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Post by jessimyre on Oct 26, 2008 21:29:56 GMT -5
Here's something different and hopefully fun. With this RPG there is no plotline, no specified genre, no timeline and no Profiles!! We just start writing and make it all up as we go. Shape your character throughout the story. Use your imagination and please try to write detailed and leave openings for new twists and turns in your writing.
We'll have one character each, and you must write that character into your first post. ANY OTHER character written in will be an NPC that anyone can control or write for.
We totally make it up as we go along and please read through previous posts for clues to the location, time, situation, possible new developments etc.
For example in my first post below, we know that my character is male. He's not feeling at all well and it is hot, and daylight hours. We're in sand dunes but at this stage it is unknown whether it is the ocean or the desert. We also know that there is some form of other life around as there are tracks all around him and leading away from him.
Ready?? Lets go!
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Post by jessimyre on Oct 26, 2008 21:39:01 GMT -5
He blinked heavily and tried to open his eyes. He immediately wished he hadn't as his head pounded painfully and sand gritted heavily on his eyelashes. Taking stock, he discovered that he was whole, all four limbs still attached and he was clothed. After a minute he sat up and suprisingly, his head eased a little.
Squinting against the harsh sunlight he took stock of his surroundings. Nothing but sand as far as the eye could see. Before him, tracks meandered through the dunes although there was nobody in sight to make them. There were quite a few around him too.
He soon discovered that all he had were the clothes on his back. A filthy shirt, old torn pants, his boots. No water, no food. No idea where the hell he was. He got to his feet and swayed unsteadily for a minute before casting around for shade. He was burning, he coudl feel it and the sun was draining him of moisture so fast. He stumbled awkwardly down a dune and padded to the next before slumping down in the shade.
What a situation! He swore but that too, hurt so he fell silent again and closed his eyes, mulling over his limited options.
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Post by twilightblade on May 6, 2009 0:24:30 GMT -5
"What are you? A bandit or someone they left behind?" The words tumbled out of her before she could think to stop herself, but she was feeling just a bit weird. What other word to describe about-to-go-crazy? And all this sun. It didn't help that it was midafternoon.
The man had come stumbling over the top of the next dune, then plopped himself down in the best shade for miles. And she'd really been looking forward to that shade. Her lips were cracked and bleeding, she'd long ago shared out all of her water with her mare, and now, just when she'd seen the chance to get out of the sun before going on to water, this man showed up.
...Not that it was truely important, but it added a straw or three to the pile. She dropped to her knees, still staring down at the man from the top of the dune.
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Post by jessimyre on May 6, 2009 1:02:25 GMT -5
He snapped his eyes open at the croaked question. For a moment he just stared around and then finally realised the voice had come from behind - and above him. He squinted upwards awkwardly.
"Nope." he answered, "Just somebody really unlucky." his own voice was a rasp, his tongue felt thick in his mouth and even speaking felt like it was dehydrating him. He shuffled up to the edge of the shadow to make room for her and looked back again.
"Got any water?" he asked hopefully realising as he did it was a futile hope.
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Post by twilightblade on May 6, 2009 1:11:47 GMT -5
She tugged her mare forward and made her way carefully down to the bottom of the dune before answering. "No. Going to get some."
She studied the man closely for a moment, recognizing the signs of extreme thirst. Worse than hers, even. Well, she did have dried fruit. That would help him until they could get to the water. Without another word, she turned to the grey mare and dug into the saddlebags until she found the clump of sticky dates. Separating one, she eased into the shade next to him and held it out.
"It'll help," she mumbled around a bite of another date. "Water soon."
She shoved the hood of her cloak back to get a better look at him, squinting against the tiredness that pulled at her eyelids.
(um, what does he look like?)
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Post by jessimyre on May 6, 2009 2:23:40 GMT -5
"Thanks," he reached forward for the date, brushing the back of his hand against his sweaty forehead, brushing his light brown hair out of his eyes. He remained seated, gazing at the horse with dark blue eyes, remembering something.
"I used to have a horse." he said, struggling to recall the details but images were hazy. "A bay. Taller than yours though, so he could balance me better because of my height." he added unnecessarily, she would clearly see that he was tall.
He scratched at three days worth of stubble on his chin as he then scanned the dunes.
"Where will you get water?" he asked.
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Post by twilightblade on May 6, 2009 15:11:49 GMT -5
She pulled the hood of her cloak back over her tightly braided red-brown hair. "A mile on." Her own black eyes flicked to a point just beyond the man's shoulder, a shoulder that, if he were standing, would reach her chin.
"Maybe your horse went there, if the bandits didn't get him. First place my mare would go to, if I wasn't here." She pushed herself to her feet, holding back an involuntary groan as bone and muscle creaked. She was young, but going without water for long enough would make anyone feel old. "Come on. You can hold onto Zuleika's other stirrup until we get there."
She squinted up at the sun even as she led the grey mare forward. "There's no point waiting for the sun to go down with the shape we're in."
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Post by jessimyre on May 6, 2009 16:52:13 GMT -5
"Thanks." he mumbled, standing up such an effort. He took a tight hold of the mare's stirrup leather to support himself.
As they began to walk forward he asked; "What's your name?"
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Post by twilightblade on May 7, 2009 0:04:03 GMT -5
Zuleika swung her head around to sniff at him, and she patted the mare and started her forward at an easy walk with a soft word. Gripping her own stirrup, she reached over her mare's shoulder to offer the man another date. "Call me Anika. That name's as good as another."
The mare's ears flicked back at the sound of her voice to listen as she went on, forcing the words out between swollen lips. "Who are you known as, hereabouts?"
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Post by jessimyre on May 7, 2009 18:31:27 GMT -5
"Anika." he murmered for a moment, liking the sound of it.
"Er," he paused, struggling to remember. "I'm... I'm not sure. I can't remember." he mused, struggling to make his hazy brain work.
"I remember the name John. But I don't know if that is me." he said.
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Post by twilightblade on May 12, 2009 23:10:03 GMT -5
Anika shrugged. "That doesn't matter...John. If its a name, it will work as well as another."
She coughed. All this talking was just making her throat drier. She bit into another date and offered John another of the fruits. "Not too much farther..." she mumbled, staring into the heat waves as they crested the next dune. There was the shadow she was lookng for. The grey-green of desert plants near water.
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Post by jessimyre on May 17, 2009 19:23:12 GMT -5
John, the name felt comfortable enough, stumbled over the dunes, trying not to tax the horse too much with his weight. He accepted the date gratefully, choosing not to waste any more energy or moisture talking for the moment.
He squinted against the sun, it was ahead of them now so they must be travelling east. Ahead he could make out an area of faded plantlife and guessed that was where they were headed.
It seemed an age before the reached the short stubby bushes and the lone tree but the horse began to speed up, she could smell the water close by. When they reached the little rock pool, John sank to his knees thankfully and leaned in greedily sucking at the water. It was the sweetest liquid he'd ever tasted.
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Post by twilightblade on May 18, 2009 14:47:53 GMT -5
Anika stood back, patting Zuleika to calm her while the man drank. "Careful," she murmured as she led the mare around to the other side of the pool. "Don't drink too much at first. Your body won't be used to it."
She untied five of her water bottles and set them beside the small spring before going to the other side of the mare and untying the rest. They chunked dully into the sand that had blown itself into the sparse growth around the water and she lowered herself down next to them and began to fill them one by one.
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Post by jessimyre on May 26, 2009 19:06:58 GMT -5
Trying hard to heed the good advice, John slowed down and eventually stopped although he'd very much like to have drunk the pool dry. He heaved a sigh of relief as he splashed the cold water over his face and neck. He shook his head, the ends of his hair now wet, flicking water droplets much like a dog after a bath.
"Thanks again." he said feverently, "You probably saved my life."
He sat up and looked around, the endless dunes stretching as far as the eye could see. He sighed. Somewhere there had to be a way out. His memories were hazy, insubstantial. A dull grey mist where his history should have been.
He stretched and then noticed he was very sore.
"Ow." he said involuntarily, realising his shoulders and ribs were aching. As soon as he realised this they began to burn, the pain stronger for having thought about it.
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Post by twilightblade on Jul 17, 2009 21:25:30 GMT -5
Anika shrugged and finished filling the water bottles, carefully taking no notice of the man's actions. "I saw what might be your horse's tracks. He is the only one without the weight of a rider, and he is following a set of five other tracks. I do not think he is being led." Pausing, she took a slow swallow of water, letting the cool wetness soothe her parched lips and throat. "We shall follow. Zuleika is a good mare, but cannot take both of us for long." She let her black eyes rest on the man, and drank again before offering a small handful of dates.
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Post by jessimyre on Jul 18, 2009 21:33:16 GMT -5
"Sure, sure." John answered absently, raising his shirt to investigate the source of the pain.
His torso was covered in ugly bruises. Fresh. His side ached painfully, cracked or broken perhaps.
"Looks like somebody gave me a good seeing to." he said. His head ached afresh. "Or I came off the horse." he speculated. He was a little shocked at the violence the bruises and marks over his body portrayed. No wonder he couldn't remember, he must have had a pretty bad blow to the head too.
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Post by twilightblade on Jul 31, 2009 16:47:00 GMT -5
Anika almost dropped the dates but recovered herself and set them aside, then pulled out what she had in the way of medicine. "That...those don't come from falling off a horse." She held out the pouch. "Add water to this and spread it on the worst." She frowned and shifted around to see his back. "I'll help. You can't reach all of them."
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Post by jessimyre on Jul 31, 2009 19:01:16 GMT -5
"Thank you." John answered, taking the pouch and dipping it into the water. He mixed it with a stick and put it on the ground, grabbing a handful of the mushy substance and began rubbing it on his side, wincing as he neared the injured ribs.
"What is it?"
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Post by twilightblade on Aug 25, 2009 21:53:16 GMT -5
Anika dipped up some of the medicine on her fingers, moving aside the cloth of his shirt with her free hand and gently working it into the bruises on John's back. "It's herbs."
She caught his hand with her own medicine-daubed fingers and movedi t away from his ribs, then continued to spread it over the injured skin. "You have to put it on carefully." She tapped his fingers. "Put that on the brusies on your face."
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Post by jessimyre on Aug 26, 2009 0:36:53 GMT -5
John complied, hoping that the mixture would soon ease the pain. He was already feeling better from having a drink and the dates to eat, it seemed the combination had renewed his strength a little. And he'd need it. As he dabbed the concoction on his face he took the opportunity to gaze around at the arid desert landscape, doing his best to ignore the painrul twinges when Anika pressed a little too hard on his back and sides.
"Where are you headed, Anika?" John asked his new companion. "I don't want to distract you from your purpose."
Whilst he waited for an answer he leaned forward to cup some water in his hands and then splash it into his face. Another couple swiftly followed, over his head and neck until the dried blood was washed away along with the worst of the dirt. He felt better already.
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Post by twilightblade on Sept 12, 2009 17:43:59 GMT -5
Anika worked silently through John washing up in the water, then leaned back with a sigh as she finished rubbing in the herb mixture. "I'm going for the other side of the desert," she replied at last, rising back to her feet and walking back over to the mare, who had moved to the water and was drinking deep. "But I have already said we shall go after your horse first." She patted Zuleika's neck and the mare raised a dripping nose and nudged her gently, wuffling at her hair.
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Post by jessimyre on Sept 13, 2009 18:53:41 GMT -5
"I imagine that is a long and dangerous road for you." John said, curious but not wanting to pry if the subject was too personal for Anika to talk about.
"Do you have a map or compass to guide you?" genuine curiosity now, however Anika was navigating through the shifting sands he needed to know so that he would be able to find a way out too.
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Post by twilightblade on Sept 23, 2009 17:34:05 GMT -5
"Don't need them, but I have them." She glanced over at him, face shadowed by her hood. "I've been this way before."
She started to repack the water bags, leaving two attached to her own belt. The mare wuffed and tossed her head but stood solidly as Anika shifted the saddle and pack to be more comfortable and wiped her down with a wet cloth.
"Your horse is a bay, right? I saw some hair caught on the brush."
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Post by jessimyre on Sept 24, 2009 4:08:10 GMT -5
"Yes, I think so." John answered. "I can't remember exactly, but I think he was bay." He got to his feet, shouldered some supplies so there was less burden on horse and woman and sighed, gazing around at the bleak desert once more.
"Which way?" he asked, there was nothing for it but to trust to Anika - a complete stranger - to get him to a safe place.
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Post by twilightblade on Sept 30, 2009 1:02:22 GMT -5
Anika shrugged, then pointed into the desert. "North. The next water is that way." Patting the mare's shoulder, she glanced over at him and held out her hand. "I'll take those supplies. We will take turns riding. You're injured, so ride Zuleika for a while."
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