Keya

[Sawses 58]

Out-Of-Character:

Minecraft Account Name:Sawses

Did you attend minecon and sign up at the LOTC booth?:Nope.

How old are you?:16

Time-Zone/Country of Residence:EST, USA

Do you have a good grip on the English language/good grammar?:Indeed. Many people call me a grammar nazi. xD

Small 2-3 Sentence Description of yourself:Hmm..I...Am...Awesome! Nah, just kidding..Maybe...

Seriously, though, I'm just your average 16-year-old guy. I like reading and writing, I enjoy roleplay, I tinker with computers a bit and know a little Java. Oh, and I'm a gamer. :P

How much time could you be on the server weekly?:It would vary greatly. This week, I'd say an hour a day, but that's only due to exams. After that, anywhere near 4-6 a day.

What do you know about Roleplaying? Give a definition of what it means to you.: Roleplaying is, in essence, the art of creating a unique, lifelike character and living out their lives in the way that would be most true to their persona. The main thing to avoid is any of your personality leaking through to the character, and the main goal is to eventually feel your character and understand that you truly did create a complex person, not just a fake mask.

In your own Words, describe what Metagaming and Powergaming are.Meta-gaming is the act of knowing something IC that you only know about OOC. This goes along with the rule of separation of IC and OOC. Power-gaming is the act of forcing an IC action on another person, or pressuring them OOCly to make a certain choice or act a certain way.

What do you expect this server will be like?:I've no idea, really. I like going into a server with no pre-conceptions. I'm more of an elitist RPer, so I'm expecting a few people who simply can't understand what roleplaying is all about. That's really the only thing I can think of.

What other server(s) have you played on and why did you leave them?:I think I had about four of them, in this order:

The Lands of Navia: This is where I learned to RP. I was a moderator on the server for a good bit of its life, though I resigned and quit when I realized the staff up top was becoming corrupt. It was really an excellent server, save for the community.

MesaliaRP: Again, great server. I still play on it to this day. The community and staff is absolutely wonderful. In fact, it's my standard for what I believe an RP server should be.

Terra Renatus: This is a server that I wrote the (long!) lore for. It really was great, but the head admin and server host had issues in real life, since he couldn't use his computer much during the school year.

The Legends of Italus: I founded this server and everything, though I had to close it down a few weeks later due to IRL problems with my PC. By the time my PC was back up, the community had disbanded.

Have you read, understood, and agreed to the rules?:Indeed.

How did you hear about us?:From a friend.

Have you voted for the Lord of the Craft on Minestatus? Which vote number were you? Yup. 1,273, I think. :P I did have difficulty, so it may be off by one or two.

What is your The Lord Of Craft forum account name?:Sawses

In-Character:

Character Name: Keya

What is your Race?: Elf

Biography:

For most of her life, Keya had never known freedom. She had been born to a small group of high elves in their forest village, near Serpent Ridge. At around the age of six, Keya's home was razed by the undead. Fortunately, she managed to escape unnoticed, through sheer luck. After days of wandering and growing close to starvation, she managed to find a small manor with a moderately rich human lord. After begging entrance, she managed to gain a place as a common kitchen girl. It was days later that she realized she had traveled all the way to the outer fringe of the Kingdom of Renatus.

As a house servant, she would have had a few luxuries that farm workers never got, but the cruelty of the lord of the manor, along with her skill with the harp, robbed her of most of those. When she was eight years old, Keya began playing with a crude harp she found in storage as she was exploring the manor. During the hour or so the workers got for their lunch and dinner, Keya practiced the harp, teaching herself the chords and techniques one must know in order to become a proficient player. By the time she was ten, she was quite skilled, despite having had no teacher and little time to practice, though she was far from a master.

Over time, her love of this instrument drew her lord's attention. He, having heard her play her music one day by chance, ordered her to be brought to his bedchambers, to play the harp for him every night, so he might be able to sleep more easily. For a while, this decision seemed as though it might make Keya's life easier, but alas, it was not to be.

Keya's lord had a beautiful harp made for her, intricately wrought and well-tuned. Keya was delighted with this new instrument, naturally, but the master did not have her happiness in mind, he simply wanted to make sure there was nothing ugly in his household. She was ordered to play her harp for him all night until he fell asleep, and for the first few months, he fell asleep almost immediately when she began playing. Eventually, however, his sleep became troubled. She often had to play for hours at a time before he fell asleep, and had to continue playing through the night, for fear that he would wake and beat her for allowing him to wake up. Her master would often beat her within an inch of her life, if he could not sleep at all during the night.

Unfortunately, Keya had a normal slave's duties during the day, and that, combined with being forced to stay up all night to play for her master, made her weak and tired. She was often caught fainting during her work, and was beaten frequently for it. Keya's normal, optimistic and cheerful self was replaced with a reserved, quiet exterior. For years, she had been able to find happiness, even as a slave, but this extensive abuse was robbing her of both her joy and her health. She could not even run, as she had nowhere to go. What else could an elven girl of her age do, in this odd territory?

One night, as Keya was playing for her lord, who was sleeping rather soundly, compared to his usually troubled sleep, now, she heard a rustling sound in the dark recesses of the room. Her playing faltered for a moment, surprised by the sound, and then quickly resumed her music. Not quickly enough. Her master, awoken by the sudden change in the music, sat up in bed, and stared at her, his dark form menacing. Wordlessly, he stood, and walked towards her. Keya knew what would happen next. She had displeased her lord, and he would beat her until she was too weak to even scream in pain.

As his hand rose in a fist to strike the first blow, a whirring sound drifted to her ears, and then a sudden thunking sound, as an arrow pierced the foul man's forehead. He dropped immediately. Just as Keya was about to cry out in fear, a thud resounded through the room, and a hand clamped Keya's mouth closed.

"Be silent or die," A man's voice whispered in her ear. She nodded, trying to let him know she would not cry out. He let his hand fall away from her mouth, but he gripped her arm tightly.

The man sighed loudly, and said, "You know, I really should kill you, but..."

At the words, Keya tensed. Despite the troubles in her life, she did not want to die. Luckily for her, the man, Ambrose by name, as she would soon learn, was not an evil man.

"But, I can't. It's not your fault you were here to see this. Come with me," He said, "I'll keep you safe. No one will beat you anymore." Hearing the sincerity in his voice, she nodded, and followed him quietly through the empty corridors of her former master's home. Eventually, walking along the dirt paths towards one of the larger towns, they began to talk.

Keya and Ambrose spoke about many things on their way, from Keya's life as a slave to Ambrose's profession. Ambrose, it turned out, was an assassin, or "hunter," as he called himself. He killed people that others wanted dead.

"So, Keya," Ambrose said thoughtfully, "What are you good at? You may as well earn your keep."

"Nothing, really, sir," Keya replied, fearful that Ambrose would kill her if she wasn't useful.

"Come now, there must be something you're good at. You were a slave. Can you cook, clean, any of that sort of thing?"

"Yes, sir.. And I know how to help hurt people get better, sir," Keya replied, feeling more hopeful that she might actually get a home where she would not be beaten regularly.

"How to make hurt people better? Oh, you mean you can treat wounds," He said, smiling at the pleasant surprise.

"Yes, sir," She replied, still nervous, waiting for his decision.

He chuckles, "Well, that alone is would at least make you worth the trouble of keeping around," He says playfully, "And please don't call me "sir." I'm Ambrose. Where did you learn to treat wounds?"

"A...friend helped me learn. She always helped me after I got beaten," Keya replied.

Ambrose nodded, "All right then, missy, well, we'll be at the town soon, and I think you'll be good company," He smiled at her, and continued walking.

Upon arriving at the town, Ambrose led her directly to the slums. There, where the filthy beggers asked for alms, and dirty street children loitered, seeking a purse to cut, Keya was introduced to her new life. Ambrose led her down a small, empty side alley, and bent down to tug at a grate in the wall. It came loose silently, and swung upwards. "This way, Missy," Ambrose gestured for her to follow as he bent down and crawled inside.

After a short crawl through thin, yet clean, sewage pipes, the pair emerged into a small, three room apartment. The apartments were not spacious or gaudy, but they were service-able, and much more than a slave would ever dare hope to live in. Keya followed Ambrose to the set of three chairs in front of a cold fireplace, and sat down at his gesture.

Another man walked into the room from one of the side doors, and Ambrose smiled thinly in greeting, "Hello, Allen."

"Greetings, Ambrose. Did you complete your task? And..Who is this?" He nodded at Keya.

Smiling, Ambrose answered, "My new friend, Keya. She saw me kill the target, so I had to either kill her or take her with me."

"Hmm...I see. Very well. Now, then, did anyone else see you at any point on the estate?"

"No. I was not seen by anyone but Keya," Ambrose replied.

"Good. I have a proposition for you, then. If we work together, I could collect your contracts, and, for a small fee, offer them to you, so you will be able to earn more money," Allen said, an oily smile on his face.

"Why should I take your offer, Allen? What can I gain from helping you get rich, eh?" He asked with a hint of disdain.

"Well, if you're going to be taking care of that girl, you'll need more money, and I have... Contacts. I can get you contracts that will double the gold you make," Allen smiled as he spoke, radiating self-confidence.

After a few moments of thought, Ambrose nodded, "All right, then. I accept."

"What shall we do with the girl, then? It would be a waste of resources to put up with her if she can't do anything," Allen said, not even glancing at Keya.

"She can be helpful, Allen, but even if she couldn't, she would stay," Ambrose replied firmly, and then, with a kind smile towards Keya, he said, "Missy, you should rest. From what I've heard about your life, you could use it. From now on, you'll be working with me, I guess. Don't worry, I won't be cruel, like that monster of a man."

For the next year or so, Keya, Ambrose, and Allen moved from place to place, staying only long enough to complete a contract before receiving another and leaving for the new destination. They stayed in many kinds of places, from luxurious apartments to small holes carved out into hillsides. Regardless of where they were, they had a routine. Always, Keya would keep the dwelling clean, prepare the food, and take care of matters in their home, while Ambrose would find the right way to complete his contract. He always came back with enough money to sustain them, though Keya tried her best to forget how he got his money. Even if his profession saved her from a horrible life, she didn't have to like it.

Allen, however, was another matter. He rarely even acknowledged Keya's existence, occasionally ordering her around, but he never beat her, thankfully. He went with Ambrose to meet those offering contracts, occasionally, but rarely did anything in their dwellings, the two usually leaving most of the housework to Keya. She often felt like she was Allen's servant, but tried her best to never let him know the way she felt, since she believed he would abuse that sort of control over her.

Despite the wandering from place to place and the questionable morality of the way Ambrose gained money, they were happy. Keya grew to regard Ambrose as an older brother, and he her as a younger sister. She treated his wounds when his attempts to complete his contract did not go entirely the way he had planned them, and kept him from pushing himself too hard in pursuit of a target, while he provided her with the money they needed to survive and protection from the various low-lifes who might try to harm her.

After some time, Ambrose received a contract he simply could not refuse, despite the danger. If he succeeded and returned alive, the trio could live comfortably for the rest of their days. They had to kill a rich man who had gone to another land over the sea. Unfortunately, finding him would be very difficult, but Ambrose was sure he could track the man, given enough time. After packing their belongings - Mainly money and weaponry for Ambrose, and Keya's harp, her most treasured possession - the pair boarded a boat of refugees and set off for their new lives.

Act Two

After arriving in the new land, they came upon a small town called Nympha. They originally planned for it to be a quick stop to 'catch their breath,' so to speak, from the long voyage. Especially for Keya, as she was seasick for most of the voyage. Having found no trace of Ambrose's quarry, though, they decided to rest a while longer, hoping for clues to turn up. After a few years of this, they began to settle down. Ambrose no longer needed the money, as he had inherited a large sum from a man he had befriended.

The only true downside to this way of life was that Keya grew accustomed to human ways, as the majority of people in the area were human. She spoke, acted, and thought as a human did, and thus wasn't prone to some of the failings many High Elves were, though she lacked much of the education that High Elves got, so it really balanced out. She only gained a minimal amount of training in the art of healing, gained from a wise doctor, who taught her basic herbalism and healing techniques.

Unlike her mind, her body developed very elven characteristics, aside from her ears. She had the long, blonde hair, fair skin, and blue eyes of her ancestors, along with the height and slender figure. She developed into quite a pretty girl. There were very few children in the area, and no other High Elves, so she never really had many close companions, aside from Ambrose.

As for romance, Ambrose had told her of the expectation of all High Elves to marry others of their kin, so she knew that she must keep herself from becoming besotted by a member of another race.

Keya had a great many adventures in this town, had made more of herself, becoming much less shy and more able to control her emotional state, though she was still rather reserved and quiet around strangers. Around Ambrose and others she was familiar with, she was cheerful, outgoing, and sometimes silly. She never picked up the bearing and formal speech of most High Elves, due to her upbringing around humans.

As with the other good in her life, this, too would soon end. At the age of sixteen, the Undead attacked the little town of Nympha, looting and raiding. Though the townspeople fought them off in the end, Jenn, the one Ambrose wished to marry, was taken. Seeking after her, or at least seeking to avenge her, Ambrose set off for home, Keya following, as was her custom. She knew Jenn was likely dead, though she had not the heart to help confirm Ambrose's fears.

Your characters ambitions: She really has only a few ambitions. She wants to use what little healing knowledge she has to keep people from coming to harm, especially Ambrose, her savior. Other than that, she wants to just find joy in life, really.

Out in the Wilds, your character comes across a small cottage. Outside, there appears to be an elf struggling combat with two bandits. What does your character do?((Hmm..A scene...Very well!))

Keya was walking through the forest near the secluded home she shared with Ambrose, gathering various herbs for medicinal and culinary purposes, when she heard the clang of steel on steel. Looking about quickly, she assured herself that she was not the target, and soon located the direction the noise was coming from.

The girl got down on the ground, pressing her knees and elbows into the loamy soil, soiling her dress, as it had rained the night before. Crawling slowly forward through the underbrush, the sounds of battle grew louder, and she pressed on as quickly as she could without being heard. She had never been skillful at the arts of stealth or tracking, as Ambrose was. He always joked of how she made a "poor excuse for an elf."

After two or three minutes of slow crawling, she came upon a clearing with a small home in the center, and in front of it, at the door, two human bandits were mauling an unarmed elf to bloody pieces, one with a sword, the other with a hammer. Though she desperately wanted to help her poor brother elf, she knew that, if she tried to do anything, now, she would be beaten as horribly as he was.

Quietly, Keya waited for the two monstrous men to leave. It seemed to take an eternity, with every moment of it filled with gruesome, heart-wrenching abuse to the helpless victim. Keya wanted to scream, seeing it. She knew that, even if she could bring herself to harm the pair, she'd be unable to do much, so she waited. Waited. And waited.

Finally, the pair left the bloodied pulp of a man behind, ransacking his home for any valuables. She could hear them fighting over some bauble inside. Monsters, she thought, horrified. How could anyone do this, just for a few trinkets? She could see the man struggle weakly, trying to breath, and at the same time escape, so the bandits would not think to smash his head in or slit his throat on their way out. Keya had to act. Now.

As quietly and cautiously as she could, Keya crept to the mangled man. Fortunately, the bandits were still cursing and shouting inside, about something they could not find, so she had no difficulty approaching quietly. The man looked up at her, his green eyes pleading. She nodded, smiling a sickly sweet smile, the best she could muster while seeing such carnage, and grasped his shoulders, noting that both his collarbones were crushed. The man would likely not survive, but Keya had to try.

At her touch, the man let out a loud, rattling moan of pain, as though his soul was being seared in hellfire. Keya lept back, tripping over the hem of her long dress and landing with a thud on her rear. Cursing her luck, she scrambled to her feet and began to flee, knowing the two bandits would soon be upon her.

Right on time, she heard cursing in the distance, directed at her. All it did was spur her on. She was running faster than she ever had before, her legs feeling more like machines than living parts of her body, aside from the horrible pain such exertion caused her. At that moment, she somehow managed to think about how she really should have done more physical labor, as opposed to just cleaning her home and tending her garden. Maybe then, she could have outrun the beasts.

As she finished that thought, the full realization hit her. She could hear them behind her, their feet on the leaves, the rustle of the chain mail armor they wore. She knew that she would lose this race, and that she would be beaten and left to die, just as the man she tried to save had been. Just then, something hit the back of her skull, and all went dark.

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As she opened her eyes, Keya realized two things; she was bound, and she had a horrible headache. After regaining part of her senses, she tried to sit up, and soon realized a third thing: she was bound.

" 'ey! She's 'wake, Jeb!" She heard a gruff, uneducated voice say.

"Good, then! Let's see if she's all right," A second voice said from the other side of her, this one a cultured, aristocratic voice. Nothing like the appearance of either of the bandits. She felt a foot prod into her side, and she squeezed her eyes closed as a lance of pain shot through her ribs. She must have fallen hard when she was hit.

"Yew 'kay, girl?" The gruff one asked, "I didn' hit ye' that hard..." He said sulkily, sounding almost like a child who had been with-held from his favorite game.

She heard a loud smack! Then a muttered curse that made shocked her, even after the vile words that had come from the pair beforehand, though, now that she thought about it, she could only remember one voice clearly; the gruff one.

"You did hit her that hard, Kal. You used the flat of your blade! Of course such a small girl would be hurt..." She heard a sigh, and then she slowly opened her eyes to see the two bandits looking down at her, though they wore entirely different clothes. The one who had held the sword, Kal, she assumed, was wearing common servant's garb, with one human sigil or another on his breast. To her, they all looked alike. She herself had worn one, years previous. A green fish on a field of red. She would never forget that symbol.

The other, the one with the hammer, wore a gentleman's suit, complete with a cane and top hat. She knew this to be the man with the cultured accent. Neither of them looked like common bandits anymore. They looked downright respectable!

Another nudge in her ribs and the accompanying pain jolted her back to reality, and she realized that Kal's lord, or so she assumed he was, had spoken to her, and she had no idea what he said.

"Think I muddled 'er wits?" Kal asked, looking worried.

"Hardly, Kal. She's fine. I've found elves to be remarkably sturdy creatures, despite their appearance," The lord said knowingly. Then, to her surprise, he smacked his cane against her thigh, hard, making it sting, "Girl, speak up! What is your name?" He asked condescendingly.

"I-I'm...umm...Keya," She said, her voice dry and raspy.

"Very well, 'umm...Keya,'" The lord said, mocking her hesitation, "What were you doing snooping around the forest, all alone? Surely a girl like you has some rich father or husband to take care of her. Where is yours?" The man asks, smiling down at her as though she were a lackwit. If Keya had not encountered this sort of treatment, and worse, as a servant, she would have been outraged. As it was, she was merely resigned. She had slim enough chance of getting out of this mess alive, already. She need not make it worse by being uncooperative.

"I," She tried, then coughed, trying to clear her throat, quickly beginning again, lest the lord think her defiant, "I have no..no father..or husband, my lord," She said in a small voice, trying to be as meek and humble as possible, "I only have my...my brother...We're poor. P-please...Let me go.." She ended in a pitiful voice, sounding beaten and scared, like the little girl.

The two men both looked disappointed, then Kal let out a booming laugh, "She called yew, 'm'lord!'" He said, wiping tears of merriment from his eyes, "Yew! Thum! Hahaha!" He seemed to find it very funny, though Keya could only look on with bafflement, while the lord, no, Thum, watched Kal cooly.

"Yes, she seems very naive," He said dryly, "Let's not forget who you thought I was when we first met, shall we, Kal?" He asks, smirking at the other man.

Almost instantly, the other man froze, looking abashed, "'ey, 'ey. That ain't fair! Yew was lookin' for all tha worl' like an orc! Green skin, voice, an' all!"

Smiling a genuine smile, now, Thum clapped Kal on the shoulder, chuckling. "Yes, yes. Until I pulled the face mask off and scrubbed all the green into a pond. Anyway, I think we should probably let the girl go. That brother will be looking for her, and we don't want anyone to find that body for a few days." He sighed, shaking his head, "The fool girl touched him. She was probably trying to save his life, I think. Not that he deserved it. Right, girl?" He asked, looking back down at Keya.

Keya nodded, feeling abashed and at the same time indignant, "Yes...But...but..Look what you did to him!" She says, forgetting her weak position for a moment.

Immediately, the two men burst into gales of laughter. For close to two minutes, they were just laughing, clapping each other on the shoulders, and saying things about how what she said was 'a wonderful joke.' When their mirth finally subsided, Kal looked down at her, his grin replaced with a grim expression, "Did you know, girl, that the man you were trying to save was a murderer? He killed ten men with nothing but a tiny dagger, and don't even ask me about the women and children. It's horrible. He'd not let them die until they begged for it, and convinced him that they wanted it. Believe me, they weren't lying, as they begged, either." By the time his flow of words ceased, Keya was watching him, wide-eyed. A murderer?

While her thoughts were still muddled, Keya was jerked to her feet, her bindings sliced off by Kal with a single, fluid motion, and he pressed the small of her back, urging her out of the clearing. Apparently they hadn't even moved her far. She was about where she had been when Kal hit her with his sword. Looking back only once at the two men, she smiled, entirely confused, but wanting to keep them from changing their minds about letting her go, then walked out of the clearing, ignoring the stench of decaying flesh she now smelled, emanating from the mangled body behind her.

Your character walks up to a shop in the middle of Al'Khazar. "Hello, my good sir!" says the shop owner. "What may I help you with today?" How does your character answer?

((Okay, that was a narrative-style example. Now for an actual RP. :P))

Keya: She smiles at the man, looking shy, "Oh..Umm..Hello. I'm looking for some..umm...bitteroot herb. The...the one for coughs. Do you..uhh..have any?" She asks nervously.

Man: "Why, of course! What would you be needing it for?" The man asks, smiling at Keya, though there is the familiar greedy glint of a merchant in his eyes.

Keya: "Oh..Umm..My brother..He is..umm..ill. I need a little of it for him. How much would it cost?" She asks, forcing herself to seem more bold, as she did not want to be forced to pay a high price for such a common root.

Man: "This is a -very- expensive root, in these parts," He says, noting her elven heritage and assuming she is from Malinor, "Very rare, too."

Keya: She sighs, "I..Umm..I saw some out of town, but..I don't want to have to go out there to get it...my brother hates it when I leave the town alone..I...It's not too rare.." She says, risking offending the man.

Man: He sniffs disdainfully, "You're going to need to give me a good price for this root, girl. Twenty Minas. No less."

Keya: Being unskilled at bargaining, Keya simply reaches into her pouch and offers the money, knowing that she would never get much better of a price, though she knew she was being ripped off, as well.

Man: He takes the money, quickly shoving a bitteroot into her hands, "Pleasure doing business with you," He says with an oily smile.

Keya: Keya hurries away, disconcerted by the man.

A screenshot of your skin: I have multiple skins, but her main one is fairly light and airy. Here:

Other Information: I'm looking forward to this server, and hoping my friend and I will find it as enjoyable as the hundreds of others here do. I hope I've made Keya's personality acceptable, as she's not really what one would call a normal High Elf, since she never really spent much time with them. Also, please keep in mind that the person who will be playing Ambrose hasn't applied yet, so I may need to change a few bits of this, I just want to see if there's anything major that needs fixing. Oh, and we won't be playing until the new map gets up, so we don't go through a major change so early into our characters. :P Hope I'm accepted!

[James Undercroft 129]

A very nice application! :) Enjoy your time in Aegis!

Please be patient as it can take a GM up to a day or so to promote you in game. If you have any questions in the mean time, feel free to contact me on the forums! :)

[James Undercroft 129]

Moved to Accepted Forum

[Lirinya 4035]

Implemented