#ulterior'uprising

[Aurora Coville]

#brutal’beginning

Antantha is a country with a very structured hierarchy, and most believe that Sari, the Antanthan deity, placed them where they are needed and where they can be of most use to her will. The Sarians, the Antanthan upper class, are revered as ‘Sari’s Favored’, because they not only spent their own lives but the lives of their families and many generations as they paid homage to Sari. They refined themselves by breeding out any impurities, by making themselves stronger, more intelligent or both. Their proof that their homage was true is shown by the Sari’via who are capable of wielding the very energies around them. Then there are the Tribans, Antantha’s lower class, they are the people who were not as dedicated as the Sarians to their deity and are now lesser beings because of it. Generally, none of them hold any bitterness towards the Sarians because they understand the consequence they must now face because of their ancestors’ decision that has now made them second class citizens. Tribans typically greatly revere the Sarians as people who are closer to Sari. Due to the feeling of Sarian superiority and Triban inferiority, it is very uncommon for them to associate with each other especially on social bases. The very last part of the Antanthan hierarchy is the slaves. Antanthans do not buy slaves, nor do they trade in them, and in fact they do not call slaves slaves, although that’s what they are, they call them ‘Sari’s Shame’ or just simply Shamed. The reason for this name is because in order to become a Shamed you must either be born out of wedlock, have broken the law in such a way that does not give you a death sentence but that is still unforgivable either in the eyes of themselves or in the eyes of the law, or, lastly, you are born into it.

Traditionally Antantha is a country both isolated by its surroundings (the ocean surrounding its west side and the perilous mountain region on the east) and by choice. However, until about 15 years ago the Antantha had been going through a famine that only became worse and worse. After two decades of struggling to survive the proud Antantha finally broke down and sent out the Ferra’sari in search of the closest country to set up trade to relieve them at least a little from their battle with starvation. The Ferra’sari came back and with them they brought Dorian trade.

However, when Antantha began the trade that was a key factor in pulling themselves out of famine, they failed to see that weren’t just getting items with their trade. They were getting ideas. The Dorian tradesmen had no real care whether they traded with the Triban or the Sarian beyond the fact that the Sarian gave them more money and bought more. But slowly a few resentful Triban began what may eventually become the bloodiest civil war as they formed revolutionary bands. None of the Sarians really noticed beyond the Ferra’sari and Agral’sari who noticed that there might just be a little more resentment towards their merchants or perhaps the Triban were a bit ruder about being asked to pose for a picture. But surely they were just imagining things…

The rebels had yet to claim their existence to the public, but they had decided when they would do it. Like all radicals they decided to do it with a flashy and explosive bang. What better way to do just that on the Ferra Festival, the most widely celebrated festival, where all of the Sarian courts gathered in the Ferra’sari city: Ferralia.

#authorial’appendage

*First: I’m taking a chance here by leaving this thread open to everyone. However, by posting you agree that you will: post a minimum of three well written paragraphs, contact me if you want to do something that may possibly effect/alter the storyline in some major way, use the lovely PM system instead of posting the horrific ooc/nic crap here, and lastly leave if I ask you to. I created the thread and I get to do that (though I’ll have reason if I do ask you to leave, I’m not that random). If you don’t feel that you can oblige with the following, don’t bother posting here.

*Second: The exception to the thread being open is that if you wish to be a part of the Sari’via court, the only group of people who can use magic, you must PM me first. You will need to tell me what your idea for your character is, and link me to three different threads you’ve been in. If you’re new and haven’t been in three threads, either link me to what you have or give me an example of your rping style.

*Third: The Sarian Courts (placed in order of most ‘pure’ to least):
Sari’via – The empirical family’s court, and the only one that can count mages among their number. Not every Sari’via courtier is born here, however, every courtier must have some magical ability. If you’re born but are in another court, you are brought here, but if you’re born into this court but withheld no magical qualities you become a highly trained and skilled guard for the empirical family. Sari’via are never known to talk to Tribans, and it’s not completely unheard of a Sari’via never seeing a Triban. The Sari’via are the elites among the elite, and for anyone to best them is unheard of. They’re sometimes referred to as ‘Sari’s Chosen’ and their court’s color is purple.

Tirav’sari – This court is where the war advisors, generals, assassins and all great Antanthan warriors come from. They may not be the completely perfected beings the Sarivia are, but their bodies are. This is the court that keeps Antantha isolated, protected from outsiders as well as carrying out the Sari’via’s orders. They’re sometimes referred to as ‘Sari’s Shield’ and their court’s color is red.

Cesun’sari – Like the Tirav’sari, they also are not the perfect specimen of Sari either, but unlike the Tirav’sari they perfected their mind instead of their body. This court produces the finest philosophers, diplomats, lawyers, and judges. Due to this fact, they run the judicial system and protect Antanthans from the inside. They’re sometimes referred to as ‘Sari’s Sword’ and their court’s color is yellow.

Agral’sari – These are the greatest craftsmen, inventors, entertainers, and artists of Antantha. They’re sometimes referred to as ‘Sari’s Smile’ and their color is green.

Ferra’sari – Outsiders are treated mostly with suspicious curiosity or pure disdain from almost all of Antantha, but the Ferra’sari court is considered just a step above being a Triban and had had no task before the famine. So when they began trade with Dorian they became Antantha’s merchants and traders. Their court’s color is brown.

Fourth - Tribans may be lacking in strength, book knowledge, and magic when compared to the Sarians, but they are far from being a lost cause. Since Tribans do not have a rigid inner caste they are more open with each other and communicate together far better than Sarians do. On top of that since they do not have the pressure of being one of Sari’s Favored they are not only more open to new ideas but are more willing to accept them, as well as adapt to new technology.

The Sari Order is the religious sect of Antantha. The Priests and Priestesses are dedicated to Sari’s word, life, and nature and nothing else. Whether it is by praying, taking a vow of silence or celibacy, or preaching, all Priests and Priestesses pay homage to Sari in some way. Anyone can join The Sari Order, and many do, not just to worship Sari more directly but because it’s the only way for a Triban to move up the caste leader in any way.

Fifth - This is how the name thing works, and if you're confused and decide not to bother with it, fine. I won't get pissy with you. I just think it was fun idea on the spurr of the moment.

These titles are used during a formal setting or when a Triban or Shamed are talking to a Sarian. So, basically, Triban and Shamed always use them unless told otherwise, and sometimes even then, but Sarian in the same court cease to use them once they're in an informal setting when talking to someone in the same court. I.E. Someone from the Ferra'sari court, in an informal setting, would not say 'ferra'Leenori' they'd just call the person 'Leenori'. However, if a Ferra'sari was talking to someone from Agral'sari in the same informal setting they would refer to them as 'agral'Serriona'. And the title is just the first part of the court's name tacked on infront of the persons name.

[Aurora Coville]

#empirical’escapade

Fifth Empirical daughter of Emperor Syjius Empirical the Sari’via Force and his Empress Nenens Empirical the Sari’via Rose, third heir Princess Jaena Empirical the Sari’via Misted Sun decided that her name was title was far too long to be of any proper use but to twist tongues around into knots in order to proclaim the Empirical Sari’via’s vanity. No one but a member of the Empirical family had a title like ‘the Sari’via Misted Sun’, so why had they even bothered? Sure, they were the purest of all the Sarians, but why bother proclaiming what everyone already knew?

With a small sigh she stared down at the small garden, her thoughts hopping from one idea to the next. But they kept returning to the Ferra Festival. When the sun fell and began to bleed into the horizon, everyone would burst out of their house to fill the previously abandoned streets in all their colorful and exotic costumes. The jewel of all those costumes was the masks that were impossible to describe as they varied from the very materials used to the style they were fabricated in. The fireworks would burst into the sky as the sun’s last rays vanished from view, and wouldn’t stop until the finale just before the sun began to rise. Everyone dreaded that rising sun, as it meant the end of all the entertainment that the crafty Ferra’sari had planned. All of that was just the tip of the reason why she looked forward to this each year, the real reason why she was so excited was because this was the only time during the year she could escape those empirical guard dogs her father sicced on her. Even in her getup, even with the aid of magic, that escape wouldn’t be easy.

But this year, she planned on giving them the slip a little earlier than usual…

“Jaena’sari? I brought those clothes you asked for.” It was one of the Shamed, but Jaena barely glanced up before she left the room again after laying the clothes next to her.

She looked at the sky; the sun was just dipping into the horizon. The articles of clothing were a costume and mask that were made in the style of a common Triban. Her Sarian Sari’via costume lay in her room, on her bed. But today she wasn’t going to be Sarian, she had been a Sarian all her life and she wanted to see what it was like to be one of the lesser Triban. Any other day this would be impossible because it wasn’t just her dress that separated her from them but her appearance as well. One look at her and you could tell she was one of the pure Sarian one of Sari’s Favored, if not one of Sari’s Chosen. No, tonight would be the only night to do this.

Smirking she quickly transformed herself from well bred polite Princess Jaena Empirical the Sari’via Misted Sun to a nameless low bred Triban. She stood in front of a mirror, examining the effect with awe. Triban’s often wore their hair up in scarves, twisting and curling them around until they were so entwined it sometimes hard to tell scarf from hair. Jaena’s own hair was a deep shade of puce that was very rarely found among the Sarian much less the Triban, but due to the fact that it was such an unseen color made it blend even more. The mask she wore hooked around her ears with black and emerald feather that swooped away from her face and down to her shoulders, but unlike most masks this one did not emphasize her looks in a complimentary light but played them down to be less noticeable so that the mask was the focus instead of the face behind it.

So someone would notice the rich shade of emerald green, the sheen of black on the feathers before her own emerald hued eyes, or the sweep of feathers artfully made before her perfect bone structure. Lastly was the costume itself, it had fewer layers than the one she would’ve normally wear and the top layer was the only one to be made of silk instead of all of it. Not only that, but the style was completely different. Sarians wore form fitting clothes that went from showing some skin to not leaving very much to the imagination, as to show off their bodies, while Tribans wore loose clothing and covered up pretty much top to bottom. She wore a pair of dark viridian wide legged pleated pants that looked more like a skirt than a pair of pants, a top of the same color that ran up her neck and down her arms, and then over both of that was a simple silk black piece with a high necked collar to accent the green with bell sleeves and it fell to floor in a skirt carefully cut as to accent her movement with flashes of viridian.

She smirked to herself, and then made her escape into Ferralia by way of magic. A simple transportation spell that would go unnoticed by the mages who were so busy setting up the firework show…