#story:talisman

[elinaline]

I’m thinking about my old OCs again and how easy it would be for some of them to revamp the story to my tastes and maybe give it actual life one day so here goes

It’s a story about a world where those who can use magic have the powers of gods, but like mortals they wage war against each other for petty, foolish reasons. Their final battle leaves only a scorched desert, with huge rocks of pure power standing in the black sand and barely recognisable ruins. Their magic is remembered by the earth, in pure white ores that are mined for their power and sold for a fortune. The biggest ore, found not long after the war of the mages, is broken into a number of pieces that are kept as talismans of peace by the people of each mage-god. Time passes and the battle turns into the kind of stories old crones tell around the fireplace when the little ones refuse to go to bed, so that they’ll hide under their covers.

The real story (although if I feel like writing an epic I could do it about this war) starts when Tosca, a teen from a community of farmers, is awakened by a spirit linked to a mage-goddess, who cries out in fear as a woman is starting her way into the desert, towards the biggest magic ore that was the heart of the fight of the magic users millenia ago. I first wanted Tosca to be awakened by like the goddess herself but the idea I have for the spirit is actually someone snobbish and moody, so maybe something like a ghost of what the mage was before she came into full power you know ? Also Tosca’s gonna be aroace and the more I’m thinking about it, the more I feel like it would be interesting if her people had a different relationship with gender from the Western one, so I will do some research on who I could base them on. Anyways ! Tosca gets awakened like that because her family guards one of the talismans, it’s in the hilt of a bigass sword, think Monado. 

She’s not the only one ! There’s Jon (short for Jonathan) who stole a bow from some rich dude. When I was a kid I had the classic thief son of a whore backstory in mind but you know what scratch that I’m not gonna let myself be influenced by the Krondor chronicles any more than necessary so I’m deciding that Jon is a funny but annoying kid who’s bored at whatever job he’s an apprentice for and who noticed he was really good at pickpocketing people before getting caught by some scary dudes who are now blackmailing him to do dangerous shit like steal a magical fucking bow from a rich man’s house. 

In the same city we have Mederick who is crown prince and I used to think he would also have a sword but that’s boring and repetitive, let’s say it’s in his circlet on his head. He’s a very soft kind but extremely clever dude who kinds of does not want to be king but also wants to do a good job, and as always in those characters because it’s more interesting, he’s not exactly aware of how hard some of his subjects have it.

Then we have Ayla, who I used to think was an elf but I think it’s more interesting if there’s no human/elf/dwarf trifecta and they’re all humans, just adapted to their environment and the type of magic they used to be dealing with back in the millenia dead days. She is to be the next guardian of her people’s talisman as her the youngest daughter of the queen and honestly you thought her position was very similar to Brea in Dark Crystal ? Well her mood is also very similar, Jim Henson copied me ok ? Anyways, her mom’s all like “bro it’s nothing stay put and do your job” but she has noticed her talisman, powering a magic staff (because I originally thought her as an elf, please stay focused) is doing weird shit so of course she’s running away in the middle of the night, after dramatically cutting her pride and the sign of nobility of her family i.e. her hair. Her and Jon will definitely fall for each other because I watched Wakfu as a kid and despite all its flaw I enjoyed Pinpin x Evangelyne, fuck off.

AND FINALLY we have Ori who is the youngest of the group who comes from the same place as the dangerous woman who’s trying to become a new mage-god in the desert and who could cut your throat. She’s also the living embodiment of “I’m eleven so shut the fuck up” and feels like she does not belong and she’s gonna have a brother-sister bond with Mederick because once again, big soft quiet guy with small ball of fury and murder ? that’s hilarious and heartwarming. I’m thinking that maybe she’s a baby lesbian. Not sure yet.

SO. Tosca and Ayla are both going to make their way for the capital where they’ll meet the two guys and gather intel and go to the forest where Ori lives to gather even more intel. I also think I wanted to put in something about a coup from the regent while Mederick was away which would be fun and interesting imo ? gotta think about it more.

So that’s where I’m at rn (well not exactly I still remember vaguely where I wanted each of them to be situated) ! I want to do more research to see on which culture I could base everyone and get more plot points but. I tweaked just a few things and I’m already much more satisfied with this story, wild.