@CollectorOfMyst ._. I'm still here, but my partner's been really busy this week. I do have a fun way of seeing if everyone is still interested, though. If my partner can't end up participating, I'll take on the role until I can find someone else.
And here we go! This is kinda a roll call as much as it is story discussion now that we're ready to begin.
So! For this roleplay, I've decided each character will have a NPC ally to rely on. The NPC may or may not make an appearance during the story—the point of this is to give you all a boon that will help you, depending on what sort of path you want your character to take. You can choose only one NPC between the two options presented to your character role.
For the Prince:
Growing up in the castle wasn't always peaceful. Great expectations have always rested on your shoulders, tugging at your allegiances and sense of duty. While your father proposes that peace is the only way to maintain prosperity throughout the world, your brother calls your father's policies weak, working to strengthen the military against a steady rise of banditry and piracy poisoning the kingdom.
Your doting father has always been there to support and provide for you. You, too, despise the idea of conflict and have always supported your father's ideals in turn. As a result, the king made no secret of favoring you over even his eldest son, granting you an heirloom blade that marks you as the inheritor of his kingdom.
Gift: The blade of Israfil, the first king of a united Eternia. Ability: The emerald affixed to the blade has a mysterious power over men, turning their own violent thoughts against them. Targets of the blade will turn against each other, and it effects targets up to a 20ft. radius. Can be used once a day (the gem must recharge).
Although you see the good in your father's intentions, you have also seen the corruption his softness invites. For this reason, you have sided with your brother and put your efforts toward strengthening your principality and snuffing out the dangers Eternia faces.
Gift: Loyalty. The first-born prince will give you troops, ships, and supplies in your efforts to fight your enemies. He has also provided you with a fully trained horned hawk, a bird trained to use homing gems. No matter where you or the first-born prince are, you will be able to communicate.
For the Knight:
Even your job as a bodyguard isn't entirely simple. The head knight who commands the guards of the prince's castle has sworn loyalty to the king, and as such, sometimes clashes with the wishes of the prince. You have dedicated yourself to securing your liege’s safety, but how you enact this may not agree with others...
He's a strict ol' veteran, but loyal as they come. You have always admired him for his deeds in battles that occurred before the ascension of the current king, taking lessons from him and adhering to his orders that the prince always be kept safe in the castle. When an assassin slipped in to take the prince's life, you thwarted her efforts—and in the process, not only saved the prince, but also Captain Reginold himself.
Gift: Your efforts have been rewarded with the cooperation of the castle knights—they all swear fealty to you and the prince regardless of the king's orders. As proof of this, you have been given a gem to affix to your blade—the rumored source of strength for legendary Eternian knights. Ability: The gem absorbs vitality from the wounds of a foe, healing minor injuries you've acquired during battle. It won't heal every cut instantly, but it does stop bleeding and dulls the pain of most injuries quite well.
Although Eternia is a peaceful kingdom, the countryside is less peaceful than most believe. Captain Greenever has patrolled the northern trade routes of Eterna for years under the command of the first-born prince, losing a good man or two every month to robbers and bandits. Your many escapades with the prince have included helping her in her efforts to stave off bandits. There was even that one time you took an arrow to save Captain Greenever's life—a debt she is happy to repay.
Gift: Loyalty. Lenna breaks protocol given by the king in order to alert you whenever there are attacks along the principality's trade routes. You also have command of her scouts to gain more information about dangers of Eternia's wilderness. As a sign of her loyalty, you have also been given the Captain's own magical javelin. Ability: After hitting a target, the javelin can mentally be commanded to return to its wielder's hand, which it does through teleportation. With a similar mental command, it can also shed light visible only to the wielder and his allies.
For the Alchemist:
When you came to Eternia as a promising young alchemist, there were many who doubted the ability of an Aethen. The name you took with you, however, carried more sway than you could have imagined. Allies sprang out of the woodwork, eager to hear of the person you left behind and what secrets you learned.
The granddaughter of Amber Roselia Whitewing who lost her mother to disease some years past. She had fond memories of the woman as a child and never found out what caused the dear woman to leave Eternia. When she heard that you approached the royal alchemists with the Whitewing name, she (along with her father) offered you support and resources to train in exchange for information about her grandmother. She has since become a good friend of yours, valuing your medicinal advice and treating you like family.
Gift: Elena has passed onto you an old trinket of her grandmother's. It's a bizarre magical contraption she never learned how to use, but with your understanding, it's a potent resource for alchemy. Ability: This magical jug always has sloshing sounds, even when empty, and is said to be made out of several kinds of potent gem dust. You can command it to produce one of the liquids listed below, and when uncorked it will pour out up to four cups of that liquid. It cannot produce any other types of liquid until the next dawn.
Wine: A fine old vintage of Eternian wine. Snowpoplar Extract: A bitter salve used in healing potions. Ashsnarl Compound: A black liquid most often used in explosives. Fallsprout Ink: A magical, organic ink whose catalytic properties make it perfect for painting runes.
Although he was merely a royal alchemical assistant at the time, Finin had read nearly all of Amber's journals and was eager to hear what you knew about her, as she left long before he'd joined the ranks of the alchemists. The two of you became study mates, exchanging information and such while he helped teach you how to pass practitioner tests to obtain a license. Although he's a bit salty at the rate you've learned alchemy, he also admires your work and is always happy to exchange notes and supplies.
Gift: Loyalty. You have the admiration and support of the alchemist community through Finin and his friends. Whenever you hit a snag in your research, they're there to help. You also have free access to the Royal Alchemist Lab, which allows you to make up to three alchemical items without need of resources a day (so long as you are at the castle).
For the Noble:
Your days in Eternia were indeed fruitful. Your respect for the culture and eagerness to make friendly alliances resulted in many Eternian nobles taking fondly to you. As with all political alliances, however, there is more going on than meets the eye—though friendly, you are aware that many nobles are hesitant to make ties with Genivans, much less Genivans with a rough history of acceptance. Even so, there are a few trustworthy souls you truly can call friends.
The wealth of Nolwene's family is almost legendary. Her family resides in Brasselt and claims ownership of one of the coveted mines from which magical gems are found. She is a potent ally whose allegiance resided with the king, and she has always been eager to make new trading allies among foreign nobility. A risk-taker and wise to the way of trade, Nolwene is as clever as she is kind. You have always been welcomed into her home and have access to a pure source of Eternian gems.
Gift: Riches. Once a week, you can accept a trade of resources from your land to acquire any manner of Eternian gem you desire. These gems have magical qualities and can be affixed to any kind of item in order to grant that item power.
Few have a more difficult job than Aethen diplomats. Aethendale is largely mistrusted and unabashedly hated by many noble houses across the world who have seen war provoked from the power-hungry country. Lord Bryon lives amongst nasty rumors and is constantly snubbed in the Eternian court, but still maintains a shred of respect due to the power he's attached to. His policies are currently unpopular in Eternian court, as he maintains the country needs to strengthen its military in order to be taken seriously. Your support of his stance has earned his respect, and he promises to return what aid he can whenever possible.
Gift: Power. While Lord Bryon's influence is small within the Eternian Court, he maintains a small navy in the service of Aethendale's king. He always has a retinue of soldiers and servants available for your protection while you are in Eternia, as well as sea commanders and vessels willing to aid you under any circumstances.
For the Beastmaster:
During your time in Aloya, you were isolated, but not so much so that you didn't interact with other tribes. Though all tribes in Aloya answer to the Chalya tribe, they are diverse in the way they live and in what they believe.
You sometimes traded crops with the Muloyan Tribe, a peaceful group of nomads known for their strange, almost prophetic foresight. One of their witches offered you a gift on the night of a full moon, declaring it was meant for you to help you fulfill your destiny. As you cared for the egg, it hatched into a wooderie, an intelligent companion who followed you to Eternia and stayed by your side ever since.
Size: Equivalent to a fully grown horse, though much more sinewy. Ability: Wooderies can be trained to give off a special, bird-like trill that calms even the fiercest of animals. They also have a strange sense of foresight that alerts them to nearby danger. Diet: Rodents, Fish, Insects, Plants and Berries.
One of the more war-like tribes, your farm was no exception when it came to taking what they needed for survival. When you fended off a group of their warriors single-handedly, their chieftain was impressed enough to offer a deal—your help during their hunting season every year in exchange for leaving your farm alone. As part of the exchange, you were given a hunting companion who you raised from infancy and has been with you ever since.
Size: Equivalent to a fully grown tiger. Ability: Besides the immobilizing poison of its stinger, its claws, and its teeth, the manticore can also breathe off fire it stores in its belly. Diet: Meat
First and foremost, apologies for taking so long to get things up. Things have been busy of late. Yon Prince is now up in characters for those that want to peruse him--I'm sure I'll run through and fix whatever grammatical errors and such are doubtless on the sheet at some point.
@Fairess And Judah will favor his brother the First Born Prince then, thanks. I'm sure he and his new bird buddy will get along famously.
@Howler Well, welcome, because it's better late than never! If you want a suggestion, the first thing that springs to mind for a name is Ibis... only problem being, that's Latin for owl.
@Fairess And then there's my NPC... Storywise, I prefer Elena, and the gift could certainly prove useful, though honestly, depending on the size, it may be a little impractical. As for Finin, Dyan isn't always the most sociable of people, so his connecting with him might be a little difficult, but the ability could be invaluable. Argh, why do you play with my heart like this, Fairess?!?!
EDIT: Also, P.S., I like how our NPCs are personalised.
