[h2][color=orange][b][u]An Alliance[/u][/b][/color][/h2] [hr] The threat of annihilation loomed over Galbar, total and unrelenting, as the forces of desolation made their march to threaten the very existence of life. Yet, ten years ago, such matters were beyond the very concept of the mortals that inhabited the planet. One such being was the God-Queen of the Aspasian Tribe, Atmav, the one who defeated the mighty Yimbo in combat so long ago out of result of misunderstanding and bloodlust. While still brutish, and very much a warrior, Atmav’s more feral side had been blunted by the teachings of Damocles, who had taught the woman to rule benevolent over the once frightened Selka. It had taken many years before the Selka were finally at ease with Atmav, despite her initial hostile takeover. Two generations of Selka had come into the world under her rule, and those who could remember the times in which her hand was not there were either dead or elders close to death. Now, she was seen as a boon to the Selka under her, and a usurper to those that surrounded her, despite her not having any intent to expand past the borders she already had. It was those borders that she guarded with a ferocity known only to the lizards of the north in the Bloodlands. Now, she was awaiting a meeting with the Ubbo, to speak of the matter of the ever growing threat of large tribes, such as the Hyummin. Met at the very border that she so fiercely guarded day after day to ward off the encroachment those larger tribes would occasionally dare. It was these incursions that urged her to meet with the Ubbo, those forming a coalition to do away with the threats that the larger Grottu and Hyummin posed. Her pale, tall figure stood upon a hill, confident and unyielding as her starlit wings extended to strike a more imposing figure. She was flanked by two other silent Selka, both bearing the marking of Aspasia. It was not long before the Ubbo Tribe arrived. Their chieftan was a tall, formidable Selka, wiith a bow slung over his shoulder and a sharktooth necklace. Beside him was an older man, who carried himself well despite his age, and behind them were eight warriors. As they ascended the hill, however, most of them seemed uncertain or nervous about the strange alien figure which towered above. The two leading them, however, appeared undaunted. “I am Chieftan Milos, of the Ubbo Tribe,” their leader introduced himself, stepping forward. “Are you the one who calls herself God-Queen?” For a moment, the woman merely tilted her head down to acknowledge them for a moment before she spoke, “Yes. I am Atmav, God-Queen of Aspasia.” She reached behind her to pull forward her orvium greatsword, resting it in the sand in front of her as she seemed to look past Milos. “I have heard that Ubbo have been forming a coalition,” she said simply as her eyeless face seemed to inspect those who seemed uncertain of her presence. “You heard correctly,” Milos nodded. “And many have already joined.” He looked her up and down. “You know, God-Queen is an unusual title… especially when there is no god named Atmav.” “I have ruled over the Aspasia before you were even a pup and yet I have not aged. I am mightier than any beings that I have encountered, other than the god, Orvus,” her head tilted back to face Milos directly, her words clear and concise, “Compared to your people, it is a fitting title.” “We’ve met gods,” Milos told her. “You do not compare to them.” “I was made by a god, directly forged to be superior to many mortals. I know my limitations, but that does not stop me from offering a challenge,” Atmav commented shifting her blade in the sand as an indication. “I’ve always preferred the bow,” Milos said with a shrug. “And I have no intention of starting a fight over mere titles and words. We aren’t the Grottu. So, back to why we are here…” Atmav cleared her throat, “Right.” “The Hyummin have been increasingly bold in their encroachment of our territory. Specifically, the Grottu, but that does not matter. The point is, while I have the capability to match them upon the land myself, I can do little to them in the water. They have been exploiting that fact and I am in need of assistance as my people do not have the number to match them on our own,” Atmav explained, looking to the Selka on her left. The once silent male stepped forward to speak, “We have had only one skirmish with one of their hunting parties while they attempt to steal from a school of fish that lies within our waters. We are lucky that event did not start a war.” Milos’s eyebrows rose. “A skirmish?” he asked. “Who attacked first?” “We did, we had to defend what we need to feed our own,” the Aspasian said. “How many dead?” came the chieftan’s next question. “None. Perhaps that was to only reason we managed to avoid open war, though we had many injuries on our side, the last I remember,” came the answer. “As you can hear, if the Hyummin wish to take our food from us, all they need to do is send more of their hunters. Eventually, we will not be able to contest them at sea,” Atmav said, the aspasian male stepping back. Milos considered her words in silence. And then, just when he was about to speak, the older Selka spoke up. “Allow us to talk about this in private,” he requested. “Very well,” Atmav said, drawing her blade from the sand before resting it upon her shoulder. She took a step back as she motioned for the two she was to come to her, turning her back to the Ubbo as she spoke with them. Milos and his advisor stepped away as well, turning their backs as they put arms around each other’s shoulders, and their voices fell into whispers. “What is it, Hoshu?” “She wants to join our pact. Do not allow it.” Hoshu cautioned. “I’m wary of her myself, but what is your reasoning?” Milos asked. “She nearly started a war over some fish,” Hoshu pointed out. “But she says the Hyummin were encroaching on her territory. If that’s true… stealing food is serious. Remember the stories of the famine?” “I do,” Hoshu nodded, “but we didn’t need to go to war over it, and she doesn’t need to go to war over it now.” “If the Hyummin keep pushing, then it sounds like war will come anyway. She’ll lose, they’ll take her land, she’ll be driven into ours, we’ll have more mouths to feed, and then they’ll come for us next,” Milos argued. “The entire point of this pact was so they can’t push us around like that.” “You don’t know a war will come,” Hoshu insisted, “and if it does, she might be the one who drags us into it. Or she might try to take over us. She thinks she’s a god.” “But she isn’t one, and our own gods can protect us from her,” Milos assured him. “Trust me, I know how to handle this.” And with those words, the Ubbo Chieftan returned to the meeting ground. “I can offer you a place in our coalition,” he told her. “As an equal. What you call yourself among your own people does not concern us, but at our meetings you’ll refer to yourself as Chieftan, like the rest of us, and you’ll have as much say as anyone else - no more, no less. If you accept that, we can help you. We’ll put our weight behind yours, set a boundary, and tell the Hyummin to advance no further. They’ll probably listen, but if not, what happens next is on them.” For a moment, Atmav stood silent, considering her options as she looked back to her two followers. After a long moment of deliberation, the queen nodded her head, “Very well, if it means that the Hyummin will be kept at bay then who am to disagree with such a simple request?” She extended a hand to the chieftain in order to seal their pact as allies. Milos accepted it, and shook. “I look forward to being able to tell the Hyumnin to stay off our land,” Atmav said as she stepped back, turning away from the chieftain as she brought her blade to rest upon her shoulder. She motioned for her followers to move with her as she stepped down the hill, leaving Milos and his men to their own devices. [hr] [center][i]Present Day[/i][/center] “Keep running!” “Don’t look back! Get to the b-“ Blood littered the sand as a boulder fell onto a Selka, with enough force to send the other flying. He landed on his back with the wind knocked out of him, dazed and unable to move, though still able to comprehend the situation he was in. Though, what could he do when he spotted a rocky being barreled through the tree line, roaring in anger. They had encountered it along their western lands, patrolling for any sign of Hyummin intervention in their lands. It slaughtered nearly the entirety of their party, their attempts to fight it had proven only to make it angrier and more wrathful. But now, it had followed those who had escaped to the very beaches where they could be able to run, yet, the only survivor could do little but crawl towards the sea as he felt the very earth tremor as the being approached, laughing. He could turn just in time to see it reach for him, it was then that the Selka gave into fate and merely watched as the rock reached for him. Then, sparks flew as something caused the Ihokhur to real back in surprise , sand kicking up as it scrambled backwards. “Get up, boy!” A harsh, feminine rang in the Selka’s ear. Atmav stood over the seal, clutching the Desolate Greatsword as she stared down the Ihokhur her wings of the nights spread in an act of intimidation. However, the sight of a being with a weapon made from Orvus, alongside a blade base from Kalani’s own flesh, confused the creature. Who, upon standing to its full massive height, momentarily forgot the angrier that it had felt. “What are you?” It asked, looking to the wings then back to the sword. Atmav was silent, before sand kicked into the air once more, her four wings flapping powerfully as she went to a speed that caused the Ihokhur to momentarily wonder what was happening. Then, sparks flew once more as the blade contacted the body of the great being, a powerful force causing it to stagger back once more. “I have been looking for a reason to use this blade that Orvus had forged me,” came the bloodthirsty voice of Atmav, the Ihokhur looking up to see her just out of reach “I will tear you limb from limb before Kalani does!” It roared once more, moving to pick up the boulder. A scarlet beam cleared through its shoulder, but it reached the boulder and haphazardly threw it in the direction of Atmav. The boulder had come close to hitting Atmav, who had only dodged due to knowing what the beast was doing, but it brought her close enough for her to meet the back of the Ihokhur’s hand. Sending her sailing into the sand, the beast quickly charging after her with a blood-curdling roar. A scarlet beam then found its way to the glowing indentation on its head, it stopped the charged in its entirety as the beat fell upon the sand, clutching what it used to see. A sustained beam came through the mist of sand, the Ihokhur roaring in a panic before fleeing into the forest. Atmav, taking in painful breaths as she gripped the side where the Ihokhur had hit her, definitely feeling cracked ribs. Her form crouched onto the ground. The Selka ran to her side, falling into his knees before her, “God-Queen!” “Boy,” Atmav said, clenching her teeth in pain, “Why did you not run?” “I could not abandon you, my queen.” “Good, help me to my feet,” she commanded as the Selka rushed to her side. “When we get back to the tribe, send messages to the other tribes,” her words were cold. “We are going to war.” [hr] [hider=Summary] The start of this post takes place ten years before the timeskip, Atmav having spent many years learning how to be a ruler, maintaining a balance with the other Selka tribes. She meets with the leader of the Ubbo, discussion of joining the coalition to deter the likes of the Hyummin from moving into their land. Milos allows her to join as an equal, not letting her view as a god-Queen be seen by the others of the alliance. Atmav accepts. The second part of the post involves a two Aspasian Selka running away from an Ihokhur, who had run through their patrol earlier. It kills one of the two before Atmav intervenes, having an advantage of the being not having dealt with the likes of her before. She gets to use her blade again, finding the body of the Ihokhur hard to get through. When she goes for a third strike, after dodging a boulder, it swings and hits her in a backhand. It charged her before being shot by the beam of the blade, causing it to collapse before another beam send it packing back to Kalani. Atmav summons the tribes for war. [b]Prestige[/b] 11 + 4 = 15 Prestige. Jolly cooperation! [/hider]