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The Next Emperor (closed)

Started by mj2002, November 09, 2014, 12:47:24 AM

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Lynnette

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Lynnpai#4726

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mj2002

Quote from: Question Mark on November 10, 2014, 01:35:46 PM
How much freedom do I have with the authority NPCs?  Can I give them wrinkles and subplots, or should I just "play them straight"?
That's fine, the only concern I have is that they need to have some consistency when it comes to their eventual decision making progress.

Question Mark

Quote from: mj2002 on November 10, 2014, 02:17:55 PM
That's fine, the only concern I have is that they need to have some consistency when it comes to their eventual decision making progress.

That I can do.  I'll begin working on them immediately.

Drake Valentine

Changed Vhaun's title/rank.

I think he would fall more under Duke, since he is practically nephew of Emperor, but then again, royalty ranking back then is confusing. From one chart I was looking at online it was basically.

Royalty > Viceroy & Vicereine > Archduke & Archduchess > Grand Duke & Grand Duchess > Duke & Duchess > Marquess & Marchioness (Marquis & Marquise) > Margrave & Margravine > Count (Earl) & and Countess > Viscount & Viscountess > Baron & Baroness > Baronet & Baronetess > Knight & Dame (Lord & Lady) > Vassals > Armiger > Gentry > Tenant-in-Chief

"When I'm Done With You, You'll Be a:
Raped, Bloody, And Humiliated, Little Alice in Wonderland."

Introduction | O&Os | O&Os2 | IM RP Request(Canceled 04/11/2010) | A&As(Updated 10/29/13) | Solo RP Request (Updated 09/20/14)
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Birchleaf

Since I am playing a House who their main disadvantage is its cultural, linguistic, and religious differences from what is considered 'normal' in the capital, I am working on specifying what exactly those differences are and adding them to my profile. But before I do that, since getting in good with the Archbishop or whoever is one of the points of the tournament, then what is the religion of the empire? Since we are doing medieval European style, I would assume Roman Catholic with the serial numbers filed off.

mj2002

Quote from: Birchleaf on November 10, 2014, 03:59:42 PM
Since I am playing a House who their main disadvantage is its cultural, linguistic, and religious differences from what is considered 'normal' in the capital, I am working on specifying what exactly those differences are and adding them to my profile. But before I do that, since getting in good with the Archbishop or whoever is one of the points of the tournament, then what is the religion of the empire? Since we are doing medieval European style, I would assume Roman Catholic with the serial numbers filed off.
I was thinking of a rather generic religion, indeed Roman Catholic style but without the Pope business. Are there any specifics you'd want to develop for the religion?

Question Mark

#31
Quote from: mj2002 on November 10, 2014, 04:04:41 PM
I was thinking of a rather generic religion, indeed Roman Catholic style but without the Pope business. Are there any specifics you'd want to develop for the religion?

I actually have a few points to offer here.  Since one of my characters is the High Bishop, I was going to come up with some ideas for the religion.  If you give me a few minutes, I can type these up and offer them to you.

In short:
- Ditheism (two gods, borrows from Buddhist cyclicism and the Yin-Yang duality)
- Religious Leaders are not elected, but appointed through succession, much like the Dalai Llama
- Magic is considered sacred
- Strong military bent, "peace through superior firepower"

Birchleaf

In that case, the Prydaini are monotheistic where the mainstream religion is ditheistic. The religions are considered offshoots of the same religion but have developed in opposite directions. The Prydaini division elevates one of the two gods to God status, and demotes the other to devil status. Generally, the government appoints the bishops, who elect from themselves a governing body which nominally answers the imperial High Bishop, but in fact are independent in all but name. They have different hymns, clerical vestments, priestly customs, and church design, but share the emphasis on militarism and magic, though they take both even farther than the main branch.

Question Mark

#33
Here's the Speaker of the Senate: Gloria Bridgette se Esconvale.  I'll have the High Bishop (Alba Temara) and the Representative of the Common Folk (Martin L'Mae) up soon.  Maybe not tonight, definitely by tomorrow night.







Full Name: Gloria Bridgette se Esconvale
Title or Rank: The Speaker of the Senate
Role: Gloria is Speaker Esconvale, the Speaker of the Senate, the Emperor's First Adviser, Arbiter of the Nobles and their ultimate representative in the Empire.
Home region: Gloria was born and raised on her father's plantation, one of dozens that dot the rolling foothills to the north of the Capital.  She considers the Capital her home, now and forevermore, but she sees any district with dirt in the streets or downtrodden standing in gutters to be the "lower capital".  To this point, Gloria considers much of the actual Capital to be a festering sore, merely an ugly footstool that can be stood upon to observe Hellatia's gleaming spires, and which must never be allowed to taint their immaculate masonry.

Age: 39
Appearance: Gloria is a tall woman, with a strong imposing frame that radiates strength and confidence.  Her hair descends to the shoulderblades, and is a dusky white.  Despite the coloration, which is due to an exotic dye she uses, it is full and rich with no signs of aging.  Gloria's face is round and harsh, always serious and usually frowning.  Those who knew her before she joined the Senate will comment that she had been exceedingly beautiful when she could smile, especially when she had let black hair fall about her face -- all this was said behind closed doors of course.  Gloria is many things, and vindictive is one of them.  Unlike the majority of her predecessors, Gloria is almost always dressed in the Speaker's regalia (see picture; the pauldrons and bracers are not metal, but instead artfully treated leather, while the breastplate is thin steel with painted tin decor).  This includes the Speaker's Sceptor, which is not pictured.

Experience: Gloria is a politician through and through.  She has extensive experience in all matters of statehood, having been groomed for the Senate by her father.  She is diplomatic but assertive, able to navigate the treacherous political waters of the Empire with a smooth grace that seems almost inborn.  She also has extensive knowledge on the laws, traditions, and rights inherent to the Empire, making her a formidable foe in a debate.

Personality: Severe, strict, assertive, manipulative, vindictive, moral, straightforward, convincing, pragmatic, arrogant, intelligent, confident, insensitive, proponent of "tough love", willing to make sacrifices for the greater good, unwilling to empathize with others, doesn't care for frivolity, hates stupidity and wastefulness, bigoted against "lower folks," entrenched in her beliefs.  Gloria's personality is dominated by her dual motivations: to make the Hellation Empire greater than it ever has before, and to preserve civilization from the gibbering masses of vermin that crowd her streets and farm her fields.  Once willing to enjoy life, she has become almost wholly devoured by her duty since the assassination attempt.  Gloria is not a pleasant person to be around if you're looking for company, but you will find no politician more dedicated to her cause, more willing to push herself, or more brutally effective in the pursuit of her goals.
Background and history: Raised on her father's citrus plantation a half day's ride from the Capital, Gloria grew up in a wealthy household that gave her enough to be comfortable, and asked for much in return.  Gloria's mother had died during the childbirth due to a ruptured uterus.  Gloria's father, the Esteemed Senator Harold se Esconvale, had picked her up soon after, cord still dangling from her stomach, and wiped her mother's blood from her face.  As he would tell her countless times until his death a decade later, he had decided in that moment that his beloved's sacrifice would not be in vain.

As a result, Gloria's childhood became a curious mix between a pampered girl and a driven workhorse.  She was provided for in every way, and expected to spend her days studying law, history, and statehood in return.  At a young age, Gloria discovered she could easily manipulate people.  Everyone had a button -- an exposed nerve or hidden secret or any number of things -- that anyone could simply reach out and push.  If she pushed their button at the right time and in the right way, they would cave.  Her father recognized this skill when she tried to use it on him.  Thereafter, a significant chunk of Gloria's time was spent in the Capital with him, observing the practices of the Court and Senate in first person, learning how the political currents flowed, and how to push them where she wanted.

Harold se Esconvale died when Gloria was 10, and she passed into the care of her aunt, a kind woman who was nonetheless blind to politics and so endlessly frustrating to Gloria.  When she turned fifteen, the young woman appeared in the Senate to appeal a new tax being levied upon the citrus her family's plantation grew.  Her argument was convincing, far more so than any ordinary teenager's argument should be.  Impressed, one of the Senators took her under his wing so she could continue her education.  Three years later, she succeeded him in his post, becoming one of the youngest Senators in living memory.

Gloria's time in the Senate was controversial, largely because her late father's shadow still eclipsed her.  Desperate to become known for her own deeds and not her father's, Gloria pushed more and more hardline views: nobility was a sacred charge, that the peasantry were a burden that they were nontheless obliged to protect, that the Senate should be more powerful than the counterweight provided by the Representative of the Common Folk.  Her charisma won her several supporters, but it was the failed attempt on her life that launched her to both fame and notoriety.  A sharp stone, sent flying from a sling during a speech, had fractured her left temple and sent her into a coma for nearly a week.  When she woke, Gloria found that her face was partially paralyzed.  To her horror, she could no longer smile.  Worse yet, she could only speak with extreme focus.  Even then, her words were slow and slurred, like those of a drunk.

The attempt on her life rallied much of the Senate around her in an ostentatious show of sympathy.  Most tried to use her for their own political agendas, but a select few reached out in a show of genuine good faith.  Gloria's speech partially recovered over the following months.  After a year, she could speak at a normal pace once more, but her voice was gritty and her words took on a rolling lope.  She never regained the ability to smile beyond a faint smirk.

Gloria quickly realized that her newfound popularity had given her considerable power.  She spent the next decade luring would-be benefactors in, uncovering their plots, and then forcing them to side with her or risk political humiation.  With her small conclave of allies as the nucleus, Gloria built a powerful unified bloc in the Senate, one that was strictly pro-nobility and pro-commerce, often to the extreme disadvantage of the common folk.  A little less than a year ago, she was elected to the seat of Speaker for the Senate, and has no intentions of giving it up easily.

Strengths:
-- Political renown and power.  If she wanted to, Gloria could snap her fingers and throw any man in prison on a provisional warrant.  When she speaks in that coarse, rolling voice, people listen.
-- Favored by the Nobles.  Gloria's policies and agenda have been strongly pro-Noble, and the past decade has been exceptionally prosperous for this social class as a result.  She can count on their support in most matters.
-- Wealth and personal power.  Gloria inherited her father's plantation after her aunt's death, and has slowly been using her political power to expand its reach.  It's now one of the largest estates near the Capital, giving her considerable wealth and a large group of loyal families and bodyguards, as well as a safe haven outside of the city.
Weaknesses:
-- Emotional.  Gloria may have wealth, power, and clout, but she is constantly haunted by her self-imposed emotional isolation.  She is single, having never married, and intends to never do so.  As a result, she is unable to experience genuine emotional intimacy.  She considers this her primary weak spot, and goes to great lengths to protect this vulnerable aspect of her personality.
-- Physical.  She is not a fighter, and barely knows how to hold a sword correctly.  She is constantly accompanied by faceless bodyguards, but is otherwise defenseless.
-- The common folk.  Many of her policies that have benefited the nobles have been unfair to the common folk, from increased taxation to draft employment to a weighted justice system.  It's by no means totalitarian, and she has advocated that it is the Noble's obligation to protect the peasantry, but she's often vilified by the common folk nevertheless.

Other traits: TBD

On/Offs: I don't anticipate this character will enter any sexual situations.  If she does, however, she's a lesbian and probably more than a little aggressive.

Question Mark

#34
Note: Work in Progress






Full Name: Alba Tamera
Title or Rank: Her Holiness, the Most Revered 41st High Bishop of The Faith, in the 10th Year of Her Wisdom, Alba Tamera
Role: Alba Tamera is the 41st High Bishop of the Faith (which is just what I'm calling the dominant institutionalized religion at this point).  The High Bishop fulfills three main functions.  First, he or she offers guidance to the Faithful, providing a spiritual rock for them to cling to in the tempest of life.  Second, he or she acts as the Faith's representative in matters of state, politics, war, and other fleeting mortal trifles; his or her word represents the "True Way".  Although it is often ignored in non-military matters, theological precedent states that the True Way is not expected to be taken as infallible advice in the short term, but rather as a more intangible truth to guide decisions.  Third, and most importantly, the High Bishop serves as the tangible conduit between the Eternals, Ron and Lin ((again, temporary names, open to suggestions)).  In other words, he or she is the Great Mediator, bringing the two intangible forces together in mind, body, and soul in order to achieve existential balance in all things.  Alba Tamera is in the 10th year of her guidance.  High Bishops only serve for 11 years.  Thus, in just over a year, she will be ceremoniously relieved and her successor, the 42nd High Bishop, will take her place.
Home Region: Alba Tamera hails from Sundon, the fertile plains on the western edge of the Hellation Empire, where sunkissed grass meets fertile ocean.  Sundon is widely regarded as the breadbasket of the empire, a region of stability and prosperity, farms and fishermen.  Alba Tamera was born in the city of Sundon, the titular epicenter of the region, to a fisherman and his boatsmith wife.

Age: 23
Appearance: Like most people from the far western edge of the Empire, Alba Tamera is lithe and olive-skinned, with inky black hair and an angular face.  She is of middling height and no great heft, and as tradition states expends no effort to beautify herself.  Despite her youth, she seems to wear an almost constant mask of sorrow and solemnity.  It is frequently said that her predecessor's untimely death left her unprepared for the rigors and stress of the station of High Bishop.  Alba Tamera, like many before her, prefers to wear the traditional armor of the Faith.  Although each suit is crafted anew for each High Bishop, often with subtle changes to the finery and occasionally with excessive opulence, Alba Tamera requested that her armor be a replica of Chevally the 35th's regalia.  She believed that it best reflected the duties of the High Bishop: the armor was for protection and symbolized the strength and might of the Faith, but it was also a burden that the High Bishop must carry wherever she went.  There was no room for opulence here, and the smith crafted the armor to reflect Alba Tamera's humble, somber appearance.  The steel and bronze was cast in dark hues of soil and wet earth, with simple muted fabrics hung along the cuirass and legplates.  The emblem of the Faith is apparent above her heart, with a simple token of personal value hung above the solar plexus.  Scripts from the holy writings, carefully preserved and toughened for this purpose, are hung from her belt.

Experience: Alba Tamera is a diplomat and an activist first and foremost.  When she succeeded Gillian after he died from a wasting illness in his 6th year, she quickly made it clear that her priority was improving the lot of the common folk.  Although educated in the mysteries of the Faith and the basis of law during her three years in S'Alois, Alba Tamera was nonetheless caught off guard by the sheer weight of her mantle as High Bishop.  Still, she has managed to become a formidable force in the Capital, working alongside (but never with) the Representative Martin L'mae to improve the state of the common folk.

Personality: Quiet, pensive, determined, willful, compassionate, empathetic, humble, naive, idealistic, muted, sorrowful, reluctant, always seeks to compromise, hesitant to make hard decisions, too trusting for her own good.  Alba Tamera can best be summed up as a young girl who never had the chance to grow up.  Despite her deep knowledge and experienced advisers, Alba Tamera struggles to reconcile what she sees every day with her hopelessly idealistic outlook on the future.  Although solemn, almost sorrowful in a mysterious way, she exudes a motherly aura of kindness and safety.  She spends most of her time around the common folk, tending to their spiritual questions and troubles, and so has become ever more popular than the late Gillian.  Despite her penitent service, she still has difficulty throwing off the naive trappings of youth.  This leads to frustration, since she only has a year left to serve as High Bishop before her exile, and feels that she has not been able to do enough with the time she was given.
Background and history: What has made your character noteworthy (if applicable)?

Strengths:
Weaknesses:

Other traits: Add other (personality) traits that may be of relevance to the story.
On/Offs: Please provide a link to your O/O page if you have one. If not, please specify what relevant concepts you would have your character encounter, or avoid.

Izaya Orihara

#35
I'll finish it off as soon as possible.

Full name: Velissarius Therius Caephalas
Title or rank: Grand Archon of Kal Zorathion, and Duke of Coracaesium
Home region: Coracaesium, Kal Zorathion. Kal Zorathion is in the far eastern parts of the empire, and can be geographically said to have elements of the real world's Italy, Greece and Turkey, or thereabouts.

Age: 21
Appearance:
Spoiler: Click to Show/Hide
Combat ability and experience: Velissarius is highly skilled when it comes to both politics and war, having to face such things a fair bit despite his relative youth. He tends to favour swords of varying types, often tending to use one-handed swords, such as rapiers and broadswords/basket-hilted swords. He's also a decent shot with a crossbow, but that tends to be pretty easy to master anyway.

Personality:
Ambitious, charismatic and manipulative, he can be arrogant. Velissarius can be quite capable and level-headed when faced with challenges, and is a fast learner, often only having to be taught something once before he learns it.  As an unfortunate side effect of his upbringing, he's probably not going to think highly of non-nobles. He possesses both a superiority complex and an inferiority complex. He usually considers most other people weaker, and beneath him. He sees them as you might expect, yet when he believes others to be stronger, or they have proven themselves to be stronger, Velissarius obsesses over them, wanting to become as strong as them, yet also seeming fanatical towards them, and perhaps as scared of them. He tends to seem polite, yet sometimes mocking, and amused by the attempts of others to stop him, when the rare few figure out what he's up to. Despite the level of honour members of nobility are supposed to have, he possesses a feral cunning and a knack for quickly exploiting any opening or weakness possessed by others, revealed by his impressive intellect and perceptive abilities. With said cunning, of course, being hidden behind his usual veneer. He trusts no one, seeking honesty and truth to be naive and foolish concepts.  Beneath a complex façade, lies one who desires to be acknowledged by those close to him, and whose lack of proper experience in matters of a more intimate nature bely his seemingly confident persona. Rarely has he lacked that which he has desired, one way or another, and so losing such things would be hard indeed for him to contemplate, or to deal with. Velissarius often seems to be on the side of whomever he deals with, though those who are perceptive enough can realise how he subtly remains on his own side, never truly committing to one faction or another. His odd mind can seem sadistic at occasion, and often masochistic at others.
Background and history:
Spoiler: Click to Show/Hide
Born into a fairly powerful noble family, he was first of the son of the Duke of Coracaesium and the Grand Archon of Kal Zorathion, which was a long-time vassal of the empire of Hellatius, though it had once been a powerful empire. Reading voraciously as he grew up, he found an interest in a wide range of subjects, including weapons, battle and strategy, but also history, religion, philosophy, politics, chemistry, the arts, and countless other subjects. Velissarius excelled in his training, when he learnt to fight, especially with swords. His intelligence was known at an early age, and this was often combined with his speed and agility to make him a dangerous swordsman. Though, offsetting this would be a lower than average physical strength.

Due to his appearance, he was frequently mistaken for being a girl, though that's something he was never particularly bothered by. Receiving a lot of attention as he did, from an early age, he nonetheless also received the ire of his older sister. Before his birth, she had received much more attention, and both his becoming heir in preference to her, and how he was viewed from a young age, were things she had a great deal of trouble tolerating. Numerous attempts to hurt, humiliate and sometimes even kill Velissarius were among the kinds of things faced by him.

In a turbulent time, his father was often busy dealing with a complex political situation, whilst his mother was often on his sister's side. Trouble brewed yet further, when his mother tried to poison him, and failed to kill him. His mother later committed suicide but Velissarius was still in state of fear due to others in the castle who also wanted to assassinate him. His later lost his life in a trip, when he fell off his mount after being hit by a poisoned arrow. Coracaesium became a hive of activity, plotting, assassination and chaos spreading as fear amongst the nobility heightened.
Vellissarius was granted a daunting task- rise to the top of this as unscathed as possible, and restore at least some semblance of order. Even with the famed politics of Kal Zorathion, this was too anarchic for the liking of the nobility, though there was little many of them could do, disunited and paranoid as they were. To a historian, similarities would be noticed between the Archonate, and the empire it had once been long ago. Corruption, plotting and backstabbing had been a grave threat to the empire back then, and such troubles had weakened a once powerful eastern nation greatly, softening the empire so that the successes of surrounding nations to claim much of its lands, became just that. Coracaesium was still known for its trade, wealth and fortifications, though it was no longer known as the Queen of Cities.

Indeed, once ruling from there was the Empire of Shal-Morzinn, with a unique culture, language and history stretching back a long time, to an earlier empire that it considered itself the continuation of, and the various ancient city states and and kingdoms that were once present in its heartland. The Kal Zorathion Archonate had once been that empire, and a number of senior noble families traced descent from the Imperial dynasties that had ruled it. The Caephalas dynasty had been one of the more successful, and that had, for a time, reversed its decline. The last emperor of the dynasty, however, was less competent than his predecessors, and was highly unpopular amongst the masses, being something of a mentally unstable tyrant. Complicated politics, assassinations, torture and the like were involved in that time of turmoil, as was a deposed emperor of another short-lived dynasty that ruled for barely a week, before he fled and appealed to a western nation whose enmity Shal-Morzinn had earned before. A Crusade, as well as a greedy merchant republic, among other things, coincided with an invasion from the east, along with betrayal, backstabbing and death causing the empire's power to decline, loosing territory, though maintaining a naval advantage due to its fleet, and the well-disciplined troops possessing infamous heavy cavalry proving enough of a bane to enemies to keep them from completely overrunning the empire's territory. Eventually, the eastern invasion was bought off, and the western trials saw a continual decline, with several other dynasties having various successes and failures. The Crusade sieged the legendary walls of Coracaesium, though as they had always, they stood, and the crusaders were repelled. Shal-Morzinn would keep relying on its wealth, and the west for help against various threats, whilst also having to keep various powerful nobles from dragging other nations into their schemes. Further incursions, and the empire eventually fell apart, eastern beyliks taking some territory, whilst the rest united into the Grand Archonate of Kal Zorathion- after a separate branch of the Caephalas dynasty, which had formed a kingdom in Veratinum, had recovered rule of Coracaesium, later becoming a vassal of Hellatius, and with the empire's help, recovering some of the land held from its predecessor.

Essentially, Velissarius managed to outmanoeuvre and deal with many of the threats in Coracaesium, solidifying his control. His sister, ever observant, decided not to take chances, and left the Archonate's capital, deigning to plot from afar. In a more distant part of the empire of Hellatius, Kal Zorathion had to deal with various threats in the east, including barbarian hordes, and desert tribes and nations. Velissarius took to command of some of the forces, fighting against a power-hungry new warlord from the east. That warlord was backed by a nation bordering Hellatius, named Makuran.

Distrusting the Archonate's local troops, tainted by allegiances, politics and scheming, and whose loyalties often shifted with fatal consequences, Velissarius utilised a unit of men that had once served as an Imperial Guard unit, the Jaervald Guard recruited from those far to the north. Along with this, he used western mercenaries, though he kept a watchful eye on them. Several key castles along the edges of the far eastern mountain ranges were recaptured by Velissarius, who had caught the attention of Hellatius's Emperor at the time. A decisive battle at a mountain pass, where a fortress blocked the entrance and served as a base from which attacks upon Kal Zorathion were conducted, was fought at odds of 16,000 versus 70,000- a large number of common soldiers, as well as a core of elite knights, horse archers and skirmishers. Through a combination of trickery, tactical and strategic genius, countless foes were slain. Velissarius killed the infamously dangerous enemy commander in single combat, and ended the lives of numerous warriors by his own blade. Dealing far more damage than he received, his army slaughtered many of the opposition, and routed them. Famed for his speed, perception and skill in battle, in this and in other successive conflicts, he became known as the White Eagle of Kal Zorathion, soon coming to win the war after sacking Autiyara.

Later on, he created a personal army named the Legion of the White Eagle.



Strengths: Highly skilled swordsman, good strategist. High literary knowledge. Adept in politics.
Weaknesses: Physically lacking in strength, arrogant. Foreigner (Kal Zorathion is essentially a blend of the Roman Empire and the Byzantine/Eastern Roman Empire, so heavily Greek culture/language, and resembles in some ways, one of the Greek successor states after the 1204 sack of Constantinople by the 4th Crusade, though without sacking and with more money, whilst the religion is Orthodox Christianity combined with Manichaeanism and syncretic Hellenic-Egyptian mystery cult type stuff). Tends to react badly to having his ambitions thwarted. Can be distracted by the complex political situation back in Kal Zorathion.

For the sake of balance, please make sure that your entourage (which includes your main character) has at the very least two main strengths, but also two main weaknesses. You can add more, as long as they are in balance. Examples could be but are certainly not limited to;


  • You bring along a cunning assassin in order to inflict damage on an opponents entourage.
  • Your main character is an exceptional fighter
  • One of your squires may be plotting for himself
  • Your servant might be spying for another champion

Other traits: Add other (personality) traits that may be of relevance to the story.
On/Offs: I'm fine with most stuff, though feel free to ask. On a related note, Femdom type stuff is always good.


Full name: Gelesius Kamateros
Role: Guard Captain
Appearance:
Spoiler: Click to Show/Hide

Full name: Euphemia Doukaina
Role: Spymaster/assassin
Appearance:
Spoiler: Click to Show/Hide


Well, if I had to give a reason for my actions, I guess it's because I love people. I guess I wanted to see the faces that mankind has to offer.

Question Mark

#36
Full Name: Martin L'Mae
Title or Rank: Representative of the Common Folk
Role: Martin L'Mae is the Representative of the Common Folk, often just called Representative L'Mae, or Martin the Walker.  His role is largely ceremonial; he is a perfunctory representative of all non-Noble peoples in the Empire, speaking for them in matters of governance and in times of crisis.  However, his word does not carry much weight outside of his own inner circles.  He is not powerless, but in the face of a united Senate, he may as well be.
Home Region: Martin has famously claimed that he was born on the road between Solin and the Crest, but neither he nor anyone else actually knows for sure.  When he was Martin the Walker, he considered his boots his home.  Since being elected to the represent the common folk, however, Martin has called the mountains to the north of the Capital his home, and his protracted stay in the heart of the Empire is nothing more than a brief diversion.

Age: 44
Appearance: True to his supposed Solinnic heritage, Martin is a tall, broad-shouldered man, with a mane of dark brown hair and a short ragged beard.  His dark eyes are set beneath a protruding brow; their small, squinty appearance belie his intelligent and thoughtful demeanor.  Decades spent living rough in the wilds and on the road has left his skin rugged and windburnt, and his face is marred by two scars: the first is a long, thin crack that runs through his left cheek and over his mouth, and the other is a crevasse of puckered skin above his right eye.  Martin has traditionally traveled in simple clothing, and this fashion has carried over into his official dress.  Instead of a pockmarked shirt and vest, he now wears a simple, plainly engraved cuirass over a thick woolen jacket, with a faded blue cloak tied to buckles below the neck.  It's surprisingly humble dress -- many previous Representatives preferred to emulate their extravagant Senatorial counterparts.  It's the clothing of a soldier; odd, but as Martin said when he accepted the office, his choice in wardrobe was no coincidence.

Experience: Martin is an experienced orator, public personality, and folklorist. 

Personality: Talkative, charismatic, convincing, entertaining, juvenile, impulsive, ambitious, manipulative, worldly, experienced, prone to exaggeration and lying, stubborn, overconfident, has an ego, can have difficulty taking things seriously, often hides his emotions and intentions.  Martin L'mae sees life as one big joke, and unfortunately the common folk are too often at the butt end of it.  He embraces the philosophy of laugh and let live, but he also considers it a vague sort of duty to improve their lot in life.  As a speaker and companion, he is nearly unparalleled in his ability to entertain.  Martin is at his best when he is the center of attention, and will often go out of his way to place himself in such a situation.  He can be somewhat immature, but rarely malevolent.  Martin is very protective of his inner identity; despite his fame, few if any can claim to truly know him.
Background and History: Martin's past is convoluted and complex, as rich and full of adventure as the stories he spun for a living.  Much of what is commonly known has been told from his own mouth.

As Martin tells it, he was born on a warm summer evening on the road between Solin and the Crest, a stretch of the Empire's highway that runs along the jagged cliffs overlooking the great eastern ocean.  His father thought Martin a bastard child, begot from foul affair.  In a desperate agony, he threw Martin's mother and himself onto the great rocks below rather than raise another man's son.  Martin was found on the road and raised by a group of traveling entertainers, learneping the skills needed to live in the wild, and performing for an audience with drums and voice.  He ran away at a young age for reasons unknown, surviving by walking from town to town, begging and playing his drums for scraps.

As he grew older, his voice deepened and his skill increased.  No one can deny that Martin is a true talent, a master performer and orator.  However, unlike most traveling bards, Martin refused to play for nobles.  He would dress as the common folk did, talk like they did, tell their stories and set up and perform in their squares and villages.  During this time, Martin claims to have had many adventures, often at the specific expense of a corrupt or buffoonish nobleman.  Some of these are even true (albeit exaggerated): Martin famously outwitted Castor of the Crest's adviser in an attempt to convince the aloof nobleman of the plague spreading in his lands, and any man can see the gouge in the stone where Martin had deflected Olivia's dagger from the heart of her framed lover.  Other stories, such as finding a lost treasure and distributing it to the common folk, or stopping a devastating wildfire by breaking a dam, are tall tales that Martin conjured in order to fill gaps in his performance.  Although he said these were fiction, they grew in his wake nonetheless, and eventually became indistinguishable from the truth.  Over the next few decades, Martin would build an impressive library of tales, stories, and epics revolving around his life, a curious mixture of extraordinary fact and careful fiction.

The years crawled by, and word of Martin the Walker (as he had come to be known) spread throughout the Empire.  Ironically, it was the clumsy attempts of anxious nobles to stamp out his stories that initially spread his fame.  Martin realized that his sudden popularity was a powerful tool.  He continued to perform, but he also began to turn his efforts towards a more political goal.  Masterful diatribes on the abuses of the noble class peppered his ballads, and he began to cultivate a growing sense of oppression in the common folk.

Ten months ago, Martin walked to the capital in response to a summons by Gloria se Esconvale, recently appointed Speaker of the Senate, and conferred with her in private for two days and three nights.  When he emerged, he announced his nomination for Representative of the Common Folk, and won by a narrow margin soon thereafter (I imagine the election of the Representative is democratic, or at least superficially so).  While he has made strides in his duties, achieving far more in his own right than the previous Representstive, he is regarded as tepid, even ineffectual, in his dealings with the Senate.  He is nonetheless a popular Representative, and his word carries significant weight in the Emperor's court.

Martin's conference with Speaker Esconvale is a secret largely kept from the public at large, however.  For those that know, there is the suspicion that Martin the Walker's rapid ascension to Representative of the Common Folk was not entirely serndipitous, and may not have been possible without Speaker Esconvale's help.  This would leave Representative Martin indebted to her, reducing or even removing one of the major obstacles she faces in pushing her agenda.

Strengths:
-- Popular hero.  Martin is incredibly popular with the common folk, both for his patronage and for his time spent amongst them.  Though his power and theirs may not be great, it is not to dismissed.
-- Charisma.  A lifelong performer and bard, Martin can be both charming and devastatingly persuasive.  He has a knack for flattery, and can lure the unwary into accidentally giving away their secrets.
-- Worldly knowledge.  Believe his tall tales or not, it is impossible to deny that Martin the Walker has seen more of the Empire than most men alive.  Martin is familiar with many exotic customs and cultures, and possesses a seemingly boundless mental encyclopedia of facts, curiosities, and stories.
Weaknesses:
-- Politics.  Whether he succumbed to Gloria se Esconvale's offer or not, Martin is in over his head in the political world.  With no formal education, he often finds himself being outmanuevered by his opponents or hopelessly lost in the complex political intrigues that rule the Senate.
-- Nobles.  Given that Martin L'mae made a living off of mocking the nobles, it is understandable that he has difficulty currying their favor.  He finds it nearly impossible to secure their support in virtually any matter, although he has begun to make inroads, albeit in unorthodox manners.
-- Gloria se Esconvale.  Whether it's through a backroom deal or her superior political ability, Gloria is able to consistently and effectively keep Martin L'mae under her thumb.  Her power bloc in the Senate makes it nearly impossible for him to get a political foothold.  As with the nobles, however, he is making some slow progress.  Whether this is because Gloria allows it or because he's finding the ability to is unknown.

On/Offs: I don't think Martin will be engaging in any sexual encounters, but if he does, he's pretty vanilla, a true romantic.

mj2002

Name: Vera Hellatius
Age: 21
Appearance: Vera is of average height but remarkably fragile looking for a huntress. Her femininity is somewhat underdeveloped compared to some of her siblings and it is often that visitors mistake her for being a sister much younger and further down the line. Vera has short brown hair that is left to lie straight across her face. Her skin is pale which leads many to believe that her solitude is often spent indoors, not taking into consideration that the princess might go out at night more often than by day.

Inside the palace, Vera will usually dress up prettily, as is demanded of her by her father. When she ventures outside of the Imperial court's grounds on her own business though, she is often not easily recognizable as a princess and may go to great lengths to remain anonymous.

Hobbies and activities: Vera is an excellent wild game hunter and an expert archer. Her favorite places to be are the many forests near the capital, where she will practice and perfect her skill in hunting and archery. She is always accompanied by her dark horse and more than often leaves her entourage behind, much to the annoyance of her father.

When Vera is not hunting, she is usually found in her room, studying ancient texts or ordering around servants to her petty desires. What knowledge she means to acquire from the books is unknown to most in the court, but her desire for collecting fine and exotic fashion is well documented. It is not often that she's actually seen wearing any of it though.

Personality: Vera is in many respects quite unlike her sisters. Her personality is cold and her aura is one of distance and lack of compassion. She is most at ease when she is alone, but even then she exudes an air of unpleasantness and contempt for her surroundings. Matters that concern her most are her own well being, power, material wealth and the ability to ride out into the wilderness whenever she pleases. For more sociable concerns, she cares not so much. She holds most of her sisters and even her father in disregard, but keeps the latter a secret. As for anyone else, there isn't any noticeable compassion. The only exception would be her horse.

She would have refused to partake in the tournament altogether, were it not for the fact that she found her sisters to be undeserving of the power that came with victory in the tournament. If anyone were to wield such power, it would be her and whatever suitor would appear to be most eligible. As such, the stakes of the contest were too important for her to disregard the event and had left Vera determined to partake in it. The rules of the tournament were clearly set, but that by no means meant Vera would abide to them at all times.

Background and history:  Vera is one of the oldest (precise details to be discussed) daughters of the Emperor. Love for any of her sisters is either extremely well guarded or non existent. As a younger girl, it had been rumored that she had displayed cruelty towards several of her younger sister's pets and sometimes even the sisters themselves. Once beyond the age of 12, these reports no longer appeared. Either she had stopped with such petty acts, or was wise enough to have them remain unnoticed.

Her skill as a huntress is matched only by a few others in the Empire, and it is those few individuals that she holds in high regard. Whilst not always a young woman of many words, once she starts about her favorite hunters, she can talk for days and will expect others to remain interested. Vera finds no use for hunting parties, as is usually the norm and often rides out herself and takes a more intensive approach to the sport of archery and hunting. Rumors had been floating around in court that at one time, Vera had purposefully and intently killed another hunter during a night in the dense forest. However, no person knew where the rumor had started, nor were any local hunters found to be missing. Eventually the rumor had been dismissed as a myth and no investigation had ever been conducted.

Strength:

  • Skilled hunter: If something leaves a trace, she will find it. She's best at tracking wild game, but can use her techniques creatively in other situations. If she wants to find you, she likely will.
  • Expert archer: No really, put that apple on your head.
  • Well read: She keeps up with what's going on in the Empire and will know more about what goes on outside the safe walls of the Capital city than the average person. She has also learned about magic, but is not able to perform any herself.
Weakness:

  • Not liked: She isn't very well liked by the people that know her well, including but not limited to her personal handmaidens and guards, her sisters (I'll leave individual princess relations and possible exceptions to this to the other princesses, but I'm assuming an overall negative attitude to Vera), her other family and other members of the Imperial court. If her father had a favorite daughter, it would definitely not be Vera.
  • Cold personality: Without saying a word, Vera can come off as distant and uninterested. She seemingly lacks compassion for anything other than those that she really likes. When she does show interest in another person, there is a good chance that she intends to use that person for her own personal gain.
  • Pretentious: Whilst not vocally arrogant, Vera is convinced that she is better than others at just about everything.

Other traits:
On/Offs: Link




Full name: Lena
Role: First Handmaiden
Appearance:
Spoiler: Click to Show/Hide


Full name: Beth, Sarah, Lily
Role: Handmaidens
Appearance: Similar to Lena

Full name: Harold
Role: Captain of Vera's Personal Guard
Appearance:
Spoiler: Click to Show/Hide


Full name: Rose
Role: Guard
Appearance:
Spoiler: Click to Show/Hide


Full name: Frederic, Marcus,
Role: Guards
Appearance: Similar to Harold

mj2002

I posted the first thread for this story, which is an OOC Discussions thread that aims to work out details and backgrounds for the characters, setting, connections, etc. Please feel free to have a look in what's already being discussed, as well as provide suggestions, feedback, commentary and so on. Link to the thread is here.

For those that have their applications posted here already, consider your characters accepted.

Moon Hound Hati

Is there still room for more champions? The aspect of also manning an entourage of supporting characters to a champion sounds particularly interesting.
Lingerie is like wrapping paper for the best present in the world     the female body.

mj2002

Quote from: Moon Hound Hati on November 12, 2014, 08:46:32 AM
Is there still room for more champions? The aspect of also manning an entourage of supporting characters to a champion sounds particularly interesting.
Yes, you're welcome to apply!

Moon Hound Hati

Lingerie is like wrapping paper for the best present in the world     the female body.

Moon Hound Hati

#42
Full name: Leasick Valshanner
Title or rank: Baron
Home region: Vallachia is a small region located in the south-eastern corner of the empire. It is mostly dominated by mountains, the two tallest of which are called the Vampire Peaks, after the local legend telling of a blood sucking fiend that comes in the night. Its vallies are dotted here and there by simple farms, taking up what little furtile land it has to offer. The main capital of the region is a city called Dracus, which sits at the foot of Vampire Peaks, where all the main roads cross, and is the main hub for commerce and trade. Vallachia has a temperate-continental climate, which is characterized by important annual variation in temperature due to the lack of significant bodies of water nearby. Often winter temperature is cold enough to support a fixed period of snow each year, and relatively moderate precipitation occurring mostly in summer, with many days of rain between days of sunshine.

Age: 26
Appearance: Clear, blue eyes is one physical trait that seems to be handed down from generation to generation within the Valshanner clan nearly without exception, to the point that it, somewhere along the line, became the official color of the house. With hair dark as raven feathers and an athletic figure that reaches just past the six feet mark, he strikes one as confident in his stance and body language.

Eye for the Candy


Combat ability and experience: Leasick is experienced in the arts of war, especially guerrilla warfare and scorched earth tactics. He has personally lead many bloody battles and favors the lance in most fights, though he is no stranger the ways of the sword, either. The odds have rarely been in his favor, but cunning and a keen mind have helped him overcome the odds.

Personality: The young lord of Vallachia is a textbook example of a person that should not be judged by their appearance. While those bright blue eyes may fool you into believing him to be a man of little experience and innocence, Leasick is, in reality, someone who has experienced many trials and tribulations. His heart is one that belongs to his people, always acting with the interest of his beloved Vallachia in mind and despising those who seek to exploit them. A keen and cunning mind rests upon his shoulders, one that is very brutal and merciless in its approach to achieving order and prosperity for Vallachia.

Background and history: Leasick's life is one riddled with strife and tragedy, during which he murdered his father, buried his older brother alive, and went to war against his younger brother. At the age of sixteen, he was forced to strike down his own father, whom had slowly descended into a spiral of madness, the result of which left Vallachia nearly falling apart at the seams. Ignorant of Leasick's direct involvement of the baron Valshanner's death, the corrupt nobles of Vallachia pushed to have the young lordling succeed him instead of the elder brother, Magnus, who was too much of a rabid dog for the nobles to use as pawn, as he had already become infamous at that point for his unpredictable outbursts of extreme violence and penchant for debauchery     often without his partner's consent.

Little under a year later, just past his seventeenth birthday, Leasick was christened the new baron of Vallachia. He was motivated by a love of his nation and a duty to maintain its sovereignty and power, so he began purging all who would opposed its interests. Exploiting the ignorance of the corrupt elite that had placed him in the seat of power, he had many of them captured and executed under accusations of treason. Their bodies were impaled upon spikes and placed in the city square, where they would remain for several days, serving as a warning to other miscreants, and a sign for those craving change.

Fed up with his elder brother's behaviour, whom had managed to outdo himself after a night of violence and rape that would haunt the memories of many Dracus residents for a long time, the baron locked his sibling in a coffin and buried him alive as punishment for his crimes.

In the years that followed Leasick worked to rebuilt Vallachia to its former glory, creating a rule system, among other things, that would help boost the region's trade and income from that trade. A mine was built to further boost trade, introducing precious ores and gems gained from the mountains themselves. A new order was established within the army of Vallachia, which allowed even those of lower standings to become guards and knights, and where rank was given based on performance and not social rank. Because reforming a whole military system was not something that happened overnight, Leasick often lead battles himself, proving himself capable both as a warrior and military strategist. Due to the small size of his own forces, he favored employing guerrilla warfare and scorched earth tactics.

At the age of twenty-three, his younger brother, Jules, had defected and become the pawn of the ruler of a neighbouring country. Claiming to be disgusted by his brother's brutal rule, he lead the army of the foreign ruler into Vallachia, intend on taking Leasick's place as baron. Though outnumbered, Leasick was far more experienced and capable, and managed to strike down his last remaining sibling on the field of battle after a bloody campaign, driving the remaining forces off Vallachian soil. The corpses of slain enemies were impaled upon spikes and placed along the border, a warning to all those who wish harm upon the land.

The common people of Vallachia now hail Leasick as a hero, one whom stands incorruptible and unwavering against those who wish Vallachia harm.

Strengths:

  • Master strategist: A keen mind and years of experience have tempered the steel of his cunning mind. The end justifies the means.
  • Expert lancer: You don't want this stick up your ass, trust me.
  • Man of the common folk: A well liked figure among commoners and those of lower social standings due to his work as baron of Vallachia.

Weaknesses:

  • Merciless and brutal: Some disapprove of his methods.
  • Not one of us (nobles): Not easily trusted by other leaders and those of higher social standing due to his past actions towards many of the Vallachian nobles.
  • Outspoken: He is a very direct man, sometimes rudely so.

Other traits: -
On/Offs: My O/O thread is a bit outdated. Please refer to my role-play preferences instead.




Full name: Cade Skoll
Role: Leasick's right hand man and one of his two personal guards
Appearance:
Spoiler: Click to Show/Hide


Full name: Marika Midguard
Role: Leasick's second personal guard
Appearance:
Spoiler: Click to Show/Hide
Lingerie is like wrapping paper for the best present in the world     the female body.

Question Mark

Finished Martin L'mae's profile, more or less.  I definitely want to go back and review it when I have a clearer head.

mj2002

#44
Looks good Hati! Go ahead and add your character to our new Characters thread. Talks about certain issues and much information can be found in the Discussions thread.

I'll be trying to post one of the first IC threads today or tomorrow, if I can squeeze it in my own schedule. It'll allow the champions to start describing their arrival to the Capital and serves as a sort of introduction. Not every character is required to introduce themselves there though as it is a rather specific location. Once that post is up, other locations will follow soon!

Drake Valentine

#45
Champion 'Mystery Challenger'

Full name:  Yong (Xu Yong)
Title or rank: None known. He is a mystery. (Banished Prince)
Home region: Xu Empire. Far overseas to the northeast resides a warring continent. There has been unrest between the many dynasties that populate the mass of land. Yong hails from the leading powerhouse of the Xu Dynasty which is gradually conquering the smaller dynasties with its military might and sheer numbers. The Xu Empire functions similar to what the foreign land in which Yong has ventured to or from what he can tell. Unlike the Empire in the present land which is trying to find a successor through trials and hand of honors of the Princesses, Yong's faction goes a different route. They believe that those who represent true power can rule their kingdom by overcoming hardship and thus they practice the fictional principal of a lion throwing its cubs over a cliff to see which ones may survive the ordeal. All children of the right of succession for the throne of the Xu Dynasty are banished, only followed by a proper retainer. Every thirty years they return to compete and show their skills and to prove their succession of the throne through what deeds they have achieved. These children are not always the offspring of the Emperor, but potential candidates of successor who inherited the 'Xu' title as adopted siblings.
Age:  25

Appearance: Yong's image can be intimidating for some, frankly he isn't the tallest of men. His height is of a good five feet and seven inches. Though his build, why, he is a beast. His body is ripped and muscular all over, not bulging so, but rightly balanced through his years of harsh training. His features are exotic as well, his skin possesses a golden hint in pigment to it. His hair bright, more vibrant than fire and his eyes carry a red hue to them as well, a biological factor of his royal heritage of the Xu Empire lineage. 

Combat ability and experience:  His combat capabilities are superb, though he may not see them as such. His body is proof of the ordeals he has went through under training and supervision from his retainer.  He has not fought in official wars. He has however been in many skirmishes over the years, mostly one on one fights or even mock combat against multiple opponents. His preferred weaponry is a bo-staff; although he won't turn down a more honorable hand to hand combat session with anyone.

Personality:
Yong is a quiet and reserved man for the most part. He is also a honorable human being that does not follow to the traditional rules a kingdom may share. If he sees something in the wrong, he won't hesitate to intervene, even if he may not understand the situation to the fullest. He is also fearless, which could be a bad quirk instead of a good one, although this also goes to his strong foreign bloodline. Another trait is that he is a selfless man, he does not dress royally nor is he one much for accepting gifts when they are offered, unless they are literally forced upon him and then he must be humble enough to take them with gratitude. A more burdening aspect of his character is being able to live freely, meaning, he sees no harm in doing as he may please at times as long as it doesn't hurt anyone. There have been times he has enjoyed himself with other's company and the foreign women are quite interesting and even appetizing for his tastes. Still, as a 'prince,' he tends to make it a habit of conquering those in power wherever he goes, even if it is just one during his stay of training, anyone less is usually beneath him.
Background and history: WIP

Strengths:
‘Strange’ Unarmed Fighting Skills: Or so they may be seen by the foreigners. Yong's unusual fighting style is a variety of martial arts that he has learned from his retainer and that he has self trained and taught himself by studying and competing against other unarmed fighting styles. He is always incorporating new techniques in his arsenal.
Expert Staff Wielder: He has went above and beyond with the staff, learning from his Retainer and further refining it into his own style. Not only does Yong use flashy moves to distract his opponents and possibility impress the crowd, but he also can chain in devastating strikes and knows how to channel his entire energy into his weapon for more powerful hits.
Grappler: Yong knows how to put another down into submission and has knowledge on ways to break another's grip upon his body. His grappling abilities does not apply to just humanoids, he is also able to grip firmly upon obstacles and scale them with ease when incorporated with his acrobatics.
Acrobatic/Quick Footed:    Yong knows how to move his body and thus is a reason why he doesn't wear armor as it would naturally add a burden on his poise. He may forgo applied defenses, but he also regains the freedom of mobility to perform agile feats beyond a 'tin man.' Also without being weighed down by anything, he often is able to perform faster evasive maneuvers rather than guarding against them.
Weaknesses:
Foreigner: He knows little of the language of this new land he has embarked within. Some he vaguely can understand and speak thanks to the teachings of Long, but without a translator he can do little for himself in conversing in extensive detail.
Horse Riding: Although horses were later domesticated into the Xu Empire, Yong had never the time to properly learn how to ride them.
Archery: His abilities with a bow are poor and need refining.
Swordsmanship: He isn't gifted in the arts of the sword and often avoids wielding them along with other weapons that aren't staffs.
No Armor: Lack of armor leaves his body vulnerable to received blows and possibly fatal wounds.
Etiquette/Manners: He is still learning proper mannerism of 'court,' but even his ways are much different than those of this foreign land.

Other traits:
Theme
On/Offs: *Lazes*

Companion I

Full name: Fang Jing
Role: Retainer and protector of Xu Yong. He serves as a speaker of the trials should they ever return to the Xu Dynasty.
Appearance:

Companion II

Full name:  Long Min
Role: Translator. Merchant.
Appearance:

"When I'm Done With You, You'll Be a:
Raped, Bloody, And Humiliated, Little Alice in Wonderland."

Introduction | O&Os | O&Os2 | IM RP Request(Canceled 04/11/2010) | A&As(Updated 10/29/13) | Solo RP Request (Updated 09/20/14)
Pale Eclipse - Group Game Project{Paused} 

Question Mark

All this anime...  Writing first encounters with all these characters is going to be entertaining.

Lynnette

Quote from: Question Mark on November 13, 2014, 09:35:52 AM
All this anime...  Writing first encounters with all these characters is going to be entertaining.

How does those two things connect? I don't think "Why does your eyes cover half your face?!" is considered a normal conversation-starter.
I'm available on Discord!
Feel free to message me if you want to chat
Lynnpai#4726

My O/O     My guide to set up a home server and Plex
My request thread

Drake Valentine


"When I'm Done With You, You'll Be a:
Raped, Bloody, And Humiliated, Little Alice in Wonderland."

Introduction | O&Os | O&Os2 | IM RP Request(Canceled 04/11/2010) | A&As(Updated 10/29/13) | Solo RP Request (Updated 09/20/14)
Pale Eclipse - Group Game Project{Paused} 

Question Mark

Quote from: ReaperDouble0 on November 13, 2014, 09:39:33 AM
How does those two things connect? I don't think "Why does your eyes cover half your face?!" is considered a normal conversation-starter.

I was thinking more along the lines of their exotic hair colors and styles.  It could be a cultural thing; maybe colorful dyes and ornate hair-dos are the current fad.