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The Dweomer of Akkad - [ A Fire Emblem-like RPG! ]

Zarif

A job well done, or perhaps not. Just as he began to put down his bow, he spotted something. Though the bulk of the fell-beasties lay defeated at their feet, out of the corner of his eye, Zarif could see one last creature turn the corner down the hall.

Zarif: "Hail, Ma-keen! Be careful, another lays in wait ahead!"
He shouts, pointing at the corner the Yeek had just rounded.

Not one to leave a job unfinished, Zarif kicked Salador into action, flying down the crumbling ancient hallway in a few bounds, bow drawn and at the ready. He stops right in front of the barred door. Hearing the withered voice, he looks into the room from Salador's back.

Zarif: "I know you not, but its seems to be your lucky day friend. Who... ah I see. You're one of Shůlaar's band, aren't you?"
He exclaims, giving a smile before glancing at the corner, getting ready for an attack.

_{Zarif rides 10 tiles to 13-11, right in front of the door}

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The Dweomer of Akkad - [ A Fire Emblem-like RPG! ]

A few Yeeks broke past Zarif and Siris, but their once formidable formation had faltered. Peaking down the corridor, the merchant's eyes locked hatefully with the Yeek Ensi, every fiber of his being wanted to charge right at it and drive a spear through its head. No, without any of its brood, theres nobody to use its magic on. Kill the bowman first.

It took a great deal of self control, but Zarif managed to ride past the other yeeks that had ran past him, and in front of the Skirmisher, one of the last of them. Do this, and there is no risks. Don't let someone else take an arrow because of your hunger for blood. After a quick deep breath, Zarif steadied himself, and drew his bow.

The shot wasn't perhaps as clean as his last one. He missed it's heart by just a hair. It staggered, and managed to send a mangled stick it called an arrow his way, leaving a shallow wound in his side. Zarif paid it no mind and sent another shot, this time, the creature didn't get back up.

Zarif rode down the hallway, and noticed what almost seemed to be an ancient, locked door. He also spied a large staircase, and briefly hoped that there would be no more of these Yeeks to come reinforce.

Zarif: "Hey, Ma-keen! There's a door this way! Come here!" He shouted, waving

_{Zarif rides 3 tiles to 25-15, attacks Blue Yeek Skirmisher #2 with his Bronze Short Bow, killing it, and taking 3 damage in return! Then moves 3 tile forward to 23-11}

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The Dweomer of Akkad - [ A Fire Emblem-like RPG! ]

The slight scrape left by the shambling creature stung Zarif in his arm, but it wasn't serious, just barley enough to break his clothes and skin. Finally, his allies had mostly made it to the ruins, and he briefly watched them effectively take down the Yeeks the merchant had charged past. A few of them crowded around him, Ashur, the small theif, Sirus, and the new recruit a little behind. Thankfully, that conjurer was still a ways behind them all.

Zarif: "Its still my spear, careful not to break it, else you've bought it" Zarif teased back at the boy, patting the over-sized long spear he had since strapped to Salador's side. He was just making fun of course, and he felt a slight pulse of pride seeing the boy take down the Yeek with military efficiency.

He glanced back down the corridor, at the formation of foes clogging the way. This could get brutal, a wall of foes, with archers behind... it was difficult to make it through that unscathed, and the enemy was already in formation besides. Something had to be done about those archers, lest they all gang up on one of the mercenaries. Zarif kicked the camel and charged down at the formation, and readied an arrow. The larger warriors largely blocked view of the skirmishers behind, but, for a split second, under one of their arms, he saw the archer, and let his arrow fly without even a moments hesitation. The arrow flew, and buried deep into one of the archer's eyes, and it fell on the stone floor, dead.

Turning mere feet from the Warrior's spearpoints, Zarif rode back into the alcove behind Sirus, satisfied with his shot.

_{Zarif rides 3 tiles to 25-14, attacks Blue Yeek Skirmisher #6 with his Bronze Short Bow, killing it with a critical hit! Then moves 4 tile forward to 23-16}

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The Dweomer of Akkad - [ A Fire Emblem-like RPG! ]

Surprisingly, none of the foul creatures went forth to attack Zarif, despite him wielding only his bow. Clearly, these creatures were not as bright as Zarif had given them credit. Still, it was all for the better, and though his strange words, that evoker of dark rituals had healed his leg to boot. Zarif let out a long sigh, now that most of the Yeeks outside had been routed, the rest ran hiding behind their crumbling walls.

Zarif:Looks like we dug you out of your hole, friend. The merchant gave a teasing smile, turned away, and shuttered. He had tried not to think about it before, as he was gearing for what he liked to think of as a daring charge, but now that he had a moment for things to sink in, he felt profoundly unnerved. He glanced over his shoulders at the hooded conjurer, half hidden by the broken stone wall a ways behind him. Too close... that speaker of fell words The traveler thought, shivering.

Both consciously, and subconsciously, Zarif did not like the man who called himself Iddin-ninshubur. Apart from his name being nearly impossible for Zarif's non-native tongue to pronounce, the merchant distrusted his magics and incantations. A shadow seemed to hang over him like some sort of phantom, and the fact that he had cast a spell upon Zarif, something he always tried so hard to avoid, tore at his mind. His homeland had no place for such casters of dark incantations and less for evoking strange gods. Such men were always cast out, for they often brought troubling times in their wake.

The boss always kept him around, always had, so there was nothing to be done but keep his distance. But these Yeeks too had their own evokers, and nobody would stop him from ridding the world of them. Without a second thought, Zarif kicked Salador and they road into the Ziggurat, aiming his arrow between the eyes of the fleeing fiend.

_{Zarif rides 9 tiles to 25-17, attacks Blue Yeek Ensi #1 with his Bronze Short Bow, then moves 1 tile forward to 25-16}

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The Dweomer of Akkad - [ A Fire Emblem-like RPG! ]

After helping his comrade up onto Salador's mighty back, the animal galloped past the crumbling walls to their reckless ally with determination. Zarif kicked the animal's side, and turned to his ally behind him, rolling his eyes.

Zarif: "New recruits"

The merchant smiled and shook his head, looking ahead again as Salador began to slow down as they made it to the small crumbling tower where their fool of a recruit was. He shuffled Sirius off the Camel's back and glanced at Etor.

Zarif: "Your recklessness is putting yourself and your allies at risk. You're on cleanup duty, for the foreseeable future" His hard glare softened after a moment, and he readied his bow. "You can hardly hold that heavy thing. Here, take my spear instead"

_{Zarif rescues Sirus, rides 10 tiles to 21-22, trades his Bronze Short Spear for Etor's Bronze Longspear, then places Sirus on 22-22}

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The Dweomer of Akkad - [ A Fire Emblem-like RPG! ]

Zarif readied his spear as the blue Yeek warrior charged forward at him, with an animistic rage. Perhaps they weren't as cunning as he had made them out to be after all. The merchant relaxed, he had done this plenty of times in his tour with the Hellions, from such a foe, he really didn't have anything to fear.

Suddenly, the foul creature was upon him, mere cubits away! Zarif, aghast, tried to bring his spear up in his own defense, but it was too late. His off hand felt his chest, wet and sticky with his own blood, the gnarled branch buried deep in his chest. It had all been so fast... there had to be some mistake.

Zarif:"N-no... How? To have traveled so far... only to die like this... dammit." He could feel himself sliding off Salador's back, falling slowly, as time itself had slowed until...

Zarif's eyes blinked open, he glanced around suddenly, confused. There was that foul creature again, still many paces away. He felt his chest, it was somehow intact. The merchant sighed and shook his head.

Zarif:"Must have dozed off again. What an unsettling daydream! Ah, what are the odds of something as far fetched as that anyway" The happy go lucky foreigner chuckled to himself, following the Yeek as it waddled forward, readying his spear. When it reached him, zarif was ready, and caved its skull in with two swift strikes. It's spear, a branch really, managed cut his Zarif's leg as it fell, but other than a little pain, the rider was mostly alright.

Zarif:"Better keep up the assult!" He told himself, the burning pain in his leg managing mostly to sharpen his scenes and wake him up a little. He strapped the spear to Salador's side as he kicked his companion lightly, and began to ride along the side of the wall, drawing his bow. After sending an arrow over the wall, he circles back, hoping to regroup with the rest of the company.

_{Zarif moves Seven tiles to 18-26, attacks Blue Yeek #1 with his short bow, and rides 3 tiles back to 15-26}

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The Dweomer of Akkad - [ A Fire Emblem-like RPG! ]

The two rode onward, widening the distance between them and the rest of their allies. Reckless as the move may have seemed to the others, Zarif wasn't always a fool. Salador's gallop slowed to a trot, a short ways behind an outcropping of old, crumbling limestone wall.

Zarif: See? That wasn't so bad, was it?

He looked back at the boy, trying to get a read on him, but struggled to read the expression. Gracefully, he helped the boy dismount, and Salador walked a few more paces towards the wall, glancing past the small gap to peak at the enemy positions.

Zarif: Lets wait here. Getting trapped in those walls could get the whole company torn to shreds. Back me up as we lure them out, the rest will support us by the time we start getting overwhelmed.

A much more serious tone fell over his words, and the happy-go-lucky expression was replaced with a much colder, more analytical one. Splitting everyone up like they were talking about wasn't something Zarif supported, but rather than argue, he figured he'd try and shape the opening play himself. If one group had pushed too quickly, they could have gotten overwhelmed or flanked. If one held back too long, they could have taken too long to support the others. This way, they'd all be able to push forward together, and mitigate the enemy's positional advantage.

Glancing at the nearest off-blue monstrosity, Zarif slid the spear tied to Salador's side, and readied it.

_{Salador moves 5 tiles to 14-23, equips his Bronze Short Spear, and places Etor on 14-24}

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The Dweomer of Akkad - [ A Fire Emblem-like RPG! ]

One by one, the mercenaries began their way towards the crumbling ziggurat, and the foul blue creatures within. Zarif stood still for a moment, thinking of how he should approach. Ideally, he wanted to ride ahead of them all, take down the bow-wielding Yeek, and circle back to the group. Trying to take positions while under fire like that was sure to spell disaster, but these cursed men were surprisingly nimble. The merchant doubted he would be able to take it out in one pass.

A few of his allies walked around Zarif, surrounding him as they made their way forward. Below him, Salador snorted loudly, which snapped the Merchant back to attention. He glanced around, spying the boy to his right, who seemed to have almost jumped out of his skin at the sound.
Zarif: It is not you. My friend here just doesn't like getting boxed in is all

The older man smiled, patting the back of the animal. The boy, Etor, was a new recruit, and young besides. With the captain away, the quartermaster should probably do his best to make him feel more comfortable.
Zarif: He doesn't bite! Here, I'll show you!

In one swift motion, Zarif reaches down and grabbes Etor by the straps of his breastplate, swinging him down in front of Salador's hump, chuckling under his breath.
Zarif:See? There is nothing to worry about! Let us ride!

_{Zarif uses the Rescue command on Etor, then Zarif and Etor move TEN tiles to 12-26.}

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The Dweomer of Akkad - [ A Fire Emblem-like RPG! ]

Zarif: The foreigner squinted at the ruins, eyes fixed on the strange blue-men hobbling around the flames. He could hear the others talking among themselves, and only half listened, he and his mount inching around the trees, his hands wrapped tightly around his bow. Their manner of walking, the foul stench, the bodies, the fell creatures of this land were deeply unsettling to Zarif.

Back home, a wyvern may be fierce beast indeed, but a beast is all it was. These cursed things... Zarif shuttered, turning back to the others. Ashür and that mystic were talking, probably each trying to pretend to be in charge. Of course, it was quite obvious to Zarif that he himself was the one trusted by the captain to take charge, but with those men who stood so close to the ground... the merchant wouldn't hurt their fragile pride.

He nodded and gave them both a smile that implied hearing far more than he really had. "Salador and I will press onwards to those trees up ahead" He explained, pointing to the small wood not far from the one they were in now. "From there, I'll take out the archer, and circle back to you all." Zarif smiled, twirling his shortbow around as Salidor slowly trotted around the small group

The Dweomer of Akkad - [ A Fire Emblem-like RPG! ]

Zarif

Merchant

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Level 3

_{-------STATISTICS------- -------MASTERIES-------}
| VIT -- 22 | 75% | BLADES -- E
| MGT -- 6 | 50% | POLEARMS -- D
| SKI -- 8 | 55% | AXES/BLUNT -- E
| SPD -- 9 | 55% | BOWS/RANGED -- C
| SRT -- 2 | 20% | THEURGY -- N/A
| MND -- 0 | 5% | MYSTICISM -- N/A
| LUK -- 5 | 40% |

Secondary Statistics
^{WGT -- ?
ACC -- ??
AVO -- ??
RES -- ??
CRT -- ??}

---

Traits:
<sup>- MOUNTED: This unit rides their favored mount, gaining +2 MVT, while being subject to mounted weapon restrictions as well as being disadvantaged by certain weapons and skills. Similarly, a mounted unit may spend whatever MVT remains to reposition directly after attacking. A mounted unit may dismount at anytime. While mounted, a character may use the 'rescue' command to carry another unit to safety.
- MOMENTUM: Character gain 1 MGT and 1 SPD for every 2 Tiles traversed towards a foe for the first attack of that combat.
- CELERITY: Movement +2.</sup>

---

Equipment & Magicks

• Bronze Short Spear
  
  • MIGHT | 3
  • ACCURACY | 80
  • WEIGHT | 3
  • CONDITION | 24/30
  • RANGE | 1
  • SPECIAL | NA
  • COST | 190

• Bronze Short Bow
  
  • MIGHT | 2
  • ACCURACY | 80
  • WEIGHT | 2
  • CONDITION | 18/30
  • RANGE | 2
  • SPECIAL | +5% Critical Rate, Cannot be used with shields
  • COST | 275

• Bronze Sling
  
  • MIGHT | 1
  • ACCURACY | 85
  • WEIGHT | 0
  • CONDITION | 10/10
  • RANGE | 2
  • SPECIAL | NA
  • COST | 60

• Bronze Crossbow
  
  • MIGHT | 5
  • ACCURACY | 90
  • WEIGHT | 7
  • CONDITION | 30/30
  • RANGE | 2
  • SPECIAL | NA
  • COST | 470

Possessions: Vulnerary (1/3), 190 AU

Bio

Personality/Appearance

Zarif is a man of 22 years and 7 moons, standing just under 6 feet tall, and never seen far from his Camel, Salador. With skin paler than most and strange clothing, Zarif is one who attracts a passing interest in some, and a scornful look from others. Not accustomed to the lands of Akkad or their strange gods, Zarif tends to appear bit naive about its ways and customs, though this is often a ploy used to lower people's guards to his cunning. Still a salesman at heart, Zarif always does his best to strike a good deal.

Backstory

Born in the distant lands beyond the endless desert to the west, Zarif was raised to be a Merchant like his father, and took to it quickly. When he was old enough, his father bought him his own Camel, and Zarif quickly bonded with the animal, whom he named Salador, and has been inseparable ever since.

Having heard stories of a mythical "Golden Land" beyond the desert, with cities paved with gold, armies so large that drank rivers dry, and a king who was both a god and a giant, Zarif joined a merchant caravan to cross the seemingly endless desert. After many moons, with the lands they had been traveling to, with the destination almost within grasp, the caravan was set upon by raiders. Nearly dead and robbed blind, a mercenary company crossed paths with the bloody scene, and managed to save Zarif and Salador. Trapped in this strange land, and with no way to return home, Zarif joined the company, and has been with them for 3 years.