Sikuvikians are a hearty and diverse people. They have grown accustomed to the harsh climate of the Arctic and the challenges it brings. The name of the land, 'Sikuvik' simply translates to 'ice place' in the indigenous language and it's no mystery as to why. But the glaciers and snowfall are only the tip of the iceberg so to speak when it comes to Sikuvik's natural beauty. The auroras are a sight to see for those unfamiliar, its massive volcanoes billow with smoke and magma, and the fjords that cut into the landmass make for an interesting voyage.
The country has a tumultuous history between two of its main human ethnicities, the Inyu and the Surfolk. The Surfolk were refugees who were attempting to escape a civil war that ravaged their homes, eventually they settled Sikuvik. One of the tribes, the Tuthuk did not take kindly to this settlement and both groups would clash pretty frequently over the land. Eventually, diseases brought by the settlers would kill off many of the Tuthuks as they did not have remedies for foreign malignancies. The Tuthuks lost much of their land and people until the other tribes stepped in as they were worried about the same thing happening to them.
Treaties were made to maintain peace and how to divide the land so that everyone would be accommodated. Some Surfolk refugees even assimilated with the tribes and vice versa. The Tuthuk have recovered from their conflict although they have a long way to go before reaching population numbers before Surfolk settlement. Some tension remains between the two ethnicities troubles are continuing to be resolved especially with the expansion of the capital of Vonnuk where the majority of the Surfolk population resides. As the world gets more connected, the Inyu seem to falter behind with a lack of accessibility to public services. However, many in Sikuvik society are fighting for better accessibility and an end to the ignored gap between the Surfolk and Inyu.
Biome: Sikuvik would be labeled as a taiga. While many see Sikuvik for its icy natural beauty, they might assume that the people live in beautiful cities carved out of ice. While a few nomadic tribes exist the further north you go, there are forests and greenery in the southern parts of the country where there are more people. Some would even miss a few of the volcanoes that litter the country where one erupted not too long from the present day.
Climate: Sikuvik's climate varies depending on where you are in the country. The east coast has pretty mild winters and cool summers and only goes a few degrees below freezing. The Southlands and the Capital also tend to be noticeably milder. The further north you go, however, the colder it gets with these areas getting the most snowfall out of the rest of the country. Temperatures tend to be 40 degrees below freezing and only 10 degrees above freezing in the warmer months. In the winter you'll most likely see 18 hours of darkness while in the summer you'll see 18 hours of daylight.
society.
Capital City:
Vonnuk - The capital of Sikuvik, founded by refugees who migrated north and founded a settlement that focused on lumber and animal products. The city grew as the years passed by especially when gold was discovered across the country. Many people would further diversify Vonnuk's demographics to cater to the prospectors that traveled to the frigid north. The city was a shining example of progression and innovation causing more people to immigrate to Vonnuk who wanted a quieter city life compared to Celeste as an example.
Villages:
Vithribine - The southernmost populated town. For a long time though, the village was only settled as it was in a more temperate climate. The exiles chose to remain here instead of further north where Vonnuk would eventually be founded. By the village is the Vithri Geothermal plant which accounts for much of the country's power supply.
Mitalsiq - This village is responsible for being the largest fishing exporter at least in Sikuvik. The indigenous population also use the village as a must see destination for luxury seafood. It received notoriety during one of Sikuvik’s many gold rushes where many eventually settled here and became permanent residents.
Ansthi - It was said that this was the place to commune with the Spirit of the North, Ansthi and the village was named after the spirit’s name. The village itself is also very spiritual with a temple dedicated to Ansthi and a university.
Government: Sikuvik is a semi-direct democratic republic led by the Executive Council, 6 individuals who are elected by the people to run the nation. The voting process is done specifically by humans. Every six years, for six months, any human can run a seat on the Executive Council. There are no term limits and whoever gets the most seats on election day gets the seat they ran for once they win. When in office the Executive Council is voted in they decide on policies to run the country which are then brought to the public to vote on. The only thing that humans in Sikuvik don't vote for is the President of Sikuvik. The President is chosen by the Executive Council to represent Sikuvik when foreign leaders and representatives. They are also given emergency powers in times of crisis and is head of the military.
Economy: Sikuvik has had a history of exporting animal products, mostly notably ivory from walrus and mammoth tusks. Regulations had to be put in place to prevent the extinction of both animals as well as to an important part of Inyu diet. Fish and other marine life are also exported as seafood products. Produce however is reserved for domestic markets like root and cruciferous vegetables. Geothermal and petroleum are the main sources of power, petroleum is especially important since it works as a fuel for vehicles and an export to countries that also require the same good. Some mining is also present in Sikuvik with minerals used to make goods at home or shipped abroad.
Magic:
Magic was always seen as a fringe part of Sikuvian human society or at least reserved for people of specific occupations. In Inyu culture, shamans were considered magic practitioners. It was said the gift of magic was given to their chief deity, Anshti so that they could protect themselves against the elements of the frigid north as well as all its perils. A lot of Inyu magic focuses on healing, speaking with animals, communing with spirits, and ice magic.
The Surfolk share a different tale. Of the Surfolk pantheon there are two notable deities, Norsir and Eesir. Sibling gods and two halves of a whole. Norsir is the embodiment of light magic which includes healing, navigation, rousing, speaking with animals, and removing curses just to name a few. Eesir is the embodiment of dark magic which includes reading minds, fortune-telling, speaking to the dead, creating illusions, invisibility, and curses.
culture
Races:
Humans - Humans make up a large majority of Sikuvikians and are split into three major ethnic groups. Inyu, Surfolk, and Ties (pronounced 'tees'). Humans are the only race in Sikuvik that have permanent settlements and foundations of civilizations, therefore they write and follow laws to uphold their rights to property.
The Inyu are the indigenous humans that have lived on the land since time immemorial. Of the Inyu there are four main tribes such as the Yukchi, Umamut, Ansiput, and Tuthuks. Yukchi inhabit the east coast, the Umamut remain as nomads who wander around the land without trespassing on the territory of other tribes, the Ansiput reside along the west coast, and the Tuthuks inhabit most of the southern more temperate lands. The four tribes lived relatively peacefully with each other having unique customs and dialects.
The Surfolk are the descendants of Vallien refugees who made their way to Sikuvik to settle there after the civil war in Divine. Over time their customs changed as they adapted to the region, but they were initially not welcome. Once seen as invading savages who were stealing the land of the Inyu they are now just a part of the land as the Inyu are. They reside mainly in the capital of Vonnuk while some have their farms in the southern parts of the country.
Tie is a prefix for denoting 'two' and in the context of ethnicity means that they have both Surfolk and Inyu blood. Tie are present everywhere in Sikuvik although many struggle with finding a cultural identity with every Tie being on a spectrum between pure Surfolk and pure Inyu. Some speak the Surfolk language and their tribal language, some speak one or the other, or neither.
Adlet - The origins of the Adlet are unknown but they are a hybrid between a wolf and a human. They have the capability of speech and body like a human with the senses and a few features of wolves. Adlet are known to have fangs, wolf ears, and while they don't have fur, their blood has the capabilities to keep their bodies warm, especially in the freezing climate of Sikuvik. That being said, adlet do not thrive in warmer climates as their blood warms their skin to survive in the cold. Sometimes they come into conflict with humans when it comes to hunts.
Giants - Not much is known about the Giants to the human population. Some are mischievous and act alone in causing trouble for humans and other animals. Usually knocking down trees just cause they can or intrude on hunting grounds. Others keep to themselves and can sometimes be helpful to other living beings.
Common Customs:
Marriage - The concept of marriage and partnership was and still is emphasized in Sikuvikian human culture. In Inyu culture, marriage was seen as a necessity so arranged marriages for a man and a woman to survive in the harsh conditions and also to procreate children to continue their bloodlines. In Surfolk culture, men and women usually shared duties of hunting, farming, and homemaking as early settler life was difficult and everyone had to do their share. Being married meant that two people could support each other and achieve more together and is seen as a means of survival. In recent years less stress has been put on having heterosexual partnerships, although having a partner in general is widely encouraged.
Language - Inyu language was never transcribed or written so history has always been spread orally. The necessity for written language has made it so the Inyu language can be more accessible for those who cannot receive oral education of the language whereas Surfolk language has always been written. Services are provided in both languages to accommodate the human population. Giants and Adlets have their own languages but since they aren't part of Sikuvik society therefore services aren't accomodating to them.
Clothing - Sikuvik clothing is meant to account for the frigid weather, so a lot of the clothes are made from wool or fur. In recent years a lot of clothes have been imported. Clothing is gendered as well between masc and femme presentation. Inyu and Surfolk people have their own traditional clothing for events like weddings or specific holidays.
Food - Depending on where you are in Sikuvik, each region has its cuisine. The coasts are known for their fresh fish while further inland and the south love their vegetables and mutton. Sheep's milk is also very popular. If you're lucky enough to dine with nomads you could have some fresh mammoth steak. Alcohol is mainly a Surfolk luxury with many Inyus preferring tea or juice from arctic berries and herbs.
Holidays - Humans mainly take time to celebrate holidays with the most popular being Sommerhatith and Veturhatith or the Summer and Winter festivals. The Summer Festival is a time of celebration for the long days ahead with song, dance, and drinking. The Winter Festival is usually a time to get together with loved ones and provide solace for each other for the long nights ahead.
relations.
Sikuvik has no notable military alliances, most if not all their treaties are trade deals.
However, the country has a very tense relation with its southern neighbor, Divine. The Surfolk hold the wounds of their ancestors, the Vallien who were subjected to grief after the Divinese civil war. As the country modernized, its most prominent militia, Sikuvikian Defense Force patrols the border with Divine preparing for conflict to break out at any time.
Relation to Impera: Impera briefly raided Sikuvik as they scoured the north.
coded by weldherwings.
Overview: Sikuvikians are a hearty and diverse people. They have grown accustomed to the harsh climate of the Arctic and the challenges it brings. The name of the land, 'Sikuvik' simply translates to 'ice place' in the indigenous language and it's no mystery as to why. But the glaciers and snowfall are only the tip of the iceberg so to speak when it comes to Sikuvik's natural beauty. The auroras are a sight to see for those unfamiliar, its massive volcanoes billow with smoke and magma, and the fjords that cut into the landmass make for an interesting voyage.
The country has a tumultuous history between two of its main human ethnicities, the Inyu and the Surfolk. The Surfolk were refugees who were attempting to escape the wrath of the Empire as it ravaged across the world with most of them settling Sikuvik. One of the tribes, the Tuthuk did not take kindly to this settlement and both groups would clash pretty frequently over the land. Eventually, diseases brought by the settlers would kill off many of the Tuthuks as they did not have remedies for foreign malignancies. The Tuthuks lost much of their land and people until the other tribes stepped in as they were worried about the same thing happening to them.
Treaties were made to maintain peace and how to divide the land so that everyone would be accommodated. Some Surfolk refugees even assimilated with the tribes and vice versa. The Tuthuk have recovered from their conflict although they have a long way to go before reaching population numbers before Surfolk settlement. Some tension remains between the two ethnicities troubles are continuing to be resolved especially with the expansion of the capital of Vonnuk where the majority of the Surfolk population resides. As the world gets more connected, the Inyu seem to falter behind with a lack of accessibility to public services. However, many in Sikuvik society are fighting for better accessibility and an end to the ignored gap between the Surfolk and Inyu.
Biome: Sikuvik would be labeled as a taiga. While many see Sikuvik for its icy natural beauty, they might assume that the people live in beautiful cities carved out of ice. While a few nomadic tribes exist the further north you go, there are forests and greenery in the southern parts of the country where there are more people. Some would even miss a few of the volcanoes that litter the country where one erupted not too long from the present day.
Climate: Sikuvik's climate varies depending on where you are in the country. The east coast has pretty mild winters and cool summers and only goes a few degrees below freezing. The Southlands and the Capital also tend to be noticeably milder. The further north you go, however, the colder it gets with these areas getting the most snowfall out of the rest of the country. Temperatures tend to be 40 degrees below freezing and only 10 degrees above freezing in the warmer months. In the winter you'll most likely see 18 hours of darkness while in the summer you'll see 18 hours of daylight.
Capital City:
Vonnuk - The capital of Sikuvik, founded by refugees who migrated north and founded a settlement that focused on lumber and animal products. The city grew as the years passed by especially when gold was discovered across the country. Many people would further diversify Vonnuk's demographics to cater to the prospectors that traveled to the frigid north. The city was a shining example of progression and innovation causing more people to immigrate to Vonnuk who wanted a quieter city life compared to Celeste as an example.
Villages:
Vithribine - The southernmost populated town. For a long time though, the village was only settled as it was in a more temperate climate. The exiles chose to remain here instead of further north where Vonnuk would eventually be founded. By the village is the Vithri Geothermal plant which accounts for much of the country's power supply.
Mitalsiq - This village is responsible for being the largest fishing exporter at least in Sikuvik. The indigenous population also use the village as a must see destination for luxury seafood. It received notoriety during one of Sikuvik’s many gold rushes where many eventually settled here and became permanent residents.
Ansthi - It was said that this was the place to commune with the Spirit of the North, Ansthi and the village was named after the spirit’s name. The village itself is also very spiritual with a temple dedicated to Ansthi and a university.
Government: Sikuvik is a semi-direct democratic republic led by the Executive Council, 6 individuals who are elected by the people to run the nation. The voting process is done specifically by humans. Every six years, for six months, any human can run a seat on the Executive Council. There are no term limits and whoever gets the most seats on election day gets the seat they ran for once they win. When in office the Executive Council is voted in they decide on policies to run the country which are then brought to the public to vote on. The only thing that humans in Sikuvik don't vote for is the President of Sikuvik. The President is chosen by the Executive Council to represent Sikuvik when foreign leaders and representatives. They are also given emergency powers in times of crisis and is head of the military.
Economy: Sikuvik has had a history of exporting animal products, mostly notably ivory from walrus and mammoth tusks. Regulations had to be put in place to prevent the extinction of both animals as well as to an important part of Inyu diet. Fish and other marine life are also exported as seafood products. Produce however is reserved for domestic markets like root and cruciferous vegetables. Geothermal and petroleum are the main sources of power, petroleum is especially important since it works as a fuel for vehicles and an export to countries that also require the same good. Some mining is also present in Sikuvik with minerals used to make goods at home or shipped abroad.
Magic: Magic was always seen as a fringe part of Sikuvian human society or at least reserved for people of specific occupations. In Inyu culture, shamans were considered magic practitioners. It was said the gift of magic was given to their chief deity, Anshti so that they could protect themselves against the elements of the frigid north as well as all its perils. A lot of Inyu magic focuses on healing, speaking with animals, communing with spirits, and ice magic.
The Surfolk share a different tale. Of the Surfolk pantheon there are two notable deities, Norsir and Eesir. Sibling gods and two halves of a whole. Norsir is the embodiment of light magic which includes healing, navigation, rousing, speaking with animals, and removing curses just to name a few. Eesir is the embodiment of dark magic which includes reading minds, fortune-telling, speaking to the dead, creating illusions, invisibility, and curses.
Races:
Humans - Humans make up a large majority of Sikuvikians and are split into three major ethnic groups. Inyu, Surfolk, and Ties (pronounced 'tees').
The Inyu are the indigenous humans that have lived on the land since time immemorial. Of the Inyu there are four main tribes such as the Yukchi, Umamut, Ansiput, and Tuthuks. Yukchi inhabited the east coast, Umamut were all nomads who wandered around the land without trespassing on the territory of other tribes, the Ansiput resided along the west coast, and the Tuthuks inhabited most of the southern more temperate lands. The four tribes lived relatively peacefully with each other having unique customs and dialects.
The Surfolk are the refugees who made their way to Sikuvik to settle there after the Empire ravaged their homes. Once seen as invading savages who were stealing the land of the Inyu who were now just a part of the land as the Inyu are. They reside mainly in the capital of Vonnuk while some have their farms in the southern parts of the country.
Tie is a prefix for denoting 'two' and in the context of ethnicity means that they have both Surfolk and Inyu blood. Tie are present everywhere in Sikuvik although many struggle with finding a cultural identity with every Tie being on a spectrum between pure Surfolk and pure Inyu. Some speak the Surfolk language and their tribal language, some speak one or the other, or neither.
Adlet - The origins of the Adlet are unknown but they are a hybrid between a wolf and a human. They have the capability of speech and body like a human with the senses and a few features of wolves. Adlet are known to have fangs, wolf ears, and while they don't have fur, their blood has the capabilities to keep their bodies warm, especially in the freezing climate of Sikuvik. That being said, adlet do not thrive in warmer climates as their blood warms their skin to survive in the cold. Sometimes they can conflict with humans when it comes to hunts.
Giants - Not much is known about the Giants to the human population. Some are mischievous and act alone in causing trouble for humans and other animals. Usually knocking down trees just cause they can or intrude on hunting grounds. Others keep to themselves and can sometimes be helpful to other living beings.
Races:
Humans - Humans make up a large majority of Sikuvikians and are split into three major ethnic groups. Inyu, Surfolk, and Ties (pronounced 'tees'). Humans are the only race in Sikuvik that have permanent settlements and foundations of civilizations, therefore they write and follow laws to uphold their rights to property.
The Inyu are the indigenous humans that have lived on the land since time immemorial. Of the Inyu there are four main tribes such as the Yukchi, Umamut, Ansiput, and Tuthuks. Yukchi inhabit the east coast, the Umamut remain as nomads who wander around the land without trespassing on the territory of other tribes, the Ansiput reside along the west coast, and the Tuthuks inhabit most of the southern more temperate lands. The four tribes lived relatively peacefully with each other having unique customs and dialects.
The Surfolk are the refugees who made their way to Sikuvik to settle there after the Empire ravaged their homes. Once seen as invading savages who were stealing the land of the Inyu they are now just a part of the land as the Inyu are. They reside mainly in the capital of Vonnuk while some have their farms in the southern parts of the country.
Tie is a prefix for denoting 'two' and in the context of ethnicity means that they have both Surfolk and Inyu blood. Tie are present everywhere in Sikuvik although many struggle with finding a cultural identity with every Tie being on a spectrum between pure Surfolk and pure Inyu. Some speak the Surfolk language and their tribal language, some speak one or the other, or neither.
Adlet - The origins of the Adlet are unknown but they are a hybrid between a wolf and a human. They have the capability of speech and body like a human with the senses and a few features of wolves. Adlet are known to have fangs, wolf ears, and while they don't have fur, their blood has the capabilities to keep their bodies warm, especially in the freezing climate of Sikuvik. That being said, adlet do not thrive in warmer climates as their blood warms their skin to survive in the cold. Sometimes they come into conflict with humans when it comes to hunts.
Giants - Not much is known about the Giants to the human population. Some are mischievous and act alone in causing trouble for humans and other animals. Usually knocking down trees just cause they can or intrude on hunting grounds. Others keep to themselves and can sometimes be helpful to other living beings.
Common Customs:
Marriage - The concept of marriage and partnership was and still is emphasized in Sikuvikian human culture. In Inyu culture, marriage was seen as a necessity so arranged marriages for a man and a woman to survive in the harsh conditions and also to procreate children to continue their bloodlines. In Surfolk culture, men and women usually shared duties of hunting, farming, and homemaking as early settler life was difficult and everyone had to do their share. Being married meant that two people could support each other and achieve more together and is seen as a means of survival. In recent years less stress has been put on having heterosexual partnerships, although having a partner in general is widely encouraged.
Language - Inyu language was never transcribed or written so history has always been spread orally. The necessity for written language has made it so the Inyu language can be more accessible for those who cannot receive oral education of the language whereas Surfolk language has always been written. Services are provided in both languages to accommodate the human population. Giants and Adlets have their own languages but since they aren't part of Sikuvik society therefore services aren't accomodating to them.
Clothing - Sikuvik clothing is meant to account for the frigid weather, so a lot of the clothes are made from wool or fur. In recent years a lot of clothes have been imported. Clothing is gendered as well between masc and femme presentation. Inyu and Surfolk people have their own traditional clothing for events like weddings or specific holidays.
Food - Depending on where you are in Sikuvik, each region has its cuisine. The coasts are known for their fresh fish while further inland and the south love their vegetables and mutton. Sheep's milk is also very popular. If you're lucky enough to dine with nomads you could have some fresh mammoth steak. Alcohol is mainly a Surfolk luxury with many Inyus preferring tea or juice from arctic berries and herbs.
Holidays - Humans mainly take time to celebrate holidays with the most popular being Sommerhatith and Veturhatith or the Summer and Winter festivals. The Summer Festival is a time of celebration for the long days ahead with song, dance, and drinking. The Winter Festival is usually a time to get together with loved ones and provide solace for each other for the long nights ahead.
First Name: Malika Takiri
Current Name: Astrid Gunnarsson
• The first notable difference between Malika and Astrid would be their skin tone. Astrid's is a bit lighter in tone simply because of their difference in ethnicity (she likes using filters that make her skin darker). Malika was born from the Ansiput while Astrid is a two-blood. But if you put them side by side you'd think they were related as they bear a somewhat similar resemblance to each other.
Style:Malika wears the traditional clothing of the Ansiput tribe, a lot of clothes are made from the pelts of Sabercats and Bears to protect them from the cold. Because Astrid lives in Vonnuk, she gets to wear a lot of modern clothes and loves to keep up with modern fashion trends
Likes: Animals, The Cold, Milk, The Northern Lights, Vonnuk at night
Dislikes: Windchill, Rotten fish, slush, Lovebook (The most used dating app produced and used in Sikuvik)
Biography:
Malika
TW: implication of coerced sex
Within the Ansiput tribe was the Takiri clan who lived on the northern coast. Malika was like a lot of women of early Inyu culture, a domestic homemaker. She learned how to tan leather, skin animals, cook, do laundry and build igloos among other responsibilities. She hated it, not the skills she learned but the fact that she was doing all this for her tribe. It was never about what she wanted. Of course the tribe mattered to her but she yearned for more. Malika wanted adventure and excitement. One day she decided to leave her village in the dead of night. At first the night seemed peaceful and tranquil, until she realized she stranded too far from home and the wolves started howling.
The wolves however were the least of her concerns, Umamut raiders had encroached on their territory. Usually they came to poach game from Ansiput territory but these were more than raiders, they were slavers. For weeks, Malika had no idea where she was. She found herself in a camp. she couldn't understand what was happening, literally, she didn't know the Umamut dialect or the other strange language spoken by people with much lighter skin but they weren't Surfolk.
She and a bunch of other girls from were taken further south, all the while, the lighter skinned people said one thing, "Impera." They all ended up in what seemed like a military camp in what looked like the south of Sikuvik. There was another Ansiput woman who had been there for a couple months. Malika was told that the Inyu were supposed to be comfort women. She was unfamiliar with the concept like all the Inyu women who were there. Malika endured until she couldn't anymore and swiped at an imperan officer who was pressuring her to have sex with him in the middle if the night. The officer's face was ripped apart and in her rage as Malika's hand transformed into a wolf paw. She then transformed into a wolf as she rampaged her way through the camp, killing a few guards before she changed back into her human form.
Malika confused as to what happened saw an opportunity to free the dozens of women who were held here against their will. Malika had led them away from the camp. By morning, the imperans were chasing down the women who escaped. A whole platoon had caught up to them, but Malika transformed once again into a wolf and charged at the Imperans. Malika was powerful but outnumbered as the imperans weakened her with prods and pricks from their weapons. But as she was faltering, Tuthuk warriors had charged the Imperans. They took them back to Vithribine, which would become the bloodiest front of what would be the Imperan expedition into Sikuvik.
Impera had the numbers to overwhelm Sikuvik, despite the weather and the tenacity of Sikuvik's warriors. Malika would never see her family ever again as she died defending Vithribine.
Astrid
Born in Vonnuk to an Ansiput mother and Surfolk father, Astrid is an only child and received all the attention and care she needed from her parents. If you knew about her childhood you would think she was an 'it girl' that resembled the flavor of Sikuvik. Fluent in Ansiputi and Surfolkish, exceeded in school consistently, learned archery and ice hockey, initially wanted to go to law school but dropped out before finishing her undergrad to become a model.
She received enough attention to achieve some sort of celebrity status in Sikuvik to promote many brands in the country, mostly related to skincare, bathing, and fashion. She was successful enough to do work in Celeste where her agency believed she would thrive. She knew enough of the language to get around and became conversational the more time she spent there. With her own apartment, Astrid holds a lot of optimism for the future.
Occupation: Currently modeling for a clothing company in Celeste.
Family:
Past
Two younger brothers (Ikuqik and Ikamik)
Mother (Ansisa)
Father (Tekkestik)
Grandmother (Sitomak)
Present
Mother (Avalu)
Father (Stefán)
Role: Key of Sikuvik
Motive: Astrid has wanted the same thing for entire life, wanting to be accepted for who she is. As a Tie, she faces a lot of prejudice from extremists in both Surfolk and Inyu groups who think Ties are ‘impure.’ Even though others may not be blunt about it, Astrid received a lot of condescending questions and interactions about her ethnicity.
Magic/Abilities:
She doesn’t know it, but she possesses magical abilities
Shapeshifting: Astrid can turn into four different animals including a wolf, bear, raven, and cat.
Teleportation: Astrid can teleport anywhere in her line of sight, this ability can only be used once each day.
Strengths:
Multilingual: She can get anywhere in Sikuvik and the Celestian language is pretty commonly spoken in other places around the world. She's able to communicate with a wide variety of people.
Agile: Even though she doesn't know of her powers, her experience as a hockey player makes her quick on her feet.
Weaknesses:
Self-doubt: Astrid feels like she is always trying to prove something to someone. Something she internalized from the prejudice that was inflicted on her. Even though she has achieved so much she still thinks she has to do more for approval.
No self-defense: She doesn't know how to handle physical altercations, she'll always look for a way to avoid conflict. While that's not an issue, as a key she should learn how to handle herself in fights.
The nation of Alkosa is best known for its main attraction— the Siren Isle, the world’s entertainment district. Whether you want a sample of exotic food or exotic experiences, or if you want to gamble your life away in its many casinos, anyone and everyone with coins is welcome in its land.
However, if one were to truly want to know Alkosa for its culture, one has to look under the waves— and it is extremely difficult to get permission to enter if you do not have an Alkosian to vouch for you. They are, after all, a territorial bunch— a trait that was passed down from generation to generation after the fear that was instilled by Impera’s conquest. They cling to their culture with an iron grip; and while they embrace progress, they make sure they do not forget their roots.
Race(s):
Merfolk - Alkosian merfolk retain the ability to shift between their half-humanoid forms and their humanoid forms, an interesting side effect of their isolation of many decades from the Imperian rule. However, the merfolk had slowly adapted to living both in the sea and on land, allowing them the ability to stay on dry ground for five hours before having to re-hydrate. Merfolk have become partial to staying in their humanoid forms and most of their structures allow water to flow through so that the merfolk may be able to re-hydrate without worry.
A variety of races can live on Siren’s Isle
Capitol City:
★ Tandira (The Lost Temple)
Only the natives call it as it once was, Tandira. Nowadays, most call it the Lost Temple or the Lost City due to its legend-esque status as only a few ever talk about it or have stepped foot on it.
The city itself is protected by what appears to be strong currents— most scientists think that it's from the many volcanoes closeby that create such currents that surround the nation. It is believed that the merfolk and other animals had evolved to be able to pass through the currents with ease.
Inside the currents, however, is a bustling metropolis of merfolk. The city is essentially an air bubble, allowing merfolk to breathe air and be on dry ground despite being underwater. It appears as how Tandira had appeared during its time on the surface— a nation that is semi-sunken to allow merfolk to be able to create their homes on water where they sleep while allowing other land dwellers to walk amongst them. However, there are certain channels of varying sizes flowing across Tandira where various aquatic animals can travel through and even live should they find a large enough pool to settle in.
Villages:
✿ Sulien (Siren Isle)
The only city worth knowing in all of Alkosa, Siren Isle! No matter what kind of entertainment you can think of, they've got it! A beautiful landscape that you can explore to your heart's desire, beaches with sand so white you'd think it was fake, operas and theaters where you can watch famed plays and unique food to sate your appetite. The night life, however, is the one that most flock there for. Casinos and bars dot the land, lighting up the streets, and exotic folks to sate your appetite— you can find anything and everything on this island.
So come on and book the next ticket to Siren's Isle and enjoy its amenities.
✿ Doshiel
A small floating village located close to Siren’s Isle. They're in charge of caring for aquatic life to return them to their former glory. The merfolk who live in Doshiel are described as aggressive towards fishermen and have vehemently pushed for the area to be protected waters. One can compare them to an aquarium with how they have set up their underwater rehabilitation areas and breeding grounds, and it makes it easier for the animals to be rehabilitated and released when the time is appropriate. Conservation scientists are often allowed to visit.
Government: Constitutional Monarchy - Due to the relatively small and isolated nature of Alkosa, the practice of constitutional monarchy had never changed since the Key of Alkosa had deemed it the most fitting kind of government during his time. While the current ruling monarch has a lot of say in government proceedings and is often the final vote in laws and decisions, they can be vetoed by a unanimous decision by the current council that is voted in by the people. This allows everyone in the nation to have a representative and a vote in what they think should be done.
The current ruler of Alkosa is Queen Makosia Allindira who has been on the seat for seven years after her father had passed.
Allies:
Tsavosa - Once upon a time, the nations of Alkosa and Tsavosa were stalwart allies who aided each other in almost everyday life. Nowadays, however, they have a rather loose alliance as nations that are close to each other.
Zaharia - In a time long past, the Keys of Oasis and Alkosa were close friends who would often visit each other at both a personal and professional level. This has led to active trade between Zaharia and Alkosa using Celeste as a trade route due to the waters being unsafe. Nowadays, trade is still conducted between the two nations via Zaharia's flying transport.
Enemies:
Imperia - Due to their lasting economic and cultural impact, Alkosa still has not opened any kind of trade with Imperia itself. However, records show that Alkosa and Imperia once had strong relations that turned sour after the conquest.
Relation to the Imperial Empire:
Alkosa and Imperia once had trading agreements between the two nations due to the friendly nature of which the two Keys had met. It could even be said that the two nations had been allied while Imperia was still recovering. However, when Impera had risen the banners of war, Alkosa was quick to withdraw all merchants and route access to Imperia.
Alkosa had not been invaded by the Imperial Empire as the nation was sunk before the conquest could reach their lands. They did, however, suffer from economic and cultural backlash from Imperia’s actions as the invaded Tsavosa had overfished in their waters, driving many aquatic animals to extinction or endangerment.
The only known and recorded fatality of the Alkosa nation is their Key, Al'Tura, who perished while attempting to prevent Imperia from reaching Tsavosa, their sister country.
Biome: Island, Underwater city
Climate: Siren's Isle has a tropical climate.
References:
*generally what it appears like but more densely populated by other buildings attached to the waterways
Landmarks:
On Siren Isle:
The Grand Sulien Hotel - The tallest establishment found in the Siren Isle. Located at the center of the isle, it is where most visitors book a stay. It provides wonderful sights and beautiful amenities with a round-the-clock room service at practically your beck and call. There are other places where you can stay the night in Siren’s Isle but, why settle for less when you can stay at the Grand Sulien Hotel that has membership offers for those who avail the services of the casino?
The Aldrovanda Casino - The largest and most populated establishment in the Siren Isle, it has everything you can want for your gambling needs. From slot machines to card tables to virtual horse racing, you name it, they’ve probably got it. And if they don’t, come back next year, you might find the empty spot now occupied by it. Of course, the casino very well understands if someone has brought their children around— and while they do have rules against minors playing, they have set up various playpens and arcades for children to play at.
Crystal’s Delight - A bar and club located close to the Grand Sulien Hotel, this is where people go to get drunk, get high, and perhaps pay for the company of various degrees of intimacy. They are well-known to have professional yet alluring workers as well as some of the best alcohol imported from across the nations.
Pearl of the South Seas - It is the oldest establishment on Siren Isle, having been the first building to be made and opened when the merfolk had left Tandira to return to the Siren Isle and rebuild it. The Pearl of the South Seas was the first one to pull in visitors to the Siren Isle until it was the bustling city it is now. It has earned quite a legendary status among the acting community— many stage performers make it their goal to be able to perform there. After all, performances there are invite-only and a company that has managed to perform there before does not have a higher chance of being re-invited than a company that hasn't.
On Tandira:
The Holy Temple - Found in the middle of the city, the Holy Temple is the tallest building on Tandira— theorized to have been made so that it was the closest point of contact to the moon and directly connects to the sea as it goes down to the lowest level of the island. Even now, half of the temple is submerged. This is where the merfolk go to give prayers to either of their goddesses. Due to the presence of non-merfolk on Tandira who have become followers of Yuehai, a shrine is erected above the water so that they may pray.
The Royal Palace - Located beside the Holy Temple, the palace is where the current monarch and their family live. It also doubles as the government's base of operations as hearings for new laws and the like are preceded inside the Palace. It has gone through many renovations to create more room and to allow more modern installments to be made, but otherwise still retains the same style over the centuries.
LANGUAGE
Alkosians have retained their original language from a time long past— when merfolk were still underwater-dwellers. Interestingly enough, their language is not spoken. Rather, it is signed and written only. Much like some aquatic animals, Alkosians use gestures, movements, and expressions to be able to communicate. When in distress or need to call someone out, they emit shrill sounds to disturb the water— acting like a sort of echolocation for merfolk to pick up on so they can find the person who wants to communicate with them. Their alphabet consists of symbols (resembling that of Eastern Asian characters). Alkosian language is taught alongside the common language to children. Nowadays, however, it is more common to hear them speaking in the common language than the Alkosian language for convenience
TRADITION AND RELIGION
Alkosian-born sirens are often raised to be traditional— holding a strong belief that the water around them protects them and that they shall, in return, protect its other inhabitants as best as they can. Alkosians generally revere the Moon and the Sea— or specifically the Goddess of the Moon, Xalin, who controls the tide and the currents; and the Goddess of the Sea, Yuehai, who created the creatures that inhabit the waters. It is believed that Al'Tura, the nation's Key, is Her Graces’ progeny, though how much is true is left to faith. They also believe in the Sun God, a belief that came from their neighboring nation which they had adopted.
Due to their lives spent mostly at sea and in the water, their clothing is made to be waterproof— allowing them to be hydrodynamic and overall dry whenever they resurface. A siren's beauty is measured by both their looks and their scales, as such, their clothing can be described as revealing to show off the parts of their skin that are covered in scales. However, outside of the Siren Isle, it is accepted to not wear clothing at all as the merfolks’ scales are already a form of cover. Many elderly and traditional merfolk tend to live without clothing and allow their scales to grow and harden across their body, a natural progression of age.
SOCIETY
One might be surprised to hear that Alkosian society is mostly egalitarian wherein Alkosians can typically pursue whatever they want to regardless of their gender and orientation. For the most part, a lot of respect is given to elders due to their wisdom and knowledge. Their words hold a lot of weight and they typically represent the citizens’ wants during government meetings.
Despite what outside nations think about Alkosian locals working in Siren’s Isle, their jobs are not seen as something disgraceful so long as they have made the choice themselves. However, after centuries of the Siren’s Isle in operation, many workers consist of people from other nations who have come to live on Siren’s Isle to try and make a name for themselves or to simply get enough money to get their feet back on the ground. After all, here in Siren’s Isle, no one will judge you for anything.
FAMILY CUSTOMS
Alkosians are mostly monogamous but raising children is a communal effort. Neighbors and extended family members will pitch in to support the family throughout the child's formative years— everyone in the city is either an aunt, an uncle, or a trusted adult. This is to avoid a child being abused or perhaps led astray by having adults keep each other in check. Though the practice is effective in its own right, it is not foolproof. After all, there are still bad seeds inside a community. As such, law enforcement keeps an eye on children and non-blood relatives when they are together. Native Alkosians that reside in Siren’s Isle typically raise their children similarly but are more wary of letting them out at night and warn them about strangers much earlier on due to the higher crime rate at such a hotpot of random people of varying degrees of sobriety.
When an Alkosian comes of age, they are presented with a necklace made from the sea that is collected by those who had helped them grow up— this often means their parents, family friends, and neighbors. This can range from molding sea glass into beautiful shapes, pearls, corals, and so on. Alkosians are not expected to wear it all the time if they choose not to, but it is out of respect that it must be displayed and cared for in one’s home should it not be worn.
IMMIGRATION
Outsiders are welcome to Siren's Isle at any point in time— as its revenue does come from tourism. Anyone can move into the Siren’s Isle permanently after going through the proper channels which is honestly as loose as anything in this city.
However, this is less true when it comes to Tandira. It is difficult to gain access to the capital city and those who wish to visit have many papers to process at Siren's Isle to even have a chance to go there. It is not available as a tourist spot and many who try to trespass are prevented by the strong currents that surround the city. However, an Alkosian can vouch for an outsider to make their process easier— and being romantically involved with an Alkosian for a certain amount of time would allow an outsider to waive the entire process. The attitudes of the elderly and the traditional Alkosians to outsiders living in their city are often negative but the current political sphere protects permitted outsiders from being discriminated against.
HOLIDAYS
Festival of Reunion - The celebration of when the moon is at its largest— or nowadays scientifically known as the perigee. While it happens every month, the festival itself is only held in the sixth month of the year. It is a joyous festival to celebrate the meeting of Xalin and Yuehai wherein every single household and establishment light up lanterns and hangs them outside of their buildings. On Tandira, there is typically an open market in the middle of the city where festivities are held. On Siren Isle, it is when the city is in full swing. Performances are held outside constantly the entire day before everything silences at dusk and all the establishments close down so that the priestesses can bless the cities for another prosperous year.
An interesting thing that happened during this time was that bioluminescent microorganisms circled the Alkosian lands. They pass through the channels and light up the cities almost by themselves.
Festival of the Sea - This festival celebrates the bountiful harvests throughout the year, giving praise Yuehai for giving them another prosperous year. Each household prepares a dish and brings it to the communal hall or festival grounds wherein everyone will partake in the feast. A select portion of the best-made food is then offered up to Yuehai by wrapping it in seaweed and letting a current carry it elsewhere. This festival happens in the eleventh month of the year when it is reaching its end.
Festival of the Moon - This festival celebrates the Goddess of the Moon, Xalin, and her guidance on the Alkosians. The festival itself is a solemn and revering affair with establishments closing down for the night— the only time the Siren Isle falls to peace and serenity is during this night as they are also required to close down. Outsiders are often alerted of this festival in advance and are invited to join in on the prayers but are allowed to roam and enjoy the sights themselves should they wish to. Alkosians write down their wishes and tie them to their windows where the moonlight may shine upon them. These wishes remain on the windows for a week before being taken down and either burned or released into the ocean.
[To add more]
CUISINE
Siren’s Isle has many imports from most of the nations and there are all sorts of cuisines from other nations available. They do provide exotic food that can only be provided in Alkosa, but they are oftentimes extremely expensive due to the extremely strict conservation laws of certain
In Tandira, they simply dine with seafood and sea vegetables that they hunt and grow themselves. There are imports of other types of food from the surface but they are not very popular among the common populace.
ECONOMY
Alkosa offers exotic seafood that is only found either deep underwater or grown in their underwater fisheries. Due to their strict conservation laws, these are practically rare delicacies that will never be exported. They are also masters in crafting jewelry. Despite its seemingly cheap origins of sea glass and pearls, they can make exquisite lines of jewelry that can compete with metal and gemstones.
They are also known for their production of musicals and plays, boasting what appears to be natural performing talent.
Their highest grossing businesses, however, are their casinos, and tourism which feed into their hotel and food establishments. They boast the latest gaming systems and experiences, whether this be for adults or for children.
MAGIC
Magic used to be something that was interwoven into the past of the people of Alkosa and it was something that was respected. Merfolk typically learned water-aligned magic so that they could make themselves more effective in the water— either for hunting or for travel.
Another magic that they commonly used is transformation magic which allowed merfolk to switch into a humanoid form with a fish tail and eventually their land-dwelling forms. This ability is innate for ancient Merfolk as they have three natural forms— their aquatic forms, their half-humanoid forms, and their humanoid forms. Pure-blooded merfolk have access to all three but the progress of the times has caused them to deviate from their origins and only have access to the latter two.
The first form is their original form— that of a sea serpent. Though their size depends on their age, they do not grow for more than fifteen feet in length. They also lack the natural prowess of a pureblood sea serpent, making them a little bit weaker in their original forms by the time tools were introduced into society. The second form is what is commonly known as a siren's form— consisting of a lower body of a fish and an upper body of a humanoid. And lastly, their humanoid forms that they use to traverse the land.
Interestingly, the merfolk of Alkosa can still transform between their half-humanoid and humanoid forms, retaining a fair bit of magic because of their isolation under the sea. This is the only kind of magic that they can access but is considered more of an innate, biological ability rather than something as superficial as magic.
Notes:
Alkosians have created a vehicle that allows non-merfolk to enter through Tandira’s currents without being repelled. By going at specific times during the entire day, when the currents are at their weakest, the vehicle can withstand the currents safely. Only those with Alkosian permits and passports are allowed to use this ride.
Su is a merfolk of a tall, slender yet toned build with long, unruly white hair— oftentimes left untied. He carries himself with a certain amount of dignity and pride, befitting a celebrity such as himself. His eyes shine blue like the clearest of the seas attributing only to his beauty; however, what most merfolk would talk about are his indigo scales that seem to shimmer into a deeper violet or a lighter blue. In a time long past, only one such merfolk held such unique scales, and that was none other than the Key of Alkosa, Al'Tura. His gills are located on both sides of his neck— flattening out when he's out of water and appear when he's in it.
In his half-humanoid state, his legs turn into an indigo tail that shimmer like his scales in his humanoid form.
Su and Al’Tura have similar appearances in terms of build— but the dilution of magic from the merfolk had caused a couple of changes to Su’s appearance. Al’Tura had a bluish tint to his skin, much like most merfolk back then, with gills located on the side of his face. His ears are also elongated, much like the elves.
Style: To show his pride as a merfolk, Su can often be seen in loose, open clothing to show off his beautiful scales. In formal scenarios, however, he still dresses well with whatever the dress code is— or whatever his designer tells him to wear.
Personality:
Su has a natural charm around him— an eloquent speaker with a silver tongue who can gauge someone’s body language and act accordingly, whether it is to appease the other party or prove them even further. He loads up with honeyed words to get himself into the good graces of people he needs to impress and this helps boost his popularity. There are some who grow skeptical of how Su presents himself, thinking him to be fake and undeserving of his popularity, but he pays them no mind. While the opinions of others are important for public figures such as himself, he finds himself caring very little for vile rumors that spread about him.
He is passionate about his craft and it shows in his work ethic. He’s incredibly hardworking and would do whatever it takes to give the best performance that he can, barring completely ruining his health to do so. He is also well-read and well-studied, having actively become a student of various acting legends in his youth all the way to adulthood, and seems to soak in lessons from co-stars whenever the opportunity presents himself.
It is difficult to be considered an actual friend of Su. He designates most people to friendly acquaintanceship— someone he can talk to when they’re together but not actively seek out. He also does not trust so easily and keeps a lot of his personal life tight-lipped around fellow actors and actresses. He decides what information will be public and what isn’t even if it is difficult to do so when every phone and camera is pointed to you in public. Still, once he deems someone to be a friend, he is fiercely loyal and gracious. He becomes a lot more open and a lot more easygoing. Only a few are privy to how Su truly is and he would like to keep it that way.
No one exactly knows where Al'Tura came from. He was simply found as a child swimming in the waters of Alkosa. He was picked up by two commoners— a fisherman and his wife. When questioned about his parents or where his home is, he simply gestured to the sea. The two commoners took him around Alkosa, asking if anyone had lost their child. However, no one ever claimed Al'Tura. So, they became his parents.
Al'Tura displayed signs of being a prodigy— no, even more than that, his control over water and his apparent ability to communicate with aquatic creatures went beyond what was normal for a merfolk. This genius could not be hidden for long as the royal family eventually caught rumors of this young boy and eventually called for his presence at the palace. When it became apparent that this young boy was no ordinary merfolk, the royal family acted swiftly and took in the young Al’Tura and his parents.
After all, they must get this boy under control.
The ancient Alkosa was, after all, not the egalitarian society it is now. The royal family’s words were law and none could disobey it, but they often turned a blind eye to the misgivings of nobility towards commoners. However, Al’Tura appeared to be attached to his adoptive parents so they were given jobs as servants in the palace while Al’Tura was given tutors to mold him into a perfect tool for the royal family.
Perhaps the royal family had disillusioned themselves into thinking that their favorable treatment of Al’Tura would make him forget about his adoptive parents as their treatment of the two began to sour and become abusive. If they were able to get rid of them, then Al’Tura would focus on them and them only— make him their son. So, the Allindira couple disappeared from the palace and was never seen again. Al’Tura seemed nonplussed and went along with what the royal family wanted.
But Al’Tura was nothing if not loyal. He swore to bring the royal family to justice and rework the system, and with how the royal family was pushing his status as the children of their beloved gods, it wouldn’t be long until he was given the ability to change things. When the king had grown ill and was on his deathbed, he attempted to name Al’Tura as his successor. However, he refused, stating that he was of not royal blood and that a spiritual leader should work alongside a true monarch of royal blood. This caused the four royal siblings to fight each other for the throne, greedy and power-hungry, and led their respective noble houses to each other’s ruins. When all is said and done, only Yon’er remained, the youngest son. However, at that point, the bloody affair had spread across Alkosa and when Al’Tura had passed judgment that he was unfit for the crown, the people rallied behind him— remaining nobility and commoners alike. After all, who would doubt the words of the child of a god?
Al’Tura then spent years re-establishing a new government order as well as a more egalitarian society, eventually adopting Aloise to be the first queen of the new Alkosa, then assigning trusted advisors and people from all points of revenue government seats to become her council. Ever since then, it has become a tradition to carry the Allindira surname when you ascend to the throne. Once everything in the nation had settled, Al’Tura went on to become the nation’s diplomat and he began establishing proper relations and trade routes with other nations. Tsanova was first. As the nation connected to their own lands via land bridges, Al’Tura went on to propose they become allies and the two nations had been closely intertwined ever since, sharing cultures and aiding each other in times of trouble.
He then made contact with the Zaharian nation, soon gaining access to speak with their goddess queen personally. To his surprise, Zahara was fun to befriend and he allowed himself to relax. Establishing a pact between the two nations, Al’Tura slowly became personal friends with Zahara and they have been close friends ever since. Because he trusted in his nation’s governance, he could elect to leave his nation for elongated periods of time wherein he would spend it either traveling, on diplomatic missions, or visiting friends and taking a vacation there.
Zahara had been the one to introduce Al’Tura and Impera, under Al’Tura’s insistence. Upon learning of what Impera had done to liberate his nation, he figured that there would be no harm in meeting with someone of that good standing. They hit it off well, exchanging friendly banter and talks until they eventually opened trade routes between the Empire and Alkosa, with Al’Tura giving aid to the Empire to get back on its feet. And over the years, Al'Tura returned to Imperia several times to meet with their leader, often over a good bit of tea and drafting trading routes with them.
How unfortunate that he was not able to foresee Impera’s thirst for power and greed. Maybe it was because it had been centuries since he had last seen it up close, or perhaps he had simply turned a blind eye to it for his best friend’s sake, but that didn’t matter. The Empire became the very thing he detested as a child. So, he pulled back all help from Alkosa and closed off any contact.
Due to the conflicts in his contracts, Al’Tura had decided upon a solution. After discussion with the reigning monarch and the council alongside the public opinion, all merfolk were called back to Tandira and the entire island and its land bridges were sunk into the depths below, never to resurface once more. Drained of his magic but having come upon a decision, he rested himself on Siren Isle and held back Imperian fleets from reaching Tsavosa for as long as he was able to so that the nation could prepare their forces for the invasion. He ended up dying among the waves, the first and only Alkosian casualty in the entire war.
Su Talmaris
Born in Celeste, Su’s parents were no one important. Just an average man and woman who work to keep food on the table and to give their child a favorable education. Both Alkosian-born, they tried their best to impart as much of their culture as they could to the young Su who took it all on eagerly. It created a yearning for the young child to visit Alkosa but neither of his parents had the capability of money to travel back, having been relocated to Celeste for their jobs.
He does well enough in school but most of the recognition he gets is from his charm and skill in singing. Most merfolk are known to be gifted performers and Su seems to fall into that. So, he cultivated it as much as he could. After all, he found it fun to sing and act— why not be the best he could be at it? They said he’s a natural, might as well take advantage of that.
He met his long-time friend and closest confidant Khepri when they were both young. He had saved her from drowning at a lake before meeting again at school. Ever since then, Su had pestered her enough to become her friend. Though she was rough around the edges, Su was rarely bothered by this fact. He took her snide remarks and returned them, turning caution into banter. Eventually, the two of them became the best of friends and nearly inseparable. In time, Khepri had started to be included in the Talmaris family.
When he was a young teenager, Su took to the streets to sing while also taking videos of his covers. Eventually, he got his name out there enough that he had been scouted by a start-up company, XK Records. The pay was not as good as it should be and the quality of their equipment was understandably not all that good, but Su thrived in it. They got him deals to appear in gigs and he would do his best to provide the best entertainment he possibly could. Thanks to him, alongside other singers and groups that XK Records had signed, the company itself flourished into a powerhouse in just a few short years.
Su was allowed to explore other avenues and he found himself performing in musicals and stage plays which he had enjoyed immensely. Young and talented as he is, he had a decent amount of work and earned enough to ensure comfort for his parents should they choose to retire. Surprisingly, they did not. So, he went on tours and took breaks whenever he could to spend with his parents.
His popularity only grew as he grew older and older. He started acting in a few movies as well, though he did not prefer them as much. Whenever he went on tour, he would often drag Khepri with him— perhaps you’ll find a source of inspiration? — he would often reason out. Though there have been a few rumors spreading about the relationship between himself and Khepri, he has insisted and reiterated that he saw her as a sister and simply as a best friend. After all, who wouldn’t want to travel the world with their best friend?
It had even allowed him to go to Alkosa. He brought along his parents during these trips so that they could visit family again and he was given a passport to enter Tandira. It was said that it was because of his status as a merfolk and his rising fame that he had been invited to perform at the Pearl of the South Seas alongside a rising theater company who had accepted him during the auditions. Ever since then, he would return to Alkosa to perform more and more frequently, feeling much more at ease and in touch with himself when he visits his nation.
Nowadays, he had returned to Celeste for a few performances before taking a vacation to calm down after a hectic tour.
Occupation: Actor and Singer, mainly appears on stage plays but has a few movies under his belt
Al’Tur Allindira Family
Tula Allindira - His adoptive mother. A kind and hardworking woman, she was the one who instilled loyalty and love into Al’Tura. She had deeply loved him like he was her own child but the royal family had not allowed her to show this to its maximum extent once they were placed in the palace. She disappeared during her stay there alongside her husband.
Ramil Allindira - His adoptive father. Though he can be described as gruff, he is actually a sweetheart at his core. He was the one who taught Al’Tura caution and the ability to read a situation and react to it. He came to think of Al’Tura as his own child and regrets not fleeing with him when the royal family had called upon them. He disappeared during his stay at the palace alongside his wife.
Jor’el HIltry VI - His “adoptive father”. The king of Alkova was a man who was greedy for power and would not allow anyone to take his place unless he was sure that he could control them. While he was not beloved by all of the people, the commoners of that time agreed that he was at least not as bad as he could have been.
Eris Hiltry - His “adoptive mother”. Al’Tur did not have a good opinion of the queen as she had constantly pushed his boundaries of being his “mother” despite him already having one. He sees her as overbearing and pushy, but acknowledges that she appears to love her children equally.
Tor’el Hiltry - The first prince. Tor’el held strong to the beliefs of his father and had fully expected to inherit the throne. He appears to be favorable to the oldest nobility in the nation during that time. He was the second fatality in the bloody war for the throne.
San’er Hiltry - The first princess. Al’Tur found her to be the kindest among the siblings. He favored her out of all of the siblings as they were the same age and they got along well. However, he watched as she fell into the same power struggle for the throne and stepped aside as she began to stake her claim on it. She was the third fatality.
Wan’er Hiltry - The second princess. She was prized for her beauty and grace. While most had not expected her to join the power struggle as she was practically glued to Tor’el’s side, it was revealed that she had killed her brother in his sleep. She was the second fatality.
Yon’er Hiltry - The second prince. He was young, foolish, and underestimated. He was known to be the poet of the siblings and his way with words had rallied many noble families to his side. This had been the one to ensure his victory in the struggle. The final fatality.
Aloise Allindira - Al'Tura's adopted daughter. He had found her outside of Alkosa— a lost young merfolk out in the wilds. So, he had taken her in as one of his own. He made sure to give her the love and affection that his adoptive parents gave him. While there aren't many records of Al'Tura and Aloise's relationship beyond the fact that she was the first crowned queen of the new era, it is undeniable that the two cared for each other as a parent and child would have. She had gone on to have her own husband and children, continuing on the new royal lineage. However, when she passed on due to old age, it is said that the waters around Alkosa were turbulent as Al'Tura disappeared to grieve.
Su Talmaris Family
Zuru Talmaris - Su’s father. He is a hardworking accountant. He has a kind and mellow demeanor, being the calming presence to his wife’s more imposing energy. Despite his son’s popularity, he kept himself humble and continued to work. He loves his son dearly and often gets excited whenever he sees Su on television or the news— though would have words with him when the rumors spreading about him are unsavory.
Eliora Talmaris - Su’s mother. She is a lot more fiery and active than her husband, and it shows. She’s a real estate worker and her enthusiasm and eye for people had racked up quite a sum of money for the small family. She is extremely vocal about being proud of her son but would not hesitate to pull his ear and berate him when he does something wrong. Still, she’s understanding and knows when she is wrong and would apologize if so.
Role: Key of Alkosa
Motive:
As a mortal, he wishes to gain more fame to get more jobs. He loves performing after all and he wants to improve as much as possible.
As a Key, he wishes to see Alkosa continue to thrive and be protected, as well as protect the ocean that their goddess had gifted to them.
Magic/Abilities:
Gravity Magic
Al’Tura has the ability to increase or decrease the effect of gravity on another person or area. He can cause people to float by decreasing gravity or make it exceptionally difficult to move through an area by increasing it. He’s also been seen to use this magic to ensure that his magic and his attacks hit harder.
He has the special ability wherein he can manipulate the tides and currents of the sea through the combined control of gravity and water magic— allowing him to create tsunamis, whirpools and other devastating effects that mimic the dangers of the ocean.
Current ability: None
Aquamancy
Al’Tura, like most of the merfolk, has the innate ability to control water. However, unlike them, he has the ability to create it as well— ensuring that he doesn’t run out of “ammunition” so to speak.
As a Key, he is able to tap into aquatic creatures as well. If the animal is naturally aquatic, Al’Tura has the ability to communicate with them. Most lesser aquatic beings tend to follow his lead due to the power he possesses, but higher and more intelligent aquatic beings can negotiate and deny him if they see fit. He has even learned to steer clear from the apex predators in the Western Seas due to their ill temperament and unwillingness to communicate. While submerged in water, he can essentially use echolocation to map out the area around him by feeling the currents of the sea, allowing him to have impeccable senses while inside the water.
Current ability: Su appears to be able to, at some surface level, understand the feelings of aquatic animals and they naturally appear to like him.
Transformation
The innate ability for Merfolk, Su will regain access to it when he regains his memory as his body's magic returns. He will be able to transform between his half-humanoid form and his sea serpent form just like Al'Tura could. In this form, magic cannot be used. As Al'Tura is considered a primordial being, he retains a bigger form of a merfolk sea serpent, reaching up to nearly twenty-five feet in length.
Current ability: Su can freely transform between his humanoid and half-humanoid state.
Strengths:
Underwater - As the Key of the merfolk, Su’s at the peak of his power when he is around or inside a large body of water. He is able to tap into his full potential in these conditions and enemies are oftentimes massively disadvantaged when fighting him underwater.
Enhanced Physicality - Once magic begins to return to the world, Su would regain his unnatural strength and durability— a trait of a sea serpent bound to human form.
Charmer - Su has quite a way with words and his often calm and collected countenance allows people to feel more at ease around him. Most of the time, he would rather diffuse the situation through words rather than escalate it.
Weaknesses:
Hydromancy - While Su has a greater mana pool than a normal person, it is not limitless. He finds it more difficult to do any feat of great water magic when he is away from a source of water— limiting him to smaller abilities rather than destructive ones when he has to create his own water.
Gravity - His gravity magic can be resisted by someone of powerful enough caliber. It also requires concentration to be used continuously when it is affecting other beings or large structures and, thus, he cannot do complicated actions or cast any other spell while already concentrating on one.
Contract-Bound - The fatal flaw of Al'Tura and Su, and the reason why they do not give away their promises easily as they will do their best to fulfill this promise— this contract— to the best of their ability. If the contracts ever come into conflict with one other, he will do his best to find an appropriate compromise.
Nyx stands at roughly 5ft 11 in height, possessing a lithe yet toned build. He has the naturally slender build commonly associated with those of Fae descent as well as their naturally fair complexion and is almost entirely devoid of any marks or blemish. While Nyx looks very similar to his appearance as Ithil, the two glaring differences to those who may know of his past are his hair color and his eye color. During his past life, his short hair took a much darker blue hue and only had a small strand of white hair in addition to the sky blue streaks, in addition his eyes were also deep sea navy in color. However in this life, his hair is primarily light blue/white in color with faint streaks of a darker shade of blue, while his eyes are more turquoise.
In this state, Nyx's attire is very similar to what he would have worn during his life as Ithil. Perhaps a subconscious coincidence. Truthfully, the attire that Nyx has chosen to wear was heavily inspire by that of Ithil. Having seen an old image of Ithil alongside the royal family in a 'history book', Nyx could not help but attempt to recreate the military garb for himself, though it is a far more 'glammed' up interpretation of said military ware. The hat itself was a personal touch.
Despite entering a more dominant 'demonic' appearance with his personality shift, Nyx still stands at roughly 5ft 11 in height, possessing a lithe yet toned build. He retains his naturally slender build commonly associated with those of Fae descent as well as their naturally fair complexion which coincides with the long snow white hair that drapes far below his waist; this being the most noticeable change aside from the addition of a horn. From afar it would be hard to mistake him as being anything other than an Fae, though upon closer inspection it becomes readily apparent that he is of mixed bloodlines. The obvious indication of his demonic ancestry is the navy-obsidian coloured horn that protrudes from the right side of his head as well as the rich piercing navy blue irises that stand out among his fair complexion. In addition, his canines are also far more pronounced than that of Elves.
His style of Attire
In terms of attire. Nyx tends to dress rather smartly; preferring darker colors with traces of blue and white adorning the fabric. His attire could be considered to be 'modern victorian' as he almost always wears a waistcoat beneath a black trench coat. Due to the nature of his business he also often dresses smartly and often has a tie on. In addition to the clothing, he does carry around with him a large silver stopwatch that he keeps fastened upon himself with silvery chains. To finish off the outfit, he wears black gloves and metal tipped brogue shoes.
Truth be told, the darker attire is not a form of fabric rather it is Nyx's shadow magic altering the appearance of his normal attire.
500 years ago, Nyx formerly known as 'Ithil' was a high ranking member of the Seelie court, a distinguished member of the Fae race. Much like his present day appearance, Nyx had your stereotypical lithe build that most elves are commonly depicted with. His appearance was also deceivingly youthful despite his true age. Unlike his present appearance, his hair used to be a deep midnight blue in colour and was considerably much shorter than it is now. Only traces of faint blue can now be seen on him. His attire was very similar to what he wears today, albeit more formal and presentable considering his position within the court. During his past life his wings were primarily black in color.
"The world of pretend is less cruel than that of reality"
The Fae persona that resides within Nyx has often portrayed themself to be somewhat of an extrovert. An over the top, extravagant individual that likes to draw attention upon themself whilst also attempting to hide what they truly feel. He is a closed book with every page shut and has very little intention of revealing his 'true' self to others. The world itself is a cruel place and he is fully aware of that fact, thus he see's no need to try and play by the rules nor does he see benefit in revealing his vulnerability to others. People generally care very little about other people's problems.
Whimsical & playful to a fault, Nyx can sometimes come across as being overly playful to the point that it can be rather irritating if not downright annoying. An individual that always seems to make light of a dark situation and even dark of a light situation, he is able to find humour in even the darkest of places. He will often times overlook the obvious wrong doings in his actions in favour of his own pleasure and enjoyment.
Capricious & arbitrary, he is someone who teeters on the edge of two opposites and will happily dabble in either end of the spectrum. Without warning he may switch from being the foolish joker to a cold hearted predator; his change often discernible by his eyes. Often times his hair covers his blueish coloured pupils, but when he reveals his cold glare it has often been described as a predator staring down its prey. His changes in temperament and attitude often switch on a simple whim and can at times appear to be random and without reason.
Mischievous & Vexatious; The whimsical joker, Nyx strives to be the centre of attention even if it means acting the fool just to get one or two eyes on him. He will even go as far as to ridicule a person of note just to get a response from them. He can often times come across as annoying due to his mischievous nature, especially to those with little patience for his actions. He enjoys stirring the pot between two people and will find enjoyment in watching both parties argue.
Disobedient & Anarchistic, Nyx can have a strong opinion towards certain subjects and will often times act independently in order to meet them, even if its against the will of someone in authority. He operates in a grey area of society and seldom conforms to the governments established rules and laws. The only rules he truly cares for are those he sets himself. That being said, his disobedience only ever appears should he develop a strong interest in something else. For the most part, he will still play along with someone else's ideas and motives, so long as he has the freedom to do as he pleases whilst still meeting that goal.
Hedonistic & Self-Indulgent, Nyx often times does thing purely for his own pleasure and amusement. Someone who does not see himself tied down by the rules, he merely acts on his instincts and does what excites him the most at the given time. Driven by his own instinctual desires, he places his own selfish needs above everything else, regardless of the consequences.
Unsportsmanlike & Opportunistic, Nyx has little respect for the chivalrous aspects of combat. Like most Fae, he struggles to grasp the concept of honour in combat and instead views it as being nothing different to a game. Free in spirit and free in combat, in this state he is not the type to fight in a straightforward manner, Nyx's style of combat has frequently been described as being spontaneous and borderline random; appearing to take advantage of situations in order to 'get the drop' on his opponent and once captured appearing to take 'too long' to end the fight. Just like a cat to a canary, Nyx tends to play with his foes when in actuality he can just finish off the fight then and there.
"A true monster, a true creature that evokes nightmares in both little children and grown men, is the monster hiding in plain sight. The wolf in sheeps clothing. Do not fear those that reveal their true natures, but instead fear those that fight desperately to try and hide it"
Beneath the extravagant persona of the Fae, lies a creature born of darkness. An entity so morally corrupt that it'd be more accurate to call him a beast and even then, that might not be accurate. Sired from the blood of demons, this existence is not swayed by petty emotion. It is not manipulated by fanciful words or whispered promise. It exist's solely to act on instinct, to follow the scent of blood and to ravage that in which it determines to be prey. The darkness that resides within the Fae, the corrupted blood that courses through Nyx's veins is that of a true predator, a true monster that lacks the capacity to show sympathy.
Calm, controlled, merciless. This other Nyx; the darker side of the coin is nothing more than the monster in your closet, the rabid beast that shows no remorse for its actions. Predatory, dangerous, lacking in remorse. It is the Cat to the Canary, the monster that hides beneath the bed, that shadow on your wall that looms over you while you sleep. He is nightmare personified. Like the demons of old, this side of Nyx is the think that evokes nightmares in children; the natural fear inducing aura lingering on his very essence.
Unlike the seemingly uncontrolled chaos that the Fae half seems to revel in, this darker entity is far more controlled, far more focused. Silent and calculating, the demon is the wolf among the sheep, driven to hunt and driven to kill. Where the Fae likes to operate in the light, the demon is far more at home within the darkness, watching and patiently waiting for the opportune time to strike and claim his kill.
He isn't the type to act rashly or be swayed by emotions. If anything he is more methodical he how he acts; giving little away as he goes about his business. Even the tone in which he speaks gives little away as to what he really thinks or feels.
Despite all this, the demon within is actually far more willing to abide by Cier's request. While he is danger incarnate, his need to hunt can still be directed towards Impera, though this is largely influenced by what happened in the past. Demons are naturally prideful and selfish creatures, often seeking to satiate their own desires. For Nyx in particular, that desire is for revenge; to punish the one who had taken so much away from him all those years ago.
The arrogance to even consider taking from him is a crime whose punishment is long overdue.
"It the King wills it, than so shall it be. I will be the silent watcher, safeguarding our lands until the time comes for our Kingdom to return"
Ithil, as he was formerly known was considered to be quite the strange Fae. Despite his views towards the other races that inhabited the lands clashing with those who presided within the Seelie court, Ithil Dagorhir was still afforded the right to partake in their discussions. Devoted to the King and Queen of Oberius, Ithil prioritized this devotion above all else; even if it meant biting his tongue when the subject of conversation turned towards those of other races.
Brave and loyal to his homeland, Ithil was the Fae that often led the assaults on those that dared to trespass too deep into Duskwood forest. An enforcer by nature, his ability over darkness had often meant that he was tasked with guarding their kingdom from unwanted interlopers. For him, the protection of his own kind and that of their kingdom was a responsibility that far outweighed anything else. Even if that something else was Impera.
It was only when he was within the Fae kingdom, that Ithil ever showed his more relaxed side. It was during the times of peace that Ithil could truly show his inner Fae, to revel in the celebrations that often occurred within their dominion. Gregarious around those he cherished, he found it easy to slip into any and all conversation; often finding a common ground with others. Yet when he was near those of other races, he was quite cold and aloof.
Though it seems Ithil wasn't always this disciplined. There are some fae that claim that Ithil wasn't always like this; some going as far to recall a time when Ithil and a human woman were nigh on inseparable. So much so that Ithil would sometimes leave the kingdom for extended periods of time just to be with her, even against the wishes of the King and Queen. Described as a rebel in his youth, Ithil was considered to be one of the more adventurous Fae as well as one of the more curious. He had a distinct interest in the other races, to the point he would go out of his way to interact with them; in particular that human woman who he was entranced by. Then all of a sudden it stopped. Something had changed and Ithil never spoke of or mentioned that person agai and ever since he would adopt a colder outlook to anyone that wasn't a Fae.
It would be from that moment onwards that Ithil would devote himself entirely to safeguarding the Kingdom of Oberius; putting most of his focus towards protection the Fae from those that sought to tarnish what he loved. It was also the underlying reason for him to disregard Cier's wishes during the rise of Impera. While it was entirely plausible that they could have defeated the rogue Key if they had all united, Ithil had seen the hesitance from some of the other keys as a cause for concern. Having already developed a certain opinion of the other races, he had made the decision that would best protect his own kind, even if the cause was Impera's chaos spreading further.
His devotion towards the safety of his race would ultimately see him refuse the request of Cier in favor of the option that had the best chances of protecting his species. Unwavering in that regard, Ithil would choose to remain within Duskwood forest. A guardian of the forest that silently watched over it; even when the Kingdom of Oberius was stolen away to a seperate realm.
He knew full well that he would have to brave the loneliness of this responsibility, after all someone had to remain behind. Someone had to guard the keystone that tethered this pocket space to the real world.
Ithil Dagorhir was a Fae guardian of the Kingdom of Oberius, a trusted aide to the King and Queen that lorded over the forest of Duskwood and guarded the Eternal spring from those that sought to take advantage of it. The key of Ashenvale, Ithil was trusted by most if not all Fae despite his particular habits during his earlier years; a time where many considered it to be a mistake that he was granted such power.
While most Fae tend to be rather elusive and wary of outsiders, Ithil was initially the opposite. Curious and overly zealous when it came to watching the other races that begun to enter the nation of Ashenvale and reside there, Ithil would develop a near obsession with observing them. While most fae were wary of the other races, Ithil could not help but be fascinated by them, so much so that he would become one of the first Fae of Ashenvale to interact with outsiders, particularly those of the human race.
Ithil's first interaction would come by mere chance. An unlikely series of events that would ultimately lead to the woman discovering his existence. As a Fae blessed with lordship over the shadows, Ithil had used his gifts to get closer; he was the shadow cast upon the wall... the dark silhouette that just evaded your line of sight when you turned a corner. He was that cold shiver that danced across your spine when you felt yourself being watched from afar. It would only be during a momentary lapse in his concentration that the woman would discover his shadow upon the wall. A shadow alongside her own, yet without a person to actually cast it. Initially freaked out by the sight, she would soon come to realize that Ithil had meant no harm; the sentient shadow doing its best to signal its 'innocence' as well as to calm the woman down.
For months this would be their only means of interacting, Ithil's shadow dancing across the walls and floor of her home, entertaining her upon a rainy day and comforting her during a stormy night and for awhile this was enough. This was all their relationship needed, yet enough was only temporary and Ithil would soon harbour thoughts of revealing his true self to the woman.
Time would pass and while the majority of the Fae had chosen to remain hidden; Ithil would undoubtedly find himself befriending a human woman of a nearby settlement; the fiery haired woman and Ithil striking up a strong friendship with one another. While many of their beliefs and habits were different, the two could not help but be enamoured with one another; much to the annoyance of the Fae whom resided within the unseelie court.
The Unseelie court were a group of Fae that were vastly against the idea of tolerating the other species within Ashenvale. They held strong beliefs towards the idea of befriending these other races and were more than happy to resort to underhanded trickery and tactics if it meant warding them off of their lands. The Seelie court were the opposite to the Unseelie. Their numbers were fewer that that of the Unseelie, yet like Ithil they had desired to establish relations with these other races.
Time and human nature would soon prove the Unseelie's wariness to be justified. One summer morning, Ithil's view towards the other races would be flipped on its head entirely. Expecting to be greeted by the warmth of this human woman's embrace, Ithil would only come to discover a pain so unbearable that he wouldn't dare wish it upon another. Death wasn't really a concept that the Fae understood, for them death was just their bodies returning to mother gaia. To be reborn anew in whatever visage she had deemed suitable. Thus to see the death of this woman, the 'end' of her very existence was a complete shock to Ithil.
Deemed to be a witch, Ithil would discover the charred remains of her corpse tied to a cross; paraded within the center of the village as a warning towards those that would commune with the spirits; or in this case Ithil. Unbeknownst to Ithil and the woman, someone had seen their interactions the night before; a man whom had fallen for the woman had peeked through her window and seen the dancing shadow across the wall. Confused and scared, the man had reported the sightings to the village elder and she would undoubtedly be called a witch.
For the first time in Ithil's life, he would come to know pain and suffering. He would come to understand the humans capacity for cruelty as well as their capacity to enact suffering upon others. Enraged by the death of the woman and blaming himself for her demise, Ithil would wreak havoc upon this settlement of humans; the surrounding forest coming to life to answer his call of vengeance.
This would be the major turning point in Ithil's life, the moment where he would forsake the other races and prioritize his own. If other races were similar to the humans, if they were capable of such cruelty towards their own kind; then he wanted no part of them. He didn't need to taint himself even more than he had already done so. From that moment onwards, he would take his role as a guardian seriously and would devote himself towards safeguarding the fae and their kingdom; even if it meant resorting to violence. Taking his position as the Key of Ashenvale seriously, he would commit himself to aiding the King and Queen of Oberius, even if they were members of the Seelie court.
As years passed, more and more naïve individuals would try to encroach upon the forest; their efforts repelled by the forces of Ithil and those that shared his cause. The increasing sightings of Fae had made their race a target for slavers and poachers; humans and beastfolk alike that had chosen a darker livelihood. While the Fae were elusive and hard to find, it was inevitable that some of them would be captured eventually. Stolen away from the forest and sold to those whose wallets were seemingly bottomless.
This would only further Ithil's change of view towards the other races. It would be fuel to the fire that drove him to continue his efforts of preventing others from entering the deeper parts of Duskwood, eventually giving rise to various rumours and stories about him and the other dangers that lurked within. For many years, Ithil and those that followed him would be a force that repelled trespassers, the most famous instance resulting in the death of a human noble and his small army.
The rise of Impera and his conquest would come at the wrong time. Given Ithil's experience and views of the other races at this point in time, it was unsurprising that he was one of the Keys that had shown hesitance towards Cier's request. While Ithil understood the dangers that the rogue key posed, he was not willing to offer his aid without all the other keys being present. The fact that that was not the case had meant that Ithil would not leave the forest of Ashenvale. Instead he would remain in Duskwood forest.
With the looming danger of Impera and the increasing encroachment from other races upon the land of the Fae, the King and Queen of Oberius had taken the hard decision to protect their kingdom. Calling those that specialized in spatial magic to the court and using the magic essence of the Eternal spring as a conduit, they had taken the special measure of erecting a pocket dimension over the Kingdom. In essence a barrier covered the kingdom, separating it from the current space of existing. Those that would then pass through the barrier on one side would simply walk out the other side, unaware that they had just passed through a spatial anomaly. That being said, they needed to tether the pocket dimension to this plain of existence and had thus created a keystone.
Ithil, however would be tasked with remaining behind. As the strongest of Fae, he would be tasked with guarding the keystone that tethered their Kingdom to the duskwood forest. Doing so meant he could still not join the war against Impera. If he were to die and the keystone be left unguarded, than the safety of the Kingdom would be in jeopardy.
Thus for as long as he could, Ithil would guard the keystone that tethered the Kingdom to this realm; watching as the world around him slowly began to change and the race of Fae begun to live only in myth and lore. The stories of Duskwood forest that once instilled fear in the humans would slowly vanish along the passage of time and soon become little more than bed time stories designed to keep kids from misbehaving and venturing into the wilderness. While the passage of time would hide the existence of the Fae from the hands of those that could harm them, it would also prove to be unkind towards Ithil and solitude even more so.
Raine's noble sacrifice had come at a cost for the rest of the world. Whether it had been a price she was willing to pay, a mere consequence of her actions or some divine punishment upon those that had refused Cier's request, the world would soon begin to step foot into an era without magic; the once abundant source of power gradually beginning to dissipate. Much like the Fae had disappeared from Duskwood forest, so too did the magic that the Fae had long since grown dependent upon. As the magic continued to wane, so too did the youthful vigour of Ithil that had once seemed limitless. Like those of other races, Ithil was now another victim to the passing of time.
Years would pass and Ithil would come to realize that the end of his life was nearing. Like the other races that inhabited the lands, Ithil would undergo the experience of aging, the weakening of his body as year after year went by. Deprived of the mana that his race thrived upon and living the life of solitude as he remained duty bound to his race; Ithil would eventually come to the painful realization that the return of the Fae would only bring about their destruction. Without truly knowing the state that the Kingdom was in, Ithil had come to the decision that the depleting mana of the world would only end up with the Fae species suffering and even if by some miracle they did manage to thrive in a mana depleted world they would be far less powerful than they once were.
Prioritizing the safety of his Kingdom as well as being desperate, Ithil using the last of his innate mana would place a seal of his own upon the keystone. Doing so would ultimately mean that the Kingdom of Oberius would remain seperated from the mortal realm indefinetily, or at least until a time came when the seal was broken by a practitioner of magic. For the latter to occur, mana would ultimately need to return to the lands of Ashenvale and at the very least, that would mean the Fae race would not have to undergo the suffering that Ithil had to endure as the worlds mana diminished.
It was a simple seal, no different to that of a padlock. Its job was to prevent the keystone from activating and returning the Kingdom of Oberius to this realm; effectively sealing this pocket dimension indefinetily in its own space. The only means of breaking the seal would be for it to absorb enough mana to override the lock yet in a world deprived of mana that would be an impossible task. Ithil's hope would be for the keystone to activate once mana had returned to the world and for the Fae to return to lands rich in magic. Thus, knowing that his end was Ithil would hide the keystone within Duskwood forest, placing it within the hollow of a large ancient tree.
Centuries would pass and Ithil's body would turn to dust; scattered among the dirt of Duskwood forest. As the seal restraining Impera begun to weaken, so too did the seal placed upon the keystone. Faint cracks would begin to appear temporary allowing for travel between the pocket dimension and the mortal realm. Confused as to why they had remained unable to return, they would cease this opportunity to travel to investigate the situation as well as to question Ithil of what had happened.
The first fae to have attempted such travel would come to see the message left behing by Ithil; a story depicting the events of the world up until his death as well as the reasons for his actions in sealing away the keystone. A single apology would be his final message.
Aware of the present state of the world, the Fae would begin to experiment within the mortal realm for short periods of time. The current tapography of Ashenvale had changed drastically over the 500 years and the massive decline in mana within the earth had made the land virtually uninhabitable for the Fae of Oberius Kingdom. Seeing this, the Fae would begin to research methods for adapting to the new state of the world, to find a means of surviving without being so overly reliant on mana. Those of the unseelie court that had little care towards the other races would begin to experiment with the young and thus the creation of the Changelings.
Changelings were the name given to unborn babies whose life had been touched by that of a Fae. As most Fae were born not from flesh but from magic imbuing nature; it was a simple form of magic from the Fae to instil part of their life force into the growing young. Altering their genetic make up to make them part Fae; unbeknownst to them or their parents. For many of these changelings, they would live their lives unaware of this fact; Test subjects of the Fae that studied how their altered state reacted to the mana deficient world. Some changelings however would meet their fairy godmother fairy parent, sometimes in dreams and sometimes in reality.
Their aim was to have these changelings act on their behalf within the mortal realm. To find a means of restoring mana to the world in order for the Fae Kingdoms grand return.
Nyx Araysh was one of those changelings.
Present Life
Nyx Araysh as he is presently known is the changeling child raised by demons. With the Fae's return to the mortal realm coinciding with the diminishing barrier that presently restrained Impera. As cracks began to appear, the Fae would soon begin to appear within the mortal realm once more, initially stumbling upon the forest of Ashenvale by mistake before the Kingdom itself would take action. For these last 5 centuries, the Kingdom of Oberius had been oblivious to the actions of Ithil and had thus been left in the dark as to why their Kingdom had not yet returned to the mortal realm.
Having been completely split off from the mortal realm for 500 years, the Kingdom of Oberius had no present day knowledge of the situation regarding the 8th Kingdoms nor were they aware of how dire the land of Ashenvale had become. Unlike the mana abundant lands of a bygone era, the modern day forest of Duskwood had become little more than a graveyard. Devoid of mana, the eerie landscape that was once rich of life had become nothing more than a poison filled landscape; at least as far as the Fae were concerned. It had become increasly obvious that they would lack the ability to adapt to the mana deprived lands. It would be akin to slowly suffocating as their mana dependent bodies withered away. For a Fae to live without mana was like asking a fish to survive out of water. Thus, their symbiotic relationship with the mana rich lands of the past had ultimately become their poisoned chalice for the modern era. Unless things changed, it would lead to their inevitable demise.
For just over two and a half centuries, the Fae had been attempting to force their return to the mortal realm, various Fae adept with temporal magic using their vast knowledge to try and forcibly get their Kingdom of Oberius to return to Ashenvale. The sudden disappearance of Ithil's connection with the keystone had forced them to take action, yet their efforts would only prove to be in vain due to the seal that Ithil had placed. Without knowing that the reasons for Ithil's actions were taken in the best interest in preserving the Fae race, they could only assume the worse.
Over two centuries would be spent attempting to break the seal from their side, but any real progress would only begin to appear once the seal around Impera began to weaken and mana slowly began to return. Nowhere near enough to sustain the entirety of the Fae race, but enough for the seal that Ithil had placed to gradually weaken. Cracks would appear randomly, allowing for individuals of the Fae race to travel between their spatial realm and that of the mortal realm and it would only be due to these random instances that the Fae would come to realize the horror that had been inflicted upon the world as well as the seal that Ithil had placed upon the keystone.
Knowing that the present levels of mana would not be enough to sustain the entirety of their species, yet also knowing that the seal that halted their return was breaking, the Fae would be driven to desperate measures; thus creating the Changelings.
Like many of the changelings that currently exist, Nyx's path in life had been drastically altered by the meddling of the Fae. With their mana dependant race at risk of returning to a realm severely lacking in mana, they had become desperate to find a means of adapting to the changed world. Ultimately they would decide to take advantage of the other races, or more specifically their unborn young. Using their limited innate mana, the Fae sent into the mortal realm would spread themselves across the land of Ashenvale, seeking out new-borns still in their mothers womb whose health was in decline. Imbuing them with their Fae life force, the unborn child would see an improvement in their health and thus be born healthy , though at the price of becoming part Fae. While this may be seen as invasive, the Fae were desperate to find a way to adapt to this mana deprived world, even to the point of willingly expending their own life. For the majority of the Fae that carried out this duty, they reasoned that their methods would in turn benefit those whose lives that had undoubtedly invaded. Without their involvement, the fortune of the unborn child would have unlikely been any better. At least this way, their survival would be almost guaranteed at birth. In addition the Fae that had imbued their life force would ultimately cease to exist as their life force was willingly extracted. Such a sacrifice was a testament to the lengths the Fae would go to ensure that their Kingdom would have a fighting chance in the new Era.
Nyx just so happened to be one of those unborn children. The low chance of successfully conceiving as well as the high mortality rate of the demon race's newborns had ultimately made them a prime target for the Fae. The Fae never did understand the need for such a prehistoric and primal method of creating a new young and had often held warped views towards the many races that relied on such archaic methods of reproduction. With Nyx destined to be just another statistic to the demon races declining population, his life would be forever changed by the meddling of the Fae. While those of pure Fae heritage were dependant on mana, those of half Fae bloodline that were born in the mortal realm were not. While they are ultimately more sensitive to the mana levels than those of the races they would have normally been birthed to, they do not experience the growing pressure of feeling like they were suffocating all the time as if their very essence was seeping away into the void.
For years, Nyx would be raised under the belief that he was a demon, instructed in their ways without so much as suspecting his true origins; yet despite the upbringing he had underwent during his early years he would inevitably find himself feeling like an outcast. Something within him had always felt different, had always sought to leave the demon lands in search of something yet unknown to Nyx. Like a driving instinctual desire to reach a certain place far off in the distance. It would only be after many years that he would learn to control this innate desire; to ignore the temptations that had threatened to tear himself asunder; at least until he was old enough to venture out on his own.
It would be during puberty that Nyx would eventually discover his unique constitution; the drastically different 'entitites' that resided within himself since the very beginning. Within Nyx lies at least two distinct personalities vying for control, their distinct essence both being the 'true' Nyx yet still being blaringly different to one another. Like Oil floating on the surface of water or two sides of the same coin, there is one personality that is always in control, suppressing the other to the point where it only seems to exist within the mind of Nyx.
At first, these changes would be seemingly random, occurring without any prior notice and often without Nyx actually realizing until the day after. He would often awaken in places he did not remember, his body aching as if he had been running all night long. There would be lapses in his memory among other things. Sometimes he would even awaken in clothing he had no recollection of ever owning. Alas, as years passed he would gradually become used to such changes, even realizing the root cause of such occurrences. He would even begin to have dreams, as if he were a 3rd unrelated entity watching from the side lines as these two other 'Nyx's wrestled for control; an entity clad in the domineering aura of the demons he had long since been used to, and another clad in glowing energy that felt alien yet familiar to him.
Concerned, frightened and confused. Nyx would keep this other entity a secret from those closest to him; seeking medication in order to suppress the other voice that taunted him from within, that haunted his dreams... that threatened to overwhelm him whenever he sought the solace of slumber or that seemed to lurk within the precipice of his vision; like a shadow that one see's in the corner of their eyesight only to disappear the moment you turn your head.
Was he cursed?
Growing up within the city of Pandemonius and given his constitution, finding an upstanding job had proven to be quite difficult for Nyx. With his reliance on medication to suppress that entity that haunted him, his only choice for a stable income would come in the form of the Mercenary guild of Pandemonium. So long as he was able enough to complete the various jobs that came their way, the guild would have no concern over his situation.
He would eventually establish himself as a member of the guild, taking on various jobs regardless of it was above or below counter. Currently his goal is to steal a certain artifact rumoured to be within Celeste. An anonymous individual has issued a job to the mercenary guild and have offered a sizeable amount for whomever is able to steal the artifact.
Fae Racial Ability
Being part Fae, Nyx has limited control over Illusion magic or to be specific he has the ability to manipulate his own Guise; altering his appearance. This is a passive racial ability that activates only when the personality in charge changes.
Magic
Nyx's main form of magic that he utilizes is the creation and manipulation of Darkness/Shadows that he can utilize for a variety of effects. In addition to his natural affinity for Darkness, he has the inherent bloodline ability of demons to manipulate 'Space' though his ability in the latter is nowhere near comparable to that of pureblood demons, despite being a Key.
Shadow/Darkness Shadow/Darkness magic is the ability to create, shape and manipulate darkness and shadows. Darkness is mostly used to cloud everything into total darkness, but can also be channeled to a variety of effects, both as an absence of light and a solid substance: one can also control and manipulate the beings that exist there, create and dispel shields and areas of total darkness, create constructs such as equipment or entities, teleport one's self through massive distances via shadows. etc.
The Fae Puppeteer
While the 'Fae' is in control. Nyx's utilisation of darkness magic is very similar to your 'mage and summoning' archetype. The use of the magic is more 'external' in the sense that he is 'creating' and 'dispersing' the shadow via manipulation. Think of a mage creating a fireball or a Warlock summoning a minion. Nyx doesn't have to remain in direct contact with the shadow for the magic to continue.
Shadows being solidified and used offensively
Shadow Puppet Summoning
Darkness Field
Shadow Ball
The Demon Spectre (Darkness mimicry)
When Nyx is overcome by the more demonic persona, his utilization of darkness and shadow magic becomes completely different. He no long uses the power 'externally' to create, rather he focuses the magic internally which results in the magic affecting himself rather than the 'outside world'. To put it simply, Nyx takes on the properties of Darkness and shadows, turning completely black. In such a state he can no longer generate external forces of shadow magic and is instead limited to only altering his own state as he is literally mimicking a shadow's properties. In this state he can also physically grab your shadow.
The Embodiment of Shadows (Darkness Mimicry)
Shadow Travel
Spatial Magic
A descendent of the Fae, Nyx has access to Spatial magic. This particular form of magic is considered to be highly advanced and extremely rare given the complexity behind its implementation. Spatial magic as the name suggest is a form of magic that is capable of altering reality; to be precise it can manipulate space itself. This branch of magic is the same as what was used by the Fae king of old when he made the decision to safeguard the Kingdom of Oberius in a seperate pocket of space.
The Fae Maestro
When the Fae side of him is in charge, Nyx's utilization of Spatial magic is like his Shadow magic; used primarily for support. For example Nyx has the ability to open linked portals that he as well as others can travel through, effectively connecting two separate locations to one another regardless of distance. He can therefore use this ability to aid the actions of his allies both offensively and defensively.
Portal Creation
The Demon Assailant
Consumed by the arrogance and pride of the demon race, Nyx when under the influence of the demon persona is a far more ruthless and aggressive fighter. Much like his implementation of shadow magic, Nyx tends to focus his spatial magic upon himself. As such, rather than creating and linking two separate spaces together, the demon instead uses the magic upon himself, effectively transporting himself to another location almost instantaneously.
Split Personality.
- Nyx suffers from a unique case of 'Split Personality' syndrome that has manifested itself in the form of two separate entities that have taken forms based on his mixed bloodline of Fae and Demon. The more dominant of the two personalities is called 'The Fae' and is essentially a personality that assumes the role of Nyx if he were born a traditional Fae. Like the ancient race, the Fae are quite free and whimsical and may often times revel in mischief. The hidden personality that only takes control during certain situations is referred to as 'The Demon and is a persona cantered around Nyx if he were born a 'pureblood' demon. The demonic entity is an almost exact opposite to how 'The Fae' persona is considered to be quite dangerous.
Magic Use
- Depending on which persona is in charge determines the method and application of the magical abilities; each reflecting their personality traits. As the 'Fae', despite his quirks Nyx is far more open to the concept of team work and will often adopt a more backline/supportive role. Whereas the Demon is far more selfish and independent. While willing to work together against Impera, the style of combat and utilization of his magic is drastically different in the sense that its used only for himself and not to help others.
Similarities and Differences to Ithil
While Nyx is the reincarnation of Ithil, his personalities are not entirely the same. Rather it seems like certain aspects of Ithil's personality have been taken by either persona. For example Like the Fae, Ithil was more than happy to provide support in combat and didn't so much rely on his own strength to brute force things, however unlike Ithil the Fae persona is less 'disciplined' and more likely to act on a whim. The demon however is disciplined in how he fights, but tends to rely on himself rather than on his allies.
Nationality: Ashvellian Biome:60% Forest, 30% Mountains, 10% Other Weather: Standard 4 season cycle Government:
The ancient lands of Ashenvale were once governed by the Fae, an ancient race of free folk that lived deep within the forest of Duskwood. With deep ties to mother nature itself, the Fae lived and prospered alongside the mana rich land. Primarily keeping themselves away from the politics of other nations, the Fae's only concern was to continue prospering alongside their lands. Though they would soon go into hiding, knowing that they lacked the means to defend against Impera.
Since the invasion of Impera and the resulting decline of Fae folk, the land has come under new governance. A race of demons have taken it upon themselves to establish a new capital city within the nation of Ashenvale and are currently considered to be the current rulers. The ruling family currently have a treaty of peace with the Kingdom of Impera. This peace was brokered as a means of allowing them to focus their efforts on finding the ancient Fae Kingdom.
Capital City:
Ashenvale technically has two Capitals, yet only one is officially recognised by the public as the second is considered to be more 'myth' than truth. The recognized capital of Ashenvale is the Kingdom of Pandemonius, which is governed by the demons. This is located north of the Summerscale mountain range. The second capital that many believe to be mere myth is the ancient kingdom of Oberius; the capital of the Fae that is rumoured to reside somewhere in Duskwood Forest close to what is now known as the Wizards Lagoon.
Population of Pandemonius
Despite being a capital ruled by demons, the actual number of pureblood demons residing within the city is very minimal. Rather the biggest percentage of citizens tends to be humans and beastfolk with a significant portion being a mixed blooded among the three species. There is a small population of Dwarves as well.
Villages:
- Moongulf, Located near Opal Lake
- Duskholde, Located towards the east and north of Wizards Lagoon
- HollowShore Village, Located south of Ashenvale
- Bandit camps located within former mana crystal mines
Key Locations:
- Duskwood Forest
- Eternal Spring
- Wizard Lagoon
- Opal Lake
- Summerscale Mountains
- Various Mana crystal mines (most depleted)
- Hidden lake of folklore
Allies:
In the present day, The demons who govern the nation have established a peace treaty with Impera. While they are not allies in the sense that they would generously offer aid, they are without doubt on amicable terms with one another. Ashenvale is in truth a nation that seeks neutrality with everyone, as they would prefer to go unperturbed as they deal with their own agenda of finding the ancient Fae Kingdom. The only reason for a physical document that states peace with Imperia is due to that nations obvious threat.
Enemies:
Any one that is anti-demon, though on a purely political level the nation of Ashenvale is rather indifferent to the other nations with the exception of Impera. The demons are more concerned about their own agenda to really pay heed to the going ons of the other kingdoms. Should they be attacked, they will react accordingly. However so long as they are not provoked they will maintain neutrality.
Located deep within the mana rich Duskwood forest that covers the majority of this nation, the lands that had birthed such a nation had for millennia been deeply infused with the primordial energy we call 'Mana'. While not a force solely found upon the flourishing lands of Ashenvale, it was without a doubt considered to be far more potent within this region. This was evident by the giant trees that built the ancient foundations of Duskwood forest; tree's so large that even giants struggled to see above their canopy. With mana so abundant in this region, it was often believed that the ancient guardians of the forest; the treants were born from crystalized mana that had been entangled within the roots of these great tree's. The discovery of the mystical spring now known as the 'Eternal Spring' had only further proven this hypothesis. In some religion, the Eternal spring has often been compared to if not believed to be the ancient fountain of youth; a spring with such potent innate magic that it could grant immortality and rejuvenate one to their 'peak state'.
During these ancient times, the nation of Ashenvale was overseen by the Fae; a race of beings that came in many various forms and were considered to be the free-est of folk. Creatures of magic, the first King was said to be the manifestation of a tree sapling given form and sentience. Governed by the seelie court, the Fae had peacefully ruled these forest, nurturing both mana and nature to the point where neither could survive without the other.
Through magic and mischief they would protect their Kingdom and its secrets from unwanted eyes; knowing full well that their discovery would only bring about chaos and destruction to the land. While they never had the intention to incite war or spread violence against those that ventured into their forest, they saw no benefit in fostering relations with the outside world; to open themselves to the risk of betrayal once word of their Eternal spring became public.
While other races knew of the existence of the Fae, none of them would know where their kingdom was located nor would they establish relations with the elusive race. They only knew not to venture too deep into duskwood forest and not to defile the mana rich land. If other races could respect these rules than they were permitted to reside within the nation. For those that did fail to abide by the rules, they were often punished. Whether that be members of their families being spirited away in the dead of night or entire villages being overrun by flora within hours. The most famous instance of a race suffering from breaking such rule was the disappearance of an entire army.
A greedy noble of the human race had attempted to take the resources of Duskwood, arriving via the south coast. With an army at his beck and call they would establish the port village now known as Hollowshore and from their venture north into the forest; cutting down these mana rich tree's for lumber. Initially left to their own devices, the noble would continue to venture deeper into the forest, defiling the land with his greed until finally the Fae could not tolerate his impertinence.
The accounts of a man claiming to be the sole survivor of the massacre is documented in ancient parchment. It tells the story of a forest coming to life, creatures of wood and creatures of stone and those whose visage could only be born from imagination appearing from nowhere; attacking them without remorse with magic that even their best mages could not fathom. The story is often believed to be the ramblings of a deranged madman, though a few are aware of its authenticity.
As years passed, more and more races would begin to arrive in the nation of Ashenvale, establishing small villages here and there. Many now reclaimed by the forest. Most of these races were those fleeing the war started by Impera, hoping that this faraway land would be spared the chaos and destruction that followed the man. As this continued, the Fae would begin to seclude themselves even more. While they had the means of defending themselves from these other races, they knew that they would suffer greatly should they meet Impera head on.
There was also the growing demon problem. To the west of the nation where the Kingdom of Pandemonius now resides, the demons would first appear from the Summerscale mountains. Few in number, these demons wielded a power that far surpassed those of the other races and unlike those that had come to Ashenvale out of neccessity, the demons had come here for one reason. Magic. They had long since had their eyes set upon claiming the eternal spring for their own agenda, to ravage the magic rich kingdom of Oberius and to take their mana rich wonders as their own.
Using their wit and cunning for their own agenda, the Demons would establish and eventually take control of the three main villages, Duskhold, Moongulf and Hollowshore. With the three villages located around the forest of Duskwood, the demons would effectively encircle the forest; trapping the Fae within. Thus as a means of protecting their kind, the Fae would be forced to take drastic action. Through an ancient spell and with the Eternal spring acting as a conduit, the Fae would erect a spatial barrier around their Kingdom, separating it into its own pocket dimension that only they could enter. To power the barrier, they had made a pact with the goddess of the earth. The mana rich soil of Ashenvale would be used to power this spatial barrier, allowing it to continue far into the future.
Thus despite the forest being heavily searched, no trace of the Kingdom of Oberius has been found. Powerful residual magic lingers deep within the forest, acting behind the scenes as it continues to hide the true location of Oberius and the Eternal spring. The ancient Treents; guardians of the forest have also gone into deep slumber. Their roots deep within the ground as they continue to siphon whatever mana remains.
With the rise of Impera, many refugees would turn their sights upon the far nation of Ashenvale, hoping that they could find solace and peace from the looming danger within these far off lands. Over the centuries, more races begun to inhabit the land; primarily humans and beastfolk who prospered the most. The disappearance of the Fae from Duskwood forest had made it easier for humanity and the beast kin to establish their own tribes and villages within the nation.
The Capital 'Pandemonius'.
Located north of the Summerscale Mountain Range and west of the Wizards Lagoon, the Capital of Pandemonius is an ever changing and ever growing capital City. Governed by the demons whom first appeared from the Summerscale mountains, the city of Pandemonius has prospered greatly through the export of minerals, wood and even local soil. In addition, they have managed to advance their level of technology significantly over the past 2 centuries to the point where large automated machinery have been used to increase their efforts to increase their exports.
While the city is ruled over by a family of pureblood demons, the city itself is primarily inhabited by humans, beastfolk and dwarves with a significant portion of their population being some combination of the above mentioned races. While there are a half demons living within the city, they are far and few between given that the reproduction success rate of demons are naturally quite low.
Only a few of the higher up members of society are aware of their lords true race as a pureblood demon. To the general populace, they are simply the 'ruling family' akin to that of a King and queen. Most believe them to be human considering they are often represented as such to the public, though those are only puppets used to fool and manipulate the masses.
While the kingdom of Pandemonius is relatively young compared to some of the other nations capitals, they are by no means inferior in terms of stature. Their rapid rise and growth was largely thanks to the export of their natural resources. The abundance of large tree's from the duskwood forest, the natural ore and mana crystals of Summerscale mountains as well as the mana rich soil were key resources sold to other nations in order to pave their rise to prominence. The demon kings silvery tongue and promise of wealth was also enough to convince several lords and nobles to join his cause in establishing their own capital.
With the rise of Pandemonius and advances in technology, large factories were created within the city as a means of refining their resources and progressing their society as a whole. Thus, the nation has seen an increase in pollution which has inturn begun to encrouch upon the already shrinking forest of Duskwood. Giant mining machines as well as those suited to cutting down trees are routinely created and sent out from this city, often replacing those that have been destroyed and damaged beyond repair.
To further aid their growth, the King alongside the leaders of Imperia have come to an amicable agreement with one another. In exchange for more laxed terms in their various trade agreements in favor of Imperia, the demons would be allowed to govern the nation indepentantly. While they care little for Imperia's rise, they would much rather focus their manpower and time into locating the hidden kingdom of Oberius and more importantly the famed Eternal spring.
In order to not draw attention to their true agenda, the city of Pandemonius has established a guild which seeks to employ mercenaries, hunters and anyone else looking for a job in order to delve deeper into the forest as well as to simply act as escorts and bodyguards for the various mining and deforestation crews.
With the corruption of Ashenvale, the once peaceful flora and fauna that had once called it home have grown far more fearsome, far more vicious. Many of these creatures will actively hunt and attack the citizens of Ashenvale; especially those that continue to harm and pollute the earth. Thus, to combat these ravenous beasts, the guild will also send out requests to cull and dispose of the threat.
Once a large and thriving forest, the thick and mana rich woods of Duskwood would encompass the vast majority of the nations lands, flourishing thanks to the mana infused soil that blanketed the ground. A sight of marvel, the glowing forest's were far more beautiful and mystical during the night; the bioluminescent glow of mana present in every living flora and fauna. A truly marvellous sight for those in the past who were fortunate enough to bask in its otherworldly radiance.
While Kingdoms and villages rose, many of the nations original citizens would reside within this forest, living within large tree structures and prospering off the very land itself.
The Duskwood Forest (Present)
The once glowing forest of Duskwood has become nothing more than a forest of despair. The once thriving lifeforce that radiated off the very surroundings has long since vanished, leaving behind only hollow shells and decay. Thieves and bandits lurk within among the cursed tree's, waiting to pounce on any and all that are foolish enough to venture within. For the most part, their camps have been built deep within the depleted mana crystal caverns; natural dungeons that they can use to their own advantage.
Strange monstrous creatures lurk within the shadows of Duskwood forest; beasts twisted and corrupted with the polluted remnants of mana that still linger.
The Eternal Spring
Located somewhere within Duskwood Forest, the Eternal Spring is a closely guarded secret of the Fae community. Its glowing waters are rumoured to hold potent rejuvenating properties, so potent that it would be hard to argue that this spring was not the legendary fountain of youth itself. It is the reason for the demons appearing within the nation of Ashenvale and would undoubtedly be a cause for invasion should other nations learn of its existence.
With the Kingdom of Oberius being whisked into its own separate dimension, so too has the Eternal spring. Only the Fae have access to its waters and it remains a closely guarded secret by their race.
Wizards Lagoon
The glamour and majesty of Wizards Lagoon has been reduced to nothing more than a cove for smugglers. With the defilement of mana that had filled the nation of Ashenvale, the once calm waters of Wizards Lagoon have becoming far more treacherous. The upset in the balance of nature has caused these waters to revolt in fury, frequently causing large whirlpools to occur within its reach. Only during the time in which the tide is low is it safe for those to travel through these seas and even then only a seasoned captain can confidently steer the ship.
The Summerscale Mountains
The Summerscale mountains have for 500 years been a natural fortress towards those that would seek to claim it as their own. A large cluster of mountains that sit southwest of the ancient capital, these mountains have managed to contain the secrets within from any and all that sought to reap its resources. Towards the outskirts of the mountain range, various caverns exist and were once filled to the brim with mana infused crystals; though now a days you would be lucky to find even a tiny fragment left behind. There have been many attempts from the new ruler of Ashvale to enter deeper into the mountains in search for untapped veins and caverns to exploit.
Large mechanical machinery have been constructed in an attempt to acquire these resources though progress has almost entered a complete state of stagnation. While Ashvale constructs these machines and employs guards from the mercenary guild, it has become readily apparent to them that the beast that lurk within the mountains are smarter than they look. Many adventurers and miners have fallen victim to these ravenous beasts.
For those that do manage to make it to a large cavern, they are highly likely to come across large cavern spiders or at least remnants of their nests. Thick silk like web make it difficult for these machines to move deeper into the mountains.
It is rumoured the the demons currently residing within Pandemonius had originally come from the Summerscale Mountains. There are whispers of a hidden altar deep within the mountains.
The Darkholme Altar
Mentioned only once in any known recorded history from the Kingdom of Ashenvale; the mention of 'the Duskholme Altar' has only ever been mentioned within the document forged when the Demons first established Pandemonius. No known accurate description or mention of the location has ever been found thus those that are aware of its name have been left dumbfounded; unable to find any other evidence beyond the mere mention of its name.
The Darkholme Altar however does exist. Located deep within the earth and underneath the Summerscale mountain range, the Darkholme alter is the gateway to the land of demons, a spatial passageway that connects their homeland to the land of Ashenvale. Its existence has never been confirmed by others, though it is speculated that the demon realm is slowly dying due to ever decreasing levels of mana
Moongulf Valley is the closest village to the capital of Pandemonius. It is a quiet village residing near Opal lake and truthfully has very little to boast about; aside from the glowing opalesque shimmer that radiates off of the waters surface during a full moon. Their primary life revolves around the farming and refining of Salt. Large salt deposits can be found around Opal lake and large swathes of land around the village have been turned into man made salt farms.
Opal Lake Salt is famous around the globe.
Population: The village is largely inhabited by humans and dwarves. There are a few beastfolk living here as well and as it is with the other villages, a handful of half-demons are integrated among the population to oversee them.
Duskholde Village
Duskholde village is a large settlement located north of Wizards Lagoon. Technologically inferior to the capital, this city still relies heavily on the ancient ways. Large farms have been established around the village outskirts and are used to generate various crops as well as to breed livestock with the primary objective of providing enough for their village. Surplus is then traded off for additional income.
While they are more reliant on physicall labour, they have recently began to incorporate some older models of machinery to aid in their work. The majority of the cities population are descendants of war refugee's. Population wise, humans and beastfolk make the majority of the citizens living in Duskholde. Likewise demons lurk in the shadows and manipulate the village lord for their own gains. The village also has its own military force that is employed to protect their borders while also inadvertently closing off paths of escape for any Fae that may appear from the Duskwood Forest.
On the outskirts of the village lays the remnants of a large tower. Local folklore states that the tower was once home to a great magician; a man who had managed to learn magic from the ancient Fae. There are some tomes still engraved in what is left of the ruins.
HollowShore Village
The port city of Hollowshore is perhaps the most glamourous city among those in Ashenvale, including the capital. Located near the south coast of the nation, the city has managed to prosper greatly. A significant amount of trade passes through this city on a daily basis and much like Duskholde village, Hollowshore has farms along its outskirts as well. The local fisheries make up the most of the local city's economy with fish abundant in the nearby ocean. Among the main races in Ashenvale, the port city of Hollowshore appears to have the most balanced diversity among the three.
The port city too has its own military and excels at naval warfare. Many former pirates have been enlisted by the demon governor of Hollowshore and they make up the backbone of their naval might.
The Past
Presently, the biggest race population that inhabits Ashenvale are the Humans, closely followed by beastfolk as a whole, many of which have come here looking for jobs that require physical labour, whether that be beast hunting, fishing or mining.
That being said, if you were to take the Ancient Royal Family into consideration, than the main race of Ashenvale would have undoubtedly been the Fae Other prominent races that had existed within the borders of Ashenvale long before its demise, were the beastfolk, demons as well as a small clan of dwarves that sought to use their knowledge of mineral refinement to refine the mana crystals located deep within hidden caverns. The dwarves however had disappeared during the time of war and to this day there has been no mention as to what had happened to them.
While it was a known fact that there were demons living within the nation of Ashenvale, it has to this day never been confirmed as to where they had originally come from or if they were actually native to the nation. After all only a small populace of them had chosen to live within the capital, seemingly appearing at the kingdoms gate unannounced. Despite the negative stigma that demons get, this small group were allowed to live within the capital; offering their innate understanding of magic as a tempting benefit that the kingdom would attain. It was rumoured that the Royal Families closest advisor was of demon descent.
In later years, prior to the Nations fall, Humanity would also etch a strong foundation within the Kingdom of Ashenvale; establishing a village near Wizards Lagoon where young and budding mages would venture to.
The Present
This is the general breakdown of the current population % residing within Ashenvale. Humanity has established itself as the biggest percentage of inhabitants within the nation. This is largely due to their quick reproduction cycles as well as the vast majority of them fleeing to the region during the war.
*Mixed blood isn't a race, rather its the branch term for the various different 'mixed races' that exist within Ashenvale. I.e. Half beastfolk and Half human.
** Other Races is the branch term for the other races that reside in Ashenvale whose population is individually much smaller than the rest.
Greetings
The General Greeting of Modern day Ashenvale
Since becoming a more diverse nation filled with those of many races, their general form of greeting is hardly different to the rest of the world; being the most similar to Imperia.
The Fae
The fae's form of greeting among their own kind was closer akin to that of a dance. They would grasp each others hands and begin to spin in mid air, the elder of the duo leading the younger before they both landed, bowing to each other afterwards.
The Beastfolk
The most tribal of the three prominent races, the Beastfolk would often beat their chest in unison with their dominant hand as they glared at their opposite. During this time, they would attempt to intimidate the other into submission with their sheer presence until one submitted (bowed first).
The Demons
An arrogant race deeply intwined with mana, they are the true ancestors of the land of Ashenvale, arriving many years before the Elves, Fae and Beastfolk. Due to their arrogance and innate power over magic, their general 'greeting' towards the other species is to expect if not demand respect. They see all other races as being beneath them and thus offer no semblance of respect. There are certain exceptions however, such as Royalty.
Between themselves, the demons form of greeting is considered to be rather simplistic. Like medieval knights, they respect an order of hierarchy and will simply place their dominant arm over their chest and bow respectfully when in front of someone above them. A mere glance of acknowledgement is all they will receive from the other party.
Beliefs and Rituals The Fae
The Fae have several similarities in their beliefs, praying and worshipping both the Sun god and goddess of the moon as well as Mother gaia herself. They Show their thanks to the gods during a harvest festival by hosting a large ceremony that spans several days. While they worship the same gods, they do refer to them by different names.
The Beastfolk
The beastfolk tend to differ among themselves slightly depending on their particular subspecies. All tribes will generally worship the God of War as well as the Gods that represent the 4 earthly elements of Fire, Water, Earth and Wind. Where the tribes differ is is in their belief of the celestial beings. Some tribes show favour to the moon based on their genetic lines, (those that would generally be considered to be nocturnal) while some show favor to the Sun. Even among the 4 earthly elements, some tribes will show favor to a particular element more so than others.
Their main ritual is a large tribal competition among every tribe. A representative warrior is elected and a large free for all tournament is organised. The winner of said tournament is given the right to enter their 'sacred grounds'.
The Demons
Unknown. They are very secretive about their beliefs and while altars are often found within their hidden realm, they betray no information as to what God or goddess they believe in. However, some demons do decide to form 'pacts' with other races, though as to what benefit they gain has been a secret they rather not share.
Social Hierarchy and Family Dynamics
The Fae
An elected King and his queen govern the Fae alongside Elders who act as a council. Beyond that they are as free as their free spirited nature allows them to be. In regards to families, the Fae are not as closeminded as to restrict themselves to the concept of marriage. While they have the freedom to choose to get married, the vast majority of their race tend to dismiss it in favour of larger and more open groups.
Their free spirit generally does not allow them to accept the idea of being tied down to own partner.
The Beastfolk
The beastfolk tribes each have an elected chieftain that represents the best wishes of their respective clan, however during their ritualistic tournament, a Supreme Chieftain is established and is tasked with maintaining the peace among all tribes as well as any major decisions that may impact their race. They firmly believe that 'Strength' reigns supreme thus it is often the strongest fighter that leads.
The beastfolk once again do not restrict themselves to a single concept. While it does vary among the tribes, the general consensus among them is that they are free to choose as many mates as they want throughout their lifespan. This isn't to say that they follow a strictly harem based system. Normally it is the strongest that tends to get the most spouses who may choose to stay with their partner or not.
The Demons
The demons do not have a sole king or queen, rather they have established families within their realm that are almost on par with one another in terms of power. These families however do not even attempt to govern the rest of the demons and seem to be content with the present power they do have. However It is said that their power is tied to any 'pacts' they have made with those of other species.
They believe in polygyny, thus it is not uncommon for demons to have multiple partners. That being said, their ability to produce offspring is rather low compared to the other races so it wasn't uncommon for them to take partners from other races in order to enhance their chances of producing an offspring.
The Economy
The nation of ashenvale thrives on its import and export industry. In particular, the export of lumber and ore to other nations had given them a strong foothold to grow from; eventually establishing a highly profitable fishing industry as well as the export of Salt, courtesy of Opal Lake. The port city of Hollowshore in particular is a thriving coastal city that oversee's a significant portion of trade across the various countries.
While the country does have their own form of currency, they do barter in Imperium currency.
Magic
Magic has always been deeply ingrained into the region of Ashenvale. Blessed with an abundance of mana within the very earth itself, it was only natural for the vast forest of Duskwood to glow in natural mana rich radiance. Even the Summerscale mountains were gifted with an abundance of mana rich crystal veins.
The original lords of Ashenvale; The Fae, were a mana reliant race that coexisted with nature. Their very lives revolved around the use of mana; so much so that their relationship with nature itself was borderline symbiotic. Born with a strong affinity for magic; the Fae excelled in both Spatial and Illusionary magic, enabling them to alter space as well as to decieve those that would threaten their peace. Spatial magic in particular would prove to be a pivotal force for their survival.
In addition to this, Duskwood forest is believed to hide the Eternal Spring. Many believe the Eternal spring to be the mythical fountain of youth and thus seek to find it.
Nation Name: Tsavosa Nationality: Tsavosan Key: Nayacel Ker'rosm Overview:
This large tropical island was once home to brave warriors and deep traditions, but after hundreds of years of being Imperia territory much of Tsavosa's culture has been lost, leaving it a modernized tourist destination. Race(s):
While the Tsavosan's (or catfolk) make up the majority of the inhabitants Tsavosa has its fair share of other races mixed in too.
Notes on Catfolk:
- Appear mostly human with some feline features, including tail, ears, eyes, and claws.
- Primarily female, with only 20% of the race being male.
- Half-Catfolk do not exist. When a child is born between a Catfolk and another race they are born one or the other.
Capitol City:
★ Vulcanus (Talelthfalnor)
The city under the volcano, this has been the traditional seat of power for the council of elders (and now the national council) for as long as records tell. Very little of the original architecture remains save for a few historical sites. Villages:
✿ Lake-Home ✿ Magdelmak ✿ Cliff-Town Government: Republic
In the past the island was ruled by a council of female elders from each of the clans. Now the council members are voted upon by the people and have males and members of other races too.
. . . Allies:
• Imperia
Having been a territory of Imperia for hundreds of years has had its toll on the small nation. Even after having gained independence Tsavosa still keeps ties with its former overlords as it's what they've always known.
• Alkosa
Once the closest of allies, Imperia rule drove the two sister nations apart to a slightly tense alliance. Enemies:
• Relation to the Imperial Empire:
During the war Tsavosa was one of the first of the western nations to be invaded and conquered. Abandoned by their allies the catfolk were enslaved and forced to overfish, hunt, and harvest. (The island only having partially recovered.) Even after the war they remained a territory for several hundred years. . . .
Biome:
Tropical Rainforest, alpine mountains, and a volcanic desert on the southwest point. Climate:
The weather on the island is very consistent, being around 80° F year round (give or take 5°). Winter tends to be the rainy season though it happens in localized spots, so if it's raining where you are, there is almost always a sunny spot to be found around the coast. Winds tend to be refreshingly cool around here, but every so often there will be storms and hot, sticky weather. References:
Common Customs: • Do they have a unique form of greeting?
Placing one's hand against their chest, traditionally with clawed fingers, showed that you would rather attack yourself then the person you were greeting. Turning your palm/claws towards the other person is obviously not friendly. • Do people generally have any particular beliefs?
While Imperia religion or atheism/agnosticism are the most prevalent beliefs there are still those that worship the old gods of sun/fire, life/water, and death/wind. There used to be two others, moon/magic and darkness/ice, but they have been all but forgotten. • Do people traditionally dress a special way?
Traditionally very little was worn but obviously after being "civilized" this is no longer the case. • Family Dynamics?
While currently following modern family structures of monogamy, in the past the Tsavosans primarily lived in clan groups with many females under one male. However there are records of female run clans and homosexuality was neither uncommon nor looked down upon.
Holidays:
• Independence Day
• Day of the Wind (Winter)
• Festival of the Sun (Spring) • Aia's Chalange (Summer)
• Moon Festival (Fall) Cuisines:
The traditional food of the Tsavosa are rice, noodles, seafood, fruits and nuts, and capybara. Economy:
The island is well known for their seafood and tropical fruits and much of its income comes from tourism Architecture:
Landmarks:
• Mt. Rak'jemnak & Temple of the Sun
• Lake Geawieli, Temple of the Moon, & Temple of Life
• Spirts' Cliffs & Sky-Path Graveyard
Magic:
In the past there were two sects of magic users on the island, the Moon Witches and the Lions of Rak'thiel.
• Moon Witches
The Moon Witches were the island's shamans. They were secretive, keeping their knowledge close to their chests and were viewed as both tricksters and healers. They vanished after the invasion, either having fled or been killed off, taking their magic with them.
• Lions of Rak'thiel
The order of holy warriors, most males on the island were expected to join the order at some point in their youth to learn how to fight and lead. The most respected though were those who underwent the Trial of Flames and gained the ability to wield the sun god's fire. It wasn't strictly men that joined the order either, though it was rare for women to pass the trial. The Trial of Fire still exists today as a room in the Temple of the Sun filled with flames, the only remaining magic on the island, though none have passed since the invasion as all who have tried to enter have been burned. Notes:
-
First Name: Rak (Pronounced "rake") First Name: Nayacel, Daughter of Rak’thiel Current Name: Nayacel Ker’rosm Nickname: Naya Race: Tsavosan (Catfolk) Age: 19
Gender: Female Orientation: Pansexual Height: 5'3" ft Weight: 116 lbs Appearance:
Style: Chic Punk Personality:
• Cheerful
• Energetic
• Helpful
• Competitive
• Slight authority complex Likes:
• Music
• Swimming
• The sun
• Ice-cream Dislikes:
• Dogs
• Spiders
• The cold
Biography:
There are very little records on the life of the Tsavosan Key due to the primitive nature of the culture. What does exist tells how the god of fire led the Catfolk from their homeland across the ocean to the island, made peace with the Merfolk, and created the first holy warrior before returning to heaven. After that he would send an avatar every 100 years to protect the Tsavosans, up until the Imperia conquest.
Obviously these accounts are inaccurate. For starters Rak was neither a god nor male, but the idea that there were avatars wasn't too far off considering the Key's reincarnations. However the fact that she had so many is strange as each one only lived up to a hundred, an astonishingly short time for a Key, and were shockingly week. It's not like she was getting killed as the nation mostly kept to itself (save for Alkosa with whom they were allied). Perhaps it was due to the small size of the nation? Or more likely it may have been because she had been sharing her powers with the holy warriors, though even this theory has flaws.
Still when Impera attacked neither Nayacel nor her warriors were strong enough to hold him back.
Nayacel Ker'rosm has had it rather dull. Orphaned at a young age and tossed around between distant relatives for most of her life, she was an ignored child and once even abused. Despite all this she still has managed to stay a bright and chipper soul even when others would have fallen into depression.
Other than studying martial arts since her early teens not much interesting has happened in Naya's life. She went to school, dropped out a year early, got into punk, started and lost jobs, and eventually got her own place. So unexciting that sometimes she can't help but feel that something is missing.
Occupation:
Naya has had several jobs over the years, none of them ever sticking, but currently she has two…
• Variety streamer “Nyalla” - So far this job is not gone very well. Naya has a hard time sticking to a consistent schedule and subject. Understandably she only has a small following.
• Martial arts instructor - Her longest lasting job thus far has been teaching kids the Tsavosan martial art, Rak'nakalk.
Motive:
• Right now Naya just wants to find her place in the world as she is unsure where she belongs.
Magic/Abilities: The Flames of War
• Pyromancy
Fairly self explanatory; the ability to create and manipulate heat and flames.
• War Magic
An auxiliary type magic; with it Nayacel is able to boost her own and others' physical capabilities and magical power.
Strengths:
• Rak'nakalk - Nayacel is an expert in the Tsavosan martial art and will only grow stronger as her memories return. (She did invent it after all)
• Night Vision & Claws
• Parkor Weaknesses:
• Overconfidence
• Water Magic - Weakens her Pyromancy greatly
Khepri is a humanoid sphinx, possessing the face and body of a human with features of a lion and an eagle. Specifically, she has the ears, sharp claws, and the tail of a lion while a pair of eagle wings rest on her back. The colors of her feathers are a harmony of reddish brown and ash grey.
Even though portraits and other depictions of Zahara had been mostly lost, Khepri is in fact a splitting image of hers if not for the lack of glowing linear tattoos running down her torso and arms like branching rivers.
Style:
Khepri mostly wears light clothing of white and gold colors but sometimes she stylizes with red. In modern settings, she wears a lot of sleeveless and cropped tops. She is also fond of wearing large hoop earrings and other golden jewelries.
Personality
Personality:
Fierce
Sarcastic
Soft-hearted
Courageous
Hardworking
Uptight
Stubborn
Devoted
Motherly
Likes:
Walking along the shore
Hot weather
Scenic paintings
Dancing
Flute solos
Wine and tea
Romantic novels
Helping orphans
Gold
Dislikes:
Dishonesty
Loitering
Abandonment
Swimming
Corruption
Inconsistency
Coffee
The cold
Separations
Other Personal Info
Occupation:
Painter
She mostly comes with Su during his tours and accepts different mundane jobs when she gets the chance, be it babysitting, finding a cat, or fixing simple pipe problems.
Family:
Zuru Talmaris - Su's father was the closest Khepri ever had to one. She has nothing but gratitude and respect for the old man, and all the fatherly words of wisdom he had dispensed on her laid deeply in her heart and mind.
Eliora Talmaris - Much like her husband, Khepri looks at Eliora as a respectable parental figure. She was the first person who helped her experience what it felt like to be a daughter. Although while she loves the woman with her heart, she could live without her constant assumptions regarding her very much platonic relationship with her son.
Motive:
Khepri wishes to understand the mysteries of her mind
Khepri wishes to find a purpose in life
Zahara, the tale of a sinner
It's said that the Titans were the first ones to walk on the face of Oasis, gigantic yet gentle creatures who could reach the heavens with their fingertips and crack the earth with their feet so rivers could flow into the then-barren land. From one of their footsteps rose a child with the wings of an eagle and the features of a lion, the sand embracing its small body like a cloth tucked by her mother. The giants named the girl "Zahara" in their tongue: the daughter of the desert. They revered her as a divine gift of the All-Mother to all Titankind for shaping the Oasis into a land where life could flourish.
The belief simply grew more potent when the girl grew up and showed command over every grain of sand. Thus, the giants built a palace and a throne for the now-young woman, putting her in charge of everything. Albeit a heavy responsibility for a young deity, she flourished their civilization through her wisdom and magic. From a small settlement of Titans, the Oasis became a bonafide country that accepted all sorts of wanderers looking for a home.
Together with the Titans, Zahara protected the nation and lived to fulfill its citizens' wishes. From quelling sandstorms to creating rivers, all her feats awed the mortals and had them bending their knees in worship. For about a thousand years, Zahara lived toiling and watching over her people until they grew independent enough for her to gain a small window of leisure. She used her free time to observe everyone go about their daily lives. Zahara learned about their goals, dreams, emotions, and passion. She realized that, compared to her subjects, she led a dreary life. She had nothing going on for herself. Her days were spent sitting on a throne, listening to and granting requests; her nights were spent working on programs to be accomplished when the sun rose. She felt less of a living person and more of a machine, forever shackled by the heavy-duty placed on her shoulders since she opened her eyes.
Zahara had long given up on having a fulfilling life when troops from afar marched into their city. The Old King of the neighboring land presented her with exotic gifts that nobody from the desert had ever looked at. Ultimately, he asked for an alliance between the Oasis and Lijia. At the promise of mutual prosperity, both rulers came to terms and agreed to work together. The conversation was long-winded and exhausting, and by the time it was finished, Zahara wanted nothing but a quiet repose in her secret spot.
A mysterious stranger beat her to her favorite spot, as fate had it. His appearance alone made it easy to tell that he came with the King and the rest of the Lijian soldiers. She watched as he silently meditated, her curiosity prompted once she witnessed pebbles levitating around him. Throughout her thousand years of existence, she has never seen anyone do such a feat except herself. Feeling connected, she approached him and started a dialogue where they shared experiences in their respective lands. Zahara was awestruck by the stories the stranger had to say. She had never even known anything outside the Oasis before he came along.
In a single night, he opened her eyes to what felt like a new world. The pair continued their secret rendezvous throughout the soldier's stay in Oasis, sharing plenty of conversations and laughter until they formed a deeper bond. She came to learn everything she could about him - his past, his struggles, his secrets, and his noble goal. Every little thing about him captivated her heart; hence, she promised to aid him in every way she could.
The duo spent more and more time with each other as Zahara assisted him in expanding his magic. Even when the soldier returned to his homeland, they continued their arrangement for a few years until he was finally prepared to fulfill his calling. Zahara had half the mind to stop him, but she knew it would be wrong to interfere with his destiny. So, she let him go, his fate and whispered promise of return as vague as his silhouette as he disappeared into the desert.
Zahara nursed her heavy heart every day with thoughts of his indomitable will and their arduous training as she waited for his return. One day, he reappeared before her, his face fresh with a wound from his successful endeavor. Zahara quickly gathered him in her arms, tears streaming down her face as she cried out in joy and relief. In that instance, she knew she couldn't afford to lose him again.
The nation of Oasis has already grown to be capable on its own. She felt as though it no longer required a goddess to rely on. She was ready to retire with the only person who made her feel like one.
Alas, the soldier had a change of plans. The soldier informed her that he was now the new ruler of his motherland and that while he would stay with her, he couldn't come through with the quiet life they both anticipated. Despite the shock, Zahara understood his predicament and accepted their situation. In the end, they both chose to be with each other while being the rulers of their corresponding nations.
The pair worked hard to guide their lands to prosper and reach their ambitions. Throughout their many years together, Zahara noticed strange alterations in her partner's behavior. Nonetheless, she trusted his words whenever he'd dismissed her worries and pushed her growing doubts to the back of her mind. With every passing night, as she lay next to him, she knew in her heart that something terrible might be brewing. Yet, she could only gaze at his slumbering form as she wondered when he began yearning for the sun.
A hundred years passed, and the war began. Gold and red beneath a unified banner marching for world conquest. Hundreds of years of fighting and forty million deaths. A secret uncovered and a reaper to find. At the heart of the clocktower, she drew her last breath, her soul carrying a heavy sin and the hopeful key to a tyranny's end.
Khepri, the tale of rebirth
One rainy night, a shrill cry stirred the stewards of a local orphanage in Celeste. In front of their gate, they found a baby wrapped in a blanket softly nestled in a basket. The name "Khepri" was delicately embroidered into its center with golden threads. Surprised, they took the baby from its worn-out cradle and discovered its unique features. The little girl possessed feline ears and a tail while a pair of ashen-red wings protruded from her back. The stewards looked in confusion; they'd never seen anything like her.
Nevertheless, the orphanage became Khepri's first home. The stewards cared for her much like they did the other orphans. They taught her how to walk, speak, and everything she needed to know to enter primary education.
At school, Khepri turned out to be a bright student. Her teachers often commented that she was wise beyond her years and passed all her subjects with flying colors. However, she also turned out to be quite the character. Finnicky and temperamental, Khepri had difficulty getting along with other children. Although many tried to befriend her, her fiery personality invariably pushed them away until she grew accustomed to solitude.
Everything flipped upside-down when she fell into a lake after losing her paintbrush in its waters. She was almost sure it was the end of the line when a merfolk came to her rescue. Upon getting onto shore, she thanked the stranger and thought that was the end of it before running off. However, she was proven wrong when their paths again converged, and she bumped into him on campus.
Despite her nature, Su was a perky type and "shoved" himself into her life. The next thing she knew, they were already attached by the hip, and she became his pseudo-sister. Although Khepri might never admit it out loud, the girl was grateful to Su for letting her into his family. His parents essentially adopted her, acting as guiding forces in her life as she grew into an independent young lady.
Khepri and Su remained two peas in a pod even after Su rose to fame and both graduated. Despite being a brilliant scholar, Khepri had difficulty figuring out what she wanted to do with her life. So, like sand washed by the sea, Khepri let the waves take her wherever they pleased. Synonymously, she let Su drag her around wherever the spotlight demanded him to be.
Recently, the pair has returned to Celeste after an exhausting round of tours. While Khepri was glad to have a breath of fresh air, incomprehensible yet recurring nightmares had plagued her sleep lately. She couldn't quite make sense of it, but she felt something big was about to happen soon.
Magic & Abilities
Sand manipulation [MAGIC - PARTIALLY UNLOCKED]
Zahara possessed the ability to manipulate every grain of sand in her vicinity. She could use the power to create sand constructs, manifest sand storms, shift the terrain, and create different combat tactics with the use of sand.
Khepri has unlocked a weaker level of this magic.
Chronomancy [MAGIC - LOCKED]
By summoning the Hourglass of Life and manipulating the rise and fall of its sands, Zahara could accelerate or reverse a target's physical state - be it a person or an object. Zahara commonly used the spell to heal wounds and fix items by reversing the damage from existence.
The Hourglass can also be used offensively by accelerating a selected element of the target's physique. It can be used to accelerate a group of cell's degradation, causing wounds to appear on the target's skin, or accelerating a cell's energy expenditure to cause fatigue.
The most extreme show of this magic's prowess is flashforwarding a mortal's aging to the end of its life.
Khepri has not unlocked this power yet.
Flight [RACIAL ABILITY]
As a sphinx blessed with an eagle's wings, Khepri can fly for a reasonable duration before tiring herself.
Strengths
Lady of the Dunes
Having dominion over the desert, Zahara at her peak was nigh unstoppable if confronted in the Oasis where the sea of sand expanded pass the horizon. The more sand in her vicinity, the more powerful she is.
Sphinx's Physiology
As a sphinx, Khepri possesses greater strength and stamina than a normal human. She also has a sharper sense of hearing thanks to her feline ears.
Weaknesses
Sand-bound
Sand manipulation is limited by the amount of sand available in her vicinity.
Mentally-taxing
Her chronomancy, though powerful, comes at a high price. The severity of its intended effect is directly proportional to its toll on her mind. While reversing a simple scratch can be as easy as breathing, reversing a fatal wound can result to her losing consciousness. The same rule applies to her acceleration technique. Additionally, she might even lose her life if she dangerously overexerts herself when manipulating a person's hourglass.
Outside the domes, the usual Zaharan climate is hot and arid, with temperatures spiking up to 45° C during the day and dropping to as low as -2° C at night. It has an annual rainfall of less than 50cm/year.
The climate within the city domes is temperate and comfortable, with scheduled rainfalls.
Present
A highly prosperous country secluded from the rest of the world by its harsh dunes and militaristic might. Zaharia is a hyper-advanced nation composed of major settlements encased by defensive barriers and connected by hyperspeed tunnels. The country owns the largest natural reservoirs for oil and ores, boasting an endemic resource called the “Magicium” which powers the nation's technology. Thanks to its impressive wealth and martial culture, the Oasis has amassed a massive army led by the nation’s leader - the Dunekeeper.
Zaharia closed off to the foreign public after Impera’s fall, with only a few, possessing a special permit approved by the Dunekeeper, allowed to set foot and behold its golden beauty. Thus, Zaharia has become a mystery to most and a popular topic for hearsay. Recent rumors say its dunes have recently come alive and hunger for anyone unfortunate enough to be caught in its shifting sands.
As for the people of Zaharia, the Zaharian Records ensure they will never fall victim to falsehoods as long as they wear their portable terminals containing a scanner and a library of Zaharian knowledges approved by the Dunekeeper and his committee.
Past
Excavated evidence from the dunes revealed that civilization in the Oasis emerged some 2000 years ago, making it the home of possibly the oldest civilization known to mankind. Ancient relics and murals depict the first Oasians to have been guided and blessed by a “divine figure” now known as Zahara. According to local historians, the country prospered for countless generations beneath her hands but was cut short when Imperia marched into their land.
The Zaharan records state that the country was the first to fall into the empire’s clutches, with most of its population being forced into slavery and conscription for countless centuries. However, all was not lost as the nation’s key and ruler-deity sacrificed her life to defeat the evil emperor in Celeste, aided by the hero whose valor ascended him into keyhood and still serves Zaharia today as the Dunekeeper.
Humans stand as one of the most populous and resilient races in the Oasis, distinctly marked by their golden eyes and dark skins.
Born of the dunes, human Zaharians have honed their bodies to withstand the scorching sun and arid winds. Their physiology has adapted to endure prolonged periods without water, allowing them to traverse the vast expanses of the desert with remarkable resilience. Despite their relatively short lifespans compared to some of the other inhabitants of the Oasis, humans have thrived, taking on a place as one of the region's oldest inhabitants.
Acknowledging their mortality, humans have embraced their creative ingenuity, their inventive spirits bridging the gap between themselves and the longer-lived denizens of the desert. Through tireless innovation, they've crafted technologies that defy the limitations of their fleeting years, striving to stand on equal footing with their peers.
In the Oasis, the fusion of flesh and machine is a common sight, as humans adorn themselves with cybernetic enhancements and bionic augmentations.
Standing proudly beneath the five-foot mark, dwarves possess a stocky and compact build that belies their formidable strength and resilience. Yet, it is not merely their physical stature that sets them apart; it is their unyielding determination and insatiable hunger for wealth that truly defines them. Born with an affinity with the earth, dwarves are naturally drawn to the depths where they ply their trade as miners, delving deep into the bowels of Zaharia to unearth precious ores and the highly praised Magnicia.
Despite their diminutive physique, dwarves have lifespans that can stretch to 250 years, though such longevity is rare and is akin to finding a 100-year-old human being. Their population is heavily skewed towards males, thus the dwarven community consistently experiences slow population growth.
The Tieflings stand as a vibrant minority, their presence marked by a unique blend of charisma, otherworldly charm, and unmistakable physical traits. With devilish horns curling atop their brows and sinuous tails swaying behind them, Tieflings command attention wherever they roam. Tieflings possess skins adapted with a natural resistance to the searing heat of the sun, rendering them well-suited for traversing the arid expanses of Zaharia. This, coupled with their innate charm and silver tongues, makes them formidable as traveling merchants, occasionally found wandering outside the desert country.
Tieflings share the same lifespan as humans and much like the latter, they are not averse to embracing the wonders of augmentations and cybernetics. With their fiery spirits and mystical exteriors, the Tieflings have carved out a distinct niche for themselves in the sands as sought-out merchants and entertainers.
As the sands of time shift and swirl, the once-mighty Titans, towering behemoths of the desert, find themselves teetering on the brink of extinction. The recent tumultuous behavior of the dunes, coupled with the heedless expansion of city domes, has taken a devastating toll on their population. Once plentiful in number, now only a sparse few of these magnificent beings roam the Oasis, their highly solitary nature exacerbating their rapid decline.
Once revered as the guardians of the land, the Titans stood as towering sentinels, their colossal frames reaching heights that seemed to scrape the very heavens. Legends whispered of Titans that once surpassed even fifty feet in stature, though in the modern era, such colossal specimens have become nothing but legends.
Clad in skin as tough as ancient stone, they possess a formidable defense that makes them nigh-impenetrable to conventional weaponry. Paired with their imposing physique and remarkable strength, even a single Titan is a force to be reckoned with.
Unearthed murals speak of a time when the Titans walked as kings, the very first inhabitants of the Oasis. These ancient depictions reveal the Titans as the architects of civilization, the ones who laid down the very foundations upon which the modern world stands. They were not merely builders, but companions to the Oasian deity Zahara herself, revered as her faithful allies and entrusted with the sacred task of shaping the land into a paradise.
Stonefolks are believed to have been descendants of a human and a titan who miraculously conceived a child. Stonefolks are progressively populating the Oasis due to the dominance of their biology. When a Stonefolk conceives an offspring with a partner of any race, the child is always a Stonefolk.
With their rock-hard skin and eyes as pure as alabaster, the Stonefolks stand as living monuments to their lineage, their towering figures casting long shadows across the sun-scorched landscape. Towering above their human counterparts, some reaching heights of eight feet or more, they possess an imposing presence that commands respect and awe in equal measure.
Despite their formidable appearance, the Stonefolks share the same lifespan as humans and Tieflings and utilizes the aid of augmentations and cybernetics. However, what truly sets them apart from the other humanoids is that they possess unparalleled affinity to Magicium-powered devices. To put in perspective, a human may take a year to acclimate to an implant's biologic demands while a Stonefolk may only require a week.
As a result, they have become prized assets in Zaharia's ever-expanding military, their prowess on the battlefield earning them a place of honor and respect. From wielding Magicium-enchanted firearms to piloting advanced mechanical suits, the Stonefolks stand at the forefront of the nation's defense.
A thriving megacity composed of five large districts, each separated by transparent domes of reinforced alloys and connected by hyperspeed tunnels. Numerous military stations are scattered throughout the city to keep ordinances and protect its citizens from threats. As the sun beats down mercilessly, the city stands as a beacon of technological marvel amidst the desolation, its towering structures blending seamlessly with the golden hues of the surrounding dunes.
The Central District is the command center of the entire Oasis. The Golden Citadel stands proud at its core where the Dunekepeer firmly holds court, surrounded by the residencies of its elite citizens and military facilities teeming with armed personnel. The First Eye of Magnicia towers the entire city from the citadel’s courtyard.
The Northern District is the main industrial area of the city. It’s pervaded by the ceaseless hums of machinery and transport crafts that buzz in and out of gigantic factories and warehouses. Yet amidst the cacophony of industry, a secluded slum harbors those marginalized by society, where the desperate and the destitute unlawfully trudge through their meager lives within the shadows of progress.
The Western Districtboasts rows of neatly arranged residential complexes that stretch as far as the eye can see, providing sanctuary for the city's average denizens. Yet, even amidst the tranquil streets and manicured lawns, the ever-watchful gaze of Zaharian soldiers serves as a reminder of the constant vigilance required to maintain the order and security that the Dunekeeper wishes.
The Eastern District is the city’s heart of entertainment. If one seeks excitement, relaxation, or simply a taste of luxury then take the next hypertrain eastward. Here, towering skyscrapers house opulent social lounges, five-star restaurants, and sprawling malls that cater to every whim and desire. As the sun sets, the district comes alive with the pulsating glow of neon lights, transforming into a playground of hedonistic delights, where the night is alive with the rhythm of pulsating music and the laughter of revelers.
The Southern District is the scholar’s haven. Multiple universities and research facilities dot the landscape, their lustrous halls abuzz with the fervent pursuit of discovery. Here, scholars and scientists delve into the mysteries of the cosmos, while tech shops and specialized clinics offer cutting-edge cybernetic implants and bionics to those seeking to transcend the limits of the flesh.
Port Zonoran
Port Zonoran stands as a testament to both opulence and military might. Encircled by a barrier of Oasian technology, this dome-city rises near the western shore of the Oasis, a glittering jewel amidst the arid landscape. The city's former lifeline is the wide and winding river known as "The Nail," which snakes its way through the desert, connecting Port Zonoran to the bustling capital city and ultimately to the open ocean.
Once renowned as a bustling center of trade, Port Zonoran's docks welcomed ships from every corner of the globe, their hulls laden with exotic goods and treasures. Merchants and traders thronged the streets, haggling over spices, silks, and precious metals. However, in the wake of Zahara's demise, the port has undergone a profound transformation.
Nowadays, only a select few foreign vessels are permitted to enter Port Zonoran's waters, and even fewer are granted passage through the city to other destinations. Each ship must undergo rigorous accreditation procedures and secure a special pass sanctioned by the ruling authority, the Dunekeeper. This strict regulation ensures that only those with the highest trust are permitted access to the secrets confined within the city.
Port Zonoran has evolved into a formidable naval stronghold, its docks and shipyards bustling with activity as the Zaharan war fleets maintain a constant vigil over the surrounding waters. Towering fortresses and vigilant sentry posts keep watch over the harbor, ensuring that any potential threats are swiftly identified and neutralized.
Within the city's labyrinthine streets, the echoes of its mercantile past mingle with the clangor of shipbuilding and the tramp of military boots. Warehouses once filled with exotic goods now house weapons, provisions, and the machinery of war, while the air hums with the constant activity of soldiers and sailors preparing for the next conflict.
Despite its transformation, Port Zonoran remains a beacon of wealth and power in the desert, its golden domes gleaming defiantly against the harsh backdrop of the sands.
Fort Zir'kosa
In the North of the vast Oasian desert lies the enigmatic military city of Zir'kosa, a fortress shrouded in secrecy and fortified against the relentless sands.
The architecture of Zir'kosa is a fusion of ancient desert motifs and advanced military design. Tall spires adorned with intricate carvings reminiscent of sand dunes rise into the sky, while sleek and angular buildings made from reinforced materials withstand the harsh desert winds. The entire city is encased within the country's thematic dome, shielding it from sandstorms and providing a controlled climate within.
Access to Zir'kosa is strictly controlled, with heavily guarded checkpoints and surveillance systems monitoring every entrance. The city's purpose is veiled in mystery, known only to those with the highest security clearance. Within its walls, military research facilities hum with activity as scientists and engineers develop cutting-edge weaponry and defense systems.
However, beneath the fortress is a sprawling underground network where Titans, captured from distant times, toil in the depths of the earth in secrecy. Forced into brutal mining operations, these beings are exploited for their strength and endurance until they've become nothing but machines of Magicium production. The underground city is a labyrinth of tunnels and caverns, illuminated by harsh artificial light and echoing with the sounds of machinery and the groans of the enslaved giants. Overseen by ruthless overseers, these giants are kept under strict control through mysterious methods.
Zir'kosa thrives as a hub of military power and innovation, its secrets buried deep within the shifting sands of the desert, far from prying eyes.
Viz Oz'muz
While the rest of Zaharia thrives under advanced dome barriers, sheltered from the harsh elements and adorned with gleaming skyscrapers, Viz Oz'muz stands apart with its bricked walls and weathered infrastructure with little signs of technological advancement. The village seems to have frozen in time, resisting the relentless march of progress that characterizes the rest of the Oasis.
Instead of towering skyscrapers and sleek hovercrafts, quaint stalls and wagons litter the streets while the haggles of merchants and customers over handcrafted goods pervade the arid air. Despite its apparent poverty, Viz Oz'muz possesses a charm that is unmatched by the glittering metropolises of Zaharia. Its inhabitants, resilient and resourceful, have forged a tight-knit community where hospitality is abundant and strangers are welcomed with open arms.
In the heart of Viz Oz'muz, amidst the labyrinthine alleys and sun-soaked courtyards, lies a sacred temple dedicated to the Fallen Goddess Zahara. While the rest of the nation venerates the reigning Dunekeeper, the villagers of Viz Oz'muz maintain a steadfast devotion to the ancient deity, their faith passed down through generations. Although the Dunekeeper and the wider Zaharan society disapprove of their "stasis", the villagers of Viz Oz'muz cling to the forgotten faith and adamantly preserve the history and teachings of ages old.
The First Eye of Magnicia casts a long-shadow with its towering structure over the sun-soaked pavements of the Golden Citadel's courtyard. Rising majestically from the ground, the tower is made of a pair of sleek reinforced alloys holding a pulsating giant disc of pure Magnicium at its top. Its metallic exteriors reflect the bright shine of the harsh Oasian sun, hinting at the incredible power coursing within.
Composed of the mystifying ore called Magicium, the Eye of Magnicia is not merely a monument of architectural splendor but a feat of scientific ingenuity. Magicium, with its unique properties, serves as the lifeblood of the tower, harnessing the boundless energy of the sun and transforming it into a myriad of forms to power the technologies of tomorrow.
The Second Eye of Magnicia
Forged from the same mysterious ore known as Magicium that fuels its sister structure, the Second Eye of Magnicia stands imposingly over the military city of Fort Zir'kosa where golden armored soldiers tend to its upkeep day and night.
Like its counterpart in the Capital, the Second Eye of Magnicia harnesses the boundless energy of the sun and functions similarly by providing all the energy demands of the city and its neighboring settlements.
As the two Eyes of Magnicia stand sentinel over the desert realm, their combined gaze serves as a beacon of hope and a harbinger of doom. Both towers are capable of harnessing and transforming the energy of the sun into devastating light beams that can level a village within seconds.
When the beams from the sister towers, a phenomenon of unparalleled destructions occurs. Like the union of two suns, the massive amount of combined energies from both towers unleashes a burst of energy akin to a nuke-like laser beam, capable of decimating targets with calculated precision that scientists theorize can rip through the other side of the world.
The Temple of Zahara
Standing solemnly at the heart of Viz Oz'muz, the village frozen in time, is the majesty of the Temple of Zahara. Carved from ancient living rocks, its walls are adorned with intricate carvings that tell of a bygone era when the fallen goddess once watched over the desert realm.
Zahara, the divine guardian of the old Oasis, is a figure shrouded in mystery, her name whispered with reverence by the few who still remember the days when her presence graced the land. It is said that she walked among the Titans, guiding them with wisdom and grace as they shaped the desert into a paradise, where life could thrive amidst the harsh sands.
For millennia, Zahara stood as the ruler-protector of the civilization, her watchful gaze warding off the myriad threats that sought to engulf the Oasis in darkness. From marauding nomads to cataclysmic storms, she shielded her people from harm and served as a beacon of hope in a world plagued with peril.
Though Zaharan worship is still being practiced in the temple, it mostly serves as a place of healing and refuge for those who have fallen victim to the desert's ill-tidings. The domeless nature of Viz Oz'muz exposes the village to the harshness of the dunes and the scorching heat of the sun.
The Golden Citadel
With golden spires reaching the heavens and a resplendent glow that can be seen from a mile away, the Golden Citadel is the proud jewel of Kur Z'hampera and a gleaming symbol of authority and opulence. As the seat of governance and the residence of the enigmatic Dunekeeper, the Golden Citadel is encircled by high towering walls and sentry posts that vigilantly watch over for any encroaching threats. It used to be the divine refuge of the fallen goddess Zahara and has existed for thousands of years, thus making it a token of the enduring strength and resilience of the desert nation.
In the heart of the palace, the Court of Splendor, a chamber of unmatched grandeur where the ruler of the Oasis holds court. Surrounded by a retinue of advisors and guards, the Dunekeeper sits upon a throne of purest gold, making decisions based on his unquestioned wisdom.
The modern Zaharan language evolved from the fabled Tongues of the Titans, the words of the ancient Oasis when the colossal engineers and the divine architect once watched over the dunes. Originally, the sentence construction of the Oasians is extensive, with each element of their intended text having a corresponding word with consonant clusters; however, throughout the flow of time and the shift of sand, the language modernized into shortened and conjugated sentences and absorbed loanwords from its neighboring country Imperia.
In terms of written works, the people of ancient and modern Zaharia write in runes of varying numbers of rings. Each ring, from the interior to the exterior, represents a full sentence with glyphs made of lines and shapes as texts.
Once central to Oasian religion is the worship of the fallen goddess Zahara. Once a powerful deity who walked among the Titans, Zahara is said to have guided the ancient inhabitants of Zaharia in shaping the land into a paradise where life could flourish amidst the harsh sands.
Yet, as the grains of sand slipped through the hourglass, Zahara's influence waned after her demise. She faded into myth and memory, leaving behind a faint legacy of reverence and devotion that endures to this day. In her lone temple in Viz Oz'muz, a handful of pilgrims come to pay homage to the fallen goddess, offering prayers and sacrifices in hopes of invoking her divine favor.
On the other hand, the larger Zaharan populace reveres the "new deity" whose leadership and valor became key in thwarting the evil that was Impera. The Dunekeeper, a human who walked alongside Zahara herself but still graces the sand with his presence today, is believed to have risen to godhood after receiving the fallen goddess' blessings. With her last words, she transferred her divinity to the once-mortal and placed the mantle of responsibility on his shoulders as the new ruler of the Oasis.
Many Zaharians look at the Dunekeeper as a figure of hope and might, a paragon of a true Oasian warrior who offered up his everything in the name of the nation. Thus, many shrines and temples have been erected in his name, most prominently in Kur Zah'mpera where hundreds of statues in his likehood can be seen gazing over the city.
Nonetheless, as the nation experiences the pinnacle of technological innovation, a growing portion of the population believes that is time for a new age of enlightenment. In essence, they believe that the reverence of deities belongs to the old world, and the Oasis of today must focus on progress and knowledge.
Rite of Ascension
The Rite of Ascension is a nationwide holiday that celebrates Zahara's ultimate sacrifice and the Dunekeeper's rise to godhood. It is celebrated on the same day as Impera's defeat in the clock tower and is synonymous with the nation's Independence Day. The main mark of the event is a grand theatrical reenactment of the duo's final battle against the evil overlord, enjoyed in the Eastern District of the Kur Zah'mpera, the country's capital.
Festival of the Titans
In the past, the festival was a celebration of Zahara and a way for the people of the Oasis to show their gratitude to the divine protector and her colossal companions. Every household would gather and bring dishes to enjoy as a community while performers would use modified sticks to elevate their heights and dress up as Titans. Nowadays, people seem to have forgotten the original sentiments of the festival and only use the festival to entertain by equipping gigantic and well-adorned mech suits and clashing with one another in a ring.
Allies & Enemies
The Oasis has been on a nationwide lockdown since Impera's defeat. Despite many political intrigue and espionage attempts, nobody has truly figured out the reason behind their sudden seclusion. While a few Oasians wander out their homeland, they themselves seem to not know the answer. In the end, only hearsays and theories serve as the temporary "answer" to the matter, with many claiming it's the nation's preventive measure of being conquered and exploited once again.
Despite the isolation, the Oasis is devoid of any official allies and enemies. At least, as far as the public is concerned.
Relations to Imperia
The modern Oasis refuses to acknowledge any partnership with the formerly invasive empire. Its literatures and records all claim that the desert nation has been the first to be subjugated and exploited by the evil Imperia, with its citizens being forced into slavery to arm the occupying army.
Age 1128 Key Years Appears to be in his late 20s - Early 30s
Gender Male
Orientation Straight
Height 6'1
Build Slender & Chiseled
Appearance
• His tail is a burnt reddish color and the scales seem to sparkle like sandstone-colored iridescence.
• He harbors many scars from days of battle. Most noteworthy, a scratch across one eye from slaughtering King K.
Style • The clothes he was imprisoned with couldn't be preserved after all these years. They crumbled to dust centuries ago.
He would find modern fashion to be strange and search for something more familiar. Fortunately Naga don't need trousers.
• Ancient Imperian attire; consisting of loose embroidered coats, with something breathable and formfitting underneath.
Personality Brutal, Ambitious, Charismatic, Fearless, Heart of Gold,
Impera has such a loud presence that even in a pitch black room you could just sense him lurking. There is so much to him than meets the eye. Even his beloved, comrades, and closest acquaintances never truly knew what had been brewing inside his soul. For Impera hadn't ever been the same since his defeat of Kronin. Now just a mere reflection of the humble and incredible man he grew into. Spiritually tired and a shell. Spite for his own undoing, bloodthirsty for vengeance. Perhaps centuries ago he could have quit and fled to live out his days... though Impera could not turn back even if he tried. Confusion circles his head like seeing stars for having lived so long. For if he would allow the world to crush him, that may very well be the grand finale to his glory. The pain inside his head and heart wouldn't allow him to ever let go. There was plenty of unfinished business to be squandered and he has been waiting too long to not accomplish. In all his life he never felt so Impulsive up to this point in time.
Likes 'Himself', Feasts, Wine, Celebrations, Bowing Worshippers, The Music of War, Western Tropican Fish, Oasis
Dislikes Himself, The Modern World, Cold weather, Politics, Cier The Reaper (especially), Dragons,
Biography
Impera's beginnings are humble and unassuming of the person who he would quickly become. Born in Sahhem to poor wheat farmers, his early years could have gone into an entirely different direction if fate played it's cards any differently. Due to King Kronin, Lijia was a starving nation, the one who was supposed to serve them put the interests of other lands first. Taking, depleting, and trading off priceless amounts of resources at the very expense of his people. Because of this tyranny, many could hardly afford more than the tax placed on their roofs and walls. No one could afford more than enough scraps to survive, but this wasn't the reason Impera's parents ultimately passed before his eyes. A terrible yet otherwise preventable plague began to sweep the country by storm. Nearly all of Sahhem perished while children were whisked away to the confines of a sanctuary in Auk. After the plague subsided, few were able to return to their families and most were orphaned. To make matters worse, an even more miniscule few could ever afford to adopt children. And so this was where Impera spent his days until adulthood. He vaguely remembers his parents. Their faces were nothing but a blur yet the tender warmth of a parent's love never left his heart. Forever he has grieved the life he never knew. Like many of the children alongside him, wishing for nothing more than to be back in their embrace.
Time may not heal all wounds, but when he was old enough to make his way in the ancient world, he wanted to leave that part of his life buried in the red dust. Impera left Auk to venture out to the bigger bustling city of Cytrine. It was here that he had hopes of making a life for himself. What has happened, happened, and there was nothing he could do about it and so he did what he could. Look forward and follow the sun. He had nothing but the clothes on his torso and yet he held so much more in his heart. Hope. He had nothing left to lose. Or perhaps he was naïve to the notions that he may only have brighter horizon. Regardless, it was here in Cytrine that his eyes would open and his mind would awaken to the ways of the world. Specifically, the reason for the way his fate had turned so melancholy. That King Kronin was the sole one responsible for the oppression of basic needs. King Kronin practically killed Impera's parents.
It was because of his discovery that Impera chose to train for the Lijian Royal Guard while still in his teen years, giving him somewhat an advantaged later on as he grew into a highly skilled fighter. It wasn't until his 20s that he officially joined and among one of the highest ranks right off the bat! But of course his sights weren't solely on creating a career or income. No. Impera saw nothing but red anytime he caught himself dwelling on what could have been... what should have been... and what never could be fixed. He wanted revenge. Not only for his own sufferings, but the suffering of all his people. And so with likeminded soldiers he hatched a plan to take the corrupt king off of the throne. It wasn't foreseen whatever lied beyond the King's death. Though there were no heirs and neither any kin to mourn such a foul beastly man. Impera collected men like eggs in a basket yet the time to strike would not come for many years as he and the others, many of which orphans themselves, were barely men at this time. Time was their greatest asset whilst they grew stronger and wiser than the day they vowed to kill Kronin. It was during this time of planning that Impera began to notice something different about himself. Something he feared and couldn't explain. Telekinesis.
Magic wasn't something known to common people. Only witchdoctors and their royal family was believed to possess otherworldly abilities, but that was merely folklore. Those who claimed to have witnessed any sort of real magic were often given nothing more than an odd glance. But even still, when the time came that Impera would work closely with Kronin as one of his many guards, it felt as though a sour scent perpetually lingered in the air as something seemed to emanate from his overseer. Impera had never dared to speak of it as he feared losing the trust and respect of his fellow men and women in armor. There was just something about the way Kronin's eyes would change, but perhaps it was simply the lighting or maybe the fact Impera couldn't stand the man that skewed his vision of him. Whatever it may be, Impera felt nothing but a wicked evil. All Kronin lusted for was wealth and power beyond all who stood below him. Deliberately in the expense, blood, sweat, and tears of all Lijians. Hatred could only grow throughout these years - as if it were possible to grow any stronger. All of Impera's people had reached their breaking point far too long ago.
But whilst the last grains of sand were dripping down the hourglass, Impera and others were tasked to accompany Kronin to the Oasis of Zeharia. To others, this was the experience of a life time as traveling abroad (even to a neighboring countries) was something unheard of for the poor Lijians. While most of his comrades were busy merrymaking with the locals, Impera had snuck into isolation as he was feeling troubled at the time. His powers were out of control as he did not have much time or will to engage with it. Not understanding himself made the man fearful and fearfulness only escalated his struggles. And furthermore, he didn't want to think about what would happen if his powers slipped out in front of anyone else. What would they do? Claim him a Witch?? There was no trial for witchcraft. Rather it was a swift sentence of being dragged out to sea. Your only choice in the matter being which monstrous sea creature would you rather be eaten. Both would make any man's skin crawl. And so this problem was something he truly believed he could only confide in himself. So he hid his powers like families hide in their homes on Lijianak.
There he was on this one day, hidden outside in shade, unenthusiastically focusing on floating some pebbles for the hell of it. If only he could just get ahold of himself, impera could only dream of using what he thought to be a curse - for his own benefit. Once this coupe was all over, thought to himself, then he would leave Lijia and find his own corner of the world... but little did he suspect that the one to change his entire life loomed just over his shoulder. A woman yet not just any woman. Zehara. For the very first time his powers were seen clear as the scorching skies above. And as one might imagine, panic trembled in his chest like the beating of battle drums. For a split second he might have had the nerve to kill her in order to maintain his own peace, but when she started to speak, his eyes and shoulders softened their edge. And soon enough the pair were neck deep in conversation. Before this, Impera never once disclosed much of himself, but upon viewing her power, there was an instant connection. For all this time Impera thought he was alone in the world when it came to the mysteries that haunted him.
As his time in Oasis passed, their time together flourished into something priceless. Just as much of her life she and the abilities she shared, Impera finally found someone he could open up to. The one person in the world he felt both safest and highly protective of. With so much darkness in his past, Impera felt pure joy and light within his heart whenever she was beside him. Perhaps the only good thing he had ever known. And so when the time came that Kronin had to return to Lijia, Impera did not want to go as Oasis felt like home, but all soldiers must not abandon their command without execution and especially, he could not forget his ultimate mission to avenge the suffering of his people. And so it was an emotional farewell between them as he did not know if he would live to return to her side, but this was something he made a promise to himself many years ago. Although uncertain of his fate, Impera promised to see her again even if only in spirit.
Impera did return to Zaharia, proving his victory in slaying the tyrant Kronin, but... something about Impera changed within the moons of his absence. It was more than the scar he had acquired over a single eyelid. His heart seemed to be in the same place yet his mind seemed to have switched his senses direction. At first, only sharp spouts of short migraines were noticed, though forgotten just as quickly as they started. This strange condition has only followed him to present day. In addition, something about his eyes seemed to change, but perhaps it was simply the lighting or maybe the fact Zahara hadn't seen him in some time, but whenever this phenomena was brought to his attention, Impera swept it under the rug. It was only a side effect of battle in his mind. Not to mention he had been leveraged as the new king, reclaiming the land under the new name of Imperia. And one can only imagine the stress on his shoulders as his prior dreams in life seemed to sink under the sand below his feet. Impera wanted the world to appear in the palms of his hands. He wanted to scavenge for everything Kronin had stripped Lijia of as Imperia would rise from the ashes like that of a phoenix. And the poor defenseless people only bowed and praised Impera's glory. He was an instant savior in their eyes, saving them from hunger and harsh lives.
Despite the drastic change of direction in his future, Zahara never drifted or swayed away from being in his new world. He could not fathom anything otherwise. And so he led the way, taking over land after land until meeting his demise in Celeste at the hands of Raine and that damned reaper Cier. While he survived them, the sight of them bringing an end to his lover's life would forever torment Impera as he laid within the confines of a dark ancient chamber.
It was here that as his life remained pristine and intact, Impera vowed to seek vengeance once again.
Family Unknown
Role Key of Imperia
Motives To destroy Cier and Raine to avenge the death of his family,
To Steal Cier's Reaper eyes. To return to his people and rule forevermore.
Abilities Telekinesis ;
To move things with his mind, however, this cannot be done as he is Mimicking and he cannot move others.
But what is truly terrifying is that he has now learned to move himself.
Mimic ;
Whoever he is battling, Impera is able to use their own power against them.
A game of copycat if you will.
[REDACTED] ; locked
[REDACTED] ; locked
Strengths Fast Learner; Exactly that he can remember an opponents powers and use them as his own,
though the strength of such a power relies on how long he has practiced it.
1st Life; Impera's powers are the highest of keys as he has been alive the longest.
Swift & Strong; His slither insanely quick and his strength is great.
And because of this he is also capable of slipping away very easily.
Weaknesses Heartache ;
500 years of grieving his family. "The world will know my Wrath."
Outdated; Impera is very vulnerable to the Modern world.
It is bright, loud, confusing, and far bigger than he remembers.
Notes
• He does not understand reincarnation in general, he believes the keys are all dead.
• Mysteriously, sometimes his eyes glow an ominous green.
• Moderately afraid of Ghosts. The subject is taboo in Imperian culture.
He would rather fight a Gasheel while smothered in sauce.
• 450 years roughly spent working between worlds before The Great Conquest of the Imperial Empire.
Gender Male
Orientation Demi
Height 5'9
Build Average
Appearence
Style
• Despite prefering ancient attire, Cier unfortunately must keep up with the times.
• At work in the museum, he dresses in very sophisticated clothing, though he would
much rather be in his robe and slippers all day. leaning towards a plain and neutral color scheme.
Cier is probably not the most likable type of person. He has always had somewhat of antisocial tendencies and he can be easily irritated by others, though he is just stoic and means business. Although he has a hard time lightening up, a part of him does care about restoring harmony for more than his own selfish desires. He's a lot more empathetic than others might notice.
Only considers himself an acquaintance of those he trusts.
Likes Peace & quiet, Mortal Realm studies, collecting ancient artifacts, thinking about retirement
Dislikes most people - even 'friends' annoy him, leaving the tower for anything but spicy ramen, mornings
Biography
Impaled, left to bleed in the rain after the battle of a civil war long before Imperian forces crossed the Twilight sea.
Cier cannot remember his life before awakening in a world beyond where he had came from, but a dark scar on his stomach were the only thing he had left besides the wings on his back. In the Spirit Realm he emerged from a timeless pool sparkling slowly under a misty backdrop. The young man knew not even his name until he wandered from the waters to meet the eyes of a celestial being who roamed the most etherial garden he had ever seen. Fireflies danced along passages encompassing a collection of withered structures covered in moss and vine. Nature consumed this world more than people could ever grow to destroy it. Whatever this world may be, he thought, he felt entirely at peace. Every step felt so light as the breeze seemed to lead him by the hand. Cier knew not where the wind would take him, but there was no such fear in his mind. Perhaps the haze of his arrival shielded all perceptions, but a gentle voice spoke, a fire felt as though it had been lit beneath his soul.
Endless white strands drifted off into cloud from antlers crowning her temple. A goddess is bound to the grounds of vacant labyrinths and eerie pools as old as time. A place under constant moonlight yet a bright aura nestled around her figure as she pulled the avian forward. To awaken is much different than simply being born into the Spirit world. Others would say it doesn't make much difference as to the means of a death. A mortal soul always ends up in the same place as any other. Rather to be killed or die naturally. Opposite of keys, once a soul fully crosses over, and lets go of their mortal vessel forevermore - they may never remember their mortal life, but are gifted a beautiful world beyond what any could imagine.
Before him was who he would soon learn to be, the ruler, regarded as 'Lore' or 'The Goddess" as she watched over both worlds. Like a mother cradling two unidentical twins. Cier can vividly remember the way she had looked into his eyes upon first meeting. It startled him, he was confused, he was afraid of her. A peculiar glimmer in those elusive irises told her something, perhaps everything she needed to know about him. She spoke with a gentle face. Her voice appeared in Ciers mind, words he cannot repeat, yet he would then understand where he was, his name, but nothing of his history would she ever speak and yet... Cier somehow knew not to fret. The feeling of tranquility flowed throughout him like blood in his veins.
He'd listen. Do as he was told by this stranger he feared to cross. The aura that danced around her skin radiated a power in the air between them that he could not put words to. He sat and allowed her to brush, wash, and cut his very long hair on the edge of one of the pools. Time seemed to not exist as it was just them as she explained everything of the world he had arrived to. That his mortal life had ended and new life was beginning, but unlike most who come from her still waters - Cier had a destiny for his soul. He would become a reaper. His ability being: to bring mortal souls homeward bound. from her heart she pulled a small orb of red aura. And into his forehead she placed it. Cier's dark oak eyes turned to crimson. Then from a thin puddle, Lore pulled a sword for her to knight him. Upon gracing his temple, the celestial weapon glowed the same hue. He would use this to slay any foul soul as not to allow it into the world of Sonnet.
Cier accepted his purpose as if he had been waiting his whole life. It wasn't difficult, but when the time came that the goddess would set him free from her garden, he felt more dread than ever not knowing his mortal existence... Terrifying to find your way in a new world with no recollection of the past. But time passed, he made himself a home in a quiet cave somewhere and flew to all places imaginable in between bring souls to his goddess. For half a millennium, he worked as a regular run of the mill reaper, soon becoming the best of the best thus transitioning into bounty hunting demons and other outlawed spirits for greater payment. Out of anyone Lore could have picked for the job, Cier was without a doubt her go-to reaper on any occasion and so... this is exactly how he got stuck with rounding up The Keys.
Things weren't exactly going well in the Mortal Realm and it was now up to him to stop it. It was nothing he couldn't handle.. or so he thought. As Impera's empire grew rapidly by the years, Cier struggled to reason with all but one of the fabled keys. Impera was ultimately sealed away in the chambers below Celeste's Grand Clocktower by Raine and himself, however, Lore knew that wouldn't hold forever.. and the only thing he had to show for his failures was a collection of all the key souls capsuled into a lantern.
Cier recieved a scroll from the eather - "In, 500 years, you have one more chance or the Mortal Realm shall fall forever... Timely reincarnate the souls before Impera breaks free or you will never return." wrote a distressed Goddess...
Occupation Museum Curator
(The Grand Clocktower of Celeste is considered a Historical Monument. Therefore, yes, there is a giftshop inside!)
Family Unknown
Role Bounty Hunter
Motivation To complete his mission by bringing the keys together to defeat Impera once and for all...
Then to return home to the Spirit Realm, to be rewarded handsomely, and retire to a long wealthy life in his cave.
Abilities Reaper Eyes; an ominous pair of red red irises that can not only see, yet read a soul for detecting auras,
gauging power, and for most mortals - knowing how much time they have left.
His eyes cannot read the death dates for keys or corrupted souls.
Soul Collection; He is able to hold souls and transport them as he needs.
Reincarnation ; A key can only be reincarnated in the Mortal world, however, a mortal soul may either awaken
or be born into the spirit realm, and only a reaper can ever travel back through.
Strengths Celestial Swordsman ; Cier wields a seemingly ordinary blade to which he is highly skilled in.
Although he may use this on demons, corrupted souls, or keys, he cannot use this blade on mortals.
It would go right through like a ghost goes through a wall.
Worldly Intellect ; There is a plethora of information that Cier knows. Whether that be
so through his own experience or through studying ancient artifacts.
Weaknesses
Broken Mirror;
There are some things that Cier is not aware or has memory of before becoming a reaper. Many things come from his studies of the mortal realm.
Any of his understanding of the world may possibly be inaccurate or completely incorrect.
Self-focused;
Although a small part of him does care for the well being of others,
Cier is motivated by returning & collecting his reward.
Present Name Princess Aria de'Ivy Aezano of Divinity
Former Name
Aria "The Warrior Goddess of Divine"
Race Angel + Avian
Age 19 Key Years
died/reincarnatedat 107 Key Years
Gender Female
Orientation Bi
Height 4’11
Build Petite & Hour-glassed
Appearance
• Her physical appearance is the exact same as when she was in her past life.
Style
• In formal situations, she wears what should be expected of royalty.
• Traditional angel garb. Often gold adorned with ruby jewels. Sometimes a veil or a tiara,
and on very special religious ceremonies, she will wear the armor and regalia of the warrior.
• When traveling to cities, She wears "commoner clothes" such as a hoodie or hat to hide her temple wings, sometimes she'll wear a wig, and always a specially designed backpack to hide her wings. a short skirt or shorts with fishnets, and beat up high-tops. Her mother would have a fainting spell.
Aria prides herself in being a Jill of many trades! Her life after all, is not designed to be steady as a river. She's very passionate, extroverted, and spontaneous. Being bored is torture to her and so she's constantly on the look for something new. A bit scatterbrained, maybe even odd, but although she puts on these disguises just to blend in. On a internal level, Aria doesn't want to care what others think of her if they only knew who she really is and not what the tabloids always try to speculate.
Likes Artillery, Archery, Inventions, parties, greasy fast food,
Dislikes Waiting, phrases like "no" or "you can't", being told what to do, Mother's nagging, Paparazzi, Magazines/Web Articles about her
Biography To understand the Aria of today, you have to understand her past life. Unknowingly named after herself, Aria had been an Angelic Knight like any other. But when the Imperians suddenly began to trample into Divine's wilderness in greed of the Yeti's sacred forests, Instead of tribal songs echoing over the mountains, there were roars and shrieks. The entire Yeti race would have been erased if no one had heard. As strong and tall as Yeti may be, they were swarmed by the Imperial Militia. The Angelic Knights came in droves, so many those who witnessed the battles would claim that the sun had fallen from the sky, but in the center of it all was a shining archer on her Pegasus, shining like a star whilst piercing the hearts of thousands of Naga who would be forced to retreat as there was no where to hide out in the frosted alps. They had no advantage but to flee as the Commander known only as Aria sacrificed her life in order to heal and resurrect the fallen soldiers with her Hearts song.
It is important to understand that since the Yeti Massacre, Angels look to Aria (The Commander) as a Goddess. To which, I will go into more detail about their religious beliefs in the Nation Sheet. What needs to be explained that Princess Aria was named Aria on purpose. Of course her mother had no idea that Aria was actually Aria. Now with this in mind, she also currently looks like all the statues, paintings, stained glass murals, anything that visually depicts their goddess. They are identical head to toe. And so the people of Divine view her in her current life as an idol representation of their god, some however, firmly believe their goddess came back as their princess. They would obviously be correct, but until Aria realizes who she used to be, she has always thought this worshipping of some fairytale women was a bit much, even cringing at the things people have said to her. Unfortunately, Aria is about to discover just how wrong she is, but even then she never wanted this praise.
But the life for a princess, although glamorous and privileged, there are a frustrating amount of 'rules' angel society, and especially a source of pressure being from her mother. Everything about Aria must be perfect and effortless no matter the time or place, but as future queen, that was just a long list of royal traditions that were going to change. Even still, some things should remain the same, but for as long as she could get away with getting away from royal life - Aria did. In her childhood it began by hiding and sneaking about the palace and the gardens. By her teens she was sneaking off to the forests. Never was she allowed to be alone, but Aria just wanted a taste of freedom and lawlessness. Out there nobody could tell her anything. Like jumping into a puddle only to find yourself in another world. That was what it felt like to run and spin around in the fresh air, the breeze blowing through you, but what she would learn was that the outside world could be dangerous for a tiny flightless angel.
Aria had gone farther than she was welcomed to as a mother bear came charging for her. The big beast was growling and panting so hard as she ran to stand over her defenselessness. This was the only time in her life she was stuck in the moment of reaching for her gun. Yet a much larger shadow miraculously rushed to take the bear by its raised claws, backing the bruin away for Aria to open her eyes, frozen as she watched heart clenching. A Yeti had fought and scared it off. In that moment she was so stunned she almost couldn't breathe. The bear was scared off, but her rescuer had been injured. Soldiers who had heard her prior screams, finally arrived at the edge of the wilderness to find their princess who they assume had been attacked, however, startled by them she claimed this Yeti had saved her, and so the men rushed to aid his wounds. Although reluctant and unable to understand their language, the Yeti let them lead him back to the royal palace in Divinity.
It was here that the King, who could speak his tongue, praised the young man, who's name they discovered to be Ursa. In what seemed like mere moments, a friendship was created between him, Aria, and the people that loved her. He was soon proposed a working opportunity to which Aria hoped her new friend would accept, and so he did, becoming her own personal Guard.
Nearly everyday since then Aria has not been away from Ursa. If you see one, more than likely the other is never far.
Occupation Royal
Family
Mother; (Angel) Queen Sana de'Ivy II of Divinity, Lady of Redwood
Named after the queen who ruled during Impera's time
(Princess Aria's Great-Great-Grandmother)
Where as her Husband is carefree, Sana is uptight and almost constantly on her toes to make sure her Nation is in solid standing. Being part of Divinity's Monarchy bloodline, she feels pressure to live up to her grand legacy of Queens before her. With that being said she is extremely hard on Aria for following the so called 'rules of royalty'. Sana is exactly the type of person who wants everything in her life to be nice, neat, and in proper order. A perfectionist as one might call her. And thus she worries for Aria's future if she doesn't take things seriously. Fears for her not becoming a perfect Queen - leave Sana clutching her pearls.
Father; (Avian) King Aezano Ivonpier IV of Divinity, Lord of Redwood
Originally just Lord of Redwood, he had courted and married Sana to unite their powers into one. A proud and powerful Commander & Chief of the Angelic Army He's a total doormat to his wife, and even more so of his daughter. When Sana says no and is overbearing to Aria, Aezano is a yes-man. As his only child he has always spoiled her with anything she asked him for. When he knows the princess is off traveling to some land halfway around the world he holds his tongue as not to stir Sana up. After all he's very trusting of Ursa to watch Ari's back. His personality is quite quirky for someone with a role as his. He loves to host and entertain visitors of the Palace and is a rather caring, generous person.
Role Key of Divine
Motive To find balance between the role she was born into while remaining true to herself.
Much like Ursa, she wants to see the world in order to become the best Queen she can be.
Abilities Cupid's Deathkiss ; [Locked] Spawning a magical golden bow that can shoot limitless arrows spawned from her fingertips
Necromancy; [Locked] She harnesses the ability to revive a whole battlefield back into an undead army, however, this comes at a cost of her life if done in such mass as was the case in her prior lifetime. Though Zombies are much easier to create than a Full Revival. Depending how much experience she has - Aria can use her Necromancy dozens of times over without breaking a sweat
Full Revival; [Locked]
Bringing one person completely back to life can leave her weakened and so for each individual, her power requires immediate rest as everything within her body would become inflamed.
Thus intense pain would follow - forcing her to fall, especially dangerous if sung midair.
The timespan of rest needed is dependent on factors such as distinction between injury or death and the scale of damage.
Strengths
Beauty & Brains ; [Unlocked] Robotics is her special interest! Due to the fact Angels have devolved to being flightless due to the rise of technology
(and the eraser of magic) , she’s been crafting giant militarized angel meccha suits for fun
(but also "just in case" as her father tends to say)
P'Equestrian ; [Locked]
Pegasus can still fly! But flying one is a little easier said than done.. After the Imperian Militia came to Divine all those centuries ago, the Pegasus have been scared off and remain in the Ruby Mountains. Though no one takes her seriously about it (claiming extinction), Aria swears she has met one! And not only that, but gained the creature's trust too.. as many of times the white mare will come to her.
Sharpshooter ; [Unlocked]
So long as her target is still, Aria has near perfect aim whether it be with a bow & arrow, gun, darts, axe
...or pretty much any throwable object - you better watch your head!
Weaknesses Flightless ; [Temporary]
Lack of Strength ;
She's short and practically as light as a feather. Close combat = not her thing.
Recognizable ;
Being royal, Aria has no choice but to be cautious when leaving her Palace. Paparazzi and crazy people are a constant nightmare to deal with.
Impulsiveness ;
Many times she will act before she thinks about it.
Notes • Her gamertag for 'Call of Divine' is deathangel07
•
• Her soul was planted in Celeste while the queen and king were there on business. Aria was born and raised in her homeland.
• She can get away with it, she travels the world. This is why she's in Celeste City at the beginning of the Roleplay.
Build Long-legged, Muscular, and broad-shouldered. And yes, I know what you are all thinking... yes his hands and feet are huge.
Appearance
• On his bottom row of teeth, he has two large tusks.
• In the warm seasons, Yeti hair and eye color change
from a winter white and blue to brown and green.
• His skin tans significantly within the summers before going paler as the gloomy cold comes back.
Style • Shopping for "outsider" clothes is impossible due to his size. Aria has a team of seamstresses who handmake every piece he owns.
• He prefers a classic fit of a white suit and tie, however when escorting Aria abroad,
he will wear often wear something more common and casual if Aria needs to blend in,
though given he stands over two feet taller than her, he tries his best not to stand out.
Language barriers aside, Ursa has a hard time communicating with others as he doesn't wear much emotion on his sleeve.
Looks are decieving. Despite constantly keeping up a strong and cold front as per the fact its in his culture,
He tends to think more than he will speak, calm, but in no sense is he shy. He was raised to be fearless and strong above all else.
Likes Seeing new sights, Nature, Modern Technology (absolutely fascinating), "outsider" culture, sweets
Dislikes Pointless small talk, "regular"-sized objects, being asked about what he is or where he is from, Hot Climates
Biography At the very beginning of his new life in Divinity, he had many self doubts and constantly glanced towards the Krukitt mountains, but years passed and he began to feel more and more at home. Surprisingly, he has become quite a popular man among both servants as well as nobility. Ursa learned their language, dressed well, joined them in their traditions, and has even made a few friends. One of these being Aria. At first this protection her father had put her under felt a bit outlandish, but after what happened in the forest that day - she quickly grew not only grateful for Ursa, but they had become the best of friends. And Ursa was equally as grateful for leading him far beyond the land of Divine. Together they have traveled so many places it seemed as though all his wildest dreams had come true. Ursa is devoted to his princess and would do anything for her as such.
Occupation Personal Guard
Oxiv'lovaka Tribe The Oxiv'lovaka is the very last remaining Yeti Tribe after the Imperial Massacre. Ursa's tribe lives high up on the mountains of Krukitt. Not much is known about his people as mostly, they remain reclusive to the outside world, living lives naturally in the wilderness. Most never even dare think to leave... except Ursa. He had always had a fascination with the Angel's way of life, watching them from afar and daydreaming about what the rest of the world was like. And so when there came his golden ticket chance, he left home, wanting to see more of the world, even if that only meant the borders of Divinity.
Home is a sensitive subject as freedom comes at a price, Ursa must never come back.
Role Supporting Character
Motive His dreams are really that simple. Ursa wants not a whole lot more than to explore the world.
Someday he wants to leave Divine and see the whole world on his own
Abilities Mountain Howl ;[UNLOCKED] From the Krukitt mountains, the echoes of bellowing can be heard alongside traditional instruments such as bone rattles and drums. (Look up Mongolian or Tibetan Throat singing. This is what the songs of the Oxiv'lovaka sound like.) Ursa is capable of this, though he has only ever sang for Aria and her family. Many of these songs are about things such as huntin or fishing (higher octave) as well as heartfelt reminiscent of their Massacre (lower octave). Any sound coming from a Yeti is loud and often intimidating, however hauntingly beautiful, these songs often scare the unaware tourists that travel to Divine. Angels who equally love music are completely unbothered.
Beastmode ;[LOCKED] Centuries before Imperia raided their mountain villages, Yeti were able to shift their bodies into monstrous clawed beasts,
much akin to werewolves, but this ability has become lost.
Strengths Insanely Strong ; He can lift things most people cannot even fathom.
Heightened Smell ; Ursa can track scents like a bloodhound. Mostly whatever's cooking.
Athletic ; Yeti are used to climbing and jumping to high places.
Although tall and heavy, they possess acrobatic capabilities.
Weaknesses Inconvenience ; Small Spaces and Low ceilings are the bane of his existence.
Deep Waters ; Ursa doesn't know how to swim in anything other than a river (he does not float)
Language & Culture Shock ; While a fast learner, he still does not speak "outsider" languages very well (except Divinese). Due to traveling around with Aria, he is proactive in studying every language and cultural aspects that he can get ahold of.
He communicates with broken words and many many gestures, sometimes his actions may speak more clearer.
Sometimes. . . a little too strong ; Prone to accidentally breaking things.
Notes: • He has a serious apatite. To feed him is to feed a army
• Often walks with his hands behind his back or in his pockets.
(very cautious not to break something)
Key: Unknown/Faemer
Overview: Vast Desert Trading Hub.
Race(s): Mostly Humans and Choir moths. A lot of moths. Anthropomorphic moths. but also a large mixed population from all over the world.
Capitol City: Fahkrin
★ Fahkrin is a large bustling market city with aisles stretching down miles at a time. Goods from all over the world can be found here in Fahkrin. Like [blank] from [blank]. [blank] from [blank]. And [blank] from [blank]. And much more. The best schools and libraries are also located here due to having a more permanent location. Many scientific discoveries were made in Fahkrin.
All of this due to necessity. Proper medicine was invented due to plague and air conditioners due to heatstroke. The first petrol engine was invented here during a camel epidemic. And the earliest version of the gunpowder rifle to combat the giant man eating centipedes!
Villages: Most villages are never really set in one place in Kaelion, due to the sandstorms that plague this certain area during this certain season.
These villages have a unique system circulating around Kaelion to avoid getting caught. They planting crops around the Opal lake. Fishing in the Twilight sea. And selling all their wares back in Fahkrin.
Between all this traveling they also harvest a special oil from a special orange cactus which they call Sun Spots. (Solis Oleum) This cactus is actually more closely related to mushrooms but for they didn't know that until fairly recently.
✿ The town of Gouday. (Gunslingers, gunpowder farmers.)
Ever since they helped supply the Krakow powder to hold off Impera.
The town of Gouday are kind of like our worlds equivalent of cowboys.
They take pride in the powder they harvest and use. They like to use a kind of earlier version of the gun despite the existence of newer models. "Takes the fun out of everything." They say.
✿ Tasili village. (Robe, Hoodie, Textile and tent manufacturers.)
The people you go to if you want a anything clothing related. Textiles their game. Tasili's their name.
✿ Desert Walkers. (Nomads. Gate Keepers.)
The Desert walkers have the unique talent of being able to survive without water. Tradition is important to these people, passing down stories and folktales about the land. Constantly moving near the border, it's no wonder why they were assigned to be gatekeepers. During this modern age however.
Becoming a gatekeeper is no longer necessary and there's even talk among the merchants of getting rid of it all together. Many desert walkers young and old disagree to this of course.
✿ Alangway village. (Immigrant population.)
To escape Impera's wrath. Many races big and small. Wet and dry fled to Kaelion in search of sanctuary. The desert walkers did their best to help, alas, many tragedies occurred to many families crossing the border. Some people losing everyone but themselves. Thankfully, a large majority has managed to get in safely, and have contributed to Kaelion society with their diverse knowledge and wisdom. Alangway village is a symbol of perseverance despite impossible odds.
✿ Silk Wing village. (Humanoid moths.)
Silk Wing is where most of the Choir moth population originates. Around half the size of a normal human. Choir moths are obviously a nocturnal species responsible for the majority of Kaelion's night market. You could find a moth setting up shop in times as early as 6:00 PM. (Standard Kaelion time.)
Government: Parliamentary system consisting mostly of the richest merchants. Surprisingly there is little corruption in this government. Most merchants working towards laws that would be beneficial for all the Kaelion Peoples. Let's just say that those who did do a little bit of embezzlement. . .
didn't end up so good. Old stories and rumors about the secret police keep these politicians in check.
Self gain and self preservation being a big factor for every bill they might pass.
These may be greedy penny pinching selfish old misers. But they also figured that the most selfish thing they could do was to boost the economy.
That way they don't need to spend millions of Koins to hide dishonest ventures.
They could instead set up schools to teach people how to make more money!
Resulting in: even more money!
It was the ultimate scheme!
Mode of currency: Koin.
Allies: Completely neutral.
Enemies: Completely neutral.
For a centuries the Kaelion nation maintained their status of neutrality by taking advantage of their vast desert. Should the threat of invasion ever approach their they would simply hide the roads to all main cities and signal to the smaller villages to move to Fahkrin.
How they would warn everyone so quickly was through a small indigenous
tribe known as the Desert Walkers.
Legend has it that the Key of Kaelion personally negotiated the deal with the Desert Walkers.
To be the gatekeepers of Kaelion.
He promised them the highest honors of their nation. "I'll give you yummy foods." "Deal."
This left most armies with only two choices. Either turn back around. Or stay and die of thirst. If they somehow manage to twist choice #2 to their advantage and trek through the desert with only minor sunburn. (And future skin problems.)
They would then have to face the Plain Army In the Desert. Or P.A.I.D. for short.
This was a collection of private armies owned by merchants that would come together during times of great emergency. The merchants were very proud of this back-up plan and the process of choosing the head general was actually very simple.
The person with the biggest army gets to be boss. This wasn't actually an official rule but who wants to argue? Not them.
The Kaelian sun was making it's descent as Impera checked his map.
If the Desert Walker family he captured was telling the truth. He was indeed close.
Only a three day journey in fact. He smiled as dotted down their progress on the map. When he eventually finds Fahkrin and gains access to their maps. He will no longer require peasant families to show him the way. He'd be free to slaughter as much as he pleased. He'd spare this one family of course. So that they could watch as he burns down their beloved city, the city THEY lead him to. "Serves traitors right. . ." He whispered to himself.
All of this will have been worth it. He invaded Kaelion next because of it's strategical position. It would be a good stepping stone to the other nations in his list. But this wasn't the biggest reason. No no no… It was more about the message he would send. To all other nations.
You see over the course of many years, Kaelion has the record for being the most invaded nation. Many reasons ranging from stopping having to pay tariffs, to simply because land expansion. But somehow out of all these attempts. No one has ever managed to even reach the main city.
You see, Kaelion might not be the nicest nation to live in. But it was defendable as HECK. Just entering required crossing giant dunes that if you didn't know your way around. You'd be buried in those dunes forever. Paired with the unholy heat and almost random sandstorms. Casualties were an inevitable fact. Well. . . For other nations at least. If Impera could manage to be the first. And preferably last, to conquer Kaelion. It would show the other nations that nothing. NOTHING. Could stop their conquest. He rolled up the map and ordered his men to set up camp.
Night fell upon the Imperian army. The cold desert wind whipped through the camp as the soldiers slept soundly. Impera placed his sword beside his bed. As he lay on his cot. He let his thoughts roam. Just when he was about to fall asleep. He heard something. Something fell. He slightly opened one eye. . . Nothing. . . He closed his eyes again. Must have been a mole. Cute little critters.
But. Just to make sure. Impera used his telekinesis to scan things inside the tent. Feeling things with his mind. Nothing near the entrance.
The living room was clear. Impera was just about to stop. Until he felt something. Right beside his bed. Right on top of his head.
He quickly opened his eyes and there was no mistaking it. The glint of a knife. He pushed away the invisible attacker and summoned his sword with his telekinesis. A body crashed into his armory. "Ow." Said the attacker. Impera reacted quickly drawing his sword and throwing it towards the voice. The sword imbedded itself on to the wood. A small silver of blood dripped down the blade. ". . . I know I'm trying to murder you and all that but that's a bit rude innit?" Impera controlled the spears as his attacker finally decided to show himself. His camouflage faded as the spears floated above his head. "Die." Said Impera as he willed the spears to rain down on this fool. The spears fell. And harmlessly clacked beside the stranger. Confusion spiraled in his head while the stranger stood up and dusted himself off. "Nice sword. . . Making for up something?" He pulled the blade out the wood. "My turn again." The stranger charged towards Impera swinging his own sword against him. Impera dodged only receiving a few knicks before catching his sword between his two hands and slapping back the stranger with his tail. The stranger rolled back and wiped his face before pulling out his knife. "I suppose that's fair... Love and war and all that stuff." Impera tried to activate one of his abilities. But no matter how hard he tried he just couldn't. "You need to pee before we continue?"
Asked the stranger. Impera turned red with rage. He sprang towards the stranger with lightning speed. "I guess I have to kill him the old fashioned way." He thought to himself as he slashed at the stranger. The stranger somehow managed to parry with his smaller weapon. After small exchange. They both found themselves in a deadly cross. Blade against blade. "Who are you?" Growled Impera. "No one of grave importance. Took me a bit to realize that." Replied the stranger as he drew another knife and tried to stab Impera. Before it reached him Impera tripped the stranger over with his tail. "You still have a chance to apologize for that~!" Said the stranger as Impera struck where he used to be a milisecond ago. He was gone again. Impera realized he got his powers back. His battle instincts started to fill in information as he scanned the room once more.
Impera closed his eyes. ". . .Found you." Impera used his telekinesis to crash that the entire section of the tent on top of the stranger. Impera went on top of the rubble. ". . . Come out. . ." The stranger climbed out bloodied. Impera reached down grabbed him.
He raised the stranger in to the air. "You. . . You must be the Key of Kaelion. . ." "Key~?" Faemer spat out blood. "Do I look like a piece of metal to you?" Impera slammed him on the ground three times before lifting him up again. "No more jokes. . ."
Faemer coughed. "Your assassination attempt has failed. I've figured out all your magic. It's a shame you didn't put it to proper use. Thankfully. It's now in my hands. If you tell your people to surrender then I'll shall give you the honor of a swift death. Choose now." Faemer looked at Impera. Then smiled. Then he started giggling. Then he started laughing. Hahaha!" Impera frowned. "Why are you laughing?" "Hehe. . . Ok here's what's funny! First! I'm sorry but my people don't work that way! They're not going to listen to some vague guy who's magic is only relavant to only 0.000001 of the population! That's-" Impera slammed him on the ground again. ". . .ok. . . I can take a hint. . . second. . . of all. . ."
Impera heard his men shouting. "This wasn't an asassination. . ." A soldier ran up to Impera. "Sir! The family escaped! The soldiers guarding them are dead!" "This was a rescue. . ."
Impera raised an eyebrow. "I'll admit that this will set me back a little. But there are many more people who can show me the way. Once I kill you and take your magic I'll be even more unstoppable. Do you really think you've done anything significant?" ". . .No. . ." A firework lit the sky. "But this is." Impera's eyes widened. He turned to his soldier. "Prepare everyone for an atta-" The camp exploded.
Impera's hand shot out of the rubble. He managed to pull himself out. . . and the corpse of Faemer in the hope he could still kill him. No such luck.
He examined the destruction as another soldier ran up to to him. "What. Happened." Impera as he clenched his fist. The soldier saluted. "Kaelian gunpowder sir! They must have set it up last night sir!" ". . .How bad is it?" "A quarter of the camp is destroyed and nearly a thousand dead sir! But more importantly our water supply has been decimated sir!"
He said something in Imperian which I probably shouldn't translate. "What are we going to do sir?" Impera closed his eyes and started thinking. They were too far from the opal lake.
The best choice would be. . . to be. . . To turn back and resupply. He gritted his teeth. "Take everything still useable and prepare our men to head back." "Sir yes sir!" The soldier ran away to inform the rest of the army. Impera breathed in and chuckled. He had been duped. He opened his eyes and swore an oath. He'd be back one day. He'll come back and destroy every single thing in this desert that's worth loving. This was the greatest honor he would give this nation. Total annihilation.
It should be noted that this map is only accurate during the fourth month and third week of every second half of the decade.
Even Fahkrin in all it's majesty and permanence has found it necessary to find a change of scenery every few centuries.
Biome: Desert.
Climate: Day hot. Night cold. How bad it is usually depends on-
THE SUUUUUUUUNNNNNN. . .
Common Customs: Should you ever be so lucky as to visit our beautiful country.
Make sure to bring a big wallet.
It is only polite.
Cultural greeting: Makari ton presta le! "Look who the desert spewed!"
Mak=Look/See.
"Ari"=Who. Can be a separate word. Some other cases it's combined to form one word like in this example.
"Mak-ari"=Look who/look at who.
"Ton"=The.
"Presta"=Desert/Sand
"Le" is short hand or slang for "Stele" which means to "push out" or "force out"
Stele can refer to many things from spitting or spewing, to. . .
Other bodily functions involving excrement.
Clothing: Back then people wore beautiful stitched robes. It might sound like a death sentence in this place but back then, people used to place leaves of the magical plant "Frigidus Ventus" or Windly's under their garments that would release cold air through their clothes. To make this more effective they wore long robes. Nowadays since the drought of magic. This has been replaced with air conditioned clothing and hoodies. Now adorning new modern designs like... Su...pre...me? Traditional outfits are still commonly worn and the plant still exists thankfully. Though not as effective, it is still used by old people in nursing homes.
Religion: Since there is a large foreigner population here, there is of course many religious beliefs being passed around Kaelion.
There is also one relatively new religion that's been spreading surprisingly quickly.
This new belief being called Ranichisity. The followers being called Rani's.
The leader of this new religion goes by the name of Sejus Rischt. His teachings appear to be very subversive from the majority, slightly upsetting the other religious leaders in the area.
The government so far appears unconcerned.
Traditions: To show that you trust someone very deeply in Kaelion is by giving them your wallet. This is of course true in many places but even more so in Kaelion because there's just. SO MANY things you could buy.
Parents also do this to their children as a sort of wright of passage.
To tell them:
You now have a responsibility in this tent. And we trust you to fulfill it.
A recent study shows that about 63% fail the first attempt. Probably due to the recent introduction of online shopping.
Holidays:
Black Friday.
Kite Month. (June)
Sand Sledding Saturday.
Hagging festival.
Sun Spot Festival.
Economy: Thriving.
Plants:
Sun Spot's, (Solis Oleum) Non magical.
A multipurpose oil cactus (actually mushroom)
Rich in vitamin D and C.
Sun Spot oil can be used/converted for the following:
Cooking oil.
Lamp oil.
Perfume.
Beverages. (Must be fermented)
Butane. (Modern development)
Petrol. (Modern development)
Organic plastic bags. (Modern development)
Windly's. (Frigidus Ventus) Semi-magical.
When a leaf is snapped off. Cold air is released through the broken stem.
Usually lasts 20 minutes gradually getting less colder and effective.
Back when there was more magic it usually lasted up to two hours.
The Krakow. Gunpowder tree. (Magnus Crepitus) Non magical.
The fruit itself is actually not bad. Tasting kind of like a mango with a little spice. Though it is not the main reason why it's been grown.
The center of the Krakow fruit contains an explosive substance. When the scorching Kaelian sun dries the fruit pressurizing the center. When the fruit then falls off, it explodes like a grenade sending it's seeds far distant lands.
sending it's seeds further to other places. Although useful, farming Krakow fruit is a dangerous process. For if you should let one seed escape to where it shouldn't be. Krakow trees could pop up the next year and be a danger to whoever might pass by. Unexploded fruit is also a common problem.
However, under safe conditions and proper temperature. Farmers are able to harvest the explosive substance and use for their many needs.
Arabica/Robusta coffee plants:
Literally just coffee. Non magical.
Exports: Sun Spot Oil. Krakow powder.
Kaelian coffee. Arabica, Robusta and assorted.
Architecture: The most permanent buildings reside in Fahkrin.
Castles with round domes are the most common.
Although most people reside in tents with many unique designs.
Magic: The people of Fahkrin never really used magic. Really being a more limited resource in that region. They would rather use something more accessible to all creatures. Like certain plants and metals. Many advances in science started in Kaelion because of this.
The average Kaelian diet consists of.
Tortillas. Easiest and most practical thing to cook. Just lay on a hot rock and BAM! Breakfast!
Cold noodles or Naengmyeon. For dinner.
Lunch is whatever you find in the market.
*The Art Of Hagging™* short for haggling is a very important thing to learn in Kaelion. The first thing children learn is their A.B.C's
Amuse. Butter up. And Charm. A good way to know if a Kaelian is depressed is if they just buy the thing at face value. Because even the richest of merchants still hag despite all their money. Because to not hag, is to show the world you've given up. You might think it's inconvenient or time consuming to hag but if you've lived your whole life in in Kaelion. Hagging is just about as fast as any other normal purchase as any other nation. Sometimes even faster.
Example. "How-" "12 koi-" "Too-" "Fine-" "1 koi-" "HA-" "Fine-" "You-" "Deal!"
Time elapsed: six seconds. They bought peanuts.
The Nightingales.
This is the name of the secret police, everyone has either heard rumors or stories about them. Some unlucky lawbreakers even having the pleasure of meeting them. For a secret organization, an awful lot of people seemed to know about it. This was kind of on purpose (It was an accident) since the Nightingale's use their reputation as a warning to everyone rich and poor. They also held enough vagueness to maneuver through the Kaelian moonlight with, minor inconvenience. The Nightingale had it's reaches in the highest of places, to the lowest of slums. The criminals in between being dealt with by the normal police. You can't really seek to become a Nightingale, Nightingale's are usually people with unique circumstances and motives that mix together to form the most philosophically diverse crime fighting force. You might have a good chance of getting in if you watched your orphanage get burned down while reading studies about ethics and human nature and you have a black belt in a certain martial art and you happened to shop at a certain bakery.
Not a lot of people get in is what I'm saying.
The purpose of Moth is to find the most ethically morally and philosophically optimal existence possible.
And prevent crime for some reason. They figured it was a good thing for some reason. A small stepping stone for their purpose and what not.
IMPERIA The Imperial Palace in the city of Cytrine
Nation Name Imperia
aka/ 'The Imperial Empire'
Formerly known as 'Lijia'
Nationality Imperian Formerly 'Lijian'
Key Impera
Race(s)
Naga ; snakelike from the waist-down
Tigris ; people with stripe markings on their sun-kissed skin
Capitol City
★ Cytrine
Villages ✿ Auk A smaller city neighboring Cytrine
Known for it's street food & festivities
✿ Sahhem Rural wheat farming village
nothing really to see here
✿ Azule Ruins Ruins of the first civilization in Lijia
Flooded and infested by Crocodiles
Government Empire (Former Monarchy under King Kronin)
Allies Tsavosa ;
Alkosa ;
Neutral Zaharia ;
;
Enemies Divine ; Imperian forces were forced to retreat by the Angelic Knights
Kaelion ;
;
Biome Red Dirt Savannah Formerly a Lush Tropical Rainforest
Thousands of years ago this land used to be a thriving vibrant jungle, but is now nearly stripped barren.
Climate Blistering Hot & Dry Rain only happens a few times a year
(if Imperians are lucky)
Common Customs
;
;
;
wip*
Holidays
Imperisshany
"Memory of Impera" ;
A sacred season to the Imperians for it is devoted to celebrating the
overthrow of the tyrant King Kronin and Mourning the end of Impera's reign.
Shrines of their Naga Lord are littered with wood carvings made to resemble
him and the leftovers from feasts eaten over what would have been the harvesting
months if their major fruit crops still existed. They believe that if they show gratitude
for the prosperity Impera brought to them - that they would be blessed in the coming year.
Lijianak
"Witch Stalking" ;
A traditional holiday in which the Witchdoctors of Lijia/Imperia are believed to roam the streets at night looking for charms. People celebrate this spooky time by leaving something (anything) on their doorsteps as an offering to their local "witchdoctors". Meanwhile families are shut in playing games, telling blood-chilling stories, and eating traditional sweet buns. Their windows are to be shut, doors locked, and curtains closed as you might hear a knocking or a rattle of the latch. Those who don't or forget to lock their doors may be interrupted buy the infamous "Woogiejin" bursting in to dance and frighten those inside (really just someone in a costume made of straw or hay). The Woogiejin may also appear as a shadow behind the curtain (trying to look in) and you will be able to hear the jingle of the bells it carries.
On the flipside, if your object disappears by the morning it is believed that you should have good luck.
Cuisines
Bread
(wheat is the only crop that will grow in Imperia)
Sweet buns Pretty much just a honey bun
Fish from the Twilight sea.
Wild Mirage Boar
Seaweed served in a boiling spicy boar broth
Fried Croc
Roasted Sand Rat
(Delicacy, an acquired taste!)
• formerly, fish and produce were taken from the Western Tropica.
• The Twilight Sea Coast is not the easiest place to fish, so the
2nd most common food source for Imperia is pricey. 1st being Bread.
Economy:
Although the land is barren. people do what they can so as not to have to leave their beloved nation.
The fish may not be abundant due to Gasheel and Octomous swallowing everything in sight,
but Imperians will take whatever they can get. Just as such seems to be the case with employment.
Foreign factories were built to provide more opportunities, though the conditions are more to the tune of sweat shops.
Yet many who already had nothing to turn to have felt almost cornered into providing their labor.
Landmarks
Gates of Cytrine Guarded, closes at sunset, opens at noon There are four gates located West Point, South Point, and Eastpoint
At each gate you can find small markets with an even smaller assortment of goods.
Magic: If you ask an Imperian about Magic they may very well turn and walk straight the other way. It is a subject that is beyond taboo as magic isn't something the majority could be capable of even if they believed in it. The only ones they recognize as "magical" are the notorious witchdoctors said to lurk in the shadows. Imperians are highly superstitious and typically mind their own business, wanting absolutely no part in any rituals or spiritual happenings. Though magic does in fact exist here. It just simply falls into the rare palms of those who are blessed with such abilities, very little is known or dared to be recorded about these folk.
The only ones other than witchdoctors are believed to be their ruling figures. Even before the reign of Kronin, it was believed he possessed a great power, however unlike witches, this switched to a positive connotation with the rise of Impera. They quite literally view him as "a good god that defeated an evil god" Whenever Imperians speak of their beloved Impera, it is always followed by a prayer.
Notes: • Behind a whole decade in technology • Imperians themselves are typically warm and welcoming to all who wish to experience the humble blessings they feel so grateful for. • Unfortunately, Imperia has closed itself from the outside world. Reason being is currently Unknown
Race(s) Angel ;
A white-winged relative to the Avians. Yeti ;
A small and reclusive race that lives high up in the mountains.
- 'Forest Dwellers' -
Consist of a variety of races. It should be noted that 'Forest Dweller' is a slur, a catch-all blanket term for non-angel & non-yeti races and ethnic groups.
Examples:
Lilas
Cottontail' ; resemble Rabbits
Mous' or Bushtail' ; resemble Rodent
Fawne' ; resemble Elk
Whitestripe ; resemble Skunk
Redwood Avian ; resemble birds, wings darker or more colorful than Angels
Foxtail ; resemble Fox
Howlfolk; resemble Coyote
Ringtail ; resemble Raccoon the list could of course go on. . . these are just the tip of the iceberg as to the variety of groups that make up Lilas & Redwood
Capitol City
★ Divinity A glorious City nestled on the otherside of Mount. Krukitt.
A city both ancient and high tech all the while ever so divine.
Modern Divinity
• City Gates • • Staircase to the Palace De'Ivy • • Statues of Aria the Commander • • Palace Interior • • Royal Gardens & Bathhouses •
Villages
✿ Oxiv'lovoka the last of the mysterious Yeti
✿ Redwood Cozy and quiet town nestled by the Minique River
Redwood Palace Home of the Feudal Aezano Bloodline • Aria's paternal grandparents and other Avian relatives reside here. • Growing up, Aria has spent every Autumn in Redwood.
✿Lilas where the wildflowers flourish • Lilas is known for their rich farmlands, sweet breeze, and sunshine. • Ruins of an Ancient Angelic Theatre reclaimed by Nature • Battleground Memorial, Figure Depicted in Stone Statue is Unknown
✿ Angel Isles a heavenly escape (left) Angel Isle Villa Resort
(right) Aria’s Private Shoreside Chateau
"my little beach hut" ~ Aria
Government Monarchy Formerly, Divinity and Redwood & Lilas were split into two feuding Monarchies.
Only coming to an end with a merger of nations and marking a new era, with the arranged marriage of Aezano and Sana.
It should be stated that battles ended after Imperia invaded as peace treaties were made between them.
A civil war had happened many generations ago between Divinity and the 'Forest dwellers' (excluding the Yeti whom Angels stood on neutral terms) - because those that live in Redwood and Lilas do not see themselves as part of Divine, rather a nation that was formerly known as 'Vallen'. After these villages lost the war, their Monarchy would crumble into a basic statehood, still lead by the royal Vallen bloodline. When Lord Aezano Ivonpier IV was brought to power, he betrayed his people to marry Sana.
Needless to say, the king is not popular in Redwood or Lilas...
Allies
Alkosa ;
Stable relations between Divine due to trade deals.
Neutral ;
;
Enemies
;
;
;
Relation to the Imperial Empire
The Imperian Militia were mainly targeting the Yeti. There is no exact total on how many perished in the slaughter, however,
Divinity remained untouched, while Redwood and Lilas were both only raided one time each.
Though they mainly sought to deforest, whatever precious minerals they found, they took. And in addition to the many lives lost, the villages have already had a strained and reclusive relation with those of Divinity. The Nation had already been recovering from Civil war between the two main villages and the capitol.
CIVIL WAR
The Civil war between Divine and what was (and still is) referred to as "Vallen" - began after Angelkind decided to detach themselves from Avians, believing their pure white wings to represent something holier than thou. Basically, in the olden days' many angel were born, bred, and raised to believe that their bloodlines were far greater than other feathered folk. This mindset still exists in Divinity to this day, however, the younger generations are more likely to find this notion utterly ridiculous, but so many Angelkind are brainwashed by their own history and elders that more than half see their kind as ultimate, superior, and more victorious than any other group in the world. Of course this isn't true, but hundreds of years before they moved North West, the Divinese often made life a nightmare for their neighboring people in Vallen. They wanted to assert total dominance over anyone who was not born with wings of white, but despite winning their wars with Redwood & Lilas, upon discovering marble mines, the Divinese abandoned what was left of the other villages to create what would become the great city of Divinity.
This new bright and sparkly kingdom would soon thereafter fester the Angelic Knighthood - the official term for the warring angels who established the separation between the territories. To which the offspring of the second in command would become the ancestors of the current royal family. It must be clearly stated that the Divinese god, Aria the Commander, is not within this bloodline as it is often misconstrued. She was the leader of the Angelic Knighthood. Not the second in command. On another note, as she was reincarnated as the current princess of Divine, it also must be noted how ironic that she is related to the Aezano bloodline in more ways than one.
Anyhow, The Civil War's impact on Redwood & Lilas was of course very rough. The people of Vallen are friendly to all yet standoffish to any angel that crosses their path. Although equally unfair of an assumtion, Angelkind is revvered as untrustworthy, soulless, and vain. Having had to rebuild and establish themselves twice already (once: the civil war & twice: the Imperian raids), Those of Redwood & Lilas are highly protective and unforgetting of their brutal past. They don't want to forgive and they will never forget what has been done.
But when Ivonpier married Sana and merged their powers, to say people were angered and devastated is an understatement. The royal family of Redwood were for the most part accepting, most only wished for all territories to simply turn over a new leaf, but the bitterness of the past soured and spoiled any sweetness of a future.
(left) The Angelic Knighthood
(Right) In the old magical days, the Angelic eye would watch over the throne & Divinity. (see magic)
Biome Mountain, Valley, Forest
A truly diverse and beautiful land to behold! Icy mountains, breezy dipping valleys, wildflower year-round, crystal clear skies & water, with many wonders to explore
Climate Temperate
• Divine experiences all four seasons with relatively nice weather late spring through midfall.
• Winters are brutal as it is known to horribly blizzard towards the northern half of the region.
• It tends to rain more heavily in Redwood
Customs
Divinity • Divinese often arrange what they call "flocks" these are parties where a large group will have a meal & socialize
This is something they often do for a variety of occasions
(Friends, Family, After-Work, Funerals, etc)
• It is common for them to touch their own cheek when greeting.
Touching someone else's face is a sign of endearment and sometimes affection.
• Divinese are naturally attracted to anything shiny
(gems, stones, jewelry, glitter, expensive cars, etc)
• Arts such as orchestra, theatrics, opera, and art galleries are BIG within Divinese Culture
Lilas • When greeting others, if outside: they will place their hand up as if shielding their eyes from the sun. if inside: they will simply wave once
• Generally Lilians prefer to eat outdoors unless the weather is too cold
• They live a much slower-paced lifestyle compared to other territories.
Lilas is has a relaxed atmosphere despite it being a farming community.
• Very rural. When travelers come to Lilas, it's like stepping back in time.
Lilians a bit more plain, speak slower, and often wear wide sunhats.
There is NO cell service.
Redwood • Often a bit cold and distant in nature. Foreigners might describe the Valliens as rude,
but if they choose to talk to you, that usually means they are being nice.
• While those from Lilas have doe eyes,
people born in Redwood tend to have sharper features.
• Excellent artisans. They are known for their handcrafted goods (Think of: furniture, porcelain, metalwork, and tools.)
• Streetfood is a big business in Redwood.
Walking down the street, you'll find chocolate venders & people grilling things on sticks.
Oxiv'lovoka
• Oxiv'Lovakians make strong eye contact as a sign of respect.
Looking downwards or to the side can mean anything from
timid-ness to irritation
• They do not have a very vocal language.
Many 'Words' are spoken in grunts and/or sign language. • Most traditions are Unknown to the outside world.
Holidays
Divinity
- Aria'Memour ; Every 1st of the month, Angels hold a sacred ritual in honor of the commander who raised their dead soldiers back to life.
It is a big deal to most Divinese. Lanterns and candles are lit, white flowers arranged, and people cone to bow before her tallest statue.
(I imagine it's as big as lady liberty)
- Angelic Arts Showcase ; A week long event that takes place in Spring.
Here all forms of art both modern and traditional are put on full display.
Redwood
- Annual Arching Competition ; Exactly as the title suggests. Arching originated in Redwood and so to honor this tradition, a yearly competition is held to determine the best of the best.
For most, this is the most boring sport to watch on television.
- Festival of Leaves ; The celebration of the arrival of autumn.
The leaves of Redwood are some of the most vibrant, attracting many viewers from all over the world.
Lilas
- Legends of Vallen ; In the Winter when the grass yellows and the sky turns white, Lilians will reenact the civil war via dressing in costume,
dancing, and singing tales of those who died for their honor against the evil Divinese.
- The Grand Flower Fair ; Late Spring, early summer, wildflowers are in full bloom!
Lilians are suddenly seem much more lively as they dance so light, practically jumping on their feet, clapping hands and singing so merrily.
Cheery songs all about Lilas, flowers, and their happy lives.
Oxiv'Lovaka ;
- Firewell In the summer, the Oxiv'lovakians gather all loose branches, twig, dead leaf, and shrub into barrels on their backs. While some materials may be used differently. Anything that is unneeded is discarded in a giant pit. By Winter this pit will be full. They then light it up on a night chosen by their leader. And once lit, all participate in a feast followed by throat singing. Their sound echoes throughout Krukitt.
Cuisines Depending where you are, you will eat a variety of things:
Lilas: Cheesy Veggie Soup, Potatoes, fruit pies. The above are simply what the region is best known for. They aren't necessarily exclusive to one another.
Magic: When it comes to magic, there isn't much to be said as the #1 thing Divinese, Oxiv'lovakians, Valliens, and Lilians - have in common are their connection to the natural world. Earthly. The entire land combined is much more dated than other nations of the world. There is an old world charm even in the tech riddled city of Divinity. The only magical being that anyone is aware of is the Divinese 'Goddess' Aria the Commander.
However..
There once was an entity known as the Angelic Eye.
It's origins are unknown and entirely viewed as mythological by Divinese Archaeologists
Anyways, in artwork with it depicted, it is believed that this 'myth' hovered, protected, and communicated with the ancient Divinese.
Nation Name: Vivamus
Nationality: Vivaians Key: Interritus Rosetum//Silva Roseus Overview:
• Vivamus is located in the east arctic and is known for their countless records of the past and their bountiful plant life, even in the north. Their society age slowly compared to the other nations, it's traditions barely moving since it's creation.
Race(s):
• Humans
Humans are the majority of the population of Vivamus.
• Animal Hybrids
These are humanoids who have taken some of the characteristics of animals. They depend on danger levels depending on which species they are. The most common Hybrids are horses, domestic cats and ferrets.
• Plant Hybrids
These are humanoids who were born with the essence of plants. A majority of Plant Hybrids are birthed from a dying plant with an overabundance of Sunfire Magic or the Last of Snow's essence. The most common Hybrids are Winter Flowers, Roses and Dandelions.
Capitol City: ★ Quaerito(Meaning: Seek)
Quaerito is the Capital of Vivamus, filled to the brim with the newest technology in Vivamus. It is the most populated city in the nation and is very diverse in its races. The castle in which the government and royal court is held is in the centre of the city and can be easily spotted due to its height.
Villages, From north to south: ✿ Noctua(Meaning: Night Owl)
Noctua is the most snowy of all the villages. It is rare that you would get a clear day with a lot of snow. Most of the occupants are humans and are very discriminatory to other races other than humans. The occupants of this village are hostile, having trust issues with the Vivamus government for treating them like outcasts in the past due the fact that the animal hybrids wanted to move down south. ✿ Memento(Meaning: Memory/Remember)
Bona Fide:
This is the meeting place of all scholars and school and is the base of the Vivamus Memento Library and File Storage Dome(Also known as the Bona Fide(With Good Fate)). You wouldn’t see anyone living there other than the scholars studying near the village. Memento was once a base for Vivamus for storing food and information about the waters around them and would expand into a village after the war was resolved.
The population in Memento is indifferent to travellers but would welcome any officials coming in to investigate the Bona Fide. ✿ Aubade(Meaning: Love song sung at night)
Aubade is the most populated village with animal and plant hybrids as there is a garden in the middle. This village was founded by two forbidden lovers, an animal hybrid and a human. The human was royalty and was forced away from her lover in this city. Every night, the hybrid would sing countless serenades each night until they both passed.
Aubade is peaceful but lively. All the residents seem to get along greatly and are friendly to any travellers passing by the area. Government:
• Constitutional Monarchy, Former Dynasty
Vivamus was a formal Dynasty nation, the royal family of Avis ruling the land. However, after the destruction of the war and the death of the royal family, they have switched their government to a Constitutional Monarchy, making the royal family of Carpe. The current ruler is King Diem Carpe(Or Carpe Diem) and was promoted to this position due the death of their previous leader.
Some laws include:
-No consumption of any products made with beans, including itself.
-Every physical fights are forbidden. Fights are required to be verbal and backed up by proof.
. . . Allies:
• TBA Enemies:
• TBA Relation to the Imperial Empire:
•TBA
. . . Biome:
• 30% Tundra
The Tundra is mainly the northern part of Vivamus.
• 40% Forest
Forest occupies the eastern part of Vivamus.
• 20% Rainforest
Rainforest occupies the western part of Vivamus. You can expect rain once every once in a while and the sun shine.
• 10% Grassland
Grassland occupies the Southwestern part of Vivamus. It's windy in these areas.
Common Customs:
• “Salve” is their way of saying salutations, greetings and farewells and would bow 45 degrees in respect.
Beliefs:
• Most Vivaians believes that with great knowledge comes great responsibility. They believe that knowledge is the key to the nation's success so most of their magic usage is directed to research and teachings.
Clothing:
• There is no strict dress code in Vivamus but you must wear a white top and black bottom. In formal occasions, you are expected to wear garbs to honor the nation. (ref: female/male garbs, female/male garbs 2)
` Rituals:
• There was many rituals in Vivamus but most were buried in the past and stored in the Bona Fide. A majority of rituals is preformed outside during festivities. The only known ritual that Vivaians are required to do is the Funeral Rituals.
-Funerals
Vivaians were expected to mourn for their lost ones for 1 month and offer fruits to the deceased.
Family Dynamics:
•Vivaians are expected to treat family members formally like collages or co-workers. There are some outliers such as the natives in Aubade and Quaerito but are judged by the public when treating their family members other than the ideal.
Societal hierarchy or caste systems?
• There is little caste systems in the nation, however, the hierarchy is still intact.
Most Powerful
• Royal Family
• Knights
• Scholars
• Citizens
• Farmers
• Poor/Beggars
Least Powerful
Holidays:
Vivamus National Celebration - April 24
Flower Blooming Celebration - May 31
Red Leaf Celebration - September 11
Vivamus Warming Ceremony - December 31
Economy:
• Depending on which city/village you are in, the Economy can vary.
Quaerito - Quaerito's economy is really successful, having anything withing antique Vivamus artifacts, food, clothing and more.
Noctua - Unless you are an outsider or Hybrid, it is common to see stalls selling heat packs and hot foods.
Memento - There is not a whole lot you can find in Memento other than books and historical information. However, certain scholars are happy to lend some of their scrolls for research, food or money.
Aubade - There is lots of things to buy in Aubade, including food, produce, and daily household items. Magic:
• Other than the obvious magic surrounding wood and plants, Vivamus has a history with controlling small portions of metal and wind. Most of the magic is buried and forgotten by Vivaians as there is no use for it anymore. In the past, it was used to create weapons and help them float and was the easiest magics to be taught.
Last of Snow essence - The Last of Snow essence is native to those of Central Vivamus. Snow used to cover the Central area before melting away, changing some parts of the magic native to the area only to be left as an essence and fused with the wildlife.
Sunfire Magic - Users of the Sunfire can use the rays of the sun and infuse them with with their already existing magic
Notes: TBA
"Roses lose petals but they bloom again." -Unknown
Key Name: Interritus Rosetum(Meaning: Fearless/Fearful Rose Garden)
Current Name: Silva Roseus(Meaning: Forest of Roses)
Race: Plant Rose Hybrid
Age: 23 [reincarnated at 134 key years]
Gender: Male
Orientation: Pansexual
Height: 5 foot 7 inches(170cm)
Build: Ectomorph
Appearence:
Interritus and Silva looks the same with some differences such as their hair color and eye color.
Interitus had light pink hair and blue eyes.
Silvia has blond hair and segmental heterochronic eyes, both yellow and pink.
Style:
Formal Style: Interritus dressed in all black or all white with intricate patterns. He is also quite fond of jewelry and wears necklaces daily.
Current Style: Silva dresses casually, his fit only consisting of a dress shirt, black pants and brown shoes. He would also wears a thick, black overcoat when he is travelling up north.
Personality:
• Absurdist
"Sure, we were abandoned from freedom, so what? I can't simply die because it escaped me since birth."
• Free-Spirit
"I like to do what I want when the matters arise with no chackles chaining me to the ground."
• Curious
"Curiosity killed the cat, said one, but it was still worth knowing."
• Resilient
"I still haven't accomplished my goal, why stop now?"
• Stubborn
"I have to keep going, no matter the cost."
Likes:
• Flowers/Roses
"It's in my name, what can you expect [light-hearted chuckle]"
• Windy days with a Bright, Blue Sky
"We rarely get that in my old village, it's quite nice to have a calm day."
• Drawing
“A medium of communication. I commonly like to draw flower beds as journal entries.”
Dislikes:
• Snowstorms
“I remember when I was a child and had to live with no heat because of snowstorms, bad times.”
• Insects(except bees)
“While I admire nature on its whole, these pesky animals are a nuisance when I try to enjoy my day outside. The only exception is bees. They come to my garden to help out. ”
• Uncleanliness
“This is simply personal preference. I like having myself and the things around me clean and organized.”
Biography:
Interritus Rosetum was born as a dying rose coughed up it's last life force in the city of Aubade. Like any Plant Hybrid, he was an orphan from the moment he was born, crying out in the middle of the rose garden. If it wasn't for the law protecting and ensuring the safety of all gardens, Interritus would have been long since gone. He was found by the gardener of the rose garden. The old gardener was surprised that a baby made it's way into his rose garden but took him in under the order of nearby troops. The gardener treated him like a friend more than a son, taking him everywhere outside the garden.
When Interitus turned 18, he left the small garden, promising that he would visit the garden again. At first, he stayed around the city, helping villagers with their dire gardening and plant problems. He was popular in Aubade and was known as "The Speaker of Nature" to the townsfolks. The word of Interitus travelled to the troops and some of the royal family and was offered a position as a Baron. Interitus rejected the invitation multiple times, insisting he hasn't gotten out of his way to see the nation yet.
And so he settle off at 20 in hopes to see the capital. It wasn't a long journey, taking him 5 months to reach his destination. He has sworn his protection of the wildlife when seeing the lack of forestry in the city. He had lived a relative quiet yet eventful life, often using the roots of surrounding plants stopping destruction to the one thing he has sworn to protect to the monarchy, himself and the gardener who had raised him. He was killed during an invasion and was buried in a small forest near Memento where records of his life was most popular.
Silva Roseus was born as a dying rose in Memento, the same place where Interitus died. He was nurtured by a fairy called Flora who was one of the many guardians of the forest area. It wasn't until a young couple travelling to Quaerito found him and Flora near a tree stump. Assuming that he was an orphan, the young couple took Silva with them. Flora wasn't the one to give him up having raised him since he was born and followed the couple, leaving behind her forest. The young couple were surprised that Flora would follow them as Fairies only follow flowers and Plant Hybrids. They pieced everything together quickly and with the help of Flora. Silva's childhood was pampered by his two adoptive parents. Though they were quite inexperienced and naive when it came to parenting a child, let alone a plant hybrid, Silva still grinned and cherished them.
When Silva was finally 18, his adoptive parents have given him permission to go out and explore. Under slight guidance of Flora, he had ventured out to the world. However good things don't always last as Flora returned to the forests when Silva was visiting the same Garden in his previous reincarnation. With the last words that Flora told him, he strives to be a caretaker of the forest.
Occupation:
• Gardener
Family:
Interritus Rosetum
• Adoptive Father
Interitus was adopted by the gardener in which he was birthed. He enjoyed his company, often reminiscing the old man when he was older.
Silva Roseus
• Adoptive Parents
Silva loves his adoptive parents and would do almost anything to make them feel at home.
• Flora the Fairy
Flora the Fairy was the one who taught him about magic. She acts like a caretaker to him.
Role: Key of Vivamus
Motive:
• Explore the world
• Protect Nature
• Understand the emotions beyond animals and plants
Magic/Abilities:
• Communication with plants(Racial Ability)
-Similar to fairies and faes, Interrius/Silva can understand the words and thoughts of plants and can communicate with them.
• Plant Body(Locked)
-When he is hurt, Silva/Interritus is able to generate healing flowers from the wound. The flowers would fall off the wound when it's healed.
• Root Awareness(Partially Locked)
-Silva/Interritus is able to sense the presents of roots in the ground. Silva can only go 5km barefoot using this ability.
Strengths:
• Gardening
Silva got his gardening talent from his predecessor.
• Peacemaking
Silva is a lover of peace and though he would rather let the fight wither out by itself, he would come in between the two parties when it's necessary.
• Defense
In combat, Silva is defense oriented and would use the roots around him(if there is any) to guard him.
Weaknesses:
• Too friendly
Due to his near lack of exposure to the nation outside of Quaerito, he is overly friendly to his peers. This can lead him some less ideal situations if it wasn't for the persistence of Flora.
• Fire
Silva is a plant hybrid and is easily flammable.
• Physically Weak
Silva is fragile and can't throw a few punches without relying on his magic. He plans to make up for this but is unable to in fear of hurting the trees.
Notes:
-Silva and Interritus can speak English, Latin and some Greek(as some of the architecture is based on these states). Silva’s first language was Latin and Greek. His adoptive mother is a native Latin Speaker and his Adoptive father is a native Greek Speaker. He spoke them both fluently when he was younger but his Greek deteriorated when he started learning English. It is currently unknown if Interritus is fluent in all three languages.
-Silva and Interritus doesn’t have a favorite type of food/drink as most of his diet consists of cold water and dried fruit.
Name: Grace Narukami
Nickname: The Hollow
Race: Human
Age: 22
Gender: Female
Orientation: Heterosexual
Height: 5’2”
Build:Slender, toned
Appearance:
I think I am above average when it comes to attractiveness. Certain foods give me acne so I do not indulge in them as I prefer to apply minimal makeup. The scale of my attractiveness can go up or down if they find my visual handicap pleasing. Though I can admittedly turn others off when I speak, my beauty can more than make up for it in most cases, or I can just play the part that needs to be played; however, those seeking a dominant female partner would have no issue without my default persona. If you want my body measurements, I have them on file; however, given the website you work for, I am not sure how important this information will be.
I have a daily workout regimen and practice martial arts. This has given me a developed physique that surprises most people. This is likely due to my skin care regimen that helps portray my exposed skin as soft and fair, particularly my face. Moreover, I have to be certain to not bulk up entirely, or this could have a detrimental impact on my femininity. This is my natural hair. I usually keep it tied up due to my impossible schedule otherwise it would fall to my hips. I’m thinking about cutting it; however, there are times where longer hair would be more presentable from an emotional/social aspect so I will keep it for now.
I prefer to always wear business attire. I do not live a casual life so I do not have casual dress. Even on off days I represent my client, Su Talmaris as well as XK. I cannot afford to be caught “lacking” as they say. There are even times where I wear my business attire to bed. It is unfathomably uncomfortable, but not as uncomfortable as being ill prepared. I usually wear heels. They are surprisingly effective when delivering kicks to the groin. They can be used as a short ax in emergencies, so I usually have them reinforced with steel. The few inches they add to my height are not an issue given my natural stature.
Personality:
I admit I come off as cold and unapproachable. A percentage of that is due to my actual personality, a percentage is due to my position, and the others are miscellaneous things outside of my control such as inevitable rumors regarding the relationship of my client and I. Overall, I am a powerful woman. Humility is a fancy word for a white lie to make the less capable feel better about themselves; however, I would rather be draped in brutal honesty. For those who would want to avert their eyes to the truth, they should do just that. Asking those with blessings beyond your own comprehension to pretend that they are common solely to satiate your insecurity is madness. I am not an emotionless husk even if I appear that way. I do enjoy a good rom com. I just happen to see further than most people, so I will be misunderstood. In fact, I have been known to become quite emotional when things don’t go my way. I am business like, or….what’s the word…objective rather. Objectively, many people do not like that. Thus I am deemed unapproachable, but I could just charge the same people with a severe lack in confidence.
I do not trust anyone. That is not an exaggeration. I don’t think anyone should be trusted. Life is the most elaborate business of all. The world is ran by a series of trades of material and immaterial value alike. You will only give something if you can receive something. To quote one of the greatest anime, "equivalent exchange". For example, you love someone who makes you feel good. Adopting children can help with finances, or the emotional well being of someone who cannot have children naturally. Moreover, many good acts can be attributed to the feeling one gets when performing a kind act. Similarly, others perform heinous acts simply because they feel good about it. I always joke, yes I crack jokes, that serial killers and philanthropists are opposite sides of the same coin…….Hmmm, that killed in the office.. The last part of that was the punch line. Ahem, anyway there is no such thing as a completely selfless act. Another example, protesting climate change isn’t simply the right thing to do, it is necessary to one's survival. Reducing the homeless population reaps benefits for everyone, but also reduces the awkward interactions people have to have with them and makes them feel better. In fact, inducing a pleasant emotion can sometimes replace a proper solution as long as people “feel” that it has been taken care of. No one will say these things out loud, but the truth is cold thus I am seen as cold. I think it is a complement. It is the same as saying I am truth.
Finally, happiness. Contrary to popular belief, or rumors, I do enjoy the pursuit of happiness. I also experience that emotion. However, happiness for one often means dashing the dreams of another. I’m not a pessimist as much as I am a realist. For example, I can only be rich if everyone else is not. The very essence of wealth and fame requires anomalies at both ends of the spectrum or else we would all be average. Perhaps a philosophical debate can be had if that is better, but I personally believe that makes for a less interesting world. If you can accept your success will be built on literal, and figurative graves of others then that is only when you can truly be happy. Anything else is a beautiful lie, wouldn’t you agree?
Likes:
Hmm I like and dislikes many things. It would be hard to compress all of the things I enjoy into a single definitive list. I like spicy food, but not all spicy foods, and there are some days I would delve into things I normally do not like as a change of pace. I dislike thrills like rollercoasters, skydiving; however, they can become enjoyable when sharing the discomfort with someone you like. I generally dislike fighting, but if it is someone who has wronged me I cannot pretend that the thought of them suffering at my hand does not bring me a measure of joy, but to satisfy your thoughtless request I compiled a list of things I like and dislike in general. I am sure this should be enough to satiate your readers.
Origami
Open windows
Organization
The perfect cup of tea
Picking fruit
Gardening
Reading
Anime/Manga
The sound of a violin
A perfect cloud to sky ratio
The sun on a cold day
Puddles after a storm
Morning
Exotic plants
Carnivorous Plants
Poisonous frogs
Praying Mantis
Action movies
Rom coms
Heels
Sweat pants
A perfectly seared stake
Bacon
Ham
Blue Cheese
A pot boiling noodles
T.V Dinners
Instant Noodles
The sound of wind chimes
Fall/Spring
The feeling of endless possibilities
Pink Napkins
Seeing new sights
Her reflection
Still waters
Old people
Gentle Giants
Conspiracy theories
Being thorough
Green Lights
Holidays/Time off
Baby elephants
Lavender Soap
The 44 keys on the right side of a piano
Perfectly folded laundry
Soft soil
Freshly baked goods
Licking her finger before turning a page
The feel of legal documents and forms
Sleeping in a tent during light rain.
People who call themselves nice
Pigs
People who think her job is easy
Su Talmaris
Natural disasters
A good plan gone wrong
Being on the news
Failing
Flatulence
Poor hygiene
The taste of dark sodas
Murky waters
Insect eggs
Dropping her glasses
Ties
Shoes with laces
A runny nose
Mint chocolate ice cream
Desserts containing vegetables
The phrase “it’s always the last place you look” by definition finding said object would end the search so it will inevitably be the last place you look if you find it. Dumb statement.
When hot cheese stretches awkwardly after you bite it.
The 22 keys on the left side of a piano
Foggy glasses
Fog
A leaning tree
Owls in a forest
Black cats
Stepping on cracks
Calling tails when someone flips a coin and people who do.
Gambling
Thrills like rollercoasters
Fighting
The color violet red
Face tattoos
Waking up with a stiff neck
A pillow that has lost its fluffiness
Cramped spaces
People who wear red and green on a normal day
Those who claim they did nothing special after quite literally performing a minor miracle
Lukewarm water
Monocles
Deserts
Jello like consistency on any food.
The autosave when you enter a room
Final Credits at the end of a long series
Parties
Bosses who heal
Doing nothing
Names that exceed 6 letters and/or 3 syllables.
The thought that all of your actions could be predetermined or the product of a higher power controlling your actions and thoughts for the pure thrill of it, or simply that they can. In the end nothing you would ever do matters because it was not you that decided it; moreover, in the grand scheme of this person’s plot you could be as insignificant as a fleeting thought and your erasure from the world would mean little to the ever expanding multiverse.
Biography:
So you want to hear about me although you could simply look all of this info up on my wiki page? 10/10 Journalism, that was sarcasm. I digress. Life began when I was born. My father, and there is no better way to say it, gets around. I was clearly a product of one of his escapades. Due to a settlement I am not allowed to elaborate on the matter any further. I am sure plenty will speculate, but as you can see he has claimed any responsibilities that might be a product of his lifestyle. I suppose like many, I was born in the family business. Call it nepotism, that is exactly what it is. There is nothing inherently wrong with it. Why not take the opportunity to mold a future worker from the ground up; moreover, blood ties could definitely aid in the feelings of responsibility. My siblings and I all work for the same company and we all have our strengths and weaknesses. As of now, I am the leading associate of the company, but not by such a wide margin that I can relax. I am, after all, as untalented as they come. Any perceived talent of mine is only achieved by hard work, repetition, and trial and error. To become as great as I am, you must sacrifice many things. I know this may not be buzz worthy, but I am not particularly unhappy with my arrangement. Hard work can be satisfying. Falling into the money would be easy, but I am sure it would leave an emptiness I would attempt to fill with an unfathomable amount of vices. I like my family. It isn’t perfect and it would be easy to assume that we hate each other, but I would disagree. We are a competitive bunch and we show that we care in our own special way. Many believe I am the favorite of all the siblings; however, I believe this is simply because I understand my father the most. Make no mistake, understanding and agreeing are two different things, but many cannot even reach that basic level of understanding.
Our company was by no means huge, but talent can only be kept hidden for so long. That does not only apply to Su Talmaris, our poster child, but my colleagues at XK records. Sign with us and we will give your vision form. It was an arduous road, but eventually Su Talmaris broke through the ceiling and remained in the sky with me by his side. I look down and cut anchors so he can continue to look up. But do not be mistaken, I have been said to have eyes in the back of my head. I see everything clearly. It is my job. As long as Su Talmaris continues to look up, I will make sure he will continue to rise.
Occupation:
• Current Manager of Su Talmaris and the top associate of XK
Family:
My father is Ken Narukami, The current CEO of Dream Star. My mother is Violet Evergrass, a B list actor living across the world. I have a half brother, Rio Narukami. A half sister, Suzu Narukami and a half brother Ben Narukami. My stepmother is Aoi Narukami. You can put two and two together to understand my current arrangement, but I can assure you that a minimal amount of drama stems from that.
Role: Manager
Motive:
My only concern as of now is to make Su the #1 celebrity in the world. Any other personal goals of mine are not for the public eye.
Magic/Abilities: Magic? I suppose managing Su is a miracle in itself but I am no magician.
Strengths:
Strengths? I am a fairly successful person with a fairly successful client. I have money. It is a very underrated strength. I am also an objective and rational thinker even in matters that involve myself. I think this allows me to respond to others quickly and effectively. I am an elite strategist. Well versed in jiu jitsu, and there are times I can use my beauty to my advantage. I speak many different languages and no basic phrases for languages I have no yet had the time to master.
Weaknesses:
Although I practice many fighting disciplines, my smaller frame still puts me at a disadvantage. In such cases a weapon is my preferred choice. I am an excellent shot.
I hate when things do not go the way I envision them. This happens quite often with my client and never gets any less annoying. I am only human so I cannot counteract miracles, the supernatural, or strokes of misfortune quite easily. Running out of bullets is always downer, and I am absolutely terrified of pigs. They are plotting armageddon and you cannot tell me otherwise. Every plate of bacon is a step toward paradise.
Notes:
I have obtained the bad habit of smoking. I am human, this job is stressful.
Age: 500 Spirit years (Died and became a Reaper at age 23)
Gender: Male
Orientation: Bisexual
Height: 6’2"
Build: Slim and athletic; the build of an accomplished sprinter
Appearance:
Cassian was born an angel, growing into a tall, well honed build with white hair that falls to his waist when not in a loose ponytail. Perhaps a remnant of his life before being a reaper, he walks with air of grace and tries to appear as inviting to talk to as possible. His eyes are a brilliant jade green; matching the jade jewelry he wears on his wrists usually hidden under formal wear sleeves. While Originally Cassian had six wings as white as clouds or untouched snow, they are nowhere to be seen and cause Cassian to claim he is only a human turned reaper.
Style: While in the past he wore simple robes, now in the mortal realm he tends to wear numerous styles or tailored suits, and can commonly find a large overcoat hanging off his shoulders.
Personality:
Cassian likes to be an example to others and tries to be peaceful and calm at all times while helping maintain the clocktower and museum, going so far as to offer whatever assistance he can to anyone on the premises. Be it a drink, money, advice... if it is in his power to grant it is more often than not that he will grant it. All he asks is a small favor in return one day, and for them to visit more often. Guiding the living is quite similar to guiding the dead, only that the living are usually more eccentric. Guests are often quite fun as a result though.
Past all the priest-like smiles is a strategist, however. He was brought from the spirit realm for a task, and people tend to help people they like. He's constantly watching the behaviors and mannerisms of those around them, trying to pull what truly they want to the surface. You may call it manipulative, but Cassian seeks to solve the task given to Cier; who tried to gain the help of the keys without such ploys.
Cassian believes themselves to not be so naive. To get what you want, sometimes you have to pin them with fish hooks.
Likes:
Coffee
Hearing stories
Reading
Helping those who want help
Movies
Cats
Dislikes:
Rudeness
Chaos
Messy or cluttered places
Guiding souls who don't understand they died
Greed
Impera
Biography:
Before they were a Guide for those on their way to the Spirit Realm, Cassian was a priest for a small church in a small village of ill import to the grand annals of history. Here in this church, Cassian spent his days tending the grounds and making sure that everyone who came by received care and aid befitting a devout member of the cloth, going above and beyond for everyone they met. The townsfolk appreciated their resident priest, and welcomed his visits when they were sick or needed charity. This selfless life would come to an end when Impera sowed discourse acress the land and rampaged across the kingdoms. The people looked to the church for help and the church for once could not give it. Tensions rose, until the rampage was at the gates and slaughter took to the village. Even whilst shunned for not having an answer to the crisis, Cassian tried to help save innocents. Such an action proved folly, and Impera's forces attacked. Cassian was left wingless and broken, bleeding heavily as Impera moved on from the paltry town. Vision fading Cassian called out to some survivors who took refuge in the tucked away church storeroom, only to witness a final betrayal as they simply rummaged through his pockets for supplies and left him to die.
It was a short time in the Spirit realm before he was granted title or Reaper, guiding those lost to their destination in the afterlife. In those 500 years, Cassian proved themselves capable and was chartered to aid another senior Reaper in an important task, using the Keys to stop the return of the scourge that caused so much suffering long ago. More than happy to provide his services to hopefully end the threat that took his life long ago, Cassian landed in the Mortal Realm and began helping Cier in his duties. Besides their ultimate goal, the clock tower and museum require maintenance and upkeep; secretarial tasks all to familiar to the ex-priest. Hopefully this time he would remain wise to the poison that could easily infect the human heart.
Occupation: Caretaker and aide to the clocktower and museum, and a quite good barista.
Motive: The eradication of Impera and everything they hold dear or stood for.
So much death has occured thanks to one person, and Cassian will stop at nothing to organize his fall. He may not be a key, but he will make sure he's there to watch him fall.
Magic/Abilities:
Guided Insight Cassian often likes to hear the story of those he's guided, and has picked up a wide skillset of non-combat abilities. So much so that when it comes to mundane hobbies like cooking or making coffee he's practically a natural. Not to the extent of a dedicated master, but head and shoulders above average.
Reaper Eyes Eyes that can read a soul for detecting auras, gauging power, and for most mortals - knowing how much time they have left.
His eyes cannot read the death dates for keys or corrupted souls.
Soul Guide Cassian is able to hold souls and guide them to the spirit realm, though he eill not go through the gate with them until his own duty is done.
Strengths:
Gunslinger - While direct violence is a last resort, Cassian has a good degree of proficiency particularly with handguns.
Intellectual insight - Cassian is quite good at reading people and thrives in in an environment where he can use his brain to come up with a solution to his problems.
Weaknesses:
Martial Inadequacy - Cassian is hopeless at hand to hand, and finds it hard to work up the courage to physically strike someone.
Old Habits - Even now Cassian sometimes finds it hard to say no to someone in need, and rationalizes his manipulation by first being of service. Otherwise the guilt would eat at him.
Go for the Eyes - Like all Reapers, His powers fail if he is blinded or similar; he cannot do much of anything if he can't see.
Notes:
Voice Claim: Jinshi from Apothecary Diaries, Takeo Otsuka