#swordsong

Context:

Kaylaster (MotW): Kayla Rhodes and Aster Beauchamp

Kayla (she/her) is an Initiate in the Order of Sen-Set, 23 from New Zealand. Adopted by Sam and Karina Rhodes when she was 6, she was trained by her mother to be a Striker of the Roh clastic Py. After their passing, Kayla becomes ordained and is eventually assigned to Vil Bliye, Louisiana, where she moves at 21.

Aster (they/occasional she) is the head of the Vil Bliye chapter beneath the library. At 27, they are extraordinarily young for the position and an extremely talented Adder of the Roh clastic Hyd.

Swordsong: Samarine Toulha and Koenig Skroos

Sam (she/her) is a bard of some level lol, 25ish likely, half-elf, who played in a bar called The Tattered Nancy when she met Skroos and got swept up in a gang war more or less.

Skroos (he/him/they) is a Samurai5/Barb3, 29 y/o human dipshit who’s been struggling his whole life to progress past the voices of ancestral ghosts in his head, to limited success. He’s lived a long life already, and even had a few year stint as a pirate (technically speaking lol), but now loves cooking, and fights hard when he has to.

Happily Buried: Gormley and Mychelia Molster (formerly Gormchelia)

Gormley (he/him) is (was) a Celestial Warlock 9, 36 (66) y/o fallen Aasimar, who had died in a plague along with his town and wife, only to be resurrected 30 years later to hunt for an item for a celestial patron of the Lunari, Belas. (Same universe as Athrun/Ophelia).

Mychelia (she/her) is also a Celestial Warlock (likely 11?), 37 (67) y/o orange Tiefling, who died in Eigle right beside her husband, and was also resurrected, only she was brought back 6 months before Gormley, and she has no memories of her life before resurrection.

Snowfox: Omi Pel’Diaga and Kara Crystok

Omi (she/her) is a Moon Druid 8, who’s a 19 y/o half-elf from the small town of Dublet. She began training in natural magic under Vilde Moag in order to transition, and dated Kara from 16 until their breakup when she was 19. This prompted her departure from the town and into the world. 

Kara (she/her) is a human, 19 y/o, and the daughter of Dublet’s mayor. She has ambitions to be the mayor herself one day, and broke Omi’s heart deliberately to get her out of the toxic environment that Dublet had created around her. Not a good person, at all. But very much in love with Omi while they dated

Eclipse: Imogen Stramberg and Morgan Arbore

Gen (she/her) is a Light Cleric 5, 24 y/o Kalashtar, who follows Il Yannah (the path of light), and subtly hopes to see

Her childhood friend and crush Morgan again. She has a decently high charisma and is strikingly pretty, and is also 6’4” tall lmao

Morgan (she/her...?) is...something I don’t know yet! And probably 24-25 y/o, Kalashtar as well (unless something has happened off camera…). She grew up with Gen in Saxondale and never felt happy. So she pushed the pair to become Kalashtar with the help of a strange woman, and the two departed at 16, only to become separated and never see each other again (so far).

Photosynthesis: Gen and Rosie

Gen, in her travels, came across a little flower and alchemy shop in the depths of a dark city called Zol’Thalas. The shop is run by Rosie, and has an artificial sun in the back room for the plants. Gen loves visiting, both for the warmth of the sun, and for the warmth of its owner.

It had happened on a night when they were alone. Reg had gone to bed, and the bar was empty and quiet. They had gone about their cleaning as usual, and as usual, had goofed around like children as they did. Not quite sober, Sam found multiple opportunities to bump and nudge his shoulder, and Skroos had found plenty of subtle chances to undo her cleaning. And as they would do on nights like this, things escalated, and the shells of the adults they were began to crack away to let the children out, and they pushed and teased more and more, until Sam had stolen Skroos’s towel, and he’d chased her around the empty barroom, desperately quiet to not wake their boss.

He was faster, and she knew it. So she weaved around tables, hopelessly giggling as she watched him scamper like a puppy on ice between the chairs before he finally got a hand on her waist and managed to pull her back into his arms to wrestle the cloth from her hands. She had wiggled and squirmed against his grip and refused to give up, laughing and cursing him as he tightened down and held her in place, until their laughter had faded out, and it was just the two of them standing with their bodies pressed together, feeling their heartbeats begin to settle and synchronize. He had rested his chin in her hair as she calmed, whispering things only she would ever hear; empty threats that suggested outcomes she would almost have preferred should she keep his towel. And then they were still, standing alone in their contact.

It was Skroos that broke first. He had coughed and chuckled again, easing his grip around her waist, and suggesting they go to bed, as to not wake Reg. She had nodded some form of agreement, and felt a coldness as he backed away to put his towel in the kitchen. She had watched him move, and felt the change in her feelings for him then and there, directly.

They walked up stairs, side by side, still laughing about some joke or whatever, until they got to their respective rooms across the small hallway. He’d looked at her for a long moment after saying goodnight, and eventually he smiled that smirky little half smile of his and waved and turned to open the door.

And she felt herself move and speak before she could stop herself. “Hold it, big guy,” she’d called, catching his wrist quickly. And as he turned around to see her, she stepped up on the tips of her toes and pushed her lips deep onto his. The shock and surprise kept him still for a good moment, and she savored the feeling, closing her eyes and resting her hands on his chest as she showed him affection he’d never gotten to know. A second or so went by before his arms wrapped around her and held her as gently and securely as he had downstairs, and he did his damndest to kiss back.