knifewithnoname

Player Information

Name: Katy
Age: 30
Contact details:

damua or discord damua#1089
Other characters: n/a

Character Information

Name: 'Little One' (she 'canonically' has no name but Little One works for lists and such.)
Canon: OC
Canon Point: Just after learning she is to go to the temple.
OU/AU/CRAU/OC: OC
Age: 11

World Information:

The world is one with many countries and cultures as vast and different as our own and a very low technology level. Medieval is a good way to set the tone and feel of the world, though of course historically that is inaccurate as it is not our world at all.

It is a world locked in a never ending war of good and evil, a war started by gods and continued by humans. To the ordinary person that is the end of it, you either follow the teachings of the gods of light or you follow the god of darkness. To them it is simple and life is indeed simple for many who live in the world, farmers, fisher-people, sailors, travelling merchants taking advantage of the relatively recent rise in large sailing ships. Some countries are wealthier than others, some have large towns and sprawling cities, some parts of the world are remote and rural. Monster prowl the world, gathering at the far edges of civilisation but sometimes venturing into towns and even some cities.

But no matter the country, living a good life being kind to those around you, working hard and resisting those who try to tempt you is sufficient to follow the bright gods. To those in the shadows life is harder. The need to remain secret while finding those who share your beliefs, small pockets of darkness most often involved in petty crime. Secret shadowy organisations infiltrating the leaders of the lands, or bands of bandits. All have the same aim; to spread chaos and fear. To pave the way for the shadow lord.

Of course things are a little more complicated, because the gods have, since the beginning of time granted their powers to those they govern. All living creatures in the world have innate power. That power sits inside of them and for most people that is the end of it. But some have the ability to use that power, to shape it and use it. Power that is used is magic. Everyone has power, only the gifted have magic.

Generally speaking only humans have magic, of course there are exceptions. Every so often you hear tales such as cats that can shoot fire from their eyes destroying whole villages. But such happenings are rare and magic is generally considered to be a human trait.

There is no rhyme or reason as to which humans manifest magic, children of nobles or orphan street children. The magic tends to manifest around the age of ten though it can be detected by other magic users much sooner. It can be dangerous if those who manifest magic are not found and trained. Though some are trained personally by other magic users most are sent to a temple in the mountains; the only one of its kind and home to all magic users and those that serve them.

Once trained these magic users are Priests and Priestesses, sworn to serve one of the gods of light. Each god encourages different specialities in those that serve them.

Of course there are also priests who follow the shadow god, they live among the others; often pretending to be servants of one of the five bright gods. They seek to spread chaos and pave the way for the shadow god to consume all.

But Priests and Priestesses are not the only ones to whom the Temple is home. A school of warriors, from all around the world live there. Their duty and calling is to protect those with magic, lending the inherent power that lies within them to serve their Priests. Though there are other places where fighters can be trained this is the most diverse, accepting people with no training; where sons of kings train next to peasant children and all are forged into the greatest warriors of all time. Seeking no honour for themselves but only that the Priests can fulfil their destinies.

As mentioned before their are many countries, the temple is apart from all of them; those that train there priest or warrior give up their nationality and previous ties and swear to serve the world as a whole.

The country Little One grew up in is called Gauig. It is a warm, dry and dusty place, mostly desert home to nomads and the odd small town. However on the coast there is the capital city, also called Gauig. A huge sprawling city, home to the queen and all the nobles of the land but with a sprawling underbelly of corruption and poverty. Here they speak with a thick dialect, the grammar of their words switched about. It is an easy place to get lost in, an easier place to be disappeared in. The sprawling docklands mean there are a constant influx of strangers with ships constantly coming and going.

Gauig is a country wrecked with war with its neighbours, petty land squabbles that swell every so often. War rarely reaches the capitol and never did in Nesir’s time there. The main exports of Gauig come from the city itself by sea and are honey and the mead made from it. They have a heavy diet of fish in the city and a strong belief that honey goes with everything.

Religion

Just some notes on the religion of Little One’s world as it is so fundamental to her character.

The pantheon consists of six gods though only five are accepted. Those five are known as the Bright Gods and an average person will worship all five almost as one, praying to the Healer when their child is sick, the Defender to save their sheep from wolves, the Scholar for help in knowing when the perfect time to harvest their crop.

In the temple a priest of priestess will specialise in one of the gods, focusing on that area:

The Healer: Healing looking after the sick, using magic to help the injured in battles and every day life. Many go out into the world to provide care to those that need it.
The Scholar : Knowledge Most those that serve the god of knowledge remain in the mountains teaching those that come to learn, some also go out into the world.
The Judge: Justice They try and bring light to the world, either by settling village disputes or advising Queens, or vigilante crime fighting.
The Explorer: Discovery They deal with all things powerful and magic, be it taking down those cats with fire spouting eyes, finding old items containing power or searching for children capable of magic and ensuring they get trained.
The Defender: War The most martial, for they are completely preoccupied with the fight against the shadow god. They aim to bring peace to the world by fighting evil everywhere they see it, going out to hunt down those that follow the shadow god and wipe out all evil from the world.

Then obviously there is the shadow god, the god of chaos. Those that serve the shadow god seek to tip the balance of the world into darkness, bringing about strife and war. They work in secret and it is not unusual to have learned that there was a follower of the shadow god behind most of the wars and divisions in history.

This world is not one where gods walk among humans. Their ‘creation’ story is that the gods found the world. They gave the world power, granted its creatures sentience, gave humans speech and bestowed magic on a chosen few. Humans serve gods and it is hoped that in service and prayers the gods will smile on them and make life easier for them.

‘Priest’ and ‘Priestess’ are words reserved for magic users. Specifically those trained by the Temple though those who are trained elsewhere may use those titles if they are dedicating themselves to the gods. There are of course religious leaders who are not blessed with magic. Those that teach and have a role in their community. They are called ‘Bard’s’.

People pray at alters, traditionally left open to the sky though in some of the colder regions they have walls to protect worshippers from the elements. Bigger cities may have a temple where you can find alters to all five of the Bright Gods. Prayers are ritualistic and passed down through generations. Community and family is considered important and cherished among all and there is a theme that the Bright Gods work together to hold off the dark and so too should the humans who worship them.

Festivals and holy days are connected to the seasons with the largest two being midsummer and midwinter. Midsummer is day of celebration and midwinter is a day of remembrance and hope. A vigil in the dark until the sun rises once more.

For those who worship the Shadow God worship is in secret. Many will give ‘false’ worship to the Bright Gods out of necessity. Alters tend to be inside, in the dark, in caves. Places hidden from the light. Teachings focus on the importance of tipping the balance, sewing distrust into communities and stopping at nothing to reach their goal. Those dedicated to the shadow pledge their souls to the shadow god, shackling their fate to that of their god.

There is a belief in reincarnation, the idea that souls are reborn in the light (or dark) to continue the fight, even if souls do not remember anything of their time before the gods do. Those who are particularly lucky or successful are considered to have done something great in their past lives and now have the blessings of the gods. Bodies of the dead are burned to release their souls as quickly as possible, their ashes released at an alter. Failure to do so within a few days of death dooms the soul to end it’s reincarnation cycle and be trapped between life and death.

Any old storyteller in Little One’s world will have at least one scary story of a lost soul, a soul who could not escape their worldly body fast enough and was doomed to wander the world forever, wreaking misfortune, leading travellers astray, snatching children from their cradles to keep them company in their eternal torment. Temple Warriors do not believe such foolish folk tales of course.

Those of the temple vow to take up arms and defend their god, making a sacred oath when they leave the ranks of learners to be a Priest or Priestess. The Temple teaches all five gods though priests and priestess’ will usually have picked a path by the time they are an acolyte. Warriors usually dedicate themselves to the god of their priest, vowing to protect and serve both with their lives.

Personal History:

As often is the case Little One’s story does not start with her. Instead it starts with a woman named Elena. A shadow serving priestess of great power Elena had quickly risen through the ranks, both at the temple and the shadow cell there.

She, like most who served the shadow god had been brought up by light god followers. In general it is assumed that everyone in the world is born good, if they grow up in a good family with strong values they will remain good and work for benefit of others. There were exceptions of course but as a rule the way shadow cells worked was to pull those on the edges of society, those that had lost everything, those searching for something more, those whose greed led them to the search for higher power.

They were found by those who served the shadow god and drawn to their side, with promises of greatness. But as they found anyone drawn away from the light, could be coaxed back. The powers of good were so much greater than the evil after all. Those that sought power often were not those that worked well with others.

So she wondered, if a child was brought up in darkness, serving the shadow from the beginning, loyal to their cause, not having to be constantly promised greatness. If such a child could be raised would they stay loyal?

The idea was interesting enough that she was permitted to experiment and so sent her Warrior, Kant to father a child, he returned with two. Identical twin girls.

Child rearing was not something Elena was at all interested in and so she handed the girls over to a shadow cell in the city of Gauig, chosen for it’s sprawling nature, the ever changing population and the lack of citizens prepared to ask difficult questions. Their instructions were simple, raise them to follow the shadow god, feed them, clothe them, give them the skills they needed.

So Little One's life began. When she was ready to go out to the world she had to be untraceable. Humans are humans and make mistakes and mistakes were costly when made by a shadow servant. Nameless children weren’t all that uncommon in Gauig, thief gang children abounded and many went by nicknames if anything at all.

From an early age the girls lived double lives. In the daytime their mornings and evenings were taken up serving customers in the inn, scrubbing dishes, doing whatever jobs were given to them. It would have been easy work if the tavern had been a friendly clean place. However the Apple's Heart in Gauig was the sort of place light fearing men avoided. The inside was a dank dark place, with shadowy corners where drunken men gambled their lives away, where thieves met and plotted.

The afternoons were the girls time to do what they wished, the inn was quiet, before people arrived for the evening, and the keepers would rather the girls were out from under foot. So in the afternoons the girls played in the city, joining the street children and thieves. They were soon prized among the children as the two girls proved to be good thieves, quick and good at hiding. Such activities were permitted and encouraged by their guardians, after all they were useful skills.

Though they ran with the street children they never really were part of them. Taught from an early age to trust nobody and having many secrets to keep both children were quiet, task focused and had an air of superiority. Perhaps if they were only one of them they would have integrated more but they had each other for company and found little use in anyone else.

Once the inn began to quiet, in the early hours of the morning the children were woken from their sleep for their lessons; some lessons were the same as any other children of traders and innkeepers. Reading, writing, how to count and reason. Others not so common; how to walk silently, move in shadows, how to fight and how to kill.

When the girls were deemed old enough to understand they made their pledge to the shadow god, becoming servants of the shadow officially. They knew it was something to be kept secret and rarely even spoke about it among themselves. They knew that those of the light would kill them just for who they served. That one wrong word to the wrong person could cause endless trouble. As they grew Elena and Kant were regular visitors and added to their training as they got older. By the time the girls were eleven they were sent on their first missions.

Little One found the tasks given to her exciting, each one a little bit more risky, the fear of being caught igniting the adrenaline inside her. She didn't mind killing, after all it got her praise. She knew she was serving the shadow god and above all it was fun. She had spent her life learning how to and it was good to put those skills to good use.

Her sister though did not take to such things as well. She had always felt things deeply and one day things seemed to have changed. She had been on a mission and Little One wasn't sure if her sister had met someone who had put ideas in her head or if she had come to the conclusion herself but one night Little One walked in on her crying in the small room they shared. She confessed that she thought the shadow god was wrong and made Little One promise to never tell a soul.

Little One was horrified, she knew she should report this. It was disobedience and blasphemy but it was her sister, her best friend, someone she would do anything for. She promised to never tell a soul but her promise never even had to be tested for a few days later she was summoned by Tawin; one of the innkeepers.

She never learned fully what happened but her sister had failed. Been deemed a failure and a danger to them all. Their guardians; worried that the taint had spread they ordered Little One to kill her sister to prove her loyalty to the shadow god.

Of course Little One did so; she loved her sister more than she loved anything but obedience had been drilled into her and if her sister was truly a danger... She didn't expect the sadness though; unlike the satisfaction that usually came when she completed a mission she was hit with loss and grief.

Left to her own devices for a few days but barred from leaving the inn Little One worried, had they decided she was to be killed as well? Did they not want her any more? When she was finally summoned it was Elena she faced. The priestess informed her that she was being sent to a far off temple; a place where she would train to be a warrior like Kant. To serve a magic user when she became strong enough. There was a large faction of shadow servants there and they would continue Little One's training. In a rare moment of empathy Elena instructed her to speak with Kant, who took it upon himself to make her warm milk and honey and answered some of her questions. It is just after that talk that she is taken from.

Personality:

The most important thing to know about Little One is that she is knows how important it is to be what people expect you to be. She is good at wearing different masks, even if she doesn't really understand that is what she is doing. She knows that her guardians expect her to be well behaved, obedient and polite and what behaviour will earn her praise (and honeycakes). She knows she gets more respect from the street thief children she runs with if she is fearless, reckless and care free. Outside of her immediate household she is seen as a half wild urchin child, typical for one brought up by unsavoury innkeepers.

She works hard at everything she is given to do, be it washing dishes or assisting in the assassination of a minor noble of the city. When she is on missions she is silent, stealthy. She is well trained and knows how to kill and kill efficiently. Though she has only started to go on solo missions and still has a lot of briefing before hand she hasn't got anywhere close to being caught.

Little One is good at hiding what she is feeling. She speaks in the thick accent/dialect of her city which gets thicker if she is angry. She is very good at dismissing any questions about herself, her sister or their home life. She uses her smaller than average size and her young age to her advantage, as people don't suspect her.

Underneath all her masks lies her true personality and truthfully it is a mix of all the facets she shows to others.

Her soul is pledged to the shadow god, the god of chaos and it is a vow she takes very seriously. She attempts to spread chaos and darkness with everything she does be it is a mission or robbing a market stall holder.

She genuinely enjoys her reputation among the petty thieves of her city. Though she would never call them friends she does not begrudge their company as long as they give her the respect she feels she deserves, respect she is willing to fight for.

She is a cheeky, sometimes angry child who would never dare back chat her guardians but is less likely to hold her tongue around adults that she does not respect or fear. Adults in general tend to be either fools (good for thieving off) or risks (to be avoided and mitigated). Her trust is hard to win but her obedience can be bought for the right price (spoiler the price is anything sweet).

In many ways Little One seems a lot older than her age. She is hardened by her upbringing, able to do things most children and indeed many adults would baulk at. Indeed she counts herself as more mature than the other children she sees in her city. In other ways she is incredibly young, many typical child-like things have been denied her, her understanding of interpersonal relationships is very low, she struggles to problem solve if the answer isn't 'obey it' or 'stab it'. She works well with clear instructions and orders but struggles when she has to make choices or decisions alone. Things that don't fit her very narrow world view are often dismissed as 'stupid' and not worth knowing about. The world is met with a wary nose wrinkle and quick judgement.

She is, for perhaps the first time, dealing with the real consequences of what she does. She does not have the words, feelings or energy to deal with the fact her sister is gone. She genuinely loved her sister. Out of all of Little One's relationships this one is probably the closest to 'real' that she had. One that is not fuelled by fear or trained obedience. Her sister was her best friend, her rival sometimes but her enemy never. The one person she could count on as an ally even if the rest of the world was against them.

That she is dead by Little One's own hand is something Little One has not even began to process yet. Little One was obedient, did her duty to the shadow god. Those are things that are meant to bring her praise and reward, not pain and sorrow. If she were to continue in her story she would never speak of it, never forgetting but never actually dealing with what she had done. She has been taught that showing fear or pain is weakness and weakness is not something she can afford, she will hide most of what she feels.

Because shadow agents aren't taught healthy coping mechanics. Little One can enter a meditative state called the emptiness. This is normal in her world, and there is nothing magical about it. It is merely a mindset where you close yourself off from the world, helping you to fight, bare pain or think clearly. The way you reach it differs between people and says a lot about their personality. For this girl she imagines a storm sucking everything into it and devouring it all. All the bad, the good, everything around her; every part of her life before it finally devours itself leaving her in calmness. It is used by Warriors primarily during battle. Little One retreats into it whenever she feels threatened, whenever her world view is questioned, whenever who she is hurts.

The girl is quite well educated. She has had lessons in history, in the monsters of the world, in politics of major cities and geography but it is very disconnected from the life she knows. She has never left her city, she has little practical knowledge of the world outside her immediate neighbourhood.

She is proud of her learning. She is quick to dismiss anything she doesn't understand as stupid and not worth knowing about. This can make her come across as a little brat sometimes, and if you get that impression from her then you aren't completely wrong.

Key themes:

‘Good’ vs ‘Evil’ and what it means to be the extreme of either. Duty and loyalty to a cause vs love and personal loyalty. What it means when your ‘purpose’ is dictated from birth.

Main Motivation:

Her biggest motivation is being obedient to the shadow god and to her guardians. This has proven greater than even the love she felt towards her sister.

Skills:

~ Like everyone in her world she has “innate power”. She does not however have any ability to channel that power into magic and so it lies dormant unless drawn from her by a priest or priestess of her world.

~ She is trained in stealth, indirect killing and torture.

~ She is not great in a fair fight, she can street brawl with the best of them but she would be no match for an adult or older, stronger kid with a weapon. She will have a decent chance against someone her own age or someone who is unused to fighting.

~ She is as decently strong as any eleven year old girl who spends a lot of time scrambling around on rooftops. She is a good climber and is used to running around, often on very little sleep.

~ She's moderately intelligent, well educated (though she comes from an equivalent of about the 15th century tech level wise)

~ She's a decent spy, she can at least memorize details and report back to someone even if she hasn't quite got to the stage of connecting the dots (though if it is in a context she is used to she can usually work things out as well).

~ The emptiness is not magical but it is a meditative state. When she enters it her reaction time is faster, her mind clearer, and pain/emotional stress don't reach her. However she is young and the skill is new. She cannot keep it up for long and will lose it if in a lot of pain, or if she gets too angry.

Item:

A stiletto blade, given to her from Kant on her last birthday.

Sample:

Being a brat | more things | Causing trouble | much trouble

Notes:

This is obviously mod!katy. As I am solo-modding the game I have asked Elle (

evildoers) to look over and judge this application.