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[u][b]Serenay’s Military Career Summary:[/b][/u]

> Serenay became willingly indentured to a wandering group of Udrau-badawi warrior monks at age 15, along with Kalash and the other younger orphans. All recruits were taught warrior monk fundamentals by Udrau-badawi seniors like their deadly martial arts forms, full-body conditioning, and use of throwing weapons. Kalash, three years older than Serenay, took to this perfectly, becoming the best recruit. Unlike him, Serenay couldn’t accept why she needed to strike and grapple when stabbing or shooting was more efficient, especially with her exceptional accuracy. But the Udrau-badawi forbade using weapons until their martial arts forms were of second nature – saying “strong foundations endure when everything else inevitably crumbles”. This meant that with her weaker stature, Serenay was amongst the worst recruits; being assigned domestic duties while trying to pass training.

> While Serenay cooked and cleaned, Kalash took on progressively more dangerous tasks to prevent his orphan family, and more vulnerable recruits, from being assigned these lethal missions by the Udrau-badawi seniors who believe in disregarding ‘unpredictables’ like gender and age – only expecting victory regardless of obstacle. Steadily, Serenay saw the toll all the bandit camp raids and ambushing of Selander patrols took on Kalash. Though clearly proud of how much resources and supplies he secured, he never smiled, laughed, or joked anymore. And when Serenay saw him alone, Kalash’s eyes were too often closed; not in meditation but screwed shut holding in turmoil he couldn’t let others see lest they decide he wasn’t enough and sent other orphans with him on missions. Serenay’s heart couldn’t take how cold and empty the war was making her ‘brother’. She resolved to not only succeed in her training but to also climb the ranks to stand equal with Kalash and share his burdens, so they could live and laugh again, not just survive – just as Mother Banu wanted.

[b][[url=https://static.vecteezy.com/system/resources/previews/023/574/114/large_2x/a-portrait-of-a-fantasy-warrior-in-a-helmet-with-a-sword-ai-generative-image-free-photo.jpg]Kalash(18)[/url] covered in blood and ashes from disposing of POWs after Serenay couldn’t] [/b]

> Under the tutelage of senior monks moved by her conviction, there would not be a moment’s silence that was not punctuated by Serenay’s strikes on training targets or her increasingly powerful limbs slicing through the air. Though her body and mind became numb from pain, the wildfire that raged within her to ensure Kalash would not have to bear the weight of their world alone only burnt brighter with more desperation as days passed. After a year-long struggle, Serenay finished her training close to Kalash in skill and was partnered with him on his missions. Her progress inspired many recruits, especially female, raising overall morale and combat effectiveness. However, despite Udrau-badawi teachings, Serenay was still idolised for being a girl who rivalled the best male recruit. Some recruits and seniors even considered her the better warrior due to her rapidly accumulating field experience and honed natural effectiveness with the long-range weapons she was now allowed to use, on top of her martial arts that came close to Kalash’s. This led to Kalash’s accomplishments being frequently dismissed, festering a jealous resentment inside him while the glory eventually got to an initially humble Serenay’s head. Even so, neither did anything but continue to protect, care for, and look out for the other.  

[b][[url=https://cdna.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/001/369/938/small/martin-nebelong-morrocanwarrior4.jpg?1445248067]Serenay(17)[/url] infiltrating and burning down a Selander base before hunting the survivors][/b]

> With the renewed effectiveness of the Urau-badawi, the rear-line Selander forces were being wiped out with such efficiency that the front-line Selander forces assaulting Dara were forced to send support back, weakening their occupation of Dara. This led to an event later known as “The Fall of Three Nails”, beginning when Serenay and Kalash saved a large group of children from a Selander outpost. Serenay, focussed on providing comfort, didn’t inspect the children carefully enough and ignored Kalash warning her with the Udrau-badawi teaching of “moving on wanton kindness alone blinds everyone around you”. Serenay was adamant that they should take the terrified, abused children back to the main group instead of waiting to regroup. Kalash couldn’t stop her but neither knew that the rescued children were actually child soldiers of Selander. So, at night, after the children were situated deep within the Udrau-badawi, Selander soldiers followed the trail the children left behind to find the camp quick enough that their planned assault could not be countered. 

> First, the child soldiers used hidden and stolen weapons to kill as many Udrau-badawi as they could while also lighting torches for the main Selander force. This caused an unsuspecting Serenay to be stabbed multiple times in her stomach, gravely wounding and incapacitating her. Then came the Selander main force ambush which consisted of firing volleys of arrows indiscriminately into the camp, ignoring the friendly fire inflicted among their confused child soldiers. These arrows were either covered in dirt and feces or on fire, and in attempting to protect the dying Serenay from the arrows, kalash was ultimately killed instead. Watching Kalash die in her arms, forced by him to use his body as a shield, Serenay was utterly broken and laid on the blood-soaked floor waiting to die as the Selander forces rushed in to finish off the surviving monks. Though the Selander forces took heavy losses, in the end, every senior monk was slain and the Udrau-badawi were no more.

> When Serenay next woke, she found herself alive and treated medically. The last orders of the senior monks were not for the remaining juniors to fight in a last stand, as she feared, but to find scouts of an allied war sect called the uruk-Ghilzim the senior monks had correspondence with and join them, leaving the doomed camp behind. The remaining juniors, including the rest of the Thousand Roses orphans, located the friendly scouts but disobeyed orders by bringing them back to assist the besieged camp. So, as the Selander forces were looting, they were ambushed in turn by the uruk-Ghilzim and slaughtered down to the last child; something Serenay was extremely conflicted about. She knew that when operating behind enemy lines, they couldn’t afford to let captives live for fear of discovery, the senior monks drilled that into her, but still… children? At least the uruk-Ghilzim didn’t just kill, they also buried their dead allies with proper rights and saved her life. And though she was told she could no longer have her own children – devastating her already shattered heart – her next choice was clear: join her uruk-Ghilzim saviours and continue the fight.

> The wildfire that burnt within Serenay to protect Kalash became a supernova that yearned for the war to end, and for every monster under Selander to burn. But she had learnt the hard way; a reckless action backed by nothing but emotion destroys everything cherished. So, she allowed her body as long as it needed to recover. Meanwhile, she joined the uruk-Ghilzim, getting to know her new comrades as she became situated in their camp with the remaining warrior monks. She spent most of her time learning secretarial and administrative work, pulling her own weight by helping to bring funds into the uruk-Ghilzim war effort. She also began playing with spare instruments, loving the comforting melodies of the flute but since it hurt to breathe and brought melancholy, she ended up learning the war drums first – the powerful beats bringing a renewed confidence and reassurance to those listening.

> When Serenay recovered enough to breathe normally, she began uruk-Ghilzim training. While they were pleased with her individual skill, they were disappointed with how she worked as a unit larger than a pair. The Udrau-badawi trained their warriors to become peak individual fighters but that clearly wasn’t enough to win a war. The uruk-Ghilzim’s training, being that of shock troopers, emphasised perfect teamwork and adaptable tactics to turn a small opportunity into a gaping wound on the enemy. Serenay’s progress would have been too slow to make a difference in the war had an Uruk called Mulôkh not step in personally. Mulôkh, an experienced warmaster, saw great potential in integrating a warrior monk into the uruk-Ghilzim as a sort of wildcard element of surprise. Though not his intention, the unlikely duo became fast friends and Serenay’s training developed shockingly fast.

> Before Serenay knew it, she was a little over 18, fully recovered from her wounds though the mental damage was as fresh as could be. She had learned enough to be a uniquely effective soldier, now understanding advanced battlefield manoeuvres, operation of siege weaponry, and unit formations. Though taught the use of polearms and heavier weapons, she still strongly preferred lighter one-handed weapons that transferred well into unarmed combat. In battle, her role was primarily hit-and-run. Her agility and smaller stature compared to Uruks helped her quickly breach key positions like watchtowers or archer nests, where her combat skills assured swift death to enemies and speedy reallocation. She also led a small squad of non-Uruk serving the uruk-Ghilzim, of which there were few and even less in combat roles. The uruk usually used non-Uruk as scouts since they had less strength and stamina, but with Serenay, they formed a team specialising in long-range stealth ambushes and disabling of rope-based siege weaponry like catapults and trebuchets. Doing this was normally suicide but with Serenay’s prowess, regrouping with the main force was always possible while pressing an attack amidst the chaos was not only viable but preferred. All in all, Serenay’s integration lowered uruk-Ghilzim casualties significantly whilst decreasing the time it took to achieve victory. Her actions earned her the moniker of “White Crow” because she was both a soft heart of beauty and a cunning omen of death.

[b][[url=https://cdna.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/033/634/894/small/pierre-alexis-bouquin-babel-pilgrim-concept04.jpg?1610144025]Serenay(18)[/url] in full armour, ready to carve a warpath to Pykas with her uruk-Ghilzim][/b]

> It wasn’t long before the final stretch of the war dawned. Serenay left the other orphans behind, much to their bitter protests, at their main camp with a small reserve force of uruk-Ghilzim. She marched with the rest of the uruk-Ghilzim, including Mulôkh, towards Dara, laying waste to all Selander in the way. After the uruk-Ghilzim breached part of Dara’s wall to enter the Selander-occupied city, Serenay joined other heroes that were also there to end the war while the uruk-Ghilzim stayed behind to fend off the entirety of the occupying forces, buying the heroes time by protecting their backs. After all was done, she didn’t attempt to speak or look more into the horrors of Melazus as she was overwhelmed by the fact that the war was essentially over after they captured Cyrabassis and killed Pykas; and she was afraid that bringing up what they saw in Melazus would speak another evil too hastily into a soon to be peaceful city. The other heroes shared similar sentiments as they flooded Melazus and tried their best to move on to better tomorrows. 
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