User blog:EtherealNyx/Destiny Games Lore

I wrote some lore for you guys as an apology for working slowly on the first chapter~! Without further ado, let's get into it!

Basic Background
'Arcadia (Panem) was founded, and is run by President Milton Grimm. Although his brother, Giles Grimm, was initially his closest advisor, disagreements over 'The Plan' led to Giles being demoted to a low journalist position and bad blood growing between them. Eventually, Giles' blatant support of the revolution and subtle propaganda-focused editorials resulted in him being executed for high treason and his legacy being tarnished as an 'enemy of the state'.

The revolution in question was spearheaded by the likes of Cassiopeia Queen. While she was merely a high level nuclear scientist, she discovered a damning secret: the Plan to use 24 children every year from 12 districts in a death match while simultaneously lying to the public about the reason for taking said children. However, what enraged Cassiopeia the most was that District 13 had been classified as obsolete, their nuclear industry being absorbed into District 5's booming power industry.

Angered by the Library's decision to abandon them completely, Cassiopeia brought the evidence to her superiors, who quickly put her at the head of the counterattack operations.

While history now remembers their efforts as a rebellion, it is more accurately described as anarchy. District 13 spread falsehoods between the other 12 districts, causing them to begin fighting one another, spreading the Library's security resources thin. From there, District 13 challenged the Library directly.

The warring was long and bloody, especially due to the misunderstandings between the usually close districts. No camaraderie could be found and working together to fight against their oppressors was almost unthinkable. By the time they worked out their differences, Cassiopeia committed suicide in a desperate bid to devastate the enemy forces, leading to the implementation of the Destiny Games occurring sooner than anticipated.

However, unlike the original plan, the Destiny Games were discussed openly, introduced as a form of punishment for all of the gratuitous violence. While their original plan was ultimately better for all involved, the Library still got their show and that, at the end of the day, was what mattered to them.

Things to Note

 * Despite the assumption that the Destiny Games raffle is random, this is actually not the case.

Several months before the Games begin, Library citizens vote for tributes from a select pool of ideal citizens. Kids in the career programs are prized above all, but other factors exist too. As long as you're an interesting candidate, you'll be voted for.


 * Mainly, the best candidates are careers, couples (either together or apart), siblings (together or apart as well), and young children who barely qualify.


 * Volunteering was not initially allowed in the original plan for the Games. It was added in as an addendum after all of the fighting within Arcadia came to a close.


 * After Petra Diener won the 18th Destiny Games, all of the victors afterwards mysteriously ended up dying (except for the sole one who was executed for treason). All of the ones before her were either already dead or died in strange ways as well.

Why this is is unknown, but she is not directly involved.

Major Players

 * Milton Grimm (alive): He is the current president of Arcadia. His desire to implement the Destiny Games was mainly born from a strong desire to satisfy his inherent morbid curiosity, a trait Giles strongly disagreed with. Usually, the one person he votes for is the first one to die. The odds are never in his favor.


 * Giles Grimm (deceased): His original profession was as Arcadia's first vice president, but his reluctance to murder 23 children for the sake of entertainment led to his prompt demotion. Struggling to find a way to make his journalism worthwhile, he began sneaking propaganda into his carefully worded editorials.

Eventually, his brother noticed the subtle references to the bloody rebellion occurring beyond their walls and Giles' support for the overthrowing of their government. Due to Milton's outrage, Giles was thrown into prison for a short time before being executed. His bones are buried between the very Arena he drew up blueprints for.


 * Cassiopeia Queen (deceased): Leader of the aforementioned rebellion, she used to only be a scientist who managed to acquire a high position in her field of work. During her work hours one fateful day, she discovered some incriminating files that led her to the distinct conclusion that the Library was planning something nefarious. Investigating further led to more findings that solidified her theory.

Appalled by the fact that District 13 was rendered obsolete, she commanded a revolution by sowing seeds of doubt within the masses, aiming for nothing less than the annihilation of their society, so that she could rebuild in her image. History books branded her as evil after her demise by her own hand, and they're not all that wrong either.


 * Raven Queen (???): The daughter of Cassiopeia Queen, her current fate, much like everyone else in District 13, is unknown.


 * Red Hood (???): The main strategist of Cassiopeia's efforts, she used to be a model in the Library, showing off new androgynous fashions to the populace. Enticed by a repairman who hailed from District 13, they eloped, hoping to start a new future together. A fateful encounter with the likes of Cassiopeia changed their lives forever, but Red abandoned her at a crucial part in their schemes. Her fate is unknown, but she is presumed to be deceased.


 * Petra Diener (alive): The sole surviving victor and the only survivor of the 18th Destiny Games, her role in the Library is that of a glorified pet. Higher ups trust her to handle the ceremonial raffle drawings since she tends to give off a placid air. Whenever she resists while being filmed (which is often), they cut off the footage and remove her eyes, presenting her as an unsettling figure. Regardless, the citizens of Arcadia and the Library adore her. She, personally, couldn't care less about their praise.


 * Azra Olwen (deceased): The victor of the 20th Destiny Games, she is the reason why magic is banned during the event. She hunted down, stunned, and viciously murdered almost every opposing tribute with nothing more but cleverly engineered incantations. Despite her beauty, she was poisoned to ensure that a vocal position would be denied to her.


 * Apple White (alive): Head Storyteller (Gamemaker), she takes care of planning Arena Events and was a member of President Grimm's Council, which was disbanded shortly before the planning for the 24th Destiny Games commenced. While the majority of people do not know anything about her, her ruthless reputation, masked by practiced sweetness, precedes her. She has a fondness for genetically engineered killing machines, prizing those over using natural disasters. Luckily, the rest of her staff do not always agree with her ideas.


 * Blondie Lockes (alive): Director of Propoganda, she handles all of the media aspects of the Library's political scene. Only kept around because of her social connections, she keeps an eye on everything everywhere. Her gossipy nature leads her to take up an active role in the Games as an announcer and interviewer, disgruntled with the idea of working behind the scenes.


 * Baba Yaga (alive): The current vice president, she's a very secluded individual. Many people have no clue about what her motives possibly could be, and she appears so infrequently that some regard her as an urban legend. Her influence is everywhere though, considering the fact that the Council was disbanded by her request. What sort of hold could she possibly have on Milton Grimm..?

More lore will be added on a later date as the Games progress! If you have any questions, I'll gladly put additional information up or edit existing notes to clarify things. Thank you!

~ Nyx