Dominique

The Coming Tide of War

Don't be silly, there's no meat on him :P

The Coming Tide of War

Och, poor Mytchel, making himself subservient to a bunch of peasants, criminals and social outcasts ;) Great post there, fellow-Starbomb-appreciator! I also wanna say that I think it's amazing 11 out of 11 people have actually posted already! I hope Pirouette gets approved quickly too, I'm just super impressed with all the quality writing and activity sofar ^^

The Coming Tide of War

@Kingfisher That feeling is entirely mutual - I was so grateful Lilly got to pick a spot between Ghis and Jobe ^^ Did you also notice that the entire cast seems to be at least half a foot longer than either of those girl, btw?

@Kierkegaard That would be hilarious, and I have to admit that the part where Klaus prods the mage had me giggling as I read it! This crew is so wonderfully diverse, I absolutely love it!

Oh, btw, @Pirouette, I really love your character and not just for having a certain resemblance to Lagertha (Yay Vikings!). I hope you'll be approved soon - and is your profile picture from the Banner Saga? I never played it, but the animation style looks so familiar!

I think Jarin just might make Lilianna shrink to even smaller proportions =T

The Coming Tide of War

They arrived at the city when the sun had already set, and Lilianna was wobbly in the saddle. She lazily pressed the back of her hand against her lips, stifling a yawn. The soft woollen hood of her mantle pleasantly concealed most of her features and for the better part of the past hour she had happily dozed off as the mare who carried her dutifully plodded on along the main road, following in the wake of her uncle Claas. The steed he rode was a proud one and the leader of the pack back at the horse farm, way up north in their home town Sinegi. Behind him trailed another three animals; horses for the royal army that would be delivered unusually early by grace of the vision Lilianna had witnessed, not so many days ago. When the vision found her, the sounds so intense and overwhelming that it had given her nightmares, Lilly had tried her best to conceal it had ever happened. It would have been but another strange event to make her stand out like so many things before had done, and she really could do with a bit of blending in. But when travellers brought word of the king's summon it wasn't long before her aunt and uncle, whom she had lived with for the past thirteen years, managed to draw the truth from her - she was an open book to most people, really - and now here she was, on Highmont's doorstep looking a lot less impressed than the city deserved.

She startled into a state of abrupt awareness when Claas Beaufort brought the procession of horses to a sudden halt. They had reached the gatehouse without her even noticing, and whilst the city had steadily been drawing nearer the girl had been blissfully oblivious of getting so very close to her destination; she would have spent a lot more time being nervous if she'd known how close they were to the palace. The castle towered over the city with imposing grandeur, and that was a sight she wasn't quite so accustomed to; Griffinmont, the city she had spent the early years of her childhood in, had been vast and beautiful, but lacked the tall spires Highmont had to offer. Lilly found herself gazing up rather slack-jawed, and it wasn't until her uncle addressed her, probably for the third or fourth time, that she managed to tear her eyes away from the sight and focus on the grey-haired and likewise bearded man instead.

“This is where we part ways, child,” he informed her after she'd dismounted and carefully guided her horse to the front of the line. The gatekeeper was leafing through the paperwork and not paying them much attention. “Are you sure you'll be all right on your own?”

Lilly nodded enthusiastically, bravely countering that awkward feeling of a stone settling in her stomach. “It's not like I haven't been on my own before,” she replied. “Besides, I'll be in the king's castle, I don't think there's a safer place for me to be than there!”

Claas cast her a warm smile, one mixed with feelings of a far more sentimental nature. He may not be her true father, but Lilly loved him like she did her own parents... and perhaps even more. When he reached out and cupped his hand under her chin she had to keep from getting emotional. “Just mind yourself, pumpkin,” he said, “People here aren't as accepting as they are up north.”

It was all she could do to wrap her arms about the – considerably larger – man and find herself disappearing in a bear hug instead. “Don't worry about me!” she chimed confidently. “I'll be back home with you and aunt Margaret before you know it!” With that, she handed the reins over to her uncle and quickly padded off, worried that if she stayed any longer she'd lose the courage to leave altogether. As cheerful as she had sounded, truth was that Lilly was feeling considerably anxious about this whole endeavour. It wasn't every day that you got summoned to the royal palace and although as a noble-born she wasn't entirely unfamiliar with life at court, it had been a long time since she'd attended any upper class event. She sure hoped she could fit in.

As she approached the castle, Lilly soon discovered that her concerns were perhaps unfounded. People of all walks of life were queued up in front of the gates, patiently or impatiently awaiting their turn to be examined by this stoic and enigmatic looking man who stood by the doorway. Lilly worried what he was doing; she also worried what he would think of her. Then she mostly worried about being warm; her clothes were more suited for the much colder climate of the north and had it not been past sunset, then she probably would have been sweating uncomfortably by now. She had little option other than to join the others in the weaving line and she timidly got in line behind a rather tall and somewhat exotic looking man. Before him stood a simple peasant-woman, probably twice Lilly's age. There were warriors and farmers, learned men and simpletons – all sorts had lined up in the hopes of making their way beyond the castle doors. Plenty of them were being sent away, but just as many seemed to be allowed inside, although Lilly did not know on what conditions they were permitted entrance. It made her rather fearful of this mysterious man positioned near the entryway and when eventually it was her turn to be inspected, she was just about ready to bolt off. He peered down at her with an intense gaze and she shrank back a bit, but didn't dare to seem impolite by averting her eyes.

“I'm Lilly,” she squeaked uneasily. No answer. “Are you here to- to-”

”Proceed to the dining hall,” the man spoke curtly, and Lilly, her cheeks flushed with misplaced embarrassment wasn't sure whether to feel relieved or upset that he had dismissed her so easily. And without even introducing himself!

Still a little overwhelmed, the girl daintily made her way to the room like so many before her. The dining hall had filled up significantly when she arrived; the buffet had been feasted upon and a lot of seats were already taken. Like outside, people of all classes and from all sorts of places were gathered, making it a rather unique and colourful ensemble. She eyed the abundance of food with wonder, approvingly admiring the many cakes and buns and slices of fresh bread that hid in the many baskets before grabbing a cinnamon roll and a drink she didn't recognize with a sweet and spicy fragrance. Carrying the two to the table, Lilly found a seat inbetween a fair-haired girl and a peasant boy, who both seemed to be particularly appreciative of the food they had chosen. Glad to be amongst friendlier folk, she cast them both a warm smile, letting her eyes wander the faces of her current company. “Hello!” she greeted merrily. Lilly took the mug of mead between her fingers, cradling the drink absently. Her curiosity soon got the better of her, anxiety had rapidly dwindled the moment the mage had allowed her into the castle, and she studied the people inside the hall uninhibitedly. “So many different people,” she observed out loud, “Aren't you curious what the king wants us he-- Oh, are those black trumpets?”

Without thinking, the girl reached over and picked up one of the dark mushrooms from the bowl on the table and popped it in her mouth. “Hmmm—Mwai wove dese”, she commented with great approval. Sucking the garlicky oil from her fingertips, she offered her neighbours some of the cinnamon bread as well, happy to share, even if the food was free for the taking anyway. This didn't seem so bad, she decided. Perhaps being off on her own wasn't half as scary as she'd envisioned.

The Coming Tide of War

I might edit my character's magical abilities a little, if that's all right. Having two healers is a bit redundant and she's not really got any other skills to begin with =T Maybe shape-shifting, although I'm not sure how great I'd be at portraying that just yet ^^ @Heat

Amazing character btw, Kingfisher, I love Ghisronia!@Kingfisher In fact, all the characters sofar are just amazing. I'm really looking forward to this :)

The Coming Tide of War

Lilianna is 5'5" tall, with copper-shaded hair, vivid green eyes and a disarming smile.
Name: Lilianna Beaufort
Age: 21
Gender: Female
Sexual Orientation: Oblivious - In certain aspects she's beyond naive
Occupation: Horse trainer/ Stable girl (and estranged daughter of a viscount and his wife)
Weaponry: Lily wields a bow and arrow for hunting; a skinning knife as well as a carving knife, carefully sheathed.
Apparel: She wears comfortable dresses of several layers for keeping warm. Each layer of the skirt has a slit running up to her thighs at different angles for added comfort (and revealing nothing) while riding horses. Over her daily attire she'll usually wear a woollen cloak.
Equipment: Furs for sleeping, a pendant bearing her family crest as proof that she's of noble heritage, a leather water skin, a small assortment of herbs for various purposes and a comb and soap (because cleanliness is a virtue).
Skills: Lily is a more than decent archer, although her skills are limited almost entirely to hunting animals. She is able to skin animals and prepare them for cooking; Lily can make a mouth-watering meal with just a potato and a dead squirrel. Above all she's an excellent horse rider with an affinity for animals in general and the noble equine creatures in specific. Considering her magical abilities though, some might regard it as slightly macabre.
Magical abilities: Lily has the ability to shapeshift into a number of animals commonly found in the vicinity of the farm she lives in (she doesn't know many others, after all), and although she has hardly mastered it to perfection, the girl manages to alter her shape with an apparent ease that stems from childhood. Her favoured forms are the robin and the red fox, and although she, by now, knows better than to risk being discovered for who - and what - she is, shapeshifting is a guilty pleasure that, much like an addiction, has to be satisfied regularly.

Personality: Lily is a sweet girl, a bit on the naive side and a somewhat odd mixture of noble heritage and farmer girl upbringing. Her mannerisms and politeness stem from what she's been taught as a child, even if her current life really doesn't lend itself for impeccable manners and straight posture. Her caring nature befits her healing abilities and she's generally friendly and open towards the townsfolk in a way that could almost be considered endearing.

Backstory:Lily is originally from Griffinmont, her family of lower noble ranking. She was brought up like a proper little lady, but her magical affinity became apparent at an early age. The first time she disappeared, her parents were in a total panic and convinced their precious daughter had been kidnapped by bandits who would demand their riches. How a small child could make their way all the way up the rickety ladder to the attic, they couldn't figure out, but after two painstaking hours that was exactly where they found Lily, contently playing with half a dozen mice who seemed delighted by her presence. The mystery grew when it happened two times more in that year, especially since the ladder had since been removed. Over the years Lily would leave her parents astounded several times over, each time she managed to seemingly tumble down high windows without harming herself - and never whilst being seen - or climbing up rooftops or getting into locked rooms with narrow windows not even a child could fit through. It wasn't until a few weeks after her seventh birthday that the mystery was solved, when Mrs. Beaufort walked into her daughter's bedroom unannounced to catch her, in all her youthful innocence, wandering up to her windowsill, her eyes longingly gazing up at the sky. Her mother just barely managed to stifle the scream that burnt on her lips as their only child seemed to leap to her own death, but fell silent at an unlikely sight: without any apparent effort the young girl abandoned her human form and instead reduced it to one much smaller, winged and feather-coated, flying into the sky without a care in the world.

Of course, once the truth came out, everything inevitably changed. Lilianna's parents decided it would be best not to have her raised in one of the most densely populated and harshly judgemental places of the kingdom, and so Lily spent most her life growing up in Sinegi, a small town in the relative north of Ecen. The frozen mountains have been like sleeping giants, lurking on the distant horizon almost as a warning, but Lily has been blissfully unaware of any truth to the rumours that surround the mythical north. Sinegi is a quiet town with few travellers. It has less than two hundred inhabitants, most of which are farmers and hunters. Surprisingly, the ground is rather fertile and though the harsher climates make the area only suitable for growing sturdy vegetables like carrots and potatoes, the village is pretty much self-sustaining.

Lily has been living in with her aunt Margaret and uncle Claas from the tender age of eight and grew up working at the horse farm that has been in their family for generations. The Beaufort horses are pure blooded creatures, strong, healthy and particularly composed, making them extremely suitable for battle. Which is likely why their mounts are almost exclusively sold to the royal army itself, despite the considerable distance between Sinegi and the capital. Lily has been hauling bails of hay, lugging pails of water and brushing the grand horses from the moment she could lift a full bucket and when she got older, she was allowed to break in and ride the animals as well. She has a natural way of handling the noble animals without the need of force or raising her voice (a talent no doubt to be attributed to her magical skills). Her ability to alter her form is something that her aunt and uncle neither encourage nor discourage, and although Lily rarely has need of her skills, her occasional (and generally accidental) display of what she's capable of has made the entirety of the small town all too aware that they have a mage in their midst. But the Sinegians are loyal folk and Lilianna is a girl easy to like; no one ever speaks ill of her and no outsider would know she's any different from the rest of the villagers.

Guardians Rising

Any chance you have a character up yourself already? I'd like to see an example of the weapon/catalyst part, at least ^^

Patience

Well, if you find yourself in need of another player, it seems like it would be an amazing story! It'd involve me doing a lot of reading up first though, but y'know, if you do need someone..!

Patience

It is here, too ;) Though my 'weekend' always starts on Monday. Take your time! Oh, and out of curiosity - how is your battletech RP going? Is it coming together yet? I was reading the OOC of it over the weekend and it looks pretty intense.

The Coming Tide of War

@HeatI just want to look it over before making it final, it was very very late when I posted it ^^ I don't think there'll be many changes to it, though.

Edit: Just fixed a few typos, think I'm good if you are!