Truce of the Elements [FULL]

A truce has finally been achieved. After one hundred and fifty years of war, the seven element kingdoms have put aside their differences and are working towards turning their small fragments into one, powerful empire. They’ve found the most neutral castle of the continent— in what was once a no-man’s land on the corner of three kingdoms— and have met to decide the nuances of true peace. The most powerful men and women in the realm, sent to represent the rulers, are meeting to form the negotiations.

They have also brought the heirs to the kingdom and their own children, to forge alliances through friendship. While they must sit in some negotiations through the day, to learn what is involved as part of their training for ruling, most of their time is spent interacting with the other kingdoms’ heirs. Everyone involved know the future of this peace relies on the friendships formed during negotiations. They can only pray no hate is formed.

This is where you come in. You are one of the soon-to-be-leaders (either envoys and/or heirs) and have been instructed to learn as much as you can about other kingdoms.

Why you learn is up to you.

Not all kingdoms want the same type of peace. The war has been raging for generations, some nations constantly skirmishing in that time, while others are less involved but still presences felt by other nations. It has made an uneasy road for negotiations. Some kingdoms simply want a ceasefire, having grown very happy with their independence. Others want a full collaboration between nations. A few still hold hatred at some kingdoms, bitter that the war is over too soon for them to reclaim lost land or avenge their fallen.

But, that is only speaking for the forefathers. The heirs might have different ideas, or follow in the mindset of the nation that raised them.

Kingdoms
Wood and animal live together in a jungle, a mountain range towering at the edge of their kingdom. In the foothills of this range, by the forest, metal lives and has cut a small trading route through the mountains to access the other kingdoms. In the mountains live earth, half of their kingdom in caves or stone houses. On the other side of the range, a rain shadow provides the air kingdom arid plains. A river from the mountains carves through it, and forms a marsh to its one side and mouth. On the river’s other side, south of the plains, fire has carved its niche, their country a combination of plains and hills. Between the fire and water kingdoms there is a no man’s land that has been washed with blood many times; both kingdoms have given up claiming it, and no other dares to try.

Before the truce, animal and wood were defending their forest from metal's mining. Earth had given up removing the metal kingdom from some particularly large veins, but kept them from taking any more than they physically could. Air and earth never interacted, air not daring to get close to the mountains. Air also never dared get close to fire's territory, fearing the blaze that kingdom could set on their precious crops. The water kingdom could never leave the marsh because their powers dropped significantly away from any large bodies of water. Which made the drier shores of the river a battleground as, at first, water tried to claim it, then fire. Air receded from the immediate area, not wanting to be pulled into the conflict. Even now, hatred among the formerly-warring kingdoms still runs deep.

Detailed Info

Spoiler

Water
They live in a marsh at the edge of a river, homes made of the most flexible trees with water walls. Because of this, the more water that can be controlled by the home’s inhabitants, the more powerful the family is. Classes are divided by how powerful each member is, with the male nobility sometimes choosing an exceptionally-powerful woman from a middle class family for their wife. Families plan for this, marrying for power more often than love among all classes.

They believe the truce should be used as a temporary, loose thing to be crushed at the perfect time. Everything is for self-gain, for power and for the sake of coming out on top. It isn’t for the kingdom or the kingdom’s peace of mind. It’s for the rulers and the leaders and the important people- it’s to be feared. Everything is a ploy.

The kingdom is perceived as cold and emotionless, and bloodthirsty. The war has been littered with tales of fire and water turning one shore of the river into a no man’s land. There’s some suspicion relating the sudden cease-fire between the two. Because they’ve only come out of their marsh to war, nobody really knows anything about them.

Fire
They live in hot hills with good growing conditions. Their magic is mostly based on passion, and widespread. They rule by a council of those with lots of magic or connections, hopefully both, and this council gets lost in debate frequently as passion and tempers overlap. Those who are forced into a job have a hobby they love, and those who aren’t do what they love. Their homes are designed to let in as much sunlight in as possible, with brick construction to withstand sometimes fiery outbursts.

The rulers are split in how they view the truce. Some are happy to end bloodshed between the kingdoms, while others feel cheated out of any reconciliation for a war that’s been going on for generations. The majority want an end to war... and a chance to romance all the kingdoms.

They are a relatively feared for their destructive nature. The wars with water, along with the amount natural wildfires can devastate the other kingdoms gives them a healthy dose of fear-bound respect. They’re also viewed as generally laid back, putting their hearts above their minds. But, still, nobody dares cross them.

Air
Aird plains in a mountain’s rain shadow. The winds controls the temperature, keeping it somewhat warm all year, and removes moisture from the air while still keeping fertile ground thanks to a river flowing through the territory. Pollen is distributed more easily, with humans doing some of the work normally reserved for nature’s processes. But, the air is fickle and brings storms and fans fires. They live outside, needing air movement. Their homes are nothing more than shelters from animals and weather, made of wood and straw with lots of open space. The best farmers, those who can control the wind for exact pollination, rule.

Air, having been in the territory between two of the bloodiest wars, wants the air to stop smelling like death. They do not think the truce will affect them, but they want it just to be over. For the most part, they’ve managed to stay out of the war. But they are far from above feeling the effects.

Their farming techniques are the most advanced out of all the kingdoms, and they fact they keep the themselves make them mostly known as a source of food if you ask nicely. They tend to hold disdain for the other kingdoms because of the wars. This makes the other kingdoms slightly weary, and, now that truce negotiations are underway, make them very aware how little they know about it. And how much of a necessity their techniques are.

Earth
They live in the mountains and have a rather glittery kingdom. The soil is rich and fertile, with their nobility having access to gems and semiprecious stones. Inside the mountains, the best mining families rule. Outside, the best farmers rule. But, wealth, especially polished gems, is the main signifier of wealth. They guard their territory rather jealously, not caring about any other kingdom unless those who decide to encroach upon their territory.

Earth is hoping that their territory will finally stop being encroached upon by the metal kingdom, and people will finally see the importance of earth; it is the ground they are all standing on, after all. They don’t interact much with other kingdoms, and couldn’t care about much but their own territory.

Earth is seen as a kingdom that sits on its wealth and guards it jealously, but is relatively unknown in the water and fire kingdoms. They’re hated by the metal kingdom, the air kingdom is indifferent to the people within (all they need is the mountains) and the others have no real opinion. But the fact they hold most of the gems, which all kingdoms have, even if in small doses, means all kingdoms have experience with them.

Animal/Wood
They share a forest territory, Wood having lived there longer and Animal having been forced to the trees as other element kingdoms expanded and both lacking the methods to fight back. They fear other kingdoms and try not to anger either. The wood people split their time among cities— loosely clustered tree houses and huts— with the tropical seasons, following the best fruits and some of the animals. They gather, mostly, trying to use the forest to its best capacity while not disturbing too much of the natural balance. The animal tribes move throughout the forest, following migratory patterns.

They have intermarried, producing hybrids that have their mother’s dominant element in their magic. The hybrids live with their mother’s family, because that is where they fit better. Their fathers often live with them, as well. The power structure for both elements is determined by one simple method: who can walk through the forest while disturbing it the least rules.

Both kingdoms want their space to stop being confined. If peace were achieved, then they could stop living in fear and travel out to lands they haven’t seen since they were practically exiled into the forest. They could also reach agreements to any mining of their lands from the metal and earth kingdoms, whom they feel are not respecting the forest properly.

They are seen as the most primitive, and the weakest, of the kingdoms. While the wood kingdom can provide strong trees and good food, and the animal kingdom can hunt the most efficiently, they have kept to themselves so long and are so hard to contact that no kingdom knows their strengths and weaknesses. Not even metal can pinpoint what they do.

Metal
They live in the foothills of the mountains, having taken small little pockets they defend from other kingdoms. Families who have access gold, silver or steel battle for the most money and power. It depends on the winds of trade. As a merchant nation, they try not to ally their forces to anybody. They sell to all, and quality received all depends on how deep the purse given is.

Less war means more alliances... but also means the kingdoms won’t need their weapons of war. But, because the use of metal tools has managed to permeate most of the kingdoms, the trade should only increase. They are in favour of the truce, especially open borders.

Each kingdom would describe them the same way: notorious. They have a contact in every kingdom, no matter how secret, and no one kingdom is particularly happy about it. Metal knows how much the other kingdoms rely on weapons, or tools, or ornaments, and knows they are the main supplier of all. Animal, Wood, and Earth have their own wars with the kingdom, from metal scouting or even mining in their territory. Most believe they’ll stop at nothing to insure they remain the only supplier of metal among the kingdoms.

The Present Day
You are currently meeting in that former no-man's land, which has grown pockets of forest in what was once churned earth, has now been customized to hold every one kingdom in the most comfort possible. A stone castle for earth, fire and metal, a series of huts in a meadow for air, homes near the river for water, and tree houses for wood and animal. But this complex is walled, preventing anybody from actually interrupting the negotiations. And preventing escape without anybody else knowing. Every kingdom was expected to bring what they need to live their day to day lives.

All negotiations are done within the castles, out in the courtyard on nice days, inside when the weather doesn't allow for outdoor meetings.


Rules-
- No sex scenes— romance is allowed, just don’t show the details if it gets that far.
- Minimal swearing (no f-word in particular.)
- Always remember your character(s) is/are primarily a tool to forge alliances with. Your parents/envoys will form alliances on your behalf, but you are free to form more on your own.

- As an amendment to this, I reserve the right to act as any given parent/envoy to keep things interesting. Instructions will most likely be given in mass PM format, but some might be kept between me and the person who it impacts.

- There are only room for 7 people in this SB. Each person may claim one element, and you may have a max of two characters within the same element.

- The first character is predetermined. The second can be a sibling, child from another family, servant, what have you.

- Try to keep characters between the ages of 16 and 24. This includes secondary characters you make. Most of the interactions done will be among this age bracket, and amongst the heirs.
- PM all profiles to me (Rosey Unicorn) for approval.
- Make all posts a couple of paragraphs, at least. Something for other players to base their next post off of. If you’re doing a dialogue exchange and aren’t sure how the other character would react, either start a PM chain or pad the post out and end it on the tricky bit of news.
- Keep characters in character when interacting with them. If you’re unsure, reference the profile or PM the creator of the character.
- All characters are critical to the plot (Killing anybody, even by accident, is grounds for war). Inactive characters will be made NPCs. You can pick them up when you get back (feel free to pm me [Rosey] for plot catchup).
- With that being said, no killing characters (run by any attempts to kill characters by me).

Characters

Spoiler

Fire: Claimed by Rosey
Prince- Dante
Princess- Aurora
Both fire kingdom heirs live up to the kingdom’s nature. Romantic, sensual and passionate, they follow their hearts and can be very flighty if they so chose. But, they can also be undyingly loyal if something, or somebody, has caught their heart.

Water: Claimed by Isha
Prince- Dai
Prince- Hisao
Both are bound to the culture of their kingdom, and are the most powerful in the kingdom, currently. Their powers secure their positions, but what they do with them depends on the person.

Animal: Claimed by Audy
Princess- Netis
She was sent with the wood prince to show a united front between the two kingdoms, despite no engagement between the two (and no engagement likely in the future). Selected for her ability to blend in with any environment, her kingdom hopes she can handle this situation.

Metal: Claimed by StellaThomas
Princess- Cantara
With the metal culture male dominated, she was sent to throw the other heirs off. As somebody not traditionally associated with the deals of the metal kingdom, the other kingdoms are less likely to see her as the notorious salesman other metal kingdom citizens might be.

Wood: Claimed by Kyllorac
Prince- Honovi
Sent along with the animal kingdom princess, in part as protection, in part to represent one of the most powerful wood kingdom families. He knows the responsibility he has, being one of the first points of contact other kingdoms have had with the wood kingdom.

Air: Claimed by Lauren2010
Princess- Resi
With most of the men high-ranking men in the fields, an heiress was best to send for long-term negotiations. Her powers are still strong and she holds the same knowledge as a son, despite being more focused on cooking than growing.

Earth: Claimed by JabberHut
Prince- Saka
Princess- Tréanna
He is from the wealthiest family in the kingdom, and has been sent to give the future leader the broadest understanding of citizens of the soil as possible. He is used to living inside the mountains and being closed off even from the farmers of the earth kingdom. His sister is much more excited to be out and about.

Profile template:
Feel free to withhold things in the profile. The character can simply decide certain pieces of themselves don’t matter and don’t need to be known. Do keep in mind that each kingdom has grown used to war and is entering these talks weary, despite their opinions of the truce. You never know what others are thinking.

Also, just as a reminder, this SB is permission only. Send me a fantastic profile and I'll accept, but until there is a little red "claimed by [user]" next to each kingdom, each spot is still up for grabs.

You might be in competition for the slot you want, but if you express an interest in playing a certain character, I'll hold off on a final approval until I get all profiles.

Spoiler

CodeSelect all

[b]Name:[/b]
 
[b]Age:[/b] (Remember, must be between 16 and 24)
 
[b]Kingdom:[/b]
 
[b]Appearance:[/b] (Written is necessary, picture is optional)
 
[b]Perception of other kingdoms:[/b] (This is personal opinion)
 
[b]Perception of the truce:[/b] (This is personal opinion)
 
[b]Powers:[/b] (Try to be as detailed as possible)
 
[b]Specialties:[/b] (What they are particularly good at)
 
[b]Skills they lack:[/b] (Things they are aware they don’t know or aren’t as good as other people. Can be things they sacrificed in order to have their specialties.)
 
[b]Personality:[/b]
 
[b]History:[/b]
 
[b]Other:[/b] (Anything I missed)

Finally, this is a political SB. If you're not sure some of what that entails, check out this article for some idea.

PM me or post if you have any questions.

Name: Dai

Age: 20

Kingdom: Water

Appearance: Dai has a very Oriental appearance. His skin is a dark olive shade, his dark brown eyes slightly twisted at the ends. His hair, however, is a light blonde that hangs around above his eyes in the front, and stops near his mid-neck in the back. His appearance is always distant, with a bit of a Don’t Look At Me, Don’t Touch Me, Don’t Talk to Me, Don’t Acknowledge My Existence air to him. Smiles are rare, and he seems bored with an undertone of something that nobody can lay their finger on.

Spoiler

Perception of other kingdoms: They’re there, and there’s nothing anyone else can do about it. He doesn’t see the point in constant warring, whether it’s over land or anything else. Every element is suited to where its inhabitants dwell, and the constant scrapping was a waste of resources and energy. In his opinion, they’re fine the way they are. They can stand on their own, they should be allowed to live in peace. Heck, he’s pretty sure that the kingdoms should leave each other alone as a general rule. His opinion is really rather indifferent.

Perception of the truce: He isn’t entirely sure, to be honest. He doesn’t agree with what his kingdom wants to do with the truce, and where he sees the point for the others, he doesn’t get why they can’t just leave each other in peace. Get along without a truce or weak promises.

Powers: Over time, Dai has grown to become one of the most powerful men the water kingdom’s seen in a long time. His ability to manipulate and use the moisture is quite the spectacle, considering most have to use bodies of water. He’s got a precision that’s come from years and years of extensive training- carefully planned routines and self-created exercises; from withdrawing and replacing moisture, pulling vapour from the air itself to manipulating the still waters of the marsh, he’s gone to great lengths to learn it all. The amount of control he has over his element is surprising, surpassing even his father by a hair and a half’s width.

Specialties: He’s got incredible control over his powers, and has a knack for hand-to-hand combat. His mind works in ways that are different than the rest of the populace- he has dreams, this one.

Skills they lack: He’s very, very shut-off. Dai’s always been quiet and stony in social situations, and even if he warms up to a person, he’s still got a bit of a quiet and awkward air to him. He just doesn’t know how to interact. He also has issues with controlling his nerves- his panicky tendencies aren’t something that scream Power and Authority.

Personality: Dai, as mentioned, has that Don’t Look At Me, Don’t Touch Me, Don’t Talk to Me, Don’t Acknowledge My Existence air. He’s distant to the point of being cold, doesn’t smile, and chooses to regard people with stony looks and mild glares. He wants no part of this, but he’s accepted the fact that he doesn’t have a choice. He’s depressed, anxious and just doesn’t want the same things that his kingdom does. He keeps people at a distance partially for himself, and partially because he doesn’t want them to get mixed up in the water kingdom’s plans and ploys.

That being said, Dai is also an emotional claustrophobic. He can’t stand the feeling of being pent up and boxed in- not necessarily physically, but emotionally. And the fact that he is boxed up in that respect has pushed him towards the aforementioned anxiety and depression. He doesn’t talk to people, avoids contact as much as he can, and tends to retreat into himself. He just doesn’t see the point in much of anything anymore.

History: Dai was born to King Hiro and his first wife, Queen Sachiko. It was both a shock and a disgrace when his magic didn’t begin to show at a young age, and such a thing endangered the kingdom. Queen Sachiko was not a suitable wife, for she had produced an unsuitable son. The divorce came when Dai was three, and his father remarried (another powerful woman named Hanae). It didn’t take long for her to become pregnant, and as soon as this happened, an order for the former queen’s execution was filed. Dai was four when Hisao was born; six when he watched his mother be drowned, by order of King Hiro. Hisao was already proving to be powerful, and Queen Sachiko was nothing more than a nuisance.

Dai, however, was merely pushed to the side, comforted only by one servant after his mother’s death. Queen Hanae took pity on the boy, deciding that the least she could do was put him through some sort of training. And ever since, that’s all Dai’s life has been about. He wanted to prove himself, and more than that, he wanted to prove that his father had been wrong- his mother wasn’t a disgrace. He wasn’t a disgrace. Driven by this and the fear of turning out like her, he trained rigorously. And, as he grew, his powers began to evolve on their own along with his training. All they had needed was a push and time for him to grow into them.

When he wasn’t training, he was spending time with Fumio, the male servant who’d found him sobbing in his room after his mother’s death. This man was different- idealistic, in secret, and he shared his opinions and hopes for a change with the boy. With the anxiety and depression creeping in on him, Dai was more than eager for something to grasp and hold onto. For something different than what he and the kingdom had. Fumio died when Dai was twelve, and what came of it was a boy who just wanted a way out. A boy who felt oppressed and hopeless, despite ideas and dreams for a better kingdom. Ideas that he couldn’t share with his father, no matter how much they evolved. These boxes and a neglect that still lasted- Hiro’s determination to make Hisao the more powerful son- just drove him. When he was upset, he trained. When he felt so boxed and closed in and had no way to get his thoughts out, he trained. It became his life, after a while. By the time he was sixteen, he’d more than proved himself worthy of his birthright. A marriage was arranged with a magic-inclined woman of the middle class, a certain Shiori. He’s only met her once.


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Name: Hisao

Age: 16

Kingdom: Water

Appearance: Hisao is a well-chiseled man, topped with a mop of well-kempt dark, dark brown hair and two murky brown eyes with a dangerous glint to them. He’s got a dangerous air about him and a haughty walk to match. His chin always seems to be tipped up a bit- the perfect image of a spoiled, groomed prince.

Spoiler

Perception of other kingdoms: None of them are as powerful as they are; water sustains life, and therefore, water should be superior to everything. In his opinion reality, their only competition should be Air, but he’s going to keep that to himself, because really, they don’t deserve opposition of any sort.

Perception of the truce: It’s the same as his kingdom’s. Everything’s a ploy in a climb to power. It’s to be used and abused and stepped on and manipulated as needed to keep them on top.

Powers: Hisao’s control over water is nearly on-par with his father, although he struggles more with directly manipulating water that’s in the air. He’s never paid the attention to training that his brother- he was far too busy acting on whim and wile,- and naturally, his powers just weren’t quite as strong. He’s as powerful as can be when it comes to manipulating large bodies of water, however, and any water-source that’s pre-gathered.

Specialties: Interaction, manipulation (most of the time), he’s nowhere near as panicky as his older brother, and he’s just generally more outgoing. He’s excellent when it comes to handling any short-range weapons, such as knives and swords, and is decent when it comes to the martial arts.

Skills they lack: The ability to think outside the box, the ability to control his temper and the ability to realize his own faults. He doesn’t have the drive for some of the right things, such as training, and is used to being pampered. As much as he likes to think he’d be okay, if left to himself, he’d be dead within a week.

Personality: Hisao is, in a word, arrogant. He takes after his father where personality is concerned, although he has some of the charm that the water king lacks. … sometimes. He truly can be a rather charming, manipulative person, but there are times when he just gets too cocky. He’s a fundamentalist in the worst of ways, scorning abstract ideas of any sort and remaining stubbornly within his parent-created cookie cutter. To him, everything his father has ever said is gospel truth, and his brother is just... Dai isn’t worth the time or the effort that anyone’s poured into him.

He’s power-hungry, more selfish than not, greedy, outgoing and his good, tender and soft side is one that is hard, if not impossible, to bring out in him.

History: Hisao was born to his father’s second wife, Queen Hanae, for one reason. Because Dai’s powers hadn’t been showing, and therefore he was unfit to be heir. For the first few years of his life, he was the one who was pampered and groomed and treated as an heir should be treated.

It wasn’t until Dai began to grow more powerful that things got tense for him. He trained, but never as much as his brother. He did the exercises necessary, never pushing himself for fear of putting himself through too much strain. Besides, he didn’t need it. Not really. Not yet. He’d work harder tomorrow- next week- next year. He indulged in things that pleased him, hoarding a few dozen secrets. Things that his father couldn’t know about, and things that Dai always managed to find out about. Thankfully for Hisao, his older brother just didn’t seem to care that much.

It came as a slap in the face when King Hiro announced that Dai would be keeping his birthright, after all. The announcement was made to the kingdom, the words twisted and the story manipulated. Hiro couldn’t be the bad guy for executing a woman who’d produced one of the most powerful men known to the kingdom. Pride scarred and ego deflated, Hisao grew to resent his brother rather than merely be irritated by his precense. He doesn’t have the gall to rid himself of a family member. Humiliation was so much easier. He openly mocked and tormented Dai in public settings, doing everything in his power to turn the ones with power against him. If he couldn’t rob him of his birthright, he could most certainly get the kingdom to whisper about him.

Name: Honovi

Age: 18

Kingdom: Wood

Appearance: Honovi is lithe and wiry, as befitting someone who spends his days climbing among the highest branches of the trees and navigating the tangle of his home. He would be considered short when compared to members of other kingdoms, but he is of average height for his people. He has dark hair that bleaches reddish in the sun, golden-brown eyes, and skin tanned a warm brown from near-daily sun exposure. His appearance is usually on the side of unkempt, with leaves and twigs often tangled in his hair, though for the truce, he's taking particular pains to appear neat and tidy.

Perception of other kingdoms: Honovi, like most of his people, has a dislike and distrust of the other outer-jungle kingdoms on principle. When it comes to the Metal kingdom, however, the prince's feelings are mixed. He has seen some of the tools the Metal kingdom makes, and they are both fascinating and useful. At the same time, the Metal kingdom's disrespect for his home is completely unacceptable. On his people's behalf, Honovi is determined to show no leniency towards the Metal kingdom for their transgressions.

Honovi sees no distinction between the Animal and Wood kingdoms, having spent equal time with members from both, and sees all their members as being his people.

Perception of the truce: Relieved. While the truce is ongoing, the Metal kingdom will not be actively encroaching upon the jungle (if they know what's good for them). The truce also provides an opportunity to find allies against the Metal kingdom's intrusions, in addition to enabling his people to reclaim some of the range they lost years before.

He also hopes to find an appreciative home for his hybrid plants.

Powers: Like other members of the Wood kingdom, Honovi can induce plants to move and grow at his bidding, though flowering plants are generally the most responsive. He usually carries around a satchel of seeds which can be used to grow various useful structures in treeless places.

While Honovi is quite adept at manipulating plants, he prefers to leave them as they are, instead focusing on improving their growth and health. After all, caging someone inside a plant is rarely healthy for the plant.

Due to his position, Honovi has been extensively trained in combat, though he tends to neglect practicing.

Specialties: Honovi specializes in flowering plants. He is particularly fond of creating new cultivars and hybrids, generally improving the ability of the jungle to produce food and medicines, particularly exotic foods that have a high demand outside the jungle.

Skills they lack: Honovi lacks actual combat experience, and, due to his flower specialty, is a bit out of practice when it comes to combat applications of his ability.

Personality: Honovi is quite curious and outgoing. He loves his plants and his people and can often be found high in the trees with his flowers or down on the floor with a group of friends. He's quite the helpful type, and so if he sees a plant, animal, or person in distress, he'll try to help out in whatever ways he can.

While not one to instigate pranks himself, Honovi is always up for participating in some good pranking, sometimes to hilariously disastrous results.

History: From an early age, Honovi liked flowers, and flowers seemed to like him too. He quickly learned the names and uses for all the flowering plants and, before he was old enough to stay out late without giving his mother a heart attack, began spending the nights outside in the treetops, learning from various herbalists and getting his flowers to grow faster and better. He got to be quite good at it and soon started branching out into cultivating hybrids, producing countless flowers that were not only pretty, but also very useful.

Not everyone was as enthusiastic about his hybridization as Honovi, and so he was forced to ensure that his "unnatural creations" did not contaminate and disrupt the natural balance of things in the jungle.

He's still a bit sore about that.

Other: Nothing at the moment.

Name: Prince Saka

Age: 23

Kingdom: Earth

Appearance: Saka is tall with very light skin and curly red hair. He also has light green eyes and freckles scattered across his nose and cheeks. Saka doesn’t appear muscular and, in fact, is thin for one of the earth. He tends to dress in his formal best, proud of his heritage and wealth.

Spoiler

Perception of other kingdoms: He’s protective of his kingdom, and therefore, he has a critical eye on the others. Fortunately, the only kingdom he really needs to watch is the metal kingdom. In fact, he abhors it. He’s disgusted with the disrespect the metal kingdom has toward his own, and Saka’s short temper flares at the mere mention of metal.

Perception of the truce: He hates the fact that it’s needed, seeing as the metal kingdom only invades out of criminality (or awful ignorance). He’s incredibly critical about treaties and very cautious in making agreements with others. However, he cares only about how it’ll affect his own kingdom. The other kingdoms are not his to rule.

Powers: As an innocent child, his powers were fantastic. The older he grew, the more centered his abilities became around the purifying and polishing of gems and stones rather than the dirty, gritty work of the farms. He still has the rough ability of general earth movement, but it’s not considered reliable.

Specialties: Purifying, polishing, and beautifying of the earth’s elements. He has a sharp tongue, good with debates and discussion, and prefers to stick to what he knows best: politics. Saka is also a sculptor, most of his art being carved of or combined with the earth’s very gems and minerals.

Skills they lack: Brute strength. His social skills are incredibly limited as well, refusing to let his guard down around anyone. He’s an awful loser, and thus, he tries to win at anything and everything. He firmly believes his way is the right way. He doesn’t play well with others.

Personality: If his personality isn’t summed up already! Saka is stubborn, quiet, and doesn’t talk unless it is required. He doesn’t know love, but he shows his care through his protective nature, always sure to protect everything under his wing: his wealth, his only family, his kingdom. He appears to be stuck-up, or a snob, who is very proud of his wealth and is not afraid to show off his kingdom’s riches. He’s not afraid to defend his position in a discussion or debate, always willing and prepared to defend himself and his kingdom. And he never loses. Even if he does, he believes to be the winner. He also believes there is no one else capable of his job, and therefore, he believes himself to be the best. When he’s by himself and away from his duties (which is incredibly rare of him), he expresses himself through the art of sculpting.

tl;dr stubborn, protective, defensive, down-to-business, proud

History: Saka was, and is, a spoiled young man. His gracious mother gave him just about anything he wanted. She also introduced to him the concept of appreciating beauty, and he discovered his own talent in sculpting with the earth’s minerals. His family is the typical rich and spoiled family.

His father was ambushed several years ago due to a surprise attack by metal invaders, but Saka led the successful rescue three days later. This put him in a much more trusting position by his father’s side, giving him more privileges of a leader.

Saka now reigns as a reliable power with his father, and Saka didn’t care whether he was ready or not. It was his duty as prince, and he continues to learn from his father while putting everything he learns it into action. He believes in his kingdom’s financial success and cares most about getting the minerals. His hard heart cares little about what goes on around the kingdom, even if he is forced to observe outdoors with his father. He works to not please but represent his father and his kingdom, as his father is his idol. Available as he is, he has no care for marriage of any sort. His sister can marry in another man for all he’s concerned. He’ll keep his duty until death day arrives.



----



Name: Princess Tréanna (Tréa or Anna for short, though she prefers Tréa)

Age: 17

Kingdom: Earth

Appearance: Tréa has long, thick, red hair waving down her back. She typically has it pulled up in a variety of hairstyles. Like her brother, she has very fair skin, and she has blue-green eyes. As a princess, she wears all the fancy gowns and jewels of her wealth, but she is also more interested in dressing for the outdoors. When she does dress up, which is all the time, she goes all out with the jewels and glamor.

Spoiler

Perception of other kingdoms: She finds them all rather fascinating, but she has no political regard to any of them except the metal kingdom. Tréa is certainly concerned with the countless invasions from the metal kingdom, but she isn’t hostile toward them. Only fearful and cautious.

Perception of the truce: She’s in favor of the truce. After all, you can’t have many peaceful encounters with outsiders during a war. She’s very ecstatic about how the truce will turn out for all the kingdoms, and she may even be allowed to venture into the others despite her brother’s objections.

Powers: Tréa does like to be outside, and is generally more powerful than her older brother as she exercises all its boundaries more often.

Specialties: She’s very friendly and great with social interactions, very active, and arguably stronger than her brother. Tréa enjoys playing games or sports, even if she doesn’t win often. She likes to make friends with anyone she meets and is willing to learn about others and other cultures as much as she can.

Skills they lack: She’s more of a pacifist and isn’t very good at standing up for herself or her kingdom. Tréa’s a pushover, and she’s no sort of combatant in any way. She’s very emotional and while her happy emotions are very happy, she’s easily heartbroken and saddened, so her control of her emotions is astoundingly weak. Her love for others is a remarkable strength and weakness.

Personality: Tréa is a happy, care-free, and wild young princess. She’s used to her brother taking control of the responsible stuff, and so she is the heart of the kingdom. She represents the love and care her people possess as well as their hard work and dedication. Tréa is eager to meet people and make friends, she is spontaneous and quick to improvise a compromise, and she sees the good and benefit of everyone she meets.

tl;dr optimistic, care-free, wild, passionate, emotional, proud

History: Tréa was just as spoiled as her brother if not moreso. Since her brother gets instructed most with all the responsibility as heir, she tags along as a support beam for her brother.

Tréa likes to leave with her father and venture out into the kingdom to see what they did and the people they ruled. She was fascinated by how things worked and even used her own powers to assist in the work they did. She found it fun, in fact, and the citizens of the earth kingdom were always happy to see her.

When Saka took up his new position by his father’s side and a more advanced instruction with him, Tréa became even more anxious to do her own thing and see the people herself. She became even more social, if that were even possible, but she loves and misses her brother dearly.

Name: Dante

Age: 19

Kingdom: Fire

Appearance: Dante has a tall, muscular build that seems to radiate confidence and charm. Almost always smiling in a way that says ‘come talk to me’, he tends to be very captivating in his native fire kingdom. He usually keeps his brown hair slightly longer, but not so long it hangs in his eyes or past his shoulders at the back. His skin is tanned from the fire kingdom’s heat, which simply accentuates blue eyes. He tries to create an appearance of being handsome enough to be alluring, while approachable enough to not be intimidating.

Spoiler

Perception of other kingdoms: He is quite glad to finally meet all of them. He has a particular interest in water, having noticed how frigid they are to the fire kingdom. He wonders why there isn’t more openness, more warmth. The closed borders are ice to him, ice that needs melting. He can understand any fear towards the fire kingdom, considering how quickly they can burn. But he doesn’t consider them weak for how quickly they can burn. Far from. He’s rather impressed they have held out so long.

Perception of the truce: He’s quite glad to have it. When word of the truce spread, he began positioning himself as one of the men to attend. A truce means the fire kingdom can begin to show its warm, romantic side, instead of the more destructive one.

Powers: As usual with fire kingdom citizens, he can light any fuel without much effort. His powers are enough to light a wildfire in the right areas, and sometimes wet wood. He can also create a fire of pure energy, but those drain him to the point he’d rather use a small amount of alcohol or oil to get the same effect.

But those are powers he rarely draws on. He primarily warms his hands to transfer heat to anything he’s touching. His favourite thing to warm is somebody he cares for; depending on the kind of heat, he can be either comforting or seductive. It depends on his mood, and his level of care for the person being touched. It’s easier for him to transfer that magic skin to skin, which makes him rather in love with touching. Especially hands and jaws.

Specialties: Reading people. Being raised in a kingdom with ten rulers, and the conflict that can happen between themselves and their families, he has gotten quite good with with coming out in the best or second best situation possible for himself or his family. He is also quite good at storytelling, able to craft a tale that can leave (almost) anybody at the edge of their seats. His muscles come from exercise and basic combat skills, although he finds it hard to do that without any admirers near by.

Skills they lack: Book learning and discipline. He wasn’t the kind to sit and read anything, instead preferring to learn under apprenticeships and as he went. He is far from stupid, but if you ask him to reference anything but the most talked about events he’ll draw a blank. He is also prone to jumping from one activity to another, not having the patience to sit through anything that bores him. Thankfully, politics do not.

Personality: In a word: flirt. Growing up in a kingdom that values love above all else has taught him many romance secrets he uses on anybody he deems attractive enough. Which is most people. He is also rather fond of getting his way, with the people skills required to get there. And if he doesn't, he makes it look like that was his plan at the beginning. But he is also undyingly loyal to what he believes in and what he is the most passionate about. What that is he keeps close to his chest, but enough observing can usually lead to a conclusion. Or several.

He likes confusing people on that point.

History: He was born shortly after his uncle gained a second seat in Counsel, rendering his family the second most powerful among the rulers. What got his uncle there is a mystery, but a few years later his second uncle gained a seat and they became tied with the former most powerful family.

Because of this, he grew up steeped in politics. He learned how best to love for all situations and when to hang back and observe to find where it’s best to strike. It was a rather privileged life, because he could get away with things most of the other rulers’ heirs couldn’t thanks to his family bailing him out. Also, anything that happened in the family stayed in the family, and high prices were paid for those who forgot that rule.

And as the truce loomed closer, he began using those family connections to try and form a position of ambassador. He was sent to the truce as training, and because he had developed a very sharp eye for politics. He hopes he won’t let his family down.

Other: Don’t be surprised if he hits on you.

-

Name: Aurora

Age: 17

Kingdom: Fire

Appearance: She’s almost always laughing, blue eyes looking just a bit in the distance and rarely landing on any one thing in the present. She has a decent amount of curves and a similarly alluring air as her brother, only for different reasons. With her laughing nature and dancing steps, she seems unattached to the world. Her dark brown hair is long and often loose, aiding in the look of being unattached.

Spoiler

Perception of other kingdoms: She wishes they’d have more fun and stop fighting all the time. Every element exists in all the kingdoms and has its uses, so why divide up the continent at all? She does admit that if no kingdom can have fun then it should be relatively ignored.

Perception of the truce: She’s glad it’s happening so rulers can focus on more important things, like how each kingdom can work together instead of fight. She also considers the negotiations a great source of amusement.

Powers: The same as Dante, but she tends to use them for different effects. Her pure energy fires tend to look like fireflies, and her touch is light with a lingering warmth. She just barely prefers heat transferring to flashy shows; she’s just as likely to make things around her glitter and glow through her magic.

Specialties: Enchanting people. She is quite good at forming friendships and relationships because of how amusement obsessed she is. Laughter is one of her favourite sounds, and she tries to make people curious about the world around them. She can tell when people need a smile and will go out of her way to give them one. She also has quite the knack for designing anything beautiful, especially rooms and gardens.

Skills they lack: She’s worse with commitment than her brother, having built up quite the reputation as somebody you can never catch. She is also far less subtle, often unable to hold in what she’s thinking or feeling. You either get a blunt comment or nothing. Her education is rather dismal, because she got bored too easily.

Personality: She’s the kind of girl who comes into a life for awhile, stays as long as she deems it enjoyable, then leaves. She can like playing with people’s feelings, but she tries not to be outright cruel unless she thinks people deserve it. If she takes a particular liking to somebody she gets far less selfish, doing what they want to do more often and spending a bit more time in their lives. But her motives aren’t always pure.

History: Born right around the time her second uncle took power, she doesn’t have much of a clue what life is like for people outside this rather elite social circle. While her brother spent time getting to know absolutely everybody, she jumped from one interesting situation to another, often tagging along with him to learn what he did. She got bored with the stories he was so fascinated with, but, because he was often stuck babysitting her, she’d find other ways to amuse herself. Primarily among them was rearranging spaces or imagining how they could be made prettier and drawing them out on pieces of paper.

As she got older, her mother fostered her ability to create beauty, while her father taught her how to charm people to her best advantage. She took to both lessons, and life suddenly became interesting. She felt like there was a purpose to her life, and she got to watch people smile as her room and garden designs came to life. She always tried to add in lanterns.

She came to the negotiations because they sounded fun, and such a raw space would simply have to be made more beautiful.

Name: Resi

Age: 19

Kingdom: Air

Appearance: Resi has long, light blonde hair that falls over her shoulders in soft waves. She almost always has a small content smile on her face, and is light skinned. Her eyes are a light blue. She tends to wear lightweight dresses that are easy to move in, and don’t hold much heat in the arid plains of her kingdom.

Perception of other kingdoms: Resi doesn’t have much of an impression of the other nations, to be perfectly honest. Despite being the heiress most likely to take the throne – her only elder brother being quite simple and more content to plow a field than run a Kingdom – she knows very little about running a country, or interacting with other countries.

Perception of the truce: She believes the truce will go through without much problem, and her world will known peace again.

Powers: Resi has the slight control over air that most women of her Kingdom share. She can manipulate it around her to form slight breezes, or to fuel a cooking fire, but has never had a need to learn or train any more.

Specialties: Resi is an excellent cook, and also quite the reader. She knows much about history, mathematics, and writing. She’s also quite the skilled runner, though she can’t imagine when that would come in handy. She has a bit of a green thumb, which she practices in the castle’s flower gardens.

Skills they lack: Anything involving politics, or managing a country. She’s also quite useless at self defense, though doesn’t imagine it should ever become a problem to her.

Personality: Resi is quite placid and content, most of the time, but holds a fire within her that is stronger than most of her kingdom. She cares deeply for the land in which she has been raised, and will go to every length to protect it from further war. She is quite intelligent, having spent her time learning her hand at cooking and baking, as well as reading extensively and spending much time with a brilliant tutor. She is also quite naïve, though, and doesn’t believe the war raging around her Kingdom is truly as bad as people say. She is fully convinced the Truce will go through without problem, and her world will soon know peace.

History: Resi has lived quite the average life of an heiress. All her live, she has known the charming castle of wood and stone – stone obtained far before this war ever happened, when the Air and Earth kingdoms held enough of a truce to trade that significantly – of her Kingdom’s capital and the charming thatched cottages of their towns and villages. Her mother passed away when she was very young, leaving her to tend to her older brother who is rather simple – in other words, dealing with a slight mental handicap – and looking after her father who has a tendency to work too hard.

What Resi doesn’t know, however, is that her heritage is not what she believes it to be. Her mother and father, fearing they would never have a child mentally capable of taking over the country – and wanting desperately to keep the King’s brother and his lazy children from the throne – sought the help of a dear old friend: a member of the Counsel of the Fire Kingdom.

Name: Cantara

Age: 20

Kingdom: Metal

Appearance: Cantara, like the other citizens of the Metal kingdom, has silky dark skin and black hair. Her eyes are an ever-switching brown-grey-black depending on the light, and will always be rimmed thickly with coal. Like the other women of the Metal Kingdom, Cantara always wears a headscarf, but wears it loosely and adorns it with jewellery. She wears a lot of metal on her person, her hands barely visible underneath the rings and bangles as well as henna tattoos she wears on them. She also carrries various pieces of weaponry.

A little like this.

Perception of other kingdoms: To be honest, Cantara finds them all a little primitive. Especially Animal and Wood, but Water and Air also seem backward in her eyes. Fire she is intrigued by, and she believes that fire, next to metal, is the most powerful force in the world. She doesn't understand Earth at all. She believes that a powerful symbiosis could exist between the two Kingdoms if Earth would just stop being so difficult. It annoys her to no end that they won't give Metal the land they want, or even consider negotiating for it.

Perception of the truce: It's a new development, Cantara sees it simply as that. But she's concerned that negotiations won't go the same way as war went- war, Metal would probably win by sheer force. Negotiations... she's not stupid, she knows how much hate Metal has fostered in the other kingdoms. And it's going to be hard to work around that. But now that the truce has come into play, Metal can only go in one direction: trade. And that's Cantara's special topic.

Powers: Cantara isn't as delicate as some in her powers of manipulation, and she'd never make it as a filigree worker nor a jeweller. But that doesn't mean she isn't strong. She can bend huge masses of metal into rough shapes and can sharpen nearly anything to a point- which has proven useful in the past when she needed a weapon for self-defense.

Specialties: Talking trade. Cantara is quick-tongued and hawk-eyed when it comes to accounts and bargaining. She hopes that the skills will translate well to discussions of land, but she's never tried that before.

She also, somewhat scandalously, was trained in the powers of seduction on her mother's command, since she thought Cantara's personality wasn't going to get her a husband by itself, and the only families they'd even consider marrying were as rich as themselves. This includes good dancing feet which Cantara doubts will come in useful but you never know.

Skills they lack: Combat. She was trained in how to stab a man should the worst come to the worst, but other than that Cantara has no knowledge of the field.

Also, social skills. Cantara will work with people, but she doesn't want to be friends with them. The others might find it hard to negotiate with someone who rarely lets her guard down.

Personality: Loyal unto death to the Metal Kingdom. She was raised in a very enmeshed household, and she wants the very best for her family. They have given her the very best, after all, and it's only natural to want to return the favour.

She's also incredibly smart, especially when it comes to numbers. Often at home Cantara saw a solution where a counsellor did not. The word 'prodigy' was bandied around, but Cantara disagrees. It's just common sense. She learns quickly and quietly.

While she is far from socially inept, Cantara resembles metal in the properties of being cold and hard. She keeps herself to herself, and she is very emotionally detached. She doesn't make friends easily, and she hopes that, while she'll be civil with them, the other future-rulers don't attempt to befriend her. She is there for business only.

However, before she left, her mother did persuade her to use her powers of seduction. A pair of dark Metal-eyes and a fan can do a lot, she said, when used correctly. Cantara is not looking for a husband. But the others don't know that...

History: Cantara is the eldest of a family of twelve, a family that gained its riches and power through gold-mining. But her seven brothers all take priority to her in matters of the throne. Her father still loved her dearly, but with fighting a war and struggling to stay in power himself, he didn't pay that much attention to her. Her mother loved all her children equally but with new pregnancies all the time found it difficult to spend time with all of them. Thus Cantara grew up in an extremely loving household, but one where she was left very much up to her own devices and often left in the care of her governesses and tutors.

She would probably have been sent off for marriage to a stranger like any Metal girl as soon as she reached puberty had she not, at age seven, pointed out to her father a mistake in the accounts he was reading at the breakfast table. Amazed, the King asked Cantara to explain the whole sheet to him and she did so without hesitation. From that day on she was allowed to enter the room at trade negotiations, firstly, of course, as nothing more than a page girl and observer, but by age fourteen making some of the most important contributions to the table.

At age sixteen, with one of her younger sisters already married, Cantara's mother brought a whole host of suitors to the palace to try and find a husband for her eldest daughter. Cantara found fault with every single one. One night, as she was undressing for bed, one of them came into her chamber and attempted to force himself on her. Cantara grabbed a letter-opener, sharpened it to a fatal degree and drove it into the man's neck. Her parents found her sobbing over a body with her feet in a pool of blood and when she asked that they not force her to marry again, they agreed.

When the call came for a ruler to go to the negotiations, then, Cantara seemed the sensible option. With a clever mind and no other future that she would accept in the Metal Kingdom, the King decided it was the best for all involved.

Name: Netis

Age: 18

Kingdom: Animal

Appearance: She has an athletic build with sharp, angular features and dark, bronze skin-tone. Her hair is black and cut short to the back of her neck, though her bangs hang over her face to frame almond-shaped, keen, dark eyes. She has the golden markings of her tribes tattooed along her strong jawline, chin, and across a hooked, nose. Indeed, her features and towering height are extreme enough for outsiders to often mistake her for male.

She always wears a light, traveling cloak and carries a bow and quiver. Her leather boots allow her to travel through the forest without making a single sound. When not off hunting, she adorns a headdress made from the curled horns of mountain goats, where the history of her family is carved into the bone.

Perception of other kingdoms: As she is mostly simple-minded and strongly believes in the balance of nature and the spiritual world of animals and beings alike, she doesn't understand politics or worldly pleasures too much, nor the prejudice her people have towards outsiders or people from the earth or metal kingdoms.
She gets along with the wood kingdom so well, she hardly sees them as different from herself, and she believes she can get along in the same way with the other kingdoms. She judges only the individuals, and is happy to get to know and learn about other cultures outside of her tribe.

She also cannot truly understand her people's exile, or why her people are confined. To her, the land cannot be anybody's sole property and it is a simple manner of stepping outside the borders and declaring peace. She does not fully realize the complexities or ramifications for what she is asking.

Perception of the truce: She believes it's about time, and she is excited for her task and what she was entrusted to do, not fully understanding much of it. Mostly, she is excited to be able to step outside of her boundaries and see the rest of the world, and she wants to grant the same kind of freedom for the rest of her people.

Powers: Netis has the ability of understanding and communicating with animals. She doesn't talk to them, it's more of a silent communication brought by instincts and reading body language, usually in the form of short nods, bared teeth, and brief stares.

Her power is useful for fending off packs of wolves or bears -- not that they won't attack if they're hungry enough, just that she's pretty good at convincing them she won't make for a tasty snack.

She does not manipulate animals, or tell them to do things for her. More often, she'll tend to just ask them for information. Her people believe that animals have their own will and spirit., and it is against their belief to force them to do anything. Only in cases of emergencies might she ask them for help, and they may or may not oblige.

Specialties: Besides communicating with the animal spirits, she's especially good at hunting with her bow and arrow and traveling through the forest unnoticed. Like all of her people, she knows how to read the environment and has basic survival skills: she knows how to tell the difference between the edible plants and those that are poisonous, she knows which kind of firewood makes for the best fire (would you prefer a smokeless fire, or a warming fire?), and she has a particular knack for tending injuries and building traps.

Skills they lack:
Subtlety. As in people-subtlety. Netis is very direct about everything and it may come across as tactless or ignorant.

Close-combat. Netis would much prefer hiding out in the cover of the forest and shooting her enemies from afar.

Swimming. She doesn't like water too much.

Personality: Netis is an honest and upfront individual, as mentioned before, she is direct about her thoughts and opinions and is not afraid of criticizing someone for being in opposition to what she believes is right. She is fearless and bold, but sometimes she might go too far and offend somebody or appear to be crude and primitive. She has no manners. I don't think she'd understand what manners are, truly.

She is more of an adventurous and free-spirited individual. She loves to try new things and see the world in a different light. She isn't much of a logical-thinker as she would much rather stick to her gut instincts, and she's not one for understanding complex concepts such as well...people's behaviors. She is far more knowledgeable about animal behavior than she is about human behavior.

That being said, she is very loyal. If you make a friend of her, she will stick with you until the end. She also doesn't like to fight unless she absolutely has to.

History: Netis knows the forest like the back of her hand, her family is head of a prominent tribe among her people and they're distinguished by the marks on their faces and the headpieces they might wear. Netis never really knew strife growing up. Both of her parents love her very much, but her people take to the "it takes a village to raise a child" idea, and Netis especially tended to wander and migrate from family to family.

As a child, Netis would spend days or weeks residing with the wood people, or a pack of wolves, or even other animal tribes. She's good at making friends and blending in, as she's open to learning and trying new things.

Once as a child, she was so captivated with an eagle, she followed it up to the edge of the mountains and spent a week passed her borders before she was caught and punished. She still has a scar on her arm to remind her missteps, which has kept her from leaving the confines of her forest ever since. Until now, of course.

Other: She has a lazy skunk companion that likes to sit on her shoulder (her people never use the word "pet" for that is condescending). Uhm, yeah. Be afraid.

Dante | Fire Kingdom's Wing

Dante looked around the room that would be his home for the next while. He wasn’t sure how long, but the longer, the better. From the way his kingdom tended to... burn people into respect, there was a lot of damage to be undone.

He did hope that a little bit of love would speed up the process.

The room felt cold, at present. The servants had put everything away, and Dante would have to find the things he wanted out. But the rooms were also new— his kingdom had built it generations ago, before this place became a no man’s land. When a ceasefire had been called, craftsmen from every kingdom had descended on the area to fix the rooms for the visitors. He’d heard the mould was horrible in the stone.

Dante went to the window, taking in the view from the third floor of the castle. He could see the areas for other kingdoms, and tilted his head to the side. His view included forests and a river, which made him not sure what kingdom’s territory he was looking at. It could be three, for all he knew.

He shrugged and turned away. He’d find out soon enough.

Glancing around, he decided to put off personalizing his room. There was a whole castle to explore. Even though he was meeting all the heirs at dinner tonight, he’d rather get to know them one at a time, first. It was easier to hold a conversation that way. The party would be more for seeing how the dynamics flowed.

He went into the hall and knocked on the neighbouring door. “Aurora? I’m going out.”

The door opened after two breaths. “Please tell me they left your room in the same state as mine.”

He smiled. “If you mean empty, yes.”

“ARGH!” She looked at the ceiling, hand forming a claw. “Why isn’t it pretty?”

He laughed. “Newly built castle, lovely. It’ll take awhile to feel at home.”

She muttered things about that being no excuse and closed the door in his face. Dante pressed his ear to the wood and heard the sounds of things moving. He hoped she wasn’t moving furniture just yet. But he wasn’t about to make sure she wasn’t. Her choice, after all.

He began down the hall, wondering who he would find.

---

Aurora | Fire Kingdom's Wing

She had sent them a detailed plan of how she wanted her room to look, and they had ignored it. The plan had been the right size, and even colour coded. And they had ignored it.

Aurora referenced the plan on her bed as she took a break from moving her desk from beside the door to under the window. Her girdle made the task slightly difficult, but nobody else was about to get it right. If they had already ignored her instructions, after all.

Desk under window, dresser in the corner... she looked up, noticing the dresser was still too far away from the wall, need to fix that. Bed’s in the right place, for once, but the lack of art.

She would have to get her hands on some paints and canvas. Maybe the earth kingdom would have some pretty paint colours, from all their gemstones. She grinned. Of course they would! Most of the paints back home came from stones. Which just meant the earth kingdom’s paints would be so much better.

The door flew open, shortly followed by her skipping out into the hall. Moving the desk could wait. She knocked on the door across the hall. “Uncle Luigi!”

He opened the door for her and smiled. “Yes, Aurora?”

She clasped her hands in front of her. “Can I go see the Earth kingdom?”

He chuckled. “I’m not sure they’re settled yet.”

“But I want to see if they have paint!”

He sighed. “Very well. Be back in time for dinner.”

She grinned and went to skip down the hall, ignoring the fact two doors closed behind her. The only thing on her mind was how to find the earth kingdom’s rooms. They had to be in the castle somewhere. And, if not, she’d just have to find them in the grounds.

She went down the stairs, on the hunt for more rooms.

Dai | Water Kingdom's Wing/His Room

His father was speaking, and he was intentionally not hearing a word of the lecture. Something about water's indestructibility and that he should have more pride in what would one day be his kingdom. All it was doing was making him feel less and less inclined to actually take part in the negotiations. Not a part that would do anything, anyway.

He sighed, folding the last of his pants into the wardrobe, eyeing the walls. Stone walls. His jaw twitched. At least water walls allowed some light to shine through- reflections and patterns and something to admire.

Wonderful. He'd been there for all of a half of an hour, and he was already homesick for a place that made him feel caged.

"Are you paying me any mind whatsoever, Dai?"

Not really. "My apologies. I was just considering how... advanced and more beautiful our style of architecture is." Not the words he would've liked to have used. Water walls were just a normality, and they were something that he'd miss. Building a castle out of stone couldn't have been any easy task.

Of course, the answer was somewhat appeasing to his father, who at least had the courtesy to stop his incessant, power-starved rambling. "I suppose that's forgivable." There was something about his tone that made Dai want to stick his head in a hole and never take it out.

"Mm. With all due respect, father, I'd prefer to unpack and settle in peace."

There was a pause, and Dai's eyes flickered to the mirror. Good Lord, the man did not look impressed in the slightest. "I'll leave you to it, then." His voice had gone flat, but at least he was backing towards the door.

Opening it. Stepping out. Closing it.

Dai tipped his head up and mouthed a thank you at the ceiling. With luck, he'd be left alone.

Hisao | Water Kingdom's Wing

Hisao closed the hidden compartment of the jewelry box, watching carefully as the mechanisms for the hidden puzzle lock slipped back into place. He slid the key off of the desk, closing the lid, locked it and double-checked to be sure it was closed for good. With a relieved exhale, he slid the key into his pocket, taking a step back. The item in that box was far, far too valuable to lose. And, unfortunately, his supply on it was running low.

He turned, surveying the room to be sure that everything was in its proper place. And by proper place, he meant his bags were strewn over the bed, a few clothes already hanging over the headboard, a couple of books stacked precariously on a chair, all polished with a few odds and ends in places where odds and ends obviously belonged.

Namely, the floor.

He wrinkled his nose, turning for the door. It would do, for now. Besides, there were far more important things to be worrying about than the state of his room. He stepped into the hall, scowling at the bricks. Honestly, it was so... primitive-looking. And dark. Light didn't shine through stone and mortar, and it wouldn't matter how decorated these walls were, they would never be as beautiful as the ones back home.

Hisao shook his head, waving a hand at the wall, and started in no particular direction. There had to be something here to amuse him. With any luck, some of the other kingdom's princesses would at least be easy on the eyes or willing to keep up an even relatively interesting conversation.

But the more he walked, the more uncomfortable everything felt. The stone, the inability to to part the walls and gaze out of a self-created, temporary window. The way the floor felt under his feet. Everything was wrong, and he didn't like it.

Of course he didn't like it. One did not simply like something that wasn't right, did they? No. And this wasn't right.

He reached into his pocket, scowling when he found that there was only a key. So much for temporary relief.

The gardens. At least they're outside. He sighed, trying to remember which was he was supposed to be headed to get there. A bit of fresh air could work wonders, and wonders needed to be worked if he was going to do this properly.

Resi | Air Kingdom Grounds
A light breeze danced across the wide meadow set off for the Air Kingdom. Resi let her hands drift back and forth in front of her, stirring the breeze into a small whirlwind she kept contained between her hands. It felt heavy in her grasp though, with the unfamiliar moisture in the air.

“What is the climate of the Water Kingdom?” Emil, the always brilliant tutor, questioned from where he rode on his young horse beside her. Resi’s own horse was tied to his horse’s saddle, the girl preferring to walk after the journey fromm home that felt much longer than it was.

“They live in the marshes,” Resi said, releasing the air from between her hands. “So, wet.” She giggled and shot her tutor a mischievous look.

On her other side, an elderly man in the saddle of a nearly-as-elderly horse grumbled, clearing his throat. “My dear granddaughter, it is not the time for such comments. You are here to mend relations through your interactions with those who will soon be taking the thrones of our world. Offending the heirs will not assist you.” He cleared his throat again and straightened in the saddle. “Besides, those folks are more damp around the toes anyway.” He gave her a wink and let out a chuckle.

Resi giggled, though beside her Emil looked less than amused. “I will never understand the humor you both share,” he said, suppressing his own slight smile. “I can’t imagine what our King was thinking when he sent the two least suave members of the Kingdom to attend to negotiations.”

“Suave is for the Fire Kingdom,” Resi said, winking and dancing ahead of the horses. She twirled in the breeze, letting the light skirts of her dress wave around her legs. “The Water Kingdom is cold, with a large river keeping the air cool and wet,” she called back as she twirled. “They experience significant rainfall, which is perfectly acceptable to them, thank you very much.”

She stopped twirling as the Air Kingdom residence came into full view in front of them. It was a lovely, large cottage of stone, wood, and thatching that could have been plucked straight from the plains of the Air Kingdom themselves. Resi practically ran to the wooden front door, threw it open, and immediately set to throwing all the wooden-shuttered windows open as well. In a moment – and with a little magical encouragement of her own – fresh air was flowing freely through the cottage.

“Oh it really is lovely!” she called to her grandfather and tutor as they still approached the cottage. From a quick inspection of the place, there were rooms enough for each of them, as well as about ten other Air Kingdom folk. There appeared to be a small barn behind the cottage for horses and other creatures, a well for drawing water, and a small garden.

As she moved away from the window, a large hawk descended and landed on the windowsill. It remained there, staring at her as if it were examining her.

“Oh hello, there,” Resi said, approaching the hawk. “You are a lovely bird.” She extended her hand and brushed a finger over the bird’s head. She had always felt a connection to the birds of the Air Kingdom, with the way they manipulated the breezes to take flight. The hawk subtly leaned into her finger and rustled his feathers as she stroked him. “We shall be friends,” she whispered, her mind wandering slightly as she recalled her purpose there, and the strangers she would be interacting with over the next year. “In such a lonely place, we shall have friends in one another.”

Cantara | Her room

The bed had been redraped with rich violet velvet, the curtains replaced, incense hangers already being strung from the ceiling. Her couches had been placed in the parlour, the grate was already being swept and laid, and the floors had been covered with rich carpets so that Cantara and her handmaidens could walk barefoot without worrying about cold stone underfoot.

"No, don't put that couch next to the window, over there, by the fire, I want that seat for looking out, should I ever choose to do so," she said, pointing at one gold-legged armchair. "Honestly."

"Everything going well, my sweet?"

Her uncle Hasib had to go sideways through doorways sometimes due to his gargantuan stomach, a result of too much lamb at feasts and a fondness for red wine, always with a little "something."

"Wonderfully, Uncle," Cantara said, watching the trail of servants who were now bringing in the trunks containing her wardrobe. "I want every dress taken out, pressed and hung," she instructed. "Day wear in that wardrobe, evening wear there, warm clothes on the other side of the room. Shoes arranged the same way." She turned back to her uncle. "And you?"

"Oh, fine, fine. This castle should suit us fine. I'm off for a bite to eat. Care to join me?"

"No thank you, Uncle. I think I will take a walk with Bahij. He is eager to be let out of his cage, and I am sick of the litter."

"Alright. You should take Mazin with you."

"And where might Mazin be?"

"Right here, cousin." Mazin, who would be playing Cantara's companion and chaperone during the visit, slunk into the room, circumferencing his round uncle. He settled his tall, lean frame against the wall and surveyed her from under his thick dark brows with even darker eyes.

"I am only going for a walk, Mazin, I wish for some quiet reflection. No harm will come to me. I shall need you at dinner only."

"Cantara-"

"I shall see you then."

She could hear Hasib telling Mazin to leave her be, and smiled at the thought of her calm uncle placating her... rather less calm cousin.

Bahij was lying in a corner of his cage, observing the world lazily with a single green eye. "Get up, you lazy cat," she teased him as two servants lifted the door of her cage. Slowly, Bahij moved his limbs and the sleek black panther came to her side, nuzzling her hand with the top of his head. Cantara smiled and stroked him, adjusted his heavy gold collar. "Let's go map this place out, shall we?"

The wing for the Metal Kingdom was basic enough, new, not spectacularly well built but it would do. Fire and Earth shared the castle. She wouldn't mind meeting Fire's heirs, but later, later. And Earth... she could wait for that particular encounter.

Instead, she wandered to the grounds stretching out in front of the castle. Water, Air, Wood, Animal... Wood and Animal would no doubt be a pain, but Cantara knew very little about Water or Air. She suspected they would all still be unpacking though, and wouldn't mind her taking a walk with her panther by the river.

Bahij carefully avoided the water's edge, walking uphill on the bank from Cantara. There was a slight breeze coming down over the water and she held her headscarf in place, eyes turned upwards toward the Water Kingdom territories. As she did so, she saw someone come out of a Water Kingdom house and survey the land as she had done uphill. From the relaxed way he moved, the self-sure way he held himself, Cantara knew immediately this was no servant. It was a noble, and possibly one of her future companions.

He noticed her almost immediately after she noticed him, and she pretended not to notice. "Come, Bahij," she said, and they continued down the river.

"I didn't know that the Metal Kingdom let their servants walk so openly," said the Water Kingdom boy.

Cantara looked at him straight on. "They don't." She gave him a moment to look over her clothing, notice the fact that she had a pet panther with a gold collar.

He gave a short bow. "Forgive me, my lady..."

"Cantara," she said crisply. "And you are?"

"Hisao, Prince of the Water Kingdom." He jumped down the bank to her side. "I assume you are Lord Hisab's wife?"

"Niece. I come as heir to my father, the King." She continued to walk, clicking her fingers for Bahij to follow.

Hisao seemed stunned. "Forgive me, I didn't think that women could inherit anything in the Metal Kingdom."

"A woman may do as she likes," Cantara said in her most sultry of voices, turning to give him a coy look. "Should she be given the chance."

Hisao cocked a smile. "Well, perhaps my lady will be surprised at the opportunities she will be given."

"Perhaps. Where were you going?"

"To survey the grounds, and possibly train. We have a training pavilion. Have you ever seen water being manipulated?"

"No." She drew the word out for a long moment.

"In the right hands, it can be very impressive."

"Oh, I'm sure it's spectacular, but I think you're underestimating the amount it takes to impress me. You are the younger of the two brothers here from the Water Kingdom, are you not?"

Hisao puffed out his chest as if to seem bigger. "Yes."

"As I thought."

But before Hisao could ask her her meaning, she heard an all-too-familiar voice. "Cantara!"

Mazin was rushing along the bank in her wake. Cantara cursed her luck, he was surely about to embarrass her.

"Mazin, may I present Prince Hisao of the Water Kingdom. Your Highness, this is Mazin, my cousin... and chaperone," she added with a degree of disdain.

"Cantara, it is not proper for you to be walking with a man alone."

"Don't worry, dear coz, we were only talking." Nevertheless, she climbed back up the bank to meet him. "Besides, he's no man. Only a boy. Come, Bahij."

She walked away with her cousin, swaying her hips as she went, in the full knowledge that Hisao was watching her go.

Prince Saka | Earth Wing

“You’re dismissed, thank you.”

The servant closed the wardrobe after packing the last of the prince’s clothes, bowed, and left the room immediately. Saka examined his quarters. Jewels decked out the furniture, and other pieces of craftsmanship decorated what it could of the stone walls. Rugs covered parts of the cold floor. He would be living here for now, this earthen wing built to mock his homeland. He straightened himself, biting back his resentment.

The door opened without a knock, and Saka immediately turned around and walked to the window, squinting beneath the sun’s alien brightness. Only one person would walk in without tact, additionally with a bejeweled cane knocking against the stone floor.

“Oh, my dear boy, what kind of room is this?” Gramma Aja bustled into the room, not hesitant to inspect every inch of the place. Saka didn’t pay her any mind, watching the grounds from where he stood. “You need to put a little more effort in how you straighten up your room. Use your own hands for goodness’ sakes. People judge you by how you keep your room, you know! Right now, you’re such a boring twig.” She looked at him from behind and pursed her lips. “Sonny, I’m talking to you!”

Saka took a deep breath and looked at her from the corner of his eye.

“Come now. Let’s make this place look more like home. You’ll never get a girl at this rate. I’m worried you’ll grow up to be a pansy—”

“In case you missed the past twenty-odd years, Aja,” Saka said as she scuffled to the dresser, “I’ve already grown up.”

She turned around, eyes wide with panic. “You’re already a pansy? What was your father thinking sending you? Your sister would certainly make a better job of the place. She knows how to make friends and talk to people and is such a delight – except for when she used to bring home little critters from outside as presents.” She paused, her nose scrunched. “No, she still does that.”

“Aja—”

“Now, she’ll end up bringing more than beetles and snakes. She might actually bring me a goat—oh, I hope she doesn’t bring me a goat. Saka, boy, have you seen the detail of the gems they put into the furniture? It certainly wasn’t crafted at home, but considering the amateur workmanship behind it, it’s quite good. It seems that many people underestimate the beauty of a simple moonstone—”

“Aja!” Saka barked suddenly. Aja turned around calmly, used to the prince’s arbitrary high temper. “Please leave.”

“Oh, bother, I’ll leave if I wish. Excuse me!” Aja called out, making her slow way to the door. “Excuse me, could we get a few hands in here? The boy needs help. Lots of it.” Two young servants immediately came to the door. “Oh, I don’t recognize you boys,” she added, squinting with an oddly-twisted face. “You’re new.”

“Actually, ma’am, we traveled with you—”

“Don’t try and trick me: I’m twenty years younger and ten times smarter than whatever you’re thinking I am at this very moment. Now!” Aja looked around the room. “Let’s rearrange the room. It must look exactly like his own back home—No! It must look better.”

Saka glared at Aja, but she didn’t pay any mind. So instead, the prince left what was supposed to be his peaceful quarters.

Princess Tréanna | Earth Wing

This. Was. Fantastic.

Tréa had never been outside of her own kingdom, so seeing an entirely new interpretation of her homeland was really very enlightening. She found it rather amusing as well, but it was still beautiful and extravagant in its own way.

The entire wing was decked out in stones and jewels placed about in beautiful patterns and the occasional mosaic. Her favorite was the floor, in fact. They weren’t stone but actually tiles made from their very own stones back home. The mosaic itself wasn’t as impressive as some of the artwork back home, but it was still beautiful.

She continued down the hallway until she was at the edge of the Earth Kingdom’s wing of the castle. Already, Tréa had unpacked and straightened her room, even decked it out more than how her brother would have for his own room. She wasn’t really into the whole home-decorating thing, though. Well, she was, but she didn’t have the patience when she could be exploring the beauty she’s never seen before – the beauty of outsiders. She was way too anxious to get out.

Tréa nearly bumped into another girl as she turned for the staircase for the next floor up. The girl’s bright blue eyes blinked as they looked into Tréa’s.

They both finally jumped back. Tréa smiled brilliantely. “Hello! I’m Tréa!”

The other girl, to Tréa’s excitement, smiled as well, showing her own array of teeth. “I’m Aurora. You must be one of the heirs.” She looked admiringly at Tréa’s extravagant jewels and glittering pale pink gown.

Tréa laughed lightly. “Oh, no! That’s my brother. I’m his sister of the Earth Kingdom. I suppose that makes me princess, but that doesn’t particularly matter since he does all the work anyway.”

Aurora’s entire expression suddenly jumped with excitement. “The Earth Kingdom! I was hoping to run into you! I was redecorating my room – or, I was trying to because it is clearly a mess. I am convinced a monkey put it together. And a goat, possibly.”

“Oh, our rooms are the same way! I mean, our quarters were built rather gorgeously, but they are certainly not of the caliber back home. Then again, only those at home know the true extent of our trade’s capabilities! My – well, I know this really fantastic sculptor who prefers that no one knows his talent, but I just adore his work.”

“I knew your people were into the arts!” Aurora said. “Would you happen to have any paint? I thought I could use some for my room since it is going to be home, and it would be so much fun.”

“Painting! My grandmother paints, actually,” Tréa replied. “Come! We can ask to borrow some. We can always make more to. Very simple. The hardest part is getting the pigment, and that’s just boring. It’s easy depending on how strong your powers are, so for me? It’s just boring!”

Tréa linked arms with Aurora and led her back down the Earth Kingdom’s wing.

Hisao | The Water Kingdom's Grounds

His jaw twitched. With everything in him, he willed himself not to look at- his eyes shot back up with a frustrated exhale, a hand going back through his hair. A boy. He was most certainly not a boy. Honestly, if all the women were going to treat him like he was a child- which was absolutely was not- these negotiations were going to get terribly dull. Either that or grating on the nerves. Aggravating. Many other synonyms for those words.

Hisao grunted, kicking at a stone and turning on his heel. At least she's nice to look at. A quick glance was stolen, but she was already too far and too well-concealed for him to get a good look. Which just just worsened his mood more. All the way to the point where training just seemed ridiculous. A petty waste of time that would potentially get in the way of meeting other, more appreciative women. And here he'd thought that a woman from the metal kingdom would be less... cocky. Then again, there was some deep, suppressed part of him that could understand her attitude.

Sort of.

He rubbed the back of his neck, free hand going back to his pocket, rolling the key over in his fingers. That box would end up being opened sooner than he had first anticipated, at this rate. Don't you dare. If it gets out of hand... He shook his head, let his hand drop and sauntered back to the palace.

If the metal princess wasn't interested, there were at least bound to be others who were, right? Of course. Not even other royalty could resist royalty. Back to the palace it was- to explore stone walls. Training could wait until he was at least slightly acquainted with everyone else.

See? Just a few minutes outside, and you're already thinking much clearer. Stone walls aren't good for a person. Not good at all.

Yes, if he could figure out the women and the rivals he would have, things would be far easier. At least flirting was a nice pass-time. Forget the metal princess, for now- he knew he was no little boy, and if she wanted to think that he was, then she could miss out on him. It was her loss.

Dai | The Water Kingdom's Wing

He drummed his fingers against the stone, eyeing the temporary sheet of water that he'd put up over the window. The way the light shone through it was beautiful and homey, but there was just... something about it. Something that wasn't quite the same, and the claustrophobic feeling returned. Hisao would, no doubt, wind up complaining about this.

Not that Dai could blame him, really. It was... odd to be stuck inside of stone, as opposed to water and wood. But it wasn't their fault that they didn't have any means of which to hold up a water-wall. Not their fault at all.

Still, it was awfully disconcerting to be so closed in. And he'd thought that home had been bad. At least that wasn't so much physical as it was... something else. This was both, and both was too much.

Maybe a walk would help. A chance to grow accustomed to the abnormality before he was forced to sleep and breathe and eat in it. He let the water-wall drop from the window, turning on his heel to start for the door. Something about the room was begging him to make as many changes as possible- to fix it and at least try to make it more comfortable- but he didn't know where to start. So he left it, door closing softly behind him.

Now, he had to decide if he would have a set destination, or if he would just wander until something interesting turned up and distracted him. The latter seemed easier and less mind-consuming.

And if he got lost, so be it. Maybe he wouldn't have to attend meetings, that way. ...Actually. Getting lost was beginning to sound far, far more appealing than it probably should have.

It would give him an excuse. The lecture he would receive for getting lost would almost certainly be shorter and less unbearable than the lecture he would receive for simply not showing up. Sleeping in the hall if it got that severe didn't sound that bad, and stiff joints were much easier to cope with than being completely drained of energy and emotional capacity.

With luck, nobody would find him and drag him back.

Honovi | Forest's Edge

Honovi sat on a sturdy limb, his back supported by the trunk as he fiddled with his hair, trying to tame the unruly locks into some semblance of neatness. All the while, at his feet, Netis chattered about all the adventures they'd had on the trip to the truce grounds and speculated on all the adventures they might have soon, her legs swinging freely over the water of the river. Her skunk friend perched on her shoulder, napping.

"Han!" Netis poked his foot. "Are you even listening?"

"Not really," he said, licking a finger and using the spit to stick down a stray strand.

Netis huffed. "That's because you're too busy fussing over your hair like a girl."

Honovi aimed a playful kick at the Animal princess, which she nimbly blocked. "You make it sound like that's a bad thing."

"You're not a girl."

"Like you would know," Honovi said, tugging a persistent cowlick into place, only for it to spring back to its original position. "You're not one either."

Netis pounced on him and would have given him a good pounding (all in good fun, of course) if Honovi hadn't been expecting it. Instead, he dropped off the limb onto one just below and quickly slipped to the other side of the tree trunk.

Netis stuck her head around the trunk to look at the Wood prince. He stuck his tongue out at her, and the chase was on.

The two friends chased each other up and down and around the trunk, Honovi always managing to stay just out of reach, until Netis hopped onto a low-lying branch that broke beneath her weight. With an "Eep!" of surprise, the Animal princess fell into the river.

"Are you alright?" Honovi called, dangling from a branch to get a better look at where Netis had landed in the shallows.

Netis groaned and spluttered, batting her skunk friend's waterlogged tail out of her face with one hand as she rubbed her behind with the other. "I'll make you pay for that, Han!" she shouted, likely assuming that he'd sabotaged the branch. He'd done no such thing, but the relief at seeing his friend unharmed quickly translated into giggles, then chuckles, then a full-blown laugh. Pretty soon, Honovi was hanging upside down from a tree limb in stitches, just out of reach of a very wet (and unhappy) princess.

"It's not funny!" Netis shouted, her cheeks flushing, the skunk on her shoulder looking none too pleased. Honovi knew he was in for it later, but he just kept laughing, until he saw the person standing on the other side of the river.

The person was too far away for Han to see clearly, especially with hair in his eyes, and with the end of the laughter, they turned away and melted into the cover of the trees on the opposite bank.

"Who was that?" Han asked, half to himself, half to Netis.

The Animal princess finished squeezing water out of her bangs, glaring at Han all the while. "Who was where?"

Han sighed. "Never mind."

Netis glanced in the direction of the castle. "We should get back and change. Temye says that dinner will be ready soon."

Han dropped from his tree limb and began heading towards the Animal-Wood camp—only to receive a very wet and very muddy glob of riverbank to the back of his head.

"NETIS!"

She just laughed and ran back to camp, and Han was pretty sure she knew he would hang back to wash his hair rather than chase after her. She knew him too well. And so he did stay behind to wash his hair, grumbling all the while about crazy Animal princesses and their stinky skunk friends.