✅ MOONFIEND | Episode 1: Keermiash

[Annalise of Crestwood]

Annalise didn't trust this creature. Moreoever, as she continued to weather the insult laden explanation, the details made the matter worse, not better. A prophecy, a sacred relic, and what was this about a Red Moth? She narrowed her eyes as the others seemed to take leave of their senses. The woman - E-something or other - took to the animal, cooing like a babe. To Keermiash's credit, this Zuzu was appropriately adorable. Just the right kind to put someone at ease. While E cooed at it, and the large woman jumped like an unbound spring to the grumpy creature's beck and call, Annalise took stock of the situation.

It was all so odd. A bunch of strangers teleported to a random mountain, yelled at by a grumpy old woman, insulted and then asked to help? She crossed her arms, the first visible sign of displeasure the huntress exhibited. "You aren't. The sword at my hip isn't for show." Anna told Unum. She was already making assessments, judging who would be good in a fight, or alternatively, those that would break right down the middle. Granted, she didn't know any of them. Perhaps that should be rectified.

The others asked all the questions she could think of as well. Anna preferred it that way, perhaps a byproduct of her youth in Crestwood. Attention usually meant pain, or worse. She learned pretty quick that the easiest life was one as a ghost, rarely seen or heard. The offered bottle was taken without comment. In fact, the majority of the dealings so far were without a peep from the huntress.

Then again, as Annalise considered the spiel given from the hooded creature, the needling, derisive tone stoked something in her. She leveled a glance at her, meeting two of it's six eyes. "Involuntarily teleported to a mountain, insulted, and then ordered to assist with something we've no knowledge of." She shook her head. "You've the oddest way of asking for help I've ever seen." She rubbed at the bridge of her nose.

Anna could try and walk off. Really, she should. None of this had a thing to do with her. Except, and this thought resonated with her as she stared into the mist around the mountain, the huntress had no clue where they were. Most likely, her only way out would be to do Keermiash's bidding. She bit back a long, suffering sigh. There was nothing for it, in the end.

"In my experience 'no fighting' doesn't mean shit when plans go awry. Especially with this Red Moth you mentioned. People that go the effort of spying?" Anna's mouth thinned. "Rarely do they intend on sitting down and having a nice chat over tea and scones." She withdrew her sword, bringing it up to inspect for any damage from her involuntary tumble. "So it might help to know what each of us brings to the table." Seemed fine, maybe a scratch or two. Anna put it away, steel sheathed with a shnk! that pierced the air. "Me? I hunt Monsters."

She blinked as realization slid unwelcome across her face. "...this has something to do with that dream, doesn't it? The one where everything goes to shit?" Anna cursed, then took a step forward to join the chain with everyone else.

 

[Bertram Donnalson]

"The prophecy states that when the Temple rises from the sand, the Fated Ones will dream of death and the Moon Stone will appear on the Material Plane. Anyone who touches the Moon Stone who is not a Fated One will die instantly. Only the Fated Ones can activate the book: so all of you, since you arrived through the book portals, must be Fated Ones born for this task." There was a lilt of uncertainty-- or disappointment? --in her voice. "There's heroism in it for you. Saving the world. What do you mean, what's in it for you? You don't die when the world succumbs to the force of the Moon Stone's power, that's what you get. But there are enough of you here willing, if you'd like to sit it out by all means stand there forever, it's too much work to send you back."

Bertram could understand Keermiash feeling a little underwhelmed by the Fated Ones before her. He himself certainly didn't feel anything like he imagined a Fated One ought to feel. But perhaps there had been something to the moment of his birth after all? His uncles and aunts had always made a big deal over their dead-reckoning guess that he'd been born at the exact moment of the anniversary of the Aetherfracture. He'd always thought it nonsense himself, but perhaps...?

But no. Even if he had been born on the tenth anniversary of the Aetherfracture (and honestly he had his doubts), the group here was wide enough in age range that it simply had to be coincidence. He'd certainly dreamt of death

He thought about the six-eyed person's words. Heroism and saving the day had never been the sort of thing that appealed to him. Oh, sure, maybe once or twice he'd had a daydream about saving that cute girl from the next town over -- what was her name again? Eysa, maybe? -- just as she was about to drown or be attacked by wolves or something, and speculated on how grateful she might have been, but those were the idle fancies of a mild crush. Actual heroism had always seemed too much work and not enough reward. Still, when weighed against the literal end of the world, or even just being stranded on this mountain forever, he supposed he'd accept the bargain he'd been thrust into.

At least he didn't have to wonder if he was, in fact, a Fated One or not. The dream of death and the book portal had been real enough, and everyone else here seemed to have experienced the same things.

Keermiash squinted a few eyes at Unum. "There will be no fighting." She pointed a finger at Gully, her long sleeve wooshing with the quick movement. "I wouldn't send a child into battle! If I knew that any of you might be harmed, I would find another way. We would send our own warriors to the temple, where they would fight their way inside and take the Moon Stone by force. Zuzu is taking you directly to the Stone. You appear, you touch it, you're back here. Five minutes." She held up her splayed gloved hand. "With the best of luck there will be no more dillydallying and you can leave before the Red Moth knows what's happening. However."

She reached into the long sleeves of her robe and drew out small porcelain bottles of sloshing clear liquid, each stoppered with a cork. She handed one to Unum, another to Eaclyrtan, one to Bertram, and another to Annalise, then Unity. The last was Gully. Keermiash had one last bottle, but she held it poised in debate for a few more seconds before she reluctantly let the kid take the bottle.

"This is vision water," she informed all of them. "Use it wisely, and only when you feel you need help. Just a sip will do. More than that and you'll be drunker than you've ever been, and not in a pleasant way."

Bert accepted his vial silently, tucking it into a pocket on the inside of his shirt. Who knew how well the stuff worked, if at all, but why quibble? It couldn't hurt, right? He did make a mental note not to drink more than a sip, though. If there was one thing he believed, it was the potency of the liquid. He could still remember the one time in his life he'd been well and truly pickled on winter brandy. Never again.

Then again, as Annalise considered the spiel given from the hooded creature, the needling, derisive tone stoked something in her. She leveled a glance at her, meeting two of it's six eyes. "Involuntarily teleported to a mountain, insulted, and then ordered to assist with something we've no knowledge of." She shook her head. "You've the oddest way of asking for help I've ever seen." She rubbed at the bridge of her nose.

The monster hunter's words pulled back a corner of Bertrand's mouth in another wry half-smile. Hadn't he just been thinking the same thing? The tall blonde seemed again to be the closest-aligned to Bert's own way of thinking. But clearly Keermiash had little patience for it. And Bert had never been much of one to try to make friends. It always seemed to go sour in the end. He'd keep his distance for now.

But wait, Keermiash had mentioned "the Red Moth" twice now. She seemed worried that they might be moving to do exactly what the Hearth had gathered the assorted Fated Ones to accomplish. And that meant that the plan wasn't nearly as simple as Keermiash would have them believe.

"I suppose I'm willing to step up and be a hero," he said, "seeing as we've apparently little choice. And I'll admit to being distressed enough by my dream that I don't want to see that happen. So count me in as a member of the chain, I guess. But you've mentioned the Red Moth more than once, now. Who are they? What do they want with the Moon Stone?"

 

[Gilliard Beauchêne]

So much talking, not very much doing, and Gully was getting restless; growing bored. Dunder too, based on the way his little canine companion had plopped down in the middle of the path, after having completed the usual business of using his nose to size up every new arrival on the scene. Plus, like probably every other aged seven boy, he didn't care much for getting scolded; either directly, as part of a collective or by association; by much older folk than him.

When asked to form a chain, maybe by joining hands with each other, in spite of all his misgivings, Gully was willing enough to proceed. He wasn't going to say so out loud, but there was nobody back in Jaedaxia who'd even notice he was gone, much less bother to look for him. So far as he was concerned, the only soul alive that would care, was Dunder, and he was right here already.

And then, more questions still. One of which, when combined with the answer, got his back up a little. "Hey! Who says I can't fight?" He wasn't sure whether to be reassured that the likelihood of a fight was a remote one, assuming that they could actually trust the robed figure at all. Or whether he should have his back up instead. Anyway, he still wouldn't have minded some armor. But he'd take the bottle of vision water anyway and pocket it without a thought.

"What kind of monsters?" he asked, his curiosity piqued when Annalise mentioned hunting them. "I'm a collector of interesting things," he announced to the group. "and I'm good at figuring out all sorts of puzzles. I can fit into places that other people can't on account of being small." All of which sounded a whole lot better, he thought, than saying I'm a pint sized, some would say adorable little thief, that can pick pockets and locks. I could rob you blind before vanishing into the crowd in less than two shakes of a lamb's tail. "Oh," he added almost as an afterthought, and dug into the small leather sack that he always had with him. He lifted his weapon of choice aloft. "And I've got a sling."

He still wasn't sure that six eyes could be trusted, and he was still on the fence regarding the nature of the little mushroom dragon. But still, he'd grown bored with all the old people going on about this thing and that thing. "I've got nothing better to do anyway. I'm game," he announced, and was prepared to do whatever was required to become a part of this supposed chain.

 

[Unum]

“ Ah good” Unum Bumbulum responded with a grin as the Monster Hunter joined the line, followed by the farmer and the kid with his sling and puppy “though its not so much the fighting as the hurting that really concerns me. ” He continued as he sniffed at the bottle of vision water and wondered what it might do.

“ I do know some healing if its needed ” he offered, aware that his basic thaumaturgy would only go so far, their hosts assurances of no fighting not withstanding. The mornings nightmare and the threat of confrontation was nonetheless still niggling “ even if its just, er, from someone falling over maybe?- anyway we should all be cautious and stick together, help those who need helping and pray that Aetheria is with us. ”

With that he stood erect, pulling his outfit straight, tightening the straps on his breast plate, and the bandana around his forehead - was the sparkling of the sunlight and the thematic rumble of music just in his own head? - he reached for his conveniently placed gong hammer and stepping back into a battle stance gave it some dramatic swings, testing its balance, the suppleness of his wrists and the strength of his arms.

“I am an honorable servant of Aslan, I protect the innocent and fight for law, order and justice.” with zealous confidence the Warrior-Priest declared his creed “In brightest day or darkest night, no evil will escape my sight, let me always do whats right and Aetheria guide us with its light!”

Spoiler: credit

trope used with due credit to DC Comics s

 

[Eaclyrtan Arche]

E was still a lot more interested in Zusu than anything else, though she took the bottle of water from Keermiash. She couldn't resist cooing at the creature a few more times before reluctantly trying to pay attention to what was going on around her.

No fighting, vision water, touch the stone, something, something, form a chain. Well, Eaclyrtan was already the one with Zusu, and although she still half-believed that this was all a misunderstanding, and that Delle would be along any minute to fix things, she might as well play along. If nothing else, she was going to get a few more minutes with one of the cutest things she had ever beheld.

"All right, let's do this. The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step," the young woman said, adding a sage nod as if that was her own formulation, and not a slogan that Moonbucks sold printed on coffee cans. Might as well join the chain and see what happened.

 

[Kettle]

"In my experience 'no fighting' doesn't mean shit when plans go awry. Especially with this Red Moth you mentioned. People that go the effort of spying?" Anna's mouth thinned. "Rarely do they intend on sitting down and having a nice chat over tea and scones." She withdrew her sword, bringing it up to inspect for any damage from her involuntary tumble. "So it might help to know what each of us brings to the table." Seemed fine, maybe a scratch or two. Anna put it away, steel sheathed with a shnk! that pierced the air. "Me? I hunt Monsters."

She blinked as realization slid unwelcome across her face. "...this has something to do with that dream, doesn't it? The one where everything goes to shit?" Anna cursed, then took a step forward to join the chain with everyone else.

"I suppose I'm willing to step up and be a hero," he said, "seeing as we've apparently little choice. And I'll admit to being distressed enough by my dream that I don't want to see that happen. So count me in as a member of the chain, I guess. But you've mentioned the Red Moth more than once, now. Who are they? What do they want with the Moon Stone?"

He still wasn't sure that six eyes could be trusted, and he was still on the fence regarding the nature of the little mushroom dragon. But still, he'd grown bored with all the old people going on about this thing and that thing. "I've got nothing better to do anyway. I'm game," he announced, and was prepared to do whatever was required to become a part of this supposed chain.

With that he stood erect, pulling his outfit straight, tightening the straps on his breast plate, and the bandana around his forehead - was the sparkling of the sunlight and the thematic rumble of music just in his own head? - he reached for his conveniently placed gong hammer and stepping back into a battle stance gave it some dramatic swings, testing its balance, the suppleness of his wrists and the strength of his arms.

“I am an honorable servant of Aslan, I protect the innocent and fight for law, order and justice.” with zealous confidence the Warrior-Priest declared his creed “In brightest day or darkest night, no evil will escape my sight, let me always do whats right and Aetheria guide us with its light!”

"All right, let's do this. The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step," the young woman said, adding a sage nod as if that was her own formulation, and not a slogan that Moonbucks sold printed on coffee cans. Might as well join the chain and see what happened.

With each volunteer that stepped forward, Keermiash relaxed a little of her posture. Each eye opened clearer, one at a time, and the glint of her jewelry shimmered with each breath. Despite the accusations and suspicions, the gravity of their task had at least settled upon them, and for that their six-eyed host could only be grateful. She studied each of them in quiet, almost proud silence.

"I promise I will answer all of your questions," she said in a calmer voice that was laced with hopeful urgency (and maybe a little concern), "when you all return safely with the Moon Stone. What I can give you now is advice: Zuzu will guide you when you need it; and whatever you do, don't think of your worst fear."

While Keermiash spoke, Zuzu hopped twice into the air. A gust of wind swirled sparkling around those Fated Ones who had chosen to join the chain: it lifted their hair and shivered in their chests.

Zuzu squeaked happily, and a pair of great blue feathered wings emerged from the space behind its back. The wings spread out over the company in a soft embrace, then folded around them into a darkened cocoon that enveloped them away from the outside world, with Zuzu shining at its center. There was nothing but feathers above them, at all sides, and under their feet. They would all feel a slight sense of vertigo while the sound of the wind began to howl all around them.

Faintly, fading away, they could hear Keermiash's last words.

"Good luck."

Spoiler: So It Begins

@Unum +1 MP
@Annalise of Crestwood +1 MP
@Bertram Donnalson +1 MP
@Gilliard Beauchêne +1 MP
@Eaclyrtan Arche +1 MP

MP will work slightly differently during the campaign: within Moonfiend, MP can be utilized before your first post in any chapter thread. Each MP can be turned into one logically believable item or bit of knowledge that your character can retroactively have on hand that they didn't have before, or ask if you have an idea for its use. Once you've made a post in a chapter thread, wait until the next chapter to cash in MP.

Go forth to the next chapter!