Hush High

[Seon]

Hush High​

And her shadow fell upon the earth and all became still

But within our hearts came a light that could not be extinguished.

Dear delicious students,


The world has not been kind to you, has it not? A deep, dark shadow that would have shattered any other being have fallen over your life. And the reason why you have managed to hold upon your sanity? You have seen the same thing I have seen in my youth: that distant light in our dreams that have guided my footfalls through the wood.


I am the headmistress of the Tower. Following the footsteps of those who came before me, I have lit the pyre of the Tower to draw you to this place. This place is somewhere perhaps in your world, but also in other worlds, linked together by forces some may call magic. These forces now, I shall teach you as others have done to me before.


Come find me.


-Headmistress Lovelace

………………………………………………………


Character Sheet:

1. What is your name?
   
   
2. How did you come to this place?: The Tower is located in a confluence of multiple worlds, and no two ways to enter it is the same. Perhaps you walked into the woods as the Headmistress did, following the distant lights. Perhaps you were on a boat.
   
   
3. What is the shadow that befell you?: The Tower attracts those who are dissatisfied with their life. Perhaps you despise the context that you are born with. Perhaps you long to be greater than what you are. Perhaps you have lost something important to you. Perhaps you have seen something unjust in this world, and wish to correct it.
   
   
4. What do you seek to find?: The Tower is a culmination of hidden knowledge of many different worlds. For those willing to brave its heights, it will offer you great secrets and knowledge. Perhaps, you have not decided what you seek to do with that knowledge. Perhaps, you have.
   
   
5. What is your physical appearance?: The Tower is a place located between many different worlds. You may not necessarily be human, although that seems to be the most common denomination of sentience these days. For the sake of the Headmistress's sanity, please keep your dimensions at least roughly human.
   
   
6. What is your talent?: All who have come into the Tower have usually been an exceptional being, blessed or cursed by the Gods or their Servants.
   
   
7. What is your Circle?: A brief explanation

1st: Your first realization that there was anything supernaturally special about you was the letter and the light in your dreams​

2nd: You have always known that you had the interests of spirits and supernatural talents, and have done experiments of your own.​

3rd: You are on a first name basis with some spirits.​

4th: Spirits bow their heads in reverence in your passing.​

5th: You have attained a personal attention of a God.​

Layout of the Tower​

​

The Tower is a mysterious structure at the center of a lake, rising tall out from an island. The beacon of light that you saw in your dreams shines at the topmost floor. Occasionally, you see a white clad figure at its ramparts looking down upon the students coming and going between the lakeside towns and the tower’s side-structures.


The Town is roughly New-England in aesthetics, but it has no name that you recognize. It is a peaceful town, inhabitants kind. Certain students from perhaps more advanced Histories may occasionally complain about the lack of amenities.

 

[Seon]

Important Faculty


Captain Stanislav

An old revolutionary of a conflict that has not yet occurred, against an order that has not yet been established. His hand is iron. He shapes fire and steel like clay. He may not be human, although it is hard to tell. Through his shirt, a fire glows at his heart. He will not grow old. He forges his own path. He teaches alchemy and the shaping of fire.


Headmistress Lovelace


She has seen the light in her youth and have ascended to the very top of the tower. She never leaves the beacon’s side, but you may see her form clad in white as you come and go from the tower. She will not grow old.

Instructors Akamine and Amaryllis


They were born from different wombs, one poor, one rich. One a princess, another a monster. Nevertheless, they loved one another, and longed for union. They have found what they were looking for here in the Tower. They teach the art of dance, song, healing, and the physical arts. They do not appear human. They are satisfied. They will not grow old.

The Heart of an Unwise Man


Once, a previous headmistress of the Tower lured a great sorcerer into the tower. She gelded him, flayed him alive, and took his heart for her own. He is not what he used to be. He does not wish to be here. He teaches protection against the Dark arts.


The Janitor


The Janitor is an accursed creature that hunts both filth and unwary students in the dark recesses of the Tower. Her face has never been seen. He wears as gas mask and a coat as if he had wandered out of the great war. She will not grow old, although perhaps she wishes to.

You may add more faculties as needed. The Tower is always just as tall as you need it to be.


People of the Town

The people of the town are not members of the faculty, but they may have once been students, and are often from many and varied worlds as the students themselves are.

The Whaler: Who hunts for whales in a lake? Yet here is the old man, sharpening harpoons by the lake. He is the boatman who often ferries students who have not yet learned how to swim or walk across the waves to and from the Town. He brooks no disloyalty. He hates the storm.

 

[Seon]

The Illuminated Lore

The Gods and You

The Gods did not create the world, although some of them may dispute this statement. They are what can best be described as chief interpreter of reality--unimaginably powerful beings who possess the biggest voices when determining how the world is to be. However, they are fallible. They can be wrong. People may disagree with them. They can be defeated and overcome.



The Histories and Worlds

The Tower stands at the confluence of many different Histories and many different Worlds. Prospective students are drawn from all Histories across all worlds, and thus their knowledge of what the Past is may be radically different from one another.

The reasoning for the existence of these many different histories and worlds is due to the dispute between the Gods that began long ago. In their discordance, they have broke the Truth into a thousand different pieces, each strand growing into separate worlds and histories in time. It is prophesied that, one day, the Gods will set aside their differences and put their house in order.

This may not necessarily be a good thing for the many different worlds that have come to flourish since the shattering.

 

[Crezth]

1. What is your name?
   
   Evelyn Forrester
   
   
2. How did you come to this place?
   
   
   
   
   
   
3. What is the shadow that befell you?
   
   My sister is alive out there, somewhere. She did not simply disappear. She was abducted by beings from another world.
   
   
4. What do you seek to find?
   
   
   
   
   
   
5. What is your physical appearance?
   
   
   
   
   
   
6. What is your talent?
   
   I get visions of... other worlds. Like ours, but different. Sometimes it's unrecognizable. Other times it's like I'm looking backwards in time. I don't know what it means.
   
   
7. What is your Circle?: 2

 

[jackelgull]

A story:Anna and Jack Nicholson were flowerchildren of the 60's. They breezed through their college days preaching free love and partying it up. Protests were a lark, an absolute lark. The 70's hit, they put it all behind them and entered the workforce, and struggled to make ends meet, because they had failed to learn any sort of professional skills and refused to learn and let the man subsume their free spirits. They resented work and saw themselves above it and the mundane boring art of making a living. They had big dreams, of having a large pile of gold, and absolutely nothing else to do but spend it. With no other assets or skills, they did what any other sane rational human would; they sold their kid.
Heinreich Kemmler was what one might call " a character", wearing a midnight black robe and skin that's practically rotting off the bone. He had decided, after hitting his midlife crisis, that what he really needed was an apprentice to pass his knowledge of necromancy onto. Having too much money, and being the sort of man that had no extra expenses to eat into his bank account, he sort of just plopped a bag of gold in front of some random couple and asked for their child.
And so a necromancer was made

What is your name:
Conrad Kemmler

Even though your birth parents are listed as Jack and Anna Nicholson?

I was adopted

How did you get here?

I followed the dead through the bolt holes they find between this world and theirs, and sort of ... ended up here?

What is the shadow that befell you?
I want to know why my parents abandoned me. I want to look them in the eyes as they explain why I wasn't good enough for them

What is it that you seek to find?
Closure

Physical appearance:

Male_warrior

• jackelgull
• Feb 26, 2017

Please ignore the sword, the old man insisted I learn how to defend myself. Something about how "your powers can't always save you"

What is your talent?

Necromancy

What is your circle?
Third: I've made a few friends with undead spirits but since I am neither a fool nor ambitious, I have not explored into the more dangerous realms of necromancy, where undead creatures so hateful and eternal live that to their malice, five thousand years is but a blink of an eye. I'd very much like to keep my soul and not unleash untold horror upon humanity. The dead are not bad friends, as long as you never forget their nature

 

[Red_Spy]

OOC: Italics equal thoughts.

What is your name?
Gael Lynton.

How did you come to this place?
F*** if I know. I just went to sleep one night and woke up on a freaky train. They told me to get off at the next stop, and here I am.

What is the shadow that befell you?
Oh, you know, my loving boyfriend sleeping with some harlot. Now can you leave me alone?

Do they think I freaking killed him? God, I didn't freaking do anything. Just told the b****** off. What he did was his own freaking fault.

What do you seek to find?
What kind of question is that? I don't even know where I am!

What is your physical appearance?
Helloooooo? Are you blind? Ugh, fine. My beautiful flowing long is blonde, just like my mother. Got my father's dull brown eyes though. My bo-... ex said my freckles were cute, so I guess that makes up for it. Otherwise, average build and average height, is that good enough for you?

What is your talent?
Absolutely freaking nothing.

F***, is this about when my voice gets weird? Seems like every time it does people go out of their way to do whatever I say. But none of that is my fault! People just need to learn to say "No".

What is your Circle?
1st, I guess?

Supernaturally special? Oh my god...

 

[NinjaCow64]

What is your name?
Names are for losers.

How did you come to this place?
Same way I come to everywhere. I just arrived.

What is the shadow that befell you?
I struggle to stay in one place for an extended period of time. I mean that entirely literally. I seem to keep getting pulled back to this school though. Its actually quite refreshing. Really f-oh. Sorry, can't say that word, you can never tell who is reading. Can't be too careful in a place like this.

What do you seek to find?
I dunno. Everyone else seems to want to climb that tower, so I may as well do so. Something to pass the time. You know what they say - when in「」do as the 「　」do.

What is your physical appearance?
Oooooh, you can't see. That explains a lot. I'm super hot. Kidding, kidding, I'm just some average loser, lol. Last time I asked I was described as a person with long hair and with a smug and easy-going face. The kind of person who constantly looks high but actually hasn't eaten the forbidden vegetable before. I mainly wear comfortable clothes and make sure keep my belongings nearby me at all times, usually in a backpack or similar. I travel light, just the necessities and a few changes of clothes. I can bring stuff that's nearby with me if I want to, but I don't want to leave it too far away in case I leave unexpectedly. The rooms at the school and the town are excellent storage places in my current situation so I'm not being as uptight as I was about that as I used to. I'm going to leave the rest to your imagination.

What is your talent?
I pride myself in my memory and I'm pretty good at playing...I get the impression that's not what you're asking. For as long as I can remember, I've been able to travel between worlds and histories. I can't really explain how, its just a thing that's come as naturally to me as breathing. Well, sort of, I can't really control where I go. And I can't really control for how long I'll stay somewhere. I've been getting better at getting back to this school though, which is super nice. I can also teleport over short distances pretty well, like that one guy from that movie. You know the one I'm talking about. That trick's got me out of trouble more times than I can count.

What is your Circle?
I'd say 3rd. Spirits start to notice you if you invoke them from half a dozen different worlds and histories. I've made some good chums in the spirit world. And some not so good chums. Eh, that's life.

 

[Kyzarc Fotjage]

1. What is your name?
   Hi, I'm Delilah Diochas, but you can call me Deedee. My friends call me that, and the ghosts, who are also my friends. They say I shouldn't tell folks my actual name, but nicknames are fine. And this is Karry, she's got the clever one and knows about mathing up the sciences, here's Johnny, he's a bit more into the artsy stuff and is pretty good at drawings folks, that one's Lia, she loves more 'exhulating in the beauty of the physicallity of the world', mostly in the form of punching stuff, and the old grump is Silvester, he's good for stories and I think he might know that nice whaler man on the boat, and back there is 'Arry, but they're pretty quiet and don't really do much,, I think the others are a bit nervous around them.
   
   
2. How did you come to this place?: I dunno, the spirits brought me here but are a little cagey about it. I think it was probably 'Arry, its the sort of thing they would do. Anyways, I was nodding off in math class back in school and then woke up stepping off the nice whaler's boat. I gave the other's such scolding for that, though it seems like things worked out for the best anyhow. Things usually do.
   
   
3. What is the shadow that befell you?: I dunno what any of that means, I just wanna do good and help out my spirit friends Some of them have unfinished business I'll be helpin' them with once I've finished up my education, though none of that is very world shakin', just regrets they never got to finish. Dunno 'bout 'Arry though, something tells me their ambitions are a bit grander
   
   
4. What do you seek to find?: Like I said, don't really care about none of that 'secret knowledge' or 'change the world' stuff. Karry likes that sort of thing, and so does Johnny. Wouldn't mind knowin' why 'Arry brought me here. Oh! Ooooh! I know what yer lookin' for! What I'm seekin'? More friends. Dang, I feel kinda dense for not gettin' what you were drivin' at sooner.
   
   
5. What is your physical appearance?: Physically last I checked I was standin' in at a mighty 5'8" and enough muscles to lift a calf, partly due to havin' to run all over the place but really its mostly thanks to Lia. I think she spends her time exorcising.
   
   Spoiler The One on the Left :

   
   
   
   Spoiler 'Arry and Young Deedee :

   
   
   
   Spoiler Johnny and Young Deedee :

   
   
   
   Spoiler Lia and Young Deedee :

   
   
   
   Spoiler Silvester :

   
6. What is your talent?: Well I dunno if its a talent per-say, but I've always had a way with ghosts. Well, no, ghosts have always had a way with me more like. I'm 'psychically receptive', meanin' that they gots an easier time than most gettin' in and when they're in they experience things more real-like. I set up a system with a handful of ghosts where they split time in my body and they does the occasional favor for me in exchange, you know, cause we're all friendly like. They've always been kinda around and they keeps me safe from folks who don't like that I can tell them no, thoguh people have kinda stopped doin' that since that whole thing with Mr Creosote. I think 'Arry did something there, since after that everyone goes all quiet-like when they're around.
   
7. What is your Circle?: I dunno, I always preferred triangles myself. Somethin' bout the way the three sides all come together. The ghosts seem to like me, least the ones I hang out with and they know lot's o' stuff. (3)

 

[LordArgon]

1. What is your name?
   Vensor Caldrach
   
2. How did you come to this place?: I was wandering through the space between spaces and exited from a staircase in the first floor of the tower.
3. What is the shadow that befell you?: Besides the feeling I will be flung into a pit of hellfire and sulfurous smoke, I am searching for a place to belong. I have been unable to talk to others about my powers and experiences, and have felt isolated from those around me.
   
4. What do you seek to find?: More power is nice, but I have little trouble finding what I need.
   
   
5. What is your physical appearance?: Six feet tall exactly. My most noticeable feature is my missing eye and my eyepatch. Some people question why I put the eyepatch over my working eye, but why would I protect an empty eye socket. I usually wear loose-fitting gray clothing and keep my dark brown hair cut short.
   
6. What is your talent?: I can find things and then acquire them. Once I have my target, I can sense the path I need to take to get to my goal. I can also go through the space in between space to pass any obstacles in my way.
   
   
7. What is your Circle?: Third circle. I know many spirits and have traded things with them for increased power.

 

[Glatux]

1. What is your name?
   My name is Amélie Masson, and I can see the future, to some degree, and that has caused me to know things that I wasn't supposed to know, and the more I used my power the more often I interacted with the supernatural.
   People call me Amson, and I come from a dangerous universe, once I was young and saw a portal to another world and like I foolish girl I decided to explore it, I ended up traped in that dangerous dimension fighting everyday to survive till the day I died, and awoke in what seemed to be my younger self, as if I never went through that portal.
   Hello, I'm well you can call me Amélie, not going to tell you my true name, long story short, I'm a ghost, or used to be one, it's complicated, one day I died after getting myself involved in something that should be kept secret, anyway instead of returning back to myself like I do in sighting I woke up as ghost, explored the afterlife, became best friend with another ghost who called herself Amata, then after a while I found myself back to the living as if a vision ended, but I could still see the dead, speak to and interact with them, as if I was still a ghost, I met again with Amata and while it was difficult for her to accept living me, we became friends again.
   
   
2. How did you come to this place?:
   In my many sightings I choose to follow a spirit who said they knew of a place where I could find knowledge and power but once I approached the Tower, I was forced into that future unable to do anything but to go along with that spirit
   
   
3. What is the shadow that befell you?:
   I died, multiple times, well experienced my own deaths multiple time more exactly, along a plethora of other trauma, saw an afterlife once I think, and now I see spirits and I can't stay away from the supernatural. I'm pretty sure I might have other personalities.(Amélie the ghost and Amson for example)
   
   
4. What do you seek to find?:
   Therapy ? Knowledge ? Power ? all of those would be nice
   
   
5. What is your physical appearance?:
   I'm 5ft6, I have yellow eyes and dark black hair with a hint of blue, I'm told I'm pretty so I think I am, but I have trouble recognizing myself in the mirror
   
   
6. What is your talent?: Quantum Sight, or Instant multi-future sight :
   When I make a choice or decisions, I have the power to see how each possible choice I could think off will play out, but the counterweight is that those sensation are so real that both pain and trauma are felt, and that once I choose to use my sight I'm forced to pick one future to go along.
   
   
7. What is your Circle?:
   3rd Circle, by seeing spirits and interacting with them you make some friends

 

[Seon]

This is not a game.

In the dream filled with golden light, somewhere near the realm of the striving Gods, I beheld the Beacon whispering promises to me.

This is the promise of the Beacon. It cannot harm me. It cannot find me. But if I will only come to the Tower and brave its heights and what they contain, it will satisfy my desires. In the earnest of this promise, my eyes were opened, and I found myself here. I do not know how far the Tower arises. I do not know what dangers lies within. But I do know that the Beacon's promise is true.
-A diary of an unwise mortal.

It is night when the Whaler carries you across the lake to the Tower. It has been night here around the Tower for centuries. In the distance, Storm cries her songs. The Whaler spits out the side of his boat at the sound. He despises the Storm, despite that he is her kin. There are harpoons at the side of the boat. They clatter against your feet with the waves.

He gives you a warning. You must be quiet in the Tower. It is important to be quiet, while inside the Tower. Stay in groups, if you believe that this gives you safety (it shall not). The greatest of all taboo in the Town and the Tower is to tell lies.

You will find yourself in orientation rooms. There will be hundreds of you. There will be dozens of you. There will be a handful of you. You will be alone. It matters not.

You will find a letter addressed to you. It will be upon your desk. It will hang in front of you. It will be on the floor, by your foot. It will be in your pockets. Where you find it is not important. It is important that you read this letter.

Dear delicious students,

I must apologize for communicating in this manner, through letters and messages that you will find, even now that you are inside the Tower's clutches. I am the Headmistress of this place. It is dangerous to behold me, even if you are to cover your eyes or look through mirrors like the heroes of old.

Welcome to the Tower. This is a place of learning. Here, we tell only truths. Lies have no place here, and no true member of the faculty will ever tell Lies.

Many of you are here to learn the Truth. To tear open the veil in front of your eyes and strip away the Lies that you have clad your bodies with. The Tower will deliver to you all these things, if you are willing to listen to us and the teachings of those before your time. Ascend, and you will become more yourself in ways that you have never thought possible.

Or perhaps that is not your desire. Perhaps you wish to go home. To love (for the Tower is no place for love). To grow old with someone you know. Even if that is the case, you must first ascend the Tower. The Tower always has what you desire, and you are in its hands.

Do not descend the Tower. There is nothing for you in its basements.

If you wish for directions within the Tower, simply call for the Janitor. During the hours of 8-18, the Janitor will come find you to take you to your place.

The letter will come with a key and a room number. All of your rooms will either be in the first floor of the Tower, or in its side buildings. You may have a roommate. You may not. You may have three.

It matters not.

....................................................................................................................................................................

Here, you may find certain curricular and extracurricular activities that you may choose to enjoy in your time here. Or perhaps you will choose to find your own adventure within the Tower and the Town. Remember that both are just as tall and large as you need them to be.

1. The Modern Magnum Opus with Captain Stanislav.
Captain Stanislav is not from this time. Occasionally when he angers (and he is often angry), fire seeps from the seams on his skin. His segmented fingers can crush steel. He will teach you alchemy, as well as the great wars between the gods of Strife and Shaping. The coursework includes handling of explosives and radioactive materials. Not for the easily dried or for the noise-sensitive.

2. The Metamorphosis by Akamine and Amaryllis
The two instructors teach not the shaping of metal and rocks as with Captain Stanislav, but shaping of flesh and the movement of bodies. They are kind and forgiving, if a bit inattentive and self-absorbed. They will teach you how to dance, and to cast off your own skin.

3. Modern Meditation by Headmistress Lovelace
The Headmistress must not be beheld, so she teaches from behind veils and curtains. The Janitor did not clean up the last one who dared to peek behind the curtains. She will teach you of the old gods from light and how the world was magnified under their light. She will teach you of the True World, and how to bind and contract spirits. It may also be a good opportunity to talk to her or get underneath her skin, if she has any skin left.

4. Fishing with the Whaler
The Whaler is not faculty, and so may not always speak the truth. He fishes with his harpoon, but you aren't sure if he ever caught anything. He will teach you of the Storm and how she has devoured the sky. He will teach you cunning and war. He may, perhaps, inadvertently teach you of the light.

5. Coffee with Samael.

There is a coffeeshop in the town, whose owner works the night shift. She asks that a few of you cover the day shift. This is unlikely to bring you anywhere closer to the Truth or the Beacon, but it is labor, and labor is rewarded in the Town. You may inadvertently hear gossip and lies in the Town. It is advised that you forget these gossips and lies. Outsiders who arrive by train or car should not be trusted.

6. The Shadowed Arts with the Heart of an Unwise Man
In the first floor, the still-beating and still-dead heart of an Unwise Man still teaches protections against curses and the undead, as well as methods to call upon the not-quite-dead. When flesh dies, the souls of the dead usually ascend to the True World. These spirits have no voices, but they may yet be called upon to do service. He may ask one of you to eventually release his bindings. You are advised to ignore him.

..........................................................................................................................................................................

Rest of this post are lies, and should not be heeded to.

7. Descend the Tower

The Janitor stands guard like a hawk, but if someone asks for directions, it must answer. It cannot lurk around the stairway forever. What shall you find in there? I can tell you. Worms and lies. Decay.

Death.

8. Try to escape the Town

Oh, but do try. It will be akin to trying to escape the Earth on foot.

 

[jackelgull]

A Beginner's Guide to Necromancy:

"We will begin with the most important text of your training"

"The Necronomicon?"

"No, Dante's Inferno"
______________________________________________________________________________________

Dante's Map

• jackelgull
• Aug 18, 2019

"This is the topography of the realms of the dead in Dante's inferno. While he visualized them in terms of descent and ascent, heaven and hell share the same planes. It's just, well imagine our plane of existence as a dot and these spirit realms as successive rings around that dot. From a human perspective, "Good" exists in the part of the ring above our plane and "Evil" exists in the realm of existence below our plane."

______________________________________________________________________________________

"Let us begin to discuss the inhabitants of each plane of the spirit world. As you ascend or descend planes, the dead become closer to the paragon of Good and Evil, and thus closer to Divinity. In the last realm you will find saints and Prophets, as well as humans so evil they cast a shadow on Earth's history. You will also find seraphim and demons and even fae and brownies. I will teach you how to interact properly with these spirits, bind them to our realm for a time, and you will be able to traverse to the Third Realm"

"What about the 4th Realms and above?"

"A Master Necromancer may traverse the 4th realm, but at the 5th realm it's far too dangerous for any mere mortal"

"But I thought human souls resided in the 5th and higher realms as well?"

"Those souls have been attaining paragon status, it is correct to say at this point, the light of divinity has entered them so much they are no longer fully human.

______________________________________________________________________________________

"Are gods real?"

"What?"

"Well if the afterlife is real then is there or are there Gods to run it, and won't they be mad if we take the dead out of their proper place?"

"That is not the nature of the Gods. You must understand deities as being more akin to empires then to whatever you conceptualize deities as. They exist and are powerful independently of our worship, and in fact exert their gravity on us, just by virtue of being. Now imagine America, and imagine what it's government would do, if a cop saw you speeding 5 mph above the legal speed limit. What we do clips at divine ordinance, but it's frowned upon, not illegal. Still, just remember that because it's not illegal doesn't mean you should do it."

"But ..."

"Please don't do the child thing where you hear something is too dangerous and then you run off and do it anyways. There are things in the higher circles, evil hateful things to whose envy and hatred 5000 years are but the blink of an eye. Never ever screw around with necromancy."

______________________________________________________________________________________

"It seems despite the best of my abilities, you are thinking about your parents again"

"I'm sorry teacher, it's not that I'm unhappy here, but..."

"I'm not offended, it's just not good for you to seek those who have no place in your life and do not want it anyways."

"I want to know why they did it. They abandoned me, and they weren't even concerned about it! What if you're intentions were bad?"

"I see you're conflicted about this, so let me give you a warning. Be very very wary, or your desires may lead you to the Tower, athough if you are fated to end up there even vigilance will not prevent you. If you come there, there is one rule you must obey. Do. Not. Lie. And do not trust the light of divinity that shines there. The beacon tells you the reward is worth the price. It is not. But, if you can survive, you may find something. Probably not the closure you seek, but something"

"Did you come to this Tower?"

"Yes, and then I found you"

 

[KaiserElectric]

What is your name?
I'm Tasha Kadis.
I'm Tanya!
Tali. Why we have the separate names is beyond me, mind you. We're technically one.
Yeaaah, but...not really?
What if we used our middle name, Sonia?
Ooh, sure! :3
Works for me.
Okay, then we're Sonia Kadis.

How did you come to this place?:
Hard to say, it's all still a bit fuzzy. We remember running, hiding and then....we were here?
It feels safer here.
Quite.

What is the shadow that befell you?:
We weren't always like this. We were too young to remember what came before. Our earliest thought was the men who found us.
They were scary. They said we were powerful, but together, in one voice...
We would be a god.
And obviously it didn't work. Hard to say why, perhaps a small mistake in the ritual, or a key moment interrupted.
So we did become one but...it was imperfect.
But we made it work! Sometimes things get fuzzy and confused, but we're sorta figuring this out. ^_^

What do you seek to find?:
Clarity.
Ha, bet you thought we wanted to split up again didn't you?
It'd make things simpler, but...we don't think we could go back. We don't even remember what that was like.
It would be like removing limbs at this point. More crippling then liberating.
We don't want to be cured of this. It's not a disease, at least not anymore. It's just what we are.
Plus it's kinda neat to be different like this.
More then anything though, I guess what we want is direction.
We do essentially have the thoughts and the powers of three people fused into one buzzing around inside of us.

What is your physical appearance?:
So I think we're like....seven feet tall?
Seven foot two, give or take.
Taaaaall!
..yeah. So, we're tall and kinda larger then average. Olive skinned, blue-eyed and...well yeah you figured it out by now, we have three heads.
Like the hell dog! Rawr!
So I'm in the center, Tasha. I like wearing my black hair long and wavy, nothing too fancy. Sometimes I'll add a headband to keep my bangs out of my eyes.
My turn, Tanya! Here on our left! My hair is short and punk-styled, and I like to dye it weird stripes and colors! Sometimes I'll change my head into an animal or someone else's head! It's fun! :3
You're impossible. Right, Tali. Short and simple, never too messy or long. I always tie my hair back as well. I'm also the one wearing glasses so that's how you know which one I am.
Don't ask how that works, we don't have a clue either.

What is your talent?:
We're sort of three talents smashed together. Mine is more protective. I can cast wards to keep out negative energies and spirits, and I can heal and soothe those who are injured and distressed. The latter is pretty handy, sometimes people don't take our appearance well.
Plus they tend to be freaked out by what the one on the left does.
Yeah, and it's....shapeshifting! I can change our form and shape into other things. Usually animal stuff, but if I concentrate I can make inanimate materials and things like that!
The technical term is metamorphosis. In any case, my talents are more in line with the scientific. I'm gifted with alchemy and transmutation, and I have an innate knowledge of technical constructions, anything that would need a blueprint really.
It sounds powerful, but like we said, the ritual didn't finish properly. It's really hard to multitask without getting sick, for instance. It's like getting pulled in two different directions.
Such a gross feeling. >.<

What is your Circle?:
Third circle!
Oh the irony...

 

[NinjaCow64]

“Excuse me Whaler,” I asked shortly after manifesting on the boat “What is a lie by the rules of the Tower and the Town? Is it breaking taboo only if I intend to lie, or will I break the taboo if I inadvertently tell a lie? Do questions count as lies? Is it safe to tell lies at sea or on this boat?”

 

[Seon]

“Lies are taboo,” the Whaler replies. “If you do do not know the truth, and inadvertently tell what is not truth, then you would be repeating a lie. It is a less of a crime than to produce it.

It is dangerous to tell lies, as lies are not truths. The Tower is a place of learning. It is a place where ignorance and lies are burnt. It is unsafe to be near a Lie.”

 

[NinjaCow64]

“Is it acceptable to say that repeating a lie is also a crime?” I ask to no one in particular “Is it acceptable to say argh nooooo I hate places where I have to be extra careful with my phrasing I hate this?”

After a few inconsequential adventures getting settled in the dorms and realising that I cannot leave this place, I decide to accompany the whalier on a fishing expedition. He might not know the Truth, but he does know a lot of truth and often for surviving the truth is more important than the Truth. One thing in particular I am curious about learning, if lying is so dangerous in the Tower and in the Town then why am I told I may hear lies if I work at the coffee shop?

 

[jackelgull]

Conrad had ever since his earliest days been an obsessive notetaker, a trait that served him well in the work of necromancy, where one slip up with a spirit could spell disaster. So rather then panic, at the whaler's boat, he took out a notebook called "The Tower Journal" and flipped to the first, and so far only page filled out. It read:
Remember:
Do Not Panic
Do Not Lie
Ask Questions!
Ask the same Question to several different people. They can't lie, but they may choose to reveal different parts of the truth.
Underneath it he scribbled, do not make statements you are not 100% sure are true.

Then he looked up and asked the Whaler several questions in rapid fire succession.

"Excuse me sir, but do you know what are the dangers in the water? If I brave the dangers of the deep will I be able to find my way home? Do you know how I can get home? The truth can protect me from lies, but can anything protect me from the truth? "

Conrad pauses his rapidfire stream of questions coming to a sudden realization: Heinreich had liked his curiosity and tendency to ask alot of questions, but the Whaler, well the Whaler couldn't lie but he had no reason to tolerate Conrad's question and really no reason not to kill him. Conrad, stops, and looks up at the Whaler nervously, and waits for answers.

 

[Seon]

If the Whaler is annoyed by the interrogation, he does not betray it. “Water hides many dangers,” he says. “Many of which may kill you. Death is down. It is safer to stay higher in the tower. But I have heard that there is a river that flows beneath the waves of deep waters which may carry your body into the True World.

To find your way back home, you simply must ascend the Tower. There is no other way. There is nothing that can protect you from the Truth. You may try to close your eyes—see what good it does to you.”

He’s silent for a while. “A few students did ascend the Tower in my time to its uttermost heights. They beheld the beacon. One of them remained to become the Headmistress. They were hungry children. Oh, so very hungry children. Insatiable.”

He gives you a dark look. “If you want to improve your chances,” he whispers. “You must simply develop an appetite.”

 

[jackelgull]

An origin story for the mentor:

"How did you learn necromancy?"

"I learned it from a spirit bound to a heart at the Tower. Good bloke, but untrustworthy like all the rest of them"

"I thought they couldn't lie?"

"Only the faculty can't and that makes them even worse. It lulls you into a false sense of security. Just because they can't lie doesn't mean they cannot deceive."

"What was it like?"

"Pardon?"

"Learning from a heart?"

"Oh, he couldn't really talk, so we had to come up with our own form of communication to make it work. If you ever get a chance, study his bindings, learning how they work is invaluable, they're a piece of work more an art then magic really. Just be careful not to unbind him. The undead are rarely grateful to be released and even when they are they show their gratitude in unfortunate ways

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Conrad heads over to the Shadowed Arts with the heart of the Unwise Man

 

[Glatux]

Amélie Masson stood on the shore, this place was making her uneasy, afraid to look into the future "I need to get stronger" she spoke to herself, without being able to use her power freely she needed to be able to fend for herself, in the orientation once class stood out, Metamorphosis, her body was weak, so it would need to improve first. Amélie set her eyes on the tower saying a "Thank you for the ride" to the Whaler and she advanced toward the tower.