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Sigma Annihilus Vice Captain
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 Posted: Sat Jan 12, 2013 12:16 am
This luminous city is situated along a sloping hill in west Shadelands, a high fence of glowing blue crystals surround. A tower of white sandstone sits atop the hill, serving as the city's palace, home of Knight-Lord Sol'Ux. The streets seem to be rather tranquil in comparison harsh desert around it. The guards here wear gleaming silvered armor with bright blue cloaks and helm plumes. The people are friendly and no part of the city seems to be sectioned off. Several crystal orbs of varying size and color revolve around the white tower.
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Posted: Sat Jan 12, 2013 12:26 am
Noxx'Zus paced back and forth in a waiting chamber within the delegation wing of the sandstone tower. "This is taking far too long...", the Steward said impatiently as Senja and Talla sat at a nearby table playing cards. "You're telling me! We're sitting here waiting for these blowhards to come to an agreement when we could be doing something worthwhile.", Talla said, exhaling a cloud of smoke from his cigarette into Senja's face. "Will you PLEASE stop with those infernal things! I can't concentrate here...", Senja growled with a glare to his comrade, looking back to his poker hand with disdain for his garbage lineup. Noxx'Zus shook his head, "Something doesn't feel right about this...Some of those delegates didn't seem sure about their decision. I sense foul play.", Noxx'Zus muttered as the bracelet on his left wrist flashed, the blue omni-tool springing up around his hand. The Steward read the message, feeling both relief and worry as he finished reading Selene's message, "I must go.", he said suddenly, looking to Senja'Na with a serious expression. Senja looked over to Noxx'Zus, "What are you on about?", he asked as Talla threw down three kings with a wide grin on his face. Noxx'Zus placed his hands together, focusing his mental power as the shadows of the surrounding pillars began to stretch around the Steward, "It's an emergency, regarding Captain Rai. I must go, stay here in case they reach a consensus.", Noxx'Zus said before he faded away, the shadows returning to their original positions. Senja huffed, looking back to his showboating comrade, "How do you like that?", he said, as Talla let out a triumphant laugh. "You know what I like? Those three kings singing about those 20 Iroks you owe me now!", Talla said excitedly, as Senja flicked his cards at Talla's face.
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Sigma Annihilus Vice Captain
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Sigma Annihilus Vice Captain
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Posted: Fri Feb 01, 2013 11:33 pm
Senja'Na paced back and forth in the antechamber of the Ba'Hai'Ir delegation hall, his Comrade, Talla, sitting at a nearby table playing solitaire, "This is outrageous! How long does it take to make a decision?!", Senja said, growing impatient as Talla exhaled a cloud of smoke. "Tell me about it. These delegates wouldn't know how to agree on what color they should paint this room let alone making a critical decision on whether to help their allies.", Talla grumbled, slamming his hand on the table with an annoyed groan. Senja growled angrily, glaring to the large double doors to the conference hall, a pair of Ba'Hai'Irian Knights flanking the doors, "That's it! I'm sick of this!", Senja exclaimed, gesturing for his comrade to follow as he stormed towards the doors. The Knights held out their hands, gesturing to the outraged Templars to halt, "Stop, you can't go in there!", one of the Ba'Hai'Irian soldiers said boldly, Senja flipping the man the finger, "Shut it! Someone has to make these political halfwits see how severe the situation is, let's go Talla.", Senja roared, as he planted his boot against the doors to kick them open. The two Templars stormed into the large circular room, the walls were covered in marble carved with intricate patterns while a solid gold chandelier dangled over a grand table as a number of noble looking men turned to stare in shock of the sudden intrusion, "What is the meaning of this!", one of the delegates near the door shouted as Senja and Talla stomped up to the table, "Are you people really this dense?! How can you refuse to aid your only allies in such dire times?!", Senja shouted, glaring around the table at the annoyed glares of the delegates, his gaze settling on a figure sitting at the opposite end of the table from him. The figure wore gleaming silver plated Caelium armor, a sky blue cloak draped over his shoulders with his long black hair pulled back into a ponytail, the man appearing to be no older than 16 but held the respect of every political official at the table, "It's a delicate matter, sir. Several on this board wish to come to Bel'tha'go's aid, but there are others here who have made good points in staying our hand.", Knight-Lord Sol'Ux said calmly, his young voice echoing through the circular room as he looked across the table at the angered Templar with resolute yellow eyes. Talla walked up next to his comrade, outing his cigarette on the wooden table, "Good points? What points could possibly justify sitting here squawking like idiots while Keh'Jan runs a war for conquest?! Our city is probably under siege while you sit here and think, and you know damn well that Keh'Jan won't just stop at Bel'tha'go!", Talla'Yu shouted, slamming his fist on the table. One of the delegates turned to glare at the Templar, his yellow irises ringed with a strange purple glow, "Well, 'sir', if that is the case then we will just have to negotiate with the Kehjani. I'm sorry we all can't be war mongering barbarians like you Bel'tha'gians, but we here in Ba'Hai'Ir respect the opinions of it's council.", the delegate said rudely, turning his nose up at the Templars. Senja and Talla looked to one another as Senja shook his head, "Hmph! Fine! While you sit here and wait for the inevitable, we'll just have to tell the Highlord that Ba'Hai'Ir is only interested in covering it's own pompous a**! Oh, and you can consider this so called 'alliance' over with!", Senja'Na roared, turning on his heel to storm back to the door as Talla flicked his outed cigarette across the table. As the Templars left the room, Sol'Ux stared at the table, feeling regret for the burden his council of delegates had put on his shoulders, "Can you believe the nerve of those savages?", one of the Ba'Hai'Irian delegates said with a huff, several of the others nodding in agreement. Sol'Ux slammed his hands on the table as he stood, walking from his seat around the table as the delegates gave him an odd look, "Just what are you doing, Sol'Ux?", the snobbish delegate exclaimed as the Knight-Lord walked to the door, looking back with an angered glare, "Shut up! This meeting is over, I've made the choice that you all should have made!", Sol'Ux growled angrily as he ran after the Templars. Senja and Talla were nearly out of the delegation hall when the sound of armor clanking caught their attention, "Wait, hold up!", the Knight-Lord's voice echoed behind the two Templars. Senja'Na crossed his arms over his chest, glaring at the young Ba'Hai'Irian ruler, "What now? If your fishing for an apology then forget it!", the Templar said with an enraged tone. Sol'Ux shook his head, bowing his head with respect to the Templars, "No, if anyone must apologize, it is I. You both are right, the council thinks that if we send reinforcements then Kritya will seize the opportunity to attack, all because of this woman that arrived at the start of the delegations. She spoke very eloquently and easily swayed many of my delegate's decisions, but something was very off about her demeanor.", the Knight-Lord explained as Senja and Talla looked to one another. Sol'Ux placed his hands together and bowed, "As Ba'Hai'Ir's Knight-Lord, I have final say on all council decisions, and even against the majority vote I will offer aid to Bel'tha'go. I can't just sit by and watch as our allies are in danger, and if Keh'Jan is serious about this then I fear you may be right about them not being satisfied with just one victory.", Sol'Ux said with an apologetic tone. Senja's expression lightened as he bowed back to the Knight-Lord, "Finally, someone with some sense. Thank you, and I'm sure the Highlord thanks you too.", he said with a smile, as Talla walked up next to his comrade, "So, uh, what kind of aid are we talking here?" Sol'Ux straightened from his bow, a confident smile set on his young face, "How does a contingent of Ss'Kul'Kyn Riders sound?", the Knight-Lord offered, holding out his gauntleted hand. Senja and Talla looked with wide eyes to Sol'Ux, their mouths agape in disbelief before Senja let out a joyful laugh, "Sounds like a party!", the Templar said as he shook the Knight-Lord's hand to seal the deal, the Knight-Lord escorting the two Templars from the delegation hall to prepare the reinforcements for the return trip to Bel'tha'go.
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Posted: Mon Feb 04, 2013 2:24 am
As the Knight-Lord Sol'Ux led the pair of Templars out of the delegation hall into the busy streets of Ba'Hai'Ir, Senja took notice to the very integrated mix of people going about the city. The streets were filled with many groups of people bearing tribal face paint and loose clothing in the colors of their various clans socializing and bartering with Ba'Hai'Ir's native denizens in classy noble attire trimmed with stylish designs in bright blue, "So many nomads...I've never seen so many of them gathered in one place before.", Senja'Na said, watching the nomads' mercantile behavior. Sol'Ux nodded as he led the Templars towards a large clearing near the city's south gateway, A mild hissing followed by the soft clicks of Ss'Kul'Kyn echoing through the air, "We give many nomad clans shelter here, they have a hard life with the bandits and the wars. Their varied skills make our city prosperous, their way of thanking us for taking them in. In fact, our Ss'Kul'Kyn handler is a very talented nomad herder.", the Knight-Lord explained as a large corral with crystalline fences came into sight, dozens of the towering scytheclawed insectoids scuttling around the open rocky sand field with a large gate built into the city wall to allow the Ss'Kul'Kyn in and out of the city. Talla looked on with amazement as the beasts he had once thought savage monsters were interacting with their handlers peacefully, "Wow. I had no idea a Ss'Kul'Kyn could be taught to do anything but eat and destroy.", the Templar said, watching as a handler held out a hand to place his palm on the carapace of a Ss'Kul'Kyn's head, the insectoid beast kneeling so the handler could climb onto it's back. "Oh, but there is much you do not know about the Ss'Kul'Kyn.", the melodic voice of a tribal woman spoke out as one of the nomads approached the Knight-Lord. The woman appeared to be in her late 30's and wore a cloth wrap around her chest with baggy silk shorts in white with very light blue swirls, a white headwrap holding her silver-white hair back to show the woman's nomad face paint, an upside down blue crescent with a white star just beneath set on the woman's forehead, "The Ss'Kul'Kyn are truly docile creatures, but it's their looks and habits that people fear. They and their mother are children of this land and they protect it when they must, but will only become enraged if provoked.", the nomad woman explained, looking to the Templars with kind but familiar yellow eyes before turning to face the Knight-Lord, "Who are your friends, Sol'Ux? They look like soldiers." The Knight-Lord nods to the woman, "They are Templars from our ally city Bel'tha'go.", Sol'Ux said, smiling to the nomad. Senja smiled but stood strong, "I'm Senja'Na. Elite Templar spearman.", he said, as his comrade shoved past him with a big grin, "And I'm Talla'Yu. The more skilled and better looking Templar marksman.", Talla said with a boastful tone, his comrade scoffing loudly. The nomad woman giggled with amusement, "Pleasure to make your acquaintance. My name is Liara'Rai, Ss'Kul'Kyn herder of the Celestius tribe. Come, let us meet the Ss'Kul'Kyn", the woman said with a kind smile as she and the Knight-Lord led the Templars closer to the corral. Senja thought for a moment before looking at the nomad with disbelief in his eyes, her name and her appearance very similar to his Captain.
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Sigma Annihilus Vice Captain
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Sigma Annihilus Vice Captain
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Posted: Fri Feb 08, 2013 10:37 pm
The nomad woman and the Knight-Lord led the way into the Ss'Kul'Kyn pen, a trio of the scarab-like insectoid beasts breaking from their meal of iron particles flecked through a stone outcrop to stare in the Templars' direction. Senja and Talla stood stock still as the Ss'Kul'Kyn raised themselves on their scytheblade claws to glare at the Templars, while the nomad woman continued walking towards the observing beasts, "Hold on! This is the part that usually turns bad, those things are dangerous!", Talla called out to Liara with hushed panic, the nomad woman looking back with a smile. "It is alright. They know my aura, it is you two they are inspecting.", Liara'Rai said, turning back towards the Ss'Kul'Kyn just a few yards away. Liara held her arms out to the sides as if offering a hug, the trio of Ss'Kul'Kyn looking down to the nomad woman with interest in their narrow amethyst colored eyes before the middle insectoid crawling slowly towards Liara. Senja and Talla watched on edge as the towering Ss'Kul'Kyn planted it's deadly claws into the sand before the nomad woman, the beast lowering it's head down to Liara's eye level. "Pay close attention, Ss'Kul'Kyn respond to calm patience.", the nomad woman said as the Ss'Kul'Kyn pressed the cool carapace of it's head into Liara's embrace, the nomad woman resting her forehead on the Ss'Kul'Kyn's crystalline chitin. Liara climbed onto the Ss'Kul'Kyn's back as it knelt before her, "See? Now you.", the nomad woman said as her Ss'Kul'Kyn stood tall on insectoid limbs and began walking at her direction. Senja looked to his comrade, "You first.", he said as Talla shook his head in disapproval, "No, It's all you, go on then.", Talla replied. Senja sighed deeply, shaking his head as he walked closer to the other two Ss'Kul'Kyn, the insectoid beasts hissing lightly as they eyed the approaching Templar. Senja'Na took a deep breath, looking to Liara who gave a reassuring nod, before he held out his hand. One of the Ss'Kul'Kyn cocked it's head at the Templar, a soft clicking coming from the beast's throat as it inspected Senja. After a moment, the Ss'Kul'Kyn began moving slowly towards the Templar, "Here it comes...", Talla said nervously as he watched the monstrous Ss'Kul'Kyn encroach on his comrade. The Ss'Kul'Kyn moved it's head closer to the Templar's hand, a strange tingle moving up Senja's arm as the onyx carapace of the Ss'Kul'Kyn touched his palm, "What..?!", Senja muttered with a startled tone as he thought he heard a voice before the Ss'Kul'Kyn lowered itself down to the Templar. "Very good! Now, climb on his back.", Liara instructed, walking her Ss'Kul'Kyn up to the Templar. Senja took another breath and followed the nomad woman's instruction, climbing up onto the Ss'Kul'Kyn to situate himself on it's broad chitinous back. The Ss'Kul'Kyn stood tall as Senja gasped with amazement, "This is...incredible! It's like a totally different creature...So, how do I make it go forwa....", Senja expressed with a jovial tone, before the Ss'Kul'Kyn scuttled forward as if it knew where the Templar wanted to go. Liara laughed with amusement, her Ss'Kul'Kyn walking up next to Senja's, "The Ss'Kul'Kyn is a psionic creature, linked mentally to their Queen. If the Ss'Kul'Kyn feels the cause will be beneficial to the land it protects then the Queen grants us the use of her children.", the nomad woman explained, looking to Talla'Yu, "Ok, it is your turn.", she said with a smile. Talla sighed deeply, "Oh boy...My turn...I can barely contain my joy...", the Templar mumbled with an unenthused tone, as he approached the last Ss'Kul'Kyn for his attempt.
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Posted: Sat Mar 16, 2013 11:06 pm
Talla'Yu stood nervously across the sandy corral from a Ss'Kul'Kyn feeding on an iron rich rocky outcrop, the insectoid beast looking to the Templar as he slowly stepped closer. Talla gave an assured smirk as the Ss'Kul'Kyn noticed him, "Alright, now that I have your attention...", the Templar said confidently, as he began to walk towards the inspecting Ss'Kul'Kyn. However, the Ss'Kul'Kyn reacted more aggressively than anticipated as it lowered it's body on insectoid limbs, scuttling forward a ways before stopping in a wide stance a few yards away from Talla'Yu with it's schythe-like claws planted firmly in the sand to support it's menacing upper body as it let out an angered hissing shriek. "Do not move!", Liara'Rai called out to the Templar as he went to back off from the Ss'Kul'Kyn, "You've provoked her, Ss'Kul'Kyn must get a feel for your intentions. Stand your ground and let her inspect you.", the nomad woman explained calmly, Talla shooting her a confused glance. " Wait. How do you know it's a...", the Templar called back before being startled by an aggravated shriek from the Ss'Kul'Kyn. Talla'Yu's gaze shot back to the Ss'Kul'Kyn as it rose on it's insectoid legs, moving closer to the Templar at a slow pace while digging it's claws into the sand as it walked. The Ss'Kul'Kyn towered over Talla, looking down with narrow violet eyes as it's mandibles made a sound resembling a rattlesnake, "Calm.", a soft female voice whispered into Talla'Yu's mind. The Templar shuddered, a chill running down his spine as the words echoed softly in his head, "What..?!", he gasped, before the Ss'Kul'Kyn lowered itself to rest the crystalline carapace of it's head on the Templar's forehead. Senja'Na watched with interest before looking over towards Liara'Rai on her Ss'Kul'Kyn, "I said the same thing! There was a voice before I touched this Ss'Kul'Kyn, and now it's like it knows what I'm thinking.", he said with excitement, feeling relieved that he wasn't going crazy. The nomad woman laughed with amusement, "It should. If the potential rider's goal is judged as worthy by the Ss'Kul'Kyn then it will psionically link to them. You need only think and they will listen...that is, until the quest no longer benefits the land. If that happens, then the Ss'Kul'Kyn will no longer hear and, if you're lucky, will depart.", Liara'Rai explained, giving a very serious glance to Senja. Talla'Yu stood stock still, trying to remain calm as the Ss'Kul'Kyn's onyx chitin touched his forehead. A strange tingle ran down the Templar's spine before the Ss'Kul'Kyn backed up, looking calmly down on Talla with gleaming violet eyes as it knelt down, bowing it's head and upper body so the Templar could climb on. Talla'Yu gawked in disbelief as the Ss'Kul'Kyn accepted him, thinking for sure that it would attack, "No way...", he muttered, still unable to wrap his head around the whole thing as he carefully climbed up onto the Ss'Kul'Kyn's back. Senja'Na and his Ss'Kul'Kyn walked over to Talla, "Alright, you did it! About time!", Senja said jokingly, as he gave his comrade a sly smirk, "Hey...! Shut up!", Talla replied with a smirk of his own, as Liara'Rai clapped with glee. "Congratulations! You two are now Ss'Kul'Kyn handlers, these Ss'Kul'Kyn will guide you loyally through your mission. Please, treat them with respect, do this and they will fight with you to the end.", the nomad woman said happily, as she nudged her Ss'Kul'Kyn closer to the Templars, "Oh, and I have a favor to ask, if you do not mind." Senja'Na looked to Liara, a confident smile on his face, "Anything, it's the least we can do. With the Ba'Hai'Irian Ss'Kul'Kun Riders we may yet live to see another sunrise.", the Templar said with a bow of his head. Liara'Rai held up her left hand, removing a blue tinted silvered Caelium ring from her ring finger, "This was given to me by my husband. It was to be a symbol of our physical and spiritual connection...", the nomad said with sadness in her voice, reaching into her loose shirt and pulling out a similar ring on a chain around her neck. "Until the Black Venom Clan raised their 'protection tax' on the nomad tribes, a price we could not afford. They started killing the men, enslaving the women and children for labor and...well, I would rather not say. As a mystic, my husband was killed along with the Elder and I was taken into slavery. I have heard stories and rumors that our son is still alive, please, give this to him if you happen to cross paths.", Liara'Rai said, a tear welling in her eye as she removed the shining azure ring from her hand and tossed it to the Templars. Senja caught the ring and grasped it tightly, giving a smile to the nomad woman, "We will. You know, When we first met I thought you looked familiar. I see it now, you remind me of the Captain.", he said. Talla'Yu nodded in agreement with his comrade, "We'll see to it the Captain gets this, don't you worry.", Talla assured, as Liara'Rai smiled. "A Captain, my son is a Captain leading such noble soldiers.", the nomad woman said softly, the tear in her eye rolling down her cheek as a feeling of pride filled her with warmth. A rumbling sound by the crystalline wall of the city near the pen caught the two Templars' attention, a section of the wall sinking into the sand to form a large doorway in the wall as Sol'Ux stood beside the opening, "I hate to break up the moment, but I think you two have a cavalry to deliver. Go on ahead, we'll be right behind you.", the Knight-Lord said with a reassuring smile as the Templars looked to one another, nodding in acknowledgement as Senja and Talla led their Ss'Kul'Kyn through the opening, the insectoid beasts scuttling at a fast pace into the desert. As Senja and Talla rode the Ss'Kul'Kyn further away from Ba'Hai'Ir, the sounds of numerous insectoid shrieks filled the air behind them. The two Templars rode swiftly across the sands atop their Ss'Kul'Kyn mounts as swarms of the scarab-like beasts arose from the sand dunes to join them, each bearing a Ba'Hai'Irian rider wearing gleaming silvered armor with full face helms bearing protective crystalline lenses over their eyes and long scarves around their necks in the color of Ba'Hai'Irian sapphire blue.
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Sigma Annihilus Vice Captain
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