[Northern Falyndar] You are not welcome (Solo)

[Naar]

32nd of Winter, 511 AV Mid Day [The Bolas was swung over his head multiple times before he finally released it. Watching as the rope outstretched ending in a large stone on either side of its length. As the Bolas hurled itself towards the legs of a running man Naar would watch as it caught his back leg and caused him to stumble though somehow other escaped capture. Cursing under his breath Warrior would then have no choice but to give chase after the fleeing man as battle raged all around them; Myrians fighting with outsiders who had dared to cross over into the jungles of Falyndar using the Northern pass. Unfortunately for the travellers the pass was being watched with keen eyes and sharp wits and the Myrians struck before anyone knew what was happening.] [Altogether there were six Myrians, this included Naar himself, and at least three times that many men who had travelled down into Falyndar from Kalea. Naar had joined the Myrian band after killing the Svefra on the eastern shores of Falyndar and their travels had taken them here. Eager to shed more blood in the name of Myri, and also because of his love of battle, Naar had not objected to attacking the travellers with intent to slay them all. Not that he said much anyways and even if he had his opinion would have been ignored regardless, a half blood had no reason to speak, he knew his place and that the woman leading this band would make the decisions.] [Now that they were in the heat of battle Naar was ferocious though. After he had thrown the Bolas once the attack came underway he would chase the man whose leg he had entangled. Fitting his Bagh Nakh into the palm of his right hand as he pursued his prey so that the weapons talons, all four of them, would extend between his fingers. Legs tensed as he ran after the man who still managed to move quickly despite the bola wrapped around his leg, hampering his movement, and weighing him down somewhat.] [Ducking as he ran ahead Naar would see a man approaching from his peripheral vision and duck beneath a swinging sword just before it cut into his flesh. Answering by swiping his Bagh Nakh out to the side he’d hear a satisfying howl and feel the talons cut into flesh, spilling blood on the jungle floor, as he erected himself again. Momentarily forgetting about the man he was chasing Naar would turn to face the one he’d just cut. Delivering a hard, snapping, kick to the side of the man’s knee as he came around to face him and dropping him down with the blow before rushing in to finish him off. Using his left forearm he’d block a weak blow by the man with his sword by bringing his arm in to collide with the inside of his opponents before slipping it higher and hooking it around the back of the man’s head. Pulling him forward then Naar would deliver several quick uppercut like blows with his Bagh Nakh while press the man’s head down, tenderizing his face by driving the claws into it and shredding his flesh, when he was dead Naar released him and let him fall to the ground before moving away.] [Now back on the trail of the man he’d been pursuing Naar would be all but oblivious to the bloodshed occurring around him. The Myrians were outnumbered but their battle prowess and sheer ferocity more than made up for it. Their enemies were falling quickly and several of those who tried to retreat were falling quickly, being cut down, by the spears of their pursuers. As Naar pumped his legs in rapid succession he’d spy the man he was looking for still trying to flee in the distance and feeling adrenaline course through his body he’d run all that much faster desiring to finish his prey and claim him as a kill.] [Leaping once he’d made distance on the man he was chasing, who seemed completely dazed and confused as he ran while his friends were being killed, Naar would tackle him from behind sending them both to the ground with a crash of bodies to the dirt. Once he had tackled the man Naar recovered quickly, straddling him from behind, and took the back of his head in his left hand before hammering it down onto the ground so that he could continue to daze the man who’d now started struggling harder. Crushing his face into the dirt Naar would raise his Bagh Nakh and deliver a brutal blow to the back of the man’s head and neck, killing him instantly, stilling his body and making it go limp on the ground.] [Leaving the corpse Naar started to climb back to his feet and turn around just as he heard several quick footsteps coming towards him...]

[Naar]

[As he came around, hearing the sounds of footsteps approaching, Naar would come face to face with two other men charging him. Both with short swords drawn. With little time to act Naar met the first mans charge by lunging ahead and bending down so that he could plant his shoulder into the attackers stomach, hooking his right arm and Bagh Nakh behind the man’s leg as he did so, before lifting him up using his own momentum to throw him back over behind him. The Bagh Nakh slicing itself across the back of the man’s leg as Naar tossed him over his shoulder so that his movement would be at least moderately impeded. Not that this dead anything to help against the other man after his friend landed in a heap behind Naar.] [Naar would actually comeback just as the second man was slashing with his sword. The Warrior sprawled backwards, catching himself on his back foot to retain his balance, but only just in time to turn a heavy blow into a glancing one as the sword ran across Naars left side and drew blood over his ribs causing him to hiss. Acting fast so that he could strike before the man could reverse his momentum Naar would step forward, dropping a hard elbow with his right arm on the wrist of the attacker while his sword was coming out of the blow, and throw a hook into the side of the man’s neck with his left hand. It tossed him aside, stunned, just long enough for Naar to turn again.] [The Warrior had to move quick against two men. After stunning the second attacker he turned back to the first who was recovering but moving a little more slowly due to the wound on the back of his leg and Naar sprung to the attack again. Planting his left foot he’d swing his right to kick the man he’d tossed onto the ground across the jaw as he was coming back onto his feet and knock him back onto the ground. Next Naar followed by moving in and pressing his foot onto the man’s sword arm, pinning it to the ground, and after this he finished by delivering a blow with the Bagh Nakh to the neck of the man to finish him off. Unlike the last man this wound wasn’t as severe, it’d take several minutes for the man on the ground to bleed to death but until then he was effectively out of the fight regardless.] [Apparently the comrade of the dying man had recovered and seen Naar deliver the death blow though as he started screaming and swinging his sword wildly while Naar turned to face him again. Dodging most of the blows by moving backwards and leaning away Naar would actually, almost ironically, trip over the dying man he had just dealt a deadly blow to and coming crashing down onto his back. Looking up he had just enough time to roll aside as the man attacking him now thrust his sword down hoping to impale the blade deep into the abdomen of Naar. The Blade missed, just barely, and stabbed into the ground.] [Getting back to his feet Naar was back on the attack again though. Delivering another swift kick after he’d come up to face the man at his side profile Naar would hit him on the back of the knee to drop him down and then move in. Using his left hand to grab the man’s sword arm by the wrist Naar would yank on it so that it was outstretching before bringing his right arm around to strike it on the elbow join for added effect and cause a sickening snap, the Bagh Nakh ripping into flesh only adding to the intensity of the blow, and causing the man to scream and drop his sword. Naar didn’t waste much time killing the man afterwards moving around behind him to hook his left hand underneath the man’s jaw and jerk his head to the side so that he could snap his neck.] [Now that he had a moment Naar would turn from the bodies and move back towards the main battle, crouching down and using the foliage and vegetation as he moved to see if he could catch someone by surprise, the Myrians had almost won by now and there weren’t many combatants left. Amazingly, Naar thought to himself, the travellers had managed to kill at least one of the Myrians who lay unmoving on the ground but it was a warriors death so there was nothing to be ashamed of. Watching for an opening Naar breathed, ignoring the sting of the wound that dripped a small amount of blood down his side, then he started to move again.]

[Naar]

[Naar moved, his pace unhurried, as he stalked out into the makeshift battlefield the jungle had become with small clearing here and there but mostly trees and vegetation everywhere helping to conceal both himself and others from view. On one side of him he heard a snapping branch, someone didn’t know how to move quietly, and he looked to see a wounded man stumbling towards him clutching his side which bled heavily. Looking to see that no one pursued him Naar would watch as the man recognized that he was no ally and blanched in the face but didn’t appear able to run back in the other direction and momentarily the Warrior almost felt pity for this stranger. No mercy could be allowed though and none would be given.] [Opening his mouth as though he were attempting to say something Naar would shake his hand at the man and move across the distance towards him swiftly. Outstretching his left arm Naar covered the man’s mouth and wheeled him around until he was pinned against a tree before saying in the common tongue...”Do not fear. You will be with Dira soon.”...he attempted to bring peace of mind to the man but only succeeded in causing him to struggle hard. Naar didn’t understand. Tilting his head to the side he would put pressure over the man’s mouth and use the hold he maintained to snap his head to the side, breaking his neck, and kill the man who slumped dead. Loosening his hold on the man Naar just stepped aside and let his body fall limp onto the jungle floor before moving away in search of whatever else he could find.] [Listening Naar heard the sounds of battle and came upon a sight he did not think to witness as one of the Myrians, a female warrior named Aila, was getting the worse end of a fight against a particularly large opponent who threw her onto the ground and moved in to deliver a killing blow with what looked like a Hand Axe. Naar was quick as he rushed the man then, thinking first to tackle him but then deciding against it, coming at him from the side as he raised his axe and prepared to bring it down into Aila who showed no fear at the thought of her death. As he neared the man Naar’s running steps were heard and the man turned to face him sparing Aila as the Warrior charged towards him.] [Running ahead it looked as though Naar may have intended to meet the large man head on but this would not happen. Sidestepping as he came closer to him Naar would lean backwards and fall into something similar to a baseball slide type manoeuvre, skidding across the jungle floor and beneath the reach of the man’s Hand Axe, his Bagh Nakh outstretching to slice across the man’s shin as Naar went sliding past him. Aila took the opportunity to recover as well and find her spear again and soon they were attacking the larger man in tandem with one another as a team.] [Naar went high when he came back to his feet and Aila went low. Waiting for the attacker to make a mistake the two circled him on opposite ends with Naar taking most of his attention before Aila struck, stabbing her spear into the large mans back, the man howled and turned, wrenching the spear from her hold as he went, to face her but the Naar attacked. Sprinting forward Naar would leap on the man’s back ,wrapping his arm around his throat to choke him and using his Bagh Nakh to claw over his shoulder and arm as effectively as possible. Meanwhile Aila had drawn a dagger and come ahead to stab the man as well. Between the both of them he was dead soon and they were left looking at one another.] [No words were spoken. No thanks offered. Only a nod shared between the both of them before they stalked off together in search of their comrades. Aila at his side Naar could narrow his eyes and concentrate on looking into the jungle to try and pinpoint where some of the action was occurring but most of what he could make out were the sounds of the wounded moaning and others fleeing. The Myrians were victorious it seemed and now all that remained was for everyone to find one another and a camp to be made. Naar looked at Aila and pointed in the direction where he thought he heard sound and then the both of them moved in that direction.]

[Naar]

[Noticing blood stains on one of the trees and other vegetation as they moved ahead together Naar would point this out to Aila as well. They could track whoever this blood belonged to by following it together. Nodding to one another again and sharing a brief look the two of them went in the direction that the blood led following it like a trail until they couldn’t see any more of it. Naar was somewhat confused but he looked around nonetheless trying to find the blood again though it was to no avail as surely whatever was bleeding must have just stopped. It’s when he stopped looking that it happened though.] [Walking ahead, through the jungle brush a spear butt would come from around a tree aimed to smash Naar right in the face, he barely had time to catch sight of the attack before he was leaning his head to the side. The blow still glanced against Naar’s face but he’d raised his left arm to wrap around the wood so that it couldn’t pull away and followed it to its wielder while raising his Bagh Nakh to deliver a blow of his own. Vynxia, another female Myrian who lead this band, was staring right at him and ready to deliver a counter of her own before Naar released her spear and moved away while averting his eyes somewhat. Naar knew Vynxia and knew that she didn’t care for half bloods but she accepted him as he had earned a mark from Myri and left it at that. Aila was much happier to see the Myrian woman and the both of them shared a smile; Aila herself proved much more accepting of Naar and it didn’t hurt that he had just helped her not long ago.] [Looking at the both of them Vynxia would have said...”The Outlanders are dead or running in the jungle. Let’s find the others.”...to which both Naar and Aila had only to nod. It was common sense to find the others and Vynxia was the leader besides that which made her word essentially the law unless someone wanted to challenge her. Naar didn’t doubt that he could beat her in a fight but his place wasn’t to lead so it’s doubtful that the Warrior would ever consider anything like that and besides Vynxia was not a poor leader.] [Not long after the remaining Myrians had gathered together. There were five of them now; Naar, Aila, Vynxia and two others a male and female. They’d found the body of their deceased comrade and it was decided to bring her back to Taloba so that she could be returned to her clan. Naar couldn’t help but feel that Vynxia had wished he was the one dead but it hadn’t went that way and with no way of reversing the past the Myrian woman would be left bitter that the Half blood had served while a full blooded female died in the battle.] [Once they were together too it was decided to make camp here and sacrifice the bodies of the dead to Myri. Naar and Aila went out together to collect the dead and bring them back to a central area where the sacrifice and ritualized bloodletting could begin while the others made a makeshift camp and gathered wood for a fire as they’d need one for the night. The Jungle was unforgiving and threatening so no one ever went anywhere alone especially this far from Taloba and the Myrians worked in groups of two even when others were nearby.] [Later, after a few bells, the bodies were gathered and the sun had begun to set making day into night and Vynxia would stand over a corpse saying aloud...”Myri we sacrifice the dead to you Goddess Queen!”...before the ritualized cannibalization began. Naar busted open the head of one of his kills and used his hand to scoop out the brain which he’d begin to devour shortly thereafter. All of the enemies today had shown some prowess and so Naar hoped that he would be granted some of their knowledge by consuming their organs; this included the heart, liver and especially the brain. Naar ate the eyes of those he killed too but unlike the rest he would always mutter...”Praise Dira. Queen of the Dead.”...before eating those organs signifying that this small sacrifice was for Dira instead of Myri whom Naar revered with an equal mixture of fear and respect. The Queen of the Dead was not to be trifled with after all.]

[Naar]

[The Sacrifices were committed to Myri and the brains and other organs devoured by the Myrians. The bones would be taken back to Taloba and used as tools when possible and the meat that could be carried would be stripped from the dead for food as well. Nothing would be left to waste and only that which could not be carried would be taken back. One death made all the difference as six could have taken much more than five but the Myrians would make do with the situation; their sister had died admirable and been cut down by multiple strikes of the blade, she would be welcomed in death as a warrior.] [Naar finished devouring his sacrifices and wiped blood from his mouth with the back of his arm before looking around himself, watching the others, as they did likewise but little was said between them and what was did not involved him. Often quiet Naar was known for talking when he had something constructive to say and otherwise listening, observing and learning about those he watched while quietly assessing all of them. Vynxia was a good warrior and leader it was true but after observing her Naar knew that she would never surpass the level of good and become great. She would never become a legendary fighter or leader but she would always be remembered as being skilled. Aila was young, brash, and inexperienced to a degree but if she lived she would be able to surpass Vynxia if that was her choice. Naar already had more respect for Aila than Vynxia. As for the other two Myrians, they were just warriors and Naar did not observe anything of significance from them, besides being children of Myri they were relatively insignificant.] [The Night began to wear on then after everything had been done. Naar spent much of it listening but he had also taken a finger bone from one of the men he had killed and borrowing a knife from Aila had begun to carve on it slowly. Nothing important. Naar carved small sigils onto the finger bone, he knew nothing or magic though, and while the symbols he cut into the bone had no meaning he chuckled once to himself thinking if a foreigner took this they would think it had some unknown purpose. Amusement settled over his features at the thought due to the ignorance of others and he slowly thought that those not of Falyndar must surely think that Myrians are savages when they are closer to civilization than others could perceive.] [Admiring his small carved finger Naar would look up suddenly when Vynxia called out and said...”Half Blood. You will be on guard while we rest.”...causing him to nod his head once accepting her orders while remaining silent. Naar didn’t actually mind staying awake and playing the guard while the others were resting, he wouldn’t do it the entire night either, and looking out into the darkness he would allow his body to relax briefly as the jungles of Falyndar seemed calm around him. At times of calm you needed to enjoy the moment of peace because it could be over in an instant and often was without even the hint of a warning. Dwelling on the calm of the jungles had lead to the deaths of many as well though and so Naar was soon giving his head a shake and letting his senses tune themselves to his surroundings once again as he kept watch.] [Staying at the fire with the others for a short time only Naar would rise and move away from the camp a short distance. Blending in with foliage that was near one of the large trees so that he could camouflage himself and watch unseen in case anything disturbed the camp. The Others too were not completely asleep, being a light sleeper was an advantage and then some, and Naar knew it but at least one person must always stay fully alert and on guard to sound a warning if something occurs that no one else is aware of. Against the tree where he took cover Naar would plant his back ensuring that he couldn’t be approached from behind and he’d remain this way, silent and still, for a long time until it was the next Myrians turn to be on watch.] [Before too long the fire was dying down until only embers remained. Naar would stare at them occasionally and breath...]

[Rage]

GRANTING OF XP Naar Weapon: Bolas - 1xp Running - 2xp Detection - 2xp Weapon: Bagh Nakh - 3xp Unarmed Combat - 3xp Tactics - 2xp Observation - 2xp Carving - 1xp Camouflage - 1xp Lores: [Location] Northern Pass [Tactics] Knowing One's Role in a Skirmish [Tactics] Fighting in concert with another warrior [Detection] Importance of Situational Awareness in Battle [Unarmed Combat] Snapping Necks [Social] Stigma for being a half-blood [Religion] Offering blood sacrifices to Dira [Observation] Pre-judging the Mettle of others Deceptive calm of the jungle at night Items: Human finger bone with uneven and indecipherable scrawlings Thread Consequences: - Due to Naar's failure to clean his wounds, the cut her suffered on his side grew infected. It will take 30 days (32nd to 62nd of Winter) to heal completely. For the next 15 (32nd to 47th of Winter) days, deep breaths will cause him pain. Any blows dealt on the wound will aggravate the injury during this 15-day period. - Naar will also sport a black eye for the next 20 days (32nd to 52nd of Winter) from the blow suffered from Vynxia's spear. Naar will experience mild discomfort from any amount of pressure applied on the bruise during this time. Notes : A fun short thread. You may be wondering why I awarded an equal amount of XP for both Unarmed Combat and Bagh Nakh even though you used Unarmed Combat more. As you're already Competent in that skill at the time of grading, you will find it harder to progress in it unless you learn new moves and/or use the skill more extensively. For more details, please refer to my personal grading guidelines. PM me if you have any questions/reactions.