In Levi’s world, the humans long ago had forged a bond with a species of magical birds, so that they could live and survive together. It was a brutal time, where beasts fought each other for supremacy. The fragile humans cowered in safe havens while monsters tore each other to shreds. It was nearly impossible for humans to fight back as the sheer ferocity of most monsters often resulted in the deaths of dozens in a single charge. If there was one field that the humans excelled at, however, it was magic. Humans were smarter than the average beast, and many had magical abilities which they could use to gain an edge over the monsters. Man’s ingenuity might have held an edge against the beasts, if not for the beast’s own intelligent and magical leaders. Mankind simply didn’t have the numbers to make a difference, until one man discovered the birds.

The birds were also a relatively marginalised species, as their size was much smaller than most beasts, and even most humans. However, their magic surpassed the humans, and they made use of their different talents to the best effect. Even then, however, the birds could only scrape out a meagre living. As soon as the man found the birds, this was set to change.

The man and the birds took the world by storm, completely dominating the monsters with the might of their combined magic. The man and the birds carved their territories away from the threat of monster invasion, and as the humans cheered and ran to meet their hero, he smiled and told them that it was just the beginning.

Man and bird joined hands and conquered the world, establishing dominion over all of the beasts. The humans began to develop nations and progress their race, hunting down the remaining beasts for resources and to take more territory. Led by the man who started it all, the union of men and birds turned their hard life into a prosperous golden age spanning hundreds of years, even after his death. He was given the name Lightfeather, the shining beacon to both humans and birds.

Fast forward a couple of centuries and we come to the story of Levi, born into the royal family of the largest and most influential continent, reputedly stemming from the line of the man who unified the world, Aldo Lightfeather. Being the 3rd son of King Alphonse Lightfeather, Levi wasn’t expected to do so much, which was both good and bad. While the previous two sons were groomed to be political leaders, Levi was mostly left to his own devices. He wasn’t neglected, of course. As one of the royal family, if anything befell him, it would spell trouble for the country. He was, however, payed less attention than his older brothers and so spent his times happily, with less of a political influence. This would be a good thing, but due to his sheltered life, he made few friends. The ones he made were good friends, yes, but they were few nonetheless. They were mainly the ‘excess’ children of other noble families, and he got along with them reasonably well.

Most of the time, however, Levi eschewed human company for that of birds, and he found he was quite friendly with most of them. Levi often talked to them about his experiences, and they listened to him as any friends would. Along with his brothers, he had practically been raised with the birds. But where his brothers saw servants, Levi saw friends. To many in the Lightfeather household, this seemed odd, as birds were rarely seen as equals anymore. Levi, however, didn’t hesitate to treat birds as his friends, and this is likely because he could talk to birds since birth. He could communicate with birds even before he spoke his first word, and this was probably the reason he was so detached from human company. Levi may have continued his life of peaceful quiet if not for two very important events in his life: Meeting his first and only best friend and the death of his mother.

One day, while Levi was playing around with the birds again when a mysterious girl came out of nowhere. She was quite loud and spoke her mind pretty much at all times, pretty much the opposite of Levi. But Levi got along with her really well, perhaps attributed to the fact that they could both talk to birds. They played together a lot, Levi and the mysterious girl. Levi was very young at the time, maybe 8, and the girl was about the same age. They got into trouble a lot, but the girl would always mysteriously disappear. For the rest of his childhood, Levi had fun with his first ever real friend, but it wouldn’t last forever. One day, the mysterious girl began talking about her home and where she came from. It made Levi curious about the outside world and where she came from.

A week later, she disappeared from Levi’s life. Levi had no idea where she went, but he had a bigger problem on his hands. Levi’s mother was gravely wounded by an assassination attempt on his father which put her life on the brink for several days. On the last day she was alive, she called for her sons. They took turns visiting her, and by the expressions of his brothers as they left the room, their mother had told them something that was best kept a secret. Levi entered the room quietly and slowly walked to his mother’s side. They had been close in life, as his mother was one of the few warm familial presences in his life. Despite his mother’s failing health, she greeted him with a warm smile.

She told him a good many things, about her life as a peasant before getting married to the king and about their loveless relationship as she birthed the children he wanted. But Levi was her favourite child. As one who wasn't expected to succeed the throne, she was allowed to love him as a mother should, and it brought the happiness of motherhood into her life. She gave him a book, whispered something important to him and died soon afterwards.

The country became embroiled with political turmoil as they tried to find just who tried to kill the king. Alphonse Lightfeather was getting old, and it seems that the neighbouring countries had figured it out. The probability of his death was getting higher and higher and the concerns on who would inherit the country returned. It seemed, however, that the brothers themselves were mainly unconcerned, and they were repeatedly seen to rendezvous with each other, discussing something with uncharacteristic dead-seriousness. It didn’t matter to Levi, however. Levi had resolved to go outside the palace. His mother’s life as a peasant and his best friend’s account of the world outside had left him feeling empty, knowing that he had been sheltered all his life, and he now knew that he knew little of the world outside. Hence, Levi decided to leave. He ran away from his castle, taking the family crossbow with him, and set foot for the outside world with his three remaining most trusted friends, his 2 birds.

The magic of this world work similarly to psychic powers from real life, in that some people have the same ones to varying degrees and they don’t cost anything. Levi’s magic works through gathering and fusing. He can gather light to make small objects which are somehow physical. He usually uses them to make crossbow bolts, but he can gather and fuse things other than light, he’s just not very good at it.

His most powerful ability, however, is the ability to temporarily fuse his birds to his crossbow to make it stronger for one shot. Blade becomes the bolt and Robin becomes a scope thing. Levi can basically turn his birds into upgrades for his crossbow, upping its power for one shot. Firing blade, he adds to Blade’s penetrating power and Robin directs him to the target. That’s all the magic Levi can do right now.

In a world flooding with humans, the powers that be are attempting to limit the human population through any means possible. Whether through killing, castration, or any other number of things, the heads of this society will control the quantity, quality, and distribution of residents; but it is all in the name of a much desired utopia that can only exist if they get to do as they please. It is from this belief—that humans must maintain their population to achieve paradise— that the rest of Caradoc's reality stems.

There are too many beings and too few resources. Humanity seems to be drowning itself in kiddies, and the problem is only worsening as more and more mouths to feed manifest. Those in charge have put a family planning policy in place that they hope will help control the population. Depending on where you are in the nation, the amount of children you can have is dictated by either a lottery, your genetics, or the number you can protect and feed. The inhabitants must submit to a series of payments throughout their life to keep their fertility; when born, parents must pay for their child to keep their potency; when those children reach maturity they must pay; and when they have their own kids they must pay.

Measures are taken so as to discourage or disable people from reproducing. Sterilizing or castrating your children after birth is rewarded with ration cards. The children who go to school are taught to fear sex including a man and a woman and abstain from ever involving themselves in such things, for homosexuality is far more noble and clean. Those we used to call savages and murderers are secretly employed by the higher ups, and whenever they want to be amused they will put on a show.

Caradoc was just born in a shit hole. His parents didn't want to see their extra child be slain, so they instead put their bundle of joy in a small basket and handed him off to interested adopters. Poor little redpath suffered the same education as every other kid in school: learning to fear da sexy times, ration cards are pretty sweet, and that human lives are worth close to nothing. When he finished his education, the young man started his training as an assassin.

NAME: Ellis Nochel

ABSTRACT: A wily street rat and trouble magnet.

DETAIL: Scattered throughout the seas of his world are feral islands with wondrous treasures tucked away within dense jungles and towering mountains. Ellis has always dreamed of adventuring and attaining infamy just so he could earn bragging rights among his peers. In reality, because of the rigid hierarchy of his hometown - a busy port city where ships come and go constantly - he as a kid from the slums found it hard to make the necessary moves to reach the top. Since his youth, Ellis has worked under a boss in some capacity. Whether it was delivering messages between black market brokers or transporting goods himself, he never had the opportunity to call the shots. Never was he credited with making things happen and it bothered him. It was when his superiors began pulling rank over him excessively that he decided to take matters into his own hands. Severing the ties he built in his city's underworld, Ellis began stealing from those who gave him the little power he possessed. Whether others thought his decision was a mistake or not irked him little. Although the risk superseded his reward he was just glad to be in charge of his own operations.

Ellis is by all means an opportunist. He is completely into self and personal gain. He has a reputation for being both a "rat" and a "snake" meaning that he would put dirt on the names of others without hesitation and sell their secrets if the price was high enough. Before he earned notoriety as a thief and a backstabber, Ellis used his charisma to build up trust, make friends in various places, and squash it with betrayal. A speedy and evasive fighter, he always managed to avoid the wrath of those he burned by hightailing it at the right moment. His dirty work has made him numb to the feelings of others - or so he likes to believe. Perhaps somewhere deep within his subconscious there is a shred of compassion remaining. He isn't in a hurry to find it if it is there, however. The less he worries about consequences of his actions the more likely he is to act. It is apart of his free spirited ideology. To him regret is as restraining chains around his ankles.

He is a slim dark skinned man whose age ranges in the early to mid twenties. Preferring to maintain an appealing image, he tries to keep himself well groomed with his attire consisting of a neat white short-sleeved, green pants, and brown shoes. His black hair is worn at a reasonable length and is of a thick texture. Signature to Ellis is his mischievous smile which spreads across his face whenever he is scheming or lying. A capable fighter, he keeps his distinctive curved sword equipped to his hip for easy access. He is far from the best swordsman but is skilled enough to hold his own whenever confronted with a capable opponent.