This story features the characters Sueki Dixian and Shiress Underhill. These pages show pictures of the characters and provide some more information about them.
๐ฃ๐ฑ๐ฎ ๐ฃ๐ฒ๐ถ๐ฎ๐ต๐ฒ๐ท๐ฎ
On another page is an elegantly drawn timeline of the previous events up to the current year.
๐ฃ๐ฑ๐ฎ ๐๐พ๐ฝ๐ฑ๐ธ๐ป๐ผ
The authors are Shiress and MioBrave. There's a brief summary of each.
๐ฃ๐ฑ๐ช๐ท๐ด ๐จ๐ธ๐พ
Thank you to Inner Sanctum for providing a place to find wonderful writing partners and create amazing stories. And, thank you to anyone who decides to stalk this thread. Whether it's to read the story or see how either of us write; thank you for taking the time to read this story.
Name: Sueki Dixian Pronouns: She/Her Sexuality: (We'll learn if it happens.)
Race: Human Age: 22 Height: 5'4 Build: fairly rounded out, though slightly pear shaped Skin Tone: She used to be very pale, but has tanned up a bit in the castle's garden Hair: honey blonde hair which drips down her back in a long ponytail Facial Features: decently fair features, though nothing that really stands out, a bit of a smaller nose, and her ears are shaped to be almost pointed Eye Color: Hazel, but leaning more green Markings and tattoos: Some light scarring here and there from physical abuse not healing properly Clothes: She usually wears a lot of white or off white. Silver, powder yellow and green would look lovely as well though. She wears long sleeved dresses that reach down to cover her ankles, and she usually chooses flat shoes. She has a favorite sunhat which is light yellow with a white ribbon tied round it. She also keeps a small brown satchel over her shoulder. Inventory: Her pink sapphire she found in a small pouch. Two or three notebooks, an ink pot, and a handful of quills.
Personality: Quiet and very reserved (More to be determined) Weaknesses: Can't stay on her feet for long periods of time; her leg didn't properly heal after it broke, and she already had weak ankles to begin with. Abilities: She excels at reading and has even started studying and teaching herself other written languages. She's fairly good at math. And, she started practicing embroidery at a very young age, so she's quite good at it.
Background:
She is the daughter of a Count. Their property was on the outskirts of the kingdom, and her family had earned this title due to their gem mines. However, when their mines became infested with horrible creatures, they became non harvestable and her family's value started to decline.
Her birth was a bright light for her father, but it didn't last very longโฆ Three years after her birth, her mother grew terribly ill, and only a year after that she passed. This, coupled with the worsening state of their mines, made her father furious. He started to drink more, and cut out most people. For six years, till Sueki was ten, she did nothing but try to seek her father's approval. But, nothing she did was ever good enough, and it only kept reminding him of her mother. She was only met with abuse, verbal and physical. She was never debuted in society; in fact, the count had pulled out of the social antics long before Sueki's coming of age. Thus society didn't know she existed to worry about.
Her life completely changed one night. She snuck out of the house in the middle of a storm. She was heading for the closest of their mines, which was located 10 miles south of their property, but she wouldn't have known that. She walked for hours. She never found the entrance she was looking for, but she remembers slipping and falling in a hole. She was stuck for a while in terrible pain, till her leg went numb. Tears of frustration rolling down her face. Then, she got up determined and searched the cave for hours. She wanted to find a gem, any gem. She wanted to show her father that the mines weren't a lost cause. She didn't know there were monsters. She had only ever heard her father refer to the mines as dried up. So, she thought, "If I can find one crystal, if I can prove to father they're notโฆ" And, they're not. She did find one, a beautiful pink sapphire which barely fit in her hand. She clung to it tightly. It was then that the monsters had also found her. She ran; it was all she could do. She doesn't remember who, but someone found her. They brandished a beautiful sword; the blade practically danced through the air in their hands. They had been practicing in the mines. They saw the state of her and escorted her home. She remembers them asking questions, about father and the mines and why she was even out there. The rest of the details are all fuzzy for her, blocked out by the trauma of it all. But, her savior must have told her answers to someone.
Her father was furious about the broken leg and the payment for a doctor. And, she stayed sick with a cold for at least a week. He didn't even listen about the crystal; of course he wouldn't hear her. After catching word of the current state of the count's territory, an investigation into it was started. Two years after, guards came to the count's estate. There were several and their armor was so beautiful and gleaming. They took the count, and they took Sueki. They claimed to be the king's guard. On a bright hot day, right in the middle of summer, it's clear in Sueki's memories. Her father was blamed for the state of their mines. For monsters being let into the kingdom's border. For being too prideful and not requesting aid when they clearly needed it. And, for the neglect of his daughter. He was stripped of his titles and his land, and he was sent to the dungeons. Sueki doesn't know what happened to him after that.
Sueki was taken in by the king. She wasn't adopted; she was merely a guest, given a room and raised in a separate guest palace. It was obviously much smaller than the main palace, but it was close enough to be connected to the garden. She spent days exploring that garden. She also found herself allowed to explore the bigger palace, so long as she stayed out of sight and out of the way. So, she spent most of her time in the grand library. Reading numerous stories and teaching herself things. She's been ignored for the past ten years. There aren't many who remember she's there a lot of the time. Though, they're vaguely aware to respect her; most choose to leave her be and pass by. She was unfortunately only taken in to make the king appear even better in the eyes of his people, just another pawn in social politics. She lingers in the back of balls and parties, keeping to herself. She was never really announced in society, and no one ever seems to notice her. Dressed in whites and with such a plain face, she could just be another maid for all they know. It's unsure if she possess her family's previous title or not. She could be a noble countess, but she could also very well just be a commoner at this point. She still has that sapphire; it's the most important thing to her. And, at least her one maid assigned to her treats her well. So, she lives life, quiet and tucked away.
Starting Goals: Making a name for herself and reclaiming her family's previous nobility title of Count
505 - Sueki's mother dies. (Sueki age 3) This causes Count Dixian to withdrawal from the social world.
511 โ Civilians (Zane age 16) are recruited to aid Count Dixian's guard to help clear the mines
511 - This plan fails.
512 - Word of the deaths is sent out to the families. The pay for joining has not been sent to the families properly, nor the compensation for their deaths. The pay has increased, but it's not what was promised.
512 - Zane (age 17) dies
512 - The count throws a drunken fit over the losses, and Sueki (age 10) starts a plan to head to the mines.
512 โ Shiress (age 12) saves Sueki (age 10) from monsters in the mines
512 - Sueki doesn't make her official debut in society at age 10 -which is the age children are traditionally debuted-, and she never will debut officially.
514 - Word of the count's neglect gets to the capital somehow, and guards are sent to claim the land and arrest the count.
514 - Shiress begins shadowing/training (age 14) with a creepy local physician (expand upon IC)
514-24 - Sueki's existence is discovered at age 12, and she is taken in and raised in the King's guest palace. Sueki (from age 12 to 22) spends all of her time studying different things of interest and exploring the garden and grand library.
515 - The people living in the count's territory start to be moved out of it. The territory is left to get even worse.
515 - Creepy local physician takes advantage of the village's upheaval and beats, drugs, then sells Shiress (age 15) to slavers (expand IC)
524- Shiress (age 24) is escapes/arrested/placed in a melee at the King's tournament and in some way meets Sueki (age 22)
Age: 37 Height: 5'3 Mannerisms: Usually always dusting or wiping something off. She crosses her arms or places her hands on her hips when standing idly. Clothes: She's usually wearing her maid uniform. When she's not she wears more earthy tones. Inventory: She keeps a handkerchief with her at all times. Additional notes:
Personality: She's very motherly to most, always fondly nagging about something or another. She's often very supportive as well. Weaknesses: Abilities: She's pretty good at repairing clothes.
Background: Her family had worked under the king for a couple of generations now. She herself has been helping take care of the guest palace since she was a little girl. She was 25 when Lady Sueki arrived. When she saw the state of the girl, she immediately volunteered to be her handmaid and has been taking care of her since.
Personality: Shiress is very reserved and often soft-spoken. Years of grief and enslavement have not only made her naive and mistrusting of others but also left her fighting against demons hidden deep within her own memory. This, however, is not her weakness. These memories will guide Shiress to be a strong, confident woman she does not yet know exists. Still, her temper remains short-fused but rarely witnessed. Only those threatening her can ignite the fuse that spirals her into rage.
Ethics: Her ethics are those of love and loyalty to those who show her the same. Shiress stays true to this and is not one to falter with lies and deceit. She has a deep passion and benevolence for the sick and injured, and she seems to be drawn to them, as they are to her, gaining peace and acceptance in her care.
Skill: Shiress is a highly skilled swordsman and a competent dual-wielding fighter. She began shadow training with her brother, Zane, at the incredibly young age of three and a half.
Background: Shiress's upbringing in Hinderstap, nestled within the County of Teardis at its border, was shaped by the village's connection or, more accurately, the severing of the connection to mining.
In their quaint cabin at the heart of Hinderstap, Shiress, her brother Zane, and their father Zach chiseled out a challenging but humble life for themselves. Their cabin was small but filled to bursting with the love the little family shared for each other. They survived, lived, and loved with a fire that burned warm in Winter and a cool breeze that wafted through the windows in Summer.
Two weeks out of every month, save the winter months, Zach, Zane, and Shiress would serve their turn, as did all the village's families, to work, till, and sow the large communal garden and take their share at harvest. The lives of Hinderstap's villagers were intricately woven with the land around them, and the toil of their hands fostered a sense of resilience and hope.
One Fall day, a contingent of soldiers arrived in Hinderstap. Their arrival was met with excitement from the village's young boys, including eight-year-old Zane, whose wide-eyed wonder caught the eye of their leader, Alexander Conwell. Alex recognized the potential in Zane and took the young boy under his wing, training him in the art of the blade from that moment forward. Zane, in turn, trained Shiress privately.
Alex's deft eye for potential and rigorous training paid off, and by the time Zane turned seventeen, he had reached master swordsman, becoming the Kingdom's youngest Master of the Blade. Things had started to look up for Shiress's family, as great honors and opportunities came with such achievementsโuntil Count Dixian destroyed everything.
Shiress was twelve years old when her brother, Zane, was killed while attempting to drive horrendous creatures from Count Dixian's mines. But it wasn't until Shiress rescued the Count's own young daughter from the very mine that took Zane's life that Shiress learned the true extent of the Count's lies and deceit. His selfishness. This knowledge sowed bitterness and hatred in Shiress, which festered and swelled like a beast throughout the years.
Until Shiress, again, rescues the Count's daughter. Sueki Dixian.
A big, huge thank you and bunches of hugs to@Jumbledfor making this beautiful sword for Shiress
Physical Characteristics: The first thing you see is the torchlight reflecting off their eyes, in varying shades of brown, red and yellow. Their fur is brown and short, ears tall and pointed. They bare razor-like teeth in wide snarls. Four leathery wings sprout from their backs. They cloak themselves in salvaged rags. Each hand and foot ends in pointed claws only half an inch long. Height: They average around 2ft-3ft tall when standing straight. Mannerisms: The mainly crouch and crawl on all fours. However, if they are curious, or feel threatened, they stand tall and expand their wings behind them. Occasional, they hop around in their crouched position on their back legs; they seem to laugh while doing this and so may be playing in some way. Additional notes: They seem have some kind of culture, but speak in gibberish. They're very territorial and stick together in groups. There's a nest deep in the core of the Teardis mines.
Personality: They seem intelligent but act on instinct like animals. They attack when they feel threatened, almost as if they get intoxicated off the adrenaline of fight or flight. They seem very social with each other and are very noisy about it. Weaknesses: They're small and their hides aren't very tough. Abilities/Strengths: Their claws are small but shred through flesh. Their teeth can easily tear chunks off. They're quick and attack frantically, taking to the air if they can and scratching with all four limbs. The worst part is their numbers. You'll rarely every catch one alone. Scouting groups very from 5-10 at a time.
Physical Characteristics: Their wing and tail feathers are black and feel like they're coated in wax. Dripping from their head down is wax in a pale yellow. Their eyes are dark brown with black markings around them. Their beaks seem made of flint, with the older birds' beaks even being cracked or chipped. Height: Ranging from 3-4 inches. Mannerisms: They use their beaks to help coat themselves in wax, shaking and stretching their wings so they don't impede their flight. They wipe any extra wax off on the trees they rest in. Additional notes: These birds love flying in the rain, which is partially why they coat themselves in the wax they steal from bee hives. Another reason is to protect from the smaller and more annoying pests, like flees and mites. Their blood flows quickly to cycle heat through their bodies; this keeps the wax coating them soft and moldable.
Personality: They act like most other birds, though on the more friendlier side. They're more quiet, only chirping to alarm others of danger. They're quite clever. Weaknesses : Nothing of note. Just the natural downside of being small. Abilities/Strengths: They have a very sensitive sense of smell, able to tell wen the air is getting too dangerous to breathe They can also start fires. They're smart enough to look for something dry to use as kindling. Then they strike their beaks against rocks quickly to cause sparks. They do this to set small fires near and around beehives, smoking the bees out. They steel chunks of the hive and use the fire to melt the wax, adding new coverings to their feathers. Sometimes they also just start fires to cuddle by.
