Brother
John

Brother John is generally acknowledged to have missed his calling in life. Steered into a career in the Church from a very young age, John never really took to the ways of the institution, although anyone who knows him will vouch for the size and warmth of his heart. His friendly nature and all-consuming smile, combined with his genuine concern for justice and freedom, have won him the hearts of most everyone he's ever met. His boyish charm and flirtatious manner, however, have won him the inappropriate attentions of many a beautiful young woman - and the wrath of many a father and husband!

John's devotion to the late Earl of Ashby - the man who loved him like a son while his own father was caught up in crusades to far off lands - is no secret among the townfolk; nor is his unending struggle to restore the Earl's daughter to her rightful place. Yet John himself seems to be the only person who is not concerned about the potential repercussions, or the threat to his safety should The Usurper become aware of his actions...

Player: Alex

Andy was taken in by the Thieves' Guild at the young age of twelve, rescued from the streets of Ashby and the certainty of death either by starvation or misadventure. At twenty-four, he is one of the Master Thieves of Ashby and he looks upon his fellow Guildmembers as his only family. He lives by his quick wits and his even quicker hands, and he prides himself on being able to suss out almost any secret as well. Information can be an even more valuable commodity than gold when whispered in the right ear.

Aware of the fact that conflict is brewing in Ashby, Andy has decided to stay out of the coming battles as much as he can. Fortunes change, leaders come and go, but there's always a coinpurse or a secret to be lifted. The life of a thief is not built on foolish loyalties, and most of the alliances that he makes - except those to the Guild - are usually ones of convenience. Andy knows how to turn almost any situation to his advantage and failing that, he can always turn to the shadows to make good his escape.

He may seem carefree and harmless, with his somewhat disheveled appearance and quick laugh, but Andy is always aware of what's going on around him. He's a keen observer and he rarely gives away anything. Everything does have its price, after all.

Age: 13 in terms of number of years, but ages more slowly than other humans. Does not realize this. Sounds and appears to others as a young child of around nine or ten. Physique: Small, sleek, extremely agile, and slightly muscular.
Hair: Was once pure black, but years spent in the wild has turned it mostly to a somewhat dark brown with the only black being near the roots. Reaches mid-thigh, grows extremely quickly.
Eyes: Brilliant green, intelligent
Personality: Sweet, loving, outgoing, and gentle, but fiercely protective of the fae folk and animals of the forest. Loves his brother Bantam though he doesn't really understand his moods and still misses his mother greatly
Background: Almost for as long as he's known, Nicholas lived in the forest first with his mother then on his own after she passed away. He very vaguely remembers a time when he and his mother did not live in the forest. He remembers a slightly older boy and a man from this time. The memories of this time are not pleasant. Nicholas was taken away as a toddler by his mother to live in the forest when she saw that her husband would not only be a danger to their older son, but to the baby as well. She had planned to go back one day to get the older boy, but her plans were thwarted as she fell ill with the sickness that eventually led to her death. With the survival skills his mother taught him just in case something happened and he'd one day need them, and the help of the forest faeries, Nicholas survived for years on his own in the forest until a weird turn of events occurred that reunited him with his brother, Bantam.
Special abilities: Was born with a healing gift but has not been taught how to use this correctly. As a result, using it saps his energy and strength. Is strongly empathic Possesses several gifts given to him by the fae folk
FYI: Hasn't spoken a word since his mother died when he was 7. Cannot use his healing powers on himself. Prefers not to think of his past. Can move through the thick forest as easily as a bird moves through air. Is better at moving through trees than on the ground. Enjoys helping people (unseen usually) and cannot comprehend the existence of evil. Is well known and loved by the faeries of the forest. Is largely the source of the hauntings in the Haunted Forest. (The densest population of animals live here and Nicholas sees it as his job to keep them safe.)

Player: Daphne/Alex

Nikolai
Rhodan

The evil Warlock Prince, and ruler of Arcadia. Nikolai has been recently banished to another dimension by his even eviller twin brother, and his identity stolen by him. Nikolai is stuck in a normal, non-magical human world, and people keep calling him Nick Rhodes...

Player: Sharon

The product of a flaw in the Dark Magic which was designed to ensure there would only ever be one living heir to the Seat of Power in Arcadia at any one time, Nikolai Rhodan the Younger was not only an embarrassment, but a real danger to the Rhodan family. He was raised in Arcadia Castle until his eighth birthday, and was referred to as "Little Nikki", never being treated as a true family member or groomed for power the way his older twin brother was. At the age of eight he was banished to another dimension and all record of his existence in Arcadia was erased, in an effort to ensure that there would never be a bloody power-struggle between the two boys, as had so often happened in the time of their ancestors. But it never occurred to anybody that "Nikki" would learn the fine art of Portal Jumping during his exile, and that he might one day return to his home dimension and attempt to take his brother's place...

Player: Alex

The second wife of the Earl of Ashby. The title should have fallen to her step-daughter Rowena on the Earl's death, but Audra seized control of the town, driving the girl into hiding in the Forest. Audra is a powerful witch, and is in league with Nikolai Rhodan. Her age is a carefully guarded secret, but rumour has it she is over 100 years old... a powerful spell gives her the flawless beauty of a woman of 25.

Player: Kate

Legally the Countess of Ashby since her father's death, she plots the downfall of her evil stepmother, Audra. Rowena has many supporters amongst the peasants, and lives in a small community some miles outside the town, hidden in the darkest and most dangerous part of the Forest. Her mother was Elvish, and despite her generally human appearance, Rowena has inherited some Elvish features, such as pointed ears, the ability to move completely silently, and skin that glows silver in moonlight.

Player: Kate

The Fey Folk of the world are slowly dwindling in numbers, and those that remain tend largely to keep to themselves. Humans just aren't as much fun as they used to be. But of course there are a few who would disagree - and Minuet is just such a one. She takes endless delight in the intriguing ways of humans, and has all but deserted her own people in pursuit of human pleasures. And of all the delights of the human world, none is so beguiling as the one they call Brother John.

And yet underneath her high spirits, her physical beauty and her fierce devotion to the monk, lies a child-like heart and a fragile ego. All she wants is for the world to be beautiful and for everyone to be happy, and her understanding of the dark places in a human heart is limited. A soul as pure as hers may easily be deceived by charms less genuine, though just as sweet, as Brother John's...

Player: Alex

For all of his life, Bantam has known only betrayal. Since his birth, his little brother Nicholas has been the one bright spot in his dark existence. However, at the age of 5, his mother ran off with Nicholas. The loss of his wife seemed to make Bantam's father even more abusive towards him. He became malnourished, since it had been his mother who had primarily taken care of him before she left. Left only with his father - Bantam knew no love. At the age of fifteen, Bantam's father kicked Bantam out, telling him to return within days with a job. But, unbeknownst to his father, Bantam had no intention of returning.

Click here for more info on Bantam's past.

Player: Mel

This is not your typical feline, not by any means. Sebastian's appearance alone would set him apart: he's a two-year-old tom with a thick coat of long black fur and green eyes that seem to see right through to the soul. But this cat can sense magic, something most of his kind cannot do, and he is drawn to it. Some of the magic in Ashby is dark, which disturbs Sebastian, but not all. Should he find magic that is natural and pure, he will follow it, hoping to find one that understands his plaintive mews are warnings about the evil that is creeping over the town...

Player: Shaney

Vanya is the favored consort of Nikolai. She has belonged to him since age 10. An orphan since she was too young to know her parents, she found herself traveling with a motley crew of widows, gypsies, and peasants. On passing through the territory of Nikolai, the group offered the girl, then called Chastity, as a payment for safe passage through the area. Nikolai took the girl and slaughtered the rest of the troupe. After he'd pleasured himself with her, he changed her name to Vanya. She has spent her life since that time learning to please him in all that she does. She is now nearly sixteen years of age and very fond of Nikolai.

Player: Laura

Mallory was born in a small village called Ravenscrag, near Thornark. He lived there with his mother, father and sister for 12 years before leaving to seek his fortune. He has seen much of the world since then and has decided to buy the "Seventh Stranger" Inn and settle down in Ashby, for reasons which he will find difficult to admit to himself, let alone any body else.

Mallory is an even-tempered person, slow to anger but also slow to cool. He has a quirky and irreverent sense of humour and this has often gotten him into trouble, but he often considers that this is just part of the fun. He has served in several armies in several wars, and has held down jobs ranging from smuggler and thief to Royal Stablemaster.

Mallory is tall, white-skinned, with a mop of shaggy brown hair and wide, intelligent brown eyes. He is built very solidly and fully expects, given his now relatively sedentary lifestyle, to go to fat. It doesn't bother him.

Player: Alex

Name: Maeve
Age: 19
Appearance: 5'4" tall, her build is petite, yet womanly, not girlish. Her long, curly hair is red-gold and her eyes are hazel.

Maeve is sister to Simon, and like him, the daughter of a human mother and selkie father. There is magic in her blood. Her grandmother took her away from the opporession of the conservative village she'd been born in, in order to raise her and train her properly in the Healing arts. She is a talented healer in both mundane and magical application. Her most recent infusion of Power and Knowledge was passed to her by Claire, a healer of the Tribes who did not survive Rowena's takeover of Ashby castle. She also gets rather annoyed when people call her a witch.

Player: Luna

Moody, pensive telepath with the ability to move any willing object just by thinking about it (willing meaning inanimate - sentient beings, by nature, are NOT willing to be moved, even subconsciously).
Age - 20
Height - 6' 2"
Build - slender and muscled
Hair - dark chestnut brown, somewhat shaggy in a roguish way
Eyes - Intensely blue (yes, we know...)
Talent - telepathic, psychokenetic, recently learned how to dream-walk.

Player: Catherine

Warren is a young traveller in his late 20's. He does not have a permanent home, rather he travels from place to place, helping those who can benefit from his fighting skills. Though he could have been a member of any number of armies, Warren is his own man, chooses his own battles, and fights alone. He is a peaceful soul, who dislikes fighting for its own sake, but is willing to use his abilities to help others in need. He was born into Clan Cuccurullo, and was forced to leave behind his childhood love, Sorcha, the Flame, when he left his family to see the world. After the destruction of their Clan, the Flame's desire for revenge led her down an evil path, and Warren spent many years attempting to keep out of her way. Finally, battle between the two could not be avoided, and it seems that while the Flame was injured physically, her soul was healed. Warren is torn between joy at the prospect of having his true love back at his side, and a nagging fear that the change is only temporary...

Player: Kate

Physical: The Flame stands about 5' 8". She has fiery red hair, green eyes, and a milk-white complexion. Lean and muscular, she has a body to die for--and many have.
Age: 27
Background: Born the daughter of Aodh, Chieftain of Clan Cucurrullo, Sorcha was destined to become the greatest wielder of Power the Seven Clans had ever seen. As a child, she spent much of her time running wild in the heather or learning swordplay from her older brothers, Ailill, Díarmìd, Finnbharr, and Conlann. When she wasn't with her brothers, she could be found in Warren's company, often tending the injuries inflicted by his father. Young Sorcha loved Warren with all her heart, and his decision to leave the Clan Lands for a more peaceful existence devastated her. Fortunately, at that time Lorcan, the great Clan mage, sent for her; he had been watching her progress since birth, and had decided that 15 was the age at which he would take her as his student.
Sorcha spent 5 years in the Rathangan Mountains, on the border of the Clan Lands, with Lorcan, learning the secrets of Power and sharpening her battle skills. Her training was cut short when a Sending forced her to return to her home. When she arrived, she found her family murdered and the Clans all but wiped out. She gathered what survivors she could, then went to war against the Outlander Lord Hesketh, who had ordered his men into the Clan Lands.
Following Hesketh's death, Sorcha renounced any claim to the Chieftaincy of the Clans and became a mercenary sorceress known as the Flame. Over the years, she garnered a fearsome and evil reputation, selling her services to the highest bidder; all the while, she searched for her one true love, Warren, hoping that they could join forces once again. A confrontation at the Ashby Fair with Warren seems to have brought the Flame over to the side of Good; only time will tell if her change of heart is permanent.

Player: Catherine

Charley is not meant to be a serious character and he's not going to play any big part in the actual plot of the story. He's just a singer who roams from place to place, speaking in riddles and singing songs nobody understands and screwing anything that moves. Expect him to pop up where he's least expected and to disappear just as quickly. And just in case anyone's tempted to take him seriously, I'm going to have him look like our Simon in the `Shame' video. You know - with the hair...

Player: Alex

Gemile is a 25 year old former gypsy turned crusader. She has been living in the hidden village in support of Rowena since the day her family and friends were slaughtered by Nikolai. She seeks revenge of a sort on the warlock and has always kept an ear out for information on the little girl Nikolai took from her troupe almost 6 years ago named Chastity.

Player: Laura

Alexa is a six year old little girl with plenty of secrets. At a young age, she befriended a mysterious couple who live in the forest. Through them, she has learned much. She seems very mature for her age, yet she is quite childlike. Always willing to help when she can, she's willing to befriend anyone who needs some help. Just what powers she holds is yet to be seen...

Player: Mel

Secretly Head of the Thieves Guild

Player: Shaney

Simone stands 5'5"
Age 22
Hair is white
Eyes silver-grey
Skin very pale Her body is slender but athletic. When Simone arrived in Ashby she had been muted by god like beings who used her voice and body for their actions. Through these actions she has found that she was born to the Tribal People but was hidden away on another plane of existence then brought back. She has a natural talent to use magic but is not trained and does not know of any spells. Many of the Tribal people can portal walk creating doorways to get from one place to another Simone picked up on this ability quickly. To escape from being a God Speaker she found only one way out, a dark elf named Stefan. Who happened to be a vampire and created her as a vampire.

Player: Aimee

Antonio is high leader of the 4 tribes in the Tribal Lands. He has been born and raised a leader for his people. Antonio moves with a cat like grace and can use magic though he was not born to it. His strongest ability is his presence and his mind for politics. He is known as a fair and just leader among his people. Antonio has found that it was time to bring the tribal people back into view. With that lost knowledge will arise. He currently seeks out several pieces of a prophecy.

Player: Aimee

Physical: About 5'6", slender but strong (call her wiry if you must). Fair skin, blue-grey eyes that change with her mood, a mane of dark wavy hair. Temperament: Quick to anger, quick to cool, but able to hold a grudge (very Celtic!). Deceptively laid-back most of the time. Enjoys a joke as well as the next fellow. Tries her best to be "one of the boys," but has a weakness for helpless creatures (inclined to rescuing kittens from trees and adopting stray puppies).
Backstory: Cat's about 19; she doesn't know her birthday, because she was abandoned on the doorstep of the Abbey of St. Bridget as a baby. The sisters raised her as best they could, but Cat was a regular hellion. She finally ran away when she was 12. She managed to hitch a ride with a farmer on his way home from the Ashby markets. He put her to work as a general dogsbody to his wife and 7 children. If Cat didn't work hard/fast enough, she was beaten. She soon learnt where the best hiding-places were. After a few months of this, she ran away again, this time hiding underneath a Gypsy wagon, perched on the rear axle. When the Gypsy caravan stopped, Cat found herself in Arcadia. She lived on the streets for a time, surviving from hand-to-mouth, stealing everything she needed. One night she broke into the wrong house--or the right one, since it happened to belong to the head of the local Thieves' Guild. Dirkhan saw her potential and brought her into the Guild as his apprentice. A few months ago, Dirkhan's leadership was challenged. Ramsall had the backing of other key Guild members and won. Within days, Dirkhan was dead, and Cat had no protector within the Guild. Fearing for her life, Cat fled Arcadia for Ashby, bearing a letter for the Guild of Thieves there . . .
Note: Cat frequently goes in disguise as a boy, dressed in trousers and a leather jerkin, tucking her hair underneath a cap.

Player: Catherine

The grimmest guard in Audra's army. He wishes everyone would call him Dave. Percy joined the army because all the other boys teased him about his name. He learned to be the strongest, nastiest and most brutal of Audra's minions, and wears a perpetual scowl, due mainly to the fact he suffers from boils.

Despite his grim exterior, Percy is by nature a big softie, and his crush on Elspeth the Seamstress's niece has been forgotten entirely now that he's met the lovely Maeve.

Player: Rowena

Physical: Stands about 20" at the shoulder, weighs about 70 lbs (all muscle). Short-haired black-and-tan coat (black overall, with patches of tan and a streak of white on the chest, tan legs, and a dark cream rump). Smallish ears that either lie flat against his head like a greyhound's or flop forward at comical angles. Long, thick labrador-retriever-like tail.

Background: Tamerlaine was the fourth in a litter of 7. A middle pup, he had a thirst for adventure from an early age; his mother often had to retrieve him from awkward situations, such as becoming stuck head-first in a crock of pickled pigs'-feet when he was 3 months old. At 4 months, he began his initiation into the Knighthood of the Hound Table as a page to his father, the great Hieronymus Stoutheart. Now at the age of 2 1/2 years, Tamerlaine is a full knight of the Hound Table, a group of noble canines dedicated to helping those in need--as long as they aren't cats.

The Hound Table, realizing that dark days were ahead, has sent their knights-errant into every corner of the kingdom. Tamerlaine has come to Ashby to lend a paw in the fight against evil.

Player: Catherine

An English actor called Orlando was playing the role of Legolas in a film being made in New Zealand when he was suddenly transported out of his own space and time to the woods surrounding Asbhy by way of a spell. The frivolous spell was cast by Maeve, and has gone horribly arwy for when the man arrives, he actually has been transformed into the immortal Elf, though sporadic memories of his true identity do seem to haunt him from time to time. He recalls travelling with companions, and is fairly certian that at least one of them was a Dwarf, but he cannot really remember much more than that. What he does know is that he must somehow return to his home, which he believes to be the Mirkwood, house of his father, the Elf-King Thranduil.

Player: Catherine

Age: 32
Occupation: One of Audra's most trusted servants.

Player: Daphne

A mercenary and an assassin, it can safely be said that Tarik is neither pretty on the outside nor on the inside. He lives by selling his sword, his dagger, his bare hands, or any other weapon which may be available, to anyone who will pay handsomely enough for his services. He has no scruples whatsoever, and yet he has a reputation amongst his employers for being discreet and trustworthy, because he knows that’s the only way to attract the most lucrative business. He is extremely cunning and possesses enormous brute strength, but when it comes to his own pleasures in life, he wears his heart on his sleeve... Wine, women, laughter and violence are his only desires. He pretends nothing more. And while he has managed to amass some considerable riches during his career, his only care for wealth is that it allows him to purchase wine and women whenever and wherever he wants them.

Player: Alex

Prentis is a mysterious young lad of indeterminate age. His form and features are slight and awkward-looking, and his mottled skin is covered in thin, pale, spiderweb lines that look almost like scars but which appear and disappear in a moment, according to how the light falls on them. His mood tends to alter rapidly and without apparent reason, yet he is obviously a deep-thinker, with much more going on inside of him than he lets on.

He first arrived in Ashby in the company of the assassin Tarik, and while the pair is often seen to be sharing a joke or a secret or a conversation together, it becomes plain to anyone who watches them for long enough that they simply do not like eachother. Their relationship is, in many ways, an extremely odd one.

But Prentis obviously has his own reasons for coming to Ashby - reasons of which Tarik is blissfully unaware, but which seem to be connected in some way with the sudden appearance in town of the dastardly Nikolai Rhodan the Younger...

Player: Alex

Rio is eighteen years old and on her own for the first time. She is originally from the destitute, coal mining land of Menth. Because she is a talented artist with a flare for tattooing, Rio has been afforded the opportunity to leave Menth and become a traveling tattoo artist for hire. This is much better than having to suffer the fate of being a poor coal miner's wife in Menth.

Her first stop is the town of Ashby. Rio is beautiful and kind, and has many tattoos covering her arms and legs. Not only is she talented, Rio also has the power of a Healer, though as of yet she has not had any formal Healing training. Rio also possesses super-powerful hearing that will surely come in handy during her adventures in Ashby.

Player: Renee

A young telepath residing in Arcadia.
Player: Aimee

Cousin to Antonio, one of the journeyman healers of the tribe people.

Player: Aimee

Physical: Giavanna stands about 5' 7" and is of average build, neither thin nor fat. Her eyes & hair are dark brown. She's 33 years old. Background: The only daughter of wealthy parents, Giavanna entered religious life at 14 partly to escape an arranged marriage. At St. Bridget's Abbey, she found her true calling in life, becoming a teacher at the orphanage's school. She found the infant later known as Catalina outside the convent's alms-gate when still a novice; with the help of her friend and fellow novice Maggie, she raised the child in the community with the late Mother Augustine's blessing, despite the objections of certain Sisters. Sweet-tempered and beautiful, Sister Giavanna is beloved by all who meet her, but do not mistake her gentleness for weakness, for she has a spirit of steel.

Player: Catherine

Conner Vassey is a halfcat assassin, plagued by a feral lack of morality. Born as a leopard cub in the Guardian Mountains, Conner was lured into a ritual by trappers dabbling in black magic before he was a full year old. The ritual was interrupted before its completion, leaving him in a mostly but not entirely human shape. The leopard in him has never been fully subdued, showing through in his often-feline behaviour, and instinctively takes comfort in solitude while his human side gets lonely and longs for somewhere to belong. This longing has led him through an odd life of living in a gypsy caravan, being a governor's stable hand, a vampire's thrall, a seasonal pirate, a wandering hunter, and currently to his voluntary indenture to Nikolai Rhodan, the Younger.

His human form is short, thin and agile, with several feline traits still visible. Conner's eyes are gold and mostly colorblind, his fingernails extend and retract like claws, his senses of scent and hearing are heightened, he has two short but sharp pairs of fangs, and his feet are still fully formed paws from the shins down. Light spots dot his skin from his rear hairline to his tailbone. Several random beauty marks serve as human leopard spots, as well. Conner is used to being a well-groomed but unkempt looking specimen, but his service to Lord Rhodan has given way to a rough attempt to pass himself as a gentleman. Conner's loyalty to Rhodan and his belief that the warlock is a good but grouchy individual are both genuine, to the undoubted dismay and disbelief of others.

Player: Amanda Dai

Age: Eighteen
Physique: Short, and very feminine. A bit stronger than she appears.
Appearance: Grey eyes; basic brown hair, but lightened from being in the sunlight; doesn't quite reach her shoulders.
Clothing: White man's shirt with the sleeves half-rolled and the collar untied and pulled just off of her shoulders, blue full skirt, and a leather ring belt. Also carries a large leather satchel over her shoulder, containing a red tartan blanket.
Personality: Outwardly friendly, although a bundle of nerves on occasion. Had led a somewhat sheltered childhood, but has since made up for it with winters spent at sea.
Background: Daughter of Governor Argyle Pierce of Harlington, and his Romany wife Gistelle. Despite her family's social standing, Arin was raised on the family horse farm, and had rarely ever been out of the town before leaving Harlington at fifteen with Conner.
Special Abilities: Good with horses and, naturally, cats. Travels with a quarterstaff, and knows how to use it.

Player: Amanda Dai

Physical: Ramsall stands 6' 2". He wears his curling black hair rather long (not quite shoulder-length). He sports a piratical beard & moustache, and he has piercing black eyes.

Background: Abandoned on the streets at an early age, Ramsall was taken in by the Arcadia Thieves' Guild and apprenticed to master thief Dirkhan. When Dirk became Guildmaster, Ramsall took a privileged position as his right hand. He reigned supreme as the best thief in the Guild, barring the Guildmaster himself, until Dirkhan took another apprentice, a ragged street-urchin he called "Kit" whose pickpocketing skills soon earned the young apprentice the nickname "Lightfingers."

Ramsall gradually came to suspect that there was something different about this young thief. His suspicions were confirmed when Dirkhan, believing he could trust his long-time friend, revealed that Kit was in fact a young woman in disguise. A woman in the Guild was unheard-of; Ramsall used this information as part of his plot to bring down the Guildmaster.

The apprentice, whose true identity is Cat, managed to escape Dirkhan's fate and flee to Ashby, but Ramsall is bent on tracking her down, because he still has plans for her.

Player: Catherine

Werewolf who lives in Taur-in-Edhel. Isabel was a human child, captured by Audra when she was only 10 years old, along with her Uncle Gray. The pair were taken to the dungeons of the Castle, along with dozens more humans and elves, and for 2 years Audra practiced her magics and tortures on them. By the time Gray led them all to freedom, most of the group were no longer completely human, including Isabel, who was now able to switch between human and wolf forms in less than a minute. The change is never perfect though. When in human form, she still has pointy ears, and when she's a wolf, she still has a hint of human about the eyes.

The wolf folk have lived in the Forest for 18 years now, and Isabel is 30. She's short, but strong, with red hair and blue eyes.

Player: Kate

Isabel's 8 year old daughter. She's far more adept at shapeshifting than either of her parents ever were, having been born to it. She can shift almost instantaneously, and the change is perfect. Abbey's father was killed when she was only 3 years old, and she doesn't remember him much at all. She's completely devoted to her mother, but has an independent streak, which tends to get her into trouble.

Player: Kate

Age: 30
Appearance: Nico is tall, muscular, and handsome. He has sandy brown hair and hazel eyes that constantly change color depending on his mood. He has a multitude of tattoos, as he is an accomplished tattoo artist.
A little more about him: Like his apprentice, Rio, Nico never fit in among the coal miners of Menth. At 18 he left home to make his fortune as a traveling tattoo artist, which inspired Rio to do the same when she turned 18.
Unbeknownst to Rio, Nico knows a lot more about her origins that she thinks. He knows all about the Sibling, the mysterious member of the Cuccurrullo Clan who is Rio's half-brother or half-sister. He also knows a few secrets about Rio's father, Jerry that have yet to come to light. Nico has also been in love with Rio, but because she was a child he could do nothing about it. Now that she has reached the age of womanhood and left Menth, Nico has realized how much he misses her and knows that he must find her so that they may seek their destiny together.

Player: Renee

Age: 42
Appearance: 6'2", sandy blond hair, hazel eyes

Background: Segrand was born into an ordinary farming family on the outskirts of Arcadia. The second of 6 children, he entered the service at 16, partly to escape the drudgery of farm life, partly to earn money to help out at home. He married an Arcadian girl, Beryl Enstruth, when he was 25; she died in childbed, along with their infant son.

Not long afterward, a new litter of Hound pups was whelped at Arcadia barracks. Hoping for a position in the elite Dog Squadron, Segrand attended his first Choosing, and he Bonded with one of the puppies. In due course, he rose to the rank of Captain, which he now holds; his current Bondmate, Night, is known among the Hounds as Titus, their Alpha.

Segrand is intelligent and compassionate, though he tries to hide the latter quality beneath a veneer of gruffness. Some things he has learnt lately are making him question his loyalty to Lord Rhodan.

Player: Catherine

David
Cassidy

A baddie and a close friend of Audra. Bit of a tart too.

Player: Catherine

Madeleine's manservant. Exceedingly intelligent and very Welsh. Even speaking English he sounds like he's singing.

Player: Catherine

Born and raised Russian, Vladimir Andreivich Atilyemov tried being an Imperial soldier before fleeing to the sea to save his sanity. He quickly became an adept navigator for a pirate vessel. Choosing the wrong companion on a shore leave, Vladimir was bitten and turned vampyric at forty years. Although now ninety-eight, he still looks like a forty-year-old to whom the years have been very kind. A crew of outcasts to begin with, his shipmates knew of his turning but never ostracized him for it. Many decades later, the platinum blond, pale blue-eyed vampire developed a passion for new shipmate Arin, when she became the first foreigner he'd met who not only remembered his full name, but pronounced it correctly. Vladimir is currently (and ironically) the sole survivor of a military ambush off the coasts of Arcadia, and a fugitive from the Arcadian prisons.

Player: Amanda Dai

Charley the Minstrel's four legged friends. Charley knows them as Lucky and Clover.

Player: Catherine

Homeland: tiny coastal village in County Kerry, Ireland
Occupation: herbalist, poisoner, assassin

Jarlath has a keen eye and a strong sense of the world around him. He understands people better than they understand themselves and uses this to his advantage. He is currently residing in Ashby Castle as the Countess' poisoner, but few others in the keep know what he really does there. Most think he is merely an herbalist working in conjunction with the household leech.

Jarlath also loves a puzzle and a challange and often would much rather play with people's minds until they crack instead of killing them outright. He feels he has far more finesse than the Countess does, but stays out of her way for the most part, unless called upon specifically. Prior to his employment in Asbhy, he worked the docks of Thornark, taking out suspected pirates or doing other "hits" on behalf of wealthy merchants.

Player: Luna

Physical: Lorcan is 6' 4" tall with a medium build; his eyes are dark blue, and his hair is black (though now there are strands of grey in it), worn long and braided in the Clan manner. He's between 40 and 45 years of age.

Background: Like all Clansmen, Lorcan was born with the ability to use Power, although his was greater than most. Trained as a battle-mage from his youth, he fought alongside Aodh when the future Chieftain of Clan Cucurrullo was merely a warrior, during the last major Clan Wars. Once the Wars were over for the most part, Lorcan retreated to the Rathangan Mountains on the border of the Clan Lands, where he learnt higher magecraft under the tutelage of the great Cathbad. Cathbad taught him the history of the Mage Wars.

Lorcan took Sorcha of Clan Cucurrullo as his pupil when she was 15. A vision had told him that she would be the greatest wielder of Power the Clans had ever seen. She left him to return to her Clan during the Outlander Attacks which nearly decimated the Seven Clans.

Lorcan has since remained in the mountains, watching over what remains of the Clans and awaiting with dread the awakening of the Goblin King.

Player: Catherine

Name: Elwin (given to him by Legolas; he was known only as "boy" up until that point)
Age: 11
Appearance: 4'10" tall, lanky build, curly dark blonde hair, grey eyes.
Elwin was formerly the apprentice of Jarlath, the strange herbalist who had been employed by Audra mainly as her poisoner. Kidnapped from his former home among the Elvish sailors who would dock in Ducksfoot, Elwin believes himself to be a changeling of sorts, as those sailors had adopted the boy when he was orphaned by the death of his mother and the irresponsibility of a drunkard father.

Player: Luna

Sahara

Part human, part dark-elf, Sahara is a beautiful but often sullen girl with only two objectives in life: to serve faithfully the most lovely and powerful woman she's ever known, the Lady Audra of Ashby; and to see the downfall and suffering of Rowena, pretender to the Earldom of Ashby and daughter of the woman who stole the one thing that was most precious to Sahara and her mother. Sahara's hatred of Rowena and the late Countess Mina runs as hot in her veins as her love for Lady Audra. Her fierce, proud and determined temperament is matched by a complete lack of sexual inhibition and an often cunning, devious nature - a nature that is only softened by her selflessness toward those she loves, and a gentle affection for small dumb creatures...

Player: Alex

Age: 26
Appearance: Average height, not short but not overly tall. Long, dark hair and green eyes. She's pretty in an odd way.
Zoë, a.k.a. Zoloft, came to Exworld and subsequently, Asbhy by way of a Quantum Leaping device which she helped perfect along with a team of scientists in the year 3003 AD in a world which was not extraordinary. ;) Her cousin, Jarlath who was a chemist, went missing a few months before her leap and right around the same time another Leaping device disappeared. She now makes her living in Ashby as a barmaid in the famous Seventh Stranger Inn.

Player: Luna

These are general characters that have no particular player. You can write for them freely in your posts. All characters described in BLUE are open for you to use.

Barbarella: Barmaid extraordinaire! Crushed by the weight of taxes imposed by Audra, Barbarella is selling the Seventh Stranger Inn to Mallory.
Sir Guy: A captain in Audra's army. Scared stiff of her, and totally loyal.
Jenny: The castle seamstress. A very jolly soul.
Xanax: Barmaid at the Seventh Stranger Inn, tart, and taker of Warren's virginity.
Elspeth: The 17 year old grand-niece of Jenny the Seamstress, and a maid in the castle. Simon makes her go weak at the knees.
Sterling: A member of the Thieves Guild, who hides his identity by working as a page for the town's lapidary.
Bob: Stablehand in the Hidden Village.
Will & Anya: Two full blooded elves who live in the Hidden Village.
Daniel: The tavern owner in the Hidden Village. A person of some importance there.
Adam's Gypsy Troupe: Marco, Merrick, Terry, Gary & Kevin. Have I left any out? These are the main ones, but only they know just how many of them there really are.
Wisp: An 8 year old elf child that lives in the Hidden Village.
Finn: Eldest son of Will & Anya.
Cedric: One of the Castle Guards. His duties are mainly in the Dungeons. Very devout and especially terrified of Audra as he has betrayed her to help save Brother John.
Torvald, Scott, Reyn, Jazen, Gerik, Magnus & Brenton LaRue, Merkan & Kitarn: Various Castle Guards.
Willow: Elf child of the Hidden Village, Wisp's elder sister.
Daisy Dragoncrusher: A bearded, female dwarf. The Hidden Village's blacksmith.
Captain Angus: Chief Captain of Audra's army.
Prozac: Xanax's sister and another barmaid at the Seventh Stranger.
Steven: RW. Flamboyant head of the hair/makeup/wardrobe department for the studio where Band-Aid is being recorded.
Gray: Alpha male of the werewolves in Taur-in-Edhel. He's married to Amelie, and is Isabel's uncle.
Amelie: Gray's mate and former maid to Rowena's mother, Mina.
Sprite, Ruby, Fire Dancer & Truffle: Four of Nicholas' fae friends.
Aodh & Duncan: Castle Guards Extraordinaire!
Mary: Dayshift barmaid at the Rum Runner.
Sean O'Leary: Leprechaun regular at the Rum Runner.
Mrs Pea: Head cook at Ashby Castle.
Dinah: Kitchen maid at Ashby Castle.
Henry: Werewolf scout from Taur-in-Edhel.
Windwalker, Roland, Rachel, Eskanon, Wintermoon, Nightcloud: Werewolves from Taur-in-Edhel.
Hamish & Marigold: Alpha wolves from Isabel's village.
The Ashby Town Crier: Pretty self-explanatory really :-P
Harold: A senior dungeon guard
Sam: A little guardling as yet too young to shave.
Brother Robert: Monk at St Julian's.

Each Guard is bonded with a Dog. Each dog has the name his human calls him, and his true name, known only by his fellow dogs. The characters described in BLUE are NPC's for everyone to use. The ones described in YELLOW have permanent players and may not be used without permission.

Martus is a member of the Dog Squadron; he's bonded with Iago, whom he calls Storm.
Grastian, Dog Squad member.
Harstan is Segrand's second; he's bonded with Brutus, known as Shade.
Iago is a Guard of the 4-legged variety.
Titus is the Alpha of the Guard.
Leo is a stronghold guard.
Rhys is a stronhold guard. His dog is named Cassius.
Urdek is a stronghold guard too, and is bonded with Varro. He calls him Shadow.

Stewart the
Steward

Stewart Thorston, age 25.
Raised in a small town outside Ashby, he was the son of a poor farmer, but was too ambitious for such a life, and he ventured out. He served in the Army for a few years, taking a few tours of duty he never really liked the life itself, thinking it was to regimented and difficult to progress without the money and status of a nobleman behind him.

When his time was up he was offered and accepted a posting in the castle as an under-steward. He has since been appointed Castle Steward, and primarily handles the domestic concerns of the castle for Audra.

He has been married three times and each of the wives were very wealthy older women. Oddly, all of them died a year or so after the marriage in 'accidents'. One fell off her horse during a ride in the forest, another slipped down a long flight of steps, the third died from a snake bite while she was in bed. In each instance Stewart was away on Castle business.

He has his own hidden designs though, having the hots for Lady Audra, and for many years he has kept his desires a secret. However, in his perversion, he frequents a brothel and often times pays or extorts, depending on how cheap he is being, for a girl that resembles Audra. However, there is a healthy respect for the woman, as he knows she could crush him in his position in a blink of an eye.

He still dreams of political gain at all times, always looking for 'the edge'. He tends to be overly nosy at times. He is amazingly spineless, and gains advantage by spying and deception. He has contacts throughout the Castle, the town, and all the surrounding countryside, all of whom collect information for him, either for money, the love of it, or because he is blackmailing them to do so.

Physical: Sister Magdalena is 5' 9" tall with a strong build, not quite athletic, but she's used to physical activity. Her eyes are blue, and her hair is auburn. She is 33 years old.

Background: Born into a large but impoverished family, Maggie entered St. Bridget's Abbey at 14 in order to ease the burden at home. Here, she became fast friends with another novice, Giavanna, and helped her raise the baby girl discovered by the convent's alms-gate, whom they named Catalina. Upon taking her final vows, she chose the name Magdalena because she felt a particular affinity for the saint and because it wasn't far removed from her given name.

Magdalena looks after the abbey's livestock & gardens. She has a quirky, sometimes naughty, sense of humour and is known around the convent as something of a practical joker. Stubborn and willful, with a bit of a temper, she tends to champion the underdog.

Characters who are no more...

We have a few characters who've left the game for one reason or another. These are listed below in orange. None of the following characters may be used without the permission of the person who used to play them. If you'd like to track down those players, email us at sparkle.z@virgin.net