ashes 2 ashes ; d4 old blood [open]

The old stories say that the first Vanas rose from the sea.

Out from the surf, he came, water dripping onto the sand and sizzling in the summer heat. With every step he seemed to grow in strength until he stood tall, the wind running through him, no, with him, as if he could command it.

And from him came life.

But this was poorly translated. 'De zee van doden' The sea of the dead.

The first Vanas rose from a sea of ashes. Dust to dust, he came, blood dripping onto the sand and sizzling in the summer heat. With every step he seemed to grow in strength until he stood tall, amidst the corpses of the dead.

And from him came life.

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In House Vanas, there is just one rule: Break before you bend.

Old blood, wealthy beyond District Four measure and steeped in generational pride. They are a family steeped in training ritual and proudly serving the district through their fishing empire. They own a large piece of the docks and their boats, built for deep waters, go further than any. They have been given this privilege from the capitol due to their loyalty during the dark days. The honour has been upheld since.

What most do not know is that the Vanas family played both sides during the war. Even as they worked for the Capitol, they smuggled rebels to freedom beneath the deck of their ships.

A proud family, they have always looked after their people and as a result, those who work for the Vanas family are incredibly loyal. Their children are raised in luxury but taught humility. They are always reminded that what they have is not free, what was taken came at a cost.

When a Vanas child comes of age, they take a schooner out to a small island in the middle of the sea alone. Once there, they follow a path. Along that path lies the past and there they find their future. If they do not make it home within a month or so, they are presumed dead.

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ooo: Hello! This is an old blood family plot meant to compliment the powerhouse career families from 1 & 2! The Vanas family is of dutch origin. Vanas translates to 'from ash'. In this plot, the characters will have some dutch language, celebrate some dutch holidays and will have dutch-based names. Thank-you for reading this far! c:

The trial mentioned above is just the child being sent out to this small shitty island to be trained by an old woman who lives alone. They are put through gruelling training, starved, beaten and generally traumatized. It is not for the faint of heart and the child always comes back more mature, as if they've aged a decade in a matter of weeks. This type of intense training has led to Vanas death before but it is the way things are done.

MAIN BLOODLINE
white / mixed face claims

BERHARD VANAS - 41 - open

The current patriarch of the family, Berhard is the first born son in his generation within the central bloodline. He is a fair man but stern. He treats his workers as he treats his family and does not weigh one of their lives above the other. His focus is on the family's empire and while he loves his children and is proud of them, it is hard for them to capture his attention.

ANKE VANAS - 39 - open

The current matriarch of the family. Anke busies herself with helping to run the family's illustrious training centre while caring for their children. She is a fair woman but leans more stern and towards tough love than Berhard ever has. She married Berhard for the good match and over time has come to love him as much as she respects him.

JOHANNES VANAS - 18 - griffin

Hans is the first born son of the Vanas family and next in line to take over the family empire. A lot of weight rests on his shoulders and therefore he takes all of life seriously. A tireless career, he has spent his youth training. Johannes was particularly close to Inta Vanas and has never been able to put the past behind him. The weight of his grief has begun to cause fractures in his usual calm and capable demeanour.

INGA VANAS - 17 - calla

Inga is smarter than Hans and she knows it. Of course, she loves her brother dearly, but in her heart of hearts she knows that he will never be as capable of running their family's empire as she will be. She tries to prove this to her father often by working for him at the docks. She balances it all with her training to keep her mother happy but it means little sleep or room to actually enjoy her life. Her older brother is too focused, her younger brother too caught up in his day dreams. She has to balance them both.

VINCENT VANAS - 16 - elegant

Ever since Inta's failure on the island, Vincent's been having weird dreams. Committed to his training, he spends his days at the training centre alongside Johannes but dreams of heading back out to sea to find his lost cousin. There was a storm during her trial and he's got a map all charted with places along the coast she could have ended up, all he needs to do is take the family schooner but his father has forbidden it. One of these days he won't ask for his permission. Berhard would quell this, but he knows that the trial will do it for them.

EDDA VANAS - 15 - zoë

Born less than a year after Vincent, Edda and Vincent often get mistaken for fraternal twins. She feels like his tether sometimes, constantly keeping him grounded when she fears that he will float away. She has watched Hans and Inga both mature after their trials and was there, waiting at the docks when Inta's boat never came back. She feels apprehension towards her upcoming trial and fears that she won't survive it either. All she can do is wait in dread and train as hard as she can.

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THE COUSINS
black / mixed face claims

HENDRIKA VANAS - 43 - open

Hendrika is the first born daughter of the Vanas house and it is her duty to run the affairs of the home. She married young for love, as was her right as not the heir, to a good man in the community. She is the most motherly of the Vanas parents and as a result, all of the children of the house flock to her when they are in need of care. She is the most skilled in first-aid and storytelling.

GODFRIED VANAS - 43 - open

Godfried took Hendrika's last name when he married into the family and settled easily into his role as her helper. They met in Four's botanical gardens and fell in love over their shared interest in plants. Godfried loves to help keep the gardens on the Vanas manor and works closely with the house's staff.

INTA VANAS - 18 - open (presumed dead)

Inta, strongest of her siblings, was the first to face her trial on the island and the first Vanas in a long time to never return. She was particularly close with Johannes as they grew up together and had a special place in her heart for Vincent and Inga. A dreamer first, the stars were her friends and the sea a second home. She always had plans to be more than just her mother's heir. Inta wanted the world. The last time they saw her, she was sailing out to the island on the schooner.

KAATJE VANAS - 17 - fox

Kaatje was always the quiet one, the girl who loved to watch rather than be in the spotlight but when Inta disappeared something in her snapped. She was furious with her sister for dying and leaving her as eldest in her family, furious that her sister would fail her trial. It's made her hard, closed off from the family she loves. A wall is easier to maintain than an open heart.

WILLEM VANAS - deceased - 10th place in the 91st games - fox

Willem is his father's son, through and through. Gentle like him, he loves to spend time in the gardens with Godfried. He has sketchbooks full of plants and herbs that grow in the garden and has started to create salves and teas under the watchful eye of his father. He spends his days training with Edda and Vincent and is the anchor of their small trio. Sweet, always watchful, his mother fears that he will fail his trial next.

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Hello! If there's enough interest, I'll add more characters or you can even suggest some. I'm open to younger characters in each family or even a whole other cousin line. We'll see how things shake out!

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