Yes, Merlin did just say what he said. I do not apologise for his ways, he's pretty fucking savage to be honest :)
FourtyTwo Member
STATUS: 10+ years of an RP idea, finally finished, on 10.10.2025. Goodnight Raven Squad, you were the best, wildest, most silly near future SOF RP that lived on the guild, and you got a worthy send off :) 9 mos ago
- Last Seen: 3 hrs ago
- Old Guild Username: kingkonrad
- Joined: 12 yrs ago
- Posts: 2476 (0.55 / day)
- VMs: 3
-
Username history
- FourtyTwo 5 yrs ago
- ██████████ 12 yrs ago
-
Latest 10 profile visitors:
-
Most recent →
cosmiccowgirl,
esqueleto,
xVampire3go,
SonnetNSunbeam,
RisingRobin,
Gunther,
Antlers,
PrinceAlexus,
Hibachi90,
Half Pint
Status
Recent Statuses
9 mos ago
Current
10+ years of an RP idea, finally finished, on 10.10.2025. Goodnight Raven Squad, you were the best, wildest, most silly near future SOF RP that lived on the guild, and you got a worthy send off :)
9
likes
Bio
I've RP'd for the best part of over 15 years now here on the Guild, and particularly like military settings, both contemporary, past and near future. I have even dabbled in a little more experimental RPs, as well as created a plethora of 1x1s over my time in the guild. I like creating RPs with a distinct flavour- and often shift between narrative-led RPs to semi-randomised plots. I've been more a GM lately than a player, and don't really lean into fandom- instead, exploring my own universes lifting themes from other source material.
My main interests are military-themed, near-future RPs, with a focus on technology. But I'm beginning to push what that RP idea looks like- taking inspiration from lots of media and focussing on the fun, indulgent side of RP, whilst also exploring the lows and emotional side.
roleplayerguild.com/topics/190121-rav…
Raven Squad is a project over seven years in the making, and focusses on a class-based, eccentric yet half-grounded near future special forces team that acts as a response team where you can't send any special forces team in. It's incredibly dumb, incredibly loose, and yet, has delivered some of my favourite plot points in RPG. A brainless action flick a la John Wick and Kingsman meets a complex thriller with a fun left turn in it, Raven has been the culmination of over a decade of loving special forces RPG, gaming influences and other silliness in a package that has provided players with something quite different to a normal military themed RPG. While at an end, this is an RP that is a signature- it's silly as hell, takes itself barely seriously, and is what peak fun military RPG to me should be.
roleplayerguild.com/topics/192916-del…
Delta Hyper is a love letter to Wipeout, F1's Drive to Survive (Netflix) and contemporary Formula One, with influences from solarpunk, cyberpunk, transhumanism and other posthumanist concepts. An RP that follows pilots in their ups and downs, it's a story that hasn't got me playing an actual character, but framing the camera at each pilot (played by others), and presenting it as if it were a documentary. Lifting elements from TTRPG, this is a Racing RPG like no other and no parallel exists- using dice rolls and randomisation, with a stats-driven system to generate race results, rather than actually RPing the races, players experience the fast-paced, dynamic world of anti-gravity racing. This means that come Qualifying and Race, the results are genuinely a surprise to everyone- and based on decisions made through dilemmas and decisions made between races. Friendships, rivalry, the glamour and even a little political undertone play out in 2094, in a colourful, utopian future that focuses on the fight to take first place.
roleplayerguild.com/topics/196931-tac…
Then there's Tactical Breach Wizards: Fireteam Hex. First use of any set IP as a formal setting, this is an RP that offers a darker mirror to Raven Squad, focussing on the other side of the equation- unlikely heroes in an uncomfortable position. I don't normally do fantasy, but the world, the lore, the feeling of the characters and the ability to write a comedy just was too difficult to pass up. An RP that focuses on a group running away from a variety of threats as wanted mercenary wizards in the middle of a post-revolution, Eastern-Europe adjacent 1990s to present Polavia.
roleplayerguild.com/topics/197399-dis…
Lastly, Dispatch: Heroes of Claremont. This is another IP-adjacent world, albeit drawing on a different setting and a new cast of superheroes. As my "first" proper superhero RP, this combines workplace comedy, a Storyteller-lite system and a fun, diverse, and large cast together in a dynamic, diverse setting.
I'm pretty flexible and try and get back to people on ideas and responses, but sometimes, I may become very busy and it will take some time till I am un-busy. I aim to clear posts within a week!
My main interests are military-themed, near-future RPs, with a focus on technology. But I'm beginning to push what that RP idea looks like- taking inspiration from lots of media and focussing on the fun, indulgent side of RP, whilst also exploring the lows and emotional side.
roleplayerguild.com/topics/190121-rav…
Raven Squad is a project over seven years in the making, and focusses on a class-based, eccentric yet half-grounded near future special forces team that acts as a response team where you can't send any special forces team in. It's incredibly dumb, incredibly loose, and yet, has delivered some of my favourite plot points in RPG. A brainless action flick a la John Wick and Kingsman meets a complex thriller with a fun left turn in it, Raven has been the culmination of over a decade of loving special forces RPG, gaming influences and other silliness in a package that has provided players with something quite different to a normal military themed RPG. While at an end, this is an RP that is a signature- it's silly as hell, takes itself barely seriously, and is what peak fun military RPG to me should be.
roleplayerguild.com/topics/192916-del…
Delta Hyper is a love letter to Wipeout, F1's Drive to Survive (Netflix) and contemporary Formula One, with influences from solarpunk, cyberpunk, transhumanism and other posthumanist concepts. An RP that follows pilots in their ups and downs, it's a story that hasn't got me playing an actual character, but framing the camera at each pilot (played by others), and presenting it as if it were a documentary. Lifting elements from TTRPG, this is a Racing RPG like no other and no parallel exists- using dice rolls and randomisation, with a stats-driven system to generate race results, rather than actually RPing the races, players experience the fast-paced, dynamic world of anti-gravity racing. This means that come Qualifying and Race, the results are genuinely a surprise to everyone- and based on decisions made through dilemmas and decisions made between races. Friendships, rivalry, the glamour and even a little political undertone play out in 2094, in a colourful, utopian future that focuses on the fight to take first place.
roleplayerguild.com/topics/196931-tac…
Then there's Tactical Breach Wizards: Fireteam Hex. First use of any set IP as a formal setting, this is an RP that offers a darker mirror to Raven Squad, focussing on the other side of the equation- unlikely heroes in an uncomfortable position. I don't normally do fantasy, but the world, the lore, the feeling of the characters and the ability to write a comedy just was too difficult to pass up. An RP that focuses on a group running away from a variety of threats as wanted mercenary wizards in the middle of a post-revolution, Eastern-Europe adjacent 1990s to present Polavia.
roleplayerguild.com/topics/197399-dis…
Lastly, Dispatch: Heroes of Claremont. This is another IP-adjacent world, albeit drawing on a different setting and a new cast of superheroes. As my "first" proper superhero RP, this combines workplace comedy, a Storyteller-lite system and a fun, diverse, and large cast together in a dynamic, diverse setting.
I'm pretty flexible and try and get back to people on ideas and responses, but sometimes, I may become very busy and it will take some time till I am un-busy. I aim to clear posts within a week!
Most Recent Posts
Merlin himself sat quietly as the rest of the team chatted on the range, his gear strewn out. AOR2 with a grey shade was more of a Navy Seal's, or a Marine's camouflage, but he personally quite liked the desert digital camouflage, and it looked the part, but it formed his BDU on his run, alongside a plate carrier, a Predator 30 tactical sack, which contained his tactical binoculars, as well as paracord and his combat first aid equipment onto it's side. The LSAT was chambered in 5.56, and was equipped with a Surefire silencer on the end of the MG's barrel, with a EOTech XPS3 Holographic optic mounted in front of a 3XMag magnifier, slung off to the side from the RIS, the LMG having it's usual Surefire flashlight-foregrip alongside a tan-coloured bipod that sat on the end of the rifle's underbarrel RIS. A shortened UBR stock made the LMG as long as a normal rifle, and it sat neatly against Merlin's shoulder, the weapon feeling like it was just a C8 in his hands, and no heavier, even when fully loaded.
Caseless ammunition did have that advantage, that much he knew, and while it was not exactly something you would call standard issue, it had proven itself in service trials in the US Armed Forces a year ago, and other SF operative groups had a AOR, or actionable operational requirement, for an LMG that could provide the firepower in a package that didn't weigh more than eight kilos. That, and it's remarkable stability, in Merlin's hands, this didn't seem to really have a violent recoil pattern, nor did it falter in the close ranges. It was worth trusting.
He checked his P226, sliding a magazine inside, and screwing the Surefire silencer onto the thread, counter-clockwise, he took a little satisfaction in then taking it back off, sliding it into a case next to his holster. A .357 cartridge was special purpose, and for Merlin, it was because he found that 9mm just didn't really do the job. It had a hard punch, less to play with, but he didn't waste shots. His marksmanship hadn't faded with time, so he preferred caliber to mag size. His dive knife followed, and he had left his particular favourite until last. A larger shotgun was a nice tool, but Merlin liked to keep his weaponry concentrated, tactile, and close at hand. Hence the cut-down 870, and without a stock and a shortened barrel, it really did not look like a tactical weapon at all, it looked like some bastardized tool of a biker. But four 00 12 gauge buckshot rounds against a door hinge always did a better job of opening a door the fuck open, and then the people inside it than kicking it in, he chuckled to himself. For both purposes.
Instead of his usual beanie that he sometimes wore in places like this, he took a carbon-black coloured Ops Core helmet, the carbon fiber paintscheme a little muted, but fitting with the helm's exterior construction, Merlin adjusting the side-mounted camera on the helm, and the GPNVG-18s that were mounted on the fore of the helmet, the night vision quad-goggles offering a wider viewing angle than most, and a nice tool for night operations such as these, though, never a thing to rely upon. He began sorting through the rest of his miscellaneous gear, from grenades to flashbangs, two C4 charges, weighing around 1.5kg each, and a pair of Nanos of his own, the drones slipping into a mag case, being that small. A Petzl headtorch, slung beneath the NVGs, and a pair of Mechanix gloves joined it, as well as his communication system, and TOS, placed in a soft case, to be put in when required. He had served for a long while, that was enough to be said, he'd seen the Iraq War and Afghanistan, when they were still a big deal. And when they weren't, he still had a use. Technology changed, and he adapted well, but he'd do ruddy fucking fine without a contact lens, if he so pleased, if it wasn't for the fact that it told him where his team-mates were, amongst a few other things that he just accepted had some nice uses when using drones and the like.
They would be leaving soon, and Merlin felt ready to do what he had to do. He left them to their own devices, knowing that soon enough, he'd have to brief them again on a FOB that they'd use to mount the assault from, potentially in Sardinia or a naval vessel, and they would begin the process, a long hard day of getting ready to deploy and to strike them where it hurt the most. And as always, it was co-ordinated. Merlin knew how to drive scalpels into the very depths of a network like this, not with brute force, but like a surgeon's hand. He had gone over it, again and again. And he felt prepared, as he knew his team was.
-----------
0147 Hours
9th July, 2020
Somewhere off the coast of Algeria
Echo White
The sea was a cauldron, the wind blowing strong on the seas, and the five-man team was well equipped to the task at hand. The RHIB had no weaponry, and was completely empty, Merlin standing at the helm of the boat, the two engines no longer roaring as they had been, but quietened down, on the approach, with the island barely a couple of klicks out. Merlin adjusted the LSAT on his side, before adjusting the RHIB's course towards the isle, the rocky mount visible from afar, the darkness completely filling apart from the distant light of a farwaway port town on the Algerian coast behind them. The sky was overcast, and it worked wonders for them. No light, was good. Merlin had the throttle turned down, and they were making ground even so, sweeping in on the small village, the SBS Captain prepared to admit that these conditions had it's merit. The waves at least drowned out the noise, and visual on them, which he did indeed, quite like. He knew that his team aboard the boat were ready more than ever, from Jarek to Tyler, to Olivia to Aleksandra. They knew their shit, and like him, they were going over just how they were conducting this.
He had divided Jarek and Olivia to follow on his point, while Aleksandra took Tyler as fireteam that could be detached if needs be, once they were inside the village. Merlin's shortened hair poked out a little from the Ops Core helm on his head, and he looked stern, the sea salt on his lips and his beard, as well as his height putting him across as rather menacing indeed. The boat crested a wave, and before they knew it, they were closing in, anyone who was seasick probably wanting to chunder right now. The camp was dimly illuminated from this angle, though some houses had lighting, and the hermitage, as well as main camp, seemed to have a little more. They were striking in the depths of night, so the longer that they could keep this quiet, and eliminate hostiles without making too much effort, the quicker they could get this done.
Looking over his operators on the small RHIB, Merlin chuckled, nodding. The bearded Devonian looked like this was another day in the office, and while it may have seemed striking to most of the other operators, he seemed completely unfazed by how much the boat was going up or down, or just how much sea spray he had on his face. He looked completely at ease, yet a little pleased to be at sea. Standing tall with his helm on, and with natural night vision, you could make out his outline and frame to be something you really didn't want to be an enemy's, his general demeanour already engaged into a different frame of mind to what it had been barely 36 hours ago. He looked like nothing like that Merlin, he looked different, as if he was willing to not even question a single ounce of what was about to happen next. It came with experience and time, in his head the want to just do the task at hand and in the process, kick some fucking skulls in, saying all that had to be said.
"Hmmnn, we're going to need a bigger boat." He muttered, chuckling a little, looking over at Aleksandra, nodding. He knew his 2IC was going to find tonight interesting, and that she was up to the task, so long as she kept her wits about her, and her head screwed on straight.
"Good thing we're not all swimming tonight....the sea's a fucking drum!" He yelled over the sound of the waves and the engine, as he looked over at the shoreline, picking out a position, pointing it out to whoever was standing by his side, the RHIB having no seats or anything of that kind in it, so it made sense if you weren't standing and hanging on to be laying the fuck down or at a corner where you wouldn't get thrown out.
"Right there, by that side of the cliff....we can park it in and move up into the side of the village. From UAV overlooks, they aren't covering it at all, and not at this time of night. Too busy sleeping tight or shagging horses, or some shit." Merlin added, chuckling lowly, probably unaware of how culturally insensitive he was sometimes. That was what you got with people like him- and to tell him otherwise was usually a bad idea. He could hold it in sometimes. Right now, he didn't give a fuck, and pestering Merlin about petty matters usually resulted in a loss of teeth. And memory. The only thing in his mind was the plan. They would execute it, and if anything went wrong, they would execute the next best one, and so on, and so on, until they had the objective, and were gone.
"So it's perfect place to strike from....remember, we want to thin out this village, maintaining silence for as long as possible. Thinning them out while they sleep tips the balance for us against these goatfuckers when we move in on the hermitage." Merlin's gruff voice added, his accent and his very sound being one that tied ears to it, as prickly as the salty sea, yet clear enough to get the point home.
"It isn't ethical. Neither is bombing a fucking Cafe. So if you find some, don't waste rounds if you don't have to." He said to her, nodding as he pointed out the village once more.
"Anything to add, Wolf? I suggest once we're in, we stick together, and only detach if we find we can outflank and get the drop on any isolated groupings, without making too much noise."
---------
Echo Black
The SDV was dark, everything was dark, apart from the display in front of Nikolaj's eyes, the Dane staring through the diving mask, sucking in air from the rebreather, slowly, and calmly. Too heavy and fast, and the CO2 would build up, and that would disorientate you and potentially, be lethal. Breathing with a rebreather had to be a steady, nice and predicted rhythm. It didn't demand hard breaths, it demanded an operator to take the air that was cycled through and sent back up to be breathed in as effortlessly as it was out. And with the doors sealed, the blackness the same with them opened, it felt quiet, eerie almost. He knew only one other passenger was on board, and that was Dominique, the American Parajumper, probably doing something she wasn't as used to.
The noise of the motor had calmed, and they were running in at about 4 knots, along the seabed, the FLIR camera on the SDV's nose picking up the shore, slowly clambering up to the seamount of the cliff face. Nikolaj knew that Oakley knew the air better than she did the sea, but would be competent enough to swim, and at least follow his lead, on whatever the Danish sergeant was going to do here. He began levelling the SDV out, pulling back on the control and bringing it towards surface, looking over, as he adjusted his underwater transeiver, a radio system built for military divers that retained some level of clarity.
"Okay, Duchess, prep the periscope. Let's get us a look on the approach." He added, as he levelled the submarine out, the sea a cauldron, the winds remarkably strong for the Med, and blowing a gale through the sea. No rain accompanied it, it had to be a Saharan blast of wind, and the sea was angry, so Nikolaj's inner Kraken felt. The SDV had a camera-equipped periscope that extended about seven feet above it's surface, and could be used to keep the SDV below water, yet with a view above. It wasn't the best view in the world, but would serve well, to judge their infiltration location and other features, such as the makeup of the cliffline, and any potential threats in the boathouse, a tiny shed on the water that sat at the bottom of the long staircase.
"Infil location is tricky. We'll stop the SDV short of it, and swim the rest. We'll need to fit charges in the boathouse, then set Claymores there too, as a failsafe if we receive guests. We can't take the stairset going up to the top of the mount, so we'll climb it instead. We have the grapples, and it's mostly a scramble. Nothing too difficult, but if we can't do it, we'll take the stairs. No lift I'm afraid. It's a long, long way up from here." He added, the demolished hermitage, come terrorist encampment at the very top of the stairs he mentioned, the elegant steps being carved into the sandstone on the way up, a web that offered a perplexing verticality, against the harsh cliffs below. Watching on over at Dominique's display, he changed the frequency a little, aware he'd come out a little garbled, but clear enough to Captain Bastion.
"Echo Lead, this is Echo Black, we are one mike to stop point, we will keep you updated."
Caseless ammunition did have that advantage, that much he knew, and while it was not exactly something you would call standard issue, it had proven itself in service trials in the US Armed Forces a year ago, and other SF operative groups had a AOR, or actionable operational requirement, for an LMG that could provide the firepower in a package that didn't weigh more than eight kilos. That, and it's remarkable stability, in Merlin's hands, this didn't seem to really have a violent recoil pattern, nor did it falter in the close ranges. It was worth trusting.
He checked his P226, sliding a magazine inside, and screwing the Surefire silencer onto the thread, counter-clockwise, he took a little satisfaction in then taking it back off, sliding it into a case next to his holster. A .357 cartridge was special purpose, and for Merlin, it was because he found that 9mm just didn't really do the job. It had a hard punch, less to play with, but he didn't waste shots. His marksmanship hadn't faded with time, so he preferred caliber to mag size. His dive knife followed, and he had left his particular favourite until last. A larger shotgun was a nice tool, but Merlin liked to keep his weaponry concentrated, tactile, and close at hand. Hence the cut-down 870, and without a stock and a shortened barrel, it really did not look like a tactical weapon at all, it looked like some bastardized tool of a biker. But four 00 12 gauge buckshot rounds against a door hinge always did a better job of opening a door the fuck open, and then the people inside it than kicking it in, he chuckled to himself. For both purposes.
Instead of his usual beanie that he sometimes wore in places like this, he took a carbon-black coloured Ops Core helmet, the carbon fiber paintscheme a little muted, but fitting with the helm's exterior construction, Merlin adjusting the side-mounted camera on the helm, and the GPNVG-18s that were mounted on the fore of the helmet, the night vision quad-goggles offering a wider viewing angle than most, and a nice tool for night operations such as these, though, never a thing to rely upon. He began sorting through the rest of his miscellaneous gear, from grenades to flashbangs, two C4 charges, weighing around 1.5kg each, and a pair of Nanos of his own, the drones slipping into a mag case, being that small. A Petzl headtorch, slung beneath the NVGs, and a pair of Mechanix gloves joined it, as well as his communication system, and TOS, placed in a soft case, to be put in when required. He had served for a long while, that was enough to be said, he'd seen the Iraq War and Afghanistan, when they were still a big deal. And when they weren't, he still had a use. Technology changed, and he adapted well, but he'd do ruddy fucking fine without a contact lens, if he so pleased, if it wasn't for the fact that it told him where his team-mates were, amongst a few other things that he just accepted had some nice uses when using drones and the like.
They would be leaving soon, and Merlin felt ready to do what he had to do. He left them to their own devices, knowing that soon enough, he'd have to brief them again on a FOB that they'd use to mount the assault from, potentially in Sardinia or a naval vessel, and they would begin the process, a long hard day of getting ready to deploy and to strike them where it hurt the most. And as always, it was co-ordinated. Merlin knew how to drive scalpels into the very depths of a network like this, not with brute force, but like a surgeon's hand. He had gone over it, again and again. And he felt prepared, as he knew his team was.
-----------
0147 Hours
9th July, 2020
Somewhere off the coast of Algeria
Echo White
The sea was a cauldron, the wind blowing strong on the seas, and the five-man team was well equipped to the task at hand. The RHIB had no weaponry, and was completely empty, Merlin standing at the helm of the boat, the two engines no longer roaring as they had been, but quietened down, on the approach, with the island barely a couple of klicks out. Merlin adjusted the LSAT on his side, before adjusting the RHIB's course towards the isle, the rocky mount visible from afar, the darkness completely filling apart from the distant light of a farwaway port town on the Algerian coast behind them. The sky was overcast, and it worked wonders for them. No light, was good. Merlin had the throttle turned down, and they were making ground even so, sweeping in on the small village, the SBS Captain prepared to admit that these conditions had it's merit. The waves at least drowned out the noise, and visual on them, which he did indeed, quite like. He knew that his team aboard the boat were ready more than ever, from Jarek to Tyler, to Olivia to Aleksandra. They knew their shit, and like him, they were going over just how they were conducting this.
He had divided Jarek and Olivia to follow on his point, while Aleksandra took Tyler as fireteam that could be detached if needs be, once they were inside the village. Merlin's shortened hair poked out a little from the Ops Core helm on his head, and he looked stern, the sea salt on his lips and his beard, as well as his height putting him across as rather menacing indeed. The boat crested a wave, and before they knew it, they were closing in, anyone who was seasick probably wanting to chunder right now. The camp was dimly illuminated from this angle, though some houses had lighting, and the hermitage, as well as main camp, seemed to have a little more. They were striking in the depths of night, so the longer that they could keep this quiet, and eliminate hostiles without making too much effort, the quicker they could get this done.
Looking over his operators on the small RHIB, Merlin chuckled, nodding. The bearded Devonian looked like this was another day in the office, and while it may have seemed striking to most of the other operators, he seemed completely unfazed by how much the boat was going up or down, or just how much sea spray he had on his face. He looked completely at ease, yet a little pleased to be at sea. Standing tall with his helm on, and with natural night vision, you could make out his outline and frame to be something you really didn't want to be an enemy's, his general demeanour already engaged into a different frame of mind to what it had been barely 36 hours ago. He looked like nothing like that Merlin, he looked different, as if he was willing to not even question a single ounce of what was about to happen next. It came with experience and time, in his head the want to just do the task at hand and in the process, kick some fucking skulls in, saying all that had to be said.
"Hmmnn, we're going to need a bigger boat." He muttered, chuckling a little, looking over at Aleksandra, nodding. He knew his 2IC was going to find tonight interesting, and that she was up to the task, so long as she kept her wits about her, and her head screwed on straight.
"Good thing we're not all swimming tonight....the sea's a fucking drum!" He yelled over the sound of the waves and the engine, as he looked over at the shoreline, picking out a position, pointing it out to whoever was standing by his side, the RHIB having no seats or anything of that kind in it, so it made sense if you weren't standing and hanging on to be laying the fuck down or at a corner where you wouldn't get thrown out.
"Right there, by that side of the cliff....we can park it in and move up into the side of the village. From UAV overlooks, they aren't covering it at all, and not at this time of night. Too busy sleeping tight or shagging horses, or some shit." Merlin added, chuckling lowly, probably unaware of how culturally insensitive he was sometimes. That was what you got with people like him- and to tell him otherwise was usually a bad idea. He could hold it in sometimes. Right now, he didn't give a fuck, and pestering Merlin about petty matters usually resulted in a loss of teeth. And memory. The only thing in his mind was the plan. They would execute it, and if anything went wrong, they would execute the next best one, and so on, and so on, until they had the objective, and were gone.
"So it's perfect place to strike from....remember, we want to thin out this village, maintaining silence for as long as possible. Thinning them out while they sleep tips the balance for us against these goatfuckers when we move in on the hermitage." Merlin's gruff voice added, his accent and his very sound being one that tied ears to it, as prickly as the salty sea, yet clear enough to get the point home.
"It isn't ethical. Neither is bombing a fucking Cafe. So if you find some, don't waste rounds if you don't have to." He said to her, nodding as he pointed out the village once more.
"Anything to add, Wolf? I suggest once we're in, we stick together, and only detach if we find we can outflank and get the drop on any isolated groupings, without making too much noise."
---------
Echo Black
The SDV was dark, everything was dark, apart from the display in front of Nikolaj's eyes, the Dane staring through the diving mask, sucking in air from the rebreather, slowly, and calmly. Too heavy and fast, and the CO2 would build up, and that would disorientate you and potentially, be lethal. Breathing with a rebreather had to be a steady, nice and predicted rhythm. It didn't demand hard breaths, it demanded an operator to take the air that was cycled through and sent back up to be breathed in as effortlessly as it was out. And with the doors sealed, the blackness the same with them opened, it felt quiet, eerie almost. He knew only one other passenger was on board, and that was Dominique, the American Parajumper, probably doing something she wasn't as used to.
The noise of the motor had calmed, and they were running in at about 4 knots, along the seabed, the FLIR camera on the SDV's nose picking up the shore, slowly clambering up to the seamount of the cliff face. Nikolaj knew that Oakley knew the air better than she did the sea, but would be competent enough to swim, and at least follow his lead, on whatever the Danish sergeant was going to do here. He began levelling the SDV out, pulling back on the control and bringing it towards surface, looking over, as he adjusted his underwater transeiver, a radio system built for military divers that retained some level of clarity.
"Okay, Duchess, prep the periscope. Let's get us a look on the approach." He added, as he levelled the submarine out, the sea a cauldron, the winds remarkably strong for the Med, and blowing a gale through the sea. No rain accompanied it, it had to be a Saharan blast of wind, and the sea was angry, so Nikolaj's inner Kraken felt. The SDV had a camera-equipped periscope that extended about seven feet above it's surface, and could be used to keep the SDV below water, yet with a view above. It wasn't the best view in the world, but would serve well, to judge their infiltration location and other features, such as the makeup of the cliffline, and any potential threats in the boathouse, a tiny shed on the water that sat at the bottom of the long staircase.
"Infil location is tricky. We'll stop the SDV short of it, and swim the rest. We'll need to fit charges in the boathouse, then set Claymores there too, as a failsafe if we receive guests. We can't take the stairset going up to the top of the mount, so we'll climb it instead. We have the grapples, and it's mostly a scramble. Nothing too difficult, but if we can't do it, we'll take the stairs. No lift I'm afraid. It's a long, long way up from here." He added, the demolished hermitage, come terrorist encampment at the very top of the stairs he mentioned, the elegant steps being carved into the sandstone on the way up, a web that offered a perplexing verticality, against the harsh cliffs below. Watching on over at Dominique's display, he changed the frequency a little, aware he'd come out a little garbled, but clear enough to Captain Bastion.
"Echo Lead, this is Echo Black, we are one mike to stop point, we will keep you updated."
Well then- forwards.
@bloonewb
It's a bastard child of that which you speak of, and England in the 1100s-1500s.
Take a look at the Angvin Kings, and the War of the Roses. It is close to the HRE, but every individual part of Westeros has a geographic relation to England, and wider France. The North, is the North (of England), the Reach, quite a lot like the South-West of the UK and Aquitaine. The Kings of that day barely kept their Dukes under control, and it was pretty fucking vile. It's funny- a lot of Shakespeare's most boring plays are now rivals to GoT, via some of the BBC's dramas I think (complete with lots of fucking, per GoT). It has a lot of Germanic features to the realm, but I think a more Anglo-Angvin approach to politics, peoples, places and culture.
It's a bastard child of that which you speak of, and England in the 1100s-1500s.
Take a look at the Angvin Kings, and the War of the Roses. It is close to the HRE, but every individual part of Westeros has a geographic relation to England, and wider France. The North, is the North (of England), the Reach, quite a lot like the South-West of the UK and Aquitaine. The Kings of that day barely kept their Dukes under control, and it was pretty fucking vile. It's funny- a lot of Shakespeare's most boring plays are now rivals to GoT, via some of the BBC's dramas I think (complete with lots of fucking, per GoT). It has a lot of Germanic features to the realm, but I think a more Anglo-Angvin approach to politics, peoples, places and culture.
The music continued pounding, as Ross and Sebastian headed through the crowd, the noise of CHVRCHES playing loud, the bar packed, and the whole area was livening up indeed. It wasn't too wild, but it was in a frenzy in places, and it was definitely living up to the hype. This was a party indeed. They had talked on the way, and established a bit more about what Seb did too, as well as Ross. They had figured it out, and after moving though a mass of people, were able to head up the stairs inside the big tent. Soon enough, they were in the VIP area again, and with a drink in one hand, a Vodka on the rocks, Ross felt like he was set to chill out and finally switch off.
"Hey up!" Seb said, a smirk on his face, as Ross walked over. He saw a face he couldn't entirely remember, sitting next to Kimberly, his wife talking to the other blonde-haired, athletic looking woman. He could only assume this was Ellie.
"Ross, this is my lovely Ellie Dorian...Ellie, this is Ross Hartley, the guy who was just telling me about the race we dropped into." Seb said, introducing the Scot, as they took a pair of comfy chairs in the VIP area, beside a table, the distant music below, and the VIP area feeling generally as VIP-ing as it was. Ross felt a little confused, trying to figure it out. There was an Ellie, Ellie Dorian he remembered from his childhood. An adventurous girl. The only girl that kept up with his antics. Except she always seemed to want to fly, to go to the Cairngorms to ski or snowboard, or do something cool. And she always wanted to. If this was who Seb was talking about, then he couldn't believe it, if she had done it.
Taking a seat, Seb looked at Ellie's bemused face, before back at Ross.
"Do you two know each other, or something?" He asked, as Ross shrugged, looking over.
"I can't really remember....shit....you aren't from Inverness way are you?" Ross asked, a little confused, and it could stem from well, perhaps his concussion, or confusion. Or both. He didn't really know. It just didn't fit in his head, Ellie looked different, she seemed to have this physique, this face that seemed different to what he remembered....yet somehow the same.
-------
Ryan chuckled, smiling, following behind his team-mate, a bottle of Bulmers in his hand, maybe not as extreme as the rest of the people in this place, but still, a drink of leisure. Heading into the VIP area, he took a seat by Regina, sipping it down slow, taking it easy.
"Remember. Only one, then we get some rest. Long day tomorrow. Big day too." He said to her, as he sipped the cider, looking around, seeing the conversations of the various VIPs go on, as he looked back at her.
"It's pretty good."
@ChaoticFox- reckon you'll slide a cheeky post in? I'm going to post tomorrow, and it will move things forward. In fact, straight to the operation lead-up. I'll explain my reasoning below- and I think it makes sense now I've played it out.
@BigPapaBelial@Monochromatic Rainbow@QueenOfTheBee@Starlance
I think I might make a bit of a decision in here regarding new applicants too- since we've got about three, I want to figure out what the hell is going on with the RP and the people in it first, before I start taking in more blood, and I know that I've started the process with a lot of people, and wanted to take it places. Right now, it wouldn't actually make sense for me to deny everyone in the RP the chance to keep going, to suddenly thrust a couple of new members into the fray quite quick before an op, and it was a really nice idea- but not just doable as of now, not straight away.
I did want to see the chemistry and the personalities play out in the written posts, and actually, that I think has been done- so I know it has meant you have struggled to really play the military aspect of this RP as I think I promised, and I reckon it was a bit too long of a lull- a nice experiment for sure, but just a tiny bit too long for right now. So we are going back to the guns blazing, and I can promise, this one I've been working on for a nice little while, in regards to what is involved. It's certainly going to be something that you won't really see coming.
Basically- if it means keeping the RP smaller-scale for the time being, I'd rather do that if it means that you guys get a better RPing experience out of it, in particular with this op. Anyone that's been interviewed, or in the process of it, I'm going to keep you on hold, and keep at it, get your CSes through, and then when it's ready, get you in. Would anyone like to weigh in on that idea for the new blood? I'd also like to see what you think about any particular things you want to see from me- and what I can do for you in this RP, if that makes sense. What you've liked in the Prologue, and what you didn't.
@BigPapaBelial@Monochromatic Rainbow@QueenOfTheBee@Starlance
I think I might make a bit of a decision in here regarding new applicants too- since we've got about three, I want to figure out what the hell is going on with the RP and the people in it first, before I start taking in more blood, and I know that I've started the process with a lot of people, and wanted to take it places. Right now, it wouldn't actually make sense for me to deny everyone in the RP the chance to keep going, to suddenly thrust a couple of new members into the fray quite quick before an op, and it was a really nice idea- but not just doable as of now, not straight away.
I did want to see the chemistry and the personalities play out in the written posts, and actually, that I think has been done- so I know it has meant you have struggled to really play the military aspect of this RP as I think I promised, and I reckon it was a bit too long of a lull- a nice experiment for sure, but just a tiny bit too long for right now. So we are going back to the guns blazing, and I can promise, this one I've been working on for a nice little while, in regards to what is involved. It's certainly going to be something that you won't really see coming.
Basically- if it means keeping the RP smaller-scale for the time being, I'd rather do that if it means that you guys get a better RPing experience out of it, in particular with this op. Anyone that's been interviewed, or in the process of it, I'm going to keep you on hold, and keep at it, get your CSes through, and then when it's ready, get you in. Would anyone like to weigh in on that idea for the new blood? I'd also like to see what you think about any particular things you want to see from me- and what I can do for you in this RP, if that makes sense. What you've liked in the Prologue, and what you didn't.
Isn't House Bolton like, completely fucking dead after the events of this 'verse's events? I really didn't want to point that out, but it is a tad worrying :P
This RP is dark, and lacking in posts. (Meh, I can't make a GoT related comment better than that....for now).
Someone needs to post, I just want to throw Garland/Alerie up the Mander already :D
Someone needs to post, I just want to throw Garland/Alerie up the Mander already :D
@Nevix
Wait- lemme see your CS again. I'd also like to know- why were you absent? Just curious- you were to let me know when you were set, right?
EDIT
Right, it's a bit difficult, given that the team is gearing up to go. I will have them stop-off at an airbase in Sardinia, where there is a staging area for the operation- don't write any IC posts yet, as I will write something that allows you to introduce Edmund, and potentially another pair of characters in situ.
Wait- lemme see your CS again. I'd also like to know- why were you absent? Just curious- you were to let me know when you were set, right?
EDIT
Right, it's a bit difficult, given that the team is gearing up to go. I will have them stop-off at an airbase in Sardinia, where there is a staging area for the operation- don't write any IC posts yet, as I will write something that allows you to introduce Edmund, and potentially another pair of characters in situ.
© 2007-2026