#sn:accepted

[sanctuary-fm]

WELCOME, CAEDES NEX

records show that NEX, CAEDES is a 28 year old TRANQUIL SORCERER who has lived in yeonghae for EIGHTEEN YEARS. they are currently a TOMEKEEPER at YEONGHAE PUBLIC LIBRARY, but other parts of their reputation must precede them — their faint aura of SANGRIA, or how they remind others of A CHILL THAT SPREADS TO YOUR BONES and A REGRET SO DEEP IT EATS AT ONE’S VERY CORE. — (lee sunmi, she/her, n/a). penned by QUESO.

FREEFORM.

tw gore. tw mentions of death.

a surge of emotion so powerful it makes a ribcage feel ready to burst. a scream that soon reaches a fever pitch, unable to stop until the voice is raw and the throat is destroyed from the sheer force. blood splattered across the room, across a little girl’s face. it's not hers. at least, she thinks it isn't hers. no, it can be– she isn't in pain, she hasn't been harmed. her parents, her sister, though, surely must be if they aren't dead already. to think of such a young girl praying that her family is dead instead of merely dying. their blood turning the once beautiful living room into a hall of horror, the smell of copper in the air so thick you can't help but wretch and clamber for a source of fresh air. 

they had just wanted to protect her. protect her from judgment, from the fear of those ignorant to her blessing, from the accusations that would follow if anyone found out her secret. her family hadn't had a magic user in generations, the gift seemingly dead and forgotten but elpida had been chosen by some god, for some purpose. her mother cursed it with every ounce of her soul in private, knowing what a life it could, and did, create for her beloved youngest daughter. a daughter who could've become a seamstress like her mother or help in the family apothecary like her aunt and grandmother. a daughter who could've found love, found her own family. instead word got out and the town guards broke down their door in the dead of night. a boy they said was the accuser. he had seen her in the forest by the outskirts of the village, healing a deer whose leg had been badly wounded in a trap. 

she hadn't meant for anyone to see. her mother had warned her time and time again for all the good it did the family now. the deer had just sounded so sad, so very desperate and alone. her naive heart couldn't let it suffer for own safety and the thought of her family being in danger had been the farthest thing from her mind as she soothed the frightened creature. even coated in her family’s own blood she couldn't bring herself to regret helping the deer, only the cruelty and violence of the humans in front of her. how she escaped is still a blur, perhaps the fear for her life, the rage within her, and the life sorcerers’ affinity for blood magic spurned her forward and cut the guards down where they stood. all she knew is there was even more blood, so very much blood, and her brain couldn't handle the shock, the pain– and so she ran. 

for days? for weeks? she wasn't sure and it truly didn't matter now. she was without anyone to care for or who cared for her and surely she was being hunted. she knew what became of dangerous mages, had heard stories of the women in her family and their fates from her grandmother, of what magic and this gift had wrought. all she knew is if she ran away long enough perhaps she could at least be safe, even if happiness was never to be had again. but something had been following her, the scent that was so pervasive she could never wash it off or become clean of it. not in this lifetime. her anger. her rage. it was so potent and alluring that it carried on the wind for miles. when she slept it was filled with nightmares and anger. when she awoke her head was filled with the rage at the loss of her family and innocence and an inconsolable need to punish everyone in that village and allow them to feel her pain. she would find her path to vengeance, even if it meant her very own death. 

[sanctuary-fm]

WELCOME, JANG BOMI

records show that JANG, BOMI is a 75 year old EARTH DESCENDANT DRAGONBORN who has lived in yeonghae for HER WHOLE LIFE. they are currently a SHOPKEEPER at DRAGON'S HOARD, but other parts of their reputation must precede them — their faint aura of ENGLISH IVY, or how they remind others of PLUCKING FLOWER PETALS and WISHING UPON SHOOTING STARS. — (kim chaewon, she/her, n/a). penned by SAGE.

[sanctuary-fm]

WELCOME, LIM SANGHOON

records show that LIM, SANGHOON is a 35 (APPEARS 26) year old CURSED ONE who has lived in yeonghae for HIS WHOLE LIFE. they are currently a PERFORMER at WHISKEY'S REST TAVERN & INN, but other parts of their reputation must precede them — their faint aura of BARBADOS CHERRY, or how they remind others of HAUNTING TUNES ECHOING IN THE SHADOWS and SHARDS OF A BROKEN MIRROR. — (jeon jungkook, he/him, n/a). penned by NOVA.

[sanctuary-fm]

WELCOME, SEO JANGMI

records show that SEO, JANGMI is a 54 (APPEARS 27) year old SIREN who has lived in yeonghae for A YEAR. they are currently QUEEN DAL'S ADVISOR, but other parts of their reputation must precede them — their faint aura of PRUSSIAN BLUE, or how they remind others of WEBBED FINGERS GRIPPING THE FLESH OF A MAN'S ARM and PEARLS GLISTENING UNDER THE SUN'S TOUCH — (park jiwon, she/her, PEARL in NIGHT FLIGHT). penned by HONEY.

FREEFORM.

the pearl is a blessing and a curse.

there are times when she wishes that she wasn't this devoted to the seafolk. there are times when she wishes that queen dal hadn't asked her for a favour. maybe it would've saved her from this turmoil. maybe this could have been easier.

but she has been this loyal ever since queen dal found her. she had saved jangmi's life and in return, jangmi gave her life to queen dal. to be in her service till death felt like the perfect show of gratitude.

as all things do, this came with a price. a sacrifice of self. jangmi conditioned herself to put everyone else's interests above her own. queen dal, the seafolk, even the surface-dwellers, despite resenting them for the things they had done to her, they all came first and she came second.

this sacrifice explains why she finally accepted her ruler's blessing, despite previous rejections, to take her first clumsy steps into the unknown world of yeonghae. it was her duty, jangmi believed, so she accepted the queen's job proposal with no hesitation.

what started off as a mere diplomatic mission outside of eunhaedo turned into the curiosity to discover yeonghae and what one could find beyond it. no longer firm in her beliefs about surface-dwellers and finding herself guilty of trying to come up with different excuses as to why she has been returning less to eunhaedo every week, jangmi is questioning everything she has known about the world and about herself.

the pearl has been a blessing and a curse.

[sanctuary-fm]

WELCOME, JO AELEE

records show that JO, AELEE is a 23 year old ELEIONOMAE who has lived in yeonghae for ALL HER LIFE. they are currently a BIRD TRAINER AT SILVER COAST COURIERS, but other parts of their reputation must precede them — their faint aura of FERN GREEN, or how they remind others of THE DISTANT CALL OF A PLACE THAT NEVER FELT LIKE HOME and THE SOFT FLUTTERING OF BIRD WINGS IN FLIGHT. — (hwang yeji, she/her, AUTUMN in LAST LIGHT). penned by CELY.

FREEFORM.

deep in the shadowy heart of the southern wetlands; nestled among the green resplendence of the soultree's glowing bulbs high above the eleionomae settlement, the soul of jo aelee emerged during the 77th year after the blight. the wetland nymphs were at their peak in paranoia and dedication to protecting the soultree, and even as a small being, aelee wanted to play protector alongside them.

in the eyes of the greater eleionomae community, however, she was always playing the wrong game. her tolerance for outsiders was far greater than that of her kin, and she showed grace towards them when she met them out beyond the protective borders where other wetland nymphs were staunchly against such gestures. she was prone to wandering through the trees, following and chittering with the different bird species that inhabited the area. she loved their innocuous little tweets and squawks and in turn, they loved her just as well. maybe they could sense her gentle spirit, or perhaps it was just the treats she'd bring out for them, but they'd happily land on her and travel for awhile as she walked.

her whimsical traipses into the greater wetlands soon came to an end however, as her run-ins with outsiders became one too many for the elder council. she was forbidden from traveling outside the walls of the settlement for fears that she would allow non-eleionomae in who would then ravage the soultree and destroy every soul born of it. it made aelee feel like one of her birds that had been caged; trapped in a world that didn't understand her and who simply wanted to break her of what she saw as her greatest virtue.

aelee's longing to travel outside the settlement only grew as she did over the years, even as she came to be one of the community's messengers. she was highly skilled in training certain bird species to carry important messages from the elder council to the citizens of the settlement in short order. it was an important development in their society, as all previous quick messaging within their walls used mana. eventually, however, the male population in her flock of birds was beginning to thin and needed some bolstering.

she eventually convinced the elder council to allow her to venture outside the walls for short trips just to find birds to try and bring back with her, and it was here that she made her fatal mistake. she couldn't resist; the call of what lay beyond the safety of the magic barriers rang inside of her and she had to see what it looked like after so many years.

in silence, she stole away and breached the barrier, wandering deeper into the dark wetlands. gloomwoods arched over her like living giants, but they didn't strike fear into her heart. on the contrary, she felt rather at home among the faceless branches that lived only to please the moonlight with their attention.

after hearing a soft cry in the distance, aelee's empathy forced her to move closer to the call. at the end of her search, she found an injured human who'd been attacked by one of the feral wetland creatures. after assuring them she meant no harm, aelee used up a healing concoction she'd brought along for emergencies and was able to save them from the brink of infection. after sitting with them for a few hours until they felt well enough to return home, she did the same, heading back to the settlement with pride in what she had done.

when she was tapped for her whereabouts that day, she admitted to her actions. it wasn't in her heart to lie to anyone, even if it meant she'd have to face the consequences. the elder council called an emergency meeting and the resulting decision was aelee's banishment from the settlement for the crime of using property of the eleionomae to help an outsider.

in year 98, the relatively young nymph packed what little she had to her name, completed the sad ritual of removing her soulflower and headed out on the path of solitude. she was forlorn about having to leave her birds behind, but she knew she'd never receive permission to bring them along. tears clouded her earth hewn eyes as the soultree drifted further and further into the distance as she walked. she was at a loss for what to do or where to go, but she knew she couldn't stay anywhere nearby.

perhaps she could find the human she had helped and they could assist her in turn? no, no; she couldn't very well just show up on someone's doorstep needing a place to live. for awhile, she simply made due on the outskirts of the wetlands, seeking what shelter she could from the gloomwood trees above her. she was occasionally awoken by unexpected flooding or hungry lesser darkspawn, but some light nature magic depending on the situation would usually shield her enough to remove her from danger.

even though she was surviving, it was still a blessing from the soultree when SPRING found her and looked upon her with mercy. it wasn't every day that someone would simply take in an eleionomae considering they weren't exactly known for their own altruism. maybe SPRING could sense aelee was different somehow? she didn't know; all she could do was be eternally grateful to them for helping her land back on her feet.

currently, aelee lives safely in the confines of SPRING'S home and continues her courier bird training work on a much grander scale at silver coast couriers, in their aviary. she's able to work with a whole host of new bird species and generally has a lot more freedom to do what she likes. she refuses payment if the customer is delivering solemn news such as the passing of a loved one or the opening of a troublesome new rift, and requests that her boss simply take it out of her own pay.

while she is happy and coming into her own where she is now, she can't fight the sense of a disturbance within her. when she slumbers, all she sees is visions of the soultree fading into the distance all over again, but this time, it's calling out to her. it's begging her not to remove her soulflower; begging her to remain apart of its root system forever. she always wakes up with the harmonies of her breath in dissonance and the sound of her heart pumping away in her ears.

she knows the tree calls for her, but how could she ever return? how could she go back there when her own kind ousted her into the unknown and she had found a place that actually felt like home to her? the only thing that was truly clear: this war would continue to rage inside of her for some time.

[sanctuary-fm]

WELCOME, AN NARI

records show that AN, NARI is a 328 year old CURSED ONE who has lived in yeonghae for THREE YEARS. they are currently a SEAMSTRESS at SILVER SPUN TAILOR, but other parts of their reputation must precede them — their faint aura of DEEP PURPLE, or how they remind others of A BAD OMEN and COLD OBSIDIAN. — (yu jimin, she/her, TIDE in AETHER ROPE). penned by SYD.

[sanctuary-fm]

WELCOME, YEO DABIN

records show that YEO, DABIN is a THIRTY year old ELEMENTAL SORCERER who has lived in yeonghae for LESS THAN A YEAR. they are currently a WARDEN at THE WESTERN OUTPOST, but other parts of their reputation must precede them — their faint aura of STEEL BLUE, or how they remind others of THE CHIME OF AN OLD GRANDFATHER CLOCK and THE STRIKE OF A MATCH. — (lee jongwon, he/him, AEGIS in PENANCE). penned by DENVER.

[sanctuary-fm]

WELCOME, JEONG RYUN

records show that JEONG, RYUN is a TWENTY-SEVEN year old CHAOS SORCERER who has lived in yeonghae for HIS ENTIRE LIFE. they are currently an ARCHIVIST at YEONGHAE PUBLIC LIBRARY, but other parts of their reputation must precede them — their faint aura of MULBERRY, or how they remind others of POMEGRANATES LEFT TO ROT and PASSAGES ANNOTATED TWICE OVER. — (yoo taeyang, he/him, THE ASPIRANT in CROSS YOUR HEART). penned by DENVER.

FREEFORM.

mom,

i’m writing you because i don’t know what else to do. you used to be on my ass about finding a ‘real job’ and, well, i finally got one. i’m working at the library now, dealing with records and the like. honestly, it’s boring. i’m writing you from my desk and even still i keep fighting the urge to look at the clock. the hands move so slow. if i didn’t know better, i’d say time passes differently here. anything’s possible, right?

you used to say that shit all the time and i’d roll my eyes like a dumb kid. i must’ve hurt your feelings so many times, but you never said so and you never tried to fight me. you just kept saying the same thing: anything’s possible, anything’s possible, anything’s possible. i attribute my obsession to you. it hasn’t gone away. i wonder if i ever scared you, the way i would talk about it. how i wanted to crack the world open and see what was hiding. sometimes i talked shit for the purpose of scaring you. i don’t know why. i never really wanted to.

fear is not what i’m seeking.

mom,

they say that those who caused the blight heard god begging for help beyond the weave. sometimes i swear i hear it too.

some people think ignorance is bliss, but i’ve never felt that way. knowledge is power, and there’s a piece of knowledge i feel like i’ve been seeking my whole life. i still haven’t found it, but i will; and when i do, i hope it’s not fear that you feel but pride and love for your dedicated son.

i should write you a better letter soon, but i only have one other person i can share these thoughts with so they tend to flood my mind and there’s no better listener than a mother. for a second, i feel relieved when i open my heart to you like this. the thrum subsides. i said i should write you a better letter soon. what i meant is i will write you a better letter soon. 

i’ll leave you with this: i’m still a bachelor, but i’ve got a good job and my own place so i’m doing better than i was before. forgive me for the things i still lack.

sincerely,

ryun