Young Writers Society

The Hunt Has Begun

It is winter in the country of Cela Fretamori, a land as fantastic as it is brutal. This frigid time of year, the warring factions of mortals and magic weilders must not only battle one another, but must survive the wild countryside in which the monsters that dwell in the forests and mountains bordering the country are just as fierce as the weather. Humans and magical creatures are forced to coexist...but this is not always easy or desired. In an effort to maintain control over the beasts and beings of Fretamori, humans have resorted to hunting and destroying the rulers of the magical realm, the Witches. In order to survive against the superior tactics and weaponry of the humans, Witches have been forced into hiding, often times in the midst of the mortal cities. Blending in to human society is key for the survival of the Witches, and failure to do so results only in execution by burning...

Cela Fretamori
The populated center of the country is set up like a wheel, the hub being the capital city where the royal family resides as well as the majority of the human (and witch) population. Branching out are smaller cities and villages interspersed among woods and vast praries. Beyond the outlying villages are the foothills where the ruins of Witch towns lie. On three sides, mountains border the country, and on the one, a sea. In the bordering forests, there are also swamps where many ancient creatures live, and the largest wetland is north of the capital, opposite on the map from the sea.The country has a varying climate depending on location, but for simplicity's sake, it gets really cold in the winter and hot in the summer.

Species Specifics:
Witches
--Witches are able to perform specific spells acording to their natural abilities. For example, a witch that is gifted with the ability to control fire/cast fire spells would rarely be able to use a water-casting spell. Using spells outside their realm of ability makes them very weak and thus vulnerable.
--Overtime, witches become more powerful, but they lose their ability to cast spells outside their range of expertise, trading in a spectrum of skill for perfection in one area.
--Witches and their male counterparts live much longer than humans due to their power sources: jewels of different types that reside in their hearts and can only be removed through burning the entire body enclosing them.
--Witches live mostly in the cities and towns of Cela Fretamori, but some also hid in the foothills and the woods.
Humans
--Humans are the more populous species, the more technologically advanced, and the more civilized, but in comparison to witches, they are very weak.
--While humans are taught despise the magical creatures of Fretamori, they still rely on the magic of the land and its beasts in order to thrive. Also, the reigning family of the country are humans decendant of ancient witches, so naturally the lines begin to blur. Therefore, not all humans hate witches.
--Humans desire to burn witches primarily for obtaining the jewels inside them that grant longer life. Since these jewels are fragile and last not set amount of time, humans are constantly on the hunt for more powerful jewels.
Other Creatures
--Just have fun with this one. Really, anything you can think of will work in this world, be it unicorns or flying bears.

A Few Things to Keep in Mind
You may decide whether or not to be a human or a witch, but remember that this is a crucial part in the role your character will play
For all who wish to have a male character, for the purposes of this story, witches with actual magical abilities will be predominantly female. (Exceptions can be arranged if you present us with a very convincing argument.)
As there are going to be--we're figuring--ten people accepted into this storybook (not including the two of us) move quickly in order to get the role of human/witch that you desire. We have the power to deny your character profile if there are already too many of either side, if something is not conducive to the story's requirements, or if there is no room for more entries.

Character Profile


Ok, so a few notes from your storybook matrons, WrittenInStone and TheAlphaBunny:
1) Whether or not you reveal from the beginning or never the true nature of your character (i.e. witch or otherwise), is entirely up to you, but you must not share this information in your character profile. We don't want this witch hunt to end too easily, now, correct? With that, any character, human or witch, can be crafty when it comes to identity and motivations..so let's make this interesting.
2) As this has a fantasy element, feel free to have fun with the magic.
3) In terms of violence and sexual content: things happen, people die, people fornicate. Just be smart, and we'll trust you to keep it reasonable and friendly to polite audiences.
4) Please be kind to all other storybook members, despite the fact that this is a witch hunt...and we might all end up killing each other. Heehee.

Entry:
-enter before July 13th July 18th(tentative time, but there you have it.)
-storybook will begin approx. July 16th. July 19th.
-submit your character profile through PM to WrittenInStone completed and with any questions you may have
-if you are interested in joining this storybook but are uncertain about the time you can devote to it, still consider joining and talk to either of us. (We don't bite, promise.)
-spread the love and invite your friends along for the ride!

Darlings, we both hope that you will join us in The Hunt. We look forward to seeing you on the battle lines.

Characters:
WrittenInStone: Arose Gadrielle
TheAlphaBunny: Lilin Lohsael
Redfang18: Dana Darkrai
carbonCore: Eleandra Liocz
Searria H: Querp
emoticon220: Rio Melonnie

Additional Characters and Discussion Thread

Name: Dana Darkrai
Gender: Male, but disguised as female
Age: 24
Appearance: always dressed as a house wife during the day, but dresses as a priest at night for unknown reasons. When the Sabbath comes around, his Sunday best as a woman is a small dress that's a little tight on his chest. However, there are times when he needed to cause revenge on those who provoke his anger. On those times, he stays home and wears a long black cloak over his body.
Dana in disguise


The true Dana

He is very pale- parchment pale at best- due to being in the house most of the time. Contrary to the second picture, his real self stands six-foot-one, has raven hair, feral green eyes, and a hypnotizing singing voice.
Strengths: he has a thing for the outdoors. He loves to find flowers so he could pass them to other men as a love offering to their wives. He also likes to secretly give children a sweet behind the backs of their parents. He enjoys hearing gossip from women.
Weaknesses: he has a vile temper that is almost never restrained and he's often too proud of himself for the acts of revenge he's caused since he came under the guise of a woman. Half the time when alone, Dana is smashing things by throwing them at a wall in a fit of rage. When among his own people, he's too emotional of the loss of a fellow.
Notable Attributes: he's disguised as a woman by day, but stalks the village at night. His fellows call him the Reaper behind his back, but this actually amuses him. On his person, he hides a knife that never leaves his side. Why does he have this knife- which is somehow bloodstained- with him when it shouldn't be at all, nobody knows but Dana himself.

Name: Eleandra (aka Elene) Liocz
Gender: F
Age: 24
Description of Appearance: Usually wears plain, unremarkable clothing. Hair of dark auburn, wavy and down to her neck. Soft, round facial features. Of shorter height.
Strengths: Moving silently.
Weaknesses: Being seen. Also, herself.
Notable attributes: Elene makes her living by ending that of others'. However, she will never kill a witch.
Sexuality/View on Romance: She would be very difficult to get through to.

Name: Lilin Lohsael

Gender: male

Age: appears mid twenties

Description of Appearance and Picture: approx. 6 feet tall, slender build. Has long brown hair he keeps up in a slick ponytail with various ornaments depending on the day, I suppose. Large brown eyes and high cheekbones. Pallid with various freckles. Rarely smiles. Usually wears dark, somewhat utilitarian clothing with his ever-present pair of lace up boots. Has a thin scar running from the top of his left shoulder down across his chest from an unknown accident as well as smaller scars--one running from his temple to the corner of his right eye, the other on the top of his left hand--from the same incident. Carries an ivory-handled dagger and a small golden Burner (magic-based tool used for throwing flame/exterminating witches).


Strengths: He is an excellent tactician and is merciless when it comes to killing for his king.

Weaknesses: Can be needlessly cruel and has a quick temper. Despite his training and appearance of callousness, he is easily seduced due to his deeply rooted need for validation and attention.

Noteable attributes: Has tremors in his hands caused by [unknown factor] that sometimes make it difficult for him to do necessary work. He has used the jewels found in the witches he has burned in order to extend his life and remain young, so his true age is unknown. Whatever is the cause of his tremors, though, is the primary reason he used the jewels.
Has a pet--a large doglike creature with thick white fur and two sets of eyes--that he takes with him nearly everywhere and seems to be the only creature to whom he shows genuine affection.
He works for the king of Cela Fretamori as the leader of the royal witch hunting groups and has held this position for many years. Is believed to be a relative of the royal family, but this is purely speculation.

Sexuality/View on Romance: straight/disinterested in relationships

Name: Querp (no last name)

Gender: male

Age: 151 (still very young for an imp)

Description of Appearance and Picture: Approximately four feet high with a rather greenish complexion. His floppy ears or dappled with warts. He has dark, straw-like hair. He has a little smushes-in nose and a pot-belly. He has an underbite, which causes his crooked bottom teeth to overlap his upper lip. He wears a pair of worn cotton shorts and a faded red vest, which is too small. His limbs are comparatively scrawny next to his middle and head. He wears one of those little pointy hats like the Keebler Elves.
He's sort of a combination of these two:



Strengths: He has a great sense of hearing. He maintains a sense of humour even in tough situations. He's great at surviving on his own; he knows all of the edible plants, the natural medicines, etc.

Weaknesses: Poor thing isn't really intelligent, and he's homeless. He's rather impolite, and his hygiene's a bit iffy. He wanders around the streets, but refuses to join the beggars.
Noteable attributes: As the self-serving little guy that he is, as long as he's well off, he doesn't much care which side he's on.

Sexuality/View on Romance: Oh, great. Um...he never mentions it? *hopeful smile*
-Sea-

Sent It in for review to AlphaBunny. Sorry about lateness.
Name: Rio Melonnie

Gender: Female

Age: (no restrictions) 19
Description of Appearance and Picture: (just a general idea will suffice) Rio is semi aquatic, her under sea form is somewhat like a female version of cthulhu, with tentacles and webbed feet. Her land form is tall and thin with seaweedy black hair and green eyes.

This is her sea form, I might try and draw something later that will better depict it. She is more feminine and has no wings.
This is her human form, but she has MUCH greener eyes and her hair looks more like seaweed.


Strengths: Holds up well in a fight. Smart. Sneaky.

Weaknesses: Nearly a robot, has few emotions. Cannot spend too much time away from water or she dries out. Tends to be shy around people because she doesn't know how to make friends well.

Noteable attributes: She was born an egg under a leaf and therefor never knew her parents. This is not strange as none of the sea people do. She doesn't quite grasp the concept of family. She doesn't eat fish, ever. That would be cannibalism.

Sexuality/View on Romance: Straight, She will love if someone finds away through her robotic shell and can accept that shes part fish.

Name: Arose Gadrielle

Gender: Female

Age: 20

Description of Appearance and Picture: nearly five foot two, with a shapely build. Has long, wavy red hair that she normally weaves into a single braid. She has large green-grey eyes with statuesque features such as high cheekbones and a thin nose. She has a dusting of freckles across her nose and a simple malovence about her. Usually wearing dark clothing and flaunting her body in ways that most men cannot resist. She finds herself in her usual clothing of a black tanktop, tight jeans and knee-high black boots. She has a jagged scar that runs from her temple down to her jawline on the left side of her face, with a multitude of other scars marring her cheek. Though the scars may seem to mar her beauty it only improves her appearance. She carries with her, where ever she may go, a necklace made of woven tree bark with a black pearl hanging just above her breasts. Hidden within her knee-high boots is a long bone-handled knife with a curved blade. She specializes in the dark arts and is the leader of the witch-coven in Fretamori.



Strenghts: She is a cruel woman, and a merciless killer when it comes to her own defense and she is especially skilled in the dark arts and weaponry. She practices aikido and kungfu as well for when it comes to hand to hand combat. She is also exceptionally skilled in deception and trickery.

Weaknesses: Unusually cautious and wary when it comes to travelling throughout the city of Cela Fretamori. She is quick to act and asks the questions afterwards. Most times she doesn't consider the consequences to her actions and sometimes uses magic in the open without the necessary caution.

Noteable Atrributes: When nervous or scared she bites her lip which usually results in blood. Some scars are present on the inside of her palms from the times when she has come to fear the results of her actions. She is known to communicate with most of the unheard creatures in the wilds of Cela Fretamori. She lives in a small shack-like house within the city of Fretamori, nearest the shops.

[beginning post below]

Arose carefully made her way across the street, her dress buttoned up to her throat and her shawl warding some of the chill to the evening air. Her red hair masking her face as she kept her head down, swinging the small woven basket on her arm as she went about towards the market. She glanced upwards at the sound of a cab being hailed from nearby but immediately she ignored this distraction and set her piercing green gaze on the other citizens of Cela Fretamori. She stopped infront of a young man, and dipped her head in greeting before continuing onwards towards the market place, reading the small list she had written the night before. She needed many an items to begin making the dinner for her friends on the night of the full moon.
Arose swallowed painfully, her throat dry from having just woken up a few hours before. Her green eyes narrowed as she spotted a familiar face amongst the merchants, and immediately she knew that tonight would be an interesting night. She flashed a kindly smile and held out one, long fingered hand for the man to shake. He stood tall, an imposing figure, an authoritive figure. She felt as though she should shrink back for fear that he would notice her but she did no such thing, she stood tall as though she could meet his authority with that of her own. Arose was a leader by nature, a leader of those who could make these humans fall to their knees but she did not - she could not and would not dare to make such a foolish mistake.
"Greetings, Lilin Lohsael." she murmured respectfully.
She waited, still as stone, for his hand to meet hers and shake it. Though he seemed the sort not to do such a thing even though perhaps she may as well have had the idea to take away her hand from his. Arose flashed another kindly smile, hoping that she seemed every bit not like any other human.


[Right well, anyone can come along and Alpha I hope you take kindly to introductions.]

Dana Darkrai

I stood on top of my house with my cloak on my body. The night was coming, therefore I would stalk until the sun rose. Cela Fretamori was a strange place to be, but suitable for one as checkered as myself. My past life- the life before this one- was my most darkest secret. I trusted no one with that bit of information, not even those who call me the Reaper. I smiled at this. Some call me the Reaper when I come to them as a woman. My disguise was perfect, since my true self was wanted in my home country for witchcraft. I waited for the right moment to go about my nightly business.
The clock struck midnight.
I murmured, "At last, we come to the highest hour." I stalked quietly like a shadow. Through the village, I went in different houses and stole what food I could find. The only place I never stole from was the dwelling of Arose Gadrielle. That woman, although four years younger than I was, scares me to the brink of death. Why does she scare me, I had not the slightest inkling. After I did my raid, I snuck to the woods and laid there under a tree. My raids always make me tired, so I had to rest in order to resume my disguise in the morning. I slept peacefully.

It was cold, too cold to be out on the streets of the capital despite the faint warmth of the street vendors' ovens and the shuffle of bundled bodies. The stars shone clearly in the liquid sky, and pallid moonlight dripped down upon the square, defused by the light of orange lanterns, spindly street lamps, twinkling red lightning bugs trapped in jars on strings sweeping from the vendors' roofs. Despite the layer of ice that shimmered on every bare surface, the haze of steaming breaths that hung low like a sunken cloud, people strolled along, apparently impervious to the grip of the winter season.

Except for Lilin Lohsael. Clearly miserable, he stood amidst the crowd of hoods and scarves and coats beneath the gentle glow, his dark eyes sharp and clear as his gaze cut across the square. He was always observing, watching for inconsistencies in behavior, for unauthorized use of magic, but mostly for Witches. He shoved his gloved hands deep into the pockets of his burgundy waistcoat, the air nipping at his exposed white face and sensitive, listening ears. He questioned the practicality of pulling his hair up into its normal pony tail, slick and ornamented this evening with a string of white beads that glinted like pearls in his brown tresses. Dressed sharp as always, but form over function had a tendency to make winter that much more unbearable.

He huffed into the high collar of his coat, curled his toes inside his boots. He thought about calling it a night; night patrol in the winter was grunt work, a job better fitted for some stupid underling. But the king had specifically requested his presence in the square this evening. Something about recent disturbances in the city, a few deaths, some robberies. And it was common knowledge, of course, that Witches liked to roam at night. With thoughts of great fires blazing, ravaging bodies, warming his frosty skin as he looked on, he ignored the cold and looked ahead.

Ghosting through the dark masses like a lit torch, Lilin's predatory gaze fel upon a briliant head of read hair, the slim figure of a lovely woman, and a familiar one at that. His hands trembled lightly in his pockets, but he remained impassive. Her eyes, too green and bright for the drab pallet of the season, caught his, and with the light of recognition livening her feminine features, she strode toward him. Lilin conidered pointedly turning on his heel and walking in the opposite direction. But he was a gentleman, so he stood his ground.

"Greetings, Lilin Lohsael," she murmured, looing up at the imposing man with an outstretched hand. He stared at her, looked at the hand, then removed a hand from the shelter of his pocket. As he took her palm into his, he was unable to completely still the tremors, and by the line that formed between the woman's brows, she noticed.

Lilin swallowed before adressing her, "Good evening, Miss Gadrielle. What brings you into the capital?"

[good work so far, guys! let's all get introduced...then the trouble can ensue. *cue maniacal laughter*]

There was no reason she had woken up in the middle of the night. There was no ghost, no trace, no tracks, nothing that had not been there before. But there was a letter.

The envelope of off-white sealed with the coiled initials of Alistair Pearce weighed her hand down pleasantly, and was thicker than usual-- vellum. She could even smell it, a smell of wealth, of leather-bound books and rich mahogany-- incredibly enough, through the rancid stench of trash and filth that surrounded her. Two buildings, side by side, ancient to the point of leaning on each other like decrepit lovers, allowed only a single ray of fragile moonlight to fall on the papers as she broke the seal to take the vellum inside. The hobo across from her shuffled in his sleep as the wax cracked; her hands froze, her heart flared, and her breath solidified into a clump in the middle of her throat. But he was still asleep, and she relaxed once more, now with the vellum in her hand.

Dear Eleandra,
I hope this letter finds you in good health. I cannot be sure; what with the Fretamori family cracking down even harder still on the oppressed, it has been difficult to get through to you. But if my hopes are not yet futile, I imagine this letter will bring much joy. Beneath is a list; Albeirde of the Three Fools is the curator. You know what to do.

And indeed, beneath the short note there was a list. A large list. She understood now why he would write it on immortal vellum rather than vulnerable paper. This list would take a long time, yet at the same time it could not wait.

She breathlessly pushed herself up from between two rags wherein she slept, and, folding the vellum neatly into a scroll, dove into the night.

The woods was quiet and peaceful, much to his liking. His dark cloak was trailing behind him like a wedding tail, his feral eyes wide open for anything. He's done his part tonight, so now he must resume the guise of the opposite sex to hide the tracks of the infamous Reaper. How often does he let himself indulge in this great pleasure, he knows not even an inkling. He made some others look like fools during his raids and witches look like pretty women, but back at his old country his mother's family was greatly disrespected. He returned to his cottage and donned himself in woman's wear. This was the disguise he came here in and was seen during the day. After storing his cloak away, he went through the streets like a lady. At night, he's his true self. This is day time, in which he must be a woman to hide his infamous face.
Someone called, "Evening, Goody Darkrai."
He waved a little, but spoke very few words. His true voice was a man's voice, which is the only thing he couldn't change. He knew his face, voice, eyes, and skin won't change, but at least he could look different to hide in plain sight from those who knew the truth. Here in the day, he was Goody Darkrai; at night, he was Dana Darkrai, the infamous Reaper. He really had nothing to worry about here. This is his chance to truly start a life, not like in his home country.

A smile ghosted onto her pale, procelain-colored face. The dusting of freckles upon her nose becoming darker against her pale flesh as she dipped her head in appology for her lack of giving him a title. She returned her hand within the pocket of her shawl, and used the other to brush away strands of her red hair. The evening air brought a gust of wind with it, whipping her hair and shawl into a frenzy of movement. A slight crease to her brow gave away what she had been wondering about his tremorous hand, she had not before seen his hands shake in such a manner, but perhaps it had become her lack of vigilance. Aside from a sigh, she, however, stood still and from occasion shivered from the frigid cold. She met the man's eyes with her own for a long moment and kept her silence, before finally daring to answer.

"I've come but to see the merchant's goods. I'm in need of food for a dinner I am preparing. Perhaps you would like to join me for such?" she inquired, her blood-red lips pursed together.

She turned towards one of the closer merchants stands and looked at the slices of fish that were prepared on slabs of wood. Her glance turned upwards as she indicated one of the trout, it's eye staring upwards and unseeing. "I'll take four slabs of trout and then a small bag of fisheyes." she instructed the man, her imposing presence bringing forth a hesitant nod from the merchant.

She returned her gaze towards Lilin Lohsael, "Have you found any of those you hunt, sir Lohsael?" she asked of him, "Any of the..." she paused, simply unsure if she should mention the name that their kind had been giving. "... magic users?" she offered as a suplicant to the usual formal name.



[Yes, let the trouble begin - my partner in crime]

Lilin dipped his head, hiding the faintest twitch of a cold smile at her choice of words. Women could be so prudish.

"Magic users you say?" he muttered, looking up to see the merchant handing her the fish items from across the lantern-lit woodblock. He pondered the question a moment, wondering if he should lie about the recent catches or be needlessly graphic. Leaning toward the latter, he blinked slowly and replied, "Yes, I have."

He noticed the slightest twitch to her eye, an unconscious signal of anxiety. "Is that so?"

"Yes, I managed to capture three heathen Witches just this past week, two with men that His Highness assigned to me for the job, and one alone with only my pet as my partner. Fina does love a good hunt, and this Witch certainly served as some entertainment." Arose nodded, looking intrigued by his hanging statement, so Lilin continued, hoping to disgust the fair woman out of her dinner invitation; he had a report to make to the King.

"You see, she was a younger Witch, barely twelve. Fast as a devil with an affinity for smoke spells. She would try to throw us off her trail with thick clouds of black smog, but Fina has a sharp nose, so it was really no problem catching the brat. The problem came when she tried to bite and claw at me. I think I still have teeth marks on my arm." Lilin's lip curled. "Hideous creatures. She made a very pretty flame, though. Bright blue."

Rio climbed out of the lake and put herself in human form. She squeezed out her hair and stood up, putting on her black dress. She walked towards town through the woods. A cloaked figure was standing near some trees.
"Evening, Goody Darkrai." She waved. Quiet one she was. Rio walked over, twigs cracking under her bare feet.
"Hello." She raked her fingers through her seaweed hair. "Rio, Rio Melonnie." she said outstreaching her hand. Goody nodded and shook her hand. Rio frowned. She was trying to be polite and...friendly, something she wasn't used to, and being ignored. She reverted back to her usual self, cold and stiff.
"I am going into town now." She said, her voice monotone. Her face was emotionless. She turned and walked towards town.