Lennon79

Valkyria Chronicles: Lions of the South

'Sir, I don't think they can hold out much longer...' A fresh hail of fire smashed through the shop window, forcing the Imperial soldiers to duck. The lieutenant, who had so recently found himself ranking officer, crawled over to the back wall where the platoon's corpsman was tending to a pair of injured men. 'How bad, Corporal? Can they move?' The young man shook his head in misery, fully aware that with the limited medical equipment on hand, all he could do was make them comfortable. Swearing under his breath, the officer tried to count his options. The Gallians had advanced far enough into the town that retaking it would be damn near impossible for his remaining soldiers. The tank crew had volunteered to stall them, but he knew that they would likely have lancers if not a tank of their own; the crew could buy time but little else. He came to a grim decision.

'Sergeant Auer. My men cannot continue. I am ordering a withdrawal from the village. You are to hold them for five minutes, just five minutes and then retreat along the east road. We will rendezvous a few miles away. Emperor's speed, Sergeant.' As the driver worked to keep the tank facing toward the enemy's shifting positions, their orders came in through a scratchy radio call. 'Thank you sir.', the commander responded, glad to have bought them some respite. 'We'll level the whole damn village before we leave.' He cut the radio and peered back through his limited cupola sights. 'Sarge, HE shell's loaded, I need a target!' There was another brief silence, broken only by the reverberation of the driver's MG. '... Target left, farmhouse, second floor.' Before the gunner could fire, a wash of blue flame eclipsed the cupola.

Corporal Celeste Stichler, Gallian Militia

'She hit it! I think it's blown the engine.' For a moment Celeste dared to hope it might be over, but as she peered over the window sill she found herself staring down the very much intact barrel of the tank's main gun. '... Run! Get out, move!' She belted it toward the rear door, grabbing the first person she could reach to drag along. They almost made it out before the building collapsed on top of them.

Sergeant Harald, Gallian Militia

Meanwhile the sergeant was distracted by the hail of MG fire spewing from the hull-mounted gun. Valk alone knew how she had done it, but Durandal had slipping in around the damn thing to hit the radiator; by rights it should be dead. Clearly the crew disagreed. 'Bons, Glaive. I'll keep their attention, you hook around the left.' Luckily the fire from the shop had ceased. Either they were lying low, waiting to hit them as they advanced, or else retreated. No way of knowing. The two soldiers hesitated, so Harald sent them packing with a boot up Bons' arse. As they rounded the corner to sneak around, Harald turned his attention back to the tank still hammering his position- just in time to see the main gun fire. His eyes widened in horror as Stichler's building exploded and collapsed inward; he didn't see anyone escape.

Private Alonso Bons, Gallian Militia

Why her? Why do I have to fight Imps with an Imp at my back? Glaive led the way around the back of the tank, with Alonso trailing somewhat unenthusiastically behind. Necessity had forced the sergeant to send them in particular, but that didn't make it any better in his books. He settled in on the tank's flank as she ran further around, no doubt planning to hit it with a satchel charge in case his lance didn't work. Fair plan, he thought, But this Imp's mine. Alonso lined the sights of his Imperial lance up carefully and fired.

Valkyria Chronicles: Lions of the South

Pretty much. Since we're only really waiting on Kitsune, I'll post tomorrow and set up for the end of the battle.

Valkyria Chronicles: Lions of the South

No worries Slyph, I'll make 'em work for it.
That's a shame Bright, but I understand. I'll keep your CS in the inactive section for if/when you do come back. For the moment guys, add Andrew to our growing list of NPCable characters.
Really need to start recruiting again.

Final Fantasy VIII: Tempus Veneficarum [7/10 Slots]

Good effort.
Assuming it's alcohol-related.
Probably isn't though.

Final Fantasy VIII: Tempus Veneficarum [7/10 Slots]

Well, it is with great sadness and reluctance that I have removed Kissu's co-GM status, which means I need a new co-GM. Anyone interested please PM me, but be aware that the role means taking control of characters important to the plot and posting for important plot points. Nothing too difficult though.
I think that we can count soren out for the time being and I'll work out some way to keep Mei going. Is there anyone else thinking of posting? There isn't much I can do until the team exfils and regroups at the Lerwick estate.

Valkyria Chronicles: Lions of the South

Alright then, before I post I just want confirmation that @Bright_Ops and @Kitsune are still here and posting.
Pls.
Srsly.

SAO: Living in Aincrad

Pyotr

If nothing else, surviving until day five had been a pleasant surprise. Pyotr had originally had fears of her real body starving or dehydrating since the family had been away, but somehow she had made it thus far. Not that she had any complaints of course, on the contrary life had picked up a bit since meeting Suki and co. Despite the lingering bad impression she had left (and received), she had put in some effort to build bridges with the others, if only in terms of not speaking her mind quite so often. Still she wasn't close enough to really open up and so spent most of her free time with the tavern's other patrons. This particular morning she was up fairly early and had spent a good hour inhaling a slap up breakfast while chatting with the NPC barmaids. Even though they had only stock lines and limited responses, Pyotr nevertheless found their company to be quite amusing. 'So then. As a non-human person and a person of colour, how do you react when a player says or does something inappropriate?' The maid smiled with a very life-like expression of awkwardness. 'I'm sorry m'lady, but I don't understand. Would you like to see our wares?' Pyotr changed tack. 'Alright then, how do you feel if someone asks for something that you don't normally sell? Like, uh... like a bed warmer.' Teasing NPCs was a dead-end hobby, but it kept her entertained for the time being. As the poor maid repeated her earlier line, a PM notification popped up on Pyotr's HUD and she waved the girl away dismissively.

Her first reaction after reading the message was confusion; how in the hell had a PM reached her when the sender had gotten her name wrong..? And what has with that name? A GM..? The only GM the players had encountered thus far had been Kayaba himself and something in the tone of the message suggested it wasn't from him. Too... manic, as if a player had accessed a GM console or something. Still, the possibility that Kayaba may have been responsible was all the reason she needed to delete the damn thing and pretend it never happened. The others had received it apparently, along with a few randoms. No doubt it would be discussed once everyone had hauled themselves out of bed. In the meantime she pulled herself up and stretched, about to go wandering when she Suki came in from outside. There was an awkward moment where neither spoke, each still wary of the other, but in the end Pyotr swallowed her pride and gave a friendly wave. 'Morning Princess. I guess you saw that message too, huh?'

*Recreated*

Jersch of House Tovorn

Name
Jersch of House Tovorn

Age
39

Sex
Male

Race
Dwarf

Class/Sub-class
Warrior/Champion



Abilities

Mighty Blow
'In essence, I can strike my foe with such power and precision to render them totally incapable. In other words, I hit them with a sodding great axe and then they die. This is essentially the basis of all dwarva martial arts.'

To the Death
'By ruthlessly mocking the enemy's parentage and/or face, you can goad them into attacking first. They come at you stupid, you knock 'em off balance, one less idiot.'
Jersch has perfected the art of relentlessly taunting his foes to the point that they go for him over softer targets, purely to shut him up.

Personality
Irritable, cynical and sarcastic are the best words to describe Jersch. Conflict is a hobby for him in all its forms, from a simple argument to full-on warfare. It is not that he is particularly competitive, rather that he simply enjoys testing himself against others, be it verbal or physical. Jersch has served under many banners since coming topside and has developed a degree of disdain for pretty much everyone who doesn't hail from Orzammar. Surface dwarves, humans, elves, mages, Templars... They all lack a sense of pragmatism, of practicality. So many would rather fight for a banner or for honour, but at the end of the day, what good is honour and altruism against cold hard cash? Last but certainly not least is a deeply ingrained loathing for all things demon-related. Mages who toy with the Fade, abominations and blood mages... Any sensible person would realise that playing with fire gets you burnt- or cleaved in two by a pissed off dwarf.

History
House Tovorn of the Warrior Caste is well-known for providing some of the finest officers in Orzammar's army. While the main and close branch families have traditionally had the most successful careers, there are a number of cadet branches that have been... less fortunate. Jersch was born into one such cadet family, heirs to only modest holdings in the city and low ranking soldiers in House Tovorn's forces. As the third son of a minor branch, Jersch never had much chance of inheriting lands or achieving anything significant until the ascension of King Bhelen to the throne of Orzammar. Bhelen's progressive policies and meritocratic ideals meant that for the first time, lesser family members had a chance to prove themselves as capable warriors and commanders. This eventually led to an expansion of the Deep Roads campaign, with many more independent parties being sent into the tunnels. House Tovorn sent three such excursions, one under the command of Jersch's father and in which he served.

Several factors combined to ensure that they failed in their mission of reclaiming a lost thaig, including political intrigue, bad intelligence and overall stupidity on his father's part. However the party was saved from total annihilation by the decisive actions of Jersch and his older brother Jarehk, as they rallied their House's forces during an ambush to withdraw. This came to the attention of King Bhelen, who had been searching for young and talented commanders to lead up a new initiative on the surface; the fact that the Tovorn brothers were almost unknown and therefore expendable probably helped. They were chosen to form and lead a mercenary band of House Tovorn soldiers shortly before the end of the Fifth Blight. Bhelen intended to set up a system of tributary mercenary bands roving southern Thedas, sending a percentage of their profits back to Orzammar in return for equipment and supplies. The Tovorn Company was to be proof of the system's viability.

By the time the newly christened Company set out from Orzammar, the Blight had already ended, leaving them to take up small-time contracts across Ferelden until the Mage Rebellion kick-started the mercenary economy. With dozens of clients suddenly calling for experienced troops, Jersch was able to negotiate a lucrative contract with a splinter group of the rebel mages from the Circle in Ferelden. The company did very well of the work, charging a high price for a high standard of protection, all the while running lyrium to both sides of the conflict. During the course of the contract the Tovorn Company routinely locked horns with the renegade Templar Order, with both sides scoring equal honours. Even a few Inquisition agents found themselves on the end of a Tovorn blade after poking around the wrong abandoned fortress. Ultimately though, the mages succumbed to the temptations that all rogue mages do, leaving the dwarves with an awkward choice of protecting a pack of deranged demon-worshippers, or reneging on their contract. The brothers disagreed on which course to take, violently. Jarehk valued loyalty and honour above all else and as such felt compelled to follow their contract to the letter, whereas Jersch was of the opinion that demons were quite open about betraying people. The Company split, with Jarehk's half holding up inside the mage's fastness while those loyal to Jersch (and perhaps common sense) left to seek a safer contract.

That safer contract was found with the Inquisition. While Jersch disapproved of the organisation's quasi-religious rhetoric and pro-mage sympathies, he did rather like their killing-things policies. The Company served for some time as part of the Inquisition's army, at least until the rebel mages were welcomed into the fold by the so-called Herald of Andraste. Remembering the dangers posed by rebel mages, Jersch immediately pulled his support, marching his men away from Haven and east. Word eventually reached him of his brother's unsurprising demise, murdered in unimaginable ways by abominations in the mage's holdfast, carried by a handful who fled the scene while they had the chance. He was left with two options; return to Orzammar with the vast riches he had earned, enough to live like a king for the rest of his days... or go get some payback.

Sufficed to say, every drop of dwarven blood was paid back with interest. In interior of the mage's fort, already decrepit and crumbling, had warped into a nightmare. Jersch has never spoken of the horrors he found within those walls, but his hatred of demons and those who cavort with them began that day. With the fort cleared, the Tovorn Company claimed it as their own and set about rebuilding it in true dwarven style. It took several years to establish but once completed, Fort Jerehk became a symbol of dwarven military prowess throughout Ferelden and an important hub for mercenary activity in southern Thedas.

The Tovorn Company, now well-known as the finest dwarven sellswords in the land, were eventually approached by a Chantry emissary and contracted to support the combined Southern Army in their new war. Jersch, along with a handful of his most trusted agents, was personally hired to join a special task force put together by the Divine Victoria herself... Working with religious nutjobs is hardly his idea of a good time, but you can't beat cold hard cash.

One cynical dwarf.
Strike that, pulling out. Sorry.

*Recreated*

Cynical dwarf will be up very soon.

SAO: Living in Aincrad

Stop trying to find deeper meaning in my words when I'm being a dick.

@chukklehed

Fair footie, top banter m8.

IIRC, wasn't it getting close to the first floor dungeon?