Hey there! We're glad you're interested in joining the Queen's Games, and we're happy to have you! Hopefully this guide will give you all the information you need to know about joining, but if not, feel free to ask an admin! You can PM us or ask in cbox (scroll down; you don't have to register to post in it) and we'll do our best to answer.

A few quick things to check out first: please read our Rules (self-explanatory), then the plot, for a general idea of what's going on on the board. The Queen's Games is set in an AU Tamora Pierce setting, so no knowledge of the books is required, but you might want to check out the Information forum for info on religion, magic mechanics, that sort of thing. There's also a very useful Tamora Pierce Wiki for more information!

We also have a lot of Kalim-specific lore here!


Got that? Great! Now on to the fun part: making your character!

QG has tons of opportunities for characters, whether you want one that's plot-crucial, has pre-established connections, or one individual to yourself. We have a plot that is open to all types, from righteous heroes to criminal overlords to strong noblewomen, and all that you need to do to become a part of them is to create a character!

First, look through the Available Canon List. These contain characters that are currently important for plots, and taking any one of them will automatically land you in the center of at least one of the many plots taking place on the site.

Second, we also have Wanted Ads, which are character outlines requested by members for plots with their own characters.

And finally, we have Pre-Made Characters. These are similar to both canons and wanted ads, but instead of being crucial for plots, are a bit more flexible. That's not to say that you can't become crucially involved in plots with them, but you have a lot of leeway on how you want to interpret a character, or perhaps change them up a bit.


Character Types

None of these catch your eye? That's all right! We love original characters as well! Or perhaps the above interested you, but you're not entirely certain as to what they'd be doing? Here is a quick rundown of the member groups we have, a short description of them, and a few brief guidelines for playing them. Hopefully, after looking through, you'll have either inspiration for a character or a good idea of what your character will be doing.

Royalty

Royalty is a rather exclusive member group, the elite of the elite class, made up of those who rule certain countries and their families.

The current royalty available for play are on the Canon List. However, if you are interested in playing a member of a foreign royal family who is not on the canon list, then you may make one provided they have a reason for having come to Kalim and staying (see the foreigners section below for more information). There are likely several more princes who traveled to Kalim for the Games and were simply knocked out before our rounds began! We only ask that you keep your character's nationality within our canon (currently, Tamora Pierce's countries and the Darshani Empire) and be sure to check with the players of any royal characters who would be related to that character.

Recommended reading: The Matriarchy, Government

Nobility

Nobility in Kalim works in a similar fashion to nobility in the other countries of the world: they own a named fief, or a large area of land on which their subjects (usually commoners and merchants) live. They receive a percentage of the profits made by their subjects via taxes, and in turn pay taxes to the royalty. There is one, however, very notable exception: In Kalim, women inherit over men. While men can inherit if their mother does not have any female children, this is a very rare occurrence and it is very common for a lady of a fief to continue trying for a daughter until one is born. Alternatively, if a female heiress is not born, there is also a possibility that male children will be passed up in favor of female cousins or nieces.

Most nobility are educated in multiple areas, and can become knights of the queendom. The highest ranks of nobility (Duchesses and Marquises) are limited to pre-mades or canons, but OCs are welcome to be Countesses or Baronesses.

Recommended reading: The Matriarchy, Government

Knights

Knighthood is one of the more common paths taken by young nobles. It is more common for boys to go for their shield, though girl trainees are not frowned upon or considered unusual in any way. They are trained in many sorts of weaponry and usually serve the queendom in various ways, the most common being fighting in the queendom's service. They are also called on in the case that the realm needs their assistance--war, martial law, or any other number of things.

After eight years of training (five as a trainee in Richilde, then three more at the border), a trainee receives his or her shield.

Recommended reading: Schooling, Border Life (Coming soon!)

Please note that "Knight" is a sub-group: all knights are nobles, though not all nobles are knights.

Merchants

Richer than commoners but lacking the land and titles of a noble, merchants tend to straddle that awkward middle ground of being too classy for the "common folk," but not prestigious enough to be considered a noble. Merchants make most of their money from selling and tend to own chains of stores, a solid claim on a particular import that they sell to individual store owners, or both. While it is possible for a merchant to earn enough money and respect to buy a noble title, this takes generations, and it is honestly easier for a merchant to marry into a noble family, which is not an altogether infrequent occurrence.

Merchants tend to receive tutoring, but the more wealthy who can afford the fees may attend the convent.

Recommended reading: Economy, Schooling

Commoner

The "everyman," anyone who isn't either a royal, noble, or merchant. They vary widely in wealth and lifestyle. They can be anywhere from dirt poor fishmongers to academy professors as wealthy as any merchant. Though not as prestigious socially as any of the other classes, they make up the backbone of society, performing most of the manual labor and services that everyone needs. Most soldiers in the Kalimi army are commoners.

Though it is difficult to give commoners any one, defining trait, you can pretty much guarantee that if they don't fit into any of the other categories, they're commoners.

Suggested reading: Occupations, or any of the other Hitchhiker's Guide pages!

Priest

Priests and priestesses are just what they sound like: members of the community that live at temples and serve a particular god or goddess as well as guide those who seek aid or advice from the gods. Though priests and priestesses are by no means required to be celibate or forbidden from romance, there are very few orders that will allow marriage and children. Akalimi, the patron goddess of Kalim, is one of these rare exceptions.

Priests and priestesses interact with every social class, and can have come from any social class. The temples accept anyone, from the lowest commoner to the highest noble, into their ranks.

Recommended reading: Religion, Gods and Goddesses

Guard

The Guards are the law enforcement in Kalim, somewhat similar to the Provost's Guard. They are made up mostly of commoners and merchants, though some positions are available for nobles. Guards are divided into two categories: Palace Guards who act as gatekeepers to noble households and bodyguards to the nobility and royalty, and City Guards, who patrol a route in the city at a certain time to maintain order (much like a police force). For formal occasions, some City Guards may be pulled to work as "event security."

Guards can start training at as young of an age as fourteen, but there is no official cap to when they are too old to do so (though the Guards will stop accepting them after a point).

Recommended reading: Government, Guards (Coming soon!)

Eversworn

The Eversworn are a mercenary band that is made up of remnants of Khirosian military forces who aim to overcome the Darshani and take back their homeland, citizens who have joined the cause, and Kalimi criminals who have been given the choice of service with the Eversworn or other harsher punishments (such as execution). Led by the Lord Commander of House Sunspear, the group is unforgiving in their training and expectations as well as of the Darshani.

The Eversworn are sometimes viewed as untrustworthy or insane by the Kalimi, in part because of their hyper militarism.

Recommended reading: Khiros (the short version!), The Eversworn

Rooks

The equivalent of the Rogue in Tortall and the other Eastern Kingdoms, the Rook is Kalim's criminal underworld. Rooks in the three largest cities of Kalim (Richilde, Havran, and Eldeva) operate under a council system that elects Head Rooks, while the rest of the cities are now small pockets of independent crime since the collapse of the central Rook government in the River Cities about fifteen years ago. These smaller locations operate under a "kill for the crown" system: that is, kill the head "Rook" in the city, you get his or her job. The Councils in Richilde are trying to spread and enforce their ideals across more cities, but are finding their success limited. The Rook is currently in a bit of an odd situation, its once centralized influence over the entire country now fractured and separate.

Rooks are spread out around the entire kingdom, though many of them do not have the same agenda and it is not infrequent to find those who are enemies. Since the centralized Rook's downfall, ones in different areas now almost belong to completely different factions.

Recommended reading: The Rooks, The River Cities, Rook Pre-mades.

FOREIGNERS

While not a member group themselves, we do have a particular stance on foreigners from overseas that is important.

Please note that the following only applies to those from overseas (those from Tamora Pierce's original canon) and not foreigners from the Kalimi/Khirosian/Darshani/etc. continent.

Contact has only been made with the countries to the east within the past decade, and the number of foreigners in Kalim is relatively low. If you do wish to make an foreigner from the Eastern Kingdoms, please be sure that there is a reason important to your character that they are from their country and make it clear in their application (or discuss it with an admin). In addition, they would also need both a reason and the means for coming to Kalim. Please remember that a journey over is neither cheap nor short, and is not done on a whim. We are hesitant on foreign characters, particularly as we are trying to populate our own continent. If this is your first character on our board, we especially recommend that you create a character from the Kalimi continent to immerse yourself in the canon.

One last note: if you are specifically looking to play the part of a villain character, then let us know! It's come to our attention lately that there are people who enjoy this immensely, whether it's the part of a traitor, enemy leader, or crook (but only some crooks!). We have several character positions for this sort of thing open and available for plots. If you do decide to take one, however, then keep in mind that most villains tend to have expiration dates.

So you've decided on a character? Fantastic! Now there are a few steps to making them official...

Register an account. Be sure to use proper capitalizatiom and register with your character's first and last name (i.e. Amarilis Villera), first name and noble fief (Meisant of Richilde), or first, middle, and last for Darshani nobility/royalty (Murat Onur Alazón).

Now, write up your character's profile. The template can be found here. When it's done, or you want to post it, start a new topic in the Application Center and paste it in there! Be sure to title the thread with your character's name, and if it's a work in progress, mention that in either the thread title or description. Please note that the admins will consider any topic without a WIP tag finished.

You have three days after registering an account to post a profile, even if it's just a work in progress. After you post a WIP profile, you have a week to finish before it gets archived.

When you're finished, then we'll review your application and send you a PM with notes about anything that we feel needs to be expanded or changed about your character. You have a week to make any edits and let us know that you're done (we recommend a PM) and, when you've made any requested changes, we'll pass the character and you can begin roleplay!

Thank you for reading, and we hope you enjoy The Queen's Games!