All ᴛʜᴇ ɢᴀᴍᴇꜱ ᴏꜰ ɢᴏᴅꜱ & ᴍᴇɴ -- ᴀ ꜱᴇᴛ ᴏꜰ ʀᴏʏᴀʟ ᴘʟᴏᴛꜱ (ꜱʟᴏᴡʙᴜʀɴ / ᴅᴀʀᴋ ꜰᴀɴᴛᴀꜱʏ / ʀᴏᴍᴀɴᴄᴇ)

[Sibylline]

ᴠᴇʀᴅᴀɴᴛ ʜᴜɴɢᴇʀ, ᴠɪᴏʟᴇɴᴛ ᴅᴇᴠᴏᴛɪᴏɴ
"not green like the renewed spring — like envy, like madness:
a poison of the mind.
the colors of the old gods.
the color of that which takes root — and slowly overtakes."​

  𝘐𝘕𝘛𝘙𝘖    𝘙𝘜𝘓𝘌𝘚    𝘓𝘖𝘙𝘌 

• As many writers do, I write a lot of worlds and often these worlds are repurposed or expand themselves -- and then I have worlds who are left in the dust and I'm unsure of what to do with them. That's what this thread is about. A world left behind, but never forgotten. A fantasy world with elements of the dark and eldrich, a world that wishes so deeply for itself to be black and white but it's nature always reveals the morally gray at the root of both men and gods.
  
  Do you like intrigue and adventure? Does the idea of court politics, spiritual wars and the debate of mortal goodness sound fun to write for you? Then maybe give this thread a peak! A disclaimer: Obviously, the lore in here is just a compiled snippet of it's depth and it's source material that can be improved upon to fit our needs. If you see something that interests you and have ideas to offer, please send them my way.
  
  Ideas are split based on country (I only have one for now, but will update when I have time). Each tabs have a bit of (hopefully) helpful lore and then some current plot/character cravings. My preference will be underlined (if there is none, then i'm partial to either part) and the ones with "⚜" next to it marks that I'm craving it!​
• Before I get into the meat of the thread, I need to establish a few things about me to verify if we'd be compatible partners:
  
  RULES
  — everything you need to know about me
  

  Spoiler: Specifics & Expectations

  RESPONSE TIME
  I work morning to afternoon, so evenings work the best for me (I'm off weekends!). Since I'm just getting back into roleplay again, I'd say once to twice a week (while working back to my regular response time of every other day). I just ask for patience and you'll get it in return! I'm very patient and don't mind waiting for replies, i know how busy life can get.
  
  WRITING STYLE
  I write in third person with anywhere from 500 to 1000 words (lately, I'm I've been on the lower end and I try to match my partner's length). That being said, I prefer quality over quantity so no pressure to match my length so long as you give me something to work with. I do expect partners to write in third person with proper grammar and spelling.
  
  MULTIPLE CHARACTERS
  If I could find someone who could write side characters along with our main characters, that would make my day. The hope is to fit a similar vein of ASOIAF in regards to expansions of perspectives. I also don't mind doubling (not required) if there was pairing that you personally wanted. Just let me know your limits and comfortability.
  
  INCLUSIVITY
  I'm a queer POC who loves writing with and against other queer and POC characters, especially in fantasy or historical settings. I can write any pairing as well as any gender, and ask for respectful representations of both when they are in use.

  
  Now with that out of the way! Due to the nature of the themes present in this world, I thought I'd put some disclaimers (and suggestions) on what characters might be the best fit for this setting:
  
  THEMES
  — the general theme of this worldspace
  

  Spoiler: Specifics & Expectations

  MORAL GREY MAY BE THE MOST "GOOD" YOU SEE
  There typically aren't very many "good" people in this setting, and if they are, they don't last for very long. Mindsets change for the sake of survival or lives are lost for the especially stubborn. Instead, many are morally grey or morally evil. This isn't to say that your character(s) can't be! But if they are, you should expect that those around them won't always have their best intentions in mind. If you're hoping for chivalry and altruism, this isn't the story for that.
  
  FLAWS MAY NOT ALWAYS BE REDEEMED
  Everyone's flawed. Some are more flawed than others, and a few may even strive to "be better". But there will be individuals who may never change in the ways they "should". Instead, they become layered and complex, and it becomes up to you to decide your opinions about them (which might fluctuate or flip flop -- I love that!). I love when characters are able to love and be loved despite the worst parts of themselves.
  
  HORROR CAN COME FROM HUMANITY
  This worldspace is filled with horror-esque aspects. Grotesque monsters, dark magic, cultish undertones and eldrich themes to imply the nature of gods in this universe. But sometimes, the darkness comes from the capabilities within people, especially those you'd least expect -- the surprise, then horror, of what mankind is capable of.

  ​
• Now to the meat of the thread: characters and plot! let's start with a VERY brief summary of the world, history and events leading up to our story ideas. The continent is called Daedrielle. The kingdom is called Mytheris. The ruling family are called the Dewguards (conquerors and beast slayers) and the ideas would center around them (political intrigue, royal drama and the occasional curse):
  
  GEOGRAPHY
  — where the story takes place
  

  Spoiler: Location Specifics

  WHERE
  Mytheris is a medium sized realm located in the north east region of Aiwen. It's a temperate climate filled with lush forests, marshlands and riverlands. Weather year round consists of rain, fog and cloud (although some rumor even the weather is enchanted). There's a mountain range to it's west known as the Jadian Peaks and a large body of water to it's east known as the Silver Sea (across from it are two continents, North and South Isakar). Mytheris has a prosperous mining industry as many of it's natural resources include gems, diamonds, metals, minerals and coal. Other trade resources include timber, fish, and fruit from their renown vineyards (silver grapes and silver wine). Unicorns are a common sight in Mytherian forests, which are also home to creatures like basilisks, silver deer, qilin and river wyrms. While dragons used to be native to the region, they were driven to extinction years ago.

  
  BRIEF HISTORY
  — the story that makes the characters infamous
  

  Spoiler: Important Events

  FIRST TRACES
  Modern Dewguards trace their ancestry several hundred years ago to the Age of Heroes (an era known for it's vast amount of demigods born to the divines, raised as champions to spiritual wars among various pantheons -- it was an age filled with many monsters, spiritual conflicts and the peak of power for many religious organizations). Once the Age ended, the divine bloodline became diluted over time and while their connection to the gods vanished, other passive abilities endured: the most prominent being their abilities to see the otherworldly (dew eyes).
  
  KING SLAYERS
  Over several generations, the lineage honed their abilities and adapted as beast slayers until the 2nd Dark Age where they held their first place of power as a lesser house to the ruling power at the time, House Redayne. Not long after, the Dewguards would experience a second spiritual resurgence: It's said an ancestor, Edwin Dewguard, peered into the an artifact. A divine Eye (the face of the Abyssal God) which saw visions of the future. He took it upon himself to mount a four year war of succession against Redayne, ultimately overthrowing the reigning power.
  
  THE CONQUEROR
  Although Edwin would succumb to his madness before he could seat the throne, his son, Charles I Dewguard, succeeded him as the first Witcher King. Charles the Conqueror declared worship of the Old Ones to that of the new and lead Three Great Crusades to further enact religious and magical purification across Mytheris. He conquered realms beyond Mytheris and established several foreign colonies, promising peace in exchange for surrender. His crusades are remembered as a violent contribution to the Dewguards infamy and is still remembered generations later.
  
  CURRENT STATE OF HOUSE DEWGUARD
  The current year is 1450 AP (After the Phoenix). In current affairs: Mytheris has christening it's third diamond mine and established an account with the Emerald Bank. King Petyr II Dewguard has died under mysterious circumstances and his eldest son, Aurelius Dewguard is heir to the throne. Before he can ascend the silver steps, he first must find a bride and wed. Rumors are that the Queen Mother, Hellene Dewguard, is falling into a similar madness that took Edwin I.

  
  CULTURE
  — how things work in this country
  

  Spoiler: Rules on Magic

  DEMOGRAPHICS
  A native is called a Mytherian. The majority of the populace are humans, with minorities of high elves, moon elves and a small populace of dark elves (half elf children are generally accepted in this culture, although it's encouraged to marry within one's own race). Other elven races are considered immigrants, typically here for work opportunities (miners, fishers and merchants for the Emerald Bank). Trueborn Dewguards share similar physical traits: pale skin, black hair, and green or grey eyes.
  
  VIEWS ON MAGIC
  Magic is known, but is heavily restricted. Only highborn individuals or individuals with specific consent from the crown (usually court wizards, alchemists with permits and anyone with the king's/queen's seal) may use magic. Discovery of unauthorized magic will be punished and it's not above the law for offenders to be executed depending on the severity of the offense.

  ​

Prince x Princess
(expected to marry the eldest prince, but falls for his brother instead)​

A Lamb Among Lions (MxF)

arranged marriage / slowburn / opposites attract​

With the death of the king, the kingdom readies itself to witness another Dewguard on the throne of Mytheris. As it is with every king or queen, they need to secure a spouse in order to take the crown. The bride comes from a small and obscure lower house of Mytheris. So how did she come to be the prime candidate for marriage, even above other wealthier and prominent nobles? Due to an exchange made by the previous king and the head of the house: An artifact is imbued within the small patch of land their own and in exchange for access to said artifact, said house could ask the king for anything without repercussion. On the king's deathbed, the favor was traded: they asked for one of their daughters to marry the heir to the crown. But asking for a marriage pact was the easy part, the hard part is surviving the complex court intrigue with her life intact.
​

The Tamed Beast (MxF)

arranged marriage / enemies to lovers / opposites attract​

The bride comes from one of the conquered colonies within the Dewguard name. Where she was once apart of the ruling lineage, her family was overthrown and destroyed. She was taken from her homeland and forced wed a foreign prince. The reasoning: due to her bloodline's rich magic rites, in hopes that future Dewguard children will possess potent magic. Potentially, so the young king can boast of what he had 'won'. With no where else to turn, what becomes of the captive turned princess now. But a beast is still a beast.
​

Maid of Cinder (MxF)

arranged marriage / opposites attract​

The bride has no noble upbringing, instead is a commoner to the Mytheris. She was handpicked by a Dewguard themselves on a seemingly random encounter (and who is she in a position to say no) and seemingly elevated into the highest position one could possible achieve. But why a commoner when there are a wealth of nobles and artisans to choose from? She is a beacon of magic, in the most literal sense: not only are they keeping her from others with nefarious interest, but intend to keep her close for their own means.
​

Princess x Assassin!Jester
(everyone's fool, which makes him the perfect spy. she knows what he's capable of)​

The Fool (MxF or FxF)

'lovesick' / dangerous love​

The princess is the Queen's youngest child. While her older brothers vie for the throne in the wake of her father, she arms herself with knowledge. When a stranger is brought to court, mysterious and whimsical, most chalk their presence to another whim of the King. But she comes to realize the darkness behind the painted smiles -- a cultist assassin from a long, dead guild where each hunter embodied the 78 tarots. Here stands The Fool; A harold of new beginnings or a bearer of reckless misfortune, and with a new, strange infatuation with the princess.
​

Queen x Knight
(her loyal knight and her steadfast lover, loyal to a fault and she knows it)​

The Queens Hand (MxF, may consider FxF)

childhood friends / doomed lovers / yearning​

Taking place a few years before the previous entry with a younger Queen in the early years. The king was kind to her at first, until the marriage was solidified. In the wake of their first night together, he changed into a completely different person now that he had power. His greed for her family's growing fortune sickened her. The Queen hadn't expected marriage for love, but something new bloomed between them -- a newfound hate she has difficulty suppressing. So while the King sat on a stolen throne, the Queen buried herself in her family history searching for answers left by her ancestors. What would be the best way to dispose for a Usurper? The knight had never been fond the King, but it wasn't apart of the job to like him. It was the duty of the king's guard to, indeed, guard the king. It also wasn't apart of the job to fall in love with the Queen. Yet here they were, and here she was in a plot to install her son to power as soon as possible -- to regain what dignity the Dewguards had and have their enemies remember who they really were. She could do it, with her new loyal Hand.
​

Queen x Assassin!Servant
(her personal poisoner, but no one can know)​

The Lady of Whispers (FxF)

dark romance / deadly love / weary lovers​

The handmaiden has seen the Queen in ways that others would've been executed for. In her most vulnerable moments, despite her cold exterior and the proud history of her family line, she has stayed with her. With all that's been said and done, perhaps the servant doesn't have much in terms of power. At least, not in the same power the nobles have. Instead, her power comes from being unseen in their eyes. The servant becomes the weapon.

​

Bastard!Princess x Anyone
(too important to kill, too difficult to love. she is nobody's princess)​

The Blood Princess (FxAny)

unlikely pairing​

The bastard is the youngest daughter to the Queen. They say her father was a disgraced knight who was hung for his sacrilegious breaking of his oaths. She should've died too but, by 'grace of the Queen, is instead kept alive only out of the necessity of her blood (literally). Her blood possess powerful magic properties and she has no used to the royal family dead, but has no place among them alive. But her life is far from luxurious. Sequestered to a lone tower, she grew up under the watchful gaze of those who see straight through her. All the while, she plotted her escape -- the story of her origins no longer make sense. No one will tell her the truth, and so she will find it herself through any means necessary.

​