Vec

Scion: Children of Light

Berenice Eldri

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The sarcasm in the girl’s voice was evident to Berenice. “Ah, it seems that the Serpents were not your ideal destination,” she said, understanding instantly dawning on her. “It should be fine though. From what I gather, you can still study other magic practices even if you ended up chosen by a Cult unsuitable to your aptitude. Maybe inform our mentor of the situation?” Berenice offered some advice to Sarahi, who seemed much more interested in playing with what seemed to be her tutelary. “I’d heard tutelaries can take any form, but iridescent butterflies? Fascinating!”

As she ended her comment, a hand landed on her shoulder, squeezing it tightly. All of her previous excitement vanished as Berenice visibly deflated. She straightened her back as a heavy voice was heard from behind her.

“Sorry for intruding. I’m sure you two had a pleasant conversation, but I need to borrow my daughter for a few moments,” Anak said, the smile on his face as fake as ever.

“Ah, sorry, but I have to go. I’m sure we will meet later, once our mentor summons us. Goodbye!” Berenice said with an apologetic look on her face before turning around and walking away with her father.

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“Quite presumptuous of you to not come straight back to me after the ceremony. I’ll personally oversee your training upon our return.” A veiled threat was the first thing that came out of Anak’s mouth after some time of walking in silence. His daughter had just been formally accepted into one of the most prestigious institutions in Photep, and the first thing he did was berate her for wanting to meet her fellow Novitiates.

“Yes father,” Berenice mouthed out dryly. She had gotten used to this level of abuse by now, causing her to not even flinch at the thought of the grueling workload that was in front of her. Inwardly, she also scolded herself, however. She could have been smarter; first return to Anak for debriefing and then go meet the others. At least that way she could’ve met the other Novitiate, Sirvan.

They soon arrived at a table clearly occupied by the Edri family and friends. Berenice could see a lot of familiar faces sitting and chatting, partaking in the delicacies brought over by the Cults in order to entertain their guests. A commencement into the Cults was always a momentous occasion for Photep as new blood and ideas were being injected into the city’s arguably most important foundational block.

“Ah! Berenice, my child!” A middle-aged woman immediately shot up from her seat and literally bolted into a hug, crushing the 16-year old girl into her embrace. “M-mom, mom, MOM! Relax!” Berenice posed a token resistance at first before surrendering and hugging back. Her mother’s infectious happiness rubbed off to her, alleviating her spirits somewhat after the more-than cold reception she had received from her Anak.

“Sit, sit! Tell us what happened! What did the Vizier tell you? Oh, actually don’t tell us, I bet it’s something important that only Sorcerers should know!” Anak visibly cringed at the sound of his wife’s words, but he remained silent instead of commenting on it and proceeded to sit down beside her. “Yes, my daughter, tell us what you thought of the ceremony,” he said instead, that same fake smile returning once again.

With a sigh, Berenice joined them in the table and started narrating her experience.

--

After a while, Anak stood up once again. “Let this be a toast to the future of the Eldri family and our beloved Berenice, who is joining the Cults as a Novitiate! This is indeed a sign by the gods that our family still has their favor! Cheers!”

Everyone held up their cups in agreement as well and cheered. With a hearty laugh, Anak placed his cup down and walked over to where Berenice was seated. “Now, I think it’s time for my lovely daughter to finally meet her new sorcery guide, let’s not keep her here any longer.”

“Yeah... thank you all for coming to my commencement!” She told everyone, waved goodbye to her mother and turned around to leave. “I’ll be waiting for you back at the house. Don’t be late!” Anak’s voice was heard from behind as she walked, a constant reminder of what awaited her upon her return.

“...” A warm feeling suffused her being once again, and a slight smile donned Berenice’s face. Her hands moved below her cloak to pet her tutelary, thanking him for comforting her. “At least I know your feelings will always be genuine…”

With her spirits somewhat risen, Berenice decided to look for her new mentor. No matter how much she despised it, she agreed with her father that meeting and introducing herself to her future tutor was important. First impressions mattered after all, and she had delayed hers for quite some time. What if Magus Nevrakis was the type of person that detested tardiness? Berenice did not want to get on the Magus’ bad side from the get go, if she could help it.

Scion: Children of Light

is there an overarching plot for the RP or is it a sandbox, based on what the players do?

Scion: Children of Light

Berenice Eldri

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Berenice watched as the Magi walked onto the stage one after the other. She especially paid attention to their faces, their expressions ranging from boredom to apathy, excitement or thoughtfulness among others. Some were men, some were women, but regardless of their differences they all had one thing in common: the title of a Magus.

Standing further behind was her father, Anak, dressed up in the traditional, out-of-combat attire of the Order Sekhmet. Even one person among many, she would never fail to notice his presence. He never relaxed that one, forever a bastion of discipline and the way of the sword. It showed on his gait, how he dressed, and even how he stood. Straight as an arrow and with one hand resting on the butt of his sheathed sword, Anak had his sights trained on the Magi from the moment they entered the stage. Berenice knew quite well what was going through his brain; “Who is it going to be? Are they going to be of use? How can I have her influence them to my advantage?”

Yes, unfortunately such was the relationship she and her father shared, something more akin to a soldier following her commander’s orders than a familial bond of love and affection. Fortunately, she had close ties with her mother and had experienced the so-called “parental love”, to some degree at least, that everyone else her age has.

Thinking about her family situation put her off quite a bit, especially at times like these when she was faced with incredible changes. If it wasn’t for the slight shifting underneath her Novitiate coat to break her out of her self-induced trance, she would have missed the start of the opening speech. She peeked under her coat and saw two beady, emerald eyes staring back at her all the while a comforting warmth suffused her body and mind, alleviating tension she hadn’t noticed building up.

“You think I’m nervous, huh? Well don’t blame me, blame the gods for giving me an aptitude for magic…” She joked inwardly before turning her gaze back to Grand Magus Amon. It would be a lie to say that she hadn’t looked forward to seeing the Crimson King during her commencement, everyone her age harbored feelings of reverence towards the mystical king residing in the Silver Tower, away from the view of the public. However, the Grand Magus was quite the figure himself, ranking second among all magi in power and experience. And when he started calling forth the names of the accepted Novitiates along with their future mentors, his voice was heard far and beyond, and clear as day. “He must have used some kind of spell to enhance his voice just for this…”

She threw a glance at each of the Novitiates called up before her, sizing them up, but knew that there would be time for introductions later. Hearing her name and the fact that she’d been accepted into the Cult of the Serpent felt like a literal boulder had been lifted off her, and her face immediately donned a smile. Getting into that Cult had been something of a goal for her apart from the fact that it was also the most suitable for her magical aptitude. She detested to admit, but if she had to pick one thing from her father’s teachings that she liked, it would be growing and developing a healthy body and mind. With Biomancy studying the inner workings of the flesh, Berenice felt that joining the Serpents was of utmost importance if she was going to maintain and built upon what she had already achieved. Plus, it was a silent jab at her father and his goals of her joining the Order Sekhmet.

Her impression of her soon-to-be mentor, Magus Nevrakis was nothing exceptional. It was the first time Berenice heard her name, and honestly, she couldn’t care much about who tutored her. As long as she got to learn magic, that was enough for her.

After finishing the formalities and paying her respects to the Vizier, Berenice approached one of the two that had been accepted into the Serpents with her, her fellow “classmates”.

“Hello, I don’t think I have seen you before. I am Berenice,” she said and greeted the girl with the usual fist over heart salute her father had drilled into her. “What did you think of the selections? I don’t know what I would’ve done if I had been accepted into anything other than the Serpents to be honest…”

Scion: Children of Light

Okay, that took forever and was long as shit but the IC is a go. If anything is unclear please let me know.

@Dead Cruiser

It seems like a good start. Are we going to get a more detailed description of our teachers, beyond just appearance, through OOC sheets or only through IC interactions? Additionally, how do you reckon we should approach this "prologue"? It's a celebration, and I guess the students would have to first get to know their new mentors, but Amon also called for them to get to their families so yeah. What should be done first?

Scion: Children of Light

we suffer from a severe lack of assasins

Scion: Children of Light

@Obscene Symphony Just the same. It tends to kill OOC thread activity, makes discussions more difficult to read after they've taken place, is more difficult to search through, and would require me to monitor and moderate an entirely separate platform. No thank you.

@Dead Cruiser

I used to think this but after joining a series of RPs that used Discord as the OOC chat I realized that it doesn't make a difference. If the RP itself isn't good enough to retain the interest of the players, it's gonna die regardless of the members using Discord or not.

Scion: Children of Light

I'm here, waiting :p

Scion: Children of Light

@Obscene Symphony i thought your character was anything but a biomancer lol but i guess that changed after some consideration. looking forward to their interactions

Scion: Children of Light

Berenice Eldri

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ＢＡＳＩＣ ＩＮＦＯ

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Berenice Eldri | 16 | ♀ | 5ft 4" - 132 lb

ＡＰＰＥＡＲＡＮＣＥ

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no Cleopatra cosplay here & yes she is 16, don't @ me

ＢＡＣＫＧＲＯＵＮＤ

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Berenice had the fortune - or misfortune, depending on who you ask - to be born as the only child of the well reputed, militaristic Eldri clan. Her grandfather, Olmek, rose from peasantry at a time when abled men were needed in order to fight deadly invaders. Through his blood, sweat and sheer force of will, the clan gained a spot amidst the Lions. After his death, his son and Berenice’s father, Anak, did not rest on his laurels. Instead, he built upon his father’s success by following on his footsteps as a military man. He joined the Order Sekhmet and became a decorated fighter and strategist, taking part in many battles defending the walls and ideals of Photep. Outside the battlefield, Anak is also known as a prominent philanthropist that has sponsored many projects, mostly aimed at providing a better quality of life to the people of poorer Photep neighborhoods.

All in all, one would not be at fault thinking that Berenice was literally born into wealth and, presumably, happiness. That could not be further from the truth, however. You see, what is projected outside for others to see does not necessarily mirror what goes on within the confines of a house. Her father’s so called “perfect” image is nothing but a farce in her eyes, for Berenice has seen – and felt – his true nature. Cold, calculative and resolute, Anak is a man of utmost efficiency. If someone is not up to par with his standards, he will gladly cast them aside without a second thought. The birth of Berenice was a test of his convictions and ideals, one that he never thought he’d have to face.

Berenice’s birth was not an easy affair. Her mother had multiple complications during labor, and although she had fortunately been able to safely give birth to Berenice, she was left unable to conceive ever again. The prospect of being stuck with a daughter as his only legitimate child and heir did not sit well with Anak – and that’s putting it lightly. For the first few years of her life, Berenice essentially had no father figure, as Anak refused to even lay his eyes upon her, refusing to acknowledge her as his child. She was denied exit from the family grounds and had limited contact with the outside world. After some time, however, he came to terms with his predicament, and even devised a plan in order to get as much use out of her as he could.

At age 5, Berenice was suddenly introduced to a strange man who proclaimed himself her father. Anak removed her from the main family house and brought her over to live with his “little brother’s” family. In actuality, the people she was put in care of were servants of Anak that had one simple goal, raise her to be a soldier first and foremost, then a tactician, and lastly a shrewd politician. The years that followed under her “family’s” tutelage would be nothing sort of grueling for Berenice, as she was essentially Anak’s pet project to see if he could place a woman in the upper echelons of the Order Sekhmet.

And he would have succeeded if it weren’t for Berenice developing a rebellious personality. It started around age 11, with her finding increasingly more and more ways to run away from her foster home and wander around the neighborhoods of Photep, learning more about the city and its residents. Eventually, during one of her little trips, she came across an old man who tested her aptitude in magic, a then relatively unknown concept to her. The man must’ve seen something in her as 2 days later, her father visited the foster home, and he was furious…

With magic having entered the equation, Anak's plans were foiled once more. Unfortunately for him, however, the old man that had tested Berenice's aptitude was a well known Sorcerer responsible for recruiting potential talents for the Pesedjet, and thus had marked Berenice's aptitude as very good, making her recruitment almost guaranteed - should she be able to pass the tests that is. Thus, from the age of 12 and after, on top of her regular routine, Berenice had to also learn magic theory and other relative magic subjects, all in order to prepare her for the Pesedjet.

A few years later, she officially joined the prestigious Heka, and what she encountered there was nothing short of a whole new world, one of magic and wonder such as she had never experienced before.

ＰＥＲＳＯＮＡＬＩＴＹ

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Berenice’s growing years were filled with mostly three things, military tactics, martial arts and Photepi history. Thus, it is inevitable that sense of discipline and focus would be the first two things drilled into her from an early age, since those two were deemed essential in Anak’s eyes if she were to succeed him as the head of the Eldri family. There was no playing, only play-fighting. There were no friends, only sparring partners. There were no classmates, only supervisors. Anything that girls would do at her age, Berenice was forced to do the opposite.

Hence, it’s not without reason that she developed the rebellious nature she came to have. Although she can follow commands, she will always be the first to question authority, whichever political spectrum it may come from. This can bring her at odds with people at times, and due to her stubbornness, she can be very difficult to deal with. Nevertheless, she is also very eager to learn about new things – especially magic – as her confinement during her early years has created a thirst for knowledge in her that’s seemingly unquenchable.

ＡＰＴＩＴＵＤＥ

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Berenice’s aptitude can be summed up in one word: Biomancy. Despite her attempts at learning and casting spells of other disciplines, Biomancy is the only one that she has no problems with, consistently scoring high grades in most subjects that have to do with it. It was hard for her at first to come to terms with this fact, but as she learned more about the practice, the more she came to like it. She also generally finds it really funny that her magic aptitude is yet another jab at her father since she’s more likely to be approached by the Order Khenetai for her magic than the Order Sekhmet.

Aura:The feeling of sand pelting your skin during a desert storm, unrelenting and unavoidable.

ＴＵＴＥＬＡＲＹ

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Berenice’s tutelary took the form of a yellowish-brown cobra with emerald green, glowing eyes and mouth as black as the night sky. It’s medium sized and generally always stays on Berenice’s person, curled around her arm or torso, even when sleeping. A generally lazy but curious tutelary, it first her perfectly and since the moment she summoned it, they became inseparable. Berenice named her tutelary Atum.

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Scion: Children of Light