The Muse

Quest for Gaia's Heart (Greek Mythology RP)

I just put up the official RP! :]

roleplayerguild.com/topics/171243-que…

Feel free to start sending over your character sheets any time.

Quest for Gaia's Heart (Greek Mythology RP)

The Handmaiden

Ariella "Ari" Lindholm

Appearancce: Ariella stands a whopping 5'3 with a very slim build, nearly devoid of muscle. Her eyes are an icy blue, her skin rather pale and she has long ebony hair.
Age: 19
Kingdom: Adlan
Goddess: Persephone
Occupation: Handmaiden to the Princess of Adlan
Short Bio: Ariella grew up as an only child in the kingdom of Adlan, with a loving mother and a father whom she adored. Ariella had been blessed with her family, especially considering she was one of the few well off people in the kingdom (which isn't saying much in comparison to other kingdoms, but Ariella didn't know the difference back then). Her father was Adlan's most skilled blacksmith and often received contract orders from people all across the globe which supported their family. Her father worked tirelessly while her mother took care of everything at home. Life had been wonderful until the year Ariella turned 7.

Her father had finished a large order for a merchant in Vespora and had left on a fairly long journey to deliver the goods. They payout was supposed to be incredible, which is what made the travel worth it, but then two months went by without any contact from her father. Normally during these journeys he would write to them, but they had not received a single letter. Another two months passed by and the town started talking - Petrich Lindholm was either dead or he had abandoned his family for his riches in Vespora. Ariella and her mother couldn't bare to believe that he would have abandoned them, so they had to come to terms that he must have been ambushed and overtaken on the journey. It was devastating.

Her mother had been with Petrich since she was 16 years old and had no work experience. As they ran out of reserves their father had left them, Ariella learned what it meant to be truly poor. They survived for some years with her mother working her fingers to the bone as a seamstress and Ariella doing what she could as an assistant to a shopkeeper, but it was never enough. The money could barely keep a roof above their heads and food was scarcely available. Ariella's mother, the nurturer that she was, always gave Ariella more than her fair share of food. Ultimately it killed her. The year Ariella turned 12, she found her mother dead in her makeshift bed. She had gone to sleep that night and never woken up. The poor thing had been skin and bones by then and Ariella supposed her body had finally given up.

With no where to go and not enough money to pay for the house, Ariella became homeless for nearly a year until the royal family of Adlan took pity on her. Luckily for her, the eldest Princess was about the same age as Ariella and was in need of a handmaiden. Thus, the King assigned Ariella to his eldest daughter and let her take refuge in the servants quarters so long as she did her job.

The Prince of Eredel

Damon Eredel

Appearance: Damon has dirty blonde hair, steely grey eyes and stands at 6'1 with a fairly slim but muscular build.
Age: 23
Kingdom: Eredel
God:Hermes
Occupation: Prince of Eredel, heir to the throne
Short Bio: Life has always been easy for Damon, Eredel's golden boy. He's had a fantastic education, the money to buy anything his heart could have possibly dreamed of, the social status to get away with murder and the good looks that has made him lucky with the ladies (though that could have been his social status too). Truly, the Prince as never worked a hard day in his life.

Being born with a silver spoon in his mouth, it is difficult for Damon to imagine the poor circumstances of others, especially seeing as how most of his kingdom is very well off. Though he tries to be as polite as he can to people he does not know, he can sometimes unintentionally come off as stuck up or ignorant to the emotions and feelings of others.

Aside from his tight regimen of sword training and war tactic lectures with his father, Damon can typically be found flirting with beautiful women and playing practical jokes on servants or his younger siblings. His stern father often looks at him with pure disappointment in his eyes while his mother brushes everything off with a "boys will be boys" phrase. He's always been the playful type and somehow the strict nature of his upbringing had no effect on his spirit.

Nonetheless, the time to pick a suitable wife and future Queen is quickly approaching. To Damon's chagrin, his parents have forced him to meet a new option nearly every week for the past year. None of them have struck him as particularly interesting, much less as someone he would tolerate for the rest of his life. Disappearing would be particularly appealing to him at the moment.

Quest for Gaia's Heart (Greek Mythology RP)

One Month Previously...

Damon's grey eyes snapped open, his dirty blonde hair stuck to the sweat beading on his forehead and his heart pounding beneath his chest. He let out a small breath of relief, realizing he was free from the nightmare he had been reliving for the past week every night. Sitting up in his plush king sized bed, he ran a hand through his hair and glanced out of the window next to the door leading out onto a balcony that overlooked the entire kingdom of Eredel. Judging by the dim light peaking out over the horizon, he guessed it had to be nearing 6am.

Beside him, a soft groan broke his concentration. "My Lord? Are you alright?"

He looked down at the petite blonde next to him, her naked body sinking into his bed of soft pillows and silk sheets. He smiled faintly, though it was more like a smirk, and pushed a strand of stray hair away from her face. "Shhh..." He whispered, leaning down close and pressing a kiss onto her lips before she had a chance to utter another word. She melted against him, yearning for more as he pulled away.

"My love-"

"Leave me." His voice was devoid of emotion then, the pet name she had just called him sending chills through his spine.

"Sir?" She was confused, clearly.

Damon was at the door in a split second, something he had still been trying to get used to. "Get.Out."

The woman, a commoner who had practically flung herself at him, sat up abruptly and stared at him in awe. It was a spectacle to see a human move so quickly, but he was in no mood for questions. He didn't even have the answers. He only knew that he needed her to leave, and he needed to do something that he had been putting off for nearly two weeks.

"Now." He was talking through his teeth now, trying to keep his voice quiet so as not to wake the entire castle. When she didn't move, Damon had the thought to gather up her clothes, shove them into her hands and push her out the door himself. Before he even finished the thought he had done just that, and the woman was too shocked to do much more than allow herself to be moved around like a doll. This new ability of his was becoming annoyingly impulsive.

"Prince!" He slammed the door on her as soon as she was past the door line.

Sighing, he turned and looked up at the ceiling, imagining the Gods above. "I'm doing it, you bastard." He spoke aloud, hoping that the Gods could hear him. Something about it felt right.

For the past two weeks he had been having sporadic visions of the God Hermes, telling him vague things about a message he was supposed to deliver. It's been perplexing, especially considering he was never one to be truly devoted to the Gods. Almost simultaneously he had become quicker than the average person. Over these two weeks, he had run into closed doors at least a dozen times. Twice, he ended up in a village in the middle of the forest. The latter was a shocking experience, and he couldn't figure out how to get himself back to the castle just as quickly. Those days he was late to all of his training and nearly missed dinner, but he was unable to explain his reason to his teacher and family. His father assumed he had run off with some girl, so Damon allowed them all to believe that. How could he possibly explain that he had been trying to make his way back from the village of Tavaru when it would have normally taken him a day to get there and a day to come back?

When the visions didn't seem to work for Hermes, Damon was afflicted with vivid nightmares. This left him exceptionally tired, which seemed to make his new skill even more unpredictable. The nightmare started off normal; he was sparring with one of this sword-masters, just like any typical day. Until sparring became increasingly aggressive and the sword-master eventually bested him and shoved the blade deep into his abdomen. As Damon gasped for air, the sword-master drove the weapon deeper into his body and leaned in close to whisper, "The letters."

Occasionally the sword-master would give him a name, which the Prince would promptly write down upon waking. No matter what the sword-master said, however, Damon always awoke with a searing pain in his abdomen, as if he had truly been stabbed there. Tonight was the same, but this time Damon had had enough. He could no longer ignore these dreams and waking visions. They were a plague, truly. He'd finally given in, hoping that this one task would end whatever it was that the Gods must have wanted with him.

"I'm going insane." He thought as he grabbed a pile of paper splayed out over a desk in one corner of his room. Most of the pieces of paper had the name of a stranger he had never even heard of on them, aside from a select few. Sitting down, Damon went through each name and began writing the same letter to each one of them, something that came clearly in his mind which he assumed Hermes was feeding to him.

Dear [first name of your character],

You have been chosen. I know that you have been in considerable pain, and probably some measure of shock.

If you wish for answers and for the pain to leave, please meet me at the Silver Crow Tavern in exactly one month; the fifteenth of May. It is near the border of Eredel and Haventis.

You risk your own life should you not arrive.

Damon left the letter anonymous, as he felt compelled to do. He nearly shuddered at the thought of going to the Silver Crow Tavern, located in one of the few poor areas of Eredel, but nonetheless he knew in his heart that he had written the correct location. When he finished writing the letters, he sent each one of them out with a raven to deliver them. By the will of Hermes, each raven would find its way to the correct person.

Quest for Gaia's Heart (Greek Mythology RP)

The Earth is dying.

It has seemed that way for decades, possibly even centuries, but it has always been so slow that most mortals have simply gone numb to the planets ever fading radiance. There are only few ancient enough remember a world vibrant with life. However, something has happened recently that no one can ignore or brush off.

Winter has long been over according to the calendar, but the returning vegetation hasn't lasted with the Spring season. The great kingdom of Eredel once had thick forest sprawled across their entire territory, yet most of the trees have begun dropping every last leaf as they move closer to Summer. The strong rivers of Haventis have grown weak and some have even dried up completely. Vespora grows hotter each day and what little farmland Adland has won't grow enough crops to feed everyone.

The Gods and Goddesses of Olympus have heard the prayers of millions calling for help and thus they must act, yet they are forbidden from taking physical form on Earth. Zeus has, however, permitted them to each pick a one being of their choice to grant special abilities to in order to find a solution to this ever growing problem. It all seems a game to Zeus, seeing as he knows the answer, but the Gods will play along. They are tasked with guiding these mortals through visions and whatever means they see fit.

Hermes, the messenger God, has been given the responsibility of roping each of these chosen individuals together to form a quest to save the Earth. Zeus permits Hermes to tell this group one helpful bit of information; The key is to find Gaia's Heart. An old forgot legend says that eons ago, when the Titan Cronus overthrew his father from the throne, he also locked away his mother Gaia far away and left her there to die. Finding her could save the planet.

This group of heroes will face things they have never seen or experienced before, realizing that the world has so many magical wonders that they had been previously sheltered from. Although they have the Gods helping them along the way, they must prove themselves worthy and overcome many obstacles - including getting along with their counterparts.

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Map

The Kingdoms

Eredel

The Eredel Kingdom is the most powerful and wealthy of any kingdom and has reined as "number one" for centuries. Their King is a strict and military minded man, as the royal family future Kings are raised to be. Few dare to speak against him and most respect him greatly for what he and his long line of great Kings has done for Eredel.

A large majority of people raised in Eredel are well off financially and live a lavish lifestyle, though there are a few rare outer slum areas of their territory. Most live well and have little concern over food, money, disease, or crime. Eredel has the strictest rules of any kingdom and any person found guilty of crime is likely to be met with a harsh judgement (i.e. losing a limb, life in prison, or even death). Some critique the royal family for their harsh judgement, especially for small petty crimes being met with high punishments, but they are not likely to change any time soon.

The main city spans widely across nearly half of their territory, but once you find your way out of the city you will find yourself surrounded by dense forest and valleys with a mountainous region on the very edge of the kingdoms reach. Mostly farmers live in this area and are under strict regulations and quotas to keep food incoming to the city.

Adlan

The small kingdom of Adlan has long been under the heel of Eredel. They are relatively new in comparison to the rest of the kingdoms and most definitely the poorest out of the main four, excluding Xivia. Adlan is at the will of Eredel and is allies with them simply out of pure necessity. They receive minimal help from Eredel even though they are expected to give a portion of their crops and taxes to the powerful kingdom.

The royal family is considered the most lenient and offers help to their people as often as they can. This creates a great sense of loyalty in most, but also creates animosity in some who believe their King to be a push over. Most who live in Adlan are poor farmers and are often at risk of being over come with disease, though their close-knit culture makes for a very low crime rate. Though they have many farms, most of their food ends up designated to Eredel and because of this, starvation is a prominent cause of death among families.

The surrounding area of Adland is mostly valleys, which are typically taken by farms, and the surrounding forest which becomes much thicker around the border line with Eredel.

Haventis

The Haventis kingdom is the 3rd most powerful in the world, begrudgingly. The royal family of Haventis and Eredel have never gotten along or considered themselves friends for as long as any one can remember. The King of Haventis has long been conspiring to overthrow Eredel, but it is no task easily done. Knowing this, Eredel will not help Haventis in any of their affairs, and outcasts the kingdom as much as possible.

Unfortunately, the Kings obsession with steeling themselves against Eredel has caused disarray among his people. There is an enourmous gap between his people financially. Typically, you are either extremely rich or extremely poor. There is great divide within the main city which leads to an exceptionally high crime rate as well. The Kings punishments are strict, but seemingly not strict enough.

The surrounding region of Haventis is mountainous with strong rivers flowing throughout almost the entire territory. Many of the people in Haventis are fisherman, which is where most of the kingdoms food comes from.

Vespora

Vespora is a very close ally to Eredel, thus making it the 2nd most powerful Kingdom. The royal family has always been friends with the Eredel royals, and have worked extremely hard to keep it that way. They have fought wars together and even married their children to each other to keep the bond strong. Though the royal family keeps this relationship stable in order to uphold the lavish lifestyle of their people, many are angry that their King seems to wait on hand and foot for anything Eredel may snap its fingers for. Eredel says jump, Vespora asks how high?

Nonetheless, being so close to Eredel certainly has it's benefits. Like the people of Eredel, the people of Vespora are usually well off financially and live like lords are ladies regardless of social status. The difference, however, is that there isn't much work for the kingdom of Haventis. The land is too arid for farming and the fishing isn't as plentiful as it is for Haventis. Because of this, many turn to to mercenary work and as such, Vespora has become known as the hub for shady individuals to lurk.

Xivia

Next to nothing is known about Xivia. The story goes that centuries ago the powerful kingdom of Eredel agreed to leave Xivia be as long as they did not interfere with anything, though the reason is unclear except that the king of Xivia wished to have noting to do with any of the kingdoms and was self sufficient enough to do so.

Many sailors who attempt the journey to the small island either have to turn back because of the turbulent water and weather, or die trying. It is said that the trek is close to impossible and only the most skilled should sailors even dare take their ship in that direction.

Disclaimer: Only one character is allowed to be from Xivia, which is currently taken.

The Gods

The Olympians

Aphrodite

Goddess of Love, Desire and Beauty

Chosen Human:

Jason Lucis

@Avanhelsing
First granted ability: One will become exceptionally alluring to the people around them, regardless of gender or sexual orientation. At first they will not be able to turn on and off this allure, receiving much unwanted attention in all directions.

Apollo

God of the Sun, Music, Poetry, Archery, and Healing

Chosen Human:

Luella Gugari

@SouffleGirl123
First granted ability: The person chosen will be drawn to archery and upon picking it up, whether for the first time or not, will always hit their mark. They must learn to make sure what they intend to hit is also what is in their hearts, as petty jealousy or other negative emotions may cause the death of an innocent.

Ares

God of War

Chosen Human:

Kalanie Xivia

@Kitty
First granted ability: The chosen person will become adept in hand to hand combat, beating out any opponent who challenges them. They must learn to control their newly gained strength.

Artemis

Goddess of the Hunt, the Moon, Archery, Chastity and the Wilderness

Chosen Human: Reserved for @Grey
First granted ability: They will suddenly have the ability to hear and communicate with animals. Turning it off in order to focus could prove to be tricky.

Athena

Goddess of Wisdom, Handicraft, and Warfare

Chosen Human:

Zywie "Z" Tabory

First granted ability: The individual will have a calming affect on those around them, gaining the ability to solve any dispute peacefully. They will know the right thing to say, though at first the calming affect can be so strong that it causes people to be too calm and in turn making them lazy and unmotivated. They must learn to control this, or no one will be getting anything done any time soon.

Demeter

Goddess of Agriculture, Harvest, and Fertility

Chosen Human: Open
First granted ability: They will have the ability to control plant life around them. Uncontrolled, plants within reach will often grow larger and more vibrant which makes them stand out considerably.

Dionysus

God of Wine, Fertility, Theater, Madness and Resurrection

Chosen Human:

Lorenzo “Enzo” Dyson

@Helo
First granted ability: They will be able to cause a selected person to have brief amnesia. Uncontrolled, this is obviously a problem when you are occasionally making your friends or family forget who they are.

Hades

God of the Underworld, Death, Darkness, Wealth, and Afterlife

Chosen Human:

Eroebus

@Gisk
First granted ability:The champion will be able to slip back and forth between the material plane and the underworld. As they become more powerful, they will be able to delve deeper, and stay there longer. However, upon this first happening, it can be quite terrifying.

Hephaestus

God of Fire, Forges, Blacksmiths, Sculptors, and Volcanoes

Chosen Human:

Callan "Cal" Arkwright

@Saarebas
First granted ability:They will have the ability to control fire, though it will take perseverance to gain full control over the wild element. Spontaneous combustion may happen in the immediate area of the user if their emotions are not under control.

Hera

Goddess of Marriage, Women, Childbirth, and Family

Chosen Human: Open
First granted ability:The chosen person will have luck manipulation. Those the person favors can be temporarily blessed/lucky. Unfortunately this is difficult to control at first and instead of being blessed, someone may become temporarily cursed/unlucky. The general aura of this individual will subtly affect those around them, causing people to either have good or bad luck depending on the users mood when the ability isn't under control.

Hermes

God of Messengers, Thieves, and Travelers

Chosen Human:

Damon Eredel

@The Muse
First granted ability: The individual will become extremely fast on their feet, becoming faster the more they learn to focus on their newly gained ability. Uncontrolled, a small jog could end them up in another city by accident.

Poseidon

God of the Sea, Earthquakes, Storms, and Horses

Chosen Human: Reserved for @Kaesus
First granted ability:One will gain control over the element of water. Uncontrolled, the user or the people around them can unintentionally end up soaking wet.

Other Gods

Persephone

Goddess of the Underworld, Springtime, Flowers and Vegetation

Chosen Human:

Ariella Lindholm

@The Muse
First granted ability: The chosen individual will begin to hear and see the spirits of the dead that still roam the earth. Turning off their calling can prove difficult and even drive one mad if they don't learn to control it.

Notes & Rules

• This is set in medieval times
• You may request another God/Goddess to be added to the list that may not be there already by PMing me or asking in the OOC
• The first ability should not be overly powerful. Eventually our heroes will learn 2nd, more powerful abilities as we get further into our adventure.
• You will not be controlling your God/Goddess much, unless instructed by myself or given approval. They will usually just be used to advance the story or character development.
• Romance is encouraged. Don't be afraid to have certain characters know each other in different ways, either! It'll make the journey interesting.
• No other characters may come from Xivia, I'd like to keep it's mysterious allure for now.
• The general population is currently ignorant to mythical creatures existing. Only when our adventure begins and the
  Gods "open the eyes" of our characters will they realize that these things do exist.

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• I get we all have lives, so I don't expect you to make multiple posts a day. Lets shoot for at least once a week, though. Please let me know if you'll be going on hiatus as well.
• Please no one-liners, especially ones that don't advance the story in any way. I expect at least 1-3 paragraphs per post, but it's definitely quality over quantity.
• No real pictures please.
• You can either PM me your character sheet application, or post it in the OOC for approval. Don't be afraid to ask questions either! :]

Character Sheet

C.S.

** When approved, please post your character within a hider on the Character page

Name:
Appearance: Please do not use real pictures. Feel free to write a description as well.
Age:
Kingdom:
God/Goddess:
Occupation:
Short Bio:

Quest for Gaia's Heart (Greek Mythology RP)

@SouffleGirl123@Avanhelsing@Grey I put those on reserve for you all! :]

@Kitty It's all totally up to you, I think either one would make for an interesting character :] And it's no problem at all, I will just have to give you some secret information here and there when it comes to what Xivia is actually like. We can make it work haha

Quest for Gaia's Heart (Greek Mythology RP)

@Saarebas@Gisk I'll put those two on reserve for you guys! Thank you :]

I should be putting up the official RP up pretty soon here.

Quest for Gaia's Heart (Greek Mythology RP)

where Hestia the Bestia @

I'm probably good for any of the five who start with A, tbh. I probably won't make a reserve just yet.

@Grey

Haha I can add her if you like :P

Quest for Gaia's Heart (Greek Mythology RP)

@Grey@Congee@Gisk@SouffleGirl123@ZoraThanks everyone!

I just added to the original post to show some of the main Gods to choose from, along with what 1st ability will be granted to our unsuspecting humans. That ability can be negotiated if you aren't digging it, we just need to make sure it isn't like some crazy OP ability, especially since they are all beginners at this. Over time we'll add to this for when they start learning 2nd, more powerful abilities.

You guys can go ahead and start reserving positions if you like, or let me know what Gods you'd like to add that might not be on the list currently. I just did the basics for now, along with the two I'd like for my characters (Hermes & Persephone).

Quest for Gaia's Heart (Greek Mythology RP)

I see Xivia and my mind instantly began singing Moana and now I think I know which kingdom I'm going with

@Kitty

I wasn't originally going to allow anyone to be from Xivia since so little is known about it, but I'll allow just your intended character if you like. :] I'll put a reserve on it.

Quest for Gaia's Heart (Greek Mythology RP)

<Snipped quote>

I desire to know more along this vein.

EDIT: and a question. Are the primordial deities of greek mythology off limits or no? One of those was in my list of prospects.

@Sierra

Basically, your normal human character will suddenly wake up one morning with an ability related to the god/goddess who chose them. I intend to make a list of the gods to choose from and a related ability which can be revised if wanted by someone who wishes to be under that god. So lets say for Artemis, her chosen person would start being able to hear animals speak. Things like that.

And I suppose I could allow one or two primordial deities, I wouldn't want too many though. They would need to have a reason for wanting to find Gaia since most of them have gone into retirement so to speak.