─ 𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐝 ─ (15/12)

[Stargazer3000]

The only thing that is known for certain is that the world ended. By now the End has become a legend as old as dirt,
created over thousands of years slipping through lips around crackling fires, being whispered in hushed voices as
night falls - a tale of disease, of bloodlust, of ruin. A warning to the people of Urath. Never again.

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shadow, forcing the territories to
scramble for a solution. In their
desperation, they turned to old
legends of the End - it spoke of
a cure in four parts scattered
across the land. Each component
created, but the full cure never
forged, it has become the last
vestige of hope for Urath. And
so, from each territory, shifters
have been tasked to find the
cure - or die trying.

Avians who make their villages in
cliffs high above the desert. And
in the west prowl the Felines,
roving from mountain peak to
jungle floor.

But the tentative peace of this
wild land has been broken - from
deep underground a plague has
emerged. A disease transferred
through the bite of an infected
is sweeping across Urath like a

Urath is as big as it is wild, made
of four territories that are home
to the people of the land - the
shifters. Bound by ties deeper
than blood, shifters gather in
groups of their own, living in
tandem with nature. In the north
the Ursine reign supreme - bear
shifters with unmatched ferocity.
In the east, Canines rove the grass
lands and foothills, hunting in
packs. The south is home to the

┌─ 𝐀.𝐑.𝐊 ...───────┐

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x
Discussion Thread
Open/Closed
Ursine,..●●●
Canine..●●●●
Avian....●●●
Feline...●●●

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└─────.𝐚𝐝 𝐦𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐫𝐚X ─┘

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[If you're interested in a territory that's already full, please just PM me, and we'll work something out!!]

[Stargazer3000]

vii. As this is a semi-lit
roleplay, I'd like you to write
a minimum of two full sized
paragraphs per-post -
please just put forward your
best effort!
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not a rule, but want to put it here

I will always, always be
down to have more peeps
join, regardless of where
we are or how much has
been written, or what
character slots have been
filled; so if you're really
interested or have any
questions, just PM me -
we'll work something out!

v. No characters under the
age of 21 - please keep their
face claim a reasonable age.
That said, I have no preference
of what kind of face claim
you use - whatever works
best for your vision!
vi. Please stick as closely
as you can to the abilities/
skills of your character as
provided in their description.
Please reach out with any
questions
vii. There will be some combat
in this rp, so check in with the
other RPers involved before
any intense action! If you
want to 'write off' a char,
please check in with me

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i. Please follow all of nick
and tess' rules as outlined
here
ii. There's a max of 2
character reservations per
RPer to start! *I'm always
happy to talk about adding
more later
iii. Please send reservations
over private message and
have your form up within
48hrs on the discussion
iv. Discord will be heavily
utilized, so I recommend
having an account!

*the groups will be broken up at points, so I have one per group to help lead if folks are getting stuck - if you're interested in helping me mod to reduce my character number just lmk!

[Stargazer3000]

Bear shifters reside
in the most northern
territory, defined by
unending snow, pine
pine forests, and
impassable peaks.
Summer is short, but
rich in life to sustain
the territory in the
long months. Ursine
culture is hard and
unforgiving;
competition is the
core of society,
leading most to live
solitary lives. One
large city lies
in the heart of the
territory, the Forge.
One family rules over
the land, but the true
law of the land is
strength. The craft
of the people is metal
work (or strong drink),
but most Ursine wield
no blade; jaws that
snap, claws that rip
are weapons enough.

x

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name vasily user star
age 29 shift polar bear
Able to transform into a snow
bear, main skill is acute smell
Current status is: [not open yet]

x

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name Zoe user cookie
age 26 shift sun bear
Able to transform into a sun
bear, main skill is climbing
Current status is: [not open yet]

x

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nameKalland user ash
age 35 shift brown bear
Able to transform into a brown
bear, main strength is
Current status is: [not open yet]

[Stargazer3000]

The foothills and
plains of the east are
the territory of the
Canines. More
temperate than the
north, the land is
defined by birch
woods, meandering
rivers, wide lakes,
and glass lands. It is
ideally suited for the
nomadic life of the
Canines who rove in
packs, searching for
prey and defending
their own - pack
territory disputes are
common. The main
city, the Den, serves
as a gathering place,
and in times of need,
the alphas of most
packs convene here
to make decisions. To
the Canine, there is
no greater shame
than being outcast;
the pack is life.

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name faolan user star
age 31 shift grey wolf
Able to transform into a grey
wolf, main skill is hearing
Current status is: [not open yet]

x

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name Zander user altieri
age 37 shift coyote
Able to transform into a coyote,
main skill is adaptability
Current status is: [not open yet]

x

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name Finn user rigby
age 25 shift arctic fox
Able to transform into an arctic
fox, main strength is
Current status is: [not open yet]

[Stargazer3000]

Avians have made
their home in the
largely inhospitable
south. Large swaths
of desert are broken
only by deep canyons
and steep mesas, the
landscape stark but
striking in its red and
gold hues. Despite the
scarce resources, the
Avians are the most
advanced territory,
with homes and cities
carved into sweeping
cliff faces. Innovators
to their core, they've
created advanced
irrigation and farming
techniques, allowing
them to thrive. Most
communities are led
by elected leaders,
though all large
decisions go through a
trio of elders who
embody the Avian's
most fundamental
belief; innovation is
survival.

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name everly user star
age 26 shift sparrow
Able to transform into a
sparrow, main skill is sight
Current status is: [not open yet]

x

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name will user ash
age 25 shift hawk
Able to transform into a hawk,
main skill is vision
Current status is: [not open yet]

x

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name erica user altieri
age 25 shift falcon
Able to transform into a barbary
falcon, main strength is speed
Current status is: [not open yet]

[Stargazer3000]

The western territory
is the home of the
Felines. A narrow land,
it stretches from the
top north of Urath to
the far south,
encompassing a wide
range of ecosystems.
High, snow capped
mountains flow to
steep valleys to dense
jungle floor, though
the land is marked
continuously by the
trademark huts of
brightly hued fabric,
the main trade of
the land. Most of the
people are solitary,
though each region
of lead by a ruling
family pride from
a central city or
town. A central
pride rules in the the
largest city, the Fang,
situated in the jungle.
Comfort and beauty
belie the predator in
each Feline.

x

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name narah user star
age 29 shift panther
Able to transform into a
panther, main skill is stealth
Current status is: [not open yet]

x

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name mave user cats
age shift snow leopard
Able to transform into a snow
leopard, main skill is agility
Current status is: [not open yet]

x

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name daniel user borahae.
age 28 shift caracal
Able to transform into a caracal,
main skill is
Current status is: [not open yet]

[Stargazer3000]

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When the world ended it was quiet. In the metal caves our ancestors never heard a whisper as life above
was snuffed out. The Creators told our ancestors that it was a disease eating through those who came
before, and that our ancestors would be safe in the the cradle of metal as the world devoured itself.
Even as they built a cure in four parts - a cause as lost at the cure itself - they said that those who
came before had grown to many in number, and that this end was inevitable.
That it was our time.

We have not heard from them since.

In silence and in metal the world began again. Generations lived in the metal caves until the light that
shone upon them began to dim and they emerged from the dark. They built our cities. They built our
cultures. They built our world.

But maybe as our ancestors waited in the dark, so too did the disease. Maybe it has again grown hungry.

No one knows what lies buried in the dark, but I do know this - we have grown to many in number.

c

[Stargazer3000]

𝐯𝐚𝐬
tagged none | mentioned kalland, zoe | location tree of tales
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The path leading down the mountain slopes to the valley floor had been sparse at best, but the steam rising from the sulphuric pools quickly obscured it into uselessness. Need necessitates invention, compromise, and so Vas had navigated by scent alone, avoiding the waters hot enough to rend his flesh from bone. Acrid vapors had stung his nose and made his eyes water, but Vas never faltered, never broken the crushing pace that had been set weeks back in the Forge.

The travel had been far from kind, but the word of the king had been absolute - the birds spoke of a path for survival, and the Ursine would survive. So with time a scarce commodity that none could afford, three Ursine strangers had met and left the city by the lake within the same handful of hours - and strangers they had remained.

Despite the two Ursine traveling alongside him over peaks and into valleys, silence had been Vas’s true companion, and he had been grateful as ever for its company. Even as death incarnate had lurched into their campsite on the second night - drawn by the flickering light of a fire through the howling winds of the north - and even as they’d struck it down tearing the threat into a pile of viscera, even in the horrifying stillness that followed, silence had held his tongue. It was good, he decided later as he lay unblinking in the pitch blackness -fire wordlessly becoming taboo - eyes searching in the unfathomable void, the silence was good. He might have screamed otherwise.

Days had turned to weeks, mountains turned to valleys, then into wide, arcing plains spotted by molten pools of sulphuric water. Horror turned to resolution, and purpose had pushed Vas forward. But the silence remained, clinging to him like his damped cloak, pulling with each step as the Ursines ventured further into the unclaimed grounds.

The steam began to fade on the third day of traveling through neutral territory - a blessing for his burning nose- the pools becoming fewer inbetween, replaced by a clay ground so red that it was all Vas saw when he closed his eyes at night. Red, red, red. At times he swore he could almost taste iron in his mouth.

With the steam’s departure Vas felt tension begin to build anew. Survival had been the focus so far - survival was easy, second nature. Find water, find food, fight, breathe, move. But treaties and politics, cures and legends - Vas thought back to that second night lying in the pitch blackness as wind and death howled around him. Somehow it felt safer.

In the distance a jutting spike had begun to break the hazy horizon; their destination was drawing close - less than a half-day's journey. A tree rivaling the size of the Forge rose taller with each step forward, ancient and indomitable. It bore no leaves, but even from a distance Vas could make out the hundreds, thousands of brightly colored fabric strips fluttering in the wind. The history of each territory, battles won and heroes lost were woven on those strips, going back to the very beginning. He hoped they’d be there in the end, too.

Hours later, standing at last at the base of the gargantuan tree, neck craned backwards, Vas was struck with a bolt of emotion too raw to place, too deep to ignore. Fate was a concept he’d had little patience for, but standing here, he thought perhaps it was fate that they arrived first. Fate that he should pause and look up at the collective history of his world and understand the vastness of time stretching behind him like the roots that splintered off into the distance. This world played in a loop - life, disease, death. Life, disease, death.

And now - a cure.

[Stargazer3000]

𝐟𝐚𝐨𝐥𝐚𝐧
tagged none | mentioned zander, finn| location tree of tales
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Like a shadow against the stark white of fresh snow, a figure clad in black cut through the ceaseless steam. Midnight hair bled into an inky scarf that obscured the face, and though pale skin peeked out through the gap, a gaze sharp enough to pierce drew any lingering attention. A rivulet trickled down the face - sweat or condensation, the figure made no gesture to halt its path - and gathered at the edge of the already water-laden scarf.

Faolan slipped through the Neutral territory, his steps certain and precise as they wove around molten pools of verdant liquid, as steady as the droplets of water that ran down his face. For all the grace and control of his movement, his eyes - those black fathomless depths that threatened, begged, promised an unending fall - roved wildly, the sole trace of a mortal soul within the obsidian shell. They darted across the landscape, piercing into the steam - they held no fear, not even anticipation, only hunger.

Days had bled into weeks since the start of their travels, days of terror and exhaustion, but their passing had left Faolan unmarked. There had been four of the shifters at the beginning, names forgotten as quickly as they had been learned, and a sense of anticipation had hung heavy in the air outside of the Den. The orders of the mission were as fresh as the horrors pressing in from every side, but Faolan had remained unmoved by the plight. He had not spoken to the other three Canines, had barely acknowledged them. As they traveled over the undulating grass plains he was more shadow than companion, lingering at the back of the pack as they moved, lurking in the darkness just outside the ring of firelight at night. Watching. Planning. Burning.

The first attack had been quick, sudden. Where a Canine life had been moments before, it was quickly snuffed out by the snapping jaws of an infected. Faolan made no move to help.

The remaining three Canine had traveled on, but the going had become markedly slower. Necessary supplies from the fallen shifter had been divided between those who were still living, weighing each pack down. Breaking was not an option, but the pace drew to a crawl as the Canine entered into the foothills below the Neutral territory. Even Faolan faltered under the extra weight of the dead shifter’s supplies.

The second attack was just as quick, just as sudden. This time Faolan helped - his pack would gain no more weight.

Travel was the way of life for the Canine, yet the sharp pang of death and the bitter taste of fear lingered in the air as they drew closer to their destination. Travel lost its joy in air like that. But Faolan did not seem the type to know what to do with joy, and his way of life had died long ago, so on he pushed, as unmoved as the cold stars above.

The ancient tree at long last broke the horizon, signaling their destination. Even from a distance a cluster of small figures at the base were already visible, but if their presence held any threat it gave Faolan no pause, and the shadow pressed on.

[Stargazer3000]

𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐲
tagged none | mentioned will, erica| location neutral territory
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Dirt crunched, gravel slipped, and rust red clay stained the brightly embroidered boots as they skittered along the uneven ground. The owner of the boots paid the damage no mind as she instead craned her head skyward, scanning the hazy blue for the speck of her companion. As her gaze found their mark - a hawk riding the breeze in graceful rises and dips, a scout guiding them away from any troubles that might cross their path - her lips upward in a wide smile. “How like us to devise even a way to walk,” she mused quietly into the hazy air.

Everly danced between steaming geysers, nimbly weaving through the maze of molten water with a grace intrinsic to her very being. Humming absently to herself, she cast her gaze back over her shoulder, twilling her fingers in a quick wave at her companions as though to say hello. Actually, it would be more accurate to say that the wave was supposed to convey hello, I’ve very much enjoyed traveling with you! Are you doing alright? I have extra water if you need some! I think we’re getting close now, and did you see the pool we passed a while back that looked exactly like a hino head? - but there was only so much that she could say with a wave.

She’d tell them later.

They’d been traveling for weeks now, and though the going had been slow, or perhaps steady was a better term - Avians were not known for walking - Everly still hummed with energy. In truth, she wasn’t sure if it was excitement, fear, or sheer pressure that caused her heart to race, fingers to twitch, and entire body pulse with the need to keep moving. Likely a combination of the three. Sleep hadn’t come easy, if at all, and it took Everly by surprise; how raw she felt.

She’d volunteered for the journey - the memory of it soft around the edges like well worn parchment, obscured in a haze of grief, fear, intrigue, and the desire to do what was right - she’d chosen this, but caseless chatter was all that had kept her sane. Well. Chatter and her companions who humored it. Who walked with her every step of the way. Who shared food. Who hadn’t commented on her quiet sobs at night. Who she already loved fiercely.

And so Everly had chattered, and walked, cooked and slept, and taken in the unfamiliar world unfurling before her with equal parts wonder and trepidation. The desert turned to mountain beneath her feet, or occasionally beneath her wings, and by the time the Avians entered into the neutral Territory it became easier to smile, breathe, and hope.

As it had a thousand time since leaving the Roost, her hand slipped between the folds of her robe, finding purchase on the small container concealed within the flowing fabric. While she continued dancing between the steam and verdant, molten waters, her fingers ran over the smoothed ridges, the grooves now as familiar as her bedroom walls, each nick a familiar friend and a promise that the future wasn’t gone just yet.

The cure had been passed between all the Avians during their travel, weighing down each of their packs in turn - Everly thought it was an apt metaphor. The main container of the cure was currently in her bag, slung over her back and wrapped securely in cotton, but what she held in her pocket was a small piece of that hope - a secret that needed to remain guarded above all others. Everly swore to her mentor, to her grandmother, to herself that she would not fail.

A break in the horizon indicated their imminent arrival at the agreed upon meeting ground - the Tree of Tales, something she’d only ever read about - and again Everly turned to catch sight of her companions. They would not fail.