#kadeu; task

[kadeu-nora]

Nora’s fighting style

Weapons, techniques etc. 

You could say Nora's first experiences with fighting were fistfights. She learned to use her fists to express her anger and frustration already at a young age abd they are still her prefered way of fighting. Later she learned kick-boxing and self-defence techniques that are taught at the LEA academy. Her biggest advantage in a fight against a superior opponent is her agility and speed of action as well as her talent of improvisation to change tack. She used to learn to fight against Elementalists in the manner of getting out of the way of their attacks (like fireballs and so on) and force them into a close-combat fight. A strongarm can be difficult since she needs to be careful not to take serious hits that would knock her out right away. When it comes to opponents with magic like mental manipulation etc. she has no chance and tries ro stay away from species with that kind of magic as much as possible.

When it comes to weapons she mostly uses knives, bow and arrows. She learned to use all kinds if weapons during her time at the LEA academy, but her father already noticed, when she was still a child, that Nora has great aptitude for archery. By now she is a great archer, who never miss the target. Knives are used by her in close-combat fights. A verbal sparring with Nora will end up quickly in a fight, since Nora will always uses her fists as response due to her lack of self-control because of her agression problem. Her endurance during a fight is trained and high. She knows her personal limit very well and paces herself correspondingly. She can endure a lot of pain - she is used to it- and it is also am impulse for her from within that makes her feel the most lively during a fight, bevause of the rush of adrenaline and so on. Her success rate is high - she needs to win- failure can be deadly in her profession and way of living. Does not mean she never lose a fight. It happens at times, of course, but you better don't meet her on the streets after a lost fight...

Shifting abilities

In her youth Nora had only little relation to her shifter side. Her parents tried to help her, but they weren't well informed about it either. So she didn't choose an animal till her early twenties - a black cat. She noticed the elegance and agility, with which cats are moving on, especially while climbing, and thought that cat like reflexes and agility would be a great addition to her own abilities. Also because of her doing free running (parkour) and due to cats inbuilt balancing system they always land on their feet. On top of that cat eyes can see better in the dark than human eyes and thinking of Nora's later development of profession it is really helpful.

Her second animal were added years later - a harpy eagle. The claw of a full grown harpy eagly can easily cup a fist of a grown up man and they are perfect to get better halt while jumping from wall to wall. She almost never shifts fully into one of her animal form, only shifts partially like using their claws or eyes. The harpy eyes make Nora even more a deadly accurate archer, even out of long-distance.

[kdmarcus]

There would not be enough words to say how much Evelyn had hated herself.

At first, her existence was deemed as a lovely ‘accident’ of her parents, then as a cruel joke of the family’s gene pool. Out of the possible options, the universe bestowed the worst of them upon her. Being a human on this cursed land, in her case, was just a notch better than death. Her parents didn’t hate her, but she would rather them stabbing her with a knife, than gluing those disappointing gazes on her back. Her elder brother, however, had done a much better job in verbalizing his abhorrence. Countless sneers and glares and curses had been fired whenever she was in the vicinity of his “territory” – which meant everywhere in the house, except her humble little room. She had to address him as Horace and not Kangdae, for that name should be used by anyone else but her, while she couldn’t remember if she had ever heard her name coming out of his mouth.

She didn’t have friends, only enemies – some looked down on her human gene, others envied her ethereal beauty. Lots of boys and men were dumfounded at first glance, some remained haunted by her smile, until the day she eloped with a bold strongarm. Just like her, Asher was an underdog, an abandoned yet fierce one, all ready to bite the fate in its ass if it dared to mess around with him. The couple did everything they could to escape from their miserable past. He stormed his way up in the Spade army, she flaunted her bewitching appearance and acting talent out there for the world to see. He dedicated his life to the battleground, she sold her soul to a demon. They were a perfect match. Also each other’s true love, she believed.

The day she knew she was going to be a mother, Evelyn almost cried. Never before in her life had she allowed herself to be overwhelmed with joy and hope. It would be a sin to say she hadn’t prayed for their son to take all her husband’s genes and none of hers, for there was nothing great about being a pitiful human, or a desperate ritualist in Kadeu. August came to put her greatest happiness into her arms, when she had already got every single step of her son’s bright future planned out in her mind. Marcus would be nothing like she or anyone in her so-called family was. He would be a warrior like his father, would be able to stare adversities in the face and shatter his enemies into pieces. His rank would be higher than the total of his parents’, he would love his spouse and be proud of his children, and would be laid down gently after a serene winter of his life.  

Three years from that magical morning, everything changed, for the worse of it. Her son was a human, and her husband was no longer a perfect match. They fought more often, to the point Evelyn stopped waiting for him at the door, and Marcus had never got a chance to play hide and seek with his father. Asher blamed it on the war, Evelyn blamed it on Marcus. But Marcus was so young and innocent, so she poured all the blames back on the world she was born into.    

Despite all the setbacks, the desire to go against her destiny still burned. When Evelyn realized she had accidentally caught the eye of a Heart highranker, suddenly, she was alive again. There was no true love from her this time, but it was better to have everything but true love, than having true love but not anything else. She had wanted to start her life all over, to once again censor the shameful past from the story of her rise to fame and power. While she may not be a good mother, Asher was very much capable of anything but taking care of a child. Marcus was still too young and innocent. Her son hadn’t done anything wrong but being himself - a helpless human Spade in a cursed magical land.

Evelyn moved on with her new life, anyways. Things turned out to be better than ever, as long as she didn’t spend too much time looking at Marcus. Asher was swallowed in the war fire, but there was still him in Marcus’ big brown eyes, in his voice, in the way he walked, how he looked at her. Oh, how her son looked at her. It was full of love and hope, maybe too much love and hope that it effortlessly suffocated her heart. Marcus didn’t deserve her purposeful neglect, but he reminded her too much of all the things she wanted to forget the most.

Fate was a cruelly ridiculous folk, it seemed. While all her wishes for Marcus’ life had been shattered, her son magically found a way to get himself out of her secret chamber. The gentle, vulnerable Marcus was now blessed to become a healer – something none of hers or Asher’s family could ever relate. He has proved that he’s really his father’s son, and the last thing Evelyn could do for him as his mother was sending him to where he truly belonged to.

And for herself, her mind could finally rest, and she is now allowed to wait for her karma to come in total peace.  

[kdmarcus]

Deity Aesthetics

EROS: • scornful jealousy • pink • presents a certain decorum • heavy air in a nightclub • has a tattoo they regret • sex & love therapist for their friends • juvenescent • uses enchantments • aloof • wears rose-coloured glasses • velvet, latex, & lingerie • milk baths with champagne bubbles • impetuous in love • intense eye contact is a sport • kinky • soft lips • wears stacked rings • sets fashion trends • graceful movements • marble floors • heavy perfume or cologne • deeply emotional • born glamorous •  [ 06/23]

HECATE: • prefers canine companions • wears symbolic jewelry • can see spirits • melting wax • uses hexes • feels most comfortable at night • smell of cinnamon • moonlight • red wine • understands poisons & herbs • collects bones or feathers • partakes in rituals • black • fog at night • is aware of their shadow self • embraces the unknown • enjoys collecting secrets • approves of necromancy • meditates • has prophetic dreams • lace • knowing too many secrets • fishnet stockings  • [ 13/23]

PAN: • enjoys poetry & prose • wool • smell of decaying leaves in autumn • prefers to be barefoot  • tends to overindulge  • easily excitable • thriving in social circles • loves being around campfire  • antlers • dirt paths • the sound of wind chimes • penchant for sticky fingers • pine trees • stamina for days • falls in lust • vagabond • physically stronger than given credit for • foxglove • welcomes luxury • non-confrontational • charming words • talking to animals • nature for jewelry • [ 08/23]

NEMESIS: • angry • protective of their values • balance & harmony • looks like an angel but isn’t • more perceptive than people realize • snow capped mountains • grey • wears leather • silver jewelry • likes snakes • can’t stand ignorance • believes in retribution • analytical of own emotions • well read • marble columns • has very rigid morals • bruised knuckles • humorous under the sarcasm • clean workspace • everything in moderation • cold morning air • resting glare face • fluent in curse words  • [ 10/23]

HYPNOS: • very calm demeanor • easily overwhelmed • relaxing is their vice • transactional friendships • has a soft voice • head in the clouds • carries drugs with them • has a sibling they’re close with • drawn to winged animals • lavender • has plush furniture/blankets  • starry eyed • horrible money management  • gives amazing hugs • dreaming big as a full time job • wears comfy or loose clothes • existential questions • not good at memory based skills • fairy lights • can’t sleep somewhere unfamiliar • crystalline chandeliers • dislikes bright sun • fluttering eyelashes  • [09 /23]

IRIS: • life’s a technicolor spectrum • has a lot to say • beaming smiles • always has candy with them • flirting by accident • walking to the beat of their own drum • gossamer curtains • has a surprising amount of connections • blushes very easily • confident laughter • uses a staff • fresh fruit slices • decorated handwritten letters • a social chameleon • blood made of honey • treating people with kindness • sentimental heart  • vases full of wildflowers • feels fulfilled when helping others • has a healing aura • always travelling • stained glass windows • just trying to be a good person  • [11/23]

[kdmarcus]

The Attacked | Plot Drop 01

Thursday 12 November 2020; Evening. You are working in the Triage Center when two Spade Citizens (ones) come in. Both have been badly beaten and are being helped inside by some Spade soldiers. The soldiers drop them off, saying they haven’t been able to make sense of their slurred words and have no idea what happened to them. 

Once you heal the human male enough for him to be able to speak clearly he tells you he and his partner were attacked in Club Territory. The attackers had assumed that, since they were Spades, they had water rations on them. They didn’t, but the attackers hadn’t believed them until they’d beaten them and searched the pair themselves.

Mark is being absorbed in an anatomical book when it happens.

Years and years in the Spade army have trained him to get used to almost all sorts of disturbance, and to deal with them properly. But, the emitter guesses, it would never be enough to get him desensitized to the pain of those who have to see themselves at Triage Center. With time, Marcus has learned to estimate the damage right from the sounds of their suffering. Most of the time, the more serious the wounds, the quieter the injured are likely to be.

 The two battered citizens in front of him would have been pretty much quiet – and they should have been – if the soldiers had figured that it’s nearly useless trying to get information from those busted lips, bleeding tongues, and missing teeth.

“Thank you all so much. And please,” his eyes momentarily move from the two injured to the soldiers who have just helped them in, “it would help a lot if we are a bit more gentle to these cases, especially humans, don’t you think?” The corners of his lips tug up a polite smile, then it waited until the soldiers left the center, when it softens down to a more comforting one as he looks back and kneels down beside the two injured.

 “You two will be alright soon. It would just be uncomfortable for a few moments, ‘kay?” He assures both the males, scanning their wounds while calculating the best ways possible to get them healed. Having treating injuries on humans for decades, Marcus is confident to take care of the human citizen. However, while his anatomical knowledge about strongarms can be deemed efficient, his manacore still needs more time to achieve the full capability of treating ones. He might try, but not without great risks of burning his mana veins to ash and leaving nasty scars on the poor citizen.

 Without another second of hesitation, the Emitter gets back on his feet to fetch a higher-rank fellow, who – thanks God – just a room away and is ready to help. He then darted back to the human, and immediately gets down to business. Silver magical threads come out after a light touch on his manacore, and the facial wounds are always privileged.  

His dainty wrists and fingers dance along the rhythm they have been well-acquainted with, up and down and right and left, some rotates here, some strokes there. Dislocated joints require calculated strength, while shattered bones demand meticulous patience. Internal injuries, however, need the patient’s corporation to be identified. “Let me know when it hurts, yes?” He asks the human male for permission, before gently pressing his fingers on the once-badly-bruised torso, while his eyes observe closely for the slightest of winces on the male’s face.

 As expected, their biggest problem lies around the belly area. The bruised stomach and liver left almost none of his manacore for the damaged gallbladder, yet Marcus took the challenge, and (thankfully) finished fixing the man before getting himself totally burnt-out. Wiping the heavy beads of sweats off his forehead with his own sleeve, the emitter looks up at now-entirely-healed human to ask the question those Spade soldiers have tried to get the answer in vain. “What happened to the two of you?”

 Marcus may be able to anticipate the reply, yet it can’t stop his eyebrows from knitting tight together in a rising abhorrence for the culprits. Although he has never wished to carry any sorts of negative feelings around, this situation deserves a stronger reaction than his usual composure.  But no, he isn’t going to dart out of the Center and hunt down the guilty attackers, for that should be done not by an emitter.

 Giving the human some private space to collect himself, Marcus goes to find Max, patiently waits until she’s got a few moments for him, then reports to her what he’s heard from the man. 

“Ma’am, we’ve just healed two Ones badly attacked at the Club Territory. One of them said it was because the attackers thought they’ve got water with them. I’m not sure if it’s worthy of attention, but I guess I should inform you about the issue.”

(feature @its-max-okay)