Pike and Shot OOC (Char RP|Low Fantasy)

[Dyelli Beybi]

IC| Discord

Co-OPed by Arengin Union, Bingellia, Europa Undivided, Khasinkonia and United Federation of Terrans

Welcome to 'Pike and Shot', a low fantasy RP set in a low fantasy world similar to our own. In this RP you will play the part of an escaped prisoner who had been being shipped to the slave markets in a town called 'Inbur'. Maybe, in time you will find your way home, or perhaps you and your new companions might end up changing the fate of the world for the better...

This is a low fantasy RP. Magic does exist in the setting, though your characters are not magically gifted. The one exception I will make to this is if you want to make your character a healer, because magical healing is a great way to allow injured characters to participate in the next scene.

In terms of non-magical tech and societal development, the part of the world you are in will have tech approximately equivalent to the mid 16th century.

The peoples described in the OP are Eurpoean/Mediterranean types, though if you want to create a character from further afield, definitely feel free. Join the Discord and we can do a bit of world building!

The societies in the world are early-modern and female characters won't have been in the military, though this is also a pretty brutal world and it is completely logical to assume that female characters have been taught how to defend themselves with guns, swords and knives, regardless of whether they are peasants or nobles.

This RP will be open to latecomers. There is always scope for the group to meet someone new along the road.

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SETTING

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The Blight and the Haltian Empire
200 years ago, the world was a very different place. Human Kingdoms dominated the coast of the Circle Sea. Of those Kingdoms, none was finer than the Inburian Empire. Then the blight came. Out of the East, poured strange and brutal creatures, which came to be known as Goblins and Orcs. They appeared in vast hordes, destroying and devouring everything in their path. The Eastern Kingdoms fell, one by one, until the horde reached the great fortress of Grendell, strategically placed to control the narrow neck of land that connected Inbur and the Eastern Kingdoms. The horde laid siege to the citadel for two months, launching one futile assault after another, coming within a hair's breadth of breaching the fort before finally a relief force arrived. The relief force of the time consisted of the bulk of the Inburian army along with the allied contingents from all the other human Kingdoms and there, at the gates of Grendell, the horde was halted, though the Inburians paid a heavy price.

Off the back of the horde, another enemy arose in the West: the Haltians. The Haltians were nomadic Elven people, known for their fine Cavalry. They descended on the weakened human kingdoms, carving out their own Empire, completely swallowing the Inburian Empire in the process.

In the world as it is today, the Inburian Empire is consigned to the history books and the Haltian Empire holds the line against the Blight. Rumours are beginning to circulate though, that another great horde is forming in the East...



Slavery and Where You come in...
The Haltian Empire treats its human subjects poorly. Many are enslaved, taking on a variety of roles within the empire, from domestic servants, to concubines, to miners, to forming the regiments of 'Owned Men' who often form the Vanguard of Haltian armies. There are many ways to end up as a slave. It can be a sentence for a crime, committed by you or a relative, it can be hereditary, you may have been captured in a raid into human territory or maybe just crossed the wrong people. Whatever your background, you have been taken prisoner and are being transported to the markets at Inbur to be sold.

Fortunately for you though, something is about to go terribly wrong for the people transporting you...



The Morktree
To your West is a part of the continent known as 'the Morktree', a vast forest and mountain range. Home to bandits and, if rumour is correct, numerous villages and small towns that owe allegiance to no one...


The Cartographer's best efforts at a map
You can view a map of the world by clicking on this link

The Roster of Characters
Click here for the character roster

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TECHNOLOGY & MAGIC

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As previously mentioned, the technology of the world of 'Pike and Shot' is broadly similar to that of mid 17th century Europe.

Firearms: Firearms come in a variety of sizes from pistols to arqebuses and the even larger 'muskets' (which require a rest). Pistols are nearly all flintlocks though a lot of long guns are still the cheaper matchlock variety (which is fine, provided it isn't raining). Arquebuses are lethal out to 400 yards, muskets to 600, though a well-trained soldier can’t reliably hit a target beyond 100. The best troops, operating under ideal circumstances can reload and fire in around 30 seconds.
Firearms have mostly replaced bows and crossbows, though these do get used in some backwaters.

Melee Weapons: In a standing army, the pike is king, though people will often carry a secondary close-ranged weapon like a sword, axe or club. There are a variety of different swords in use. Some people might carry a short 'hanger' for slashing at close quarters. Officers are more likely to carry a long, slender 'rapier' (which can cut and thrust). Cavalry will have something bigger and broader, which can cut or thrust like a 'mortuary sword' while nobles are likely to carry the Rapier's, smaller, lighter, thrusting only cousin, the 'small-sword'.

Body Armour: Most body armour in this period is cheaper mass produced 'Munitions Armour', though nobles do have access to heavier, better gear. Contrary to popular belief decent armour will stop shots from guns, particularly at longer ranges, though the larger muskets will punch through anything someone is wearing. Helmets like the morion, cabasset and lobster tailed pot helmet are all pretty common.

Magic: Magic in this world is rare and usually subtle in its effect. Healing magic is particularly sought after in this day and age as, provided the practicioner has the right herbs, they can save lives and limbs that would otherwise have been claimed by musket balls.

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RACES & SPECIES

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In order for you to create a character, and for some basic info on the peoples you will encounter, here are some of the more common peoples who will appear in the RP. Feel free to have a chat on the discord if you don't want to work off this list.

The Elgafolk were never great city builders, preferring to live nomadic lives in the great plains North of the Circle Sea. That was until the Blight weakened the human Kingdoms. Then, the Elgafolk descended from the North, conquering and enslaving the many humans in their path. The Elgafolk are biologically immortal and highly resistant to poison and disease. While they do not conceive as often as humans, Elgafolk women remain fertile for centuries and infant mortality rates are low. It is not uncommon for one of the Elgafolk to have up to twenty siblings, though these may have been born a century or more apart from one another.

Elgafolk are usually slightly larger than humans, with the males averaging 6'2'' and females 5'8'' in height.

For centuries, Elgafolk have been known as the finest cavalry in the world and their units of cuirassiers will often form the backbone of a Haltian army to this day.

The Elgafolk live almost entirely within the Haltian Empire and are viewed with great suspicion amongst Human cities. Despite the fact that they are the only species to enjoy citizenship rights within the Empire, the Elgafolk only make up just under 15% of the total population, the remainder being resident and enslaved humans and skultfolk. While the overwhelming majority of Elgafolk are free, criminals, deserters and the like can end up being enslaved.

If you want to create an Elgafolk character, here is a name generator

The Skultfolk are the least well known of the three species of the known world. They live in hidden subterranean cities and, according to common knowledge, rarely come above ground...

... which is in fact completely false. Male skultfolk rarely come above ground. The females do all the time, but are more or less indistinguishable from a human female. Male skultfolk on the other hand are universally short (usually between 4'6'' to 5'), heavily muscled and usually have quite considerable facial hair. Natural philosophers have suggested that the males may have developed to build a burrow, while the females have developed to forage, undetected amongst their superterranean cousins, though nobody really knows. Both males and females of the species have exceptional night vision though, conversely, are blinded by bright sunlight. Both males and females are also known for their exceptional strength, particularly in comparison to their small size. In males this is manifested in short bursts of physical power, while the females are known for their exceptional endurance and stamina.

Skultfolk live longer than humans, with the average lifespan being approximately 160 years.

While history records great skultfolk cities in the mountains, these are a thing of the past and the species is seen less and less every year, though it is rumoured some cities might still exist in the Morktree. Small populations of skultfolk can be found just about everywhere on the continent.

The name 'skultfolk' means 'hidden people' though whether this is in reference to their hidden cities or the legendary ability of their (female) scouts to move about undetected is unknown.

If you want to create a Skultfolk character, here is a name generator (yes I am using Norse names)

Colloquially referred to as 'Imperials' by the other human races, the Inburians are the surviving remnant of a broken, though once-great Empire. Most live within the Haltian Empire. Around a third of their population is enslaved. Despite all of this, the Inburian Royal Line (the Hasikos dynasty) persists and there are a number of potential claimants to the Inburian Royal Throne scattered in Haltian territory. The Haltians tolerate the existence of these pretenders, provided they don't cause any trouble; attempting to move against them has been known to cause the Inburians to riot.

On Earth, the Inburians would be described as 'Mediterranean' in appearance.

If you want to create an Iburian character, here is a name generator.

The Monchians, isolated on the isle of Favis, in the middle of the circle sea, have remained untouched by the Blight and largely unmolested by the Haltians. Favis is dominated by the two rival port cities of Vich and Emiddley, both of which has a King who styles himself the ruler of all Favis. The Monchians are better known as sailors than soldiers and, strangely, usually know how to swim.

As well as being known as sailors, the Monchians are also infamous for piracy in the Circle Sea and there are numerous small pirate ports on the rugged West coast of their island. Monchian pirates are not above selling captives to Haltian slavers.

On Earth, the Monchians would appear to be 'Western Europeans'.

If you want to create a Monchian character, here is a name generator.

The Quinians are the majority culture on the coast, South of the Haltian Empire, centred around the Kingdoms of Estornen and Carnelfenney. Despite both capitals being coastal, the Quinians are not naval powers, though they do derive significant income from the ports. Instead, this income is funnelled into training and equipping some of the best armies on the continent, frequently supplemented by mercenaries from elsewhere in the world.

All of this is done so that the Quinians can hold back the Haltian Empire, which frequently skirmishes and raids into their lands.

On Earth, the Quinians would appear to be 'Western Europeans', however, because of their tendency to employ mercenaries from abroad, the Kingdoms also have minority populations of every ethnicity under the sun.

If you want to create a Quinian character, here is a name generator.

The Calarian culture dominates on the long peninsular south of the Morktree that culminates in their fortified capital of Bayeton. Historically the Calarians were a vassal of the Inburian Empire though modern ‘Calaria’ is a Merchant Republic. Because of their relative geographical isolation, the Calarians have managed to prosper with only the occasional raid by the Haltians into their Northern territory. Their main enemy is, in fact, Monchian corsairs and the state has a small but efficient Navy, mostly made up of small frigates designed to seek out and destroy pirates. Their land army is more significant, a large body of citizen-soldiers drawn from the towns and villages in the fertile plains north of Bayeton.

The Calarians have aspirations to be the successors of the Inburian Empire and will occasionally call Bayeton the ‘Second Inbur’. The Calarian disdain for the Haltians (and indeed, most foreigners) is well known and were anything to happen to weaken the Empire it is likely they would face a Calarian attack, driving up the coast towards Inbur.

If you want to create a Calarian character, here is a name generator.

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THE RULES

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And because it seems important to write these out, here are a few rules for making a better society:

• Decisions
  My word and the word of all Co-OPs is binding. If you don’t like a decision, you can, of course, ask for us to reconsider it. Once. If we made a decision you don’t like, complaining for pages and pages is not going to endear you to anyone. Not me, not the Co-OPs and not your fellow writers.
  On that note, I intend to run this thread as an anarcho-communist cooperative. This is an unnecessarily complicated way of saying that my word DOES NOT overrule theirs. So don’t ask me to overrule one of the others. I won’t.
• Post Quality
  I don’t have a problem with short posts but please use proper spelling (I don’t care what regional variant), grammar etc.
  Ideally also try to include a 'hook' when you write a post, which is to say something that gives other people something to respond to. If your post is something along the lines of 'Bilbo Baggins stayed in his room and read a book while the world was ending', don't be surprised if nobody responds to you.
• Posting Commitment
  Nothing is worse than making an RP only for it to die. Please try to make a post every 48 hours or so. If you find yourself unable to post for extended periods of time, please let us know on the Discord or in the OOC thread. If it looks like you've abandoned a character in the middle of a fight scene I might decide to kill them off if I'm feeling particularly malicious.
• Posting Speed
  On the flip side, blitz posting can also be infuriating. So, especially during the important scenes, I recommend giving your fellow players a reasonable time to make a reply. We all have real lives. That being said, if someone leaves everyone waiting for over 48 hours, feel free to carry on the scene without them.
• OOC thread Manners
  Nothing annoys me more than bad manners on an OOC thread and in the Discord channel. Swearing, passive-aggressive sniping or any other rude behaviour are not welcome on the OOC. You will be warned once. If you can’t control yourself I will ask you to remove yourself from the thread.
• IC thread Manners
  Remember, we are writing a story together, not trying to win.
• Character Death
  Player death is possible in this RP, though will be quite rare and easily avoidable. Please don’t write that you have killed another character unless you have OOC permission from the character's owner to do it. Beat them into a pulp or take them prisoner, but don’t kill them. Having said that, if someone does something really stupid, I reserve the right to announce your character has got themselves killed. Likewise, if someone goes inactive in the middle of a fight scene without explanation and cannot be raised, I may decide to kill their character off.
• Keep it PG13
  Shouldn’t need to be telling you this really but keep the erotica and gorn off the thread. Hopefully you all know how to write forum-safe stuff. I will be extremely disappointed if the mods have to pay us a visit.
• Banning Players
  I really don’t want to be doing that but reserve the right to do so if you cannot follow the (hopefully, rather simple) rules above.

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APPLICATION FORMS

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When filling in an application form, please delete everything in parentheses.

Character App

Code: Select all

[box]
[size=150][b]Character Description[/b][/size]
[list][b]Name:[/b]
[b]Species:[/b]
[b]Sex:[/b]
[b]Age:[/b]
[b]Appearance:[/b] [spoiler](Feel free to describe with text or put pictures in here.  If you are using a picture, try to find something that looks 17th century, though I appreciate that might not necessarily work with fantasy races!)[/spoiler]
[/list]

[hr][/hr][size=150][b]Strengths and Weaknesses[/b][/size]
[list]
[b]Skills:[/b] (Is there anything you are significantly better at than most other people?  If you include something, make sure it is backed up in the background)
[b]Weaknesses:[/b] (Is there anything your character is really rubbish at?  Not essential you put anything in, but can be fun) 
[/list]

[hr][/hr][size=150][b]Background:[/b][/size]
[list][b]Backstory:[/b](How did you come to be here?)
 [/list][/box]

[Dragos Bee]

Expressing Support.

[Olthenia]

+1

Way too few 16th century RPs these days.

[Dragos Bee]

I'll be making an OC but I won't be joining the Discord Server, by the way, to avoid causing tensions.

[Nachfolgia]

I'm claim my spot for later. I do like me some low fantasy.

[Bingellia]

It wouldn't be a Dyelli RP without the usual suspects.

[Nachfolgia]

Character Description

Name: Hélène Martel
Species: Human ( Monchian)
Sex: Female
Age: 18
Appearance:
https://cdna.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/004/078/708/small/magnus-noren-pirate-face4.jpg?1480121746

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Strengths and Weaknesses

Skills:
- Sailing
-Swimming
- Agile
- Lying

Weaknesses:
- Illiterate
-Navigating by map

---

Background:

Backstory:

Hélène Martel was born in Emiddley, one of the two rival port cities on the island of Favis. She grew up on the streets, being orphaned at a young age due to a fishing accident. Early on, she had to rely on herself for survival as being an Orphan in the city was was hard way to live. She relied on stealing and fishing from the docks for her food. Diving into the Port waters to catch fish by hand was a quick way to learn how to swim.

What she didn't steal or catch, she'd lie her way into getting for herself. While some Monchians recoiled at the sight of a dirty street kid, many took pity on her. These people were easy targets for a girl such as Hélène, who would tug at their heart strings for a handout or simply con them out of their money. A rotten clam passed off as fresh or a donation for a bogus charity, Hélène lied her way to paying for a meal time and again.

Eventually, Hélène would lie her way onto a pirate ship. One day, she ran into amln old pirate captain during one of her scams. He was looking for a new deck hand and asked if she was of age to be employed by him. She lied and said that she was old enough, though in all likely hood she was not. She never knew her official age. Hesitant at first, the captain took Hélène aboard, out of stupidity or simply pity.

Hélène was out to work as a simple deck hand. She'd clean the deck, tend to the sails and rafters, or diving to clean barnacles off the hull. Anything that needed doing she did. In some of the more serious situations, Hélène was called upon to defend the ship from other pirates or Haltian vessels. This would go on for a few more years where she would develop her skills as a proficient pirate.

After an encounter with a Haltian vessel, the captain was down a helmsman and navigator. He asked for volunteers who could read a map to fill the duties until he made it to Emiddley. Hélène jumped at the opportunity and vehemently volunteered, knowing full well that she was Illiterate. Lying her way onto the helm, Hélène took hold of the ship while the captain retired to his quarters. By the time the captain woke back up, Hélène had accidentally steered the ship to the rival Port City of Vich and right into a convoy of Vich ships.

Those that were not killed in the brief battle were captured, including Hélène herself. The Vichs would sell her to the Haltians and would be transported to the markets at Inbur.


 

[Europa Undivided]

By the will of the gods my tag has been placed.

[Nachfolgia]

By the will of the gods my tag has been placed.

Can't wait to see what you come up with. Lol

[Great Confederacy of Commonwealth States]

Ah yes, with fire and sword. I'm here for it.

[Intermountain States]

Always up for some gunpowder based chicanery

[Arengin Union]

Always up for some gunpowder based chicanery

[Dyelli Beybi]

Character Description

Name: Hélène Martel
Species: Human ( Monchian)
Sex: Female
Age: 18
Appearance:
https://cdna.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/004/078/708/small/magnus-noren-pirate-face4.jpg?1480121746

---

Strengths and Weaknesses

Skills:
- Sailing
-Swimming
- Agile
- Lying

Weaknesses:
- Illiterate
-Navigating by map

---

Background:

Backstory:

Hélène Martel was born in Emiddley, one of the two rival port cities on the island of Favis. She grew up on the streets, being orphaned at a young age due to a fishing accident. Early on, she had to rely on herself for survival as being an Orphan in the city was was hard way to live. She relied on stealing and fishing from the docks for her food. Diving into the Port waters to catch fish by hand was a quick way to learn how to swim.

What she didn't steal or catch, she'd lie her way into getting for herself. While some Monchians recoiled at the sight of a dirty street kid, many took pity on her. These people were easy targets for a girl such as Hélène, who would tug at their heart strings for a handout or simply con them out of their money. A rotten clam passed off as fresh or a donation for a bogus charity, Hélène lied her way to paying for a meal time and again.

Eventually, Hélène would lie her way onto a pirate ship. One day, she ran into amln old pirate captain during one of her scams. He was looking for a new deck hand and asked if she was of age to be employed by him. She lied and said that she was old enough, though in all likely hood she was not. She never knew her official age. Hesitant at first, the captain took Hélène aboard, out of stupidity or simply pity.

Hélène was out to work as a simple deck hand. She'd clean the deck, tend to the sails and rafters, or diving to clean barnacles off the hull. Anything that needed doing she did. In some of the more serious situations, Hélène was called upon to defend the ship from other pirates or Haltian vessels. This would go on for a few more years where she would develop her skills as a proficient pirate.

After an encounter with a Haltian vessel, the captain was down a helmsman and navigator. He asked for volunteers who could read a map to fill the duties until he made it to Emiddley. Hélène jumped at the opportunity and vehemently volunteered, knowing full well that she was Illiterate. Lying her way onto the helm, Hélène took hold of the ship while the captain retired to his quarters. By the time the captain woke back up, Hélène had accidentally steered the ship to the rival Port City of Vich and right into a convoy of Vich ships.

Those that were not killed in the brief battle were captured, including Hélène herself. The Vichs would sell her to the Haltians and would be transported to the markets at Inbur.


 

Looks good to me.

[Dyelli Beybi]

Character Description

Name: Vassos Costaou
Species: Human - Inburian
Sex: Male
Age: 40
Appearance: An imposing 6'2'' man with short, dark hair and eyes

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Strengths and Weaknesses

Skills: A trained soldier, also, as he isn't a prisoner, he has a set of munitions armour, namely a shot-proof breastplate, pistol-proof backplate and lobster-pot helmet. He is also armed with a brace of pistols and a mortuary sword.
Weaknesses: Can't swim.

---

Background:

Backstory: Vassos can't remember much of his childhood before he was abducted and taken to the military Academy in Alveby. Like many young boys in outlying areas he was snatched up, dragged to the capital and put through the pseudo-monastic Academy that turned boys into loyal members of the 'Owned Men'. Despite, technically, being a slave, property of the Emperor, Vassos and the other 'Owned Men' enjoy a greater degree of privilege than other humans. They live comfortable lives, they can amass wealth, and when they come to retire, they are able to marry. Indoctrinated from their first day, the 'Owned Men' are typically loyal to the Emperor, particularly when they are young. Vassos, however, is not young, and has spent plenty of time listening to other humans, many of whom have ideas about the Empire that are quite different from what he was taught at the Academy...

Vassos has never risen to any position of command, though he was initially picked for the Light Cavalry, a more prestigious position than that of mere infantry.

Over the past 22 years, Vassos has served in numerous border raids against the Quinians though in recent years he was moved to Grendell, stationed to keep an eye on the creatures that roam the Blighted land. He fought in several skirmishes against the Orcs, finding them physically repulsive though of little comparative threat compared to Quinian riders.

It was in the villages around Grendell that Vassos began to be exposed to other Inburians who hadn't been through the Academy. Initially their ideas made him uncomfortable, though he listened, mostly because he knew he is an Inburian. Gradually some of those ideas started to take hold.

After a drunken brawl that marred an otherwise spotless career, Vassos was fined and transferred to slave caravan duty for six months. It is not a prestigious role, though as it is at the moment, he can't help but feel it was serendipitous. It was when sent North to collect prisoners for the market at Inbur that he was presented with a prisoner list featuring a 'Hasikos'. He knows that name.

Character Description

Name: Andronika Hasikos
Species: Human - Inburian
Sex: Female
Age: 18
Appearance: 5'6'', youthful looking, with dark hair and eyes.

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Strengths and Weaknesses

Skills: Comfortable with pistol or smallsword. Has the rare and valuable 'gift of healing'
Weaknesses: Is a bit on the pampered side and isn't otherwise particularly practical. She lacks any wilderness survival skills such as foraging or starting a fire. Definitely can't swim.

---

Background:

Backstory: Andronika is the quiet one, sitting in the corner of a cart. They get some of the prisoners to walk, but not her. As such most people have figured out she is valuable, just not exactly why yet. For those who have paid her a bit of attention, she spends quite a bit of time whispering with one of the guards (who is old enough to be her father).

Andronika Hasikos is one of the surviving members of the Hasikos dynasty (she is the Great, great, great, great, great, great niece of the Dakis III, the last Emperor). She is the eldest of three daughters of another Dakis, though her 'claim' is something she's never really thought about. In her mind, the idea that the Hasikos dynasty might enthrone itself again after 200 years was almost comically silly, though being one of the surviving members of the house has given her a certain amount of prestige amongst the Inburian community and she has, by human standards lived a relatively privileged life. She grew up in a rustic country villa, North of Grendell. There were servants, albeit not so many that she could escape chores. Her father mediated disputes amongst the local human community, giving some form of justice amongst a people mostly ignored by Haltian law.

At 17, Andronika was engaged to Ioakim Costaou, a (relatively) wealthy local trader, 20 years her senior, and it was expected she would cement the marriage within the year, one which would afford her the ability to continue living her comfortable existence and which would bring Ioakim considerable prestige.

Unfortunately for her, it was about this time she began manifesting the so-called 'gift of healing'. It first manifested when, while visiting the market, she witnessed an old man's leg get crushed by a cart. Andronika did what she could to bind the broken and twisted limb, though the other villagers who rushed to the scene were adamant the damage was too serious and the mangled leg would need to be amputated at the knee. Together, they took the man to the local physician, only for the physician to declare that, once the man's damaged clothing had been cut away, his leg was, miraculously, well on the road to recovery.

In the following weeks, Andronika was asked to assist with several injuries of both people and livestock and it rapidly became clear she was developing a magical talent. Quickly the stories reached the ears of the local Elga lord, who sent a summons to the family farm, demanding that Andronika present herself at the manor to assist with the healing of a favourite horse. Andronika was nervous, though hardly in a position to disobey and she went to the Manor stables, performing the task as required. As she left though, she was promptly arrested, accused of stealing silverware from inside the Manor, somewhere she had never actually been invited.

Initially she protested her innocence, though it quickly dawned on her that everybody actually knew she was innocent. The pantomime was being conducted in order to allow the Lord to sell her into slavery. Something he did a week later after finding her guilty of burglary in a hurried trial. Healers are worth a lot of money, particularly to a provincial Lord.

The first few days of her journey, Andronika withdrew into herself, isolating herself from the other prisoners, though after a few days, the abject depression was replaced by a cold, boiling rage in the pit of her stomach, something which finally gave way to a crystal clear determination. She wasn't just going to accept her fate. She is Andronika Hasikos, after all.

[Ardchu]

I'm interested, maybe a dwarf character or smth...

[Demencia]

for future reference

[Arengin Union]

Character Description

Name: Alberic Thorel
Species: Monchian
Sex: Male
Age: 30
Appearance:
6'0, strong body type, multiple scars over his body

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Strengths and Weaknesses

Skills: Born on the isle of Favis and native to the port city of Vich where the Corsair League of Vich originates from, Alberic is adept in the handling of firearms, blades, and small to medium sized sea vessels, he is also an adept swimmer as it is natural of any Monchian. His years as a raider of the seas gave him the fighting experience that most Molchians don't obtain albeit fighting mercenaries hired to protect merchant ships or dispatching guards of the other human realms of Inburans or Quinians does not compare to going toe to toe with trained soldiers of Haltian Empire, though he has seen plenty of action against the wretched beasts of the Blighted lands. His many connections he acquired in his seafaring years may also serve of good use within the coasts if he was to ever find himself free from his current enslaved status.

Weaknesses: Alberic was never one for exploring much of the continent, the seas were always his call as was being part of a crew of hard and as such he has little knowledge of the lands within the Haltian empire, much less the Morktree as he has never ventured far into those realms. He also is not an expert user in bows or crossbows as those have long been seen as quaint and outdated by the people of the Isle, though perhaps now would be a good time to learn. As is such, Alberic is ignorant of much in the wider world other than the coasts, the Isle and some of the Bligthed lands, though he has not even fared far into them either as only a lunatic would do so.

---

Background:

Backstory: Alberic was born a mere 30 years ago on the city of Vich to humble merchant parents, for a long time his life seemed destined to head into the same veil of commerce and transport of goods sought in the mainland. And so it was as Alberic's father taught him on the basics of ship handling, how to haggle prices with people from as far as Carnelfenney and the intricacies of telling quality goods apart from Bayeton. Life seemed to be simple for a young teen in the Circle Sea.

This line of life changed when Alberic's family ship came under attack by the pirates of the Emiddley whose preferred targets were ships with the Vich insignia on their decks. Alberic and his father tried their best to keep the thieves at bay with what few harquebuses and pistols they had on hand but their ship was no match for the pirates. Alberic's father was first to go down attempting to save the life of his son, cut down by the blade of a pirate and his mother and baby brother would fall to the pirates bloody muskets as she tried to run for safety. It was only Alberic and his sister Meli left as they were at the mercy of the pirates. Alberic did his best to defend his sister but was knocked out by them as they burnt down the ship, taking Meli with them and leaving the boy to his death. As he drifted in and out of consciousness Alberic would witness as the pirates dragged Meli away, with one of them wearing a long red coat, a grayish beard with an ugly smug as he looked to the defeated boy, "The seas shall bring you no mercy boy."

It would seem Alberic was due to meet the afterlife as the burning ship sank into the bottom of the sea, he would feel surrounded by the water and pulled down by the indifferent grasp of the depths and then he woke up at the wooden floors of another ship, a larger ship. Alberic was agitated and confused, only moments ago he was seeing the light and now he was alive as if nothing had happened, surrounded by men he did not recognize. The group backed away with caution as the kid kept his distance and was noticeably bewildered. Suddenly a man wearing a magnificent armor of blue and golden patters approached the kid, his steps were strong, his white hair like a mane and his right eye covered by a leather patch, the other side of his face carried a long two pattern scar. The man offered his hand to the boy, "I am Gerart of the Corsair League, do not be afraid, you are safe!"

Despite the man's outwardly intimidating disposition, his voice eased Alberic's mind as he took a hold of it and rose up, his clothes tattered and his head carried an open wound at the brow. Gerart smiled as he kept a hold of the boy's hand, he knew he seemed strong and him and his crew had laid witness to the boy and his father's attempt to defend their ship, unfortunately they had not arrived in time but they knew he was fighter.

"We saw you from afar, how you did your best to keep those bastards at bay, I'm sorry we could not intervene sooner but we will avenge your family boy," Gerart spoke with a voice of confidence and authority, "You have spirit, I can see the fire within you. Join us and be a corsair, bring justice to our fellow Vichans and you will find glory after this defeat..."

The boy did not hesitate as he had to only think through it for a few seconds and nodded, smiling back to the captain of this crew who happily raised the boy's hand.

"He is one of us!" With that Alberic had found a new crew, a new family, and a new destiny. Though his mind couldn't shake away his family's death, and much less the loss of his sister to an uncertain fate. It was so that Alberic was part of the Corsair of Vich and for the following years he would battle out Emiddleyians pirates, Orcs of the Blighted lands, and even raid ships from the mainland at the service of the King of Favis. There was time where the Corsairs would even venture far into the long fabled eastern oceans and find themselves trading with ships from a land known only as the Filpanasan, at least that's how the people from those strange curved and slender ships would call themselves. In one occasion the Corsairs of the Vich would even battle these strange slanted eyed foes after their trading meetings had turned sour, the battles were deadly but ultimately the corsairs would come out victorious thanks to their firearms and superior tactics, the surviving Filipanasan would be made prisoners and slaves and would sell at a good price in the mainland, thus making Filipanasan's highly sought after merchandise. Though Alberic had his own qualms with slavery he would not deny their usefulness as workers and certainly not reject good pay if it meant it would lead to his ultimate goal, revenge.

Alberic grew into the Corsairs with the ultimate goal of freeing his sister from the jagged hands of those pirates of Emiddley but as the years went on he found no trace of her. In one of his more recent raids the much older and rougher Alberic would track down the men who had wronged him and his entire family. One by one he slayed them down as they had drifted into their own separate ways, some had already died off while many had died off already or had gone to parts unknown, little by little Alberic put the pieces together connecting to the one man who had led these horrid band of sea dwelling bandits.

Warin "Grey Beard" Montfault had been the man who had led them, who had targeted so many Vichians and who had taken Meli, he would know where she was and Alberic would have justice, the only problem was the man had long abandoned the Isle as he knew his days were numbered with the Corsairs on his trail, as per his former and now deceased lieutenant he had gone off somewhere into the mainland, supposedly around Inbur. It was such that Alberic came to Gerart who was now older and ridden to a chair due to loss of a leg during the Filipanasan Wars. Alberic proposed a scouting party around the Inbur gulf in order to better know the Haltians whom the Corsairs had little experience in handling, his main argument was that it was only a matter of time until the Elgafolk would send their waves against the Isle and it was best to be prepared and know what they were up against. Gerart could detect the ulterior motive behind Alberic's proposal, the lad had served him well but he knew this was a fools errand, yet he also knew he could not stop him. With his blessing Alberic took a group of two dozen men and caravel on a voyage across the strait and following the coast towards the Haltian empire. Alberic's plan was to merely disembark and venture into the lands on his own while telling his men to leave him behind and tell the truth to Gerart but this was not to be as suddenly their ship came under merciless attack by unknown forces, musket fire riddled the ship as Alberic and his fellow Corsairs attempted to fight back but would see their entire vessel be decimated by an enormous ball of fire which claimed the lives of most of them all except for Alberic and a few others. When he came to his sense Alberic was stripped off his gear, chained up and brought upon a cart destined to Inbur of all places, it was indeed where he wanted to go but not quite how he had planned it, not it seems that he has found himself in a new set of problems, only the ones above may know his fate now at the hands of the Haltians and their damned Elga overlords.

[Dyelli Beybi]

Character Description

Name: Alberic Thorel

Looks good to me

[Kylantha]

Character Description

Name: Xuleel Ixpiyac Teyatzotl (Yes I changed it lol)
Species: Human (Kikure)
Sex: Male
Age: 25
Appearance:


Xuleel has long stark black hair and deep amber eyes. He is kind of tall which is normal for his people (6'10") and built a little bit like an ox. (Thanks to his privilege as a noble, despite the crisis in the East his family had access to stockpiles of good food.)

---

Strengths and Weaknesses

Skills: Born and raised in the uayacq (military caste), Xuleel is a very good warrior, possibly better than average thanks to his many years of fighting the uicaxpa (orcs) and their kin. He excels in close-quarters and ranged combat (especially on horseback).

Apart from combat, Xuleel also performed the duties of scout and messenger between tca'xwe (fortified outposts). This meant he was often afield, either alone or in a small war party. Thus, he is used to foraging, tracking, and crafting various tools and even simple weapons or shelters (so long as the materials are available).

In his spare time, he learned to create temporary remedies and poisons from his mother who was a medicine woman and priestess. Trained in the Weetchen way, she also taught him how to charm certain animals with sound; a non-magic practice long utilised by the Qalabqar to make animal domestication and hunting much easier.

Weaknesses: Xuleel is not very familiar with guns, having handled a grand total of two in his entire lifetime. As such, he has a real problem with loading them, and quite frankly doesn't like them anyway due to the noise they make.

Personality-wise, Xuleel suffers from a lack of patience and discipline, and an overflow of confidence stemming from his time as a scout/messenger. He often had to rely on his own strength and wit and was forced to take many risks and make many split-second decisions. He had never been properly immersed in an organised army, as during his time of service, there was not much of an army to work with. That wasn't always bad though, as Xuleel often had time to himself which he would not have had under a proper commander. His time abroad gave him plenty opportunities to foster his persistently dangerous curiosity, which may become even more troublesome in this new and unfamiliar land. It doesn't help that he has minimal knowledge of common Western tongues due to the prolonged isolation of his homelands.

---

Background:

Backstory: Xuleel is the son of Magasi Teyatzotl, a high-ranking guard of the Qalabqar uinicq. As such, he grew up learning various martial skills and other skills pertinent to the job, since he was expected to eventually join the ranks of the guard. He did eventually, but by then things had become dire for the Kikure people as a whole. With connections to the Westish states severed due to the blight's spread, advanced weaponry and manpower were all but gone. This resulted in Xuleel getting little to no training in firearms use because most of them had been lost in battle or had no more munitions.

During these years, the two main groups (Qansarib and Qalabqar) had been forced to merge despite the vast cultural differences in order to hold out longer against the horde. It had been a miracle that they even lasted as long as they did, but it seemed their defense was finally failing. With their last standing major settlement besieged, thousands of Kikure fled to the mountains and forests in small groups. Xuleel's group was one of these. Using a patched up boat found wrecked on the Northern shores, Xuleel's father was ordered to sail West with the wife and children of the Qalabqar ruler, report the situation to the Inburians (no idea the Empire no longer exists), and come up with a way to fight the horde and perhaps rebuild their nation. Along the way, they are joined by many refugees.

When they finally arrive on dry land, the people set up camp and are finally able to rest peacefully after quite a long time. It isn't to last though, as they realise that these lands are no longer ruled by friends. Magasi and his party come back from patrol and report having been attacked by men with ears like daggers. The camp is immediately broken up, and as the pursuers near their location, Xuleel and the other guards split up to divert the hostile strangers' attention from the civilians, who are forced to scatter or return to sea on their battered ship.

The guards are initially successful, but they are quickly overrun by the elven horseriders. Some guards are captured, but some fight to the death, including Magasi whose last words to his son were to evade capture and return to Toah, the guard who took the royal lady and her children, and ascertain their safety.. Xuleel kept running as far as he could, doing his best to keep his father's words in mind. He did eventually escape, but then he realised he was lost in a strange land without any idea what to do. He wandered the wilderness for two days before reaching a minor settlement. Unable to communicate and shunned by the locals, he resorted to stealing food and was eventually captured by local Haltian authorities.. Soon, he found himself being carted off to gods-know-where.. And now he was even more lost than before..

[Alcona and Hubris]

Character Description

Name:Silvyr Qileth
Nickname Silver Wolfbane / The Silver Crisper
Species:Elgafolk
Sex: Male
Age:130
Appearance: Standard height for an Elgafolk but obviously strongly built such that some say there is some Skultfolk in his blood line. He has a strong face with silver hair and an ethereal set of blue eyes that most other Elgafolk identify as being from one of the families of the Ithil Both Oroni (Moon Pool Mountains) that lie in the far northwestern hinterlands of the Empire.

---

Strengths and Weaknesses

Skills:
* Bow (Hunting and sniping) - Excellent
* Riding - Good but Rusty
* Swordsmanship - Very Good
* Marksmanship (Musket) - Good
* Logistics - Good
* Languages Written - Decent
* Languages Spoken - Poor but can understand and be made to be understood (Excellent in swear words and demeaning phrases)
* Fishing - Decent
* Cooking -Decent
* Swimming - Fair
*Sining voice - Good
Weaknesses:
* Pyromaniac
* Member of a Banned Cult
* Arrogant (essentially a elf supremist)
* Narrow Minded
* Uncultured (As far as Imperial Society is concerned)
* An overwhelming love of the pipes, which he can only marginally play.
*addicted to hard drink and human female 'companionship''

---

Background:

Backstory: Born in the mountainous enclave of the Nos of Ithil Both, as fifth son of the renowned warrior Calus of the family of Qileth. Like so many of his ancestors, Silvyr was expected to learn to be not just simply a cavalryman of the Empire but a Ithil Reaver, a group of mounted warriors known more for their ability at devastating nighttime raids and sharpshooting. Calus himself had been made Captain of the Reavers and had won many accolades as a warrior before retiring due to his father's murder by Fhaornik Perna family during one of the numerous inter-family feuds back home.

Silvyr's upbringing was fairly standard for young elgafolk of that region. Parochial, clannish with a focus on serving the Empire and defeating the families' enemies/neighbors. Like most of the those of the Ithil Both he learned how to hunt, how to fish, how to swim (at least in the great Moon Pools), how to ride and how to feud. Silvyr was decent with a musket but excelled with the bow. Even more problematic, the young man demonstrated an unhealthy fascination with fire, being caught many times trying to burn various objects around the camp. This was delt with by a elderly slave who focused the boy on using fire to cook food rather than just burn various objects. Although he was provided the minimum level of formal education, his mother, Calus's second wife and a notable piper, did get him to learn to read, write and do basic figures. She also taught him to love the pipes of the Ithil Both. Unfortunately, her talents don't seem to have translated and his ability is considered only amateurish at best. One can only imagine the frustration as she tried to keep the young Silvyr in his seat during those long summer nights to read the History of the Blight, and the various texts from around the world.

On his thirtieth year, Silvyr was sent to serve under his elder half brother Khalhel, now an Imperial Calvary Lieutenant. Although Silvyr like the former human city that served as his units base of operations, he soon found serving his brother far more bothersome. The two quarreled constantly, with it being revealed that Khalhel blamed Silvyr and his mother for his own mother's dismissal (divorce) from Calus himself. As far as Khalhel was concerned, Silvyr's mother was just another of their father's many mistresses, this one just got pregnant and replaced his own mother. With Silvyr and Khalhel both demonstrating the same womanizing ways as their esteemed father, it turned into a competition about bedding various women first. Things truly came to a head when Khalhel got into a bar fight with a young Pywaln Perna, maiming him horribly with a calvary sword that not even the best healers could repair.

In the end, Silvyr gave up his position under his brother, and the ensuing political mess from the bar fight, to join a mercenary company organized by a Skultfolk named Olath. Olath's Company and several others were being hired by a group of Haltian and Calarians traders to deal with a particularly problematic group of bandits raiding caravans between the Empire and Calarian. The mission was a complete and utter disaster in almost all respects, with several of the mercenary companies being completely left without provisions and supplies they quickly succumbed and disintegrated. However, the company Silvyr had been attached to was able to survive by utilizing Silvyr's survival skills to supply themselves from the woods and streams of the Monktree. It was Olath's group that found and defeated the bandits, receiving the rewards.

Silvyr continued with Olath's Company after that, working several missions in various nations as a mercenary. He alternated between being a trusted Lieutenant and the company's quartermaster, learning how to manage food, fuel, money and other logistics needs. However he also became a far better cook, learning that most of those who worked in the mercenary companies tended to have even less domestic skills that he did. However, Olath loved using Silvyr's love of piping, but overly amateurish skills, to cause demoralization and even desertion amongst enemy troops (especially in a siege) utilizing large amounts of wool to prevent headaches in his own troops.

However, not all of Olath's influence was for the better. Olath himself was a firm zelot of the Cult of Zan. The Cult of Zan believed that the world had been created the Worldsmith, the One True God known as Zan. And that Zan himself, tired of the world refusing to worship him as the One True God, and worshiping false worldsmiths, created the Blight within his World Forge. However, this is mitigated by the fact that Zan himself will be reborn as mortal with the power of a God, the ability to create a holy fire. A holy fire that will cause the Blight to melt away, like soft metal in a forge, and demonstrate his true power over the world. The God in his mortal form will be a noted by his virtue, ability to control fire, invulnerability to fire, and some 'fire mark' upon their body. This has led to many Zan believers kidnapping their virtuous neighbors with red hair, birth marks, or even blue eyes and trying to convince them that they are the reborn God. The fact that many times this includes 'showing' the reluctant 'God' how they are 'invulnerable to fire' (when they obviously are not) has led many nations to outright ban the cult. And given them the slur...'The Crispies.'

Olath himself was one such victim. Being 'Crisped' in his bed at the ripe old age of 120 years by some of his more zealous members of his own particular cell of the cult. Though authorities themselves didn't actually 'intervene' leaving the young humans to the efficient justice of Silvyr himself.

Silvyr continued to work as a mercenary for nearly 75 years after Olath's death. He spent much of his time acting as part of the Kareth Wolves usually either as a company Captain or Quartermaster. He became well known for leading raiding and scouting parties but also being well versed in the arts of keeping an force of men well supplied and equipped.

However, on a recent mission Silvyr and his supply train in Quinians were captured by a raiding force of independent Haltians that attacked their camp at night. Silvyr himself demonstrated a decidedly unwillingness to be captured, raising a sword against his own kind. They finally used a net to capture him after he killed a number of their awkward attempts to take him down. Though technically still a free citizen of the Empire, his presence fighting for the enemy as well as his known sympathies to the cult of Zen condemned him in the eyes of the raiders and their imperial backers.

However, condemning the son of Calus as a 'traitor' when fighting a raiding party against his own sworn oath was seen as a step too far for some. As such he was placed in chains and left to rot in a cell without trial for several months while various parties debated what do with the black sheep of Ithil Both. However, Fenian Perna, the deputy governor of Inbur has paid a sizable bribe to have Silvyr quietly transported in this slave caravan to him. Fenian's plan is to get revenge, long, hard, and vicious, for his great nephew Pywaln's mutilation and subsequent suicide.

But Fenian needs Silvyr, once the disgraced former reaver, is in his power to do so slowly, and methodically without intervention. So, the former mercenary now rides chained in a partially stupefied state. Regularly being drugged through the water he is fed.

[Dyelli Beybi]

Character Description

Name:Silvyr Qileth

Generally it is grand,cthough there is one small problem with the backstory that you could tidy up in several ways.

Silvyr is being transported in a Haltian slave column, he could probably get out of it, as it stands by shouting that he's a free born Haltian and has the ears to prove it...

He was however, working for the Quinians, who are enemies so if you lean into that, that's fine, say were he taken in a skirmish with Haltian raiders rather than corsairs. Though there are other ways you could do that as well.

I'd also suggest doing away with the drugged bit. If someone tries to run away there would be severe corporal punishment. They'd try to beat those ideas out of him well before selling him! It also makes it hard to take part in the opening skirmish if you're high on mushrooms or similar.

[Alcona and Hubris]

Character Description

Name:Silvyr Qileth

Generally it is grand,cthough there is one small problem with the backstory that you could tidy up in several ways.

Silvyr is being transported in a Haltian slave column, he could probably get out of it, as it stands by shouting that he's a free born Haltian and has the ears to prove it...

He was however, working for the Quinians, who are enemies so if you lean into that, that's fine, say were he taken in a skirmish with Haltian raiders rather than corsairs. Though there are other ways you could do that as well.

I'd also suggest doing away with the drugged bit. If someone tries to run away there would be severe corporal punishment. They'd try to beat those ideas out of him well before selling him! It also makes it hard to take part in the opening skirmish if you're high on mushrooms or similar.

So, altered things slightly (mostly to protect those pointy ears from being 'removed') yet still have a viable reason for being within the company of slaves, since other "not slaves" entering the game as well. Hard to shout about being a freeman with pointy ears when your being hauled off so someone can carve you up for revenge rather than just sell you in the market.

Also, I specifically want him to be somewhat ineffective during the first 'event', mostly so he's not immediately seen as a 'threat' by all the other non-pointy eared slaves and doesn't have to fight them off as well.

[Dyelli Beybi]

Generally it is grand,cthough there is one small problem with the backstory that you could tidy up in several ways.

Silvyr is being transported in a Haltian slave column, he could probably get out of it, as it stands by shouting that he's a free born Haltian and has the ears to prove it...

He was however, working for the Quinians, who are enemies so if you lean into that, that's fine, say were he taken in a skirmish with Haltian raiders rather than corsairs. Though there are other ways you could do that as well.

I'd also suggest doing away with the drugged bit. If someone tries to run away there would be severe corporal punishment. They'd try to beat those ideas out of him well before selling him! It also makes it hard to take part in the opening skirmish if you're high on mushrooms or similar.

So, altered things slightly (mostly to protect those pointy ears from being 'removed') yet still have a viable reason for being within the company of slaves, since other "not slaves" entering the game as well. Hard to shout about being a freeman with pointy ears when your being hauled off so someone can carve you up for revenge rather than just sell you in the market.

Also, I specifically want him to be somewhat ineffective during the first 'event', mostly so he's not immediately seen as a 'threat' by all the other non-pointy eared slaves and doesn't have to fight them off as well.

Super, and it makes the drugged up bit sound more realistic as well. He's accepted

[Dragos Bee]

Character Description

Name: Mikael Hasikos
Species: Human - Inburian
Sex: Male
Age: 16
Appearance:

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Strengths and Weaknesses

Skills:

The Hands of the King - Mikael has a rare gift of Healing, which he combines with mundane medical treatments to mend injuries of flesh and bone, as well as purge diseases and poisons.

A Calarian Upbringing - Mikael was raised among Calarian merchants, and knows how to handle money, raising, saving, and spending it in the most efficient manner possible. This has also given him several connections among the Calarian Merchant Nobility, connections he cannot access now, but might be able to do so in the future.

Inspirational Incitement - Mikael can be a gifted speaker if required, and he and his boyfriend, Niccolino Ziani, were somehow able to get a band of mercenaries to stage an attack on Haltian territory based on charisma and fiery words and genuinely convince them that they had a chance of winning.

Average Combatant - Mikael knows how to shoot pistols, stab with a dagger, and hold a sword without accidentally impaling himself. That is all.

Weaknesses:

Overconfident Optimism - Mikael was able to convince himself that he had a chance of winning in an invasion of Haltian territory with no overt foriegn support, that the people would rise up in support of a Hasikos with an army at his back, even if it was a force of mercenaries. This got him and Niccolino, as well as several dozen members of his mercenary company, captured and enslaved. While the optimism was somewhat chastened by his current circumstances, it had not been crushed completely as Mikael hopes to look for a way out...

---

Background:

Backstory: Mikael's family fled to Calaria a generation or so ago, finding refuge as a curiosity among the merchant princes. One of them married into a family of spice merchants, and the latter took the Hasikos name afterwards due to its prestige. And so Mikael's father, Asriel Hasikos, was born in privilege as his family built up a vast fortune which they occassionally spent on initatives to destabilize the Haltians.

Asriel eventually married a woman, Irene Farnese, and increased the family wealth with more shrewed business deals, as well as investments in mercenary companies. His intent, as was clear when Mikael was born, was to eventually build up a force of his own to take back his 'birthright'. But first, he had to raise his son, his beloved, adorably precocious son, with affection and love.

Mikael had a happy life with his father and mother and eventually a younger sibling. Demonstrating uncommon intelligence in the fields of finance, accounting, and economics, he slowly became overconfident in his gifts, to the point where at the age of thirteen, he met up with the similarly-gifted son of a mercenary captain, Niccolino Ziani, and formed their own corps of mercenaries, The Progidies, with hefty investments from Asriel, who was fast becoming overindulgent of his son's fantasies.

Surprisingly, The Prodigies, which recruited among the young and underestimated, taking in both men and women who could pass a primitive 'Intelligence Test' that measured their ability to solve puzzles and memorize information, as well as tests of endurance, tenacity, and strength... Completely succeeded in their first three years, getting rid of bandits, pirates, and forbidden religious cults for the first three years, moving their center of operations closer and closer to the Calarian - Haltian border, where they managed to overcome several raids of Haltian Elven Cavalry through judicious use of pikes and muskets.

Then Mikael's gift of healing manifested, and this propelled Mikael to greater heights of ambition and overconfidence. Publicly displaying his gifts and mixing them with his basic knowledge of botany, he held mass healing sessions involving mercenary and civilian alike, alienating his company's own doctors and healers as he did so, causing them to abandon him when he proposed an invasion of Haltian territory itself, where there were reports of a slave revolt in the provinces nearest the Calarian border, allegedly inspired by Mikael's demonstrations of mass healing.

This was a sham, and the Haltians were waiting with an overwhelming force of Cavalry and 'Owned Men' when The Prodigies launched their invasion, and no one came to help them. In five hours of combat, Mikael's force melted away, and Niccolino, whom he had forgotten was the co-leader of his company, had to drag Mikael out of the battle as it was lost, rallying a small number of troops to try and break out of the Haltian encirclement.

Obviously, they failed. Obviously, they were captured. Obviously, they were now slaves, being taken to be sold to the Inburian slave markets. Such was the price of hubris...

=======

Character Description

Name: Niccolino Ziani
Species: Human (Calarian)
Sex: Male.
Age: 16
Appearance:

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Strengths and Weaknesses

Skills:

Combat Progidy - Niccolino has a gift for violence in an already violent world. Teeth and fists, knife and pistol, musket, sword and pike, Niccolino is able to find a lethal use for almost any object in his hands, and has brought down older and physically stronger folk with sheer ferocity and tenacity.

Basic Strategy and Tactics - Niccolino knows how to make war with more than a squad of forces, and how to win a string of battles in a row. However, he does not grasp that there are some situations where he should not wage war, nor be forced by others to do so, in the first place.

Friendly - Where Mikael, his boyfriend, is able to inspire masses of people, Niccolino has learned that he should make friends with individuals, and that he should be loyal to the bonds he forms, even when said bonds clash with each other. With this quality, he is able to moderate the rifts caused by Mikael's hubris, and keep the company running together.

Mercenary Connections - Niccolino's mother is the owner of her own mercenary company, and taught him not just how to fight, but also to play nice with other mercenaries and privateers to prevent betrayals and other consequences of alienating other groups of armed folk...

Weaknesses:

Burdened with a Load - He has to work with Mikael and look where that got him, especially as he's not changing his mind about that.

---

Background:

Backstory:Niccolino's mother, Andriana was the husband of a Mercenary Captain who was also a skilled fighter in her own right, with her most famous feat being putting down a mutiny which had killed her husband while she was in the early stages of pregnancy, relying on an old suit of plate armor to protect her belly as she cut down the mutineers alongside her loyal troops. After giving birth to Niccolino, she made sure to moderate his tendency to be overly forceful in play, and slowly wean him away from fighting with the other children in his mercenary company. She also taught him to read, write, and do sums.

Niccolino eventually grew to become a fine young man, raised not just by his mother but by the men and women of the mercernary company. On a trip to Bayeton, the fortress-city that served as the Calarian Capital, the boy met another boy who soon became the object of his infatuation, Mikael Hasikos. Both saw in each other an equal and a complement, and both were complete alongside each other. So they pooled their resources and formed their own mercenary company, The Progidies, and embarked on a startling spree of successful actions that made many enemies with every victory.

As time went on, Niccolino realized that they had done the wrong thing, but his over-indulgence of his lover and the latter's own ability to inspire optimism in him stopped him from talking about his issues with leading a mercenary company so young. And when Mikael manifested his gift of healing, a gulf opened up between them; no longer were they equals; he was a subordinate now.

This made him too depressed to try and stop the ill-fated invasion of Haltian territory, and it was only an hour before the Haltian ambush that he realized that he needed to save Mikael from himself. Even then, he thought of just fleeing, abandoning The Prodigies and Mikael to their fate.

But one look at Mikael and loyalty and love inflamed themselves once more in him. And so Niccolino rallied his troops when the ambush struck, trying the best he could to save his boyfriend and fight their way out of the enemy's encirclement.

It took three Elves to bring him down, and two more to keep him that way. Even then, only a dagger held at Mikael's throat made him stop fighting.

Now he and his love and the survivors of his group were slaves, bound for the slave markets of Inbur to be seperated from each other...

[Dyelli Beybi]

Character Description

Name: Mikael Hasikos
Species: Human - Inburian
Sex: Male
Age: 16
Appearance:

([url=https://i.ibb.co/jggZwcR/Oz-Vessalius-600-494605-Bishie-Boi.jpg]Image)[/url]

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Strengths and Weaknesses

Skills:

The Hands of the King - Mikael has a rare gift of Healing, which he combines with mundane medical treatments to mend injuries of flesh and bone, as well as purge diseases and poisons.

A Calarian Upbringing - Mikael was raised among Calarian merchants, and knows how to handle money, raising, saving, and spending it in the most efficient manner possible. This has also given him several connections among the Calarian Merchant Nobility, connections he cannot access now, but might be able to do so in the future.

Inspirational Incitement - Mikael can be a gifted speaker if required, and he and his boyfriend, Niccolino Ziani, were somehow able to get a band of mercenaries to stage an attack on Haltian territory based on charisma and fiery words and genuinely convince them that they had a chance of winning.

Average Combatant - Mikael knows how to shoot pistols, stab with a dagger, and hold a sword without accidentally impaling himself. That is all.

Weaknesses:

Overconfident Optimism - Mikael was able to convince himself that he had a chance of winning in an invasion of Haltian territory with no overt foriegn support, that the people would rise up in support of a Hasikos with an army at his back, even if it was a force of mercenaries. This got him and Niccolino, as well as several dozen members of his mercenary company, captured and enslaved. While the optimism was somewhat chastened by his current circumstances, it had not been crushed completely as Mikael hopes to look for a way out...

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Background:

Backstory: Mikael's family fled to Calaria a generation or so ago, finding refuge as a curiosity among the merchant princes. One of them married into a family of spice merchants, and the latter took the Hasikos name afterwards due to its prestige. And so Mikael's father, Asriel Hasikos, was born in privilege as his family built up a vast fortune which they occassionally spent on initatives to destabilize the Haltians.

Asriel eventually married a woman, Irene Farnese, and increased the family wealth with more shrewed business deals, as well as investments in mercenary companies. His intent, as was clear when Mikael was born, was to eventually build up a force of his own to take back his 'birthright'. But first, he had to raise his son, his beloved, adorably precocious son, with affection and love.

Mikael had a happy life with his father and mother and eventually a younger sibling. Demonstrating uncommon intelligence in the fields of finance, accounting, and economics, he slowly became overconfident in his gifts, to the point where at the age of thirteen, he met up with the similarly-gifted son of a mercenary captain, Niccolino Ziani, and formed their own corps of mercenaries, The Progidies, with hefty investments from Asriel, who was fast becoming overindulgent of his son's fantasies.

Surprisingly, The Prodigies, which recruited among the young and underestimated, taking in both men and women who could pass a primitive 'Intelligence Test' that measured their ability to solve puzzles and memorize information, as well as tests of endurance, tenacity, and strength... Completely succeeded in their first three years, getting rid of bandits, pirates, and forbidden religious cults for the first three years, moving their center of operations closer and closer to the Calarian - Haltian border, where they managed to overcome several raids of Haltian Elven Cavalry through judicious use of pikes and muskets.

Then Mikael's gift of healing manifested, and this propelled Mikael to greater heights of ambition and overconfidence. Publicly displaying his gifts and mixing them with his basic knowledge of botany, he held mass healing sessions involving mercenary and civilian alike, alienating his company's own doctors and healers as he did so, causing them to abandon him when he proposed an invasion of Haltian territory itself, where there were reports of a slave revolt in the provinces nearest the Calarian border, allegedly inspired by Mikael's demonstrations of mass healing.

This was a sham, and the Haltians were waiting with an overwhelming force of Cavalry and 'Owned Men' when The Prodigies launched their invasion, and no one came to help them. In five hours of combat, Mikael's force melted away, and Niccolino, whom he had forgotten was the co-leader of his company, had to drag Mikael out of the battle as it was lost, rallying a small number of troops to try and break out of the Haltian encirclement.

Obviously, they failed. Obviously, they were captured. Obviously, they were now slaves, being taken to be sold to the Inburian slave markets. Such was the price of hubris...

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Character Description

Name: Niccolino Ziani
Species: Human (Calarian)
Sex: Male.
Age: 16
Appearance:

([url=https://i.ibb.co/J2c5LgH/Bishie-Nemo-from-Seven-Heroes-Revolution-now-Southern-Throne-Claimant-Ren-Arisato.jpg]Image)[/url]

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Strengths and Weaknesses

Skills:

Combat Progidy - Niccolino has a gift for violence in an already violent world. Teeth and fists, knife and pistol, musket, sword and pike, Niccolino is able to find a lethal use for almost any object in his hands, and has brought down older and physically stronger folk with sheer ferocity and tenacity.

Basic Strategy and Tactics - Niccolino knows how to make war with more than a squad of forces, and how to win a string of battles in a row. However, he does not grasp that there are some situations where he should not wage war, nor be forced by others to do so, in the first place.

Friendly - Where Mikael, his boyfriend, is able to inspire masses of people, Niccolino has learned that he should make friends with individuals, and that he should be loyal to the bonds he forms, even when said bonds clash with each other. With this quality, he is able to moderate the rifts caused by Mikael's hubris, and keep the company running together.

Mercenary Connections - Niccolino's mother is the owner of her own mercenary company, and taught him not just how to fight, but also to play nice with other mercenaries and privateers to prevent betrayals and other consequences of alienating other groups of armed folk...

Weaknesses:

Burdened with a Load - He has to work with Mikael and look where that got him, especially as he's not changing his mind about that.

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Background:

Backstory:Niccolino's mother, Andriana was the husband of a Mercenary Captain who was also a skilled fighter in her own right, with her most famous feat being putting down a mutiny which had killed her husband while she was in the early stages of pregnancy, relying on an old suit of plate armor to protect her belly as she cut down the mutineers alongside her loyal troops. After giving birth to Niccolino, she made sure to moderate his tendency to be overly forceful in play, and slowly wean him away from fighting with the other children in his mercenary company. She also taught him to read, write, and do sums.

Niccolino eventually grew to become a fine young man, raised not just by his mother but by the men and women of the mercernary company. On a trip to Bayeton, the fortress-city that served as the Calarian Capital, the boy met another boy who soon became the object of his infatuation, Mikael Hasikos. Both saw in each other an equal and a complement, and both were complete alongside each other. So they pooled their resources and formed their own mercenary company, The Progidies, and embarked on a startling spree of successful actions that made many enemies with every victory.

As time went on, Niccolino realized that they had done the wrong thing, but his over-indulgence of his lover and the latter's own ability to inspire optimism in him stopped him from talking about his issues with leading a mercenary company so young. And when Mikael manifested his gift of healing, a gulf opened up between them; no longer were they equals; he was a subordinate now.

This made him too depressed to try and stop the ill-fated invasion of Haltian territory, and it was only an hour before the Haltian ambush that he realized that he needed to save Mikael from himself. Even then, he thought of just fleeing, abandoning The Prodigies and Mikael to their fate.

But one look at Mikael and loyalty and love inflamed themselves once more in him. And so Niccolino rallied his troops when the ambush struck, trying the best he could to save his boyfriend and fight their way out of the enemy's encirclement.

It took three Elves to bring him down, and two more to keep him that way. Even then, only a dagger held at Mikael's throat made him stop fighting.

Now he and his love and the survivors of his group were slaves, bound for the slave markets of Inbur to be seperated from each other...

There are a number of problems with these characters, which I will outline below.

1. I'm not accepting another Hasikos character into the RP. There is one that I'm running as a pretext to initiate the story. Two is too many.

2. Your character is too young to inspire veteran soldiers, form a mercenary company or any of the adult stuff you want them to have done by the age of 16. You've written they formed a company at 13. Nobody would sign up to work for a small child who hasn't shaved yet - its completely nonsensical.

3. You know how I feel about people writing their own romantic partners. It's exceedingly cringe. Not hapoening in my thread.

4. Generally need to tone down the 'I'm a genius and good at everything' vibe these kids give off. It doesn't fit the tone of the thread and generally makes them instantly unlikable.