Sometimes, Anarchy Is Best ~~ Shadows

WORLD INTRODUCTION

Hello! If you clicked on this story, thank you very much! Please refrain from skipping this chapter, as there is vital information about this series, the world, the characters, and the creatures, and skipping this would mean some later things are very much out of context. I'll try and sum it all up quickly so we can get on with the story, because let's be honest: you've got better things to read, and I've got better things to write.

Also, for the theorists, I left some little hints to things that come up later in this chapter, so good luck finding those. Also, from the characters listed further below, there is one unspecified sibling dynamic and not one, but two couples, so good luck spying those out.

Now, for the world. The only names for places here you need to really know are Viaris (the continent name btw), Lynn Kingdom, the Araiti Kingdom, and Eastwalden.

Eastwalden is the most important, and the most science-oriented. Think of it as like America (not in a bad way, I'm American myself, don't come after me). They said, "no we don't wanna worship animals, it's just another way for certain people to be in power because of hybrids" and made their own path in this wonderful continent I call my passion project. They shifted from a monarchy to a more electocratic government. If you don't know what that means, it's basically that people vote for their president, and then said president decides who to surround themselves with and has absolute power, like a king would in a monarchy. Eastwalden is quite a bit smaller than the kingdoms around it, so there's basically the huge city that makes up what is truly Eastwalden taking up most of the southern portion of their land, and it fades into country land the further north you get, up to the mountains that lead to the gaping water-filled ravine that stretches and separates a whole nation from the rest of the continent-

I'm getting off track, we don't need to know about the mountain kingdom in this series, now do we? This is about Eastwalden. 

Now, Eastwalden broke off from the Lynn kingdom, which in turn, broke off from the Araiti kingdom. Make sense? Good.  

The Araiti kingdom worships a creature called the "Kiophao" (formerly the endwalker if you read the first adaptation of this) and they're said to come from another dimension entirely. Whether that's the afterlife or simply another world is up to imagination, but they're described as intelligent bipedal beings that stand at about seven feet tall, and they have many sets of tentacles running down their backs that they can extend and control like sets of hands at will. They're purely white, but can change their color to match their surroundings, making them incredibly elusive. When one does show itself, it's recommended to show respect and if it chooses to do so, take your death in stride-

But hey, it's not like meeting one of these beings means death, not at all. It's more of a gamble, and many think that the Kiophao can sense impurities. So, if you're good, you have nothing to fear.

Now, the Lynn kingdom. They have a broader sense of understanding, seeing animals in general as sacred creatures. Many choose to be vegan or vegetarian in some way as just a part of their culture, and those who aren't have a custom of thanking the animal who gave its life so they could eat. Even with all the developments in technology over the years and Eastwalden just Southwest existing, they've kept that strong appreciation of animals and nature. But of course, they must have their trademark, and for that they chose the "stalker". Depending on who you ask, the story of how they came to that conclusion is different, but it always revolves around the large swaths of wild forest they protect and take care of that is home to most of the wild stalker population.

Stalkers themselves got their names for being, you guessed it, incredibly sneaky. The lynx-like animal's green fur blends with the forest around it, and its scorpion-like tail is deadly if you're caught in the wrong place. 

Alright, enough about other places that don't take precedent. This series, as I've said, is about Eastwalden. If you read the description, which you obviously did (right?), then you know about the who's and the where's and the what's already, or at least what I want you going in knowing. A president who got exiled, something about his daughter knowing some shit, and a charming group of anti-heroes who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time (or the right time...).

So I figure I should introduce some of those characters. 

Once again, even if you've seen these before, I edited some things, so please don't skip. Just look again, please. Also, anyone who's a he/they or she/they in pronouns is automatically a hybrid, just so you know. 
My world, my rules, so ha.

*coughs* ANYWAY- here you go:

Name: Rune Scarlet Mintz (Main character)
Gender/Pronouns: Female (She/they)
Age: 12
Hybrid: Crow
Personality: Enthusiastic, Anxious, Spiteful, Caring, Clever
Alliance: Anarchist, formerly Eastwalden
"He doesn't want me. He wants who I know."

Name: Alistair Farley (Main character)
Gender/Pronouns: Male (He/him)
Age: 25
Hybrid: None
Personality: Determined, kind, revengeful, protective, prideful
Alliance: Anarchist
"Wait, she's what? Why was I not told earlier?!"

Name: Ewe Galenston
Gender/Pronouns: Female (She/they)
Age: 29
Hybrid: Bighorn sheep
Personality: Motherly, overprotective, violent, caring, selfless
Alliance: Anarchist, formerly pirate
"It's okay, you're safe here. I promise."

Name: Gray Solace
Gender/Pronouns: Male (He/they)
Age: 24
Hybrid: Stalker
Personality: Observant, great fighter, self-conscious, reserved, ominous
Alliance: Anarchist
"Nope. Not a chance in hell, Al."

Name: Archer Maxton
Gender/Pronouns: Male (He/they)
Age: 19
Hybrid: None
Personality: Troublesome, playful, clever, sneaky, caring
Alliance: Anarchist
"For the record, none of this was my fault."

Name: Tobias "Toby" Henley
Gender/Pronouns: Male (He/they)
Age: 28
Hybrid: Goat
Personality: Loyal, kind, sympathetic, great fighter, unrelenting
Alliance: Eastwalden, double agent for anarchists.
"I stayed for a reason, and it wasn't out of fear."

Name: Diomedes "Dio" Mintz
Gender/Pronouns: Male (He/they)
Age: 41
Hybrid: Endgoer
Personality: Cold, godlike warrior, protective, loyal, wary
Alliance: Anarchist
"Goddamnit, isn't this why I left?"

Name: Apollos Gold Mintz 
Gender/Pronouns: Male (He/they)
Age: 41
Hybrid: Crow
Personality: Warm, crazed, kind, great fighter, smart
Alliance: The Underground, formerly Eastwalden, supports all anarchists
"All that waiting paid off, didn't it?!"

Name: Linus Feylon Mintz
Gender/Pronouns: Male (He/they)
Age: 20
Hybrid: Red Fox
Personality: Intelligent, sneaky, sensitive, kind, cruel
Alliance: Eastwalden
"Kindly hand me the gun back, dearest sister."

Name: Remus "Ren" Mintz
Gender/Pronouns: Male (He/him)
Age: 29
Hybrid: None
Personality: Loud, clingy, kind-hearted, loyal, funny
Alliance: The Underground, formerly Eastwalden
"It doesn't matter what you meant, just what happened."

Name: Carson Goatly  
Gender/Pronouns: Male (He/they)
Age: 38
Hybrid: Bighorn Sheep
Personality: Cruel, tyrannical, greedy, self-centered, confident
Alliance: Eastwalden
"You've destroyed your own nation!"

Name: Alden Finch Mintz
Gender/Pronouns: Male (He/they)
Age: 61
Hybrid: Crow
Personality: Wise, kind, confident, caring, hesitant
Alliance: None
"I don't think I have the choice to stay out of it anymore."

Name: Clay "Nightmare"
Gender/Pronouns: Male (He/they)
Age: 25
Hybrid: Endgoer, bat
Personality: Quiet, determined, paranoid, confident, self-conscious 
Alliance: Eastwalden
"No no no, you can't leave. If you leave, we all die. And I refuse to let them, to let him, die."

Name: Sienna Alway
Gender/Pronouns: Female (She/they)
Age: 39
Hybrid: Spider
Personality: Snappy, impatient, distrustful, proud, observant
Alliance: The Underground
"I figured, why shouldn't I shelter and plot with two half-brained idiots?"