Library Lost
What will you find on these dusty and burned shelves..?

There were legends about an ancient castle that sat atop one of the mountains in the Tohoku region of Japan. Far in the north, covered in snow and shrouded by clouds, the ancient citadel was a fortress built for strength, and for tactical advantage in looking over the entire country to the south. And to the north? Only the waves of the ocean that surrounded the island nation of Japan.

For five hundred years it had been rumoured to be empty, that the great fox demons that had once built the citadel high above where the humans could manage to climb had finally died. It was in that rumour and its dilapidated appearance that the castle found its protection from outsiders--no wards to protect it, no illusions to hide it, for such magics would draw the eyes of one capable of sensing such things.

Instead, it stood like a stone, alone and inert in the clouds and above the human world. But it was rumoured that inside there was a great library; within the crumbling walls were scrolls upon scrolls of ancient and esoteric wisdom of all sorts and all types. Perhaps...simply waiting for someone to go and claim them. But so far, most that tried had never returned, presumed perished in the ice and snow that forever coated the peaks.

The castle's inhabitant, however, was far from dead. Though Leiko stayed hidden in her castle, and kept on doing what she always did--studying Go by a kifu of a now ancient match. The game itself was one that she had played (and lost) five hundred years ago. Five hundred years of study, and she still couldn't find the flaw in her opponent's game. Five hundred years the Northern Citadel had been silent

An ominous clicking sound filled the castle as she studied, too rhythmic to be random, too imperfect to be accidental. It was of course the sound of the stones being set methodically on the goban she kneeled in front of, but there was no way for a visitor to know that.

Hopefully, any 'visitor' she might get would get bored of the climb -up- to the castle and give up before they arrived. Many people frequently did. Although the ones that didn't die of exposure usually went down to spread rumours that caused trouble for the demoness. The castle was reputedly haunted a thousand times over, and in the centuries that Leiko had been antisocial, a thousand stories had sprung up to explain the happenings at the castle.

Most of them involved tales of unrequited love, and Leiko had to laugh ruefully at how close to accurate the human storytellers were. Of course, she had not been a human woman, and she had most certainly not killed herself. But they couldn't possibly have known -exactly- what had gone on to make the kitsune retreat into her castle and dismiss all of her servants.

Since she'd stayed there for five hundred years, watching the castle crumble around her, it only made sense that people had assumed she had died. And the march of time changed all stories eventually. She supposed she ought to be grateful that she was still remembered at all, even if incorrectly.

It kept people from trying to reclaim the castle, if nothing else.

Elo Schal sat in yet another inn, talking to yet another group of people about yet another lost repository of knowledge. "As I was saying, the man I work for looks for old books and scrolls like these, and he pays me plenty for what I bring him. So if you could just let me know where this supposed library is, I'll be on my way, and perhaps my coin purse will spring a leak before I get out the door."

"And I'm tellin' you again, I can show you where it is but I'm not tellin' I want in. It sounds like big money." The large and heavily drunk man leaned forward towards Elo as he said this. A wind that was like a combination of the first whiff of hot sake and an outhouse wafted over him.

"You wouldn't know which ones to pick, and I couldn't trust that you'd not ruin something that appeared to you as trash." Elo shook his head.

"You aren't understanding me little man. I'm goin'!" He stood and grabbed Elo by his robe and lifted him up off the ground.

Elo just stared at the drunk and said, "No, you are not. And you will unhand me now." The warlock's eyes began to glow red as he placed his hands on the drunkard's forearms. He floated further off of the ground, and now it was the large man's turn to see what it was like to be lifted off of the ground.

"Wha? Huh?" the drunk man floundered as his feet flailed in the air, trying to catch traction on ground that was no longer directly beneath his feet.

Elo's hands began to glow in the same manner as his eyes were, and a sizzling sound could be heard as the drunkard screamed in pain. "Let-leggo of me!" The man howled, and got his wish. He crumpled to the ground and ran out of the inn, "Youkai!" he screamed and pointed at him as he did.

The warlock left two coins on the counter of the inn. "For the disturbance." he said, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw the proprietor snatch them up. What he did not see was the nine-ringed bo before it impacted with the side of his head, sending him sprawling to the ground.

Standing above him was a priest. "Begone, demon! Before I destroy you utterly!" He pointed the bo at him forcefully, causing the rings to clatter against each other. That ringing was supposed to cause youkai to cower, but Elo was not fully a demon, nor was he fully human. He was the product of a female human and a male demon, a half-breed, so all it did was annoy him.

"I am no demon, young priest." He said, standing slowly.

"Oh no? Take this!" The priest spoke a sacred word and sent a sacred spell scroll towards Elo, but the warlock managed to burn it mid-flight. His eyes widened.

"No matter! I'll banish you from here up to the dark mountain with the other demons!" the priest drew a glyph in the air with surprising speed, so much so that it, once again, caught him off guard. Elo barely had time to raise his forearm before the banishing glyph collided with it. It stung, and he hissed as it burnt into his skin. That's number fourteen, he thought, as the spell began to take effect and his essence was flung directly through the window behind him and the spell dumped him unceremoniously on the ground outside the little village.

"Well, at least I know where the library is likely to be now," he said aloud. He moved on, simply activating his magical zephyr boots as he began floating down the trail to the dark mountain with a castle atop it in the distance. "Can't hardly get a worse reception there..." he mused to no one. One of these times, he would learn to keep his temper for long enough to finish a drink.

It was Leiko's only remaining servant who finally alerted her to the approach of another traveller. An aged salamander, standing on his back legs and wearing a simple hakama, Sanshouuo-chan was the closest thing to a friend that the demoness had. She listened quietly, and sighed softly. If this person, whomever or whatever they were, had gotten close enough to the castle for Sanshouuo-chan to disturb her from her studies, then the odds were very high they would actually make it as far as the castle.

She sighed quietly, not looking forward to this at all. It had been centuries since she'd had a guest, centuries since she'd had to be social, and she wasn't happy about breaking that record. She stood from her goban and headed to the door, intending on meeting her 'visitor' at the gate. She could demand to know what had brought them, and slam the door in their face if it wasn't worth her time.

Elo slowly made his way up the mountain path, and finally the long and meandering staircase, until he reached the gates of the castle. There was a small courtyard, in disrepair, and the castle itself looked like it was on the verge of falling down. "So, probably no one living here..." he mused.

He tried the gate, it swung open easily enough, in fact it felt like it might come unhinged. He carefully closed that behind him and made his way towards the door. The warlock swore that he felt a presence, and so, when he arrived at the huge double doors of the castle, he did the courteous thing and used the bell that was hung by a chain next to them. Even the dead prefer courtesy, he thought.

Hmm, so whomever it is has manners...but why ring the bell at an empty castle? Do they know I'm here?

Leiko opened the door immediately--she'd only been on the other side of it. Though the massive reinforced doors that were meant to keep out intruders were swung open as though they were nothing more than a sturdy front door. Someone with a good deal of strength had opened the door. She looked up at her visitor, wondering who he was and what he wanted.

The woman standing before him was none other than a kitsune, and an unusually coloured variant of a fox she was. Her hair was a monochrome array of various shades of gunmetal grey and streaks of silver. It hangs down to level with her obi, accented by her face framing bangs. Hidden underneath those bangs is a mark in deep red--a five pointed star, and the symbol of the Taiyoukai, or demon ruler, of the North. Two stripes grace her cheeks in the same shade. Her eyes bore the epicanthal fold that suggest Asian descent, despite the entirely unnatural shade of yellow her irises held.

She wears a vividly coloured jūnihitoe, or noblewoman's kimono. It is multi-layered and exquisite, embroidered and brocaded with patterns of cherry blossoms. The outermost layer is a vibrant shade of red, accenting the markings on her face. The obi she wears is the heavy maru obi, with zentsuu style patterning. The bulk of it is a vibrant cobalt, detailed with hana-guruma style flowers--colourful and beautiful.

Poking out from beneath the ornate belt are two tails that elegantly sway behind her. They are the same gunmetal grey as her hair, with a white tip and various tufts of silver, white, and black accenting them in nature's own camoflage pattern. Her hands are soft and uncalloused, with slightly elongated nails that form sharp claws characteristic of some types of youkai. The claws on her right hand bear a wear pattern, smooth and shiny indents in the claws suggestive of having dipped her hand into a bowl of smooth stones repeatedly each day, every day. It is hard to judge her body type through the many layers of her jūnihitoe, but her hands are delicate and her face is lean, suggesting that the woman within the silk is rather thin, if not somewhat toned.

"What have you come for? Why are you here?" She was curt with him, sharp and short, and her voice was a bit dry--she didn't speak much any more, nor was she in the habit of being polite to guests.

Elo blinked and floated back just a bit. He hadn't expected such an instantaneous reply. His hands folded themselves in front of him, fingers lacing as he formulated a proper response.

"I will answer your questions, honored one, with a single answer. Rumor has it that there is a significant magical library in this castle of yours, and I seek access to a specific spell that may be held within it. I have little coin to offer as payment, but before I embarked in my... travels, I worked with my family as a stonemason. I feel that I could effect repairs on this castle, as it appears to be on the verge of failing structurally, and though I assume this poses no real danger to you, it would be rather inconvenient, would it not?" Elo replied. He did not offer his name, as he was not asked it yet.

A kitsune, he thought, his blue robe billowing slightly behind him from the breezy hilltop. A stray gust of wind caught his hood just right and yanked it back, revealing the telltale horns that identified him as at least part youkai. Elo's face was a bit chiseled, and he kept a neatly trimmed black beard. His grey eyes sparkled slightly in the dim light. No matter, he thought as he awaited her reply, its not like a kitsune would mind that he had youkai blood or anything.

She listened to him for a moment, then sighed softly, nodding her head in quiet acceptance of the truth in what he said. The castle hadn't been cared for in centuries, and while she hadn't thought about that when she had first dismissed her servants, the march of time was indeed weakening the structure. In some places....significantly.

She moved aside from the doorway, leaving room for him to come inside. His appearance didn't get a reaction at all from her--she doubted a human would have made it to her door in the icy wind of the mountains. "Come inside, then...you can have a look at the library, and if you can find anything worthwhile in it, you can stay and work for it."

"Madam will excuse me for not removing my shoes, but they do not touch the ground." He indicated his zephyr shoes, which produced tiny clouds beneath his feet. "Unless madam would prefer I remove these as well..." He paused outside the door, awaiting her response before proceeding.

He was well mannered, and that was a good thing. But she also had to wonder just what he was hoping to accomplish by kissing up to her. Then again, to be fair, he'd been quite blunt about it. But she had no interest in promising him something and then pulling it away at the last second. But...not touching the floor wasn't -entirely- the point. It was a mark of significant disrespect that he couldn't be bothered to adhere to the customs of Japan. For that matter, as far as Leiko was concerned, those were the customs of the -world-, for not many from Japan had made it off of their enclosed little island to explore the rest of the world and discover that there was more out there. They were vaguely aware that there were other places, but those people came and bothered them. Was that what he was?

Was he from China?

"Do you think I am so vicious that you must keep your shoes on at all times to be ready to flee? What if your magic fails? If I were concerned about -damage- to my floors do you really think I would have let the rest of my castle reach this state? What is to be done is to be done, because that is the way that it is."

"As you wish, madam." Elo disapproved internally. He didn't want to be walking on dirty, cold floors with unprotected feet. So, he used a small spell whilst removing his boots to cause him to float slightly. It was silent, but she may have detected it. He'd explain if she did.

Placing his zephyr boots in his backpack, Elo stepped in behind her, surveying the damage. It would take weeks to repair all of this, but since there was only one mortal town anywhere near here that not tagged him with a banishment spell yet, this old broken down castle was the closest thing to a sanctuary that he had.

The warlock followed Leiko, introducing himself as they went. "If madam cares to know, I am known as Elo Schal. I am the product of an ill-fated pairing of a minor noblewoman and a youkai that she foolishly tried to summon up to serve her. My mother did not survive my youth, and my father... who knows where or in what realm he currently exists. The spell I seek is one that will more effectively mask my appearance among mortals, or failing that, a spell that will put me on even ground among full-blood youkai. I tire of living between two worlds that I do not belong in."

He paused, because she paused on her journey. Were they there? Or did she simply have something she wished to say before they proceeded. Either way, Elo stopped and waited for her to continue. It was just the wisest thing to do. Just in case, he went over his repertoire of spells in the back of his mind.

Leiko could care less if he floated or walked on his hands. She was being kind to him as far as she was concerned, and wished for her home to be respected. If he voiced his reasons without her asking, though, likely she would have dug out a pair of house socks for him. Though at centuries old, they likely would have needed airing out and washing, if indeed they were still wearable at all.

She was glad that he'd thought to introduce himself. It had slipped her mind--she was so used to already knowing everyone that her manners were beyond rusty. She nodded quietly, pausing to listen as he spoke. When he'd finished, she bowed to him, albeit a bit stiffly and not quite as deeply as would have been entirely polite. Then again, she was a noble, used to being the one being bowed to.

"I am...honoured to meet you..." It was quoted off memories of manners, not genuinely meant, but she was making the effort to be polite to him. "I am Leiko, Taiyoukai of this the Northern Kingdoms and the Hokkyokusei no Youkai." Her name confirmed that he was right to be exceedingly polite to her--she was quite a ranking lady of status. Then again, to wear a junihitoe and one made of red brocade no less... It all was adding up to the same answer.

Then she turned and moved aside a sliding door, perhaps one of the very few things in the castle that seemed to be in good repair. Within was indeed the library he had heard of, but it was an absolute and utter mess. Centuries' worth of dust covered the shelves. Most of the scrolls were still where they belonged, but some of them had been taken out and thrown about the room--it seemed to have been the site of a massive temper tantrum.

Black and white go stones littered the floor, and even one broken stone pot was on the floor near the wall it had been thrown into. One corner of the library seemed to have been set on fire, though the fire had been put out somewhat quickly as only the ends of the scrolls were burned. There was a goban, or low go table, set near the site of the fire damage, and Leiko seemed to have been studying from one of the damaged scrolls that was set across the table. She headed over that way and resettled on her cushion.

"Clean the library enough that you can find what you're looking for, and bring it to me when you've found something you think you want."

"Of course Lady Leiko." he replied, and looked around the room. He recalled some cleaning spells that he had learned in his youth and uttered them. "Formulário de terra junto e repouso do retorno." Dust flew together from all over the room and condensed into one rock about eight inches in diameter, which then disappeared. "Toda a sorte das coisas a seu próprio tipo." All items that were in disarray arranged themselves by type. Oddly not a lot moved there, but piles were neatened and new stacks were made.

"I thank the Lady for her indulgence." He bowed once again, low, and made his way over to a promising looking pile of scrolls. Elo would spend the better part of the day poring over those scrolls.

Leiko was happy to sit in her corner and pore over her own scroll, only the rhythmic tapping of the stones across the board to show that she was still there. The hours passed and the sun set, and Leiko looked up from her scroll. A torch flickered on near her workspace, and she turned her eyes to one near Elo. With a bit of concentration, she made that one ignite as well, then turned her attention back to her tsumego.

The warlock looked over at Leiko and bowed his head in thanks in response to the needed light. And almost as if on cue, the torchlight lit up the edge of a scroll where he saw some key words he was sure would be in an effective spell of disguise. Excitedly, he pulled it out from the middle of the stack, and had to hastily balance the pile he had made. How had he missed this one? It was in the stack he'd already been through but this note was somehow transcribed as a border around the edges of a rather mundane cooking spell.

Hurriedly, Elo took out a fresh parchment and dipped his cockatrice quill in the magical ink that would transcribe a spell without losing its power. Once he determined which symbol was the beginning, for it ringed the entire page, he set to the work of tediously copying down each symbol exactly. He was very good at mimicking things, it was something warlocks as a general rule were proficient in.

After about half an hour, he got the entire spell copied down and could sit back and analyze it. This spell wouldn't disguise him, it would transform him into a mortal for a single day. He supposed it still had its uses, provided he had plenty of his magical gear with him to defend himself whilst he was without his usual powers.

Then suddenly it hit him. All of those banishment runes lasted until the youkai that they were attached to was 'no longer in the mortal realm'. It was very likely that this spell would destroy all of those annoying runes on his body.

"I've found something, Lady Leiko. Not exactly what I was looking for but of ancillary use nonetheless." He stood and stretched. "I barely scraped the surface of your great library here today. I will begin looking again with your permission. Also, with your permission, I would like to use a spare room you might have here for accommodation. I'll spend time repairing the worst of the damage to your castle tomorrow..." He added that last sentence to reinforce to the kitsune that he intended to pay for what he used.

She looked up when he spoke to her, nodding absently. She wasn't -really- paying attention to him, nor did she particularly care whether he found anything or not. But, irregardless, he'd found something, and she intended to make him work for it. It seemed that he was ready to do that without having to be prompted, though, and she nodded again. "Good. If you begin in the morning while there's plenty of light, you can study in the library when you tire."

She sighed at his request for a room, pulling herself to her feet. She was loathe to leave the library, but truth be told if she didn't go to bed somewhat soon, Sanshouuo-chan would come to fuss over her and insist she sleep. If it weren't for that aged salamander, likely the demoness -would- have died simply from her own lack of caring for herself.

"Come along, then, I will show you to the wing the bedrooms are in."

Blatantly out of character here -


I saw a good story here, and it seems our styles do not match in any way that would make this enjoyable for either of us. It was not my intention to run your character, but in this format, there are some liberties that I have seen taken as a matter of convention. Mainly these are done to move a story along, not to ride roughshod over the other players.

I thought the idea of these roleplays were to tell a good story. I personally wouldn't mind if you got to know my character well enough to take over a few minor actions of his, in the interest of moving the story along. I suppose my professional experience as a writer contributes to the style that I have. I know what makes a good story, and I know what just causes tension.

Ever since your first lengthy private message to me, I have been walking on eggshells every time I post, wondering what your critique of it would be. This is supposed to be a recreational activity. Your continued attitude of superiority is beyond annoying and unwarranted.

So, with all due respect, I will no longer have anything to do with you on this site. I see you are plenty active on this site without my contribution.

I wish you a good day, and a good life.

I'm sorry, I don't see how godmoding my character in the interests of skipping the bits -you- want to skip without consideration for my opinion or right to retain control over my character is anything -other- than riding roughshod over me. There are some 'liberties' that it is not considered polite or in good form to take.

You seem terribly fond of reminding everyone that you have this 'professional' experience and that you have been writing for so many years, but if I chose to say on the internet that I was a male living in Canada, no one would really have any way of verifying that now would they? But likely when they noticed that I have u's in my colours and honours and such they might call shenanigans and point me out for living in Europe.

You know what makes a good story, hmm? I can take from your tone then that by that you mean that you and you alone know what makes a good story and will refuse to listen to ideas from anyone other than yourself. Ever since I -dared- to question you, you've been snarky and passive aggressive in your posting, working hard to destroy any chance of a decent story and outright trying to offend me with your commentary.

As far as a superior attitude? Mm, rather I think you're the one whose attitude is unduly holier-than-thou, especially in regards to when someone challenges your status as being the best of the best since, after all, you claim to be a published author who has been playing for some twenty five odd years. That's quite a while to be playing with a character whose image is taken directly from a Magic the Gathering expansion released in 2007.

But I believe you're right. There's no reason for us to continue to act childish towards each other. I'll PM a mod and see about the possibility of getting this thread locked.

Locked by request.