SIN.

KETTERDAM. MIDNIGHT. The bells in the Church of Commerce ring fearfully, shivering as they signal the hour, terrified to make their loud brass sounds. The gondels in the canal bump against the stone streets, desperately edging out of the water and into a locked building for safety. For the West Stave, the pleasure district, it is typically the peak of business. But the shops are closed, the gambling halls locked tight, the brothels hiding precious girls from the slinking shadows.

Nobody is foolish enough to step into the streets once darkness falls. Ketterdam is wreathed in fear. It has been for the past week, since the Otchayniye sailed into the Fourth Harbor. They fear the Karmozinj Dame, the Crimson Lady. Even when they whisper her name privately, they do not dare disrespect her.

It has gotten out of hand, so wildly out of anybody's control that tonight a small group gathers in the house of Jellen Radmakker, the newest but most apt addition to the Merchant Council. They are dressed in fine-cut wool, dark edges and crisp white shirts that do very little to hide potbellies and sagging muscles. But the wealth and the quality of the outfits are fine enough to cover a multitude of aesthetic sins. After all, money is beauty in Ketterdam.

There are ten of them. The remaining three spots on the Council have yet to be occupied, just from the sheer momentum of Van Eck's reputation. Nobody wants a stupid man's seat.

Radmakker is the first to speak business, real business. The men turn, put down their glasses of wine and luger, and listen.

"She is a threat to the economy. Our stocks have plummeted, commerce is dying, and this cannot go on," Radmakker says with passion, a righteous anger burning in his eyes. He thumps a fist on the oak table beneath him. The tufts of his orange hair waft with his words. "I refuse to cave to this threat."

"What do you propose, then?" Natan Boreg asks, though he doesn't disagree. "More stadwatch? Sacrifice more of our men to this monster? Sacrifice more businesses?"

"Acknowledging her power allows her to be a real threat," Rych Van Toor strokes his tufty mustache with contempt. "The only solution is death."

Boreg tags on. They have discussed this many times over square glasses of kvas, and their speech sounds like a well-rehearsed play. "And sending our men to kill her would be suicide."

"But it wouldn't be our people," Radmakker corrects with a meaningful look. A jolt in the script, but not an unpleasant one.

"Ahhh," says the Merchant Council.

"We find people with a fire, a hunger for success. Hunger enough to complete a suicide mission. If they succeed, we provide them a reward. If they fail... we fill the stage with new actors."

Radmakker makes it sound so simple, so easy. And in truth, it is. Ketterdam is full to bursting with hungry people. Odon Beekof can list five off the top of his head that would risk their lives for a bite at a couple thousand kruge.

"I don't trust the canal rats," Havish Jost objects. "They're backstabbers, born that way. Maybe they'll kill the Crimson Lady, then kill us next."

"That would spark chaos," Radmakker shoots him down.

"But isn't chaos already here?" Van Toor counters.

"So we need to control the attack dogs," Beekof cuts in. He rarely speaks at these things, but when he does, people listen. "I'll enlist my nephew. He is not yet on the Council, but he wishes to be. If he can complete this task, we give him a seat. And he doubles as a legal cover: If anyone were to check the books, he would appear to act on his own."

"And we pay the Barrel rats in cash," Boreg adds. "It'll cost us, though. Even rats like good cheese."

"Twenty million total, then," Radmakker decides. The rest give a little wheeze, reluctant to hear the money from their coffers go. He turns to address Beekof. "Tell your nephew to offer less, then bargain to twenty. That is all we can afford."

"This is a stupid risk," Hiram Schneck finally speaks, his voice a brittle bark. "Bankrupting us to let a bunch of mongrels run about and chase down a murderess? I say we deport her back to Ravka."

"Oh, yes, a ship's ride will deter Karmozinj Dame from genocide," Radmakker returns sarcastically. "And besides, we do not want Ravka to possess such a weapon as she. We take out the Crimson Dame, that is non-negotiable."

"It's an investment, Schneck," Beekof chides, swigging down the last golden drops of whiskey. "We pay twenty million now, we get our businesses back. We get our lives back. We get our money back. If we keep suffering like this, Ketterdam will be crippled. Forever."

The room goes silent at that. Ketterdam never seemed capable of stumbling. Not until the Crimson Lady.

"Twenty million kruge," Schneck gives in. He rubs his wrinkled forehead, sighing. "These bastards better do their job."

"We wait until the Day of Ghezen, two weeks time," Radmakker says. The others roll their eyes, exchange sideways looks. Radmakker is painfully religious, even if he makes a good Councilman. "That will be the day to bring us luck."

"Ja," the others say, and raise their glasses.

"The deal is the deal," Radmakker lifts his glass as well.

"The deal is the deal," the Merchant Council repeats. 

SYNOPSIS :

There is a murderer in Ketterdam, one who has killed people, enough of the right people, to send terror shocks through the great city. The economy is threatening to fall, and the Merchant Council can no longer stand by and watch. Not after one of their own is murdered.

The Merchant Council hires people from the Barrel, to take down the Crimson Lady without getting their own hands dirty. They use the Merchling as a go-between, promising him a seat on the Council if he can pull this off. Your applications will be the gang members (and the Merchling) who work together to take down the Crimson Lady.

SLOTS :

the merchling
the Merchling is the nephew of Councilman Beekof, who wants to become a Councilman himself. (you can change his last name if desired.) the Merchling knows very little of the going-ons in the Barrel, but he is suave and thrifty enough to not be seen as naive.
gender: male
age: 18-19
ethnicity & nationality: Kerch

the razorgulls (2 slots)
the Razorgulls are a pair of siblings (not necessarily twins, but it doesn't matter) with the last name Zule. they are Zemeni in ethnicity, though they were born in Ketterdam. they are orphans. the Razorgull gang is quickly dying out because of the Crimson Lady: they want revenge for their chosen family.
genders: any
ages: 15-18
ethnicity: Zemeni
nationality: Kerch

the crow
the Crow is a younger member of the Dregs. they are eager to prove themselves, but have a steady hand and reliable temperament, making them one of Kaz's choice grunts. they're also slightly expendable, which also makes them one of Kaz's choice grunts.
gender: any
age: 17-18
ethnicity & nationality: any

the dime lion
the Dime Lion looked up to Pekka Rollins when they were younger. now that Pekka has fallen, they're trying to live up to his legacy and repair the fallen Dime Lions. the share of twenty million kruge will help rebuild the Dime Lions to glory, and they are willing to do anything to get it. a little volatile, angry, explosive.
gender: any
age: 16-19
ethnicity & nationality: any

Notes:
remember that your characters need to also have a skill that makes them valuable to the mission! i don't want to assign skills, so i'll leave them open, but be aware they might be susceptible to change. here are some skill ideas:

- spider, like inej. sneaky, quiet, gathers intel
- strongman, the muscle of the group, the fighter
- weapons, can be a sharpshooter, but someone who's really good at fighting but not necessarily muscly
- demo, the explosives expert like wylan
- spy, the actor, the nina of the group, who can flirt and act their way into --or out of-- anything
- grisha, you're very welcome to make a grisha oc! just remember that most grisha were trafficked or made to be indentures, so include in their backstory how they avoided that. did their gang protect them, as with nina? did they hide it, like jesper?

make sure to not build your character's whole personality around their skills. skills should be an extension of personality, not a pillar of it. and these are just ideas, definitely come up with more! if you can give a reasonable backstory to anything, i'll take it <3

additionally, some slots are better attuned to certain skills than others. for example, the merchling probably won't have any special skills besides diplomacy and money. the dime lion is definitely more of a grunt worker, so they're probably a fighter, not a spider. but again, if you can justify it to me, i'm more than happy to accept!

CONTEXT :
[ this is extra stuff that you can read if you need a refresher/want some more insight to the world since it diverts from canon. you definitely don't need to read it all, but it can help with forming character backgrounds! ]

This story takes place after the events of Crooked Kingdom. It diverges from the canon plot (which is King of Scars/Rule of Wolves). Yes, Matthias is still dead, sorry.

Currently, all of Pekka's gambling halls are shut down because of Nina's plague, as is the Menagerie. The White Rose and the Anvil were exploded in the Kherguud attack. This means there's a lot of workers in the streets, looking for jobs. Most probably fled to factories or other brothels, but some joined gangs for protection and money.

Kaz Brekker is currently leader of the Dregs, with a newly expanded Crow Club, a fairly run brothel, and several other up-and-coming businesses dotting along the Lid and the Barrel. He hired many of the workless (taking Pekka's lifeblood, brick by brick), and the Crows are now one of the largest gangs in the city. There's also the House of Grisha, a go-between that helps Grisha find fair indentures and jobs. The Dregs are doing very well, herding high-class pigeons and wide-eyed tourists into their many gambling dens, winching them with greed's lever.

The Dime Lions no longer respect Pekka Rollins; they watched him beg Kaz Brekker on his knees. With Rollins tucked away upstate, there's a power vacuum, one people are ruthlessly fighting over. They've lost everything as a gang. As much as they disrespect Rollins, the rest of Ketterdam disrespects the Dime Lions even more. They worked with the stadwatch, with Jan Van Eck. They're not one of the Barrel, they're traitors. Tensions between gangs are running high as the others seek to close in on the former Dime Lion territory.

The Razorgulls have never been a big gang, but with the Dime Lions weakened, and their reputation on the line for helping Van Eck, they're hitting back harder than before. The Razorgulls are violent in the streets, but their little outburst is poorly timed. When the Crimson Lady arrives at the Fourth Harbor, all she sees is sinners needing to be purged. The Razorgulls are the first to take a substantial hit from the Karmozinj Dame.

The Merchant Council has faced a terrible blow to status and money; most of their funds were fueled to the Shu (and, unbeknownst to them, Kaz Brekker's crew). The city no longer believes in the Council, hence why nobody has fought to fill the three absences left by Van Eck, Hoede, and Van Verent. The ten councilmen are looking for replacements, but also looking for a way to redeem themselves. Killing the Crimson Lady seems like a good, easy out.

Meanwhile, Inej Ghafa has made good on her promise to protect the innocent of Ketterdam. Look at Van Verent, a councilman who had his illegal human trafficking exposed, stripped of title and business, ashamed in the streets. Her ship, The Wraith, is sometimes spotted sailing into berth twenty-two, or skirting around the smoke-wreathed islands. Girls and Grisha feel safe with her around. The streets are a little safer now, a little kinder. Well, they were, until the Crimson Lady arrived.

FORM :
[ * is optional, or specific to your character ]

SLOT

BIRTH NAME

PREFERRED NAME

NICKNAMES

AGE ( check the slots! )

GENDER & PRONOUNS

SEXUALITY

ETHNICITY & NATIONALITY

APPEARANCE ( description, pinboard, faceclaim )

GRISHA ORDER* ( if Grisha, include proficiency, where they got their training, etc. )

SKILLS & POWERS ( what do they bring to the group? )

PERSONALITY

MYERS-BRIGGS/ENNEAGRAM*

LIKES & DISLIKES*

FEARS

DESIRES

MANTRA/MOTTO

BACKSTORY ( detailed! check the slots to see if there's any requirements )

FAMILY, FRIENDS, & PAST RELATIONSHIPS ( can be as detailed or not as you want, but they've gotta have a few notable people in their lives, right? for the Razorgull siblings, you can put a blank space, or some dynamics you hope to see. )

LOVE INTEREST ( yes, no, dynamics, headcanons, current relationships, etc. )

THOUGHTS ON THE CRIMSON LADY ( remember most of them will hate her )

REACTION TO BEING HIRED BY THE MERCHANT COUNCIL ( including the intensity of their motivation to catch the Crimson Lady, and how much do they trust the Council to be good on their word? )

SLOT-SPECIFIC QUESTION
( for each slot, i have some specific questions. please answer them here! )
The Merchling: Spoiler alert, the Crimson Lady kills his uncle. How does he feel? Does he want revenge, or is this just another job? Does he want the Council seat? Why is he accepting this job?
The Razorgull Siblings: The Razorgulls' loyalties are to each other before all else. Would they betray each other for something? Would they betray their gang for each other?
The Crow: What is their relationship with Kaz?
The Dime Lion: What was their history with Pekka Rollins? Was their admiration one-sided, or did Pekka really endorse this Dime Lion? Why do they feel the need to restore the Dime Lions to glory, instead of joining a new gang?

HEADCANONS*

AESTHETIC*

ANYTHING ELSE*

3 QUOTES/3 CHARACTERS THAT REMIND YOU OF THEM

ARE YOU OKAY WITH CHARACTER DEATH & INJURY?

TAGS ( 3+ per person, not per application <3 )

apply here

empty form here

questions here

FAQS :

Q. How many times can I apply?
A. As many as you want!

Q. Are Google Docs okay?
A. Duh <3 Let that inner graphic designer out

Q. What's the deadline?
A. April 20th! Extensions are available, as always, just ask!

Q. How are the Razorgull siblings going to be coordinated?
A. Great question, me! Well, I personally would love to have people scheme up siblings together in DMs or comments and submit them as a set, but I know that's a lot of collaboration that just isn't realistic. What will probably end up happening is that I'll pick two forms I like, and then reconcile the essential parts of their backgrounds into one, and release it with the cast selection.

Q. Any tips, notes, etc?
A. How considerate! Yes. For one thing, don't make your OC overpowered. I feel like we're past this, but it must be said. For another, I will probably end up taking a few liberties with your characters for the sake of the plot, so don't be too set on anything. That being said, always share your input! I promise I'm never offended <3 I love criticism and collaboration. And finally, make sure you're having fun. If this stresses you out, don't do it! Trust me, there will be more applyfics.

Q. What applications are you looking for?
A. Check the slot tracker and skill tracker below! (Courtesy of Coruscant_Cosmonaut's genius brain) 

SLOT TRACKER :

The Merchling
Finished: 3
Unfinished: 0

The Razorgull Siblings
(individual count, not as a duo)
Finished: 2
Unfinished: 0 

The Crow
Finished: 2
Unfinished: 0

The Dime Lion
Finished: 2
Unfinished: 2

DEDICATIONS :

impur1ty . Coruscant_Cosmonaut . ceaseless-watchr
stressedout03 . ravcnthieves- . rvination
saturns-moons . brokenglvss . thyme_time
mantiswitch . curiosityanddreams . mindkillers
Izzy246girl . honeyskiies . lvejackson 
and of course XxFaylinexX

thanks guys, y'all rock