Messages

16

The Wings of Hall / Re: [RPG] The Wings of Hall OOC

« on: August 22, 2011, 01:31:28 am »

trouble is, such entrances are always well defended, and designed so that a few men can hold them with ease if they ARE discovered, and in many cases designed to be closed off if it does happen, so we'd have to be fast

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The Wings of Hall / Re: [RPG] The Wings of Hall OOC

« on: August 21, 2011, 01:53:15 am »

I hope you all enjoy the by the fireside story, it provides some insight into Cathair :O

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The Wings of Hall / Re: Stories by the Fireside

« on: August 21, 2011, 01:48:57 am »

Cathair leant back in his chair as the conversation came to a momentary lull, taking a long swig from his mug full of a fowl tasting swill. He smirked and looked at the others, giving Aidan a particularly unpleasant look before he spoke in a gruff, slightly drunk, voice. "I wonder, 'ave any of ya 'eard the story of the last great Ard Ruine of Dalradia?" he looked around the room and laughed a little "Ah, wait, yer all foreigners, a' course ye ain't, Well 'ave I got a treat fer you?" Cathair stood and began relating the story of the Ard ruine, making dramatic hand movements and almost knocking out the bar wench by accident.

It was 150 years ago in the blood stained and torn lands of Dalradia and Tylwythau Treftadaeth Etifedd. Our story begins in Dalradia, where the Great Ard Ruine, known as Chullain had risen to power, uniting the fractured Dalradian people under his banner and god, the great Wolf, howling to the blood moon. He had taken Dalradia in a sea of blood, slaughtering any local lord foolish enough to oppose him, crushing rebellions and bringing all under his heel within a space of 20 years.

Once he had completed his conquest, anointed the Dalradian lands in the blood of her people, he turned his gaze to Tylwythau Treftadaeth Etifedd and 3 years later, at the beginning of the war season, the mightiest Dalradian host seen in centuries marched to war, thousands of men, united under the wolf fell upon Tylwythau Treftadaeth Etifedd, slaughtering every village and burning it to the ground, getting revenge upon the enemy that had thwarted them for so long, defied them for so long. The mighty host tore through the heart of Tylwythau Treftadaeth Etifedd devastating the country side, town after town fell, followed by the fortresses and for nearly a year, the Dalradian host went unchallenged, and the lands fell firmly under the control of Chullain.

But the men of Tylwythau Treftadaeth Etifedd used the winter to prepare, and while the Dalradian horde had taken over half of Tylwythau Treftadaeth Etifedd in just a year, slaughtering most of the peoples of her lands, they had finally united, a great army prepared to stop Chullain.

Spring broke, and despite increased resistance Chullain's armies continued to push forward, leaving destruction and chaos sown in their wake and in the summer of that 2nd year of Chullain's war, victory was within his grasp, the closest any Ard Ruine, any Dalradian, had ever come to finally destroying the Tylwythau Treftadaeth Etifedd. The fighting had been hard. hundreds had died in the bloody war of attrition that he had been forced to fight, but slowly he had pushed the tribes back to the eldars meeting place, their sacred ground, the place of their gods. If he could crush the enemy here, they would be truly destroyed, truly routed. And this land would belong to the Ard ruine.

The armies of Tylwythau Treftadaeth Etifedd were tired, demoralized, they had been pushed further and further back due to poor organization and communication, but now they were united, tired, battered, and weak, but united, and with their backs against the walls, if they lost here, they lost the mandate of the gods. It was truly Tylwythau Treftadaeth Etifedd's darkest hour.

This battle was to be the largest and greatest of the war, of any war in Dalradia's long history. Thousands of men on either side lined up, the great Chullain stood at the head of his armies, wearing his armour proudly, the blood stained banner of the wolf waving above the armies...

It is said there was a moment of quiet, utter and total calm before the battle, the speeches had ended and the men prepared themselves for their deaths. It is said Chullain himself cut his hand and fed his blood to the icon hanging from his neck, the great wolf howling at the sky, before the battle began.

The moment of calm was short lived, for at noon a great cry went up from the Dalradian host and they charged their entrenched enemy, the climb up the hill was a costly one, javalins and arrows blackening the sky as the great hosts fought, spilling the ground of the gods with their blood. The Dalradian armies charged the gateway to the holy meeting place for three days, and for three days they failed, thousands died.

But on the third day, a breech was made, by Chullain himself, and in his foolish arrogance he charged through with his vanguard, his most trusted allies, to finish the slaughter, to take the enemies gods, and to take his place as king of Tylwythau Treftadaeth Etifedd... But alas, this was not to be. The break in the enemies shield wall had been a trick, and the breech was closed, trapping Chullain on his own at the lower entrance of the fortress.

His surrander was demanded, and Chullain refused, charging headlong at the enemy, a great battle ensued in the entrance itself, outnumbered 3-1 Chullain fought desperately with his men, felling scores personally, spilling the ground with blood, while his allies tried to force their way through to help... for three hours this raged on, and at the second strike of the bell of the third hour, Chullain fell, just as his men broke through, Chullain fell, just as victory could have been within his grasp, Chullain fell...

Although they had taken the lower entrance, and slaughtered thousands of the enemies, the battle was lost, as news of his death spread the Dalradian army fell apart in front of the men of Tylwythau Treftadaeth Etifedd, large portions of it retreated back to their homes, even larger portions fell into fighting right outside the gate, as old rivalries and squabbles now lay unchecked, the gains made were squandered, Chullain's legacy was destroyed as civil war engulfed Dalradia once again and the land slipped into unchecked chaos as if Chullain had never taken power.

Chullain's body was borne home by the Vanguard so that they could enter mourning, and more importantly, return his icon to his son. So that his son may continue Chullain's cause, so that his blood may fight in the name of the Wolf, so that once again... the Wolf could unite all of Dalradian blood under it's banner, and wreak destruction across the land.

Caithair looked uncharacteristically sad as he finished, if one didn't know better one would have sworn there was a tear in his eye. He sat down silently and one hand went to his shirt, clutching at his pendant beneath the fabric. He didn't say another word all night.

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The Wings of Hall / Re: [RPG] The Wings of Hall OOC

« on: August 20, 2011, 11:43:41 pm »

wait are we sticking to posting in a certain order? Or can we post whenever so long as everybody else has posted?

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The Wings of Hall / Re: [RPG] The Wings of Hall OOC

« on: August 20, 2011, 08:14:05 pm »

I vote past, I find writing in present a bit limiting and very difficult *laughs*

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The Wings of Hall / Re: [RPG] The Wings of Hall OOC

« on: August 20, 2011, 02:32:32 am »

I'll keep on doing that, it's how I normally write

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The Wings of Hall / Re: [RPG] The Wings of Hall OOC

« on: August 20, 2011, 02:27:21 am »

wait so are we writing in past tense now? or present? And are we doing 3rd or 1st? or is it everyone for themselves?

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The Wings of Hall / Re: [RPG] The Wings of Hall OOC

« on: August 19, 2011, 11:04:01 pm »

If anyone's wondering that is Irish gaelic, poorly translated Irish gaelic, but it works. I apologise in advance to anyone who is actually fluent and doesn't rely heavily upon google translate and the dictionary

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The Wings of Hall / Re: [RPG] The Wings of Hall

« on: August 19, 2011, 11:01:48 pm »

Cathair stood some distance from the rest of the group, silent apart from the tinkle of his chain mail in the light wind, he stared at the castle and camp, obviously slightly impatient. One hand slipped to a belt where he kept a small flask containing whatever swill passed for drink in this place, he uncorked the flask and took a long swig before swiftly replacing it upon his belt. He smirked as he watched another skirmish break out along the walls as the sky by the walls blackened under a hail of arrows and crossbow bolts as defender and besieger exchanged fire, muttering quietly to himself "Plenty of blood for the gods t'day"

He soon tired of watching the foreigners kill each-other and a trail of dust caught his eye, a raiding party leaving to harass the local villages, burn crops and generally damage the morale of the region. Cathair had managed to attach himself to a number of these raids and relieved his boredom for a few hours while the foreign dogs deliberated upon the best tactic to take the castle. Of course, Cathair had already suggested a cunning strategy, to find the families of the men in the fortress and kill them, one by one, before firing the bloated corpses into the castle to spread terror and disease... The others believed it unnecessarily cruel.

Cathair shook his head and his hand moved to a silver chain around his neck, his fingers brushed the pendant before he tenderly gripped it slowly pulling it up into his vision. The pendant was carved in the shape of a Howling wolf, the detail so intricate, so deep that one would swear that it was a real wolf, that one could count the number of hairs upon it's face, that one could hear it's howl in the night. If one looked closely at the metalwork, the detail, the design, small blood red veins, so tiny only the most observant would notice them could be seen criss crossing the wolfs fur, adding detail, making it seem alive. Cathair eyed it for a few moments quietly, a small smile on his lips as he uttered a prayer in his native tongue. "Is mian liom mo chuid fola leis an mac tíre, mar a rinne mo shinsir os mo chomhair, i súil déanfaidh sé treoir dom, liom a chosaint, agus deontas an chumhacht dom a mharú go léir a bheadh ​​ag leomh seasamh ar an mbealach ar ár gcinniúint" as he spoke he went down on one knee, pulling his knife from his boot and quietly pulling it over hand that grasped the pendant, watching the blood soak the wolf as he closed his hand over the pendant, looking up at the sky and murmuring "Is é an comhaontú a rinneadh "

As he finished his ritual he saw Nicolaos approach and slowly rose to his feet, letting go of his blood soaked pendant and sliding back within his shirt, his hand dripping blood slowly upon the floor. He nodded at Nicolaos and murmured quietly "I'm ready aye." leaving his still bleeding hand at his side as he turned to leave with the rest of the group.

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The Wings of Hall / Re: [RPG] The Wings of Hall OOC

« on: August 19, 2011, 10:20:14 am »

Okay posted my relationships with various characters, enjoy the hate

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The Wings of Hall / Re: [RPG] The Wings of Hall OOC

« on: August 19, 2011, 04:00:31 am »

woot i've got my first hate

also Caithair hates Aidan, partially because Aidan is from Tylwythau trefadaeth etifedd and partially because Aidan gave Caithair the scar on his face during their fights.

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The Wings of Hall / Re: [RPG] The Wings of Hall OOC

« on: August 18, 2011, 12:39:26 pm »

Aye, i decided to corrupt the name of the Irish raiders attacking Scotland, hoping to disguise my lack of imagination when it comes to names

And he wouldn't be parted with them because they are all ritual in many ways, signs of his prowess in battle, for him to part with his jewellery would be akin to admitting the foreigner he gave them to was a better warrior than he.

Nicolaos would make some sense aye.

Caithair shows an arrogant disdain for just about everyone in the group, because they're all foreigners, but unless they outright go out of their way to annoy him/he takes something as an insult then he'll hold a grudge for a loonngg while. He does have one HATED enemy on the team, whose character sheet has yet to be posted, so that one can be worked out later

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The Wings of Hall / Re: [RPG] The Wings of Hall OOC

« on: August 18, 2011, 03:20:08 am »

Character Sheet

Name: Cathair
Gender: Male
Age:25
Race: Human (Dalradia)
Appearance:

Cathair is around 6 foot in height and of an averageish build. His pale skin is worn from the harsh winds of his northern Archipelago and his face is marred by a deep vicious scar trailing just below his right eye, looking as though the wound almost tore his eye out. His nose is crooked from the number of times he's broken it. He has some stubble, implying that he hasn't really bothered to shave, rather than any actual attempt to grow a beard, his hair is cropped short and a dark blonde.

The rest of his body is scarred to some extent from the years of raiding and fighting, on his back is a large tattoo of a Wolf, a symbol of protection and a recognition of his skill at leading war bands and raids.

Most will see him wearing his slightly battered set of chain-mail, obviously repaired multiple times over it's life, at his side is a short Sword and upon his back are three hefty throwing spears and a Godelic shield, which also looks more than a little worse for wear. The shields surface is marred with a number of scratches, the green paint somewhat peeling. In the centre of the shield is a boss, surrounded with a collection of trinity knots.

Around his neck hangs an expensive silver pendant and on his wrists are a number of golden bracelets that symbolise his wealth and strength.

He speaks in a thick Dalradian accent, with a voice hoarse from shouting orders and drinking far far too whiskey.

Personality: Cathair embodies many of the traits of a good Dalraidian warlord. He is arrogant, xenophobic, violent, incredibly cunning, proud and does just about everything to excess. As is normal in Dalradia he puts the pursuit of personal strength, political clout and power, whatever the form, above all else, for if one aspires to become the next Ard Ruine, as everyone does, one must be willing to do anything to get the power to take and hold such a mighty position.

He values cunning and tactics in battle beyond that of a fair fight, and is more than willing to be underhanded, in fact believes it foolish to even entertain the idea of honour in battle, and will do whatever he considers necessary (often with a slightly...disconcerting smile upon his face). He revels in battle and blood lust, and despite the fact he isn't particularly... well lets say scholarly, he has a cunning and slight insanity that has wrong footed many a "superior" commander, he is especially fond of ambush attacks.

He puts almost no value upon human life, particularly the life of what he calls "weaklings" (anyone who is not Daradian) and relishes causing destruction and chaos, partially because it is his way of life and partially because he believes he serves the old gods by doing so.

He also has an extreme drinking and gambling problem, which has led to a few...issues in the past, he is quick to anger, holds grudges, and doesn't really understand the meaning of subtly in a social context.




Special Abilities: due to years of leading small raiding parties he has a great amount of Tactical cunning, and is regarded as an expert using ambush tactics and light infantry against superior forces, however he lacks knowledge of large scale warfare tactics. Over his years of raiding he stayed true to his goal of perusing power and he has taken the time to acquire a Low level Ki ability. He's also very good at fighting with shields, and can use javelins and spears very well, and swords with some efficiency as well.

Items of Interest: His pendant is very expensive and hangs on a silver chain around his neck, blessed by priests of the blood god, it is said to give him power and protection when the blood of his foes soaks into the silver, whether this is true or not is debatable, but Cathair believes it is, and won't let anyone tell him otherwise

His bracelets are made from gold and are excellent examples of Dalradia's exquisite gold jewellery, they are marks of honour in his society and show him to be a skilled warrior and warlord.

His weapons include a decorated sword hanging off his belt, his shield, and a number of throwing spears. He also keeps a knife in his boot.

History


It is best to tell this in the way Cathair would tell it


"Well, ya see, it all started when i was chasin' the bastard over our seas, we both got a lil' carried away and shipwrecked by a large squall. I ended up in this god forsaken foreign land, and went ta drown me sorrows in a tavern, course, all I 'ad was a lil' coin so I thought I'd gamble some, ya know, make more money ta get back ta me home, a place without all these silly rules about honour an' the like.... Well...I lost... An' 'ere we are. I'd say tha's about all ya need ta know about me."

Relationships with other characters:

Cathair has an intense frustration at being trapped in a foreign land, under the command of a foreign leader who worships foreign gods, and worst of all being kept from his quest, nay his destiny, to become Ard Ruine of his homeland, and as such he is quite volatile and unless otherwise stated he will have snapped or gotten angry at everyone in the group at one time or another. When this frustration is combined with his normal personality it makes things rather...tense for Cathair.

Harold Bjornson:

He finds Harold...Annoying, not necessarily due to jealousy, but mostly because he believes that Harold is a "Sissy, smarmy, annoyin' hole diggin' bastard" and of course he really hates the fact he tries to bed women using charm, rather than the more traditional method of impressing her with feats of war

Nicolaos Karenz

Caithair's relationship with Nicolaos is....a complex one. On the one hand he deeply resents being in the employ of a foreigner, particularly one who he is indebted to. On the other he does have a slightly grudging respect for Nicolaos' ability to fight and finds that Nicolaos' issues with authority give him more chances to vent out his frustrations at his position and the rather...unexpected delay to his attempts to become the new Ard Ruine. Normally Caithair would take issue at Nicolaos' worship of a god other than his own lands "old gods" (particularly the blood god) however, all the battles Nicolaos gets them into provides more than enough Souls and blood for his gods, in Caithair's opinion anyway, so he accepts Nicolaos' worship of Hall.

Darwin Roday

Caithair is very wary and suspicious of Darwin. He has never seen or heard of an Avian before, and has the nagging suspicion that Darwin is in fact a demon bird who wants to eat his eyes and drink his bone marrow. And even WORSE than being a demon bird Darwin doesn't even drink properly!. All this combined means Caithair really doesn't trust him and tends to avoid Darwin where he can.

Lissa Dragomier

Cathair finds Lissa a curiosity and finds her ability to set fire to things at will rather interesting and usually spends his time with her trying to convince Lissa to teach him how she summons fire. Other than that he isn't particularly interested in her and while he doesn't hate her (well, hate her as much as he hates most of the rest of the group) he doesn't really make any effort to become friendly with her.

Nex Addo

Cathair has a special place of dislike for Nex, he finds the hooded man intensely annoying. Not because he relies on magic necessarily, but because he always, ALWAYS goes out of his way to make Cathair look the fool. Correcting Cathair all the time, pointing out every teensy tiny flaw in his plans and acting all smart and high and mighty just because he'd spend his life....reading. There is no love lost between the pair and Cathair will go out of his way to make Nex's life difficult where he can and tends to be more even volatile than usual around the man.

Setsuna Ando

Cathair finds Setsuna very tiresome and is prone to snapping at him. While he likes the fact Setsuna is blunt Cathair cannot stand his pointless sense of Chivalry and honour, and regularly enjoys telling Setsuna that it is a fools code and generally a pointless ideal to uphold.

Ishman

Cathair, despite respecting Ishman's battle prowess finds the man to be... Hard to deal with, his strict discipline and upbringing is an Anathema to Cathair and Cathair has great difficulty understanding why a warrior wouldn't enjoy killing his foes. Unfortunately, Cathair holds a grudge against Ishman. On one of their first nights Ishman tried to get Cathair to cook his meal for him and....Cathair took this as a great insult, and has yet to forgive Ishman for the transgression against his person.


Jimmy 'Kage' Kuneto

At first, Cathair believed him and Jimmy could be friends...Or at least not at each others throats, they both used ambush tactics and would do whatever they had to achieve their aims however Jimmy's constant attempts to save women and children get on Cathair's nerves and the fact Jimmy has gotten in Cathair's way once or twice has soured their relationship further.

Acan Moread

Cathair surprisingly, doesn't have any sort of grudge with Acan, he finds the man a little strange, and of course dislikes the fact he's foreign, but beyond Cathair's usual bad temperament and xenophobia there is surprisingly little conflict between the pair... For now anyway

Estia Barackson

Cathair doesn't exactly hate Estia, but he certainly doesn't like her, he distrusts her because she's an elf, and finds her constant attempts to preserve life and avoid conflict highly annoying and has a habit of deliberately sabotaging these efforts to avoid conflict.

Maria Cyan

Cathair finds Maria's mothering tendencies get on his nerves rather quickly and he snaps at her quite a bit, he already has one mother and he doesn't wish for another one.

Aidan Donovan am Delian

Cathair reserves a special place of utter hatred and contempt for Aidan in his heart. Not only is he a foreigner, he is from Tylwythau Treftadaeth Etifedd, his peoples most hated enemy. Aidan has a far, far worse transgression however, during one of their many skirmishes when Cathair was raiding Aidan's homeland, Aidan gave Cathair the scar upon his face, not outright killing him, but almost blinding him, and for this Cathair has held a grudge ever since, swearing to repay Aidan for his "Gift" ten fold. The fact they are both in the same group causes great tensions for Cathair who regularly comes to blows with Aidan, usually one of the pair being dragged away before anyone manages to get severely hurt. On the battlefield however, this hatred seems to work in the teams favour, Cathair is pushed to even greater feats of bravery (or insanity depending upon ones view point) To show Aidan up and will go out of his way to kill as many of the enemy as possible. And of course, he wants to make sure Aidan stays alive, nobody but Cathair is going to get the pleasure of killing him.