The once harmonious empire of Aerowyn is in complete disarray. Over the last decade, peace over the land has begun to unravel due to a previously allied king who has grown in strength with every year that passes. The imperial family of Aerowyn, The Blackwoods, have allowed King Fiske Ormund to live out of hope that their prior "friend" would come to his senses. Until recently, he had not done anything to directly attack the people whom live within the capital that Emperor Ulric Blackwood's directly rules.
Rapidly, famine and disease have spread from King Ormund's kingdom of Barovia. War has been declared upon neighboring kingdoms as he seeks to overthrow their royal families and create his own empire. Rumors have spread to The Blackwood's that King Ormund has been possessed by a powerful demon and monsters run rampant across his kingdom.
Those who have begun to fear for their lives have started praying to an ancient Goddess by the name of Aurelia. Several centuries ago, an elven priestess was said to have saved Aerowyn from a similar plague of evil. She was consequently named a Goddess among men after the fact. As the story goes, she possessed an incredibly powerful soul which was coveted by demons and men alike. Her power was immeasurable and those who could harness her soul would be able to use that for whatever their heart desired; good or evil. Relics lost to time were said to have been activated by her presence alone, creating high-powered magical weapons. The temptation to destroy her or manipulate her was ever so tantalizing. She was depicted to be an elf, though through legend she is said to be a shapeshifter of sorts. She knew her way around magic and was a skilled archer. However, this Goddess was never said to be a saint. Often times she would struggle with the dark side of her own power and some would even label her as a demon or a trickster god. Many refused to worship her, even forbid it. Nonetheless, Aurelia warded off demons from the empire and settled down there for quite some time.
In present day, King Ormund has directed the army of his kingdom to attack anyone leaving or entering the capital. The Blackwoods, at their wits end, have taken this as a declaration of war. Just when all was beginning to feel lost, a human woman has appeared. Dragged into the emperor's castle by a knight who has claimed her to be the reincarnation of Aurelia. Undeniably, she appears to be the spitting image of the goddess. Those who believe have found hope, while some believe this to be an omen of destruction. The girl dragged in, however, wants nothing to do with the empire and does not believe herself to be a reincarnation. Still, the girl brought a resurgence of morale to the emperor's people and as such, he has decided that his eldest son is to be married to this woman - whether they liked it or not. If she is the reincarnation of the goddess, all the better for the Blackwoods, though those who believe Aurelia to be a demon goddess are displeased and continue to fear for their lives under Blackwood rule. Now, if only they could find a way to awaken the reincarnations power...
In an effort to do exactly that, the Emperor has ordered those he has hand chosen and considers to be at the top of their specialty to train (and watch over) this girl. Each of them range in different abilities from sword work, magic, archery, and more. He has named the group as "The Divine" and tasked them with activating the girls power, no matter how difficult.
The empire is made up of 6 total Kingdoms, including Aerowyn itself.
The name of the empire and the kingdom of which the Emperor directly rules.
The kingdom of Z'Rosa has been ruled by the Elven family of Vanlithe's for centuries. Due to the marriage between the Ulric Blackwood and Saphia Vanlithe, Z'rosa has been Aerowyn's closest ally for nearly four decades.
The nature of the elven royals, however, is typically very private. They are incredibly strict on who is allowed to enter their tropical kingdom and have mainly remained neutral during times of war as they prefer to keep to themselves.
The Kassian Islands are under Z'Rosa rule, though they are left to their own devices due to how difficult it is to reach the islands. Sailors claim that massive sea serpents roam the nearby waters and they will often take down ships, which has resulted in many ship wrecks along the Kassian coast.
Few have dared to venture out to the Kassian Islands due to this and not much is known about the people who live in various hidden villages among the islands.
Lyros, unlike other kingdoms, has traded royal families many times as their king or queen is elected by the people who live within the kingdom. They are typically more liberal and welcoming than other kingdoms and provide a home for a vast range of different races.
Lyros makes most of their income from fishing expeditions, as they have a large port in their kingdom and trade these goods with others.
The people of Viggrum live in a rough environment within the Vail mountain range. Their income mainly comes from mining for precious gems and ore within the mountains and trading this with other kingdoms.
Viggrum has typically held either dwarven or orc rulers, as these races hold the majority in the kingdom and seem to be most suited for the type of lifestyle that Viggrum demands.
Barovia has always been known as the "black sheep" of all the kingdoms. Over centuries they have been known as a hideaway for criminals and the hub for a black market. Previously, a King had ruled Barovia peacefully for several decades before being assassinated by Fiske Ormund. Emperor Ulric Blackwood had known and been friends with Fiske when they were growing up in Aerowyn, so he did and said nothing during this time. Barovia had always had a brutal culture and he saw nothing out of the normal with an assassination in order to usurp the throne there. However, due to the assassination, many kingdoms refused to do business with King Fiske despite Barovia's wealth of farmland goods to trade with.
However, since King Fiske's betrayal a plague has been gradually expanding through the kingdom territory which has caused their farmlands to become barren and the surrounding forest to die off. Much of their population has left the area, being forced out in order to save their lives, though there is still many who thrive in the chaos and believe in their King.
Krona is the smallest of all kingdoms, living on an arid and remote island to the west. They are one of the few kingdoms who have worked with Barovia consistently, as they too have been rumored to hold a smaller black market of their own.
They are known for their traveling merchants who often sell rare and mystic items, as well as training up excellent mercenaries. Their royal family has always been a family of tieflings, who seem to suit the dry and hot environment.
The Blackwood family has held rule over Aerowyn for as long as anyone can remember. Throughout history they have been brutal conquerors who have fought for everything they now own. Within the last few generations Aerowyn's rulers have become less like dictators and more gracious instead. The current Emperor, Ulric Blackwood, has been controversial in comparison to his father before him who had been the most adored of any Emperor. The Blackwood's have always been a human-only type of family, looking down upon bringing other races into their bloodline. However, Ulric Blackwood married an elven woman, much to the chagrin of the rest of his family. Those who did not welcome the addition of an elf to the Imperial Family believe that the Empress will outlive the Emperor and will then overthrow the family for a new era of elven tyranny.
Age: 56
Formerly Saphia Vanlithe. Age: 200 (40 in human years)
The first non-human to enter the Blackwood family which has been very controversial among the kingdom. She has provided Ulric Blackwood with half-elf, half-human sons and daughters to carry on the empire.
Along with this controversy, she is widely known for her skill in magic. It is said that she is somewhat of an oracle, often having visions of events to come.
To this day much is unknown about Aurelia and her personal life. The legend that has been passed down through generations is that she masterfully commanded an army against demons as well as heroically fighting on the battlefield herself. Many said that death followed her wherever she went, and somehow she seemed to guess every move of the demon army, thus creating the belief that she was a demon herself.
Aurelia was said to have lived for over a century due to her elven origins. However, her story quickly ends a few years after she took a human lover. A priest of a renown church had fallen in love with her, and she him. The man by the name of Roddric Holt had resigned from his place in the church to be with her, though only two years later he was succumb by the temptation of her power. Roddric began planning and three years into their relationship he would take her on a walk into the surrounding woods - alone. She had trusted him, blinded by her love for him, but Roddric shattered that by thrusting a poisoned dagger into her abdominal aorta.
Roddric attempted to use a spirit ring to capture her soul, but Aurelia was quick to cast a spell to seemingly teleport herself somewhere else. It is unknown where she disappeared to, but she was never seen again and is presumed to have died from Roddric's treachery. Roddric went on to live after that, claiming to have escaped the demonesses wicked spell and slain her. However, the rest of Roddric's life was extremely unpleasant. Many believe that it was Aurelia who had cursed him and his bloodline with her dying breath.
You may style this however you wish, but make sure to include the information below.
[img]Character image here. No real pictures, please.[/img] Full Name:
Age:
Appearance: Include things like height, build, eye color, hair color, etc.
Personality:
Race:
Origin: Where they were born and/or where they grew up
Residence: The area they now live in
Position: Where do they fit in society? (Part of the Imperial family, a royal of another kingdom, a noble, a peasant) If you would like to be one of "The Divine" please include that here as well. Note: The Emperor is not likely to choose someone of low birth to be part of The Divine, unless you can convince me with a very good argument.
Occupation: Prince/Princess, Knight, servant, merchant, etc etc.
Bio:
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@Amore I spent probably far much more time than I should have on it, so I'm glad you like it! Haha I'm super excited to see what everyone comes up with. I'll be getting the reincarnations character post up soon. :)
I would be interested in this! I'm thinking of a priest type character, a worshipper of Auriela, who's mostly there to test (via soul magic, intuition, and maybe some kind of religious doctrine/scripture) if the human woman is indeed her reincarnation.
I was feeling inspired so I decided to get the first post up! :) We are still waiting on a few more character sheets, so no one needs to feel pressured about posting yet if they aren't ready haha Just wanted to make sure I write while I feel the inspiration to :P
Also, for everyone, I plan on getting some bio info up for the emperor and empress soon. Let me know if anyone needs dialogue info for either of them for a post, I'll be happy to help :)
