[M] Faded Ink IC [Lumi & Falcon Red]

[Lumi]

Everything in this world started with the spark of the initial Flame. With every wisp there is new life, with every pulse there is wisdom, with every breath there is emotion, with every spark there is vibrancy, but like fire with every flicker there is death. The fabric of everything that is, ever was, and ever will be in this world was formed with a piece of the Flame.

All magic is referred to as The Flame as it keeps everything moving forward with it's light. It was formed from the natural energies of distant galaxies and alternate realities and keeps this universe running as it should. To tamper with what The Flame has created would mean becoming lost in the void all your worst fears and eternal darkness, in turn becoming something of the Inane. In layman's terms- you're there, but you're not at the same time. You're soul is gone, yet you're body remains.

No one ever dared to manipulate The Flame in any such manner, but that changed when our new ruling monarchy appeared. They showed up one by one with magic no one had ever seen before and threw our world into chaos. Wherever magic was plentiful they sucked it dry and left the land and creatures barren. They dabbled with dark magic and forced many into the Inane, never letting their souls rest and leaving their bodies to roam aimlessly in search of the piece that was ripped from them.

Sin, debauchery, pain, and suffering is all that we know now. The world you read about is not full of rainbows and daisies. Everyday is something new, be it a new blood stain on the streets, a body laying face first in an alley left to rot, a public execution because some poor soul was caught stealing and the already scared shitless citizens have been oppressed even further, some rich bastard flaunting and parading around with pockets full of gems and gold to see what kind of women he can lure to lay with him, or the misuse of magic to completely change the flow of the universe.

Only those so full of evil and hatred take joy in watching the weak suffer. And itis only those who are so full that keep history from rewriting itself, but in the worst way possible.

In this world we call Entis, this world we call home, we have run out of hope for the light and for freedom. We have run out of resistance. We all are a dying race.

---

It is the Era of Quattour, year of Majesty, 600,000th Moon and 600,001st Sun, and Entis has never been so...dark. With the Big Four ruling nothing is peaceful, hell even the magic is different. We had countermeasures to prevent something such as this from happening. A small group of people called 'Spellbound', that dedicated themselves to keep the citizens and magic safe. But we were ungrateful and took them for granted, casting them aside as wannabe heroes. Most of our leaders (kings, queens, princes, and princesses) are gone. Either killed, missing, or in hiding. Now that we have nobody, what are we supposed to do to stay safe?

Spoiler: Characters 

Spoiler: Lumi 

Fairytale, myth, legend, etc.: Little Red Riding Hood
Name: Faun Vaux

Age: 28

Appearance: Faun is a young woman of 5'8" and brown skin. Her eyes a stormy grey and her hair the color of caramel. She normally wears her hair in a long braid then pins it up to keep it out of the way. Since her iconic red hood has been stolen she now wears a navy one with a silver trim on it. Her normal attire consists of black Sufi pants, simple grey linen shirt, and black travelers boots.

Race: Half-Elf

Relationship(s):

Delano (Lumberjack): Childhood friend
Growing up in the same village Faun and Delano were bound to become aquatinted with one another and eventually a form of friends. It didn't take long for the two to become stuck together at the hip- they hardly left the others side. The older they became the more aware of their feelings they grew. But when Delano mysteriously disappeared little red was without a best friend.

Ludus (Wolf): Friend
After losing Delano, Faun buried herself in work, helping her mother around with the farm chores, and delivering food and medicine to her grandmother who lived in the woods. Hunting season was a big thing for the men in her small village and for some reason it seemed to last all year round. Traps would always be lying around hidden out of sight and somehow Red always seemed to get caught in some. One day on her way to her grandmothers Faun had somehow gotten her foot stuck in a bear trap. Alone in the middle of the woods trapped during hunting season the young girl knew she couldn't call for help. Her blood alone was a beacon to all predators, but the stench of fear just added more fuel to the fire. Through her hysteria and focus on trying to get the trap off her leg Red failed to notice the wolf that seemed to be watching her. Though it was against his better judgement the wolf couldn't leave the pup to fend for herself, so he decided to help her. To this day Red had decided that he would be her friend, her ally, but she only saw him four times before he too disappeared.

Peter (Pan): Best Friend
Losing two friends was enough for Little Red to believe that everyone she tried to get close to was subject to disappearing. Many of the other children in the village tried to befriend her, but she felt they would be in danger if they were to get too close. With her now standoffish ways the kids started to believe she thought herself too good to play with them, so they started to ignore her altogether. It wasn't until a young boy showed up mysteriously at her doorstep did she return to her original friendly self. But he too soon disappeared.

Affiliation: Neutral (Ex-Spellbound member)
Weapon(s): Chain hammers, Crossbow, and poisons



Extra Bio: Faun’s village was a safe haven for all races and in its prime it thrived. It was full of any creature you could think of and because of that, magic burned brightly there. It was easy for anyone to practice and master. There was peace for a long while until The Queen of Hearts set her sights upon it. A ‘vein’ she called it, and the tyrant set out to drain it of all its blood. Because of her over use of dark and chaos magic from her homeland the flame prevented her from manipulating the magic there directly. It kept her at bay for a while until she started using the vessels of the people lost to the “Inane.” Through those vessels she cursed the land her village was on and bled the magic there dry until she could step foot there. Once the Red Queen stepped foot into Faun’s village the crazy woman set fire to every living thing she set her eyes on. If it wasn’t for the red hood her grandmother made for her Faun would’ve ended up just like the rest of her village.

Extra Info: There are a lot of wolves in those woods and the one wolf that rescued her gave her a blessing. When it is activated the user will have senses as strong as a wolf, speak in their tongue, and heightened strength.

Spoiler: Falcon Red 

Fairytale, legend, myth, etc.: Beauty and the Beast
Name: Porthos Alarie
Age: 32
Race: Therianthrope

Appearance: Porthos stands about 5'10" with a stocky and broad build. His hair is a deep chestnut, and shaggily framing his face, loosely going into a ponytail on the back of his head. He has brown eyes and a far-away stare, and tanned skin. He typically is seen wearing dark tanned pants, black boots, and a fitted brown suede style coat. A leather pauldron adorns his right shoulder, and matching bracers around his forearms. The pauldron has a a silhouette of his noble families crest.

Relationship(s):
Remmy - Remmy is a descendant of Prince Adam's original household serving staff. In spite of being a bastard, Porthos was still sent a paid servant from his families household to assist him as needed. As the four dark rulers took control of their respective kingdoms, the Fairy-Witch that had cursed Beast had come to realize she wasn't satisfied with the outcome, as a result she has gone back and triggered the curse again, but was only able to target those with the strongest affinity to magic, turning Remmy into a spoon. Although a paid servant, Porthos and Remmy are so much more, becoming friends over the years of traveling together. Remmy now lives in the front breast pocket of Porthos's coat.

Elphaba - Elphaba is someone that Porthos really connected with while the pair were younger. They grew close in a short amount of time, relating on their loneliness and finding solace and comfort in each other. Porthos was pained to learn of Elphaba's passing, and angered over the accusations put on her. While her story may have been true, he never trusted the narrative it implied. It's a wound that won't close and follows him, but one he keeps close to his chest.



Affiliation(hero, neutral, villain, etc.): Neutral
Personality: Porthos is a bit shy and can be reserved, but when confronted he can be quite stalwart. A defender and protector at heart, but lacks a confidence to know which of the powers is right and what is wrong, as a result he just tries to do right by his own morals and those around him. He tries to keep it in check, but when poked just right, his anger can get the better of him at times.

Weapons: Great sword, claws and teeth when he's shifted
Extra Bio: Porthos is the bastard grandson to Prince Adam "The Beast." He carries Adam's blood, but not his name, titles, or rights, and grew up in the streets. He knows of his lineage, but he tries not to linger on it too much. More things are happening in this world and there are people who need help in the here and now for him to get caught up in titles and glory. Porthos finds satisfaction in little jobs here and there, but traveling the world, just seeking his place in it. He grew up poor, but fed, but he never has truly found a place where he felt he belonged.
Special Skills: Partial beast shape shifting, more strength and agility, heightened senses.

Extra Info: Most people know the story of Belle and the Beast, and know that her love turned Prince Adam back to a man, but few know that some curses are latched to your very essence and can never be totally removed. While Prince Adam was free of total transformation, he and his descendants found a unique ability to partially transform into beasts, while not as totalizing as a lycanthrope or some other were being, they can take on great strength and stronger skin, their teeth elongate and their fingers become clawed.

Spoiler: The Big Four 

• Maleficent
• Jafar
• Captain Hook
• The Red Queen

[Lumi]

"Entis has never been so...dark. With the big Four ruling nothing is peaceful, hell even the magic is different. We had countermeasures to prevent something such as this from happening. A small group of heroes called 'Spellbound', that dedicated themselves to keep the citizens and magic safe. But we were ungrateful and took them for granted, casting them aside as wannabe heroes. Now we are left unprotected and woefully ill prepared for the lives we now have to live."

"What a hypocrite! Assoon as Spellbound actually started to make a name for itself you were dead seton them disbanding, because you thought they were all narcissistic ego maniacs!Now that they're all dead, lost, soulless, or missing you want to cry about it?!"

"I'm not crying aboutit, I'm simply stating what everyone is feeling. You animals are all the same,all bark and no bite."

"And you fey think you're above everything, when in fact you're just as trapped as we all are!"




"What is it youhumans say- too much T.V. will rot your brain?"

"Ha ha that wasvery funny Ludus." Having spent many moons away from civilization gaininginformation was always Faun's top priority, aside from food water and shelterof course. And living with a five foot tall wolf for eight years one tends to almost become a recluse.



"Test my patience again nymph and we'll see who has no bite!"

"Sorry folks it looks like that's all the time we have today, stayed tuned for next weeks broadcast and remember if you've got static you've got Starleaf."



Free form news was a very dangerous thing to watch, let alone broadcast, but it's been becoming popular among some of the animal and human populations. To say she wasn't a fan would be the biggest understatement of the decade- the young adult was an absolute junkie. To be fair they did provide her with the most relevant news and information on politics and any type of movement from the Big Four. Sighing softly she turned to her companion and nodded, before the two headed further into the city.


"Remember you only have three days, gather Intel and whatever supplies you need, I'll be moving ahead and meeting up with the rest of the pack, we'll only wait for a week. And don't forget you carry my mark, use it wisely."


"Yes Ludus I remember, I'm not a pup anymore." The wolf only huffed in amusement, before nudging Faun's head with affection and trotting off down the road. He was a major hard ass, but on the inside he had a bleeding heart. She watched him go until she could no longer see him, before turning down a familiar road to finish business of her own. One thing she enjoyed most about visiting Animara was the dirt roads and the endless nature that ran through out the city. But this road in particular seemed to have less foot traffic than most and grew darker the further you traveled down it. Some say that Maleficent once walked down this road and the shadows that followed her settled down, others say that there was a powerful warlock that cursed the area on the orders of the Red Queen. 'What ridiculous notions' But then again the residents of Animara seemed to be the type of folk that enjoyed a joke or two and when they had a good one, boy did they milk it. Most travelers and tourists' stay away from this area because the rumors tend to get more ridiculous by the year. With a small smile Faun put up her hood and continued down the road.


Walking down the path was dark, yes, but there was enough openings in the canopies to filter in small patches of sunlight. There was beauty everywhere, but then again Sampaguita and Fiorella were beauty queens. They couldn't stand for anything to be out of place or unsightly. There were moon flowers, evening primroses, and four o' clocks on every bush and tree and the nearby lake had tropical night water lilies floating about. It didn't take too much longer for Faun to reach her destination- a small cottage nestled between bushes and bushes of moonflowers and underneath a weeping willow. It was a quaint place with a blue roof, brown cobblestone walls, and rounded windows. Sampaguita must have repainted the roof. Knocking twice and giving a short whistle afterward Faun waited for the door to open. Hurried shuffling could be heard from the other side, before the door flung open and she came face to face with a night snake just as tall as she was, and before the brunette could even open her mouth, she was wrapped in coils and dragged inside with the door closing behind them.


"Ay diosss mío, Faun, where have you been?!"

"It's good to see you too Fio."

"We've been trying to get in touch with you for monthsss!"

"What, did Sampa run out of moon beads again? I told her I'd bring some with me next time I go to-"


"No, escúchame por favor! It's about paint!"


Faun blinked once, twice, thrice even. She wasn't new to exasperation but she didn't think it would befall her so soon into her visit. But then again maybe she should just give up the hope that her visits with these two would one day be normal. These two had a special talent at grating her nerves with their antics, but they always provided her with information she asked for so she couldn't complain...too much. 'Ignis give me strength.'

"Fio...I love you, but paint? Sampa please explain..."

"She ran out of that green paint you brought back from Procella."


"You two don't undersstand!"

"No! You don't understand! We got information about a possible sighting of an ex Spellbound member and you're complaining about paint!" The sound of wing beats could be heard from the rafters as a giant golden-crowned flying fox flew down to the two of them, fixing it's eyes on the snake with a glare. Alaura perked up at that news and looked up at the bat the best she could from her position wrapped up in Fiorella's coils. "Do you know who it may have been?" She asked in a hopeful tone. Sampaguita looked down at Alaura her expression softer, but serious all the same and shook her head. A sigh and a nod was all Alaura could give, there was no point in getting her hopes up so soon- she learned that the hard way.

"Fiorella, put the girl down we've got some things to discuss." The snake nodded and gently set Alaura down, before slithering off the kitchen.

"I'll put on some tea."

Fiorella unwrapped herself from Faun and slithered off into the kitchen. Faun took that moment and sat down at the large round dining table. Sampaguita settled herself on a beam closest to the brunette and handed her a folder.

"This is all the information we currently have on this particular members whereabouts. Do not get your hopes up too much we have strong reason to believe that they have been.....lost to the Inane."

Faun only nodded as she opened up the file to view it's contents. There were a few news paper clippings, scraps of paper with various notes attached to them, testimonies from witnesses that claim they saw a soulless wandering around, but what caught her attention the most was a small wooden pin in the shape of a bear. There was only one member she knew of that wore this pin, she thought she went missing years ago. The small flicker of hope immediately died down as the words Sampa spoke rang through her mind. The Inane was a prison, it was nothing and everything all at the same time. It was torture, it was insanity, it was...hell. A shaky sigh left her lips as she closed the file and held the pin close to her.

"Faun? Are you alright? D-do you need another-"

"NO! No....sorry Sampa, I-I'm alright."

Fiorella retuned with tea and a few snacks, placing them upon the table and pouring tea for the three of them. Her gaze turned to Sampaguita with a worried expression but the bat only shook her head.

"Faun mi niña, do not worry. Sampa and I...we think we may have found one who knows how to navigate the Inane. But we are not sure what side they are on."

Faun only nodded and put everything in her pack before taking her cup and sipping at her tea. For what little information there was it was all big revelations. Would she go searching for this stranger to possibly be turned in and leave her allies in danger, or would she go after her fallen team mate? Both roads had nothing but risks and all cons far outweighed the pros. Spellbound ran off hope and a brighter tomorrow, but that was a rare commodity these days. If she were to make a decision then she would take these three days and think on it. She took a cookie from a plate to her left and bit into it.

"I will need to think on all of this. Ludus and the pack will leave in three days, so I will stop by if I have made a decision."

"Enough with the somber mood! Did you bring the materials I need to fix your holding?"

Faun couldn't help but laugh at the bat's mood swing. She never did enjoy heavy situations. "Yes, yes, here." She handed her her pack and Sampaguita flew off into her space up in the rafters. "I'll have it done before you leave!" She shouted down.

"¡Oye! You didn't finish your tea!"