Hero

A Hero's Training!

As joy surrounds, comfort abounds
and I can feel I'm breaking free
For just this moment lost in time
I am finally me

I've actually come up with something that'll avoid spoilers for the most part, though later on it'll probably be unavoidable. For all intents and purposes anything that happens after White Clouds will be considered a spoiler. Please leave spoilers in a hider until then!!!

and just in case people skim:

PLEASE PUT ANY SPOILERS IN A HIDER TAG! SPECFICIALLY ANYTHING AFTER WHITE CLOUDS REGARDLESS OF ROUTE!! THANK YOU!!!

Before I delve deeper into the confines of the plot I have in mind for this, I'm throwing down an interest check. I have 3 different ideas/stories in mind depending on how I go about things, but all stories have several things in common that I've taken creative liberties on in regards to canon. For one, most canon will be used as a basis but not set in stone. For one, this 'alternate universe' is essentially taking place some vague amount of years after the original, as unlike the game where Sothis intervened to prevent Byleth from getting cleaved after protecting Edelgard, Sothis never awakened and poor Byleth kicked the bucket. The very messy aftermath of not only losing the hero but also the three heirs caused a lot of issues that may or may not be addressed in-game, but as far as the present day is aware, it was thanks to the Archbishop Rhea that Fodlan remained united during these trying times.

That said it's my lame excuse to essentially reset everything and put things where I want them: keep the last names, have fresh characters. There will be three house leaders and an assortment of students ranging from commoner to noble, all eager to attend Garreg Mach for their own reasons. Nobles already have a surefire way to get in but commoner players will likely have to be more creative about it, though both are going to be judged pretty equally. I'm hoping for reliable players for the house leaders, but that role will likely be the last decided as I'm still on the fence about actual royalty (with the exception of the Alliance--their house leader will be one of the five nobles, I don't want to restrict it to Riegan, but I'll figure it out otherwise). The church faction will be in my hands for the sake of ease, but I'm always open to people wanting to play teachers if there's enough of a demand or a really, really good CS. I will say the only thing I won't be convinced on is the Underground house--for all intents and purposes Abyss probably still exists, but being a student from there isn't an option.

With all that aside, the plot so far starts as a relatively simple "year at Garreg Mach"--your characters have their reasons for attending, ranging from duty, a chance at rubbing elbows with other important people, maybe they're looking to reinforce their piety, or any other reason you can come up with. Of course, whispers about a power struggle within the Church of Seiros has taken Fodlan by storm, with an odd rumor here and there about a greater darkness looking to once again manipulate things from the shadows.

There'll be territory-specific events that people should note and may be effected by: (Please note this will be cleaned up and more detailed in the future)

The Adrestian Empire - Black Eagle

_{Wyvern Moon 1483}
The Plague that Swept the Empire

The Plague came stronger than most but ravaged the Empire all the same. The borders were closed in an attempt to contain it, but all measures were fruitless. It was uncommon to hear families that didn't lose someone to it and for years the Empire struggled to recover. The worst came when it ravaged the royal family, killing five of the seven children of the Emperor, and the eldest committed suicide out of grief. In an effort to retain power, the Emperor's last living relative was arranged to another to give the lineage another heir. While most agree that it is the proper course of action, some have said the marriage was a play for power, others believe that the Emperor's hands are tied, and others feel that there have been a few too many new faces around the Emperor.

The Leicester Alliance - Golden Deer

_{Ethereal Moon 1489}
The Failed Coup D'état

The Leicester Alliance was shaken when Duke Ordelia slayed Duke Gloucester in what was supposed to be a mock battle. None of the other houses would have ever suspected that Duke Ordelia had held any ill will towards Gloucester, with his troops surrendering immediately. The battle, however, was brief--the decision was reckless and served only to drown morale, with many troops outright throwing down their arms and refusing to fight. Only Duke Ordelia was taken in and tried before the Great Lords, who unanimously decided that the House of Ordelia would lose their seat as a Lord and replaced with House Daphnel. While the shakeup was recent, there are those that feel the actions of one should not have resulted in something so drastic. Rumor has it that Ordelia is on its last legs, and some say the duke had been encouraged by others to take action.

The Holy Kingdom of Faerghus - Blue Lions

_{Red Wolf Moon 1494}
The Fight for the Throne

For years the Kingdom of Faerghus has had only one recognized heir. However, in recent days another has been revealed to the world: the previous king had taken on a secret lover whose child bore a Major Crest. Said child has now made a claim for the throne, fracturing the nobility. Some agree that the current heir is already poised and ready to take leadership once they graduate the academy. Others argue that the bastard shouldn't have any stake, their Major Crest has given them an edge, especially after their Crest was recognized by the Church of Seiros. The fighting has been mostly kept under wraps, as the Kingdom's current regent has made no inclination as to which they support.

Not sure how many I'm looking for, though there'll be a hard cap of 10 people by merit, not on a first-come-first-serve basis. That said, despite the game having those without crests, I'm gonna ask that peeps have one for a future plot related purpose. Maybe try not to overlap, or fight over the same one, either way is fine. All but the crests of Flames and Ernest (or whatever Anna has) are allowed, though whoever claims the crest of Seiros will probably be judged harsher so just a heads up there.

Please ask as many questions possible because I'm sure I've missed a lot and that'll help me clarify/add, thanks.

Sum up your week in roleplaying in just 3 words

One thousand posts!

Of Blood and Magic

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Magical writing? Oh, that might've been a good idea to check, Lilie just figured maybe touching it would cause the clock to do something. But as far as she could see, there wasn't anything special about it except maybe she was sure this old fashioned sort of alarm clock was something she had seen in her grandma's house. Now that she thought about it, a lot of vampires leaned back with older technology, didn't they? She was sure this was the second time she compared something to her grandparents' belongings today!

At Salem's suggestion, Lilie frowned at him. Would they really want to read their minds? She was starting to really not like any of this. Unfortunately an invisible force pulled it out of her hands, though she realized a second later it was Max lazily making it float. She watched as he turned it a few different ways, quietly admiring how much of a handle he seemed to have on his magic. She was really slacking, she needed to get a better handle on her own element. As soon as the though crossed his mind, Max announced he was going to 'rip the thing apart'.

"Wait, what--" She had barely gotten to the second word of her pseudo-protest before Max had the clock spinning around. Why was he gonna rip it apart?! What if something happened?! Her hands flew to her mouth as she watched him break it apart, slowly backing away just in case it went berserk or something. It never did, with Max confirming it really was just a clock, and Lilie stared at the pieces.

Lilie jumped at Aaron's question, whirling around. Oh boy. Lilie sheepishly retreated to her seat, a little ashamed of probably (definitely) being guilty of messing with what used to be a clock. She did, however, roll her eyes a little at Maddie's explanation. "Forget the vampires, I was more worried about it possibly hurting us," She replied, shaking her head. Who cared about what happened to the vampires, they were sturdy enough. Besides, if the clock wanted to hurt the vampires, wouldn't it have appeared in the other room?

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Of Blood and Magic

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Eris didn't know if it was the charming way Sunny spoke or the enjoyment of watching Countess and Count bitch other out, but Eris was in a great mood. That said, the mage was treading on dangerous territory--lesser people could definitely misinterpret his words. Then again, he was also in a decent state, thriving in the situation. And of course Eris loved attention as much as a fish loved water, so there was that, too.

However, there was just a split second of hesitation that caught Eris' attention. Were he a mortal, he probably wouldn't have noticed, but Eris had spent decades staring at people long enough to know when something was up. It wasn't anything in this room--that would've been actually strange since he was basically in-character this whole time. No, something elsewhere bothered him. The other mages? If it was that concerning, then someone else would've come by, right? Honestly, Eris didn't even really care. But unfortunately for Sunny, the vampire had noticed the stiffness, and that needed to be punished. It'd be fine, this was basically a lesson in and of itself on thinking on your feet. Or rather, thinking off them.

The blond reached an arm over, hand gently tracing down Sunny's arm, and there was a split second where there was a dangerous glint in Eris' eye. Before the poor mortal could respond, Eris effectively yanked the boy to him, pushing back ever so slightly from the table and effectively placing Sunny on his lap. Eris didn't care about the conversation, anyway--he was way more interested in Sunny.

"I don't think I'll let you leave just yet," Eris replied cheerfully, batting his eyelashes. "That won't be a problem, will it?"

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Of Blood and Magic

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"...uh...?"

Lilie was completely clueless as to what had just happened. She honestly should have been more freaked out, but she was having a hard time understanding what she had just seen. At least Maddie wasn't the only one who had shifted away--she was only a little less surprised that she hadn't spilled her drink with how quickly she had shrunken away when the weird orb-portal-thing showed up. And a hand with a clock was the last thing she had expected! Still, eventually it did click in her head that she had just seen more magic, but she had no idea what she had seen.

"Is this part of the party...?" She asked hesitantly, gripping her cup with both hands as she inched closer to the clock. It looked like one of those old timey ones her grandmother used to have, but this one was spotless and looked like it was in much better shape. The alarm was set up like Maddie had said, too. Was something going to happen in ten minutes? Was it a trap? Was this done on purpose? But why?

Placing her drink down, Lilie ended up rising from the couch and approaching the clock. Kneeling down to the coffee table, she cautiously poked it, expecting something to happen. After a few seconds, though, it seemed obvious that it really was just a clock. Picking it up gingerly, she inspected it carefully.

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Of Blood and Magic

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Countess Marivaldi flattered him, truly, though Eris had to once again hold back another laugh. She was out for blood tonight! It was always so cute to watch little fledglings try to act mad as they pouted. At least she proved old Benaiah wouldn't take an insult sitting down. And to think, he was so sure the two mage lovers would be tripping over the opportunity to get to know one another. Oh well, watching them bicker and snap at one another was just as good. He'd hold off on building that affair rumor he had planned, but hey, maybe their negativity could be misinterpreted as another kind of tension.

He did find it amusing that the count said Miss Dionne--so that was her name, he'd have to make an effort to remember just in case--had to prove her place, as if he didn't already know he'd be scrambling to prove her usefulness to his father. All the old geezers were one and the same when it came to that sort of thing and way too into appearances to even consider having an albino mage running around in the open. Maybe a scullery maid or a bedwarmer at best?

"Well, if your father finds Miss Dionne lacking, I'm certain Viscountess Vasiliev would be more than happy to take her off your hands," Eris replied cheerfully. "Her organization gathers baroque pearls for a decent price and takes very good care of them." It was a decent plug, at least; he couldn't very well advise an Astorio buyer since he felt the count was already a little high strung from clashing with the countess.

At the change of topic and drink, Eris had a hard time with his grimace. He was all too happy to see Sunny--and being so serious was so cute--but he couldn't stand the next flavor. "Ah...grenade..." He politely placed the cup down after his sip, intent on leaving the glass as it was. Chérie's blood was sweet enough to make an impact, but Eris wasn't a big fan of the weird looking fruit. The apple helped, but the tartness was still pretty strong all things considered. Said grimace lightened a touch at Varis' words, and if he didn't know better, he would have thought the count was following his movements. For what it was worth, he technically hadn't done anything damning. Not yet, anyway. It wasn't odd per se, but he'd have to be careful about his response. If Eris knew the redhead well enough, at minimum he'd be gauging his reaction.

But there was nothing to hide. As always Eris steered into the skid, as the poor people said. "Oh? Were there other celebrity mages there? I should've had Ismene rub some elbows," He admitted that much first as casually and lighthearted as he could, punctuating it with a laugh. Of course, he wasn't going to go justifying why she was there nor would he go any further--no need to out himself without being asked. "It can be so hard being so illustrious in the industry, my poor mage must have been hounded by the press." He brushed his hair out of his eyes, picking up the glass for another polite sip.

Ew, nope, bad idea, he should not have done that. He really wasn't going to be able to have any more without gagging. As he placed the glass down once again, he watched the blonde mage that he almost forgot was there for a moment. "That'll be you in a few years' time, eh, Sunny?" He grinned, raising his eyebrows. "Unable to go anywhere without getting recognized."

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Of Blood and Magic

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Transmutation was what Lilie figured Max would go for, but they already had talked about it. Now that she thought about it, a lot of people did tend to ask that sort of thing and not really be sure. Not that she had any room to talk, she was still trying to decide for herself, but at this point she was convinced she'd end up doubling up. Just the question of which two remained--why couldn't she just try everything?--but she figured she had enough time to make up her mind. But the way it kept getting brought up made her feel like maybe she didn't?

Lilie smoothed out the wrinkles in her dress as she frowned to herself. How would Transmutation help a plant mage? He must have had a better imagination than she did, she really couldn't think of much. Salem and Transmutation, Aaron and Mental...she really didn't know either one of them as well as she thought she did. Now that she thought about it, they were both acting kinda weird tonight, weren't they? They were both usually very sweet and kind, but now they were like completely different people. Salem's passive aggressive remark came out of nowhere, and Aaron seemed happy that he annoyed someone. Maybe they were stressed out? Even if it was the case, though, she didn't like it at all, it was making her feel a little anxious if she was being honest.

“That’s really something,” Lilie replied. “Funny how small the world is sometimes.”

Finding her fingers fidgeting with the frilled ends of her sleeves, she forced her hands to lay flat on her knees--Ben would have a fit if he saw her doing that, and while he was determined to break that habit, she was pretty sure it wasn't going away anytime soon. She needed a break from...this, but going outside for some air was probably rude. Maybe a drink of water would help instead. The dorm layout was familiar enough, so she knew where the kitchen was.

Standing up, she let the conversation continue as she walked around the couch, giving Aaron a small smile as she headed towards the kitchen.

Aaron’s expression betrayed a touch of concern as Lilie stood, and on instinct he subtly stepped in her way as she tried to pass, offering an obliging smile even as he stopped her in her tracks. “Is there something I can get for you?”

Lilie stopped before she would bump into Aaron, knowing she probably should have asked first. Maybe he caught on that she wanted to get away? Well that was embarrassing, maybe Ben had a point when he said she was way too expressive. “Oh, I just wanted some water,” She said sheepishly. “I didn’t want to bother you since I think I know where the kitchen is, so I figured I’d get it myself.”

Cracking a more genuine smile, Aaron leveled Lilie with an appreciative look, but shook his head. “That’s what I’m here for,” he insisted, gesturing back to the couch. “Have a seat and I’ll get it for you.” He left no room for argument, turning on his heel and walking into the kitchen himself.

Lilie didn’t even get to open her mouth in protest before he took off--he was fast! For the better, though, she felt like she could've melted at his real smile. But she didn’t want to draw too much attention to herself, so she ended up quietly slinking back to her seat, holding back a sigh as her fingers continued to pull at her sleeve. She really did feel like she was dealing with an entirely different person, but no one else seemed to either notice or care. She had to get used to this.

She nearly jumped when a small glass of water seemed to appear out of nowhere to her right--Aaron had come and gone without a peep, she didn't even notice he was behind her until now! "Thank you," She gave him a real smile before quickly taking a sip, figuring she needed to calm herself down mentally before engaging in any talk. Her anxiety was already through the roof just from overthinking.

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feat. @Obscene Symphony

Of Blood and Magic

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Okay, fine, Benji had decent taste. He was ambitious, too--he knew more than one person dying to get an invitation to one of Duchess Perez' parties, so the fact that he would be bold enough to present the little one in one of them was saying something. Eris would have to keep an ear out for that, if only to once again ruin the night with his presence. He absentmindedly swirled the blood in his cup, mind at work as the count kept talking about things Eris did not care about. Hm, he was going to have to try a little harder in participating in the conversation before he ended up falling asleep, Benson seemed prepared for every question asked.

Deciding he had played around with it enough and trying to hide his expression of boredom, Eris lifted the cup to his lips before the Eve count decided to reveal a very interesting tidbit: his mage was an albino! The revelation and shock actually managed to get through to Eris before anything, his eyebrows shooting up as he put his cup back down with his mouth actually open.

The princess had decided that the defining mage for the Eve house was an albino. That couldn't be true, could it? Of course it was, why hadn't he noticed sooner? Well, no, he knew why, he couldn't care enough to possibly look at her for more than a few seconds. But now that he thought about it, he did find it weird that her eyebrows had been white, too. Her eyelashes were darker, too--she must use mascara. If her hair really was naturally white, then it meant she had oculocutaneous albinism. As far as he was aware, it was practically unheard of and very rare, except in probably the worst way possible.

All his analytical thinking then gave way to one of the greatest ironies: the Sinnenodel heir was gifted a Starag, the top-of-the-line mage lineage, while the Eve representatives were tossed the literal bottom of the barrel. And Max wondered why Eris bothered coming! This was amazing! This was some of the best news he had received since he had been here! It was even better than hearing that Benson was stuck with some peasant from the middle of nowhere, no, this had to have been deliberate!

The corners of Eris' mouth turned into an open grin of disbelief, lips quickly closing as he remembered where he was. Honestly, if he was anywhere else he would have burst out laughing, but he controlled himself, even if he couldn't quite stop smiling. But any sense of recovering any more than that went flying out the window when the countess decided to turn quite icy towards the count. Eris had to stop himself from rolling his eyes--she was so full of shit, there was no way she compared a defective mage to a diamond. He supposed the Marivaldi way had to be upheld by someone, but apparently that was in exchange for vampiric pride.

"A cracked bottle is considered unique compared to the rest in the case, that doesn't mean it's of any use," Eris said with a half scoff, half laugh. Ugh, he couldn't believe he actually had to defend Benson, but being hidden away from society must have done a number on her head. "You can't be serious. You bring something looking like that to any place in high society and you'd be a laughingstock! Even an heiress like you couldn't get away with something like that without losing your dignity. Aside from the fact that the look is completely garish and much too eye-catching, ridding her of that awful hair would be doing the little one a favor. I argue that Count Eve is right in his decision to strip that white away. Anything less would be a disservice..."

But tearing down the Marivaldi countess wasn't what he was here for; he needed to focus on the task at hand. Shaking his head, he looked at Ben for a moment, trying to come up with the right words in false concern. "...Unless these are simply short term plans. Even so, however, all that work for something that'll never get you anywhere or anything...you'll have to explain your line of thinking, I don't understand," He finally got the words out slowly without a hint of laughter. "I'll admit there is talent, but even if you managed to get anyone's interest, the moment her genetics are revealed, you've essentially doomed both you and her to a failed transaction and word would definitely get out faster than you could control it. I suppose you'd have to wait until graduation if you wanted to sell her to someone who collects baroque pearls, but I doubt she'd fetch a high price...unless that's why you're cultivating her talents?" No, the Eve count was too soft for that sort of thing. But watching him squirm for a response would do nicely, especially since Miss High Horse over there was apparently the authority on deeming mages worthy.

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Of Blood and Magic

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Lilie actually couldn't believe she and Max had so much in common. Aside from wanting to hide every time Ben announced she had another lesson to learn, she really didn't do much of anything, either. It did sound boring to just sit around doing nothing, but the alternative didn't really get her excited or anything. She was social, sure, but charming and steering conversations sounded really manipulative. Is that what Aaron was doing? She did notice his smile was brighter than usual. An unfamiliar weight in her stomach came at the thought--no, she shouldn't jump to those sorts of conclusions. He was always nice to her, and tonight was no different.

Still, she felt a small smile on her face as he placed an assuring hand on her shoulder, looking up at him timidly but catching herself. Ack! No, no, none of that right now, not with so many people looking! Still, she felt like she should say something. Not responding would definitely be rude, right? Lightly patting his hand, she gave him an appreciative smile. "I'll enjoy it while it lasts, then," It sounded super lame, but what else could she tell him?

Max mentioning a rumor mill did make Lilie let out a tiny laugh--ever since she embarrassed herself in front of Aaron, she actually took a step back from that kind of stuff. Shaking her head, she tucked a stray hair behind her ear as she looked at Max curiously. He was probably gonna chew her out for asking, but she was pretty sure she'd have to get used to that--especially since they were apparently running in the same circles.

"Hearing rumors about people you know is...awkward," Lilie admitted that much, eyes briefly flickering to Aaron before going to the rest of the room. "But I don't think I've heard anything. Not that I went looking, but, you know...everything seems kinda quiet right now."

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