Welcome to Gaia! ::

Introduction

For years anarchy had ruled the land of Kiyosala. There was no order to the lives of it's citizens, which some blamed on the king.
King Thedius paid no heed to the suffering's of his people, ordering his personal platoon of body guards to keep away the "filth that dared to disturb the King's sanctum."
For years this continued, with no end in sight. The king enjoyed the labors of those citizen's that could still be bullied into paying taxes, the personal guard becoming more arrogant and cruel in their "defense of the castle," while tax collectors gained the rights of both a jailer and executioner.
Then, when civilization was nearing it's end, a lone man came through the midnight mist. Not even a man, more like a boy. And while no one is sure how it happend, all who saw the guards the next morning knew; this young one single handedly incapacitated the royal guard and made his way through the stone castle of the king.
The next morning, the king lay dead in the garden. No wounds were upon his body, and it was later revealed that no poison had been used.
Whispers of "magic" were floating through the crowds, when, clear as ice, a voice was heard throughout the land: "The king is dead. There is now a new order, the oder of the magi! Let all who have mastered the arcane arts seek me. Never again shall this land rely on one to rule, for absolute power will corrupt the purest soul given time!"

And so, the magicians and sorcerers came. Hundreds entered the castle over the next three years, and nearly as many left dejected.
In the end, the young magician, having proven himself greater than all those who followed, chose a mere twelve.
"Six magicians, their knowledge and wisdom be praised, for they have learned of magic through unceasing effort. And six sorcerers, who have had magic thrust upon them since birth, know the eb and flow of this world greater than any.
"It is we who shall now give rule this land, and bring upon a glorious golden age!"

For nearly fifty years the man's word proved true. With the new order, and new research into how the world worked, the lands prospered while new trades were opened to far away and long-forgotten countries across the sea.
However, after fifty-three years of prosperity, the magician who had brought it all together, died.

At first, they mourned.
Then, they moved on, and for a while, things became normal again, a new magician was brought into the counsel, the eldest magician become the new head, and things... moved on.

Then, ten years later, another died, and was replaced. And so this cycle continued, by the time another century had past, there were some on the counsel who were "fourth generation" members.

By the time two hundred years had past, no one could remember the name of the one who had brought this order together, could not remember the reason for it.
And that was their downfall.

For the corruption of one may be quick. But, it is also quick to end.
The corruption of many takes much longer, but is much more devastating. These magicians (there were no more sorcerers, there hadn't been since the fifth generation) had become black-hearted. They still governed the land, but for their own gains.
Taxes mounted ever higher, hard working citizen's that could not keep up where thrown in jail, where they died shortly after.

Those who could not perform magic were labeled as "underclass," much as the poor were in many other parts of the world. Magician's were nearly always given the high-paying, cushy jobs, and many sorcerers would travel in the guise of bards, entertaining folks with their crafty illusions. Though some sorcerers, feeling the land slowly dying, joined with small rebellion groups across Kiyosala, though even with magic on their side, none of these groups had yet to really do anything.
Until now.

Profile Skeleton

The Council Members

Puppetmaster. . . .:: Blackchaos_kds ::.

Name. . . .:: Menos Scolera ::.

Age. . . .:: 42 ::.

Gender. . . .:: Male ::.

Class. . . .:: Magician ::.

Race . . . .:: Human ::.

Personality. . . .:: All magicians are wary by nature, but Menos’ suspicion is such that he has spies throughout all of Kiyosala, a network of both the willing and the unwilling. He is merciless in his search to acquire greater knowledge about magic. ::.

Background. . . .::Born to a family of middle-class magicians, Menos has been exposed to magic all his life, and after haven been home schooled on the essentials of magic, he quickly applied as an apprentice to Jaysun Morderite, famed sorcerer whose skill lay in Artifact Manipulation.

Menos has currently served twenty-six years on the Council. He was accepted with his still famous piece, Artifacts: An Essay on the Union of Magic, Material Objects, and Immaterial Objects. He was praised for being able to explain the bond between sorcery and the common Artifacts such as staffs, rings, and wands—but his essay explained very little on the nature of immaterial objects. This avenue of magic was to become Menos’ specialty as he studied the theories and applications of sorcery merged with spirit and mind. His method of research was gruesome, forcing him to keep it secret from his fellow Council members. ::.

Puppetmaster. . . .:: Blackchaos_kds ::.

Name. . . .:: Encagra ::.

Age. . . .:: 26 ::.

Gender. . . .:: Male ::.

Class. . . .:: Mercenary ::.

Race . . . .:: Human ::.

Personality. . . .:: A seemingly good-natured man unafraid to speak his mind, but in truth, Encagra is a killer at heart, an observant fighter. Despises his master for making him so, and is caught between spying on the rebels as instructed by Scolera and helping their cause. ::.

Background. . . .:: His earliest memories are of belonging to a family of amateur actors. They were arrested after a nobleman claimed their newest show was treasonous, and the penalty for those accused of that crime was death. Councilman Scolera heard about the case and took an interest, going so far as to intervene on the behalf of the family—but he saved only the youngest boy, Encagra (who was back then Malik Aromat).

Scolera changed the boy through magic, made Malik a fighter bound to his master’s will. Encagra is only able to live so long as he remains useful. ::.

Morning.
Zephyre groaned as the sunbeams split across his eyes. Grumbling, he rolled over, intent on getting a full day of rest. That was not to be though, he had plans for today. Big plans.
With a sigh, he tossed his blankets off to the far corner of the bed and sat up, pulling his on the trousers he had left at the side of his bed the night before.
Not bothering with a shirt yet, he stumbled downstairs to the pantry, grabbing himself a sticky lump of oats and fruit that he had made a batch of a few days ago. They made his throat cry for milk, but they were filling.
He ate quickly, he didn't have long before the Resistance meeting.

Only a few minute later, Zephyre was locking the front door to his modest two-story house, then began walking briskly down the city road. He wore the same trousers as he had yesterday and the day before, simple brown leggings, and a red shirt that was too dressy for him, but was comfortable nonetheless. He had left his cloak inside, it was a pleasant day, and he didn't feel the need for it.

The Resistance met sporadically, using a simple undetectable spell to inform the members three days in advance as to when, and where, they would meet. Today, it was at the city library, where the sorcerer leading it would protect them from any sort of eavesdropping or scrying.
Normally, Zephyre would be required to help as a sorcerer, but since his first manifestation of magic, every aspect of it other than wind had eluded him completely.

BC_kdsOne by one, the crows came to market.
BC_kdsCircling above the merchants and the wares they were hawking to passerby, they wheeled effortlessly until they found a spot to take roost. A stall. A bushel of dried nuts. The edge of the snake pit.
BC_kdsThey were creatures of silence, small and unobtrusive. The citizens of Kiyosala walked past them—and the crows observed.
BC_kdsIntelligence glimmered in their beady eyes.
BC_kdsAnd while the sorcerous spies continued their vigil, the sun continued its steady climb until it hung in the sky, a blazing jewel in a bed of deep blue.

BC_kdsEncagra nodded his thanks to the woman behind the stall and paid her. She watched him bite eagerly into the smoked haunch of goat and grinned.
BC_kds“Tasty enough?” Her yellowed teeth clacked together. Encagra laughed, wiping away the juices running down his chin with a sleeve. He opened his mouth to speak—
BC_kds—and shut it hard. Ignoring the woman’s sudden confused look he turned around. Looked hard at his surroundings, searching—there.
BC_kdsA crow was studying him. He could feel the chaotic magic in its gaze. It fluttered its wings, once, twice, and Encagra looked away, disgusted. The meat had turned sour in his mouth and he dropped it and walked away.
BC_kdsOf course the Councilman would have spies watching spies. The mercenary pulled the hood up above his head and joined the crowd, head bowed and knees bent to mask his height. Magicians are suspicious bastards through and through.