AYZ'S AUDITIONS/CHARACTER SHEETS (for personal use)

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because im too in love with the formatting on the forums lol

DIRECTORY

1. Genevieve "Jenny" Schmidt (MUG)
2. Cassius "Cass" Valentine (MUG)
3. Christina "Tina" Li (TP)
4. The Kingdoms: Avere (TK) 1 2 3
5. The Kingdoms: Noelle Selwyn (TK)

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STUDENT INFORMATION FORM

Title/Role: THE QUEEN BEE V1
Name: Genevieve Schmidt
Aliases: Jenny
Age+Grade: 17+Senior
Hero or Villain? Hero
Species: Faerie
Faceclaim: Snejana Onopka

Appearance: Jenny used to be your typical bitchy, popular, beauty queen faerie-hair like spun gold, eyes like the summer sky, and an expression of cold disdain lodged permanently on her delicate, elfin features. She had a pair of slender, gossamer-like wings that she was especially vain about-like butterfly wings, but impossibly thin and dainty, with a very ethereal quality to them. She was red Bentleys and smoky shades covering tired eyes with a pair of perfectly-glossed lips and designer shoes to match.

Nowadays, she's gotten a lot paler (deathly pale, some might say) and she's lost her wings (comes from being a zombie. Can't be avoided). Her eyes are ringed with black-perhaps it is rotting flesh (inevitable for all zombies, especially if they aren't being sustained by regular blood sacrifices)?-though her expression is just as perpetually disdainful as before. There are discolored blotches dotting her skin and bags under her eyes, which she tries to cover up with layers and layers of make-up, and something about her just seems...distant. Like she's not totally there.

Jenny's aesthetic is definitely very typical for a faerie-anything expensive and anything way too high-end for a high schooler to own is basically all she wears. Her closet is nothing but designer gowns and suicidally-high heels and pricey make-up (though it's quite frustrating how her perfume can't completely cover up how dead she smells. And her foundation and concealer never last long enough to hide the spots of rotting flesh on her face).

Likes: the wings she used to have (she was so vain about them), Cass Valentine (in the way that a wealthy heiress likes a butler who brings her tea), social media (she's the Bitchy Rich Popular Girl TM. Of course she likes social media), strong absinthe (helps take the pain away, these days. Though she's got to watch the calories), whites and pinks and pastels, designer gowns, designer shoes, designer handbags, designer anything (barring stupid things like designer pencils, of course. Wait, no-she likes designer pencils too!), she sorta liked her loyal minions but they could be annoying (AKA the underclassmen who basically worshiped her in hopes of increasing their own popularity), used to be obsessed with being popular (nowadays, she doesn't care much), her Spot on the senior patio (even Wilhelmina is too chicken to sit there without her approval), make-up, high heels, glitz and glamour, anything that's unreasonably fancy or expensive for little to no reason, being in charge or in control, feeling lighter-than-air (from hunger or from undeath-it makes no difference), successfully completing a fast, modeling (or the thought of becoming a model, anyway), people who get straight to the point (she has no patience for people who uselessly skirt around a topic), punctuality, people who have a keen eye for small, specific details, being bossy, doing what needs to be done, practicality and productivity, being obeyed without question, power and having power over others, being wanted, losing weight and going down clothing sizes, being the center of attention, being photographed

Dislikes: being a zombie, her immediate family (meaning her step-mother, father, and older sister), drab/dull colors (they're so boring), Wilhelmina Wistmore (that fucking bitch), people who can't take a fucking hint (no, you random disgusting werewolf football player-you may not have her number), gaining weight (she's deathly-afraid of it, actually), being viewed as insignificant, being "lesser" to other people, people who can't just straight-up tell her what they're trying to say (they're just...annoying), crybabies, small children (Jenny is so not the person you'd want babysitting your three-year-old), when somebody/something ruins her hair/dress/make-up/shoes/anything, really, anything she considers "cheap" (AKA anything that's not 5-star hotel quality), cheap knock-offs (she can always tell), sloppiness and messiness, the Hero High cafeteria food (the dorms are...nice. The food? Not so much), brains (she knows that she's a zombie and that she's supposed to like them, but they're gross. So much fat. Can you imagine how many calories are in one serving of human brains when they're, like, 60% fat???), not being able to fly/not having her wings, the fact that she can't model anymore, the fact that she always has to be wearing sunscreen/large hats in order to go outside in the sunlight

Personality: Jenny Schmidt is vain, vain, vain-that much is obvious. She's drop-dead gorgeous (quite literally, hehe...oops. Too soon?) and she knows it. She is quite notorious for her cold-as-ice stares; they're enough to send even the toughest of werewolves running. She has always quite firmly believed that it is better to be feared than loved (though she's been reconsidering this belief, nowadays), and she has always been rather haughty and aloof. Jenny is perpetually annoyed at something, though she rarely makes rash decisions because those take so much...effort. She's rather apathetic to most things, holding herself above others with a cool indifference, though there are certain subjects-such as her family-that you do not want to bring up in front of Jenny. Jenny is impossibly snooty, and really, really mean, when she wants to be (she's just generally not a very nice person), to the point of being absolutely vicious (trust me on this-werewolf claws have nothing on the metaphorical claws of teenage queen bees. Nothing).

Beneath the sheets and sheets of ice and glass that make up Jenny Schmidt, however, lies a certain deep-seated need for acceptance and validation, especially that of her step-mother and her older sister. Jenny idolizes Lavinia and Lucretia, and although she can't say that she truly loves them, she feels the need to at least make them recognize her talent. Jenny is constantly seeking their approval, and when she doesn't get it, she often resorts to rather self-destructive habits (such as water fasting for a week while going to cheer practice every single day, and consciously knowing that she will probably pass out yet going ahead with it anyway). Jenny is also very insecure about her looks, and absolutely terrified of gaining weight. Her relationship with food is definitely not healthy, to say the least.

Jenny has vowed to never show anybody that side of her, however. She hates being seen as weak or vulnerable-she hates being seen as anything other than the perfect ice queen she's presented herself as. After she was Raised from the dead, though, it's been getting harder and harder to keep her composure.

But she will try, and she will succeed. Because there's simply no other option.

Biography: "You'll need to shave two inches off your waist if you ever want to walk in a big-name show. I'm not just going to sign you on just because you're my daughter, Genevieve."

Jenny turned around, startled. She was standing in front of her floor-length mirror, topless, a measuring tape wrapped around her midsection. Her mother had somehow come in behind her without her knowledge.

Lavinia Schmidt, a world-famous supermodel (amongst the right circles, that is. Usually the non-human ones) and founder and owner of Lavinia Models, Inc. strode into the room, her icy blue eyes running critically over her daughter's slender frame.

"Stand up straight," she ordered, pressing a hand against Jenny's upper back and tilting her chin up. She examined her daughter the way that a art collector would examine a painting that they were considering adding to their collection.

Jenny waited with a bated breath.

"You've grown," her mother said, finally. "An inch? An inch and a half? What does that put you at, five-eight?"

Jenny nodded, trying not to let the eagerness show. "Five eight and a half."

Lavinia appraised her daughter, again. "You have my genes," she said. "You have the right legs and the right height. And you have my wings." She put her hands around Jenny's waist, and frowned. "But you're not thin enough. Don't let my good genes go to waste."

And with that, Jenny's mother-Lavinia Schmidt, world-famous supermodel and ice queen extraordinaire-spun on her heel and walked out of Jenny's room.

Jenny glanced at her reflection, glumly. Her mother was right. She needed to deal with her disgusting thighs and her shapeless waste. 'Two inches, she said?' Jenny thought, checking the measuring tape. 'I can do that.'

She furrowed her brow, deep in thought. She hadn't gained weight after her first year at Hero High-she'd made sure of it-but what was she eating? Too many carbs? Too much sugar? Too much booze?

Jenny slipped her gauzy shirt back on, her gossamer wings sliding easily through the openings in the back. Had her mother ever told her sister the same thing?

Lucretia-Lucy, to friends and family-was a model, too. She was over ten years older than Jenny, and everybody said that she would be as successful as her mother. She was also starting her own clothing line, and dating one of the biggest names in non-human and undead fashion: Victor Blanc, a famous faerie fashion designer.

Jenny sighed, a tad morosely. Would she ever live up to the expectations of her mother, after everything that Lucy had done?

Jenny wrinkled her nose. She didn't really like Lucy. She was too much like their mother.

Lucy Schmidt had been the most popular girl in school, when she was at Hero High. Captain of the cheer team, student council president, homecoming and prom queen...you name it, Lucy was it. Her mother decided to add Lucy to her agency's roster before she was even done with junior year, and while her peers were stressing out about exams, Lucy was flying to Paris and L.A. and Milan and Shanghai for castings and shoots. And she'd walked her first Fashion Month during high school, as well.

Jenny wrinkled her nose, again. It was so unfair. Why did Lucy get to be so perfect?

Jenny wanted to be a model. She wanted to be a supermodel, like her mom and her sister, with all her heart. And if that meant eating less chocolate, then so be it. And while most 14-year-old girls eventually give up on that aspiration, 14-year-old Jenny refused to. She would do it. She would do whatever it took to make sure that she didn't let her mother down.

"You know, Jenny," one of her "friends" at school had said, earlier that year-"have you ever considered something besides modeling?"

Jenny had thrown the other faerie her infamous ice-cold glare. "Like what?" she'd retorted, incensed. "Something lame like pottery? Isn't that what you're doing?"

The girl had turned bright, bright red, and a satisfied smirk had slipped onto Jenny's face as she strode away, gossamer wings sparkling in the sunlight.

Really, though. What was that girl even talking about? Her whole family was in the industry (save for her father-he was a plastic surgeon for all non-human species. Which was still sort of the "industry", to be frank). Her mother was a retired model and the owner of a modeling agency. Her older sister was basically a supermodel, and she was getting into fashion design, too. Her uncle was a photographer for Vogue (the human version), her aunt a booker and creative director with Victor Blanc (she'd introduced Lucy and Victor, actually), her cousins reporters and writers directly involved with both human and non-human fashion, and her great-uncle had been a successful designer himself. She had no choice beyond becoming a wildly-successful model, just like her mother and sister and cousins. And then maybe also becoming a wildly-successful designer, or actress, or dancer, or something like that.

And so Jenny cut calories and carbs. And she was kind of miserable-who wouldn't be, if your stomach literally hurt so much that just breathing sends stabs of pain through your entire body?-but she told herself that it would be worth it. It would all be worth it when her mother signed her on to her agency, when she walked her first show, when she became a star.

Just like her mom. Just like Lucy.

And in time, those two inches came off Jenny's waist. And another ten pounds dropped off her frame.

Her hair began to thin and she was always cold-it was a cold that reached all the way deep down into her bones. And she would feel hunger ricochet through her empty stomach during class, but it didn't matter. Nothing mattered except getting signed, then walking her first shows and becoming wildly successful like her sister and her mother and the rest of her entire goddamn family.

Meanwhile, Jenny's "popularity"-if you could truly call it that-soared. As she got older, she got skinnier. And it seemed like as she got skinnier, she was more popular. Never mind the fact that she couldn't even tell the girl who was supposed to be her best friend (friend??? More like frenemy) what she was going through her head. Never mind the fact that she felt like passing out after cheer practice and that sometimes she felt dizzy with hunger when she woke up. None of that was important, not compared to what her future held if she could just be perfect.

And then...sophomore year. Tensions between her mother and father had been escalating since, well, the day they got married, but after almost twenty drama-ridden years, the two of them had a very messy (and highly publicized) divorce. And her father got custody of her, and her mother basically told her to never contact her again. And there went Jenny's every hope of being signed at her mother's agency.

Fortunately, her uncle-the one who worked for Vogue UK, in the human world-was sympathetic to her plight. He made a few phone calls and encouraged Jenny to go to an open call with various modelling agencies around the human world during her junior year. Jenny took his advice, and she was on the verge of getting signed with a well-known agency when she, well, died.

Whenever Jenny thinks about how she died-by the hands of Wilhelmina Wistmore, that (literally) back-stabbing bitch-white-hot anger and scorching black rage burn inside her, clawing up her throat and choking the air out of her lungs. She wants to scream, to yell, to screech-

-but she's too...tired.

Wilhelmina had her eyes on Jenny's throne, she knows. Jenny isn't stupid. And Jenny knew that Wilhelmina burned with jealousy...but Jenny didn't much care, because she was the most popular girl in school, not Wilhelmina.

But then Wilhelmina killed her. Stabbed her in the back with a knife from who-knows-where. And what happened after she died is really kind of fuzzy, but when she next opened her eyes, she was lying on a hospital bed, wearing a thin gown in a gross shade of vomit-green, and her wings-her lovely, beautiful wings-were gone.

Jenny knows how Cassius Valentine keeps her alive. She knows what he can do. She wonders why he does it, sometimes. It's not like she was ever nice to him. It's not like she ever even noticed him. And yet, there he is, helping her stumble back to her dorm as the energy leaves her limbs, injecting some sort of life-sustaining drug into her bloodstream every evening, pouring water down her throat as she sits there with a glazed expression and lifeless eyes.

Everything is different, now. After she got out of that human hospital, Jenny went into her agency's building to take digis, but her left leg-from the knee down-straight up fell off as she was recording her walk. Now that was a messy affair; Headmistress Eirisse ended up coming in and wiping everyone's memories, before scolding her for exposing herself to the human world and taking her back to her dad's house (where Jenny subsequently found that her father had married a woman maybe 5-6 years older than her while she'd been blacked out in a human hospital).

Jenny doesn't know what she's going to do. Life without modeling is, at least to her, meaningless. She has no interest in the sciences, or mathematics, or languages. Her entire existence, up until now, was modeling. And the gods know that Lavinia Schmidt won't ever take on a model who's a zombie-even if that zombie model happens to be her daughter (who she doesn't want anything to do with, anyway).

Besides-her family is no true family. Both her father and mother know plenty of powerful and influential necromancers, after all, seeing as they're quite powerful and influential themselves.

So the question remains: why didn't they have somebody Raise her after she died?

OPTIONAL EXTRAS
Rumors/Romantic Interests: Before she died, Jenny knew she was basically asexual, though she dated quite a few upperclassmen when she was in 9th and 10th grade. Nowadays, Jenny has no interest in dating at all.

There are definitely a ton of rumors surrounding her re-appearance, and although many students suspect Wilhelmina was the one who killed her in the first place, most people just assumed that her parents got a necromancer to Raise her. People speculate whether she and Cass are involved or not, though Jenny hasn't said anything and Cass vehemently denies it every time.

Extracurriculars: used to be the captain of the cheer team and the president of many, many clubs. Nowadays, she doesn't do much outside of go to class and accompany Cassius Valentine to whatever nerdy clubs he's in.

Favorite and Least Favorite Class: Jenny's favorite class is probably just her Drawing and Painting class, on the account of it being zero work at all. She also likes study hall, because normally she can just ditch (and if not, well, all she has to do is stare into space until the bell rights, right?). Her least favorite class is....everything else, but especially zombology (it's like bio, but for zombies. Yuck).

Class Schedule:
-Practical Skills for Zombies IV (PRACTICAL SKILLS)
-Controlling the Urge to Devour Brains (PRACTICAL SKILLS)
-Remaining Physiologically Intact 101 (PRACTICAL SKILLS)
-Drawing and Painting (ART)
-Zombology (BIOLOGY/PRACTICAL SKILLS)
-Physical Education IV
-Study Hall

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☽ CHRSTINA "TINA" LI, 28
Occupation: gossip columnist (Tina prefers the term "journalist")
Hometown: Los Angeles, California
Schooling: Tina has a bachelor's in journalism
Studies Focus: majored in journalism, minored in Spanish

Extracurricular Activities: shopping, she's actually very well-read and loves satire and literature sprinkled with dark/deadpan humor (despite what most people may think, given her occupation), dabbles in writing (rather sarcastic) poetry every once in a while, shopping, refreshing various news websites 20000 times a minute, shamelessly binge-watching shows targeted towards a much younger demographic (W.I.T.C.H. and various other cartoons/animes come to mind-she's quite a sucker for Sailor Moon and Madoka Magica as well), shamelessly binge-watching cheesy rom-coms and just feel-good movies in general, shopping, scrolling through look books and couture collections while pretending like she can afford those clothes, shopping, pretending like her life isn't a mess :^), shopping, and oh-did I say shopping?

Reason for being in Seaside: Because a whole slew of famous, swoon-worthy surfers and their significant others and their fans and even the occasional model or celebrity or singer are in Seaside for this competition, and there's be bound to be drama that unfolds. And you know that ya girl is gonna be here to see it all...and get it plastered on the front page of L.A.'s most infamous tabloid, too.
Belief: Tina's pretty firmly on the skeptic side, but she's definitely willing to listen to both sides of the story...if only so that she'll have something for her story
Role: I couldn't really figure out one for her....? She's just here for the drama, honestly
Driving Force: Tina's never been one to turn down a good story. Long story short, there's bound to be plenty of gossip and/or drama surrounding this whole thing, and plus a bunch of surfers who are famous in the L.A. crowd. When the people in charge of the tabloid she works for asked her to go down to Florida and check it out, how could Tina possibly say no?

Likes: talkative "sources", getting a scoop before anyone else, her job, gossiping, witnessing celebrity drama first-hand, fruit smoothies, sweet foods, strawberry milkshakes, glitter/sparkles, pop music (especially of the "trashy" variety), her hot-pink car, social media, strawberries, Starbucks fraps (even though they are so bad for you), high-heels, lip gloss, nail polish, make-up in general, short skirts, organization, sparkly pens, colorful planners and sticky notes, choker necklaces, hoop earrings, yogurt-covered pretzels, froyo, bubble tea, perfectly color-coded anything, her very extensive network of informants (who happen to come from all walks of life, thank you very much), her work being appreciated (it's not an easy job, grabbing the attention of these people when they literally have the attention span of a goldfish!), being recognized for her journalist skills, dry humor and satire (she was in a huge Lu Xun phase for a while, but she's found that she's in more of a Osvaldo Dragún phase, nowadays), cute purses, dresses with pockets

Dislikes: when college guys hit on her because she literally looks ten years younger than she actually is (and especially when they won't back down when she tells them she's almost thirty!), being looked down upon because of her job (hey, a tabloid isn't the Washington Post or New York Times-level journalism, but she's still a journalist!), when people just won't tell her what they know (no matter how much she begs and pleads and bribes and blackmails), people who think she's stupid because she likes gossiping and make-up, shitty airplane food, superhero movies (there are so. Many. Plot. Holes. Which is a bit rich, coming from a gossip columnist like her, but still), those annoying bougie vegan hipster restaurants that serve spirulina-infused magical algae (like, seriously-what is she, made of money?!), being seen in public in sweatpants (it's not like this would ever happen though, of course), sneakers (they're kinda...ugly, if you think about it. Heels are way better), L.A. rush hour traffic (fuck that shit), when people tell her she needs to swear less, when people feel like they can tell her what to do in general

Personality: Scathingly sarcastic and stunningly irreverent, Tina Li may have found herself the perfect job when she became a gossip columnist. Indeed, Tina is rather shallow (and she's perfectly aware of this, thank you very much), as her life basically revolves around whether Generic Female Actress was dating Attractive Male Singer or not-and whether or not she could get a good story out of it. She has a dry, tongue-in-cheek sort of humor that is (more often than not) not kept "in cheek". At all.

Although she has a critical and rather cynical outlook on life in general, Tina is usually quite talkative and outgoing. Her cheerfully wry (if slightly sarcastic) disposition is well-liked by her peers, even if they do make fun of her for disturbing habit of sprinting after celebs after they've gotten into cars. In 6-inch heels.

Tina is also too curious for her own good-she's been known to follow a lead past the point of sanity. She loves drama and she loves gossip, and what brings more drama and gossip than a good ol' fashioned celebrity scandal? Flippant and impulsive, Tina is full of sarcastic qups and has an unfortunate tendency for making smart, snarky remarks at exactly the wrong times.

Despite her sharp tongue and dry humor, Tina is naturally people-smart and possesses a sharp intelligence and an ability to analyze all sorts of problems and situations in the blink of an eye. She is a natural-born diplomat and compromiser, capable of expertly mediating tense situations with her blunt matter-of-factness. She has a brisk, breezy way of going about her business, and she is remarkably good at keeping track of and managing people, for all her sparkly (and gossipy) ways.

Tina is always prepared for everything, be it a slew of paperwork or a broken nail (and if she herself doesn't know how to fix it, there's a 99% chance that she knows someone who can). Although she's quite flighty, Tina very talented multi-tasker-she can apply sparkly pink eye shadow while reciting exact date that some famous actress or the other hooked up with their current boyfriend, broke up with their current boyfriend, got back together with their current boyfriend, and broke up again with the same boyfriend while operating a motor vehicle (which is quite an impressive feat in L.A. traffic!). Tina has a talent with faces and names and picking up teeny-tiny signs-if you give her even the slightest clue, the tiniest hint, Tina will have the truth out of you. She is most certainly not as ditzy as she (sometimes) comes off as, and before you know it, she'll have the name of the mysterious woman GoodLooking MaleSinger was making out with at the club last night, her address, if she likes Pepsi or Coke, her phone number, her Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitter usernames (and maybe even the passwords), and (probably) her social security number out of you just like that.

+Determined, optimistic, analytical and observant/perceptive, spunky and spontaneous, vivacious
-Kind of annoying, impulsive, a bit shallow and superficial, silly, slightly ridiculous, really extra

Bio: Christina Li grew up in Los Angeles, California, and she's lived there for practically her entire life. Her childhood was pretty standard-dad, mom, annoying younger brother, equally (if not more) annoying older sister, et cetera, et cetera. Tina wasn't a star student, but it's not like she flunked out of school, either, and she had a great time as a cheerleader during her high school years, even if the thought of one of those handspring-handspring-handspring-round off-back tuck sequences makes her joints ache nowadays (her grandma would laugh at her for being over-dramatic about "achy joints", but Tina would beg to differ-cheer and gymnastics really fuck up your body, and she's not being over-dramatic!).

Tina went to college in California, too, and she majored in journalism (and minored in Spanish), dreaming of becoming an undercover investigative reporter-like the muckrakers, back in the day (in fact, Tina loves Upton Sinclair and the whole investigation of meat-packing plants that went on in the early twentieth century). However, as time went on, Tina realized that getting a job at the L.A. Times was not as easy as she thought it would be. Sure, she had internships and wrote for the school newspaper and graduated from college, but so did everyone else trying to write for the L.A. Times.

So instead, Tina took her career in journalism in a markedly different direction-tabloids. After graduating from college, she accepted a position at one of L.A.'s most infamous tabloids, and she has worked there for a good six or seven years now. It's not a bad job-in fact, Tina quite enjoys it-but it's not NYT-level journalism, either. But hey. It could be worse, and all the annoyed celebrities aside, Tina loves her job...and more importantly, she's good at it. Give her the tiniest tidbit of information, the merest speck of a rumor, and she'll spin it into a salacious, headline-worthy story in the space of ten minutes. Celebrities may hate her for it, but hey, a girl's gotta eat. Tina also prides herself on having a very extensive network of informants, from the hairdresser at one of L.A.'s most trendy salons to the manager of the local McDonald's.

When Tina's boss caught wind of the fact that one of the most popular "it" girls of Hollywood would be taking to the waves in Seaside, Florida, along with a slew of lesser-known celebs, he sent Tina straight down there to, well, basically follow them around and find something to make a scandalous, newsworthy story of. Tina doesn't mind-it's a free trip to the beach, really, and she would appreciate a break from the atrocious L.A. rush hour traffic.

Although Tina's life is a veritable whirlwind, one thing's for sure: if you need the latest insider celebrity gossip, Tina's ya girl. No matter who, what, when, where, why, or how, Tina's always got the scoop. The credibility of aforementioned "scoop" may be a bit...questionable, but hey, that's just schematics. Beggars can't be choosers, yeah?

Model: Xiao Wen Ju
Taken by: @ayzrules

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i. the kingdom

AVERE kingdom of flowers

▬ I N T R O D U C T I O N || Avere, the kingdom of flowers, truly lives up to its reputation-from the depths of the Velin Jungle to the peaks of the Bellflower Mountains and the meadows of the Maywood Forest, Avere is filled with flowers. Bright marigolds fill the Averetian palace, winking in the sunlight, while wistful wisteria blossoms line the streets of Maywood Harbor and exotic jungle orchids bloom underneath the canopy of leaves that blocks out the sky. In the north, delicate plum blossoms open their buds after the first snow, and in the south, vibrant wildflowers burst into their full glory at the first hint of spring and tulips and daffodils bloom all summer long.

Before the humans came to this land, however, Avere was a wide expanse of untamed jungle, filled with lazy sloths and cheerful parrots and prowling panthers and things even more wild that have since retreated into the shadows. The inhabitants of this jungle were equally as wild; dryads and nymphs and sprites and fae, all of whom were part of the land, one with the mud and mountains, the wind and the water.

Three thousand years ago, however, the first humans ventured into the land. Some were willing to live with the jungle, to bend to its will and its whims. Others, however, were not. From the northern peaks, now known as the Bellflower Mountains, came men who hacked down trees and vines and killed panthers and jaguars on sight. They settled the cleared land and built farms and plantations and made their way all the way down to the southern coast, where they exported sugar and cocoa and bananas and a slew of other commodities.

During this time, the mythical beings and humans intermarried and had children. The ancestors of these first children are now mostly fully human, with one notable exception-magic. And as the jungle receded and the mythical beings of the jungle were sent on the run, the humans began to fight amongst themselves. Out of this prolonged conflict came Avere’s established social hierarchy-those with magic became the Averetian aristocracy, while those without magic became the common people.

Avere was officially founded two thousand years ago, after House Lanslet consolidated power and defeated the last of their enemies. Now, most of the jungle is gone. The only part of the jungle that remains is located along Avere’s eastern border, where treacherous mountains (and equally treacherous mountain clans, as well as the enigmatic House Inkya) keep invaders out. Modern Averetians are content to let the last bit of jungle remain; it is, after all, the source of Averetian magic. For inside what’s left of the Velin Jungle lives the dryad that created it all, the dryad that keeps the flowers blooming year-round and the fields fertile and the skies clear. So long as she is not angered.

In the contemporary era, Averetians are known for their cunning and manipulative ways. The Averetian court in the capital city of Marles is honeyed poison; aristocrats exchange thinly veiled threats disguised as compliments and bat their eyelashes as they plan each other’s assassinations.

However, Averetians are also one of the “breadbaskets” of the Isle, thanks to House Eliane’s plant magic and their patron goddess (who is, in reality, a dryad, but that’s just schematics, as far as the aristocracy is concerned). Plentiful rivers make for fertile soil and bountiful harvests. In addition, the exotic plants of the jungle provide rich dyes that the Averetians complement with their thriving textile industry and intricate, ornate embroideries. Their southern coast borders the sea, bringing them all the maritime trade that they could ever hope for. Even though they lost a western province to a neighboring nation only seven years earlier, Avere, for all intents and purposes, is prospering.

But unrest is brewing in the capital city-the city of marigolds, or the viper’s pit, depending on who you ask. The young prince is to ascend the throne in ten months, but his uncle, the Regent of Avere, has no intention of letting him do so. If this itself wasn’t enough, the Houses of Avere have seen this opportunity as a way to further their own interests, playing a dangerous game of politics.

In all this turmoil, it is quite easy to forget the ancient jungle, as old as time itself. During the era of dark magic, something changed in the jungle, and there is something brewing in the emerald darkness, amidst the liana vines and poison-dart frogs and squawking parrots. Something that is, perhaps, more dangerous than any game of politics that the Averetian aristocracy could ever come up with.

▬ P I N T E R E S T B O A R D || https://www.pinterest.com/ayzrules/a-v-e-r-e-the-kingdom-of-flowers-tk/

▬ H O U S E S || There are seven major houses in Avere, although most people disregard House Inkya, as they make themselves rather sparse in terms of politics and governance (note: there are a slew of minor houses sworn to the major houses, although we have not listed them here)

HOUSE LANSLET currently holds the throne, as they have since Avere was founded. Out of all the houses, they are viewed as the most honorable and true (well, based on Averetian standards for “honorable” and “true”, anyway), and there have been plenty of great kings (and a few great queens!) that have come out of House Lanslet. Nevertheless, the Lanslets are still quite crafty-they’d have to be, in order to keep themselves in power-and they don’t take well to other aristocrats questioning their authority. With the death of King Aran and the crown prince, Prince Alain, during a single decisive battle seven years ago, however, House Lanslet finds itself in a precarious position. Prince Alain’s younger brother, Prince Phillip, was deemed too young to ascend the throne at the tender age of thirteen, so King Aran’s brother and Prince Phillip’s uncle, Derrik Lanslet, was named the Regent of Avere until Prince Phillip’s twenty-first birthday. That day is rapidly approaching, and although most remain blissfully ignorant of the Regent’s true plans, it is becoming quite obvious to keener observers that the Regent has no intention of giving up the throne once the young prince turns twenty-one.

Lanslets usually have blue eyes and blond hair, and relatively pale skin.

• MAGIC: House Lanslet’s magic is rooted in light and air, and many of the kings and queens of the past were renowned for their ability to manipulate light with a deadly precision.
• LANDS: House Lanslet holds the region of Mariellen. Their ancestral seat of power is at Marigold Hill, a castle near in the northern portion of the region, though the royal palace is in Marles, Avere’s capital city
• FLOWER+SIGIL: Marigold
• COLORS: Blue and gold
• PATRON DEITY: Solaris, the god of the sun and sky
• CHARACTERS OF NOTE: Regent Derrik Lanslet (the Regent of Avere, 55), Prince Phillip Lanslet (the Prince of Avere, 20, Mats van Snippenberg), King Aran Lanslet (the deceased king), Prince Alain Lanslet (the deceased crown prince), Queen Melarie “Laurie” Lanslet (formerly of House Eliane, the deceased queen)
• FAMILY TREE: https://i.imgur.com/YkfKyP2.png
• EXTRA NOTES: House Lanslet was founded when Solaris, who lived in a castle made of clouds, was so struck by the golden hair of Arianne Lanslet (a member of the original Lanslet clan) that he went down to earth, declared that her hair shone brighter than the sun itself, and courted her before marrying her. When she died, Solaris was said to be so filled with sorrow that he turned his own flesh into gold so that he could be buried with her. The flower of House Lanslet is the marigold, the flower of the sun, because it is said that Solaris filled all of Mariellen with fields of marigolds to match the color of his wife’s hair before he let himself be buried with Arianne.

HOUSE MEYRANE was founded in a land of darkness and shadows, and cunning, jealousy, and petty revenge are in the very soil of the Roselands. House Meyrane has been in the shadow of the golden House Lanslet ever since Avere was founded, and they hold a significant claim to the throne-Queen Rosalie the Fair, the first queen of Avere, was a Meyrane. House Meyrane has always bided their time, plotting and scheming from behind the thick stone walls of their fortress at Rose Hall while giving their full support to the Lanslet kings and queens, and the current head of the house, Lord Gavin I, fully embodies his family’s reputation: cunning, ambitious, and utterly ruthless. There are rumors that the deaths of King Aran and Prince Alain seven years ago were staged by Lord Gavin I, and for a good reason-his great-uncle initiated what is now known as Royce’s Revolt (after Lord Royce Meyrane), less than one-hundred years ago. Lord Gavin’s great-uncle was executed, although his line was not extinguished because the youngest brother, Lord Gavin’s grandfather, remained loyal to the throne. But even he did not have honorable intentions-Lord Gavin knows for a fact that his grandfather was only biding his time. Unfortunately for the Meyranes (and fortunately for the rest of the kingdom), Lord Gavin I’s grandfather died before his plans could come into fruition. Lord Gavin I, however, does not plan on dying of old age anytime soon. He knows the kingdom is splintered and weakened by the tension between the Regent and Prince Phillip, and Lord Gavin I and has feigned his support for the young Prince Phillip by offering his daughter, Noelle, as a wife and queen, when in reality he's only making it easier for himself to seize the throne.

Meyranes were traditionally dark-haired, dark-eyed, and pale (thanks to the lack of sunlight in the Roselands), but when Lord Jonathan Meyrane married Lady Liana Inkya, their children and their children’s children and all Meyranes henceforth were dark-skinned. See the MISCELLANEOUS section for more details.

• MAGIC: House Meyrane’s magic is one of shadows and darkness
• LANDS: House Meyrane rules over the Roselands. Their seat of power is at Rose Hall, a castle near the northern part of their lands
• FLOWER+SIGIL: Rose
• COLORS: Crimson and black
• PATRON DEITY: Meyra, the goddess of death, darkness, and revenge
• CHARACTERS OF NOTE: Lord Gavin Meyrane I (the head of House Meyrane and one of the Regent’s advisers, 59), Lady Melina “Lina” Meyrane (formerly Lady Melina Eliane, 54), Lord Gavin Meyrane II (the heir to Rose Hall and the Roselands, 28), Lady Velarie Meyrane (25, Alyssah Ali), Lady Noelle Meyrane (23, Neelam Gill)
• FAMILY TREE: https://i.imgur.com/qjM2IxL.png
• EXTRA NOTES: The house was founded when a powerful regional lord (of the Wyne clan) had an affair with Meyra. The story goes that Lord Wyne only charmed his way into her bed so that he could earn her trust and kill her for her magic, but Meyra discovered his treachery and strangled him with vines before sucking the life out of his lands and turning it into fields upon fields of bloodred roses-the flower of love and beauty, yes, but also one with wickedly sharp thorns. For years, the sky was shrouded in darkness and nothing could grow amongst the thorny vines and delicate blossoms. However, her love for the children she had with Lord Wyne caused Meyra’s heart to soften, and she eventually brought fertile soil and green grass back to the newly-named Roselands, though she left the skies gray and rainy as a warning to those who would dare cross her or her children in the future. The fields of roses remained as well, and they are a symbol of Averetian cunning and treachery, hidden behind the green grass and colorful flowers.

HOUSE CANTELL is a proud, ancient house, one that has weathered millennia of vicious winter winds and swirling snow and wily mountain clans, sometimes all at once. Known for their shrewdness and pragmatism, the lords and ladies of House Cantell are tough, forged from bitter cold and howling wind alike. They are stubborn, unyielding, and just as wily as the mountain clans that they are constantly battling. With their seat of power in the formidable Bellflower Mountains, the Cantells are descended from some of the first men that braved the treacherous slopes to venture into the untamed jungle that Avere once was. They have a reputation for being tricksters, and for a good reason-the Bellflower Mountains are full of twisty passes and narrow, winding mountain roads, where one misstep means plunging to your death...and the Cantells will make full use of this during a battle. Indeed, the current head of the house, Lady Clara Cantell (born Lady Clara Eliane, though she’s gone through four husbands since she was sixteen) is as cunning as a fox and shamelessly ruthless. The commoners whisper that Lady Clara married every one of those husbands just to kill them and take their lands and wealth, but the truth is a lot more…complicated. In any case, the rest of the Cantells are not too pleased by this arrangement, though there is not much that they can do. The Regent has, unexpectedly, sided with Lady Clara on this issue, and she is here to stay, whether the rest of Avere likes it or not.

Cantells are usually rather pale, and dark-haired.

• MAGIC: House Cantell’s magic is based on the earth and soil and rocks
• LANDS: House Cantell holds the Bellflower Mountains. Their ancestral seat of power is at Hemlock Peak, but the current head of the house, Lady Clara Cantell, has moved the seat of power to a fortress called Widow’s Watch
• FLOWER+SIGIL: Hemlock
• COLORS: Green and white
• PATRON DEITY: Tien, the god of mud and mountain and mischief. He is viewed as the very embodiment of the Bellflower Mountains themselves
• CHARACTERS OF NOTE: Lady Clara Cantell (the head of House Cantell and one of the Regent’s advisers, formerly of House Eliane, 34, Gizele Oliveira), Lord Devran Cantell (the deceased husband of Lady Clara), Lady Lissiana Cantell (the deceased daughter of Lady Clara and Lord Devran), Lady Cerise Cantell (Lord Devran’s mother, 65), Lord Dyon Cantell II (Lord Devran’s younger brother, 36)
• EXTRA NOTES: Legend has it that a young woman from the mountains named Cerenni Cantell was forced into a marriage with a cruel local lord to the south. When Cerenni next returned to her home, she had miscarried three times and was so unhappy that she threw herself off a cliff. Tien took pity on her and saved her life before nursing her back to health, filling her veins with his magic to give her strength. During their time together, Tien fell head-over-heels in love with Cerenni and asked her to be his wife, saying that they could live deep in the mountains, where her husband would never find them. Cerenni, who did not feel the same way about Tien, thanked him for his help but said that she would rather throw herself off a cliff again than marry someone she did not truly love. Tien then offered her a home with him in the mountains, even if she did not want to be his wife, but Cerenni rejected him once again, saying that she had a score to settle with her husband.

The story goes that Cerenni and Tien hatched a plan to trick the husband into eating a boar leg laced with poison, but none of the poisonous plants from the jungle to the south would survive in the harsh mountain climate, so Tien created hemlock-an acutely poisonous plant, but also tough and hardy. Cerenni took the first hemlock plant in existence and used it to kill her husband before going back to the village she had grown up in. She and Tien never did marry, but remained close friends. The magic that Tien used to heal Cerenni was transferred to the children she had after she married her childhood sweetheart, and Cerenni’s descendants went on to found House Cantell in the peaks of the Bellflower Mountains.

HOUSE ROOK is relatively newer to this game of court and their inexperience in the game has made them a pawn of those more powerful. The house was originally an offshoot branch of House Lanslet given their similarities in patron deities and the bright golden color in their signature flowers. Their lands are lush and green, filled with farms and streams that flow from the ice melting atop the mountains, but due to the lack of tree cover the valley can reach dangerously warm temperatures. The Golden Valley is rumored to have once been a desert in Avere until a goddess blessed the founder of House Rook with an oasis that would grow with each further generation and thus the valley is blossoming despite its heat. In this region the traditionally conservative and modesty of court are long forgotten, one cannot stand high necks or long sleeved gowns when the sun is so strong. The city of Caerlyn is considered an oddity by outside merchants but the city is nonetheless bustling with markets and a fair deal of theatrical performances. Caerlyn also houses one of the largest religious temples in the entire kingdom, there are rooms with alters to all the gods and goddesses but the largest are those of Solaris and Rhea. The city houses numerous followers and clergy members. The Rooks are non offensive and attempt to keep the peace amongst other more ambitious players in Avere, they seek stability and to continue to see the Golden Valley flourish under a peaceful monarch.

Rooks are often of a lighter brunette to a darker blonde with skin kissed by the sun that beats down upon them.

• MAGIC: House Rook’s magic is based on fire and heat that is said to come from the sun himself
• LANDS: House Rook holds the Golden Valley in the foothills of the Bellflower Mountains. Their seat can be found at White Hall in the ancient, bustling city of Caerlyn.
• FLOWER+SIGIL: Sunflower
• COLORS: Black, white, and gold
• PATRON DEITIES: Solaris, the god of the sun & Rhea the goddess of gifts and peace
• CHARACTERS OF NOTE: Lord Maxwell Rook (head of House Rook, advisor to the king, 31, Jim Sturgess), Lady Eleni Rook (8,), Lady Kerra Rook (deceased wife of Lord Maxwell,), Brother Brandon (formerly of House Rook, brother to Maxwell, priest of Solaris, 28, Adrien Sahores), Lady Elinor Rook (sister to Maxwell, 22, Caitlin Stasey), Dowager Lady Tanya Rook (Lord Maxwell’s mother, 60,), Lord Edwin Rook (deceased father of Lord Maxwell)
• EXTRA NOTES: House Rook’s mythical founding and the transformation of the Golden Desert into the Golden Valley go hand in hand. Many men and women had attempted to cross the desert from the steep mountains, the flowery plains or the lush jungle but all failed before Stephan Rook. He was a traveller searching for a land to be his home but powerful families at the dawn of Avere had no land for him so he wandered into the desert hoping for something. During his travels Stephan remained faithful to the gods and goddesses giving them an offering of his limited food supply with each meal. His gifts caught the eye of Rhea who although widely considered a minor goddess received and offering, she watched as Stephan wandered the desert praying for a land to call his own and as he was about to sacrifice the last of his supplies she intervened. The man’s perseverance and piety had moved her and she granted Stephan an oasis in the desert with a promise to expand as his family grew, she mothered his first child and watched happily as he wed a woman who found his oasis. Rhea turned to her uncle Solaris and asked him to bless these people with his gifts as well, the Rooks to this day are incredibly religious and hold a strong faith toward their patrons thanking them for the land and all it gives.

HOUSE ELIANE is, undoubtedly, the wealthiest house in Avere. Their lands, in the region of Maywood, are the breadbasket of Avere, and Maywood’s fields of wildflowers and grassy plains are said to be the most beautiful part of the kingdom. With numerous rivers crisscrossing the landscape and a long southern coastline, most of Avere’s maritime trade goes through Maywood, and therefore House Eliane. Maywood is also regarded as one of the artistic centers of Avere; wealth and prosperity have given the people living in the region plenty of time to pursue such endeavors. Finally, Maywood is said to be the home to the most beautiful men and women in the entire kingdom. Some say that it’s something in the water or the air, while others will snort derisively and say that all people will seem at least somewhat attractive when they’re “dressed like whores”. Perhaps there is a grain of truth to this statement-House Eliane is the most progressive of the houses, and gowns that may seem provocative to northerners are practical to those in the south, given the climate-but in any case, there have been plenty of Elianes who will go down in history simply for being pretty (the most recent of which being the Three Mels, or Melina, Melissa, and Melarie). House Eliane is a very controversial house-their allies adore them, while their rivals accuse them of being just as cunning and ruthless as anyone else (and indeed, the Elianes are not afraid to use their looks to get what they want).

Elianes are usually brunettes, although their skin tones range from very pale to olive-colored.

• MAGIC: House Eliane’s magic has much to do with plant life, making them the perfect choice to rule over Avere’s breadbasket
• LANDS: House Eliane holds the region of Maywood, with the Maywood Forest and Maywood Harbor being two of the important locations within the region. Their seat of power is at the Maywood Keep, just an hour’s ride from Maywood Harbor.
• FLOWER+SIGIL: Tulip
• COLORS: Pink and white
• PATRON DEITY: Mellaria, the goddess of flowers and love
• CHARACTERS OF NOTE: Lady Cecilia Eliane (the head of the house, one of the Regent’s advisers, formerly Lady Cecilia Vasdron, 60), Lord Mattys Eliane (the former head of the house, died in the war), Lord William Eliane (41), Lord Walter Eliane (41), Lady Aline Eliane (formerly Princess Aline Lanslet, 35), Lady Margaret Eliane (14), Lady Melissa “Lissy” Eliane (52)
• FAMILY TREE: https://i.imgur.com/TFPGH2mr.png
• EXTRA NOTES: The story goes that the first Eliane was a farmer named Wyllam who liked to carve and paint in his spare time. The other farmers in his village thought it was ridiculous that Wyllam would waste precious resources on “useless” pastimes, but Wyllam persisted. One day, while he was painting one of his wooden carvings, Mellaria happened to pass by. She was so entranced by his carvings that she stopped and watched, and kept coming back like this for many months, always taking care to keep herself hidden amongst the flowers. Wyllam, however, eventually noticed her presence, and the two were swept up in a whirlwind romance before both of them simply...disappeared. The stories and legends disagree on what came next, but they all end the same way-one day, exactly two decades later, the people of Wyllam’s village awoke to find fields of tulips surrounding their farmland and an unimaginably beautiful young man claiming to be Wyllam and Mellaria’s son. This man, called Tyral, used his beauty and charm to win himself the lands that are now known as Maywood, and the tulip, the flower of perfect love, became House Eliane’s sigil.

HOUSE VASDRON is the old and hardened house found in the islands off the southern coast of Avere that controls much of the maritime industry for the country. Their seclusion is not self-imposed the way the Inkya are this is a geographical that has led to a unique culture on the islands. To House Vasdron magic and gifts are less important to be skilled in as opposed to physical and intellectual skills but also due to the islands having the largest population of non-noble gifted peoples. In the Violet Islands all are expected to sail and the port city of Tyre Port is full of wannabe captains and ships ready to explore the world. The Violet Islands are also the primary location to find those from outside Avere but only those incredibly skilled as the storms surrounding the islands have only increased since the recent war. House Vasdron holds their seat of power at Greystone, a castle that is incorporated into the stone of the island itself and is one of the larger keeps in all of Avere. They have provided numerous great advisors and thinkers to the crown of Avere throughout history and the current heir hopes to add his name to the list.

Members of House Vasdron are often very tall with black hair. Their skin is very pale.

• MAGIC: House Vasdron’s magic is based around water and storms.
• LANDS: House Vasdron holds the Violet Islands including city of Tyre Port that faces the mainlands. Their seat of power is located at Greystone a castle that encapsulates an entire island.
• FLOWER+SIGIL: Violets
• COLORS: Blue, purple, and grey
• PATRON DEITY: Mare, the god of the sea & danger
• CHARACTERS OF NOTE: Lord Roland Vasdron (head of house, lost his mind during the war, 55, ), Lord Roger Vasdron (acting head of house, holds council seat, 24, Darin Wilkens), Lady Miranda Vasdron (19, Estelle Chen), Lady Roma Vasdron (54)
• EXTRA NOTES: The Violet Islands were once attached to the mainland of Avere at the time of the country’s origin, but Holden Vasdron, a man so cruel and evil offended the sea god Mare. He was wed to a dryad daughter of Mare named Sari but his eyes and hands strayed leaving Sari heartbroken. Seeing his daughter so sad and alone Mare wished to punish Holden whose lands were rocky and green filled with the family’s signature violets. Mare poured down rain and sent lightening to tear the land apart, he called upon waves to flood the land and soon the region held by Holden Vasdron was sent to sea. Seeing this Holden and Sari’s only child Brendan prayed to his grandfather to stop the suffering of the people in the region, he was willing to sacrifice himself to save the common folk. Mare realized that hurting Holden Vasdron was also hurting his descendants and stopped the flooding of the land but it was too late the lands had been swept out to see making up the Violet Islands a rocky, rough terrain only brightened by the violets that Sari had loved so much about her home. The various islands represent multiple broken off points of the old Vasdron lands there is said to be a sunken castle where Holden Vasdron lays drowned underwater to never be away from the watchful eye of Mare.

HOUSE INKYA has always been a secretive, mysterious house. Descended from the very first humans to cross into Avere-the ones who adapted to live with the jungle-House Inkya is a relic of days long gone. However, the once-prosperous house knows more about the Velin Jungle than anybody else, and they use this expertise to both help (in the form of jungle plants with medicinal properties) and harm (in the form of poisonous plants and animals). And although they are neither cunning nor ruthless, they know the land and what it has to offer better than anyone else, and nobody can best them when it comes to magical ability. Out of all of the houses, House Inkya is also the one with the closest relationship to the gods, specifically the dryad (who is worshipped as a goddess) that created Avere. They have kept their traditional way of life-no fancy embroidery or sun-sweetened wine or jewel-encrusted daggers for the Inkyas. Instead, they live off the land, making do with what is available to them and finding new and inventive ways to be more efficient. Their refusal to give up their culture alienated them from the other Averetians from the start, and indeed, during the early conflicts between man and mythical, the Inkyas almost always sided with the mythical. For this, they have suffered-thousands of their ancestors have died of starvation and disease, and they have lost much of the land that they once called home. Although House Inkya is technically one of the major houses and they used to be quite powerful, in recent years House Inkya has very little power in terms of actual governance and tend to make themselves scarce. In fact, no one has seen or heard from them in ten years-and the rest of Avere is perfectly fine with that, thank you very much, although keener observers are beginning to grow very suspicious.

Inkyas are usually dark-skinned, dark-haired, and dark-eyed.

• MAGIC: The Inkyas are rumored to be dark magic users, when in reality, they have a powerful magic that’s a combination of House Cantell’s earth magic and House Eliane’s plant magic, with a touch of the Lanslet and Meyrane light/shadow (which makes their magic very powerful). Some are also able to communicate with the dead (via spirits) or see the future. In any case, the magic runs deep in their veins; it is a magic as old as time itself.
• LANDS: House Inkya holds the Velin Jungle and the Blood Mountains. Their seat of power is at a pyramid-like castle called Mat’ya, although nobody can truly confirm whether or not the structure has been well and truly abandoned.
• FLOWER+SIGIL: Bloodflower
• COLORS: Orange and yellow
• PATRON DEITY: Verdyna, the goddess of life. She is viewed as the very embodiment of the rainforest itself
• CHARACTERS OF NOTE: Lady Meraly Inkya (a lady of House Inkya gifted with the ability to see into the future, 20, Senait Gidey)
• EXTRA NOTES: Descended from the first humans to live in the jungle, House Inkya was formally created after the coronation of King Alan Lanslet, the first king of Avere. They believe that their magic was given to them millennia ago, by Verdyna herself; when the humans who refused to adapt to the lush rainforest came to Avere and began hacking the jungle down, the ancestors of the Inkyas begged the goddess to give them a way to fight back, so she gave them magic. Except it wasn’t enough. At the end of it all, the last remaining jungle clan declared themselves House Inkya and agreed to the terms set forth by Alan Lanslet, although bitter resentment mixed with an incurable sorrow has been in House Inkya’s blood for two millennia. Their flower is the bloodflower; legend has it that the flowers were once white, but all the bloodshed that the Inkyas have endured permanently dyed its petals the brilliant orange color it is today.

(continued in next post)

[ayzrules]

▬ M A P || https://i.imgur.com/ZKkwXkh.jpg

▬ R E G I O N S || Avere is divided into several regions, and for the most part, each region is ruled by a different house.

THE BELLFLOWER MOUNTAINS make up Avere’s northern border. They are the coldest part of the kingdom, and see snow from mid-fall to early spring. Despite the bitter cold, however, flowers still bloom; indeed, the mountain range was named for the purple flowers that bloom every year. Where the Bellflower Mountains ends and non-Averetian territory begins has always been a hot subject of debate; a number of nomadic mountain clans also call the mountains home, and House Cantell has clashed with these clans dozens of times in the past.

• LOCATIONS OF NOTE: Hemlock Peak (House Cantell’s traditional seat of power), Widow’s Watch (a newly-completed and very intimidating fortress; Lady Clara Cantell has moved the Cantell seat of power here)
• MAIN INDUSTRIES+RESOURCES: Jewels/gemstones (mining), forests/wood, flowers
• CURRENTLY HELD BY: House Cantell

MARIELLEN is located in Avere’s northwestern portion, just south of the Bellflower Mountains. Mariellen is a land of gently rolling hills and grassy fields and marigolds, marigolds, marigolds. The region is on the colder side, but nowhere near as cold as the Bellflower Mountains. The terrain is easily traverseable, with wide, flat roads and plenty of waystations and inns. People come from all over Avere to see the famed fields of marigolds and the city of Marles, which is a vibrant, colorful city of art and entertainment.

• LOCATIONS OF NOTE: Marles (the capital of Avere, where the royal palace is located), Marigold Hill (House Lanslet’s ancestral seat of power, known for the orchards in the lands surrounding it)
• MAIN INDUSTRIES+RESOURCES: flowers, tourism, arts/entertainment, textiles/fabrics, a bit of agriculture (mainly apples, pumpkins, a bit of corn and squash, etc)
• CURRENTLY HELD BY: House Lanslet

THE GOLDEN VALLEY is a former desert oasis that has grown into lush green climate. The sun shines bright and strong in this region making it the hottest in all of Avere. The Golden Valley named originally for the gold sands that had filled the desert now represent the bright golden sunflower fields that bring cheer and light to the lands. The region is filled with small to large farms almost all of which have a garden for the sunflowers.

• LOCATIONS OF NOTE: Caerlyn, White Hall
• MAIN INDUSTRIES+RESOURCES: spices, flowers, ale/wine, entertainment, beef, poultry
• CURRENTLY HELD BY: House Rook

THE ROSELANDS are the complete opposite of Marielllen and the Golden Valley-with their gray skies and rainy climate, sunny days are rare blessing. As their name suggests, the Roselands are filled with, well, roses (they grow everywhere), and they bloom year-round despite the rain and snow. Mineral deposits in the north provide the Roselands with precious gemstones, while the hills and moors in the south are surprisingly fertile (thanks to their patron deity, Meyra), giving the Roselands a considerable harvest each year.

• LOCATIONS OF NOTE: Rose Hall (House Meyrane’s seat of power; it is an ancient castle, one that has borne millenia of turmoil and strife. A wall of giant roses, complete with giant thorns, protects the castle from invaders, a remnant from the days when the Roselands were created)
• MAIN INDUSTRIES+RESOURCES: flowers (roses), jewels/gemstones (mining), agriculture (primarily cereals/wheats), forests/wood, agriculture
• CURRENTLY HELD BY: House Meyrane

MAYWOOD is the breadbasket of Avere. With their warm climate and numerous rivers and fertile soil, as well as House Eliane’s plant magic, it is said that there is nothing that can’t grow in the fields of Maywood. Indeed, Maywood is a land of sun-dappled forests and open meadows and wildflowers as far as the eye can see. The summers are hot and the winters are mild, though some say that it’s spring year-round in the kingdom’s breadbasket. Maywood is also home to some of the finest artisans and craftsmen in the kingdom, and their long southern coast gives them access to the sea, with the famous city of Maywood Harbor being a busy, bustling city of bright color and merchants and sailors from all over the Isle.

• LOCATIONS OF NOTE: Maywood Harbor (a large city on Avere’s southern coast; where most trade going into Avere passes through and the final stop for most of the trade going out of Avere, renowned for the flowers growing literally everywhere and its rather progressive take on clothing), Maywood Forest (a large forest just an hour’s ride from Maywood Keep, one of the best hunting spots in all of Avere), Maywood Keep (House Eliane’s seat of power; very pretty and more of a palace than a keep)
• MAIN INDUSTRIES+RESOURCES: agriculture (especially fruit), wine, fishing, flowers, tourism, arts/entertainment, forests/wood, textiles/fabrics, trade
• CURRENTLY HELD BY: House Eliane

THE VIOLET ISLANDS are comprised of over fifteen islands of various sizes and shapes that are very rocky and rough terrain. The region sees sunlight but often there are harsh rainstorms and lightning storms making for a damp climate. There is little green on the island having to obtain wood for their shipbuilding from the mainland but violet flowers pop up in between rocks and in various patches often after harsh storms. Their island location has ample space for fishing which is a popular occupation on the island. They see a large number of visitors from other countries and generally the population is receptive to outsiders.

• LOCATIONS OF NOTE: Tyre Port, Greystone
• MAIN INDUSTRIES+RESOURCES: fishing, import/export, shipbuilding, mining (very minimal)
• CURRENTLY HELD BY: House Vasdron

THE VELIN JUNGLE+THE BLOOD MOUNTAINS make up the eastern portion of Avere. The jungle is lush and dark and mysterious, and the mountains are even more so, although it is rumored that the slopes of the Blood Mountains are completely covered by bloodflowers growing out of every crack and crevice. The Velin Jungle is home to a wide variety of plants and animals found nowhere else in Avere, from fuschia flowers to poison-dart frogs and liana vines. The jungle itself once spanned the entirety of the land now known as Avere, but it has been tamed and controlled-and in some cases, completely eradicated-in most of the kingdom. The jungle is perpetually rainy, and perpetually hot, while the Blood Mountains have three seasons (wet, dry, and winter) and do get considerably cooler during certain times of the year.

• LOCATIONS OF NOTE: Mat’ya (more of a tiered pyramid than a castle; House Inkya’s seat of power), the Bloody Gate (an ancient temple deep in the Blood Mountains; the ancestors of the Inkyas used to practice human sacrifice here)
• MAIN INDUSTRIES+RESOURCES: dyes (from jungle plants), herbs/medicines/concoctions (from jungle plants as well), tourism used to be big, agriculture (mostly for themselves), some precious jewels/gemstones can be mined from the Blood Mountains (though most people aren’t gutsy enough to go to the mountains, seeing as they have to travel through the jungle in order to do so)
• CURRENTLY HELD BY: House Inkya

▬ H I S T O R Y || For convenience, we have gone ahead and divided Averetian history into a few separate time periods.

THE ERA OF THE JUNGLE was when Avere was nothing more than a huge jungle, bounded by mountains to the north and east and the sea to the south. In those times, Avere was a magical, mystical place with strange and enigmatic species of flora and fauna and even stranger and more enigmatic species of mystical beings, from dryads to faeries to nymphs and sprites. Not much is known about this time period, only that Avere was wild and untamed, and that the magic of the kingdom was at its strongest.

THE FIRST SETTLERS forged their way into Avere through the treacherous Bellflower Mountains, while others came by sea, or picked their way across the Blood Mountains. In any case, the first settlers were willing to bend to the will and whims of the jungle, and they developed an advanced society based on living with, not controlling, nature. These men and women formed tribes and were the first to worship the mystical beings as deities. Although they did fight amongst themselves, their civilization thrived.

THE BATTLES FOR DOMINANCE went on intermittently for roughly a thousand years. They were caused by an influx of settlers into the jungle of Avere. Some of the men that came to Avere were not willing to live with the jungle, and they hacked down towering trees and twisting liana vines and killed panthers and jaguars on sight. These men tamed the land and used it to mine for silver and gold and other precious metals; they built plantations and roads and went all the way down to the southern coast, where they built harbors and ports to export all this wealth. During this time, they frequently clashed with the mystical beings and the tribes that had already established themselves in Avere, but they also intermarried with them, creating the first humans with magic. Nevertheless, the jungle and its mystical beings were sent on the retreat, though disagreements amongst the settlers prevented them from coming together and dealing a final, decisive blow to end the fighting once and for all. Many of the major houses were created during this time as local landlords and officials and clan leaders consolidated power.

THE ROSE WARS occurred a little over two thousand years ago. They were the culmination of all the bickering and battling that the first men of Avere had been doing for a thousand years, and the wars were fought between the people with magic (represented by the red rose, the flower and sigil of the Meyrane clan, which had been at the forefront of the battle for centuries) and the people without (represented by the wild rose, a common flower throughout the rural areas of Avere). Multiple wars were fought, with a couple of years in between each, but in the end, the people with magic prevailed and became Avere’s aristocracy.

THE BATTLE OF MAYWOOD came less than five years after the last Rose War. The newly-established “commoners” felt threatened due to the last remaining bit of jungle, which stretched from the Blood Mountains to as far west as the Maywood Forest, and they asserted that the aristocrats were responsible for protecting the common people. Alan Lanslet recognized their claims as legitimate and true, and he assembled a mighty army to fight its way through the jungle all the way to Avere’s eastern border, if necessary. Among the generals who fought by his side were Lord Gavin the Cunning, of House Meyrane, and Lord Gared “Greenhand”, of House Eliane.

What remained of the jungle tribes and mythical beings watched King Alan approach, warily. They met from opposite banks of the river that would eventually signify where Maywood ended and the Velin Jungle began, now known as the Weeping Willow. King Alan requested a parley. The jungle peoples and mythical beings agreed-they were weary, and tired of all the fighting. King Alan took a few guards with him and crossed the Weeping Willow, meeting with them on their side of the river.

While King Alan and the jungle leaders were in parley, Gavin the Cunning led a small, elite force across the river from further downstream, where their scent would not be carried through the wind. That night, they snuck around the jungle encampment, and at sunrise, they attacked from the rear. At the same time, King Alan and his guards drew their weapons and slaughtered everyone in the tent while Averetian forces poured across the river using the makeshift bridges that Gared Greenhand had built.

It was not so much a battle as a massacre. At the end of it all, many of the last remaining mythical beings in Avere lay dead and dying on the banks of the river, while others fled into the jungle, never to be seen again. The jungle tribes had suffered as well-their numbers had been dwindling since the battles for dominance, but Maywood took out a good one-third of their young, able-bodied men. With such staggering losses, the jungle leaders and mythical beings quickly surrendered and agreed to the terms set forth by the peace treaty they were presented with.

THE PEACE TREATY, drawn up in advance by Gavin the Cunning, stipulated that the Velin Jungle would be confined to the land bounded by the Golden Valley, the Weeping Willow, and the Blood Mountains. It said that the Velin Jungle would be subject to all and any laws of the realm, and that the remaining tribes should decide on one clan to become the ruling house. This resulted in the creation of House Inkya, from one of the last surviving jungle clans. Finally, the treaty demanded that the mythical beings keep Avere’s land lush and fertile year-round (via powerful dryad magic), in exchange for being left alone.

The treaty was hastily signed, and by the end of the year, the jungle had receded to the land specified by the treaty, where it has remained to this day.

THE GOLDEN AGE began with the coronation of King Alan Lanslet as the king of Avere-a joyful, extravagant affair that took place in the newly-built palace in Marles-and lasted all the way until the era of dark magic. During this time, Avere prospered in all aspects, from trade to the arts and literature. Although the first Averetian Kings and queens would keep a watchful eye on the Velin Jungle, as time passed, people began to forget about the potential danger it posed. Indeed, the remaining mythical beings and House Inkya complied with the treaty signed at the Weeping Willow, and even though House Inkya sent representatives to court, they found that the other lords and ladies of Avere were not willing to take them very seriously.

Three of Avere’s four famous queens ruled during this time-Queen Rosalie the Fair, Queen Alayna the Wise, and Queen Calleryna the Gentle (Queen Velarie the Daring came later on). Queen Rosalie was King Alan’s wife, and the two loved each other as much as Solaris and Arianne Lanslet (or so the story went), and gave birth to a son, whom they named Darien. The two of them ruled together, and Prince Darien married and had a daughter. His daughter would go on to become Queen Alayna the Wise, though his wife would die giving birth to a son, who followed his mother only two days after the birth.

Prince-now King-Darien re-married, and Queen Alayna’s half-sister would become Queen Calleryna the Gentle after Queen Alayna passed away (more information on the queens can be found in the MISCELLANEOUS section).

The first Council of Avere, hand-picked by the newly-crowned King Alan Lanslet, was comprised of Gavin the Cunning, Gared Greenhand, Cecily Cantell, Preston Rook, and Meera Vasdron. However, even during those early days there was trouble; there were rumors that Gavin the Cunning was going to make a bid for the throne himself, and when Gared Greenhand (who was good friends with both Gavin and Alan) told King Alan that the rumors were just petty gossip, Alan responded with the famous line that would go down in history as Avere’s mantra: “All roses have thorns.”

THE ERA OF DARK MAGIC hurt all the the Isle, but Verdyna, the dryad who is rumored to have created Avere itself (and who is now worshipped as a goddess) did her best to protect Avere from the dangerous magic. In doing so, she absorbed some of this magic herself, though nobody but House Inkya was aware of this fact.

Nevertheless, Avere suffered during this era, as did the rest of the Isle.

ROYCE’S REVOLT came some time after the era of dark magic, after Avere had recovered a bit, but not fully. It occurred during the reign of Queen Velarie the Daring, who had ventured deep into the Velin Jungle to seek an audience with Verdyna herself and to beg for her help in restoring Avere’s lands to their former glory, after the era of dark magic killed the flowers and salted the fields.

Queen Velarie the Daring had invited House Inkya back to court when she ascended the throne at the tender age of seventeen. One of the ladies of House Inkya, Liana, married into House Meyrane a couple years later, and had three children with her husband. The next thirty or so years were not completely peaceful, per se, but Avere was more unified than it had been ever since the Golden Age as they tried to bounce back from the era of dark magic.

Lord Royce Meyrane, Liana and Jonathan Meyrane’s second son, was especially close to his mother. She told him of the Inkya bitterness and sorrow that had been in their blood ever since the battles for dominance, over three millennia ago. This, combined with the thirst for the throne that ran in House Meyrane, led him to start a revolt while Queen Velarie was in the Velin Jungle. Her husband, King Wynder the Mad, was formerly of House Eliane, and the Elianes rushed to Marles to side with the royal family.

In the tangled mess of war and politics that followed, Royce Meyrane was eventually defeated, though not before he slashed King Wynder’s throat. Royce was executed, as was his father (Jonathan), his older brother (Thomas), and their wives and children. Liana Inkya disappeared into the jungle (and emerged a few months later with Queen Velarie the Daring, who pardoned her of her crimes and let her return to her family. Nobody is exactly sure what transpired between them, though most history books assert that Lady Liana helped Queen Velarie gain the audience she sought with Verdyna), although her youngest children, Cecile and Gideon, were spared-Cecile because she had married into House Cantell, which remained loyal to House Lanslet, and Gideon because he had betrayed his own family and remained loyal to House Lanslet as well.

Peace was restored to the kingdom as Queen Velarie cleaned up the mess her husband had left. The land was fertile once more, and flowers bloomed year-round, as they had since Avere was founded. Little did anyone know, however, that Gideon Meyrane’s loyalty was false-in the last days of the revolt, his brother instructed him to switch sides, to make sure their line was not completely wiped out. And so Gideon did as his brother asked and bided his time, as the Meyranes have done since the days of Gavin the Cunning.

THE WAR fought seven years ago was with a kingdom to the west of Avere. The kingdom wanted one of Avere’s western provinces, and although it was a stalemate from day one, a single battle turned the tide in favor of the enemy. During that battle, Alain Lanslet, the Golden Prince and the heir to the throne, was killed. Later that day, a stray arrow pierced King Aran in the throat. His younger brother, Derrik Lanslet, quickly surrendered-morale was low, after the loss of two beloved leaders-and became the Regent of Avere since Prince Phillip Lanslet, Aran’s younger child, was only thirteen at the time.

Unbeknownst to the rest of the kingdom, it was Derrik himself who had paid an archer to kill the king.

IN THE MODERN TIMES, the kingdom is at peace again-at least from the outside. Prince Phillip is now twenty years old and will ascend the throne in ten months. Harvests have been plentiful, trade has been thriving. All should have been well in the kingdom.

Should have been. Derrik Lanslet, the Regent of Avere, has no intention of letting his nephew take the throne when the time comes. The houses see this as an opportunity to further their own agendas, and in the jungle, something is stirring. Something old and dark and dangerous-more dangerous than the honeyed poison of the Averetian court itself.

▬ R E L I G I O N || The main religion of Avere is known as the Faith of the Flowers. The Faith of the Flowers is a pantheon system; each house holds one or two members as patrons, and there are temples for each patron deity, with Verdyna, the goddess of life, as the patron goddess of the entire kingdom. Priests/priestesses serve only one god, with a high priest/priestess for each, forming the Flower Court. The Court votes on how to best advise the rulers of Avere (currently the Regent). High priests/priestesses most often come from the aristocracy, but some have risen from commoner status (usually, they are commoners who were born with magic). The largest temples can be found in the biggest cities, especially in the wealthier regions, but also smaller temples are found throughout the kingdom for worship and prayer. The gods/goddesses come from the fairies and dryads and other mythical beings that once inhabited the land and gifted the humans with their abilities; most of the patron deities were, in reality, one of such beings, and they have been immortalized by followers of the Faith as deities. The aristocracy is able to maintain its control over Avere because magic is viewed as a “divine gift” from the gods.

SOLARIS is the god of the sun and sky

• Patron god of House Lanslet and House Rook
• A kind, benevolent god, with a reputation for being honorable and true

RHEA is the goddess of gifts and peace

• Patron goddess of House Rook
• A wonderful and kind soul, Rhea is a goddess of peace and gifts. She gave the Golden Valley their green pastures and fields instead of the unforgiving desert in terms that they’d continue worship and peace.

TIEN is the god of mud, mountain, and mischief

• Patron god of House Cantell
• The trickster god. It is said that Tien was the one who created the treacherous mountain passes in the Bellflower Mountains, as a test for the men who traveled through-only those intelligent enough to pick their way through the dangerous paths were worthy to live in the peaks

MARE is the god of the sea and danger

• Patron god of House Vasdron
• Mare is unforgiving and cruel with many layers to his persona, he lives in the sea and sends floods and rain to punish those whom he believes deserving. His anger is never misplaced and those that believe so are his next targets.

MEYRA is the goddess of death, darkness, and revenge

• Patron goddess of House Meyrane
• Petty and cunning and vengeful, Meyra is said to be vicious and brutal towards those who anger her but unwaveringly loyal to those that stand by her side

MELLARIA is the goddess of love and flowers

• Patron goddess of House Eliane
• Said to be so exquisitely lovely that the moon itself cannot bear to shine when she is around, Mellaria is sweet and whimsical. However, her darker side shows when one remembers that she is completely unafraid to use her looks and her charm to get what she wants

VERDYNA is the goddess of all life, especially plants

• Patron goddess of all of Avere, but especially House Inkya
• Normally very calm and peaceful, but becomes spiteful and vicious when people do not respect nature or the jungle. Believed to be more powerful than all the other deities combined

▬ M I S C E L L A N E O U S || This section is for various notes and facts that don’t really belong anywhere else

MAGIC is mostly in the hands of the aristocracy, though there have been commoners born with magic before. Nobles born without magic are viewed as anomalies and are usually kept away from court life.

THE COUNCIL OF AVERE is composed of the king or queen’s five chief advisers, and there is traditionally one councilor from each house (excluding House Inkya).

AVERE’S MANTRA comes from the nature of House Meyrane. It is rumored that Alan Lanslet, the first king of Avere, said “All roses have thorns” in regards to the Meyranes (especially Gavin the Cunning) during the first days of his rule, and the words simply stuck, for they truly applied to all of Avere, not just House Meyrane.

THE THREE “MELS” refers to three Eliane women-Lady Melina “Lina” Eliane (now Meyrane), Lady Melissa “Lissy” Eliane, and Lady Melarie “Laurie” Eliane (now Queen Melarie Lanslet), who were all well-loved by the kingdom for their beauty. Melina and Melissa are sisters, while Melarie is their second cousin, and growing up, the three were extremely close-no ‘Mel’ would ever be found without the other.

Lady Melina, or Lina, was always the perfect lady, in every sense of the word. She was graceful and elegant, and although she was not particularly witty, nor particularly creative, she made up for it with an ethereal sort of beauty, like a single flower blooming in a field of untouched snow. However, everything about her was oh-so-carefully calculated, and those who knew her well would have been able to say that Lady Melina put most of her effort into appearing effortlessly poised. Everything about her was controlled, from her smiles to her gowns and her words. Lady Melina married Lord Gavin Meyrane I, and they make a good pair-both have the political acumen and cunning to hold their own at court-but the marriage was a strategic alliance, and Lady Melina does not particularly like her husband at all, and she finds herself constantly disagreeing with how he treats their children.

Lady Melissa, or Lissy, was Lady Melina’s younger sister and the middle child of the trio. Kind and gentle and caring, pretty Lissy would not have hurt a fly. Although she was a bit silly and naïve, all of Maywood adored the sweet younger sister. However, when she was seventeen, Lady Melissa was captured and held hostage by mercenaries hired by House Inkya during a prolonged conflict in between the Inkyas and the Elianes. When she finally returned to Maywood Keep a year later, she was five months pregnant and badly shaken by the experience-gone was the cheerful girl who loved those songs of chivalry and romance. In her place was a shell of a woman with nothing left but a baby in her belly and the visions in her head.

Lady Melissa gave birth to a daughter and named her Clara. The Elianes raised Clara as their own, though to this day, nobody can get the identity of the father out of Lady Melissa, and most believe that Lissy herself does not know. Unbeknownst to the rest of House Eliane, Lady Melissa would teach Clara of the magic and poisons she learned about during her time in the Velin Jungle-when she was lucid enough to recognize her daughter, that is. Lady Melissa never married and currently lives in the Maywood Keep, though she is becoming less and less coherent with each passing year.

Lady Melarie, or Laurie, was Melina and Melissa’s second cousin and the youngest of the three. Wild and adventurous in her youth, Lady Melarie settled down as she grew older, but there was always a wild streak in her that refused to die. Charming, witty, and generous, Lady Melarie caught the eye of then-Prince Aran Lanslet, and the two of them were married after a whirlwind romance. Lady Melarie made a good queen-she always knew what to say, when to say it and how to say it. Some would have called her politically astute, but Queen Melarie genuinely loved people.

Queen Melarie died eleven years ago under suspicious circumstances (Derrik Lanslet, King Aran’s younger brother and the current Regent of Avere, had her poisoned after she discovered his preference for young boys). The official story is that she suddenly fell ill and died in her sleep, but those who knew her knew that she was a perfectly healthy woman and remain suspicious to this day.

LADY LIANA Meyrane was originally a lady of House Inkya. In her time, House Inkya was more active in the affairs of Avere-Queen Velarie the Daring had personally welcomed the Inkyas to court, and the Inkyas had, surprisingly, accepted the invitation. Lady Liana and Lord Jonathan Meyrane were married soon thereafter-a strategic alliance between the houses-and Lady Liana had four children.

Thomas, Royce, Cecile, and Gideon were all born with the dark skin of House Inkya instead of the pale complexion of the Meyranes. It was quite a scandal, at first, but one that could be explained-the magic runs deep in the veins of the Inkyas, and it overpowers all other magic. Lady Liana’s four children and their children and their children’s children were all born dark-skinned, but the more conservative members of House Meyrane shut up about it once they realized how powerful their magic had become.

HOUSE ELIANE AND HOUSE INKYA are bitter rivals-House Eliane benefitted the most from the Battle of Maywood and the subsequent peace treaty, and they have always advocated for getting rid of the jungle altogether and replacing it with productive farmland, which has not gone over well with the jungle lords.

AVERE’S FOUR QUEENS were well-loved for not only their beauty, grace, and wit, but also for their ability to rule. Named after three flowers (the rose, the calla lily, and the venus fly trap) and Avere’s first king, it is said that no four rulers did as much good for Avere as these queens.

Queen Rosalie the Fair was King Alan Lanslet’s wife. As her name suggests, she was indeed very pretty, though like a true rose, she had thorns. Originally of House Meyrane, Queen Rosalie was Gavin the Cunning’s distant cousin. It was she who helped her husband consolidate power before the Rose Wars; it was she who helped him keep power after the Battle of Maywood. It was she who warned her husband of Gavin’s thirst for power-one that she herself knew very well, being a Meyrane herself-and she who eventually managed to out-maneuver Gavin the Cunning in a deadly game of politics.

Queen Alayna the Wise was the granddaughter of Alan and Rosalie. From a young age, she was fascinated by the jungle, though a long battle with a particularly deadly illness left her paralyzed from waist-down. Nevertheless, she was just as lovely as her grandmother, and she was declared Alayna the Wise after a representative from House Inkya was so impressed by her knowledge of not only the Velin Jungle, but also in a myriad of other subjects, that he declared her the “wisest woman he’d ever met”. Well-loved by the jungle lords, the Inkyas and their followers all took to calling the queen Alayna the Wise, and the name stuck.

Queen Calleryna the Gentle was Alayna’s half-sister. Named after the calla lily, she was kind and caring and generous. Never taking a husband nor a lover, Calleryna the Gentle instead dedicated her life to helping the poor. Out of all the rulers of Avere, Calleryna the Gentle is perhaps the most loved by the common people and the most hated by House Eliane, whose storehouses the queen emptied in order to help feed Avere’s population.

Finally, Queen Velarie the Daring reigned thousands of years later, after the era of dark magic. At the beginning of her reign, the greatest danger faced by the Averetians were any lingering after effects of the era of dark magic, and Velarie invited House Inkya back to court in order to find away to resolve this problem. It was there that she met Lady Liana Inkya, with whom she became fast friends with.

Almost twenty years later, after Velarie had married Wynder Eliane and had three children with him, she set out on an ambitious expedition, headed for the Velin Jungle. Velarie intended to go into the jungle herself and beg Verdyna for help-there were droughts and floods and blizzards, things that had never affected Avere before, and the people were starving.

Velarie was gone for over ten years. She only returned after Liana helped her get the audience with Verdyna that she sought. Liana herself had fled back to her home after her son’s failed revolt and the subsequent execution of many of her children, and their wives.

Velarie returned from the jungle with a vast amount of new knowledge and information, which was recorded and preserved for posterity. She cleaned up the mess that her mad husband had made, and the rest of her reign proceeded smoothly, thanks to the help she’d had from Verdyna. Velarie’s dear friend, Lady Liana Meyrane, was never seen or heard from again.

Random story that I randomly decided to write for Velarie and Liana, AKA two long-dead characters who have NOTHING at all to do with current rp canon :^): http://freetexthost.com/dd3muuknxm

THE WEEPING WILLOW is the river that separates the Golden Valley and Maywood from the Velin Jungle. Legend has it that after the peace treaty that ended the Battle of Maywood was signed, weeping willow trees began to grow out of the dead bodies of men on both sides. The river is lined with willow trees from north to south, and it is said that if you go out to the river during a summer thunderstorm, you will be able to hear Verdyna herself wailing from amongst the branches of a willow tree.

mantra: “All roses have thorns”
founded: The Kingdom of Avere has technically only been in existence for about 2,000 years, but there have been dryads, fae, nymphs, and sprites inhabiting the land ever since the Isle was settled.

(cont.)

[ayzrules]

characteristics: Although Avere was once a massive jungle on the southern part of the Isle, it has been settled and cleared through the centuries, and it now is a relatively diverse kingdom in terms of geography-the southern half is mostly composed of fertile fields and sun-dappled forests, and as one goes north, the rolling hills of the Roselands and Mariellen give way to the imposing Bellflower Mountains, the same mountains that the first humans in Avere braved in order to gain access to the lush jungle that once existed. A way across the sea lie the stormy Violet Islands, with a harsh climate and rocky soil. All that’s left of the jungle makes up the western portion of Avere, bounded by the Golden Valley to the northwest and the meadows of Maywood to the southwest, and the Blood Mountains to the east.

Thanks to the terms of the peace treaty in between the first Averetian aristocracy and the mythical beings, Avere is filled with flowers and plant life, even in the wintertime. Averetians value intelligence and cunning, and they favor ornate, intricate decorations and fabric, although their manner of dress is still rather conservative. In decor, their taste is almost garish or gaudy-all bright colors and patterns and jewels; gilt frames and delicate filigree and painted vases. Averetians tend to be very decadent, as well as a bit excessive, and are fond of throwing very extravagant and lavish feasts and banquets.

species: humans (both with magic and without magic), dryads, nymphs, fae, sprites (all of the mythical beings, for the most part, live in the last remaining bit of jungle, near Avere’s western border)

fauna: Most of Avere’s fauna is rather stereotypical for a land with a (more or less) temperate climate; birds (robins, cardinals, ducks, swans, geese, etc), mammals (deer, bears, rabbits, squirrels, etc), freshwater fish and other aquatic animals (frogs, toads, trout, crab), and the like. In the Bellfower Mountains to the north, hawks and eagles fly overhead while mountain lions prowl the peaks, but in the sunny meadows of the south, white-tailed deer graze peacefully while cheerful songbirds chirp a joyful melody. Domesticated animals include cats, dogs, cattle, horses, pigs, chicken, and sheep.

The Velin Jungle, however, is where things get a little more...interesting. With thousands of plant varieties alone, even the Inkyas themselves not entirely sure how many different types of animals live in their lands. The fauna of the Velin Jungle is typical of a tropical rainforest. There are sloths and panthers and jaguars and parrots and toucans and poison-dart frogs and butterflies as big as your hand; there are ruby-throated hummingbirds and mischievous monkeys and spiders and macaws. In the past, there were even wilder things, a combination of borne from ancient magic and lush jungle-venus fly traps that could walk, hummingbirds the size of elephants and parrots that could fit into tea cups-but with the retreat of the jungle and all mythical beings, such animals have gone extinct.

defining quality: cunning
important fcs: Mats van Snippenberg (the frigid Prince of Avere), Alyssah Ali (the lady born without magic), Neelam Gill (the white rose of Avere), Jim Sturgess, Senait Gidey (the prophet)

[ayzrules]

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♛ Lady of Rose Hall, Noelle Meyrane
The youngest daughter of Lord Gavin Meyrane I, Noelle is a perfect aristocratic lady in every sense of the word. As a child, she was good friends with the younger prince of Avere, but they grew distant after his mother, Queen Melarie, died. The people whisper that Lord Gavin Meyrane I is the epitome of what Meyranes are-cunning, ruthless, and ambitious-but they have never once thought the same about his youngest daughter, who hides her sharp intelligence and cold, calculating nature behind fluttering eyelashes and gowns dripping in pearls and lace. Polite, pristine, and extremely talented with the shadow magic that runs in her family’s veins, Noelle will stop at nothing to become queen and ruin her father, who had her married to a cruel man twenty years her senior when she was fourteen. Indeed, Noelle is perfectly aware that she is only a pawn in this latest scheme of his-having Prince Phillip Lanslet take her as a bride, that is-but she will play along, for now, until she can finally bring her father down, once and for all.

full name: Noelle Meyrane
23 | December 17th
status: Noelle has been an aristocrat her entire life, though she plans on becoming queen, one way or the other

likes: pearls, diamonds, and other precious jewels, gowns of silk and satin, intricate lacework, the colors white and silver (they go wonderfully with her complexion), snow, ice, the cold, elegant, expensive gowns that show off Noelle's impeccable taste, her set of small, thin stiletto daggers with intricately carved hilts studded with freshwater pearls, diamonds, and milky white crystals that can be disguised as ornate hairpins, power, independence, being respected for what she is truly capable of (or being viewed as just another pretty face, depending on the situation), white roses (she isn't too fond of bright reds, but wine-red and burgundy are alright), her magic, magic in general, revenge, well-mannered and sincere people (ironic, really, considering how two-faced Noelle can be), her family and those loyal to her family (excluding her father, of course), toying with and manipulating others, especially men (read: her father), the smell of the winter air, cloudy days, fresh blueberries, swans, daring rouges and lip tints, poison, power

dislikes: her father, incompetence, when something/someone unnecessarily ruins her hair or clothing, silly stories about true love and chivalry, relying on others, men who are only powerful because they're men, being sweaty, messy hair, dirty clothing, crude manners, her father, being underestimated because she's a woman by people she actually trusts (who are few and far in between), sloppiness and messiness in general, drunkards, useless and meaningless violence and destruction (could you get any more rude???), physical altercations (they're just so messy), large dogs (they slobber too much), her father, ale, swan meat, sweltering summer days, being a pawn in her father's infernal game of politics, feeling powerless or helpless, being forced to marry people for stupid reasons (like, if she's going to be forced to marry someone in the first place, it better be for a damn good reason), being viewed as "property" just because she's a girl, gender roles and stereotypes (even though she frequently uses them to her advantage), the smell of smoke, the color orange, oh, and did we mention her father?

personality: Noelle has always been a people person, with her impeccable manners and undeniable charm. There is something about her that seems to draw others to her-whether it's her carefree laugh, her twinkling eyes, or her bright smiles, no one can say. She can be an alluringly aloof temptress with her cool modesty and even cooler disdain, capable of charming the secrets right out of others with a coy glance and a flutter of her long eyelashes, or an innocent, demure young lady who has absolutely nothing to hide but plenty of gossip to share. She thinks with her heart when she needs to, but uses her brain at the same time.

Behind brown eyes sparkling with mirth and delicate lips curved up in a half-flirtatious, half-demure smile is a woman made of steel who is keenly aware of her surroundings. Noelle processes vast amounts of information all at once, taking in people's' actions, words, and emotions at the same time and forming a conclusion based on what she sees and what she knows. She's always been especially good at reading people like an open book. Sharply observant, perceptive, and brutally analytical, Noelle is able to detect even the most subtle shifts of emotion, assess entire situations with one inconspicuous sweep of her wide brown eyes, and kill a man in a dozen different ways while dancing (this, of course, remains a closely guarded secret). Noelle is constantly listening, though she’ll rarely tell the world what she's thinking.

Enigmatically charismatic and exuding an air of elegant refinement, Noelle puts up a calmly playful and chastely coquettish front all while maintaining a certain air of mystery that makes her that much more attractive. Depending on the people around her, Noelle is either a charming, well-mannered lady of considerable wealth and status or a coolly polite seductress of equally considerable wealth and status. Noelle does not portray herself as “smart” in the traditional sense of the word-and there is some truth to this, for although she is very talented with the shadow magic that runs in her family’s blood, complicated mathematics and the latest scientific discoveries all go straight over her head. However, she is able to hold her own in conversations about a wide variety of “sophisticated” topics, as befitting of a lady of her wealth and standing. When around other nobles, Noelle hides her true nature behind expensive silk gowns and delicate lace, pretending that she is an innocent little girl with easily offended morals. She has mastered the right combination of sugary sweetness and sharp wit to detract attention from her real intentions as she shrewdly advances her family's (read: her own) agenda.

Noelle is frighteningly manipulative, and she isn’t afraid of resorting to less savory methods to achieve her goals. Calm and collected in times of crisis, and Noelle rarely allows herself to panic. She is truly afraid of very, very few people, and she holds no qualms against playing others like a violin to get what she wants, all while smiling prettily and sipping wine from a dainty jeweled goblet. Sly, shrewd, and cunning, Noelle is an ice queen dressed in pearls and lace. Everything about her radiates confidence and refinement, from her just barely low-cut gowns to the diamonds glittering at her throat.

If one is able to see past the many, many layers and intricacies of Lady Noelle Meyrane of Rose Hall, one would come face-to-face with a bitter, cynical woman whose heart hardened much too early. There is part of her that longs for the childhood she once had, the one that was ripped away from her the day she left Rose Hall, but Noelle refuses to acknowledge that part of herself.

It’s better this way, for everyone.

about:
“You knew that this was going to happen.”

To say that Lady Noelle Meyrane, the White Rose of Avere, was angry was a bit of an understatement. Her father, Lord Gavin Meyrane I, finished reading the piece of parchment in front of him, took a sip of wine, and slowly, deliberately, looked up.

He was met with his daughter’s cold, flinty stare. “You knew that this was going to happen,” she said, again.

Noelle’s father returned her hard gaze with an equally hard one of his own. “No,” he replied. “I did not expect it.”

“Really.” Noelle’s voice was flat, emotionless. “You did not expect it.”

“No.”

A long silence.

There were many things that Noelle wanted to say, most of them highly improper for the daughter of an aristocrat. She held her tongue, though. Profanities would do nothing against someone like her father.

Noelle felt a bitter, hollow laugh welling up inside her. What father, she thought, sends his daughter to marry a man like Brynden?

Lord Brynden Sunter was (arguably) just as ruthless as Lord Gavin I himself. The only difference between her father and her (former) husband, Noelle thought, was the fact that Lord Brynden didn’t have a reputation to maintain.

The Sunter lords were sworn to House Cantell, technically, but it was a known fact that they did whatever the hell they wanted to. Since the days of King Alan and Queen Rosalie the Fair, the sons and daughters of House Sunter had served as the royal executioners.

They were cold and cruel and brutal, according to court gossip. Noelle had found this description to be quite accurate.

They were also unbelievably superstitious-at least, the commoners living on their lands were. The Sunters held a set of valleys deep within the Bellflower Mountains. From their fortress, Craghall, House Sunter commanded a smattering of mining villages. They were not a wealthy house, but tough and unyielding and forged from iron-they’d have to be, seeing as they protected the rest of Avere from vicious mountain raiders.

In short, nobody besides the Regent of Avere himself would dare to question a Sunter.

Noelle remembered everything painfully clearly-she was barely fourteen when her father dressed her up and sent her on her way to Craghall. It was cold, there, and Noelle was lonely.

The wedding was a rather dreary affair, but Noelle could handle that. It was what came after the wedding that made Noelle want to vomit.

She had known what came after, of course. Lady Melina Meyrane (formerly of House Eliane), Noelle’s mother, had told her everything. But that hadn’t made it any better.

The sound of her father clearing his throat drew Noelle back to the present. “You consummated the marriage, yes?”

He did more than just consummate, alright, Noelle almost spat out. Instead, she reined in her anger. “Yes,” she said, curtly.

Three miscarriages in two years. Only the last one, a boy, made it all the way to the actual birth, but he died no more than an hour later. It was a difficult birth, too; Noelle had inherited her mother’s slender frame and narrow hips. And the Sunters didn’t believe in herbal remedies and medicinal plants the way that the Elianes did.

That had been the last straw for the villagers. Two years of long, hard winters and crop failures, and now their lord’s new wife couldn’t even bear a healthy child?

The gods had forsaken them, they said.

Noelle was an evil demoness in disguise, they said.

Lord Brynden normally would not have tolerated this, but he, too, was growing impatient. He needed an heir, and Noelle wasn’t giving him one.

The villagers demanded that Noelle be given to the gods as a sacrifice. Her husband consented. And so when she was sixteen, Noelle was left on a cliff to die.

She remembers every inch of the tree they chained her to-how could she not, after being forced against it for so long?

Thankfully, it rained several times during that first week, otherwise she would have died right then and there. When they came, though, Noelle was so hungry that she couldn’t think, couldn’t sleep. The only thing that she was aware of was how empty her stomach felt.

When they came, Noelle had thought she was hallucinating. When they released her from the shackles that held her against that stupid tree, Noelle had thought she was having a particularly nice dream.

When they gave her food to eat, she ate. But when they were still there after she was finished, Noelle was perplexed.

She took a good, long look at the two of them-one of them had traditionally Cantell features; hair and eyes like mud and tree bark, and skin as white as freshly-fallen snow. The other had dark hair and pale eyes the color of the gray skies of the Roselands.

Noelle recognized them from the statues and paintings, then. She had never been particularly pious, but you’d have to be blind to not recognize Meyra and Tien.

Tien, the god of mud and mountain and mischief, gave her a cheeky grin. Meyra, the goddess of death and darkness and revenge, took a step forward.

Noelle didn’t move. Meyra spoke.

“When you return to court, tell the prince that the prophet speaks the truth,” said Meyra.

Noelle felt dizzy. “Which prince?” She whispered.

Meyra gave her a droll smile. “There’s only one, now,” and Noelle remembered that her husband had been preparing to go to the border, that there was a war.

“Prince Alain’s dead?”

Meyra nodded. “As dead as dust.”

Noelle remembered Phillip, then. She and Phillip had been good friends before his mother died. He’d adored his brother, she remembered.

Her older brother, Gavin, had been friends with Alain too. She wondered, distantly, if Gavin had been there when he died.

Noelle drew in a breath. She felt dizzy and weak. “Why can’t you tell him yourself?”

Meyra arched an eyebrow. “Sol won’t let me step foot in Mariellen without throwing a tantrum after your...what would it be, your great-great uncle? Royce.” She glanced at Tien. “And he doesn’t trust him.”

It took a moment for Noelle to realize that the goddess was referring to Solaris, the god of the sun and sky and House Lanslet’s patron deity. Noelle hesitated, though. It felt too much like a trap.

As if sensing her thoughts, Meyra rolled her eyes. “Tell you what, Elle,” and Noelle stiffened at the sound of her nickname. “Tien here will make sure you survive this...situation, if you agree. Alright?”

Noelle’s breath caught in her throat, and she allowed herself to hope. It was just a simple sentence, anyway. No big deal. “Alright,” she replied, carefully. “But I have one more condition.”

“Which is?”

“Kill my husband.” She gave the two deities a steady, unwavering look. “You can do that, right?”

Meyra let out a low, amused chuckle. “Sweetheart, I’m the goddess of death. Consider it done.” The two turned to go.

“Make it painful,” Noelle called after them, and the sound of Meyra’s laugh as she disappeared into the mist would carry her through the long days and nights that were to follow.

And now Noelle was home, after months of traveling and waiting. A villager from the Golden Valley found her “by chance”, and alerted her father. The official story was that she had been kidnapped by “mountain raiders” (who had also taken the opportunity to wipe House Sunter out of existence, apparently), but escaped. She was escorted home with all the comforts and luxuries befitting a lady of her station.

Of course, Noelle’s father knew exactly what happened (barring her encounter with the gods, hopefully). And Noelle was not fooled one bit by his act.

She watched him take another sip of wine. “I heard about the children.”

Noelle’s jaw tightened. “Oh?”

He glanced up at her. “Nobody else has. They think the raiders killed the children, and we will keep it that way.”

“For what reason?” Noelle’s voice was frosty.

Her father shuffled through a few pieces of parchment. “When an acceptable period-for mourning purposes, of course-has passed, you will go to Marles with your brother and sister. I’m sending you to court.”

Noelle arched an eyebrow. “And?”

“And I will offer your hand in marriage to Prince Phillip, and when he ascends the throne, you will be a queen. Like Rosalie the Fair.” He gave her a cold smile. “Would you like that, Elle?”

“Don’t call me that,” Noelle responded automatically, though her mind was whirling. A queen?

I’d like that a lot, Father. But there is more to this plan. You want the throne for yourself. Do you truly expect me to help you, after everything you’ve done to me already? Do you take me for a fool? You forget what Rosalie did to Gavin the Cunning.

Lord Gavin Meyrane I was still speaking. “Of course, the prince has been suspicious of us since the war, but I trust that you will be able to win him over.”

There was a commotion coming from the hall. Noelle saw, with a slight shock that she hid spectacularly well, that the roses in the courtyard the window of her father’s study overlooked had turned completely white, instead of their usual blood red. She lifted her eyes to the pale, misty sky-was this Meyra’s doing?

Noelle’s attention returned to her father. “He’s just a man, Father.”

Lord Gavin smiled wolfishly, a slow spreading of his lips that bared his teeth. “So you’ll do it?”

Noelle shrugged with a breezy nonchalance that she did not feel. “Why not?”

about their duties: Duties?! What duties??? As if Lord Gavin Meyrane I would ever entrust something as important as duties to a woman.

No; as far as her father is concerned, Noelle’s only job is to be a pretty pawn in his game; her only duty is to seduce the prince so that House Meyrane can seize the throne once and for all.

Well. Needless to say, Noelle has other plans.

defining moments: When Noelle realized that she was just a pretty pawn in her father’s chess game of politics (she was only around ten at the time, but she could see it), her slow realization that her older sister was jealous of her when they were children, everything that happened at Craghall (and Noelle swore to herself that she would never, ever let somebody do that to her again)

hardships they have faced: Besides that whole debacle with Lord Sunter, not much...though Noelle would like to think that being left on a cliff to die is enough hardship for one lifetime

top 3 priorities: becoming queen, becoming queen, and becoming queen (and, of course, ruining her father. But that will come naturally once she’s queen)

There’s also that thing about the prophet. But is it really a priority?

strengths: Noelle is very talented with her family’s shadow magic, and she is very practical and has both feet planted firmly on the ground. She is capable of saying exactly what she means without saying anything at all, as well as flattering and insulting someone in the same breath. In a physical altercation (not that she would ever seek one of these out-they're so terribly uncouth), Noelle would be capable of holding her own with her shadow magic and her pretty little stiletto blades (they're more dangerous than they look!). Where Noelle truly excels, however, is with words and outward appearances. Noelle is more than capable of bandying words about all day long, and she is extremely perceptive when it comes to what others are thinking or feeling. She has all of Avere seeing her as nothing but a pretty and extremely well-mannered aristocrat, and Noelle doesn't know if she loves or hates this.

If information is the game, then Noelle is a merchant of great renown. Capable of lying, manipulating, seducing, or blackmailing her way to someone's secrets, Noelle will have what she wants out of someone before they even realize she has her sights set on them. She changes personas as easily as she changes gowns; one minute, she's a demure young girl with dreamy eyes and a smile like the summer breeze, and the next, she's a coolly charismatic seductress who will play with her victim like a cat plays with a mouse, torturing them with polite words and coy looks.

Noelle fights with words just as well as she fights with her tiny little daggers. She's very discreet about it all, and if she wants to draw blood, you won't know it until the crimson liquid is oozing out of the wound. Noelle hates it when things get messy, though, so she mostly fights with her fluttering eyelashes and coy smiles and threats cleverly disguised as compliments. If she is engaged in an all-out fight (as improbable as it may be), she fights with a deadly, devastating grace, all tricksy shadows and flashing blades.

weaknesses: Noelle has a lack of brute physical strength (it's not proper for a lady of her standing to be strong like that, according to Averetian customs), and an inability to trust others outside her family (and even within her family, come to think of it-Noelle trusts her father just about as far as she can throw him). Noelle has a rather cynical and bitter view of the world (she doesn't believe in true love, for example), and she has a tendency to be very judgmental of others. She burns with a need for vengeance against her father for what he did to her and for what he views her as, though it's more of a slow, steady simmer that Noelle forces deep down inside of her than a raging inferno that has the potential to cause rash words and rasher actions. She believes that people are not inherently good nor evil, but that it is easier to be evil in difficult situations, so people tend to be selfish and greedy-Noelle herself included.

weapon of choice: A set of extremely thin stiletto daggers that can be easily disguised as hairpins. They are a pretty silver color, with crystals and freshwater pearls decorating the “hilts”. Noelle is very fond of wearing them in her hair, no matter what the occasion.

stance on war: Noelle firmly believes that 95% of all the wars fought are completely pointless. Noelle is someone who would rather fight with words and political maneuvers than fire and steel; she believes that almost all conflict can be solved by talking it out.

Of course, then there are wars that are deliberately initiated by rulers as political moves or in order to expand their territory. Noelle recognizes that there’s really no way around the violence when it comes to these kinds of wars, though she would still very much rather blackmail or double-cross her way to the top.

stance on magic: Noelle has no patience for pretentious rhetoric about how magic is a transcendental force that elevates the aristocracy above the common people and other drivel like that (it's a very elitist way of putting things, and it's gotten way too many innocent people killed in the past). If the gods are fair and just, why doesn't her sister have magic? Why don't the commoners?

Noelle secretly thinks that the gods are quite petty, though she respects the patron goddess of Avere, of course (you’d be a fool if you didn’t, honestly). She does love her shadow magic so very much, and all the amazing things that the other aristocrats can do never fail to amaze her. Magic is a good thing-a very good thing-and Noelle is aware of what a blessing magic is, especially in Avere. She's seen first-hand how people treat men and women who were born without magic. It's both a blessing and a curse, and Noelle recognizes that disputes in between the Averetian aristocracy and the common people will always exist due to this magic.

relationship status: was once married and is now not involved in any engagaements, but she’s only got eyes for the prince
model: Neelam Gill