Story
Baron Asmothe and his wife looked down at the Seer who was busy gazing at a blank piece of paper while a bitter smelling incense burned in a small clay cup next to it. The Seer had come at their request to do a reading on their baby girl who they feared was cursed. There was good reason for this fear as though she had only been alive for 4 months already there had been multiple near fatalities from accidents, sickness, and even an attempted kidnapping. Their little girl had been alive for so little time and yet she had almost died at least 20 times. Currently the girl was sick with appeared to be chicken pox though thankfully they had access to one of the best apothecaries in the nation so she was on the road to recovery.
The Seer was silent still and nothing seemed to be happening, but then, what appeared to be ink started to appear on the piece of paper ever so slowly. With bated breathe they watched as the a picture started to form, a symbol of sorts which only the Seer could decipher. What appeared was something the Seer had never seen before in his readings, a jester appeared in complete, bell adorned outfit, but its face was that of a skull, of death. The Seer realized what it was immediately.
"How troublesome, in all my years I have never seen this sign, and frankly I never wanted to." The Seer complained as he handed over the parchment to the Baron.
The Baron took the parchment and grimaced when he got a closer look. "How bad is it Seer?"
The Seer pinched the bridge of his nose and groaned. "Very bad I am afraid, it is as you feared, the young heiress has been cursed."
"Do you recognize the magic? Can you reverse the curse?" The Baron's wife pleaded with all her might.
"If it were a simple hex by some witch I could probably do something but I am afraid this is much more than that. Your daughter has been born under a most unfortunate sign I am afraid, that of the 'Branded'. I assume your daughter had a birthmark somewhere on her body shaped like a crescent moon?" The Seer asked to make sure correct in his diagnosis.
"Yes, such a mark exists on her side."
"Then I am afraid I am very much correct in my reading. This is a phenomenon that can occur at birth with very specific circumstances. Thankfully the circumstances are so specific that someone born with this brand exists only once every 400 years or more. The person must have been born at precisely noon, during a solar eclipse, on April 1st. Some refer to this brand as the Universe's cosmic joke considering how specific it must be." The Seer sighed as he looked away from the relatively young couple, not really wanting to look at their ashen faces.
"Considering how infrequent it happens, there is little knowledge about this. I will do what I can but frankly there is little I can do without further study, and even then I have no idea if I will be able to find a way to reverse it."
"But there must be something you can do! I can't stand to see my child go through so much danger and pain!" The Baron's wife grasped for any way out of their predicament, pleading with the Seer for help.
The Seer did not turn around. "I am sorry, but there is nothing that I can do at this time. I swear I will search for answers but for now I am afraid the only thing you can do is hire people to protect the child as well as they can. Make sure you keep your medical stores stocked, be wary of strangers, try to keep dangerous objects away from the child, and whatever you do, keep a close eye on her. She will be plagued by bad luck throughout her life for now. I am sorry there is not more I can do."
The Baron put a comforting hand on the Seer's shoulder. "I know you've done your best and I am grateful, at least now we know the cause of her misfortunes. Please, I will help you with everything you need, work as fast as you can to find a way to beat this 'brand'."
"I will do my best, my lord."
The Roleplay
The Universe has played a cosmic joke on a poor young girl. Branded from birth, this young girl has been a magnet for pretty much everything and anything that could potentially kill her. Thankfully she was born into an aristocratic family so her parents could afford to hire skilled individuals to protect her from disease, magic, machines, and the sword.
The Universe is out to kill her and it is your duty to keep her alive. Be exceedingly vigilant, keep an eye out at all times, take extra precautions when escorting her, and drive back any scoundrel that makes an attempt on her life. The job is tough but it does tend to pay very well.
The Girl
Name: Veronica Asmothe
Appearance: Veronica
Age: 10
Gender: Female
Race: Human
Skills: Being cursed, getting into trouble, being cute, and daddy's money.
History:
Veronica has been cursed with a cruel fate. As if exposed to Murphy's law, potentially life threatening events keep happening to her. After being told that she was cursed, her Father very quickly started to hire the best protectors he could hire: Food testers, guards, tutors, apothecaries, even mechanics in order to find better ways to protect his daughter from the dangers that always follow her.
She has managed to survive so far though she does tend to get hurt a lot from so many close calls. She has stayed mostly at home for now while her family tries to figure out the best way to protect her. She does leave home occasionally and the older she gets, the more she will have to go out into the world despite her curse.
The Setting
The baron's daughter lives in the Kingdom of Farlande, a relatively small power in the world. Farlande is situated next to the Umaris Sea to the south, a large, inland sea which is fed by the Visen River that runs on Farlande's eastern border. To the east is the Viscarian Confederation, known for its large expanses of land and diverse populace. To the north is the Kamilian Dominion, home to a very religious people that love to spread their message to everyone around them. Finally, to the West is the Delerian Badlands, and area populated only by Nomadic type tribes due to its harsh conditions.
Currently the world has been going through somewhat of a mechanical revolution, often combining magic and technology into practical applications. Airships have become one of the most frequent methods of travel with large ports constructed for these large and magnificent vessels. Lighting and various appliances to improve daily life have caught on mainstream, though many technologies are still rather expensive and potentially unstable due to the combination of magic and tech. As a result most technological marvels are concentrated in more wealthy sections of towns but even the poor sections receive some benefits.
As a baron in the Farlande kingdom, the cursed girl's father enjoys the benefits of nobility, but as a lowly baron he is hardly high on the aristocratic scale. Despite his relatively low rank in the aristocracy he is wealthy enough to employ a moderate staff and owns a mansion in the countryside, where he tries to keep his daughter for safety reasons. He often has to travel to cities on business and works quite hard to make enough money to take care of his daughter, who understandably has become quite the financial burden due to the Cosmic Jest branded on her side.
The baron's mansion is located 10 miles from the city of Brighton, a major town that has a large airship port making it a fairly large center of trade. The mansion is two story, has around 50 acres of rolling hills, forests, and even a small stream on the property. There is also a small pond located behind the mansion that has some decent fishing spots. In the thicker parts of the nearby forest there have been rumors of wolves and fairies, but nothing concrete as of yet.
Weaponry
Traditional weaponry such as swords and bows are still the norm in the world even as technology improves. Guns exist but they are considered exotic and unreliable though there are examples of fairly accurate rifles being developed. What has really changed with weaponry is the introduction of Augmented Weapons. Augmented Weapons are any normal weapon that has been enhanced by technology and magic, for example a sword could have a cartridge system installed in its handle that can add various magical effects to the blade, such as making it unleash a bolt of lightning. Another example would be a long bow augmented with gears to improve bow strength and explosively infused arrowheads for added punch.
Magic
Magic has a long history of us in the world. Seers, witches, curses, Fae, and magical creatures have always been a part of the world. Magic is powerful, but to effectively use it required years of study and no one individual has enough power to drastically shift the balance of power. Still, magic users have always been held in high esteem, or infamy, if they happened to be good at curses.
Advances in technology greatly changed how magic could be used. Magical energies could be stored in cartridges and channeled through special devices to power great machines or even household items. No longer did only the learned sages and reclusive witches have access to these powers. Nowadays, with the right amount of money, anybody can get their hands on magical instruments of various designs and powers.
Still, not all magics can be converted and used by machines, so pure magic users are still quite valued by society, both for their powers and their knowledge. There are still many aspects of magic that seem completely outside of science, such as curses, which cannot be contained by any machine. Magic now powers many new wonders, but it is still beyond the grasp of most people.
Farlande Kingdom
Based to the south of a major continent, the Farlande Kingdom is somewhat in the middle but the Umaris Sea to the south allows for ship traffic to other nations further away and is usually much cheaper than going my airship. The Kingdom itself is moderate in size though plenty of other nations own much more land. Economically and militarily the kingdom can hold its own with its neighbors but has been content to stay put and trade with others.
As a Kingdom it is ruled by King Julius and Queen Janis with a thriving aristocracy underneath. The capital of the country is called Tillius Maine, named after the first king, and is located near the Umaris Sea on the south border. The rest of the country is divided between various lords, who tend to act as governors for various towns and cities, even larger territories.
The town of Brighton, where Baron Asmothe often visits for work is located near the northern border of the Kingdom and is known to have extensive dealings with the Kamilian Dominion. As a result of these close ties there are quite a few churches in the area and the Kamilian Dominion has quite a few missionaries working in the city.
Viscarian Confederation
Essentially comprised of a large number of city-states that have allied with themselves for protection. They have The United Cities Council, to decide how they cooperate with each other but no real central government. Each city-state is its own entity with its own unique flavor. Many different kinds of people and even races populate the confederation and is often a great mish-mash of cultures.
Kamilian Dominion
The Kamilian Dominion is unique in that it is very close to a theocracy. The 5th Heaven Church is the state religion, which believes that heaven has five tiers, with Lord Xerion residing as the creator of all. The Kamilian Dominion has very strong feelings about their religion and it is their wish to spread Lord Xerion's message to all the world.
While other religions are tolerated there is often great pressure within their borders to convert.
Rules
[1] This is a casual to low advanced role play so act accordingly.
[2] I expect paragraphs per post, preferably at least 2 but the occasional 1 is fine.
[3] Have correct spelling and grammar please, makes everything much easier to follow and understand.
[4] Be kind and considerate to your fellow role players in the OOC.
[5] I have the final say in all matters.
[6] No powerplaying, meta-gaming, god-modding, etc.
[7] Contribute to the story.
[8] Have Fun.
[9] Feel free to PM me whenever you need to.
[10] Keep her alive!
