The cloaked figure stood out, not only because the hijab he wore curled around his form like a fluorescent sky, but an even brighter pink one was looped up and over his broad shoulders, - the blue, however, accenting the vibrant color of his eyes. Most in the cities either wore muted tones, near the color of sand- or had gem encrusted fabrics that rivaled the colors of a cut gem stone. But this man? Even he was drawing attention as he sauntered through the lively fruit stalls in the market.

He shouldn't have been in the city that day, but as always- Ayden Bayne never listened. Sure, sometimes he obeyed the ruling of his father- but today he wanted to breath. He knew he'd get more lashings- might as well add it to the scars already lining his backside. He had been sleeping too comfortably lately anyway. The concept of moving of his free will....
Those days are what kept him going, rather than festering within the confinding labyrinth of sandstone seclusion where his father's band of thieves kept their base.

Most whom served his father were surprised the the son wasn't flayed alive- in truth, Ayden wondered how he hadn't been killed already- but perhaps the front that his son was his legacy.. when in truth, his son bear no shared blood with their leader....

Yes.. it was a wonder how Ayden Bayne remained without a proper cage. 
At times his father would use shackles, but given time- the man always found his way out. Which is why he wore the unique choice of attire...

Not many on thr market would notice the iron shackles tight around his wrists.. nor even the one secured against his throat. No... those bonds only lasted a good part of the day. His father never understood how his 'son' had gotten so good at becoming an escape artist...

Yet each time he attempted freedom...
Within the week his father would find him and bring him home- one way or another.

This time the damn shackles were a pain in the ass to get through. His father had started using magic infused metal now. That made it a lot more tricky- but eventually Ayden found creative ways to counter the spell. 

The ones he wore now.. however... he was able to gain freedom from them but their magic still thrummed within, irritating him and threatening to strike him were he too step too far away from his fathers 'place '.

So in a sense, Ayden- this time around- wasn't truly 'free' as he strolled through the vendors. He was calculating the length the metal had against him- testing the limits and so far- it seemed he could remain within most of the city until.. well.. the 'shock' was released and Ayden found himself unconscious. 

His father had yet to fetch him. He likely figured he had sometime before Ayden would figure out a way to thwart the shock bracers he now wore that kept him confined to the city, so for now- he considered his options within the city- and paused a moment beside an apple stand, tossing a coin to the vendor and enjoying a nice munch on the sweet fruit. Apples were hardly native to these lands so he enjoyed the northern fruit all the more. It reminded him of hid youth.. of his family his current father had 'killed' in too many life times ago.

__________________QUICK STATS
Name Kao'poren Khef'ka
Age 24
Gender male
Species human / lion shifter
Ethnicity Saranthian
Height 5'5"
Occupation
Residence Essryn

__________________IN-DEPTH STUFF

Physical Description Not a tall man by any means with a squared off face and light build- more for speed than strength. He has the traditional mocha colored skin of his people and bright turquoise eyes and thick dark hair that interspersed with turquoise locks that's worn in a thick, loose braid that falls down his back. 

He will occasionally paint the traditional symbols of his people in turquoise up his arm and sometimes his chest and back- but his most noticeable feature is his missing left arm.

His brows thick and his lips go to a well defined peak . His ears are pierced and he wears jewelry but hie over all attire is actually rather simple.

he tends to wear the clothing of his people - mostly light weight clothing in light colors and browns accented with gold jewelry. 

Personality
Friendly, helpful but honestly keeps to himself. He's s bit of a coward. He tries to wear another person but knows that's no longer him- if it wZ ever him at all.

Magic/Abilities
Like most Saranthian, he has some abilities of future sight. He didn't like what he saw and decided to run from it. He doesn't see himself as a hero and is kind of selfish and keeps mostly to himself. He doesn't get close to anybody despite seemingly an extrovert .

Something.. happened regarding his visions when he was younger and it has scarred him ever since. Now, he'd rather not admit he has Saranthian foresight and buries that shit under 40 feet of constipated emotions. He'd like to be as far away from his home island and lives from town to town before moving on again when he has the means. 

He normally joins caravans as a means of security- not body guard.. mind you, but as an alert system

Kao also had become a shifter along the way- not a natural mutation by any means- more like an unfortunate by product of a situation he shouldn't have been involved in. But despite his Saranthian heritage warning him other wise- he ended up somewhere in someplace where he lost his arm.. barely making it out with his life.. 

His shifter abilities were blessed to him before the unfortunate arm loss but both events happened relatively close together while working with a caravan in the Kishani Jungles...

Relationships
None, nope- ain't gonna have anyone get that close - not if he can help it

History

Things went wrong to worse - and now he's an anxious mess. He tries to wear a mask and pretend he's calm, cool and confident- but he is none od those three and has survivors guilt from failing to help those he was hired to protect using his foresight.

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The day had been long, like each one before. The week had been long, like last week was. The month had been endless, feeling like a year, and years turned into decades into days into a haze. How long had she been working here? Too long to remember, but it was work she rather liked. Even if her fingers got dirty from the ink on the scroll and bound book pages, she always held a fondness for the scents and quirks of the library.

She wasn't a woman educated by noble standards, but had learned to read well enough on her own to get into a simply cataloging position at the library. It was perhaps because she was so persistent (and annoyingly so) that she had even gotten in in the first place, and now it was hard to get rid of Miss Artemis Longfellow, even now, when she was months into a depression of revenue and a pay cut where she worked at nearly half the salary she had before.

But she tried not to let that get to her. A job was a job, and during these times of war, she wasn't going to complain when many had suffered many losses elsewhere with the lives of men or with bad crops from the too hot summer.

This was one such summer day, where the air was sticky and hot and unforgiving, and one where even those who hated water prayed for rain. Tonight it seemed those prayers would be answered, for as the library was closing, the rains had began. The rumbling purr of thunder was a welcome sound, and the thrum of rain helped keep the other wise unnatural quiet of the large and vacant after hours library a bit more sane.

And Artemis liked the sound of rain, even as it was pounding on the ceiling over head. She had been climbing the ladders and humming to herself while putting away the volumes of Essyrni histories ( a period of the kings, reigns one thru the eleventh of the first Kings) when she noticed how dusty the tops of books shelves had become.

"Oh, this'll never do." She fished for the kerchief around her neck and undid it with one hand,t he other bracing herself against the heavy ladder that laid against the tall shelving. She shook the kerchief out and reached around and began to wipe the dust away. By now, she was several hours into her night shift when she noticed something moving between a break in the books.

She paused briefly and took a step down to have a better look see, but when she noticed there was some strange man on the other side, it startled her so much that she jerked back with a gasp, banging her head off the bottom of the shelf above her and forcing her to stumbling into the books below. And it didn't take much to dislodge the books from their position, as Artemis caught herself against the shelf and watched in horror as a pair of history books flapped down in a furry of pages towards the poor unfortunate soul below.

Fearful it might be her boss in whom she just may have hit over the head with a pair of history books, she jerked back from the book shelf out of fear, and out of sight, a hand sealing over her lip as her dark eyes were froze open in terror. Ansgar's name!? What should she do!?

Not wanting her boss to have to come around the other side to find her and climb up the ladder and throttle her himself, she knew she had to take responsibility, and was rushing down the ladder, blathering out all sorts of apologies as she rounded the aisle and came to the other side- only to come to a sudden stop with her mouth open and eyes wide in confusion to see it wasn't her boss there after hours- but a complete stranger. 

And not just a plain jane stranger either- because the man had an absolute roguish charm to him that had left her completely and utterly frozen in place. 

__________________QUICK STATS
Name Arthund De'lawnuwe - 'Stone heart'
Age appears in his 30s
Gender male
Species cursed human 
Ethnicity Serenian
Height 6'1"
Occupation highway bandit known as 'Stoneheart'
Residence
The deep woods around Arca.. but keeps far enough from the city

__________________IN-DEPTH STUFF

Physical Description
A tall man who stalks like a predator. He's got piercing blue eyes and only tufts of his auburn hair can be seen beneath his cloak and mask.

Beneath his well cloaked body is a mangled mess of stone around where his heart had been replaced... and some are normal flesh while others are turning grey and hard as stone - just a reminder his time is running out 


Personality
Quiet, ruthless and elusive-

He works with dogged determination and efficiency - a dark ghost of the man he once was

He doesn't let anyone get close enough now to see anything else


Magic/Abilities
Although heartless, his Stoneheart curse has some advantages- such as the parts of him becoming stone are just that.. stone- and make it near impossible to kill him.

Yet strangely... he can still bleed... and ge still hears and feels the phantom beating of his heart.


Relationships
Tbd

History
He wasn't always a stone cold killer; infact he used to be revered for his skill in war and peace. But fate had other things in store, when his heart was literally ripped from his body and replaced with stone...


Arthund had once been a noble from a prominent family in Arca. He was famous for his dueling skills and ability to fight on horseback. He, like most of his class, turned a blind eye to the corruption linked to the nobility - that was until a man with dark powers had him wrongly accused for the deeds of his noble brethren. 

The man ripped out his heart, and replaced it with one of stone that would slowly consume his body. The only way the man would lift the curse is when Arthund would rid the city of the corruption that earned the curser's scorn.

This was a mercy compared to the fate of his family who had been traveling through the woods just outside of Arca. Their carriage had been attacked and all that he loved slaughtered before him.

Now Arthund must figure out who betrayed him and put him in this spider's trap before he is completely turned to stone. Who betrayed Arthund? Who brought on this wrath?

In order to figure it all out, he's become a merciless, masked killer- known now as Stoneheart. And he usually attacks those carriages he believes are guilty as they travel the highways and deeper woods just outside of Arca

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__________________QUICK STATS
Name Veride (Pronounced 'Vair ih dee) 'Lady/ Fae of Merriment'
Age 811 cycles
Gender feminine
Species unseelie fae
Ethnicity Springtime Clan
Height 4'11"
Occupation fertility fae / fae of regrowth
Residence anywhere but she loves being where it's springtime

__________________IN-DEPTH STUFF

Physical Description
A petite, humanoid looking fae. She barely looks 20 years old and has a long, waterfall of turquoise locks of hair that have twisted blends of mossy and vibrant colors throughout . When excited, flowers and plants will bloom throughout her hair

Her eyes are large and expressive and often change colors- excitement making specks of rainbow colors dance within

Her skin is pale, but when she blushes her cheeks glow green rather than red.

She isn't always clothed but when she is, her dress appears closely wrapped against her body- either made completely out of vegetation, or something similar

She never wears shoes. She has no need to. And she has the smallest most delicate horns resting atop of her head, usually hidden behind the thick forest of her hair


Personality
She has a carefree, chipper, optimistic with a childlike demeanor and like most fae, loves playing tricks . She's attracted to happiness, purity, youth, vulnerability and lust. She has been known to, from time to time, push those who lust together towards their desires- because what's more beautiful than creating life?

Hate, loathing, destruction and lies can actually harm her

She also has a bit of a short attention span and is almost unconvinced autumn fae don't exist as she's never seen one

Magic/Abilities
She can amplify natural attraction, help with fertility of plants, humans and animals. Some natural abilities are within a spectrum of healing. She can bring most almost dead things back to life but if they're dead- they are no longer in her domain.

Relationships

History

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She held onto the silver chain tight, until the pendant bit into her flesh and her knuckles grew white. She had thought she lost it- because it had been from him. From a love who she lost sometime ago. Somehow she had managed to recover the pendant he had gifted her- the first gift he had ever given..

They had been so young. And so very, very foolish. And she had carelessly given away her heart, shown herself in true form and vulnerability.

But his family announced his engagement to another.  To another. Another woman would have him, go to his bed... share his sweet kisses.

It wasn't fair.  The world was twisted and cruel. And he could never know the other truth behind her disappearance.  Most would presume it was because she was irate.

And they wouldn't be wrong. Her heart had been shattered since the announcement- and she refused to talk or see him ever again.

All he'd have from her was a penned letter with a cold congratulations scripted throughout the ink. Then she was gone.

Most presumed she'd gone to Serendipity.  And most were surprised just how long she was gone from the desert. So upon her recent return, naturally she would become the talk of the city- where she returned and was throwing together an adventuring party into the deserts. Apparently she had done some work during her time abroad- and it seemed nothing- not even a broken, tattered heart could keep her from her true love of exploration of the ruins of the desert.

Of course she avoided him.and his family like the plague upon her return. And an extra slap to the face was immediately upon her return she was invited to their pre-wedding party.

What asshole thought that was a good idea?

So naturally she hadn't gone to it.. heavens no! She wasn't that much of a fool. However, she wanted to make stupid choices that night to help her forget- to continue to take those steps forward in mending her heart.

So she drank.. and far too many wine skins, while riding her beautiful serenian horse along the palmed forests along the Niafi. She felt confident in her abilities to ride- inebriated or not- and paused just outside the manor home where the party had been going on.

Why had she come so close to here? Her horse swished his tail as they stood there- and she?- knocking back the remainder of her third wine skin before she carelessly tossed it aside 

It was then she realized she had been giving her pendant a death grip and released it, sloppily hiding it away in the folds of the front of her robes.

She turned her back towards the manor home before her, her horse itching between the shadows of the palm forests and the open yards that' stretched towards the rowdy party.

The sun had nearly sunk behind the horizon and the stars were glittering across the deep violetting skies. She needed more to drink, and she was certainly not going to the party.

She cursed as she dropped a bottle of wine from her saddle bag and with some reluctance, she dismounted and followed the rolling bottle to where it stopped, resting in a nest of reeds.

__________________QUICK STATS
Name Dre'hn Jeh'izmha
Age unknown- looks to be in his 40s
Gender male
Species mutt
Ethnicity
[If applicable. Is the character Serenian, Adelan, Connlaothian, Thanati, Essyrni, Yoreiqi, etc?]
Height 6'2"
Occupation blade for hire / problem solver
Residence zantatric / the open road / wanders

__________________IN-DEPTH STUFF

Physical Description
A tall man with leathery skin hatched over with layers of scars. His Ethnicity is hard to pin point, as his skin has turned to an ashen grey. His eyes are a pale yellow, the whites always seemingly blood shot and he has a crooked nose that looks like it's been punched and broken a few times too many.

He has dark black hair, sporting a goatee- and is peppered with grey. His hair is longer on the top, normally in a mess about his head, but is typically shaved on the sides. He does keep a braided tail in the back. He's also normally scruffy.

He's tall and lithe with a muscular frame, normally walks with a predatory grace and bas a discipline about him like a soldier.

Personality
Gruff, likes to be alone, has a lot to think about

But he really likes pancakes- one of his few joys in life

Magic/Abilities
Through sacrifices, he can be anything - and not even he is sure of his limits. If he can mentally believe he is 'fire' than fire he can become.

But this ability is not so straight forward as it seems and the sacrifices to unlock such a thing....

Relationships
Besides a voice he talks to- he won't talk about it- or much of his past life

It's his sword.  He talks to his sword.

History
Past failures sculpted him to who he is today. Again- he doesn't like to talk about it- but his eyes give him away- always distant.. always housing a haunting sadness

He currently has claimed a moniker as 'Knight of Scars'- being a sword for hire with more than the usual amount of Scars littering his body- and also one who only tends to take the 'honorable' jobs as a blade for hire

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Two weeks they had been out to sea, two weeks the infamous criminal lay asleep. The moment they arrives he had yet to open eyes- no doubt the half elf woman he brought with him was a mess of shock and concern. 

He had been bleeding- from all orifices, unmoving and cold- as if dead.

But his heart beat still- a slow, shallow rhythm, barely changing from day to day, week to week.


The crew knew what to do. They expected as much and didn't so much as step into the room once it was confirmed of his.. condition. And they immediately took sail. It would take quite a while to travel so far south to Essryn. One might consider Opus' slumber a blessing. But with each lulling rock of the boat he slept away...


His heart beat.. beat.. beating slow.
It almost seemed in tune with the very familiar clock sitting inside his room- looming across the bed chambers like a obelisk. A constant- tick.. tick.. tock.

But never once did he waiver. And never once did his crew run afoul or try to betray. No..

No it seemed each man remained vigilante to their duties- even as they followed the orders of the strange always laughing man Opus had left in charge.

For even as Saoirse was left in some sort of confused, panick state- it was this man- Dao'bachpa- whom she came upon. And once he realized her distress...

He had laughed.

"You've always had more balls than brains."

The blue-eyed man lowered his cup of alcohol and raised a brow at the night-skinned goblin who sat, hunched over- with legs dangling from the table beside him. The goblin wasn't a fan of chairs. They made him feel shorter than he was, and when he was around Winston McKeane- he'd rather not feel any smaller.

"Because we'll be meeting a woman?"

"Because you'll be meeting a woman," the goblin repeated, slower, and with much emphasis on each word. His beady eyes shined darkly, the dancing flames from the hearth casting deep shadows into the unique recesses and bold shapes of his face.

The human companion of his shook his head and knocked back more of his drink.

"Coin is coin, you know that,...right? Lenny?" the man asked, belching as he went to wipe off the alcohol from his lips onto the back of his leather wrist guard. Then he paused to belch again. "And if the purse happens to belong to a woman...well.." He could only shrug at that.

The goblin sneered, eyes still glittering as he muttered something under his breath.

But the blonde haired man only retorted to the muttered goblin-tongued curse with one of his own. Lenny grimaced. He never did like the fact Winston knew so many tongues- especially not some of his own.

"You make the language sound like rotting fish." Lenny sneered, eyeing the other man as Winston waved down a tavern maid to order another drink.

"Well, I can't make the sound of rotting fish sound like anything but rotting fish, now can I, Lenny?" Winston went on mildly, holding onto his cup as the serving woman poured. He got a nice eyeful down the front of her shirt as she did so. Then he nodded, grinning at her as he slipped her a coin as she blushed, then sauntered off to the next table.

Lenny was grinning now, that smile nearly cutting across the entire wide width of his face, exposing rows of little sharp, jagged teeth. The very sight of that smile made Winston pause with the cup of beer to his lips.

"What?"

The goblin snickered.

"You going to be able to keep it in your pants this time, McKeane?" the goblin looked from his companion to the barmaid.

Winston snorted.

"This is a job, Lenny."

"Exactly.." the goblin continued to eye his companion, before finally turning away as the serving woman disappeared into the back. He shook his head when it was obvious Winston's eyes had been following her. "You.." he went on, placing a curled hand onto his shoulder. "Are too predictable my friend."

"And you.." Winston went on, plucking Lenny's goblin fingers from his shoulder. "Shouldn't be sitting on the table when she brings us our stew."

Lenny sneered then muttered more in his tongue- he always did that when he had something colorful and nasty to say- he also always did it while turning away, so Winston couldn't catch all of it.

But somehow.. Winston always caught all of it.  The man was just looking at him now, and Lenny narrowed his eyes before swearing more in goblin tongue before he hopped down from the table. He didn't take a seat, however, and made his way over to the hearth, where a warm fire crackled and kept this side of the tavern warm- despite the chill of the desert night.

Winston had followed to where Lenny had moved to, his own eyes going to the flame as he stared off in thought.

Lenny grabbed the fire poker and prodded at it. Winston was about to say something, about the fact the goblin shouldn't just touch any old thing in the Smiling Crocus, the owner - after all, was a rather mean looking Rah-Souk, if the scar on his snout could attest to any of that. In fact..
He turned to look for the owner, wondering where the crocodile man had gone off to.

The Smiling Crocus was.. an interesting establishment. It wasn't in the best part of town- but it certainly wasn't the worst. But you wouldn't find rich folk dining here. No.. the merchant princes and their lot tending to remain in the heart of the city- or in their fancy delta establishments.

The city itself was a colorful town, although many were desert dwellers that lived here- the people here were far more diverse than the stiff-molded people of Connlaoth to the far north. He himself was a Connlaothian, although with how deeply tanned and ruddy he's skin had become from just being in the desert.. one might compare him closer to Adelan than Connlaothian- if it weren't for that blonde hair of his-
And his exceptionally blue eyes.

"So why are we here so early, McKeane?"

Lenny's gripe had his attention return to the goblin and he raised a brow at the other.

"I'm always early for my appointments."

"But are we not to meet her for another 3 hours? Curious.. that.." the goblin went on, thumbing his lip in thought. He turned to regard Winston. "It can't just be because she's a woman..."

The man said nothing, tapping the table a few times before he realized he was doing it and stopped.  That's when Lenny's eyes and ears perked up, then a snake like grin split across his face.

"Oh.. she's not just a woman.. is she?" Lenny began, moving to close the distance between them, grabbing the back of a nearby chair. But before he could pull it out to take a seat, Winston's hand snapped out to grab a hold if it, and Lenny started, beady eyes looking over at Winston. But the man didn't look at him. He was staring at his cup- no.. distantly past it.. eyes unfocused, in thought.

"What did you say her name was?" Lenny said, clearing his throat and jerking the chair out, despite Winston's hand still remaining. But the chair didn't fully budge, and Lenny turned to regard Winston again.

"I didn't say her name."

And then, if it was possible, Lenny's grin grew even wider, the teeth nearly cutting his face in half. He knew.. he knew much from nothing. If his companion did not wish to divulge much until they actually met her...
That meant she was someone of some status...

And that meant there would be quite a lot of money.
And Lenny really.. really liked his money.

__________________QUICK STATS
Name Ibra Navaren Koh'lesh
Age 27
Gender female
Species human
Ethnicity Essyrni
Height 5'7"
Occupation merchant princess, historical scholar, heretic
Residence She has a few known residences, in the Niafi River Delta and the main city Essyrn itself. She also has a place in Serendipity

__________________IN-DEPTH STUFF

Physical Description A tall woman with an imposing form, having long dark hair that flows nearly to her feet when not worn up in tamed hair pins, laces and braids. Her eyes are a vibrant violet that seem to glow.

Her skin is the color of cool clay, the pale greyish tint giving her skin an almost stone look about it. But there is the subtle warmth of color to it, breaking the mirage she is of stone. In certain lights, her skin appears to have an almost blue or violet cast to it. Other times, her skin appears as the same shade as sand in the sunset. It depends if she has recently spent time outdoors or had remained captive inside reading too many books at her own personal library or the archives.

She tends to wear fine gowns and dresses, in whites, blues, golds and violets and normally wears matching accessories in gem stones and intricate accents of gold to show off her wealth.

She will also accent her face in make up of the same hues of her attires, and the colors are always rich and bold- the paint job excellently executed.


Personality

A stern woman known for her blunt, heretical views. She openly does NOT believe in Hakeshna, and in fact, believes more in the revelations of science. After all, being the true scholar that she is, how could she believe one religion to be true over any others? They all point out interesting details- but they all fall flat in their flaws-
They require their believers to have faith. Or to just believe. She is not a fan of this logic and unless someone can 'prove' a faith to her, she simply believes that all men are simply animals whom she has yet to derise their origins. Perhaps within her studies...

Always seeking truths, you can always find this woman at the library or local archives, nose deep in her books. Because of the amount of education she has undergone, it takes some amount of debate to get her to call another a scholar or one who is educated. So many just peruse books on occasion, but a true passion into scholarly knowledge is something this woman can respect.

It's not that she is not unaware of other people's unique virtues outside of scholarly ones, it's rather she hasn't the time nor patience to associate with those- as one were to say, would be well versed in the arts of combat.

Because of her blunt nature, it has turned many potential suitors away. And she is just fine with that. She hasn't the time to worry over marriage or bare a lineage. If she did, how on earth would she find the time and means to continue her studies?\

One of her main pursuits, despite being so adamant against religions- is to find the meaning of life and death. What is, after all, the purpose of such an existence?



Magic/Abilities Ibra is a 'wind sculptor'- she has the unique ability to control the air about her. Her 'wind art' is normally perpetuated from unique gemstones she wears along the cuffs of her sleeves- she uses one as the starting point of her wind summons- then needs an anchor point in the world to have it travel through, then it needs to return to the second gemstone she wears, or else she can not control the winds and they would come out as a wild, uncontrollable burst.

The anchor points have become quite intricate to her throughout the years and she's learned to actually shape the winds- hence the term 'wind artist'. Combining winds with colorful sands or crushed diamonds, she can make quite the fanfare. This she does for pleasure, rather than for any means of power or prestige, but her works of wind art are very impressive and have earned her great esteem for it-

Too bad her heretical tendencies tend to dampen any worth from it

While believing in other gods is not outside of the realm of reason, not many like the idea she so openly opposes the Gods of our world.

And all she can reply is 'then show me the proof'- and has yet to be impressed with whatever priests or religious persons have shown her thus far in her life.

The gem stones that hone her wind magics were handed down from her by one of her parents.

Relationships
tbd



History
Her father had died of the madness disease, one that took his mind before his body- and Ibra had to mentally deal with consequences there in.

Her mother had pleaded to the temples and many deities to find a cure- and one could say this is where the beginning of Ibra's soured notions towards religion had taken seed.

Her father was the initial bearer of the magical gemstones she now wears, and had to learn much of her refined skills on her own- with only the echoing teachings of his logics in a time before his sanity waned and he needed locked away until the day he died. 

Her mother had done her best to keep the house afloat, and eventually re-married a northern man, a Serenian, whom she had two more children with. They were both sons, and although her brothers were so much younger than she- she loved them very much, however, she never did feel very close to her step-father.

She didn't hate him, and in fact was intrigued by him and his scholarship. It's perhaps what also helped push her into wanting to study, and study as much as her mind could devour. He was a man who had duel ideas on faith, where scholarship can survive alongside religion-

However... it was hard for Ibra to entertain that logic, especially the more research and knowledge she gained over the year. Eventually, she began to get bold in her accusations, and although she doesn't outwardly proclaim it , she speaks openly of her uninterest in believing the religions of the world.

She is far more ingrained to believe things through history, and through her passions of study- she came across a most unusual part of history- that of which lead her into the secret library beneath the city. Being of her wealth and status, she had gained passage to look into the archives beneath the city- and has found quite an interesting amount of information...

One that points her to an empty space, unclaimed, in the history of Essyrn.

Who reigned during this time and when? It fascinated her the most to realize that prior to this erasure of history- there was some questioning the very religion itself...

And once word got out about some 'ancient, newly discovered ruins' - she followed the rumors to a man named Winston McKeane.



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STILL A WORK IN PROGRESS
__________________QUICK STATS
Name Anphis
Age 19
Gender male
Species human
Ethnicity Essryni-mixed heritage
Height 5'9"
Occupation High Priest to the 'Never King'
Residence Currently resides petrified in stone within the bowels of the Metetzi civilization

__________________IN-DEPTH STUFF

Physical Description A man of slight build and an exotic look to him, Anphis is often stared upon for the way he looked-  his skin is much paler than most, and his features are a lot more exotic, with a unique slant to his eyes which only aids in the intensity of those green-gold depths. He likely has northern ancestry.

Anphis typically wears robes and is rarely often seen with clean fingers, ink always staining them as he is always writing. In fact, he always carried quills and ink and parchment with him at all times. He feels naked without them.
His hair is jet black, with a subtle wave to it- and he never keeps it trimmed much longer than his eyebrows. When it does reach about his eyes, it irritates and tickles him and he ends up with a lot more smudges of ink on his face than he'd like.

Although rarely seen, Anphis had his tongue removed and can't really speak because of it. He elected to do this because of the position he held, to keep the Never King safe- and he would do this at any cost.

Personality Dedicated to a fault, and perhaps blind in his faith, Anphis will do anything for his king. He is completely enamored with him, for what at first began as 'awe' has turned into something much more deeply felt, and it's quite possibly because of this near blinding love towards his king that he became the perfect candidate as the blood offering for his king's 'return' and rise to god hood- a task he feels very proud and even noble to be responsible for.

Too bad he didn't understand it's repercussions...

Anphis is unnaturally smart, and a quick writer and learner.  Too bad his tongue was taken from him, as communications from him- truly from him, are generally kept to a minimum and to those closest to him.

He can communicate- whether it be on a bit of kohl on papyrus, or clothe- or even writing in the sand or scraping with a rock into a wall. Because this is his job and because it's the only way he can communicate, there really is no scribe faster than he.



Magic/Abilities It is uncertain if Anphis ever had any powers of his own- but due to the dabbling's of the Never King and those around him, Anphis found himself professing his life blood unto his King to insure his great rebirth and second coming. And some how.. for it.. he has become somewhat immortal. Due to the sacred magics needed to bring back the Never King, Anphis is flesh and blood during the pure solar eclipse. The lunar eclipse does not bring him to full awakenedness, but his spirit is much more active during this time. When it is not the solar eclipse, Anphis' body is condemned to stone. In a sense, this preserves his ability to make the sacrifice necessary to awaken his god- his king.



Relationships
Hebara - his half sister


History  Dedicated to a fault, Anphis has pledged his life to the Never King, and because of his connections to one of the princesses, he was able to obtain a high position in his court. He is with the Never King in most of his affairs- although not all. He is one of his most trusted men, one who has been hand selected as a sacrifice to help raise the Never King unto the status of a god.

As his king continues to research and learn more about the ability to rise in power, Anphis is diligently at his side, writing down each account and record of powers, of his abilities, of the stories of the passing days....
If it were not for his sister's sacrifice, his writings from those time would have been lost to the seas of time. For her life force has come to preserve the writings, her soul a guardian to keep the sacred text alive.




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The late day sky rumbled with the distant sounds of thunder. The air still smelled of the passed rains, puddles of water pooling long the deep gashes along the Ocean Trader's Route. The trees even still released collected rain waters when the storm's fade winds rustled their branches, and the air was now cool with humidity.

Despite the storm, which seemed to have rolled back out towards the sea... the air had a peculiar coppery smell that could not be snuffed out, for despite the rains- blood still stained the grounds where the littered bodies of men lay strewn around the debris of a once expansive line of cargo wagons. Dead men lay among dead mules and horses, a single horse pranced around nervously in the nearby woods, seeming to have been spared of the terrible fate that befell the rest of it's crew.

But it would be impossible to pass through the road without having to move some of the bodies and broken wagon pieces- for this was not just some fluke of weather or a wild animal - no...

The strange way the wagon pieces, and men's corpses... that some were oddly charred eluded to a much larger, fouler play. And the crows began to circle over head, as the distant cries of thunder rumbled.

And a crow landed upon his body, causing the man to groan and cough- which startled the crow away that had been pecking at his body. Somehow..
one of the poor souls had survived.

__________________QUICK STATS
A WORK IN PROGRESS
Name Hebara of the Flames
Age 21 (kind of - deceased atm...)
Gender female
Species human
Ethnicity Essryni
Height 5'7"
Occupation half sister to the Never-King? / keeper of the eternal flames/ spell speaker / High Enchantress
Residence tbd- but the woman's soul is currently soul bonded to the writings her brother had done to preserve the work of the Never King, keeping them from ever being destroyed. It is said if you possess any of those sacred writings, that a woman's voice may be heard or even a fiery figure of a woman's ghost seen from time to time... but that could all just be superstition

__________________IN-DEPTH STUFF

Physical Description A tall woman with a powerful air about her, with long flowing dark hair and yellow eyes that were once a far different shade- almost the color of midnight.

Personality A dedicated and confident woman.. on the outside. On the inside, past mistakes still haunt her days

Magic/Abilities High Enchantresss who has the ability that- literally what she says can come to life. But it's at a cost of life energy- be it her own or another. She need only touch people or things that have once been alive to get them to do her bidding. Because of this, she wears gloves at all times, lest she accidently use her powers on another by mistake. She claims she gains her powers from 'The Endless Flame'- a keeper of the world whom she devotes her life to- as well as to that of the Never King. It was seen in a vision she was to aid him, though she wasn't entirely sure of her purpose, she just knows that- despite the path forward, there is a long conquest destined for her great king and she is meant to be there to aid in that destiny.

Relationships She has two half brothers- one being the never king- the other, his high priest and scribe, however, neither brother shares blood- they being born from different fathers, and Hebara's mother was not the wife that gave birth to the Neve King.

History She learned from a young age she had an unfortunate ability to make anything do what she commanded- but at a high cost that has since scarred her. Her magical employ was subjected to royal use only- being the daughter of the Never King's father by her mother whom was a lesser wife/ concubine.

Despite having royal blood, she was never awarded the title of a princess, but rather is kept close and tight to the church and the Never King to work for him and ensure his embolden plans for the countries future come to fruition.

It is perhaps because of her last words that bring about the Never King's return...
Her life unto the book, so that the words and his name, his story- be preserved forever.

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"I've... been having dreams....

... the images are vivid and bold... 

...sand falling backwards in an hour glass before it shatters at my feet and turns into a pool of blood. 

The blood then turns into two twin serpents that curl around me. 
They twist and press into my skin, curl around my throat and choke me of breath....

and then I am resting.... arms folded... and it's very cold. 
 can not open my eyes... 
and then I realize I am in a golden coffin that's floating up into the skies...."

The dreams persisted for weeks. Her scribes would be called, and they would furiously write down the Shah's words. Each day for weeks now.. the dream had been the same. Occasionally, she would see more. But the the pattern always remained.

An hour glass.

Blood.

Serpents...

and a golden coffin in the sky.

Today she had woke up screaming- afraid she was in that coffin as she threw herself out of bed and wept into her maidservants. The priests would come, as would the scribes, and they were beginning to denote each time the dreams happened.

Some nights she didn't dream at all, and those- thank Hakeshna, finally allowed her some peace.

But for the last few weeks...
It had been torture. And the dream kept moving forward, like a ship on the Niafi, the waters pulling.. moving.. always going in the same direction...

Towards the sea...

Towards the golden coffin in the sky.


Priests have been trying to puzzle over the meaning of her dream- clearly the Shah's dream had to be of some significance if she were to have it so many nights for so many weeks. Many tried to use the telling of ropes- a ceremony where priests would bind the dreamer in a series of different colored ropes and when the sleeper awoke- where she lay, what direction she was in- it all pointed to signs.. reasons.. logics that were calculated by the stars.

Her Telling made her belly grow cold when they spoke it-

That the great dual serpent Hakeshna was calling out to her to speak it's will...
And she would need to travel to the scared hot springs of O'dhavbarr.

Why did all of the rituals the priests perform point her to Hakeshna's will? Persea chewed her lip as she considered her goddess. Everything was to to the will of she. Was she doing something so wrong that the two-bodied god itself tried to communicate with her by her dreams?

So it was decided that the Shah make a pilgrimage to the hot springs of O'dhavbarr. 
And there was great fanfare on this day- a sacred pilgrimage by the Shah herself! None outside of the palace would understand the intricacies or reasons as to why the Shah was making such a journey- but it gave the city an excuse for lively music and dance, as the entire city was set to life, wishing blessings upon their Goddess as the Shah passed through the city towards the western gates.

Colorful flowers, ribbons and confetti were tossed as the entourage passed- and enthusiastic Essyrni and their children were outside ringing bells. As the procession continued, many would get down to their knees to bow in reverence to their Shah, as she sat on her cushioned chair inside her curtained palanquin. It was extravagant and ornate, featuring the lush colors of purples and golds- the colors of her kingdom, her country, her pride...

and many ornaments crowned the outside, as fan barers walked beside her, even they wearing elegant dresses or robes and were decorated in lavish gold trinkets from head to toe. None, clearly, were more grand than the Shah herself- who was wrapped in ornaments and colorful plush clothes from head to toe. Her gown was so long that it was layered well past her feet in a train her maid servants had to be on vigilant attendance of- lest the sacred clothing of their Shah become soiled on the dirts and sand.

But despite the fanfare going on inside the city, Persea was too anxious, hands fidgeting where they remained at rest to one side of her leg, the other across her lap. She was meant to sit in such a way to honor Hakeshna, and to bless the travels and keep them safe. Odd how a little thing such as the way the Shah would sit could affect their journey. Occasionally she would wonder how it possible,- but dare she question the will and might of the Gods?

She chewed on her lip, trying not to frown and keep herself in that air of indifference and serenity. It was times like this she had missed her mother.. missed her father. She had no one close to truly guide her. Sure, she had priests but...
It was not the same as those of flesh and blood, and ever since her rise to power, she felt that empty bite of mourning.

No, she needed to remain focused. She would have answers. She would. If Hakeshna was trying to communicate with her and the Telling Ropes foretold what she ought to do- then she would do it.

Perhaps it would be a good sign, nothing so ominous as what her imagination conjured up - for that she truly feared. Persea wasn't stupid enough not to see the signs of Mortality and Death from Blood... and an Hour Glass- for time... but the serpent...

That she still was uncertain.

But the coffin...
and the sky....

Was it a prophecy of her death?

She could only hope to find answers in O'dhavbarr.

__________________QUICK STATS
Name Y'Lengin "Lenny" Hop-Rocker
Age 30 some odd years
Gender male
Species night goblin
Ethnicity Essryni
Height 3'2"
Occupation thief, liar, tour guide, swindler
Residence Moraki Desert / Essyrn City area

__________________IN-DEPTH STUFF

Physical Description Not very tall, lanky limbs, (well maybe more gangly) with larger hands and feet and ears with a squat face and body. His skin is bluish in tone, like most of the night goblin folk, and he has a hooked nose and small, beady red eyes.
His ears are pierced with odd trinkets and pieces and wood, and are almost elephant like, but more pointed. His only body hair grows in sparse tufts, some of which sprouts on his chin, and he keeps trimmed as a fashionable goatee- something he believes makes him look more dashing. His skin is pocked with various flecks of colors and blemishes, and his teeth are crooked and yellowing and far pointier than those of a humans.

He tends to wear red clothing, a red cap, vest and trousers with sweat cuffs on his wrists to keep his hands mostly dry for.. work. His clothing has many little pockets hidden and sewn in throughout. He's a pickpocket by nature, and stashes just about anything imaginable in his pockets or somewhere on his person. He even keeps things in his earrings.

His eyebrows are extra expressive and long and shaggy, if very untamed, and can climb up exorbitantly high on his forehead, or remain so far down upon his face it almost folds over his eyes. Over all, he's rather pointy.

Personality a sniveling weasel of a character- selfish and always watching over his own back before others- however, he'll watch your back if it earns him something in return. He's not a character that does something for nothing. There always has to be a reward, or fair trade.

He believe in a god called 'Night Moon'- an ancient goblin who is send to have ascended to the moon itself and blesses his kind in shadow and mischief. He carries a religious necklace of his god Night Moon, but...
he also carries trinkets representing just about every other religion as well. Those he keeps on a key ring hidden inside his shirt.. and latched to a second set of necklaces he wears.

He's also obsessed with money. He'd sell his grandmother for even the smallest, shiny penny. He's.. not exactly a man you want to trust your life with, however, he is very hand when you need a skilled thief and someone with his.. eccentricities

Lenny wears no shoes. Why would a goblin wear shoes? Silly things.. shoes are. Those who need shoes are weakfeet. And he is quick to mock those of the like.

Magic/Abilities As stated before- he is good at pick pocketing, slight of hand, persuasion, manipulation and greed

Relationships One could say many that know Lenny.. KNOW Lenny. You either love him or hate him. Or both. The few that can stand to be near him for any length of time earn the moniker of friendship,.. if almost mockingly coined.

Winston McKeane is one such man- and it's hard to say if they're friend.. or foe. Frenemies to the bitter end!

History What much can a goblin say? He was one of the youngest of 16. And although his kind aren't always frequenting the desert (as they prefer mountains or shadowy plains), for one reason or another, Lenny found himself in the Moraki desert... and it seems to suit him just fine.

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__________________QUICK STATS
Name Winston Knightly McKeane
Age 35
Gender male
Species human
Ethnicity Connalothian
Height 5'10"
Occupation Desert guide to the deep Moraki
Residence Essryn.. somewhere.. probably. He rarely stations in one place too often. He kind of has a bounty on his head, after all... and at least one for each country!



__________________IN-DEPTH STUFF

Physical Description
A tall, broad shouldered, muscular man with deeply tanned skin from years spent in the sun. He has wild, dirty blonde locks that fall to about shoulder length and tends to keep a scruff beard- although on occassion he's gone clean shaven. He has blue eyes like the sky and tends to wear practical clothing. He has a single piercing on one ear.
He's also devilishly good looking- and he knows it

Personality
He can come off as a chauvinistic pig because well.. he kinda is. Always a man looking after his own back, Winston headed south when the war in Connlaoth got to a point where he'd be forced to fight. He served his time and wasn't about to fight for a cause he didn't believe in- not to mention he and his sister were water mages.

He is a confident man who is very practical but isn't without his own sense of humor.. and honor.

He also really enjoys the company of women and booze- being drunk helps him forget he was a coward and failed his sister

He isn't a fan of sweets. He prefers bitter foods and drinks


Magic/Abilities
Excellent marksman and soldier - he's one of the few persons in Essryn with a gun. He uses them sparingly as getting more ammunition isn't exactly easy
Knowledgeable survivalist
Storm mage - although he doesn't fully realize this yet (he thinks he's some type of water mage)

Relationships
Essryn McKeane - sister, now deceased
Contacts/ friends and associates:
Horton Menzie
Benjamin Benson
Lenny - frenemies

History
Born and raised Connlaothian, his father was a career soldier and tradesmen. He had connections to Essryn, and he and his sister both had the chance to grow up exploring the desert as well as the rolling hills of Connlaoth.
They were mages, however, and known too - his father preaching honesty and he fought for the Grand Duke until the day he died.

Which left Winston as the male heir of the family and things quickly went down hill from there..

MORE COMING SOON

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THIS IS A WORK IN PROGRESS!
Name Jackal (because most humans are too dumb to know how to pronounce his real name)
Age I dunno.. 5? What is that, 35 in human years? idk... lol
Gender ISN'T IT OBVIOUS.. I mean.. uh, male
Species ... a .. jackal? Well not those kind of jackals! obviously. He doesn't know! Stop bothering him already!
Ethnicity Essryni.. I guess (Do Jackals have ethnicities? Also.. what's an ethnicity?)
Height 6'
Occupation AHAHAHAHA, as if the great Jackal would have a job
Residence A desert out post somewhere... lounging about, likely being lazy/sleeping/or dreaming of cake (he does like sweets- an incentive that got him to travel far too close to the gross human cities before) but he's not a fan of crowds. Nor does he understand human 'etiquitte'


__________________IN-DEPTH STUFF

Physical Description In every way he appears human, except for the few things that distinguish him as certainly not human- as his ears are tall, long and fluffy ontop of his head, in the style of his animal's namesake and a tail to match that is a reddish brown fur. His human hair bends towards the more redder side of the spectrum with the ends and roots a deep black- this root and edging detailing also is complimented in his ears and tail.
He also has more elongated canines and his finger and toe nails are more like claws with thin, black like fur accenting them, that remains sleek against his hands, (not tufty like his ears or tail) The same type of 'fur' accents the tip of his nose, which makes him appear as if he's rubbed his nose in soot.
His eyes are a golden color, his skin sunkissed and his long red hair is always a mess, but is usually kept back in a lengthy hair wrap or plate.

Personality Grumpy, playful, mischievous- he goes through a wide range of moods but no matter the mood, it's always more on the dramatic side. Get him angry-? Oh, he be angry. Get him happy? You can bet your cocoa wheats that tail is wagging something fierce! He also has a short attention span and will easily bore on things if you don't keep him entertained

Magic/Abilities Jackal is a typical um.. Jackal. His kind are like their pack animal brethren but don't ask him too much about it- it's not common to see his kind around and there's reasons for that. 

Relationships tbd

History 
Jackal tends to stay away from crowded cities, sticking to deserted outposts in the desert or oasis if he moves about. He can seem a bit of a lazy creature, hunting when he needs to be and often times is at odds with a familiar falcon he tends to 'argue' with when he visits a certain oasis- although it doesn't seem like the bird knows how to talk back, perse- but somehow Jackal will still hold full on conversations with it- and well, just about any other animal he meets. It's hard to say if he can  actually talk to animals or if that's just an odd quirk of his. But because he tends to live by himself and in the desert wastelands, he's rather familiar with territories off the charted maps. He's helped a lost caravan or two in his time, and somehow that gained him a myth that has carried back to the city- lucky him-
Something about a 'Jackal' that can help lost travelers find their way-
And rumors spread he's likely guarding some treasure...

Truthfully, Jackal seems kind of lazy for that.

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SO
I've been having this crazy idea whirling around inside my head that's a mishmash of so many of my beloved favorite things and it finally came to fruition inside my head where it makes sense to explain it and offer it up as a potential event!

So! That being said...
Have you ever seen the 1999 cinematic master piece 'The Mummy' staring Brandan Fraeser and Rachel Weisz?

Have you ever loved the goofiness and loved the exploratory aspect of the animated movie El Dorado/Prince of Egypt?


Than look no further than the proposed idea I gots for an event in Essryn :D


The basic premise is the cursed corpse of a man who 'tried to become king but never achieved it' comes back to life and is determined to gain the power that was taken from him. With it comes along a plague and other shenanigans!


'The Never king's' reign was short lived and controversial. Some say he never actually 'became king' and was a poisonous usurper. However, he did have royal blood and his claim wasn't entirely fanatical. But whatever he did do earned him a gruesome execution and had his name erased from history - chiseled off of any and all monuments that had been attributed to him in life and the life there after.

This is where the curse comes into play- either he, or someone working with him, cursed him so that upon his return, he will become a 'god king' and assume his rightful throne, punish those who destroyed his short lived empire- and become the last and immortal god ruler of Essyrn.


This idea becomes a site wide event because:

1- there would likely be a small cult following around the newly 'awakened' king who is slowly building up his power and purpose to take the Essyrni throne and to achieve the promise of his curse - to become this immortal god entity. I'm thinking there's a pretty extensive process and he could possibly bring back to life some of his former associates, etc as he's gaining momentum.

Some of his powers would affect things not only on a political level, but plagues and rare diseases cast by his own hand could be afflicted onto the people as this resurrected person goes through all the steps to gain more powers and steps towards immortality. I'm thinking he has his own little guide book that helps him lol in ancient essryni etc etc
But things like plagues, zombies/mummies/liches, crazy weather powers etc begin to arise in Essryn.

2) The other opposing forces would be trying to figure out how to kill this man off and stop him from achieving this 'god hood'. He's clearly a threat to the current Shah and as pieces about his history begin to emerge that hadn't been fully destroyed by those that killed him during his mortal life... scary realizations come afoot and the 'good guys' realize they gotta stop him, least Essryni fall into a frightening era of chaos.


The bad guy can gain more powers through various factors of his curse:
1- sucking the souls from enough persons that he can essentially 'live forever' - only catch, the person giving up their soul has to willingly give it. Those souls he can keep as a stock pile in order to use towards achieving god hood. However, if he gains souls by 'stealing' them, they can temporarily gain him abilities, but they're not a permanent solution. Hence why he'd have to establish himself and gain followers willing to give away their souls. He can only 'steal' one soul every 24-hours to feed off of. It gives him 1 days worth of life. So he has to 'steal' souls everyday until he achieves godhood-
Or he just returns to being dead :)

Giving away one's soul doesn't kill a person- they just seem... 'off', muted, not quite themselves. Their constitution and any powers they had before are greatly reduced and they seem purposeless.

Can souls be restored? No one knows :D Maybe read from the book ;)

However, being 'soulless' adds to the many problems arising! Also, it seems if you are soulless, the wannabe 'God king' can use his growing powers to manipulate you to do things on his behalf.
So more people he sucks souls from, the bigger army he can gather.


Those he can willingly suck a soul from are also limited- although it's uncertain if this number is one a day or one a week. Since the food is 'willing' and is being incorporated into his immortal godhood manifestation, there seems to be a 'gestation' period before he can eat again. It does not seem one type of soul eating affects another. Unwilling souls are only temporary sustenance that gets used up and can not be added to his power pool (only the ability to utilize the soulless later as an army). So he could, in a sense, eat both types of souls in one day if the timing was right.

As his power tiers grow, he gains more power.


In order to make godhood the below stages (or tiers) need to be conquered before the curse/blessing can become 'set'/(permanent):
Death, Soul, Land, Sky, and finally- conquering Life- to become a true immortal.

STOLEN SOULS- if your soul is stolen unwillingly, you only have 24 hours to get it back before it's permanently digested

WILLING SOULS- your soul is stuck inside him in his pool of power unless, HE decides to relinquish it... or his death comes, whichever happens first. However, your soul is lost forever in this process if he ever DOES achieve godhood because he then digests those souls and manifests himself into a 'god'


*The below tiers are subject to change - these are just the first draft! the land and sky tiers are likely to be edited as we move onward with the plot as I feel these are the least fleshed out aspects of the tiers- and could possibly end up just being merged, depending on story and circumstances

God tier- he will achieve 'immortality and godhood' but first has to go through the other tiers to achieve this! (More on this below)

First tier- (DEATH) he is awakened from the dead (I mean- conquering death itself IS impressive!) and can eat souls to survive and begin his 'pool of power'

Second tier- (SOUL) his second awakened tier allows him to tap into the first level of god powers, this also gives him access to his control of 'soulless' and can begin to tap into first tiered abilities. This also begins his own gestation of creating his 'god soul' needed to gain him the god power he desires

Third tier (LAND) this tier takes some time to gain- as he needs so many souls of the living to create enough power to begin to manipulate and lay claim over aspects of the lands around him- and they come and need conquered in no short order: Sand, Water, Earth, Plant-life (tbd)

Fourth tier (SKY) this tier takes just as much time to gain and allows him to lay claim over the following: insects, winds, storms, and stars (would be pretty gnarly if he could pull down an asteroid to smash things to bitty bits) or create other such phenomenon like perma-eclipses etc (tbd) Might even be cool if aspects of flying or what have you, come into play.

Fifth tier (LIFE) this tier is insane and takes some time to even get close to achieving-
in the end he has claim over the following and then is able to become 'immortal' and achieve godhood and digest all of his souls fully to achieve the final outcome. But on his way there he has to lay claim over the following: Objects of Man (he can breath power into inanimate objects men have created- such as clothing, ropes, buildings, etc),
Disease and Pestilence - lays claim over the diseases and plagues
Seed of an heir (right before he can become a god, he will obtain the ability to ensure a legacy by now begin able to sire children) and in fact, has to do so before he can move onto the final tier of immortality, which then earns him the next step God Hood.

God Tier- he has reached immortality and can do all of the previous abilities. Each ability takes some usage of the pool of souls he's obtained, and he only has so many uses before they have to 'recharge' and he can use them again. Now that he's come onto God Tier status, he can continue to gain souls to a point where this 'wait' period is more or less nonexistent and he can bend the world to his will. Also, at this tier- he no longer has to eat souls to live and it is nigh impossible to kill him.


The only way to fully be rid of the god king as he grows is to either:
1) remove all his souls
2) don't allow him to eat a soul for 24 hours so he can die
3) I'm sure there's some secret in the "Book of the Dead*" he follows but he won't share that with you! - might have to do with him eventually siring an 'heir'...
*note 'Book of the Dead' is the place holder >_> I'll make neph come up with something far more clever to name in it's place



1) Does anyone wanna play the God king? If not, I'm game for playing the big bad I designed!

2) Anyone wanna be a minion or design someone from his past? Whether they're on his side or someone opposing him? Clearly Mr. God King wannabe needs friends!

3) This will *obviously* affect the Shah, so I'll need those to rally around her to help her figure this all out! So clearly, a rag time group of wannabe heroes and also everyday knights and warriors who are already loyal to her crown

4) Current day myth searchers who want to be for or against the God king's rise

5) Innocents and 'Ostriches'! - Unfortunate bystanders and those who refuse to believe there really is a problem forming.


1) While threading, we'll just ask that you remain reasonably active so the event doesn't go stagnant! We're estimating to have the event move forward each time we finish plots per tier event *based on the god kings tier growths

This means that plotting into said portion of the event closes once we go live and get knee deep in Threads.

Threads still exist in liquid time like all other threads on the site, just major event arcs are only open for discussion and creation during the active plotting stage! i.e.- if the big bad guy is on tier three and we're actively playing it out but you have ideas for tier one.. unfortunately it's too late for said idea to affect the event plot.

2) Additionally for the main, major plot important threads we do ask again for regular activity (approximately a post/week to these threads where necessary). Obviously exceptions apply but we want to try and keep the ball rolling and not stagnant. If you have concerns during the threading process, don't be shy. We can work on this together!

3) We are looking to keep each tiered active plotting open for roughly 2-3 months - but will keep said boards updated so members are aware! We're hoping overall the whole set of arcs will take about a year total OOC gameplay time. Obviously your individual or side threads can continue to be written for as long as you want but this should hopefully keep your characters from getting locked in an event with no end and you unable to do other major plots them when you want because of the uncertainty of THIS event.

4) To start off some discussions and plots, please list your characters and where you'd like them to get involved and why!

Stay tuned for the next post which will go into a little bit more history on this God King Wannabe and how we aim to go about creating this consortium of fun. Nephero has expressed interest and will be working on the BBEG (big bad evil guy) and we'll be working on finalizing locale and fun scenarios to toss characters into!

OOC: Tags to @Rhindeer !

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The war had gone on long enough. Long was the suffering, the blood and the energies spent. Perhaps he had become jaded... perhaps he had become weak to decide at such a solution, but the war had been coming to a stand still- with hostilities at their peak, and no which way but death to lead her.

He had reigned the entirety of the war. He had championed changes that was meant to bring about peace and stability against those mages who weakened the system and lead to the former leader's death.

The fact a mage could so outwardly and so cowardice... murder a man in cold blood- and one so high ranking as the Grand Duke himself...
It had been an unforgiveable offense. One that started it all. The Connlaothian Civil War.

But it had been over a decade now and they were heading towards a second and his people...
The division was growing terrible, and finally, duchy's were resistant to the demands and were forcing his hand.


The Grand Duke was only as powerful as his fellow men, and the division was making that clear. This... Duke Blaith Harmond- a man he had never personally met upon the battle field, except when championing inside the houses when laws were met and proposed and passed.

There had been lurking something dark within him...
something that left a cold chill in the pit of his belly. And somehow the man had made remarkable moves in marrying the 'White Lily' child of the Duke of Orchy. Of all the radical things...

But it made the war more 'even'- and both sides were stiff with impasse.
And he'd taken a long time to speak with the church, to speak with all duchies and it seemed...

It was time to talk of peace.


He had to wonder if it were even possible. After so many years of blood shed and strife....
Could he truly go through with it? It's why they had decided on reaching out to Serendipity- a bold choice, to be sure. It wasn't that relations with that nation were... strained...
It's just Connlaoth would rather keep it's nose turned the other way when dealing with... the magical kingdom neighboring to the south.


It would be a big ordeal, certainly, and a dangerous journey to be sure- but the Queen had accepted the invitation, - as had the Duke whom he had been waging war.


Blaith Harmond....


The man should be dead. This war should end with his head on a spike- shown off to the entire nation what those rebelling against the crown ought to have cost. But here he was.... suing for peace.


He couldn't believe he was doing this- or the method at which he had to achieve it. Of all things...

It was to start off with a magical 'talk' in the mirror.  Calent drew in a long breath, exhaling slowly as he stared at the magical mirror across the room. He had accepted it, as it had been carted in from Serendipity and the Queen herself. A mirror in which to talk...

Too bad this wouldn't suffice for the actual meeting. No.. but this would expedite it.

He gave a wave to his hands so that the summoners could begin, and he waited there for Queen Qianna Di'Veera to answer his call.