The Land of Albion is a fertile paradise, from the emerald colored grass that covers every rolling hill and flat plain to the tall, towering trees which make up both thick forests smothered in shadows and sparser woods that offer good harvest of nuts and berries. Fields dot the landscape growing everything from wheat to potatoes where from sun up to sunset men and women could be seen toiling the ground to grow their harvest. To the east is the coast, the Sea of tranquility, a lush sapphire ocean that spreads for as far as one can see while to the far north and west rise the great mountains called The Dragons Teeth. Southward lies the Barren lands, vast but empty plains that eventually open out into a vast and deadly desert.
Leona is the Capital city and stands like a jewel in the fertile lands North-east. A river called the Dragon's tear winds passed the Capital, dotting the land with several large lakes and tranquil streams before finally joining back out to the sea. In the protection of this kingdom are several villages who all pay homage to their King by growing crops and rearing animals for food and horses for riding. Several large fields can be seen close to the river's bends where the fertile soil offers bumper crops and skilled men and women toil at it day in and out. The 'keep' of the Kingdom is protected by carved stone walls, where sentries are for ever on look out for those who may cause trouble. Large, heavy wooden doors are kept shut at night and opened with the first sun up for people to come and go as they pleased into a bustling market place and homes for the lower denizens, 'entertainment' houses the only things that looked half cared for and marked with a blue paper shade around the sconces that lit the buildings face. These stamped down streets were considered the poor district where people attempted to sell their wares and bought small shacks to work from. Deeper into the city and passed a set of stone stairs was another ring of stone, the ground here made laid with cobbled stones where houses of better quality and merchants with better wares would often peddle their wares. Lower born nobles to the well to do merchants live in one or two story homes made of bricks and thatched roofs, taverns and inns abundant and shops with items on display and the smells of cooking meats and baked goods wafting through the streets. Further in and up more stairs was the highest wall over which one could just see tiled roofs and thick thatch, the ground here was paved in brick and showed the history of the kingdom in a skilled laid out mosaic, homes here were for the high born nobles and the wealthy with the Kings own castle being the center piece to an expensive back drop. While not gated off the imposing guards that stood by the castles arch way were enough to deter most from attempting to enter. Though one could see the way the sun hit the stained glass windows and painted pictures of the city's great achievements across the ground, they could see the queen's vast rose garden and the training grounds where the knights often practiced.
The Ruling Family, the Castalan's have been on the thrown for over three hundred years, having inherited the throne from the original father of the Kingdom King Leona himself via the marriage to the Castalan's first daughter Eva. While there have been decisions the people have not fully agreed with the Castalan's have seen them through wars, poverty and sickness and polished this Kingdom to the jewel it is considered to be today. The current King, King Augustus II is both feared and loved among the people, likened to a Lion in both nobility and ferocity he has recently seen them to victory over the opposing Southern Kingdom which rose arms against them over a dispute over the sailing lines. The sea faring southern people of Banark were beaten back and a treaty was recently signed that the Banark likely still feel saw over.
The king has upset many people in his time but such was a King's job, he made strong allies with the neighboring North and West cities of Fandal, Gerrac and Egalia but made an uneasy enemy with the far East city of Dorric after disapproving of their slave trade and people selling. The King is seen though as human, as he unabashedly wept when his first son Torrick the Strong armed, was bought home at the end of the Banark war with an arrow in his neck.
The Prince
Name: Prince Alessandro Castalan VII
Age: His 21st Birthday is the day we begin the rp.
Appearance:
Or
Personality: He is a rather compassionate soul, while few can match his prowess with a blade in the kingdom he doesn’t raise his arms lightly against a foe. He is a thinker more than a fighter and has deep and extensive plans on how to better the kingdom for his people when he takes the crown. He is though a little naïve to the world, forbidden from entering the city unless accompanied by a guard and thus is unaware of the cruelty and brutality that the streets would otherwise offer. He is slow to anger as he finds anger leads to rash and bad decision making. While he is quite laid back there are some things that do produce an emotional response from him but being ‘locked up’ has given him very little time to explore these.
History: When he was born the King and Queen hoped that they're second son'sh air would darken as all members of the royal family had -aside the wives- before they had hit five years of age. However as he reached and surpassed this age his hair remained light, even went a shade lighter and like a mane of golden sun it stood out as a sign of suspicion for a suspicious townsfolk. Many heralding infidelity to which the King frowned heavily upon such rumours and others still quoting it to be a sign from the gods of the end of an age. Nether the less he grew up with little knowledge of the distrust outside the castle walls, out of a sense of protection or perhaps embarrassment his father rarely let him roam further than the court yards without good reason but he grew bored and lessons in swordsmanship and music were not enough for him. Listening to tales of his brothers heroic's or his sisters trips into town made him jealous and occasionally he was found by his guards beyond his walls and in the city true. It irked him how some of their people could barely scrap the living to survive and he put forward ideas to his father for small changes that would benefit the people but these discussions often ended in arguments and his father citing the war as a more important topic. The war had been hard on everyone, the lower born the most, their farmers and field workers had struggled especially with raids to their fields or crops at times.
Reputation: He is the family’s tarnish, all other members of his family –save his mother- are dark haired, including his little sister Elizabet. Rumours did their rounds of the Queen’s infidelity and some about the Kigns but the royal family and court advisor know he is indeed a rightful heir. Some speculate this caused tension when the King’s eldest son died in battle as Alessandro is now next in line to the throne. Some servants talk that they hear the pair arguing constantly and have rumoured to see the king strike his son several times though those are just rumours. The people view him with mixed grace, some call him a demon, an ill omen and a changeling, they distrust him and secretly hope he will die so his sister can take the throne as a true Castalan. Others, children mainly and their families, find him compassionate and kind, charming and witty. His sister loves him dearly and does not tolerate bad things being said about him by any of the staff but is helpless when it comes to the King’s angry words. His mother is said to be stoic to him, treating him as if he were the bastard he was accused of being. While his father’s stand point seems constantly to conflict, at times he will seem over protective of his boy, forbidding him outside the castle and even more now that the eldest brother was gone and from threatening to cast him out. He doesn’t seem to have many ‘friends’ though a prince rarely does seem to have any, the closest he has is the stable hand who cares for his horse and who he talks too about the city.
Family:
Father- King Augustus II
Mother- Queen Berida
Brother- Prince Torrick
Sister- Princess Avangeline.
Leona is the Capital city and stands like a jewel in the fertile lands North-east. A river called the Dragon's tear winds passed the Capital, dotting the land with several large lakes and tranquil streams before finally joining back out to the sea. In the protection of this kingdom are several villages who all pay homage to their King by growing crops and rearing animals for food and horses for riding. Several large fields can be seen close to the river's bends where the fertile soil offers bumper crops and skilled men and women toil at it day in and out. The 'keep' of the Kingdom is protected by carved stone walls, where sentries are for ever on look out for those who may cause trouble. Large, heavy wooden doors are kept shut at night and opened with the first sun up for people to come and go as they pleased into a bustling market place and homes for the lower denizens, 'entertainment' houses the only things that looked half cared for and marked with a blue paper shade around the sconces that lit the buildings face. These stamped down streets were considered the poor district where people attempted to sell their wares and bought small shacks to work from. Deeper into the city and passed a set of stone stairs was another ring of stone, the ground here made laid with cobbled stones where houses of better quality and merchants with better wares would often peddle their wares. Lower born nobles to the well to do merchants live in one or two story homes made of bricks and thatched roofs, taverns and inns abundant and shops with items on display and the smells of cooking meats and baked goods wafting through the streets. Further in and up more stairs was the highest wall over which one could just see tiled roofs and thick thatch, the ground here was paved in brick and showed the history of the kingdom in a skilled laid out mosaic, homes here were for the high born nobles and the wealthy with the Kings own castle being the center piece to an expensive back drop. While not gated off the imposing guards that stood by the castles arch way were enough to deter most from attempting to enter. Though one could see the way the sun hit the stained glass windows and painted pictures of the city's great achievements across the ground, they could see the queen's vast rose garden and the training grounds where the knights often practiced.
The Ruling Family, the Castalan's have been on the thrown for over three hundred years, having inherited the throne from the original father of the Kingdom King Leona himself via the marriage to the Castalan's first daughter Eva. While there have been decisions the people have not fully agreed with the Castalan's have seen them through wars, poverty and sickness and polished this Kingdom to the jewel it is considered to be today. The current King, King Augustus II is both feared and loved among the people, likened to a Lion in both nobility and ferocity he has recently seen them to victory over the opposing Southern Kingdom which rose arms against them over a dispute over the sailing lines. The sea faring southern people of Banark were beaten back and a treaty was recently signed that the Banark likely still feel saw over.
The king has upset many people in his time but such was a King's job, he made strong allies with the neighboring North and West cities of Fandal, Gerrac and Egalia but made an uneasy enemy with the far East city of Dorric after disapproving of their slave trade and people selling. The King is seen though as human, as he unabashedly wept when his first son Torrick the Strong armed, was bought home at the end of the Banark war with an arrow in his neck.
The Prince
Name: Prince Alessandro Castalan VII
Age: His 21st Birthday is the day we begin the rp.
Appearance:
Or
Personality: He is a rather compassionate soul, while few can match his prowess with a blade in the kingdom he doesn’t raise his arms lightly against a foe. He is a thinker more than a fighter and has deep and extensive plans on how to better the kingdom for his people when he takes the crown. He is though a little naïve to the world, forbidden from entering the city unless accompanied by a guard and thus is unaware of the cruelty and brutality that the streets would otherwise offer. He is slow to anger as he finds anger leads to rash and bad decision making. While he is quite laid back there are some things that do produce an emotional response from him but being ‘locked up’ has given him very little time to explore these.
History: When he was born the King and Queen hoped that they're second son'sh air would darken as all members of the royal family had -aside the wives- before they had hit five years of age. However as he reached and surpassed this age his hair remained light, even went a shade lighter and like a mane of golden sun it stood out as a sign of suspicion for a suspicious townsfolk. Many heralding infidelity to which the King frowned heavily upon such rumours and others still quoting it to be a sign from the gods of the end of an age. Nether the less he grew up with little knowledge of the distrust outside the castle walls, out of a sense of protection or perhaps embarrassment his father rarely let him roam further than the court yards without good reason but he grew bored and lessons in swordsmanship and music were not enough for him. Listening to tales of his brothers heroic's or his sisters trips into town made him jealous and occasionally he was found by his guards beyond his walls and in the city true. It irked him how some of their people could barely scrap the living to survive and he put forward ideas to his father for small changes that would benefit the people but these discussions often ended in arguments and his father citing the war as a more important topic. The war had been hard on everyone, the lower born the most, their farmers and field workers had struggled especially with raids to their fields or crops at times.
Reputation: He is the family’s tarnish, all other members of his family –save his mother- are dark haired, including his little sister Elizabet. Rumours did their rounds of the Queen’s infidelity and some about the Kigns but the royal family and court advisor know he is indeed a rightful heir. Some speculate this caused tension when the King’s eldest son died in battle as Alessandro is now next in line to the throne. Some servants talk that they hear the pair arguing constantly and have rumoured to see the king strike his son several times though those are just rumours. The people view him with mixed grace, some call him a demon, an ill omen and a changeling, they distrust him and secretly hope he will die so his sister can take the throne as a true Castalan. Others, children mainly and their families, find him compassionate and kind, charming and witty. His sister loves him dearly and does not tolerate bad things being said about him by any of the staff but is helpless when it comes to the King’s angry words. His mother is said to be stoic to him, treating him as if he were the bastard he was accused of being. While his father’s stand point seems constantly to conflict, at times he will seem over protective of his boy, forbidding him outside the castle and even more now that the eldest brother was gone and from threatening to cast him out. He doesn’t seem to have many ‘friends’ though a prince rarely does seem to have any, the closest he has is the stable hand who cares for his horse and who he talks too about the city.
Family:
Father- King Augustus II
Mother- Queen Berida
Brother- Prince Torrick
Sister- Princess Avangeline.
