Acrolith

Such Haukes, Such Hounds

@Maxwell: I'll say Taula was caught up in fighting at the royal mews when the invaders broke through the defenses and couldn't make too much headway towards the king as the stables burned, enemies rushed in and animals panicked.

Supēsu Sentai Sensō Seijin Go!

Set in 1993 America within the fictional metropolitan city of Cherub Copse, California S4 is intended to be equal parts deconstruction and tough love parody of the formulaic monster-of-the-week children's shows we all grew up on. Placed inside the role of a reasonably athletic but otherwise unremarkable senior at Cherub Copse High I expect those that get accepted to keep as human a perspective to their writing as possible. At its core this is a story of young adults thrust into extreme situations by extraordinary circumstances and their struggle with the teenage woes of sex, discrimination and life after high school.

I won't shy away from a typical premise: An evil from the depths of space sets his sights on earth and it falls to a group of teenagers with attitude to defeat him. Most if not all of the tropes and conventions audiences have come to expect will not only be present and played straight but brought to their logical conclusions. Causes and consequences for the above will be examined as the international community responds to the threat both our heroes and the villain pose, the enemy's true motivations are unveiled and the cost and temptation of true power becomes clear.

That's the pitch. If you're interested in applying before the OOC goes up this is the place to post CSs and any questions you might have. Standard advanced roleplaying standards apply with the small caveat that you be excellent to your fellow writers. Keep in mind that this is set during late November of the 1993 Clinton administration; Don't ask, Don't tell is being signed into law, the Los Angeles riots and world trade center bombing weigh heavily on America and the Soviet Union dissolved--ending the Cold War--barely two years prior.

Character Sheet

Name:
Age: (Keep in mind you're in either the 11th or 12th grade.)
Appearance: (No pictures please)
Interests, Hobbies or Extracurriculars: (Keep in mind that you are at least somewhat athletic and as such should include at least one interest along those lines. Try to avoid the 'everyone's a martial artist' phenomenon by leaning more towards interests like baseball, the wrestling team or even just cheer leading.)
Home life: (This should have a huge impact on the sort of person you've become so far.)
Personality: (This should include their shortcomings.)
Color: (As all of your alter egos will look remarkably similar it's important that they be color coded. Try to pick a color that rolls off the tongue as 'Seijin BLANK' is also your code name.)

Such Haukes, Such Hounds

@Maxwell = Will do!

Such Haukes, Such Hounds

@ Maxwell: Hope you didn't pull the same mistake I've made a million times out from under your hat--Typing it all in post window then accidentally telling the computer to go back a page.

Such Haukes, Such Hounds

Peer Pressure!

Here's my CS from the interest check too!

Acrolith

Name: Taula Ungeirtytär
Race: Drungr
The second most populous among the archipelago's myriad of inhabitants and an apparent offshoot of humanity, many unflattering theories circulate as to the origins of their sharp teeth, lengthy tongues and swart, sloe-black complexions. Nourished by the inhuman density of form and animal-like dynamism that flows through them they are naturally gifted soldiers and huntsmen. Tales of their bestial might and short tempers may often be exaggerated, but one would be wise not to test the limits of either.
Age: Presumably late-thirties to mid-forties
Position: Master of the Hunt and 'Thahlin' to the King.
Appearance: Strength ebbs through her like a river from its headwaters, each rippling formation beneath her dark skin rising and curving as a plethora of living testimonies to her physical prowess, every inch equal parts warrior and woman. She stares at the world as if looking through it, an intense clarity of purpose reflected in her beryl eyes; flecks of green pitted beneath an oft crinkled brow. She is not young and she is not an ideal beauty, to be likened to and admired as a finely crafted sword rather than delicate flower. Her firm flesh and hard angles holding all the wild, reckless allure of an unpenned tiger; quietly intimidating as they avow of constant danger.

Wide cheeks and a strong jaw form the foundation of her thinly furrowed face much in the same way her rectangular, nearly rubenesque figure serves to understate a bust almost subsumed by underlying pectorals. As if following suite closely cropped curls cling to the contour of her scar nicked scalp like a darkly hued sea of sow tails, trimmed to a tight fade about her temples. A small gap and off center smile add character to the pointed teeth her thin lipped mouth conceals whilst a cluttering of glyphs along each arm and shoulder quite literally brand her as an Estengauk.

Likewise she does not attire herself as lavishly as other ladies of the court--bedizened in the sort of sleeveless jerkin, loose rough spun slacks and sturdy boots most commonly associated with isolated homesteaders. Only the sparing use of simple bead work and stark embroidery that the ensemble bears would ever draw a second glance, the mainstays of Drungr craftsmanship.

Personality: Taula is very much a product of the bitter, war embroiled borderlands that huddle close to the splendor of Altranor, honed by the harsh cold and subsistence living or her native Eskengauk. With a matter-of-fact mentality, strange customs and 'unwomanly' demeanor she is by all accounts the square peg that has forced its way into the circle of her adoptive country's upper echelon.

Characterized as much by this as her nigh-religious adherence to a code of personal conduct that demands favors and slights be returned in kind her honor demands thundering, bloody vengeance for the life of the king. Come low hell or high heaven she will see this done.

Personal Relationships: On a personal note, though united by their shared loyalty to the late king and in general mindful of her elders Taula dislikes court wizard Nykerius as a matter of principle. There is friction, and while she does not doubt his power she does hold his magics in open contempt as the tools of a coward. To the old man's credit however he has at least managed to have her admit it to be a useful tool, a near superhuman feat that speaks volumes of his skill as a debater.

As estranged 'wife' to the late king Erasmus Taula knew the Lady Protector long before she inherited the title and as such is one of the few people that still remembers 'the smiling death' as the little girl whom threw a tantrum because she wasn't allowed to sit on the throne. She respected and understood Galene's motivations but never approved of the way she believed Riven was coddled as a child, attributing Riven's upbringing to why she finds lifelong obligation and constant murder disagreeable. Something of a nagging aunt Taula scolds her even as an adult, though often concerning matters more martial than mundane. A popular favorite is reminding her that wielding two swords is not faster than simply using a single weapon of more practical length.

Backstory: Twenty years to the day Taula was tithed to King Erasmus as a show of the neighboring Koen of Eskengauk's goodwill; the gifting of relatives a long held tradition that strengthens and extends the 'great chain' that is one's bloodline. A foreign tradition decidedly less vogue in the more enlightened kingdom of Altranor, where vassals or wards are much preferred over the sudden consignment of a slave-wife.

To the king's credit and queen's ire a suitable position was quickly found for this outrageous woman, one that would keep her blessedly distant from his royal personage without the need to rebuke the offered peace and promise of trade such a gesture had inferred. As huntmaster her duties would see her to all corners of the realm, organizing militias and heading townsfolk as they route out the lesser beasts and monsters ever-present amidst outlying settlements.

Such was the plan but to the surprise of nearly no one the steely eyed Taula opted to instead put her skills as an Ormrammr--a beastseeker--on display. Proceeding with only the barest of retinues she struck out for months at a time only to return with ever more outlandish tales and the grisly trophies that affirmed them; overstepping the demands of her position time and time again as she'd risk life and limb in pursuit of increasingly dangerous creatures. By the time she became a figure of minor folk legend it was impossible to tell which recountings of her deeds were fiction from those that were mere exaggerations, though rumor persists it to be the gods' honest truth she once bit the throat from a warg.

During the fateful attack on the capital Taula found herself at the royal mews just as the defenders were overtaken. Amid the panicked horses, burning stables and onrush of attackers she made little headway towards the King's sanctum. As castle Antranor fell to to Bernard of Ghant so too did its lord fall from the very symbol of his power, dashed against a sty at the foot of his highest tower. Determined to see this outrage repaid Taula sets several steeds aflame and effects her escape amid the confusion the burning beasts sow within the enemy ranks.

Possessions and Abilities:

Along each arm and shoulder extends her Kynneskr--kine scar--a series of ritual burns that tell the 'good parts' of her lifetale and strengthen the 'great chain' of her bloodline. Estengauk belief holds that in the afterlife one joins hands with their ancestors as they make the long journey to Ysgarven and that the weak in life are weak in death and unable to make the arduous trek. One's Kynneskr must be strong to resist the weight of the envious dead left gripping at the heels of those bound for Ysgarven.

As an Ormrammr she is practiced in a form a martial trance that claims to endow its practitioners with the aspects of mighty beasts. To see this done she keeps a cloak of cured brumesnake scale close at hand, empowering herself when need should arise with the shouting of beots and consumption of dubious mushrooms. Warriors such as herself enter battle weaponless as the creatures they seek to emulate and move to quickly overwhelm and overpower their foes with sheer ferocity.

The simple tools of skinning, hide work and woodcraft that just as easily lend themselves to being implements of murder.

*Phenomenally strong and large of stature, and not merely with other women as the measure. So far from the gender norm in land of the late-king Erasmus is this that she can't help but cut a frighteningly intimidating figure. She far from unaware of this.

*As Master of the Hunt and having held a similar position in her native lands she is well versed in the stalking, hunting, avoidance and most importantly cooking and consumption of uncommon creatures.

*Having spent more time outside city walls than within them she is not only acclimated to the harshest extremes of weather but keen to pick up on the hidden pathways and easily overlooked dangers others would overlook.

*She is only literate in regards to the glyphs used in Estengauk and as such unable to read much of anything the group is likely to find in the kingdom of Altranor.

*Has the habit of arguing with animals, most commonly dogs and horses. Usually during their handling and grooming. .

Such Haukes, Such Hounds

@Hank = Feel free to have him attribute it to the poor girl spending too much of her time around Taula!

Such Haukes, Such Hounds

@Raptorman = Gotta say I'm with Maxwell on this one but in the interest of being excellent to each other I'm more than happy to offer a little unsolicited advice.

*Personality wise I don't really think she should be at all kind. Civil perhaps, or superficially kind even, but not truly kind. Having read your CS start to finish it seems to me she was raised by a father, mother and culture all focused on the domination. Wars and feuds raged for thousands of years until her father murdered and intimidated his way to the throne, once there he kept to the proud Vyndarian tradition of viking-age economics by exporting murder and sailing back with anything and anyone they could carry.Her mother on the other hand used drugs, sex and manipulation to make a puppet of the man that raped a child into her and presumably had everyone she'd ever known killed or in similarly dire straits. Not only that but her homeland considers humankind ((and I'd wager all non-giant humanoids)) as lesser beings to the extent they liken them to livestock, this little tidbit of information opens up a seldom used opportunity...

*Your family doesn't need to be dead. Nobles from all walks of life had tons of ways and reasons to get rid of their unwanted offspring. As both Lin'Lise and her mother have evolved sexual predation as a biological imperative perhaps the Queen felt threatened by her maturing daughter. Your character could just as easily be foreign royalty sent abroad and supported via a yearly remittance--it might even have been at the King's order. He can't be happy to have an heir that's both female and only half a lorenvolk.

*It doesn't seem like she went raiding with her father's men, especially with a displayed interest and talent for healing over harm. Maybe work with that--if she hasn't been killing foes by the scads she's probably not all that good at it. Given that she's in her thirties, has had a child and led what seems to not be a physically active life. ((Healer at court, raising a kid, studying magic)) she could even be a little out of shape for a nice breathe of fresh air.

*The last thing i'd say is she should certainly be a pampered princess who had everything in life handed to her. She was born into royalty then lucky enough to marry into another Kingdom's direct line of succession. Heck, I'd even go so far as to say the captain of the guard would have made her his concubine rather than kill her the night of her father's death, the rebel guards were using loyalty to the late King and his legacy to justify their actions after all. Even in her original backstory it really only sounds like she only had to suffer through a coup d'etat and getting hungry during a long boat ride between periods of unimaginable luxury, excluding the death of her firstborn of course. I honestly think she'd be or soon grow to resent suddenly being a commoner at least as much as an act of infantcide.

Hope some of this helps Raptorman.

Such Haukes, Such Hounds

@Maxwell/Lexicon = You guys are probably right, I'll stick with Taula. I think I'm just a little too eager to start posting. Fun fact: I actually ended up with two other CS's I didn't submit!

Such Haukes, Such Hounds

@Maxwell = I think I just might have been fumbling with the concept, since 'race' tends to be used to describe different species in fantasy worlds and I treated it more like an ethnic group

************************EDIT**************************

I couldn't help feeling like not making a sufficiently non-human character was missing the boat on my part, so I scribbled up an alternate CS. I actually think this one might mesh a little bit better as we are want for a cowardly, combat incapable skullduggerer.

Can't wait to play as Taula

Such Haukes, Such Hounds

@Maxwell = Glad to hear it, I'll be sure to scope it out. I'm pretty much done with my CS unless there's anything more you want me to add. I've also fleshed out her appearance as well.

On an unrelated note I've been ruminating a bit on the no rubber forehead fantasy races policy, and I'm open to any suggestions you or any of the other players might have on the Drungr. So far I'm thinking of them as humanity's less enlightened cousins, more prone to knee-jerk reactions and doing things they instantly regret thanks to a hopped up flight-or-flight response they've inadvertently cultivated over the course of generations. That being said however I'd be more than willing to accommodate any strengths or weaknesses you think would be fun to write around.