Sea of Fog (IC)

[Spectre]

Interest Check | OOC | IC

Sea of Fog In-Character:​

Your eyes slowly open. The ground your head lie upon is thick with tall grass and white flowers. You feel a breeze, it is neither cool, nor warm, and you see the grass blow about like ripples in the sea. You feel relaxed. You then hear something strange, distant, and light… Something… like wind chimes?

Your body feels heavy. Much heavier than you remember. You push yourself away from the ground and realize you were beneath a large tree with beautiful, almost shining leaves. As you look up, the enormous tree gives off something of a glow… Or is it just reflecting the sunlight? You blink your eyes, but everything still seems to look slightly blurry. Immediately all around you is healthy green grass, and further out is spotted with shining white flowers, and what looks to be many puffy white dandelion spore heads. However just outside of the immediate area, you can sort of discern sharp hills, and maybe flattened areas that might lead to pathways. The thing is, it's hard to see anything from where you are due to the thickness of the fog slowly swirling about.

You hear a voice, younger- but both masculine and feminine- almost as if two people were talking at once. It spoke quickly- as if excited.
"Thou hast awoken…"
It was as if it were nearby, but you can't discern from what direction it came. But- you must be dreaming?

It sends a wash of panic and anxiety over you. Clearly, you are not where you once were, and you have no idea why you are here, or how you got here. What is this? You must go back whence you came! You shouldn't be here! But, oh… where was it you were from? Surely… surely you can remember… where was it, again?



You are all standing around this large tree in the center of what appears to be an 'empty' field. Everyone is in a different cardinal direction, to make it easy for the writers. Maimu is standing at the north side of the tree, Alba is at the South, Vulferam is at the East, and Vodilic is to the West of the tree.

 

[Spectre]

[NPC post]

Feeling her ears tingle, she knew it was close. The sea of fog was always thicker in this area... She wasn't sure what brought her, though. She just felt, like whatever she was doing- was the proper thing to do. She was humanoid for sure, thin, standing about mid five feet. Her pallor allowed her to blend slightly with the area's fog. Her shiny, black lined eyes squinted to see through the swirling wisps, and her feet swiftly carried her over the rolling path down toward where the fog was thickest. Her movement over the rolling pathway was dance-like, and she didn't 'bounce' like most did when walking, it was as if she were floating.

Her slightly bottom heavy lips curled at one corner in a crooked grin. Something gave her a giddy feeling. Like she was returning home. It all felt so familiar to her, travelling in toward the thicker fog. In truth, she had no idea what she was looking for. Something just drew her onward. She still had a bit before she arrived to her destination, and picked up her pace with excitement.

 

[MaxwellH]

What she could only describe as an attack on her consciousness had now passed, leaving her to observe the surroundings; or lack thereof. A mask lay on her face, the narrow slit for vision reducing visibility. It would be beneficial to remove it, yet she felt comfortable with it, like it was part of her. With memories gone there was only instinct to trust, the iron mask would remain.

It was an empty field, and a single tree to her flank. Three others seemed to have appeared, and for whatever reason she felt great animosity toward the one on her right. Perhaps it was the wings. Seeing little choice she approached the one with the false leg, his face also clad in a mask of iron.

"Have you any knowledge of where we are, or who just spoke?" She spoke plainly and to the point, facing directly toward the man her words intended for. While Maimu was not daft enough to be careless, the reason her weapon remained in hand, she also wished to invite no unneeded discourse. "I am Maimu should you be curious."

 

[Pale Horse]

Age has robbed men better than him of greater things.. That alone did not excuse the fact that once those eyes opened and the confusion ran its course; that he knew nothing. Nothing in the sense that the sword on his back felt familiar, and his clothes felt comfortable -- but that was all. He was robbed of memories, but memories alone did not make the man, this he knew but not how. This could turn out badly.

He felt his body for what seemed the first time in his life, surely since those eyes jerked opened and the only thing to see was a tree, three other individuals, and the fog with idle flickers of movement deep within its ranks. A man who was so awesomely built as he stood not too far away, on the other side of the tree. Wings were on that person of interest, but that did not mean too much - the world was odd and full of terrors.

More and more sayings rushed to his brain, filling in the empty pot with things that had no source, no rhyme, no reason. Instinct or some remnants of the personality he had forgotten in the midst of this 're'-awakening. Shifting to ascertain a moment's spew of comfort, he turned towards the winged man and then again towards the duo that had been locked in what he heard as a conversation.

"Alba"

He uttered aloud, just to hear the boom of his voice and the power that came with it, not directed towards anyone or anything - but projected nonetheless. Turning slightly, his hands rest upon the bark of the tree, inspecting it for something of a clue or hint to the reason of his sudden arrival.. Here of all places.​

 

[CasketCase]

Farewell, good hunter. May you find your worth in the waking world...
​

The voice was soothing, like an old friend's, but he knew it was one he had long not heard and with it came feelings of longing, regrets, and terror. Suddenly came the taste of copper in his mouth, the stench of char, and horrific feeling of eyes blinking inside his skull. He reached out to the voice for reasons he knew no longer and his eyes opened.

The feel of soft grass beneath him, the sight of white flowers about his head reaching toward his upraised hand, these feelings all registered, but the most prominent was an odd one: the feeling of comfort. His mind struggled to provide answers for why such a feeling was bizarre, but none came, other than the sense that his life had been one of conflict. The wind blew a gentle breeze that provided no benefits other than to sway the flora, yet it was enough for him to raise himself up from the earth. His body felt heavy as if iron had been poured into his very being, but he chose to chalk it up to age. That's right. The fog that became of his memories provided just enough to inform him that he was long past his prime, but his body had provided enough signs of that. Glancing down, he realized the awkward footing of his right leg was because it was gone, instead replaced with wood and iron beneath the pants leg. He placed a hand against the tree he arose near as he allowed muscle memory to take hold and right his stance.

There was a beauty here, quiet and serene: something his old life had lacked, it seemed and for some time, he allowed his gaze rest on the hazy distance as he soaked it all in.
​

Thou has awoken
​

More voices spoke in unison, yet there were unfamiliar to him. Snapping out of his reverie, he could hear the sounds of movement nearby and the unknown scenario he had woken to prompted him to prepare for the worst. Instincts brought him to lower himself and grab hold of something that had laid in the grass nearby, something only his subconscious had known of its existence. It was a massive thing, easily as tall as his six-foot-two-inch frame, it's squared head roughly the thickness of a man's clenched fist. It was a horrid thing, made of iron and wood, fitted with barbed teeth and piercing spikes, with strips of dirty rags snaking between them. Clearly, it was a club, yet his mind reminded him of the mechanisms beneath and the potential it could take. Reeking of blood and char, its overwhelming nature made it clear that this weapon was designed for something much worse than mere men. The Crush Cannon, it was called, this gruesome abomination, but the comfort he felt in grasping it reminded him that it was his greatest ally.

Before he saw it, before he heard it, and before he could smell it, he sensed the approach of another. Turning his head, he saw a mask figure approach and address him.

"Have you any knowledge of where we are, or who just spoke?" She spoke plainly and to the point, facing directly toward the man her words intended for. While Maimu was not daft enough to be careless, the reason her weapon remained in hand, she also wished to invite no unneeded discourse. "I am Maimu should you be curious."

It appeared he was not the only one. "No...I find I'm a bit lacking in more than that knowledge." His voice was muffled by the mouth cover provided by his garb, but it still held a gruff kindness to it. Briefly did his free hand rise to tip his hat to her, but it stopped mid-way as he took notice of another's approach.

"Alba"​

More of them. Looks like this was an epidemic. Taking a step back, he bowed to both. "I am Vulferam."​

 

[Fetzen]

Vodilic's eyelids slammed into the fully open position. His visual sense, hiding itself behind the pair of deep red spheres, failed to pick up anything less disturbing than when he had slowly opened his eyes the first time to just shut them immediately again. The gargoyle turned his massive head left and right, searching for the voices he had just head before. Noone was to be seen, not where he had expected anyone nor further away where there was just white mist hiding the landscape. How could someone be so fast ? Or had it just been a random imagination ?

Out of instinct, he perched, the high grass tickling him at his belly. It was the takeoff position from which he'd normally catapult himself into the air. But... he was missing the destination. It wasn't as if he was just unable to find a visual reference to know to which cardinal direction to turn. Even a giant map right in front of his face wouldn't have been of any assistance, because he didn't remember it.

Another onset of voices. This time, the speakers were much more distinguishable. The giant creature turned around and inspected the awkward scenery that spit obvious confusion into Vodilic's face: To his left - a rather short, light and blonde woman he didn't know. Why was she wearing a mask ? To his right - a heavy man that stood almost as tall as he himself did. Unkown as well. In front of him - a large tree which emanated a strange glow one couldn't be sure about to be caused by the sun alone. Another man made himself noticeable and Vodilic's red eyes immediately stared at what was bound to be some sort of vicious weapon or the like. He had not seen such a thing before and it made him forget about his intention to take the few steps towards the gathering.

Luckily, he could quite achieve a sufficient volume from where he was standing. "W...Who are you ?" It was not directed to anyone specific.

 

[Spectre]

As he pressed onto the bark of the Tree, Alba would notice it's texture... was that of a normal large tree. Hard, rough, and a grayish red-brown. Though after having his hand on its surface for a moment, he would feel something peculiar. Like it radiated something into him, and it went in waves. There didn't seem to be any real consequences of this, but certainly felt strange.

-

Everyone would continue to hear this ethereal sounding, slow, random chiming. Becoming white noise. Like tiny bells, or a small wind chime. It could be considered annoying, but it wasn't too frequent, nor not frequent enough.

--

The tree branches and leaves above them would sway gently, giving a rustling noise.

 

[MaxwellH]

Alba, Vulferam, and the beast, none of them seemed aware of what their current circumstances were. Based on Vulferam's response there was a good chance that she was not alone in losing her memories. The bells continued to toll, coming from seemingly everywhere, giving no sense of a direction to follow. The man who called 'Alba' investigated the tree, to what avail the women had no clue. Maimu knew one thing, remaining here would not do her any good, and she still didn't trust the beast.

"If there is no knowledge of our circumstance then I am left with little choice but to attempt to gain some. I'll be heading off, accompany if you please." Maimu pointed her rod to the north, waiting only a moment before lowering her arm and starting the walk into the unknown.

 

[Pale Horse]

What age had robbed of him in ability and the creaking of those bones hadn't stolen away his senses nor the fact that what he felt was what he felt entirely his. The radiating energy that coursed from the tree to himself was powerful enough to warrant a curious glance in its direction but not anything strange enough to a cry to alarm. The others would have to discover this on their own.

"I fear accompanying you will be the best thing either of us could possibly do. Alba.. That's my name. I overheard you both earlier, the fiend with the wings has a human tongue as well."

Before there was any room for dispute, he took it upon himself to step nearest in the shadow of the tree whereupon the other two locked in conversation had stood. The beast did not make it any easier to dare closer to it with its wings open at the ready - but flight so distant. Instead, Alba felt for the bulk of his sword. Its name was lost to him for the most part but it called out towards him in silent little cries. Desiring its release.

Despite the woman's northward suggestion, Alba could not but help to dig further into the mystery of the circumstances of his arrival. Eyes scanned into the fog in the hopes of something being exposed, he watched, awaited.. Silent as he could muster.​

 

[Fetzen]

"Vodilic. Nice to meet you." the one mentioned replied in a rather loud, harsh tone. Accompanying the gargoyle's words was a subtle presentation of his razor-sharp teeth. The word 'fiend' had hit him quite hard. What had he done to deserve it ? Yet, given the strange situation they all seemed to be in, Vodilic withdrew from the idea of making any more of an issue out of it than the little visual gesture.

The huge creature didn't stop glancing at the very vicious looking weapon the other man had got with him. A little fact of comfort was that Vodilic apparently had not lost his armor, though he couldn't remember when and why he had put the thing on. He had not been involved in heavy fighting recently, had he ? The ability of his memory to provide useful information which was anywhere above the very essential basics had diminished to the level of a helpless pile of junk, but even more frustrating - and frightening - was that he couldn't explain it.

The gargoyle followed Maimu, leaving Alba behind for the moment. He had not yet noticed the tall warrior feeling for his weapon. If he had, he'd probably not have turned his back towards him. His feet and claws dug deeply into the ground.

"You... I could try to fly and find out more things more quickly. Just a suggestion."

 

[CasketCase]

Two warriors, a gargoyle, and himself: such an absurd collection. He wasn't sure why he found it so humorous, but he didn't bother suppressing his muffled chuckling. Still, the sense of comfort was enough to tell him that he was used to such rag-tagged team-ups. Curiously, Vulferam felt so little discomfort in this entire situation, which brought him to ponder on what madness he was so accustomed to? It was of insignificant importance after a moment, for he instead returned his focus to the others. "In uncertain times like this, it is best to travel as a group, or at least, for the time being. So begins our jolly cooperation!" With a practiced grace for such a crude weapon, he effortlessly raised that morbid club, resting it on his shoulder as he followed Maimu.

Who...or whatever had brought them here, either as champions for a righteous cause or as prey for a gruesome sacrifice, Vulferam grimly hoped that their host was prepared for the blood he'd be sure to leave in his wake.

 

[Spectre]

Maimu suggested they all move north, and proceeded that way- the tiny chimes seemed to decrescendo- as if they were coming from the tree itself. The fog didn't seem to lighten up as they continued north, either. The tree got smaller, and their surroundings were flat healthy grassy patches. the further they got from the tree, the less flowers and 'dandelion' spores they saw. Though, after about 100 yards, if they were to look behind them, the tree itself was only a faint, transparent shadow of itself- hiding in the fog. That 100 yards would also be where the ground would stop for them. They would realize that this was a dead end for their journey north.

At their pace, it likely would not have snuck up on them. It had a bit of a peninsular feel. The grass stopped, and met a large rock that jutted out like a viewing plank. The cliff's edge that they would end up on overlooked a small valley, and down below- and to the left, they would likely be able to hear the feint sounds of the sea. As if they were near a shore.

If squinting hard enough, it would confirm their suspicions that if falling- they would surely perish below. It was a deep valley where the fog hid the ground- if there even 'was' one- and on the other side, they could assume another cliffside- as there was a shadow of that through the fog. They wouldn't be able to reach that other side, as the valley was far too wide to leap.

Even for Vodilic, it would likely prove to be too far to leap and land safely on the other side.

They would hear gentle breezes coming through the valley, and feel a slight bit of it now and again. Add on the distant repetition of shoreline waves, it would almost feel... peaceful. Lonely, for sure, but... peaceful.

 

[MaxwellH]

A chasm was unexpected, the sound of crashing waves echoing from the bottom. The other side was impossibly far away, there was nothing to be gained but death by traveling further north. However faint the tree of their origin still remained visible through the fog, leaving Maimu to contemplate her choices.

She could follow along the edge of the chasm, while it left them unable to be flanked it also removed any possible of retreat should a threat make itself known. The pure emptiness of these lands led her to assume that something dangerous was around, the wind was without the song of a single critter. Returning to the tree and going another direction was the only other option, leaving them open from every direction should a threat reveal itself.

In a time of uncertainty her instinct seemed to be telling her to ask others for input. They were just as involved as her, if she was not confident they could offer an angle unseen by her. "We can follow along the cliff but we leave no avenue for retreat, returning to the tree and going elsewhere is possible but the fog leaves us open. Opinions?" Maimu turned to the troop, crossing her arms and speaking in a stern professional tone.

 

[Pale Horse]

The older man was definitely something that caused Alba a brief pause. His attention was left on the man who moved seamlessly along despite the missing limb. Limber as he was, Alba's age suddenly seemed of little interest and less of a hindrance at that point. Something so old could be so dapper - even with his word choice.
-
Maimu, on the other hand wasn't a creature he longed to mess with. Something in her presence alone denoted to him an experience in the leadership role and that wasn't something he'd rival against. Whatever had happened to his memories, he was sure never in his life was he a vicious fiend with the intention of leading masses nor formulating groups for the sole purpose of 'understanding'.
-
Speaking of fiends, Vodilic was proving his worth. The gargoyle of a man had suggested flight - and that flight wasn't too far off with the oncoming of a cliff and the vast chasm between either side. A curious glance and stern-eyeing of the dangerous drop had suddenly turned the gargoyle into a viable option.
-
"Then, shall you make use of your wings to scale the distance..? I am sure this little fog isn't that great to impede your flight."

A sly smirk played on those lips, his face, like stone parted by the play of those lips. Hair growth from days of being unkept had sprouted here and there, his strong features accentuated.​

 

[Fetzen]

The gargoyle knew that he would be one of the major points of interest the moment his unknown companions spotted the cliff. Vodilic himself was the last one to see it through the ubiquitous fog and he nearly took a wrong step that would have sent him right down into the valley.

The creature stepped along the cliff's edge like a wild animal behind iron bars. He could hear Maimu proposing turning around or trying to go around it. Two-dimensional thinking of individuals bound by gravity. The large man appeared both to see the obvious and not to see it at the same time. Vodilic turned towards him: "I might be a lot heavier than you, but I'm no mule. There no place for a human to ride on my back anyway. Sorry. He smirked back, not knowing if his interpretation of Alba's smirk had been the correct one. "You could carry my armour though while I scout the area, please." He carefully put the thing down in front of the man's feet.

Apparently the gargoyle didn't care much though. Slowly he tilted forward with the front of his clawed feet being the pivot. Now there was nothing but the deep valley whose ground was nowhere to be seen below his upper body. He fell like a rock, but only as long as his immense wings didn't deploy. Once they did Vodilic noticed that something wasn't right... Wasn't he supposed to be capable of easily going upwards at almost arbitrary angles ?

 

[CasketCase]

Their first challenge was the very environment itself and it certainly was imposing. A brief glance to their winged compatriot was enough to tell the old hunter that the drop must have been deep enough and the expanse too great for even a gargoyle to traverse safely. Still, Vulferam had to fight the childlike urge to toss something over the peak just to see how long it would take to hear the impact. By then, he took note of the others' opinions, musing over it in some attempt to come up with a solution. Not having a clear objective made this all the more difficult since, for all they knew, there might have been no reason to go anywhere near the coast.

"It might serve us best to survey the other paths before deciding on how to tackle this one." He eventually suggested, ultimately deciding that he wanted to have all the options on the table before they started throwing themselves off the metaphorical cliff by trying to find a way down the figurative one.

 

[Spectre]

Vodilic, as he lunged into the air and spread his wings, would notice that they didn't come with the strength they used to. They extended, and caught the air beneath, though he flapped his wings in near futility. He would not be able to gain more altitude, however he could certainly use them for basic gliding. Every flap would fatigue his muscles even more. After his first flap, the others could see the foggy mist swirl with the force of his wings.

It was here that he would have a choice to make. A split second decision to try to continue on to the landing across the canyon, or to quickly turn back, and be able to grab hold of the rocky wall before plunging to the depths. If he were to turn back, he may be able to grab hold of the ledge and pull himself up. If he continued on, he would slowly see the opposing ledge come for him. Though even if he tried, he would only be able to grab onto the wall. If he was able to climb stone surfaces with his claws, he would certainly need that ability.

It was then up to the group to use what happened next to assist them in their next actions...

If they were to survey the area, it wasn't much- as their visibility wouldn't be very far. Though it appeared the cliffside continued to the west, as well as the east. If they looked back from where they came- they would see the grassy plain, and the transparent shadowy silhouette of the large tree they 'awoke' beneath.

 

[MaxwellH]

Unfortunately for the gargoyle, Maimu felt only relief seeing him leap off a cliff with a possible inability to return. That things presence made her uncomfortable; her instinct was to kill it, she had resisted seeing that it put up no front of aggression. Even if it were to successfully make it to the other side, if it could not carry them it served no purpose for their journey. This was still a dead end.

The fate of the creature was an irrelevant note to her, Vulferam's words were not. Giving the tall man a nod, Maimu began to head back toward the tree, surveying each path was a logical choice. The tree was the only marker they had for travel, using it as a place of departure each time would minimize any chance of getting lost.

 

[CasketCase]

Vulferam heard Maimu walk away, no doubt agreeing with his suggestion, but the old hunter lingered near the cliff to await Vodilic's decision. His gaze followed churning of the mists but his attention was more focused on the rhythmic sound of those leathery wings beating the air. Although he knew better than to hope for much,Vodilic's flight would provide him with more information than just trying to stare down the mists surrounding them. For that much,Vulferam was more than willing to lend a helping hand should the gargoyle need the assistance of getting back up.

Still focused on the sounds of wings, he turned back to take note of Maimu's position and while the visibility here was unhelpful as always, he could barely make out the moving figure heading towards the tree in which they began this expedition from. He gave a silent wish of luck to her before turning back to the matter at hand over the cliff.

 

[Fetzen]

To turn around or not to turn around, that was the question. In the middle of his flight, Vodilic had no real chance of elaborating what was wrong. Admittingly however the question if the atmosphere's density had suddenly decreased, if a hidden sickness had befallen him or if his already quite crushing weight had mysteriously increased was merely of academic nature. The other ledge was dead ahead. Turning around now would have meant going into a massive bank which would cost a lot of airspeed.

Unsure if his strangely weakened state would allow him to recover and fly back to the side he came from, the gargoyle decided that it was a risk not worth to be taken. What would have been won by him returning anyway ? If there was any bridge anywhere, it could be found from this side as well. And if there was any rope long enough...

The claws of his hands slammed into a small crack that had formed in the rocky wall. Those on his feet followed immediately, their hard and pointy ends gaining enough grip to allow Vodilic to heave himself up the height he had not been able to gain while flying. Standing on the other ledge, he looked back towards the rest of the party. Or at least he tried to through the mass of fog that still showed signs of the disturbance that had moved through it.