Posts from Nowaru

Suddenly, your swords might become weaker or quickly lose their power, and that's it.

Heh. Well, the situation is just strange, like in a joke. "Tricked the conductor: bought a ticket and didn't travel." Getting Iris is even better than winning the jackpot...

D - Foresight

A - Arandor-like.

Guys, come on, Arandor struggles to choose socks, and here there are more than 20 cards...

A - Arandor-like.

I thought someone would write "A - Arandor." But this is close too.

I actually chose a couple of pages ago...

Then write a story.

Where is the rush? The start isn't for a while, if it even happens.

I'm curious to know what happened to Khalid.

What's the point of detailing it if there are no maps and they can't play with it yet? But its stats are better than the Dwarf's.

The bio turned out to be rather questionable from a stylistic point of view, but nothing better can be written right now.

Yudeirn at the time of the events of "Ertenia"

"And where has it washed me up this time?" — Yudeirn thought, standing up from the sand. Lately, he had almost completely stopped understanding where he was and why... First, he joined some group of adventurers, helping to kill hydras. At Ilwing's request, he stayed with them for quite a while, searching for that... which they themselves were seeking. But apparently, they were not very successful in this matter.
And then at some point Yudeirn realized that Ilwing had not contacted him for a very long time, contrary to what they had agreed. The Geirt, of course, began to worry, but who knows? What if she absolutely has no time or opportunity to get in touch? Is she on some very important mission? Maybe she found another hobby and forgot about Yudeirn? No, it can't be, Darnians are very loyal... Though Ilwing hadn't really promised him anything... His thoughts were all over the place. And then a short, abruptly cut-off scream broke into his consciousness. And at that moment Yudeirn realized that he needed to return urgently.
Now the warrior looked at the sand and saw that once again he had not succeeded. This landscape hardly resembled the mainland. But where had he ended up? And how to get out of here?

Long steps, walls... Some kind of monastery? Perhaps. Tired from the ascent, the Geirt argued loudly with someone whom others called "the teacher".
— Stubborn old man! I cannot wait! Ilwing is in danger, I must find her!
— You will not find her now. Patience.
— What? Listen, I didn't come here for advice. Just tell me how to get out of here and I'll leave immediately.
— If you want to leave this place and find what you are looking for, you will have to stay a while. You will understand when the time comes.
— Great! — the Geirt waved his arms and walked away. "Some kind of lunatic. Was it worth climbing to such a height just to hear all this." He confidently stepped onto the first step down, but it unexpectedly cracked and broke. Exhausted from the ascent, Yudeirn could not react to such a mishap and, slipping, flew down the stairs.

***

— Fine, fine, I get it! — the Barbarian sat with a bandaged leg, which was obviously broken. — I'll stay for a while. But I don't understand, what am I waiting for?
— The right moment, naturally, — that old man sat on his bed. Only now did Yudeirn notice how calm and peaceful his face was. — You didn't end up here by chance, Yudeirn. He who steps upon these stairs inevitably begins a new Path here, previously unknown to him.
— Path?
— Path. If you want to move along the Path, you must know how. Your first and most important lesson is Waiting. Sometimes stopping is movement, and movement is standing still, which will give you nothing. You must be able to wait for the right moment, and then your movement will be correct; it will acquire meaning.
— Uh-huh... Right... Maybe my leg has healed already? — Yudeirn tried to stand up, but failed, and cursed filthily, not shying away from the old man.
— It's alright, you will learn patience.
The Barbarian lay back on the pillow exhausted and cursed once more. "How on earth did I get myself into this, @%&&! Crazy old man!"

***

A considerable amount of time passed, and Yudeirn changed his opinion about this school of martial arts and his teacher. And although unarmed combat was difficult for him, he took away many other extremely important lessons. Furthermore, the teacher helped him with one more thing — acupuncture. He said it was a good way to heal bodily and spiritual ailments through simple physical intervention.
One day Yudeirn woke up in the dead of night in a cold sweat and immediately ran to the teacher. The latter was awake and listened to the Geirt's fragmented explanation: it seemed to him that Ilwing was calling him again and saying something about Ishanad.
— She is not there. But still, this is the moment. You have waited long enough and now you can stop waiting for a while and continue the Path. Go to Ishanad.
— I don't understand... If she's not there...
— She is not there, but there you will understand where to look for her. And you will gain the strength to realize it. Look, Yudeirn, you can now calmly pack your things and go to the shore. Light a fire. Soon you will see a ship; it will take you. And... Never forget about Waiting, also remember Contemplation. The latter is a faithful companion to Waiting and an easy road to knowledge. Through Contemplation, you will be able to learn everything you wish and apply it when the right time comes.
— Yes, teacher... I?
— Yes, it is time for us to part. But not forever and not entirely. A part of me will always be in you now, and a part of you — in me. I too Contemplated you, Yudeirn, and learned much from you.
— Thank you, teacher.
As he had been told, the Barbarian gathered his belongings, took his weapon, and slowly descended the steps to the shore. There he lit a fire and was soon noticed by a passing ship. "I don't know, though, why a ship should come closer? The school building is right here; it's visible from the sea. Do I really look like someone in distress? Well, we'll see what all this means."
Soon a boat reached the shore and Yudeirn heard indecent laughter coming from it.
— Ha, I told you luck would smile upon us! One prisoner escaped, and instead of him — almost exactly the same thing! No one will notice the switch!
Before the Geirt could be surprised, some object was thrown at his feet and Yudeirn lost consciousness.

***

Well, now at least it was clear what all this was leading to. After long travels in shackles, Yudeirn finally arrived in Ishanad, where he had strived to go. A small disadvantage of this type of travel was that he had to become someone's guinea pig, but otherwise, it was convenient: for example, he had plenty of time to practice Contemplation.
The Geirt was thrown into the mud before some Ishanadian in a cloak and hood.
— Payment?
— You don't need my money.
— I don't need your money, — said the Tilian bandit and walked away. Meanwhile, the Ishanadian subdued Yudeirn to his will and led him into his Dungeon.
Then it got worse. A few days passed; tired and having eaten nothing, Yudeirn became completely exhausted. He sat on the floor and Waited. The Ishanadian entered the cell and brought some food. The Geirt began to chew calmly, making no attempt to escape. The time had not yet come. The sorcerer, waiting until the Barbarian finished eating, suddenly slammed him with some energy, so that Yudeirn flew against the wall and nearly said goodbye to his lunch.
— So... Good, — the mage made notes. — Let's repeat in a year, — and closed the door.

(A year later)
Yudeirn was doing push-ups from the floor, having completely lost track of time, when the door quietly opened and he was slammed hard with magic.
— So... — the sorcerer noted. — Yes, this is successful. When I return in a year, keep doing push-ups; it turned out interesting.
The Geirt rasped:
— You know, I'm also a bit of that... Tried to learn magic... It didn't work out very well for me, but I would consider us colleagues. As one colleague to another, maybe... enough?
— Uh-huh, interesting anomaly, — the sorcerer closed the door and left.

(A year later)
It seemed Yudeirn had finally understood the meaning of Contemplation. It is an attempt to understand, to grasp the deepest meaning of what surrounds you. The Geirt was surrounded only by stone walls, but lately it began to seem to him that he truly felt them. In the earth, in the stone there was something, some kind of life, some kind of current... Yudeirn heard the earth, heard beasts running across this land outside, heard how the Ishanadian conducted his experiments, applied spells... It seemed that sorcerer was a very serious earth mage; dark Ishanadian magic was not his only profile. Contemplation of the surrounding world truly gave the Barbarian much, some kind of new knowledge...
Slam! Sitting on the ground, Yudeirn flew against the wall once again.
— Hm... — the sorcerer noted. — Last time was more successful.
Unexpectedly for him, the Barbarian stood up and with a light movement of his hand enchanted the stone around himself. Earth with particles of metal coiled around the Geirt and created a strong but light armor around him. The Ishanadian tried to apply "Subjugation" to him, but it didn't work: apparently, this strange armor prevented mind magic from being used on Yudeirn.
— I am leaving. You will no longer perform experiments on me, — Yudeirn said and marveled at how the earth around him trembled at these words.
— Well, ok, — the Ishanadian uttered melancholically, turned around and left.

***

The Path led Yudeirn to Enluan. Here, if he understands correctly, his Ilwing should be. Or at least he will get closer to the mystery of her disappearance. He no longer doubted this and treated any accidents that might encounter him on his way with complete calm. However, some accidents are just too surprising...
— Hey, you! What, does a criminal always return to the scene of the crime? — guards surrounded the Geirt. — We recognized you!
— What? — the Barbarian asked back. Suddenly, Ilwing's ring, which he had struggled so hard to demand back from the Ishanadian experimenter some time ago, slipped off his finger and fell to the ground. Forgetting everything in the world, Yudeirn rushed to pick up what remained of his beloved and then received a blow with a mace to the crown of his head.

***

Well, apparently it's time to wait again... Yudeirn was sorry to lose Ilwing's ring once more, but he hadn't lost Ilwing herself yet. He continued to walk the Path, which meant that sooner or later, if he didn't veer off anywhere, he would certainly, absolutely succeed. And for now — time for Waiting and Contemplation. At the right moment everything will work out as he needs, and he will continue his search. His combat technique, which he had not forgotten at all despite constant imprisonments, will help him in this. What he learned from the teacher will help. And it will also help that he seems to have become a real, surprisingly strong mage, and no walls, unless they are made of earth, can hold him under any conditions. The main thing is to wait for the time.

___________________

This describes the state of the character before the epic with overseas martial arts, Ishanad and prison began.

Nationality: Geirt

Origin: Geirt

Religion: Ain

___________________

Warfare


Light Armor(2)

Thrown Weapons(1)

Physical Training(2)

Muscle Memory(3)

One-handed Weapon and Shield


Technique(1)

Block(1)

Parry(2)

Offense(2)

___________________Parameters

Strength	15
Endurance	35
Agility	30
Perception	30
Consciousness	10
Magic	0

___________________

Additional:
I would like more acupuncture from the overseas martial arts, both for combat and magic. Unarmed combat is optional.
As a mage, Yudeirn has mastered earth and some techniques of "overseas" origin, if this does not contradict the lore. Regarding the first:
- All or almost all spells of the earth school
- Earth Armor (protection, strength, immunity or high resistance to mind magic, can be used with light armor)
- Jump (jumps using a "trampoline" of earth, covering some distance, including vertically if necessary. Deals damage to enemies and the character himself upon landing. In earth armor, no one is damaged upon landing)
- Molten Earth (cone-shaped AoE, deals periodic fire damage and slows all characters in the area of effect. Earth armor can protect the caster from damage by this spell)
Regarding the second, it refers to the techniques of Waiting and Contemplation, which can either do nothing and just be part of the character's concept, or work roughly like this:
- Waiting: skipping a turn and restoring mana+health. The next attack will deal more damage.
- Contemplation: non-combat skill, serves to accelerate the character's learning of both magic and combat techniques. Alternatively: skipping a turn in battle with a small chance to learn spells/abilities used by opponents.

Regarding equipment... It is clear that Yudeirn lost everything in prisons. Otherwise, he usually carries something one-handed (a short-shafted spear), throwing spears, light armor, and a shield. And Ilwing's ring, of course, with paralysis resistance.

acupuncture from exotic martial arts

Sounds amusing.

About four years ago, Ilinia
-- I am leaving the legion, sir.
-- Are you sure you've thought this through? If you stay, you could achieve great success. In two months of service, you've proven yourself a decent soldier; it is quite likely that in time you will receive an officer's rank, perhaps even lead the legion...
-- No. I made my decision long ago. Farewell.
Dominic turned his horse and began his journey home.
"Well, God be with you."
________________________________________________________________
A few days later, Kalevritia
After two years of wandering, he finally found himself at home, in Kalevritia. Much had changed since he was last here; the war had left its heavy mark on the country. But still, the temples of the true faith rose toward the sky, the tolling of bells still sounded, and paladins in shining armor still served calmly and proudly. Even in such difficult times, Kalevritia and the Kalevrites preserved their grandeur. Everything in this world is fragile and fleeting, but the Kalevrite faith is eternal and the Kalevrite spirit unshakable.

First of all, Dominic felt it necessary to see his acquaintances. Finding them was not too difficult; a company of his old comrades, whom Dominic had known since the Geirtea Campaign and other expeditions, were sitting in a tavern.
-- Look at this, it's Dominic himself! And you said he wouldn't return. Sit down, let's drink and talk.
The former comrades drank, reminisced about the past, discussed the present, and thought about the future. It was time to part ways.
-- Well alright, I'll be going... By the way, do you happen to know how my brother is, or my mother?
-- George is serving in the army again, even though he's a cripple. He's gotten quite handy at killing Alvarez's lackeys with his left hand. He's in town now. As for the old woman, I don't know where she is, but I know for sure she's alive.
-- Thank you, fare thee well, comrades.

He could see his brother tomorrow. For now, Dominic thought he would visit Adelaide.
He had met her about three years ago. He even intended to marry her, but then the romance of distant roads called him again and he left Kalevritia. Dominic spent about two years wandering, and there had been no news from him.
Approaching Adelaide's house, he felt anxiety. How would he be received now? And who would receive him? He knocks on the door, and some random man opens it...
Either way, Dominic knocked on the door. A tired woman's voice said, "Come in."
Adelaide was sitting in the far corner of the room. Or was it not her? Dominic remembered Adelaide as a young, cheerful, and spontaneous girl in her early twenties. But now he saw not a girl, but a grown woman, with an expression of only fatigue on her face and the imprint of life's hardships. She was still beautiful—her features had even gained more completeness and perfection—but she made a completely different impression.
-- And who are you, exactly? -- Adelaide's voice distracted him from his contemplation and brought him back to reality.
-- You don't remember?
More likely, she doesn't recognize him. She wouldn't recognize in this overgrown, dirty subject with a scar on his face and rusty armor the Dominic she knew two years ago...
-- Oh, you... -- with these words, some heavy piece of household ownware flew toward Dominic at considerable speed. -- You absolute scoundrel, you abandoned me, wandered somewhere for two years, and now you've crawled back? How did you have the audacity?
Adelaide grabbed a poker with her fragile hands and swung it with the unambiguous intention of inflicting severe traumatic brain injury on Dominic.

Like many women, Adelaide could quickly fall into a state of intense anger, but was absolutely unable to maintain it for long, so by the next day, the conversation was already in much friendlier tones.
...
-- Actually, I am very glad that you're still breathing. But that doesn't change the fact that you acted like a scavenger back then.
-- I know. Forgive me.
...
-- Well then, it was good to see you, but duty calls.
-- Go, if it calls. Try to stay alive, alright? -- she tried to maintain an expression of calmness on her face, but not very successfully.
-- That depends on the Lord's will.
________________________________________________________________
About three years ago, Kalevritia
The war has been going on for one year, two months, and three days. So many of ours have perished, but how many more will fall? The warriors of faith show wonders of bravery and martial skill in battle (and after a victorious battle, they show mastery in depleting alcohol supplies, but perhaps we shall not speak this trait of their character aloud too often), yet Alvarez's army continues to advance relentlessly. But there is no doubt or fear in Dominic's soul, just as there is none in the other warriors of his detachment. For as long as the Lord is with them, they are capable of defeating an army of sinners that outweighs them even ten times over. At least, they are sure of this.

This time the Lord favored them, and they returned home as victors. In the recent battle, Dominic distinguished himself especially: at a moment when the enemy seemed to be gaining victory, Dominic led the Kalevrites in an attack, threw the opponent's ranks into confusion, and with his own sword cut down four enemy fighters and a commander. When they return to the capital, the regiment commander will report Dominic's successes in this battle, and the latter will receive the rank of officer. A tired warrior will return home and gladden his wife with news of the promotion. And Adelaide will be even happier that Dominic is still alive. Then he will return to the war again, and she will once more feel the fear of becoming a widow.
________________________________________________________________
About two and a half years ago, Kalevritia
Having been significantly thinned but still having snatched victory from the same dirty claws of the enemy, the regiment under the leadership of Dominic Farrell was returning from the border territory when the commander noticed a rider approaching them.
-- My respects, Sir Dominic. I come to you with an assignment, -- then the rider lowered his voice. -- Five miles from here is a fortress. And ten miles from the fortress, a huge army of Syntan rats is gathering. Your task is to take up defense in the fortress and hold them off until we send an army.
He began to speak even more softly.
-- But, honestly, you most likely won't be alive by that moment.

Dominic looked over his regiment.
-- Brothers, -- the commander began his speech. -- I understand that you are tired and that you want to live. I am also tired, and I also want to live. But I do not want to live so much as to dishonor my name and fail my country. And therefore, we shall now set out for this fortress, fortify ourselves there, and deal with those scoundrels! Are you with me, soldiers?
-- Yes! -- the warriors shouted.
-- Yes! -- echoed through war-ravaged Kalevritia.
-- Yes... -- the whole world seconded them.
And the host marched into the sunset.

The fortress did not make a particular impression with its qualities, but for those doomed to die, it was quite good. There were defensive weapons here, a small supply of provisions, and even a church. The regiment prepared for defense, asked the Lord for help, and began to wait for the enemy.

The first assault was repelled without much trouble. The Syntans clearly did not expect to meet such resistance. The sinners were showered with a rain of arrows, boiling oil poured over them, and they were thrown off storming ladders. The defenders lost four; the attackers—about one and a half hundred people.

During the fourth assault, the gates were broken. They fought off the enemies and built a barricade. And, what was much worse, besides the gates, the resolve of the soldiers began to break, and this problem cannot be solved so simply. One of them, a lad about 17-18 years old, tried to desert. He was caught and publicly executed. There were no more attempts at desertion, but the morale of the people dropped noticeably, and an unpleasant residue remained in Dominic's soul from this incident.

On the twelfth day, the opponents burst into the fortress. Warriors of faith stood back to back, surrounded by hordes of the unholy. Wave after wave they surged and broke against the spears and swords of the Kalevrites. The inhuman hatred and anger directed at these wretched worshippers who refused to surrender, refused to die, who stubbornly fought when there was not the slightest chance of victory, and each of whom took a dozen enemies to the other world with them—emanating from the black souls of the Syntan heretics—were felt by Dominic almost physically. The Syntans fought driven only by unrestrained rage, while the Kalevrites fought driven by the Lord and loyalty to the Homeland, and an army of sinners could not overcome them.
-- Enough! -- a voice suddenly rang out, and the black hordes receded, leaving a couple of dozen Kalevrites standing in the fortress courtyard. -- You fought well, and I am ready to spare your lives. We need such warriors. Join us and...
-- You, you filthy worm! How dare you... -- Dominic wanted to say much to this bastard, but a swarm of arrows soared into the air and covered the Kalevrites.

________________________________________________________________
And fifteen miles away, an army of paladins hurried toward the fortress. Armor glistened in the sun, banners flew high. In a few hours, the army of Syntan would be crushed, but Dominic Farrell would not see this.

________________________________________________________________
The name of Dominic Farrell, son of Richard, and others who perished during the defense of the fortress will be recorded in the archives of Kalevritia. Also, based on the words of people who knew Dominic, a book "The Life of Dominic Farrell" will be written.
________________________________________________________________
After her husband's death, Adelaide entered a convent, where she will spend the rest of her life.
________________________________________________________________
And his elderly mother, who was eventually found and told of her son's fate, will say:
-- What a cretin. Died like a fool. He should have just waited out the war in Ilinia.
________________________________________________________________
But Dominic Farrell will see none of this.