Fables ✧ Lore Prompts - Oct 16-31

[Kenjaku]

prompt: world - Unusual weather
entry:
Eridian is home to a lot of unusual weather. There are different biomes, of course, and some are permanently cold while others are boiling hot. Not matter where you wander, though, there’s a once-daily phenomenon known as Sky Shards. It’s like a rainbow but appears in three to five vertical lines in the sky directly on the horizon. They don’t always have the full spectrum of colour, and sometimes they’re just an iridescent sheen in a vertical column. Before Ori’s rebirth, these were said to be reminders from the gods that they had not abandoned the common folk. Now that he walks among them, though, no one really knows what to make of them.
Ori has gone on to confirm these weird rainbow sightings didn’t exist in his past life, so they are a more recent phenomenon. As to what this means, however, is anyone’s best guess. They appear at random times, but always during the sunlight hours.
There are nighttime apparitions that are similar but look like condensed columns of aurora borealis. They stay in neat little lines and no wisps leave the rectangular shapes.
If you were to paint either of them, you’d have a hard time making them look realistic because they genuinely look so fake and farfetched in real life. They are neat, concise, perfectly shaped. No one knows why sometimes it’s as low as three boxes, and sometimes as high as five boxes.
Maybe once the Sick has lessened its hold on the people of Eridian, someone can go forward and search out the reason for these phenomena.
[263/250]

prompt: world - Unusual weather
entry: Rudigar isn’t sure his world has a name. He’d never really talked about something that extensive with his humans before they passed. All he knew was the laboratory and grounds around it that he has called home for over a thousand years. Maybe the weather is different beyond his little patch of land, but he’s come to realise some of it is a little strange over time. The night sky is never fully dark; stars seem heavy and droop in the sky, threatening to fall down and crush him. They’re different colours that he can liken to different kinds of flames. He swears if he reaches his head out as far as he could, he might just knock his noggin into one.
During the day, it’s hard to see around the grounds. While it wasn’t always this way, these days a deep fog has settled into the land surrounding him. It’s thick and all encompassing, oppressive and leaves you weary. All of the foliage of the once proud gardens has withered away to almost nothing. There are still creeping vines that have reclaimed the buildings, but they’re full of thorns and seem to bloom only when he accidentally sheds blood on one of them.
Another odd thing to note during the day is that the sky seems hazy. The sun doesn’t look like it’s directly shining on the land, but rather through a dirty glass. Likewise, it doesn’t provide too much warmth – though he remembers it definitely did in his youth.
[251/250]

[feverdream]

prompt: world - unusual weather - writing
entry: 252 words


though little is known about the exact origins or nature of ilmyr, faerendell’s recently-arrived third moon, it has affected the land’s waters significantly in the form of altered tidal patterns.


changes in the aravian ocean
coastal regions along the aravian ocean have seen unusual tidal behaviour since ilmyr's appearance, colloquially referred to by many as the 'weeping tides'. the sea has been seen to pull far back from the shore, much farther than it ever used to during low tide. expansive stretches of seabed are exposed during these events, sometimes revealing wrecks or relics that haven’t been seen for centuries. then, without warning, the ocean will rush back with great force, creating powerful surges that have been seen to damage and flood some coastal settlements.


changes in the sairinne sea
while the sairrine sea has also experienced irregular tidal patterns, they have differed greatly to those of the aravian ocean. rather than violent surges, the sairrine has been seen to become incredibly smooth and still on certain nights when ilmyr is high in the sky, referred to by some as the 'ilmyric lull'. oddly, certain sea-sprites have been observed to behave strangely during these nights.

no fable fully understands exactly what ilmyr is or how it will affect faerendell in future years. some noble houses, such as faeloren and soloron, believe this new moon is tied to strong magical forces, while more scholarly houses like eldemar are examining its gravitational pull in hopes of uncovering the source of these strange tidal patterns.

prompt: character - stressed out - writing
fable: sascha
entry: 254 words


sascha liked things neat, predictable.

whenever the guild’s merchants began shouting, her temples would throb. “enough,” she’d snap, and everyone would quiet down, because no one wanted to test her when her voice got that sharp. she wasn’t technically in charge of the miscellany—cahir was—but she’d slipped into the role beside him so smoothly that no one questioned it anymore, not even him.

she kept things running. when shipments went missing, she found them. when traders tried to cheat them, she made a handful of pebbles glitter like gold until they learned better. illusion was her specialty—cheaper than transmutation, and easier to hide. she preferred control that didn’t cost her too much. but stress had a way of creeping in, regardless: too many tasks, too few hooves, and everyone looking to her to fix things.

one night, after the others had gone, she sat at the long meeting table, turning a coin between her hooves. a pebble, dressed up in gold. the candlelight caught on its false-gleaming edges, bright and hollow. she stared at it until her vision blurred, wondering just how much of her life was built on tricks just like it—shiny, convincing, fragile.

hoofsteps echoed softly in the hall. she didn’t look up when cahir entered, though she felt eyes on her.

“still working?” he asked.

“just thinking,” she mused.

“about what?”

she rolled the coin once more before replying. “how much effort it takes to make something ordinary look like gold.”

the pebble rolled from her grasp, plain and gray again.

[kyeza]

prompt: world - unusual weather
entry:


the sairinne sea is the focus of many tales and a great deal of folklore in faerendell. it's said that there was once a city belonging to the fabled twelfth noble house where its waters now lie, a fragment of the past now in ruins. no one can truly be certain whether or not this is true, given the intense political tensions and historical arguments this would have caused, but still, some believe fiercely in its existence. merfables have always been a fantastical concept in faerendell's past, after all.

but beyond the lost city of sairinne, some stories surrounding it have a little more basis in reality. for instance, there are periodically algae blooms in the sea that paint the waters with a soft blue-lavender glow. it's magically augmented to influence the clouds and sky above as well, turning them an array of colors as a result. when the weather is overcast and the clouds hang low over the sea, this glow dances throughout the clouds and creates a thick, brightly illuminated layer of color in the sky.

this is often tied in with the tales of the lost city of sairinne and its folklore, as fables claim that the ghosts of the past are dancing upon the surface of the sea. since many fables are concentrated in the more distant parts of faerendell from the sairinne sea, these rumors have spread like wildfire in the more land-locked parts of the world that haven't been able to experience this phenomenon for themselves.

[ 252 words ]


prompt: character - stressed out
fable: alouette (npc)
entry:


alouette had never been particularly good at handling stress. having been a top student of the illustrious aetheria academy of feyllune, she'd never had a chance to even just take a breath for a moment. her whole life revolved around schoolwork. wake up, run from class to class, go home, do her assignments, go to bed, and repeat. it was a brutal schedule, one that anyone else most certainly would not have been able to handle for so long.

but even she was nearing the end of her sanity, and she knew she couldn't continue this way. there was a reason she was at the top of her class, she mused, and this was why she threw herself into the trenches of research. she dug through spell book after spell book, searching for something, anything, to help her escape this lifestyle she'd dug herself into. and that was when she found it, an advanced curriculum, sloppily pieced-together spell that she could use to lighten her load.

but when her bright idea to lighten her workload by splitting her soul temporarily into two separate pieces—just to help her multitask, of all things—backfired on her, alouette was no more. instead, melui and aella were all that remained. she had no way of undoing it, lest the two halves of her soul come together again of their own volition. but there was no way that was going to happen, not with aella distancing herself and melui constantly pushing her further and further away.

[ 252 words ]

[ExVenor]

prompt: world - unusual weather
entry:
Dragon Storms
These are singular events that take place when two dragons are fighting over a territory. The magic concentration of a prolonged fight between two great dragons or leviathans can disrupt the ambient magic in an area. This disruption can result in significant weather events, usually severe bouts of magical lightning, earthquakes and tsunamis if near enough to bodies of water. These drawn out fights are rare as the dragons also wish to avoid creating massive earthquakes that can potentially destroy the territory they wish to claim. It is a bit of an unspoken agreement among great dragons and leviathans to limit territory disputes to 3 or 5 days only. Anything greater than 5 days can result in these magical storms and natural disasters.

Flat Floods
This is a unique issue to a remote town in southern Evra, at least once a year rain water collects as if its in a shallow container in the air and drops all at once. The force of the water crashing down can easily maim or kill people and animals alike. No one has been able to find a way to prevent this issue, though they do know the cause. An elven mage from millennia before had created a custom spell above the area to keep his lands from getting flooded and handle drought seasons. He'd collect water in this 'magic basin' and throughout the year allow controlled amounts of rainfall to benefit the whole area. Upon his passing there was an apprentice who was taught the ways of the spell and upkept the patterns, however this apprentice was killed in a raid a few hundred years ago. The magic kept up its cycle during that time so no one realized the danger or made the effort to understand the old journals. After centuries the journals were lost, damaged, and those they could find were written in an ancient language no one could read anymore. They didn't think to find a new mage until the magic started failing, without direction this magic basin that was designed to sustain itself with the ambient magic in the area started to fail in its design. Instead of controlled rainfall it would drop an entire section of this artificial lake all at once. After draining all the water it would repeat the cycle, dropping a lake on another part of town. It got the name flat flooding because the first part of the water to hit was a perfect flat square. The townspeople can't tell where the water will drop next so have begun hiring diviners to sense when the water is about to fall. They are trying to find a scholar to undo the magic but it is older craft and truly embedded in the area.

prompt: character - mood lighting
fable: Otangi
entry:

[ruffblue]

prompt: world - Unusual weather
entry:

The world this fable calls home knows no daytime, and especially not the warmth of the sun or glittering light of stars. It’s free from rain that breathes life into the soil, or howling winds that whip through your fur. From mud that coats your hooves, or snow that freezes your mane into icicles.

It is a space free from anything that brought life or destruction alike. It is still, and blanketed by the dark of an eternal dawn.

Most Outerworlders- a name given to creatures not from the below realm he calls home- speak on how they find the darkness- and especially the stillness- eerie. The sky above is as black as soot, but the horizon glows in shades of all colors- pastel pinks, dark purples, warm oranges. As beautiful as it is, the glow of day feels fleeting and unobtainable, and quickly gives way to the cover of night.

As dark as the ocean of ink above felt as the horizon shone brightly, that glow would fade as their dark daytime turned into an even darker midnight. The creatures who live here find themselves plunged into a true, pitch black. Much like bats in a cave, they are no stranger to the night- and feel a sense of comfort hidden in plain sight, obscured from sight.

The only thing that gives away the shadowed forms moving throughout the night are their glowing eyes, glinting vibrantly against the black. The folks who live here have found a sense of beauty in the uncanny phenomenon- and often refer to it as the iridescence of the night.

(my fiancee said reverse tornado... like it’s in the clouds (not on the ground) and sucks things up like a big vacuum- I hate that LOL)

[Nellas]

prompt: character - writing
fable: Elias
entry: Words: 1084

“Rest now, mother. I’ll return later to keep you company.” Elias’ voice was gentle and warm, steady and soothing. But his hands betrayed him with their faint tremor. He clasped them together as he watched the queen for a moment, tucked into the great bed so that only her face was showing, pale and gaunt. Already, she had fallen back asleep. It took a lot out of her, to be so ill.

Exhaustion dragged his eyelids, even as Elias quietly closed the door to the bedchamber, slipped past the guards, who greeted him with a murmur, and strode off down the hall. Gavia, his First Guard, broke off and followed him, a quiet, dark shadow. Elias’ strides were purposeful - even still, he worked to give the impression of strength and security.

But his heart carried a deep, sickening ache.

She would sleep for a few hours yet. In the meantime, he needed… Well, there were so many things he needed to do. Everything his mother did to help run her realm had fallen on his shoulders, for the moment. But he just… he also needed a break. For even just a moment.

Once they had exited the queen’s royal apartments, Elias beelined for his own.

At his own doorway, Gavia made to stand guard, but Elias gestured for him to enter.

“Please just come in, Gavia,” Elias said, his voice quieter now, beginning to hint at the rawness he felt.

So Gavia entered and set about making tea. Elias hadn’t asked for that, but now that he thought of it, he hadn’t actually had anything to eat or drink for… a while. Not since before the hours he’d spent at his mother’s side, reading to her, listening to music, or just talking, and watching the shallow rise and fall of rasping breaths. Not knowing if one of them would be her last.

Elias sat in a chair, and time slid by him like smoke. Then, a warm mug of tea was placed into his hands.

“Tell me when,” Gavia murmured in his deep voice as he added honey to it.

“When,” Elias whispered, very quietly.

Gavia had made himself a cup of tea as well, and took a different chair. When he had first started his position as First Guard, Gavia had refused to join Elias in pretty much anything. But Elias had made it clear from the start that he wanted, if not a friend, at least a companion of sorts, from his First Guard. Eventually, Gavia had relented. And he seemed to understand that right now, Elias didn’t need a guard standing silent and stoic at his door. He needed… company. A benevolent presence that didn’t ask anything of him.

“It’s just… so hard to know there’s no way I can help,” Elias murmured eventually, his gaze distant, as if he still saw his mother’s weary form in front of him.

“You’re helping a great deal,” Gavia replied, frowning slightly - which just meant that the habitual crease between his brows deepened further.

“I’m not helping her,” Elias retorted. “I’m helping the kingdom, but I’m not helping her survive this… this ailment. We don’t even know what it is, for the founders’ sake.”

Gavia had no reply to that. Neither of them were physicians, and even the physicians were at a loss. The illness seemed to sap the queen of all strength; a very alarming symptom to see in a fable who normally came across as so strong, so powerful, so capable and knowledgable in all things. These past few days, she hadn’t had enough energy to walk about her own room.

His own room seemed to press in upon him, entrapping, and suddenly Elias’ skin crawled, his wings twitching involuntarily.

“I need to get out of here,” he suddenly snapped, uncharacteristically.

Silently, Gavia followed him without complaint. Elias was too tired of it all to argue with him on that, the same argument they’d had several times already. In this time of uncertainty and vulnerability, First Guard Gavia was adamant that the heir to both their House, and the entire realm, remained protected.

So it was the pair of them that leapt from Elias’ personal balcony and into the sky. As they rose above the Keep, the Queen’s bonded peak-eagle, perched on the tallest roofpeak, watched them go. Wings of gold-touched brown and star-spattered black carried them higher, until blue haze covered the seemingly endless miles of mountain range stretching out beneath them. The sun cast a breath of warmth onto their backs; it could only do so much at such an altitude.

The two of them flew for hours. Mountains, valleys, and rivers wheeled beneath them. Above and below them, clouds bloomed and folded slowly, paying homage to the shape of the earth. They rode thermals and updrafts sometimes, and flapped others. Peak-eagles joined them occasionally before splitting off again, in the amiable way of sky-traveling fellowship.

Gavia and Elias said very little to each other during this time, even during their brief pause to exchange water flasks, at the lichen-strewn bare peak of a mountain unnamed. Yet their minds and their hearts exchanged much - with the landscape, and with each other.

By the time they arrived back at the keep, windswept and chilled, the exhaustion Elias felt was in his body, a simple, clean exhaustion borne of physical effort only. His heart felt clearer than it had in days.

As he returned to the Queen’s quarters, his heart felt refreshed, and ready to continue in many ways.

She was awake again, and gave him a small but true smile, gesturing for him to sit by her side.

“I’m glad you took time for yourself, today, my sweet,” she murmured as he took her hand.

Immense relief welled within him. Despite the clarity of heart and mind that the long flight had given him, there had still been some part of him that feared he wouldn’t be ‘allowed’ to take time solely for himself, with everything else depending on him.

“I brought you this.” Into the Queen’s hand he pressed a balsam twig and a birch twig. Delighted, she brought each to her nose, taking in each uniquely pleasant fragrance.

“How did you know just what I needed?” she asked after a long moment, her eyes shining a bit brighter.

“You and I are alike that way, I think,” Elias replied, smiling. “And I believe you’ll be back amongst the mountains and trees yourself before you know it.”

[Cheeb]

prompt: character - stressed out (How does your fable deal with being stressed or in a high stress situation?)
fable: Isidora
entry:

xxxxxShe is only half-listening as her “senior” rambles on.
xxxxx“Blessed by the Moon herself, you of all people should take the gravity of the situation seriously. If the Alchemist’s Guild is truly attempting to rush ahead of us with that horrible fable-made approximation of our sacred magic, the consequences could be dire. Not only would there be a loss of life for the immediate subject, but the resulting impact could leave parts of the city in shambles! Those of us who are stationed within Taelwyn must take it upon ourselves to be as vigilant as possible in uncovering their plans, and if I may be so blunt to say it, I am not thoroughly convinced that you have our best intentions in mind. Of course, dear, you have the innate power and potential to succeed, but innate power does not a leader make! Honestly, I suggest that you allow yourself to be more closely guided by…”
xxxxxThis is the second time this week that Isidora has been laid into by this woman. Isidora, who coordinates communication between the witches in the northern region of Valis. Isidora, who is routinely chosen to perform the rites of the coven under the full moon. Isidora, who is considered a once-in-a-generation talent. Isidora, who is supposed to be conserving her magic and her energy in order to perform the stars-be-damned Sacred Revival of the Goddess of the Moon herself ―
xxxxxAnd she is expected to entertain this absolute foolishness?
xxxxxTypically of few words, Isidora prefers to carefully consider what to say before she speaks, to imbue a sense of authority into each and every syllable, to preserve the mystique she knows others view her with. Yet, now, she cannot help herself.
xxxxx“Yes,” she snaps, unable to stop that impulse of anger. “Yes, Sybella, I take the Revival more seriously than anyone else in the Circle. The more you speak, the less certain I am that you are doing the same. Why, in the Goddess’ forgotten name, would I be entrusted with this task if I were not capable of handling myself?”
xxxxxAs the other fable opens her mouth to reply, Isidora springs up from her chair. With her impressive height, she looms over the woman, and she knows just how threatening she looks. She cannot help but revel in the feeling.
xxxxx“Your presence insults me,” she snaps, “and if you do not leave my office right this instant, I shall make your lack of faith in this grand plan known to the rest of the Circle of Moonlit Daughters.”
xxxxx“I simply ―”
xxxxx“Out. NOW.” The soft golden light of her magic begins to travel upwards into her horn, illuminating its crescent shape, a silent but poignant threat.
xxxxxThe other fable slams the door behind her as she scurries away, as a last act of disrespect. Isidora lets out a deep sigh, knowing that she will receive an earful about this later. She knows she was in the right, but Circle leadership has often made excuses for this nagging woman, under the guise of "respecting one’s elders".
xxxxxShe sits back down, slumping into the comfortable cushions of her chair. It would be improper for anyone else to see her like this, but she can allow herself to pout, just for a few moments. Perhaps she can even spare just a bit of her magic to levitate her teacup over from her desk ― she could use the hit of caffeine.
xxxxxOh, Goddess, give me the strength to deal with the most idiotic of our creed.

xxxxx(589 words)

[Hanna]

prompt: character - stressed out
fable: Elody
entry: 352 words readable on toyhouse!

prompt: character - stressed out
fable: Pandora
entry: 313 words readable on toyhouse!

[jensen ackles]

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prompt: world - ( unusual weather )
entry: [ 258 words ]

in brightsong's watery domain, weather operates strangely. her land lays over volcanic vents, meaning her people (while accustomed to the cold depths) are able to keep comfortably warm year round. but this also subjects them to months long "seasons" of the undersea landscape being altered by the earth below them. movement of magma, tectonic plates, and all matter of natural phenomena that make for little news above the waves mark terrible weather for those below.
for days at a time, a slight movement in the earths crust marks a storm of trouble for those living on it. the movements send shockwaves through the sea, creating "wavestorms" that knock pictures from their hooks on the walls and fine china from its place on the shelf. it rarely ever causes any serious damage, but occasionally a season may bring a wavestorm more destructive than usual.
on the bright side, the bad weather also brings out some unique enjoyable patterns as well! the kingdom does not experience seasons in the traditional sense - sure, the water at the surface may become colder in the winter, but at her people's depth cold air has no real impact. it does, however, mark a change in the underwater currents. the warm currents generated by their vents suddenly have much more strength - thus, the winter above becomes a season of heat flashes below. fables move belongings further from the vents, and lounge with their companions at a safe distance to enjoy the radiant heat. it's about as close to an underwater beach as you can imagine!

prompt: character - ( streased out )
fable: madra rua
entry: [ 256 words ]

you could argue that rua spends most of her life stressed out. she certainly has a hard time relaxing dor more than a heartbeat or two at a time.
rua is perpetually subject to an indescribable sense of missing something. in moments when she loses focus, it becomes awfully easy for her to slip into the yawning abyss at her heart.
you know that sense of fear and uncertainty that consumes your mind when you realize maybe you didnt turn off the stove, or maybe you left the oven on? thats the one. except to rua, it is an ever-present ghost laying across her brain.

so, how does rua cope with a high stress every day environment? a few methods. in moments of solitude, grounding exercises are her go to. square breathing, naming things she can understand via her senses, even tapping on occasion. girlie mastered her coping mechanisms over the years. but when the coping and over the counter methods stop working, as they far too often do, rua needs something a little stronger.

so she stages controlled burns. loosing her fire is the single most calming, centering, and euphoric thing rua can do. her fire wraps her in a warm comfort unlike anything else in the world - but comes at cost.
for one, once she sets the world alight it is... challenging... to contain. for two, after the peace passes, her sister's lovely, delicate, peaceful face rears in her mind. and her peace of mind burns to ash, along with the soft, blue eyes.

[waverly,]

prompt: character - mood lighting
fable: lirae
entry: