The Heroes & Council of the Estana Republic (Accepting!)

[Consulting_Angel]

Situated on the coastline of a landmass, the Estana Republic is a city-state (ie a city that, with it's surrounding territory, forms an independent state) run by the Convocation of Elders, a council of seven affluent figures, plus their Consul, the leader of the Council. The Estana Republic generally has a peaceful and mild climate, which allows culture, commerce and magichanical technology to thrive, and has both an airship port and a seaship port. Scientists, artists, merchants and scholars may be particularly drawn to here, considering all of this. However, nearer to the seaports is the Lower City - a more impoverished section of the Republic that is populated by seafarers, fishermen and the such. Visitors and those in the Upper City are advised to avoid it, though many do go in for charity work or for the market.

Now - why are we here? The Estana Republic is under threat. Despite their own army of Paladins of Light, there have been reports of certain... entities that have been spotted in the outer territory of Estana. The Entities of Darkness. Stories have been told about the ancestors of the Convocation of Elders that once fought such beings, driving them back and banishing them from this realm, supposedly locked up with no corporeal form and therefore unable to escape or spread their influence any further. But they were thought to have been a myth, and the weapons that could fight them also long lost - the Virtues of Light. The Convocation have little other choice - they must figure out who the next Virtue of Lights are, and how to awaken such powers in those that unknowingly hold them, to become the Heroes of the Estana Republic. But to even begin to do that, the Virtue of Light weapons have to be found, as well as the Hall of Ancient Heroes, where the weapons will resonate with those that are the corresponding Virtue of Light. Oh and they have to do all of this before the Entities of Darkness regain their full power and launch their attack on the main city. Well... no one said it would be an easy task.

[Consulting_Angel]

Estana Republic
The Estana Republic is a vast, sprawling city and outer territory that includes a number of smaller towns and villages, - for reference, about the same size of London, including the Greater London area (approximately 1572km²). With their advances in magichanical technology, they are easily one of leaders in such technology and development. D&D fantasy vibes.
There's a few important locations and buildings to be aware of.

Upper City
Convocation Chamber - A circular room surrounded by tall pillars. In the centre, a round table large enough to seat all the members of the Convocation of Elders, plus enough room to add more chairs. This is where meetings take place.
Monument Spire - a town-square-like space with a statue of the Ancient Heroes of Light in the centre, and shops on the perimeter. Peaceful.
Paladin Academy - Where the next Paladins of Light are trained. Upon graduating, they will be expected to help defend the Estana Republic and ensure its continued greatness.
Fountain Piazza - A central space in a lush park with a large, round fountain with each tier looking like large clamshells, at the top a large pearl in an open shell.
Airship Port - Where airships for merchants and visitors may dock. There's also a few in a separated area that are owned and used by members of the Convocation.
Harbour - Merchant and naval seaships dock here. It is much nicer and grand than the fishing harbour in the Lower City.
Upper Market - Merchants, sailors and even pirates sell their wares and treasures here. You never know what you might find! Larger trades are managed by one of the Houses.

Lower City
Lower Market - The legal market where many citizens come to buy and sell various wares, particularly produce and handmade items. Oftentimes citizens in the outer-city territories come here to sell what they have farmed too.
The Market That Doesn't Exist - This Market certainly does not sell ambiguously obtained goods and such that may or may not be suspicious, because it doesn't exist. Wink. Should there be any authorities in the area, sellers must hide their wares that they do not have and are certainly not selling before they are caught.
Fishing Harbour - Fishing boats dock and unload here... and you can certainly tell by the smell. Rather dilapidated compared to the Upper City Harbour, but still functional.
Catacombs Entrance - The hidden entrance of the forgotten catacombs that are essentially a labyrinth under the city. Very dark, very creepy and probably best to be avoided entirely.

The Convocation of Elders
Despite their name, not all of the Convocation - also known as the Council - are that old, but Convocation of Youngsters doesn't quite have the right ring to it. Each House in the Convocation has their own area of influence, and the Consul oversees the entire Convocation. Together, they lead the Estana Republic, trying to do what is best for the citizens and promote the greatness of the Estana Republic. Each House is named after the family name (surname) of each Elder (and therefore will be blank until a character fills the role, but will have a placeholder name if needed). The Houses, and their influences, are as follows:
House _____, of Finance.
House Sarkis, of Trade.
House Rowann, of Arts & Culture.
House _____, of Medicine.
House Arrolwen, of Education (particularly that of the Paladins).
House _____, of Magichanical Engineering.
House _____, of Defence.

The Heroes/Virtues of Light
Long ago, they were Ancient Heroes that fought and banished the Entities of Darkness. Each of them represented a virtue that mirrors one of the Entities of Darkness, and had a weapon that they used to enhance and channel their power.
Truth - Wielding a sun-like staff and primarily using healing/protection magic.
Passion - Wielding a large shield that also grants them increased speed and agility.
Resolution - Wielding a broadsword that is said to hold the spirits of two dragons within it.
Abundance - Wielding an elegant spear and a pair of magichanical wings.
Freedom - Wielding a gnarled wood staff, primarily using battle magic.

The Entities of Darkness
Long ago, they were banished by the Ancient Heroes, their corporeal forms stripped from them. A weakness in the veil between realms and a mysterious, powerful stranger that was able to release them has them returning for revenge. They mirror the Ancient Heroes in what they represent, and have no need for particular weapons, using their own magic instead (though that's not to say they can't acquire them).
Deceit - The manipulator of the truth. Their illusions and tricks are enough to break down even the strongest willpower, and make you question if everything you knew was a lie.
Sloth - Do you really need to run around and protect the Estana Republic? Their influence over sleep, dreams and general laziness are hard to overcome. And no one can defeat an Entity if they're too tired.
Apathy - All will return to dust eventually. Nothing anyone does will matter, so why bother? They encourage others to let go of all emotions and goals, and find the peace in nothingness.
Destruction - What greater joy is there than destroying all that others have worked hard to build? Break it all down, and take everything away from everyone. They say fire is cleansing anyway...
Silence - No one can speak out or fight back if they're silent. Push down those that speak up - make an example if you have to - and bring about mindless compliance.

[Consulting_Angel]

You may have up to three characters. Only one can be from each of the Heroes and the Entities, but you may have two Elders. If you have any questions about any of the roles, and/or would like to reserve, please PM me. All characters to go in the discussion thread.

The Convocation of Elders
Consul - Claudio Varan (Consulting_Angel)
Elder of Finance -
Elder of Trade - Klaide Sarkis (squash-soup)
Elder of Arts & Culture - William Rowann (Spiritstar3)
Elder of Medicine -
Elder of Education - Riven Arrolwen (iqtrash)
Elder of Magichanical Engineering -
Elder of Defence -

Heroes/Virtues of Light
- These characters do not know of their role just yet. They can be a Paladin (studying/graduated/guard), a notable citizen, or a younger member of one of the Houses (though get permission from the player that is the Elder for the House first, as they'd be related). I would suggest that they have some sort of connection to the Convocation, so there's more reason for them to end up being part of the search.
Light of Truth - Quest Zanthos (iqtrash)
Light of Passion - Sarai Kkarazakh (InfectedHau)
Light of Resolution - Arytiss Farothai (squash-soup)
Light of Abundance - Yasmin Sarkis (Consulting_Angel)
Light of Freedom - Quest Zanthos (SpiritStar3)

Entities of Darkness
- These characters are not in full power at the start of the roleplay, but can still interact with one another and slowly begin rebuilding their power, or even disguise themselves and deter the efforts of the Convocation and the would-be Heroes of Light. Cause some chaos.
Entity of Deceit - Ulkos Shadow (Consulting_Angel)
Entity of Sloth - Rinn (SpiritStar3)
Entity of Apathy - Vex (InfectedHau)
Entity of Destruction -
Entity of Silence - Nox (iqtrash)

[Consulting_Angel]

Character Form

You may use the form below, or your own one.

Code: Select all

[left][img] [/img][/left][b]Name | Age | Gender | Role[/b]
[size=85][b]Pronouns:[/b]
[b]Sexuality:[/b]
[b]Species:[/b]
[b]Appearance:[/b]

[b]Personality:[/b]

[b]Bio/History:[/b][/size]

Rules
- As per usual, all of Tess' rules apply.
- No one- or two-liners, write about 5 or 6 sentences as a minimum for each character.
- Please use reasonable grammar, spelling and punctuation, so others can understand your posts.
- No romantic relations between your own characters.
- Realistic FCs, your own art, or a detailed written description only. No anime, manga, someone else's art or AI.
- Character age range is equivalent of 21+/adult, no upper limit. Convocation of Elders, 25+. Entities of Darkness would be 1000's of years old, but can appear any age (still 21+ however).
- Try not to end up in 1x1 (more than six posts altogether of just you and the other person/character), let others get a chance to catch up and reply as well.
- Please disable signatures in the roleplay thread.
- If you have a question, then let me know!
- Keep OOC chat and character forms to the discussion thread.

[Consulting_Angel]

Updates & events for the roleplay will go here.

[Consulting_Angel]

Claudio Varan
Consul
Location: House Varan ->
Convocation Chambers
Tagged: Elders/Open

The world seemed to be tinged a hazy red, dark clouds blocking out the sun. But that was not his focus. From the floor, he looked up as five figures surrounded him. Figures that he couldn't quite make out clearly, just vague shapes of blue, grey, red, purple, and black, but their energy was clear. One of them held his precious cloak, whispering to it, before it seemingly turned on him, the magichanical coat belts striking towards him.

Claudio woke up sharply in a cold sweat. It had been just a dream. He was still in House Varan. His breathing started to slow down, as he calmed himself. It would not do to let someone see him in this state. Not at all. He got out of bed, and went to take a long shower, as he tried to put the dream from his mind. But it still lingered in the back of his mind. He just knew that there was a grain of truth in there, and it was not to be ignored. Especially with the recent reports of a very powerful set of enemies being seen in the outskirts of the Republic. Weakened forms. But still a threat. There had been a disturbance between the realms, everyone had felt it (though covered it up for the citizens), and this was further confirmation of what lies ahead.

After he had dried himself off, and blow dried his hair carefully, he got dressed in his typically, formal uniform, cravat just right, white gloves, and swept his cloak on, fastening the gold chain that kept it on. It would be almost time for a meeting with the Convocation, to follow up on the recent reports and decide exactly what their next steps would be. He fully intended to gather the most prolific weaponmakers in the Republic. He was sure he could count on the Elder of Magichanical Engineering to provide such citizens. Because if the rumours were true, there was no being a pacifist, they would have to strike hard.
As he stepped out of manor, Claudio made the short, ten minute walk from the manor to the Convocation Chamber, smiling and greeting citizens as he passed by them, as if nothing was amiss. Even as he entered the Chamber and walked to the round table, sitting down in his designated seat, Claudio's carefully practiced smile didn't falter, glancing at a few of the Elders that had already arrived.
"We have much to discuss, but let's wait for everyone else to get here before we begin."

Yasmin Sarkis
Light of Abundance
Location: Library
Tagged: Open

Bangles jingled as she reached to take a book from the shelf, one hand holding tightly onto the sliding ladder she was on, and the other taking hold of a book that looked as though it was shelved in a way to try and be hidden away. Once she had it, Yasmin climbed down the ladder carefully, and looked down at her prize with pride. Ancient Estana History. The exact thing she was looking for. Well... hopefully it was, anyway. She'd accidentally overheard her brother mention something about 'Entities of Darkness' a few days ago, and no one was willing to tell her anything. So, Yasmin had decided to take things into her own hands and do her own research. She would get what she wanted someway or another - and that something was, for once, not a new sparkly trinket, but information. It had not been the easiest of books to locate - the librarians had been extremely reluctant to tell her that they even had any sort of books, but had directed her to the local history section, to which she'd grumbled to herself about how she'd thought they'd at least make an exception for the daughter of the richest and one of the most powerful Houses of the Republic. So with that, she had spent the last hour or so scouring the shelves for anything that might yield the information she wanted.

Yasmin took herself and the book to a quieter corner in the library - not that there were many people in the library as it was, especially at this time in the morning - and sat down at a table, ready to start reading. She carefully flipped through it, the pages yellowed with how old they were, and much of the text was rather faded. Even the table of contents was difficult to read, so she couldn't just skip to the chapters and sections that seemed most interesting - i.e. most likely to have the information she was actually looking for. There was quite a lot about the formation of the Estana Republic, how it was once a part of a larger kingdom, and the political structure that bored her. Eventually, though, she came across a drawing of five figures that were difficult to make out clearly, but she instinctively knew she had finally come across what she wanted to find. Yasmin held the book close to her face as she read the faded text, entirely engrossed and not really paying attention to around her.

Ulkos Shadow
Entity of Deceit
Location: Outer Estana
Tagged: Other Entities

For the first time since being freed, Ulkos had the strength to regain their corporeal, humanoid form. It was boring being stuck as a shadowy wisp of blue. And a form meant power, no doubt.
"Finally! Time to turn this world upside down!" They declared, boastfully, skipping over to a sheep farm, where the woolly animals were grazing peacefully. It was time to flex their powers, the start to their - and the other Entities, of course - reign of terror. A wave of their hands, annnnnd... the sheep nearest to them suddenly had a wolf head, tail and legs, a form that held for just a few seconds before the sheep turned back to normal. It didn't seem to have even noticed what had happened, and neither did the other sheep nearby. Ulkos stared in disbelief. That wasn't nearly as grand or exciting as they'd expected to happen. Why were none of the sheep flying? Transformed fully into wolves? Do something other than peacefully grazing?
"WHY?" they screeched, falling to their knees. It seemed things would not be going back to normal for them any time soon. How frustrating, it was worse than being trapped between realms. How were they supposed to cause chaos with only a tiny fraction of their power?

For a time, they lay face-down in the grass, dramatically, until they heard the Entity of Destruction shout, "Let's just raze this village to the ground!" which got Ulkos' attention.
They floated themselves up, and over to Blaze, with an, "Ah, ah, ah!" hands on the Destruction's shoulders, still floating just behind him as they put their face next to his. "Let's not burn everything down until the rest of us can have some fun, okay? Save it for when we get to the main city." Ulkos put their feet back on the ground, letting go of the fire genasi's shoulders when he had agreed to not burn the village down.
"Now... we'll have to try and disguise ourselves before we get there. We don't want to be clocked immediately. Then we can figure out who holds the Virtue of Lights and destroy them before we are discovered." With that, Ulkos pulled a patterned scarf out of their sleeve, and wrapped it around their head like an elderly woman, and said, in an elderly voice, "Excuse me dears but I appear to have forgotten where the Elders live..." Taking the scarf off, Ulkos was overjoyed, "Oh! It appears I can still do other voices. Well that's something at least."

[Spiritstar3]

William Rowann- m- 30 y- The Elder of Arts and Culture- Fae (Faun)- homosexual- crush: Claudio- lover/significant other open- Benn x Zara: Elishaba (married with kids; 34), Iris (sick and weak; 32), Yena (24)- Tags: Claudio/other elders, Quest

The tannish almost orangish skinned male yawned a bit. Shaking his head, a hand brushed at his golden hair absentmindedly. He hadn’t even opened his eyes yet. Soon enough, however, his eyes blinked open, orange colored hues looking about then. He blinked a couple times, then shook his head. He smiled to himself a bit, and got out of his bed. He poked at his darker brownish horns. He then walked on hoofed legs to his bathroom. He took a shower, and changed into day clothes. He combed his golden blonde slightly wavy or curly hair. It was shaved, so it was only on one side of his head. It was quite manageable, and he was happy with it. Glancing around again, he let his oddly long tail flick back and forth a couple times.

The freckles one then shook his head a couple times. He walked to the kitchen, to eat some breakfast as he was of course hungry. He then smoothed down his shirt, and shorts or pants. He’d much rather be wearing his other clothes…but hadn’t worn those in a long time. He went out of his house, and headed off. They were to have a meeting, so he was going there. They had been summoned there, after all. He quickly trotted along, his hooves clicking/tapping on the ground below him. He soon had made it to the Convocation. He headed to the Chamber, and found Claudio there with his personal bodyguard. He smiled a slight smile when Quest looked at him. He noticed they gave a slight smile back, and he nodded back then sat down at the table, saying “Okay,” to Claudio.

Quest Zanthos- genderfluid- 26- Light of Freedom- Claudio’s personal bodyguard too- Shifter cross- healing (herb) knowledge, hunting- magic, three animal forms (dog, fox, feline)- Demi or pan- crush: Riven- significant other is open- parents- Tags: Claudio/others

The cute beauty hummed, waking up and looking around. Hey quickly got up, going to shower then changing clothes. They chose to wear a purple top that day. As well as blue pants or shorts, and of course the usual boots and the darkly colored cloak. One couldn’t tell if said cloak was blue or purple. It could easily be both, to be perfectly honest with anyone. Shaking their head, the creamy peachy skinned one ate some food. They then hurried to find their employer. They were Claudio’s personal bodyguard, so they had to be with him at all times. Well, almost all times, and that might partly only be their own bias. They probably didn’t need to be with him all the time. Definitely during the day, though, they needed to be with him.

Deep brown eyes gazed upon Claudio as they found him. They stood nearby, and when he began to head out, they tilted their head. Shaking their head, they brushed at medium length curly hair. The reddish brown haired one then hurried after him. They sighed with relief when they saw the Convocation. However, even if this place was safe, or should be, they weren’t going to just stay outside. Unless he outright told them they could go outside. They followed him within, and very quietly hummed. When they saw some Elders, they dipped their head to them. A show of respect, as all the Elders should be shown respect. They saw the Faun, William, smile a bit at them. They smiled back at him, then focused on making sure nothing happened.

(I really hope it’s okay to have them with Claudio…
They are his bodyguard, so it should be)

Rinn- nonbinary- 2000 (probably)- Entity of Sloth- Tiefling- influence over dreams, sleep and general laziness- they too are sleepy (XD)- Asexual homoromantic- crush: Nox- SO: open- considers the other Entities as family- Tags: other Entities

The Tiefling was finally able to regain their corporeal, humanoid form. They happened to be a Tiefling, to be precise there. They heard Ulkos speaking, and looked over to him. The blue eyed and lighter purple almost white skinned one smirked at him. They yawned a bit, always a tired Entity. Oh how they loved it, though, because they had influence over dreams and sleep and laziness. They didn’t have their full powers right now…At least they had their form back, and this made them happy. The shorter, slender but fit one reached up to poke at their horns. Their horns and tail were the same color as their skin. Speaking of their tail, it flicked back and forth rapidly. Basically wagging, as it were, as they were just so very happy.

Well, they weren’t sure, maybe they had their powers. Judging by what they just saw Zillow do, though, it didn’t seem likely…They sighed as Ulkos screeched in disbelief. They shook their head, saying “Tone it down…” then glancing around a moment. They brushed at their shoulder length hair. It was black, almost-purple, one might mistake it for being purple. They blinked a couple times, then stopped doing that. They smoothed down their white and purple top. They also had the very dark purple shorts on, and some nice boots. The boots were a dark color, again like their hair the boots could be black or purple. They were honestly likely both colors, black and dark purple. It would be hard to differentiate what was what, with those colors on the boots.

They glanced over as Blaze began to yell, then…They sighed and said “You’re so loud…” and shook their head at the Entity of Destruction. They blinked slowly, as if they were feeling sleepy. They watched as Ulkos floated next to Blaze. They watched and listened, then. Ulkos told Blaze not to burn everything.

They nodded along to what the other Entity was saying. They said “Disguises…oh, I do love a good disguise!” This was entirely true, they loved when they were able to dress up and disguise their self. Any reason for new clothes and such made them happy. They tilted their head as Ulkos pulled out a scarf. It was a patterned scarf, and had come from a sleeve. They shook their head in amusement, especially at that voice. They said “That’s definitely good, you’ll be able to fool any of the people in the village.”

[InfectedHau]

Sarai||Light of Passion||Library||Tagged: Yasmin

<Whoops, sorry!>

A thick, heavy volume clattered to the ground behind Yasmin, unnaturally loud amid the relative silence. Sarai dropped nimbly from the ladder she'd been using to browse the books on the higher shelves, her four arms laden with other tomes of similar size and varying topics, everything from metallurgy to advanced magical theory. Preliminary research, for what would surely be her most ambitious project to date. The details given by the Elder were sparse, but they'd emphasized she'd need to provide the absolute best results. Not that she needed the encouragement, she never put less than her entire being into her work. <You'd think with four hands I'd be able to keep a better hold on things.> There was no sound, her mouth didn't even look capable of producing anything resembling common speech. Thri-Kreen communicated telepathically, a boon in places like this were quiet was encouraged.

As she set her cargo on a nearby table, Sarai caught a glimpse of what the other woman was reading. <The history of the republic? Pretty dense topic, is there a reason for your interest?>

Vex||Entity of Apathy||Outer Estana||Tagged: Other Entities

Oh, cool, she had a body. Being a little wisp of consciousness wasn't bad, but she supposed this was slightly more convenient. She had hands, that was neat.

Vex sat up against a fencepost, watching the other Entities with a disinterested expression. The patch of grass around her had taken on a more washed-out hue, but it wasn't the ashen gray it normally would be after being exposed to her presence. Not at a hundred percent, but did it really matter? Her full power wouldn't change anything.

Ulkos' suggestion was met with rolled eyes. "Do we have to?" She asked, not moving from her spot. "What do you even want with this world, anyway? Not like us being in charge would change anything." They wouldn't listen to her, of course. Nobody ever did. Not those heroes, they were all about speeches and platitudes, and not the other Entities, they were all obsessed with one thing or another. Revenge, lately, though she couldn't fathom why. Not like any of the people they wanted revenge against were still around.

[squash-soup]

Klaide Sarkis
Elder of Trade | he/him
Location: Docks > Convocation Chamber
Tags: Elders, Quest

Klaide was not an early riser. Since taking over the role of Elder from his mother, he'd had to adjust to being called on for any number of reasons at any time of day or night. It was his job to fix the city's merchants' problems, apparently. But, growing up as the heir to the Sarkis family and a spoiled rich kid, he was also used to being allowed to sleep in as late as he wanted, most days.

This morning, unlike usual, Klaide was not fast asleep in his giant canopy bed in his room at the family manor. It was early morning, and the harbor was beginning to spring to life as he sat on one of the docks, soaking his feet in the cold bay water. He was never allowed to come down to the Lower City before, but since she'd fallen ill, his mother wasn't hovering over him as much as she used to. The feeling of freedom - still limited, but more than he'd ever felt before - was strange. He almost wished he was still a child, letting his parents deal with the city's problems and make decisions for him. It was easier than having responsibility - he would trade freedom for blissful ignorance any day.

These days he was feeling the weight of the city's problems on his shoulders. Throughout his childhood he had been trained in the region's finances, history, political relations - but he had always brushed off the idea of becoming an Elder as something he would worry about later. With his mother's unexpected sickness, that day had come sooner than he thought, and he wasn't prepared to actually take on the responsibility himself. Now, on top of all of that, Claudio and some of the other Elders had been mentioning an ancient threat to the city that was supposedly on the verge of returning. Perhaps he may have been a little loose-lipped about it around his family - but Yasmin wasn't some spy or security threat to the Council, she was just his little sister. Who else was he supposed to vent to about his troubles? And his mother had eyes and ears all around the city; she probably knew about it before even he did. He wasn't sure what he would have to deal with yet - Claudio would probably give them all more details at their meeting this morning - but it sounded serious. Great.

No one had recognized him as he walked down to the harbor. He'd worn his casual attire - which was still much neater and cleaner than anything the actual Lower City residents could afford - but he didn't stand out too much. He'd chosen to forgo his usual accessories and jewelry, too, which made him feel a little bare. Without being decked out in formal attire, no one would clock him as someone important. It helped that he and his sister looked more human or elvish than nereid, unlike the rest of the Sarkis family. He had visited the Lower City so few times in his life that he wasn't even sure that any of its residents knew what he looked like, outside of photos in the daily newspaper, maybe. His mother couldn't stop him from visiting the Lower City now, and it was strange to see how differently they lived down here, like entering another world. He and his family made decisions that impacted these people's lives every day - and here they were, opening their shops and setting up vendor stalls and heading to work for the day, completely unaware of him at all.

He stared down at the murky water sloshing calmly against the docks and wondered if he could just slip away into its depths.

"Excuse me, sir," a gruff voice said behind Klaide, jolting him out of his daydreams. He turned to see a dwarven fisherman standing on the dock behind him. "I need to get to my nets."

Klaide blinked at the man for a moment. Interacting with a Lower City resident was like seeing an animal at the zoo - he wasn't sure he had ever even heard one talk before. "Oh, sorry," he mumbled, before quickly slipping his wet feet into his boots, lacing them up, and awkwardly stepping out of the man's way. He had a meeting to get to, anyways. The city was fully awake now; the sounds of merchants hawking their goods and children playing in the streets surrounded him. He headed back up towards the Upper City, wet boots squelching with every step.

Klaide arrived to the Convocation Chamber late (as usual), but was relieved to see that he wasn't the only one; a few other seats were empty, too. He showed up in casual clothes, which would horrify his mother if she knew, but she didn't have as much control over him as she used to. He realized that, at this time, back at home, a servant would be entering his bedchamber to wake him up for the day, only to find his bed empty, and would probably panic and rush to alert the Sarkis matriarch - but he would deal with that problem later. Yasmin goes out without telling anyone all the time, but she doesn't get in trouble for it, he argued to himself, feeling a little bitter about the higher standards that his mother held him to, compared to his younger sibling. He took his seat at the table, his thoughts turning to this mysterious new threat that Claudio had warned about, hoping to learn some more information about exactly what they were dealing with.

* * *

Arytiss Farothai
Light of Resolution | she/her
Location: Home > Paladin Barracks
Tags: open

Arytiss blinked her eyes open, squinting at the rays of the rising sun coming in through the window shutters. She wasn't awoken, as she usually was, by the shouting commands of her superior storming into the barracks - the room of bunkbeds she shared with about twenty other Paladins - as they issued orders for the day and chastised those who were still in bed (she was usually one of them). But her internal clock remembered, from three years of waking up at the same time every day for Paladin training lessons, that it was time to rise.

It felt almost impossible to leave the cramped but cozy bundle of blankets on the floor that she was sharing with her two older siblings, especially since she didn't get to have sleepovers with them very often. It made her feel like they were little kids again, although all three of them had long since outgrown their tiny childhood beds. She almost missed those days of carefree joy and the freedom to run around the streets of the Lower City - although her family didn't have much, all she needed was her two best friends in the world and her imagination. That was long before they all had the stressful adult responsibilities that tore them away from each other now.

Arytiss sighed, shaking off bittersweet memories and returning her thoughts to the present. She had to trek all the way back to the Upper City, and didn't want to be late for work. She untangled her limbs from her sleeping siblings' and climbed over them as quietly as she could, trying not to wake them. She tiptoed into the other room of the small two-room house her family had lived in since before she was born, and started to gather her things and get ready to leave, when she was startled by a sudden noise.

"Noachi," a familiar, soft voice behind her whispered. It was a term of endearment that meant "my dear" in Draconic. She turned to see that, to her surprise, her mother was awake.

An elderly dragonborn woman sat in a wooden chair by the window, watching the city come alive in the first hours of daylight, as steam drifted up from the cup of fresh tea on the table in front of her. The tough, leathery reptilian skin on her hands and face was wrinkled, and her dull green scales didn't shine in the sun like they used to. In Arytiss' eyes, her mother had never changed from the youthful, energetic, hardworking mother of three that she'd known throughout her childhood. How had her mother aged so quickly in the three years since Arytiss moved out of the family home?

"What are you doing awake so early, Ma?" she asked.

"Your father has been snoring like a bugbear recently," the older woman replied, in Draconic. Arytiss chuckled quietly. "Let me make you a cup of tea, and come sit with me for a minute before you go," her mother pleaded, patting the empty chair beside her.

Arytiss gave her mother an apologetic smile. "I wish I could, Ma," she replied in Common, "but I have to go. I'm gonna be late."

"You don't visit enough, noachi," the elderly dragonborn woman scolded. "But I know my daughter is busy saving the city. Go on, before you're late."

Arytiss crossed the small room that doubled as a kitchen and her parents' bedroom, and gave her mother a kiss on the forehead. "I'll be back on my next day off, if I can," she promised.

"We're all so proud of you, Arytiss," her mother whispered as she leaned in.

Arytiss had memorized the quickest routes through the city from her teenage job as a messenger. She dashed back to the barracks as fast as she could, as the sun rose over the bay and the cityfolk sprung to life around her. She found the barracks empty - everyone else had already started their duties for the day. She fumbled to don her suit of armor, which wasn't exactly a quick task, then slipped her broadsword into its sheath around her waist, and ran to the common area, where she and the other Paladins would receive assignments for the day.

Unlike most of her fellow Paladins, who had permanent jobs, Arytiss had only recently graduated from training, and was still waiting to be assigned a role by the Elder of Defense themself - advised by the Elder of Education, who oversaw her and the other Paladins' training. Elder Arrolwen knew her strengths and weaknesses better than anyone else. For now, she was stuck doing menial duties until they decided where to put her. For days, she had been nervously waiting to hear the news about her new job. Would she be stationed atop one of the city's watchtowers, keeping an eye out for danger? Or would she be tasked with patrolling the harbor or the markets, making sure no criminal dealings were going on? Personally, she hoped she would be assigned to guard the Republic's gates, screening who entered or exited the city, the first line of defense against any attacks. That was where the real action was happening! But she would settle for being some important noble or politician's bodyguard too, she supposed, if that was what the Elders thought was best.

It was hard to sneak in late to the common area without anyone noticing, and a tall dragonborn especially stood out from the crowd.

"Farothai, you're late!" her superior, the warden of the barracks, barked at her. It wasn't an uncommon occurrence for her, though - she loved to sleep in.

"Sorry, sir," Arytiss responded meekly, as she joined the crowd of other Paladins who were gathering to be served breakfast before heading out to their posts for the day. She was jittery with nervousness, wondering if she'd be told to clean the barracks' restrooms again, or if today would finally be the day that she would be called in to meet with the Elders and be given her official role.

[iqtrash]

Nox | Entity of Silence
Changling | M | Ancient
Location: outer estana
Tags: other entities
Mentions: N/A

Unlike his fellow entites, being stuck as a dark wisp had not bothered him the slightest. The form was incredibly similar to his shadow form and the blissful silence had simply been delectable. But as his counterparts had begun to shift to corporal form and chatted, he chose to spent several moments floating among them. Nothing was all that surprising, talk of destruction and revenge.

As if popping into existence he took on his eleven form. His violet eyes taking the scene in and the other entities. He simply raised a brow as deciet used their gifts, testing their limits. Interesting that they could only do so little at the moment. Wondering of his own abilities he looked to Blaze whom was making a ruckus, raising his slender fingers he forced out his ability. Where there had been loud noises and thumbing there was now a small bubble of utter silenece surrounding the entity of destruction, who seemed to realize what Nox had done and was turning blazing eyes in his direction.

Nox simply smiled in response, even though the silence last mere moments it had been healing for his soul. At the talk of having to disguise themselves he softly tsked in annoyance. His best desguise was his human form as anyone outside of this group had not seen it and survived. But humans were loud and his senses would be dulled, this was quite the annoyance.

Without preamble he changed his form for the second time in the past ten minutes. His senses now dulled and his once vibrarnt eyes a more muted brown. He took in the surrouding area from this form, everything suddelny dull. Quite the annoyance indeed.

"Now, now. You all are making too much noise." He rasped in his deep tenor, his tone almost scolding. He crossed his arms and met each of the entities in the eye. If they didn't settle down they would be discovered before the time was ripe.

Riven Arrlowen | Elder of Education
Cyborg | M | 37
Location: His Study -> Convocation Chambers
Tags: Elders
Mentions: N/A

Riven had been at his office desk reserching for nearly four hours now. He had heard of the entites of darkness before but felt his own knowledge lacking on the topic. Which wouldn't do at all as he was in charge of education, he simply had to be in the know and understand anything and everything. So in his inability to sleep, he was researching.

Sighing, he checked his time piece and jumped to his feet. He was going to be late. You'd think with him being a cyborg there'd be something special about him, inhuman speed or something of the like but no, he was simply part machine that just kept his human pieces running. He didn’t understand the mechanics, his mother to this day joked that he was held together by faith, spite, and pixie dust. Heavy emphasis on the pixie dust.

Twenty minutes later the elder of education was disheveled and rushing into the meeting. The door swinging with a loud bang from the too much force he had used. His cheeks warmed in his embarrassment as he ducked his head and shuffled to a seat. He could feel the looks from the other elders, but he refused to meet their eyes. The Arrlowen dissappointment, but the only possible heir as he was the youngest Arrlowen alive.