forum Lands of Chaos No More || one on one || closed

Started May 29 by @Mojack group

tune

Or perhaps, the chaos never left.

Akorin (Ah-core-in) encompasses the known world. The world of man. It is known that the mainland is surrounded by a great, big ocean, and that no one has explored that far north in comparison the other directions, due to a great constant storm that sits that way. Elsewhere, the mainland surrounds itself with islands of various sizes in differing directions.

The largest of the outer islands is Akashira, just south-east of the mainland. Though most people call it the mainland, most people also happen to be from the mainland as well — not to discredit the amount of people living on Akashira, which is certain to be a great number, though not as much as the mainland. Said mainland’s official name is Nozaru — the mainland.

It is not known how man came to live in the known world, but said to perhaps be the work of a greater power — magic, after all, exists, albeit the ones that humans use are harder for them to train in.
A common story, perhaps greatly exaggerated or completely made up — maybe even inspired from reality — is that humans once lived outside of Akorin, but their nature became so violent that perhaps they angered the gods, or something along those lines who then banished all the humans to Akorin, spreading them across the islands. In some versions of the tale, it is said that the gods also greatly diminished the human ability to use magic, though others think that it is just one of our constant features.

What is known — without magic, despite their resourcefulness, humans may have well have suffered in the known world, to a point where they would not be as successful as they would be today.

In the old days, long, long ago, it was said that numerous foul and powerful beasts roamed the known world. Same species exist today, in lesser numbers although, and are a rarity to encounter, preferring to avoid humans as a whole. Species might include the acid spitting wyvern, or the breathless, flightless, but powerful drake. Lesser dragons exist, said to be smaller versions of their titanic counterparts who are also said to have intelligence to rival a human, though perhaps lesser dragons are simply just “dragons” and a greater dragon does not exist.
Though in the current era, man does no longer face as much trouble from the wildlife and other fauna, man does face trouble from itself. Warring families vie to control the mainland — and by proxy, a bit of Akashira as well.
In regard to that, times of peace in the known world are rare. In some way, you have found yourself involved in this large war of land control, whether you purposely fought or found yourself pulled into it. Whether you fight for money, for food, for safety, or so on.

Though the stars make for good navigation at sea, they do not help if they get covered by clouds, or much worse — a storm, destroying the fleet of boats that you’d been travelling by.

Whether you can swim or not, miraculously, you find yourself alive.

Not so miraculously, you do not know where you are, and though you can see pieces of wood on the beach scattered around, you do not see any people. It may not have been the size of a war fleet, but surely you cannot be the only survivor…
Though it is certainly jarring, you should remember; even the smallest of islands in the known world can be inhabited. And you do not know the size of this island— you pause, for something catches your attention.

There is the familiar smell of smoke, and though you do not see any footprints on the beach, you can likely follow the scent. Perhaps there are people who can help you orient yourself. Language shouldn’t be a problem, given most people speak Tharinee (Th-are-in-knee), the common tongue.
The only problem that might come up is the off chance that this person could be associated with enemies or perhaps even an enemy, but how high of a chance is that happening?

xxx

A RP set in a fantasy sort of world. In this rp, the person joining will play as someone who is in some way involved in the mentioned war (which I’ve decided is mostly a war to control the mainland, aka Nozaru. in worldbuilding lore wise, wars have been historically fought over Nozaru centuries before).
Person involved in the war (your character, whoever that might be) is on a small fleet of boats travelling somewhere (you can decide. Were they going to the mainland, to fight? Or elsewhere, perhaps to negotiate with someone or purchase goods, or something a little different. if you can’t tell I’m giving a lot of freedom here in terms of worldbuilding)
However, before it can reach its destination, a storm hits, and the small group is destroyed. Somehow, you survive, but you wake up alone, likely on one of the smaller islands situated around Nozaru and Akashira. After collecting yourself, it does not take long for you to smell smoke from a fire, and from there the journey begins in however you want it to.

Some basic notes to work off of:

• Nozaru: name of the mainland. It has seldom saw a full century of peace throughout the known history.
• Akorin: the known world. All that is encompassed on existing maps.
• The Eternal Storm: North of the known world. What exists beyond it is unknown, but no one has returned from beyond it to tell the tale of what exists beyond it, if anything.
• Akashira: The largest island other than the mainland, to the south-east of it. Sees a lot of trade and commerce.
• The world, attire, architecture, some bits of culture, is inspired off of Asian cultures in general (all parts of Asia included, so go crazy here)
• Time period wise, things like gunpowder exist, so think bombs n whatnot, but nothing like an engine or advanced machinery. Most of what is used to fight wars include blades.
• Magic exists in plants and in nature, as well as humans. Particularly powerful mages can craft golems from raw materials, who will simply follow the orders of their caster, but this type of power is rare. Some focus more on direct, destructive power; willing the earth to fall in under the feet of their opponents and swallow them whole. Not as advanced but still powerful include illusion magics, which require plenty of focus to ensure you’re targeting the right people, and not your allies. e.g. make them see what is not there to distract them, or turn your enemies into their own enemies.
• magic, cont.: Some magics involve the elements at a lesser scale, such as a bit of fire to use as warmth or light, or as a way to burn someone who isn’t expecting it (but you’d need to be standing close to do it). A gust of wind to distract or push someone back, or even just utility wise: cool or dry them off.
• magic, 3: finally, healing magic is one of the most common to learn due to how important it is in the current era. It can be a complex skill as you get into more complicated concepts, such as the removal of poisons and venoms from the body; the attachment of limbs (not many people can do this properly), broken bones, etc. For most users, the healing is not an instant effect, and simply helps speed things along.
• Magic users are not as common as non magic users. Not everyone can use magic, and some people are straight up born lacking it. There is little discrimination against magic users, though some who particularly believe in the stories of humans having their ability to use it diminished say that perhaps it was for a reason, and that humans shouldn’t return to it.

Out of character notes:

• Could be a romance; as always, the way things go, the way they go. Or in simpler words go with the flow. As a note: my character will be a man, not human (half human?), but will possess a human form.
• Feel free to make your character a magic user or not!
• Worldbuild to your own desire here. Feel free to mention family names; that perhaps there’s a specific family your character fights for if any, or perhaps they themselves are apart of one of those “great families”? 🤔

Rules

1. Ask before joining — if I do not know your writing style, I will ask for a writing sample with dialogue. Please have one at ready! Do not be offended if I deny you; I am most selective with my limited RPs compared to group RPs or character chats (least selective; open for everyone usually).
2. Activity is not a must. I am not active myself as I am now a college student (times fly by, huh?) If it appears I have forgotten to respond, I may have thought I did, when in reality I didn’t. It could also be possible that it has been a long time that I feel awkward about replying in case the other person doesn’t have the motivation to continue. Please note this before joining!
3. Cussing and violence are expected. Note that as is everything, there is a time and place for it.
4. Good grammar and punctuation appreciated, but I know that everyone makes mistakes, as I certainly do.
5. Mature RPers preferred as a preference. Any sexual content will be a fade to black sort of deal, though I am willing to push things? If that does happen, it’ll likely go to somewhere private to abide by rule 6.
6. All notebook.ai rules apply.
7. One paragraph minimum, or at least four sentences. No one liners. At the very least, give me something to work with and I’ll try to do the same for you.
8. Any questions? Ask!

TEMPLATE

Name:
Age: (20-26)
Gender:
Pronouns:
Orientation:

Appearance:
Clothing:
Background:
Personality:
Other: (as usual, anything extra goes here. Fun facts, relationships, conditions, etc.)

(Sorry it took so long! I was going to write a brand new one, but for some reason I struggle a lot more with samples than actual roleplays. Anyways, hope you like it!)

---

Wind rippled across the surface of the topsail, drawing Freed's eyes to the bright blue sky beyond. He squinted at it through the unfiltered sunlight, sure he'd just caught sight of a gull, and moved to duck past a burly pirate carrying—woah, was that an entire water barrel on his shoulder?

The young gunner spun around to watch him with wide eyes until an ill-placed coil of rope brought him promptly crashing to the deck. He squeaked, jumping up so quickly that it caught the officers' attention. "I was just—inspecting the ropes," he mumbled, face growing hot with embarrassment at the laughs that brought.

"Sure you was!" "Everyone knows ya hafta get real close fer that."

"Now, now, boys, don't tease the kid," a deep voice said, and Freed jumped at the weight of a large hand settling on his shoulder. "He's still finding his sea legs, he is."

Freed risked a glance upward and relaxed at the sight of the quartermaster, Stanton. "G'morning, Sir."

"Aye, Freed, I reckon it is," the man hummed in response, and Freed realized he was also looking toward the sky. "We're near Danfell, aren't we?" the boy blurted, stepping to Stanton's side and craning his head for the flash of white that had initially caught his attention. 'There!'

Sure enough, a seagull was gliding through the air far above the ship. Freed's eyes lit up with excitement and Stanton chuckled behind him. "You're catching on," the quartermaster said, ruffling the young gunner's sun-bleached hair fondly. "Why don't'cha go find Mooney and tell him the good news? The two of ya can meet us on the quarter deck."

"Aye, Sir!" Freed saluted to Stanton, then all but bolted down the stairs into the belly of The Sovereign.

"Mooney, Mooney! Guess what!" he exclaimed, rushing into the kitchen. The door slammed off the walls with the force of his entry, and a wooden spoon whizzed past his ear in retaliation. Freed leaned away from the projectile before it could hit him and stuck his tongue out at the cranky middle-aged cook.

"God, Freed, do you ever shut up? You know I'm suffering from this hangover, and yet here you come all barging in…"

"We're almost to Danfell!" Freed interrupted, not about to let Mooney's sour mood dampen his excitement at seeing another island. "Which means you have to come with me. Stanton's orders."

Mooney blinked at him, then slowly closed the cabinet he'd been organizing before the interruption. "I see… I'm still going to throw another spoon at you," he deadpanned, making Freed splutter with indignation. "What?! What did I do, you drunk?"

"Everything," the cook retorted, but he joined Freed at the doorway—blessedly spoonless.

Freed nudged his side as they stepped out onto the deck again, letting out a laugh and dodging when the cook tried to swat at him. The gunner leaped onto the nearest rigging, pulling himself up several feet and hooking his arm through one of the holes.

Begrudgingly, Mooney followed him to the base of the rigging, shielding his eyes as he looked up at the blond-haired boy. "What do you see, baby brother?"

Freed wrinkled his nose at the endearment, giving him the stink-eye. Then he cast his gaze towards the horizon, where the haze of an island waiting to be explored began to emerge.

"I see… Adventure."

Name: Bastian “Bast” Severni
Age: Twenty-five
Gender: Male
Pronouns: He/Him
Orientation: Panromantic

Appearance: Dark skinned (mocha) with shoulder-length brown locs. The left side of his head is shaved. He has strong brows and narrow, deep set eyes with golden irises, as well as a scar that spans from the lower inner left eye to his hairline. Rather than hide it, he draws more attention to that side of his face with a flashy gold earring that hangs vertically from his left earlobe. His facial features are sharp, with high cheekbones and a tapered jaw, further emphasized by long lashes. The column of his throat is decorated in black geometric tattoos spreading down his collarbone, shoulders, and upper chest. On the inside of his right wrist is another tattoo, also black, of a compass.

He paints an intimidating picture to strangers and enemies alike.
Clothing: A simple, puffy-sleeved white blouse with lace strings pulling the outer sleeves and collar together. His trousers are of similar simplicity, a lighter shade of brown and strapped with a leather sheath for his saber. The most eye-catching part of his outfit—and by extension, dramatic—is a large woolen overcoat (known as a fearnought; you can just google "pirate coat" though lol) decorated in shades of brown and maroon. Lastly, he wears plain, but sturdy brown boots.
Background: Once known as the champion of the House of Severni, Bast has since abandoned his old title for a life of piracy. Now he fights as a commander of the Hellsing pirates, whose goal is to ambush and raid army fleets intent on conquering the mainland.

There are a LOT of rumors surrounding Bast, especially in his homeland; an island to the southwest of Akashira known as Taenan. Taenan is ruled by the Severni Family, and is one of the powerful many currently fighting to rule over Nozaru. There, it is common knowledge that Bastian, the son of a talented magic-user and soldier for the Severni, was adopted into the family after the tragic death of his father. The Lord and Madam of the house were said to treat Bastian as a son, second only to their true son, Talbot, who was the same age.

This decision, however, would forever haunt the House.

Fourteen years after Bast's integration into the family, he would come to slaughter the Lord and Madam Severni, seemingly in cold blood, though many speculate it was out of long-harbored resentment for the death of his father. It is said that Bastian nearly succeeded in killing Talbot, as well, and indeed would have were it not for the other boy's suspicions and superior magic.

Rather, Talbot was able to overpower Bastian and strike him dead on the spot—or that is what many believed for the following years, until rumors of Bast's survival began to reach Taenan. It is unknown how Bastian managed to survive the fateful encounter with Talbot, or how he came to be a pirate at all. Many doubt that Commander Bast of the Hellsing pirates is the same as Bastion Severni, Champion of the Severni Family.

What is known for certain is that Talbot, the ascended ruler of the Severni Family, has not abandoned the family's dream of conquering Nozaru—although his efforts have been thoroughly diminished by pirate raids as of late.

Recently, a freak storm wiped out Bast's fleet, leaving him shipwrecked and stranded in an unfamiliar place—but miraculously alive.
Personality: Competitive and impulsive, eager to prove himself. He doesn't speak like a pirate—he speaks like a noble. As such, he unintentionally comes off as arrogant or selfish at times. He prioritizes survival, yet possesses a certain longing for the thrill of danger that tends to put him in life-threatening situations. Strangly, and contrary to the reputation he's managed to build in places, Bast is known to be quick to defend the helpless, and is almost always the first to grant mercy to surrendering enemies.
Other:

• To avoid confusion, Bast's father was killed and he was consequently adopted into the Severni family when he was five. He was nineteen when he slaughtered the Lord and Madam of the house and supposedly died, and twenty-two when rumors of his survival began to reach Taenan.
• He speaks with a vaguely English accent—or the equivalent in this world. His voice is also quite deep and lilting, almost mocking at times.
• He's also known as 'The Alchemist', as his magical specialty lies in transmuting metals—a perfect fit for the pirate life he's adopted. He's quite terrible at healing magic, but capable of healing small scratches or burns at least.
• Probably smells like sea salt and faint traces of apple cider (his favorite drink, and a specialty in Taenan).
• I left a fair amount out of his backstory so don't be surprised if he reveals something unexpected at any point!
• Also, sorry to be predicable?? I think?? I normally don't write pirates at all (in fact I used to actively dislike them), but it's been a fun little hyperfixation as of late, lol.
• On that note, if any part of his character or backstory doesn't fit with you world, or if I made any mistakes, please let me know and I'll fix it ASAP!!

Name: Arikani Shouni
Age: Recently turned 25
Gender: Cis man
Pronouns: he/him
Orientation: Panromantic pansexual

Appearance: Right away, it can be seen that there is something…odd, about Arikani. If the big wings weren’t a giveaway, the tail certainly is. He looks like a human, relatively speaking, otherwise.
With a total height of around 5’7”, Arikani has a build with an even mixture of both light muscle and fat. One could say he is of healthy build. He’s not overly muscular.
Vaguely, Arikani appears to have some of the physical features of someone from Northern Nozaru (aka Eastern Asia in the real world) and even his name has slight Northern flavour to it. His eyes are an unnatural gold, and they even reflect light (like how animals like cats or a lot of nonhuman animals do) at night, or in dark spaces. His canines are more pronounced, an obvious nod to his nonhuman heritage.
His hair is black in colour, with generally speaking, a straight texture to it. Though on the longer side, he keeps it tamed through tying it up in a single longer ponytail. It can be expected that some strands would escape anyways, framing a face covered in fair skin. Not extremely pale — healthy and regular exposure to sun has prevented that. Though he does not seem to grow that much facial hair, a few short hairs (once more, few and far between) grow on his lower jaw. He does not let it get beyond that point, but is too lazy to shave every time he notices it growing up from beyond ‘clean shaven’.
Onto his more unnatural features:

Wings are not like the ones that wyverns or lesser dragons might possess. While vaguely similar, and perhaps comparable to a wyvern’s, they rest on his back, and are of a goldenrod yellow colour. More built upon than a lesser dragon and even wyvern (the latter of which spends more time on the ground), the wings are thick, durable — could be used as a shield in an emergency, or even as a weapon. Aside from their colour, they also have black markings, which can range from thick stripes towards the top to mottled spots at the wing membrane. The wings seem more suited for gliding flights, and perhaps…even swimming?
His tail also possesses the same colour and markings. It’s by no means thin like some breeds of lesser dragons and wyverns, but thicker, with a thicker, mildly spade shaped ending to it. It is approximately 6’5”ft in length, which can be unwieldy at times.

His true nature becomes a bit more obvious in his secondary form…which still isn’t totally clear to most people of the known world, given something like him hasn’t been encountered before. The only similarities can be drawn — a lesser dragon, perhaps? Except lesser dragons only have one form.
He stands on all fours in this form, with the same goldenrod colour as before, as well as markings. His eyes have the same colour, albeit with more catlike pupils, capable of changing size and shape, just as cats can. While he stands relatively low to the ground, his limbs are still powerful, but appear to be built for more water related ventures rather than travelling on the land; a point supported by the presence of webbed membrane between each of his clawed digits. In terms of size, he is bigger than a wyvern (which are smaller than lesser dragons despite their foul temper) but stops at around the size of a lesser dragon; approximately 8ft at the top of his snout in this form, most of his height originating from his long neck.
headshot rough sketch I created of this form: https://postimg.cc/0KfrtYH0

Clothing: The clothing he wears is vaguely similar to Northern Nozaru families, though does not seem to come from nobility by any means. The robes he wears casually are not colourful, more of a dark green with some darker blue (so dark one might call it black) accents.
His other very common choice of clothing might put him as being a fighting man, but as to who he fights for, remains unclear. The armour he wears is consistent with styles of real world samurai (in universe, this style can be found outside of Northern Nozaru), though it’s questionable if he knows how to equip himself properly or not. From a distance, he looks fine, if not a bit intimidating.
Up close, you can tell he’s better at putting on his armour in some places, others — not so much. He’s gotten better at it over time, but is nowhere near the properness of the warriors of some of the great Nozaru families. Like with his robes, it possess the same, dark green colouration, with a scaled look to it in some places. He possess a black lower mask, often accompanying his helmet.
Obviously, for whatever clothing he wears, it has some adjustments to account for his more unique physical features.

Background: Though one may not believe it, Arikani was born on the mainland, once upon a time. He was born to a common human woman, who did not have any unique gifts of magic, and was otherwise unknown in the grand scheme of things. His father is a different story — not human, though to interact with his mother, used magic to warp himself into one (and unlike Arikani, did not possess extra features in the form of a human).
His father came from a land beyond the known world of man, and it can be truthfully said that his father, whoever he was, had genuine love for Arikani and his mother, even though he didn’t spend a lot of time with Arikani. What troubled the parents was the fact that their son possessed nonhuman features, and at such a young age, would unlikely be able to hide them. His father suggested bringing them both to his homeland to raise (his mother brought along because the father did not want to separate them) until he was of age to be taught how to hide his features. Mother agreed.
However, his father became looked down upon for this action by the people of his father’s homeland. He would lose a lot of respect for bringing a full human, and a half breed to their land; especially on the note of Arikani, since never before had something like him been recorded. He was a new factor that the old world did not like.
Still, as long as father lived, no one came to challenge them physically, and some offered a bit of respect, hiding their distaste for the arrangement.
Arikani grew up in relative peace, as opposed to the life he might’ve lived in the known world. It was not without its troubles — Arikani became aware that things were different for him and his mother, and by proxy even his father. He would spent lots of time practicing battle in both the form of a human and dragon. He valued his familial relationships highly, and loved his mother greatly.
By random chance, his mother caught ill with a sickness that became terminal — with no cure, the only thing that his father could do with his magic was make things more comfortable for her. Arikani remembers his mother, even today, even though it’s been some time since her passing. She was given a sea burial, traditional to the specific line of family that his father came from.
Though he was nearing the age where he would be taught more about the appearance changing aspects of his magic, external affairs took his father’s attention away from him. A war was brewing to the far North, and his father saw it better to train Arikani in defensive means; he would train Arikani to hide his inhuman features later.
Though, there would not be much of a later, as war broke out, and his father was one of the many individuals that day who flew to engage the enemy. His father would not return from this, likely to be deceased as a result of the first battle. While initial focuses were still on the war, some of the more bitter individuals of the island remembered how his father broke the rules by bringing humans to their land. Thankfully for Arikani, some of the more vicious individuals were reigned in, but he has noticed the increased hostility.
To a pause in the war, where things seemed to be going well for the island — that was when things turned bad for Arikani, who while had been taught customs of the islanders, but was prone to making mistakes. One particularly unfortunate mistake later, and Arikani found himself exiled from the island, to never return lest he be killed.
For a while, Arikani spent most of his time on the further islands south of the island he’d grown up on. He would only go further south as the year progressed, and would eventually travel through a great storm, saved by the worst of it for he stuck to swimming under the water, coming up only for breath.
Recalling some of his lessons, Arikani knew he had arrived in the land of man, though as to where, exactly… Perhaps he should’ve paid more attention in that regard.

Having a feeling that his presence would likely be reacted with hostility or something along the lines of “What is that? Chase it away!” or “Kill it!” he sought to avoid direct contact, sticking to his dragon form as he avoided it by staying underwater some more. He’d soon find himself on an island that seemed long since abandoned. Though it had homes on it — they were empty, overgrown with some plants. Part of him longed for contact and even action, but he didn’t have a desire to get hunted down in this world, so for now, he decides, he’s going to stick to this island and try to make something of it.

Personality: Arikani tends to be relatively expressive in whatever he’s doing at the time. This can be sometimes destructive to his surroundings, given his wings might fan out in times of excitement. He’s also one to voice his opinions, and can come off as blunt, lacking some knowledge of social norms. In other words, in the known world, his personality might mark him as being a commoner of extremely low standing, even though his armour seems to say otherwise, for unless he stole it, how could he have gotten it?
Arikani can be unwieldy and clumsy at times, but despite that, is not malicious by nature. While he craves action, he doesn’t want to involve innocent people. Though, when caught in the thick of it, he tends to do his own thing, making him not really great to work with in teams. He’s not intentionally rude, and will say the first thing that comes to his mind. In other words, he’s act first — think later.

Other:

• Most of the magic he was taught was how to use it in a defensive way, such as a barrier/ward protect himself or others.
• He is capable of breathing fire in his dragon form, and his fire even has a specific intensity to it rarely seen — intense enough that it can stay lit for a few seconds under the water.
• He has a predominantly carnivorous nature, and most of his diet comes from sea creatures. He still needs other sources of nutrients other than from meat due to being human.
• He can hold his breath for around 1 hour and ten minutes in the form of a dragon, and slightly less in humanish form.
• He’s very curious by nature and isn’t shy about trying new things. He’s not very picky about food.
• In his human form, he fights with a sword. Contrary to his armour putting on skills, he’s pretty good with it.
• Surprisingly, he has a low tolerance for pain.

((I love him!! also I love pirates lol. And don’t worry about not fitting the world; if anything doesn’t, I’ll let you know, but I like to give my rp partners a lot of freedom in how they do their own worldbuilding. As for the starter, I’ll get started on that soon!))

Arikani did not know how long this place had been left to the watch of nature, which while he was mildly curious about the story of this place, it ultimately mattered little to him.

What mattered most is that it seemed abandoned of humans, and he hadn’t seen any of their ships draw too close to this place, preferring to go right past it instead. He’d only arrived a day or two ago, though he had come to the known world — Akorin — a few weeks ago. Most of his time had been spent carefully weaving under and between potential settlements and their boats, the latter of which he had seen plenty of, more in some areas than others.
There had been a close call — on a small island he’d made landfall on, that turned out to be host to a small, tight knit village. Thankfully, he had spotted them before the opposite had happened, although the close call came from Arikani choosing to go a bit closer after he’d caught wind of an interesting scent, his sense of smell far better than a human’s.
The scent had turned out to be food, but unfortunately, it was under constant watch for it appeared that the village had been doing some sort of celebration.

Unfortunately for him, he’d have to turn himself away and resume his journey on finding a good place to relax. Even if he really did want to taste the food — he hadn’t had much variety in a while. While having no trouble in finding food, it was mostly fish and what plants he could find.

When he stumbled across this place a few days ago, shifting from dragon to more human as he walked up the beach and towards an overgrown path, it seemed perfect. It had a natural ecosystem going on — plants and animals to keep him sated, and as he’d made note of before, humans did stay away from this place, seemingly interested in other places. Even if he was feeling a bit bored.
On the beach, most of the evidence that something not human had been walking around on the sand had gone away. There were still larger claw prints present in some of the mud around the area, as he’d done a bit of exploring for his own safety, but eventually decided that it would be easier to just stay in one form for now unless he had need to take on his other, more Draconic form.

Things had been quiet, all things considered. He hadn’t done a whole lot with the abandoned village so far, given that he was used to sleeping under the stars all the time — it bothered him little to do so, and even bothered him slightly to not. A nasty storm had gone down the night before, which led to him taking shelter in one of the old wooden homes, which he took note of most of them being only single floor. While the weather was bad, he had avoided the worst of the storm, and had soon resumed normal activities.
He didn’t have a plan set for each day, simply doing what came to his mind first. He was hungry, so he would get food right now.

Fish, as usual. He liked fish. He just didn’t like eating it all the time. He had cooked the fish over a fire he’d set up, the smoke and even scent of the meat wafting through the air as a breeze shifted down in direction of the beach. Sitting on the ground with his mask discarded, Arikani dug his teeth into the fish, teeth easily piercing it. Not a whole lot was going on right now, and for the time being, his head was empty of most thoughts.

Waves slammed relentlessly into the hull, rocking the ship back dangerously. The sudden lurch nearly cost Bast his footing.

"The cannon!” he shouted in warning, catching himself against the side of the cabin. Men scrambled out of the way as a half ton bronze cannon rolled with the motion of the ship.

Bast cursed, vowing to find Epno if they survived so that he might kill him for tying down the cannons with such half-assed knots.

Lightning flashed, briefly illuminating the havoc the storm had already managed to inflict. A clap of thunder followed, and dread filled Bast as he realized another sound lay beneath.

Splintering wood.

“Watch out!”

Bast lunged out of the way as the main mast tipped and was thrown to the deck below. The planks shattered in places, but held as the commander found himself clinging to the railing, facing the sea. Another flash of lightning lit up the surrounding hellscape and time seemed to freeze for one very terrible second. The crest of the wave lifted the horizon to the very doorstep of the heavens, and five more ships rolled into their watery graves before his eyes.

"We’re going to capsize,” Bast whispered, unable to do anything but watch in muted terror as the wave swelled larger and larger, towering over The Harpy and the rest of the world along with it.

And as the sea swallowed him whole, so too did guilt.

—

Seawater spilled out of his mouth before consciousness even returned to him. Bast hacked up the fluid in his lungs, instinctively crawling to his side and heaving until he could breathe fresh air once more.

When he was done he lay panting, struggling to open his eyes. They felt sealed shut, as if he were newly born, and the intensity of the light behind his lids proved unhelpful.

One thing was for certain, however–Bast was alive.

Bruised and surely worse for wear, but alive. And how incredible a feat was that?

The commander shifted his weight on the sand, grimacing at the heaviness of his sea-soaked coat pressing into his skin. He flipped onto his back and managed to wiggle his way out of the offending apparel, flopping back exhaustedly when he was free.

His thoughts slowly trickled into something more coherent, and Bast began to assess his current predicament. With persistence he managed to crack open an eye, immediately raising a hand to shield him from the worst of the light.

It was clear he was on an island of sorts; where else could he be? The last known coordinates of The Harpy would have put them near the mainland itself, but this wasn't Nozaru. It couldn't be, for there had still been leagues between them at the time of the storm.

The storm.

In his last five years as a pirate, Bast had never seen anything like it. The ferocity reminded him of the stories about the Eternal Storm, but that phenomenon was constant. Fixed.

This storm has developed out of absolutely nowhere, and with little warning. Anyone would be hard pressed to survive…

Bast pursed his lips, thinking of the small fleet he'd become responsible for. His hand fell from its place as a makeshift shield, and he draped his arm over his eyes as if to hide from his grief.

Some time passed, and Bast roused himself at the realization that he must've slipped into a doze, because the sun was beginning to dip towards the sea.

‘I can’t wallow forever,’ he decided, groaning as he pushed himself up off the ground. His joints popped and he winced at the discovery of a particularly bad bruise on his shoulder, likely from where he'd caught himself against the cabin. He paid it no mind, instead turning to view the rest of the beach.

Remnants of The Harpy lie scattered about on the sand, and once again, Bast wondered how he had managed to survive–and relatively unharmed, at that. He found no traces of other survivors, but tried not to dwell on that.

Staggering initially, and then finding his footing, Bast began to walk the length of the beach. He hauled his coat over his shoulder, hoping it might yet provide some use if he had to spend the night in the elements. It looked to be an increasingly likely possibility as the pirate measured the horizon and discovered the small size of the island.

As he walked, he noticed a handful of wooden buildings. Abandoned buildings, he noted, eyeing the wear and decay in some places. ‘Does anyone inhabit the island?’ he wondered, regardless pleased to see some available shelter. No sooner did the thought flit through his mind than his nose detected an enticing scent. ‘Someone is cooking!’ Wide eyes landed on a thin column of smoke in the near distance.

He paused, surprise rendering him useless for a few seconds. His gaze flicked to the ocean and then back to the smoke, and he hoped intensely that the source was a living crewmate. Hells, he'd even take Epno right about now, because if it wasn't a crewmate… Well, most people didn't take kindly to pirates.

Bast felt for his leather scabbard, relieved to find his saber had made the washed up journey with him. Though it made him feel better to have it, the blade in no way changed the fact that Bast was in no condition to fight. Still…

His stomach rumbled, and he decided to take his chances. He was due some good luck, it seemed. He urged his still-stiff body towards the column of smoke, feet sinking into the sand with every tired step.

As he approached the tree line, the light from the fire became visible, drawing him in like a moth. Bast hadn't realized how cold he'd become, overtaken by evening shadows as they crept after the sinking sun. They seemed to pool into his damp clothes and snatch his body heat, and he shivered as the fire finally came into view–

And froze.

Because the figure sitting at the fire, happily gnawing away at a fish, was no crewmate. And they were no human, either.

The massive wings seemed to twitch in his direction, and Bast stayed very still as the eyes of the person settled on him at last.

His fingers firmly pressed into the fish, Arikani held it tightly as he took occasional bites from it, mulling over his next move. Quite frankly, he did not know what he was to do next. Perhaps he would try to make a hideout. After all, even if humans did seem to avoid the location, that didn’t mean that they couldn’t stumble upon it. Yes— he decided, he would probably explore further inland. He did not regard the fauna on this island as being dangerous to him, for they sensed his nature and gave him a wide berth.

He ran his tongue across his teeth, and that was when he saw it.

The wind had been blowing in a direction that was not favourable to detecting things from that direction. Even then, it wasn’t a harsh wind; a sharp contrast with the storm that had transpired not too long ago.
When his brain registered what he was seeing, his body stiffened, going still as he internally debated on this new issue.
Arikani was still, but it was simple for the other person to see that he was looking right at him. After all, once his eyes had shifted in that direction, he did not look away; hardly even blinking either. He was still holding the fish, which remained half eaten.

This — he had not accounted for. He may have gotten a bit too bold in his line of thought. His first encounter with a human that was not his mother, and at this very moment in time, Arikani had no clue what to do. He knew that, if things had gone differently, he would eventually come to Nozaru of his own will.
This was not Nozaru, and this was a different situation entirely.
Wracking his mind for ideas, Arikani felt like it was taking forever just for him to come up with something. Anything!

He relaxed his fingers, and the fish slid from his grip as he tilted his palms slightly, still holding eye contact. Then, in a sharp contrast to his previous slow actions, or lack of — Arikani would leap up onto his feet, wings briefly extending as though they were to fan out, but then pulling much closer to his form. Within a few seconds of this, there had been the soft sound of a click, as he readied his blade from its sheathe.

Honestly, he had no idea what he was intending for in this situation, but he had to do something. Arikani took a step forwards, staring down the human in silence.

The abrupt movement and glint of steel in the firelight guided Bast's hand to his saber before he could even think. Instincts built upon years and years of training, dueling, and raiding alike buzzed through his veins like a swarm of hornets, and he found himself taking a practiced step back.

Maintaining distance, testing his opponent's footwork. Readying for battle, despite the slight shake in his hand betraying his sorry state.

Except… That wasn't malice, there in the creature's eyes. That was surprise, same as his own. And no true creature would respond to a threat with a practiced sword hand, as opposed to the intimidating, draconic features Bast now began to recognize.

He'd never seen anyone like the man in front of him now. But he was a man–in part, at the very least.

And with that rapid flurry of thoughts, Bast quickly lowered his blade. "Wait," he rasped, his voice hoarse from all the seawater. "Wait." The second time was slightly stronger, more insistent, and he raised the palm of his free hand out in a gesture of peace.

"I am not here to harm you." He did not lower his saber entirely, still wary of being attacked, but he twisted his wrist so that the deadly end no longer faced the man-dragon.

Arikani had been going through his mind at a rapid pace, figuring out his own intentions. Could there be more humans? Would this one run to get the others?
It seemed not, for Arikani paused in thought when this one began to speak.

Of course, the human would sound…human. His mother was one, and he was half of one, and even his father had sounded like one when he looked like a human. Arikani wasn’t sure what he expected. His heart thudding in his chest, Arikani’s body was preparing itself for action. But the words registered.

Wait.

Arikani rarely liked to wait, but in this situation, for once, it seemed like the best action right now. He had yet to fully unsheathe his blade, even though a bit of the metal was visible. He did not pull it out further, deciding to hold still. In the light of the fire, his eyes were a clear giveaway if his tense, defensive body language was not enough — pupils thinned, focused.
The other man seemed cautious. Could he blame him? He had to remember — this is the first time he’s been seen by anyone in the known world. For while parts him looked like a man, others did not. And while Arikani was used to seeing unusual things, this human was not.

Arikani cocked his head to the side, still keeping his eyes on the man. He took a step to the side slightly, as if to peer behind him, but kept his distance.
I am not here to harm you. And as battle hungry he could be at times, Arikani saw no point in attacking people who had done nothing to him. He seemed to relax, his tail behind him swaying slightly.

“That’s not a good idea,” Arikani responds, his own voice sounding a bit odd to him as it’s been a while since he’s spoke, “Coming up on someone so late in the day like that. Good way to get hurt.” His voice was not as deep as what might be expected for something with such monstrous features, but on the lighter side. And though his words could be interpreted as a threat, they were not said in that manner. They seemed genuine.

He pauses, sniffing the air, then tilts his head to the other side. “Where did you come from?” He asks. As far as he knew, this place was devoid of humans, all of them long gone. “You..” Arikani lifts his chin, taking a step forwards, but not closing the distance between them, “smell like the sea.”

As the man-dragon relaxed, so too did Bast. He lowered his shoulders and loosened his grip on his saber, scoffing at the rebuke. "I think you'll find that I had little choice in the matter," he said in turn, keeping his tone light so as not to provoke any hostility.

He stiffened as the other stepped closer, scenting the air between them, though he did not move. "That's hardly surprising," he mumbled, and added, louder, "I'm afraid I've been shipwrecked. We were capsized in the recent storm and I must have washed up here. I thought…" Bast paused, swallowing past the grit in his throat. "I thought you might have been another survivor. But you're not," he said, studying the other intently. "At least not of my ship. So who are you?"

The manner in which he spoke the words indicated he'd much rather know what he was, but was far too wary of angering him to dare. He flirted with death; he did not court it.

“Ah.” Arikani’s eyes are still looking at him intently. There is no hostility in them. Occasionally, he does move his head; if a bird makes a noise or the fire crackles, he investigates his surroundings to that small degree. Overall, he remains faced towards the other man. “Yes, that was quite a bad storm, wasn’t it? Never have seen one of its kind before.”

The more he speaks, the more one might be able to grasp from the way he speaks. It’s casual, even for the situation at hand. While still on edge, Arikani does not feel very threatened at present. He believes in his ability to hold his own ground if he really has to.
“Shipwrecked?” He repeats, shifting his eyes up slightly to look at the water in the distance. By now, his pupils are less narrowed.
Arikani recalls having had to go under and around several ships on his way here. He’d seen a few small ones, but also some decent sized ones. “Had to be even worse out on the water…” He voiced his thoughts out loud in a murmur, once again thinking of the storm.

His eyes return back to focusing on the human. He gives his name readily, seeing no reason to hide it. It’s not like anyone will recognize him; not here, anyways. Even then, he thinks, it’s not like they would need a name to recognize him.

“Shouni Arikani,” Arikani introduces himself in a way that is common to the northerners of Nozaru — or to him, how his mother taught him to. Despite having not had to introduce himself for so long, he feels a tinge of pride of how smoothly his words came out. “You mentioned…crew?” He puts together the meaning of the words — my ship. While it conflicts with his interests of staying secret, Arikani can’t help but feel a bit curious. The man had expected to find someone else, or at the very least had hoped to.
Perhaps there are more survivors, elsewhere.

“Oh, yes. I gave my name, but I haven’t asked you yours..” He pauses. “What is it?”

"It was like nothing I had ever seen before," Bast agreed in a hollow voice, his eyes distant as if he were back on the rain-slick deck watching the impending doom wave crash overhead. He shook himself out of his reverie, sheathing his saber definitively.

This man-dragon–Shouni Arikani–didn't seem interested in attacking him, after all. Though, there was something about his accent, the name, that sounded somehow familiar… "My name is Bastian. Bast, if you prefer."

He had no last name to give. Legally, he supposed he could have taken on his father's name after leaving Taenan–but then, there wasn't much room for "legal" as a pirate, especially a wanted one. Bast-with-no-last-name was just fine with him.

It struck him then why the man-dragon's introduction seemed odd to him.

Bast dropped his coat on the ground beside him, then dropped rather gracelessly into a cross-legged position. His body felt numbed, sapped of all his energy, and he decided if Arikani did change his mind about attacking, at least he'd die comfortable.

"And yes, I have a crew. Or… I suppose had." His hands curled into loose fists around the fabric of his trousers, just above the knees. "My ship was one of nine. Each had thirty men to it. After the storm… Well, I'm surprised I've lived to tell the tale, but I couldn't help but hold hope."

There was a brief pause, and then Bast leaned forward. "You're from the mainland, aren't you? You speak like someone from Nozaru. I've not met many inhabitants, but I have spoken with a few refugees over the years." He hesitated, and decided to take a risk. "Forgive my curiosity, but… Well, are there others like you on the mainland?"

As a pirate he had, of course, adopted quite a superstitious outlook. Paired with tales of fancy and demonstrations of magic–well, Bast had thought he'd seen just about everything before that blasted storm. And now, this… Arikani.

He was certainly strange.

Arikani had removed his hand from his sheathe and plainly left both hands at his sides, as he too, ended up sitting down. The end of his tail curled slightly; the whole of it pulled close to him, as were his wings. He listened, putting the name to memory.
Had.
Of course, Arikani could relate to losing people. But he also had a feeling that the relationship he had with his parents was probably different with this crew that Bast had. He decided not to comment verbally on it, simply nodding to give the acknowledgment that he was listening.
“There are a number of islands in the area, from what I’ve seen. Perhaps some of your crew ended up elsewhere,” he suggested.

When he leaned forwards, Arikani lifted his head slightly, registering what had just been said. The mainland? Nozaru?
His mother was, and in part she taught him her way of speaking. For once he thought before he spoke — he wasn’t so sure about telling the full truth, then again…with the Eternal Storm, humans finding his homeland would be impossible. Did it matter if he spoke freely or not? Ultimately, he didn’t care so much about humans finding it, but rather, the individuals living there tying it to him — and that they’d certainly be on his tail for it.

So, he told a half truth.

“Actually, it was just my mother from the…mainland. I was born elsewhere,” he admitted, eyes shifting to the side. “I’m something of an anomaly, even where I come from.” There was a nice amount of truth to his words, and he didn’t quite lie— more so, deflect. He paused. A thing that Bast had mentioned captured his interest.
“Refugees?” Arikani questioned, looking back at the man. “From what?”

Bast's head tilted to the side, following the shift in Arikani's eyes. Intuition told him there was more to that story, but then his head tilted again, a little too far in his exhaustion, and he decided he was far too tired to pursue that avenue of conversation. To be frank, it was none of his business anyway.

"Well, everyone has something," he responded vaguely, leaning more weight onto his arms. It was true, everyone did have something. Although, normally it was an odd character quirk, dark skin, or hell, even abnormally strong magic. Normally it wasn't wings and a tail.

At Arikani's questioning tone, Bast raised an eyebrow. "Your homeland must be far away if you haven't seen them. Especially as close to the mainland as this island seems to be,” he pointed out, lifting his eyes to the outline of stars beginning to appear in the dusky sky. Some of the remaining tension in his shoulders released at the information he was able to glean from them.

He didn't push the matter of Arikani’s homeland any farther. Instead, he answered, “Refugees of the war. Surely you've heard about the war?” The question was meant to be rhetorical, but the genuine curiosity in Arikani's eyes was enough to make him pause.

“Nozaru civilians are fleeing the mainland. It's too dangerous for them to stay. Women, children, nobles, deserters–they all want to get as far away from the war as possible. Most of them, anyways.”