[OOC] Kingless Symphony: Emissary of Ascension

[Marlowe]

_{B A S E D O N G A M E O F T H R O N E S}

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<sub>A bountiful land filled with a variety of people and cultures, Estiala is known for one aspect above all else – the 'Houses' that inhabit each regional stretch of land. Aligning themselves under the multitude of banners that decorate the northern, southern, and western separations of the continent, three of these 'Houses' stand out.

The northern crows of House Lear rest in the quiet, snowy lands where winter waits. To the west, House Rathmore grovels in dispute within the Windkeep, where the last of the crown's heirs grows ill. The markets of the south parley their wealth as House Ralei flaunts their success, constructing the towers of Isca and Augusta to overlook the Yurean Sea.

For over half a century since the fall of the East, the King of Estiala has led the continent through its most unfortunate circumstances. But, as loved and cherished as the Great House is, daggers are sharpened and spears are raised; the Lords of Estiala must learn that not all is what it seems.</sub>

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_{Please stick to this format as much as possible; use the color code that you will write the character's dialogue with.}

Skeleton

<insert very strongly recommended but ultimately optional appearance picture here>

[color=XXXXXX]Name:[/color] First, Last

[color=XXXXXX]Age:[/color] Spell out the number. Looks fancier. :D

[color=XXXXXX]Titles:[/color] Honorifics such as Lord of Winterfell, Hand of the King, King in the North, Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, or Ser. Use italics.

[color=XXXXXX]Origin:[/color] Location of birth, such as: Winterfell, or if in a more discrete location such as a lesser known village, the region will suffice.

[color=XXXXXX]Allegiance:[/color] Which House / faction your character is/was loyal to.

[color=XXXXXX]Family:[/color] Make a list within a hider, starting by seniority/older age; use italics on the name if deceased/missing.

[color=XXXXXX]Appearance:[/color] This is only if you do not use a picture as an appearance. Or, if you do use a picture, you could throw this description in for extra points. Hooray, you over-achiever.

[color=XXXXXX]Personality:[/color] What characteristics make up who your character is? This portion should only be medium-sized if naught brief; a large chunk of development is to occur during the roleplay, so as to make things interesting.

[color=XXXXXX]Background:[/color] The humble beginnings to the question, who is your character? What fascinating or impactful events have occurred in their life worth mentioning? The amount of content is up to you; generally, older characters will have more content compared to their younger counterparts.

Example (Eddard Stark)

Name: Eddard Stark

Age: Not mentioned; presumably between thirty-forty years of age.

Titles: Lord of Winterfell, Hand of the King, Lord Paramount of the North, Warden of the North, Lord Regent, and Protector of the Realm.

Origin: Winterfell

Allegiance: House Stark

Family: Too many to list for this example, since you can't do a hider within a hider.

Appearance: I look pretty nice.

Personality: Winter is coming.

Background: I'm a Stark.

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_{The tournament of the three regions begins soon. The North has arrived.}

[Marlowe]

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Act I: Emissary of Ascension

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The North

The South

The West

The East

[Marlowe]

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<sub>As proud descendants of the continent's founders, the Northmen are the most reclusive of the three regions; suffering the most from the continent's winters when it comes, they do not quarrel with one another as frequently, compared to the other regions' tendencies to fight wars over lover's feuds and disputes of land or resources.

The North does not meddle within the affairs of the crown often, and due to its utilitarian nature, the Houses of the North also do not possess the complex heraldry that the other regional Houses boast. As such, they are dubbed 'crows' by the West and South in lieu to their secluded nature, referencing their sigil in comparison to a messenger raven when they attend foreign events.

They are adamant on upholding the virtues of their founders, and so, the man who passes the sentence must swing the sword himself, compared to the West and South's use of executioners. Due to the grim nature of their region, the Northmen believe that each and every command must be taken very seriously, and if a lord is unable to face a condemned man in the face as they personally carry out their execution, he is unworthy of the weight of responsibility and consequences of his own orders.

Bastards born in the North take the surname 'Snow'.</sub>

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_{The climate of the North is harsh overall, though in variation. The lands bordering the other regions are a cool temperate, boasting evergreen forests to swampy marshes near the border. Towards the heart of the North where Penkarth stands, it is taiga-like and a cold temperate, while the northernmost point is subarctic.}

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<sub>The North is ruled from the castle of Penkarth, which is the seat of House Lear. The Lord of Penkarth is Ulfar Lear, whose children are Isla Lear, Sigurd Lear, and Joane Lear.

(This would be the paragraph where the minor Houses, as well as each lord and his family is listed, but this is pending.</sub>

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[Marlowe]

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<sub>Opposing the Northmen, the residents of the South and West are called the Andals, who were descendants to the founders of Estiala that migrated from the North and created their own culture. As such, the Andals have now become the dominant ethnic group among the regions outside of the North.

The South has the largest concentration of population than any other region in the land. The opportunity of wealth presented by the many trades and professions of the South guarantee many a middle-class in society, and compared to the other regions, the amount of luxuries and delicacies are far greater and easier to access.

The Great House upholds a tradition of celebration all across the South, where a festival is held at three points of a year, to commemorate their good fortune. For the general population, this is a means of having wine in great amounts, or enjoying the many brothels.

Of course, by having bountiful wealth and a large population, greed is a commonplace issue; poverty remains a problem in the grand city of the Great House, which is an issue yet to be tackled by the Southern lords.

Bastards born in the South take the surname 'Summers'.</sub>

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<sub>The South is known for its variety in its geography, which are the main contributors to the Great House and its subsidiaries' immense wealth. Near the northwestern coastlines of the South, low mountains give them access to bountiful amounts of silver and gold. For most of the region, like the West, they boast enriched lands ripe for crops, enjoying a mild and sultry weather with decent rainfall.

Towards the southermost parts of the region, deserts stretch long and far along the coast, where the weather is considerably hotter and more arid compared to the rest of the South.</sub>

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<sub>The South is ruled from the great city and castle of Caerleon, which is the seat of House Ralei. The Lord of Caerleon is Euric Ralei, whose children are Jaelyn Ralei, Arthur Ralei, and Cassiopeia Ralei.

(This would be the paragraph where the minor Houses, as well as each lord and his family is listed, but this is pending.</sub>

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[Marlowe]

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<sub>As the other region of Andals as its dominant ethnic group, the West is the seat of the King, and so entails the primary concentration of knighthood and the royal population. The Kingsguard are headed within this region, who act as the sworn protectors and emissaries of the King himself.

The West values hunting immensely, as it hosts an enormous population of wildlife. The West sees the most exports of animal-related goods such as fur, and would have been the wealthiest region on Estiala if not for the South's mountainous area.

With a population so inclined on getting their resources on their own, it is mandatory that a child of any western House must learn the principles of hunting, fishing, and farming. This instills the humble belief that every single individual of a family is important in the whole family's survival, and that they must earn what they think they deserve.

Bastards born in the West take the surname 'Woods'.</sub>

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_{The West is known for its rich soil and long stretches of wooded forests, as well as marshlands towards the coast. It is also the region known for its enormous population of wildlife, in which the Great House encourages hunting in order to control the wildlife population.}

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<sub>The West is ruled from the Windkeep, the seat of Rathmore; the King of Estiala is the Lord of the Windkeep, who is Soren Rathmore. He has a son named Archer Rathmore.

(This would be the paragraph where the minor Houses, as well as each lord and his family is listed, but this is pending.</sub>

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[Marlowe]

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_{The Eastern Region is all but reclaimed by nature; no man has stepped into its walled borders for over half a century since the Eastern Kingdom's fall.}

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[Solace]

Okay, I finally finished the formatting and general text of each region stuff. I did this all in one sitting for probably 6+ hours straight and so I left some things out / didn't word things incredibly, so I'm definitely going to return to this tomorrow/two days from now. I am super tired.

You guys can start reserving stuff or wait for more information at some point. While you guys wait for the sigils to be done, these are the following:

Sigil of House Lear: Crow
Sigil of House Ralei: Fox
Sigil of House Rathmore: Snake

I am reserving the heir to House Lear (oldest son to the Lord).

[smarty0114]

If you guys have room, I'd be interested in the Heir to House Ralei, or maybe the younger son of House Lear :)

[Marlowe]

@RomanAria
@ClocktowerEchos
@POOHEAD189
@Wernher
@HushedWhispers
@Hippocamp
@Nightwing95
@Ellion
@Kaalee
@Keksalot
@NarcissisticPotato
@Jozarin

I am reserving one of the daughters of House Ralei!

And smarty, I guess we can accept just one more. People are bound to drop anyway.

I will keep a list of claimed positions right here.

Heir to House Lear of Penkarth: taken by @Solace
Daughter of House Lear of Penkarth: taken by @Ellion
Heir to House Ralei of Caeleon: taken by @smarty0114
Daughter of House Ralei: taken by @Ambra
Spymaster of House Rathmore: taken by @Hippocamp

[smarty0114]

Here's my Ralei heir :) Let me know if anything should be fixed. I left the family section TBD because I figured I should discuss it with any other people playing members of the family.

Arthur Ralei

Name: Arthur Ralei

Age: Seventeen

Titles: Heir Apparent

Origin: Caerleon

Allegiance: House Ralei

Family:

House Ralei

Euric Ralei - Father
Viridiana Ralei - Mother
Jaelyn Ralei - Older Sister
Cassiopeia Ralei - Twin Sister
Viktor Summers - Half-brother

Appearance: Arthur has golden hair that hangs just over his eyes, short enough that it doesn't obscure his vision, but long enough so that some might call it shaggy. His eyes are a deep dark blue, and sparkle with youth. They're constantly darting from one thing to the next, trying to take in as much of the world as he can. He dresses as most of those in his position would, and his suit of armor is a splendid thing that was gifted to him on his seventeenth name day. It is a gilded set, with a helm that has been fashioned with a fox's visage, a homage to his house.

Personality: At his core, Arthur is still a young boy who's fascinated by the world around him. He's very noble, growing up on tales of gallant knights, and he considers loyalty to be one of the most important traits. His youth has kept him curious, and he loves to read the books that are in the Caerleon library. This curiosity and naivety keep him from seeing any bad in people however, and he is not one for schemes in this regard, and some often call him simple for this, although he is in fact rather intelligent.

Background:Seventeen years has not given Arthur a wealth of experiences. Born the eldest son to the Lord of Caerleon, he was always the apple of his father's eye. He has fond memories of being nothing more than a toddling child, in his fathers arms being paraded around to all the courtiers, his father raving about how he'd been trying to pick up a sword.

As he grew older, he was trained by the Master at Arms of Caerleon to fight, and taught to wield a sword, and shoot a bow. He excelled at these things, much to his father's delight, and he was often entered in contests at the festivals that were held each year. He took home his first win when he was thirteen, competing against other children his age, and it instilled in him a desire to always be the best, after seeing the pride in his father's eyes.

While his father was an ever prominent figure in his life, his mother, it could be argued, was even more important. She taught him to be kind to all of those around them, and to be thankful for what she had. She herself had witnessed the greed that could infect the wealthy southerners and made it her duty to steer her son away from such treachery. She made it a point to bring him out on charity runs to the peasants of the land, charity runs which he came to enjoy.

Now, at the age of seventeen, Arthur longs to see the rest of Estiala, and even be granted a knighthood by the king himself, although he knows that such dreams are to great to pursue, seeing as how his position as heir leaves him with duties that he can't just abandon. But still, he hopes for the chance to see greater things than the festivals of the South, and the spires of Caerleon.

[Hippocamp]

@Ambra
@Solace (LOL Idk how this site works)

Is it possible to make a character (or two characters) in direct service of the King (Rathmore?). Someone like the hand of the King, or maybe someone like a spymaster? Presumably both nobles.
If these roles are possible I would love to make those two toons. : o
Thanks for working so hard to develop this RP you guys!

[Marlowe]

@Hippocamp Currently we're only accepting one noble per person. If no one else wants to make a noble, then you can make both!

[Ellion]

I'd be down to make a daughter from the house Ralei. If that is cool (or you want me to make something else) Lemme know, otherwise, Imma start working on her soon.

[Hippocamp]

@Ambra

I see! I think of the two I would prefer to make the spymaster of house Rathmore, so that's all right? He could perhaps be the Kings' brother? I'm not particular about his place in the family yet, what do you think?

[Marlowe]

@Ellion I think we're already getting a bit too many people in Ralei, so maybe from another House?

@Hippocamp That sounds pretty cool, but I'll think on it more tomorrow. These painkillers make my head foggy. XD

[Ellion]

@Ellion I think we're already getting a bit too many people in Ralei, so maybe from another House?

@Hippocamp That sounds pretty cool, but I'll think on it more tomorrow. These painkillers make my head foggy. XD

@Ambra

I can do a daughter of Lear ?

[Marlowe]

@Ellion Sure!

[RomanAria]

I'm here. Another of my friends was lurking on the thread and considering joining, but never posted. If there's no room for him to join too, he can have my spot.

(@Darkwolf687, get in here as soon as you wake up. I mean it! >-<)

[Marlowe]

@RomanAria Okay, he can join, but after him I'm closing signups. ^^

[Silent Whispers]

I'd like to play a Lady to a Lord so if anyone is up for that @mention me, please. :)