|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Sep 15, 2014 9:27 pm
The battle to take Neued had gone well enough, with the Oban Army taking it away from the 'allied forces' just as Saraf knew that they would. That group was broken, both figuratively and literally, and their victory had been assured. It was as it should be and now that they had taken the village he was actually rather eager to move onward, taking more and more land from the the tribes of the North. Sure, there was a part of him that was eager to see this done so that he could head home, but until that time he would fight his hardest to see their victories continue to stack up. The better that they did in battle, the more cities they took, the more captives they took, the better off they would be. He was eager to see how everything played out given how he itched to finally be granted a rank in the army that was something more then just that of a foot solider.
For the moment though, instead of moving on to the next battle which Saraf was eager to do, it would appear as though they were going to rest up at Neued. Not exactly what he wanted to do but he supposed that it was for the best. How else were they going to go about dealing with the prisoners that they had taken during the battle? He was quite curious to see what would come of that and he really meant to move forward, wanting to do a sweet of the area, to see if there were any stragglers that could be captured as well. The more the merrier if you asked him, feeling that having a good number of captives taken by his own hand would work wonders and really help as far as garnering prestige went. The more notice turned his way of the good variety the sooner he'd get that rank he wanted. As such he should probably see about getting ready to go hunting for more captives.
Pushing to his feet he headed toward where the majority of the group was gathered, best that he get a feel for how long they would be in the area before he set out. The last thing he wanted was to go out, hunt down some of the 'allied forces' to take captive, only to return to an empty village. That would be embarrassing to say the least so he meant to get a good idea for what was going on before setting out.
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Sep 18, 2014 11:01 pm
N A E V I U SNaevius had been ecstatic when she had heard the outcome of Neued. It was one more victory under their belt. Even if it was an easy one. The forces of Tendaji didn't stand as much of a fight now that they were all scattered, probably fearful of them after their first slaughter. They still had some of their leaders and although Nae hadn't gotten a chance to see them, she was sure it must still be debilitating for their forces. At the moment, most were gathering in the center of the camp having made it their new base, a lot of stuff was going on to make it suitable for a higher race. Things were being fixed, duties doled out, captives captured were all things Nae was interested in, but they weren't what she was most interested in. She wondered just how many captives they had caught. Just how many people they had lost. It had been a little while since she sent a report back so she wanted her next one to have lots of information in it. Well, accurate she should think. There was no doubt the reports from the generals were getting sent back, but she was there as an added protection to make sure nothing got 'fudged' on the journey back. What Naevius was always the most interested in was the talk around the camp. It was one of those moments she was in right now. 'And they slaughtered two of ours before they even got a scratch!' Nae heard the soft whisper somehow over the roar of everything else. Moving as stealthily as she could, she moved towards the couple of women talking. She didn't get very far before, in all her focus, she had ran right into someone. A blush rose to her face as she realized how stupid she must have looked. "My apologies! I did not mean to run into you." She could have been like some Nobles and sneered down their noses at him making it seem like he was the one who ran into them, but she wasn't like that. Nae took the blame and even apologized for it!
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Sep 21, 2014 1:16 pm
As he approached where others were gathering, already making the village their own despite only having recently kicked out or captured the original inhabitants. It really was an alright place, nothing like home but he supposed that one could appreciate the breathing room. If they took these lands it would give their people more room to spread out a bit, something that would probably be good for them. More space meant that more children could be born, bolstering their ranks, and allowing them to continue to further spread across the land. In time all of the land that they could see and beyond could very well belong to Oba, or at least that was what Saraf felt should happen. Of course he was of the mind that they were a vastly superior people so such thoughts only made sense to him. Saraf moved toward where he finally spotted some of those in charge when someone was suddenly crashing into him, something that dragged him quickly out of his own thoughts. The collision forced him to take a step back to right himself, something he found he didn't much care for as it almost feel like he was forced to retreat, before he jerked his head up. He opened his mouth, about to bark at the girl for getting in his way... only to find himself met with an apology. They were words that caused any and all anger inside of him to sputter out into nothingness. Upon looking at the one that had crashed into him he supposed that it was probably a good idea that he didn't bark at her, not when he knew her. At least to a degree anyway, more that he knew who what she was as opposed to who she was. "It's fine, no harm done." He finally said, deciding that he should probably say something instead of just starring at her like some sort of moon eyed youngling. Interest was there, sure, but it was just because he knew she was of the noble class, it wasn't because he was suddenly star struck by her appearance, "Are you alright?" Best to make sure that she was alright and couldn't decide to come back later to try to get him in trouble because she was feeling bored or something. He supposed it all depended on what sort of noble she was, how spoiled, and how prone to toying with others she was. Once he figure that out he'd better be able to figure out if her bumping into him would come back to bite him in the backside or not.
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Sep 26, 2014 11:21 am
N A E V I U SNaevius straightened her clothing and flipped her hair over her shoulder and smiled at the one she had bumped into. He was being very polite for which she was grateful, though, most would probably be polite if they knew what was good for them. Although she wasn't a mean noble, she didn't tolerate people being overly mean to her, they could voice their opinion, sure, but go into rude and you could bet you'd have something coming. The fact that he asked if she was okay was sort of endearing to Nae as it was something not everyone had to ask. "Oh yes, I'm okay, thank you for asking. I should really watch where I'm going." She wondered if she could make it up to him even though running into someone really wasn't that big of a deal, but with the people she was going to go listen to already gone, she had nothing else to do. "I'm Naevius, by the way." She said with a dip of her head in respect. "I apologize for interrupting your day, is there somewhere I can escort you to make up for it?" She offered kindly. Chances were, this guy was one of their soldiers, and she always felt like they should be appreciated more. Hopefully this action would show it.
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Sep 26, 2014 11:49 am
She was alright? That was good, that meant that he wouldn't be hearing about it later he thought to himself with mild relief. There would be nothing worse then getting dressed down by those who he was trying to gain respect from he thought to himself idly. He gave a slight shrug at what she said next and then admitted, "My thoughts were miles away so I should probably do the same." He wouldn't get anywhere in life if he ran about with his head in the clouds, plotting. If anything that would only put him at risk. He supposed that he could use this as a valuable lesson taught to him in a safe enviroment. "Naevius." He murmured, seeming to be committing the name to memory before he said, "It is good to meet you despite the way be did so, my name is Saraf. Eh? It wasn't too terrible an interruption so I guess I can forgive you." He said, obviously joking given the smile on his face before he thought on her offer, "I am mostly trying to get a feel for how long we will be in the area. I was thinking on doing a bit of patrolling, seeing if any of the members of the enemy forces are still lurking nearby." Saraf explained, not wanting to seem for even a moment as though he were the sort that might be slacking off. No, he was always thinking on his next big move, how he would go about it, and how it would benefit not only Saraf himself but his family as well. "If you don't mind coming along for something like that you are welcome to do so." Not like he could exactly stop her if she wanted to come along. She was both noble and female, something that could very well make her doubly stubborn if she was like any other women or nobles he'd met in his time.
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Oct 10, 2014 11:07 am
N A E V I U SNaevius thought he seemed nice enough from how he was speaking to her. "It's nice to meet you, Saraf." She said politely and smiled at him with his little joke. "Well I'm glad to accept your forgiveness. I haven't heard too much on how long we will be in the area, mostly they're concerned with getting the supply routes." It was when he said what he was about to do and then invited her along that she was a little confused. Sure she was a noble and all but she couldn't do exactly EVERYTHING she wanted to. It caused a slight frown on her face as she thought about her options. Looking around, she saw a few of the guards who were always present, sometimes she could shake them but this instance wouldn't fly well with her dad if he found out, which he undoubtedly would. "I appreciate the offer but I feel I'll have to decline. But if you have some time could I talk you into telling me some battle stories?" She said with a smile once more. Orpheus Solon Sorry it took so long. >.<
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Nov 06, 2014 2:25 pm
"Makes sense, we will need supplies if we are going to feed such a large army." He was glad that they were thinking about such things, it meant that this would make a rather good stopping point until they were ready to push forward with the next assault. He gave the area a once over before he said, "We found a river when we first arrived, filled with fish, and it seems to draw in a lot of prey animals. This village is a good place to stop and gathering our strength." Even if Saraf didn't like sitting still he knew that it made sense to do so. They couldn't keep pushing forever or else they would burn themselves out, so long as they didn't stop for as long as they'd stopped last time though he would be happy. There was a difference between stopping for a rest and completely losing momentum after all.
When Naevius declined his offer he gave a nod of his head, "I understand." He couldn't force her to come along with him and he supposed that if he did happen to capture someone the glory would be his alone. He liked this woman well enough but he would rather keep the glory of capturing a prisoner or two to himself, if only because of his desire to climb through the ranks and become someone power. He could play nice later, after he'd acquired his first rank and got his first step up in the world. After that he would be far more inclined to make friends since equally powerful friends would be important if he were going to keep climbing. Oba seemed a place where connections were rather important after all. Something he'd need to consider going forward.
Turning toward her he gave her a curious look as she spoke of 'battle stories' and he gave a slow nod, "I don't see why not, I did fight in the last battle that allowed us to take this place. Anything in particular that you were curious about?"
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Nov 07, 2014 9:19 am
Naevius had heard about the river from one or another of the soldiers, sometimes she had trouble keeping them straight to her dismay. At least this soldier seemed to agree that this village was a good stopping point. Hopefully it placed them in a strong position and not too weak of one. After all, they had just taken it from the Tendajians, but they weren't as well trained as their soldiers. So in the right hands, this probably was a strong position. When Saraf had agreed to indulge her with stories, she couldn't help but get a little excited. But the problem was, what was she going to ask him about? Should she ask about something specific or something vague for him to tell her what he wanted? Yeah, that sounded great! "You choose. What is your most memorable battle moment?" That should yield an interesting story surely!
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Nov 08, 2014 8:33 pm
Saraf seemed to be think about it when Naevius told him that he could choose, asking what his most memorable battle moment had been, "Hm, that is a tough one. The last battle, the one in which we took this town, was so full of various exciting moments. I find it hard to say exactly what the best part was, save of course for the moment that our enemies realized that hey had lost. To see the look of shock on their faces when they realized, then watching them turn tail to run, that was a really good moment." He said, tapping a finger against his lips thoughtfully.
"That was in fact one of the best moments, but that wasn't a moment that was mine alone. If you mean a moment that was all mine." He thought about it a moment more before his ruby red eyes seemed to sparkle before he said, "Ohhh, I know. The moment with the Wind Tribesman, perhaps you would like to hear about that? It had to be the most exciting moment of my life, a moment that proved that the great Nerad and Essd were smiling upon me." He told Naevius, lifting a hand to his chest as though to offer up a prayer to the King and Queen of the Gods before he continued with his story, "Myself and a few others were engaged with some of the foot soldiers, swords clashing against swords, everyone pushing for dominance. We were told to do our best to kill as few as possible, those in charge wanted us to take prisoners instead you see."
Giving a little while he said, "It was then that I saw it, the telltale glitter that could only be an arrowhead, pointed right at me!" He said, it had to be the most terrifying thing that he'd ever experienced that was for sure, to have his sword locked with that of another opponent, starring at an archer that meant to shoot him down where he stood, "It was then that I saw something I've never seen before and I doubt I will ever see again. The archer drew back the arrow, preparing to fire... and the string on his bow snapped!" He clapped his hands together for dramatic effect before giving Naevius a smile, waiting to see what she thought of the story, hoping it was exciting enough for her.
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Nov 08, 2014 9:02 pm
Naevius listened intently as Saraf began to tell his stories of battle. She tried not to grimace at the first story, the most memorable battle moment of the last battle. Nae couldn't even begin to imagine what it would be like to see people running in terror, the look of shock on their faces. After all, in her mind, what would they be like if someone were gutsy enough to invade them? It was a hard thing to imagine, and she almost pitied the Tendajians Saraf was talking about. At least he was moving on now.
This story seemed much more interesting! He was going to tell her about interaction with another Tendajian it sounded like! Naevius couldn't help herself from leaning in a tad bit to listen. A slight smile appeared when he seemed as if he was offering a prayer to Nerad and Essd before beginning his story.
It pleased Naevius to hear that the soldiers were being told to do their best to kill as few as possible, unnecessary bloodshed was just dumb in her mind, but glory to Oba and all her campaigns and what not. She nodded along with his story and her eyes widened a little when he started talking about seeing the archer aiming right at him. Then, when he finished his story with it ending with the bow string snapped and his hands clapping together caused her to breath in sharply in surprise. "Wow! I can't even imagine what that must be like! The gods were surely watching over you!" Naevius decided that he had a nice smile when he smiled at her at the end of his story. It caused her to blush a little bit. While she didn't find him very attractive, he had good features, and would likely make a soldier girl very happy some day.
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Nov 08, 2014 9:56 pm
Saraf gave a nod of his head, "I would like to believe as much, that the two of them were smiling down at me in that moment. There must still be a lot that is ahead of me that I still need to do for our people. Why else would they see fit to protect me in such a manner otherwise?" He had to admit that he was eager to meet his future, to fight for it, and to see Oba become even an even grander land then it already was. He was meant to fight hard to see that happened, wanting nothing more then to climb in the ranks of the Oban army and serve at the king's side faithfully.
"I can only do my best from here on out to make sure that the blessing they bestowed upon me was worth their effort." As Gods he was sure that it probably didn't take a lot of their power to snap a bow string to save his life but for Saraf it meant everything. It was in fact the single most important thing that had happened to him since leaving Oba, and it helped to spur him forward in his life as a soldier, "I need only to pray now for Jonal's blessing as well in the battles to come." There was nothing more that Saraf could really ask for before the battles began then the blessing of the War God after all. It was something that would only aid him in his desire to become a powerful and well known soldier among the Oban army.
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Nov 08, 2014 10:25 pm
It was always a good day when you felt like your gods were watching over you. There were many ways the snapping of the bowstring could be taken. Was it a sign from the gods? Naevius thought so. As for the reason they had spared him, that was hard to say. Maybe it was just because he was so young and they didn't want to take his life where it could be spared, as they were trying to spare the lives of the ones they were taking in. Perhaps it did mean that there was a lot ahead for him. Or perhaps it just meant that it wasn't his time yet. Her father had taught her to listen to the gods and respect the things they do for her and others in life, and to try and not try to figure out the reasons behind things. Because in truth, only the gods know why something happened.
"That is a good outlook. Essd let you keep your life, but you should pray to On'os for your fortune, and pray that the reason you were spared wasn't just because it wasn't your time yet. Pray to On'os for time." Nae nodded with a slight smile on her face. She often spent little moments of the days praying to the gods, she was glad to hear that their soldiers did too, perhaps that would make the difference in the battles to come. "You should pray to all the gods for their blessings for the battle to come. You never know which may decide you are important to them." Nae advised. It was a problem amongst soldiers, that they would become so enraptured with Jonal that the forget to see the web the connected everything together.
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Nov 09, 2014 2:28 pm
Saraf seemed to think on her words for a moment before he gave a nod, "You are correct, it was more certainly good fortune that aided me both when the bow snapped and will be needed in the future." He agreed before closing his eyes, offering up a prayer to On'os as well, not wanting to leave any of the Gods or Goddess out who were a part of his life. It could very well be any number of them that hand a hand in protecting him during the battle, to any or all of them he may very well owe his life. Once he had offered the prayer to the God of Time and Fortune he turned his attention to Naevius once more, giving her a smile, "My thanks for the friendly reminder, Naevius." He would need to be more careful when it came to those he thanked, not wanting to snub any of the Gods or Goddesses, that might very well turn his fortune in the other direction after all.
"When it comes to what is ahead of us you may very well be right, prayers to all of the Gods and Goddesses are a good thing to offer up." Not that he felt that they had anything to worry about, what they were doing was for their king after all, and to make their country bigger and better. Things would go smoothly, or so he believed, "I am rather excited for what comes next to be honest, it's times like this when we are just waiting that is the hardest. After a battle like the last one we were a part of sitting still feels all but impossible, you know?"
He didn't know about Naevius but he knew that it was kind of driving him crazy sitting around doing nothing, it was why he was so determined to get his things together so that he could go patrolling and hunting. Even if he found nothing at least he wasn't sitting around idly which was, to Saraf at least, the worst thing.
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Nov 12, 2014 7:36 pm
Listening as he, at least from what he said, admitted that she was correct which brought her a little bit of pleasure. Naevius gave him the slightest nod of her head. "I'm glad to hear that, Saraf. I suppose that it might be a little confusing as to why we're waiting. But establishing supply routes and waiting for the opportune moments to attack could increase our results even more so than last time. The loss of a beast was terrible, and the soldiers that were lost were mourned. Perhaps by waiting the General wishes to lower losses by waiting until the precise time to strike." She wasn't one for tactics too much, even though she had discreetly listened to a few meetings she probably shouldn't have eavesdropped.
Saraf seemed a little fidgity, his words seeming to confirm the fact that he didn't want to sit around and wait like others thought it was best to do. "Well, tell me this. If you could give the orders to the army, what would you think the next few moves should be?" Sure it could be seemed as a double edged sword. But how he answered could tell her a lot about the soldier's outlook on the war and the war leader's actions thus far.
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Nov 13, 2014 7:50 pm
Saraf gave a nod of his head, "That is understandable, yes. I know why we are stopped but it doesn't make it any easier for those of us whose blood is still sort of boiling." He murmured, glancing in the direction of the large beasts and those who were in charge of their care. He'd never been one who spent a lot of time around animals if only because he didn't know anything about them. He didn't know much about them but he could appreciate the time that the handlers had to put in training them. It was quite the loss to those who raised them, trained them, took care of them. It was a loss both for them and due to the fact that they were the power houses of the army. Their loss, as well as the loss of the soldiers, would be one the army was sure to feel. "I do feel for the trainers, they must be taking the loss of their beast hard." He said, wondering if they would merely see to training another of the massive creatures or if they would need a mourning period first. He supposed that it would all depend on the individuals involved. Turning to glance over at Naevius he found himself going a little wide eyed at her question, "Huh? Oh..." He gave a thoughtful sound as he looked around, "It is as you said, there are those amongst our group that need rest, healing, and time. That being said there are others that could be doing other things. For instance there is no reason why we can't send out some scouting parties to get a feel for what those in the 'allied army' are doing now. Surely they must be plotting how to retaliate for the loss of Neued. A network of spies and information is as important as supply routes if we don't want to be caught unawares." Even a group of back water savages such as those who lived in the North wouldn't just take the loss of one of their villages laying down, right? He gave pause in his deep thinking, looked around as though searching for those in charge, before looking back and said, "Just the opinion of one humble, unranked soldier of course." Best that he didn't make it known too obviously that he was after the position and rank of those who were currently leading their troops.
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|