ayzrules

🎀 𝓟𝓻𝓸𝓹𝓮𝓻 . 𝓨𝓸𝓾𝓷𝓰 . 𝓚𝓲𝓵𝓵𝓲𝓷𝓰 . 𝓜𝓪𝓬𝓱𝓲𝓷𝓮𝓼 . (a steampunk RP of petticoats, poison, and propriety)

@Amethyst u got it <3

@DracarysBitch HELLOOOOOOOO :D

🎀 𝓟𝓻𝓸𝓹𝓮𝓻 . 𝓨𝓸𝓾𝓷𝓰 . 𝓚𝓲𝓵𝓵𝓲𝓷𝓰 . 𝓜𝓪𝓬𝓱𝓲𝓷𝓮𝓼 . (a steampunk RP of petticoats, poison, and propriety)

𝓗ourglass City is reminiscent of Victorian London; think big, poofy dresses and cravats and teahouses and factories. However, it should be noted that Hourglass City is a totally made-up steampunk city-the aesthetics are more brown/copper than grey/black. Hourglass City is ruled over by the Council, a shadowy group of five individuals that reign supreme over the city. Nobody really knows how they are selected, they are just always there. The Council then hand-picks five Ministers to run the day-to-day affairs of the city, and these Ministers are considered the leaders of each Guild.

𝓐lthough not everyone in Hourglass City is formally initiated into a Guild, everybody is born with a gift (essentially a special ability/superpower) that usually dictates which Guild one will join. Intermarriage between Guilds is allowed, and theoretically, what gift one is born with is random (however, children tend to have gifts related to those of their parents in some way, shape, or form). These gifts are derived from magical energy emanating from a chasm deep underneath the city (up until twenty or so years ago, anyway. But shhhhh). To officially become a part of the Guild, applying for initiation is required, and usually granted automatically once someone has completed their education.

𝓝ote that just because somebody is born with the gift of healing, it doesn't necessarily guarantee that they will go on to join the Apothecary Guild; everybody has the freedom to choose which Guild they join. Guilds are usually comprised of the well-to-do, though there are certainly people of common birth who are able to join. However, most of the poor and commonborn are never initiated into a Guild because it requires that one go through many years of education and official training. Graduates of Madame Geraldine's and the Polytechnique Institute are automatically granted admission to the Guild of their choice after they finish their schooling.

𝓝obility exists, loosely (think ASOIAF-style); there are lords and ladies and such, and Ministers are automatically elevated to nobility once they accept the position.

The Guilds (typical powers in brackets)

𝓣𝓗𝓔 𝓐𝓔𝓡𝓞𝓝𝓐𝓤𝓣 𝓖𝓤𝓘𝓛𝓓 {enhanced physical abilities}
The Aeronaut Guild serves as the police force and military of Hourglass City. They run the police station, patrol the streets at night, and protect the inhabitants of the city from any outside invaders. Being a member of the Aeronaut Guild is essentially being a soldier; Aeronauts are trained in various forms of combat, taught how to skillfully pilot airships, and are given military ranks. The basic premise of their gift is enhanced physical abilities; this manifests itself in Aeronauts in many different ways, such as super speed or augmented senses.

Being born into the Aeronaut Guild does NOT mean that someone is automatically going to join the military. It just so happens that most people who are born Aeronauts decide to be formally initiated into the Guild, then pursue a military/police career. Some Aeronauts also serve as investigators and tacticians for the military as well. A few branches of the military include ground patrol, air-navy, and reconnaissance/espionage.

𝓣𝓗𝓔 𝓐𝓟𝓞𝓣𝓗𝓔𝓒𝓐𝓡𝓨 𝓖𝓤𝓘𝓛𝓓 {healing}
The Apothecary Guild is composed of the healers and medicine-makers of Hourglass City. They run the apothecaries, the sick houses, and hospitals located in the city. Members of the Apothecary Guild have the gift of healing. There are two classes of healers: Pathocura (disease-healers) and Meracura (wound-healers). Patho-healers’ hands glow a fiery red color as they infuse healing properties into medicines, and they also are very good with plants and herbs. Mera-healers shoot amber sparks from their fingertips as they directly heal wounds. A highly-skilled group of healers are assigned positions in the emergency response team, which partners with the ground patrol branch of the Aeronaut Guild.

𝓣𝓗𝓔 𝓒𝓡𝓐𝓕𝓣𝓢𝓜𝓔𝓝 𝓖𝓤𝓘𝓛𝓓 {metal "bending"}
The Craftsmen Guild is made of the artisans of Hourglass City. They make everything from clockwork toys to silk petticoats. It is the Craftsmen Guild that designs cybernetic parts, especially mechanical wings for the Pirate Guild. The Craftsmen Guild frequently teams up with other Guilds in order to implement the mass-production of their designs. They are generally considered to be the most creative and innovative of the five Guilds. The Craftsmen are gifted with the ability to manipulate metals. They are usually clock-makers, tailors/seamstresses, toymakers, mechanics, and the like, though there is certainly a wide variety of occupations that a Craftsman can have, ranging from running a munitions factory to sewing and painting.

𝓣𝓗𝓔 𝓟𝓘𝓡𝓐𝓣𝓔 𝓖𝓤𝓘𝓛𝓓 {communicating with machines}
The Pirate Guild is primarily made up of the air-merchants and the airship crews of Hourglass City. The members of the Pirate Guild are responsible for maintaining the flow of goods going in and out of the city. They are also experts with hot air balloons and airships. The pirates run the airship docks and the marketplace, as well as the tavern, since many of their imports include alcoholic drinks. Their gift is the ability to communicate with machinery, and like the Aeronaut Guild, this ability manifests itself in Pirates in various different ways. Only Pirates are capable of using mechanical wings because of their connection to machinery. Pirate crews will swear loyalty to an airship captain, and if this vow of loyalty is broken, the offending crew members are put on trial.

𝓣𝓗𝓔 𝓢𝓒𝓗𝓞𝓛𝓐𝓡 𝓖𝓤𝓘𝓛𝓓 {enhanced mental/cerebral abilities}
The Scholar Guild is made up of intellectuals and scientists. There are record-keepers, writers, accountants, mathematicians, inventors, engineers, and mechanics that all belong to this Guild. Scholars have enhanced mental abilities (such as natural photographic memory or computer perception) and abilities relating to the brain and mind (some rarer ones include basic telepathy and sensing emotions). Scholars are historians, paper-shufflers, tax collectors, judges, researchers, custom officials, and innovators, just to name a few. The Scholar Guild is the largest Guild in Hourglass City.

Districts

𝓣here are six major districts in the city, and each district is devoted to a specific Guild.


𝓒𝓲𝓷𝓭𝓮𝓻𝓰𝓪𝓽𝓮 is the district that houses the apothecaries and sick houses of Hourglass City. The Apothecary Guild also conducts medical research and creates new medicines in a large research facility near the center of the district. The architecture of Cindergate is very quaint, and there is evidence of an Oriental influence in its buildings, which can be explained by the fact that a lot of the medicines used by healers were adapted from Eastern concoctions. The layer of smoke is at its thinnest in Cindergate, and as a result, most buildings are not more than four or five stories high and walkways stretching across the spaces in between buildings are relatively rare.


𝓐𝓾𝓽𝓸𝓶𝓪𝓱𝓪𝓿𝓮𝓷 is the domain of the Society of Science of the Scholar Guild. Opulent meetinghouses and shadowy laboratories mix freely with gritty factories that pump smoke and steam into the polluted air. Automahaven is where the layer of smoke is at its thickest; anyone and everyone who can afford it avoids the streets like the plague. The factories manufacture everything from airship parts to cybernetic enhancements.


𝓝𝓮𝔀 𝓣𝓸𝓹𝓹𝓲𝓷𝓰𝓱𝓪𝓶 is where the Pirate Guild lives and works. In New Toppingham, airships are more commonplace than coaches, and there are more people flying with cybernetic wings than there are people walking. New Toppingham is the place to go if you want to spend the night getting drunk or browse the diverse and expansive marketplace. Airships and hot air balloons can be seen taking off and touching down at all hours.


𝓖𝓮𝓪𝓻𝓼𝓹𝓸𝓻𝓽 is the Craftsmen Guild’s territory. Here, one can find tailors, seamstresses, and hat-makers; artisans, potters, glass-blowers, painters, gadgeteers...the list goes on and on. Colorful, whimsical buildings line the streets of Gearsport, and it is possible to just get lost in the maze of clockwork toys and hand-crafted jewelry and delicate metallic flowers.


𝓡𝓪𝓿𝓮𝓷𝓼𝓯𝓸𝓻𝓭 houses the city's public library, known as Raven’s Watch. The Scholar Guild is tasked with running and maintaining the extensive library and archives. The streets of Ravensford are filled with buildings with a Gothic, medieval touch to them; large, arched windows, towers, spires, and flying buttresses are all commonplace in Ravensford. Out of all six districts, the wealth gap is the lowest in Ravensford.


𝓟𝓮𝓻𝓲𝓹𝓸𝓲𝓷𝓽 is the sector housing the barracks, training facilities, hangars, and offices belonging to the Aeronaut Guild. This is perhaps the most organized and clean district of Hourglass City due to the strict Aeronaut discipline. All the buildings are in good repair, and the walkways that stretch over the streets are uniform in style and design. The architecture of Peripoint features symmetry and straight lines; there is little to no deviation from geometric shapes in the district.

Madame Geraldine's Finishing School For Young Ladies of Quality

_{"Ut acerbus terminus" (To the bitter end)}

𝓜adame Geraldine's appears to be a normal finishing school, but a select group of families/officials know that it is, in reality, a school to train future spies, assassins, ladies of high society, and housewives. Girls who attend Madame Geraldine's are taught all the finer points of both etiquette and espionage; whether you aspire to be an assassin for the Supreme Commander, spy for the Council, or simply conquer the western portion of the Known World, Madame Geraldine's Finishing School for Young Ladies of Quality prepares graduates for for a wide range of career possibilities.

𝓜adame 𝓖eraldine 𝓔therington

• Headmistress; teaches dance, dress, and diversion
• Pronounces "quality" as "quali-tay"
• Loves her girls to pieces
• FC: Poppy Montgomery, Guild: Scholar (Scholarly Society)

𝓛ady 𝓚atherine 𝓖olding-𝓑rassmott

• Teaches music and creative arts, intelligence gathering, principles of deceit, fundamental espionage, and rudimentary seduction
• Related to the Minister of the Pirate Guild
• Rather frivolous
• FC: Charlize Theron, Affiliation: (unofficially) the League of the Armored Parasol of the Minefield Triarchy

𝓓r. 𝓒onstance 𝓓arwood

• Head of household management at Madame Geraldine's; teaches medicinal cures and poisonings and encrypting with flower arrangements
• Related to the Minister of the Apothecary Guild
• Gentle and kind (but she does love her poisons something fierce)
• FC: Paz Vega, Guild: Apothecary (Pathocura)

𝓟rofessor 𝓥ivian 𝓑eggley

• Teaches modern languages, weaponries, modern inventions, and truth extraction
• Severe and intimidating
• Loves machines
• FC: Lucy Liu, Guild: Pirate

𝓟rofessor 𝓩ylphia 𝓦rayburn

• Teaches history, deportment, manners, etiquette, and genteel dress
• Very dignified
• Fashion is everything
• FC: Kerry Washington, Guild: Craftsmen

𝓖eneral 𝓥ictoria 𝓢eward

• Teaches fighting and "finishing"
• Strict
• More knowledgeable about the Council than she should be
• FC: Michelle Fairley, Guild: Aeronaut

The Polytechnique Institute of Arts and Sciences

_{"Oderint dum metuant" (Let them hate, so long as they fear)}

𝓣he Institute, like Madame Geraldine's, appears to be a normal boys' academy, but it is known among select circles as the top school for training future evil geniuses, mad scientists, and the occasional productive member of society. They teach young men how to be evil geniuses, encouraging them to cause mayhem and build sinister gadgetry.

𝓛ord 𝓝athan 𝓗alverson-𝓚ipps

• Headmaster; teaches the philosophies, comportment, and mannerisms needed to become an evil genius
• Cultivates a dark and brooding air but is in reality quite jocular
• Doesn't take too kindly to Madame Geraldine's girls posing as men to attend his academy
• FC: Christian Bale, Guild: Craftsmen

𝓓r. 𝓓emetrius 𝓑owles

• Teaches mathematics, physics, the theoretical sciences, and the life sciences
• Has a passion for outrageous fashion statements
• Very sparkly in a strangely malicious way
• FC: Godfrey Gao, Guild: Scholar (Society of Science)

𝓒aptain 𝓙ulius 𝓟layfoot

• Teaches mechanical and aeronautical engineering, piloting, and airship-hijacking
• Notorious for his deadly gadgets and gizmos
• Strict but charming
• FC: Taye Diggs, Guild: Pirate

𝓟rofessor 𝓣haddeus 𝓗eaton

• Teaches history, methods of plagiarism, rudimentary espionage, and the art of going insane
• A bit absentminded
• Hates the Council for keeping secrets
• FC: Farhan Akhtar, Guild: Scholar (Scholarly Society)

𝓓r. 𝓡oderick 𝓞swald

• Teaches chemistry, poisons and potions, maintaining a mad laboratory, and botany
• Will not eat anything with powdered sugar on it (cyanide is too easily disguised as it)
• Paranoid
• FC: Jake Gyllenhaal, Guild: Apothecary (Pathocura)

𝓜ajor 𝓒alvin 𝓞sborne

• Teaches basic self-defense, weapons development and use, and hiring henchmen
• Loud and commanding
• Supreme Commander Phillip Osborne's estranged brother
• FC: John Leguizamo, Guild: Aeronaut

🎀 𝓟𝓻𝓸𝓹𝓮𝓻 . 𝓨𝓸𝓾𝓷𝓰 . 𝓚𝓲𝓵𝓵𝓲𝓷𝓰 . 𝓜𝓪𝓬𝓱𝓲𝓷𝓮𝓼 . (a steampunk RP of petticoats, poison, and propriety)

𝒜 𝓈𝓉𝑒𝒶𝓂𝓅𝓊𝓃𝓀 𝓇𝑜𝓁𝑒𝓅𝓁𝒶𝓎 𝑜𝒻 𝓅𝑒𝓉𝓉𝒾𝒸𝑜𝒶𝓉𝓈, 𝓅𝑜𝒾𝓈𝑜𝓃, 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓅𝓇𝑜𝓅𝓇𝒾𝑒𝓉𝓎

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________


"𝓜y dear, you kill a man remarkably efficiently, but you simply must refrain from getting dirt all over your gown. It's quite unseemly, if I say so myself."

-𝓛ady Katherine Golding-Brassmott, an instructor of music and creative arts, intelligence gathering, principles of deceit, fundamental espionage, and rudimentary seduction at Madame Geraldine's Finishing School for Young Ladies of Quality, to the then-Miss Adrianna Kingsford

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

(𝓘nspired by Gail Carriger's AMAZING books; GM is @ayzrules and co-GM is @shylarah)

𝓘t's one thing to dance properly. It's quite another to dance properly while poisoning your partner and robbing him of all his valuables.

𝓦hat is a young lady of quality ("quality" being a relative term) or a respectable gentleman ("respectable" also being a relative term) to do when they are summoned (by the Supreme Commander himself, no less!) to the heart of the city's military district in order to deal with "a matter of utmost importance?"

𝓒ancel all other appointments as swiftly as an ill-timed invitation throws the entire room into an awkward silence, I'd imagine, and immediately reply in an appropriately courteous manner. Some may argue that one should first discreetly dispose of the summons before writing a reply, to prevent gossipy siblings and nosy acquaintances from acquiring the sensitive information. Others may argue that penning a response can wait until after the Scholar Minister's ball, because it is going to be the event of the year, or perhaps it can wait until after one has stolen a small fortune from an arrogant air-merchant.

𝓑ut the truth of the matter is that our prosperous home, the thriving metropolis of Hourglass City, is in grave danger. Dark magic is afoot, rival cities are growing restless, mad scientists are becoming decidedly more mad, and you know what they say-if you want something said, you go to a man, but if you want something done in the politest way possible, you find a woman.

𝓛et's get to work, ladies and gentlemen. We've got a city to save (and refreshments will be provided)!

𝓦ar is coming.

𝓣he powerful Barons and Baronesses of the Minefield Triarchy has had its eyes on Hourglass City for a long time now, but they are finally beginning to act. Hourglass City's notoriously secretive Council, however, have been watching the Triarchy. And like it or not, tensions are about to explode in quite possibly the most impolite way possible.

𝓣he impeding war is not the only thing to be worried about, though. Indeed, a dangerous, corrupting form of "mind energy"-known as Myalo by scientists and as black magic by the rest of society-was released into the world thirty-some years ago, by scientists experimenting with automation. Although automatons have been widely labelled as dangerous and altogether unethical by the entirety of the Known World, for some reason, a scientist by the name of Lucius Elliot has decided to try his hand at creating them. There have also been a suspicious series of murders and robberies and disappearances...a coincidence? The honorable Captain Kingsford doesn't think so.

𝓕ighting the war is for soldiers. Winning the war will be up to intelligencers and mad scientists.

𝓒aptain Adrianna Iphigenia Kingsford of the Aeronaut Guild has been tasked with putting together a team to get to the bottom of the conspiracies and rumors and strange occurrences surrounding one mad scientist and his automatons, and of course, there is no one else she would go to besides her former classmates from Madame Geraldine's Finishing School for Young Ladies of Quality, also known (among a select few circles, of course) as the top academy for etiquette and espionage. And along the way, she has picked up a few respectable gentlemen graduates of the Polytechnique Institute of Arts and Sciences (a school for training evil geniuses, mad scientists, and maybe even the occasional productive member of society). No matter what happens, Captain Kingsford is determined to get the bottom of this...with all the courtesy and propriety expected of a lady in polite society, of course.

𝓐rmed to the teeth with fatal flattery, mutinous manners, and poisonous propriety, as well as a couple of well-hidden bladed fans and not-so-well-hidden weapons of mass destruction built in a suitably chaotic laboratories, the graduates of Madame Geraldine's and the Polytechnique Institute are more than ready to take on their foes. Getting this group of highly dangerous individuals to work together, however, is a whole different story.

𝓒aptain Kingsford sincerely hopes that her investigation has nothing to do with the war. But as she and her band of spies, assassins, and scientists delve deeper into the secrets of dark magic and treacle tart (perfecting the recipe takes more work than you'd think!), the threads start to become more and more intertwined...and as Captain Kingsford is quickly finding as they try unravel the stubbornly tangled threads of this mystery, nothing is at all what it seems.

---

If you've read all the way down to here, then I'm guessing you might be at least a little bit interested :D Basically, this is a roleplay about lady spies/assassins/etc ("intelligencers") and mad scientists, evil geniuses, and maybe even the occasional productive member of society, with a touch of black magic and a ton of silly, dry humor

I've put some of the lore in the next post; feel free to read it if you would like to know more

And yeah! That's about it; feel free to hit me up with any questions that you have :)

testing stuff

This RP was originally on a site where GM would make pre-mades; I'm not a fan of this system so there is absolutely no way that PYKM is going to use it, but I figured that I'd drop the pre-mades here just in case anybody's stuck and needs ideas

Feel free to take and change any aspects if you want, or you can also completely ignore this post. Up to you :D

Pre-Made Characters

AMIDALE/IMPERIA-AIRWRIGHT/AINSWORTH/JARVEST
Alexander Damien Amidale (29)
-extra as hell
-also gay as hell
-close friends with Rowena Imperia-Airwright and gives everyone flowery pet names
-ridiculously rich and knows /everyone's/ secrets (thanks to his network of spies)
-outrageous with a flair for the dramatic
{FC: Danika Kovalev, Guild: Craftsmen}

Vivian Victoria Ainsworth (24)
-her mother died under suspicious circumstances right after she was born, and her father gambled away the family wealth
-was raised by the family of her mother's ladies maid instead
-her Guild gift has manifested in her ability to sense magnetic fields; this makes her a great navigator
-distant and withdrawn but startlingly perceptive
-never really felt at home anywhere until she joined Captain Sampson Miller's crew (which makes her job as a spy for Alexander Amidale even harder)
{FC: Sara Grace Wallerstedt, Guild: Pirate}

BENNETT/VERNELL/TOUSSAINT/LONGHURST
Victor Bennett (28)
-charming and debonair
-a brilliant scientist who wants to create automatons to save peoples' lives
-an incorrigible flirt
-adores baked goods, especially those baked by his dying grandmother (and is slowly dying of the same disease, but remains blissfully unaware)
-engaged to Lottie Vernell and childhood friends with Lydia Longhurst, good friends with Lucius Elliot (who he introduced the concept of Myalo-animated automatons to at school)
{FC: Brendon Urie, Guild: Scholar}

Charlotte "Lottie" Rosalind Vernell (26)
-can't keep her mouth shut and knows the dirt on /everyone/
-works as a nurse at the Cindergate Hospital
-giggly and girly, with not a mean bone in her body
-likes sweets and outrageously frilly dresses
-engaged to Victor Bennett (and knows that he's slowly dying of a disease that runs in his family), good friends with Octavia Toussaint and Florence Winchester and basically everyone she's ever met, has a brother named Albert
{FC: Arden Cho, Guild: Apothecary (Pathocura)}

Albert Horace Vernell (20)
-thinks he's "more mature" than his sister, Lottie, even though he's five years younger
-but he's still got one hell of a temper
-which has landed him in quite a few spots of trouble
-his parents want him to inherit their teahouse and pharmacy, but Albert would rather jump off a cliff
-has no particular career goals besides one that
will get him a good, strong drink every night; has connections with Edna Cogsmith and her "guild" 'of thieves
{FC: Daniel Henney, Guild: Apothecary (Meracura)}

Octavia Toussaint (27)
-mellow and go-with-the-flow
-has a pair of mechanical wings named Letitia and runs a pub with her father
-flies an airship like nobody's business
-good with machinery and quietly caring
-ex-lover of Lucius Elliot, good friends with Lottie Vernell, familiar with most other Pirates because the pub is pretty popular
{FC: Tessa Thompson, Guild: Pirate}

Lydia Sophronia Longhurst (28)
-will never, ever, /ever/ wear a color other than black
-extremely intelligent (especially when it comes to dark magic) but extremely standoffish
-fascinated with death and gifted with the power of psychometry
-currently nursing a broken heart over Victor Bennett, who she grew up with
-loner and hates most people (/especially/ Lottie Vernell)
{FC: Aya Jones, Guild: Scholar}

Timothy Zeke Portsmouth (19)
-his mother died a year after he was born, and his father died when he was in school, both from unknown causes
-blunt, stubborn, and reckless
-both admires and fears Ya-wen Blakesley, though he would /never/ admit it
-loves strawberry shortcake and playing the piano
-extremely agile
{FC: Jaime Campbell Bower, Guild: Aeronaut}

CLARINGBOLD/MILLER
Hattie Margaret Claringbold (26)
-doesn't have time for your bullsh///t
-an up-and-coming air-merchant
-can be blunt and caustic, but is /always/ civil (especially towards her brother, Jonathan)
-fires people a lot
-has a not-so-friendly rivalry with Sampson Miller
{FC: Tian Yi, Guild: Pirate}

Jonathan Gabriel Claringbold (19)
-Hattie Claringbold's baby brother
-a damn good mechanic and works with Rosalie Pennington to design/repair Pirate wings
-charismatic in a humble, down-to-earth way
-full of easy grins and soft chuckles
-has the patience of a saint
{FC: Philip Huang, Guild: Craftsmen}

Sampson Allen Miller (32)
​-grew up on the streets
-very ruthless; only cares about money, power, and his crew
-hates the Council with a burning passion
-a prominent airship captain who dislikes the Pirate Minister and the Imperia-Airwrights in general; has a soft spot for Vivian Ainsworth
-rose to his position and acquired his wealth through questionable means
{FC: Shayne Cureton, Guild: Pirate}

COGSMITH/SHOREDITCH/BAY
The Thief: Edna Cogsmith (18)
-a veritable ball of fire
-swears like a sailor and is very prosaic
-sole reason for existence is food
-hard exterior but caring on the inside
-grew up as a street urchin and now runs a "guild" of thieves with Silas Shoreditch (and has met Albert Vernell on more than one occasion)
{FC: Blanca Padilla, Affiliation: she has the abilities of the Aeronaut Guild, but was never officially initiated}

​The Pickpocket: Silas Shoreditch (18)
-runs a "guild" of thieves with Edna
-would follow her to the edge of the world and back
-is reluctant to get involved with this black magic BS
-an extremely skilled lockpick
-is Philomena Shoreditch's long-lost younger brother
{FC: Rupert Grint, Guild: Craftsmen}​

Philomena "Lo" Marie Shoreditch (23)
-heart of gold
-dreamy and whimsical
-left her baby brother, Silas, in an orphanage after their father committed su.cide (and hasn't seen him since)
-cries when animals die in books
-likes metal flowers and is in love with Sebastian Bay
{FC: Isolda Dychauk, Guild: Craftsmen}

​The Thinker: Sebastian Ignatius Bay (23)
-a ball of pure /angst/
-works as an archivist in Ravensford and writes poetry in his free time
-shot and killed the woman who broke his heart
-very controlled and analytical
-has found that he might just be falling in love with Philomena "Lo" Shoreditch
{FC: Harry Lloyd, Guild: Scholar}

CROWE/ALDITHLEY
Parthena Abigale Crowe (30)
-rolls her eyes whenever somebody even mentions her younger brother
-has a very crude way of speaking, and no manners at /all/
-blunt, a bit stubborn, and has a generally abrasive personality
-often gets into arguments with Petunia Silverstine
-currently owns and manages her own factory
{FC: Teddy Quinlivan, Guild: Craftsmen}

Daniel "Dan" Benjamin Crowe (25)
-infamous for his gruesome vivisections
-has nearly been arrested multiple times
-specializes in hallucination-inducing narcotics (and weaponizes it, too)
-also makes poisons for extra cash
-very fond of blueberry scones and has a friendly rivalry with Stephen Seymour; married to Lucinda Crowe
{FC: Linus Wordemann, Guild: Apothecary (Pathocura)}

Lucinda "Lucy" Constance (neé Aldithley) Crowe (24)
-finds her husband's penchant for dissecting the human body "endearing"
-makes the best blueberry scones in all of Hourglass City
-kind and sweet
-but also a little bit evil (and gets along /very/ well with her twin sister, Theodosia)
-owns a shop that sells a wide variety of highly dangerous (and highly /fashionable/) accessories
{FC: Maria Borges, Guild: Craftsmen}

Theodosia Letitia Aldithey (24)
-hella selfish
-and more than just a /little/ sadistic, too
-disguised herself as a boy and attended the Polytechnique Institute (where she graduated at the top of her class)
-dresses like a man (albeit a /very/ fashionable man)
-a true mad scientist
{FC: Binx Walton, Guild: Scholar}

Jasper Harold Aldithley (31)
-knows Horace Enright from school (and absolutely despises him)
-thinks his younger sisters (Theodosia and Lucinda) are both bat-sh/t crazy in their own special ways
-a rascal and a liar who hates authority figures, though he is more "true neutral" than evil
-is drunk more often than not
-has no purpose in life other than getting rich quick
{FC: Donald Glover, Guild: Pirate}

DAVENPORT/LUNN/HARRIER
​The Smuggler: Geoffrey Jonathan Davenport (22)
-knows that his parents wanted him to become a mad scientist, but doesn't really care
-very protective of his younger sister, Violetta
-is pining after Lark, though he's pretty sure her attentions are otherwise occupied
-admires Captain Sampson Miller and is making a name for himself in the Pirate world by smuggling Triarchy mineral magic through Hourglass City to Brassham
-calm, sensible, and likeable, and absolutely terrified of the Imperia-Airwrights (though he would never let it show)
{FC: Reece King, Guild: Pirate}

Violetta Joanna (neé Davenport) Lunn (18)
-eloped with a mad scientist from the Institute right after she graduated from Madame Geraldine's, only to have him die on her a month later in a laboratory explosion
-is now an actress in New Toppingham who has a penchant for big hats, bigger gowns, and being overly dramatic
-thinks she might be pregnant (she is)
-is spying for Alexander Amidale on the side in order to earn extra money
-really wishes that her brother Geoffrey would just shove off
{FC: Janelle Monae, Affiliation: Scholar (she was blessed with the quick mind of a Scholar, but was never officially initiated)}

ENRIGHT
​Horace Victor Enright (31)
-hated by most Pirates because he serves the Aeronauts
-stoic and austere
-doesn't say much
-fond of his younger brother, Nathaniel, and treacle tart
-wholly believes in noble concepts such as honor and is enamored with Adrianna Kingsford
{FC: Jamie Dornan, Guild: Pirate}

Nathaniel "Nat" Joseph Enright (25)
-is being two-timed by Florence Winchester, and remains blissfully unaware
-quiet, dutiful, and loyal
-has an older brother named Horace
-does what he's told without question
-is currently part of the air-navy and regularly patrols Hourglass City from the skies
{FC: Luke Newberry, Guild: Aeronaut}

KIPPS/LOVEGROVE/RAYBURN
Ezekiel Mordecai Kipps (31)
-graduated at the top of his class at the Polytechnique Institute of Arts and Sciences; has a younger brother (Vincent) and is married to Lavinia
-lives for chaos
-has a very jaded outlook on the world
-smart enough to be a Scholar, but his lightning-fast reflexes showed that he was born an Aeronaut
-is perpetually plotting the downfall of the Council and has aided Lucius Elliot with his quest for creating automatons
{FC: Michael Fassbender, Affiliation: he has the abilities of the Aeronaut Guild, but was never officially initiated}

Vincent Lionel Kipps ​​(30)
-has older brother named Ezekiel
-thinks he might be gay for Alexander Amidale but knows that Alexander has never even noticed him
-will get what needs to be done, done
-practical and efficient; the master of elegant solutions
-intentionally makes himself rather nondescript and forgettable
{FC: Tom Hiddleston, Guild: Pirate}

Lavinia Adeline (neé Lovegrove) Rayburn-Kipps (26)
-smart and sensible
-friendly and likeable; easy to get along with
-loves her husband, Ezekiel, with all her heart (but is more ambiguous about her ex-, Walter, whom she was forced to take to court in order to divorce)
-a brilliant, /brilliant/ scientist, with a very important position within the Scholar Guild
-hates that people treat her differently because they're wary of her husband
{FC: Zhenya Katava, Guild: Scholar}

Lewis Ulysses Lovegrove (32)
-has become extremely over-protective of his sister Lavinia after the death of the middle Lovegrove brother a few years ago
-and disapproves of her hotshot evil genius husband
-serves the Aeronauts faithfully, but is not afraid to break the law in order to enforce it
-which is really hypocritical (and he knows it), though that doesn't stop him from acting like a stiff military officer 24/7
-wholeheartedly believes that the ends justify the means
{FC: Sahib Farer, Guild: Aeronaut}

Walter Lucian Rayburn (29)
-was forced into a divorce by the courts, despite the fact that he still loves Lavinia
-super bitter about it (and comes off as clingy and possessive)
-extremely dedicated to his field of scientific research
-discovered a frightening piece of information about the Council and pushed Lavinia away to "keep her safe" **
-a fragile narcissist; /very/ socially awkward (how does Lavinia make other people like her so easily?????)
{FC: Benedict Cumberbatch, Guild: Scholar}

LANGSTAFF
Louisa Scarlett Langstaff (25)
-one hell of a mathematician
-has a younger brother named Landon, and shares his suspicions about their father's death**
-does calculations for weapon developers working closely with the Aeronauts
-thinks she may have inadvertently done calculations for someone building automatons in the past???
-a social butterfly who is known for her sharp wit
{FC: Sayo Yoshida, Guild: Scholar}

Landon Samuel Langstaff (23)
-suspects that the Council killed his father (Lysander Langstaff), who died before he was born**
-but doesn't know why?
-admires Lucinda for her skill with brutally beautiful accessories and his older sister (Louisa) for her sharp intelligence
-makes all manner of weapons disguised as gentlemen's wear (top hats, cravats, canes, etc) for his former classmates
-polite, solicitous, and /always/ impeccably dressed
{FC: Wang Hao Guild: Craftsmen}

PENNINGTON/GOODALL/CODSWORTH
Iris Selina Pennington (33)
-honest and dutiful; has a younger sister named Rosalie and a younger brother named Niall
-saw action in a couple of skirmishes against the Minefield Triarchy a few years after she graduated
-sucks at being a proper lady of high society
-doesn't like Niall's wife, Meira
-doesn't like it when people break the law, either
{FC: Rila Fukushima, Guild: Aeronaut)

Niall Randolph Pennington (29)
-a gentle giant
-perfectly okay with his wife, Meira, coming home covered in blood
-likes cooking for his sisters, Iris and Rosalie, and his wife
-always smells like formaldehyde
-doesn't make that much money as a biologist, but he doesn't mind; Meira makes enough for both of them
{FC: Daisuke Ueda, Guild: Scholar}

Rosalie "Rose" Madeline Pennington (22)
-designs and repairs Pirate wings with Jonathan Claringbold
-also makes decorative/ceremonial swords and pretty little pistols decorated with gilt metalwork
-a true lady; her parents' pride and joy
-loves her older siblings, Iris and Niall, with all her heart (though she's terrified of Niall's wife, Meira)
-flunked out of Fashion, Firearms, and Fisticuffs for a Young Lady of Quality at school
{FC: Estelle Chen, Guild: Craftsmen}

Meira Emily (neé Codsworth) Pennington (30)
-especially proficient with a wide variety of guns and knives (she's hands-down the best knife-thrower in Hourglass City)
-blindingly fast and freakishly strong
-cold, especially towards her sister (Idina)
-but has a soft spot for her (adorable) husband, Niall (though she hates his older sister, Iris)
-does work for Supreme Commander Phillip Osborne just for the money
{FC: Fei Fei Sun, Guild: Aeronaut}

Idina Euphrasia (neé Codsworth) Goodall (33)
-comes off as demure and soft-spoken
-but is secretly /the/ premier supplier of poisons in Hourglass City
-poisoned her younger brother (Edward) because she wanted to inherit the family fortune when their parents died
-and her sister, Meira, still resents her for this
-(probably) poisoned her husband too?
{FC: Li Bingbing, Guild: Apothecary (Pathocura)}

SEYMOUR
Felicity Caroline Seymour (27)
-the oldest (and therefore, most polite and most responsible) Seymour sibling; is okay with simply being the wife of some lord or the other
-wishes she was a Scholar instead of a Pirate (and is desperately in need of a job, or a husband-either one will suffice)
-good with numbers and accounts and paperwork but not that great with machines
-shy and sweet
-loves Geoffrey Davenport but knows he's after Lark Harrier
{FC: Greta Varlese, Guild: Pirate}

Stephen Archibald Seymour (25)
-a goody two-shoes; the second-oldest Seymour sibling
-has never broken the law, even when he was still at school
-very fond of blackberry scones and will ardently defend his position against Daniel Crowe, his number one rival
-has served in the field with the Aeronauts before
-is now a member of the emergency response team and courting Cynthia Winchester
{FC: Jack Falahee, Guild: Apothecary (Meracura)}

Primrose "Prim" Emmeline Seymour (22)
-the second-youngest Seymour sibling; is always arguing with Ralph, her younger brother
-got her older brother (Stephen) to give her his old notes from his classes at the Polytechnique Institute
-aspires to be a mad scientist and has tried /everything/ to go insane (she wore gowns from /two seasons/ ago for an entire /week/!)
-a bit naive and more than a bit girly, can be vain and vapid if she wants to
-but also a veritable genius when it comes to aeronautical engineering
{FC: Camille Hurel, Guild: Scholar}

Randolph "Ralph" Humphrey Seymour (21)
-particularly fascinated with the Wasteland Wars and the Wasteland Cities
-but is into all military history in general
-a bit of a (okay, a /total/) rake
-knows that Florence Winchester is two-timing him, but doesn't really care
-the youngest Seymour sibling; perpetually arguing with Prim (one of his older sisters)
{FC: Ivan Kozak, Guild: Aeronaut}

SILVERSTINE/SHERIDAN/CARVER

Cornelia Verity Silverstine (29)
-as quick as a viper (thanks to her Guild gift)
-as sly as one too
-alluring and intoxicating
-radiates sophisticated poise and refined, old-age elegance
-spies for powerful Pirate families through her high-end brothel in New Toppingham; has a younger brother named Henry Silverstine and hates Sparrow Carver
{FC: Neelam Gill, Affiliation: she has the abilities of the Aeronaut Guild, but was never officially initiated}
taken by @an-open-book

Henry Robert Silverstine (26)
-absentminded like you wouldn't believe
-has an older sister named Cornelia
-quite knowledgeable about ancient magic and teaches courses at the university
-disorganized and goofy
-fond of petunias (and is consequently married to Petunia Silverstine, who he is terrified of but loves all the same)
{FC: Dev Patel, Guild: Scholar}

Petunia Ivy (neé Sheridan) Silverstine (30)
-prim and proper with a mind like a steel trap; Prudence Sheridan's older sister
-runs a newspaper separate of her husband, Henry Silverstine (who is lowkey terrified of her, but loves her to death all the same)
-a brusque, no-nonsense type of person
-has no subtlety at all
-fond of pummeling others with her exceedingly ugly parasol
{FC: Gal Gadot, Guild: Scholar}

Prudence "Rue" Livilla Sheridan (24)
-has an older sister named Petunia Silverstine
-boyish and rambunctious (which he sister finds unseemly)
-wants to join the military and wishes she was born an Aeronaut
-as such, has taught herself how to utilize her gift of manipulating metals in a fight
-her parents want her to get married, but Rue would rather shoot herself than get /married/
{FC: Clara Aseniero, Guild: Craftsmen}

SMITH/LATIMER-ALDRIDGE
John Jacob Smith (25)
-is perpetually eating stale food (when he remembers to eat) because his inventions never sell; has independently begun building automaton parts
-likes to tinker around with his various (useless) contraptions
-is inordinately proud of his "toasting glove" invention (serves as a glove that toasts bread, though it has an unfortunate habit of burning the bread)
-absolutely atrocious at picking out clothes that match and has a (unreciprocated) schoolboy crush on Miranda "Evan" Latimer-Aldridge
-what is a comb?
{FC: Eddie Redmayne, Guild: Scholar}

VILLENTIA/MARSH
Arabella Eliana (nee Marsh) Villentia (27)
-pristine and perfect
-a break-your-heart kind of beautiful
-preferred weapon=poison, Guild gift=immunity to poisons (a strange gift, but not unheard of)
-has gone through three husbands, who all died under suspicious circumstances, and has a brother named George
-hates her father and gathers intelligence/disposes of people for a wealthy client
{FC: Anna Selezneva, Affiliation: she has the abilities of the Aeronaut Guild, but was never officially initiated}

George Edwin Marsh (28)
-ridiculously good-looking, like his sister, Arabella
-sort of an a$.shole and a rake (the more polite Victorian alternative for "fvckboy")
-and isn't too fond of doing things the "legal" way
-currently works at the Cindergate Hospital
-but only so he can steal the equipment and perform his own experiments
{FC: Alex Pettyfer, Guild: Apothecary (Meracura)}

VERINGWORTH
Cordelia Rebekah Veringworth (28)
-dainty, delicate, and deadly
-speaks in riddles based on the visions from the dead that she gets
-slightly (okay, majorly) off her rocker
-fond of cats
-driven by an intense need for vengeance
[though she did not attend Madame Geraldine's, Captain Kingsford decided to add her to the team]
{FC: Zoe Saldana, Affiliation: necromancer from Ravenmire}

WINCHESTER
Cynthia Elizabeth Winchester (27)
-practical and compassionate
-has a strong moral compass and prefers plain, serviceable dresses over the frilly, fashionable gowns that her her peers favor
-enjoys reading history books
-has a younger sister named Florence and two younger twin brothers named Alan and Isiah
-is currently courting Stephen Seymour
{FC: Natalie Portman, Guild: Apothecary (Meracura)}

Florence Drusilla Winchester (21)
-adventurous and mischievous and the center of every scandal
-is Cynthia's younger sister (and Alan and Isiah's older sister) and liked finishing school because she was actually /good/ at it
-not that great of a Healer
-but she's a great spy
-gathers intelligence for the Minister of the Apothecary Guild and is currently courting both Ralph Seymour and Nat Enright at the same time, friends with Lottie Vernell
{FC: Samantha Barks, Guild: Apothecary (Meracura)}

Alan Zachariah Winchester (20)
-likes to think of himself as unreasonably handsome
-hellaciously vain
-Isiah's twin brother; has two older sisters (Cynthia and Florence Winchester)
-doesn't harbor any overtly evil or mad tendencies, which meant that he flunked out of his classes at the Polytechnique Institute (and now does /legal/ medical research)
-but he /is/ fascinated by the chemical properties of Myalo, and wonders what it could be used for beyond animating automatons
{FC: Jon Kortajarena, Guild: Apothecary (Pathocura)}

Isiah Hiram Winchester (20)
-Alan's twin brother; has two older sisters (Cynthia and Florence Winchester)
-has approached the legendary Ezekiel Kipps for advice on becoming an evil genius
-determined to sully the esteemed Winchester name in any way possible (has been dabbling with illegal human dissections in order to do so)
-but it's /hard/, especially because he doesn't want to ruin things for Cynthia!
-fond of puppies (though he /must/ get rid of that fondness if he wants to become a true evil genius)
{FC: Oriol Elcacho, Guild: Apothecary (Meracura)}

testing stuff

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

𝓛ady 𝓡owena 𝓗enrietta 𝓘mperia-𝓐irwright @ayzrules

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Lucius Elliot

Picture

𝓛ucius 𝓔lliot

Captain Adrianna Iphigenia Kingsford

Picture

𝓒aptain 𝓐drianna 𝓘phigenia 𝓚ingsford

The Ministers

𝓟hillip 𝓞sborne, the 𝓢upreme 𝓒ommander

• Had a hand in the death of Eleanor Seward, earning him the eternal enmity of General Victoria Seward, an instructor at Madame Geraldine's
• Easily manipulated by the Council
• The Minister of the Aeronaut Guild (FC: Benjamin Bratt)

𝓔leanor 𝓦inchester-𝓓arwood, the 𝓢urgeon 𝓖eneral

• Served on the emergency-response team for many years
• Runs a very tight ship
• The Minister of the Apothecary Guild (FC: Salma Hayek)

𝓜axwell 𝓒handler, the 𝓜aster 𝓐rtisan

• A skilled glassblower and mechanic
• Graduated from the Polytechnique Institute of Arts and Sciences in 1865
• The Minister of the Craftsmen Guild (FC: Michael Fassbender)

𝓜alcolm 𝓘mperia-𝓐irwright, the 𝓛ord 𝓒aptain

• The leader of a vast criminal empire; has ties to the Minefield Triarchy
• Lost everything to rival air-merchant families (including his brother and his wife) but came back twice as strong
• The Minister of the Pirate Guild (FC: Jackie Chan)

𝓖eorgina 𝓔rmelinde 𝓩hang-𝓛angridge, the 𝓗ead 𝓢cholar

• There's a 99.99999% chance that she's smarter than you are
• Graduated from Madame Geraldine's ages ago
• The Minister of the Apothecary Guild (FC: Cheng Pei-pei)

testing stuff

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For the CS's, please copy paste from the raw version of this post

Madame Geraldine's CS

🎀𝓝𝓪𝓶𝓮
――――――――――

(and nickname, if applicable)

🎀𝓣𝓲𝓽𝓵𝓮
――――――――――

(if applicable)

🎀𝓐𝓰𝓮
――――――――――

(18+; graduate at 18)

🎀𝓖𝓮𝓷𝓭𝓮𝓻
――――――――――

Male, female, etc

🎀𝓐𝓹𝓹𝓮𝓪𝓻𝓪𝓷𝓬𝓮
――――――――――

(textual description)

🎀𝓢𝓬𝓱𝓸𝓸𝓵
――――――――――

(if applicable)

🎀𝓖𝓾𝓲𝓵𝓭
――――――――――

(if applicable)

🎀𝓖𝓲𝓯𝓽s
――――――――――

(basically just elaborate on their abilities)

🎀𝓞𝓬𝓬𝓾𝓹𝓪𝓽𝓲𝓸𝓷
――――――――――

(what they do for a living)

🎀𝓟𝓮𝓻𝓼𝓸𝓷𝓪𝓵𝓲𝓽𝔂
――――――――――

(bullet form or paragraph)

🎀𝓦𝓱𝔂 𝔀𝓸𝓾𝓵𝓭 𝓒𝓪𝓹𝓽𝓪𝓲𝓷 𝓚𝓲𝓷𝓰𝓼𝓯𝓸𝓻𝓭 𝓬𝓸𝓷𝓽𝓪𝓬𝓽 𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓶?
――――――――――

(self-explanatory)

🎀𝓟𝓻𝓮𝓯𝓮𝓻𝓻𝓮𝓭 𝓦𝓮𝓪𝓹𝓸𝓷
――――――――――

(guns, knives, poison, garrotes, et cetera)

🎀𝓟𝓻𝓮𝓯𝓮𝓻𝓻𝓮𝓭 𝓜𝓮𝓽𝓱𝓸𝓭 𝓸𝓯 𝓒𝓸𝓷𝓯𝓻𝓸𝓷𝓽𝓪𝓽𝓲𝓸𝓷
――――――――――

(self-explanatory)

🎀𝓕𝓪𝓿𝓸𝓻𝓲𝓽𝓮 𝓒𝓵𝓪𝓼𝓼(𝓮𝓼) 𝓪𝓽 𝓢𝓬𝓱𝓸𝓸𝓵
――――――――――

(see the "sample classes" section, or make up your own!)

🎀𝓑𝓲𝓸𝓰𝓻𝓪𝓹𝓱𝔂
――――――――――

(at least one paragraph)

🎀𝓞𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓻
――――――――――

(add anything you want)

Polytechnique Institute CS

⏳𝓝𝓪𝓶𝓮
――――――――――

(and nickname, if applicable)

⏳𝓣𝓲𝓽𝓵𝓮
――――――――――

(and nickname, if applicable)

⏳𝓐𝓰𝓮
――――――――――

(18+; graduate at 18)

⏳𝓖𝓮𝓷𝓭𝓮𝓻
――――――――――

Male, female, etc

⏳𝓐𝓹𝓹𝓮𝓪𝓻𝓪𝓷𝓬𝓮
――――――――――

(textual description)

⏳𝓢𝓬𝓱𝓸𝓸𝓵
――――――――――

(if applicable)

⏳𝓖𝓾𝓲𝓵𝓭
――――――――――

(if applicable)

⏳𝓖𝓲𝓯𝓽
――――――――――

(basically just elaborate on their abilities)

⏳𝓞𝓬𝓬𝓾𝓹𝓪𝓽𝓲𝓸𝓷
――――――――――

(what they do for a living)

⏳𝓟𝓮𝓻𝓼𝓸𝓷𝓪𝓵𝓲𝓽𝔂
――――――――――

(bullet form or paragraph)

⏳𝓦𝓱𝔂 𝔀𝓸𝓾𝓵𝓭 𝓒𝓪𝓹𝓽𝓪𝓲𝓷 𝓚𝓲𝓷𝓰𝓼𝓯𝓸𝓻𝓭 𝓬𝓸𝓷𝓽𝓪𝓬𝓽 𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓶?
――――――――――

(self-explanatory)

⏳𝓟𝓻𝓮𝓯𝓮𝓻𝓻𝓮𝓭 𝓦𝓮𝓪𝓹𝓸𝓷
――――――――――

(guns, knives, poison, garrotes, et cetera)

⏳𝓟𝓻𝓮𝓯𝓮𝓻𝓻𝓮𝓭 𝓜𝓮𝓽𝓱𝓸𝓭 𝓸𝓯 𝓒𝓸𝓷𝓯𝓻𝓸𝓷𝓽𝓪𝓽𝓲𝓸𝓷
――――――――――

(self-explanatory)

⏳𝓕𝓪𝓿𝓸𝓻𝓲𝓽𝓮 𝓒𝓵𝓪𝓼𝓼(𝓮𝓼) 𝓪𝓽 𝓢𝓬𝓱𝓸𝓸𝓵
――――――――――

(see the "sample classes" section, or make up your own!)

⏳𝓑𝓲𝓸𝓰𝓻𝓪𝓹𝓱𝔂
――――――――――

(at least one paragraph)

⏳𝓔𝓿𝓲𝓵 𝓖𝓮𝓷𝓲𝓾𝓼 𝓛𝓮𝓿𝓮𝓵 𝓪𝓽 𝓖𝓻𝓪𝓭𝓾𝓪𝓽𝓲𝓸𝓷
――――――――――

(Evil Genius, Vengeful Genius, Spiteful Genius, Reprobate Genius, Discourteous Genius, or Mildly Rude Genius)

⏳𝓞𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓻
――――――――――

(add anything you want)

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Madame Geraldine's

Millinery and Machinations • Deadly Doilies and Other High-Impact Weaponry • Curtsies, Conspiracies, and Comportment • Bladed Fan Dueling and Parasol Pummeling • Guns, Swords, and Other Unseemly Weapons of Last Resort • Polite and Impolite Piloting for a Proper Young Pirate • Medicinal Mixtures and Potent Poisons for the Advanced Healer • Applying Etiquette to Espionage • Death, Dancing, and Diversions • Pistols and Petticoats • Ball Gowns and Betrayals • Fashion, Firearms, and Fisticuffs for a Young Lady of Quality • World Languages • Fainting, Flirting, and Finishing • Fatal Florals • The Lethal Application of Hatpins and Hair Sticks • Puddings and Preemptive Poisonings • Covert Cravat-Noosing • Pastries: Poisonous and Projectile • Tea-time Tact and Tactics • Discreet Deceit for a Young Lady of Quality • Locks and Lock-Picking for the Advanced Craftswoman • "Finishing" a Man (and Getting Away With It) • The Fine Art of Finishing Others • Strategic Seduction • Stealing Secrets for the Advanced Scholar • Advanced Principles of Deceit • Tactical Fashions

The Polytechnique Institute

Waistcoats and Weaponry • Explosive Chemistry • Magic, Mathematics, and Myalo • Science: the Good, the Bad, and the Mad • Technology: Treasonous and Theoretical • Advanced Automation • Formulaic Firearms • Alchemy and Automatons • Machinery: Magical, Murderous, and Mundane • Building, Piloting, and Hijacking Dirigibles and Other Flying Machines • Aeronautical Mechanics • Nefarious Narcotics for a Deranged Doctor • Heinous Histories • Corporate Espionage and Lethal Contraptions • Potent Plagiarism • Developing Tragic Flaws, Burning Passions, and Unstoppable Ambitions • Maintaining a Suitably Chaotic Laboratory • Queer Quantum Quibbles •D eadly Plants and Deadlier Poisons • Cipher-Cracking and Rudimentary Espionage • On Selecting Henchman and Going Insane • Developing Suitably Atrocious Manners

testing stuff

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𝓑e respectful of everyone involved

𝓐t least one paragraph per post

𝓐BSOLUTELY NO ANIME FACECLAIMS. IF YOU HAVE AN ANIME FACECLAIM I WILL BE EXTREMELY TRIGGERED AND PERSONALLY SEND YOU A PM IN ALL CAPS WITH NO PUNCTUATION TELLING YOU THAT YOU FREAKING SUCK (just kidding, lmao. But seriously-no anime). Realistic photographs/art is fine

𝓘f you can't post for a while, are dropping out, etc please just let us know! It's perfectly alright-RL is a bitch sometimes

𝓟lease first post character sheets in OOC; after you are accepted, feel free to move to CS

𝓘'm aware that there's a TON of lore. Please at least read through the "lore" section in first post; everything after that is not directly relevant and mostly just there for reference

𝓒haracters from other cities/who did not attend either school are allowed; please discuss your ideas with me and @shylarah first, though

𝓜ax of four characters, for now

𝓐nything R-rated should be kept to PMs

𝓘f you have other ideas/questions about the world and the lore, feel free to get in touch with either me or @shylarah! We're definitely open to new ideas and stuff

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Discord Link

coming when i'm back in the states and discord isn't blocked :^)

Various Fun Aesthetics (yay!)

𝓟interest 𝓑oards: general steampunk aesthetic, PYKM aesthetic, Gail Carriger's official Pinterest board, Carriger's official Tumblr blog

testing stuff

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The Wastelands (Quarreling Quartet)

𝓣he Wastelands is an arid region to the northwest of Hourglass City, plagued with oppressive heat and a brutal wind. There is not much to be found in the Wastelands other than sand and grit, as well as industrial waste. Rumor has it that all this industrial waste has given rise to a new type of magic nicknamed “black magic”, but whether these rumors are true or not is unknown. The ruins of the four Wasteland Cities-Gearinggate Harbor, Obsididrift, Terraburn, and Steamfall City-are still standing as well.

𝓣he four cities once dominated the northwestern portion of the Known World. The formidable upper branch of the Clockwork Cliffs isolates what was once known as the Quarreling Quartet from the south, and the enigmatic clockwork forest separates the Quarreling Quartet from the mysterious city of Ravenmire and the rather unremarkable city of Ashdale in the east.

𝓢teamfall City was a city located slightly inland from the coast of the Brassmere Ocean, known for their prowess with all things flying. Airships and hot air balloons and winged carriages dominated their skies. On the ground, quaint, vividly painted buildings lined the neat cobblestone streets. Flowers bloomed and children laughed. Strangely enough, Steamfall City's textile industry was one of the best in the Known World, and trade thrived in the whimsical city of color.

𝓖earinggate Harbor was quite the opposite of Steamfall City; while its northern neighbor had hardly any industry save for its hand-sewn hats and gowns, Gearinggate Harbor dominated all things mechanical. Grey city streets crowded with factories and smokestacks churned out tons of consumer commodities each day. Gearinggate Harbor was considered the leader of modern science in its day; it was in Gearinggate Harbor that mechanical wings and mechanical animals and even mechanical humans were first created.

𝓣erraburn was located at the foot of the upper branch of the Clockwork Mountains. Legend says that thousands of years ago, a powerful "underground volcano" exploded and enveloped the northwest in a flames, which gradually subsided as time went on. However, this explosion cleared a patch of land for a city of fire-sorcerers and sorceresses who drew their energy from the sacred underground flame. Flame magic is what Terraburn is most notorious for; indeed, behind swirling scarlet silk and vibrant orange candles, the factories of Terraburn produce some of the most devastating explosives in all of the Known World.

𝓕inally, Obsididrift was built near huge obsidian deposits created by Terraburn's infamous underground volcano. Although the inhabitants of this city have moved away from their ancient ways rooted in all things obsidian, Obsididrift is still renowned for its obsidian blades and obsidian jewelry and obsidian pottery. Largely an expansionist power, the Obsidian Council has wrested a large swath of territory in the Clockwork Cliffs from the Minefield Triarchy and devotes much of its resources to mining. Some speculate that what the Obsidian Council is truly after is the Triarchy's source of magical energy.

𝓐s their nickname suggests, the Quarreling Quartet was quite quarrelsome indeed. After fighting centuries of wars, the four cities brokered an uneasy peace that only lasted for seventy-five years. Tensions strained by secret alliances and international politics and economic deals exploded into the catastrophic Wasteland Wars, which ended with the release of dangerous amounts of dark energy into the world and the downfall of all four cities. Nowadays, the Notorious Northwest is known as the Wastelands, and all that remains of the Quarrelsome Quartet-now called the Wasteland Cities-are deserted ruins.

The Minefield Triarchy+League of the Armored Parasol

𝓣he three cities of the Minefield Triarchy includes Slateton City, which lies in between the Stone Sisters (a thriving mining city and where most mined goods destined for overseas markets begin their journey down the Sisters); Ironstead Point, a large city that thrives on the mining industry (many processing plants that purify the mined substances are located here); and Ebonfort, where goods from the Clockwork Cliffs make their final stop before being shipped across the Steam Sea. Like Slateton City and Ironstead Point, Ebonfort has grown exponentially due to the mining industry.

𝓣he Minefield Triarchy is a loose confederation consisting of three city-states and their subsequent mining villages and colonies. The three main city-states of the Triarchy-Ebonfort, Ironstead Point, and Slateton City-forged an economic alliance in order to maximize profits and create a virtual monopoly on the mining industry north of the Steam Sea. Ebonfort is the last stop for all Triarchy goods before they are shipped out to the rest of the Known World, and it is the largest and most powerful of the Triarchy cities. As such, Ebonfort is the unofficial capital of the Minefield Triarchy.

𝓣he Triarchy is governed by by pure laissez-faire capitalism. The central government is made of eight Barons and Baronesses, all of whom are extremely, extremely wealthy, either from the lucrative mining industry or from the extensive foreign trade that the Triarchy's air-merchants are leading players in.

𝓣he Triarchy may seem to be solely an economic power, but the industrialists of the Triarchy have an important and potent source of magical energy: they extract magic from the rocks that they mine. Slateton City's main industry is mining, and it rules over many mining villages scattered throughout the Clockwork Cliffs. Ironstead Point is known for its factories and refineries, and it purifies much of what is mined out of the Clockwork Cliffs. Finally, Ebonfort sits on the coast of the Steam Sea, and its location has made it into a prosperous port city. Anything exported from the Minefield Triarchy is exported out of Ebonfort.

𝓣he Triarchy established a colony known as Copperton in 1843 and conquered Ashdale in 1860. It is still unclear what the Triarchy has been doing with Ashdale. The Triachy is notorious for its use of spies, and unknown to the rest of the Known World, the Triarchy has been sending spies to Hourglass City since as early as 1850 with the intent of conquering it. The Triarchy wants to gain access to Hourglass City's source of magic, which they believe is a chasm underneath the city.

𝓣he Triarchy's own source of magical energy is buried deep beneath the Clockwork Cliffs, and they believe it is some sort of chasm as well. The Triarchy has not found the chasm yet, but they have noticed that rocks mined from a certain area appear to have absorbed some of the magical energy, and scientists have perfected a process of extracting the magical energy from the rocks in the refineries of Ironstead Point. There is not very much magic extracted from the rocks, but even small amounts are very powerful. Those who can afford it purchase vials of pure magic and wear it on their person to give them the ability to use the magic; those who can't afford it simply must go without.

𝓣he magical abilities given to to the wearers of the vials must be honed and perfected just like any other ability. Triarchy magic-users are able to manipulate all forms of earth, including those found in metals. The Triarchy is notorious for its ruthlessly capitalistic policies, which can be seen by how they are basically blowing up the portions of the Clockwork Cliffs that they own in order to locate the magic chasm.

𝓣here is not very much known about the Triarchy's mineral magic other than the fact that it is very, very destructive.

Refugees from Ravenmire have discovered that the Triarchy and the Order have forged an alliance, presumably so that they can share access to the magic chasm that is believed to be beneath Hourglass City once they have conquered it.

𝓣he Barons and Baronesses:

• Henrietta Silverbourne (from Ebonfort, specializes in foreign trade)
• Ezekiel Copperfield (from Ebonfort, specializes in foreign trade)
• Theodore Bronzeworth (from Ebonfort, specializes in intra-Triarchy trade)
• Philander Golding-Brassmott (from Slateton City, specializes in mining)
• Iphigenia Sterling (from Slateton City, specializes in mining)
• Mortimer Diamonding (from Ironstead Point, specializes in refineries)
• Edwina Bradford (from Ironstead Point, specializes in refineries)
• Obediah Goldsett-Silvers (from Ironstead Point, specializes in intra-Triarchy trade)

𝓣he eight Barons/Baronesses each have their own "territory" in any one of the three cities (Ebonfort, Ironstead Point, and Slateton City). They hire groups of mercenaries to defend their goods from other Barons/Baronesses and to keep peace in their separate territories, though when these mercenary groups join together against a common enemy, they make quite the formidable opponent.

𝓣he League of the Armored Parasol, however, serves the Triarchy as a whole instead of one single Baron/Baroness (though the Barons and Baronesses will try to curry favor with and occasionally manipulate the League). They are an organization primarily dedicated to espionage, intelligence, and reconnaissance. The Barons and Baronesses of the Golding-Brassmott and the Silverbourne families hold the most sway over the League, since Golding-Brassmotts and Silverbounes typically leave all their wealth to their oldest children and then send their younger children off to become members of the League.

𝓣he League of the Armored Parasol also had a hand in the founding of Madame Geraldine's Finishing School for Young Ladies of Quality and the Polytechnique Insitute of Arts and Sciences, though the extent of their involvement is unclear.

Ravenmire

𝓡avenmire is a city just to the north of the Clockwork Cliffs. It is a city that was once great but now collapsing onto itself due to the corrupt government's continued use of "black magic" that reached the city through the Half-Soot Forest. The city itself has been completely sealed off from the rest of the Known World (and it was very isolationist before the current government instated itself), so life mages and necromancers outside of Ravenmire have always been an uncommon sight.

𝓡avenmire was a city divided into life mages and necromancers, a city of light and dark, life and death, day and night. A city where white magic and black magic hung in a careful, delicate balance until the sinister byproducts of the catastrophic Wasteland Wars floated through their gates and infested their harmonious society with darkness and corruption. Insidious remnants of dead souls have taken over the minds of the necromancers and slaughtered the life mages. The few free necromancers and life mages that remain have fled the city, knowing full well that they will never return unless they defeat the terrifyingly powerful Order of Shadows...and they have promised their enslaved brothers and sisters that they will either emerge victorious or die trying.

𝓡avenmire is a city divided into two distinct sectors: the life mages and the necromancers. Life mages have light skin and light hair. They have the ability to manipulate pure energy, and with this ability, life mages can make things grow and give them life. Unbeknownst to outsiders, a life mage's source of power comes from Lustrya, or "white magic". Lustrya is inherently good and it is impossible to use it for harm.

𝓝ecromancers have dark skin and dark hair. They have the ability to manipulate or even become shadows and they can communicate with the dead through a series of complex rituals that allow the dead to send them visions. After necromancers die, they are able to "possess" the body of another necromancer and come back to life briefly if the second necromancer gives them permission to. A necromancer's source of power comes from Myalo, or "black magic". Myalo is inherently evil and corrupting. Necromancers spend years learning how to keep their Myalo from taking over their mind and soul.

𝓑oth Lustrya and Myalo originate from the brain. Lustrya can be seen as an embodiment of the good in humans, while Myalo can be seen as an embodiment of the evil. Lustrya can be extracted from the human brain with the same procedure as Myalo, however, once Lustrya is extracted it is much harder to isolate because it is practically invisible, while Myalo is black and viscous. Life mages and necromancers have learned how to harness the "mind energy" that they're born with, meaning that they need no external source of magical energy like the Minefield Triarchy or Hourglass City.

𝓕or centuries, life mages and necromancers lived in harmony. However, during the Wasteland Wars, the outpouring of Myalo from the Wasteland Cities as they churned out automatons disturbed the delicate balance of Lustrya and Myalo in Ravenmire. The sudden influx of dark energy corrupted the minds of the necromancers, and with the collapse of the four Wasteland Cities, Shades began looking for new hosts and new sources of shadow energy to feed on, which led them right to Ravenmire. They found that there was plenty of shadow energy in Ravenmire to feed on despite the fact that they had never heard of a shadow jar, since the necromancers were skilled users of shadow energy. The Shades first began to infest the necromancers, who were the most susceptible to the Shades. The Shades quickly took control of the necromancer side of the government and military, and they soon directed their attention to the life mages, who were harder to control due to the fact that Lustrya cancels out Myalo, to some extent. The Shades enslaved what life mages that they could and slaughtered the ones that they couldn't control. Once their conquest of Ravenmire was complete, the leaders of the Shades absorbed an elixir made from both Myalo and Lustrya, which gave them the ability to function without a host. They then established the Order of Shadows (usually referred to as the Order of Ravenmire or simply the Order) and built massive shadow energy generators. Finally, they shut the gates of Ravenmire to the world, keeping people from leaving or entering. This occurred in 1870.

𝓓uring the initial onslaught of Shade infestations, which began around 1860, waves of both life mages and necromancers fled the city and hid from the Order in cities spread out all across the Known World. They have established an extensive network of contacts and spies and allies with the intent of one day overthrowing the powerful Order and taking their city back.

Other Noteworthy Locations

𝓣he Half-Soot Forest got its name after Terraburn obliterated Steamfall City with a series of catastrophic explosions during the Wasteland Wars. Most of what was once a healthy forest immediately turned to ash. Half of the remaining trees are now blackened and charred, while the other half managed to escape the damage. It was previously known simply as "the Great Forest".

𝓐shdale is a city located in a valley in the Clockwork Cliffs. It prospers off of trading precious and semi-precious minerals as well as mining. The Minefield Triarchy conquered and annexed Ashdale in 1860.

𝓣he Clockwork Cliffs is a mountain range that splits off into two "branches" in the west. Many valuable substances can be mined from its depths. The "branches" were formed when a series of mudslides, avalanches, and earthquakes rocked the world during the Wasteland Wars. These branches are a huge conglomeration of rock and technological junk, as the events that created the branches also destroyed cities where they stood. The Clockwork Cliffs are rich in natural resources such as wood and copper. Parts of the Clockwork Cliffs contain magical energy created naturally lying within the rocky depths.

𝓒oalgate is a city located near the edge of Grimebury Grove famous for its sheer industrial might. The industrial output of Coalgate far exceeds that of even Hourglass City. Factories in Coalgate churn out wheels and airships and clothing twenty-four hours a day and seven days a week. It is said that neither the machinery nor the factory workers of Coalgate never sleep.

𝓖rimebury Grove is a large, uninhabited area whose trees have darkened due to the pollution produced by Coalgate. Coalgate and Hourglass City signed a pact a couple decades ago pledging not to cut down any of the remaining trees in Grimebury Grove. Most of the land in Grimebury Grove is filled with brush and impossible to navigate on foot. In recent years, the presence of a strange purple wildflower in Grimebury Grove has been noted.

𝓑rassham City lies on the end of the Brassmere Peninsula. It is renowned for its excellent technology sector that rivals that of Hourglass City itself, as well as its prosperous underground market that sells all manner of illicit goods-usually having to do with less-than-ethical medical procedures or technology.

𝓣he Stone Sisters are two rivers that flow from the Clockwork Cliffs and into the Steam Sea. They got their name from the fact that most of the goods that are transported down these rivers have been mined out of the ground.

𝓣he Ashfort River flows through fertile and arable lands into the Steam Sea. It is famous for the three grand bridges that are located at its widest points. These bridges allow the passage of goods from one side of the river to the other.

𝓟itchport Harbor is located where the Ashfort River meets the Steam Sea. Pitchport Harbor has grown fabulously wealthy due to its advantageous location and its participation in trade. Visitors and merchants report strange sightings of half-human, half-machine mermaids that swim through the city's watery streets (indeed, Pitchport Harbor is in actuality a series of small islands connected by canals).

𝓐shbourne is widely regarded as the primary exporter of food and alcoholic beverages along the Steam Sea. The city itself is surrounded by acres and acres of fields made fertile by the Ashfort River.

𝓒opperton lies to the east of the Emberrath Peaks. As its name suggests, Copperton's main export is copper mined from the Emberrath Peaks. It is a colony of the Minefield Triarchy, established in 1843.

𝓣he Emberrath Peaks is a mountain range that separates a desert from more temperate lands. Many precious and semi-precious metals can be mined here, including copper.

𝓣he Bronze Quarters is known for its finely manufactured handicrafts made from metals and minerals mined out of the Emberrath Peaks. It actively engages in overseas trade and does a great deal of business with Brassham City. Many of the products coming out of the Bronze Quarters are also used to make machine parts and airships across the Steam Sea.

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1852-The Wasteland Wars begin (Steamfall City, Terraburn, Obsididrift, and Gearinggate Harbor are battling each other for economic dominance in the region)

1853-The first successful clockwork man is developed in the Wasteland city of Gearinggate Harbor by using a combination of technology and black magic to bind the mechanical to the organic. This marks the start of an “arms race” to acquire as many automatons as possible in the Wasteland Cities

1857-Gearinggate Harbor is completely overrun by the black magic that was initially used to create the automatons; this also is when Shades (created when the black magic failed to bind the machinery to the host) make their first appearance. Shades are set free into the region and the successful automatons seemingly self-destruct due to the overload of black magic coming in, adding to the Shade population

1857-Steamfall City is reduced to ruins when Terraburn, a city infamous for its munitions productions, drops a series of devastating bombs on Steamfall City

1859-The conclusion of the Wasteland Wars is reached when Obsididrift launches an all-out attack on Terraburn using automatons; the two cities battle it out until the last man, clockwork and human, completing the creation of the Wastelands

1861-The first experiments with automation in Hourglass City begin; wealthy scientists kidnap poor people from the streets and experiment on in order to find a way around the elusive black magic of the Wasteland Cities, which the scientists of Hourglass City have not been exposed to at all

1865-After a series of ongoing arguments in between the rich, the poor, and the moderates that began as a dispute over the ethics and legality of the automation experiments but soon escalated into a class-conflict situation, automatons are outlawed. As part of the deal, the wealthy scientists are required to destroy and disassemble all their automation experiments. They end up dumping the remains of their automatons-which never fully worked because they did not have access to the advanced black magic used by Gearinggate Harbor-into the Wastelands

1892-RP begins

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Shades and Automatons

(𝓢poiler alert: Lucius Elliot is actually an automaton (though he doesn't know it)-more info will be revealed as RP progresses)

𝓐utomatons are animated with Myalo, which must be extracted from a living human's brain. The original personality of said human is not retained.

"𝓢hades”, aka “shadow spirits” are made from the same black magic that Lucius is animated with. They are the remnants of the black magic released when the Myalo of the human minds did not combine with the clockwork bodies during the automation experimentation phase that Gearinggate Harbor went through. A Shade can carry a silent conversation with a host.

𝓢hades can possess any sentient being by entering it through the ear canal and then wrapping themselves around the brain. They get access to the person’s memories and skills, which makes it extremely hard to tell if people are possessed or not because they will most likely seem to be perfectly normal.

𝓢hades need to “feed” on shadow essences, otherwise they become weak and unable to maintain control over their hosts. In order to feed, they must exit the host and go into a special vessel (known as a “shadow jar”) and stay there for about an hour. If they go for more than a week or so without feeding, they start going mad, which usually leads to them performing violent acts. In the final stages of their lives-right before the starvation kills them-Shades will destroy their own hosts in an attempt to get out of the host and into a shadow jar.

𝓘n their natural states, Shades are like very concentrated wisps of black smoke that seem to move on their own accord through the air. In their natural states, they cannot see or hear, but they are able to sense where sentient beings are.

𝓜iscellaneous terminology (probably won't be relevant): Myalo is the scientific name for black magic (which was officially "discovered" by Isaac Silas, a man from Gearinggate Harbor), centri-filtration is a procedure used to filter out raw Myalo after the cerebral matter has been broken down by Chlrika (a mixture of substances that will break down the cells and stuff in the human brain), clockwork compatibilization is infusing raw Myalo with the ‘essence’ of electricity in order to try to get the clockwork body to more easily accept the Myalo of the human brain.

Magic and Miscellaneous Facts

𝓣hree main types of magical energy exist in the Known World-

𝓣he first is the natural energy drawn from the Earth, absorbed in the rock and soil over thousands and thousands of years (the Triarchy calls their extracted, purified version "mineral magic").

𝓣he second is the dark energy present in the human mind (known officially as "Myalo", known colloquially as "black magic" or "mind energy").

𝓣he third is the pure energy present in the human soul, but extracted from the mind (known officially as "Lustrya", known colloquially as "white magic" or "life force").

𝓞ther forms of magic include what the fire-sorcerers and sorceresses of Terraburn used before the city was destroyed in the Wasteland Wars, and the enigmatic magic of the citizens of Pitchport Harbor. As far as anyone from Hourglass City knows, they get their gifts from an underground chasm filled with the first type of magic, spread over the entire city with generators. Only the Council (and a few select individuals, most of whom are dead) know that this isn't quite the case.

𝓣he Council is the supreme law of Hourglass City, but the Minsters of each Guild (handpicked by the Council) run the day-to-day affairs of the city. The identities of the Councillors are unknown by the general populace, as is the method that they are "selected"

𝓓uring the Wasteland Wars of the 1850s, the four cities involved raced to build automatons animated by dark energy drawn from the human mind-Myalo. An innumerable amount of people lost their lives and souls to serve as an animating force for an automaton soldier, as Myalo had to be extracted from a living mind to work properly. Even so, it was not always guaranteed that the Myalo would bind properly with the clockwork body. When the Myalo and the mechanical brain didn't combine as needed, the Myalo turned from a black, viscous substance to a wispy, semi-transparent substance resembling black smoke. These "shades" (as they were nicknamed) were thought to be dead and inanimate.

𝓐 bit of Lustrya-a bit of white magic, a bit of pure, concentrated life force-escaped out of the city, and it floated through the Half-Soot Forest to the barren northwest, which was now known as the Wastelands. When the Lustrya combined with the Shades, they should have cancelled each other out-they were light and dark, black and white, complementary magical opposites-but Lustrya was meant to cancel out pure Myalo, not the wispy remnants of it that were left after a failed experiment. Instead, the Lustrya gave the Shades life.

𝓣he Shades quickly spread out from the Wastelands-east, towards Ravenmire, mostly. They were a terrifying force, for they could slither into a person's ear and effectively take control of their victims, but their presence in Ravenmire was concerning because they disrupted the careful balance of Lustrya and Myalo in the city. Lustrya for life mages, Myalo for necromancers-soon, the excess Myalo had corrupted the minds of the necromancers, turning them ruthless and greedy, and they infested the minds of life mages, slaughtering those that they couldn't enslave. Life mages and the occasional necromancer fled the city in waves until the Order of Shadows (the new government of Shades and necromancers) sealed the city off from the entire Known World.

𝓣he Shades went southward, too, to Hourglass City. They took over the minds of the Council and drank an elixir of pure Lustrya and more exotic substances from the East, giving them eternal life and the ability to function without a host. The Council is no more than a group of glorified Shades, but nobody knows that.

testing stuff

𝒜 𝓈𝓉𝑒𝒶𝓂𝓅𝓊𝓃𝓀 𝓇𝑜𝓁𝑒𝓅𝓁𝒶𝓎 𝑜𝒻 𝓅𝑒𝓉𝓉𝒾𝒸𝑜𝒶𝓉𝓈, 𝓅𝑜𝒾𝓈𝑜𝓃, 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓅𝓇𝑜𝓅𝓇𝒾𝑒𝓉𝓎

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"𝓜y dear, you kill a man remarkably efficiently, but you simply must refrain from getting dirt all over your gown. It's quite unseemly, if I say so myself."

-𝓛ady Katherine Golding-Brassmott, an instructor of music and creative arts, intelligence gathering, principles of deceit, fundamental espionage, and rudimentary seduction at Madame Geraldine's Finishing School for Young Ladies of Quality, to the then-Miss Adrianna Kingsford

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(𝓘nspired by Gail Carriger's AMAZING books; GM is @ayzrules and co-GM is @shylarah)

𝓘t's one thing to dance properly. It's quite another to dance properly while poisoning your partner and robbing him of all his valuables.

𝓦hat is a young lady of quality ("quality" being a relative term) or a respectable gentleman ("respectable" also being a relative term) to do when they are summoned (by the Supreme Commander himself, no less!) to the heart of the city's military district in order to deal with "a matter of utmost importance?"

𝓒ancel all other appointments as swiftly as an ill-timed invitation throws the entire room into an awkward silence, I'd imagine, and immediately reply in an appropriately courteous manner. Some may argue that one should first discreetly dispose of the summons before writing a reply, to prevent gossipy siblings and nosy acquaintances from acquiring the sensitive information. Others may argue that penning a response can wait until after the Scholar Minister's ball, because it is going to be the event of the year, or perhaps it can wait until after one has stolen a small fortune from an arrogant air-merchant.

𝓑ut the truth of the matter is that our prosperous home, the thriving metropolis of Hourglass City, is in grave danger. Dark magic is afoot, rival cities are growing restless, mad scientists are becoming decidedly more mad, and you know what they say-if you want something said, you go to a man, but if you want something done in the politest way possible, you find a woman.

𝓛et's get to work, ladies and gentlemen. We've got a city to save (and refreshments will be provided)!

𝓦ar is coming.

𝓣he powerful Barons and Baronesses of the Minefield Triarchy has had its eyes on Hourglass City for a long time now, but they are finally beginning to act. Hourglass City's notoriously secretive Council, however, have been watching the Triarchy. And like it or not, tensions are about to explode in quite possibly the most impolite way possible.

𝓣he impeding war is not the only thing to be worried about, though. Indeed, a dangerous, corrupting form of "mind energy"-known as Myalo by scientists and as black magic by the rest of society-was released into the world thirty-some years ago, by scientists experimenting with automation. Although automatons have been widely labelled as dangerous and altogether unethical by the entirety of the Known World, for some reason, a scientist by the name of Lucius Elliot has decided to try his hand at creating them. There have also been a suspicious series of murders and robberies and disappearances...a coincidence? The honorable Captain Kingsford doesn't think so.

𝓕ighting the war is for soldiers. Winning the war will be up to intelligencers and mad scientists.

𝓒aptain Adrianna Iphigenia Kingsford of the Aeronaut Guild has been tasked with putting together a team to get to the bottom of the conspiracies and rumors and strange occurrences surrounding one mad scientist and his automatons, and of course, there is no one else she would go to besides her former classmates from Madame Geraldine's Finishing School for Young Ladies of Quality, also known (among a select few circles, of course) as the top academy for etiquette and espionage. And along the way, she has picked up a few respectable gentlemen graduates of the Polytechnique Institute of Arts and Sciences (a school for training evil geniuses, mad scientists, and maybe even the occasional productive member of society). No matter what happens, Captain Kingsford is determined to get the bottom of this...with all the courtesy and propriety expected of a lady in polite society, of course.

𝓐rmed to the teeth with fatal flattery, mutinous manners, and poisonous propriety, as well as a couple of well-hidden bladed fans and not-so-well-hidden weapons of mass destruction built in a suitably chaotic laboratories, the graduates of Madame Geraldine's and the Polytechnique Institute are more than ready to take on their foes. Getting this group of highly dangerous individuals to work together, however, is a whole different story.

𝓒aptain Kingsford sincerely hopes that her investigation has nothing to do with the war. But as she and her band of spies, assassins, and scientists delve deeper into the secrets of dark magic and treacle tart (perfecting the recipe takes more work than you'd think!), the threads start to become more and more intertwined...and as Captain Kingsford is quickly finding as they try unravel the stubbornly tangled threads of this mystery, nothing is at all what it seems.

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𝓗ourglass City is reminiscent of Victorian London; think big, poofy dresses and cravats and teahouses and factories. However, it should be noted that Hourglass City is a totally made-up steampunk city-the aesthetics are more brown/copper than grey/black. Hourglass City is ruled over by the Council, a shadowy group of five individuals that reign supreme over the city. Nobody really knows how they are selected, they are just always there. The Council then hand-picks five Ministers to run the day-to-day affairs of the city, and these Ministers are considered the leaders of each Guild.

𝓐lthough not everyone in Hourglass City is formally initiated into a Guild, everybody is born with a gift (essentially a special ability/superpower) that usually dictates which Guild one will join. Intermarriage between Guilds is allowed, and theoretically, what gift one is born with is random (however, children tend to have gifts related to those of their parents in some way, shape, or form). These gifts are derived from magical energy emanating from a chasm deep underneath the city (up until twenty or so years ago, anyway. But shhhhh). To officially become a part of the Guild, applying for initiation is required, and usually granted automatically once someone has completed their education.

𝓝ote that just because somebody is born with the gift of healing, it doesn't necessarily guarantee that they will go on to join the Apothecary Guild; everybody has the freedom to choose which Guild they join. Guilds are usually comprised of the well-to-do, though there are certainly people of common birth who are able to join. However, most of the poor and commonborn are never initiated into a Guild because it requires that one go through many years of education and official training. Graduates of Madame Geraldine's and the Polytechnique Institute are automatically granted admission to the Guild of their choice after they finish their schooling.

𝓝obility exists, loosely (think ASOIAF-style); there are lords and ladies and such, and Ministers are automatically elevated to nobility once they accept the position.

The Guilds (typical powers in brackets)

𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓐𝓮𝓻𝓸𝓷𝓪𝓾𝓽 𝓖𝓾𝓲𝓵𝓭 {enhanced physical abilities}
The Aeronaut Guild serves as the police force and military of Hourglass City. They run the police station, patrol the streets at night, and protect the inhabitants of the city from any outside invaders. Being a member of the Aeronaut Guild is essentially being a soldier; Aeronauts are trained in various forms of combat, taught how to skillfully pilot airships, and are given military ranks after they are initiated. The basic premise of their typical gifts are enhanced physical abilities; this manifests itself in Aeronauts in many different ways, such as super speed or augmented senses.

Being born with the abilities typical of the Guild does not mean that someone is automatically going to join the military. It just so happens that most people who are born with enhanced physical abilities decide to be formally initiated into the Guild, then pursue a military/police career. Some Aeronauts also serve as investigators and tacticians for the military as well. A few branches of the military include ground patrol, air-navy, and reconnaissance/espionage.

𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓐𝓹𝓸𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓬𝓪𝓻𝔂 𝓖𝓾𝓲𝓵𝓭 {healing}
The Apothecary Guild is composed of the healers and medicine-makers of Hourglass City. They run the apothecaries, the sick houses, and hospitals located in the city. People who usually join the Apothecary Guild have the gift of healing. There are two classes of healers: Pathocura (disease-healers) and Meracura (wound-healers). Patho-healers’ hands glow a fiery red color as they infuse healing properties into medicines, and they also are very good with plants and herbs. Mera-healers shoot amber sparks from their fingertips as they directly heal wounds. A highly-skilled group of healers are assigned positions in the emergency response team, which partners with the ground patrol branch of the Aeronaut Guild.

𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓒𝓻𝓪𝓯𝓽𝓼𝓶𝓮𝓷 𝓖𝓾𝓲𝓵𝓭 {metal "bending"}
The Craftsmen Guild is made of the artisans of Hourglass City. They make everything from clockwork toys to silk petticoats. It is the Craftsmen Guild that designs cybernetic parts, especially mechanical wings for the Merchant Guild, and the Craftsmen Guild frequently teams up with other Guilds in order to implement the mass-production of their designs. They are generally considered to be the most creative and innovative of the five Guilds. People who usually join the Craftsmen Guild are gifted with the ability to manipulate metals. They are usually clock-makers, tailors/seamstresses, toymakers, mechanics, and the like, though there is certainly a wide variety of occupations that a Craftsman can have, ranging from running a munitions factory to sewing and painting.

𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓜𝓮𝓻𝓬𝓱𝓪𝓷𝓽 𝓖𝓾𝓲𝓵𝓭 {communicating with machines}
The Merchant Guild is primarily made up of the air-merchants and the airship crews of Hourglass City. The members of the Merchant Guild are responsible for maintaining the flow of goods going in and out of the city. They are also experts with hot air balloons and airships. The Merchants run the airship docks and the marketplace, as well as the tavern, since many of their imports include alcoholic drinks. Their typical gift is the ability to communicate with machinery, and like the Aeronaut Guild, this ability manifests itself in Merchants in various different ways. Only Merchants are capable of using mechanical wings because of their connection to machinery.

𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓢𝓬𝓱𝓸𝓵𝓪𝓻 𝓖𝓾𝓲𝓵𝓭 {enhanced mental/cerebral abilities}
The Scholar Guild is made up of intellectuals and scientists. There are record-keepers, writers, accountants, mathematicians, inventors, engineers, and mechanics that all belong to this Guild. Scholars usually have enhanced mental abilities (such as natural photographic memory or computer perception) and abilities relating to the brain and mind (some rarer ones include basic telepathy and sensing emotions). Scholars are historians, paper-shufflers, tax collectors, judges, researchers, custom officials, and innovators, just to name a few. The Scholar Guild is the largest Guild in Hourglass City. The Guild is split into two sub-branches; the Scholarly Society (led by the Head Archivist) and the Society of Science (led by the Head Scientist).

Districts

𝓣here are six major districts in the city, and each district is devoted to a specific Guild.


𝓒𝓲𝓷𝓭𝓮𝓻𝓰𝓪𝓽𝓮 is the district that houses the apothecaries and sick houses of Hourglass City. The Apothecary Guild also conducts medical research and creates new medicines in a large research facility near the center of the district. The architecture of Cindergate is very quaint, and there is evidence of an Oriental influence in its buildings, which can be explained by the fact that a lot of the medicines used by healers were adapted from Eastern concoctions. The layer of smoke is at its thinnest in Cindergate, and as a result, most buildings are not more than four or five stories high and walkways stretching across the spaces in between buildings are relatively rare.


𝓐𝓾𝓽𝓸𝓶𝓪𝓱𝓪𝓿𝓮𝓷 is the domain of the Society of Science of the Scholar Guild. Opulent meetinghouses and shadowy laboratories mix freely with gritty factories that pump smoke and steam into the polluted air. Automahaven is where the layer of smoke is at its thickest; anyone and everyone who can afford it avoids the streets like the plague. The factories manufacture everything from airship parts to cybernetic enhancements.


𝓝𝓮𝔀 𝓣𝓸𝓹𝓹𝓲𝓷𝓰𝓱𝓪𝓶 is where the Pirate Guild lives and works. In New Toppingham, airships are more commonplace than coaches, and there are more people flying with cybernetic wings than there are people walking. New Toppingham is the place to go if you want to spend the night getting drunk or browse the diverse and expansive marketplace. Airships and hot air balloons can be seen taking off and touching down at all hours.


𝓖𝓮𝓪𝓻𝓼𝓹𝓸𝓻𝓽 is the Craftsmen Guild’s territory. Here, one can find tailors, seamstresses, and hat-makers; artisans, potters, glass-blowers, painters, gadgeteers...the list goes on and on. Colorful, whimsical buildings line the streets of Gearsport, and it is possible to just get lost in the maze of clockwork toys and hand-crafted jewelry and delicate metallic flowers.


𝓡𝓪𝓿𝓮𝓷𝓼𝓯𝓸𝓻𝓭 houses the city's public library, known as Raven’s Watch. The Scholar Guild is tasked with running and maintaining the extensive library and archives. The streets of Ravensford are filled with buildings with a Gothic, medieval touch to them; large, arched windows, towers, spires, and flying buttresses are all commonplace in Ravensford. Out of all six districts, the wealth gap is the lowest in Ravensford.


𝓟𝓮𝓻𝓲𝓹𝓸𝓲𝓷𝓽 is the sector housing the barracks, training facilities, hangars, and offices belonging to the Aeronaut Guild. This is perhaps the most organized and clean district of Hourglass City due to the strict Aeronaut discipline. All the buildings are in good repair, and the walkways that stretch over the streets are uniform in style and design. The architecture of Peripoint features symmetry and straight lines; there is little to no deviation from geometric shapes in the district.

Madame Geraldine's Finishing School For Young Ladies of Quality

_{"Ut acerbus terminus" (To the bitter end)}

𝓜adame Geraldine's appears to be a normal finishing school, but a select group of families/officials know that it is, in reality, a school to train future spies, assassins, ladies of high society, and housewives. Girls who attend Madame Geraldine's are taught all the finer points of both etiquette and espionage; whether you aspire to be an assassin for the Supreme Commander, spy for the Council, or simply conquer the western portion of the Known World, Madame Geraldine's Finishing School for Young Ladies of Quality prepares graduates for for a wide range of career possibilities.

𝓜adame 𝓖eraldine 𝓔therington

• Headmistress; teaches dance, dress, and diversion
• Pronounces "quality" as "quali-tay"
• Loves her girls to pieces
• FC: Poppy Montgomery, Guild: Scholar (Scholarly Society)

𝓛ady 𝓚atherine 𝓖olding-𝓑rassmott

• Teaches music and creative arts, intelligence gathering, principles of deceit, fundamental espionage, and rudimentary seduction
• Related to the Minister of the Pirate Guild
• Rather frivolous
• FC: Charlize Theron, Affiliation: (unofficially) the League of the Armored Parasol of the Minefield Triarchy

𝓓r. 𝓒onstance 𝓓arwood

• Head of household management at Madame Geraldine's; teaches medicinal cures and poisonings and encrypting with flower arrangements
• Related to the Minister of the Apothecary Guild
• Gentle and kind (but she does love her poisons something fierce)
• FC: Paz Vega, Guild: Apothecary (Pathocura)

𝓟rofessor 𝓥ivian 𝓑eggley

• Teaches modern languages, weaponries, modern inventions, and truth extraction
• Severe and intimidating
• Loves machines
• FC: Lucy Liu, Guild: Pirate

𝓟rofessor 𝓩ylphia 𝓦rayburn

• Teaches history, deportment, manners, etiquette, and genteel dress
• Very dignified
• Fashion is everything
• FC: Kerry Washington, Guild: Craftsmen

𝓖eneral 𝓥ictoria 𝓢eward

• Teaches fighting and "finishing"
• Strict
• More knowledgeable about the Council than she should be
• FC: Michelle Fairley, Guild: Aeronaut

The Polytechnique Institute of Arts and Sciences

_{"Oderint dum metuant" (Let them hate, so long as they fear)}

𝓣he Institute, like Madame Geraldine's, appears to be a normal boys' academy, but it is known among select circles as the top school for training future evil geniuses, mad scientists, and the occasional productive member of society. They teach young men how to be evil geniuses, encouraging them to cause mayhem and build sinister gadgetry.

𝓛ord 𝓝athan 𝓗alverson-𝓚ipps

• Headmaster; teaches the philosophies, comportment, and mannerisms needed to become an evil genius
• Cultivates a dark and brooding air but is in reality quite jocular
• Doesn't take too kindly to Madame Geraldine's girls posing as men to attend his academy
• FC: Christian Bale, Guild: Craftsmen

𝓓r. 𝓓emetrius 𝓑owles

• Teaches mathematics, physics, the theoretical sciences, and the life sciences
• Has a passion for outrageous fashion statements
• Very sparkly in a strangely malicious way
• FC: Godfrey Gao, Guild: Scholar (Society of Science)

𝓒aptain 𝓙ulius 𝓟layfoot

• Teaches mechanical and aeronautical engineering, piloting, and airship-hijacking
• Notorious for his deadly gadgets and gizmos
• Strict but charming
• FC: Taye Diggs, Guild: Pirate

𝓟rofessor 𝓣haddeus 𝓗eaton

• Teaches history, methods of plagiarism, rudimentary espionage, and the art of going insane
• A bit absentminded
• Hates the Council for keeping secrets
• FC: Farhan Akhtar, Guild: Scholar (Scholarly Society)

𝓓r. 𝓡oderick 𝓞swald

• Teaches chemistry, poisons and potions, maintaining a mad laboratory, and botany
• Will not eat anything with powdered sugar on it (cyanide is too easily disguised as it)
• Paranoid
• FC: Jake Gyllenhaal, Guild: Apothecary (Pathocura)

𝓜ajor 𝓒alvin 𝓞sborne

• Teaches basic self-defense, weapons development and use, and hiring henchmen
• Loud and commanding
• Supreme Commander Phillip Osborne's estranged brother
• FC: John Leguizamo, Guild: Aeronaut

✢ Affairs of the Court ✢

@Congee quick question-do you have any extra info on war? how long ago did it end?