EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

That's quite alright, I hope things go well.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ahnasha scarcely had time to gather some light leather armor before the sentries warned of the incoming hunters. As per the plan, they lit the fires and had some of their mages fan the smoke up into the caves. Once the smoke thickened, it reduced visibility considerably, as evidenced by the sounds of explosions coming from the caves. It seemed as if at least some of the hunters were unable to detect the rune traps before falling prey to them.

Conjuring up her bound bow, Ahnasha stood with the other archers, waiting for the first of the hunters to come within sight. Although, she did not expect that to be only a single hunter stumbling through the smoke. Caldris felled him quickly, but his allies soon followed through more organized, with their shields raised to protect them from the incoming volley.

The wall of smoke was providing some measure of a disadvantage for the defenders in that it blocked them from seeing the hunters until they drew close enough. This meant that they did not know the exact positions nor composition of the enemy force, but overall, it was still helping the defense much more than it was hurting it. While the mages and archers at the gates could not see the exact positions of the enemy through the smoke, the cave was not all that wide, so if the hunters wanted to move a large enough force through, they would have to be moving fairly close together. This meant that just firing into the smoke would still have a good chance of hitting an enemy. Not only that, but just as the defenders could not see the attackers, so too could the attackers not see the composition of the defense until they were already very close. While in the smoke, they would not know how to hold their shields to provide the most coverage against incoming arrows and spells. Lastly, if they could hold back the hunters and keep up the fires for long enough, then the attackers would have a very real chance of suffocating in the confined caves.

As soon as the order was given, Ahnasha fired not an arrow, but a spell. Taking advantage of her skill in illusion, Ahnasha used a fear spell on one of the frontline hunters. She tried to pick out the one that looked the most nervous and uncertain, but there were no guarantees that the spell would be successful. Being lycan hunters, she could believe that many of them were likely strong-willed, but she would not expect that all of them would have such mental fortitude. If she could get the spell to work, then it would not only open up a hole in their defense when her target fled, but it would cause even more issues in their ranks once the target tried to flee through the smoke, towards his advancing allies.

Not waiting to see the results of the spell, Ahnasha fired her first arrow. Since she was a rather precise archer, she did not fire into the smoke at the more vulnerable hunters behind, but rather at those in the frontlines. Their shields were raised to protect their vital areas, so her arrows were aimed at their feet. If she hit, it would not be lethal, but it was very likely to open up her target to subsequent arrows.

Coruscant Sacked: Aftermath

Fa-Val-Kuul

Name: Fa-Val-Kuul
Species: Tiss’shar
Age: 30
Gender: Female
Faction: Jedi Order
Rank: Republic Special Forces Ensign
Captive?: Rescuer

Appearance:

Orl-ar

When expecting combat, Fa wears light Republic armor consisting mostly of a full body suit and helmet, sealable against a vacuum, which can provide heat for her body in cold environments. The helmet also serves as a sound dampener to protect her hearing against her sonic blaster. Otherwise, like most Tiss’shar, she does not tend to wear clothing apart from tool belts or bandoliers.

Specialized equipment: Just as with her training, Fa’s equipment is designed to give her any edge she can get against a force user. Her primary weapon is a scattergun: a semi-automatic slugthrower with an adjustable choke. She carries a sonic pistol, and an MR-38 sniper rifle for longer range foes. Lastly, she possesses a short vibroblade and three concussion grenades.

Notable Characteristics of Species:

Quote from wiki

The Tiss'shar were bipedal therapods descended from predatory reptilians native to the humid jungle continents of Tiss'sharl They were relatively strong and agile, with long necks, slender torsos, wider hips, and a short but wiry tail. Their mouths were filled with short, sharp teeth, and their large tongues were pink and constantly moving. Their large eyes were black and appeared glassy as a result of the clear, resilient film that covered and protected them. Many Tiss'shar had prominent sickle-shaped claws on the first toe of their feet; some also possessed a crest of feathers atop their heads.

Flaws:

Lack of force abilities: Despite her specialized training, the force is a greatly difficult obstacle to overcome. Fa is very reliant on her equipment, techniques, and strategic planning. If those fail, or she is caught off-guard, her chance of success is significantly reduced.

Highly specialized: Most of Fa’s equipment is dedicated to fighting force users specifically, so it gives her few advantages over the common soldier. While she is a skilled combatant with experience on the frontlines, and certainly not defenseless in a more standard fight, there are many soldiers who are simply better equipped for open firefights.

Despises Speciesism: Fa bears rather acute hatred for speciesists. She can generally ignore more mild forms, but extreme displays of speciesism can compel her to act out against the perpetrator, even if it is not the most appropriate action for the situation.

Skills:

Fa has received extensive physical and mental training in Jedi hunting techniques, adapted to fight the Sith.
Mental training: Fa’s mind has been extensively conditioned to counter several passive and active force abilities. She is capable of masking her presence from a force user, and while in combat, she can cloud her intentions to negate the precognitive abilities of force users by preventing them from predicting her movements (Note that this only negates precognition related to her own intentions).

Cybernetic enhancement: Fa possesses an alacrity implant that, while not quite up to the capabilities of a Jedi, makes her reaction speed competitive.

Combat training: Naturally, Fa’s combat techniques attempt to overcome the sometimes overwhelming force abilities of a Sith, with stealth and subterfuge being common techniques. Melee combat against a force-user is generally ill advised, but she is trained in the use of a blade, with particular focus on fighting defensively and exploiting mistakes. However, her focus is in fighting at range to attempt to get around a Sith’s defenses from a safe distance.

Tracking: To go along with her combat training, Fa is well-trained in many tracking techniques, and can find a target in many different environments, urban or wilderness.

Force capabilities:

While she is force sensitive, she is unaware of that connection and has never trained those abilities.

Biography:

Fa-Val-Kuul was hatched on a remote agrarian colony in the outer rim, though before she could begin to form memories, her parents moved with her to the planet Brentaal IV. Both of them had been career soldiers for the Republic: special forces operatives, in fact. They retired from service after having their child, but encouraged their daughter to follow in their footsteps. When she came of age, they began to pass on their knowledge to her.

Fa of course received basic combat training in both ranged and melee combat, but the most exceptional aspect of their teachings was mental. She was trained to make her mind into a veritable fortress against force users, allowing her to hide her presence, prevent outside intrusions, and obscure her intentions. It was training that would give her an advantage once it was time for her to join the Republic military, although; her parents also had their own, personal reasons for ensuring that their daughter had such capabilities, of which they never informed her.

At sixteen years of age, and with her parents’ blessing, Fa joined the Republic military. The strengthening advance of the Empire did mean that she would certainly be heading into danger, but seeing what the Sith were doing in the galaxy, she felt the need to serve. Their speciesist tendencies angered and frightened her, so she knew that a galaxy ruled by the Empire was not one in which she would want to live.

Basic training lasted eight months before she was put into the field. As the Empire pushed more heavily against the Republic, she found herself on the frontlines. Years passed, and she grew in both skill and rank. Her prior combat training from her parents had given her an edge early on, but it was her mental training that allowed her to stand out. She was noted by her superiors to have performance against force-sensitive Sith which was well-above average. Overall, the Republic was losing the war, but her personal successes served to advance her career. After eight years of service and experience, Fa was selected by her superiors for special forces training among a platoon dedicated to hunting down and eliminating Sith threats. Given her mental training, she was a perfect fit for this newly formed unit.

Given Fa’s unique qualifications, her combat style developed to become somewhat different from the rest of her squad, but they knew-well how to make the best use of each of their abilities. Unfortunately, she lost friends through the years, and it was difficult to train up new members. Eventually, after a loss at Serenno, she and the rest of her platoon were assigned to Balmorra in the hopes of turning around yet another losing battle.

Personality:

As a side effect of her mental training, Fa’s personality is layered and complex. On the outside, she can be brash, arrogant, and even rude at times. She drinks, gambles, and generally does whatever she likes to enjoy herself. When on missions, she sometimes, though not always, shifts to being strict, severe, and entirely focused. At other times, she might become emotional, or even sentimental. But, at her core, she is a principled individual who simply wants to protect the galaxy: particularly the non-humans that the Sith Empire is so quick to dismiss as inferior.

Player’s long term goals:

Rejection of the Force: It is possible that Fa may grow to hate the force, as it grants incredible power to only a few individuals. Historically, it has been at the source of many galaxy-wide threats, so she may come to believe that it is a power which no one should possess.
Acceptance of the Force: Through interaction with the Jedi, Fa may come to acknowledge the beneficial nature of the force to the galaxy’s people. Despite the potential of the force to be abuse, she may come to respect the Jedi and wish to work with them again.
Embrace the Force: If Fa learns of her connection to the force, she may be convinced to embrace it and, if possible learn to control it.

Relations:

Vebra Mirthios – As a member of Fa’s squad, she and Vebra are friends who know one another quite well. They both know one another’s abilities and personalities in great detail, and for Fa, Vebra is her connection to the Jedi rescuers.
Lyric Novan – Fa’s squad met the Jedi Master several times throughout the war, so she is familiar with him. She considers him to be strange for a Jedi, but has seen firsthand his capabilities.
Xan-Rhu-Tor – Fa’s older brother. He was found to be force-sensitive after hatching, and as such, was taken for Jedi training. Fa’s parents never told her about him, so she does not presently know that he exists.

Final Point - Secrets:

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

“Okay…okay.” Kaleeth answered, closing her eyes briefly as she tried to slow her rapid breathing. Sabine was probably right, she they just needed to keep themselves safe while the warriors and mages fought. If the worst happened and they were attacked by something, Kaleeth could at least try to fight back. In these confined corridors, it would be hard to run from a werecrocodile.

Ahnasha did start to pass up quivers to the archers, but she did not stop thinking. Darahil and Vera seemed like they were just going to rely on their more obvious defenses like the gate. It was possible that they could hold out with what they had, but there had to be more. Darahil did mention that there might be alternate entrances through the unexplored section of the ruin, but she would at least be able to have an idea if the hunters were trying that route. She knew when the hunters left, so she knew roughly the maximum amount of time it should take them to reach the ruin. If they were taking an alternate entrance, it would take them even longer, so she could warn Darahil and Vera. Regardless, despite her beast spirit’s constant distractions, she tried to think about what other options they had. She thought back on strategies that Meesei and others in her pack had used, and tried to think if there was anything she could make use of now.

”Okay, have to think. I need to…I need…ah, get out of my head beast!” Ahnasha tried to think, but her mind was just filling with thoughts of the hunters, and violence. She wanted to rip their foes to shreds with her bare claws, and she was having a hard time thinking of anything more subtle. If she transformed back, she would not be able to take on her lycan form again, but right now, she had a feeling her mind would be more valuable than her body.

After the quivers had been passed up, Ahnasha forced back her beast spirit within her mind and allowed herself to shift back into her normal, Khajiit form. Having not killed anything, it was more of an effort than usual, but once she was back to normal, there was no chance of her transforming again for about another day, against her will or otherwise. Now, at least, she could think clearly. ”Now, let’s see, what are our options? Meesei…she likes to use her magic, to be creative with it. We have mages here, though I don’t know what they can do. Meesei is probably better than any of them, but…well there are a lot of them here. With their skills together, we can probably do a lot of the things Meesei could, we just need to make sure they have a supply of potions. Now, what can we do with them? Maybe combine them with the warriors somehow? Let’s see…Lorag, he just loves sharing stories from his Legion days. Maybe…” She continued within her mind, her eyes scanning around at their warriors, particularly the more heavily armed an armored ones.

”Hmm, this is…it’s kind of like a pass, actually. The cave is narrow, only a few can fit through at a time. A shield wall would work here. Spears, shields, heavy armor. We’re lycans, so it’s not like they can physically overpower us, no matter how well trained they are. Or, well, we really don’t want to put anyone outside the gate. They wouldn’t be able to get back in. But it is a good backup plan, if they break through. We could fall back to…that hallway. It’s narrow like the cave. But, come on, what else? What if they try an alternate entrance? The unexplored section would take a while, so I’ll know if they’re trying that, and the vents…OH, wait, vents. That gives me an idea. The cave…it doesn’t have vents.”

Ahnasha quickly approached Darahil and Vera once more, obviously having something important to say. “I have an idea. You have lookouts near the entrance, correct? We can build fires in front of the gates, light them once the lookouts spot the hunters, and have the mages ensure the smoke only heads up the cave, and not towards us. That will cut their visibility to nothing, and might even suffocate them. They will never expect us to attempt to smoke them out. We can set traps, like runes, through the cave and…maybe some flammable oil within sight of the gate. If they have a ram, we need to focus on destroying it. These gates are our best defense, so we need to keep them strong for as long as possible.”

Mass Effect: The Face of Injustice

Avatar’s internal clock counted off the time after the lights darkened. Its omni-tool was already active and waiting for its command to initiate the tactical cloaking program. It had activated thousands of instances of analysis programs to its auditory and visual sensors to heighten its awareness. There were currently 638 redundant programs dedicated to projectile trajectory analysis alone. Once it stepped into the room, its projected processing utilization would be at a staggering 81%.

…4.97, 4.98, 4.99, 5.00 seconds passed, and Avatar engaged its tactical cloak. With its assault rifle in hand, it rounded the corner and moved into the room, sticking close to the wall on its right. The room was exceptionally dark, to the point that only those with low light vision could navigate to any extent. The only reason that those hostiles without low-light vision could return fire to the distraction team was that the hallway through the door was lit.

For Avatar, the distraction was working perfectly. There were few hostiles who were properly equipped to see in the darkened room, but with its tactical cloak, even they had an exceptionally low probability of detecting Avatar’s presence. It moves carefully and quietly along the wall, passing within two meters of a disoriented Turian at one point, but within ten seconds, it had managed to move into the back corner of the room, with the airlocks.

Avatar’s platform could not sustain a tactical cloak whilst it was interacting with the airlock terminal, so it had to remain visible in order to upload RK into the interceptor. However, since the airlocks were in the back corner of the room, and all hostiles were focused on the distraction team, none of the enemy were looking in its direction. Unfortunately, it encountered a delay when attempting to allow RK to upload. The airlock terminal seemed to have a firewall which had not been listed at the security console. However, it was an old, outdated system, and a quick search through its memory revealed that there were known exploits which it could use to bypass the security. In particular, this system was actually vulnerable to a buffer overflow attack, but hacking through would require approximately another ten seconds.

The Krogan leading the mercenaries acted quickly as soon as the doors had been breached. He was wearing a full helmet, and seemed to have no trouble moving, so his suit was likely equipped with low-light vision. Immediately, he ordered a group of his Vorcha, about five or six strong, to rush the left door while their allies provided heavy covering fire. Some stumbled in the darkness at first, but the leading Vorcha was wielding a flamethrower, which he let loose towards the open door, illuminating the area around him enough for the other Vorcha to make their rush for the door as well. At the same time, the Krogan, with a group of three Turians and a Batarian along with him, seemed as if they were making for the right door to move around and flank the distraction team.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Kaleeth clutched her weapon and shield close to herself. She was one of the few among this group which was actually well-armed, but she seemed to be even more frightened than most. She was worried about what would happen if these hunters broke through the defenses and forced them to run, and guilty about what that would mean. She didn't like that she was here hiding while Ahnasha was at the entrance risking her life for them. She wanted to help, but she knew that she would just end up getting herself hurt or killed, wouldn't she?

"I don't either. I don't want to hide here while the others are dying, but...what can I do? I can't fight, not well. Janius says I'm getting better, but...I haven't been fighting that long. All I can do is transform and let my beast spirit do it, but it isn't careful at all. I was hurt so, so badly last time I fought, but...I don't know, what should I do?" Kaleeth asked, almost begging for an answer.

As Ahnasha made her way to the entrance, she started noticing how agitated she was starting to feel. She had transformed simply to get here, but the longer she stayed in this form, the more restless her beast spirit became. It wanted blood, and she was yet to deliver on that need. That would not be an issue when and if these hunters arrived, but until then, it was becoming harder to think clearly.

Ahnasha approached Vera and Darahil, doing her best to retain her concentration. At least if she was thinking about violence, her beast spirit would have something to look forward to. The defenses they had were...adequate, but that wasn't completely encouraging. They would be rather reliant on their fortifications to give them an advantage, so they needed to make sure they did not fail. She looked towards the cave beyond their fortifications, reflexively letting out a low growl as she thought about the hunters running in through it. Vera and Darahil seemed capable of preparing their defense, but there was still time, so she could still find some way to help. She knew she should spend no time idle until they arrived. She had to try to do something, to think about the problem like Meesei would.

"The...cave, leading up to the fortifications. It is pretty narrow. They won't be able to overwhelm us with numbers, since only a few can fit through at a time. But...they know that. This entrance...it is the only one, right? Remember, anything Galsek could know about our defenses, he told them. We have to plan for that. Is there any kind of weakness you can think of, something that would make defending harder? Because they will exploit it." Ahnasha asked.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ah, right, forgot about that. It has been a while. I'll make sure to edit.

Blood Act I~ Ghosts of the Past

<Snipped quote by EliteCommander>

You don't need much to kill someone if you've got something Physical (And easily obtainable) to do the actual killing blow... Like, say, a dagger. Any moron can stab someone. Anyone can move aside and avoid something with a little luck. The big problem is that if you don't have a ward there is literally nothing you can do, no last hope. You lose.

@Freeshooter92

Fallen just described a few counters without wards, actually.

Blood Act I~ Ghosts of the Past

<Snipped quote by EliteCommander>

IF. YOU. HAVE IT. If you don't, you're fucked. and it's more reasonable to assume one doesn't if in doubt. And if they don't? There is literally nothing one can do. Even if you don't have armor you can still try to avoid sword slashes, you aren't completely out of options if you don't have the one, ONLY defense like in Psychomancy.

@Freeshooter92

If you're not an agile individual, then in a practical sense, you're not going to be dodging a mage's magic. In order to counter any magic, you have to have the skills to do so. Being mages in the college, I would say that it is reasonable that most students would want to pick up wards.

Also consider that to really manipulate someone's mind, you have to be pretty high level. A successful psychomantic attack will not kill like with other bloods.

Blood Act I~ Ghosts of the Past

<Snipped quote by EliteCommander>

That isn't fair either. 'All or nothing' defense is not fun in any way to deal with. A more accessible but more easily broken defense would easily make up all of this nonsense. Any asshole with legs can avoid something with some luck, but if you don't have a ward, you're fucked. And if it's so easy to get a waard, then everyone at the college will get one and Enemy Psychomancy will be entirely useless. The ward system as a counter is just... bad.

@Freeshooter92

I respectfully disagree. It makes for a solid defense against a potentially potent form of magic. A "willpower" system is much more hazy, and I honestly would not like it. Honestly, I'm surprised more people don't have wards. The whole challenge of fighting a psychomancer is managing to kill them before they can break through your wards.