Running time: from 5 august to 30 november

En françois de Francie pour mes compatriotes adoré(e)s sta.sh/0miuvyosbqk

Games of court and crown

Setting (A very quick introduction to the land and story) :

My story takes place in the country of Dendroa, the land of Storms (part of the world of Derkomai I created) during the period when Aelys was part of the Keeshir Guard, from the moment she was found after the wreckage to the one when she will have to flee to Drechenval, scapegoated with the murder of the king. 

Dendroa is a monarchy with harsh laws. Slavery is forbidden but every citizen has to contribute to the well being of the country, both by taxes and public works when requested (the nature of the task is adapted to the capacities of every one).

The pantheon is composed of several deities, the main being called the Spirit of our Fathers, a god of storms and battles. The priests have a voice in court but can not edict laws or challenge the authority of the king who remains the sole ruler of the country.

The symbol of the country is the Thorntree, a tree that grows exclusively in Dendroa and has the capacity to withstand the strongest storms and even flourish when hit by lightning.

The dendroan army is quite powerful and renowned for its efficiency and ruthlessness in battle.

The elite of the army compose the Keeshir Guard, a corps that not only protect the king but has also capacities to judge and punish those breaking the law. Dendroans don't shy from executions for law breakers but in the other hand, the dendroan soldiers are trained to protect the civilians at whatever cost.

The members of the Keeshir Guard travel generally in team of three or multiple of three, chosen because they have capacities that complete each others.

Main characters

Aeran: Heir to the king Oren, lieutenant of the Keeshir Guard. He has taken of lot of his father's character. Serious and stern to the point of sometimes appearing cold, he lives for his duty to his comrades and country. Austere, fierce, thorough, he is also fast to anger and slow to forgive. He tends to order people around and makes duty and obligations go above everything else something to the cost of his own relationships. He can be as cold in public as he can be gentle and intense in private and is fiercely protective and jealous even if he hides it very well. He is proud to the point of being haughty sometimes but is also very honest and in the rare occasions he makes a mistake will never try to deny it.
He is very charismatic, a born leader with a keen grasp of politics even if he sometimes lacks diplomacy. He is regularly sent as a representative for his father and travels generally with Lera and Dreven.
He has a relationship with Aelys that is kept as discreet as possible, but do try to sneak some moments with her when he can. When alone with her he dares show his caring, softer side and with his friends he even sometimes display a dry sense of humor.




Aelys (nicknamed Kiddo at that period):Found wounded and tortured on the shores of Dendroa by Aeran and his brother, she was nursed back to health but retain almost no memories of her past. To repay her debt to the country that saved her life, she entered the Keeshir Guard along with Beeren and Aeran. She is small and frail looking but is very fast and precise, making a good soldier. She is also determined, almost to the point of fanatism and her previous ordeal had made her sometimes harsh and fast to anger. She generally presents a cold demeanour (born of her insecurity) a mask she lowers with very few persons she trusts, Beeren being one of them.
Timid and awkward when in presence of strangers, she warms up rapidly when she trusts people and show then her true personnality, curious and friendly. She tends to be stubborn but is also unselfish and sincere.
Aeran and her are lovers, a relation that must stay hidden partly because of Aeran status. One thing to know is that they are so pathologically set in their ways and held by duties that they never dared say "I love you" to each others. They do, but they don't dare say it.
Since she didn't remember her name she got nicknamed Kiddo because of her small stature and later Aeran called her Aelys, which means Aeran's flame. She is very close from Beeren she considers her best friend and from Lera and Shari, Lera being a comrade and the one that will help her get back on her feet, Shari because she will teach her to unwound and become more friendly and open with others.




Beeren: second son of Oren, Aeran young brother, he has been blessed by the Spirit of our Father, the god of battles, making him the Keeper of the Spirit and a fantastic warrior, undefeated on the battlefield but making him also prone to terrifying bouts of rage. Great warrior, seducer, singer, womanizer, good sense of humor, a tad disrespectful sometimes, proud to the point of stubborness, reckless, sure of himself, faithful friend, fast to anger but unlike his brother, fast to forgive as well. He hides under his layback and relaxed attitude a very keen mind he reveals only when he feels the need for it. Aelys has been chosen to be his Guardian, a mix between companion/ bodyguard chosen by the priests to try and control the bouts of rage he can get lost into. So far it works perfectly well as they are very close friends and utterly trust each others, sometimes even ganging up on Aeran to try to make him unwound a little.
He knows about the relationship between her and his brother and will actually do his very best to cover for them (as they cover for him his relationship with Shari). He likes Aelys a lot and may even have had feelings for her at a time, before meeting Shari but those never expressed themselves

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Shari: Beeren's lover (in fact, his wife since they got married in secret) Shari is a former concubine that fell in love with Beeren. They met during one of his diplomatic missions. Intrigued by his imposing figure at first she soon learned that there was more to him than just good looks. She was rapidly seduced by his charm, caring, wits and sense of humor and he too fell for her. Only Aeran and Kiddo know about the wedding, Aeran seeing this as a risky foolishness, Kiddo being very happy for her friends and doing her best to protect them.
She is a great friend for Aelys and actually did a lot to help her getting less skittish with other peoples, she also is one of the few not afraid to speak her mind to Aeran about some of his flaws (much to Beeren's delight).
Mischievious, seductress, glamorous and sensual, she can sometimes appear vain and sarcastic but is also smart and has a gentle and good heart. She loved and lost before she met Beeren and won't let anyone step between them, she is fiercely protective and loves him with all her heart.
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Secundary characters

Oren Takeravi, the Keeshir (Honorific title of the king). He is a stern man, a warrior king devoted to his land, constantly battling to protect his country from the wild tribes of the Sybinius Moors that raid the frontiers. Oren has been king for almost three decades and acceded the crow quite young. He is constantly challenging and pushing others to do better but will never ask of them something he would shy to do.
He loves his two sons dearly but is closer to Aeran in which he sees himself more than in Beeren. He respects Aelys' determination and willpower to overcome her weaknesses and even if he would never actually agree to her being in an open relationship with his son, regrets it as he finds her honourable. He doesn't care in the least for Shari, persuaded she is but a fleeting thing for Beeren.
Oren rules with an iron hand in an iron glove but no one can deny his devotion to his people and his country. Under his reign the land will flourish and prosper and even if most people fear him more than love him, they know they have a roof above their heads and a meal on the table thanks to his ruthless politics stances. He not only cares for their physical well being but also for their education as for him, a country of ignorants is doomed to fall sooner or later. He listens to the priests and sometimes works with them but make no mistake, the only person he shares power with is his wife, the queen, to whom he is absolutely faithful and devoted.
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Enassan, his wife, mother of Aeran and Beeren. Nicknamed the Keeshir's panther she is beautiful, very intelligent, cold and ruthless, sometimes even more than her husband. She respects her husband immensely and loves fiercely their two sons.
She appreciates Aelys devotion to the protection of her sons and even has a grudging admiration for the young woman, mixed with pity as she knows that one day or another Aeran will have to marry and Aelys will find herself alone. She did warn Aelys about this once and in her mind she was doing a favor to the young woman by doing so. She is very very defiant of Shari, not only because of her past but because she has realised unlike her husband the extent of feelings between Shari and Beeren and consider the former concubine as a tramp that has risen above her position.
She is a figure to be reckoned within the kingdom and rules as an equal with her husband.
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Lera : One of Aeran team mates, she has a knack with the tames birds that are used as means to convey messages between members of the Keeshir Guard. She is the daughter of a Dendroan general and in addition to her military training has a great mind for numbers and accountacy along with a fantastic memory, making her the perfect help in diplomatic missions. She became Kiddo's friend before she entered the Guard&nbsp; when she got assigned to watch over her, and is actually the one that taught her to dance as a part of her physical rehabilitation. She is a cheerful communicative woman that has nevertheless a very fierce character and takes her duty to heart. She likes Kiddo a lot and appreciate that Shari is able to make her open up to others, what she hasn't been to despites the sincere friendship they share. She is very tolerant, rarely fazed by anything but fast to react and take decisions without having the recklessness Beeren or the twins may have. Quite pretty with her statuesque physique, her mane of reddish brown hair, her bottle green eyes and her freckled, slightly tanned skin, she has had many suitors before entering the guard but no one that really managed to catch her heart. She has a great tenderness for Drefen but will never admit it.
 



Dreven and Drefen the twins: Dreven is a member of Aeran's team while Drefen is assigned to Beeren and Kiddo team. The two brothers are very alike in appearance, save for the hair cut, but very different in character. They are the closest Aeran and Beeren have to bodyguards and take their duties very seriously, making them formidable opponents for anyone that would try and attack the heirs. While Dreven tends to be loud and brash, teasing and even making sometimes inappropriate jokes, a behaviour that hides in fact a man that dreams of one day marrying, settling down, having children (he loves children dearly and visits his family regularly to see his many sibling, nephews, cousins and such) Drefen is more quiet and calm, assessing the situation before speaking.
Dreven has actually a crush on Aelra he hasn't yet dared to voice, afraid of his friends mocking him.
Drefen and Aeran work perfectly well together, Drefen being more smooth than Aeran when the situation neeeds it.
 


Rion Shari's personal guard and trusted friend. He feels deeply for his mistress but never dared to confess to her. He would give his life for Shari without any second thoughts and he wouldn't hesitate to protect her from any harm. His relation with Beeren is quite tense because of his feelings for Shari but since she is happy with him and he takes great care of her and so visibly loves her he doesn't voice it aloud. He and Kiddo has a gentle competition going on, they both have a lot of similarities and like to chat or play chess when not on duty.
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Aelra Shari's maidservant. She is a friendly person who tries to get along with everyone. She is always wearing a smile and tries her best to make everyone around her happy. Shy and discreet, romantic, she is loyal to Shari that saved her from slavery and is still slightly afraid by Rion. She likes Beeren because he is so good for Shari and even if she appreciates Kiddo she doens't really understand her occasional fanaticism.

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Plenty of references can be found in our group ChenDie and you can contact me if you have any questions. The entries for the contest will be submited to the appropriate folder in this group, here --> chendie.deviantart.com/gallery… .

What you can/ can't do:

This is a drawing contest, all forms of art (traditionnal, digital, animation or photomanipulation) are allowed.
You can depict the characters interacting, you can decide to draw only one character - but please, keep them in character.
The art must be new, created for the contest, and it must be stated in the description
You can enter the contest in behalf of someone else.
You can enter a maximum of 2 entries

Bases, hate art, porn and such are forbidden (but sensual or tasteful erotic pictures - abiding deviantART's ToS - are allowed)

Prizes (the thing you were all waiting )

First place:
20$ (through Paypal, or points equivalent)
500 points
200 points by Aliciane
Digital fullcolor picture with 2 characters, no background by Chenria
A portrait traditionnal by CristianaLeone
A one chara half body detailed sketch from Naeviss
A drawing from Smyrker
a sketched bust up from SatphireDA
600 points from WhiteRum



Third place:
10$ (through Paypal, or points equivalent)
200 pts
100 points by Aliciane
Digital picture with 2 characters, no background and monochrome coloring&nbsp;by Chenria
A one chara half body simple sketch from Naeviss
A drawing from Smyrker
a sketched bust up from SatphireDA
400 points from WhiteRum




If you wish to offer prizes (first and foremost, a gigantic thank you!) please note me and you will be featured here!

  Prizes givers  









Skin by me, art by CristianaLeone