The Nameless City [Long-term, sandbox, flexible]

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Dₒ yₒᵤ ₕₑₐᵣ ₘₑ wₕₑₑₚᵢₙg fₒᵣ yₒᵤ? Fₒᵣ ₑᵥₑᵣyₒₙₑ?

ₗₑₜ ₜₕₑ dₐᵣₖₙₑₛₛ bₑcₒₘₑ wₐᵣₘₜₕ...
Wₐᵣₘₜₕ ₜₕₐₜ wᵢₗₗ cₒₘfₒᵣₜ yₒᵤ.
Cₒₘfₒᵣₜ yₒᵤ ᵢₙₜₒ ₑₜₑᵣₙₐₗ ₛₗₑₑₚ

Dₒ yₒᵤ ₜₕᵢₙₖ yₒᵤ cₐₙ ₑₛcₐₚₑ fᵣₒₘ ₘₑ?
Yₒᵤ ₐᵣₑ ₗₒₛₜ wᵢₜₕᵢₙ ₘₑ.
ₗₒₛₜ wᵢₜₕₒᵤₜ ₘₑ.
Dₒ yₒᵤ ₕₑₐᵣ ₘy ₛₒᵣᵣₒw?
Dₒ yₒᵤ cₕₒₒₛₑ ₜₒ ₙₒₜ ₗᵢₛₜₑₙ ₜₒ ₘₑ?
ᵢ bₑg yₒᵤ ₜₒ ₗᵢₛₜₑₙ.
Fᵢₙd cₒₘfₒᵣₜ ᵢₙ ₘₑ.
ₙₒₜₕᵢₙg wᵢₗₗ ₑᵥₑᵣ ₕᵤᵣₜ ₐgₐᵢₙ. 
ᵢ ₚᵣₒₘᵢₛₑ.

From the darkest depths of the curse-ridden storm that surrounds the city to the gracious lights of the heavens upon the central tower, where do you find yourself? The once beautiful city is flooded with chaos from the populous and tension from the royals and the council of the Great King. Each Regia, the physical vessel of the god of light, has been passing earlier and earlier. The last Regia known passed away at a mere glance of fifty. 

The city is centuries old, and the storm is older than that. Once the city was proud with seven rings and valleys and foundations past the seventh wall. Now the city finds the encroaching darkness from the storm past the wall that separated the fifth and fourth rings. Roughly ten years ago a storm surge that was seen like no other consumed the fifth and shadowed beats, storm beasts, rampaged through the Wardana and Regia Guard’s defenses. A handful of Wardana were lost. The population of the fifth was immense though the fourth’s population only increased by double if that. 

Everyone in the kingdom, especially the outer two rings, the fourth and the third pray to the Great King. The god of light. The savior of the city is to protect them from the storm surges and to keep them safe from the storm's touch. After the last major storm surge took over the fifth ring, prayers were not enough for people, and a revolution blossomed like a beautiful lotus flower. A flower of fiery power. A power that the royals and the council fear. A threat that the first and second rings want to squash out like the butt of a finished cigarette. It leaves a sour taste in their mouths. 

Where does your story begin?

𝔗𝔥𝔢 𝔖𝔢𝔳𝔢𝔫 ℜ𝔦𝔫𝔤𝔰

Each ring of the city is an ancient stone wall that was built before anyone in any part of the city was born. They are hundreds of feet high and about a few hundred feet thick. Starting from the central ring and going to the outer rings, you have to pass through large iron-enforced gates that spiral down cracked stone stairs. Riddled with guards that will pull you aside and question you at any moment if you are unlucky. 

All seven rings stood strongly and miles upon miles away from the storm but each year the storm encroaches. No one ever thought that it was an issue. That they needed a solution till the seventh ring itself was consumed by the storm beasts and darkness. 

There were seven rings, and each ring had a purpose. The seventh was the ring that allowed protected farmlands and waterways to develop around the city. The ring supplied the most food and safe drinking water while holding the most livestock and animals of the nameless city. 

The sixth ring was a production ring, everything from the seventh ring was sent to this ring to go through protection by specialized ikonomancers. The industrial ring they called it. It had the second-largest population out of all the rings.

As the storm consumed the seventh and the sixth, everyone that survived each consumption was forced into the rings that were closer to the center ring. The central ring or the first ring, is the home of the Regia, the beautiful leader of the city. The leader sacrifices their body for the Great King to have a physical vessel. The leader that most look up to. They pray to.

𝔄𝔟𝔬𝔲𝔱 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔉𝔬𝔲𝔯𝔱𝔥 ℜ𝔦𝔫𝔤
The fourth ring is the most current outer ring and holds survivors from the fifth ring. Everyone from the seventh and sixth ring surges has passed over the decades, yet the storm seems to consume even quicker in current times. As the surviving population was forced into the fourth ring, the living, and morale decreased. A semi-beautiful smaller ring that was used for finer productions, rationing, and finer statues of the Great King for prayer, and leisure. This ring is now threatened without its outer wall of stone and has an outer wall of darkness. A storm that is miles high. That blocks the sun from shining in. 

The storm is encroaching into the fourth ring and will continue to spread fear throughout the population and taunt the inhabitants of the fourth ring with the sugary metallic taste that the storm supplies. The quaking earth is caused by storm surges. The beasts run rampant and destroy buildings. Those buildings are being consumed with thick yellow moss. That yellow moss grows thicker the closer you are to the storm and the darkness that threatens your life and the lives around you. 

The yellow moss is a multi-purpose material that is used by the fourth ringers and on occasion by the third ringers. As the moss has been discovered to be harmless and overgrows, people have used it for many reasons. A few being clothes, beds, bed coverings, pillows, bandages, washcloths for dishes, and so much more. 

Clothes being made out of the moss tend to be very heavy and unkempt looking and it might not help that the access to water is very troublesome in the outer ring. Clothes being washed is rare and being bathed yourself is something that only happens every few months unless you go out of your way to work or find a hidden bathtub that no one is making you pay for or broken or has a usable ikon. 

Being in the fourth ring is a more difficult life than the others, individuals are always the last for everything that comes from the first and second rings. Access to necessities is lacking in the fourth ring and beginning to lack in the third ring as well. 
Rations are given weekly, and fourth ringers are given items that are edible, yet they are not pleasant items, per se. The typical environment in the fourth ring is not comfortable. The beds are stiff and hard. Usually, cots are made out of moss that is not very flexible to one's weight or a board with a moss-filled pouch to lay on. 

The fourth ring is home to the most storm-touched individuals as well. 

The atmosphere in the fourth ring is thick with moisture because of the storm. Everything is constantly damp and there are always puddles in the street because of the darkness and the clouds it brings. The reason is that thicker clothes are more reasonable and that moss is used to make such clothes. It helps keep the dampness out of your lungs and away from your body. It gets cold, especially at night. One does not want to be caught outside at night for their own safety as well. 

𝔓𝔩𝔞𝔠𝔢𝔰 𝔦𝔫 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔉𝔬𝔲𝔯𝔱𝔥 ℜ𝔦𝔫𝔤
° 𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝔾𝕣𝕒𝕪 𝕄𝕒𝕣𝕜𝕖𝕥 is a place that hides from the Wardana and the Regia Guard. A place that most do not know about and if one does, they know the specific three-finger hand sign that gets you in. The gray market never is in the same place though the same few people help guide you to the entrance each time. If you want to get into the Gray Market, you better know someone who knows the hand sign or know the hand sign yourself. Plus, the signs you need to spot to find the people to guide you. 

If you are trying to find something or someone, the Gray Market has someone with the information. Sometimes when one is digging for something that is touchy, they might not answer for any payment, especially when it comes to the whereabouts of where the Wardana or Regia Guard take people. 

One can find anything from simple knickknacks to actual ikons to learn ikonomancy depending on if you know the right people for the right price type of deal. Most are swindlers. Ikons usually don’t work very well. Most items are not as valuable as what they are sold for. 

There are people who know Ikonomancy and specialize in such practices as face changers. They are rare though they love to do their work. They can change the way you look which is a painful procedure. Do you want to look like a third ringer? A second ringer? Maybe trick someone into loving you. Your face can change with the right price though you have to have the willpower to not allow your face to change into the original one. 

Do you want to learn ikons and get better at ikonomancy without signing yourself away from the Wardana? That’s possible. Unauthorized usage of ikonomancy gets the Wardana’s attention and the Regia Guard’s attention so be careful! 

° 𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝕤𝕥𝕣𝕖𝕖𝕥𝕤 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕙𝕠𝕞𝕖𝕤 belong to everyone. No home is truly owned by anyone in the fourth ring. Everything is overflowing with capacity and multi-family and people's homes are pretty much what you get. The streets are sometimes full of people sleeping on the edges or in the alleys. It’s too cold to do that without layers upon layers of clothing. People get sick when not sleeping inside the safety of a building. 

Buildings that are frowned upon are ones with storm-touched individuals. Regular people try to stay away from the curse in fear that being around them or touched by them will cause misfortune. It's fifty-fifty if someone will accept you into their home as a storm touch or want to seek safety in your home if you are a storm touch. Some people rather be eaten by the storm beasts during a surge than find safety beside the cursed. 

Ikon-lanterns are the only accessible light that the fourth ringers get. These are used during the night and days, especially after storm surges.

𝔄𝔟𝔬𝔲𝔱 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔗𝔥𝔦𝔯𝔡 ℜ𝔦𝔫𝔤
Fourth ringers can only access the third ring during certain days of the year or once a week during rations. Rations are when everyone that is eligible goes to a third ring access point (everyone that is included in the fourth and third ring) and they have rations given to them. It’s a hierarchy system meaning that the first ringers get the best items to the fourth ringers getting the scraps. Everyone in between gets everything else. 

There are levels to the third ring and the three shifts in the third ring are indicators for the fourth ringers. They are not allowed up to the second shift. The Wardana will stop them and possibly remove them from the third to the fourth ring. It is possible that causes the individual to miss rations for the week. 

Along with being the home of the ration location for two rings, the third ring is home to the Wardana Academy. The Wardana Academy is on the highest level closest to the second wall of the city. Anyone can attempt to go to the academy to learn ikonomancy and more about ikons in general along with being trained to be a future Wardana or possibly a future Regia Guard. This causes the third ring to be the most protected ring along with the ring with the highest authority figures per populous. 

Individuals that go to the academy are usually found in white and black clothing that is softer than most third and fourth-ringer wear. Nicer in creation as well. The Wardana themselves can be found in multiple different types of armor that are created to fit the form. Heavy when first put on but once the ikon is activated, it becomes skin-tight in a comfortable way, and as light as a feather. Almost similar to someone giving you a hug. There are plenty of different versions of the Wardana armor, yet they are all in the Wardana red color. From the tip of the gloves and ikon-enforced gauntlet that brings out the chosen weapon (such as a spear, bow, etc…) to help the Wardana fight against the storm beats to the boots. There is padding all around the hips and thighs of the pants along with padding that is all around the torso and shoulders. Some Wardana can be seen wearing helmets as well.

Unlike the fourth ringers, third ringers have scarce vegetation and no moss. The vegetation that the third ringers have supplied some fruit in the spring months and the autumn months called Eyota and Surocouri. Eyota is a fruit that is produced in the springtime and is almost flavorless with a tinge of sweetness. Usually, a soft-skinned heart-shaped fruit that comes in coral colors — leaning from orange to pink in color. Surocouri tends to be very vibrant reddish pink in color and is produced in the autumn months, Surocouri tends to be robust in flavor and quite sour. The plants that these fruits are produced on are vines that crawl up the sides of buildings and all around the balconies of second stories.

The third ring is an upgrade from the fourth ring's living situation. More necessities are accessed in this ring and the usage of ikons increases tenfold. People have ikons for everything in these rings. Tying shoes. Running bath water and heating it up. Straightening clothes. Having sugar doves fly, a dessert you can get from bakeries around the third and second rings. There is an ikon for everything and people continue to make more! 

A big difference is that other materials are used in the third ring for clothes that are not as long as the fourth ring and are not as heavy. Blankets and beds are softer as well though they are not as soft as the second or the first ringer's beds and clothes. 

Along with things being upgraded the streets themselves are cleaner and brighter. People from the third ring know what sunlight feels like even if it is shadier sunlight compared to the higher rings. With each ring people's skin becomes darker. This is because of the access to sunshine which the fourth ringers have none of and are pale in comparison to the other ring’s inhabitants.

𝔄𝔟𝔬𝔲𝔱 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔖𝔢𝔠𝔬𝔫𝔡 ℜ𝔦𝔫𝔤
The second ring is made up of the aristocratic families and the only ones allowed in these rings are the inhabitants themselves, merchants from the third ring, people from the first ring, the authorities, or the individuals attending the Wardana Academy. The Wardana Academy students get a card that shows their identification, knowledge of ikonomancy and ikons, and who they are apprenticing under, and this allows them to access the second ring all day and the first ring once a day. 

Most families that occupy the second ring are established in this ring by centuries of ancestors. It is hard for any lower-ring individual to access the second ring, especially in the sense of living there. The people of this ring tend to be the darkest and most beautiful, yet it is not odd for light-skinned individuals to be in the ring as well, genetics, and personal tastes about being in or outside. Individuals with this ring tend to wear their hair longer than third ringers or fourth ringers. Third ringers tend to wear their hair shoulder length or shorter while second ringers, male or female, are known to wear their hair past their shoulders. It is said to be an elegant look that most second-ringers strive for. Elegance. Beauty. Grace. 

In this ring everything is better and only dreams of fourth and third ringers. The streets are cleaner. The average individual is more educated in ikons and ikonomancy along with other subjects. They get to learn history that is centuries old and participate in the most leisurely activities of arts and crafts. 

The beds would be considered too soft for all fourth ringers and even the majority of third ringers would consider the clothes and beds too soft as well. Second ringers are higher on the food chain. Pampered compared to the other rings. The typical behavior of a second ringer is not to care about anyone but yourself or your family crest. How can you make yourself and your family's name better? Not worrying about the lower lives of the third and fourth ring. Typically, you will find that they have rude and negative outlooks to anyone that does not derive from the second or first ring. They are the individuals who have fought for storm touch to not be considered humans or eligible for the weekly rations. 

Elegance and beauty are what come from the second ring along with the majority of food.

𝔄𝔟𝔬𝔲𝔱 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔣𝔦𝔯𝔰𝔱 𝔯𝔦𝔫𝔤
The first ring is where the royals, the extended family, and a select few are allowed to live. The best of the best in ikonomancy. Healers. The Regia themselves. The Regia Guard. The Regia Guard’s close family. Very few are allowed to visit from the outer rings. Second ringers are allowed to frequent more than third ringers and anyone from the Wardana academy is allowed to frequent more than third ringers themselves. 

The first ring is home to the Regia, the physical vessel of the Great King, and is home to the access points to the Forgotten City. A city that has tunnelways and access points all around the nameless city. It is very unlikely to access the Forgotten City from anywhere else and the first ring seems to have the most secretive rooms, especially in the tower that is the center and heart of the once great kingdom of seven rings.

𝔐𝔞𝔤𝔦𝔠 𝔬𝔣 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔚𝔬𝔯𝔩𝔡

The magic of this world comes from what is known as Ikons. These are basic geometric symbols to complex multi-symboled systems to fix, create, build, heal, and destroy. Most people specialize in certain ikons and practice harnessing the abilities of ikonomancy from the Wardana Academy in the third ring. The majority of individuals do not know how to actually form ikons or create new ones but they are easy for non-ikon-influenced individuals to use. 

Unauthorized ikonomancy especially in the lower rings is frowned upon and can get one in trouble with the Wardana or the Regia guard themselves. Third ringers and above are allowed to use ikons and ikonomancy for leisure, unlike the lowest ring inhabitants. They are able to use ikons in bakeries and other areas to help improve morale and create new beautiful works. 

First and second-ringers automatically begin learning about ikons and attempting ikonomancy in their younger years because of the education they receive. Third-ringers do not get that as much but they have access depending on how wealthy their family is. Fourth ringers are only able to get their ikons from the gray market or unauthorized learnings such as generational hammy downs. 

There are ikons for almost everything and if they do not have them, someone is trying to figure out a new one, and so on. There are ikons used in bakeries to make pastries like sugar doves fly and edible roses to form when a cookie is broken with that specific jelly and ikon carved into it. 

An ikon to tie shoes when you put them on. 

To run bath water and heat it up instead of doing it manually on the stove. 

Ikons for battle. Offensive and defensive. 

Fourth ringers are only allowed to use ikons that are already established and even sometimes are not allowed to do that. Depending on if they are secret passages into other rings and so on. Not all passages are known. It’s only a problem when you are caught! 

Ikonomancy is a very versatile magic and is quite hard to master. People who are naturally born with the understanding or seem to have an easier time learning tend to be herded into the Wardana Academy though can choose to not go and not learn about Ikons. Most would see that as a foolish thing especially if you come from the lower rings. Anyone from any ring is allowed to go to the Wardana Academy even if it is harder for fourth ringers to present their case or have already established Wardana take them as apprentices.

𝔗𝔥𝔢 ℜ𝔢𝔳𝔬𝔩𝔲𝔱𝔦𝔬𝔫

The revolution was brought to light before the sixth ring fell victim to the storm and has continued to have stragglers stay a part of it till current times. In the past decade, it seems to have become a rising threat to the higher rings, especially towards the first ring that holds the Regia, the Regia guard, and the third ring that houses the Wardana. 

Most of the revolutionists come from the fifth, fourth, and third rings. After the surge that took the fifth ring happened over a decade ago, the revolution seemed to gather more followers. More people believe that the “Great King” is the god to blame for their suffering, their loss, and everything evil that happens in the world. If he was so great, why wouldn’t he stop the storm? Why wouldn’t he change things for the better? The Great King in their eyes is a failure who has allowed suffering to go on too long because of his selfishness. 

Everyone that is a part of the revolution and is caught stands trial. The majority of individuals who go through the trials do not live yet there are a few. Mainly stories. Folk tales. Living through the trials is a rarity. They have not had a trial go on in about half a decade though the Regia Guard are trying their best to find the leader(s) of the revolution and put them to trial.

𝔉𝔬𝔠𝔲𝔰 𝔬𝔣 𝔱𝔥𝔢 ℜ𝔬𝔩𝔢-𝔓𝔩𝔞𝔶

I use the term “sandbox” role-play very loosely since this is not a choose-your-own story but is to a point. There are things happening in the bigger picture for this whole idea. Some character(s) will have more influence than others. No matter what you are, fourth ringer to first ringer, your character(s) decisions will influence the story in some way. Somehow. Decisions have consequences no matter how small they are. 

Character-wise, you have the freedom to go for whatever you want. Currently, there are no restrictions though there are recommendations for some character(s) who will have more difficulties because of rings and so on. It creates difficulties and causes people to have creative ways of jumping over those hoops and hopefully not getting caught by the Regia Guard or Wardana! 

At the beginning of this role-play, everything is in chaos or at least everything to do with the royal family, Regia, Regia Guard, and the royal council is in chaos. The higher-ups in the kingdom are trying to figure out solutions because the storm surge past the fourth wall has shaken everyone. 

ℭ𝔥𝔞𝔯𝔞𝔠𝔱𝔢𝔯 ℑ𝔫𝔣𝔬𝔯𝔪𝔞𝔱𝔦𝔬𝔫

The slots that have an unlimited amount of access to anyone are inhabitants of the fourth - second ring and apprentices or academic students of the Wardana Academy. There is no cap on characters for an individual player as well. I will probably have quite a few character(s) that are not NPCs running around. 

Character(s) positions that are capped are the Royal family, the Regia, the Regia Guard, and the Wardana. 

- No character under the age of twenty-five will be allowed to be a Regia Guard. 
- Characters that are apprentices of the Regia guard have to have at least two to four years of the academy under their belt and be the highest in their ranks 
- No character under the age of fourteen can apply and participate in the Wardana Academy
- Wardana leaders typically are late teens to late forties in age

- Regia is a position that will most likely be filled by an NPC unless an individual makes a great claim as to why they want this position for it is not very active. The Regia is a lifeless husk because the Great King (who is an NPC) speaks through them and uses their physical form which makes it very difficult to write and I will not allow this to be anything above a secondary character for anyone. 
- Regia Guard are individuals that protect the Regia and step on the bounds of morals when it comes to protecting the city and hushing the revolutionists and not caring for the storm touched. There are only six slots opened for the Regia Guard including the leader. These are individuals who have excelled during their academics, were Wardana (leaders or not), and were able to become apprentices to the Regia Guard. The Regia Guard are only allowed to take on one apprentice to replace them except for the leader who is able to take on two. 

[0/6] Regia Guard slots are taken. 

- Wardana Leaders are a part of the Wardana Academy and tend to work as trainers. Wardana leaders are able to have up to five apprentices under them. There are eight slots for Wardana leaders in the symbolization of cardinal and intermediate directions. One for each to protect the city and the people against storm surges and storm beasts. 

[0/8] Wardana Leaders slots are taken. 

Wardana leaders have to have at least one apprentice under them at all times. 

- Storm Touch character(s) are individuals who are touched by the storm. Storm beasts however do not cause curses to happen. The storm herself causes curses to befall individuals and generational curses happen as well. If a character is touched by the storm, they will develop a curse. That curse can be practically anything. Snakes for hair. Owl characteristics. Rock skin that slowly consumes the body. Cat-like features. Anything. Nothing is considered fortunate when touched by the storm. The individual becomes ineligible for rations and the majority of people fear them. 

You can decorate this however you please but you have to have the included list down below: 

• Name (not everyone has middle or last names, especially fourth ringers) 
• Age or age range. Age ranges that are not allowed are anything going from minor to adult. 
  For example:
  Age ranges that are appropriate: 12-14. 25-30. 
  Age ranges that are inappropriate: 16-20. 17-19. 
  Your character either has to be a minor or an adult. Not an in-between for obvious reasons. 
• Description or/and character reference. References will not be anime or real photography.

• Is your character cursed? Were they storm touched or generational storm touched? It is more likely that you are a fourth ringer or come from the fifth ring destruction as a storm-touched or genetically based character. If your character is a third to central ringer that is storm touched or generational-cursed, you will have to explain. The reason, why this could be, is that the character themselves were Wardana and got touched by the storm. They could end up living in secret buildings in the third ring or second ring. The same goes for generational storm touched if your character resides in an upper ring but is a generational storm touched. They are currently a Wardana. Maybe they were adopted? Who knows. Give a good reason to explain how they got from the outer ring(s) to the inner ring(s) by being cursed. 
• What ring does your character come from? The last storm surge that took over the fifth ring was roughly a decade ago meaning they could have been fifth ringers. Meaning they see life as an upgraded tragedy. They live in a better place but only from the loss of loved ones and their birth home and so on. They are part of the royal or aristocratic families? How do they view the world? How do they view the people of the lower rings? 
• Active Role. Explain! Are they active or inactive Wardana? Are they a part of the Regia guard? Are they average day third-ringer citizens or are they signing themselves up for the Wardana academy to learn more about Ikons and figure out if they can harness ikonomancy? Are they a revolutionist? Explain the whys and how they got there. Did they join the revolutionists or were they born into it? Influenced by parents? 
• Biography. Write about their family members and where they come from. What got them from point A to point B and if they trying to get to point C or D?

This Role-play is inspired by the "Darkening" book by Sunya Mara. There will be no canon character(s) apart from this role-play. All original character(s). 

One of the character(s) who will be played by the GM: 
Ergen Ilkin

Name        Ergen Ilkin
Aliases     Our Faith, Head of the Revolutionists, Asik, The fourths savior
Age           Twenty-four 

Physical Description Because of his thin and slender body, some people may mistake him for a shadow at night or during the day. Ergen is second to none when it comes to physical activity, as he doesn't have the average or superior musculature that most Wardana exhibit. Dominant shoulders and a slender waist, these two traits of his might not associate him with the higher rings, but his skin tone and beauty do. The only scars that have kissed his body are his past as Wardhana and his childhood tragedies. His green eyes are rare in the city and eventually, link him with most families in the upper ring. Two families are known to have such pale green, lifeless eyes. The Ilkins are one of those families and cousins to the royals ​​who act as ships for the High King. 

Storm-touched His views on Stormtouch tend to differ from those of most high ringers. In his eyes, they are human, and in his youth, he was punished for thinking so. The Ilkin family is a noble family known for supplying most of the food to all rings. Naturally, they advance in ikons related to growth and food.  
His resentment towards most of the higher rings began when he was a child, about 12 years old, and his father took him to the lower rings to do business there. They were in the fifth ring and met a girl, he thought was the most beautiful. She had big black doe eyes and silver hair. She looked like a porcelain doll. Then he touched her and she broke down and started crying. She was a child at the mercy of the storm. Her skin was like porcelain. He tried to patch the cracks he caused to her cheek with ikons and Ergen found himself alone with the girl. Fatherless. Foolish. Eventually, he found an ikon that healed her damaged cheek and he received a faint smile from her instead. 

I'm Ergen.

I'm Ceren. You aren't afraid of me?

No. Why would I be?

I'm cursed from the storm...

Why would I care about that?

With that alone, Ergen felt a grab on the back of the collar of his shirt pull him away from the girl. He saw a gust of wind from an ikon pin her to the ground and split her hand and her arm from the pressure. Her skin began to burst like falling snowflakes. A storm of voices from her father rained down. He was dragged back to the first ring, smeared, ripped, and utterly battered. His father was angry for days, but Ergen didn't understand what he did wrong, why, and what the girl did wrong. He was locked in his room for a week, only healers coming to make sure he wasn't cursed. Ergen was a stubborn child, so he decided to eat very little. When he found out that Stormtouch is allowed to starve to death at someone else's fault. Because of his family. Because of him. The seeds of fate began to change his views.

Ring Ergen came from the first ring and spent most of his life in the upper rings. After the incident, when he was twelve years old, he was banned from stepping into the third ring without a guard or chaperone. His father set a strict rule that no young man should ever give in to the fifth or fourth filth ringer. He also didn't want his son to have a bad life and thought he was protecting him.

Everything changed when Ergen entered the Wardana School of Ikonomancy at the age of fourteen. Since he had previously studied Ikons, he was at the top of his class and it seemed easier to move up the ranks. At sixteen, he became an active member of Wardana, living in the third ring. During his apprenticeship and academic years, Ergen sneaked into the lower rings to help his Storm touch peers with growing food and other necessities.

Problems arose late one night when another Wardana caught him sneaking into the lower ring. The alarm was raised, and the Regia Guard and Wardana were alerted. No one knew it would be Ergen. He only remembered the dismay of his cousin's voice when his name was called. Ergen. That was when Ergen had to make a decision. A quick one. One that would change his whole life. 

Don't take this personally, I'm sorry.

He then cut his finger and deliberately misguided the ikon. Ergen knew that if the wind direction wasn't right, there would be explosive dust and debris storms. A dark cloud envelops the Wardana and the entire Regia guard. Ergen was not acquitted, as the leader of the Regia Guard at the time used his own symbolism to stop him. Disappeared through a tunnel that he knew very little about, and indeed only he used. Ergen found himself in the Forgotten City beneath the Ringed City.

He spent two weeks there, mostly eating oddities and trying to recover from what the Regia Guard leader had done to him. He was in excruciating pain, vomiting blood, and his body continued to bruise. Without enough knowledge to further weaken the ikon's effect, he would die, and could not remove it from his skin. Then he found his way to the gray market and someone helped him. Since then, Ergen has been hiding somewhere in the Fourth Ring.

The ikon used on him was so evil and complicated that it took the people who helped him a whole week to get it under control. They unraveled it, but it scarred his left ribcage and a beautiful geometric pattern was kissed to his body. Beauty and suffering. The scars caused not only physical pain but also emotional pain that made it impossible to return home. He would never see his siblings again. If he wanted to, he would have to be tried for being a traitor to the Upper Ring.

Then there were moments when he didn't walk away from the gray markets protection and didn't go out at all. In the end, he decided to go for a face changer. A person who takes advantage of a false understanding of ikons to change his face. The woman in charge of the procedure was sad to ruin such a beautiful face he gave her a present, but he paid her full price. Sometimes it was difficult to get money. She had to take it, but she kept frowning throughout the process. She bleached his hair. She changed his countenance. It hurt. The pain of change was immense, but it was worth it, but she warned him nonetheless. Only his will can keep the change from fading, but the body will change over time to know the truth.

After a while, he no longer wanted to hide or hide his face. He will fight. He will fight for what he thinks is right. Ergen removed the façade with an ice storm, ripping his skin apart and ripping the falsehood from him. Another painful change occurred, but only a reminder of what he was fighting for. Who was he protecting. He would never feel a quarter of her pain and suffering.

Family

Gunhan Ilkin, 54 years old, head of the Ilkin Family and brother in-law of the Regia. 

Gunhan is an advanced Ikonomancer who specializes in creation and growth. Food production is what the side of the family advances in.  

Asya, 19 years old, is the only daughter in the Ilkin family. 

Asya joined the Wardana Academy to follow in her older brother's footsteps, she wanted to be like Ergen, even though she struggles with Ikons. She is not at the top of her class, but she is a wonderful student. She has been a part of the Wardana Academy since the ripe age of fourteen and has dedicated her life to protecting the city. 

Kadir, is 14 years old, and the second eldest son of the Ilkin Family. 

Kadir has recently come of age and has joined the Wardana Academy to learn Ikons like his ancestors before him. He is not as fluent as his eldest brother Ergen though he is learning quicker than his older sister Asya. Quickly becoming an apprentice to a Wardana leader. 

Koca is the youngest child of the Ilkin family and is only 12 years old. 

Being the only family member except for his mother who has not participated in the Wardana Academy. Koca finds himself being a mischievous trouble marker around the second and third rings. Only in the third when he can sneak out of the second and away from everyone who is trying to "ruin" his fun. His parents worry that Koca is following in Ergen's footsteps and have applied strict boundaries for this child's life. They don't want him to follow Ergen and go by his own fate. 
Through the basic and advanced schooling that he is provided as a second ringer, Koca has shown that he is almost on par with learning Ikons and Ikonomancy like his eldest brother Ergen was at his age. Koca might not be the closest to his eldest brother out of all his family members, but they share the same eyes. Those pale green lifeless eyes like their father.  

Yₒᵤ ₕₐᵥₑ ₕᵢₛ ₑyₑₛ. 
Wₕₐₜ bₑₐᵤₜᵢfᵤₗ ₑyₑₛ.

Wₕₒ ₐᵣₑ yₒᵤ?

Yₒᵤᵣ bᵣₒₜₕₑᵣ cₐₙ ₕₑₐᵣ ₐₙd ₜₐₗₖ ₜₒ ₘₑ ₐₛ wₑₗₗ.
Wₕₐₜ ₐ bₑₐᵤₜᵢfᵤₗ fₐₘᵢₗy.
Wₕₐₜ ₐ bₑₐᵤₜᵢfᵤₗ cₕᵢₗd ₒf ₘᵢₙₑ.

Wₕₒ ₐᵣₑ yₒᵤ? Yₒᵤ dᵢdₙ'ₜ ₐₙₛwₑᵣ ₘₑ.

Yₒᵤ ₖₙₒw wₕₒ ᵢ ₐₘ. 
Wₕₐₜ ᵢ ₐₘ.
Wₕₐₜ ᵢ cᵣy fₒᵣ. 
Dₒ ₙₒₜ ₚₗₐy ₖₒᵢ!

Koca Ilkin

Name        Koca Ilkin
Age           Twelve

Physical Description Unlike the middle children of his family, Koca, and Ergen share the same eyes and very similar faces. If they were not over ten years apart, they would most likely be mistaken for twins. These two brothers share the green eyes, darker skin, and raven black hair of the Ilkin family. Their siblings however sport the maternal genetics of the line of the Regia. Sun touched skin most call it. 

Koca is the youngest child of the Ilkin family and like his brother is on the slightly taller side of the average height for his age. Standing about one inch over five foot and weighing approximately ninety pounds. He has that similar slender build that will grow in a beautiful maturity when he is older. Most could describe Koca as scrawny because of how slender he is. It allows him to fit into smaller spaces. 

Storm-touched being young allowed his influence of the storm touch to be negative. His parental influences along with his two older siblings influenced fear into the young man. He has never come across someone who was storm-touched and if he did, he didn't know they were. Koca is young enough that his view isn't necessarily negative or positive yet curious, cautious, and fearful. 

The partial influence from his eldest brother, Ergen, kept the young boy's mind open to possibilities but he doesn't want to be exiled from the family like Ergen was. Fear drives his caution and motives. There is truly no answer to how Koca would respond to a storm-touch individual. 

Let go of me Kadir!!!

You keep wanting to run off and wander without father! I'll bring you to the fourth ring so a storm touch can curse you!

You wouldn't! Father would be mad! Let go!

Then behave yourself and get back to the second ring!

Ring being the youngest child of the Ilkin family causes quite a weight to be put on your shoulders. He is the last child and the last son of this specific line and was born to the second ring. The second ring is where he calls home and tends to sneak off from it. That be up to the first ring or down to the third. Koca has never been to the fourth and none of the children have been on casual terms after the incident with his eldest brother and a storm touch child years ago. 

Being born into the royal line, into the second ring, and being close family members to the Regia has allowed Koca to have a wonderful and easy upbringing. Everything has been handed to him for his natural advancement in ikons and ikonomancy even at the young age of twelve. Two years too young to participate in the Wardana Academy though he will continue to harness his skills. Maybe one day get as good as his older brother. 

An aristocratic child with a bond to adventure and mischievousness. Koca can be found getting himself into everything and anything. Mainly places where he is not allowed and can face consequences for even going near. Again, his parents fear that he will become another Ergen, and they try their best to restrict him from most things especially activities they allowed Ergen to participate in. They don't' want their youngest son to go down the same path.  

Family

Gunhan Ilkin, 54 years old, head of the Ilkin Family and brother in-law to the Regia. 

Gunhan is an advanced Ikonomancer who specializes in creation and growth. Food production is what the side of the family advances in.  

Asya, 19 years old, is the only daughter in the Ilkin family. 

Asya joined the Wardana Academy to follow in her older brother's footsteps, she wanted to be like Ergen, even though she struggles with Ikons. She is not at the top of her class, but she is a wonderful student. She has been a part of the Wardana Academy since the ripe age of fourteen and has dedicated her life to protecting the city. 

Kadir, is 14 years old, and the second eldest son of the Ilkin Family. 

Kadir has recently come of age and has joined the Wardana Academy to learn Ikons like his ancestors before him. He is not as fluent as his eldest brother Ergen though he is learning quicker than his older sister Asya. Quickly becoming an apprentice to a Wardana leader.
The Nameless City [Long-term, sandbox, flexible]

The Savant You calm the echoes inside of me. How? Teach me.

LovelyComplex Retired Zone

The Savant You calm the echoes inside of me. How? Teach me.

The Savant You calm the echoes inside of me. How? Teach me.

Pezzle

The Savant You calm the echoes inside of me. How? Teach me.

Pezzle

JohnnyBoi ...

The Savant You calm the echoes inside of me. How? Teach me.

The Savant You calm the echoes inside of me. How? Teach me.

Zariah

The Savant You calm the echoes inside of me. How? Teach me.
