bloonewb

When Royalty Collides (#YIKES)

Hui-Bawa sent his cheap rental car up the road again, bumping along as it made its way towards the palace gates. He resided in a hotel quite a ways away from any of the tourist hotspots, but that still didn’t dispel the guilt in his head. He was on holiday, or at least that’s how it felt to him, and his people were funding it. Worse yet, he didn’t have a single outfit that fit the nice man who runs the nearest clothing store’s definition of “dressy casual”. The man had tried to explain it to him, but Hui-Bawa could not seem to grasp it, beyond that he didn’t have anything of that category. This meant, of course, that he had to buy some. One less meal for the hardworking Du-Wassi citizen.

Quickly, and with loud protests from the car’s engine, he managed to park the pile of scraps upon one of the designated guest parking spaces. It was a reasonable walk from the gates proper, which Hui-Bawa actually appreciated. A walk might do well to clear his head. With a long leg, he pushed himself towards the entrance, even allowing himself to hum a bit. Admittedly, the day was rather lovely. He would be a fool not to enjoy it. The song was a slow and even tune, an old folk song from home. It paired well with the endless sky and its sun.

The previous night had gone well enough for Leon. Just like he had hoped for, neither he nor Mila had drawn the eye of the ‘journalists’ if Leon could even bring himself to call them that. Sure by the time the welcoming ball was over Mila had become about as red as a tomato but this morning things should be much calmer.

As was usual, Leon found himself waking fairly early. It was a habit he had instilled in himself so that he could seize the day as much as possible. Unfortunately, here in a place not his home his own schedule was much more relaxed than normal so he had way to much free time than he needed. So, he had decided to get a nice long workout. Afterwards he had taken a shower and in order to waste time until brunch he decided to just simply take a walk around the palace. After walking for awhile Leon heard a quite pleasant tune coming from somewhere nearby.

Rounding a corner he saw a man much taller than himself. Leon looked at this man but for some reason could not place a name to the face. He felt like he had seen his picture somewhere before but he just couldn’t remember. Deciding not to be rude Leon introduced himself. ”Hello. I don’t believe we’ve met. I’m Prince Leonard Fords. And may I say that is a fine melody. Do you mind my asking what it’s called?”

A voice called to Hui-Bawa, belonging to a man with a wide smile. Leonard Fords, he said his name was. He returned theirs with one of his own. Is the stranger’s garb a more proper example of “dressy casual”? It was a sharp outfit, and more importantly, fit him better than a glove. Unfortunately, the man at the little clothing store didn’t have anything that quite fit his lanky frame. So once again, he found himself in some too-small outfit, this time a hooded sweater sold secondhand from New Lincoln University, along with a pair of itchy woolen sweatpants.

Leonard was still waiting for a response, so Hui-Bawa felt it best that he give one. “An honour, Lord Leonard. I am called Hui-Bawa Du-Butha Hui-Hooseng.” He extended a hand for the other to shake. “The song, I fear, is without name, for it is a folk song as old as my people. We have never ascribed a name to it, nor any other folk songs. It is a matter of culture.”

”It is an honor to meet you as well.” He reached out and shook the larger man's hand. It was unfortunate that he likely wouldn’t be able to find that tune anywhere else. But it was Hui-Bawa’s people’s song. Leon didn’t mind. ”Well, the events last night were interesting. Did you have a pleasant first day of the festivities?”

“It was . . . certainly an experience,” Hui-Bawa said. This Leonard was a nice man, and Hui-Bawa wanted not to hurt him. Yet, as pleasant as the people were, and as magnificent the setting, the palace, much like his own expansive home, was unable to sit well within him. It was too wealthy, too arrogant, too simply much, to live this life of parties and chocolates and sparkling water. “Everything is so large here. I find myself humbled by these great towers that stretch into the clouds.” He glanced over to the palace gates, standing wide open awaiting their entry. “Come, the weather is sublime, but I would still much rather have this conversation within. Shall we?”

[Collab with alexfangtalon, who is no longer present.]

Magic RP (Open to new players)

Aye, still here. Took a second job in the evenings helping out the local theater. The little time I have left over has so far gone into other RPs. I'll be with this one again soon.

Takanis - A Historically Inspired Fantasy NRP

Shahdom of Kera-Bijan

Name of Nation: Shahdom of Kera-Bijan

Species: While the overwhelming majority of the Kera-Bijani are regular humans, there do exist a large majority of oddities within the outlying regions of the shahdom. There are places where magic is strong, and the climate harsh, so much so that the settlers there have begun to change form to adapt. Those living in the plateaus have become short and thin, so much so that an adult of the mountain people is about the size of a child in the cities. On the other end of the spectrum, those that settled in the steppes have grown into giants, easily reaching three and a half meters, and have gained the ability to subsist on the grass itself. All three races identify strongly as human.

Culture and Religion

Culture: The Kera-Bijani faith revolves around five gods, they being Wise Fire, Wise Water, Wise Air, Wise Wood, and Wise Metal. Originally, the five kept supreme control over the universe, and the earth was paradise. The gods created a human, who was in all ways virtuous, and they, proud of their work, created a second. The second, however, was envious of the love the first shared with the gods, and sought to disturb their sacred relationship. That second human worked day and night, creating a weapon to destroy the universe, which upon creation he named dishonesty. The moment he spoke the first lie, from his mouth sprang five deities of evil, Corrupt Fire, Corrupt Water, Corrupt Wood, Corrupt Air, and Corrupt Metal.

The good gods found themselves outnumbered. There are five deities protecting nature, but six, five plus the evil human, trying to destroy it. So from their minds came a prophecy, telling of a shah who will one day deify himself by leading a life of maximum purity. When that day comes, each good god will slay his evil counterpart, and take supreme control over the universe again, with a sixth and most supreme member within their ranks.

It is under this faith that the three peoples of Kera-Bijan stand behind, it bringing each other together and unifying them against enemy forces. The lives of every subject, barring the least pious ones, revolve around adhering to the texts written by the gods themselves, the first human, and the many philosopher-shahs from eons past. The texts speak highly of a purity of the self, as well as a harmonious relationship with nature and the five pure forms, and to manipulate nature in any way is considered an affront to the purity of the relevant form. People are encouraged to live simply, to honor others, and to be forever honest.

Magic, too, is considered sacred, and is viewed as the will of the gods upon earth. Temples prominently feature magic crystals in their sacrifice, feeding it to fire, sprinkling it in lakes and on the earth, and scattering its fine powder into the very air. Some consider the use of magic the only pure way to manipulate the environment, while others claim that to use it is sacrilege in itself. The most recent shahs, however, tend to lean towards the former side, and thus the latter side has chosen to be silent as of late.

History

History: There was once a time when the city people were also many infighting tribes, distrustful of both the mountain people and the steppe people. That was nearly two thousand years ago, and a time no Kera-Bijani looks upon with much respect. From this soup of diffusion and war came a legendary figure, Demes Kehmeyid, who the priests said from birth was destined. He expanded both his dynasty and his land through genius military tactic and even more genius diplomacy. When he conquered the land held by an enemy tribe, he declared its chief his own brother, and forced their family to take on the Kehmeyid name. Through this, he fostered brotherhood within all of the chiefdoms, and declared himself the first shah of the Kera-Bijan desert. He was assassinated but five months into his rule, and replaced with one of the conquered chiefs, but the dynasty survived.

It was the second shah's third son, Vedad Kehmeyid, who expanded his territory to include the steppe and mountain people. In long ages past, during early days before the empire, the steppe and mountain peoples were created by the fallout of magic chiefs wielded against each other. They had ravaged the human settlements, but Vedad dared enter their lands with nobody by his side but priests. It was through his strong faith and charisma that many clans joined his cause, following proselytization and integration of their cultures. Those who didn't join the shahdom were violently subject to genocide, the remaining ones loyal to both faith and shah.

It was following two hundred years of stability that the northern peoples, led by the race-purist separatist Satrap Qaro, defied Shah Bandaves and rebelled. Qaro launched brutal genocides against the steppe and mountain people living in his and his allies' satrapies, claiming to want to restore the pure human race. Those few who survived escaped southwards into Kera-Bijani land, as armies serving under the shah advanced northward to reintegrate the revolting satrapies. He and the next four shahs would die over the course of thirty years in combat against the new realm of Qaroitn.

Eventually, the dust settled, and while skirmishes and raids still exist along the borderlands of the two rival nations, a relative peace has established itself, in no small part due to war exhaustion on both ends. The shahbanu finally completed the task of establishing a land trade route to Surabhumi, and sent them eastward on a voyage of exploration and trading. Twenty long years passed, and within that time the shahbanu that sent the voyage was assassinated and replaced, before the caravans returned. It was laden with goods and stories, nearly all wondrous and in admiration of the subcontinental world. With the exotic trade goods they brought back, the shahdom entered another two centuries of relative peace and isolation.

This ended with the disastrous reign of Shah Nafolosh. Manipulated by his closest satraps, he led himself to believe that he had become the One Who Brings Harmony, savior of all the faith. Armed with his zeal, he declared war upon the entire western continent, nearly destroying the empire in the process. The armies of both the shah and his enemies razed countless hides of land, both within Kera-Bijan and on foreign ground. His brother and heir, Koudad, seeing the imminent doom of their way of life should this hopeless war continue, finally made the choice to have his elder brother assassinated, along with much of the court. In an act still remembered in humiliation, he called off his brother's wars and surrendered.

The current Shah Koudad is at the end of his tether, following sixty long years of stable rule. However, he is dying, and his succession is unclear. It looks as if civil war is inevitable, between his granddaughter, the young Estazar, and her many cousins of the Kehmeyid line.

Rolls

Land Area: 16 (-2)
Land Fertility: 7 (+4)
Development: 5 (+3)
Land Power: 14 (-3)
Naval Power: 1 (-2)
Economy: 13 (+3)
Magical Reserves: 14 (-3)
Magical Sophistication: 15 (+5)

Traits

Traits
Society of Purity: The Kera-Bijani people find that the purity of the body is the highest state of being one may strive to be. They shun intoxicants, such as alcohol and drugs, so as not to corrupt their own bodies and invite evil to fester within. The society strongly looks down upon both excessive gluttony or excessive temperance, and the food is never inflicted with preservatives. Purity of the body is only as strong as purity of the mind, and thus the Kera-Bijani reinforce their purity of mind through good works. They dare not speak dishonesty for fear of weakening the integrity of the universe, and treat their neighbors with respect and good spirit. Most importantly, they keep their environment clean, minimizing waste within the things they use and caring for the living things, for it is they who hold up the five gods.

Might and Magic: Although the technology sector of the Kera-Bijani world flounders, its magical world flourishes. Ley lines stretch across the nation, allowing instant contact between the shah and his satraps as far away as the steppes and as high up as the tallest plateaus. Water, scarce on the surface, is willed up from deep reserves where other peoples would have to drill for it, seeping through the ground upwards to where crops may access it. It is because of this power that the shahdom is still has voice in the world, and its neighbors would do well to listen.

Brotherhood Among Humanity: In many respects, the life of the city people and that of the steppe and mountain peoples are vastly different. The city people are content to build, develop, and trade with foreign species and races. They are proud of their communities, and live social lives. The other two are anything but. The steppe peoples have a long history of conflict with their neighbors, often raiding over the borders with the intent of killing the non-humans. They do not tend to build anything larger than a yurt, and live nomadic clan-oriented lifestyles. The mountain people are even more hostile to outsiders, living either alone or in small family units. They, unlike the herbivorous steppe people, are strictly carnivorous, and raise great herds of mountain goats to eat and trade with the city people. The city people view the mountain people and the steppe people as brothers, and the feeling is mutual, but the mountain people and the steppe people each regard the other as something alien, and thus tend towards animosity regarding one another.

Takanis - A Historically Inspired Fantasy NRP

Shahdom of Kera-Bijan

Name of Nation: Shahdom of Kera-Bijan

Species: While the overwhelming majority of the Kera-Bijani are regular humans, there do exist a large majority of oddities within the outlying regions of the shahdom. There are places where magic is strong, and the climate harsh, so much so that the settlers there have begun to change form to adapt. Those living in the plateaus have become short and thin, so much so that an adult of the mountain people is about the size of a child in the cities. On the other end of the spectrum, those that settled in the steppes have grown into giants, easily reaching three and a half meters, and have gained the ability to subsist on the grass itself. All three races identify strongly as human.

Culture and History

Culture: The Kera-Bijani faith revolves around five gods, they being Wise Fire, Wise Water, Wise Air, Wise Wood, and Wise Metal. Originally, the five kept supreme control over the universe, and the humans lived in paradise. The gods created a human, who was in all ways virtuous, and they, proud of their work, created a second. The second, however, was envious of the love the first shared with the gods, and sought to disturb their sacred relationship. That second human worked day and night, creating a weapon to destroy the universe, which upon creation he named dishonesty. The moment he spoke the first lie, from his mouth sprang five deities of evil, Corrupt Fire, Corrupt Water, Corrupt Wood, Corrupt Air, and Corrupt Metal.

The good gods found themselves outnumbered. There are five deities protecting nature, but six, five plus the evil human, trying to destroy it. So from their minds came a prophecy, telling of a shah who will one day deify himself by leading a life of maximum purity. When that day comes, each good god will slay his evil counterpart, and take supreme control over the universe again, with a sixth and most supreme member within their ranks.

It is under this faith that the three peoples of Kera-Bijan stand behind, it bringing each other together and unifying them against enemy forces. The lives of every subject, barring the least pious ones, revolve around adhering to the texts written by the gods themselves, the first human, and the many philosopher-shahs from eons past. The texts speak highly of a purity of the self, as well as a harmonious relationship with nature and the five pure forms, and to manipulate nature in any way is considered an affront to the purity of the relevant form. People are encouraged to live simply, to honor others, and to be forever honest.

Magic, too, is considered sacred, and is viewed as the will of the gods upon earth. Temples prominently feature magic crystals in their sacrifice, feeding it to fire, sprinkling it in lakes and on the earth, and scattering its fine powder into the very air. Some consider the use of magic the only pure way to manipulate the environment, while others claim that to use it is sacrilege in itself. The most recent shahs, however, tend to lean towards the former side, and thus the latter side has chosen to be silent as of late.

History: There was once a time when the city people were also many infighting tribes, distrustful of both the mountain people and the steppe people. That was nearly two thousand years ago, and a time no Kera-Bijani looks upon with much respect. From this soup of diffusion and war came a legendary figure, Demes Kehmeyid, who the priests said from birth was destined. He expanded both his dynasty and his land through genius military tactic and even more genius diplomacy. When he conquered the land held by an enemy tribe, he declared its chief his own brother, and forced their family to take on the Kehmeyid name. Through this, he fostered brotherhood within all of the chiefdoms, and declared himself the first shah of the Kera-Bijan desert. He was assassinated but five months into his rule, and replaced with one of the conquered chiefs, but the dynasty survived.

It was the second shah's third son, Vedad Kehmeyid, who expanded his territory to include the steppe and mountain people. In long ages past, during early days before the empire, the steppe and mountain peoples were created by the fallout of magic chiefs wielded against each other. They had ravaged the human settlements, but Vedad dared enter their lands with nobody by his side but priests. It was through his strong faith and charisma that many clans joined his cause, following proselytization and integration of their cultures. Those who didn't join the shahdom were violently subject to genocide, the remaining ones loyal to both faith and shah.

It was following two hundred years of stability that the northern peoples, led by the race-purist separatist Satrap Qaro, defied Shah Bandaves and rebelled. Qaro launched brutal genocides against the steppe and mountain people living in his and his allies' satrapies, claiming to want to restore the pure human race. Those few who survived escaped southwards into Kera-Bijani land, as armies serving under the shah advanced northward to reintegrate the revolting satrapies. He and the next four shahs would die over the course of thirty years in combat against the new realm of Qaroitn.

Eventually, the dust settled, and while skirmishes and raids still exist along the borderlands of the two rival nations, a relative peace has established itself, in no small part due to war exhaustion on both ends. The shahbanu finally completed the task of establishing a land trade route to Surabhumi, and sent them eastward on a voyage of exploration and trading. Twenty long years passed, and within that time the shahbanu that sent the voyage was assassinated and replaced, before the caravans returned. It was laden with goods and stories, nearly all wondrous and in admiration of the subcontinental world. With the exotic trade goods they brought back, the shahdom entered another two centuries of relative peace and isolation.

This ended with the disastrous reign of Shah Nafolosh. Manipulated by his closest satraps, he led himself to believe that he had become the One Who Brings Harmony, savior of all the faith. Armed with his zeal, he declared war upon the entire western continent, nearly destroying the empire in the process. The armies of both the shah and his enemies razed countless hides of land, both within Kera-Bijan and on foreign ground. His brother and heir, Koudad, seeing the imminent doom of their way of life should this hopeless war continue, finally made the choice to have his elder brother assassinated, along with much of the court. In an act still remembered in humiliation, he called off his brother's wars and surrendered.

The current Shah Koudad is at the end of his tether, following sixty long years of stable rule. However, he is dying, and his succession is unclear. It looks as if civil war is inevitable, between his granddaughter, the young Estazar, and her many cousins of the Kehmeyid line.

Rolls

Land Area: 16 (-2)
Land Fertility: 7 (+4)
Development: 5 (+3)
Land Power: 14 (-3)
Naval Power: 1 (-2)
Economy: 13 (+3)
Magical Reserves: 14 (-3)
Magical Sophistication: 15 (+5)

Traits

Traits
Society of Purity: The Kera-Bijani people find that the purity of the body is the highest state of being one may strive to be. They shun intoxicants, such as alcohol and drugs, so as not to corrupt their own bodies and invite evil to fester within. The society strongly looks down upon both excessive gluttony or excessive temperance, and the food is never inflicted with preservatives. Purity of the body is only as strong as purity of the mind, and thus the Kera-Bijani reinforce their purity of mind through good works. They dare not speak dishonesty for fear of weakening the integrity of the universe, and treat their neighbors with respect and good spirit. Most importantly, they keep their environment clean, minimizing waste within the things they use and caring for the living things, for it is they who hold up the five gods.

Might and Magic: Although the technology sector of the Kera-Bijani world flounders, its magical world flourishes. Ley lines stretch across the nation, allowing instant contact between the shah and his satraps as far away as the steppes and as high up as the tallest plateaus. Water, scarce on the surface, is willed up from deep reserves where other peoples would have to drill for it, seeping through the ground upwards to where crops may access it. It is because of this power that the shahdom is still has voice in the world, and its neighbors would do well to listen.

Brotherhood Among Humanity: In many respects, the life of the city people and that of the steppe and mountain peoples are vastly different. The city people are content to build, develop, and trade with foreign species and races. They are proud of their communities, and live social lives. The other two are anything but. The steppe peoples have a long history of conflict with their neighbors, often raiding over the borders with the intent of killing the non-humans. They do not tend to build anything larger than a yurt, and live nomadic clan-oriented lifestyles. The mountain people are even more hostile to outsiders, living either alone or in small family units. They, unlike the herbivorous steppe people, are strictly carnivorous, and raise great herds of mountain goats to eat and trade with the city people. The city people view the mountain people and the steppe people as brothers, and the feeling is mutual, but the mountain people and the steppe people each regard the other as something alien, and thus tend towards animosity regarding one another.

When Royalty Collides (#YIKES)

Genevieve, mind still whirling, was pulled out of her half-formed plans by the reappearance of Princess Ayleanna. She had to smile at the other girl's enthusiasm, and she was sure it wasn't the carefully-curved smile that peeked from under the cover of her bangs or broad-brimmed hats in her social media photos.

But that was all right. Princess Lea was naturally disarming—and, at this point, the person Gen was least worried about embarrassing herself in front of.

"I don't think you talk too much," she said, "and you have so many guests to attend to, I'm honestly just grateful we get a chance to speak." With a self-conscious flick of her fingers, Genevieve indicated the rhinestones pasted beneath her eyes like a scattering of stars amongst her freckles. "I see we have a shared love of sparkles."

Gesturing to the wide variety of dishes spread out on the nearest table, she added, "Lord Hui-Bawa and I were just admiring the feast you've put out. You're an amazing hostess."

It was then that a diminutive young woman—looking all the tinier, standing so close to Hui-Bawa—appeared in Gen's field of vision. She recognized her as Princess—or was it Lady? the titles were unclear—Liviana Viriatus. Feeling a swell of sympathy for the other girl, but—not sure how much English she had (and therefore, how uncomfortable she might be with a lengthy conversation)—Genevieve offered up the warmest smile she could, and a small nod and curtsey of greeting as she joined their party.

“Lady Genevieve, I hate to interrupt, but are you going to introduce us?” Hui-Bawa asked. He stretched a hand out to the new woman. “Pleased to meet you. I am called Hui-Bawa Du-Butha Hui-Hooseng in my home. And you?” How curious. This woman was of a colour with himself, a stark contrast with the pale faces that dominated the party. “I hope I am not intruding upon this conversation too much. If I am rude, you must forgive me truly. I was not raised with an understanding of such things as . . . etiquette.” At the very least, he congratulated himself in knowing enough to fast-talk himself into and out of situations like these.

Another woman joined this rapidly-growing company they seemed to be accruing. It seems, despite Lady Genevieve’s previous claims to otherwise, she seemed a rather popular figure, at least in this party. The new lady called away the first, and seemed to have little interest in interacting with himself. He certainly does not fault her for it.

Lea grinned cheerfully at Genevieve. “What can I say? You can never have too many sparkles. And aw, you guys give me way too much credit. I mean, I can’t cook for the life of me! All I can do is taste stuff and be like ‘wow this is good we should have it at a party’, you know?” Lea giggled and rolled her eyes playfully at her own culinary incompetence.

Lea then turned to Liviana, who had just arrived. Her eyes quickly took in the other princess’s appearance, diminutive as she was, before-

-Holy shit. Holy fucking shit. Is that a bird on her shoulder?! Oh my gosh, that’s so freaking adorable and I love love love birds so like...I am here for this?????

“Hey, Liviana!” Lea responded, beaming at her. “I love your gown, by the way. And your hair-how do you ever have the patience to grow it that long?! Oh oh oh also, your bird is the cutest thing I’ve ever seen!!! Do you mind if I take a quick pic?” And before Liviana could object, Lea had whipped out her phone (which had a sparkly pink case-you know, to match her nails, which were almost always painted sparkly pink) and snapped a picture of Liv’s bird with her Snapchat camera. She saved the original image and put a cute sparkly heart filter over it, before captioning it something like ‘shoutout to Liviana V. for bringing the CUTEST bird EVER!!!!’ and posting it onto her story.

Once that was all taken care of, Lea put her phone away and re-directed her attention to Hui-Bawa. She shook his hand, grinning. “It’s a pleasure to meet you as well! I’m Lea Lynton. And no worries, you’re definitely not intruding on anything!” Lea gave him a sheepish smile. “If anyone’s intruding, it’s me.”

“I hope you all are having fun, by the way,” Lea said brightly to the entire group. “I wanted to do like, a water slide or something. Or a moon bounce. Wouldn’t that have been so fun??? But my mom and sister said no.” Lea mock-pouted. “Oh well.”

Liv had exactly half a second to figure out who she was speaking to before she was suddenly bombarded by the whirlwind of excitement that was Lea. At least the Aciran princess didn’t even blink at her awkwardness, just plowing right through it with more enthusiasm than should be entirely possible. And asking far more questions than Liv could hope to answer, even in her native Latin.

After several seconds of blinking hopelessly in the direction of Lea’s phone camera flash, and internally panicking at the thought of being featured on Lea’s Snapchat!!!!, she managed to straighten her thoughts out into words enough to reframe her focus to the conversation. The greeting died on her lips, though- of course Lea was already onto a different topic, she always was, and in this case the topic was socializing with the mountain of a man standing beside her.

Nervously, Liv peered up at him, offering a slightly terrified smile. She had not been close enough to hear his introduction, but his accent and overall appearance suggested he might well have been from one of the southern kingdoms - she struggled to remember places and names from the textbooks she’d once fumbled through, but could not come up with anything concrete. And she certainly wasn’t about to ask him his name, afraid he’d take it to be offensive. She vowed she would do nothing to cause him offense - not when it looked like he could crush her in one fist if she angered him!
Lea’s chipper dialogue was nothing short of confusing, as ever. Liv barely managed to puzzle it out, getting quite tripped up on the notion of a ‘moon bounce.’ Seriously, what’s a “moon bounce?” she wondered. But she didn’t trust herself to say it out loud, instead murmuring something in Latin that sounded vaguely like an apology and pulling her ancient Papyrvs phone out of her clutch, quickly thumbing into Alopix (the firefox knockoff that Athenian electronics came with, complete with a cute fox icon) and typing in the words ‘moon bounce’. As one would expect of Athenian search engines, further “refined” by Lusitanian content restrictions, very few results were returned. Specifically, only one that wasn’t total garbage- a sped-up video of some Aciran moon satellite launch from literal decades ago.

That made perfect sense. She snapped her phone case closed and frowned slightly, wondering what kind of party Lea had been planning on where there would have been an actual rocket ship.

Genevieve thanked every god she could think of that Princess Ayleanna—Lea—was one of the least pretentious, most easygoing people she’d ever met. Gen had barely had time for a flash of secondhand mortification and a scramble to figure out how to help Hui-Bawa before Lea had cheerfully introduced herself, without offense or fanfare. And then she was on to the next thing.

Next to Hui-Bawa, Liviana looked not only tiny, but genuinely petrified. Genevieve decided to let Hui-Bawa field Lea’s questions for a while, stepping around him to come up next to the smaller girl. “Christopher,” she murmured, “may I have my phone please?”

Smoothly, Christopher produced it from an inside pocket, and Genevieve held up a finger in what she hoped was the universal gesture for, “One minute, please,” offering up an apologetic smile. One quick Google search confirmed her guesses about the native language in Liviana’s country. Gen used the translate function to type out what she wanted to say and hoped it wasn’t too garbled.

She held out the phone to Liviana. The message on the right said, “Latine Non est bonum esse meum doleo. Spero te non puto me rude et hoc modo loquitur ad vos. Quod est nice est in occursum tibi ago, Filia Reginae. Nomen meum est Genevieve.”

In English: “I am sorry that my Latin's not better. I hope you don't think I'm rude for talking to you this way. It is nice to meet you, Princess. My name is Genevieve.”

Hui-Bawa considered Lady Lea’s words for a second. Nobody seemed much interested in responding, so he felt perhaps he ought. “Both sound delightful, Lady Lea,” he said, stroking his chin with an idle finger. “But think of the poor guests. They make such an effort to arrive at your lovely estate dressed in fineries of cloth and metals. A waterslide might ruin their hours of hard work!” He tilted his head back and laughed at his own comment. “Apologies, truly. My brother tells me I am not humorous. He is in no capacity incorrect.” He glanced over at Lady Genevieve. She seemed at the moment occupied with their new acquaintance. That leaves him with their excitable host. “So, this party is yours, then? I am honoured that you found the time to speak to a humble man such as myself. This home, it is the size of a village in my home, and so magnificent besides. You must tell me everything about it.”

Lea threw back her head and laughed at the point that Hui-Bawa made. “I mean, you’re not wrong,” she said, chuckling. “But a girl can dream, ya feel? And your brother is wrong! Who says that you aren’t funny? I think that you’re pretty funny.” She flashed him a mischievous grin.

“And yep! I mean, normally I’m not all about balls and fancy schmancy tea parties and whatever-I would have totally preferred a moon bounce-but this is aight.” Lea paused for a moment and rolled her eyes good-naturedly. “I don’t understand why it’s always fancy shmancy like this, by the way. Like, I’m getting married, so what? But don’t worry, we’ll have some less formal stuff later on.” Another cheerful grin.

At Hui-Bawa’s comment about the palace, Lea rolled her eyes with the same good-natured humor, again. “Oh, gosh, this place is pretty much a village in and of itself, not gonna lie. Like, my sisters and my parents and I obviously don’t need this much space to live. But you know, we’ve got some boring meeting rooms and stuff. The first floor-the one we’re on now, actually-is basically a museum at this point, though obviously it’s closed to the public right now thanks to the ball. I think our libraries are pretty dope, but holy cow it’s really easy to get lost in them if you aren’t careful. Hit me up if you want, like, a map or something.” Lea laughed, more to herself than anything, wondering how in the world she’d be able to draw up a map of the libraries. “But yeah, I think my favorite part about living here is the fact that we’ve got enough space on the palace property for animals! My mom and sister let me make some cool animal refuges and stuff by the forest. It’s dope.”

Liv peered up at Genevieve, quirking her mouth as she studied the words. Latin Google Translate was known to be absolutely dreadful (as she had once found out, by trying to ask Edwin to pass the salt at a state dinner - and instead inadvertently asking him about a dead relative!) but having the English written out as well was very helpful. That said, she was still hopeless at verbalizing her thoughts. It took her several seconds before she dared open her mouth, testing the words awkwardly as she spoke them.

“It - is okay. I - I.. the fault is of me - didamnate, verba? - English. I - reading is more easy, of English, sed-” She cut herself off, shaking her head and very nearly burying her face in her hands as her cheeks flushed.

Gods damn it all, why was she so stupid?! Everyone else was doing just fine with the language of Aciras, and here she was, her accent so thick and awkward and the words not making it out of her fat ugly mouth without being horribly butchered. It was no wonder no one would want to marry her. Gods. Father was going to be furious, she just knew that some reporter or another would call her out on her lack of spoken eloquence and then it would be hell to pay when she returned home. All the words were there, they just would not get out of her head and onto her tongue and out into the air in an orderly fashion. Which of course would mean that no one else would see them forming, and would rather just assume her an idiot.

She just prayed that Genevieve would understand. Picking her own phone out of its clutch for what felt like the hundredth time, she flicked her text size setting to the biggest possible, then opened a note document and started typing. It was awkward and slow, but the words laid themselves out much better when she didn’t have to worry about pronunciation and inflection too.

Apologizing, the English to me is ... unkind. Such it is that I can hear and understand; speech is nonetheless challenging. I do learn but slow. To read is best. Apologizing again - I am happy to meet you, Genevieve.

She prayed that the other princess wasn’t judging her for needing to look back at her phone for the spelling - such letter patterns simply didn’t happen in Latin and the last thing she wanted to do was offend someone by misspelling or pronouncing their name! - and also prayed that the judgement didn’t extend to her intensely concentrated expression.

Dammit, she was trying her hardest. To friends I am called Livi or Liv, and I should like to be called a friend of you. From which kingdom are you? If it is permissible to ask.

(Collab between: @lady horatio @ayzrules @Amethyst @Bloonewb)

Magic RP (Open to new players)

(Sorry it's a bit short. Not feeling much inspired as of late.)

Ardasa shuddered. Her goddess had answered her. A glimpse into the future . . . it was more power than she had imagined ever holding, even as empress. "I don't know if I'm ready," Ardasa said. "To see fate, I don't know if anyone could ever be ready." She glanced over at the statue of Arda. It urged her on with its stare. She breathed slowly, in, then out, then in and out again. The breathing helped, just a little bit. "I think I'm about as prepared as I can ever be." Slowly, the walls pressed in on her mind, till she felt squeezed into a tiny box. She had to stare at the walls, willing them back with the help of her faith, until they retreated to where they should be. "Alright, alright. Alright," she moaned to herself, clutching her head and sitting cross-legged on the ground. "Give me your blessing, wise sister."

When Royalty Collides (#YIKES)

Hui-Bawa spun around to find another girl, of similar features to the one he had mistakenly called for. His features broke into a nervous smile, and he hoped beyond all hope that he really looked like he was smiling. Memories came back to him of a time when he and his brother were posing for a camera, and he looked closer to someone on the verge of sneezing than the proud relative of the Hui-Basada.

"Lady Genevieve, I hope?" He asked, holding out his hand to shake. "Perhaps it was a mistake for us never to exchange photos. I am called by my people Hui-Bawa "Du-Butha" "Hui-Hooseng". We have been in communications these past weeks, but I am sure I do not need to remind you of such things."

The party continued to move around them. As people danced and strode about the room, their jewels caught his eye in the glaring light of the sun through windows, both clear and stained-glass, and both flung its intense rays into his eyes. He could barely see the person standing before him, much less spot a face in any part of this immense crowd. Could the sheer power that money and glittering stones possess outshine even the sun itself?

"Forgive me, I am not used to such an . . . environment," he muttered, holding his other hand before his face to block some of the light out. "Glass is not so common in Du-Wassi. Do you think that we may talk outside? Or, in some other part of the palace?" He doubted he would be able to hear her response anyways. The commotion in the halls dissolved all the conversations going on in the room into a mush of sound and speech. "Do you know of any place that might be appropriate? I may have arrived a little late." A little was not quite the ride level of magnitude. By the time he had arrived, driving up in a run-down fourth-or-fifth-hand car that looked almost comically out of place alongside the long rows of supercars, the entire place was packed entrance to roof.

Hui-Bawa couldn't help but notice that Genevieve was minuscule, as much as everybody else was at the party. In fact, Hui-Bawa suspected he stood a head above nearly anybody in the entire room. There were certainly no Hui-Eehi present, either from Du-Wassi or one of the other newly decolonized countries. How did these tiny northerners manage to conquer the world? He hoped he was reasonably sure he was not thinking out loud, as he often did. It would be accursed for him to ruin his reputation with his acquaintance at all, much less within the first minute of them meeting.

Magic RP (Open to new players)

Rughoi stormed into his chambers and grabbed at the quill. Ardasa, his Ardasa, attacked in the streets of Hekaga. He dipped the quill in the ink and sat down before his parchment. His mind clouded over as he began to write.

To the imbecilic 'Prince' Ternoc of the pitiful state of Hekaga

Do not presume that I did not know of the assassination plot against my bound one. You'd best be thrice-damned sure that Ardasa, myself, or any kobold dignitary I send in the future should not even see an arrow, or we will cut ties with you immediately and impose taxes the likes of which would cripple your trade with the entire northern hemisphere. Think on your mistake.

Rughoi "the Unbound", Emperor of All Kobold

He stared at the document for a long while, stewing in his anger. In a flash of clarity, he grabbed the sheet and tore it in two, throwing the halves into the far corners of the room. He was above this! He had to be! He had to think . . . the way Ardasa always did. She had a way with all peoples, race be damned. He wasn't blind. He knew how the palace saw its two rulers differently. They loved her, and feared him. Rughoi dipped his quill into the ink again, and pulled out a new sheet of paper. Perhaps a second try, on his clearer head, would do wonders for diplomacy.

To the honorable Prince Ternoc of Hekaga

I have been told that my bound one has enjoyed your city immensely.

Alright, that was good. A good start. Rughoi continued.

She was especially impressed by . . .

What was it she said? Something about the streets? Ah yes, dodging arrows in the streets of Hekaga.

. . . the infrastructure. It serves as a testament to the building of cities, and in time, we hope to adopt a similar plan for our own. However, she as expressed concerns about the safety of your streets, and is hesitant to visit again before such issues are resolved. A minor issue, surely, for your dauntless army.

Rughoi "the Unbound", Emperor of All Kobold

He looked over it once, and once again, before folding it up. This is the one he's planning on sending. Perhaps Ardasa could write a better one. Perhaps he should just let her do it. But it was high time he learned to be a ruler.
_____________________________________________
"Wise Arda, I'm sure you blessed my journey home," Ardasa said, quietly. The statue was where it always was, in the temple room within the palace. It was comforting, in a way, returning to religious life. "I may only hope that you are as happy to see me as I am to see you." Silence. Ardasa got up from her kneeling position. Something was out of touch. Perhaps it was herself. She can't concentrate on the prayers the way she used to. The threat of death still shook her. "Thank you for your mercy, oh blessed mother of kobolds. I will find the right words to honor you in time. I'm sure you'd understand." That was when she heard the sound of the temple's door creak open. "Hello?" she called. "Is somebody there?"

When Royalty Collides (#YIKES)

Hui-Bawa scratched at the tie around his neck. He felt like an idiot. No matter how often he put on the suit, it felt constricting, nothing like the loose clothes of the Hui-Eehi. Perhaps the man who sold him the suit was right, and he should have paid for something more expensive. A shake of the head threw the notion away. He was spending the people's money on himself as it is, and that sat heavy in his stomach. He can deal with a scratchy outfit for a couple more days. Hui-Bawa tried to ignore his discomfort by focusing on his goal. He's here for a reason, and it would do him well to remember it.

"Curses," he muttered to himself, standing on his toes to look over the crowd. Some of the pale people around him gasped, or shuffled away nervously. He tried to pay little attention to them. He was here to meet someone he's never seen in person, and his only clue as to who she is are vague descriptions of her appearance. White skin, red hair, facial spots? That could be a solid tenth of the people in this room alone. Who knows if the wealthy here are having some sort of red-hair party in any of the hundreds of chambers that litter this palace like flies on a body?

The entire party was a testament to wealth. Some people had land. Some people had money. These people embodied it. Robes the size of automobiles adorned every body, inlaid with more precious metal than ten thousand of his countrymen would have seen in their lives put together. Some chose to wear masks, embedded with so many jewels Hui-Bawa began to wonder how it does not slip off their faces. A vision flashed through his head, of him tearing the masks off, and throwing them to the ground, where the jewels would shatter on the ground, as easy as glass did.

For now, though, syndicalism would have to be put on hold. He had to remind himself that he was no philosopher, and it was not his place to take the wealth of these foreigners from them. Right now, the people that need him most are at home, and helping them meant meeting with one Genevieve Anders.

There, in the corner of his eye, he spied a face that seemed almost perfect. It matched all the few descriptions he had. "Lady Genevieve!" he shouted, his voice booming across the room. Quite a few heads turned towards the dark-skinned stick racing across the room to accost some poor girl on the other side of the room. "I've been looking for you!"

"I'm terribly sorry, you must have the wrong person," she said.

"Ah, I see. You've never seen my face before. I am Hui-Bawa Du-Butha Hui-Hooseng, the one who has been in communication with you for these past moons. Surely, Lady Genevieve, you must remember that."

" . . . My name is Johanna. I am a part of the court. Pleased to meet you too," she said, smiling wanly. Hui-Bawa clasped a hand to his forehead and squeezed his eyes shut. Oops.

"Terribly sorry, I have wasted your time," he said, walking away before he could make a fool of himself any longer. Well, this party has certainly been off to a wonderful start for him.

When Royalty Collides (#YIKES)

Hui-Bawa "Du-Butha" "Hui-Hooseng"

💎𝓝𝓪𝓶𝓮
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Hui-Bawa "Du-Butha" "Hui-Hooseng"

💎𝓣𝓲𝓽𝓵𝓮
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Not strictly applicable

💎𝓐𝓰𝓮
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20

💎𝓖𝓮𝓷𝓭𝓮𝓻
――――――――――

Male

💎𝓢𝓮𝔁𝓾𝓪𝓵𝓲𝓽𝔂
――――――――――

Heterosexual

💎𝓐𝓹𝓹𝓮𝓪𝓻𝓪𝓷𝓬𝓮
――――――――――

It is said that the Du-Wassi harbors giants. For Hui-Bawa, that myth runs as true as giants can be. Standing at an even 2 metres, Hui-Bawa dwarfs near any man he stands next to. Yet, in his homeland, he is actually of almost perfectly average height. In the fight against northern imperialism, it has become common for the Hui-Eehi (the native peoples of Du-Wassi) to shave their heads, as a love of hair is seen as northern. However, Hui-Bawa has broken with that practice, and keeps a short fuzz on his scalp, leading to minor controversy in his homeland. Despite the syndicalist dogma adopted by the Du-Wassi state, he is a well-fed man, raised on the native beef, and as a result is covered in massive globs of muscle.

💎𝓟𝓮𝓻𝓼𝓸𝓷𝓪𝓵𝓲𝓽𝔂
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The grim face he puts on for the public is not the person Hui-Bawa is beneath. There is a reason he was given the nickname "Du-Butha", the Great Heart. He is a giver, through and through, always putting the needs of others before his own. He is courteous and kind, and always has time for children. However, years of travel and diplomacy has changed him. He is not so eager to make friends with the people he meets, knowing that in scant days, he will never see them again. Thus, he puts on an air of formality and occupies himself with his work at all times, to keep his mind off his loneliness.

💎𝓛𝓲𝓴𝓮𝓼 + 𝓓𝓲𝓼𝓵𝓲𝓴𝓮𝓼
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Likes his people, his brother, his country, animals, plants, peaceful environments, syndicalist philosophy, the war effort, and having a general feel-good time.

Hates imperialism, northern oppression, war on home soil, the practices of syndicalist philosophy, the practices in the war, and scary stories.

💎𝓑𝓲𝓸𝓰𝓻𝓪𝓹𝓱𝔂
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Hui-Bawa was never meant to amount to much. His brother was Du-Bawa, general and Hui-Basada of the country. His youth he lived in baseless luxury, feasting near every night while the rest of the nation starved. While his body was nourished on stuffed cow and chicken, his mind was raised on propaganda, fed to him by his parents and brother. He believed that Du-Wassi was the wealthiest land in the entire world, and all people lived as wealthy as he did. His brother's motto, "Every Man a Lord", was his own.

Hui-Bawa only left the capitol building, which was repurposed from a northern estate, in his early teens. What he saw was a horror. His people, the supposed lords, were living in squalor. They had not returned to the peaceful and plentiful lives of the tribal Du-Wassi, but instead fight with each other for the few scraps the government may hand out. He realized, as he returned to his home, that he has lived his life in a bubble, and now more than ever must break out.

The rest of his formative years were spent in study. He familiarized himself with the philosophy of the earliest syndicalists, such as Liu Cheng Han and Kerlow ap Gwythyng, and spoke with the most gifted economists he could find both within the nation and without. In an amazing amount of time, he transformed his entire self, from the airheaded child he once was to a real thinker, one who could perhaps save his people.

Armed with conviction, he left Du-Wassi to travel the world, seeking support for his people. He has endorsed and founded numerous charity organizations, and spoken before countless national coalitions. He works day and night for the dream of a truly syndicalist Du-Wassi, where every man may live a lord, as he had once known it to be.

Free Commonwealth of Du-Wassi

💎𝓚𝓲𝓷𝓰𝓭𝓸𝓶 𝓝𝓪𝓶𝓮
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Free Commonwealth of Du-Wassi

💎𝓚𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓠𝓾𝓮𝓮𝓷
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President Du-Bawa "Du-Bata" "Du-Wasseng"

💎𝓚𝓲𝓷𝓰𝓭𝓸𝓶 𝓒𝓸𝓵𝓸𝓻𝓼
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Green, Brown, Yellow

💎𝓦𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓚𝓲𝓷𝓰𝓭𝓸𝓶 𝓲𝓼 𝓚𝓷𝓸𝔀𝓷 𝓕𝓸𝓻
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Poor income, poor living conditions, oppressive syndicalist leadership, hatred of northern peoples, superstitions and belief in magic.

💎𝓡𝓮𝓬𝓮𝓷𝓽/𝓡𝓮𝓵𝓮𝓿𝓪𝓷𝓽 𝓚𝓲𝓷𝓰𝓭𝓸𝓶 𝓗𝓲𝓼𝓽𝓸𝓻𝔂
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Before the age of colonialism, the Du-Wassi was a purely geographical term, for the great jungle that dominated the central parts of the continent. To its north was the Du-Sasaa, a previously unexplored desert considered by most to be the end of the world. Within it lived a countless many tribes, such as the Du-Hooseng and the Hui-Argu, both of which have been lost to time. Tribal life was often centered around the farming of various grains that grew plenty around the jungles, supplanted by the hunting of animals and the digging of nutrient-rich roots within the jungle itself. Conflicts were frequent between the tribes, which were often fought with spears and throwing stones. Ironically, in this culture of war, a religion grew that worshipped the spirits of harmony, and gave emphasis to the connection that all peoples had with themselves and their homeland.

The first encounter with the northern "pale men" changed the way Du-Wassi society functioned forever. The northerners wielded weapons beyond the imagination of the Hui-Eehi, guns and explosives that slaughtered even the ablest of stone-throwers. Soon, all of the tribes were conquered, split between northern hands and effectively enslaved. Their jungle was plundered for its natural resources, extracted upon Hui-Eehi backs pushed by northern whips. Racial theory was introduced to the Du-Wassi, and any man born a son of the Hui-Eehi were denied rights given to pale citizens of the empire.

It was the perfect place for syndicalism to fester and grow. Progress oriented philosophers, often laughed out of university halls in the north, would escape into the colonies. The Hui-Eehi were much more receptive to the syndicalist ideology, which favored rebellion from an oppressive system and equality among all people. To the Hui-Eehi, this meant a return to their own rule, free from the northerners, and rose up in a bloody revolution. A young Hui-Eehi philosopher was declared the "Hui-Basada" (Hui-Eehi for "president"), and given powers by the people that reflects in all respects but name a king.

Today, the rebellion is still ongoing, but has simmered down to a frightful cold war. The northern empire still considers itself the suzerain of Du-Wassi, and the Hui-Eehi live in fear that at any moment the war could reactivate. Proxy wars, fought between the Du-Wassi philosophy of syndicalism and the capitalist northerners still flare up in the surrounding recently decolonized nations. The current Hui-Basada, Du-Bawa, is the son of the previous, and his extremist rhetoric is broadcast as propaganda throughout the entire nation. The uneducated public, the majority of the population, are incredibly racist towards pale people, and are generally unwelcome to foreigners everywhere except the capital city of Du-Tunka.