Ewan held on for dear life as the horse went thundering through Arca's muddy streets and over the bridge. Shaggy was running alongside them, tongue lolling. He looked like he was having the time of his life chasing them, though that was probably true of him chasing anything. The mob wasn't far behind: a mixture of wedding guests, a horse-deprived man, and onlookers inclined to join in. Fortunately the gate was in sight! Two guardsman lazed in front of it. They might be able to make it... or the guards might see the commotion and bar the way.

The boy turned to his companion, "I wanna try something. Its a old spell, and I don't know if it'll work. So be careful!" The boy hadn't gotten any magic to work well since the accident, but they couldn't chance being trapped could they? And so he started to hum an old song, evidently one in the language of insects or so his master told him.

Meanwhile, a young guardsman was preparing to drop La'marri's western gate when he heard a buzz and a tickle in his ear. A mosquito? He swatted it with his gauntlet, striking true, but the hum of the insects only grew louder as a swarm seemed to appear out of the ether. Swatting the air, both guardsmen abandoned their post as the swarm grew too dense to ignore. The two fugitives however, barreled right through the swarm and cleared the gate.

The horse slowed to a trot as their pursuers were out of sight for the time being. Ewan would've been grinning ear to ear that it sort-of-worked if he wasn't busy spitting out bugs. He wanted it to be bees, but maybe mosquitoes were for the best. He looked over his shoulder and back to the disheveled bride. "Tho what'sth your-" he spit out another crumpled insect, whiping his mouth on his arm, "-so what's your name? I'm Ewan, by the way."

Well, it was now or never. The boy darted to the side of the horse and did his very best to scramble up the saddle. It didn't go very well at all. He was too short. Ewan awkwardly clawed at both the saddle and stirrups, and lace and frills of the rider's dress until he made it onto the animal. "Sorry! Sorry!" he gave her a look caught between an apologetic cringe and an impish smirk.  "So... we ride like the wind 'n out the gates? I- well I hope Shaggy can keep up," he cast a look down at the dog. He felt a pang of guilt.

Then came footfalls of a large man, or a small man in heavy boots. The stables adjoined the nearby inn. A portly rednosed man in a matching coat strode into view. "Who- that's my horse!" he bellowed.

"Quick!" the waif hissed, grabbing onto Angel's midsection. Ewan's heart was pounding and somewhere in the back of his mind it occurred to him this was a terrible plan. He should've been more level-headed and reminded her horse-thieves have much less freedom than young brides, or tried to steal clothes to disguise her, or anything.

(ooc: I hope I'm not moving too quickly with this scene. Let me know if you wanna slow things down!)

What types of plots are you interested in playing?

Adventure, slice of life, and drama/intrigue. I tend to like gritty and realist elements that show the ugly side of things, where conflicts aren't neatly resolved.

Most of all I want to see character development in an arc. In my opinion a good thread is one that let's you push a character's story forward, or let's you explore some unseen side of them. I like it when my RP partner's think about what they want to get out of the thread.

What types of plots are you not interested in playing?

I don't like it when one player assumes a reactionary role and the burden of moving the plot falls on the other. I'm also not much for romance. It doesn't mean no, but its not really my thing.

How often can you reply to any given thread?

I try to write something once-a-day. Sometimes it can be up to a week.

What is the longest you're willing to wait for a reply to a thread?

A month or so? I won't lie that I tend to impatient but only because I'm excited!

Are you open to RPing over instant messengers? If so, what's the best way to contact you and what times are you generally available?

I prefer play-by-post.

Are you open to post volleying?
(Where you and another player post rapidly back and forth in a thread with each other. If so, what's the best way to set that up?)

Sure! When something exciting is happening I want to see what happens next. Just shoot me a PM and we'll set up a time.



What are you limits regarding powerplay/godmoding?
(For instance, do you mind if someone grabs your character? Picks them up? Punches them?)

I'm not overly keen on it. I want to be the one describing my characters' thoughts and actions. I don't mind a character being poked, grabbed, etc. for humor but in dramatic situations I want to be in control.

What are your limits in regards to romantic situations?
(What are you comfortable with and not comfortable with? Do you prefer to pre-plot relationships or let them happen organically? Are you open to IC-rejection or love-triangles? Age differences? Etc.)

I'm not terribly interested in romance. I'll write male/female and male/male. Major age differences are a no.

What are your limits in regards to sex?
(Do you prefer to imply it, fade to black, or play it out? Is there anything you won't write?)

Fade to black.

What are your limits in regards to pregnancy within plots?
(Are you okay with pregnancy in plots? Miscarriages? Loss?)

Sure.

What are your limits in regards to violent scenes?
(Are you comfortable with violent scenes? Do you prefer to imply it, fade to black, or play it out? Is there anything you won't write?)

I'm fine with violence so long as its not gratuitous. I'll let you know if its too much.

What are your limits in regards to abuse/rape in plots?
(Are you comfortable with such themes? Do you prefer to avoid them? Do you prefer to imply it, fade to black, or play it out?)

I'd prefer to fade to black or have it be implied.

Are you okay with characters being transformed against their will?
(Think vampires and werewolves. Should a player ask before attempting to turn your character?)

Let me know ahead of time if you plan to make any permanent changes to my characters. I'm definitely open to my characters changing, I just want a say in it.

What about healing?
(For instance, if someone plays a blind character they may not want people to try and "cure" the character.)

I don't mind superficial wounds being healed. If an affliction that defines my character is being removed, I think that deserves a plot of its own just the same as a transformation.

Anything else?

I'm a bit of a planner when it comes to roleplay. Not that I want everything set in stone, but I like when people have a vision in mind for what they want to achieve or where they want the story to go.

"Wait!" the boy called out frantically, skipping back a step and raising his hands in hope she'd not trample him. A half-formed idea was coming to mind, and straight to his mouth before he could think it through. "I- I can help you! I gotta out of Arca, too, 'n back to my old school, but I don't got food or money. I'm NOT a stableboy! I'm- I'm a mage! Really!"

Granted, Ewan didn't know what he could do to help or entice her, yet. He looked up at the girl, taking a moment to gauge her reaction and regain his composure. "Everyone's gonna notice a girl in a dress like that anyway. You're not gonna get awful far unless you've got spare clothes under those frills."

Ewan trudged behind her dog in tow, slowed by the bucket he was lugging along. The strip of cloth caught his eye as he neared the stable door. Not thinking much of it, he tore it down, and nudged his way inside. It was the girl again! The unhappy bride was... stealing a horse? He carefully positioned himself between her and the entrance, perhaps unwisely as she could surely trample right over him.

"I'm SUPPOSED to be looking after these horses, y'know. If I let you take that one they'll make me pay for it or-" he looked down at his threadbare clothes and blushed, realizing how stupid that sounded, "-well they'd throw me on the street or turn my bottom red. Not that I care to stick around here to mucking stalls forever."

He chewed his lip, turning suddenly pale. Was he being stupid? He wasn't a wizard confronting a little girl he could turn into a toad. He was a boy confronting a horse thief. If she was desperate enough to steal a horse, and she looked desperate, she might not think twice about keeping him quiet too! "Just who did you get stuck marrying, anyway?" he asked gently, trying not to alarm her as scritched Shaggy behind the ears. The dog made him feel safe, at least.

Ewan stirred to the sound of church-bells. He slept better than he thought he would on a bed of straw. Probably, he realized, because Shaggy had curled around him. He rolled to his feet, making a wretching nose as he brushed stray bits of shedded fur from his clothing. "Ugh! You could've asked first!" he pouted, narrowing his gaze at the dog, who yawned lazily in reply. He guiltily acknowledged Shaggy was much warmer than a threadbare blanket, but still an unwashed dog.

The boy set about feeding and watering the half-dozen animals as instructed. Drawing water from a well was hard with his small body, but the dull ache in his muscles was oddly satisfying. It wasn't all that bad, really, and he'd earned food and shelter for another night... but how was he going to make it to La'marri like this?

Lugging the heavy bucket of water back to the stable, Ewan was nudging the door open when he heard shouting and frantic footfalls. The boy turned to see a panicked young woman, younger than he USED to be at least, dashing through the streets like a frightened animal. She looked about as comfortable in the frilly dress as he was shirtless, filthy, and barefoot.

"'You alright?" the waif asked, mixed curiosity and concern falling over his face. He still wasn't entirely used to his squeaky voice. It made him cringe.

Arca was a sight for sore eyes. Ewan had traveled for weeks since the alchemy-gone-wrong obliterated his home, and turned him from a grown man into a scrawny boy. He traded the remnants of his possessions for food, and a wagon-ride from Cerenis to Arca. Now his clothes were threadbare and filthy, his supplies were starting to spoil, he had a very large and very hungry wolfhound as a companion. The guards barely paid him notice as he and Shaggy slipped through the gates. Ewan still wasn't accustomed to going barefoot. He cringed with each step through the muddy streets, made narrow and claustrophobic by the tall houses, and seas of enormous grown-ups. Adults.

He traveled all the way to Cerenis to illegally purchase some closely guarded alchemical formulae to catalyze his spell. It was a stupid idea. It all went wrong. Everyone he knew was in La'marri, La'marri was on the other side of the country, and a boy and a dog with no money can't travel far on their own. Ewan's growling stomach and sore feet pushed those thoughts from his mind.

A sleepy little tavern called the Last Drop came into view, just on the border of the city's cobled districts and the seedier outskirts. The inn was loud and smoky, and Shaggy whined when he had to wait outdoors. Even if he was a boy again, Ewan was too old to expect any charity. Shyly, he padded up to the bar where a burly youth dispensed drinks. He had to climb one of the stools to get attention.

"I don't suppose you need any, um, any help? I haven't money for room and board and-"

"Ain't a charity, boy, and just what could you do for us?" the barman tisked in annoyance. The man was roughly Ewan's former age, and a lackwitted commoner at that, but the boy's confidence quickly dissolved.

"I-I could help clean? Or I can even cook some? I'll work HARD, I promise. M-my dog could hunt rats or—"he began to babble a list of other nonsensical suggestions. He backed away in defeat when the barman was appearing to have none of it.

The man's express softened, "Look, boy, muck the stable and you can have the loft for the night. And when you're done," he added with suspicious emphasis, "whatever remains of the kitchens."

Ewan again wished he had shoes when the man took him to the stable behind the little inn. He'd never cleaned a stable before, but it seemed simple enough and he nodded eagerly as the man, Gawain, explained it. The chore was a lot harder and a lot more unpleasant and he sweating by the time he finished laying fresh straw, and dealt with the mess of half-a-dozen animals. Gawain returned later in the evening with the cold remnants of stew and a bone with scraps of meat clinging to it. Shaggy yipped expectantly as the boy raised the bone to his lips, prompting a groan, "Fine, FINE, it's yours..." he passed the bone to his traveling companion, and drank down the stew and soggy vegetables.

The straw bed he was given was prickly, but no worse than what camping in the woods offered. The boy was soon fast asleep, and woke the next morning to the sound of wedding bells...

I'm looking to get started on my first SotE character, Ewan Rhys, a mage whose regressed to childhood following an accident. He's currently wandering the countryside looking for food, shelter, and a means to restore his power. He could serve as someone's apprentice, or even get roped into being a mundane stablehand or pack-boy to his displeasure.

'little torn on whether or not I should rewrite him as being a bit older ('might be hard to justify him going on dangerous adventures at his apparent age), but we'll see. If anyone has any ideas or a place for him I'd be grateful!

Wanderers

Ewan ap Rhys
Ewan was a vain and powerful sorcerer who has accidentally turned himself into a small boy. He does not particularly mind, and enjoys experimenting with dangerous magic, cataloging monsters, and getting into trouble. Up for adventure, being a smart-mouthed sidekick, and doing chores for pocket money.

OLIVER THE BARBARIAN
A shy young man, with his head in the clouds, who works at his parents' bookshop in Altas Verde. He was chosen to become a great barbarian hero by a magic sword, though he isn't too keen on solving problems with violence.

Serendipity

Duke Blackthorn
Ruler of the fair-folk, harvest god, and mischief maker. Available for villainy and eldritch bargains.

"Kaliam"
A pair of troublesome apprentices who were magicall conjoined in order to save space. Up for mischief, stuff at Wyrdwood, and saccharine coming of age stories.

Maergath
A cruel and demanding wizard. He is Magister of soulshaping at Wyrdwood Academy, known for his animatronic servitors. Up for intrigue, villainy, and academic stuff.

Saoirse Nettlefield
The headmistress of Wyrdwood. Up for politics, parties, and exchanging barbed insults.

Zantaric

Narlis Thordane
Narlis is a foul-mouthed dwarven mercenary and bandit. A true hero and romantic.

Retired

Colby mac Arryn
An imaginative boy stuck on a farm in Serendipity. He is meant to be a protagonist in the Midnight Harvest. Colby is kind of a brat, but may work in other stories.

Kai Wilding
Pretty boy swashbuckler who turns into a donkey sometimes. Up for high adventure, and should probably go to a ball or something at some point.

Wylie Wyndham
Wylie is a daemon summoner, and young lord of a creepy swamp-village. His family harbors mages and worships ancient forest gods. Open for political intrigue, blood magic, and Jane Austen estate stuff.

Name Ewan ap Rhys
Age 10, formerly 25
Sex Male
Species Human
Ethnicity Serenian
Height 4'6"
Occupation Streetsweeper for the Friends
Residence Zantaric

Physical Description
Ewan is a small and scrawny boy with fair skin, big blue eyes, and a shaved head. Since being kidnapped to Zantaric, and later pressed into joining the Friends (a street gang), he's been made to blend in. Mostly the boy wears a ragged tunic sinched about the waist, and has exchanged his wizard's staff for a broom.

In the past he wore a loincloth and floral cloak, chest and forearms painted with fey sigils.

Spoiler

Awesome Art by Eckhart_von_Musel

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Personality
Ewan has conquered aging, and death itself, and thus considers himself Le'raana's greatest wizard. He can blather for days about alchemy and cryptozoology, and has a great fondness for large and fearsome predators. Having been transformed into child he has the foresight, patience, and willpower of a 10-year-old. The boy is fiercely is competitive, easily excited, and endlessly curious. "Why not?" is always the question.

Ewan doesn't mind his condition much, and rather enjoys the attention and deferential treatment it brings. His ego is nonetheless very fragile, and the little wizard does not take kindly to jokes at his expense...

Magic/Abilities
Ewan is overflowing with life-giving magic. Simply being near him makes plants grow bigger, wounds heal faster, and blemishes disappear. A clever mage might tap this excess power for their own use.

The boy is an exceptional wizard, though his powers are now stunted and chaotic. He requires a wand or staff to work spells properly. Otherwise he might manage to turn himself into a dragon for some fleeting moments, or keep a dying man alive until a healer arrives. A singular act of magic will exhaust him for days.

Relationships
His family lives on a small estate in Ravensway.

After being saved from Slavers he has joined the Friends, a street gang in Zantaric

History
Ewan was a mage born to an old family in Ravensway. He was a boastful young apprentice, known for frivolity and showmanship.

He journeyed to Niahi to brew a potion of eternal youth, a formula stolen from the fey. In a two year journey fueled by his family's fortune he sought to create it. He gathered dryads' acorns, wyverns' venom, dew-drops of the fey realms, tears of fire giants and much more. The week he spent preparing the potion was all a haze. Ewan awoke in a smoking ruin with his equipment, reagents, and texts turned to ash. His body was all wrong, too. In a shattered mirror he saw a small boy, naked and covered in soot.

Ewan tried to reverse the spell. He knew who he was, but memories of magic and alchemy were fuzzy at best. The remnants of his work made little sense. Hunger getting the best of him, he departed his ruined study in search of civilization


Current Threads
Underfoot - Back north, Ewan has stuff stolen by a gang of hooligans and makes a new friend.
An Assassin in a Haystack - Ewan has been with the 'Friends' for a month, and has fallen into a routine with the street gang. Some mysterious visitors arrive at the City.

Complete Threads
Humble Beginnings - Ewan meets Aliki, a prophet of the child-goddess Zyra. Aliki is looking for eternal youth, and Ewan a home and way to restore his magic. Ewan now dwells in Kishahn.
Maladies Most Unusual - Ewan goes in search of a rare book, and encounters a fellow mage.
Urchins - Ewan is captured by slavers on his way north. He and Cara, a strange elven girl, are taken in by a witch in Zantaric.
Addicted to Adventure - Ewan escapes his captors, and finds shelter in a street gang.

Its been a while since I've properly roleplayed, and I'm probably a bit rusty. But I stumbled on SotE by pure chance and liked what I saw; active group and fleshed out world.

There's certainly a lot to take in, though I've got two characters in mind. I think I want to focus on just one to start, though I'm having difficulty deciding (an alchemist whose research regressed him to childhood; or an erudite serenian who finds himself a shaggy werewolf...)

Anyways, I'm really looking forward to writing with all of you.