In Dire Straits

The people wasted in boredom, ambition festering in their flesh, each waiting to seize their own moment; the Magus would provide. The great wolf woke early and strode through dewey grass, foliage scraping and soaking his fur as he travelled in the direction of Ash Meadow. The beast found a thick log leaning against another and he leapt to take his place where he would reside above all his people. The Magus’ call was a deep rough howl with a cold echo that bounced against the plethora of twisted trunks, of mossy stone, and crystal lakes:

‘Come now, denizens, and take your place in the Kingdom of Alteron.

The Magus waited for them. He would only call them once. He said nothing as they filtered in, one by one. He did not even particularly care for their names, though they may offer them. He did not need to give his. They knew him. They would know the Magus. Soon he would take them up in his grasps to shuffle and place them like cards; give them ranks, things to do, jobs to do. Their potential wouldn’t be left to rot away in the shadows of Alteron.

Hello, Alteronies!

This is a mass ranking thread. This thread is for people who want the Acolyte, Page, and Jack rank. If you are interested in becoming a Sword please send me a PM so I can get a running tally--the Sword rank will only be available through private RP as of right now. If you are eyeing a rank on The Small Council and are still in the Denizen rank you should participate in this thread. If not, don’t worry about it, there will be future opportunities to be ranked and there will be chances to switch ranks if you find the one you are in is ill-suited!

-> This thread is not mandatory! Unless you want a rank! Then you should really post here.
-> This thread is rapid fire style; post out of order and post as many (or few) times as you want, the only hard rule is to not post the same character twice in a row.
-> Feel free to interact with each other and be off-topic, I don’t mind.
-> If you have a rank preference please specifiy somewhere in your post.
-> This thread takes place before the trip to Inaria.
-> If you have any questions, hit me up.

ooc: he wants to be an acolyte

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#d17d00

This was the part he was dreading, as that lone howl of summons covered the land like a ghostly wail. Set had done his best to stay outside of any lingering gazes for fear of what they'd might see this little wretch as. Death was a horrifying thought of finality that the jackal mix was not ready for. But the day he showed upon upon Alteron's border's the Red Woman regarded him a cutting voice and an offer he simply couldn't refuse.

He was weak, unable to fend for himself for too much longer out in the wilds beyond Alteron's own. She saw that very easily, many saw that. We extend this sanctuary to you, but you WILL pay us back, in time.

On shaky legs he entered this gathering, head so low it could have been dragging upon the ground, though with a quick gaze upward he was met by an imposing figure and force. The Magus. A being that gave little for those that would flock around him, a being far beyond the comprehension of Set, himself. He stood ethereal and above the rest, and the lad couldn't help, but think of his father, a God.

Fear of significance that long since taken root in his shivering body would rear it's head today, he could feel it each time his heart gave a weak thump. The ringing in his ears was like a cacophonous roar. The pale canine had never once considered his potential in the grand scheme of things, Osiris had always deemed him unworthy of everything, even life. However, his mother, Isis, thought differently. She had taken the boy under her knowledgeable wing, when Osiris had disowned him, teaching him in the healing arts and herbology. Perhaps he could put those teachings to use now.

ooc: Edie would like to be a Jack plz

Although it had seemed yesterday that she had attended Herald recruitment within the old kingdom, Edie had now began to make her first desperate attempts as securing adulthood. Appearance-wise, this was coming on quite nicely. She was lithe and graceful, very much like her mother and her timber ancestry. The only issue was that her boundless energy and her desire to please had to be placed somewhere. As she strolled through the forest, she could feel the pressure of adulthood bearing down on her as much as the hotness of the day. Or perhaps it was just adulthood placing its fucking huge ass on her shoulders. This would not do. She needed a rank, a job. Something to talk about with Mummy and Daddy whenever she bumped into either one of them - they were rarely seen together now that she and her siblings had been filed under 'not our problem' - and to prove she would do their name proud.

‘Come now, denizens, and take your place in the Kingdom of Alteron.'

So, she came. Casting a glance at the Magus, the dire hybrid considered him with interest. Naturally, she had never seen him before but, in Alteron, that came with the territory. Leadership had shuffled around so much that the random stranger you bumped into a few months back could now be within the high council or in a position of leadership. While it did not cause her any discomfort, it did make Edie wonder just where the hell she fit into this dense, complicated kingdom. If it was even a kingdom anymore. She remembered how her father would sometimes talk of the old regime. Not fondly - that would not do - but he appeared to be nostalgic about it all. As old wolves are when they realise they are old with a mate and children. Edie liked the idea of this old regime but only because of trivial matters. She quite liked the sound of any kingdom that had Princess as a legit rank.

Alas not now.

"Greetings," she would mutter, nodding her head in the direction of the black and white figure, red tail a stark contrast to the greens that surrounded them. "I'm Edie."

Remember that name. I'll be famous one day, the tone said.

She would then take a seat... far away from the strange, long-eared weirdo that had shown up before her. His fur was a nice enough colour but Edie could only think about how hard it would be to keep such a coat clean. As for the human trinkets, well, she could only think of a dog being paraded about by its human master. The most un-wolf-like thing you could ever imagine.

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ooc: just observing as needed.

Time moved differently here. Jude was beginning to suspect that the low-hanging branches and their damp, warm death had seeped into the fabric of the forest itself, slowing its forward march to each inevitable sunset – but when he wasn’t feeling particularly philosophical about the whole thing, the fox rather thought he was bored. Bored enough that his afternoons dragged and his evenings no longer held the spark that they used to; bored enough that, when summoned by the wolf he’d come close to swearing as his master, he uncurled himself from his den beneath the log with more haste than he might have otherwise.

Did he need to attend? Probably not. The ranks of wolves were often not meant for him, inasmuch as he would never be a fighter, a healer, or a guard of any sort – but Falco’s attendance meant the Magus would cast a shadow for him to stand in, and Jude was nothing if not serious about his place. Or at least the appearance of his place. The two were, in some respects, the same. Jude approached not long after two others, and he regarded each of them in turn with an assessing flicker of his bright grey eyes; the first, a lean and worried creature, small but still much larger than he – and the second, more commanding, nearly defiant. Jude stepped close to Falco without encroaching, and turned to glance at the large dire with an appropriate amount of deference, his ears tipped back and his head dropped low.

He was not a sniveling beast, but he did know how to survive. He would observe while Falco commanded, and he would remember the things the Magus might miss; the rest of the work was on the wolves.

Connor's just here to see if any new Pages show up

Connor padded into the area with the faintest of interested looks. He had no need to ask anything of Falco, and so he stopped a little away from the group gathering. Sitting with his tail tucked neatly over his back paws Connor settled to watch what was happening in front of him.

As much as he probably didn't need to be here curiosity drove the scarred wolf forward. So far he had met only a few of his fellow Pages. It would be helpful to know exactly who was sharing his rank. Perhaps they could put together some sort of checklist to make the acceptance process more efficient. It would be good to have clear cut rules in place. His meeting with Francesca had not exactly been all business.

Connor had no doubts Falco place those best suited to a job in the correct rank. The shakey golden dog was clearly in no state to be defending their territory, but the dark wolf or the fox... that was not nearly so clear cut. Even with Edie's attitude. Such things could be corrected after all. Even the golden one could be put to work once he had a few good meals in his belly.

Keeping a close eye on the proceedings Connor flicked his ears toward their Magnus, waiting for whatever his orders were.

The current turnout was small, but it mattered not to the Magus; it was the citizens own choice to fester in uselessness. Eventually they would all come to him, looking for purpose or looking for death. His sharp gaze addressed them one at a time, focusing on the unfamiliar faces more than the other two; Falco had plans for his pet fox and Connor was a good dog too eager to please by being here. His eyes landed on the tiny pale-gold dog as he curled submissively underfoot.

Never fear, child, Alteron has a place for you too.

"What is your name?" Falco asked the little beast. "You. You're not fit to be on our borders or handling diplomacy or spywork, not until you've gotten a feel for yourself and your teeth. There is always time for improvement." Unless he died. "What are your skills? Give me aid in placing you, boy."

The young shadowy she-wolf was addressed separately: Edie, she called herself. Old blood from old Alteron. He thought he had seen her gold-flecked coat before, but did not dig his memories to know the truth; she at least had an air of confidence, but who was to say she was skilled. Harder to pin down where he should put her. She had potential, that much the Magus was certain of.

"How polite, Edie. Hmm, where shall I place you? If you've a knack for thankless work and the boldness to use your fangs, perhaps you belong on the borders, but if you can use your humble tongue to the advantage of Alteron perhaps you belong among the Jacks?" Give the Magus your thoughts, young Edie, don't be shy.

Jude watched from the shadows and Falco did not draw attention to him, an indication that all of the other wolves should do the same; they were here on business, they could play with the fox later. Connor stood wide-eyed, watching everything, and Falco's gaze finally settled on the odd wolf. He had no idea what Connor thought of him. The wolf gave little indication of his personal feelings but certainly it hadn't always been that way.

"Connor, how kind of you to join us. Is it time for you to aim higher or are you here to offer your opinions? You've caught me on a fine morning. I'm willing to hear either."

Falco

Corvo

Set

Eidith (RP)

Jude

Connor

Falco