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applications

applications

APPLICATIONS

Eastbound is primarily an invite-only game — each existing player can currently invite up to one person per month, or get in touch about further invites. Existing players can hold two characters in game. A third character can be applied, if players can prove they have met activity requirements for two consecutive months with their existing two characters and have stayed engaged with the game. If you don't have an invite, somehow stumbled upon this neck of the woods, and you’d like to stay, drop the mod journal a line — we'll try to figure it out.

As of Oct. 1, cast/game caps are off. Please note, as of Dec. 1, Eastbound only has 3-4 months of gameplay left.

WHAT CHARACTERS CAN BE APPLIED?

YES: canon and original characters, if they have a solid and consistent personality and background. Characters brought in after they've died are a-okay. For characters taken from a time point just as they're in the process of dying, please read below on meeting medical requirements.

NO (at this time): real people, original characters set in a canon environment, characters from canons or canon instalments that have been released for less than one month, characters with imported development from other games (CRAU), alternate universe, or gender-swapped versions of canon characters.

Children or characters with very specific medical/magical/environment needs: appable, but please make a note of how your character will ICly meet their requirements and stay alive. Likewise, if you are applying for a character taken just as they're dying, provide a suggestion for how they can be kept alive on arrival (this might be easier in some app cycles than others). You can bend the world a little to make miracles happen (ex: a substitute for the medication your character needs to survive can be found for a high price at certain apothecaries, etc.)

Characters that were dropped or swept by activity checks: yes, but they’ll come back without their previous memories, if they are applied in by a different player.

APPLICATION FORM & INSTRUCTIONS

EXISTING / RETURNING PLAYERS

NEW PLAYERS

PLAYER NAME: 
CONTACT:
REFERRED BY: Who invited you, please? c:

CHARACTER: 
CANON:
CANON POINT:

BACKGROUND: written or linked history both fine. Bullet points also a-okay. If no information is available in English, please write this out in short.

ABILITIES | POWERS: Include any relevant power restrictions, so you don’t break our playground.

PERSONALITY: make sure this ties back to the character’s time point and background.

SAMPLE: one or more samples to showcase the nuances of your character’s personality. Submit at least one prose sample of five comments or more. You can link memes, PSL or other game threads, provided they took place within the last 12 months. You can also write a single prose sample in the game or character canon setting, if you think you can cover good introspective ground that way, or a top level with enough variety to show how the character engages in various scenarios. 
 
INVENTORY: No world-breaking items. For living or magical beings, or anything colossal (think... Gundams...) please let's talk beforehand!

SUITABILITY: Eastbound is a plot-heavy game that typically features sleuthing, action and the undead. How is your character likely to deal with all that (and the game bear)?

NOTES: Are there any particular accommodations your character will need? How do you propose to handle that?

APPLICATIONS CLOSED

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Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

ADMIN

When you have a second, have a last read through the game rules and comment to the TAKEN LIST.

Join

eastbound,

lostcompass,

westwhere. Feel free to make an OOC intro post on

lostcompass, if you want!

All game-relevant updates will be posted on

lostcompass, but if you’re fond of plurk, consider following

eastbound.

Like it says on the application page tin — you can have a maximum of two characters in the game, and you can invite one new person in per month!

If you’re not already served on that front, we have some custom codes to help you set up a character inbox or permissions post. Both are entirely optional, and feel free to customise at will!

Your character is exempted from activity requirements in July.

NOTES

We are currently in the voyage transitional period to Arc II, Taravast. You can work with our latest event, and don’t be shy about asking questions or prodding for information. We’re all in this blood-rain-sighing-witch-ghost-army mystery together.

We’re going to make this man fight by a lot of fountains.

Sorry to throw more “paperwork” at you when you’re already handling so much start-up bureaucracy, but if you don’t mind filling this out by 00:01 on 1 August, that’d be great! It will help with assigning Wen Kexing his Taravast identity 😊 !

INTRO: Wen Kexing’s test drive threads can remain game canon, and you can build him an arrival narrative that fits those questionable events.

Never mind the blood rains, haunting song and inevitable ghost army cohorts — Wen Kexing will find himself otherwise occupied upon joining the caravan. The Sa-Hareth refugees who survived the ~~train~~ horsecar collision will find themselves drawn to Wen Kexing’s affable manner. In particular, their children, alongside the young of the caravan, will take up trailing after him, begging him for sweets and treats and stories, with some calling him a princess or a bride because of his intricate clothes, relative to their journey garments. They will share with him their greatest treasure: verse, taught to them at night by the Lady, whom they join in her dirge:

Stitch by stitch,
The love of a witch
Will unravel

Dusk to dawn
Each morning to mourn
With blood and gravel

They came, to a man
They came without plan
Walked their feet raw

Bore day and night
Sought witches to fight
Their fealty a flaw

For one witch alone
Arha turned every stone
His love a disorder

And at Taravast
Our hero, aghast
Led men to murder

Her sisters near dead,
"Save her," he’d said
"She’ll open the gates"

But foes of one day
Ally straight away
If a witch waits

Attaryl
Hearts empty still
The Bessis wed

Sick to the core
Of woe and war
With truce went ahead

Peace at a price
Army, sacrificed
By the Attaryl

The lady said,
“Turn or face dread.”
A sign of good will

Yet Arha’s care
Lovers, beware
Was halfway pride

He’d not be swayed
Not be delayed
Not be denied

So men tall and small
So learned at the wall
A witch’s love burns

Fire and tar
Shot from afar
Every wail earns

Love, her love
Hatisse’s sweet dove
Arha fell last

Vowed to return
His lady to scorn
And spit on their past

With strike of sword
The love of a lord
Will unravel

Dawn to dusk
His memory a husk
Each year he will travel.

...consider sharing this beautiful song, in its... dubious quality or summary with the group, because ~~it took a while to pen~~ they’ve been waiting for the final clues to stitch together what happened to the Lord Arha and Lady Hatisse.

The sorceress Karsa, an employee of the party’s Merchant benefactor who is currently journeying with the caravan, can update Kexing on the story so far. In Eastbound tradition, you are welcome to pick Wen Kexing’s network username, but I can provide a pun-based one, if you’re stuck.

sweet, thank you!

i’m planning to put up a network post about this tomorrow, will this work with your timeline?

Sure thing!

PLAYER NAME: Chel
CONTACT: pm or plurk
HOW DID YOU HEAR ABOUT THE GAME?: I go here.

CHARACTER: Zuko
CANON: Avatar: The Last Airbender
CANON POINT: Season 3, Episode 13 The Firebending Masters, taken directly after the flames from this receed.

BACKGROUND: Up to the end of the first paragraph under 'Summer 100 AG'

ABILITIES | POWERS:

Firebending: Firebenders utilize the power of the breath and the energy inside themselves to create fire. As a firebending master, Zuko can exact complete control over the size, intensity, shape, and direction of both the fire he can create and any fire that already exists. In addition to the manipulation of fire, Zuko can keep himself warm through his breathing, redirect lightning, and heat things by touch. For an incredibly deep dive on Firebending, check here.

Combat: Zuko is an accomplished swordsman, training from childhood until the time of his banishment with one of his world's most established masters. He is highly versed in bladed weapons, particularly his dual Dao broadswords. With the movements of Firebending being based on Northern Shaolin, even without his bending he is a proficient martial artist and has demonstrated possessing the strength to throw people, and break chains and tables with ease.

Stealth & Acrobatics: In canon, Zuko demonstrates a tremendous aptitude for getting around while escaping detection. He has used these skills to infiltrate numerous secure locations as well as move through entire cities without drawing notice. He is quick and light on his feet, able to run along the sides of walls, and scale buildings with relative ease.

PERSONALITY:

The inner conflict that would become the governing force in Zuko’s life began about as soon as he could walk and talk. From the beginning, Zuko was taught to believe that the Fire Nation was the most advanced civilization in the world and that the war they had been fighting for the last century was their way of sharing that greatness with everyone else.

As the son of Fire Lord Ozai and the heir to the throne, Zuko rarely saw evidence to suggest that this seemingly fundamental truth he had heard since birth was false. His father, who had become Fire Lord when Zuko was a child, was the embodiment of the wrathful, cunning brutality valued in a Fire Nation leader during a time of seemingly endless war and conquest. Ozai’s taste for power was not a quality that he saw in his son, and while Zuko wanted nothing more than to please him, his father saw the compassionate part of his son’s nature as weakness. In his father’s eyes, Zuko would always come up short.

His sister, however, was his father’s favorite from the very start. Even as a child Azula was gleeful in her mercilessness, something that aligned perfectly with her father’s warlike ambitions and callousness; that she was a firebending prodigy only cemented her as Ozai’s favorite. Zuko’s relationship with his sister is as complicated as his relationship with nearly everyone he has grown close to. As a child, she was his greatest rival, and her manipulative, inflammatory nature always got the better of him in some way. Her superior skill as a bender, and the ease with which she epitomized the ideals of Fire Nation culture only made him try harder to please his father.

These two powerful personalities held tremendous influence over Zuko as he grew up, tempered only by the presence of his mother. Ursa was a contrast to Ozai; while the Fire Lord thought the empathy Zuko displayed was undesirable, she nurtured that part of him. When his bending was slow to flourish, Azula leaving him behind in the dust with her natural ability, Ursa praised his willingness to go on and not give up. She was compassionate where his father was distant, a bright spot of caring in a militarized and coldly grand existence where strength was the only thing that seemed to matter. Her disappearance affected him profoundly, forcing him to grow up in a hurry as he was left behind to weather the disdain of his father and the consistent subtle antagonization of his sister, putting up walls where he could and becoming quick to anger when he failed.

In the end, it was the compassion he worked to ignore inside himself that got him banished. The part of him his mother once supported was what ruined the effort to lead the life he had been born to have. Speaking out of turn in defense of soldiers who were going to be used as a sacrifice unknowingly saw him burned by his father in a duel he refused to fight, and sent away to never return unless he found the Avatar.

The rage and the shame from this incident were what fueled Zuko for a long time. He had been given definitive proof that he was not the sort of son his father wanted, and he channeled the hurt from that horrible rejection into trying to do the impossible and find someone who had been missing for a hundred years. Even after being humiliated and disfigured, Zuko was not interested in the possibility of failure, all he wanted was to restore his honor and return home.

Though he had never been so disconnected from the life he was used to leading, his Uncle, a retired (disgraced) general had elected to accompany him. Growing up he had mostly only known Iroh from his letters sent from the various battles he waged and the occasional family holiday, and while the man’s presence was an annoyance at first, Iroh proved to be the teacher Zuko was too angry to realize he needed.

The persistence his mother commended him for was channeled into restoring him to his rightful place as heir to the throne. Though he failed to realize the value of it at the time, his uncle was equally as tenacious when it came to trying to mentor the young prince. The beginning of their journey across the world in pursuit of the Avatar was marked by little spats between the two - Iroh encouraging calm and rest, and Zuko rebuffing him, too consumed by the pursuit to think of the pleasant cups of tea Iroh always seemed to be encouraging him to have. His anger at his disgrace caused Zuko to be reckless during these early days, often putting not only himself but those around him in danger. He wanted to be the ruthless man his father sought in a son and heir, and his desperation to finally become the person who would fill that role made him volatile and diminutive to everyone around him, his uncle most of all.

It wasn’t until Zuko and Iroh became fugitives of the Fire Nation, and were forced to live as refugees in the Earth Kingdom, that things began to change for Zuko. After his sister’s reemergence in his life and unsurprising subsequent betrayal, he and his uncle had no choice but to abandon the lives they’d been leading and take to the road.

The experience of traveling without any of the comforts afforded to a Fire Nation royal was eye-opening. Life as a refugee, going weeks at a time without eating, and begging for coins in the streets were things that Iroh bore without any of the lashing out his nephew did so much of. Humility was a lesson Zuko learned more vividly than he could have ever imagined in his life as the prince. His lack of means derailing his hunt for the Avatar, he was made to confront the reality of the war his homeland waged on the rest of the world.

While living as one of many people whose lives had been derailed by the war he saw that the lifelong hatred others had for the Fire Nation was justified. This war had thrown the world out of balance and cost thousands of lives. The Fire Nation's victory allowed them to occupy foreign lands and throw dissenters and other benders in prison. They had destroyed whole cultures in their hunger for power, cutting a path of destruction that was felt on a global scale, all in the name of dominance and conquest.

Instead of the anger that had fueled the years following his banishment, this forced change of life was greeted with dismay and encroaching despair. Despite Iroh’s unwavering support and mentorship, Zuko decided that he was holding him back, and struck out on his own in a show of shortsightedness and resentment. Thrust into another situation where he would be rejected if the truth about him came out, Zuko lived as a drifter, becoming an empathetic witness to the rawness and hurt of the world.

When Iroh and Zuko were brought back together again (ironically, also the work of Azula) Zuko surprised his uncle with how receptive he was, at last to the things that Iroh had to teach him. For so long Zuko rejected the way that Iroh was trying to teach him how to bend, using the same anger and hunger for power that galvanized nearly every bender in the Fire Nation. Now, after seeing it firsthand, he was willing to listen as Iroh explained to him that drawing understanding from all the elements, and people from all nations, was vital if he was ever going to be able to face his sister, and become a firebending master.

Living among regular people for the first time was eye-opening to Zuko, and filled him with a kind of humble peace. In the city of Ba Sing Se, his life could not have been further than the destiny he believed he had been born for. Though working in a tea shop did very little for his people skills, Zuko got to experience something close to peace for the first time and enjoy his uncle’s success instead of diminishing it because it did not do anything to bring them closer to the Avatar.

When given the chance to pick up the trail of the Avatar again, Zuko was quick to take it, despite a lack of resources, and options. Standing on the brink of rekindling his obsession with restoring his honor in the eyes of his father, Iroh’s pleas that he look inside himself and ask who he was, and what he wanted pulled him back from going down that road again.

During his time as a refugee, Zuko had been forced to question what his place in this broken world was, hearing Iroh voice aloud the very things he was trying not to ask himself rattled Zuko and made him step away from reigniting his former cause. The inner rift this caused manifested itself physically, leaving him feverish for several days. Zuko drifted in and out of dreams where he was forced to confront the two directions he was being pulled in, urged to fight through it by the sound of his uncle’s voice. When the fever broke, it seemed as though Zuko had managed to work through some of the things haunting him.

He was almost cheerful, perhaps for the first time since his mother left Zuko was outwardly kind, supporting his uncle enthusiastically when Iroh was given the chance to realize a dream and open a tea shop of his own. After years of relentless pursuit, determined to capture the Avatar and restore his place in the Fire Nation, Zuko appeared to have let it go - and in a lot of ways he had, though that he and his uncle would always have to hide who they were never sat well with him.

Azula wasn’t done being Zuko’s foil, and after becoming her prisoner he came closer than he ever had been to turn against his family and the Fire Nation. Again, his uncle pleaded with him, but when confronted with these crossroads Zuko chose to follow the familiar road he had always walked, believing it to be the path he was meant for.

At last, with the world believing the Avatar was dead while he remained unsure, he could return home, like he wanted.

With his uncle imprisoned for treason, Zuko was left to pick the life he had been waiting to live back up, finally getting the validation from his father he never had. The uncertainty surrounding the Avatar’s fate ate at him, deep down Zuko knew he was alive, and after Ozai was told by Azula it was him who had killed the Avatar the unreset he had been feeling since betraying his uncle began to bloom.

Not for the first time, being handed what he wanted proved to be a false road. His anger at himself ate at him in a way he hadn’t felt since first being banished and thrust out into the world. He frequently visited his uncle’s prison cell to shout and berate the old man for choosing to stand on the opposite side of this conflict, but even as he said those things, he regretted them, well aware of how hollow and wrong they sounded. When, at last, he was included in a meeting in his father’s war room once again, what should have felt like taking his place in the world felt wrong, and the plan he witnessed his father lay down for his generals made his blood run cold in horror.

None of this was right, and for the first time, Zuko stopped trying to ignore that.

Perhaps it was cowardly to wait for an eclipse when firebenders were unable to use their ability without the sun’s energy, but Zuko wanted what he had to say to be heard. Confronting his father for how terrible he had been before laying out his plan - he would beg his uncle for forgiveness, and he would join the Avatar to help defeat Ozai. He had finally seen enough to understand that his honor was never something that his father could take away or restore - that power had always lain with Zuko and he had reached the point where he was ready to use it.

Adjusting to life as one of the good guys has been something new for Zuko, and the journey is not without growing pains. Each of the people traveling with the Avatar has good reason not to trust him. While this has been a source of frustration, Zuko has come to a point where he owns up to the damage he has done - both as a person and as prince of the Fire Nation and accepts that he has a lot left to learn.

On the surface, Zuko is quiet and prickly. Not having grown up around healthy relationships or that many good people, Zuko is very slow to warm to others, and his brusque, short-winded way of interacting tends to keep people at a distance, whether intentionally or otherwise. He doesn't laugh often and is very easily read as perpetually grumpy - even in the presence of the people he cares about most in the world.

Inwardly, Zuko is a principled, honorable person who desperately wants to do the right thing and please those that matter to him. He is someone who understands what it means to make mistakes, and while those mistakes have, at times, threatened to overtake who he is for the sake of getting what it was he believed he needed and wanted, his sense of what’s right is strong enough to pull him off the wrong path.

SAMPLE: On the TDM

INVENTORY: The clothes on his back and his swords.

NOTES: NA

IF ACCEPTED, WOULD YOU WANT A PLOT-LIGHT OR PLOT-HEAVY CUSTOM INTRO? Plot heavy

Thank you for your application!

ADMIN

When you have a second, have a last read through the game rules and comment to the TAKEN LIST.

Join

eastbound,

lostcompass,

westwhere. Feel free to make an OOC intro post on

lostcompass, if you want!

All game-relevant updates will be posted on

lostcompass, but if you’re fond of plurk, consider following

eastbound.

Like it says on the application page tin — you can have a maximum of two characters in the game, and you can invite one new person in per month!

If you’re not already served on that front, we have some custom codes to help you set up a character inbox or permissions post. Both are entirely optional, and feel free to customise at will!

Your character is exempted from activity requirements in August.

NOTES

Poor Ursa :(

INTRO: as we’re in between Arcs and just about to venture into a new location, there is not much of a custom intro that we can give poor Zuko, past taking advantage of the test drive event he participated in to create his grand entrance.

Once in Taravast, however, he should be careful with his fire skills: many will hasten to assume he is a sorcerer of the school of Bessis, earning him the guarded coldness of the Bessis’ current ally, but once enemy — the witches of Attaryl. Some of the Bessis will want him to adhere to the order, while others will accuse him of stealing their art.

The sorceress Karsa, an employee of the party’s Merchant benefactor who is currently journeying with the caravan, will provide Zuko a flimsy quartz piece, thralled to serve as a translation and communication device. She can also update Zuko on the story so far.

As a sorceress highly skilled in fire herself, Karsa will take an interest in Zuko and spy his training forms, from time to time. Her own magic seems to require a degree of instinctive casting, where his appears comparatively more organic — she will be open to sharing notes.

Arc II will include assigning characters court roles to help them infiltrate the various social and gentry circles of Taravast. Please let me know in a reply to this comment if you’d like Zuko to receive an identity that matches his current personality and background, or one that is at odds with the two. Thanks!

Drafting them into team step on me Karsa early, I see.

Okay so, we're gonna go with aligns for Zuko, and as far as bending goes, for the moment he is making a conscious choice not to use his bending, however for the sake of senpai noticing him, let's say she caught him somewhere he thought he was alone to practice and he would love to talk fire (because he has eyes hello).

Thanks for the answer!

PLAYER NAME: Elle
CONTACT:

moonstones
HOW DID YOU HEAR ABOUT THE GAME?: Emily. Then she saw me pressing my face to the window.

CHARACTER: Emilia di Carlo
CANON: Kingdom of the Wicked
CANON POINT: The end of the first book. Wrath is realm-hopping Emilia from Palermo to the Seven Circles, where she is to be queen. B u t something goes wrong and they end up in the frozen citadel of Sa-Hareth instead.

BACKGROUND: Before there was Man and his Old Religion, there was magic. La Prima Strega — the very first witch — was allegedly the daughter of a demon and a goddess, created as the perfect balance between dark and light. She was the source of power for witches like the di Carlos, and it was said she had a daughter of her own. Known as a star witch, this firstborn daughter was a guardian between realms — a warden for the prison of damnation.

... Until she abandoned her duty and married the king of all the damned, that is. La Prima commanded her daughter to give up this throne, and upon refusal, summoned the darkest of magic to remove her daughter's power and curse the devil.

A blood debt was born.

The di Carlo twins grew up on tales of this prideful king and his wicked brothers, each the embodiment of the seven deadly sins. Their grandmother bathed them in protection charms and warnings, fearful of the day the Wicked would slip through the hellish gates to take back what was stolen.

Emilia, an inherent skeptic, never believed these stories. Centuries had passed without any sighting of demon royalty, and certainly there was no proof. These were legends told to young witches, no different than the fairytales mankind crafted for children.

Then the murders began.

The Prince of Pride needs to rule alongside a queen witch lest what remains of his power diminishes. His first bride slain, he must find a new bride — and quickly — before all is lost. Someone does not want this wedding to take place, for every witch that accepts Pride's bargain is found dead and with her heart torn out of her chest. Among these victims is Emilia's twin, Vittoria.

Kingdom of the Wicked, then, is Emilia's journey from a skeptical and hesitant young woman to a ferocious fighter who stops at nothing to protect what she loves. The first book depicts the early stages of some rather lofty goals: prevent future killings, ensure the safety of her world, get to the bottom of what happened the night Vittoria was murdered, and unveil the true culprits so that she may annihilate them.

There is nothing Emilia will not do to achieve her ends, up to and including: defying her terrifying Sicilian grandmother, summoning a deadly demon prince, magically leashing the demon prince, engaging in psychological warfare with the demon prince's brothers, battling a netherworldly snake, using dark magic for the first time, torturing information out of an enemy, and ultimately accepting the Pride's proposal to become Queen of the Wicked — with a secret agenda of her own.

It's... fine.

ABILITIES | POWERS: Note: The magic system for witches is left rather vague in the first book. It's suggested Emilia herself is not aware of the full extent of her power or its origins, a good deal of this power left untapped. There should be more answers when the sequel comes out in early October, in which case I'd make any necessary additions/modifications. Below is what we know so far.

• Emilia is not human. The descendant of a goddess, she has ties to the divine. It's stated she is harder to kill than most humans, being somewhat stronger and faster than them. She is not invulnerable the way the Wicked seem to be.

• She is eerily stealthy when she wants to be. Nonna Maria chided her for it when she was younger, and she was even able to surprise Wrath, a demon with absurdly heightened senses. If she wants to move around unheard, she will.

• She is an excellent cook and has rudimentary knowledge of herbal folk medicine.

• The witches in her lineage are known as star witches, and Emilia discovered this recently. Some of the Wicked call them shadow witches for their historical ties to demons, but her grandmother insists they are warriors of the light, and upon first meeting Pride, he addressed Emilia as Stella Strega.

• Witches have a raw connection to the earth and its elements, and are able to channel its powers into their own. These elements react to Emilia at times, whether it's the sea suddenly smashing into rocks or the wind picking up, etc.

• Due to this special connection, the prime manifestation of a witch's magic is through spellcasting. Emilia's grandmother, Nonna, is a light witch that forbids the use of dark magic in their household. There is magic that gives and magic that takes: some dark spells will require payment, and it's usually a piece of one's self that is lost forever. Emilia is not well-versed in dark magic.

• As above, so below. Throughout the book there is an emphasis on balance: the day La Prima cursed the devil is the day a loophole to that curse was created. Thus, Emilia and Vittoria are part of an ancient prophecy that, if true, can free the devil from his curse. They each wore a horn amulet their whole lives. When put together, it became the Horn of Hades — quite literally, the devil's horns.

• Wearing one half of the devil's horns granted Emilia abilities that were unique to her, like reading auras that determined someone's nature. She arrives to Eastbound without her amulet, so I've decided that's nothing she'll be able to do for now.

• The summoning spell that bound Wrath to Emilia accidentally betrothed them, oops. They both sport matching tattoos of double crescent moons and stars, serpents, and wildflowers. Wrath also performed a healing ritual to save Emilia's life; an exchange of power occurred during this ritual that further cemented their bond in ways they are still discovering*.

*You may be wondering how Emilia will marry Pride if she is already betrothed to Wrath. Great question!

PERSONALITY: For most of her life, Emilia di Carlo was known as the dutiful and abundantly cautious twin.

She had reasons to keep to herself, to be fair. Being a witch in 19th-century Palermo meant living in disguise to avoid notice and persecution. Her ancestors were burned at the stake, and vitriolic hate speeches about the evils of her kind were once all too commonplace.

Reserved and sensible, she favored curling up with a good book over courting danger the way her twin Vittoria did. If not a good book, she was content crafting new recipes in the kitchens of the di Carlo trattoria, Sea & Vine. Gifted with a green thumb, Emilia's dreams once involved saving up enough money to expand their family business, and a garden to make things grow. Her world was small, but it was dear. She loved cooking and she loved her family. Above all else, she loved her twin. They were as close as they were different.

Stumbling upon Vittoria's desecrated body, then, unquestionably changes Emilia. The trauma and horror of that night is with her throughout the book, in both glaring and subtle ways. It's present in the impulsive behavior that lands her in trouble, the restlessness that keeps her moving, and her intense longing for justice. More importantly, it lives on in the simmering rage that gives her a newfound purpose.

Where Emilia would choose mercy and understanding before, Vittoria's death catapults her onto the path of vengeance. Her grandmother, Nonna Maria, begs her to find forgiveness and acceptance in her heart — to abandon this 'dark pursuit' before it destroys her, and destroys them.

Emilia, wrathful and in mourning, refuses to listen. She must, she must, find out who killed Vittoria and why.

It helps, too, that Emilia is a knowledge-seeker at heart. Kingdom of the Wicked is a murder mystery at its own core, with Emilia as the fledgling detective. She needs to know as much as she needs to avenge. She's constantly thinking, constantly asking questions and piecing evidence together on a time crunch. She absorbs as much information as she possibly can and utilizes it to her advantage. When she has the opportunity to do so, it's clear she prefers to think things through and cover all of her bases to make informed decisions.

She is motivated, to a frightening degree, by this need to set right an unforgivable wrong. It forces her to step outside of her comfort zones. It introduces her to a world of darker magic. It reveals the vicious and more ruthless parts of herself. It also saves her, in a way, as her anger keeps her standing, keeps her going, where she might otherwise collapse in grief. Wrath warns her that she is ruled by fire, and he isn't wrong. Vengeance is rooted in passion, and Emilia feels deeply: devoted to those she loves, and unforgiving to her enemies.

That said, she does not deem someone an enemy lightly, and she isn't interested in wanton destruction. Her wrath is aimed exclusively at those she believes deserving of it. Her need to avenge Vittoria is real, but so is her bone-deep sense of justice. She genuinely wants to save innocent lives and prevent future murders. She truly believes that no matter how powerful or wealthy someone is, they should be held accountable for their actions. When she learns about the prophecy and that it may require great sacrifice, she decides without question to protect a world unequipped to handle the carnage a horde of demons would inflict upon it.

By the time she arrives to Eastbound, Emilia knows the partial truth of what happened to her sister, and that one of the culprits was much closer to home than she anticipated. The sting of this betrayal, alongside what she believes to be Wrath's, leave her mistrusting, anxious, and more determined than ever to finish what has been started.

TL;DR these two posts do a good job of summarizing what I could not, tbh.

SAMPLE: TDM top level and tag in.

INVENTORY: Moon-blessed chalk & two large diamond-encrusted olive branch clips.

NOTES: N/A though it would be kind of fun if Emilia's horn amulet was somewhere in this world ... to be found later.

IF ACCEPTED, WOULD YOU WANT A PLOT-LIGHT OR PLOT-HEAVY CUSTOM INTRO? Plot-heavy should it fit with the your plans/scheduling/the TDM! Please feel free to treat Emilia and Wrath as a combo deal too, since they kind of are.

PLAYER NAME: Rizzy
CONTACT: snowed on plurk or PM to this journal
HOW DID YOU HEAR ABOUT THE GAME?: Sheep extended me an invite, and I heard about it via both Sheep and Emily on my plurk.

CHARACTER: Wrath
CANON: Kingdom of the Wicked
CANON POINT: end of Kingdom of the Wicked

BACKGROUND:

- Ancient History: It is all but confirmed within the book that Wrath is an angel that fell (possibly a former angel of Death), but the details of this have not been revealed. Currently, he resides in the Underworld, but it is clear that his realm is weaker than it once was. This most likely has to do with the curse on Pride that Wrath is also wrapped up in. The Wicked Seven are Wrath's brothers: Envy, Lust, Pride, Greed, Gluttony, Sloth. They are all princes of Hell, incredibly powerful demons with their own realms. Their Houses range in power and influence, and they all live by a certain code - promises and oaths are binding.

- Less Ancient History + Murder Mystery: There was a betrayal. Pride's wife was brutally murdered, and they still don't know who did it. Pride is trapped in the Underworld, unable to leave it as his power weakens. Thus, Wrath is forced to be the one to bring him souls to break the curse. Unfortunately, the witches who choose to sell their souls continue to be murdered. With Pride's power waning, the gates to the Underworld grow weaker and lesser demons are slipping through.

- The Witch: Wrath made a mistake. He left his dagger behind at a murder scene. Enter Emilia di Carlo. It was her twin that had been killed, and she used his dagger to summon and trap him - it was not just any ritual, but an accidental (and eternal) marriage bond. He spends the next several days as her prisoner.

- The Witch!!!: Then Emilia di Carlo decides to go after a powerful snake demon from the Underworld. While he gave her warning and hints, he responds as soon as he feels she is in danger. He shows up as she passes out from the venom. Even as she is dying, he makes certain to ask her permission before he does what it takes to save her life. He performs a ritual that requires some sacrifice from them both, but we have yet to learn what it is (Emilia theorizes he gave her some of his power).

- Truce: They agree to work together if only because their goals align. From this point forward, they attempt to solve the murders and bring vengeance against the one committing them. While they get close to solving the mystery, they are not able to solve it in time to protect more lives. His brothers end up interrupting not once but twice. Wrath protects Emilia from both Lust and another lesser demon that slips through.

- Envy: Envy appears to be vying for the throne and for the Horn of Hades worn around Emilia's neck. He kidnaps her family, threatens them, and creates doubt in Emilia about Wrath needing only one more soul. He implies it will be Emilia's regardless of Wrath's feelings about her. This causes a fight between Emilia and Wrath that shatters their alliance. He is disembowled by Envy and disappears - seemingly to the Underworld.

- The Deal: In the end, Emilia makes a deal, agreeing to be Pride's wife, signing her soul away to his House. It is Wrath that comes to collect this soul fully healed, cold and distant (betrayed). Animosity again develops between the two of them as he asks again if this is truly what she wants. She insists it is, takes his hand, and they disappear to the Underworld... or so they thought.

ABILITIES | POWERS: Wooh. Quick note. He is incredibly powerful as one of the Wicked and most likely Satan. I'm more than happy to decrease his powers as much as needed as not having them work whenever for plot purposes.

- Sensing dark emotions/enjoying them/increasing them: All of the Wicked can sense any 'dark' emotion someone may be feeling and it is said they feed on it. They can also increase these emotions either on purpose or accidentally simply by existing. Given Wrath's feelings about choice, it is unlikely he will purposefully increase someone's anger, but another character being near him could achieve that (with player permission/desire). in general, this would be listed in a permission post/other players would be informed prior to anything happening.

- Increasing/decreasing the temperature: He can make a room colder or hotter (He tends toward making it colder, and his body temperature can be unnaturally hot).

- Causing quakes: He can make the ground/ceiling shake enough that dust falls down from it and cracks appear. He could probably destroy a building if he really tried or if his anger got completely out of his control. This only has happened twice within the books, and both times he was upset.

- Super strength, super speed: I am planning on decreasing both of these so that there can be stakes for him, but still stronger/faster than the average person and more demon-like in abilities.

- Invulnerable/immortal: In his canon, he can only be harmed by a demon dagger. He heals almost instantly from anything else. While he will be much tougher to cut into or harm than the average person/mortal, he can now be hurt by other weapons, and he will heal more slowly.

- Magic: He knows how to perform several witch rituals, and the powers I'm detailing are often described as demon magic.

- Teleportation: He can teleport across realms aka from the mortal one to the Underworld. I am changing this to teleporting to short distances and leaving him exhausted if he uses it too much. He also cannot take anyone with him except for Emilia due to their bond, but doing so would make her feel like she's on fire... so he won't unless desperate times call for it.

- Super senses: He can hear/smell/see/taste things and discern information with these super senses, especially when it comes to demons and magic. In canon, he can smell each of his brothers individually. He was licking Emilia's twin's blood to try and understand what happened to her.

- Blood deals: He can create a blood deal with someone. There are very specific rules about blood deals where he is from. The blood deal would be an exchange of some kind, but given his House is not in existence here, this likely would not be used.

- Bond w/ Emilia: He has a matching tattoo with Emilia, created when she bonded them together. This has been shown to alert him when she's in danger, and it shows him where she is, as well. It clearly connects the two of them together. When he saved her life through the ritual they were able to share thoughts, memories, and more.

- Ancient warrior/general: He is incredibly skilled at fighting with weapons - specifically swords and daggers. In addition, he is a skilled tactician known as the General of War, and he could (and has) lead armies in the past.

- Doesn't need to eat/drink/probably breathe: Slowly doing away with that so he can experience the sensation of hunger and thirst. Welcome to humanity, Satan.

PERSONALITY:

- Wrathful but restrained: As his namesake would imply, he harbors a lot of anger, and his anger can be terrifying when unleashed. He is not, however, quick to anger. In fact, he is slow to anger. He is masterful at holding his emotions back and only revealing what he wants to reveal. This is a byproduct of Hell being a place that preys on one's emotions and having brothers who manipulate emotions associated with them. However, when he is angry, it is frightening.

Still, even when a messenger betrayed him, he stayed his hand and chose mercy after terrifying him. He does not believe in punishment without reason, and he kills only when he has to instead of at a simple slight against him. He is commanding without being loud about it. One quiet word from him carries weight and power without his having to yell to indicate the seriousness with which he means what he says.

- Good manners: Didn't you know that the devil is a gentleman? But in all seriousness, manners are important to this ancient Prince of Hell. He even stomps down the snow so Emilia won't have to walk through it in high heels. In general, he tends to be formal and make requests more than directing others to do something, and he abides close to strict demon etiquette.

- Strategist: As the General of War, Wrath is a keen observer when it comes to the weaknesses of others or a battle. He plans out every single one of his moves ahead of time, and he does not (for the most part) act irrationally or without reason. He creates a plan for every potential outcome, like making sure Emilia would have everything she could need to summon him or warding his palace in the mortal realm against any potential danger. He understands human nature simply by being alive as long as he has and making deals with so many of them.

- The importance of choice/words: Choice is incredibly important to Wrath. He does not take choice away from people. When he offers deals for the Devil's soul, when he makes offers of a blood deal for his own House, he makes certain they are fully informed of the consequences and what it would mean to accept these deals. He always offers that choice, and he has never been shown to be coercive with it. More than that, words have great meaning to him and to the demons of Hell. A word holds so much power (a name even more so), and he sticks to the promises and oaths that he makes. He even says that to him choice is what makes someone the most powerful. Not money, not armies, but having the power to choose.

- Snarky: Wrath can be snarky. Sometimes he is even capable of joking beyond the restrained exterior, but it can be subtle and easy to miss because of that. He is capable of finding amusement in different situations - not all of which most others would find amusement in (i.e. anger).

- Conceited/fancy pants: Wrath's entire principle of being is that If he believes he is powerful, he is, and it is enough to give his enemies pause. He radiates power even when he is not trying to impress it on others. It is how he holds himself with confidence, and his belief he is the most lethal thing in any room at any given time. Also, he really loves fancy everything, but especially fancy clothes. In fact, Emilia brings him a shirt, and he refuses to wear it because of the state of it, opting to remain shirtless.

- Has a Presence/Appears Unnatural: The one time he walks through the streets with Emilia, he attracts a lot of attention without trying to. People either cannot stop staring at him due to how angelic/attractive he is or cannot stop backing away/avoiding him due to the demonic predatory vibe he gives off. Emilia likened it to walking through the market with a panther at her side. He is not good at fitting in, and other characters are likely to notice there's something Off about him.

SAMPLE:

-One
-Two
-Bonus

INVENTORY:

-His leather shoulder holster for his dagger
-His dagger

NOTES: None at all.

IF ACCEPTED, WOULD YOU WANT A PLOT-LIGHT OR PLOT-HEAVY CUSTOM INTRO? Plot heavy + combined with Emilia if possible

Edited (plurk name, forgot i changed it) 2021-08-06 01:50 (UTC)

Thank you for your application!

ADMIN

When you have a second, have a last read through the game rules and comment to the TAKEN LIST.

Join

eastbound,

lostcompass,

westwhere. Feel free to make an OOC intro post on

lostcompass, if you want!

All game-relevant updates will be posted on

lostcompass, but if you’re fond of plurk, consider following

eastbound.

Like it says on the application page tin — you can have a maximum of two characters in the game, and you can invite one new person in per month!

If you’re not already served on that front, we have some custom codes to help you set up a character inbox or permissions post. Both are entirely optional, and feel free to customise at will!

Your character is exempted from activity requirements in August.

NOTES

No, I didn’t wonder about the betrothal to Wrath. There are seven sins, that means at least six brothers to kill :(

Very relieved to have another healing-type, we were down to one fully trained healer and some scrapping by! These folks need the help.

I’m happy for her to bring her horn amulet along — it doesn’t sound as if its aura-reading abilities are world-breaking. But I think it’d have to be with her from the start, unless you want her to bring it, lose it in the train collision, and have it resurface later.

INTRO: as we’re transiting between Arcs and just about to venture into a Taravast, Emilia’s entrance will be anchored in the test drives she participated in — those stay game canon.

Beware Taravast: Emilia’s star witch status might gain her the courtship of the two local and competing witch schools. Since her skillset is more elemental — and especially if she steers into fire magic at any point — she’ll be given a wide berth by the sorcerers of Attaryl. The fire-favouring Bessis will meanwhile either adore her, or despise her use of “their” arts.

The sorceress Karsa, an employee of the party’s Merchant benefactor who is currently journeying with the caravan, will provide a flimsy quartz piece, thralled to serve as a translation and communication device. She can also spell out the story so far.

Arc II will include assigning characters court roles to help them infiltrate the various social and gentry circles of Taravast. Please let me know in a reply to this comment if you’d like Emilia to receive an identity that matches her current personality and background, or one that is at odds with the two. Thanks!

Edited 2021-08-06 21:00 (UTC)

Thank you for your application!

ADMIN

When you have a second, have a last read through the game rules and comment to the TAKEN LIST.

Join

eastbound,

lostcompass,

westwhere. Feel free to make an OOC intro post on

lostcompass, if you want!

All game-relevant updates will be posted on

lostcompass, but if you’re fond of plurk, consider following

eastbound.

Like it says on the application page tin — you can have a maximum of two characters in the game, and you can invite one new person in per month!

If you’re not already served on that front, we have some custom codes to help you set up a character inbox or permissions post. Both are entirely optional, and feel free to customise at will!

Your character is exempted from activity requirements in August.

NOTES

I’m unsure if bringing souls to your caged-up brother counts as wingmanning or Underworld Uber Eats.

We may need to cap his powers now and then, as you suspected, but I’ll trust you to keep a lid on things.

Glad he’s ~~human~~ devil air conditioning. The party’s too cash-strapped to pay its heating bills.

INTRO: you’ve guessed it — we’re in between Arcs and just about to enter Taravast tomorrow, so I’m afraid there’s not much scope for a plot-heavy intro just yet. Wrath’s intro will have to stay linked to his test drive threads, which remain game canon.

Wrath’s demonic magic sounds awfully like something he’d be able to earn interest for in the necromantic districts of Taravast — depending on how much he shows or is willing to share, he could gain very, very easy influence and a few disciples there. But more on that… tomorrow!

Arc II will include assigning characters court roles to help them infiltrate the various social and gentry circles of Taravast. Please let me know in a reply to this comment if you’d like Wrath to receive an identity that matches his current personality and background, or one that is at odds with the two. Thanks!

For Taravast/Arc II I'm going with an identity that matches her currently. Her current standing involves recent and profound changes in her life that would still let me play out new things.

This all sounds very interesting and I'm very 👀, thank you so much!

Wonderful, thank you!

Hi, thank you so much! Underworld Uber Wingman is the technical term I think, but in all seriousness, that made me laugh. I'm so excited for all the potential/possibility here. I definitely think he'd be willing to show plenty of his demonic magic especially in exchange for influence/disciples.

I'd love for his identity to match up with his current personality/background. He would honestly be horrible at pretending to be anything else. Thank you :)

PLAYER NAME: Riddle
CONTACT:

tiger_eyes & madviolinist#5122 on Discord.
HOW DID YOU HEAR ABOUT THE GAME?: I heard about it from BG, your Zhou Zishu player.

CHARACTER: Jin Guangyao
CANON: The Untamed
CANON POINT: The night his wife discovers the truth about their marriage.

BACKGROUND: The Untamed takes place in ancient China and the land has been divided between various clans or sects. This is a short synopsis I found online concerning Meng Yao:

"(Also known as) "Lord Lianfang"; Leader of Jin sect (after Jin Guangshan's death); The Chief Cultivator (after Wen Ruohan's death). One of the "Three Zuns" alongside his sworn brothers Lan Xichen and Nie Mingjue. He wields the Hensheng sword. (He is) an illegitimate son of Jin Guangshan, he was not recognised at birth and worked as a servant of the Nie Clan, before winning his father's approval to join the Jin Sect after the Sunshot campaign.

Under his mask of pleasantry, he is ruthless and ambitious, and was ultimately revealed to have killed Nie Mingjue, his father as well as his wife and son. He is close friends and sworn brothers with Lan Xichen, whom he greatly admires due to the latter's respect for him."

The Jin clan/sect is located in Lanling and Meng Yao is the illegitimate son of Jin Guangshan - the previous leader. His mother was a prostitute and that has been held against him in public and in private all of his life. He used the chaos and paranoia caused by the Wen clan/sect to his advantage, twisting minds and hearts so that friends and family turned against one another. He did so to seek revenge for all the pain he and perhaps his mother suffered. (To add to his shame, he fell in love with a woman who was revealed to be his sister. In order to hide their relation - since he married her anyway - he killed their son. She found out the truth from a letter later on and confronted him before killing herself. Said letter came from one of the prostitutes Meng Yao had hired to tend to his father, Jin Guangshan. Said tending led to Jin Guangshan having a heart attack and being discovered in a very awkward and embarrassing position.)

Yet, despite all of his loathing, fear and shame, he grew very attached to Lan Xichen - who treated him like a human (not a monster or a servant). Thus when his deeds were revealed, he begged for Xichen's forgiveness and even asked him to die with him.

Most of Meng Yao's acts are only possible because of his golden core. The golden core is the place cultivators (i.e. those who fight demons/ghosts and protect regular people) derive their power. He subtly changed a spell that was cast through the use of the guqin for example, driving a man mad instead of calming him. He countered the spells of Wei Wuxian, mimicking what the other man had learned to do on his flute.

Thus, thanks to his tampering, over the fifteen/sixteen years Wei Wuxian had supposedly been dead, he secured himself a place as the Chief Cultivator and Head of the Jin clan/sect.

ABILITIES | POWERS: Golden Core Powers

Meng Yao can use a guqin or a flute (or any instrument most likely) to mimic and/or subtly change a person's mood/emotions/well-being. For example a piece meant to calm the mind/senses, in his hands, can cause irritation or outright fury depending on how far he changes the notes. With his photographic memory, he will be able to recall the pieces he memorized in the Cloud Recesses.

Furthermore he can bring forth a guqin to use in battle and he can banish it just as easily. The strings, in particular, are easy for him to use if he ever needs to take a hostage - and when the strings are part of the guqin, he can perform Chord Assassination. (Chord Assassination is a power that is activated when the strings are strummed; waves of power will be sent at one's enemies and it can take out a line of foes. By "take out" I mean they are knocked down. I would say this can hit six or seven people at most and it can be dodged if one is quick enough. The aforementioned waves are visible to the naked eye - they glow silver. Furthermore, since he will rely on his golden core to produce the spell, he will be limited in how often he can use it. I will say, at his best, he can perhaps strum the guqin (and thus produce the waves) ten times.)

Lastly, he can suppress the golden cores of others. Suppression of the golden core will only work on those from his world. It means he can temporarily silence/contain/deaden their powers so they are unable to perform spells/make talismans and so forth. However they are still as physically capable of defending themselves as ever. Suppression only effects their magical production.

Flight

With the help of his sword, Meng Yao can fly. This is an ability all cultivators learn. The speed of said flight is the same as a large bird would fly - not too fast, but quick enough that, even if there is no wind, the fabric of their robes is pressed to their bodies and their hair is lifted behind them. As for how far he can fly - I would say a couple of miles. He is relying on his golden core to propel him, so eventually he will tire.

He can float an inch or so off of his feet too and, if he grabs onto another person, he can carry them along. His speed in that scenario is slower than he could achieve on his sword - more of a quick walk than a run.

Sword

His sword is perfectly in sync with his golden core, which means it reacts to his will. He can summon it to him in a time of need and repel spells with it if his aim is good enough. (All of that is rather difficult when you are missing an arm, but he will find a way to manage.) The specific spells he can repel are those produced by other golden cores (i.e. spells meant to suppress his power and/or knock him down). I wouldn't think he would be able to defend against spells from other worlds - unless they are, for some reason, perfect mirrors of what he is accustomed to facing.

PERSONALITY: First and foremost, Meng Yao is, unquestionably, a genius. He has an "eidetic memory" (or photographic memory) which means he can memorize the face, name, title and age of any person after one meeting. Upon meeting them a second time, he can easily recall their likes and dislikes. This ability aided him greatly in being a skilled host. Of course it didn't hurt that he is a damn fine actor too. Meng Yao can cry on cue, shift from panicked to relieved or delighted to sorrowful and none of it is deeper than the muscles of his face.

It would be understandable to therefore consider him an unreliable and wicked person, however that would be a mistake. Because he is the son of a prostitute and unwanted and unloved by his father (whom he killed embarrassingly), Meng Yao is deeply uncomfortable about himself and his place in the world. He has learned to defend himself with a smile while plotting revenge behind the backs of those who abused him. While it might not be morally correct for him to act as he does, the feelings that he experiences are completely normal. He wants to be respected; he wants to be loved. So much so that it doesn't matter to him that the woman chosen for him to marry is his own sister. He treats her well - besides killing their son - and it seems like he does have true feelings for her. But, like other aspects of his life, he is willing to accept situations and truths that others simply cannot stomach. If he can be happy for even a moment, surely that makes it worthwhile? And that, the desire to be respected, happy and loved, is the true root of his madness. He doesn't - and can't - imagine himself having what he wants any other way.

The one note of sanity in his existence is Lan Xichen. Around him, Meng Yao is sweet - almost bordering on shy - and willing to do good deeds. Because of him, Cloud Recesses was rebuilt and it was his idea to build towers to watch over the common people so that demons, monsters or ghosts could not attack them without word spreading. He also comforted Xichen after the supposed death of Wei Wuxian and so many of their sect members.

For the eldest of the Twin Jades, Meng Yao is almost human. Yet that, and his piss poor childhood, doesn't excuse what he has done to achieve his role as the leader of the Lanling Jin. Nor does it excuse the many lives he has taken or been party to taking. He is steeped in blood and completely insane. His acting ability is all that saves him from revealing the truth to the world and, in his madness, he believes himself bright enough - and quick enough - to stave off that revelation indefinitely. But he is only one man and already there is suspicion. No one can save him once his crimes come into the light; no one will want to save him. And that leaves him just as lonely, just as bereft as he was when his mother died and his father rejected him. In reality, Meng Yao hasn't changed his circumstances at all. His accomplishments are built on lies and mad dreams.

SAMPLE: SAMPLE ONE

The night is quiet and as he changes into robes that are suitable for lounging, he considers pouring himself a cup of wine. Qin Su should join him, he decides. Though a great, perilous secret hangs between them (and has since the day of their vows), he enjoys her company. Truly there is no one in his life that understands the entirety of what he does to achieve this goal of his. It's better this way, though it is a bit lonely and terrifying as of late. Someone is keeping tabs on him; he can feel it, but he trusts that he is craftier than them.

Picking up a sheet of paper, he considers what punishment he will dole out to the interloper. Death feels a bit too easy and torture can be so disgustingly messy. He lets the parchment fall back to the table and his lips quirk. No matter what he decides, he will adhere to his one rule: leave no trace behind.

Except in the case of Nie Mingjue. There and only there, he has left multiple traces, leading whoever follows them into trap after trap. But they will never have all of him. Pieced together, the man could be a danger to them all.

Walking around his desk to the secret chamber in his rooms, he enters the place where he keeps his spoils. The shelf where Nie Mingjue's head sits, eyes and mouth forced closed, calls to him and he grazes his fingertips along the head's cheek.

"They can look for years and it won't do them any good. You belong to me."

All the same, he closes the curtains to shield the head from the world. His knuckles are white as he grips the fabric and he breathes out harshly.

"I must put you where they will never look."

His dark gaze darted around the room, searching, his hand poised, ready to grab his sword. While he had time, he had to act. Otherwise he risked the whole thing being undone. Even now, over a decade later, he has to work so hard to protect what he has earned! But that is the price of power. He won't become lax like Guangshan had done.

The soft voice of Qin Su brings him back to present matters and he leaves the secret room behind, his robes fluttering gracefully in his wake.

SAMPLE TWO:

[Guangyao is a cautious man - and for good reason! He doesn't like revealing himself unless absolutely necessary and thus this network message is a bit...delayed. However he is smiling warmly as if all is well.]

I admit I had not thought to go on campaign again so soon! However the company has made the journey more than worthwhile. [He could be lying and he probably was; he has made a habit out of making just about anyone in his company feel special (even if he couldn't care less about them).] Please forgive my tardiness in introducing myself: I am Jin Guangyao, leader of the Lanling Jin.

[A role he covets and protects with his wits - and his insanity.]

Am I familiar to anyone? Even if I'm not, I am happy to assist where help is needed.

INVENTORY: Hensheng (his sword), a change of robes, his hat, perfume and the Stygian Tiger amulet.

NOTES: I can't think of anything right off the bat.

IF ACCEPTED, WOULD YOU WANT A PLOT-LIGHT OR PLOT-HEAVY CUSTOM INTRO? Plot-heavy please. :)

Hey there! Just wanted to quickly check in — you mention Jin Guangyao's eidetic memory: is that brought up in the Untamed? Do you happen to remember what episode or loosely around what narrative point? Just want to make this isn't a novel-only contribution, since we accept apps for either canon. Thanks in advance!

I don't think it is referred to directly in the live-action drama, however in episode 42, Wei Wuxian refers to Guangyao having a good memory. He only had to look at a page of music in the Forbidden Library (of the Cloud Recesses) once to memorize what he needed (and then he twisted the notes to damage Nie Mingjue). And, of course, he also has the knack for remembering the identities/faces of everyone who treats him poorly - no matter how small the slight.

Ahhh, I see. I think it would be best to give him a good memory, as this is the Untamed version, but maybe not eidetic, as that's not really stated — would that work on your side?

Absolutely! I can edit his personality to reflect that too.

Thanks for that!

ADMIN

When you have a second, have a last read through the game rules and comment to the TAKEN LIST.

Join

eastbound,

lostcompass,

westwhere. Feel free to make an OOC intro post on

lostcompass, if you want!

All game-relevant updates will be posted on

lostcompass, but if you’re fond of plurk, consider following

eastbound.

Like it says on the application page tin — you can have a maximum of two characters in the game, and you can invite one new person in per month!

If you’re not already served on that front, we have some custom codes to help you set up a character inbox or permissions post. Both are entirely optional, and feel free to customise at will!

Your character is exempted from activity requirements in August.

We have just kicked off Arc II: Taravast — have a read of the main setup! Jin Guangyao will be joining the team of Macaluso, and he will be assigned the identity of a young shepherd, prophesising the coming of the apocalypse, here to inform and persuade the court that the end is nigh. He will easily gain the attention of politicians and religious figures.

NOTES

INTRO: Since Jin Guangyao didn’t participate in the test drive, let’s go with him waking up right outside of Taravast, and being picked up by the lady Odile’s convoy. He will come awake abruptly and labouring for breath, with heavy dust and dark tar stains on his garments — in a sign that he may have at some point emerged or engaged with the hidden temples of the Stairs of Sighs canyon that the remaining party is just traversing.

Lady Odile’s group will provide him basic amenities: food, a change of wear, a very basic communicator for translation purposes. Throughout his stay with them, Jin Guangyao can learn a little bit about the court gossip of Taravast — in particular, the Lady Odile’s own hesitations that Macaluso is the right choice for her prospective partner, even if she were to win his favour. There is simply no real information on him: all the word that reaches foreign citadels paints him as a wonderfully accomplished, well-spoken and innovative man, open to fresh approaches and to revolutionising Taravast. But any questions digging deeper into his background are unanswered, and it’s unclear why Bonaccorso did not name him, his closest first-born nephew by blood, as his successor and is instead persisting in this competition between Macaluso and Vannozza. What will become, also, of the Lady Odile, if she does marry Macaluso and he does not win the election?

All the same, Odile’s advisers press on her to proceed, and Jin Guangyao can win some good will with them, if he intercedes to soothe Odile’s fears, on their behalf. Once outside of Taravast, Odile’s entourage meets with Mazyar’s caravan.

The sorceress Karsa, an employee of the party’s Merchant benefactor who is currently journeying with the caravan, quickly recognises Jin Guangyao as an outsider and claims him as a caravan member they lost along the way. She will provide Jin Guangyao a proper, thralled to serve as a translation and communication device. She can also update Jin Guangyao on the story so far.

PLAYER NAME: Sam
CONTACT:

verities
HOW DID YOU HEAR ABOUT THE GAME?: existing player

CHARACTER: Wanda Maximoff
CANON: MCU
CANON POINT: end of Wandavision

BACKGROUND:

| SCARLET WITCH WIKIA
| WANDAVISION WIKI

ABILITIES | POWERS:

PSIONICS >> In the universe there are six Infinity Stones that manage the order of the universe. One such stone is the Mind stone. This stone found its way into the scepter of the god Loki, and then finally into the hands of a terrorist organization known as HYDRA. After radicalizing Wanda and her twin brother Pietro’s hatred of Stark and America, HYDRA convinced the twins to allow themselves to exposure to the scepter for experimentation purposes. The twins survived exposure, thus surviving prolonged interactions with the Mind stone. These interactions left Wanda and Pietro with special abilities, making them enhanced people.

For Wanda, her abilities were that of psionics. ( note: it is later revealed that these abilities were likely inherent to Wanda already, and simply amplified by the Mind stone instead. this suggests why Wanda and her brother were the only two survivors of experimentation. ) Wanda’s psionic abilities include a physical component and a mental one in the form of telepathy.
PHYISCAL PSIONICS : These abilities tend to be based around Wanda’s telekinetic abilities, though that inherently comes down to energy manipulation. These psionic abilities allow Wanda to do a number of effects including:
flight - Wanda has the ability to use her telekinesis to give herself the simulation of flight. She cannot fly without her telekinesis, as she simply maneuver herself with the ability.

energy manipulation - This primarily shows itself in the way Wanda creates “bolts” of energy. She can manipulate energy between or within her hands and shoot the blasts like bolts. This hints at Wanda essentially compressing her telekinetic energy into a forceful mass she can throw.

telekinesis - Her basic capability, Wanda can lift and move things with this ability. She is also shown to tear things apart, as she pulls them in two different directions. Wanda is shown to be able to maneuver multiple items at a time, all of which can be doing different things, while having a conversation and still maintaining concentration. It is one of her more used and thus more fluid skills at her current point in time.

force fields - Harnessing her telekinetic energy to manifest it in a more forceful manner, Wanda can manipulate this energy into a force field. This field is strong enough to stop bullets but takes a great deal of concentration for Wanda. She cannot use other abilities while maintaining a force field.

disintegration - A lesser-known ability, but when Wanda loses control of her pain after the death of her brother, she disintegrates Ultron’s robots with no effort. It seems to take a great deal of chaotic energy to pull off.

TELEPATHY : Another side of Wanda’s psionic capabilities are her telepathic ones. Wanda is able to feel the emotions of others, read minds, and communicate telepathically. This ability tends to need more focused concentration, as in Wandavision she seems unaware of the distress of the citizens. However, when she does switch her focus to it, Wanda can sense many minds at once.
mental manipulation - Wanda is able to manipulate minds in two ways: emotional dreams, and outright control. It is shown in Age of Ultron that she can reach a wide populace with her abilities, though it takes focus and time to do so, in order to manipulate their desires to lead. She also has the ability to manipulate the dreams of others, playing on their emotions to make them see visions she chooses. As for control, Wanda is shown to be able to do this when she manipulates the whole town of Westview into acting out stories and plots for her “show.” It is revealed that they are still them underneath, and even aware of her manipulation, but have little to no ability to deviate from Wanda’s control.

SCARLET WITCH >> Unknown to Wanda previously, Wanda is not simply a psionic user whose abilities came from the Mind stone. Revealed by Agatha, Wanda is a witch and always has been. The Mind stone simply enhanced her natural abilities. As a witch, Wanda not only has the above abilities, but also the ability to cast spells. Currently, many of Wanda’s spells are done intuitively. She simply desires, and the spell manifests somehow. This tends to have its drawbacks, however, as Wanda’s spells can have gaps or errors in them that make them imperfect due to her lack of knowledge in that she was even performing spells and how spells naturally work.

Not only is Wanda a witch, though. Wanda is a prophesied witch known as the Scarlet Witch. Little is yet known about the Scarlet Witch, but it is revealed it is a witch of great power due to her chaos magic capabilities. This implies how Wanda is able to work so many spells with so little knowledge, as her magic is naturally wild and chaotic. While knowledge would not hinder her abilities, it is not always necessary in her situation. Ultimately, this kind of magic is dangerous. Agatha refers to Wanda as the Harbinger of Chaos, implying that Wanda will one day bring destruction through her magic.

In the meantime, Wanda has shown the following capabilities due to her magic:
SPELLCRAFT : Wanda is shown to be able to cast a number of spells. Two important, but more minor spells, include a protection spell and a probability spell.
probability spell -When Wanda’s home is bombed by a Stark missile, it is revealed that Wanda unknowingly cast a probability spell that made the missile less likely to detonate, saving her and her brother.

protection spell -Agatha teaches Wanda the runes, unintentionally, to a protection spell as well. These runes when put around a space allow only the witch who set them to be able to cast magic within the space. Wanda is shown to be able to create these runes with her telekinetic abilities in midair.

REALITY MANIPULATION : There are a large number of spells that happen here, which is what draws Agatha’s attention in the first place. At its core, however, Wanda has the ability to manipulate the reality around her. This allows her to, in conjunction with her mental manipulation, to alter a town into behaving and looking like a whole new reality. This reality moves through decades at a quick pace stylistically, while everyone remains as they are age-wise. The reality imitates a sitcom show, showing just how far Wanda’s manipulation can reach. Some of the following show how her reality manipulation works all together to create these new realities:
transmutation - the biggest and most common spell type used by Wanda, Wanda uses transmutation to alter the way the world around her looks. She redesigns her living room multiple times, changes the city to fit each decade she establishes, and even alters clothes and makeup of everyone to suit her needs. This happens on a grand scale quite frequently, but most interesting is that this is not an illusion. This ability takes place at a molecular level, meaning the items are forever altered by her.

conjuration - Another larger spell type Wanda uses is conjuration. She uses this type of spell to manifest rings out of thin air and a collar for her dog Sparky. The most difficult of all, however, is that Wanda creates her husband, Vision, and her children, Tommy and Billy. This type of spell is more intense and more difficult, and it is revealed that Wanda tied the creation of her family into the original reality warping spells she used to make her new home. Once cast, a spell cannot be altered even by the caster, and thus Wanda is unable to correct her mistake. Wanda is uncertain of how to correct this mistake, though, as she made it in the first place, and thus requires more research to create a more stable conjuration. It is likely her smaller conjurations are similar and just as unstable.

temporal - Wanda has shown an ability to manipulate time. She often rewinds time, though only in short bursts, back to what it was in order to change how it happened. It is shown that those rewound seem to have some awareness that something is off when she does this. It also only affects a specific radius, as those outside the radius are aware that something was changed or didn’t go as planned.

teleportation - A lesser used spell, but Wanda is shown to make Geraldine/Monica disappear from behind stage and reappear in the Cabinet of Mysteries. Wanda also can make herself teleport small distances.

manipulations - Some lesser spells include Wanda’s ability to flick lights on and off at will, her ability to manipulate the weather with a rainstorm and gusts of large winds, and an ability to create fire at will. While these mostly fall into conjuration and transmutation, they’re lesser and easier spells for her to cast as well and tend to be more on minor scales than the others.

MAGICAL ENERGY ABSORPTION : In her battle with Agatha, Wanda learns how to harness the energy from Agatha when fighting. When Agatha throws energy at Wanda, she can take it and absorb it in order to amplify her own abilities.

ASTRAL PROJECTION : Shown at the end of the series, Wanda is able to move about freely while she projects her Scarlet Witch self in midair studying spellcraft. Wanda seems to have control over both versions of herself, and is able to multitask while doing this.

SKILLS >> Outside of her abilities and magic, Wanda has natural skills she has come by through either natural talents or training and hard work. These include:
COMBAT : Wanda is trained for combat both lingo relating to combat and training in hand to hand fighting. Wanda is shown to be a capable fighter.

SURVEILLANCE : Avengers training also included teaching Wanda how to perform surveillance and reconnaissance. This includes what to look for, how to relay information, and how to use this information. She has a passing capability with this skill.

GUITARIST : Having spent a lot of time alone in the Avengers base, Wanda is shown to have an acoustic guitar in her bedroom that she likely practices with.

BILINGUAL : Wanda can speak her native language, Sokovian, as well was fluent English.

COOKING : Used to making her own meals, Wanda has the ability to cook a decent dinner either by hand or with the aid of her powers.

RESTRICTIONS - any help on how she might be restricted coming in. I'm thinking maybe a more limited reach in her abilities?

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