Author Topic: The Blessed Woodlands  (Read 6078 times)

Kotomine_Rin

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The Blessed Woodlands
« on: October 17, 2019, 12:53:24 AM »
THE BLESSED WOODLANDS

Even a devil may cry remembering a fallen promise from long ago. And from the heavens beyond the Nexus, tears fell onto the earth in the form of shattered angelic wings. Some shards fell into a piece's clutches, only to fall into darkness forever. Others latched unto the one who delivered judgement, others were claimed by the one who maintains balance, and another latched onto a troubling memory.

The grace of purity that chooses between life and death shattered into a million shards, and these jewels were claimed by many. But its will remained, it did not extinguish yet. And of the countless pieces, some made way into the depths of the earth and impregnated the Nexus's soil with something else. This is the result.

The Flora

On the ground where the Archangel of Death was once fought, the earth has turned into a charcoal black deeper than the night sky. In a few days, surprising phenomena have occurred. This place that was once nothing more than a slum was flattened by thick vegetation, which expanded and eventually settled into an alien biome.  The most striking feature of these countless alien plants and structures is their pallid white color, which glows like the white moon and contrasts against the earth beautifully. One cannot recognize the different herbs easily, and you would never find any description in a book.

But from their shapes and sizes, you can deduct their differences and how much angelic power they hold, due to those holding more power having a stronger glow. Trees curl unnaturally and form towers around the area, and thick brush and thorns  guard the pure white forest. But for those brave enough to enter, one will find a thousand miracles. From plants that can restore one's beauty, to flowers that can grant youth, to medicinal plants that can cure nearly any ail. Some even move and come alive, and the black soil is so rich and bountiful that it will allow crops to grow and harvest fully in but three days. Even if you completely deforested the area, the  awe-inspiring flora would re-emerge, and even grow in size and reach for the black earth would spread its influence the more one takes from its soil!

It is a gift from God in the form of a bountiful feast from the earth's womb.


The Fauna

The animals are wondrous beasts of the forest. From great stags to wild birds and even bears, each is mighty enough to be considered a supernatural entity, tough their power is not so destructive they'd pose a direct threat to the more powerful supernaturals of the Nexus itself unless you litterally stood still and just let the bear bite you. In that case.... why? (Usually around the incredible range, maybe a big more imposing one could have a fantastic or two).

Just like the flora, they too are of a shining ivory color, possibly hinting to a greater power that dwells within them. Their bones, flesh, and even hide are valuable holy artifacts, one could certainly forge great weapons from their remains. However, their most striking aspect is their intelligence. They have the mind and heart of man, but without the ugly wickedness that can sprout in humanity. They are perfectly capable of speech through paths, which connect all that step foot in the forest. These paths are a network that connects everything to the heart of the forest, which rests thousands of feet underground.

The seed that sprouts everything, the original Grace of purity.

The Sky

Once one steps into the forest, the sky itself seems to change. In truth, the Nexus remains the same, but once you enter the Forest you enter a pocket domain within it, and thus the property of the sky changes and affects the perception of those who look up to it. It is a perpetual night, filled with thousands of jewels that shine above all. These stars form paths that guide one's heart, and as long as you follow the roads in the sky, you will never be lost. Perhaps, they will even show you what your heart truly seeks.

In the center of it all, there is a crack, a hole so to speak of. It exists, yet not truly. It is nothing more than a portal between mind and matter, dream and reality. It is only visible within the forest, perhaps because it only exists in it. But despite its ephemeral nature, the beasts of the forest gaze up to it, sometimes seemingly praying to whatever lurks beneath the void. The remains of something that succumbed in the depths of the void within this world.
« Last Edit: October 17, 2019, 01:49:46 AM by Sinib »

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Re: THE BLESSED WOODLANDS
« Reply #1 on: October 17, 2019, 01:23:16 AM »
Uria

Nexus Time 2:00 AM

The forest grew into tomorrow and yesterday, but it bloomed forever. Uria sat on the branch of a towering tree which overlooked a hole in the ground. Their hole! It was there that they pulled themselves from the ground and saw the beauty of the world themselves. This wondrous world that they had been created before, that had been created for them, surely it was filled with love. Then they stood up suddenly, saluting the crack in the sky for seemingly no reason at all.

"Have a good rest, baby! The world wasn't ready for you yet, so you need to sleep until it's done. But don't worry. He will definitely make you whole." Black ichor dribbled from the corner of their mouth as their gaze drifted down below. "The painful light that burns, the filth dwelling in His shadow, you deserve to live too." And then they bent over, their face pale as they retched and bile poured out. Empty void tainted the earth, dirtying the immaculate woods just a bit. It was disconcerting to watch it bubble and froth as it pooled on the ground, but it settled as a feather and a few bits of metal broke the surface.

Once they were sure there wouldn't be anymore, Uria wiped their mouth with a leaf before leaping off the tree. The sent their hair into a bit of a frenzy until they made a fairly graceful landing, and then they started to wander. They'd been here long enough, hadn't they? It was time to look for the way out. That didn't mean they were moving very quickly though. Uria took all the time in the world; they picked plants, hummed lovely and nameless songs, and even made a bit of a lightshow for themselves with spheres of multicolored light.

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Re: The Blessed Woodlands
« Reply #2 on: October 20, 2019, 02:18:13 AM »
Lubei Sang
2:00 AM

A man who was not a man walked irreverently through the white woods, glaring with frigid eyes at every beast that he saw duck behind a tree or pearly bush. His brow furrowed with intensity, and snow formed behind every step he took.

He thought that a place like this would be trouble. It reeked of excessive, off yang energy, and no matter his disorientation and impatience that was hard to ignore. If the unlawful, hypocritical meddling of the gods had brought him here, then perhaps there would be a clue. It was not as if the ramblings of frightened drunks out this late had given him any insight as to where he currently found himself.

The demon king didn't have to walk long with his widening steps, however, to come across the only other person exploring the odd woodland. And when he did, his eyes caught the dancing lights, the unflinching stare, and he froze, digging his heels into the ground.

"You..." Lubei Sang grumbled. His eyes skipped uncomfortably around the... child.
« Last Edit: October 20, 2019, 02:20:42 AM by YOLF »
[13:38:37] Helligator: Depends on the god, but gods by definition in Nasuverse are strong because they have divine authority.
[13:38:48] Kat: Even the toilet god?
[13:38:56] Helligator: No one worships toilets.
[13:39:00] Helligator: Don't be a shitlord.

[04:32:08] Helligator: I can't make dragons in power armor like this

[19:50:12] francobull III: [...] why are you being all assive aggressive?

[23:32:37] Helligator: use the narrative as a means to convey an interesting story and cool conflicts with the openness you're allowed
[23:32:43] Helligator: not to CHEAT stories and conflicts

Umbra of Chaos

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Re: The Blessed Woodlands
« Reply #3 on: October 20, 2019, 04:40:58 AM »
Uria

They stopped at the sight of the man. Their first human stranger! Uria clapped their hands together, smothering the balls of light before turning their full attention to the stranger. "You..." they repeated at him in as rough a voice they could manage. Pretty good, huh? Twisting their vocal chords all around with corruption meant they could make some weird sounds, so this was really easy in comparison!


YOLF

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Re: The Blessed Woodlands
« Reply #4 on: October 20, 2019, 04:45:15 AM »
Lubei Sang

Wait. He said that first. What was wrong with this child?

"Who are you? What is this... forest?" The demon asked, settling a step away from the seemingly young, etheral creature and its gaze. His eye drifted unwitting to his sword for a moment, and he felt another stare on his back.

Lubei knew what it was even without the sound of flapping feathers, and did his best to ignore it.
[13:38:37] Helligator: Depends on the god, but gods by definition in Nasuverse are strong because they have divine authority.
[13:38:48] Kat: Even the toilet god?
[13:38:56] Helligator: No one worships toilets.
[13:39:00] Helligator: Don't be a shitlord.

[04:32:08] Helligator: I can't make dragons in power armor like this

[19:50:12] francobull III: [...] why are you being all assive aggressive?

[23:32:37] Helligator: use the narrative as a means to convey an interesting story and cool conflicts with the openness you're allowed
[23:32:43] Helligator: not to CHEAT stories and conflicts

Umbra of Chaos

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Re: The Blessed Woodlands
« Reply #5 on: October 20, 2019, 05:39:32 AM »
Uria

"I'm Myself," they replied, a tad mystified at the question. Who else could they be except who they were? Shouldn't it be easy to tell that he was not them, and thus Other. Easy. Simple. "And this is... a forest. It's white most of the time, and the animals are smart. I think they talk when I'm not looking."

Sure, it may not look right, but maybe it was all those other forests that looked wrong! Uria couldn't judge.
« Last Edit: October 20, 2019, 05:59:07 AM by Umbra of Chaos »

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Re: The Blessed Woodlands
« Reply #6 on: October 20, 2019, 07:29:48 PM »
Lubei Sang

Lubei rumbled coldly. Who answered like that? Was this deliberate, or was he dealing with a being that did not understand things the way he did?

"I can tell that much," he said. A hand rested uneasily on the grip of his sword, clawed nails scraping against the metal pommel. "This demon king asked for how to address you, not ontology. Where did you come from? Are you god or fiend?"
« Last Edit: October 20, 2019, 07:31:21 PM by YOLF »
[13:38:37] Helligator: Depends on the god, but gods by definition in Nasuverse are strong because they have divine authority.
[13:38:48] Kat: Even the toilet god?
[13:38:56] Helligator: No one worships toilets.
[13:39:00] Helligator: Don't be a shitlord.

[04:32:08] Helligator: I can't make dragons in power armor like this

[19:50:12] francobull III: [...] why are you being all assive aggressive?

[23:32:37] Helligator: use the narrative as a means to convey an interesting story and cool conflicts with the openness you're allowed
[23:32:43] Helligator: not to CHEAT stories and conflicts

Umbra of Chaos

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Re: The Blessed Woodlands
« Reply #7 on: October 21, 2019, 02:23:50 AM »
Uria

Addressing them... How wonderful! He wished to form more personal relations with them. This was going quite well. After all, if he did not he could have assigned a label to them instead to further communication. Although it was hard to tell if this was intentional on his part or one of the strange social instincts of humans.

Uria tilted their head back and forth a bit before pointing right at the ground. "I came from there, and I don't know what those are," they said rather cheerfully.

YOLF

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Re: The Blessed Woodlands
« Reply #8 on: October 21, 2019, 06:00:44 PM »
Lubei

"How-" The words strangled themselves under his tongue. How could this child not know? Was it possible it - she? - was even younger than that appearance presumed? Lubei doubted, but the lack of reaction to his words of choice clicked with guileless simplicity. Now that he was closer, and paying attention, yin-colored essence flowed out of the small body as well.

It was more like she was a sprite, which felt beyond themselves like a filament aware of the tapestry, but failed to limit that nature to earthly words. But rather than incompatible perceptions, he sensed a deeply out-of-place, sincere innocence. Something sizzled in his gut at this.

A voice that he knew like an irremovable splinter spoke from its perch on his shoulder. 'You are not king of everything.'

Shit, he had enough worries with his lands alone, why would he ever want to take more people in? Sabotaging his duty? If he could do his tasks without needing to think, he would have it much easier.

"I am Lubei Sang," he said to the spirit-like child. A flake of frost fell from his furrowed brow. "Tell me your name. And... show me what you know of these woods."
« Last Edit: October 21, 2019, 06:01:41 PM by YOLF »
[13:38:37] Helligator: Depends on the god, but gods by definition in Nasuverse are strong because they have divine authority.
[13:38:48] Kat: Even the toilet god?
[13:38:56] Helligator: No one worships toilets.
[13:39:00] Helligator: Don't be a shitlord.

[04:32:08] Helligator: I can't make dragons in power armor like this

[19:50:12] francobull III: [...] why are you being all assive aggressive?

[23:32:37] Helligator: use the narrative as a means to convey an interesting story and cool conflicts with the openness you're allowed
[23:32:43] Helligator: not to CHEAT stories and conflicts

Umbra of Chaos

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Re: The Blessed Woodlands
« Reply #9 on: October 23, 2019, 02:03:57 AM »
Uria

"I am..." there was a moment's pause there, as if they were unsure what to call themselves. But then inspiration struck. "Uria!" They beamed at the man, and the whole clearing somehow seemed even brighter than before. Yet, the shadows they cast felt ever darker and deeper.

They pointed to one of the plants at the man's foot, a pale green flower that weeped brilliant red drops from its center. "That one makes you younger, but only a few drops. If you eat the flower you turn into a baby."

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Re: The Blessed Woodlands
« Reply #10 on: October 23, 2019, 09:22:02 PM »
Lubei

What the fuck? He was pratically stepping on a hundred-year miracle flower and not realizing, how common were these things here?! Suddenly he felt unfortunate that no matter how much ice he placed on his skull it wasn't going to help a migraine.

He shook his head and stared at Uria for a second. The name had no significance to him, nor did it recall any gods or spirits, but the way the child declared it bore a strange weight to it. Lubei waited for a second before turning in a random direction and walking forward.

"Come," he said, more of a command than a request. "I wish to see more."
[13:38:37] Helligator: Depends on the god, but gods by definition in Nasuverse are strong because they have divine authority.
[13:38:48] Kat: Even the toilet god?
[13:38:56] Helligator: No one worships toilets.
[13:39:00] Helligator: Don't be a shitlord.

[04:32:08] Helligator: I can't make dragons in power armor like this

[19:50:12] francobull III: [...] why are you being all assive aggressive?

[23:32:37] Helligator: use the narrative as a means to convey an interesting story and cool conflicts with the openness you're allowed
[23:32:43] Helligator: not to CHEAT stories and conflicts

Umbra of Chaos

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Re: The Blessed Woodlands
« Reply #11 on: October 24, 2019, 01:05:12 AM »
Uria

"No. It's boring in there. It's not ready yet so everything is just waiting." Then they walked towards him, getting close but just passing Lubei as they moved towards the edge of the forest. "The rest of this place is probably so much more interesting!


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Re: The Blessed Woodlands
« Reply #12 on: October 25, 2019, 01:31:51 AM »
Lubei

The demon followed her with his eyes and stepped up quickly behind the small back. "Waiting for what?" He asked, rumbling. He debated whether to grab her or step in front of her.

He wasn't comfortable surrounded by these pale trees and quiet and hallow life, but there could be useful things to take, his search for clues aside. No, mark his words, there were definitely valuable things to extract from this nerve-shaking wild, and he was no closer to any useful revelation despite taking the time to brave it.
« Last Edit: October 25, 2019, 01:34:47 AM by YOLF »
[13:38:37] Helligator: Depends on the god, but gods by definition in Nasuverse are strong because they have divine authority.
[13:38:48] Kat: Even the toilet god?
[13:38:56] Helligator: No one worships toilets.
[13:39:00] Helligator: Don't be a shitlord.

[04:32:08] Helligator: I can't make dragons in power armor like this

[19:50:12] francobull III: [...] why are you being all assive aggressive?

[23:32:37] Helligator: use the narrative as a means to convey an interesting story and cool conflicts with the openness you're allowed
[23:32:43] Helligator: not to CHEAT stories and conflicts

Umbra of Chaos

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Re: The Blessed Woodlands
« Reply #13 on: October 28, 2019, 04:06:29 PM »
Uria

They stopped at his question before pointing up at the sky. "An angel was born here, but it was too early. He made now the right time. You should never, ever do that no matter what! He was born into this world and it rejected him. So now he's sleeping somewhere up above... or was it below? But yeah, this place is boring right now. It'll be more interesting when he wakes up. Promise."

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Re: The Blessed Woodlands
« Reply #14 on: October 28, 2019, 05:36:04 PM »
Lubei

His frown eased and then returned, shifting like a bowstring being pulled and relaxed to the point of excess. Angel? Did she mean a celestial messenger? What matter of nonsense could make such a being be born wrong? Someone must have cheated fate somewhere and received their dues, or drawn to themselves the punishment of the lofty most high for what they chose to be.

"The sky and earth won't spurn you for no reason," he said, soft with bitterness.

"The reasons were not as unfair as your pain tells you still," the raptor responded only for him to hear.

Lubei shook his head in displeasure and spoke to Uria again. "Come on then. You'll warn me when it's time." If they were to leave for now, then they might as well be quick about it. He moved on with his new - charge, he supposed that is what she was.
[13:38:37] Helligator: Depends on the god, but gods by definition in Nasuverse are strong because they have divine authority.
[13:38:48] Kat: Even the toilet god?
[13:38:56] Helligator: No one worships toilets.
[13:39:00] Helligator: Don't be a shitlord.

[04:32:08] Helligator: I can't make dragons in power armor like this

[19:50:12] francobull III: [...] why are you being all assive aggressive?

[23:32:37] Helligator: use the narrative as a means to convey an interesting story and cool conflicts with the openness you're allowed
[23:32:43] Helligator: not to CHEAT stories and conflicts