We were once great. We were once powerful. Then, one by one, we all fell. Just like they said. Death was not the price for our hubris. What came upon us was much, much worse.

Once upon a time, the land of Tillek was as magnificent as a land milked of resources could be. A magical centered world (particularly now that the land was primarily wasteland), all of the magnificence depended on the unnatural gifts that only so many of the world were birthed with. It was a grand time, full of unbelievable things and great knowledge. It could have easily been described the best times in existence. Except for the magic users, of course, but their enslavement was needed to keep society up and running. Surely they understood the need for their work?

Whatever the people assumed was horribly wrong. The great age didn't fade, but ended in death. The enslaved mages did not rebel, whatever their intentions may have been. Rather, they all died, seemingly all at once. With almost every person who held the world up to the standard so many people had depended on dead, it was safe to say nothing lasted. Buildings held up by magical seals crumbled, libraries full of knowledge burned, and without healing spells to restore the ill sickness crept back into society and took millions of victims. Whether the mages had simply contracted a then-unknown illness or committed a mass suicide is unknown. What can be agreed on is that Tillek was never the same.

Without the mages to depend on, everything fell apart. There was no magic, no technology, and no real knowledge. The world fell into a dark age from which it seemed there was no end. Weapons became rudimentary, rules and laws became impossible to enforce and even language crumbled to the point that it's only began to resemble something semi-sophisticated in the past few years. The people always said their punishment was ignorance, even though after the ages upon ages that have passed few even know what the punishment was for.

With the very slow progression of the world back to its old self, the one thing that had yet to resurface were the magic users that had become so important in the olden days.

Well, until about twenty years ago. Then they emerged.

Beautiful, unnatural and all fully grown when they emerged, the beings discovered were certainly not the same as those who had existed during the old times, but they certainly had some similarities It had been so long since any had managed to tap into the natural magics of the earth, but these could. They have been referred to as many things: wizards, monstrosities, elementals...call them what you will, but it's obvious they're inhuman, not having aged since the day they were discovered.

One way or another, each of these inhumans learned of the past, and of how humans treated their fellow mages. Some forgave them and decided to help, some grew enraged and seek revenge for the enslavement of the ancients, the closest brothers to this new kind that has emerged, and some simply live out their lives, caring little either way. No matter what side they pick, they're feared due to their reputation and appearance.

What side will you take?

The traits of the magic user are as follows:
-On average they are taller than humans, and quite graceful. Their hair, eyes and skin can vary to literally any color under the sun, creating some nearly comical appearances and some terrifying ones. Only one thing is agreed upon, and that is that no two look identical.
-Each one has a specific "element" they can use. Light, darkness, water, fire, ice, healing etc. (The quotations are in place because the term element is extremely stretched in the case of this kind. It is still frequently used for some reason. <If you want any of them, and don't know if it's acceptable as an option, feel free to pm me.>) Their power in this specific gift is immense, but they can only use one.
-Even if they've never seen each other, for some reason the elementals can recognize one another by a means even they cannot describe.
-They vary in every way when it comes to speed, strength, intelligence and all other such traits. There is no way to know what the strong suits of one of the kind by remembering another. You must learn for each individual one.
-Simply because an "element" is assumed good or evil by nature - such as light being considered pure or darkness being seen as evil - does not mean it defines the character's personality. Frequently it seems that things that should be assumed as pure and kind wind up finding a way to turn their powers towards cruelty, and vice versa. There is no guarantee of what side someone is on beyond how they act.


If you need any more details, pm me.



Here are my rules! -
1. I'm not too picky. I'd like to see you be at least semi-lit, though, and happen to not be a big fan of one-liners. For this reason, PM me a roleplay sample, and I'll let you know if you can join or not.
2. Try to keep your characters original. I don't want to play with some black haired, red eyed, pale skinned darkness who is half-emo and half-wrathful. Mind you, I don't want it to be a perfectly ironic thing, like that person having power over light.
3. Be creative with the "element" that you pick. (I really feel like I need the quotations there. o.o )
4. Be sure not to be cheesy, either. I don't want a roleplay that's so tacky if I press it against a wall it'd stick.
5. I'd prefer we keep actual humans to a minimum. I put it as an option because I feel they can contribute to the plot when done right, but let's try to focus more on the less human aspect if at all possible.
6. Follow the all-encompassing oh-so-holy unspoken Posting Order. If you need it to be spoken so that you know how to obey it, ask! But if you don't ask, I expect you to obey without question. I get twitchy when people disobey The Order.
7. Most importantly: Have fun!

The absence of life was a welcome thing to him. It didn't have the bone-chilling effect that most people assumed. To him it was a sort of pleasing comfort that most places couldn't provide. Samsa had always hated people. Not just people, actually, but life in general. The noisy, smelly, selfish beings, each desperately demanding for a life that would one day end despite all their efforts otherwise. Even plants would fight each other for sun, caring nothing for the little ones underneath, just happy to be alive another day in their pointless existence. It all made him just sick to think about. This was why he was neutral, by all technicalities. He couldn't even stand his own kind, and preferred to life in isolated spots. Even if they didn't fit him very well.

That was why it was so odd that he was in town. Well, really it was a trading post, but it was a human-stuffed location nonetheless.

Walking around, sifting through the crowds, more than one eye focused on him. To any eye, no matter how idiotic, it was obvious that this man was not human. His hair was as straight as straw and the color of silver, reaching just below his jawbone and cut raggedly, obviously a self-done job. For flesh, all Samsa had soft skin of a creamy grey shade that was semi-transluscent, revealing the slight tinge of all the veins that traveled across his body and making him seem quite exotic. Currently there was a light pink tinge to it from the burning of the sun, but he paid it little heed. His eyes, a color of green so dark it almost reached black, were darting about at all the people around him, wondering if anybody was of particular interest. For one of his kind he was surprisingly short, reaching just barely below the average height of a human male. This entire appearance was undeniably peculiar when combined with his well-toned muscles, which didn't seem to fit with the otherwise fragile looking being.

Taking in a deep breath of the dusty air, a smile came on his face. Over his body was an outfit he had carefully chosen, a silvery sleeveless button up shirt with scarlet accents, and a pair of knee-length pants of the latter color. Samsa's feet were bare, padding the dry earth, feeling it carefully. The trading post was entirely surrounded by a desolate wasteland, a lifeless place he had come to quite enjoy. The intense heat of the sun constantly bearing down on him had become too much, however. Hence the reason he had decided to come to where he was. Even one such as he could become dehydrated and desperate.

After enough shuffling through the crowds, which tended to move out of his way as they realized exactly what he was, he caught sight of exactly what he wanted: a tavern. He needed a drink, and he needed to get out of the sun before he became any more burned. Or stared at. Not that he minded the stares too much, but he'd hate to get annoyed.

It was almost as hot as outside but completely dark. Only one torch was sitting along the wall to light the entire place, and its smoke combined with those of the various pipes of the many men he ignored to fill the room. After throwing himself in the darkest nearby corner, he ordered the cheapest drink around (did he even have enough to pay for it?) and sat back for a good round of people watching.

Looking around, he wondered deep down if there really would be anything of interest

He doubted it.

The night was cold and dark. As was usual in these parts, nothing was stirring. The moon, now in the middle of the sky, was like a claw-scratch, giving almost no light to the world below. It was in this still darkness that something finally stirred.
A girl, with startlingly pale skin and deep, frosty blue hair was sitting fairly still, moving only to breathe. She didn't even blink; her eyes were glassy, distant.
All at once, a huge flame burst from the bushes on either side of the girl's form. The fire had appeared from nothing, and the girl stayed still, staring ahead as if nothing were happening. The flames licked at her body, yet they left no marks.
The girl moved. She raised her head the stare at the moon, eyes still unblinking. It seemed as if the burning orange light were reflecting from the moon's pale surface, making a bloody scratch across the sky. The girl smiled, a wicked-looking leer that looked strange with her seemingly gentle face. She rose slowly to her feet, and looked across the plains that were now dancing in flames. Terrified screams of adults and children alike could already be heard from the village that was just out of site.
"Still you shall pay," the girl breathed, her voice barely audible over the crackling roar of the flames, "For what your people did to mine..."

Circe stepped inside the door to the tavern. The noise of the humans' jostled conversations pressed against her ears, much louder than that of the crowds outside. Those nearest to her fell silent, staring at her as men usually did. Some just thought she was an abnomally tall woman, until they saw her hair and eyes.

With a light sigh, she pulled her hat off and shook her hair free, letting it fall down her back. The men at the table to her right stopped staring instantly, dropping their gaze to their mugs. Smiling a little, she perched her hat back on her head and wove her way through the crowded, smokey room.

Her clothes were plain, a longsleeved dark blue shirt, and a cream colored skirt that brushed agaisnt her ankles. The toes of her black boots peaked out from underneath with each step. Circe wanted to blend in, so she chose those colors. If she blended in more with the humans, they wouldn't pay much attention to her.

She hated getting attention. The humans annoyed her, with their society and pompous arrogance. Those of her kind who hunted the humans upset her too. Circe didn't enjoy the idea of taking life, so she chose to ignore both sides. In her mind, if she didn't pay attention, she could slip through the cracks unnoticed.

A perfect thing, since she could count the number of her people that she was comfortable around on one hand.

Letting out another soft sigh, she sank gracefully onto a stool. Motioning for a drink, she studied the figure sitting next to her.

The deed had been done the day before, in a neighboring town. Ryou could hear the news flitting about amongst the crowd, though when they saw the tall, pale woman walking smoothly through the middle of the town they fell quiet, averting their gaze. Ryou even saw some human children sprint back to their mothers and hide behind their legs, their chubby little hands clinging to their skirts as they peered around to stare at her. Ryou all but ignored them; she wasn't here to terrorise these lowly humans today.
Her hair was a deep, almost black purple today. She wasn't sure why that happened when she was in bright light, like today; it just seemed to happen that way. Her eyes glowed in an almost unnatural way, their startlingly green depths looking foreboding.
Ryou noticed one of her own kind slip into a human tavern. She must have been a supporter of these stinking slave-honers. Ryou didn't blame her though; there were many of her kind that would even take up arms for humans against their own kind. Idiots and low-life slaves, Ryou thought scathingly. Nevertheless, Ryou found herself following the girl into the tavern, and all too soon found herself sitting on a stool next to her, ordering ice water. She found that she was very thirsty; she'd just stay here for a few minutes to quench her thirst.
As she waited for her drink to be brought, Ryou glanced at the two of them in silence. There were a lot of her people in town today. Strange.

"Oh? What's this now?" Before he had even been aware enough of his thoughts to quell them, the words sprung up from his lips. His voice was surprisingly mundane considering his vibrant, unique appearance. Not rich and eloquent, but not thin and reedy either. Just another voice in the world. Of course, his attention was hardly fixated on what he had said, let alone the tone by which it was spoken.

Rather, it was on the two ladies who had entered. One sat next to him, and the other followed suit. Looking them over, he deduced that they only had one similarity: They weren't human. Almost immediately his lips pulled back into a slight snarl. Oh, great. Now he was going to have to deal with politics.

Giving a small scoff and a roll of his eyes he chose immediately to look the other way. Better to ignore them. That way they wouldn't drag him into the fray until the last minute. Samsa may have been violent, but he hardly considered himself a fighter; taking someone down with their back turned and their guard down was more his style. Something told him that he wasn't going to be able to do such a thing to these women, though. If you can call them women. He thought snidely. Doesn't that only work for humans?

When his drink was handed to him, he thanked whatever gods there may be under his breath and immediately took a heavy swig, dying of thirst. Feeling the liquid quench his need he began to mellow just a little. With his nerves dying down - he hadn't even realized how desperate he had been - he decided to speak to the pair. After all, he might as well. What was the worst they could do?

Kill me. But that could be dealt with later. Maybe he could even find a way to avoid conflict.

"It's good to see new faces around." He lied, taking a second drink. "So new, but so familiar. There are so few of us we're practically like siblings."

Samsa gave a bitter smile, turning to face the both of them. "If of the disagreeable sort."

Ryou was half-surprised when the man spoke; he looked like it was killing him, but still. She felt that she should probably answer, but something about him made her slightly suspicious... oh well.
After taking a quick sip from her drink, which had been brought along with the man's, she answered. "Indeed. It's quite strange to have so many of us together in such a small town..." She took another sip.

Outside a cloaked figure stared at the door of the tavern. She had watched as three members of her own kind had each gone inside. Three of them, with barely ten minutes separating their entrance. That wasn't like her kind at all. The girl didn't think she'd ever seen that many of them in a human dwelling at on time. It was like they'd planned to meet there or something.

The cloak the girl was wearing proved effective enough to disguise herself from the humans. It was quite unusual that she was wearing one, of course, but whereas this just made people think of her as slightly odd, them seeing her appearance would probably cause panic. The humans weren't the only ones to have heard the rumours about the night before, and she wanted to avoid any disturbance from them. After all, it wasn't hard to tell that she wasn't human even at a glance. In full daylight her silver coloured skin stood out quite a lot.

This, as you can imagine, caused a lot of problems for someone who actually liked the humans. Something which actually seemed quite unusual for most of her kind. However, she found them quite entertaining to watch. The humans were quite oblivious to how funny their antics were, of course, but they did struggle so much with the simplest of things... It made her feel quite sorry for them.

The girl watched the door for a couple of minutes longer before her curiosity manage to outweigh her usual wariness. It was a lot harder to stay unnoticed wearing a cloak inside an inn, in fact it seemed to draw attention more than anything, but it was far too unusual to see this many of her kind at once in a human outpost, she couldn't just ignore it. And so the girl followed them, opening the door and slipping inside the darkness of the inn.

She blinked, surprised at the change in lighting, before locating the three she had followed, noting that they were all sat together, and seating herself nearby.

When the man turned to look at her, Circe instantly looked down. He wasn't an old human man like she had originally thought. His face was free from wrinkles, and his eyes a dark color that looked black in the dim light. But it was his skin that really interested her. Of the few others of her kind she had met, none had had such skin.

Nervously, she looked to her other side when her other neighbor spoke. That woman looked almost like she could really be her sibiling. Her hair was darker than Circe's but still held a purple hue.

"I suppose." Her voice came out just above a whisper. Clearing her throat, she tried a little louder. "It isn't often so many of us gather in one area at once."

Circe pulled her hat off again, and drew her fingers through her purple hair before pressing her hat back on her head.

Taking a long drink from her mug, she hunched her shoulders over.

"Especially in a human establishment." Circe finished, turning red. What if they supported the humans? Would that seem offensive to supporters?

Ryou suppressed a snort with difficulty. "I'll agree with that," she smirked, "I'm quite surprised that I found myself wondering around a human village, of all places... I usually just stay in the forests around here."

Half-hoping that the phrase didn't alert either of her 'companions' to the deed she had done the previous night, Ryou took a much larger gulp of her drink. She had a feeling she should leave, and soon. The watching humans were finally starting to get on her nerves.

Circe ducked her head and quietly sipped her drink. She was sudddenly feeling uncomfortable. Peeking over her shoulder, she caught several men quickly looking back at their cups, pretending they hadn't been staring. That, and the fact that she had spoken more than she had in the past year made her nervous. Trying to keep the other two from noticing, she adjusted her hat and took another drink. One hand slid into her pocket to search for coins to pay for her drink.

OoC;

How can I put how much I want to beg for forgiveness in words?
I can't.
I'm sorry I've been gone for so long, guys!

BiC;

He tried his best to stomach their conversation. He wasn't used to being a socialite. In fact, the only time he ever seemed to show his face was to induce some torment for his own fun, or to sneer down at someone. There was no room for torture with so many eyes around, though, and with so many powerful kindred he could hardly be anything but pleasant. Otherwise it would be the death of him, and Samsa may not enjoy the lives of others, but his own he cherished like the rarest gem.

"Surprisingly, I can sympathize with what you said. I'm not one for populated areas." He was still smiling. Even if he wanted to disregard them, he knew he couldn't. To avoid looking as uncomfortable as he felt, he let his perhaps more than a little wicked grin dominate all else. It was the closest he could get to polite.

Giving a shrug and pretending to pay little attention to either of them, he turned away and looked at them both from the corner of his eye, enveloping every detail. He guessed their alliances just by looking at them. The blue-haired one seemed hostile in about every detail, tensed, mistrusting. Samsa could easily assume by that nature that she was against the very people who built and ran this establishment. Well, her words helped his assumption, too. There were a few hints as to deeds she may have committed...but that was of little matter to him.

As for the purple-haired one, she was shy. From her words he could tell she was hardly one for the humans, but she was obviously too modest to do anything about it. If the more hostile one weren't around, he would probably have attempted to play with her mind simply for the fun of it. A hobby was a hobby, no?

And then he caught her, a flicker of movement at the edge of his vision. As he caught the motion he immediately snapped his head in that direction, that smile never leaving his countenance. Samsa wasn't sure what it was, but he just knew she wasn't human. She was another one of them. Four, in one tiny building. If the people realized the danger this posed, the building would have long since been abandoned.

"Well well well." He muttered quietly to himself. "Today is far more interesting than I imagined." Perhaps it was good that he had decided to enter the building for shade. Otherwise he would have missed out on the fun. Dangerous fun, but fun nonetheless.

This time he spoke far louder, attempting to communicate with all three of them if possible. "Samsa is my name. I felt an introduction was in order."

It seemed a little awkward of a greeting, but it would do. He wasn't trying to make friends, after all, he was just trying to save his own skin. Hopefully that helped.

"Hmpf" was Ryou's only reply to his comment. She barely noticed his scrutiny, and all but ignored the announcement of yet another of their kind in the tavern...
What?
Ryou's head flicked around as the information clicked. Indeed, there she was, looking out of place amongst the ugly humans dancing around like buffoons, drunk on whatever substance on which they were indulging. She cringed at the humans, and turned back around.

"Introductions, eh? Well, I'm not really one for spouting my name for all the four winds to carry, but I suppose these mad humans are too drunk to really notice," she drawled. She set down her nearly empty cup, and lightly traced the edge with her index finger. "Ryou."

Circe blinked at the other girl, then looked back to the two she was currently sitting with. It was hard, she realized, to guess their intentions. The woman, who had just introduced herself as Ryou, seemed to be more bitter about the humans than the man.

Sipping quietly at her drink, she bit her lip and forced herself to speak again.

"I'm Circe" She said slowly, almost as if she had forgotten her name. It was a struggle not to start blushing under the man's scrutionus eye.

The girl smiled, laughing gently before turning to face the others. "Rialle." She said, straightforwardly, regarding the group with wide eyes, shaded in a dark pink colour, which could be identified as amaranth.

"I suppose I should have known you'd realise I was here almost immediately." She said, amused. "We do seem to identify each other easily enough even without our obvious differences." Her tone was light, although she studied the others carefully.

Two of them seemed to be averse to humans, although the male, who'd notice her first just seemed to dislike company in general. The other... well, she seemed nervous more than anything. Rialle couldn't really figure her out. She wasn't clearly hostile to the humans, but she didn't seem to like being around them either.

Whether that was good or not, Rialle didn't know. It seemed that she was the only one in the room who would appreciate the continued existence of the humans though. They were curiosities, so amusing to watch, although their motivations baffled her. But Rialle didn't want to start any fights over it. She'd just wanted to watch really. It was too rare that she saw her kind gathered together, she wanted to make the most of the opportunity.

Ryou glanced back at Rialle after she finished speaking, assessing her with one sweep of her eyes. Then she picked up her glass and took another unnecessarily large gulp, which almost spilled out of her mouth. She hastily put the cup back down.

Ryou could tell by looking at the girl that she was comfortable being amongst humans. Too comfortable. It was beyond obvious that she 'liked' them. Ryou cringed at the very thought of such a thing, but she wiped the look off her face as soon as it was there. Hopefully no one had seen it.

She needed to get out of here soon. Company wasn't making things any better.

Circe glanced again at the newcomer, and instantly looked back at her drink. She hated havign people study her, even ones of her own kind. It frightened her to feel their looks pressing against her. Just like the humans who kept pretending not to be looking at them.

"Perhaps it would be best if we went somewhere with less... humans to notice us?" She suggested, slipping a coin onto the table for her drink.

Ryou immediately agreed with Circe's suggestion, though she didn't say anything. She sculled the rest of her drink, and flicked a coin onto the counter too. She spun on her stool so that she faced the other three without having to turn.
"I agree," she finally said, "I suggest we go somehwere humans wouldn't want to follow us to. They're really starting to bug me," she added, glaring at a particular knot of humans who had hardly taken their eyes off her since she entered the bar. They glanced away immediately, looking somewhere between elated and terrified. A very strange look for anyone to have. Shrugging, she turned back to the others to see if they'd consent.

Anarith sighed as she trudged in from her chores. She flopped on her bed and turned to look out the window. She could feel something pulling at her to leave. To leave Granny and Poppa..... She didn't want to leave her life her was comfotable. She loved the kindly couple who took care of her. Why would she want to leave?

But it didn't matter, the villiage didn't seem to want her there. She never caused any trouble and did what she was asked. She kept to herself, and she didn't want to go away from her home. She knew there was something different about her. But she couldn't quiet put her finger on it. She didn't have eyes like everyone else or ever hair like them. She was quite all and sorta boyish looking.

She didn't feel outcasted, she felt confined. By their silent stares and whispers. She had no clue what she'd done wrong. It hadn't always been like this. She had done things to help a lot of people in the village. But around a year of two ago, things became tense. She had been able to ignore it. They were cut off mostly from the outside world. So what was going on here, to make everyone who'd once been kind to her, turn their backs? What could she do to stop them......

It probably didn't matter. They would never listen to her, they hated her. She sighed and just wondered why the night sky seemed more beautiful than ever.