paranatura-verse

[paranatura-verse]

Choose Your Own Adventure!

Part Five

As if sensing your indecision, Queen Blanchere turns the corner into the little plaza where the fountain sits. As usual she's surrounded by a cluster of courtiers and ministers, vying for her say on the latest law or an answer to a problem. Her peaceful aura is almost infectious, and the squabbling is quickly reduced to polite turn-taking.

You seize the opportunity and rush forward to inform the queen of the urgent situation.

"I'm afraid this will have to wait. You should speak to my sister if you need an answer urgently," she says to the ministers. Then to you, "Please, lead the way."

It's not every day one leads the ruler of their kingdom somewhere. But Queen Blanchere is famed for her humble nature, never feeling herself above her subjects. And it's known she has a great deal of respect for the castle healers.

The crowd has thinned a little by the time you arrive back at the Ancient Treasury. Eohi is tending to Krystallos, who's finally awake. Karkat and Orét are barking orders as usual, to varying levels of success. You notice some of the Aspects, Rhyneris's protectors, have arrived. Ti is plucking the strings of his lyre, soothing the crowd, So has set up a shield at the Treasury's doors, and Mi is helping to calmly deter curious passers-by.

You dither uncertainly as Queen Blanchere goes to speak with So, who lowers the barrier long enough for the queen to step through the door. She beckons you.

"Some company would be appreciated."

So you hurry to join her, marvelling at the beautiful interior. Crystal lamps light the long, jewel-encrusted hallways, illuminated alcoves housing dozens upon dozens of relics. You've heard of some, Antta's Glaive and the Tear of Myridi, but most are so old and so secret you can't begin to recall their source.

"I need to see what was taken." Queen Blanchere explains softly, "I know something had to be, because anything capable of breaking Krystallos from his post would have done so for a reason."

Then she stops.

"Oh stars, no... they took the Path to the King."

She suddenly turns and clasps your hands, and all of a sudden she doesn't look like a calm, graceful ruler. She looks like a little girl, the one in her family portrait hung in the castle. Only this little girl is scared out of her wits.

"I need your help. The relic that has been taken could pose a huge threat to everyone here in Arcadia. Not just the irissids, but the elves and the centaurs if it's fallen into the wrong hands. I need to send out an envoy to the other kingdoms to seek their help, and to identify our foe. I'd want a healer sent with them. Will you accept?"

[paranatura-verse]

Choose Your Own Adventure!

Part Four

You hurry back to the castle, a little baffled as to how the morning has gone. A "quick trip into town" indeed.

Arriving in the gardens, you make a quick scan of the area. A nearly ten foot tall centaur, he shouldn't be that hard to spot.

"Excuse me? Can I help?" A tiny voice pipes up from beside you. You look down, and atop a flowerpot is the little ragdoll who helps tend to the castle gardens. Quilt, that's her name!

You ask if she's seen Eohi, and she nods.

"Master Stonehoof is by the fountain, in the Lower Terrace." She points a tiny fabric hand in the right direction. You already know the gardens by heart, but it would be impolite to tell her so. Helping is what she's made for, after all.

You thank Quilt, heading down towards the fountain. There's Eohi, polishing his armour. You explain the situation, and he's instantly alert. Eohi's loyalty to the kingdom is unquestionably strong, as is his loyalty to Krystallos in particular. You hope the construct is okay...

"I'll be right there!" Eohi's about to gallop away, when he skids to a halt and turns back to you.

"I'm sorry to ask more of you, I know you must be busy. But could you inform the queen of the situation?" Without waiting for an answer, he's gone.

Great. Brilliant. "Inform the queen" he says. Not like you have two or anything.

Well, both queens have equal authority. Perhaps he meant Queen Blanchere? She's a calming presence, very good at soothing ruffled tempers. But then, Queen Noirata is commanding, and good at uniting people under pressure...

[paranatura-verse]

First Encounters

"You think it'll come?"

Carlos glanced over to his friend, shrugging. "Bound to. Whatever it is, it's been comin' like clockwork at least twice a week. Tonight's our best bet to catch the diablo."

After a month straight of stolen cattle, neither of them were willing to let the thefts slide. The other ranchers in town had reported the same thefts, so it certainly wasn't their neighbours committing the deed. Speculation had circulated that wolves or coyotes were coming in from the desert, but the nights were silent. Whatever was taking the cattle was cleverer than some old dogs.

August began pacing, his hooves clicking softly on the wooden floor. "Say it's a person, huh? Someone from outta town. What- what d'we do then? Don't know about yourself, but I signed up to hunt an animal, not nobody who's thinkin' and feelin' the way we do."

"If it's some gringo then we call the sheriff, like we agreed at the town meetin'." Carlos replied calmly, "One way or another we're gettin' this mess dealt with, sí?"

They waited another hour more; Carlos tossed another log on the fire, August finally stopped pacing and instead took up a post by the window. He stood very still, his tail flicking.

"Hey, Carlos? There's somethin' out there."

Carlos rose to his feet, slowly limping towards the window. They watched for several minutes, waiting for another sign of movement.

Then there was a horrific shriek, and a thrashing shape could be seen in the faint moonlight.

"You get the gun, I'll get the light!" August barked, already heading for the little handheld lantern hung by the door. Carlos wasted no time collecting his rifle; he prayed he wouldn't end up needing to use it."

"Ay, August. We've got a bigg'un, whatever it is." He gripped the rifle tighter, his finger hovering over the trigger. The thrashing beast had stopped, panting in a low, snarling growl. August held the lantern closer, and nearly dropped it again when they saw what it was.

A giant lizard, the size of a man, lay in the dirt with its neck tied in one of the snare traps they'd set. Its eyes darted to Carlos and August, piercing yellow eyes filled with pain, exhaustion and fear.

"It's a squamatan." August's voice was hardly more than a whisper, "I- I didn't know there were any this far west."

The squamatan gave another sudden jerk, flinching as the snare dug tighter into its neck. It stopped again, gaze flicking back to Carlos and away again.

"Gonna kill me then, I suppose?"

Carlos felt his stomach drop, and his hold on the rifle weakened. Mierda, it could talk?

He could hardly march a giant lizard to the sheriff's office. Equally so, he couldn't bear putting a bullet in the head of a creature that looked so scared.

"Dios mio, my friend... I'm sorry." He dropped the rifle beside him, talking a slow step forward. The squamatan bared his teeth in a weak snarl. "I won't hurt you. Not any more that I already have. Let me get that off for you, you'll feel much better then."

The squamatan remained tense, his tail flicking agitatedly, but he remained still as Carlos awkwardly knelt beside him. He pulled out his knife, beginning to slice through the wire.

"Do you have a name?"

"...Sa'alku."

"I'm Carlos. That's August there. I am sorry we've met under such... circumstances."

Sa'alku grunted, saying nothing further. He waited until Carlos had cut him free, then slowly stretched, wincing. The scales on his neck were rubbed raw, bloody streaks visible across them even in the dim lamplight.

"That looks nasty. Will you let me patch you up?" He asked softly, "Consider it my apology for getting you in this situation in the first place."

August let out a snort of protest, but Carlos ignored him. Sa'alku cast a fearsome figure, yes, but there was a calmness to him. This wasn't a wild animal, he could clearly be reasoned with. Perhaps they could get this all straightened out, in a way that benefitted everyone.

"..Alright."

"Excelente! This way, then." Carlos slowly rose to his feet, August silently stepping forward to help him up.

"You sure about this?" He hissed as they led Sa'alku back to the house. His gaze flicked back to the squamatan, who stared back with those unblinking yellow eyes. "The bastard's been eatin' the whole town's cattle, and for all we know he's been bringin' 'em back for his buddies to chow on too."

"I've got a plan, amigo. Don't worry yourself."

Once inside, Sa'alku crouched in front of the fire. Carlos fetched their medical supplies, whilst August stood guard by the door, watching the newcomer like a hawk.

"I'm not with any others of my kind." Sa'alku said, as Carlos tended to his injured neck. "There are other squamatans in the desert, I know that much, but I keep to myself. If a clan knew there was a human settlement here, let's just say there wouldn't be one for much longer."

"Lone wolf then, eh?"

"..You could say that."

Carlos fastened the bandage, packing up the little box. He had to be absolutely crazy for what he was about to suggest, but perhaps it might be the most positive solution.

"Well, how about sticking around here? You're big, strong, you'd be good at ranch work. And I bet no coyotes mess with you, eh?"

Sa'alku look thoughtful, as if he were seriously considering the option. He looked to August. "That fine by you, centaur?"

"August," he corrected tersely, "And long as you pull your weight, and leave the cattle be, then yes."

The squamatan nodded. There was a flicker of gratitude in his eyes.

"You did save my life. We squamatans do have a code of honour, whether you believe it or not. I'll protect your home."

It seemed the start of a beautiful partnership had formed.

[paranatura-verse]

The world can be very big, when you're very small

[paranatura-verse]

Choose Your Own Adventure!

Part 3

You head towards Oret, desperately intrigued as to what's going on. Past her and Karkat (and their -respectfully- atrocious blockade they've created, you can see the form of Krystallos, the crystal construct in charge of guarding the Ancient Treasury. He's worryingly still.

"Alright, everyone move back! Ain't nothing here that concerns you lot!" She shouts, carefully holding back another curious passerby. You take the chance to ask her what's going on, and she looks relieved to see you.

"You work at the castle, dont'cha? Good, you can do us a favour then! Go get Eohi Stonehoof, he needs to know what's gone on. Hurry!"

So hurry you do, trying to remember where Eohi usually is this time of day. He often spends time in the palace gardens, but then he does still tend to the Shrine of Solfège...

[paranatura-verse]

I totally didn't forget the CYOA because I was doing a puzzle with my friend- 😭

[paranatura-verse]

The Ravenswood Gang and their families

This post will be a little shorter than the one for Bronze Bay, as half of the characters do not technically have families to speak of (Opal will be included in this list, as unlike her sister Pearl, in timelines she is alive she is a much more involved member of her respective group)

"Roxy" Noble is the child of Evelyn and Flint Noble, a waitress and former miner respectively. The youngest of four children, Roxy joined their father on the picket line during the Miners' Strike despite being too young to even work at the time. Despite persistent jobhunting, his father's current unemployment puts a strain on the family, relying on Evelyn's and eldest daughter Jade's incomes. Although his fears about Hyacinth have put something of a strain on their relationship with his parents and siblings, Roxy does what they can to contribute whenever possible.

Jude MacLaren is the son of Duncan MacLaren and an unknown mother (she left Jude on his father's doorstep). After migrating to Southeast England from Scotland, Duncan began working -and later striking- alongside Flint Noble as a miner. After the mines were closed Duncan found odd jobs as a manual labourer. Although Jude had dropped his schooling hours in order to work, Duncan wants to save to afford a good college education for his son.

Opal LaFleur is the daughter of Edgar and Crystal LaFleur, the owners of the prestigious LaFleur fashion label. After the death of her twin sister Pearl in 1985, Opal moved with her father to their ancestral home Ravenswood in England to recover, whilst her mother remained in America to continue running the company. Edgar and Crystal share a very loving and supportive marriage, and whilst reluctant to turn their relationship indefinitely long-distance, they concluded it was best to give Opal a fresh start to recover.

Peter and Mary Duke claim they have never had children.

[paranatura-verse]

Just wanna say a huge thank you to all of the artists who have created artwork for me of the Paranaturaverse over the years! These guys are all insanely talented and I highly recommend you go follow (and if you can, commission) them! Some of these are from years ago sorry to have these just randomly crop up for u now 😭

Drowse & Inferna, Tempora - @moonkit60633

Mirage/Harvey - @green-planets

Sammy (human disguise) & Pearl - @dhamcestor

Queenie, Sparks Triplets - @greenghostlyjekyll

Western Trio, Gargoyle's Gang, Piq & Kels, Wys, Venus, Mary - @actual-dunwich-horror

Violet and Velvet - @tabooiart

Pearl, Opal - @dreamdancerdotpng

Kels, Orange Blossom, N.I.C.C.I, Koi, Pavo Azule, Beheaded Brawn - @honey-dont

[paranatura-verse]

Sorry in advance for how ridiculously long the CYOA is gonna take 😔 ideally it wouldn't be a week between choices (we only really need a couple days, new votes usually stop after 2-3 days) but I wanna give people enough time to vote, so. It is what it is I'm afraid 🤷‍♂️

[paranatura-verse]

Choose Your Own Adventure!

Part 2

You slip out of the castle, giving a friendly nod to the guards as you go. The town centre is bustling with activity like always; merchants and customers trading and haggling, farmers and hunters bringing in their latest haul, and travelers searching for a place to rest.

"Good morning!" The tailor's apprentice, a bubbly young woman dressed in bright pinks and greens, smiles as you enter, "How can we help?"

You show her the torn robe, and she takes it to the back to be mended, promising it won't take long at all. You head back outside, deciding to take a walk whilst you wait, when you hear a commotion from the south end of town. A great crowd of people are clustered around the Ancient Treasury, Rhyneris's oldest vault filled with relics of the past. Castle Town's deputationeers, the irissid Karkat and elf Oret, are trying to keep the crowd at bay.

[paranatura-verse]

Okay some doodles of the old-school nebulites!

The story they initially came from had the nebulites all living communally, with the exception of Wraith (who was off pulling a Lestat and singing in a rock band, with the others unaware he was even a nebulite due to his excellent cloaking)

I'm gonna do some proper fullbody pieces of them, if in that time I can find a natural place for them in the world they'll be added, if not I think they'll be up for anyone to claim as theirs

(a workaround to this is also bringing back their human friend/roommate, Delilah (aka prototype Lucy. Maybe 🤔)

Currently undecided between bringing back a few of the other Nebulites from one of Sammy's earlier projects. I absolutely adore the nebulites, even though there's only one currently in the Paranaturaverse they are my favourite species I've ever created, they were first created during a really difficult part of my life and they've been a great comfort since.

Dolly and Dee Dee have had their names given to a different pair of twins, but their design and inspiration are still clear in my head. Bumblebee was a little spark of joy, and Wraith was a darker side to the Nebulites.

Part of me wants to bring them back, another wants to keep the symbolism of Sammy and Kels being the only aliens on Earth, the complete opposite of one another. I think either choice has potential.

[paranatura-verse]

Currently undecided between bringing back a few of the other Nebulites from one of Sammy's earlier projects. I absolutely adore the nebulites, even though there's only one currently in the Paranaturaverse they are my favourite species I've ever created, they were first created during a really difficult part of my life and they've been a great comfort since.

Dolly and Dee Dee have had their names given to a different pair of twins, but their design and inspiration are still clear in my head. Bumblebee was a little spark of joy, and Wraith was a darker side to the Nebulites.

Part of me wants to bring them back, another wants to keep the symbolism of Sammy and Kels being the only aliens on Earth, the complete opposite of one another. I think either choice has potential.

[paranatura-verse]

THIS IS THE PRICE FOR MEDDLING IN THINGS YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND

[paranatura-verse]

Choose Your Own Adventure!

Part 1

You are an irissid, living in the Castle Town of the Kingdom of Rhyneris, under the rule of the Two Queens, Blanchere and Noirata. A talented magick user specialising in healing, you are employed in the castle's infirmary. However, your true desire is an induction into the Grey Court, the highest honour for any magick-wielding irissid.

One morning, preparing for the day ahead, you discover the hem of your best robes have become frayed and torn. A ripped hem never stopped a good healer doing their job, but it is good to look presentable. Perhaps a stop at the tailor's is in order...

[paranatura-verse]

Okay so the Location poll ended up an even split, this time just say in the notes which area we should go for :]

London 2025

Bronze Bay 1867

New York City 2004

Arcadia

[paranatura-verse]

Choose Your Own Adventure! Part 1

Today's starting choice is a very simple one, but very important: where do you want your story to begin? This poll will last just 24 hours, and the opening and first story choice will be posted tomorrow evening once the results are in. After that the Adventure will be a weekly event.

(Note that the events in whichever story you guys pick won't necessarily be completely canon; themes and certain events may correlate to original stories, but this Adventure is a different timeline to the ones I typically refer to)

[paranatura-verse]

Okay sounds like you guys wanna do the Choose Your Own Path, so today I'm gonna start outlining all the potential plots.

(I don't think I'll be doing it like a traditional CYOA, which comes with lots of potential game overs, purely because of how we're doing it. So instead there's just going to be a few potential endings and lots of paths to get to them)

I think it'll be a weekly event to allow everyone time to vote on the choice, and depending on when I'm finished it'll either begin this evening (GMT time), or tomorrow.