Welcome to Adventu, your final fantasy rp haven. adventu focuses on both canon and original characters from different worlds and timelines that have all been pulled to the world of zephon: a familiar final fantasy-styled land where all adventurers will fight, explore, and make new personal connections.
at adventu, we believe that colorful story and plots far outweigh the need for a battle system. rp should be about the writing, the fun, and the creativity. you will see that the only system on our site is the encouragement to create amazing adventures with other members. welcome to adventu... how will you arrive?
year 5, quarter 3
Welcome one and all to our beautiful new skin! This marks the visual era of Adventu 4.0, our 4th and by far best design we've had. 3.0 suited our needs for a very long time, but as things are evolving around the site (and all for the better thanks to all of you), it was time for a new, sleek change. The Resource Site celebrity Pharaoh Leep was the amazing mastermind behind this with minor collaborations from your resident moogle. It's one-of-a-kind and suited specifically for Adventu. Click the image for a super easy new skin guide for a visual tour!
Final Fantasy Adventu is a roleplaying forum inspired by the Final Fantasy series. Images on the site are edited by KUPO of FF:A with all source material belonging to their respective artists (i.e. Square Enix, Pixiv Fantasia, etc). The board lyrics are from the Final Fantasy song "Otherworld" composed by Nobuo Uematsu and arranged by The Black Mages II.
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Garland's boots ground the remnants of a battle long past deep into the very earth from which they had spawned, bones to dust, ashes to ashes. Despite the lovely scenery of the remnants of a battle still being waged among what remained of an army of dead-men, the warrior still desired something more than mere appealing surroundings. Information, for example, as to what kind of world this was! Could he still have been in Cornelia...? This forest looked like nothing Garland had ever seen in his travels within the land... but then, this could've very well been further in the past or future than Garland had ever traveled! Could it have been that his defeat at the Alter of Chaos in the past sent him spiraling into the future...? Could it have been that his defeat sent the knight careening into the past...?
...If this were the case, his plan did not change in the slightest. Although he might've been thrown from the loop that had assured his immortality, Garland's quest did not simply end in defeat! The Fiends were eternal, wretched abominations with power Garland required. Immobile as well, always preferring the dominion of their realms to those of others, awaiting their prey, those being foolish heroes, to stumble into their lair. Even if this were even further in the past than Garland had planned, those beasts would still be hold up in their pathetic fortresses and their fate would not change from what it was in the present! One by one, he would make them kneel, lick the dirt off his boot before grinding their power out of them like the juice from a fruit.
...The Heroes of Light would follow him, however, discontent with their success. The ever dutiful slaves, those warriors would throw themselves back into this era in pursuit, determined to destroy every piece of him, every timeline with him in it, no doubt in service to their pathetic, old king. Just the thought of facing the Warriors once more made Garland's armored fingers CRUNCH into his gauntlet as they curled into a fist, his hand TREMBLING with the force of his grip! Those fools... Did they not understand that he was INVINCIBLE!? Defeat him as many times as they desired, perhaps even SLAY him there and then but never for a moment believe that they had truly ENDED Garland! Through an ever-repeating loop in time to a godly being that resides outside the space of mortal time, Garland would forever be present, mighty, UNSTOPPABLE!
...It was always only a matter of time.
Garland drew his mighty blade from its scabbard upon his back, the massive wedge-shaped sword pulsing in his hands, almost a living creature in its own right. Darkness seemed to pour from every crack, every chink in the plated armor of the fallen paladin, his glowing yellow eyes flashing with determination! It was ALWAYS a matter of time! His end-goal, his invincibility, ALL of it was tied to that infernal aspect of existence. Life was ended and rebirthed in that blasted cycle, reborn to fight battles without purpose, wars without end, all for gods too petty to duel amongst themselves. He would find a way to break this cycle, to replace it with an existence not tainted with the built-in futility of the gods' design!
...And should anyone be foolish enough to get in his way...? They would return to their maker sooner than they would have otherwise.
Post by Joanna Baltas on Jun 10, 2020 6:27:29 GMT -6
If Joanna was physically and morally capable of swearing, she'd be doing enough of it to make even the most hardened of sailors blush right now, because it became immediately apparent that any semblance of luck had completely abandoned her the moment that she saw the armored man. In all of the time she spent searching for any clues to the whereabouts of her friends and allies, it never once occurred to her that any of her enemies could also find themselves in this strange world, and she wanted to slap herself for her lack of foresight. And as if running into Garland wasn't bad enough, she had the misfortune of running into him alone.
He was the most powerful knight in Corneria, a title which he proved to have more than earned when she and her allies confronted him at the temple. While they ultimately came out on top in the end, he certainly didn't make it easy. Even when it was four-against-one, he was terrifyingly powerful, and Jo personally couldn't help but feel like they got a bit lucky. Of course, this begged all sorts of questions. At what point in time was he pulled in? Was it before they defeated him? Or did he somehow survive and get pulled in after? And if it was the latter, would he remember her? After all, her memories were still rather fuzzy, so it might be the same for him as well.
It's even possible he might have come here from a time before he turned against Corneria. Though, that was probably wishful thinking. Either way, she wasn't planning to stick around long enough to find out. While it would be nice if it wasn't the case, the fact remained that, if he's still an enemy, then she's nowhere near strong enough to handle him on her own. She may have a more powerful White Magic than she did when she first battled him, but all that was going to do was keep herself alive longer; she had nothing that would be capable of actually harming him. It was moments like this where she sorely missed her White Wizard upgrade. Holy would really be handy right about now.
Either way, while his back was turned, she made a break for it. All she needed to do was slip away without him noticing her. A plan that was foiled by an ill-placed fallen branch. The moment she stepped on it, the branch snapped with a sound so sharp that she might as well have banged two pots and pans together with how much it echoed through the area. And, of course, she was now out in the open. It would have taken a miracle for him to not notice her at this point...and somehow, she had a sinking feeling that the heavens weren't going to be so merciful on this particular day.
It was possible that if Joanna had kept her eyes on the forest floor below her, that if she had been more dexterous with her steps, she might've managed to disappear into the winding, deathly wood. Her boots would have planted into the softer moss, quieting her steps as she fled further into the ghastly forest, away from one threat and potentially into another. However, it wouldn't be time but FATE that would guide her steps, instead the girl's full body-weight would crash upon the decrepit, severed limb of a tree, the noise reverberating across the barren, necrotic hallow, reaching the ears of the fallen knight!
"My suspicions, it would seem, were correct." Garland mused, his voice like the weight of a strong wind, low and forceful upon the ears of the young white mage. "The Warriors of Light have indeed trailed me to this realm." Slowly, the dark-armored knight would turn to face the much smaller and younger maiden of white before him, the girl almost seeming to TREMBLE at his presence! What surprised Garland, however, was that she alone would stand before him, either leaving behind her old comrades as he had... or having been left by them herself. It could be possible that the rest were lying in wait further up ahead or even surrounding him now, their bodies pressed against the trunks of the surrounding trees to veil themselves from the haunting gaze of Garland. He hadn't known these heroes to so... rougishly approach a battle, let alone with himself, willing to sacrifice their honor as knights in order to complete a higher goal. ...But then, he hadn't exactly known them to allow their most vulnerable member to stand before him alone, fearful... and fragile. Resting his blade upon his shoulder, Garland would take his time in approaching the child, his blade resting upon his pauldron, the Rebellion Blade pulsating with greater magnitudes of dark energy as the distance between him and his long-standing foe shrank. His movements, fluid... yet lifeless, like a golem set to carry out its orders, not at all the gait of a man... but something far more powerful... and dangerous! One would be forgiven in believing Garland to be nothing more than the suit of armor he wore, his face unknown to the world outside, the man that wore it as dead as the title he once carried. Each reset had been a deep cut along Garland's will, each repeated scenario another slight upon his person.
Death by a thousand cuts, they say, happens sooner than one can begin to realize... and so, the man Cornelia, and the Warriors of Light had come to know as Sir Garland had faded into the annals of time... And in his place rendered only his exterior as the holder of the name Garland.
"Like a lamb to the slaughter, you come to me, Joanna. Or has the truth begun to set in at last?" The warrior rumbled, his armor clanking reverberating across the boundless forest, his voice echoing across the haunting mist that consumed the world around them. "You have been abandoned, young one, forced to face your destiny alone. Will you face me, as a warrior, or will you flee, as you have attempted?"
Post by Joanna Baltas on Jun 10, 2020 15:31:06 GMT -6
Joanna couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at his comment regarding "the Light Warriors following him to this Realm". Did that mean he only just arrived on Zephon? It would certainly make sense, since she was pretty sure she would have heard about him being here if he had come any sooner. Garland wasn't exactly one for subtlety, especially with that armor he's always wearing. Honestly, she couldn't help but wonder if he was still even human under that armor. Of course, as he continued to speak, her biggest fears were confirmed; not only did he somehow survive their battle, but he remembered her well enough to even call out her name. Definitely not good, to say the least.
The words that came out of his mouth hit rather close to home. She didn't want to admit it, but it was something that, in the back of her mind, she'd always feared. When she first arrived, the only one of her allies that she had a clear memory of was the Warrior of Light; or "Wolly", as she liked to affectionately call him. It was ironic, since, of the three, he was by far the biggest mystery back when they were traveling together. As for the other two, her recollection of them were in a constant state of flux. Details and memories were constantly fading in and out of her mind, and just when she thought she remembered something about one or both of them, that memory was gone within a day.
She was...fairly certain that one of them might be an elf. Maybe...probably. Of course, that wasn't the issue. She'd met Wolly, and all was good where he was concerned. But were the other two even here in Zephon? And if they were, would they even recognize her? Or, for that matter, would she recognize them? Worse yet, if they they did remember her, were they actually looking for her? Has she been abandoned, just like Garland said? The questions and unsettling feels began to overwhelm Joanna for just a moment, but she managed to regain her composure just in time to respond to Garland. "As if...I may be alone for now...but I know in my heart that I've not been abandoned. We've been through too much together!"
At least, that was what she truly and deeply wanted to believe. At the very least, she knew she had Wolly. The other two would probably come sooner or later. Probably. Either way, she had far more pressing matters to worry about. Like how Garland was clearly trying to taunt her into a fight. She let out a heavy sigh as she brandished her hammer, speaking in a frank tone. "If I'm being honest, I'd be shocked if you even allowed me to flee. I don't know how you're still alive, but I've no doubt you're hungry for revenge..." She paused for a moment, as white energy surged through her body, and she spoke a single word.
"Protect!"
A magical barrier formed around her; one that would at least partially soften any blows Garland might deal to her. Frankly, she wasn't sure how effective it would be, but she was going to need every advantage she could get if she were going to come out of this mess alive. She didn't dare try to attack first, though. She could be a bit hot-blooded at times, but even she knew that doing so would be a terrible idea. Not that being on the defensive would be much better, but it's still the least horrible choice between the two.
Post by Laurelin Hawthorne on Jun 18, 2020 10:07:24 GMT -6
Rare was it Laurelin felt young. Yet beneath the twisted, bare branches she felt knee-high once more, clutching her brother’s hand beneath the pines of Elfheim. The trees then had embraced her in welcome, as it did all elves, and sang lullabies. Here, the forest sang of malice, of bones long buried neath her soles between gnarled, sturdy roots, and of ancient rites to a malevolent deity.
A thousand voices cleaved the sighing wind. Ears aching, Laurelin pressed onward. At her left, a shade took the form of a knight, adorned in resplendent armor, kept in line with her stride. Laurelin’s eyes settled on his near translucent pauldron, spying an amulet of red clasped to his tattered cloak, marking his former station. “A commander,” she mused. “I can safely assume what binds you here, then.”
The ghost offered no answer. Not like Laurelin needed his confirmation, for the land reeking of death had given it away. A place no elf would willingly venture in. Yet, here she was.
Something drew her to this place. An audible whisper upon a feathery breeze, accompanied by a subtle nudge from a life long gone, and the unusual gleam to her otherwise dormant crystal. Ever elfin, Laurelin adhered to the call of the wind, tailing the wisps of apparition robes, with nary a care.
So far she found nothing but the misery of death, accompanied by the droning laments of soldiers long forgotten and buried. Perhaps, she mused, her crystal had led her astray? It was possible, given its usual light had been dulled since she awakened in this new land. However, that could not mean—
The sensation of magic tickled her skin, raising goose-flesh in its wake, snapping Laurelin from her thoughts. White Magic!
Having sensed her abrupt change in demeanor, the ghastly knight drew close, his brows knitting in what could pass as confusion. “⸮ꙅꙅimɒ ǫᴎiʜƚɘmoꙄ”
He would receive no answer. She knew that voice; she knew that familiar magic in her bones. Visions rose from the elsewise murky depths of her memories of a spirited white mage, hammer in hand, with wide baby-blue eyes and flaxen hair, garbed in her profession of choice. Of laughter soft as rose petals and a smile warm as summer. Joanna. The elf’s eyes widened and her heart leapt to her throat. Joanna!
With feline grace she’d hasten to the scene, scarcely disturbing the fungi littering the forest floor, ghosting closer and closer, with the distant shrill of her unlikely companion still ringing in her ears.
Garland. Laurelin froze, veiled in shadows, her heart rabbit-quick. Garland!
His voice rumbled like thunder of an upcoming storm, his words taunting as ever. He was much like the cat that toys with its prey, deliberate in his ways. Laurelin’s eyes narrowed. Garland goaded opponents, aiming to raise their ire and strike first without consideration. Then he could strike the foe down with nary a sweat. He was not the only one who favored this technique.
“She is not alone.” Her voice cut through the mist, golden and strong as her name. Laurelin emerged from the shadows, flanking the Cornelian knight at a distance, her feet rooted as the mighty oak. In her hand, the dagger glinted ice-cold in the rogue sunbeam.
At her left, the knight drew his sword. Laurelin’s eyes gleamed, reflecting some inner light. “‘Tis a fellowship you simply wouldn’t comprehend.” With a wry twist of her lips she added, “I’m wounded, Joanna! You could have at least invited me to this appalling reunion.”
I was going to have her take the bait and realize Laurelin wouldn’t 100% just come running in. Also: no, the ghost isn’t going to fight. I just figured Garland needed a laugh before he attempts to brutally murder both Joanna and Laurelin. I also did that as a reference, because I’m sure Garland’s going to catch on to the [FFI Lich’s] influence on Laurelin regarding the whole “seeing, hearing, probably befriending some dead knight” ordeal.
"A foolish remark." Garland would comment in regards to both Joanna's assurence that her friends still stood beside her... and that Garland likely wouldn't have let her scamper away, tail between her legs! How very childish... but then, who exactly was he conversing with but weak, vulnerable child? "You stand alone, before your greatest enemy, the world itself crumbles to dust beneath your feet, roots entangling about your ankles and the sky itself weeps for you. Your failure to accept your lonely demise only reveals your weakness of spirit. As for me letting you go...? You dishonor yourself... AND me by even suggesting that you would take such an offer if I were to give it genuinely. You would forsake your own duty in order to save your life...? Perhaps I would be doing him a favor by ending you now... So that you might not dishonor him as well."
Raising his blade, Garland would prepare to strike down the young white-mage where she stood, his blade gleaming off the fel-light that gleamed through the haunting mist and gnarled branches. The dirt beneath Garland's boots, loose and lifeless, would grind down in a harrowing crunch, his armor clanking softly as he leveled his weapon in preparation for the end... only for another familiar voice to echo across the ghastly air! Garland's great, horned helm would turn to glance across the shoulder it rested upon, the man within spotting an elf with a shimmering dagger in hand, her stance, grounded, confident, as if she were prepared to face the epitome of Cornelia's demise. "...Laureline." The name echoed from the helmet like a crushing wind through empty plate, the knight not lessening his stance in the least displaying his lack of concern for his compromised position! Indeed, Cornelia's finest was being flanked from both sides, a healer before him and a Black Mage behind, both with their mediums raised in preparation for battle, both determined to end the biggest threat they have ever known... and still they were woefully outmatched.
"Hmhmhmhmhm....HAHAHAHA! Indeed. It seems I was wrong. Forgive me, Joanna. You will have a companion that will join you in your grave." Garland cackled, his heavy armor JOSTLING with each seizing laugh! The shadows born from the gnarled trees and sickened plants around them seemed to twist and reach for the fallen knight, the sun above them melding into the black, its reach dimming and darkening by the second! The dim, yellow glow of the warrior's eyes brightened as the world around him was steadily consumed by the dark, his blade glinting ominously as it steadily trained upon the chest of the young girl before it.
"What a sense of humor the Gods have... Sending two of their champions to the slaughter! They must have grown desperate after I wrestled the world from their control! Fools. Now they will pay for such a mistake. WATCH!"
Garland's gaze shot UPWARDS, glaring into the ever-darkening sky!
"WATCH AS I, GARLAND, DESTROY YOUR FAVORED INSTRUMENTS! WATCH AS I FORCE THIS WORLD FROM YOUR INSUFFERABLE GRASP ONCE MORE!" Slowly, his head would level once again, bringing up his blade one final time. "Watch... as I begin by taking from you the youngest of your children."
With a HEAVE, Garland would SWEEP his sword out in front of him, Rebellion SEPARATING in segments, a massive CHAIN-BLADE ARCHING towards Joanna in a crushing arch, sicing through tree and stone alike as it SEVERED the space between it and its target!
Post by Joanna Baltas on Jul 30, 2020 9:03:39 GMT -6
"Ugh...does this guy ever shut up? It's like he's physically and morally incapable of giving not long-winded and pretentious speeches that hardly make any sense..."
Even if he had heard her muttering to herself, she doubted Garland would oblige her with an answer that didn't involve him trying to murder her with his over-sized sword. Thus, when he suddenly came rushing after her, she braced herself with the worst; only to be shocked when he suddenly stopped when another persona appeared, and an all-too-familiar voice echoed from the trees nearby, declaring that Joanna was, indeed, not alone. It took a moment for Joanna's memories of the elven woman to catch up with her as she gazed upon her form, but once they did, the young blonde could barely contain her surprise and excitement. "Laurelin?!" It really was her, right? She wasn't just imagining things due to how desperate the situation was.
Sure enough, she continued to speak, and one memory came flooding back after the other. Without missing a beat, Joanna smirked as she responded in kind to Laurelin's comment "Sorry about that. Had I known you were in the area, I would have happily invited you to this...wonderful occasion." She struggled to get that last part out, even while her words dripped with sarcasm. Truth be told, she was rather frustrated that their reunion couldn't have happened with more fortunate timing. As in not quite literally staring death in the face. But with the two of them, they might actually have a chance. Not necessarily at winning, but of at least getting out of this alive. Probably not unscathed, but at least alive.
At the very least, her chances were a lot better than when she was on her own.
She watched incredulously as Garland proceeded to ham it up by shouting at the heavens, which made her wonder if the man wasn't just legitimately crazy. Not that it would have made him any less dangerous, but it'd at least explain a few things. Regardless, she saw his sudden attack coming from a while away, and was able to just barely escape from it by jumping back. The the shock wave caused by the impact of the blade was almost enough to knock her off her feet, but she held strong, managing to avoid any actual damage. After that, she decided to take this seriously; rather than change in like a madwoman with her hammer, she put it away and instead unsheathed her staff.
Focusing her magic into the staff, she called out "Invisra!". A magical energy enveloped both herself and Laurelin, their bodies becoming transparent as they turned mostly (but not completely) invisible. Still, it was enough that Garland would have a hard time landing any solid hits on them so long as the two of them kept moving; hopefully, it'll keep them alive long enough for them to figure out a strategy for dealing with this situation they've landed themselves in. Or they could just swallow their pride and run away. "Those who run away will live to fight another day" and all that. Whatever they would decide to do, however, they'd need to decide quickly.
