#ambivalentintro

[dcfixionis]

⊹₊♔₊⊹ i just saw Cairbre ‘Cair’ Laith arriving at the rite! the spy from Segary is said to be associated with a smirk hidden behind the rim of a wine glass, the taste of secrets lingering on their lips, the scent of frost and fire clinging to their skin, a healer’s touch that burns instead of soothes, fox’s laughter in the dead of night. well, that makes sense considering they are known to be resilient but also impulsive. they are feeling reluctant about the rite.

#The stats

FULL NAME. Cairbre Laith

NICKNAMES. Cair

AGE. 28 / 84

GENDER / PRONOUNS. Genderqueer (they / them)

SEXUAL ORIENTATION. Pansexual (but leans more towards masc presenting people)

PLACE OF BIRTH. In the mountains of Segary

ZODIAC. Sagittarius

SPECIES. A witch (Used to only practice dark magic but now leans more towards gray magic)

FAMILIAR. An arctic fox called Tundra, but Cair has been calling her Rua since they were a child much to Rua's dismay.

ROLE. Spy (and an occult advisor when necessary) 

EYE COLOR. Blue

HAIR COLOR. Dirty blonde / brown

HEIGHT. 1.8 m

#Bullet points

001. 

Cair was raised by a coven of witches who lived in the mountains of Segary, a coven that practiced nothing but dark magic. Their mother always told them that the darkness, sacrifices, and curses were gifts their ancestors had blessed them with. Yet, when the crops failed, and Cair saw their people suffer, they knew they needed to do something more. They began to lean more towards the light, though they would not hesitate to reach for the darkness when pushed. 

002.

They are often seen walking down the streets, muttering and arguing with their familiar Rua as if one might argue with their spouse of fifty years. But They have known each other far longer than that. They don't have a memory of life without their familiar. They will argue, but mainly because Rua is sure that they will get themselves killed for being a dumbass (she has a point). Meanwhile, Cair complains about the familiar's white hair sticking to everything she touches.

003.

They have been working on learning light magic for the past few years. While dark magic comes naturally to them, light magic is something they are struggling to perfect. Their cures and remedies tend to be twisted into something dark and menacing. Their tongue is not used to being used for goodness. 

004.

They left their coven and joined the court to train to become a healer, but it only took a couple of weeks before they were told to never attempt to heal anyone again. Refusing to return to the coven, they found a new path within the court. They became a spy. Despite their knack for spying, they are not the most subtle spy in the world. However, they still somehow manage to get away with everything. They manage to charm their way through the most chaotic situations, and somehow, they survive it all (while almost giving their Rua a heart attack). 

005. 

Cair is known for their chaotic energy in court and their knowledge of magic and spying. People wish they did not need them, but they do, and because they are surprisingly good at what they do, they let them get away with it, even if at least half the court in Sergary will probably roll their eyes whenever they walk into the room. 

#Connection ideas

These are all super open-ended! If you want to fill them, please go wild and do whatever your little heart wants!

Spymaster: Someone who has had to deal with Cair since day one. They trained them to become a spy and probably regret it, let's be honest.

A healer: Someone they used to train with back when Cair was trying to become a healer, so they know how terrible they were at it. Years later, they are still somehow friends.

Someone who knows too much about them: Maybe another spy or someone from a different court. They keep running into each other, and it unnerves Cair. 

[sirsevantir]

⊹₊♔₊⊹ ( oliver jackson-cohen, cis man, he, 35 / 38, human werewolf (turned), harlaine raised lord #6 ) i just saw sevantir harlaine arriving at the rite! The former raised lord/questing knight from navarre is said to be associated with the steely ripple of well-tended chainmail, hard-working shoulders that slump under the weight of worse burdens than armour and battle, the slide of sword on whetstone, low, urgent prayers to any god listening, and saddlebags packed with weatherbeaten books, bounties, and postings for meagre work wanted. well, that makes sense considering they are known to be principled but also desperately driven. he is feeling bitter about the rite. written by gray. 

#the stats

FULL NAME. sevantir NICKNAMES. sev AGE. 35 when bitten, three years ago; 38 now. GENDER / PRONOUNS. cis man / he SEXUAL ORIENTATION. bisexual PLACE OF BIRTH. a small village in navarre. ZODIAC. capricorn SPECIES. turned werewolf as off three years ago, very much against his will. originally human. STATUS. ... formerly attached/betrothed. WC! TITLE / ROLE. hedge knight, as in, a knight that serves no court, family, or force; no title. formerly a questing knight; sir sevantir. EYE COLOR. formerly blue, now werewolf gold. HAIR COLOR. reddish brown. HEIGHT. 6'3"

#bullet points

001. the ruling lord of house harlaine, a questing knight from a long, long line of the same, brought sev into the family fold when he was only six - already an orphan, left alone by the monstrous deaths of his parents. 002. eager to live up to the potential lord harlaine saw in that scruffy, scrawny child, sev devoted himself to becoming the first harlaine squire of this generation. indeed, he was the first squire this lord and lady harlaine trained towards knighthood; he came into their care before they had any children of their own, and was raised alongside the new harlaines as they arrived. 003. despite the taunts and dirty tricks of noble-born squires and the fierce competition of his fellows in the care of house harlaine, or perhaps because of it all, sev pushed himself ever further in pursuit of the knighthood and lordship the ruling lord and lady promised the greatest of their adopted students. which he was, when the day came: grown tall and broad and bold and disciplined, sir sevantir was raised to lordship and sent to the royal court of navarre, another knight worthy of their kingdom. quickly, sev earned admirers, allies, and what he craved most of all: opportunities to prove his worthiness and hone his skills. 004. leaving youthful and domestic pursuits aside, he quested under navarre's colours from the day he turned seventeen. by the time he was twenty-five, his beast-slaying, brigand-hunting, and generally grand knightly reputation won him a coveted advisory position within the court - with all the benefits of such a placement, for himself and house harlaine. 005. wreathed in the laurels of well-won tourneys and the honours of his kingdom, once-orphan sevantir harlaine was a well-known and increasingly attractive prospect for betrothal by his thirtieth birthday. court gossips hissed of a secret lover and scandalous affairs, but few truly believed sir sevantir would stoop to such things. what secrets would a true knight keep from his court? 006. so very many secrets indeed, especially now that he's not a true knight anymore. three years ago, it all came tumbling down when sev was nearly killed by a berserk werewolf. while he managed to slaughter the creature, it got its teeth in him - and to the disgust of his old ruling lord and lady, their once-champion returned bearing all the signs of a burgeoning curse. instead of helping him search for some solution to the bite, they cast him out and stripped him of the lordship they'd given, denounced his knighthood, and denied his time-honoured tie to their family. avoiding the court and towns he'd climbed to, sev has been searching for a cure ever since, clinging to the hope that somehow, he can keep his horrific fall from grace a secret from those that count - and that he can put it all right and reclaim the life he lost.

#connection ideas

#1 - harlaines! give me ALL the harlaines, by-blood and other foundlings like sev. as the golden boy of his batch, he's likely to have plenty of... frenemies, let's say, among this set - especially the firstborn harlaine, who's closest in age to him and stood to lose the most as their father passed them over to favour sev. or were they allies in their drive for more than an old man's attention, bonded knights in an ambrosius and ballister way if you get what I mean... let's plot about it! #2 - advisee! whether or not they themselves wanted a five star knight on their side, this character got one - a precocious young sev, meant to advise them on some undertaking or other in the royal court of navarre. maybe they came to court petitioning for help handling supernatural incursions or bandits, needed a combat tutor for their children or house guard due to assassination threats, or, or, or - I'm game to discuss! #3 - courtly connections of all kinds! among the nobles, knights, and royals of navarre, sev was liked by some, envied by others, and coveted for service or betrothal by many. until he disappeared. nobody knows why the seemingly ironclad sir sevantir has been dodging his duties - rumours abounded, at first, then faded as months became three long years of absence. the simplest story was a disagreement that got out of hand with the old ruling lord and lady harlaine, but even that leaves the wonderers with questions. any word of a tall, talented hedge knight performing some noble work or other in the countryside sets tongues wagging; why would a warrior so dedicated, nevermind a raised lord, abandon the duties and splendour he'd earned? do they miss sir sevantir, or did they smirk to hear of his falling out with those harlaines, strange nobles that they are? #4 - that secret lover, or, if you prefer, a proper betrothal! I can just tweak the bullet points if that's the case. either way, it's all been broken to pieces with no warning, by letter, three years past. they're unlikely to have seen sev since, though the rumours may have given them ideas as to what he's up to... just, more questions than answers. any gender! 34-43. some bias towards other knights, archivists supporting supernatural slayers, or some other "professional" sort of connection...

[exfabularum]

⊹₊♔₊⊹ ( davika hoorne, cis woman, she/her, 32 / 320, vampire (mind), dragoș#2 & anurak #3) i just saw dawan dragoș née anurak arriving at the rite! the queen from druccasite is said to be associated with the meticulous detail in intricately patterned lace or the gentle scrawl across pieces of parchment; a knowing glance across a crowded room; love poured into the shadows to warm the dark but for a singular soul; the breaking of day across a frozen land; a perfectly poised protector prepared to guard the way. well, that makes sense considering they are known to be perspicacious but also calculative. she is feeling trepidatious about the rite

𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝘀

FULL NAME. dawan dragoș nee anurak NICKNAMES. i dare you to give her one unless you are dru. AGE. two and thirty GENDER / PRONOUNS. cis woman, she + her SEXUAL ORIENTATION. bisexual PLACE OF BIRTH. druccasite ZODIAC. ?? STATUS. happily married, deeply in love with her husband TITLE / ROLE. queen of druccasite EYE COLOR. black HAIR COLOR. jet black with stands of onyx and raven HEIGHT. 5' 9"

𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝘂𝗹𝗹𝗲𝘁 𝗽𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁𝘀

001. you are born the second child of a proud and noble family of druccasite, heir to nothing, and a woman no less, but no anurak child, born of their blood or adopted, is ever nothing. down the portrait hall, you are led through the keep carved out of a mountainside with the howling winter winds blowing outside, and you are told of your storied history. there would be no time for softness - no sweet and tender love in your life, but from the moment you could walk, they taught you to be a knife. Every lesson given was to raise a general of armies, a delicate assassin, and a powerful force of a female. You realize the portrait hall and its paintings of past anurak ancestors is the level of excellence you must live up to and fight for. There never existed an Anurak who had disappointed them. You would not be the first and hone yourself into a weapon of war and survival for the kingdom of druccasite, and your mind would be the most wonderous thing about you, sharp and full of promise. You were, after all, a quiet thing who spoke so little in those days they believed you mute, but already you were a being who thought before they acted, telling when you had something to say, studied the room, and only struck when necessary. Would it surprise anyone when powers manifest by the way of your mind?

Beautiful as you were growing to be, you, the second child of this current generation, were their warrior; you would rise among the ranks in a king's army with nothing handed to you. You were you, and as hard a protector stood in your elegant refinement and your lacey things, wishing one day to be added to that portrait hall - having proven yourself time and time again to be worthy of your name. There was a secret, though. You were not all knife, you were not just a weapon to be wielded with the meticulous detail put into every aspect of your life. You wanted to be a happy little thing once, loved and told you were delicate - appreciated and worshipped. The girl named for the dawn and daylight, as accustomed to the dark as you were, enjoyed who you could be by the shadows. You dawan would be a blinding light when needed. you would be the break of day and become a general one day as your other siblings would follow the long line of stewards and nobles who served the throne. you would do your house proud. your childhood is not soft, but in the living dark, you would whisper your secrets, tell stories, and hope for the day you might not always have to be the sharpest of knives - a future guardian already guards her magic, does she not? you wish for love but never expect it and do not believe it would exist someday.

002. You believe, like the rest of them, that your land reflects your king, that your king is a reflection of your lands, and that the anurak always kept the crown separate from the throne. they were for druccasite, and they would serve the people over whoever sat on the throne - the wearer of the crown mattered little to them. So you assume your king is brutal and harsh. king Alexandru, the cruel fellow soldiers call him, and other officers and nobles who have nothing better than to gossip about their sovereign. You had never met him despite the movements you made among military colleagues and highborns, or perhaps in hindsight, you miss him with no intention of getting involved in the more significant game of politics. The world was too loud already, and most of the souls in your vicinity, like any druccasitian, were focused on the greater task of survival rather than rubbing elbows with minor gods and kings. You think you have him figured out when you do meet him - when you encounter a king for the first time. Pompous, arrogant, cruel, and brutal-hearted. He is the bitterness in the winds; he is incapable of kindness or friendly feelings because you believed the stories and who was there to tell you otherwise. Dru surprises you and leaves you speechless and breathless all at once. He was none of those things, this man of shadows, and you recognize yourself in him even if he does like flashing that knowing look with a smirk crossing his face rather than enjoying flustering you to no end. Here is an individual because they were kept parts of themselves away from the light and fed into the believed narrative for the sake of others. He enjoys proving others wrong, as you enjoyed it, too.

So it goes this long dance of the two of yours until you realize what the rest of the people around you see after many long nights and interactions. How close had you become to a king, where you realized you looked forward to trips to the capitol and that reports were sent in person and delivered by hand? How close were you that you found your mind reaching out in its power to speak across great expanses of land to whisper good night to him, knowing such a stretch of power drained you entirely at that time? How close were you when you noticed the look you would shoot across a crowded room, ready to steal him away or to aid in his defense? How had you missed the way you craved to be in the same space and what sort of person he'd become to you even when you were adamant you would never be in love to busy for such nonsense? You realize you are in love. You recognize the shadows you used to speak to as a little thing that was replaced with his and how they curled around you to allow you the space to be as you always wished. You crave his touch, feel him near, and exist in his space. He loved you, and you were the sun to him. You love him enough to burn. You love him enough to be soft for him and him alone, and you dream instead of a portrait in your family's hall of being the lady above the hearth in his grand palace - his one and only.

003. you, the creature that swore never to marry, the one who believed love did not exist, were so thoroughly proven wrong, and Dru would enjoy proving you wrong. curled in their embrace, wrapped in his arms, you would allow him to tell you that he told you so. you were married, though, to someone who fought fiercely for his people and for you, and you mirrored him in that respect - a warrior not for the throne, but you would guard his life and his heart because he was yours as you were his. A love match, after all, and you would know the secret that he was more than the folklore suggested. You love him more every day, and you are not just some pretty thing on his arm but also his partner, the other half of his heart. You surprise him, though, that after some time being married and working together to ensure the best possible life for your people, he is to be a father. your boy is born, and he is more than an heir. He is living proof of the love that thunders in you enough that you hope for more, enough that it draws you closer, if even possible.

The rite makes you trepidatious, the student of history that you are and protector of the people that you are, knowing how you have all warred to make a life worth living in your rugged landscape - you would not be here if your husband wasn't here. now you are, and with your precious babe, you work to make it worth the trip - to put aside hesitation and proceed with caution. Dru knows you, and you know your dru that this is not easy, but the both of you have never given up on what is best for your people, and if worse comes to worst, you would remember the woman you were raised to be - ready to fight to protect what you love.

𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗮𝘀

family: please please bring me dawan's family - her elder sibling and the younger ones because it would be so interesting to see her interact with siblings now that their parents are gone and what they went through as kids burdened with family legacy born into the family or adopted. i need the sibling feels rivals: As Dawan never expected to fall in love least of all with her husband there had to have been someone who wanted their child as the next spouse to the sovereign. It could be they were also always pitted against one another growing up and training in their service to the crown. It would be fun to see someone who was against Dawan or has never stopped being against her.

all the things really give me all the things - I'm here to build up this world with you <3