Author Topic: East Continent - Sydgardian and Perdanese Culture Clash  (Read 2486 times)

Abstract

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The initial meeting between Igor Foote and some other nobles from Perdan in Perdan Mines. There was tension between the two sides, Sydgard and Perdan, which could only be resolved in one of two ways: battle or concession.

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Quote from: Igor Foote
Clop-clop-clop ...huff huff huff... clop-clop-clop

The sounds of Igor and his 79 infantrymen made their way done the dusty dirt road in Dimwood, heading towards Perdan Mines. With the great gift of coconuts from Eros Harte, they all rode their pretend horses only occasionally stopping for Igor to catch his breath. No sounds emanated from the forest just to the west of the road. Only the sound of coconuts and heavy breathing with the occasional giggle could be heard during the still of this moonless night.

Clop-clop-clop hehehehe clop-clop-clop ...huff huff huff... clop-clop-clop

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Quote from: Igor Foote
Igor and his men clopped through the desolate westernmost part of Perdan Mines. Fresh sea breeze gently brushed against the naked soldiers skin, fading as the convoy moved further and further from the coast. Breaking the horizon, the sun began drying the morning dew. Occasional marble columns and fragmented statues were passed by. The origins of these historical ruins were unknown to even the most educated scholar. These fragments of the past came from a time even older than Perdan itself. Bringing the convoy to a halt, Igor pretended to dismount a horse and sat down at the side of the road. Igor didn't even notice the wet grass gracing his sweaty and bare hindquarters. The long trip to the Perdanese camps at the center of the mines would take most of the morning. Without any letter to the Perdanese of his intention, Igor's arrival was sure to surprise a few.

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Quote from: Kay Peregrine
Igor did not have to wait long. The region was apparently teeming with Perdanese troops and very soon his company was spotted by local scouts. At noon he heard hooves approaching from over the hill. A large contingent of men clad in shining steel was approaching the travellers.

In front of them rode an average looking man in his middling years bearing a crown of gold on his head. He was clad in excellently forged blued armor sporting a roaring lion head on its chestpiece. Although he did not look particularly big and powerful, he did have an air of veteran warrior about him and his eyes were intent and focused akin to a preying falcon. This had to be Kay, the king of Perdan himself.

His train consisted mostly of foot soldiers but at his side rode several other noble warriors of Perdan. Black Lion banners were flanked by sigils of Perdanese lords and knights: wild cats, wolves, horses, green mountains, magical beasts, but mostly birds of prey of all types.

Kay scanned the men camping on this side of a hill. He knew immediately they were Sydgardian reavers. But who led the company? He noticed crescent moon symbols. Was that Eros? No, he remember Eros' face very well. This must be one of his close retainers.

Kay raised his hand, prompting his men to stop, and rode toward the strangers' leader now only accompanied by his noble companions. The group of riders approached close enough for a calm conversation and stopped, looking down on Igor. It appeared like the king was not going to be the first to speak, he expected some introductions and explanations first.

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Quote from: Dustiria Noire
Riding alongside her charge she looks curious as they follow the king to the strange company and the naked man. Her pale cheeks take on a reddish hue as she quickly looks away and turns towards the woman in the white cloak she rides protective next to. She raises one eyebrow and looks questioningly at the Imperatrix.

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Quote from: Igor Foote
Multiple banners pointed up towards the morning sun as they rose above the horizon. With blinding rays of light, the Sydgardian horde couldn't make out who were approaching them. Igor yelled out for the convoy to halt as the banners came closer. Slowly the Perdanese emblem became decipherable. Still Igor was at unease. These were allies and they should know about certain customs in Sydgard.

Separating from the pack of soldiers, a small band of nobles rode in closer to Igor and his men. The horse hooves tightly packed the dirt road as the air stiffened. Unnoticed by Igor was a golden crown glistening upon the head of the noble at the center of the Perdanese envoy.

"Hoof Hoof," Igor yelled as the allies drew in close, "Igor Men, shield wall!"

Hastily all seventy-nine naked axe men formed a wall of shields behind Igor. The naked Sydgardian noble stepped back a couple paces, drawing in close to the shields. Igor's russet eyes burned with fury, embolden by the presence of his axemen.

The Perdanese came to a halt and Igor began pacing back and forth. A young dame blushed as she looked away from the Sydgardians. Igor didn't pay attention her, his focus was on a much more serious matter.

"Hoof hoof bad. Igor hate hoof hoof. Igor kill hoof hoof!" He roared and pulled out his Ancient Hammer of the Mother which was strung across his back. "Hoof hoof go! Igor hate hoof hoof. Igor Men kill hoof hoof!"

Igor's soldiers began banging their axes on their shields and chanting, "hoof hoof go, hoof hoof die!"

Tightening his grip on the robust war hammer, Igor prepared for a potential fight.
"Hoof hoof bad. Igor hate hoof hoof. Igor kill hoof hoof," Igor, seemingly stuck in a loop, repeated himself amidst the soldier chants, "hoof hoof go! Igor hate hoof hoof. Igor Men kill hoof hoof!"

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Quote from: Alyssa Kingsley
The Perdanese ranks quickly stopped at the imposing shield wall in front of them. The horses neighed and stomped the ground nervously. Foot soldiers, confused, scurried for their weapons as the naked man shouted nigh incoherently, his accent thick and his words simple.

Alyssa grimaced at the naked man leading the force before her army, his appearance and nudity somewhat disturbing. In the ramblings of the mad soldier, she recognized a few words.

"Igor hate Hoof Hoof!"

The name was familiar and the meter of his speech was indicative. Alyssa considered the man for a moment while Lady Dustiria looked at her and the King attempted to regroup the army. Then it clicked.

Quickly Aly dismounted, The clank of her sabatons on the cobblestone road drowned out by the bustle of the startled army. Saying nothing she stepped towards the shield wall and the large naked man who led them. Graham reached over to grab Starlight's reins and calm her.

Alyssa stepped up towards the naked men before her. Half out of an attempt at modesty, and half out of the man's form somewhat disturbing her, Alyssa averted her gaze as she called to the man.

"Thegn of Sydgard. The armies of Perdan are not your enemies. I shall order the horses to give you a wide berth, if it will prevent bloodshed. But if you draw upon our King on our honour we shall defend him to the last. What say you Thegn of South?"

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Quote from: Igor Foote
A breeze starting rolling through the plains, shifting the banners held by the occasional soldier in Igor's retinue. Every other banner bore the emblem of Sydgard with the others baring the Raven. The Raven was seen as the bird of blood, corpses and battle in Sydgard which made it a common icon on the battlefield. A young dame had dismounted her horse and came in closer to Igor. The Thegn of Sydgard held up a hand, bringing the chanting soldiers to complete silence.

"Thegn of Sydgard," the unknown lady spoke without looking at Igor, "the armies of Perdan are not your enemies. I shall order the horses to give you a wide berth, if it will prevent bloodshed. But if you draw upon our King on our honour we shall defend him to the last. What say you Thegn of South?"

Igor stopped his pacing and looked at the dame while trying to avoid looking at those frightful steeds. Tilting his head slightly he studied her the best he could. There was some bravery in approaching the shield wall but yet she averted her gaze. Igor grunted in dissatisfaction and thought about her words. The mere imagining of the horses giving a bloody birth to a foal caused his skin to crawl. Shaking off the nightmarish day dream, Igor's grip on his hammer slightly loosened.

"Hoof hoof go," Igor's responded with a husky voice, "or Igor kill hoof hoof. Igor no like hoof hoof. No lady hoof hoof, no king hoof hoof. All hoof hoof bad. Igor only like fake hoof hoof. "

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Quote from: Alyssa Kingsley
Alyssa glanced towards the Thegn to meet his eyes, her chin tilted upwards, settling just above his gaze in order to avoid the unpleasant sight of his nudity in her periphery.  With one hand on her blade, and the other behind her back in a dignified stance she called to the army behind her.

"Steer the horses off the road." She commanded.  "Allow our allies to pass unimpeded."

A beat passed while the soldiers looked at each other, finally having recovered from the initial confusion.  Without looking away from the Thegn, she heard a voice from behind, unsure of whose it was echo her orders.  "You heard the Imperatrix, move your arses!"

Suddenly the army began to come to life.  Slowly the men led their horse towards the side of the road, captains directing the horses and carts far back off the roadside.  As the army began to shift, Alyssa held her gaze just above Igor's eyes, her posture unmoving.  After several minutes, the Perdanese army had moved off the road, not a horse remained in the way.

Alyssa granted a brief respectful bow to the Sydgardians, turning her head to the side as she did so to avert her gaze from Igor's nudity.

Returning to attention she spoke once more.  "Welcome to Perdan, Thegn of Sydgard."

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Quote from: Igor Foote
Igor and the Sydgardians stood still, not reacting to the Perdanese commander's bow.

"Welcome to Perdan," she said,  "Thegn of Sydgard."

Igor was still puffed up from the potential battle, a scowl still resting upon his face. "Purr Dan many hoof hoof," he said raucously, "Igor no like hoof hoof."

Turning back towards the Sydgardian soldiers, Igor gave the order to stand down. With great disappointment the tense men begrudgingly broke the shield wall and put away their weapons. As the southern soldiers went back to a traveling column, Igor turned back towards the fair-haired dame.

"Igor," he placed a hand on his chest to gesture that he was referring to himself. "What lady name?" Igor asked inattentively as his gaze occasionally drifted towards the distance horses.

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Quote from: Dustiria Noire
She watched nervous as Alyssa went fourth to the naked man. Not happy she follows the orders and takes her Calvary off. Warily she watches before dismounting and going to her usual spot behind and to left of the Imperatrix. She nods her head in greeting and stands ready eyes on Igor's eyes.

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Quote from: Isana Everlight
Isana's attention was pulled from the crackling of the lunch fire on the beach to a hubbub some distance away. By the colours they wore it was the Imperatrix's forces, and they were... she squinted hard for a few moments, then looked to her captain for confirmation.

"Heinz, have a look here. What do you suppose is going on? It looks like that shield unit is in the nude!" As he stepped over to her she continued, "On a windy day like today, can you imagine! The Imperatrix is addressing them, perhaps enforcing proper order..." she gestured with her chin to the horses and troops up on the rise in the distance.

Black-haired Heinz straightened up to peer in her pointed direction. The salt wind kicked up off the bay again as they watched, green-and-white tabards twisting about their legs. Heinz pursed his lips a moment then replied, "Ah, no, Milady, I think that's the Thegn and his troops from afar. It's not uncommon to see them, er, ungarbed, in this way."

Isana turned incredulous wide eyes to him, "You're not joking? Hah!" She broke into a brief chuckle before muffling the sound into one fist, merriment apparent on her features. "Ha, oh my. That was something we'd see sometimes in the wildlands of Beluaterra, but I wasn't expecting such a practice to still thrive on such a long-settled continent as this one. Interesting. More to learn I suppose. They certainly look formidable."

Heinz gave a one-shoulder shrug as he turned back to poke at the low lunch fire. "One would have to be. Their shield wall formation has also been lauded in song. The potatoes are ready, Milady; let's eat!"

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Quote from: Alyssa Kingsley
"Alyssa Kingsley, Lady of White Lodge, Imperatrix of Perdan, as it... please the Thegn..." She trailed off, head still turned to the side.  "I must return to my army.  We will see you in Brive..."  Alyssa finished marching quickly off back to her Starlight and the Perdan army, and far away from the uncomfortably shaped brute in front of her.

As she mounted her mare after returning to the army, she caught a glimpse of the backside of the Sydgardian column, as they continued their march.  Alyssa grimaced uncomfortably at the sight.

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Quote from: Igor Foote
The Imperatrix left the Sydgardians behind, for now, and Igor tried to commit the name and face to memory. "A..Aly...Alys..sa," he muttered a few times before signalling the soldiers to begin their march. Every other soldier gathered up their coconuts, gifts from the Jarl, and began trotting along on their "fake hoof hoof" towards Brive. clop-clop clop-clop

Abstract

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The continuation of the meeting between Sydgard and Perdan as the forces moved into the neighboring region of Brive. With the region being rogue and Perdan beginning their takeover of the region, the southern nobles met to discuss what they would do in the region...

(This is on going...)

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Quote from: Igor Foote
Cradled upon the largest hill in the region of Brive, the Great Lord's Manor towered above the primary village. This manor was constructed decades ago, during the Third Age, by Sangue Raiva. The Butcher of Perdan, as Sangue called himself, was the Lord of Brive for many years prior to becoming the King of Perdan. During Sangue's time as Lord of Brive, there were often rumors of nefarious dealings in this manor. Missing people would often be said to have been taken here to visit Sangue before their disappearance. Though none of these rumors were ever confirmed, the locals still believed that the many lost souls haunted these halls.

Ghosts never bothered Igor Foote, Thegn of Sydgard, for he did not believe in them. Some invisible person staying around after they have died? What a silly notion, Igor had never seen one and if he didn't see it, then it didn't exist. Others though, who were now here in the Great Hall of the Lord's Manor, may have found the setting unnerving. All of the nobles currently in Brive were invited to this Great Hall in order to celebrate the recent victories and discuss the future. Igor had no patience for discussion and chose to get right to the eating.

While most in Brive were busy taking this Manor away from the rogue man who called himself the King of Brive, Igor and his men were preoccupied with confiscating local farm animals. Now that the animals were freshly slaughtered and cooked, Igor enjoyed the spoils of conquest. As one noble spoke to all present, Igor viciously bit and tore the meat that clung to the hog ribs in front of him. The smacking sounds of him chewing with his mouth open could easily be heard by all who were at the table at the head of the room. Igor glanced over to his right at the large windows to his side, the sunlight pouring in through the freshly cleaned glass. After swallowing the mouthful of meat Igor took another massive bite as he was completely oblivious to the conversation.

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Quote from: Alyssa Kingsley
Alyssa had called a meeting of the nobles to prepare them for the takeover in Brive.  She had protested the venue's selection as the army's headquarters in the region, but it was in the most convenient spot.  Hesitant due to her familiarity with the manor's bloody history and the unsavory rumors surrounding it, she eventually relented.  The nobles met in the hall, a large map of the region and all its rivers, hamlets, and villages spread out on the table.

"Lord Durnik, please ensure the scouts keep coming in from the border regions we must..."  Alyssa shook her head, distracted by the sound of loud chewing from several places down the table.  Ignoring it, she continued.  "we must ensure we have an eye on their forces.  We cannot allow ourselves to b taken by surprise."  At the sound of a bone clattering across the stone floor, Alyssa turned to the big bald man sitting further down the table smacking his lips as he chewed.  She waited for him to finish before she continued.

"Lady Dustiria," Alyssa said turning to the red-haired woman on her left.  "please take the Noire Cavalry and follow the river up to"  sllluurrrrrpppppppp gulp.

She stopped again, glaring at Igor as he gulped wine loudly out of a jeweled goblet in the middle of her sentence.

She bit the inside of her lip in consternation as the big bald man took another bite of the meat in front of him, a big splotch of grease falling from his fingers to the map, where it landed in a small puddle smearing the ink.

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Quote from: Dustiria Noire
She listens to Alyssa as the Imperatrix tries to give her orders and covers a smile as she gets distracted by Igor.

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Quote from: Igor Foote
An eerie silence befell the room as a glob of grease soaked into the map of Brive. Igor swallowed the mouthful of meat and glanced around at the others to see all were looking towards him. Unsure of why everyone was quiet, Igor thought about the matter at hand. What were they talking about? He wasn't paying attention and didn't know. Taking is best guess he decided to pretend like he was following along.

"Igor agree with Alys...sa," he said prior to wiping his mouth with his hand, leaving behind even more grease in his unkempt beard, "Igor think that Igor Men go take lake." Igor started tapping the blob of grease on the map, mistaking it for a lake that didn't exist. Noticing the moisture on his finger, Igor decided to not let the grease go to waste. Igor's eyes widened and watered as the bitter ink filled his mouth. Shaking his head vigorously he attempted to rid himself of the horrendous taste. With this failure Igor's contorted expression turned towards his goblet. After hastily emptying the cup Igor slammed it back on the table and let out a burp. Smacking his lips, Igor was satisfied now that the flavor of ink dissipated.

Igor looked around at the others who seemed to still be glaring at him. Wondering if others wanted food too, Igor checked to see how much food he had left. There was still a large plate full and more on the way if needed. Plenty to go around surely! Igor wasn't sure who it was to his left but the next person was a red-haired lady. Thin she was and definitely in need of a meal. Igor tore apart a few ribs with his meaty hands sending more grease onto the map.

"Red Hair Lady want some Igor Food?" he asked with a smile as he waved the hunk of pork in front of her, "rib tasty, make Red Hair Lady happy. Igor no mind, Igor share." Igor continued to reach with his thick hair army across the front of another noble in order to wave this chunk of ribs in the face of Dustiria.
« Last Edit: October 19, 2019, 08:32:25 PM by Abstract Logic »

Abstract

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Concluding two RPs, players left the region and the RP at this point.

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Quote from: Dustiria Noire
As the ribs are waved in her face she smiles and reaches to take them in her gauntlets hand. "Thank you. These look very good. " She rips a chunk off with her teeth as delicate as you can which with ribs isn't very. "It is good to find a kind ally." She splits a rib off and offers to Alyssa,"Imperatrix you should try this'

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Quote from: Alyssa Kingsley
Alyssa stared at Dustiria with concern and some confusion. Glancing over the rest of the nobles assembled, most were staring off into the braziers that lit the room or were quietly sipping wine and fiddling with quills. She realized she had been the only one speaking for nearly half an hour.

Alyssa sighed, the hour was growing late, and the other nobles seemed disinterested at best.

"We'll adjourn this meeting, I apologise for taking up more of your time. Please enjoy your suppers and evenings, we'll begin our operations at sunrise tomorrow."

The others began to get out of their seats as Alyssa turned to Dustiria. "My apologies my lady, I still have many preparations to make. I will eat later"

Aly knew that probably wasn't likely, her nights were late of late and her eating habits were sporadic. Still she did not want to concern the other girl with that. Dustiria was dutiful enough, the last thing Alyssa needed was to worry her knights. They looked up to her and saw their leader. All Aly saw when she looked in the glass was a girl. A very tired girl. She shook her head as she excused herself.

As some of the nobles left, others milled about, including the Thegn who had turned his attention back to his dinner. Grimacing as he ate sloppily, she remembered something. Taking a glance at the notes she had left by the map on the table she called out to those remaining in the room.

"If Sir... Christopher is still here I should like to speak with him."