Welcome to Gaia! ::

This is going to be the Changeling RP. All are welcomed to join. We are modifying the table top's rules to make it a text-based game with no dice rolling.

*A note from Leid:
Above the two lodgings I mention that it's a city called Nolumn. It's fictional, ofcourse, but is meant to be like a typical American city. I didn't pick a real one only because then you can run into problems of what's really there or not. smile

The differences between fae and Changelings are mentioned as well, but I forget where right off the top of my head. Basically Fae are these creatures that are rather fluid in concept. They hold magical powers and live in Arcadia. They will kid nap a human they like for whatever reason. (They could be strong, they could sing or dance, they could even possibly be very smart.) The Fae can change their looks at will and are much like children in the respect that they get bored easily. It's hard to say if they are evil and want to hurt humans, or if they truly just don't understand what emotional pain is.

The reason you change is because while in the world you become influenced by the magic there in Arcadia. The table top game involves things called contracts, but that's getting too much into system rules and I'm not trying to confuse anyone. sweatdrop

Also, your Changeling appearance should be a little on the odd side. If a normal person saw it they'd probably freak out. If you are unsure ask me. I'm going to request realistic photos, at least for your human appearance. Otherwise, if you can't find a Changeling appearance first try looking for a non-anime drawing, if all else fails, I won't refuse someone with an anime picture.

When I get over this cold I've got I'm going to take the above information and integrate it where it's needed. So, please, read it over and PM me any other questions.

1. You can not play a Fae.
2. Please follow the rules in the TOS.
3. Do not power game. Your spells can fail. Someone else's power could possibly trump yours.
4. Please post often. Absences must be reported to me. I will do my best to find a way to not have to puppet your character, but I will if I have to. I will most likely just move them out of the way.
5. You must post about 3-4 paragraphs with good detail. Don't try to skirt by with just a few sentences.
6. When casting keep in mind it does take effort to cast your spells.
7. No overly adult situations.
8. Be tasteful.
9. Early on spells will need to be done at close range or by touch.
10.

More to come as I need them.

Spring
Those who join the court of Spring feel happy to have been able to live through such a thing as being in Arcadia. They tend to be rather optimistic in general and have very nature-related spells.

Spells:
Court Only:
Frolic Through Dreams - When someone is having a good dream you can enter through their dreams into the dream world that lays between the real world and Arcadia.
Healing - You are one of the few who can out right heal another's wounds. Scratches, cuts, and burns, with your touch, will regrow healthy skin in place. Bone mending, however, doesn't fall in your realm.
Nature Manipulation - You can connect with nature on a level no other can. You can help plant life grow, you can have trees bend, you can even persuade the grass to tangle around someone's feet. You can not have plants wither or die.

General:
Warming Light - You can create a small ball of light that radiates much like a small fire and emits warmth. However, sticking ones hand through the orb causes no damage.



Autumn
Those you join the Autumn Court feel they have learned something for their experience and tend to dabble with their powers to create fear in others. Generally Autumn Court Changelings tend to have darker personalities and can be considered creepy. (Note, just because they are creepy and cause fear, they aren't any more evil than anyone else.)

Spells:
Court Only:
Glide through Nightmares - When someone is having a nightmare you can enter through their dreams into the dream world that lays between the real world and Arcadia.
Wither - You can make plant life and organic matter wither. This applies to plants as well as other changelings, humans, and so on.
Bone Mending - You can mend bone, and break bone. Mending is always easier, but breaking the bone is sometimes possible, as well

General:
Cause fear - You have the power to concoct a story or concept that will instill fear in others who listen.


With out a Court
Those with out a Court are always welcomed to join another Court later. If you choose to do you you must contact me and an RP situation will be devised for you. Courtless are not aloud to use any spells under the Court-only spells.

Spells:
General:
Peer into Dreams: A Changeling with this power can find the passage way into dreams but have great trouble entering. They can never force their way in and if they can go in it's only after the Dreamer allows them to enter. Usually, with out aid, they can't stay long.
Mend - Make repairs to objects. Small tears, and cuts in fabrics and most soft surfaces.
Magical Burst - A small amount of magical energy can be guided to a target harming them physically.
Feathered Feet - With this power a Changeling can move near-silently, leaving only feint footprints in their wake. Some say that powerful Changelings can practically glide or hover with this power.




List will grow as RP continues.

*NOTE: All spells must be role played fairly. No autohits. No taking the power and using it to it's max ability. We are all equal to level one players at this point, so use your powers as such, please.

Gaian's Name: Leid
Name: Julian Barns
Court: Autumn
Spells: Glide Through Nightmares, Bone Mend, Mending
Why a Fae chose you: Julian was taken to Arcadia because a Fae found him interesting because he had a great desire to learn magic. Desiring to be a teacher for a while the Fae posed as a beautiful witch and taught Julian how to use magic.
How long have you been away in Arcadia? Julian was taken away to Arcadia a long time ago. He can't remember the year. Living in Arcadia felt like a whole new life for the young lad. It felt like his lived there for a few years. His first few being rather nice, then slowly as his captor grew bored of him he became more and more lonely.
Personality: Julian, or Jules, could be described as eerie or odd, but for the most part responsible. He tends to be rather nocturnal, staying awake into the wee hours of morning and sleeping through midday in his room.
Back story: Julian was always a good young lad, born to a European noble and his wife indigenous to another land. He heeded his father's words and pleased his mother by becoming a rather bright young man. He kept his interest in the Arcane quiet as to not worry his mother and anger his father. Even though his mother told his stories of spirits she had grown up with, having married the man she did, she left those thoughts behind her. However, some of the girls his age were fascinated at his ghostly stories of provoking spirits through magic. Little did he know that by using these parlor tricks he called magic he was drawing the attention of a few Fae from Arcadia.
During a night out in the woods with a few girls and another boy his age something went horribly wrong. Finally a Fae broke through the barrier between Arcadia and our world and snatched up the would-be sorcerer, scaring his friends, and whisked him away to Arcadia. Little did he know a Fetch was thrown out in his place to run along home and live the rest of his life as a quiet and obedient boy.
For a while the Fae taught Jules different types of magic in the guise of a beautiful witch. The Fae thought it all in fun, but the young man was falling in love. soon the Fae grew bored and moved on, leaving the young man in his little log cabin, the magic of the area slowly fading. Finally Jules chose to leave, broken hearted, remembering his friends and family. However, after following a path of what felt like weeks he found his way to a time unlike his own.
Jules feared the large metal cases that whizzed by and became dizzied by the extremely tall buildings that reached high into the sky. Luckily it was only a few days of living on the streets that he was found by a man who ran a hotel. Since then it's been almost a year and Jules has learned much about the world. Currently Julian works and The Motel Six and lives in room 204.
Have you been replaced by a Fetch? Yes, but the Fetch had since withered and died.
Changeling Appearance: What this Boy has Become.
Human Appearance: The Mask of and Old Face

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LeatrixSage
Name: Seraphina ( Jaden Lane Loleo )
Court: Summer
Spells: Strength Buff, Blaze, Barrier
Why a Fae chose you: Jaden Lane had been a belly dancer that incorporated fire dancing into her act. That combined with her exotic looks and passion for song made her particularly interesting to her Fae
How long have you been away in Arcadia? She was gone long enough to forget her name, that she knows. Her Fae called her Seraphina, so that is the name she uses. The one she had once had is… beyond her. The world was different when she returned, the internet and computers simply beyond her. She’s endlessly amused by cell phones, Ipods, and other such contraptions.
Personality: Sera is quiet, sometimes even refusing to speak unless she deems it absolutely necessary, or unless she can’t related what she means in any other way. She is decisive and quick witted, as well as dedicated and stubborn. Her mind is eclectic, absorbing knowledge on a thousand topics from a million sources rather than focusing to specialize in a single subject. Her temper is quick and often cruel, but she is not without mercy and understand.
Back story: Jaden lived her entire life in Hawaii. Her mother was on vacation there when she met her father, a Samoan man called Taine. With time, Jaden and her three sisters were born. Her mother practiced belly dance as a way to stay in shape, and her father Fire Danced as an attraction for tourists. Jaden fell in love with both arts, and dance in general. She had planned to go to Julliard.
Her Fae found her during her first performance. She was only fifteen, and her father was letting her perform for her birthday. Sera can’t remember much from that day, but she assumes she must have preformed well.
During her life in Arcadia she found herself at the whim of a particularly fickle Fae. She was constantly singing and dancing and performing for the Fae’s amusement, and to show off to other Fae. To make Sera more interesting, the Fae taught her to create her own fire to dance with. New tricks and skills were constantly drilling into her so that her Fae could show her off to other Fae.
When the one that had kidnapped her became bored, she was briefly passed to others that fancied her. The exchange was so much like a slave trade that Sera’s distaste for the Fae grew into a deep hatred. When the chance presented itself, she escaped. It took her many long months to find her way back to her own world. But, as if to spite her, even that world was not hers anymore. Along with the lost memories of family and self, she had lost the world, too.
Have you been replaced by a Fetch? Yes, not that she cares.
Changeling Appearance: Seraphina
Human Appearance: Jaden Lane Loleo

Currently inactive
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Gaian’s Name: Mad Hatters Revenge
Name: Alice Rovan
Court: Autumn
Spells: Glide Through Nightmares, Wither, Magic Burst
Why a Fae Chose You: Alice was chosen for what appeared to be her lack of fear. She’d gotten in a bar fight with two men twice her size, and didn’t care how many hits she received, she continued to get back on her feet and return every one of them without hesitation.
How Long Have You Been Away in Arcadia?: She’d been trying to keep count. Trying to keep her mind on something, anything to remember who she was. After 12 years, she forgot to keep counting. If she had to guess, about 17 years sounded right, but Alice wasn’t sure, and even though she remembered the year she’d been taken, she was too afraid to find out how long exactly.
Personality: While keeping her distance from many people, even other Changelings, Alice still as her heart somewhere beneath the darkness that had consumed it during her stay in Arcadia. Refusing to let her guard down, simply because she doesn’t want to end up back there. Despite how much she hates getting close to people, her natural reaction is to be kind to those in need even when it means risking her own safety to ensure that they are safe themselves. Children and animals are her biggest weaknesses.
Back Story: Alice, was what some called an ’army brat’, she wasn’t a snot, or a brat in any sense of the word, but she was daddy’s little girl. Dad was a marine, and even after mom couldn’t take the lifestyle anymore, she stayed by his side. Following him all over the world, doing whatever they had to make it work. She graduated high school, and took a few online courses for college. Everything was fine, till he died. The day they put him in the ground, she lost it. She went to a bar, got hammered, and when someone saw the tattoo for her father, they simply sneered, commenting with “The only good soldier is a dead one.”, so she turned around and decked one of them. The fight started, and by the end of it she wasn’t sure if it had been the booze or the punches, but she’d assumed the one dragging her away had been a cop arresting her. When she woke up in Arcadia, she knew he was far from being a cop. With her father gone, no one really noticed she was missing. Everyone assumed that her new ’personality’ , was just the result of her fathers passing. As for her new home, she wasn’t sure if it was the magic of the place, or just the fae in general, but she never stopped having a small fear of him. She despised him for it, for what he’d done to her, and she spends as much time as possible avoiding getting their attention again.
Have You Been Replace By a Fetch? Yes, and if their paths cross, Alice feels like she might attempt to kill her.
Changeling Appearance:After years living a nightmare...
Human Appearance:I miss this reflection
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Gaian's Name: melancholinista
Name: Nathaniel Callahan
Court: Winter
Spells: Misty Cloud, Freeze, Feathered Feet
Why a Fae chose you: Nathaniel was chosen because he has a beautiful voice, and can speak four different languages.
How long have you been away in Arcadia? He thought that he was in Arcadia for only a few months. However, when he returned, he found that at least thirty years had passed since his abduction. He was able to adapt well enough, although some current technology tends to confuse him.
Personality: Nathaniel is reserved, and somewhat melancholy. He keeps his mouth shut unless he feels he has something worthwhile to contribute to a conversation, and he chooses his words wisely. However, he has a dry sense of humor, and he's self-conscious of how depressed he appears, so he tries to display a little life every now and again, usually offering up a small smile and a few words of wisdom where they seem applicable.
Back story: Nathaniel had been fascinated by the sound and form of words ever since he was a small child. The son of a college professor and a librarian, he was practically fated to pursue the life of a scholar. Where other children would prefer to play outside with their peers, young Nathaniel was always in his mother's workplace, curled up on overstuffed chairs with the thickest book he could carry; the older librarians would chuckle at the sounds of the little boy enunciating complicated words, rolling clumsy syllables around in his mouth.
As he got older, and became exposed to the concept of a world outside his cocoon, Nathaniel eagerly pursued his academics. In particular, he displayed an astounding aptitude for foreign languages; he developed a habit of harassing the resident language teachers to pass on their knowledge, and he began picking up whatever they didn't teach him on his own. He learned to speak Spanish and German in this manner.
Nathaniel decided to follow in his father's footsteps and become a teacher. However, he also continued to pursue his fascination with other cultures, choosing to spend a year teaching English in South Korea. It was his personal challenge to learn how to speak Korean, and when he left for South Korea, he had managed to achieve a basic fluency in the language.
Nathaniel met his Fae while he was in S. Korea. He met a fellow expatriate woman who he managed to get along with, and while they were out having dinner, she excused herself to go to the bathroom. Nathaniel waited patiently for her return. She appeared again, having only been gone for literally a second, but she beckoned for Nathaniel to come over to where she stood instead of returning to where they sat. Obediently, Nathaniel followed her, through numerous hedges and bushes. Nathaniel began to realize that something wasn't right, and just as this dawned on him, his friend turned around and revealed "her" true form as a Fae.
During his stay in Arcadia, Nathaniel was forced to read out loud, from a giant library in the Fae's home. He read all the time, day and night, until he was practically falling over from exhaustion. Just when he thought he had a moment to rest, the Fae would snatch him up and make him read more, and more, and more, until finally, Nathaniel took advantage of one of the Fae's brief absences and made his escape.
His flight was blissfully short, and he passed out on an urban street, too tired to make himself move anymore. He would awaken to find that this world, though not much different from what he knew, was a little slicker, a little more streamlined, and much more complicated than he remembered.
Have you been replaced by a Fetch? Yes, although his fetch is, for all intents and purposes, a much older man. Nathaniel doesn't care enough to confront it.
Changeling Appearance: Coming soon.
Human Appearance: Coming soon.

She stood at the window looking out onto the street. Cars whizzed by below, creating a buzzing rhythm beneath the haze of city sounds. The counter point of horns occasionally broke through the other layers of sound. It would be met with the shouting of street venders, calls for taxis, and the barking of dogs. It was a cacophony of sound without purpose or meaning or order. The symphony of the city.

Sera wouldn’t be staying at the Motel much longer. Soon she expected she would be leaving. She had relearned the mortal world, become familiar with earth once more. She had packed her meager belongings. The clothes that were trendy for the times. They weren’t that different from her own time, but alien to her all the same. She felt more at home in the clothes she had worn while away. She wore them often, as she did now. They were comforting, but not something she could ware outside closed doors.

Like the many strands of her hair, some of the dark red threads of the silk seemed to glow with an inner light. The various places where her skin glowed with swirling patterns was mimicked in the golden embroidery. Coins were braided into the belt on her hips, each throwing light in various colors around the room. Bangles adorned her wrists and ankles, mirrored by the layers of necklaces that hung over her shoulders. More braided coins sat like a circlet atop her fiery red hair, a few more dangling from multiple pricings in her ears. Clear crystals and beads littered the fabric, and a singular crystal that sat at her navel seemed to capture light within itself. When she moved, the bright top layer panels of her skirt split open to reveal a multitude of darker panels that moved with a fluid grace. The deep, rich red silks were adorned much like the top layers, fine gold threads woven into intricate patterns with the beading interlaced within.

Every inch of the outfit was meant to capture and throw the light of the fire she danced with. She had to admit, no matter how fickle, or cruel, or cold the Fae could be, they had a certain taste.

Leaving the window, she left her room to head down to the commons on the first floor. Other changelings mingled there, and she felt relatively comfortable amongst them. She had met others with her time among the Fae, but she honestly had not expected to find any others that had escaped that place. Seraphina walked among them, but she did not speak to anyone. She moved to where the heat of the grand fireplace could warm her. Her body was always heated from with in, warmed by her inner fire, but she still felt at home by the natural blaze just beyond the hearth.

From here, she would watch the myriad of others, observing them, learning them. She knew all their names, their likes and dislikes, their loves and hates, because she watched them. Sitting on the warm stones of the hearth, the fire at her back, she found a semblance of peace and clung to it. She didn’t know what life would bring when she left this place, so she savored the familiarity while it lasted.

Despite hearing the footsteps of another grow steadily closer, Seraphina simply did not expect to find someone sitting down beside her. When he spoke, she startled a little, her eyes shimmering briefly as she snapped her head around to see who was addressing her. The inborn light under her skin softened as she relaxed, recognizing Julian. She supposed she aught to know him by his voice alone by now.

She nodded slightly, muttering an awkward: “Hello.” Sera often had to remind herself to talk to avoid appearing rude, but she couldn’t think of anything else to say to him. Instead, she scooted over slightly so that the fire could warm both their backs. After a moment of silence, she reached out to touch the jagged edge of his broken horn. There had been more than once that she had meant to ask him how it had happened. It and his ravaged ear.

She could guess, and she often did. Her favorite theory was of a Fae showing it’s true colors. Any story that painted them as villains appealed to her.

Sera took her hand away to keep from making him uncomfortable. Julian had been a fixture in the motel for as long as she had been her, and yet she barely knew him. She absently wondered if it she would always be this detached from the world. Learning people from a distance would never be the same as form true relationships. Unlike the rest of the changelings, she seemed incapable of forging new ties. Her mind and emotions were still raw from the realization of all she had lost. It seemed that no matter how integrated she became, Sera was still not completely part of this world.

To make matters worse, make-up, hats, and concealing clothing could only hide so much of the glow of her inner fire. She couldn’t be a part of the human world. And, it seemed, neither could she find a place in the world of the changelings.

Seraphina sighed, a heavy weight on her shoulders as she turned her eyes back to the fire behind her.

“Does it get better?” Her voice rasped from so little use, but was strong enough to keep her words clear. Afraid of his answer, Sera kept her eyes stubbornly away from Julian. She glared into the fire, and then had to take a deep breath to calm herself after the flamed leapt a little higher than they aught to.