Setting
A Rock Hard Land for Rock Hard Men.
Minimap
northwest |
north |
northeast |
west |
You are here. |
east |
southwest |
south |
southeast |
The Rockaverse is a part of 
Lords of Rock.
11 Characters Here
Syra Onnet [116] A thrall who seeks more from life.
Captain Ash [22] A man gone wild, either by lust, by wars, or by the desert sun. Or maybe he's just clinically insane.
M'Kama [14] Life and death, two sides of the same coin. With that in mind, he crafts his own luck.
Horik [1] The desperate desolate explorer
Tackel [0] An oasis of justice in a lawless land.
Tiber Girthfield [0] The hero of Gwyeene and leader of the Guardian mission on the Rock.
Qunith [0] A Sudean Divine now in the servitude of the sinister Waste Witch.
Frey [0] A violent child in a violent world.
Otis Lariat [0] A young Guardian with boundless optimism.
Seru [0] A soldier who lives for Cobran.
Start Character Here »
"Sorry, who is this?" Qunith commented, pointing at Eimln. "Are they one of Seru's gatekeepers for mother's treasure?"
Qunith leant back, their shoulder brushing against Talideth beside them. "Lemon Cruise has carved out land rightfully belonging to the Sudean people, harvested their own sacred herbs, and then sold it back to them whilst they are too weak to reclaim what is theirs." Qunith clicked their tongue. "If the Sudean nation was still whole, under an emperor, he would have been flayed alive long ago."
Qunith glanced at Ash. "Of course if the Sorillians hadn't arrived when they had the entire planet could be Sudean and perhaps we could have avoided all these issues."
***
"You are a child of Gawal," Qunith breathed. "Keep your eyes shut."
Qunith leant back, their shoulder brushing against Talideth beside them. "Lemon Cruise has carved out land rightfully belonging to the Sudean people, harvested their own sacred herbs, and then sold it back to them whilst they are too weak to reclaim what is theirs." Qunith clicked their tongue. "If the Sudean nation was still whole, under an emperor, he would have been flayed alive long ago."
Qunith glanced at Ash. "Of course if the Sorillians hadn't arrived when they had the entire planet could be Sudean and perhaps we could have avoided all these issues."
***
"You are a child of Gawal," Qunith breathed. "Keep your eyes shut."
"If you wish to speak about rightful ownership of land, the Sudean people will get no pity or sympathy from me," Eimln snapped back at Qunith, her tone still somewhat pleasant but her eyes dark with contempt. "Nor will your ignorance, child, if you continue to hide behind it. Those who blind themselves to all but their own prejudice curse themselves to be weak."
"Lords of Rock, you have a choice," Eimln said, turning to the others. "Allow fear and anger to cost you a powerful ally, as Qunith suggests, or let hope and courage guide you in reaching out to those who may help you. Very few are the souls on the Rock who are without imperfection, but spurning others' help because of this will only hurt your efforts to bring peace to this land."
"Lords of Rock, you have a choice," Eimln said, turning to the others. "Allow fear and anger to cost you a powerful ally, as Qunith suggests, or let hope and courage guide you in reaching out to those who may help you. Very few are the souls on the Rock who are without imperfection, but spurning others' help because of this will only hurt your efforts to bring peace to this land."
Ash gazed at Qunith a moment, his eyes narrowing in contemplation of the past. "You're right Qunith, the whole planet might be Sudean. And all other races born on this planet would have been wiped out of existence to achieve it. Sorillia was terrible, but neither Sudean nor Skylander is innocent on this planet."
Price let out a soft sigh and a chuckle as he spoke both to Eimln and the Lords of Rock. "Friends, lets try to... Take a deep breath. Realize that the actions and morals of other people are out of our control. We are only responsible for our actions. So, I propose the best use of our actions is to utilize others as allies to achieve more moral goals. As Eimln suggested, if we work with Mr. Cruise, he could be an asset to work towards peace on The Rock."
He turned to face Qunith for a moment. "And no, you don't look like a diplomat my friend, you look like someone from the other side of the river." He smiled lightly. "Based on your suggesting we use our friend Tate here for diplomacy with the Skylanders, and your passionate words for Sudea, it occurs to me you might have a vested interest in this. Not that I have a problem with that, more minds make more creative solutions."
"So the plan so far is to try to ally with Cruise, trying to open up trade routes with him that will allow food to flow a little more easily. Maybe Hasaru and Ohibi help move his products to Last Rest and other parts of The Rock, and our we offer some protection to keep his caravans safe. But where do we go from there?"
Price was pleased that Ash seemed open to the idea, but the Captain still seemed somewhat hesitant, not fully on board with supporting a drug dealer. That occupation might be something they'd have to encourage him to change. "Well we'll need to work on Theory at some point shortly after. It may be a good time to get Last Rest focused on some kind of production capabilities, but we'll need to start recruiting an army to face down Theory at the same time, perhaps try to appeal to thralls and slaves.. Not only this, but we need to navigate those lands carefully, as they're either close to, or in, Sudean territory." He looked both at Syra, and Qunith as he made his final comments.
Past:
Ash tried to keep his feelings tightly bottled up as his hand rubbed his jaw. He was clean shaven, save for the 5o'clock shadow that was starting to grow in. The map worried The Captain, especially given what Mohan was suggesting. Was it really going to come down to two whole nation's trying to slaughter each other? He contemplated if perhaps there could be some way of dissuading them, or at the very least trying to minimize casualties.
"Well, if you're able to attack some of his forces while they're crossing the river, it'll make it harder for them to fight back or retreat, they'll have a disadvantage. If you have mounted forces or cavalry, you could use them to split up his forces a bit more, thin them down, make it harder to strike back in force. What do you have in terms of your forces? And what's the plan your troops have in place already?"
Price let out a soft sigh and a chuckle as he spoke both to Eimln and the Lords of Rock. "Friends, lets try to... Take a deep breath. Realize that the actions and morals of other people are out of our control. We are only responsible for our actions. So, I propose the best use of our actions is to utilize others as allies to achieve more moral goals. As Eimln suggested, if we work with Mr. Cruise, he could be an asset to work towards peace on The Rock."
He turned to face Qunith for a moment. "And no, you don't look like a diplomat my friend, you look like someone from the other side of the river." He smiled lightly. "Based on your suggesting we use our friend Tate here for diplomacy with the Skylanders, and your passionate words for Sudea, it occurs to me you might have a vested interest in this. Not that I have a problem with that, more minds make more creative solutions."
"So the plan so far is to try to ally with Cruise, trying to open up trade routes with him that will allow food to flow a little more easily. Maybe Hasaru and Ohibi help move his products to Last Rest and other parts of The Rock, and our we offer some protection to keep his caravans safe. But where do we go from there?"
Price was pleased that Ash seemed open to the idea, but the Captain still seemed somewhat hesitant, not fully on board with supporting a drug dealer. That occupation might be something they'd have to encourage him to change. "Well we'll need to work on Theory at some point shortly after. It may be a good time to get Last Rest focused on some kind of production capabilities, but we'll need to start recruiting an army to face down Theory at the same time, perhaps try to appeal to thralls and slaves.. Not only this, but we need to navigate those lands carefully, as they're either close to, or in, Sudean territory." He looked both at Syra, and Qunith as he made his final comments.
___________________________________________________________________________________
Past:
Ash tried to keep his feelings tightly bottled up as his hand rubbed his jaw. He was clean shaven, save for the 5o'clock shadow that was starting to grow in. The map worried The Captain, especially given what Mohan was suggesting. Was it really going to come down to two whole nation's trying to slaughter each other? He contemplated if perhaps there could be some way of dissuading them, or at the very least trying to minimize casualties.
"Well, if you're able to attack some of his forces while they're crossing the river, it'll make it harder for them to fight back or retreat, they'll have a disadvantage. If you have mounted forces or cavalry, you could use them to split up his forces a bit more, thin them down, make it harder to strike back in force. What do you have in terms of your forces? And what's the plan your troops have in place already?"
"Nothing that you shouldn't already know, I assure you," M'Kama answered. "In truth nothing. Narc has made no headway on his investigation. His best guesses are rumors and plagues people out of spite. Will that be all?"
***
Several Yyban guardsmen emerged bringing their contingent to five as they spread flower petals upon the ground before the woman that strode behind them. She wore a flowing white gown, with yellow paint striped along the sides and a ring of silver adorning her long raven haired head. The princess of the Yyban Tribe. Their Demi-Goddess Punarja.
The guards led her around the camp, in tight formation, walking past M'Kama and his friends. The Yyban, armored in steel gifted by their Sudeans allies glanced down upon the young warriors and sneered.
In turn the Yybal did the same. The most friendly greeting the two tribes had offered one another in centuries. "The dead and the dying," One guard spat. "Move of our sight. The daughter of a goddess graces your presence. Stat any longer and we're obliged to kill you on sight!"
"You try such an action fool, and that armor won't protect you!" O'muri grimaced, his hand, reaching for his blafe. "Then you'll catch a glimpse of the death you're so afraid of."
"IN TRUTH," M'Kama interrupted loudly, stepping between the guards and his friends. "None of these actions are permitted so long as we in this truce. On hallowed ground no less..." he turned to look at Punarja. "I'm certain your demi-goddess would not like to see blood spilled before her feet....' he stated almost in the form of a question as he took a brief, almost pleading glance at the Yyban heiress.
"While it would no doubt be amusing," she spoke after a moment, her auburn eyes glancing at M'Kama a moment as his heart seemed to sink to his stomach for a moment. "I believe we can spare them in the name of keeping the peace in this sacred ground."
She then pointed at M'Kama. "But this one...I would like to speak with him. But not here," She glanced upon the other Yybal warriors. "Not in front of these rats."
M'Kama exhaled a loud sigh of relief to the irritable of the Yyban guard in front of him. He then gave the guard a friendly punch on the shoulder as if they'd been friends for years. "Welk, you heard her. The cliffs are that way in case you are spatially unaware," he chided dismissively to the guards. "That's a good place to go if one would like to speak alo-"
"I know where these cliffs are dea-," the guard glanced at Punarja who offered him a slight smile. "Dearest...ally. We will escort you there...but be mindful," he snarled.
The guards then marched onward, leading Punarja to location designated for them to speak. M'Kama turned to his friends and shrugged. "Well, I doubt she'd ally prove if I kept her waiting..." he chuckled.
"Right, but...be careful," Zavir earned, M'Kama turning around to see worry in the eyes of all three of his compatriots. "She may very well be a goddess, but she is a goddess of blood."
M'Kama, for a second looked as if he was to respond humorously, but stopped himself, glancing down at the sand. "If there is any blood to be spilled in the coming days, you can trust that it will not be one of ours," he responded. "For in the coming days the Yyb will be divided no more..." he continued turning around to face the cliff. "And may the heavens rejoice when the Guardians of life and Death walk as one!"
***
Several Yyban guardsmen emerged bringing their contingent to five as they spread flower petals upon the ground before the woman that strode behind them. She wore a flowing white gown, with yellow paint striped along the sides and a ring of silver adorning her long raven haired head. The princess of the Yyban Tribe. Their Demi-Goddess Punarja.
The guards led her around the camp, in tight formation, walking past M'Kama and his friends. The Yyban, armored in steel gifted by their Sudeans allies glanced down upon the young warriors and sneered.
In turn the Yybal did the same. The most friendly greeting the two tribes had offered one another in centuries. "The dead and the dying," One guard spat. "Move of our sight. The daughter of a goddess graces your presence. Stat any longer and we're obliged to kill you on sight!"
"You try such an action fool, and that armor won't protect you!" O'muri grimaced, his hand, reaching for his blafe. "Then you'll catch a glimpse of the death you're so afraid of."
"IN TRUTH," M'Kama interrupted loudly, stepping between the guards and his friends. "None of these actions are permitted so long as we in this truce. On hallowed ground no less..." he turned to look at Punarja. "I'm certain your demi-goddess would not like to see blood spilled before her feet....' he stated almost in the form of a question as he took a brief, almost pleading glance at the Yyban heiress.
"While it would no doubt be amusing," she spoke after a moment, her auburn eyes glancing at M'Kama a moment as his heart seemed to sink to his stomach for a moment. "I believe we can spare them in the name of keeping the peace in this sacred ground."
She then pointed at M'Kama. "But this one...I would like to speak with him. But not here," She glanced upon the other Yybal warriors. "Not in front of these rats."
M'Kama exhaled a loud sigh of relief to the irritable of the Yyban guard in front of him. He then gave the guard a friendly punch on the shoulder as if they'd been friends for years. "Welk, you heard her. The cliffs are that way in case you are spatially unaware," he chided dismissively to the guards. "That's a good place to go if one would like to speak alo-"
"I know where these cliffs are dea-," the guard glanced at Punarja who offered him a slight smile. "Dearest...ally. We will escort you there...but be mindful," he snarled.
The guards then marched onward, leading Punarja to location designated for them to speak. M'Kama turned to his friends and shrugged. "Well, I doubt she'd ally prove if I kept her waiting..." he chuckled.
"Right, but...be careful," Zavir earned, M'Kama turning around to see worry in the eyes of all three of his compatriots. "She may very well be a goddess, but she is a goddess of blood."
M'Kama, for a second looked as if he was to respond humorously, but stopped himself, glancing down at the sand. "If there is any blood to be spilled in the coming days, you can trust that it will not be one of ours," he responded. "For in the coming days the Yyb will be divided no more..." he continued turning around to face the cliff. "And may the heavens rejoice when the Guardians of life and Death walk as one!"
Syra looked away from Price's gaze as he mentioned the group needing to move on Theory. Azure rested her hand on the girl's shoulder, "I can help train the army, my original mission here was to investigate that cannon and takedown Theory," she sighed, folding her arms across her chest, "With the cannon 'safe' I can focus on my other objective, just tell me where to go." She smiled softly.
"I, I want to learn how to use a sniper rifle," Syra began, "I can't bring myself to be out front but I want to support, and take out targets before they get close, or before they even know we are there. Theory will have men at all different intervals patroling different perimeters, if we can take them out before they can alert the next line we will have an easier time getting into his camp." She looked at Seru, hoping the Cobran woman would teach her how to be a marksman.
"I, I want to learn how to use a sniper rifle," Syra began, "I can't bring myself to be out front but I want to support, and take out targets before they get close, or before they even know we are there. Theory will have men at all different intervals patroling different perimeters, if we can take them out before they can alert the next line we will have an easier time getting into his camp." She looked at Seru, hoping the Cobran woman would teach her how to be a marksman.
As Azure spoke, Ash cocked an eyebrow, taking in her statement first, and then Syra's, before his face lit up. He snapped his fingers, looking from Azure to Price. "There's someone else who could help us with training an army too. A fellow from the Holy Land... Robocoponov? Yes, that's the one, Demetri Robocoponov! Ulfirian gentleman, older, and a soldier from Ulfire, so he should be pretty easy to recognize if he's still there."
Price gave a smile and nod to Ash. "I'll have someone find your friend and direct him to join you all here, that is if everyone is in favor of that?" His gaze mainly lingered on Azure, but looked to the other Lords of Rock as well.
"Between myself, Rob, and Lady Azure, I can see us having a comprehensive grasp of training and strategies. There's a lot we can achieve together." He gave an affirmative nod to Azure.
Returning his attention to Syra, Price responded warmly. "I think another set of keen eyes could be good quite useful in capturing Theory's Camp, particularly when they belong to someone with considerable knowledge on our enemy."
Ash felt apprehensive about having Syra there for the capturing of Theory's camp, but then again it was her decision, and Price wasn't wrong about the possible benefit she could have. He turned his gaze to Seru to see what she thought, but she still seemed quite... Out of sorts?
"I already told you, you diminutive little cretin, this is CONFIDENTIAL Matranical business. The Empire has killed people far more important than any of you for far lesser reasons." Maximilian spoke with bitterness and vitriol, finding his patience being worn dangerously thin by the Horenor Militia that still questioned him. He walked away from the group, some of whom persisted in following him, and picked up his cloak from the ground, still in mostly perfect condition.
"You people just about burned down a city block! Being from the Matran doesn't put you above the LAW sir!" One of the guards yelled at Maximilian.
The Phoenix donned his cloak, turned around, and swiftly brought his hand across the guard's face, a firm and loud slap. The guard was stunned for a moment. "You will cease to interfere with the business of the Empire. Should you be dumb enough to try continuing down this path, I assure you the consequences will be more severe than you could possibly imagine. Now, tell me; who was the driver of that car? The one who hit me? What does he have in common with that Yybian?"
Another guard fidgeted slightly, uncomfortable with the whole confrontation. This wasn't what he joined the city guard for... "That was... Kilakanji. He's a diplomat or something, for the Longbaoan Embassy. I dunno how he knows the Yyb guy, but that was definitely Kilakanji's car."
A Longbaoan Diplomat? The realization was stunning, almost shocking to Maximilian. Were the Longbaoans involved in this too? Even if they weren't and this was just sheer coincidence, the events of this evening would not reflect well on their relations with the Matranical Empire. Maximilian was silent a moment, before turning to the guard he had slapped, and rummaging in the guard's pockets.
"H-hey! Stop that you freak!" He nasally protested.
Maximilian ignored him as he pulled a notepad out and borrowed it from the guard. "I'll be keeping this." Well... Not quite borrowing. He produced a pen from his own jacket, and quickly took some notes before placing both back in his jacket. "As I said, this is confidential Matranical business. I expect you all to keep your mouths firmly shut about this and not tell a soul. If you do... Well, the Matran has it's ways of finding out. If anyone wants to know what happened here, tell them it was just Phoenixes killing Phoenixes."
Price gave a smile and nod to Ash. "I'll have someone find your friend and direct him to join you all here, that is if everyone is in favor of that?" His gaze mainly lingered on Azure, but looked to the other Lords of Rock as well.
"Between myself, Rob, and Lady Azure, I can see us having a comprehensive grasp of training and strategies. There's a lot we can achieve together." He gave an affirmative nod to Azure.
Returning his attention to Syra, Price responded warmly. "I think another set of keen eyes could be good quite useful in capturing Theory's Camp, particularly when they belong to someone with considerable knowledge on our enemy."
Ash felt apprehensive about having Syra there for the capturing of Theory's camp, but then again it was her decision, and Price wasn't wrong about the possible benefit she could have. He turned his gaze to Seru to see what she thought, but she still seemed quite... Out of sorts?
___________________________________________________________________________________
"I already told you, you diminutive little cretin, this is CONFIDENTIAL Matranical business. The Empire has killed people far more important than any of you for far lesser reasons." Maximilian spoke with bitterness and vitriol, finding his patience being worn dangerously thin by the Horenor Militia that still questioned him. He walked away from the group, some of whom persisted in following him, and picked up his cloak from the ground, still in mostly perfect condition.
"You people just about burned down a city block! Being from the Matran doesn't put you above the LAW sir!" One of the guards yelled at Maximilian.
The Phoenix donned his cloak, turned around, and swiftly brought his hand across the guard's face, a firm and loud slap. The guard was stunned for a moment. "You will cease to interfere with the business of the Empire. Should you be dumb enough to try continuing down this path, I assure you the consequences will be more severe than you could possibly imagine. Now, tell me; who was the driver of that car? The one who hit me? What does he have in common with that Yybian?"
Another guard fidgeted slightly, uncomfortable with the whole confrontation. This wasn't what he joined the city guard for... "That was... Kilakanji. He's a diplomat or something, for the Longbaoan Embassy. I dunno how he knows the Yyb guy, but that was definitely Kilakanji's car."
A Longbaoan Diplomat? The realization was stunning, almost shocking to Maximilian. Were the Longbaoans involved in this too? Even if they weren't and this was just sheer coincidence, the events of this evening would not reflect well on their relations with the Matranical Empire. Maximilian was silent a moment, before turning to the guard he had slapped, and rummaging in the guard's pockets.
"H-hey! Stop that you freak!" He nasally protested.
Maximilian ignored him as he pulled a notepad out and borrowed it from the guard. "I'll be keeping this." Well... Not quite borrowing. He produced a pen from his own jacket, and quickly took some notes before placing both back in his jacket. "As I said, this is confidential Matranical business. I expect you all to keep your mouths firmly shut about this and not tell a soul. If you do... Well, the Matran has it's ways of finding out. If anyone wants to know what happened here, tell them it was just Phoenixes killing Phoenixes."
Seru frowned at the unfamiliar name but kept her eyes shut.
***
Her gaze snapped to Syra as she heard her name being spoken. Seru blinked for a moment and then nodded at the girl, her hazy mind finally in the conversation.
"Woah now, an army? Are y'all pullin' my leg here? Just - just hang on a second before you start makin' plans to take over the whole damn Rock," Seru frowned, the rooms attention now on her, "We need money, which luckily for us we have. But we also need time. How the hell d'you think we're gonna train up a buncha folks to fight a fella like Theory in the time y'all are plannin' to do this? Not only that, but where the hell are we gonna find the numbers? Do y'all think there are a buncha folks just wanderin' around lookin' for something to do? Money can only do so much 'n money is useless to men that know they gonna die fighting a warlord. We need loyalty. The problem is we're new, we don't have connections. It takes years to gather enough loyalty to the scale y'all are talkin'. If y'all tell any man on the road that we'll pay him to help us take down Theory he'd just laugh at you. Naw, this ain't the right approach." Seru slapped her legs, "We need to ally with a warlord that hates Theory as much as we do. That's the only way that yer plan is gonna work."
***
Her gaze snapped to Syra as she heard her name being spoken. Seru blinked for a moment and then nodded at the girl, her hazy mind finally in the conversation.
"Woah now, an army? Are y'all pullin' my leg here? Just - just hang on a second before you start makin' plans to take over the whole damn Rock," Seru frowned, the rooms attention now on her, "We need money, which luckily for us we have. But we also need time. How the hell d'you think we're gonna train up a buncha folks to fight a fella like Theory in the time y'all are plannin' to do this? Not only that, but where the hell are we gonna find the numbers? Do y'all think there are a buncha folks just wanderin' around lookin' for something to do? Money can only do so much 'n money is useless to men that know they gonna die fighting a warlord. We need loyalty. The problem is we're new, we don't have connections. It takes years to gather enough loyalty to the scale y'all are talkin'. If y'all tell any man on the road that we'll pay him to help us take down Theory he'd just laugh at you. Naw, this ain't the right approach." Seru slapped her legs, "We need to ally with a warlord that hates Theory as much as we do. That's the only way that yer plan is gonna work."
The cliffs overlooked a small ravine, citing across towards a waterfall near the lush green jungles below. These jungles fell into Sudean territory, but over a millenia ago they were once the Yyb's. All the Yybs. The ravine was the site of a fierce battle that split the tribes. A battle so old it had lost it's name, but the acts of violence that has occurred in it were so horrendous that they permeated through the oral tradition of both tribes.
Of course, which tribe truly commuting the atrocities varied, depending on which tribe told the tale. M'Kama's general idea of the affair was that it was fairly likely that both committed atrocities, given it was a war. But that opinion, while not uncommon failed to gain much traction in the tales. Hatred often overruns reason after all, and both tribes of the Tubal had a hatred that ran deep.
Upon noticing one another, the general idea was to lol one another on site, but these days things were different. The Yyban had arrived two weeks ago, bearing flags emblazoned with the emblems of their once united tribes. They spoke of another was that would sweep the sands. It would not be an epic as in the ancient past, but a great battle nonetheless, that would change the tides of the Rock forever. And once it was over, the Yyban and Yybal would unite once more.
M'Kama had his doubts, however. What would a united Yyb look like at this point even? He wasn't certain...the current King of the Yyban was sickly...on his last legs some said, but his mind remained sharp. He did not always see eye to eye with the new head priest of the Yybal, but they were on the same page enough to agree to this truce. To aid the Sudeans in their campaign. But such an alliance would not last.I
Things would be different should Punarja take the crown. She was more open to a United Yyb than any Yyban M'Kama had ever met. Although most of them had tried to kill him, including Punarja herself. She still might attempt to do so, M'Kama wagered. She had a reputation for not being particularly well acquainted with the concept of mercy. Enough to make M'Kama reconsider his stance on whether the Yyban committed the most atrocities or not, if any of the previous royals were of a similar disposition to her.
But her plans for the Rock, her grand plans, interested him. They were grandiose and she was driven. And when M'Kama had first looked into her eyes, he had mistaken her passion for madness...or perhaps his eyes were simply clouded now by all that had happened between such long stares.
They shared such a state now as M'Kama had been escorted to the cliffside by Punarja's guard, a smile on the prince's lips that made M'Kama feel at once on edge and elated. His hand would be honestly dirty d towards his blade had he not been in the company of multiple armor clad thugs whirlwind not hesitate to cut him down.
Almost as if sending this, Punarja's turned away, to look ahead. They were almost at their designated stop at the cliffsides. Her eyes briefly drifted towards a long jagged knife lying between the belt strap of the guard in front of her. It was now M'Kama's turn to smile. Whatever game she was playing, he couldn't deny the fun was in the danger that it tended to bring along with it.
Of course, which tribe truly commuting the atrocities varied, depending on which tribe told the tale. M'Kama's general idea of the affair was that it was fairly likely that both committed atrocities, given it was a war. But that opinion, while not uncommon failed to gain much traction in the tales. Hatred often overruns reason after all, and both tribes of the Tubal had a hatred that ran deep.
Upon noticing one another, the general idea was to lol one another on site, but these days things were different. The Yyban had arrived two weeks ago, bearing flags emblazoned with the emblems of their once united tribes. They spoke of another was that would sweep the sands. It would not be an epic as in the ancient past, but a great battle nonetheless, that would change the tides of the Rock forever. And once it was over, the Yyban and Yybal would unite once more.
M'Kama had his doubts, however. What would a united Yyb look like at this point even? He wasn't certain...the current King of the Yyban was sickly...on his last legs some said, but his mind remained sharp. He did not always see eye to eye with the new head priest of the Yybal, but they were on the same page enough to agree to this truce. To aid the Sudeans in their campaign. But such an alliance would not last.I
Things would be different should Punarja take the crown. She was more open to a United Yyb than any Yyban M'Kama had ever met. Although most of them had tried to kill him, including Punarja herself. She still might attempt to do so, M'Kama wagered. She had a reputation for not being particularly well acquainted with the concept of mercy. Enough to make M'Kama reconsider his stance on whether the Yyban committed the most atrocities or not, if any of the previous royals were of a similar disposition to her.
But her plans for the Rock, her grand plans, interested him. They were grandiose and she was driven. And when M'Kama had first looked into her eyes, he had mistaken her passion for madness...or perhaps his eyes were simply clouded now by all that had happened between such long stares.
They shared such a state now as M'Kama had been escorted to the cliffside by Punarja's guard, a smile on the prince's lips that made M'Kama feel at once on edge and elated. His hand would be honestly dirty d towards his blade had he not been in the company of multiple armor clad thugs whirlwind not hesitate to cut him down.
Almost as if sending this, Punarja's turned away, to look ahead. They were almost at their designated stop at the cliffsides. Her eyes briefly drifted towards a long jagged knife lying between the belt strap of the guard in front of her. It was now M'Kama's turn to smile. Whatever game she was playing, he couldn't deny the fun was in the danger that it tended to bring along with it.
As M'kama turned to leave a familiar sound was heard- the sound of a unsheathing pistol. "Give me the papers, M'kama," The Longbaon commented, his actions freezing them in the street beside the collapsed husk of his car. Whistling could be heard from down the alley they'd emerged, the Horenor Militia gaining on the criminals. They hadn't a second to lose.
***
"Well, we have the boy," Qunith said, shifting their weight. "Whilst captured I'd overheard his connections with the war lord Big Noose. Might I suggest we split up, one group heading west to forge an alliance with Noose whilst the other heads east to either overthrow or..." Qunith paused. "Figure out an agreement with Lemon Cruise."
***
Qunith's grip shifted from Seru's shoulders to her arms, the muscle-bound limbs spasming slightly as the Sudean worked their thumb through the knots. "You are a child of Gawal. Since you were born. Since before the snake." Seru inhaled, and it was if she was breathing sound- sounds of the past. "I want you to go back to the first moments you can remember. Gawal was there. In the fires of war."
***
"Papa?" The sound came from a doorway. Mohan turned to see doorway a child's head emerged, dark hair fluffing up as though they'd just awoken.
"A moment," Mohan said, glancing to Ash before turning to the child- maybe four or five. "Gooo back to beeed.... Where is your brother, at this hour of the night?"
***
"Well, we have the boy," Qunith said, shifting their weight. "Whilst captured I'd overheard his connections with the war lord Big Noose. Might I suggest we split up, one group heading west to forge an alliance with Noose whilst the other heads east to either overthrow or..." Qunith paused. "Figure out an agreement with Lemon Cruise."
***
Qunith's grip shifted from Seru's shoulders to her arms, the muscle-bound limbs spasming slightly as the Sudean worked their thumb through the knots. "You are a child of Gawal. Since you were born. Since before the snake." Seru inhaled, and it was if she was breathing sound- sounds of the past. "I want you to go back to the first moments you can remember. Gawal was there. In the fires of war."
***
"Papa?" The sound came from a doorway. Mohan turned to see doorway a child's head emerged, dark hair fluffing up as though they'd just awoken.
"A moment," Mohan said, glancing to Ash before turning to the child- maybe four or five. "Gooo back to beeed.... Where is your brother, at this hour of the night?"
"That sounds like a good plan," Seru nodded.
***
The little girl ran up to Mohan and latched onto his leg, curious eyes wide and staring a Ash, "Where were you, papa? Who is this?"
***
The little girl ran up to Mohan and latched onto his leg, curious eyes wide and staring a Ash, "Where were you, papa? Who is this?"
Mohan looked down at the girl and gave a regretful smile. "Errandssss for the lady of the desert," He explained vaguely before raising his eyes to lock on Ash. "He is... a visitor. An ally, we hope. Against the Sudeans."
***
"Great," Qunith replied.
They all just stood there.
"Whose going where?"
***
"Great," Qunith replied.
They all just stood there.
"Whose going where?"
Ash rose his hand to call for a moment of quiet. "Hold on a moment, Big Noose? You recommend we ally with him? Don't you think he's a little... Conservative? And I thought he's been proclaiming the government of The Horenor as 'illegitimate'. That puts us at odds with Horenor. Can we really get ourselves involved in that conflict right now? Can we even trust Big Noose to have the same values as us?"
He gave a nod to Seru. "I think you're short selling the mercenaries and needy people of The Rock, but you make some important points. We do need loyalty, and if we don't have that yet, we likely will need to find mutual enemies of Theory. I'm just not sure Big Noose is the most reliable."
Price cleared his throat. "I have another option that may be worth consideration as well. At least in the case of Theory, I am of the mind that perhaps the best army we could muster against him is actually inside the walls of forts; the thralls." He looked over to Eimln for a moment, as if to get her input before he continued his train of thought.
"This may be a rather bold endeavor, but I see a possibility where the Lord's of Rock attack Theory's fort from the outside, and give the braver thralls a chance to attack from the inside. If a small group of Dwards were to sneak inside during, or shortly before the battle, and arm the thralls with small weapons like daggers, then the thralls could raid Theory's armory, and turn his own guns against him." There was a small smirk on his face. "A war on two fronts is hard to win, especially when the second front is inside your own walls."
"But we would still need an army." Ash spoke matter-of-factly. "Attacking his walls requires we still have much more firepower than we do right now."
"This is true, but for what it's worth, some of the manpower gap could potentially be bridged with other strategies. Another bold one, but I've considered the possibility of using War-Anteaters from Sudea for a siege."
The Captain fell quiet for a moment, looking a little confused by the suggestion. "That seems a little far fetched... I mean is the plan to knock down the walls or something?"
"Perhaps. They would certainly draw a lot of attention that way, get Theory and his men rushing to defend the walls, focusing their firepower in one place, not paying attention to the thralls..." He chuckled.
Past:
Ash was surprised to see a little girl bound into the room. Mohan's child? Strange... The man seemed a little too rough to have a family, seemed more the menacing, likely murderous type. Perhaps he'd misjudged him though. The Captain smiled at the little girl, but remained silent while Mohan tended to his family needs.
He gave a nod to Seru. "I think you're short selling the mercenaries and needy people of The Rock, but you make some important points. We do need loyalty, and if we don't have that yet, we likely will need to find mutual enemies of Theory. I'm just not sure Big Noose is the most reliable."
Price cleared his throat. "I have another option that may be worth consideration as well. At least in the case of Theory, I am of the mind that perhaps the best army we could muster against him is actually inside the walls of forts; the thralls." He looked over to Eimln for a moment, as if to get her input before he continued his train of thought.
"This may be a rather bold endeavor, but I see a possibility where the Lord's of Rock attack Theory's fort from the outside, and give the braver thralls a chance to attack from the inside. If a small group of Dwards were to sneak inside during, or shortly before the battle, and arm the thralls with small weapons like daggers, then the thralls could raid Theory's armory, and turn his own guns against him." There was a small smirk on his face. "A war on two fronts is hard to win, especially when the second front is inside your own walls."
"But we would still need an army." Ash spoke matter-of-factly. "Attacking his walls requires we still have much more firepower than we do right now."
"This is true, but for what it's worth, some of the manpower gap could potentially be bridged with other strategies. Another bold one, but I've considered the possibility of using War-Anteaters from Sudea for a siege."
The Captain fell quiet for a moment, looking a little confused by the suggestion. "That seems a little far fetched... I mean is the plan to knock down the walls or something?"
"Perhaps. They would certainly draw a lot of attention that way, get Theory and his men rushing to defend the walls, focusing their firepower in one place, not paying attention to the thralls..." He chuckled.
___________________________________________________________________________________
Past:
Ash was surprised to see a little girl bound into the room. Mohan's child? Strange... The man seemed a little too rough to have a family, seemed more the menacing, likely murderous type. Perhaps he'd misjudged him though. The Captain smiled at the little girl, but remained silent while Mohan tended to his family needs.
"What d'you think of this?" Seru asked Syra, "You were once one of Theory's thralls, would they attack if we did?"
***
Young Seru glanced down and swung her legs as she held on to her father's leg, "So you're leavin' again?"
***
Young Seru glanced down and swung her legs as she held on to her father's leg, "So you're leavin' again?"