Les Bijoux Noirs- (Black Jewels series based RP; Interest Check)

[Divine Tenacity]

Bear with me, so far this is just an interest check.

However, if and when I have enough interest...

This RP is based off of the world of the Black Jewel series by Anne Bishop (if you don’t know, please please do go and give it a read. You will be pleasantly surprised.) Most of the background information on the world itself is derived from the wikipedia page. I do not think I would have been able to do an explanation justice otherwise.

This game is an Alternate Fantasy that displays the classic genre of Light vs. Dark, but with a twist...  Murder, politics, intrigue, and much more awaits with the world of The Black.

***THE DARKNESS***

The Darkness is not so much as a force but a religion and a way of life The Blood practice throughout the three realms to maintain their world. Despite prominent names like SaDiablo, Daemon, and Lucivar, the use of the Darkness is as a centerpiece for the Blood; not meant to represent evil, sin, or anything negative. Instead it is worship most revered as equally as a scion of Life would be. Though The Blood does acknowledge the Light, they are more prominent in their acknowledgement of The Darkness. It is a common known fact between all of the Blood that everything was born from Darkness shall thus return and fade into it when their time comes.

**THE WITCH STORM/THE PURGE**

500 years ago Queen Janelle Angelline SaDiablo, the strongest Witch in known history, sacrificed most of her power in order to purge the realms of the Taint. The Storm spread throughout the three realms, destroying those Witches whose hearts were not pure. Shortly after the Storm, Janelle passed away, too weak to be able to carry even herself. Her Consort/husband, Daemon SaDiablo, followed almost immediately after, heart broken at the loss of his soulmate.

**PREMISE**
(Still very WIP)

What is Bliss?

Bliss is no longer what one would think it is, not in these recent times. Bliss was usually associated with anything positive and pleasant in the world. Now? There are those who seek to pervert its meaning. Some of the rich and powerful have two faces. On one they uphold the Blood's ways within Protocol for the general populace, the other are the promoters of these utterly depraved events. Everything is true, everything is permitted at these gatherings, simply for the pleasure of it all.

In these times, these Bliss parties have gained so much influence that the Taint has begun to encroach once more, spreading its tendrils from Terreielle to Kaeleer.
These Bliss parties/events are run by a secret circle of antagonists, who plan and plot to once more take over the realms.

Now that the strongest witch in history no longer exists, almost nothing can stop them from fulfilling their plans.

It’s that almost that gives something for the people to have hope in...

**BLOOD SOCIETY**

Blood society is often described as an intricate dance between social class, Jewel strength, and caste.
Although the Blood come from many of the same races as the landen, as the Guardians and Caretakers of the Realms the nature of their power makes it so they are bound by a unique set of rules, outlined by Protocol and Law. (More on Protocol and Law soon.)

**THE RULES**

-This game is a sandbox! You do not need to have prior knowledge from the books in order to join! Although if you would like some, check out this link here!
-I cannot stress this enough, but Please PLEASE follow all of Elliquiy's Rules and Guidelines.
-Posting length is a minimum of two decent paragraphs twice a week. Brownie points and love from your GM if you are able to do more!
-NO GOD-MODDING! Matter of fact, this game should be impossible to god-mod. Nothing gets past me!
-I do expect some pretty balls to the walls things to happen in this RP. For that reason, I will be adding it to the Extreme- Small Groups once we have started up.
-Please feel free to explore every dark little thought you have had in your head. MAKE SURE YOU DISCUSS AND GAIN PERMISSION FOR ANY AND ALL NON-CON ACTS WITH YOUR PARTNER/PARTNERS BEFORE HAND! Anyone seen violating these rules will be dropped like a bad habit!
-These Rules are subject to change.

[Divine Tenacity]

The Realms of The Blood is dissected into three distinct territories centered around The Darkness; Terreille, Kaeleer, and Hell. The Realms themselves are reflections of each other, familiar yet distinct in places where the Blood runs thin.

**TERREILLE:The Realm of Light**

Terreille, also known as the realm of Light, is the Realm farthest from The Darkness. Terrerille is the location in which the great Purge took place, freeing the realms of the Tainted Witches Dorthea and Hekatah SaDiablo. The denizens who are known reside in the twice hollowed lands still speak of their atrocities with hushed whispers and fervent stares. Territories of Tereille include:
-Askavi
-Dhemlan
-Ebon Askavi
-Hayll
-Dena Nehele
-Babilonia**
-Ansalon**

HUMAN RACES OF TERREILLE

HUMAN RACES OF TEREILLE:
Babilonian: Most Babilonian's are fair haired and fair skinned, normally sporting light blue eyes with some greens and they usually have pale blond hair to dirty blond and very few brunettes. They are not a very tall race and usually only come to a height of 5'7' for males and 5'5' for most females. The males have nice tans and muscular builds to them from working on the hill sides or down in the docks in the many cliff side towns. The females are petite and usually have nice tans on them as well from working out in the sun filled hanging gardens or chasing their children around while the men are at work. They are a short lived race and only live till about 150 years maximum. They currently have a culture that is generally Patriarchal.

Dena Nehelean: Though they have wrested control from Hayll, the once-second class race of Dena Nehelean people have not yet regained as much power of territory as they held over 20,000 years ago. They have gotten so much territory (the size of a district) because they were one of the last lands to fall to Hayll and they still had people alive when the cleansing of the taint happened. Descended from diluted long-lived blood, the Dena Neheleans have light to medium brown skin, brown eyes, and lighter colored hair, either light or medium brown instead of black, and frequently wavy. They live about 2500 years.

Dhemlan: The average Dhemlan has black hair, brown skin, and golden eyes. Dhemlan males do not grow body or facial hair. Their age span runs to 5000 years maximum. They are very, very concerned with tradition. The Dhemlans of Kaeleer and Dhemlan are essentially the same race.

Eyriens: A long-lived race, they are predominantly male, and have wings much like a bat in different colors to match their skin tones yet several shades darker. They are the hardest, toughest warriors, and they are Patriarchal. Some skills such as fighting and combat come naturally to them and other skills such as reading and book-skills tend to be a little more challenging. Eyrien names also follow a pattern; male names end in the suffix of -ar, while female names end in the suffix of -an (ie: Lucivar, Marian, Andulvar, Luthvian). Eyrien males do not grow body or facial hair. Their age span runs to 5000 years maximum.

Hayllian: The average Hayllian has black hair, brown skin, and golden eyes. Hayllian males do not grow body or facial hair. Probably the most obviously socially divided race between Aristos and well everyone else, all Hayllians have a reputation for slickness, arrogance and conceit. Their age span runs to 5000 years maximum.

**All of The Kindred Races of Terreille died out long ago.

**KAELEER: The Realm of Shadow**

Kaeleer, also known as the realm of Shadow, is the realm situated between Terreille and Hell. It it also the only realm holding the majority of the world’s population. In Kaeleer, the blood continue to live their lives according to the Old Ways, unlike the Blood in Terreille. Though not entirely free from reproach, Kaeleer remains the most population destination for Blood immigrating from Terreille to settle. Territories of Kaeleer include:
-Askavi
-Arachna
-Arceria
-Lunatarium**
-Dea Al Mon
-Little Terreille**
-Dhemlan
-Ebon Askavi
-Glacia
-Scelt
-Tigrelan
-Elysium**
-Fyreborn Islands

HUMAN RACES OF KAELEER

Dhemlan(See Above in Human Races of Terreille)

Eyrien (See Above in Human Races of Terreliie)

Dea Al Mon: The Dea Al Mon people are known as the Children of the Woods. They can best be likened to elves. They have delicately pointy ears and are known as skilled marksmen and women. They are also said to be "born to know how to wield a knife" and thus it is applied that they are good in melee fighting. The Dea Al Mon are a short-lived race, one hundred to two hundred years. They have forest-blue eyes and pale silver hair, and usually slim and willowy in build, but are much stronger than they look. They are extremely secretive and have cut themselves off from other territories .

Tigrelans: Tigrelan is the home of most Tigre - a fierce, feline race. Tigre have been known to range from a snowy white more resembling their Arcerian cousins, to a spotted grey, taking more after leopards. Tigrelan is usually a closed territory, but does allow occasional exceptions. They have an average life span similar to that of the Dea Al Mon.

Glacian: The people of Glacia are typically fair in coloring, having light skin and often blonde hair. They have an average life span of 100 to 175 years.

Lunatarian: The people of Lunatarium are typically dark in color, having honeyed skin and often dark hair. They have an average life span of 150 to 175 years.

KINDRED RACES OF KAELEER

Askavian: wolves; mixed genders; can serve as any caste except priestesses and black widows

Dragons (Fyreborn Islanders; Fyrekin): dragons; mostly male; can serve as only Male castes. Females can serve as any caste except priestesses and black widows.

Sceltian: dogs; mixed genders; can serve as any caste except priestesses and black widows.

Arcerian: felines and great cats; mixed genders; can serve as any caste except priestesses and black widows.

Arachaenian: spiders; Black Widows, mostly female; they are solitary; weavers of dreams.

Unicorns(Elysians): Any caste but Black Widow. Come from Elysium. They are wonderous creatures out of myth, with huge spiral horns rising from their foreheads. They are fiercly territorial, and skilled with using both horn and hooves to inflict damage. They are large of stature and finely muscled, and are usually white, dappled gray, cream, or black colored. Unicorns mate for life, and they are ruled by a Warlord Prince/Queen mated pair.

**HELL:The Dark Realm**

Hell, also known as the Dark Realm is the realm closest to the Darkness. It was ruled for centuries unending by Saetan Daemon SaDiablo, until his retirement and untimely demise. His son, a slave of many talents but ever proud Eyrien warrior Lucivar Yaslana has taken up his mantle as the current Ruler of Hell. Hell still remains vastly unexplored, known Territories in Hell include:
-Ebon Askavi
-Cildru Dyathe’s Island

RACES OF HELL (NPC for the most part)

Demon-dead: A Blood male or female whose Jewels strength still resides even after their death, preventing their return to The Darkness. The demon-dead serve as servants and advisors to the Lord of Hell.

Cildru Dyathe: Demon-dead children who died horrible violent deaths and cannot return to The Darkness. They instead reside on the island hoping their deeds will one day find them the solace and peace they seek.

**DRAMATIS PERSONAE**

Our PC's. I will update this space regularly as we garner more interest.

Queens of Terreille:
Babilonia:
(Ruled by a Warlord Prince) Ansalon:
Dena Nehele:

Queens of Kaeleer:
Lunatarium:
Little Terreille:
Dhemelan:
Glacia:

[Divine Tenacity]

**CHARACTER CREATION**

Please follow these guidelines when creating a character. Any questions feel free to ask!

CRAFT

CRAFT is the main ability, the ‘spark’ of power that distinguishes the Blood away from the Landens.

BASIC- Craft has several basic abilities that include simple telekinesis-- an ability use to move something around with ones thoughts. One’s capacity is only limited by the color of jewels he/she wears; and telepathy  -- used to communicate with other Blood across distance only limited by the power of one’s Jewels. The Blood is also able to ‘vanish’ objects, storing them in a pocket dimension only accessible by the one who ‘vanished’ the item.

IN SPELLS- Craft can also be used as a catalyst for soothing, calming, heating, illusionary, witch fire, and death spells. Spells can also be used for buffing the Blood, strengthening a part or parts of their body in order to better protect themselves. Of course one is still limited by the colors of the jewels they wear. Preservation spells can be used to extend the life of paintings and certain foods.

Craft is specialized in four distinct female castes. The Healer, Black Widow, Priestess, and Queen. Males are also able to take on these specializations depending on Caste.

CASTES

Female:
Blood Female- a female of the Blood who does not wear Jewels
Witch- Blood female who wears Jewels but is of the lowest Caste
Healer- a witch who heals wounds and illnesses; equal to a Priestess or Prince
Priestess- witch who worships Blood Mother; services marriages and Sanctuaries
Black Widow- witch who heals the mind; weaves tangled web of dreams & visions; trained in poisons and illusions
Queen- a witch who rules the Blood in the each of the 5 Territories; very important to her people and her land.

Male:
Blood male- a male of the Blood who does not wear Jewels
Warlord- Jeweled males equal to a witch
Prince- Jeweled male equal to a Priestess or Healer
Warlord Prince- a dangerous, extremely aggressive Jeweled male; slightly lower in status to a Queen

THE CASTES & CRAFT

**CRAFT IN FEMALE CASTES**

CRAFT IN HEALERS- Healers can use craft to break and set bones, heal wounds, and cure various poison dependent on the color of the jewels they wear. Healers are not above combining their jewel strength to achieve greater feats.

CRAFT IN BLACK WIDOWS- Black Widows can manipulate the craft to part the folds of time, enabling them to foresee the future, view memories absorbed by wood and stone, or to see the true intentions of people. Black Widows are also masters of deadly poisons and subsequent reagents.

CRAFT IN PRIESTESSES- Priestesses wear their craft as a mantle, bestowing them with the right to perform marriage ceremonies, Birthright Ceremonies, and The Offering to The Darkness. They are also able to bend the Dark Alters will into shape, allow safe passages between the realms at these points.

CRAFT IN QUEENS- Queens play the most important role in the Blood society. They are able to become the focal points of the Darkness, able to manipulate Craft to influence the land and restore it wherever the Taint has touched. Queens often take up another specialization when taint is little to non-existent in their territories.

**CRAFT IN MALE CASTES**

Warlord
A Jeweled male equal in status to a witch. Warlords can have any jewel though the caste itself is noted to be far less dangerous and vicious than those of the Princes and especially Warlord Princes. While they are protective and powerful Warlords lack the aggression of their the higher castes.

Prince
A member of the second highest-ranking male caste. They were much more aggressive than Warlords, but lacked the volatile temperament of a Warlord Prince. A Prince is equal in rank to the Healer and Priestess castes.
Interestingly when addressed in formal conversation both Princes and Warlord Princes were referred to as simply Prince (eg. Prince Saetan SaDiablo).

Warlord Prince
"A dangerous, extremely aggressive Jeweled male; in status, slightly lower than a Queen."

Addt. Information for Warlord Princes

Status and Temperament
A Warlord Prince is a caste of Blood male that is arguably more predatory than most of the Jeweled castes. He has strong instincts that are easily brought to the fore regarding protection, sexual interest and aggression. He rises easily to the killing edge as a result of these heightened instincts and senses, and a great deal of Protocol
involves methods that a Warlord Prince can use to curtail their instincts and move in polite society, and methods for other Blood -- or landen, should they be familiar with Protocol -- to handle them.
Protect, Serve, Obey
All Blood males possess the instinct to serve a Queen. There is a 'right' Queen for every Blood male, for better or worse, and there is a specific reaction on both sides that dictates this. Though not every Queen causes the instinctual response -- perhaps a psychic connection on some level -- it is regular for Blood males to sign a contract to serve a Queen that is not his. When a Warlord Prince feels this pull and surrenders to it, he submits his power, abilities, and his temper over to the Queen. This helps to center the Warlord Prince and ground his temper. This desire to serve the Queen is so strong that the Queen's will is usually put before everything and anything, including a lover, in the Warlord Prince's life. This serves a few functions, the most important being that it helps to keep a Warlord Prince from doing damage to the court itself. Of course the pull of service to a Queen can only go so far. It doesn't change his nature, it simply centers him. It is for reasons such as this that Warlord Princes are feared and respected as valuable aspects of a court.
Protocol Concerning Warlord Princes
A Warlord Prince, despite his power, is always second in status to a Queen. Though there are exceptions to the rule, in general they do not wish to utilize their power to rule over others, instead they wish ot serve and protect making it their honor and privilege to work with and for a Queen.
The Rut
Like the mating season of ruminant animals, or a male elephant's musth, the rut for Blood males is a mating season, though it can be appeased by either sex or violence. It lasts for several days. Though it is not confined to Warlord Princess, they are affected the most extremely, and it is fairly rare for other Blood males to go through it.

"Rut. That time when a Warlord Prince's sex drive eliminated everything else. Every male was a rival to be eliminated. Every female but the one he'd chosen scraped a temper turned wild and unpredictable... Warlord Princes were always violently passionate and passionately violent, but the rut drove them to a savagery that bordered insanity."

It is said that during a Rut a Warlord Prince will have enough sexual drive to service an entire coven to exhaustion and still keep going. The stated problem, however, is that he has a tendency to focus on only one woman for the entirety of the Rut. Their judgement appeared to be impaired during this time. Their behavior is more animalistic than usual;a Warlord Prince's always displays volatile instincts at peak level.

THE JEWELS

The Jewels are the outward representation of the power wielded by various members of the Blood. The rankings start from White, being the weakest, to Black, being the strongest. The Opal Jewel is considered the dividing line between light and dark colored Jewels as it can be either. The Jewels act as a container to hold the power possessed by the Blood, whose bodies cannot maintain holding their full strength at all times. Not all members of the Blood possess enough psychic power to wear the Jewels, but yet are still able to wield basic Craft.

The Jewel Ranks are as follows:

Weakest-White Yellow Tiger EyeRose Summer-sky
Purple Dusk **Opal** Green Sapphire Red Grey Ebon-Grey Black->
(Ebony (legendary plateau; reservoir is still unheard of even in this day))-Strongest

***Opal is the dividing line between the lighter and darker jewels because it can be both***

BIRTHRIGHT CEREMONY
A Birthright Ceremony was a ceremony Blood youths underwent in order to be granted a Birthright Jewel. However, not all Blood who participate in the ceremony have enough psychic power to wear the Jewels and don't come away with one. If they do come away wearing a Birthright Jewel, the Blood youth would wear it until they were old enough to make the Offering to the Darkness; a ceremony that allowed the Blood to descend to their Jewel of rank. A persons Jewel of rank was never more than three ranks lower than their Birthright Jewel.

After a Birthright Ceremony, a public celebration was held during which a mother would openly grant a father all paternal rights to the child. Even if the father had raised, loved and nurtured this child, he has no rights to them until he is granted paternal privileges after the Birthright Ceremony.

OFFERING TO THE DARKNESS
The second ceremony occurs some years later when the child is ready to make another Offering to the Darkness and join Blood Society as an adult. Every Jewel has the possibility of descending in darkness by three levels. During the Offering the wielder may or may not receive a darker jewel.

Character Sheet

Name: ( your char name here)

Age: (while we do have long-lived races, something sensible please? As long as its under 5,000)

Gender: (male, female, etc.)

Race: (looking for mostly long live-races, but other races as well as Kindred races are fine.)

Appearance: (you can either describe them, or an image if you're lazy like me)

Home: (Include Territory and City please)

Birthright Jewel: (any Jewel you would want to be born with.) (Anything except for the Ebon-gray to Ebony; you MUST PM me for those jewels.)

Offering Jewel: (Remember now: No more than three ranks max of your Birthright jewel. Same information I added to Birthright Jewel pertains here as well.)

Caste: (Any caste; females can choose to have a second specialization as well. I will allow males to have a second specialization as well, to keep it diverse.  Anyone going for the castes of Queens or Warlord Princes must PM me)

Sexual Orientation: (This game will be LBGTQA- and other bits of acronym friendly. Please do not hesitate on the account of that!)

Sexual On's: (self-explanatory)
Sexual Off's: (also self explanatory)

Bio: (something short and to the point, please? You can always fill in your backstory later.)

Misc. Info: (Use this space to specify if you have a Kindred friend, use any weapons, any information that may not be specified in the c/s above.)

Code Select Expand

[float=left][img height=300]**image url here**[/img][/float][b]Name:[/b] ( your char name here)

[b]Age:[/b] (while we do have long-lived races, something sensible please? As long as its under 5,000)

[b]Gender:[/b] (male, female, etc.)

[b]Race:[/b] (looking for mostly long live-races, but other races as well as Kindred races are fine.)

[b]Appearance: [/b](you can either describe them, or an image if you're lazy like me)

[b]Home:[/b] (Include Territory and City please)

[b]Birthright Jewel: [/b](any Jewel you would want to be born with.) (Anything except for the Ebon-gray to Ebony; you MUST PM me for those jewels.)

[b]Offering Jewel:[/b] (Remember now: No more than three ranks max of your Birthright jewel. Same information I added to Birthright Jewel pertains here as well.)

[b]Caste: [/b](Any caste; females can choose to have a second specialization as well. I will allow males to have a second specialization as well, to keep it diverse.  Anyone going for the castes of Queens or Warlord Princes must PM me)

[b]Sexual Orientation:[/b] (This game will be LBGTQA- and other bits of acronym friendly. Please do not hesitate on the account of that!)

[b]Sexual On's:[/b] (self-explanatory)
[b]Sexual Off's: [/b](also self explanatory)

[b]Bio: [/b](something short and to the point, please? You can always fill in your backstory later.)

[b]Misc. Info: [/b](Use this space to specify if you have a Kindred friend, use any weapons, any information that may not be specified in the c/s above.)


[Inari]

You have tickled my interest. ;)

[LeSane]

Interest has been peaked.

[Divine Tenacity]

Whoot! My first two potential players! That's more than what I expected!  :P

[Chaosfox]

I must admit this does look interesting and in the process has given me a new  series of books I will have to get a hold of to read.

[Divine Tenacity]

And now there were three...

Maybe looking for five more to start?

[Inari]

I am surprised not many others have signed up for this!

I am going to make a button to promote this~

[Divine Tenacity]

I am surprised not many others have signed up for this!

I am going to make a button to promote this~

Whoot, you are so awesome! Thank you so much!

[Inari]

Here is the button if people would like to use it to recruit:

Code Select Expand

[url=https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=209732.0][img]https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/b/bf/Blackjewelrecruit.png[/img][/url]

*Edit*

Just had to upload it to the E wikia

[Divine Tenacity]

This is too awesome! Thanks much Star!

Still open for recruitment! Looking for five more players to start!

[Divine Tenacity]

bumpity bump

[The Golden Touch]

Yesssssss.... Me, me, me, me. I love these books. I read the Trilogy and all those smaller(read AWESOME) extras.

I loved Karla, because well... I'll explain it sometime, but she's great. I also loved the Arcerians- because who does not like a giant cat?

-is rambling-

[Inari]

That awkward moment when you listen to the audio books and have to quickly put some headphones in when the smut comes from NOWHERE!

[The Golden Touch]

Oops. >:)

[Chaosfox]

That awkward moment when you listen to the audio books and have to quickly put some headphones in when the smut comes from NOWHERE!

This is why I always use headphones......... That and the speakers to my computer went out and I have yet to replace  them

[Divine Tenacity]

Yesssssss.... Me, me, me, me. I love these books. I read the Trilogy and all those smaller(read AWESOME) extras.

I loved Karla, because well... I'll explain it sometime, but she's great. I also loved the Arcerians- because who does not like a giant cat?

-is rambling-

Oh my gosh, I have another player? Whewt!!!!

Four more spots left until we can get started. If you all want, you can begin working on your c/s! Looking for a mix of two males and two females.

[LtFox]

Tentative interest.  I have some possible ideas.

Also, apparently this world only follows Canon for the first three books, the first trilogy? As quite a few issues regarding the SaDiablo family, kaeleer races, kindred and territories like Dena Nehele and others got resolved in later books, but is contradicted here.

_LF_

[The Golden Touch]

I'm excited to see more people with interest. I'm working on my character sheet!

[Divine Tenacity]

Tentative interest.  I have some possible ideas.

Also, apparently this world only follows Canon for the first three books, the first trilogy? As quite a few issues regarding the SaDiablo family, kaeleer races, kindred and territories like Dena Nehele and others got resolved in later books, but is contradicted here.

_LF_

Feel free to send me an questions you may have in a PM and I will do my best to answer them. Like I mentioned (or mention now) this is all still a big work in progress.

[Rel Mayer]

I am getting interested!

[Divine Tenacity]

I am getting interested!

Awesome, would be glad to have you!

[The Golden Touch]

Yay, made my character!

[Kuje]

Tosses my interest in here.