Rune_Alchemist

A New Day; Cozy Fantasy Village Life

ok, felt much better so have a post.

A New Day; Cozy Fantasy Village Life

*Yingmei Okudaira*

@Zeroth@CitrusArms@Remram@BunniesOfDoom@ERode@Xaltwind

---

Yingmei followed quietly along behind Akitsugu, unsure if she should speak. Should she make small talk? Say where she came from? Ask where he came from? They seemed dressed in similar manner, to be sure, and his name was as well. Was it bad to think they may have been from the same general region just because of those small similarities? Her thoughts soon would be drawn to the others, as they approached the square. She had seen many people on her travels. Elves, Dwarfs, all manner of humans so she wasn't too surprised to see such an eclectic group. More than anything, she was glad. She'd stand out less.

"Haeh?" She'd let out a little startled noise as the blacksmith glanced back towards her. Did she need to say something? Was she about to be thrust into introductions with everyone here? She didn't actually explain what she was doing here, did she? How should she introduce herself? Farmer? Former Priestess? One who was cursed by the gods to trip over flat ground when most inconvenient? It was a good thing others continued the conversation while she continued to use Akitsugu as a tactical social anxiety shield. If nothing else, it let her get her thoughts in order as she'd flip flop between listening to the others and not letting her own thoughts get away from her.

Most notably, she was interested in what that Bookish elf was talking about. Yingmei's eyes lingered on Myrr, a little curious. Her job at least was tangentially related to plants, right? Knowing plants and what would be edible and good for cultivating was definitely somewhat adjacent to what she was talking about right? Right. She could do this, work up the courage to say something -

"U-uhm! I'm a far-"

She was interrupted by a rather loud fellow speaking up not long after. Oh. That was fine. She took a few deep breaths. She could just let him finish and speak up after! No problem at all. She didn't really understand what he was talking about, but he was loud and excitable. She wished she had a sliver of his seeming confidence, as hers was only wavering the more people started talking and speaking among themselves. She felt like a rice plant that was getting blown away during a typhoon with how many people were talking.

Thankfully, it seemed she was just about to be given a small chance to finally introduce herself. She'd step forward, finally from out of behind Akitsugu. She was gripping the farming implement hard again.

"H-hello! Erm, Yingmei. That's me. Yingmei, I mean that's my name yes!" She'd manage to finally speak up after Niara. "I-If its fruits and veggies and cultivating things, w-well...I'm a farmer...kind of...I mean I am. N-never mind...ok...deep breaths Yingmei..." She'd take a few seconds to inhale, and then exhale. "Sorry...I'm...not really good at talking or b-being in large groups like this. B-but uhm! I have some seeds with me...a good portion of Rice, Potato, Wheat, and some Camellia seeds I could make into tea. If I can find a good plot of land I could get started soon. I think the land to the south looked fairly fertile." She paused for a few moments, seemingly done speaking before . "A-ah! I-if someone wants to come with me...or h-help me take a look around I wouldn't mind."

A New Day; Cozy Fantasy Village Life

might wait until tomorrow to post

Been feeling a bit not so great today. We'll see if i feel better by bed time.

A New Day; Cozy Fantasy Village Life

I'll be attempting to posty today

The Elder Scrolls: Before the Great War

Meen-La
Location: Weynon Priory

---

Meen-La, was so far, utterly unimpressed with the way these members of the Secrent Militia were behaving. Problem one - they hadn't even introduced themselves yet! Problem two, they were already discussing plans without a full scope of information on what they were doing. How many people they would be escorting, the scope of their supposed enemies. What to expect if things do go south. She would have expected the Legionnaire to at least take such considerations into his purview but it seemed as though she had thought much too highly of them.

Should be expected, she supposed. They couldn't catch her for ten years right in their own backyard.

Problem three, their so called plan was a pile of Wamasu Dung in her professional opinion.

"Mythic Dawn Remnants, reinforcements...do you want us to stick out like a Swamp Jelly in Elsweyr, lukiul?" She would turn her head towards the rest of those gathered. "I apologize for the harshness of my tone, my Kin, but as that one," She would lightly tilt her head in the direction of Sylruna. "People will need convincing, but a story built on nothing but lies will fall under the faintest of scrutiny. Do we have the means of appearing as merchants? Something like that can be investigated and found false very quickly? If they are already suspicious they will already likely be investigating us the moment we step into the city." Her voice took a slightly more playful tone as the edges of her lips curved into a small smile.

"Also, do we really have the luxury of spinning such plans when we hardly even know one another? So allow me to be the first. I am Meen-La. I'm sure some of you have heard of me, especially you, my lukiul Kin. She flashed the argonian Legionnaire a toothy grin. While I think planning things now when we do not have the full scope of information yet, If you'll allow me a moment to interject with this plan of yours, I would suggest something much simpler, more effective, and less open to scrutiny. Meen-La stood straight, gesturing with her hands as she spoke. "Our goals are two fold. Not only take care of the bandits, but also get into Bruma without trouble to escort these delegates, yes? So we split into two teams. I take a few of you with me and we go deal with the bandits in the area. The others go to Bruma...under the guise of hunting a recently escaped Criminal from the Imperial Dungeon. A certain Lizard known for being rather brutal - Me. Meen-La. You have intel that is where she ran, and you are looking for clues of her nearby. The Nords in the region will find less fault with such a plan, especially if you take Kiffar and one or two of our more combat capable friends."

A New Day; Cozy Fantasy Village Life

Yingmei's gonna look for a big open field near the edge of town that has good soil and is nowhere near the swamp. She probably can also help someone forage for plants and berries and stuff, if need be though someone will probably have to suggest it to her.

The Elder Scrolls: Before the Great War

Meen-La
Location: Weynon Priory

---

Honestly, she had no problem with what was happening. Her only regret was not dying in glorious battle and returning to the Hist or whatever those back home in Blackmarsh thought. The guards that had been used to escort her had long since unbound her shackles and left her with her gear. She had to wonder if they were naive or just that confident. Better for her, either way. She could just smash her way out, of that she had no doubt, but at the same time. A pardon, for her crimes? A more tempting offer than some may believe...but for now, Meen-La stayed quiet, eyes hidden behind her helmet as she'd observe those gathered, only half listening to whatever this holy woman was saying.

Her eyes, of course, were immediately drawn to the lukiul, dressed in what was obviously legionnaire armor. He wasn't sent to keep an eye on her was he? Didn't recall his face, either, so probably noone with a grudge. So just a normal legionnaire? She couldn't fathom the lukiul more than they could likely fathom the swamps back home. The others gathered didn't seem special or interesting in any way, truthfully. Except the Breton looking woman. Something about her intuition said that she might be fun to take in a duel despite the way she looked.

This opinion only changed when an...incredibly well built Khajiit was brought into the priory, being manhandled by guards no less.

"Hah." She couldn't help but to let out an audible chuckle at the sight. A Cathay-Raht. Not the first time shes seen one, but the first time she's seen one outside of Elsweyr. Maybe this group would have someone fun in it after all. Still, might as well get this underway. They were all to be allies for various reasons, and she was in no position to argue.

"Confessor," She would step a bit closer to the group, having mostly stayed off to the side as she observed. "I too, will take the blessing, if your Talos is willing." She would turn her head towards the Breton, the feathers on her headpiece swishing as she did so. "Forgive me for intruding, but that does not seem to matter. We will be mere escorts and whatever happens otherwise is none of our business. Is that correct, Confessor?"

The Elder Scrolls: Before the Great War

Lizard

Name:
Meen-Lah
Race:
Argonian
Appearance:
Meen-Lah is well, rather well built for what one may think of an Argonian. Standing at a Six foot one and often seen wearing heavy armor and seemingly wearing a skull of another Argonian of some sort as a helmet, Meen-La's horned appearance often gives one pause. Her scales trend towards a slightly brighter shade of green than average for her Argonian kin.

Age:
28

Skills

Heavy Armor (Expert)
Heavy armor. The only correct kind of armor. Allows one to be able to simply shrug of blows and weapons from most sources noticing it just about as much as one would notice a mosquito bite. What better way to simply just plow through ones foes?
Two-Handed(Expert)
Simple. Effective. Sure, smaller weapons may be faster, but speed can only do so much against something that is faster. As long as you can get in one good hit with a warhammer, why bother with anything else? She much prefers her warhammer.
Speech (Adept)
You don't lead a band of mercenaries and bandits without some way of being able to control them. Unexpectedly, Meen-Lah prefers not using intimidation and violence against those who are with her. It breeds nothing but contempt and fear only works so much. Building up loyalty and camaraderie works much better to her. She may not be charming the socks off of any imperial noble, but when it comes to leading or encouraging a small group of people? She's fairly good at it, she thinks. If all else fails, good old intimidation is always something to fall back on.
Archery(Adept)
Sometimes, discretion is the better part of valor. One learns to do many roles in a life as a mercenary and bandit. She's not the best archer in Cyrodill, but giving an opponent an opening volley can vastly increase ones success of victory in an engagement. Its easy enough to just drop the bow and grab the blade if close range is needed.
Block(Adept)
Mitigating damage so one can fight longer? Definitely. While she vastly prefers just plowing through attacks and letting them bounce off her armor, she isn't stupid. Sometimes using her weapon as a shield to deflect or parry is a good idea.
Smithing(Apprentice)
She's not a master smith by any means, but maintaining ones equipment is always a good idea lest it ends up failing you at a critical moment.
One-handed(Apprentice)
A back up weapon is always good. A simple longsword is hers.
Enchanting(Apprentice)
Most Argonians have an affinity for magic. Meen-Lah has never really picked up that habit. The only practical use she really picked up from her mother, was that of enchanting. While she can't really trap souls herself, she does know how to use soul gems and at least theoretically could enchant items and weapons if she has one.

Inventory

- Steel Armor
Armor that Meen-Lah has had for years. Its weathered and seen its fair share of battles. Its decorated in feathers and some broken parts have been replaced with trophies from her various endeavors across the years.
- Steel Warhammer.
Her trusty weapon. Its sturdy, lovingly taken care of but the head of the hammer is lightly stained red. Like her armor its decorated.
- Bone Helmet. Where this actually came from is a mystery, but she'll give you a story about how it was either her old nemesis, the incompetent leader of the first band of raiders she served with, or some other similar story. Its an authentic argonian skull, though so make of that what you will. It has numerous feathers and decorations on it, giving her the appearance of having both large horns and feathered hair when worn.
-Steel Bow and arrows: A bow made of good, sturdy steel. Doesnt see much use, but she has it.
-Steel Longsword: A sword she carries as a backup weapon. Like the bow, doesn't see much use.

Personality:
Meen-Lah is scarily well adjusted for a person whose business entirely revolves around murder, violence, and crime. She's not outwardly violent or blood thirsty, in fact one could call her surprisingly practical, well spoken, and level headed. While she certainly loves the rush of adrenaline battle gives her and never shies away from activities involving physical prowess, she has never once really let it cloud her judgement or chased that high. To do so would make her worse off for it. Shes friendly enough to others, and treats most people politely and with respect. So much so one would be hard pressed to find the first thought of her is hardened criminal. She spends her free time reading books, chatting away at a bar or somewhere with the locals regaling them with either exaggerated endeavors or just straight up lies.

This isn't to say she's a saint, however. Meen-La is something of a control freak and does not like it when others tell her what to do or attempt to question her authority, supposing she has it. Many newcomers in the group found themselves on the receiving end of her warhammer to be taught a harsh lesson about who was in charge many a time. This is only really kept in check by her knowing theres a time and place for everything as well as where she stands in the current pecking order so it shouldn't be too much to worry about, for now. To say nothing of her lack of care for killing, pillaging, and other criminal acts and her sometimes over eagerness and unbothered attitude towards fighting and more deplorable acts.

Bio:
Born in Blackmarsh, Meen-Lah was a fairly stereotypical Argonian for those that were born there. Her naming day came and passed, and she was like most argonians simply living in the present as those kin to the hist and the marsh do. Even so, Meen-Lah always had a particular penchant for getting into trouble. Notably getting into fights for no reason and when she was sixteen she quickly found her place among a group of Argonian raiders who had no trouble raiding Dunmeri lands even after the war supposedly ended.

This, was her first 'family' as it were. A rough group of Argonian roughnecks who raided, pillaged, and plundered for their own gain. She didn't have a problem with this, the only problem she really had, was that she wasn't the one doing the leading and they were all rather...incompetent. Over eager, perhaps was the word she'd use for them. She ended up rallying some of the others behind her and challenged the leader to either step down as their leader or die.

He choose poorly, and after a duel she'd end up taking his head, skinning it, and wearing his skull as her own helmet, decorating it with feathers and protective symbols.

She'd go on to lead this band across Cyrodill taking contracts, engaging in banditry of her own. She'd allow others inside her little group be they mer, man or beast so long as they respected her authority and pulled their weight.

Eventually though, after a good decade or there abouts, did the imperials finally catch up with her merry band. Her only regret, if she had one, is that she didn't die in battle. The damn imperials wanted her alive, for some reason. After languishing in prison for a few months, they approached with a particular offer. In return for serving this little group, she'd at least get some partial freedom and a pardon for her more...heinous crimes so she could avoid execution.

Thats one version of the story, anyways.

The thing with Meen-Lah is that every time you ask, some details change. Small things that make a lot of difference. Or she'll tell you something else entirely. It can be assumed there;s some truth to her talking about her history or her stories, but overall, its best to take them with a grain of salt. The broad strokes are true, though. She is a criminal, and has done some very bad things in her time.

The Elder Scrolls: Before the Great War

@Carantathraiel

As it says, she knows where she stands in the pecking order of things. She's fine with her position and understands its a little precarious if she steps out of line.

The Elder Scrolls: Before the Great War

@Letter Bee
Okaaaay, here she is.

Lemme know if there needs to be anything thats changed or you'd prefer just not having a more hardened criminal as part of the cast. Don't worry, she's not gonna get up to any nefarious shenanigans ICly, promise <3

Lizard

Name:
Meen-Lah
Race:
Argonian
Appearance:
Meen-Lah is well, rather well built for what one may think of an Argonian. Standing at a Six foot one and often seen wearing heavy armor and seemingly wearing a skull of another Argonian of some sort as a helmet, Meen-La's horned appearance often gives one pause. Her scales trend towards a slightly brighter shade of green than average for her Argonian kin.

Age:
28

Skills

Heavy Armor (Expert)
Heavy armor. The only correct kind of armor. Allows one to be able to simply shrug of blows and weapons from most sources noticing it just about as much as one would notice a mosquito bite. What better way to simply just plow through ones foes?
Two-Handed(Expert)
Simple. Effective. Sure, smaller weapons may be faster, but speed can only do so much against something that is faster. As long as you can get in one good hit with a warhammer, why bother with anything else? She much prefers her warhammer.
Speech (Adept)
You don't lead a band of mercenaries and bandits without some way of being able to control them. Unexpectedly, Meen-Lah prefers not using intimidation and violence against those who are with her. It breeds nothing but contempt and fear only works so much. Building up loyalty and camaraderie works much better to her. She may not be charming the socks off of any imperial noble, but when it comes to leading or encouraging a small group of people? She's fairly good at it, she thinks. If all else fails, good old intimidation is always something to fall back on.
Archery(Adept)
Sometimes, discretion is the better part of valor. One learns to do many roles in a life as a mercenary and bandit. She's not the best archer in Cyrodill, but giving an opponent an opening volley can vastly increase ones success of victory in an engagement. Its easy enough to just drop the bow and grab the blade if close range is needed.
Block(Adept)
Mitigating damage so one can fight longer? Definitely. While she vastly prefers just plowing through attacks and letting them bounce off her armor, she isn't stupid. Sometimes using her weapon as a shield to deflect or parry is a good idea.
Smithing(Apprentice)
She's not a master smith by any means, but maintaining ones equipment is always a good idea lest it ends up failing you at a critical moment.
One-handed(Apprentice)
A back up weapon is always good. A simple longsword is hers.
Enchanting(Apprentice)
Most Argonians have an affinity for magic. Meen-Lah has never really picked up that habit. The only practical use she really picked up from her mother, was that of enchanting. While she can't really trap souls herself, she does know how to use soul gems and at least theoretically could enchant items and weapons if she has one.

Inventory

- Steel Armor
Armor that Meen-Lah has had for years. Its weathered and seen its fair share of battles. Its decorated in feathers and some broken parts have been replaced with trophies from her various endeavors across the years.
- Steel Warhammer.
Her trusty weapon. Its sturdy, lovingly taken care of but the head of the hammer is lightly stained red. Like her armor its decorated.
- Bone Helmet. Where this actually came from is a mystery, but she'll give you a story about how it was either her old nemesis, the incompetent leader of the first band of raiders she served with, or some other similar story. Its an authentic argonian skull, though so make of that what you will. It has numerous feathers and decorations on it, giving her the appearance of having both large horns and feathered hair when worn.
-Steel Bow and arrows: A bow made of good, sturdy steel. Doesnt see much use, but she has it.
-Steel Longsword: A sword she carries as a backup weapon. Like the bow, doesn't see much use.

Personality:
Meen-Lah is scarily well adjusted for a person whose business entirely revolves around murder, violence, and crime. She's not outwardly violent or blood thirsty, in fact one could call her surprisingly practical, well spoken, and level headed. While she certainly loves the rush of adrenaline battle gives her and never shies away from activities involving physical prowess, she has never once really let it cloud her judgement or chased that high. To do so would make her worse off for it. Shes friendly enough to others, and treats most people politely and with respect. So much so one would be hard pressed to find the first thought of her is hardened criminal. She spends her free time reading books, chatting away at a bar or somewhere with the locals regaling them with either exaggerated endeavors or just straight up lies.

This isn't to say she's a saint, however. Meen-La is something of a control freak and does not like it when others tell her what to do or attempt to question her authority, supposing she has it. Many newcomers in the group found themselves on the receiving end of her warhammer to be taught a harsh lesson about who was in charge many a time. This is only really kept in check by her knowing theres a time and place for everything as well as where she stands in the current pecking order so it shouldn't be too much to worry about, for now. To say nothing of her lack of care for killing, pillaging, and other criminal acts and her sometimes over eagerness and unbothered attitude towards fighting and more deplorable acts.

Bio:
Born in Blackmarsh, Meen-Lah was a fairly stereotypical Argonian for those that were born there. Her naming day came and passed, and she was like most argonians simply living in the present as those kin to the hist and the marsh do. Even so, Meen-Lah always had a particular penchant for getting into trouble. Notably getting into fights for no reason and when she was sixteen she quickly found her place among a group of Argonian raiders who had no trouble raiding Dunmeri lands even after the war supposedly ended.

This, was her first 'family' as it were. A rough group of Argonian roughnecks who raided, pillaged, and plundered for their own gain. She didn't have a problem with this, the only problem she really had, was that she wasn't the one doing the leading and they were all rather...incompetent. Over eager, perhaps was the word she'd use for them. She ended up rallying some of the others behind her and challenged the leader to either step down as their leader or die.

He choose poorly, and after a duel she'd end up taking his head, skinning it, and wearing his skull as her own helmet, decorating it with feathers and protective symbols.

She'd go on to lead this band across Cyrodill taking contracts, engaging in banditry of her own. She'd allow others inside her little group be they mer, man or beast so long as they respected her authority and pulled their weight.

Eventually though, after a good decade or there abouts, did the imperials finally catch up with her merry band. Her only regret, if she had one, is that she didn't die in battle. The damn imperials wanted her alive, for some reason. After languishing in prison for a few months, they approached with a particular offer. In return for serving this little group, she'd at least get some partial freedom and a pardon for her more...heinous crimes so she could avoid execution.

Thats one version of the story, anyways.

The thing with Meen-Lah is that every time you ask, some details change. Small things that make a lot of difference. Or she'll tell you something else entirely. It can be assumed there;s some truth to her talking about her history or her stories, but overall, its best to take them with a grain of salt. The broad strokes are true, though. She is a criminal, and has done some very bad things in her time.