Gao
[sad jester jingle noises]
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APPLICATIONS
OPTIONAL ROLES
ROGUE WAVES.
YOU BOARD THE LEVIATHAN.
THE CHARACTERS.
Applications are currently CLOSED to newcomers.
Hello hello and welcome to the application area of Rogue Waves. HERE is the google document of “Lore”, which goes over Faction groups & Locations to assist in your character sheets. I have added a spoiler underneath this section with unformatted information for those that are unable to view it.
I will note that even if you are logged into google, nobody can view your name or profile picture when viewing this document (not even me). Like everyone else you will show up as an anonymous animal, so do not fret if you’re worried about someone seeing your Xx_ShadowLordSlasher839_xX email. If you are still uncertain, do open it on Incognito or scroll through the spoilered info below. I usually prefer to have all information in one place to avoid clicking around different links, but found a Google Document was the easiest way to display it.
What I’m looking for is a range of characters with different backgrounds, values, ambitions, and a balanced crew of loyal/neutral/evil. Do remember to remove my annotations in brackets, they’re just a guide. I've asterisked what is compulsory to include, everything else is optional. I use codes because I find them pretty and enjoy customisation, but you are not forced to use them to partake in this roleplay. Just make sure if adding an image to your uncoded post that it is not the size of a house. Thank-you ♡.
If you have any questions, feel free to ask in the ooc or send me a dm! A deadline for applications will be applied further into the future.
As a quick reminder, there is a limit of two characters (for newcomers), and characters are to be over 21 and human.
THE CHARACTER SHEET.
*Full Name: [Their real name]
Alias: [Nicknames, perhaps a name they prefer, or have to go by]
*Role: [For example, “The Marksman”, or your crafted role.]
*Age:
Place of Birth: [Locations are listed in the doc & spoilered beneath]
*Face-claim: [Written description or realistic]
*Height:
*Eye & Hair colour:
Written description of appearance:
*Personality: [This can be communicated through descriptions, bullet points or even a written scene. Just something that gives me a nice feel of your character.]
*Likes & Dislikes:
*Fears:
Habits:
Hobbies:
*Strengths: [What are they good at? What are their skills? Does not have to be battle or physical oriented, nor written at extensive length.]
*Weaknesses: [Same as above, but the opposite.]
*History: [I know this part sucks. I’m sorry. You are free to write instances that had an influential impact on your character, do the classic Childhood, Adolescence, Adult, or style this in any format you see fit.]
*Reputation: [Are they well-known? By who? For good reasons? If publicly, what cities would they be known in?]
*Why did they board The Leviathan? [What is their motivation? Is there one, or are they drifting aimlessly?]
How did they get on board? [Legal means? Illegal means? Appointed by the King? Bought themselves a spot? Feel free to be creative with this.]
Faction: [Listed in the google document as well as the spoiler below. Can answer as none if not applicable. For those that answer yes, is this a past or present affiliation? If it’s in the past, how does your character feel about them? How/why did your character join, and how/why did your character leave them? Would this faction recognise you today? Are you now affiliated with a new faction? Are you part of two simultaneously? You don't have to answer all of these, but do consider them.]
Status: [Also listed in the google document & spoilered below. This is their social position, can be past or present.]
Opinion on royalty: [Are you loyal, neutral, or against?]
Opinion on piracy: [Swing sword be sexy? What do you think?]
Extras: (If you have a Spotify playlist or a Pinterest moodboard for your character, place them into my loving hands at once.)
The following questions are compulsory for your darling GM gao.
*What I would like my character to encounter/experience/develop in this roleplay are: [Maybe close relationships, character development, a certain injury, a scenario that is the embodiment of what they fear most. Wanna make them cry and lose everything they love? Let me know and it’ll help my scheming.]
*If not selected in the first round of applications, I am willing to be contacted at a later date if the GM feels there’s a fitting opportunity for my character to make their grand arrival: [Y/N]
{WOJTEK FUS}
night owl
STATUS
This is related to their social position and what circles your character may be involved with, or has been involved with. More than one may apply, and is completely optional to include in your character sheet.
KINGSMEN: Loyalty for the crown, those onboard the Leviathan will be seen as Kingsman by proxy (for now), but there are those in the group who have pledged themselves to the King wholeheartedly. Whether that devotion will survive the dilemmas of the Leviathan is unknown.
PRIVATEER: A pirate by branding, a Kingsman by contract, crimes have been pardoned to have your skillset working for the King. The melted letter is branded ropey and thick into your wrist, but better than the thick of a noose shaped for your throat.
WANTED: Desired by whoever has the money to print and distribute these posters, they may depict a missing person or criminal, and at times, be promised a bounty for their death or return. The more appealing rewards invoke the pursuit of money-hungry bounty hunters.
HIGH SOCIETY: Politicians, the wealthy, and those that are subject to run at their beck and call. You are so entangled with this fanciful way of life, sentenced to smile without teeth and drift between the fingers and lies of sycophants, that you forget there are more pressing issues beyond this golden cage.
LOW SOCIETY: Struggle is familiar on your tongue, familiar in your voice and familiar in your destitute hands. Stomach sieved and coin purse light, street urchins and beggars alike, you are the slums of society, frequently admonished by the arrogant slopes of upturned noses. You may be diamonds in the rough, if you can manage to shed the extrinsic muck from your body.
ROYALTY: Blue blood, beasts of this high-status ilk are drooled with intangibility. The highest of society with the wealth and reverence to match, your value is incalculable, ransom-worthy. But pedestals propose the risk of a plummet, love for the sun and devotion bathed languid in, born in, or the Icarus plummet to a gnashing seabed. You cannot have both.
OUTCAST: Everything of yours is revoked, cracked open and scoured of both identity and your place in society. By the King’s decree you are to own no land, bear no children, and exist as a severed, nomadic thread outside of city walls. Death isn’t a worthy punishment for what you’ve done, but ostracization and living with the haunt of your regret is.
FACTIONS
These are established groups throughout Solas. Same as Status, these may be past or present affiliations, and your character can be part of several or none at all. Neither of these are compulsory in your application, but will help with plotting, pivotal events, and connections throughout the roleplay. I do advise at least reading these for ideas.
CARMINE CORSAIR: ( organised piracy ) Identified by a fleet of ruby sails and gunpowder tempers, this faction is one of few organised pirate groups ruled by its own flavour of sovereignty. While there is no “Pirate King” per say, The Red Baron enforces law of both this faction and the residents of the location Antares. They’re known to loot any boat, bring waste to a seaside town for no purpose other than to test new ammunition, and are overall cutthroat in their practices. They are the most pressing concern to King Rowan.
STYGIAN ORDER: ( thieves guild ) While originating from Sirocco, this Thieves Guild is webbed throughout Solas in clandestine locations. Emerging from the routine of pickpocketing habits are rumours of a heist, rumours of members that have bigger ambition than swiping bags and coin purses; the bank of Siroc remains enforced by guards, but these rogues have a magpie appeal to everything labelled off-limits.
PIRATE: ( disorganised piracy ) While Carmine Corsairs are imposing, there is a vast collection of pirates throughout the realm that are independent from this red-sail brigade. Morals may differ between each vessel, as does the danger they pose. They can be branded or unbranded, unknown or renowned, but know that the punishment for piracy in Zenith is a plummet from the gallows or a chained drowning from the tide. If one is especially lucky and offered a small mercy from the King or his council, a privateer contract may just revert your fate.
COVENANT OF AETHERA: ( religious sect ) Emerged from The Cascades, followers are swathed in ivory and lost in a devotion that can border absurdity. They revere celestial bodies as ancient deities, believing the dark that haunts the Cascades is punishment for those that are sceptics to their practices, those that have deterred from the natural path. Stars as their prophet, the “Oracles” are the two leaders that interpret these, and they believe sickness, murder and war is a predetermined fate that deserves no intervention— save they anger the cosmos once again. It is the key to salvation, to unbinding the curse that ensnares the marble city, and they spread their beliefs through flashy public ceremonies and offerings that tourists are always enraptured to experience.
WORLDBUILDING & LOCATIONS
Most should be pretty self explanatory. No Tiktok. No converse sneakers and ripped skinny jeans. No Harry Styles to adopt you from your mom.
Rogue Waves is based in the fictional world Solas, hosting limited magic and fantasy species, yet these are subject to discrimination in most corners of the map. I may allow characters in the future to dabble in these subjects, but for now it’s forbidden ooo.
There is an assortment of sleepy towns, farmlands and minor cities littered throughout that you are free to create yourself. Just make sure to detail these in your character sheet.
Please note if you choose to assort your character into these locations, that they do not have to abide by stereotypes, skills, jobs or traits that are listed. These are just to give you an idea of their society, values, culture etc. You can have a friendly character from Umbra who hates soup, a humble aristocrat from Siroc, etc etc.
THE CAPITAL OF SOLAS, CITY OF ZENITH: The Leviathan hails from this hub of trade, as does the monarchy. A cobblestone capital nestled between plains and ocean port, it’s a bustling epicentre that disperses into dark, narrowed pathways riddled with uncertainty. Sailors make home at heady taverns, same as clandestine crime and muck-ridden poverty do in the back-alley webs of Zenith. King Rowan presides over the majority of Solas, has a daughter but no male heirs, and with circulating rumor of an unwell wife, expectation for his family reign is to be short-sighted.
MOTIFS INCLUDE: Crowns, balance scales.
AMIABILITY: 3/5
KNOWN FOR: The marketplace, largest port and flotilla of stalls in Solas. The royal family, an annual Carnevale, military resilience & presence, connected rooftops, storage warehouses, tunnels beneath the city, political hub, the gallows, largest prison in Solas, guilds, a concerning number of orphanages, branding pirates.
ORIGINATING FROM ZENITH MAY EMBED TRAITS OF: Connections, bargaining, entrepreneurship, street smarts, adaptability, multilingualism, politics, leadership, apprenticeships, education, nobility.
THE CASCADES: An endless night ensnares this opaline stronghold, accursed to be held hostage by what devours in the dark. Lacquered opaline, Cascade cuts a figure of tall ivory into the inky backdrop, and proves to be a beacon of perseverance in an environment that desires to render it down to a crude cage of skeletons. Streets of milky pavement and origami lanterns, it’s an ethereal epicentre for tourist attraction and exploration of the arts. Those that hail from here are steely to what haunts outside their walls, and residents that live beyond the protective wards of the glowing city have found methods to live and travel freely. If not for the fact you can throw a lump of meat into the dark and it will hit the ground as a licked-clean bone, the Cascades would have surely eclipsed Zenith as the Capital.
MOTIFS INCLUDE: The moon, stars, lanterns, origami.
AMIABILITY: 4/5
KNOWN FOR: A Forever Night. The annual light festival. Religious temples, academies, crystals and gemstones. Strict laws and minimum crime, and as such, guards that are revered across Solas. Strange food, tourist traps, uncommon flora & fauna, regular art exhibitions. Live (and often cruel) executions are noted to be their intense retaliation to criminal activity.
ORIGINATING FROM THE CASCADES MAY EMBED TRAITS OF: Wisdom, tradition, keen eyesight, caution, creativity, eccentric fashion, obedience, religion, insincerity, academia, art.
ANTARES: A frequent layover for sailors, and a lay is often what they get. At the nucleus of binge drinking, brothel visits and mulling of sticky tobacco, Antares is a party port with little concern for self preservation. King Rowan has no governance here, and disorder is Antares’ closest companion, seconded only by The Red Baron; a reputable pirate at the helm of the Carmine Corsairs. Granted you’re not preaching loyalty to the King of the Capital, there is no reason for you to be turned away from their shores. While not exclusive, this is a pirate oriented location. Rum is strong but the strike of a fist to the jaw is stronger, and accolades of barfight bruises are not uncommon in this region.
MOTIFS INCLUDE: Red sails, crossed swords, skulls.
AMIABILITY: 3/5
KNOWN FOR: The Red Baron. Carmine Corsairs. Drinking, fighting, blacking out on the pavement. Opium consumption, murderers, thieves, pirates, homebrew alcohol, smuggling dens, illegal trade, gambling, the worst brothel in Solas (they bite), crooked royal personnel, greasy food.
ORIGINATING FROM ANTARES MAY EMBED TRAITS OF: Street smarts, resourcefulness, bar-brawls, hand-to-hand combat, bomb making, pickpocketing, resilience, determination, self-reliance, risk awareness.
SIROCCO SANDS: From the heart of the desert is the skyline of Siroc, drooling rooftops of yolky gold and pooling fountains of freshwater oasis. Boasting wealth for invitations to the most exclusive events in Solas, affluence and upkeep of appearances are abundant in this city. Visitors are met with respect, granted you have the money to prove your worth. Two sides of the same coin, the surface is nourished with activity whilst the undercity chokes; beneath the crust are forges of flame and metal, pluming cinder and ash into the salty lungs of impoverished residents. Pain seeps into hands that are pebbled by callous and scar, canvases to showcase the decades of tough, menial work. The upper class nourishes itself fat on the survival of the poor.
MOTIFS INCLUDE: The sun, scepters, lions
AMIABILITY: 4/5
KNOWN FOR: A surface and undercity divide. Blacksmiths, affluence, banks, sand, metals, the origin of the Thieves Guild, high-society soirees, sandstorms, wealth discrimination, annual ballroom events, most acclaimed brothels, gladiatorial entertainment, freshwater baths, luxury and relaxation.
ORIGINATING FROM SIROC MAY EMBED TRAITS OF: Metalworks, banking, scamming, mining, socialising, trading, combat, horseback riding, hardworking, poverty, physical injury, high society, laziness, greed.
CITY OF UMBRA: A northern fjord cleaved by alpines, reaching the city of Umbra is a showcase of frozen shipwreck artefact. There is nothing in terms of hospitality, a glacial waste met in both the environment and its inhabitants. There are surrounding, smaller settlements, but they are all eager to be rid of outsiders. Insight to their secrets or traditions are reserved for residents, for this place will ravage you cold, but to welcome the warmth of others is a risk of extinction. As you leave, you notice something seems to move on the ice when you’re not looking, like a reflection of sunlight clashing at a wrong angle. You notice the crew seems larger than when you left port. You notice something has come on-board with you. You notice it has come on-board for you.
MOTIFS INCLUDE: Snowflakes, bears.
AMIABILITY: 1/5
KNOWN FOR: Funeral pyres, gatekeeping, fur pelts, boat-builders, unconventional mounts, defensive location, blizzards, nice soup, pet bears (I know you want this), being the most secretive of all Solas communities.
ORIGINATING FROM UMBRA MAY EMBED TRAITS OF: Skinning, hunting, keen perception, boat-building or repair, distrust, boat manoeuvring, slip-resistance, secrecy, monster-hunting, beast-taming, hard-won loyalty.
KESTYR: The port town of Kestyr is not a place for the easily confused. The people are strange and speak in a (perhaps deliberately?) confounding manner. The folk of this town perhaps do not say it with words but with actions: there is us and then there is you. The days are brutal and hot, and when the sun is out you would be hard-pressed to see a townsperson about. This is blessedly offset by the days being very brief, for like clockwork a fine mist rolls in that blocks effectively all sunlight and leaves the town in a fugue of greys and shadows. Residents can navigate their hometown with ease, and many set up elaborate sounding calls for meals, for services, for calling each other home. Along their rivers they send down a variety of spices grown in their strange climate: ships are laden with fine-ground bags leaking coloured powder, fingers are forever stained from the herbs and flowers, and any resident can easily identify an herb by its sweet smell or heady aroma.
MOTIFS INCLUDE: none
AMIABILITY: 3/5
KNOWN FOR: Spice trade, political neutrality, lack of piety. Quick-wit, simple living, small communities, humidity, gardens, strong smells, heat, bugs, nightlife, hard work, harder living.
ORIGINATING FROM UMBRA MAY EMBED TRAITS OF: Sneakiness, quick-wit, agility, thinness, frugality, solitude, selfishness, blunt speaking, a keen nose, distrustfulness, soft-speaking, watchfulness.
WATERS OF ALGOL: An uninhabitable cluster of islands is girdled with water that is perpetually cloudy, as if the laden silt has been kicked up from tumult. Navigation is precarious, and many a boat have found their final tomb in Algol. Ragged reefs and shallow loam hidden in the cloud of pallid water, only the experienced or desperate tend to even consider travelling through this region. Men are sometimes plucked from the waters of Algol with little left to their memory but clammy hands and waxen skin, sedimenting what is thought to be egregious fiction into a real life account. What Solas knows is enough: Don’t go into the water.
MOTIFS INCLUDE: None
AMIABILITY: 0/5
KNOWN FOR: Murky water, shipwrecks, uninhabitable islands, unpredictable weather patterns.
ORIGINATING FROM ALGOL MAY EMBED TRAITS OF: Dying. You will be dead. You cannot live here. No free real estate. Begone.
THE CANALS: Fluvial, people of and found on the river; they are bound by no city, not even a King, and are instead a dying population scattered through a single, unmapped river. Refusing to partake in the politics of monarchy or war, Fluvians have been spurned by those that rally behind the King. They are ostracized to their placid life upon the waterways, a consequence that wouldn’t seem at all a problem if not for the lack of protection. While comfortably sustained by the river’s resources, there is no justice, no threat of gallows to deter violent pillaging. What little they have is reaped, and Fluvians are left to drown in the remains without help from the Capital. They are Outcasts, treated as such. Those on the river are gentle, their biggest virtue and vice.
MOTIFS INCLUDE: None.
AMIABILITY: 5/5
KNOWN FOR: “Deserting” the King. Townships are left uncharted from most maps. Reeds, tranquility, freshwater springs, production of high quality instruments, lily pads, canoes, “Fluvian” (derogatory), homely, community, dwindling population, swarming visitors with gifts and curious attention.
ORIGINATING FROM THE CANALS MAY EMBED TRAITS OF: Balance, foraging, fishing, swimming, pacifism, hobbyists, community, diplomacy, negotiation, light-footed, stealth, climbing, wariness, skittish, knowledge or appreciation for nature, comfortable clothing, sea legs, rowing, outcast status.
If wanting visuals of the locations, I advise perusing the Google Document because I was super sexy and didn't save the images to put in here
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If you'll have me!
), Being Away from the Farm, Spiders, Most Bugs Really, Raw Meat, Cooking Alone
