Night, Ocean, Woods

A collection of things pertaining to me and mine, mostly tracker.
I'm Ray, sometimes hyper always nerd.
Draw a bit digitally, play TTRPGs, garden, do some other arts and crafts on occasion.
I like cats and eldritch thing'o'the'woodsey stuff.
Have a bit of the tisms and get way too excited about RP and regional mythology.
Full of occasionally obscure references.

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For a beautiful friendship. Everything on this list is what I need for comfort, and what you can expect from me.
Any rules established will work both ways.

• Consistency; Big Thing for me.
If we're doing a thing together that we both want, I would like for it to happen somewhat reliably;
(Doesn't have to be super rigid like 'every Wednesday at 20:14 sharp', more like 'once or twice a week, a Thing happens on most weeks', you feel me?)
If we're no longer doing a thing together, I would like to know. I utterly loathe being left hanging in a limbo of 'maybe someday';
I will respect different ways of life, but if there is no consistency, or commitment -
then please do not expect any high stakes, or prolonged plot involvement;
I would rather not grow a deep, close or highly involved plot arc at the risk of it being suddenly abandoned;
Plus, reliable routine helps me plan time of my life efficiently.

• Communication; if you're uncomfortable, tell me; if I think I've made you uncomfortable, I may ask to check in for whether I did;
I cannot read your mind, I cannot always pick up the indirect hints.
I do not believe in the infinite discard of people, that objectifies the people, I will try not to discriminate in RP even if I don't vibe with someone;
If you want to abandon a thing, I will be upset for a little while, and then I'll get over it and respect you even more for being honest;
Nobody is perfect, or always graceful, healthy comms are hard but important.

• Collaboration; input and ideas are very welcome. Let's hype each other up by contributing;
I like things/consequences to make sense, I like playing with character limitations, I like character consequences;
My jam and main flavor is 'overcoming adversity, through effort, despite limitations - or failing to do so';
HOWEVER, I also need to feel comfortable in writing higher stakes; I will rely on not being jumped with a plot;
I do have things that I'd rather avoid for certain characters, and things I'm not comfortable with, that I will do my best to communicate;
Note: I do not want to pull the plot and appreciate creativity to be shared; however, I am unfortunately used to (and it doesn't go unnoticed) pulling the brunt of it, which is why I tend to automatically gear for being in control of the narrative/give expansive setups.

 

[Walter Thornley]

Walter Thornley-Von Bremen Baron | Obscurata A resolute heir to the Thornley legacy. Resilient, willful and melancholic. Duty-bound. Once a prodigal talent, can never weave again. Where: North Ilica primarily Looking For • Friendships/Contacts with other scholars and hunters • Adventures and Exploring • Rare sharers in desperate attempts to unwind Other Plots: • Expedition to the North and Mountains (his journal) The Land | The Family Wanteds​

Collegial Curiosities CORRESPONDENCE | Winter-Summer 350 E.O.D. | With Cerridwen Castille ○ Not All Fiends Come From Shroud COMPLETED | Autumn 349 E.O.D. | With Trevor ○ Glitterwake GROUP | Spring 350 E.O.D. | With Other Guests ○ Blur COMPLETED | Summer 350 E.O.D. | With Anira Verseheart The Damage Roots Can Do ARCHIVED | Summer 350 E.O.D. | With Leysa Caretarius​ The Regnant Remains OPEN | Summer 350 E.O.D. | With ???​

*nuked Laric threads: Follow me into Folly, Summer Wine [M], Trouble at the Gate [M]

 

[Walter Thornley]

THE LAND​

Bremen is a semi-fortified town, the larger settlement in the hold, with the Thornley estate situated closest and further down the coastline. The province under the same name sports an array of towns and hamlets and a network of garrisons to help keep the border areas secure.

The valleys are lush and colorful, a good dozen of small streams running to the ocean, the Cridhefal river threading through the town of Bremen from the east.

Home to the evergreen oak groves in the north-east, black-bark acacias in the west and mollusk farms by the southern shoreline, where stark white limestone cliffs descend to fishing bays. The local breed of peregrine swallows make their home in smaller divots.

The waters below are a jewel-blue hue in the sun, and are especially picturesque combined with the shifting palette of grasses atop the cliffs through the seasons, as well as teal patterns of stone-molded underwater riffs for coral and mollusk farming.

The primary exports are two distinct types of wheat, one used for delicacy baked goods and forming an especially smooth texture; the light reddish-brown evergreen oak lumber that is especially sturdy and, due to the peculiarity of its sap, almost fireproof - at the trade-off of being very heavy and extremely hard to use in unskilled woodwork; a very limited supply of perfect amber-hued pearls; and, finally, sourwisp - a light sour-hot spice produced from a special treatment method of the bloom pistils from the local breed of hybrid apple trees.

The local farmers commonly use golems in the approximate shape of corresponding animals for ease of labour, and dedicated clinics are arranged in hamlets every ten-mile away from Bremen. Common folk are well provided for when it comes to quality of life, and the general bountiful yields from the land have allowed to keep taxation decently low, even once the golem technology degraded in the past couple decades.

The local choice of cavalry mounts are drakehorses - smooth-furred, broad-chested creatures with elongated, conical muzzles of lizard omnivors, long reptilian tales and narrow paws instead of hooves. While slower than some breeds, these mounts are enduring and especially agile, standing the lower risk of injury when climbing steep, slippery or uneven terrain. Twenty years ago, a notion was in the air that there would finally be a concerted effort for breeding the creatures for trade - after the uncertainty and scandal on the inside of the Thornley household in regards to the departing heir, the notion faded.
However, the newest head of the family seems inclined to change it, as well as many other things in regards to the long abandoned affairs of the barony.

The land perseveres, in its own mostly self-sufficient echo-cavern, too small of a territory to bother with conquest, and too large to dissipate into the neighboring provinces.

THE LAWS​

There are some region laws, specifically:

• Any unknown vessel in adjacent waters is to carry a blue lantern at night; the local serpentine sea predators seem agitated by regular lanterns;
• Harvesting of amber pearls, sourwisp and evergreen oak is forbidden without a permit signed by the baron;
• Slaughter of drakehorses without Bremen magistrate permission is forbidden;
• Any night traveler has to carry a lantern, at the risk of being cleansed by the Hunt;
• Creatures of humanoid likeness that stalk the night are to present themselves to the baron, or be cleansed by the Hunt;

The land used to have the additional military unit referred to as The Hunt - while the settlement guards were mostly trained from the local militia and most of the time would oversee the local petty criminals, The Hunt used to be specifically trained by the noble family in monster hunting. During the latest 'proper' patriarch's rule, the practice has died down, in part due to the diminishing resources.

THE HISTORY
​

The land was granted to Meinrad the Magnificent, appointed the surname Thornley, several generations ago, of a single town, several farming hamlets, and corresponding acres.

Given Meinrad's occasional sightings at the family's estate long before his supposed death, about once per generation, rumours are strong about the man suceeding in certain alchemical pursuits; his current whereabouts, if true, are unknown.

Since Meinrad first went missing, just as vivacious at the age of 85 as he was in his golden years, generations of Thornley-von Bremens have been pursuing sorcery or military careers in an attempt to maintain the family name. However, part of that emphasis legacy has come to focus on the 'Thornley look' - a particular set of features with pale complexion, blue eyes and jet-black hair - to the point where some marriages, including the most recent one of Victor Thornley and Beatrice, were based on the spouse's looks as well as sorcerous potential rather than traits of character, wealth, citizenry or political power.

 

[Walter Thornley]

THE FINERY​

❝ ℕ𝔼𝕄𝕆 ℙ𝕆𝕋𝔼𝕊𝕋 𝕊𝕌ℙ𝔼ℝ𝔸ℝ𝔼 ❞​

'None shall overcome', the creed of the Thornley clan carries immense pride, though its origins are largely unknown.

The family largely leans to silver jewelry and weaponry, save for the ornate signet ring - the artifact of the family head, and the crest-engraved dagger - the token of the heir.

Some of this love for silver seems to be carrying an occult meaning, however, most of the remaining bloodline may spin the often worn blue and silver as representing the sea and the cliffs as means of their land's prosperity and safety; or the sky and the silver clouds, to denote ambition.

Their private parties, held twice a year at the mid- to late autumn, and likewise in spring, seem to follow a tendency of issuing invitations to known scholars and some... other, less savory sorts, in order to exchange the knowledge and contacts to further the family's collection of unusual magical items and manuscripts on the theory of arcane.

There used to be more of the clan besides Meinrad's line, and the reasons behind how they ended up in Bremen and from whence they originally came gives the family a light fleur of mystique.

Not to mention the amount of secret passageways, singing floors, silver-lined door handles and the rumoured ritual room hidden somewhere in the undercroft...

THE REPUTATION​

While not particularly rich and not generally on the radar when it comes to larger political power, wealth or influence in the social circles, the Thornleys have largely been known for their keen aptitude in secrets, especially so various researches of occult nature. Allegedly, somewhere in the depths of the estate, there is a hidden library with tomes of all kinds, enveloping forbidden sigils, hexes and a variety of aberrations spawning from those in search of immortality.

Back in Meinrad's age, which the man's own history has made quite vague, Thornleys used to be monster hunters, arming themselves with alchemy, sorcery, and a variety of artificer contraptions in order to weed out and annihilate any and all abominations and monstrous things putting the living at risk, especially so the undead.

These days, after the scandal between then patriarch of the family and the heir apparent, the twin daughter then taking over but refusing any marriage proposals that seemed inadequate, the family's reputation is somewhat strained. There are many who think they aren't the presence that once commanded respect, having degraded into a negligible fading bloodline at the edge of the world - and the return of the heir has only marginally improved the attitude.

THE LEGACY
​

Noble occultists. Monster hunters. Secret keepers.

The crest of Thornley family is a silver fox who would not be caught by the monsters lurking in the shadows, and the briar that stalled the pursuit and bled them pale.

Heirs to the family are educated with utmost precision, and a duty to uphold the family tradition as hunters of things that stalk in the dark, whether it is framed by the woods, mountains, or city streets. To that end, occult theory is drilled into them alongside aristocratic education, and 'humane' values are ingrained until they become part of their personalities. They are taught to conceal the family's past, present the promise of a dignified future - and, above all, not involve themselves into the affairs of the state.

Thornleys are no strangers to fringe theories in sorcery, either, pursuing a cosmic understanding alongside extensive research to their hereditary enemy - a certain clan of strange Shroudweavers from the far north that has been hunting them into extinction, methods turning more subtle the less of them remained. They are a weapon that is most effective when pointed at a monstrous threat than inside politics.

Unfortunately, that reserved attitude left them with the only resort of retaining social power being arranged marriage - and the latest one of Walter Thornley with Laetitia d'Aullimont being no longer under consideration, it would seem that the family is bound to fade for good.

FAMILY (living)​

Dolores Thornley Walter's twin sister, thirdborn.​ As sharp as her brother, who knows if she bore a grudge even understanding that they never asked for the duty on them, and that neither was free no matter who was named heir and who was taught alongside as a spare. Went through the same gruelling, sheltered education. After Walter's departure and their father Victor falling increasingly sick over the years, has been acting as a de facto heiress, managing land and the affairs alongside the wizened and elderly majordomo Garrick and head maid Anthea. For any faults she may have, she loves her family, to the point where she may show less resolve in harsher decisions pertaining. Still unmarried, the common notion is - for lack of a prospect that would advance the family.
Richard Thornley Older brother, firstborn. Not Heir.​ By Victor's whimsy, Richard was not named heir to the Thornley legacy - and never got to learn the secrets of the family and the Hunt. All for his looks. He loved his siblings, once, and lack of understanding of just what kind of chained down future he'd evaded has escaped him most of his youth. Even now, he still acts in rebellion, getting into trouble, drinking, whoring and gambling until he is once more coaxed to return home. Since they gave him this 'freedom', he's going to use it until it rips open. He is loyal to his family, but doesn't take them seriously, not to mention nurses a major festering grudge. Compensates for the permanently pinched pride by being angry and full of himself. Has brown hair and hazel eyes, like their father and unlike his siblings.
Meinrad von Bremen the Magnificent, Riftcleaver.​ The first Thornley, the progenitor of the last surviving branch of the bloodline. He should be dead by now, long since, and yet,he'd come to visit with the most recent generation, posing as their grandfather on the mother's side. After providing the heirs with rare insights on the weaving and occult theories, Meinrad has departed, allegedly to his Shroudweaver mistress who'd briefly been sighted alongside him. Nobody knows her name, or where they'd gone. The fact remains, that Meinrad von Bremen should not be alive.	​

 

[Krava'quiloor]

Krava'quiloor of the Ascended Creed Healer-Grafter-Molder | Benevolent | Stranger Thing​ not an elf, maybe never was; weaves living matter only; eating people? unconfirmed; Where? Currently, Altalusia Looking For • A job, a guild, a court; • Those in need of a fleshweaver; • People to protect her, paid or otherwise; • Unlikely friends.​

And It Sounds Just Like A Song ⟡ LOST | 350 E.O.D. | With Anira Verseheart Design Fallacies ⟡ COMPLETED | 350 E.O.D. | With Momoshiro Komori Drums in the Deep ⟡ COMPLETED | 350 E.O.D. | With Momoshiro Komori​ The Roe of Stranger Tides ONGOING | 350 E.O.D. | With Syr Osytha​

 

[Vincent Brezat]

Vincent "Captain" Brezat Mercenary Captain | Large Prey Enthusiast | Cazadore​ Ruddy Bastard. Son of a Bitch. Red Dragon. Mad Dog. His love and passion is for the variety of violence he inflicts. He is truly living his best life. Where? Mostly Ilica, but can travel anywhere for a contract;​ Looking For • People to run into, all kinds! • People to run through, all kinds! • Contracts for the Black Dog Company aka The Pack; (small, exceptional special operations & tactics group of about 150) • Personal Contracts; (monster hunting, people hunting, a challenge) • Hemomancers and Alchemists; Other Plots: • A Den To Make Their Own​

A Cazadores Dream With Dazkar, Garrod Arlette So, Come Here Often? With Xenovia​

 

[Song]

Scholar Wen Xiansu Courtier | Medicine Man | Shapeshifter Soft, stunning beauty. Man of many talents. Lover of art and silver. Where? Anywhere. Looking For​ Patrons for his particular sets of skills; All kinds of contacts for his network; Owed favors, amiable faces; Clients, for medicine, art, or other things; Appreciators of music and dancing; Other Wants A place of his own in his home's style; A comfortable life under someone's wing.​

Flying Low Where Feather Falls Crimson Stain and Silver Courtesy A Brilliant Plume Creeping Jade Mists​

with Azurul Kanak with Duscan the Bastard with Lila Lacrimosa with Fray OPEN​