Cevrik777
Sex Demon
- Joined
- Jan 16, 2011
- Messages
- 274
- Reputation score
- 21
A summary of the first 4 chapters is now available for those of you who wish to join the story - you will find a link to the post in the "Table of Contents" spoiler.
Table of Contents (Possible Spoilers):
Forward:
An explanation of the "Stats/inventory", the "Minor Action" system, and "Discrete Crystals" can be found below:
A roar permeated the darkness. A constant rumble that never ceased. You feel it shake your form as you float through this black void. Small, higher pitched pangs of metal chime every so often. You start to feel a rythm - a subtle bounce that rocks you up and down. The roar crescendos, making the void shimmer. Miniscule fractures start to appear on the black background. Like shattered ice the lines arch out from their origins, creating a spiderweb like appearance of white on black. You try to focus on the lines but they appear hazy. Whenever you feel as though you’ve pinned one down it appears somewhere else. You try and move towards it, but your limbs ache in protest. The lines start to appear more concise, more concrete. At this point you’re not sure if you’re approaching it or it’s approaching you. The roar still continues. The web almost seems to be within reach. You stretch out your arm as far as it will go. Your entire purpose seems to be making contact with the splits in this void. As you finally make contact light seems to spill forth from the web of cracks. The roar grabs your attention again and you open your eyes...
The darkness is gone. Instead a soothing hue of brown, white, and gold fills your hazed vision. You see before you seats lined up in row after row, with an aisle in the middle. The aisle is covered with a hard wood floor which gives way to carpet underneath the seats. Two walls with panes of black and a ceiling of gold confine this seating arrangment. They continue on until they meet another wall at the end with a door positioned in the middle which lines up perfectly with the aisle. You turn and see that the room is identical on the other side, finding yourself seated at one of the far ends. The ceiling has cylinders hanging from above. Swinging from side to side they glow a hot white as light pours from them, reflecting off the ceiling and hitting the polished brown wood of the walls and floor to produce a golden tone throughout the room.
A roar also permeates the room - a constant rumble that never seems to cease. You look about for its source yet you find that you are the only occupant of this room. The roar seems to be coming from everywhere. A grinding that seems to shake you and the room itself. It has a rhythm to it: a subtle waviness to it that grows louder in short bursts and quiets down just as quickly. Short metallic cracks ring out, as though someone were wielding a whip against the beast from which makes this sound. As you sit there and listen to it, and your head starts to become a bit clearer, the roar becomes less bestial and more metallic. The grinding teeth become the sounds of turning gears and the whip that of clashing metal. You suddenly realize you are on a train. You turn towards the window but darkness is still all that greets you from the outside.
“I must be in a tunnel” you think to yourself.
The victory to this small mystery of where you are is shortlived however. As you turn to stand and move about the car other mysteries start to bombard you.
"Why am I on a train?"
"Where is it going?"
Each question becomes more and more alarming.
"How did I get here?"
"What was I doing here?"
... "Who am I?"
Your breathing picks up and your eyes start to dart rapidly across the room. The lights in the car appear brighter and time seems to slow down. The sound of the moving car becomes a dull moan and your mouth opens as your breaths become faster and shorter. Your fingers clench into fists and a pit forms at the bottom of your throat as you seem to lose yourself. Darkness appears around the edges of your vision. You force your eyes shut and open them again, repeating this process in an attempt to reclaim your vision. Your breathing quickens even more. As you sit there twisting in confusion you bring your hand to you mouth and bite down. Hard.
A bitter, almost burnt taste fills your mouth. Pain starts to flow from your hand. Your breathing picks up slightly and then begins to calm down, all of your muscles following suit, finally ending with your jaw. You try and focus, the pain snapping you out of whatever panic attack you were having. Although, your hand doesn’t hurt as much as you thought it would. You slowly open your eyes to see that your teeth have left their mark on a leather glove. Resting against the back of the seat you flex the fingers on your right hand and let the pain fade away until only a minor ache is left.
Now, with your head clear and body calm you examine yourself. Your hands are covered with leather dress gloves; a dark brown, they fit your fingers snugly. You turn your gaze to your torso and see a khaki colored duster. With six buttons going down the front it, it fits to you closely and comfortably. Peeking out from below this you can see a black skirt which goes down to your ankles and leaves just enough room for you to see two dark brown, front-laced, leather dress boots on your feet. You unbutton the duster and see a white blouse covering your moderately sized breasts. The material is soft as you slowly twist around feeling the fabric on your skin. You reach up to your neck and feel an oval-shaped brooch at the front of your collar; it appears to be some type of metal with an inlay of some sort. “Whoever I am, I’m certainly quite well off... or at least playing the part of someone who is.”
With that done you button the duster back up and start to examine your head. Slowly raising your hands you finally make contact with your hair. It seems to be put up into some sort of loose bun. As you fumble around, trying to get an idea of how it is shaped, you accidentally knock whatever was holding it together loose. Hearing the sound of metal hitting the hardwood floor below you, you feel your hair fall down to just below your shoulders. You grab a handful, and although it is hard to see in this light, you are sure you see a darker color, a deep auburn. As for your face, you can’t say much without a mirror, but you don’t... feel unattractive. Content with the hope that your face matches that of the quality of your clothing and hair you continue on.
You spend a couple more seconds examining your pockets, eventually finding a train ticket in your left front pocket. The ticket is a sickly yellow with black ink imprinted on it that looks far too precise to have been written by hand. What seems to be random letters line the left and top side, edging up along the border. A red circular symbol inhabits the top-right corner but the ink is very light, and you have difficulty discerning what it says. You look to the bottom, however, and finally see something of note:
“Second-Class - Hangsmire to Novo. Female. Elf.”
“Elf!?” You think to yourself, and immediately images of men and women with sharp faces and pointed ears fill your mind’s eye. You reach up and sure enough you notice a tiny point to your ear that you missed earlier. However, you notice your ears are not especially long. In fact, they feel quite “normal”. Of course, you’re not quite sure what “normal” is at this point.
Looking back to the ticket, you notice how the last two words are less perfect than the rest – as though they had been scribbled in by someone. You then look back to the town names. Novo? Hangsmire? You try to think if you have heard of them before but the names hold no familiarity. You examine the ticket further for any clues but your efforts prove fruitless, signaling your defeat as you put the ticket back into your pocket.
As a strand of hair dangles in front of your eyes you remember the pin that had fallen out of your hair. You lean over onto your left arm and reach down to retrieve it. That is when you notice a small bag, a purse of sorts, partially tucked underneath your seat. You forget about the pin and instead reach for the bag, grabbing it by the handle, and attempting to hoist it up onto the seat. You are quite suprised at the parcel’s weight, finding it weighs a bit more than you would expect of the average handbag. You lift it up and set it down to your left, shuffling closer to it as you find the latch and open it up. What you find is curious.
Lying on top is an almost perfectly snow-white envelope. You can’t put your finger on it but it almost seems as though you know it is meant for you. You feel a flutter and inhale sharply as hopes of finding out who you are rush through your mind. Surely it’s from a relative or a close-friend! With your attention entirely focused on the letter, you seemingly ignore everything else underneath and pick it up. You turn it in your hands notice it is devoid of any outside markings. Flipping up the tab you slip your fingers inside, finding a single piece of paper. You pull it out and begin to unfold it, your face cracking a hesitant smile as you see words on the inside. With the note completely unfurled you begin to read:
Dearest Jacqueline,
“Jacqueline...” you say aloud after realizing that this could very well be your name. You then gasp slightly realizing you are hearing your own voice for the "first" time - a smooth mezzo, not too deep or too high, yet at the same time containing a pleasing tone. Looking back to the letter, you read it aloud, getting a feeling for your voice as you do so:
Dearest Jacqueline,
Word of your deeds has already reached us here in Respeiro. You performed admirably as always and we praise you for your work. Now, events have been moving faster than we had anticipated; please head to Respeiro quickly, and immediately upon receiving this letter. This envelope contains four tickets: one from where you are now to Hangsmire, one from Hangsmire to Novo, Novo to Bayton, and then finally Bayton to Respeiro. Once there, make contact at the messaging station. Come prepared and be careful - those cities may be neutral but the citizenry aren’t necessarily so. Trust is a luxury you cannot afford. You know the rest and what needs to be done. Procure what you need using the money we have supplied you and make haste. And of course, may fate favor you in the events to come.
-J.
P.S. I wish I could’ve given you just one ticket but thanks to the Barons and their damn railroads, you’re stuck with four. Try not to lose any of them.
You finish reading the letter. You now have even more questions than answers. Still, after letting the words sink in you realize that all you have to do is make it to this “Respeiro”. Rolling the cities name around on your tongue you remember the tickets the note mentioned and set aside the note to continue your search through the bag. What you find, however, is far from anything made of paper.
It’s an object with an odd shape, possessing a slight curve on one side, but then straightening out to what looks like a long rod. It seems as though it is mostly made of some sort of metal, while the last bit sticking off the end is a dark polished wood. You hesitantly grasp it and find that this is what caused lifting the bag to be such an ordeal. Turning it around in your hands you study it, noticing intricate carvings on either side the metallic part. Examining it further still you look towards the wooden section, your hand instinctively grasping it. Whatever this is, your hand seems familiar with it. Perhaps it’s some sort of club? You notice a ring on the underside, as well as a small strip of metal that seems to protrude from the main body of the object. “Interesting...” You think to yourself.
You set the object back in the bag and continue your search.
“Aha!”
This time you find the tickets and just as the letter promised, there rest the names of the towns: Novo, Bayton, and Respeiro. Together with the one in your pocket that makes three in total, with the first one in the list missing. Setting the tickets back where you found them you continue taking inventory of the bag’s contents. While you don’t find paper, what you do find cracks a smile as you realize you have stumbled upon some coin! Gathering it up, you start to count. You reach about a hundred and continue on until a screech pierces the air and the black panes that are the car’s windows burst forth with light.
You shield your eyes, fumbling to place the money back into the bag before you lose any. You peek out slowly from behind your arm, blinking rapidly as you hear the screech, of what you assume to be the train’s whistle again. Squinting, you peer out of the window and see stonework columns whizz by you, supporting what looks to be a metal roof of sorts. The columns seem but a blur as they speed passed, yet you notice the pattern on them starting to become finer with each one. Suddenly it dawns on you that you’re slowing down. You gaze out all around trying to see something, but unfortunately, you are greeted by only more stone. A platform comes up along-side the train and then two more figures, one blue one silver pass by as well.
Realizing you are at a station you go into another flurry of activity, gathering up everything that you can find around you and setting it within the bag. As you pack you glance up and see that the train is up against a wall on its left side, allowing passengers to only enter and exit from the right side. You recall how long you were in that tunnel and wonder why it took so long.
You finally gather everything together as you lurch forward, your momentum continuing to carry you forward as the train comes to a halt. Catching yourself from falling you gaze outside again and see a simple stone floor, twenty-some feet in width, spanning the gap between the train and a massive wall. The wall travels upwards as far as you can see in your current position. Whether or not the light up above is from the sun or not, you cannot tell. The occasional stone archway opens up into the wall: black portals which seem almost forboding in their appearance as you strain to see anything but darkness passed their thresholds. As you continue to take in your surrounding your eyes fall upon a pale green sign with gold lettering: “Folkestone”.
It hangs above a white piece of parchment. Wedged between the wall and what appears to be a pane of glass you notice a multitude of lines, dots, and text scrawled over its surface. You think back for a moment, realizing that this isn’t mentioned anywhere in the note. Perhaps it’s in between stops? Is there something I need to take care of here? You turn back around to see if you’ve missed anything else- but you freeze as you see that your bag is no longer there.
Like a stone you sat there in shock... until you hear the slow hiss and click of the door to the next car sliding to a close and then latching shut. You bolt up and reach for the handle but hesitate as you think: “Whoever took my bag is back there, but what about Folkestone? If I don’t find the thief in time I may miss getting off. Do I even need to get off here? Either way can I go on without those tickets? And what about the rest of the bag’s contents?!”
What do you do? (NOTE: You may add a small description to any of the primary choices)
A). Run after the thief.
B). Get off the train.
X). Other.
Table of Contents (Possible Spoilers):
Chapter 1: "Novo" Page 2, Post #18
Chapter 2: "On the (Rail) Road Again…" Page 5, Post #75
Chapter 3: "Under the Sea of Mist" Page 11, Post #158
Chapter 4: "The Catacombs" Page 23, Post #334
Summary 1 - Chapters 1-4: "Part 1" Page 32, post #477
Chapter 2: "On the (Rail) Road Again…" Page 5, Post #75
Chapter 3: "Under the Sea of Mist" Page 11, Post #158
Chapter 4: "The Catacombs" Page 23, Post #334
Summary 1 - Chapters 1-4: "Part 1" Page 32, post #477
Greetings all!
Finally, here we are! After quite a few months in the works of mapping out the story and spinning the lore, I present to you “Amarant”.
I’ve read quite a few CYOAs here and elsewhere to get a feel for how this will work out. I’ll try and be concise with my explanation, though most of this will probably be obvious or already known to those of you who visit the CYOA subsection regularly:
The story will mostly follow the narrative I’ve written up, to a point, varying depending on your decisions you guys vote upon and the occasional “Other” choice. Given that this is my first time I’m going to leave the vast majority of die-rolling and game mechanics at the door, instead, opting to have you guys factor in your own “luck”.
Update: This has changed a bit over the months, as there are a few instances where I need to create a sense of luck. However, this luck will usually affect minor details and will very rarely ever have an impact on major plot points.
When a post ends I will try and give you guys at least 24 hours, give or take a few, to get your votes in. If a bandwagon starts up I’ll write up a rough draft, but keep it in reserve in case other decisions make a comeback.
Also, I have tried to construct the world, character’s motivations & allegiances, as well as your decisions in such a way that an “Other” vote (That makes SENSE) can be fit into the vast majority of the story. Some specific situations will not allow an “Other” option.
Some paths will lead through different areas and meet different characters but the final destination is the same. However, what transpires after you arrive there depends on the choices you make and how you handle certain situations.
Also, interact with characters. Most of the time I’ll usually have a prompt but, if there is not a pressing and urgent matter at hand, go ahead and “Ask a question” or interact with them in some way. If it’s relevant I’ll paraphrase and try my best to put it in character and have it flow with the narrative.
I hope you enjoy and thank you.
Finally, here we are! After quite a few months in the works of mapping out the story and spinning the lore, I present to you “Amarant”.
I’ve read quite a few CYOAs here and elsewhere to get a feel for how this will work out. I’ll try and be concise with my explanation, though most of this will probably be obvious or already known to those of you who visit the CYOA subsection regularly:
The story will mostly follow the narrative I’ve written up, to a point, varying depending on your decisions you guys vote upon and the occasional “Other” choice. Given that this is my first time I’m going to leave the vast majority of die-rolling and game mechanics at the door, instead, opting to have you guys factor in your own “luck”.
Update: This has changed a bit over the months, as there are a few instances where I need to create a sense of luck. However, this luck will usually affect minor details and will very rarely ever have an impact on major plot points.
When a post ends I will try and give you guys at least 24 hours, give or take a few, to get your votes in. If a bandwagon starts up I’ll write up a rough draft, but keep it in reserve in case other decisions make a comeback.
Also, I have tried to construct the world, character’s motivations & allegiances, as well as your decisions in such a way that an “Other” vote (That makes SENSE) can be fit into the vast majority of the story. Some specific situations will not allow an “Other” option.
Some paths will lead through different areas and meet different characters but the final destination is the same. However, what transpires after you arrive there depends on the choices you make and how you handle certain situations.
Also, interact with characters. Most of the time I’ll usually have a prompt but, if there is not a pressing and urgent matter at hand, go ahead and “Ask a question” or interact with them in some way. If it’s relevant I’ll paraphrase and try my best to put it in character and have it flow with the narrative.
I hope you enjoy and thank you.
An explanation of the "Stats/inventory", the "Minor Action" system, and "Discrete Crystals" can be found below:
Explanation of Discrete Crystals:
Minor Actions Explanation:
Explanation of Stats Sections:
Discrete crystals are an idea I had when coming up with mechanics for this game when thinking about how to allow readers to explore a “What If…” option. Some of you may know where I drew inspiration from, but I liked the idea of a lore friendly item that also held an in-game mechanic.
As far as the mechanics go:
Red Discrete Crystals:
These will act as your "lives" in a simple sense. In a more complex way of thinking about them, if you fall in combat one will shatter and put you back to a place in time before the blow was struck. This is it's passive effect. To utilize them actively, you must first declare you want to use it. Two or three (depending on the total number of voters), other voters must also support your decision to use them. Activating them manually will allow you guys to see a "Bad Ending" (Not necessarily death. With the content on this site, you should know what this implies) and then have the story begin again at the point it was "consumed", in the next post. If you choose to activate one, please still make a primary vote in case you are vetoed.
White Discrete crystals
White crystals will provide a cryptic glance into the future. In a more general sense, they'll allow you to have me give a brief description of each of the available choices. This way, you guys can make a more informed decision when faced with a stressful decision or are lacking information.
So, in a nutshell: Red ones are lives which can be shattered to experience a "Game Over" and white ones are a crystal ball look into the future. Red Crystals may actually be shattered at any moment to have an “instanced” scenario of any previous fight/encounter in the game, if there are enough votes, of course.
As far as the mechanics go:
Red Discrete Crystals:
These will act as your "lives" in a simple sense. In a more complex way of thinking about them, if you fall in combat one will shatter and put you back to a place in time before the blow was struck. This is it's passive effect. To utilize them actively, you must first declare you want to use it. Two or three (depending on the total number of voters), other voters must also support your decision to use them. Activating them manually will allow you guys to see a "Bad Ending" (Not necessarily death. With the content on this site, you should know what this implies) and then have the story begin again at the point it was "consumed", in the next post. If you choose to activate one, please still make a primary vote in case you are vetoed.
White Discrete crystals
White crystals will provide a cryptic glance into the future. In a more general sense, they'll allow you to have me give a brief description of each of the available choices. This way, you guys can make a more informed decision when faced with a stressful decision or are lacking information.
So, in a nutshell: Red ones are lives which can be shattered to experience a "Game Over" and white ones are a crystal ball look into the future. Red Crystals may actually be shattered at any moment to have an “instanced” scenario of any previous fight/encounter in the game, if there are enough votes, of course.
Minor Actions Explanation:
Minor Actions are small actions you may do in addition to your Primary Vote (A,B, C, etc). They will usually just provide you with additional information or perhaps, in rare circumstances, an item. If it would cause an encounter or runs the risk of causing general havoc than it's best to put it as an additional detail under primary vote.
Examples are asking someone a simple question, inspecting an object or feature in the environment, checking on or using an item in your bag, or changing some feature on your person. (i.e. Putting your hair into ponytail - See: Sections explained > Appearance)
They may help you, but please, try not to abuse the system. Trying to examine a couple objects in detail may be fine, but picking every item off the shelf in a store can get a bit... tedious.
Examples are asking someone a simple question, inspecting an object or feature in the environment, checking on or using an item in your bag, or changing some feature on your person. (i.e. Putting your hair into ponytail - See: Sections explained > Appearance)
They may help you, but please, try not to abuse the system. Trying to examine a couple objects in detail may be fine, but picking every item off the shelf in a store can get a bit... tedious.
A "*" next to the "STATS" title will denote that there has been a modification since the last post.
A blue + will denote that an item has been gained.
A red - will denote that an item has been lost or destroyed.
Current Inventory: What you have with you.
Weapons: Objects that may be used to inflict harm on opponents. Note, that these are your primary means of damaging an enemy in combat but you may use other items you possess or objects in the environment in creative ways. This includes your bare hands and feet.
To display the status of the cylinder in the revolver, I have added a simple set of letters to let you guys know exactly what the state of it is between posts. It currently goes:
Cylinder: (Chamber aligned with barrel){Next shot once hammer is cocked}>Remaining chambers>
Sp = Spent casing. L = Loaded/Live round. E = Empty.
So, “ Rotation: (Sp){L} >L,L,E,E ” Means that you have a casing now lined up with the barrel, the next shot will be live once you pull the hammer, and then you have two more rounds before you’re empty.
Apparel: Clothes that are currently being worn. Any damage will be detailed as well. Clothing not being worn will be held in your inventory. A “???” symbol denotes the knowledge of it being worn, but no specific details are known.
Abilities/Effects: Special abilities possessed by the character. Some may be directly linked with items/pieces of clothing. Also lists passive effects present upon the character, including passive skills and negative conditions.
Physical Appearance: A basic overview of the physical features of your character.
Some aspects may be altered via a minor action if necessary requirements are met (Tying hair up into a ponytail), or against the character’s will depending on the nature of the alteration.
A blue + will denote that an item has been gained.
A red - will denote that an item has been lost or destroyed.
Current Inventory: What you have with you.
Weapons: Objects that may be used to inflict harm on opponents. Note, that these are your primary means of damaging an enemy in combat but you may use other items you possess or objects in the environment in creative ways. This includes your bare hands and feet.
To display the status of the cylinder in the revolver, I have added a simple set of letters to let you guys know exactly what the state of it is between posts. It currently goes:
Cylinder: (Chamber aligned with barrel){Next shot once hammer is cocked}>Remaining chambers>
Sp = Spent casing. L = Loaded/Live round. E = Empty.
So, “ Rotation: (Sp){L} >L,L,E,E ” Means that you have a casing now lined up with the barrel, the next shot will be live once you pull the hammer, and then you have two more rounds before you’re empty.
Apparel: Clothes that are currently being worn. Any damage will be detailed as well. Clothing not being worn will be held in your inventory. A “???” symbol denotes the knowledge of it being worn, but no specific details are known.
Abilities/Effects: Special abilities possessed by the character. Some may be directly linked with items/pieces of clothing. Also lists passive effects present upon the character, including passive skills and negative conditions.
Physical Appearance: A basic overview of the physical features of your character.
Some aspects may be altered via a minor action if necessary requirements are met (Tying hair up into a ponytail), or against the character’s will depending on the nature of the alteration.
Amarant: Unknown Path:
-Introduction-
A roar permeated the darkness. A constant rumble that never ceased. You feel it shake your form as you float through this black void. Small, higher pitched pangs of metal chime every so often. You start to feel a rythm - a subtle bounce that rocks you up and down. The roar crescendos, making the void shimmer. Miniscule fractures start to appear on the black background. Like shattered ice the lines arch out from their origins, creating a spiderweb like appearance of white on black. You try to focus on the lines but they appear hazy. Whenever you feel as though you’ve pinned one down it appears somewhere else. You try and move towards it, but your limbs ache in protest. The lines start to appear more concise, more concrete. At this point you’re not sure if you’re approaching it or it’s approaching you. The roar still continues. The web almost seems to be within reach. You stretch out your arm as far as it will go. Your entire purpose seems to be making contact with the splits in this void. As you finally make contact light seems to spill forth from the web of cracks. The roar grabs your attention again and you open your eyes...
The darkness is gone. Instead a soothing hue of brown, white, and gold fills your hazed vision. You see before you seats lined up in row after row, with an aisle in the middle. The aisle is covered with a hard wood floor which gives way to carpet underneath the seats. Two walls with panes of black and a ceiling of gold confine this seating arrangment. They continue on until they meet another wall at the end with a door positioned in the middle which lines up perfectly with the aisle. You turn and see that the room is identical on the other side, finding yourself seated at one of the far ends. The ceiling has cylinders hanging from above. Swinging from side to side they glow a hot white as light pours from them, reflecting off the ceiling and hitting the polished brown wood of the walls and floor to produce a golden tone throughout the room.
A roar also permeates the room - a constant rumble that never seems to cease. You look about for its source yet you find that you are the only occupant of this room. The roar seems to be coming from everywhere. A grinding that seems to shake you and the room itself. It has a rhythm to it: a subtle waviness to it that grows louder in short bursts and quiets down just as quickly. Short metallic cracks ring out, as though someone were wielding a whip against the beast from which makes this sound. As you sit there and listen to it, and your head starts to become a bit clearer, the roar becomes less bestial and more metallic. The grinding teeth become the sounds of turning gears and the whip that of clashing metal. You suddenly realize you are on a train. You turn towards the window but darkness is still all that greets you from the outside.
“I must be in a tunnel” you think to yourself.
The victory to this small mystery of where you are is shortlived however. As you turn to stand and move about the car other mysteries start to bombard you.
"Why am I on a train?"
"Where is it going?"
Each question becomes more and more alarming.
"How did I get here?"
"What was I doing here?"
... "Who am I?"
Your breathing picks up and your eyes start to dart rapidly across the room. The lights in the car appear brighter and time seems to slow down. The sound of the moving car becomes a dull moan and your mouth opens as your breaths become faster and shorter. Your fingers clench into fists and a pit forms at the bottom of your throat as you seem to lose yourself. Darkness appears around the edges of your vision. You force your eyes shut and open them again, repeating this process in an attempt to reclaim your vision. Your breathing quickens even more. As you sit there twisting in confusion you bring your hand to you mouth and bite down. Hard.
A bitter, almost burnt taste fills your mouth. Pain starts to flow from your hand. Your breathing picks up slightly and then begins to calm down, all of your muscles following suit, finally ending with your jaw. You try and focus, the pain snapping you out of whatever panic attack you were having. Although, your hand doesn’t hurt as much as you thought it would. You slowly open your eyes to see that your teeth have left their mark on a leather glove. Resting against the back of the seat you flex the fingers on your right hand and let the pain fade away until only a minor ache is left.
Now, with your head clear and body calm you examine yourself. Your hands are covered with leather dress gloves; a dark brown, they fit your fingers snugly. You turn your gaze to your torso and see a khaki colored duster. With six buttons going down the front it, it fits to you closely and comfortably. Peeking out from below this you can see a black skirt which goes down to your ankles and leaves just enough room for you to see two dark brown, front-laced, leather dress boots on your feet. You unbutton the duster and see a white blouse covering your moderately sized breasts. The material is soft as you slowly twist around feeling the fabric on your skin. You reach up to your neck and feel an oval-shaped brooch at the front of your collar; it appears to be some type of metal with an inlay of some sort. “Whoever I am, I’m certainly quite well off... or at least playing the part of someone who is.”
With that done you button the duster back up and start to examine your head. Slowly raising your hands you finally make contact with your hair. It seems to be put up into some sort of loose bun. As you fumble around, trying to get an idea of how it is shaped, you accidentally knock whatever was holding it together loose. Hearing the sound of metal hitting the hardwood floor below you, you feel your hair fall down to just below your shoulders. You grab a handful, and although it is hard to see in this light, you are sure you see a darker color, a deep auburn. As for your face, you can’t say much without a mirror, but you don’t... feel unattractive. Content with the hope that your face matches that of the quality of your clothing and hair you continue on.
You spend a couple more seconds examining your pockets, eventually finding a train ticket in your left front pocket. The ticket is a sickly yellow with black ink imprinted on it that looks far too precise to have been written by hand. What seems to be random letters line the left and top side, edging up along the border. A red circular symbol inhabits the top-right corner but the ink is very light, and you have difficulty discerning what it says. You look to the bottom, however, and finally see something of note:
“Second-Class - Hangsmire to Novo. Female. Elf.”
“Elf!?” You think to yourself, and immediately images of men and women with sharp faces and pointed ears fill your mind’s eye. You reach up and sure enough you notice a tiny point to your ear that you missed earlier. However, you notice your ears are not especially long. In fact, they feel quite “normal”. Of course, you’re not quite sure what “normal” is at this point.
Looking back to the ticket, you notice how the last two words are less perfect than the rest – as though they had been scribbled in by someone. You then look back to the town names. Novo? Hangsmire? You try to think if you have heard of them before but the names hold no familiarity. You examine the ticket further for any clues but your efforts prove fruitless, signaling your defeat as you put the ticket back into your pocket.
As a strand of hair dangles in front of your eyes you remember the pin that had fallen out of your hair. You lean over onto your left arm and reach down to retrieve it. That is when you notice a small bag, a purse of sorts, partially tucked underneath your seat. You forget about the pin and instead reach for the bag, grabbing it by the handle, and attempting to hoist it up onto the seat. You are quite suprised at the parcel’s weight, finding it weighs a bit more than you would expect of the average handbag. You lift it up and set it down to your left, shuffling closer to it as you find the latch and open it up. What you find is curious.
Lying on top is an almost perfectly snow-white envelope. You can’t put your finger on it but it almost seems as though you know it is meant for you. You feel a flutter and inhale sharply as hopes of finding out who you are rush through your mind. Surely it’s from a relative or a close-friend! With your attention entirely focused on the letter, you seemingly ignore everything else underneath and pick it up. You turn it in your hands notice it is devoid of any outside markings. Flipping up the tab you slip your fingers inside, finding a single piece of paper. You pull it out and begin to unfold it, your face cracking a hesitant smile as you see words on the inside. With the note completely unfurled you begin to read:
Dearest Jacqueline,
“Jacqueline...” you say aloud after realizing that this could very well be your name. You then gasp slightly realizing you are hearing your own voice for the "first" time - a smooth mezzo, not too deep or too high, yet at the same time containing a pleasing tone. Looking back to the letter, you read it aloud, getting a feeling for your voice as you do so:
Dearest Jacqueline,
Word of your deeds has already reached us here in Respeiro. You performed admirably as always and we praise you for your work. Now, events have been moving faster than we had anticipated; please head to Respeiro quickly, and immediately upon receiving this letter. This envelope contains four tickets: one from where you are now to Hangsmire, one from Hangsmire to Novo, Novo to Bayton, and then finally Bayton to Respeiro. Once there, make contact at the messaging station. Come prepared and be careful - those cities may be neutral but the citizenry aren’t necessarily so. Trust is a luxury you cannot afford. You know the rest and what needs to be done. Procure what you need using the money we have supplied you and make haste. And of course, may fate favor you in the events to come.
-J.
P.S. I wish I could’ve given you just one ticket but thanks to the Barons and their damn railroads, you’re stuck with four. Try not to lose any of them.
You finish reading the letter. You now have even more questions than answers. Still, after letting the words sink in you realize that all you have to do is make it to this “Respeiro”. Rolling the cities name around on your tongue you remember the tickets the note mentioned and set aside the note to continue your search through the bag. What you find, however, is far from anything made of paper.
It’s an object with an odd shape, possessing a slight curve on one side, but then straightening out to what looks like a long rod. It seems as though it is mostly made of some sort of metal, while the last bit sticking off the end is a dark polished wood. You hesitantly grasp it and find that this is what caused lifting the bag to be such an ordeal. Turning it around in your hands you study it, noticing intricate carvings on either side the metallic part. Examining it further still you look towards the wooden section, your hand instinctively grasping it. Whatever this is, your hand seems familiar with it. Perhaps it’s some sort of club? You notice a ring on the underside, as well as a small strip of metal that seems to protrude from the main body of the object. “Interesting...” You think to yourself.
You set the object back in the bag and continue your search.
“Aha!”
This time you find the tickets and just as the letter promised, there rest the names of the towns: Novo, Bayton, and Respeiro. Together with the one in your pocket that makes three in total, with the first one in the list missing. Setting the tickets back where you found them you continue taking inventory of the bag’s contents. While you don’t find paper, what you do find cracks a smile as you realize you have stumbled upon some coin! Gathering it up, you start to count. You reach about a hundred and continue on until a screech pierces the air and the black panes that are the car’s windows burst forth with light.
You shield your eyes, fumbling to place the money back into the bag before you lose any. You peek out slowly from behind your arm, blinking rapidly as you hear the screech, of what you assume to be the train’s whistle again. Squinting, you peer out of the window and see stonework columns whizz by you, supporting what looks to be a metal roof of sorts. The columns seem but a blur as they speed passed, yet you notice the pattern on them starting to become finer with each one. Suddenly it dawns on you that you’re slowing down. You gaze out all around trying to see something, but unfortunately, you are greeted by only more stone. A platform comes up along-side the train and then two more figures, one blue one silver pass by as well.
Realizing you are at a station you go into another flurry of activity, gathering up everything that you can find around you and setting it within the bag. As you pack you glance up and see that the train is up against a wall on its left side, allowing passengers to only enter and exit from the right side. You recall how long you were in that tunnel and wonder why it took so long.
You finally gather everything together as you lurch forward, your momentum continuing to carry you forward as the train comes to a halt. Catching yourself from falling you gaze outside again and see a simple stone floor, twenty-some feet in width, spanning the gap between the train and a massive wall. The wall travels upwards as far as you can see in your current position. Whether or not the light up above is from the sun or not, you cannot tell. The occasional stone archway opens up into the wall: black portals which seem almost forboding in their appearance as you strain to see anything but darkness passed their thresholds. As you continue to take in your surrounding your eyes fall upon a pale green sign with gold lettering: “Folkestone”.
It hangs above a white piece of parchment. Wedged between the wall and what appears to be a pane of glass you notice a multitude of lines, dots, and text scrawled over its surface. You think back for a moment, realizing that this isn’t mentioned anywhere in the note. Perhaps it’s in between stops? Is there something I need to take care of here? You turn back around to see if you’ve missed anything else- but you freeze as you see that your bag is no longer there.
Like a stone you sat there in shock... until you hear the slow hiss and click of the door to the next car sliding to a close and then latching shut. You bolt up and reach for the handle but hesitate as you think: “Whoever took my bag is back there, but what about Folkestone? If I don’t find the thief in time I may miss getting off. Do I even need to get off here? Either way can I go on without those tickets? And what about the rest of the bag’s contents?!”
What do you do? (NOTE: You may add a small description to any of the primary choices)
A). Run after the thief.
B). Get off the train.
X). Other.
I realize these choices may be a bit "poor" but it's mostly still setting up for the main story.
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