Guy0fV4lor

The Storm Cycle: Reclamation

---

@Rune_Alchemist@BrokenPromise@Crimson Paladin

Reinhardt's eyes continued to scan the surrounding forest for threats as the group of knights made their way toward the keep where the the Great Wyvern had been slain. Raising his head, Elias inhaled deeply as if to pull the winds themselves into his lungs. There it was, the smell of Dragons; fresh enough to cause concern, yet faint enough for the breeze barely carry it. Whatever the source-- it was likely very far off, and unlikely to be a threat. The group had experienced a largely peaceful journey thus far-- but after his failings during the previous mission in the region, the Knight considered any lapse in his guard an open invitation for the same disasters to befall the retinue once more.

Even with the Queen present, he couldn't let himself relax this time--

Especially with the Queen present-- he couldn't dare lower his guard by even the slightest; not even for a moment...

A sudden movement broke Reinhardt from his silent vigil; his hand nearly going to his sword before realizing it was nothing more than an eccentric craftswomen... Perhaps some kind of blacksmith? Even if his guess was correct, she donned the strangest blacksmithing garb he'd ever seen... Though admittedly he'd seen very few blacksmiths apart from his Uncle beyond simply reading about them in books. Elias' eyes carefully scrutinized the Woman; observing her from toe to tip before doing the same for the strange construction behind her.

"The inheritance of Sigurd's gifts can manifest in different; sometimes even strange ways." he answered flatly; concerned over why such a question might be posed, "But yes. I myself am blessed by the blood of my forefather with both strength, and sturdiness."

Before he could inquire as to why such was currently relevant-- Luana posed another question; causing him to stiffen for the briefest of moments.

"I was briefly incapacitated." Reinhardt responded curtly, peering over his shoulder to stare at the Druid; his brow slightly raised.

The Storm Cycle: Reclamation

---

@Rune_Alchemist@BrokenPromise@Crimson Paladin

Reinhardt remained silent as the group rode from Airedale toward the lands under Harzelslack rule despite the clear chattiness of the newest member of the cohort-- Elias himself hadn't felt particularly like talking for the past few weeks... Not since how horrifically the last operation had gone.

But nonetheless, he still offered Lonan and Grainne a small nod as he remained off to the side as they would continued toward the fort.

Why Were We Reincarnated as Orcs?!

---

@Zeroth

How long had he been floating in that formless void?

Was it days? Months? Years? He wasn't sure-- but with a bright flash; he was freed from the suffocating embrace of darkness.

And he was offered a choice.

• Type Analysis - Rank I - Choose a specific Type for this Skill: Creature, Magic, or Material. Upon analyzing a target, information relevant to the chosen type will be displayed. Higher Ranks will grant more detailed information. (For example, using Creature Analysis on a Slime would tell you the most generic, widely known information on Slimes as a species)
• Danger Scan - Rank I - Detect non-living threats within 10 feet, such as hazardous terrain, traps, etc. Remain acutely aware of them for 1 minute.
• Rune Scribe - Rank I - Normally, this Skill requires the User to be capable of at least one other Magic Skill. Use a personal writing system to imbue magical effects. At Rank I, the scribed Rune has only half the effectiveness of the original Spell and fades after 1 day. (For example, one could use this with a piece of parchment to produce a consumable Scroll of Fire Bolt--or place the Rune somewhere in the environment with certain spells to create a sort of booby-trap.)
• Earth Wave - Rank I - An AOE spell focused on the caster, with the associated Element's effect. At Rank I, Earth Wave creates a seismic movement within a 5 foot radius all around the caster, violently throwing targets affected by it to the ground where they're battered and pushed until they're outside the area of effect. Even if a target manages to keep their balance, moving over the terrain becomes very difficult.

Divine Spirit Jehanne

With a wry grin, the man reached out-- and took for himself the one option that had never once been available in his old life; to walk the path yet untraveled by his ever-searching mind.

When he awoke as a small green humanoid; an Orc, he was given a new name to accompany him on his new journey-- Ushnekh.

---

Ushnekh's Orange-Gold eyes scanned over the crowd of Runts as the Head Warrior dictated orders to his generation of 'Mooks'. Though Ushnekh would've rather ignored the orders of the Head Warrior to instead go test the magic he'd been granted since his insertion into this strange and magical world... It would be far easier to blend in with the others of the settlement while he got his bearings and reduced the chance of him succumbing to the unfamiliar elements of this strange new world. When the head warrior had finished the Orcish equivalent of an inspiring speech preceding dismissal to carry out the newly assigned quest, Ushnekh took care to mind his pace amongst the herd of runts leaving the Brood Pit; ensuring he was not too close to either the front nor back as to not stick out from the rest. It was hard to repress the excitement he felt to test his new abilities, but the thought of what might happen to him should any of other Orcs discover his unusual intelligence and abilities
kept his gait steady.

Which begged the question-- would an Orc be able to gain his skill by cannibalizing his corpse?

A thought for later perhaps.

But now that he had broken line of sight with the majority of the runts, Ushnekh took the chance to duck into the nearest spot of woods, and inhaled deeply as he ensured there was no one else around. Slowly, he focused on trying to feel for his skill, for his [Earth Wave]; attempting to register the source of power that lay dormant within him... And then he felt something slip.

A strange feeling of fatigue surged over Ushnekh; almost as if he'd spent an entire night staring at a screen-- as a sudden surge of energy released through the earth below, creating a violent shockwave. For a moment, Ushnekh stared at the result of his test; blinking the shock away before hastily scuttling off-- hoping he wasn't seen.

Perhaps it would be best to instead focus on the Quest he was given for the time being... And to that end, had decided to stalk off to follow and observe one of the other Runts to see what would be considered "normal" for a first hunt.

Why Were We Reincarnated as Orcs?!

Ignore any of my loyal subjects who start screaming, this image is entirely innocent.

@Zeroth

>Violently Shudders

Why Were We Reincarnated as Orcs?!

Ushnekh

Yung Orcboi

Name: Ushnekh

Current Stats:
Level: 1 | Form: Orc Runt | Tier: 2

Current Skills:

• Ingestion - After consuming a required amount of biomass from a particular Creature, 1 of that Creature's Skills can be copied at its lowest Rank.
• Earth Wave - Rank I - An AOE spell focused on the caster, with the associated Element's effect. At Rank I, Earth Wave creates a seismic movement within a 5 foot radius all around the caster, violently throwing targets affected by it to the ground where they're battered and pushed until they're outside the area of effect. Even if a target manages to keep their balance, moving over the terrain becomes very difficult.
• Empty Skill Slot
• Empty Skill Slot

Equipment and Inventory:

• Swaddling Pelts - Equip, Clothes - Old animal skins used to keep an Orc baby warm as they sleep. Once the Runt is old enough to start hunting, these are usually just enough to cover the parts that need the most covering.
• Wooden Stick - Equip, Weapon/Tool, Material Component - A wooden stick. From a tree. That's...that's all there is to it. Can be thrown.
• Sharp Rock - Equip, Weapon/Tool, Material Component - A rock with a slightly sharp edge. Useful as a primitive knife or chisel. Can be thrown.

True Age: 32

Past Life:

[+]

Born the middle child of his family in Northern New England, Markus Beck grew up rather... Unremarkable. Throughout the years spent in a monotonous cycle of schooling and wagecucking-- little existed in terms of "New and Exciting" to add spice to his mediocre life. Despite the time spent in pursuit of various hobbies, sports, and clubs-- everything felt... Empty. Dull. Constrained.

Like there was something more to life that lay just outside his grasp.

It happened in his Senior year of High School.

Though Markus was hardly an enthusiast when it came to recreational drug use, it was an especially strong tab of Acid; of all things, that changed his life forever. The trip had been surreal; even moreso than any other time he had partaken. Visions of ancient cities, magnificent castles, breathtaking natural formations, and strange rituals flooded the young man's mind. Three days later the trip had finally ended, Markus awaking to find himself back in his room, surrounded by books of History, Geography, and Obscure religious texts.

At last, a spark of inspiration settled within the young man's heart.

The following years of Markus' life would be fervently dedicated to studies of Archeology, striving to obtain grants and funding enough to finance his newfound dream. Paper after paper, project after project, Markus' fanatical search for another glimpse of the beauty and wisdom held within the remnants the world that once was.

Again and again and again he failed to find what he was looking for.

There was nothing to find in the places he searched. Nothing new he could claw free from the clutches of time-- regardless of how far and wide he scoured the land in search of that scrap of enlightenment.

It was when he was reading an old Bhuddist manuscript that he found his answer.

'Seek Truth Within'

How could he have been so foolish?

To seek that which has long evaded the light of the Sun-- one would naturally seek within the Earth.

For years more, Markus scoured the world-- delving into the deepest ravines, the darkest caves; he searched.

And then he found it.

Deep underground, within a cave that had long lain hidden under thousands of pounds of snow in the Himalayan peaks-- a cavern that stretched deep into the Earth below through collapsed passages and winding, twisted, and choked pathways.

The descent alone had taken another two years of Markus' life, so many times he had traversed to and fro in the stony halls that he could nearly walk the entire system blind.

But as the last bits of stone were pulled away from yet another collapsed branch of tunnel; the Delver's prize was at last revealed.

An ancient underground temple of unknown design stood before him, dedicated to a long dead faith.

Markus strode forth into the darkness; his hand tracing gently over the carvings adorning the temple's inner walls... Until the darkness gave him a suffocating caress of it's own.

The Man's body stood rigid as he felt thousands of gazes tranfix upon him from within the void.

Only the growl of the Temple's long forgotten deity was heard as it's steel face and gleaming white eyes accepted the fool as a long awaited sacrifice.

Truly a shame that such a dedicated mind succumbed to the gas leak before he could realize his dream.

New Life:
Day 0, Ork Runt > Awakening

Why Were We Reincarnated as Orcs?!

@Zeroth ERE

Ushnekh

Yung Orcboi

Name: Ushnekh

Current Stats:
Level: 1 | Form: Orc Runt | Tier: 2

Current Skills:

• Ingestion - After consuming a required amount of biomass from a particular Creature, 1 of that Creature's Skills can be copied at its lowest Rank.
• Isekai Skill - Not Yet Chosen
• Empty Skill Slot
• Empty Skill Slot

Equipment and Inventory:

• Swaddling Pelts - Equip, Clothes - Old animal skins used to keep an Orc baby warm as they sleep. Once the Runt is old enough to start hunting, these are usually just enough to cover the parts that need the most covering.
• Wooden Stick - Equip, Weapon/Tool, Material Component - A wooden stick. From a tree. That's...that's all there is to it. Can be thrown.
• Sharp Rock - Equip, Weapon/Tool, Material Component - A rock with a slightly sharp edge. Useful as a primitive knife or chisel. Can be thrown.

True Age: 32

Past Life:

[+]

Born the middle child of his family in Northern New England, Markus Beck grew up rather... Unremarkable. Throughout the years spent in a monotonous cycle of schooling and wagecucking-- little existed in terms of "New and Exciting" to add spice to his mediocre life. Despite the time spent in pursuit of various hobbies, sports, and clubs-- everything felt... Empty. Dull. Constrained.

Like there was something more to life that lay just outside his grasp.

It happened in his Senior year of High School.

Though Marckus was hardly an enthusiast when it came to recreational drug use, it was an especially strong tab of Acid; of all things, that changed his life forever. The trip had been surreal; even moreso than any other time he had partaken. Visions of ancient cities, magnificent castles, breathtaking natural formations, and strange rituals flooded the young man's mind. Three days later the trip had finally ended, Markus awaking to find himself back in his room, surrounded by books of History, Geography, and Obscure religious texts.

At last, a spark of inspiration settled within the young man's heart.

The following years of Markus' life would be fervently dedicated to studies of Archeology, striving to obtain grants and funding enough to finance his newfound dream. Paper after paper, project after project, Markus' fanatical search for another glimpse of the beauty and wisdom held within the remnants the world that once was.

Again and again and again he failed to find what he was looking for.

There was nothing to find in the places he searched. Nothing new he could claw free from the clutches of time-- regardless of how far and wide he scoured the land in search of that scrap of enlightenment.

It was when he was reading an old Bhuddist manuscript that he found his answer.

'Seek Truth Within'

How could he have been so foolish?

To seek that which has long evaded the light of the Sun-- one would naturally seek within the Earth.

For years more, Markus scoured the world-- delving into the deepest ravines, the darkest caves; he searched.

And then he found it.

Deep underground, within a cave that had long lain hidden under thousands of pounds of snow in the Himalayan peaks-- a cavern that stretched deep into the Earth below through collapsed passages and winding, twisted, and choked pathways.

The descent alone had taken another two years of Markus' life, so many times he had traversed to and fro in the stony halls that he could nearly walk the entire system blind.

But as the last bits of stone were pulled away from yet another collapsed branch of tunnel; the Delver's prize was at last revealed.

An ancient underground temple of unknown design stood before him, dedicated to a long dead faith.

Markus strode forth into the darkness; his hand tracing gently over the carvings adorning the temple's inner walls... Until the darkness gave him a suffocating caress of it's own.

The Man's body stood rigid as he felt thousands of gazes tranfix upon him from within the void.

Only the growl of the Temple's long forgotten deity was heard as it's steel face and gleaming white eyes accepted the fool as a long awaited sacrifice.

Truly a shame that such a dedicated mind succumbed to the gas leak before he could realize his dream.

New Life:
Day 0, Ork Runt > Awakening

Why Were We Reincarnated as Orcs!?

Count me in chief

The Storm Cycle: Reclamation

---

@Rune_Alchemist@VitaVitaAR@Crimson Paladin@BrokenPromise@Pyromania99

Reinhardt simply nodded through the introductions and recap as Vyrell caught him up to speed. Though he'd initially intended to greet the newcomer to the Queen's guard-- the mention of elves quickly invited a flurry of overenthusiastic questions and speculations from the newcomer that halted the Knight's words before they could even leave his mouth.

Clamping his mouth shut, Elias instead opted to simply hold his tongue until the briefing was concluded.

After hearing the upcoming assigned task, as well as the distribution of resources agreed upon between Airedale and Harzelslack, Reinhardt finally opened his mouth-- "And what of the Wyvern's heart?"

He paused, before continuing his thought, "If possible-- I wish to retrieve it for ourselves... There was something off with that creature compared to how the records of my family depict... And if there's another like it-- that would certainly explain the continued appearance of the whelps."

Elias shook his head, returning to the topic at hand-- "I am concerned about what the beast's heart implies, your majesty. If you would allow me to make such a request; I would hope to be allowed to take it for myself."

The Storm Cycle: Reclamation

---

@Rune_Alchemist@VitaVitaAR@Crimson Paladin@BrokenPromise@Pyromania99

Despite having led Raella straight through Airedale and into the keep without guards even giving the two of them a second glance-- it never seemed that the Mage in question registered the fact that the person who'd run across her little experiment was a bona-fide Knight from the Queen's personal retinue.

But Reinhardt didn't particularly mind that.

If anything-- it just made her casual belittling of his intellect and importance all the more amusing.

After the Mage delivered her message and left; the rest of the week rather uneventful. Unlike most of the others who left Airedale on their own small expeditions, Elias spent the week licking his wounds and training his skills while waiting for his armor adjustments to be completed...

---

"Apologies for my tardiness--" Elias spoke as he stepped into the room; adjusting the left gauntlet of his armor slightly. "The armor adjustments have just been completed and I had to perform some testing to ensure nothing would break when I have to start fighting."

Without pause, the Knight circled the table and took his place within the room-- noting a new face among the group of Knights, and the distinct smell of.... Tomatoes?

Clearly much had happened in the last week... And the recent bout of seclusion had left much of the information regarding the goings unknown to the Knight.

Reinhardt shook his head, dismissing the train of thoughts-- if there was anything he needed to be informed of, it would happen in the following meeting.

The Storm Cycle: Reclamation

---

@Rune_Alchemist

Reinhardt's brow furrowed as he tried to recall what he knew of the Great Witch Morgan-- only to end up pulling a blank. With a few long strides, he managed to seamlessly catch up to the diminutive mage before providing introduction of his own. "A pleasure to meet you Mage Raella. You can call me Elias."

Though he didn't intend to accompany the woman all the way to the keep, Elias intended to at least pry into her reasoning as to her sudden appearance, "So, what business brings you to Airedale?"