Ceres Aers, a spirit of Mother Nature

[xXCrystal_Rose]

Ceres was a pretty old character. I wasn't satisfied with my passive role in Sanctuary and wanted to create a more proactive character who was action oriented and led by example.

This character was created on Saturday, August 10th, 2013 at 01:28:12 AM.
Since creation, this character has logged on and off 711 times.
The character has spent 34 days, 22 hours, 59 minutes, and 59 seconds online.




She started off as a Sister of the Earth, generic priestess of Jannath. From the Moonshae Isles she was a Northlander born and raised by a fishing family with distant raider ties from other clansmen, and at the age of 12 she was married off to the Ffolk to bridge the peace between the warrior Nothlanders and druidic Ffolk. She incorporated this act of forgiveness and understanding of the Ffolk in her beliefs and used it to help teach others to be nice to eachother and imagine something greater than themselves. Words can't describe the beauty of the few public sermons she gave- if you missed it you really missed out, and the transcripts do it no justice.




Helping the poor, simple folk of Starag's Rest was always important to her. Meeting with Ma Murik personally she began weekly donations. Poor can't be trusted with gold, but they deserve to eat well once a week and have a pleasurable feast to raise their spirits in such dark times. Even long after her exile she would smuggle food and medicines in.




Her own self imposed exile came long before deceived Watchers made it a law though. The place that Samantha Oldbeams nurtured so lovingly in the past became Ceres' new home and would fuel her ambitions and develop lots of truly amazing roleplay with so many different people and groups.



Even when they were fighting against eachother.



When the Moldmire was recently uncovered the Circle of Life was grown. It was a place of safety and spiritualism that many would come to enjoy and use in their own rp. Only the screenshot of its planting is available though. This helped, I hope, set the mood and ambiance for this eerie and alien place.



Many interesting friends were met in the hidden caves of the Underdark!




Many small events would lead up to personality changes and a different view of 'sentient' mammals, and when the Circle of Life was perverted and destroyed and Sanctuary forces opened the prison of the aberrant Tulathek things changed. Oh boy did things change... Ceres found stability in her fear and anger though and put it to positive use. Jannath guided her into the second chapter of her life and showed her how she would grow. She would have to embody the aggressive aspects of nature and grow thorns to protect her heart in order to shield the goodness of the world. She would become the Maven of Thorns.



But to battle the enemy of fey and nature you had to better understand it, and you had to prove to the very spirits of nature that you had enough dedication for the job. Mother Nature, Jannath, brought new friends to the cause.



432nd Airborn Pixie Division ready for launch! Fey summons were a blast, especially the 5th circle. I really loved using a different name and personality for each one of them and the various ways they could make people feel scared or uncomfortable.



The fight against Tulathek was one sided for a long time. For every small victory there was a casualty to push against it. He was masquerading as fey and had almost everyone convinced in that lie, and for the longest time deception and despair were the most powerful weapons of all. Terror at its finest.



The horrible plague that would destroy the myconid of the forest was the worst. The parent was cured through all efforts, but it was too late, and the plague spread to the young one, and there was nothing that could be done but to contain it and let it die...



But from all deaths there is new life, and the innocent will not be made to suffer under Jannath's watch. The faith would spread into the myconid population with miracles witnessed and they would feel more comfortable knowing they have such a protector and friend. The poor baby myconid got another chance at life, and the plague stopped.





It was very heated battle from then on, and Tulathek had an EXTREMELY pissed off Ceres on his hands. Things got very violent, and surprisingly, the NG woman became the most willing person to bring death and destruction to others. She would even take on the aspect of Fire for a day, horribly scarring and mutilating her own body in self inflicted ritual suffering for the pain that she would then have to inflict on others. I wrote about that and think I managed to cut out all the spoiler knowledge.

It wasn't just a one sided battle anymore. War came to Tulathek now, and despite his laughter he learned what it felt like to be hurt.








Old memories would come back, too. Bjorl became the monster he desired, but his fate was more twisted and grotesque than he could have imagined. Adjeda returned as well, as a withered maggot infested mockery of the sphinxes of her homeland.









War would end, and sadly I was in such a panic that I did not notice my screenshots folder was full by this time, so did not get the nice shots of the elders together or the very ending of the Great Enemy. This would begin a cycle of Regrowth, the peacefulness that Ceres always loved. The Circle of Life would be regrown again, a ring of mushrooms of great significance, though it would be closer to home. She was not needed as the Maven of Thorns anymore. This would allow the third chapter of Ceres to begin as a spirit of nature, and it is also where her tale ends. For now.


Thank you everybody for the great time. I hope I managed to enrich the server for many of you. And Fitz who was there at the very end with Chaathi. I cried writing it all out, the ending was just so beautiful, and she really helped make it perfect.






A little snippet with text, to give an idea.










Not such a weak struggling tree anymore *winks*











Now for a bit of randomness! Did you know that Ceres was a master of disguise? Sure she was able to stealth well despite no ranks in stealth skills, but she was able to REALLY hide, too. It was great hiding in zurkhwood, closing her eyes, and then emoting them opening and the glow appearing when people walked past without even seeing her.







I wanted to make a calendar called Kitties of the Underdark, but I only got three pictures for it.







She met many bad bad monsters. Then killed them. All of them. Especially when she should have been running away- nope. Abominations must DIE! The Lowerdark became her bitch and she would smack that filthy whore around every day making sure the Further Reaches became the no-mans-land that it now is.














Ceres was never alone though. She always had lots of friends. Most of her friends were of the burrow-thorns-into-flesh-and-vine-tentacle-rape-your-corpse-while-feasting-on-your-blood variety. She never felt comfortable around large groups of mammals.






Look at the size of that lizard! It just wanted a snack and some lovings though.






See this big thing below? That is a Briarvex. This is why your chat box is flooded with script errors about manticore spikes. Ceres loved her briarvexes. A bit too much... which made for some really fun disturbing emotes involving the word 'tentacle'. These three were what she considered a light scouting force and would take with her if she didn't know what was ahead. Lol... no better kill than overkill, right?



Naturefriends had lots of fun gatherings though. Mostly pleasant, too! Some of them were very touching and emotional.





Some of her best friends were fuzzy though. "Hello mister rothe! *waves*"   or "Oh look at that darling red mushroom! *Runs over and gives it a hug, unnoticing of the cloud of spores* Aren't you a beauty? Oh yes you are!"





Despite how rude they were Ceres had very, very frequent encounters with Svirfneblin. Sometimes she'd be saving their asses, other times they were doing well and joined forces. Here they are standing guard in the Further Reaches keeping a watchful eye out for aberrants- but who is watching who?






Totally bragging here, too. This aint that wimpy baby behemoth spider that's already had the shit beat out of it in the quest. It is a really, really, really-really-really bad idea to fight a fully grown normal behemoth spider on your own. Trust me. Try it anyway!





For all the terrible things in the underdark, however, there are also beautiful things. You just have to find it.










Well that's it folks. Good luck to the rest of you treehuggers. There is a lot for you to do, truly. Don't wait for a DM, just go out and do stuff! I'd totally suggest the Shroomstalk Forest to anyone with an interest in fey rp or some of the more wild and untamed aspects of nature. It's time for new keepers to tend the shrooms.

[xXCrystal_Rose]

Here is the story I promised. It actually wasn't for any story contest. I just like writing stuff and find writing stories helps me keep in the mindset of the character I am playing. I really do a lot of solo rp and there is a great deal of reason behind all of my characters actions. Something some might see as simple as her wearing a red robe and being very serious during an event has a lot more meaning behind it... Hope I managed to create some fun for everyone and advance your own characters stories.






The  warm winds of temperate jungle night brushed across Ceres' skin as  she  traveled amongst the trees and thick undergrowth. Few animals were  still  awake except for the night cats, but they all shied away. Light  shone  through the leafy canopy in thin streaks like silver spears  lancing into  the ground below. It was a scene that on any other night  would have  been peaceful, but this night the air was thick with tension  and  activity. Drums and a roaring fire crackled in the distance,  though too  far away to cast shadows. Sounds of magic and strange scents  and  chantings echoed from the trees. Unseen people scurried in the  dark  performing small tasks. Ceres was no different.

Moving through  the thick verdancy she approached a stone ring coated in  fresh blood.  The morbid site was not one she usually enjoyed but there  was a  compulsion that drew her like a fish on a hook. Shrugging the  bloated  pack she carried off of a shoulder she let it slump to the  ground with a  heavy thud. A cloud of spores filled the air immediately  with an eye  watering burn. The overstuffed contents were enough to  destroy a town or  small city if allowed full use and the rough handling  may have been  reckless, but Ceres did not care. There was something  that had to be  done and it had to be done now before sleeping. Before  the sun rose.

Entering  to the center of the stone ring the long haired druidic  Northlander  took to her knees and placed a shining golden chalice to  the grass.  Immediately the cup overflowed with pure, delicious natural  sunlight.  Reflecting from the golden chalice it radiated like a small  sun itself  and cast light throughout the ring flinging shadows deeper  into the  forest escaping from the sphere of light. Sunlight... it was a  thing  that so many people have not seen for what felt like ages. The  thought  brought a heavy sadness to her heart that the simple pleasure  of  sunlight couldn't be given to everyone. Leaning forward Ceres  pressed  her forehead to the ground and planted a soft kiss to the  earth,  speaking in reverent tones to the soil.

"Mother  Nature, you know already what I  will do, and what I will say, but words  I will put to what stirs in my  heart to give myself courage. He has  seen into my mind when I was of  the earth, and then you shielded me, and  from the earth you chose for  me to grow as a plant with thorns. He has  felt those thorns and seen  the seriousness of your wrath, and the barbs  have dug into his soles  and slowed him. When the sun rises he will face a  new enemy, and for  that one day I will be a woman alien to the one  whose mind he once  knew, whose blood he once tasted, and I will teach  him what it feels  like to suffer."

Her voice was shaky  and full of emotion and love, and fear, for soon  she would have to  swallow that love and keep it in a bottle. Every  blade of grass, every  gentle breeze, sweet fruit, furred animal. Every  lizard that slept on a  leaf and every bird in their nest, every worm in  the earth and rock on  the ground- all of it was Jannath in physical  form. To hold such a love  and worship for nature and know what was  going to come put a lump in her  throat. Looking down upon herself Ceres  gazed over the bluecap fibers  bathed in sunlight. The fibers seemed  uncomfortable in the light but  tolerant. For so very long they had been  a living part of her that it  was as if it were a very aspect of her  own body, and it well enough was.  With a deep steadying breath Ceres'  fingers curled around the top  portion of the fibers and with tears  streaking down her cheeks she  pulled.

The pain of removing the mushroom fibers was incredible.  Her cry of  agony pierced through the forest. As the fibers were removed  hair-thin  white tendrils like a small fuzz were visible on the inside,  much more  sensitive to the sunlight after being detached. They squirmed  but were  protected well enough with a coat of blood. These thin sharp  roots had  over many months grown into Ceres slowly becoming a living  feature of  her body. Removed, they tore at the skin they had grown into.  With a  deep breath Ceres braced herself for the next inch that had to  be  removed, and with another cry of pain she slowly pried it of. The   slowness made it even more painful but her prime concern above all was   for the mushroom fibers integrity. Blood began to trickle down the front   of her body and drip into the soil amidst the ring of stones.

The  suffering was incredible. The pain was so physical. It was a trial  that  she had to endure with determination. She had to take the  suffering of  the whole world upon her physical form and endure it like  Jannath has  had to. Just because she was a servant of nature did not  mean she was  any better than the insects or weeds that inhabited it. If they were  to suffer she had to suffer. It was almost as a divine quest. Every  pained wail filled her with a greater sense of determination  to remove  these mushroom fibers and bare her naked fleshy body to the  elements. It  took an entire hour but finally she had managed to pry the  whole suit  free. Cradling the blue strands as gently as a child she  carefully  nestled them in the darkness away from the sunlit ring. The  curtain of  vines growing about her slithered away, wrapping amidst the  bluecap to  protect and shield it.

Never before had she felt so naked and  vulnerable. Her own mind had  changed as it became accustomed to solitude  amongst plants and she had  almost forgotten what it felt like to be  purely mammalian. Kneeling  naked and covered head to toe in her own  blood Ceres leaned forwards in  worship again, her forehead pressed  against the bloodied soil and lips  delivering a sweet kiss unto it. The  pain was incredible and her voice  was shaky. Her throat was dry and she  was cried out into exhaustion.

"I ask  forgiveness for what has to be done, but  it is the way that must be  taken. Let me suffer in stead of what may  still be uncorrupted. Grant me  the courage to face my fears and grant  me the wisdom to wield such  power responsibly. In one hand I will wield  death and in the other hand,  life. As you are all aspects of life both  pleasant and foul I will  become as flexible. The raging, destructive  forest fire will cleanse all  the corrupt and from the ashes new sprouts  will rise. Healthy. Forgive  me for what must be done but it is the  only way. I can not in my heart  do this destructive thing as the woman  Ceres. For this one day Ceres  must be left behind, her gentle heart  must be put inside of a bottle,  and a new creature will be born to show  your venomous hatred."

Rising  from the kneel Ceres tiredly trudged over towards the pack that  was  deposited. It was an utter mess of countless unimaginable bits of   plants, massive magically contained bundles of seeds and fairly anything   that could be imagined. Somewhere from within it however the robe was   found. A folded up crimson square. She pulled out the square to hold in   one hand and detached a magical compartment inside of the pack with  the  other, carrying the pouch back to the center of the circle as well.   There was no going back. For many months this was planned but on the  eve  of death it seemed more real than ever before. Her hands shook,   quivered in fear. For long seconds she stared at the red fabric before   swallowing deeply and unfolding it.

The silken square tumbled to  the grass and took the form of a long  flowing priestly vestment of  threatening fiery hue. It was a simple and  plain outfit but the meaning  behind it burned as strongly as the fire  that it was to symbolically  represent. With bloody fingertips Ceres  gently began to dress in the  clerical outfit. Unhealed with magic her  blood quickly soaked through  the silken raiment. Nearly diaphanous the  outfit clung to her body like  skin. The reflections of sunlight against  gold made it look startlingly  much like it actually was fire burning  the druidic priestess alive. The  hardest part was over now. When the  sun rose Ceres would be no more, and  until it set again the woman of  plants would have to become the  destroyer of plants giving rebirth to  herself on the following day, like  the seeds she would scatter amidst  ashes.

Sitting down in the  stone ring Ceres covered the chalice of sunlight  and hid it inside of  the pouch removed from her pack. It shone  gloriously upon the hundreds  of white flowers filling the magical  space. This brought a gentle smile  to Ceres' lips as she began to  remove the flowers one at a time,  braiding them together by the stems.  If used properly there was always  life to be gained by fire. Even the  destructive force was not completely  forbidden, but the emphasis on  correct ways to use fire was paramount.  Along the sleeves of the  crimson robe the flowers were entwined in a  thick border. The silken  robes would begin to take shape and start  showing the dual nature of a  forest fire and express the life that also  comes from it. Along the  collar even more of the flowers were entwined.  The flower gardens of  the lowerdark would never know the gift that they  were giving, but they  were happy just to be able to give flowers at all.  A necklace was then  formed of the white flowers, and lastly a crown. A  thick circular ring  of flowers nestled loosely upon Ceres' forehead,  joined with the many  other exotic flowers that were tied in the fine  sunshine locks of her  hair.

There was still many more hours until  it was time and other people  would need to prepare too. Looking upon  herself Ceres felt a twinge of  shame. She would like to give one of her  dearest friends her company  but she dared not let that close confidant  see her like this. She would  understand. She was a talking tree, after  all, and she knew Ceres'  heart better than others. This wasn't Ceres  anymore though. This new  woman -born from fire and hatred- rose dripping  blood. The scoured  flesh would not be allowed to magically heal and  would very likely  leave her entire body a scarred mess, but eventually  it would stop  bleeding and then be cleaned with the magical herbs of the  Underdark.  For now though there was still much to do. She packed the  bluecap  fibers into her pack again and reached out for the vines.  Curling and  crawling around her arms like hungry parasites starving for a  host the  vines settled at her shoulders again, hugging her body and  falling  around her like a writhing blanket of sentient plantlife.

One  might know her heart, and the other might know her mind, but there  was a  third person who Ceres was close to. A person that has shared her   meditations and knew the potent passion that burned within her and has   witnessed its savage power of femininity. Ceres' own works were done  and  all that was left was to wait for the seeds to grow and bear the  fruit  of her labor so it was to the third who she walk to. Approaching  the  raging fire in the forest boldly and for the first time without  fear she  stood beside the wild orc, one of the few as muscularly built  as  herself. A cruel smile passed between them. No words needed to be   spoken. The rest of the night for Ceres would be spent in loud, primal   savagery of the terrifying and indiscriminately violent ways of nature.   Another voice would be added to the chanting and another pair of hands   to pound on drums beating the violent passion of the soul, to feed the   fire of incenses and consecrate the body, and to dance the dance of  pure  wild abandonment of any inhibitions in pure natural freedom.

[xXCrystal_Rose]

Also, thank you Howland for being the greatest tease ever! ♥ 16k gold and never even got to use this! It was still awesome to have though, and simply having it was special.

[Yalta]

Good stuff Rose. Really enjoyed our interactions.

[TheBigX]

Amazing PC.  Thanks for all the effort.

[Zango_Unchained]

Really one of the ancients, Halcron was raised from a itty bitty commoner to a grim dark ordinant by her.

[Vlaid]

An incredible and immersive PC from the time I spent around her. I always enjoyed the interactions with her very much. A very enjoyable character to have around.

[Spiffy Has]

Amazing.

[Pandip]

You always have such a welcoming, immersive presence IG and Ceres was no exception to this despite seeming to be a little out of your evil, "ne'er do well" comfort zone. I could always count on you for good IC interactions, fun roleplaying experiences, and all sorts of other great shenanigans. That story we made up about the deep lurker was only one example of the cool things we had a chance to do together.

Can't wait to have the chance to interact with your next character, whoever that might be!

[Bouquet of Roses]

You never fail to deliver.
Ceres was, as per usual, simply amazing. You bring such depth and determination to your characters, it's simply spectacular.
Ceres is no exception!
I'm glad I got to interact with her as much as I did, and a little sad I didn't get to do it more!
Best of luck on your next one. Not that you'll need it.

[Vault Shrike]

She was a really impressive druid! Congratulations and excellent work! :)

[granny]

I love your PCs, Rose. And I loved how Ceres and Shakti shaped each others.

Even being a good plantgirl, Ceres scared the hell out of me.

Someday we will be at the same side again, and we will spread havoc upon the server!

[Dillusionist]

Amazing. I always enjoyed the time I spent roleplaying with Ceres on Caelun even though they had adversarial philosophies. You have a knack for making your own fun on EFU, and devoid of any DM intervention roleplay with your PCs always turns into something fun and unexpected.

Extra credit for making a cleric of a nature-goddess come alive.

[Knight Of Pentacles]

cool story bro

[SN]

Duh, who am I going to troll now...

Nice ride!