Creative Corner

@Vely just added myself! Thank you!

For those with mystery pings on this page: Please see the first post!

[quote]One of the Sunbeam Ruins’ ports sits as a gleaming hub of activity, acting as a crossroads for merchants and travelers as well as a welcoming place to rest. Merchants line the streets, providing everything from curious articles of clothing to a mix of potions and poisons (any number of which could be little more than serthis oil). Today in particular is a festive day for many, and they hawk figures of the deities in celebration of this day, especially those of the Earth and Wind flights. Not far from the docks sits a stand dedicated to recent excavation efforts by one of the region’s numerous archaeology organizations. It has been hastily made, no doubt in the wake of this summer’s surprisingly high interest in artifacts. A number of chests, trunks, and boxes sit near the stand, some of them dubiously stacked. [center][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=20194322] [img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/201944/20194322_350.png[/img] [/url][/center] Zap notices you peering about the archaeology stand and swoops on over, heavy jewelry jangling against her wings. She settles on the other side, giving you a smile that doesn't quite reach her stern gaze. "A volunteer? Good, good." Before you can blink, she's hauled a heavy chest onto the table with a [i]thunk[/i] and a cloud of dust. "Our archaeologists haven't the scholarship to identify these," she says disdainfully, clicking open the chest and picking out the contents to lay before you. "Do be careful with them, they [i]are[/i] old, and some parts may be missing." “Oh, pardon my manners,” she says, looking at one of the artifacts distastefully. “I am Zap. I run this little expedition. ‘Artifact Recovery and Reassembly.’ [i]Arr[/i],” she says unenthusiastically. “I was not given the, ah, [i]privilege[/i] of naming it. Our sponsor was. He likes pirates.” Zap sighs heavily, then looks at you sharply. “Well? We haven’t got all day. Come on, chop chop.” [center][item=Golden Glow Alchemist Tools][item=Yellow Sludge][item=Decorative Feather Fan][item=Crystal Ball][item=Ancestral Incense][/center][/quote] Using any or all of the items above, come up with a written or drawn description of what their purpose may once have been! You can draw or write about an artifact, the history of the Hewn City, or even just your character fiddling about and guessing at everything. Almost anything goes so long as the prompt is addressed creatively. Entries are due by 00:40 June 20, allowing 10 minutes past rollover for late submissions. [size=1] @MagpieScholar @SinMachine @CandyPrincess @theroiprocepios @Gheron @Luminaries @Haoang20082 @hat17 @Kizmetto @Valoria [/size]

[center][img]http://i.imgur.com/dEyv5ZO.jpg[/img] [i]A radiant orb floats above a softly glowing pool of yellow sludge. It seems to be placed on a cracked stone slab alongside an incense burner and a bright feathered fan. It may have been used as an altar by seers or shamans of the past. [/i][/center]

[url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=23881785] [img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/238818/23881785_350.png[/img] [/url] Cyrus looks down into the chest, hood shadowing his pale green eyes. Orbs and a satchel, one broken open and oozing its yellow slimy contents everywhere. A fan. A glass ball. Incense, now covered in sludge. He sniffed, the high frequency light, airy blend of lilacs and white florals nearly covered by the acidic scent of the sludge. "Hmm... well I wonder if more of these have been found recently. You know there's been an outbreak of featherback boar? You never used to see them. Well anyway I am quite certain these are the tools to summon the spirit of one. You see there is this lady in our clan who is all into spirits and this looks like just what you would need. Of course a spirit is different than the real thing. So first, you have to attract the spirit. You burn the incense and fan it so the scent reaches to wherever spirits hang out. Then you trap it in the crystal. Then you have to distill it, see this kit here with the yellow junk? I'm pretty sure that is how you'd do it. Then.. then you.." He paused. Really they hadn't gone into the details of HOW you'd do this. Really. So he made a wild guess, "Then you just drin.. uhh no might not be safe.. then you just paint yourself with the distillate and you are empowered with the spirit of a featherback boar. Aggressive and able to take on all enemies in battle. Unless it's raining." "Just be careful with it, I'm pretty sure that it attracts boars. Don't want one rampaging around your site." [img]http://www1.flightrising.com/static/cms/familiar/17507.png[/img]

The decanter before you Of alchemists' hand Gleams in the light There on its stand [item=Golden Glow Alchemist Tools] You reach for the bottle It falls with a crash Its contents pour out Slow, with no splash [item=Yellow Sludge] A viscous bright paste Tepid and rank You take a step back The air grows quite dank You hear a strange hissing Then a great sigh You are chilled to the core When a voice whispers "Why?" [Item=Ancestral Incense] "So long have I slumbered No errands to run My time was my own But now that is done" The air grows quite sweet But then stings your nose The worlds fades away "So ends my repose Be still while I fetch them Know they draw near By the numbness within you Ere the voices you hear" So you wait and you wonder And barely you breath For the awe in your mind Battles terrors that seethe You draw yourself calm Then note with a start You have no sense of feeling Save your fast beating heart Now a voice pours Down all around Another voices rises Quick from the ground One whizzes about Your poor addled head And more billow forth "Here are your dead!" The chanting begins A great mocking din They number your failures And tally each sin "This is the one who came in our stead? Here stands the youth Of which we all said We will leave to them greatness They who follow our line They will shine with our light And serve the divine This weak tiny knave Is all that remains Of a line once so great And full of such gains So dull and dimwitted So ugly yet vain A worthless reviled Stain on our name!" A single voice joins them Too distant to hear And the strangest sensation Of wind tickles your fear The voices grow din The blinding light dims This world seems to die Though just birthed by your whims Your back on the ground Your head throbbing in pain Through great gusts of wind And Zap shouting again [item=Decorative Feather Fan] "I said wake UP You insolent cur Destroying such finds At least you stir Enough guilt inside you To be quite taken down By the havoc you wrought In this corner of town!" You beg her forgiveness And up out of the dirt You spring with relief Your ego most hurt "I have have half a mind" She says with a sneer "To turn your gaze towards This item right here" You see there before you A crystallize orb But its mystery now fails to absorb [item=Crystal Ball] "I have a suspicion Just a small notion That one it entrances Feels set in motion Every fear they carry In whole and in part All bursting forth A test of the heart!" Your gaze darts away You turn and you flee How little you need Such visions to see! As you turn tail Her voice echoes clear "It would be a sweet justice For you to know fear!"

[url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=16887412] [img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/168875/16887412_350.png[/img] [/url] Inti frowned at the chest. "I think you got the wrong dragon. I'm no expert at this. But if you really want me to take a shot at this - well." He tapped a claw against something round and glassy. "These things used to be around a lot at the start of the Third Age. Y'know, when everybody stuck to themselves." Another poke; a few faded runes appeared on the surface of the crystal. "Our seer could probably tell you more about this, but he's gone wandering for the moment. Wind spirals, really, they're crazy flighty. Though I don't think they're much in use anymore, you might be able to get a few chunks of treasure if you sell it to an antiquities place or something." He wrinkled his nose. "I think something's leaking, by the way. Smells like burning iron. But anyways, back in ye olde times Water was the only flight with seers, right? Since nobody mingled even in festivals and it couldn't spread without a few heirs here and there. So I think some enterprising Lightning Guardian - their eyes are like, pretty close, they can fool anybody from far away - made these things and pretended they could see the future, with a lot of mumbo jumbo and burning plants. Obviously we know better now, but he was really good at what he did and fooled everybody. So then a whole bunch of Lightning Guardians copied his device and pretended they could see the future, and threw a huge ton of runes and everything to make it look really impressive - all flashy and stuff. There's definitely something leaking, by the way, there's a trail of yellow all down the seams of that chest. I could recommend you this really good metalworker I know, but he's pretty solitary and I'm not sure if he's around." Inti paused before taking a step back. Something gooey trickled out of the chest. "Then dragons got friendly with each other, and I guess the Guardians must have figured pretty fast that once the Water dragons came out they were going to be revealed as fakes. They were touring, you know, big business, lots of treasure, and they just ditched. Left a whole bunch of these balls everywhere. I'm not really surprised that there's a few of these in here; apparently they left behind a lot. But yeah, they're all fake and by now the flash has probably worn off too, so I don't really think it's all that valuable to you pirates." "But hey, you know what, I'll buy it off you for 35 treasure if you want. I bet our seer will get a real kick out of it. Or I can lob it at his head when he returns. I swear, he's [i]always[/i] missing and it's honestly getting stupid."

[center][img]http://i.imgur.com/B648Ttg.png[/img] [b]Notes: Day Unknown. Name: Lindi.[/b] [i]Set before me at this very second are five strange artifacts. A Nocturne has asked me- ME- to tell her what they are. I may have been in the Hewn City for over 40 years, but even I don't know some of these! I should probably try, though. She's looking at me weird as I write this.[/i] [color=#6d6837]"Well... I've seen the sludge before, it's a rather common substance that appears when an item is thrown into a bubbling pot and transmuted, most commonly via Baldwin's pot. However, this is a much older vial, and I'd call it a nice antique. Take care not to spill it! I also know about the Incense. I've come across a few in my time, one just this morning. They contain dragon spirits, and whenever you smell it, you can speak with this spirit. Many are very entertaining to talk to. As for the fan, it's made of Cockatrice feathers. Hopefully it was dead when the creator found it, otherwise, I suspect someone gave their life to make this. I'm not completely certain on the other two, but I've seen a Pearlcatcher carry similar glowing tools, and I once saw a flock of Nocturnes carrying crystal balls when the air was cold."[/color] The Nocturne stared at the Sprite in slightly stunned silence. Lindi shrugged, picked up her journal, and walked away. [i]What an interesting little stand! I'll likely be coming back later, that was much more fun than I expected it to be.[/i] [/center]

@Vely (June 19) The Rogues gather around the table, jostling slightly for competition to look at the artifacts splayed out. Rydian, the blind spiral, runs her hands over them, hesitating at the soft glow of the baubles. Her fingers find the edges of the faded yellow feathers, pulling soft whispers from the wind they have long since stirred. She picks up the fan delicately and shoves the entire thing in her mouth. [item=decorative feather fan] She spits a mouthful of feathers as Phantom whomps her on the back, and mumbles "needs more salt." "What she means to say," Quicksilver interjects hastily, "is that this was once a serving tray for the deities themselves." It's all Quicksilver can do to not slap a hand to his forehead when Phantom dips his claw in the yellow sludge and pops it into his mouth. [item=yellow sludge] "Yep," Phantom nods sagely. "That's mustard." "Likely [i]ancient, sacred[/i] mustard, of course," adds the captain quickly. Meanwhile, one of the crew, a fae with fiercely striped crimson wings, inspects the golden orbs hanging from a sack on the table. [item=golden glow alchemist tools] "We had these in the Shrieking Wilds," she says softly, though it is impossible to tell with what emotion. "Minds would often become lost from their bodies. We hung lanterns like this, that glowed eternally, to guide lost ones back to their lives. Of course, it didn't always work. Occasionally a dragon would wake up inhabiting a body that was not their own." She grins, though it feels practiced and unnatural. [item=ancestral incense] "If the misplaced soul wasn't willing to leave, well, then, we'd have to get creative. Lighting this incense allowed one to separate mind and body, even if unwilling. It was a powerful tool, often misused." Quicksilver stares at her. "Remind me never t' get on yer bad side, Amazon." "And the crystal?" A large, fiery Imperial, a variety of weapons hung on his belt, eagerly interrupts the fae. "Does it go ka-boom?" [item=crystal ball] Amazon iss silent for a moment. "It's written in a script I cannot read." They all turn to one of the Guardians, outfitted in somewhat tattered clothing and an assortment of plant matter. "Uhhh, okay." She squints, turning it over in her hands. "Either this crystal imprisons a form of ancient and sentient life that could potentially destroy all of dragonkind, OR possibly it's a menu for takeout. Not too sure, we're missing a letter there." She points with her claw, and a mist begins to rise from the crystal. "Or somethin' else entirely," Quicksilver adds. "We best be going now, nice talkin' to ya." And he ushers his crew quickly away before they can destroy any other precious artifacts.

The pink head of a Spiral rises above the edge of the table … and keeps rising as she lifts into the air with excitement. “Oh,” says the dragon. “Oh. [i]Oh.[/i] I’ve only ever read about these! Where did you find a complete, intact kit? Which part of the city? Were there more?” [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=23994575] [img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/239946/23994575_350.png[/img] [/url] After hyperventilating for a minute over the artifacts on the table, she deftly starts tucking the artifacts into the pouch, turning them so they fit perfectly. “This is an old-fashioned makeup kit. You’d have worn it to fly to a party, probably, so you could freshen up when you arrived – or to go attend a market stall. The main pouch is worn as a bandolier, most of the time, though I’ve seen sketches of dragons who wore it in different ways. Fashion marches on, no? “Anyway, this sludgy yellow stuff – I suspect this used to be eyeshadow. A nice yellow-gold brings out Light dragons’ eyes. You almost never find it still in powder form; it’s the humidity from the Sea of the Thousand Currents that turns it into this weird sludge. The tools – this one would have been a brush, I think. See, here’s where the bristles were. This is a mane comb, and I [i]think[/i] this one’s probably an antler-polisher. This must have belonged to a high-class Imperial dragon! How exciting. “Now, the fan tucks right in here, to keep the feathers from getting mussed. We know it went in the same compartment because there are a couple of documents we’ve found where people complain about getting saffron eyeshadow on their fans before a party. See, this belonged to someone clever; the fan is yellow, too. Or maybe it just contrasted nicely with their scales. The round crystal is a portable mirror, to make sure nothing is smudged – and this,” she cradles the last item in her claws, “this that looks like incense? It’s actually perfume. [i]Lovely[/i] perfume. It’s so old it might be toxic by now!” She doesn’t look bothered by this notion, nor does she stop sniffing. “Look, if you find any more of these, would you send word to me? Hyksos, Clan Magpie, the Hewn City? This is great. I’d love to compare the perfumes!”