The Goblin King

The Hunter's Club

Hayato Arashi, Raiju

Name: Hayato Arashi

Appearance: a somewhat small boy standing at only about 5'6", with somewhat long (about shoulder-length) snow-white hair that always seems to be sticking out in odd directions, as if charged with static electricity. Sometimes- particularly when trying to look presentable- he may pull it into a ponytail in a relatively vain attempt to keep it under control. In his natural state, his eyes shift in color, glowing with different colors of electricity (from purple to blue to yellow), but typically settle at pale blue-ish white. With his Limiter- disguising him as fully human- his eyes instead appear as a somewhat dull blue-gray. His skin is also covered in pale patterns (similar in shape to the scars left behind when a human is struck by lightning), which are hidden by his Limiter but may glow with electrical light when he is channeling his abilities in human form. Outside of school, he generally wears loose, covering clothing; t-shirts, hoodies, baggy pants, etc.

art by me.

Age: 16

Gender: male

Backstory: it's hard to say if Arashi is full youkai or only half, considering that he is, for all intents and purposes, an orphan of unknown heritage. He was discovered amidst the typical hallmarks of his kind- continuous storms and uncontrolled destruction, in a rural village. Of course, Hunters tracked him down, but quickly discovered that rather than a terrifying monster, it was instead what amounted to a lightning-imbued kitten in search of a warm blanket and some milk. The Hunters took pity on the small, abandoned creature, offering it kindness instead of killing it outright. This seemed to bring its tantrum under control, and thus they chose to take it in, for the time being at least. The young raiju quickly learned to take the shape of a young human boy. Thus they chose to adopt him once and for all- after all, they were unable to conceive children of their own, and it surely would be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to closely study the physiology and powers of such a youkai. Thus, he was taken in and named Arashi, meaning "storm."

Raising a powerful youkai child was, of course, no easy feat, but Hunters are accustomed to dealing with children who have magical powers, and their own, in turn, made control of his a bit easier. Either way, he was raised mostly alone, both as most other Hunters didn't particularly like the idea of their children playing alongside a youkai child (wouldn't want them to get too friendly with a youkai, after all), and even though he was mostly well-behaved, he was still a bit too powerful and unpredictable to play with fully human children. Therefore, he was homeschooled for most of his life, though he did have a few Hunter friends. He was never forced into the life of a Hunter, given the option to be raised as normal person, in control of his powers, so that he could simply integrate with human society and live a normal life. As he got older, though, he insisted he be trained so that he could follow in his mothers' footsteps. The risk that any youkai he came across could be his kin never bothered him; after all, it was Hunters who had raised him, and Hunters who he considered his family. Still, the idea of a youkai Hunter was met with some reservation and suspicion by other Hunters, and thus it took a great deal of convincing for Arashi's mothers to convince them to even allow him to go to school with the others.

Finally, it seemed that he had enough control of his abilities- and enough of the other Hunters had been convinced well enough- that he was allowed to enroll in school alongside regular humans and the other Hunter children. No doubt the test isn't over yet, however; it will still take a great deal of convincing to get the others to truly trust him, if they ever do.

Hunter Power: anything related to his natural state as a raiju youkai - control of electricity/lightning, flight (only in his raiju form, quite tiring to do), and the ability to shift into his raiju form- thus, any physical ability expected of a large, predatory-shaped beast (biting, clawing, etc). Though not weak by any stretch in his human form (in terms of electrical control), his ability is far greater in his "true" form, though he tends to try to avoid taking that form in an effort to appear more "normal" or "human" when among Hunters, and he is very sensitive and self-conscious about this form, especially since he was occasionally teased about it as a child (especially in its smaller size). When not wearing his Limiter, however, strong storms or being hit with strong currents of electricity may force him to change, and often times the mere buildup of electricity in his body even from day to day activities may be enough to cause him to shift uncontrollably if his limiter is removed.

His raiju form is that of a somewhat dragon-like creature, with a long, narrow body, slender limbs, multiple whipping, lion-like tails, and a long-muzzled, wolfish face. His body is covered in wispy, almost cloud-like white and storm-gray fur with electric blue markings, and when he becomes agitated it begins to crackle with electricity. Just like in his human form, his eyes glow and shift colors. His size in this form is somewhat variable; when he is calm and it is not storming, he takes a smaller form that looks more like a strange house cat than a dragon. When agitated and it is storming, he is much larger, about twice the size of a large horse. As he draws his power from electricity and natural storms, he has little control over which form he takes; during storms or when there is a great deal of electric energy around him to draw on, or if he has a great deal built up in his system, it will be the larger form, but if not then it will be the smaller.

As a side effect of his electrical abilities, it is very difficult for electronic objects, such as phones, computers, and other complex electronics to function around him. Even simpler items, like electric lights, may occasionally flicker or surge when he is proximity, especially if he is drained of electricity or too powered up.

"Kohiro" by Isvoc on DeviantArt

Techniques: working on them; probably won't have a lot considering he doesn't exactly have family bloodline powers.

Heirloom: Arashi is unable to use his family's heirloom, being a youkai. He does own several swords which he not only uses as mundane melee weaponry, but the metal of which he can use to channel his electricity just like any other metal object. Unfortunately, these are not magical, meaning that he can't exactly carry them around at school, and though sturdy and well-made, they can be broken just like any regular weapon.

Skill: Arashi is pretty typical in most things; he can cook well enough to make mac-n-cheese out of a box; he can tidy up the house but he's not overly meticulous; he can keep up with schoolwork, but he's not an A+ student. Even with his Limiter, he is strong-ish, and a little faster than a lot of humans, but he's still not real athletic. He is, however, surprisingly good at sewing, and within his family is often tasked with repairing or re-fitting broken or outgrown items, or else making new ones if they can't be bought. He is also quite good with plants, and keeps a small garden in his yard at home.

Limiter: a simple black collar-style choker that he wears around his neck.

Theme Song:


Raiju

oops I had forgotten to put it in a hider

Looking for all the great vikings, pirates and other warriors (M/M)

ooh, some of these look interesting! I'll warn that I'm not so much into playing, like, super hypermasculine characters as mains... that said, they might be a bit flamboyant, but that doesn't mean they're not more than willing to be the dominant one ;)

In particular I have quite a good character if you're into anything piratey... I definitely like the idea of a pirate and a noble of some sort. I have a few potential ideas for that, but the core of it would most likely be that your character was on a ship that was attacked by pirates and taken hostage/for ransom. My character could either be the captain of said ship, or else could just be one of the crew mates who perhaps ends up taking a fondness to the prisoner. This could work in historical settings, though because in his original version the character is sort of a merfolk/fish person, fantasy is also great for him, and I slightly prefer him that way.

If you like vampires or demons, I also definitely have a lot of plot ideas for those concepts, but I didn't see mention of either in your post so I'll refrain from outlining them for the time being haha.

Finally, I also do like the shapeshifter plot, #5. It's honestly pretty good as it is, so I don't really have any tweaks to suggest for that.

When All Your Castles Turn To Penitentiaries (Multiple Plots Inside!)

Fantastic! If you don't mind, I would somewhat prefer to do PM over thread just because it gives me notifications, but it's up to you which you would prefer.

When All Your Castles Turn To Penitentiaries (Multiple Plots Inside!)

ooh okay, I got it... what about somewhat of a mixture of the two? So, my character was the vampire king (or a prince or something, perhaps, if not -the- king), and was captured. But, rather than kill him, the king of Nillumin decided to bind him and make him a servant as a statement, a gesture of absolute control. And then we can go from there- my character no doubt plotting his bid for freedom, and yours... perhaps plotting the death of his father and an end to the war? Idk. So, it would sort of start with the first plot, and potentially lead into the second one.

Or, if you would prefer to keep it just to one or the other, that would be fine. I'm just greedy and I like both lol.

The Winter Forest - Relatively unstructured wolf rp

Preamble

Feel free to skip this section if you want, it's just a lot of explanation/nostalgic rambling, mostly.

I've wanted something like this for a while, as sort of a... callback, to a simpler time when I first started forum roleplaying like 10+ years ago lol. Many of the roleplays I did then were pretty structureless, very collaborative, very much a free-for-all... usually they began with a base concept (ie, wolves) and people would simply build onto that; sometimes in good ways, sometimes in not so good ways. For sure, those were the days of Mary-Sues and powerplaying, wolves with wings or two tails or red eyes or whatever. We told stories that were chaotic and juvenile, but we had fun doing it. So, I want to try to capture that again a little bit.

I do feel as though much of the time we get caught up, now, in trying to tell a story that is good or interesting; there's nothing wrong with that, of course, and I love that kind of collaborative storytelling. But, I think part of the heart of roleplay is just coming up with -something-, and someone else coming up with -something else-, and then you throw them at each other without a plan or too many rules and things just.... happen.

So, the idea behind this is to give a rather loose core concept/plot, a couple of guidelines for characters and settings, and then let players build from there. So, they can involve themselves in whatever the "main hook" is, or completely go off the rails with different characters to develop their own plots and scenarios. Characters can be as heavily or loosely tied together as they want. Similarly, we will start with only a fairly vague lore and setting, and as characters are created and scenarios play out we will add to the lore.

Concept, Plot, & Setting

It has been winter here for longer than anyone can remember. Many of the younger wolves know not the feeling of grass beneath their paws, and the bitter, icy winds make flight difficult for those with the ability. Prey has been scarce, and the trees have been bare for what would normally be called "seasons," but it seems that those no longer change. The shining sun has been absent, hiding behind a veil of storm clouds save for all but a few fleeting, infrequent moments. Some say it's a curse that brings this upon the world; others say it is the end of times. Some seek an answer, a solution; others have yet given up hope. And some of the youngsters don't even know a different way for the world to be.

This roleplay takes place in a wintery landscape ranging from "pretty cold" in the frosty pine forests to "deathly freezing" on the snowy slopes of the mountains. I won't define the places/setting too much for now, so as to leave room for people to come up with places of their own, but for the time being imagine something akin to a Canadian winter. We can add more definite regions and landmarks as we go. The world is cold and blizzardy, and the sun has remained covered by continuous storm clouds for some like five or six years. This means less foliage, which means less prey, which means less wolves. It is not easy to survive here, though some older wolves do remember a time when the world was green. They have different explanations for the current predicament, though most blame some sort of curse or powerful spirit. There are some who actively seek to find the cause and fix it, but most feel that is a fruitless endeavor.

Characters

Characters will be pretty open-ended- they don't even need to be strictly "realistic" wolves. There will be a few guidelines from the get-go, though. Wolves are welcome to be somewhat unrealistic; for example, having multiple tails, unnaturally-colored markings or eyes (like red, purple, or green), or even feathered wings. However, they may not have magical powers (such as elemental control or fire breathing or anything like that). They may also not be completely unnatural colors, such as being entirely blue. Finally, they may not be chimeras, in that they must be entirely wolf- so no part wolf but with hooves or anything like that. The only part they may take from other animals is that of feathery, bird-like wings. Finally, wolves may have accessories so long as they're not man-made. So, necklaces made of woven vines and piercings made of bone is fine; knitted scarves or metal jewelry is not.

Other parameters may be established as we go.

That's about it for now. The rest, really, would be up to the characters to come up with and decide.

The Evil Among Us - The Mysterious Village of Elderford

bump

When All Your Castles Turn To Penitentiaries (Multiple Plots Inside!)

okay awesome! PM or thread or what? What info do you need from me, also?

The Proving (vampire rp with political intrigue/royal court drama/violence)

The Thirteen Courts

Court of Alecsandri

The center of the northern Eye of the continent, nestled in the rolling hills between the mountains of Moldovia in the east, and the flat lowlands of Vlaicir and Mirceya in the west. Their central location and proximity to Kivhei- the mountain on which the capital of the Empire sits- makes them a crossroads, and thus they predominantly deal in trade, politics, and culture. They have relatively few resources of their own, but are often mediators and collectors and thus are able to get what they need. They the most urban of the Courts, often living in sprawling cities rather than sparse estates, with their humans living with them in servants’ quarters and laborer houses. Humans tend to be treated more as a commodity than as creatures by the Alecsandri.

In appearance, Alecsandri are often slight of build, dark-skinned, pale-haired, and pale-eyed. They often dress very ornately, considering they don't often have much movement or manual work to worry about their clothing getting in the way of. They tend to prefer vivid colors, particularly the blue of their banner, but though white and purple are also quite common.

Their banner is light blue and features a rearing white stag with the crescent moon resting on his back.

Court of Drahgess

Drahgess dominates the southern eye of the continent, occupying most of the mountains and southwestern coast of the region. Drahgess deals predominantly in metal and metalwork, putting their humans to work in the mines and smithing weapons and tools from the ores within. In the less mountainous areas, humans are put to work farming or logging, or given more domestic tasks. Drahgess has a habit of treating their humans reasonably well comparative to other Courts, having learned long ago that delicate tasks such as mining are easily sabotaged and no degree of fear will quell rebels with nothing to lose. Thus, humans are allowed to be more-or-less self-sufficient and self-governing so long as they obey the rules put forth. In exchange, vampires only take the voluntary as Companions and servants, and allow them to rule themselves.

Drahgess are commonly solid in build, with broad shoulders and sturdy muscles, typically toned by their time at the forge as well as time spent moving through the mountains and wilderness. Their hair is often black or dark red, though dark brown and shades of gray are also common. Their eyes are typically charcoal in color, gray or black. However, there are those born within the Court that have eyes burning red with fire; it is said that these vampires are the last of the bloodlines of dragons, and whether or not this is true, it is doubtless that the Fireborn have the ability to turn their bodies to fire, and a greater resistance to the sun. Only a couple Fireborn yet live in modern times.

The banner of Drahgess is black with a golden dragon forging a sword with its fire.

Court of Mirceya

Mirceya occupies the lands along the western coast of the continent, separated by lakes from Leonta and sharing the plains with Vlaicu to the north. Mirceya is considered the bread basket, its open space and warm, humid climate ideal for producing the vast majority of the Empire's grain and fruit. Due, perhaps, to their life of ease and luxury even compared to other Courts, Mirceya dedicate their time in nearly its entirety to vanity; it seems to work, as they are commonly considered the most beautiful. They are also a purely matriarchal Court, each clan ruled by a countess rather than a count, and always ruled by a queen. They tend to treat their humans well, but in the way that one would treat working cattle well; they rely on them for farming, but they are not entirely undependable.

Mirceya vampires are often fairly heavy-set and well-fed, with curves in all the right places. They tend to lack particular muscle definition- they don't need it- giving them perhaps a bit of a softer, rounder appearance than most others. Because of this, they are sometimes thought of as weak; this couldn't be farther from the truth. They are often golden-haired and copper-skinned, sometimes with freckles. Perhaps due to biology, perhaps due to exposure, but it seems that Mirceya are able to withstand a little more sun than other vampires. In clothing style, they often choose outfits that are seductive, strategically hiding or showing skin, and prefer to wear only the softest or most silken fabrics.

Their banner is golden background featuring a peacock with a spread tail made of wheat.

Court of Dimiris

The Court Dimiris makes their home predominantly in castles and fortresses in the rolling northern mountains, bordering the rolling tundras of Vlaicir to the west and south, and the lowland forests of Cosovei to the east. Dimiris is first and foremost known as a Court made of warriors; they prefer to consider themselves honorable knights, though at times it has seemed that they are more mercenaries than anything. Their role, after all, is to serve as fighting forces and enforcers for other Courts where necessary, though they can be commended in that they only take contracts which they feel are morally sound. Because they hold themselves to a high standard, the humans under their command are not treated outright cruelly, though Dimiris expect absolute obedience and therefore any dissenters or problem causers are met with swift and definitive punishment.

Large in stature; muscular; blood-red hair.

Court of Arcari

live on the southeastern islands; secretive and will do anything in pursuit of knowledge. Particularly skilled and knowledgeable about alchemy and potion-making.

typically small and narrow in figure, without much defined musculature. Usually have curly, wild dark-colored hair.

Court of Vlaicir

live on the tundra in the northwest. Arrogant, power-hungry, and greedy. Known for being quite underhanded.

small in build, with very pale hair and light, grayish skin, reflective of the snowy lands they come from.

Court of Valdescu

southeastern forests, sharing most of their border with Drahgess. Most of their social structure is based off of wolves, with which they are very close; many live alongside them and consider them family. Thus, marriage and family loyalty are a big deal to the Valdescu.

muscular, typically fit, and fairly large in stature. Often have wild, untamed hair coming in earthy shades of red, auburn, and brown. The ruling families have the ability to take the shape of wolves.

Court of Moldovia

live in the forested mountains along the east coast of the continent. Known as the ultimate hunters, and most are trophy and sport hunters. Much of their jewelry and ornamentation consists of trophies of their hunts, and they have a tendency to go after dangerous, rare beasts and raise the orphaned offspring of their prey as pets and trophies.

vary quite a bit in size and stature, but typically have a lean, muscular figure built for durability and stealth. Tend to dress utilitarian, including keeping their hair either short or in tight braids pinned so that don't get in the way.

Court of Cosovei

live in the lowland forests and meadows in the northeast. Known to be stubborn and unchanging; a smaller Court in terms of raw numbers, but very powerful. Often wise and clever, and carefully consider all options before making decisions. Considered stubborn and slow-acting by others.

typically quite large in stature, and dark-skinned and dark-haired.

Court of Maromir

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Court of Lunari

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Court of Leonta

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Court of Ioveanu

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The Proving (vampire rp with political intrigue/royal court drama/violence)

As a summary before you read all my bs, the idea will be to play as vampires from different clans and different Courts and.... well, fuck each other over, mostly.

As a tldr, the main plot will be that the vampire Empress dies suddenly and unexpectedly and a Proving of Inheritance (the violent process by which a new ruler is chosen) is called, except none of the Courts are prepared for it because no one expected it would happen for at least another few hundred years. So, the clans within each Court fight for a bit over who to send, there's some political drama, and then they go on to the Proving which is just a whole other extremely violent affair, with some other stuff going on that I don't want to reveal yet. So, it'll definitely be a more long-term plot with a lot of scheming involved and it'll probably take a while to really ramp up and then even longer to resolve itself. And then even if it does, there's still a lot more going on the world we could do if we're not sick of this yet haha.

So yeah... I put a lot of info in already, but there's also more to be added. But I didn't want to put a ton of work into it and then have no one be interested.

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All of life, really, is naught but an elaborate, unending masquerade. From the time you are old enough to utter our first words you begin putting on faces that are not your own, no matter how they may look so. You slip from costume to costume, stitched together from pieces of yourselves but even in your most intimate moments never do you truly unmask yourselves. Anonymity is protection, after all; hiding safely in rules of tradition and politeness that you have tailored so lovingly, so intricately, so restrictively for yourselves, like a delicate and suffocating corset. You hide in painted, dark eyelashes and layers of silken fabrics, thinking perhaps that if you cover enough of yourselves you might truly be beautiful. But your true nature is betrayed by claw-like jewelry and blood-red lipstick; you have not forgotten who you are. The scent of fear and blood still stirs something primal within you and when you fall asleep you dream of hunting in moonlit forests, and you awake and tighten your corset and think that things are easier this way. And yet, another stitch has broken.

Soon the seam will come undone.

The Last Empire

Many thousand years ago, vampirekind grew tired of being hunted and slaughtered by humans. Mankind had survived that far only because vampires were divided and afraid, and when they finally came together under one banner and one cause, nothing could stand against them. They overcame the human kingdoms with ease, slaughtering most and keeping alive only those that they needed to feed, mainly children that they could raise to be subservient. Under the original thirteen vampires that led the revolt developed the thirteen Courts, and each staked out a claim of land for themselves. They set up cities and duchies, chose kings and queens and an Empress, and though at first they worked much as peasants to build their empire they realized soon that the humans had much more use than only that of blood. Thus, vampires elevated themselves to the status of nobles, forcing the humans under their control to perform the unskilled labor in exchange for a little less cruelty.

There have since been five Empresses since the first. Now is the time of Empress Cassiopeia of Court Alecsandri. In the past 5,000 years the Thirteen Courts have flourished and expanded, the once near extinct species growing to number in the thousands. The place of humans has remained relatively unchanged as a whole, though each Court treats those under their rule to different standards; some treat them as livestock, pets, or worse, while others attribute them some limited rights and protections. The vampire Courts, in turn, squabble as any human kingdoms would, fighting for prestige and territory and other, more petty things.

Now, it seems that a time of upheaval may be coming. Even beyond the Court of Ioveanu- known for their dreamwalking- dark nightmares stir in the minds of vampires all over the Empire. There is political dissent in the south and religious zealotry brewing in the north. We are not comfortable and secure, and our minds wander to desires far beyond mere survival, and our numbers have grown so that we may now plot in relative anonymity. It has been just long enough for a status quo to develop, and so, just long enough for it to be broken.

Lifestyle of Vampires

The continent of Vannesmar is divided politically by thirteen Courts of vampires that rule the lands. Each Court is divided further into counties- ruled by counts and countesses- who in turn rule over the vampires and humans that live there. While vampires do have "families," their clan- that is, all vampires living in the same county as them- is far more important.

In all truth, much of the land is relatively unoccupied, with most vampires choosing to live in estates overlooking tightly-controlled human "settlements." Human settlements tend to be fairly primitive, predominantly resembling somewhat haphazard Dark Ages villages. Vampire manors are more ornate in Gothic and Victorian in style, and are rarely heavily as defense against traditional military-type attacks is not a concern. They may, however, have some other defenses with which to repel small-group attacks or discourage an enemy's ability to sneak into the dwelling unknown.

If they must fight a battle, they tend to be relatively small-scale, as even large clans usually consist of perhaps a couple dozen individuals at most. There have been times where vampires have chosen to have humans under their command fight by proxy, but this is only a functional way of settling conflict if both sides agree not to become directly involved, as even one or two vampires can easily tear apart scores of well-trained and armored humans. In turn, when the vampires do decide to meet on the battlefield, their fights tend to be long-lasting (sometimes going for days without respite or reinforcements), bloody, and extremely brutal, and more often than not come down to the last living members of either side hunting each other down desperately in the wilderness. When they do go to war, there are typically few survivors. Thus, many vampires prefer to use more subtle methods of assassination to remove threats, though some clans have more success at this than others.

Social Hierarchy

Vampires have a distinct social hierarchy, though this tends to be fairly flexible, and in the end most vampires live a similar lavish lifestyle. In fact, many prefer to stay at the bottom of their tier of society, if only for the safety of being out of the public eye. This tends to be a minority, though, and typically vampires are on watch for any chance to move up in station.

The lowest in their society are those who live more-or-less alongside humans, living in the estates that watch over and manage the human villages. These vampires tend to be the social equivalent of farmers or tradesmen; though they are generally not in charge of personally growing food or harvesting resources, they are in charge of ensuring that those things happen. Of slightly more prestige are vampires who choose to take up a personal craft or skill as a career, such as sword-smithing or art. While humans are used for nearly all unskilled labor, there are some skills that they simply do not have the lifespan to perfect in the same way that vampires do, and thus will rarely be used for anything more than the barest assisting in those tasks. Some, such as the crafting of weapons, is entirely forbidden to humans. Though not masters, most vampires do eventually end up learning one or more practical craft or hobby in their lifetime.

Vampires are arranged into clans, as mentioned above. A clan consists of any families living within the same county, likely all serving a very similar purpose and lifestyle and living in close proximity to one another. A small clan could consist of only one or two families, while larger ones may be as many as 10 or 15, though few exceed that. A vampires "family" name is that of the clan of their birth; they needn't be any more specific than that, as all families of a clan know each other well, and thus precise bloodlines need not be stated. Vampires may marry and breed across clan lines- in fact, it's preferable to reproduce with vampires of different clans, as most families with in a clan are closely related. It is, however, frowned upon to marry into a different Court. If married, vampires do not change their clan name to that of their spouse; however, any children will always take on the clan name of their mother rather than their father, regardless of the child's gender.

All clans, in turn, live under the rule of a "ruling clan," the leader of which being the king or queen of the entire Court. Which clan is the ruling clan may shift, usually violently, but it is a fairly uncommon occurrence. The ruling clan is responsible for all lands ruled by their Court, dealing with the other Courts as a whole, and keeping the peace among those under their command. They are also directly subservient to the Empress. The Empress (or, potentially, Emperor, though there is no historical precedence for this) is in her own turn in control of the entire Empire. This predominantly consists of mediating problems between the Courts, of which there seems to be a never-ending supply. When the Empress dies, the process of choosing a new one- referred to as the Proving of Inheritance- is extensive, complicated, and often incredibly bloody, but this will be expanded on later.

Relationships & Lifespans

In their individual lives, vampires tend to be vain and callous. Most have relatively little regard for life, whether of humans or vampires, though they care more for the latter, especially if they have a personal relationship with them. While vampires can and often do marry, it is more common for them to be polygamous, at least to some extent. After all, with a roughly 1,500 year lifespan, it would be difficult not to get deathly bored of only one partner. Of course, this is more a trend than a rule, and there are those who marry in their youth and remain very much in love for the rest of their long lives. Regardless of purpose and situation, marriages tend to be more for political and social gain than anything, with the production of children being secondary. Vampires tend to be relatively promiscuous, and so long as no children result it is typically not frowned upon to have extra-marital affairs, including same-sex ones. Vampires almost never marry outside of their own Court- in fact, it is forbidden without permission from the king or queen of BOTH Courts, but non-romantic physical relations are only slightly scandalous (so long as it seems the participants don't care for each other too much). Overall, truly romantic attachments and relationships that are otherwise built on fondness rather than gain are far more criticized than explicitly sexual ones.

In terms of life cycle and biology, vampires are- obviously- incredibly long-lived, most surviving to 1,400-1,500 years, though some have been known to live as old as 2,000. Vampires infants are fairly rare, both because vampires tend not to care for raising offspring (being that vampire children are absolute nightmares) and because they are simply not as fertile as humans, a female's reproductive cycles being more by the century than by the month. When one is born, they tend to grow at more-or-less the same rate as humans, their aging slowly slightly once they reach puberty, and then grinding (more or less) to a halt once they reach about 30, which is essentially the vampire equivalent of 18. From there, it's nigh impossible to truly compare their aging process to that of humans; one vampire of 1,000 might appear like a human 35-year-old, and another may look 50. Either way, vampires tend to remain relatively "young" looking until their last 100-200 years of life, at which point they will age (comparatively) quickly until their bodies eventually break down from old age.

To clarify other biological factors, vampires are able to go into the sun, but it is incredibly uncomfortable to them (something similar to coating an ice cube in condensed hot pepper juice and rubbing it aggressively into your skin) and will sunburn them quite quickly regardless of complexion, and could be fatal if they remain in direct sunlight too long. Keeping their skin fully covered in daylight helps to reduce this, but will still become uncomfortable after some time. Vampires must drink blood to survive, or they will starve, though this starvation is not so much of a physical starvation so much as one of the soul. That is, so long as they continue to eat other food normally, their body will not wither away, but their soul will until they simply... cease being alive. To remain healthy, it is generally good for vampires to drink roughly five liters of blood in a week. At one time, it was easy to get this by simply draining an entire passerby; nowadays, it tends to be viewed as wasteful to kill a human with feeding, and therefore vampires usually "snack," drinking only a little from multiple humans throughout a day, or else having one substantial- but not fatal- "meal" per day depending on preference. Finally, vampires are much, much stronger than humans, and they are also significantly faster, though this has more to do with fantastic senses and reflexes- allowing them to move more efficiently and accurately- than merely having an increased movement speed. They are also difficult to kill, as their bodies are slightly more difficult to damage than most humans, they heal much faster, and they do not have a shock response to trauma as other animals do. The downside to their increased rate of healing is that they also scar much easier than humans. Finally, they also have a much higher metabolism, meaning that they need more food than humans, and also require much more sleep (up to 15 hours a day, though 10-12 is the norm) and sleep much deeper than humans.

Lives of Humans

Humans live in villages overseen by vampire lords, who have varying degrees of control over their subjects' lives based on Court, clan, and the purpose of the settlement. In the best places (for humans), the village may function more-or-less of its own accord with fairly little interference so long as it fulfills its purpose to the satisfaction of its lords, and obeys their rules. In other places, every aspect of a human's life and day might be dictated by their masters, from when and what they may eat or wear to who they may marry. Additionally, Courts and clans offer their humans different levels of rights as living creatures. In some places, wrongdoings may result in trial and more-or-less reasonable punishment; in other places, they may be killed on a whim.

Some humans may work more directly with vampires, acting as servants in their manors, and even as handmaidens and personal butlers. Whether this is a preferable situation or simply a more dangerous one varies. However, it is almost universally the case that humans known as "Companions" are treated well above that of any other.

Companions are humans who are chosen for three things, typically at a young age: beauty, obedience, and flavor. Each human tastes a little bit different, after all, and vampires prefer only the finest things. Why shouldn't they always have a succulent snack on hand? And of course, their pets must be obedient, so as not to cause them any trouble, and must be beautiful so that they can show them off. Nearly all vampires have at least one Companion that lives in relatively close quarters with them, often accompanying them to social events dressed nearly as finely as their masters. They are ornaments, and highly prized ones. Truly, it is as close to nobility as any human could obtain- a life of unparalleled luxury and leisure so long as they remain young, beautiful, and silent, and willing to donate a little blood.

The Proving of Inheritance

The Proving of Inheritance is the method by which the new Emperor or Empress is chosen. One is typically called towards the end of an Emperess's life, when she is beginning to show her age and knows she will soon need replacement. At this point, she calls for a Proving, in which each Court (except for the Lunari, for reasons explained under their Court information) chooses a young adult- between 150 and 300 years of age- to represent their Court in a position called "Heritor." Heritors are the candidates to be chosen as the next monarch, and they must be chosen young to ensure a long rein should they be chosen for the throne. Each Heritor is, in turn, allowed to choose two Escorts from any of their Courts to accompany them, whether for safety or political advisory, or for any other reason.

In most situations, Courts begin to negotiate their Heritors and Escorts years before a Proving is called; as soon as an Empress begins to show any sign of growing old, the clans begin to bicker about which among them is worthy to serve in the Proving. Typically, a child of the ruling clan is chosen as the Heritor, though there have been times when this has not been the case. Instead, the other clans gain their swaying power through Escorts, which may be of any age, clan, or social standing. Thus, it is an important decision, and one over which blood is often spilled. Finally, each vampire in attendance- the Heritor and their two Escorts- may bring a human Companion of their choosing. Although intended more for comfort and decoration, extra bodies means extra opportunity for advantage, and thus Companions are typically also chosen somewhat strategically, although their use is far more limited.

Once a Proving is called, the Heritor and their entourage travels to the Citadel, the capital of the Empire, where they will live with no external communication (except what news is given to them by the Lunari living at the Citadel) until a Crown Heir is chosen. One would think that giving each Court an equal number of representatives in the Proving would mean that each Court has an equal chance of begetting the next Empress or Emperor; this is not, in reality, the case. Though the Empress (or Emperor) has a sway in which Heritor will be their successor, theirs is not the final decision. Instead, the first days of the Proving often consist of the Heritors of some Courts pledging fealty to another, effectively taking themselves out of the running. This typically to ensure deals between their Courts; the assurance that if the Heritor of a certain Court does become the Crown Heir and eventually gain the throne, that they will reward those that pledged allegiance to them in some way. Many of these deals are negotiated by the Courts prior to the Proving even being announced, and thus must Heritors begin the Proving with a fairly clear idea of who their allies and their enemies will be. The Empress does have some sway in their successor; for example, they may choose to expel Heritors who overtly break the rules, may try to sway their allegiances to grant a more favorable outcome, and in the case of a tie in which it seems that two or three Heritors are on more-or-less equal footing and will not back down, they may break the tie. Otherwise, much of the Proving is a slow game of intimidation, negotiation, and- of course- elimination.

It is an understood fact that the Proving is exceptionally bloody, and each vampire that enters it knows that there is at least a decent chance they will not make it to the end. Thus, it is preferable to either surround oneself with many and/or powerful allies, or else to pledge allegiance someone more powerful. That said, it is also possible for a Heritor to reject another that attempts to pledge to them, if their pledge would make them enemies or otherwise weaken their position. Similarly, though there are rules to the Proving- murder, for example, is forbidden- there is also an understanding that this is an intrinsic part of the process. After all, anyone who is powerful enough to be in the running and yet not smart enough to avoid getting themselves killed has no in the dangerous position of Emperor or Empress. Therefore, killings in which the culprit is not obvious- for example, the motive is not clear, there are no witnesses, and the culprits do not let it slip- will not be too heavily investigated; not officially, at least. There is nothing stopping a victim's allies from investigating their death and taking revenge if they are able, but the same rules apply to revenge killings: don't get caught. This includes betrayal, lies, and subterfuge of any kind.

The issue with this Proving, of course, is the suddenness of the Empress Cassiopeia's death. In most situations, Courts begin their plotting well ahead of the death of their ruler, and in fact much before the Proving is even called for officially; however, in this situation, the Empress was very young, having only been chosen as Crown Heir herself around 200 years ago, and ascending to the throne a bit over 100 years prior. It was thought that it would be at least another 800 or 900 years before the next Proving was called. As such, Heritors and Escorts and allegiances between Courts had not yet been so much as mentioned, let alone ironed out. To make things more complicated, a Proving had never occurred in which the Empress was already dead; while this doesn't mean that the Proving process will have to change all that much, it does mean that it may very well drag on longer than most, and with no leadership for the Empire in the meantime. In most situations, because much of the deals have already been worked out, from the time a Proving is called to the time it begins is less than a month; in this situation, the kings and queens of the Courts have agreed to extend the deadline for a season, a little less than three moons. At the beginning of winter, the Proving will begin.

The Hunter's Club

Interested in this. Would have a few questions, mostly about characters, but those can wait til all the info is out hahaha.