This being a dream, his memories of the day fade to the recesses of his sleeping mind, and though he doesn't fully grasp everything yet, he intuitively understands: here, he is a former soldier of Edoras, one of the mightiest countries on the continent. Once, he took pride in his duty, but over time, he has no longer been able to stomach the cruelties and whims of its current king, Pardis III. Pardis III is a tyrant, trampling over his own people as the poor grow poorer, executing his men for petty reasons, and waging senseless wars.
As a result, you fled from the army—though not before stealing an artifact from Pardis III, knowing that it'll cripple his war efforts. You don't know its precise nature, only that it is a ring that grants you powers. Arthur, you will know that, using the ring, you are capable of the following at will:
- healing mild-moderate injuries. think a level 1-2 healing spell - summoning a sword shaped from the dark element - generating mist to cover the area and obscure others' vision
(OOCly, there are no particular limits to how often you can use these powers.)
Your escape takes you to the neighbouring country of Riven, in the rural area. Unlike the rocky landscape of Edoras, Riven is full of grass and rivers. Perhaps the change in scenery will do your heart some good.
You can see a village in the distance, but even before that... you hear a noise coming from the nearby forest.]
[Past the shrubbery, Arthur sees a figure, lying on the ground. He doesn't recognize her, but perhaps he still intuitively feels something about her? Who knows...
She's conscious, but gripping her side where blood steadily drips. Her eyes widen when she sees Arthur, as she weakly backs away from him. Looking over her, Arthur will recognize her uniform as that of a Riven soldier.
Riven and Edoras are, in theory, at peace with each other. However, that poses a problem for you: it means someone aligned with Riven may be obliged to help Edoras, the country you are currently a fugitive from.
[he hesitates for a moment before he slowly approaches, hands out in a placating gesture. his hands start to glow a light silver color as he takes a few steps her way.]
Let me help you.
[he doesn't recognize her, so why...? well, he doesn't interrogate it too much.]
[She eyes him warily, but it's not like she's in any position to run from him. With his healing, the worst of her wounds closes, though one would want to see an apothecary to be on the safe side. Watching him, she speaks.]
... You're from Edoras. What are you doing here, in Riven?
[Arthur probably has not had the chance to change clothes, so he can't avoid wearing the insignia of the Edoras army just yet. He'll have to brave entering civilization for that.]
[This should seem like a very dubious answer that explains nothing, but it seems that somehow, she does want to believe in him.]
... I'm a defector from the Riven army. I fled, and got into trouble with monsters around here.
[That last bit isn't too strange—the roads always have the occasional monster problem. It's unsurprising it'd be even more dangerous in the outskirts, where the army patrols less and therefore doesn't clear them out.]
This being a dream, his memories of the day fade to the recesses of his sleeping mind, and though he doesn't fully grasp everything yet, he intuitively understands: here, he is a newly recruited soldier of Riven. Originally, however, he served in the army of a smaller, neighbouring nation, only for Riven to conquer it and absorb its surviving men into its own. How do you feel about it? Do you resent Riven for taking over, or do you simply focus on serving whoever your lord is, even if it changes? That is for you to decide.
If nothing else, you're still alive, as is your younger sister, Yuri. Your life could be better, but at least you have a job, rather than being left in the streets to starve. And despite everything, you've managed to hold onto a keepsake of your family—a ring they've long since guarded. You don't know its precise nature, only that it is a ring that grants you powers. Gregor, you will know that, using the ring, you are capable of the following at will:
- his bug arm is able to regenerate and change shape - able to manifest electricity - summoning thorns from the ground
(OOCly, there are no particular limits to how often you can use these powers.)
Acclimating to Riven's army could be harder, you suppose. You've been lucky in that one high-ranking soldier, Hermann, has taken a liking to you and helped guide you. She isn't captain of the army—that would be a man named Ichiban—but she's just about the closest thing after him.
You've dropped by your home, as humble as it is, to visit Yuri. Today, though, you must return to the barracks.]
I'm always safe, 'ne? Don't worry so much, Yuri, just take care of yourself for me while I'm gone.
[he pats her head, ruffles her hair a little. she's a good kid-- it's unfortunate that he can't offer her more. help give her a better life, like she deserves. if it's for her sake...
well, how he feels about his situation has never been especially important. he does what he has to do. that's what he did before, and it's what he'll continue doing, no matter whose orders it is that he's following; thinking too hard about things like that is something that he can't afford.]
[Gregor heads to the barracks, where his fellow Riven soldiers mull around. I am not describing barracks but you can assume it's normal.
None of these soldiers are his friends, per se—he's only recently joined and hasn't gotten the chance to know anyone well, besides Hermann and, to an extent, Ichiban. Still, Soldier A gives him a wave in greeting, while Soldier B ignores him entirely, focusing on cleaning his sword.
Gregor will get the sense that he can > Inquire them, which is a fancy way of saying that if you choose to Inquire an NPC, you may get info. It could be useful, it could be random. Who knows. Simply let the Powers That Be know.
All in all, he has a few options:
> Inquire > Do whatever he wants around the barracks > Go to the mess hall to get something to eat > Some other random action you can think of]
[Gregor exchanges greetings with Soldier A, who is doing okay today. It's another day, can't complain. Somehow, in the process, Gregor will learn the following:
Soldier A:
A young man, born and raised in Riven. There've been whispers of a worsening situation between Riven and the neighbouring country, Edoras, which worries him—but as a low-ranking soldier, he's not privy to the more political side of matters. He only hopes it doesn't escalate to a war between these two military powers.
Soldier B looks like he doesn't want to talk to Gregor, but he's not rude enough to shun him if Gregor's making an attempt to say hi. Gregor will learn the following:
Soldier B:
A middle-aged man, who migrated to Riven from another country. Unlike Gregor, his country has no involvement with Riven, meaning that his enlistment was completely voluntary, rather than a lack of other options. Being a foreigner, he faces some prejudice, but he respects King Riven for being willing to recruit and promote anyone, whether it be foreigners or commoners. He wants to rise in the ranks, and resents Gregor to an extent for already being chummy with high-ranking soldiers like Hermann and Ichiban.
Soldier A speaks.]
... Well, there's probably going to be another fight, sooner or later—it's what keeps us employed, after all. I just hope it isn't with anyone too strong.
Ah, you and me both. Not really up to us who it ends up being, though, you know...? Might as well just make sure we're in good shape to face whatever happens to come.
[that's the best they can do at their level, after all. sure, the political moves others make will affect them more than most, but it's not like that matters to anybody above them...]
Can't argue with that. At least we're in a better position than most.
[This is perhaps an insensitive thing to say to Gregor, whose home was technically conquered by Riven, but it's fine. What he means is that... well, as Gregor has seen from firsthand experience, Riven's army is strong, so better to be on the side of power than not.]
And we'll be fine as long we've got Captain Ichiban. His Majesty knew what he was doing, appointing him as captain—there's no one I'd rather take orders from. He looks out for us.
[it's fine, he gets it... really, he's probably used to dealing with things like that by now.]
Hey, no disagreements there. I think he's proven himself a pretty reliable Captain, right? Always good to know that the one handing you orders has everybody's back.
Ah, by the way—I think Vice-Captain Hermann was looking for you. She didn't seem to be in a rush, but you should probably try to find her at some point today.
Oh, was she...? Sure, sure. Thanks for letting me know.
[he gives this guy (and soldier b) a little wave, and-- well, if someone higher up is looking for him, he'd best head out. probably better not to leave hermann waiting, even if she wasn't in a hurry...]
[Eventually, somewhere in this military base as described by someone who knows nothing about medieval armies, Gregor will find a familiar woman. Though of course she'd be familiar—this is Hermann, who's been looking out for him since he joined the Riven army.]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
NIGHT 1
ARTHUR
This being a dream, his memories of the day fade to the recesses of his sleeping mind, and though he doesn't fully grasp everything yet, he intuitively understands: here, he is a former soldier of Edoras, one of the mightiest countries on the continent. Once, he took pride in his duty, but over time, he has no longer been able to stomach the cruelties and whims of its current king, Pardis III. Pardis III is a tyrant, trampling over his own people as the poor grow poorer, executing his men for petty reasons, and waging senseless wars.
As a result, you fled from the army—though not before stealing an artifact from Pardis III, knowing that it'll cripple his war efforts. You don't know its precise nature, only that it is a ring that grants you powers. Arthur, you will know that, using the ring, you are capable of the following at will:
- healing mild-moderate injuries. think a level 1-2 healing spell
- summoning a sword shaped from the dark element
- generating mist to cover the area and obscure others' vision
(OOCly, there are no particular limits to how often you can use these powers.)
Your escape takes you to the neighbouring country of Riven, in the rural area. Unlike the rocky landscape of Edoras, Riven is full of grass and rivers. Perhaps the change in scenery will do your heart some good.
You can see a village in the distance, but even before that... you hear a noise coming from the nearby forest.]
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She's conscious, but gripping her side where blood steadily drips. Her eyes widen when she sees Arthur, as she weakly backs away from him. Looking over her, Arthur will recognize her uniform as that of a Riven soldier.
Riven and Edoras are, in theory, at peace with each other. However, that poses a problem for you: it means someone aligned with Riven may be obliged to help Edoras, the country you are currently a fugitive from.
What do you do?]
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Let me help you.
[he doesn't recognize her, so why...? well, he doesn't interrogate it too much.]
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... You're from Edoras. What are you doing here, in Riven?
[Arthur probably has not had the chance to change clothes, so he can't avoid wearing the insignia of the Edoras army just yet. He'll have to brave entering civilization for that.]
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[quietly]
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Can I trust you?
[Might be a pointless question, given that he just healed her, but she seems wary of something.]
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[he waits.]
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... I'm a defector from the Riven army. I fled, and got into trouble with monsters around here.
[That last bit isn't too strange—the roads always have the occasional monster problem. It's unsurprising it'd be even more dangerous in the outskirts, where the army patrols less and therefore doesn't clear them out.]
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[glancing at her wound for another moment with a frown, concerned.]
How close are they? Perhaps we should - go.
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I fled far enough. They should think I'm dead—they won't find me here.
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GREGOR
This being a dream, his memories of the day fade to the recesses of his sleeping mind, and though he doesn't fully grasp everything yet, he intuitively understands: here, he is a newly recruited soldier of Riven. Originally, however, he served in the army of a smaller, neighbouring nation, only for Riven to conquer it and absorb its surviving men into its own. How do you feel about it? Do you resent Riven for taking over, or do you simply focus on serving whoever your lord is, even if it changes? That is for you to decide.
If nothing else, you're still alive, as is your younger sister, Yuri. Your life could be better, but at least you have a job, rather than being left in the streets to starve. And despite everything, you've managed to hold onto a keepsake of your family—a ring they've long since guarded. You don't know its precise nature, only that it is a ring that grants you powers. Gregor, you will know that, using the ring, you are capable of the following at will:
- his bug arm is able to regenerate and change shape
- able to manifest electricity
- summoning thorns from the ground
(OOCly, there are no particular limits to how often you can use these powers.)
Acclimating to Riven's army could be harder, you suppose. You've been lucky in that one high-ranking soldier, Hermann, has taken a liking to you and helped guide you. She isn't captain of the army—that would be a man named Ichiban—but she's just about the closest thing after him.
You've dropped by your home, as humble as it is, to visit Yuri. Today, though, you must return to the barracks.]
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[he pats her head, ruffles her hair a little. she's a good kid-- it's unfortunate that he can't offer her more. help give her a better life, like she deserves. if it's for her sake...
well, how he feels about his situation has never been especially important. he does what he has to do. that's what he did before, and it's what he'll continue doing, no matter whose orders it is that he's following; thinking too hard about things like that is something that he can't afford.]
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[Gregor heads to the barracks, where his fellow Riven soldiers mull around. I am not describing barracks but you can assume it's normal.
None of these soldiers are his friends, per se—he's only recently joined and hasn't gotten the chance to know anyone well, besides Hermann and, to an extent, Ichiban. Still, Soldier A gives him a wave in greeting, while Soldier B ignores him entirely, focusing on cleaning his sword.
Gregor will get the sense that he can > Inquire them, which is a fancy way of saying that if you choose to Inquire an NPC, you may get info. It could be useful, it could be random. Who knows. Simply let the Powers That Be know.
All in all, he has a few options:
> Inquire
> Do whatever he wants around the barracks
> Go to the mess hall to get something to eat
> Some other random action you can think of]
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but speaking of that- he is definitely going to >Inquire these dudes. if they're not on closer terms yet, only one way to fix that.]
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Soldier A:
Soldier B looks like he doesn't want to talk to Gregor, but he's not rude enough to shun him if Gregor's making an attempt to say hi. Gregor will learn the following:
Soldier B:
Soldier A speaks.]
... Well, there's probably going to be another fight, sooner or later—it's what keeps us employed, after all. I just hope it isn't with anyone too strong.
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[that's the best they can do at their level, after all. sure, the political moves others make will affect them more than most, but it's not like that matters to anybody above them...]
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[This is perhaps an insensitive thing to say to Gregor, whose home was technically conquered by Riven, but it's fine. What he means is that... well, as Gregor has seen from firsthand experience, Riven's army is strong, so better to be on the side of power than not.]
And we'll be fine as long we've got Captain Ichiban. His Majesty knew what he was doing, appointing him as captain—there's no one I'd rather take orders from. He looks out for us.
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Hey, no disagreements there. I think he's proven himself a pretty reliable Captain, right? Always good to know that the one handing you orders has everybody's back.
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[Soldier A pauses.]
Ah, by the way—I think Vice-Captain Hermann was looking for you. She didn't seem to be in a rush, but you should probably try to find her at some point today.
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[he gives this guy (and soldier b) a little wave, and-- well, if someone higher up is looking for him, he'd best head out. probably better not to leave hermann waiting, even if she wasn't in a hurry...]
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Ah, Gregor. There you are.
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[he says, giving her... a bow or a salute or whatever is respectful in this particular medieval army HE'D KNOW.]
You wanted to see me, Vice-Captain?
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