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.
The current skin was made by Pharaoh Leap of Pixel Perfect. Outside of that, individual posts and characters belong to their creators, and we claim no ownership to what which is not ours. Thank you for stopping by.
Post by Emet-Selch on Sept 26, 2020 8:32:14 GMT -6
[googlefont="Comfortaa"]
♡
@somnus
He listened intently. Starscourge, plague. In truth, a plague didn't bother him. Assuming he couldn't just remove it from his vessel, it'd simply be a matter of abandoning it and taking another, or perhaps simply dying and recreating the body. Two brothers, entwined in the destinies of their own world; one playing the savior, the other playing its destroyer. Funny, it seemed even with different stars entirely the same plotlines played themselves out time and again. "That does make sense, Your Majesty. 'Twould seem that he's quite intent on avoiding you." Puff up the ego just a little bit with a small observation. "A pity, though, I rather like Provo." And adding some small chat. But Somnus had his own questions.
What did he do in his world? Different answers flashed in his mind. Different hobbies and tasks flooding him with memories both joyous and sorrowful. A time when the world was whole, and he simply dabbled in magic, being teased by his dear friends for being such a layabout as he simply wiled the days away with his dear Persephone, the memory of whom always filled him with simultaneous love and despair. A time when the world was at the brink and he came on to the Convocation as the Honorable Emet-Selch, striving to save his Star from disaster, with all members but one never faltering at the gargantuan task, no matter the sacrifice. A time when the world was sundered, everyone he knew scattered into pieces amongst the stars, spending incalculable years, passing through the eons themselves, striving to rejoin the worlds and save the ones he loved.
But, he simply settled on the easy answer. No, it wouldn't do to bare his soul to Somnus. "Ah, I was an Animancer, Your Majesty." He had been, somewhat. Not a lie, but it may have been more accurate to say he'd been a guide for recently departed souls to the Underworld, or the Lifestream, as it had become to be known. But Hades knew what answering with that may have done; oh the figure who handles the afterlife and the souls that enter it. In the sundered worlds, many considered such a position to be reserved only for the gods. In truth it was more janitorial, but there was respect that was carried with it. "That is to say, the matter of souls. I have rather keen soulsight. If you wish for a small example, yours is blindingly bright, so I am to assume you have a very strong affinity for the light." Vauthry, but not... Vauthry.
Oh yes, the potential was there.
"Now do you see why I do so well as a matchmaker, Your Majesty? My sight allows me to quite literally find your soul mate." Soul mates, existed, somewhat. Normally it had been Amaurotines who had pledged themselves to each other, and the phenomenon was what happened when the sundered fragments of those two souls came across one another throughout the ages. But the concept still existed; souls were shaped by their nature and experiences, it was simply a matter of finding two that meshed together very well.
Somnus realizing that Emet might be more than meets the eye.
The gods have spoken and I am king
Avoiding him. Was that what Ardyn was doing? Perhaps it made sense--Somnus had bested him in their last encounter, and surely the monster would fear being chained to the darkness again, however justified that had been. Still, a pinprick of unease trickled through him at the thought of what his brother was doing. Even if Ardyn felt some fear at the idea of a second encounter, surely he’d want revenge for the death of the Oracle? His absence felt more conspicuous than anything, as if he were biding his time. Somnus couldn’t say he liked that.
Still, he forced himself to nod at Galvus’ observation. “I suppose he is. And pity indeed about Provo. The only true way to contain the scourge is to burn it out.” His brother had always had other ideas of course, but his healing ability had been slow and tedious. What was the good of healing one person while thousands more suffered? Far better to snuff out the problem where it stood before the plague could spread any further. Perhaps Ardyn’s fate could have been avoided if he had just listened to reason on the subject, but Somnus had dwelled on that thought enough. There was no saving the monster that he’d become anymore, and reflecting on other possibilities was pointless.
The red-haired man paused for longer than was maybe appropriate when Somnus asked what his profession had been, before he finally answered that he had been an animancer. Somnus raised one eyebrow at the unfamiliar word. He hated to admit ignorance in anything, but he had no concept of what that was, beyond that it sounded as if it involved magic. Perhaps there truly was more to the shopkeeper than met the eye.
Thankfully Galvus explained a little before he had to ask, but his words raised more questions than anything. Somnus sat up straighter in his chair, astonished as he watched the smiling man across the desk. “Truly? You have the ability to see through to mortal souls?” That was a fascinating magical ability that sounded more on par with something the gods or a messenger would have than any normal human. Finally, Somnus’ interest won out over his hatred of admitting when he didn’t know something.
“I’m not entirely sure what an animancer is,” he admitted. “There were none on my world. But you’re correct--the gods chose me to become the first king of Lucis, so my affinity with them is quite high.” The evidence was on his ring finger. The ring of the Lucii gifted to him by Bahamut granted him far more magic than he’d ever had before. It came at a severe price of course since it shortened his lifespan, but the Draconian had assured him that his soul would live on in the ring to protect Lucis until one of his descendants finally vanquished the darkness. Somnus rather thought that he’d take immortality over a longer mortal life.
“Well you certainly have my attention. Forgive me, but magic is rather rare where I come from. How did you come to have such a gift?” Somnus found himself genuinely interested now. He’d thought to simply escape the guards pursuing him, and he hadn’t had much interest in actually being paired up with someone for courting, but it seemed that he might have found himself the real deal in this matchmaker.
BATHED BLACK IN SILENCE, OUR SURRENDER A SOMBRE REVERIE
Somnus's reaction told him all he needed to know. "I spoke too much, it seems." Cat was out of the bag. Perhaps that was his weakness, he simply could not help but remember wistfully the days of Amaurot. That sort of reaction shouldn't have been too surprising. What was more surprising to the Architect was simply that he was speaking of it to begin with. Perhaps it was a healthy thing, ah, what was it; processing what had happened and letting go? For what else could he do? So far, this world offered no concrete way to save those he loved. No, there were no known solutions like the Great Rejoining. Still, how best to answer; but he decided that ultimately the truth would suffice. The truth rarely lived up to the fantasies quickly building in one's head.
Pointing to his eyes, they narrowed, just ever so slightly. "Mine is only unusual in how keen it is. Even then, I was not the greatest. But most of my people had such abilities to an extent." No, that title had belonged to Hythlodaeus, sight keener than his. Despite his tendencies to wreak havoc for the Convocation by willingly enabling and indulging Azem's rule breaking excursions, there was no denying his brilliance. And yet those thoughts brought more memories to him. It was funny, in its own sad way; at the time, those two, who at the time he begrudgingly called his friends, gave him headaches and aggravate him to no end. But now? With the passing of eons, he'd surrender everything if they would do so again. He'd surrender everything if, for just one dream, they did not all go their separate ways, sundered and set adrift across the myriad reflections of their star.
But, for someone who was likely new to this sort of magic, well, there would likely be further questions. For a Founder King and warrior like Somnus, Hades already had a good guess what one was; "Now, my animancy is not without limits, and I will answer the obvious question--no, I cannot destroy a soul." Simply put, a soul was exceptionally resilient. Destroying one was possible but it was simply beyond his own power to do it. Plus... "Nor would I if I could. The death of the flesh is one thing, but the destruction of a soul? There is no returning from that, I'm afraid." There was the moral considerations to take in. Killing a fragmented being was one thing; if they were never truly alive, one could not commit murder. But destroying their soul denied them reunification, rendering them permanently incomplete, and the Ancient they were but a part of, permanently lost.
And that was a sin most grave.
He folded his fingers together, contemplating if he should. "But all of my people knew the workings of their soul, inside and out, and had such mastery over it." He shouldn't, he really shouldn't. But this was a golden opportunity, and it was one of those moments that he'd probably not get another chance to spring on someone for a very long time. He reached down, opening his drawer as he coolly looked to Somnus. "Observe." It was in such a casual, unassuming tone. And then, with no ceremony whatsoever, he pulled what was in the drawer; a revolver, pressed it against his temple, and pulled the trigger. As the now deceased body of Galvus flopped over, it was only a few seconds later that in a dark flash, he reappeared just behind Somnus, none the worse for the wear.
That was a bad idea, he knew it. Somnus would likely be curious about the immortality. Most rulers like him were, but come on. When was he gonna get another chance to drop that on someone like that? "To us, death was nothing to fear." Death was better than being gone. Oh, those meant very different things in his world. He weaved his magic to repair the damage done to his previous vessel. It was still dead, or about as close as it could be with no soul currently inhabiting it, but he'd at least make sure it didn't look gruesome. That was just uncalled for.
Galvus seemed to not like how much he’d spoken, but Somnus shook his head in an attempt to dissuade the man of that notion. “No, I don’t mind. I’m very much interested. Powers like that were unheard of on Eos.” Magic itself was reserved for the Oracle and the Lucis Caelum family, plus those whom Somnus had bestowed his powers on. Magic was scarce enough among humans, but the ability to see through to someone’s soul went past that. It was intriguing that mortals could gain powers to rival the gods, and Somnus wanted to hear all about it.
He listened intently to the man’s explanation, nodding as he explained that he couldn’t destroy a soul. Personally Somnus thought that the idea had merits--Ardyn came to mind since he couldn’t be killed--but in normal circumstances he supposed he agreed that death of the body would be enough. “You speak of the death of the flesh as if it were a minor inconvenience,” he said with a twitch of his lips. “Your people, though. The ones who can do that. How many of you were there?”
Somnus supposed he was more curious than anything. Where these animancers came from and how they sustained themselves. But Galvus seemed to conclude that it would be easier to show him than to explain, so Somnus watched as he opened a desk drawer. The brunette man pulled out one of those weapons that the Sonoran guards had wielded, and Somnus frowned for a moment, very nearly calling upon his blade as he assumed that the man intended to use it on him. However, he quickly realized his mistake when Galvus pointed the gun at his own head instead.
“Wait-” Somnus stretched out a hand while pushing back his chair and rising to his feet, but the deafening crack told him that the deed was already done. The man’s body hit the desk with a thump, and Somnus stared at the pool of red liquid slowly growing around the bullet wound in his head while his ears rang with the loud sound of the gun. His hand slowly lowered as he wondered what Galvus had been hoping to achieve. He supposed that he’d never know--not even the Oracle could have healed a wound that fatal.
“To us, death was nothing to fear.”
The voice came from directly behind him, and Somnus stiffened, summoning his blade to his hand in a flash of blue on instinct. He whirled around to behold an unharmed Galvus, and he stared at the man uncomprehendingly before glancing back over his shoulder. The corpse was still sprawled across the desk, but its head wound had miraculously been repaired, giving the body the appearance that it was only sleeping. In a flash, Somnus understood. The man had spoken of the death of a soul so seriously, because it was the only way he could die. Somehow he’d achieved a level of immortality that rivaled Ardyn’s, and yet there was no sign of the scourge in those golden eyes. His source of power wasn’t daemonic at least, nor did it seem particularly evil if it just came from mastery of one’s own soul. Somnus was instantly captivated, and he banished his sword back to his glaive.
“Are you a god?” He couldn’t entirely rule out the possibility and wanted to proceed accordingly if that was true. He wouldn’t bend the knee until he received positive confirmation though--Somnus refused to bow to any mortal man, regardless of how powerful they might be. If Galvus really was human though...well. Then that only left one question, didn’t it?
“And can what you do be taught?” It would come at a price, Somnus was certain of it. But he would pay damn near anything for a level of immortality that came from a source of light instead of darkness.
Post by Emet-Selch on Oct 11, 2020 15:37:41 GMT -6
all our splendour
BATHED BLACK IN SILENCE, OUR SURRENDER A SOMBRE REVERIE
He knew the question was coming, and he's quick to shut it down. "No. I'm not a god. If you must bestow upon me a title, the term 'Paragon' was common for me." He may have had all the powers of one, may have even helped to create the gods of his own world, but he himself? No, he was no divine being. In his world, he was but a man, no different than any other man. There would be no need for Somnus to kneel this day. But, well, this man was showing so much interest. Even in other worlds that were never sundered and spread across the rift, man seemed to desire to escape the mortal coil. He should have been surprised, perhaps, but he wasn't. "To answer your previous questions..." An arm raised, with one behind his back, having paid no mind to the obvious weapon. One finger, was raised. "Billions. We were an entire world, with friends, family, loves." He had a family, he had friends, how many souls weighed on his shoulders?
Not that it mattered, here. "Now? I'm the only one left." Even when his world had been destroyed, three had remained. Lahabrea, Elidibus, and himself. Lahabrea was gone, as was Elidibus, and he had yet to see either in this new world. As far as he knew, he was the only one of his kind here. And despite his efforts to move on, there was that immediate pang of isolation, sitting at the top of a mountain, yet no one even climbing their way up. He raised a second finger. "As for teaching... likely." After all, in their world, they'd awakened the Echos of many over the eons. But, well, they had the trauma of the Final Days to work with, there. Somnus was from another world entirely. Even if only in the smallest of ways, the rule would be different. And he was honest about that. "In my world, it was merely something we could do."
But, he had a feeling the Founder King was after something specifically, and that specific thing, well; "If it is just the immortality you are after, however, then, yes." There were multiple ways he could do it. The simplest, and cleanest, would be to craft a new body, kill Somnus, and simply move the soul. But, he doubted the Founder King would be too keen on that route. But there were other ways. Others that worked with light or darkness. "But I will not rush ahead with that. Many who gain it realize what they have lost only too late. It only worked with my people because all of us lived for nigh an eternity." It was a big request, and in truth, he wasn't even sure he wanted to. As it stood, he had nothing to gain from giving this man such power. But perhaps that could change. He just needed to know a little more on this world.
Oh yes, if he was truly putting a plan together, this man had plenty of uses.
So, he decided. "Think on it; truly reflect on what you have to gain or lose, then speak to me. I'll not have you rushing into this." He circled around, looking at his old body. "Oh, bother. I hadn't thought as to how I would remove this." He'll have to deal with his old body. Oh, but, right, still. "But, thank you, Your Majesty, for you company and your participation, I'm sure I can find someone for you." He still had a job to do, and he was still a professional!
Galvus was quick to dismiss the notion that he was a god, but Somnus had to squint at him a bit for the term that he used for himself. Paragon. He wouldn’t argue of course, since he didn’t desire to treat anyone like a god when they wouldn’t even claim the title, but Somnus couldn’t see much difference between an immortal representing the pinnacle of humanity and one of the astrals themselves. Certainly there at least wasn’t much difference between him and a messenger of the gods, but he’d keep those thoughts to himself. It wouldn’t do to offend the man when he had something that Somnus wanted.
The brunette man seemed unperturbed by the sword that Somnus had summoned while he had been startled. If anything, Somnus himself was more unnerved by his answers. “An entire world…” It was hard to think of what a society of immortals would be like. Perhaps that was why Galvus was hesitant to label himself a deity. His nature must seem very normal to him, but compared to the average human, he was something else entirely.
Galvus weighed for a moment whether or not teaching him would be possible, before he broached that giving him immortality was indeed a possibility. Somnus perked up where he stood, nodding a little impatiently at the man’s warnings to think it over. “I’m rather reassured by your words, actually. If you were too eager to teach me during our first meeting, I would wonder what the catch was.” He laughed a little as he spoke, finding that he was in better spirits than he had been since coming to Zephon. Perhaps he’d have something to gain from his time here after all.
“Yes, I’ll think it over. I’m sure all such things come with a price.” He wasn’t sure what the man would want from him while he was away from his kingdom and his throne, but it wasn’t likely to be a trifle. Not to mention that Somnus would have further questions if he were actually considering it. Galvus didn’t give off the same vibes as his brother at all, but he would want to completely verify that there was nothing dark in the power’s source before he too claimed it. Somnus would take death over ending up like Ardyn.
Somnus had to chuckle as the man walked back to his desk and bemoaned that he’d need to rid himself of the body somehow now. “I’m sure you have practice with such things.” Preparing to take his leave, he inclined his head slightly in a far greater show of respect than he was willing to give most people. “Thank you. You’ve given me a great deal to think about, but I’ll be sure to return soon.”
He had far more interest in the immortality aspect than in the soulmate, but he once again refrained from offending the man as he took to the streets with the chime of the bell over the door signaling his exit. Hopefully he’d stayed long enough that the guards had moved on.
