This Is War (Updated!)

Guest Post by Trinity! No wait... I'm not a guest. But you wouldn't know that would you? Because I've been gone for three weeks straight.

There is blame to be placed and I choose this: 

SCHOOL

Alright, onto the subject matter. Quite a while ago (meaning, maybe a month and a half ago) I discovered the song "This Is War" by 30 Seconds To Mars. I'm not a fan of hard-rock-screaming songs for the most part, (they give me a headache and hurt my ears) but I like this song, which has minimal screaming and a pretty cool melody. Also, because of this video, I link it strongly to Harry Potter.

AND! For those who maybe don't do Harry Potter, here's an Avengers version.

One of the reasons I liked it so much was how for each part, they matched up a character that fit that description. For example:

Each character fits their label in some way or another. Albus Dumbledore is headmaster of Hogwarts School. Sybill Tralawney is the Professor of Divination and makes a prediction that is important to the plot. Etcetera, etcetera.
So, after listening to this song multiple times, (like many many times) Hannah and I started thinking how we could match it up to our stories. It's a surprisingly difficult exercise, but fun!

This is what I listed for Aouthentica (Think Rienna, Jrew, and Liza), along with a little explanation as to why I chose them.
Note: Two I left out so I wouldn't ruin any surprises.

A warning to the People: █████████ ← A secret

The Good: Jrew Arion-

Jrew is obviously the good guy. He wants his throne back, and he wants revenge on his second-cousin, Talman Arion for murdering his parents and his uncle.

And the Evil: Talman Arion -

Again, obviously the bad guy.

To the Soldier: Eyrik Duell-
Eyrik is head of the Commandos in Gillam (secret renegade town in Aouthentica), which are kind of like their police force. Everything he does is carefully calculated, either for the good of his men or the good of Gillam. (That's why he thinks Rienna is such an idiot, because she's largely unattached on her missions and thus is a lot more spontaneous and reckless.) He's there to do what needs to be done to get the job done so he can move on to the next job that needs to be done. He's a soldier and he really doesn't have much of a life outside of that.

The Civilian: Cam and Cara Rogdriguez-

Poor Cam and Cara (they're twins). I'm not really sure how they got to be living in Milliayn, but they work for Jrew and they're just kinda along for the ride. They haven't been trained for this their whole lives, but they get sucked in and have to do the best they can.

The Martyr: Anai Arion-

This would be Jrew's father. He went back to help his brother (Avigdor, the king at the time), while sending his son on ahead (to get out of the country). Unfortunately, he never made it out. 

The Victim: █████████ ← Another secret

A warning to the Prophet: Cerra Samerest
Okay, so Cerra has no powers. Just want to clarify that once and for all. Nobody in Aouthentica gots an superpowers. BUT she is one of, if not the most sensible one of the group. So she can kind of predict what's going to happen if someone does something. She'd be the one going, "Someone's going to get hurt." And then someone would.

The Liar: Daven Cortez - 

Daven is a double agent for Falk Halcon (read: assistant bad guy). He "works" for Jrew, but ends up betraying him. I don't like him. He's a liar.

The Honest: Jesse Stoiker - 

Jesse's a Commando under Eyrik. He'll tell you the absolute truth, and if he can't, he won't say anything. He's  also Eyrik's best friend. 

To the Leader: Luc Walker - 

Luc is the Director of Gillam, and he's good at it. Now, why did I choose him instead of Jrew? Because Luc's a good leader and he's been doing it solo for many years, whereas Jrew is.... not as good of a leader and he needs a lot of help.

The Pariah: Liza Vulken-

Liza is not generally accepted anywhere other than Jrew's headquarters, and even then she mostly hangs around in the back, just keeping an eye on Rienna (her unofficially adopted daughter). She did something pretty bad, though I don't remember what it was, that turned everyone against her. So now she's an outcast, but because of Rienna, she sticks around.

The Victor: Rienna Lee-

Ah, Ri. She jumps in headfirst all. the. time. But she usually manages to get herself out of it, and really, Jrew probably wouldn't become king or defeat Talman. And Eyrik would still be brooding in Gillam. And Terra would still be queen of Bairek. And Erde would still be meekly following his sister (Terra) around. So I'm putting her in the Victor category. 

The Messiah: Erde-

(Okay, quick orientation: Bairek = Country next to Aouthentica, host country of the town Milliayn. Terra: Queen of Bairek. Erde: Her younger brother.)

Terra is the "rightful" ruler of Bairek, but she's really not a very good leader. She was spoiled rotten as a child, so now she's pretty much a bratty queen. However, everyone in Bairek loves Erde, who wasn't nearly as spoiled, because no one paid much attention to him. He refuses to take the throne from Terra, even if it would be better for the country, but eventually, erm.... she's not... well, queen anymore. Or anything, actually. But that comes later. In any case, he eventually becomes king of Bairek and pretty much rescues the country from utter ruin.

Alrighty. I think that pretty much wraps it up, and I'm sorry if it's confusing (or even boring), because I was distracted while writing it. And I'm sorry that it's been so long since I posted. I'll try to remedy that. But no promises. 

Aouthentica - Synopsis Part 1

Ever since I (Trinity) last posted, I've been working on my synopsis of Aouthentica. It's taken a lot longer and has become a lot more detailed than I thought it would be. It's helped me find and patch plot holes (no one can find plot holes in my story like I can), and to remember what's going on, since I hadn't worked on it for a couple months and the details were starting to slip my mind. 

So here's the first part, and I do apologize if it's a little too detailed, but I was really just trying to get everything out so I'd remember it in the future. 

Um, first, a quick list of names for reference (in case they get confusing): 

Avigdor Arion - Jrew's uncle, king of Aouthentica 

Anai Arion - Avigdor's brother, Rayla's husband, Jrew's father, prince of Aouthentica

Rayla Arion - Princess of Aouthentica, Anai's wife, Jrew's mother, Avigdor's sister-in-law

Talman Arion - Second cousin to Avigdor, Captain of the Guard

Falk Halcone - Right-hand man to Talman, ambassador, in charge of Triennia

Keyla Bardon - In charge of Triennia under Falk, Eyrik's peer, Falk's assistant

Arron Vitez - Avigdor's right-hand man, Jrew's surrogate father

Liza Vulken - Previous agent for Avigdor, Rienna's surrogate mother

Anjrew "Jrew" Arion - True heir to Aouthentica's throne, best friend of Rienna, son of Anai and Rayla

Rienna Lee - Best friend and agent for Jrew Arion

Kisha Garreth - Agent for Jrew, nurse, cousin of Cerra

Cerra Samerest - Agent for Jrew, cousin of Kisha

Cam and Cara Rodriguez - Twin brother and sister, agent for Jrew.

Ashley Hale - Agent for Jrew, best friends with Lydia

Lydia Mening - Agent for Jrew, best friends with Ashley

Daven Cortel - Agent for Jrew, kind of new

Lord Anson - Previously adviser to Avigdor, advises Jrew now

Lord Carter - Previously adviser to Avigdor, advises Jrew now

Lord Dominick - Previously adviser to Avigdor, advises Jrew now

Luc Walker - Director of Gillam

Eyrik Duell - Captain of the Commandos in Gillam

Jesse Stoiker - Commando, best friend of Eyrik

King Domhan - King of Bairek, associate of Avigdor

Queen Lurra - Wife of Domhan, deceased

Queen Terra - New queen of Bairek

Prince Erde - Younger brother of Terra

Aouthentica - Country ruled by the Arions for hundred of years

Aryeh - Aouthentica's capitol

Triennia - City in Aouthentica

Gillam - Town in Aouthentica

Bairek - Neighboring country to Aouthentica

Cordyne - Bairek's capitol

Milliayn - Town in Bairek

Okay, and here's part one of the actual synopsis on this ever-so-long post:

The kingdom of Aouthentica has been ruled by the Arions for over two hundred years. The current ruler, Avigdor Arion, has no wife and no heir. However, his beloved brother, Prince Anai, and sister-in-law, Princess Rayla, have a son, Anjrew Arion, who he is perfectly content to leave the throne to.
Unfortunately, the brother's second cousin, Talman Arion, finally puts his crusade for the throne into action, using his position as captain of the guard as an opportunity to turn the Aouthentican military against their own king.
His coupe, culminating with an attack on the palace itself, is successful: The king is killed, as well as Anai and Rayla. His loyal subjects are scattered and driven from Aouthentica. His right-hand man, Arron Vitez manages to escape with the two-year-old prince to the neighboring country of Bairek, along with a few other palace occupants.
Arron goes to the King of Bairek and requests refuge for the true heir. Seeing a valuable bargaining chip to use against the new king of Aouthentica, the king of Bairek agrees, and gives the refugees Milliayn, a half-built town. A few more Aouthentican refugees trickle in and are redirected to Milliayn, but soon they stop coming due to Talman locking down the borders.

Nineteen years pass with little to no political activity in Bairek or, presumably, Aouthentica, which has become a very closed, secretive country under Talman's rule. However, all reports convey that the people are happy and prospering.
Then the king of Bairek dies, leaving the country in the hands of his daughter, Terra, who is not known for her wisdom or discernment.
Doubt and worry falls over the minds of the Millianites concerning their future. Jrew Arion is now 21 and the people miss their homeland. With Arron's guidance, and three lord's (from Avigdor's old counsel) advice, he decideds the time to take action has come.

First, he goes to speak with the new queen in person, along with Arron, Daven Cortel, Cerra Samerest, and the Lord Dominick.
Second, he sends his best friend and right hand, Rienna Lee, her surrogate mother Liza Vulken, and Kisha Garreth in one team to "investigate" the state of Aouthentica.

Almost as soon as Liza's team enters Aouthentica she is recognized and arrested. Barely escaping, Rienna and Kisha flee farther down into Aouthentica. They tell Jrew what's happened and he sends Ashley Hale and Lydia Mening to rescue Liza.
While travelling back roads and through the woods to avoid the Central Police, Rienna and Kisha come across a large cement compound, with walls too high to see over. They stop to investigate, but before they can they are captured by an unknown group.
Meanwhile, Jrew is having his own troubles with Queen Terra. Talman has sent ambassadors to influence her against Milliayn, and she is very hostile toward them, trying Jrew's patience. After a particularly frustrating meeting, Terra's younger, but more mature, brother, Prince Erde, offers his encouragement and a little secret assistance as he feels it would be better for Bairek if Jrew were on the throne. However, how much assistance Erde can offer greatly depends on convincing Terra of their side of the argument; While Terra holds the throne of Bairek, Erde holds their hearts, a fact she is well aware of. If she decided against backing Jrew's claim to the throne, Erde could be committing treason; Or worse, if she decided to back Talman's claim to the throne, Erde could start a civil war, something he is not willing to risk.
Unbeknownst to everyone at the meeting Daven is recording it to give to Talman's ambassador, Falk Halcone, who's greatest delight would be to start a civil war, as that would weaken Bairek enough that Aouthentica (Or more specifically, Talman) could take over the country they were once equal to.

Rienna and Kisha find themselves in separate prison cells, guarded by surprisingly courteous jailers. Rienna finds a way to make a break for it, but is confronted by Captain Eyrik Duell, and (to her shock) is defeated in hand-to-hand combat and taken to the mysterious Director. The Director turns out to be an older gentleman named Luc who politely interrogates her and eventually reveals that she is in Gillam: the place all of the other Aouthenticans who wanted to leave fled to after Talman closed the borders down. Rienna mentions the concrete walls and he quickly corrects her. The compound she saw before was not Gillam, but an invention of Talman's. The entire country is now run by blackmail. There is a member of almost every family in Aouthentica in a compound somewhere. Talman has the compoundees working for him and simultaneously uses them as leverage to enlarge his army and prevent uprisings.
Rienna believes him, but only reveals half her story. In exchange, Luc only gives her half her freedom: she may explore Gillam to confirm the validity of his story, but she will be accompanied at all times by a Commando (Gillam's peacekeepers), and she must return to her cell at nightfall. Rienna agrees to this, and, to her disgust, she is assigned Eyrik Duell as her watchman.
She meets up with Kisha, who is assigned Jesse Stoiker, and the two compare stories. They are relieved that they both chose the same course of action in only sharing the barebones of their mission in Aouthentica. During the course of the day they learn that Luc was indeed telling the truth and they agree to share the rest of their mission with Luc, who releases them from Gillam's custody.

Back in Milliayn, the Lords Anson and Carter are alerted that Queen Terra will be sending representatives to inspect Milliayn's structures in comparison with Bairek's building codes since the town was only half built when Domhan let them move in.
Unfortunately, the ongoing construction of Milliayn was and always has been a haphazard affair, each citizen building on as they saw fit, without a thought toward building codes.
The Lords, along with Cam and Cara Rodriguez, must think of a way to immediately improve almost every structure in Milliayn, and quickly, because they're beginning to garner public attention, and the inspection itself is no doubt a ploy by the Queen to further discredit and disgrace Jrew.
|••| With no other solution the Lords muster the Milliaynites and begin repairing and rebuilding Milliayn as quickly as possible. Cam and Cara are assigned to learn the building codes as quickly as possible. |••|

Upon getting their possesions back, Rienna recieves a call from Ashley and Lydia, informing her that they cannot locate Liza in Aryeh, but they heard a rumor that she was sent to Hospitality Center. Rienna directs them to come to Gillam to regroup, and relays the message to Luc and the Commandos. Luc tells her that the politically correct term for the compounds is a Hospitality Center, as the occupants are now "enjoying" Talman's hospitality and Eyrik may be able to help locate Liza.
He explains that Eyrik lives a double life, spending half his time in Triennia, undercover as an officer directly under Falk Halcone, who runs Triennia when he is not running errands for Talman. He has only one peer, Keyla Bardon, as he is above everyone else.
His high status allows him to visit regularly, and to warn and protect Gillam.
Eyrik vehemently opposes the idea, especially when Rienna decides to go along. She lays out her plan: Eyrik will take her into Triennia under the pretense of just making a pit stop after having captured her and being under orders to personally take her to join Liza.
Luc likes and agrees to the plan, but he must give Eyrik a direct order to carry it out.

In Cordyne (Bairek's capitol) Jrew's troubles are mounting. Terra has found out about Erde and Jrew's secret meeting, and is absolutely furious, accusing them both of plotting against her. Erde angrily confronts Jrew, demanding to know why he told Terra. Jrew assures him that he wasn't the one to tell Terra, and the two princes conclude that someone from their meeting must have betrayed them, though neither is willing to suspect their own men. Finally, they agree to quietly investigate their own group.
Jrew tells Arron of the development, and Arron promises to help him investigate Lord Dominick, Daven, and Cerra. Jrew continues to struggle with the idea that one of them could be a traitor.

Remember, I'm still working on it, and that's not the end (for those who complain about my "bloody cliffhangers"). This will be going on my "Trinity's Works" page when it's completed.

Also, since I'm a geek about my own stories, I may do a post where I share all the nitty-gritty details about Aouthentica's past, which is very long and (IMHO) very interesting. 

And, if you're very very very lucky, I may post part of my original Milliayn story, which makes me want to sink into the floor, curl up in a ball, and claw my eyes out all at once when I read it. So, ya'll will probably think it's hilarious. 

Sé onr sverdar sitja hvass!
-Trinity

P.s.
This little thing: |••| doesn't mean anything except to me. It's just a note to remind me that the stuff between is new, and so I can find it quickly.