potatoes-of-wrath - Tumblr blog

potatoes-of-wrath · 2 days ago

Text

Background (copy-pasting this from a previous tumblr post because I don’t wanna write it again):

Okay, so there’s this empire. The current emperor is actually a decent dude, but he’s not politically savvy. Before him, the empire was actually thriving and ruled over by stronger emperors, but the current emperor isn’t super good at ruling. The empire is also less of like a massive unified territory, and more of a sort of loose-ish collection of states that each have their own lord that are then under the empire. However, the lords want more power and are trying to usurp the throne from the current emperor since he’s not as strong as previous ones.

The emperor has one kid, who’s a girl. The empire is already progressive enough to let a woman rule at all, but she can’t rule as a woman. So she was raised as a boy, and is a prince. Her name is Calix. Calix is away a lot, and is known to be “reclusive.” When in public, she is distant and cold and no one knows what she looks like because she always wears a mask. She also uses he/him in public to further mask her identity. In reality, she isn’t actually reclusive, nor does she hide in the palace a lot, but rather she is busy on “ambassadorial trips.”

Early on in her life, her father realized that the lords were plotting against him, so he sent her on “ambassadorial trips” as essentially a spy to pretend to be one of the lords’ adoptive children. So she pretends to be a minor lord’s adoptive daughter, calling herself Lovena. As Lovena, Calix is ditzy and kinda airheaded in order to hide her identity, when in reality she is shrewd and observant. During her time as Lovena, Calix learns that her adoptive father hired a new servant named Raven, who is actually an assassin sent to kill Calix. She knows that if the assassin kills her, there will be a massive succession war because the lords aren’t particularly unified either and there will be civil war.

Calix loves her father, because he’s actually a decent dude. However, she doesn’t really agree with how he’s running things, so she also colludes with her fiancée to connect with the commoners of the empire. Her fiancée, Artemisia, is one of the only people outside of the palace that knows Calix is female. Neither of them are in love with each other, as neither of them are attracted to women, but the marriage was arranged because Artemisia is a princess from a small country outside of the empire and she is beloved by the commoners of the empire, whom she visits and helps. She and Calix are on very friendly terms, however, and through Artemisia, Calix is able to understand what the commoners want.

The commoners stand to gain from making sure that Calix survives to take the throne, as the civil unrest that a succession war would cause would overturn their lives. Before the current emperor, the empire was economically thriving, and the emperors generally left the commoners alone, keeping the lords in check. Since the lords were always fighting among themselves, the empire made sure that they had to be at least civil, which allowed the commoners to do well for themselves.

Furthermore, Calix also has a childhood best friend named Altair, a noble boy who grew up alongside her. He grew up in the palace, and the two have a very close relationship. No feelings there—they see each other as siblings. Sometimes, when Calix needs to be in two places at once, Altair acts as her body double since none of the public know what Calix looks like. Altair also has a massive crush on Artemisia, but she also sees him as a sibling and friendzoned him.

And who knows, maybe I’ll make Raven fall for Altair, because Altair deserves a boyfriend lol.

Important Locations:

Valran Empire: AKA Valra. Led by Emperor Julius Vallen IV. Economically thriving because the previous emperors were politically strong, keeping the warring lords in check and allowing trade to flourish. Currently facing civil unrest as Julius IV is not nearly as capable of controlling the lower nobles.

Seltras: Current capital. Location of Emperor Havar Vallen II’s palace and grave. Important ceremonies are held here, as the headquarters of the Church of Three is also located here. One of the seats of the gods of Valra.

Port of Droe: Most important port. Trade headquarters of the empire. All foreign goods from the west enter through here.

Reston: Location of current palace. Julius IV’s childhood home. It has been the palace for 100 years after Havar II’s palace was destroyed in a fire.

Sea of Adra: Sea that separates Valra from the Kingdom of Tol. Frequent storms. Unpleasant to traverse. Trade to Tol does not usually go through here, as ships are frequently lost.

Strait of Yahran: Strait that connects Valra and Tol. Calmer, used for trade to Tol and beyond. Connects the Port of Droe in Valra and the Port of Halmut in Tol.

Sea of Metole: Sea that separates Valra from the Kingdom of Tol. Narrower than the Sea of Adra, eventually connects to the Therian Ocean. Calmer than the Sea of Adra, boasts large populations of fish.

Therian Ocean: Connects Valra to other continents.

Protan Range: Mountain range to the east. Separates Valra from the country of Nuve. Wide, but relatively easy to cross. Not very tall overall, snow only at the top of the highest mountain.

Mt. Estai: Tallest peak in the Protan Range, though that’s not a very high bar. According to legend, is one of the seats of the gods of Valra. Has snow at the top. Prone to avalanches and dangerous to climb.

States: Ruled over by their respective lord. Before the formation of the empire, the borders of which were unstable, and conflicts over territory were common. Each estate acts as a miniature city, where the common people of the territories go to trade and convene.

Dukedom of Thrace: Large territory in the northern part of Valra. Fertile grassland, borders the Protan Range. Governed by Duke Helsey Wolster.

State of Ketan: Small state where Reston is located. Surrounded by forbidding territory all around: Protan Range to the east, rocky land to the north, west and southwest, desert to the southeast. Strategically placed as it is up on a hill.

Duchy of Urvone: Large area to the south of Ketan. Its estate lies on the border between four different types of terrain. Borders the Sea of Adra. Governed by Duke Xander Cowell.

County of Ivalon: Territory belonging to Count Rus Garval. Small, territory-wise, but economically important as the Port of Droe is located here.

Earldom of Rothe: Large territory bordering the Sea of Metole, belonging to Earl Dorian Farlow. Important political location as Seltras is located here.

Baronry of Storch: Territory to the northwest of Valra. Borders the Therian Ocean, generally poor land quality. Governed by Baron Selvo Valas. As the Valas Estate is close to the Farlow Estate, Baron Valas and Earl Farlow often come into conflict, with Valas demanding some better land and Farlow refusing to give him any. The people of his estate often travel to Seltras for work as there is little work to be done here.

Nuve: A large theocratic country led by the official religion: the Holy Children. Little is known about the country at large, as the interior of the country is surrounded by desert that is incredibly difficult to cross without prior knowledge. The main form of contact between Valra and Nuve comes in the form of messengers from the Temple of the Endless. These messengers often take year-long journeys between Reston and the Temple of the Endless.

Temple of the Endless: A massive temple at the edge of the Strall Desert. The only contact that Valra has with Nuve. Generally secretive about their operations, but prefers to keep to itself and not interfere with the affairs of the other lands. It’s too difficult to cross the Protan Range all the time, so messengers stay at one of their two destinations for half a year at a time.

Strall Desert: A massive desert that protects the interior of Nuve. The main temple is located somewhere in the desert, but outsiders do not know where it is. Sandstorms are frequent here, and crossing is almost certainly fatal for those without prior knowledge.

Island of Yoth: A small island in the Sea of Metole. Artemisia’s home, though she spends most of her time in Seltras. A popular destination for sightseers, as it is rather warm and pleasant year-round, as well as pilgrims, as this is known as one of the seats of the gods of Valra, despite not actually being part of the empire.

Kingdom of Tol: A large kingdom to the West of Valra. Currently ruled by King Truscan Pallade III. Has close ties with Valra, though the lords sometimes antagonize them. Relies on soldiers from Valra to help fend off the bandits to the east, and in exchange provides vital, fertile farmland and work for the commoners of Valra. Doesn’t have a particularly strong military, as it was established rather recently.

Port of Halmut: Tol’s largest port. All goods from the east come through here. Prominent shipbuilding industry here.

Mordant: Current capital and the site of Truscan’s throne.

Fortress of Boraine: Where captured bandits are sent, in the hopes of reforming them into possible citizens of Tol. Acts as both a prison and a reformation center.

Trespa: Small castle for visiting ambassadors. Calix stays here when she visits Tol.

Bandit Lands: As the title says, this is unclaimed territory populated mainly by bandits. They cross through the Rechal Forest to raid Tol and steal their crops, knowing that Tol is a newer kingdom and doesn’t have the military resources to fight back. It’s hard to blame them though, since their lands are rocky and difficult to farm.

Rechal Forest: A massive forest that separates Tol and the Bandit Lands. Green year-round, home to many wild animals, including wolves. The wolves sometimes raid farms in the Kingdom of Tol.

Map:

Major Characters

Calix Vallen: Prince of Valra

Birthday: 10/20/02–Age: 20

MBTI: INTJ

Sexual orientation: Aromantic Asexual

Heir to the throne of Valra

Would not have been if her parents had had a son

She is an only child

Raised male, pretends to be male in public

Uses he/him and wears a mask in public to hide her identity

Appears distant and cold, called ‘reclusive’

Politically intelligent

Head of a spy network that monitors the nobles and confers with the general public

She herself is a spy, pretends to be the daughter of Dorian Farlow

Leverages her betrothal to Artemesia to gain insight into the lives of the common people

Academically intelligent, tutored by the finest teachers

Often away on ‘ambassadorial trips’

Some of these trips are actually ambassadorial missions

Often to Tol, as she can’t afford to be sent too far away lest she be assassinated

Most of the trips, however, are actually her other assignment: pretending to be Lovena Farlow

Her father assigned her this role when she was young and sent her to an orphanage in Rothe

Enjoys swordfighting more than dancing, is decent at dancing but doesn’t enjoy it

“Dancing is too stuffy and the women always step on my feet.”

Born left-handed but trained to use both hands

Ambidextrous as a result

Afraid of bugs

There are cockroaches in some of the buildings in Seltras, she saw one when she was little and freaked out

“They’re quite large–some grow to 2.5 inches long…ugh, I get the chills just thinking about them.”

Likes heights

Enjoys the air in high places

“It’s fresher up there. Everyone down here wears too much perfume, so it stinks down here.”

Good relationship with Artemisia, her fiancee

Platonic relationship

Artemisia is one of the only people outside of the palace of Reston to know that Calix is female

Neither of the two are attracted to each other

Calix uses Artemisia’s closeness to the common people to gain insight into their lives to be a good ruler for them

Best friends with Altair

Also platonic

He’s basically her brother

Lovena Farlow: Adoptive daughter of the Earl of Rothe

Birthday: Unknown–Adoption date: 12/13/08–Age: 18?

MBTI: ENFP

Sexual orientation: ? “What’s that?”

Lord Dorian Farlow’s adoptive daughter

He and his wife dote on her since his wife is barren

She’s a bit spoiled

Is actually a spy

Planted there by the emperor himself

She is in a very precarious position as she will be killed if found out

Uses this identity to try to quell the nobles from the nobles’ station

Ditzy, clumsy, airheaded, a bit childish

Grew up sheltered

Very sociable, but can’t read the room

Actually acts like this to distance herself from her real identity: that of Calix Vallen

Is shrewd in reality

Right-handed

Likes horses, dogs, birds, rabbits, cats, wolves(?!), bears(?!)...et cetera

There doesn’t seem to be any animal that she doesn’t like

Seems to even like bugs (in reality, is terrified of them, see above)

Good at languages, arts, history, bad at math, science

“Why do I need to know how to count in weird ways?”

Sucks at dancing

“I have two left feet! And the men always hold me too tight…”

Likes dresses, but gets them dirty all the time

She falls down a lot

As such, many of her daily dresses are green, brown or gray, to hide dirt and grass stains

Callum, the new guy, thinks she’s dumb, but she seems to like him

“He’s so nice! I think we’ll be great friends! Best friends!”

Knows that in reality, Callum’s identity is that of Raven, an assassin whose mission is to kill Calix

The baron of Storch keeps trying to marry her

In part to spite her father and in part to gain control of some of her father’s lands

“He sweats too much…and he’s too rough with me! Doesn’t he know I’m a delicate young lady?”

The Calix part of her wants to punch him but the Lovena part continues pretending to be clueless about his intentions

Altair Byron: High-ranking noble that grew up in Reston alongside Calix

Birthday: 3/31/02–Age: 21

MBTI: ENTP

Sexual Orientation: Pansexual

Calix’s best friend

Born and raised in the palace alongside Calix

Learned all the same lessons she did

Essentially her brother and closest friend

Blithe, seemingly carefree, actually a hard worker

Not as naturally good at academic subjects as Calix

Had to work harder than her at his studies, for a while he resented her for this but eventually accepted that they have different talents

Acts as Calix’s body double when she is away

Since she wears a mask in public and already tries to avoid as much human contact as possible, he can more easily pass as her

He has a similar build, skin color, hair color, and eye color

Their voices are rather different though, so they both try not to talk as much as possible–when necessary, Calix pitches her voice deeper and Altair pitches his slightly higher

Prefers fashion and dancing to swordfighting

“Calix is far better than me–she can just switch hands and stab me where I can’t guard…and anyway, I have her soundly beat when it comes to my footwork in the ballroom.”

Enjoys making clothes, though the maids keep trying to stop him, telling him that “that’s not work suited for someone of such high standing as yourself.”

Has to sneak off and steal bolts of cloth and sewing supplies at night

Right-handed

This is the reason why Calix had to train to use her right hand along with her left

Enjoys swimming in the sea, but can’t swim in the sea when pretending be Calix

“Calix hates the sea. She gets too cold too easily and she tells me that cleaning the salt out of her hair annoys her.”

Also terrified of bugs

Possibly more terrified of bugs than Calix is

“I REFUSE TO GO ANYWHERE NEAR ANY INSECT.”

In love with Artemisia

Like, madly in love with her

Has the hugest crush on Artemisia and it turns him into an idiot

He can’t even stand properly–if she so much as speaks to him he falls over

Disaster pansexual

“Sh-sh-she talked to me! I-I-I-I…I’m so happy!”

Calix has witnessed way too many instances of him becoming a massive blushing mess and refuses to let him live it down

Unfortunately, Artemisia just sees him as a little brother. Damn.

Artemisia Lestral: Princess of Yoth

Birthday: 5/24/00–Age: 22

MBTI: ISFJ

Sexuality: Aromantic

Calix’s fiancee

Has a friendly relationship with her

Knows about Calix’s double life, knows Calix is female

Is not attracted to Calix

Beloved by the common people of Valra

Born and raised in Yoth, but it’s too small for that many people to live there

She spends 9 months out of the year in Seltras, serving the people

Makes food and clothing for the homeless

Assists in providing materials to build houses

Cares for some of the younger children and older people

She spends so much time there that the people of Seltras have built her a permanent residence in the city

She goes home during the winter months, as she has trouble handling the cold weather of Valra

It is then that she greets the merchants and workers heading to Tol, as many pass by her home on their journeys

Likes bugs

Will sometimes tease Calix and Altair about them

“I found an adorable little caterpillar today–” “STOP”

Enjoys ghost stories

Yoth is known for several things: it is the seat of one of the three major gods of Valra, its lovely beaches, and being haunted at night

As such, it’s a favorite place to go for vacationing or for pilgrims and thrill seekers

Knows all the of the legends by heart and has made up a few stories of her own

Her stories are actually some of the most famous ones, as they are both incredibly terrifying and possibly true–people swear that they have seen some of the ghosts from her tales

Knows that Altair is madly in love with her

“I’m not sure what to do about him, though it is cute when his ears turn all red.”

Friendzoned him, thinks of him as a brother

Raven: Assassin sent to kill Calix

Birthday: Unknown–Adoption date: 7/3/03–Age: 19?

MBTI: INTP

Sexuality: Bisexual

New squire hired by Dorian Farlow

Actually an assassin

Goes by the name of Callum Ress when working as the squire

Works in the Farlow estate

Lovena seems to like him, but he thinks she’s dumb