cursebound. (Earinor & Akira)

marquis · 27. Dezember 2022, 22:39

genres: drama, acquaintances to lovers, more drama.
killing people is unethical, anti-hero turned taxpayer, pain, assassin x priest.
sequelitis #103

The Land Without A Name, avoided by many, shrouded in mystery, occupies the East of Gaia's Sea. Many have tried and failed to reach the forbidden land with its high, impassable cliffs and lush greens, its fragrant trees that carry with them songs and speak of people long gone. From afar, one sees its variety of untouchable island, soaring in the sky, detached from the rest of the earthen land, scraping the clouds and carrying with them an air of mysticism. Long gone are the days of adrestian adventurers, hellbent on anchoring at one of their near invisible ports and reclaiming the barren, savage land. In all those years since its discovery, not one stray soul has made it back from the Nameless Land in one piece, to tell the tall tale that would crush any and all superstitions about its cursed soil. Not one of them returns, and even if they do, they are no longer sound of mind and soul, plagued by whatever curse the wayward wind has attached to them and their failing shell - they are bound to wither, to crumble to dust, to be nevermore as soon as they leave behind their penultimate destination - their last adventure. Those who still push through, who dare come home, disappear into the shadows; become an example for young, forlorn adventurers who have ample life ahead of them. The East is no fun place to be, for it never was, plagued by the misdeeds of their ancestors who dared to step foot on sacred lands, or so the myths foretell.

In reality, Houkun is far removed from the mystic death trap that many outsiders make it out to be. It is governed by the Shogunates, by powerful witches and witchers, by those infused with the breath of dragons, their royal blood pulsating in their rotten veins - they are but immortal vessels for a greater cause, focused on nothing but their own wellbeing, and known to butt heads with any and all around them. None of the splendor in old, childish scriptures remains if one were to look past the colorful camouflage and find reason within the divided, yet secretive land. The commonfolk, dictated by mages which sit above them on the evolutionary chain, live their lives in relative freedom, hardly bound by the honor one would assume they crave - not all of them can, or will do as they should and many of them lose interest in the mundane lifestyle they could be leading, as soon as coin is being offered. And yet, none of them dare leave their homeland, lest the Shoguns will send someone after them to strike them down; to keep their secrets for themselves and to lock unwanted outsiders away - they have their own way of dealing with things and, for better or for worse, are assisted by their power. Genji is one of the less fortunate souls, one of the people lucky enough to experience what it means to be "blessed" by magic, to be cursed by it, as soon as he stops abiding his man-given rules. He is but one of many, and yet, he is made an example of, made to suffer, at the whims of those above him - the ones that had initially hired him all their life, to dispose of their enemies, their allies, their friends, their families; an assassin, one that has had enough of a thousand years of bloodshed committed in someones name. And thus, he refuses to kill - and therefore, he's struck by a curse, one that is bound to keep him suffering for a thousand more.

@Earinor

character sheet

Earinor · 28. Dezember 2022, 00:16

52b456489c2cb834159ce88c935d6558.jpgName: Genji 'Noroichi'

Age: ???

Personality: Genji has always been a calm person, someone who also cherished his time alone and didn't trust lightly. When growing up, no one gave him reason to trust them, when he grew older that still was the case. He was trained as an assassin from a young age forward as he was found by a witcher on the streets. There had never been room for friends, there was no family around and his master didn't think kindness was a good quality. Even so, Genji never complained. He'd been good at what he did and he even learned some magic. Being able to slip into the dark came in handy and if a tool like him died or transformed because he used too much of it, his master would simply get a new one. But he died first. Genji had been neither happy nor sad - he felt nothing. He continued on his own, his skill started to be talked of, while no one knew who he really was. There were people buying his services that had a lot of money, leading him into a more luxurious life, full of rich nobles. Maybe he stepped forward a bit, enjoyed his life even, but those times were long over and abruptly ended.

Killing never bothered him and when he was about to finish off a target he doesn't even remember much of nowadays, a curse was uttered. A curse dark and old, one that should have been forgotten, buried even. It hit him without him noticing for another couple of years. Only when he stepped back many corpses later and realized that killing wasn't something he wanted to do anymore, he noticed the brewing changes, that had lingered but had been satisfied for all those years. There was an urge, a hunger, a little voice in his head, thirsting for blood. He must have gone crazy - he thought - but no. He noticed changes on his body and the fact that he didn't age one bit since a few years back, only now struck him as odd. Something was wrong with him, something wanted blood, when he himself wanted none of it anymore.

0eb740f87fc5123715450150e3d731a0.jpg
Ignoring it didn't work.
Accepting it was out of question.
It became a struggle.
A fight
Was death an option?
No, because the nightmares started.

Dreams of corpses started to occur. Dreams so vivid, Genji had troubles calling them as such. All those he killed cralwed back from the underworld, flooding the world. The feeling of fear was instilled in his heart for the first time in his life and he knew in his heart that those weren't dreams. It was a prophecy of what was about to come if he were to die. He mustn't die and so he lives, trying to fend off the curse that grows stronger with every person Genji strikes down.

Trivia:
- Genji doesn't age, but he is not immortal. He can be killed like any other human.
- Genji doesn't remember how old he is and he doesn't remember much of his past.
- There is a legend, some form of folklore about a demon the people dubbed Noroichi, coming at night to rip unsuspecting people out of their lives. Supposedly he is feeding from his victims blood. This demon is Genji, though the stories aren't quite correct.

Looks:

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marquis · 28. Dezember 2022, 00:57

Name: Mikuni-no-Homare, (Mi)kuni for short.

Age: 28 years old.

Personality: Holy as can be, loyal to a fault - the goddess' favorite priest, if one were to ask. Mikuni is nothing but a frail leaf, whisked away by thousands of currents, unable to find an eternal resting place for himself - he's excitable and adventurous, daring attributes for a man of god, and no doubt misguiding. There are those who forgive and those who have to beg for forgiveness - Mikuni belongs to the latter, to the weak souls that were made to be shaped and formed by others, and yet, he is tired of having lived his life in a way that does not align with his own morals, his own values - his spirit seeks freedom, to be scattered to the winds, to be freed of its shackles, but it chassis remains in place, like a steadfast rock, a shoulder to lean on for those who need it, all the while they chip away at everything that rests below the surface. A quick smile is all there is - Mikuni is, no doubt, a puzzling challenger, one lacking the proper expertise, the streetsmarts one might say, while being equipped with plenty of booksmarts - there's pride to be had in the little things, far removed from ones proper origin, and even a lone soul, a lost fish swimming against the current of its school, is enough to whip up a storm. Never one to raise his voice, to stand out, to call for help, and yet, he sticks out like a sore thumb, ridiculed by his peers and idols alike, but favored by an unknown being, far above the clouds. One should be honored, overjoyed - demand a seat among the hierophants, the sages, the big names of the Shogunate, and yet, Mikuni doesn't mind seeing himself at the short end of the stick, as long as one allows him to pray to the Goddess who's name shall not be spoken of. If one were to catch his interest, which 'Outsiders' or rather, non-residents of the Lunar Temple usually do, they'd however find out, that the Goddess' favorite isn't some stuck up, forlorn little lamb that the others tend to paint him as repeatedly. Who would care for a black sheep in a flock of white ones when all the black sheep does is to obey the words of those who don't know any better? And yet, there's no anger within his feeble voice.

Trivia:
- Receiving his Goddess' favor is, if anything, nothing that Mikuni was holding out for. He's therefore not exactly keen on sharing the news with anyone.
- Born with a blind right eye, he always makes sure to cover that useless thing up, for no reason in particular, other than that it might not be a sight for sore eyes.
- While not hated entirely by every priest of his congegration, he rather spends his days praying in seclusion than sharing witty banter with 'enthusiastic' colleagues.
- Rather fond of old trinkets, many of which he might as well liken to his declining hometown.
- Mortal son of mortal farmers, handed over to the Goddess at age ten. He hasn't seen them since.
- Lover of birds, denier of bloodshed.

looks

marquis · 9. Juli 2023, 10:38

Name: Otoha-no-Homare; "Otoha", "The Goddess Of Glory"

Age: Unknown, but her physical appearance - if she'd still have one - would be that of someone in their mid 20s or early 30s.

Personality: Little is known about her at this point - if she chooses to interact with someone, it's almost always voluntarily and the fact that a goddess could be a sweettalker is a well-known one. Whatever Otoha wants, she gets, even if she has to lie to others or at the very least deceive them. It isn't any of her business, she tells herself, whenever she forces herself to listen to others complaints, however, she also knows that - in the end - she wants to know everything about everyone. Having Mikunis fine hearing doesn't help, she knows as much, but she also uses it to her advantage, much like the restless spirit she tends to be in many more than one situation. Any way out of her own predicament is a way down into the next - she has seen too much, experienced too much and is too afraid of losing it all again. There's no way in hell Otoha would willingly succumb to someones stupidity and if she has to kick her rather murderous and savage side, from ages past, back into gear, she doesn't hesitate. Happiness isn't something that comes by all that easily, but she will carve it out herself if she has to. There never was anything she truly was afraid of - and there never will be again, for as long as she lives her endless, agonizing life to the fullest.

Living itself is the source of sin.

Trivia:
- Otoha was born ages ago and has, almost mysteriously, ascended to godhood. Why and how, almost nobody knows, but she has a plethora of priests and more than one order of paladins following her cause, whatever that might be.
- As her vessel is cherry-picked by the most beloved bishops and hierophants of her cause, some families raise children specifically to inherit the "eye of the goddess" - many have failed, and often enough, Otoha will avoid taking those as her vessels, even though they have little personality of their own she would have to combat.
- While immortal, her connection to the physical world - an eye - can easily be destroyed and seal her to the realm of the gods forever. Something that she partially desires, yet, takes no part in herself.
- While all records of it are but long gone, Otoha had a stint with a certain someone in her formerly human life; she still sees Genji as her beloved, but not her one and only; something she wouldn't dare tell him, though.

looks