Young Writers Society

The premise:

The only way to get to the top is to earn more power, and the only way to earn more power is to play the game.

Every five years, a contest between mages is held. Each mage is assigned a human to protect, and the game ends when there’s only one human left. The mage who killed the most humans wins.

Technology: Think early seventeenth century.

Setting:

This SB is set in the city of Ushara, in the Grand Empire of Noruma.

The structure of the government of Noruma is as follows:

Ushara is located in a desert in the kingdom. There used to be an oasis nearby, but it has since dried out and the mages are the only ones who keep it alive. Temperatures will also vary as much as ten degrees celsius during the run of the day, and if you don’t die of starvation, you’ll die of a heat stroke. The main mode of transportation is camels*.

There are plenty of alleys and wide roads alike in the city, bandits and peasants, nobles and criminals alike. Nobles don’t usually stay here for most of the year - they stay in better parts of the empire, though some (the higher ones) own lands here. The others live in inns while they stay. The gap between the rich and the poor is wide in Ushara, and trade is common. It’s not unheard of for foreigners to get roped in the game either.

The game is set during the middle of the summer, when the city’s weather is at its most temperamental, and the people are having the hardest time. If the heat and starving peasants don’t get you, the other mages will.

Other info on the setting:
The common people are like those of any other country’s - they’re either very resentful of the games, indifferent (usually these are the people who are numbed to it/view it as a way of life), or accepting (they grew used to it - it’s the way things have always been, so they don’t argue with it). During the games, they will not talk, given that interfering with the games in any way puts yourself in harm’s way.

*Camels are foul-tempered creatures, and not as fast as horses. Horses are also more responsive than camels. Mages will very likely get frustrated with camels.

The Game:

Think of it as an election of sorts. You win, you get a ton of power. You lose, you lose a lot of your power and get rearranged. Since all of the losers will have the same power standing, the winner gets to pick how they're ordered. (Beware who you cross.) See Rules of the game for more info.

Remember the civilian attitudes towards the games. They do not want to be involved, therefore they are not likely to sell you stuff unless you disguise yourself. (Alternatively, you steal. Actually, it’s more likely you steal.) This is a game between human and mage. No one else interferes, or else that person is as good as dead. Staying at inns is risky, and most innkeepers want nothing to do with the mage. Of course you could try to threaten them, but that might lead to the innkeeper tricking someone who doesn’t know who you are into stabbing you. It’s hard to see in the dark.

Rules of and various information about the game:

Magic types:

Rules of the SB:

Mage Profile:

Human Profile:


DT: Click me. All OOC posts go there.

Name: Lor Janzen
Age: 22
Gender: Male
Title: Viscount
Stone: Obsidian

Appearance: Make a dust devil into a man, and you shall have Lor Janzen. Long-limbed and lean as the steeds his family is known for breeding, he wears his sun-bleached sandy hair long and only loosely tied back; laughing hazel eyes cut out from under the strands that fall over a tanned, clean-shaven and boyish face. He is never still; when he talks his hands move along with his words, and he is as quick to smile as he is to frown.

Personal History: The Janzen have for generations been living on the outskirts of Ushara, as wealthy but non-ruling mage family, who's long since decided to keep out of politics and devoted mostly to keeping the area relatively fertile and breeding horses. Lor, as the youngest of three children, spent his early years just as unconcerned by the politics and the games as the rest of his family.

But the more he was introduced to ruling-class mages, the more their attitude against him and his family took him the wrong way. The last straw was when he was humiliatingly shown up by a girl barely the same age as him. His pride rubbed raw, he got it into his head that the only way to fix this was to participate in the games and show them. Rather intensive training ensued, and while he didn't exactly cut all links he did grow apart from his family. His first game was a year ago: he did not win, but did get to turn his principal rival's human into a pile of charred ashes, which did wonders to his feelings. He's gotten a taste for it now, and won't be satisfied until he gets to the top--though what he'll do when he gets there is still fuzzy.

Personality - Strengths: Physically fit and agile, and well used to the desert conditions. Outspoken, quick to act and afraid of nothing, he will not waste his time on debating right or wrong or having second thoughts, and considers "Impossible" to be a challenge. Despite his usual devil-may-care attitude, he is capable of surprising amounts of devotion.
Personality - Weaknesses: Prone to let his emotions take over his thoughts process, which is not helped by the fact that his emotions are as changing as the wind's direction. He can hold a grudge forever, can be thoughtless cruel and often underestimates others.

Area of magic: BURN BABY BURN Fire.



Name: Miraj
Age: 27
Gender: Male
Occupation: Courier

Appearance: Short hair, dark eyes and skin like dry leather. Thin and of average height, Miraj blends into the crowds, another everyman striving to survive in the tough desert conditions.

Personal History: Born from caravaneers, Miraj's been travelling along trade routes since he's been able to walk, doing everything from taking care of the pack animals to playing the messenger boy, creating a little net of acquaintances and friends in the merchant and lower-class inhabitants of the trading outposts and Ushara.

He stopped working with the caravans when he fell in love and married, instead finding odd jobs and delivering messages around the city in order not to stray too far away. A few years later he lost his wife to childbirth, but his daughter survived, and tied him down forever. Being picked for the game was the worst thing that could happen to him, but it's not like he has a choice to it--it's survive, or let his child down.

Personality - Strengths: Conscientious and thorough, with an inner core of quiet strength. He's a friendly man, tries to deflect conflicts when they occur, but he can hold his own in a brawl. He holds to his principles, and is undyingly loyal to those he loves.
Personality - Weaknesses: He tends to go for the path of least resistance, and rarely stands up for himself unless people he cares about are involved. He is fatalistic, and has an annoying attachment to his morals.

Removed.

Placeholder- dibs on water/earth.

Mage:

Name: Athalus Takerie
Age: 37
Gender: Male
Title: Duke
Stone: Peridot

Appearance: Athalus is a solid looking man with a well muscled chest, tanned skin and broad shoulders. His hair is dark brown and cut short at the sides but there is enough thickness left on top to fully cover his head. He starts the game off with a small layer of stubble which will no doubt grow into a scraggly beard by the end of the contest. His eyes are dark green, a trait most of his family inherit. They are deep and sharp, containing no glimmer of any other colour. He has an angular face and wears a stern expression most of the time and even when he smiles, it isn't warm or inviting. But there is something comfortable about him. It's hard to place but maybe it's in the 'realism' of his face - his features never try to lie. He is not a good man, for no mage or murderer can be good, and so his features never show a soft side. They are angry when he is angry and sad when he is sad and at the end of the day, they will always be sharp, dangerous and honest.

Personal History: Athalus was born to a Baron and Margravess who had fallen on hard times. The Takerei's have long been a family of mages and a well known one, possessing the titles of Margrave and Margravess for many generations, but when the title passed to Remus, his father, it was a bad day. Remus was the only son of his parents and therefore the only heir but he was a runt of a man, not even bearing the green eyes of his family, and half suspected to not be his father's child. The only thing that saved him from being a complete failure was a well arranged marriage to his cousin (on the father's side so possibly not cousin) Meredith.

The Takerei's had rarely risen or fallen during the games and participated little. It was, however, considered a rite of passage in their family and every child upon reaching twenty was entered in the next game to claim for themselves a title. Remus was just nineteen when he married so he had not yet played the game. It was also to be another four years before the contest occured again. These were good years for Remus and Meredith who were blessed with their first two children, both girls. Then the day of the game came and his parents entered Remus, then 23, and his aunt and uncle did likewise with Meredith who had just turned 21. Remus was knocked down to Baron while Meredith maintained her family's honour and earned her title of Margravess.

Following this were a rocky few years, during which Athalus and several more siblings were born and Remus was somewhat distracted from his wounded pride. However as the children grew, he could take it no longer. He wasn't content to rely on his wife's title and knew he would be forever low in the eyes of his children if he did not enter the games once more and prove his worth. Athalus, their oldest boy, was six when Remus entered the games and was killed accidentally.

Athalus had loved his father unconditionally as children do and felt his absence keenly as he grew into a man. He trained his body and magic hard for the game, under the mournful eye of his mother who never quite recovered from her husband's death. And when his time came, she tried to hold him back. Meredith begged Athalus not to enter but he disobeyed and at 22 he gained the title of Count. This was not good enough for him. Athalus found that his illusion magic, which was no more than trickery, had held him back but he was determined to have his family's title rightfully restored. So for the next five years he trained his mind as well as his magic and body. He refused the marriage his mother tried to arrange and claimed he would not marry at all until he had done with the games and could offer a woman a safe and stable life.

At 27, Athalus was awarded the title of Margrave. Maybe if that had happened at the previous game he would have been happy but now it merely determined him to do better yet. Athalus set his heart on those top positions, those positions that once gained you no longer had to fight to keep. And so, he trained again. The game was his life now and it took him further and further from the comfort of his family and down that dark road. At 32, the most recent games, Athalus played a particularly tricky hand. He made a private alliance with one of the other players, agreeing to help that player win if the player in turn was willing to select Athalus as the one to gain the most power. Now he picked a mage older and more experienced in the game than himself and he persuaded him with flattery until he agreed. And thus it happened. The other mage won the games and Athalus was granted enough magic to boost him to Duke.

Now he is 37. He has trained harder than ever because he knows this is the last push. If he can win this one, he will be safe. Athalus thinks a lot about the future now and it has softened and tamed his spirit somewhat. He thinks of how nice it would be to marry and have children. How nice it would be to live. But. He is still himself. He is still ruthless, cunning and spirited.

Personality - Strengths: Athalus knows how to play the game. He knows to beware of everyone and to not become vindictive against any one member or let his end goal become clouded. This is not a game of power, but skill and he knows very well how the lowest may rise due to hidden layers of intelligence and strength. Athalus is cunning and willing to do what must be done. If he strikes a deal with another player, one of the first thoughts in his mind is how to break that deal at the right time and in the right way so that he will either not anger his fellow mage, or so that it will no longer matter how angry that mage is. Athalus does have honour in some form though and should he make it to the top, any who helped him will be rewarded accordingly.

Personality - Weaknesses: Athalus has never lost the game so he does not anticipate revenge from those who are out. He is also not one to simper and bow down before others. A little idle flattery is well enough if it will help him win the game but bowing and scraping for the sake of appeasing possible future winners? No. Athalus is who he is. If he doesn't like a player, he will say so. He will speak his mind and be rude or antagonising. If he takes a liking to someone, he will be companionable and good natured toward them but more than willing to admit that he isn't going to treat them any different from the others - if he has a chance to kill their human, he will do it.

Area of magic: Illusion.

Human:

Name: River
Age: 21
Gender: Female
Occupation: Serving Girl

Appearance: Like many of the desert folk, River's skin has been made tawny by the sun and she has inherited her father's black, sleeky hair. She is small and thin but it is a wiry build as opposed to a graceful, lady's one. She has a little in the way of bust and curves, but not much. She has high, prominent cheek bones and angular eyes, but her chin is rounded and her lips are full. She looks to be a strange combination of angles and curves and this comes from her dual heritage, half of the desert folk and half of a far off land. Her eyes are the deep blue of rivers that run through that land.

Personal History: River's mother came to the dessert land as a very little girl when she was maid and play-mate to a mage's daughter, for only the mages can cross through the desert that has no water and no sustenance. River's mother only vaguely remembers the green grasses of her homeland and the blue of the rivers but well enough that when she gave birth to a blue eyed child, the name fell abruptly from her lips.

Like her mother, River serves the mage family and has since childhood. This her mother had to agree to in order to keep the child which was essentially fed and clothed by the mages. River resents her mother's weakness and wishes sometimes that she had let her be given away to another peasant family, rather than be bound for life to serve those she hates so much.

It is unknown who River's father is or at least her mother will not speak of the matter. For she does not want her child to know that she is the daughter of one of the mages whom she serves. The man's wife was angry with him one evening and refused to bed him when he came in drunk but the lust was upon him. And so he went to the room where their serving maid slept. Strangely it was not entirely a bad union for River's mother had always been much in awe of the mage and had never slept with a man before. She wasn't entirely sure what to make of the experience but when he came again, he did not have to force her. This bloomed into an affair and they have over the years built up strong affections for one another, though after the mistake of River's birth, the mage realised it was necessary to use his gift to prevent her from bearing any more children.

River knows nothing of this relationship and hates the mage simply for what he is, though he has never treated her ill and has in fact been benevolent and almost caring. His wife on the other hand has made River's life hard, suspecting some of the truth of her heritage. Now that River has been picked to take part in the game, the mage is very angry but knows better than interfere or show any love for a human. Before she left, however, he advised River that she should work with her mage and aim to kill the other humans, for they would be less suspecting of one of their own since this was generally a contest between the mages. River wasn't sure what to make of this or his parting comment that she was beautiful and strong and should use these to her advantage.

Personality - Strengths: River is a fighter. Despite her long years of serving the family and seeing little of the world, she has a strong passion for life and doesn't very soon want to lose it. She's a friendly child, though bitter toward the mages, and makes friends easily amongst humans. She's mentally tough, though not physically, and intends to win. She is almost glad she was drawn into the game as it is her only chance at freedom - with the prize money she should be able to buy herself (and perhaps her mother also) out of her duties to the mage family.

Personality - Weaknesses: She will find it very hard to work with her mage, particularly at first, and will go against her father's advice to work with them. She will, however, aim to take the other humans out. She sees this as a good piece of advice and knows they must die anyway so why does it matter if they do so by her hand? They will not be murders she has committed, though she will of course suffer some guilt, but they will have been caused by the mages who hold and condone the contest. It is possible that River will warm up to her mage, dependent on who she is placed with and how they act around her. Some part of her is desperate to trust someone in this life that seems to be all deceit - even her mother has betrayed her - and will bend for the right person or be manipulated into doing so by one who is wrong but devious enough.

Placeholder. <3 Kinetcs pl0x.

Name: Sheba

Age: 22

Gender: Female

Title: Baronetess

Stone: Lapis Lazuli (Broach)

Appearance: Viscountess Sheba was raised to dress and appear as a porcelain doll--something fragile and serene. However, despite her father’s greatest attempts, Sheba outgrew her childlike serenity with ease and speed once she became a teenager. While her meekness never quite faded, the blond beauty grew into her body inch by inch while garnering increasing interest from the public magistrate society.

As she stands now, she is the modest beauty that the desert lands hardly see: fragile by face and deadly in the greens of her eyes. Up until the starting point of the game, Sheba’s hair is long and rolling as the distant ocean waves; however, upon the start of the game, she commits to a chopping of her hair as a symbol of her new identity in society. Her skin is lighter than most in Ushara, but she burns easily in the intense sun. As such, when outdoors, she covers from head to toe, sometimes falling mistaken as a common man.

Her typical attire consists of white tunics and layered garbs, separated to withstand the heat. Her ears are both pierced by golden gems, and she wears golden bangles on her wrists. Her distinguishing accessory is always her broach of lapis lazuli, embroidered with gold.

Personal History: (The more detailed, the better. Previous games? How did he fare? Probably not very well. How did he obtain his magic? Bought, or played for? Relationship to other mages? Etc.)

Personality - Strengths:

Personality - Weaknesses:

Area of magic: (Tele)Kinetics

Mage profile

Name: Nemesis Darkrai
Age: 26
Title: Duke
Gender: Male
Gem: Amethyst medallion
Appearance: Bronze skin, black hair, and strange violet eyes. He has an athletic build and stands six feet six inches. His hair is often hidden in a turban, since everyone in the Darkrai family has black hair.
Personality: Nemesis is unusually quiet and very hard to reason with if someone bothers him when he's thinking. Although very quiet, he often smiles whenever aonther mage backstabs their target and not him. Whenever around theives, he has the uncontrollable nerve to just blind the theives and run away as quick as his legs can carry him.
Strengths: Nemesis loves to steal from unsuspecting mages, sit by the fireplace to think over plans, and drink coconut milk. He also enjoys running, which is good whenever he needed to escape from a tight spot.
Weaknesses: His vile temper, people stealing from him, interupted thinking, theives, and inability to take a life. Nemesis is also afraid of scorpions, regardless of size.
History: Nemesis is the middle child of five children and the only son in the household. Not much is quite known about him, except his unbroken silence and sense of self-reliance. Half the time lately, Nemesis keeps his mouth shut about his identity and holds a low profile when up against a large gang of humans.
At four years old, Nemesis lost his father to a gang of theives and was abducted by another gang at six years of age. He learned both his parents were mages when he stumbled upon a medallion at age twelve. The humans that abducted him were unaware that Nemesis escaped at fourteen and has been on the loose ever since. Although he hardly speaks a word, his power kept him alive for the last twelve years.
Power: Dark/Light
(Human Profile Coming Up in next post)

**Under Construction**

Name: Taika Araain

Age: 26

Gender: Female

Title: Baroness

Stone: Onyx pendant

Appearance: Taika's a very tall woman, awkward in crowds at the best of times. She's thin and flat, and what little curves she has are hidden under decently-baggy clothes. She wears a cloak often, and has been mistaken for a man in the past. Her eyes are a bright jade color, her hair a reddish-brown. At one time, her hair was cut short- it's grown now to her shoulders, not that it's ever down. She always has it neatly braided, finding it a nuisance. Her skin is very tanned, something that she isn't proud of, but refuses to give much thought to.

Personal History:

Personality - Strengths: Taika is the independant sort. She thinks for herself, leaning towards flitting about solo than scrambling around with four different alliances. If she does have any alliances, it's likely that she will have no more than one or two, as she has found that traitors are not so uncommon. She is calm, and isn't one to snuggle up to panic when a situation becomes strained. Her head is clear, and she takes her time thinking things through, choosing to hide herself away until some form of a twisted idea comes to her. Yes, Taika most certainly works best on her own, and that's the way she intends on keeping it.

Personality - Weaknesses: It's not unusual for Taika to not understand when she needs the help of others. Her pride is something that she refuses to let go of, not until it's far too late. An ego the size of the city and the lands beyond is her problem and her largest set-back. She knows that she isn't particularly pretty, but she assumes that her wit, sarcasm and independance somehow make up for it. Any sort of flattery is something that automatically goes to her head, whereas constructive critisism is thrown to the ground and stomped on in a fit of rage. She is very easily flattered, especially if somebody claims that she's pretty, and, even if she won't admit it, she lets her guard down easily when the right words are said. She is far too stubborn for her own good; refusing to heed to other people and their opinions and ideas - wrong or not - no matter what.

Area of magic: Light/Darkness


*******************************************************************

Name: Eleigha (Ell-ae-ah)

Age: 21

Gender: Female

Occupation: Street Performer

Appearance: Eleigha has very, very tanned skin, flickering brown eyes and black hair that runs down her back in a very loose braid, and occasionally sits atop her head in a very tight bun. She's a decent height, around 5'5'', and seems to be all hardened, toned limbs. She lacks the softness that most women have, as well as the gentle, well-mannered expression.

Personal History: Eleigha was born into a family already ten strong- mother father, four brothers, three sisters and their elderly grandmother. She and her oldest sister and brother had a special bond, one that they figured came from their love of performing. They learned together, her brother (Raelon) with fire, her sister (Neyia) with her various magic tricks, and herself with a mixture of everything. Fire was her weakest point, dancing and music her strongest. The three meshed all forms together to form one large act by the time Eleigha was seven, choosing to make their affection-hungry youngest sister the star of the show.

For a long time, their parents and the rest of their siblings were there to help in any way possible. Whether they helped set up, carry props and tools, or assisted the acts, everybody was willing to pitch in. At least once every week, Papa would close his bakery early, and Mama and Grandmother would drop their chores and bring the kids to whatever location was bustling. If anything, it brought the family closer, and the extra money, however minimal the amount, was always welcome.

When Eleigha was fifteen, her mother took ill with a fever. The family strived to earn enough money for a good doctor and medicines, the trio working harder on their performances, Papa trying new concoctions in his bakery... every member of the family helped out, their grandmother staying behind to care for Mama. They spent every dime on a doctor, who abruptly told them that it was far too late for him to do anything.

Mama died three months later. Only one week after that, their grandmother died of a stroke. The second-youngest daughter was next, followed by the second-oldest brother and Papa. The family fell apart in the matter of a year, the causes for their deaths varying from accidents to illness to finding them laying on the street, beaten to death.

It was a traumatic time for everybody, but they held together somehow. Raelon and Neyia were still there, as were the youngest of the brothers- Maarus. They nearly lost Neyia twice, and several accidents have made her incapible of performing any longer. Maarus stays to take care of her, and Eleigha and Raelon continue to perform. She won't let her siblings lose her, too. She's determined to come out of these games alive.

Personality - Strengths: Eleigha has learned much from her family over the years; how to make strong bonds and keep them, how to fend for herself when the moment arises, and how to use a mixture of arts to her advantage. For the most part, she has a very in-tact willpower and heaps of self control. She's trained her emotions well, as she was forced to do, and excells at hiding her feelings behind a blank mask. Some might say that she's a bit of an actress. Her pain tolerance is high, her tolerance for cruel words and remarks even higher. In her years as a performer, she's met... a wide variety of people, and has taken it upon herself to learn how they function, what they like, and how to squeeze things out of them. (Money, for example. Applause for another.)

Personality - Weaknesses: Eleigha has a sense of haughtiness about her. After surviving what her family went through without so much as a nose-bleed or migraine, she assumes that she's invincible. Such assumptions have lead her to believe that she can out-smart, out-fight or out-run just about anybody, and in all honestly, she can't. It never once occured to her as to just how much she relied on her siblings and their protection and efforts. And, while she's not afraid to ask for help, she never realizes that she might actually need it until it's far too late for her own good. She'll assume that she won't need the help of her mage, that the other mages aren't powerful enough to take her down. She'll be a tricky one to keep an eye on.

Lightning/metal for me.

Withdrawing, can no longer delete post so I'll just leave it like this. Apologies.

Under construction.

Mage

Name: Kieran Zobel

Age: 29

Gender: Male

Title: Baron

Stone: Opal

Appearance: Kieran appears nigh skeletal, a human construct of harsh angles. It seems as if he's skin and bones and almost nothing in between. His fine cheekbones and bluish-white skin do little to soften his sickly appearance. Though he isn't exactly ugly, he is definitely not what is traditionally handsome and toes the fine line between haunting and pitiful. His eyes are a very light gray, and striking as they are, they're not quite enough to draw away attention from the rest of his appearance. He stands of average height, and when he walks he sways a bit. Despite all that, his posture is proud and proper, with shoulders pulled back and feet where they should be. He keeps his black hair short and wispy, away from his eyes and above his collar. His limbs are long and enable him to run quickly - should he ever deign to do so.

His clothes are usually tailored, otherwise, all clothes will be too big or loose for him. During the course of the game, he will be wearing incredibly billowy clothes as a result of none of them being tailored to his build.

Personal History: Kieran wasn't born to any particularly grand family, but to an almost unheard-of Count living far out on the fringes of the empire. He's got a lot of sisters, but he's the only son and he looked very sickly at that. The Countess Zobel didn't take well to this, and she did her best to keep him healthy. Her husband wasn't too happy at the sickly boy either, but a son was a son.

A little story about Count Zobel - like his son, he never won the games, instead opting to join, offer his human as an easy kill to the most probable winner, and allow himself to be contented with his lot as a Count. This didn't sit very well with the Countess Zobel, and it didn't help that her first son was a weak one.

Her following sons were stronger, and they all bloomed to sturdier men than Kieran. This did not deter the young boy, who was always social and strong of heart. He never bothered to play with his brothers, knowing he'd lose, but he was under no delusions. His father, having a soft spot for his first son, offered Kieran a position in the Zobel household as a bookkeeper, but Kieran politely declined. His mother encouraged all her sons - except Kieran - to join the games, and kept Kieran close to her heart.

It came as a major shock when Kieran announced he would play. His brothers laughed, but Kieran held his tongue. He was nineteen at the time.

His brothers joined, and some of them died, some of them were granted positions. There was much grieving, but Kieran weathered the storm. His younger brothers cast their lots; it would be his turn soon.

When he turned twenty-four, he announced nothing and merely joined the games. Kieran was no fool; he had no intention of winning. He knew that was delusional. Instead, he kept his head low and bid his time, hurting no one and waiting to see who the best contenders were. When he finally figured who they were, he offered his human to them cheaply - a position as a baron. They snapped it up.

He knew what he did wrong now. He offered his human too early in the game. He could have gotten a better price if he'd offered the human at a later stage. Majority of his remaining brothers were also harmed in that game. Kieran is the only one standing who can actually compete in the next games.

At 29, he knows he's not too old or the games yet. He's never relied on his strength anyway, so he plans on being conniving enough to survive this round as well. He knows better about the politics than he did when he was 24, and nothing's going to stop him from using this knowledge.

Personality - Strengths: If you can get past his appearance, Kieran is a pleasant person who's always polite and never insulting. He'll do what he needs to do to win the favor of the people he believes will win. Every single thing he does is calculated, methodical, and carefully prepared. He's very determined, and he'll do anything he needs to do to achieve his goal. Over his course of life and dealings with others, he's learned the advantages and disadvantages of looking half-dead. Add that to being an able actor and a skilled liar, and you'll quickly realize he's not exactly against using people's natural inclination to pity him. He does not play games of conscience and guilt, only the game of life. His amorality enables him to do anything he needs as long as it's for his goal.

Personality - Weaknesses: Apart from being naturally difficult to approach, Kieran is very meticulous about his surroundings. He will consistently check everything and insist on doing things a certain way. When he wants or likes something, it borders on the obsessive and he turns very jealous. Although not particularly aggravating when dealing with others, he frequently invades other people's personal space and enjoys contact, which doesn't exactly sit well with a lot of people. He has a habit of wandering off without a word and is stubborn as could possibly be. It's difficult for him to admit his mistakes, and if he does get proven wrong he merely laughs it off as if it wasn't anything. He also tends to be overly concerned with perfection, wanting things to be perfect and not quite settling for anything less. He's equally hard on other people as he is on himself, and is quick to berate anyone -harshly- for a perceived mistake.

Area of magic: Water/Earth

______

Human:

Name: Wynne

Age: 20

Gender: Female

Occupation: Merchant

Appearance: Wynne is on the shorter side of average and of normal weight, with an oval pretty-but-not-quite beautiful face. Her almond eyes are an unremarkable brown, and her lips are a pretty pink. Her figure is not bad, but modest. She has little in the way of muscle, but years of living in the desert and travelling about has tanned her over the years and made sure she's not round. Her waist-length hair runs in thick brown waves down her back. She's not too small, but is smaller than the average person.

Personal History: There isn't much to say about Wynne's family, except that she's an only child and her parents adore her to a fault. Her parents are merchants from out of the country, but they migrated by sea, on the other side of the empire, and they frequently travel across he entire empire searching for goods to buy cheaply and sell at a high price.

Wynne has never had any reason to distrust the government, and they always seemed pleasant enough. Her family heard enough rumors to stay out of Ushara when it was time for the games, and she's never had to encounter that side of the mages. All she knows is that they keep the water in the desert running and do quite a decent job at governing the empire.

Granted, Wynne never had a lot of friends growing up, unless you counted the kids from her father's caravan. But then again, the kids there would often leave as soon as their parents were no longer as useful to Wynne's father, so she didn't have a stable group of people to keep around her, unless you count her parents. Because they move around often, she had to adapt to the kids in a certain area. In this respect, she's learned to appreciate everyone and all their cultures, and she's learned to be polite and how to get along with people.

When she came of age, she decided to strike out on her own and run her own business, trading across the empire. Unfortunately, she doesn't believe anything bad said about the mages, and she always insisted to herself that the mages only chose criminals for the games. She wasn't afraid when she went into Ushara during the time of the games, but boy, was she terrified when those soldiers showed up at her door and demanded she join.

She meekly agreed - they didn't have to resort to threats. She's spent the last few days before the games backtracking and obsessing about everything she did, worried she'd done something wrong or had done anything to get misinterpreted as a criminal. So far, she's come up blank.

Personality - Strengths: Wynne is always optimistic, and she never fails to keep her chin up and wait for the dawn. She clings to the belief that tomorrow will be a better day, and for this reason she isn't willing to die so easily. She will hold on with everything she has, and is very clever. She has a good deal of contacts in the city and though they will be of little use to her during the game, she does know the city better than she does the back of her hand. She's cunning and wily, a smart girl who knows when she's being tricked and quite the smooth-talker as well. She's charming and friendly, making her very agreeable. She has ideas, but she doesn't insist on going about things her way and is generally a submissive person. An understanding person, she's very forgiving and patient with people.

Personality - Weaknesses: Wynne's major weakness lies in her idealism, which has been shattered when she was chosen for the games. She's still trying to pick up the pieces and for this reason, she's overly eager to justify everyone's actions and paint them as good guys. She clings desperately to her idea of a world where no one is bad, and the mages are only doing what they do for people's benefits. This can lead her to be overly trusting and easily manipulated. She isn't willing to get her hands dirty either, and she wants nothing to do with the dirty part of the game. She only wants to survive is all, and the money at the end of the game is nothing of interest to her.

Human Profile

Name: Silveriana Creselia
Age: 20
Gender: Female
Occupation: Desert gyspy
Appearance: Silveriana is five-feet three inches tall with bronze skin, white hair down to waist length, and grey eyes. Her hair is always in a braid, but rarely seen for some odd reason.
Personal history: This strange-looking woman was always on the move ever since her parents kicked her out of the house for not letting herself be married to a prince. She was sixteen at that time, and has been travelling ever since.
Personality-Strengths: Silveriana is actually real smart- if someone flashes something in front of her face for a small minute, she'll remember the whole thing. She's also a practiced thief when it comes to anything shiny. She's also beautiful enough to make a man forget everything while she steals from him.
Personality-Weakness: Because she spent years in the desert, she's highly afraid of small scorpions. She doesn't like anyone using her for a spy, so it'll take more than just money to make her talk. Also from being a desert gypsy, she can't trust anyone but herself with anything. So far, she has used her stealling skills to survive and kept her silence during each raid. The reason why she's in this game right now is very unusual. Deep down, she's in it for the money. She makes it look like she's on it for survival, when she rather get rich than be poor for the rest of her life.

Someone ended up dropping out so I get to post my profile again. Will be up shortly.

Name: Raj Talmanos (his birth name is Reseph meaning Phoenix)

Age: 19

Gender: male

Title: Technically the son of the ruling Emperor, but Raj is an outcast whom the government would happily kill if they learned he was alive.

Stone: Topaz, he wears an armband made completely of the jewel

Appearance: Long dark gold hair, his eyes are a strange blue-purple color. Tall and broadshouldered with a dragon birth mark on his torso. As an aside most of the jewelery he wears is stolen. Strangely whenever he uses his magic his eyes turn a pale glowing yellow. ((Can anyone remind me how to insert pictures into spoilers? I forgot))

http://media.photobucket.com/image/dese ... e.jpg?o=35

Personal History: When Raj was a baby a seer from a distant country came to the palace. Demanding a private audience with the emperor. She gave him a prophecy. No one knows what the exact words were but the strongest mage in the kingdom lost it.

He raged for days and ordered the seer put to death, but she dissapeared as silently as she had come. In the end the emperor focused his rage on his newborn heir. This ultimately gave rise to the rumor that Raj would one day cause some horrible Disaster.

His father is the current ruling Emperor, and when he learned his son was at the center of a Great Prophecy, he tried to have the then infant Raj killed. Raj's life was saved by his human nursemaid who smuggled him out of the palace. She hid with him in the slums, changed his name, and raised him as her own with all the love in her heart.

Raj grew up with the constant edict to NEVER use his powers in front of others. As a small child he started stealing in order to earn money for his family and quickly became a high ranking member of Ushara's criminal element. He became known as the 'Thief Prince', ironic considering his bloodline. His adoptive mother died three years ago and he treasures his memories of her.

Seiya is Raj's best friend and has been since they were small children. Raj is already half in love with her though he'd never admit it. When Seiya is taken as a human for the game Raj decides to join the game to protect her from the shadows, even though he knows it's a death sentence if the government finds out who he is. It's been almost twenty years since he was taken from the palace. Raj is betting that with a different name, no one will recognize the Cursed Prince in a common born mage from the slums.

Personality - Strengths: Loyal and intense Raj will do anything to protect the people he cares about. Fiercely proud, reckless and independent. Raj is very headstrong, once he sets a course of action NOTHING will make him waver from it. Raised by and among humans he has more in common with them than with his own kind. Raj sees himself as a human not a mage.

Personality - Weaknesses: Raj has huge problems with authority figures, he obeys no law but his own conscience, and would love nothing more than to see all the egotistical mages brought down to earth. He can be rather vindictive and makes a ruthless foe but because of his single mindedness Raj is rather easy to trick into going after the wrong person.

Area of magic: Raj has trained and manifested his abilities into a Fire/Air type.

other: As a child Raj wanted to make Seiya smile, knowing her love of music he taught himself how to play many instruments. Nowadays Raj can often be found playing a harmonica. He also has a large sand cat that he raised and stays with him. He named the cat Cifta. (Sand Cat's are basically desert lions, Cifta is mildly disabled but still incredibly deadly.)

Keep in mind that Raj has no real interest in winning the Game, just protecting Seiya. But just because he doesn't care to win, doesn't mean he won't play.
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Name: Seiya Breaade (Seiya's name means 'Hope')

Age: 17

Gender: female

Occupation: dancer/performer

Appearance: Her hair is a pale brown color, her skin is a very light color for the desert. Seiya was born with bi-chromatic eyes, meaning one is blue and one is red. She's small and pretty and always has a smile on her face. ((Again can anyone remind me how to insert pictures into spoilers? I forgot))

http://media.photobucket.com/image/dese ... 1.jpg?o=27

Personal History: Born in the slums of Ushara all her life Seiya loved music and wanted to dance. She learned by watching street perfomers and inn entertainment. When she was three Seiya tripped and skinned her knee, while she was crying an older boy came and bandaged the cut then held her hand and walked her home. That was Raj, and Seiya has adored him ever since.

As she got older Raj would occasionally sneak her into fancy mage palaces so she could watch the dancers there. And now Seiya is acclaimed as one of the most beautiful and talented dancers in the city. When a mage assumed she was paid for more than a 'performance' she said no. He tried to rape her and the end result was Raj gelding him. In retaliation the mage made sure Seiya would participate in the Game. He tried to make Raj a human participant too, not knowing 'that damned thief' was also a mage, but Raj was out of the city during the selection process thus avoiding exposure.

Seiya was orphaned at a young age and her only strong attachment is to Raj. So when she was chosen for the Game Seiya knew that he would be hurt if she didn't cooperate. So she went willingly in order to protect him.

Personality - Strengths: Sweet, shy and a little withdrawn in her personality, Seiya is none the less highly observant of her surroundings. As a child of the slums she grew up knowing the signs of a trap or ambush, but that's about the extent of her survival skills, she's always had Raj to protect her. She also has a rather bold sharp tounged side that sneaks up on her at times.

Personality - Weaknesses: Due to the circumstances of her childhood she is highly dependent on Raj and her other friends, and doesn't function very well without them.

other: Seiya helped Raj raise Cifta and when Raj finds out she's been dragged into the Game the first thing he does is send the sand cat to her.