vietmyke

Orbis: The Liberation of Gyrland

Ingram Feng

---

Introductions were made and orders were dolled out. His was by and large the most simple: A straight run up the middle. To be fair, line breaking was what the Ogre was built for, and in these terrible weather conditions, it was better for him to charge right at the enemy than to get lost faffing about in the wings. A wall of bunkers was a simple problem, and a frontal assault was the simple solution to said problem, so Ingram had no complaints. Had he been in the commander's shoes, he too would've sent the Ogre down the middle. What remained to be seen was the efficacy of their flanks. The majority of their frames were lightweight and not suited to heavy return fire. If they couldn't wrap up their respective bunkers quickly, Ingram would quickly find himself outflanked.

The introduction of their resident AI was a bit of a surprise. AI weren't anything that Ingram had ever seen first hand, so being introduced to one a few short moments before their first mission set him on edge. He didn't really trust anything he couldn't manipulate with his own hands, and the thought of a machine reading all about them and their backgrounds wasn't exactly something he was a huge fan of. As far as the mission itself went, time would tell if it was an asset or a detriment to their operations, but Ingram would've preferred a heads up or a practice run with it first- who knew what would happen if it went on the fritz in the middle of a battle.

All of his thoughts were pushed to the side however as the hangar doors opened, opening up the inside of the crawler to the monsoon outside. The Ogre took a few trudging steps off the crawler before crashing into the water below, where it began its slow climb to the beach. As expected, he could barely see anything, even using his frame's combined sensors and detection suite, he could barely make out the outlines of the beach and bunkers through the chaos of the storm.

Pulling the Ogre up alongside the Cavalier, Ingram lined himself up with the central bunker- if all went to plan, he'd move straight to it and smash it before wheeling around on what defenses they had. He quickly checked his comms, so far everything was still steady and strong. A few adjustments to his controls, and the Ogre's manipulators pulled out a pair of its grenades from their storage containers. It didn't seem like they'd been spotted yet, but they still only had a limited amount of time to get the job done. It was times like these when Ingram wished they'd had more practice together, so they could strike as a team, instead of carefully gauging each other's aggression so as to not get closed in on when one of them ultimately overstretched.

Ingram looked up as he heard the voice of the twins and Rimau crackle across the comm network. Reaching out to trigger his own comms, Ingram reported in as well.

"Shikari. I've got a line on the central bunker. Best we all strike at once. Waiting on signal."

Final Fantasy: Lightseekers

Galahad Caradoc

---

It seemed like coffee was the order of the day, Galahad concluded as the others chimed in on the idea of visiting coffee shops. He couldn't lie, taking rest when it came was important, and it wasn't as though Galahad was partial to coffee himself- who knows when they'd be able to come back after all. They might die in Osprey, what with the Valheim out there. The opinions were varied, a few seemed excited at the idea, while others- like Leifur seemed less enthused. Galahad couldn't help but chuckle as the gruff viera commented on how the coffee shops here couldn't have been that different from one another.

"Well, Leifur, you'd be right and wrong about that." Galahad commented, "Since all of these shops are more or less in competition with each other, a lot of them will try to stand out from the crowd with all manner of gimmicks and novelties. Unfortunately, they often eschew quality in pursuit of said novelties. As a result, they all start feeling rather samey- they're tourist traps, really."

Glancing over at the coffee shop that Neve had pointed out, Galahad nodded approvingly. "It appears our Neve has an eye for quality," Galahad chuckled, "My local opinion says that the best shops are the homier ones, that don't try to wow you with Dragonscale infused beans or Cactaur-nettle blends- like this one."

The coffee shop in question, was a hospitable, if small little building, built mostly of faded brick and warm woods. A sign above the door noted the shop's name as "Mara & Malen's". Most of its seating consisted of outdoor seating, both outside the shop by the street, and on the second floor and its adjoining balcony. The main floor itself displayed itself mostly as a storefront. Low shelves and tables laden with freshly baked breads, cakes and pastries formed a small aisle that one could take a tray and walk through, picking out what they wanted before reaching the coffee bar and till. The coffee bar in question was a mess of grinders and coffee machines, with quaint menus and prices listed out on hand written boards on the wall.

A short, older mystrel woman with prominent grey streaks in her hair waved at them as Arton pulled the door open, the scent of fresh bread and coffee cutting clean through whatever stench was lining the streets. "Welcome to Mara & Malen's." The woman greeted warmly, "Ah! Lord Caradoc, what a pleasant surprise! Welcome, make yourself at home."

Galahad nodded and smiled faintly at the woman as he ducked beneath the admittedly low frame of the door, gesturing towards the rest of the party to enter as well. "Hello there Mara, I've brought a few companions with me today, go ahead and add them to my tab."

"I recommend the flan," Galahad commented to Arton idly as they waited for the rest of the party.

The Envenomed: Military Science Fiction Deniable Operations

ECHO DOMAIN - PLATFORM #2884

Echo came to a halt as the squad took what cover was available. The Warform continued to hunker in place, as the Endoform too hunkered nearby the rest of the squad. The interference it was noticing was messing with its effective 'vision', but the link between the myriad forms remained steady. Its scanners regarded the mangled vrexul corpses before them. In some ways, the Vrexul and Unztadtlige had a sort of unspoken rivalry about them, filling many of the same roles only differing in biological versus mechanical. But, even if such a rivalry existed, these specific vrexul were allies, and whatever had taken them out, were capable of posing a threat to even Echo's durable armor.

As one of the Microforms felt the infrared lasers mark its position, it continued to maintain its course, as to not alert whoever was targeting it. If Echo showed them that it knew it was being targeted, that might set the trap off then and there. So long as Echo maintained the equivalence of being unaware, the unknowns might wait a moment longer before engaging. The other drone began to slowly return to the piles of rubble, searching for cover while maintaining the appearance of scouting.

The next step was to use the angle of the laser painting Echo's microform to trace it back to potential target locations, the main platform quickly running calculations as the marked drone continued to play dumb. The Endoform hunched down, switching to vocal communications to avoid interception, though keeping the voice low enough to prevent prying ears.

Caution advised. Unknown target has marked Microform 02: Attempting deception. Attempting trace. Warning. Unknown frequencies detected within Vrexul corpses. Recommendation: Avoid Approach.

Once Echo had managed to trace back the laser to its possible origin, the platform would attempt to extrapolate other possible angles of attack and relay all of that information into the squad net, marking the locations on the HUDs of its team.

Final Fantasy: Lightseekers

Galahad Caradoc

---

Midgar. Tall, dirty, home. The city itself didn't look too different than when Galahad left it the week prior: Roads switched between dirt and paved with little rhyme or reason, and neon signs buzzed faintly as they hung above stores, bars and coffeeshops. Chocobos and wagons clattered and splashed down wide thoroughfares, muddy roads too busy to be closed down long enough to repave. Factories far along the outskirts belched thick black smoke up into the air, coal for power, and steel for forges mined and smelted in great quantities to feed the needs of a city and its nation. It lacked the pristine and clean look of Balmung, and despite being a major city still looked like more of a backwater than the notable hub that it was.

More than one pair of eyes noticed the dragoon as he and his compatriots as they hitched their animals. More soldiers walked around the streets than Galahad expected, perhaps blightbeasts have been becoming more common since he left. Still, there was signs of life about the city, which Galahad was thankful for. A busker with a gravelly bass voice strummed a slightly out of tune instrument on the side of the road, while patrons of a coffee shop nearby made casual conversation over drinks, which mixed with the blare of a jukebox out of a bar and the general din of a crowd going about their afternoon.

Galahad looked over as Izayoi brought him out of his reverie, making it clear that they should avoid using her given name. A fair enough thought- though few would have recognized her face at this point, most of the soldiery would remember the name, or one of her other nicknames. Even if she was their ally for the moment, Galahad doubted it would to much to settle the nerves of anyone that recognized her.

"I'd prefer not to spend more time in Midgar than we have to," Galahad admitted, "But I should report to my father what has happened in Balmung. He'll be able to restock our supplies, and change out our birds for less noticeable ones."

"As far as lodging, my family owns a hunting lodge near the outskirts of the city. It used to be where the Dragoons assembled before dragon hunts, but its the 'off' season, as most dragons don't return until the warmer months. Plus, since the war we've not had the numbers, so its more or less empty these days." Galahad offered, "Best place to avoid prying eyes and ears, though there are several inns along the main road if anyone fancies that more."

Pulling his helmet off and shaking his head, Galahad's face scrunched at the smells of the city- an entirely normal reaction to one entering the city of industry, even for a Midgar native. Even just the week away from home was long enough for him to forget the earthy smells of the city.

"Don't ask me for a tour, but here's as good of a place as any if anyone needs arms and armor to be repaired or obtained. We're not here to sight see, but Midgar is known for its coffee shops.

Orbis: The Liberation of Gyrland

Ingram Feng

---

Despite the choppiness of the ride over here, Ingram found himself right at home in the middle of all the chaos, a point of calm in an otherwise turbulent storm. He sat on the lip of his frame's open cockpit, idly watching the people below him scramble across the rumbling hangar floor like a colony of ants preparing for war- which wasn't too far off what was actually happening. A flask of something strong dangled loosely in one hand as the other gripped a fat cigar- rolled with a blended cocktail of tobacco and medicinal drugs, meant to keep his body from rejecting the extensive cybernetic augmentation that took up the left side of his body. His body seemingly absorbed the shock of the Crawler hitting the sandbar without so much as a reactionary jump, idly puffing away at his cigar- his own pre-op ritual to keep things in check.

This massive mobile base was to be their new home for the foreseeable future, a far call from the caravan of camo-net covered supply trucks and light vehicles he had been used to. It was armored, air tight, and seemingly amphibious, and about as secure as any fortress on wheels could be. Ingram had half a thought to wonder where tech like this came from- it certainly might've put a stop to the Empire from invading his home. Ingram snorted as he caught himself, home. Technically he was a Ruzi, born and bred, despite having given up the Ruziyane colors for Gyrland more than a decade ago now. It didn't stop some of the Vinlanders here from looking at him like a turncoat, at least most of the Gyrland crew treated him more or less like one of their own.

Ingram's thoughts paused as he glanced down at a communicator on the floor of the cockpit, steadily lighting up with a stream of constant updates from his daughter. Especially with the hangar this busy, Ingram had banned Amanda from coming into it, for fear of her being crushed underfoot by one of the mechs or crates as people ran back and forth. Instead, Amanda made herself useful in the medbay, aiding in the meticulously counting and taking their supplies from the relative safety of an office. Though it didn't stop her from sending a string of messages to her father in the meanwhile. Ingram idly touched the golden band on his ring finger, was it foolish to bring Amanda with him on the Crawler? It was possible they all died here, and the thought of the machine being her tomb wasn't a thought that Ingram enjoyed, but not for nothing, Ingram still didn't exactly trust the Vinlanders, and certainly not enough to leave his daughter in their care while he fought a war for them.

Looking up as Commander Kaas' voice cut through the din, Ingram nodded, as he shifted from the lip of the open cockpit of the Ogre and back into the saddle, slamming a button on the side to seal himself within the dark cocoon. The interior of the machine lit up shortly afterwards as it began powering up, the walls of the cockpit lighting up as they began to display his surroundings. The Ogre was not a revolutionary machine by any stretch of the imagination, nor was it designed to be. The Ogre was rugged, tough and ugly, meant to replace both the Homeguard Gryphon and Werewolf once production was fully online. Ingram was just the first among those to test the frame in battle. Settling in his seat, Ingram buckled in and pulled on his helmet, opening the visor just long enough to stick his cigar inbetween his lips.

> Confirming Pilot Assignment: Ingram Feng_
> ...Pilot Confirmed
> Initializing systems...

> Reactor Unit: Online_
> Targeting Systems: Online_
> Weapon Systems: Online_

> All Calibrations Complete_
> All Systems Nominal_
> Standby for Launch

"This is Feng." Ingram reported across the squadwide comm between puffs of his cigar, his voice a unique gravelly mix of Gyrland and Ruzi accents, "Green, green, green, Ogre is ready."

Ingram listened to the chatter as the Commander publicly dressed down one of the pilots- Royce, one of their younger pilots, and green as grass, not that anyone else here were really veteran pilots- some smattering of experience between the lot of them. For ingram's part, most of his experience in warfare was on foot as well, though one might argue that infantry tactics would work okay for Frames too, just on a larger scale.

"Sleep is a luxury in guerrilla operations." Ingram commented, speaking from personal experience, "Take it when you can get it."

"Jackson. Cassandra." Ingram called out through the comms again, "Which one of you is Cardinal 'One' and which one is 'Two'? Need to make sure I'm calling the right one when we make contact."

Harold's Academy for the Magically Inclined

Leah's thoughts and opinions on some of her classmates- in order of post on the char tab. For my own sanity, I'm just gonna tackle characters and npcs there 😅

Leah's internal monologue

• Petyr Nostradé - School pretty boy. Very easy on the eyes, but I haven't talked to him much. Not a big fan of that crew he's gotten himself involved in...
• Anastasia Arslan - I know what you're thinking. No, she's not related to Harold. Yes, it is a little funny that we're friends. Not quite sure if it's irony, but we get along quite well. She's warm, she's smart, has a good work ethic, and we work quite well together. I'm proud to call her a friend.
• Kaspaan Mustaven - A new regular in the dueling room. A bit headstrong, and warmer than his gift would suggest. A good enough head on his shoulders, if a bit reckless, but not a bad kid.
• Lhoren Faith Ashdale - A sweet girl, my age but an underclassman by year. Some people aren't a huge fan of her gift, and admittedly sometimes I'd rather not have my mind read... But hey, she seems to have good intentions, and we psychiccers gotta stick together right?
• Myrion Stevar - I don't really want to talk about him... We're not as close as we used to be. He's not a bad guy, no, quite the opposite in fact... I just... I don't want to talk about it. Let's just leave it at.
• Raffaella Struna - Small, quiet, sweet. Another fellow psychiccer. What's that about a tier list? No, I didn't ask her to do 'recon' for me, is that really relevant? Anyway, she's a sweet girl. Don't you dare fuck with her, or I might just forget to hold back next time we're in the dueling arena.
• Primrose Greenleigh - We don't exactly run in the same circles- not in a bad way, but she seems more concerned with animals and plants than people. She's smart though, would make a good study buddy.
• Fasha Sumbul - Strange girl. I shouldn't like her... But I do..? Doesn't help that people get us mixed up sometimes, I mean come on, blue hair isn't that uncommon right? Plus her hair is a sky blue... Mine is more... Aqua...
• Emmelynne 'Melle' Starbuck - Sometimes I can't shake the feeling that I'm going to be like her in a few years. Nothing against Melle, but well... It's a bit scary.
• Walter Ozwyrd - a bit of a troublemaker. Maybe a few more years in the academy will straighten him out. Well, he's not in my house, so that's someone else's horse.
• Lisa Goldheart - The only person that can keep up with me in the dueling arena, though more often than not I feel like I'm trying to keep up with her. I think we're 11 and 10 right now. The other half of "Eusebia's powerhouse duo". I wish I had abs like that. Outside of that, we get along pretty well.
• Sylvia Copeland - Another troublemaker. She doesn't seem malicious at the very least, and it's hard to hate anyone that loves Caits like she does. It's hard to stay mad at her, but with the amount of trouble she causes, well I'm just glad she's not in my house.
• Corrine Marchesi - Smart and reliable, if a bit eccentric. Especially in my field going into the future, having someone around with her expertise is plenty useful. A good sparring partner too- I should ask her to take a look at my gauntlets at some point.
• Manny Ryi - Another troublemaker. She seems friendly enough, but perhaps a bit of a headache to deal with all the time. All of this from a first year to boot. I know freshmen tend to be troublesome, but this is just a bit ridiculous.
• Taegan “Tae” Granlock - Granlock. Yes, it's a name I'm familiar with. Yes, they're all like that. My father's familiar with them, my grandfather's familiar with them. I'm sure in time, once I graduate I'll probably end up working for them. Tae's a snob, and while I don't have anything against them personally, I don't quite care much for the way they glare at Ana.

Final Fantasy: Lightseekers

Galahad Caradoc

---

(The night before)

Finding a place to camp out wasn’t too difficult, after a while the sea of grasses became just that- a sea. It was easy for a group as small as theirs to disappear in such a vast area. They’d found a particularly tall portion of grasses, high enough to cover the top of the wagon, before cutting out a small clearing for them to actually rest in. The tall blades of the emerald grasses could be folded to supplement their cots, and could be cleaned and used as rudimentary bandages, or, if Galahad had any talent for it, be used to be weaved into baskets and the like.

A fire would’ve been good for morale, but the smoke would allow anyone to spot them from miles away in the cloudless night, and so Team Kirin ate their meal in the relative darkness of the night, save for a lantern hooked to the front of the wagon itself. They’d have to put it out before they began their rest for the night, but at least for the moment, the light was a welcome reprieve from the darkness.

Looking up from the bits of his meal, Izayoi had already began to ask about watch. Their group was small, and everyone needed adequate sleep to perform properly, but especially out in the wilderness, night watch was a common task. Before Galahad could reply, Neve interjected, asking to check his wounds. Galahad’s first instinct was to decline, but he winced as he looked down at his arm. He’d managed to bind them with bandages during their travel, but he hadn’t had the time to actually get them treated- and who knew what kind of wounds a blightbeast could leave. Even if he was fine now, he needed to be at 100% if he was going to do anything properly for the party.

”I’ll take first watch.” Galahad informed Izayoi, and the party at large, ”It seems I’ll be up for a bit longer anyway,” he reasoned. ”Our group is small, 4 watches of 2 hours each should give everyone an adequate amount of rest.”

With Neve approaching, Galahad grabbed his bedroll from the pack and laid it out on the dirt so she would have a place to sit. Prying off his armguard, Galahad undid the bandage and squinted at his wound, angry purple marks formed wide arcs on the his skin- it was lucky he was wearing armor, or he’d have lost the arm.

”Sorry to have provided you with more work,” Galahad apologized to the white mage, with a faint, rueful smile, ”Thank you.”

Neve sat down on the bedroll quietly as Galahad removed his armguard. Humming, she leaned close to look over the wound with fresh eyes and without the worry of being swarmed a second time. She reached out to feel the wound with gentle fingers, seeking any sign of fever or abnormal pain. Fortunately for him, an infection hadn’t set in. She let out a sigh of relief before she settled more comfortably on the fabric and raised her staff slightly.

The Cure spell’s glow was enough to fill the space between them in a gentle light as discolored skin began to fade away. ”No need to thank me. It’s my job,” she said without looking up. ”Which means that you don’t have to apologize, either.”

"Well, thank you anyway ." Galahad insisted, a bit teasingly. What discomfort was on his face quickly melted away as the wound closed up, the tall dragoon seemingly surprised by the soothing nature of the spell.

"Good as new." Galahad mused, examining the arm himself for a short moment. Had he not been staring at the wound the moment prior, it's quite possible he'd never even notice it. The only remaining sign that Galahad had been hurt was the small punctures in his arm guard. Out from his side, he pulled out a skin of sweet honeyed mead- some of his own personal stock instead of a part of the rations Leonhart had sent along with them. He took a short sip of it before handing the skin to the young white mage.

"Don't tell anyone else." the dragoon chuckled lightly with a wink, "I'm not keen on sharing. Not with everyone anyway."

She was more than relieved to see that the gaping wound healed without much trouble. Neve lowered her staff and drew in a breath as she raised her hand to tuck a wild strand of hair behind her ear. That was one person taken care of… she nodded her head and made to leave before she was interrupted by Galahad’s kind gesture. Already, she could smell the familiar aroma of honey mead.

Neve’s smile grew softer as she accepted the skin and tipped the opening against her lips. As she drank deep, its sweet flavor flooded her senses and made the load on her shoulders grow lighter. It wasn’t long before she held out the skin back to him as her eyes warmly met his. ”You’re too kind to offer me what little mead you have left,” she murmured. ”But thank you. I haven’t had such sweet honey mead since I left Brightlam.”

”I think sealing a hole in my arm is a fair price for it,” Galahad chuckled lightly, returning the leather skin to its spot on his pack. ”I can restock once we get to Midgar, my family owns an apiary- I’m sure they won’t mind sparing a cask, given the gravity of what we’re setting out to do.”

”Brightlam?”, Galahad asked curiously, ”You’re from Drana Asnaeu then? I think you’re the first person I’ve actually spoken to from there.”

“You’re a long way from home then- though I suppose that could be said for many of us.”

The thought of having such a sweet concoction readily available during their travels was… oddly soothing. Neve didn’t like drinking much, but the sweetness and light flavor of the mead was enough to convince her to sip deep from a flagon. ”Yes, I’ve come quite a ways from home. I was sent by the Grovemasters to help find the cause of the Blight and to tend to it.” She lowered her eyes. ”You must miss home as much as I do. I can only hope our journey isn’t too long and we’re all able to return safely.”

”I feel a little guilty, honestly.” Galahad chuckled bitterly, ”Everyone else here is leaving their homes, yet here we are, marching towards my own.”

The irony wasn’t lost on him, Galahad wondered if anyone felt as though it was unfair, that the first stop in their journey was in fact Galahad’s home town, still more or less safe from the greater ravages of the blight, while their own homes may have been struggling or already lost. Would they think he was entitled or spoiled? Perhaps it didn’t help that of everyone here, Galahad was probably one of the few, if only that didn’t want to return home yet.

”I’m from Midgar, my father rules the city.” Galahad explained, ”I suppose that means I’ll be home sooner than expected. Not expecting much of a homecoming though- my father’s been a bit distant since the war.”

“On the bright side, we shouldn’t expect any issues with cooperation or obtaining supplies.” Galahad chuckled, ”Nobility has at least a few perks.”

Neve had almost forgotten that Galahad was of noble-blood. For a moment, she felt anxiety trickle through her in response, but she swallowed the hard lump in her throat and drowned the sensation with another sip of honey mead. It didn’t seem that Galahad was too keen on seeing his father again… with their luck, maybe they wouldn’t have to come across him directly. Then again, things were hardly ever that simple. She could only hope his father was easy to get along with, even if he was as aloof as Galahad warned he was.

For the first time since her departure from the castle, Neve gave Galahad a genuine smile. ”You’ll have to tell me how that’s like when you have the time. Being a noble, and all.”

”Well, what's the point of having perks of I'm not going to share?" Galahad grinned, a bit of the warmth returning to his voice. "Other than that, the bureaucracy can be draining. The Gardens are nice though- perhaps if we're not too busy saving the world I can show you."

Reaching out, Galahad lightly patted the top of Neve's head, "In the meanwhile, you should get some rest. Pardon me if I'm being presumptuous, but you look exhausted."

Taking his skin back, Galahad took a small sip of his own before putting it away, chuckling with some measure of amusement in how little was left. He shrugged and stood up, escorting Neve the few feet back to her own bedroll.

"Goodnight, Neve."

Galahad wasn’t wrong. Even as he spoke, she could feel her eyes drooping– she was so tired that she couldn’t even muster much of a reaction when he patted her head. As Neve’s mind slowly became muddled with visions of fabulous gardens, she allowed herself to be guided to her bedroll. Yawning, she hunkered down, slipped inside, and pulled the sheets over her to guard herself from the chill of the night.

”Goodnight, Galahad. Get enough rest.” She yawned once more before she drifted off into sleep.

Orbis: The Liberation of Gyrland

Dossier: Ingram

Feng, Ingram

Name: Feng, Ingram
Age: 38
Gender: Male
Callsign: Shikari

Personality:
Cool and level headed, yet confident and daring, Ingram is a the personification of a career soldier. Possessing a general dry wit and humor, Ingram is fairly friendly if a bit sarcastic, though not the most outspoken. Gruff and tough, Ingram doesn't spare much time for fools, and can generally be relied on to be professional and have his head in the game while on the job. Though generally a calm and kind giant, Ingram isn't without a temper, and when properly riled up can be quite intimidating. Ingram has a soft spot for children and those inversely affected by the war.


Background:
Ingram hails from the Eastern Avrupan monarchy of Rassvet, one of the original conquests by the Empire of Ruziyane when they took control of Eastern Avrupa. The youngest of four, Ingram was the only one of his siblings that survived the end of the Ruziyane invasion some 25 years ago. Though there were plenty of growing pains, Rassvet was quickly integrated into the Ruziyanian Hegemony shortly after its conquest. As a part of its obligations to prove its 'loyalty' to the greater Imperium, Rassvet, like many of the Avrupan conquests began to conscript its men and women into the Imperial Army, entire villages worth of able bodied men and women taken to Imperial training centers to be distributed across its many active army units to further the Empire's growing war machine.

As one such conscript, Ingram joined the Imperial Army at the age of 18, and after a period of training and indoctrination was integrated into the 281st Imperial Mechanized Regiment, as infantry support for their fledgling Battle-frame corps. Over the next 7 years, Ingram participated in more engagements than he can remember, fighting for the empire as they claimed territory after territory, first as conquerors, then as occupiers putting down insurrection after insurrection as they cropped up. As a part of an Imperial battle-frame unit, Ingram also participated in raids and border skirmishes against small nations along the border of the Empire, as well as the neighboring kingdom of Gyrland. It was during one of these border skirmishes that the course of Ingram's life would change drastically.

On one fateful skirmish against the forces of Gyrland, the armored vehicle Ingram crewed was destroyed and he was tossed from the wreckage. After dragging himself through a stretch of frozen woods, Ingram collapsed from his injuries, where he was found and subsequently captured by a small group of Gyrland irregular militia, armed fighters that fought on behalf of their homeland, but were not organized along with regular army units. His wounds were treated and he was thoroughly interrogated for information, where it came to be known that as a conscript, Ingram didn't know a whole lot about the higher level movements of the Imperial army. Ingram would spend the next several months as a prisoner of the militia, advising them on Imperial tactics and strategy, at least at a small unit level. His knowledge of Imperial tactics however proved valuable, at least for the purposes of countering the current border conflict between the two nations.

In his short time with the Gyrland irregulars, Ingram came to question his already shaky loyalties towards the Empire, and subsequently after the Imperial army pulled back without any attempt to trade or retrieve prisoners, Ingram defected from the Imperial military and joined his Gyrland captors. For his assistance in the conflict, Ingram was taken in by Gyrland, and given a partial pardon for his crimes. His former captors became his comrades in arms, and Ingram would serve alongside them in defensive skirmishes against Imperial aggression.

During his time with the Gyrland Irregulars, Ingram grew close to one- a logistics officer named Sara Lin, and the two would marry soon after. Not long after, the two welcomed a daughter into the world, Amanda Lin-Feng. Stepping back from active duty, the family would settle into the supply train of the Gyrland Irregulars, Ingram and Sara acting as less combative- but intrinsically important second line logistics and support staff as they raised their daughter in the relative safety of the back line. The two planned to serve the Irregulars for a few more years until they had enough money to retire to a small plot of land in Gyrland.

A year later, Ruziyane invaded Gyrland.

Pitched fighting ruined any and all of Ingram and Sara's plans to retire, as the full might of the Empire came to bear on the frozen nation of Gyrland. Over the course of this conflict, the Gyrland Irregulars would come into regular contact with the Imperial army, and despite its best efforts would crack and buckle beneath the sheer weight of overwhelming enemy forces. The Irregulars were reduced to practically nothing, worn down underneath a deluge of enemy fire until they were no longer fighting effective. A particularly vicious attack on the Irregular's supply lines would grievously wound Ingram, and result in the death of his wife.

Hurt and angry, Ingram was approached by representatives of the Phantom Brigade- a legendary special operations unit seeking to replenish its forces to take the fight to the Empire. Ingram accepted without hesitation and was sent to Vinland to receive expedited battle-frame training. In part due to his familiarity with infantry and mechanized tactics, Ingram took to training well, and was among those deployed back to Gyrland to liberate it, alongside a host of others like him. Armed with experimental weapons and a bone to pick, Ingram marches against the Empire with a cold fury fitting of a Gyrlander.
Extra:
Amanda 'Cub' Feng - Ingram's 12 year old daughter, currently stationed on board the Phantom Brigade Crawler. Despite having spent most of her childhood ducking bombs and marching across destroyed battlefields, Amanda remains an ever bright and upbeat child. Relatively independent, and endlessly curious, Amanda can be seen wandering around the Crawler near constantly, at least when she isn't assisting the Phantom Brigade's supply officer. Despite her age, Amanda is surprisingly good with mathematics and statistics, making her an asset for the logistics corps.

OGR-0012 Ogre

Designation: OGR-0012 Ogre
Role: Assault
Weight Class: Heavy
Description:
A heavy duty battle frame designed for drawn out conflict, often times away from regular supply, the Ogre is extremely durable and surprisingly mobile given its size and armor, though its top speed is lacking compared to lighter models. Designed to be the spearhead of an advance, the Ogre is capable of engaging at medium ranges, though is most effective in close quarters, where its bulk and melee weapon systems can be brought to bear. A high output Therranite reactor provides a high enough power to weight ratio to grant it considerable agility in close quarters, and its heavy armor atop a reinforced skeleton allows it to handle considerable amounts of damage before needing to fall back for repairs. Maintenance for this machine is relatively easy, and its heavy suspension allows extra armor to more or less be bolted on as necessary.

While rugged and reliable, the Ogre has difficulty keeping track of targets outside medium ranges without assistance, and lacks significant indirect or precision fire capabilities. While a danger to infantry due to its nature as a battle-frame, the Ogre also carries minimal anti-infantry and point defense weapon systems.

Primary Systems:

• 'Beserker' Anti-Mech Close Combat Weapon System - The Beserker Anti-Mech system is a melee weapons platform reminiscent of a spiked kanabo or maul. While capable of being used in a single hand, an extending handle allows it to be used in two hands, granting it improved reach and mobility. A heavy and devastating weapon, a single well aimed hit to the cockpit from this glorified club is often capable of outright destroying a battle frame, or at the very least incapacitating the pilot inside from the blunt force impact. The mass of the weapon makes it equally capable of damaging enemy weapons and communication systems, or crippling it's mobility with a leg or arm hit. Simple, yet effective, so long as the user can get into range. When not in use, the weapon is stored in a sheath attached to the shield.

Secondary Systems:

• V90c 30mm Short Barrelled Autocannon - A general purpose 'carbine' styled compact autocannon in use by the Gyrland Homeguard, the V90c fires 30mm armor piercing incendiary shells from a 100 round box magazine. The V90 has a semi-automatic, 2-round burst, and fully automatic fire modes, and has a fire rate of 600 RPM. Up to 4 additional magazines are stored in compartments in the Ogre's legs. The V90c is effective at most engagement ranges, though its compact and lightweight nature reduces the accuracy of automatic fire at range. The carbine is stored in a folded state behind the back.
• Composite Combat Shield - A composite shield regularly used by Homeguard forces. It provides directional defense from ballistic weapons, and can absorb a decent amount of concentrated weapons fire. Mounted on an independent arm attached to the forearm of the Ogre, and has presets allowing a user to shift or reorient the position of the shield on the arm.
• Battle-Frame Combat Knife - An emergency close quarter weapon. Does exactly what one would expect a battle-frame sized knife to do. Can be mounted on the autocannon to act as a bayonet.
• Countermeasure System - a standard Countermeasure system not out of place on traditional armored vehicles. Carries chaff and smokescreen launchers to provide soft cover and light protection from optical sensors and sensor locks.
• 'Firecracker' Infantry Supression Grenades - Suitable for use against lightly armored vehicles, infantry and lightly armored battle-frames, the Firecracker resembles an infantry hand grenade. After activation from a timed fuse, the grenade releases a payload of miniature explosives and shrapnel over a wide area. While it does minimal damage to medium and heavy battle-frames, the concussive force of the grenades can interfere with sensors and sensitive equipment.
• Detachable 'Liquid-Fix' Tanks - A pair of detachable tanks mounted to the back of the Ogre are filled with 'Liquid-Fix' Therranite compounds. Interacting with the Ogre's Cobblestone Heavy Plating, a set of dispersal networks lining the underside of the Ogre's armor allow it to rapidly fix cracked and damaged armor components.

Prototype System:

• XBF-7 'Linebacker' Assault Booster - Even while using its thrusters to 'skate' across the ground, the Ogre and other heavy battle-frames can often find their land speed to be lacking. To assist in that, the Ogre has a specially modified high-output booster, granting it short, but sudden bursts of speed in combat, or enhanced leaps. The booster is too taxing on the therranite reactor and the battle-frame's structer itself to be used as a means of consistent transportation, and has a limiter in place to prevent damage to the system. The Linebacker Booster in its current state allows a few short pulses for quick repositioning or tackling maneuvers, or a limited burn for an extended charge.

Harold's Academy for the Magically Inclined

<Snipped quote by Deja>

Kasp and Fasha ship confirmed.

Looks like I might have to consider putting together a real shipping chart... please offer more suggestions below!
(These are not all mine! Credit to those who suggested).

You love adding to this

Melle x Myrion "Opposites Attract"
Walter x Primrose "Study Buddies"
Kasp x Fasha "Frozen Dreams"
Fasha x Tae "Heart of Gold"
Fasha x Everyone "Scent of Desire"
Lhoren x Everyone "Onee-chan"
Tessa x Everyone "Hot for Teacher"
Tae x Petyr "Sun and Stars"
Tae x Sylvia "Beauty and the Beast"
Ana x Sylvia "Cait by the Hearth"
Kasp x Lisa "Icebreaker"
Ana x Fasha "Fuel for the Fire"
Fasha x Lisa "Who smelt it, dealt it"
Fasha x Leah "Heart of a Warrior"
Fasha x Sylvia "Primal Impulse"
Ana x Leah "Order of Arslan and Eusebia"
Raf x Kasp "I scream for Ice Cream"
Ana x Kasp "Let me hug you!"
Kasp x Melle: "Smokin in the Boys Room"
Laeh x Myrion "Mind and Body"
Lisa x Myrion "Brains and Brawn"
Tae x Tae "Mirror on the Wall, whose the Fairest of them all?"
Tae x Blue Spotted Winks "Nip in the Bud"
Sylvia x Anyone "Furry Confirmed"
Manny x Kasp "Slip n' Slide"

@Ti

Leah x Lisa "Gym membership"

Harold's Academy for the Magically Inclined

Predicting the RP plot:

Tournament fight arc for Tessa's affection and attention