This is a mature rp with dark under currents. I am looking for high casual rp-er's, as I love character development and drama. If you have any questions after reading please ask, I will be happy to answer.
Intro
It was a lovely spring afternoon when you were call back to the house by your parents, they seemed off in a way, as they looked worn out and more quiet than usual. That is when you see two large guards that came from the palace of Shadow Worth; a chill runs up your spine as a visit from the armed guard was never a good thing. You then see a smaller (though still very tall) man step out between the two large guards. “You have been selected to be a bride for one of the Drakken Nobles.” Say’s the man who gives you a look that says that you are doomed, but that could have been your imagination playing tricks on you. Better yet maybe this whole thing is your imagination, you pinch yourself to make sure it’s not real but to your disappointment it is. “Come, we leave now.” The man says as he grabs your arm and takes you to the carriage before you have a chance to say goodbye to your parents. You stumble into the carriage and look back to see your parents watching as the carriage pulls away fast, a single tear falls from your eyes as a question pops into your head. Why me?
There was once a time when the Gemminite's were a proud and strong people, always in a favour of peace they were shrewd diplomats and knew how to get what they wanted. They could charm nearly every race that they came into contact, but that was before the savage nations of the south came up from their blighted lands. These nations had no need for diplomacy, they simply invade and take whatever they wanted. They were brutal and savage, the Gem peoples knew that they were not ready for war. In fear they searched for a solution, a way to keep their peace and way of life without having to fight and losing thousands of their people.
That was when a nation to the west of Gemminia came and offered to help. This nation was just as brutal, just as savage as the nations to the south, but they knew how to twist diplomacy to their favour. They offered to fight the enemies of the Gemminites, but they wanted something in return and the Gem people desperate for help, as the southern nations were now on their borders, agreed to whatever the nation of Drakka wanted. The Drakken's pleased with what they got launched their troops for the southern borders of Gemminia.
It was written that the Drakkens fought more savagely than the nations of the south, and that there has never been a people so addicted to the death and horror of war. The blighted peoples of the south fought hard, but their own brutality was nothing compared to the Drakkens. It was only then that the Gemminites wondered what they had agreed to, seeing that they had just made a pact with a people that seemed to love death, war, torture and all things that was against the nature of Gem culture.
Once the war was won, the Drakken lords came to the court of the Gem's. Their armour still covered with blood and gore, their muscles still tense from the fighting, their eyes still seeking a honourable fight or challenge. They were in every way intimidating, and when they asked the Gem court for their prizes, there was confusion among the them. All the court looked to King Nixus, who frowned and nodded and with that the Gem guards grabbed the daughters of the court and gave them to Drakken lords. There was an uproar from the parents of the daughters that were taken, but they were quickly reminded of the power of the Drakkens when Oggar the Horrible threatened to annihilate the court and their country. With that the Drakken lords filed out with their new brides, but before Oggar left he turned to the King saying, "We will be back next year for more brides, if none are ready next year our peace will be... over."
From then on, the Gem peoples have given up their daughters in order to keep the peace and to pay the Drakken's to protect them from the nations that will not use diplomacy.
Plot
The Drakkens get their brides as gifts for noting their success in battle and other success's that are on the side of horrifying. You, the new bride or Drakken noble, go back into the Drakken territory when communications break down between the Drakkens and the Gemminites. This causes the Drakken race to declare war on the Gems which means that the Gems and their peaceful way of life will be Obliterated. It's up to you, the brides, to convince your new husbands (who are nobles) to convince their King and the Court not to go to war with the Gemminites in order to save your homeland.
What Gems and Drakken’s are
They are known as the Gems or Gemminites, they are human looking in nearly every way and have human life spans. Though they are born with the power of one of the four elements, they can control that one element though if used for too long or if they ask it to do something complex it will drain them of their strength. They can have different coloured hair and their skin can "glow" (as if they were covered in glitter).
Drakken’s are large horned race that can live for over 500 years, but look human in all other respects. They also have power over the elements but they have power over two instead of one. They can be brutes when it comes to choosing a female or two. Drakken males can have more than one bride as there isn't many females, since they like to fight and start/go to wars. Though they do have a strong peace treaty with the Gemminites as the Gemminites give the Drakken males free choice over some of the females they have selected for them. Any children born from a one sided Drakken pairing will be Drakken, no matter what. (Their genetics over power the other parents genetics. But if children are born weak or if for some reason have too much Gemminite in them they will be take to the Wilds and left there to die)
So a few things before we go on:
1. Drakken males can have more than one bride so it is okay if there is more females then males.
2. Females cannot over power the males no matter what. (physically speaking, mentally they can whip their butts, it depends on how you play it)
3. Gemminites only get one element and Drakkens get two. (Earth, Fire, Water, Wind)
4. A Gem with a certain element is usually always born to parents of the same element, though there is exceptions.
5. You can play doubles if you like, but if you have a male character then the other must be female. If you have a female character you can be either (unless we have enough males)
Drakkens live in a harsh environment (deserts, rock filled lands, forests filled with horrible creatures) Very few liveable places in Drakka. The Drakken Court is made up of War Lords (Who are heads of grand standing families). The War lords' families have their own mini court which take care of strict family things that don't need to go to the high court. These War Lords and important family members are usually the ones allowed to take mates. So most of the children belong to these few. (Almost like breeding a small army) Any of the Grand standing families may challenge the Kings right to rule. This is rarely done, and has only been done 4 times in all of Drakken history. (As only the strong can rule Drakka) There are Drakken females but they are rare as they too love to fight. (plus Drakkens seem to produce more males than females, hence why they take brides elsewhere) Drakken's are also not the kindest creatures, living in some of the harshest terrain and having an inbred need to cause chaos makes them difficult. Drakkens have a trio of Gods (Drun - God of War, Krenta - God of Death, Sorrak - God of Prolificity) Though they have this trio of Gods, they also have lesser Gods. The one most mentioned in Drakken writing is known as Norric, he is said to be the bringer of darkness and a servant of the God trio. To ensure that a Gem bride is not stolen or if she happens to run away, the Drakken give them a special mark to let others know who they belong to. (this can be a brand, tattoo or anything that can be seen)
Gems live in something like a paradise called Gemminia (Rolling green hills, crystal clear waters, and beautiful cities) Gemminite court members are voted in from Grand families, but if a common Gem receives support from the people. They to can be voted into the court.(A grand total of seven Gems of each type are on the council at any one time, with the exception of the ruling element, which only has three council members and then the king or queen presiding over each council session.) Gemminite royalty is a long line of rulers that are usually water Gems as they are usually wise. (There has been families of other elements, usually they ruled when they're most needed) Gem's are peaceful beings, and don't like fighting. That is why they give some of their daughters to the Drakken's, so that they get much needed protection. Female Gemminites become of age for the Reaping at 18yrs-21yrs Most are taken at 18yrs, as most Drakken males don't want anything older. Gem's usually marry other Gem's of the same element (so wind with wind, water with water.) So their children will be of the same element. A two different element Gem pairing will result in the child getting the element of its same gendered parent. In uncommon cases the child of two different element Gems can get the same element of its parent of the opposite gender. But again this is uncommon. There has been cases where the above have been disregarded and the child having a completely different element than either of the parents. This is really rare though Gems have a trio of Goddesses and one God (Naia - Goddess of Water and Wisdom, Auram - Goddess of Air and Liberty, Pyrus - God of Fire and Strength, Vivari - Goddess of Earth and the Great Mother) Gem brides have been known to set up small shrines/altars in secret within their husband's estates to retain their native faith. Typically things do not go well for the brides if these shrines are found.
Vivari the Great Mother
Vivari was the founder of all the races. When the world was young and fertile she gave birth to many creatures; most she loved and nurtured. These loved ones were the first races, beautiful and gentle, they represented their mother's gentleness and kindness. But the Great Mother's violent side became manifest in her next children, who were vile and delighted in attempting to destroy or enslave the other races. Three of these children, Drun, Krenta, and Sorrak, became gods themselves, having drawn great power from the suffering they caused. Horrified at what she had created, the Great Mother birthed three others, Naia, Pyrus, and Auram, to try and stop the three hated ones. Into these three good children she poured all of her strength. They were to bring balance, but her violent children were themselves too strong, and created their own children from the flesh of their Mother, weakening her. From the Mother's flesh many vile races were born, overpowering the Elder children. They nearly destroyed their Mother and younger siblings. As a final bargain, Great Mother Vivari offered her vile sons valiant, strong enemies to fight in the south, the place that was blighted. But in exchange for this hunting they had to keep their offspring away from the north. They agreed, but Vivari knew her children would test her will and power, so she made the Great Spine to at least forestall the inevitable. The mountains of the Spine were as high and as deadly as the one who made them; as protective of the Gemminite realm as any mother would be to her favorite daughters. To the north of these mountains Vivari and her three children ruled justly and brought prosperity back to their lands.
Auram is the youngest of the Mother's godly children. She is creative and rather quiet, always there but rarely noticed unless she's in a temper. Kind of like the element she embodies. Similarly, she is able to change her nature within seconds. As an individual she is less powerful than her siblings, but when she is matched with either her brother or sister she makes them stronger. As what is a raging ocean without the mighty wind? What is a raging fire without the wind to fuel it?
Naia was the first of her Mother's children. Naia, like the waters she governs, is largely calm. It takes a lot to rile her up, but when she does, like a great ocean chruned in a storm, her wrath is a force to be reckoned with. Naia was named the keeper of histories and wisdom for her element's stability. While one choice may have been earth, it was determined that even mighty mountains eventually crumble and shift, but water stays forever. Even through drought, storm and flood alike, water is never destroyed; simply changed of form and moved someplace else. Water gems are the only ones known to bring their babies through a type of baptismal ritual. Depending upon the clan, a water gem baby will be blessed by the water in the village's most precious reservoir (be it a fresh spring, a fertile ocean, or a cleansing waterfall, it makes no difference so long as it is vital to the settlement). More on this later.
Middle child of their mothers second birthing of godly children. Pyrus is the ridged back bone of the group, a fearless fighter/warrior and easily set off. He gives strength to the weary and warmth to those that need it, He is the only male god in the Gem gods pantheon and is the protector his sisters, mother and the people. Fire Gems make up the majority of military and city guard roles.
Ok, so those who are returning players(should you so wish), please say what character or characters you are playing this time around, or post new ones in the OOC in a hider
NEWCOMERS! Post your charactersin the OOC in a hider. The Character sheet template is in the Characters tab
This is originally an RP created by @my Lalia. I and several former players have taken it up in her absence, and should she return to the guild it will be relinquished to her immediately
@Ace of flames01 Obviously no broken guild rules. Anything past a certian popint I trust players to understand(Though generally once the clothes start to fly off), you should fade to black and if you wish continue it in the PM's
@agentmanatee OK as long as it does not get too "detailed" with it the intimacy level then I should be fine with it should I choose to officially join (never been in an advanced thread before)
@Ace of flames01 Sure go aherad and make the character! But remember, you can't get real intimate HERE but your fellow RPer may wish to continue to PM's... just a fair warning
@agentmanatee Totally coming back to this. And I'm gonna fight to help keep it alive this time!
Nadia Parnel
Race: Gemminite Age: 18 Element: Fire Height: 5'4"
Bio: Nadia's parents were both Fire Gemminites who lived and raised her in a woodland cottage a little ways away from any towns or cities. They preferred the calm solitude that life in the woods offered as opposed to the busy life of a townsperson, and the relative safety of living like this. Her father worked as a merchant and so was away often, trading around the country, while her mother was a seamstress. Nadia eventually picked up the skills of both her parent's trades, learning how to make deals with people and how to make basically anything needed for the home that could be done with a needle and thread.
Nadia grew to be shy and nervous around other people at first, but good-natured enough that she would make friends easily. She didn't spend much time in town, but she was known around as a kind, well-mannered girl. She was taken in a reaping that was happening during a visit into town with her father, when a Drakken who was collecting another girl decided that she was a better catch.
Other: Though her element is fire, it doesn't seem to reflect in her personality as much as it does others of her element. She is shy and contains her thoughts and emotions very well, she does not call attention to herself on purpose and excels at blending in, at least among Gems. She is kind and gentle towards others, but also very fragile, both mentally and physically- she's afraid to use her power around other people. If someone were to say that Fire Gems are like a campfire or a blazing torch, then Nadia is a lit candle on a calm night.
Basically I just made her personality and maybe a few skills more apparent. She's not helpless, just uncertain of herself.
@WilsonTurner are you going to have the cult in this version? I remember I was gonna make Nadia's dad be part of that and I wanna know if he still can be.
I'm not going to be playing Asta this time around because last time I didn't know what I was doing and I probably almost wrote the whole RP into a corner, sooo...
If @agentmanatee allows it, then the Cult will still be about!
Valence "Val" Sayal
Race: Gem
Age: 20
Element(s): Air
Height: 6' 2"
Bio: Val grew up in a sort-of 'cult' of the more paranoid members of the Gem race- the ones that always expected the Drakkens to go to war against them. For the most part, they were completely and totally secret, only occasionally recruiting members throughout the ages, keeping a small force trained and ready to go. The cult, of sorts, was called the Pasirengimas Pabaiga- "Preparation of the End." They wanted to be prepared when the Drakkens finally decided to attack the Gems as a whole, and thus had far-reaching roots in major families and communities. Because of the great wisdom the elders had, this held an advantage- they believed that violence wouldn't happen anytime soon, if at all, but saw the value in having some armed force ready to go.
Val grew up in this secret community, which dwelled in the hearts of multiple of the largest cities, and the largest forests. They were few-numbered, but they kept a long vigil, making alliances with Gems within the Drakken lands, and sometimes with Drakken themselves, promising power to them, should they ever help them in the downfall of their superiors. Sometimes it worked; sometimes Drakken went missing. Either way, Val was trained using weapons long since forgotten, with techniques long since passed, against an enemy that had changed surprisingly little.
Val, among others, was taught a wide array of skills suitable for assassination, espionage, commanding, or front-line fighting. Each of the members of the cult should be able to perform a wide variety of tasks, in the event of Drakken war- which is exactly what's happening.
During the latter half of Val's current lifespan, he moved from one of the forest outposts to one of the many mountainous bunkers of sorts, dug out over centuries as secret places to defend Gem from the Drakken. Here, he learned the more brutal sides of things- practice fights often ended with blood being shed. They learned how to hunt, how to sneak, how to snap a Drakken's neck. They beat captured Drakkens to a pulp, and they used ancient techniques from a long-past time to wield blades whose secrets to forging have been lost- khopeshes.
Being surprisingly sane for a cultist, Valence was chosen to serve as his generation's leader, and to begin working against the Drakken. Things were changing; subtle warnings via dreams began plaguing the cult, until they all vanished- and soon after, they found out the Drakkens were coming.
Valence was, throughout his training, a very dedicated, undistracted pupil, who was a natural at fighting and warfare. Some other cultist Gems would whisper that he was a Drakken in Gem skin; he let the rumors continue on their merry way, ignoring them in favor of more training- if people were scared of and respected you, they would be that more likely to follow you in the heat of battle. He had an unusual drive to be the best he could be- his teachers often told him that he was Pyrus's champion, the one that'd save them all. He knew they didn't mean it; they wanted to encourage him to be better, to do more, but he still took it to heart.
Other: The cult numbers close to two thousand, all across the lands of the Gem. Up to three hundred are stationed within the various 'fortresses' within the mountains on either side of the Gem-Drakken pass, hiding and waiting, training new recruits. Meanwhile, the other ~1700 or so Gems of the cultist live normal lives among the people, sit in outposts across the land, or work in Drakken or other nations to keep war from coming, or to delay it.
They actually receive fairly decent support from the water royalty, seeing the sense in the cult's motto- "Offer one hand in peace, and arm the other." The cult does nothing more than keep a sort-of 'Elite' group of soldiers at the ready, prepare hiding places for the population, and construct weapons and armor in secret, for the day that Drakkens, or others, will invade.
@RomanAria I want one! Twins could switch out- if they're both recruited by Cultists, and they switch out- one at the mountain fortresses, one as the bridge- and provide so much intelligence.
One could not find a less impressive looking Drakken if they were given a lifetime to search. Easily 6 inches shorter than most Drakken with short, stubby horns which he commonly covers with a hood or helmet, apparently out of shame. His build is also far less imposing and his arms far thinner than those of his taller brethren, lacking the same degree of muscle when compared to other drakken. At a glance one could be forgiven for not realising he was one of the Drakken and perhaps merely an extremely muscular if dull looking Gem. However, those seemingly mundane brown eyes hide a burning lust for power, supported by an expertise in military strategy and a sound grasp of how to weave his elemental powers into combat. The darkest creatures of the blighted south would be hard pressed match his brutality. - Description of Zakroti Unalim as given by a Gem Representative
Bio: Zakroti was easily identifiable as a runt upon his birth and in accordance with the wishes of his father, Orstaki Unalim, was to be left out to die in the elements. His mother managed to placate his father and convince him not to have the baby put to death. His father abhorred him growing up and he was routinely looked down upon by his taller siblings, indeed Zakroti existed as a blot in his immediate families gaze. Outside of his immediate family, his other relations did not care much for him as he was simply another nephew or grandson and were it not for his remarkably small stature he doubted any would even remember his name.
His small size was and in many ways still is a source of humiliation for him and as a child he was only able to take solace in his mothers presence. She was one of the very few members of his family to show him any kindness and he was understandably devastated by her death despite her position in Drakken society being little better than a concubine.
On his 15th Birthday Zakroti led a small force of Drakken warriors across the border into the territory of a foreign peoples and sacked two small towns, returning with nearly one hundred and fifty slaves. The fledgling lord sent them off to his father as a gift. Grudglingly, his father acknowledged the achievement and granted the boy the holding of Mu'Fanla, a small fortress situated in the otherwise barren mountains to the south of his families holdings. Although this was somewhat impressive for a first military achievement, given that few expected to see him in any form of leadership role at any point in his life time and certainly not so young, he first rose to true prominence during a conflict in the western lands, in which he saved the life of a prominent noble and was gifted the holding of Mu'Kasi, a large fortress situate overlooking the pass out of Drakka and into the neighbouring territory. Zakroti exacted a toll on armies passing through and raised considerable funds from this, which drew the ire of several nobles.
Mu'Kasi was eventually levelled after the toll fees offended a particularly ill tempered noble, which resulted in a retaliatory campaign that culminated in a six month siege; The lord agreed to pay for the reconstruction of Mu'Kasi and Zakroti has been careful to ensure that it has a considerable garrison at any given time. By this point, a number of Drakken nobles and even a handful of members within his family had begun to see Zakroti's potential as an ally.
At age 50 an opportunity presented its self that Zakroti could not ignore; His father had fallen out of favour with the family and the king and, as such, Zakroti seized the chance and met in secret with a number of family members and Drakken nobles to hatch an insidious plot
With all the pieces on the board set, Zakroti challenged his father to honourable combat. As expected, his father refused; Consequently, Zakroti led a force of Drakken and mercenaries to sacked his fathers estate, winning in spite of the fact that his army was outnumbered two to one. The young lord had his father thrown into an oubliette where he allegedly remains to this very day.
Zakroti claimed dominion over his fathers lands and vassals by right of conquest and alleged that his father had refused to fight him out of cowardice. This was upheld by the family court which ruled in favour of Zakroti, though not out of any love for the young lord himself but rather so as to avoid invalidating a right of conquest claim that the family's head was pursuing; His father had already fallen out of favour after refusing to commit his forces to a war effort two years prior and so this was considered to be an acceptable trade. Further, two key family members with positions in court had been amongst those who conspired with Zakroti to bring about his fathers downfall.
A considerable number his siblings refused to accept the leadership of their runt of a brother and openly rebelled against him and by extent the ruling of the family court. As such, Zakroti engaged in a half decade long internal war of stabilisation with the nominal support of his grandfather. This war was drawn out by repeated outside interference as many Drakken nobles joined the war on various sides simply for the joy of fighting or in order to further their own ambitions. The war ended with the Sack of his brother Lakli's estate, crushing the final credible threat to his rule.
The consolidation that followed this infighting resulted in Zakroti having five of his brothers and three of his sisters hung, drawn and quartered. Two of his brothers were forced to eat pieces of their own skin as they were flayed alive. Lakli himself was sewn into a bag along with various venomous serpents and diseased animals before being tossed into the river and washing off downstream into the ocean; His body was later found washed up on Gemminite shores, shrivelled up like a prune. Zakroti had two of his sisters publically defiled and enslaved, giving them off to be handed around the Drakken nobles who had supported his side in the rebellion. Initially, Zakroti had planned to engage in a war with the nobles who had supported his brothers cause, however the Drakken Court had been planning a major offensive and did not wish to see their numbers decreased by the infighting and thus passed down an official order to prevent further escalation. This edict officially declared Zakroti to be the rightful successor of his father by right of conflict in order to prevent any further infighting. Asa result both sides reluctantly backed down with neither willing to incur the ire of the Drakken Court or King, knowing that they would be all too willing to crush the weakened lords if given an excuse. The Court, however, did not force the family to accept Zakroti onto its internal council and as such Zakroti was not allowed to claim his fathers seat under the pretence that it still de jure belonged to his living father
Regardless, resistance had been crushed and many had been sent to meet Krenta during these efforts. Any siblings that still harboured misgivings about his position wisely fell silent after this; After all, the strong rule in Drakka. With his position finally secured, Zakroti spent his 55th birthday plotting out reconstruction efforts and rebuilding his power base in preparation for another conflict
Towards the end of his 71st year, Zakroti pledged his armies to his families cause during an invasion of the dreaded south and was elevated in status due his exceptional performance, finally being allowed to claim his fathers seat and thus a member of the family court and gaining significant prestige as a result. With his new station came the privilege (and indeed, the obligation) of taking a bride or several. Zakroti was ordered by his great grand father, the head of the family and one of the powerful Drakken warlords, to take at least one Gem Bride from the next group of selectees, a decision the lord is somewhat reluctantly obeying. Indeed, Zakroti has shown little interest in taking a bride outside of the pure pragmatic value.
Other: Zakroti's small stance and the humiliation that was derived from it has led to the development of a superiority complex; That is to say, he presents an elevated sense of importance in order to mask his underlying fears of inferiority. As such his primary driving force was to find some validation in the world, to find some way in which he doesn't always feel so... Weak. He found that power and brutality brought him reslect and fear, and has cloaked himself in the two ever since. Zakroti holds a considerable envy of the Gems due to the condition of their homeland, though purely because he believes Gemminia would serve as a better powerbase than Drakka as it would be able to support more people and in turn field larger armies, though this view has proven to be unpopular among the Drakken and thus he is usually rather quiet about it. As a slave trader, Zakroti has made an immense fortune trafficking in human prisoners. He and augments his warriors with an army of slave soldiers and uses his money to hire bands of mercenaries. This huge military potential coupled with his penchant for trading in slaves has made him a widely feared and despised Lord. Zakroti is the Muth (Duke) of Varlasmoras and Orth (Count) of Varlasmoras and Qearakas
