Kingfisher

Amongst the Lonesome- A return to Santa Somabra [Fantasy Noir]

Here's something to pass the time between posts; What's everyone's favourite quote from the RP so far?

I'm going with "the Cleveland Brown of street gangs".

Star Wars: Coruscant Underworld [Always accepting!]

Jezariyah Khez

The grime splattered streets of level 3030 whizzed past as Jezariyah Khez sprinted with all the speed she could muster, her muscular legs beating firmly beneath her. In ordinary circumstances, Bounty Hunting was less disintegrating and more waiting behind dumpsters, for those who weren't gunslinging Mandalorians, but today was the farthest thing from ordinary.

Jezy checked the flickering blue digits on her holobraclet.

12 minutes

Shit.

Already out of breath, Jezariyah conjured up what little energy she had left, bolting through narrow alleyways, and vaulting over garbage and debris, as the thunderous thumping in her ears beat in time with her heart.

Don’t we know better than to get involved in gang business? She scolded herself inwardly You mean like when we knew better than to eat three Bantha burgers in one sitting?

She could see the warehouse, sprouting out of the ground like some grubby brick wound as she rushed towards it. Broken windows, rusted supports, roof practically caved in on itself. This was the place.

And the woman called Eurissa was inside.

The gears inside Jezariyah’s head began to whirr as she planned her next move. Did she charge in like a Jedi on spice and risk getting cut-up and blown to bits, or did she play it smart?

Her thermal detonator blew the door into so much charred metal, clearing the way ahead of her. Jezy burst through the cloud of black smoke which wafted in the air, as chunks of twisted shrapnel clattered to the ground amidst a haze of hissing flames.

The interior of the warehouse was vast and cavernous, but the bounty hunter was more concerned with the four Pure Hand thugs who were springing to life and charging towards her.

The S-405 Fusion Sharpshooter came out in one swift flick, as Jezariyah’s hands coiled around the weapons pale metal body.

CRACK!

The rifle barked, and a sizzling red beam lanced forwards, catching one of the skinheads square in the throat, turning flesh to smoldering black tatters in the blink of an eye, as dark blood bubbled in his drooping mouth.

The hiss of one of the thug’s blasters coiled through the air, glancing narrowly off of Jezariyah’s black shoulder pad. Without the time to look through the scope, the Bounty Hunter squeezed the trigger of her Sharpshooter, a bolt of crimson exploding into his chest, just as Jezariyah hurled herself to the side, lending with a painful thud behind the shaky cover of an old steel pillar.

The shots of the two remaining lowlifes pinged harmlessly against the trunk-like body of her new hiding place, letting out a sharp ping as the lasers bounced off of metal.

Thermal detonators aren’t cheap, but melting xenophobes is awfully therapeutic. To Jezy, at least.

A glistening silver cylinder rolled out from behind cover.

BANG!

By the time the smoke cleared there were two less men working for the Pure Hand Syndicate.

“Get out from behind there, or the tail-head gets her brains painted across the wall.”

The voice that spoke was deep and majestic, carrying age beyond its years in each booming syllable.

Jezariyah edged slowly out from behind the pillar, her metal boots clanking against the cold steel floor.

Eurissa, the Twi'lek girl Jezy had come form, was gagged and bound to an old chair, her sculpted features whimpering and quivering in a wordless cry for help. Standing over her shoulder was a lumpy-faced human with a faded white mop of hair, pressing a blaster with a round nozzle against his captive’s head.

“That was a waste of good, human , lives,” The thug snarled “What’s some shit-for-brains Twi’lek to you?” He pointed one bony finger accusingly at Jezariyah, gnashing his rotten yellow teeth.

“Hey!” Jezy snapped, her voice echoing from beneath her helmet “I could be a Twi’lek under here, for all you know!”

“Are you…?”

“Well, no,” she admitted “but that was still an arsehole thing to say. Arsehole.”

“Is this all just a motherfucking game to you?!” The thug barked after a slight pause, spraying fat wads of spittle out in front of him.

“Yeeeah.”

The thug twitched, and his gunhand swung towards her in irritation. It was a basic, reflex action, but one which cost him dearly.

With Eurissa temporarily out of harm’s way, Jezy let her Sharpshooter clatter to the ground, as she tore her own blaster out of its holster, calculating the point of trajectory as the innermost workings of her brain crackled to life. The RX-7 Repeating Blaster Pistol spewed a three-shot volley of putrid green lasers, which ripped straight through the thug’s eye-socket, turning the right side of his face into a gooey dribble of meat and bone.

Life left the man in a strained gasp, as his stocky form swayed and then crashed to the floor.

Jezariyah strode forwards, unsheathing her Vibromachete in a flash of steel, before slicing straight through Eurissa’s bonds, and yanking out her gag.

“Th-thank you…” The Twi’lek sobbed, still very much in shock as tears tumbled slowly down her soft blue cheeks.

“Don’t mention it,” Jezariyah said in her most comforting voice “now let's get you home.”

Eurissa wasn’t going home. She wasn’t even going back to the sickly stained brothel she used to work at. It was the Siren Claw Syndicate who had put the job up, requesting Eurissa’s safe return, but it was the Blackened Stars who’d put up the counter offer for Eurissa’s head, and for a much more generous price. The Twi’lek had slept with the wrong men, and had the wrong kind of pillow talk; the kind which would put the gang's future plans into jeopardy if she were to run her mouth off. The Stars needed Eurissa dead, but they couldn’t risk her blabbing to the xenophobic Pure Hand bruisers in some kind of last ditch grab at freedom. They’d needed someone to bring her to them, unharmed, so they could finish the job themselves.

That was where Jezariyah had come in.

Deleted

Aaaand, here she is!

The Over-tyrant

Name:Over-Tyrant Khalaevna, Tradequeen of Mourslev.

Age: 23

Gender: Female

Appearance: Before becoming Tradequeen, Khalaevna was a relatively small girl, with a slightly stocky frame and messy tangles of chocolate brown hair. Having over-indulged on a life of wealth and splendour, the young woman has gained a softer, more broad form. She has a noticeable fleshiness to her, with wide hips and a large stomach. Hair dark tresses are intertwined with gold braids, and expensive jewelry coats her body.

Personality: Fueled by rage, desire, hatred, and a temper without bounds, Khalaevna is a force to be reckoned with. She revokes the traditions and conventions of old, and has no care for out-dated principles. Her motivation is her own personal gain, and nothing else. takes priority over it.

History:

Stretching out over the frozen plains which ran between Hyperborea and Lemuria, The Thalzamarian Empire extended across the north east provinces, and was wrought of some of the fiercest warriors and sorcerers to ever walk the realm. A broken Imperial kingdom, in its final years the Empire was ruled over by Tsar Viktar Ozlevskiy, the supposedly god-appointed emperor of all Thalzamaria.

The Empire traced its roots back to the northernmost reaches of the Kingdom of Thule, when the long dead Prince Grigorian adopted the faith of Mortaroth, much to the chagrin of the other nobles. In order to prevent a potential civil war, Grigorian and his followers succeeded from Thule, heading northwards into the frozen wastes beyond.

Thalzamaria developed a rich culture over the years, which suffered immensely at the hands of bloody wars and conflicts. The Empire endured, but in a much more weakened and barbarous state than its first incarnation. What little structure remained was but a poor imitation of the principles upon which the Empire was founded.

Religion

The dominant faith was that of Mortaroth, the Bear of the Night. The order of the Cleritari payed homage to Mortaroth, in vast palace-like churches all across Thalzamaria, and was composed of several different chapters.

The Red Cleritari- The High Priests and Priestesses of Mortaorth.

The Blue Cleritari- Occult sorcerers, and the royal order of magic users.

The Purple Cleritari- The lore masters, and keepers of ancient records.

The Black Cleritari- The solemn tenders of the dead.

Military

The Thalzamarian military was composed of three chapters, each serving a different purpose.

The Inperiskiy- The rank-and-file soldiers, the Inperiskiy are built of conscripts, peasants, and lower ranking nobles.

The Voyagorodyen- Military-nobles, The Voyagorodyen are elite warriors who practice the ancient military code of Nytvoia, and value honour and loyalty above all else.The Voyagorodyen serve as generals within the Thalzamarian military, and comprise the Tsar and Tsarina’s personal bodyguard.

The Krovajhal- The covert branch of the Thalzamarian military, the Krovajhal are the elite spies and assassins who pledge their loyalty to the Tsar. A private mercenary order at the disposal of Thalzamarian nobility, these graceful killers are divided into several cults, each competing against one another.

The Konagu Horde

Vicious barbarians from the desolate plains beneath Thalzamaria, the Konagu Horde was comprised of seasoned marauders from the inhospitable wastes of Olum.

The Konagu united beneath a single Qagan (the bloodthirsty warchief of the Horde), after the chosen champion of each Konagu tribe underwent a shamanistic ritual to determine who would be appointed leader. After the ritual, the Qagan and his or her blood relatives were imbued with the blessings of the Konagu Pantheon, and gained mastery of the Four Warrior Graces; Rage, desire, valor, and passion.

The Thalzamarians and the Konagu waged war on each other for many generations, with the warriors of Olum constantly launching invasion after invasion upon Thalzamaria. The Konagu’s divided nature and lack of proper tactics proved to be their undoing every time, as the Thalzamarians ultimately drove them back into their wasteland home.

It was when the Tsar Viktar came to power that the Konagu met its end, as the warrior emperor pressed the assault, and pursued the barbarian horde back into Olum itself, massacring man woman and child without the faintest hint of mercy.

The Tsar’s army stormed the Konagu capital, taking Qagan Ghal and his family prisoner, at Viktar’s command.

The public believed the Qagan and his kin to be dead, but Viktar had other plans, and kept them alive in secret. Having heard stories of the Four Warrior Graces, and the gifts that they imbued within their chosen, Viktar planned to breed with the Qagan’s wife, and create a Olevsky child with these blessings. He forced himself upon her, then, once she had bore him a daughter, had the whole family put to the sword.

In doing so, Viktar had evoked the wrath of the Konagu Pantheon, who bestowed the Tsar’s daughter with powers beyond that which he had bargained for.

The child princess Khalaevna was cursed with four malicious blights upon her soul. Her rage was wild and unruly, her desire uncontrollable. In valor’s stead was a zealous hatred, and in passions’ stead was a temper which knew no bounds.

The royal family, and a whole cohort of guards and tutors tried to control Khalaevna as she grew up, but soon it became apparent that all was for naught.

Abandoning her in the Shagora mountain range on her thirteenth birthday, the Tsar expected his daughter to perish in the snowy peaks. She survived, perhaps just to spite him.

After years of scavenging and scrounging just to stay alive, Khalaevna stumbled, weak and malnourished, upon the lair of the Trogoikos.

The Trogoikos were a species of gremlin-like cave-dwellers, exclusive to network of underground passages and tunnels inside the Shagora mountains. The rodents tried to swarm upon the weakened Khalaevna, but her rage and cruelty proved to be more deadly a weapon than their unmeasurable numbers.

Khalaevna carved through the Trogoikos nest, until she emerged out of the mountain, and wandered straight into a city-like camp which housed the remains of the Lemurian peoples, having settled in the northern peaks after their failed invasion of southern Borea.

The clansman set upon Khalaevna, but their leader, a chieftain named Carthain, intervened. He questioned the young woman, wanting to know how she had managed to somehow sneak past his guards and make her way into the camp undetected.

Khalaevna told Carthain about the Trogoikos tunnel network, and how it led out into the mountain passes beyond. Carthain explained to Khalaevna that the Trogoikos had been leading night-time raids on the Lumerian people since they migrated this far north, but that they had been unable to track them.

The young woman led Carthain and his barbarians through the underground passages, where they wiped out the Trogoikos with ease. Impressed by the young woman’s skill and cunning, Carthain offered Khalaevna a deal; guide the marauders of Lumeria through the mountain passes, help them take Thalzamaria by surprise, and Carthain would take her as his queen.

Khalaevna accepted.

The barbarian host slunk through the mountains, making their way through long forgotten passages and tunnels, until they were ready and poised for a full on invasion. They spent months toiling away within the comfort of their mountain home, crafting weapons, training soldiers, and building machines of war.

When the time was right, the Lumerians swept out right on top of Thalzamaria, and a bloody war broke out between the clansman of Lumeria and the Thalzamarian Empire.

The Thalzamarian military was spread too thinly across Thalzamaria, and by the time enough troughs had been recalled, the Hyperboreians had already reached the Empire’s capital of Razigram.

The Lumerians sacked the city, butchered the remaining royals, and pillaged the Imperial Palace.

The remaining might of the Thalzamarian Empire arrived at the city's gates, and it seemed as though chaos would ensue. Without a ruler, The Voyagorodyen requested to meet with Khalaevna, who was the only remaining heir to the throne.

With the fate of the empire up in the air, and the Lumerians destruction at the hands of the Thalzamarian military imminent, Khalaevna and the most prestigious members of the Voyagorodyen brokered an agreement.

Out of the ashes of both Thalzamaria and Lumeria came the Kingdoms of Mourslev; a fractured commonwealth of raider tribes and pirate fraternities. A fragile bond holds the Mourslevians in check, united by their mutual hatred of the rest of the world, and their lust for conquest. Elements of Thalzamarian and Lumerian culture survived the dissolution, coming together to form a semi-organized host of savage clans.

Once Khalaevna was wed to Carthain, she murdered him and proclaimed herself as the undisputed sovereign of her new people. Forsaking any kind of facade of nobility, Khalaevna name herself Over-Tyrant of all Mourslev, a title she still holds to this day, and has earned a hundred thousand times over with each wicked misdeed she commits.

Journey: Khalaevna has her eyes set firmly on the south, planning to march her newly assembled hordes down into the lands below, seizing as much loot as she can. The Over-Tyrant wishes to smash the southern kingdoms, and reforge the world in an image of her design. If the Age of Dawn is upon us, then Khalaevna would see it followed by an age of moral perversion.

Ideals: The young woman is motivated by wealth primarily, as well as the four curses which blacken her soul. Her desire knows no limits, and she’ll stop at nothing to get what she wants. The "blessings" bestowed upon her by the Pantheon imbue Khalaevna with an innate desire to spread hedonism and debauchery wherever she goes. She despises the values of polite society, and wants nothing more than to twist Borea into an image of decadent corruption.

Holdings: Khalaevna rules over the warring tribes of Mourslev, and has control over all trade routes running through her land. As Trade Queen, she’s privy to a vast horde of wealth and riches, and has the combined armies of the North Eastern clans at her disposal.

In battle, Khalaevna garbs herself in an imposing regalia of splendid metals, woven together with expensive furs. Her face is covered by a cold iron mask, carved in her own likeness, with sculpted steel hair cast over her shoulders, it's solid features firmly etched into the very helmet itself.

She wields the magic sword Zalewylch, a one-handed saber of blessed stone and arcane charms. Light and extremely durable, Zalewylch was forged from the prized minerals given to Khalaevna by her tribes in tribute.

Star Wars: Coruscant Underworld [Always accepting!]

Jezzy

Jezariyah Khez

Race

Near-human Human/Zeltron hybrid.

Gender

Female

Age

19.

Occupation

Bounty Hunter/Hired Gun.

Appearance

A short, full-figured young woman, Jezariyah falls firmly on the latter side of chubby, possessing a noticeably soft form. She has long auburn hair, with a neatly trimmed full-fringe, and slender maroon eyes. Jezariyah has a oval-shaped face, and the beginnings of a double-chin. Her skin has a slight pinkish red hue to it, hinting at her Zeltron heritidge.

Apparel

Jezzariyah wears a loose fitting metallic silver top, underneath a studded black jacket, with a fluffy hood sewn on for warmth. She has a pair of dark red leggings and sturdy combat boots, with spiked bracelets woven around her firm wrists. Her right nostril is pierced by a polished stud, and a similar two studs run beneath her eyelashes.

Weapons

Jezzariyah wields a cold war era S-405 Fusion Sharpshooter, and has an RX-7 repeating blaster pistol holstered around her thigh. She has a Vibromachete fastened to her back, with an ornate hilt and serrated edges.

Equipment

When hunting, Jezzariyah garbs herself in a set of lightweight battle armour, painted black with a single, over-sized, shoulderpad on the left side. Her helmet has a thin slit for vision, and a jagged domed roof.

Skills

Expertly resourceful for her age, Jezzariyah is skilled with the weapons and equipment she utilizes. Whilst not a master of combat, the young woman has the sense to learn her enemies’ strengths and weaknesses, and to plan her strategies around the terrain. Her Zeltron blood imbues her with a distilled version of the pink-skinned humanoids pheromones, making her appear more charming and alluring to the world around her than she otherwise would have.

Flaws

Jezzariyah has few social connections to speak of, and is prone to awkward moody outbursts. He dry, sarcastic wit is often lost on others, and she’s not in the best physical shape.


Personality

Despite her seemingly unassuming exterior, Jezzariyah is a cold and ruthless killer. She’s no sadist, but has few qualms about taking the life of another. She’s smart, sassy, sarcastic, and generally hard to control. She carries out her missions with absolute dedication, up until the point a better offer comes along.

Goals

Become rich and infamous.

Backstory

Jezariyah grew up on a small, crime-ridden space station orbiting Zeltros. Her parents were abusive and quarrelsome, and the broken family held nothing but disdain for one another. The young woman grew up tough and mean, untrusting of those around her.

When she was 12 she snuck aboard a shuttle which she believed to be taking her to Zeltros, but was infact set for Coruscant.

Stranded and alone in the slums of 3030, Jezariyah had to utilize all of her skills just to make it from one day to the next. The next few years were spent, thieving, pickpocketing, whoring herself out, and taking whatever jobs she could for the various crime syndicates.

Jezariyah became numb to the world around her, feeling as though she had been forsaken by life itself.

Over time she slowly eased herself in to bounty hunting work, taking low paying jobs from loan sharks and two bit slum lords. When it became clear that she had an efficiency for Bounty Hunting, Jezariyah fully committed herself to the job, and hasn’t looked back since.

Deleted

Alright, so, I had a closer look at your writeup, and I have some more detailed notes for you. If anyone else wants to have a look, I've underlined general worldbuilding stuff that is Neat To Look At.

Hider

Primarily, I feel like Thalzamaria as you're presenting it just a bit too formal and organized for the setting. Remember that the region suffered an almost complete societal collapse fifty-some years ago. Just as food for thought, the first Fallout game where civilization is just starting to get back on its feet is set eighty years after the Great War. Now, here's the thing. Thule honestly did not suffer quite as harshly as Atlantis and Iiram (largely because the Lemurian Horde directed its forces mostly southward), but the nation did balkanize severely. Thalzamaria could essentially be a fragment of the original Kingdom of Thule that has more deeply entrenched itself in the Lemurian/Hyperborean-influenced culture of its region.

Basically what I could see happening is something like this: Thalzamaria was once a proud province of Thule near the northern border, but was basically reduced to semi-tribal city-state following the Years of Dusk. They had an intense rivalry with a neighboring Lemurian tribe, and eventually the Thalzamarian king decided to conquer and subsume their enemies (the sort of desperate barbarism implied in this act of depravity was something I liked in your writeup), and had Khalaevna. He abandons Khalaevna, she joins with a Hyperborean tribe, the rest is history.

She probably wouldn't even need to "assassinate" Carthain, just kill him and tell his clan that she's the boss now. Imagine Hyperboreans as being Norsemen as imagined by the rest of Europe: savage and murderous thieves and barbarians. In the Age of Dawn, they also suffer greatly from mutation and have a great number of warlocks and other dark mages among their ranks. Basically in short, the Hyperboreans aren't these guys, they're these guys.

Uhh, on to more nitpicky stuff.

Taynthrill seems kind of unnecessary. Fantasy metals have been a thing in Borea for a long time, mostly as a product of alchemy, though each empire had their own sort of flavor to it. The distinct masters of alchemical metallurgy were the Atlanteans, who conquered Borea in ancient times with an army of golden Orichalcum-clad warriors. Thule's speciality is GUNPOWDER, and A LOT OF IT. Cannons, mortars, muskets and petards are what allowed Thule to break away from the Atlantean Empire and establish itself as an independent power. I'm sure you can work with this.

I don't mind the Trogoikos so much as long as they aren't sapient. I'm taking a "humans+" approach to races in this setting; if they're sapient, they must be human, or some form of human derivative (e.g. vampires, mutants, etc). If you wanted to, you could call them a subspecies of feral cavemen that live holed up in their tunnels.

@Dead Cruiser

I'll amend these changes, then get my CS up.

Amongst the Lonesome- A return to Santa Somabra [Fantasy Noir]

Nice to see all these posts coming in. Tremendous writing all around, folks!

Amongst the Lonesome- A return to Santa Somabra [Fantasy Noir]

Sorry to see Lexicon go, Vigilance was an interesting character. :(

However, RL obviously comes first!

I'll see if I can get a post up today or tomorrow, if anyone wishes to scheme with a disposable gang of Rats, then I am always eager for a fun story (I'm more than happy to help give people something to react/work with).

@HisforHugs

There's a rat attack about to go down, if you're interested in getting involved.

Amongst the Lonesome- A return to Santa Somabra [Fantasy Noir]

@Atrophy That works for me!

Deleted

My lunchbreak is ending, so I can work on this with you in more detail later, but here are my initial thoughts:

Basically any civilized society that exists currently is roughly sixty years old at the most. Is that enough time for this empire to have sprung up and established all of these customs?

Borea is mostly temperate. If you couldn't tell by the shitty map, it's basically Europe. As you go North into Hyperborea and Lemuria, it becomes more of a Tundra, and eventually Arctic. This is probably important to note if you want to write about a society of Northmen.

What you've written I think would probably work best as some sort of derivative of Lemurians more than Thule or Hyperboreans. Think of Lemuria as somewhere between Russia and Monoglia; it's a vast, cold, shitty plains. The Lemurian tribes were united under a single warlord during the Years of Dusk, but he died and his empire dissolved before the Age of Dawn began. Perhaps this lends some inspiration to you.

@Dead Cruiser

The Thalzamarian Empire was very heavily inspired by Imperial Russia, with a bit of Japanese culture thrown in, so setting it near the Lemurians would make sense, if you're okay with that.

What I had planned is that when the remaining Hyperboreans (substituted for Lemurians now) and Khalaevna invade Thalzamaria, their military is spread too thinly across the kingdom, and by the time they're able to formulate a response the capitals already been sacked and the Tsar and the royal family has been butchered. The noble Thalzamarians would then form a sort of pact with the Lemurians, where the empire is dissolved, and reforms as a new kingdom which combines Thalzamaria and the Lemurians.

Khalaevna marries Carthain, then has him assassinated and becomes the absolute monarch.

Does that fit in with your ideas, at all?

Amongst the Lonesome- A return to Santa Somabra [Fantasy Noir]

Hey folks, I apologize in advance for this, but I'm going to have to drop out. Real life is getting a bit crazy now since I'm trying to figure out my living situation for this year. Good luck with this RP, and I'll see you all around.

@Lexicon

That is quite the spanner in the works, but I understand that you've got no control over circumstances. Thank you for letting me know.

Given how ingrained Vigilance is in the story, I'll need to find some way to writer her out of it. Would you have a preference?

Anyways, best of luck with all your endeavours, and thank you for your contributions.