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Explanation

The term 'generation' as applied to the Doushikai is often misinterpreted. 'Gen4' does not mean you have grandparents and greatgrandparents. In fact, none can make this claim. 'Generation' refers to where in the timeline of Dou history a particular Dou was hatched/introduced to RP.

An era/generation changes when important events sufficiently alter the course of history. Often, these events have centered around a small group of Dou- they are the world-changers, the history makers. Their names will be seen frequently here- Manen, Lilith, Leander, Demitasse, Fai Li. Every Dou contributes to the way the world is formed, but these are the unfortunates who often bear the brunt of the violence that allows the world to change and grow. ((It also makes it far easier for Brit and Ogre to keep track of things, when we can timeline single characters and point out the crazy stuff that's happened xd ))

Most Doushikai are not born into families of Dou- 90% are adopted or grow up without family at all. The major family lines (those that have actually managed to produce grandchildren) are the I'qath line (Manen and Leander), the Ballotin-Li line (Demitasse, Fai Li, and Seraph), and Lilith's line. Their survival rate is part of what makes them such influential characters- they have managed to live through all of the hell the world has thrown at them.

The Scene is Laid

Enter the world of Sigil- specifically, the continent of Imperial, divided into 'countries' named for the cardinal directions. This place holds a mixture of magic and technology; the North relies entirely on magic in a Greek-Senate style government of Chamberlains backing Mage-King Drake and his missing heir, Winchester. The South is a massive metropolis, much like our modern-day cities, though the technology is a few steps ahead; the government here is democratic but fairly ignored as the gang/mafia/syndicate bosses on the streets take control. Despite this apparent lawlessness, order is maintained- after all, chaos and civilian casualties are 'bad for business.' The two countries are divided by a broad band of dense Myst, from which strange creatures frequently emerge and few ever return alive. The only transportation between these two places and over the Myst is by Northern airship, magnificent magical creations much like their seagoing sisters that sail across waves of air. They are controlled viciously by the mages, and few ever see both countries in their lifetimes. To fly on an airship requires a 'key,' a passport granting approval- of which very few are in possession. Relations between the two countries' governments are good, but the people generally despise each other. Fights frequently break out when one party accidentally emerges into the other's territory. The worldview is very small- nothing is known outside of the borders of the North and South.

((Most of the Dou born in Gen1 are actually kind of 'Gen1.5,' as the true gen1 Dou are those who exist before the scene is laid and the Dou RP actually began. Existing Dou here are people like Manen, who were around far BEFORE this scene opens. The 1.5's are people like Lee, who is very young when Gen1 opens. Yes, Dou live a VERY LONG TIME if they are strong enough, and no one guts them.))


Introduction of the Changers

There are many important players introduced to the world at this point. Many will die later, but several persist throughout the following Generations to become world leaders, key figures with their own history and legends. A few of these are:

• Manen I'qath
  A reclusive, calm mage strangely transplanted to Southern soil, Manen owned and operated the great Library where he lived with and raised his little brother, Leander. Never one to speak of his past to anyone at all, Manen was a close friend to the family of the Mage-King and also the leader of most of the Northern army. His reasoning for being in the South and keeping such a low profile are unknown.
  
• Leander I'qath
  Manen's little brother (one of the few biological families created by Ogre), being trained in magic when Manen could tie him down to lessons. He carried a love for all people in the world, forming his outlook on life at a very early age- "I believe it is possible to save the world." With his potential to become a very powerful mage, this would cause trouble later.
  
• Fai Li Hisui
  Jade Dragon (not in fact a Doushikai). One of the major bosses in the South, Fai controlled a large chunk of the city (centered around Chinatown) under the Broken Lotus syndicate. He was known for a nasty temper and his extreme personability- he knew all of his people, their histories, and their families. The Lotus was a very close-knit organization, close to the streets. It's main resource was a large number of personnel.
  
• Demitasse Ballotin
  Head of the mafia that controlled Uptown, called and based out of the five-star Hotel Ballotin. Known for charm, 'good business,' and ties to any and all forms of business within the city, their main resource was wealth and political connections. There is also a high emphasis on family here, but not quite as extensive as the Lotus. In particular, Demitasse is known for his close connection to his 'father,' Ogre.
  
• Lilith
  'The Bad Guy.' Exhibiting a surprisingly strong hatred for most of the living creatures on the planet, this villain wandered the North and the South (more frequently in the North) as a serial killer that the authorities were completely unable to stop. His victims were usually Doushikai with great potential for strength or power; he ripped the souls from their bodies to give himself power, leaving them nothing but ash. His reasoning and outlook were very different from Ogre's, extremely cynical and without the coat of gloss most people placed over the general population.

Events

At this time, the Hotel and the Lotus were violent enemies, warring for territory and sparked in aggression by the personal feud between Demitasse and Fai. Bloodshed in the streets is a common occurrence, though thankfully usually between the two organizations and not involving too many innocent bystanders.

Lilith is a household name, feared wherever it is heard. Though his prey are usually Doushikai, he is not opposed to taking out any human that catches his eye or gets in his way. This does not help the already shaky relations between the Dou and the humans; through all of gens1 and 2 there is an undercurrent of hatred for the Dou. This comes to a head near the end of gen2.


*in process*



-Lee reunites Sevelin and Urien, and in the pricess becomes attached to Ascot, which leads to him becoming involved in the fight for 'good' and battling to remove Ascot from Lilith's control

-Development of the blood-feud between the Lotus and Hotel

-A team of assassins (the Hosue of a Thousand Blooms, run by Enlil) is hired to take out several of the Chamberlains who advise the King in the North. Secretly, one of them is assigned to kill the king. Drake dies, and it is discovered that the missing heir is in fact one of the assassins [Winchester]...who must now face the horror of what he witnessed and assume the throne.

-Playing field is levelled, huge numbers of people die, enemy becomes each other and not the Infernis as survival becomes key
-Such important characters as Demitasse and Leander (and Ascot) die in the massacre. The Fur Elise is apparently lost with all hands. Others, like Fai Li, disappear completely.
-Humans die much faster than the Dou, as the Dou are built stronger than any average human. Survival ratio is 5 Dou to every 1 human. Considering how few Dou survive, that leaves the humans as nearly a fairy tale...or at least a highly endangered species.
-Magic is lost completely, which is a major contribution to the death of the North. All magics cease to function.
-Imperial is left as a field of ruins, barren of life and structure except for those few scattered groups and individuals who carefully attempt to live.
-Towards the end of this period, the Infernis begin to retreat underground...taking over the ruins of the South. NO ONE lives there now, since it's asking for death to even try.

-Gen3 lasts approximately 20 years; it's pretty much the shortest era and the only one with an actual timespan.

-Leggo takes throne, rebuilds Imperial
-Introduction to the cities of Ultima and Fleet
-People start to migrate back officially, go back to the old ways of business

-Demitasse, Edrienne, and Edri's bond Alice are locked in the only surviving structure- the Northern Mage Prison, allowing Fai to flee incarceration in the place he has hated for centuries. Introduction of the Warden, Charlemagne, and some of the most dangerous killers in existance. For the first time in CENTURIES of operation, the Prison is broken open as Fai retrieves his family.

-Lee finds that Elise has in fact survived, and is joyously reuinited with his ship...who had refused to fly since 'her' Captain was not on board.

-Alain's boys begin making themselves known. Nefarsin becomes the Emperor of Shadow (see below), Morgandy goes searching for magic around a mysterious doll and finds the great Arena (see Pallida), and Tiergan's secret affair with Lilith's grandson, Zion, slowly builds to an explosion that will crack the world.

-Word is finally spoken of a great battleground called Pallida that is apparently overlaid on all worlds, wherever it's presence is desired, for fighters of near-godlike power vie for honor, glory, and control of the nine planets in this system. Morgandy journeys to Pallida, returning well-trained with a small Pallidan harem (of allies...of course).

-The Emperors begin to resurface...in new bodies. Nefarsin becomes Shadow, Edrienne becomes Earth, Zion becomes Light. Not all reappear, but they herald the return of ALL of the magic.

-With magic's return comes a camp of mages, rebuilding the great beacon towers that once protected the North, and eventually forming a new Mage Academy (called Cairo after the original Headmaster). Enemies become allies as Lilith and his bondmate Fontchrist step in to help and teach.

-Zion goes fooking insane and does some serious, dark magic, making him more dangerous than even his infamous grandfather. He is thrown in the Northern prison, all of which nearly breaks his (secret!) bondmate, Tiergan.

-The WUF begins to rebuild as all of it's generals slowly reassemble. Zion works with Valyn, who is also in the prison, to discredit the Warden and arrange enough chaos that they can escape.

-Sides are formed. Tiergan begins to form a presence- much liek Fai's original Broken Lotus syndicate- in Ultima, ripping entire sectors of Elysium from Sagato's control from a distance while making a name for himself as a dangerous leader. Zion joins the WUF army as the force begins to once again make itself a threat.

Journal Entry || Surviving the Storms


Grandfather, I never expected to be in a position where there were no borders to this country- only people, frightened people, that I must protect to sustain the life of the North. I still think of it as that, even though we are one of the few surviving forces on Imperial...even after all this time, it is still the North in my heart.

I haven't written anything down in a long time. There is a lot to tell...I will try not to drag it out too far. In overview, your people are now down to perhaps a thousand in number, clustered in an underground system of caves that is all the hope we currently have for survival. It begins with the storms- so much began with the storms.

All of Imperial has heard the name Lilith, and known that he is a force to be feared. I cannot say the same; Papa is not the threat to me that he is to the rest of the world. There are those of us who love him, and those who hate him- as well as those who envy his power. One of those was Zion, my nephew and his grandson. In a fit of what must have been insanity, Zion killed Papa to take his power. He will never regret this mistake, for he nearly destroyed himself in the process. No one is built to handle the sheer force of power and multitude of souls Papa has collected over the centuries; the explosion of force drove him mad, and sent thousands of souls screaming loose upon the world. It was....very hard on everyone who loved him, to feel him die.

In particular, of course, this affected his bondmate. I have great affection for Fontchrist, the Lord of Storms- he was one of my father figures, after all. His adoration for Lilith was known, but not how much he had devoted his life to Papa- feeling him die broke Fontchrist completely. I mourned with him, for I love my papa very much...but then the storms began. He stopped caring about the world and anything in it, losing himself to a massive hurricane....that never seemed to end.

The North was destroyed. What we had rebuilt since the Fall....gone. Imagine the worst hurricane in the world...then leave it on one place for a month or two on end, maintaining its strength and feeding on itself to give off periods of even more violence. Into the catacombs we fled; I laid my hand on your tomb as we escaped under the Palace to the deepest possible level of safety. I was pregnant with my twins at the time, your great-grandsons; I was very weak, but I remember Leander's white and grim face as he held back the storms long enough for the remaining students from the Mage Academy to arrive. Fontchrist was...teaching when he felt Papa die. I'm afraid we lost a very large percentage of the students and faculty in that horrific beginning. Fear not, my uncle Asiago survived...he would have made you proud, the way he protected the students.

In the tunnels, we met up with several other parties- those of the Li Clan that reside in the city, the crew of the airship '9th Symphony,' and in particular Master Enlil and several of his people from their residence in Ultima. It was ironic, that he knew the tunnels because he used them for smuggling. I was grateful for his leadership and assistance...for then we began to understand the true extend of our horror.

When Papa died, all of his souls broke free and scattered. They went back to the planet...to become the frightening Myst-creatures called Infernis that had engineered the first Fall of Imperial. They poured from the South to invade us once more we did what we could, sealed the exits, and settled in to wait. The mages that remained began gardens, located water supplies, and supplied semi-permanent forms of light and warmth. We were able to catch our breath. In the midst of this storm, Kallesin and Avalon were born...identical twins, who have yet to know what it is to run in a field touched by the sun. Eyes turned to me, that I might find a way to stop Fontchrist's storms, but his heart was broken- I had no way to reach him, even if I could get through the storms. We began to build underground, opening the caverns so that they held wide, open spaces where shops and rooms could be made. A huge garden...all of these things, making it a place where we could live if the storms never died.

And then...news. Lilith was live.

In a way.

When the souls broke free, Papa's soul went with them. He wandered for a while, waiting to see what would happen- when the Infernis became strong enough, he was drawn to that source of power. He became reborn as an Infernis. I do not know what is more horrifying to the world- that he is one of them, now, or that he has them to command. Regardless of their fears, he went and stopped Fontchrist. In a gesture of goodwill, he turned him over to the Northern Prison, which was deep enough underground to have survived. I am...hurt by that. It destroyed Fontchrist anew, but I think it also opened his eyes- wearing limiters to contain his dangerous storms, he had time to think about what he had been to papa for so very long. He was a lapdog that realized life was better if you bit your master when he hit you. I do not know where Fontchrist is, now- he was released from the Prison by the Warden, with my approval, in secret. Though the people are terrified of him, I hope he is well.

The storms are passed. There is practically nothing left of the city that once lay above us. The city has moved underground, to these caves- what few airships remain have begun making stops at a well-guarded tower directly above us. The Infernis have withdrawn a bit...but only, I think, because we are so hard to reach. I have no intention of staying like this. I will have my city above ground again, I will see my sons play in the afternoon light, and I will find a way to keep my people alive in the process...

....but it does make me nervous, that Papa has wandered off again, now with no one to reign in his more homicidal urges. We are weak, at a point of rebuilding completely or being destroyed. Watch over us, now- Gods, let it be a new start, and not simply another ending.

~Legacy Draken Liliar Grey
Mage-King of Imperial