#THE SCARLET CRUSADER IDEA IS SO PEAK

[lumdays]

VIZZIE CONTENTTT WAHAHHHEUHRUI💞💕💕💞💕💕💕💕💕eating this up🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏

@lumdays I'm pointing at you. Thank you for delivering the brain worms that are @alli-ily au, please notice me prince!!

((If at any point my worldbuilding conflicts with anything you initially had planned, feel free to to tell me ^^))

Story Time!! Sorry for yapping

Once upon a time, Queen Maria Alyana Castello ruled over the peaceful Kingdom of Soledosa. The island, rich with life and culture, thrived as more people from near and far heard of the idyllic coast, the fruit trees, and most importantly, the leaps and bounds they were making in their naval engineering. For years, the island had healthy trading relationships and a booming tourist market; a bridge was erected to connect the island to the mainland. While it took ages to complete, the celebration the night it was finished has been unmatched. Though there were no prominent nations nearby, the people finally had options for how they wanted to travel. The kingdom thrived, the Queen was loved, and the citizens, they were happy. Sometimes, if you stood at the edge of the mainland, a light breeze was more than enough to let you hear the joy and music that rang through the city.

That was over twenty years ago.

Where there was once an island, anyone peering from the mainland would see nothing but grey rocks arranged meticulously into a ridiculously large wall. The shore is visible, and on clear days, you can catch the glimmer of a golden spire poking out from over the wall; one that you could rightfully assumed to the castle.

There are chunks of a bridge still visible, weathering the storms of time, left in uncertainty if they will ever be a part of something bigger again.

On stormy days, when the water churns, and the wind blows, you have to be extra careful to not fall in. The water around Soledosa is no longer safe, hundreds of ships destroyed and discarded, done for no other reason than to make it difficult for large ships from other countries to make it to the shore; and nearly impossible for anybody from inside the walls to, somehow, navigate their way through the shipwreck graveyard to get to land.

When you stand at the edge of the mainland, you're met with nothing more than the rhythmic lapping of waves, a palpable absence in the air, even if you have never visited before. The silence hangs in the air like an omen.

I come here everyday.

Not much changes, but it is my duty, to my princess, to her people.

Every now and again, one of the commonfolk manages to slip through the wall, and waits for my signal.

As long as I can keep telling them she's alive, the people can cultivate hope, harness their anger, and hold strong until she arrives.

Maybe on that day, the people will truly, forgive me for what I've caused.

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Characters:

Maria Alyana Castello: Current monarch of Soledosa. About twenty years ago, her most trusted seer relayed a prophecy in which she was told that her reign would be felled by a weapon stronger than man could forge. Shortly after, her husband became ill, and passed away from 'mysterious causes.' As a paranoid, now single mother, Maria saw it in both her own and her people's best interest if she cut them off from the rest of the world. If her people could get no ideas from the outside world anymore, there was no way that they would be able to develop something beyond man's capabilities, right? Her daughter would be safe from attempts on her life, and the people should be happy with maintaining their beautiful island. In her isolation and fear, Maria grows more irrational and cruel, taking pride in the absolute power she has over her people, and using it to her advantage. Anyone who dares defy her runs the risk of a death sentence, or, the less lucky ones end up suffering in the dungeon.

Xenos Tiberio Morrow: The Seer. After the queen's descent into madness, he couldn't help but feel personally responsible for the actions she took as a result of his prophecy. He helped the princess escape all those years ago, and knows returning now would make for an extravagant bloody show. He lives on the edge of the mainland in a humble hut, focusing his time and energy on finding the princess and confirming her well being. (whether this is like, the ability of connecting to a higher power or if its his magic depends on the world building of the au /lh ^^)

Viz⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ Castello: Soledosa's heir and only hope. Since she was twelve, she would sneak out of the castle to supply the commonfolk with food, water and medicine. She learned plenty from them in exchange, like what life was like before, first aid, different languages, and more. Eventually, when she was sixteen, she was caught, and her mother instigated a mass killing of all those who had interacted with her daughter, taking it as a threat to her rule. During the absolute chaos of the executions, a few locals helped drag her out of the fray and to a hidden exit in the wall. The only thing the locals couldn't do, was teach her how to fight. Over the past four years, Viz has turned herself from a princess to a warrior under the moniker of the Scarlet Crusader; a rogue knight who wears armour of red (and possibly white or black or gold, its still a WIP LMAO) as a promise to avenge those who fell in order to allow her to help the rest of her people. While nobody on the mainland knows about her noble heritage, (and in many cases, her identity is credited to that of a man), she is known for many missions she has taken on, sometimes getting hired by other nobility to carry out certain tasks. (Depending on worldbuilding, I was thinking that she could also receive a cursed sword or ring because I wanted to find a way for her morals to become grey, but there are other ways in case magic isn't a part of the au!! /Lh/gen)

I was also debating Bard Cater to be the 'just a silly little guy' x 'badass' archetype LMAO but idk if I'll go through with it

Anyways, I can't wait to hear more about this au, and best of luck with your studies op ^^