Ok.

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Where do you go when your running away,
The cost of stopping is too great to pay.
~Amanda (saw this written in a washroom stall at a movie theater)

Here are my charries. They are all part of the company of European adventurers.

Name: Calista Labeau now Calista DeChaney
(Actress: Diane Kruger)

Gender: Female
Age: 27
Parents: Mark and Gwen Labeau
Appearance:
Pic #1
Pic #2
Pic #3
Personality: Curious and sweet. She can be headstrong and willful at times. Beneath her innocent exterior lies a spirit that longs for adventure which can get her in trouble. She is also a dreamer, longing for something more than all that she knew.
Weapons: None, unless you count her ability to scream and maybe scratch if it should get to that. And if all else should fail she would look for something in the area to throw at her attacker.
Apparel: Light colored dresses, preferably blue or green made only of the finest silk. Although after arriving in Africa she wears light, cotton dresses with a hat to protect her from the heat and black women's boots. She sometimes wears white blouses with black slacks and her black boots though only very rarely.
Reason for going to Africa: To escape a loveless marriage to the son of a very prominent family and have a chance to be with the man she loves, Darius DeChaney whom she wed in secret.
Other: She is from a wealthy merchant family in England.

Name: Darius DeChaney
(Actor: Ben Barnes)

Gender: Male
Age: 28
Parents: Arthur and Margaret DeChaney
Appearance:
Pic #1
Pic #2
Pic #3
Personality: Reserved, he is often mistaken to be aloof. Yet he is protective over those he cares for and has a natural love for adventure.
Weapons: a hunting rifle, a shotgun, a pistol and a couple of daggers
Apparel: Dark suits in Europe but in Africa he prefers a light cotton shirt with dark boots and dark trousers.
Reason for going to Africa: To find out if all that he heard about the Dark Continent was true. He asked Calista Labeau to join him after she threatened to kill herself instead of marrying another.
Other: He is from a fairly prominent family in England and has loved Calista for awhile though their parents never approved of their match. Before leaving for Africa, he and Calista wed in secret.


Name: Katalina Williams
(Actress: Megan Fox)

Gender: Female
Age: 26
Parents: Lance and Bella Williams
Appearance:
Pic #1
Pic #2
Pic #3
Personality: Cunning and somewhat devious, she is not above using any charm to bend a situation to her advantage. Though she can seem heartless at first, her one desire to is to find someone whom she can call a friend.
Weapons: She often relies on her wits to get what she wants.
Apparel: Form-fitting blue or red cotton dresses and women's black boots.
Reason for going to Africa: To make a new life for herself, away from the brothel where she was forced to work.
Other: She is from Wales but was sold to an English family before being sold once again to a brothel.

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AWESOME set by the AMAZING Lembas!!!

Sounds like you have the beginnings to a good RP Tur. However, I am now drooling over the picture of the rifle you posted. It's beautiful. Okay, shutting up and waiting for things to get going.

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Okidokie.. I wouldn't want to spoil that.. Then I think I'll have to decline, because I have no inspiration for another sort charrie. Have fun guys!

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O children, lift up your voice, lift up your voice,
Children, rejoice, rejoice..



It doesn't matter you don't believe in God, He believes in you.

Alright, for some reason this bio was giving me a lot of trouble, so it's very... sparse, I guess. I promise he won't be that boring once I start writing.


Name: Morgan Llwyd
Gender: Male
Age: 29
Appearance: Dark brown hair and eyes, pale skin. Welsh.
Personality: [to be determined]
Weapons: A shotgun and a pistol.
Apparel: Light cotton shirt, thick trousers and boots.
Reason for going to Africa: It's an alternative to working in a slate mine in Wales.

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- married fingon fingolfinion 6/4/13 -
~art credit~

((Alright, we begin!))

The morning of May 12, 1874, was much like any other in Natal. Hot, humid, and, around the docks, stinking. The piers of Durban were well known to Richard Braddock, who made his living on those who frequented them. His step, light from over 20 years of stalking prey, was barely audible on the waterlogged wood. Braddock scanned the hulls for the name he was looking for. Star of Natal, Emperess, Fortune, they were all familiar sights to the Canadian, but they were not the ship he wanted. Then, at the end, of No.4 dock, he saw her. The Victoria. On her, if his letter from the dockmaster was correct, was a party of Europeans fresh from the continent, looking for the sort of excitement that Braddock could offer. At least, for the men. As he stopped just short of the ship, he rankled at the number of dresses that mingled with trousers.

Braddock decided in that instant that they had never been on a hunting expedition before. Shaking his head wearily, he folded the brim up on the left side of his beaten slouch hat, and walked towards the crowd, his left hand raised in greeting. "My name is Richard Braddock. I'm told that some of you were anxious about hunting? If so, I'm the man that's going to help you do it."

As well as track, skin, dress, butcher, carry, and protect you and every animal you kill. He thought to himself.

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Son of Bellatrix

Banner by Pandora

Amelia looked at the man who introduced himself. She sighed, knowing what he may think of her. A woman traveling to Africa, alone, willing to traveling the plans. She had to risk it, her brother was here, somewhere. He and his friend had been lost for years, she had heard they had been seen in here in Africa and she had come to look for them. Her friends and others she knew back home had told her not to, it was too dangerous. But came to Africa to find them she did. She lifted her two bags and moved closer so she wouldn't lose track of the man.

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Where do you go when your running away,
The cost of stopping is too great to pay.
~Amanda (saw this written in a washroom stall at a movie theater)

((Yay! How exciting!))

The sun was shining in the sky as the Victoria pulled in Natal harbor. In Europe this would have been a fine thing, but here in Africa it just made everything that much hotter. Lady Katelin Mason stood at the rail watching was the ship docked. Her blue eyes showed annoyence at the sight she saw. Natal was very dirty compared to her upper class nieghborhood back in England. After the ship was docked her pale nosed wrinkle at the smell. No, this place was not at all like England, and she did not like it.

"And you are sure this is what you want to do, Darling?" Lady Mason turned towards her husband. He looked far more excited than she did. "It's not to late to just stay on this boat and travel back to Europe."

Sir Jim Mason tilted his head back and laughed. Quite frankly he found his wife's discomfort a bit amusing. He knew this was quite different for her, but he was sure she would find a way to make things better for herself. "Yes, my dear, this is what I want. Things will be good. You will see." At the sound of Braddock, Sir Mason turned from his wife and began walking to meet him. "Hello my good sir. You must be our guide. I have heard a lot of good things about you in England. If you live up to them, I am sure our hunting expedition will go quite well."

As her husband walked away, Katelin gave an exasperated sigh and turned to her maid, Annabell Langly. "Come on girl, get my bags and keep up." She stormed off after her husband leaving her poor maid to struggle after her carrying the heavy bags.

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Calista DeChaney stood on the dock of the ship, eying the land that would be her new home for a while. With her delicate hands wrapped about the railing, she remained silent. The day was hot, far hotter than the days she could remember back home in England. But England was no home for her now. Not after she had packed her bags and run from her family to Africa with Darius DeChaney. She knew her family would be furious once they discovered her missing, but there was no turning back. Before she had always been an obedient daughter, suffering through her lessons and trying to act as they deemed the daughter of a wealthy merchant should. But she could not marry Donovan. She refused to enter a loveless marriage though all the gold in the world were hers. So she did the only sensible thing that she could think of at the time. She ran off with Darius, married him in secret and then accompanied her new husband to this strange and exotic land, to share in all his adventures and dangers.
“How are you, my darling?” Darius asked as he came to stand at her side.
“Hot.” Calista remarked with a small smirk as she removed one hand from the rail to fan herself. “But happier than I could be at home, dear” she added.
Darius only shook his head, wondering if this was a good idea. He loved her, but he knew as well as anyone that Africa was no place for a well-bred woman. He still wondered if she even realized the potential dangers that awaited them. Sure he knew she dreamed of adventure but dreaming it and living through one were two different things and he could not help but wonder if she would regret their quick nuptials and this sojourn at the first sign of hardship.
Hearing Richard Braddock address their group, the pair turned their attention upon the man. A small smile crossed Darius’s lips as Braddock mentioned a hunt. He had been anxious to hunt game for some time now.
“Going from my side so soon?” Calista asked softly, noticing the gleam in Darius’s eyes at the mention of a hunt.
“Well not just yet,” he remarked, “ but we should gather our things” he added.
Calista nodded as she followed Darius back to their room in the ship. Back at home, she would have a maid carry her things. But here she was no longer the daughter of a wealthy merchant and although Darius was the son of a fairly prominent family, the fewer relatives, kin and hire hands that knew of their marriage the better. So both decided to do things on their own, without the aid of servants. They both had a brought a substantial sum of money with them, but neither knew how long they would live here or where they would go after they left. Returning to England would be most unwise. Perhaps they would go the Americas to make a home there. Slinging his rifle and shotgun over his shoulder by their straps, Darius then attached his daggers to his belt before picking up almost all of the bags. He also carried a small pistol on him that was hidden from view but easily accessible should he need it.
“I can carry more,” Calista said softly, seeing only a small bag left for her.
Darius smirked. “What kind of husband would I be if I let my wife strain herself needlessly?” he told her before walking out of their room. Calista only smiled softly at his words as she followed him back on to the dock of the ship and the couple approached Braddock.
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Katalina Williams stood on the dock of the ship, her single bag sitting at her feet. She had no idea what to do in Africa. She knew nothing about the Dark Continent other than it had to be better than her wretched life back in an English brothel. Her parents had sold her as a young girl to pay for their debts to an English family and later she had been sold yet again to a brothel. Having already survived the animals of the brothel she did not fear the animals of the continent. To her, Africa presented an escape, an escape from the horrors she had to endure. She would not let herself be intimidated again. She was clever enough, she had what it took to survive the dregs of England society and stole a nice sum of money in the process. She would find a way to survive here. With a slight smirk she picked up her bag and walked over to Braddock. So what if she was a woman traveling alone? She had been alone for as long as she could remember, and now she was determined to find her fortune here.

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AWESOME set by the AMAZING Lembas!!!

Braddock nodded shortly at Sir Mason, then put his hands on his hips. "I'll warn you now, I'll be the one to judge if you're capable of hunting. Oh, and please, watch where you step once we depart. There are snakes here that can kill you within four hours." He called, adressing the entire group." Also, I will inspect your firearms before we leave Durban to make sure they're serviceable. If there are needed modifications, then you can have them made by the local gunsmith."

"For the ladies present," Richard said in a more civil tone of voice, "watch your surroundings. There have been reports of rather aggressive animals where I plan to hunt, but I shall keep a local guide at the campsite. Alert him if you see anything out of the ordinary."

"For all of you, I should warn you that the Zulus under King Chestowayo have been growing more violent of late. The Zulu regiments spare no one, and kill viciously. You will do nothing to agitate them. No killing cattle, no disturbing caches or graves, and do not tresspass on thier grazing lands or disturb a kraal. Your curiousity is not worth the wholsale murder of this expidition," he snarled, making eye contanct with every voyager.

"Are there any questions as of yet?"

((Sorry I haven't posted. Been sick.))[/i]

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Son of Bellatrix

Banner by Pandora

((That's okay. Hope you feel better soon!))

Jim Mason shot his eyebrows up at the way Braddock adressed him, but before he could even comment on that his wife's shrill voice interupted him.

"There are snakes?!" Katelin had come up behind her husband and was now infront of him. "Jim Mason you know how I feel about snakes!"

"M'am, I'm sure everything will be fine. As long as you watch the trail I'm sure no harm will come to you," Annabell said reassuringly to her mistress.

"You are suppose to speak only when spoken to, and I don't remember speaking to you!" Katelin scolded her maid. "Now," she turned on her heels to face Braddock, "You said there will be a local guide at the campsite. How do we know he is trustworthy? What if he is one of those violent kind that you speak of?"

"That is a good question, my dear. Are you willing to speak for this man?"

Annabell gave a quite sigh but remained quiet as her master and misrtess interrogated Mr. Draddock. Apparently changing continents didn't change her master or mistress.

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The guide's name is Bele, and he is a member of the amaHlubi. He is not a Zulu, and is under my personal employ as a gun-bearer. Also, you will not adress any native under my employ as an inferior. They shall be adressed by thier names." Braddock said vehemently.

"Ma'am," he said tiredly, turning to Mrs. Mason," there are snakes here called Mambas. One is black, the other is green. Stay out of their way, and do not make sudden movement in close proximity to them. Other than that, some basic protection would be helpful. They rear up and strike at the face and neck, therefore, simply be careful." He said in a calming tone. "In all likelyhood, we shall not encounter them at all. Do not irritate them, and they shall not irritate you."

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Son of Bellatrix

Banner by Pandora

Annabell's mouth gaped open. Had that just happened? No one had ever spoken to Sir mason like that. Atleast, Annabell had never seen it, and she had been in the house since she was very young. She could tell by their expressions her employers they were not pleased. She was sure that any minute her mistress would storm off a little ways, and Annabell would be expected to follow. For a minute, she almost wished to be under the employment of Mr. Broddock. He atleast seemed to show respect to those working under him. To her surprise Sir Mason just stood there silently. She didn't want to know what he was thinking though.

As if on clock work Annabell saw her misstress walk away a few paces from her husband and Braddock. "Girl!" Annabell heard her call. She gave a small bow to Sir Mason and Braddock to excuse herself and obediently joined her mistress. She certainly hoped the others in the group were more agreeable.

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Darius studied Braddock, a bit annoyed at the man’s tone. Did he truly think them that helpless? He was about to make a comment when he heard Lady Manson’s shrill voice as the woman came from behind them to interrogate Braddock. Glancing over at Calista, he noticed she seemed shaken over the news about snakes. “Don’t worry,” he told her softly. “Just be mindful of where you step. And if all else shall fail, I’ll shoot them,” he remarked, drawing a weak smile from her.
The pair then turned their attention back to Braddock. Darius, too, wanted to know more about this local guide, wanting to be sure he could be trusted with guarding the women while they were on the hunt-namely his wife. He seemed satisfied with the man's answer about Bele but the recent violence of the Zulus did not improve his mood any. “Just how secure is the campsite while we will be hunting?” he asked Braddock, hoping that they had more than one guard for the camp or it was far from Zulu territory.

Calista just listened in silence as Darius questioned Braddock next. What had she been thinking? Dangerous beasts and crazy Zulus? And snakes to top it off? Just looking at one made her skin crawl. If one got close to her, she’d faint in fear. She was more than happy to leave the snakes alone if they would pay her the same courtsey, all the while praying that Braddock would be right and she wouldn't come across one. This journey had sounded much more exciting and dangerously romantic before she was going to be living it. Then to make matters worse, she had the feeling that the fine silk light blue dress she was wearing was hardly going to be suitable for their environment. “So where is this camp?” Calista asked after a moment. "And where are the Zulus's grazing lands so they can be avoided? And what is a kraal?" she asked rather demurely. Had she been back home, she would have lashed out at this man for his manner to them, but she was no longer the daughter of a wealthy merchant, and she was doing all she could to remain as respectful as possible.

Katalina just pursed her lips as Braddock lectured the group and then everyone began throwing questions at him. Great, she thought to herself as she listened to Lady Mason speak. Living with her was going to be torturous. She reminded her too much of the Lady Wordsworth whom she had been sold to. I should have picked someplace else to seek my fortune, she thought bitterly. At the moment, she had no questions for their guide so she decided to remain silent. It was better that way anyway, she told herself. Better to wait, watch, and learn so you could manipulate others into helping you.

(Yes, I agree with Lor En Estel)

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AWESOME set by the AMAZING Lembas!!!

Richard smiled. "A kraal, ma'am, is a Zulu homestead. Also, I shall guide us clear of the grazing lands, it is not your concern. Our camp shall be fortified with thorns, and it shall be made where I think fit, Sir," he said insolently to DeChaney. "If you would prefer to question my methods of protecting my customers, well then," at this Braddock poined to the Victoria, "you can still go back.[/i]

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Son of Bellatrix

Banner by Pandora

Calista nodded at Richard as he answered her questions and gave him a small smile of thanks. Darius though growled at Richard's reply to him and was about to give a sharp retort when Calista put a hand lightly on his arm. "Dear, don't." Calista said softly as she gazed up into his face, her eyes pleading with him to calm down. Gazing down into her face, Darius slowly nodded. He could tell she was nervous about being here after what she had just heard from Richard. "Sorry." he muttered to Braddock but said nothing else to him. Turning back to Calista he studied her for a moment. "Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked.
Calista gave him a small smile. "You wanted to come here, didn't you?" she asked.
Darius nodded.
"And still want to go on this hunt?" she asked to which he gave her an affirmative.
"Then we stay. Besides, maybe this new environment will untrain me from being a spoiled woman," she added a bit lightly to hopefully ease some of the tension.

Katalina then turned to Richard. "So what are we," she asked indicating the women present there. "Suppose to do while you men are on your hunt?" she asked.

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AWESOME set by the AMAZING Lembas!!!