@Scout@lovejoy Ziotea is only half, but I was going with the redhead association for fire, to emphasize a heritage she feels no attachment to, and to give her a very small (get it?) reason that others might be wary of one so small without knowing her. Plus insecurities ho! Mostly because i liked the idea, though. ^.^ *sheepiish*
She's not Irish pale, and she tans nicely, but there's not that much reason to be baring a lot of skin in a frozen land, y'know? Were this Florida or even Illinois I'd describe her as tanned, possibly heavily tanned.
I definitely like the Jewish/Israeli concept. I may be strongly biased on this matter. I don't care. ^.^; The Omestrians would probably accept anyone with "tainted" ether, and possibly those who just didnt want to live where thwy were, and over the generations that would turn them into a melting pot, most definitely. It's funny because there's a Jewish symbol (although not exclusively so) called a hamsa hand, and it represents to some extent protection from evil -- but it's also a hand, like the fragment that formed the omestrians! Might be worth incorporating into the ruins, perhaps?
And perhaps if T'sarae, the other unaggressive nation, is middle eastern culture...I could seeing them having a number of shared underlying traditions. Maybe?
Sorry for the double-post, but I wanted this to be separate. I don't know WHY my hider is broken and won't work, so I'm messing with formatting to make it work. Bear with me. ANY questions/comments/additions/concerns you want to talk about, PM me. :) Looking forward to hearing from you guys.
EDIT: AHA!! IT WAS BECAUSE I HAD A BROKEN FORMAT CODE FOR ITALICS. Suck it, coding. I fixed it.
EDIT:EDIT: @shylarah That's really well thought-out, I like it, honestly. Don't know if I'd change Viveca's picture (despite the white-washing), but I definitely like it. -----
As she has not met most of her fellow Inquisitors, many of them will be very brief and based simply on a first impression or from what Father Ragnar has described to Warband Leviathan. Though specifically, I’ll be talking to her fellow Leviathan Inquisitors about possible specific interactions. This list is literally just in order of the Character tab, for simplicity’s sake.
Father Rodion: Rodion… He’s that machinist in Phoenix, right? I honestly don’t know what to say about the guy, he’s not too different from the typical Inquisitors, to be honest. At least, in the way he acts; introverted, intelligent, abnormal from the commonfolk. From what I’ve heard, he’s a bit of a genius, but we all have our areas where we excel, don’t we?
Father Hasaan: I don’t trust him. Not that I’ve gotten to know him yet, but from what I understand of his etheric talents and how he views himself with them, he doesn’t strike me as priest material. He’d be better suited as part of the common military. However, skill and a perceived faith will get you far in the Seminary… I would know.
Mother Astraea: Father Antonin’s star pupil from Warband Phoenix? If there are any students in Varya’s religious war machine that I admire, she makes the top of the list. Such power and grace aren’t necessarily uncommon, but usually one has to lose a part of the triangle to achieve her level. Still, she maintains a humanity that even I fear I’m losing and does so without even realizing it. I’m honored to have her in the mission to El.
Father Yerokhin “Stina:” Callous and unwavering, I can say without a doubt that Stina, from what I’ve seen and heard, is a first class prick. And still, he reminds me of a man who nourished the part of me destined for priesthood, and so long as he follows the path he’s on, I know he’ll be more than a great warrior one day. Unless I see him losing sight of that path, I’ll follow him into the very pits of Hell and drag him back kicking and screaming for more.
Father Ragnar: Now that’s what I call an interesting guy. He’s so uncharacteristically bubbly and eager to please. Before meeting most of Warband Phoenix, he shared as much as he could about our sister class. I still can’t tell if that’s a helpful or hurtful thing and hope it hasn’t given me too many pre-conceived notions about them. However, I know for sure his intentions were good. Still, with that smile on his face and can-do attitude, I can’t help but feel unnerved when I see his eyes. It reminds me of an older pain, the kind which is unshakeable and almost genetic, like an Omestrian’s. I don’t think he’s dishonest, just unnaturally happy. Perhaps the simple fact that it’s so uncommon to be boisterous and excited in our position is what makes me feel it.
Father Galahad: On first impressions, he hardly seems to break free from the Inquisitor norm. He’s noble and intelligent, collected and reasonable. This is, of course, far from a bad thing. He tells it like it is; a lot of us live in a kind of… fantasy in our heads that makes us feel a bit more comfortable in whatever world we live in. It’s a survival mechanism. Galahad doesn’t, I can already tell he lives here, now, in this place and time. He’s loyal, and that’s the kind of Inquisitor we need. Plus, he has such a refinement and style about him, like a natural born leader. I can respect that, I don’t have the charisma or sophistication for it.
Mother Tatiana: She has a kind soul, that’s certain. But from what I understand, she’s a bit… hesitant as a priestess. Her privileged birthplace allows her to have her curiosity, whereas I can’t show that slightest bit of wonder or questioning. I don’t hate her for it, and honestly I envy her and wish desperately to tell her that I understand what she’s going through. But from me, that’s heresy, so I’ll keep my lips tight and my will forged in Lanostran steel.
Mother Ziotea: To be honest, I have mixed feelings on the woman. She shares the blood of my people, and unfortunately for her she’s only half of each. The life of a pure Omestrian is torturous, but at least we have a people and a cause, a culture. Being half-bred means that common society will always see you as an Omestrian, no matter what; conversely, Omestrians will only pity you for that, maybe take you in, but you’ll never quite feel as though you’re one of us. I don’t dislike her, but she has poor control over the fact that she isn’t the dutiful, faithful servant an Omestrian Inquisitor under The Ravenous Lord should be… so I pity her, and respect her, for she has the strength to feel what I dare not, and I pray that she isn’t devoured like a full-blooded Omestrian for her defiance. In battle, however, she is nearly an asset and, considering my own feelings on the non-secular military, I have no problems marching in with her, even if Mother Indira isn’t her biggest fan.
Father Ilya: Visions of grandeur and a lack of self-awareness I’ve never seen anywhere else are the only things that I see inside of Ilya that make him stand out. He’s cocky and abrasive and our years together in Leviathan don’t do anything to make me feel better about him. Mother Indira hated him until we were almost graduated and I don’t care if he handled her trials with Oren and I so well; we had to endure it all and more, he got to live in the comfort for years before facing her! He’s obsessed with control and scheduling, has no remorse or compassion… he wants to be a hero and yet finds little time or reason to get to know any of us. I don’t respect him any more than I have to, and the thing I hate about him most is one I can’t hide: he idolizes The Ravenous Lord. I would never say it, not even to Mother Indira, but his blind faith and allegiance make me sick. We might be missionaries, but the fact that I’ve had to spend all my time at the Seminary with supplementary lessons on how to ‘hide’ who I am, where I came from, and what I care about makes me bitter to the core that people like Ilya exist. He probably doesn’t even know I feel this way – I haven’t ever let it show as part of my “Omestrian Suppression.” He probably doesn’t even realize it was his family that owned the ether mine that had me imprisoned as a child.
Mother Indira: By and far one of the two greatest influences on my life so far, and possibly ever. Mother Indira took in those of us like her, or those of us she wanted to teach our pain, and taught us the things that one would think shouldn’t have to be taught in the Red Seminary. Perception is reality, so the view of our faithfulness and obedience had to be a strong one; citizens don’t realize that even the greatest priests of Varya struggle, mostly because we’re here to be warriors and missionaries who fight for the people from the most powerful place we can. Indira taught me not to hate The Ravenous Lord, she taught me to understand him, even if I don’t believe in his words and desires. Though I had hoped to learn more of our people from her, I see now why that was naïve, she was showing me to conceal that curiosity, not satiate it. I won’t let her down. Deep within me, there is a flame. I must never allow it to go out.
In the "Creation Myth", humanity was revived after eons of them being extinct, with each Remnant of the Ice Titan reviving a portion of humanity to serve as their flock. I'm thinking the Remnants basically revived the people from the territories where they fell, which could've contained a bunch of different ethnicities from the previous world. For example, (and before you start forming theories, no, this RP doesn't take place on planet earth) let's say Omestris fell on what was once Asia and they revived everyone who had last lived on that continent. There'd be a whole spectrum of different people from different ethnic groups sharing in the divine power Omestris blessed them with, these people then, as a collective, would've been the first Omestrians.
That's the way I picture it happening. Any thoughts?
The quiet but supremely gifted Protector of Warband Seraph, Dara's ethereal might was frightening. It was whispered throughout the halls of the Seminary that he possessed the deepest and most potent pool of ether among all of the current trainees, and had enough skill in manipulating it that it was said that he could hold an aegis indefinitely. Unfortunately, Dara struggled in all other aspects. He suffered from severe mental and emotional deficiencies, and had extreme difficulties in physical combat, war strategy, and academics. If not for his terrifying skill in ether, and if Mother Indira had not taken him under her wing, he would have left the church long ago.
As the only other graduate of Mother Indira's Circle of Summoners, Dara had pursued the mastering of this art obsessively, both because he believed it to be his sole purpose for living and because he claimed to feel a strange kinship with the demons of the Black Glacier.
When Dara disappeared, it not only broke Indira's heart, but also enraged her to no end. This boy, who she had mentored and shepherded for most of his life, had in all intents and purposes betrayed her. Dara's current whereabouts are unknown. Several inquisitors have been dispatched to hunt him down, as he poses a great danger to the empire. None have been able to find him thus far.
***
Vicar Magnus Age:24
Magnus was once a pupil of the Red Seminary, where he was both hated and feared among the trainee populace due to his cruel and calculated disposition. Once the "shining star" of Warband Seraph, Magnus was talented in both ether ability and martial skill, but the young man's keen and sharp intellect was what really separated him from the pack. Continually placing among the top-ranked trainees in war strategy milestones, Magnus was as capable a trainee as they came, so much so that he often complained of being bored within the Red Seminary. To relieve his so-called boredom, he delighted in torturing younger pupils both physically and emotionally, claiming that he was in fact helping them with their training. As the favored pupil of Bishop Aleksandre, who once served as the head of Varya's inquisitorial force during the Lanostran War, Magnus' extracurricular activities were often swept under the rug.
After an incident involving Mother Ziotea which saw him suffer grave injuries which he would never completely recover from, the former star of Seraph was forced to vacate his spot in the Seminary and was instead transferred to the Holy Academy within the Great Basilika, where he excelled, all while seething with hatred at the young woman who ended his dream of serving as an inquisitor.
Magnus, despite his age, has recently ascended to the office of divine vicar, which now affords him some authority over the invasion. He recently departed for the land of El aboard the ark Durandal, and now strives to bring the wild continent to heel.
@Lovejoy ooh, if they'd been gone for a while, iunno. *shrugs* but yeah, what all we have sounds good.
Ooh, I like both new chars! And is that Alan Walker art I see? Very nice, very nice! For Magnus, the shattered humerus would probably mean he limps, or has some other difficulty walking. And the depressed skull fracture could cause all sorts of interesting brain injuries and the like. I noticed Stina doesn't speak as clearly as he should, for example (which is brilliant, @the angry goat) so that's one way of doing it, but such injuries can also cause personality shift and so on.
I don't imagine he was ever scared of anyone, being so skilled and so clever. Underneath that hatred is probably at least a hintm of insecurity, and perhaps even fear -- not that he'd ever acknowledge it. It took him a long time to remaster walking g and talking and other physical activities. Even now the might not be as automatic as they should be -- maybe sometimes he has trouble remembering how to do a thing, just for a moment, before he remembers how. This would be especially interesting if he had memory issues initially, because he was so clever, and he knows he knows the information, but his brain just wouldn't cooperate! I doubt the lapses are significant now, just enough to remind him of what he lost and who's responsible.
Dear gods, though, if Ziotea crippled the guy then everyone else probably had to take a second look at her. Sure she was unpredictable and possibly dangerous, but that's /really/ dangerous, to beat such an exceptional individual. ...or maybe she's a hero, because she didn't let him win and have him a taste of his own medicine? Hmmm. Views are probably mixed on that. And the stories of how it went down doubtless grew with the telling....
@The Angry Goat Oh gods. Ziotea. At a bar. Surrounded by people who have been drinking. Potentially getting hit on? Ahahaaa. She might not even need ether to put your everyday drunk in the dust. The idea of Stina dragging her to a bar just so she can get in a barfight is too funny. <3 Dear gods I need this to happen now.
Sorry everyone. School got big and there's a midterm for a class I'm borderline failing. I'm going to plow through everything right now and stay on top of it as best I'm able.
@Draken *waves pompoms for you* You can do it! Definitely focus on school if you need to.
I will when I need to, but I will also let you guys know, moving forward.
I haven't read the IC yet, but I'd like to clarify a bit about Father Ilya to everyone. He's really not an asshole, just dismissive half the time. If you've got an idea, he'll listen. If you've got a deal, he'll consider it. If you want to discuss something with him, he'll at least give you his position on the matter. Y'all seem to think he hates everyone and shuns people, but that's not true. He just doesn't want to deal with small talk or doing favors for people who could never repay him. (As Inquisitors, every single one of you could possibly repay him some day.)
Also, his racism isn't nearly as overt as people seem to think. It's lightened up a lot over time, but from the beginning it was being judgemental, not hateful.
Other than that, I've had 0 objections to people's character relationships.
<Snipped quote by shylarah> I will when I need to, but I will also let you guys know, moving forward.
I haven't read the IC yet, but I'd like to clarify a bit about Father Ilya to everyone. He's really not an asshole, just dismissive half the time. If you've got an idea, he'll listen. If you've got a deal, he'll consider it. If you want to discuss something with him, he'll at least give you his position on the matter. Y'all seem to think he hates everyone and shuns people, but that's not true. He just doesn't want to deal with small talk or doing favors for people who could never repay him. (As Inquisitors, every single one of you could possibly repay him some day.)
Also, his racism isn't nearly as overt as people seem to think. It's lightened up a lot over time, but from the beginning it was being judgemental, not hateful.
Other than that, I've had 0 objections to people's character relationships.
so in other words he's gonna be one of Stina's favorite people :P
@Draken I don't think I saw a mention of him being a racist, or at least not actively and deliberately so. More a "oh yeah there's slaves" sort of a racist. Which is still awful, but that's their world for now.
Given your clarification, I'd say Ziotea's perception fits well enough, yes? Unless he was particularly rude to her for whatever reason. Not impossible -- she's rather abrasive herself, after all. Otherwise anything further for their dynamic is up to you. ^.^
@Draken I don't think I saw a mention of him being a racist, or at least not actively and deliberately so. More a "oh yeah there's slaves" sort of a racist. Which is still awful, but that's their world for now.
Given your clarification, I'd say Ziotea's perception fits well enough, yes? Unless he was particularly rude to her for whatever reason. Not impossible -- she's rather abrasive herself, after all. Otherwise anything further for their dynamic is up to you. ^.^
Actually, now that I think about it... I imagine Ilya would kind of like Mother Ziotea. Her complete willingness to tear into every plan or argument would make her a great wall to bounce ideas off of, she's definitely not one to be put off by his attitude, and while Ilya doesn't think the world is absolutely terrible with no hope of redemption, they can certainly respect each other's pragmatism. ((Also it's good to be on decent terms with Rodion's definitely-not-girlfriend.))
EDIT: Alright, I can't do an IC post right now because I need to think it through a bit more and do a big thing with Father Ilya meeting his parents once more at long last. And I simply can't do that in the 10 minutes before dinner. I also have an event after dinner that'll go until midnight, so... yeah.
Also, I haven't read anybody's visions, because both time and I figure those are extremely private and why risk that knowledge possibly slipping into Ilya's perspective?
@DrakenHappy to see you back! Sorry if I seemed a bit cranky before with my last message. I honestly have no idea how old you guys are, so whenever you lot tell me that "I was busy with school!" my reaction is always like "Oh right. People go to school. Of course."
But yeah, just a quick heads up if you're going to be away for a bit would be great. :)
Also, that's an interesting choice, not reading other people's visions! I actually kind of like it! Everyone of course is free to read them or not. In any case, I'm really looking forward to seeing what you guys do with those.
@Draken gyahaha! *cracks up* If he's not careful she'll argue with him just to argue. But I don't think she likes him. And she doesn't like him bothering Rodion...or her. I get the feeling she'd not take well to him hanging around the workshop, and might end up peeved enough to try puncturing his ego or overwhelming his strategies, if he annoys her enough.
Gods help him if he ever makes a pass at her. Especially with Rodion around.
Just how "together" do people see them, anyhow? *wondering* And for how long have they been seen that way?
@Draken gyahaha! *cracks up* If he's not careful she'll argue with him just to argue. But I don't think she likes him. And she doesn't like him bothering Rodion...or her. I get the feeling she'd not take well to him hanging around the workshop, and might end up peeved enough to try puncturing his ego or overwhelming his strategies, if he annoys her enough.
Gods help him if he ever makes a pass at her. Especially with Rodion around.
Just how "together" do people see them, anyhow? *wondering* And for how long have they been seen that way?
Oh no. As far as he's concerned, Ziotea and Rodion might as well be de-facto engaged. Besides, Father Ilya knows she's not fond of him, but still likes to use her as a willing challenge to surmount. I imagine that four times out of five he "wins" their debates, in significant part because he tries to do research and quietly steer discussions in more familiar waters. Whereas Ziotea simply says what's most relevant at any given point.
EDIT: Also, in regards to that IC post that just went up. Can I just say that the Azure Rose is an awesome title? That's the kind of thing that, when you're given it, you've got to try and keep it. Here's hoping Mother Indira pushes for it to stick.
