Brithwyr

Takanis - A Dark Fantasy Nation RP

The Republic of Bwca

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The Border Guard

Boys. Too many boys.

When Commander Myn-Myn had went on his first expedition, he had lived with his men for six months before ever going into active combat, until they knew him and he knew them. Those before him were strangers - and there were too many boys.

When he had brought up their questionable age to the brass, he had been fobbed off with all the usual excuses: they would become men after the first battle. They had never known defeat. What they lacked in experience, they made up for in vigour. And when he continued to object, his general finally snapped at him. "They are ready to die for you! What more could you want?" But that was the kind of argument that came from someone who didn't understand war. The difference between victory and defeat wasn't whether your people were willing to die for your country, but whether you could make the other poor sap die for his.

But the Commander knew better than to allow his misgivings become known to the troops. It would destroy their morale. It seemed like every single one of them was a fresh-faced peasant boy or doe-eyed maiden, desperate for a life of adventure and the sense of camaraderie that military life was supposed to provide them. There wasn't a speck of dirt on their pressed uniforms, nor a scratch on their rosy cheeks. Myn-Myn was supposed to turn them into killers? The most they'd ever killed were the rats in the village storehouses. They were not ready for war, and Myn-Myn had no idea how long he'd have to prepare them.

But prepare them, he must. This would be Bwca's first major clash with an outside force since coming to prominence. If the army performed poorly, the minor goblins states would lose faith in Bwca's ability to protect them, and the position of dominance they had fought so hard to attain over them would hang in the balance. Even if Bwca itself was not the target of the invasion, their survival was at stake nonetheless. Victory was mandatory; defeat spelled certain death.

But while Myn-Myn had cursed the lack of experience of his recruits, he had been blessed with the skills they had outside of raw combat. Each one had some sort of useful profession he could leverage to his advantage. The miners could build tunnels while the hunters found fresh meat and berries. Carpenters made punji sticks while farmers dug furrows and moats. In fact, thanks to the Ty's doctrine of petty warfare, Myn-Myn had been given exactly what he needed: people with the skills needed to harass and slow the enemy, rather than overwhelm them.

But despite this stroke of fortune, Myn-Myn remained doubtful. His role was supportive, and the bulk of the fighting would be done by the Hobgoblins. That wasn't a problem in and of itself, since the Hobgoblins towered over friend and foe, but it also meant relying on the strategies of the Hobgoblin commanders. Hobgoblin strategies scarcely deserved the name. They had no time for unimportant affairs like maintaining a cohesive communication line or preventing enemy reinforcements, they were far too preoccupied with the best methods of killing. Occasionally, one would try something sneaky and have a cohesive order of battle, but the prevailing tactic among the Hobgoblin leadership was to raise an army big enough to embarrass the Surabhumi, send them screaming across the battlefield towards the enemy army and hope to kill more than be killed. Needless to say, that did not mesh well with Bwca's more careful approach.

And this was ultimately was the source of Myn-Myn's concerns. With every trap he set, he had to worry about some hobgoblin lout blundering into it and hurting himself. Where Myn-Myn would try to lure the enemy into unfavourable terrain, the hobbos would charge in and get themselves massacred. Any attempt at cleverness would be wasted with the Hobgoblins beside them, and Myn-Myn knew that no matter how fast, how strong or how tough he made his soldiers, the enemy would be faster, stronger and tougher, so facing them out in pitched battle would be a massacre for the tiny greenskins, but the hobgoblins knew no other way of fighting. They'd berate them for their so-called cowardice, and when things inevitably went poorly, they'd blame the Bwcans for not pulling their weight. Victory despite the Bwcan contribution would be almost as bad as defeat.

But what choice did he have? Stand back and allow a greenskin state to be invaded? Unthinkable. Try and renegotiate avoid war? Political suicide - even if news of how the Tushina negotiator had all but claimed responsibility for the attacks hadn't reached everyone who kept an eye on politics (and quite a few who didn't), refusing to commit to the path of war would be seen as weakness by Bwca's rivals. No, at this stage, the decision was out of Bwca's hands. One of the other two would have to back down, and until they did, the Ty's official stance was to prepare as though war could be declared tomorrow. That meant these recruits needed to be combat ready yesterday.

Myn-Myn had dealt with fresh recruits, reckless allies and stubborn enemies before, but never had he faced all three all at once, and certainly it had never been with the entire fate of Bwca on the line. He was going to have to throw everything he had into this just to survive. No excuse would fly. He would have to get these recruits perfect.

If only he had been sent men instead of boys.

Takanis - A Dark Fantasy Nation RP

(A collaboration with @Bright_Ops)

Signing a peace deal when you hadn’t actually fought a war was always a strange concept. When you hadn’t taken any land, hadn’t killed or lost any soldiers, and had, at most, been a minor inconvenience in each other’s lives, what exactly were you supposed to discuss? Sure, there was the time investment, but it just seemed churlish to demand gold and land over a little extra overtime.

This view was not shared by the Hobgoblin delegation, however.
“We have lost too good people to the constant, barbaric raids on our borders by these vile creatures!” the lead Hobgoblin delegate, an Amazonian hulk of a woman by the name of Shika, barked across the hall. “There can be no peace without the proper recompense for all the fallen you have taken from us!”

The “proper recompense” Shika described was no less than 25 metric tonnes of gold. A hefty fee, no doubt, but Hobgoblins did not take kindly to those who would spill the blood of their kind, and with the support of Bwca, they felt emboldened to make demands they wouldn’t dare make otherwise.

“You are not getting over twenty five tonnes of gold to justify your centuries of raids and slaughter of Tushina’s people.” Taler answered with a deadpan expression. “The offer on the table is for the bloodshed to end and a chance for a better life for both of our peoples going forward. The reason we’re even having this discussion on Bwca’s soil is because you would have tried to kill any diplomat we sent to you directly.”

Things weren’t going smoothly, but despite the outrageous demands of the hobgoblins, Taler was at least trying to be civil. After all, the reason they were even having this discussion was because he wanted to avoid having the blood of Shika and her people on his paws. “The topic of proper recompense is a matter that will have to be debated another time. Can we get back to the original topic?”

Shika only snarled in response. “You want the bloodshed to end? Pay up.”

This was going about as well as the goblins had expected. Shika didn’t know what the word “compromise” meant. With another greenskin, there might have been some wiggle room, but with a foreigner? No chance. She said what she wanted, and she wasn’t going to shift on it.

“We can negotiate payment later, Shika,” the Bwcan delegate said. His name was Brynn, and he had been chosen specifically because he and Shika because they were cousins. It wouldn’t be a miracle fix, but every little bit of leverage would help. “This is an armistice, not a peace deal.”

Taler nodded his head in agreement with Brynn, through he suspected that the negotiations likely weren’t going to get much better with Shika anytime soon. “We are trying to be reasonable here, but your people started this conflict and I don’t want to see it end because the hobgoblins of your nation were cut down to the last or driven from their burning homes.”
Seeking to find an ally in someone who was at the table, the small Too’ave turned his attention fully to Brynn. “And what is Bwca’s opinion on the proposal I am offering?”

Shika’s eyes flared with anger, and even Brynn glared at Taler for his over-the-top description. “Watch your tongue. If your mind is so oriented towards war, then we cannot expect to have peace.”

His words were calm, but inside, Brynn wanted to shout at the little Too’ave. He was making his job much, much harder than it needed to be. At this rate, Shika was going to invoke the Auld Alliance and have Tushina wiped off the face of the planet.
“We want a peaceful resolution to this conflict as much as you, but we will not tolerate any threatening language towards us or our allies. Am I clear?”

Taler sighed a little, reaching up to softly rub his temple as he explained “I am sorry, I do not mean for my words to sound threatening but you have to understand something important during these talks. The hostile actions of our hobgoblin neighbours against civilian targets have long been a point that the military caste of our people have championed as a reasonable cause to invade and put an end to the attacks once and for all… recently however, they’ve gotten support from the merchant caste due to a desire to open a land trade route westwards… this armistice is literally an attempt to stop a war from starting that will result in a great deal of needless bloodshed.”

“So please understand that if I fail to bring this to a peaceful conclusion, the results will be dire. I don’t want that and neither do you.” A sigh escaped him as he shook his head. “At the core, all we want is to no longer be attacked from our western border and safe overland trade routes. Is that an unreasonable desire?”

No. It wasn’t an unreasonable desire. But that wasn’t the issue that Shika was thinking about, and Brynn knew that. Her thoughts were firmly on all the dead and wounded as a result of Tushina’s raids, and she wasn’t going to walk away without a guarantee that she would have payment for their loss.

Rather than let her hurl some more insults at the delegate, Brynn decided to speak on her behalf. “No one begrudges you for wanting peace. But the losses to our clansmen will need to be addressed before a peace treaty can be signed.”

A sigh escaped Taler as he answered “The losses of the hobgoblins cannot be addressed if the hobgoblins will refuse to acknowledge the losses they have inflicted enough the Too’ave and Tushina in turn. As much as it would sting the pride of my nation to do so, I am prepared to wipe the slate clean in that regard if the hobgoblins will do likewise.”

Brynn looked at Shika, who snorted in disgust. “We didn’t start the fire, you furry fool. We were only defending ourselves. You started it, you can take responsibility for your own losses.”
A snort escaped Taler at her accusation. “Excuse me? The first time Tushina had contact with you, I seem to recall that the scouts were all found in various states of dismemberment. The following diplomates to try and work out what exactly happened to provoke such a response didn’t fare much better.”

“You send armed soldiers into someone else’s territory, that’s a declaration of war! Or are you in the habit of bringing swords into a strangers home?” was Shika’s retort.

“What are you talking abou-” For a moment, Taler paused mid word, his mind catching up with what she had said and actually jumping to a possibility that he hadn’t entertained before. “...When was the first time you encountered the Too’ave? Because the earliest recorded encounter we have was shortly after Tushina was founded as a nation almost one hundred and fifty years ago.”

The look on his face suggested that he was making a guess at something, but he would have been all that surprised if he was correct. “Just asking but… would your first encounter have been around two hundred years ago?”

“Don’t be ridiculous!” Shika snarled. “Two centuries ago? I’m not that old!”

Taler’s claw met his face for a second as he explained “...I don’t mean you personally, I mean historically.”

“Is now really the time for a history lesson?” Shika rolled her eyes, and Brynn couldn’t help but agree. Weren’t they supposed to be thinking about the present, and not the past?

“It’s important because if what I think has happened turned out to be true, it would explain so much.” Taler answered easily enough… before taking a deep breath as he decided to get the history lesson over with. “Alright, quick background. The Too’ave were originally created by the ruling caste of the Forgotten Empire. We call it that because we don’t know what it’s original name was called, they didn’t allow us to keep written records and their own records are currently in the heartlands of the empire which is currently a magically cursed nightmarish landscape.”

“When the empire fell, it took the ruling caste with it… so the various Too’ave castes who existed at the time were completely devoid of leadership and had to work things out for themselves, a period of about fifty years we call the city state period per to the formation of Tushina proper. This is important because it meant that the legions of the military caste didn’t have a higher command to unite them and thus each individual legion had to decide what to do after the fall.”

Shika looked over to Brynn and silently mouthed "I thought he said it would be quick?". The Goblin only shrugged in response.

Taking a quick pause to catch his breath and let his audience catch up, Taler jumped back into the tale quickly “While a number of legions ended up making arrangements with other Too’ave castes, be it via diplomacy or might makes right and forming the city states, an unknown number of legions travelled beyond the borders of what is now Tushina. We still don’t have a full record of them, but some travelled south to become mercenaries… while others either committed themselves to being marauders or sort to carve out a kingdom of their own elsewhere. So when I ask when hobgoblins first encountered the Too’ave, I do so to understand if it was after we had united into Tushina or if it was one or more of the rogue legions after the fall of the Forgotten Empire.”

Shika rolled her eyes and yawned dismissively. “You say that like I’m supposed to care about your problems.”

“Shika!” Brynn admonished.

“Well, it’s true!” the Hobgoblin shot back, in much the same tone as a teenager would use to argue with an overbearing parent. “What difference does it make anyway? They came from his country!”

“That’s as ridiculous as blaming Nefmach for Uffern invading you because they’re both Goblins!”

“...If it helps, a fair number of the more… less diplomatic legions raided and pillaged Too’ave settlements before they buggered off south and west.” Taler offered, not really sure if that would help ease tensions or if Shika was just that stubborn about the situation, that she wouldn’t give a damn.

Brynn pressed his fingers into a steeple. If what the little Too’ave was saying was true, then this entire war - the embargo, the raids, the killings - it had all been for nothing. Shika had been chasing a phantom. Countless lives on both sides, sent to futile deaths, because of a mistaken identity. No wonder Shika was denying it. If she didn’t, then she’d have to admit that all the kills she had claimed in the name of the war had been in vain.

But perhaps there was still hope for peace. Shika wanted revenge. Perhaps the Too’ave could deliver it to her.

“Taler. These, uh, rogue legions you speak of. Are they still operational? Do you know where they are?”

For his part, Taler shook his head with his ears flapping a little from the motion. “Not really. I know of a couple of them that traveled down south to become mercenary companies that are still operational and there is always the occasional tale of marauders and bandits but…” He sighed a little as he reached up to scratch at one of his ears while subtly fixing its position up a little “... well, it happened centuries ago. We still don’t know exactly how many of the Old Legions existed around the time of the forgotten empire, let alone how many of them both survived the fall and decided to leave for distant lands.”

Of course they were, Brynn grimaced. That would have been too easy. But there had to be something left behind, some stubborn hangers-on that they would need to dislodge. And if there wasn’t an enemy there, perhaps they could invent one.

“You’re certain about that? That there are absolutely none left behind in Tushina? At all?” Brynn insisted, hoping beyond hope that Taler was able to pick up one what he was implying.

Taler did get what he was implying, but he frowned as he looked at Brynn. “If you’re hoping for some hold outs, bandits or rebels to be a scapegoat, I’m afraid to inform you that the last of the rogue legions that stayed within Tushina’s boundaries were crushed or driven out centuries ago. Our rise as a nation was completely established when the last of them were dealt with.”

Brynn sighed. If they had someone else to blame, then maybe they could have abated Shika's wrath. Taler had just screwed all three of them over.

Up until this point, Shika had been listening and not talking. But now that Tushina's cards were on the table, and they had carelessly thrown away the only lifeline they had.

"What a coincidence. 'It wasn't us, it was these other guys that we managed to get rid of!'. A likely story!"

Talar’s ears twitched a little as he looked at Shika with a transparent expression. “Would you rather I lied to you? Sing you a fairy tale about how there was some conclave of bastards hiding out somewhere that if we both joined forces to slaughter, all the pain and death would be wiped clean and all sins forgiven? The world is rarely that kind Shika.”

He sighed a little. “The dead are not are masters. All that is going to happen if we maintain this cycle of violence and reprisal is that we will continue to create a cycle of pain, suffering and death until everyone is gone and it no longer matters who or what started it. All we can do is try and make peace with the past and create a better future… or willfully continue down a future soaked in blood.”

Brynn groaned. That was a smart idea - tell a group of people who hold their ancestors in the kind of reverence the Bwcan goblins reserved for their Gods that the dead are not their masters. Why was he forced to arbitrate between two people who didn't understand realpolitik? All Taler had to do was lie, send the Hobgoblins a few traitors and criminals, and this whole thing could have been over. One little lie. Instead, he basically told her to deal with it, the dead would never be avenged. Was he mad?

He glanced over at Shika, who was fuming so hard he could practically see the smoke rising from her ears.
"What you don't understand, Taler," Shika said, her voice deceptively calm "is that Hobgoblins pay blood for blood. It's all very well and good to talk about a cycle of violence. But what am I supposed to tell the families of the people your kind has killed? How do I compensate for that, hmm!?"

“By the fact that they get to live and thrive.” Taler answered back solemnly. “By the fact that by brokering this peace, Tushina would be willing to forgive the deaths of all those that your people have maimed and killed because of a misunderstanding that took place hundreds of years ago. Because even as you protest your innocence, from where I am sitting your people are the one that started this war without any attempt at diplomatic action or desire to understand who you were fighting.”

“And from where I’m sitting, it was you who marched in on us unprovoked!” Shika snarled back, slamming a hand on the table and making Brynn nearly jump out of his skin. “You can have your ceasefire when you deliver us the traitors or the gold. Until then, there can be no peace between us!”

Brynn had lost all hope of a peaceful conclusion to this meeting. Hobgoblins only spoke in silver and iron. Someone, somewhere, was going to have concede.

Taler ‘s ears drooped when he heard that demand. He knew this had been a diplomatic failure on his part… even if his own reputation back home would survive due to the fact that no one had really expected him to be able to get the hobgoblins to the table, let alone get them to see reason, this failure was going to haunt him.

“Then I will no longer waste words on someone who is unwilling to hear them.” He answered in a soft, saddened voice. However, there was still some degree of hope as he turned his head towards Brynn as he asked “And what of you? I trust that Bwca has a voice and opinion of its own.”

Brynn looked at Taler, then at Shika, then back at Taler. He knew that this had all come from a misunderstanding. The right thing to do was to side with Tushina. But he was in no position to give the Too’ave any support. Siding with a foreign power against a Goblin state? He’d be called a traitor. Bwca would be a pariah among its peers, and even if it didn’t escalate to war, they’d lose just about every ounce of influence they had. It was more than his job’s worth.

“Bwca… stands with its allies,” Brynn monotoned. “We cannot, in good conscience, side with an enemy over a friend.”

Taler nodded his head in total understanding. If nothing else, this venture had proven that while the hobgoblins refused to be reasonable, at least Bwca could be talked to. That was a victory in its own right. “I understand. I cannot fault you for maintaining your alliances, even in the face of one being to blinded by pain to see the truth. For what it is worth, I am sorry that a compromise couldn’t be reached.”

“And whose fault is that?” Shika muttered, just loud enough to hear. Brynn was more gracious. “As am I. I’m sorry that your time has been wasted.”

Taler made a small show of offering Shika a stare, as if to answer her question without words before he looked back at Brynn. “Truth be told, I don’t think anyone back home expected me to get this far or survive the attempt but… well, it had to be made, you know?”

Brynn could respect that. But he couldn’t help but feel that this had been the last chance for peace between Tushina and the Hobgoblins. Why hadn’t Taler taken advantage of that? And worse still, once word of the meeting got out, the other Goblin states would surely take advantage by pressuring Owca to escalate the war.

The little goblin sighed. This was not the last he was going to hear of Tushina.

The Saltaire District

Definitely interested

The Vanishing Kingdom

AND

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Sunny days are supposed to be pleasant affairs. When the sun peeks over the horizon, entire cities give out a collective sigh of relief. The sun is a symbol of warmth and comfort, a sign that today, you can go about your business feeling the pleasant hug of the heavens around you.

But not for today. Today, the sun was the enemy. It was Akko’s hammer, beating mercilessly upon her drum, played in this instance by our own dear Tynni. Of all the days where the sun had to show its unwelcome face, it had to be today. Two weeks of biting winds had preceded today and now, right when she needed them the most, they deserted her in favour of a beautiful, blistering heatwave.

Had she the weather she desired, Tynni would have had an advantage over her opponent. It may not have had a huge effect, but right now, even something as minute as a change in weather could make the difference between glorious victory and shameful defeat. Just one little gust, she pleaded to Akko. Just a little wind chill.

If Akko heard her prayers, she chose not to answer them.

“You doing okay there, titless?” came a smarmy voice from the other side of the ring. “You wanna throw in the towel already?”

Siiga Kalayo. Notorious outlaw, defiler of heirs… and one stuck up bitch. God, how Tynni had longed to plant something on that arrogant face of hers, preferably something hard, sharp and at high speeds. Once upon a time, Kalayo had been responsible for all manner of havoc up and down the country. She had done it all. Banditry, kidnapping, murder, larceny, even ruined a couple of debutantes in her time. Of course, in her recent years, she had decided to use her experience to work with the law rather than against it, a change in sides that was about as believable as a New York sales pitch, but it had the guards wiping their brows in relief nonetheless. Siiga was gorgeous. That’s not a compliment, that’s a fact, and by god did she know it. Every part of her, from her voice to her mannerisms to her clothes, was designed to draw as much attention to her “considerable assets” as she could.

Which brings us squarely to why Tynni was praying for a cold snap so hard. See, most soldiers wear full body armour. The interested watchers at the side of the ring were mostly clad in chainmail. Tynni herself had a fetching blend of leather and gambeson protecting her. Siiga? She wore a bra, a leather greatcoat and what a modern man might calling hot pants or Daisy dukes, but those words hadn’t been invented yet, so Tynni just called them Siiga Shorts. The place of her that had the best protection was her legs, clad in knee-high black leather boots. Her official excuse was that she would distract her foes like this; some mystical art from way out East done by female assassins, she said. A load of bull. Tynni knew that she just liked to get the attention. It was especially embarrassing for a professional soldier if he couldn’t beat a random bandit woman, but especially so if she wasn’t even wearing armour when she did it.

All that exposed flesh made for a tempting target. It also provided absolutely no protection against the cold weather. While wind and rain would have to get through the thick cloth and leather on Tynni’s skin, Siiga would be shivering like a kicked dog. But fate had cruelly taken that advantage away from her. Now it was Tynni who was feeling the effects of the weather, while Siiga was undisturbed.

“And lose my chance to beat you down? I’m gonna pass on that offer, thanks”

Arrogant cow. As if she was gonna pass this opportunity up. For the past year and a half, Tynni had not known peace. Whenever Siiga got the chance, she would go out of her way to embarrass or humiliate the new girl. Out on a march? Siiga would stomp on the back of her heel and trip her up. Going for a bath? Siiga steals her clothes. They have any sort of competition where Siiga’s side happens to win, even by the slimmest of margins? Tynni would get paraded across the marching grounds like a prize trophy on Siiga’s shoulders, kicking and screaming. That was on top of the endless insults of “titless” and “dwarf”. With the others, she had a playful rivalry. But to Siiga? Siiga was one she absolutely detested.

The captain, Tiikeri, wouldn’t do anything about it. That was how Siiga showed her affection, he said. Tynni knew affection, and it didn’t involve having to climb the great tree in the yard because someone decided to decorate it with your undergarments.

Finally, their disagreements had become too much to bear. After being tripped up for the a thousandth time during the morning march, sending Tynni sprawling into wet mud, the smaller girl had finally challenged the bullying bitch to a one-on-one fight. That had been two days ago. Looking back, it had probably been a mistake. Siiga was Tiikeri’s prize girl. She had the highest success rate of anyone in the company, had beaten several veterans without taking a scratch, and was broadly considered the second-in-command after the captain himself.

By contrast, Tynni had made a bit of a fool of herself when she had initially arrived. She thought Siiga’s harsh treatment was just some sort of hazing ritual, and she had gone through it without a murmur. When the weeks became months and she realised that this was no mere hazing, she had tried her best to patch things up with Siiga. But when she apologised, she just laughed in her face and called her an idiot, and didn’t change her behaviour at all. She got her gifts, asked her out for drinks, even asked her straight to her face why she hated her so much. No answer, just more insults. By the time that Tynni realised that Siiga was just being an asshole for asshole’s sake, everyone had the opinion that Tynni was some kind of braindead, naive moron, and handled her with kiddy gloves as much as they could. Only Tiikeri saw any potential in the little mercenary. She tried so hard to prove them all wrong, but nothing she did was good enough. People only saw this naive kid, not the fighter that Tynni desperately wanted to be. Once more, everyone would stare at her and treat her like an outsider. But this time, it wasn’t out of respect, but disdain.

Well, no more of that. Now, she had the chance in front of her to prove them all wrong, starting with Siiga. After today, they were going to look at her with respect. She swore it.

“Alright, girls, enough tough-talking. Time to get to business” said Valiity. He had been chosen to arbitrate the fight. “It’s a simple submission fight. It will go on until one of you calls it quits, or if i think you look too banged up to keep going. Weapons only - I don’t know what kind of magic you know, Tiny, but if I see a spell from either of you, that’s a straight disqualification. Can both fighters please pick up their weapons?”

Tynni plucked her halberd off the ground. It was nothing special, but she had it ever since she joined the Followers, and she couldn’t imagine just throwing it aside for anything else. To her shock, Siiga picked up a very similar weapon. Was she mocking her?

“Both halberds. Fine. Just remember, you picked these weapons, girls, so I don’t want to hear anything about how it was unfair because such-and-such reason. You fuck up, it’s your own fault.You go on the bell, and not a second before. You stop on the bell, and not a second after. Get ready.”

As Valiity went to the bell, Siiga offered a sickening smile to her opponent. “My safeword is Hummingbird~”

“I’ll keep an ear open for it” Tynni retorted.

The bell rings, and Siiga doesn’t waste any time. In her mind, she was already celebrating her victory with a pint at the local, Tynni optionally around her shoulders like a slain bear. With an almighty bellow, she charges, fast and low like a raging bull ready to trample Tynni into submission. Tynni doesn’t react anywhere near fast enough, and lets out an “oof” as 220lbs and muscle and fury thunders her into the wooden edge of the ring. Pain blossoms along her lower back where the edge bit her skin.

But that was just the beginning of Tynni's worries. She barely has time to gasp before Siiga's knee finds its way into her gut. If Tynni could have staggered back, she would have, but with the edge of the ring cutting off any escape, she can only stand there and take it as Siiga follows up with a second, then a third, knee to the solar plexus.

Weakened and weary, Tynni can only watch in horror as Siiga lifts her by neck and knee. She looks up to the heavens, pleading with Akko for a shred of mercy. And then it all goes white. Later, she would learn that Siiga dropped her into her outstretched knee, contorting her back and pelvis skyward. At the time, it didn't matter. All she could feel was pain.

Siiga makes a show of throwing the injured girl over her shoulder, leaving her gasping and writhing in the dust. All that build up, and that was the result? One basic move and Tiny Titless Tynni was out for the count? She couldn't say she was surprised, but damn, she expected a little more fight out of her. If nothing else, it was fun to bat her about like a cat with a mouse. Ah well. It would make for a laugh at the pub.

Siiga turned to jump over the fence, thinking nothing more of the fight. Except…

“S-so that's… it then? You're just… just gonna walk out a-and leave..?”

No way. Look at that. Titless was actually crawling to her feet.

“Didn't...anyone ever tell you… not to leave a girl unsatisfied?” Tynni's hands scrambled for her halberd. When she found it, she staggered back upright, battered and bruised, but still willing to fight.

Siiga was… well, not impressed. More irritated. Didn't she know when it was time to call it quits? “Clearly you need to spend more time getting acquainted to the underside of my boot.” Siiga spat, turning to face her stubborn foe. “Fine. If you want me to beat your ass more, I'm happy to oblige”

Once more, Siiga doesn't give Tynni any time to prepare, and prepares to rush her down again. But this time, Tynni sees it coming. As Siiga barrels towards her, she drops into a defensive position and thrusts her halberd towards her. If Siiga kept going, she would impale herself on Tynni's halberd.

No such luck. Siiga was reckless, but she wasn't thick, and she knew she wouldn't get anywhere while there was a steel spike in her path. Worse, Tynni had timed her move just right that she couldn't properly counter it. She could only stop dead in her tracks, and against a healthy foe, that would have been fatal. Luckily for her, Tynni was still recovering from her backbreaker and didn't have the energy or the wits to counter-charge while she was undefended, but if she wasn't…

It didn't bear thinking about. Right now, she needed something big, something that would knock the little brat flat on her ass and stop her getting back up. A quick series of jabs put Tynni on the back foot while she thought. She had the range advantage. She had a height advantage. She had a weight advantage. All the components were right in front of her, she just needed to use them. But how?

Too late, Tynni realised that Siiga had been pushing her back. She had yielded too much ground, and now she couldn't attack without exposing herself to a counter. Idiot! She should be closing her in, not backing away!

One last, powerful thrust forces Tynni to leap back and that's when Siiga goes for her coup de grâce. She swings the halberd over her head like an axe. With thunderous force, the blade comes rushing towards Tynni's neck, ready to seperate the two once and for all. Would she offer up a prayer to her precious Akko, Siiga wondered, or would she not have the time before her inevitable beheading?

Things didn't go quite as planned.

Siiga had expected to hear the squishy splurt of blood and to feel her halberd carve through muscle, bone and sinew alike. Instead, she heard the rasp of metal and felt a powerful jarring sensation race up her arm. In her determination to finish the fight, she had overcommitted to her assault. It was a trivial matter for Tynni to redirect that momentum safely over her head, leaving her completely and utterly exposed to whatever retribution Tynni had planned. Siiga realised this a split second before the metal pommel of her opponents halberd slammed into the side of her face.

Siiga reeled back in pain. A welt was already forming on her cheek, but before she could worry about that, Tynni rammed the haft of her weapon into her nose with the force of a steam-roller. Bones crunched. Blood splattered the sand. In the midst of the collision, Siiga dropped her weapon, though she swiftly joined it on the floor. Through the ringing in her ears, she heard, hollow, the gasp of the crowd watching the one they were certain would win crumble to the ground.

But Tynni paid them no mind. The past year of insults, humiliations and bullying had formed a little black ball of malice deep inside her, and now that she had seen the chance to finally rid herself of her tormentor, that ball was erupting inside her. With a mighty, terrifying roar, she raised her halberd over her head and brought it down.

If Siiga had been a shorter woman, she would have died. In the days to come, when she played this moment back in her head, she would swear blind that if she had been one measly inch shorter, she would be a dead woman. But as it happened, she happened to be just the right height, and just the right distance away that if she were to stick her leg out, it would hook behind Tynni's and send her tumbling to the ground, ruining her chance at finishing the fight. Which is, of course, exactly what happened. Tynni fell to earth with a tremendous thud, and before she knew what end was up, Siiga was on her like a bad smell.

---
Though it was midway through the day, Lynn was just now waking up from a nap. The half merfolk girl rose from a shallow pool of water, that was brought to her by some of the others in the encampment. She dried out easily in this desert, and the scorching sun was doing its best to dissipate the water around her further. She sat up groggily, the water dripping off of her as she did so. Someone called out to her, "Oi, ya friend seems ta be 'avin a bit of a scuffle I 'ear. Might wanna go take a peek ,could be right entertainin'."

Lynn stared at the man blankly, gathering her thoughts. She didn't remember falling asleep here, in fact, it seemed like she was in a makeshift bath house of sorts, and she was sitting in a slowly leaking wooden washtub. She was still fully clothed, but it seems that wherever she fell asleep last, someone must have moved them to a place that was safer for her. The man spoke up again, seeing her confusion. "Siiga found you out like a light again, brought ya 'ere ta rest. This desert ain't tha kindest towards your folk I'd rekon. Anyway, ya better get goin'. My money is on Siiga breakin' the half pint in ta two by now."

"Oh no...," Lynn said, a bit worried. Her staff came floating to her as she climbed out of the water and onto it. "Thank you, I will go see." She continued as she hurried off the water that was in the bath seemed to float out and follow her as well. She flew away from the little bath house and up so she could get a good view of the surroundings. Sure enough, there was a crowd formed not to far from the edge of their little portable mercenary town, and two figures were fighting in a wooden ring. Lynn floated down to where they were just in time to see Siiga making an advance on a smaller girl. She watched as Siiga made a devastating looking cut to the girl's neck, but it was deflected by the other girl, who returned with two strikes to Siiga's face. "Siiga!" she called out to her as she saw the other girl lift her halberd up for a finishing strike, but she didn't seem to hear her. It did seem, however, that Siiga was to make a comeback, knocking the girl over and pouncing on her as soon as possible.

"You aren't going to call it? One of them could die?" she pleaded with the man in the cage as well, officiating the fight, but he seemed not to mind, engrossed in however the fight would end up. Lynn, looked back to Siiga, who was pummeling her oppenent into the ground now. Lynn flew up above the wall of the wooden fence they used for an arena, some of the spectators calling out to her warning her she could get hurt. Lynn was determined to stop the fight, so she used the water she was holding on to for herself and dumped it onto Siiga and Tynni.

"Please stop! You are both badly hurt!" she said, standing next to them. Her hands held together in front of her, though one was completely covered by her sleeve. Her ears were down and her tail was nearly coiled around her. She didn't like being the the middle of the arena with all this attention, but she was too worried for her to care about that trivial discomfort.

(Last part written by @Jollan)

The Vanishing Kingdom

---

Name:
Tynni Ahonen

Age: 20

Race:
Varuk

Appearance
Tiny Tynni's nickname is well earned. Standing at a little over five foot, she's won't be anyone's first pick for a basketball team. Look past her dwarven height, however, and you will see her lithe frame, her hardened abs and a fire burning fiercely in her emerald eyes. Her skin is as dark as the night, a colour her hair shares, to the point where if she stood outside on a starless night and shut her eyes, you would think she disappeared. Her nose is button-shaped and peppered with freckles, and her lips plump and cherubic, two humiliatingly adorable features on someone who wants to exude a ferocious persona.

In terms of clothing, Tynni prefers lighter leather armours like her mentor. Unlike Siiga, however, she doesn't wear them to distract, but to manoeuvre more easily and to prevent herself getting tired over long treks. When in her armour, she goes her hair back in either a ponytail or pigtails, but wears it long in civilian clothing. Either way, she has a ring of white war paint around her eyes, symbolic of her status as an apprentice in the Followers of Akko.

Personality:
Tynni is an energetic, good natured young woman. No matter the weather, Tynni can be seen with a big smile on her face and a song in her heart. She can always see the light at the end of the tunnel, and she's got the willpower to push herself until she reaches it. Her relentless optimism can be a bit overbearing at times, but hey, someone has to stay optimistic when you're surrounded by cynical, defeatist bastards. Might as well be her, eh?

A tomboy at heart, Tynni sees nothing wrong having fun in the mud, and loves going for long runs and hikes up great hills. If she really likes you, she might even have a wrestle with you - she steadfastly refuses to duel people she sees as beneath her and is always seeking out the next big challenge. She respects strength, although she hates those that abuse their strength over others.


Tynni has a bad habit of overthinking things, interpreting even the most minor of things as evidence that someone utterly hates her, and if someone does hate her, she's willing to go to extreme lengths to patch that relationship up. She isn't easily embarrassed, but when she is, it stays with her for a very long time. Guilt over what happened to her mother and her abandoning of her father plagues her.

Bio:
To fully understand how Tynni got to where she is today, one must consider who her father is. Soini Ahonen is the man. A mere peasant by birth, Soini established himself quickly as an individual of exceptional strength, working in his town's mill. He was said to be so strong, he could carry a full sack of grain as though it were full of feathers when he was only 14, and he only got stronger. At 18, he challenged a foreign knight to a fist fight and beat them without taking a single hit. At twenty three, he killed a bear with nothing more than his own two hands.

His feats of strength became well known throughout the community, and over time, he became a kind of unofficial knight, protecting his village and any villages nearby from every and all threats. Some began to whisper that he had been blessed by a god, others that he was a demigod. Young men, eager for fame and glory, came to him for instruction on how to fight as well as he did, and he taught them as best he could. The more he taught, and the more he achieved, the more his legendary status grew, and the more people came to him for help and guidance. By the time he was thirty, Soini had founded the group that was to earn him his most fame - the Followers of Akko.

The Followers were an ascetic lot. Soini was a religious man, and his faith strongly informed how he lead the Followers. They went around from village to village, doing everything they could to improve the lives of those they met. Followers were expected to take vows of poverty, taking only enough wealth to keep themselves fed, clothed and armed, giving the rest to the poor. Whether it was as simple as lending a hand to a farm or a mill, or something as serious as hunting down bandits and wild animals that were raiding the villages, Soini and his Followers were willing to carry it out.

It was through the Followers that Soini met Toini. Toini was a beautiful, compassionate woman with a religious fervour that rivalled Soini's and naturally, the two hit it off. Friendship turned to love. Love turned to marriage. And with marriage, there came children. Toini had four boys and two girls by the time she got pregnant with Tynni. But Tynni's pregnancy was not like the others. You see, Toini was 48 by the time she got pregnant with Tynni, and most doctors believed that she was barren. This surprise late pregnancy quickly took a toll on Toini's already worn body; migraines so bad they left her bed-bound, constant tiredness excarcebated by sleepless nights from the pain, morning sickness tinged with blood. When Soini called for a doctor, he was told that his wife's body simply could not handle another baby. It was suggested that the baby was aborted to save Toini's life

Soini and Toini both immediately rejected the idea. It didn't matter how difficult the pregnancy was, no amount of cajoling could convince the two to give up the baby. They were told that the baby could end up deformed, or possibly even dying, and that it would be more merciful to kill it now and save it future pain, but Toini had faith that Akko would never allow that.

One night, there was a fearsome thunderstorm. Despite her sickness, Toini, through sheer willpower, managed to clamber out of bed, put on her cloak and went out into the middle of the storm to pray. She stayed out there for hours in the rain and lightning, begging with Akko to show mercy on the child, to bless them and look after them no matter what happened to her.

Sadly, Soini's worse fears came to pass. The pregnancy was too hard, and the stress of actually giving birth proved too much; Toini died in childbirth. And yet, her child lived. In fact, she seemed perfectly normal. What everyone expected to be a deformed and crippled child was born perfectly healthy, of a good weight and size, breathing normally... Just normal. Soini named the baby Tynni, after his wife who gave up her life so the baby could live.

Soini vowed that Toini's sacrifice would not be in vain. He swore to look after that child and to make her someone that Toini could be proud of. He also swore to never tell the child of how her mother actually died, and invented a story that Toini actually died of sickness some time after the birth, lest the guilt cause Tynni undue pain. He knew it wasn't her fault. It was no one's fault but his own.

As a child, Tynni lived a blessed life. Despite his vow of poverty, Soini treated his young daughter as best he could. And Tynni grew up into a very precocious and pretty little girl. Those who knew about Toini's prayer to Akko truly believed that the Goddess had given Tynni her blessing. She had admirers in every village. Her tutors said she was one of the brightest little girls they'd ever had the pleasure of teaching. She even inherited some of her father's strength, sometimes fighting boys two or three years older than her and still winning.

Soini never his his intention for his daughter to join the Followers. He trained her personally in a variety of weapons, and taught her skills such as medicine and construction in preparation for her eventually membership. Perhaps, he hoped, she would be willing to lead them after he was gone.

But Tynni never wanted to join the Followers. She knew that her dad wanted her to lead them, and she couldn't stand the pressure of being seen as "blessed by Akko". She certainly didn't feel very blessed. The Followers would always treat her weird, never daring to look in her eye or say anything that might possibly be concieved as offensive, and that made it hard for her to have close friends. Even other kids her age seemed deferential and would walk on eggshells around her, for fear of bringing down the wrath of Akko, or, more pressingly, the wrath of Soini. A position as a leader seemed even more lonely, and she just wanted out.

On her 18th birthday, Akko was initiated into the Followers. She passed the entrance test with flying colours, though every instinct in her body told her just to throw it, just so she didn't have to put up with any more of those subservient, downcast looks, but she didn't have it in her to disappoint her father. This was when Soini made his biggest mistake.

Sensing his daughters apprehension, Soini took her aside to talk with her about how she felt. The talk swiftly devolved into a yelling match. Soini was adamant that Tynni would join, and lead, the Followers, but Tynni was just as adamant that she would never lead them. In his fury, Soini accidentally revealed the one thing he thought he would never tell his daughter: that her mother died giving birth to her. In his enraged mind, he hoped it would guilt Tynni into joining. He told her that if she didn't join, then her mother would have died for nothing.

Tynni felt guilty, alright. But not the way that Soini hoped. Her mother died giving birth to her? She was a killer! A cursed child! How could she show her face around the Followers again, knowing that the blood of her mother was on her hands!? Terror overtook her. She didn't deserve to be around her family, not after what she'd done, what she'd taken from them. Mid-argument, she fled the safety of her home and ran off into the night. In his youthful days, Soini would have chased after her. He may even have caught her. But the Bear was old and tired, and he could do no more than shout after his fleeing daughter, ultimately powerless to stop her.

Tynni didn't know where she was going. She didn't know what she was doing. She had never been without at least one Follower by her side, and the thought of going out on her own into the great wide world filled her with dread. But she knew, after that night, that she would never, ever be welcome among the Followers of Akko again.

So she used her skills. For the next few months, Tynni wandered from village to village, fixing granaries and fighting bandits and generally doing whatever she could to make the lives of those around her more comfortable.

During these wanderings, she met Siiga, an outlaw turned mercenary. Her skill in combat and her sheer determination impressed the ex-bandit, and she took her under her wing as the newest member of her mercenary company. For the past year and a half, Tynni has been studying and training under Siiga's guidance. Maybe one day, she will return to face her father. But that day seems far away indeed.

Equipment:
Tynni has no special or unique weapons. Her generally weapon of choice is a halberd, to make up for her short height, and she wears light armour for ease of movement.

Abilities:
Tynni's background as a Follower of Akko gives her a wide variety of experience, however she doesn't truly excel at much. She's as quick as a rabbit and strong as a bull, has some basic medical experience and she can build a makeshift camp with very little.

Extra notes:

~ Valkyria Chronicles - Changing of the Guard ~

Gwyn Therwyn

---

To the casual observer, Gwyn was a man defeated. Any psychologist worth his salt would look at him and come to the same conclusion: everything about him, from the haunted eyes and the sunken cheeks to his shuffling gait and his limp grip on his rifle spoke of someone who had been utterly, entirely, hopelessly routed. This, the shrink would say, was a boy coming home from a lost war. But then our theoretical psychologist would look at everyone around him, the tired but otherwise high spirited soldiers, and wonder just what was it that made him so miserable? Was he a traitor? Perhaps he had lost a close friend in the last fight. Or maybe, he had recieved some bad news from home.

Reality was far less dramatic, though no less harrowing for dear Gwyn. He had proven himself utterly useless in that last fight. While everyone else found their mark and performed their jobs admirably, Gwyn himself seemed to have all the impact of a baby sparrow in a glittery dress against the Imperial forces. Every shot rang out wasted. He offered no support, scored no kills, made no real effort. He was dead weight, and he knew it. That little fact dug its way into the back of his skull and made a little nest in his brain, and the wight of his uselessness hung on him like a great big pancake on his head. He couldn't even meet his squadmate's gaze without blushing and looking at the floor. He was just waiting for the inevitable bullying that was going to occur. He, the one who had been training his entire life for a situation like this, had been the least effective. Oh, the irony!

So perhaps it was no surprise that he stayed away from the body of the crew as they made their way through the streets. At Jean's instruction, he slumped against a wall and sat there, praying for a sniper to pick him out first. Go on, you pussy. Give him the excuse. No such luck. The Imperials they encountered were, for lack of a better word, friendly. Some aristo leading them. Gwyn didn't care enough to get a good look at him. Didn't pay to get acquainted with someone who would later kill you - or who you would later kill. Not Gwyn, though. He was firmly aware of his own uselessness, unless on of his companions cared to use him as a human shield, and even then, with his height, he wouldn't be much use even then. What a thing to think!

Still, if it was a trap, better he go than the others. He was skeptical of the Imperial's story - there was no way that there was just this oasis in the desert for them. This was war! They'd do everything they can to murder each other! They all saw what the Imperials did to the cavalry units. God knows, he was cleaning viscera off his boots all night.

Unbidden, and reluctant to wait for instruction, Gwyn got up out of cover and marched straight towards the place that the Imperial had said was neutral grounds. If his story was true, he had nothing to fear. If it wasn't, well, the squad wouldn't lose much. The Imps might actually be doing them a favour by getting rid of him.

"I'll check it out," he called over his shoulder. "If I'm not back in five minutes, don't bother trying to avenge me."

Endless Horizon - Nationgame in Space

Era of Strife: The Eternal War of Saqquar (Or a medieval-style RP about a civil-war)

Well, I'll certainly be keeping an eye on this

~ Valkyria Chronicles - Changing of the Guard ~

Gwyn Therwyn

---

On the first day of training, a big hairy drill sergeant with a chest like a bear pins every recruit to the wall and warns them to never enter an unsecured building in the middle of a firefight. He says this in a most insistent manner. Every day, he repeats this maxim until it is burned into every recruit's brain. Nonetheless, that's what Gwyn had been ordered to do, and given the circumstances he wasn't about to stand about and argue.

Lead tore up the cobbles around Gwyn and he had to make an executive decision, fast. Unfortunately, he didn't get the chance to. Isaac lead the charge into a nearby building, and it was up to Gwyn to have everyone follow.
"Into the building, let's move! Don't hang about!" He cried, shortly before making a mad dash for the area in question. The ground before him sparked, a deadly dance that didn't take kindly to being interrupted. Gwyn thanked whatever God would listen that he was able to bust through the door before being shot up.

"Alright, sound off. Who's still alive?"

He joked, but now they were, as it was medically know, up shit creek without a paddle. They couldn't take point without that damned armoured car spraying them with lead, and they didn't have the numbers to repel a frontal assault from the Imperials. He could plink away at the enemy numbers with his shitty carbine, but he wasn't going to achieve as much as Britta and Isaac. Right now, he was dead weight.