This page conserves the character fiction forum of the Agora forums. The posts have been left unformatted to make it easier for users to copy them here and paste them into the new forums.

Oren Itanooren12/10/08 18:25View
Missy12/10/08 22:22View
The backstory of Vulpes.Vulpes12/11/08 01:46View
Erica KesselErica Kessel12/11/08 07:52View
Missy's Story.. a Do-over and another ChapterMissy12/11/08 22:38View
UsrBinPerl12/11/08 23:48View
oren12/11/08 23:57View
Kwekwe's BackstoryKwekwe Karu12/12/08 01:02View
UsrBinPerl12/13/08 00:35View
Eternal SunsetMissy12/13/08 12:19View
Kit Ristow12/14/08 00:01View
ShyMathys12/14/08 00:27View
MasksAlissa12/14/08 00:58View
Lorae12/14/08 01:24View
UsrBinPerl12/14/08 22:07View
Missy's Story Continued..Part 3Missy12/16/08 08:43View
Missy's Story Part 4: Innocence ShatteredMissy12/16/08 18:34View
Missy's Story Part 5: Innocence AnnihilatedMissy12/18/08 17:16View
Small DangersVox12/18/08 21:36View
Saint of The Abyss: Part 1Luciferiel12/19/08 05:21View
Zero....-1Justa Zero12/19/08 17:38View
Zero....1Justa Zero12/19/08 18:26View
Óðr’s Daughter. Chapter I: A Guiding DreamAsil Karu12/20/08 02:39View
Omega To Alphaerinnic12/23/08 16:49View
Her Bloody Tears [-Past Event-]Methias12/23/08 18:09View
Lost Kitsune - A Shattered MindKiera12/25/08 18:51View
Usr's story Part IVUsrBinPerl12/27/08 20:34View
The EssexHeir Maelstrom12/29/08 04:23View
Kwekwe's shameKwekwe Karu12/30/08 18:11View
Joint Round Robin Fic Anyone...?erinnic12/30/08 19:07View
God Was On Her Lips As She Diederinnic01/02/09 23:31View
Love and Betrayal - A New Beginningkessjuliesse01/03/09 13:46View
The Diary of Cody Woodhencodywoodhen01/05/09 21:35View
Missy's Story Part 6: Innocence AbductedMissy01/07/09 06:23View
Cursed BladeYannis_Martynov01/08/09 21:27View
Story Thread: Community Round Robin Ficerinnic01/09/09 23:25View
The demon withinCanly Fargis01/11/09 16:14View
Ziau- CoLA's Very Own CasanovaZiau01/13/09 02:09View
Twisted Attentionserinnic01/21/09 20:34View
Inspiration- music and roleplayZiau01/26/09 08:01View
Compilation! Where were you when it all happened?Ziau01/28/09 09:12View
The Clock Struck MidnightMalice Ashdene01/28/09 22:31View
With Precision- a poem by Kelly Welch A.k.A Ziau Jua.Ziau01/29/09 04:36View
Alisa's dicovery of a new world (character sheet + story)Alisa Draconia01/30/09 19:17View
The Shadow Stepper- Ziau the Enshadowed.Ziau02/01/09 07:26View
Krista Lemon arrives to the streets of Lost AngelsKrista02/03/09 00:09View
Back Story Upto the Excile of Rune.RuneCrimson02/03/09 21:59View
War with the Brood, war with the Coven, and the Pack.Ziau02/07/09 04:11View
-- Halcyon's Backstory --Halcyon Nacht02/08/09 00:22View
Planer/Exonar family (aka, Erinyse, Khalan, Viridian, Cummere, Selena)Cummere Mayo02/08/09 03:53View
Kit's BackstoryKit Ristow02/10/09 18:40View
Eyes in the DarkKeyla02/11/09 09:47View
Surfacing Part ILlyr02/13/09 22:21View
Surfacing Part IILlyr02/13/09 22:35View
Tama-Chan: A Cat's Story (Tamara's background)Tamara02/17/09 07:35View
Project: A map of Post Apocalypse North AmericaTamara02/17/09 19:21View
Dreamtime RevelationsWinter02/19/09 18:08View
Reaver-the echo of the BlackwindAntiZero02/23/09 00:43View
On the Origin of SpeciesTamara02/25/09 22:38View
ConfessionKit Ristow02/26/09 01:39View
Personnel File: Pointe, Zsuzsanna C. (Inactive, Deceased)Su Pointe02/26/09 03:32View
Malice, in a Different Kind of WonderlandMalice Ashdene02/27/09 18:07View
The Dark of InspirationKit Ristow03/01/09 21:42View
Jheric: CrucifiedKayle Ashdene03/03/09 10:53View
It's my lifearsene_Braveheart03/05/09 18:18View
The Tradgedy of the HybridDigital Enigma03/29/09 07:09View
The Sin of Wrathmolly switchblade04/02/09 21:28View
Golden BoyEphran Ehrler04/15/09 06:12View
Story About A GirlAesendria04/24/09 15:34View
Climaxe by Smith and WessonSloan04/28/09 06:19View
My new project ATTENTION Russian Characters!Ziau05/01/09 06:42View
**NSFW** A Typical Tuesday Night for MissyMissy05/06/09 20:48View
Post your profile links!Cortero Landar05/07/09 10:25View
Making Logan SufferAesendria05/12/09 07:09View
Jeanne VarunJeanne Varun05/14/09 08:24View
The Vanguard's True PurposeLogan05/16/09 01:03View
Cortero's Infernal ArmorCortero Landar05/16/09 06:52View
Bookstore SurpriseAesendria05/16/09 23:16View
Post your profile links if you have in-story info in them!Cortero Landar05/18/09 10:33View
PromisesAesendria05/24/09 02:44View
Cyber Evolution Bios, Anur Seda, Cyber Reaper, and Commander of CETheassassin06/08/09 11:28View
Was any of it real?Youko_Giha06/12/09 15:28View
A shift in prioritiesLogan06/17/09 04:21View
Going homeLudvig06/17/09 19:10View
'Ren in Japanoren06/18/09 23:11View
Thelma across the boardThelemaJuliesse06/26/09 15:09View
Pre-fiction: How Kayteear got here.Kayteear07/15/09 16:43View
Story TimeCharissa07/17/09 19:03View
Pack Airship RP.Tai07/27/09 02:49View
My CharacterLilith1308/05/09 22:34View
LilithLilith1308/06/09 09:30View
The Haunter in the DarkShadow08/14/09 21:50View
The Flying HeadsKwekwe Karu08/16/09 16:52View
Why selling coffins is impossible in CoLAZiau08/23/09 04:14View
Paint it red!Ziau08/23/09 07:51View
Young Cowards.Ziau08/23/09 08:28View
Great video for RPers and people passionate about writing.Ziau09/05/09 08:55View
Dux - 264 BCDux09/10/09 18:41View
The Thing at South Gate SanitariumShadow09/15/09 22:09View
♪♫ Do you wanna RP my avatar ♪♫Kayteear09/17/09 14:45View
Jessica's MotherJessica Susser09/21/09 04:19View
Ziau Challenged me to. NSFWChasityDawes09/21/09 07:17View
The Divine Machine.................Theassassin09/21/09 22:29View
I Bleed my Blood for Myself.Ziau09/22/09 22:28View
Cronicle of a deathKayteear09/24/09 01:34View
"Please Allow Me to Introduce Myself"DavidJoshua Artful09/26/09 17:07View
Old Versus NewDigital Enigma09/27/09 20:28View
The Shadowed Order, The Eternal Order, Ordo MachinaTheassassin10/06/09 06:55View
Elamyrath's HistoryElamyrath10/10/09 00:52View
The here, the now, the dead. The Minus.TheMinus Ziskey10/10/09 12:41View
Before bed ritual.Amy Guisse10/17/09 04:13View
Alone?Ike10/18/09 15:34View
IS this High School again?Theassassin10/24/09 12:49View
Sidhe vs DrowOrlok Lectar10/29/09 04:08View
Daddy bluesarsene_Braveheart11/17/09 19:01View
Chronicles of SIEagentlyseria11/22/09 12:27View
The Lady In Black(A Drokan Exile Twisted Love Story)AntiZero11/29/09 06:36View
The growing Darkness.Leirain Koray12/01/09 11:04View
The lycanKayteear12/01/09 16:00View
City of Lost Jackman: The Untold Hollywood BlockbusterAntiZero12/02/09 07:11View
Coming home for christmas ..Kes12/10/09 22:17View
Bunneh Vs. Lich, DBZ styleKarsha Yutani12/14/09 11:59View
A FarewellRoland12/16/09 20:50View
Of Death and RebirthDigital Enigma12/21/09 20:14View
The Story of ReocoReoko Farspire02/06/10 20:47View
Homecoming......... The Story of Orpheus DarkfoldOrpheusDarkfold03/11/10 02:27View
The Story of Orpheus Part 2OrpheusDarkfold03/13/10 23:15View
Who owns who?Kayteear03/22/10 22:03View
Missing the Oceanricercar03/23/10 22:27View
Letter to the editor: Manners in LATink03/25/10 16:58View
Chasity BackstoryChasityDawes06/14/10 19:43View
Something Black and Violent...DavidJoshua Artful06/19/10 22:23View
Doctor Visiterinnic07/12/10 04:26View
Gabby Perdidevacantghost07/19/10 04:42View
PosterMessageDate
RolandIt's barely a block from the bar to the cemetery, and the old man makes the trip with time to spare. He'd left earlier than he needed to, banishing the idea of saying goodbye to a last few friends around the city. It wasn't necessary. He's still handsome, even now. Age has been kind to him, gifting him with salt-and-pepper locks and scruff, a face crossed by the kind of lines that add dignity rather than comedy, and his muscles still strain beneath his skin, taught and hard as knotted rope. Only his faded blue eyes are truly old. He turns his heavy gaze from side to side, watching the street around him. No one would attack him tonight, of that he was sure, but old habits die hard. And the city is a dangerous place.

The graveyard is empty, save for a smattering of stone angels, their features worn smooth by the wind and the harsh rain. A lone tree twists its way up beside the wall of the accompanying church. Its branches spread against the stones, seeking purchase in the cracks of the masonry and the bullet holes, trying as best they can to hold the creaking thing up like an old man trying to clamber his way up to heaven. It is to this tree that the man walks. His stride is slow and relaxed, more of a rolling, loping stroll than a walk. Hands hooked into the crossed belt around his waist, head tilted slightly downwards, he harkens most closely to a drunken jazz-man. Beaten but never beaten. Lost but never lost. When he reaches the tree, he places his back to it, shifting to adjust for the great-sword and its scabbard, and slides down slowly to a crouch, sitting on his heels. A gnarled hand reaches into his jacket and returns with a bottle of amber liquid. This he sets down on the earth with almost reverential care, and he waits.

It isn't long before another figure rounds the corner of the graveyard wall. This man is young, far younger than the other, though he's very nearly as tall. Auburn waves twist and turn haphazardly on his scalp, falling into his eyes and covering most of his ears. A glint of metal can be seen in the bottom of his left ear as he turns and the piercings catch the moonlight. Thick framed black glasses give him a slight intellectual feel, despite the ear-rings and scruffy beard framing his face. The cardboard box in his arms is large, but its contents are light and the young man seems to have no trouble carrying it towards the tree. The shovels beneath the box, however, are another story. He balances them as best he can without knocking the blades against any gravestones. The pen he's chewing on switches back and forth, side to side across his lips as he hums some obscure tune to the night.

When the young man reaches the foot of the tree, he stops and the older man stands up, grinning.

“'Lo, Rol. How are ya?”

Despite the pen, his voice is clear. The faintest hint of an Irish brogue gives his words a light and flowing feel, and he nods to the box, holding it towards the one he had called Rol. Roland takes the cardboard box from the younger man and chuckles, “'M fine, lad. This th' best y'could come up wi' fer transport?”

The young man shrugs, grinning now himself, “If you're gonna complain about it, I can jus' cancel th' whole thing, ya know?”

Roland shakes his head and sets the box carefully on the ground as the younger man sets the shovels against the wall. Without another word, each man takes a spade and begins to dig. The earth is soft and gives way to their shovels without much effort, and before long a shallow grave lays before them. They both set their shovels back against the wall and turn their attention to the box. A glint of metal appears in the young man's hand, and with a quick slash, the box is opened.

Its contents are odd to say the least. A small collection of knick-knacks greets the two men as they both stare into the cardboard container, mixed emotions playing across each of their faces. It's painfully obvious that each item in the box carries almost a sacred feel for the two, but it's the young man that reaches into the box first, lifting his choices out as carefully as though he were lifting a newborn infant. He carries the pipe in one hand, the eyepatch in the other, and he turns back to the small grave beside him. He twists the strings of the eye-patch tightly around the pipe, entangling them in knots and psychotic loops, then lays both items carefully into the earth. He returns to the box and performs similar ceremonies for each item, lifting each carefully and placing them reverentially in place within the grave. Following the patch and pipe are a single horn, curved and shining, metallic black, a stuffed parrot that looks as though it had been used as a club on more than one occasion, a sand-colored cloak, a medic's satchel, still bulging with medicine and gauze, and, finally, an armful of maps and a large golden compass, its glass cracked and needle now pointing crazily in whatever direction it fancied. With this done, the young man steps back away from the grave and looks expectantly to Roland.

The older man moves slowly to the grave and looks down at the items within, his face is a mix of sadness, and anger, and joy, and almost a kind of longing. With measured, careful movements, he undoes the belt from his waist. The two revolvers hanging from it, one black, one white, are old and worn and heavy. It's almost a relief to set them down inside the grave.

In silence, the two begin to fill the hole they had dug, covering the items in a layer of dirt and grass, and rocks and bone. Roland then pulls the sword from his back and with one, quick movement stabs it straight down into the earth at the head of the grave, the blade sinking down and down and down, until nearly all four feet of the gleaming metal are beneath the earth.

The two men sit, and Roland opens the bottle he had set aside earlier. Each takes a drink, and then they begin to talk. They talk of adventure and sacrifice, love and hate, death and rebirth. They each recount tales of their comrades' glory and honor and strength and joy. They speak of bars and booze, women and their wiles. Of hell, and heaven, and the find line that divides the two. For hours, they talk.

When the sun rises, the young man is alone in the graveyard. His back propped against the tree, the bottle empty beside him. Roland is gone, vanished as though he never existed. In his place, a single white feather rests, ruby specks flung across its otherwise flawless surface. The young man smiles and picks it up. He takes the bottle, and takes the two shovels, and takes the cardboard box, and sticks the feather in a pocket inside his coat, and then walks away. As he walks, he sings softly to himself.

“And in the fury of this darkest hour

We will be your light

You've asked me for my sacrifice

And I am Winter Born

Without denying, a faith is come

That I have never known

I hear the angels call my name

And I am Winter Born.”

Adios Guil. Adios Rose. Adios Red. Adios Myth. Adios Isaac. Adios Grinn.
Abayo, Rol.
See ya, folks. No worries. Slainte!
-Evan
12/16/09 20:50
Sally HowardThe white haired woman laid her rag down to watch the old man make his way out of the bar. It had been a long time, she doubted he even remembered hiring her.

She remembered, she'd really needed a job then, any job. She'd worked mostly for food in those days, tending, sweeping, stripping, whatever.

Times were better now, and she rarely worked anymore, but she was really glad she'd came in tonight.

"Safe travels" she whispered, then bent down to look under the counter for a semi clean glass to serve the next customer making his way up to the bar.
12/16/09 21:37
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