forum The Electoral Games // a new reboot // probably one on one still unless both of us wish to accept someone

Started August 17, 2020 by @croccin-champagne

tune

Drifter: Doesn’t belong to one faction, whether due to being banned/disowned, or because they left themselves, usually because they had a problem with the laws, or how things were run. Occasionally, Drifters are orphans who are unaware of their original faction.

Paladin: Members of this faction are warriors, usually for whatever their section views as ‘good’ and ‘right’. Often muscled and well versed in multiple weapons, they participate in a ceremony on their 18th birthday, after their training is complete, to ‘settle’ on a weapon. Strong, fast, the ideal fighters.

Mageia: The magic users. Split into minor Families around the elements, such as Water, Fire, Earth, and Air, for the most common ones. These are also the largest Families. Appearance is dictated by what element their Family is aligned with. Ex: Fire users might have tanned skin, and reddish hair, eyes resembling flames in shades of red, gold, amber, and orange. It is rare for a Mageia to become aligned with an element different from that of their Family, but it has happened. Users of multiple elements do not exist in anything beside myths and fairy tales.

Divine: These are the royals. The name stems from the legends that say the King, Queen, and family(Princes/Princesses, cousins and whatnot), are descended from the Gods. While it is unknown if this is true or not, there are some things that might point to it. They do not get sick, and tend to live longer lives than most of the People. Their inherited ability to control the forces of Life has the capability to be incredibly powerful with training and use, though too much use can literally burn them up, the way one might imagine seeing something of too much Divine power would. It doesn’t matter what faction the parent who married in was from, the children will always end up with the abilities to manipulate Life Force.

The land of Seyvai is a land of four distinct factions, functioning in place of classes. You have your Divine, the royalty and members of the royal family, bringers(and takers) of Life. Your Mageia, magic users and sorcerers, low in numbers but powerful enough to be feared all the same. The Paladins, warriors and soldiers and defenders of the kingdom, protectors of the People and the Divine. And last, definitely least, you have the Drifters, factionless and few and far between, survivors, for the ones who can't, are dead.

The Electoral Games are held once every thirty years, a tournament that brings the factions together to witness the competitions. A series of trials, and gladiator style fights, the winner of the Games is given a seat on the King and Queen's board of Advisers, something some people are very literally willing to kill for.

A Drifter with a past unknown to even her is tossed into the Games through sheer bad luck, and a single mistake. And as something more sinister shows itself to be afoot among the contestants, she reluctantly teams with [insert character here. In the og, it was two other contestants and the Prince, so it all really depends on what you want for your character, and whether romance is wanted or not. Honestly, an Adviser or official appointed to judge the Games works just fine too.] to get to the bottom of things, before the lives of too many people are put at stake.

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1. No OP characters, or I will yeet your ass outta here before you can say 'this bitch empty'. I can't stand invincible characters, man.

2. Proper grammar, punctuation, and capitalization, please. I can get making a few mistakes, when you're tired, or English ain't your first language(It's mine, and even I have my issues), but if it's too common a thing, it irks the hell outta me. Call me a bitch, but hey.

3. Slurs, homophobia, transphobia, rascism, sexism, anything that ends in -ism and that harms or promotes the harm of other people will not be tolerated. See my first threat.

4. Detailed-ish responses, please. Think three or more sentences. To keep it going.

5. I have the full right to add and edit this list. I also have the right to boot you if you're causing too many problems.

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Name:
Age(late teens, young adult):
Gender:
Sexuality:
Role:
Appearance:
Usual Clothing:
Backstory:
Weapon/s, if applicable:
Specifics into why they entered the Games:
Magic, if they have it:
Fears:
Other:

Name:
Allisandra Flor
Eleanora Alzor(her birth name)

*Nicknames:
Alli
Queenie(you know, the irony-)

Age:
19

Gender:
Female

Sexuality:
Pansexual, but relationships are incredibly far from her mind. That's not to say that shipping isn't allowed, though.

Role:
Drifter

Appearance:
Hair choppily cut to just around her shoulders, either kept up in a short ponytail, or down. Her hair is black, and the underside white, an unfortunate natural occurrence.
She’s on the darker side of the olive skin-tone spectrum, and covered in various scars, most notably the odd ones on her neck, varying from small and thin to large and jagged.
5’7, and decently muscled, though obviously a bit malnourished. Her eyes are a startling silver/grey, that always seem to be scanning her surroundings, and almost appear to see straight through people.

Usual Clothing:
A lot of black, and dark colors, because they blend into the shadows she mainly travels in. Black trousers tucked into black knee high boots. Long sleeved black tops with billowy sleeves–when without her jacket–and tank tops with it, has various knives visibly strapped to herself, and hidden. Wears a black trenchcoat with silver embellishments on the hems, stolen from a Mageia she killed, early on. It’s now become a sort of trademark.

Backstory:
She has no clue who her parents are, or anything much about where she’s from. She was raised by a gang of thieves until she was fourteen, when she was kidnapped. It took her three years to escape, but she finally managed to, killing her captor and freeing her fellow victims. She still keeps in touch with them, making sure they’re safe and alright. She became a household name after, as a thief and occasional assassin, known as Queenie, a reference to her poison dipped blades and the regal way she carries herself.
As stated above, she doesn’t know where she’s from. She finds out later(in the rp), that she is a direct descendant of the Queen, who had an affair and sent her off to be raised by a friend, hoping to keep her safe.

Weapon/s, if applicable:
Her most commonly used weapons are knives and daggers, either dipped in poisons or with small vials to release the poison while fighting. She can manage with anything, however, incredibly good at creative weapon use.

Specifics into why they entered the Games:
She's functioning as a champion for the boss of a well-known crime syndicate. Her plan is to win, and either hand the position over to him, or serve as his eyes, ears, and influence.

Magic, if they have it:
The Life Force control has shown itself in abilities that are essentially Necromancy, though due to her unwillingness to really tap into it, most of what she can do is see and strengthen the dead, as in ghosts.

Fears:
Dark, small spaces. Things around her neck, from necklaces to even a too tight shirt collar. Bindings, and being owned.

Other: Unwillingly got adopted by a spectral cat, who's somehow visible to most people if it so pleases. That may just be a cat thing. It wouldn't surprise me.

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@PrettyLittlePyro

Name: Riynlae Dalinda "Riyn" Mastion
Age: 18
Gender: Female
Sexuality: Not sure. She's never really thought about it before.
Role: Paladin
Appearance:

• Hair: A really pale blonde, almost white. It's fine, but not too thin, and if the sun hits it right, it can look like melted silver. She usually keeps it up in a ponytail, with some hair falling loose to frame the sides of her face. Let down, it's kind of wavy, and reaches to the bottom of her rib cage.
• Face: A little bit like a doll's. She's not the most beautiful person in the world, nor does she want to be. She has delicate features, a nose slightly crooked because of all the times its been broken, and plump lips. Her skin is pretty pale, which is unusual for people of her job. She has long lashes and her eyes are a silver-blue color. She has a scar on her right eye from when she was attacked by a wild dog when she was younger. It doesn't affect her vision, though, and it makes her look pretty cool.
• Body: Slender and scarred. She's about 5'5'', and not super curvy, but not flat, either. Kind of average. She has scars from her training all over her back, arms, and legs, as well as her hands. It's a sight to see.
• Distinguishing Marks: The scars all across her body, especially on her face. She also has a piercing on her left ear and a tattoo of a wolf on her left thigh, a snake tattoo on her left ankle and lower leg, a crown tattoo on her collarbone and a tribal tattoo on her back.
• Links: Riynlae Dalinda Mastion

Usual Clothing: Something revealing, and very easy to move in. Usually, a pair of short shorts, held up by a belt. Her top is a tank top that hangs down in the back, so that her tattoos and scars are all visible. It catches the eye a lot. She also wears sandals that lace up to her knees. On her belt, she has several weapons and pouches hanging from it. She has a jacket that she carries, but rarely wears.
Backstory: When Riyn was young, she lived with her father, a drunkard, and her mother, a… well, a slut. Her mother cheated on her father quite often, and was rarely home, which led her father to drinking. He would abuse her, and so she got to develop quite a high pain tolerance. Then, when she was seven, her mother was executed for being a spy, and her father went insane, and tried to kill Riyn. She ran away, and got attacked by wild dogs, barely surviving. She was picked up by a Paladin, and trained by them, living with them. She later learned that her father had committed suicide shortly after she ran away. Riyn became a well-known fighter among the Paladins, with the code name Serpent, because of her quickness and agility, and her love for poisons.
Weapon/s, if applicable: Daggers, and poisons, usually. She can use a lot of other weapons, but she prefers those two.
Specifics into why they entered the Games: To prove that she can make a name for herself beyond her circle of friends. She wants to be known through the entire land, and this was the opportunity for her.
Magic, if they have it: None
Fears: Tight spaces. She hates being in a place where she can't move her arms and legs, and it often gives her panic attacks. She's also afraid of being humiliated.
Other: Nope.

(She good?)

Standing in the common room of the large communal building–that was so similar to the dorm buildings at private schools she had visited on the job, that it was scary–Alli had to wonder if it was really necessary to relocate every contestant.

The Electoral Games drew interest from across the land, both under the royal family's jurisdiction and not, pulling in foreigners and locals alike. But why could they not allow those only here for the games to stay in the building? Why did locals with homes right in the city have to, as well? Really, it seemed like more of a hassle than necessary. But there wasn't much to be done about it, except for survive living with her competitors. Half of them would be out the first round. That was the point of the dueling event.

The dueling event was set up to remove half the competition, leaving only those who were ruthless or skilled enough to win. Meaning, those left were split between those who were just really good at clean duels, or those who played by their own rules. Those who wouldn't hesitate to find a way to rid the Games of a couple players.

Too bad so few of the people standing in this room knew what getting into it with her meant.

A girl with her hand in the realm of the dead didn't just lay down to die, especially not at the hands of someone who would wait for her to fall asleep to do the deed.

Glancing around the room, she took note of the people around her, eyes focused intently on the stage despite the fact that the rules for the first event never changed. Alli could mouth the words along with the speaker.

Keep it clean.

Witnesses are required, to prove the validity of the win.

Kill if you must. Do not kill for the sake of it. The duel ends with a yield, and opponent incapable of fighting, or one of the pair dead.

No card switching. The name you get is the name you get.

The duel may be decided before you even begin, if you so wish. Just hope that the one who comes out 'victorious' is fit enough to continue.

Make it a show.

And with that, the players were dismissed. The cards would be passed out later, at the ball-type event that was thrown to allow the players and royalty to mingle. Often, some players would end up with contracts before the Games had ended. Royals and the high class used this as an opportunity to scout out potential guards, assassins, or whatever else it was they needed. If they didn't win, there was a backup waiting for them.

Allisandra had no interest in a backup. She wanted that spot on the board of advisors.

((okay so a quick explanation, the dueling trial is intended to prove the combat ability of the potentials, because as an advisor so high up, you would be at constant risk of assassination or attack. not all of these contestants have any interest in combat related advisory or positions, but it would kind of suck if someone who was so important to the kingdom was murked because they couldn't hold their own. the rest of the trials will likely vary in terms of skill, from knowledge-based trials to ones simply based around etiquette))

(Okay! Good to know!)

This is gonna be easy. Riyn looked around at the others that were competing, and rolled her eyes. Sure, there were a few that certainly looked dangerous, with fierce expressions or tough auras… but it was nothing new. There weren't many people here that she wouldn't know how to deal with.

Her trainer, savior, and adoptive father, Gavien's voice rang in her head. "Never judge a person by their appearance. The most deadly of people are the ones that don't look important, or tough. There may be the tall, rough-looking ones that seem powerful, but you can defeat them easily. It's the ones that seem like the slightest gust of wind will blow them away, or the ones who look as innocent as a child - now those ones are the people you need to look out for. Do you understand? No, Riyn. Stop it. Pay attention to what I'm saying. Put the snake down right now and listen to what I have to say. RIYNLAE DALINDA MASTION STOP SCARING JACK WITH THE SNAKE!!!"

Her mouth quirked at the corners, and she laughed quietly. That had been a fun time, the time when Gavien was constantly yelling at her for doing things she shouldn't be doing. She had learned a lot from him, and it would certainly come in handy here.

He hadn't exactly been thrilled with her choice to participate. "You might get picked by someone you don't want to work for! There are terrible people there, people that make working for them worse than death." But he had relented in the end. She was 18, old enough to make her own decisions.

And she had chosen to fight.

She was a Paladin, by the gods! Not some sort of whiny, half-paid snooty little shit who didn't know how to tie his own boot straps, let alone hold a sword or use magic. No, she was someone born and bred and raised to fight.

She could do this.

Riyn scowled at the speaker who told them the rules. They were all simple, pretty much the same rules as the ones her training group had when sparring. It would be easy to remember.

Except the killing rule. Well, that one would be easy to do, but still… she would have to remind herself, when fighting, that her opponents weren't the people she had grown up with. If they didn't relent, she'd kill them. The thought of killing made her heart leap with excitement, and she gave a savage grin, which made a few of the contestants nearby flinch. She was a sight, to be sure, tattooed and scarred, clearly a Paladin.

Alli's eyes flickered over the contestants once more, gaze pausing on the tiny girl who's expression didn't match her stature. To be fair, neither did her scars, nor her tattoos. The scars bespoke a Paladin with experience, and she made a mental note to keep an eye on that one. Small size, if anything, meant an opponent to watch out for. Without the brute strength to handle an opponent quickly, they had to resort to speed, and often weapons.

She knew them well, having to be one of them. Small fighters were creative, and as nasty as it got. It kind of made Alli wish she could spar with the girl. I'm sure you'll get to witness her in action, soon. Fighting her for real presents a problem. She's more skilled in hand to hand than you are, and your helping hands only get you so far.

"Are you excited?" The voice that came from beside her startled her out of her thoughts, and she turned to look down at the young boy next to her. Well, young looking. He had told her he was sixteen just before the announcement, though he looked closer to twelve. He was malnourished and small, and Alli wanted nothing more than to drag him to a pub and make him eat.

"No. I'm expectant." She said, earning a confused head tilt from her friend–at least, that's what he had decided they were, as soon as he had gone tumbling into her while running for whatever reason–that nearly made her snicker. "The Games are supposed to bring along the best of the best. I expect a good fight. C'mon, let's go grab some early dinner so that you don't get drunk off of champagne tonight-"

While turning, she had forgotten to pay attention to her surroundings. The collision with the large, burly looking man didn't leave anyone injured, and she caught a whisper about how surprising it was she hadn't even fallen. He wasn't that big. Were people stupid? Or did they think she was balanced as a feather?

"Watch where you're goin', fuckin' bitch." The man spat, turning away from the contestants who didn't even look that happy to be speaking with him. They're trying to make friends, hoping the strongest looking guys will take it easy on them if they ever end up face to face. Idiots.

The glare from the man who towered over her was a scare tactic, one not lost on her, and she arched a brow.

"Who stands that close to someone anyway? Seems a little weird to me, man." There were a few chuckles from the gathering contestants hoping to witness some entertainment. They served to anger the man more. He was already unhappy with her disinterest in his tough appearance, though her small friend was already stepping aside.

"You're the one who walked inta me, bitch-" So creative. "-I want a goddamn apology."

"I'm afraid you'll have to find it elsewhere, pal. See, I don't think those words are even in my vocabulary, and I think that might be unfortunately embarrassing for both of us, should I try to find-"

Her words were cut off as she was lifted off the ground and slammed into the wall, high enough to be looking down at the angered man. Was he seriously that tall? Was she just blind?

"Apologize, or I'm gonna make you quit this tournament before it's even started." The man growled. Gods, this would all be over so quick if she could just deal with it there. But if she ended a fight like that here, everyone would be expecting more from her, and prepare accordingly. And she kind of liked the element of surprise. So, she dealt with it the way she could. She rolled her eyes.

"Oh no, look at me, so helpless and frightened." Alli deadpanned, meeting her friend's eyes over the man's shoulder and winking, making him have to muffle his laughter with a hand. "I'm so terribly scared, won't some strong and chivalrous knight in shining armor come save me? I'll buy them dinner, in trade for getting their hands dirty. Oh, woe is me, about to be beaten up by this large and scary man."

(That is beautiful and I love her reaction lol. She seems so very terrified of him.)

As Riyn watched the people around her, a disinterested stare on her face, she happened to look into a pair of startling silver eyes, with such intelligence in them it made her start. The owner of the silver eyes was a girl, about her own age. The girl didn't stand out a lot with her appearance, but the way she held herself, and the way she looked around at everybody made Riyn interested. This girl… was not as simple as she seemed. She could see now why Gavien had warned her of those who didn't seem terrifying on the outside.

The knives on the outside of her clothes, too… she used knives, like Riyn did. Riyn smirked slightly, watching the girl for a moment before flicking her eyes on to the next person. She's like me.

As she studied the people around her with aloof disinterest, there was the sound of commotion. She glanced around, spotting the girl from earlier and a large, burly guy. They seemed to be talking, the man angry, the girl calm and cool, and maybe a bit annoyed. People were watching the two of them, and so the Paladin decided to take a look.

Walking over to where a crowd was gathering around the two, she watched with a rising interest as the man got angry at something the silver-eyed woman had said. He lifted her off the ground and slammed her into the wall.

"Apologize, or I'm gonna make you quit this tournament before it's even started," the man growled. Riyn smothered a grin. Was that supposed to be a threat? He wasn't scary at all! Then again, she was used to men like him…

But the woman didn't seem fazed. Rather, she seemed amused. "Oh no, look at me, so helpless and frightened. I'm so terribly scared, won't some strong and chivalrous knight in shining armor come save me? I'll buy them dinner, in trade for getting their hands dirty. Oh, woe is me, about to be beaten up by this large and scary man." She almost seemed to be… enjoying this.

At her words, Riyn snorted, so loud that the onlookers around her gave her weird looks. She ignored them, grinning at the scene before her. "What quality entertainment," she said to no one in particular, her voice light and amused.

The sound of laughter caught the man's attention, and his near-bruising grip on Alli tightened as he let out another growl. He's like a caveman. What's his deal? Can he not speak without growling?

A flash of movement caught her eye within the crowd, and she tilted her head to the side just in time to avoid a fist that lodged itself in the wall. Thin walls and great force didn't match. The man was still holding her up with one hand pressed to her shoulder. But with his arm up, he left an opening he likely hadn't even considered to be one. So Alli, a bit bored and not interested in dressing up only to show off the remnants of a fight, took the opportunity.

She could have just pinched. Pinched and twisted right in the soft skin where his arm met his shoulder. But for some reason–even she was a bit confused here–she tickled. And it worked.

The man squirmed, holding her up as long as he could before dropping her with a howl of upset laughter, and she landed gracefully with a slight crouch. Ducking out of the way, she stopped behind him with her hands on her hips. "Damn. No night in shining armor came to save me. Guess I'll just buy an extra round of dri-oop." As he had swung around, the man had drawn a large broadsword, likely Paladin-made. If he wasn't a Paladin himself. Narrowly avoiding a swing for her head, she danced back, lightly pushing the small boy she'd become semi-fond of. With him out of the way and in the crowd that was already moving out of the way, she sighed. She might have to play her hand today, after all.

"Your swing is kinda wide." Alli commented as she avoided another attack, pushing up the sleeves of her trench coat, revealing the large mass of scarring around where her wrists connected to her arms. "I'm no Paladin, but I'm pretty sure that's not a good thing unless you're lobbin' someone's head off. Right?" The questioning up tilt to her last word was paired with a glance in the direction of the Paladin with the tattoos, like she was inviting her to answer.

Is this woman crazy? Riyn wondered, as she tickled the man, instead of trying to stab him or something. And the crazy thing was that it actually worked.

Huh. Guess that's a tactic I could use, then. She smirked as the man collapsed with a howl, her fingers tapping on the hilt of her dagger, nails clicking at the contact with the wrapped hilt. Good to know that it works.

"I'm no Paladin, but I'm pretty sure that's not a good thing unless you're lobbin' someone's head off. Right?" The silver-eyed woman seemed to be looking in her direction, so Riyn took it upon herself to answer, even if the question wasn't directed at her personally.

"Actually no. If you're cutting off someone's head, then you do it quick and subtle, unless the opponent is tied up. Only uncultured swine who are trying to show off make such obvious gestures like that." She smiled sweetly at the man. "So just watch out. Instead of killing you by chopping off your head, like he intended, he'll kill you through laughter. You'll be laughing so hard at his failure. You see," she said, as her words drew stares and snorts of laughter. "He's holding the sword with the wrong grip. And the angle is wrong, too. The tip needs to be held a few degrees higher. Try chopping something holding the sword like that and he'll just get himself hurt. The way he's gripping the hilt means that if he hits anything, he'll hurt himself more than anything else." Riyn grinned. "He must never have learned the right way to hold a a sword. Poor guy."

Alli barked out a laugh at the girl's response, nearly getting hit again as she was trying to keep her laughter in check. Truth to the joke, she guessed.

"You-shut up or you're next." The man said, angrily pointing his sword in the other Paladin's direction. With the opportunity waving in her face, Alli slipped forward, a flick of her wrist suddenly placing a knife right in her hand. She didn't go for an attempt to end the fight. It wasn't possible, not with her tiny knife against this man with a sword. So instead, she moved quick, having to reach to get his sword arm as she danced around him. His surprise was useful, and by the time he was moving, a thin line of blood appeared on his upper arm.

"Three minutes." She stated clearly, standing on her toes to poke his nose before darting out of the way. Another flash in the crowd, not visible to anyone but her, had her rolling as the man brought his sword down in a powerful swing. Too bad all it did was get stuck in the floor, just the way his fist had in the wall. While he was preoccupied, Alli bounced to her feet.

She could wait two more minutes, draw this out until everything fell into place. Or, she could just deal with him now. Which, unfortunately, seemed like the best option. She really wanted some bread.

Nearly the whole crowd had eyes on the man, either laughing or cheering him on jestingly. So almost no one noticed as Alli hefted up a wooden chair and came up behind the man. Before he could look up to the shout of 'oh shit' from someone in the crowd, Alli lifted the chair and brought it down onto his head, sending him to the floor without a word.

Unconscious. A waste of a poison, but he wouldn't be able to use his arm for a good hour anyway.

Dropping the remains of the wooden chair on the ground, she wiped her hands together to rid them of potential splinters, pointing to the Paladin girl. She had, after all, been the reason for both opportunities that had made this fight easier.

"If you're fancying something to eat before they call us back here to get us ready, I did promise dinner. We'll be outside." She winked, and with that, moved towards the crowd, who parted for her with congratulations and cheers. Unconcerned with the praise, she simply nodded, linking arms with the boy–maybe she ought to ask his name–and making her way out of the building.

"Shut up, or you're next."

Riyn covered her mouth with one hand. "Oh no, I'm so scared," she snickered. "Spare me from idiots and newbies." She yawned and brushed a stray strand of hair from her face. "Just die already," she said, in a disinterested tone that made the people near her laugh.

The silver-eyed woman was fast, darting in and out from beneath the guy's limbs, so fast that the untrained eye would have a hard time watching her. Riyn watched with interest as the burly man, who clearly had underestimated his opponent, was sliced multiple times. He toppled over quite suddenly, and didn't move.

"Is he dead?" Someone whispered.

"If you're fancying something to eat before they call us back here to get us ready, I did promise dinner. We'll be outside," the woman said, linking arms with a younger boy and marching out the door. These words seemed to be directed at Riyn, who grinned in response. She would go, but first, she had something to do.

She shoved her way through the crowd, to the body of the man, and knelt down. She felt his pulse. He wasn't dead, only unconscious.

Then how-

A faint, if familiar smell wafted from one of the wounds, and a slow smile spread over her face. Sleeping drug, she realized. Clever. There was more to this woman than met the eye. Interesting.

Riyn stood and brushed her hands off. "Well, I'm off," she said to the onlookers. "I have some food that I'm owed." With that, she walked out, dusting her hands off as she went. She came outside, where the two were waiting, and gave a mock bow. "I'm honored that you chose to get me food. I am forever in your debt."