Ink Fox

stones left unturned; [ the darkness beneath, chapter 1 ] “Oh I-I’m fine” Xildara reassured the frazzled priestess as she fixed herself, remarking on the surprise the two newcomers had given them. “They were, ah—unique?” The young woman chuckles finding amusement in the priestess’ own confusion over the matter. It did make Xil wonder what their business with Constans had been. It obviously had been important with the way the elven woman fumed over his absence, –and then there was the curt departure of the orc. What had been his intentions in the matter? The mystery would remain unsolved for now. Eirene mentioned making it a part of their quest—but for now their focus was to find the temple of the priestesses. At Eirene’s question Xildara nodded firmly and confidently and straggled behind her as the priestess made her way out of the ruined church grounds. Xildara had to blink a few times as they emerged from the solemn darkness of the church’s cellar, but it was a welcomed change in venue. She had only seen the top of the hill at night. It had been quiet then, not a bird in the sky. Only heavy thick clouds rolling over head, masking the moon in their wispy presence. The village had been quiet, and still—only flickering candles in the windows to mark the home of each family nestled within. Now the village was fully awake, and the narrow streets were clogged with the bustling forms of farmers and merchants, and tradesmen all hard at work. Plenty of smiling faces, it was a small enough community that everyone seemed to be familiar with each other. As she and the priestess took to foot and wove through the crowds, Xildara did her best to stay close, only venturing glances here and there. Her eyes almost always met a warm gaze in return, and each villager was kind enough to acknowledge them with a polite ‘hello,’ as they went. Most stopped to properly greet the matron of the duo, stopping to address Eirene as her proper title. Xildara nervously untangled some of her hair as a nervous habit. There was a certain protocol almost everyone here inherently abided by. It all made Xildara immensely curious as to what the entire village was like. Surely not everyone here was as warm, or devoted as these simple folks? Still it made her heart swell with hope. It wasn’t long before a structure in the distance caught her eye. It was built with finer craftsmanship then the surrounding buildings, and the doors that adorned the front were opulent and carved with embellishments that resembled serpents. Was this the temple Eirene spoke of? @vielle

Nina Briane Shepard Nickname: "Bree" Age: 27 Race: human Gender: female Sexuality: heterosexual Marital Status: Single Birthplace: Terrenus Alignment: Neutral Good  Physical and Appearance Weight: 130 lbs Height: Physique: Eyes:  Hair:  Complexion: Voice:  Markings: Unique Traits:  Typical Attire:  Psychological Information Demeanor: Strengths: Weaknesses: Quirks: Likes: Dislikes:  Skills & Deficiencies  Mundane:  + Skill – (ex: sewing, cooking, extremely handsome, etc.) - Deficiency – (uneducated, sheltered, etc. It’s alright if you can’t come up with much for this one) Combat: + Advantage/Skill – (ex: pain tolerance, expert training, battle hardened, anything that would present a general advantage in combat.)  - Deficiency – (ex: inexperienced, one-legged, blind, or anything relating to a specific disadvantage in combat etc.)  Abilities Ability Class/Tree (ex: Fire magic, Vampiric Physiology, etc.) - Capabilities: ·  Active/Passive | Specific Ability – Weaknesses: Miscellaneous: (repeat for as many abilities as you have)  History WIP WIP WIP Chapters N/A

“Cersei—what are you doing?” Ograh, a tall and statuesque half orc stared daggers down at the petite bird folk who was happily bouncing to and fro, retrieving small sticks and twigs and piling them at the center of the make shift camp the Ranger had cobbled together for them. The group had been on the road for some time now, drifting from town to town. The last place they had stopped for supplies had been Blairville but that was many miles back. Now with their journey reaching its furthest point, they found their small caravan short on much needed supplies. Mateja, the group’s closest thing to a quarter master, had scouted ahead for them. The sorceress had meant to return with news once she had a good look at the prospective town they were heading to, but had yet to return. The group of retired mercenaries had been looking for a long time now for a place to start their new venture, and hopefully, it would be a profitable one. Most large towns and cities had their own guilds, and adventurer networks that soaked up jobs quicker than the hunter could pin them down. It made life living in the major cities rough for hired swords. –But this new place held some promise. From the rumors, the upstart village was a bit of a miracle; though recently they seemed to be having a lot of trouble with growth due to marauders, bandits and the occasional wild animals running amok. It sounded like the perfect place to start a new guild, and with out much argument from the warrior women, Isaac the ranger had led them on a march into the wilderness. They had stopped temporarily to allow for rest, while Isaac, the man himself, had disappeared into the surrounding woods; no doubt doing his own scouting. Ograh the towering orcess hoped he remembered to bring back some food before her hunger drove her mad. She was already beginning to lose patience with the absent minded harpy who was happily littering the ground with twigs. “These are for our nest!” Cersei chimed, her soft peachy pink plumage ruffling excitedly. She was so happy to be at the end of this journey. She hopped about on her taloned toes and inspected the ground carefully for any stray twigs she had missed. “Chi—we’re not staying here, Isaac has to plot out where we’ll be building the shack. He isn’t back yet—besides twigs are not going to cut it for a log cabin. How many times do I have to tell you not every one builds nests?” Ograh rubbed her temples and groaned. The sudden sound of branches cracking and soft ground being shuffled pulled the orc’s attention away. Her sharp blue eyes trailed over to the source finding Senko—the red ogress, hugging a large tree whose thickness was the size of her own body. She had tugged it violently out of the ground, and held it aloft easily. Senko’s dark eyes lingered on Ograh with a triumphant twinkle. “No! Sen! Put it back—we’re not staying here. We don’t need logs yet!” Og huffed again, a steady migraine wearing on the large woman’s nerves. Senko unfortunately only spoke infernal, her native tongue, and understood only some common languages. Enough to get by atleast—but in this case, Og's dismay went over her head, and the red oni went on tugging full sized trees out of the ground and tossing them into a pile, though a much larger and less cute pile than her harpy counter part. “Please let them get back soon…” Og relented and took a seat on a stump, watching in silent frustration as the two went about building their individual mounds of building materials. @ianthine @SoulOfTerra

Bliss Nickname: "Eury", "Euphoria" Age: ??? Race: Tiefling Gender: female Sexuality: ??? Marital Status: Single Birthplace: unknown Alignment: Neutral Physical and Appearance Weight: 130 lbs Height: 5'8" Physique: slender waisted with round buxom hips Eyes: Amber Hair: red and silver Complexion: fair, mottled red and black in places Voice: N/A Markings: red and black skin on hands, legs, neck and tail Unique Traits: elf-like ears, horns Typical Attire: wears silk and satin dresses that are very revealing. She also likes to don her dancers garments. Psychological Information Demeanor: Strengths: Weaknesses: Quirks: Likes: Dislikes: Skills & Deficiencies Mundane:  + Skill – (ex: sewing, cooking, extremely handsome, etc.) - Deficiency – (uneducated, sheltered, etc. It’s alright if you can’t come up with much for this one) Combat: + Advantage/Skill – (ex: pain tolerance, expert training, battle hardened, anything that would present a general advantage in combat.) - Deficiency – (ex: inexperienced, one-legged, blind, or anything relating to a specific disadvantage in combat etc.) Abilities Ability Class/Tree (ex: Fire magic, Vampiric Physiology, etc.) - Capabilities: ·  Active/Passive | Specific Ability – Weaknesses: Miscellaneous: (repeat for as many abilities as you have)  History WIP WIP WIP Chapters N/A

????? - "Senko"  Nickname: "Sen" Age: ??? Race: half Oni/half Tiefling Gender: female Sexuality: ??? Marital Status: Single Birthplace: ??? Alignment: ??? Physical and Appearance Weight: 250 lbs Height: 6' 8" Physique: Strong, well muscled-- Eyes: Gold with black sclera Hair: silver, and ink black at the ends Complexion: Deep red Voice: N/A Markings: Tattoos on her back and shoulders from her days in the mafia Unique Traits: horns, and faun like ears, upper and lower tusks, a third eye on her forehead. Typical Attire: typically binds her breasts, and wears her signature tiger pelt around her waist, and traditional shinobi pant underneath. Psychological Information Demeanor: Senko is the strong silent type. She doesn't usually speak to anyone except for Ograh, who she sees as kin. Beyond that Senko is helpful, though carries the air of confident fighter. She is also quite stubborn and on occasion, lazy. Usually the only person capable of spuring her into action is Ograh. When set to task, she is exetrmely sly, yet fervent. Strengths: Tremedously strong, can sense life signs, magic and necromancy using her third eye, Weaknesses: Divine Objects, doesn't communicate well with others Quirks: The name Senko was given by Ograh because no one can pronounce Senko's given infernal name, Sen loves sweets and candies Likes: Candy, sparring, building things, swinging a club, pulling the limbs off things Dislikes: Ograh being upset, leeks, weaklings Skills & Deficiencies Mundane:  + Skill – Building, Capentry, Farming, Koi Rearing, Cooking, playing Shamisen, brewing alchohol, fermenting wines - Deficiency – Social Etiquette Combat: + Advantage/Skill – Battle Hardend, Weaponry Savant, Highly Adaptive, Highly Focused, Third Eye Perception - Deficiency – Arrogant, Heavy-Footed, Head-Strong, Reckless, Lack of Communication Abilities Konobo Toss/ Martial Art - Capabilities: Can toss and fling her konobo with great precision and equal force; enough to break through tree trunks. Aura of Storms/ Elemental Binding - Capabilites: Can summon an aura of electricity Passive | Third Eye Perception – Can sense/detect multiple forms of magic Weaknesses: Divine Objects, Holy Magic  History WIP WIP WIP Chapters N/A

The arms that encircled her were a welcomed surprise. She could feel the warmth of Mateja’s body against her’s and hear the somber recollection in her softened tone. The woman had been taken aback, and her stony demeanor melted into tender reunion. Teja remarked on her outward appearance, shocked by the transformation. But she could see passed it. Xildara could feel it in her embrace. It was a small triumph that sent shivers over the gorgon’s aching heart. Like a coil of tension had been released, and now Xi was basking in the relief. The weight was lifted, and what she had feared never came. How awful it was to always have a shred of hope, and yet expect disappointment. It was tiring to be this guarded, but Coth—the very air in the town felt different. It made her feel safe, as if she would finally find some acceptance. It was a small start, but Xildara was growing her circle of intimate friends and she knew in the coming days she’d probably be attached to the woman’s side. They embraced for a good moment, until Mat grasped her and took a good look at her face, asking earnestly how Xi had been, looking her over with bright golden eyes edged with mirth. Xildara chuckled nervously unused to such positive attention. She squirmed lightly under the sorceress’ grasp; abashed by Teja’s intrigue. “Well enough, dear wanderer—But I’m afraid it’s a long story… I’m glad to see you in good health as well. I never thought I’d see you again, I was worried those hunters had—” Xildara stopped, her silver eyes trailed to the ground. She didn’t even want to finish that thought, the imaginings were too terrible. “But you’re here now…” The young woman said with some awed tone in her voice. The coincidences were too much. “Are you planning to move here?” The gorgon’s heart rose with some joyous hope.

There was a silence that fell over the two. Yet no recollections came flooding back to the nomad, spurring slightly sour feelings in the gorgon. Perhaps she didn’t remember her. Sadly Xildara led on, but Mateja seemed lost in thought as they approached the cusp of the hill. Finally the bronzed nomad spoke up, admitting that she had once known a Xildara. It was a small window of opportunity, but Xildara was eager to take it. She walked a little ahead of Mateja in order to bar the woman’s view of her slowly glazing eyes. “Is that so?” Xi began, cupping her hands behind her back. “This place is my new start—a long time ago, I was held against my will—my life was not my own. Until someone saved me. For a long time I thought that person was the only being in the world with a pure heart, but I met Constans. And he saved me just like that woman did years ago. One person gave me my freedom back… and the other gave me the choice to do something with that gift—and I plan to. But if it hadn’t been for that woman… I wouldn’t be standing here today… In this village… in this sanctuary… at first I didn’t think I deserved this chance… but when I saw you coming down that road—I knew.” The silver haired woman stopped in her tracks. The elevation of hill gave her a good view of the stout little village below. The breeze whipped through her long moonbeam tresses, and Xildara glanced back at the nomad once more. Hoping her story had stoked the fire of Mateja's memories. @ianthine

The two of them strolled a little further towards the hill. Mateja all the while making sharp observations and questions about the town and priest. She wanted to know about the origin of the green fire and the miracles, but Xildara could only speak of what she had seen. Yet she was reluctant to—any detail she let slip reminded her of the night Mateja had first come to her. She was a strong individual with a pure heart, and conviction. She had saved Xildara when no one else would—when everyone else was too scared to. Instead the demi-gorgon found herself falling into a hushed awe as she watched the woman. Small fractured memories clouding her mind. She kept comparing Mateja’s strong features in the sunlight compared to how she had first seen her in the dim torch light of the cavern burrows where they had hidden the demi-gorgon away. Even though Mateja had seen her with serpents for hair and scaly skin, she still chose to help her. Xil's mind was drifting, and she was mindlessly making small talk until the slip happened. Mateja, a hawk of a woman, quickly corrected Xildara’s labeling of the tannery, and caught onto the fact that Xildara was as foreign to this town as she was. The silver haired woman stopped in her tracks and held her silence for a moment, considering giving up the ruse. Deep down she didn’t want to lie, in fact she wanted to thank her for everything Mateja had done for her. The nomad asked her name and Xildara wondered if she’d even remember her. “Xildara—” She said, as if on impulse. “Xildara is my name…” Her grey eyes locked to Mateja’s eyes as if pleading with those golden pools to reflect some form of recollection. @ianthine

stones left unturned; [ the darkness beneath, chapter 1 ] A befuddled look crosses the priestess’ face as she hears Xildara’s quiet warning. But serenity quickly reclaims Eirene’s regal demeanor as she turns and sweeps out the door to address the issue. Xildara clamors behind her like a scurrying mouse, shrinking in the woman’s shadow as they enter the corridor. As wary as the demi-gorgon is, Eirene’s protective nature sets her at ease, but doesn’t quell her curiosity. Sheepishly she peers over the priestess’ shoulder. Grey eyes flicker between the figures standing in the dimness of the hallway. They are contrasting in form, causing Xildara’s head to pop up a little further from behind the fiery haired Eirene. Her saintly robes waft the faintest scent of lavender across the gorgon’s sensitive nose; she can practically taste the mellow herb on her tongue. –But it is the sharp smell of trampled grass and warm sun that further draws the timid snake’s intrigue toward the strangers. Silver locks matching the luster of her own natural tresses draw her stony eyes. The female of the duo is lovely and just a slip of woman compared to her counterpart. Though her long and graceful ears signal that she is something other than human—an elf. The term was something her mother had told her stories about when she was still a young girl taking shelter in the caverns of the isolated mountains. The man next to her was something entirely else, and the mass of his bulk threatened to split the seams of his garments. Grey skin and lightly protruding tusks meant he shared kin with orc—or perhaps trolls? Xildara couldn’t remember the difference between them. From what she had heard of the species made her slightly recoil once more. They were known to be violent and angry creatures. Her own fear made her heart pang with guilt—she was judging before she even knew; how ironic. Eirene is admirable in her attention to detail and spirit of facilitation. She greets them eloquently before assessing their needs and answering them before any questions are asked. “If you are seeking the Holy Father, he is not here in his study.” The priestess’ voice rings gently in the still corridor but with underlying authority that would have sent Xildara from the room in no time.As if to punctuate the woman’s words, Xildara nods curtly from behind her as if to confirm Eirene’s observation. The answer didn't seem to sit well with the lithe elf woman, who began a small tirade on Constans' sudden absence. Her brows knit in frustration as she began to demand an answer, "Where did the Bald Man go? Did he say? It’s important that I find him.” The tenseness of the situation spurred Xildara to speak up. “Constans!” The demi-gorgon nervously belted, and then steadied her voice and began again. “—Constans left a little while ago…. H-he looked worried. H-he didn't say anything--” She stammered meekly and then disappeared into Eirene’s silhouette once more. @vielle @Witches Brew @Better Than Gore

Edited and reposted

stones left unturned; [ the darkness beneath, chapter 1 ] Eirene gently explains her position to Xildara, who listens intently, with eyes wide as a child. She is a priestess, as Xildara had suspected but her explanation leaves the demi-gorgon with a few more questions. How does one worship with their whole being? The concept is foreign to Xildara who simply nods, feigning understanding lest she make herself look more ignorant than she already came off as. The priestess further punctuates her point by turning her back to the young gorgon and allowing her flowing robes to slouch against her narrow shoulders, revealing lines of ink stained into her porcelain skin. A serpent’s winding form greets Xildara and she inspects it curiously, leaning in ever so slightly to get a good look at the art that graces most of the woman’s back. On Eirene’s shoulders she can notice the swirling forms of clouds and waves. Snakes appeared to be quite adored among the clergy here, and that fact brings a strange feeling of comfort to the snake blooded gorgon. There is something other worldly to Eirene’s beauty and Xildara falls into a hushed silence as the woman reclaims her modesty and moves to kneel near Xildara. The demi-gorgon feels her feet curl into each other shyly, her scarred toes fumbling against one another timidly at Eirene’s sudden closeness. Xildara suddenly feels as though the odor coming off her skin will offend the priestess and shrinks slightly in her seat, averting embarrassed eyes. “I do hope you’ll allow me this piece of advice, but—I believe you’ll feel better with a hot bath and some delectable food, in that order. Our temple has a most divine bathhouse, and the choicest of food and drink are made available to the Fidei Lena and to those we care for.” The priestess explains, setting pleading cerulean eyes onto Xildara with the suggestion. Xildara scans the cot she’s been sleeping in and the corner she has kept herself contained in for the last few days. Perhaps it was time for her to leave, she couldn’t always rely on the priest, she’d quickly become a burden in no time. –But it was her stomach that answered for her. The prospect of food earning a groaning rumble from the pale female’s stomach and from where Eirene had settled, Xildara knew she could hear the empty echoes. Cheeks flushed bright red, Xildara did her best to cover her embarrassment with a half hearted smile and shields her stomach to muffle the sounds. “How could I turn away such sound advice, my lady.” The silver haired girl chuckles weakly, and nods her head in agreement. She has no belongings to take with her; save for the tattered robes on her back. “Is the temple far from here?” Xildara rises from her seat but there is still some anxiety in her features. She hasn’t yet been into town during the day, and crowds usually made her uncomfortable, but the radiant aura of the priestess made her feel slightly more confident about travelling. The sound of hoofs beating the ground draws her attention, and from the small window in the basement, Xil’s acute hearing catches the sound of a horse pulling to a stop outside. A pair of footsteps unmounts and loom before the entrance of the church. Somewhat surprised Xildara looks over at Eirene as if waiting for the woman to announce the arrival of her cohorts, but the priestess’ human senses apparently can not perceive the sound of shuffling outside. Timidly Xildara remarks, “Someone’s outside—" @vielle

Welp-- here's a stack of pinups to add to the Coth art bonfire lol