Most would assume that a city as grand and fantastic as Morshall, capital of the Empire of Arquendrial, would be a place of prosperity and industry. Lately, however, the Empire has lost some of its prominence and peace. Plague, murderers, and the machinations of the Houses have lead to a state of disharmony. More and more people are complaining against the Emperor and the Empire itself, though they plod on for the most part. Still, however, they are inspired by the murderer who so callously paints the walls of the city with his victims' blood, writing out promises that his wrath will descend upon the aristocrats. In short, paranoia and fear run rampant, with the citizens on in a near constant state of riot and anger. It is certainly not a time that you want to visit the city, despite the magnificent wonders it boasts within its fortified walls.
Platinum: The Royal House of the Empire, this is the House that the Emperor/Empress is chosen from by birthright. It is also the faction controlling all pilots in the Empire. The level in the House determines the level of pilot, however. People of a lower status are relegated to small fishing boats or the railcars throughout the city. People of higher status are able to manage the merchant ships, which is one of the places from which the Platinum House has obtained the vast stores of wealth, and power, that it currently possesses.
Gold: The Gold House is the center of luxury items in the Empire. With their trade secrets, they train their younglings to craft masterpieces out of silk, leather, jewels, etc. If it costs a lot, they've probably made it, or have had a hand in doing so. This has resulted in them becoming the second most powerful House in the Empire, wielding a lot of sway with the Emperor himself, though that is also partly due to their long-standing alliance with the Platinum House.
Silver: The Silver House also holds a lot of sway in the city of Morshall, though it is their capacity for healing that has led to their significance. With an ability to treat wounds and illness unlike any other, they are highly respected throughout the entire Empire, which is much more than most other Houses can boast of. Currently, they are devoting most of their manpower to finding the cure for the plague that is afflicting so many of the Empire on order of the Emperor and the Council of Families, which is the body of government headed by the Lords and Ladies of the Houses.
Copper: The Copper House owns the secrets of energy and is responsible for maintaining the power grid of the city, which includes the coal mines found all over the Empire. They are also the ones who come up with new ways of conserving, and increasing, power. These inventions vary from simple things such as a switch to turn off all the lights during the day to more complex items like the fuser, a machine that can combine coal and wood to improve the energy given off when burned.
Middle Houses:
Mercury: The Mercury House is where all of the scientist types originate. A lot of them focus on philosophical things, such as eternal life and the aether, but they do have a hand in more practical applications of science as well. They collaborate with the Bronze, Iron, Adamantine, and Copper Houses often to make sure that inventions work perfectly, as well as to help iron out any potential bugs in the invention before its even built or created. Patents are also handled by the Mercury House, which is one of their major sources of revenue.
Adamantine: The Adamantine House is the creator of all weapons in the Empire. They have a mastery over metal and wood when it comes to creating new weapon types, as well as improving the ones already in existence. Ammo and firearms are also only able to be legally bought from members of this House, though swords and other bladed weapons have more lenient restrictions. The only weapon that they don't produce is the crossbow and crossbow bolts.
Iron: Much like the Adamantine House, the Iron House creates all of the armor in the Empire. Whether it's leather, metal, or anything in between, they are the ones who came up with the idea and created it. Armor is constantly being improved upon and updated, with new armors being markedly better than their predecessors several months afterwards. Unfortunately, no armor exists in the present that can withstand a bullet significantly enough to save a life in most cases where the assailant is at close range.
Electrum: The bankers of the Empire, they are kept out of the Low Class solely by the fact that all of the money runs through their hands. They hand out notes to people when they wish to make a deposit, which is good for that value of monetary good anywhere in the Empire. The minting process of new coins, as well as the determination for their value, falls mainly under their hands with occasional orders from the Emperor and the Council of Families. There exists a tenuous alliance between them and the Bronze House, as the latter supplies security devices and storage units.
Low Houses:
Bronze: Masters of clockwork engineering, they are responsible for making sure all of the machines in the Empire work. They are also the inventors of a vast array of clockwork devices, such as music boxes, storage units, and security devices. Their specialization often requires them to work with the Mercury House and the Copper House rather closely, though they jealously guard their secrets from the other Houses. Lower members of the House are commonly seen around the city repairing broken machines, or merely polishing them.
Steel: The Steel House is the home to all of the architects of the city. They maintain all of the buildings, tear down old ones, and raise up new ones when necessary. Their carpentry is the best in the Empire, and that's no boast. The Royal Palace itself was built by the members of the Steel House decades ago and has been constantly repaired: walls replaced, ceiling retiled, window refitted, etc. Typically, they work alone, never bothering with running their ideas by the Mercury House before they start building it. But they are just as good players of the scheming going on among the Houses as any other House.
Brass: Musicians and other artist figures hail from the Brass House, which specializes in bells above all. They were responsible for casting all of the bells in the city and often hold concerts in various locations all across the Empire. Rumour has it that every month, the Emperor himself calls a select group of the House to the Palace to play over dinner for a large sum of money at his ball. Only the best of the best get in, however, denying many the dream of playing for such prominent members of society.
Pewter: The Pewter House is where all of the servants come from. While it appears to be a rather demeaning job on the surface, the Pewter House is often the one that knows of schemes and other machination first, a privilege which is typically used to their advantage. As such, they are masters of manipulating their employers against one another, leaving them to pick up the scraps and move on with their accumulated status. It is a rather efficient system they have set up: the majority stay in the city in the large manors of the Houses, while a few are sent out around the Empire when called for by other wealthy patrons.
Miscellaneous Houses:
Arsenic: The Arsenic "House" is the refuge of all assassins in the Empire, regardless of their actual House. They are sworn to secrecy and trained in the art of poison, stealth, and agility. Being caught, however, is a severe crime that is usually punished through immediate disinheritance, jail time, and the loss of status to Lead, nothing more than a slave working for everyone else. Often, however, the Arsenic House manages to save it's brethren from that fate by freeing them before the twenty-four/seven guard is authorized.
Mithril: The Mithril "House" is much like the Arsenic House in that it is home to all of the warrior types across the Empire, regardless of previous House affiliations. Guards, soldiers, and mercenaries all find comfort and friendship with others just like them. Unlike the Arsenic House, however, joining the Mithril House, or even better, being invited, is a relatively high honor among the Houses. They also tend to get a lot of respect from regular, everyday citizens, especially the ones that do their jobs right.
Stone: The Stone House comprises a variety of families, the common feature of which is that they specialize in more common labor jobs. They are typically the shopkeepers, the assistants, the sailors, etc., in the city rather than individuals suited to a specific job. As the middle class of the city, they aren't too bad off, but they aren't swimming in money like the Houses either. Also, a lot of the Stone House go to the church regularly, more so than the Noble Houses and the Wooden House. Though uncommon, there are also reports of promising members of the Stone House having chances to be adopted into the particular House that their talent matches.
Wooden: The Wooden House is also compromised of more, smaller families. Unlike the Stone House though, they occupy the farming jobs, as well as other basic tasks like shepherding. Normally, they are denied entrance to the city itself for periods longer than a week. When they enter the city, they are given a card that tells them how many days they have left, while their information is entered into a log that gets checked everyday. If someone is marked as having left the city, they are searched for, located, and given jail time. A significantly higher percentage of the population is also afflicted by the plague than the Stone or Metal Houses.
Lead: These are the worst that society has to offer for most people. Whether they were disgraced and their status stripped, or they were born into it, they have only the bare minimum of rights, such as living for example. They are not to speak unless spoken to, and they are typically considered better of dead. Very rarely, it is possible for a criminal who is disgraced to be pardoned, or for a natural-born slave to rise up out of the House through a rare deed of heroism or something similar. For most though, they live until the end of their lives as slaves, cleaning the sewage drains and performing other disgusting and horrible tasks while living in the slums of the city.
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Quote:
Christ came to pay a debt he did not owe because we owed a debt that we could not pay.
The Empire is blessed, and heavily reliant, upon the use of steam power. Using coal, they create the steam needed to power every single one of their machines, from the clockwork masterpieces of the Bronze House to the relatively simple, and common, light poles dotted around the city to help keep it safe. Even the ships are powered by steam, easily surpassing vessels powered by the wind via a sail. Speaking of clockwork creations, the Bronze House boasts a mastery over them that no one can equal. They've created numerous types for the use of the Empire, including timepieces, storage units, and security devices, all of which are powered by steam.
Militarily speaking, the Empire is a prominent member of the world, with some of the most advanced firearms across the globe. Of course, these firearms are highly inaccurate, with long reloading times, all of which limits their usefulness. Most citizens, especially the wealthy, use sabers and other bladed weapons when it comes down to a duel or defense. Every member of the military typically wields a small pistol. Also in use, though by the... darker members of society are crossbows. They have similar reloading times to a pistol, but are much quieter.
In the city, there are rail systems in place to take people where they need to go at a faster pace than other methods of travel. The primary reason for this addition was economic. If workers could get to their jobs faster, productivity would increase. Occasionally, they have been known to break down, but there have been marked improvements in recent years, like the prevention of spontaneous combustion of the wooden body. Also, while it is being kept as confidential as possible, the Empire is currently funding plans for flying machines, though most consider that a silly rumour.
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Profiles:
Crispin Winton Gareth Alexander III; House BronzeX
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wyrmskyld
Name(Full):Crispin Winton Gareth Alexander III Nickname: Crispin Age: 18 Gender: Male House: Bronze Special Skills: Brilliant with clockwork-- making, repairing, inventing. Just give him a handful of gears and springs and he'll come up with something brilliant in a matter of minutes. It might not be useful, but it will be brilliant. Personality: Crispin is friendly but very sheltered. As long as someone is nice to him or seems interested in his work, he might not notice if their motives aren't pure. He tends to be absent-minded, leaving a trail of lost possessions behind him and losing track of most conversations any time a stray idea finds its way into his head. He's fairly clueless about anything that doesn't go 'tick-tock.' He's also a bit accident-prone, but the accidents tend to be harmless or entertaining. History: Because of his youth, Crispin doesn't have much history to speak of. As the eldest son of his house he's being groomed to take over the leadership of the house, although he's much more interested in the more practical aspects of House Bronze's specialties. Likes: Clockwork, goggles, new tools Dislikes: Clothes that catch in gears, distractions, itchy sweaters.
Rayner Miles Spelter; House PewterX
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mythos
Name(Full): Rayner Miles Spelter Nickname: Mischief Age: 22 Gender: Male House: Pewter Special Skills: Charismatic, Handy, Stealthy, Convincing Personality: Rayer isn't quite heir material, but it's the best the Pewter family has to offer. He hates the idea of living like nobility and keeps trying to rebel against his perceived ideas of 'proper behavior' by acting like a party boy. When he absolutely must behave he is stiff and dry, but he tries his best to get out of any and all situations of that sort. History: Rayner was not meant to be the heir of his family. His father was the youngest son of three, separating them from the head of the household by several possible names by the time Rayner's cousins were born. One by one misfortune took them, though. First accidents, then plague... Nothing remained of Rayner's uncles or their families by the time he was 17. In the following years Rayner was preened and corrected in how to behave, how to conduct himself like an heir should in polite society.
Before he was in a similar position to those further removed from the head of the Pewter house- he worked as a page for an important member of the Copper House and as a clock-winder for the Gold house. Rayner resented those he worked for at the time, seeing them as fat, lazy but 'polite' old men who stuffed their pockets as much as they stuffed their faces but he resented the fact that he had to live his life in their shoes even more. Likes: Alcohol, Partying, Girls, Working with his hands, Mischief Dislikes: Being the heir, 'Polite Society'
Alexander Valerius Gustavsson; House Gold (Mithril)X
Quote:
Originally Posted by Q U E E N
gustavsson, alexander valerius - axel - gold, mithril
Name (Full) » Alexander Valerius Gustavsson Nickname » Axel Age » 21 Gender » Male House » Gold, Mithril Special Skills » A master at the art of cutting gems and crafting them into spectacular pieces of jewelry or accessories (such as brooches, pins, cuff links, etc) that are often worn by the royal family themselves. He also is quite skilled at hand-weaving items made of silk. Axel is quick and accurate as a mercenary, and inflicts little amount of civilian casualties while taking out his target. Personality » Axel is usually always quite cool, calm, and collected. Of course, there are those moments where he gets annoyed to the point of wanting to rage, but he manages to keep himself in check most of the time. Sophisticated and classy, Axel has high morals and doesn't like to be around or do things that are "dirty" or "unrefined". He absolutely despises anyone with wild or unruly behavior. Axel likes refined, elegant women instead of drunken little girls. Axel can be a bit of a party pooper at times, but it's just the way that he was taught and brought up. Properly. History » Growing up, Axel had always been that one "good boy" who always, always listened to his parents and promptly followed directions when told to listen. Of course, he never really gave it much thought and just kept on living life as a machine that cranked out brilliant displays of luxury items that most would not even be able to afford. So when he was personally invited by letter to become a member of the Mithril House as an mercenary, he didn't know what to think or do. Axel knew it was a high honor to be a member of the Mithril house...but a mercenary still kills. He joined Mithril House, and on his first mission learned that he was quite good at the job. He balances lessons as the heir of the Gold House and making fine jewelry while also being a mercenary of the Mithril House on the side. Likes » Jewelry, a nice cup of tea, mystery novels, billiards, women Dislikes » Mischief makers, threats, thieves, rude people
Cassandra Suzanne Housemartin; House PlatinumX
Quote:
Originally Posted by Angelo
Name(Full): Cassandra Suzanne Housemartin Nickname: Cass, Cassie, Princess Age: 19 Gender: Female House: Platinum Special Skills: She can pilot any form of vehicle in the Empire. She’s also been trained in self-defense, hand-to-hand and pistol, and can speak many different languages. In short, her skill set consists primarily of skill necessary for the diplomatic part of being heir to the Emperor. Personality: She tends to be a bubbly personality, though she can get rather sullen when her freedom is restricted inside the castle. Often times, she is polite instead of bossy, which she sees as a faster way to get things done. She does genuinely care about her subjects, and can be seen wandering the streets, greeting them and wishing them well. Of course, she’s never far from her guards at these times. Her father considers her… eccentric, but he tolerates her idiosyncrasies as long as they don’t interfere with her studies or duties. History: Growing up as the heir to the Emperor, Cass has also always had anything she wanted, except for the same freedom she saw everyone else have. It was especially noticeable when she was younger, her friends being punished if she got hurt while they were playing. Things such as that tended to alienate her from her peers, though she managed to get some measure of freedom back into her life when she became a teenager. She was still protected, of course, but she managed to sneak out more and do things that her father typically would not approve of. When he did find out, there was a major confrontation, but they managed to come to an agreement: she wouldn’t be so reckless if he wouldn’t be so suffocating. This deal, though tenuous, brought a measure of peace back to the household, ending the perpetual cold shoulders that were given off at every meeting between the two.
In terms of her education, she was given the best tutors in the Empire. As such, she is proficient in languages, history, math, and the sciences. Her favorite subject, however, was piloting. The feeling of being behind the motion of a ship or railcar was unlike anything else, and she’s eagerly looking forward to the flying ships that are being worked on in secret. For the most part though, she finds education rather boring and tedious, only going through with it and applying herself because there would be repercussions to her not doing so. Her father was not a man who took anything less than the best after all. Likes: Sneaking around, getting out of the castle, her subjects, and piloting. Dislikes: Being watched all the time, her studies, and being assumed to be spoiled rotten. Extra: Her hair is a lot lighter than in the picture. She also carries a pistol around with her when she leaves the Palace on her father's orders.
Melodie Genevieve Rossignol; House BrassX
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wyrmskyld
Name(Full): Melodie Genevieve Rossignol Nickname: Genna, 'The Brass Belle' Age: 17 Gender: Female House: Brass Special Skills: Can play almost any instrument, has an outstanding singing voice. Can break glass with her voice if she has time to find the right note. Personality: Sheltered and a little shy, but quietly rebellious History: Because of a remarkable combination of circumstances, Genna was sheltered even above other young ladies of her rank and house. While she was still in the womb, a fever ravaged House Brass, seemingly striking every member. Her oldest brother died, and her second brother was left simple-minded. Both of her parents were taken ill but survived, although her father's legendary voice never quite recovered its full range and power. He also lost the ability to sire any future heirs. Her mother was more or less unharmed by the illness, but losing one son completely and having another become simple made her fiercely protective of her unborn child.
So, from her very birth Genna was protected for her mother's sake and because she was now the heir to the house. As she grew up it became clear that she had inherited the incredible range and richness of her father's voice, as well as his aptitude for instrumental music, along with her mother's beauty, and the rest of House Brass began to protect her as much as her parents. She's seldom even allowed to leave the house, and when she is given permission to go to an event her servants dress her up and make her up so much that she's hardly recognizable as herself.
Lately, however, she's been getting very tired of all the restrictions placed on her, and has taken to sneaking out of the house to find new and different kinds of music than is allowed by her very proper tutors and guardians. Being so sheltered and innocent she has no idea how much danger that puts her in, especially as she's been very lucky so far. Likes: Music-- especially 'common' music, anything new and exciting, having an audience, dancing Dislikes: Corsets, tutors, lectures.
Elzé & Odelia Mercer; House Silver (Arsenic)X
Quote:
Originally Posted by MewMint20
Name(Full): Elzé & Odelia Mercer Nickname:El & Ode Age: 19 Gender: Female House: Silver | Arsenic Special Skills: Medicine/Poison – both are a master of the herbal arts. Odelia is versed in archery, but by no means as expert. Elzé has begun studies in surgery. Personality: Identical twins who are not identical in personality is not very rare. Both girls are close though, both are shy and reserved. When together they become even more so. Ode however is more cruel behind close door, as Elzé is a genuinely caring girl. History:It isn’t actually well known that the Mercer’s have twin girls. Most events they only bought one or the other as it was tiresome to try and explain to other their names. Using Elzé’s name for both in public. Ode feeling as if she was the shadow of her 5 second younger twin joined the Arsenic house. Most the time she uses Elzé’s poisons focusing on her combat training. Likes: Sweet foods, each other, attention, flirting. Dislikes: Being Rejected, people question who is who when together, Their parents, heavy clothing. Extra: As previously stated seeing both together is rare however when outside their home they actually do travel as a pair. Ode has used her twin as an excuse as to why she couldn’t have been doing something ‘but I was at the party the whole time.’ Only those close to the family know about the girls.
Lucius Panya Mardonian; House Steel (Mithril)X
Quote:
Originally Posted by MewMint20
Name(Full): Lucius Panya Mardonian Nickname:Lucky, Luce, 'Devil Child' Age: 23 Gender: Male House: Steel/Mithril Special Skills: Construction – be it a chair or a house; he can make it with ease. Hand to Hand – he’s good with his hands, especially in combat. Structural Flaws- He has a knack for finding structural flaws or weak points, sometimes he can do the same in someone’s fighting style. Personality: Even though he is from a Low house he has quite a self-righteous view on everything. He believes because he was invited to Mithril this means he is in fact as good as, or even better, then the higher houses. He does know his place below silver, gold, platinum and Copper though. He isn’t a mean guy but he isn’t the friendliest individual either. History: Heir to steel he wants to work his way up in standing, his father suggested he meet a nice girl in mithril from one of the higher families and marry her. He would rather work his way up with his own skill even though he knows this is impossible. He was actually originally striving to get in to the mithril when they invited him for his hand-to-hand skill. He isn't very well known due to avoiding most social gatherings, the amount of people being too much for him. He is known as 'Devil child' among mercenaries because of how ruthless he can be when hired. Likes: Small groups/gatherings, being judged by his actions not his family standing, girls, beautiful buildings, his own handiwork. Dislikes: Large groups/gatherings, being judged for being part of a low family, drama, being forced in to conversations. Extra: he has a tan-colored tattoo of a cross under his left eye.
I'll be sure to get my profiles and the actual thread up tomorrow. I'm exhausted, again. :/ It is, however, two in the morning, which may have something to do with it.
I just remembered I had a Brass character I wanted to build, too. ;) Let me rattle off her bio and then I'll go on to her first and Crispin's second post.
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