Location [Alvadas Location] The Gaping Maw

[Terag]

30th of Summer, 516 AV Terag went over everything he had in his head, once more. He was worried he had left something on the boat, but as far as he could tell he had everything with him. At the very least he knew he had his warfork, since it was in his right hand and he was using it as a make-shift walking staff for the time being. The butt of the weapon did well enough to hold its place in the ground, not that he needed the assistance walking but it made carrying the weapon easier at least. He looked forward again, rather than on the road deep in through, and he finally saw what he was supposed to be approaching. A stone face, pretty well made too. This was what he was supposed to come and see, though Terag still felt a bit unsure. He watched it stare back at him, and for a moment Terag believed it was just his imagination. But there was something more behind it, and all bets were off when the structure began to speak to him. "“You have come in search of the City of Illusion. Tell me, stranger, why are you here?”" Terag thought for a moment before responding. "I just want to see what is inside, perhaps buy something new. Mostly here because I was curious." He waited for a long moment, during which Terag thought that perhaps his answer was not sufficient? That would put a damper on things. Thought eventually the face opened up and allowed Terag entrace. With a smith he made his way through, the sounds of his steps fading into the sound of the city beyond as he walked.

[Hollis]

30th of Summer, 516 AV Hollis' bones hurt. She had been walking for quite a while, her feet aching and her back begging for a break--but not to be broken. She had secured her current body only two days before; it was fresh, taken by illness and thrown away: truly a lucky hapchance. But the body was small and weak in stature, and there was almost no muscle on the vessel to begin with. Add walking for a day and a half straight to the mix, and that equaled an exhausted Nuit. She looked above her and there it was situated: a giant face, one looking directly at her. Looming, powerful, and absolute. "You have come in search of the City of Illusion. Tell me, stranger, why are you hear?" The sound of its voice sent slow, crawling shivers down Hollis' spine, shivers that seems to resonate throughout her body for ages. She looked up at the Giant with solemn expression. "I know not what I seek, other than shelter, companionship and beauty." The Giant seemed to take its time contemplating Hollis' answer, then finally something that sounded like a chuckle came. Soon after, the Giant opened its mouth and Hollis was allowed entry.

[Kawari Newid]

1st of Summer, 516AV

Waves lapped gently at the ship's side, a sturdy vessel that plowed through the water at a steady pace. Although they had departed late from Syliras and had been slowed a few days from a lack of wind, the ship sailed on in a rather timely fashion. Soft breezes coated the deck in a pre-dawn coolness that brought both a chill and a sense of promise for the day to come. A small form, just shy of two feet in length huddled atop some cargo that was secured on the deck, its muzzle resting on the ship's rail, while the wind rustled its thick fur. Warm brown eyes stared hungrily at the coastline as they approached, scanning for the signs of the city that the young kelvic had heard of, whispered among travelers who had visited the Syliran Bazaar. A city that was bizarre yet wonderful, beautiful yet strange.

As a faint light crested the horizon, the city known as Alvadas drew into sight... or at least, a huge wall with something that resembled a near impossibly large, smiling head. While the ship approached the docks, Kawari swiftly returned to her sole piece of luggage, her backpack, and shifted back into her human shape, while those around her began to rouse themselves. Nearly as quickly as she could change shape, she was dressed, packed, and back on deck, her curiosity binding her eyes to the face of stone, which had grown more realistic with the ship's approach.

Her whole body thrummed with anticipation as the ship moored to the docks, and when allowed, the Kelvic hurried off the lowered plank, barely restraining herself from jumping over the last few feet. With her gaze trained on the increasingly realistic face, Kawari approached the wall eagerly, though with a touch of wariness at the unnatural monument before her and with a sense of unease, as though it was observing her in return. 'I wonder if I could sculpt such a marvel,' she wondered with a shiver.

Before long, she stood directly before the stone edifice. The closer she had come to the wall, the surer she had become that something was quite different about this structure than anything she had seen before. In the next instant, Kawari was a few feet in the air, having jumped as the stone spoke.
“You have come in search of the City of Illusion. Tell me, stranger, why are you here?”

Curiosity overtook shock as large brown eyes returned the face's regard, recalling a few overheard mentions of something called, the 'Gaping Maw'. After a moment, she replied cautiously. "T-to explore and learn... To seek new sights and people... and to satiate my curiosity," she said, finishing the last with what had grown to become a playful grin. In a few breaths, she watched in awe as the stone's own smile began to open, though the Kelvic had to cover her ears against the sounds of grinding stone. As she walked through the freshly revealed opening, Kawari could have sworn she heard the mysterious voice chuckle, though she could not discern its location. Looking forward with a smile, the young Kelvic entered the city.
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[Allassanachassanya]

4th Fall, 516 AV
A Stony Welcome
Late evening

“You have come in search of the City of Illusion. Tell me, stranger, why are you here?”

The words from a stone mouth that didn't move. The words that would admit her to the city she'd been travelling for what seemed like ages to see. The anticipation the dwelt inside her...

Sometime earlier

It was early when the woman had awoken, cold as usual but excited for the day to begin. Her breakfast of porridge had been eagerly accepted, for its warmth kept her sane of a morning. Yet she was even more eager than normal for her breakfast, because today was the day they arrived at port in the city of illusions. All throughout the day the woman prepared what little she had. Cast like a beggar from her sleeping 'quarters' (for they were not really so good for sleeping in), she tried to keep out of the way as much as possible until the city arrived on the horizon, painted stone against a rugged coastline. The setting sun cast the entire lot in bright red rays, and she stared at it, trying to fathom it and see an illusion. Of course, there weren't any to be seen, not yet.

It drew closer as the sun set. The boat docked at the port, a process lengthy and boring in the encroaching darkness. But Ssanya was soon able to set foot on land, shaky but enthusiastic, carrying her small chest of luggage as she left the sailors to do whatever they were doing with their trade.

Wandering closer, the woman wound her way up a stone footpath, past vague shadows of buildings. She wished the Luiana had arrived sooner, she had wished to see everything in the light of day. But it was not to be, and she couldn't do anything about that. Soon, the wall of the city came into view. Through the gloom, she could just about make out the presence of a strange, stony gate, shaped like a face.

Now

“You have come in search of the City of Illusion. Tell me, stranger, why are you here?”

Her anticipation spiralled, her heart beat faster. The question it posed her made her grin through the gloom, excited to get in and find somewhere to rest her head for the coming day. She answered it truthfully enough, at a loss for better words in Common tongue, "Here becausssse itssss illusionss. Becaussse I travel. Becassse, why not?"

She waited patiently for something else to happen. Yet nothing did, and she walked through the stone gate into the city beyond. With her heart in her mouth and a spring in her step, to search for bed and board and whatever excitement she could find inside.

[Alexander Faircroft]

Timestamp: 11th Winter 516AV

Location: The Gaping Maw

Description "Alex Common" Alex thoughts "Myrian" "Fratava" "Others"




The boat finally docked, a few yards outside the city. Enough to let Alex know they’d finally hit land at the very least. The now ex-squire disembarked. The blades he owned strapped to his person and his coat pulled tight the length of it billowing in the wind. His hands in it’s pockets with his bag slung across his back. To keep his blades warm at least he even kept his two last resorts blades within the confines of his coat.

A shirt discussion with the sailors and they pointed the way to the city. Trekking the trail with a slow solid walk Alex glanced something in the distance. A large grinning face. As he grew closer the face grew in size until the swell of the stone completely overshadowed him. And then with a voice like rumbling stone, rolling over coarse gravel it spoke. Why had he come to the city of illusions?
Speaking stone...Nothing weird about this part of the world at all.

Was that the colloquial name for Alvadas, the city of illusion? Scratching his head lightly Alex stepped up to the stone a little closer. “I seek entrance to the city, because I need to see what I’m made of. To see if when I’m pushed past my breaking point I’ll turn into the man I slew in kenash, or into a man which my mother can be proud of…That is why I came.”

The stone smirked a little wider before speaking back. “Then let’s see if the illusions will make you sing or scream.” And all Alex heard as the stone teeth slid open was the rumbling of granite on granite in a pattern that resembled laughter. Beyond the marble teeth lie a city that Alex had never laid his eyes upon before. A sweeping city of curiosity and bewilderment.
First stop, job. Second stop, food. Third stop, lodging. Fourth stop, bath…Haven’t had a real chance at one in over 15 days… As Alex stepped through he could hear the sound of the stone jaws closing behind him. Well now he was her and now he had to get to work, literally.

[Phira]

01 Winter 516

Phira had set off from Sunberth in hopes to find her place in this world. While in the old mining city she realized that maybe she could use some more worldly experiences. She had heard about Alvadas from some of her neighbors and decided that Alvadas sounded like an interesting place to go. With the God Ionu said to inhabit the city and the magic overflowing out of every stone, it was the exact opposite of Sunberth. And as she thought about it maybe opposite was what she needed.

As the eagles dropped her off at the entrance of the city she stood in awe of the face in the mountain. It was so big and stood out like a...well like a face in a mountain. “You have come in search of the City of Illusion. Tell me, stranger, why are you here?”

She jumped 10ft back. Did the mountain just talk to her? Or was someone talking to her? She walked up to the mountain and knocked on it. No one. There was no one around. Not anyone she could see anyway. She took a couple steps back and looked up at the mountain, ”Well I...I guess I'm here because out of all the places in Mizahar I could be, I chose to be here.” she said as she kept looking out for the voice. She squinted skeptically at the mountain with a smile, ”I hear it's a one of a kind.” she finished. She was excited to see the inside if this was the outside.

She heard nothing for several long moments. Was that the wrong answer? Did she fail and would never be allowed into the city? She wished she would have known that one had to take a test before entering the city. ”So did I pass?”she asked when a chuckle erupted from the mountain face and his mouth opened up revealing a city behind it. She blew a breath she didn't even know she was holding and headed in between the teeth. Once she passed through she turned around and looked at the mouth close behind her, ”Thank you...” she said doubtful that any of those words were heard at all. She turned back to the city with a smile and took her first step into the city of illusion.

[Infilia Snowsong]

Winter of the 15th 516av

“You have come in search of the City of Illusion. Tell me, stranger, why are you here?”

A voice echoed through Infilia's mind. It wasn't her voice, no, otherwise, she would've been talking to herself. People would find that weird, and she didn't want to be found weird, or awkward. She needed some people to talk to, someone that could help her.

Morwen hadn't spread her winter across Mizahar. The grasslands that were meant to be filled with white, fluffy, and soft snow, were no where to be seen. Rumors were spread around Avanthal, that Morwen refuses to do her duty, but all of those times when she visits her city, Infilia was so glad to see her. It gave her something that made her feel like she belonged in Mizahar.

Now, that Morwen rejects her responsibilities, those marked by her are being hunted. Infilia was terrified at that thought, and she was sure, that if she stayed in Avanthal any longer, there might be some sore of slaughter. Infilia stopped dead in her tracks, just before the Gaping Maw. The interesting design of the creature left Inflia in awe, and Inflia hadn't had any clue how to respond. She tucked her flute deeply inside her trench coat, she brought it with her just in case Winter ever comes again, she hoped that the snow would soon reveal itself once more. She hoped that Morwen would continue with her responsibilities. Otherwise, someone would have to step up eventually, right? Infilia wondered how the Gods/Goddesses worked things out.

"I've come to Alvadas in search of my parents." Infilia responded, she figured that was a good response to the question being asked.

"You have not been marked." The lion spoke. "Danger awaits you, daughter of Morwen." The lion spoke. Infilia shuttered. She figured that something was amidst, and that she wasn't stepping on any toes, entering Alvadas, and the only toes she'll most likely step on would be hers. She swallowed hard, and continued forth, entering the City of Illusions; Alvadas.

Alvadas, here I come.

[Nemori]

“You have come in search of the City of Illusion. Tell me, stranger, why are you here?”
Nemori stared up at the Gaping Maw, the voice made her confidence flicker. She had not expected that, not for a moment. Her mouth was dry for a moment as she considered. She had seen and heard the stories on her way, she could not tell it the truth about her travel. It would probably strike her down for being faithful to Morwen.
"I..." She started. Cleared her throat. "I have come for stories" It was close to the truth, close enough that she hoped whatever kept it working would accept.
"You are marked. Danger awaits you, daughter of Morwen" It seemed to rumble with laughter and she felt her heart sinking. Part of her wanted to turn and run away, but she could not support herself outside the city. She needed at least a few days rest and to resupply her food.
For now, the city of illusion would have to do.

[Maro]

Into the Changing City 23rd of Spring, 516 AV On his approach to the city, Maro quickly became aware that his destination was not a normal sort of place. When viewed from afar, the wall appeared as any other city wall might, but as he and his traveling companion grew nearer and nearer, a face set over a hole in the wall came into view. Walls with faces weren’t commonplace in Black Rock nor in any city he had heard of from the sailors he had traveled with, but they had been warned that Alvadas was not a normal place. It was a city of illusion, the City of Illusion. That was what had made Maro choose it as his next destination. At Autumn’s urging, Maro had begun to travel the world, to broaden his horizons. She had insisted that since his life was short, he ought to experience as much of the world as he was able. They had set out on a boat from the docks at Black Rock before he had decided where they would go. One thing Maro had learned early in life was to watch others and to, above all, be curious. Many nights on the ship were spent listening to drunken sailors boast of the many berths and cities they had encountered in their lives. When Alvadas had been mentioned, Maro’s curiosity nearly burst. Curiosity. It was innate in him. It seemed to be the single instinct that drove him, that and the one that had drawn him so inexplicably to Autumn. He still hadn’t said anything about it to her. He couldn’t be sure how she’d respond, and their relationship was already hindered by the fact she was dead. Still, dead or not, his soul was drawn to hers. Dead or not, she was beautiful. He looked over at the shimmering air next to him. She had materialized enough that he could see the vague outline of her dress muted in sepia tones, but her face was in full detail and bore the only color her figure had. Set in a face of black and white and grays, her bright blue eyes seemed all the brighter and contended easily with the clear sky above them. Sensing his gaze, Autumn glanced over. “Are you ready for this?” Her eyes showed their worry well enough but also held a hint of something else, something different that made the worry all that more powerful. Maro couldn’t identify it. He gave her a confident smile, one that betrayed the excitement and wonderment he was feeling. “Of course. Already, I think this city is surprising me, and we haven’t even entered yet. The wall has a face in it.” “What?” Autumn was often lost in her own thoughts, dwelling somewhere in the past, perhaps to a time when she was living, and this often caused her to be very unobservant. Glancing ahead, she smiled. “So it does.” Maro’s curiosity and wonderment only grew as they grew closer. The face, which Maro had been sure could only be a carving in the stone, took on lifelike characteristics as its details came into view. It was almost as if the eyes were watching them approach. It wasn’t until they were standing before the face that Maro realized the eyes were watching them. The face shifted in the wall as it addressed him. “You have come in search of the City of Illusion. Tell me, stranger, why are you here?” Maro glanced over at Autumn, as if she would know the secret password for entering this city. No one had mentioned one. She just shrugged at him. “I don’t think it was addressing me.” The eyes shifted to Autumn briefly, then back to Maro. Under its piercing gaze, Maro felt as if it was looking past the surface of him and into his soul. He had allowed Autumn to possess him on multiple occasions, and the sensation was much the same. This time though, it was a being he didn’t know, and rather than the comfort of a friend sharing his thoughts, he felt violated. Wanting it over as quickly as possible, he gave the face an answer. “Curiosity. What better place is there for that than this?” The eyes pierced a little more deeply, considered him a little more, sifted through his soul a little longer, it seemed, until finally the face spoke again. “Welcome to Alvadas, curious one. And you, ghost, why are you here?” A gentle, almost unnoticeable gesture from her hand indicated Maro. “Because he is mine.” He didn’t know what she meant by that, and that drove him mad. The wall itself seemed somewhat perplexed by this response. Perhaps it was her dead nature, perhaps it was just that she was better at hiding her thoughts and emotions, but the wall took a long while contemplating her answer. It took so long Maro thought she was going to be denied entrance, but finally the face spoke. “Welcome to Alvadas, curious one’s keeper.” There was a hint of a question when the wall gave her her title, as if it was still vexed by her response, but Maro might just have been imagining it. Having received the invitation, Maro made his way through the gate and took his first steps in Alvadas with Autumn in his wake dancing to some tune in her head.

[Arisia]

1st of Winter, 516 “You have come in search of the City of Illusion. Tell me, stranger, why are you here?” Arisia stood before the face, looking up at it with curiosity, but not fear. It appeared she was witnessing her first glimpse of Alvadas, and the famous illusions it held. The voice was powerful, and low. Had she had known it would speak, a voice like that was what she would have expected. She had come here to adventure, to find her bondmate, and to find her path through life. For a moment, the Kelvic pondered what to say in response to the question. "I am here to find what I am missing." It was true, after all. She wanted to find her bondmate, and she wanted to find a meaning to her life, something to live for. She was sure that a lot of people travelled for that. Her final reason for coming here was to see the magnificent illusions she had heard rumours of back in Syrilas. She smiled gently as it spoke again, the voice slightly amused, at what she was not so sure. "Enter then, and find what you seek." The mouth opened, and a grin crossed her face as she entered the city of illusions.