Yo! Welcome to one of my tiny corners of the internet!

I’m Dreadburner94! Or just Dread if that catches your fancy! I write stuff and beta for MyDearWatson. I also help out Origm2012 from time to time. Otherwise, I’m just an ordinary guy with odd tastes that can only be described as being very me, but can mostly be explained as a love for mostly two things, pasta and video games! Also sharp pointy objects as I enjoy collecting things like knives on the side.

But enough about me, cause if you’ve wandered in here on purpose, you’re no doubt here for story stuff.

Il Trovatore Magic Academy

General Information: Il Trovatore Magic Academy is a story set in Minstrel in the titular magic academy. It will follow the story of the academy’s students and growth and progression throughout their time learning there from the various teachers and members of faculty. But of course, things won’t go according to plan as trouble will eventually appear and threaten the very core foundations of the nation of Minstrel.

Setting Information: In this story, I have taken artistic liberties to design and craft the nature of Minstrel and the surrounding countries as little to no information is actually known about them. Here I will be listing and describing some of these for your benefit.

Minstrel: Formally known as the Noble Alliance of Minstrel. The nation that hosts the Magic Academy is a Noble Republic that was formed by the various land-owning nobles that called the region home. Together they rule the country through the Council of Nobles with the four most prominent and prestigious noble houses taking leadership roles. These noble houses also share their names with the four student houses of Il Trovatore Magic Academy, being Koenig House, Rosenberg House, Morgenstern House and Mangold House. Enrolling in these houses at Il Trovatore is more or less an informal vow of vassalage to the respective noble house. Magic in Minstrel is viewed quite differently than in Fiore and is seen as a factor that raises ones social status, rather than a natural part of life that everyone can take part in. As such, the nobility and those in power are more often than not able to wield magic in some form while the majority of commoners do not, though commoners that are able to learn magic often rise to prominence in some regard. The nobility, in theory, then use this ‘noble power’ to protect and serve the commonfolk. Though often times it is used to further their own power and prestige by corrupt members of nobility. However, this also leads to an incredibly hostile view on dark mages who use magic to harm others and further their own selfish goals.

Midi: Formerly a part of Minstrel, Midi won its independence after a war of secession over a century ago and has since become a prominent Merchant Republic. In days long past, there was a Midi House at Il Trovatore, but no longer as it was replaced by Mangold House. Relations have since been mended between Minstrel and Midi as the two nations have since become strong trading partners.

Desierto: A nation of fierce warrior nomads with no central government. The deserts of this nation are as hostile and inhospitable as those who call it home. The warriors of Desierto’s violent tribes often try and raid the more lush and bountiful lands of Minstrel, but the standing armies of House Koenig and House Rosenberg, whose territories lie on the border shared by the two nations, are able to consistently repel them.

Joya: A nation isolated by mountains in all directions. Nearly impossible to invade or trade with, especially as the nation simply wishes to be left alone by all others. As such, little is known about the people of Joya. But even then, the southern mountain range on the northern border of Minstrel is a haven for bandits and dark mages alike, as tracking them down there is incredibly difficult.

Enca: A nation ruled by a mighty Emperor who has united the island nation’s warring Daimyos and has entered into a golden age of peace and prosperity. Until recent years, the island nation was incredibly xenophobic and isolationist, but the new Emperor has changed all that and has begun forging friendly relations with the nobles of Minstrel, allowing for free trade and immigration between the two countries.

Caelum: An island nation off of Minstrel’s western coast. It is a democracy forged by a loose coalition of the many different local governments on each individual island. A valuable trading partner and a popular vacation destination for the people of Minstrel.

Stella: A nation across the Narrow Sea off of Minstrel’s northern coast. The Kingdom of Stella and Minstrel do not share all that warm of relations as Noble House Koenig has more or less seized control of the Narrow Sea in order to protect its shores from Boscan Slave Traders, but at the same time, ended up severely hampering the Stellan economy as a result of intrusive searches and patrols.

Il Trovatore Magic Academy Information: Il Trovatore Magic Academy is a highly prestigious institute founded centuries ago by the Council of Nobles in order to forge bonds and strengthen relations between the heirs of the nobility while teaching them a variety of topics, such as in magic, military affairs, financial affairs and in diplomacy, throughout four years of education at the Academy. Nowadays, enrollment to the academy has been opened up to anyone that wishes to enroll. So long as they can either afford the extremely expensive enrollment fees or gain sponsorship from a noble family. The Academy is located in the central mountain range in the heart of Minstrel, built onto the slope of the mountains while Trovatore City has grown up around the Academy down the slope of the mountain. Trovatore City dwarfs the nearby capital of Minstrel, Troubadour City, in size and prosperity as Troubadour City is the capital simply for its central location and the fact that it is where the Council of Nobles meets as it is neutral territory not owned by any noble family.

The Four Houses: The four Student Houses of Il Trovatore are always named after the four most prominent and prestigious noble families in Minstrel. In this instance, they are Koenig House, Rosenberg House, Morgenstern House and Mangold House. Each house, while not formally dedicated to specific ideals or topics of learning, have a unique focus. Each house has both a student House Leader and a faculty House Sponsor. Each house also has a symbol and color that are used to represent them.

Koenig House: A house of military might. Students of Koenig House are often fierce and powerful warriors and soldiers who excel in all things related to military matters. Their symbol is a wolf and their house color is black. This year, they are led by the heir apparent of Noble House Koenig, Gerulf Koenig.

Rosenberg House: A house of more… discreet skills, such as diplomacy and espionage. Students of Rosenberg House are often crafty and charismatic and usually aren’t afraid to use more underhanded tactics or to talk their way out of things. Their symbol is a rose and their color is red. This year, they are led by the heir apparent of Noble House von Rosenberg, Lissandra von Rosenberg.

Morgenstern House: A house of magical prowess. Students of Morgenstern House are usually gifted in magic and excel in the magical arts, especially those that exude power and can be used in combat. Morgenstern House is unfortunately plagued by ideals of mage supremacy but is regardless viewed as Headmaster Elias Falkenrath’s favorite house. Their symbol is the morning star and their color is white.

Mangold House: A house of dedicated and honest workers. Students of Mangold House are often gifted in craftsmanship and in the healing arts. As they are the newest and therefore least prestigious Student House, Mangold House is often looked down upon by the others. Their symbol is a scepter and their color is gold.

Keep in mind that not all students will fit the molds set by their house. A student in House Koenig could easily be a skilled mage, but be terrible at fighting physically. Or even just be a terrible fighter in general. Those ‘molds’ as I call them are just the general reputation of the House. The main determining factory for what House a student is accepted into is how they came to be enrolled at the Academy. For instance, if a noble that has ties to House Koenig sponsors them, they’re very likely to be placed in Koenig House. But if they were able to pay their own way into the academy, then they can more or less pick which House they want to be a part of, but it would be prudent of them to make the decision based on the factors of which Noble House they want to forge a relationship with, that is, if the House actually wants them and accepts them as being rejected a told to apply to a different Student House is a possibility.

Rules for Character Submissions:

1: Submissions will more or less be accepted in regards to quality of the character. While I will accept reservations for the more limited spots, I will require you to give me an idea of what to expect from the character and if I like the idea, then I’ll reserve the spot. Otherwise, I will attempt to work with you in order to get the character up to par.

2: I will not be accepting any sort of Dragon Slayer except for 2nd Generation Dragon Slayers. Even then, Slayers in general, will be accepted in an extremely limited quantity. As in only 2 total unless a third manages to completely blow me out of the water with how good the character is.

3: I won’t be accepting characters that are related to canon characters in any sense as the story is set in Minstrel.

4: There are some types of characters that I’m gonna want you to contact me first before making. Such as any sort of character related to the noble houses of Koenig, von Rosenberg, Morgenstern and Mangold. In addition, I’m going to want you to contact me if you intend to make a House Sponsor or a House Leader.

5: You MUST use the OC Form provided here and follow the various guidelines and restrictions that are set within it. I know its long, but think of it as a way for me to make sure that you’re invested in making a good character.

6: Regarding the form, when submitting it, please make sure to delete the various bits of information that are in paragraphs. That’s for you to read to get a better idea of what to write in the various sections of the form and should be deleted from the form as you fill it out.

7: All submissions MUST be sent through a PM. Submissions sent in through reviews will be ignored. No exceptions.

8: When sending in your submission, please title the PM as follows. Il Trovatore: *Insert Character Name Here*.

9: There are age restrictions for sending in characters. Students must fit in with these restrictions. A first year student can be as young as 16 (graduating when they’re 20) and fourth year students can be as old as 28 (having started their first year at 24). Faculty members can only be as young as 25, but I’d prefer the majority of them to be older than that.

10: As characters are accepted, more and more restrictions will be made to ensure diversity in the cast of characters. If you have already started on a character and let me know about it or sent one in when these restrictions appear, you do not need to worry about them unless I contact you about it. If these restrictions are already present when you’ve started on a character, you must adhere to them. If you’re not sure if any such restriction applies to you, feel free to ask me.

11: Do keep in mind that when you submit a character or attempt to contact me with a question or what have you, that I may be asleep or at work and be unable to get back to you in a timely manner and I ask that you be patient with me in that regard.

12: There is a two characters per person restriction in place currently. This may be lifted in the future or it could be reduced to one character per person if lots of people are interested in sending a character in.

13: Lastly, if you want to make background characters or villains for the story, let me know and we can work it out. They won’t apply to the 2 characters per person restriction and you can make as many as you want honestly.

Character Count and Restrictions

Faculty Members: 4/6

Koenig House Sponsor: 0/1

Rosenberg House Sponsor: 1/1

Morgenstern House Sponsor: 0/1

Mangold House Sponsor: 0/1

Koenig House Students: 5/9

Koenig House Leader: 1/1

Rosenberg House Students: 6/9

Rosenberg House Leader: 1/1

Morgenstern House Students: 6/9

Morgenstern House Leader: 1/1

Mangold House Students: 5/9

Mangold House Leader: 1/1

Slayer Count: 2/2

No more Lightning Magic, Healing Magics, Take Over Magics or Fire Magic.

Definitely no more Necromancy. No more. Please.

No more magic combat, espionage or potions teachers as faculty members.

No more first year students.

Character Form

General Information

Name:

Nickname(s):

Age: (Students at Il Trovatore Magic Academy are able to enroll at a wide range of ages, from 16 to 24, so it is entirely possible for someone who is 18 to be in the same year as someone who is 24. Of course this also means that your character, if a student, can only be as young as 16 and as old as 28 (that is if they first enrolled at age 24 and are now on their final year.) If your character is a faculty member, they must at least be 25.)

Gender:

Sexuality:

Birthday:

How Much Damage Can Be Done?:

Emotional: Low, Medium, or Heavy

Mental: Low, Medium, or Heavy

Physical: Low, Medium, or Heavy

Retiring Damage in either Emotional, Mental, or Physical Damage: Yes or No

Death: Yes or No

House: (Which student house is your character a member of? Koenig, Rosenberg, Morgenstern or Mangold? If they are a member of faculty, just put Faculty.)

Year: (Students at Il Trovatore spend four years studying at the academy. Which year is your character currently starting? If they are a faculty member, leave this blank or even delete it if you want.)

Appearance Information

Hair: (Color, length, style)

Eyes: (Color/shape)

Height:

Build:

Skin Tone:

Other: (Scars, birthmarks, piercings, tattoos, etc.)

Regular Outfit:

Academy Uniform: (While the uniform is fairly lax, the Academy does expect its students to wear a style of dress that befits the Academy while attending classes. Generally, this means dress shirts and dress pants, or skirts, and a show of the student’s house color (black for Koenig, red for Rosenberg, white for Morgenstern and gold for Mangold). Otherwise, the uniform is customizable to fit the student’s personal tastes. If your character is a faculty member, ignore this category or even delete it if you want.)

Winter Outfit:

Training Outfit:

Bathing Suit:

Formal Outfit:

Sleeping Outfit:

Other: (Any other outfit you want to add)

Facial Expressions: (Are there any facial expressions that they use a lot? Such as smirking, scowling, indifference, boredom, etc.)

Stance: (Is there any particular way that they hold themselves? Such as being hunched over, standing up straight, holding themselves up with pride, cowering away in fear, etc.)

Personality Information

General Personality: (This is where the bulk of the personality explanation will go. Tell me about your character. Who are they? What makes them tick? How do they act with the world? Are they open and honest? Are they guarded and wary of people? Are they introverted and a bookworm? And whatever they may be, why are they like that? How do they view members of the other student houses? No one to two sentenced characters will be accepted. The more information I have, the better. It will allow me to write your character better.)

Likes: (At least 5 things. What do they like to do in their spare time? What do they like to eat? What do they like to drink? What do they like to do with their friends? On their own?)

Dislikes: (At least 5 things. What do they hate? What really gets under their skin? What foods or drinks do they dislike? Please refrain from stating that they hate seeing their classmates/people in general being hurt. That is going to be a given as most people do not like seeing that kind of thing. That does not tell me about THEIR dislikes.)

Hobbies: (What are they good at? Do they like to read, play sports, paint, clean, party, cook, train, collect antiques, etc? It could be something amazing or some mundane skill. It could even be something they’re bad at but still like to do.)

Friends: (Tell me about the kind of people they would befriend and tell me how they would act around those people. And tell me about the kind of people that they would not get along with.)

Rivals: (Tell me if they would have a rival or not. And if they do, what kind of people would they have as a rival and how they would act around them.)

Love Interest: (Tell me about the kind of person they would fall for and how they would act around them.)

Respect: (Tell me about the kind of people they would respect and how they would act around them.)

Hate: (Tell me about the kind of people they would hate and how they would act around them.)

History Information

Hometown: (Please tell me the name of your character’s hometown. Feel free to create and name your own town for this as there is little to no information about Minstrel as a country. Just be sure to give me a brief summary of where the town is located and an idea of what’s unique about it.)

Why did they enroll at the Academy/Choose to teach at the Academy?:

Family Members: (Please list any family members you wish to include even if they are deceased and how they are related to your character.)

Other People: (Please list any other important people that you wish to include even if they are deceased and how they are related to your character, such as teacher, friend, enemy, etc. Relations with canon characters won’t be acceptable as the story takes place several countries away and the chance that they could know or be related to any characters that live in Fiore is extremely slim.)

General History: (This is where the bulk of your character’s history will go. Again, tell me about them. Where did they grow up? How did they grow up? Did they come from a loving family, a horrible family, or a non-existent family? Don’t be afraid to add drama and tragedy to your character as I love writing that stuff, but I will ask to not involve anything having to do with rape or cannibalism (because yes, I’ve seen both before in a character history). I am not comfortable about writing either and I will ask you to remove it from the history if I see it in there. Moving on! How did they learn their magic? Why did they pick that magic to learn? How did they come to be enrolled at Il Trovatore Magic Academy? Basically tell me about everything and anything needed leading up to the beginning of the story. And please remember that this takes place in X811 in Minstrel.)

Plot Points: (Tell me the things you want to see happen to your character. Do you want them to fall in love? Do you want them to defeat a villain from their past? Do they discover new spells or weapons? Do they confront a problem from their past like harsh parents or a bully? Tell me how you want to see your character grow. And yes, this is a requirement. Also, feel free to go crazy with this and make some long, overarching story arc for your character. You of course, don’t have to put that much effort in if you don’t want to though.)

Magic Information

Magic: (What kind of magic do they use? Please explain their magic and how it works. If your character is a student, please keep in mind that they are still learning and have a strong possibility of being able to learn additional types of magic or even being able to refine their current form of magic as time goes by. As such, I do not want students knowing more than two forms of magic at the beginning of the story if they are in their first or second years. A third or fourth year student could potentially know up to three, however, they will not be as skilled with them as another student that has chosen to focus on a single type of magic. Faculty members could potentially know several types of magic, but I’d rather you focus on one or two magics that are their main focus that they have chosen to specialize in while the other forms are ones that they have learned in order to teach them to the students. Keep in mind that magic is actually not a requirement for your character. If they are a student, they could potentially not know any magic and learn it as time goes by or they could just simply not be able to use magic at all.)

Current Spells: (Please give me a list of current spells that your character can use. I would like 6-7 of them, but you are welcome to make more than that. And please explain what the spell does, cause if you don’t, I’ll tell you to write up descriptions for the spells.)

Spells Learned Later: (Please give me a list of spells that your character can learn throughout the story. Again, please tell me what these spells do. This is especially important for the students, as I expect them to create and learn how to use more spells as time goes by, as they are students and are expected to expand their arsenal of spells.)

Weapons: (Please tell me any weapons that your character may have and if it is magical or not. If it is a magical weapon, please explain what it can do. Please use common sense here. Do not give your character a weapon that can defeat all enemies in one swipe or anything like that. And please have it make sense to the character if it is magic. So say your character has Water Magic and you want them to have a magical weapon, do not give them a weapon that shoots out fire. Give them a magical weapon they could use in conjunction to their magic. It does not have to be a magical weapon though and you are not required to give them a weapon if you do not want to.)

Equipment: (Tell me any other equipment your character may have, such as a medical kit, goggles, a magically expanding bag, a tool kit, etc.)

Strengths: (Tell me what strengths your character has. Are they a good leader? Are they better at long range fighting? Close range fighting? Do they work well in teams? Are they a good strategist?)

Weaknesses: (Tell me what weaknesses your character has. Do they not work well in teams? Do they not listen to orders? Are they bad at long range fighting? At close range fighting? Are they weak to hand to hand combat? Are they weak to mind games? What is their magic weak against? Please do not tell me things like they are arrogant as a weakness. That is a personality trait and I feel like it’s a cheap cop out to telling me their weaknesses. Also, please refrain from contradictions between strengths and weaknesses. Too many times I have seen that a character is this wonderful leader that everyone looks up to but then states as a weakness that they do not work well with others. That doesn’t make sense! To be a leader you need to be able to work well with anyone and be very open to working with people regardless of how you feel about them.)

Miscellaneous Information

Living Quarters: (All students will live in their respective house dorms. Tell me what their dorm looks like. Faculty members will most likely have homes out in Trovatore City.)

Other: (Anything else you would like to add about your character that I might have missed listing)

Theme Songs: (Any songs that go along with your character that you would like to add.)