Latvian Gambit (Hoki Pisu no Senso-hen)

Placeholder Story Line
Witches sate their boredom with games that toyed with humans. Many games repeated dates thousands of times. Some pieces were well aware of their role in these witches' entertainment and the constant loop while others were ignorant and believed it simply was another day. However when the witches have finished their game, do they simply leave the kakera?

The answer is yes.

Yet, the fates of pieces specifically removed from the board or have escaped wind up in kakera of their own. Within in this kakera called Ashihara no Nakatsukuni is a village set on an island. For thousands of years the former pieces have been content with their existence, enjoying their ability to live without the manipulation of witches. Their tranquility is shattered when a group of magic users discover the true whereabouts of some of their pieces and decide to ease their boredom by disrupting the kakera.

Throwing the island into chaos by tearing the harmony to shreds, the witches watch the show. With some pieces either scared or greed-stricken, the witches assembly their 'army' to crush those that oppose their presence on the kakera. Relinquished pieces or not, some people of the Ashihara no Nakatsukuni--or simply Nakatsu--have no intention of allowing the witches do what they please.

With former pieces such as Erika and (reluctantly) Dlanor eager to please their former master and Will and Lion wishing to protect the peace they have found, who will be the victor is unknown. Neither do the witches care the result, so long as they are entertained!

Iblis the Sorcerer of Despair
One of the major pieces of on the side of 'Relinquished Pieces'. He honestly has no attachment to the kakera and is not bound to it. However, Iblis has come to Ashihara no Nakatsukuni in order to meet a witch he admired, Beatrice the Golden. He remains with the pieces as he finds it an opportunity to assert his ability against Bernkastel, whom he appears to have a personal history with.

Ushiromiya Ange
An important pieces that is aligned with the 'Relinquished Pieces'. She admits that Ashihara is paradise-like but doesn't exactly like it. She forms against Bernkastel out of disdain for the witch and being controlled by such witches.

Beatrice
A witch that purposely got herself thrown away by the Witch of Absolute, Lambdadelta. She is the 'leader' of the pieces side as she is the only one with enough magic to provide a descent defense and offense against Bernkastel. Beatrice has shown to be "impossible to talk to" and thus why pieces such as Iblis, Ange, Lion, and Rei are tasked with the laborious tasks. In reality, she finds Ashihara no Nakatsukuni to be another cage and is willing to betray the 'Relinquished Pieces' in order to leave--presumably to find her former opponent, Ushiromiya Battler.

Miyazaki Rei
One of the few human characters of the main force of Beatrice's 'army'. She has joined the fight against Bernkastel as she habors resentment towards the witch from the events of Zugzwang. However, Rei has shown slight instability from the desire for vengeance for Toshiaki (whom she believed was deceased) and is devestated by his alliance with the witches.

Ushiromiya Lion
The other human of the protagonists on the 'Relinquished Pieces' faction. In this plot, Lion is female and disdains Bernkastel's disruption in Ashihara. Lion serves better as a tactician and a voice of reason to the other pieces.

Bernkastel
The primary 'antagonist' of the plot, who has decided to cause chaos to the pieces' new home, Ashihara no Nakatsukuni. Boredom is her only drive for fueling this fight. Since the kakera is not under any witch's influence, she must gain a foothold. For this she utilizes her former piece, Furudo Erika, whom is eager to please her master. Beatrice has come to her to try and escape the Ashihara, promising to entertain her with a 'real witch's game'.

Furudo Erika
A major 'villian' of Latvian Gambit. With her drive to want to please her master, Bernkastel, Erika has been charged as a 'general' to the witch's side. Prior to the conflict, Erika spent her time as a hermit on Ashihara with many of the residents afraid her. So far, Erika has proven dangerous to have locked the mansion down with red and blue truth and assault the pieces.

Kazuhiko Toshiaki
A reluctant piece on the witches side of the Hoki Pisu no Senso (War of Relinquished Pieces). Bernkastel has drafted him to her side and currently being controlled by Erika.

Setting
Latvian Gambit takes place in Ashihara no Nakatsukuni, a private kakera that belongs to pieces that have been thrown away or run away from their gameboards. It is a blend of both Umineko no Naku Koro Ni's Rokkenjima and Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni's Hinamizawa physically as it is an island with a country side feeling. Ashihara, the kakera's nickname, is also reminescent of Kuaui, Hawaii--an island that is about 90% nature reserve--with its lush greenery and abundance of water features (water sprouts, springs, waterfalls, etc). Many of the residents are content with the peace without manipulation by sadistic witches. Major sites of Ashihara no Nakatsukuni are the 'Golden Land', a fortress created by the Golden Witch, Beatrice, and the mansion of Furudo Erika, which serves as the Witch of Miracles's, Bernkastel, base of operations.

Trivia

 * Latvian Gambit is a chess opening that normally leads to wild or tricky positions. It is extremely aggressive for the side utilizing it, implying the course of the battle
 * Ashihara no Nakatsukuni literally means "Middle country of reed beds". In Japanese mythology, it is a land that is between heaven and hell. Ashihara is named for it's nature of gathering pieces from both 'heaven' and 'hell'.
 * The setting mirrors the plot creator's, Kirei Ryuusei, home island in Hawaii.
 * Will feature the birth of a new witch soon