so than normal. What if he was an outcast from the outcasts? What if he had no powers? Everything began to darken, and then...Halas collapsed onto the dunes. Halas was on the cold, steel table again. Two doctors paced around him, looking at his body, which was still covered in acupuncture holes. They murmered to themselves, not talking to one another, and one was taking notes on a palm computer. Finally, one looked over at the other. "Do you think he's going to die?" The doctor said. Everything was blurry, but he recognized that at least one of the doctors was a woman. The second was slow in responding. "...It doesn't matter, you know." The second voice was gruff, older, and weathered. "I just don't want to waste our time on an experiment that won't live to use the...gifts, we have given to him." The female doctor replied. "He'll live, but this one is...different from the others." The man's voice was cold and emotionless as he said this. "His gifts tend to fluctuate in power. We have a long way to go before he is what we want him to be." "Fluctuate? Could you elaborate on this, doctor?" "At some times, the pyrokenisis is very potent, enough to create a nova of flame that could go for kilometers in all directions, yet at other times, it makes a flame the size of a cigarrette lighter's flame." "That will have to be f-ixe-d..." The voices trailed off, and everything went black... Halas awoke, looking into the clear sky. Von and Ci were looking down on him, and Arian was kneeling by his side. He woke up in a cold sweat, but seemed otherwise alright. "Halas, are you okay?" Arian said, helping him up. He looked at them, grinning. "Halas? Is anyone in there?" Von said, looking into his eyes. Halas paused, he finally knew something about himself. "Fire." He said, simply. [/COLOR][/SIZE] OOC: Didn't have much time, this is a bit short for me.

[COLOR=SlateGray][SIZE=1]There comes a time in every OB users life when they realize that the premade Avis aren't quite...cutting it. They want more out of that, they want a banner and a custom avi. This, is one of those stories... Alright, now that THAT's over with, I can get to asking. Yeah, if I've not made it clear, this is one of those threads. Now, this question's been asked a million times over and again, but I'd like a custom avi and a banner. I'm not trying to make this too oppressive, but I'd like the banner to have some fire, because that's the Beorhun character's main element. The avi should look something like [URL=http://fanart.theotaku.com/view.php?action=retrieve&id=43361]this character[/URL] I'm not a very good artist, but that's kind of what I want it to look like. The Banner is free territory. Thanks! [/SIZE][/COLOR] [SIZE=1][COLOR=Red]Edit: Sorry, I didn't know the link was bad, I fixed it, well, I hope...[/COLOR][/SIZE]

[COLOR=SlateGray][SIZE=1]Hmmm....well, this is an interesting question. I think that the perfect video game would be a cross between and adventure, RPG, and fighting game. Like Shenmue, but with mroe action and a level-up system. I, for one, liked Shenmue, except that it was too slow. The idea was cool and unique, but there was too much backtracking and not enough action. Hmm... Maybe a game where it took place in the distant, dystopic future, thousands of years after a nuclear war, where the entire world was a sterile, inhopsitiable wasteland except for a few select areas called 'havens' where most of humanity dwelled. All technology has been destroyed, and people have reverted to useing swords and the like. You would go around like in a Zelda game, given simplified combat controls in larger fights, and in small 1 on 1 or 1 on 2 fights, you would be allowed to fight with a Soul Calibur-esque fighting style. The fighting game portions would be worth more experience, but would also require more finesse. It would have a level-up system kind of like the one in KOTOR or Neverwinter Nights, because they both have a deep (and similar) level-up system. You could merely wander around, doing small side quests in the cradles, or wander on the scarred dunes, fighting the creatures mutilated by the nuclear fallout. There would be tons of oppurtunity for customizing your character and your teammates, who would in the larger battles, be controlled by an AI that you could customize. I'm not sure what the plot would be like, but I think that would be a cool and unique game. Well, not unique, but still really, really cool, if it were pulled off correctly. Closing Remarks: You had better be right about that whole 'copyright' thing, Kiba. [/SIZE][/COLOR]

OOC: Silvercyclone, I congratulate you. [COLOR=SlateGray][SIZE=1]IC: The plan was set, well, as much as this plan could be set. First off, St. Helega was two days walk from the town, and Halas had no idea if it would be any different from here. Nevertheless, anything had to be better than waiting in this dead-end town. Halas was getting water, lots of it. He slung the tall, cumbersome water pouch over his shoulder. It alone weighed about five pounds, and would be combersome to carry when it was full. He handed the last of their money to the old man behind the counter. [B] [You'll thank yourself later, Halas.] [/B] The man at the general store looked at him from behind a dusty pair of goggles as he walked out, carrying the pouch. "What're you planning on doing, son?" Halas stopped at the door. He was hesitiant to say, but what harm could it do, really? "I'm heading out, probably to St. Helega or somewhere around there." "Helega?" The old man made a tired laugh. "Well, son, I hope the sand doesn't kill you before the nomads do." Nomads? Like the people that Albel had taken the sword from? They didn't look too formidable. Besides, they could probably handle a few of them. He turned to the old man. "Thanks for the warning, old man." "You know, it might be safer to wait for the freight that comes down the trader's road each month. It'll be here in about two weeks, I reckon." Halas shook his head as the old man croaked out the last words. "No, we're leaving now. If I meet my end on the dunes, well, then, I probably should have waited for the freight." The old man cackled, leaning back in his chair. Halas made a small grin, and walked out to the old water pump outside the general store. After the pouch was full, it weighed about thirty pounds, but it didn't feel too heavy on his shoulder. He carried it over to the bench, where Von stood, looking at the map. Halas set the water down, Von nodded. "That'll have to do." He said, looking back at the map. "It's about thirty pounds. Yeah, it'll do just fine." Arian walked down the street, carrying a backpack. She set it down and opened it. Huh, full of dried meat and bread. Halas looked at her. "How did you get all this? We're broke." "The old lady at the inn gave it to me. I took the backpack from there, too." She replied, grinning. Huh, she was rescourceful. Ciarra wandered to where they were, carrying nothing. "I couldn't find any weapons whatsoever. This town is completely weaponless!" She said, dropping onto the bench. Von shrugged, rolling the map up. He looked at them, contemplating what to say. Finally he spoke: "So, are we ready to go?" He said, smiling. [/SIZE][/COLOR]

Hmmm....Yultide RP? Well...hmm...I guess I should make a sort of 'fill in the blanks' thing because that's exactly what my mind is right now: [SIZE=1][COLOR=Red] There is a ________ (holiday{ex/ Kwanzaa, Christmas}) party that is brought to a screeching halt by ________(Main Bady Guy/Guys) who decide that _______(Holiday) is a bane upon humanity, and want it destroyed. Therefore, the _______(Holiday) party is brought to a halt, and the __________ (Heroes), who are but mere mortals, attempt to save (Holiday) from utter destruction by _______(Bad Guy)... [/COLOR][/SIZE] Now, you can elaborate on that, and it does look downright silly, but here's how I would do it... [COLOR=Red][SIZE=1] There is a [U]Christmas [/U]party, that is brought to a screeching halt by [U]an Evil Cabal of Atheist Ninjas [/U]who decide that [U]Christmas[/U] is a bane upon humanity, and want it destroyed. Therefore, the [U]Christmas[/U] party is halted, and [U]the Noble Samurai[/U], who are but mere mortals, attempt to save[U] Christmas[/U] from utter destruction at the hands of [U]the Atheist Ninjas[/U]...[/SIZE][/COLOR] Okay, so that's not my best work, but it is not my worst (Ultima Tournament...*shudders*) And it does look rather silly at first glance...hmm...well, a holiday RP would probably rather silly, wouldn't it? How would you go about a Yuletide RP that had a cohesive plot and still have it be holiday-ish? Dragon Warrior brought up the 'Padded Party Room' which I've never seen (Still a n00b at heart...) but sounded kind of like fun, if it were done correctly by the right people. Well, it's not quite christmas yet, now is it? There is still time to formulate a plot to make a successful Yuletide RP...