About Crooked Rules
Crooked Rules takes place in a psuedo-medieval time period, in the kingdom of Intyal. In Intyal, magic is alive, if forbidden. Mages are set apart by their silver hair with the mages with the rarest magic having the lightest hair. Two races share the Intyan land. There are, of course, the pale-skinned Intyans, and then there are the tribal, dark-skinned Ciarians. The two races have shared the land for so many centuries, no one's quite sure who was there first. Intyal is currently ruled by King Argin, who has made mages feared and hated, and Ciarians become slaves.
What is the Crooked Court?
The Crooked Court is the name of an organization of criminals. It's ruled by the Crooked King, and is held in secret, usually in specific taverns. Anyone on the wrong side of the law can find a sort of haven in the Crooked Court. They won't be handed over for justice, but the Crooked Court is filled with cutthroats, thieves, assassins, pick-pockets, con-men, and all sorts of unsavory characters. Filled with such people, the Crooked Court can only be so much of a safe place.
Under most Crooked Kings, each city of Intyal was ruled separately. However, Bryant has managed to united the Courts of the major cities--the lesser cities usually don't have one--under one ruler: Him. He has appointed trusted advisers to watch over the Courts in different cities, while he usually keeps to the Court in the capital city of Magyin, where he has gathered the most talented of all criminals. Though there are rumors floating around that Bryant has even bigger goals...
Under most Crooked Kings, each city of Intyal was ruled separately. However, Bryant has managed to united the Courts of the major cities--the lesser cities usually don't have one--under one ruler: Him. He has appointed trusted advisers to watch over the Courts in different cities, while he usually keeps to the Court in the capital city of Magyin, where he has gathered the most talented of all criminals. Though there are rumors floating around that Bryant has even bigger goals...
Bryant
Bryant the king of the Crooked Court and he is a man to respect. He may not inspire respect or fear right away, with his laid-back attitude and average features, but he's maintained his hold on the Crooked throne for four years now. As the succession of the Crooked throne is decided by whichever challenger can kill the current king, it's easy to imagine that the man who can keep the throne for more than a few months is a strong man. He rules fairly, but strictly, and enforces his rules with swift justice--Crooked justice, that is.
Susan
Susan is an animal mage, which means she can talk to animals through her magic, shapeshift into animals she's seen, and if she's desperate, she can impress her will upon an animal. She's met very few animals that haven't loved her. As you can tell by the color of her hair, animal mages are pretty darn rare.
Now, just because Susan gets along with animals doesn't mean she gets along with people. Everyone's always amazed that she and Lan have managed to stick together. Susan has a hot temper and a sharp tongue, and she's the type to fight first, ask questions second.
Now, just because Susan gets along with animals doesn't mean she gets along with people. Everyone's always amazed that she and Lan have managed to stick together. Susan has a hot temper and a sharp tongue, and she's the type to fight first, ask questions second.
Atiyana
Atiyana, or Ati, is a Ciarian girl. Her parents where murdered when she was a child, and she found a new home with the Crooked Court. She's a mischevious girl, with a fun-loving side that even carries over into her fighting. But just because she may be teasing you in a fight doesn't mean she isn't deadly serious. She's more civil than many ladies in the Court, but she understands how thin loyalties can be, and is no more loyal to a person than they are to her.
Prince Kaine
Prince Kaine is the son of King Argin by his first wife. Raised mostly by his stepmother and his governess, Kaine has grown up polite, gentlemanly, noble and kind. At sixteen, he's just now beginning to see the true horrible effects of his father's rule on the land, but he's not sure he wants the responsibility of making things right.
King Agrin
King Argin is a ruthless man. He tolerates no disobedience--not even any disagreement--from his family or his subjects. He views his power as a right, not a privilege, and often freely abuses it. He had his first wife imprisoned, and later hanged, for supposed treason--she tried to escape the palace with their son. He's good-looking, a charmer with a silver tongue, which can make him even more dangerous.
Marie
Marie is a plump, motherly sort of woman married to Stickyfingers. She's the sort of woman you would very much not expect to meet in a tavern, much less a tavern that's home to a group of criminals. Though she's an excellent thief, she doesn't do much thieving now-a-days. Instead, she's in charge of the Court's wardrobe. If you need anything from an elaborate disguise to sneak into the palace to a simple pair of shoes, Marie will be able to get it for you. And when it comes to make up and hair-dressing, there's no one better.
Stickyfingers
Stickyfingers, or 'Fingers, lives up to his name. He's excellent at snagging things without others noticing, even if the thing he's snagging is on a tray in someone's hand traveling across the room. No one knows his real name, though some think his wife, Marie, might. But no one's really sure. He's a over-grown child with a sense of humor and a love of pranks, and his serious moments are few and far between.
Garanni
Garanni is a stern young woman. Though only in her early twenties, many people imagine her to be much, much older. Myabe because her two young assistants, Prima and Mia, call her "Granny", regardless of how many times she's tried to correct them. Garanni is a brilliant herbalist, and though she can't work any magic, she knows more about it than most mages. She can be frightening, as she is strict and no-nonsense when she works with people, but some claim she has a gentle heart deep down. This is highly doubted.
And Garanni makes one thing clear, especially to Bry: She doesn't take sides in any conflict, regardless of who may be right, or think they're right.
And Garanni makes one thing clear, especially to Bry: She doesn't take sides in any conflict, regardless of who may be right, or think they're right.
Burr
Burr is a gentleman... assassin. He's quite good-looking, and a smile from him can make young ladies swoon. He would never breach the rules of etiquette, and he's better behaved than almost anyone in the Court. However, he's also Bry's right-hand man, and often--quite willingly--is off "working" by request from Bry. He's not a man to even think of messing with. He knows fifty ways to kill you using only one hand.
Desdemona
Desdemona is a tiny, beautiful terror of a woman. More than one man has been lured into a false sense of security by her petite size and easy-on-the-eyes looks, but her beauty is a deadly one. Desdemona is one of the most feared pirate captains to sail the seas, and she's so hard to defeat, or even escape, it's rumored she's immortal. However, her crew doesn't follow her out fear, but out of pure loyalty. Which makes the whole lot of them even more dangerous, as they can't be bribed into deserting her.