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Post by Biblically Accurate Angel on Oct 28, 2018 22:00:07 GMT -5
"The... Church of the Horned One?" Daniel asked, confused. "What's that supposed to be?"
"Oh god, I've said too much already. Would you look at the time! I must be off. Toodles!"
Daniel was left amused and bemused and confused and confuzzled.
"Well, if you really wanna know..." said an ominous voice behind him. Daniel turned to see...
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Post by Toz76 on Oct 28, 2018 22:10:11 GMT -5
Man In Blue turned to see Man In Gold behind him.
"The Cult Of The Horned One is the most monstrous group of villians that has ever lived. They worship a great beast that they believe will bring about some sort of armageddon when summoned. They killed my wife and son. But Woman In Blue doesn't care about them. She just wants to continue this pointless feud with the "Black Faction"."
"We can't stop the Cult without the Prism at full power, and we can't attain that until we stop the evil colorfolk." Woman In Blue shot back.
"Evil Colorfolk?" Daniel asked. "What? Who?"
"The people who attacked you this morning are just a few members of a splinter group of Colorfolk calling themselves the "Black Faction", although we just call them the Evil Colorfolk. Somehow, they've been corrupted by the Prism's shattering and are determined to do as much damage as possible to keep it that way. Come this way, Man In White can explain more about them."
*******
Man In White was a tall, pale, expressionless man who sat in a bizarrely spartan office examining what appeared to be a wooden stick.
"Woman In Blue." He said by way of a greeting.
"Man In White, could you explain to Man In Blue here who the Evil Colorfolk are?"
"Evil colorfolk who want to destroy us. Leader is Man In Black. Also dangerous are Man In Green, Woman In Orange, Man In Amber Apricot, Man In Off White, Woman In Pink."
Man In White went back to examining the stick.
"He doesn't talk much. I'm not sure if he experiences human emotion." Woman In Blue explained as they left.
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Post by Biblically Accurate Angel on Oct 28, 2018 22:12:56 GMT -5
"I'm still confused though," said Daniel. "Which one is more dangerous and why?"
"Evil Colorfolk," said Woman In Blue.
"Church of the Horned One!" shouted Man In Gold. "Blast you woman, you haven't been through the hell I've suffered from!"
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Post by Toz76 on Oct 28, 2018 22:47:56 GMT -5
"The Cult Of The Horned One is a bunch of weak religious fanatics who are nowhere near as dangerous as the Evil Colorfolk. Man In Black is a murderer. Woman In Orange is a sadist. Man In Green is a centrist. Far more dangerous than your silly cult."
"Really now? You really think that? Each member of that confederacy of vile evildoers is a depraved monster. The Cult is a genuine threat."
"Stop being blinded by your loss!"
"Stop being blinded by your pride!"
Daniel watched this fight with some consternation.
"Psst!" It was Woman In Silver. "Come on, I'll continue the tour for you. Once these two get started... they don't stop."
"So, who are these evil colorfolk?" Daniel asked, as the duo made their way down another corridor.
"Well, they live in an abandoned hotel in the middle of a swamp. The entire place is surrounded by quicksand-like mud and the only road is well guarded and poorly maintained. And each one of them is a match for us, plus they have no scruples. I've fought them many times and they aren't afraid to fight dirty."
In fact, while this conversation was going on, in a conference room in the abandoned hotel, Man In Red, Man In Green, Woman In Orange and Woman In Pink were waiting for a status report from a black-clad man...
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Post by Biblically Accurate Angel on Oct 28, 2018 23:05:02 GMT -5
"Goddamn," said Woman In Orange, "I thought he was always punctual."
"He is," said a voice. "Your watch is slow." Man In Black entered the room.
The others rose to attention, but he grumpily bid them to sit down. "No time for that crap," he said. "Listen, we're in the duldrums. Those damn Colorbastards are getting on my nerves and-"
"Ease it, Pops," said Pink. "What's this all about?"
"I'll tell you what it's all about!" snapped Man In Black. "Look at this!"
He pulled out a piece of paper. On it was a list of... food items.
"Goddammit that's my shopping list!" he said as he hastily put it away. Then he pulled out the real deal - an old bound book with "The Hornex" on the cover.
"What's that supposed to be?" asked Green.
"This is the biggest threat to our survival. Forget the Colorfolk, these Horned One imbeciles are going to be our worst enemy. We have to stop them immediately, before they grow too large."
"Hold on," said Orange, "you're only hearing about this now?"
"I don't stay on top of the news, I'm sorry!" he shouted.
"Okay okay okay," said Red, "let's cool off here. What's the plan supposed to be?"
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Post by Toz76 on Oct 28, 2018 23:44:47 GMT -5
"That's an issue for another day. What matters now is trouncing the colorfolk."
"But you just said..."
A mark glowed on Man In Black's cheek. A scar shaped like an anchor...
"Forget it. That cult is not our concern. We must hurt the Colorfolk."
"Already on it." Woman in Orange said. "Off-White and Ghost White are off to eliminate Man In Blue as we speak."
"Good... the Colorfolk must suffer."
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Post by Tug on Oct 31, 2018 9:48:03 GMT -5
"Now, onto the matter at hand... We must figure out a way to gain an advantage over the Colorfolk and a current angle we're looking into is through the excommunicated lines..."
"Excommunicated lines? What? Those exist?" asked Man in Red
"OF course they do you fool! Don't you know our own history?" growled Man in Green in disgust
"Pink, would you be so kind as to inform Green about the topic I've tasked you with thorough research on?" ordered Black
"Of course, though due to spotty records we don't know much about the event... Apparently, four Colorfolk lines, the Men in Bronze, Iron, Steel, and Blood, the Metallic Core as they were called, plotted to destroy the Colorfolk from the inside and are said to be responsible in the penultimate event that shattered the Prism. Because of this, their lines were cut off from the Prismatic power and no longer are powered by it, but due to the events have their weapons permanently manifested. These weapons being a staff, an armor suit, a hammer, and a crucible. Strangely they are the only four lines with no corresponding Colorwomen lines, with the Amber Apricot line being as well for unknown reasons. No one knows what happened to the four lines after excommunication, though rumors do suggest they're still around and have apparently not been affected by the shattering whatsoever..." answered Woman in Pink
"So... How does that help us?" questioned Red
Man in Black replied, "Think you oaf! If we can learn how to harness their power without being affected by the curse or making the Prism our plaything we could finally triumph over those good bastards! So, how goes the discoveries on that front then Pink?"
"I've found traces of rumors that the Bronze and Blood lines might be active under pseudonyms but nothing concrete... The Man in Iron line traces seemed to have disappeared entirely, probably due to dying off while in hiding and the Man in Steel line has nothing tying to one location, with information on it seemingly disappearing a few decades ago..." responded Pink
"Damn! Another dead end! So Green, do you have another lead on a way we can secure victory over our nemeses?"
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Post by frankthetriviaman on Oct 31, 2018 12:29:27 GMT -5
"I've been consulting various ideas; there is one we can immediately rule out since it would be a fool's errand" Green pointed out
"Which is?"
"Finding away to restore our artifacts" Green pointed out.
"Why is it a fool's errand? Wasn't their mention of prism magic being neutral?" Black pointed out.
"Yes, but you know the stories... even if The Prism was neutral, because of "you know who's" influence, all artifacts have an extreme adverse reaction to those with too much black stuff in their hearts, that includes us" Green pointed out.
"Black stuff? What are you going on abou... oh, THAT black stuff" Man In Black muttered as he put his hand over his heart. "The accursed black stuff... the one thing preventing us from being able to hide where we really stand on the moral spectrum" he muttered.
......
"There's still something I don't get" Daniel asked as he talked to Woman In Blue
"What?" she asked.
"I didn't sleep through ethics class; morality is a subjective concept that varies depending on numerous factors; why are our factions called good and evil like its... well, objective" Daniel asked.
"You studied the history of magic; you tell me" Woman In Blue pointed out.
"Well... there's an old legend about black stuff that is said to corrupt a pure heart, but the language was too poetic for me to take it seriously" Daniel explained.
"That would be my department" a man in silver colored robes said as he walked up to them.
"Who are you?" Daniel asked.
"Man In Silver, and that black stuff you speak of is not as much of a legend as you think it is" he said, before producing a jar.
Daniel practically jumped back in terror when he saw it, "What is that stuff?!" he said in shock. The thick, black, tar-like substance was boiling and bubbling... and there was something about it that, although it was clearly not alive, at the same time there was something about it that gave the impression that it was almost alive.
"Man In Silver is the last of the Spirit-type Colormen; I'll let him explain" Woman In Blue offered.
"This... is pure evil, you could say. Nobody knows exactly how it forms, but why it forms is all too well understood. Actions are neutral; it is motivation and consequences of the action that determine whether said action is good or evil. In the case of magic, due to the way magic interacts with the soul, when evil actions are performed, this black stuff builds up in the heart area of the soul over time... eventually so much black stuff builds up in the hearts of the wicked that it ends up influencing them to commit even eviler actions. In our golden age the Spirit type Colormen were highly regarded; the journals of my ancestor describe how they were the first and only ones to perfect the "Corruption purge" spell; the only spell capable of purifying and cleansing the heart of the wicked. It frees them of the black stuff, turning their corrupted heart into a purified heart" he explained.
"They way you talk about this... this... "corrupted heart standard," you make it sound like it's a big deal in magic"
"Correct. No magic faction has ever denounced it, and what few critics that existed over the centuries, even they could not argue against the evidence supporting it. Even good people have small amounts of this stuff in their hearts, but the thing about a good person is that because their actions are rarely done with evil intentions, and generally do show remorse over evil actions, this small amount is kept in check and has no impact on the morality of said person" Man In Silver finished.
"I... I hope my heart isn't corrupted" Daniel said nervously.
Don't worry... if you had a truly corrupted heart and you were an evil person, you would have spontaneously combusted the moment you set foot in this place" Woman In Blue declared.
"WHAT?!" Daniel asked in shock
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Post by Toz76 on Oct 31, 2018 17:48:21 GMT -5
"No, I'm just kidding. A morality-based filter would be ridiculous."
"I can detect if someone has a dangerously high amount of black stuff if I focus, but any attempt to build a filter against the black stuff would just block out all humans." Man In Silver elaborated.
"Wait a second, Man and Woman In Blue, Gold, Silver, and a Man In White... is there a Woman In White too?"
"Yeah, she's our magic expert. I think you'll enjoy learning from her." Woman In Blue replied.
Daniel furrowed his brow. "Hang on, what about people who are born intersex, or are non-binary?"
"Yeah, well, our organization is hundreds of years old, so... we don't have any. Unfortunately. Kinda awkward, I know." Man In Silver replied.
"Wait, hundreds of years old? Just how did your orginazation come to be?" Daniel asked.
"Well..."
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Post by frankthetriviaman on Nov 13, 2018 0:35:23 GMT -5
"Our history is very long and in depth; for the sake of time I will only highlight the important things for now" Man In Silver said as he escorted Daniel to a wall lined with paintings and tapestries; they seemed to depicted the heroic endeavors of men and women in monochrome robes.
"Our history starts in 1095; on the island of Ordos, just off the coast of Great Britain. Long ago, a mysterious artifact fell from the heavens and crash landed on the island. It's purpose was mysterious and unknown upon landing; King Godfred's men simply could not figure out the purpose of the mysterious artifact. But it's appearance fascinated all who saw it: a perfectly smooth object, of a material similar to glass, and within a great variety of colors swirled and mingled with each other... yet they never mixed" Woman In Blue explained as Daniel looked upon the first painting, depicting the strange object, sitting within what appeared to be a meteor. It reminded him of a story he heard long ago,
"The object was four feet tall, two feet wide and two feet long. It looked like a square pyramid sitting upon a cube... it looked like a glass prism, but closer investigation revealed a most unusual trait: within this prism, a multitude of colors swirled, like many spilled paints upon a surface… yet the colors did not mix." Daniel thought to himself. "But I thought it was just another object of myth like the Holy Grail or Excalibur... The Prism was real?" Daniel asked, confused.
"Indeed. And when it landed on March 7, 1095 it confused all who tried to come near it. It was several weeks before the king finally decided that there was only one man worthy of deciphering the mysteries of The Prism... Matthew Erdagovern" Man In Silver said, gesturing to another painting.
"An ancestor of mine?" Daniel asked
"Yes, but more on that later. Matthew Erdagovern was one of the most celebrated scholars of Ordos; it was his work that convinced the Ordosians to embrace ideas that the rest of Western Europe rejected at the time; the concept of zero, allowing science to advance without hindrance by church beliefs, and even abandoning the use of mercury as a medicine" Woman In Blue explained.
"I guess intellectual pursuits run in the family" Daniel thought to himself.
"Anyway, it was June 11, 1095 at the castle of King Godfred, when the miracle happened" Woman In Blue began.
......
It was a typical day for Matthew Erdagovern as he sat in his home, contemplating the dreams he had been having. He was not sure why, but in recent weeks a series of seemingly related dreams had been coming up quite frequently, and he was trying to make sense of them. He was sure of one thing: they were signs of events to come.
"Now let's see, what was the common thread here?" he said as he overlooked the notes on his dreams. He saw it rather quickly... "a shard of glass of some kind, falling from the sky. But what is it? This glass was special, there was something to it. It wasn't clear, or solid, it was kind of..." then he looked over to a shelf, where he kept a special glass. He picked it up, and held it up to the sunlight. Out one end came a multitude of colors.
"Color. That's it; there was much color to the glass. So it is a prism. A prism that falls from the sky... but what does that mean?" He thought to himself. But he could not process another thought, for at that moment a knock was heard at his door.
"Who could that be?" He asked himself. To his surprise, it was a messenger of King Godfred.
"Matthew; the King needs you immediately, a strange item has fallen from the sky and he wants you to examine it" he explained.
This could not have been a coincidence. "I will leave at once" Matthew declared, leaving his home immediately and heading for the castle of King Godfred.
Upon arrival, he was escorted to a room where he was told to wait. A few minutes later King Godred and some others came into the room with a strange looking crystal embedded in a rock. It was the prism from his dreams; but to not scare anyone he would not tell anyone about them just yet.
"Is this the reason you summoned me King Godfred?" Matthew asked.
"Yes; can you make sense of it?" Godfred asked.
"I will do my best" Matthew said. First, he took a look at the inscription upon the rock in which the prism was embedded. It said nothing at first. But unknown to Matthew, it somehow sensed what the language was in this world, and words appeared that matched said language. Matthew read the inscription- “Seated upon this stone from the realm of the stars, is a relic that shall be forever known as The Prism. For those most worthy, power shall be granted, and so long as the prism remains whole, may its strength protect the land it is upon.”
Godfred looked upon it with confusion. “But me, some of my bravest knights and even a member of the clergy have touched it and nothing has happened… aren’t we worthy of such a power?” he said to Erdagovern.
“I don’t think the inscription refers to that kind of worthiness” Erdagovern explained. "Your highness, let me look closer at it; I think we can make sense of it if I do" he requested.
"Do as you will; I trust you" King Godred said.
So Matthew took a closer look at The Prism. To his surprise, with in there was many, many colors; some of which he had never seen before. And yet, as they swirled around, they never mixed.
He prepared to touch The Prism, when he noticed something. "What is this?" he asked himself. Within the prism, a blue dot began to form, becoming larger and larger. Then text began to appear on the space rock the prism was embedded in. "More writing?" Matthew said, he began to read it: “to claim the power presented, he must be noble in mind, but not in standing. He must be gifted in mind, but gifted in body is not required.” Erdagovern sighed, "well, here goes nothing" and he touched the prism, and suddenly the room froze around him. A mysterious cloaked figure approached him.
"What is this? Who are you?" Matthew asked the cloaked figure. But Matthew could sense the figure meant no harm, and he relaxed. The figure began to speak.
“Matthew Erdagovern, you are a man of humble origin, and though you may not be as strong as a knight, your mental strength is enough to convince the creators of The Prism that you are worthy of its power. From here on out, you shall be blessed with knowledge unknown to your land, and shall be known as the Man In Blue. A sacred artifact shall also be given to you... in your case, a blade shall be gifted to you. You may have no formal training, but your knowledge will let you wield it in ways never thought possible where you come from. The power of the Man In Blue will be passed down along your male bloodline, with the son most worthy of succession inheriting it upon your death or decision to retire and pass down the power. However, he must prove himself worthy of the artifact before he can inherit it. Otherwise, the artifact will phase out of existence, and only return when another of the bloodline proves himself worthy.” The spirit said.
Matthew was shocked at what he had heard. “But such power, and for only one man?” The mysterious cloaked man shook his head “no, and there will be others to emerge… all in due time. But know this... this Blade will be the only artifact that I shall gift to you and your comrades... all others shall be forged by your own hands. Yes, I understand that this may sound unfair, but in time the reasons why will become perfectly clear” the being explained. And with that, Erdagovern suddenly found himself back in the room.
King Godfred was shocked by what now stood in from of him, “My God, what has happened!? One second you are touching this crystal, and the next you are… well, that.”
Matthew Erdagovern looked at himself… to his amazement, he was wearing some sort of robes of solid blue. He was also wielding the very blade he was given during his trance. “Your majesty… I think we have something that can hold back any future Viking invasion."
"You know about that?" King Godred asked.
"All to well. We are all afraid the Vikings could strike again. It may have been at least three decades, but I fear that there may come a time when they shall show themselves again. More importantly though, this power just might give us the edge over any invader in the future. Please let me explain; I assure you it is all true." Matthew said, and he went on to explain the Spirit of the Prism, and the powers that it would bestow. However, only those of humble origin and standing could possess the power, which was why the knights and clergy weren't accepted. He talked about how there would be more, and they would be revealed in due time.
"Is there any way to accelerate the process? For all we know there could be an invasion tomorrow" King Godred pointed out.
"We could try summoning various people to the castle who are low in standing, yet gifted in some way. Perhaps the Prism just needs help determining who to choose" Matthew reasoned.
King Godred agreed, and issued a decree later that week. "I welcome all peasants to come to my castle grounds to take part in a grand competition. Any man who can prove himself to be gifted in mind and body shall be given a great reward at my castle" he said.
Though it was the mind that was important, the "gifted in body" was included with good reason- logically, if they were to fight off invaders, they would need a fighting chance and one should be able to "hold his own" in combat.
Little did anyone know, the next recruits would come sooner than anyone realized.
......
"And that was the day the Colormen came to be... June 11, 1095 is an important day in the history of the Colormen; in the weeks and months that followed, the faction grew and soon became a force to be reckoned with. We'll talk more about that when the time comes, but for now the history is just so rich, we simply must continue" Man In Silver continued.
"Hold up... Colormen? Are you saying the females came later?" Daniel asked, confused.
"Well to be honest... we're not entirely sure what happened. The Man In Gold line is responsible for maintaining the archives of our ancestors works and journals, and the early Colorwomen journals haven't been translated to modern english" Man In Silver explained.
"That's NOT mine or my father's fault!" Man In Gold shouted, "unlike the Colormen who stuck with middle English, the first generation of Colorwomen wrote in a weird mixture of Old English and Middle English making translation THAT much harder!" he shouted in his defense.
"Do we know ANYTHING about the origin of the Colorwomen?" Daniel asked in disbelief.
"Well... um... Matthew Erdagovern was one of nine children... and his three sisters were the first Woman In Yellow, Woman in Gray and Woman In Lavender" Man In Silver thought.
"That's it?" Daniel asked in further disbelief.
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Post by Toz76 on Nov 13, 2018 1:12:37 GMT -5
"It's incredibly unclear... some sources mention the two sexes warring for hundreds of years, and some sources mention them forming side by side... and some sources mention two men in blue... best not to think about it too much." Woman In Silver explained.
Woman In Blue stood. "Now that you know a bit more about our order, the question remains... are you ready to take the color folk oath and begin your training in the craft of our ancestors?"
"I mean... this place is kind of far from my apartment, and I teach at a university... but I do want to learn magic... so my answer is..."
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Post by frankthetriviaman on Nov 13, 2018 1:42:59 GMT -5
"... let me think about it first; this is a lot to take in, and it will have a huge impact on my life. I need to know that I am confident in my decision" Daniel explained.
"I understand; we won't force anything upon you" Woman In Blue assured before Daniel went to leave
......
He had returned to his apartment, his mind trying to wrap around everything that had happened today. From being attacked to shocking revelations, it was just so, so much. Honestly he wished that he could just go back to the way things were. Somehow, he figured that wouldn't be possible.
"Dad... I wish you were here right now" he sighed before turning in for the night.
......
Daniel slept and tried to get lost in his dreams. But instead of the usual abstract visuals, he suddenly felt like things were rather concrete. In a gray, foggy realm that seemed endless in all directions, he suddenly saw a figure. He began running towards it, becoming clearer as it became closer and closer. Once only a few feet away, he stood behind said figure.
"Hello? Who are you?" Daniel asked. The figure turned around, revealing himself to be someone all too dear to Daniel.
"D...Dad?" Daniel asked in disbelief. But then, he remembered that he was asleep. "Right... dreams... you're just a figment of my imagination" Daniel sighed.
"Not quite" the figure suddenly spoke up. "It really is me, Daniel... but my time is limited and it will be a while before we can meet like this again."
"I don't understand" Daniel said, confused.
"Do you know why the Colormen have bloodlines in the first place? A power unique to The Prism is its ability to allow the living Colormen to communicate with their departed ancestors. However, with the Prism in its current state, we can only appear in your dreams, and for very brief periods"
"But you are dead"
"Yes; this is only possible because of our soul's bond to the prism; and this communication can only be possible when there is a connection between the two souls in question, that is why the bloodlines exist... so that the knowledge of all those who came before can still be used by those who come later" and Andrew gestured behind him... the complete line of Men In Blue that came before Daniel... well, almost complete.
"Wait... where's Grandpa?" Daniel asked, confused.
"Sound asleep in his house in the Hamptons... always did have the heart of a bull... probably got another four years left in him, lucky b*stard" Andrew groaned.
"Yea, Grandpa Wallace always was a lively one" Daniel chuckled. That old Andrew Erdagovern wit... he was really going to miss that.
"Anyway, I want you to know this... you are not alone when you walk this path. The road ahead of you will be long and hard. But this is a path you must follow, not just for your sake, but for the sake of all that is good and just. The Colormen are in dire shape right now... and it is up to you to bring them together again. Be strong Daniel, because what happens next is up to you. And if I raised you right, I know you will make the right decision" Andrew assured, before the sequence ended, and Daniel found himself alone in the fog again.
"I won't let you down" Daniel said, now firm in his decision to move forward. He would do what it took to become the Man In Blue, and not just for him, but for everyone else. Come the morning, he knew what he would do.
As for the colormen that were going to attack the apartment...
......
"Are you sure this is the right address?"
"Of course it is! I wrote it down just as Black said it!"
"Well, I don't see an apartment building, do you?"
Indeed, the pair were standing in front of an empty lot. "Ugh; let's go back to base, this is a waste of time" the first muttered.
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Post by Toz76 on Nov 14, 2018 0:55:44 GMT -5
"Hang on, now... there it is!" Man In Off-White said, pointing to the brick-built high rise.
"Hang on... aren't there innocent people in there? Are you sure we should be doing this?" Man In Ghost White asked.
Man In Off-White turned and looked at him for a second, before both burst out laughing.
"You should have seen your face!" Man In Ghost White guffawed.
"You really had me going!" Man In Off White chortled. "Let's go, shall we?"
*****
In his apartment, Daniel woke from his dream.
"Well, it was nice to see my dad again... but I'm not gonna get much sleep tonight..."
Daniel stood and looked out the window. And that's when he saw the two ghostly figures.
"Who are those people and what are they doing?"
One of them looked up and saw him.
"Hey! It's 2 AM! You shouldn't be out there!"
Suddenly, a molotov cocktail flew through his window. Daniel dived back and was barely able to avoid the explosion. A shard of glass slit his cheek and his table caught fire.
Daniel reacted on instinct. The blood on his cheek suddenly shot out like a jet, turning into water in midair, landing on the fire and extinguishing it.
Daniel jumped towards the window and grabbed a textbook. He threw it across the field and it hit one of the fleeing figures in the back of the head. And then it became too much for him and he collapsed.
******
Man In Off-White sighed in annoyance as his partner collapsed due to blunt force trauma from a textbook.
"Jesus christ, that could have killed him! This Man In Blue is goddammed vicious.."
******
When Daniel awoke, a purple-clad man was standing over him. He was in an unfamiliar room awash with light.
"What? Where am I?" He asked, his memory hazy.
Woman In Blue materialized next to him. "What do you remember?"
"I remember... my father..."
"Hmm... do you remember how you put out the fire?"
Everything came back to him. "The fire! Is the apartment okay?"
Woman In Blue nodded. "That's what we wanted to talk to you about. Are you familiar with necromancy?"
"That's magic to do with zombies and stuff, right?" Daniel asked. "Oh god, is that sweet lady next door a zombie?"
Woman In Blue chuckled. "Creating the undead is just one facet of necromancy. The magic of death is also the magic of life, and the human body. Blood mages, healers... all technically necromancers. And based on what you did to put out that fire, it appears you have some natural aptitude for necromancy. We must begin your training at once."
"But I haven't decided if I want to join or not!"
"What if the evil colorfolk attack your apartment again? Wouldn't you rather know how to fight back?"
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Post by frankthetriviaman on Nov 14, 2018 1:45:12 GMT -5
“Well, yes, but... this goes against everything I know about magic” Daniel explained.
“How so?” Woman In Blue asked.
“Well; in my research on magic, my understanding was that the aptitude’s are based on the elements: Fire, water, earth, air, dark, light, ice and electric. Where does necromancy fall?”
“Traditional necromancy is considered dark magic; but the connection to healing magic kinda put it in its own box in recent centuries” Man In Gold said from across the room.
“Wait a minute; if the black stuff corrupts one’s heart based on consequences and motivations, and disturbing the dead is considered evil... No! I don’t want my heart to become corrupted!” Daniel said in shock, holding his hands over his heart.
“Daniel, calm down; like I said, that’s just one part of it” Woman In Blue reminded him.
“What do I do to study then? It’s not like books are readily available for me to read” Daniel said
“What makes you think that?” Woman In Blue asked
“It was a story Dad told me as a kid... long ago the largest faction dedicated to necormancy... at least the raising the dead part... angered the local king, and in an event many consider “divine justice” a meteor crashed into their castle some time later; all the factions members were killed and the library obliterated. Apparently the event became highly publicized and people interpreted it as god’s wrath against those practicing “a sinful art” and it was a contributing factor towards the long held stigmas against necromancy” Daniel recalled
“Is that all you know about necromancy?” Woman In Blue asked
“Pretty much; I only know what my dad told me... and until recent I thought they were just bedtime stories” Daniel admitted
”that story is true Daniel; but you should know it only scratches the surface of necromancy” Woman In Blue explained
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Post by Toz76 on Nov 14, 2018 18:29:01 GMT -5
"Not to mention, elemental aptitudes are just one part of the puzzle, and colorfolk can't even use most elemental magic... hang on, hang on, wait. Does the magic system seem overcomplicated to you?"
"What do you mean?" Daniel asked.
"I mean, are there too many details? Elemental aptitudes, necromancy being healing magic... is this just like all those kids cartoons that suddenly become obsessed with irrelevant lore?"
"Well, this is real life, not a kids show." Daniel pointed out.
"Oh, whatever, we'll figure it out later. In the meantime, no more details that aren't directly relevant to the current situation, which is you becoming Man In Blue." Woman In Blue decided.
"Also, disturbing the dead isn't inherently evil." Man In Gold said.
"WHAT DID I JUST SAY?"
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Post by frankthetriviaman on Nov 14, 2018 18:47:19 GMT -5
(I’m really sorry; got carried away with worldbuilding again- it’s one if the few things I’m good at but I need to keep it in check)
“All right I get it! I’ll only ask questions as they pertain to the situation at hand, ok?” Daniel declared.
“Finally. So what first to do?” Woman In Blue asked.
“Well traditionally the artifact is handed off first; but that’s on hold for obvious reasons” Man In Silver pointed out
“Yes, true... then what came next?” Woman In Blue asked.
“Well to begin the path to becoming a Colorman he needs to know what aptitude’s he does have; It’s the only way to figure out what areas he needs to study so we know who is best to teach him” Man in silver pointed out
“Yes; we each have different specialties so the sooner we know where he is strongest the sooner he can begin his journey”
(I’ll break down the magic system in another post; I promise it’s not that complicated)
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Post by Toz76 on Nov 14, 2018 20:40:07 GMT -5
"We've already established that necromancy is one of them... but to find the others, Woman In White will have to train you. Come with me."
Daniel stood and followed Woman In Blue to a large open room, lined with mirrors and filled with mannequins covered in magic debris and at least one trapped under an oversized fishbowl. In the center of the room, a scrawny woman with dreadlocks was punching a mannequin. She whirled and nearly fell over when Daniel entered.
"Ah, you must be the new Man In Blue! Come in! Let's teach you about magic!"
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Post by Tug on Dec 9, 2018 21:38:32 GMT -5
As Daniel began to learn the intricacies of magic, the Man in Black was receiving a report from the off shade Whites...
"You WHAT?" shouted Man in Black angrily
"We... We were overpowered by a textbook..." replied Man in Off-White
"ARGH! I'll deal with you're punishment later! As they say... IF you want something done right, send a creature that will follow your orders to the bitter end... You two! Come with me to the basement! I'll need you to help undo it's chains..." laughed Man in black as he left his office. The two off shades only gulped in fear...
.....
Rattling could be heard from the iron door as loud thuds banged against it, as if trying to escape... Man in Black looked onward evilly...
"Now you two don't have the willpower strong enough to control one of these things, so for your best interest you should just undo it's bindings or else it might kill you on, 'accident'..." chuckled Man in Black
The two Whites watched in worriment as Man in Black snapped his fingers, and the iron door opened, revealing the monstrosity inside...
"You two, the chains, NOW!" ordered Man in Black
As the duo rushed to unlock the chains, the monster is released and charges at Man in Black, but with a stare of intimidation, the Goliath bends its knee...
"Yes, even though you're one of Dagonar's mighty creations, even 'you' know to crumple before my superior might... I have one job for you, KILL the Man in Blue, don't stop until he's crushed beneath you, don't let anyone get in your way, do you hear me?" ordered the Man in Black as the monster shook its head in agreement
"Now, where should I drop you off?"
.....
As Daniel was receiving his training, an alarm rang loudly throughout the Colorfolk's base...
"What is that?" questioned Daniel
"It means someone is under attack from a magical entity, come quickly to the seer's room!" spoke Woman in Blue. The three Colorfolk rushed to a room where a small pool with a crystal ball half submerged projected an image onto the vapor emanating off of the pool...
"Is it the Evil Colorfolk?" asked Daniel
"No... Much Worse... The town of Blackwell is being besieged by... A Stone Golem!"
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Post by frankthetriviaman on Dec 9, 2018 23:01:58 GMT -5
"Man In White! You know the drill!" Woman In Blue shouted.
"I'm on it" He declared as he went to get a few things.
"Daniel, we're going to keep you in a safe place; don't worry, stone golems are one of the most researched of all magic creatures and Man In White is the greatest tactician of the living colorfolk; that said, just because we can out-think a golem doesn't mean it's going to be a walk in the park" Woman In Blue warned.
Daniel was escorted away as the base went on red alert.
......
Ordos, September 1109
The victorious Colormen stood outside as they watched the castle burn. It had been a long war, but thankfully "they" had been defeated. The Order of Masteri, the faction responsible for the creation of golems, had been wiped out at long last.
"This was an ill-conceived war on their part; had they known what we were capable of, I doubt they would have started all this" Man In Red mused.
"No; you saw their arrogance... they would have fought us to the bitter end regardless of how much they knew about us. Man In Gold... I know you hate the destruction of knowledge but... I believe we can both agree that this is for the best" Man In Blue explained.
"Agreed... golem magic is too dangerous for any one man to wield. The world would be better off forgetting about the Masteri and their creations" Man In Gold concurred.
"And... us?" One of the two surviving ice golems that had turncoated asked. Though not as smart as humans they were able to register what was going on around them and respond accordingly.
"Perhaps the mountains would be the ideal home for you two; follow me" Man In Cerulean said as he lead them away.
"Was anything saved?" Man In Gold asked.
"I pulled out a few scrolls for research purposes before we torched the library; even if golem magic is dangerous there may be something there we can find useful" Man In Bronze said before handing them to Man In Gold.
"You'll be remembered as a hero for this Man In Bronze; the charge you lead today, has changed the world for the better" Man In Blue said before leading a cheer for Man In Bronze, the hero of the hour.
......
Back in the Present, Man In White began outlining the plan of attack as the team assembled.
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Post by Toz76 on Dec 9, 2018 23:30:53 GMT -5
"Golems are magical constructs, so a strong anti-magic field would take it out- but also render us powerless. So we're gonna send those of us who don't rely on magic to fight effectively. Woman In Silver, Woman In Gold, and Woman In Blue, are you three ready?"
"Ready as we'll ever be." Woman In Silver said. "But what about the rest of you?"
"Who do you think is gonna set up the anti-magic field?" Man In Silver asked. "Woman In White, Man In Gold, and I will set it up here." He pointed to a spot on the map. "You just need to lure the golem here. Once it's in range, we'll activate the field and take out the golem."
"It's still risky. The rest of you aren't trained in non-magic combat. We don't want anyone getting hurt." Woman In Blue said.
"We'll be fine. We just need to get to the edge of the anti-magic field and then wait for the effect to wear off." Man In Silver pointed out.
"Alrighty then... move out!"
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