#sebastian varmont

[forgottenarthur]

The Badge of Queen Marian

The Queenly Arms of her Royal Majesty, Marian of the House of [Marian], Queen of [Varmont]

Or (yellow/gold): generosity and elevation of the mind

Gules (red): warrior or martyr; military strength and magnanimity

Argent (white/silver): peace and sincerity

Pupure (purple): royal majesty, sovereignty, and justice

Rose: hope & joy, denotes distinction, 7th son ~red rose—above + Grace/beauty, martyrdom

Sun: glory & splendor, fountain of life, intelligence/enlightenment

Crown: heaven; victory, sovereignty, empire; success

The royal badge of the Queen Consort

Marian's own elaborated crest:

Both the couple and their legitimate children are entitled to the use of any of the below crests.

Note to Lizzy: any of the below could also work for Cassandra's own badge, if you don't think she has one of her own? (IRL she probs wouldn't have one of her own bc she isn't a ruler/doesn't command armies or households, but lbr this is a fantasy world! We make the rules! And she's an imperial princess soooo)

The combined arms of the Queen with her husband, the Emperor.

Mantled display:

An alternate (though the more technical one would be the above given its dexter/sinister divide etc, this device is still one that could also be used esp for Arthur/Sebastian/Cassandra, given 1) that it plays w the charges and 2) its use of the imperial crown since Marian is technically only a queen and not an empress -- me @ roderick: come on, man -- but I can also make one w the royal crown instead! I just forgot to do it earlier alksdjfkljdsf):

The elaborated arms of Emperor Roderick I and his Queen Marian.

(it was really fun to play w the eleborations -- the screen on the website for making these is v sq so its kinda hard to do that ~and do the arms but its so funnnn now i wanna do the elaborations for everyone alskdjfkjsdf anyway i feel like once i do amira's crest and one for the late empress [everyone, if you have any ideas for that throw them my way!!], i should do another roderick!varmont-wide one which includes everyone's elaborated crests!)

[forgottengodfrey]

OOC | Malconaire Hiding & AUs

CASSIMIR'S HEIR(S)

ok so @forgotteneithne raised some interesting points abt 1) who @forgottenroderick would replace @forgottencassimir w as lord of malconaire, should cassimir perish w/o a son/heir or whatever, (and since lizzy mentioned that the malconaires have no cousins on their father's side) that means that even tho there are several v healthy daughters running around (even if they had never been declared witches etc!) in roderick's eyes the line of malconaire is extinguished, so this would probs ultimately end up w roderick awarding malconaire to one of the following: @forgottenalaric @forgottensebastian bartholomew, or eoin, or (less likely given its strategic signifiance: he'd wanna keep it in the family) even to alistair. there's also a scenario where @forgottenedmund might be considered, even tho he's already got a nearby holding, but alaric or sebastian are the most likely candidates for this job (editing!kate: or ~are they ooooh ;D)

alaric is the person roderick trusts the most out of anyone (and sebastian is, in roderick's mind, as yet untested) but he ~knows alaric could hold malconaire in event of revolt, plus unlike edmund and arthur (as far as i know?), alaric doesn't yet have an astairan holding (actually ig the riverbend isn't ~technically astairan but its right there/was prev held by a naturalized astairan sooo?). HOWEVER, i can def see where roderick may have already gifted alaric the fens for these exact reasons! and he doesn't want to divide alaric's attentions/resources too much and thus leave him split and thus less effective etc etc

w sebastian, he ~is 'untested,' but he's also roderick's only son w/o an astairan holding (w the edmund caveat yknow idk). and he ~does trust sebastian, as much as he trusts anyone, really, so if alaric has the fens, then sebastian probs gets malconaire unless marian or arthur (or even sebastian himself! -- cassandra's 'failings' really reflect only on herself and her mother bc #woman unless it was smth huuuuuge like running off and marrying an astairan servant ;D jk jk but yknow) has ticked off roderick in some way right when this is going down -- this btw is an issue w ~all his sons re: this bc those family/inheritance politics ALWAYS at play in the bg lakdsjfkljsdf (daughters are not military leaders in roderick's brain so they're not considered at all for the position, even guin). in which case, bart or eoin are the candidates to get it

i actually think its possible that roderick might feel that bart has a lot on his plate, plus im guessing he's more ~administrative than ~warlike from his bio??? so roderick might just go straight to eoin?? it's also possible he makes bart lord w eoin as his 'castellan/stewart' or whatever so like...its in bart's name but everyone knows its really eoin's etc! (and/or one of those like ~styled situations where its one of ur dad's holdings but he's got so many you're as his heir sorta entitled to the use of one and called its lord etc etc etc) however, they're BOTH getting nixed if arthur's true paternity has come out, and that's the situation where we get alistair!

however, even here roderick is tailspinning re: who he can trust so its also possible in this scenario he reverts ~back to alaric and thus splits alaric's attentions or else has gone so far down the path of paranoia that he trusts ~no one and tries to hold it himself even tho obv he himself is pr busy w other stuff!

edmund also becomes a candidate in this scenario, w the malconaire and riverbend lands being formally merged under him, which isn't as i think of it really ~splitting his resources since they are, in fact, neighbors etc even tho there is the river there but still, that's any easy route for moving stuff so it still stands, and edmund doesn't ~technically have an astairan holding so yeah!

ACTUALLY ACTUALLY!! as im thinking abt this more, unless amira/godfrey/tristan/edmund has recently ticked off roderick, if this ever goes down, the more i think abt this, the more i think edmund might actually be ~the most likely candidate, even from the start. he's got the riverbend. he's already conquered malconaire so he has PROVEN he can hold it and it specifically/he's obv aware of its weaknesses etc, he doesn't ~actually have an astairan title yet, he's one of the three heirs, his uncle is his neighbor so he's got a seaborn alliance ~right there~ which would probs come to his aid if needed w/o him even having to ask, and he even seems to have good relations ~w malconaire

now, if this is after the witch thing, and so roderick is like 'edmund was LITERALLY bewitched by a malconaire witch,' then we're back to alaric or eoin being most likely (sebastian having ~also been thus bewitched and thus ~also out) but yeah!! needless to say, @forgottenamira and godfrey would def be pushing for this, ofc, but im guessing? @forgottenmarian and her faction would be ~against it? pushing for sebastian, perhaps?

so yeah the more i think abt it, actually, edmund, then alaric, then sebastian, then bart/eoin, then alistair, and finally roderick himself, are the most likely heirs to malconaire!

@forgottenrian would DEFFFFF try to put in a bid immediately when he hears cassimir's outta commission but he'd be rejected and yeah!

either way tho...if its a currently played character its def lizzy im realizing BAHAHAHA ;DDD roderick: the only person i trust for this job is actually just lizzy <3

so yeah! in any event, IF the witch thing hasn't happened, roderick would probs marry one of the malconaires to whomever he's giving malconaire to help quell any resentment of the ppl, preferably eithne but if she's married then brigit and so forth in order of age, w sonya being last since she's only an ~adopted of the prev lord and therefore doesn't carry his ~blood and we all know how thing roderick is abt bloodlines smdh

if the witch thing ~has happened, this person is still def getting an astairan bride (w the ~possible exception of edmund or sebastian since roderick is really weird abt his own blood mingling places via his kids etc laksdjfkljsdf), w preference probs going to a lorcan???? but really they can choose atp as long as she's of noble astairan birth or else SO rich/powerful/well armed that a marriage to her would help make malconaire impregnable in case of revolt etc aljsdflksjfkj

MALCONAIRES IN HIDING

and the other thing kate brought up is how godfrey will handle hiding the malconaires! ngl if he were a real person, i deffff think this would actually involve stowing them each at separate ends of the earth, esp since he's got sea power -- BUT, since this an rp and it all takes place in astaira, in separate ends of astaira BAHAHAHA and i'll justify that by saying that he doesn't know when he'll have to call them in or whatever so he wants them each close at hand, but he also wants to ensure that if one gets grabbed, the others are still out there etc, so they also don't know where the others are etc! he ~might split them two by two tho??

BUT ANYWAY!! i do think he'd probs work w the resistance network to get at least some of them out! he's gonna wanna make sure tho that only ~he knows the whereabout of at least one of them, tho, so that no matter if the others get given up he def still has one malconaire in the hand! i def feel like the fens are a pr good hiding place, lorcan another, probs kil-kennar another and so forth!

now, how does he divvy them up! godfrey def sees them each as having their own individual value and ill spell that out:

@forgotteneithne = key to malconaire! she's its lady and the ppl will rise for her/in her name! and we know our boy is jonesing for a rebellion as soon as the time is right!

@forgottenbrigit = key to the guardians! actual witch! she's the best one to help him uncover that sword and unbind the final key(s)! she's his best conduit for communicating w the guardians too and perhaps, thus, to foiling them bc if brigit trusts him and the guardians trust her, well, doesn't that just make betraying them all the easier??

@forgottenaoife = key to ronan/the resistance! i mean, @forgottenronan loves ~all the malconaires no question...but i think we all know that aoife has a v special place in his heart and, reckless as he's growing, well, that'll be easier and easier to exploit! now, he might learn too that aoife has the mind that's most like his own -- w the huge caveat that she's CLEARLY a mUCH better person lakjdsflkjsd but anyway!! lakjdfklsjdf she's watchful and creative and sees the weaknesses of others as well as her own strengths w a clear eye, etc, all of which might lead him to think she maybe could ~also play into the eithne plot esp if? she's open abt the will? godfrey would be her best route no lie to getting that thing published and prolifierated EVERYWHERE to further enrage the populace too btw!

@forgottenroisin = key to edmund's astairan affections! not just to the lad, himself, but specifically to endearing him to the astairans! ive already talked abt how godfrey wants to play up their love and then kill rosie (tho it was supposedly roderick/guin/arthur or whatever!) laksdjfkljdsf rosie: 'hey!' and thus sort of twist this tragic lost love situation into, like, edmund's fighting for you!!!! for astaira!!! for his love of house malconaire whom you ~also love and has been so maligned blah blah blah against the tyrannical emperor his own father!!1 but he chose YOU!!! etc and then get him hitched to @forgotteneilionora etc

so yeah!! as such they each have v different but v important roles in his schemes so yeah!! lakjsdfkljdskf as a result of all this, aoife and rosie are the two least likely to use the resistance network since he's specifically blackmailing ronan w aoife's wellbeing and he legit hopes to someday murder rosie and the resistance might not be too keen on that soooo lakjdsflkjdsjfjdf but eithne he'd actively love to see interacting ~w the resistance etc to help foment rebellion!!!! so she's almost certain to be hidden re: their resources, smth that'll also probs help build trust of godfrey within the resistance etc! so yeah! i don't have specific notions really beyond that atm but those're my thoughts on all of that!!

[forgottencormac]

OOC | Cormac & Sebastian

these two have smth in common in addition to their mutual cousin, and that's both their top pick for a wife!! well...actually, for cormac preference #1 was eithne (and sonya before her), but as soon as he knows cassimir's laid claim there, aoife will be so lucky as to have that title transferred to ~her lkajsfkljsdf

anyway, doubtless this will instill nothing short of feelings of bliss in sebastian to know that aoife will be so lucky as to have the affections of cormac to look forward to but here we are ;DDDDD

fortunately, valentina's gonna come in as an anti-wingman for cormac on this one bc she doesn't want anyone carrying off her v best serving girl!!!!!!! and she very much ~does want him to take one of her more problematic stepdaughters off her hands hahahah so idk how much time he'll actually have to clumsily tryna woo aoife realistically, but it won't stop him from trying at every potential! lakjsdflkjdf and weirdly, cormac would see them tryna woo the same woman as a bonding activity and probs joke w him abt how they're both here to flirt w aoife and meanwhile aoife is probs dying of humiliation in the bg bc she's probs literally standing right there and SCREAM cormac knows what ladies like!!!!!!

[lizzysrps]

THE IMPERIAL ROYAL HOUSE OF VARMONT

[forgottenroderick]

The Banners of House Varmont

note: there may be more. the queens would have their own badges, as well, as would the late empress (tho likely that's now what guin is using, i'd think?), and cassandra likely has use of her mom's and/or arthur's with cadency marks, but since she's an imperial princess, and not just a royal princess, roderick would def ok her usage of her own badge, as well, though that's usually reserved for sons, heirs, and titled warriors, it is likely that guin, cassandra, and each of the queens, as well as the late empress, has at least one unit who fights in their honor given that roderick's empire is v much a military operation, so yeah! basically there may be as many as four other varmont insignias out there, but these are the big five! also pls note that i am convinced roderick has given each of his children an obscene number of titltes to bandy abt (tho not so many as he has!) in order to showcase their importance as his children, but we'll say these are perhaps shortened, more casual titles for astaira ;D

The Imperial Arms of His Imperial Majesty, Roderick the First of His Name, by the Grace of the One True God, of the Great and Holy Empire of [Varmont] and Astaira and of His other Realms and Territories One True Emperor, Conquer of the Twelve Kingdoms, Defender of the Faith, and God’s Own Champion

Or (yellow/gold): generosity and elevation of the mind

Gules (red): warrior or martyr; military strength and magnanimity

Pupure (purple): royal majesty, sovereignty, and justice

Phoenix: resurrection

Crown: heaven; victory, sovereignty, empire; success

Crown, naval (composed of masts and rigging): one who first boarded an enemy’s ship; distinguished naval commander/conqueror's crown

The Princely Imperial Arms of Her Imperial Highness, the Princess Imperial, Guinevere, of the House of Varmont

Or (yellow/gold): generosity and elevation of the mind

Argent (silver/white): peace and sincerity

Pupure (purple): royal majesty, sovereignty, and justice

Dove: represents the soul, the spirit of god; peace, purity, chastity

Crown: heaven; victory, sovereignty, empire; success/princely crown

Crown, Naval (composed of masts and rigging): one who first boarded an enemy’s ship; distinguished naval commander

The Princely Imperial Arms of His Imperial Highness, Archduke of [Varmont], Edmund, Prince of the House of Varmont, Lord of [the Riverbend]

Or (yellow/gold): generosity and elevation of the mind

Sable (black): constancy or grief

Argent (silver/white): peace and sincerity

Pupure (purple): royal majesty, sovereignty, and justice

Raven: divine providence; knowledge; durable resistance; bringer of death

Crown: heaven; victory, sovereignty, empire; success

Crown, naval (composed of masts and rigging): one who first boarded an enemy’s ship; distinguished naval commander

Crown, mural (a crown composed of bricks): defender of a fortress, token of civic honour; one who first mounted the breach in the walls of a fortress; power

The Princely Imperial Arms of His Imperial Highness, Archduke of [Varmont], Arthur, Prince of the House of Varmont, Lord of Kil-kennar

Eagle: nobility, strength, bravery, and alertness; magnanimity; or one who is high-spirited, ingenious, quick-witted, and judicious; a person of action and vigor especially where important and high matters are concerned; high intellect and quick comprehension; salvation, redemption, and resurrection

Eagle displayed (wings spread): the above + protection/one who is a protector

Or (yellow or gold): generosity and elevation of the mind

Gules (red): warrior or martyr; military strength and magnanimity

Pupure (purple): royal majesty, sovereignty, and justice

Crown: heaven; victory, sovereignty, empire; success

Crown, naval (composed of masts and rigging): one who first boarded an enemy’s ship; distinguished naval commander the imperial crown of conquest

Crown, mural (a crown composed of bricks): defender of a fortress, token of civic honour; one who first mounted the breach in the walls of a fortress; power

The Princely Arms of His Imperial Highness, Sebastian, Prince of the House of Varmont

Or (yellow/gold): generosity and elevation of the mind

Vert (green): hope, joy, loyalty in love

Pupure (purple): royal majesty, sovereignty, and justice

Falcon: one who does not rest until objective achieved; person of action

Crown: heaven; victory, sovereignty, empire; success

Crown, naval (composed of masts and rigging): one who first boarded an enemy’s ship; distinguished naval commander

Crown, mural (a crown composed of bricks): defender of a fortress, token of civic honour; one who first mounted the breach in the walls of a fortress; power

[forgottenedmund]

arthur & edmund: "don't you dare throw that snowba--goddamnit!"

[ 15 years ago ]

"What on earth are you doing?"

It was snowing. And not just any snow: it happened to be the first snow of the season. The entire courtyard was covered with it. Edmund had stopped on their walk to grab himself a handful of the stuff.

"We don't have time to play in the snow." Arthur continued. There was no patience in his voice. All five of the Varmont children had been presented to their father that morning on one of his rare appearances. He had tested them all (Guinevere, Arthur, and Edmund more than the rest) and Arthur and Edmund had both been found wanting. It was Guinevere who had won the round and with this victory, he had asked her to stay behind after the other's left.

The jealousy and frustration Arthur felt at this slight was apparent.

"Arthur's right, Edmund," Sebastian said softly. "Our tutors are expecting us."

Edmund stood upright, packing a handful of snow in his hands.

Arthur arched an eyebrow, "Are you going to throw that at me?"

"Of course not," Edmund replied sarcastically. "I never throw a snowball after I've gone through all the effort of making one. That's the real fun."

Arthur did not appreciate his brother's sarcasm -- especially in this moment. "Stop being such a child."

"I am a child. And so are you." Edmund would have thrown it at him right then if he'd been confident he wouldn't miss. His throwing arm wasn't particularly strong and he didn't want to look like an idiot just now.

"I am not a child!"

Edmund supposed, in a way, he was right. Despite Arthur's rather childish declaration of not being a child, they hadn't had much of a childhood thus far. The three of them had been pitted against each other for their father's throne since the day they'd been born and Sebastian was always trying to run interference whenever their tempers flared. The only one who had ever really been allowed to be a child was Cassandra, who was too busy trying to catch snowflakes on her tongue to notice that her brothers were on the verge of fighting with each other.

"Alright, enough. Let's go," Sebastian interjected.

Arthur and Edmund stared at each other for a few more moments without saying a word. It was Arthur who turned first and started to head off after Sebastian. The fact that Edmund still hadn't dropped the snow in his hands had not escaped him. And after he'd turned around, he gave his brother one final warning,"Edmund, don't you dare throw that sno-- Goddammit!!"

At that moment, a snowball came crashing into the back of Arthur's head. To say that Arthur looked infuriated as he turned round, was an understatement. Before he could say another word, Sebastian stepped between the boys. "Arthur, Edmund I -- "

"-- I told you not to throw that snowball!" Arthur pushed passed Sebastian, heading straight for his youngest brother.

"I didn't." Everyone looked down to see that Edmund still had the snow in his hand. It was hardly resembled anything more than a melting mess, now.

"What -- ?"

Everyone turned then to see Cassandra standing behind Edmund, eyes wide as she witnessed her brother getting angry. She'd seen Edmund making snowballs earlier and, while everyone was talking, had begun making one of her own oblivious to the tension that had been rising. She'd honestly meant to throw one at Edmund, but she'd thrown it too hard and it passed up over his head and landed, instead, on Arthur's.

"Nice shot." Edmund was both impressed (even if he knew Cassandra wouldn't have been able to replicate that again if she tried) and amused (it took everything he had not to laugh -- Arthur truly looked a ragged mess).

But Cassandra beat him to it yet again and although her brother's were all suddenly afraid that she might cry, the next minute she started to laugh at how ridiculous Arthur looked. Whatever tension had been growing between Arthur and Edmund began to fade away and it was now Arthur's turn to laugh.

"Your turn!" Cassandra shouted.

Arthur bent down and made a snowball of his own. "Don't think you I won't get you back, just because you are a girl!"

Cassandra squealed, laughing as she ran to hide behind Sebastian, "You won't be able to catch me!"

"Hmm, perhaps you are right," Arthur mused and, instead, he tossed one to Edmund instead.

"Not too old for this, after all?" Edmund raised an eyebrow.

"Guess not." Arthur shrugged.

It was Edmund's turn to throw and this time he hit Sebastian who had long ago given up on trying to get any of them to their lessons on time.

Moments later, the four of them were properly drenched from the snow and they'd managed to leave their footprints over almost every inch of the courtyard. It had been a long time since they'd played like this: forgetting every care they had in the world.

"What on earth is going on? Look at the four of you. Absolutely Deplorable."

All four of them stopped in their tracks and stared at Guin. No one had noticed her step outside and, noting the disapproval on her face, each of them were suddenly ashamed at this display. It was not befitting of princes and princesses.

"If you are going to have a snowball fight, you must do it properly. Not a single one of you have constructed a fort. How can you prepare your arsenal if you do not have the right defenses? Come, let me show you all how it is done."

[forgottencillian]

A Protective Brother | Cillian & Sebastian

"Lord Ormond!"

It was Rosie's voice ringing out amongst the throng and, turning to look, Cillian smiled a brotherly grin. "Rosi--Lady Roisin."

Her smirk was lopsided -- very clearly trying to suppress laughter -- and she shook her head. "You're hopeless," she hissed. "Anyway, Sebastian Varmont wants to meet you and he insisted -- very politely, he's very polite -- I introduce you! He's such a dear, do be nice--"

"What?"

"And I think he may be sweet on our Aoife! Isn't that marvellous?"

"What?!"

"He's coming this way--"

"What?"

"--but don't worry, I said some very promising things in your favor!"

"Rosie -- I can't deal with another Varmont right now!"

"Another? Wha--"

"Gods, Rosie, what did you say to him about me?"

"What, precisely, does 'another Varmont' mean--"

"Rosie! Focus!"

"On what?!"

At precisely that moment, Sebastian materialized out of the crowd, causing Rosie to hasten to his side, guiding him over to Cillian. "As promised!" she gleamed. "Your Imperial Highness, may I present my dear friend, Cillian, Lord of Ormond?" she said, gesturing to Cillian, who did his best not to sigh.

"And Cillian," she added with a slightly more warning tone (a be-on-your-best-behavior tone). "May I present His Imperial Highness, Sebastian, Prince of the Varmont Empire?" she turned quickly, eagerly to Sebastian. "Did I do tht right? I'm not the best with everyone's elaborate titles. Do you and your siblings have different styles -- oh, but nevermind. Answer me later. I'm interrupting! You two wished to chat!"

"Rosi--Lady Roisin!"

"I'll catch up with the both of you later!" So saying she danced way, disappearing amongst the tumult of people, very clearly delighted with herself, and Cillian was left to face yet another Varmont alone, but this time as Lord Ormond.

Turning to face Sebastian, he bowed very stiffly. "It is a pleasure," he began. "To finally put a face to the name. Her Imperial Highness the Princess Cassandra has told me much about you." What sort of inanities did such people generally chatter about? "How--how do you find the ball?"

[forgottenarthur]

@forgottensebastian "Please don't do this." Sebastian x Arthur

Flashback

It happened every few years. A son displeased his father and, in penance, that son was hurled into the fighting wherever it was most vicious to sink or to swim. It had all been a mistake, seemingly small, but Roderick perceived it as injurious to himself, for there was no action in the House of Varmont that could truly be measured as weightless. Arthur knew that he was expected by many to die. But he did not mean to lose. He meant to return in triumph. But his mother feared he would not return at all.

He was alone, now, preparing for war, ready to ride in the span of mere moments. His father had sent him away in shame. There was to be no one to see him off.

"Please don't do this," sounded the familiar voice of his brother, coming quickly into the room.

Arthur paused, his hand resting upon the hilt of his longblade. For a moment, they were poised there, caught in the moment. Arthur stood silhouetted against the window at his side, a beam of brilliant light illuminating the gloom, with Sebastian standing behind him, and his sword lying flat upon the table before him: a tableau of heartache and doom thwarted by four words.

Yet, the moment was broken. Arthur bowed his head and, squaring his shoulders, he lifted the blade in one hand, sheathing it at his waist with the other. "What choice do I have?" Slowly, he turned to face Sebastian and, sighing, he clapped his arm. "I'll come back all right," he said. "I always do."

"You can't know that."

Arthur sucked in a breath, inviting air deep into his lungs. "I know this, little brother: I can't do otherwise." He shook his head. "I've already disappointed father enough."

"He'll regret it."

Arthur turned away, laughing as he pulled on his jacket. "He won't. He never does."

"If something happens--"

"Don't." Arthur shook his head. "There's no point." Dawn edged around the distant gleaming mountaintops in shades of violet, and Arthur exhaled slowly. "It's convenient, really," he commented, off-hand, brilliant eyes drinking in the farflung horizon. "Always having a war somewhere to which you can readily send errant sons to fight. I am glad. I'd hate to inconvenience him."

A pause. He closed the shutter with his swordhand, and turned to face his brother once again. "Just," he began, resting his hand upon his shoulder. "Two things, Sebastian: first, learn from my mistakes, won't you? Second...whatever happens--"

"Arthur--"

"Look after our mother and sister, won't you?" He cracked a grin. "Edmund and Guin can look out for themselves. God knows they've enough experience by now, hey?"

"I'll speak to him, Arthur. Mother and I, both. He'll come around."

"Maybe so, but I'll be long gone by then. Don't trouble yourself. I wouldn't have his wrath fall on you, not on my account. Now, you best stay here. It'll go better for you if no one knows we spoke. And father will be watching from the window to ensure no one else sees me off."

"It's cruel--"

Arthur shook his head. "I don't think so. You see, it's intimate: he's seeing me off, isn't he, even if he doesn't wish to."

"You forgive him too easily."

Arthur laughed. "If only it were a family trait. Goodbye, Sebastian. Tell Cassandra I'll bring her something back."

Despite himself, Sebastian chuckled. "Then I know you're coming back, because if you don't, I daresay she'd follow you to the Underworld for whatever you've promised her."

Arthur laughed brightly, pulling his brother into an embrace. "Call it insurance, then, brother. I'll be back before you know it."

[forgottenvalentina]

OOC | Vasilieva & Malconaire

ok friends so ive been thinking a bit abt valentina & macdara: the early years, and like...idr when i ~said that valentina's mama kicked the bucket, but if i said it was earlier than this im lowkey retconning it bc!! ok so valentina's mom was in fact ~worse than valentina, herself, and i feel like this comparison maybe made bran think, initially, that maybe valentina was a lil ~better than ~she actually is???? that she was just being pushed into things by the pernicious influence of her mother and that maybe he could even rescue her from that and help her be her best self???? i do think her mom died pr early on in the marriage, and for a couple years after that, bran probs tried to give her the ~grief benefit of the doubt, perhaps??? but he was an idealist, i feel like, and valentina is ultimately a pessimist and yeahhh

to a degree, i think he was right, tho. i mean, i do think valentina always ~was worse than bran maybe initially imagined, and i do think she was always ~going to be, but i do think that his influence over time might have helped her tamp down on that a bit, helped show her a better way, etc, after her mom died?? if roderick and the riverbend had all happened later in time and hadn't just overpowered her w her past trauma rising up to meet her and bringing out the worst in her re: her survival instincts, bc i do think she's...

well, her family crest is the serpent, right? and i do think she's a bit of a viper, yknow, she strikes when she feels backed into a corner, like...that's the bit w bran's will, too, in a way. first she clams up, can't breathe, can't move, then she does the conniving to get out of it and, like, interestingly i think in the [ comment w sebastian ] we're getting to see that a bit. she's cowered, now she's feeling panicky but safe-ish again, but like she has to act in order to maintain that safety, and so she lies in wait, looks for weaknesses she can pounce upon, but yeah this time obv on a much smaller scale but she'll never make the mistake of trusting/underestimating sebastian again and, where she's been team arthur this whole time, this might just push her into @forgottenedmund 's camp (i know!!!! the ally he's been wanting this whole time more than anything!!! lkasjdflkjsdf) esp w the guin thing falling through and arthur going rogue and no longer appearing for some reason???????

anyway!!!!!!!! got distracted there for a hot minute but yeah!! i do think there was a future in which maybe there could've been a better valentina??? not much better and ultimately i think post!bra's death she was always gonna more or less revert tho def w more hand-wringing/more slowly over time etc due to the trauma steam rolling her again but yeah!! basically i do think bran probs initially believed he was leaving his girls in better hands, if smth ever happened to him, than he actually was!

also some bran/valentina wedding details i dreamed up, bc i feel like they sort of ~mingled the vasilieva/malconaire traditions a bit?

VASILIEVA STUFF

bran (the way i wrote that 'brain' at first alksjdflkjdsf) 100% had to pay her mom!!!!!!!! also the dower house got DECKED OUT i can tell you but that was separate from the bride ransom bc you think ~valentina is grasping?!?!!??!!! ;DDDD anyway she refused several times to get more and more for herself out of him before finally handing valentina over

both sets of kids were roped into the kidnapping thing

malconaire was feted all week a la vasilieva but unlike in vasilieva where its the couple being feted by the ppl it was bran like feting the ppl in thanskgiving for being welcoming to his new bride basically and valentina and her mom were like what??? is???? happening??????? anyway the grand feast was kicked off w the traditional astairan goose

the wedding gifts were exchanged between the couple

an axe was carried through the door to start the ceremony, but by valentina's mom instead of bran's (valentina: aww yes a fun symbol of my whole life so far)

in place of a shaman to predict the future, an astairan seer blessed the union

they were married in summer for good luck

the mourning songs were skipped bc this was valentina's second wedding and therefore the young girl in her had symbolically already died

there was no crowning bc i feel like bran probs considered it unseemly and above their station or whatever since they'd not been selected in the kingsmoot etc (the vasilievas like 'hold up...the whaT') and he was on the queen's regency council and given that it just seemed like he was making a statment(tm) he def didn't wanna make

there was a procession and bran cast coins and such all the way

they mingled the doll/figure thing of vasilieva w the guardian statue thing of astaira and did use the figure to catch well wishes/ward off weather and bad omens etc, but instead of keeping it a la vasilieva presented it to the guardians a la astaira

valentina did wear red but instead of the traditional sarafan of vasilieva, she wore an astairan gown; she ~did wear a kikoshnik but in astairan bridal blue

in lieu of the astairan handfasting ribbons, a stole/scarf was used in the vasilievan tradition

MALCONAIRE STUFF

they said their traditional astairan elemental oaths before the guardians in the hearing of all

as stated above, she wore a traditional astairan gown but in vasilieva red, and a traditional vasilieva headdress but in traditional astairan blue; the (blue) belt around her waist was tied w traditional astairan (celtic) knots and the red dress was flowy and intricately embroidered (by rosie herself as a gift to her new stepmother)

they probs eschewed the handkerchief, largely bc idk what everyone's ages were but i doubt there was much hope of future children? but i might've done my math wrong hahaha if i did tho they probs ~did do that? (if i did my math right she was 38 at the time of the marriage which probs would've made having a baby a lil dangerous at that time tho its certainly not unheard of for women to have children well into their 40s even in the middle ages so???? idk!!)

they had the big wedding goose feast but out amongst the ppl ~after the wedding to again mingle traditions

the astairan guardian statue tradition was mingled w the vasilievan doll/figure one as mentioned above

bells were used as they walked down the aisle and in lieu of the vasilieva 'bitter' tradition to make the couple kiss and maintain the warding off evil astairan tradition

[forgottenronan]

OOC | Ronan & Sebastian

ok so copy & paste [ what i said to edmund ] except minus the battle of m stuff -- sebastian literally did NOTHING to ronan, but ronan wants him dead anyway. he says this is for logic reasons (the civil war etc etc etc) and it is, but also he doesn't think he'll ever be able to trust that anyone he loves is safe as long as a varmont is alive bc he literally thinks they're all evil -- ciara has shifted some of his opinions on this, but roderick's spawn have got to go, and ronan frankly looks forward to killing them so!! that is definitely fun times and i apologize in advance lkajsdffdslkafj

[forgottenamira]

OOC | Amira & Sebastian

so!! this is a weird af relationship bc, like, its nothing at all remotely personal, in fact amira probs finds sebastian a refreshing presence, but she has every intention -- and has since the moment of his birth -- of murdering him some day sljfalskdfjkdf and also she's his stepmom lakjsdflkjdsfj but also she probs, like, cleaned his cuts when he was a lil kid and gently and encouragingingly told him that he had to work harder to hit edmund. how else was edmund to learn to avoid being hit? to her, sebastian serves a really clear and really important function, and she's grateful to him for all his hard work. also, she wants edmund to love him bc it'll make him stronger to defeat and cast down someone he loves to survive alksjdfjksf so!! it's all v twisted frankly alkjsdfkljdsf

she's like 'if i can keep edmund's pain in a controlled environment, i can make him stronger while also keeping him safe so that by the time he breaks the chains of that controlled environment, he'll be ready to take the world by the throat, and he'll finally be as safe as anyone may ever be' alksjdfaksdfjk and she sees this as the best thing she can possibly do for him and a mark of her genuine love and concern for her boy lakjsdfkljdsjkf

[forgottensaoirse]

OOC | Saoirse & Sebastian

ok so im thinking these two might know ~of each other, even if they haven't necessarily met yet (is she just now returning to the capitol area from lorcan, or did that happen awhile ago?), given their mutual connection to aoife? in any case, depending slightly on what ciara might or might not have said, and how vociferous aoife may or may not have been etc, but im guessing saoirse is likely to be positively predisposed towards sebastian, given that so many ppl in her circle likely say nice things given that, well, he's a nice dude hahaha so yeah!

that being said, just bc he's the emperor's son, i think she'd be a bit wary of him esp given her own position being in the rebellion etc, but i do think she'd be like 'damn the tomorrows' and wanna see what info she can get out of him tbqh lakjsdfkljdsjkf 'you seem nice...sorry...you dad is just soooo egregiously NOT nice i gotta at least TRY and use you against him to save the world since i have the opportunity'

[forgottenroderick]

OOC | Varmont-ians & Religious Culture

(and to be clear, i mean, like, peeps from the varmont empire -- esp the og nation -- not just the fam...)

so we know a good bit about the astairan religion, and so i wanted to hammer out some details abt its counterpart, roderick's god! so far, we know a few things

they have one god

the phoenix symbol is linked to their religion

they do NOT like witches!!!!

they consider the guardians to be demons

so!! obv there are multiple real-world monotheistic faiths, [ zoroastrianism, atenism, judaism, islam, christianity, and numerous others ], from which we can take inspiration

we also know that ppl from the og varmont country have a wide variety of naming bg's

roderick (anglicized visigothic) famed ruler

alaric (anglicized visigothic) ruler of all

guinevere (anglicized welsh) white phantom

edmund (old english) rich protection/protector

arthur (anglicized welsh or anglicized latin) bear king or honorable/respectful

sebastian (latinized germanic) venerable/exulted

cassandra (greek) excelling/shining one

bartholomew (greek-ized aramaic) son of the furrowed

marian (anglicized egyptian) sea of bitterness/rebelliousness/wished for child/beloved/star of the sea

alistair (scottish) defender of man/protector

there's also eoin (irish-ized hebrew) god is gracious and ciara (old irish) black lady who have irish names, but i consider these outliers and attribute this to their calleary mama <3

now, why am i jabbering abt names in a post that purports to be abt religion? well, i thought it might help sprinkle in some fun elements to the religion itself if we can kinda pinpoint sort of a cultural element for og!varmont the way we did for astaira

so, why ~these names for these ppl? now, obv there are doylist reasons for this haha but i was thinking it could be fun to run w it and add a layer of in-world reasons esp w the rise of nationalism in og!varmont that came w roderick

so!! the things that came up the most?

visigoths x2

welsh x2

greek x2

english x1 (but almost allll of the names are anglicized -- for obv reasons, we're english speakers hahah -- but still!)

latin x2

germanic x1

scottish x1

now!! its also interesting to note that germanic and visigothic language have the same root, and that welsh, irish, and scottish all have the same root, so by ~that estimation, names of those origins both show up x3 respectively. another interesting fact, english is comprised of ~both of those roots w a dash of french thrown in for spice ;D (thanks, Wm the Conqueror!)

HOWEVER!! it should also be stated that the names of the royal family (those ~born varmont, anyway) should bear the most weight bc those are most likely to be traditional names to the og culture, so the egyptian and scottish names are probs the least relevant to this process but def still worth considering imo! HOWEVER!! its also worth noting that both roderick and alaric were born to a second wife, so its ~also highly possible that their names are derived from the tradition of whatever ~her culture was so yeah!! bc of these sorts of considerations, bartholomew, guin, arthur, and edmund are likely to have the most 'traditional' names as they were all named w the notion that depending on how things shake out they might rule someday, whereas even tho roderick, for example, was born a second son his dad def wasn't viewing him as a potential future king, and therefore its unlikely he viewed alaric that way, either, whereas we all know its equally possible w our ot3: succession kids laksdjfakljsd

ANYWAY, i feel like, altogether, including each one, this tapestry of names is actually telling us a bit of a backstory -- i.e., that the og!varmont nation (OVN for short from now on!) was an international hub, and im thinking that might tie into maybe roderick's father and grandfather and great-grandfather doing lots of trading w other nearby nations, until whatever OVN's ~pure culture felt kinda lost to "revivalists" such as roderick who felt they had to unearth it from the mire of homogenization, leading to the rise of nationalism and acts such as digging into the ancient past to try to discover whatever may have once been unique abt OVN, and as such roderick making huge national statements like IMMA TAKE MORE WIVES NOW and not receiving backlash bc that's what the ancient kings of OVN did, a fact stated in his bio!

this nationalistic and xenophobic rising tide paired w conquest of course then ironically hurls off the shackles of alien cultures (thus alienating the new culture OVN had since been building) only to then do the same to other cultures by obliterating them in the tide that is this frankenstein'd version of whatever the lost ancient culture might've been bc i love it when roderick is always and inevitably hypocritical without realizing it <3

ANYWAY!! all this international trade and such means you'd have an influx of foreign alliances and marriages and, ofc, names, so yeah!!

so, question 1: would it be helpful to sort of figure out culture(s) to model OVN on? and, if so, do any of these appeal?

now let's circle back to religion!

so when you get roderick's reactive party rising to power, you start seeing a couple of things. now, ngl, i kinda feel like maybe roderick actually follows his mama's religion, which may or may not be/have been the same as OVN's, if we wanna explore any potential religious backlash from within OVN, or anything like that? but irregardless of how it came about, roderick has in fact established his religion as the official state religion of his new empire, and failed to believe accordingly meets with a fiery (aka in his eyes, cleansing!) death

sooooo im having some frankly insane ideas abt Roderick’s belief system thanks to the Phoenix iconography (like…boiled down roderick might legit worship death effectively -- the only god that comes when you call, the god of all, the god of equality?!!?!! Though in a slightly more life/death ying/yang creation through destruction kinda way, motto ‘in my end is my beginning’ sorta way idk Sfjkhffg HELPPP!) and before I get too carried away bc idk if we need a death cult emperor 😂😭 ummmm I wondered if you guys had any thoughts abt the varmont faith/the one god/etc adhkkjgdgh

some other thoughts i had — Phoenix flames, sun, light, fire — dichotomy of light/dark, good/evil — so roderick's view, then, Astaira and the staffords literally take the night as their standard (three stars in the night sky) and worship demons, conquest cleanses etc...idk!! what do you guys think? the sun and moon are the eyes of god

i also had some notions pulled from mostly atenism, orphism, and zoroastrianism re: its cosmology, that maybe there once were three gods: the light god, his goddess wife, and the dark god, but the dark god attempted to kill the great god, stabbing him through the eye (the moon eye) but the pregnantn goddess sacrificed herself and her divinity to bring back her husband who cast down the dark god, stripping him of his divinity, and now he's basically ~satan, but he couldn't bear to never see his wife again so he used the divinity he'd seized from his dark brother to #reincarnation and his reborn wife, tho no longer a goddess (since, to bring back both wife and unborn child he had to split the divinity so yeah #onegod), bore their mortal child whom roderick considers to be his ancestor, so basically the varmonts are possibly descended from the god and goddess, reincarnation is maybe a thing, there's one god of light and one demon of the dark, and death might be good maybe? laksjfkljsfk

(i was thinking a belief in reincarnation maybe bc of the phoenix symbology -- representing resurrection, rebirth, life in death, etc, and the dark god bc they obv believe in demons of some kind, and not!god evil gods w demonic servants appear in many monotheistic belief systems, judaism, islam, christianity, and zoroastrianism to name a few)

question 2: is this absolutely unhinged inanity, or does it have potential? i myself keep going back and forth alksdjfakljsf

also last but not least...@thelongforgottenrealm did you have any notions abt this?

[forgotteneilionora]

Mercy Mild | Eilionora & Sebastian

This was to be viewed as a generosity, Eilia knew: Roderick had permitted Eilia and Aria to mingle amongst the other guests during Guinevere's birthday celebrations. Naturally, they were not permitted to leave the castle grounds, and they were being sharply watched by ever-present 'retainers' which Eilia knew very well to be spies and jailors, both, but she meant to see all that she might. It was an important opportunity, Eilia thought, to see all that had changed since Roderick had had some time upon the throne without her direct interference.

She also knew that her retainers would relax their positions, slightly, in the presence of the imperial family and that -- for good or ill -- Sebastian was the most pleasant of them. So it was that, spotting him across the thronged room, Eilia made her way towards him.

"Good evening, Your Imperial Highness. What a joyous celebration," she added, glancing about to admire the general splendor.

In truth, it was all a touch overwrought for Eilia's tastes, which leaned more towards natural and elegant simplicity, but -- knowing his father -- she felt no hint of surprise. And, for all that, she was glad as could be for each roaring fire in every hearth to chase away the whirling of the raging storm outside. Swallowing back on the concern that bred in her, she turned back to him with an amicable smile.

"Her Imperial Highness looks radiant, tonight, but then she is a such a lovely young woman: I suppose she can hardly look otherwise."

She smiled, but couldn't help wondering slightly if Sebastian found Guinevere's happiness anything at all to rejoice over. She'd witnessed, for herself, just how cut-throat this family was, even amongst itself, and Prince Edmund's stories had hardly helped alleviate her concerns on that scale.

Just in case, she added for good measure, not wishing to antagonize him tonight: "The Princess Cassandra is quite her equal. How lovely her locks look in the firelight!" It was, after all, very true. "I suppose she must be most pleased by tonight's festivities? She seems very much to enjoy such pastimes, I think?"

[forgotteneabha]

OOC | Eabha & Sebastian

you seem ok...for a varmont! no but i think eabha's actually one of my more open minded characters when it comes to varmonts, seeing as how she's ok w potentially marrying his uncle and all hahahaha also idk if @forgottenaoife would've shared any of sebastian's kinder points w her but if so that's def a big deal bc aoife isn't one to just run amock and make friends w a random person she just reprimanded for leaving his horse in the way and then roped into helping her prank cassimir, and still choosing to disregard that he's a varmont just bc he made her laugh while doing so (in eabha's view), etc, like rosie is (dont get me wrong she loves rosie she just doubts her judgment like she frankly would w her ~own siblings except maybe aine lakjsdfkljdsf) ;D aoife is a v sober person who doesn't make friends easily so anyone becoming her friend is impressive, little less a varmont, like...my point is that she probs thinks sebastian must genuinely be a good dude if aoife's told her that he is! and espppppp if even @forgottenbrigit has nice things to say abt him?

[forgottencillian]

OOC | Cillian &

so i thought id go ahead and put this into this kinda format so we can find it later when we inevitably can't remember details nad need a reread heehee <3

so it started w kate using the @ feature to ask when papa malconaire died...

LIZZY

lizzydobbs: Yes! So it was during the war that he [LORD MALCONAIRE] died. Cillian was also fighting in that same battle and was there when it happened #fun

KATE

forgotteneithne: @lizzydobbs oof... that's not traumatizing or anything for cillian...and also adds ANOTHER LAYER OF GUILT to Eithne's cake of confusion when it comes to Arthur XD

KATE AA

forgotteneilionora: this is why cillian cannot forgive the varmont boys...well, ONE of the reasons laksjfklsjdf omg poor eithne aklsjfkjldf arthur 'my dad killed your dad' varmont: wanna dance? ldskfjklsdjafkj

KATE

forgotteneithne: @forgotteneilionora Oh yeah both my ladies are definitely half a step away from a breakdown/existential crisis and I’m living for it 😂

KATE AA

forgotteneilionora: @forgotteneithne honestly if that aint the perfect place for a character idk what isssss <333333

KATE

phabblebabbles: @forgotteneilionora @lizzydobbs okay so wait now I’ve thought much too much about this and have more questions— Roderick’s sons took part in this battle, yeah? If they did…Do the Malconaire ladies know? Obviously Cillian must?! GAH ITS A WHOLE OTHER LEVEL OF DRAMA!

KATE AA

giadesstrin: @phabblebabbles @lizzydobbs OMG OBSESSEDDDDD so!!! Idk exactly which battles the sons personally took part in bc I feel like there were def a number raging in different places etc so this might’ve been under the command of one of the boys, or some rando general, or even if roderick himself. It’s also equally possible that all either none of the varmont or that ~all the varmont were present w each having command of a different flank or whatever so yeah! I’m open to anything! 👀 wait wait (sorry I just woke up my brain isn’t 100% working yet 😂😂😂) I think?? Somewhere??? Lizzy might’ve already answered this!!! Bc I think she said ooc to me asp that Edmund was in charge of the Varmont forces at that battle iirc? 👀 @lizzydobbs am I wildly misremembering things??? I only skim read before I’m ready to do replies so I sometimes get things wrong 😂😂😂😂 no pressure if this is one of those moments 😂😂😂😂 ok yes! I found it! In the edmund/cillian ooc lizzy suggested that perhaps it was edmund who orchestrated the battle wherein lord malconaire died!!!! AHHHHH I love itttt sfjkjfdfhh ok so idk honestly if cillian knows that honestly?? He was lord malconaires aide so he would’ve been privy to ~some info but not all and his line of sight would’ve been limited to just seeing varmont banners-he may have known that royalty was involved if he saw a personal crest? But I doubt he id’d it? just cuz I doubt he was familiar enough w varmont heraldry to know whose that was beyond like maybe ~Roderick’s himself? If such a thing exists in this world? But! If it does abd if edmund has a personal crest that he used that day and cillian saw, he is deffff searching for it but yeah obv a lot if ifs there 😂😂😂 if we do go that direction, it could be interesting if maybe all the varmont boys have similar motifs to designate that status or whatever so there could be a mistaken identity ;D

LIZZY

lizzydobbs: @phabblebabbles @forgotteneilionora ahhhhh I hadn't even thought that they might know edmund was in charge of that battle if they recognized his personal crest!!! b/c yeah I was thinking that edmund WAS in charge of that battle but I don't think he did a whole lot of fighting and was mostly leading from behind the lines from a strategic pov and never came across lord malconaire or cillian, himself. however, I like the idea that eventually it COULD come out and whether .. that is through cillian discovering edmund's crest OR mistaking it for one of the other varmonts and blaming them instead for it haha I'm up for either eventuality

KATE

phabblebabbles: @lizzydobbs @forgotteneilionora the OOC within the OOC is giving me life lol. That all makes total sense— I sort of assume the sisters might not realize the princes are actually active in the battle? (Which might be somewhat just turning a blind to the whole thing which honestly, who could blame them at this point? #trauma) so maybe the whole point of “oh they indirectly (or maybe directly) are the catalyst of our current terrible situation” hasn’t really hit home… yet

KATE AA

giadesstrin: @lizzydobbs @phabblebabbles I def agree that I don’t think rosie, at least, knows edmund had anything to do w it (at least yet 😉) but honestly that could def be a sort of willful ignorance on her part if we prefer! Rosie has a way of not seeing things she doesn’t want to until she has no choice haha but I can also see cillian playing that close to the chest re: the malconaires bc he worries for their safety if they displease the varmonts so he probs feels they’re safer if they don’t know At least until he discovers (whether correctly or not 😂😂😂) whose banner he saw. That being said he’d def share absolutely everything w the resistance—and Ciara might know who the commander was there? He might ask her abt it asp, too? @phabblebabbles omg IKRRRRRR I’ve been laughing abt the ooc within the ooc tooooo

KATE

phabblebabbles: @lizzydobbs @giadesstrin honest it’s on brand lol also just laughing at poor cillian trying to protect what’s left of his adopted family only got literally allllll the emperor’s sons to roll in. 😂 he’s probably like GOSH DARNIT JUST STAY INSIDE MALCONAIRES.

KATE AA

giadesstrin: @lizzydobbs @phabblebabbles cillian, in the middle of another snowpocypse but this time the varmonts got snowed in at the malconaire estate: come on, ladies, it’s time to move into the woods! Who needs houses anyway *sweating nervously*

KATE

phabblebabbles: @lizzydobbs @giadesstrin omg I’m dead poor cillian 😂😂😂😂Honestly between his war trauma, Brigit trauma, and the Varmont bros just existing its really a wonder he hasn’t had a breakdown lol

KATE AA

giadesstrin: @phabblebabbles @lizzydobbs honestlyyyyyy I feel like the resistance is keeping him sane rn bc it means the fight isn’t over!!! They haven’t won yet!!! There’s still more he can do but sdghjhfddg yeahhhhh he is really going through it tbqh

---------

@forgottenedmund -- ill probs ask this in the edmund/cillian solo thread too but just in case i forget...if you think edmund ~does have a banner that cillian might've seen, what do you think the sigil is? i ask bc im 100% sure that cillian would be on the hunt for it if he saw it