In this world, Magic is Everything. All people, all races, are granted with the power to perform mystical and magical feats via grimories, mystical tomes granted to each and every child on their 15th birthday. Those blessed by the mana can have their names written down in legend.
Shattered Grimoires is the work of the mind(s) of Ardere & Shattered Grimoire's staff. All characters and content are copyright their creators, and may not be replicated without their creators' permission. Black Clover is owned by Yuki Tabata and published by Viz Shonen Jump. All images belong to their original owners. The theme you are currently viewing was made by Eliza of ElizaCodes exclusively for Shattered Grimoires.
Throughout the town of Aries Garse, a contest of blackjack had been announced, as well as a large cash prize. With registration closed, it seems that several of the competitors have been falling ill or found themselves without the money to pay for the actual entry into the contest. When asked, they claimed they had been set up, though they could not point at whoever might have been responsible. Further investigation proved that both the contestants, as well as the citizens themselves have been seeing glaring eyes in the dark, as well as maniacal cackling followed by tiny footsteps scurrying away. Clearly, this is something that needs to be taken care of.
[break]
[attr="class","shadowsSub"]Details
Maximum Number of Players: 4 (Can only be taken once per character) [break]Minimum Word Count: 1500 [break]Location: Aries Garse [break]Special Requirements: Figure out what is happening by visiting the contestants, checking around the town and collect any information you can. But most importantly, remain weary after dark, as this is when things tend to get weird. Ps: going about killing whatever you find will get you no closer to figuring out what is happening, and will result in automatic failure.
[attr="class","shadowsSub"]NPC Information
What NPCs are in this mission? Please fill out the template for any notable NPCs. While those you have to socially interact with during the mission are not required, any enemy that is presented in the mission must be listed here.
Health Limit: Junior [break]Physical Speed: 10 m/s [break]Physical Damage: Junior [break]Magic Element and Types: Smoke | Supplementary [break]Combat Style: Due to their small stature and lack of offensive capabilities, they fight much like cornered rats, using their teeth and claws to lash out while trying to find somewhere to run and hide where no one can get them. To this end, they also use their ash magic to disappear into a puff of smoke and reappear somewhere in their line of sight. When given the chance, they will be running straight home. [break]Additional Information: These furry little humanoids stand at a height no taller than twenty centimeters, making them fairly easy to step on or trip over. Possessing large ears and eyes by which to pick up on potential threats fairly quickly, they also possess large claws and sharp teeth, as well as a set of horns and a tail. Their dark skin and fur colors make them hard to spot in the dark.
Post by Tokage Shengxiao on Oct 8, 2021 15:43:26 GMT -5
[nospaces]
[attr="class","chisanaheader"]
[break][break][break][break]
Ambition is enthusiasm with[break][break]
a purpose.
WC
436
TWC
436
TAG
@
[attr="class","chisanascroll"]
While the season has started to change from the warm and vibrant summer into the colder and calmer Fall the rest of the world has started to follow suit. The crops in the field were being harvested and collected before it got to cold and ruined them, the animals were becoming scarce in the area as they looked for places to hunker down for the upcoming winter. People were running around with thicker cloths and the smell of pumpkins seemed to be all throughout the air. Every fall it seemed that people lost their minds for things that smelled of pumpkin and spice and Tokage just didn’t understand the appeal though he was more than willing to be excited for the candy apples that tended to make their rounds around this time.[break][break]
For now he was on his way to accept a request that had popped up, one for figuring out what was going on with a local Blackjack Tournament. There was suspected foul play between the constenstants from what he could gather as he made his way towards the clients. Arriving into town Tokage asked for directions from the locals and once he was pointed in the right direction slowly made his way towards the town hall. It was a massive two story building that seemed to expand lengthwise along the street. Opening the large wooden doors Tokage made his way towards the front desk, from there he would have to wave down a passing city worker as to get the information he was looking for. “Excuse me, I’m here to help with the investigation going on for the Blackjack Contest?” Tokage stated to the nearest worker who looked at him with a look of annoyance. [break][break]
“Oh yeah? Didn’t realize we allowed children to take part in investigations.” The worker stated with a rudeness that was surprising. “I didn’t realize that this city was so rude to those who simply wanted to help.” Tokage snapped back at the worker, he was no longer a child by many years but it never stopped someone from saying something stupid from time to time. “I’m sorry for that, I am one of the people who have lost something from the contest and my emotions got the better of me there.” The worker explained with a look of tiredness. “There is suppose to be another to help with the investigation so please take a seat and when they get here I can give you the information that might help you at least get going in the right direction.” The worker explained a bit more gesturing towards the chairs nearby. [break][break]
436 | 1500
COMBAT SUMMARY
[BREAK]
POW
015
DUR
015
SEN
002
CON
019
STA
014
[break]
MANA SKIN
08
MANA REGEN
20 ic // 10 ooc
HEALTH
10
MANA POOL
050/050
[attr="class","chisanascroll2"]
TL;DR Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry's standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book. It has survived not only five centuries, but also the leap into electronic typesetting, remaining essentially unchanged. It was popularised in the 1960s with the release of Letraset sheets containing Lorem Ipsum passages, and more recently with desktop publishing software like Aldus PageMaker including versions of Lorem Ipsum.
The cool autumn air meant winter was approaching. It reminded the young rogue of his home far to the west - Spade Kingdom. Mania had been killing some time in a place called Aries Garse. It was one of the more dressed-up towns located within the lawless, forsaken region. There weren't too many ears to the ground, eavesdropping on this place and that offered a secure level of anonymity for Mania to comfortably operate. Mania was taking a smoke outside, one hand buried in his pockets as he casually leaned against the wall at the alley entrance, the passerby slowly rolling by. Word on the street was that there had been some foul-play in regards to a local Blackjack Tournament. It didn't pique Mania's interest however until he heard that there was more than meets the eye to this case. So, Mania had done some digging earlier in the day, learning many interesting things along with his investigation.
"People mysteriously falling ill? Reports of glowing amber eyes peering from the darkness? The mad cackling and tiny footsteps stalking you in the night?"
How much was true Mania pondered as he exhaled the smoke from his cigarette? Mania truly knew what it meant to chase phantasms conjured from the mind. He dealt with those types of demons, even now his hand faintly trembled at what was lurking between where dreams crested the tide of reality. One could only hope to stay afloat in that endless and boundless sea. Even so, Mania was far too inquisitive to let fear and trauma deter his pursuit of truth. One last deep pull and Mania would flick the bud to the ground. Pressing it into the soft and malleable soil with his shoe. "A true mystery..." Mania mused as he would walk towards the Town Hall. The young rogue didn't have all day, the sun was getting low and Mania had to meet another person who agreed to solve the mystery of the Blackjack Tournament. Was it all really just plain mischief afoot or were ghosts and demons dancing in the night - laughing maniacally?
--
Opening the large wooden doors of the Town Hall, Mania would step inside. Walking to the front desk Mania noted the crimson red eyes of the stranger seated nearby. "There's an investigation for the Blackjack Tournament. I'm here to solve this little case see."
The man at the front desk gave Mania a weary glare, before speaking."Sorry, haven't gotten much rest lately. The young man seated there will be assisting you with the investigation." He gestured to the person Mania had suspected earlier. Mania would walk towards him, extending a hand as he spoke.
"The name's Mania, I'll be in yer care this evening.
Mania would look into the man's eyes, as he gave a friendly smile. This softened the intent look in Mania's eyes. The stranger had the refined and prideful look most nobility displayed, but most nobles didn't venture this far into the forsaken region for fun. The gesture was simply to gauge what kind of man he'd be partnered with, whether or not Mania would have to keep an eye on him would hinge upon this very ordinary moment. "Yuo cnat trust aneyon, everybody lies adn eyvebdoy hates. They'll klil yuo if yuo gte too colse... TOO CLOSE HAHAHAHAHAAHAAA!!!"
The words were indecipherable, but still, Mania understood the speech. It was like reading lips, except this voice only spoke derisively towards Mania. Cursing and mocking him. The disembodied voice cackled softly to Mania, but he ignored it.
He had to ignore it.
Otherwise, he would slip into madness, feeding the growing psychosis of his troubled mind. Still, whenever it spoke to him, the air would get cold, and soon it was inevitable that those silent whispers would soon come from the lips of any person near Mania. Never knowing if he was simply hearing his own projections or if he had caught the murmurings of those who plotted against him? It was enough to drive any person mad, Mania knew it wouldn't be long till his own descent. Eventually, it always added up and overwhelmed him.
Post by Tokage Shengxiao on Oct 8, 2021 21:43:34 GMT -5
[nospaces]
[attr="class","chisanaheader"]
[break][break][break][break]
Ambition is enthusiasm with[break][break]
a purpose.
WC
600
TWC
1036
TAG
@
[attr="class","chisanascroll"]
Tokage didn’t have to wait long for the other person to show up, they stood roughly half a foot shorter then Tokage, had steel blue hair and hazel eyes. They walked into the city hall with a purpose but an aloofness that seemed to suggest that they didn’t really care what troubles were going on but this had been something that had caught their interest. There was something else about them that Tokage couldn’t put his finger on but for now it simply reminded him that he was in the Forsaken Region of the kingdom where the roughest people and creatures were perfectly at home. A simple reminder but he wouldn’t allow it to cloud his judgement of the person in front of him well more diagonal of him as that person approached the clerk and revealed they were here to help. The blue haired individual casually approached Tokage after talking to the clerk and raised his hand in offering and with a smile along with it.[break][break]
“A pleasure to meet you Mania. I am Tokage.” Tokage replied with a smile of his own and taking Mania’s hand in his own shaking it with the appropriate amount of force. There was no reason to try and get into anything by making this some weird stand off just cause of where they were. Looking back at the clerk Tokage was waiting patiently for him to tell them the rest of the information that was promised, “Alright now that both of you are here, this is what we have for you to hopefully get heading in some kind of direction and get this figured out.” The clerk started to say, “Multiple contestants that have joined or signed up for the Tournament have suddenly lost their money or come down with a sickness or illness that has stopped them from being able to take part in the event.” A tired sigh escaped the clerk. “Me being one of them, I lost my money that I had hidden away in a spot only I knew about and the only thing I have to show for it is the fact that there were very small and confusing footprints outside my house. I have checked with others and there have been various reports of seeing eyes in the dark or hearing someone laughing but beyond that none of us have actually seen anything.” The clerk finished explaining. “Feel free to ask any of the constenstants or check out the places for clues that we might have missed. Here is a list of names and directions to some of the places. I hope you guys have better luck then we did.” [break][break]
Tokage listened intently to the clerk’s explanation and stored the information away for later, he reached for the list of names and places and looked through it quickly just skimming through it to find what places were closest to them at the moment. Tokage wanted to spend some time looking over the map of the places to see if there was a pattern or if they happened to be more centralized around an area. Tokage made sure to pass the rest of the papers to Mania so he could also look over the same information Tokage was. “I think we should visit one of the places and see if we can find any more clues about what is going on, if there are footprints then they must lead somewhere.” Tokage said to Mania as he looked more over the map, it seemed that most places that were hit spanned the more northern area of the town. [break][break]
1036 | 1500
COMBAT SUMMARY
[BREAK]
POW
015
DUR
015
SEN
002
CON
019
STA
014
[break]
MANA SKIN
08
MANA REGEN
20 ic // 10 ooc
HEALTH
10
MANA POOL
050/050
[attr="class","chisanascroll2"]
TL;DR Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry's standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book. It has survived not only five centuries, but also the leap into electronic typesetting, remaining essentially unchanged. It was popularised in the 1960s with the release of Letraset sheets containing Lorem Ipsum passages, and more recently with desktop publishing software like Aldus PageMaker including versions of Lorem Ipsum.
Tokage returned Mania's handshake with a firm, sure grip. There was no hesitation, Mania appreciated that. The impression of a smirk would slowly reveal itself as it pressed the young rogue's lips up into a curve. This small interaction allowed Mania to deduce that he wasn't a person shackled by self-imposed pride. That or he was just another average joe like Mania himself. Though, instinctively Mania sided with the aforementioned. To put it simply, it was an innate feeling he trusted. Shifting positions Mania would let go of Tokage's hand as the clerk finally interjected to get on with the details. Most of what he said Mania already had the gist of, though he did provide the duo with a fresh lead. Mania would glance over the fine details handed over to him by Tokage. There was a pattern the young rogue recognized from the addresses. He had been in town long enough to of course know the area. "Seems like it's focused on the northern part of town... Wonder why?"
Mania would ponder for a brief moment. Tokage had been busy checking out the map and suggested they visit one of the places where the incidents took place, but Mania had a particular spot in mind.
"I know this part of town up north. This guy Yuron Riggaerd was robbed around here."
Pointing out the location on the map, Mania would position himself closer to Tokage.
"Bloke was squirrelly, definitely had a screw loose when I met him this morning. He was spooked badly. I say we have a look for ourselves? See what really happened eh? Not much daylight left. Let's get going yeah?"
With that Mania would walk towards the exit, waving bye to the clerk. The streets were less packed due to all the scary rumors floating about.
Everyone was scared.
Hands in his pockets, Mania would walk at a steady gait as he walked north up the town street. This side of town was the most active at night the bars packed full. Not a wonder why most of these outlandish claims had been dismissed. It was simply because they were professed from the mouth of an inebriated dullard. Bounding the corner and following the street, the rogue would continue. "Tokage you been in town long? " Deciding to exchange some small talk Mania picked a question he already believe he knew the answer to. He had a penchant for seeing just how much he could glean from his observations and his ability to connect simple facts. It was safe to say Mania drew many of these conclusions in his day today. Mania was the type of person who did not need to confirm his own efficacy. He would be satisfied with simply making the connection. It was like a puzzle to Mania and Mania loved to solve them.
It was just about dark now and the streets were empty as could be. Except for Tokage and Mania who continued to the location Mania had pointed out.
Post by Tokage Shengxiao on Oct 9, 2021 19:14:20 GMT -5
[nospaces]
[attr="class","chisanaheader"]
[break][break][break][break]
Ambition is enthusiasm with[break][break]
a purpose.
WC
575
TWC
1611
TAG
@
[attr="class","chisanascroll"]
Mania spoke up talking about how he knew the area pretty well and even knew one of the people who were robbed that lived in the area that Tokage had noticed most things happening on by looking at the map and going over the details. “Perfect.” Tokage muttered as Mania explained how he came across the information, it seemed that the he had spoken to him earlier in the day though it sounded like this Yuron individual had been either scared out of his mind or might have been just another nutter that roamed the streets of towns like these. Tokage figured it was smarter to think it was probably the former and not the latter especially with all the clues and evidence that had been given to them by the clerk.[break][break]
Mania had decided to take the lead which made perfect sense to Tokage since Tokage wasn’t from around this area though he had passed through it a few times on the way to his brother’s land Umbra. The night was fast approaching and the town was much quieter then normal, Tokage attributed this to the rumors and speculations surrounding the contestants and the tournament. After all not many wanted to risk running into whatever was causing the issues going on. [break][break]
Tokage noticed that Mania was quite relaxed out here on these streets, like a local that was making his way home from a day of work. If anything Tokage would think that Mania grew up in this town itself with how he strided along, while Tokage himself carried himself with confidence and purpose as a way to make sure no one would attempt to fool with him no matter where he was his own stride wasn’t as at ease as Mania’s seemed to be. There were many questions that Tokage had for his new companion and maybe before the end of this task he would have his answers but for now it seemed that the one who would begin the questioning was Mania himself. “No I came here from the common region for this task, since its that time of year when all the crazies tend to make themselves more known.” Tokage mentioned with a smirk, something about this time of year really did bring out all the superstitions that dwelled deep inside the common peoples hearts. “I have traveled through here a time or two though on my journey and completing some requests.” He continued, “How about yourself Mania? You walk with the knowledge and stride of someone who either grew up around here or lived here for some time.”[break][break]
From what Mania had shown Tokage on the map they were getting closer to where this Yuron was suppose to be so it shouldn’t be much longer till they would be able to figure who or what was the one causing these issues. Something caught Tokage’s eyes as he looked down the alleyways that they passed and in some of them especially as they grew closer there seemed to be something shining of amber. Tokage thought to himself that they might just be stray cats until he remembered what some of the contestants had stated about hearing laughter and seeing amber eyes in the dark. “Mania I think our suspects are closer to us then we expected.” Tokage said as he followed Mania along making sure to keep his pacing the same. “They are keeping pace with us by using the alleyways.”[break][break]
1611 | 1500 WC Completed
COMBAT SUMMARY
[BREAK]
POW
015
DUR
015
SEN
002
CON
019
STA
014
[break]
MANA SKIN
08
MANA REGEN
20 ic // 10 ooc
HEALTH
10
MANA POOL
050/050
[attr="class","chisanascroll2"]
TL;DR Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry's standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book. It has survived not only five centuries, but also the leap into electronic typesetting, remaining essentially unchanged. It was popularised in the 1960s with the release of Letraset sheets containing Lorem Ipsum passages, and more recently with desktop publishing software like Aldus PageMaker including versions of Lorem Ipsum.
Mania would pause momentarily. He could understand why Tokage was might have thought him to be a local. Flashing a smile, Mania would wave the notion off by making a gesture with his hand as he continued his pace.
"I've been in town awhile yeah, but I'm not from here either. More of a traveler myself came from far to the west of Clover Kingdom. Love to see the sights, so you could say I like to explore. Especially my surroundings."
Mania's reply would be interrupted by a distraction. The unwanted guests seemed to be stalking them in the night. The rogue noticed their looming gazes, shining like polished amber gems in the dark as they were walking. In the air Mania could sense an odd mana signature, one he hadn't felt before. Whatever was hiding in the shadows had been cautious. Observing and waiting for their moment of opportunity to ambush Mania and Tokage. As the two continued Tokage spoke up, alerting Mania that he too was aware they had company. Mania would nod in acknowledgment.
"I noticed, looks like whatever following us is waiting to ambush us. I say we make it easier for them?"
Whilst speaking Mania would slip off into the shadowed alley, the darkness seemed channeled in the area more so than the usual cover of night would offer. As he went deeper, the soft cooing of laughter would rise steadily into an all-out delirious screech. It was definitely a tad unnerving, but still, he could sense they hadn't actually gotten much closer. The glowing eyes in the tenebrous dark moved quickly from spot to spot making it even harder to track. "They don't seem to be attacking yet." Mania would increase his speed, sprinting off towards where the eyes shined. Soon he came to a spot in the alleyway, dimly lit by the moonlight from above. "Shit!" Mania screamed as he barely leap to his right avoiding the small creature that appeared to teleport and swipe at him. "Buggers are fast Tokage, watch yerself!"
Finally, Mania would get a good look at their perpetrator - the creature stood maybe 20 cm and had green skin with large pointed ears. Their large amber eyes burned hauntingly and before Mania could take a step in flashed away into the night, prompting Mania to run after it. "Tokage have you ever seen a creature like this?" Mania would ask Tokage as he pursued the target, but it was incredibly agile and easily able to evade Mania as things stood. "I don't think I'm fast enough to nab one of these guys, have any ideas?" Mania would ask as he noticed more and more of the creatures scurrying about within his peripherals. The creatures were on the move, bounding the alley with ease, but Mania and Tokage would remain close by to the suspects. Needing only a little edge to gain some ground. Mania had some ideas, but his magic wasn't useful for capturing targets or moving them, but perhaps his illusion magic could make all the difference?
Post by Tokage Shengxiao on Oct 13, 2021 15:28:32 GMT -5
[nospaces]
[attr="class","chisanaheader"]
[break][break][break][break]
Ambition is enthusiasm with[break][break]
a purpose.
WC
405
TWC
2016
TAG
@
[attr="class","chisanascroll"]
So Mania was a traveler and just happened to have been here a bit longer then himself, this would explain why he felt more at home in this town then Tokage did. It also seemed that Mania had noticed the followers earlier then Tokage did, maybe they were better at Sensory magic then Tokage was it was after all his worst bit of magic out of all of them. For some reason while he had the platinum magic of dark his ability to sense others and magic wasn’t all to grand, it was a sore spot for the mage but he also tended to just use his magic to just blackhole that magic away when he was able too.[break][break]
Mania suggested that they speed up the interaction between them and their followers and suddenly dipped into one of the alleys. Tokage had to pick up his pace to keep up with Mania and not be left behind, the creatures laughter increased in volume and depth of insanity as it rose from a crackle to full on demented laughter. The sound was enough to make you bolt out of the alleyway and run all the way home while your skin crawled, Tokage could understand why so many people came down with illnesses and were seen as paranoid or crazy.[break][break]
It took some time but the followers became the attackers as one seemed to just appear next to Mania and try to take a swipe at him, luckily missing as it seemed to vanish away from the mage. “What is that thing?” Tokage asked as he caught more of the appearance of the creature, green skinned and maybe 20 cm in height. There in the back of the young Shengxiao’s mind tug a memory of a old story that his mother use to tell him of little creatures that spent the day playing pranks. “I can’t believe it, they’re imps.” Tokage called out to Mania as they continued to chase the creatures through the alleyway. Each time they grew close the beasts could try to take a swipe at them but it felt like they were just trying to stall them as the others got farther away. “Don’t lose sight of them, Imps tend to try and run back to their home when attacked. I bet we can find out where they are coming from as long as we keep up.” Tokage suggested as the pursuit continued.[break][break]
[Exit to next Chain Mission][break][break]
2016 | 1500 WC Completed
COMBAT SUMMARY
[BREAK]
POW
015
DUR
015
SEN
002
CON
019
STA
014
[break]
MANA SKIN
08
MANA REGEN
20 ic // 10 ooc
HEALTH
10
MANA POOL
050/050
[attr="class","chisanascroll2"]
TL;DR Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry's standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book. It has survived not only five centuries, but also the leap into electronic typesetting, remaining essentially unchanged. It was popularised in the 1960s with the release of Letraset sheets containing Lorem Ipsum passages, and more recently with desktop publishing software like Aldus PageMaker including versions of Lorem Ipsum.
This was Mania's first time encountering such bizarre and odd creatures.
"Imps huh? Never seen one before tonight."
Mania would say after Tokage spoke up, shedding light upon his revelation. The young rogue would attempt to keep pace, but truthfully if it hadn't been for his talents in sensory magic Mania would have lost the Imps trail. They were definitely agile creatures, but their actual combat prowess appeared lackluster if best. Mania wasn't the most fleet of foot and his ability to operate within close quarters combat surely left much to be desired. Even he could avoid their reckless, novice strikes.
"No worries, I can't keep up with the buggers, but I can sense them Tokage. This way."
Mania would state as he lead Tokage in the direction of their fleeing targets. The pursuit under the ivory moon would play out over a handful of minutes. It seemed as long as the two did not corner the Imps they would simply keep running back to their nest just as Tokage said. So Mania would remain close, but not close enough to spook the imps that he was tracking. There was still much of the world Mania had yet to experience and this encounter surely reinforced that notion in Mania. He had heard of the different mana beasts and monsters that existed, but seeing that such creatures live and in the flesh made him wonder about other kinds. After-all the only monsters Mania knew, were ones wearing humans faces. Those had been the only monsters truthfully for the rogue - the ones that went bump in the night.
"This particular mana signature is getting stronger towards this way. As if theres a huge clustered hunkered down nearby. Stay frosty Tokage, we don't know what we're about to get into. "
Mania would say as he continued leading Tokage to their query.