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Post by Xentus on Feb 19, 2021 21:09:06 GMT -6
Then, he pressed the ornament into the hole. It fit perfectly, sounding a vaguely familiar click once it was fully inside. The wall before him rumbled, sliding very slowly to the side. It seemed this mechanism hadn't gotten much use. If it ever got use. His mind drifted back to trying to figure out the mansion and its quirky magics, even though he knew it was an impossible endeavor. It occupied him until the wall cracked open enough to see past. It revealed.. A chapel? His eyes were greeted by the sights of a podium, lines of pews, and tall stained glass windows. The sight was both elegant and romantic. The wooden decor was carved with baroque pattern. Rose petals were scattered on the floor. A faint ring of bells echoed from far away. If not for the lack of people, he would've thought he walked in on a wedding.
Feb - 35
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Post by Jack on Feb 19, 2021 21:18:46 GMT -6
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Post by Xentus on Feb 20, 2021 15:20:45 GMT -6
And to some extent, perhaps he did.. The chapel was lit by a flickering chandelier, lighting the faces of the audience. Dolls. The scene's grace and beauty was disrupted by the attendance of inanimate figures, striking the leopard with an unnerving vibe. Thankfully, it didn't seem like the crowd minded his intrusion much. He led Alerios out of the tunnel, walking up to the podium to get a look at the things atop it. A blank, open book in imitation of a bible, a paper flower, and another glass rose. A chuckle escaped the leopard. Perhaps this path of roses thing he had created for himself was turned real by the magic of the manor. Twisted to represent some kind of wayward path of love or matrimony. Love could be considered an escape for some as well. An escape from loneliness. And hopefully an escape from this place in his case.
Feb - 36
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Post by Xentus on Feb 20, 2021 15:25:16 GMT -6
The man looked carefully at the faces of the dolls as he walked down the aisle. All blank. Staring. Unmoving. From the corner of his eye, he could've sworn one turned its head to look directly at him. But he waved it off as a trick of the light. A play in the mind. Alerios trailed after the man with a little skepticism regarding all of the strange dolls sitting about. But if the keeper wasn't bothered, it would try its best to not be either. Nothing moved, nothing seemed to pose a danger. Just another strange, uncomfortable room in this place. Striding down the center of the room, the toll of bells grew louder. Ringing in a dull, low tone. Once Xentus reached the doors at the end, the ringing stopped. It caught his attention, looking up just before opening the door. An ear flicked, keying in on the sound of shuffling behind them.
Feb - 37
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Post by Xentus on Feb 20, 2021 15:30:21 GMT -6
And it was not from the wiurn. The man's eyes darted behind them, witnessing the sight of all the dolls standing upright on the pews, heads turned around. And staring right at them. A chilling shiver rippled down the man's spine. He didn't need any more than that to know it was his que to leave. A mental ping to Alerios warning it to move quickly sounded from the man as he hastily flung the wooden door open. He felt his body moving too slowly, no matter how much he urged it to rush. The pair were met with a snow-laden elaborate courtyard, flanked on all sides by the walls of the mansion. All, except for the front. In front of them were pairs of elaborate marble pillars, lining a path which he could only hope led to an escape. The sun was high overhead, reflecting brightly off the pillowy snow.
Feb - 38
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Post by Xentus on Feb 20, 2021 16:22:22 GMT -6
It was hard to see. And behind them, he could've sworn he heard more shuffling. Were the dolls suddenly animate? Giving chase? He dared himself to look back. Past the bulk of the confused wiurn, he saw.. An empty-looking, dark chapel. The chandelier wasn't lit. There were no dolls staring at him. The only remnant of the scene he'd witnessed just prior was the rose petals scattered about the aisle. The man blinked. Another illusion. That had to be it. There couldn't be any other reason. The sense of urgency calmed, and his breathing returned to normal. Despite not being in any sort of chase or danger, he felt winded. That.. Was almost bad, he felt. But they were fine, and that was all which mattered. Alerios offered its keeper a reassuring nudge and gently nipped at the man's corded hair. And it received a face plunged into its neck fur in return.
Feb - 39
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Post by Xentus on Feb 20, 2021 17:35:19 GMT -6
Xentus breathed in the musky scent of reptilian fur, calming his mind and senses. The mind tricks of this place were too much for him at times. Thinking back on it, what harm could a bunch of dolls even do? Aside from being unnerving. And besides, he had the strength of the wiurn at his side to stop them, should they actually be a threat. A chuckle escaped the man. Ah, he most certainly had enough of this. It was too much adventure for one day. He escaped the wiurn's mane before he got tangled in it and got a closer look at their surroundings. The courtyard seemed unassuming enough. More rose petals were scattered upon the snow-laden stone path, pointing around the central fountain and between the far pillars like some kind of beckoning path. If he could trust that he was truly outside, then it meant this adventure was drawing to a close.
Feb - 40
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Post by Xentus on Feb 20, 2021 17:48:36 GMT -6
There had been times when the mansion simply gave the illusion of being outside.. An indoor forest was a relatively recent example he'd traversed. But seeing the sun, the blue sky, the fallen snow.. It had to be real. Alerios passed thoughts of temptation idly though the leopard's mind as it eyed the snow. It was outdoors finally, reunited with the grace of winter. Its head tentatively turned to meet its keeper's eyes, pleading for permission to frolic once more. The courtyard was spacious enough to accommodate a flailing wiurn, at the expense of trampled shrubbery. Ah, why not. Xentus gave the wiurn a nod and a mental okay to do as it pleased. The creature pranced forward, diving head first into the largest hill of snow it could find. Xentus watched on as Alerios flung snow about as it tossed its head, hissing happily into the cold, winter air.
Feb - 41
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Post by Xentus on Feb 20, 2021 17:53:20 GMT -6
Follow the path a roses, right? Xentus managed to pry his eyes away from the frolicking wiurn and looked down the path scattered with petals. The bright sunlight reflecting off the snow made it hard to see too far away.. But it did seem promising. He decided to walk on, mentally prodding his companion to keep up with him. Alerios could run circles around him if it so desired; the request was of no concern for it. Satisfied that he wouldn't lose the giant fluffy reptile in the snow, the man carried on, skirting around the frozen fountain. He would've tossed in a coin if it weren't solid. As some kind of thanks or reparation for his intrusion. He supposed there was that strange well that spit out items of interest which he could pay a visit to.. Something to consider. His hands were shoved into his pockets in a feeble attempt to prevent them from freezing as he traveled.
Feb - 42
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Post by Xentus on Feb 20, 2021 18:01:18 GMT -6
Being outside again, he remembered how much he disliked the cold. He could see his misty breath.. His fingers were slowly losing feeling. His feet hardly had traction on the thin layer of ice in some patches. But he supposed the relief of escape made it all tolerable. No more mind tricks, no risk of losing his companion. No chase of creepy dolls. Still, he wanted to get home quickly. Plans swirled in his mind; have a warm bath, drink some nice hot chai.. Read a book with actual content upon its pages. A chuckle escaped the man. Despite everything, he knew he'd be back, and probably sooner than later. Alerios spread its wings and gave them a good few powerful flaps, sending a light powdery mist flying into the air. A mini snowstorm settled itself on the leopard, much to his displeasure. His mind drifted back to hating the cold.
Feb - 43
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Post by Xentus on Feb 20, 2021 18:06:37 GMT -6
[Keep up, Alé], the man requested to his companion, turning to glance at the wiurn for a moment. He mostly wanted to stop any more snow from getting blown into his face. Alerios thought back a muttered apology, ducking its head down and crawling after the man, dragging its feet and tail in the process. It knew it wouldn't really get to play like this back at the keep. So relishing in the moment was the only chance it had to enjoy itself like this. Xentus picked up on the low mutters in its mental voice, cracking a gentle smile at the beast.
[This one promises to bring Alé out again before the snow melts], he reassured it, [All Xentus asks is for cooperation. There is some work to be done.] He still wanted to get the wiurn 'battle-ready' for the tournament.. But even if not for that purpose, it would be a good time to learn what he could get the scaly beast to do.
Feb - 44
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Post by Xentus on Feb 20, 2021 18:16:38 GMT -6
Walking between the pillars, down the path of roses was almost surreal. The mansion seemed to make the alley longer than it looked, yet the walk was quite short. The last pair of pillars and walls gave way to an open field of snow and ice, with a vaguely familiar forest surrounding it. The barely visible cobblestone path wrapped around the building's side, giving the leopard a vague idea of where he was. And most notably, the rose petals petered off. Freedom, truly, at last. Alerios ploughed into the piles of snow as the leopard made for entryway which lead to the manor. Loud hisses and bellows of excitement escaped the beast as it soaked in this opportunity before it was gone. It hesitated just enough to prolong the journey back.
[Come now, Alerios. Let us return home, yes?], the mammalian gently asked of the wiurn, ready to leave the mansion grounds until another day.
> Exeunt Xentus and Alerios (80)
Feb - 45
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Post by Jack on Feb 20, 2021 20:03:00 GMT -6
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Post by Xentus on Mar 2, 2021 16:26:43 GMT -6
Adventure #4 - Tiny Dino, Big Dreams > Xentus, accompanied by...
The time of Faelot was a time of growth. Celebration of youth and new experiences to be had. That was the general gist the leopard got, anyway. Spring wasn't too big a deal back in the desert. Witnessing desert blossoms was a spectacular sight, though. In any event, for the sake of his immersion into the culture about the city, the mammalian had found himself within the strange mansion once again. This time, with a new little friend. The small dinosaur was an addition to his collection which he hadn't spent any time with yet, but had been meaning to for a long time. It was a specimen brought back from times past! How wasn't that fascinating? He wanted to be certain he could dedicate a good amount of time to its research to document its nature and growth. And now seemed to be as good a time as any.
Mar - 1
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Post by Xentus on Mar 2, 2021 16:33:40 GMT -6
The arrival of spring and celebration of the Faelot made the setting all the better. At the moment, he was in a child's playroom, surrounded by oversized toys, plushes, and a colorful array of decor. The floor was coated in a thick, plush carpet. And the small white dinosaur was exploring a castle of blocks which he had assembled. It poked its head through the openings, exploring this strange new place little by little. Meanwhile, Xentus was scribbling in his journal, looking up occasionally at the small reptilian to make new observations. At the moment, the leopard was trying to decipher if it was more closely related to hadrosaurs or theropods. Its body looked more like the later, but its head reminded him of the former. It could've had its own classification entirely, completely unrelated to any of the fossilized remains on record.. Perhaps its true nature would be revealed as it grew older.
Mar - 2
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