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Kingdoms of Karrus [RP*

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NotFishing

NotFishing

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The Meeting

King Horic accepted the gift of diamonds, taking the time to examine each one. The job done to chisel them wasn't that great, and any self-respecting skilled dwarven craftsman would have jumped to fix that. But the king could still appreciate the gesture, for diamonds - cut or not - were still very valuable. When he was informed of where it came from, he nodded his thanks at the out-of-place-looking Minotaur-like creature, before calling a servant to take them aside.

He noted that the Balan Republic had indeed shown up as well, and that was good. They were one of the strongest countries on the continent and would no doubt be useful. Then there were the half-giants, who the dwarves had already been friends with. With their peaceful nature, Horic had doubted they would offer much military support to begin with, but he was nonetheless glad to have them present. The hammer had been a fine gift, and one he would have no doubt carried with him on campaigns had he not preferred an axe. Still, it would be a fine addition to his collection.

Another person entered the room. She was a human, and would immediately stand out from all the others. The first thing people would notice was that there was no guard escorting her. Then, there was her attire - she wore the same style of clothes worn by royalty of one of the human kingdoms to the north. Dormoor's number one trading partner, to be exact.

It was no secret that after the kingdom fell the royal family had fled to Dormoor. And now here she was. Princess Derene of Janwyn.

She walked proudly with her head held high, as if she still owned a kingdom, even though she had never actually ascended her kingdom's throne due to spending the last two decades in exile. She was in her late twenties now, but still looked a few years younger.

(continued) Beneath the gold, the Bitter Steel.

03-Sep-2015 04:47:41 - Last edited on 03-Sep-2015 04:48:56 by NotFishing

NotFishing

NotFishing

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She stopped before the table, and took a few seconds to look at everyone in attendance. Then, she found her seat. She looked over at King Horic, and their eyes met for a few seconds.

Then, King Horic turned back to his guests. Everyone was seated and quiet. His next words would be important, and could very well determine whether he'd be facing the Sorus Empire alone or with allies.

"Welcome to Dormoor." He began, his deep voice loud and clear. He spoke the human language with just the barest hint of a dwarven accent. "I trust you have all had safe travels and were treated well." There was a pause, to let the translators convey this message to the leaders who need it.

"I'm sure you all know why we are here." The messengers had told them the purpose of the meeting beforehand, after all. "To discuss the Sorusian threat." Another pause, as the translators relayed this message to their leaders.

"You've all heard of them. In only a decade they managed to take over four kingdoms. And have recently come after my own. They want all of Karrus for themselves, but their hold is weakening, and unless we all stand together now they will just regroup and either try again, or attack someone else." Pause. "I'm suggesting an alliance. We will liberate the kingdoms to the north, sail to Cidius's island, and make that coward wish his father had never crossed the sea. So what do you say?"

Obviously he awaited a response.

-----

Asindia, Capital of the Balan Republic

It would have been like any other day in Balan's capital, when the guards manning the gate would spot ten horsemen riding towards the city. As they came closer, they would be able to make out their attire: one wore the fine clothes of a diplomat, while the others wore the armor of the Sorusian Legion.

(continued) Beneath the gold, the Bitter Steel.

03-Sep-2015 05:16:25

NotFishing

NotFishing

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They rode all the way up to the gates, before coming to a stop.

"I have been sent here at the request of Emperor Cidius II of Sorus." The diplomat explained to the guards. He appeared to be in his early forties. "I request an audience with your leaders."

-----

The Edge of the Tanik Forest

Captain Darius stood before the treeline, taking a deep breath. He had never been superstitious, but even he couldn't help but feel uneasy at the sight of these woods. Allegedly, there were monsters within these woods, if the rumors were to believed. Some said they were friendly, some said they were hostile. Some said they were as short as four feet and others claimed they were as tall as eight feet. It was all very inconsistent.

Friendly or not, this forest was uncharted and unexplored territory. They had no idea what they were getting into. But the mission was clear: map the place out and find a way through. There had to be a way to invade Dormoor other than that damn death trap of a mountain pass.

He had been born into a wealthy Sorusian family, and had joined the army, achieving promotion through his family's reputation and little else. At first he had been bright with youthful enthusiasm, but after watching his men die in both the rebellions and the war against Dormoor, he had become another hardened veteran.

With two hundred men at his back, this was one of his smaller commands. No doubt due to my previous failures... he thought to himself. Twenty scouts. Fifty archers. Thirty cavalry. One hundred standard infantry. Those were his forces.

Hopefully, it was enough.

"Sir." His second in command came up behind him. "The men are assembled and ready to march."

"Then let's go." Darius said. He turned around. "Men! Forward march!"

And with that, the soldiers began their march into the unknown... Beneath the gold, the Bitter Steel.

03-Sep-2015 05:36:49 - Last edited on 03-Sep-2015 05:37:38 by NotFishing

Corbonyo

Corbonyo

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Trouble in Tani*
The party advancing into the forest would find it a rather difficult task. Swords would be needed to cut the think vines that covered the ground, and the thorn bushes would latch onto anything that wandered to close. There seemed to be a path made already, all though it is small and very rough but it would be a better option than trudging through thorns. The thick limbs from trees were constantly blocking the path and would need to be moved for the horses to make it through, and it would be very unsafe to ride them through this path.

A few small creatures, with relish skin, were huddled up on the make shift path and seemed to be tossing around a shiny object.

In Savi
Narik was often found sitting in the main hall in the tunnels. He did not move much but to eat and sleep, and many have not seen him leave his "nest". He has told others that sometimes it's best to sit and think, but they did not understand much.

That is why it was a shock to see him stand after receiving news from one of his trusted Alphas. He was an incredible sight to behold, considering most Alphas ranged from 9 to 11 feet tall, he outclassed them all standing at 12 and a half feet tall but sunk down to 10 when he put his fists on the ground.

He was informed that a large amount of humans were approaching the forest, and by now would be making their way through.
"Who runs that area!" He shouted at the quivering Alpha. His voice sounded like a harsh roar. It took a moment to respond "S...Savik..." Narik had been breathing hot air on the messenger, but that stopped in an instance. A smile grew on the creatures face. He started to chuckle and fell backwards onto a pile of fur. He looked up at the confused Alpha and said "Sit newborn and let me tell you the name of our great city." He said amused at the situation.

(Cont.)

03-Sep-2015 06:39:52

Corbonyo

Corbonyo

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Nearing the Humans
"The forest is ours and protects us well, the forest is theirs but treats them ill, the difference is a simple thing. Survival of the fitest." The ape like creature sang, however it had a better sound in its native language. He was walking rather slowly along a clear path that was out of the humans sight. He was accompanied by 4 Alphas around the same size as he was.

"What was that Sarik?" One of his companions asked. He stopped and looked back "Narik taught me it's something they use in cities... the humans do. I'm starting to make sense of it." The others looked at him lost at why humans would partake in these actions.

Two of the Alphas in the back had a large log on each shoulder and we're dragging them on the ground. The Goeraks were sensible to a point, and decided just to block the only path, and warn the invaders that they must have permission to travel the forest. A collection of betas moved through the bushes around the group, curious about the actions taken by their superiors.

03-Sep-2015 06:48:46

Azigarath

Azigarath

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The Meeting (continued when the Gray king appears in the room with King Horic and the other leaders/dignitaries)



King Eodis felt weight fall off his shoulders upon noticing King Horic’s acceptance of the diamonds. He remembered his wife talking about offering pelts or religious trinkets, the more traditional gifts for Gray Minotaurs, but he had a feeling that a highly civilised nation would probably be more interested in something non-organic. Considering the lavishness of the dwarven kingdom, perhaps some expert craftsman would be able to continue better cutting for the six giant diamonds anyways.

The albino king could not help but occasionally look at the Half Giant king; what an immense beast! When the Half Giant entered and Eodis first saw him, the Gray wanted to grasp his sword, only to remember he left it in his quarters. Then again, if anyone actually saw him walk into the meeting with a weapon, nothing good would happen.

Looking at King Vilkar briefly, Eodis thought he himself was one of the tallest beings in the continent, yet lo and behold, the average Half Giant easily dwarfed him. He liked how King Vilkar wore skins, reminding him of his own people; he would have to find as much common ground as possible if he had any chance of learning how civilised people, well, kept a civilisation.

When Princess Derene of Janwyn entered the room, Eodis looked at her; a woman in a meeting? In his culture, females were not allowed to be in a meeting; meetings were strictly for the men only, there was no place for females, adolescents or children.

Eodis disliked how the Princess of Janwyn held her head high like that, and almost felt offended by that. Such an appointment as this is a serious business, with no time for haughty behaviour, or any behaviour that makes one appear emotional (hence why he left his entire bodyguard behind).

03-Sep-2015 07:25:35 - Last edited on 03-Sep-2015 07:27:52 by Azigarath

Azigarath

Azigarath

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Although Grays tend to be violent and impulsive, when leaders met together, they were expected to be respectful and reserved. Eodis noticed that the princess did not seem to offer a gift; how rude! He suspected her to be disloyal.

The albino minotaur paid close attention to talking, to learn the little differences and similarities of his native tongue and that of the humans, and seemed to understand more and more every second. Then again, the possibility of misunderstanding was always there. He just ate a little here and a little there, never eating meat but sticking to fruits and baked goods.

King Horic then spoke once the room became quiet; apparently, the Sorusian Empire within just a decade defeated four kingdoms and now threatened the dwarves. Considering the wealth and splendour, if the empire were to capture this city, they would establish a formidable foothold in this region.

Horic proposed to form an alliance, liberate the northing kingdoms, and then sail to Cidius’ island, whatever that was.

“Uh, sssai-l-l-ling?” Eodis blurted, having no idea what sailing or islands were, and he felt as though half the room looked at him and wondered if he was joking or not.

An untimely pause came. Eodis did not know what to say, but figured all he had was his thoughts and opinion. He briefly lifted his chin, to signify he was about to talk.

“Host King Horic, I agree to an alliance, and I am sorry for the earlier scuffles my soldiers started earlier. Anyways, about this empire, I feel that we should stay defensive for now. Considering the numbers of the, uh, Sorus Empire, we cannot let them capture your city; if they do, they will have an excellent foothold of the entire region. I think you should reinforce this city as much as possible, and guard trade routes, too.

03-Sep-2015 07:25:43

Azigarath

Azigarath

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If the empire approached my home, my people would reply by sending forth dozens of raiding parties, who sleep during the day, and travel by night. If the empire’s forces are regrouping to attack, we should let them attack, but harass them during the night from all directions. If they attempt to try to besiege a place, constantly have a reserve of men who sleep during the day, so that they can form nighttime attacks at different locations beyond the city walls, who can also live off the land.

I personally can journey to the north with my soldiers very soon; we can leave behind all our armour and move out first, for scouting. My people accept allegiance by accepting it with an attack of the common enemy. But I think you’ll have to explain what this sailing thing is.” Eodis said, ears bending low, hoping he did not sound stupid.

03-Sep-2015 07:25:53

Azigarath

Azigarath

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Trouble in Tanik - Prevail!



Coincidentally, at the same time as Captain Darius and his company began their trek into the Tanik Forest, nearby was a group of Gray marauders. They consisted of thirty individuals, nothing particularly intimidating. One of them, probably the leader, wore the bones of a Goerack alpha over himself.

The alpha’s skeleton was reused as armour, tied onto the Gray’* clothing. The alpha’s skull was worn over the Gray’s head, but the skull’s jaw was gone; the Gray had horns like a ram, so they did not get in the way. At his belt was a langseax with an extended handle to be held two-handed.

Although the prospect of Grays killing an alpha Goerack was impressive, what actually happened was that they stumbled upon an alpha Goerack that died somehow, and so they butchered the corpse; most of the bones had at least a little dried blood on them. They wanted to blend in the environment as best they could, in this case, trying to smell like a Goerack to mask their location.

The other Grays wore light armour, a kind of breastplate made from multiple layers of linen pressed together, forming lightweight flexible armour. Sheathed at their sides were grossmessers with two-handed grips, and knives. The grossmesser was a kind of sword, essentially a two-handed falchion absent of a pommel, with the grip formed in the same manner as a knife.

The thirty Grays hacked apart shrubbery, vines and lower branches of the immense redwood trees, as their horns often got in the way of the vegetation; forested areas definitely was not for them. Humorously enough, they also ate as they went, biting off chunks of leafy greens here and there and chewing away. One of the main reasons why Grays were so effective at guerrilla warfare, was the simple reason that they could basically eat any grass, leaf, shrub, or green plant and stay on the move.

03-Sep-2015 09:45:21 - Last edited on 06-Sep-2015 06:12:22 by Azigarath

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