The bell rang.
A king spoke.
And promised.
The inside of him was cracked like an egg. Yolk dripped down his ribs, never
touching
the
ground.
A statue stood in the center of the city. A remnant, a symbol, another promise. Never again, they said. Never again, not after this time. Or the last time. Or the time before that.
A numbness settled in his bones, in that shell, and when it split open there was only the great anger that permeated his life. That ruled it.
Who will rise, he asked.
The sun. The sun will rise again, with each atrocity, Solis continues on as his people suffer. He will rise, and you can thank him for every day that Raum was king.
Strangers from the crowd speak to Orestes. Some want power. Others do not. Some are familiar. Others are not.
Hajduk thinks of starving. El Toro does too. He steps forward.
”My name is El Toro. I have lived in Solterra for two years now, and it has become my home. I intend to serve it in every capacity that the previous regime failed it. I ask for the title of Champion of Battle.” He dipped his head, a crown of horns and jewels that glimmered in the sun. Hajduk pressed one white flank to another, proud and pale and burning in the light.
El Toro steps back, and he thinks of his father.
He thinks of winning, and of losing. He thinks of this position, he thinks of gaining it and losing it and never getting it at all. He thinks of his father. He thinks of flying and never being able to. He thinks of winning, and of losing. He thinks of his father. He thinks of his father. He thinks of his father.
Of winning, and of losing.
Of screaming, and of breaking.
Of wandering, and of dying.
He thinks of his mother, alone, waiting for the day he comes back. His mother, alone, wandering and screaming and breaking and dying, just like-
He thinks of his father.
Hajduk thinks of rain, and kindness, and rebellion. Hajduk thinks of the mountains and the sand. Hajduk thinks of the petrified man in the square, and the many many names below him. El Toro thinks of screaming, and leaving, of Seraphina and Raum. He looks to Orestes.
El Toro thinks, You are the one who must rise.
@Orestes
"What I say,"
What I think,
What Hajduk thinks,
* Which position are you applying for, and why would your character be well-suited toward it?
* El Toro is applying for the position of Champion of Battle. His entire life, he has been trained as a soldier and groomed for success, even though his entire society was against him. His father cracked up after being denied the position of captain of the guard, something he had sought his entire life, and which Toro had sought afterwards. He isn’t diplomatic, and he’s not the best educated in Novus or Solterran culture, but he knows how to fight and is inspired to defend his new home from further atrocities. He loves Solterra.
* What is your current activity level, and can you commit to a reasonable amount of activity? How many IC posts could you make approximately each month?
* My activity right now is fluctuating, I had a hiatus or two from the summer till recently and am currently balancing college work with personal projects and Novus. For Toro, I think 3-5 posts is most likely per month - I do have three other characters but will prioritize him should he gain this position (he’s my first character, though, and is always growing and changing and keeping my writing).
* Would you be willing to contribute plot ideas, lore, and court events? If so, do you have any existing ideas?
* Yes! I love doing lore and event ideas. Currently I don’t have much offhand except for a “sand-kelpie” lore bit for the Solterran desert, but I’d love to contribute more, rank or no.
* How would you like to see Solterra "rebuilt" post-Raum? What kind of events would you like seen, and multi-Court relationships?
* Solterra really could use a big fcking party. But also some community-oriented events - I think it’d help to get Solterrans to meet each other as they help to rebuild their community, perhaps in ways that would disturb the old nobility, some kind of equalizing rebuilding. Gonna echo that it’d be great to see some faction interactions with politics and rippling through the courts as Solterra tries to associate with other courts but has some underground drama going on ;)
* Is there anything else you would like to add?
* I’m excited to see where Orestes and the new regime go with Solterra!
