Young Writers Society

For centuries, the kingdoms have been protected by those with a magical voice that could tame the dragon. The kingdom of Zilaria has been in charge of finding these songstresses and bringing them to the dragon’s keep. In return, the dragon doesn’t tear the kingdoms apart. These young girls never have a choice in whether they go or not. Most resign to their fate, and die within the first few months. Not that the empress cares. What is the lives of a few compared to the lives of many?

The latest songstress to be sent to the keep was a young girl, loved by anyone who knew her. There was no warning, the guards simply came, took her, and left. Her brother has decided he will not stand for this. He’s decided to tell the empress herself that he would be going after the dragon and putting an end to the fear that people had felt for so long.

Unbeknownst to the people and the kingdoms, the empress had been planning on using the dragon to invade the others and take full power over the lands. She will not stand for anyone trying to put end to her greatest weapon. The boy will be forced to work against the empress’ rule, being made the public’s number one enemy

Will you help him save his sister and the land?

Rules:
- Usual YWS/SB rules.
- ALL posts must be readable, co-relate to previous posts and have correct spelling. That means no chat speak.
- 800 characters minimum or about 165 words for those of you using MS Word or other writing programs. Use this Wordcounttool if you're not sure.
- Swearing; it's allowed just don't overdo it. And keep it reasonable; No F-bombs!
- Romance is allowed but no sex scenes; No one needs to read about details.
- Can claim as many characters as you wish, but only if you think you can handle them all.
- No Characters Under 16--without permission.
- Don't God-mod. Please, it's not fair. And no Mary/Gary Sues either. They annoy me.
- Please don't double post unless there have been no new posts for at least 24 hours.
- Please have a name, place and time of day at the top of each post. Such as Name | Place -- Time of Day OR, for example; Mia | Town -- Afternoon
- Please do not kill another person's character without permission; it's unfair, and not to forget mentioning, godmodding. We really don't like that. And besides, no one likes it when they're randomly killed. Do note, that people will most likely end up dead. Don’t be afraid to let your character die to further the plot.
- All NON-SB posts to the DT please people.
- The SB is co-run by SisterItaly, ScarlettFire and CelticaNoir. Please listen to us or we’ll feed you to something nasty. Well, maybe if we remember.

Character Profiles

Name: (First AND Last, if known)
Age: (16+)
Gender: (male or female)
Race: (Human, Sorcerer/Sorceress/Mage, Dragon, Immortal)
Rank (Assassin, Prince, Thief, etc.)
Allegiance: (None, Zilaria, The Brother, Self)

Appearance: (description and picture)

Personality: (Include likes and dislikes, strengths and weaknesses)
Flaws/Weaknesses: (You must have at least one)

Power/s: (If you have one/any)

History: (At least two four line paragraphs. And none of this “I don’t remember” stuff. Your character has a story, so give us a glimpse of it)

Up For Love? (yes, no, orientation, conditions)

Other: (Anything we’ve missed?)

Character Slots:

The Dragon - Nagendra - ScarlettFire.
Girl - Serena - SisterItaly
Girl’s Brother - Celticanoir
Empress - Veronia Astyrian - SisterItaly
Prince - Evaric “Eric” Astyrian - ScarlettFire.
Princess - summergrl13 - Emelina
Soldier - Breuse - Dreamwalker
Soldier - SidereaAquila - Arius
Agent - Nadia - Lumi
Songstress Prisoner - Ceridwen Isis - ScarlettFire.
Ex-Gladiator - Sigurd - SisterItaly
Spymaster - Tristan “Trest” Bloodshire- ItalianIlluminist
Candy Store Owner - Maia - StellaThomas
Nobel - Kade -Isha

(Slots will be added/removed as needed)

DT is here

Name: Serena Carriedo
Age: 16
Gender: Female
Race: Mage
Rank Songstress
Allegiance: Her family, her country

Appearance: The fact Serena is a mage isn’t incredibly obvious, save for the mark over her eye. It’s the same striking blue as her eyes. Her voluminous dark brown hair drops down over her shoulder blades. She’s small, but very obviously a woman.



Personality: Serena has a heart of gold, and she’s a good example of how bravery does not mean not being afraid. While there is nothing she’d love more to go home, she does as the dragon tells her. She doesn’t want to risk putting her brother back home in danger. Serena is the kind of person to stick up for what’s right, and sacrifice whatever she has to in order to make sure the people she loves are happy.

In other words, she’s a very selfless person. When she makes a promise, she sticks to it, and she never has a problem with putting her own things aside to help a friend in need. Serena is a person of many second chances, and she doesn’t mind if anyone says anything or does anything she considers rude to her, but if you do anything to insult or hurt her brother you have automatically put yourself on her bad side.

However, Serena is never good in a fight. She’s more of a ‘resolve things by talking them through’ than a ‘let’s fight it out’ kind of girl. There are many things she’s afraid of. Spiders, snakes, dark places, conflict, and fire. But they’re all things she’s willing to stand against. She won’t show fear, and she never backs down. And in that way, she is strong.

Flaws/Weaknesses: Scared of the dark, snakes, spiders, conflict, fire, not a good fighter, willing to get between the people she loves and death.

Power/s: Being a songstress, her singing is her magic. It can calm people, incite emotions, and bravery. What most songstresses don’t know is their magic also has the ability to heal and create life force that can be passed onto other beings. Unlike other songstresses, she can speak with her brother through their minds.

History: Serena was only nine when her parents were killed in a fire, leaving both herself and Tonio to fend for themselves. While most would have expected the almost-young-man to have abandoned the child in an orphanage, Tonio didn’t. Tonio worked hard to keep his sister and build a life for the two of them. While he worked, Serena took care of the house.
It wasn’t until she was about thirteen that they discovered her singing had a magical effect. It was definitely something they had to keep on the down low, though Serena didn’t entirely understand why. She would still sing while around the house, and before they went to sleep every night. Being the kind of nurturing person she is, their days often started with her waking him up and helping him get ready for work, then when he would leave she’d clean up the house and get dinner ready for them.

Recently, someone has gone and told the empress about Serena’s magical singing, which landed their small home a visit from the royal guard. They broke down the door, and ended up having to chase the frightened girl through the house before they could catch her and drag her off to be sent to the dragon’s keep.

Up For Love? I suppose, she’s sort of trapped in the dragon’s keep right now.

Other: (Anything we’ve missed?)

~~

Name: Empress Veronia Astyrian
Age: Appears to be very early 20s, closer to 120.
Gender: Female
Race: Mage
Rank Empress
Allegiance: Zilaria, herself. Mostly herself.

Appearance: Veronia takes very good care of herself, and holds herself above everyone. It’s rather obvious that she is a mage, what with her bright pink hair, and pale skin and all. No one yet has had a chance to see her work her magic, but if you were to ask the lords and ladies of the palace they’d tell you they suspect she sucks the youth and joy out of all her suitors, considering by the time she’s done with them they’re practically running from the kingdom crying.



Personality: Veronia is the kind of person to do whatever it takes to get what she wants. No matter the cost. She's killed her own sister for getting in her way. She can be very manipulative, too. She's just as passionate as the element she controls, though this is more of a bad thing than good. She's been known to kill people in her 'fits of passion'.

She also has no problem putting a price on a human life. Hence why she's had no problem sending plenty of songstresses to their deaths. Meanwhile, she's planning on ways to keep that dragon in her control.
Flaws/Weaknesses: Her magic leaves her vulnerable, and she is not good in combat without it.

Power/s: Veronia is capable of creating and controlling fire, as well as storm clouds (I.E. Rain, lightning, thunder, and if she really pushes her magic she can even create a tornado). Though, the more she puts into using her magic, the more focus it takes. To create something as complex and difficult as say... a tornado of fire, would take all of her focus and leave her physically vulnerable. That sort of magic, though, has an area of effect. Even she can end up harmed when she uses that.

History: Veronia was always tired of being just a mage, just another person. When she found the kingdom of Zilaria she made her first move into power, and made the current empress disappear. It wasn’t easy, what with all the guards. As soon as she was out of the way, she was free to make her move on the emperor, taking advantage of his grief to get close to him and weasel her way into a marriage. It was almost too easy, and in her opinion the emperor was rather dull in the head.

After that, getting rid of the emperor was a piece of cake. From there, she took over the role of ruling the kingdom. The children were a couple of pains that needed to be taken care of, but that was not a difficult task. She busied them and did what she could to give them a motherly appeal. But from there on out, Zilaria was a military country.

Veronia turned to bigger things, planning to take over all the kingdoms. And she would use the dragon to do it. She sent out guards to all the kingdoms to search for the songstresses, and if she kept the dragon happy-- and eventually told her that if she wanted to live, she would need to do as the empress said --then the dragon would have no choice but to help her create her perfect kingdom.

Up For Love? HA. HAHAH. I WISH YOU LUCK. Many have tried, many have failed.

Other: (Anything we’ve missed?)

~~

Name: Sigurd [Surname unknown]
Age: 24
Gender: Male
Race: Human
Rank Ex-Gladiator
Allegiance: Whatever is morally right.

Appearance: Sigurd is a giant of a man. He’s got a pair of broad, strong shoulders, and stands at almost 8 feet all on his own. He’s got plenty of scars from his days as a gladiator. Despite having been a gladiator, Sigurd is a huge softie. It’s obvious in his face. In the way he smiles, and in his eyes.



Personality: If you didn’t know Sigurd was a gladiator, you’d never be able to guess. He’s definitely a man with a heart of gold. He looks out for what’s best for people, and much like Serena, is always willing to stand up for the little guy. He’s a very affectionate man, you can expect hugs. Lots of hugs. And poor Sigurd doesn’t know his own strength.

Though, when Sigurd fights, it can be a rather frightening thing. Sigurd acts before thinking when he’s fighting, so his opponents have been known to have been killed rather brutally. Heads smashed in, impaled, it depends on what kind of weapon he’s using, really. He completely disassociates himself when he’s fighting, and goes into a sort of berserker mode. Though, when his opponents do something that could throw him off in a fight, he has a tendency to freeze with the confusion.

Talking one on one with Sigurd is more or less a waste of time, usually. He’s spent most of his life as a gladiator, and he’s not the sharpest tool in the shed. A lot of what you say will go in one ear and out the other while his mind drifts to other things. Like puppys.

Flaws/Weaknesses: Sigurd is very easily confused, and very easily insulted.

Power/s: Nadda~

History: Sigurd doesn’t remember much about his life before he was fourteen, which is when he was taken to be a gladiator. The last thing he remembers about that time was taking his family’s donkey -- on his shoulders, mind you -- to market to be sold. His family were from the farmlands. Somewhere between his home and the city, a wagon pulled over, and the people who got out of it managed to knock him unconscious.

When he woke up, he found himself in the arena’s bunk room, where he got a less than warm welcome from the other gladiators. “He’s just a kid” they said, “He’s not gonna survive his first match.” His first match had actually been his first fight ever. It was a horrifying thing for the little farm boy. He learned exactly what he was capable of doing. From then on out, Sigurd in the ring and Sigurd in the bunks were two completely different people. The owner of the arena made a deal with Sigurd, promising him after a certain amount of wins that he would give the boy back his freedom.

That only came ten years later, and Sigurd had to threaten the man’s life to get it. Now he’s on the streets, looking for a new adventure.

Up For Love? Eeeer, I’m gonna have to say no. Sigurd’s too much like a child. If you have something that could work, then maybe. You never know.

Other: (Anything we’ve missed?)

Name: Antonio “Toni” Carriedo

Age: 22

Gender: Male

Race: Human

Rank: Commoner

Allegiance: His sister.

Appearance: At first look, Toni doesn’t look all that special with his dark colouring and tanned complexion. He’s not exactly what you’d call a pretty boy, although he is considered somewhere between cute and adorable by most people that see him. He’s of average height, which doesn’t really help him stand out a lot, and while he does have an athletic build, not many actually notice because of his clothing choices.

However, he does have very distinctive green eyes; most people call them almost ‘witch-like’ or ‘enchanting’. Some people goes as far as to ask him whether he’s a mage, which he almost always replies to with a ‘no’. (When he does say ‘yes’ it usually means he’s busy taking the mickey out of the person.) Another feature of his would be the scars all over his body which he gained from both working and training a lot with his halberd, which he almost always hides with his clothes, again.

He’s not a very flashy person when it comes to appearances; he prefers to blend in and talk to people naturally rather than astound them with his brilliant fashion choices. Sometimes, of course, he simply doesn’t have a sense of what to wear, and ends up wearing the most hideous ensembles, much to the consternation of his sister. He also likes carrying a halberd around.



Personality: Antonio, or Toni as he’s called by others, is usually very down-to-earth and easy-going, very humble; at least, by outside appearances. He tends to stay on the friendlier side of most people, and it’s reaaaally very hard not to like him. He likes most people and tends to be a very considerate person when all’s said and done; he’s also incapable of holding serious grudges for long, unless it affects his sister. Be warned when it does; you do not want to be on the warpath.

Let’s say he has a protective streak as long as all the kingdoms combined. Toni loves his little sister very, very much and will strangle you halfway to death if you so much as look at her the wrong way--which is probably part of the reason why nobody ever really thought of harming her. Even when their parents died, he refused to let go of her and struggled to bring her up by himself lonesome, even though he could’ve just abandoned her to an orphanage and join the guards instead.

Even though he’s generally an all-around nice-guy, few people have had the privilege--or the misfortune, perhaps--to see his blacker side. Toni’s not scared of spilling blood--although he has said before that he doesn’t like killing people, he’s not exactly scared of it either. When he does get mad, he gets murderous and when he gets murderous, he picks up his halberd and cuts down anyone that stands in his way, even if it’s God himself.

To be honest, he’s a very emotional person; he tends to feel things too deeply, and accordingly he over-reacts. He also gets over-excited very easily, much like a child; most people describe him as ‘passionate’ or ‘over-sensitive’, depending on which person you’re asking. Because of his aforementioned personality traits, he has a lot of people who like him; but he also has just as many people who hate him.

Flaws/Weaknesses: Brash, easily over-reacting, over-sensitive, easily distracted, lazy when something doesn’t involve his sister and a tendency to rush when it does involve her. Is sometimes considered to be a bit bipolar; calm and friendly one moment, and angry and murderous the next. (Although it’s probably because of a trigger.)

Power/s: He can communicate mentally with his sister, and he’s also capable of emotional manipulation, although he doesn’t really know it yet; so far it’s only been working passively behind the shadows.

History: Toni’s parents had been more or less normal folk. His father had been a spice merchant, while his mother was a seamstress. They loved their children very much, and his father often spoiled them silly with his souvenirs from other lands while his mother sewed up and made all their clothes with her own hands. Toni loved them very much, and he loved his little sister as well.

Of course, he had been six years old when the little baby girl was born. Like any other child of his age, he was predisposed to think that his parents would forget all about him and pay more attention to her instead. But when he’d seen her for the first time, he thought she looked like a little angel and resolved to always protect her, no matter what happened. As they grew up, he found no reason to change his promise--in fact, the siblings were the closest of friends and he’d often confide things in her he told no one else, and it was the same for Serena.

However, when he turned fifteen, his life entirely changed. Where Toni had been planning to join the Royal Guard, he found himself staring at a pile of ashes where his house had been, with his little sister holding onto his arm, whimpering. He found himself staying over at a friend’s for quite a while; said friend told him several times to give Serena to the orphanage and not ruin his future for the sake of a little brat. Of course, this hadn’t ended well. Toni found himself in the streets a few days later after having broken the other’s nose with a punch and then threatening to choke him to death.

Left with no other choice, he still stubbornly held onto his sister and instead went into quarry work, deciding that if no one else would help them, he’d just have to make it work for them. A young boy, he found himself sitting for long hours in the heat, sweating and breaking stones with a pick. It was worth it for him; when he went back home, Serena always opened the door with a smile.

Then they found out she could do magic with her singing. He wasn’t sure what to think of all this; it was rather fantastical for his taste, and he decided not to comment on it at all. Instead, he decided to save up enough money for a halberd and trained with it, sure he’d need it someday to protect his little brat. This went on for the last three years; and then he came back home one day to see their door half-opened. When he pushed it completely open, he found himself facing a scene of utter disaster; the furniture and everything overturned, a pot of (tomato) soup on the floor and his sister missing.

It was then that he picked up his halberd and hit and punched his way through all the city until he found out that his sister had been taken away by the Guard for the sake of the dragon. Being the brother that he had been for the last seven years, he swore to save his sister and set off, saying the kingdom could go to hell if it wanted, but it wasn’t going to take his sister’s life in the process.

Up For Love? Yes, but it’ll probably have to be someone really special. xD He’s wrapped up in his sister right now. Oh, and, he’s bi.

Other: An odd quirk of Toni's is that he's very good at both singing and dancing.

I'll claim the princess slot I'm gonna have to post later though

Name: Breuse Espan
Age: 23
Gender: Male
Race: Human
Rank: Guard/Soldier
Allegiance: Self

Appearance: Breuse is a bit of a brute. Not that it reflects, personality-wise, but he’s quite a lug. Extremely muscular from physical exertion and tanned deeply from having been out in the sun too long. But Breuse has a softness to his face. He’s still relatively young so it reflects in his stance and seriousness, often enough, as well as the glint in his pallid eyes (a very soft shade of blue). He’s got a mess of blond hair that’s a mop about his head. He hates cutting and combing it so it always gets matted.

Breuse is also tall.

Tumblr would probably eat my children for using him as a reference, but whatever.


Personality: Doesn’t take much seriously. Breuse is the gentle giant, who cracks bad jokes and tries to break ice as often as possible. It doesn’t help that he’s not exactly the smartest soldier there ever was, but he’s got a big heart in the sense that he can empathize. He doesn’t really think too much of what doesn’t directly affect him, so his ideas on the subject of everything happening with the Boy and his sister are not exactly substantial. Until he gets pulled into any of the emotion of it all, he thinks nothing of it.

Breuse is an optimist. He thinks that things will always find a way to work themselves out, and doesn't really think that much has to really be done in the sake of action to able to have these said things happen. In which case, Breuse is blissfully ignorant.

Flaws/Weaknesses: Breuse isn’t always the most logical one, which is why he takes orders well. He’ll play along to whatever scheme people want of him. Breuse is also a human. He may be strong, physically, but he doesn’t have the mental capacity to block out spiritual attacks. Breuse is kind, and funny, but has a very hard time hurting or fighting people he feels he relates to. Which makes him a pretty useless soldier.

Power/s: Nada. He's pretty decent with a sword, though.

History: Breuse grew up just outside of Zilaria, so he wasn't expected to be an extremely strong fighter, as long as he had the capability to lift things over his head without too much strain. It was in this case that Breuse lacked when it came to fighting and or hurting someone else. So he really doesn't particularly like to fight, and in which case, if it wasn't for his physique, he would probably be working as a farm boy or blacksmith back in his home village.

It was with a more ambitious ideology that brought Breuse to Zilaria. He was a quick learner when it came to the sword, though arrows were something he had difficulty with as his eyesight is a little on the blurry side. He did not excel in magic and could not classify himself as anything other than a soldier because of it. So when he became a soldier, his place was to protect the princess. A pawn, if you will, as he was placed there not for protection's sake but for the fact that if one person had to die, it would be him over her. And in which case, he was accepting of this fact. Though he never really thought much of it.

Despite the fact that Zilaria was not exactly what he expected it would be, Breuse still keeps being himself and looking towards the future with a certain amount of optimism. He thinks the princess is a rather nice soul and is glad he can lay his life down for her, if anyone, and he's not unhappy with his position in life. For a farm boy, he greatly accepts what he does.

Up For Love? Yes. He's a flirt. And he's whatever's necessary, I suppose. I'm not exactly particular on the subject, but my guesses are, he's straight.

Other: He likes dogs? He has one. A German Shepherd named Finn.

Placeholder for profiles~

Edit: Finally. Profiles be here! Enjoy~

Dragon:
Name: Nagendra.
Age: Looks about 20 in human form, but is really about 2000 years old.
Gender: Female.
Race: Dragon.
Rank Dragon, last of her kind.
Allegiance: Herself, her charge.

Appearance: Nagendra has two forms, a human form and her dragon form. As a human, her hair is very long and dark, dark blue, though it glows bright blue in the dark, pale skin and pale, ice-blue eyes. Her human form is slim yet far stronger than it looks, which is probably what allows her to pick up grown men and toss them about like rag dolls, and very beautiful--by human standards. She wears very elegant clothes; dresses, shirts and trousers, whatever takes her fancy, and has a somewhat “innocent” edge to this appearance, which is pretty much a lie.

As a dragon, Nagendra is about a 1000 feet long from the tip of her tail to her snout with a wingspan of about 525 feet, tip-to-tip, and is pitch black with a green, purple and blue shine to her scales, much like a crow. Her eyes are, much as they are in her human form, a pale, ice blue. She has an array of elegant spikes and horns adorning her head and a row of spikes down her neck and part of her back. Her claws are pitch black and wickedly long and sharp, and her tail is very much an elegant fin.


Personality: Nagendra appears mostly stoic and unimpressed, though in reality, she’s a very complex person....er, dragon. Like what’s already been pointed out, she is stoic, unimpressed and general annoyed by those who think they can impress her--or woe her. Nagendra is like this in either form, though she does have a soft side--not that she’ll let you see this often, and some people may question some of her kinder actions. And be warned, of course. Like any other dragon, she has a fiery temper (quite literally), though her patience varies in length--from infinitely patient and calm, even peaceful, to short-tempered, easily annoyed and impatient, though she tends to lean very much towards the former.

Flaws/Weaknesses: Nagendra’s biggest flaw is her first impression, which comes off as somewhat cold, stiff and very unapproachable. This could cause a few problems, as she has a new songstress every few months, and often has difficulty interacting with them, appearing bossy and arrogant. And that is one of her biggest weaknesses; her songstress. They give her life, magic, etc, and she often becomes attached to them. In the past, she has had to defend them from others who intend her harm. After all, what’s the easiest way to get to a dragon bound by song magic?

Power/s: Unlike most other dragons (who are extinct already), Nagendra’s magic is pretty much gone. Since dragons are basically made of magic, this is a bad thing, as it forces her to find other sources of life-energy. Besides this, Nagendra can breath fire and ice, as well as shift shapes, though that takes a lot out of her own magical reserves.

History: Nagendra does not like to share her history much at all, but what she can tell you about her life so far is that it was not normal at all. Nothing seemed ‘right’. Nagendra had always been susceptible to magic, right from the time she hatched. And for her first one-thousand-eight-hundred-fifty years, things went well. Songstresses volunteered to spend time with her, singing her songs. At first, it was a human lifetime, but then the years began to become less and less. A hundred years, then fifty, then twenty-five. Less and less, until the girls no longer came. Nagendra then spent a good century or more in a deep sleep.

But then, someone woke her up. A woman with pink hair and a wicked smile. She brought Nagendra a gift--a songstress. The first in over a century. Nagendra was ecstatic--until she heard the deal their woman offered. This woman would offer her a songstress whenever she needed it, as long as Nagendra would not try to do anything stupid--lest that very songstress somehow...died. Blackmailing was never a good idea when dealing with dragons, but this woman somehow managed it. And Nagendra accepted the deal; she would stay right where she was and do nothing while the woman gave her songstress after songstress until the woman came for her debt. A debt Nagendra now owed her, thanks to her gift of a songstress.

Her songstresses died too quick now, and more were sent right when she needed them--sometimes late, sometimes early. It didn’t matter it then, despite the fact that Nagendra was not impressed by her so-called confinement. She was left with a name, and a promise, which the woman named Veronia kept. Nagendra has been living like this for for the past century or so.

The dragon’s most recent songstress is dying and she’s about to meet her new one.

Up For Love? Sadly, no. There are no other dragons left; she’s the last of her kind. And she isn’t all that interested in humans--so far, that is. Perhaps someone could change her mind?

Other: N/A.


Prince:
Name: Evaric “Eric” Astyrian.
Age: 25.
Gender: Male.
Race: Human.
Rank Prince.
Allegiance: Zilaria, himself, and eventually Antonio.

Appearance: Evaric is tall and slim yet athletic with shoulder length dark brown hair, dark brown eyes and tanned skin. He doesn’t, exactly, look like your typical prince, appearing a little more ragged and somewhat-weary, but still rather handsome. He wears rather simple clothing for a prince; little elaboration, no embroidery, no silver, no gold, and no fancy or expensive fabric. ust simple high-quality cotton, really. He hardly wears any jewellery, except perhaps, a gold ring with the royal insignia etched into the dark, bloody red stone on his right hand, on his thumb--although a little tarnished, turning it a dark bronze-y colour. He also normally carries a sword at his left hip at all times, and will carry a bow and a quiver of arrows when out of the palace. Also wears a dark grey hooded cloak when not in the palace.

Personality: Evaric is a bit of a flirt, though not open to openly go about it in the palace, considering his like of both men and women--lest the people get the wrong impression, and therefore despair for fear of a lack of an heir (not that Evaric’s actually looking forward to that anytime soon). Despite being a flirtatious jerk on occasion, he is first and foremost kind, generous and caring. He doesn’t like violence, but he’s not above using it or involving himself in it--if it’s for a good reason, of course. Evaric actually prefers not to use violence; he believes that most things can be resolved peacefully, and with calm, kind words (though clearly that rarely works for him).

He also likes to tease people a lot--especially if he knows you like him or you like someone, and believe it when he says he can tell; he seems to have quite a talent for it, apparently. Also, like most men, he does have a temper, though he’s spent most of his life trying to control it, and is currently very good at it, too. Therefore, it takes a long time for his patience to snap and his temper to boil over; though that doesn’t mean you can’t try. There’s sure to be a way to quickly piss him off or ruin his calm patience, fast. But when that temper snaps, take cover. He either goes very, very cold or fiery hot and fierce. Both are scary, but as to which is scarier; you decide.

Evaric has a soft spot for a pretty face--male or female--and likes a lot of things; from sunlight and warm water, and horses and even dragons, to the moon and the stars, and the darkness of night. He dislikes few things, the main one being violence and all the things that come with it. And he will not follow orders unless they comply with his logic and his moral compass, which could cause a few problems.

Flaws/Weaknesses: Evaric’s biggest flaw is probably he inability to not tease someone--especially when the blush like they do when he says a simple comment, or when they’re trying to be nasty to him yet just come off as annoyed. He has a bad habit of pushing people’s buttons until they snap--or sleep with him. Whichever comes first. Another flaw is his problem with authority; he will not follow orders unless they comply with his logic and his moral compass, which could cause a few problems. And, as said before, Evaric’s biggest weakness has to be his soft spot for pretty faces; male or female. It doesn’t matter to him, he just likes to appreciate beauty when he sees it.

Power/s: None.

History: Evaric’s childhood was a little strained; his mother died when his sister was born, and their father died not long afterwards, and not long after her married Veronia. Evaric, as a child, was a little horror, a troublemaker. He was almost always in trouble, and was a very, very curious child, getting into everything he probably shouldn’t be getting into. Including a certain stepmother’s plans, which often landed him in trouble, and locked in his room for the rest of the day--and the night. But by morning, he’d usually forgotten anything he’d learnt the day before, being a rather...forgetful child. Although, the things he remembers now that’s he’s older and often the oddest and most random.

As he grew older, Evaric grew more serious, turning to his studies and his training. He’s the next king once the Empress is dead, the heir, so of course he needs to study everything involved with it, and so far, he has. All of it, or everything he (and his tutors) thought he would need; from horse riding and archery, and fencing to strategy and art of war, battle tactics, old war recounts and even seduction (because a king needs a queen, right?). Though he was forgetful child, there are some things you just can’t not remember, isn’t there?

Lately, he’s begun to grow suspicious of his stepmother; he knows she has secrets--some of which he has found out (lately, of course) and some of which he doesn’t know yet, or suspects. Veronia, is his opinion, has begun to act rather....strange. He doesn’t know how else to put it, but he thinks she’s up to something, even if he doesn’t know what. And unlike his sister, who seems afraid of the woman, Evaric is not scared of her. In fact, he seems rather defiant of her, and everything she does. Even to the point of telling her she’s being ridiculous and openly scolding her--in front of others.

Of course, Evaric is by no means stupid, but subtly has never really been his forte is this realm of politics (if it can even be called politics, that is). Despite this, he has been acting rather stupid lately--not that he’d admit to it. And recently, he’s discovered her little songstress ploy, and he’s not going to stand for it. That kind of thing should not be forced on someone; it should be freely offered, freely sacrificed. Not demanded of someone. And he doesn’t like it; probably why he’s being so defiant and plans on joining Antonio on his little quest to save his sister (now that he’s heard of it, of course).


Up For Love? Yes, he’d like to find love but right now, he’s a little preoccupied by all this dragon-girl stuff going on. Oh, and he’s also bi.

Other: Evaric carries a sword with him everywhere, along with a dagger, a bow and a quiver of arrows;


Songstress:
Name: Ceridwen Isis.
Age: Looks about 17, but is really at least 100, probably a few decades younger.
Gender: Female.
Race:Mage, Immortal.
Rank Songstress.
Allegiance: Self.

Appearance: Ceridwen appears to be young, perhaps in her mid-to-late teens, with long, pale red-pink hair, dark grey-lilac eyes and pale skin. She’s a little short for her apparent age, standing at five-foot-five. Ceri is slim yet athletic, and stronger than she looks. She really pulls off the weakling teenager very well, and has often fooled the Empress’s guards into letting her out on more than one occasion--not that it helped much at all, as she was caught rather quickly. Ceridwen often wears bright colours, but mostly her white mage robes (as seen below). She also has a scar, right over her heart, in case you ever catch a glimpse of it.

Personality: Ceridwen is a little more naive than you’d think, having been shut away for at least half her life. She’s kind, noble and caring, often preferring to stay out of the way and refuse to be violent, even though she knows she’s capable of it. Unlike most mages, who seem to be more arrogant than anything else--depending on the mage’s upbringing--Ceridwen is actually right at the opposite end of the spectrum. She doesn’t like violence, fighting and people who are intentionally nasty to others, and most of the times appears to be a shy, weakling teenager--usually only if it’ll keep her to gain something. But don’t get the wrong impression; she doesn’t do this often.

On the flip side, she can be a truly terrifying sight when enraged, and it’s best not to try and piss her off to this point, as she’s more likely to start tearing the place apart then be reasoned with by then--especially if she starts singing. She has killed and injured people once before while in such an angered state, and regretted it as soon as she realised what she’d done, though she couldn’t save them, not from death, at least. So, her temper, though explosive, takes a long time to crack, and her patience is just as long-fused, though she can swing from completely relaxed to impatient and annoyed, even angry, in moments, if the right triggers or buttons are are pushed.

But if there’s one thing she does stand by, it’s that duty comes before everything else. Even love, even friends, even war and even the enemy.

Flaws/Weaknesses: Ceri’s a little...naive about the ways of the world, considering she’s been shut up in a room for at least fifty years. This is probably her biggest flaw, and obviously a weakness, since she doesn’t really know how changed the world is after fifty-odd years of captivity. Ceridwen also had a weakness for those in need, and will often want to stop and help--and think about the consequences, etc, later. And she will insist on stopping to help until someone gives in or shuts her up--if she’s with a group. She often doesn’t think about her own safety, which doesn’t exactly matter anyway, since she is, technically, immortal and can’t die. Yet.

Power/s: Like most other songstresses, Ceridwen’s magic is in her songs, her voice. It influences emotions, calming people or angering them, making them brave--or it can even kill them, though that comes at a price. This talent even Ceridwen avoids. And, as she’s had a long time to explore her talents, she knows almost everything there is to know, including how to heal and pass on any kind of life-force she creates, about her craft.

History: Ceri’s younger years were like any other young mages’; full of training and grooming and, well, it couldn’t exactly be called [/i]care[/i] with Ceridwen’s older sister around. She was a wicked girl, always dabbling in things she probably shouldn’t be dabbling in and always deliberately trying--and succeeding--to get Ceri into all sort of trouble, even though Ceridwen wanted nothing to do with it... But that’s all a tale for another day.

The real story of Ceridwen Isis started when she pissed off another mage. She doesn’t really remember how or why the mage got angry. Just that the woman with pink hair, much like her own, got angry and locked her up. She doesn’t truly remember exactly how long she’s been locked up for, but it’s at least fifty or so years. She wants out, though, having found the life of one condemned to a cell to be rather boring and constricting.

Ceri has been moved several times--most recently to the palace Veronia (As she found out) now occupies. Within the last few decades, at least, Ceridwen has tried to escape--with disastrous consequences. About forty years ago, not long into her imprisonment, Ceri tricked her way out of her cell only to find herself face-to-face with the woman who had imprisoned her.

Veronia tortured her for a very long time until she finally stabbed the poor mage through the heart. What happened next shocked them both; while Ceri was “dead”, there was a blinding flash of light and suddenly a very pretty young woman stood between the two. She gave the older mage a unreadable look before she turned to Ceri. She touched her once, whispered something into the dead mage’s ear and then vanished as quickly as she’d appeared.

Several hours later, Ceri woke up, completely untouched and utterly confused. She had been sure she was dead, but apparently death hadn’t stuck to her. She soon discovered that she had been made Immortal by one of the Goddess, though she didn’t know which and Veronia refused to answer her questions. Instead, the older mage tortured Ceri relentlessly, testing the boundaries of her immortality. She never did find out how to give the younger mage a true death.

Now, Ceri sits in a cell in the Zilarian palace or on the floor, chained to the throne. But there’s something she wants, now more than ever. Freedom.

Up For Love? Well, yes and no. Yes, she would like to find love, but sadly no, duty comes before that. It always will. And she’s straight.

Other: Ceri does have a dagger, though she has never found a use for it yet.

Name: Tristan “Trest” Bloodshire. (goes by the name of “Spymaster”)

Age: 25

Gender: Male

Race: Dhampir

Rank: As his nickname would indicate, he’s a Spymaster.

Allegiance: The people (officially); Himself (in actuality).

Appearance: Ain't he sexy Since he is, in his own words “A man of a certain *insert suave cough*... status”, he’s got to live up to that, thus dresses (and acts) accordingly. When duty calls (so often) he’ll wear anything that is required (don’t remind him of the time he had to dress as a barmaid to sneak into some nobleman’s house), but, when possible, will wear his customary, and very expensive, but hey, in his words “what’s a life of adventure if one can’t live to enjoy some perks?” (he’s the kind of person that will quote himself a lot). Hence the black velvet, the, yes, gold threads, silver embroidery (just a bit, mind you), and so on. Oh, and let’s not forget the white gloves with the platinum buttons (he detests physical contact with people), the shoulder pads and the dashing half-cape. On the vampire side of the family he’s inherited pale skin and one piercing red eye (his red)

Personality: Being a Dhampir has its advantages, as he’ll often concede, but it also has downsides. Most notable, the unstoppable, furniture-shattering, all-consuming rages. Most ungentlemanly. He tries to control himself (wearing corsets around him is a very bad idea), and maintains a protective facade of calm, cool in-control-ness, and usually doesn’t crack under pressure, but when he does... let’s just say a lot of other things ‘crack’. He has massive home insurance though, so “let the bastards pay for it” (yes they do have the concept of ‘insurance’ “another virtue of our glorious country”). Because that’s “what high-ranking gentlemen do”, he attends the opera and all the places where the top nobs usually go to. Plus “it never hurts to keep an ear to what the rich and powerful say”. He actually detests ballet, but does like art expositions, and is usually the first to be at any new inauguration. He’s written a couple of books about it too, but he’s horrible at painting anything himself (shh!). Basically most of his life is ‘appearing to be’ more than actually ‘being’. “The curse of the Spymaster.”

Flaws/Weaknesses: Hmm.... all-consuming rages? Subtle, much? Physically, however, he’s weak to very strong religious influence (he can attend church if he needs to, but still) and the usual collection of sharp/blunt objects. Poison doesn’t work much though.

Power/s: The upside of vamps: increased strength, speed, eyesight, he can influence animals somewhat, and regenerates quite fast. He’s useless on a full moon though.

History: He was raised, for the first fifteen years of his life, in an extremely rich and racist vampire community. A prince by vampire standards, people either despised him because of his ‘mixed blood’ or were too afraid to approach him. However, even at a young age he realized that he had a knack for worming information out of people (“all you can do iz talk, talk, talk” A painful fatherly quote), and as soon as he possibly could, still an infant by vamp standards, disgusted by the oppressive and stifling family atmosphere, he set out to the closest land, Deszreicht. He was soon recruited by the Spy Corps (what they’re called by the populace, at least), and rose up the ranks even sooner, until he became Spymaster (one of the five) at the age of 19. Since then, he’s been honoring his job, minding his own business (“my business is that of the people. So yes, I can barge into your house at midnight, sir”). Occasionally he writes back home, but hasn’t mustered the courage to go there in person yet.

Up For Love? Yeah, straight.

Other: Erm, don’t tell anyone, but he’s hopelessly bad at talking to women. I mean, he’s incredibly embarrassed about it... Borislav’s son, of all people! But he panics, sort of thing.

For reference, this is Borislav(think of a way more badass Dracula, socially speaking. King of the vamps and all that. Another reason why Trest went to Deszreicht, a communist country. Of course, being one of the five Spymaster, he knows all is not what it seems, but there are some things even a Spymaster shouldn’t meddle with. “I’m a Spymaster, not a criminal... oh, sorry, I meant politician”).

Nadia Segal
Age: 24
Gender: Female
Race: Human
Rank: Agent
Allegiance: Zilaria

Appearance


Personality


Talents


History

Name: Maia Harley-Gressen

Age: 64

Gender: female

Race: Human

Rank: Owner of Harley's Sweetshop.

Allegiance: The brother

Appearance: Wiry, not a bit of fat on her despite her life in a sweet shop. Nut brown eyes and iron grey hair which, when loose, goes all the way to her waist, but she tends to keep it coiled up under her scarf. Carries a walking stick but in no other way really shows her age.

http://browse.deviantart.com/?order=9&q ... 44#/dn3v5c

Personality: No nonsense, great sense of humour, impatient (likes to remind younger people that she's closer to death than they are so they'd better hurry up). She doesn't pussyfoot around anyone, she's seen hardship in her life, she's survived, so she figures the young ones better stop complaining about how hard it is to be them. She does, however, have a soft spot for those who have had loved ones taken for the sake of the dragon. Girls like her sister are difficult to lose, and she is sympathetic to others like her who were left behind. She really does have a heart, she loves all her children and grandchildren dearly, and would love any friends she happens to make it's just... a certain brand of love. But when push comes to shove, if Maia can do anything to help, you can bet she will. She'll just never admit to it afterwards.

Maia's full of sass but that said, she's not careless by any stretch of the imagination. She's run a successful business for over forty years. She never does anything rash without thinking it through.

Basically, speaks her mind, comes off as insensitive but really does care about people, shrewd. And fun.

Flaws/Weaknesses: impatient, rude, and rather physically restricted with hips and knees and backs and what have you. Can really hurt somebody's feelings without realising it. Can be selfish at times, and often gives people the wrong impression. Often? Okay, basically all the time. And dangerously devoted to her family. She will do anything- including betraying a cause or a friend or switching sides (but psh, who would want her on their side?) if it meant keeping one of her children or grandchildren safe.

Power/s: very good at hitting people with her stick.

History: Many years ago, Maia had a twin sister, Carletta, who was just as kind and virtuous and lovely as Maia... wasn't. Maia loved her so much, and tried to emulate her in everything, and looked forward to their running the sweet shop together. And then Carletta was taken for a Songstress.

Maia hadn't been taken because, well, they may have looked alike, but they couldn't have been further apart in temperament. And when they took Carletta, Maia got angry and then decided to get even. With the help of Henrik Gressen, who had long loved Carletta, and a few other friends, they decided to storm the keep, to save Carletta. But their planning took so long that they only got there to discover that Carletta was dead.

The death made Maia bitter, but she and Henrik grew closer and closer until he announced it was her she loved and Carletta no longer. Although she never forgot her sister, Maia married Henrik and they had seven children- four boys and three girls- and he helped her run the sweetshop. He died, five years ago now. All of Maia's babies are grown up and having babies of their own. She has twenty-one grandchildren in total (not spread out evenly though, her youngest son still hasn't married, but that's not for Maia's lack of trying). Her oldest son runs the shop, and Maia feels pretty useless. More and more, she's been thinking about her failure to save Carletta, and wishing there was some way she could make it up to her poor dead sister.

Up For Love? Well, realistically, no. But she will shamelessly flirt with all the young men she meets.

Other: Her children - Carson, Ella, Arianne, Gerard, Mikhail, Jane and Orpen. (If any of you feel the need to talk about a grandchild, just make up a name. There's enough of them.)

Name: Kade (Kady?) DeSheine
Age: 18
Gender: ... Lol.

Race: Human, of course~
Rank: A noble who's decided that whim is much more fun that obligation.
Allegiance: He should say his family, but... mostly himself. Himself and his wanderlust.

Appearance: Kade has long, woman-length hair, a feminine, blemish-free face with high cheekbones and full lips, and bright, almond-shaped blue eyes. He (...she?)'s a rather stunning creature, to be certain, and he (she...) knows it. The typical attire is a dress, a fancy up-do and even a fancy, plumed hat, although he (she?) does, on occasion, wear boots, trousers and a fancy, elaborately-embroidered vest. She (he?!) is well-poised and well-proportioned at 5'8", with a dancer's legs and a body that suggests .... he/she has been sleeping in a corset for years. Oh yes, heshe does have an hourglass figure.

Personality:
Flaws/Weaknesses: (You must have at least one)

Power/s: (If you have one/any)

History: (At least two four line paragraphs. And none of this “I don’t remember” stuff. Your character has a story, so give us a glimpse of it)

Up For Love?: If anyone knew the thing's gender for sure, this would be a lot easier a question. But Kade/y flirts. With everything even relatively humanoid.


Other: (Anything we’ve missed?)

Name: Arius Kirin

Age: 26

Gender: Male

Race: Human

Rank: Soldier, Captain of the Empress

Allegiance: He doesn't know. He's still wrestling with his moral compass.

Appearance: Arius stands at five feet ten inches, and while that's small for a soldier, he has an athletic, agile build. He has strong arms and toned muscles, from holding a sword, and a few scars on his forearms. He has storm-gray eyes, and light brown hair, cropped short. His face is well-proportioned, undamaged by scars, and he has a pleasant smile.

His soldier's uniform consists of a red tunic, red shorts, bronze armor (chest plate, arm guards, and shin guards) leather gloves and boots, and a helmet with a red crest. When he's on leave, he wears the red tunic and pants without the armor.


Personality: Outwardly, Arius exhibits the harsh persona of a soldier. When he's alone, though, he's more like himself. He's intelligent and inquisitive, and has a particular talent for strategy. He tries to restrain himself, but he's quite enthusiastic, and given the option to accompany his men on a mission, he'll always tag along.

Although Arius tends to keep his emotions to himself, he's charismatic, and he has a sense of humor. He has a good heart, but he can be a little reserved in unfamiliar situations, so it doesn't always show. He values loyalty, but also honesty, and with the Empress, he almost never gets both. He has trouble deciding which is more important, and usually just goes with whatever his instincts tell him at the time. He always puts others first, with no regard for his personal safety.

Over the course of his career as a soldier, Arius has had almost every possible problem thrown at him, so nothing really fazes him anymore. He stays calm and collected during a crisis. He seems unassuming at first, but Arius is dangerous in a fight. What he lacks in size he makes up for with speed and cunning. He adjusts quickly to changing situations, and he can think and plan in the middle of a fight.

Flaws/Weaknesses: Because of his small size, Arius lacks and strength of a typical soldier. Also, he can be quite indecisive in unfamiliar social situations.

Powers: None

History: Arius was born into a family of soldiers, so he never really had a choice in the matter. His father was also a captain, so Arius grew up learning the values of loyalty and bravery. He sparred with his friends as a teenager, and quickly caught the attention of the royal family.

Arius rose quickly through the ranks of the army to become a captain at only 23 years old. The Empress made him her head tactician, so he rarely actually went into battle. After a few losses, he decided the life of a tactician wasn't exciting enough, and he was put in charge of a large division of the army. The soldiers quickly came to respect Arius, and he became one of Zilaria's most beloved officers.

Currently, he's on leave, so he has a little more freedom than normal. He suspects that the Empress will ask him to lead the attack with the dragon, but he really doesn't want to.

Up for love? If the right girl comes along. He wants someone he respects, someone at his intellectual level.

Other: Arius is torn between his loyalty to Zilaria and his sense of what's right. He hates what the Empress does to the songstresses, but he doesn't want to do anything that might put his men in danger.

Name: Emelina Astyrian (Lina)

Age: 19

Gender: Female

Race: Mage

Allegiance: To her mother the empress, of course

Rank: Princess

Appearance She's tall, about 5'9" and thin. She is lovely and poised as a princess should be, and she usually wears her long, light brown hair in loose waves around her face with a ribbon in her hair matching her dress. The only thing unusual about her are her eyes, which are a deep green with light blue around the pupil. Her skin is fair and she has a few freckles on her nose and cheeks. She wears a lot of blues, greens, and purples. Although she is a Mage, she's more normal looking than her mother.

Personality: She's very quiet and used to being bossed around by her mother constantly. She's very sweet and loves nature, spending most of her time outside to escape her mother's crazy ranting about the dragon. Secretly she wants to stand up to her mother, but honestly she doesn't know how. She's very intelligent, but she rarely let's it show.

Flaws: She's a pushover and easily manipulated. She wants to please everyone so if she's persuaded, she'll do almost anything. It also drains her energy to heal, so she Gets very weak, especially with something like broken bones.

Powers: She can heal people and animals and she can also communicate with animals. She never told her mother this, but kept it a secret, knowing her mother would exploit her powers for her own benefit.

History: She was just a baby when her real mom died, so she was raised almost solely by Veronia. She only has a few memories of her father, and she misses him terribly, fearing that if she stepped out of line, Veronia might kill her next, so she tries to avoid her and please her as best as she can. Veronia likes her more than her brother, but that doesn't mean much since she generally dislikes both of them. Veronia likes to keep them busy with chores so they stay out of her hair.

Emelina and her brother are very close, and share everything. He has always stood up for her when Veronia has a tantrum, and he has even taken the blame for her. He's the only one who has seen her use her powers. She found out about them when she was about twelve years old.

Up for love: yes

All none-SB posts to the DT please.

((Yup, this is the first post. We're starting. Let us begin~))

Nagendra | Her Keep - Morning:

Nagendra held her songstress tightly, the girl’s head cradled in the crook of her arm. The dragon was currently in human form, kneeling on the floor cradling Avani, her songstress, in her arms. She whispered to the girl, who shook her head, making Nagendra sigh. “Fine,” the dragon muttered, leaning down to press her forehead against the songstress’s.

It took her songstress a long time, but finally, she stopped breathing. Nagendra, though, did not move, not even when she heard someone coming. She stayed right where she was, holding the dead songstress carefully, her gaze fixed on Avani’s face. Nagendra didn’t even look up when she heard the footsteps approaching, nor did she react when those footsteps came to abrupt halt.

“Ma’am?”

Nagendra ignored her, tucking stray strands of pale green-white hair behind the dead girl’s ear. “Quiet,” she said without looking up. The girl went still, and very quiet, as Nagendra shifted her dead songstress into her arms and stood. “Stay,” she snapped over her shoulder and strode out of the room. When she returned, she finally gave the new songstress a good, long look. And snorted. “You were almost late, songstress.” The girl was staring at her with wide eyes. “Sing.”

The dragon walked away, turning her back on the girl as she crossed the large room. She walked up the steps and onto the dais at the far end of the room, and didn’t turn back until she reached the throne-like chair that occupied the space on that dais. And then she sat down.

Nagendra frowned. Why wasn’t the girl singing? The dragon’s gaze narrowed as she gazed at the girl. “I thought I told you to sing,” she demanded, leaning back in her seat and rearranging the skirts of her dress.

“S-sorry, Ma’am,” the girl muttered, stuttering only a little. A moment later, and she began singing, although quietly. Nagendra sighed and shook her head, making the girl’s singing falter.

“Louder,” was all the dragon said. Then she relaxed almost completely in her seat and closed her eyes. Nagendra was tired. So very tired. Especially lately. Avani had only been there three months. How long would this songstress last?