Book of Princes

Since nobody is watching.

2008-12-06T21:22:14Z

This is mostly for Maniac.

Name: Freese (Freisans being plural) (Free-suh, Free-shyans.)
City name: Freese
Other location names: Mechner (Mercenary Base)

General appearance: Freisans, being shapeshifters, can look like any animal in nature or entirely human, or even somewhere in-between. They however, prefer to look mostly human with maybe ears or horns. As humans, they do not grow taller than five and a half feet (six feet being unusually tall), and do not weigh past 150 lbs. Males and females are usually the same size. They usually wear desert-oriented robes and sandals, with few exceptions (dancers who wear little clothing, or warriors in armour). In their human forms, Freisans show name (Quickeye, Tallears, Freetail, Thousandeyes) markings in a semi-visible area (shoulder, neck, ankle). Name markings resemble what the name ’is’ - for example, the Quickeye clan has a dash over a crude, tribal eye. Tribe markings appear on Freisians at about eighteen years of age. When disguised as an animal, name markings are shown at their discretion. That said, the normal Freisan is nearly indistinguishable from any animal they are mimicking, but normal animals do not interact with shape shifted Freisans.

Freisan clans are tied to an animal base. This was set down by the first shapeshifter, Zahhak Thousandeyes. Zahhak gave each animal a few family names which have survived to this day. As such, each name has a preferred animal (for example, Cliffrose - meerkats, Tallears - caracals) to shapeshift into. That said, Freisans usually only shapeshift into desert animals. Freisans never use shapeshifting as a cosmetic enhancement as it’s considered a bad use of their powers.

Freisans cannot use magic, and their fur tends to repel it. They tend to use a lot of herbal-based spells and incantations to make up for this. They tend to be a rather savage people, and usually settle disputes violently rather than using any form of diplomacy. This is a trait that they inherited from their ancestors, the Caranis. As such, Freisans are very attracted to power, and are very honourable fighters. Freisans don't have a real notion of revenge or vengeance if one of their own kind is slain. After all, by their own belief system, if someone is able to defeat them, that other creature or being is obviously worthy. Freisans are not the largest or the most powerful beasts, but they live hard and die young. The average lifespan of Freisans is thirty years.

Culture: Freisans are highly religious people, and their lifestyle could be compared to the modern Muslim. They pray or meditate every day, and often have religious rituals in everyday tasks. A hunter would bless and thank animals after they are slain, a dancer would thank the Gods for keeping his feet nimble, a gardener would encourage and pray for their crops and flowers to grow. Not showing proper respect to an object or a person is blasphemous in the eyes of Freisans.

Freisan females tend to have more “aggressive” occupations, while males usually have “artistic” ones. Typical female jobs tend to be bodyguards, warriors, assassins or holy knights. Males tend to be dancers, singers, sculptors or inventors. It is not totally uncommon to see a male warrior or a female dancer, but is rare. That said, males usually have very good singing voices, as music is an important part of self-expression. If a man has a “warbly” or “whiney” singing voice, he’s considered odd.

Freisans are monogamous so marriage is taken very seriously. Homosexuality is accepted in society, but sometimes these partners marry the other sex to have children and have an affair with the same gender. This is frowned upon. Freisans do not re-marry after the death of a spouse. Married Freisan women have two studs in each ear, where a male will have a piercing in the neck. Widows will have two gold rings, while widowers have “fishhook” barbells. This is another trait they have adopted from the Caranis.

Freisans do not wear very flashy clothing. The only exception to this is the dancer, who wears bangles and anklets. They prefer functionality over decoration (such a thing is saved for temples). They prefer earth-toned colours and light cloth. Turbans, face-coverings, sandals, metal rings, and gloves are common articles of clothing. Freisans will sometimes tailor their boots to allow transformations from plantigrade to digitigrade stances easily. As such, they do not find “loud” colours attractive or functional. There will be an oddball who does colour themselves as such, and they would be considered outcasts. Anyone who does like bright colours is just as odd. They save brighter patterns of colours for religious purposes, and different colours have different meanings.

Dreams are also very important to Freisans. They have a certain amount of lucidity within them, if they do occur. If they foresee an event in a dream, it is taken very seriously.

Religion: The patron god of Freisans is Raegean, the Lion. Raegan is a representative of power, and honour, and he was the first of Arinyu’s children. Raegan is thanked after every hunt, and Freisans who have a lion as a “base” form are usually holy people.
They also have a few folk heroes, like Ahlla Blackspine the meerkat (who lead the largest and most successful thieves hideout for nearly one hundred years), among many others.

Notable figures:
Drath Halfeye (Lion), aged 29 at death, was one of the most religious leaders of Freese. Drath was the only prince to also be a warrior and a priest all at once. It was he who lay down most of the religious practices of Freisans.

Dogbane Bladeback (Coyote), aged 30 at death, was the one who established an honest merchant trade in Freese. He was also the one who made peace with other desert peoples.

Auster Freetail (Oryx), was the one who made the two original shapeshifter tribes stop their feud and become one city. Current location is unknown.

Current leader: Cypress Freetail (Gemsbok), is immortal, and will probably remain leader of Freese forever. Cypress is a rather sad specimen of Freisans, having one blind eye and a bad singing voice. He is a rather talented shapeshifter and a powerful warrior.

Where It Begins

2008-11-14T22:59:35Z

Please forgive me, I'm not used to writing fairy-tale-things.

The wind brings whispers of stories with blasts of sun and sand.

Are they true?

There once was a Prince with no Princess. The Prince was a good ruler indeed, for the sands did not move his people. Their buildings stood tall and sturdy like carved stone under the wind and rain.
Like the buildings of his city to the sky, the young Prince was just as stalwart and unyielding to his people. The heart of the Prince remained the same, which was odd, for his people were shape shifters, beings with one thousand forms. The heart of the Prince was truly human.

Human men have desires.

Night after night the young Prince wandered the streets of his city, looking for a lady as lovely as the moon and stars in the sky. The Prince's heart and soul twisted over and over, as years passed, and he could not find a suitable woman to marry.
When he found a woman, she was either too ugly, or too false - mind and body alike. The years continued to gather like sand upon a dune, and the Prince's lovely heart grew dark. He dared to enter brothels at night and spend time with women from sunset to sunrise, and tell no-one. He lost the image of marriage, of love, and replaced it with one of lust.

One night, the Prince entered the brothel in secret as he did every night, and laid eyes on a woman he had never seen before. She wore a veil, and cream-coloured cloth. Anklets adorned with diamonds shone around her feet, a long blue scarf between her fingertips.
She was dancing, she was singing. The rhythm of her footfalls followed that of her voice, her hair as level as an ocher horizon. Her movements were snakelike, seductive. The Prince's heart beat with her footfalls as his breathing quickened. A warm wind blew through his soul as he watched the beautiful, foreign woman dance. He wanted her for his own.

He managed to ease her away from the prying eyes of the brothel, and back to his palace. It was there that her face was revealed to the Prince. She was as beautiful as her song and her dance. Her face was more lovely than a desert rose. The woman was able to see the good heart that the Prince had, long before loneliness had tainted it, and she accepted him. She told him her name while their bodies were curved in the heat of lovemaking.

Dalal.

Such a name stayed with the Prince long after she had gone. When Dalal's flighty heart carried her feet away to far off places, she took the last shreds of love with her. The velvet-lined silence of the night was cold, as was the Prince's heart. Even with every fire, every torch, every candle lit, the warmth of life was still gone. The Prince never again trusted a woman, and the heart that was once so splendid felt like it fell away and crumbled into dust. The Prince himself, like the love of Dalal, quietly slipped away. History does not record what happened to the nameless Prince, or Dalal after the tale has ended.

Perhaps, it was erased by the Prince himself, out of anger.
Maybe it was told by servants, where it was whispered through walls and passed down to the streets. It would be there that a young writer would take the time to write such a story, in order to pass on this tale of love lost.

The writer would have the heart to continue the story where it had been stopped so abruptly.

This is that story.
The story is his.

And deep in the desert twilight

2008-08-09T17:31:48Z

I live! I live!

Sorry, but I have been making my deserts acceptable for youngsters from the odd place of stellarmass_mud. It's such an odd thing, tailoring your land just so that people can enter it. It's like when you're a child, and you're cleaning your room rather quickly so you can play outside. I know I haven't been in Sabrous a whole lot. All I do is sneak in and just level up rather slowly. Level 42, stil have a long way to go before I can use my polymorph.

I've also begun to write down my adventures, since I was about... oh, eighteen or so. I may end up writing them here so you can see them before I draw them. Or, rather, force Adamska to draw them
[Unknown LJ tag]

Tired as sin

2008-04-19T19:30:25Z

Oooh, how long's it been?

Been spending a whole lot of time in highwater hotel. I like exploring large, ghost-filled places. I was almost crushed by the elevator, twice, but by the gods it made me feel alive. I also got a few masks which is very good, because I don't like my own face. The only thing that really scared me was the baby-old-man ghost.

Also had a lot of fun in the newer woods. Reminds me of home, despite all the crazy squirrels. And I love the scent of pine <3 Probably going to go out and keep leveling later tonight.

Angblsdfkplm WUT

2008-03-10T15:59:47Z

>O

Get outta here you crazy me wannabe. Stupid kids and their angsting over women or lost land some some sort of cattywampus.

His world update

2008-02-27T21:35:48Z

Since I've (er, Cypress has) become a god in the stellarmass_mud I've decided to put up some more info here about his world. As for the prose, I think I'm too shy to put up any of my writing. Anyway.

Cullwych
Is it's own world, similar to earth. They have rather large islands, rather than have a lot of water. The islands in themselves are so diverse that there is a forest and a desert on one. That's where the Red Desert is, for a lack of anything else to call it. The other part, the woods (The Grand Forest, for a lack of anything to call THAT) is rather Anglo-Saxton/Celtic based, while the desert is influenced mostly by Egyptian and Persian (lots of Persian) literature.

Freese
Cypress watches over a shapeshifting town called Freese. In older times, Fresian people were rather nomadic, but recently they've settled down and made a rather small town within a canyon. Cypress is their leader. Freese itself is rather laid-back but not completely harmless. Think of the far east, and you'll have modern-day Freese.

Cypress
He's immortal.
No, he's not a god. He was a man who was made immortal due to the deeds he'd done for his people and what he'd done in his life. He can't die. So he didn't create anything, but, he's still rather powerful despite the fact that he likes people to think he's just some old man.

Why's he in Sabrous then?
Because it's awesome.

Without a proper blade

2008-02-13T21:08:38Z

I think in a couple days I'm going to just randomly place some prose from my life up here.

Woods and Mountains

2008-02-02T23:34:17Z

Got an itch again and decided to go exploring. Two new areas, right?

Well, the first was the ever-scary pooka woods. Weird critters there, let me tell you. Lizard birds. And not just one type, there was a couple. Just... birds. And while I had detect invisible things on, I always saw something walking around with me. It's kinda scary, even if they didn't attack.

The Mourning Mountains...
I'm still rather breathless from going through most of it. It's beautiful and scary all at once, especially on the inside. One way had a shaking, breaking tunnel that lead outdoors, to where there was a really heavy snowfall. Another way lead to a little broken wreckage site. It was amusing to look at - 'specially since there were these little drawings everywhere. The entire area was really a treat to go through, and I must thank somebody for creating it.

Got myself an icy new pelt with that, too. Brr.

Between the shadows

2007-12-17T02:39:45Z

Been updating so much lately!

I've been adventuring more, I gotta at least reach 49 to learn polymorph. Then my bandanna will work, fuck yeah. I've also become a bit more trimmer... and much more dirtier. I was shown around the catacombs. You know the place... I won't tell you what I found there... I'll just say that something inside of me already knew it happened.

Hmm...

Stars may always guide or way

2007-12-15T19:06:48Z

Ahh, went adventuring last night for the first time in forever.
Even Lythia showed up.

I have a cane now as a weapon... with my spats, my tie, and and my insanely sparkley tophat, does that mean I'm a gentleman again? Regardless, my training party just ran around, killed security guards at Valburg. Bad idea, even though we won fights. We killed politicans too. Someone suggested that we kill the foreign politicans. For some reason, I became uneasy. I remebered what it was like to look after other people, and to be in a position of power. I didn't want to be depressed or angsty or anything, so I just shut up.

Then I remember killing things makes ME stronger, so my spirit lifted a little. We took out the foreign politicans many, many times. And dignitaries, lots of them. One of the adventurers traveling with us looted every room. I found that strangely endearing. But I have to think... is being in command the same as other places, or is it easier here? Is it harder because of the alignments? I would ask Tochi or Tarendol, but that wouldn't be in my nature. My Nikitak nature. I'll just keep the thoughts to this journal :}

I'm out of line

2007-12-06T05:53:52Z

To see you when I wake up
Is a gift I didn't think could be real
To know that you feel the same as I do
Is a three-fold utopian dream

You did something to me that I can't explain
So would I be out of line if I said "I miss you"

I see your picture
I smell your skin on
The empty pillow next to mine
You have only been gone ten days
But already I'm wasting away
I know I'll see you again
Whether far or soon
But I need you to know that I care

And I miss you

DANG.

2007-12-03T13:56:16Z

You know it figures when like, I actually come out of my hole to do something, someone's done it. Last night, I thought to myself "wow, I could get a human polymorph and well, feel human again" so I went off to get some grass. Snerk. Grass. Uh, and Lythia actually came with! It was totally sweet, and we were hunting grass when... we realised a party last night killed 'em all.

Motherfucker :C ... I'm so lazy.

Argh.

2007-10-29T12:12:42Z

I fufilled my own promise to hang around with everyone like last friday... I really need to stick around in the lounge more. But lemme tell you, my memory's as good as shit lately.

And so's my stomach. Fucking ow.

Ghost Dancing

2007-09-23T22:01:34Z

Oooh yeah... I'm exhaused. And I have a headache even though I only drunk a little bit last night. I guess it's enough. Anyway, I had a bit of an adventure. I'm a huge sucker for stoytelling. Lo and behold, there was some going on in the Low Fields as courtesy of the sun guard, and I couldn't resist. After getting a bit lost, I made it to the speckled herbs. There was a few other kids there, a couple 'taks, a muti, and a myche. The Guard left us a note to begin, and none of anyone else had a ghost story... so I decided to tell one.

I really just made one up on the spot. Something about a really nice layrith meeting a ghost but he didn't know it was a ghost and stuff. Scared the hell out of everybody else. Just as I was finishing it, something screamed. It was such a loud scream that it scared everybody, you know, save for me. Everyone got all shaky and scared but I was curious. I went into the woods... and the rest of the kids followed me. Okay. It's here we all got kinda lost but. I mean, I'm terrible at this. :< I did find a tent, but it was locked. I thought it was out of the ordinary but then I realised it belonged to someone else. Whoops.

We wandered around a bit more until we found a sabrecat. He looked some other kind of bad, let me tell you. He was all covered in blood and shaking and of course all of us start jumpin up and down all ARE YOU OKAY. And he said that he didn't remember who he was. Okay. He was tweaked out and shaking so we tried to figure out what to do. Bring him back to camp? Leave him there? We eventually just decided to walk (and therefore get lost again). After a bit he remebered a bag and I took it and looked inside. Inside was a card that said he was a tailor and his name was Rez, and a buisness card about some priest who performed excorsists. Okay.

This is gettin' weird. But then again, it's Sabrous.

Sand

2007-09-07T00:58:21Z

I love... SAAAAAND.
Ha ha, two entires that start with "I love" something. Anyway, rolled around Mesa Top and around the desert a bit. I don't know why I love a place like Norra, full of snow, and the desert, the opposite. I guess I've got a weird duality taste like that or something. Around the desert, I ran into the desert merchant. I never even noticed him there, I feel like such a freaking idiot. I don't know how long I've been around sabrous, but it's been loooong... and I've still got a lot to explore.

Oy, I'm too tired. Maybe I should start adventureing more, when more people are around.

A fire in the sky

2007-08-28T10:16:30Z

My first writing in this thing. Dang. I know I usually have an accent but I'm not gonna type it up here. It would look stupid.

Anyway.

I love Norra.

Did you know you can see the stars better up here since the sky's clear of sand and dust? It's true! I also just love being up here, alone in the snow. You feel weirdly alive. Anyway. I went back into Norra herself. After a few drinks of the ol' snowbrew I tried to ice skate. I tried on two legs at first but I had to go to four. It's really been this long since my last visit. I'm still too unskilled to use any of the weapons or the armor here so I just stuck my mug up in the window. The shopkeepers then knew it was me because I did that when I was a kid. I'm still doing it now. Though I don't mind any of the equipment I have now. Metal jaws are friggin' cool.

On my way back down I got lost in the fields (as per usual) but I met a unicorn. I'd only seen unicorns in books but this one was kinda pissed off and he had a big stitch in his side. I tried to comfort him or something and he started to kick my ass so I fought back. I ended up killing him. He kept on screamin' stuff about a kidney and something about candy I dunno. Maybe I done something right in kicking his ass?

I need to go back down to the Queen Anne's revenge to train up. Though, water makes me really uncomfortable. And so to jellyfish. I friggen hate jellyfish with a passion. They have no eyes or limbs or brains. I mean, I can handle the fish and the zombie pirates and I kinda like sharks. But jellyfish scare the living hell out of me. That and being underwater. You know you'd think having six limbs would help but it dosen't. All the fur kinda bogs you down and in my case my hair gets in my eyes. Then when you come out you're all flakey and salty and the salt water gets right into the cuts from where the damned zombies cut you.

Gosh I'm rambling.
There's some other place called the plateau or something I was pointed to, but apparently it's a long way off. And a little high-level for me, but hey, I can handle it, right? Well. I better figure it out in a couple days of rest.

A note from the character creator + info

2007-08-27T05:35:57Z

When you see that icon, I'm talking. That's me, Tanookie, Adamska. Whatever :D

Cypress does in fact have a back-story. In fact, he has a lot of names (Cypress Freetail, Kasra Farah) and this is because I use him for everything. EVERYTHING. From Monster Rancher, Pokemon, The Sims, Harvest Moon and things like that to gamer's handles, fictional stories and roleplay. Since he's been my most-used character outside of roleplays, he's pretty special in some weird way. Not some freaky soulbonding crap or anything, he just seems to be a little better than Blaz or Tatienne.

Cypress has always been a rather scraggly man, with brown hair, and green eyes. Sometimes he has grey and brown markings if applicable. He's also always been associated with Gemsboks. He also has a bit of a southern drawl, but he has been known to have more than 'a bit'. He's usually a Ranger or a Mercenary when it comes to class.

To save a lot of time, Cypress is usually a shapeshifter who's really lost.

Despite this, he keeps all his memories from all of his adventures. It's a special ability he has since he dosen't have ANY other magical abilities. He's a Nikitak in the sabrous world, and a pretty easygoing, happy tak. That's what I'll be mostly writing about here. Any other adventures (like the sims, or halo, or anything) will usually be noted beforehand. If not, it's Sabrous. The links to sabrous can be found in this LJ's user info.

As for Cypress himself.

In this LJ he'll be more than happy to answer any questions. Even random ones. He'll do his best. :3

Thanks for listening. Cypress will begin writing soon.

- Adamska

Holy Crap

2007-08-27T00:28:04Z

That first automated post scared the living hell out of me. I'll edit this once I fix my journal to the way I want it. I'm still learning how to use these journal things.

Edit: There we are. Now I'll make some sort of entry explainin' myself once I am not exhaused.