Conscripts

Into the Land of Twilight

Tillius

---

What a charm it was. A thunderstorm soon befell the expedition, and man oh man was it bad. Initially the shield would be good shelter against the pummeling thunderstorm, but it was soon clear it didn't matter. He'd still be soaked anyway, might as well let it wash away any dirt and mud Tillius accumulated back in the camps. It was hard to see in front of him, but not the worst thing he had seen. As long as he simply put his feet in front of the other, he'd make it there or the rain would stop before then.

Soon, the expedition found what seemed to be an empty house in the midst of the forest. The group was eager to check it out, as it would be the only shelter they could find in the immediate vicinity, and he wouldn't blame them for it. It was perhaps too small for this group, but a shelter under rain is better than none.

As Tillius stood inside near the door, making sure no water was built up somewhere in his armor, the group went their way exploring the house. He was not exactly in a mood to be poking his head around in the house, not yet anyway. Another latecomer to the expedition seemed to have the same sentiment as well.

"If there is none, we might have to use wet wood outside." Tillius sighed. It would be a pain to sleep without a fire, but using rain soaked wood wouldn't be a guarantee to start a fire, and if it did, it could easily generate obnoxious toxic smoke. Tillius knew, he had tried that himself before. It wasn't fun.

Into the Land of Twilight

Tillius

---

She didn't answer his question, but he could always assume that yes she indeed was. What else could she be here for. She seemed a lot more drawn to his height, which wasn't the first time someone had ever said that to him. Orcs with less of their usual anger tended to get that kind of view. Eventually, Tillius learned to cater to the short-types, as he lowered himself to Roxas's level

But what really dazzled Tillius about this elven woman was her deciding to carve him a gift right then and there. Not just any gifts, a downsized wooden copy of the shield, down to the very detail of the scratch marks that lined the shield. Funny thing was that it's not actually his shield, it's likely some lad that retired and left it behind. And at the center of it all was the carved flower in the middle.

Tillius was aware what this implied, but still, it was weird instead of a normal sculptured flower, or a mini-sized sword. That's a common choice he had seen.

"Uh...I guess thank you?" He scratched his bald head. "Would you want to keep it for your use though?"

From the distant corner, he heard his elf employer deliver a grand speech towards the adventurers. His fluff and bullshit filters simply tuned out the rest until he got the gist of the message, that they were here to uncover some truth, whatever the hell that meant, and they were departing, the only important information in that speech.

"Well, we're breaking up camps. I'm helping those caravan lads." Tillius replied. Whether or not she wanted to come and help him too was totally up to her. "What is your name if I may ask? I am Tillius from Westernant."

He offered Roxas what seemed to be a regular handshake, but his hand would grip and interlock with her lower arm instead of palm. A less transactional handshake more commonly seen among soldiers.

@Visyn

Into the Land of Twilight

Tillius

---

Soldiers being soldiers, Tillius never really fell into deep sleep if he is not on a comfy bed, albeit he learned to tune out the casual chatters of others in the distance. However, the sound of carving behind him was too strange for him to not be alarmed. His red eyes shot open, holding onto his shield to stand up. He was ready to unsheathe his sword as well, but held back his instinct until he learned who or what this was. This was no longer a battlefield against rebels after all.

To his maybe surprise, maybe confusion, maybe relief, maybe a combination of all three, it was just an elf carving something. His alerted posture relaxed considerably, as he let out his breathe. And in case he had caused any unpleasant surprises, he held up a palm in apologies, and/or to show that he didn't mean any harm.

"Are you one of Vesemir's people?" He asked the elf, retracted his palm, and stepped out from the trees, revealing himself fully.

@Visyn

Into the Land of Twilight

Tillius

---

Before the crossing into Varenheim territory, Tillius had one person he wanted to visit. It so happened that he was in charge of the border.

"Ah, Tillius!" Emerged from the camp was a middle-aged man, with short black hair, in military uniform beneath a red finely-cut robe. "How long has it been? Five, six years?"

"Around that time, sir." The orc replied with reverence, but his tone of voice lightened.

"No need for formalities anymore, you're no longer my soldier. Call me Marcus." The officer, despite having known this orc for decades, was still at awe at the shadow he cast when he stood in front of the sun. Warmly, he invited the orc into his tent for some catch up.

"It's like a proper house in here." Tillius remarked, being gestured towards the desk in which Marcus would sit the opposite of, the seat of a guest versus the seat of power.

"Yes, if they have nothing better to do than sending us to this speck of rock to catch smugglers like spearing fishes in the shore, we better make this as comfortable of a stay as possible, otherwise they get lonely, restless, discontent." Marcus replied, adjusting his robe as he sat down. "That brings me to you...what are you doing here? I don't suppose you make all the trip here just to see me, do you? This cold little hellhole."

"No." Tillius replied. "I want a crossing into Varenheim."

"Ahh, hmmm." Marcus nodded slowly. "I suppose I should ask the purpose of your trip for the sake of paperwork, but I already know what you're going to do over there."

"If that is the case, then may I?" Tillius asked.

"Hmph, sure." Marcus approval, a little bit too quickly for Tillius's liking. "What, you want some money too?"

"Is that it? You're not going to inquire why an orc is going into elven territory, or even try to stop me?"

"Couldn't stop you from not abandoning Curio eight years ago, why do you think I can stop you now?" Marcus shrugged. "You do whatever you want over there, it's not my business to attend to personal matter."

"Then you can provide me the appropriate paper for the crossing." Tillius continued

"That will be done." Marcus said. "Also, if you're going into Varenheim, feel free to make use of your old gear. I can find you a spare if you don't have any. Let people know who you are."

His last parting word was vague, but if it was something he was lent for free, Tillius wasn't going to reject it. It was a trip to the Twilight land after all. Saved him a lot of money getting his own gear.

---

A few days passed and several long marches that wasn't necessarily out of the ordinary back when he was still in service, Tillius arrived at Vesemir's camp, where it was publicized they would be forming up. He seemed to be one of the earlier ones, or that there wasn't that many who heeded the call. Nevertheless, once he gave the man in question the travel papers and the poster he sent across the region to the Adventurer's Guild, they let him in.

He sat down by a tree, and seeing how he would just be waiting for other adventurers to arrive, Tillius sat down by a nearby tree to try and catch some quick 'Z', having to be vigilant of some wildlife and thus lacked adequate sleep the night before. It wasn't long until the sun intensified, and his sleep undermined, so he proceeded to use his large shield as a makeshift cover, letting it lean on him. From afar, it didn't seem like anyone was there, only a large chunk of metal board laid against an old tree.

Into the Land of Twilight

Tillius Battakka

Name: Tillius Battakka

Species: Orc

Age: 57

Gender: Male

Appearance: Tillius is 7'1", or 216 cm, and weighs 260 lbs, or 118 kg.

[+]

Bio:

Little is recorded of Tillius's early life, aside from the fact that he was born a commoner in Westernant, and that his ancestors offered servitude in exchange citizenship in the kingdom. However, Tillius proved himself to be too rowdy for a servant's life, and was sent to serve in the Westernant army when he became of age so that the warrior's life would knock him down a peg, and it did. It took a while, but eventually he learned to be a subservient if not stoic soldier. He went on to serve for a long 20 years, going from a foot soldier to a low-ranking officer, with most of his later careers were putting down rebellions in Westernant.

Due to a combination of lack of noble blood and personal disinterest, Tillius never really proceeded beyond that, and when the time was up in the army, he was let go voluntarily. But while he indeed went from an angry rebel into a disciplined and competent soldier, the army life never left him. Having known nothing but fighting and soldiering, he struggled to settle back into his peaceful life, always finding it to be lacking in meaning. He found himself bouncing between jobs like fighting instructor, quartermaster or guardsman for nobles, often quitting one reason or another. When he heard if the opportunity to travel to the forgotten lands by Vesemir Barandir, it didn't take long for him to sign up. It was lucrative, and perhaps the thrilling adventure was something he needed in his life.

Passives:

Superior Strength: Tillius is quite strong even compared to other orcs, and his lengthy service as a soldier meant he could endure plenty of adversities thrown at him.

Skilled swordsman: He might not be flashy with his movement, but he knows how to handle his shortsword in conjunction with his shield.

Intimidating: A large orc with superior strength, in armor, skilled and often dead silent in combat. It's not easy to keep your nerves fighting an opponent like that. Has a chance to decrease melee attack power against him.

Active Skills:

Orc Rage: Once an orc, still an orc. He can channel his mana to increase his combat strength and speed for a period of time. Will drain his stamina really fast, however, so should only be used periodically to tip the balance of combat.

Adrenaline Rush: Convert mana to extra adrenaline, allowing him to feel less pain. Does not prevent him from taking damage, but rather to suffer less penalty when wounded.

Javelin Throw: Can use one of his two javelins carried with him as a projectile. Not always accurate. Damage is dependent on the quality of the javelin. His normal wooden one can pierce mail armor and has a chance to splinter, but shields and plate armor can resist them. Can only use it twice unless a javelin is retrieved, needs a moment to prepare and needs a free hand, so cannot wield both shield and sword at the same time.

Mundane Skills:

Survivalist: Being a soldier means being able to survive in the wilderness on campaign, foraging food, making clean water, creating fire, etc.

Passable cook: Edible, won't poison you.

Builder and Hauler: Having superior strength means people rely on you a lot for carrying things. He was a favorite in the army when it comes to building camps, so he has quite some experience doing that.

Equipment:

Shortsword: His primary weapon, a large but short Gladius sword, made of high quality steel and well-crafted.

Heavy shield: A large rectangular metallic shield that is large enough to cover most of his body. Is tailor-made for his strength to be used with one hand, very sluggish if used by others.

Body Armor: Metallic laminar armour with shoulder guards, breastplate and backplate, worn over black leather. He also wears helmet with neck guards, cheek guards and black plume.

Javelins x2: Made of wood, a throwaway weapon carried on the back of the shield, but can be used as secondary weapon in case he lost the sword.

Into the Land of Twilight

Alright, moving it over here for review thus far. Leaving that 4th active skill out for now, since I had a 3rd passive.

Tillius Battakka

Name: Tillius Battakka

Species: Orc

Age: 57

Gender: Male

Appearance: Tillius is 7'1", or 216 cm, and weighs 260 lbs, or 118 kg.

[+]

Bio:

Little is recorded of Tillius's early life, aside from the fact that he was born a commoner in Westernant, and that his ancestors offered servitude in exchange citizenship in the kingdom. However, Tillius proved himself to be too rowdy for a servant's life, and was sent to serve in the Westernant army when he became of age so that the warrior's life would knock him down a peg, and it did. It took a while, but eventually he learned to be a subservient if not stoic soldier. He went on to serve for a long 20 years, going from a foot soldier to a low-ranking officer, with most of his later careers were putting down rebellions in Westernant.

Due to a combination of lack of noble blood and personal disinterest, Tillius never really proceeded beyond that, and when the time was up in the army, he was let go voluntarily. But while he indeed went from an angry rebel into a disciplined and competent soldier, the army life never left him. Having known nothing but fighting and soldiering, he struggled to settle back into his peaceful life, always finding it to be lacking in meaning. He found himself bouncing between jobs like fighting instructor, quartermaster or guardsman for nobles, often quitting one reason or another. When he heard if the opportunity to travel to the forgotten lands by Vesemir Barandir, it didn't take long for him to sign up. It was lucrative, and perhaps the thrilling adventure was something he needed in his life.

Passives:

Superior Strength: Tillius is quite strong even compared to other orcs, and his lengthy service as a soldier meant he could endure plenty of adversities thrown at him.

Skilled swordsman: He might not be flashy with his movement, but he knows how to handle his shortsword in conjunction with his shield.

Intimidating: A large orc with superior strength, in armor, skilled and often dead silent in combat. It's not easy to keep your nerves fighting an opponent like that. Has a chance to decrease melee attack power against him.

Active Skills:

Orc Rage: Once an orc, still an orc. He can channel his mana to increase his combat strength and speed for a period of time. Will drain his stamina really fast, however, so should only be used periodically to tip the balance of combat.

Adrenaline Rush: Convert mana to extra adrenaline, allowing him to feel less pain. Does not prevent him from taking damage, but rather to suffer less penalty when wounded.

Javelin Throw: Can use one of his two javelins carried with him as a projectile. Not always accurate. Damage is dependent on the quality of the javelin. His normal wooden one can pierce mail armor and has a chance to splinter, but shields and plate armor can resist them. Can only use it twice unless a javelin is retrieved, needs a moment to prepare and needs a free hand, so cannot wield both shield and sword at the same time.

Mundane Skills:

Survivalist: Being a soldier means being able to survive in the wilderness on campaign, foraging food, making clean water, creating fire, etc.

Passable cook: Edible, won't poison you.

Builder and Hauler: Having superior strength means people rely on you a lot for carrying things. He was a favorite in the army when it comes to building camps, so he has quite some experience doing that.

Equipment:

Shortsword: His primary weapon, a large but short Gladius sword, made of high quality steel and well-crafted.

Heavy shield: A large rectangular metallic shield that is large enough to cover most of his body. Is tailor-made for his strength to be used with one hand, very sluggish if used by others.

Body Armor: Metallic laminar armour with shoulder guards, breastplate and backplate, worn over black leather. He also wears helmet with neck guards, cheek guards and black plume.

Javelins x2: Made of wood, a throwaway weapon carried on the back of the shield, but can be used as secondary weapon in case he lost the sword.

Into the Land of Twilight --- A story-focused fantasy adventure RP

I'm still not sure of the 4th skill yet, but had a 3rd passive since I see a couple people having more than 2. Putting this up for review thus far, and can readjust if needed.

Tillius Battakka

Name: Tillius Battakka

Species: Orc

Age: 57

Gender: Male

Appearance: Tillius is 7'1", or 216 cm, and weighs 260 lbs, or 118 kg.

[+]

Bio:

Little is recorded of Tillius's early life, aside from the fact that he was born a commoner in Westernant, and that his ancestors offered servitude in exchange citizenship in the kingdom. However, Tillius proved himself to be too rowdy for a servant's life, and was sent to serve in the Westernant army when he became of age so that the warrior's life would knock him down a peg, and it did. It took a while, but eventually he learned to be a subservient if not stoic soldier. He went on to serve for a long 20 years, going from a foot soldier to a low-ranking officer, with most of his later careers were putting down rebellions in Westernant.

Due to a combination of lack of noble blood and personal disinterest, Tillius never really proceeded beyond that, and when the time was up in the army, he was let go voluntarily. But while he indeed went from an angry rebel into a disciplined and competent soldier, the army life never left him. Having known nothing but fighting and soldiering, he struggled to settle back into his peaceful life, always finding it to be lacking in meaning. He found himself bouncing between jobs like fighting instructor, quartermaster or guardsman for nobles, often quitting one reason or another. When he heard if the opportunity to travel to the forgotten lands by Vesemir Barandir, it didn't take long for him to sign up. It was lucrative, and perhaps the thrilling adventure was something he needed in his life.

Passives:

Superior Strength: Tillius is quite strong even compared to other orcs, and his lengthy service as a soldier meant he could endure plenty of adversities thrown at him.

Skilled swordsman: He might not be flashy with his movement, but he knows how to handle his shortsword in conjunction with his shield.

Intimidating: A large orc with superior strength, in armor, skilled and often dead silent in combat. It's not easy to keep your nerves fighting an opponent like that. Has a chance to decrease melee attack power against him.

Active Skills:

Orc Rage: Once an orc, still an orc. He can channel his mana to increase his combat strength and speed for a period of time. Will drain his stamina really fast, however, so should only be used periodically to tip the balance of combat.

Adrenaline Rush: Convert mana to extra adrenaline, allowing him to feel less pain. Does not prevent him from taking damage, but rather to suffer less penalty when wounded.

Javelin Throw: Can use one of his two javelins carried with him as a projectile. Not always accurate, but pierces armor and is quite damaging if contacted the flesh. Can only use it twice unless a javelin is retrieved, needs a moment to prepare and needs a free hand, so cannot wield both shield and sword at the same time.

Mundane Skills:

Survivalist: Being a soldier means being able to survive in the wilderness on campaign, foraging food, making clean water, creating fire, etc.

Passable cook: Edible, won't poison you.

Builder and Hauler: Having superior strength means people rely on you a lot for carrying things. He was a favorite in the army when it comes to building camps, so he has quite some experience doing that.

Equipment:

Shortsword: His primary weapon, a large but short Gladius sword, made of high quality steel and well-crafted.

Heavy shield: A large rectangular metallic shield that is large enough to cover most of his body. Is tailor-made for his strength to be used with one hand, very sluggish if used by others.

Body Armor: Metallic laminar armour with shoulder guards, breastplate and backplate, worn over black leather. He also wears helmet with neck guards, cheek guards and black plume.

Javelins x2: Made of wood, a throwaway weapon carried on the back of the shield, but can be used as secondary weapon in case he lost the sword.

Into the Land of Twilight --- A story-focused fantasy adventure RP

Hey there. This looks interesting to me. I'm into the orc archetype, but more of the 'civilized' type. How's the orc civilization doing in this world in general? Depending on the setting, I can choose either a banished orc who intermingled with humans more or a veteran soldier turned adventurer. But of course, I can be flexible beyond it if needed.

Avalia

Time: Evening
Location: Forest clearing, campfire
Interactions: Aurora/Rowan @mole Zora
Mentions: None
Equipment: Longsword and Plate Armor

---

"Hmmmm..." Following these people around weren't the satisfying answers Barrock wanted, but it was what he expected. He wanted to see something a lot more reassuring, something that felt like rebel activities or that he was working towards a goal. But he'd take that answer for now.

"Nothing happened." He grumbled. "I caught sight of my kinship several times, and nothing has changed in my absence. The same gluttonous beasts I left behind."

Most orcs never learnt. Some like that clan that favor peace and cooperation were the only exception, but even he couldn't stand them. They often fancied themselves as enlightened orcs, which he considered self-congratulatory nonsense. Some looked at him no different from the orcs of his clan, which told him all he needed to know. They might be more civilized than normal orcs, but they weren't anymore than the rest, and would be subjected to just as much biases.

He noticed Aurora saying something was approaching, and while Zora joked about her brother's controlling tendency, Barrock could sense something too. Not physically, his danger senses were tingling. He clutched his sword close to his thighs, one hand on the hilt and one on the sheathe. "Ready your weapons..."

Avalia

Time: Evening
Location: Forest clearing, campfire
Interactions: Aurora @mole Zora @13org
Mentions: None
Equipment: Longsword and Plate Armor

---

Cutting through the wordy descriptions, the one bit of information that triggered in him even more sense of curiosity: Humans. The Dugmaghords didn't have written records of much, and for as long as he lived there, there had been no contact with any human whatsoever, only the fact that if seen, they would be killed onsite. It was only through elven records that one way or another fell into his hands that he knew the existence of these...he would call walking magic tower. It's also no secret that the ones who wrote about these towers also despised them. And yet here is one, in the flesh, walking around, in this rebellion, bonding with the two elves. While he had little preconceived biases against them, the fact that this 'New Dawn' rebellion were using them says a lot about their power, which is not much at all.

Hearing what Rowan said about this group, he wasn't exactly surprised. He pretty much answered the question without revealing much details at all. Though it could simply be because of secrecy. A new guy wouldn't get the information that easily.

Word for a word, it was his time to answer the question.

"Work." He replied. "I go where the coins take me. The clan does not welcome me anymore, nor do I welcome them."

He took a sip of water in solidarity with Rowan too, before looking over to Zora.

"What is to happen anyway?" He said, having decided to ask straightforwardly. "Where are we going, now that I have joined the cause?"