Chapter One: Living for the Night
Going to be doing this RP in chapters, because why not?

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Year: 2014
Month: May
Weather: Lovely, warm with fluffy clouds drifting above. Though it has been raining more often than not.
Current Location of the Circus: Just outside of New York

Years have come and gone, and the Cirque de Noir has traveled for what seems like centuries to outsiders. On the inside, they have been traveling for centuries. A few people have joined over the past decade, alas, a few have also vanished without a trace. No one knows where they went or how they managed to escape-- or so they'd like to believe. Losing their comrades has proven to be a mishap that has shaken many of the performers to the core. Who will be next? Will they simply burn out? Or is there such a thing as an afterlife after living for almost a hundred years or longer?

Mistress Sombre has been rather irritated as of late. She's found that there are too few hands helping and too many to take care of. Although many of the actors are able to take care of themselves and their props, there are some that don't have the same talents. Those without talent are becoming rather angry towards those that do. She's afraid that a miniature war may break out between the higher ranked performers, those who she had chosen personally to be the main acts, and the lower ranked ones, those who simply assisted in their acts. Perhaps this would finally put the circus to rest-- but then again, she didn't know whether they would be able to fully be release from this place. In a way, she didn't want them to. She had been with this circus for almost a thousand years. She couldn't allow it to fall apart to some simpletons with an ego complex.

The show must go on...

Name: Diedra (DEE-EH-DRA)

Sex: Female
Gender: Female
Orientation: Bisexual
Age: 24 || 732
Role in the Circus: Horse Mistress

Personality: The woman known as Diedra tends to take a very maternal role over the others in the circus, mainly since she's been around the longest. She treats everyone more-or-less the same, ensuring that they're all happy and looked-after. However, that doesn't prevent her from having a sharp tongue and a fiery attitude, as she's known for her deep dislike for the ringmaster and tends to get passionate and angry over the little things. She's especially known to stick up to those who are being unfairly punished - usually it ends by receiving a punishment that is worse than the victim's.

Diedra's provocative appearance and choice of clothing shows a lot of self confidence, coupled with her close, tactile body language (She likes to hold hands or hug people or put a hand on their shoulder, the likes) which can mislead people into being seemingly flirtatious with them. Those who actually know her would know that she no longer has an interest in romantic interaction, however, as it makes her feel irritated. She has a very cynical view on romance after being alive for so long.

Magic (If Any): A strong spiritual link with her four horses allows her to control them at will. In a form of exchange, they share each other's abilities; so, for example, the horses are very intelligent and can perform tricks with very little training, as Diedra has increased running speed, stamina, and strength.

The drawbacks? The link is so close that if her horses are wounded somehow, the same would will appear on Diedra. Some horses prefer human meals now, whereas Diedra will happily eat straw and grass. Some of the horses display remarkably human behaviour, whilst Diedra is known to whinny when she's terrified, and become restless in small spaces for too long.

Reason for Joining Cirque de Noir: See Past Life!

Past Life: Born in 1282, during the High Middle Ages, Diedra used to go by a different name. She was originally born in what would come to be called Spain but was once called Al-Andalus, under a Moorish Muslim family. However, the family was in reality an extensive caravan of gypsies, which travelled around Al-Andalus, performing to get their pay in food and water.

The girl who would become Diedra was particularly acquainted with horses (It is said that she was birthed on horse-back, but that is merely a rumour, one of many that surround her life) and was the chief horse-tender of her caravan. During her teenage youth, she had many, many romantic partners - men and women alike - and earned an extra coin or two for her 'services'. She was careless of her own safety, and did not realise the extent that people would go to give what they think someone should deserve.

After reaching the Holy Roman empire in Germany, the young woman who would soon become Diedra came into contact with a roman priestess of Venus, and instantly fall madly in love with her. Unfortunately, Diedra overlooked this priestess' obsessive behaviour as a minor fault, and when her caravan had to move on, the priestess cursed Diedra for picking the horses over her undying love. It is said that the priestess was actually a magical being, and her curse was meant to change Diedra into a horse, but her powers were unruly and temperamental; instead, Diedra found that she would become 'linked' to four steeds at one time, and control them at will.

Terrified of herself, and wretched with grief for leaving her long-lost love, Diedra hit a particularly low point; in which a most beautiful woman came forth and asked her whether she would like to join a circus, and never feel the pain again...convinced that this woman was being flirtatious with her, and completely manipulated by her, Diedra would instantly accept the invitation.

Within two weeks, Diedra realised she was tricked, and over the 700 years she has been in the circus, her deep and bitter loathing for Madame Sombre has only increased to a near-mutinous degree. She knows she cannot die in the circus and equally that any attack on her would heal quickly, which made her overconfident in her abilities and caused her to speak her own mind - often - to Madame Sombre. This would result in many, many punishments, but still Diedra remains unbroken.

Name: Annaliese Marie Nevermore
Gender: Female
Age: Appears to be in her early twenties, is actually 152.
Role in the Circus: Illusionist / Magician
Magic: Can manipulate objects and how they are perceived (now you see it, now you don't). She can also change her appearance as well as the form of other objects (changing pages into birds). She is very talented at manipulating non-living object, though, so you can imagination that levitation is one of her greatest feats.
Reason for Joining Cirque de Noir: Annaliese was born during a time where having magic was considered witchcraft. She would have been burned at the stake if Mistress Sombre hadn't taken her in.

Past Life: Annaliese was born in Massachusetts to her very Christian father and a witch. Her early life was complicated, mostly because she had discovered her abilities as soon as she was able to toddle around, and this was something that she had to keep a secret from that moment on. Being raised mostly by her mother, she was taught to revel in her growing power, being taught many spells that would allow her to manipulate the world around her without touching them. She rarely saw her father, as he was always at the church or traveling with others to distribute Bibles and the gospel to various towns around them. He had left when she was eleven and returned when she had turned sixteen. The only reason that her father had returned was because her mother had died of smallpox and he soon promised her that he would do his best to protect her from anything or anyone. Her father worried that she would stray away from the path of righteousness if she were allowed to be shown about the town, driving the men and boys into lustful thoughts with her beauty. That's when he began to lock her inside of their house, telling her that she must become one with God before she could ever become a man's wife. Despite the locks, she would simply create a door for herself and come and go as she pleased while he stayed at home to "protect" her.

Not long after she had become the shining beauty of their small village did the Salem Witch Trials begin. A couple of priests traveled to their village and like her father always did, offered them a place to rest and eat. When the younger of the priests saw her, he began to lust after her, especially when he saw her sneaking around the village to go see one of the boys that she'd chosen to love. He caught her in the act of kissing the boy one day and blackmailed her to perform ungodly acts with him, lest she wanted to be treated like a harlot. Knowing that she had no chance of surviving without the aid of her father, because he would surely throw her into the cold if she were less than perfect, she did what he asked. Once the deed was said and done, the priest claimed that she was a witch-- tricking him into laying beside her. Of course, they believed the priest over her testimony, even her own father abandoned her in this time of need, and was thrown in a jail cell until a stake could be erected to burn her. She believed that there was no more hope for her.

That's when a woman appeared in her cell and spoke of how she had been watching her for some time. Surprised, but willing to do anything to live, she promised the woman that she would do anything in her power to be set free--though she could have easily fled before then without a place to go. Mistress Sombre offered her a place where she could live any way she wanted, practice her magic as much as she cared, and would not be looked down upon--but rather be treated like a demigod. Annaliese, drawn in by the promise of power and life, accepted the contract with the Cirque de Noir. She's been trapped there ever since.

Dᴏᴡɴ Tʜᴇ Hᴀᴛᴄʜ Wɪᴛʜᴏᴜᴛ A Sᴄʀᴀᴛᴄʜ

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→ Name: Priscilla Isabel Rodriguez

→ Age: 25

→ Gender: Female

→ Abilities/Magic: Sword swallowing. (Magic to be discovered)

→ Personality: Flirtatious. Independent. Quirky. Easy Going. Sarcastic. Free Spirited.

→ Reason & Biography: Priscilla "The Pincushion" Rodriguez grew up in a very traditional Dominican household in the Bronx, NY. Her father a strong business man, and her mother a housewife and stay at home mom, to Priscilla and her 5 older brothers. Cici was always a bit of the black sheep of her family, enjoying the morbid and macabre scene. Her parents on the other hand weren't too approving of Cici's ways, but tried to teach the woman to be independent and strong woman regardless of their own opinions.

After struggling through high school and her first semester of college, Cici finally spoke to her parents seriously, "Mami, Papi.. I'm different than what you expected this princess to be. I need to go and spread my wings and find out where I fit in in this world." The words stung, but both her parents agreed, a happy and strange daughter was always better than a miserable and perfect one. They wished her luck on her journey, and hoped that their daughter would find happiness.

In a year on her own Priscilla had learned the ability of sword swallowing, and dabbled in fire eating here and there. There was something about the danger of sharp metal sliding down your throat that made the girl appreciate life just a little bit more. The scene she was involved in was bit on the risky and odd side, but they were her new family none the less. Cici began to have a see saw effect of polar opposites of lifestyles. One month she would be spending thousands of dollars on bottles, drugs, and other activities in the club, the next she would be wrapped in newspaper next to the dumpster.

One morning with the taste of stale vomit upon her lips, Priscilla woke up on an unfamiliar couch with a ticket shoved in her hand. Turning it over and over she examined it and wondered if someone had saw her party trick that night and was interested in giving her a steady job. Without much hesitation she took the bus and found herself in front of Cirque de Noir.

Her life would soon begin.

Name: Otto “Odd” Kistler

Gender: Male

Age: 12-15 (Appearance), 25 (Stunted), 98+(Actuality)

Role in the Circus: Contortionist and Escape Artist

Magic (If Any): Contortionist Flexibility, Dance, Escape Artistry (Escape Anything?)

Reason for Joining Cirque de Noir: The woman who saved him promised that they’d meet again if he were to work at the Cirque de Noir…Otto has yet to see her again.

Past Life: There isn't a whole lot Otto can remember from his childhood. Initially raised by his grandparents, he didn't remember when he started living with his father, who blamed him for the death of his mother. Sometimes beaten, largely underfed, it was most common for his father forced into a trunk on any small whim. A normal morning consisted of waking to find himself in the trunk, and after an hour or so, either his father would let him out…or he'd find a way to open it himself.

One day, he didn't just wake up to the cold interior of the trunk…he woke up inside of the trunk, the motion of waves, and water steadily filling up the small space he was forced into. Trying desperately to open the trunk, he came to the realization that it must have been locked multiple times on the outside. If only there had been more time, maybe…having let too much water inside the trunk, then into his lungs, the boy closed his eyes, prayed for a peaceful death, and blacked out in his panic.

Waking up to the sensation of sand beneath him, and the water soaking into his bones, the crash of the waves around him…Otto woke up on shore with a woman leaning over him, her lips on his, the sun setting and darkness falling. After coughing out quite a bit of water, looking away in an embarrassed manner, Otto Kistler turned to find that his saviour stood watching further away now. Thinking of his life before this, then the kindness and bravery of this stranger, he approached to beg the woman to let him follow her as a servant, or at least repay his debt in some small way. The woman led her saddled horse out and mounted the horse, smiling a bitter smile over her shoulder…she told him to join the Cirque de Noir, before finally taking off. It was only hours later that he realised that she had secured the trunk onto the horse, and had left with it...leaving only the boy behind.

The years that followed, Odd travelled as a street performer, fitting in small trunks and cases with ease…and at the same time, self-studying how to break out of such locked containers. Several years later, he would end up finding the old abandoned home him and his father 'lived', if you could call it living. With the last bits of information remaining, he had learned of his family being German immigrants, that his grandparents had died only a few years ago...and though Odd asked around, nobody knew of his father whereabouts.

Despite growing past his teens and into adulthood, and though the past malnutrition and mistreatment couldn't be identified in the exact cause, the boy didn't seem to mature past being preteen physically. At age 25, he finally joined up with the Cirque de Noir, and has been a member for a good number of years...though he still hasn't met up with his savior again.

People often wonder why Odd hasn't developed Claustrophobia...to that, his response is that he had long since gotten used to small spaces, got used to the tents of circus life. But, the one thing he can't get used to is the wide open space of the the free sky...which in contrast to the safe enclosed tight space of any given trunk, opens up the world up and around him, spaces far away that he could fall away into at any given moment.

MissCapnCrunch said

Accepted.

Major Ursa said
Can I reserved a Contortionist Escape Artist?

Indeed.

Anyone have any suggestions for a role within the circus?

Fire breather, animal tamer, acrobat, knife throwing, puppetry, juggler, or any role that you would really like. There can always be more than one of something.

ROLE: Hypnotic Magician

Intro To Come Soon

Mad Scarlet said
Fire breather, animal tamer, acrobat, knife throwing, puppetry, juggler, or any role that you would really like. There can always be more than one of something.

I was originally going to go with Fire Breather but was having trouble with that. Going with Puppetry! I hadn't even thought of that, thank you.

Alrighty! Sounds like a plan for both of you!

Just updated my reservation post...

Major Ursa said

I love it. ^_^

Odd developed the opposite of claustrophobia due to his experiences, strangely enough...

Bahaha, it's alright. Anna is beginning to lose sight with what is reality and what is her own illusions. XDD

Lol, everybody in the circus is goin' nuts!
And no, Odd's mystery savior is not the Horsemaster...!!!
.-.