Slamurai

Blood on the Sands: Azoth at War (Open!)

Since the Saliszi came from a single tribe of mountain folk, the Arakkai living there now predate the Saliszi empire.

Edit: @Aristo Perhaps the original Saliszi were exiled for their practice of human sacrifice by the other tribes of the Godsfang mountains.

@Nieszka

That's fine; I guess there could be numerous tribes of people that have called the Godsfangs their home.
Though it might be a stretch for the Saliszi to have been kicked out - as written in the OP history, they already had Soulsteel by the time they conquered the Rainland, which likely means they were the dominant power in the Godsfangs beforehand. That's open to interpretation, of course.

I'd imagine the Arakkai have lived under the shadow of the Salished since its founding, and either are too elusive or aren't worth the Empire's time to try and conquer.

Blood on the Sands: Azoth at War (Open!)

If Barsabbas spent any time in the Godsfangs at all, he probably had some interaction with the strong people that make that land their home.

@Nieszka

The Saliszis' ancestors came from the Godsfangs when they conquered the Rainlanders, so I wonder what the Saliszi think about other people living there now.

Blood on the Sands: Azoth at War (Open!)

Barsabbas, the "Phantom General"

Barsabbas wears armor and wields weapons of Soulsteel, crafted in the pits of the Claws by unknown means.

Barsabbas Ahsaz

Description:
Barsabbas commands the Firebrands, a rogue warband that operates from the north of the Red Desert. Once, Barsabbas was an esteemed Salished cavalry officer; now he operates independently under no jurisdiction but his own. Attempts by the Shashul to bring him to heel have met in failure, as his warband eludes capture between the Claws' twisted maze of rock. This notoriety has earned him the moniker of the “Phantom General.”

The theories as to why Barsabbas broke away from the Empire are many, but only he and a number of close confidants know the truth. Three years ago, Barsabbas journeyed into the Godsfang Mountains, the lands of the Saliszis' ancestors. He claimed to be led by visions of the Forge Gods, and took an entourage of six of his most trusted advisers with him on the journey. For months they disappeared from the public eye, until it was reported that a number of Barsabbas's ranks had deserted their posts, taking with them valuable Soulsteel ingots and weapons, and several of the smaller, mobile counterparts to the great Soul Forges.

Whether Barsabbas and his men communed with their hungry Forge Gods at the peak of the Godsfangs, or learned some awful truth from the Crone Wisdoms, or made a pact with another entity entirely, no one can be sure. All that can be said with some certainty is Barsabbas has the means to produce his own Soulsteel, without the fires of the true Soul Forges, and has the support of several desert tribes: Avanagashans and Varyonese.

Race: Human: Saliszi
Faction/Unit: The Firebrands
Location: The Claws

The Firebrands

Massed tribal cavalry makes up the core of the Firebrands' fighting force.

The Firebrands

Type: Warband
Faction/Unit: Loyal to Barsabbas
Description:
The Firebrands, as they have come to be called, were elements of the Salished war machine under Barsabbas's command. Many followed their commander as he went rogue, either out of personal loyalty or an intent to see his plans realized. They operate from the shadow of the Claws, having carved their domain out of the narrow passes and treacherous crags. This provides them with a natural defense and hiding place with which to undertake their machinations in secrecy.

Deep inside the Claws, one can sometimes see towers of smoke churning from the makeshift forges Barsabbas uses to craft his own Soulsteel. How he's managed to replicate the process without the holy Soul Forges is beyond the Salished's comprehension, but the weapons made in this manner are not a one-to-one match with those that emerge from the fires of the true forges. These are no less effective, but glow with baleful energies and are known to shriek as they kill. Attempts to follow the trail of the smoke to the Firebrands' whereabouts is a treacherous prospect, as booby traps and hidden fortifications are strewn throughout the passes.

From the Claws, Barsabbas stages raids on weaker factions to gain valuable supplies and offers the defeated a place under his banner. With every victory his losses are replenished with new bodies, yet he keeps his ranks compact enough to conceal and maneuver without great difficulty. Though the Firebrands retains a sizable core of cataphract cavalry, most of its numbers are light horsemen and skirmishers drawn from local tribes. Befitting of their leader's nickname, they appear suddenly, harrying their enemies from unexpected directions before picking off disorganized elements piecemeal. Then, they will steal away whatever assets and valuables they can find before vanishing as quickly as they arrived.

Heavily-armored cataphracts act as Barsabbas's elite soldiers.

Blood on the Sands: Azoth at War (Open!)

What are folks' thoughts on a discord channel? In my experience it can be helpful to talk stuff out in real time, but discord can become a bit of a distraction from IC posting.

@Flagg

This is pretty much my experience with Discord. Useful for collabs and hashing out ideas between players, but has the potential to draw too much attention from the writing itself.

Blood on the Sands: Azoth at War (Open!)

These guys

@Dead Cruiser

Skitarii! I almost started playing AdMech when I got into 8th edition.

Blood on the Sands: Azoth at War (Open!)

<Snipped quote by Aristo>

Both sides are welcome- sorry if that's not clear in the OP. Especially playing as Salished mercs, clients or vassals is fine.

@Flagg

Cool - I have an idea that could go a multitude of ways. I'm thinking about a character as sort of a foil or antihero counterpart to Daigon. He could be an exile, fugitive, or maybe an agent in Salished employ, leading a warband of cataphracts. They've carved out a sliver of the desert for themselves, allied with local tribes and peoples and have become something of a wildcard to the balance of power.

Under the scrutiny of the Salisheds and the hostility of the Drathans, they have no strong allies, save for the free peoples of the desert. Yet their leader's motives are known only to himself and a close circle. It's apparent they have the ear and the patronage of some Red God(s), but it remains to be seen what he does with that asset.

I'm hoping that whatever avenues open up for these guys, they have the opportunity to be both enemies and allies of the Coward's Men, depending on plot shenanigans.

Blood on the Sands: Azoth at War (Open!)

Hey, @Flagg! Long time no see.

Question for you: since it seems a major focus/POV of the RP is the Coward's Men, and they serve the Dratha, will the Salished be the defacto antagonist, or do you encourage players to take up both sides of the conflict?

Nevermind (Delete this please)

@Goldeagle1221

Aw man, I had no power since Wednesday; I didn't get to see what this was.

The Fall of Scorned [A Fantasy Adventure]

So I think I'm going to withdraw interest as a player, but I'll be watching the thread to see what happens. I'm not wholly confident in the level of commitment I can give right now. Best of luck to the RP!

The Fall of Scorned [A Fantasy Adventure]

Sorry for my radio silence over the past day. I'm still interested in the RP, though I have some catching up to do. Don't want to get to work on a CS without context, so I'll get up-to-speed in the IC, review the other chars and see about adding my own.