[OOC & Signups] The Ossory Warren

[Alderab]

The Rabbits of Ossory

Ossory is a large warren, if counted in size more than space. It's no easy task to expand the borders of the ruined man place where the warren inhabits, even if there wasn't a rule against it.  It is better just to think small thoughts while the warren continues to grow.  The rabbits who live under this confining decree do not do so entirely willingly, though a passing hlessi may be hard pressed to find one admitting to it. Seldom do rabbits chose to live in man places, after all. Close, yes, it is impossible not to be close. But never in. The ground is hard here, the air damp with musk. The glass that once gleamed rainbows along its walls have long since fallen to dust, and there is little left of the timber ceiling.  Although flagstones once completely covered the interior floor of the structure, soil can now be found here and there in patches where grass has wormed its way through. What places there are to tunnel have long been claimed, and only the Chief Rabbit and the Red Tails are allowed burrows within the structure. Other rabbits settle with shelter beneath one of the pieces of fallen timbers that once held up the roof, a cramped affair when the sky takes to rain.


Although cozy, the Ossory rabbits can claim one great victory in their ledger.  The warren had won peace from predation by a bargain struck in seasons long passed. The Ossory Warren of today cannot claim to have made the bargain, but are nevertheless bound by the choices of their fathers and the weight of long tradition. This deal, made with the fox Garner, assures the safety of rabbits from their thousand enemies beyond the ruins. A bargain he delivered on, no less.  Not a rabbit alive can remember seeing even one of the thousand come near the warren. In exchange, the rabbits have agreed to living a law laid down by Garner and his vixen, Swift. Rules that would keep them safe, of course.  Most of their rules are quite bearable, and some even quite silly. But one law bears weight above all others. A cynic may say it is the real meat behind the entire code. There are no appeals, no pleas, no mercy if it is broken. It is simple to say, ever harder to do. "No rabbit may leave Ossory without forfeiting his life to the foxes."


A rabbit may wonder, what with so many rabbits within the warren, and so many places where the walls have cracked and breezes sing through from the outside, why escape is not possible, or even probable? Surely one or two quick rabbits could slip through, beyond the meadow, and into the hedges. Garner cannot keep watch over the entire warren, even with Swift. But there is a reason the cunning of foxes often exceeds the cleverness of rabbits. Garner realized that he did not have to guard rabbits who would guard themselves. Lured by the promise of meadows to feed upon outside the confines of Ossory, rabbits agreed to Garner’s offer of employ. These few were permitted to leave the man place and graze in flush fields beyond, so long as they stopped any rabbit leaving Ossory. These are the Red Tails, so called for the crimson dye of currants that marks the whites of their tails. They are the ultimate line of defense against any deserters. The fleetest of foot in all the warren, no wayward buck or doe can hope to outrun them. Or expect mercy on capture. For with their favor comes status, and those Red Tails not on picket duty expect a privileged life within the warren, with any herb, burrow, or mate his heart may desire. To deny them this risks a false report to Garner.  And though their status inspires other rabbits to resentment, many still seek their ranks for the power promised. Of all the enemies of the Ossory rabbits, the worst of all was themselves.

---

Hello all!  This is a plot hook I've been kicking around for a little bit, the idea is that a warren made a deal with a fox in days of yore to keep them safe from their thousand enemies in exchange for the occasional tribute of those who break the fox's rules.  Problems arise as pleasing the fox becomes more important to some rabbits than the lives of their kin. I think there is a wide spectrum of roles available explore among those who want to run, rebel, or collaborate before the final resolution.  The more variety we have, the better!  This of course is not on WSD, but it inhabits the same world with all the same culture.  I am more than open to feedback on the premise, so let me know what you think!

The Cast

Cedar (Alderab)

Spoiler: ShowHide

Name: Cedar

Gender: Buck

Appearance: Cedar is fairly bright rabbit, inheriting a rather khaki coat of fur from his mother.  A thin stripe of darker beige that runs from the base of his neck down over his rump keeps him from looking completely monochrome, however, as well as the dirt that seems especially apt to cling to him.  His eyes are dark, often squinting, and his whiskers are thin enough that it's often mistaken that he lacks them.  A shiny chestnut nose and a pair of flickering ears complete the face.

Personality: In contrast to his rather light appearance, Cedar's motivations are notably darker.  Conniving, sadistic, and even cruel have all been used to describe him, all mere moments before his victim is handed over to Garner.  But he hides it well.  When not on the look out for fugitives, he can be disarmingly warm, and even friendly.  There is not a rabbit in the warren he wouldn't try to win over in an effort to mark his next target.  It is a rather fun game to him.

History: The first time Cedar turned another rabbit over, it started off painful.  That rabbit had been his friend, after all.  But when the two of them were caught outside the walls, it was a choice of pinning the mistake on Maple or going down together.  Why lose two lives, especially when one was his?  As he watched his companion get dragged off by the Red Tails to the edge of the wood, a strange feeling had begun to gnaw at his stomach.  Not guilt, not fear.  He felt that second one all the time.  No, it was something about how he had been so easily believed, or perhaps from the apparent power he had over other lives be just speaking up.  He realized that he enjoyed it.  Why go through the work of being a Red Tail, when a snitch brought all the same reward without the stupid paint?  He didn't even have to do the dirty work.  The Red Tails take care of that.  He just had to point them in the right direction.  And if a direction wasn't popping up soon enough?  Well, he could always make one up.

Chief Citron (Alderab)

Spoiler: ShowHide

Name: Chief Citron

Gender: Buck

Appearance: Never the most attractive of rabbits to begin with, the steady accumulation of seasons has not done Citron any favors.  The old rabbit has an ashen pelt, stretched across his bony frame.  His face is often scrunched with worry, and his claws have grown long in their neglected use.  Citron's only other distinguishment is his right eye, which had begun to cloud fairly early in his life, and now has reached a point where he can hardly see through the lens.  Not the picture of a sprightly youth.

Personality:  Despite his nominal position at the head of a large warren, Chief Citron lacks many of the hallmarks of a good leader, or even a decent one.  Indecisive, incoherent, an unwillingness to stand firm, and fairly skittish.  Indeed, his relative lack of ability is what makes him so readily accepted by the real force behind the warren, the Red Tails.  Citron is well aware of his position as puppet, and resents it.  However, despite the occasional flash of ambition, he is unwilling to challenge the status quo, and like most rabbits in his warren, he simply does what he must to survive.

History: Citron's arrival at the top spot in the warren was a fairly unremarkable one, for all intents he simply inherited the title from his fore-bearer.  It was a simple system, keeping the title hereditary and meaningless.  Having the office go to the strongest rabbit risked a potential challenge to the status quo, and the powers that be were keen to keep it as it was.  And so, eight seasons into his life, Citron was proclaimed Chief, and has done little with his title beyond claiming a burrow, a bit of extra grass, and making the odd proclamation.

Foxglove (Chibiscuit)

Spoiler: ShowHide

Name: Foxglove

Gender: Buck

Appearance: A rather small yet sturdy buck whose neat snow-white fur is broken up by crimson patches all across -including and most disturbing around his muzzle. His ears are small and red-tipped; his tail red like his fellow Red Tails. His eyes are blue and clash with all the red. He looks like a mixture of pristine white rabbit and a predator who has just killed and has splotches of blood all over him.

Personality: Foxglove is a quiet, solemn buck. He takes his job as a Red Tail and as self-appointed leader of the Fox' Faithful faction very seriously. He shows no mercy to those who break the Rule - or even those that don't. He utterly and completely devoted to pleasing Garner and feels more connected to him and his family than his own fellow rabbits.

History: Born at Ossory, he was given the name Snow, because of his hauntingly beautiful white fur. As a kitten, he mostly kept to himself, enjoying the peace and quiet of the warren. Never a predator to fear, he felt a sense of gratitude to Garner, their benefactor, and never even considered himself to be prey. His favourite place to be was around the remnants of the tainted windows. He could spend many a day staring  in wondrous fascination as Frith's rays passed through the glass, casting a myriad of colours on the ground and on his white fur.
Deeming it only the next logical step, he tried out and succeeded in become a Red Tail. The moment he met Garner, his heart and mind were turned completely to the fox and he fanatically requested to be dyed entirely crimson. The request was not fulfilled completely but the result was effective. In that moment he cast away the name of Snow and has been known as Foxglove ever since.
A Fake Fox, some even call him, but he wore the nickname with pride as he quickly became the leader of the Fox' Faithful....

Hemlock (Chipster-roo)

Spoiler: ShowHide

Name: Hemlock.
Gender: Buck.
Appearance: His brown fur is gradually turning grey with age, but the red on his tail remains.  In his youth, he was a talented runner and fighter, but these days are long gone now.

Personality: He takes every opportunity to demonstrate his superiority to the outskirters (and even his fellow Red Tails at times).  He appears oblivious to how annoying he is, or maybe he just doesn't care; nobody has been able to figure it out yet.  This makes him one of the most disliked rabbits in the warren.

History: He has lived in the warren his entire life, and has been a Red Tail for most of it.  At first, he took it very seriously, but as time went on and he became weaker with age, he gradually gave up on it, spending most of his time lazing about and leaving the other Red Tails to do most of the job.

Koda (Koda)

Spoiler: ShowHide

Name: Koda
Gender: male
Appearance: chubby brown bunny with one blue eye and one green eye and a tuff of spiky hair on his head semmy flopy ears (how do i upload images)
Personality: nice shy playful. wants to be helpful
History: not much as he cant really remember much. but because of his close proximity with men he knew a fair amount about them.  but he also holds a secret. he has visions of the future. he doesn't understand why or how. but it scars him.
other: hes only  kitten and is a orphan.

Nettle (Chipster-roo)

Spoiler: ShowHide

Name: Nettle.
Gender: Doe.
Appearance: Her fur is mostly black, with a bit of brown here and there, notably on her forehead and her hind legs.  She is around two years old, but remains rather small.

Personality: She has a taste for excitement and adventure, which is why she chose to become a hlessi.  In her quest for adventure, she can sometimes behave impulsively and recklessly.   She is used to spending extended periods of time alone, but she sometimes gets lonely.  She tries to be nice to other rabbits, but making friends remains difficult.

History: She spent the first nine months of her life at the warren where she was born.  Then, she decided that warren life was too boring, and decided to become a hlessi.  During her travels, she ventured into Ossory; she has been living there for a few months, and longs to leave despite how hopeless it seems.

Normandy (EmpireAtWar)

Spoiler: ShowHide

Name: Normandy

Gender: Male/Buck

Appearance: Normandy is an average buck, in terms of stature and size, though a bit muscular from his hlessi days wandering around. He has a dark brown coat of fur, with a light grey line on his back, running from the back of his head to his tail. His left ear has a bite mark, a piece bitten off by some predator. He moves with a discernable gait, hopping with a limp ftom his right hind leg, though this doesn't hinder him much.

Personality: Self-involved, quiet, Normandy likes to keep to himself. When he does interact, at times he comes off as friendly, at times rude and dismissive. Despite all of this, he keeps his moral compass straight, doing things which he believes as the right things to do. He is doubtful as like most loners, but earn his trust, and he'll give you a bit more leeway when communicating with him.

History: Normandy's story is like most other hlessi: Born in a warren, fled for a reason. For Normandy, that reason being Man. Man had dug up his home, killed his people and the Chief, so he ran. After this , he survived on his own, scavenging whatever food he can while cursing his own luck. Years of brooding and hiding had eroded whatever optimism he had left. He searches on, for a new warren where he can feel safe, a new warren where he could call home.

Shadow (Chipster-roo)

Spoiler: ShowHide

Name: Shadow
Species: wildcat.
Gender: male.

Appearance: Shadow is rather small for his species.  He has thick brown fur, with a few black stripes across the body and tail.  There is a large scar on his forehead, a remnant from a previous fight with Garner.  He is very underweight; Garner's control over the area leaves very few prey available for the other predators living in the area.

Personality: Initially a very soft creature, Shadow has slowly changed over the years.  His fight with Garner had left him with a thirst for revenge, slowly turning him into an angry, scheming and fearless creature, not willing to let anything get in the way of his plans.  Well, maybe not fearless, but he liked to project this image to other creatures.

History: The only survivor of a litter of four, Shadow spent most of his youth around the area Garner controls, until an unfortunate encounter with the fox, from which he had been lucky to escape with his life.  Since then, he has been slowly plotting revenge on the fox, hoping to kill him and take over the alliance he had with the Ossory warren.  Until he felt his plan was ready to be put into action, he made sure to stay away from the fox.

Pimentel (Alderab)

Spoiler: ShowHide

Name: Pimentel

Gender: Doe

Appearance: A thin ring of white about her amber eyes is the first thing rabbits tend to notice when talking to Pimentel, not quite wide enough to reach her whiskers but enough to make a solid dot whenever she sleeps.  Her ears are harder to see when speaking head on, often forced down across the back of her neck as if too shy to maintain their natural height.  Pimentel doesn't have the same reservations about her whiskers, which are kept meticulously straight, save one or two that maintain a permanent crook.  These annoy her, and in her idle times she can be seen futily trying to get them in line.  The rest of her body is pretty standard afair for a lean doe of her young age.  Muddied gray fur that flows from nose to tailtip, four sure paws on less-than-sure legs, and a star white tail that flashes when frightened.

Personality: Pimentel is meeker than most rabbits, even when it comes to Ossory.  Consciously aware of this perceived fault, she nevertheless struggles with any kind of company outside of her immediate kin.  When she does manages to speak up, she can at least claim to always speak the truth.  A noble trait perhaps, but one that is rather required by her open display of emotions.  Pimentel does not care much for Ossory.  With vistas of the vibrant countryside visible from several choice perches throughout the ruins, it is hard not to compare the tedium and confinement of the stony space with the open plains beyond.  Still, she fancies leaving the warren more as a dream than a plan, as she knows there is little she can do that is not watched by hostile eyes.

History: Born into the warren, Pimentel has learned little during her time growing up beyond what has been told her.  The walls and the fox were there to keep her safe from the thousand, and letting those in charge handle the thinking made life easier for everyone.  She spent most of her early days in the usual trivial romps that all younglings get involved in, but quickly found that while many of her peers fancied staying earthbound, she enjoyed climbing up the heaps and crannies that had formed in their crumbling home.  There was many a notch she found, high above the flagstone floor, where she could find peace by herself, alone with her thoughts and the views.  And of course, any snippets of gossip that bubbled up from the floor.  Pimentel soon found where her favorite perches were, and to this day can often be found on the stony shelf where the rainbow glass once sat in a pane, or tucked behind the high attic timber where it met the stone wall.  Life here could be managed, as long as she kept to herself and left her dreams as dreams.

Raspberry (Chibiscuit)

Spoiler: ShowHide

Name: Raspberry

Gender: Doe

Appearance: A lean, reddish-brown doe with a messy coat. On her ears she has some unusual longer tufts of fur, much like a lynx'. She is of mediocre size.

Personality:
Restless. Even as kit, Raspberry ran around Ossory warren, longing to feel the wind in her fur but she was loyal to her family and obeyed their command. Later, as an adult, her restlessness grew even more until it could not be contained any longer. There are ants crawling in her fur and running is the only way to keep them quiet. But for how much longer?
Arrogant. She knows better than other rabbits. She could do things better than other rabbits. Other rabbits are fools.
Reckless. Her desire to break the inertia and her conviction that her ideas are always right can lead her to throw caution to the wind and act without regard to the consequences.
Lonely. She was in a cramped space with hrair others but who did she truly know anymore? Who knew her?

History: Born at Ossory, she has grown up with the Ossory rules of never leaving the warren. Her family had been devout followers of these rules and her mother often pressed their importance to Raspberry. So for most of her kithood, she merely accepted the Rule and did as her parents desired in order to live a quiet, if somewhat dull life.
However when her parents were accused of breaking the Rule and send off to Garner, Raspberry changed. What was the point of following a rule if you could get accused without even breaking it? If even her parents were not safe then who was?
Reluctant to become a Red Tail - she refused to become the very rabbits who had send off her family to their deaths - there was only one other option left... and luckily for her, Ossory warren did have its share of bugs. Bugs with red blood she could smear on her tail. And so, ever since then, she sneaks out of the warren disguised as a Red Tail to run the meadow and feel the wind in her fur. Only then did she feel truly alive.... but was it enough?

[Chipster-roo]

I'm joining.  This is a really interesting storyline

I'll post my character(s) tomorrow, I'm too tired today to come up with any good ones.

[Alderab]

Happy to hear!  I'll throw out the sheet for one of my characters right now.

Name: Pimentel

Gender: Doe

Appearance: A thin ring of white about her amber eyes is the first thing rabbits tend to notice when talking to Pimentel, not quite wide enough to reach her whiskers but enough to make a solid dot whenever she sleeps.  Her ears are harder to see when speaking head on, often forced down across the back of her neck as if too shy to maintain their natural height.  Pimentel doesn't have the same reservations about her whiskers, which are kept meticulously straight, save one or two that maintain a permanent crook.  These annoy her, and in her idle times she can be seen futily trying to get them in line.  The rest of her body is pretty standard afair for a lean doe of her young age.  Muddied gray fur that flows from nose to tailtip, four sure paws on less-than-sure legs, and a star white tail that flashes when frightened.

Personality: Pimentel is meeker than most rabbits, even when it comes to Ossory.  Consciously aware of this perceived fault, she nevertheless struggles with any kind of company outside of her immediate kin.  When she does manages to speak up, she can at least claim to always speak the truth.  A noble trait perhaps, but one that is rather required by her open display of emotions.  Pimentel does not care much for Ossory.  With vistas of the vibrant countryside visible from several choice perches throughout the ruins, it is hard not to compare the tedium and confinement of the stony space with the open plains beyond.  Still, she fancies leaving the warren more as a dream than a plan, as she knows there is little she can do that is not watched by hostile eyes.

History: Born into the warren, Pimentel has learned little during her time growing up beyond what has been told her.  The walls and the fox were there to keep her safe from the thousand, and letting those in charge handle the thinking made life easier for everyone.  She spent most of her early days in the usual trivial romps that all younglings get involved in, but quickly found that while many of her peers fancied staying earthbound, she enjoyed climbing up the heaps and crannies that had formed in their crumbling home.  There was many a notch she found, high above the flagstone floor, where she could find peace by herself, alone with her thoughts and the views.  And of course, any snippets of gossip that bubbled up from the floor.  Pimentel soon found where her favorite perches were, and to this day can often be found on the stony shelf where the rainbow glass once sat in a pane, or tucked behind the high attic timber where it met the stone wall.  Life here could be managed, as long as she kept to herself and left her dreams as dreams.

[Chipster-roo]

Pimentel is a nice character

I made two.

Nettle: ShowHide

Name: Nettle.
Gender: Doe.
Appearance: Her fur is mostly black, with a bit of brown here and there, notably on her forehead and her hind legs.  She is around two years old, but remains rather small.

Personality: She has a taste for excitement and adventure, which is why she chose to become a hlessi.  In her quest for adventure, she can sometimes behave impulsively and recklessly.   She is used to spending extended periods of time alone, but she sometimes gets lonely.  She tries to be nice to other rabbits, but making friends remains difficult.

History: She spent the first nine months of her life at the warren where she was born.  Then, she decided that warren life was too boring, and decided to become a hlessi.  During her travels, she ventured into Ossory; she has been living there for a few months, and longs to leave despite how hopeless it seems.

Hemlock: ShowHide

Name: Hemlock.
Gender: Buck.
Appearance: His brown fur is gradually turning grey with age, but the red on his tail remains.  In his youth, he was a talented runner and fighter, but these days are long gone now.

Personality: He takes every opportunity to demonstrate his superiority to the outskirters (and even his fellow Red Tails at times).  He appears oblivious to how annoying he is, or maybe he just doesn't care; nobody has been able to figure it out yet.  This makes him one of the most disliked rabbits in the warren.

History: He has lived in the warren his entire life, and has been a Red Tail for most of it.  At first, he took it very seriously, but as time went on and he became weaker with age, he gradually gave up on it, spending most of his time lazing about and leaving the other Red Tails to do most of the job.

[Alderab]

Why thank you, yours are very fine as well.    I'll go ahead and throw in another buck, this one a little less nice.

Name: Cedar

Gender: Buck

Appearance: Cedar is fairly bright rabbit, inheriting a rather khaki coat of fur from his mother.  A thin stripe of darker beige that runs from the base of his neck down over his rump keeps him from looking completely monochrome, however, as well as the dirt that seems especially apt to cling to him.  His eyes are dark, often squinting, and his whiskers are thin enough that it's often mistaken that he lacks them.  A shiny chestnut nose and a pair of flickering ears complete the face.

Personality: In contrast to his rather light appearance, Cedar's motivations are notably darker.  Conniving, sadistic, and even cruel have all been used to describe him, all mere moments before his victim is handed over to Garner.  But he hides it well.  When not on the look out for fugitives, he can be disarmingly warm, and even friendly.  There is not a rabbit in the warren he wouldn't try to win over in an effort to mark his next target.  It is a rather fun game to him.

History: The first time Cedar turned another rabbit over, it started off painful.  That rabbit had been his friend, after all.  But when the two of them were caught outside the walls, it was a choice of pinning the mistake on Maple or going down together.  Why lose two lives, especially when one was his?  As he watched his companion get dragged off by the Red Tails to the edge of the wood, a strange feeling had begun to gnaw at his stomach.  Not guilt, not fear.  He felt that second one all the time.  No, it was something about how he had been so easily believed, or perhaps from the apparent power he had over other lives be just speaking up.  He realized that he enjoyed it.  Why go through the work of being a Red Tail, when a snitch brought all the same reward without the stupid paint?  He didn't even have to do the dirty work.  The Red Tails take care of that.  He just had to point them in the right direction.  And if a direction wasn't popping up soon enough?  Well, he could always make one up.

[Chipster-roo]

Really interesting character

How many players do you think would be necessary before starting?

[Alderab]

Thanks!  Cedar tries.  I'd say ideally at least one more, especially if someone wanted to write for a rebellious rabbit.  But I think we may be able to at least kick something off later this week.

[koda]

may i join in
i have a charecter thats a seer but ill need help as im still learning

[Alderab]

Sure!  Just use the same character template so we can keep things organized, and make sure to mention where they stand in the warren.

Name:
Gender:
Appearance:
Personality:
History:

Look forward to seeing your character!

[koda]

Name: kada
Gender: male
Appearance: chubby brown bunny with one blue eye and one green eye and a tuff of spiky hair on his head semmy flopy ears (how do i upload images)
Personality: nice shy playful. wants to be helpful
History: not much as he cant really remember much. but because of his close proxcimity with men he knew a fair amout about them.  but he also holds a secret. he has visions of the future. he doesnt understand why or how. but it scars him.
other: hes only  kitten and is a orphan.

[Alderab]

Looks good, Koda!  Looking forward to seeing Kada in the story.  Just a quick note, I always like to throw my posts through Word or Onenote before I put them up just to try and catch any grammar errors that come up, it always helps them look a bit more clean.   

To add an image, you need to use the ['img][/img] tags around the URL of the image that you want.  If you are pulling in an existing one from another website, you can just right click to copy the image URL.  If you are trying to use one from your own computer, you can upload it to a free image sharing site like Photobucket or Deviantart, and then take the URL from there.

[koda]

YAY! thanks

[Alderab]

Just a heads up, about to drop the kickoff post for our first scene!    I figure that this would be a good way for our characters to start become aware of each other, as they move around and see who they agree and disagree with about the coming winter.  Feel free to try and steer the conversation with your characters, we'll see where it lands us.

And of course, people are still more than welcome to join!

[PaxEmpiricae]

This RP sounds promising! I'd like to join, if I may. It's been a while since I've done any text-based Roleplaying (aside from my Dungeons and Dragons group). Would you mind if I made my OC an hlessi?

[Alderab]

Sure!  Would be happy to have you.  There should be plenty of ways for your character to get involved with our current cast given the meeting, depending on whether your wanting your hlessi to be brand new to Ossory, or to have been there for a little bit like Nettle.  If your playing a hlessi fresh to the warren, now may be a decent time to wander in from the outside given the somewhat lax security during the meeting.  If you need any help setting up an opening, we can certainly write towards that.

Looking forward to seeing your character!