[Art Exchange] Covert Courtesy Commutation ~ 6/8 gifts are up.

[e_voyager]

if you insist. take you pick and i can send you a little more information and any that you chose
http://eliander.deviantart.com/art/Wingless-eliander-at-the-beach-69779843 the dragon
the family in general http://eliander.deviantart.com/art/familiy-gathering-1-27061448
Eskavar , Erutan, Erica E, Estavon. Estavon is the fox withe sword and Eskavar is the wingless wolf( he has wings but they are folded away) with the old style home made look scythe it time he's release his wings and take over e's  job at the time incarnation of death. ( e never really liked that job but hey you do as you must) this family photo takes place about 800 years in the future of the current e story line and the tags the boys have do have meaning . the feline Erutan is the only real passive of the bunch but like the others he can fight when he needs too.  e's horns are the beginning of his body's transformation into a lager more dragonish form originally named valderen

as for the robot e's you've seen on this forum that haven't been blatant forte copy's. yes i said forte copies in the storyline e befit of body on the rock man world was captured by wily withe hops of using him to power a super robot to defeat rock man but before he cold do so  rock man in the process of stop wily accidentally freed e who got into Wiley's system and  took over one of forte's back up spare bodies.  any way information them can be found here http://www.furaffinity.net/view/1679193  and here. http://www.furaffinity.net/view/1812628/ there is a part three but i have yet to type it up from my notebook. it explains the up grade to feline bot http://www.furaffinity.net/view/2533792/


Ellis my only cubi and one of my least explored character can be found here http://www.furaffinity.net/view/1812628/

but then now that i'm had my wind and told you all of this i'll tell you, you don't have to write about any of this character specifically. the basic concept behind my character is that he's and explorer who unless anchored can't stay in one place fore any extend period of time. he can go to sleep on the side of the road after long days travel and wake up in the middle of the mushroom kingdom or a robot war 100 years in the future of  the rock man / mega man universe.  the kids and there mother gave him and anchor some where to return to and stop his endless voyagers into the unexplored and unexplained.  it should be noted that he truly dislikes time travel but is some times forced into it like an involuntary  teleportion ( the way nightcrawler of the X- men used to) if he needs to be somewhere for some thing to happen he will be like it or not.

[Gabi]

"I saw earlier in the thread that you don't really want something written. Since my drawing ability restricts me to stick figures (and bad stick figures at that) would you rather I try my luck with drawing or be willing to entertain a brief written piece?


My apologies,
Your Gifter.

[WhiteFox]

No apologies necessary. I wouldn't mind a written piece; a short story would be alright.

As a note; medium to short paragraphs, with a line space between them, are easier for me to read.

[Gabi]

Could I get some Biographical and personality information on Eskavar, Erutan, Erica, and Estavan?

Also, about Ellis, I think the link you posted is broken, it put me to the second part of the PBH/E story. Could you post up a corrected link when you can please?

[e_voyager]

my mistake here the correct link http://www.furaffinity.net/view/1789151/

for eskavar http://www.voyagerhq.bravehost.com/eskavar.html
for erutan http://voyagerhq.bravehost.com/eurtan.html

i've never written much about Erica and estavon aside from that estavon is a combat prodigy and a black bet at age 8

[Lisky]

Many apologies dear gifter, i've been getting back into the swing of college and checking this thread completely slipped my mind...

If you feel like doing my main character, Bas/Basilisk/Baseel, His body type was done perfectly by Ren, and his fur patterns, particularly the face done by rhyfe

Ren's rendition
Rhyfe's rendition

As for a physical description of Him...

Name: Baseel (pronounced Bah Seel) (AKA Basilisk) Wolkshammer

Race: Demon

Gender: Male

Species: Demon Canine, Shepherd

Physical Description:  Tall, and thin, yet well muscled, one would find him to be the poster child of the demon race, at least in appearance.  He Looks to be in his early 20's by being standards.

Across his back, starting at the top of his head, and running all the way down his back is a near jet black fur across his front is a silver tinged with a hint of brown, running across his face, down his throat and down his body, and ending in pure silver extremities.  He has full black patches around his eyes, giving him an almost raccoon mask coloring. His muzzle is also mostly black, with brown around the corners of his mouth, and a silver ring right as his snout begins to broaden.  A black diamond shape sits between his eyes and goes from the bridge of his nose to the crown of his head.

His cephalic hair (human like, head hair) is a reddish blond, and is worn in tied into cable-like clusters, and held together with silver rings.  (basically think stylized for personal effect)

Bas sports a rather impressive pair of horns that sprout just behind his eyes, they curve up and around, facing slightly forward at the tips. (http://www.northernelectric.ca/~whitefox/images/dmfa/basilisk/basilisk4.png reference by whitefox)

His wings match his fur patterns quite nicely, dark at the top, moving to brown about the shoulders, then silver at center mass down. though the bottom wings are rimmed in black as well.  His wingspan is 16 feet at maximum, and given his musculature, he seems capable of flight.

For clothing he usually wears a dark, forest green robe, with black trim, along with similarly patterned pants.
********************

If you feel like trying something more sci-fi-ish... Darkshine is another one who i'd like to see someone else's take on...

Race: (heavily modified at the genetic level) Leopard

Age: Estemated at about 140 (though looks to be in his early to mid 20's)

Height: 2 meters (about 6'6")

Build: thin, lithe and sinuous

Features of note: Black tipped ears, Speckle directly under and on his left eyelid.  Orangish-cream overcoat, Creamy/white undercoat, Speckled, Black tipped tail.  Is almost never seen anywhere without his armor...

References
Armor
Lucheek's Sketch


as for other characters, if you feel like trying something else, just let me know, and i'll get you some character descriptions and sketches

[Sofox]

Sorry, forgot to keep checking here.
Gifter:
What species are you?
Purple Fox, best reference so far is here: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/2175067

Do you have any favorite video games?
Yes. Favourite shooter is Half-Life, for atmosphere, gameplay and levels; though Max Payne comes a bit behind for its mood and setting and self awareness. I was a big fan of the Sonic the Hedgehog series up until Sonic Heroes and played the odd platformer too. Childhood favourites included The New Zealand Story and Bubble Bobble, and I also got into adventure games such as The Secret of Monkey Island for their humour, imersiveness, interaction, story, characters and challenging (but not frustrating) puzzles. I like the odd RTS such as Red Alert for just building big armies and crushing the opposition.

What time of year is it were you are?
Was Summer, now in the middle of Autumn.

Are you a writer or a drawer?
I've got some basic sketches under Sofox both on DeviantArt and FurAffinity, I also had a webcomic at www.martytheplatformer.com , but I've also done a bit of writing here and there, both comedic and otherwise.
Short answer is that I dabble in both, but wouldn't say I'm the best at either.

Do you have any favorite characters?
In my childhood I loved Tails (his flight, optimism, and always hoping to be better), and sorta ended up basing my character on him (long story). I've liked Lucario for character design, though I don't know much about him. Renamon from Digimon. Quite a few from DMFA.
On the non Furry side of things, I liked Bernard Black from Black Books with his depressive sardonic mood being practically tangible; I liked MacGuyver for his ingenuity and general pacifism as well as general good nature; Parker Lewis for, like Sonic, being the epitome of early 90s coolness; Merton from Big Wolf on Campus just for being hilarious and very energetic; Nemi ( http://www.metro.co.uk/nemi ) for her honest, brutal viewpoint of society and those around her as well as her childish glee which she never lets go of; (real life) Richard Branson for his drive, entrepreneurial spirit, sense of fun and willingness to just go out there and live out his ambitions;

[Gabi]

Hey, everyone, remember that today is the deadline for the gifts. I have only received 3 gifts so far.

I'll post everything I have tomorrow morning.

[Gabi]

Alright, here we are! Sorry for the delay, I wasn't feeling very well earlier today.

-Fsharp has made this gift for Basilisk (now without the 2150).

-Sofox has made this gift for Wuffnpuff.
/**
Author's comments:

I hope she likes it, it was quite a challenge for me as I hadn't ever drawn something in quite that pose before. When looking through Wuffnpuff's FA and posts, it seemed that what she wanted most was something like this, so I decided to take a  Chance (sorry, couldn't resist!)

Well, all the best,
Sofox
**/

-Wuffnpuff drew this gift for FSharp.

-WhiteFox's gift for Kipiru isn't quite ready yet, but he has sent this:

As usual... I lost track of dates for the CCC. Kip's present isn't ready yet, but like last time I have a peace offering.

http://www.northernelectric.ca/~whitefox/images/dmfa/kipcomic.jpg
Rougher then I'd like, but it gets the joke across.

After coloring a few of Kip's pieces in the Open Collab thread, I couldn't help notice that most of the armor designs were... less then practical. What goes around comes around. 

Just so you know, I'm not planning anything silly for the actual gift art.

-e_voyager drew the following gift for Sofox:


/**
Author's comments:

i was trying to recreate and impression view of the cliffs beneath Oberon's castle  but it didn't come along as well as i would have liked
**/


-The1Kobra wrote the following gift for e_voyager:

A Stare into the Abyss:

   Eskavar groaned as he felt his back ache. He groaned softly, as he felt his head brush against the ground. It felt rough, coarse. His eyes were still closed, his breathing slow. He raised his right arm up into the air, and made a loud yawn. "My head hurts." he thought, he slowly managed to sit up, and then open his eyes.

   The landscape around him was barren, entirely devoid of any life except his own. The ground itself looked to have been composed entirely of a brownish barren rock, rough on the surface, and supporting no life. It seemed to extend all across the horizon, for as long as could be seen. The endless mass was entirely featureless, save for barely noticeable bumps and cracks within the rock. The sky was just as barren, dark night was in the sky, even the stars above seemed scarce and insignificant. The sky also had the patternless mass appearance, showing no variation throughout.

   Eskavar took a moment for his other senses to kick in. He didn't ponder where he was or why he was here before he got a good look at his surroundings. His breathing was slow, the air was stale, as if it only had trace amounts of oxygen in it. Above all else, it felt dead. He couldn't hear any sounds, save his breathing and the beating of his heart. He could smell no odors other than his own, and that of his clothes and other belongings. His mouth felt parched, but more so, felt empty.

   Quickly, Eskavar checked himself to see that he had all of his belongings. To his dismay, most of them were missing. However, he still had his home-made scythe. He pulled it out. He felt a sense of renewal as he held the weapon, his arms felt strong while holding it. In a flash, he made a few swings, almost as if in an exercise routine, or as if swinging at some imaginary foe. He stopped after he heard a 'crack' as the blade cut into the ground. It left a small mark on the ground, yet, his scythe looked entirely undamaged. With a nod, he put the weapon away and began to explore.

   To Eskavar's dismay, the scene never seemed to change, the only distinguishable marking that he had made rapidly disappeared from view. He made glances about, but nothing seemed to change. The place seemed entirely barren, devoid of life, save him. The loneliness usually didn't bother him, as a wanderer, it was something that had to be dealt with frequently. But there was something here that bothered him, the place was almost too barren, no plants, no animals, even the air and sky felt dead, it almost felt... sinister.

   Eskavar stopped. He had already walked a mile. He had a brief feeling that he had been running around in circles. Yet, he hadn't spotted the mark he had made in the ground, and he consistently went in the same direction. He sat down to catch his breath, to ponder on where he was. Where am I? How did this happen? How did I get here? He had questions, but he had no way of answering them. He felt dissatisfied with a resigned sigh.

"Lovely? Is it not?"

Eskavar heard a voice in his head, he immediately sprang to his feet and looked around, but saw no one around. The place was still just as dead. No sound, the air still thin, nothing.

"One would say... for you, it should be familiar."

The voice let itself out in an almost condescending tone. It remained calm, yet had a certain commanding tone to it, as if demanding an answer. Eskavar gritted his teeth, and glanced around some more. Damn it all, nothing, he thought. With that, he shouted into the sky. "Who are you? Reveal yourself!" His voice echoed throughout the landscape. Eskavar himself could hear it several times before it died down.
"Who I am isn't important, who you are, is." The voice kept a stoic calm to itself, while retaining it's commanding tone.
   Eskavar felt a chill go down his spine. He didn't respond, and kept going. He counted how far he had went, 'two miles, three miles, four miles... five'. Each stretch seemed to get longer than the last. Eskavar estimated he had already spent two hours here, since he awoke. His heart started racing however, when he found a structure in the distance. Excitement rushed through him as he rushed forward, rushing towards the structure.

   However, his heart sank when he found it to be as dead as the rest of the place. The structure looked brittle, made out of a sand-colored material. It looked like a crude one-room building, possibly a house. There was however, no flooring, just a few walls, and a ceiling. Eskavar gently touched his hand to one of the walls, and in an instant, it crumbled into dust. He recoiled his hand as if he had touched acid. He watched as the crushed dust fell to the ground, his mere touch left a sizable hole in the wall.
"Please don't tell me that you don't like what you see." The voice suddenly said, it left Eskavar terrified, but at the same time, angry. "I told you this would look familiar, doesn't it?" It died down, as Eskavar didn't respond, but after a moment, it spoke up again. "You almost destroyed your world once, how did it feel?"

   Eskavar felt a chill run down his spine. He froze in startled surprise. How did he know that!? He was speechless, that whatever was speaking to him knew, all the while in this cold dead place. Eskavar had nearly destroyed his world, and the actions that took place haunted him every day. He did his best to try and put it behind him. He was an explorer at heart, he could never stay in one place for too long, though sometimes he felt as though he left home to try and escape what he had done, too much of a coward to face up to what he had done.
   "Speechless? Is it fear? Or are you basking in the magnificence?"
   Eskavar gritted his teeth, a surge of anger went through him. "I'm not afraid. And this isn't magnificent at all."
   "But you've destroyed before haven't you?" it replied. "That's why you carry that weapon around, isn't it?"
   The responses kept edging in on Eskavar's cool, he had to take a few deep breaths to calm himself down. However, the matter was a touchy one, especially when mocked. He had been forgiven for it by some, but it always felt hollow somehow. He finally looked up at the sky. "What do you want with me?" Eskavar said.
   "What do you think?"it replied.
   Eskavar gritted his teeth, anger once again surged through him. He gripped his weapon, almost as if it were a crutch. He was silent, and awaited what the voice said next. "No answer?" It began. "Well, I can tell you, if you don't want to even try to guess." Eskavar remained silent, irritation building in his nerves. He glanced about mutely, sharp eyes glancing about like a predator. "I want you to know what you are."
   Eskavar raised an eyebrow, suspiciously. "I already know who I am, better than you. I am Eskavar v..."
   The voice interrupted. "That is a name, a title, it means nothing. It has no bearing on who or what you are." A soft pause. "In fact, I'm dubious that you know who you are, better than anyone else. You see, from my perspective, you're a coward." A pause, the voice appeared more critical, sardonic, mocking in a way. "You're afraid of what you are, and your ignorance is a shield. You're afraid of embracing what you are. That's why you run around, hoping that you can escape what lies within. But we both know the truth, you can't run away from a foe like that. Every step you make moves you closer to him. You hide behind a title because you can't..."
   Eskavar was furious from what was being told to him, he yelled into the air, interrupting him, "Shut up!" he cried, as he swung his weapon around as if blind. A sickening 'crack' was heard as it tore into the structure he was near. It cleaved through it like a hot knife through butter, striking points turned to powder, as it soon slowly dissolved. Portions fell off from the impact, and upon touching the ground, turned into fine dust, slowly picked up by a gentle breeze.

   "Now that is more like it, but not quite, it's just a hollow thing..." The voice continued, but Eskavar wasn't listening. He looked at the ground. He tightened his grip around his weapon, and continued exploring the barren landscape. "I will find you..." he muttered under his breath. He chose a direction to go, and walked along. The place seemed entirely barren, but he kept his eyes and ears alert, as if he thought something would spring upon him from nowhere. He did not hear that voice anymore, but he was certain that whomever it was, whatever it was, still lurked just beyond his perceptions.

   Eskavar came to another abandoned, old looking building, even more ancient and brittle than the last he had come to. Large, decorated, yet ancient and fragile looking pillars held the structure up, the base appeared to be elevated. Large stairs were at the entrance, which were as worn as the rest of the structure. Large double doors covered the entrance, they looked to have once been magnificent, yet to have decayed to the point of worthlessness.

   Curious, Eskavar approached the structure, he had a feeling this was where his answers lay. Instinct guided his actions. As he walked up the stairs, he heard the voice again. "It's a familiar feeling isn't it, to scar every place you walk. What you do to every place you go, what is etched in every minuscule particle of existence that you walk upon." Eskavar instinctively looked down at his feet. The stairs he walked upon seemed to disintegrate beneath his step, fine powder covered his feet. He gritted his teeth, walked up, and touched the doorknob on the large doors. "To defile everything you touch." Eskavar looked as he saw the ancient structure seem to collapse with even a gentle touch. "It does not matter what you perceive yourself to be, it does not even matter what others perceive you to be, there's only one thing that matters." Ignoring what he was being told, he continued inside.

   The inside was as barren as the landscape around it, save one thing. There was a statue there, it was a marvelous piece of work, made from marble. The figure looked powerful, confidant, it's face wore relaxed, amused expression, as if gazing down upon someone to whom it felt was inferior. The gemstones in it's eyes gleamed with light.

   Eskavar however, missed many of the fine details. "And so you come face to face..." he heard. Anger slipped through his fingers, he sheathed his weapon, and approached the statue. Somehow, it seemed alive to him, and with every step he made, the figure seemed different. It appeared more fragile, old, afraid, as if suddenly as he stepped, it went from being a powerful authority figure to someone begging for solace. With a grimace, Eskavar grabbed the statues neck, and squeezed with all his might. It at first didn't budge, he gripped harder, and harder. A moment's exertion later, and he had cracked off the statue's neck. It fell to the ground with a thud. Eskavar took a deep breath, as if relieved after a difficult task. Finally, it's gone... he thought.

   He took a minute catching his breath, but something felt wrong. He crouched on the ground in exhaustion, panting for breath. He heard noise, but it wasn't a scream, it felt too satisfied. Laughter. Eskavar clutched his head and screamed. No! How could he have! Who was this thing? "You!.." Eskavar started.

   "I'm impressed." The voice began. "You want to blame this on me don't you? You want to hold me accountable? Unfortunately, even if I wanted to hold myself accountable, I could not. You see, this is a product of only one thing."
   
   Eskavar's anger took almost complete control of him, he bared his weapon, swinging around the place like a madman, as if it would make whomever was talking to him stop. It only made everything worse though, the voice became more audible with each swing."
   
   "To destroy, it's a paradox. It's so difficult for many to make that first little step towards destroying something. Anything. There's too much holding you back. Guilt, fear, clumsiness. Yet, you make that great effort to go beyond that, and there's a snap. And suddenly, you find it hard to stop. It grows on you, makes you feel powerful, confident, sure of yourself. It's addictive isn't it?" Eskavar tried to keep the voice out of his head, he couldn't. He looked around, and saw that the entire place had become a pile of dust and rubble, the statue gone with the rest of the barren land.
   
   "But you see, there's a way back, but it takes that effort to stop, the same effort it takes to start, and you have to keep it there, or else you lose yourself. Every time you let go of your control you slip back down, all progress becomes lost and it becomes even harder to control yourself, unless you want to admit it into yourself." Eskavar kept his hands on his ears, but he still could not block what he was hearing.

   "And it will never stop until you know what you are." Eskavar stood up, and howled into the empty sky.

/**
Author's comments:

It's done. The piece below is certainly not my best piece, but it should suffice. I hope my giftee enjoys.
**/

Corgatha Taldorthar has PMed me saying he will be a bit late. Oddly enough, I still have no news from Kipiru. Both of them can post their gifts here, and should do so as soon as they can.

I hope you all enjoy your gifts.

[e_voyager]

Well done you've captured how the mysterious entity  and guilt haunt at Eskavar very well. i've never fully stated who the entity was but his role in the life of all growing voyagers seems to be to push them to uncover themselves ins Esk's case him  power as an incarnation of death and his ancestral link to the avatar of rage. it's a bad combination if one is too young to control themselves. tell me i know that the stature was either of himself or of the entity (probably of himself as he's the one he's never forgiven himself for loss of control that cost so many lives.) but did he arrive and some alternate future on hims home world were he wasn't stopped in time or is this a recreation at the behest of the entity?  a partial dreamscape as it were to show what could have been and force him to stop running and grow up?

[Sofox]

Thank you for the gift e_voyager, I certainly didn't expect something like that.

[e_voyager]

i wanted to make it better but RL kept me so busy i didn't have a chance to redraw it again. i was going to paint offline and scan it but there wasn't time so i tried to approx it in mspaint if i have time in the near future i plane to remake it for you but for now i' just breezing throng to grab lunch on my way to my second shift of duty today.

[Corgatha Taldorthar]

                                                      Field Project

   Theonor shifted uneasily, crouched on a low cot in his dorm at SAIA. A little spell he had learned ages ago allowed him to store sounds in gemstones, and while he normally used the magic to keep songs that he particularly enjoyed, a row of flawed amethysts held important snippets from  lectures of Professor Maltorious.

   Fighting to keep his breathing under control, he flexed out a tentacle and pulled the second gem from the right into his hand, crooning the words that activated the effect. It wasn't really necessary, but Theonor wanted a little reassurance, the proven life that routine exemplified, in order to help him face his upcoming assignment.

   The spell finished, the low thrumming voice of his professor filled the room "For our purposes, a dungeon can be defined as a fortified position that exists parasitically with its surrounding countryside. As opposed to a castle, which is symbiotic, offering protection and administration in return for goods and services, a dungeon attacks the surrounding countryside, and pillages it for sustenance.

   A high pitched, almost a squeak if not for its melodic tones enters in "But does not the dungeon then destroy its own host? If it pillages the country, what will be left to support it?"

   The professor's chuckle is raspy. "And herein lies the crux of the difficulty, why dungeon keeping is not so easy. You need to raid, to take in income, raid too much, too hard, and you'll provoke retaliation, or worse, abandonment. You can possibly survive a team of adventurers or soldiers knocking on your door. If everyone gets up and leaves, then you'll have to move the dungeon. And it's very difficult to transport a fortification, or even worse, a protective stronghold reliant on stealth, so often you're stuck."

   A small mutter brought the spell to an end,and Theonor fluidly got to his feet and strode out of his room, taking care to seal the doorway against intrusion. While he wanted to dash to his classroom, he knew that external poise often influenced internal balance, and he needed calm. Similarly, the disorientation of a Warp-Aci's teleportation would be something to be avoided. So he strode, occasionally nodding in greeting to a fellow student, but more often deftly weaving himself through the crowd to avoid trampling, wondering once again why he simply didn't add on a foot or so of height.

   Still, smaller meant he was often quicker, if not faster, and he ducked to the side and wove around with practiced ease, making time almost as good as if he were walking in a straight line, and with far more elegance. One of the reasons he had stuck with the height he reached in adolescence was the simple pain it was to get used to a new height, weight, and center of mass. There was a reason Elementary Shapeshifting was called "The Chuckle room".

   By the time he reached the classroom, there were two other students in attendance, Lakathi Tsatain, a tall, graceful blue-gold Gryphon with headwings, and a 'Cubi who only answered to Grek, another one with two 'Cubi parents and a penchant for shapeshifting. Today he was wearing a form that was almost as wide as it was tall, canine, and with a psychedelic blend of dull green and bright orange fur. It hurt to look at him too long at one time, which Theonor could have sworn was some sort of reflexive combat trick. The professor was nowhere to be seen, but he was late as often as not, so Theonor carefully avoided looking at anything too long to attract his interest, and gently rocked himself back and forth on a chair in the room, lowering his level of alertness somewhat.

   Perhaps a minute or two later, the oaken door separating the room from the hall slammed open with enough force to make Theonor jump slightly out of his seat, craning his head around and shape shifting ever so slightly to allow him to turn his head one eighty degrees. He needn't have bothered, as he saw Belkazar Triotholus, a hugely imposing red jackal, stamp into the room and proceed to lean against a nearby wall. Theonor wasn't quite certain how the demon fathered incubus managed to get into a class like this, given that he could barely articulate a sentence, and his obvious reveling in petty acts of destruction. He had always marked the thuggish classmate to be down as an enforcer of some sort, but somehow he managed to always get very good grades, almost as good as Theonor's own.

   A moment later, an almost singsong voice emanated out from the doorway. "Careless with school property again? You know Procurement won't like that Belkazar." Wearing long maroon robes, Professor Maltorious seemed to glide rather than walk to his teacher's podium, and once there, spent a moment scrutinizing the area, finally deciding to cast some spell that Theonor couldn't catch that sent a ray of soft purple to the impact crater on the plastered wall, erasing the mute evidence of its encounter with the door.

   "I won't be wasting any more of your time students. For the next three months, you won't have to hear me drone. You're each to be given field command of a dungeon in a primitive little world called Alvestan. Your objectives are simple. Survive, and come back with a record of as much profit as you possibly can garner. I've prepared each one myself, and they're all awaiting the arrival of a trusted lieutenant of mine to manage things for a while."

   He snapped his fingers on his left hand once, and a manilla folder appeared in Theonor's hands, and a glance around showed that the other three students received a similar parcel each. He internally debated whether or not to pen the package, when that high squeak rang out "Part of this lesson is to be able to think and adapt on your own, so I will not be helping any of you with this project, not directly anyway. I will be monitoring your situations, and will intervene to prevent something resulting in certain harm, but be aware, if you get your stronghold sacked by adventurers, you will almost certainly fail the project.. Run along now, and look over your folders."

   With a dismissal so blatant, Theonor saw no point in remaining in the classroom any longer, and drifted back into his own room. While not worried that his classmates would sabotage his project, he saw no point in allowing the possibility of someone reading over his shoulder or poking into his mind for details.

   Carefully, he opened the parcel, takings care that the entrance faced away from him in case it contained an angry spirit, but nothing more than paper came out of the container. While noting that something as mundane as paper was odd for an institution like SAIA,  Theonor quickly gathered up the material and spat out a simple scry spell to read through the information quickly.

   A minute later he had finished. Two seconds after that he had flung the papers across the room and let out an inchoate scream of rage. Five half demons? That's what he had to work with? He probably could defeat all of them by himself, and move faster and more stealthily besides. Still, he curbed his first impulse, which was to break into the Professor's office and snap his neck, on the basis that it would probably get him annihilated in about twelve seconds after he kicked the door in.

   Bit by bit, he got his temper back under control. The assignment was the assignment, and there was no use getting irritated about it. Professor Maltorious had always had a reputation for fairness as well as difficulty, if he was only given 5 half beings, he likely wasn't being expected to come back with a king's ransom. In fact, this had some advantages. Mentally, he quickly reviewed the information given. Yes, this had some distinct possibilities.

   Still, no time to get started like the present, so after locking up his room and securing the papers that he already had memorized and would do him little good afield, he motioned over for Re, and gave him the coordinates to transport to, and then promptly sent the warp-aci back to SAIA. Although extraordinarily well behaved for one of his kind, even Re might be too unstable for a mission requiring delicacy and tact.

   After sending the little inkblot on his way, Theonor glanced around at the meadow that he had been deposited in. It smelled pleasant, and the lush grass was broken up by trees here and there, rowans Theonor thought, although botany was certainly far from any sort of specialty of his. There was a lightly cobbled path, which, if his information was accurate would lead to the dilapidated manor of a now extinct line of barely worth mentioning nobles, now the hideout for his little band.

   A ten minute march confirmed his data, and Theonor stifled a groan at the condition of his new 'fortress'. The walls of the manor house wouldn't keep out a drunk farmer with a butter knife. Still, it was specious, and with a structure in that state of ruin, it meant that there were always good hiding places to lay low or to stash loot. It was quite possible that even if their home was taken, he and his band could hide with their takings, and no adventurer would ever consider staying in a locale like that.

   There was a faint buzz of mental activity as he approached the front door, and smiling slightly, Theonor called out. "That crossbow won't do you much good, and it might make me angry enough to rip you in half. A certain mutual acquaintance of ours asked me to tell you that the salmon run would be late this year." Stupid code, that. Still, the door creaked open and three more half-creatures filed out, carrying an assortment of weaponry that was in decent, if not masterful condition.  Theonor ignored their attempts at conversation, and simply nodded regally once, before striding into the decrepit structure.

   The next month blurred itself in Theonor's memory, as he embarked on a campaign of drilling, information gathering, and banditry. While none of his "soldiers" had powers that could terrify the countryside, they all possessed a certain amount of low cunning, and were quite skilled at executing ambushes if he could supply information. With a large city named  Thoraklen only half a day's march away, information was often something Theonor was able to acquire through judicious use of mentalics, and having reviewed the parameters carefully, he determined that such activity did not fall under direct participation.

   Mostly they hit merchant caravans taking goods from the city. On the way in, they were carrying food as often as not, something too large and bulky with to make profit themselves, and it was less noticeable if a caravan didn't return than if one didn't arrive. They attracted little attention, only once having their lair raided by adventurers, but a few traps set up in the lair and what treasure they amassed kept either on their bodies or well hidden ensured that when they vacated their lair for three days and laid low, when they returned, their only losses were a handful of silver.
   
   Still, there were troubling developments. To the east, apparently an area of unwashed barbarism, some new warlord calling himself the "Flame Bringer" was arising, forcing the scattered tribes into some semblance of unity and sacking some of the smaller towns. It cut down on travel, and what caravans that did move now often had more guards than he was willing to risk his small force against.

   It was on the fifty third day of his project that Theonor realized the obvious next step, calling himself nine kinds of fool for not seeing it earlier. Thankful that all of his "boys" as he had come to think of them, could pass for beings, he gathered them up and loaded every last bit of treasure they had into a small wagon they had stolen and abandoned their base, relocating into Thoraklen itself.

   Theonor's bout of self-congratulation for his choice due to closer proximity to their actual targets, and the ability to hide right in plain sight, as well as greater security from a large band of marauders lasted  right up until he found the cost of buying a small warehouse to camp out in. Thoraklen was preparing for siege, and space of any kind was fearfully expensive. Instructions were to avoid any kind of "constructive" means of making money, so Theonor couldn't even sub-let out the space his minions weren't using. He was glad that his small band's overhead wasn't going to cut too deeply into his profits, as they had managed to amass quite a store of food before abandoning their lair.

   Profits were less inside the city than they were outside, largely because he twice had to bail his thugs out of prison when they got caught pilfering from teamsters, but at least they weren't caught for any of the muggings, which would have had them taken outside of his reach. Still, he felt justified with his decision when he learned that the Flame Bringer was drawing up an army to the city, and would almost certainly have discovered  his own little band. Unless Professor Maltorious was going to hold him responsible for an army disrupting the entire economy of the region he was in, there was no way he could be held accountable for these setbacks, and had even, to his own mind, demonstrated adaptivity and cleverness by relocating in the face of a large, ponderous threat.

   He was in high spirits when he went up to the walls to see the incoming army for himself. He had two scant weeks remaining to this project, his hideout was stashed with gold, the silver that his boys often stole being converted for easier transport and storage, and he was sure that the walls of the city could hold out a hostile force long enough for his project to end and have him back ensconced in SAIA.

   The motley collection of rabble  outside on the plain filled him with something less than fear. There couldn't be more than six or seven thousand of them, and while he felt some magical emanations that indicated at least eight or nine full blooded Demons in the horde, he was certain they were only going to get in by starving the city, which could take months. He was scanning the mob outside the gates one last time to be certain when his attention was drawn to someone in rather garish war paint, making a speech from just out of spellshot from the walls.

   As he looked in on the speaker, his blood froze. Bright red, considerably taller than the others in his horde, with an axe in his right fist glowing with a magic that seemed as bright as a moonlit night to his enhanced senses, Theonor suddenly realized who this "Flame bringer" was.

   He sprang off the wall and down some stairs  before his  rush of obscenities could be heard by the guards and other onlookers. Belkezar would almost certainly attack maybe a day before the time limit was up, and performing tasks that seemed to be beyond his apparent mental capabilities had been par for that thug for years. A sudden lump in his chest told him that somehow or other, that idiot would manage to take the city.

   Still, he knew, and could make preparations. That crowd outside looked like an undisciplined sort, and their only real means of marking themselves seemed to be garish black and white designs painted on the face and chest that probably signified tribal affiliation. It was simple enough to dip into some of their wealth and purchase paint for themselves, and to further exchange the bulk of their wealth for a handful of gems that could be secreted on their persons. Even if the city fell, He had a good chance of hanging on to the bulk of  his profit.

   But he sensed he could do more. Two days spent in his warehouse brooding yielded the insight that if the city was attacked in force, most of the local lords' guards would be conscripted and rushed to the hot spots, leaving their manors relatively undefended. And in the chaos of an actual assault, it shouldn't be too hard to lose pursuit.

   When the assault finally came, on the moment of sunrise on his eighty ninth day away from SAIA, Theonor almost laughed at how easily it came together. He kept his men close and their heads down for what he judged to be three hours, and then sent them to the perfumed district, as it was called, where the nobles lived. Two hours after that they came in, two with minor wounds, one with a serious gash in his side, but bearing a reasonable haul of a dozen crystal goblets, as well as a heavy golden bust of some feline that Theonor didn't recognize.

   He wasn't allowed to use his magic to simply erase the wounds, but he did bind up the cuts, and personally daubed on paint to the five of his underlings, using shapeshifting to build his own mask. When the cries of bloodlust and terror got close enough to hear, he led his own little contingent to run around, wave their weapons and scream like idiots, and gradually filtered their way out of the city, with the only loss of loot being one of the goblets shattering as it got jostled around. Theonor celebrated his escape by taking a sleep on the end of that day, when they made camp by the light of the burning towers in  Thoraklen.

   He woke up in Professor Maltorious's office, along with Belkazar and Lakathi. He wondered if Grek had died on assignment. Theonor was considering taking further courses with Maltorious, and if he got disciplined for letting a student die on a field assignment, his career could become complicated. But another moment of concentration from Maltorious brought the protean incubus in with them.

   Theonor's heart hammered in his chest, and as the professor discussed with Lakathi her own endeavor, he bent his efforts onto maintain control over his own form, forcing his legs to keep from tapping and his breathing rate to steady. He mastered himself in time to hear Maltorious, his voice deeper than Theonor was used to hearing say,

"Well, you certainly made quite a stir Belkazar. You turned a band of a dozen demons into an army that devastated an entire kingdom, and quite probably will kill it, even with you gone. Still, your assignment was to garner profit, not to wreak havoc. You spent almost the entirety of your income raiding back to supporting your horde, and while I will give you the net worth of what can be taken away from that city your forces crushed, you do realize that you'd have to spend almost all of it to sustain them for a march somewhere else. I give you a C+. Leave now." Even Belkazar didn't contest that, and opened and closed the door silently.

He then turned to Theonor, and flashed a rare smile.  "As you may have surmised, I had my own sources of information. You did well, very well. You didn't amass quite as much profit as Belkazar, but you had less to work with, and your band is more likely to hold on to it in the long term. More importantly, you reacted to circumstances, and proved yourself adaptable. Very impressive. You get an A-, and I look forward to seeing you in the future. You may leave now."

   Theonor couldn't keep himself from skipping back to his room.



***********************************************************************

I tried to keep it at 5 pages, (for open office) and proceeded to get it exactly there although the level of detail isn't constant.  Anyway, I hope it's readable, and that you enjoy the work Whitefox.

If it isn't clear, this is supposed to be set in DSOF, but near the beginning of Theo's college career, when he's just getting into dungeon keeping.


Best wishes,
Corgatha Taldorthar.

[Sprocketsdance]

Oh Sofox Thank you! *huggles* It's perfect I especially like the t-shirt since it really would be something I would wear    And the pose is just awesome! Brilliance! Thank you!! 

[WhiteFox]

Well, there are one or two technical inaccuracies.

All of which are entirely inconsequential. I swear, you must have been inside my head when you wrote that. The characters are spot on, and the earlier paragraphs about dungeons being parasitic really fit in well, thematically, with DSOF.

And, no, I didn't have too much trouble reading it. It was definitely a good read, at that. 

Oh, and, FSharp? Damn, talk about raising the bar for the rest of us. Nice work.

[Noone]

Thanks E, I'm glad you liked it.

Though, the ambiguity as to what the statue is(or even who that voice is), that's intentional.

[Sofox]

i wanted to make it better but RL kept me so busy i didn't have a chance to redraw it again. i was going to paint offline and scan it but there wasn't time so i tried to approx it in mspaint if i have time in the near future i plane to remake it for you but for now i' just breezing throng to grab lunch on my way to my second shift of duty today.

What matters is the thought you put into it.

Oh Sofox Thank you! *huggles* It's perfect I especially like the t-shirt since it really would be something I would wear    And the pose is just awesome! Brilliance! Thank you!! 

Awwww, you're welcome Wuff, if you really like it I'm happy. I from reading your stuff (nice written work by the way) and looking at what you drew, I figured something open, free and liberating would appeal to you. The T-Shirt kinda just happened, I like it when not overly elabourate, it makes the character of the person shine all the brighter (It's also a lot easier to draw, but shhhhh, that's our secret for now...).
Anyway, glad you like it!

[FSharp]

-Wuffnpuff drew this gift for FSharp.

Thanks! It's great. I really like how you drew the wings and the curlicues in the hair--they give it an art nouveau look.

[Lisky]

hey, sorry for not responding sooner.  FSharp that is absolutely awesome, and not, awesome as in "bro-speak" awesome as in, standing at the foot of a mountain, and are filled with a sense of awe...  Truly, your rendition of Darkshine is beautiful, and i only hope to have the chance to give back for what you've given me.

Sorry about being late Kobra, feathery wings are giving me a bit of problems, but i'll be posting your picture after class sorry for taking so long, but i wanted you to know that i haven't forgotten my responsibility.

[Kipiru]

I'm super sorry for my delay this round- something came up and I was away for quite some time. I'll be getting my act together as soon as possible so it shouldn't be long. Till then I have to say i almost busted a gut with WhiteFox's joke picture, thanks man.

[Lisky]

apologies for taking so long, i played with over a dozen different poses with Kassin, and none of them really fit... I've got a quick sketch i'll post for now... just to let you know i'm still working... however in the next few weeks, i'll PM you something with a bit more

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e268/EWork88/Kassin001.jpg

[WhiteFox]

Well, the pic I originally had planned was taking too freaking long to color. I eventually reached a state wherein the more work I did, the closer I got to finishing, but the more work I had to do to finish it.
Kipiru Triptych WIP
Wielding the sword Ascendance, the Mega-Huge-Gun Omniscience, and pants. Which is all he needs to kick your butt.

So, instead of coloring the unfinishable monstrosity, I inked the original sketch and submit that as my gift to Kip:
Kipiru Starrider: Thou Shalt Not Mess With
(...And at some point I realize that I don't actually know how to do hatching.)

Kip is too fun to draw. Not to mention, the biggest character I have ever had to draw. I half-inked a little height-comparison-diagram-thing for reference:
Height Sheet (Warning: Moderate NSFW. No clothes, but not anatomically complete)
On the right being Jade, the tallest character in my pantheon. That shrimpy dude in the middle is a 6'5" average person. Tiny.

Not to mention, he's muscled.
Anatomy Study (Warning: Moderate NSFW. No clothes, but not anatomically complete)

In conclusion; Kipiru is awesome-fun to draw, and I hope he likes it. In conclusion-conclusion: I need to do things for the CCC that I am actually able to do.

[Kipiru]

WhiteFox- I could hug you man! That is sooo cool it's giving me chills! I'm super glad to hear you had fun drawing my character- it certainly shows in your work. Thanks!

[Noone]

To be fair Bas, that sketch is probably better than anything I could draw. I appreciate the effort you've put into this.

[Kipiru]

And here is my gift for Corgatha Taldorthar:

Corgahta a merchant?

Sorry for the huge delay, this round cought me  at a bad time.

[Corgatha Taldorthar]

Sorry, didn't notice this thread got updated.


The picture is nice, albiet odd.  I like how the detail centers mostly on Corgatha's face and hands, and kind of fades into indistinctness as you get lower. With the two "customers" it's kept at a constant, emphasizing their non-human state by pulling away from their faces.


That being said, Corg's tied to a WoT setting, and seeing him as a merchant, to two non-humans, is..... odd. It's a good picture, but one that doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me.

[Gabi]

OK, it looks like we're ready for the next round. Everyone who's interested, sign up below.

[Sprocketsdance]

I am so in 

[Lisky]

I'm game

[Fibre]

Please count me in as well!