The Throne of Shadows

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Once, there was a peaceful and united land. Life was good—there were no wars, no famine, and technology advanced rapidly. Things seemed to be looking up for humanity—until the Sun suddenly imploded, plunging the world into what became known as the Great Darkness.

The Great Darkness stole away all the light that the Sun once provided, leaving the sky a haunting shade of black. Only the Moon offered any light, but it came with a heavy cost. The Moon, who had been the Sun’s lover, was heartbroken by his loss. She wept often, and her tears—though a symbol of her grief—destroyed everything they touched on the planet.

It wasn’t until Protagus, the Moon’s beloved son, helped her see the damage she was causing that she realized she had to act. In her final act to save humanity, the Moon transferred her power to Protagus. In doing so, she gave up her soul, leaving her celestial body as nothing more than a source of light.

After Protagus helped the world recover from the darkness and rebuild, he left two children to carry on his legacy: Preagea and Lazsol. Preagea became the first Queen of Krendia, blessing her descendants with holy powers meant to protect them. As part of the royal tradition, every heir of Krendia must undergo a special competition to choose their spouse—this competition is known as the Throne Trials.

And now, this is where you come in! Your character has been selected to compete for Princess Christophina’s hand in marriage during the 58th annual Throne Trials. Whether you’ve been forced into the competition by the government, seek a life of luxury, or simply find the Princess charming, you are on your way.

The Throne Trials began as a royal tradition for claiming the throne. To take the throne, the heir and their spouse must defeat the former rulers. To ensure the heir has a worthy partner, the Throne Trials were created. Each trial consists of five rounds, each with three challenges. There are breaks between rounds for the characters, giving them time to rest. Each challenge is unique, with some offering advantages or disadvantages for future rounds.

This roleplay is very plot-driven, and each challenge is carefully designed to keep you engaged while still guiding you toward the ultimate goal. As the host, I will lead the plot forward but give you the freedom to express your character’s personality through your actions and choices.

Character creation will happen in two waves. The first wave will allow 10 characters, with two for each role. The second wave will add six more characters, and I’ll conduct a poll to decide whether we want one character for each role (with one exception) or let people create characters freely.

Some characters may die during the competition, while others may simply be locked away in a dark room until needed again. I will specify what happens for each challenge.

And now, speaking of characters, here are the roles!



2CultChurch members: Devout followers (or not) of their faith, and I'll include the rules and lore of their faith, at least read the rules but skim the lore if you need to

2 Foreign royals: Royals from other Kingdoms in the continent

2 Knights: Self explanatory

2 Peasants: The poor ones who get their money stolen

2 Nobles: The people who steal money from the poor ones


There will be some world building notes I'll add soon!



Cult Church member rules:
Spoiler
In the Krescendian Religon, these are the rules one must follow.

1. Unmarried females must not wear their hair down or loose unless in the presence of their family alone. Having their hair down and loose is reserved for their first night of marriage, afterwards it is down as often as they like.

2. You must not desire another person's things and be grateful for your own to avoid becoming Greedy.

3.You must not manipulate or take advantage of others to avoid becoming Power Hungry

4. Children born out of wedlock must be given to the church to purify and separate themselves from their parents' deeds.

5. Cowardly men who run from danger are handed over to the church to be used as sacrifices, shaming their family for three generations.

6. If a woman's husband is cowardly and sacrificed to the church then she must not remarry or adopt off her children unless a hefty fee is paid to the church. The money is to appease The Moon and Zaementis for showing you partiality.

7. To avoid Temptation one must know their place in society and if they’re high enough to deserve it. If a peasant desires a golden ribbon then they must not desire for something that they don’t deserve and therefore be Tempted.

8.Any disobedience to the church will result in banishment from everywhere that the church has control over.

9.If you murder someone you must kill someone from your house with equal or higher standing to be a settlement.



KRENDIAN LORE!
Spoiler
A sum up of the lore: (The full thing will be after it)

The Krescendian religion is the dominant faith in Krendia, rooted in a distant past marked by a cataclysmic event known as "The Great Darkness." This era followed a time of advanced technology, but one day, the world was cast into darkness, and civilization collapsed. In the absence of the Sun, chaos and death spread across the land. It was then believed that the Sun and Moon were cosmic lovers, with the stars being their children and the world a gift of their love. The Moon, left without the Sun, wept silver tears, causing devastation as her tears burned through the surviving lands.

Amidst the destruction, Protagus, the Moon's son, sympathized with humanity and convinced his mother to cease her mourning. She granted him her soul and magic to aid the world. However, when Protagus shared his power with desperate humans, greed took over, and they abused the power. Protagus, witnessing the damage, reclaimed his gift and punished the corrupted humans, labeling them as "The Corrupted Ones." These beings became a symbol of the worst traits in humanity—greed, power, and temptation. Over thousands of years, Protagus worked tirelessly to restore the world, eventually realizing he must sacrifice himself to heal it completely.

Before his departure, Protagus fathered two children, Preagea and Lazsol, with his wife, who died giving birth. Protagus, deeply mournful, left the world by becoming a silver tree, his roots later producing "Moon drops"—small glowing orbs that provided light year-round. Preagea became the first Queen of Krendia, her descendants inheriting magical abilities that grew stronger unless inbreeding occurred. Lazsol founded the Holy Krescendian Church, granting power to his followers, with his descendants serving as High Priests. Despite their celestial heritage, Preagea and Lazsol were ultimately killed, but their deaths only strengthened the magic of their descendants, making them nearly impossible to defeat.

The legacy of Preagea's bloodline continues to rule Krendia, while Lazsol's descendants lead the Church, worshiping Zaementis, the wife of Protagus, who they revere as "The Mother of True Humanity."







The Krescendian religion is the most prominent religion in Krendia. The history starts thousands of years ago when there was “The Great Darkness”. In the later years of the past there was incredible technology, more advanced than the modern world. But one day, the world went dark. It is not said how it happened, but the world was thrown into chaos. Civilization and life as they had known it was falling apart and people were dying left and right. Until you are without sun, you dont realize how important it is.

In Krendia it was widely believed that the Sun and Moon were cosmic lovers of the galaxy, the stars being their many children and the world being their love project.
Without the presence of the Sun the Moon was left devastated and as the only light for the small world. However, the Moon was not nearly as bright or as big as the Sun and could not fill her lover's role.

The Moon cried for centuries in mourning of her lost love, silver tears raining down and ravaging on the lands that had survived the first stage of The Great Darkness. Her silver tears were like acid, burning through the crops and any sentient being it hit.
This went on for hundreds of years, further setting back humanity.

Eventually, the Moon’s favorite son, Protagus, who held sympathy for mankind, told his mother how she was hurting the very thing she and her love had created. This only upset her more, but instead of shedding more tears, she begged Protagus to deliver the humans from the hell they had been living.
He loved his mother and agreed, so in her last attempt to save the world she had created, she gave all of her being, her soul and her magic to Protagus, reducing herself to only a slightly larger star.

When Protagus came down to the lands to deliver the world, his power was too great for him, so he gave some of it to trusted humans. These humans, filled with desperation and greed, tried to rule over and abuse the world and other humans even more.
Protagus stopped them too late, and the lands were as damaged as ever, so he rebuked back his power and killed the humans.
He used them as an example for humans, marking them down in history as The Corrupted Ones. The Corrupted Ones built the foundations for the most undesirable traits in humans, Greed, Power and Temptation.

Protagus spent his days restoring the world and lands, helping them to create a society where life could be built up again. This took several thousand years and Protagus soon grew tired of helping humans. He knew that soon he must make a sacrifice of himself to truly heal the land, but he knew first he must leave his mark.

He told his wife that before he left this world he wanted to give up some of his magic to humanity, and to do this he needed an heir. She agreed, and years later, she gave birth to two beautiful children.

However, she did not survive childbirth, her hair turning silver and her skin turning a milky white as life left her. Protagus, who had truly loved her, mourned but knew that it was the risk he had run. He named the eldest child, a daughter, Preagea, and his son Lazsol. Their skin was completely white in color with silver hair that dye could not color. But their eyes were the most beautiful part about them, with pitch black iris’s full of what looked to be twinkling stars.

Once Protagus’s children were grown enough to protect themselves, he went to his wife’s grave and became one with the land of Krendia. He became a large and strong silver tree, one that sparkled and glowed as if it were the moon itself. The roots were later discovered to produce what they called “Moon drops”, which were small balls of light that could be held and transported around by humans. They would go out once every year, but provide light all year round.

In his stead, Preagea and Lazsol became the two pillars of society. Preagea became the first Queen of Krendia, her bloodline of magic spreading down as she produced more heirs. Each of her direct descendants were born with a magical ability, which would go away if the child was inbred.
Because of this, marrying the heir became a sport, which will be explained more later.

As for Lazsol, he started the Holy Krescendian church, granting small pieces of power to the higher ups of the humans who followed him.
His direct descendants were more powerful than any human and were always granted the position of High Priest.

And even though Preagea and Lazsol were powerful half cosmic beings, their mortality was their downfall, for they both bleed the same blood of humans and were killed. However, killing the main sources of Protagus’s power only made their descendants' magic stronger, making them increasingly difficult to kill.

As time went on, the descendants of Preagea lived on as rulers of the land, while Lazsol’s descendants grew the church, worshipping Zaementis, the wife of Protagus, who they believed to be “The Mother of True Humanity”.



WORLDBUILDING
Spoiler
THE DOME'S APPEARANCE:This is a sketch drawing of what the Dome (where the challenge's take place) looks like. Image Picture it being made out of dark, beaten up bricks (if you need a visual look up Brimstone brick blocks from Minecraft), and all the audience's seat's are red and the farther back the seats from the arena the higher up they are, like football stadium style. The baseline ground is just dirt, but for each challenge they'll do stuff with it.

The royal balcony, unlike the rest of the Dome is made from sturdy red wood with gold finishings. There are drapes around the sides and a canopy top over it. They have luxurious red seats of the finest quality, and overall just picture luxurious things.

The forest dome is where they hold the challenges that need more of a well, forest setting. There's a tan-ish/pinkish stone tower in the middle of it where you can see everything. As for the sea dome, it is pretty much just sea with some docks and land.

ALSO! The Moon Drops are floating around virtually everywhere, giving off a spooky, paleish looking light. They are generally always there unless the challenge require's no light. And the living quarters are for the contestants, it will be covered later in the RP what they look like.

RELEVANT MEMBERS OF THE ROYAL FAMILY:
Current King Augustine the Ruthless:
King Augustine is the descendant of King Artfel (Preagea's bloodline) and the concubine Marissa (who is still alive since the tradition is to kill the rulers to claim the throne, the the winner of the 56th Throne trial was a man and therefore the second King.) Before he was known as King Augustine the Ruthless, he was known as The Copper Prince, due to his beautiful dark, copper-y toned skin, and the constant ruining of his white shirts that turned a light red or dark orange.
His shirts were constantly soiled due to him practicing with his special skill, which was Blood Manipulation. He could sense the blood in living things and control it however he liked, and he would often be called to use his gifts to execute traitors for extra practice.

This power was very similar to Late King Artfel, whose power was Bone Manipulation. He was the striking resemblance of his father and they had a good relationship up to the day where King Augustine slaughtered him and his husband before claiming the throne. In honor of his father, he keeps a bit of his fathers blood in a necklace that he keeps around his neck.

Since you'll see King Augustine many times throughout the story, this is a brief description of what he looks like so you can picture him: He has dark, copper-y hued skin that is covered in many scars from battles over the year. He has a solid, strong build with apparent muscles, and he stands around 5'7. He has milky white hair that's kept in long dreadlocks, half of his hair hanging down to his waist and the other half is kept up in an intricate high bun. He has black iris's full of what look like stars, picture stars reflecting in a dark lake. He has a slightly unsettling smile, but impeccable fashion taste.


Queen Bethet:
Queen Bethet was the winner of the 57th Throne Trials, and marked down in history as the most powerful royal spouse in history. When her power was transferred to her at the royal wedding, she lost her ability to speak and her eyes that day as the price for her new royal powers. However, this is the first time in history there has been a price for the magic.

Her powers were revealed to be absurdly strong telepathy, mind reading and the ability to borrow other's powers. She often states that she wished she could still see, simply because she's never seen her daughter before. While she can feel her, and can be told what she looks like, it isn't the same. Queen Bethet and King Augustine actually fell in love after time, but it could only go so far since she blames King Augustine partially for the loss of her eyes.

Since you will see her every once in a while, this is her appearance to give you a visual. She has milky, pale skin and an elegant and thin build. She has silk, raven feather black hair that is so long it drags on the floor. Her crown was altered at her request to dip down over her face and stretch higher in the front to cover her eyes. She often wears silver and simpler garments which contrasts with her husbands constant gold and flashy appearance. Speaking of her husband, she is taller than him, standing around 5'11.

Princess Christophina the Beautiful:
Princess Christophina is the spoiled, brash and bratty Princess of Krendia. While she is a kind person, she also believes that she is above other because of her standing in society and her captivating beauty.

She has expensive taste's like her father and has already collected a concubine of lovers even though she is newly 18. If she likes you then she's very bubbly and extroverted, but if you get on the bad side of her or one of her lovers, than I'd leave the continent. She does good deeds and has a good heart, but because of her upbringing she doesn't think her entitled behavior is a problem. She is a bit out of touch, but a fun person to be around all together.

While she is very close with both of her parents, she is particularly close with her father, due to all their similarities. Not only are they both witty and reckless, she is almost the striking image of King Augustine. They often cause trouble together and wear similar or matching clothes, a clear display of their relationship.

Princess Christophina won't be as relevant as her parents, funnily enough but here is her appearance: She has slightly light copper hued skin with a curvier build. She stands at around 5'8 and usually lets her hair be free in a pale white afro. Her eyes are the signature black with starlike white dots in them, and freckles dance across her nose and cheeks. She has her mothers good bone structure, and her fathers enchanting looks, which is how she got her nickname, Princess Christophina the Beautiful.



FORM:

Code: Select all
Name:

Age: (18 and up)

Gender/pronouns:

Role:

Personality:

Appearance:

Background:

Skills:

Weaknesses:

Reason for being in the competition:

Other:




Alright, I think that's about it. Here is where you can see what spots are filled, but keep in mind there will be a second wave of characters! Just make one at first and ask if you can make a second. To reserve a spot just ask for one in the OOC and tell me which role you want.

2 1 Cult members: Glitch0Ghost2024
2 0 Knights: RangerofIthilien, APoltergeist
2 1 Foreign Royalty: avimoon
2 Nobles:
2 Peasants:

Second wave:
1 Cult members:
1 Knights:
1 Foreign Royalty:
1 Nobles:
1 Peasants:

If you have any questions, let me know!

Thanks for reading, I hope you join, and let the games begin! (I'll be tagging everyone here who liked the spitballing post! (You guys don't have to join if you lost interest, but I wanted to let ppl know that its up now!
You want me to kidnap your daughter so she doesn't get kidnapped? -Yes! Precisely!

You shine like that one light in your room that keeps blinking when you're trying to sleep that you can never find and turn off

Don't make me use my UwU voice!



"I think; therefore, I am."
— René Descartes