03-10-2020, 11:59 AM
<link href="https://fonts.googleapis.com/css?family=Forum&display=swap" rel="stylesheet"><style type="text/css">.straia_banner_container{ position:relative;z-index:1;width:625px;background:#6B8A84;font:12px 'Times New Roman', serif;border: 1px solid #131210;box-shadow: 0 0 10px #000;}.straia_banner_container p{margin:0;}.straia_banner_gradient {position: absolute;z-index: 5;width: 625px;top: 357px;height: 100px;background: -moz-linear-gradient(top, rgba(107,138,132,0) 0%, rgba(107,138,132,1) 100%);background: -webkit-linear-gradient(top, rgba(107,138,132,0) 0%,rgba(107,138,132,1) 100%);background: linear-gradient(to bottom, rgba(107,138,132,0) 0%,rgba(107,138,132,1) 100%);filter: progid
XImageTransform.Microsoft.gradient( startColorstr='#006b8a84', endColorstr='#6b8a84',GradientType=0 );}.straia_banner_message {position: relative;z-index: 10;width: 530px;border-radius: 10px;text-align: justify;padding: 15px;color: #040205;}.straia_banner_message p {padding: 10px;}.straia_banner_name {position: relative;z-index: 15;font: 48px 'Forum', serif;color: #353036;letter-spacing: 10px;text-transform: uppercase;text-shadow: 1px 1px 4px #6F7C84;}.straia_banner_quote {position: relative;z-index: 15;font: 16px 'Forum', serif;color: #353036;letter-spacing: 1px;text-align: center;}hr.style { overflow: visible; /* For IE */ padding: 0; border: none; border-top: small double #333; color: #333; text-align: center;}</style><center><div class="straia_banner_container"><img src="https://cdnw.nickpic.host/sGDmzf.png" width="625px"><div class="straia_banner_gradient"></div><div class="straia_banner_message"><p class="straia_banner_quote">my heart is a lit candle, a forest fire,<br><span style="margin:0;padding:0;font-style:italic;letter-spacing:3px;">a burning star</span></p><hr class="style" /><p><b>Lepis</b>
There is peace, but it is false. Beqanna stretches before her, but the sunset red turns dark and bloody. The landscape that stretches before her loses its false beauty, and the ravages of war are clear. Lands lie in smoldering ruins, the bodies piling in both lands and on the beach grow into hills and valleys.
Groups form. Whispers hide in dark shadows. They plot just outside of her reach. They think of peace, yes, but they do not believe that their dictator has brought it, can hold it.
The first to rise against her is Pangea, some of her family among those betrayers. But it only takes one to start the rallying cry. More territories and kingdoms join.
What do you do?
When it is all over, a voice asks. <b>”Tell me, is it worth it?”</b>
<b>Ruthless</b>
The world comes back into focus, and Ruthless finds herself standing at the base of the mountain facing Straia, and it is clear they have never left. The others are not there, still lost in other worlds, in dreams turning into nightmares. Or perhaps they too, have already been sent home.
<b>”Go home, child,”</b> she says, voice soft. <b>”You are stronger than you think, but you are not what I seek.”</b> Then, like before, Straia disappears, leaving the girl to make the trip home alone.
<b>Tiasa</b>
They come, and for a while, perhaps she feels worshipped. Perhaps she is, by a few. But can you call it worship, really, if they only come to glimpse a curiosity? Time processes on, and Tiasa does what she had hoped to do; she becomes a legend. She becomes the stuff of stories told to children to keep them away from the dark, murky ponds. Those that come are children come to test their parents, or adults come to look and realize that the stories are little more than that.
They glimpse something, but what? A creature in a land of magic. She is not unusual. She is nothing worth worshipping. What has she ever done for them? Tiasa is left to her swamp as a sideshow.
What do you do?
When it is all over, a voice asks. <b>”Tell me, is it worth it?”</b>
<b>Kildare</b>
The world comes back into focus, and Kildare finds himself standing at the base of the mountain facing Straia, and it is clear they have never left. The others are not there, still lost in other worlds, in dreams turning into nightmares. Or perhaps they too, have already been sent home.
<b>”Go home.”</b> she says, voice soft. <b>”Perhaps you needed a lesson, and I am glad you have learned it, but you are not what I seek.”</b> Then, like before, Straia disappears, leaving him to make the trip home alone.
<b>Beryl</b>
She becomes a force, a someone...or perhaps she simply becomes something. In the quest for security, she finds power, and power breeds something far darker than itself. You twist beneath it’s grip, become some version of yourself you do not recognize.
More dragons come. Some in the form of a dragon, some in far sneakier disguises. But there will always be more dragons. She is powerful enough to fight, but those she loves no longer recognize her. They shrink away, leaving her to the power that she has found, leaving her to lose herself.
What do you do?
When it is all over, a voice asks. <b>”Tell me, is it worth it?”</b>
<b>Sochi</b>
Natural law is so much more than removing the kingdoms, removing the borders. They are two different dreams, in some ways. Because you can accomplish the one, and Straia finds she appreciates the latter dream. But the former? It is much harder, no, impossible, to achieve.
The dragons converge, finding it in themselves to band together rather than to fight alone and against. They attack, time and time again. There is one she knows above all others, and sometimes, time does not erase all traces of love.
Her children do not approach her, kept away by the pack or what she has become. Time marches on. She grows old, though does not age. Those she knew disappear, replaced by new faces, new pack members. Life becomes something else, something other, something distant. Maybe she’s the one that becomes distant. Does it matter? It is not just the tiger that is lost, but more.
What do you do?
When it is all over, a voice asks. <b>”Tell me, is it worth it?”</b>
<b>Leilan</b>
He is clever, taking over with little bloodshed, waiting for others to do the dirty work. But in the end, it doesn’t particularly matter. His daughters, if not lost early, are lost later in the process. Perhaps they turn on him, perhaps they fall in the wars that come, perhaps time simply catches up with them.
He rules for a while, content but alone on his throne of ice. Someone always finds a reason to be discontent though. They begin to plot, begin to plan his overthrow. They attack. Perhaps he wins, perhaps he doesn’t. If it doesn’t win this one, there will be another. And another.
What do you do?
When it is all over, a voice asks. <b>”Tell me, is it worth it?”</b>
<b>Castile</b>
It is never so simple. He leaves fear in his wake, and fear breeds unrest. The kingdoms untouched by his reign of terror rally and fight, slipping in to Loess one evening and laying waste to the kingdom he loves. Some of his family are lost in the fight.
Does he stay in the mountains, unaware? Does he fight?
In the end, does any of it matter?
Perhaps he wins this battle, goes back to the mountains for rest. Time slips by, and perhaps the territories remain beneath Loess, perhaps not. More time slips by. Leaders change. Generations come and go. Time becomes meaningless to the dragon in the mountains. Eventually, they forget the history, forget how the territories ever came to belong to Loess at all. <i>”There was a dragon, I think?”</i> they mutter, and others just shrug, for there are many dragons.
What do you do?
When it is all over, a voice asks. <b>”Tell me, is it worth it?”</b>
</p><hr class="style" /></div><p class="straia_banner_name">straia</p></div></center>
Ruthless and Kildare have been sent home. Oisin has withdrawn.
You are still in your dream world, but all dreams have a dark side. Keep generally in line with the prompt given to you, but there’s lots of perhaps and wiggle room for you to play with. Describe how you deal with the repercussions, what you lose, and answer the question: “is it worth it?”
Posts are due <b>Monday, March 16th by 9am EST. </b>
XImageTransform.Microsoft.gradient( startColorstr='#006b8a84', endColorstr='#6b8a84',GradientType=0 );}.straia_banner_message {position: relative;z-index: 10;width: 530px;border-radius: 10px;text-align: justify;padding: 15px;color: #040205;}.straia_banner_message p {padding: 10px;}.straia_banner_name {position: relative;z-index: 15;font: 48px 'Forum', serif;color: #353036;letter-spacing: 10px;text-transform: uppercase;text-shadow: 1px 1px 4px #6F7C84;}.straia_banner_quote {position: relative;z-index: 15;font: 16px 'Forum', serif;color: #353036;letter-spacing: 1px;text-align: center;}hr.style { overflow: visible; /* For IE */ padding: 0; border: none; border-top: small double #333; color: #333; text-align: center;}</style><center><div class="straia_banner_container"><img src="https://cdnw.nickpic.host/sGDmzf.png" width="625px"><div class="straia_banner_gradient"></div><div class="straia_banner_message"><p class="straia_banner_quote">my heart is a lit candle, a forest fire,<br><span style="margin:0;padding:0;font-style:italic;letter-spacing:3px;">a burning star</span></p><hr class="style" /><p><b>Lepis</b>There is peace, but it is false. Beqanna stretches before her, but the sunset red turns dark and bloody. The landscape that stretches before her loses its false beauty, and the ravages of war are clear. Lands lie in smoldering ruins, the bodies piling in both lands and on the beach grow into hills and valleys.
Groups form. Whispers hide in dark shadows. They plot just outside of her reach. They think of peace, yes, but they do not believe that their dictator has brought it, can hold it.
The first to rise against her is Pangea, some of her family among those betrayers. But it only takes one to start the rallying cry. More territories and kingdoms join.
What do you do?
When it is all over, a voice asks. <b>”Tell me, is it worth it?”</b>
<b>Ruthless</b>
The world comes back into focus, and Ruthless finds herself standing at the base of the mountain facing Straia, and it is clear they have never left. The others are not there, still lost in other worlds, in dreams turning into nightmares. Or perhaps they too, have already been sent home.
<b>”Go home, child,”</b> she says, voice soft. <b>”You are stronger than you think, but you are not what I seek.”</b> Then, like before, Straia disappears, leaving the girl to make the trip home alone.
<b>Tiasa</b>
They come, and for a while, perhaps she feels worshipped. Perhaps she is, by a few. But can you call it worship, really, if they only come to glimpse a curiosity? Time processes on, and Tiasa does what she had hoped to do; she becomes a legend. She becomes the stuff of stories told to children to keep them away from the dark, murky ponds. Those that come are children come to test their parents, or adults come to look and realize that the stories are little more than that.
They glimpse something, but what? A creature in a land of magic. She is not unusual. She is nothing worth worshipping. What has she ever done for them? Tiasa is left to her swamp as a sideshow.
What do you do?
When it is all over, a voice asks. <b>”Tell me, is it worth it?”</b>
<b>Kildare</b>
The world comes back into focus, and Kildare finds himself standing at the base of the mountain facing Straia, and it is clear they have never left. The others are not there, still lost in other worlds, in dreams turning into nightmares. Or perhaps they too, have already been sent home.
<b>”Go home.”</b> she says, voice soft. <b>”Perhaps you needed a lesson, and I am glad you have learned it, but you are not what I seek.”</b> Then, like before, Straia disappears, leaving him to make the trip home alone.
<b>Beryl</b>
She becomes a force, a someone...or perhaps she simply becomes something. In the quest for security, she finds power, and power breeds something far darker than itself. You twist beneath it’s grip, become some version of yourself you do not recognize.
More dragons come. Some in the form of a dragon, some in far sneakier disguises. But there will always be more dragons. She is powerful enough to fight, but those she loves no longer recognize her. They shrink away, leaving her to the power that she has found, leaving her to lose herself.
What do you do?
When it is all over, a voice asks. <b>”Tell me, is it worth it?”</b>
<b>Sochi</b>
Natural law is so much more than removing the kingdoms, removing the borders. They are two different dreams, in some ways. Because you can accomplish the one, and Straia finds she appreciates the latter dream. But the former? It is much harder, no, impossible, to achieve.
The dragons converge, finding it in themselves to band together rather than to fight alone and against. They attack, time and time again. There is one she knows above all others, and sometimes, time does not erase all traces of love.
Her children do not approach her, kept away by the pack or what she has become. Time marches on. She grows old, though does not age. Those she knew disappear, replaced by new faces, new pack members. Life becomes something else, something other, something distant. Maybe she’s the one that becomes distant. Does it matter? It is not just the tiger that is lost, but more.
What do you do?
When it is all over, a voice asks. <b>”Tell me, is it worth it?”</b>
<b>Leilan</b>
He is clever, taking over with little bloodshed, waiting for others to do the dirty work. But in the end, it doesn’t particularly matter. His daughters, if not lost early, are lost later in the process. Perhaps they turn on him, perhaps they fall in the wars that come, perhaps time simply catches up with them.
He rules for a while, content but alone on his throne of ice. Someone always finds a reason to be discontent though. They begin to plot, begin to plan his overthrow. They attack. Perhaps he wins, perhaps he doesn’t. If it doesn’t win this one, there will be another. And another.
What do you do?
When it is all over, a voice asks. <b>”Tell me, is it worth it?”</b>
<b>Castile</b>
It is never so simple. He leaves fear in his wake, and fear breeds unrest. The kingdoms untouched by his reign of terror rally and fight, slipping in to Loess one evening and laying waste to the kingdom he loves. Some of his family are lost in the fight.
Does he stay in the mountains, unaware? Does he fight?
In the end, does any of it matter?
Perhaps he wins this battle, goes back to the mountains for rest. Time slips by, and perhaps the territories remain beneath Loess, perhaps not. More time slips by. Leaders change. Generations come and go. Time becomes meaningless to the dragon in the mountains. Eventually, they forget the history, forget how the territories ever came to belong to Loess at all. <i>”There was a dragon, I think?”</i> they mutter, and others just shrug, for there are many dragons.
What do you do?
When it is all over, a voice asks. <b>”Tell me, is it worth it?”</b>
</p><hr class="style" /></div><p class="straia_banner_name">straia</p></div></center>
Ruthless and Kildare have been sent home. Oisin has withdrawn.
You are still in your dream world, but all dreams have a dark side. Keep generally in line with the prompt given to you, but there’s lots of perhaps and wiggle room for you to play with. Describe how you deal with the repercussions, what you lose, and answer the question: “is it worth it?”
Posts are due <b>Monday, March 16th by 9am EST. </b>
Use of mild power playing is allowed; no injuries without permission