Wyrmeweald (Started, but still accepting characters)

The wyrmeweald. A harsh frontier where dragon-like creatures, known as wyrmes, rule supreme. They come in all shapes and sizes, from the tiny skitterwyrme to the majestic and intelligent great whitewyrme. The weald is a dangerous place, and not just because of the wyrmes. Weather is unpredictable and storms of great ferocity can come out of nowhere. And yet, there are those who venture into this unforgiving place to seek their fortunes. For the weald has many riches, from spectacular jewels and vast amounts of metal ores, to the wyrmes themselves, which can be used for any number of things. Wyrmeoil is good for lamps, and wyrmepelt leather is unmatched by anything.
Those who would exploit the weald and strip it of its resources are known as kith. Not all humans of the weald are kith, however. They are the kin, those who have bonded with a great whitewyrme and now ride with them. More often than not, kin are orphans or abandoned, who are chosen by their wyrmes for protection and friendship. Kith and kin are mortal enemies, for the most part, and are constantly at each others' throats. As the kith encroch even further into the weald, conflict increases steadily, until it is nothing less than all-out war. And behind it all, waiting for their chance to strike, is another group, the keld. The keld are those, both kith and kin, who have chosen to go, quite literally, underground. They are haggish and twisted and quite often cannibals. They seek to wipe both kin and kith from the weald so that they alone may rule and propagate.
As violence spreads and the weald becomes a battleground, which side will you choose?

Kith: The kith are your typical frontier-people. They are toughened travelers, who traverse the weald, trapping and looking for jewels/mines. They are generally heavily armed, with pistols, crossbows, and hackdaggers. Kith don't usually travel in groups, although when they do, it is never with more than 5-7 people. Around the weald, there are several small settlements, known as scrimshaw dens, where kith gather to barter and sell and rest from the road.

Kin: Kin are those who have bonded with a great whitewyrme. This usually happens at a young age for both wyrme and kin, and when the wyrme first moults, it fashions its shed skin into a skin-tight garment for its human rider, called soulskin. Soulskin is pearly white, just like whitewyrmes, and is virtually impenetrable. Wyrmes also fashion their kin lances out of pines that grow high on rock stacks in the weald. Wyrme and kin travel from place to place, never staying put long.

Keld: Keld are feared and abhorred by both kith and kin. They live in caverns below the weald, where they practice evil sciences and keep stunted wyrmes as pets. Most keld are cannibals and though they sometimes trade with kith, the price is always high. They hate kith and kin, and wish to wrest the weald from them.

The wyrmeweald: The weald is essentially a desert, quite like the American southwest (think southern Utah/New Mexico). However, the weather is much harsher, with the summers being sweltering and the winters being deadly cold.


Profiles (You can have two characters, but if you do, don't have two of the same group)

Name:

Gender:

Age:

Kith, Kin, or Keld:

Appearance (At least 100 words, please):

Personality (100 words as well):

History (At least 150 words):

Weapons (if kith or keld; kin just have kinlances and their wyrmes):

Other:

Rules

-no god-modding
-no mary/gary-sues
-romace allowed, but no sex...no one wants to know the details
-Violence will definitely occur, but please, not too gory


I think that's about it...PM me with any questions!
Have fun!

Name: Nathaniel Blithe

Gender: Male

Age: 16

Kith, Kin, or Keld: Kin

Appearance: Nathaniel is tall and lean and has long red hair that he lets hang loose. He has green eyes and lots of freckles. His soulskin is highly polished and fits his body perfectly. He still has his kith clothes, however, as he has only become kin recently. He has several scars all over his body, the most noticeable of which runs from his left eye to his left ear. His wyrme, Ascal, is female, and although she is small for her age (she's 17) she is incredibly strong.

Personality: Nathaniel is a nice person, and easy to get along with, even though he is kin and almost never speaks to kith or other kin. Because he only became kin about a year ago, he still speaks out loud well, although he prefers to speak with motions and in the mind with Ascal. He is very protective of friends and will do anything to keep them out of danger. To some extent he sympathizes with kith, although only those who are not wasteful. In other words, he doesn't automatically kill them on sight.

History: Nathaniel was born on the plains, far from the wyrmeweald. He and his parents travelled there when he was but seven, and both of his parents died within two years, leaving him to fend for himself. He got taken up by an abusive pair of kith who used him as a lure to trap the bigger wyrmes for butchering and organ harvesting. When he was 14, he tried to run away and was caught. The two kith were about to kill him when Ascal, who was preening on a nearby rock stack, saw what was happening and pounced on his abusers. She killed them, and has protected him ever since. They have a kind of "home base" in a cave, where they sometimes sleep, and Nathaniel keeps his kith clothes, for old times' sake.

Weapons: Pure black kinlance.

Other: Up for love, possibly

With drawing.

Me, too.

Me three.

Sounds good everyone...try to get profiles up in the next four days!

Name: Zara Auren

Gender: Female

Age: 19

Kith, Kin or Keld: Kin

Appearance: Zara is about average height, with a trim build. Her eyes are a dark amber color, and her hair is dark brown and very curly. It falls just past her shoulders, but she usually keeps it tied back out of her eyes. She has pale skin and a stately, angular face. She keeps her soulskin clean, but rarely polishes it--she still has some of her kith habits (see history) and worries about its gleam giving her away to potential attackers. She still has the last kith outfit she wore, and she'll wear it sometimes, when she misses her family. Her wyrme, Kaelo (male) is a very fast and agile flyer.

Personality: Zara is generally a nice person, but she can be easily annoyed when she's in a bad mood. She's more social than most kin, and although she's easy to become friends with, she's very careful about who she trusts. She's smart, and she's good at building things. She's very confident in herself, and can be reckless and impulsive at times. Sometimes, she'll even put on her kith clothes and trade for things she and Kaelo can't get on their own. Despite being kin for almost five years, she still feels strongly about her kith family, and will never kill kith before making sure she doesn't know them.

History: Zara grew up in a kith family. She was born and raised in a small village in the highlands. When she was fourteen, her parents took her and her younger sister out into the weald in search of wyrmepelt leather for their shop back at home. When Zara was fifteen, there was a massive wyrme raid on her settlement. In an attempt to save her little sister, Zara dived in front of a wyrme and was hit in the head. Then a whitewyrme (Kaelo) not wanting any children to be hurt, carried her away, so she wouldn't be injured further. She never returned, and has lived in a desert cave with Kaelo ever since. Early on, she went to a kith settlement and purchased pieces of glass and a chunk of bone, and made herself flying goggles. Because of Kaelo's speed, the pair can usually travel a great distance and back before dark, so the cave has become a permanent home. Zara keeps her old kith possessions there.

Weapons: Dark brown kinlance. She likes to dip the tip in poison. She also still has her kith longbow, but she almost never uses it.

Other: Up for love, but doesn't want to move too quickly.

Name: Nairdi Pickett

Gender: Female

Age: 17

Kith, Kin, or Keld: Kith

Appearance: Nairdi is exceptionally short, but makes up for it in pure muscle mass. She's very fair. Her skin would be white if it wasn't constantly sunburnt. Her hair is stick straight, blonde, and cut at her chin. She has bangs that are always too long. Her eyes are large and an icy blue surrounded by long black eyelashes. Her facial structure is very aristocratic but childish for her age. Coupled with her size, her facial features make her look twelve. Her wardrobe consists largely of furs, but she has a bag made of wyrme skin that is constantly on her shoulder. For someone living in Wyrmeweald she's always pristine.

Personality: Nairdi's emotions are very close to the surface. As quick as she is to get angry, she's just as quick to cry if you touch the right spot. She comes off as brash and rude, but it's to protect the more vulnerable areas of her personality. She's proud, loud, and fearless. Whatever she thinks she will say without thinking about the consequences. She believes her opinions are fact and will act upon them. It takes much to convince her she's wrong. She lives life as if it was her against the world. Because of that, she doesn't have many friends. She insists she doesn't need anyone. She's quick to take offense and quick to throw a punch or worse. She's an awful grudge holder. She has one against all Kin. Despite all of her rough edges, she likes luxuries. Though she would never tell anyone, she's painfully jealous of the Kin and their wyrmes. She likes the idea of flying. She travels from Kith settlement to settlement, going out into the wilderness for months at a time.

History: Nairdi has always been in Wyrmeweald. Her mother, however, was a noble in civilization. Nairdi had a fairly happy childhood until she was seven. Kin ambushed her family. At the time, her father was stalking a wyrme. The band of Kin killed her father, her mother, and the family they had been travelling with. She had been spared because her mother stuffed her in a trunk. Seeing the Kin as an evil, heartless people, she vowed to hunt the wyrme and their riders. She hasn't yet killed a fellow human. She isn't quite sure if she could in cold blood but has several wyrme kills under her belt. Other than the Kin who killed her parents, Nairdi has only met one Kin when she was thirteen. The encounter almost killed her. She deems not to recognize the fact that she had killed the Kin's wyrme first. She left the Kin with a mark of her own. His leg would never be the same.

Weapons: She has ornate throwing knives, but she treasures them. They were her father's. Her main weapon of choice is a fairly crude axe.

Other: There are times when she has exerted herself too much that she pales dangerously and gets light headed. She has fainted before, but she pushes through stubbornly, almost idiotically, despite the danger. This is thought to be caused by the injury left by the Kin.
She's up for love, I guess.



Name: Fenrir Cayndor

Gender: Male

Age: 28

Kith, Kin, or Keld: Keld

Appearance: Fenrir has wasted away. His ribs can be seen through his clothing. Despite his thin appearance, there's a feral strength about him. He's tall and gaunt. His face is sharp and bony, his nose hawk-like. His teeth are rotten, but he's sharpened them. His eyes are sunken and a misty purple. His skin was always dark. Years in a cave have only created a sickly pallor above the tan. He has a soulskin, but has not taken good care of it. It's ripped and worn through in places, but he has no other garb. He has an awful limp. His left leg is completely mangled. His hair used to be completely black, but is now sprinkled with silver.

Personality : Fenrir is just crazy, completely insane though very intelligent. When he's not obsessing over the creation of a new poison, he's tracking and massacring Kith as revenge against the one who murdered his wyrm. He has periods of sanity where he works just as hard creating antidotes for his new poisons. During these times he's tortured with guilt and grief. Even fellow Keld avoid him. He's a bit too unstable and too attached to Kin and wyrms. He kills Kin if he runs across them though, out of pure jealousy. He does have a tiny wyrm, Cor, in his cave. He's awful to it. Depending on his wild mood swings, he's either force feeding unknown plants to him or weeping over him. He has always been hard to read. You never know when he's going to go off.

History: Fenrir was born to two Kin. He's one of the few who didn't have a wyrme but did have a family. That wouldn't last long. When Fenrir was six, his parents disappeared. No one would ever find out what happened to them. Fenrir woke one day to find a wyrme seemingly waiting for him as if it was sent to him. Fenrir clung to the thought that his parents had sent him the wyrme he named Mica. For eighteen years life was happy for Fenrir. He loved herbs and made many advances in medicine. He had no fight with anyone, even the Kith. Again, it didn't last. A child, no less, took Mica by surprise and killed her. Crazed with grief, he attacked the girl, but was sloppy. She was able to ruin his leg after he ran her through. He took Cor from an egg of Mica's, but the lack of sunlight and proper nutrition has dwarfed the poor wyrme. He doesn't know how many people he has killed, but he knows we will never stop, even if he found the girl who murdered Mica.

Weapons: Bright green kinlance, sharpened teeth and nails. Poisoned blow darts are his favorite

Other: Not up for love

Great profiles! We'll just another day or two for others to join, and then we can start!

This is me reserving a spot for a Kin. :3 I'll have my profile up later today.

Okay, we can start soon. I'll wait for any more profiles for today, and make the first post tonight!

Okay, let's start this thing!

Nathaniel,

The fighting has gotten worse. In the past few weeks, the kith have encroached even further into the weald, and Ascal and I have been in at least twelve fights. Moreover, just today we flew over a burned out kith village that looked to be the work of keld. I shudder as I think of the mutilated bodies left behind in the charred wreckage of the huts. Blowing my hair out of my eyes, I turn away from the mouth of our cave, and walk back to where Ascal has lit a sagebrush fire to roast the deer we caught this morning.

"I hate all of this fighting," I say, sitting down and leaning against Ascal's leg, "It's all so pointless."

"The kith have brought it upon themselves," she says gently, "We must fight back against their destruction. The survival of the weald depends on kin."

"I know that. But those people who died in that village...they didn't deserve that. There were children back there, for Maker's sake!"

Ascal frowns, a curl of steam slipping out between her teeth, "Yes, that is troubling. Keld above ground is never a good sign."

I nod, "And not just that. We haven't seen any kin for at least a month. It's like we're the last ones here, but I know that that can't be."

"You're right," comes a voice from behind us, speaking in human tongue, "It can't. And you're not."

Zara

I crouch in the desert scrub and watched the kin boy and his wyrme. Kaelo and I had seen their fire from high above. We went hunting for fires every night. Brush fires, naturally, were worrisome--if left untended, they could spread for miles.

"We haven't seen any kin for at least a month," the boy says, in wyrme tongue. "It's like we're the last ones here, but I know that can't be."

"You're right," I say, in my native language. "It can't. And you're not."

I get up and walk over to the boy, my freshly cleaned soulskin gleaming in the firelight. "I'm Zara," I say, switching tongues for his wyrme. I sit down next to the boy, my kinlance balanced on one knee, and look back into the shadowed scrub. "Kaelo!" I call. "They're kin!"

Kaelo slinks over and sits behind me, his tail snaking around my feet. He's a little larger than the other wyrme, I notice, but not quite as thick. "Greetings," he says. "I see you've already met Zara. I am Kaelo."

Nathaniel,

This kin, Zara, is older than me, and her wyrme is larger than Ascal. Amongst kin, though, age is of little matter. We're all fighting for the same thing.

"Welcome. I'm Nathaniel, and this is Ascal," I say, smiling, "Care to join us?"

"Gladly," she says, "I don't believe we've seen you two before. What part of the weald are you from?"

"We're from the valley country," I say, turning the spit on the roasting deer, "Although, we only recently became kin, about a year ago." I pull up the hood of my soulskin on reflex, against the encroaching cold of the halfwinter night.

"Ah," Kaelo says, knowingly, "New to the fight, then. How're you holding up?"

"It has been difficult," Ascal replies, "Especially the past few weeks. The kith have gotten more forceful, and we found evidence of keld attacks at a nearby village."