forum Oh you no Longer Feel when your Heart's turned to Gold // OxO // Closed

Started September 10, 2021 by @ElderGod-Icefire

tune

The legend of King Midas has been told and retold throughout time. But the tellers always get one thing wrong: he didn't give it up. Midas kept his golden power, and he passed it on to his children. Generations later, not every member of the Chryseum family has it, but some do. The current holder of this ability? Midas Chryseum, named for his ancestor. The crown of King Midas is long gone, his kingdom swallowed up by time. Midas Chryseum, though?

He's a king in all but name, though king of a criminal underworld rather than of a real country. He is notorious; the Chrysem line long since learned to control the abilities at will, and everyone knows that if something turns up on your doorstep made of solid gold, you've crossed the king of gold. In his headquarters there are statues that weren't always statues, frozen forever in an encasement of shining metal. Some are lucky; they go about life with a hand, a finger, an arm made of gold. Many of the threads of power in the capital city, Arnos, and even of the country, Delan, can be traced back to Midas Chryseum and his men.

Your character needs something that only Midas could provide. What precisely that is, is up to you. Expensive medicine for a sick sibling, a fake identity to escape from someone horrible (relative, fiance, spouse, your choice), the possibilities are endless. Either way, they come to Midas for it. They come to an agreement in terms of how they will pay for/earn the thing they need from him.

Eventually, as the two interact and have dealings together, feelings begin to grow. But Midas is dangerous, perhaps more so than your character knows.

Anyways so Midas is basically the leader of a massive gang, I guess. This is not Earth, I'm just borrowing the myth lol (I'll put it back when I'm done I swear–) so anyways, yeah. Basically, I'm going for 1920's vibes in terms of technology and clothing and all of that. That kind of fun shit. Magic powers are very rare and usually hereditary, if you'd like your character to have some sort of magic then we'll need to talk about that before that happens. Delan is ruled by a monarchy and democracy system, wherein the ruling family has only limited abilities to rule, and everything else is carried out by a council of elected officials. Corruption runs rampant through all ranks. Your character can be any gender you like

Rules:

• andrew (Our Supreme Lord and Overseer)'s rules apply
• There will be a lot of mature topics, so 16+ only please
• Three sentences minimum per reply
• Smut will be taken to PMs
• In-character assholeishness is fine. Out of character? Nope.
• I reserve the right to say no

hey queen! I know we already have like eighty roleplays together but may i?

Hello! Akdnhs sure, I don't see why not

Cool.

Anyways so temps or just jump in?

Jump in is good.

Alright, any questions?

nah dude, I think I have a good enough idea of what I wanna do lol.

Lol alright! I'm at work rn and I'll get the starter up later

Cool.

Midas was young for someone so powerful; 25, yet he had his fingers in nearly every pie in the country, and certainly in every pie here in the capital. His criminal empire had begun when he was only 16, and in nine years he had managed to build it to what it was now. This was likely because of his abilities; he never ran out of funds because gold was always in demand. He was unmarried and without a significant other, though he had flings every now and again.

The headquarters he utilized was a large building that doubled as a club, decorated mainly in blacks, greys, and of course gold. Statues were tucked up into corners, though whether they had always been statues was anyone's guess. Some of the people in the club sported gold limbs, courtesy of crossing the king of gold one too many times. Those he favored wore gold cuff bracelets, and those who worked for him gold pins set in the lapels of their jackets or the straps of their dresses. Inside the club it was loud and chaotic, and getting anywhere near Midas would be difficult, much less close enough to speak. By himself, he wasn't the most imposing; coming in at just over six feet tall, with combed black hair and eyes the color of molten gold, his body was muscular but slim, not bulky. He carried a cane, though it was more decorative than one he actually needed. He was white, with pale skin absent of freckles or tan. His power and ability to impose came from the way he carried himself, from the way he walked with the predatory stalk of someone who knew they had nothing to fear. From the casual way his power manifested itself when he picked up a glass and it turned to gold, the way his shirt was formed of gold cloth that had not always been that way. That was where his power came from. From the fact that with a touch, he could turn you to a precious, shining metal.

Percy, short for Persephone, had tried every remedy he could get his hands on. But his forest was still dying, from some unknown force that was destroying everything in its path and leaving nothing but dust. He had even tried to communicate with the New Gods, but none had listened to his cries for mercy, none had cared. He had had demons summoned for him, had nature spirits try and keep the death from spreading, but the devastation was running deep. So he had no choice but to go to Midas, who some said was a mortal who held every secret known to man, who some said was a God incarnated. He didn't know about any of that, but what he did know was that he had very few options left. The life was dying, leaving the forest and getting destroyed when it tried to find new grounds to seed itself in. Percy knew two things. One, he'd have to make a dramatic entrance so as to get into Midas's 'court' as many called it. Two, he'd have to be convincing, or at least give up something Midas would appreciate. So Percy walked into the club, two lions by his side that he'd rescued from an abusive zoo a long while back. You didn't get lions in these parts, Midas was bound to be impressed. They were like giant housecats with how Percy had tamed them down, but they could be very intimidating when needed. The crowd parted instantly, they didn't want to see what those claws could do to human flesh. "Midas Chryseum! I request a boon!" he shouted from across the room, alto voice booming throughout the chamber.

(lmao alright! Np!)

Midas looked up from where he had been speaking with someone else, arching an eyebrow at this person's boldness in entering his court. "You have a mighty bold way of requesting it." he replied. He didn't speak much louder than he normally did, but his voice still managed to carry across the room, as many in the place had hushed at Percy's entrance, the music quieting to a stop. "You carry no sign nor invitation, you burst into my club without permission, and request a favor from me." he began to move towards Percy, showing no fear of the lions. "You bring wild beasts into my city and into my home." the main room was massive and grand, though not on the nose about it. The lighting was dim enough that the roof mostly disappeared into shadow, the columns supporting it shaped in imitation of ancient Greece, a faint nod to Midas's long-ago roots. The young man's own voice carried the softest of accents, a strange one that was both lower class and upper at the same time, his vocabulary and word choice that of an upper class noble, but much of the accent itself one that spoke of being raised on the streets. No one knew where the young criminal lord came from. No one knew his true roots. Some whispered he was a bastard of a nobleman, others the son of a whore. Perhaps both were true. Perhaps neither. No one knew but him, and he guarded that secret carefully.

Percy let out a lion's roar at his companions, essentially beckoning them to stay back whilst he dealt with Midas. "I may very well be bold, but not so bold as you yourself. You've taken over a city, made yourself god-king of its people, and expect everyone to bow before you. And because I don't want to become your enemy, I bow." he lowered his head. He resented Midas's kind, with their vast evils and vices. Although, the man was strangely beautiful, compared to Percy with his many scars and wild brown hair that couldn't seem to keep in one place for long, his dull grey eyes and his stocky, awkward figure. Midas was a treasure himself, just like all the treasures he'd made, out of things and people. Percy almost envied him. Almost. "As for my boon, I request a cure for my forest. The Red Forest is dying, Midas Chryseum, and I suspect that you know how to fix it."

Midas studied the strange man before him. "And how, pray tell, are you planning on paying for this boon? Knowledge is power, my dear, and in this case, I hold the cards." A touch dramatic but that never hurt. He stepped forward again, closer to the other man. His gold eyes studied the lions again, still absent of fear. "I will not grant such a thing in absence of a form of payment, and I should hope you came prepared, else this will be a very short meeting." He turned away, obviously expecting Percy to follow. "Come, we shall discuss this elsewhere." He had no intention of holding a meeting like this in front of everyone in the club.

Percy nodded, following along, holding up a hand to the lions. They flopped to the ground, beginning to let out a low purr as they eyed everyone in the room to see who would most likely give them belly scratches. Percy chuckled at that, they were really just big housecats. He followed Midas through dim hallways, always looking wary, always making sure nothing was there to spring out and kill him. He'd dealt with feral hyenas before, he knew the deal.

Midas led him to a meeting room, the floor of dark wood and the walls of plaster, a marvel column sitting in the corner. He took a seat at the head of a mahogany table, inlaid with golden detailing. His symbol, that of a gold lily inside of an orobourus, was in the center. "Sit down and tell me your name." It was not a request. It was a command, and Midas did not seem like he would be understanding if Percy did not comply. There were no guards in the room, but a pair waited just outside. Midas was perfectly capable of defending himself, if need be, and he was not worried.

"Persephone Bacchae. Ironic name, I know." he laughed, but it was a fearful laugh, awkward and stumbling. "Percy is what I go by. I suppose I already know who you are, Sir, so I won't return the question. I want you to guarantee you can heal my forest before I pay you, I can't risk another half-baked cure, and possibly even a friend." he said carefully, not meeting Midas's eyes.

Midas studied Percy. "Firstly, I have not a clue what is wrong with your forest, so I cannot make any promises in that regard. Secondly, you shall have to explain what you mean by friend." He didn't know if Percy referenced someone else, or himself. It could not be a reference to Midas; he didn't have many friends, and Percy certainly was not one of them.

(Back again. Had a scare with my dad and so I speed deleted all my accounts on stuff, kinda regret leaving you hanging tho. I’m back now.)

“Your payment, Sir.” he said softly. He looked around the room, fear in his eyes as he slid over a photograph of… a strange, glowing crystal. Midas may have recognized it, it was the last remnants of the Old Gods. “I’ll give it up. It’s the last of my heritage. But I’ll give it up, if it means something to you. I’ve heard it holds remarkable powers to those worthy of unlocking them.”

(hey! You're alright, don't worry about it. Want me to PM you the other RP again?)

Midas took the photograph, examining it with a slightly cocked eyebrow. "And have you any proof this crystal is actually in your possession?" He replied. "And, for that matter, you have yet to describe the problem with your forest, and I do not yet know if I can actually provide any assistance." At least he hadn't lied so far? He really had no idea if he could help, magic forests were typically outside his purview.

(Not really? I’m a bit too tired to be handling multiple RPs, at least tonight.)

“Life… the life is leaving it. Normally this wouldn’t be too bad, life had left before to seed itself elsewhere, as is the way of things. But when it tries to leave now it is destroyed, and more life is leaving than ever. I feel it, right here.” he touched his chest above his heart, looking desperate as anything. “Sir, I will give my very self up to you if you promise to save my forest. I will give you not just the crystal, but also my abilities. I will become your loyal servant, yours, only. I swear it. Save my forest.” he said, “please.” Percy looked Midas in the eye, finally, knowing he had no other choice. He had the crystal, but would it even be enough after all this?