RPG Final Fantasy Utopia - Salvation Lies In The Past

[Sandy]

Finally I've managed to get everything done, so that this game can begin. Please read this text CAREFULLY through.

This is going to be extremely long start, so let my begin by putting a little index for this post (or posts):

1.How to play/rules
2.Stuff you need, such as lists of items, magics, weapons, places etc.
3.The beginning of the game, written by me! (Divided into 14 parts, each from every character's point of view)

So, let's get down to business:

Rules:
1. Everybody writes ONLY from their own characters point of view (with the exception of me, of course ;) ). So where-ever your character goes, you will go too. And don't play with the other peoples characters too much, let them make their own decisions.
2. Write sensibly, not too short, yet not too long either (just that one person doesn't dominate this game too much).
3. Read EVERYTHING the others have written, or else this can get quite confusing. And please go with the flow as much as possible (and is rational), meaning that don't oppose every idea that the previous poster has invented.
4. Write clearly (though this should be taken for granted). Of course you can alter the manner of speach of your character, but please do that only when the character is speaking.
5. Nobody has very much power in this game, so advance using the first weapons/moves on your list, and after a time, you can get new, better ones (just like in the real videogame).
6. Stick with the world and stuff I've created: you cannot suddenly have a machinegun, you can suddenly fly, and you can't suddenly lift up a new continent from the bottom of the ocean and begin to rule it.
7. You can write battle scenes (although you don't have to) with all the characters who are in the same party as your character. You can see how it is done from the beginning-episodes.
8. Be creative. I know I've planned pretty much for this game, but that doesn't mean I don't want you to create anything. I'm really tolerant, so use all the writer-skills you have.
9. You can write "offgame" as well, but you must make sure everybody can see that the part isn't related to the actual gameline.

Well, that was about all for that. If ANYTHING is left unclear, don't hesitate to ask.

Okay, onto the other issues: Here comes the lists. Check back to them when you think you need new items and weapons, or when you don't know how certain weapons or magics work.

[u][b]The World of Asqar: (see attachment for the map)[/b][/u]
[u]Realms:[/u]
· Carthenia - country of highlands, mist and waterfalls, ruled by emir Cid Redhawk
· Arcania - rough lands, except near the coast, where it's fertile, ruled by emir Gojo
· Mertonia - mountains in northern parts, but forestlands in the south, under the power of Technotheistic Church, ruled by emiress Brahnya and pope Armagenes
· Tsunami Islands - only the main island is inhabited, others are too rocky and stormy to make a living, ruled by regent Trang
· Aphrosia - country of rainforests and marshes, ruled by sovereign Mezresis
· Desert of Kjaran Shu - some say it's only one huge, inpassable desert, but some outcasts are proven to live there
· Maua Isles - beautiful and exotic islands far from the rising technology of the rest of the world
· Paradision - mystical islands in far north, inhabited by a strange species called the Serene Ones
· Nordania - colony of Carthenia, has a very small population due to the cold weather
· Sable Lands - ominous land of eternal dusk, inhabited by the Ferocious Ones
[u]Cities:[/u]
· Camelot - capital of Carthenia, build on a mountain, can be most easily reached by aircrafts
· City of Arches - capital of Arcania, city of modern architecture, big pollution problems from the coal engines
· St. Jahva - capital of Mertonia, consists of two cities: the Papal City, a glorious area encircled with high walls; and the City of Commons outside the wall, full of people working for the Church
· Quindao - capital of Tsunami Islands, has the largest harbor in all Asqar, but is also known for its ancient pagoda called "Celestial Steps"
· Tolrama - capital of Aphrosia, city in the middle of deep jungle, famous for its medical knowledge
· Solomon City - Mertonian city of eternal festivities, nest of corruption and crime, lead by mayor Duke Solomon
· Playa Plata - scenic harbor city, favored among turists
· Port Junction - important city of trade between Mertonia and Carthenia
· Beatricia - city of arts and culture in South-Arcania
· Harmageddon - dark city of the Ferocious Ones, mostly ruined
· Pacifica - peaceful city of the Serene Ones, covered by mists
· Floating Garden (not on the map) - floating city of the moogles, ruled by king Artemicion
[u]Villages:[/u]
· Hebei - village of fishermen
· Borala - village in the meeting point of ocean, desert and jungle
· Arabad - village of the outcasts in the Great Desert, lead by rogue Bhen Tamad
· Mt. Carpasso - mining village high up in the mountains, near to a moogle settlement
· Euphony Creek - remote village in deep forest, known for its nuzhous
· Whaling Port - small village of whalers and crystal miners, gate to the northern continent
[u]Other Locations:[/u]
· Forgotten Shrine - ancient temple of the Guardians
· Tempest Island - island of eternal storms, which makes it impossible to inhabit
· Underwater Excavation Site - Arcania's underwater project to find the treasures of a sunken city, consist of ancient ruins of Thaleshaan and the Arcanian research center Ultros
· Eternal Pyre - a mystic fire lake in Tsunami Island
· Lake Styx - a poisonous lake with an island in the middle of it, is said to lead to the Beyond
· Bugenhagen Observatory - abandoned observatory from old times, inhabited by an old scientist called dr. Kreutz
· Glacier of Oblivion - glacier in the north, is said to hide a great secret
· Mt. Babel - world's highest mountain, the tip carved to a city by the Ancients
· Mt. Agni - an active volcano in Aphrosia
· Crystal Cavern - cavern connecting Nordania and Glacier of Oblivion, known for its great deposit of crystals
· Windy Hollow - a cavern with rough winds whirling through it
· Egea's Crater - big crater formed by a self-destructive mage, is said to be the location of the most greatest city of the old times
· Chocobo Garden - dwelling of wild chocobos

[u][b]Weapons:[/u][/b]
[u]Swords (Mena & Torean):[/u]
· Broadsword (no special effect)
· Mythril Blade (randomly casts slow)
· Butterfly Edge (first strike)
· Defender (randomly counter-attacks)
· Yoshiyuki (blizzard-elemental damage)
· Mesmerize Blade (randomly casts confuse)
· Blood Sword (drains opponent's hp)
· Organics (earth-elemental damage)
· Masamune (cuts both hp & mp)
· Excalibur (holy-elemental damage)
· Ragnarok (randomly casts meteor)
· *Save The Queen (only Mena)*
[u]Rods (Mena & Keio):[/u]
· Healing Rod (heals if used on ally)
· Lullaby (randomly casts sleep)
· Nimbus Rod (first strike)
· Fairy Tale (randomly casts silence)
· La Mirage (randomly casts confuse)
· Nemesis (randomly counter-attacks)
· Whale Whisker (water-elemental damage)
· Phoenician (casts rebirth when carrier dies (once per combat))
· Aurora (cuts both hp & mp)
· Princess Guard (casts wall on the carrier at the start of a combat)
· Seraphim (casts regen on the carrier at the start of a combat)
· *Eden (only Keio)*
[u]Dirks (Torean & Diablo):[/u]
· Dagger (no special effect)
· Liquid Steel (first strike)
· Brigandine (scans opponent when attacked for the first time)
· The Ogre (randomly casts berserk)
· Gladius (randomly counter-attacks)
· Heartbreaker (cuts opponent's hp by ¼)
· Rune Tooth (casts haste on the carrier at the start of a combat)
· Zorlin Shape (randomly casts petrify)
· Durandal (cuts both hp & mp)
· Sargatanas (casts reflect on the carrier at the start of a combat)
· Orichalcon (shadow-elemental damage)
· *Caladbolg (only Torean)*
[u]Nunchakus (Ebonine & Lotus):[/u]
· Flail (no special effect)
· Vanguard (first strike)
· Sonar (randomly casts silence)
· Vulcana (fire-elemental damage)
· Bushido (randomly counter-attacks)
· Prospector (scans opponent when attacked for the first time)
· Morning Star (casts float on the carrier at the start of a combat)
· Multina (cuts both hp & mp)
· Shapeshifter (randomly casts mini or toad)
· Strange Visions (randomly casts detrimental spells)
· Apocalypse (shadow-elemental damage)
· *Spiritus (only Lotus)*
[u]Staves (Xeed & Strago):[/u]
· Monk Staff (no special effect)
· Magus Staff (randomly casts silence)
· Dual Staff (randomly casts drain or osmose)
· Staff of Thorns (first strike)
· Bizarro (randomly casts confuse or berserk)
· Prism Staff (randomly counter-attacks)
· Abraxas (cuts both hp & mp)
· El Dorado (consumes mp to inflict greater damage)
· Thanatos (randomly casts doom)
· Octagon (casts random enhancive spells on carrier at the start of a combat)
· Papal Mace (holy-elemental damage)
· *Nirvana (only Xeed)*
[u]Lances (Ebonine & Cristan):[/u]
· Javelin (no special effect)
· Partisan (first strike)
· Harpoon (randomly casts slow)
· Trident (water-elemental attack)
· Scimitar (randomly counter-attacks)
· Dusk Lance (randomly casts blind)
· Heavy Lance (cuts both hp & mp)
· Viper Halberd (randomly casts virus)
· Dragoon Lance (enables jump-command)
· Obelisk (casts float on the carrier at the start of a combat)
· Holy Lance (holy-elemental damage)
· *Titanic (only Ebonine)*
[u]Shurikens (Keio & Rouge):[/u]
· Pinwheel (no special effect)
· Wind Slash (wind-elemental damage)
· Razor Ring (hits the opponents randomly)
· Hawkeye (first strike)
· Valkyrie (heals if used on ally)
· Force Stealer (drains opponent's hp)
· Conformer (randomly counter-attacks)
· Stella Polaris (randomly casts meteor)
· Oritsuru (cuts both hp & mp)
· Crescent Blade (casts vanish on the carrier at the start of a combat)
· Rising Sun (tetra-elemental damage)
· *Venus Gospel (only Rouge)*
[u]Gloves (Diablo & Lotus):[/u]
· Eye Poker (no special effect)
· Buster Glove (first strike)
· Metal Knuckles (randomly casts sleep)
· Duel Claws (randomly casts berserk)
· Ironside (casts protect on the carrier at the start of a combat)
· Avenger (randomly counter-attacks)
· Shocking Fist (thunder-elemental damage)
· Maverick (casts haste on the carrier at the start of a combat)
· Gauntlet (cuts both hp & mp)
· Kaiser Knuckles (randomly casts doom)
· Ehrgeiz (shadow-elemental damage)
· *God's Hand (only Diablo)*
[u]Whips (Rouge & Rubio):[/u]
· Chain Whip (no special effect)
· Stun Chain (randomly casts sleep)
· Slaying Tail (first strike)
· Belladonna (randomly casts confuse)
· Flametongue (fire-elemental damage)
· Red Scorpion (randomly casts virus)
· Survivor (randomly counter-attacks)
· Maliris (cuts both hp & mp)
· Illumina (casts vanish on the character at the start of a combat)
· Typhoon (water-elemental damage)
· Dragon Hair (shadow-elemental damage)
· *Gizamaluke(only Rubio)*
[u]Pistols (Cristan & Rubio):[/u]
· Gentleman (no special effect)
· Quicksilver (randomly casts poison)
· Assault (first strike)
· Lariat (random double shot)
· Bismarck (water-elemental damage)
· Punishment (randomly counter-attacks)
· Memento (randomly casts petrify)
· Vigilante (cuts both hp & mp)
· Outsider (randomly casts dispel)
· Victorix (randomly casts death)
· Deus Ex Machina (casts fervor on the carrier at the start of a combat)
· *Millennium (only Cristan)*
[u]Mind (Xeed & Strago):[/u]
· attack-power grows when character's level grows
[u]Claw (Gaupo): [/u]
*unique weapon, causes various status disorders

*Starlet uses no weapons, but she can mime others' attacks including special effects of their weapons
*Kumog can use any weapon, except Mind and Claw
*Each character can carry two weapons at the same time, except Xeed, Strago, Starlet and Gaupo
*Final weapons are unique, and are given to each character personally by one of the heroes in Walhalla

[u][b]Skills:[/b][/u]
Mena:
· squall - performs special moves with the aid of her magical pet-hawk Squall
Torean:
· sword art - performs mighty special moves with sword
Keio:
· trance - becomes uncontrollable for a short period of time, gaining power to perform more effective attacks
Ebonine:
· throw -uses special throwing items and weapons against opponents (see Items)
Xeed:
· secret - performs mystical attacks gained along the journey
Diablo:
· thievery - steals items & weapons
Rouge:
· seduce - takes some opponents into control for some time, using them against their allies
Cristan:
· gambler - uses cards with different effects
Strago:
· transform - tranforms into a monster for a short period of time, using its attacks (abilities gained from the specific monster-opponents)
Lotus:
· combo - combines special martial-arts attacks
Starlet:
· mime - mimes the attacks/moves/magic of the allies
Rubio:
· darkside - uses enemy skills
Kumog:
*alchemy - combines two items to create more effective ones

[u][b]Magic (NOTE: magic is only available through Guardians, so you cannot use it in the beginning!):[/b][/u]
Offensive (Yin&Yang) (>>>=effective against):
· fire>fira>firaga (>>>blizzard)
· blizzard>blizzara>blizzaga (>>>thunder)
· thunder>thundara>thundaga (>>>water)
· water>tide (>>>fire)
· quake>volcano (>>>walking opponents)
· wind>tornado (>>>flying opponents)
· demi>gravity>gaia (takes away certain percentage of the opponents hp)
· drain>feast (transfers some of the opponents hp to an ally/all allies)
· tetra>triforce (triple magic: fire+blizzard+thunder/water+quake+wind)
· holy (>>>shadow)
· shadow (>>>holy)
· meteor>meteorain (non-elemental damage to random opponents)
· flare>flara>flaraga (non-elemental magic)
· ultima (supreme non-elemental magic)
Curative (Yin):
· cure>cura>curaga>healer (restores a certain amount of the ally's/the party's hp)
· esuna (removes all status disorders except sleep, freeze, mini, toad & doom)
· life>rebirth (resurrects an ally partially/entirely)
· morph (allies: cures mini & toad; opponents: morphs into items)
· osmose>lecture (transfers some of opponents mp to an ally/the party)
· regen>recurrence (slowly increases the hp of an ally/the party)
Enhancive (Yin):
· aura (boosts an ally's skill-power)
· fervor (casts both aura & might to the whole party)
· float (gives allies flying ability, raises evade, nulls quake)
· haste>rush (an ally/the party moves faster, regen & poison affect faster)
· might (boosts an ally's attack-power)
· protect (boosts an ally's defense)
· reflect>prism (counters elemental & curative magic back from the target/targets to the caster)
· shell (boosts an ally's magic defense)
· vanish>curtain (makes an ally/the party temporarily immune to physical attacks by invisibility)
· wall (casts both protect & shell to the whole party)
Detrimental (Yang):
· berserk>frenzy (an opponent temporarily attack ignoring orders)
· blind (decreases attack & evade)
· confuse (an opponent attacks uncontrollably against its opponents as well as its allies & itself)
· death (certain percentage's possibility to a sudden death)
· dispel (removes all curative/enhancive spells from an opponent)
· doom (begins countdown to death)
· freeze (temporarily freezes an opponent, decreasing its defense)
· mini (shrinks an opponent, decreasing its attack-power)
· petrify (gradually turns enemies into stone)
· poison>virus>plague (decreases a certain amount of hp per round from an opponent/all opponents)
· silence (makes opponent disable to cast spells)
· sleep (stops opponents action until attacked physically)
· slow>bind (decreases an opponents movement, regen & poison affect slower)
· toad (transforms an opponent into a toad, decreasing its defense & magic defense)
*>>>=effective against

[u][b]Items:[/b][/u]
Recovery:
· potion>potion+>hi-potion>x-potion (cures a certain amount of hp)
· elixir>megalixir (cures both hp & mp partially/entirely)
· phoenix down (revives an ally)
· ether>turbo ether (cures mp partially/entirely)
· tent (full cure to all allies, cannot be used during combat)
· antitode>vaccine (cures poison/virus/plague)
· remedy (cures various status disorders)
· echo screen (cures silence)
· eye drops (cures blind)
· tranquilizer (cures berserk)
· soft (cures petrify)
· cornucopia (cures mini)
· maiden's kiss (cures toad)
· praying stone (cures all status disorders of all allies)
General:
· scanning mog (scans enemy stats)
· rainbow plume (gives miscellaneous enhancive statuses)
· tonberry knife (randomly causes sudden death)
· hero drink (raises an ally's stats for the duration of the combat)
· divine nectar (makes an ally invincible for a short period of time)
· gysahl greens (calls chocobos)
· ambrosia greens (calls rainbow chocobos)
Throwing (only Ebonine):
· ninja star (minor damage to random opponents)
· rolling pin (moderate damage to one opponent)
· chainsaw (big damage to one opponent)
· graviball (>>>walking enemies)
· propeller (>>>flying enemies)
· molotov (fire-elemental damage to random opponents)
· dynamo stone (thunder-elemental damage to random opponents)
· crystal ball (blizzard-elemental damage to random opponents)
· dark matter (shadow damage to all opponents)
· doomtrain (major damage to all opponents)

Next post: beginning of the story.

[Sandy]

[b]Mena Redhawk (Juuthena)[/b]
A balloon with royal decorations floated slowly through the darkening sky above the Border Roughlands.
"Why?! Why did they do this to me?" the girl in the balloon's passenger-basket cursed. "On all the women in Camelot, my father had to choose that witch!"
"Now, now, Mena", a voice above the girl said reproaching. "That witch is the highpriestess of your people's religion. After your father is gone, and you will take his place as the emiress, you will have to come in terms with her, no matter how ominous she might seem to you."
"Yes, Squall, I know..." Mena held out her hand so that her redhawk-pet could sit on it. "So, did you see anything new on your patrol?"
"Yes I did. You see that cloud of sand approaching from the east?"
The girl stood up and gazed down from her vessel. She saw the cloud approaching with great speed. "What is that?"
"It seems to be some kind of fortress on wheels", the hawk replied. "It is heading towards the emirate of Mertonia, so I reckon it belongs to the emir of Arcania."
"Gojo", Mena said, voice full of hatred. Her father, the emir of Carthenia, Cid Redhawk, had been rivals with Gojo of Arcania for ages. But now Gojo has got his eye on Mertonia, the greatest of the three emirates of Mid Continent, and the two nations were at the verge of a war that would determine a lot about the future. Mena was well aware of this kind of scheming, because when one is raised in a royal court, one cannot help overhearing things. "Well, there is nothing we can do about it", Mena said, shrugging her shoulders. She was determined to reach Playa Plata, a southern city in Mertonia, so she could continue her trip over the ocean, see the world, and be free of all duties. So she sat down to wait for Gojo's hellmachine to pass the balloon.
After a while Squall began to shriek.
"Mena! The fortress stopped, and it is aiming something towards us!"
The princess bounced up, just in time to see a blaze of light beam up from the fortress, and hit her balloon. The air run out of it, and it started whirling rapidly towards the ground.

[b]Torean Tremor (Valen)[/b]
"Stop shoveling, you worthless excuses for slaves!" Turk, the head slave-driver at "Trojan", emir Gojo's fortress on wheels shouted, slashing his whip to press his words. The man was a horrible sight with his fat body pushing out from tight leather garments. "Apparently you will get a new pal to join you!"
"Bleh, first we have to shovel till our hands fall off, and suddenly we have to stop this freaking pile of junk just to pick up some poor wanderer", a young man with relatively clean clothes mumbled. A much dirtier man next to him hushed.
"Shut it! You're new here, but you'll soon find out what happens to people who blabber too much!"
"Yeah, yeah, you get your mouth burned shut, I know. Well, they can at least try..." the man smirked with his eyes gleaming in the light that came from the engine-ovens. Soon Turk's whip slashed again, and the slaves restarted shoveling coal.
After a while, Gojo's private secretary escorted the new slave - almost carried by two soldiers - to the engine-room. The young man's eyes grew larger as he saw this beautiful girl being walked to join them. He sneaked closer to hear what the secretary and Turk were discussing.
"Take it easier with this new slave", the secretary said, frowning seriously. "She has just survived a huge drop down from the sky, and she is in no condition for your sadistic handling."
"Hah, what do you care, peach-bottom?" Turk asked grinning.
"Watch it! This is Gojo's order, as she is..."
The young slave couldn't hear more, because another slave-driver had spotted him slipping out of work, thus punishing him with a painful strike of a whip.
"Get back shoveling!"
The youngster groaned, but he couldn't do anything, so he reached for his spade. But then he noticed that the new girl was clearing her head nearby, so he carefully moved himself from oven to oven, until he reached her.
"Hey, are you alright?"
The girl looked up to him with her deep, green eyes. "Yes, thank you..."
"Torean. My name is Torean Tremor. And you are...?"
"Mena. Tell me; are we inside Gojo's warmachine?"
"Yes. Welcome to "Trojan". Hope you enjoy your visit here, because it is going to be very long."
"Well, we can have our different opinions about that. Say, how do you escape this kind of vehicle?"
Torean watched Mena with his mouth wide open. Was that girl for real?

[b]Keio Akiro (starlight)[/b]
A quiet figure stared the two discussing new slaves. When she heard the female slave talk about escaping, distant hope crept back to her heart. The heart had once - not even so long ago - been full of hope, hope for a better world, and hope for peace. The figure remembered the time when she first felt that hope. It was on the beach of Maua Wanga, near her home-village. She had walked along the sand, when wind had carried to her a voice that summoned her to start this quest, which had ended by the horrid men capturing her, and closing her to this hectic place. This was something completely different from what she had ever seen when living in the Maua Isles with her little tribe. Well, she didn't know if she could call them her tribe anymore. She knew she was different from them: her skin was pale white, while the others were sunburned. But off all the potential options, the dying shaman of Maua Wanga had chosen her, who was named Keio - which was "pearl" in Mauan language -, to be his successor - the new tribal shaman. Keio new it was because of the dreams she had seen, about ancient forces and future covered with flames of destruction.
Now all that was far away, and Keio was trapped in this prison, not being able to find the source of the voice. But now she saw that her time had come, and she approached the two other slaves.
"What? You have got to be kidding! I can't beat all the slave-drivers by myself!"
"Of course you can! You've got such muscles and all..."
"Excuse me?" Keio whispered, making the pair jump of the floor.
"Go away! We aren't supposed to gather!" the male slave hushed her.
"No, wait! I think I'm able to help you to escape", Keio said seriously.

[b]Diablo Santos (Yoda)[/b]
Another slave noticed the small group gathering in the shadows. He had been in this hellhole quite a long time, and was totally fed up. He had tried in several occasions to persuade the other slaves to rise in rebellion with him, but everybody had just said that it was too risky, or that this machine was inescapable. But this slave knew it wasn't so; in fact, he knew just how to make an escape. After all, he wasn't one of the most talented pick-pocket in Asqar for nothing. The thief also noticed that one of the whispering slaves was a girl he had talked shortly with - Kyo, was it? And when he saw the familiar girl pointing directly at him, he knew his time had come.
He hoped he could convince the new slaves that his talents were truly remarkable, and that he had never failed... Well, except that one time that had gotten him here. He had traveled all the way from Mertonia to Arcania's capital, City of Arches, to steal the famous artifact Diamond Rose from Gojo's private secretary, Ms. Du Fleur. Somehow, the mission had failed, and he had been taken to this warmachine when it set out to destroy his homeland.
"Are you Diablo?" a whispering voice asked suddenly. The thief had fallen to his thoughts so much that he hadn't noticed that one of the three slaves had come to him. He made his suspicious face.
"What if I was?"
"Well, that girl over there- she says her name is Keio -, she told you know how to flee from this stinking place. That is if you are Diablo, the world-famous thief?"
The thief was truly flattered, and he dropped his skeptic attitude.
"Yep, that's me, alright! But escaping isn't going to be easy..."

[b]Rouge Du Fleur (Jesus Chicken)[/b]
The private secretary of the emir Gojo felt like she needed a bath after even speaking to the dreadful Turk. But she had known it wasn't going to be easy when she had agreed to work as the secretary of Gojo. First everything had gone smoothly, but after a while Gojo had changed. The secretary reckoned that the cloaked woman that had visited Gojo had something to do with the situation. But now she had more important things on mind. She knocked at the emir's door, and went in.
"So, my little flower... Is the new slave really my sweet rival Cid's brat?" the huge mass of fancy cloaks and jewelry known as the emir Gojo asked.
"It seems so, Your Highness. I talked to Turk about her special treatment."
"Good. Now, would you mind bringing me some tea, blossom? My head really hurts! That worthless excuse for a relic hunter - Mr. Lexus visited here again. He said he hadn't caught any hints of the whereabouts of the scroll. Hell, I need that piece of paper!"
As she was pouring the tea, the secretary felt like she needed to ask something.
"Umm, can I ask you something, Your Highness?"
"Go ahead, Rouge?" the emir asked a bit tensely. The secretary knew he suspected something, because he had used her real name.
"It is about the slaves in the engine-room..."
"What about them?" the emir asked, this time much stricter. His voice hinted that he was in no mood for objections.
"Eh, nothing, Your Highness." Rouge handed over the teacup and left the office, heading towards her own cabinet.
"This has got to stop!" she said frustrated once she reached her room. She couldn't stop thinking about the young thief who had tried to steal her precious artifact. Rouge had felt some kind of presence of fate between her and the thief - and she didn't even know his name! She looked out from her small window, and saw that night was falling. It was time for her to go to the engine-room to stop "Trojan" for a couple of hours. The poor slaves needed to rest.
When Rouge entered the steamy, hot room, she tried to look for the thief, but she didn't see him. She walked to Turk, and gave her orders. The slaves dropped their shovels eagerly, and proceeded to the pile of hay on the corner to get a few hours' sleep. Rouge walked among them, but couldn't find the thief. Then she noticed that the newest slave - and the most important one - was gone as well.
Suddenly she saw something moving in the shadows from the corner of her eye. She sneaked after them, and realized that the figures were heading towards the secret safety door. How could they know about it? Then she saw that her time had come as well: this was the time to get away from all this oppression and madness.
She proceeded as quietly as she could, and finally she saw four slaves - one of them being the thief, and another the princess - near the emergency exit.
"This is why I couldn't do this by myself", the thief said, and pointed at the massive bar locked across the metal door. "I think we four can lift it up." The pick-pocket bustled with the lock for a while, and then the four slaves grabbed the iron bar.
In that moment Rouge heard several steps approaching them.
"Watch out!" the secretary shouted, rushing to the slaves. All four of them looked at her horrified, but when Rouge joined them to lift up the bar, they relaxed a bit. "It's Turk and his minions!"
"There they are!" the monstrous slave-driver shouted. Luckily Rouge and the slaves managed to remove the bar in that instant, and they rushed out of the door. There was quite a drop behind it, but the slave-drivers were right on their heels, so they had no other option but to jump.
But Turk and his two helpers jumped as well.

[i]*** Combat Scene! Mena, Torean, Rouge, Keio and Diablo vs. Turk, Slave-Driver 1, Slaver-driver 2[/i]
Torean: "We've got to fight them!"
Mena: "But how? We have no weapons!"
Diablo: "But they do!" *Diablo steals Dagger, Eye Poker, and Chain Whip*
Torean: "Keio, Mena, you better stay out of this!" *Mena and Keio escape*
Diablo: "Let's beat those bastards!"
*Slave-Driver 1 is beaten by Rouge, Slave-Driver 2 by Diablo. Turk is hit many times, until he stops combat*
Turk: "You will yet hear from me, slaves! And you, peach-bottom, just wait till your boss hears about this!"*Turk escapes*
[i]Combat won! Found 2x Potion, 1x Phoenix Down, and 1000 Gil ***[/i]

Rouge looked at the four escapers. "Well, I've got myself in so much trouble that I'd like to know where we are heading."
"First we must get as far from this machine as possible before Turk reaches Gojo", the thief said. "Then we must head towards Solomon City to warn the people there about Gojo's coming. Agreed?"
Everybody nodded.
"But how are we possible going to get there before this fortress?" Rouge wondered.
Suddenly a redhawk landed on the princess's arm, and - to everyone's surprise - spoke: "Worry not, people! I've spotted a small Chocobo-ranch just a mile away."
"Thank you, Squall", the princess said, petting the hawk. Then she turned to her astonished comrades. "Well, shouldn't we be off, then?"

[b]Cristan Marina (Lalaith Ril)[/b]
The owner of the chocobo-ranch was counting the Gil he had received from the five strangers with great satisfaction. The fools had even bought his father's old Broadsword, along with the five poorest chocobos in the whole ranch.
"He hee, suckers!" the ranch-owner laughed. His smirk faded away rapidly as a big vessel landed on the chocobo-pen. As he rushed out, a tall, slim and handsome gentleman stepped from the fancy-looking airship.
"Aye there, mate!" the stranger greeted. "Hope you don't mind that I parked Romanoff here."
The ranch-owner didn't like strangers at all - especially not those who landed right in the middle of his ranch!
"What can I do for you... sir?"
"Well, I was wondering if a young, red-haired girl carrying a redhawk happened to pass by here. I found her private balloon few miles east from here, and since this is the only inhabited place in the region, I thought she might have found her way here."
"Hmm, I can give you the information, but it will cost you" The ranch-owner was the kind of a man who never let a good bargain slip through his fingers.
"How about we play a game of dices for it, mate? If I win, you'll tell me what you know, and if you win, I'll give you this: 5000 Gil!" The gentleman threw a heavy bag in front of the ranch-owner's feet
"You've got yourself a deal? mate", the rancher said, grinning greedily.
But the man's enjoyment was short, for he didn't know he had been challenged by the most dare-devilish gambler in the whole Asqar.
"What?! How could this happen?! I was winning!"
The gentleman patted the miserable-looking rancher on the shoulder. "It's alright, mate. You didn't know who I was."
"What do you mean? What does that have to do with anything?"
"Let me introduce myself: I am Cristan Marina, the admiral of the emir Cid Redhawk. And now, tell me everything you know about the girl with the redhawk."

* * * * *

[b]Xeed Saggath (Sage)[/b]
One of the most amazing places on the face of Asqar is the Papal City of Saint Jahva. It is the center of the Technotheistic church, a religion founded fifty years ago by a hermit called Jahva. The hermit had had a vision of a perfect society, and Technotheism was the answer to creating it. Now the leadership of the church has been switched, and the city of Saint Jahva has become the capital of whole Mertonia, which is thus reigned by both the emiress Brahnya and her husband, pope Armagenes.
What makes the Papal City so amazing is its great architecture, something that wouldn't have been possible for humans to make even few decades ago.
At the massive monastery of the Technotheistic monks, next to the glorious Crystal Cathedral of the Highest Prayer, one soul was torn apart by inner struggle. A young monk had just returned from his obligatory pilgrimage to the mountains and back. But this monk hadn't been enlightened by the sight of the Papal City, nor the high cliff where Jahva had had his vision. Before the journey this monk hadn't differed from the others, except maybe in his dedication towards the church - he was the nephew of Cardinal Dogu Saggath, after all. But in his pilgrimage he had met a person that had changed his world once and for all. This guru had revealed some things about the way of the world, things that should have been so obvious, but yet, this monk had not been able to see them. The guru had taken him to be his apprentice, and taught him secret arts that the church would have called "witchery".
This young monk had planned on leaving the whole Technotheistic church, but the guru had convinced him otherwise. His new master had persuaded him to quietly spread word about the upcoming salvation from the rotten teachings of the church. But after his return, the monk had not spoken to anyone about his experiences. Now he had received a message from his master, saying they were to meet soon, and the monk wasn't sure at all, if he could be the guru's apprentice anymore.
"Why does life have to be so difficult?!" he cried out of the window. But he was too high for anyone to hear, except maybe the pigeons on the gutter above him.
Then he heard a knock from his door.
"Xeed, it is time for the vesper."
"I'm coming, brother." The monk took a last look out of the small window. Outside the city, world was more real, but the monk didn't know if reality was what he wanted.

[b]Strago Esper (Mitch)[/b]
Sun was setting behind the Merton Mountains. A lonely figure sat on a high cliff, eating the sight with his eyes.
"The world is truly beautiful. It must not be destroyed by the greed of humans." The old man took a piece of parchment from his pocket. The scroll was written in magical letters, which would reveal more text when the time was right. Now it only said:

"Only the one, who truly believes that the ancient forces should return, can reveal the content of this scroll.
- Seferus, last of the Council of Magus"

The man had meditated on this text for a week now, ever since he had found it. Or rather, the scroll had found him. It had floated right into his legs, when he was passing the mountains. Then he had heard armed men coming towards him, obviously searching for the parchment, but he had used his powers and scared the men away. The men had worn the crest of the cult of "Old Era", the religion of the northern-most emirate Carthenia. When he had read the scroll, he had realized just why the warriorpriests were after it: the parchment foretell of the returning of the Guardians. The old man had dedicated his whole life to find a way to save the world, and now he might have found it. But only if Seferus the Mage was trustworthy?
The old man had sent a message to his new apprentice, a young Technotheistic monk called Xeed Saggath that he was to meet with him soon. Before that, he felt like he needed to meditate some more. But then he heard a female voice cursing somewhere below him.

[b]Ebonine Rhamandari (sweetreyes)[/b]
"This cursed trek! All I have to find is one piece of paper from an old hermit who can turn himself into a freaking yeti! Yep, you're the woman for this, Ebonine" Groaning words echoed from the walls of the gorge. A tall, dark-skinned woman was searching for an old parchment that even one of the most talented relic hunters in the world hadn't been able to find. Now the scroll was said to be in the hands of some wrinkled man living in the mountains. Ebonine had been quite happy living at the temple, training novices and giving orders. For some unknown reason, the highpriestess Temesis had decided to send all her highest priests to seek out the man. Well, what was Ebonine to do but obey?
Suddenly she heard a low growl from above her. She used her cat-reflexes and stepped aside just before a huge wild-cat jumped down from the cliff.

Next post: the other part of this text

[Sandy]

(Continues from Ebonine-part)

[i]*** Combat Scene! Ebonine *equipped with Javelin* vs. ???[/i]
Ebonine: "Ha! You think you can surprise me, kitty cat? Take this!" *Ebonine attacks, but ??? dodges*
???: "Go away, priestess!"
Ebonine: "What? You can talk? Wait a minute? You're the old man who stole the scroll! The others told me you could shift forms."
???: "Very clever of you, priestess, but you will not take the scroll!" *??? attacks with Razor Mane, taking 1/4 Ebonine's energy*
Ebonine: "Agh! Such power..."
[i]Combat over! ***[/i]

The warrior priestess watched horrified as the feline monster transformed into an ancient man.
"Now return to your temple, priestess. You and your mistress will not receive this scroll; your cause isn't righteous!" the man said with a thundering voice.
Ebonine and the man looked at each other furiously.

[b]Rubio Lexus (Bremma)[/b]
A figure in white clothes had witnessed the fight between the warrior priestess and the old hermit.
"Finally, I've found it!" the man muttered as he heard the two arguing over a scroll. This man had been there when the priests of "Old Era" - along with two relic hunters, who this man knew well - had found the ruins where the scroll was hidden. This man had held the precious parchment in his hand, until the cursed rookie relic hunter - Torean Tremor - had intervened and the scroll had fallen down from the cliff. This man had taken the rookie as a hostage and handed him to his current employer, emir Gojo of Arcania. But the emir had been furious of this man's failure, and had sent him to seek out the scroll. This man had returned to the emir's warmachine, but the fat ruler had shown no mercy. "No scroll, no money!" had been the sole reply of the emir. This all had been the worst insult for the most talented relic hunter in the whole Asqar: Rubio Lexus!
Now Rubio's only problem was how to take the scroll from the old geezer. The priestess was hardly a problem, but the relic hunter had seen with his own eyes what the hermit was capable of. But he had to act quickly.

* * * * *

[b]Starlet Gazer (The Harlequin) [/b]
The night was clear, and a lonely girl sitting on the roof a colorful van watched as the stars appeared to the sky one by one. The stars were so far away, but yet the girl felt a deep connection to them. She was alone, just like them. She was even named after them.[i] Starlet[/i], she thought. [i]Child of the stars. [/i]
She wanted to cry her misery out loud, but she couldn't, as she had been born mute. That's why she had been lonely for all her life. Not even her kind foster-parents, the leaders of the circus "Miraculous Miramazzos" had been able to cure her, despite numerous efforts. But few years ago, Starlet's life had changed, when the circus had had a new member: a dancer from a southern realm, Lotus. Lotus had been nice to Starlet the whole time, and together they had developed a way to communicate with fingers. Starlet had felt her life was gaining meaning. But the page of destiny had flipped once again, and about ten nights ago, Lotus had left the circus - without even saying goodbye to Starlet! This was the tenth night when Starlet had climbed onto the roof of her sleeping van, and gazed at the horizon, just in case she would see her only true friend return.

[b]Lotus Meng (GinnyLyn) [/b]
Chilly breezes of the night threatened to take away the only blanket the young girl sitting in a cave high in the Merton Mountains had. After walking for ten days the girl had come to this gusty cavern. She had started the unexpected journey with only few items she had managed to snatch before she had to go.
"All this because of my heritage! And my heritage was the reason I left Quindao in the first place!" the girl swore by herself. Just little over ten days ago she had been enjoying her life as the mystic dancer at the circus of the "Miraculous Miramazzos". But now everything had changed: she was in the middle of nowhere, suffering from constant coldness and hunger. But she had decided to linger in this cave because of the discovery she had made. The girl looked over her shoulder to take another glance of the huge, rough-shaped statue of a wondrous beast. It was standing in the middle of the large tunnel that cut through the tip of a low mountain. The girl had learned from the local farmers below the mountain that this cavern was called Windy Hollow, and it possessed a great secret. Now the secret was right in front of her eyes. And what make the statue even more wondrous was that it had spoken to her last night.
[i]"The time is near... Free me, traveler... Find the Aeolian Harp... When the future is in jeopardy... The salvation lies in the past..."[/i] The voice howled like a wind, but the girl knew that it came from the statue. The girl had a feeling that whatever was captured inside the grotesque statue, it was something extremely powerful. So she decided to leave her past be, and start a journey to find the Aeolian Harp to set the force free. But first she felt she needed to sleep, so she wrapped the blanket even more tightly around herself to have even some protect from the harsh winds roaming through the Hollow.

* * * * *

[b]Kumog the Moogle (Dark_Apocalyps) [/b]
[i]Burning City! All his people in trouble, dying in the flames! No, not Meg and the kids! No! No! [/i]
"No!" The scream echoed through the forest. In a small glade a moogle sat up, all sweaty from the nightmare. The campfire had gone out while ago, and the pink creature felt cold slowly stiffening his body. He felt miserable. Yet, his anger towards the destroyers of his village hadn't lost its strength at all. The moogle was still determined to raid "the Purifiers" and kill them to the last man. How he could do that, he had no idea. But he didn't really care how, because he had lost his will to live when he had witnessed the death of his family and people. He lived solely for the revenge.
"Here you are, Kumog! I heard you screaming; boy, was that scary!" a familiar voice said behind him. The moogle turned frightened, and realized he was staring right at a huge, stuffed toy-moogle. Then he looked up the monstrous puppet, and saw a black cat sitting atop of it.
"Kupo! Cait Sith!" Kumog exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"
"Well, the moogles at the Floating Garden were worried about you. You shouldn't have run off like that! Kumog, you saved half your tribe, you shouldn't blame yourself! You're a hero!"
"But the other half of my tribe died, kupo! Along with Meg and... The Purifiers will pay, kupo! Mark my word, Cait Sith."
"Oh, Kumog! One wise creature once said something like this: "Anger leads to hate, hate leads to... was it rage?" Okay, can't remember, but in any case, your people need you, Kumog! You're still their leader! And now that king Artemicion has disappeared, the elders wish that you would be the regent of the Floating Garden."
"What?! Forget it, Cait Sith! I'm not coming back! And you can tell the elders and my tribe the same thing! Now, I need to continue my journey. Goodbye, friend."
The black cat riding a stuffed moogle watched silently as the gloomy creature walked to the shadows of the forest.

* * * * *

[b]Gaupo (Tasis)[/b]
Two gleaming eyes watched as five chocobos walked on a forest-path, carrying five messy looking humans. A green forest-imp spied the humans among the foliage.
"So, you dare to enter Gaupo's territory, humans? Gaupo will punish you for your crime."
Then the yellow bird-like creatures called chocobos got nervous. They sensed the imp getting closer.
"Hey, what's the matter with these stupid birds?" the other of the male humans asked.
"They sense something. Get ready!" one of the women warned. Then Gaupo attacked.
"Harr! Nobody enters Gaupo's forest without pay..." Suddenly the imp's eyes grew from astonishment. He had caught his eyes on one of human girls.
"That monster is looking at you, Mena!" the other man said. "You happen to know him?" The red-haired girl shook her head.
"You!" the imp hissed. "Gaupo knows you! But you died! Groaah!" Then the imp left as suddenly as he had appeared.
The redhawk on the red-haired girl's shoulder pecked its feathers, acting uninterested.

*****

So there. This should give you some sort of idea what is the potential of this game. I just hope each and every one of you who signed in will participate, or else [i]I'll haunt you for the rest of you lives!!![/i] Heh, kidding, let's roll!
Oh, and see the attachment for the Ancient Guardians!

[Valen]

Woah! Nice story, Sage! Let me see here... one question... do I continue from Torean's Point of View or the last p.o.v.??

[Sandy]

You can do either of them, just remember to include Gaupo's part in your text. The main issue is to write from your character's perspective. You can even go back a bit, if you want to tell what your character felt about the situation, but in that case you must make sure everybody else gets that your having kind of a "flashback".
But the most rational way is to proceed in time-line, meaning from the last time you were mentioned by anybody.

I'll be taking another weekend off Internet again (although I MAY do a short visit here), but if you have some extremely important issues, you can ask Mitch, as he should be quite informed with this game. Play well, and enjoy, folks!

[GinnyLyn]

OOC: I don't know how much I'll be able to type this week, but I've been begging my parents nonstop to bring our net access back (almost to the point that I'm willing to pay for it. xX). In the meantime, here we go.

[color=royal blue]Lotus was lost in her dreams.
Darkness.
Then a spark.
She walked toward it, and the spark blossomed into a large fire. Light flicked on a campsite set around it, and Lotus recognized her old troupe, the Miraculous Miramazzos.
The members seem pale, wraithlike. And Starlet was nowhere to be seen. Lotus brushed her worry aside as a mandolin began to play, joined by a flute, and a few drums.
Unable to deny her heritage, the dancer was instantly leaping about the fire, twisting like the wind, her raven hair twirling in mimicing motions, her bracelets clacking together in rhythm.
Lotus wasn't bothered when she saw the statue had joined the dance. For a solid creature, it moved gracefully. But with every turn about the fire, it seemed to be leading her elsewhere.
Soon enough, Lotus and the creature stood at the very edge of the campsite, where the last of the firelight could touch.
[i]"The time is near... Free me, traveler... Find the Aeolian Harp... When the future is in jeopardy... The salvation lies in the past..." [/i]
The exhilarated feeling was fast leaving Lotus, and she turned to look at the statue. As was the nature of dreams, though, it was no longer there.
"Where do I find the Harp?" she cried out.
[i]"Find the Aeolian Harp..."[/i]
"[i]Where?![/i]" she cried out again, in exasperation.
[size=1]"[i]Listen for its music..."[/i][/size] the voice answered, before fading away completely.

Lotus woke up in the cave. She was upset. The dream had seemed so [i]real[/i], that she was still with her troupe. But here she was, stuck with the statue that didn't talk, or, when it did, it made no sense.
Lotus sighed and leaned against the statue.
And the slightest thrums of a Harp could be heard.[/color]

[Sandy]

Okay, I'm getting a bit anxious if people will play this after all... :(

But I'll continue with Xeed anyway:
[COLOR=red]When the vesper was over, Xeed was returning to his closet-like room. But on the way, he was stopped by a young novice saying that cardinal Dogu would like to meet with him. Xeed went pale. He feared that cardinal - the head of Purifiers - now knew that Xeed was with an enemy of the Church - an apprentice even. Cardinal Dogu was truly a man to be feared: he was ruthless, even cruel, and some say he's more zealous than the pope himself! And there was also the fact that Xeed was his nephew.
"Come in, son", a deep voice said as the young monk knocked on the heavy oak-door. Xeed stepped in to the well-lit office of his uncle.
"I have been watching you, son, and I have to say that everything I've seen..."
Xeed felt his stomach getting hard as a rock. He felt he couldn't breath anymore.
"...has been very pleasing. Thus, I've talked with the merciful pope, and we have agreed that you will join the Purifiers."
Xeed's eyes widened in terror. This was even worse than eviction from the Church! The Purifiers consisted of the worst biggots and purists in the whole Technotheistic institution. They lived to haunt misfortuned members of minorities and other religions. Xeed was not going to join them! He gathered himself.
"Excuse me, Father, but don't I have anything to say about this?"
"Well, not really. Your first mission will start tomorrow." [/COLOR]

[Mitch]

[color=red] Expect me to post tomorrow. Just thought I'd strain some of your anxiousness :)

I'll either edit this post, or post again, depending on if another has posted. So yeah.[/color]

[Hinata]

[COLOR=blue]OOC: :eek: TOO MUCH INFO...BRAIN...OVERLOAD...*** SWEETREYES DOA... Just Kidding... :D

-----------------------------------------------------------

[I]As Ebonine played through her mind of the recent events, nothing but outrage seemed to manifest itself in her heart. *thinking* [B]How could such and old man hold such power. And why does he refuse my priestess' cause, are we not righteous. Of course we are, but what did he mean.[/B] Ebonine contiued to think about this problem, but saw a familar face walk past her.
[/I]

Ebonine:*whispering* The relic hunter.

[I]She got her things and followed him closely hoping that he'll again go after the old man. As she walked only a few paces behind the man, he suddenly stopped and turned to face her.[/I]

Relic Hunter: I see it is you again priestess. Are you following me?

[I] Ebonine now face to face with him held her ground and nodded her headed, making sure not to take her eyes off him. [/I]

Ebonine: You caused me to lose track of the old man n the first place. And it's imperative that I find him. Even if it takes my whole life.

R.H.: Well it looks like you would've lst even if I didn't show up, so I actually helped you.

Ebonine: :mad: How dare you? [I] As she was about to put this man in her place she remembered her cause and calmed down.[/I] Well no matter about that, I'm still following you whether you like it or not.[/COLOR]

[The Harlequin]

[font=gothic][color=crimson][I]As Starlet watched, a shooting star shot across the horizon. A sad, small smile dropped across her face. Not even the stars were permanent. Everything was transient. Emotion. Life. Friends. What was she, to defy that balance? Permanence would bring destruction.

The smiled deepened, and the sadness spilled glistening into her eyes.

Sighing, she hopped down. As she had every night so far. But this time was different. She didn't return to her quarters. She walked away. Into the night. Alone.

Like so many others before her, Starlet walked into darkness. And these days, so few came out.[/I]

OOC: Sorry for the short post, I'm kind of pressed for time right now.[/font][/color]

[Mitch]

[color=red]I treked away, reverting to my quicker Hedge cat form, holding the scroll between my tightly clasped teeth. After going a safe distance away, I nestled quietly inside a solemn ravine, reverting back. After drinking a few sips from the small stream emanating from the ravine, I placed the scroll in between my legs. I shut my eyes.

The vision was instantaneous as it had been before, and just as jumbled. I tried to focus on one image of it, one piece, but I only succeeded in further distancing myself from concentration and answers. But how sharp all these images I had begun receiving in my meditations were. So sharp, so meaningful. And I knew it all had to do with the scroll here in my hands. It all was about the scroll, yet I had barely scratched it and deciphered it.

I opened my eyes, taking a break. Meditation was becoming harder and harder everyday, but I knew I had to figure out what all these visions meant. I had to. Even though my head was pounding, my hands were shaking in bone-crunching melody, I had to.

"I have to," I said, my voice echoing and prancing sullenly about the dull, quiet ravine. Then all I heard was the water trickling again. Silence.

I shut my eyes again. I put my hands on my forehead, putting all of my integrity, every last retch and bone of my body into my thoughts, my motions, my essence. And then for a second, a brief and concise moment, there was something. A large crater, and then something else appeared, too.

It looked something like a heart, but it wasn't. It appeared to have soot and lava upon it, while at the same time it appeared to have buds and branches, stems and boughs. I managed to hold the image a while longer, and somewhere far away I sensed myself shaking intensely as I put all of my will in staying focused on this one image. But that was when I heard a voice, a hushed, low, sly, voice, and I opened my eyes.[/color]

[Sandy]

:(

Okay, I kinda guessed this... Well, this game was apparently a flop, which is a huge pitty because of the effort I put into this...

Well, maybe I will have better luck next time...

Apparently the game is over before it started... See you. *walks away depressed*

[Boo]

OOC: *edit* dam... I sent wrong msg >_>

IC:
[B]Kumog:[/B] They will pay... Kupo!

[I]Kumog walked around, having no sence of direction because he didnt watched where he was going. Emotions span around in his mind. Anger, sadness, hatred, Vengeance... He grabbed a stick of the ground and tossed it in the air letting a lot of birds fly up. He walked further and finally stopped at a dead tree, lying at the ground.[/I]

[B]Kumog:[/B] Kupo. I cant take them on by myself. They are with to many. Kupo! But I cant stop let my tribe down! Kupo! They even untrusted me to become the regent. Kupo! I, Kumog, wont let them down! The Purifiers will pay! Kupo! kupo!

[I]With that he ran into the forest untill he tripped and was too tired to stand up again.[/I]

[B]Kumog:[/B] I will have my revenge.. Ku...p...[size=1]o[/size]...

[Bremma]

As will I! Im just at a mental road block..

[Sandy]

O-okay... I just thought that nobody was interested to post in this, since it got way down to the second page of this section...

But of course I'm more than happy to continue with this thing, if only people will post.

Dark_A: your PM was very mixed up... I think you wrote the codes incorectly, so all I got was a picture of the Brothers-Guardians, and something like: "I need these pictures", so I really didn't know what was your point...

Well, lets wait a little longer then, maybe this will work after all...

[The Harlequin]

[font=gothic][color=crimson]OOC: Right now I'm rushed for time, so I'll edit this next time I get on with a storyline facet, but for now, let me just mention exactly why this thing didn't work immediately. The best way to start an rpg is with everybody together. Otherwise, every post has to be pure storyline. And we're all unsure of the storyline at the current time, so it because difficult. When you have five other people in the room with you, you can just filler post with conversation until the story comes along. Just a little tip. I learnt my lesson a while back; stick to other people's rpgs. Mine never work out. So don't feel bad. We all get it.[/font][/color]

[Valen]

OOC: Yeah, that's one of the reasons nobody is posting... the other is with all the starting p.o.v.'s, it's kinda confusing.
_______________
IC:

[i]Torean stood there watching the girl as he continued to shovel coal, planning his escape. One of the slave drivers saw Torean doing this and kicked him in the back of the knee, making him fall. The slave driver grabbed Torean by the hair.[/i]

Slave Driver: What are you doing?!

Torean: I was just--

Slave Driver: Don't answer me when I ask you a question!

Torean: B-But!

Slave Driver: But Nothing! Get back to work!

[i]With that, the slave driver threw him to the ground beside the furnace-like oven that he was shoveling coal into. The girl had seen all this and was beginning to wonder about these people here.[/i]

Torean: I will get you for this...

[i]He sighed and started shoveling again. This was going to get him nowhere.[/i]

[Juu]

[color=ff00cc] [size=1]OOC: Valen, we're on our way to Solomon City, we've rented five Chocobos, and we're kinda far from wherever Gojo is. o-o Our char's escape was mentioned in the others' backgrounds.

*tries rpg-format*
-----
Mena glanced around the grassy plains. The group seemed rather annoyed with the chocobos. They would each hop at their own pace, paying no mind to what they were saying.

[b]Mena:[/b] Well? Which way is it?

She stared at him disdainfully.

[b]Torean:[/b] Further southwest.

[b]Mena:[/b] How far is it?

[b]Rouge:[/b] About a three-day trip with these chocobos.

Rouge murmured to herself, crossing her arms at the birds.

Mena nodded. The chocobos they had rented were reckless. Some would sprint ahead of the others, while a few others would stop and flop down and rest. She began to wonder if they would've been better on foot...

[b]Torean:[/b] Hey! What's that up ahead?

He squinted his eyes to the sunset, where he saw a few odd-shaped dwellings. Rouge leaned over, and tried to make out the small city by the bay.

[b]Rouge:[/b] Looks to me like a village. This must be Hebei.

The ex-secretary smirked contently at her knowladge as the group moved closer down the hill.

[b]Keio:[/b] Hebei? Do you think they'll let us stay for the night?

Rouge: I'm sure they will. This place is swarming with fishermen. I'm sure we'll be able to find a hotel.

[b]Mena:[/b] What about Gojo? What if he comes?

[b]Rouge:[/b] Bah. This is the last place they'd expect to find a princess.

The group struggled to move their chocobos towards the town. Hebei's streets were busy with markets and forums. Each market stall had its own keeper, selling a large variety of items, from food to weapons. They knew they would have to stop at a market sooner or later. Without weapons, this journey would be quite difficult. Besides, Gojo would definately send out a few people to search for them. And to be attacked without weapons, was something they could do without.

Diablo quickly leaped off his ride, and sauntered towards one of the stalls, weaving past crowds and shopkeepers. Just then, he felt a hand grab his shoulder from behind.

[b]Keio:[/b] Where do you think you're going?

Diablo froze, and stood erect.

[b]Diablo:[/b] To get myself a snack.

[b]Keio:[/b] Mhm. And exactly how much gil do you have?

Diablo grinned and disappeared into the crowd. Keio smacked her forehead, and turned away, walking back to the group.[/color] [/size]

[Bremma]

Rubio shrugged at the priestess's persistance. "As you wish, my lady." He then took of his hat and bowed curtiously. "By the way.. my nameis Rubio, Rubio Lexus."

"Charmed.." she said almost coldly. She sighed, knowing it was her duty to at least be curtious. "I am Ebonine."

"Well, Ebonine, since we are after the same target, why dont we pair up? I even have a plan to get the scroll." he noted.

"And that would be?"

"Well, if you can distract the old man, I should be able to snatch the scroll from him using my whip." he said, demonstating by wrapping the end of the whip around a nearby tree branch.

"And how do I know you won't keep it for your self?" she countered, looking at him crtically.

"What use do I really have for it?" he said dodgingly, waitng for her reply.

[GinnyLyn]

[color=royal blue]Lotus wrapped her few belongings up, and peeked back at the statue. It seemed to stare at her with its stone eyes, ever echoing its same plea: [i]The time is near... Free me, traveler... Find the Aeolian Harp... When the future is in jeopardy... The salvation lies in the past... [/i]
"I just hope I can find you again after all this, then," Lotus murmured. She hoisted her pack on her back, and patted her nunchakus (simple Flail ones), just to reassure herself that they were still there.
[i]Find the Aeolian Harp...[/i]
The sound of a harp thrumming.
[i]Find the Aeolian Harp...[/i]
The sound of a harp thrumming.
[i]Find the Aeolian Harp...[/i]
"...yeah, yeah, yeah, I got you already," Lotus huffed in a cute girl manner.
[i]And fly on the wings of the sun blotters...[/i]
"What?"
Lotus turned back to the cave...but it was gone. She strained her ears for the phantom harp...but it was silent. In a slight panic (reminding her of her first time she performed), she whirled about, frantic to banish the fearful loneliness stealing upon her.
A bird called lazily in the scrubby forest that clung desperately to the mountains. The sun flittered down, casting small shadows for even smaller plants. There just wasn't very much cover here.
An ear piercing screech made her instantly wish there was. Lotus blinked in panic as the sky seemed to darken. A loud sound of heavy flapping thudded in the air around her, and it didn't take long for Lotus to guess what the animal was.
"A sun blotter," she whispered.
The creature shrieked again, as if in agreement...
...and attacked.[/color]

[Hinata]

[COLOR=blue][I]Ebonine looked at Rubio hoping to catch him in a lie, but his face seemed to be straight as an arrow. She couldn't find one flaw, not even in his eyes, to pin him.

[/I]

Ebonine: Well....as of now nothing. But believe me I'll be watching you and holding you to your word. I may be a lady, but my duties as a priestess will not allow me to fail this mission. Neither you nor the old man will stand in my way.

[I]Rubio stood back holding his hands up as if he's surrending.
Ebonine smiled, thinking she had Rubio figured out.[/I]

Ebonine: So where shall we start. I've found no clues yet in this city, and as you can kind of see I don't truly know my way around.

Rubio: Yeah you're a fish out of water.

Ebonine: What-!!

Rubio: I didn't mean to offend you, but I can tell, because of your duties, that you don't go out as much. But don't worry, luckiy you have me now, I'll help you get along, but now it's about dinner time.
Shall we, go eat, there we'll discuss our true plan in tracking and capturing the old coot!

Ebonine: Yes! That'll be great!!!

[I]As they walked to the local inn, not a word was exchanged between them. HE was truly the first person outside the temple she had met and didn't know how to talk with him. Soon she broke the ice.[/I]

Ebonine: So tell me about this town.

Rubio: Like what.

Ebonine: I don't know, remember I'm a fih outta water!!!

Rubio: Yeah, I remember now.

[I] Rubio began to tell her a little about the City of Arches. Ebonine listened, as she continued to hear the story, she knew that this was going to be a very long journey.[/I]
[/COLOR]

[Boo]

[I]Kumog looked around. He was in a bed somewhere in a house. It was croudy outside. Sounded like a market. Kumog sat straight. As soon as he did that, the door opened and a man walked in.[/I]

[B]Man:[/B] I see you recovered.

[B]Kumog:[/B] Kupo! What happened?

[B]Man:[/B] you dont see a talking moogle often. Oh well. I found you lying on the ground in the forest, when I was riding back to town with my car. I put you on the car cause you looked exausted.

[B]Kumog:[/B] Thank you. Kupo!

[B]Man:[/B] No problem. If people dont help eachother the world will die huh? hehe.

[B]Kumog:[/B] Yeah.... Thats what im afraid of... [size=1]kupo[/size]...

[B]Man:[/B] Well. Since you recovered. I guesse you're free to go huh?

[I]Kumog jumps ut of bed and goes down with the man, where he gets food and some water of the man's wife. When he leaves he turns around right before he steps out of the door and shakes the hand of both.[/I]

[B]Kumog:[/B] Thank you once again! Kupo!

[B]Man and Woman:[/B] No problem! Bye!

[I]With that Kumog left the house, just to bump up against a Girl. Kumog stands up and looks up at the girl's face.[/I]

[B]Girl:[/B] Are you okay?

[B]Kumog:[/B] Yes, thank you. Kupo!

[B]Girl:[/B] Glad to hear that. Well eh.... Im Keio.

[B]Kumog:[/B] Kupo! Nice to meet you. Im Kumog.

[The Harlequin]

[font=gothic][color=crimson][I]Startlet lay in the thicket, her clothes and skin rent by briars. The creature, whatever it was, snuffled around, but seemed unable to smell her. No small surprise, considering she had been on the road for a week.

The world so different, so dangerous. So intoxicating. She had made no audible sounds of wonder, but it had resounded through her soul. And of course, other things had resounded around her. Mainly large, scary roars. This was one of the owners of that huge echoing boom.

She didn't know what it was. She'd never really been out in the world before. And she had never run into anything like this. It stalked away, grunting to itself. She sighed, and started shuddering. Half in fear, half in the comedown off adrenalin.

She waited for nearly half an hour, terrified by the idea that the creature was lying in wait. At last she got up, and set off again. There had been sounds carrying from over the next ridge, human sounds. She started to run, and as she topped the rise, countless houses were suddenly layed out in front of her.

A city. Civilisation. Safety. Other people. Damn them all...[/font][/color][/I]

[Sandy]

[color=red]At the evening Xeed got his first mission as a Purifier. He and two other young monks gathered to cardinal Dogu's office.
Dogu: "You might have already heard about the Ragtime Mouse-colony that arrived to Solomon City few days ago. Well, we all know what the Vision said about those filthy monster. Blake?"
Blake: "In his Vision Saint Jahva learned that all monsters, from Behemots to Cactuars, from Flans to Moombas, from Ragtime Mice to Moogles are unholy and unnatural. Humans must build equipments to get rid of these menaces plagueing Asqar."
Dogu: "Very good. Ragtime Mice are weak to ice, so you must take BlizTech-weapons. Here's the authorization to the arsenal. You take it, Mennah. You are the leader of this mission. And Xeed, as this is your first, I suggest you will follow the example of Mennah and Blake here. Agreed?"
Xeed: Yes, your Holiness.
Dogu: Splendid! Now, off you go!

At the corridor the two other monks bursted to brag.
Mennah: Yeah, this is so great! We will kick some major monster butt!
Blake: Right on, brother! Hey Saggath, isn't this awesome?
Xeed: Oh, sure.
Xeed couldn't do anything but to go with the flow. Now he was really regretting that he didn't leave to his master Strago.[/color]

***

[color=royalblue]Solomon City, the nest of thousand joys and thousand sins. This city never slept, and even the citizens themselves wondered why their emiress or the pope didn't put a stop to all this. Only one person knew the answer to this: the mayor of the city, Duke Solomon. The overweight creep watched the insane life of his city from his hilltop manor.
Duke: "Just look at this, my son! All this will be yours one day! All what I've built!"
Dyce (son of Duke): "Sure, Pops. What ever you say."
Duke: "What's the matter? Everything you've gained in your life has come from this city. Without my effort you'd be one of those streetkids running down there."
The bluehaired youngster retreated from his father's office. Without his father, there wouldn't even be those streetkids! This was all wrong! But a mere son of a mayor couldn't do anything to a situation that was in the most powerful hands of the world.
At the aisle Dyce ran into a tall, dark figure.
Jaco Bronx: "Watch it, kid! I need to see your old man."
Dyce: "He's in his office, Jaco."
It had been the same from since Dyce could remember: all kinds of thiefs and gangsters running in and out from the Solomon Manor. This had to stop![/color]

[Hinata]

[COLOR=orange] Now dark Ebonine and Rubio sit and eat discussing a plan to capture the old man.

Rubio: The man was strong but we have to figure out all that he can do.

Ebonine: Well he seems to be great at illusions and may also have a great advantage with magic. We may have to fight more and gain abilityies with magic. But I'm not sure how to do that.

Rubio: Well while we're travelling we will come upon strong creatures. Maybe fighting them will help us a little bit.

Ebonine: How's that they're animals. What can animals show me?

Rubio: :rolleyes: Well priestess, what form was the man when you came upon him.

Ebonine: He was a-

Rubio: Exactly, an animal..and you must assume that he can continue to form into different ones. We must learn the movement of animals and that may give us an edge.

Ebonine: Okay...now I get you but won't our little weapons need to be upgraded.

Rubio: I'm already ahead of you. While we travel from city to city we'll be able to get better weapons.

Ebonine: Okay.....That's a great idea. *yawns* Well I think we need to get an early start. We've wasted too much time here and the old man may be very far away. Do you think he'll lead us to the scroll.

Rubio: We'll have to see when we find him!!!

Rubio and Ebonine settle for the evening. While Ebonine lays there all that can be thought of were the words of the old man.[B]
"Now return to your temple, priestess. You and your mistress will not receive this scroll; your cause isn't righteous!" [/B]
[/COLOR]