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built like a truck and out for revenge

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The noble space cowboy has arrived, soundtrack and all.




"Just down there, I slept there for a week once."


"Nice place. Seems cozy," Revna said, looking up at the rocky outcropping perched on the hill above them. Strategically, it wasn't the worst place to sleep for the night, Revna considered. Sheltered, with high ground would let them see anyone approaching from the surrounding flatland for a mile. That was in the day, though. At night, with the new moons hidden from them and the starlight blocked by stormclouds, they would simply have to stand guard and strain their eyes against the darkness. Then, there was the cliff. Revna thought it was nice to have only one direction any would-be foes could approach from, but if they needed to run, their options would be limited. This didn't matter too much for Revna though. Didn't plan on running if it came to it.

“I wish you had mentioned your injury, and I pray you let me examine it when we stop. I am the best healer in the Order, and should be able to set it right quickly enough.” he paused, thoughtfully, “Well, perhaps I am the second best healer. But you will find my bedside manner much more agreeable than you would Father Waleran's.”


Her strategic musings were interrupted by Brother Osric scolding her for not addressing her cut sooner. Revna just grunted in response, visibly annoyed. I’m going to go mad if he pesters me every time I get a scratch. She chose to simply ignore him, hoping he'd let the matter go.

The party rode up the hill, carefully guiding their mounts into the sheltered rocks before dismounting. Revna didn't bother hobbling Valdur, and the stallion didn't bother leaving to search for food. Even a beast knew there was nothing living for miles. She pulled some fodder from the wagon and left it on the rocky ground for the animals before setting up her makeshift quarters for the night, pressed against the rock walls for any protection the overhang might provide.

Revna inspected the campsite closer as she tossed her saddle onto the ground for a makeshift pillow. The dried and rotting hides and burnt-out campfire, now being brought back to life by Andrew, suggested Katrina had been here for some time. "Nice of you to clean up for us," Revna said to Katrina, tilting her chin towards the scattered bones near the crumbling rack. Revna idly wondered what Katrina's life must have been like before arriving in the Seven Villages, the first time she'd done so. If this "home" of hers was any hint, Revna suspected she'd been borderline feral, living almost like a beast. Perhaps that was how most humans lived beyond the Barrier's protection. She felt a mix of pity and disgust, both for Katrina and the whole human race, having been brought so low by the demonic invaders that they hid their entire lives now, like rats in a barn.

"So, is everything like this outside the villages? Just dead lands as far as you can see? Would make for a dull journey," Revna asked as she settled into her spot, leaning against the stone wall. She felt the rock leak back the day’s meager heat.

She watched the fire grow from embers and into something roaring and comforting. Her eyes glowed red as the coals within as she stared into the flame's depths. The tendrils sawed in the wind and the embers paled and deepened like a living creature breathing, or like the blood beat of something eviscerated on the ground before them pumping out the last of its life force. Revna's hypnotic trance was broken by the smell of food and more pestering.

“I think it best I attend to your wound before we eat. I can work quickly, and we will both be hungrier afterward.”


She sighed deeply. He hadn't forgotten after all, their diligent monk.

"Brother Orkik, I've had love bites worse than this,” she said in an icy tone, casually rolling up her tunic’s sleeve to reveal several jagged and twisting scars carved into her skin. “It’s nothing. It'll heal in time, as they always do.” Every wound she'd ever taken on her flesh was treated by herself, her father, or her village's quack doctor, but she prided herself on never seeking the Order's help, despite their reputation for healing. The mere idea of bowing before those foreign gods for some small favor made her stomach churn.

Revna managed to stop this train of thought before she lost her temper. They weren't even a day into their journey and she was already struggling to control it. Revna wasn't known for her peaceful disposition, but this overreaction was out of character. She took a heavy breath and unclenched her fists.

"Alright, fine. But make it quick, will you? I'm taking first watch, and I'd like to get some food before Sage eats the whole pot," she said, trying to sound friendlier. It didn't work. She moved her saddle next to her so Osric could sit while he worked his craft on her and closed her eyes against the sun's last, meager rays that crept through the sliver of sky above them.
Itxaro stared at Kerchak - no, Kolvar - searching for any sign that this even was the same creature she'd known before. Whatever he was, it was totally alien. The other species of KA were vaguely familiar forms. Avian, reptilian, equine, but his new shape reminded Itxaro they were on a new world, and life might evolve... Unexpectedly, here. She wondered how they could even be sure he was the same Kerchak they knew before, and not some imposter, though she assumed the locals would know the dangers of this better than her. Itxaro thought of her earlier conversation with Nellara, of civilizations across the world from them that might invade one day. She had meant humanity of course, but here before them was an unknown creature who admitted to spying on them. Maybe the Ascendency and Mythadia were threatened by both terrestrial and alien species now.

The locals didn't seem worried by this interloper, though. The humans, on the other hand, seemed less forgiving of Kolvar's intrusion. Itxaro couldn't connect the dots with Zey's reference to lizard mind readers, thanks to the alcohol, but she kept quiet; they could solve that particular mystery later.

The prisoner, Sh’Vetza, seemed jumpy, along with Ezra and Darnell. Itxaro wouldn't admit it, but she was becoming unnerved as well. They were far from the ship's safety, with a shapeshifting alien, and the humans were nervous and toting guns. Not a great mix, in Itxaro's world. She was on edge now, and her spine tingled as she heard something moving through the grass. She slowly positioned Ezra between herself and the new arrival, be it man or beast. Better he take the brunt of any wild hunter than her.

Luckily, it wasn't some stalking predator, just Kareet. Itxaro let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding. The scholar seemed to have an idea of what was going on; certainly more than what Itxaro could piece together. However, she'd prefer to puzzle everything out by the ship, rather than in the middle of a field with grass twice as tall as her.

"Think we figure this out, ya know, back at this ship?" She looked nervously at the others.
Their journey began quietly.

There was no great sendoff, no men and women waving them goodbye and wishing them luck. They slipped out of the Barrier like thieves carrying their prize in a leather case. Revna wondered if the townspeople saw their mission as a lost cause and figured they would spare the doomed adventurers their mournful gaze. Revna didn't care either way. She knew she'd accomplish their mission one way or another, though she didn't plan on ever returning to the Seven Villages.

It'd been many years since the Dottir woman was outside the Barrier, and she'd been a child then. Unable to understand the chaos and savagery of the demons. She had been scared, though. Revna remembered that. They scampered about from place to place like rats, always hiding in the shadows, afraid of monsters of this world and not.

She wasn't scared now though. She was exhilarated. Finally doing something instead of hiding in the mountains, wasting her days away. She chatted amiably with her companions, getting to know them, sharing stories and jokes when she could.

As they travelled on, down through the mountains and into the plains, Revna grew sullen. Bored, perhaps, or maybe the tedium of travel was getting to her. She'd envisioned hacking down beast after beast, slaying hellspawn and bandits everywhere she went. Revna expected to feel different outside of the Barrier, free from the world within the world. This was just like travelling from one village to another. No excitement, just the slowly changing scenery. It did change, though.

Gone were the verdant pines, the sweet-smelling grass, the gently bending streams. The trees stood as bare totems, sentinels in the dying land. The grass turned to dust beneath their feet. The streams dried into rocky and barren beds. A raw hill country stretched before them. Revna fell behind the group alone and sulking, letting her mind wander and entertain dark thoughts as she bounced back and forth in her saddle.

She was brought back to the colorless world by a familiar song, one too familiar to her in the taverns throughout the Seven Villages. Sung by drunk Pendrians nostalgic for the days of old and their long-dead prince. After five years of hearing that song incessantly, she started bloodying the face of anyone who sang it within earshot of her. Word got around, and she didn't hear it anymore.

Revna's father had told her the true story of Prince Charlie. The coward prince who fled the palace at the first sign of trouble with most of the guards and his retinue, leaving the few palace soldiers and Norrgard warriors to defend the aged king and queen. Her mother, princess of the Dottir, included. She had little love for Pendria royalty, her feelings on the Norrgard complicated, and nothing but distain for the beloved Prince Charlie.

The woman groaned like a bear and reigned in her horse and her anger. "Brother Orsic, will you please sing something else? I'd even settle for one of those boring hymns your order loves," she called out. Harsh, but those who knew her understood that this was an act of extreme charity and patience; most people who belted out that song were several teeth short by the third line. She rode on in brooding silence.

The group slowed nearly to a stop as they evaluated their situation.

”Hmm, Katrina?” he asked sheepishly, “Do you suppose we're near the site you mentioned?”


"What does it matter? This all looks the same to me. Dead. Nothing will bother us if we stop here, or ten miles from here," Revna said, annoyed. "As long as we get off the road." Her bruised cheek from the morning barfight had swollen considerably since they'd left, to the point where it pushed against her eye and reduced her vision to a dull haze. Without a word, Revna drew the relic dagger from her belt and a re-opened the wound, allowing the gathered blood to drain. She wiped her face with her travelling cloak and sighed in relief as sight returned, returning the weapon to its sheath. Revna was tempted to just dismount and hole up for the night between two nearby hills, but figured she'd wait for Katrina's input. She was their guide, afterall.
Revna shrugged and accepted the dagger from Katrina. "Your loss. Its a fine weapon," the woman said as she secured the long dagger in her saddle. Revna didn't put a moment's thought into why Katrina would turn away the weapon. Such was their way together.

Revna continued securing her equipment, double-checking straps and making sure she'd brought everything. Not that she could go back for it now, though. From behind her, she could practically feel the growing tension between Katrina and Sage. Let them fight, Revna thought. A little blood to start our journey would be a good omen anyways.

Then, she could smell the tension. Ozone, sweet and pungent. Revna spun around warily just in time to see Sage's hand engulfed in brilliant blue flames, like nothing she'd ever seen from her friend or anyone esle. She paused, her face working, rubbing the gently pulsing muscle in her jaw, as if deciding how to react. Then she erupted into laughter, hands on her hips.

"Hah! And here I thought you were all brawn and muscle," Revna said. "A good lesson though. Looks can be deceiving. I guess I should thank you, for not using that bit of magic in our fights," she added, imagining a sparring session where she was covered head to toe in blue fire. Still, Revna was pleased that her companion seemed to have some tricks up her sleeve. Won't have to worry about that one anymore, Revna thought, not that she ever had.

She wanted to ask the girl why she'd kept this secret from her but figured the woman had her reasons, and would either tell her in good time or never tell her at all. Revna didn't mind either way. It was not her place to know the minds of others. She assumed it had something to do with the Order, so secrecy was certainly warranted. Many people in the villages were wary of magic users who operated outside the jurisdiction of the Order, but Revna held no such qualms. Mages were revered by her people, although their magics differed greatly from those monks of the south. Or so her father had told her.

She turned back to her horse, missing Katrina's own magical display, and finished her preparations, laughing at Sage's hand that was free from any ring. "Can't believe he proposed! You should have set him on fire." She paused and thought for a moment. "No, nevermind. Would be a shame to melt that handsome face." Revna put one foot in a stirrup and lifted herself into the saddle. "Good on you though, not taking the bait. Hate to make this journey without you." She took the reins up in her hand, and with the slightest pressure from one leg, Valdur turned to the two women as if Revna would have the horse look upon them as well.

"Roads past the mountain are safer under daylight. We get past them, there's a place an hour after, Moonhorn Ridge. Demons wont go there- It's dead land for miles and you'd see 'em over the cliffs if they planned to ambush. Safe enough first night on the way," She shared this insight with Osric and the new kid, because Katrina had camped there a few times. Moonhorn Ridge was worthless to anyone that didn't bring food before setting foot there, nothing would grow and thus nothing could graze. And so demons couldn't put up a stronghold of enslaved humans. Katrina was the guide, after all.


Revna was somewhat disappointed at the less-than-scenic description of Moonhorn Ridge. It souunded like a wasteland, with neither natural beauty to admire nor foes to confront. In short, boring. But it would be ideal for learning more of their companions and get some travelling in, working out any issues with their equipment. A trial run, of sorts. Revna spotted the young man in the back and, as if completely forgetting the lesson she'd just learned, leaned down to the two women and whispered, "Who's this little scrap of man? Surely they're not coming along."
Itxaro rushed through the party and slipped past attendees. It seemed to her some grotesque masquerade now, as the aliens shared their games and traditions with the humans, who did so likewise. She watched a Tekeri perform some crude magic trick with a cup and small metal ball and she couldn't tell if it was slight of hand or something else. Elsewhere cards were being dealt, games of chance or games of skill with personal items used as stakes. Guitars squelched and tuned on the improvised stage mixed with native drums bound with the skins of some unknown creature. All the forms spanned the gamut of biology and geometry, an uncanny parade of entities that defied the natural order that she knew from her home. Strange, stilted conversations surrounded her, disjointed and fragmented with her brief passing. She was glad for the escape Kerchak's drunkenness offered. Things were getting... Surreal.

She slipped into the grass after Zey and her companions, following the broken trail they left behind. Itxaro stepped carefully, aware she was slightly intoxicated, and wondered if the ship's medbay had any hangover enzymes in their medical supplies. The drug, a sort of prophylactic, replicated the liver's metabolic breakdown by dumping enzymes into the stomach which rapidly expedited the body's digestion of alcohol, leaving one with a slight hangover an hour later and nothing more. The drug was heavily regulated in the USASR, thought to promote alcoholism and used only to treat it, but Itxaro knew you could pick it up at any corner store in many countries on Earth. Ugh, I'll have to check with Dr. Feng though. Might just want to suffer whatever hangover this horse beer gives me.

Itxaro caught up to the others now, the only sounds out here the rustle of grass in the wind and distant voices from behind. Also, vomiting. As she laid her eyes on the retched figure laying in the grass, she felt more sympathy than disgust. It'd been a while since she'd been that drunk, sure, but the feeling was not one you quickly forgot. She couldn't exactly empathize with the shapeshifting element though. The Tekeri was no longer a Tekeri, but something else entirely, his flesh warping and roiling like a rough sea, a pinkish mass of limbs and eyes.

"Just too much to drink, is all," Itxaro said to the group that formed a semi-circle around him, putting on her best impression of a sober person, which honestly, wasn't too bad. "Nellara told me this can happen with life mages. Too much to drink, and they kind of... lose control of themselves." She gently put her hand on the barrel of Ezra's gun, as if to keep it there.

The others were working to get Kerchak, or what seemed to be Kerchak, onto his feet while Itxaro watched from a distance. "I've been drunk before, but never that bad," she said to her human companions. She cast a sidelong glance at the two S'tor bound in chains. It was the first time she'd noticed them. Itxaro wondered if they were prisoners, slaves, or something else. "Any idea what their deal is?" Itxaro tilted her chin to the pair, her translator switched off. She felt a surge of anger at the thought they might be slaves. We'll have to change that.
"To be fair Revna most of my scars are from you as well."


"Ach, you're just not in the habit of fighting every guard and drunk you come across is all," Revna said with a shrug. "But if everything goes well, that'll change; you'll get some new scratches on that pale hide of yours before the journey's done," she added with a high laugh. As much as she enjoyed sparring with the smaller woman, Revna was ready for more. Ready to fight with real stakes. Fighting for glory, fighting for her own life, not just practice. I guess to save the world, too, she considered after a moment.

"She’d better be a devil with that bow of hers. Safest bet between that, a sword and some shiny daggers too big to throw. Unless one or both of you can conjure up some holy flame from the sky, I’m not betting on either of you in a knuckle-bang with demons of the Deep.”


Revna raised her eyebrows in surprise at Katrina; or rather, she raised one eyebrow. The other, with a deep scar running through it, only twitched imperceptibly, the muscle or nerve beneath having been severed from a broken bottle’s jagged edge years ago. The effect was a sort of perpetual, roguish aloofness on her expression that was not at all intended.

"That's just Katrina's sense of humor, you'll get used to it," Revna said with a forced chuckle, giving her a playful thwack on the back of her thigh with the halberd's wooden haft. Of course, she was lying. Katrina had no sense of humor at all, or at least none she'd ever shared with Revna. Katrina was dead-serious, but Revna didn't think it would serve their mission to start off with pure pessimism. She hoped Katrina would get the message. Play nice.

Revna's innocuous question about the rest of the party did little to soothe any tension. In fact, she was shocked to see Osric lose his temper. She didn't hate it though. That anger could be useful if they ever had to fight, and Revna was really hoping they would. She couldn't imagine the devout man plunging a dagger into the heart of a ten foot tall demon, but it was fun to try painting the picture in her head. He stormed off to see to the wagon.

"Well done Katrina! You've managed to piss off a serene monk of the Holy Wisdom," Revna said in mock admiration, though truthfully she did find it amusing, reminding her why she drank with the vagabond in the first place. "He does have a point, though. If storming into Hell's gates with an army at your back worked, then none of this would have happened in the first place. Besides, do we really want every farmboy with a pitchfork stomping along with us? I think a small group is best."

She watched the monk as he disappeared into the stables before turning to Sage. "I am surprised you lover boy didn't tag along, though. What was his name? With the sad eyes? Hennik? I thought he'd follow you anywhere!" Revna said with a smirk. She remembered the man vaguely, always watching their sparring sessions from a distance from beneath his large hat. Handsome, in a sort of plain way. Revna had initially flattered herself by imagining he'd been watching her, but quickly concluded that he was smitten for Sage. Even if she didn't know it. "Well, perhaps the less the better," She concluded with a shrug.

Revna stepped towards a nearby field and let out a sharp, three-note whistle. The tall, swaying grass rustled, and a massive grey head rose from the yellow ocean. Her horse. The great beast came stepping towards them, carving his way through the field until he stood towering the party, snorting gently.

“Valdur! I was wondering where you’d been off to, my old friend,” Revna said as she ran her hand along his broad neck. She never bothered hitching him up, and the horse never strayed far from her. Haldor, her father, had told her never to do so. Horses were a noble breed, rare in their land, and should be left free to roam. Valdur in particular, he told her as a girl, was special. The steed of a great queen from Illskaheimr. Haldor had even learned the stallion’s true name, which according to their folklore, created a powerful bond between horse and rider. Revna was unsure if this was a children’s story or something more, but still kept Valdur’s true name a secret.

In truth though, Valdur was a draft horse, won in a drunken bet by her father. The only thing that set him apart from the average riding horse was his immense size and strength, best suited to pulling plows. She slid her halberd into the saddle’s side-sheath and went about double-checking her traveling gear, while listening closely to what her companions said.
Like some kind of barbaric herald, Revna's arrival on the scene was marked by the shattering of glass and a yelp of pain.

Sounds from the tavern could be heard from outside. A harsh, high laugh. Stinging exchanges in the heated air. Words said that could not be put right again. Wooden stools squeaking as patrons abruptly stood. Dull slaps, fists pounding against bodies. A syncopated symphony of grunts, insults, and bodies hitting the floor. Two shadows came into view of the tavern's front window, one upright and massive while the other hunched and staggering, obscured by thick glass with a green patina.

"Don't do it Revna! You're paying for it!"

A large man shot through the window accompanied by a crystalline explosion, flopping to the soft ground like a marionette with severed strings. The man's ears were cropped, some punishment for a crime in a past life, and his clothes were shredded and bloodied. He groaned.

"Quits?" A high, rasping voice called out from inside the tavern.

"Quits," The defenestrated man called out as he clawed at the ground to his hands and knees.

"You're smarter than you look, Algar. That's not saying much."

The tavern's door swung open and Revna ducked under the low frame as she tightened her sword belt with one arm while the the other held her halberd. She stood to her full height and stretched as she walked, loosening the tight muscles in her thick neck.

"Revna! You're paying for that!" The tavern owner called after her, now standing at the broken window.

"Just put it on my tab!" She shouted back. Revna turned back to survey the damage. Two of Algar's friends slowly emerged from the tavern, lethal-looking drunks reeling about with bleeding, red-rimmed eyes and skin turning various shades of black or blue. "I'd say same time next week, but I'm heading out of town for a while. Official Faith business, you know," Revna called to those in the tavern with a laugh. With a single look they fetched Algar from the ground and flared like quail back into the the tavern.

A nice warmup.


As Revna walked to the stables to check on her horse, she spotted Katrina, speaking with two others. She felt a trickle of warm blood running down her cheek from where Algar had punched her and sliced the flesh with that gaudy ring of his. The blow was already beginning to turn purple and shine. She wiped away the blood with the back of her hand as she spoke.

"And that's why I can't drink alone, Katrina; you usually scare those types off. You with your grim visage. Really, this is your fault," she gestured to the broken window. "I think they'll be lost wit-" Revna stopped mid sentence when she saw who Katrina was speaking with. Brother Osric was no surprise, but Sage she hadn't expected.

"Well well, come to wish your old sparring partner good luck?" Revna said as she approached the trio. "Honestly, I appreciate it, but you didn't have to come all this way." She knew it was no small task to leave the shop behind for any length of time, and it would have been easier to simply say goodbye in their village. Revna had dropped by to do so, in fact, but Sage had been nowhere to be seen.

Then she noticed her clothes. Leather and chainmail.

A slow smile crept across her face as she put the pieces together, her broad forager teeth stained with blood.

"Ach, I knew you couldn't stay away!" She planted her halberd into the ground and swept up the smaller woman in a friendly embrace. Revna smelled like leather, blood, sweat, and stale mead. Katrina, while good company under certain circumstances, wasn't exactly the type Revna looked forward to spending every waking moment with on the road. Sage, on the other hand, was a far better travelling companion in her eyes, and she was beyond relieved that her friend would be joining them. Revna sensed some tension between the two women of the party, having missed something, and did her best to diffuse it.

"Don't let her looks fool you, Katrina. She's a devil with that sword of hers. I should know." She pulled down the collar of her gambeson far enough to reveal a clean, straight scar that started just at her collarbone and descended down at angle down before disappearing under layers of cloth. Katrina had seen the scar before. She'd seen all of her scars. But they didn't exactly trade stories on war wounds, least of all Katrina, with her strange and swirling burns like brands. "Courtesy of Sage. Won't be making that mistake again anytime soon."

Revna turned her attention to the monk. "Brother Osik. May the Mother Above bless you," she said, bowing her head. The words sounded strange in her accent, as if her tongue was wrestling with the phrase. Truthfully, she didn't buy into any of The Faith or their gods, and certainly not The Mother. But it didn't hurt to say the words, or so her father had told her. Her gods wouldn't mind. She caught a glimpse of bundle of elegant daggers, and she grabbed a sheathed one without bothering to ask for an explanation. More steel could only be good, right? Revna thought as she ran the leather sheath through her belt. She studied the Osric’s saddlebags and casually rummaged through them, seeing just how much the church splurged on their expedition. There was a lot. Too much, by her estimation, for just them. Then again, Revna had never been in an expedition of this size, or even outside the Seven Villages since she had arrived, so she wasn’t entirely sure how much they’d need.

"So, where's the rest of us?" Revna asked she climbed down and leaned upon her poleaxe, looking around as if the rest of their party would be nearby.
Ok! Four hours later, here's a character. Unproofed, unedited for your enjoyment. I'll likely end up tweaking this further when it isn't THREE AM but these are the broad strokes. I took some liberties with the "Connections" and "Assembly Response" sections, so please pay careful attention to them to make sure that I established appropriate relationships with your characters and didn't step on any toes, or if you'd like to flesh our character's relations out further! Also, any feedback is appreciated. Now, to bed!

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