the war of pirenne | dragons vs humans | closed

[multicurious]

Lirian Grays
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the queen | throne room | open

As expected, the Master of the Treasury and his council were already gathered around the long table that ran the length of the throne room. And I thought the boring part was over. She thought, flashing a small(fake) smile at the lord. Lord Davrus was a wiry looking man, long and thin with frazzled gray hair and a permanent worried look etched upon his face. He and his coalition of servants all stood as she entered the room, all looking quite morbid. Lirian felt a hint of concern at their faces. Was the economy's outlook really that bad? Then again, The queen quickly reminded herself. These are treasurers. Quite the stingy lot. Once they had all sat down again, Lirian took a deep breath before starting the process. As it turned out, the reason for all their downcast faces was because a member of the treasury had been with the caravan. While the news is sad to hear, hiring new members to the treasury is tedious work. Trusting someone to keeps tabs of all the money was difficult, trusting someone not to steal it even more so. After reassuring Davrus that their finances were fine in the most patient tone she could muster, she signed the stack of papers he had handed her and promptly dismissed them.

Vrhaemar
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rogue ancient | flatlands | titus

The smell of charcoal wafted over to where the great dragon was standing, swirling in the frost-bitten wind. Vrhaemar lifted his head, glowing amber eyes piercing the fog. In any other morning, Vrhaemar would be sitting in his underground lair, probably asleep. However, the winter fog rolling in with the rising sun obscured his presence enough to where he could go where he pleases without being harassed. He didn't expect to come across a human camp, however. Now that he was aware of their presence, he could pick up on their individual scents. All new, all reasonably young. With a hiss, Vrhaemar slunk down into a crouching position, he moved into the cover of a patch of nearby trees, hoping to get closer before deciding how to act. Trying to fit in the trees was difficult. If it weren't for the help of the fog it would be a waste of time. It would suffice for the brief time he would spend in them, however. As Vrhaemar peered through the fog at the camp, his eyes landed on a young man sitting by their waning fire. The dragon's form suddenly began to shrink, the smaller frame of a man in his late sixties taking his place. Vrhaemar's human form stood at about 5'6", and was muscular in nature. His hair was black and grating, along with a clean-cut beard along his cheeks and chin. He wore multiple layers, topped by a brown fur robe. The most striking thing about him we're his eyes, which maintained a dark amber color. Getting his bearings, he stepped out from his cover and walked briskly towards the army camp. "Good morning, young man." He called to the blonde human he had been watching once he was close enough. "Not to worry. I mean you no harm. I was hunting doves nearby, and I seem to have lost my dog in this fog. You haven't seen the animal around here have you?" He made the story up on the spot, but figured it was an okay explanation.

[jules_]

X I A O ---M E I
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rank ⇌ general
location ⇌ library
tagged ⇌ Prince Ahone
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Xiao barely supressed a sigh at the Prince's question. She didn't need the added stress of attempting to keep the queen's son alive while also doing her day-to-day job of running the army. "Well your highness, you can come with me to speak with her majesty." She told him, forcing a polite smile. "I have some new route possibilities to present, as well as updates on the matters at our camp outside the city." The reports of dragons near the camp was worrying, if she could she would have ridden out as soon as she recieved the news. Part of her wanted to order them to return and abandon the camp, but morale was at a low and she knew another retreat would deal a harsh blow. It killed her inside to not be with the soldiers herself, she trusted her captains but making decisions on a few scarce reports could have disatourous consequences. "Part of the war is bureaucracy," She told the prince, beginning to head up the stairs to the queen's chambers, "We can start there."

[Prince Catoukin]

[removed]
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Prince | Following Xiao | tags; General Xiao

“It’s a start I guess..” Ahone went back to thecurving staircase and followed Xiao up them, their footsteps echoing ever so slightly. He stayed quiet, not wanting to bring anything up that may end up ticking the General off or making her uncomfortable, especially since his social skills were still off.

Just remembering something quite important to him, he reached his hand into the pocket of his beige pants. His hand wrapped around his fingerless glove and pulled it out, glancing at Xiao to make sure she wasn’t watching, and put it on. The prince was very self conscious when it comes to his hands since one of them- thankfully not the one he took the glove off of -was branded.

[jules_]

X I A O ---M E I
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rank ⇌ general
location ⇌ throne room
tagged ⇌ Prince Ahone & Queen Lirian
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Reaching the top of the stairs, Xiao continued her fast walk towards the throne room. She glanced back at the prince occasionally to make sure he was keeping up. As the treasuers exited the room adn filed out the door, the general kept a neutral face despite her disdain. A lot of vultures, that's what they were. Cut budgets meant more hardship for the soldiers. And of course, she was always the one tasked to deliver the bad news. Pushing open the throne door, she turned her gaze to the queen seated at the long table. "Your majesty, I have some matters to discuss with you. I hope you don't mind if his highness Prince Ahone joins us for this talk." she stated as she strode into the room. As a soldier, she had been intimidated by the queen, and deep down Xiao supposed the woman was still rather imposing. However, she didn't have time for anything othe than her work. "I've compiled some new possible routes into other kingdoms, hopefully ones that dragons can't reach as well." Xiao began, placing an assortment of marked-up maps on the table. "I can order soldiers to resume caravans at once, however I would suggest putting scouts on the routes first to assess any enemy activity before continuing trade. I will not pretend to know about finances but I believe we need to be cautious on moving our wealth. How fast they managed to compromise this last route worries me."

[Prince Catoukin]

[removed]
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Prince | Throne room | tags; General Xiao & Queen Lirian

Ahone stayed close to the door, his arms crossed across his chest, watching and listening to the two important women intently. He was quite interested in what the General has brought up, only now hearing anything of the sorts since his mother seemed to love to change the topic when it’s just him talking about it.

Arms falling back to his sides, the prince went over to where Xiao had laid out the maps. His gaze went over each and everyone and he found the time and detail Xiao seemed to have put into all of them amazed him. Bring his right hand to one of the maps, he traced the lines that had been marked onto the parchment.

[FLYBOY]

Titus Eutherius
The Captain || Location || Royal Army Forward Camp Delta || Tagged || Vrhaemar

It was not unheard of for civilians to wander out into these desolate, war-torn lands. Uncommon, yes, but not unheard of. Sometimes their troops would march past lone travelers on the road, or straggling caravans struggling to make it to some vision of peaceful lands they would likely never reach. It was always a grim reminder to the soldiers. Most of the people that went by were thin, some emaciated enough to be almost like walking skeletons, and they wore clothes that were tattered and thin, providing little protection against the harsh weather. These people were struggling, and it was obvious. Food shortages came and went in the smaller towns, and the scarce resources were beginning to threaten the larger cities as well. If they could not find a way to re-establish trade, soon they may lose this war to a more insidious enemy- starvation. Perhaps it could not strike fear into an army like a dragon could, but it was a slow, sure killer, and one that no one was entirely safe from. On the occasion that the army did pass by traveling civilians on the road, some kind-hearted soldiers would furtively pass over their day's rations. They weren't meant to give away food desperately needed to keep themselves in fighting shape, but these were the people they were out here to protect in the first place. No one liked to see them suffer.

So when the aging man began to wander into the outskirts of the camp, the guards only exchanged worried, confused looks rather than try to stop him. Curious eyes watched him pass, but none interrupted him, for the stranger was moving with such purpose towards their captain. Alerted by the rising murmurs along the man's path, Titus looked up a moment before he called out to him, sharp brown eyes squinting at the unusual sight. He rose with a quiet scraping of metal against metal, the metal plates of his armor shining dully in the weak light of the overcast day. Beneath his rich red cape, a gauntleted hand rested lightly upon the hilt of his sword. That was thanks more to reflex than anything, a side effect of being trained to be prepared for anything. It was his tell, a sure sign of his uncertainty; whenever Titus was not entirely confident in a situation, his hand almost instinctively reached for the weapon. It was as though it reassured him just by being there, knowing that he could defend himself if need be. But as he took in the situation, it seemed he wouldn't need it, and Titus dropped his hand to his side as he approached the stranger, to meet him halfway.

The thought of a dragon in disguise was far from Titus' mind. Though he had heard the tales, just like everyone had, that the beasts could conceal themselves perfectly as humans, he had never seen one in person- at least, not that he knew of. He had seen harmless travelers in the dozens during his time in the military, so one among many did not spark much suspicion in him. And while teams were hard at work trying to figure out all the tells of a disguised dragon, everything that might set them apart from an ordinary human, so far they had nothing of import, no reliable way to tell the difference. Perhaps Titus' kind nature made him even less suspicious than most. After all, he was only doing his job because of his desire to help people. All he saw here was someone to help. Of course, they did not generally let civilians wander about with them, but he was hardly going to turn this dignified gentleman out when he was just asking a question about his hunting hound of all things.

"I'm afraid I haven't," Titus answered, now standing before the man. While he certainly didn't suspect him of being a dragon, he was growing curious of what he was doing out here. The captain had grown up a fisher, not a hunter, but he doubted there was much game around these parts, especially with their camp disturbing everything, and he had spotted no birds taking flight from the trees. Not to mention, he hadn't noticed any hunting gear on his person- what was he using to catch those doves, anyway? But he was here to help this man, not to interrogate him. There were plenty of reasonable explanations, he was sure. Who was he to make assumptions about how dove-hunting worked? Besides, perhaps he had left his weapon in the woods, so as not to provoke the soldiers by appearing out of nowhere, armed as though he were mounting some sort of suicidal attack. He shook away his doubts, but his worries remained, and his brow was furrowed with concern as he added, "I can tell the men to keep an eye out for it on their patrols, but you shouldn't linger too long out here. These are dangerous times, and our camp here is only going to attract attention. I'd advise getting out of the area if you can."

Titus had lost men before. He had lost battles, he had made hasty retreats after his unit had sustained devastating casualties. And he had defended homes and towns from dragon attacks, not always successfully. Somehow, losing the civilians was always worse. A soldier he had fought alongside, even if he was a close friend, had at least willingly signed up for this fight, knowing the risks. Civilians were defenseless, innocents in the bloody war, and theirs were losses that weighed heavily upon the commanders and every soldier involved. Like Titus, many of them had also lost family, and they saw them in the faces of those displaced, injured, and killed by the bloody conflict. He would hate to think of this stranger ending up dead because he had been in the wrong place at the wrong time and gotten caught in the middle of a battle with a dragon.

[multicurious]

Lirian Grays
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the queen | throne room | xiao, ahone

As the treasurers left, Lirian pulled all of the remaining papers on the table into a neat stack. She briefly looked up as the General walked into the room right after, but gave her full attention as Ahone tailed closely behind. The queen could easily connect the dots about what her son wanted. It was a subject she was content to avoid. However, the war has been heating up recently and they needed the manpower. Military as well as citizen morale was low. Seeing their prince in action, defending the realm, would help greatly. It was important for Ahone to be a part of such things. And if he's to become king one day, necessary. "I concur, General. The dragons have been unusually adept at predicting our movements. Send your best scouts." Lirian looked in between the two, glancing at each of their faces. She grit her teeth, and quickly composed herself again. "General... I need you to assign the prince to one of your regiments in the field." She stated, praying that she actually sounded sure of her decision. "It's time that he sees what it is your troops are actually doing out there." As she said this, she looked directly at Ahone.

Vrhaemar
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rogue ancient | flatlands | titus

Vrhaemar faked a sad smile, brushing off his brown robes. "Well, that's a right shame." He said with a weary tone, rubbing his hands for warmth. "If this place really is as dangerous as you say it is, then poor Scraggy must not have made it very far. Probably eaten by some dragon or other." He looked back up at the captain with what he hoped was a respectful gaze. "You and your men are brave lads to be out here. You're true heroes to the humans." He let that little slip up happen on purpose, if only to see how he would react. He wondered if he would even pick up on it. "This war may very well be heading towards anarchy. You already never know who you can trust." At this, Vrhaemar's voice became deep and echoey, and his face twisted into a devious smirk. His eyes began to glow a bright yellow, just before he grew into his huge, original dragon form. The ancient gave an earth-shattering roar and flew above the camp before he spit a flaming rock directly at a clump of tents.

[jules_]

X I A O ---M E I
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rank ⇌ general
location ⇌ throne room
tagged ⇌ Prince Ahone & Queen Lirian
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Xiao set her mouth in a thin line at the queen's decree, but didn't dare to directly disobey the woman. He would only be a distraction, she would need to assign soldiers to protect the inexperienced prince as well as make sure he wasn't lost in battle. They just didn't have the manpower to spare, but it was her queen's command and she couldn't exactly refuse. "I have recieved reports of dragon activity from our camp outside the city, my next order of buisness was to head there myself to gauge the situation and make a decision on our next course of action. If you will grant me this leave, I can bring his highness with me." Xiao finally said after mulling over it. The encampment was well-armed and had many soldiers, and was only a day away from guarded human cities. If there was anywhere in the war for a prince, that would be it. "However, due to his inexperience I would prefer to assign his highness to a captain of mine for training before he sees any fighting." I don't need my troops having to carry extra baggage by protecting him Xiao thought, smartly keeping that one to herself.

[Cookedsteak]

R A Z O R

||Outside the walls of the Central City|| High Ranked Dragon Warrior || Tagged || Open

The once blue sky was bleak, coated with a soft blanket of clouds. Only small streams of sunlight dotted the rolling hills. Ever since the start of the Pirenne War, the Draconic way of life had becoming nothing but chaos and confusion. He never understood why the war started... He didn't really care either. The only reason his army hadn't already eliminated that puny human settlement already was so they could feed off their cattle... At least that's what Razor wanted to think, but the increase of human settlements and the human military had only gotten worse since he attacked that lowly transport caravan.

He reached towards the only light in the sky with the palm of the hand, then clenched his fist. He narrowed his crimson red eyes at his illusion, that he was ripping the sun out of the sky. He Lowered his hand, and clambered up to his feet. He craned his neck towards a nearby tree. The front of the tree was scathed with massive claw marks. He carved five more tally marks into the side of the massive tree, with his colossal, man sized foreclaws, and mumbled to himself. "Five more men dead... Only thousands more before this war is over." He sneered and turned away from the mutilated tree, and slammed his tail on the ground. A swarm of birds immediately bolted towards the sky, cawing in an uncontrollable terror. A shadow covered the human city like a dark corner in a lit room.

He initally could care less about the humans, and only cared about doing his job. But ever since the humans raided his clan, he had found nothing but hatred for them. He wished it was like those old days, dealing with his burning, uncontrollable anger really was a hassle.

[Prince Catoukin]

[removed]
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Prince | Throne room | tags; General Xiao & Queen Lirian

Ahone looked up in surprise at his mother’s words, pulling his hand away from the map he was examining. This was one thing he never expected to hear from her since she’s so protective of him. “You’re actually- you- you’re really letting me do this?!” He was so confused and excited at the same time, his face and stutter giving that away. He looked over at General Xiao as she spoke. “I would love to come with you but why would I need to be assigned to a captain to train me? I got all my training I need with my...” the young man trailed off, not always liking to mention his ‘gift’

[removed]
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Dragon Healer | Forest | Tags; Razor

"I'd be more careful out here if I were you." A young lady in a flowing emerald green dress was standing near the giant wingless dragon. She had vines wrapped around her tanned wrists like small gauntlets while a small flower crown rested in her flowing brown hair which was back in a braid going halfway down her back. Multiple freckles speckled her face, mostly covering her rosy cheeks. The only thing that was very inhuman about her were her bright jade green eyes that seemed to glow. "Just because you're strong and fast doesn't mean the humans can get you. If I were you I would start heading back to the mountains before they can do anything." Nymerra messed with the dark green vines on her wrist before continuing. "Attacking those humans out on the road was a smart move."