Betwixt the Real and the Unreal

[TooManySecrets]

Men of broader intellect know that there is no sharp distinction betwixt the real and the unreal...

-H.P. Lovecraft


You've been this way before. You're sure of it.

Pushing the branches out of the way, you run down the jungle path, stumbling as you do so. Ahead you can hear the crashing of waves upon the rocky beach. But you can also hear it behind you.

"Christopher."

With one final push you burst out of the jungle and the sun momentarily blinds you. You're on a beach of pure white sand. You were running here; here is were you wanted to go but you don't remember why.

You start walking forward, to the ocean. With a start you realize that you didn't actually tell your legs to start moving - they just started unbidden. You start wading into the water and your panic increases.

"Christopher."

The water is up to your chest now. You can't stop. The waves start splashing onto your face. You can taste the salty water. But you can't stop.

The water is at your face and you keep moving forward. It tries to force it's way into your mouth and nose. It's hard for you to breath. You can't stop. You want to scream, but if you do the water will force itself down your throat.

Your head is submerged. You want to close your eyes but you can't. Above the waves continue to crash. You can't breath. There's something in the way the waves crash. You can't stop. It almost sounds like they're forming words, right at the edge of your consciousness, but you can't understand them.

The water forces your lips apart and pours down your throat, burning it's way down.

"Christopher, wake up."


_/ _/ _/

Things start to get into focus as you wake up.

You're on the Intrepid, an impromptu transport ship. You're five days out from Kaggo, a small island much like your home. You have been recruited by an Agent of the Empire, a man by the name of Joshua a'Baird.

"Ah, glad to see your awake," Agent a'Baird says, smiling. While you've never heard anything but respect for Agents, you always suspected that they would be far more serious. Agent a'Baird always seems so full of happiness. He's also lithe, muscular, and has been training since longer than you've been alive. He's probably the most powerful mage you've ever meet, but he doesn't seem like it.

The Intrepid used to be a cargo hauler and you can tell. The hold that you're in is far too big and has far too little beds to have been designed for people. Plus, there's that smell of stale fish and tar. You've gotten used to it over the past few weeks, but the first night you couldn't even sleep. The fact that you've never slept on a hammock on a ship probably also contributed to it.

And there's those nightmares.

Glancing around, you don't see any of the other recruits in their hammocks. They must be on the deck or someplace else.

So, there you go. If you need me to expand on anything, just ask. Anything you say that has happened, has happened (unless I say otherwise). If you want to describe the other recruits go ahead - there's around 3 or so - or you could leave it to me. Otherwise, let's get this thing started!

[Matar]

Christopher pulled himself uneasily out of the hammock. When his feet hit the floor under him he almost buckled over, only managing to keep himself up by grabbing the posts that held the hammock up. He felt his stomach churn, begging to throw-up what little dinner he ate. He gulped and forced the feeling to the deepest part of his mind. It was hard enough to walk on the deck of the ship, no way was he going to go to edge of it to vomit.

After gaining his footing he rubbed the sleep out his eyes. These last five days had been horrible. He hadn't really talked to anyone, not because he didn't like to, but because he couldn't bring himself to do anything on this ship. Even the few books he brought with him were untouched, although he long sense read each one of them.

His eyes examined the room around him. No one else was there. It seems he over slept. Not surprising, he had slept so little the past few days it was bound to catch up to him. If only it was possible to not need to sleep...

And the nightmares. It felt like they were getting worse every day. The constant visions of... of... drowning? He couldn't be sure. Though he always felt the burning of the salt water surging down his throat, he never felt like he was drowning because of it. He felt the pain, yet his mind felt... free. Like a single fish in a vast ocean filled with sharks.

Shaking his head he looks Agent a'Baird and blushes, choosing to stare at the floor instead. He had no idea what to say, and his mind was so muddled he had no idea what to ask him. So instead he stayed silent.

How many times had he spoken sense he got on the ship? You could probably count them on your fingers. Except for the occasion "I'm sorry" or "Thank you" he tried to avoid speaking to anyone. In fact, it was so bad one of the other recruits made fun of him for it. Not to his face, but he heard her speaking with one of the other recruits. Something about how "he was a weird" or something. Maybe he was.

Maybe he was.

He couldn't remember her name. Hell, he had trouble remember his name at times. This whole trip at sea was nothing more then a huge blur so far. A long, painful, and sickening blur.

One thing he could remember however, were her eyes. They were an odd color, one he had never seen before. It was an off color gold, and it held a look in them that he was more then used to. The look of a royal looking down on a street urchin. The only thing his island was known for was their crafts, and whenever a wealthy ship sailed by they would sometimes stop and buy some goods. The look in their eyes was the same she had in hers. 'You are lower then me. You are nothing compared to me'.

With a nod to Agent a'Baird he made his way up to the deck. He needed some fresh air. The smell of the sea was something he was used to. It comforted him some small level. After all, it wasn't that smell that filled him with fear. It was the water itself. So deep, and capable of hiding so many terrible things.

Bracing himself before heading up, Christopher heads out of the hatch leading to the deck.

[TooManySecrets]

((Weird. My subscriptions didn't update...))

"As you can see, we're almost there," Agent a'Baird says as you walk up the stairs to the deck, pausing slightly to let you go first.

You shield your eyes as you go out into the bright sun. Looking around, you see a few sailors hoisting lines, while the captain shouts orders from the top deck. There's also the other recruits, including that girl. They seem to looking at something and you follow their gaze.

The White Tower. It's breathtaking, but you see it's a bit of a misnomer. While there seems to be one central tower (higher than anything you've ever seen and gleaming in the morning sun) there are also a number of other slightly smaller towers around it. You can only imagine how long it took to make but with magic anything is possible.

You don't realize that you're staring until Agent a'Baird gives you a gentle prod from behind. Sheepishly, you continue up the stairs and out of his way.

"It's been a long time since I've been back here. I'd give you details of my journeys, but that's secret." He winks at you as he says 'secret', which you take to mean that they were rather humdrum.

"Tighten that aft sail! We don't want to ram the dock, you fool!" The ship creaks and cracks as it turns toward the dock.

You had almost missed the small town huddled at the base of the White Tower. Lots of docks and ships, big ones too.

A few of the other recruits seem to have noticed you, but they quickly turn their heads back when you look at them.

[Matar]

A blush creeps up on Christopher's cheeks when he notices the other recruits looking at him. Though they quickly look away from him, he still casts his eye downward towards the deck of the shop. He didn't want to make eye contact with anyone if he could avoid it.

He takes a deep breath, enjoying the smell of the salty sea air. It reminded him of home. Not that he wanted to go back, of course. He was quite eager to get off and... learn. Just... learn. About anything. How to read well, how to write, to use to magic, whatever. He would learn whatever they were willing to teach him, and then some.

Christopher tries to find some place on the deck where he can keep his eye on the dock (And the tower), but also out of the way, so as to not get in anyones way. He avoids going to the edge of the boat if at all possible. He didn't feel safe until he was off this ship. There a was feeling, deep down inside, that so long as he was on the boat something would go... wrong. Really wrong.

[TooManySecrets]

As the boat pulls up to the dock, Agent a'Baird tells you some of his memories of the White Tower - mostly amusing stories about his time studying. You don't pay much attention.

This first time you came to a big port you must have seemed like such a hick. It was so busy, with so many people and big buildings. There were warehouses that could have fit half the buildings in your village. It had left you slack-jawed. Around the third or fourth port though, you started to grow used to it. Or at least you thought so.

The White Tower's port is a different breed entirely. Far cleaner and neater than you would have expected. The dock workers seem better organized as well. And you don't see any sailors wandering around drunkenly either - an almost constant sight at the other ports. It's like everything is meticulously planned and tightly controlled, but it also speaks of attention to details.

"Drop the gangway!"

You shuffle into line with the other recruits as Agent a'Baird explains how you have a short walk to registration and then you can get settled in. You make your way down the gangway (instinctively recoiling from the sides of it) and you and the recruits go down to the city.

And all the while, you keep getting closer to the White Tower and it keeps getting taller.


_/ _/ _/

"Name? ... Origin? ... Family members? ... Magic specialization? ... Good, here's a voucher for supplies. Next!"

According to Agent a'Baird, registration usually goes quickly. Usually. Unfortunately, another agent has come in with another group of recruits at the same time. It doesn't take long for any individual person to be registered, but there's a lot of people.

You've spent your time waiting by half-heatedly reading your books. Nobody has really paid you much attention.

"Next!"

And then it's your turn.

You walk up to the registration desk and the white-haird man behind it looks you up and down. He vaguely reminds you of a chicken - lanky with tufts of white-hair sticking up.

"Alright. Name?"

((You can answer all the questions in your post. DarkOliveGreen is the color.))

[Matar]

"Alright. Name?"

Oh gods. Was it his turn already? Christopher turned his head to look at all the people watching him at the moment and regretted doing so. Quickly turning his head back towards the registration desk (But not the person running it) he tries to get the whole thing over as quickly as possible.

"Um... um... Christopher." If the man asks for a last name Christopher just shakes his head. "From, um, where I'm from we don't have family names. We, um, have a title though that our fathers give us. So, um." He blushes from head to toes. "Mines 'Of the Sea' if you... need it."


Origin? ... Family members?

To this, Christopher gives the name of his home island, along with the names of his parents.

I no longer have access to my bio. Can you please send it to me? I forgot to save it >_>.


Magic specialization? ... Good, here's a voucher for supplies. Next!"

Christopher hesitates. "I um, I... don't know yet." He then accepts the vouchers and tries to hurry away as quickly as possible. Unless something stops him, of course.

[TooManySecrets]

The white-haired man looks up at you. "No specialization yet? You'll have to get tested." Seeing your concerned look, he reassures you. "Don't worry. It won't take long." He take out an additional paper, signs it, and hands it over to you. "The Testing Center is just a few halls down. Directions are on the back of that paper. Just present it to them and they'll do the rest."

The man looks back down to his list.

"Next!"


_/ _/ _/

The Testing Center is a lot less busy than Registration. A lot smaller, too. There are only a few people here, mostly kids younger than even you with what you guess is a agent or instructor looking after them. There's a desk with a person behind it and a closed door.

One side of the room has thin, high-vaulted windows which light up the room. As the wind comes in you can smell the salty smell of sea air.

After handing your paper over to the person behind the desk, it's only a few minutes before someone comes out from the door - a fit looking woman - who leads you to a hallway with three other rooms. She opens one of the doors and you go in, noticing how unusually thick the walls are.

You're a bit surprised by what's inside the room, the first thing grabbing your attention is a plain-looking chair in the center of a circle made of metal. The metal has a silvery sheen and is inlaid into the floor. At the back and one side of the room is a countertop with a number of instruments and potions that you've never seen before.

The woman smiles. "Well, let's get started. My name is Jami a'Starner and I'm going to test your abilities. It's pretty easy and you don't have to do anything except sit on that chair." Jami sounds like she's done this before.

"While I'm getting this stuff setup," she says, making her way over to the countertop, "why don't you tell me a little about yourself. I know it's a lot to take in, but how do you like the White Tower so far?"

[Matar]

Christopher is obviously more then a little overwhelmed by everything that has happened so far, although not in a bad way.

"It's amazing!" Christopher replies with an excited voice, and then blushes in embarrassment from his outburst. He stares right back the floor again. "I-I mean, didn't know buildings could get that big!"

[TooManySecrets]

Jami flashes a quick smile. "Ah, so you're from one of the smaller islands. Yeah, the Tower's quite an achievement. It took decades to build and it's only possible through reinforcing enchantments. Otherwise the whole place would probably fall down."

Jami walks over to the silver circle with a bottle of blue liquid stained with green streaks. "Now, this stuff is going to smell real bad. But don't worry, it won't take long." With those words of encouragement, she unstoppers the bottle, bends down, and pours it into the silver circle. The weird liquid seems syrupy, but it still moves around the circle quickly.

The stench is terrible. You've smelled rotting fish before and this is nothing like that. It stings your nose.

Jami claps her hands together in front of her and closes her eyes. You've seen a few of the more skilled mages on your island do the same thing when they were working powerful magic. When you asked why they did it, they said it helped them focus. Under her breath, Jami starts to mutter the words of incantation. She looks like she's deep in concentration.

A shadow seems to pass and everything darkens just a bit. There's a noise that you can't quite place. It's quiet and it seems to be coming from far away, like a storm that's beyond the horizon. There's a sizzle and a squelch and that strange liquid starts to bubble.

And then it's all over. Everything lightens again and the liquid, and the smell, disappears in a small white puff of smoke.

Jami opens her eyes and picks up the now empty bottle. "See, I told you that would be easy. I'm going to fill out that Specialization Form for you. It won't be long, so you can wait in that first room you came in."

((If you have any questions to ask Jami, now would be the time. Otherwise, we'll be moving forward.

P.S. Italics in double parenthesis is OOC. Long OOC can also be put in spoiler tags.))

[Matar]

There was a great deal Christopher wanted to ask. What's a Specialization? What should I expect to do here? Who built the White Tower? How long will the enchantments last?

However, all he could do is blush and head out to the first room before sitting. Although he was exited he couldn't bring himself to talk that much. Besides, this whole thing was very overwhelming for him so far.