What would be a girl’s gift in this world?
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An actual metal sword? 
Who knows, but Fawkes. That is probably why you asked, is it not? Uh, yeah… 
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Considering the kind of institutionalised sexism that the Triad religion brings with it, as well as the blatant divine nationalistic bent of how it was described when I asked to learn about Typhaeon or whatever his name is, I’d say a sword would be highly unlikely.
However, you could possibly persuade your clearly doting mother to get you one. Maybe your father too, if he wanted to get rid of you badly enough, could be persuaded to give you one, maybe even sponsor you into the Paladins, so you just might leave and get killed using it. I doubt he’d cry too much.
But for everything else, I think that the looking glass, books and harp are rather par for the course for women.
…
I still want a sword, regardless of my character’s sex. I enjoy both following and subverting tropes, but I take perverse satisfaction when I get to stab people who say I’m not allowed to stab things in general.
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I could see mom getting the girl a sword. If only to anger dear old dad!
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Since it’s been awhile, I was wondering: how do you all imagine your heir? Like, what’s their personality and their goals for the future?
My main heir is named Artemisia. She’s exceedingly intelligent, to the point that she suspects she could beat a Mytean priest in a battle of wits. She craves adventure and freedom, and her inability to find this has caused her to become bitter and as rebellious as she can dare to be without risking her or her mother’s safety. Artie enjoys challenges, although her pride and determination can make it hard for her to tell just when she should give up. I can see her falling for either Nethica (who would exasperate her), Iseriah (two birds of a feather), Atheron (she’d love his stories of his time in the navy), or Sebriel (he’d be a bit of a challenge for her).
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I love hearing people talk about their heirs!
Artemisia sounds like she’d be lot of fun to be around.
I’m terrible with coming up with names so my heir is named the default one: Phylia. My head canon is that close friends call her ‘Lia’ for short. Phylia’s first impression is that she’s very timid and wears her heart on her sleeve. She’s inspired by Naphenia’s altruism and tries to respect everyone as well as show them kindness, no matter who it is. Things also fly over her head a lot. Phylia loves to play music, believing it is more influential, more passionate than what words can provide. Because of this, Phylia aspires to compose pieces powerful enough to stir the hearts of Ophaesia and beyond.
As for the ROs, Phylia herself would possibly find herself drawn to Pythia and great friends with Mavrys. She surrounds herself with those who make her feel at ease.
One last thing: since we know who the ROs are, who will be in the arranged marriage with a female MC? I’m pretty sure it’s Nethica since Fawkes (who, if she’s reading this, I really love your game and how you write!) did say the marriage was with an Opaesian noble (I think he’s Ophaesian, my memory is . . . bad) but it could be Mavyrs since he’s one too but I strongly doubt it.
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I am going to protect Phylia from this cruel world.
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Damn slow down with that poetry my guy!
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My heir is named Rhaemyr. He has black hair, blue eyes, and bronze skin. He’s not overly fond of his father. He’s most interested in the head of the deity triad, Tepharon I think. His favorite seventh birthday gift is the harp however.
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Rhyaena is, from an outsider’s glance, an example of an ideal and virtuous Ophaesian princess. She is known to be modest and humble, submissive and obedient. Demure in the presence of strange men. Possessing a mastery of proper ettiquette and adherence to court decorum. A devout worshipper of Naphenia. And as far as anyone knows, an avowed virgin until marriage.
However, in lieu of further perfecting her musical craft or appearing at afternoon garden tea parties more than the absolute bare minimum expected, Rhyaena spends her remaining free time venturing into the realm of Myteus with her rigorous study of mathematics, the natural sciences, and economics. Numbers and truth are her sole constant companions.
She spends sleepless nights on the balcony charting the courses of the stars and planets. Her fatigued appearance the next morning is always brushed away with assumptions of delicate constitution.
A renowned Mytean priest was bemused to find on his doorstep- a copy of his dissertation on Diophantine equations that was accompanied with a commentary twice as long. He didn’t recognize the handwriting.
Tools, pots, pans, and utensils “mysteriously
disappear” from the royal kitchen to be used for chemical experiments. Few suspected there was indeed more to the princess’s explanation of almost setting her rooms on fire than just a spilled candlestick.
Shortly after the prevention of said fire, a groundbreaking, yet anonymous treatise on the properties of sulphur was widely read and spread amongst the alchemically-inclined in the Mytean priesthood.
Somewhat weaker is her grasp on history and politics. Nonetheless, Rhyaena’s keen intellect and calculating mind is only a boon for navigating the dangerous pit of vipers that is the Ophaesian royal court.
She will most likely be curiously drawn to Mavrys’ simple outlook on life and athletic prowess, and very impressed by his gentle heart. However, the fact that he will never hold such feelings towards her is yet another tragedy of her sex.
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By the way @Fawkes , could you tell us the ROs’ surnames? I want to know the possible titles and new names of my married princess!
From what I understand, it’s styled Princess [FirstName] Dahlas [HusbandSurname] right?
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Gosh, can you imagine if a rebellious MC romancing Nethica finds out he’s the arranged marriage? Like “I love you, but my dad wants me to marry you, so I have to break up with you.”
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Someone mentioned a while back that a ring with a little compartment or what have you for poison would be an interesting gift for a female MC, and I do like the idea. I’ve been toying with that ever since and likely that will appear at some point.
If you guys have any ideas for additional gifts to appear at the end of chapter one, feel free to suggest them.
Everyone can get a sword at some point in the game, but as a proper gift for her seventh birthday, no, an Ophaesian princess would likely not get one that way. I think I’ve mentioned this already, but with the right choices, you can get one in chapter two.
@RedRoses I love how you described Artemisia! I have a weak spot for characters that have become bitter, for some reason. A lot of characters I play in CoG games (and I guess in all forms of roleplaying…) have varying degrees of bitterness. (I have an OC named Iyara whose entire character was created around her being bitter.)
Oh, and Artemisia’s names — funnily enough, that’s one of my favorite names of all time, though I rarely get enough chances to use it.
@ethereal Oh, I love Phylia! She brings to mind classic Disney princesses. And in regards to not being good with coming up with names, the website I’m working on will have a list of Ophaesian names not in use in the game and thus would be good for naming your MC (or your MC’s children, when we get to that point).
And the arranged marriage for female MCs is with an Ophaesian, though I won’t say who it is.
@mistylavenda Wow, I love Riyaena! I think she would either get along really well with Jasiphae or they would be rivals. Or perhaps both! I hadn’t considered adding any astronomy elements into the game, but your mention of charting stars sounds rather romantic, in an academic way. I’m making a note as we speak to make sure to incorporate star-gazing and charting, as well as alchemy, into the game. It might not get a huge dedicated section in the game, but it damn sure will be mentioned.
(As will collecting bugs and other creepy crawlies, because I do believe someone very much wanted that.)
Their surnames? Hmm… I had left those out intentionally, as there are some spoilers… Well, I’ll list the surnames of those for whom it’s not a spoiler. Or, at least, not a major one.
- Kaedra Galithon
- Atheron Kavendis
- Nethica Varena
- Mavrys Corathin
- Jasiphae Asimina
- Iseriah Thyminae
- Sebriel Dulisca
That’s correct! You would be addressed as, say, Princess Phylia Dahlas Varena since House Dahlas is the royal house. Noblewomen who marry other nobles, their names are technically styled the same way, with their maiden surname then their husband’s, but most effectively “drop” their maiden surname and simply never use it.
Ysonia still uses her maiden surname in her full title — Queen Ysonia Maeliah Dahlas — which is never done when a noblewoman marries into the royal family, especially when her husband is the King. But those Maeliahs, they do love to cause a stir, and their loyalty to their house supercedes all.
And as a princess of Ophaesia, your title is higher than anyone you could marry in the game, so you would keep it and not take the title of your husband, like how Raelis remains Princess Raelis rather than Lady Raelis after marrying her nobleman husband (who became a Prince-Consort upon marrying her). (And just as a side note, all of Raelis’s children would be a prince/princess, but their children would be lord/lady, unless they marry into a royal family.)
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That you feel better soon! 
Oh, not that kind of wish? Uhm… Well, it is a good wish either way! 
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Thank you! I also love playing bitter characters. Whether they’re sweet and good and become bitter, or bitter and eventually learn to have hope again, or just straight up always jaded, I just find it so fun. Found out how fun it was playing while playing Mass Effect 
As for the name, it’s also one of my favorites. I love names like those but they’re so fancy these days I feel like it’s weird for me to use it sometimes. But it’s so pretty and slightly badass?
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@mistylavenda Riyaena sounds really interesting! I can’t wait to see how things turn out for her.
@lokidemon007 Phylia picks the harp too!
@Fawkes Oh the suspense! I can only hope that the arranged marriage will be kind to Phylia. She sees romance as serious business. Thank you so much for clearing that up! I really appreciate that you’re making a name list. All of your character’s names sound so pretty! I would love to see all the other names present in the world. I considered naming my MC Faylen but I didn’t know if it would fit.
And yes, the Disney Princess (or just the typical princess archetype in general) model was what I was working with when deciding a character build for Phylia. I tried to go for a little bit of everyone but my primary princesses were Cinderella, Tiana, Mulan, and Giselle (even though she’s technically not one, she is very much the archetypal disney princess). I’ll go more in depth under the summary tag with why them as well as Phylia’s extended personality and relationships so far.
Persoanlity and Themes
Themes
Whenever I’m playing a game with a customizable MC (mainly COG) I brainstorm up some themes to go along with them, themes that make the journey worth having. For Lia, that came into play while creating her character as a whole. They are:
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You don’t have to be flawless to loved; after all, love itself comes with many diverse emotions inside it, creating other problems. It’s meaningful, imperfect, but it’s worth it. (Heh, that rhymed)
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Maybe love won’t save the day or solve the problems connected to you. Who do you want to love you in the end?
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Hope isn’t just some wish; it is a dream founded upon change and fulfillment in one’s life. It is conceivable through all the hardships, happiness, and memories. It will always be there for anyone.
Phylia’s Character
Wanting to love and find the beauty in everything sometimes leaves a hole in Phylia’s heart but she believes it is apart of her. Ever the optimist, she holds her head high above the clouds and hums a tune when the loneliness in the silence catches up to her. Instead of drowning in self-pity, she commits herself to Naphenia, for she gave the princess a reminder that love makes life a little less empty and strength doesn’t always rely on a sword or wits: it is the understanding of others in a world so complex with it’s people.
Bashful and not trained in book smarts, Lia was not made for the world that she was born into. There are no fairy godmothers to award all of her efforts by lending her a glamorous dress for the ball, no Prince Charming to be her perfect husband, and certainly no talking animals to be her friends in times of need. Politics, to her, can always be solved with the simple answer, “Do what’s right for everyone”. Of course, it is never able to hold up to every dilemma present in the court. She would face something more genuine than a monstrous villain in a storybook: human nature at its best and worst.
If not strong in the areas of eloquence or wisdom, Lia’s passion plays itself through her music. She performs the harp with grace and dexterity but believes that her singing is unsatisfactory. As a result, it is only reserved for when she is alone or when a close friend may be having a bad day. They can laugh at how bad it is together after all! Aside from the arts, fashion is also a topic of entertainment for her. Beauty comes in all shapes and sizes for her, and that includes fancy dresses!
I used Cinderella and Tiana for their hardworking and hopeful lifestyles even when the environment stomps on all of that.
Mulan gave Phylia the whole, ‘Should I do what’s expected of me to please my family and others even if it means losing sight of who I really am vs. Should I show others who I am since it doesn’t hurt anyone but ultimately it will lead to disapproval’. ‘Reflection’ came to mind as well.
Finally, Lia has Giselle’s mindset and the general idea of her character. It’s sort of like ‘Expectations vs. Reality’. Phylia expects others to like her for the warmth that she try to provide for everyone but it would probably bore or annoy them. They’d probably laugh at how she views life in general. When Giselle leaves her fairytale and comes to the real world, it’s a huge wake up call. Phylia would have to find ways to understand how her environment truly works and realizing that it’s gonna take more than good intentions to get anywhere.
Relationships
Mother: Being the only present (albeit absent) parental figure in her life, Phylia loves her mother with all her heart. After the encounter with her father, Lia believes that her mother is in a loveless marriage. Feeling terribly bad about it, she attempts to fill in the gap by giving her the best mother-daughter relationship ever. Lia knows what it’s like to feel rejected by him, so they can weirdly bond over that.
Father: Meeting him was one of Lia’s biggest failures. She had fail to curtsy, to say anything to him, and ultimately left her feeling as though the relationship with him was going from okay to worse. While Lia respects him slightly (only slightly), she cannot forget the words he used to describe the only person close to her. Everything stopped at that moment.
Sister Elesyth: Lia cannot help but feel Sister Elesyth does not extend Naphenia’s ‘limitless love’ to her. The princess wonders if she can do anything right in her eyes.
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@Fawkes Uh, horse? Hunting/companion dog ala Fable? Falcon? Not so sure about these, but it seems a common enough trend in fantasy to have some form of animal companion and it seems a good idea to teach young characters responsibility in this way, perhaps also including choices to get these pets killed/maimed by being idiots/displeasing the wrong people.
Young princes in our world were often given suits of fitted armour around their sixth to tenth birthdays. I saw some fantastic examples of such at the Tower of London’s Royal Armoury and also at Les Invalides. I think it was Henry VIII who had a suit made for him when he was four. Four!
A chess set has been mentioned already, but I like the idea. Maybe some art implements? Brush and canvas, wot? That seems appropriately idle for under aged royalty, however vilified they may be by their family.
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