The Dominion of Arcenova| Chapter One: spots available!

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Lady Sabine

The Legendary Sabine-Toothed-Tiger
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Genres
Fantasy is number one. Steampunk, sci-fi, alternate history, and everything else that isn't boringly realistic are also fine by me.
The Age of Elves has just come to an end a scarce two decades earlier. Now a new age dawns- the Age of Man. Following the collapse of the Elven Empire of Silthador, the continent of Marthador has fallen into disarray, with a hundred tiny kingdoms fighting for dominance. Chief among them are Arcenova and Sternholde, as different as night and day. Seeking to cleanse all magic from the land, the latter embraces the power of steam and powder, cleansing by fire when and where they can. Rising against them, Arcenova is a realm of mystery and magic, lead by the witch-queen Calipaea I who intends to bring about a new era of tolerance and justice for all, regardless of race or magic- under her guidance, of course.
With only a fortnight's march across petty kingdoms between them, the two nations are bound to come to blows sooner or later, and each prepares for the war they know is coming, certain they will come out victorious.
In Arcenova, the Empress has declared a brief respite from the war preparations to enjoy a week-long gladiatorial tournament to determine the next members of her Crimson Guard. This spectacle is a welcome diversion to the smallfolk and soldiers, drawing in entrepreneurs, entertainers, whores, pickpockets, hustlers, gamblers, and all manner of folks from all over the Dominion... and perhaps from even further, even Sternholde itself...
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|RULES|
~Be polite to everyone when Out of Character. Definitely be polite to me & [MENTION=5721]Chaos-Order-Oblivion[/MENTION], your board hosts.
~Check before you post. If you're illegible or near to it, I will likely ask you rewrite before I acknowledge the content.
~Keep In-Character content on the other board and OoC content on this one. Please post on one or both boards very three (3) days so we can ensure you're still active.
~Don't be afraid to speak up if you have any ideas, or to introduce a new minor conflict or plot twist to liven things up. While we don't want this to focus on one character, each one does deserve their own portion of the story, so don't be afraid to bring some depth to this plot.
~Don't be stupid. This goes double for character design & anytime romance is involved.
~If in doubt, consult the rule above.
~Don't make me add more rules.



|Character List|
-Empress Calipaea Kiirs Moonblood the first ([MENTION=4947]Lady Sabine[/MENTION])
Half-Elf, half-human. Known as the Witch Queen for her love of magic, particularly the Dark Arts. She is a talented mage in possession of several powerful Artifacts that have enabled her rise to power. Originally the mayor of Arce'qaea, she declared herself Queen after Silthador's collapse, and Empress after her borders expanded.
-Lord Commander Azhidal the Draconion of the Crimson Guard ([MENTION=5721]Chaos-Order-Oblivion[/MENTION])
One of the few remaining members of the dying Draconion race, Azhidal was made Lord Comander of Calipaea's guard after he declared herself in a life-debt to her. Found extensively wounded, the Empress personally restored him to heath and won herself a lifelong and loyal friend. He is often known as her closest confidant, though his own power and prestige are great.
-Lord/Lady (your character here) of the Council
This Lord/Lady is a member of the Council of Lords. Sound like your cup of tea? Your character could claim this role! Up to nine permitted.
-(Your character here) the Gladiator
This brave fighter has volunteered/been forced to fight for one of the spots in the Crimson Guard. This sound like fun? Claim this role with your character!
-(Your character here) the _____
Have a good idea for another type of character? Ask and you shall receive!

|Character Form|
You may dress this form up and make it as pretty as you want. You may add things to it, but you may not take anything away.
Name: Full name, please. You may include titles, nicknames, etc.
Sex:
Age:
Position in Society:
Appearance: You may include a picture (along with LINKED credit to the original artist) but a picture is not replacement. Be as vague or detailed as you wish.
Personality: Include what will be relevant in interactions.
History: Be brief but mention important events.
Motivation: What is this character out to do and how do they wish to do it?
Skills/talents: What does this character have to offer?
Allegiance: Who does this character owe loyalty to, if anyone?



|TERMS TO KNOW|
Arcenova, The Dominion of: Landlocked empire near the center of Marthador. Ruled by the Empress Calipaea I and her Council of Lords. Accepting and encouraging of magic in all forms. Chief rival of Sternholde.
Council of Lords, the: Nine Lords who have the ability to enact legislation and control all finances of Arcenova. Four are inherited titles of the most powerful noble houses, four are the mayors of the four major cities, and one is appointed by the Empress. Add an element of democracy to Arcenova politics. Opposed to the Dark Arts.
Sternholde, the Kingdom of: Empire by the east sea ruled by the Triumvirate consisting of the King, the High Priest of the One God, and the Commander of the Army. Embraces technology and fascism. Chief rival of Arcenova.
Silthador, the Elven Empire of: Fallen empire once covering all of Silthador and Marthador. Strict autocracy under the control of the High Elves, brutally repressed all other racial heritage and culture. The power vacuum left by its collapse has created great sociopolitical instability.
Marthador, the continent of: Technically the same continent as Silthador, Marthador is the Eastern half home to men & Dwarves. Thousands of leagues across, nearly every possible terrain and culture is found on Marthador.
Silthador, the continent of: Technically the same continent as Marthador, Silthador is the Western half home to High Elves. Hundreds of leagues across, it is heavily forested and potently magical, making it deadly to most non-Elves.
Spine of the World, the: Mountain range separating Marthador from Silthador.
Nova-Tier, the lake of: expansive freshwater lake located next to Arce'qaea. Provides water and fish to city, as well as a major trade route due to the numerous rivers reaching to and from its shores.
Arce'qaea, the city of: First major city and capital of Arcenova. Largest city on the continent, sprawling and unplanned. Nearly everything you want, and many things you probably don't, can be found here.
Gaen, the city of: Second major city of Arcenova, captured in early conquests. Known for its industry, Gaen has a high Dwarven population and produces much of the military goods needed.
Siir'laithe, the city of: Third major city of Arcenova, willingly joined the empire. Home to the prestigious Siir Academy of the Magickal Arts and beloved of mages everywhere.
Tolores, the city of: Fourth major city of Arcenova, taken after lengthy siege. Currently rebuilding its stately streets, Tolores is a city of weath, privilege, and knowledge, where great libraries and museums of Elven culture still linger. It has the highest Elven population and refuses to give up many of the old ways.
Man, the race of: Humanity is the youngest but most prodigious race of the big three. Having no natural aptitude, human mages are capable of learning any school of magic. In addition humanity is the most flexible, capable of taking on the most roles and the greatest adaptations. It is no wonder they have, in only a few thousand years of history, become the most prosperous and widespread race.
High Elves, the race of: The oldest of the three major races, High Elves are a divided race. Those in the House of the Sun are golden and bright, specializing in the high-energy schools of magic. Those born into the House of the Moon are paler and cooler, with an affinity for the low-energy, psychological schools of magic. This division has lead to many civil wars, and lead to a weakening of their blood. Elven children are few and far between, and the race is slowly but surely going extinct.
Dwarves, the race of: The most secretive of the races, the Dwarves tend to avoid the petty conflicts of humans and stick to their underground cities, happy to hoard their treasure and ignore the rest of the world for the most part. Their advances in technology, especially metalworking, ballistics, and explosives, make a trained Dwarven smith or engineer one of the most valuable workers in the surface world. Their skill in crafts makes up for the fact that no pure-bred Dwarf can use magic of any sort.
Dragons: Extinct fire-breathing beasts once riden by the High Elves to inspire fear and awe in their subjects. The wild ones were hunted to extinction centuries ago, and the last tame one was slain just twenty years ago during the Empire's collapse.
Crimson Guard, the: Empress Calipaea I's personal guard. Composed primarily of ex-gladiators. All members serve for twenty years, after which they are granted the title of Lord and extensive lands and wealth in thanks for their service. None yet have survived to claim their reward, with the exception of Azhidal, who serves as their Lord Commander.
Magic: Catch-all term used to refer to anything that cannot be explained through physical means. Controlled via use of Artifacts.
Dark Magic: Magic with the sole or primary purpose of causing pain, destruction, plague, or other nastiness. Banned by the Elven Empire of Silthador. Banned in most newly formed countries but not in Arcenova. Major source of contention between the Empress and the Council.
Artifact: Any item with the ability to collect, channel, focus, or amplify magic. While an experienced mage may use magic without one, artifacts are the secret to true power, and the most valuable of them are worth more than certain kingdoms. Hoarded by the Elves, they are a major source of conflict in the new human era. Actively sought and destroyed by Sternholde.
Credit to the artist, srdunko of Deviantart. Like what you see? Check out his page: http://srdunko.deviantart.com
 
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Empress Calipaea I, Sovereign of the Dominion of Arcenova, Princess of the magical arts and First Patron of the Siir Academy
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formerly Calipaea Kiirs Moonblood, mayor of Arce'qaea
born Caliaea Kiirs Moonblood, daughter of the human slave Kiira and bastard of the Elven Lord Maarlon of the House of the Moon

Sex: female
Age: Seventy-odd, but looks no older than thirty thanks to her father's blood.
Position in Society: Empress of Arcenova, having the lion's half of the power and the most direct control over the populace.
Appearance: A lovely yet imposing woman, Calipaea stands just two inches shy of six feet, with an hourglass figure and skin pale as alabaster. Her eyes are so dark as to appear black, and her hair is the red of autumn leaves. She has a soft figure but a strong face, all flat planes and steep angles, a face that tolerates no nonsense that seems to have no place on a body that seems built for fun and games. It's a disarming combination to many of her male opponents, a fact which she takes shameless advantage of.
Personality: Her father's influence won her some high positions in society and she quickly learned the social norms and courtesies, but being a bastard she also learned to fend for herself from an early age, and learned of ruthlessness. Her sense of humor is more or less absent, along with any sense of guilt. While she isn't a psychopath Cali isn't quick to show genuine emotion, though she fakes it well enough for crowds. Recently, though, she has started to feel more and more for her people, and fears she may be going soft.
History: From a young age she was expected to use her power to aid her father's political machinations. The humans always preferred having one of their own as mayor, and he bought her the office when she was just twenty-three and freshly graduated from the Siir academy. Over the years she broke free of his influence and became a powerful force on her own, never taking a husband or even a lover out of reluctance to share any power. When the opportunity to seize ower presented itself she would usually grab it, and to those who know her, her rise to Empress is hardly a surprise.
Motivation: To prove herself a powerful woman on her own right, not just a maid riding her father's coattails. She seeks to prove that she can be just as powerful as any Elven lord, and that all types of magic can do good as well as harm.
Skills/talents: The Dark Arts are her specialty. She has always been skilled in glamour and other illusions, but necromancy and sorcery are other areas in which she excels. She is proficient in most every sort of magic, a feat few can brag. Powerfully gifted in intelligence as well, she is learned in history and law, making her a cunning leader. The only area she lacks in is any physical proficiency. She cannot wield a single weapon, and wouldn't have any desire to. Crafts are not her thing either, and her only artistic inclination is singing.
Allegiance: To herself first and foremost, but she also increasingly finds herself fond of her kingdom and citizens, in an almost motherly fashion. It is strange to her that she might put the welfare of others before her own, but she is becoming a loving queen in spite of herself.


Like the art I used? check out the artist! http://gepmalac.deviantart.com
 
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Name: Azhidal Lord Commander of the Crimson Guard. No surname, though will address him self by his full title if asked.

Sex: Male

Age: 3000, appears to be around 25 due to the longevity of all Draconic beings.

Position in society: Lord Commander of the Crimson Guard, and personal body Guard to Her Grace, Empress Calipaea.

Appearance: Roughly Seven feet tall, he makes for an intimidating being. His build is average, not skinny but not fat, not scrawny or buff, which hides his true strength. His body is covered in crimson scales. His eyes are yellow and reptilian. His 'hair', being more of a mane is red and messy. A rough face which always seems set in either a scowl or blank seriousness makes it hard for all but those closest to him to get anything from him. His hands end in claws. Large wings sprout from his shoulders. A three foot long tail ends in spikes, which can be used as a very effective weapon. Two curved horns adorn his forehead. When in his Dragon form he is 35 feet from snout to tail, and all of his reptilian traits transfer over into this form, and it looks like a typical english dragon.

Personality: He is gruff in public, and is rather no-nonsense when it comes to his duty. However, he is slightly more outgoing when in private with his Empress. He is paranoid of any and all perceived threats, and is very slow to trust. He is rather honorable in battle, though at a moments notice he will revert to a more animalistic state, acting more like a mad man than a knight.

History: Little is known about Azhidal before he was found and brought back to health by Calipaea, other than the fact that he is a dying breed, and that he owes her a life debt for saving his life. He was brought in during the early years of Calipaea's rule, back when she was just the Mayor of Arce'qaea. He has put his life on the line, putting down rebellions and assassination attempts countless times. Despite his insistence, he was unable to convince her that this competition for new guards would only give assassins an opening, and is very against the entire thing. His skill with a sword is unmatched, and his scales are able to repel all but the strongest weapons and spells. He is also able to breath dragon fire, one of the most potent substances in existence, though he is reluctant to use it unless utterly necessary.

Allegiance: He is loyal only to the Empress, and will disobey orders from the other lords in the Council. Due to his loyalty, and the conflict between the Council and the Empress, he has little tolerance for his fellow lords.
 
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Name: Stryker Bloodfang

Sex: Male

Age: 1523

RACE: [WOULD A CUSTOM RACE BE ALRIGHT?] Magic Half-dragon [Description: Pretty much a dragon and a human cursed to share one mind. This means that over time, the 2 minds merged into one seamless mind, and can use both forms, human and dragon.]

Position in Society: Outcast / Crimson Guard applicant

Appearance:
Human Appearance:
http://old.enworld.org/Pozas/Pictures/Oddballs/elf_ranger.jpg
Dragon Appearance:
http://i.imgur.com/GkdFRY7.jpg

Personality: Reserved, amused easily, a tendency towards diplomacy instead of fighting, unless angered. Can be very, very loyal, or very, very dangerous, depending on how he's treated and such. Sarcastic, but not meant to be offensive. Not even the worst situations, even if he were laying on the ground, beyond hope for being saved, will kill his enthusiasm to keep going.

History: Rowan [22 at the time], the original human side, was a hunter in a small village that nobody knows of, because of its size. Rowan found an 'abondaned' cottage. After entering, he was held hostage by a crazy mage that was determined that he was an assassin sent by some kind of human-dwarf nation [Sternholde]. After tricking mage, and killing him, he searched cottage. Finding a map to a cave with a 'wealth beyond measure', he followed it, compelled by his oh-my-god-treasure and oh-adventure! wants. After reaching this cave in a mountain, he finds a dragon, with ANOTHER mage, trying to make the dragon obey his will. After secretly freeing the dragon during the night, they started to escape. As they passed by the sleeping Mage, he awoke, and cast a curse on both of them, just before the dragon burned the body alive. The next morning, after the 2 had traveled a while and stopped to rest, they found that they were both inside the dragon's mind. Conflict, naturally, and then being attacked by a legion of soldiers, whose insignia looked like the one inside the dragon-keeper mage's cave, which had been crossed out and ripped [Sternholde again]. After this, they slowly got used to each other, until they had to switch into the human form. This continued for several years, until they started to sync. After over 5 decades, their minds merged seamlessly.

[idk.]

Motivation: A dragon is the head of the Crimson Guard, which opposes their enemies, Sternholde. The Queen seems worth fighting for, as well as her kingdom. They have no home, friends, allies, just enemies. So the opportunity to join the Crimson Guard is a chance for some kind of life, with an actual purpose, other than to just survive.

Skills/talents: A good bit of wisdom, advanced swordsmanship due to a longer lifespan of training, mediocre at archery, very good at aerial combat, and also at dragon ground fighting. While swordsmanship is Stryker's best human-combat skill, aerial fighting being Stryker's best dragon-combat skill, Stryker is very, very good at crafting. Like a tinkerer, Stryker loves to build things that can do all kinds of things. With magic, these things could be like super-lightweight dragon armor, a super-strong shield, a table that could support a dragon's weight [lol ], among others. Likes thinking and buildings, but does enjoy a good fight here and there. Also has dragon [fire] breath, of course, which I forgot to mention, simply because I assume that firebreath is default to dragons.

Allegiance: The Queen, for her kingdom has proved to be safer than Sternholde's. The Crimson Guard's Captain, for being a dragon-creature in high status, due to his position and his race.

Note: Replace all the 'Queen' with 'Empress'
Too used to queens >.<
 
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I'm sorry, but we're really not looking for a second dragon-humanoid character. It would be a bit redundant, and it's so hard to line up dragon mythos. :c We'd be glad to have you if you wouldn't mind having a character without a dragon form, though! ^^
 
Name: Arra of the Greywoods
Sex: female
Age: 20
Position in Society: peasant (Applying to the guard only to support Peter, she will most likely be forfitting)
Appearance: Standing just over 5'5 Arra is not the kind of person you would expect to have much of a presence. But, with a powerful build, eyes that can pierce like shards of glass, and a face that can easily switch from a smile to a murderous snarl she can leave quite the impression. Her skin is heavily tanned and heavily scarred from her life lived outside. And her feet and hands are heavily calloused making shaking hands not an entirely pleasent experience. While her eyes are a dark brown they are not so dark that they could even be mistaken for black, unless it was very dark outside and all you saw was her enlarge pupils. Her hair is neary the same color as her eyes. She occationaly trims her hair herself and at the moment it falls to about the bottom of her shoulder blades and is a tangled mess.
Personality: Her earily life was spent as part of a wolf pack and so she still maintains many of the social parculiaties of those days. For one she is highly distrustful of strangers although she is usually a pretty quick judge of character and has been known to make friends relitively quickly. With most she has a radius of personal space which she keeps as clear as possible. She can also be pretty food aggressive although she has been working to lessen it, just try to give her some space while eating if you can. She is actually a very curious kind of person, and while her grasp on the common tongue is not the best she is learning quickly. Having grown up in the woods she has a very hard time grasping the social norms of society, and has offended more than one person by accident. She is a pretty expressive person and if she dislikes something that is happening she will most definently tell you. Lastly while she does have a bit of a temper it takes quite a bit to get her truely mad, and when she does get very mad she goes berserk, literally. Being a beserker has it challenges and she has found that when she loses it there are two stages, the first is where she still has some clarity of mind but, not all of her strength, the second stage is where she just completely loses it often with varied results.
History: As a young toddler she was left in the Greywoods and out of sheer luck was adopted into a wolf pack. This is how she spent most of her years up until she was about 13. By this time she had been slowly learning many different creatures languages. Some she was better at than others but, she could more or less understand most of them. At thirteen started living on her own, still close to her pack but, she was now trying to understand the other animals more. She had only ever really had the hunters perspective and so she was trying to see these creatures from a new point of view. She lived two years like this, she was even choosen as interpretuer for the wood's Council. True she still hunted but she, more than any other hunter, respected the laws of the hunt. Around this time she was finding that humans were starting to wander into the forest more and more. And one day while she was going to the river to drink she met Peter. They have become close friends over the years with Arra teaching him some of the forest's secrets, and with Peter teaching her how to speak human and how to interact with humans. Peter has always wanted to be a great mage, Arra even found him an artifact, and now that they are both older he has said that he wants to become part of the crimson guard. And when he completes the twenty years service he plans on owning the Greywoods so that Arra can protect it from the expansion. Arra has decided to come along to support Peter during the competition and has even entered herself just so that she can keep close to him.
Motivation: Her goal is to help Peter to win so that they will be able to claim to Greywood to protect it from people.
Skills/talents: First an formost she is a survivalist, she knows how to hunt, what to scavange, when it is better to fight or to run, how to stitch up wounds and how to set bones. She knows the forest better than almost anyone. She is also quite the silver tongue, that is not to say that she is good at talking with people but, she has a good ear for language and it does not take her very long to get the basics of a language down. She is very good at melee style fighting, she doesn't fight completely fair as she will do whatever it takes to survive. When she is in her berserker mode it can be very difficult to stop her and it takes a whole lot more to keep her down. She is also a fair cook and seamstress as she has had to do both herself for a while. She lacks most of the social airs that most people learn and so has a very hard time fitting in in the city. She also knows no magic and is not great at using ranged weapons. She also carries two sections of Red Eye root, a root that when injested by most people causes them to get irritable, and a bit red around the eyes, however when someone of beserker blood eats it it can force them into the beserker mode without them having lost their temper. Arra doesn't like to use it as she feels that in this drugged beserker state she is more prone to hurting those she cares about.
Allegiance: Besides some of the animals back home and Peter she has no other allegiances.

Name: Peter Caldon of Dain (a small villiage near Siir'laithe on the boarder of the Greywoods)
Sex: Male
Age: 19
Position in Society: peasant (Crimson guard applicant)
Appearance: Peter does not have a particularly impressive build, 5'9 and lanky he has never won any prizes for strength. His hair is a dirty blonde, on the longer side as he keeps forgetting to get it cut. His eyes are a nuetral hazel, large and very expressive. His skin is lightly tanned as while he does work outside he spends most of his time on indoor tasks. He has a couple scars dotting his skin, most from his little adventures with Arra. His features are on the softer side and his face is the kind most often seen smiling.
Personality: Overall Peter is a very kind hearted individual. He likes helping people out and always has a smile ready. Even to strangers he is polite and curtious as long as the person gives him no reason to do otherwise. He likes to joke around with friends and while she does not get half of the jokes Arra is often the recipient of most of them. He doesn't particularly like fighting, if it does come to blows he prefers to try and knock his opponant out as quickly as possible so there is a smaller chance of great injury.
History: Peter grew up in the small village of Dain, with his parents, two older brothers and younger sister. He was always on the lighter side so he had trouble helping his father and brothers out in the grain mill they had. Instead he often found himself helping his mother or taking care of his sister. But working in the house all did not suit him all that well and at the age of eight he sought an apprenticeship with the town's healer. The man was not totally up to the idea of having an apprentice but, he agreed. Besides herb lore and the general knowledge of healing the Healer was a fairly talented mage. And it was notlong before Peter was learning about magic. He found that he had the most talent for earth magic, but the elements of fire, wind, and water were not impossible for him to control. When he was fourteen he met Arra as he was collecting some water plants by the river. They have been close friends ever since both teaching the other something. Peter has always wished to join the Crimson guard, he even let Arra teach him a little hand to hand combat, although he dropped that pretty quickly. Having learned as much as possible from his metor and with Arra's backing he has decided to try and become a member of the elite group.
Motivation: He wants to prove himself a great mage and wants to help Arra preserve the Greywood.
Skills/talents: He is a mage with a talent for earth magic. Although he does use fire, air, or water magic when the need arises although he is not as proficent in them. He is a very good healer and has an extensive knowledge of herblore. He is not great at melee or ranged weapon fighting, all he knows is the little that he was able to learn from Arra before he quit taking lessons. He is a good planner but has a tendancy to freeze up when things get really hectic.
Allegiance: his family, Arra, and a bit to the Empress like most of the kingdoms citizens.
 
Both of your characters sound lovely. ^^
 
Thank you ^^, I will be posting as soon as I can.
 
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