Saryylyss

The Sahasian Alliance

With the pleasantries done for the moment, the princes and princesses went their separate ways for a time, perhaps to reconvene later at Sulhana's behest. Uriah followed her to her quarters, but remained in the antechamber while Lore continued on to her bedroom. She didn't know what to make of the initial meeting, but her mind was already spiraling with thoughts and possibilities.

"I can feel your energy all the way out here, child," came Uriah's gentle voice. "What's your judgement of the princes so far?"

Loreena was busy removing some of the ceremonial trappings of her station, opting for something more comfortable and casual now. "Oh no, you're not ensnaring me in that test, Uriah. Not this time."

The older man chuckled. "Fair enough. First impressions, then?" Upon hearing the princess made a noncommittal grunt in response, he grinned wider. "Be honest, girl. I'm your teacher, not a tattler."

Lore sighed as she sat in front of her mirror and brushed out her hair. She gathered her thoughts, Uriah patiently waiting for her response. "Dro Vyarin seems a strong man. It is that strength I see reaching for the crown of Astalia, he has eyes only for Lisse. Though whether that's his own ambition or that of his family, I do not know."

She gave a humored snort. "Alvaro I feel I could sit across from Jiny and their expressions would be the same. Neither want to do this, and I hope at least they might find themselves to be kindred spirits in that regard.

"As for Erick and Gil, both seem similar in situation, but for very different reasons. Gil for the fact this is simply not his home, it's so different. And Erick... because I think he feels he is not the right one to be here. In his mind, perhaps he feels it should be another." A tenderness came into her voice. "He was the only one who seemed to show true gratitude for my gift... I appreciate it."

Uriah picked up on the sweetness in her tone and hummed contently. "You do realize though, if he were to choose you, and you accepted, how close to the Empire you would be... It is Jörda's strength that currently keeps them at bay."

The princess was quiet for a moment before she continued. "I know that, Uriah. But why should I think myself any better than my sisters to not take on that danger? Lisse is the heart of Astalia, the crown is hers and there is none more deserving. Jiny will go on to be some amazing warrior and grand bardic ballads will be sung of her heroism. Sulhana will own a piece of every single person who ever draws breath..."

"And you, Loreena? What of Astalia's mage princess?"

Loreena came out from her bedchamber then, dressed in a simple gown of cerulean fabric, the blue topaz-like jewel that acted as her focus for her magic hung by a ribbon at her throat. Her hair was braided softly, a few curled strands escaping rebelliously. "There is no crown for me, Uriah, unless I marry into one. I can barely do more than parlor tricks for another decade or so until I get stronger with my magic. I would be content to make a difference in the world of one person, and spend my days outside of Astalia, learning what magic the rest of the world holds for me."

She looked up at the older mage curiously. "If...if I am ever to leave with my husband at any point...what will become of you?"

Uriah faced his pupil, a fatherly smile on his face. "My duty is to the mage princess of Astalia. Not the king, not the kingdom, the princess. I will remain faithful to my duty until my charge no longer has need of me." He straightened his robes. "Now come, let us go make nice with the others once more before we're late...again." And with Loreena laughing, they hurried down the halls and towards the Court of Flowers.

The Sahasian Alliance

Lore's eyebrows raised some as Sulhana stepped forward and addressed the princes who arrived. What was she up to? She passed a look to Uriah, who simply lifted a shoulder in an elegant shrug. "The Princess of Whispers speaks loudly and boldly so quickly," the ghost voice of her teacher murmured near silently in her ear. Loreena suppressed making a face at him in response. The elder princess did pull a slightly exasperated face at Sulhana as she extended the invitation. "Everything is going to be safe to eat and drink, right, love? I'm not entirely convinced after that display" she teased gently, only for the siblings to hear. It was no secret to the sisters their various general viewpoints on the matter, Loreena thus far being the only one to openly seem excited about the prospect of experiencing life beyond their lands, even if it was against a backdrop of conflict.

When Sulhana stepped away, Lore approached the princes in turn, Uriah at her heels. From his robes, he produced small boxes, and held them while Loreena selected the ones she desired and moved to each prince. Taking a box, she offered it to Vyarin. "Dro Vyarin," she began, speaking in a passably accented Prozdy language, "please accept my welcome to our home." Within the box was a jewel set into an intricate knot of ribbons, the colors of the house of Astalia. Lore continued in the language, though ot was obvious she was not fluent. "A symbol of strength, unity, and longevity, we are honored you are here." She did not bow nor expect him to, acknowledging him as equal.

She moved on to Alvaro, taking a box and presenting to to him with the traditional elven bow to an equal. Within Alvaro's box was a jewel, wrapped in and set in a backdrop of pure silver wire, intricately curled and twisted in the style of traditional elvish scrollwork. "A symbol of passion and elegance, I welcome you warmly to our home."

Gil was next, and she gave him a respectful bow. "Prince Gil, thank you for accepting our invitation." She offered his box. Within was a braided ribbon of Astalian colors, from the end dangled another jewel, a ribbon for his hair if he chose to wear it. "A symbol of courage and good fortune, I hope you feel welcomed in our home."

And finally, she came to Erick, giving him a proper Jördanian greeting. "Prince Erick, I hope your journey was not too taxing." She offered Erick his gift. Within the box was a dark yellow jewel entwined with black and gray ribbon embroidered with spun gold thread. His house colors. "A symbol of loyalty and trust, it is my hope that you feel welcome here."

Having been carefully inspected by Uriah for accuracy and propriety, the princess had carefully tailored each gift personally for the individual princes in the days and weeks leading up to their arrival. The tokens had been handmade by her, a personal gift to welcome her new brothers and one that would hopefully mean something sentimental to her own potential suitor.

What are some of the most confusing/cringiest OC's you have ever encountered?

It's not a competition to see who has or knows the cringiest or most confusing. I just thought it would be funny to share experiences.

What are some of the most confusing/cringiest OC's you have ever encountered?

As the title suggests, I'd love to hear some of the oddest OC's you've encountered or made in any format: forums, tabletop, etc

I'll begin with one I've encountered and one that I made.

One was a bit of a head-scratcher for me...and proved why I have a hard time playing pregenerated characters ideas without A LOT of detail being explained first. Person had a whooooooole universe plotted out and our characters were on opposite sides of a war.

- Got into a space fight and both ships crashed to an alien planet. OP's character's ship protecting mine from burning up in atmospheric entry

- Person's character crash lands without taking any injury. When asked why, it was because Character is genetically modified.

- Character hikes 5 miles in unfamiliar territory in about an hour, taking time to observe dangerous fauna along the way.

- Character understands enough of MC's language to have basic interactions. Then proceeds to build a translator using MC's ship computer so now they can communicate. When questioned why, it's because Character is a military engineer

- Has our characters trek back to Character's campsite, cautioning MC to stay close and hide, needing to protect them because MC doesn't have the skills and experience necessary to survive an unknown land. When asked why, it's because Character was genetically engineered to survive on harsh worlds.

- Character has a very rare sword that is more special than other soldiers' swords.

- When attacked by a large creature native to the planet, Character kills it with a very precise strike with the special sword to sever the spinal column in it's back. When asked about how Character knew to make that precise strike on a creature never seen before, apparently Character figure that out on the hike over here.

I felt like I was just writing alongside someone's superhero fantasy. When asked what MC's purpose was for being there, what could MC do that Character couldn't, I got the response of "well...you said you were going to have them collect plants, right?" I asked for more specifics story-wise of my MC was supposed to be there and the person never answered, so I just left.

Oh...and all of what I described happened in the space of less than a day.

For MY cringey character:
Whe. I was much younger, I was a huge Jurassoc Park fan. I ran a message board about it and everything, and it had a roleplay section. I made a roleplay character whose parents crash-landed on one of the islands when she was a baby. She was then orphaned after her parents were killed by velociraptors and she was "adopted" by the raptors and grew up to be part of the pack. She could talk to all the dinosaurs on the island and could run as fast as the raptors and InGen wanted to capture her to find out why she survived among the dinosaurs for so long....

Oh my gosh.... It was so awful....

The Sahasian Alliance

Loreena had been up since the gray light of dawn. She knew it was Uriah's favorite time of day, before the sun illuminated the colors of the world, and life would begin to rouse and stir. The Court Mage would be found in the gardens at this hour, and Loreena herself was in the kitchen, warming a pot of tea for them. Today was a big day, the castle all in an flurry of preparation and excitement. Despite all of the pomp and circumstance, her teacher refused to release her from her lesson for the day. If she was to apply herself to magic, it needed to be a lifelong passion and pursuit. Loreena had shown no disappointment in his decision, despite his gruff mannerisms.

Uriah had been her teacher and companion since she was 14 and her abilities had begun to manifest. He had tested all of the princesses as they came of age, but as of yet, only Lore had shown any aptitude for it. He had taken her education very seriously, and had done his best to impress on her the seriousness of the power she could wield. She had been an apt student, but magic was hard to master, and it had taken nearly a year for her just to find a focus she resonated with, and another half year after that before she could begin to weave the magic into the web of spells. Uriah had been infinitely patient with h, pushing her when she felt lazy or overconfident, and comforting her when she grew frustrated and discouraged. Through it all, he never lost his temper, was ever patient, and always emotionally solid.

Lore brought the tray of tea out to the garden where he sat, meditating, preparing to greet the dawn. The older man smiled as he saw his young charge, gratefully accepting a cup of the steaming brew as the princess took a seat next to him. "A big day, milady. You meet a potential husband in a few hours. How does that make you feel?"

The woman tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Nervous....excited....uncertain. I have never thought about a future with someone else. I don't know what to expect, nor if I should even expect anything at all. What if none like me? What if I make a mistake and embarrass my family? What if things don't work out?..."

"And what if the sun turns purple and the birds swim and the fish fly...?" Uriah cut in, the absurdity of the statement bringing a smile to Loreena's face. He continued. "You have never needed anyone before, and you do not need anyone to continue. That being said, having a companion for your future can be a comforting and adventurous event. Yes, there is a business aspect to this, a chance for something strong and powerful to come of this, but you have a sensible mind and a romantic heart, milady. Do not waste it on someone who will not walk beside you as friend as well as lover."

Loreena sipped her cup. "Is that why you never married, Uriah?" The older man chuckled. "I am married, child. To my work, to my learning, my teaching, and my magic. I love what I have learned, and I know it as intimately as any lover. I cannot expect everyone to walk the path I have, but I am content with my books. You, I sense, will not be content until you have filled volumes of books with your own stories. Now come, we will have your lesson early so you may be with your family when the guests arrive."

A few hours later saw Loreena being the last of her sisters to enter the meeting room, Uriah in tow. "Sorry I'm late!" She said, bustling in, greeting each sister and their father with a kiss to the cheek before taking her place along with the others.

The Sahasian Alliance

Yay! I joined! I keep myself to "Appear offline" most of the time, but I almost always have my phone with me, so I'll get to the messages a lot quicker

A demons' bride- a horror war story-closed

name: Gwynefyr "Gwyn" Astelier
age: 26
bio: Gwyn is the first and only child of Dietrich and Gabriella Astelier. Her father is human, and through her mother's veins flowed the blood of archangels. Gwyn was born a Nephilim, half human and half angel, her powers sealed away thanks to the dilution of her angelic bloodline by that of human blood. As a Nephilim, she does have the ability to unlock her angelic powers, though it cones with a cost. Her mother did not have much tine to teach her, however as the childbirth had weakened her, and it was shortly before Gwyn's 7th birthday that a particularly harsh winter took Gabriella. Dietrich did his best to raise her, but how does one raise a Nephilim? Now with war looming on the horizon and imminent invasions from both sides, Gwyn and her father face a dark and difficult road ahead.
role in the story: Princess of the land of Ellystrom
powers:
Her skills would fall under the the "summoning" and "alteration" schools of magic. It is genetic, but involves a pretty steep start-up price and will incur a cost to use.

When she is of an understanding age, and if she willingly accepts the costs, she goes on a Forage. She gathers some natural flora and fauna ingredients and creates a special "ink" from it. She then creates a "mark" of her own design on her body somewhere. The ink will burn into her flesh and mix with her blood to basically "unlock" access to her angelic powers.

With these powers, she uses a combination of summoning and alteration where she can make things out of other materials and infuse them with magic. For example, she can take a rock, use her magic to make it into a spear shape and throw it.

The caveat is that each time she does that, it exerts a cost, the mark on her body will spread, causing pain each time. If its a small thing, like turning a leaf into a piece of paper, it's practically no cost. But if it's something big like earth-bending a mountain into existence, it would make the mark take over a whole limb.

Since Nephilim are so rare, no one can say what happens if the mark consumes the entire surface of the body... There is much speculation, but no definitive evidence.

The Sahasian Alliance

Well, we needn't decide on with whom our characters end up with before the game begins. I think it would be fun to let events play out and see how it goes.

@bloonewb

I tentative plan is good tho. Plans can change, but having ideas it always a good course of action.

@LostDestiny

I agree with both of these sentiments. I think having a tentative plan is good, just so we're not all sitting around waiting for some unknown cue to start the action, but it doesn't need to be set in stone until IC decisions are made. Compatibility between writing partners is just as important as the compatibility between characters.

@SereneDoge Oh. my. gosh... Those diary entries are amazing! I know it sounds silly, but I love reading the way people feel about my character. I am really excited to see how Sulhana's dynamic works with her sisters. This feels like a fantasy version of the Bennett sisters from Pride and Prejudice.

The Sahasian Alliance

I am quite content working together with Martian on our characters' relationship and am excited about getting this started!

A demons' bride- a horror war story

Awesome! I'm excited!