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BEASTMANCER: Game 1

2 days ago
Commended by Mizal on 1/28/2025 1:21:27 PM

It's a luminous day in the bazaar of Keleron, the Brass Citadel, which sails through the dunes on the great beetle's back. Conjurers and Geneforgers dwell on every floor of the MegaBibliotheca, a great twisted spire where all the world's most exotic and secret knowledge is collected. It's a reflectively polished building, which leans ominously over the rest of the city like the arm of a sundial, and drinks lightning and static from the sky during storms. The arcanely inclined gather here to peddle their scrolls and display their most rare and exotic creatures, all hoping to one day afford admittance through the vault-locked doors of the great library.

But it's not just business as usual in the city of sorcerors! A contest is being held by The Whisperers, a highly exclusive council of archmages who live in the great checkered bulb at the far end of the MegaBibliotheca. After the unexpected death of one of their longest-serving members, they have offered a seat at the council to the best BEASTMANCER there is! In the next 24 hours, whosoever can produce the most satisfied customers will be given unlimited access to all the secrets of the world.

https://perchance.org/0d5jkwxpbq

BEASTMANCER: Game 1

2 days ago

@hetero_malk @Mizal @Anthraxus @fresh_out_the_oven @goodnight_a

BEASTMANCER: Game 1

2 days ago

The contestants gather in the bazaar, as they often seem to do in this realm of competing nouns and suffixes. Minutes pass, stretching into tens of minutes and fifteens of minutes. Silence. A stillness settles. Are we in the right place? Isn't there supposed to be a customer?

They hear a rattling. Their attention is drawn to a barrel, left on its side and abandoned. The barrel rattles, then rattles some more. POP! The lid flies off, soaking the polished tiles  in pickled fish and brining liquid. Gasping, a  muscular man bedecked in polar bear fur (and not much else) wriggles out of the preserved morass. 

"Hello! I am Tom of Finland, and I am pickling and shipping myself to your fair land because I am in desperate needing of a creature that can help me survive the merciless nights of my homeland. The nights are lasting for years, and I am being assailed during them by Swedes, bears, and killer seals." 

He has a funny accent. Europeans are silly. 

BEASTMANCER: Game 1

yesterday
A stately figure stepped forward. An unusually dignified Orc in a deep red longcoat, he is recognized by most. Grammar the Punctual, once outcast from his tribe for the crime of literacy, had dwelled and worked as a summoner in Keleron for nearly three decades now. He gazes down expressionlessly at this ridiculous European creature, nose wrinkling slightly at the powerful reek of homosexuality and vinegar. And after a long moment speaks in a calm and unhurried manner, with a voice that brings to mind old leather, still strong but beginning to crack a little at the edges. "I am well acquainted with exactly the being you seek." Beckoning forth his homunculi assistant, he waits unmoving as the wretchedly pale and lumpy creature shuffles to light the candles around the summoning circle. When the work is complete, Grammar steps forward, raising both hands and beginning to chant. The sonorous and carefully intoned words of the arcane language wash in waves over those in attendance, and the faintly outlined form of some creature begins to take shape. Finally, it is there in the flesh. "I give you, The Nacre-Winged Orca of Blades," the Orc announces solemnly, after a sweeping look over the creature and an approving nod to mark his satisfaction a summoning done well. The whale is the expected black and white, but its wings shine with a spectral light reflecting all the colors of Mother-of-Pearl. Hovering about it are thirteen levitating swords, which Grammar goes on to explain are chained lesser demons with a insatiable hatred for both Swedes and bears. While the Orca itself will obviously devour any seal that comes near. The Orca for it's part, lets out a high pitched chittering laugh, bobbing its head vigoursly and rolling over in the air. (Material, Prefix*, Creature, Suffix)

BEASTMANCER: Game 1

yesterday
@goodnight_a
@Anthraxus
@fresh_out_of_the_oven

It's such a surreal experience being the only one NOT procrastinating.

BEASTMANCER: Game 1

yesterday
I'm honestly still trying to figure out how to play
Turn order, what I'm supposed to say, etc

BEASTMANCER: Game 1

yesterday

There is no turn order or a formula for how to respond for this. This is a thread of us playing Blacksmith, which is basically the same game with items rather than creatures:

 

https://chooseyourstory.com/forums/creative-corner/message/29620

 

When it's your turn to be a judge/customer, you'll be PM'ed by the previous customer. It goes in order of who joined the game.

BEASTMANCER: Game 1

yesterday
You've been given a prompt, just look at you cards and assemble a creature based on that. The rest is just like the roleplays!

BEASTMANCER: Game 1

23 hours ago
(I know I'm stupid; just getting that out of the way.)
So, I take all my cards and combine them into one unique and new animal, then try to describe how that fits malk's request?

BEASTMANCER: Game 1

23 hours ago
You don't have to use them all, they're just the options you have available.

As far as card syntax rules, I'll say that a creation doesn't need to be just one of each card in that specific order. At bare minimum, it can be two cards. At maximum, I'd say 5. As long as it makes grammatical sense for what you're proposing, you can even use materials as items and vise versa, since they're both nouns.

BEASTMANCER: Game 1

23 hours ago
I also suck at reading, noted. Thank you!

BEASTMANCER: Game 1

23 hours ago

"Sorry I'm late! Cross-planar traffic's a nightmare at this time of day."

A woman in a long leather trench coat hurries through the crowd. The people she brushes against recoil from the stench of sulphur and burnt toast emanating from her. Under her arm is a small brass cage, inside which there appears to be some sort of glowing mound.

When she reaches the centre of the crowd, the woman thrusts the cage above her head. From this perspective the mound is now seen to be a small reddish bird, its eyes abnormally large and beady and all its feathers fluffed out. All eyes on her, the woman launches into her spiel, gesticulating wildly at random intervals.

"This is the Stoned Phoenix that nests at the centre of the Shifting Labyrinth! When commanded, it can fly into the night sky and illuminate the battlefield up to a range of 60 feet! In addition, the phoenix radiates warmth and energy wherever it goes, perfect for those cold Scandinavian nights away from your loved ones.
"The best part, though, is that this fiery fiend can launch its talons of death at the face of any creature which happens to offend you, be it Swede, bear or seal! Nothing screams burning agony than literal red-hot claws to the eyeballs."

"Why is it stoned?" asks someone from the crowd.

"All the better. 'A stoned bird is a bird more than willing to be complicit in murderous deeds', as my long-dead mentor used to say. Just give the phoenix a whiff of this" - she pulls a cinnamon stick out of her coat - "once a day, and it'll obey all your commands. I'll warn you now though, give it the powdered stuff and it'll explode.
"Any other questions?"

"Who are you again?"

"Oh, right. I'm Sadie Rosenhoff, beast hunter for Jenkin's Bestiary and Garden Gnome Emporium. It's just down the road - there's currently a 50% off bargain on petrified cherubs if you're interested."
 

(Prefix, Beast, Suffix)

BEASTMANCER: Game 1

23 hours ago
Moving carefully around the massive Orca and its orcish summoner, a wizened man of indeterminant asian ancestry and stereotypically elaborate garb emerged from the crowd. "Begging your pardon, sir," he began in a strong and assured voice, "While that great monstrosity may look intimidating, how long before those devious Swedes determine a means of dealing with a single martial threat?" Laughing lightly he shook his head. "No, no," he continued, "Instead you need something that is clever and can adapt it's tactics over time as your enemies do the same. Allow me, please." He began performing a elaborate and precise series of movements, picking up speed with each. After only a few positions, an unnatural and building wind swirled through the crowd and began to spin within the circle his movements circumscribed. With a sudden crack of thunder and blinding flash of lightning, oddly outlined in bold black lines. The earth trembled. As the light returned to normal, a creature had manifested, seemingly erupting from the earth itself. It was a man-size, buxom badger woman with dark brown skin under her fur and an enormous bag held on her shoulder. She blinked her small black eyes and clenched her free hand to her stomach and groaned slightly. The asian wizard moved another step or two away from her and addressed Tom. "Behold the terrible and Unusual Fukuro Mujina Infected with Dysentery. She is not only tricky and clever, but fully ready to sneak into the camps and nesting grounds of your enemies and shit and piss over everything. Within days, you will know peace as those foul and nefarious Swedes and their ursine and penniped allies embarrassingly shit themselves to death." The wizard bowed deeply to Tom and said, "This beast will guarantee your victory!" Prefix Beast Suffix

BEASTMANCER: Game 1

22 hours ago

Congratulations on posting something that made me double over stifling laughter and saying "Oh no! OH NO!" out loud

BEASTMANCER: Game 1

22 hours ago
Glad you liked it. I did have to look up what a Fukuro Mujina was, but once I did it just all snapped into place.

BEASTMANCER: Game 1

22 hours ago

A small commotion begins in the back of the room. Wind picks up; the swirls start on the floor and rise to the ceiling, kicking up dust and collecting loose papers. When the wind dies down, a woman stands where the gusts originated.

She dusts off her skirt and fixes her hat, then addresses the others. "Hello, I am The Sorceress." Her eyes scan the room, then stop upon reaching Tom. "You. It is you who called upon my aid."

With a wave of her hand, the wall begins to shake. "I am summoning a creature who will solve all the problems you described."

"This creature is, to begin with, belligerent." With those words, the wall crumbles slightly, as if responding to her for dramatic effect.

"This trait makes him an excellent deterrent to violent animals, including even Swedes," she adds with a smile.

"Speaking of Swedes, they have a unique contribution to this beast. You'll see what I mean momentarily."

Just as those final words leave her lips, a creature bursts forth from behind the wall. It's a mighty Impundulu, a human-sized bird covered in black and white feathers. He wears a strange armor that seems to be made from... human flesh? His belligerent nature is showcased by his snapping beak and immediate charge towards his summoner. She hold up her hand and the beast stills.

"Behold, the Scalp-Covered Belligerent Impundulu!" she declares, making a grand sweeping gesture towards the creature. "He's decorated with the scalps of your enemies, the Swedes! This is sure to bring terror to their souls, causing weak knees and screams for their mothers. On top of that, Impundulu can call down lightning and thunder from the sky, bringing light to the darkest night (like those of Finland) and bringing death to seals, who live in the water. As we all know, water is a conductor of electricity. As for the bears, his... rather feisty nature will ensure that they bother you no more."

She crosses her arms, clearly pleased with her offering.

Material / Prefix / Beast

BEASTMANCER: Game 1

21 hours ago

The Finnish ape considers the offerings of the bazaar for several minutes. Eventually, his primitive faculties produce a crude approximation of human speech: 

"The stoned firebird is very impressive, but I am worrying that a bird that is on cinammon reefer will not be a stalwart companion. I must pass," he shuffles to the next on his frostbitten stump legs. A herring falls out of his pocket.

He turns next to the hideous badger woman. "That is a terrible beast, and I am much liking the idea of Swedes shitting to death on an ice flow. However, I am not much liking the idea of me shitting to death on an ice flow from owning a dysentery monster, and must pass on this one too." 

Tom of Finland moves forward, carefully stepping over the dysenteric secretions. "This impundulu is intimidating, but the weather is bad enough I think. And I do not want the lightning to be striking me while I am swimming to catch the Pissfisch, which is much of my diet." 

At last, he turns his attention to the mighty orca. "This... is a beast of high quality. It can kill a seal, kill a Swede, and should the dread day arise when I am confronted with a Swedish seal, I'm sure it can kill that too. It is being a bonus that I can ride its back." 

He climbs on the orca's back and swims away, indicating his pleasure with the orc's selection. It occurs to everyone that Grammar the Punctual is probably not getting paid for this monster, given as Finns have not yet developed notions of currency. Point mizal. 

BEASTMANCER: Game 1

21 hours ago

Scoreboard:

Mizal: 1

Everyone else: 0

BEASTMANCER: Game 1

14 hours ago
For those of you new who might be having trouble keeping your hand organized and updated, I'll just mention that this is the ONE thing I've found the site's Notepad still useful for these days. Anyone, new customer arriving real soon.

BEASTMANCER: Game 1

13 hours ago
Suddenly a big fluffy pink cloud poofed into existence overheard, shimmering with silver sparkles. It hovered over the crowd until suddenly a staircase made of rainbows unfolded and the prettiest unicorn imaginable pranced down, with flowing rainbow mane and golden horn and hooves. She wore a crown intricately carved from a single amethyst and studded with diamonds and pearls, and was otherwise naked. But not in a weird way or anything, she was still just a magical horse--it only becomes weird if you yourself are having sexual thoughts here. The unicorn neighed a greeting to all assembled. "Citizens of Keleron, I and Princes Calliope Whinnifred, of Cantaloupe. My pet marshmallow-gasus has gone insane and so I had no choice but to banish him to Sun where, unfortunately, he died. It's pretty hot up there." "Anyway, it was very sad, but due to being beloved by all, I was at least able to get a refund from the breeder. And now I need a NEW companion. One who will join me on wholesome adventures in the Sparkling Lands, and be adorable, and not be so defective." @Anthraxus @fresh_out_the_oven @ISentinelPenguinI @goodnight_a @hetero_malk