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.
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Post by Church Of Clover on Dec 19, 2021 9:21:30 GMT -5
The town of Nairn was a buzz due to the holiday season, people rushing around shopping for gifts to give loved ones or food for moderate feasts for friends and family. The church, however, was thinking of something different. Tradition was on their mind, a tradition that had been passed down as long as anyone could remember. Tree decorating. It may have seemed like something foolish given everyone had a tree at home from the richest noble to the poorest farmer but this was different. It was meant to bring people together as the tree that now sat in front of the grand church of Clover laid barren of all decorations bar one. At the top of the tree sat a ruby dragon holding the tree as if it wished to protect it from any harm that may come its way.
"The blessings of Gnome upon you all." A teenage girl wearing a robe of warm browns and reds would be standing in front of the tree. She was gentle spoken but there was a strength in her undertone that kept the attention of those she was speaking to. "It has been a tradition that many towns and cities have that they come together to decorate a tree. We are no exception to this tradition." she turned her head to look at the tree with the ruby dragon at the top of the tree almost as if it was protecting it from harm "Currently the tree is barren. This symbolizes our lack of of a prosperous future and our lack of empathy for our fellow man." she took a finely crafted fire opal in the shape of a pheonix and put it on the tree "Let this be the first step in us coming together so we can have a prosperous future where everyone will be free of the strife of not knowing if there will be a roof over their head in the future or where their next meal will be coming from." she said with a warm and passionate tone her eyes going to the ruby dragon at the top of the tree which seemed to sparkle that much brighter, that some of the scales had turned golden.
"Anything you wish to put on the tree is absolutely fine we realize this place isn't as affluent as the noble region but it isn't as poverished as the forsaken so we are asking that you place things with expensive trim or the bauble themselves be such a thing. I realize you may think this is such a big ask as you all may struggle from time to time yourselves..." her eyes closed as she strengthened herself "This is to allow everyone spiritually and physically to share in the wealth of life" she would say as her eyes opened and stepped aside to allow people to now put their own trinkets and baubles onto the tree while she talked with people that approached her.
Wandering through the town of Nairn, it was going to be the second time within two hours that he actually went to go towards the church. Earlier today, he had been there to get a read on the people that were in need of the most aid within the region. After a short conversation with a deacon, the two agreed that he should go out to help a butcher that had fallen on hard times and might not have the means to keep warm during the harsh winter months. It went to show that even here in the common region, the line between managing or being demoted to a lifestyle not that different from those in the forsaken was never too far away, keeping people on their toes at all times. But at least this little stop along the trail meant one less person was going to freeze to death this year, and that was worth something to him.
While he did not give a shit about spirituality, believing it to be one of those things that people needed that were afraid of dying or living a shitty life that was headed nowhere, he would not deny that in spite of all that, the church was doing some really good work for the people that needed it most. Particularly within the forsaken and common regions, he had personally witnessed how they moved mountains to procure food for the starving, blankets for the cold and at times a roof for the homeless. Where it not for the whole spiritual bullcrap and having to wear a dress, he might have even considered joining the church at some point, though he imagined it was just not meant to be. Besides, as a Black Bull, there were plenty of things he could do to help out the poor and the downtrodden with financial backing from the capital. So at least it was a step up from being a mercenary.
By the time the tree came in sight, he already had an idea as to what it was that he was going to be handing off. While he doubted it would be able to hang in the tree due to the weight and it being outright difficult to hang up as it had no hooks or places to attach anything to, it seemed to fit the requests made by the church. Even though it seemed weird that they were being so specific in what they wanted, as it seemed like the whole “Whoever has something to give can give it” and making room for a “give whatever fits within our parameters or nothing”, Griswold imagined there was some kind of religious reason behind it. Deciding not to dwell on it too much, he approached the very same deacon he had spoken to earlier
“Ah, mister Cromwell, it is good to see you’ve returned. I take it you’ve managed to complete your task without any hardships?”
“Aye, the butcher and his family have been foreseen of lumber for the coming weeks, so they should be fine if they ration what they’ve got properly. But that is not why I’ve come back here, as I wanted to give you this, for the tree.”
Reaching into his pocket and bringing out a small golden statue of a dwarf, he handed it over to the deacon. To Griswold personally, Gnome was something that meant something to his dwarven roots, as both had a firm connection to the earth and soil. For that same reason, he had chosen to hand off one of the baubles he had received from the people coming from the north-western Fringe, elves and dwarves such as himself that had come to appreciate the things he was doing here and for those people there. While it held no real significance to him as he did not really care much for the things that made it seem like he had more money than he actually had, it was still someone’s heirloom that had been bestowed upon him. In turn bestowing it upon the church to either keep it for the significance it held or sell it for whatever it was worth so they could continue their good work, it was all fine with him.
“I see. Thank you for your contribution, we’ll see if we can find a place for it.”
Nodding in response, Griswold wandered away from the deacon as well as the girl that was speaking to the people, taking a look at the tree itself. While it was nothing special, they had at the very least picked a good tree, one that was strong and could carry the load of whatever people decided to hang in its branches. For the time being, he would remain there, seeing if there were any people who cared enough to make a contribution to this particular tree, rather than any of the others. That said, he knew he would need to have a look at the tree in the forsaken region too, as he still had a gift from the elves to deliver to the one dedicated to Sylph, the wind spirit.
It was a time for celebration during the holidays so the town of Nairn was teeming with activity. Mania was one of the many people standing in a crowd that stood before the massive tree provided by the church. Despite tough times, the people went about their lives in merriment and holiday joy. Perusing the many shops and stalls open. Mania was watching the young girl dressed in warm brown robes as she spoke. He himself was not the most religious person, but he could understand the importance of religion and respected the church for its benignity towards anyone. They didn't discriminate and were actually doing great work to improve the lives of the common folk. Mania himself owed the church a great deal and he had not forgotten the generosity shown to him. One day he did plan to return the favor to the church, but he was still a far cry away from having the amount of Yul to truly express his sincerity. Though he doubted the church cared for the amount of whatever it was he'd donate.
Looking up again, he would lock eyes with the girl as she finished her spiel and allowed the citizens to freely approach the tree. Mania would smile and wave to her and she in return offered a warm smile. Mania had lifted quite a fetching ornament to place on the tree. It was an expensive, precious gemstone of Rutile Quartz and it was carved into the shape of the great earth spirit Gnome. Feeling around in his pocket, Mania would palm the precious ornament and feel its smoothly polished surface as he spun it around within his hand. Soon, he would approach the tree, nodding towards the girl as he would properly greet her and place the beautiful ornament in her hands. "From a friend of the church~" The rogue would say in a tooth-bearing grin and smooth roguish voice. She would thank Mania for his contribution as she inspected it and went to place it on the tree. Mania would wave her goodbye as he saw a familiar midnight-clad figure approaching the tree.
"Happy holidays~"
Going to the other side of the tree Mania saw that it was in fact the rugged Black Bulls Magic Knight Griswold. At this point Mania had a bit of a rep for being a trouble maker, making a small name for himself as a rogue so he was unsure on what type of disposition Griswold would take in regards to him. Though, hopefully, Griswold wouldn't cause a scene Mania internally thought as he approached the Black Bulls Magic Knight. A toothy grin from ear to ear would creep upon the rogue's visage as he would tap the man upon the shoulder to get his attention.
"If it isn't my friend tall, silent and powerful Griswold. Happy holidays~"
Speaking coolly Mania would chuckle after his words as he fixed his hazel eyes upon the massive tree before the two men. The sound of the passerby placing their ornaments on the tree and town filled the air, creating a relaxing, happy ambiance. It was a good day Mania thought, he was on the up, and the usual voices that assailed his mind had fallen silent for a week or so now. WC: 546
Not really expecting a whole lot of people to be knowing him by name here, other than just being “that black bull”, he turned his head to see the guy he had met a few months prior. Though not exactly taking place in his preferred area of the country, the two had gone through a bit of an issue with a noble family while they were looking into attacks performed by a Dullahan of all things. A being so outlandish, at first he didn’t even believe in it being the thing that was tormenting all of those people in the town with its presence. But the fact that it had been one of the infamous undead monstrosities known as a Headless Horseman, that was no longer something they could deny after they had all of the facts thrown their way by an old man that had been living on the outskirts of town for a long time, not to mention the family itself.
As difficult as it had been to get anything out of the relatives of the victims, the fact that the Dullahan targeted only members from that specific family and did not just go around killing just about everyone it could get its hands on within the town made it clear that it was carrying around a very specific gripe. One so strong it had lifted him from the grave and gave shape to him in the form of a headless knight. After the two of them had pestered the family with questions after all of Griswold’s senses told him that they knew more than they were letting on, they shared that the Dullahan was most likely a person that had been called Simon in life, a man who had an innovating idea that had been stolen by the very family he now worked against in death. Stealing his idea, making it their own and working hard to discredit the commoner to the point where he had been made into nothing more than a liar and a cheat, the man eventually been killed.
Wanting to go to the authorities to discredit the family of the man that had stolen his ideas and discredited him and his family, the family had used their wealth to have the man killed before he could voice his disdain. Followed by Simon’s wife eventually committing suicide and her kids being taken to an orphanage, Griswold had not been all that shocked to learn that the man had become a wraith that wanted to take all sorts of vengeance. In any normal event, Griswold might have even stepped aside to allow the Dullahan to get his revenge, though the fact that he had already killed the head of the house and his eldest son meant that he had more than done so already. Going for the complete eradication of the noble family was overkill, and that was not something he could allow even if the man’s wife had not done anything to distance herself from the actions of her husband.
After talking to the man’s spirit outside of the household before coming to blows, it had been agreed upon that the family that had victimized that of Simon would make ample attempts at helping the children of Simon and his wife with the wealth they had made off of the idea that had gotten him killed. At some point, Griswold would check in on the family to see whether or not they had come through on their word, for he had promised to kill them all with his own two hands if they broke away from their promise to help the children. Still to this day riding around on the horse that the headless horseman had rode on, the black stallion Griswold had come to call Nuck, short for Nuckelavee, he imagined it would make for a fun visit if he were to do so after dark. And since this was the guy that had helped him out with all that, Griswold imagined he was likely one of the decent ones.
“Season’s greetings. What brings you to this place?”
The black knight Griswold would turn to face Mania and return the rogue's greeting. Mania would flash a roguish smile that revealed his white teeth as he buried his hands deep into his pockets. He hadn't seen the Black Bulls Magic Knight since he helped Griswold take care of a mystery plaguing the noble region. Turned out that the rumors of a terrifying headless spirit atop a midnight steed were true and after they got to the bottom of some corrupt noble family screwing a common man, Gris would have dealt with the dullahan. Mania had front row seats to the epic clash of steel between the monster and Griswold, watching the Black Bulls Magic Knight trading powerful blows. Seeing firsthand Griswold's strength without using magic had thoroughly impressed the rogue. All in all, everything had turned out for the better, though Mania himself did not stick around to see the fruition of their deeds.
"The holidays, ya know filled with that festive spirit~"
Mania cooed, though his words were only half true. Couldn't very well reveal he had just finished participating in some criminal activities to a man who operated on the side of the law now, could he? So the rogue simply settled for a half-truth, but he disliked speaking lies, though in this case, it happened to be necessary. Griswold appeared to be doing well from what Mania could tell and it was quite uncanny for the rogue to happen upon the Black Bulls Magic Knight. He had been pondering on what happened after they solved the case of the dullahan, so now he was presented with a perfect opportunity to be brought up to speed. "I trust you were sure to take care of all the loose ends in that dullahan case?" Mania would coolly say inquisitively to Griswold as he fetched a smoke from his pocket and sparked the rich tobacco.
"I have to say though you were quite impressive versus that headless horseman. Never seen someone so skilled with a blade. You didn't even need to use magic to fell your opponent. A shame you wield that strength in the name of a corrupt state."
Mania would continue, as he pulled the cigarette hard and exhaled opposite to where Griswold was standing. Mania understood that the man had what was best for the people in mind, but he also knew better than most that the road to hell was often paved with good intentions. Sooner or later Mania thought Griswold would come face to face with an epiphany that those at the very top of the law could not be swayed so easily. Truthfully though, Mania hadn't picked Griswold's brain enough to come to such a conclusion, but he just had a hunch his thoughts were somewhere close to the truth. The incident where he stood up to those nobles was indicative of what the rogue mentally mused as he looked towards Griswold, inhaling the tobacco from his cigarette.
"Didn't mean to sour the mood friend, just thinking aloud is all."
Mania's hazel eyes would slowly trail off from Griswold and be fixed upon the passerby placing their offerings on the large tree. The once barren and empty tree was steadily being adorned with rich trinkets and baubles of various designs. The rogue would think of the girl's words about how the tree represented a lack of empathy and a prosperous future, but the act of decorating it would symbolize a bright future. There was something he liked about what she said, but still, strife and hardship would always be a present silhouette in the face of nobility who forced poverty on the many. WC: 610 TWC: 1,156
When the guy answered that he was here for all of the holiday spirit and all of that stuff, Griswold wondered whether that was truly the reason. While there were plenty of people that came out for just that reason, there were plenty of people who did not seem like they really held the festive nature of this time of year at heart. Truth be told, Griswold was one of those people, and it was usually not all that hard to spot others who more or less saw things the same way he did. Even though he really did not hate the holidays as it inspired a lot of people to do good deeds for others who were less fortunate, what bothered him about it was how people needed holidays just to do something good for someone else. Still, he was not about to look a gift horse in the mouth when a noble wanted to do something for a bunch of peasants.
So to that extent, Griswold was a fan of the holidays and what they represented, he just felt like it was a massive shame that they were what was needed for people to do the right thing, or to do something out of the goodness of their hearts. But that was likely where his genes deviated from those of humans, as it seemed to be in their nature to look after their own best interests before anything else. So when Simon, or rather the Dullahan he had become had been brought up, part of him wondered how that whole ordeal had impacted him, as it had impacted Griswold quite a bit. It showed him exactly what might happen if one were to die with vengeance in their hearts, cursing the world and everyone in it, praying to anyone and anything that might be listening to take them up on their offer. And as it turned out, something had, and did.
“The Dullahan was a powerful opponent for sure, though something was telling me that it wanted to be stopped, even though it did not speak. I think it some point, when it rose from the grave, Simon’s wraith truly wanted to kill that whole family. But I imagine somewhere along the lines of him killing the head of the family, as well as his next in line, his lust for vengeance had been sated, leaving the curse that gave him life to keep pushing him towards doing what it had been brought back for. Becoming a prisoner in your own body, sounds like hell to me.”
For all that harrowing encounter had been worth, it was true that he had managed to beat the thing without having to resort to the use of magic. That said, were it not for the fact that the Dullahan likely wanted to die, or rather, for Simon wanting for his current existence to end, it likely would have been more difficult. Due to his Ki, it was at times easier to read the emotions of others, even if those others were not exactly human anymore. At the end of the day, everything felt something, even if they were just basic instincts like in the case of some monsters and a great many animals. If one knew what to look for, reading some people and some things became easier, like a book with tiny writing. As for the corrupt state he was supposedly serving, that was a whole other story in its entirety.
As most people had no way of knowing, Griswold had not hailed from the Clover kingdom, though the few years he had spent on a farm in the forsaken region before trying out as a magic knight had prepared him for a great deal of what was to come. Most importantly, he had learned how to deal with humans, as well as learning a bit of what he could be expecting from those that deemed themselves elevated above others. Having been warned for the nobles and how they often looked down on anyone beneath their station, the fact that many of them were indeed some real pricks meant his guardian at the time had prepared him well. But there was something about all of this that the smoker couldn’t possibly have known without him telling him, which was why Griswold was about to go and rectify a bit of his assumptions.
“Not a lot of people know this, but did you know I started my career as a magic knight in the Crimson Lions? Good people, but they were always too far removed from the ordinary people of this country. Nowhere near as bad as the Golden Dawn and the Silver Eagles, but far enough for me to reconsider and try out for another squad. As a Black Bull, I get to aid the people that need it most, because that is what I chose. So make no mistake, I serve those deserving of it because I choose to.”
Believing that bit of personal information might shed a bit of light on the reasons he had for serving the “corrupt state”, he imagined he was not the only one at this gathering that had an opinion on the way this country worked. While it made him wonder as to how far this dislike went, Griswold had never really been one to pry without having a very good reason for it, so he did not really feel like getting into it right now. However, if he were to bring it up himself, the black knight would have no issues in discussing it further and in great detail, that much was for sure.
"I agree, though seems he found some semblance of peace in passing. Thanks to you Griswold."
Mania commented as he took a deep, drag of his tobacco and exhaled opposite to where Griswold was standing. Mania understood how one could become consumed by grief and rage, though he hadn't thought that those malignant and terrible emotions could transmute one so profoundly and perversely. Lingering regret and misfortune proved to be the conduit for his unrelenting rage. Yes, Mania mused as he idly pondered the notion more. The rogue still had a foul taste in his mouth from his interactions with that corrupt noble family, but he did hope they had finally done right by Simon and were now taking care of his children. It was absolutely the least those rotten people could do, after the pain and death, they brought to the man's family. The thought proved to sour Mania's mood, so he would shift gears and pocket the errant thoughts.
"Can't say I know a lot about Magic Knight's career..."
The rogue would briefly interject, a lighthearted laugh escaping his parted lips as he focused back on what Griswold had to say. Apparently, before he joined the Black Bulls, Griswold was a part of the Crimson Lions, but would eventually leave because of their differing perspectives. From what little time Mania had interacted he could understand why a man such as Griswold would choose to leave from a Magic Knight squad that was for lack of a better word prideful. Mania felt like what Griswold had said was indeed truthful, he was definitely the champion of the common folk. After meeting him Mania had done a little digging on information about the Black Bulls Magic Knight and what he found was a man who had made great strives to serve the people of Clover. So though he was a Magic Knight and Mania a rogue, he held a degree of respect for Griswold.
Mania supposed if he believed he was in the best spot for him to personally help the common folk then he was okay with being in the Magic Knights. Mania's question though was not to disparage Griswold, but he felt the need to echo the injustice the Magic Knights as an organization represents. Mania wasn't one to talk though as a member of the Eclipse Ravens and a rogue, he was a menace to society who sowed seeds of discord and destruction. It simply came with the territory of being a rogue and something Mania had made his peace with long ago when he was much younger and far more naive about the world around him. Though personally if you asked Mania, things were never so black and white as good and evil. Justice and Injustice were one in the same coin that mirrored each other like yin and yang.
"Never meant to insinuate it's not your choice, I guess I just have a bias to the Magic Knights. Though when I first came to Clover I thought about joining them, though it was never meant to be I s'pose."
Taking another deep, drag of his tobacco Mania would adjust his posture and exhale. Mania's words were true, though deep down when he had considered joining their ranks he didn't believe he would actually though. Not when all his life all he knew was the life of a rogue, but he had his chance and made his peace with his decision. There was no looking back now for him he would mentally muse, his visage an amalgam of sadness and realization. In another life Mania could see him being good friends and even squadmates with Griswold, but that was but a dream that could no longer be dreamt.
"That family taking care of Simons kids?"
Mania would switch the subject suddenly to move away from the topic as it was depressing the rogue. Another pull from his cigarette would cause him to discard it beneath his shoe, snuffing the crumbling cinders. More and more people had filed in line to decorate the tree as the day waned on. Looking around Mania thought perhaps the two men could take their discussion to a bar or something. His throat was quite parched from all his smoking and he could really use the alcohol he thought. Tugging at his collar, Mania decided to continue the conversation, since he knew Griswold wasn't much of a talker.
"There's rumors floating around about a Black Knight atop a ghastly midnight steed. They say it's a monster he rides. Is that you?"
Asking, Mania already knew the answer, but still, he posed the question to just fill the empty silence. If he did take the Dullahans mount that must have been quite the interesting prize collected from that quest Mania thought. The rogue kind of regretted not sticking around after instead of immediately parting, but he had things to take care of and didn't want to wait around for more authorities to show up. Perhaps he could have picked the Black Knight's mind a bit more, but there wasn't much point in crying over spilled milk he would muse as he focused back on Griswold and awaited the man's reply. WC: 867 TWC: 2,023
“It’s not so much the career I sought, but the financial backing. For a while, I’ve tried doing the work that I do as a mercenary, a sword for hire, and since I joined the Black Bulls, the work itself has not changed. The main difference being that now, I have an entire organization with strong ties to other powerful organizations, as well as their treasury backing me.”
And that was really one of the main reasons why he had become a magic knight again after he stepped away from the Crimson Lions. Doing the work that he did had always been in the forsaken region first, and the common region second, though it rarely ever drew him to the noble region as the missions there were not really up to his standards. Finding that there were people out there that would use their wealth and reputation to get magic knights to basically act as glorified babysitters for their children, that life had never been intended for him whatsoever. Truth be told, he always got a little weird around children since he had no real idea as to how to handle them, leading him to either act overprotective or not protective enough, rarely ever being the right amount of both at the same time. Still, when the circumstances called for it, he had saved and guided several children already.
But that was vastly different from sitting around in some gilded cage while making sure some spoiled kids wouldn’t go around causing a scene, ravaging the liquor cabinet or taking a big shit behind the curtains while making sure no third party would try to snatch the kids for a ransom. Believing his own abilities were far better suited for the open road, traveling the country to get rid of problems wherever he might encounter them, the black bulls were simply a far better fit for him. And when the moment came where they would no longer be just that, he would just take his things and leave again, aiming to find a place where his set of skills might be utilized better to help out the people that were most in need of it. Strangely enough, Griswold had no idea what the smoker was really doing in his free time, or what his stance on the country and its people really were.
“Hmm… it seems word travels quickly. I honestly hadn’t thought it would be going this swiftly, but yes, that would indeed be the case. Ever since Simon was put to rest, I decided I’d keep the stallion, called him Nuck. Travels much more comfortably than a broomstick.”
While he had never travelled by broom much aside from the early days of him being a fresh magic knight and believing it was more or less required, there was no denying that the right saddle made for a far more pleasant journey. That, and having a traveling companion that did not talk much made the road a lot less lonely too, so it was a win win situation no matter how one might look at it. Still, he understood how some superstitious folk might have other opinions on the matter, though those that knew Griswold also knew that he would not be riding some bloodthirsty monster into their town and leaving it behind in a stable while he went about his business. Its what made him wonder why people had apparently turned it into such a talking point. Not that it really mattered, he was not about to start leaving the beast behind at the black bulls base and going back to walking everywhere, that time was over.
“And no, I have not, but they’ll be receiving a guest soon enough.”
It was simply a means to an end for Griswold, Mania could understand the sentiment. The rogue gleaned some new information he had yet to dig up on the Black Bulls Magic Knight. Apparently, Griswold was a mercenary well before he joined the knighthood. It did well to explain his uncanny skill with a blade and the stern, silent countenance Griswold carried himself with. Instead of immediately replying Mania would take a brief moment to marinate on the course of the conversation and what was divulged. Many of his reasons aligned with why Mania had decided to join the Eclipse Ravens. He needed access to connections and resources that he could not obtain on his own.
"Nuck huh? Would have never expected his horse to become yours. That's something you don't see every day for sure. "
A half-hearted chuckle would escape the rogue's thin lips as he laughed at Griswold's words. Mania didn't much care for traveling by broomstick though he himself had one he rarely if ever used it at all. Mainly because he thought it made him look silly, though still, it was a valuable item to have when needed. "Ya know townspeople love to gossip. If you have your ear to the ground it's not hard to hear whispers or rumors through the grapevine." A cheeky smile would unwrap and reveal itself upon Mania's visage. He was quite good at collecting information though it was specifically a talent of his. Mania was simply skilled at conversation in some capacity. Thinks to the countless hours he spent observing humans and learning their innermost thoughts. For the rogue, he could easily pick up on subtle tells. Like knowing if one was lying by tone or body movements. Even in one's posture could Mania glean information where others would find none.
"Fair enough, that family will still get there's. Sooner or later karma is a vengeful woman after all..."
For a moment Mania's typically smooth and cool voice was much darker and heavier. The words seeped off the rogue's lips like toxic poison. His countenance had also briefly shattered, revealing a much more malicious intent buried in his focused, hazel eyes. Mania would be quick to reassemble his specious, poker face, noticing he had broken character for a moment. Mania wasn't a pious man, but he did hold certain universal beliefs and karma was one of them. It always came back to those who were deserving of her scornful wrath. With his nerves suddenly ticked off Mania would fetch another cigarette from his pocket to calm himself down. His habit of smoking when annoyed or just, in general, was a bad vice, but one the rogue couldn't stop and he didn't care to either. "So... where are you and Nuck heading after this? Gonna visit the other tree's being put up? Or maybe visit that fancy ball?" Mania highly doubted the latter given from what he had seen of Griswold, but one never knew. Humans after all were very fickle, social creatures. WC: 502 TWC: 2,525
[attr="class","athenatext"] It was one of the more busy times of the year for members of the church. Even more so this year since it was decided that the church would host four different tree decorating events one for each of the main spirits. Athena being a decon of Gnome it was a no-brainer that she would show up to the one dedicated to Gnome himself. Her work back at the church in Hage had taken longer than she thought but she in all honestly didn't mind at all. After all, she joined the church to help people even if it meant at times she wasn't able to make it to events she would have liked to attend. [break][break] Luckily however it seemed that even with the extra work she had to deal with back at home she was still able to make it to the festivities in Nairn. The blue-haired woman was surprised to see a decent bit of the tree was already covered but it was a good thing in her eyes as it meant the turnout was of decent size. This of course meant that the church had more than likely received a good amount of donations to help out the less fortunate citizen. [break][break] Athena would quickly stop by the donation area putting in some money herself. While it wasn't a whole lot it would at least help out a person or two and well her lifestyle wasn't exactly one that paid well. So all the money was from odd jobs she did for people who decided to pay her out of the kindness of their hearts as she didn't charge people to help them out. After all, that wouldn't be very church-like. [break][break] She would then head over to the tree to place the ornament she made with her own hands out of clay. It was of course in the shape of Gnome and it has yellow topazes for eyes. However, before she could place her own on the tree she would spot a young girl no younger than five trying to place her ornament on the tree but she wasn't quite tall enough to reach. It seemed like the girl had realized it as well and was going to ask her parents for help but they were nowhere to be seen. [break][break] This would cause the young child to start crying for her mom and dad. So Athena would walk up to the girl offering to help her place the gift on the tree while waiting for her parents to show up. Athena herself wasn't that strong and honestly, she would have been able to pick up the girl so she would instead summon a golem made of earth to lift the girl instead. [break][break] After a few minutes of waiting the girl's parents would show up and thank Athena. The Decon would just nod before wishing them a happy Yule as they walked away. With the minor crisis dealt with Athena would place her ornament on the tree while humming a prayer to Gnome
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[attr="class","athenalabel"] pow
[attr="class","athenalabel"] dur
[attr="class","athenalabel"] sta
[attr="class","athenalabel"] sen
[attr="class","athenalabel"] con
[attr="class","athenalabel"] speed
[attr="class","athenatag"] 00
[attr="class","athenatag"] 165
[attr="class","athenatag"] 95
[attr="class","athenatag"] 00
[attr="class","athenatag"] 95
[attr="class","athenatag"] 15m/s
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[attr="class","athenalabel"]mana skin
[attr="class","athenalabel"]health
[attr="class","athenalabel"]mana regen
[attr="class","athenalabel"]mana pool
[attr="class","athenatag"] Archmage
[attr="class","athenatag"] Grand
[attr="class","athenatag"]55 ic // 55 ooc
[attr="class","athenatag"] 260/260
[break]
[attr="class","athenaextra"]COMBAT SUMMARY
[break]
[attr="class","athenatext2"]You can put spells and whatever here idk [break][break] 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. [break][break]
“I am well aware of the need people feel to get into conversations, making mountains out of molehills, turning a strange bird they had never seen before flying overhead into a wild tale of a dragon that flew high above the countryside. It can be useful if you can filter out all of the crap, though it still means digging through a whole lot of crap just to get to the useful part.”
What Mania told him at this point was something he was well aware of, and something he often used to his advantage. Because of the fact that many of the people in the countryside did not see a lot of things that were out of the ordinary when compared to those living in the city, the things they did see often took to becoming the talk of the town. Someone suddenly dressing differently, someone of a higher station making their way through town for some reason, or the previously stated “I saw something I did not understand, so it was clearly a monster” discussion. If Griswold got a Yul for every time someone told him about some outlandish monster that turned out to be nothing more than a regular old animal that had been somewhat displaced due to the expansion of civilization, he would likely be carrying a much heavier sack of coins right now.
And while there were times when these tales went really far, like the time he had been sent to go after some killer that turned into a large cat that turned out to just be a mountain lion prowling the area, there were also times when the tales they told actually checked out. One of those that he would never forget was the one that took place in Kiten when he was approached by a bunch of men that had heard about his exploits and asked for his aid. Not being one to instantly turn people down even if they seemed like they had plenty of coin to hire a small army, he was glad to have gone with them or he would likely not have found that the town was being plagued by an actual vampire that was growing his numbers by draining the blood out of innocent women and children. Dragging them into the foothill and stashing them away in an old ruin, he had been building quite a “family” for himself.
And then there was the tale of people being massacred by a Dullahan, or simply put a Headless Horseman in a small town on the border of the common and noble regions. But that was something that had turned out to be quite true, and was something Mania had been quite well aware of due to having taken part in that whole endeavor. Which just went to show that not everything the people talked about was to be taken seriously or even believed, though there were times where all of the fairy tales had some foundation rooted in the truth. Not really feeling a need to respond to the statement regarding the people of that wicked family getting what they deserved, Griswold assumed they more or less already had. With the leading members of the family dead and buried, it seemed unlikely the women that were left were going to take over. After all, not a lot of men trusted women to do the work, assuming them to be too fickle or emotional.
“I have considered it, yes. I was handed a trinket to hand off at the tree of gnome, as well as one for the tree of sylph, so I won’t be staying around here for too long. I’m not really the type for festivity or balls.”
Not going as far as stating he was not one who enjoyed getting into all of the religious crap or felt like prancing around in fancy suits and dresses with a bunch of nobles, Griswold believed he had handled this fairly well. Tensing up for a bit as his hand slowly moved towards the handle of the sword at his waist, closer inspection told him there was not much to be worried about. For as they spoke, he watched as a golem had formed out of the ground and picked up a girl to place an ornament in the tree. Moving his hand away from his weapon again as it did not seem to be someone trying to ruin the festivities for others, his mind returned to the conversation.
Griswold for the most part had supplied a answer that Maia expected. The rogue's hazel eyes did follow Griswold's hand as it slowly motioned for one of the weapons he was carrying, though it seemed like he decided it wasn't required. Following the man's eyes that weren't focused on him, Mania saw that an earth golem had been summoned to help a little girl. That's what Mania presumed at least as he watched the scene unfold as the earthen creation lifted the small child into the air to place her ornament. The action had brought a smile to the girl who was crying moments before.
Mania would turn back to Griswold after having seen enough of what was happening nearby the tree.
"You appear on edge Griswold..."
It was mostly a rhetorical statement not meant to be answered. Mania assumed the man had seen plenty of things given his line of work and so it was mostly understandable that he would preemptively be wary of anything danger that lurked and loomed nearby. It also suggested though that the Black Bulls Magic Knight was always ready for action should it arise. It wasn't a bad thing, but mostly Mania thought it was due to Griswold's inability to relax. He had a very serious and studious demeanor from what the rogue could tell. Burying his hands in his pockets Mania would express one more thing before he took his leave from Griswold and left him to his own prerogative.
"You should take some time to relax friend. Not everything is monsters and missions or requests. Anyway, imma get something to warm me up. Take care Griswold, maybe I'll see ya around~"
Mania would turn and give a goodbye gesture to Griswold as he abruptly left the Black Bulls Magic Knight. Before he would go to grab a warm drink he would stop by the blue-haired churchwoman who had helped the child earlier. Mania's approach would be just as the girl's parents showed up and showered the girl with praise before leaving. "That was mighty nice of ya miss" Mania would say in his roguishly smooth voice as he watched the woman place her ornament of Gnome upon the giant tree. Mania was just thinking he could make some more small talk before taking his leave. He didn't have much to do at this very moment and the blue-haired girl seemed interesting enough.
From what the rogue could surmise he could tell by her clothing that she was associated with the church. "It looks like there was a good turn out this year, huh?" Mania said while holding his hands on his hips as he looked up at the tree, noting the various trinkets and ornaments that decorated it. Mania hadn't given the church a donation yet, but he would be sure to remember to do so before he left. Mostly as thanks to the church who had helped him out in a time of need. He planned on paying the gesture back as he was a person that always paid his debts, despite being a rogue. WC: 514 TWC: 3,037
Post by Hinota Yuiee✾ on Feb 2, 2022 18:07:18 GMT -5
Those that took part gain the NA 'The Blessing of Gnome' and a bag, if they've decided to take one of the other four blessings NA's they are unable to take this one.
While the conversation had been a fairly pleasant one, it still bothered him that certain things in life simply seemed to have to happen for some reason. People getting killed for their ideas, loved ones ending up taking the brunt of the emotional damage and stepping out on their own terms, children being taken away and sent into an orphanage somewhere. All it combined didn't exactly make Griswold feel that Yuletime cheer, not one bit. But perhaps that was how things simply needed to be, with him being unhappy but remaining focused on his tasks. At least that way, he could be out there to help others before such a fate might befall them. And with that thought in mind, he turned his eyes towards his conversational partner before nodding at him as he fully turned around to go find his horse and ride back out into the countryside.
