[SRP] Heart of Winter

[Strifeling]

PRP

Castellion (official WIP)
+ Lumi
Maybe others?

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NOTES TO SELF, ORGANIZED STUFF, TO BE MOVED ELSEWHERE:


Statted in Nov, sorted by set of characters, paste these into the intro posts of the relevant RPs:

Quote:

Poison in the Fox's Den: Faolchu, Casimir -- discussing the assassination attempts on their mother. They determine the next course of action (which is what?? Vengeance? While secretly putting out a call for a healer, herbalist, or alchemist who could help their mother. It must be kept secret so that foes do not think their reign is weak and unstable. Concubines already causing problems) (Maybe re-title to Foxglove in the Fox's Den -- would be a pun on words with the use of digitalis poison. Maybe cantarella? see this journal)

Graveyard Trespasser: Yolotl, Sepulchre -- Yolotl and Sepulchre meet in Sepulchre's cemetery while Yolotl is on a task to procure Atropa belladonna for a herbalist. Yolotl responds with fear, then realizes Sepulchre means no harm. Sepulchre's first friend.

The Sacrifice: Sacrifera -- prequel/backstory; Sacrifera's imprisonment. She suffers in the cave, remembers this wasn't the first time she has been hunted (flashback/memory of being chased by wolf hunters for game), remembers the forest she had grown in. Her thoughts are interrupted by a massive figure with a demon mask who walks in, binds her wings, and administers a hallucinogen. (TW -- potential mutilation/scarring??) Sacrifera realizes that her captors plan to use her as a sacrifice; she is treated as a sacred deer. She realizes how long she has left to live. [Idea: Wings damaged, arcane scars added on legs? Sacrifera originally has flowering wooded antlers in addition to horn? But they are sawed off in this RP and don't regrow???]

Roses Intertwined (working title): Caladhiel -- Caladhiel remembers her lover's face and his promise to come see her during the summer equinox. She remembers the gifts they have given to each other; he gave her the filigree crown she wears and the flowers of his homeland to add to her garden, and she gave him an intricate vine circlet, which replaced his original cracked crown.

Winter Garden (working title): Champagne, Absinthe -- Champagne wanders through her garden on a winter evening, concerned about her plants. Absinthe, who is currently mute, watches her sister and realizes how jealous she is of Champagne. How does it end??? Does Absinthe decide to move on to a new area??

Lovers in Autumn Leaves: Percephona, Hades -- fluffy soul-cleansing fuzzy feels filler RP set in present day that shows their relationship

Autumn Harvest: Hokulani na Kai [+more??]

Going South: Seraphiel, Golden Gaze [+Yulia, Scotch] --

Winter Preparations: Bluebelle, Kaimana [+Soren, Enfys, Alizarin, Lavender, Morpheus??] --

Quote:

Memory of Summer -- self-RP with Faolchu, his point-of-view counterpart to Caladhiel's Roses Intertwined. To be written after finishing Poison in the Fox's Den.

??? -- self-RP with Caladhiel, a follow-up to Roses Intertwined. Includes a timelapse? One or two posts, if two posts, ideally time has passed between them. Faolchu never arrives for the solstice celebration. Caladhiel's first experience with betrayal.

Blooms of the Same Branch -- Sera's kids
First Snow

December goal"

Quote:

Castellion
Lumi
Shrimp
Thistle
Faolchu
Casimir
Yolotl
Sepulchre
Sacrifera (450)
Caladhiel
Champagne (250)
Absinthe (250)
Percephona
Hades
Hokulani
Seraphiel
Golden Gaze
Yulia
Scotch
Bluebelle (250)
Kaimana (250)
Soren (250)
Enfys (250)
Alizarin (250)
Lavender
Morpheus
Ceresin
Yin Yu
Vixen
Orion
Bloodseeker
Malocchia
Paramita
stargeni
Kitsune girl
Elysium/Versailles -- decide on which name -- peacock kitsune
Caput Mortuum -- origskull
Requiem
Stardust
Aldebaran -- part of kitsune family, starry
Desdemona/Belladonna (hedge witch)

 

[Strifeling]

Castellion looked up at the mare before him, an elegant and imposing angeni with all four wings, membranous and feathered flared out in a display of power. She had steel-gray horns on her head, carved -- natural or modified? It wasn't clear -- in intricate patterns, slightly frosted in the cold. Her eyes were warm in color, golden like the sun, but somehow her gaze was icy cold as she stared him down. As she exhaled into the chilled night air, the vapor of her breath rose up in an ethereal mist around her frosted eyelashes. Her expression was stern and unmoving, as cold as the winter air around them, and she held herself like a queen, regal, with a pitiless stare. If Castellion were made of any less stern character he would have shivered. When his eyes fell on the crown and the jewelry she wore, modeled with her crest, he knew his assumption had been correct. This was the mare he has been tasked to find.

Castellion word count: 168

 

[Strifeling]

Lumi regarded the stallion before her impassively, carefully keeping her face cold and neutral. She didn't care much for visitors, or for her peace being disturbed, yet now this stranger had wandered into her territory even despite the dread warnings at her winter borders. Most would turn away upon seeing the cairns of skulls and bones and frozen, cherry-red blood on the ice. Still, Lumi had to concede to herself that she was somewhat impressed. This stallion had the gall to see the warnings and continue through the ice caves that led to her actual winter home, make it further through the mountain pass out onto the mountainside, and now he stood below her, dimly glimmering in the moonlight. Lumi towered above him from her icy precipice, whereas he was knee-deep in snow.

"What brings you to my home, stranger?" Her voice was beautiful and musical, but even it had an ethereal icy quality to it, echoing over the mountainside. She made it clear that he was not welcome.


Lumi Word Count: 169  

[Strifeling]

Castellion recognized the posturing and display of power for what it was, but ignored it together with her question. Instead, he answered her question with one of his own.

"Are you Lumi, the Lady of the Northern Mountains?" he called out, narrowing his eyes and lifting his head. She had been hard to track down, but he wanted to confirm that she really was the soquili he had been looking for. If she was, she would respect shows of strength and confidence. Not many had heard of her, but among those who did, Lumi had a reputation for being reclusive and distant towards others with the exception of only a few individuals.

Castellion word count: 112

 

[Strifeling]

"I'll have your name before I give you mine. Is it customary in your culture to greet your host in this way?" Lumi retorted, sneering down slightly at him. "Tell me, stranger: who are you and why are you here?"


Lumi Word Count: 40  

[Strifeling]

"I am Castellion of the Eastern Lands," he replied this time, but he did not tell her of his title, and while he bowed his head slightly he did not bend his knee to her. Sources had told him Lumi did not take kindly to groveling or sycophants, so he would continue to treat her as an equal challenger, worthy of respect but waiting to earn authority. "I am looking for Lady Lumi of the Northern Mountains. One of our trusted mutual friends sent me here."

Castellion word count: 81

 

[Strifeling]

Lumi raised a corner of her lip slightly, revealing a small kalona fang, "I am indeed the one you seek. I wonder, what mutual friend would that be?"

Then she tilted her head up slightly, staring down at Castellion, and for the first time considered him with something akin to curiosity. "What circumstances make a sovereign prince into a lowly ranger?"


Lumi Word Count: 61  

[Strifeling]

Castellion started in the snow, surprised.

'Ah,' he thought, so she knew who he was. He hadn't told her of his title, but Lumi knew it anyway. At the very least she recognized his name, if nothing else. He hadn't particularly been expecting that -- their so-called mutual friend was only an informant, after all -- but that itself wasn't too unusual, he supposed. In the old days, many of the so-called highborn families had arranged couplings between their branches, pairing daughters of one bloodline to the sons of another, and they had carefully tracked family trees to avoid untoward unions. Though the old customs had all but died out for most of the families, and some bloodlines vanished or diluted to the point of obscurity, certain clans and branches still upheld the old traditions, and apparently Lumi's ancestors had been among them, trying to seek viable political ties to other noble or powerful families from far and wide across the world.

Well, that only made it more certain that the mare was indeed the one he was looking for. The thought cheered Castellion. Maybe this time, he was finally on the right path. Carefully, he chose his next words.

"I'm here for the star that chases the bull," he said slowly, never breaking his gaze with Lumi. It was a cryptic phrase and most who heard those words would think them to be gibberish, but to the right individuals they carried a deeper, hidden meaning.

And it appeared that Lumi was one of them, because it was enough to break her composure. Immediately her demeanor changed. She had been frosty before, but that was nothing compared to her now.

Castellion word count: 280

 

[Strifeling]

"Who told you such nonsense?" Lumi asked with subzero frost in her voice, her eyes narrowed.

The phrase sounded absurd, but in truth it was something of a passcode. In normal circumstances, it would have been an easy way to identify others in their coalition, masking the real intent behind their words with an expression that sounded meaningless but was actually a riddle.

But these were no longer normal circumstances. Someone, somewhere in their alliance had been sabotaging their attempts to find the metaphorical bull-chasing star -- rather, the soquili in question. Everyone's safety had been compromised, and no one could be relied upon any longer. In their search for the so-called starchaser, already several individuals had been wounded. Two more went missing.

Lumi was not stupid. She knew her change in demeanor was crystal clear, and she knew exactly what she was communicating to the soquili that had found her. Known identity or not, this stallion before her was a stranger, and she didn't -- couldn't afford to -- trust him.

Her home was nice and isolated, and the road here was treacherous. Few would notice if another soquili had wandered off high up into these freezing mountains and through the ice caves, so far away from a natural pass, only to never return. If it came down to it, she wasn't above keeping another in captivity for a greater purpose. Lumi eyed Castellion, flaring her wings and beginning to travel down to the other soquili. Castellion was larger, but Lumi had the advantage of territory -- and familiars camouflaged in the snow.


Lumi Word Count: 264  

[Strifeling]

Castellion wasn't stupid either. Immediately he recognized Lumi's approach as a shift to aggressive intent. He had been trained as a knight, and as such Castellion didn't shy away from hostility, but he didn't come here for a fight. In an attempt to dissuade her, he straightened up, shifting his body weight to appear more friendly, and smoothed down his wings. He bowed his head momentarily, respectfully.

"Lady Lumi, I don't mean you nor our compatriots any harm nor threat. I know he is missing, and I am searching for him as well. I hope only for his safety."

Castellion word count: 99

 

[Strifeling]

"Yes, I'm sure you don't," Lumi practically growled at him, walking closer.

"So tell me, which one of our so-called mutual friends led you to me?" She narrowed her eyes and flared her wings for emphasis, still approaching.


Lumi Word Count: 38