Will post intro later, just wanted to let everyone know I'm in.
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Will bang out the character tonight, basically creating a 1st level version of this character.
Alannah studied the burgeoning chaos trying to determine a likley source but to no avail.
As tensions rose she took to the tent city, two of the guard flanking her as she watched the madness unfold. An exceptionally large mercenary was in the process of settling an argument, greatsword raised high above his head intent on splitting the man before him when an arrow streaked through the air with unerring accuracy, shriking the sword blade with enough force to sent the weapon tumbling from the man's shocked grasp. As all eyes traced back along the arrow's path they came to settle upon the keep's Commander, her silver bow gleaming in the sunlight, eyes boring into the crowd with an archer's intensity. Intimidate
Alannah's 2nd in command: Captain Orik Valen CR 1/2 XP 200 Human warrior 2 CN Medium humanoid (human) Init +0; Senses Perception +1 DEFENSE AC 16, touch 10, flat-footed 16 (+5 armor, +1 shield) hp 15 (2d10+4) Fort +5, Ref +0, Will +2 OFFENSE Speed 20 ft. Melee Long sword +4 (1d8+1/19–20) Ranged shortbow +2 (1d6/×3) STATISTICS Str 13, Dex 11, Con 12, Int 11, Wis 8, Cha 10 Base Atk +2; CMB +3 ; CMD 13 Feats Free Spirit (see below), Weapon Focus (long sword) Skills Craft (sculpture) +4, Diplomacy +1, Intimidate +4, Perception +1, Profession (cook) +3 Languages Common Gear scale mail, light wooden shield, shortbow with 20 arrows, Long sword SPECIAL ABILITIES Feat (Ex) Iron Will You are more resistant to mental effects. Benefit: You get a +2 bonus on all Will saving throws.
Archery tournament, 3 rounds:
From her seat at Anya's right Alannah studied the newest member of the group, no longer unproven in battle or devotion, but still posing numerous questions. It was clear that they were all still coming to terms with having a complete view of their growing settlement, the roles of leadership in some ways very different from the battlefield. While the wilds were Lev's domain and the town, and eventually city fell to Batsukan, the safety of the realm itself was her responsibility, as was the safety of its ruler. She needed more soldiers, weapons and equipment, and each of those things cost money. More importantly they needed a spymaster, one who had the ability to gather and process information from a wide variety of sources. "Bastukan, on your patrols you must encounter those who are, in need of being watched more closely. Any settlement eventually attracts those who supply a need that arrives with the growth of a town into a city. Illegal goods, back alley pleasure houses, these things will always exist, but these same people often tend to have a better idea of what gose on in a kingdom than its rulers." She pauses for a moment as if steeling herself before continuing. "From what I remember of my past, if we needed to know what was going on in a city, the dark corners were the right place to find it. Perhaps with a little...creative persuasion, you could obtain a source of information like that, Of course on the surface there would have to be no clear realationship between them and your men, the more lawless they appear the better." Looking at Anya she garnered a thoughtful expression. "I think that the tournament can serve another purpose, one we should not make known until a winner is determined. I was thinking of naming the winner of the armor the Princess' Champion, essentially your personal bodyguard." She grinned slightly waiting for the inevitable objection.
The elite guards for Anya I definitely pan on developing as soon as we can afford to, in fact I had the idea of offering whoever wins the tournament the position of leading Anya's personal guard. At the moment Alannah sort of plays a dual role of General and Anya's bodyguard which is just how it developed so far.
Alannah sighed as she realized that her words would only add to Anya's stresses. "As we expand and build roads I need to send men and women to patrol them and protect the workers. At the same time our population grows and we need more soldiers to ensure secirity, especially with outside forces taking an interest in us." "Training people to fuction in both capacities takes a lot of resources, and soldiers expect wages.As long as the assistance is limited and controlled, it may be worthwhile to have an external source of resources." Wrath
Spoiler: How much do I remember now? Would the dwarf from my old group make a good spymaster?
Alannah smiles as the hunter seeks to give meaning to the creature's deaths, nodding. "Given the alarm these creatires have caused recently I think their deaths would also be pretty symbolic. A skull mounted in the audience chamber would make a statement, and the other mounted in the tavern would do wonders for the morale of the soldiers. It'll be good for them to be reminded of the quality of the people they fight for even while having a drink."
Perception
Alannah fired as quickly as she could, the urgency of the situation and the pain of the creature's attack affecting her aim.
Acrobatics Alannah slipped free the noxious fumes washing over her as she held her breath, dashing backwards into a diving roll to get clear of the creature's reach. Fort save Coming out of the roll into a skid she draws an arrow and fires in one fluid movement.
Alannah focused intently, body perfectly still, breating calm, the sudden blurr of movement of her arm almost unimaginable as one arrow follower the other from her bow, streaking past Anya to hurtle towards the dragon kin.
Perception Alannah slows her horse to a walk alongside Anya's mount, her sharp senses, alerted by the actions of Batsukan's stallion. Instincts honed in life and death battle can literally feel the ambush coming. Quickly she dismounted, an arrow being set to bowsting almost subconsciously, all the while scanning for signs of movement.
Stability roll Alannah worked her recruits, hard, yet worked herself harder, instructing the archers in their craft, woking countless hours to improve her own sword work, while running the new soldiers through countless drills and sparring sessions. Of special pride was the unit she'd selected to be Anya's personal guard, well trained, quick thinking and unobstrusive, she picked men and women who took their role seriously, willing to put their Princess' safety before their own. Already she was keeping an eye towards those who showed the promise of becoming officers, the idea of defending the burgioning kingdom taking hold in the hearts of each recruit.
"The people need to feel a part of something greater than a mere bandit collective, and we need to establish our security first. The more capable we are of repelling any attack, the more people will flock to us as an alternative to chancing their lives to the whims of bandits and outlaws." "Brining the boy here may not be as well recieved as going to him and his community. The people need to see a leader that cares with one hand, and crushes that which threatens tham with the other. They need to know that anything done to them will be taken the same as if it were done to you," she says looking directly at Anya.
The river flowing through the forest will be the Tränen river, or River of Tears, going with the Germanic theme. The other will be the Freiheit river (River of Freedom) symbolizing the new beginning.
Str check Alannah returned Ulrich's embrace warmly, a well of emotions insider her. That night she drank and laughed and cried, sharing a cameraderie that reminded her of happier days. Though training the newcomers was proving challenging, even the average farmer understood the strength required to pull a bow. The magnificent bow over her shoulder and impressive sword at her hip soon began to earn the respect of even those rougher types who fancied themselves warriors, seeing the benefit of learning from a trained fighter, despite said fighter being a pretty girl rather than the typical man at arms. Within a few weeks she had a regular group running daily combat drills, with another dedicated group taking regular target practice in the yard.
Welcome to the party Batsukan! Wrath, I think Alannah would probably start off with the title of Captain or something similar, since General is pretty ostentatious before there's a real army to command. Guardian of the Realm could be ab eventual title as we become established. Still thinking about river names although Mikhail's name I definitely want to use somehow.
HP roll
Alannah stood atop the tower, breathing the slightly chill air, the breeze tossing her hair, and lightening the load of her emotions somewhat. She had spent the night after taking the fortress in mourning for her Mikhial and herself, quietly crying herself to sleep, but now she was the perfect image of quiet focus, her archer's gaze scanning the countryside to return to the two spell casters carrying out their intricate ritual. She watched as Lev and Anya exchange parting words, brother and sister as different as night and day, yet they worked well together. As he prepared to leave, Alannah let out a piercing whistle, flashing Lev a wink and waving to the huntsman, she could tell that he looked forward to a little time in the wilds despite the danger and grimness of his mission. Her gaze shifted to Anya, as she walked back to the entrance of the fortress, the definite leader of the group, and a good one despite a bit of aristocratic arrogance. If they intended to set this place up as a settlement, it would need a good leader, one who was used to the decisions of rulership. It would also need a militia to keep the bandits and murderous scum in check, sooner rather than later.
Alannah clear the ladderway, quickly moving forward , her bow in hand, an arrow snapping into place only to be sent streaking towards the wolverine.
Climb Slinging her bow over her shoulder Alannah swung herself around her feet hugging the sides of the ladder, strong hands graping the outside of it as she practically slid down to land nimbly on her feet, bow quickly shifted back to her hand.
Initiative Hearing the ominous sound of spellcasting, Alannah's mind reacts immediately, striking a sunrod and tossing it down in front of Lev and Anya, both to provide them with light and hopefully blind the enemy that had lain wait in darkness the whole time.
"The problem with just gutting him here is that it's no different from him meeting his end in an alley. If we took him back to the outpost and made his crimes known before executing him, it would send a message to those with similar appetites who think the frotier is safe for them."
Alannah's eyes narrow at the brute's story. "We can't willingly let him loose to harm more women, hell right now her wants to come at me, I can feel it. Honestly, making his punishment public will go a long way to ease the fears of the local women I'm sure."
Alannah sits quietly with her back against the palisade, not quite looking up at Lev, more out of a need to regain some control than anything else. "There's a lot I couldn't remember when I joined you all, there's a lot that I still don't but...we had...history, and he took a lot more from me that I can ever describe. I'll share my story with you later, you all deserve that much." The young archer took a deep shuddering breath and slowly got up, one hand gripping her bow, the other gantly reaching down at her hip to where she'd buckled the swor Akiros had weilded against her. "Thank you." She said to Lev, her voice almost a whisper.
Aside from it being a good idea to have a melee weapon for opponent's who close with her in combat, there is no way that Alannah would willingly part with Mikhail's sword.
The heat of battle gone, the mindless fury passed the only thing left to her was emptiness and pain. Taking the redblade from her own side as it slid from Akiros' dying grasp she looked into the man's eyes, witnessing tthe final breath of her worst nightmare. Memory did to her what no enemy was able to, bringing her to her knees as the dam of her emotions broke, her wound forgotten as she crumbled, sobs wracking her wounded body, tears pouring down her face as she unleashed a wail of heartwrenching anguish while she clutched the sword to her body, the only thing she had left of the man she'd loved more than life itself, now dripping with her blood as it had with his.
Alannah cries out in agony as le blade sinks deep into her body, the icy pain punctuated by the wicked sneer on Akiros' face. Her rage flared white hot, pushing past the freezing cold, fueling her determination. She would not die before avenging Mikhail. Leaning back she gasped as the blade left her body, the lasst time she would ever be penetrated by this bastard in any way. Gripping her bow she twisted, hand over hand, turning it in a quick spin designed to trap his sword and wrench it from his grasp.
Alannah studies her hated enemy as he charges towards her, sharp eyes seeking his weaknesses as she steps back towards the gates using the space to fire another shot into Akiros Perception
As Akiros emerged Alannah's focus narrowed to exclude all else as wild a shriek of incoherent rage she sent another thistle arrow hurtling towards him.
confirm
Drawing her last flaming arrow Alannah targets the giggling simpleton, releasing the shot with practiced efficiency, all the while shouting to Akiros. "I'm going to put an arrow right in your heart and look into your eyes while you die you bastard!"
Alannah's sharp eyes took in the scene, archers above them, the Laughing Man preparing to charge, Lev falling to the ground. The towering beast that had ripped into him still stood over him. She had to stop it before it ripped him apart. She fired one of her flaming arrows at it the arrow erupting into flame before striking.
Seeing the situation escalating tears of frustration stream down Alannah's face at the idea of Akiros escaping, yet she understands that she needed to stand with the only friends she now knew. She reached into her quiver, selecting a unique arrow with a broad blunt head, taking careful aim at the giggling lunatic charging forward, she lined up her shot striking him on the ankle of his weightbearing foot, the arrow spinning to entangle both legs.
Alannh halts for a second, torn. She needed to stop Akiros, to Make him suffer, to find answers....but looking at the horrific monstrosity tear the bandit apart she knew she would never be able to live with herself if she ran off only to return to find one of her friends dead. Cursing to herself she loosed an arrow at the creature, moving to a better position
Abandoning her cover, Alannah dashes out into the open, her reckless action driven by the need to once again have Akiros in her sights, her hand drawing one of her most painful arrows and sending it streaking towards the fleeing man's back.
Alannah ssaw the movement as if underwater, the battle rush bringing a clarity that made everything slow down. As Akiros reached for his blade she released, barely awere that she had drawn the arrow she watched it sterak towards the man that haunted her memories, a fire arrow, perfect for sending the bastard to hell.
We combine the two and he'll go with a smile on his face.
If I shoot him in the back of the head it'll be a surprise
Alannah's heart raced as she stood poised on the edge of a precipice, her mind trying desperately to decide a course of action. It was him. Akiros. Worse, he had seen and recognized her. Idiot! How many women with white blond hair carry a silver bow?! Seeing his eyes settle on her filled her with a rush of emotion, fear, rage, arousal, revulsion, shame.....she had questions but dared not expose herself to the sound of the man's voice. If he was capable of overwhelming Mikhail in her heart, what chance did she have standing against him now? Better to put an arrow in his eye before he got anywhere near her. But she would not put her friend in danger... not un less all was lost. Her hand clenched the bow tightly, muscles as taut as the bowstring, ready to fire.
In a blur of motion Alannah reacts, nocking and releasing an arrow in a single smooth motion to fly with unerring speed, taking the drawn weapon out of the hands of the first of the men to produce one.
Alannah returns cautiously to the area the group met, looking out for Akiros and seeking any sign of the others. Perception
Alannah put her hands up in a mollifying guesture, taking a calm step back. "I'm sorry friend, no need for you to get in any trouble. Just gettin' a feel for the lay o' the land if you know what I mean. Never been much for meetin's and formalities, long as I have a warm fire and a mug o' ale at night, and a pouch o' coin from time to time, who cares who's in charge." She shrugs. "I'll head back though, I'm sure I'll see you 'round the camp"
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