Vendettas & Vaticide -ASoIaF style w/ roles open

[Lady Sabine]

So it's my first time posting on here; forgive me if I do anything that seems as foreign as I am. ^^​

I've had this idea bouncing around and I've tried to get it going in a couple of places and I figure I might as well try it out here.​

Character roles, at the moment, are already scripted; after the named roles are filled I'm more than open to other characters of any sort but it is rather important to fill these.​

Anyways, you probably want to read the plot to know if you actually want to join, don't you?​

Once upon a time, the kingdom of Lluvian was a place of joy and prosperity, ruled by the fair and just King Isfrael, who guided his kingdom with benevolence and wisdom. Isfrael had a beautiful Queen named Dinah and two lovely children, Princess Ishbel and Prince Zephaniah, who was twelve years the younger of his sister, but a joy nonetheless.
Now, as not all things in this world can be bright and beautiful, a plague did come upon the kingdom one day and stole away both King and Queen, leaving Princess Ishbel just fourteen years old and Zephaniah just two. Many suitors came to the princess, and many were sent away, but finally she did choose the man she was to marry. He was named Isolden and he was head of the mages' guild, a prestigious title that carried more weight than many noblemen of the blood. There was some whispering, for she was just fourteen and he near forty, but he promised to be a gentle and good husband, to help her grow into her birthright, and they were wed just a fortnight after the king's death with great rejoicing.
For a time all was well in the kingdom, but Isolden always walked the line between genius and madness. He had never been happier than when his young bride became with child; he had never been sadder than when she died in the birthing of it. The line into insanity was crossed, and he plunged into darkness. His arcane experiments grew crueler, his temper unpredictable, and so a group of loyalists spirited the toddling prince away to safety.
As the years passed, Isolden grew only madder and madder. His child did not carry the spark of magic and so he declared that all children with the spark must be given to him to be raised as his own legion of mages. His wife did not live to sit beside him and so he took some of the children for lovers. None of them ever pleased him like his Princess and he discarded them all sooner or later, with varying degrees of rage over their failure.
One of his young apprentices, whose name was Caeca Luma, was a enchantress of great beauty and the strongest of them all. Her magic surpassed even Isolden's in might; her ambition was easily on par with his; her madness tailed just behind. For over a year they were lovers and confidants, the king and his young lover, but one day she grew too proud and powerful. She gathered around her a group of confidants and rebels, and did try to otherthrow Isolden.
She failed.
He wounded her grievously for her insolence, binding much of her magic and mutilating half of her face so all could know her for the two-faced liar that she was. However, she was too wily for him by half so eventually she did escape his grasp, and nurtured a seed of hatred deep within her. She watered it with rage, fertilized it with sorrow, and pruned it with regret. By the time prince Zephaniah tracked down this woman, many years later, her little seed of hate had grown into a hanging tree. He saw her potential and brought her into his rebellion, making her his lover and equal partner- or so she thought.
After many weeks of struggle his ragtag army of supporters stormed the castle and the Mage finally slew the evil king Isolden, getting her revenge at a heavy cost. The flood of magic did rush into her body, nearly destroying her with its power, yet that selfsame power did keep her alive though her body was quite nearly destroyed. So there she lay, comatose, while the world moved around her.
On the first day, everyone kept vigil by her bedside, for everyone was quite sure that she would die from the grievous injuries. On the second day, most wandered away, but a few dared hope that she would pull through. On fourth day, when infection began to set in, only a few stayed true and hoped her soul might yet return to her body. On the fourteenth day, there was no one left in her bed chamber. There were bigger problems still to handle than a mage left in a magically-induced coma until her soul could come to terms with the newfound power.
Newfound power, in fact, was the source of all the issues of the kingdom. Zephaniah claimed the throne for himself, but found that outside the rebellion, his support was quite limited. No one seemed overly thrilled to see him again, much to his shock. Who they did flock to, in fact, was the child of Ishbel and Isolden, who had a claim to the throne nearly as strong, and had gathered supporters around them for their entire life. In order to strengthen his political clout, Zephaniah quickly married the widowed noblewoman Giselle, who had great wealth and beauty, as well as an able hand at politics and many favors owed to her.
Caeca awoke thirty days after the rebellion.
She awoke to find out that they had won, but no one to tell her what they had lost. She awoke to find her lover had married another woman. She awoke to find the mages without a leader. She awoke and immediately decided that, if that was to be the case, she might as well make her own bid for the throne, and get the entire might of the mages' guild behind her.
Honor and justice have no place here. It's a house of wolves. The weak are meat and the strong do eat.

Lluvian:
A mountainous, Northern kingdom soaked in rain and snow more often than not, it has an ancient history filled with magic and mystery and beauty and darkness. It is home to hardy people who are used to the harshness of both man and nature. They speak the Old Tongue of man, but in cities it is encouraged to learn also the Common Tongue of trade. While nonhumans are not banned in Lluvian, there are no settlements of their kind for a thousand leagues and few have any desire to live there.
The Misty Keep | The King's own palace, it is a cold place made of solid stone with three wings- the Spike, the Finger, and the Loft. The latter is residence of the king and other nobles that reside there permanently; it is the second highest tower. The Finger is where business is done and is home to most of the meeting chambers and other important offices are located. The Spike is half-crumbled and supposedly abandoned, but nevertheless several rooms are maintained for ulterior purposes.
The Citadel | Home of the Mages' Guild, the Citadel is located only thirty leagues from the Misty Keep. It is a beautiful place, walled off from the rest of the world and containing a gorgeous waterfall, lake, and many libraries and storage rooms filled with incredible treasures.
Niev | Capital city, so to speak, of Lluvian. It is the largest city and still not all that big; it has a sizeable harbor that tends to ice over for a month or two, though storms prevent trade for most of the spring and winter. It is a dark, depressing city rife with poverty after the witch-king's harsh taxes bled its poor citizens dry.

Characters, Deceased:
Isolden Vatrix: Leader of the mages' guild; married and loved Princess Ishbel. Shattered by her loss; became a mad despot, taking all children with magical talent to be trained as Mages. Also known as the mage-king, snake-king, and usurper. Killed by Caeca Luma.
King Isfrael: Previous King of Lluvian, who was kind and fair. Father of Zephaniah and Ishbel. Killed by plague.
Queen Dinah: Previous Queen of Lluvia, also kind and fair. Mother of Zephaniah and Ishbel. Killedby plague.
Princess Ishbel: Oldest child of Isfrael & Dinah, twelve years older than Zephaniah. Married and loved Isolden, but died giving birth to their first and only child.

Characters, Living:
28 | Archmage Caeca Luma: Ex-lover of Isolden. Attempted to overthrow him and received terrible facial mutilations for her attempt. Later became lover of Zephaniah and successfully overthrew Isolden. Sent into a coma due to his magic entering her body. Awoke and made her own bid for the throne based on her killing of Isolden and magical prowess. (played by myself)
30-48 | Prince Zephaniah: Only two when his parents died and only three when taken away from the castle to be raised in secret, he spent most of his childhood preparing for the rebellion and very little for what would come after. Married to Giselle for political reasons.
27-29 | Prince/ss _____: First and only child of Isolden & Ishbel. Does not have magical ability and was rejected by father for that reason. Brought up as a ruler, has made a claim to the throne based on being the firstborn child of the deceased Queen. Currently having a whirlwind romance with the Lieutenant.
40-55 | Lady Giselle: Made a wealthy widow by an arranged marriage at twelve, she remarried again at sixteen just days after her prior husband's death, this time to a man she hated. After years of abuse he mysteriously passed away, leaving her bitter, jaded, and unwilling to marry again. She's a strong woman, fiercely protective of her son and very good with politics, a good match for Zephaniah.
16-26 | Lordling ____: Son of Giselle and her second husband, he was coddled by his mother and never intended to inherit her position as head of household. Nevertheless, with two strong parents, he surely can't be as weak as she treats him- or can he? Currently having a secret relationship with Ferox.
26 | Magi Ferox Luma: Younger brother of Caeca. He was raised as a mage by Isolden, and quickly rose through the ranks. He tentaively supports his sister's bid for the throne, but worries more for the other mages, especially the children. Currently he is the clandestine lover of Giselle's son, but knows that as a commoner if he is discovered that it will likely end in death or other serious punishment for him. (played by myself)
21-59 | Lieutenant ____: was the second in command under Zephaniah during the rebellion. Very capable and talented, good with battle but unfamiliar with politics. Having a somewhat-secret affair with the prince/ss which has put him/her in a tough spot.
21 - 70 | Spymaster _____: S/he's had his/her position since Isolden's reign, trusting no one and trusted by no one. No one knows who s/he supports, but the suspicion is that whoever this shadowy figure throws their support behind will win the race for the throne.

Right now I'd just like everyone to claim one role; once people have their first choice and recruitment slows down doubling will open up. I also apologize for the hypocrisy of playing two characters but they work so well with each other that it seems cruel to play one without the other. ^^

 

[Lady Sabine]

The Woman ||| The Legend ||| The Archmage​

At age thirteen, she fled to the capital city after a flood destroyed her village. Penniless, hopeless, and starving, she and her brother were taken into the Mages' Guild after a Mage detected her talent off the street. Coming from rags to riches, literally, she became enchanted by castle life. When King Isolden passed through on a routine inspection, she made a show for him, attracting his attention and changing her life forever. As his lover she was practically a princess, and loved every moment of it. Under his instruction she became similarly cruel and bitter and suspicious, though unfortunately for the snake-king, she was also more powerful. After two years under his thumb she arranged a coup, intending to make herself a queen. The plot failed and she was captured, imprisoned, tortured, and maimed, all by the man who had taught her everything she knew. It was a deserved punishment but nevertheless monstrous, and it created a monster. Zephaniah found her a broken monster, chained as much by her own fear and self-loathing as by restraints on her magic, but he lured her out of her shell. And indeed, he did bring out the best in her, but he also brought out the worst. Once she set her teeth into Isolden again capture was not an option, surrender was not an option, and defeat was not an option. She tore him limb from limb, tore his soul into pieces, and shattered his mind, all with great relish.
He was a great and powerful mage, who had amassed vast amount of magical energy over his decades of life. When she did tear him to pieces, this magic came rushing back into her, nearly destroying her own body. She lay in a coma for days on end, until her flesh began to fester and rot, kept alive by the same rogue magic that had so injured her. When she finally did awaken, Caeca found her lover a married man. Bitter and resentful again, she made herself Archmage of the Mages' Guild and now vows to use the power of the guild and her magic to take the throne for herself.

Psychologically speaking she is a very damaged woman. Magic and Madness are bed partners, so it is said, and her magic is very great indeed. She goes back and forth between callous and overly emotional, some days hardly able to connect with her own brother and some days weeping for the poor rats drowned in a storm. No matter how sensitive, though, she always tends to be somewhat withdrawn, preferring not to touch other people and only rarely discussing her feelings. Though she is polite she is also spoiled, preferring to forget and ignore her childhood of sheep herding and poverty.

There is a strange dichotomy to her face. Viewed from the left, as in the picture, she holds a pixielike sort of beauty, delicate and sharp. The right side of her face, however, lies in ruin. Isolden meticulously marred her beauty with blade and flame and spell, blinding and deafening her on that side, all to show her two-faced nature. She claims to be unable to repair that damage, though some suspect it may be an intentional side of her self-loathing.
Having been in a coma, more or less, days and days and days, she is ghastly thin, moreso than usual. Being only five feet tall this makes her look rather childlike, or perhaps fey. Her skin is pale, no tint of color other than the pink of blood, which is in sharp contrast to her coal-dark hair. Her eyes, even, are silvery-grey, making her colorless but for the red of her lips. She walks the fine line between fey beauty and deathly pallor, some days crossing it to one side and some days to the other.​

&&Ferox | She hasn't seen him for over a decade, and has trouble seeing the thirteen-year-old boy she last knew him as. He has grown up and matured and she is very proud of him, but doesn't quite know how to act around him though she loves him dearly. She suspects he has a lover, but knows not who.
&&Isolden | As she often says, her life began when she found Isolden, and will end when she is free of him. She loved him dearly, only slightly less than her own ambition. She never intended to kill him with her rebellion, just to take his throne, and was wounded deeply with his hatred for her. Killing him in revenge has left her with lingering doubts though most everyone tells her it was the right thing to do.
&&Zephaniah | Her feelings for Zephaniah confuse her. Though they were lovers, it was never a perfect thing like with Isolden, whose magic and hers were as much partners as their bodies or their souls, a connection she is unlikely to find again. On the other hand, it made the romance between them seem much more mortal and real, and a part of her considers him a breath of fresh air, honest and non-magical, just as surely as a part of her loathes his mundane nature.
&&The Prince/ss | They were around the same age, living together in the castle, which made it especially awkward that Cae was Isolden's lover and getting more attention. When she returned and killed the king, things between them turned even more South. In all truth Caeca has no real reason to dislike him/her and they likely have a lot in common, but circumstances have cast them as enemies.
&&Giselle | Caeca is insanely jealous of the noblewoman, who has most of the traits she has most envied: noble bloodlines, vast sums of money, political savvy, and a prince for a husband. This jealousy has overridden any other real feeling towards the woman, though she realizes how foolish her envy is.
&&The Lordling | Unaware of his relationship with her brother, Cae considers him an enemy simply because he is Giselle's son, but knows little else about him.
&&The Lieutenant| Assuming the Lieutenant's loyalty to Zeph, Cae resents him/her in spite of the fact that they had gotten to know each other rather well in the rebellion and perhaps could have been friends.
&&The Spymaster | In spite of being familiar with the old faces from the court Cae knows very little about this shadowy figure, but is quite eager to get him/her on her side.

Full and complete credit to the artist

Magi Ferox Luma​

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Born in the same family as Caeca, he always felt worlds away from his sister. She was talented and lovely and intelligent, and while he had all three of those things, he felt that he never could hold a candle to her in any of them. When the flood came and they fled to the city he was embarrassed to be the man of the house, so to speak, and still letting his big sister care for him. When they were recruited by the mages' guild he was relieved, at least until Cae left. He warned her against Isolden every step of the way, but she never listed to him, and he was left to train on his own.​

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Ferox himself is a good mage, nothing of legendary standard, but a good mage nonetheless. He has studied hard and worked harder, earning the rank of Magi in spite of whispers about his sister or rumors about his sexuality. Through sacrifice and effort he had made a comfortable life for himself, at least until Caeca returned. He thought that he might be the new Archmage, but as per the usual, Caeca took that from him as well. He dreams about making something for himself, of being his own man, but he senses that he is needed in court still.​

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Inside of his head, things are much calmer than in Cae's. He embraces his heritage, even the embarrassing parts, and is comfortable with his own sexuality, though in this day and age he can't announce it to the public. His attraction to the Lordling he recognizes as hypocritical, as he warned Cae against a similar folly, but he can't resist. It will likely be the undoing of him, for he is otherwise an upstanding citizen. Ferox almost unfailingly follows the rules, doesn't make waves, stands up for what is right without sticking his neck out, and usually keeps his skeletons well-buried. He's a sociable fellow, though he has few close friends.

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He's a beautiful man in no small way, with hair so dark a brown as to almost seem black, and eyes that hold just the faintest hint of blue. He thinks of himself as attractive enough, though he's aware that being too "pretty" could be a serious mistake in court and usually dresses to downplay it. He wears mages' robes every day, with few exceptions, and no jewelry, not that he needs it. Ferox is, like his sister, very pale, with delicate features and a light frame, though not so emaciated as she. He has a hint of muscle tone and is slightly stronger than he looks, though at only five foot four he's by no means a strong man. He is, however, very flexible and quick, able to win most reflex-based games and one of the finest dancers in court.​

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&&Caeca | He wants to learn to love his sister again, but he is both afraid and awed by what she has become. He covets her power and position, but sees her also as a warning against his own. He does not trust her, not yet, but he tries his best to get her back to something resembling normal.​

&&Isolden | He never did like the old man, resenting him for "stealing" his sister, so to speak. In spite of this he had respect for the old king, and was somewhat sad to hear of his death, though he was a tyrant and did deserve it, he had been of great importance to mages.​

&&Zephaniah | He has no idea how to regard Zephaniah. While he respects the man for his birth and his accomplishments, he can't help but feel that the prince is somewhat responsible for Caeca's state and has thrown the entire kingdom into chaos just to get his "birthright", which seems a bit petty to the Magi.​

&&The Prince/ss | In spite of Caeca's rivalry with her, Ferox has become fast friends with the prince/ss. S/he is the only one he has confided in about his attraction to the Lordling, and they both know inconvenient secrets about the other, so in spite of the fact that he doesn't exactly support anyone's bid for the throne, he would never actively work against him/her.​

&&Giselle | He has no real opinion of her. She strikes him as just another noblewoman looking for a good husband and some petty power, though he does have some respect for her as mother of his lover.​

&&The Lordling| He knows that what he feels is wrong, but he can't help but be hopelessly attracted to the young man. He knows that he must keep their relationship secret, but he thinks that the Lordling might be the one in spite of this.​

&&The Lieutenant | Aware of her relationship with Gaia, Ferox considers him/her a friend and ally based on the prince/ss's trust. Still, he has his eye on him/her, not wanting his friend to be hurt by conflicted loyalties or false affection.​

&&The Spymaster | Ferox knows more rumors than facts about this shadowy figure, but dislikes someone so mysterious by nature.​

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Full and complete credit to the artist​

 

[Asmodeus]

Er.... you have two threads for this....

Do you need them merged?


*clacks his Moderator claws*

 

[Lady Sabine]

Ugh, looks like it. /facepalms
This is why I should make a point of getting at least six hours of sleep before I attempt to figure out any new RP sites. ;_; my bad