ARAXES
TENDER HEART
Denocte had changed.
Abandoned by their regime, there were very few left of the original faces Araxes had known. Many had left before the gates were locked, and she remained the only Champion left. Rosti was around, his status as Warden known, but they were the only survivors of the purge that the infamous gate closing had become known as.
Many times, she questioned herself on her choice, torn between her people and the family that lay on the other side of the gate. In the end, even her screams at the locked doors and calls for the regime had gone unheard. In the end, it had changed her, had revealed to her that maybe not everyone could be redeemed. She knew the old regime certainly could not be.
So the speckled mare had retreated to her library, to her books and herbs, the many comforts that she could offer the citizens that needed them the most. They had come, she had helped, and while her mind rolled with the many possibilities to revive some parts of the Court, she heard the boom of a voice.
Small hooves scrambled under her body as she lifted herself, and she marched out of the library, down the corridors, and outside the door of the court. There, in the center, stood Caligo herself, a creature of the stars and night, dripping them from her hide as they flickered to the ground. Immediately, Araxes' ears went back slightly, and her wings tucked tight to her head. She wasn't sure if she was nervous, or irritated. The words rolled around her head, and her chest puffed slightly, just as her wings ruffled and feathers stood on edge.
"Worthy?" Her voice burst forward without a second thought, and Araxes, ever the calm and gentle, stepped down toward the goddess. The one that had been supposed to protect them, the one to help, to soothe. "I know you're a goddess, Caligo, but who are you to judge us as worthy? You, who.. who stood by as the regime burned the pass! Where were you when they closed the gates on us? When they refused to answer their champions' calls? Their peoples' pleading?" Her chest puffed more, and her hooves stamped slightly as she squared herself, face to face.
She was not entirely angry, she was.. disappointed, and it showed in the lines of her features, the way her voice shifted as she spoke.
"You could have stopped it, stepped in. Instead we... we had to watch as our families were torn apart. As we were threatened with harm from a dragon that lurked the pass if we dared step outside of the gates. I.. even if Tempus himself said something against it, you could have done something, anything!" For a moment, she choked on a sound, and shook her head a little, her disappointment bleeding through. "The people of Denocte... my people, deserve someone that won't turn their back on them. Someone that won't shut them away behind gates because of foolishness. This... this isn't the past anymore. There are ways to call a truce with politics, instead of hiding away. We can't hide anymore... I won't let it happen." Araxes puffed again, determined, the glint in her eye.
"I love my family, and my people. Denocte can come back stronger than ever, and.. because of this.. I am putting my name in the hopes of being Sovereign. To pick up the pieces of what the disaster of the last regime left behind. I miss the Night Court that I saw when I first came here, when I was first picked as Champion of Wisdom. I've been here long, and to see it wither away broke my heart." She swallowed, and her wings tucked against her head instead of being flared out, once more settling in as she stared the goddess down.
Denocte had changed, and Araxes with it.
Abandoned by their regime, there were very few left of the original faces Araxes had known. Many had left before the gates were locked, and she remained the only Champion left. Rosti was around, his status as Warden known, but they were the only survivors of the purge that the infamous gate closing had become known as.
Many times, she questioned herself on her choice, torn between her people and the family that lay on the other side of the gate. In the end, even her screams at the locked doors and calls for the regime had gone unheard. In the end, it had changed her, had revealed to her that maybe not everyone could be redeemed. She knew the old regime certainly could not be.
So the speckled mare had retreated to her library, to her books and herbs, the many comforts that she could offer the citizens that needed them the most. They had come, she had helped, and while her mind rolled with the many possibilities to revive some parts of the Court, she heard the boom of a voice.
Small hooves scrambled under her body as she lifted herself, and she marched out of the library, down the corridors, and outside the door of the court. There, in the center, stood Caligo herself, a creature of the stars and night, dripping them from her hide as they flickered to the ground. Immediately, Araxes' ears went back slightly, and her wings tucked tight to her head. She wasn't sure if she was nervous, or irritated. The words rolled around her head, and her chest puffed slightly, just as her wings ruffled and feathers stood on edge.
"Worthy?" Her voice burst forward without a second thought, and Araxes, ever the calm and gentle, stepped down toward the goddess. The one that had been supposed to protect them, the one to help, to soothe. "I know you're a goddess, Caligo, but who are you to judge us as worthy? You, who.. who stood by as the regime burned the pass! Where were you when they closed the gates on us? When they refused to answer their champions' calls? Their peoples' pleading?" Her chest puffed more, and her hooves stamped slightly as she squared herself, face to face.
She was not entirely angry, she was.. disappointed, and it showed in the lines of her features, the way her voice shifted as she spoke.
"You could have stopped it, stepped in. Instead we... we had to watch as our families were torn apart. As we were threatened with harm from a dragon that lurked the pass if we dared step outside of the gates. I.. even if Tempus himself said something against it, you could have done something, anything!" For a moment, she choked on a sound, and shook her head a little, her disappointment bleeding through. "The people of Denocte... my people, deserve someone that won't turn their back on them. Someone that won't shut them away behind gates because of foolishness. This... this isn't the past anymore. There are ways to call a truce with politics, instead of hiding away. We can't hide anymore... I won't let it happen." Araxes puffed again, determined, the glint in her eye.
"I love my family, and my people. Denocte can come back stronger than ever, and.. because of this.. I am putting my name in the hopes of being Sovereign. To pick up the pieces of what the disaster of the last regime left behind. I miss the Night Court that I saw when I first came here, when I was first picked as Champion of Wisdom. I've been here long, and to see it wither away broke my heart." She swallowed, and her wings tucked against her head instead of being flared out, once more settling in as she stared the goddess down.
Denocte had changed, and Araxes with it.
About the RPer
Jekyll
27 (28 soon RIP me)
I have though it's been a while. I enjoyed it while I could (even when they got knocked off their throne in fights)
I've been excited about Novus the whole time as a whole are you crazy?
General Information
Araxes
6 [Year 496]
Female [she/her]
Pansexual
Andalusian x
15.2 hh
Appearance
https://orig00.deviantart.net/1c2c/f/201...b4wrkd.png
a soft creature built from marble and flecked with onyx, araxes is leggy and gentle in appearance, a sloped neck and body complimenting her looks all too easily. well built, it's obvious she's a female from even afar.
she's very simple in color, taking on the base of white with pink unders and peach hooves. the pink is also around her nose, making her a little sensitive to light but nothing horrendous. black marks her in soft spots everywhere, as well as marking her eyes in stripes instead, both of which are a slate grey to blend in with it.
a simple color, she's anything but. with the odd appearance of wings growing from behind her ears, they really act like a mass of feathers, but they do flap and fold and move like any bird's wings would. they ruffle and fold, and tuck in against her mane. they flap, they stretch, they move, just as any wings would, but for most of the time she keeps them folded against her head, namely to not get too many stares.
she sports a mane of white that's wound in to a single large braid, loose at the end and usually draped to the ground. some times it's easy to catch her with it on her neck as well. her tail is black and thick, spreading out just as long as her mane does as well, drifting behind her. while her mane is more well kept, her tail tends to be tangled and knotted, sometimes carrying extra bits of twigs or leave or some sort of debris from her wandering.
Personality
Positive: quick learner, energetic, extroverted, peaceful, curious, slow to anger, lover
Negative: heart on her sleeve, curiosity, pacifist, sometimes a bit too emotional
araxes is a bit childlike, in some terms. she's very much someone to walk in to someone's space, to press in to it and explore them, but only because she's curious. it's a downfall of hers, that curiosity, and it's like she can't be sated. she wants to learn and know everything, and she absorbs it all like a sponge as she learns. ara isn't naive, however, so don't take her curiosity for naivety. she is very much smart about the world, she just chooses to not believe there's bad in every corner of it.
a bit fanciful, she's quick on her feet, thanks to her learning streak. there isn't exactly a mean bone in her body though. while her tongue is sharp, her emotions get in the way and she immediately feels remorseful for hurtful things she'll say, even if she means them. it takes a lot for her to dislike someone too, and getting her to talk bad to their face is something. sometimes she may not regret it, but ninety-nine percent of the time, she does. it's just how she operates, as her anger is slow burning and doesn't make much of an impact, even when it does surge.
she's also very fanciful in terms of finding others attractive or liking them. it's somewhat silly, how she develops a crush or two, but she's very much open when it comes to that. she prefers not to settle with one other, and will gladly (usually) settle for two or three, in their own little 'herd' of love. it's a belief of hers that everyone should love everyone, and she doesn't see why it should be maintained to just one being. being open with emotions is usually her thing though, meaning she may or may not come off as a bit much at first. don't be put off though, she's a sweet creature that will look past any exterior to the interior and see who they really are. looks don't matter to her.
THAT BEING SAID Araxes has definitely come a long way since she's first stepped hoof in Novus. her time in Denocte has molded her to more wise and more of a scholar and healer, working closely with the people and learning from them, loving them. she's trusting by nature, and has learned the meaning of to trust too much. her eyes have been opened, and rather than fester and simmer (though she's still hurt recently) she's beginning to see things as they really are. she's developed since i first introduced her, growing more mature and less fanciful and daydreamy, focusing on her tasks as well as becoming more empathetic to others around her.
History
araxes was strange from birth, in some terms. she was born normally, well, almost normally. there was something a little strange about her. her parents weren't sure what to do with her, or what was wrong with her when she was born and had two budding wings nestled behind her ears. it was a strange sight, though not entirely unwelcome. they loved her the same as any parents would love a daughter.
she was raised normally, and as she grew, so did the wings, carefully stretching and growing feathers, as well as fluttering and moving on their own when she was excited. they became a tell tale thing for her moods, fluffing up when happy and flapping, tucking in close when scared, sticking out when angry. to her, having the wings was a normal thing.
most of the herd she grew up with were polyamorous lovers, meaning her parents had each other as well as a couple others in their family. this meant that araxes had plenty of attention when she was born, and could be passed around the adults to be cared for when someone was feeling ill or just needed a day off. it was a wonderful system, and one that wholly imprinted upon her.
when she was two she said her goodbyes to her parents, and wandered on her own. for a year she was on her own, picking up new knowledge and learning what she can. she's made friends, and she's made enemies, just as any normal person does. however, when coming upon novus, she found herself gravitating toward the courts and their gods, finally settling in the night court. while she wasn't exactly night court material, she found it to be a home, and over the last year she began to learn of others and more on the stories that filled the lands she had come upon.
it's still strange to her to see monogamy, and she doesn't wholly understand it herself and likely never will. however, she's here to stay and to learn more about others, despite strange looks that she gets sometimes when she walks by with the wings on her head. they're still a tell-tale sign of things, always pinpointing her mood.
more often than not she's spotted in the neutral lands, always wandering in an attempt to learn more about the world around her. this allows her to meet those that would be in other courts as well, and she enjoys having new faces to meet and greet.
SINCE NOVUS however, she's stuck more to her court. She learns about the others as well, has learned, and has gathered much knowledge about them. She's been with Denocte through and through, even when torn by her choices. She's found in the Night Court library with her books and herbs, her salves, her potions, her tea. Her knowledge.
Sovereign Questions
Araxes has learned and developed since I first created her. While at first, she wouldn't have made a good Sovereign, she's come to line up her ideals with the Court and due to the recent events of the gate closing (among other things), she's grown leaps and bounds. She would fight for her people, despite being a pacifist, and she loves them through and through. While not the most intimidating creature, she's grown more wise over time with having a family and pushing through struggles. She can and will take on challenges head on to bring Denocte to the glory it should have.
First off, gathering more members. While the gate closing was something that caused many to leave, she would be welcoming and attempting to bring in members once more. She doesn't want to wipe away what happened, she wants them to all learn from it, to grow stronger and more bonded, to learn they needn't hide or fear anyone in power. She would likely toss up a festival at first (she actually wanted to but there were no other champions to convene with to launch the idea omg), but would also immediately move to the other courts and patch up bonds and form treaties and new hopes that things can be put behind them. She is not the past sovereigns, and will do her utmost to put herself away from them. Other than rebuilding what has been torn down, Araxes will seek out to strengthen their bond with Caligo (now that she has shown her face) and perhaps learn that it's not the best to blame the deity that can't intervene.
I love you guys and this made my muse explode omg. Good luck to everyone auditioning as well <3 I don't have much else to add
