Ҁaravan of ϛteam [Profiles] {O//A}

[GRIN---Mr_Cheshire]

In a world where steam and mechanics rule the world there is little room left for those who follow the rules, manners, and ways of the old world. For decades, the Nomadic Romani have been fighting to keep their place in the world whether being known as entertainers, scoundrels, or both. Now, more than ever before, the shrinking community of performers, thieves, and fortune tellers have not been regarded as entertainment but superfluous tramps; unnecessary vermin that pollute the outskirts of towns, poisoning young minds with sexual performances and lies. The general populace now believes that clans of Romani need to disappear from the world by any means necessary. At first the Romani viewed these beliefs as little more than fear, something they were accustomed to from generations of the general populace not understanding their eccentric culture. Slowly, though, news of entire families disappearing, with their camps left as if frozen in time, started trickling to the clans, scattered throughout the towns and with the news came uncertainty and distrust.

The disappearances were slow at first - just a family here, another there - until it seemed the idea of removing the Romani from humanity spread like wildfire. Families were forced to either disband or travel under the growing fear that, one night, they might go to sleep and the next morning their caravans would be a standing ghost city. For the Petulengro, ruled by a stubborn patriarch, there is no question about disbanding or dying; it is making the choice between dishonor or death. For him, there is no choice. But some in the family no longer agree with the view and wonder if becoming part of society isn't the better option. Leaving the family, however, is not as easy as simply walking to the nearest town; once you are blood, you are always blood. And then there are those that see the Romani lifestyle as something to be idolized, the life of legends and dreams. Can they find the courage to join the caravan life and face certain death? Or will someone find it within them to change the mind of the populace?



The Owner: GRIN---Mr_Cheshire
The Editor and Mod: Langwell
The Inspiration: Interest and motivation
The Graphics: Photobucket and dA, edited by GRIN---Mr_Cheshire
The Level: Lit+
Status: Open and Accepting!


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IC---Ooc

[GRIN---Mr_Cheshire]

THEATRICAL ENTERTAINERS

NATALIYAxxxDANCERxxxLANGWELL
stubborn || hotheaded || confident

The Alliance Falls: the Romani Nomads

Growing up as a Romani child is a completely different childhood than one for the Rubes. The Rubes focus on money, success, power, privilege, and education; for me, it was quite different. The only similarity shared by both peoples would be our affinity for wealth-- for completely different reasons, however. Nomads in general are typically on the lower scale of earners and, well, the Romani earn/take it as much as we can. Yes, that does mean that, in some cases we resort to thievery, but not always; you would be surprised how much a Rube will pay to watch a girl dance. I was taught at a very young age about music, the arts, and dance. What Rubes consider a "traditional" or usual education was ignored. If I had wanted to learn how to read, I would have; there was no extensive need for it, especially while working. Dance was my specialty from an early age; the rhythms and the beats present in the music played and the music naturally occurring made me move, creating a craving deep in my bones for dance. I learned to dance among my cousins, my aunts, my uncles, my family, my clan; there was no such thing as being alone, being quiet. If you wanted peace, you found it yourself away from your wagon or caravan. It was good that I rarely craved such solitude, working best among the hustle and the bustle of family, of loud noises and crowds, the limelight that being a dancer brings you.

Let Me Entertain You
Midnight Blue, Steel Blue, Cornflower Blue, Light Slate Gray

UPPER-CLASS

LALIA WESTBROOKxxxORPHANxxxGrin---Mr_Cheshire
stubborn || vindictive || jaded

The Alliance Falls: With the only people who made sure I was alright - society.

There's something that breaks in a person when you're left, abandoned, by the only person you had in your life. Lalia was broken at a later age than most and yet the memory of her mother leaving her for... nothing. For the enchantment of the Romani people... For destitution and all over one man who was undoubtedly going to leave her gutted in the sewer just to take the little possessions she had brought with her? It made bile rise in Lalia's throat just thinking about it.
Her life before her mother's desertion had been the life of a spoiled brat. The Westbrooks belonged to the upper-class and were well of thanks to her father's work as a pilot in the army. That was what killed him, when Lalia was ten. Out on a routine training mission one of his propellers had snapped and sent the plane spinning into the ocean. They hadn't been able to recover the body after that. Lalia's mother hadn't been the same after that so it hadn't really been a surprise that she eventually ran off, but it meant that almost immediately Lalia had to start looking out for herself more than a child of fortune would. At sixteen she joined the air-force, hoping to follow after her father's footsteps, and two years later found herself without a family. The government, feeling generous to what had once been a powerful family, not only let Lalia keep her job as an aviatrix, but allowed her to keep her family's fortune and estates.

Four years later and her hatred of the Romani for stealing her remaining parent from her has only grown. Now a sought after member of society and the best female pilot in the air-force Lalia has turned her attentions towards the movement to abolish the nomadic people. Blaming entire families for the loss of not only her mother, but her father as well now, Lalia is more than willing to offer her time, and money, towards the cause in the hopes that her parents might one day be revenged.

One Way or Another - Blondie
purple, dark orchid, slate grey, coral

RIGEL SABIKxxxTHE CONNAISSEUR OF INTIMACYxxxKoolio_Kitsune
perceptive || pleasant || vexing

The Alliance Falls: The people, for now, despite their opinions on me.

Rigel Sabik, son of Gregory Sabik and a certain unnamed harlot, is a master of one particular trade, while being a jack of all others. You want some intimate activities? You find Sabik, no matter who you are, he will help you. In this way his status among the people is positively notorious and more than often he has been accussed of being a Romani, despite his protests of innocence this rumour has remained throughout his life. It did not particularly help that upon his fathers death his mothers identity was discovered to be a name of a very widely known prostitute. It also did not help that Rigels past history consisted of spending quality time with other men and women at all the hours of the night, every night. "He is his mother's son." They would say behind his back. Though he didn't care, he had loved his mother for who she was, not what she did. The same for his father, who had been a caring man, a man who would sacrifice his own life in a duel if winning meant declaring a cold war between nobles. Though Sabik resented his father for that, and guns from then on. During his fourteenth year of life this event happened and it changed Sabik ever so slightly, but no one would notice this truth unless they became close enough to him in order to call him by his given name.

Sabik spent the rest of his teenage years in finishing his education; fully learning swordplay from his grandfather and fully inheriting the fortunes of his house. He is his own man now, despite being so young and strangely alluring to the eyes of society, and he will continue with his life of dalliance until such a time that he can no longer do so.

Strange and Beautiful by Aqualung
#CD6889, #8B475D and #872657

XAVIER VON ULRICH xxxGENTLEMAN THIEFxxxLANGWELL
charismatic || secretive || thrifty

The Alliance Falls: Neither? Both?

Lies are especially hard things to keep; it is better to keep the lies down to a minimum and, especially, to make sure that all lies are the same. Mastering said art takes practice, years of practice, but Xavier has had exactly that: years. It all started with two parents, a name, a happy baby boy with caring parents, a family who died only three years after their happiness peaked. Some odd years later, the heir to their fortune appeared. He was a young man who fit the age, was similar enough to the last heirs of both families, that it was not questioned past the initial "What? He survived? The young boy survived?" He had a story, the references, the burn scars from the fire. Everyone believed him; why shouldn't they?
Xavier lives as the heir to the Von Ulrich fortune, a happy young man with money to spend, women to find, and a joyous, worry-less life to live.

Welcome to Paradise
character colors

[GRIN---Mr_Cheshire]

THIEVES

ASTERIONxxxMASTER THIEFxxxKoolio_Kitsune
insidious || innovative || savvy

The Alliance Falls: The Romani for all their.. Opportunities.

Theres a certain charm in the Romani lifestyle that attracts young orphaned children into their arms. What that charm is I couldn't say. It is a sensation that grasps at your mind; the dances of the women, the skill of the pickpockets and the magic.. Oh the magic! Such a thing to entrance a child and spirit them away with ease. A fate that befell myself indeed, for I was an orphan on the streets at nine years of age, an outcast with no direction just the single thought of getting out of that rotten city and into the lands of wonderment. A group of entertainers passed through the city and offered those who would take it the chance to leave with them on their journey to the next town, the next fortune - the next great adventure. I took that opportunity, I Asterion the Great! And thus, I was spirited away much like you hear in the tales of old.

I took to the life of a traveller quickly and picked up many skills from those around me in my original troupe, stacking on my already accumulated survival skills from the streets. Particularly I took to thievery, the art of picking pockets and locks, and transferring large sums of gold from one vault to another without notice. I was favoured as the best in the troupe in that regard but they did not take well to my.. Advances on the female populace as I got older. Despite taking me in they still at the time concidered me an outcast and I, foolishly, acted like one. This seperated me from them and soon enough I began to plot. For what is a lost spirit to do when his family scorns him? I took advantage of their loyalties as soon as I was eighteen. Perhaps some money would be missing from the collective chest? Or mayhap one of the others would befall an unfortunate accident and be out of commission for a few weeks?

Needless to say in my youth I was not exactly as careful as I should have been... I was discovered by the troupe leader as 'meddlesome' and soon enough cast from the family, yet again an orphan albeit through my own choices this time. And so I took to another group and we grew close knit as thieves in arms, taking advantage of those who would use our skills to their fullest, and I have been with them for ten years now. Though our numbers have dwindled recently we are still here and we are still honing our abilities in the arts. Hopefully the Romani will grow in the future.. Though I'd much rather keep the loot to myself if that's quite alright by you?

song 2, blur
#6A5ACD and #528B8B

MIDDLE-CLASS

EVELYN STAFFORDxxxDAUGHTERxxxPULCHRITUDINOUS
obedient || graceful || imaginative

The Alliance Falls: The Rubes... by association


We are, as my mother likes to say, at the ‘cusp of breaking into high society’. I actually think we’re becoming the dregs of the upper-class, not that what I think matters. I’ve been brought up learning that well-raised girls like me do not form my own opinions, and if I do, I hold my tongue. Instead, my opinions should be that of my parent’s, and in the near future, my husband’s. My father’s success has earned us the status of nouveau riche, and despite some of the upper-class scorning those like us, my mother is determined to match me with Old Money.

“The Stafford family can reach new heights!” My mother constantly reminds me. “We’ve waited for this for so long, and your father has worked very hard, but your marriage can make things a bit easier for us. It matters not whether our wealth was in the family for generations, or whether we acquired it recently. What’s important is that the Staffords always belonged with our ‘betters’. If I’ve done my job right, there’s no reason for them to deny you their sons.” She looks at me sternly. “You must do exactly as I say, do you understand Evelyn?” Before I can answer, she embraces me, a bit awkwardly. We rarely show affection in this family. “Everything I do, everything we do, is because we know what’s best for you. You know that, don’t you darling?” I smile, even though she can’t see it, and reply, “Yes, mother.” She needn’t worry, I’ve never disobeyed her.

Obedient Evelyn. As long as I obey, I am the loved, favored Stafford child. Raised 'properly', soft-spoken and well behaved, enchantingly charming and well practiced in 'respectable' arts. The pride and the most eligible of the Stafford girls. Reliable, demure, graceful Evelyn, so unlike my brother, who my parents consider as good as dead. They rarely speak of him, and I am not daft enough to mention him. But I remember him. Devilishly good-looking and quick witted, he could have been easily matched with a daughter of high pedigree and have lived a very comfortable life, but that was not the life he wanted. He wanted adventure and excitement, and often spoke of running away to join The Romani.

"They know how to live! They understand what life is." My brother often whispered passionately, while I listened eagerly, all the while trembling at the thought of being overheard. "Arranged marriage? Status? Pah! What good is it in the real world? Look at how we act like our lives are far superior than theirs, when in reality we aren't living. Not really. They are."

Those whom my father and his peers sought to do away with, my brother wished to be a part of. While we shared the trait of desiring dangerously imaginative fantasies, I lacked his courage. As soon as he turned eighteen, he ran away without looking back, and I envied him. I dreamed my fantasies in secret, and although I lusted for a world beyond the stifling one perfect Evelyn belonged to, this restricting life was the known. I was far too cowardly to walk the precipice of uncertainty.

By day, I am Miss Evelyn Quinn Stafford, the obedient, graceful daughter. But by night, my imagination runs wild. And secretly, my subconscious prays for daring.



theme song
orchid & slateblue

[GRIN---Mr_Cheshire]

MAGICAL ENTERTAINERS

RÁHELxxxSHADOW PUPPETEER AND READERxxxGRIN---Mr_Cheshire
creative || individual || self-sufficient

The Alliance Falls: The Romani - for what they offer... for now.

There's a certain requirement that comes from being the only, legitimate child of the Patriarch. From a young age Ráhel was expected to be the perfect daughter. She learned thievery, mastered her craft, and became a contribution to the family much quicker than her peers all due high standards her father held her to. Of course, with all of the expectations came the understanding that she would marry as soon as she was old enough. Marriage and sex was never a strange idea to Ráhel, especially in an environment where those things are only natural, but as soon as she was capable of thinking for herself Ráhel realized that marriage wasn't necessarily up her ally. For her father however, a woman running the family is out of the question and marriage is a must. Now Ráhel is struggling with deciding whether or not she wants to continue to follow her father's wishes, or try to forge her own path. Only adding to her situation is the pressure of disappearing Romani families - she can't help but thinking that maybe conforming to a different set of rules might be better than anything else... Even if they aren't her rules.

Breakaway - Kelly Clarkson
teal, dim grey, light sea green, gold

LOWER-CLASS

ROMULUSxxxDESERTERxxxCLEAVER GREENE
carefree || trusting || charismatic

The Alliance Falls: I don't pick sides

For all the opportunities offered by a caravan to a slack worker like Romulus, it should have been the perfect life. The countryside was his home, the city was the dark jungle. There was nothing that his childhood as a gypsy offered him that he would want to give back, he just ended up on a different path. He loved the space, and the leisure, and the music – always the music – but he could never stand the thievery. Within the caravan there was no ownership, but not everyone was Romani, and they had to respect that. If they wanted respect, they had to give it back. Romulus didn't want to leave everything behind, but he didn't want to be there when his family paid for their transgressions. In the city he falls in between the cracks: a tinker, an accordionist, an accepted pest.

Long Shot by Newton Faulkner
#47460B and #A67721

[GRIN---Mr_Cheshire]

OTHER

PASHAxxxAPOTHECARYxxxca adam
firm || maternal || shrewd

The Alliance Falls: The Romani — by blood, and by spirit.

My name means "Small." I believe my mother favored irony and cursed me with it. It made me strong, though, in all the ways I needed to be as she taught me. I am a Romani healer, as she was. I follow the practices of a humble apothecary. I make balms to soothe tired, Romani feet; I rub salve on the scratches of children at play; and at times I will sew the flesh of wounded warriors, even vagabonds and thieves, so they might live. My work is not for the weak hearted, but at times, it can be rewarding — in both heart and money. Some will pay a hefty amount for authentic, Romani medicine; it's said to be magical in its properties, and could heal the cruelest of diseases. Whether it's true or not, I honestly couldn't tell you, but what goods you'll find from me are better in quality and rarity than any other healer could offer. And there is some benefit in this for those not Romani: my healer's oath dictates that I am to offer my services to anyone who suffers. It's not easy knowing I could one day wrap the wounds of my enemy, but I favor the honor that's been passed to me. Call it pride if you must. I make no space to act against the dictates of my conscience, no matter the cost.

She Takes Her Boat Down
be3434 8c967e 523427

RAZxxxMERCHANTxxxca adam
distrusting || loner || reckless

The Alliance Falls: I am my best ally.

Being raised into the world of Romani, one learns the real meanings of loyalty and trust. The wiser one is, the more one learns that trust and loyalty can't be given so lightly, even to your own neighbor. Call me cynical. I am the only sibling to my half sister, Pasha. She's older to me, born to a different father than I. Our mother was married to Pasha's father, but after he died, she had many lovers. As a result, she had me, a b*****d with an unknown father. I've never met him, and don't really care to find out any time soon. Whoever he was, he left my mother with little reason to seek out any more men in her life, and instead focused on teaching me and Pasha the ways of Romani. I was never gifted with the burden of healing like my half sister was, but I did have a way with words, and getting people to buy almost whatever I wanted them to buy, at "reasonable" prices. That's not to say I like socializing — I honestly couldn't care less about most people, except for a literal few. My life is on the road, and sometimes, the road and its dwellers are not kind. Surviving at times means doing things most people would regret, but I've learned that if one doesn't act first, one loses their life. I'd rather live, even if it means sacrificing the life of another.

Peace is Found Behind Wounds
21231e 79633c 56412e

Flora Bittleshamxxx'Maid'xxxFahrenheit Girl
Vengeful || Crafty || Cunning

The Alliance Falls: Romani, I only pretend to serve the ungrateful Rubes

Life was wonderful, and things were as they should be. I was recently married, and to a man I loved greatly, my family was large and happy. I was wanting for nothing, save maybe my own child. Our caravan traveled the countrysides, and even to some cities, putting on the grandest plays.
Then the rumors started. We didn't believe them at first, no, for why would anyone have ill-will for actors?
You should know, the families that have been disappearing, haven't been doing so quietly. Had I not left the comfort of my bed that night, to find my young cousin outside of our camp, no one would be left to tell the story of my family. Go ahead, tell yourself it isn't true, whatever will help you sleep at night.
This isn't me casting off my Romani heritage, I am searching for all those responsible for that night. I will avenge my family; know that. Let the dim-minded Rubes think what they will, for soon I will show them.

ThemeSongs
black and teal

GOVERNMENT

PELL YOUNGxxxTHE MINISTERxxxCLEAVER GREENE
reliable || idealistic || restrained

The Alliance Falls: They call us Rubes, but we are just the Honest People

There is a place for everyone in society, and Pell is there to make sure they know where it is. Pell had been born with the curse of vocal parents and he has spent a lifetime overcoming it. Because they were perfectly placed in the highs of society, his late father thought he was safe from repercussions when making casual observations in the gentlemen's club. Pell never made that mistake. He worked hard, climbing up the judicial ladder before greasing enough hands and pleasing enough of the government highflyers to find a comfortable seat in parliament. Not so much as a promotion doesn't go unchecked by Pell and his department. He controls the class system, makes sure the money moves where it's supposed to go. It's a system that works, and the Romani are destroying it; they are the leak where money is disappearing. They need to be stopped, and Pell will do everything to see them gone.

Wait Here by Mick Flannery
#401D10 and #383840

SARIN TENEBRAxxxDeputy MinisterxxxKoolio_Kitsune
ruthless || meticulous || inquisitive

The Alliance Falls: The People, the Rubes, will always have me.

There is a special kind of evil born in a man who is raised by his mother without love and forged through the violence of his father. However this evil comes not through the parents but from within the child himself. There is a reason that Sarin was not loved. It was his eyes. Their foreboding darkness that frightens even young children, who adore all within their vision. Or at least that is what he would have the people believe. It is his eyes that are filled with ill-intent, not his mind he would tell you. Oh but how wrong that truly is. For Sarin Tenebra is cruel beyond belief, cutting tools are his forté and pain is his gain. But what the people don't know won't hurt them. What they see in their beloved Deputy-Minister is a kind soul who is devoted to cleaning out the filth that remains on their streets - the Romani. And what lies beneath is a cruel man with little to no morals at all who is curious about everything and almost compulsive in his work. He is a man who often deals with the prisons, and regularly puts prisoners through vicious torments, both physical and mental. All for fun. He is a man who will actively pursue you until he knows just how your mind ticks, and once he finds that out he shall use that knowledge in any way he sees fit until such an occassion where the knowledge is no longer useful. But, appearences must be kept to some degree. You can't be a high ranking official in a government without your secrets, but likewise you can't be one unless you are good at what it is you do. And Sarin is very, very good at what he does.


I Can't Decide, Scissor Sisters and Bad Karma, Ida Maria
Black, #008B00 and #458B00