Taelesol of Kenterra

[SaarahWolffe]

The city of Lurelin was a place of much history. It grew from the village that the first Taelesol had been found -- a man from another world, the stories said, the first to tap into the divine weave -- and had been consecrated since the beginning years of the invasion. It is said that the grand tree which grows at the center of the city sprouted from where the First's sword plunged into the ground. The Forge was found beneath the World Tree. Every year, many hopefuls flock to the city center to offer their hearts to the Forge in hopes of being granted a Regios -- powered battlesuits made custom for each unique Taelesol, each chosen by the Forge and each granted a Regios of their own. The methods of the Forge are still unknown, but it is common knowledge that it is in some way alive.

This year, there had been a great turnout, as usual, and so too was a number of them found worthy. The vast majority left home with nothing changing. But for those who became Taelesol, they would become celebrities nigh-instantly. Indeed, any new Taelesol would find themselves inundated with requests from the various guilds that dotted Kenterra's landscape, hoping to bolster their ranks against the monsters and dungeons that popped up throughout the land.

But before any decisions were made, Lurelin threw a massive festival on the night after the Offering. The day also marked the arrival of the first Taelesol, a fact that many knew, but some still saw it as only legend. Drinks and food were abundant, festival games and aethertech shows were scattered around, and every citizen and visitor was welcome to join.

Ririn herself was a native, the youngest and runt of a litter of five. She lived in Lurelin all her life, rarely travelling away from her quiet suburb. And yet, she had finally worked up the courage to join the Offering, and she had been given her own Regios! And now she knew her life was going to change dramatically. Very dramatically.

For her part, at the moment she was idling away from the loud, boisterous crowds. She leaned back against a wall, petting her pandrylyr companion -- a large canine creature with feathered wings and horns. They were used often as mounts and battle companions, beasts of burden and the like. Alongside the Ridelings, Pandrylyr were one of the most common working animals around.

There was just a lot going on for Ririn. Perhaps she needed a little push to join in the festivities...

 

[Red-Scarlet]

Derra, meanwhile, was flexing her right arm. The rough prosthetic she had had before was gone, replaced with a blue-tinted Aether limb. "Well shit," she muttered to herself. "Maybe this was worth it." A few children, temporarily out of their parents' view, ran by, one of them pausing to stare.

"Your arm is cool, miss!" she told Derra.

The woman looked down at the kid. So innocent. So carefree. So pure and unbothered by all the shit of the world. Derra hadn't met anyone like that in quite some time. Before she could formulate a response, one of the kid's friends dragged her away. "Yeah... It is pretty cool," Derra said to herself. She extricated herself from the crowd, her appetite for interaction of the party variety gone. She found someone leaning against the wall-a short woman, with Hirde ears and Aer horns.

She leaned next to the woman, her own small stature none too impressive on first glance.

 

[wiki234]

The festival….again…..Alekirser would come out to see it and leave again with the obvious disappointment as everyone had but at least not to him anymore now that his body felt alot different than before but not knowing how yet as his jacket flowed and his mask covered only up to his mouth for a moment before pulling it up to hide his face into one of dark skin and six red eyes as he walked.

This face and outfit would be able to make him unknown for a time as he walked through the crowds in ignorance waiting for a purpose and at least some way of walking a new path he was given.

 

[Floofenstein]

Emily laughed as she spun, as she moved and danced through the crowd--not unkindly, more moving with the flow of people, there was a trick to it, yes? Feel the patterns and go with them, even when they were unexpected. How could she not? This festival was for her...Or, well, not her specifically, truly, but it was hard not to feel that way! After all, she was now Taelesol--The pilot (and owner?) of a Regios, all to herself. One of the chosen few, who just about everyone admired, who could fight off the Ur-hordes and bring safety to the land.

No pressure, right?

Well not yet, anyway. She was freshly minted and with no experience with her Regios to her name, one of a handful of individuals picked this (or any!) year, and she was already up to her hat in job offers. She'd not exactly turned them down, but she'd wanted some time to think and process (No matter how much she had hoped to joins the ranks of the Taelesol, she had never truly expected it to happen), so she'd danced away and said 'Maybe later' and then the festival! As good an excuse as any to avoid thinking about such things, and, well...

Maybe seeing the others chosen this year, seeing what they were doing. They didn't, necessarily, have to join a guild, it'd just help. Probably. But it might be good to stick with her fellow newly-minted Taelesol? Not that she knew where any of them were, at the moment, but...Details.

Another spin, another movement, not even touching the ground (magic! She liked to just float rather than walk, really...) and found herself at the edge of the crowd, for now, a hand going to her hat, keeping it in place as she looked around. Lights and noise and flashiness, ooo a food stall, games...People that way, much less people that way, including... two girls, leaning against a wall. One with an aethertech arm, the other petting her animal friend. They were...Familiar enough, weren't they? ...Had they been at the Offering? Should she go speak to them?

...Oops, looks like yes, hahaha. She was already floating in their direction, so she decided to take a proper look at them. One looked like a mix of Hirde and Aer, the other, human. Both small, but the Hirde/Aer seemed a lot more timid, and the other...mmmm, feisty, Emily would say. How best to approach them?

With a pretty smile and friendliness, of course! Float her way over and just gently set herself down in front of them. Her staff was away as usual, ready to be called upon at a moment's notice, so she was just a pretty girl with crystal eyes and a big hat, oh and crystal nails but they're been clipped and filed recently.

With a friendly, cheery, wave, she chirped a "Hello! Enjoying the festival?" All open and earnest--if not exactly honest, eyes taking them both in and trying to get a read on them, while looking just interested and excited.

 

[Aleksandr]

Becoming one of the Taelesol was suppose to be something of great honour. Something that children ran around, pretending in their imagination games of becoming one, fighting the Ur and protecting their families. Those who were chosen were meant for greater things. To be given the keys and tools needed to actually defeat the Ur. Sure, those mundane and regular fought on regardless, but they couldn't truly defeat an Ur. Not like a Taelesol can, not like a Regios could. The Regios were truly amazing pieces of machinery, the likes of what it seemed like no one could fathom. The Forge, worshipped like a deity onto itself, deemed people who were worthy of their blessing to rise up against the Ur. He remembered those times, now feeling a lifetime ago, of being one of those kids who only wanted the strength to become a hero.

With a long drag of the cigar that sagged down from the left portion of his mouth, he felt no different. Correction, he felt worse. To have ascended in becoming a Taelesol was hollow. If it had been six months ago, everything would have been perfect. But, now? There wasn't anything left in this world for him to protect. The Town of Rova was gone, an Incursion had spawned directly in the middle of town. It's people wiped out in the initial surgency of the Ur before a defense could be measured. Who was left held them back at an even greater cost until Regios could be mustered and close the portals. While the Taelesol spoke of a great victory, Darius and the survivors were left to pick up the pieces. The only piece he had left of the life he had been living was now kept safely within his breast pocket. And now after going to The Forge, it blessed him with deciding by whatever machinations that he would now be a Taelesol. Lady Fyre was a perfect representation of what Darius felt deep within his soul. It didn't resemble a humanoid suit like the rest; a pure weapon of war. That's all he was now, that was all that the Ur left him to be.

He absentmindedly touched his left breast where the only piece of his past remained. Eyes closed as he lowered his head in a silent prayer. That hand then took out the cigar from his mouth, killed the fire on the tip to place what was left in his other breast pocket. He wore a bluish-grey jumpsuit that was equally something a mechanic or a non Taelesol pilot would wear. The colours reflected that of the Rhedonian Federation, and any rank insignia had been ripped off. His lengthy hair kept in a rough ponytail to keep out of his way, bangs covering his hazel eyes quite well. His beard was unkempt, having not been groomed in some time, either in a fashion of not caring, or not having noticed. A deep breath, a heavy sigh, and a struggle to look back up at the festival in new light and eyes. A pleasantness look plastered onto his face. He couldn't show a truly happy or content look, as that died months ago. But, he could pretend that things were fine like the best of them. His steps took him around the festival to look. Food was always an easy means to take him out of the pit of his thoughts, and he soon found himself engrossed in various foods he had never heard of before, as the festival brought in all sorts of food and items throughout the world. He enjoyed the delicacies from those vendors from Aloran and Gyoxia as much as he could, wanting to keep himself from brooding too much of the past, no matter how much it had effected him.

 

[Red-Scarlet]

With a friendly, cheery, wave, she chirped a "Hello! Enjoying the festival?" All open and earnest--if not exactly honest, eyes taking them both in and trying to get a read on them, while looking just interested and excited.

"S'alright," Derra replied. "Lotta idiots getting plastered, but some of the people are decent."

She stood back up from her lean against the wall, and asked "What's your name? Wait, shit-you were there at The Forge. Fuck, that whole experience is just a blur," she added, involuntarily twitching her prosthetic fingers. The Aether extension had taken some getting used to, rewiring bits of her brain from electric nerve signals to be more magically inclined, and it had messed with her mind more than she had realized. "And you too. Guess this is the meeting spot for all us, huh?"

Derra took a deep breath, and gave a somewhat-forced smile. "Derra Flynn. You two?"

 

[Revelations]

One may assume that Nina was a dour, glum woman – between her dark attire and pale figure, hidden behind said cloths and a wider brimmed hat. They may also assume that she had wanted nothing to do with the festivities that were practically in her name. And if one thought either or both, they'd be wrong. Nina practically bounced as she saw the sight before her as she adjusted her hat and gave a wide, earnest smile. Carnival foods from around the world, friendly faces abound, and of course – her new companions. "Oi oi, what's the dour look for?" She asked Ririn, leaning in as her soft blonde hair framed her face.

"This is for us, I know it's probably a lot to take in…. But hey, look at it this way. There'll be no better time than now to enjoy what we've got going on here. This could be the only chance we really get to enjoy ourselves for a good while. Why don't we go find something to eat together, yeah?" While she waited for Ririn's reply, her eyes glimmered with a playful mirth to them, subtle as thoughts flickered through her mind. If Ririn showed any sign of accepting the offer, she'd soon find that Nina's hand would take Ririn's own, and she was more than happy to take the lead with a bit of a cheery tug.

 

[SaarahWolffe]

Like the others, Ririn's Regios was currently in storage within the undercroft -- where they would be held until the festival was over. Taelesol were meant to be the protectors of Kenterra, but even they could do stupid shit when drunk. For her part, Ririn didn't drink alcohol, but she was also just not the party type most of the time. A lot of people, lights, and noise. She had been working up her courage to head into the crowd when another few kin came to hang around her. She kept stroking her companion and offered a small smile when the others started talking.

"I'm Ririn," she said softly while looking between them all. "Sorry, it's been a while since I've been to the city proper... never really came for other offerings, it's so... energetic. And pretty..." but then another one -- named Nina? -- mentioned going to get something to eat, and Ririn couldn't help but smile a little. "I-It would be nice to taste some continental--" but before she could even finish, Nina had taken her hand and was pulling her into the crowd. She yelped and then giggled while following, her pandrylyr -- named Leison -- barked and plodded after them

 

[Floofenstein]

Hmmm, cheery people. Only somewhat sarcastic, this new one looked a bit dour but was all bright, this other one, Derra, seemed...hmmm, well, she knew how that got. And then the small one, Ririn(not that Emily was tall at all..), and...oh, being pulled off. Emily glanced at Derra and shrugged "I'm Emily, nice to meet you all." So these were her fellow Taelesol, chosen in the same year. Hm...It might be good to hold onto them, working as a group, one way or another, would be wise. She pushed herself off the ground to float after them, a few inches off the ground just because it really was more natural than walking, some days, and looked around.

"It is really energetic. I'm from a small village, moved to a big town when the Ur started being a problem, but I'm still a forest girl at heart. This can be a bit much, yes?" She said. Four of them...There'd been more at this ceremony, yes? At least one more who made the cut...