Tragedy of the Commons

[Sernsi]

Howdy! I'm on the hunt for a partner or two for a roleplay idea that has been floating around in my brain for quite a while. This roleplay is a historical fantasy, set in the Middle Ages. I would prefer to have a partner that is 18+ and is willing to play the male role. There are possibilities for romance as well as violence. I would like a partner that can match my post lengths (which vary depending on the current situation). One liners or a small single paragraph in response is a definite deal breaker. Sorry Dx

Since I'm terrible at describing plots I've decided just to post the opening. PM for discussions or even a spontaneous reply to the post is welcomed!

[spoili]
It was a brisk autumn night, similar to other nights in August. The leaves had started to change and were a brilliant bright red and had started to graciously fall to the ground in their annual ritual. Even though the night itself was tranquil, parts of the forest suffered the ravages of man as a young woman around the age of twenty sprinted through the trees. Her dress had been a beautiful ball gown a dark shade of red with hints of black. She had sewn it herself for a masquerade ball that she had been invited to, or more accurately lured into. Being a widow in this time was looked down upon not to mention the rumors that had begun to spread about her... abilities. These abilities that had been so generously caressed from her during the ball that now had her running for her own safety from the men that had been sworn to protect the residents of this town.

One of her feet snagged a raised root in the ground, causing her to fall hard to her hands and knees. She could feel the pinpricks in her skin from the shock of the sudden fall as well as the blood welling up in a small gash on one of her knees. If her dress hadn't been ruined from the tears of bushes and briars catching her hem already, the fresh stain of blood on the fabric had done the trick. She cursed under her breath, very unlady like but at that moment she didn't care. According to the people of the town she wasn't lady like at all. She was a monster. She had just gotten to her feet when she heard the sounds of horse hooves gaining on her in the distance, the shouts of men as they called out for her as if she were nothing but game during a late night hunt.

It took her a second to recover, her legs feeling weak from sprinting so far from the grand mansion in the country side although that precious second meant the difference between her escape and her capture. She looked up to see a horse jumping over a bush into the small space between the trees with her, a man's boot catching her in the chest and once again knocking her to the ground. Her mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water as she tried to catch her breath. She had landed on her back, her body feeling heavy as she failed to roll over to get up from the ground. She had never been taught to defend herself, it had been something she just didn't have to worry about.

"Well look at you." The man said as he slid down from his horse, leaves crunching under his polished shoes. His jacket was tight around his belly, he was well fed and had never had a worry in his life about famine or poverty. Lucky man. "You should have known better than to try to run from us, Haylen. You've only made it that much worse on yourself."

Even his accent was posh in the girl's mind. She had finally regained her breath, trying to get to her feet in a hurry and tripping on her own gown. The man caught her by her ash grey hair that had been carefully styled into a tight bun with curls falling here and there. Her hair came loose, falling down her back slightly as he forced her head into the ground. His hips were firmly pressed against hers, his weight holding her down painfully.

"That boy was our lordships' son, now forever scarred by your devil touch." The man snarled. Others had appeared from the trees to join them, their horses left only feet away. She knew this night would ultimately end with her death as she was sure they were ordered to do so; the events between were only things she could picture in her worst nightmares. It was seconds too late when she felt the cool touch of metal against her, cutting pieces of her dress away from her sun kissed skin. It was at that moment she panicked.

There was a small popping sound in the air as her own hair raised on end. The sensation wasn't something that she could openly describe, the words escaping her as she felt a tingle under her skin. The air somehow thickened around them all and the horses began to nicker and neigh from panic. The popping sound grew louder and a ringing began to form in her eardrums. The three men that had gathered around her pushed their palms against their ears in an attempt to drown out the sound but it was futile. Their mouths were open in silent screams as Haylen brought herself up to her knees.

A soft glow had formed under her skin, her forest green eyes appearing as glazed orbs in her head as the first spark of power licked across her skin. It looked as a small tendril of light escaping through her pores and was only followed by more, their lengths reaching away from her body until her power exploded. The sound was deafening as a large ball of light spread through the forest, the horses attempting to run away but not fast enough as their own screams were lost in the night. Her eye lids fluttered as the orb retreated back into her skin, a small breath escaping through her lips before she fell back onto the forest floor.

The men had been reduced to mounds of charred skin and bone, the once beautiful shrubbery producing the smallest of flames and smoke as it had all been transformed into a burnt mess. Any animals that had been close to her, even the horses, had suffered the same fate as the men who had pursued her. It was something that she couldn't control... maybe she really was the monster.
[/spoili]

 

[Jargo]

The large, brown donkey snorted sternly for a third time, as it refused to move forwards, regardless, of how much Boyan urged it. He hadn't even tried applying violence to the situation, as his long-term experience had made him perfectly aware that even if he brought the stubborn animal to unconsciousness from vicious blows, it still wouldn't move an inch. His people's saying "As stubborn as an ass" was coming to fruition and his insistence on taking a donkey as opposed to a horse had come to haunt him. It was unbecoming of a man of his statue to ride a donkey, they had said, which was of course true, but that's what he counted on - not many people would want to assault the bearded stranger riding a simple donkey, but many would consider him a tempting target if they saw the amazing large black horse that probably costed half a kingdom. Plus, it was nice to see the pain in his traitorous father's eyes one last time, as his son departed their lands, on an ass' back. The memory made him smile bitterly.

"What exactly is wrong, Marko?" he had dismounted his animal and stood in front of it now, his hands folded in front of his chest, so as to emphasise his disappointment. As strange as it may have sounded to some, he was absolutely sure the animal was able to understand him - the villagers also knew of this bound, though only men of his statue and knowledge could fully appreciate it.

The donkey had once again snorted, but this time it threw it's head towards the bushes of the countryside around the road... if this dirt-covered shit-stained lifeless line of earth dragged throughout the land could be referred to in such terms. Boyan quieted down his dislike of the Western-European infrastructure, or lack thereof, and moved to scour the land that his animal had pinpointed.

"There is nothing there, you dumb ass! Move, I don't have all the time in the world, you know?" He had been riding throughout the whole night, but the animals in these parts seemed to be peculiarly aroused by something and he had been unable to get any good sleep, despite being adept at sleeping on a saddle amidst the road... Well, it was either that, or he was just unaccustomed to the local fauna. "By Tangra's grace, I've ridden through the steppes of Mongolia and I had never seen anything like this." he thought, angry at his own crankiness. All he wanted right now was to crawl back onto the saddle and ride into the world of dreams. If only the pathetic animal would move one, he could...

He stopped his thoughts, as his attention became occupied with voices being carried over by the wind. The sunrise had just begun its daily raise to power in the sky and the dawn's light begun chasing the shadows away. Boyan was actually surprised to see that the two people, two women nonetheless, were actually quite close, coming from the same direction his ass had pointed him to. Could it be, that it was afraid of them? Of a bunch of women?! Preposterous! The man turned towards the direction where they were coming from and removed his hood, so as not to look scary, with his short, scruffy black beard and eyes, red from the lack of sleep.

It did not work, apparently, since the moment the women noticed him, they pointed towards his directions, whispered something to each other and immediately ran away. "What the..." Boyan walked towards their direction, curious as to where they were coming from, when, suddenly, it all made sense to him! A few meters away from the autum bushes of the road, there was an entire burned out field - many meters spread. Not something unheard of, of course, the peasants of his land often lit up the sideroad's bushes to get rid of the vegetation and utilise the ash as a fertilised, but that was something else entirely - it was too precise... He moved a bit further, until he had stepped into something. A look down was enough to tell him what it was - the ashen remnants of what had once been a person. Boyan rubbed his eyes, to ensure he was still awake and looked around again - there were several of these all around the field.

What had happened here? A pagan ritual? No... it was too clear to the road, too clear next to where people would live. A witch-hunt? Plausible, except that he didn't see a witch... He was forced to immediately retract that mental statement, as his eyes became fixated upon the body of a young woman, somehow untouched by the fire. His mind full of questions, he rushed towards her, knelt and removed his glove to ensure she was dead. Shockingly, she wasn't! Her once beautiful dress was torn and rugged, even coloured with blood at one stop, her hair seemed dragged out and grey, but still - she was alive. "A mystery, eh? Well, she did tell me I would see wonders unwitnessed in my travels, I suppose she really did have the gift." The though of Kosara somehow made him both calmer and happier, as he took the girl in his hands - she was surprisingly light - and begun carrying her back towards his donkey. He could only hope, it didn't pick the smell of death on her, otherwise he'd have to carry her away himself - not anything Boyan was particularly keen on, especially in the middle of the day. Whichever the case, though, he couldn't leave this person where he'd found her - the very act of finding her would make him personally liable for her death that, judging from the other two females' reaction upon her noticing, was going to be eminent when their men came back for her. The Christians would most definitely had left things in their God's hand. Luckily, his god had taught him to take up responsibility and shape destiny through his own actions.