đź‘‘ Children With Stars in their Veins
First Instalment of the Trueblood series
First Instalment of the Trueblood series
You're entering Stellarsyl, in the Three Thousandth, One Hundred, and Second Year, but that isn't where this story began.
It began sixteen years preceding, when the first of the Six was stolen from her crib in her frozen keep, brought to the nonpartisan Chronicler's Guild, and a new baby put in her place. It continued henceforth, with the subsequent trading of infants of the remaining four kingdoms. There was only one mistake made during these switches: the mercy of a second child who should not have lived to see her first birthday.
Thus set off the story of the stolen children, and how the Six came together.
đź‘‘ Introduction
If you were to ask a citizen of Stellarsyl about where the truebloods came from, you would receive wildly varying accounts. Some will tell you that the Lands were created and four people were delivered who could wield unlimited magic, gifted to them naturally, but bloodlines were muddied when new, ungifted people sailed to Stellarsyl and forged new settlements and relations of the original four, that truebloods of today are those who are descendants of the ones of the First. Most nobles will tell you this is untrue, that there were, indeed, four First men, but only two of them had the gift of natural magic, though many will argue they only claim this to further the divide between class. The more fantastical and spellbound will tell you the eight demigods created the island and made their kingdoms, but quickly grew bored and lonely in their separate dominions, and thus created the First men. In their recounting, the trueblood are descended from them.
In truth, nobody knows where the truebloods came from, and the passage of time dulls most curiosities. The only acknowledged fact of those with truebloods is that they are the undisputed rulers of their territories. This has been the way of things for centuries. Anyone who holds an ounce of doubt in trueblood rule need look no further than three Ruins of the Fallen, once mighty kingdoms that crumbled when their trueblooded heads were severed from the body, whether it was from an assassin's sharpened blade or fanciful ideas of reformation.
Every child of a trueblooded ruler undergoes a blood ritual at their coming of age ceremony, in which their blood is tested to prove their heritage and their destiny to their subjects and the Lands. A child comes of age at seventeen.
"Not one of the current trueblooded ruler’s children would pass their blood rituals."
đź‘‘ Meet the Six
Isadora
"Belle" or "Isa"
-Thick, dirty blonde hair that falls down her back. Eyes like chips of ice. Walnut skin tone.
-The Mum Friend™
-Alanna's older sister, but let's be real, she's everyone's older sister in spirit. Everyone loves her.
-"You are sixteen, going on seventeen 🎵"
-Teaches Cassius how to sew and tailor clothing. Pulled him aside one day because he and Mishal were at each other's throats and only did it to distract him for a while, didn't expect him to pick it up, but then he loved it so... they have sewing lessons together now.
"Belle" or "Isa"
-Thick, dirty blonde hair that falls down her back. Eyes like chips of ice. Walnut skin tone.
-The Mum Friend™
-Alanna's older sister, but let's be real, she's everyone's older sister in spirit. Everyone loves her.
-"You are sixteen, going on seventeen 🎵"
-Teaches Cassius how to sew and tailor clothing. Pulled him aside one day because he and Mishal were at each other's throats and only did it to distract him for a while, didn't expect him to pick it up, but then he loved it so... they have sewing lessons together now.
Mishal
"Stormy" or (Cassius Only) "Mish"
-Rich, short brown hair, swept back and usually well-kept looking. Dark eyes. Dark sepia skin tone.
-I don't have a song for him being fifteen so, there. He's fifteen.
-Renaissance boy. Jack of all trades, master of none (better then a master of one
). Smart, athletic, determined. Soaks up knowledge like milk.
-He soaks that up too. He loves milk, especially steamed milk.
-Practises potion-making with Ori.
-Practises combat with Ember and Alanna.
-Likes riding. Horses. (we'll find out other things he likes to ride much later
)
-Can and will absorb an entire library, will spend an entire day reading. HOWEVER! thinks fiction/fables/fantasy is unimportant and useless. Because of this, can and will spend all the time he meant to be reading fighting with Cassius, who loves fiction and hates nonfiction.
-Practises very small amounts of magic, nothing fancy, most practical spells that will make him more efficient or w/e.
-Wears lots of close-fitting armour or other degree of body protection, wears clothes for practicality and not aesthetic.
-Glaives.
"Stormy" or (Cassius Only) "Mish"
-Rich, short brown hair, swept back and usually well-kept looking. Dark eyes. Dark sepia skin tone.
-I don't have a song for him being fifteen so, there. He's fifteen.
-Renaissance boy. Jack of all trades, master of none (better then a master of one

-He soaks that up too. He loves milk, especially steamed milk.
-Practises potion-making with Ori.
-Practises combat with Ember and Alanna.
-Likes riding. Horses. (we'll find out other things he likes to ride much later

-Can and will absorb an entire library, will spend an entire day reading. HOWEVER! thinks fiction/fables/fantasy is unimportant and useless. Because of this, can and will spend all the time he meant to be reading fighting with Cassius, who loves fiction and hates nonfiction.
-Practises very small amounts of magic, nothing fancy, most practical spells that will make him more efficient or w/e.
-Wears lots of close-fitting armour or other degree of body protection, wears clothes for practicality and not aesthetic.
-Glaives.
Rowan
"Oriole" or "Ori"
-Rich, chocolate-y brown hair that falls in waves to their shoulders, braids it often, and is competing with Alanna for softness. Smooth brown skin with warm undertones, freckles. Very multi-hued green eyes.
-Fourteen.
-Collects WEIRD things. There are BONES lying around in their room, and if asked, they will tell you which bone it is and what animal it belongs to (humans are, in fact, animals, to anyone who was wondering
). I mean, there are other things lying around as well, glowing trinkets of unknown origins, pretty gems or seashells (but they don't live near the sea???), but the bones are the Weirdest (probably).
-Practises magic.
-Sometimes helps out Ember with blacksmithing with their alchemy skills (I mean ALCHEMY, like, transmogrification, not potion making). Knows how to make little trinkets and jewellery.
-WEARS a lot of little trinkets and jewellery.
-Wears really strange clothes that are always somehow A Look. Likes loose or draping fabrics particularly, and wears lots of bright colours.
-Is on good terms with everyone, but nobody seems to really Understand their vibe. like, they really collect BONES. how are other children supposed to react to that.
"Oriole" or "Ori"
-Rich, chocolate-y brown hair that falls in waves to their shoulders, braids it often, and is competing with Alanna for softness. Smooth brown skin with warm undertones, freckles. Very multi-hued green eyes.
-Fourteen.
-Collects WEIRD things. There are BONES lying around in their room, and if asked, they will tell you which bone it is and what animal it belongs to (humans are, in fact, animals, to anyone who was wondering

-Practises magic.
-Sometimes helps out Ember with blacksmithing with their alchemy skills (I mean ALCHEMY, like, transmogrification, not potion making). Knows how to make little trinkets and jewellery.
-WEARS a lot of little trinkets and jewellery.
-Wears really strange clothes that are always somehow A Look. Likes loose or draping fabrics particularly, and wears lots of bright colours.
-Is on good terms with everyone, but nobody seems to really Understand their vibe. like, they really collect BONES. how are other children supposed to react to that.
Cassius
"Rascal" or "Raz"or "Rat Bastard"
-Chestnut hair that is curly and always very messy, short but longer than Mishal's (seems to change colour sometimes in a spectrum of chestnut-copper-gold-blond but this is only hypothetical and cannot be explained). Bronze skin with freckles, though not as many as Ori. Bright, stormy blue eyes.
-Thirteen. A Baby.
-Can devour a library of FICTIONAL books. Nonfiction is too dry for him (he has trouble focusing on nonfiction/pure literary books, will literally be bored to tears because he gets too distracted by everything, could try to read a page five times over and still not retain it). HOWEVER he loves history and will eat that up.
-Visual learner. He's very smart, but straight technical facts and instructions will go over his head (anything "straight" will go over his head
)
-You either Love him or Hate him. Isadora, Ember, and Rowan love him. Alanna doesn't care for him. Mishal HATES him (not REALLY but y'know).
-Two left feet.
-Adores dragons. ADORES dragons. Like, I cannot stress this enough, he loves dragons.
-Can't fight to save his life. Like, literally will lose a fight against a wall.
-Best friends with Ember.
-PRANKSTER. Ember is his partner in crime and sometimes Rowan is an accomplice that nobody has yet suspected. Targets Mishal the most.
-Loves sewing (see Isadora's notes). For most everything else, he can't sit still, but with his hands occupied and concentrated on getting the stitching right, he actually gets quite engaged. He also loves fashion and he and Rowan get on really well about it (he prefers swishy/flowing robes and capes or closer fitting garments though. he loves scarves or neck pieces)
-Found a mouse the Chronicler's Guild's cat, Lore, caught and lost once. He will Never admit it, but he cried for hours as the mouse died because nobody took him seriously enough to heal a mouse. Isadora consoled him.
"Rascal" or "Raz"
-Chestnut hair that is curly and always very messy, short but longer than Mishal's (seems to change colour sometimes in a spectrum of chestnut-copper-gold-blond but this is only hypothetical and cannot be explained). Bronze skin with freckles, though not as many as Ori. Bright, stormy blue eyes.
-Thirteen. A Baby.
-Can devour a library of FICTIONAL books. Nonfiction is too dry for him (he has trouble focusing on nonfiction/pure literary books, will literally be bored to tears because he gets too distracted by everything, could try to read a page five times over and still not retain it). HOWEVER he loves history and will eat that up.
-Visual learner. He's very smart, but straight technical facts and instructions will go over his head (anything "straight" will go over his head

-You either Love him or Hate him. Isadora, Ember, and Rowan love him. Alanna doesn't care for him. Mishal HATES him (not REALLY but y'know).
-Two left feet.
-Adores dragons. ADORES dragons. Like, I cannot stress this enough, he loves dragons.
-Can't fight to save his life. Like, literally will lose a fight against a wall.
-Best friends with Ember.
-PRANKSTER. Ember is his partner in crime and sometimes Rowan is an accomplice that nobody has yet suspected. Targets Mishal the most.
-Loves sewing (see Isadora's notes). For most everything else, he can't sit still, but with his hands occupied and concentrated on getting the stitching right, he actually gets quite engaged. He also loves fashion and he and Rowan get on really well about it (he prefers swishy/flowing robes and capes or closer fitting garments though. he loves scarves or neck pieces)
-Found a mouse the Chronicler's Guild's cat, Lore, caught and lost once. He will Never admit it, but he cried for hours as the mouse died because nobody took him seriously enough to heal a mouse. Isadora consoled him.
Eugenia
"Ember"
-Fire-red curls feathery in texture but constantly in tangles, kept short (just long enough to tuck behind her ears or tie back). Bright amber eyes. Rusty complexion and also freckles.
-Twelve. Even Babier.
-Likes jewellery! Anything that glitters, she loves.
-She is REALLY good at applying cosmetics, but she's TERRIBLE at putting a decent outfit together (this makes cassius cry)
-Best friends with Cassius.
-BLACKSMITH BABY. She loves being in the forge and creating things of destruction and protection with her own hands, loves shaping metal to her whims.
-BUT! She also likes ENGINEERING. She likes to build things! She loves it when travellers come to the Guild so she can see the newest creations and technology. She's made several mechanical and clockwork birds for Rowan, because they love animals. She made a bracer for Mishal that has a clock on the inner wrist and a coating of steel on the exterior, so he can use it in combat and for practical things. But most important, she's made LOTS of stupid contraptions for herself and Cassius to prank to the others.
-Wears clunky, tall, and obnoxious boots that have too many buckles and also pockets. Probably keeps knives in there just to be Cool.
-Flails.
-She can and will punch you.
"Ember"
-Fire-red curls feathery in texture but constantly in tangles, kept short (just long enough to tuck behind her ears or tie back). Bright amber eyes. Rusty complexion and also freckles.
-Twelve. Even Babier.
-Likes jewellery! Anything that glitters, she loves.
-She is REALLY good at applying cosmetics, but she's TERRIBLE at putting a decent outfit together (this makes cassius cry)
-Best friends with Cassius.
-BLACKSMITH BABY. She loves being in the forge and creating things of destruction and protection with her own hands, loves shaping metal to her whims.
-BUT! She also likes ENGINEERING. She likes to build things! She loves it when travellers come to the Guild so she can see the newest creations and technology. She's made several mechanical and clockwork birds for Rowan, because they love animals. She made a bracer for Mishal that has a clock on the inner wrist and a coating of steel on the exterior, so he can use it in combat and for practical things. But most important, she's made LOTS of stupid contraptions for herself and Cassius to prank to the others.
-Wears clunky, tall, and obnoxious boots that have too many buckles and also pockets. Probably keeps knives in there just to be Cool.
-Flails.
-She can and will punch you.
Alanna
"Little Pika" or "Pika"
-Hair "as black as the northern sea" (the northern sea has been described as the "absolute absence of light"). Eyes like chips of ice, just like her sister. Walnut skin tone, also like her sister.
-She's the Babiest, only ten.
-Wasn't actually supposed to be brought the Guild. The man chosen to go after the second baby of the Northern Monarchs saw her and he was like,,,, aw,,,, precious. He goofed and brought her back. He's like "you expected me to KILL a baby lmao you thought". There was a pretty big scandal, because the Guild had nobody to replace her with, so the second baby, right after being born, straight up disappeared. She was never found.
-ADORES Mishal. He's her secret older brother.
-Wishes she could do cosmetics as well as Ember (she has MUCH better sense of style though). Really, if she just put less kohl on, she would less like a raccoon, but Alas.
-Hangs out with Ember a lot (outside of combat training) but doesn't really understand Cassius so makes no effort to be around her when she's with Cassius.
-Her teeth are pointy?
-Notorious lover of meat, but she hates hunting so... ?
-Likes all animals. Horses, dogs, cats, you name it. There's a cat named Lore that been at the Guild for years, and he sleeps with her at night and she adores him. Goes on rides with Isadora and Mishal all the time.
"Little Pika" or "Pika"
-Hair "as black as the northern sea" (the northern sea has been described as the "absolute absence of light"). Eyes like chips of ice, just like her sister. Walnut skin tone, also like her sister.
-She's the Babiest, only ten.
-Wasn't actually supposed to be brought the Guild. The man chosen to go after the second baby of the Northern Monarchs saw her and he was like,,,, aw,,,, precious. He goofed and brought her back. He's like "you expected me to KILL a baby lmao you thought". There was a pretty big scandal, because the Guild had nobody to replace her with, so the second baby, right after being born, straight up disappeared. She was never found.
-ADORES Mishal. He's her secret older brother.
-Wishes she could do cosmetics as well as Ember (she has MUCH better sense of style though). Really, if she just put less kohl on, she would less like a raccoon, but Alas.
-Hangs out with Ember a lot (outside of combat training) but doesn't really understand Cassius so makes no effort to be around her when she's with Cassius.
-Her teeth are pointy?
-Notorious lover of meat, but she hates hunting so... ?
-Likes all animals. Horses, dogs, cats, you name it. There's a cat named Lore that been at the Guild for years, and he sleeps with her at night and she adores him. Goes on rides with Isadora and Mishal all the time.
đź‘‘ Setting
The setting of Starry Veins is the union of a classic fantasy world with steampunk elements, the marriage of magic and technology coexisting.
Stellarsyl is an expanse country surrounded by the Three Seas: the Northern Sea, the Ocean of Mirrors, and the Silken Sea, to the north, southeast, and west/southwest respectively. In the northern waters of the Silken Sea is the Viridian Isle, which hosts one of the five renowned, archaic kingdoms, governed by trueblooded rulers.
The most primal of the kingdoms, the Saltwater Kingdom is built off the land, beautiful if not rough-hewn architecture, buildings of wood with husk for roofs. The largest building is said to be the Queen's Hall, which is capable of withstanding hurricanes that hit the island and housing much of the island's population. The most communally driven of the five kingdoms, with gardens raised by all capable hands and a great and expansive trade, and the strongest in maritime ventures.
On the mainland are the remaining four territories. To the west, the sprawling kingdom of Summermount, in the middle of the Ruby Desert. Surrounded by glistening, smooth sandstone walls to keep all those unwanted out of the kingdom, be it the bandits who would brave the unforgiving barrens or the beasts that prowl the sands at night. Beautifully sculpted architecture of pale limestone, the envy of many a traveller, with many teardrop dome roofs that glisten the deepest shades of blue, green, and gold. Temples of worship and safe haven speckle the city, and open marketplaces fill the roads with colour. None so exquisite as the Sun’s Palace, however, filled with marble and curling designs of breathtaking detail. Droughts are nothing to blink at, however, and sometimes even the greatest oasis's fall victim to the Sun's harsh gaze.
In the great and bitter north lies the Divine Tundra, and Glacier's Keep. The largest, unassailable stronghold in Stellarsyl and cold as the lands around it, none but those native and those of considerable make can last out the nights here, though should one be allowed entrances, the hearths are large enough to stand comfortably in (not that you should chose so, lest you find yourself devoured by flame). The city in the keep is less fortified, but elegant in it's own right. Much of the design is that of coliseum structured and stacked buildings of a dark, monochromatic grey that ice covers like ivy. The streets are cobbled with mottled, non-patterned stones. Sharp, steep roofs of nigh indestructible materials keep the snow from building up and collapsing buildings. The Wolf's Hearth serves both as throne room and gathering hall, interwoven with braziers and carved sections filled with charcoal to keep the fire burning hot and the atmosphere comfortable. Here is a great dining chamber, overlooked by a tall, broad dais where the trueblooded family watches over their people.
The fourth of the great kingdoms is Chromium, the entrance of which is to the east. You will find no towering palaces built to reach to the sky, though this is the largest of the five kingdoms. Beneath the earth dwells the massive city that could make the tallest person feel like a flea. Carved into the stone itself, the kingdom is a monolithic system of roads and sectors. Veins of ore can be see in the raw, untapped walls that connect with the block-like, defined angles of the buildings. It is the richest and more monumental of all the kingdoms, but has fallen second in the race of technological advancement. There is less order, however, with a little monarchy spread so far over such vast province, and law is shakier here. Chromium is where the most sinful find welcome shelter, with such an inconsistent and fallible radar under which to hide.
To look over the lands for the fifth kingdom would yield no results. It is to the sky one must look, with hands shading their eyes, to see the marvel of Heaven's Keep. Often called the Rainbow City, this kingdom finds welcome amongst the clouds and the stars. A truly wonderful city that looks almost like crystal under the sun. Buildings enchanted with prisms to glitter in the light, gold and ivory to gild and weave through the city with stunning precision. Sharp, severe buildings fill the city, and those who do not have stained glass windows are those who openly declare their destitution. The minds and hands of Heaven's Keep have quickly overtaken Chromium in the technological race, and it is home to the flourishing Inventor's Guild. Clockwork sentries patrol the streets, marbled statues of gryphons and lions and great beasts guard the most fortunate in the kingdom. Great ships that sail the clouds and winds dock and hover around the city until a journey is given to undertake. Many daring citizens even seek to enhance themselves through installed wires and whirring gears, or to simply add more aesthetic or appeal.
There is much of the land, however, the kingdoms do not lay a claim to. These are the Wilderlands, and travellers know to stay on the industrial roads, lest they disappear to oblivion. Everyone in Stellarsyl knows that the places unclaimed by them are wild and unforgiving. The land has a mind of its own, and even stepping off paved roads is to risk one's life. To try to chart such territory is not only impossible, it is the highest form of recklessness. Only those the Wilderlands, who have been born into the land's embrace, may pass unharmed through it's landscape. The vagrant clans that shift as the earth itself does. Some believe such folk are simple myths - who could possibly live in a terrain that changes? - as there has been little to no proof of their existence. The older generations know better, or so they say they do. Every once in a while, there will be claims of one of the Wild Folk who ventured into civilisation. Some stay, though they are much different in behaviour and mindset to the "cultured" folk.
BLESS YOU if actually read all of that
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