Errand NaNoWriMo Cryptics of the City WIP

[font=High Tower Text]Setting[/font]

[font=High Tower Text]TERROR (SAN FRANCISCO), 2448
San Francisco would never again be the same after the war. The successful port city, with Terror as its new name, had been utterly wrecked when the infamous Pirates raided the U.S. coastline, plundering to their satisfaction. Of course, the government, who was growing increasingly immoral by the day, did nothing to stop such attempts. The once beautiful coastline was polluted and the iconic Golden Gate Bridge defaced with symbols and graffiti. Evidently, the anarchic pirates were more than thorough in their dirty destruction.

The classic skull-and-bones sign could be found anywhere, as it was the instantly recognizable sign of the Pirates. Entire buildings were branded with it, the Golden Gate Bridge covered with the symbol. Custom-made flags fly over the destroyed city, marking every single building still standing as Pirate property. The mere sight of the sign sent fear coursing through every citizen's body, knowing that were they to see the symbol, death was likely near.

The Pirates were not only thorough in their destruction but also ruthless in their elimination of humans and animals. Once servants were no longer useful, they were slowly choked and drowned in the nearby ocean, never to be seen again. Animal hunting was a pastime, as they saw killing as a necessary thing to do and not an abomination. Therefore, gunshots were a common sound around the city, much to the chagrin of the former citizens who had, fortunately, hidden themselves away. Any "runaway", as deemed by the Pirates, to be found trespassing or attempting to do so was promised a painful, slow death. Nobody really knew what that looked like, because, well, everyone still alive hadn't experienced it yet, obviously. Anyone who entered even the outskirts of the city recognized that, well, it needed some help.

The year is 2448 A.D., almost five entire years after the first attack. The Pirates are still occupying Terror, using it as some type of headquarters. They've already driven out all of the citizens--except for the weak ones, whom they claim belong to them as servants. Those who were fortunate enough to flee, the Outcasts, now avoid civilization at all costs.

The entire city lies in ruins, and flies fly rampant in the area like it’s a garbage dump. There is, of course, the metallic steel building next to the coast--a supposedly impenetrable structure--that houses the Pirates' fortress. No Outcast knew the havoc the Pirates had wreaked on other areas, but rumor had it that the evil villains had raided the entire country and taken over the already-deteriorating government. Again, however, the solitary life the Outcasts lived had no such inlet for any type of news.

The unfortunate ones who had stayed behind in former San Francisco were forced into house arrest, imprisoned in cells of their own making by their controllers. Every day they follow a strict schedule, everyone waking up at the same time and going about their work for the Pirates automatically. Anyone who entered the city and saw those people walking around could think that they were half-dead zombies come back to life. Of course, there were also the rare Chosen Workers, who were those who were deemed the strongest, smartest, and best of the workers. These people were trusted with working in the highly-secret headquarters. It probably wasn't a very good job, although it was highly preferable to the dirty work environment they would be stuck in otherwise.

Terror is unrecognizable to anyone who was fortunate enough to travel there before it was destroyed by Pirates. Now, it resembles a huge garbage dump with pale-faced, dead-eyed people, managing the place. And of course, anyone who has had the misfortune to look upon a Pirate is dead. It truly has become a city of Terror.

THE HIDDEN VILLAGE; 2443
While most people around the country gave into the Pirates and were forced to live in factions, regulated by the government, the Outcasts were smarter. Running away, they appeared to "disappear" into the land as they fled north to the redwood forests. The tall trees provided plenty of cover, and while the Pirates were by no means stupid, they were unlikely to travel this far up the coast. Obviously, there were other forces that had likely joined with the Pirates out to kill, but the Outcasts would not hesitate to do what was needed. They would survive.

Mere days after their flight from former San Francisco, the Outcasts ventured into the dark woods. Led by a young girl named Ryla, the soon-to-be colony settled into deep into the sequoia grove for the night. Little did they know that while everyone slept, the exhausted eight-year-old was hard at work. It wouldn't be hard, she knew, to build a set of shelters. On the ground was not preferred, as although the trees themselves provided cover, it was still too unsafe. Nobody would be able to sleep at night for fear of being caught. That left the trees. Tilting her head up, Ryla's green eyes scanned the thick canopy. Fantastical possibilities of living up in the trees ran through the young girl's mind. She would have to explore the trees herself.

After extensive searching through the forest--much to the chagrin of her parents--Ryla decided on a plan. The Outcasts, as they had then officially named themselves, were going to build shelters into the trees, tens of feet off the ground. If they did it correctly and quickly, the men quickly calculated, the small colony would be undetectable within weeks. So they did. Wooden planks were pilfered from anywhere in Terror that they could find and fashioned into rectangular shelters. Each family took one, as enough were quickly built to house the roughly one hundred Outcasts that had made it to the forest.


THE HIDDEN VILLAGE; 2448
Now, five years after the attack, the Hidden Village is flourishing more than anyone could've imagined the wooden city to be. Treetop playgrounds are built, swinging walkways, and rope ladders are built to accommodate every age. But still, the city is by no means perfect. Nobody has died falling off the high platforms, but little children are constantly chased after for fear of doing so. Ryla Kimer, although no longer a little child, is no exception.

The young girl is subdued only when offered a chance to explore, otherwise, she can't help but cause trouble elsewhere in the colony. Although all the adults scold her to no end, deep down, they know that their new home wouldn't exist without the courageous girl.

The Hidden City is now a city of wooden houses, brightly colored as to declare their freedom. Homemade flags made from scavenged materials are flown proudly from each building. This said, the Hidden City is not just a fairy tale, although it is close to one. The Outcasts find living in the treetop city as normal as living anywhere else, having acclimated to the strange situation over the past years. Children are content as they can play all they want, swinging through the trees, knowing that they are safe. Parents are content as they know that their children are still learning from the few teachers that were among the Outcasts. Normal work did not by any means cease just because the city was in the tree rather than on the ground. Food is hunted and scavenged on the ground, only by the best and stealthy. Tools and even weapons are crafted to create a wide arsenal for the village, should war arrive.

The Hidden Village is safe--at least for now. The residents don't know how accurate they are in predicting when they create stocks for a future war. Little do they know, war is just on the horizon for them. After years of prosperity living in their own world, the Hidden Village will be infiltrated by the Pirates, informed about the secret place by an unknown source. No longer secret, chaos and tragedy will descend over its people.[/font]

[font=High Tower Text]WC: 1325 [/font]

[font=High Tower Text]Main Character[/font]

[font=High Tower Text]Ryla Kimer is no ordinary girl. The youngest resident of the Hidden City, the 13-year-old girl has seen just as much destruction and horror as her older counterparts. Ryla was only seven years old when the Pirates attacked her home city of San Francisco, yet she was a crucial part of escape of hundreds. The resourceful girl knew what had to be done, as from the moment she spotted the cruel, spiked ships on the horizon, she threw herself to work, alerting all the people of the city. Of course, having parents who believed in her helped, as she could see that many of her friends, whether older or not, were constrained by their parent's wishes. They didn't have such a happily-ever-after ending. With the help of her family, Ryla collected jugs of water, food storage, blankets, anything that people would need to survive. If the government hadn't been so corrupt, they may have even recognized the young girl for her work. Of course, however, the government, or the Command System, as it was now fittingly called, didn't care about such deeds.

Aside from being resourceful, Ryla is also selfless, always willing to help friends even at her own cost. There is no doubt that the big-hearted girl, while young, would give her life for anyone in the Hidden City. She was the one that stayed behind to make sure all of the kids (some of which were actually older than her) made it safely out of San Francisco. She was the one that insisted on giving up her water ration so that little David could have some more when he was sick. When one of her best friends was restrained back in San Francisco and made a slave to the Pirates, it took hours of pleading to convince Ryla not to reenter the dangerous city for a suicidal rescue mission. Ryla is ever-loyal to her comrades, young or old. Her loyalty is probably Ryla's biggest flaw, as she takes her responsibilities to the point that she would die for them.

Another of her greatest strengths is her bravery. Ryla’s bravery challenges that of one of the men in her city, which is saying something as the men deemed warriors are no small threat. Self-trained in several types of swordfighting as well as archery, the Hidden Village’s warriors have the hearts of samurais. Some of the residents joke that Ryla could join their order, as young as she is, as her courage knows no bounds. There is no doubt that the girl would take her friend’s place at the point of a sword, as well as jumping off trees to help her people or to save someone else.

There is much to do in the Hidden City, obviously, but Ryla always seems to find time for something fun. In her free time, she enjoys exploring, climbing trees, swimming--whatever active activity she can find. Obviously, there is no shortage of trees in the Hidden City, and a flash of brown hair easily alerts all who reside there to Ryla swinging through the branches. Swimming was a common pastime of hers, as she taught herself to swim at the mere age of three back in San Francisco. However, living in the forested shelter was obviously no place to swim. She steals a short dagger or sword and trains in private after watching the village warriors—at least until she is caught by her parents. Ryla is certainly a never-ending source of annoyance for her parents.

Ryla has light, chestnut-brown hair with a golden tinge to it, although the color changes quite drastically based on the season. During the winter, it is a deep brown-ish color, but the summer brings out blonder tones. Her eye color changes as well, from green to hazel to brown. Her friends and parents joke that she changes so much she could be two people at the same time, which is, probably true. Not only is this true in her appearance, but her emotions change just as much. Fiercely loyal, her courage certainly breaks through when a loved one is threatened, as the girl goes to no end to save them. Her parents worry about her constantly, as she has many times previously nearly sacrificed herself to save a friend. However, upon restraint, Ryla often refuses to cooperate--much of what you would except out of a teenager.

Ryla is about average-sized for her age, at about 5'1" at thirteen years old. Her slim but muscled frame comes from her hours of tree climbing, as she is a very active girl. Pulling herself onto branches (and falling out) has strengthened the girl  to complete her "wild child" appearance. Ryla is probably the best friend one could ever have, as she is loyal to a fault. Her weaknesses do not in any way outweigh her strengths, however, as her kindness to everyone is always apparent by way of her wide smile.

In the book, Ryla acts as the heroine who saves her village. When it is attacked, she follows cryptic clues left by the attackers actually, clues left by her best friend and later betrayer to the source of the infiltration. Ryla decides to set out on a mission to follow these clues wherever they lead, vowing to forevermore protect her village from threat. Bringing a few of her closest friends, Ryla leaves the village with no doubts. This is much to the dismay of her parents, but even they reluctantly agree that Ryla is probably one of the best bets to save the city. No one would question a little girl, right? The Pirates aren’t fooled, and as she continues closing in on Terror, where she has traced the clues to, the Pirates are watching her in ways she may have never dreamed of. She goes on to confront the Pirates, but who was really behind the discovery of the Hidden Village? Part 2 of the book begins after she realizes that things aren't really as they seem; Ryla might have to rethink her strategy and even her friendships—some of which are even on the mission with her.[/font]

[font=High Tower Text]WC: 1019[/font]

[font=High Tower Text]Secondary Characters[/font]

[font=High Tower Text]Rowyn Fernsby is Ryla's best friend and elder by only ten months. Although the two girls have many disparities between them, their differences have brought them closer than sisters. Both of the girls are intensely loyal to each other, each willing to give their lives for the other. Both of the teenage girls also experienced the exile from San Francisco together, and Rowyn stood beside Ryla as the two young girls led the people to safety.

While Ryla likes climbing and outdoor exploring, Rowyn would rather be inside crafting all types of things, from weapons to crafts. This does allow the two to truly form a dynamic duo, as their differing expertise allows them to aid each other with their crazy and often unreasonable missions.

Rowyn has white-blonde hair cut at about shoulder-length, "a proper length for exploring". It looks almost as if it had been bleached, but is in fact its natural color. Strange, dark-sapphire blue eyes complete Rowyn's otherworldly look, as the girl indeed looks almost inhuman with her almost-translucent skin, white-blond hair, and dark eyes. In fact, the villagers in the Hidden Village sometimes joke that she was actually adopted, as Rowyn looks nothing like her parents, who have tan skin and brown hair.

Although Rowyn hides her doubts quite well for a just-fourteen-year-old, she harbors many more than people can see. The joking comments about her possible adoption dig deeper than meets the eye, as the pale-skinned girl grows more and more apprehensive with every jab. Every day leaves the girl worried about where she came from, and even who she is. She is currently using all the resources she has (which is not much, due to the hideout-state of her current home) to hunt down those whom she is truly related to, not the two parents who might even be hoaxes.

Although Rowyn has no idea of where she actually came from, the truth is that she is a Viking. Unbeknownst to all, the notorious Pirates are actually the long-lost ancestral race of the Vikings. When kicked out of their snowy, cold homelands, the hardened Viking people boarded ships with all their belongings and have been sailing alone, depending only on each other and nature for their mere existence. The Vikings, or the Pirates, as they soon learned what those were and began calling themselves, were both strangely advanced and stuck in the past.

The former Vikings began to learn how to adapt quickly, as sailing around at breakneck speeds to different climates was key for their evading possible enemies or pursuers. They used pigment on their skin to appear tan when in warmer climates, and learned to change clothing based on location to fit in. Although it wasn't easy at first, it soon became second nature to the Vikings-become-Pirates. However, the somewhat advanced group still had their flaws. They used old traditions that were looked upon by other cultures, a few that others might call barbaric.

And one of these strange tactics was how Rowyn ended up on the shores of San Francisco. Rowyn's mother had nearly died when Rowyn was born, and the Vikings on her ship all believed it to be a bad omen--other than her parents, at least. As the pale baby was a mere four pounds at birth, the residents of the Viking ship Thor's Thunder voted to throw her overboard, not even caring to give her a name. At the time, the Vikings had just taken control of the Panama Canal and was working towards the West Coast. Tossed overboard with only a thin blanket, the unnamed baby half-floated all the way to the shore. After she was rescued and raced to the nearest hospital, the baby was named Rowyn and put into adoption.

A young couple adopted the strange baby, incredibly compassionate for the homeless child. Neither Rowyn nor her parents actually knows about her past--all the city of San Francisco knows about Rowyn's origins is that she came from the Pacific Ocean herself.

In Village of Secrets, Rowyn turns out to be the best friend that betrays all that she has known. After years of finding, the promise of discovering her ancestors and past will lead the young girl back to the Pirates, her true parents. Merely being reunited with her past is enough to make Rowyn spill all of her secrets. She is the hidden reason of how the Hidden Village is discovered and burned. After the destruction of the Hidden Village, Rowyn goes on the same mission as Ryla, as the poor girl still believes Rowyn is her loayl best friend. Rowyn works as a sort of double-agent, pretending to be Ryla's friend during the day and escaping from the mission's camp by night. The poor girl can't keep this up for long, though, and ends up revealing her secret.
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[font=High Tower Text]WC: 808[/font]

[font=High Tower Text]Cobalt Ligaster is a strange little soul. Only eleven, he quickly befriended Ryla as they were neighbors back in San Francisco. Being a mere preschooler when San Francisco was taken by the Pirates, he remembered almost nothing of the invasion apart from his brave neighbor, Ryla, leading everyone out. An ever-loyal friend, Cobalt will always refuse to betray Ryla, standing by her side no matter what the cost.

Cobalt has a few siblings and in one of the only families whose members all made it out of San Francisco alive. He is the middle child in a set of five siblings. His oldest sister is Jennifer, and at 15, she is one of the so-called popular teenagers. In the Hidden Village, that's not saying much since there are only about 15 teenagers. His older brother, Sawyer, is thirteen years old, but is sports-obsessed and doesn't pay much attention to what's going on around him, much less his same-age counterparts. His younger sister, Elizabeth, seems to love tagging along with her older siblings and causing them annoyance to no end.  Finally, David, his youngest brother, is probably his favorite sibling as the three-year-old looks very similar to Cobalt, although he does resent his little brother getting all the attention.

Cobalt has brown hair so dark it could be mistaken for black. His "boring" brown eyes are almost the same shade as his hair. Although his name is surely more interesting than most you would find, Cobalt is the definition of average. His hair and eye color is unremarkable, both being a simple brown. He is of average height, although a little on the short side. Cobalt is not very athletic, but maintains a lean frame of any 11-year-old. Originally pale, the boy has gained a more rosy complexion while running around in the Hidden Village, as contrasted to his original obsession with reading and the occasional video game.

The eleven-year-old is quite kind, although he lacks authority of his own. Always a follower, Cobalt looks up to his elders with respect--maybe a little too much, in fact--and a puppy-like devotion. Although his tendency to follow others' leads was a trait he was born with, there is no doubt experiences with his siblings further cultivated that characteristic. His two older siblings are two of the bossiest people Cobalt has ever seen, forcing their younger brother to do things for them without a second thought. Even his younger sister can sometimes manipulate him, getting him into trouble and making Cobalt do things against his own weak will.

Aside from this main weakness of his, Cobalt is quite the character. He doesn't make any friends, but easily keeps the ones he wants. Sometimes, his friends are a little unappreciative of his inability to make decisions, but he is a good friend nonetheless. His dislike of sports and being active is partially made up as he likes to study extensively in his free time. Cobalt knows a little more than most people his age about most sciences--mostly biology and botany. Animals and plants of all types interest the young boy, and his studies are quite useful to the small village out in the woods.

Cobalt is probably one of Ryla's closest friends, as Cobalt would trust Ryla with his life. Although he is younger, Ryla definitely considers him as an equal, and his smarts and quick-thinking have, more than once, gotten them out of a lot of trouble.

When the Hidden Village is attacked plot line not finalized, Cobalt will be one of the first to join forces with Ryla to take out their enemies. Although he is a bit of a coward himself, he thinks he has nothing to fear, as Ryla is fierce enough to protect several people. He eventually joins Ryla in a mission to Terror. Although he is originally not in the main group, he is added late as Ryla knows his knowledge will be invaluable to the small group. Cobalt is the reader's view to how even the worst cowards can be an amazing asset, as Ryla and her team would never have survived their excursion otherwise.
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[font=High Tower Text]WC: 690[/font]