[hider=The Story So Far][center][i]Long ago, before the Fall of Cocoon, there was a great war between the worlds of Pulse and Cocoon. Thousands of Cocoon soldiers fell upon the mechanized automata of Pulse, led by their gods Gran Pulse and Lindzei. Both sides chose their champions, and the battle culminated in the destruction caused by Ragnarok, destroying civilization as we know it on Pulse and severely damaging the shell of Cocoon.

But our story deals not with these great champions. More intriguing is the story of the common soldiers: those who were turned into l’Cie by the fell whims of their gods and became the face of war itself. Some fought and died in the trenches. Others attempted to broker peace in secret between the rulers of the two worlds. The bravest soldiers were the ones who learned the deepest secrets that both sides had to hide, and realized that the war being fought would produce no victor.[/i]

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Ever since Cocoon was created, both sides have feared and hated each other. Pulse is called a land of monsters, and their inhabitants are treated as savages by those on Cocoon. On the other side, Cocoon is called a “nest of vipers” by those living on Pulse, and the inhabitants are treated as completely dishonest. This animosity goes beyond mere prejudice, however, as the hatred is ingrained and taught since birth by the government and the fal’Cies. Few people are able to escape this prejudice, and even those harbor distrust towards the other side.  With tensions rising, the armies of Pulse made a Preemptive Strike upon the floating shell of Cocoon, destroying a portion of the outer shell and exposing its interior before being driven back by the armies of Cocoon. 

This is our story.

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[b][url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/4200409]Prologue:[/url][/b] We gathered together in Bresha, all bound together by the same purpose: to meet a man who claimed to have some important information to help with the war. Both sides met with Julian Cagle, and he led them to a warehouse that was rumored to hold a fal'Cie. However, instead of getting an opportunity to talk to the fal'Cie like he had hoped, the warehouse was instead a trap. Several of us were captured, and those of us who survived now faced off against Shemhazai. 

[b][url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/4272515]Chapter One:[/url][/b] After defeating Shemhazai, we met up with Molly, a moogle who knew a great deal about magic, as well as a squad that seemed to know Julian and fought with the same power as a l'Cie. We rescued the squad from an ambush, but the time spent afterwards left us vulnerable to an ambush of our own. After defeating the PSICOM soldiers, one was left alive. Although he wasn't too happy about it, Isis joined our group as a prisoner. We then left Bresha, heading towards Julian's camp in the Sunleth Waterscape.

[b][url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/4365781]Chapter Two:[/url][/b] In Progress.[/hider]
[center][h1]Prologue: the Fall of Bresha[/h1][/center]
Chaos.

Pure chaos filled the streets of Bresha, a sensation nearly palpable amid the cries of war. PSICOM and Guardian Corps forces clashed with the Pulse automata, sparks flying with every strike. The wolves of Pulse fell upon the machines of Cocoon, and soldiers from both sides cried out in pain. Overhead, an airship screamed through the sky, a line of black smoke billowing behind it, before it crashed into one of the buildings, erupting in a small explosion. 

Through the chaos, two small squadrons quickly dashed from cover to cover, avoiding the main fray where possible. They were both on opposite sides of this war, but somehow on the same reconnaissance mission. Their objective: to meet with a contact said to have insider knowledge of the enemies’ weakness, the sort of information that a Librascope would never reveal. Political machinations, the true cogs of war, were churning. Now was their chance to gain the upper hand.

Above the fray stood a man watching from the shadows. The two teams were following their separate paths straight towards him. A smile toyed at his lips. The truth was about to be revealed, and none of the hundreds below had a single clue. Pawns, all of them, even the generals. And all of them were pieces the real enemy. “Time to even the odds a bit,” he murmured before dropping down from his perch to greet the new arrivals.

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Most people remember exactly where they were when Pulse invaded Cocoon. Nearly everyone could recall that sinking feeling in their stomach while watching the news footage on their television sets. Julian’s memories were just as strong. Perhaps stronger, as he was within meters of one of the AMP Gates that let in that great behemoth, who then proceeded to maul the first people in sight, tossing their limp bodies into the air. Yes, Julian had felt the overwhelming dread as he watched dozens of PSICOM forces take on a single one of the beasts and fall one by one. 

Julian was just a simple file clerk for a legal firm in downtown Bresha, barely more than an intern and forced to do laundry and fetch coffee and donuts for his boss. It was on the way back from one of these donut runs that he heard the deep whoosh of a portal open behind him. He had turned just in time to see a mother and her two children look up in horror into the very face of hell. He knew the mother's fate would be engraved on his mind forever; whether the children survived or not was a question that haunted him today. Julian wasn't sure which was better. 

He ran. And ran and ran and ran. He found himself breathless in front of a Guardian Corps recruitment office. Without truly knowing why, he signed up. The decimated ranks of soldiers were starving for new troops, and immediately put him to work, not on the front lines, but where he was useful. Despite never being more than a file clerk, Julian spent his downtime reading those files. Hackers, black market suppliers, illegal Pulse sympathizers, Julian had read about all of them, and likely had been in contact with most of them. For Julian, information was the key to power. He gave just enough information to the Corps to prove himself invaluable without showing his hand and losing his leverage. The information earned him quick advancements through the ranks, and soon he was a lieutenant in charge of a small team dedicated to reconnaissance. It was at this point that Julian had begun to discover the truth.

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Julian dropped from his perch amidst the shadows and sat down calmly in front of the shores of Lake Bresha. Any minute now, the team from Pulse would round the corner from the left, and the Cocoon team would close in from the right. Julian sat directly in the middle. With any luck, the sight of their objective would be enough for them to ask questions before firing at the enemy. Julian crossed his legs, bowed his head, and took a deep breath. “No turning back now.”