This PMD Story is heavily inspired by various tabletop rpgs, and as such, like my other series of PMD fics, practically everything is decided by both logic and the rolling of a 20-sided die. This story is an SYOC, and while the fic is rated T, know that it is entirely possible that your OC submission may die.
OCs are always welcome. I prefer you submit them via PM. OCs can be teammates, minor villains (i've got major ones covered), their own mercenary band(This story uses mercenary bands, so both good and bad pokemon go into this profession) or simple fluff like shopkeepers or priests to a legendary or whatever. Here are the rules:
1: No mary sue OCs.
2: No humans turned pokemon or pokemon from some other world.
3: No legendary pokemon, delta species, permanent megas, or ultra beasts.
4: No royal family pokemon of any of the eighteen nations. If you want your pokemon to be noble, they can be an earl or a duke or a count or a warlord of some sort.
5: Pokemon are most often named so that the first letter corresponds to the same first letter of their desired final evolution(For instance, Ellevhis, the piplup main character, is named such as her final evolution is an empoleon)
6: Fill out this sheet.
OC Name (First and Last):
OC Species, Sex(Genderless pokemon such as voltorb should pick one as well), Age(Not Level, they don't exist in this world):
OC Special Ability(Blaze, Torrent, Overgrow, etc.):
OC Desired Role(Teammate, Different Mercenary Band, Minor Villain, Shopkeep, etc.):
Move 1(Natural Movepool):
Move 2(Natural Movepool):
Move 3(Natural Movepool):
Move 4(Natural Movepool):
Move 5(Egg Move or TM Move):
Move 6(Egg Move or TM Move):
OC Profession(What their training entails. For instance, Ellevhis is a noble)
OC Personality(Include the following: 1 or 2 personality traits, 1 ideal, 1 bond to the outside world, and 1 character flaw):
OC Alignment(Lawful Good, Neutral Evil, Chaotic Neutral, etc.):
OC Backstory(A small paragraph should suffice):
Other/Anything Else Doobop Should Know:
And that's it. I'll show you Ellevhis's sheet after the chapter so you can see a sample.
For now though, On to the main story!
The lands and seas of Ebonor are divided into eighteen nations, each dominated by a different type of pokemon. Starting due north, towards the top of the world, are the Ice Plains of Alaworth. As the name suggests, ice types are plentiful. Just south of these plains is the nation of Echoba, ruled primarily by electric types. To the east of Echoba lies the nearly uninhabitable swamps of Canterlan, where poison types rule, and the once great rock-type empire now known as The Gallin Lands, named after their first ruler. Across the Sea of Silk, further east, lies Yarna Reef, home of the bug types, whose small island nation acts as a buffer before reaching the ghost type kingdom Mar Udrath, and its southern, steel type neighbor, the nation of Goldenvalley. Further south, across the Orange Ocean, lies the fire type territories of Broil Bay, which rest just north of the ground type empire that is the Iyanrin Desert. Hidden away, south of the Sands of Time, is the Roaring Cay, ruled by the dragons in the southeast corner of the world, while to the immediate west of the Iyanrin Desert is the Stratos Sea, where the flying types have established their kingdoms on the edges of each of the three largest continents. South of this sea and its kingdoms are the Lands of Fortune, ruled by the fairy types, and named after their most ancient structure, Fortune Tower. West of the Stratos Kingdoms is the grass type empire of Nishiki, filled with small peaceful forests and large expansive fields. In the southwest of the empire, on a clear day, one has a view of the psychic type islet of Daywich Haven, the southwesternmost nation of Ebonor. North of Nishiki is the normal type kingdom of Braigia, and north of them, the Osma Isles, ruled by water types, make the northwesternmost nation. Across the Crabhammer Channel, to the east of the Isles, lies the fighting type nation of Evokas, and to its north, bordering both Evokas and Alaworth, is the land of the dark types, Kulbururd. These nations make up the world of Ebonor, where our story takes place.
It begins in Osma, in the hands of a young princess...
Osma Isles: Year 211, 1st of First Month
Ellevhis had grown accustomed to evading her education as the sole princess of Osma.
The young piplup never minded such learning, if she was being honest with herself, but found the whole ordeal tedious and unnecessary. Her parents were still young, and both seasoned fighters, who kept each other in constant good health, so as far as Ellevhis was concerned, her reign of ruling over the Osma Isles was a few decades off at the very least.
Her focus instead rested on the adventurous stories the royal mercenary bands would tell her when they were back in the castle in between the missions her father oft sent them on.
"I'll be a mercenary too, when I'm old enough!" She had exclaimed once at dinner during her childhood, to the disgust of her mother, a proper royal lady, and to the dismay of her father, whom she'd caught on more than one occasion sending guards to trail her even within the walls of Castle Osma. One of the castle's maidservants, a starmie, Sinalori, had also once been a mercenary, and whenever time allowed, and Ellevhis could think up an excuse, she and Sina would meet in secret and train with one another.
Ellevhis had at one point asked Sinalori why she'd become a mercenary and why she'd decided to stop and become a maidservant instead.
The starmie's red jewel glew to illuminate the scars that circled around the yellow ring in the center of her body.
"I was wounded fairly badly, your Grace" She answered with nostalgia in her tone. "And while being a mercenary was a great way to see the world and help build a small name for myself, the life of a maidservant is much safer for both my children's health as well as my own."
"Do you think I could be a mercenary?" Ellevhis had wondered a couple years later, during her tween years, when puberty was starting to hit her.
"I think everyone has it in them to be a mercenary." Sinalori explained to her secret pupil. "You, however, your Grace, have a higher and more important job ahead of you. As the royal heir to the Waterspout Throne, you must learn to lead your people in a way that makes them love you. There's also our neighbors to the East to think about. The crown prince to the royal family of Evokas is around your own age, and given our recent treaties with them after the War of the Drained Sea, the public of both our kingdoms highly expects the two of you wed."
Ellevhis, having been groomed since birth to take a royal husband of her parent's choosing someday, did not find the idea of the marriage distressing, instead, she often used it as a way to push her own goals further.
"Well, perhaps that prince will also want to travel and see the world as a mercenary." She had huffed once, getting all present at the dinner table to laugh, less out of joy, and more out of absurdity.
After all, Ellevhis was odd among nobles. What prince or princess would willingly endanger their lives for the sake of seeing a world overrun by the corruption of the common pokemon?
Ellevhis's strongest argument was the one she made on her eighteenth birthday. She, as a princess, had done nothing to earn her subjects' support. If she wasn't seen positively in the eyes of her subjects, how could she hope to have their respect when she came into power as ruler?
"The common pokemon don't want a stuffy spoiled girl to tell them how to live their lives, they want a hero they'd be willing to follow no matter how tough things got! A mercenary experience will allow me to learn how such a hero might act and behave. I may even become one!"
Ellevhis was eighteen, and by all rights was her own person. If she so desired, she could go against her parents' wishes and form a band of mercenaries all her own, but while Ellevhis might have been pushy, she was not about to lie to her parents, even if they disapproved.
"You are set to be married off to the crown prince of Evokas in five years time." Her father finally revealed to her after a long silence. "Until that moment, since you are an adult and should be known by your people, you may travel our own kingdom at your leisure, as a mercenary if you so prefer. You are to remain within our borders, and must return home if we so command it without question."
Ellevhis didn't like the ultimatum. She feared that they would call her home before she had a chance to prove herself. She had wished Sinalori was still at the castle to side with her, but the starmie maidservant had left some year and a half prior, having been "expecting" another bunch of children, and desiring to be a housewife for what was sure to be double digits of offspring while her husband earned ends meat.
"I will accept on the condition that I not be called home without an immediate and adequate reason."
She could hear her father's tongue click. She'd managed to see through his trap. Reluctantly, he formally released his daughter out into the world, or rather, the Osma Isles.
The first stop of Ellevhis on her new adventure was the nearest IMH, or International Mercenary Hostel. These safe houses were as ancient as the profession itself, and functioned as inns and offices for mercenaries of all shapes, sizes, and nationalities. Ellevhis plopped the poke necessary to form a mercenary band on the counter.
The azumarill at the counter took the coinage, made sure it was all correct, and looked back at Ellevhis. He recognized her, of course, but part of the charter of such hostels was to treat all patrons with the same neutrality. He stopped himself from greeting her with "Your Grace" and instead broke the bad news.
"No partner, no team. Sorry."
"I need a badge if I'm ever going to explore the isles" Ellevhis gave a pouting sigh. "Is there a simple way to go about finding a partner quickly?"
"Perhaps another wandering soul in the hostel is looking to form a team of their own" The azumarill shrugged as his ears began to lag downwards.
"Um-..." A hawlucha had just wandered in through the doors. "Um...I, uh...don't mind."
Ellevhis had never seen this pokemon before in her life. He certainly didn't look like mercenary material. "I'm, um...Harmon." He held a hand out for her to shake.
"Ah, I'm Ellevhis. Charmed. Are you, foreign, by chance, Harmon?" Ellevhis asked as she shook his hand.
"Yeah, my family moves around a lot" Harmon gave a nervous laugh. "I, uh, don't know quite where they are anymore. I just saw the IMH and thought I might find them if I become a mercenary."
"So you have no training formally in this field is what you're telling me." Ellevhis crossed her small blue arms and furrowed her beak into a disappointed frown.
"N-no, I have training!" Harmon rose his hands in the air. "Like I said, my family moves around a lot, so we have to be prepared for bandits and mystery dungeons and all of the other things too! I just...I'm not…" He scratched the feathers on his head as he tried to think of how to say what he wanted to say.
"I'm not brave enough to face that kind of trouble on my own, and I have no money to ask for an official mission, so my best hope of achieving my goal is to become a new mercenary's partner."
"Harmon…" The azumarill couldn't help but mention. "You...are aware of whom you're speaking with, aren't you?"
Harmon gave Ellevhis a look that lasted for a minute.
She could feel her face get a little red as she met his stare.
He turned back to the azumarill. "An upper-class piplup?"
Ellevhis smiled with a bit of a laugh finding its way passed her beak.
"Well, since I am in the market for a partner, and beggars shouldn't be picky, I suppose this hawlucha shall do." Ellevhis turned to the azumarill at the counter again.
"Of course, Y-...of course miss." The azumarill scribbled some notes down in a ledger. "The two of you should now decide on a name for the mercenary band, and your iron rank mercenary tags will be ready for you momentarily.
"Team Rainsong" Ellevhis immediately answered. "You don't mind, do you, Harmon?"
"A-any name is fine, I guess." Harmon wasn't expecting to be asked for his opinion. "It's your team, after all."
After a short while, the azumarill was back and handed both Ellevhis and Harmon an iron dog each with their name on one side and the name "Rainsong" on the other.
"You can now take missions, but be sure to only go for quests that sound around your rank. You are Iron, the lowest rank a mercenary band can be in this world. As the hostels gain news of your successful exploits, you will rise in rank to Copper, Bronze, Silver, Gold, etc. The highest rank you can achieve while taking missions from hostels is Platinum, but if you are skilled and famous enough, a king or queen or emperor or empress might just ask your team to become their private mercenaries. Such teams are ranked as Royal by the hostels, and while they only take missions directly from whichever ruler employed them, they are still welcome to patronize the hostels as an inn. With that, I wish you both luck in your adventures as mercenaries."
Ellevhis and Harmon thanked the azumarill before heading over to look at missions posted on the bulletin.
"Hm…" Harmon pondered as he looked over the right side of the board. "A lot of these seem to involve some pretty big trouble. Getting lost deep in dungeons over 50 floors deep, dangerous cult activities, and I'm pretty sure there's an anonymous mission asking a band to assassinate the Nishiki Emperor. Needless to say, none of them seem Iron rank."
"It doesn't matter. I found the mission we're starting with." Ellevhis ripped a flyer of the board and lay it down on a nearby table as Harmon joined her.
"Help" He read aloud. "My kids have been kidnapped and taken to Rainy Covert! I'm too afraid to go pay ransom myself, so could you go pay for me? Money enclosed. Sinalori-Starmie."
Harmon slammed his hand down on the table. "This is NOT an Iron Rank mission! This is Bronze at the lowest!"
"It doesn't matter, Harmon!" Ellevhis stood up on the stool she had been sitting at. "I know that Starmie! She loves her kids so much and if anything happened to them…Please! They're in trouble and they need our help!"
Harmon's fist clenched and he visibly began to shake, but he removed his hand from the table.
"Fine. We'll head to Rainy Covert, and pay this kidnapper their ransom money. Only after we make sure the kids are truly safe."
"Thank you." Ellevhis sighed with a smile. "Rainy Covert, if my memory is correct, lies not too far to the west of town. Follow me!"
AN: And we're off!
As promised, here's a sample of an OC submission form using Ellevhis herself
OC Name (First and Last): Ellevhis Ronesartoh
OC Species, Sex(Genderless pokemon such as voltorb should pick one as well), Age(Not Level, they don't exist in this world): Piplup, Female, 18
OC Special Ability(Blaze, Torrent, Overgrow, etc.): Defiant
OC Desired Role(Teammate, Different Mercenary Band, Minor Villain, Shopkeep, etc.): Team Rainsong Leader
Move 1(Natural Movepool): Bide
Move 2(Natural Movepool): Drill Peck
Move 3(Natural Movepool): Brine
Move 4(Natural Movepool): Mist
Move 5(Egg Move or TM Move): Waterfall
Move 6(Egg Move or TM Move): Brick Break
OC Profession(What their training entails. For instance, Ellevhis is a noble): Noble(Princess of Osma Isles)
OC Personality(Include the following: 1 or 2 personality traits, 1 ideal, 1 bond to the outside world, and 1 character flaw):
Traits: (1)No one could doubt by looking at my regal bearing that I am a cut above the unwashed masses. (2)I take great pains to always look my best and follow the latest fashions.
Ideal: Responsibility. It is my duty to respect the authority of those above me, just as those below me must respect mine.
Bond: My house's alliance with another noble family must be sustained at all costs.
Flaw: In fact, the world does revolve around me.
OC Alignment: Lawful Good
OC Backstory(A small paragraph should suffice): See 1st Half of Chapter
Other/Anything Else Doobop Should Know: I already know everything about my own characters.
And once again, here's a blank sheet (Which will be posted on my profile as well):
OC Name (First and Last):
OC Species, Sex(Genderless pokemon such as voltorb should pick one as well), Age(Not Level, they don't exist in this world):
OC Special Ability(Blaze, Torrent, Overgrow, etc.):
OC Desired Role(Teammate, Different Mercenary Band, Minor Villain, Shopkeep, etc.):
Move 1(Natural Movepool):
Move 2(Natural Movepool):
Move 3(Natural Movepool):
Move 4(Natural Movepool):
Move 5(Egg Move or TM Move):
Move 6(Egg Move or TM Move):
OC Profession(What their training entails. For instance, Ellevhis is a noble)
OC Personality(Include the following: 1 or 2 personality traits, 1 ideal, 1 bond to the outside world, and 1 character flaw):
OC Alignment(Lawful Good, Neutral Evil, Chaotic Neutral, etc.):
OC Backstory(A small paragraph should suffice):
Other/Anything Else Doobop Should Know:
That's all for now! Thanks for reading ^ . ^!