Setting

An abstract fantasy world. Allow your imagination to run wild when thinking of what kinds of creatures, cultures, etc, exist in this world. However, I do not want too many characters being non-human, as seems to happen often in fantasy storybooks. I don't want to place a cap on the number of these sorts of characters, so instead I've created a ratio rule (see below). Please do not assume that this is a typical medieval/high fantasy setting. Cultures can be similar to those of ancient, medieval or modern Earth, or a mixture.

Plot

In the town of Pottindale, a group of apparently unrelated people are invited to the house of the eccentric wizard, Mr. Solomius. Once there, he assigns to each of them a task, telling them that once everyone in the group achieves their designated task they will each be rewarded with their heart's desire. However, they are not allowed to achieve each other's tasks for them, though they are encouraged to help in any other way possible. This means that if, for example, a member of the group is told to kill a monster, and a different member of the group kills it instead, then all their efforts will be for nothing. Of course, as this is a magical world, there is nearly always a way around such setbacks.

Rules

1) Nothing too intimate. Romances are allowed, but if their relationships must be of a sexual nature keep it behind the scenes.
2) No godding.
3) Up to three characters each, of which only one may be non-human (this is the ratio rule).
4) The same task may not be assigned to two different characters.
5) Your character has to accept the task assigned to them. Mr. Solomius was very careful in the selection process.

Profile Guidelines

Name:
Age
Race: (Human or whatever else)
Appearance:
Personality:
History:
Task: (what task did Mr. Solomius assign to them?)
Desire: (what reward have they been promised upon completion of the tasks?)
Other:

My Character

Name: Rathal Kinghail
Age: 20
Race: Human
Appearance: Average height and weight, more muscular than average, long, clean blonde hair, green eyes, slightly tanned skin. Wears simple, plain clothing - a white shirt, jeans, a grey hooded jumper.
Personality: Competitive and ruthless, Rathal has shown remarkable aptitude in battle. He is actually quite calm, but his fighting style makes him appear fearsome in battle - under normal circumstances he comes across as friendly and intelligent. Despite his reputation as a martial champion, he can become hopeless against overpowering odds, causing him to lose confidence in himself and back down from challenges.
History: Of respectable upbringing, Rathal joined the Pottindale guard at the age of 16. His fighting prowess is perhaps the best in the whole of Pottindale, but he is known for his lack of courage, a tragic flaw in this otherwise perfect warrior. He has been consulting Mr. Solomius since the age of 18 in an attempt to conquer his fear, so far with little success.
Task: To slay Kokorok, the Dragon Tyrant of the north.
Desire: To have courage in abundance.
Other: Up for love I guess. He is proficient in swordsmanship and, to a lesser extent, archery.

Also, here's the profile for Mr. Solomius. He will not appear often, but he may do so occasionally to give the characters advice. He is an important character, but he is not worthy of being called a protagonist.

Name: Mr. Solomius
Age: "I wouldn't expect a lady to answer that question, and I'm not sexist."
Race: Supposedly Human
Appearance: Has the appearance of a middle-aged man. Average height, a tiny bit fatter than average. Has short black/grey hair which is combed backwards, revealing his receding hairline. He has grey eyes and tanned skin. He wears big round glasses, a top hat and multi-coloured suits. He prefers 'normal' ties to bowties, even at social events.
Personality: Eccentric and annoyingly happy, Mr. Solomius doesn't seem to know how silly he looks - that, or he doesn't care. His actions never seem to make much sense, yet he has developed a reputation for always working towards some cause or another. He is also a wizard, and his 'house' (more like a castle) is home to many strange creatures.
History: Mr. Solomius has been the most famous resident of Pottindale since before any of its current inhabitants can remember (making him at least well into his 90's). A powerful wizard, he has protected the town time and time again against invading threats, and is now widely considered to be the highest authority in town, even more so than the mayor. It is rumoured that his power his waning, however.
Task: He set himself the task of being helpful to those he set tasks for.
Desire: Unknown, probably irrelevant.
Other: Probably not up for love. He is a powerful wizard, capable of many strange and wonderful things. Has several unusual pets.

**I'd like to join.**

Name: Selnia Moorstone
Age: 20
Race: Human
Appearance: Long wavy brown hair, green eyes, 5' 4", slender, medium complexion
Personality: Courteous, soft spoken, and extremely scary when angered. Very kind, but doesn't get close to people usually. Confident in her own abilities.
History: Apprentice to a powerful sorceror, she shows promise in her field. However, she has had trouble setting up practice due to a lack of funds.
Task: Vanquish Hedron, the leader of a rather nasty tribe of vampires inhabiting a nearby forest.
Desire: The resources to set off on her own as a sorceress.
Other: Open to love, though it may take a while to get through to her. Her specialty is transformative spells and potions.

Name: Nabin Boorshield
Age: 18
Race: Human
Appearance: Short dark hair, brown eyes, 5' 10", medium build, fair skin
Personality: Charming, extroverted, and laid-back. Good mediator. However, he is also cunning and resourceful. Keeps this side of himself fairly well-hidden.
History: Nabin used to be a great con-artist, but he mistakenly tried to swindle a magician a while back. The magician cursed him to have to tell the truth when asked a question. Because of this, he now works in a tavern and is considerably poorer than he once was.
Task: Break into the heavily guarded Museum of Various Oddities and obtain the Red Hand, a sculpture carved from a single ruby
Desire: Getting his curse lifted.
Other: Very much open to love. Good with a knife.

You may choose the tasks yourself, although I would not be against you asking for other people's suggestions. The task should be challenging at least.

**Okay, I filled those in.**

I would love a character. So... I will reserve a spot.

Name: Soria Dulay
Age: 19
Race: Human/fairy **Are half-breeds allowed? If not I'll be a human**
Appearance: http://media.photobucket.com/image/girl%20brown%20hair/ChicaChilena_95/girl-w-brown-hair.jpg
Personality: Quiet, sensitive - especially when half-breeds are mentioned. Tries not to let any one's comments bother her, but they do.
History: All her life she has been ridiculed. Her and her mother are hated because her mother allowed a different creature to father her child. Soria is also hated just because she's a half-breed.
Task: Finding her Fairy father - sounds weird. Then she has to kill him, because half-breeds are not allowed and he need to be punished for ... with her human mother.
Desire: To be accepted for who she really is.
Other: Up for love, and a friend.

*Saves spot*

EmmaJane, that's fine.

We will start when we have a few more characters. There's a possibility I won't be able to post tomorrow, though, so if there are five or so more characters you can start without me. The storybook will start with the characters going to Mr. Solomius' house, where he will host a 'party' for them. If you get this far before I am able to post, I will then post Mr. Solomius' speech concerning the tasks and what they will achieve. After that, it will be up to the characters to aid each other in completing the tasks.

Name: Malik Gangee
Age: 21
Race: Human
Appearance: Malik is short, standing at just 5'6". He is physically strong, but is built more for speed and endurance. He has short dark blonde hair and dark brown eyes with well tanned skin.
Personality: Malik is above all secretive. When introduced with new people or situations, he is standoff-ish, but once he is comfortable he savors every moment. He is friendly and outgoing if he needs to be, but he is ruled by logic. Malik always thinks things through before he acts.
History: Malik was born into a band of gypsies that travelled the lands surrounding Pottindale. He was the son of the group's prominent hunter, so he learned how to use a bow and run long distances well at a young age. After the group disbanded, Malik found steady work as an assassin for hire in Pottindale.
Task: To remove a golden ring from the hand of the giant Al-Shozalil.
Desire: To be able to return to his nomadic and care-free lifestyle.
Other: Doesn't see love as something long-term. Always open to a fling of some sort.

I won't be here in a couple of hours, but I will be back tomorrow (might come on in the early hours, knowing me). If you want to post about your characters being invited to, going to and/or being at Mr. Solomius' house feel free, but don't have him give the characters their tasks just yet. A few more characters would be welcome, and once the tasks have been assigned it might be difficult for more characters to come in. I will post that bit tomorrow if we get to it, and after that people will have to ask permission if they want to take part (seeing as Mr. Solomius is a wizard, capable of many extraordinary things, a couple of characters may be able to come in late. And I may agree to some characters without tasks coming in later in the story. Maybe even some antagonists).

Here's the discussion thread: post578344.html#578344

Nabin chunked another dried stein onto the counter. Six down, forty-three to go. He frowned as he tried to fathom how much his job sucked.

How long had it been since he'd tried to weasel money out of that witch? He knew it had been longer than a year... it seemed more like a decade. With a sigh, he put down the rag. He was tempted to just walk out of this place, but it was so difficult for him to get a job.

"You, dish-boy."

Nabin turned around with a convincingly polite look on his face. "Yes sir?"

His boss, a grimy man with a rather large belly, frowned. "Why did you stop doing your job?" he barked.

Nabin didn't even bother trying to stop himself. It never worked. "Because my job is extremely boring and I have a short attention span." He stiffened a little. And here it comes...

The man's face reddened. "What did you say?"

"I said that this job is boring, and as I've never been good with dull repetitive tasks, I decided to take a break."

"Boring, eh? Well you won't have to worry about this job boring you any more. Get out!"

Nabin sighed and left, digging his hands into his pockets. That was his third job to lose for answering an employer's questions truthfully. He didn't even bother with trying to get one with decent pay. They usually required interviews, and those NEVER went well when you couldn't at least bend your answers to suit your own ends.

He walked to the little hovel and was surprised to find an envelope on his doorstep. It had his name on it; there was no return address.

Glancing around furtively, he stepped inside and opened the letter.

Selnia walked to the castle, a slightly surprised look on her face. Under her composed exterior, however, her mind was racing. She'd hardly been able to believe it when she saw the signature at the bottom of the letter. Mister Solomius. THE most famous magician in ALL of Pottindale. She had so many questions...

Still managing to look calm, she walked up the long drive to the house she'd walked past so many times. She came across someone else walking up the drive. He was holding an invitation like hers.

Selnia smiled cordially. "Hello."

The boy looked at her and nodded. "Hey."

"So... do you know why Solomius invited us?"

"No, although I have a few suspicions," the boy said automatically. "Namely that I did something that angered him a few years back and he wants to confront me about it, though that doesn't explain why you're here." He winced. "And please don't ask me what I think I did."

That was unexpected. "Oh. Well, what's your name."

"Nabin Boorshield. You?"

"Selnia Moorstone. It's nice to meet you Nabin. Are you a sorceror too?"

Nabin shook his head. "No."

Selnia frowned. So apparently this wasn't some sort of seminar for magicians. "Well, what do you do?"

Nabin groaned. Of course she would ask. "I'm currently unemployed. Please don't ask why."

The sorceress gave him an odd look as they reached the door. Nabin rang the door, feeling incredibly awkward.

"might come on in the early hours, knowing me"

Damn, I'm predictable.

Rathal Kinghail

two days ago

Rathal rang the doorbell to Mr. Solomius' house, looking at his watch impatiently. The watch was a creation of Mr. Solomius himself, a masterpiece. Clockwork was hardly a rare art these days, but nobody was better at it than the multi-talented magician, Mr. Solomius. Eventually, the door opened, Mr. Solomius' eyes beaming from the well-lit hall.

"Good afternoon, Mister Kinghail!" The wizard said in the most flamboyant way possible, waving his hands around in a bizarre greeting gesture. Rathal was starting to get used to Mr. Solomius' strange customs, for he had an appointment with him every week.

"Good afternoon to yourself, sir."

"Why are you here?"

The question caught Rathal off-guard. It was normal for Mr. Solomius to act and speak strangely, but this time he managed to confuse Rathal.

"I've come for my appointment. You know, my...problem."

Mr. Solomius frowned for a moment, then leaned back so far that his spine should have snapped and let out an explosive chuckle.

"Oh, my, there seems to have been some kind of misunderstanding!" He said, wiping a tear of joy away from his eye. "Did you not get my letter?"

"What letter?"

"About our weekly meetings. They've stopped. I'm a very busy man, you know."

Rathal scowled. He nearly punched Mr. Solomius there and then, but managed to stay calm. It would be suicide, anyway.

"But how am I going to advance in my career if I don't deal with my courage?"

"Oh, you may relax. Don't think I have abandoned that matter - I've just decided to tackle it in a somewhat different manner. Come to my house in two days. I am holding a...you might call it a party. Everything, or at least some things, will be revealed then."

Now

Rathal walked the long path up to Mr. Solomius' 'humble abode', as he called it. The castle-house was possibly the largest building in Pottindale. He saw two people standing at the door - a woman and a man. The door to the house opened, and Rathal saw the concealed expressions of confusion on the guests' faces at the greeting ritual of Mr. Solomius. The wizard saw him approaching and waved. As Rathal came into earshot he was introduced to the two strangers.

"Rathal, this fine lady is Selnia Moorstone, and this shady chap is Nabin Boorshield. Selnia and Nabin, this is my good friend, Rathal Kinghail."

"Hello." They all said, simultaneously.

"Would you like to come in?" Mr. Solomius asked politely. "You three are the first here, but more should be coming shortly."

"Very-" Selnia began, thrilled to be talking to Mr. Solomius, but Nabin interrupted her unwillingly.

"Yes, I would very much like to come in." His face reddened, partially because Solomius had referred to him as 'shady' and partially because he must have seemed rude.

Selnia gave him a cold look, then smiled at the wizard. "What he said." She spared Rathal a curious glance. She thought she recognized her from somewhere...

As the wizard ushered them into the house, Selnia's gaze became inquisitive. "Rathal Kinghail... I think I've heard your name somewhere before."

Nabin nodded. "I was thinking the same thing, but I can't put my finger on it..."

Rathal Kinghail

"Rathal Kinghail..." Selnia said, "I think I've heard your name somewhere before."

Nabin nodded. "I was thinking the same thing, but I can't put my finger on it..."

Rathal was about to reply, but Mr. Solomius beat him to it.

"Pottindale is a large town, worthy perhaps of being known as a city, but in a single lifetime every eye in it will most likely see every face, every ear hear every mouth, every foot cross every path." He produced a bottle of expensive white wine, apparently from his sleeve, and poured everyone a glass. "It would be no strange coincidence for you to have met each other and forgotten all but a fragment of the meeting, but to have remembered that fragment until this day."

The wizard turned to Nabin, his smile showing a mixture of warmth and mischief.

"How has life been treating you?"

"I'd rather not say."

"As expected." He turned to Selnia. "You're a very strong sorceress. I've known very few magicians of your age whose potency was so...delicious. I'd suggest hiding your taste, some people aren't so tolerant of it as I am."

Selnia frowned slightly, trying to understand what he meant. Then he turned to Rathal.

"You...ah, we've already talked about you." Mr. Solomius looked at his watch, and then at the clock, both of which told the same time to the second. "Now I wonder where the others are. They are late. But never mind, punctuality is not everyone's forte, and I can wait."