I could be a wolf for you. I could put my teeth on your throat. I could growl. I could eat you whole. I could wait for you in the dark. I could howl against your hair.
FOR: open to all
LOCATION: castle/castle grounds; some undefined time, but soon after the execution
The sun is just rising, his clothes and skin still damp from the perfunctory cleaning he rushed through in the training yard. He hasn’t been sleeping well since Haojing’s decapitation, unable to shake off the feeling he ⸺ everyone ⸺ is a coward. He dislikes theatrics, and while he has no problem with blood when he’s the one shedding it, a head makes much worse sounds rolling off in an enclosed space than in the field of battle.
Keeping them all penned up inside like animals to watch the murder of one of their own is, at the very least, uncouth. Humiliating more than humbling. He does not like such blunt reminders that his life is not his own. That should someone powerful enough want him dead, no one would dare intervene. How many frozen, silent watchers believed the king’s investigation was above reproach? How many trusted the council found the culprit? All he can tell for certain is that he did not, and that in the moment that didn’t matter as much as the relief that it won’t be one of his own. But if the king just killed someone on a whim, then things are bound to only get worse and while his blood sings at the thought of an all out fight, his mind is not in it.
More than anything, he wants to go home. For all its faults, at least violence is always clear there, always has a point. The closer to the throne he gets, the muddier the motives are, the less sense he finds in taking action, the worse the future starts to look. A noise pulls him from his thoughts, though he barely shows a reaction before turning. “You’re up early,” Kaz says in lieu of a greeting, the corner of his mouth twisting in a careless smirk.
LOCATION: the corridor outside the the throne room, many hours after the execution.
fola and deora at her dangling feet, tarah sits in a windowsill across from the hours-sealed doors to the throne room. her back pressed to the glass, the coolness of the pitch black ardora night leeches through the silk of her gown to the skin at her lower back. if she concentrated, she could recall the metallic scent that had filled the great room following the swing of the executioner's axe. she hadn't cried out, or cringed, or even twitched. a small, but integral part of tarah had felt satisfaction — and still did. all now knew that geimreadh was not the force behind the attack. retribution was as sweet to her as a dark, thick, spiced wine. even now, a smile slips onto her lips, silent and sick. the approach of another is only signalled by a low rumble from fola, a warning growl rolling from the she-wolf's clenched teeth. " peace, fola, " she chides, turning dark eyes on the newcomer.
He’d made himself scarce as soon as was possible, spent the hours between then and now gruelingly training in the hopes that physical exhaustion will bring with it sleep, but it eludes him as he aimlessly wanders the halls, waiting for his mind to quieten. And when he hears the soft growl, for a split second he thinks it’s another kennara, before he recognizes the sound as a wolf’s and there’s no surprise in his gaze when he meets that of the Laicestre. “Can’t or won’t sleep?” the question is light, as he glances at the closed throne room doors, before leaning casually against the opposite wall from Tarah and her wolves, decision made out of courtesy rather than caution.
.¸¸.•` [ EMILIO SAKRAYA , CIS MALE , HE/HIM ] the almighty has blessed us once more, it seems KAZIMIR VAUSS has come to ilthoria. the LORD OF VADRONIA, brings with them such glorious fortune and they are known for being PERCEPTIVE but also AUDACIOUS. joy will spark when the TWENTY EIGHT year old comes to court. what songs would be sung in their name ? [ SAFE HARBOR + HIPPIE SABOTAGE ] for in the decades to come they will sing of : “what fire could ever equal the sunshine of a winter’s day?”;; “but all his jests were cruel & all his smiles were fake”;; “i can hear my heart beat like a sword on a shield” . may enerin bless your soul, welcome to ilthoria child.
BASICS
given name: kazimir vauss; nickname: kaz; title: lord of vadronia; kind: sereen ( chosen by itris — the banshee ); date of birth + star sign: april 13th + aries; gender + pronouns: cis male + he/him; orientation: pansexual & panromantic; mother: deceased birth family tbd; father: lord mallas of vadronia; birth order: 5th/6; faceclaim: emilio sakraya.
PHYSICAL
build: muscular; height: six’3; hair: originally black, it went white in his childhood due to a traumatic event, curly, but he usually keeps it close-cropped so it’s not obvious; eyes: dark brown; attire: prefers shades of grey/black, clothes are usually tailored on the looser side, he prioritizes comfort over fashion;
PSYCHOLOGICAL
abilities: those blessed by the sword of itris are said to be the strongest on the battlefield , both in terms of physical and strategy . in addition , they are given the abilities to control ice statues , induce frostbite and manipulate the cold; mbti: entj-a; temperament: choleric; moral alignment: chaotic good; allegiance: mostly to himself, his fragment & his deity; his loyalty to his house is somewhat in question, at least for as long as his father is still ruling lord; he dislikes the royal family, but not to the extent of openly rebelling/wanting others on the throne (whoever’s hand is on his leash is bothersome, if he cannot remove them completely, he has no interest in risking life and limb on half measures).
SUMMARY
→ lost his mother when he was 8, was raised by a vadronian family for about two years until his powers manifested, which is when ruling lord vauss acknowledged him as his son and brought him into his house;
→ been travelling around the fragments since he was in his late teens, has been in ardora for about a year (give or take a month) and it’s the longest he’s been away from home uninterrupted;
→ openly disinterested in politics, secretly frothing at the mouth about all these rules & regulations yadda yadda;
→ presents atypically for a son of winter: easy smiles, quick to laugh, unreserved; but he’s of geimreadh through & through and the more time spent in his presence, the more the frost of his birthplace becomes noticeable.
BIOGRAPHY
tbd
WANTED CONNECTIONS
maternal family ⸺ this is totally open, i don’t have any specific ideas about this, it’d be fun (torturous) if she had been from a region that still frowns on bastards, and the dynamic could be antagonistic, or they could be from a more progressive fragment and maybe they would get along; slight preference for her having been from a fragment other than winter.
paternal family ⸺ kaz hates his father and their broken dynamic is the main reason he spends so much of his time away from the winter fragment, and particularly his own house, but the resentment wouldn’t have naturally transferred to his half siblings, and while he definitely had his guard up the first few months (at least) of his new life, depending on how the other family members felt about him, they could have developed a better relationship with time.
platonic ⸺ he’s extroverted, fun-loving, well-travelled, knows a little about a lot, works hard when he has to, but would never say no to a party, a lot of his areas of interest revolve around war, strategy and tactics, but he’s also curious about the deities of other fragments, how it all fits in with enerin etc. i’m looking for basically anything from close friends to friendly acquaintances. a best friend position will probably be excellent, but the closer someone gets to him, the better they can notice how closed off he truly is, so it’ll have to be someone fairly persistent and patient to get to know the real him.
antagonistic ⸺ they don’t like each other for some reason, a friendship/relationship that went sour, they dislike him because he’s a bastard and they never got over it, he cheated them at cards and they can’t prove it (or vice versa) etc.
romantic ⸺ i would love-love-LOVE a secret marriage type of plot. i’m pretty open to anything at the moment, i have nothing but vibes for this, but like someone who matches his high energy, it’ll absolutely be a love match, and it could be kept secret because he’s a legitimized bastard, or because their families/fragments are quite antagonistic to each other. on his end, he’d mostly keep it on the downlow out of pettiness, he’d rather eat glass than ask his father for permission to marry etc. etc. etc. open to any gender, bonus points if his spouse is politically conniving/is outspoken about a political goal they have. the marriage itself is around a year - days/weeks old, their relationship itself could go back years.
other nice to haves ⸺ former flings, situationships, friends with benefits, possibly some that turned sour (disagreement on whether they’re exclusive or not, unequal feelings etc)
neutral ⸺ super random plot idea, but maybe someone is trying to convince him to become their/ someone’s they care about personal guard. he’s been in ardora for around a year, mostly interacting with scholars, but he is a son of winter, one of itris’ sereen, his prowess in battle is undoubtable. maybe with the heightened situation, they feel too at risk/exposed and think he’d be a good candidate for protecting them (would work best with someone he’s at least vaguely friendly with). he won’t want to accept, but i’m open to the possibility of him changing his mind if the plot allows it, but maybe something of a diplomatic dance is required in order to refuse, it’s someone who outranks him and he can’t be too blunt etc. etc. etc. just some low-stakes conflict/tension if anyone wants it.
