In a distant world, the land was no longer at peace. For almost a hundred years, the duel...
Villainous Grunt Captain Quest
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Statistics (57 threadmarks, 87k words)
User Total EternalStruggle 57
Character Sheet + Character Selection Part 1
- Location
- England
In a distant world, the land was no longer at peace. For almost a hundred years, the duel nations of Retalor and Piania had governed their lands fairly and without issue, ensuring prosperity and internal stability. The northern kingdom remained alert for any signs of future conflict, but after the War of Eternity all threats had seemingly dissipated into the ether. None dare challenged the ascendant Reton Royal Family and their veteran forces after they had proved themselves on battlefields far and wide. The merchant houses of the southern republic had grown rich and influential from their arms sales, and began an almost never-ending economic boom on the back of increasing urbanization and reestablishing lost trade routes at favorable rates. Together, the pair of surviving countries returned order to themselves and the lands around them, and were hailed as heroes for their overall efforts. Recently they even sighed a mutually beneficial pact of official unification, forming the new nation of Retania. Although much of their past edge was lost, and the Golden Century was finally ending, there was still much hope present for the future.
But at the coronation of the new Princess Amethyst Reton, news came of a disaster: the outlying northern border towns had been lost to unknown forces. Over the next few days, similar messengers arrived from elsewhere, reporting the loss of the wasteland Harak loyalist tribes, the Rangers of Etantel forest, and even Fortress Epoch; the first real line of defense. The threat was more than serious, and the armies of the land were rallied in its defense. Soon, the nature of their foe became clear...
The Grunts (You!):
Although the advance of the great shadow was slowed, it came at a cost. Vital resources, raw materials and manpower were cut off by the still ongoing conquest, and it was difficult to continue to halt their efforts. Things took a turn for the better after the Battle of Dranhilda Plains, where the Retanian Army defeated and routed a significant enemy force with low casualties, but it didn't last. Shortly afterwards, the victorious Dran Detachment found enemy documents detailing the true nature of their foe, written in an unfamiliar script for those who had analyzed previous enemy communications...
The Masterminds (Your Boss)
The fact that there was yet another issue to contend with as well as the obvious was hidden from the general public, as it was feared citizen morale could not at this time survive another blow like that. These were trying times indeed, and became yet worse when the enemy army shattered the stalemate by forcing a breakthrough and then managing to rapidly march to Castle Ethos. Now storming the nation's capital, they hoped to capture the Princess, leader of the unified nation. Still trapped inside, cut off from reinforcement and retreat by elite outriders, the situation looks dire for the nation. With their ruler on the verge of being taken hostage and their foe making gains across the entire front, all hope had been lost among the highest levels of the military. However, a chance remains for good to win the struggle: a hero will yet emerge.
The Hero (The Protagonist)
And the conventional forces of good are far from gone. Even now, the Paladin and Knightly Orders are taking surviving blooded and elite units, reorganizing them under new and increasingly effective banners, crafting a sword from the men and women who have survived so far. And as this sword is being forged in the fires of war, so too do the merchants of the south call upon all their favors and riches to craft a great hammer from more and more brave soldiers equipped with the finest armaments that money alone can buy, bolstering their strength with forces from almost every known nation, acquiring new assets one way or another that sail in to the ports and move to fight at the front for every defeat they suffer. Yes, things have gone well so far but the war is far from over.
Where shall you stand by the end of this? What power and rank will you have obtained, and shall you have succeeded and defeated the enemy? But wherever you end, you shall surely start as a mere Villainous Grunt Captain.
Character Sheet:
Titles: The Captain, Knight-Captain, Carnifex Elite, Invader of Ethos, Elite Captain, Gunslinger, High Lord's Guardian, Dragoon Lord, Champion Slayer, Gunslinger God
Archetype: Barnin-Yun, Bug-Knight.
Company: The Victorious Blades
60 Armored Dragoons (Rifle + Bayonet, Backup Melee Weapon, Steel Armor)
40 Elite Guardians (Melee Weapon + Shield, Secondary Melee Weapon, Steel Armor. One or more enchanted.)
Equipment: Masterwork Holy RuneBlade: "Benediction of Judgement"
Suit of Steel Armor
Magical Barrier Generation Array
2x 5-Chamber Heavy Revolvers
Status: One-Armed and Dangerous
Individuals of Interest:
Allies: Special Weapons Engineer Boris.
The Ruination of Aeon, Elder Tyrant, Traitor.
The Dragoon Lords, Four Dragoon Lords.
Enemies: Princess Amethyst Reton, Princess of Retania.
The Last, "Las", Necromancer and Ally of Retania.
The Cult of the High Tower, Mysterious Organization.
But at the coronation of the new Princess Amethyst Reton, news came of a disaster: the outlying northern border towns had been lost to unknown forces. Over the next few days, similar messengers arrived from elsewhere, reporting the loss of the wasteland Harak loyalist tribes, the Rangers of Etantel forest, and even Fortress Epoch; the first real line of defense. The threat was more than serious, and the armies of the land were rallied in its defense. Soon, the nature of their foe became clear...
The Grunts (You!):
[] Torniels
Deformed humanoids with a short life expectancy and a shorter list of potential careers, the Torniels are created by mysterious and likely arcane means, as of yet undiscovered by the forces of the light. Grown in great spawning pools, they emerge fully formed and ready for battle, which they do with great fervor. Fighting for their masters fanatically and brutally, it would be easy to assume these were an array of mere creatures, engaging in battle with limited higher thought capacity and few tactics. In fact, the Torniel species is bred for war, not mere fights, and this extends to their tactical capabilities and fighting skills. Even the least of them can be a match for the average human swordsman, and their leaders have proved more than the equal of the Retanian generals they oppose. At least equaling the size of the combined Ret armies in number and growing at a similar rate to their recruitment, some hopeless analysts have said that the humans are outmatched in numbers, fighting skill, tactics and morale: an apocalyptic combination.
[X] Barnin-Tra
A remnant from the great War, the Barnin are a race of insect-like creatures, biological weapons thought long since burned to the last. Instead, they had been rebuilding and reorganizing from unknown strongholds long before their new masters assumed control of the Hives and began using them as cannon fodder. Hundreds more are bred by the day to become soldiers shortly after, to march down the roads to build new forward hives and drive further in to enemy territory, to crush and annihilate the foe. Although individually weak, enough so that only the elite can hope to match a trained human soldier one on one, they come in numbers so vast that it is said that they can lose five bugs for every Ret soldier that falls before them and still come out on top. Perhaps their most dangerous ability is that Tyrants, imposing and powerful field commanders, can link the minds of the individual soldiers together into a psychic gestalt, allowing them to think and fight almost as one, causing them to use their numbers to even greater effect.
[] Spirits
Since time immemorial, perhaps before the corporeal world even came to be, spirits have existed. Coming in all shapes and sizes, although there are many broad types that the majority fall under, they are a varied but specialist force. They could not make up an army by their lonesome, acting only as elite but temporary supporting units for more ordinary armies. That is, until the new enemy used a vast ritual, perhaps old, perhaps new, that allowed them to create permanent rifts in the fabric of reality that allowed spirits to come through in vast enough quantities to be a true fighting force, made up of those willing to work for the rifts' creators in exchange for power in their home realms or merely presence in the real world. Each are titans of the battlefield, able to wipe out entire squads of ordinary Retanian soldiers with as much effort as a man takes when swiping away cobwebs. It is only their highly limited numbers, in both growth potential and absolute terms that has prevented them from forcing the kingdom's surrender already.
Deformed humanoids with a short life expectancy and a shorter list of potential careers, the Torniels are created by mysterious and likely arcane means, as of yet undiscovered by the forces of the light. Grown in great spawning pools, they emerge fully formed and ready for battle, which they do with great fervor. Fighting for their masters fanatically and brutally, it would be easy to assume these were an array of mere creatures, engaging in battle with limited higher thought capacity and few tactics. In fact, the Torniel species is bred for war, not mere fights, and this extends to their tactical capabilities and fighting skills. Even the least of them can be a match for the average human swordsman, and their leaders have proved more than the equal of the Retanian generals they oppose. At least equaling the size of the combined Ret armies in number and growing at a similar rate to their recruitment, some hopeless analysts have said that the humans are outmatched in numbers, fighting skill, tactics and morale: an apocalyptic combination.
[X] Barnin-Tra
A remnant from the great War, the Barnin are a race of insect-like creatures, biological weapons thought long since burned to the last. Instead, they had been rebuilding and reorganizing from unknown strongholds long before their new masters assumed control of the Hives and began using them as cannon fodder. Hundreds more are bred by the day to become soldiers shortly after, to march down the roads to build new forward hives and drive further in to enemy territory, to crush and annihilate the foe. Although individually weak, enough so that only the elite can hope to match a trained human soldier one on one, they come in numbers so vast that it is said that they can lose five bugs for every Ret soldier that falls before them and still come out on top. Perhaps their most dangerous ability is that Tyrants, imposing and powerful field commanders, can link the minds of the individual soldiers together into a psychic gestalt, allowing them to think and fight almost as one, causing them to use their numbers to even greater effect.
[] Spirits
Since time immemorial, perhaps before the corporeal world even came to be, spirits have existed. Coming in all shapes and sizes, although there are many broad types that the majority fall under, they are a varied but specialist force. They could not make up an army by their lonesome, acting only as elite but temporary supporting units for more ordinary armies. That is, until the new enemy used a vast ritual, perhaps old, perhaps new, that allowed them to create permanent rifts in the fabric of reality that allowed spirits to come through in vast enough quantities to be a true fighting force, made up of those willing to work for the rifts' creators in exchange for power in their home realms or merely presence in the real world. Each are titans of the battlefield, able to wipe out entire squads of ordinary Retanian soldiers with as much effort as a man takes when swiping away cobwebs. It is only their highly limited numbers, in both growth potential and absolute terms that has prevented them from forcing the kingdom's surrender already.
Although the advance of the great shadow was slowed, it came at a cost. Vital resources, raw materials and manpower were cut off by the still ongoing conquest, and it was difficult to continue to halt their efforts. Things took a turn for the better after the Battle of Dranhilda Plains, where the Retanian Army defeated and routed a significant enemy force with low casualties, but it didn't last. Shortly afterwards, the victorious Dran Detachment found enemy documents detailing the true nature of their foe, written in an unfamiliar script for those who had analyzed previous enemy communications...
The Masterminds (Your Boss)
[] ...for it was of the Old Tongue.
Archaeologists had known of the existence of the First Ones, a race that had long ago somehow left this mortal plane and left many ancient ruins behind. They had not known before now that a small but significant sub-group had for one reason or another remained in this world, bound to suits of armor in order to keep going. It is theorized that should this anchor be sufficiently damaged, the inhabiting soul will leave this plane or even die outright, but as of yet there is no proof of this. Awakening from ancient tombs with a desire to remove the surrounding people from their ancient lands, the threat they present is in the form of the Legion: their soldiers can fight once again, immensely powerful warriors and sorcerers that can turn the tides of battle through personal prowess along with vast strategic knowledge and experience. They also often gift their more successful minions with legendary equipment, giving them the lead in powerful artifacts.
[X] ...for it was in a strange speech.
The Molesin Imperium, run by the race known as the Molesar had formed in the dead lands of the far north. Congregating in a handful of vast Citadels that are larger than even the great cities of Piania, they had long wanted the lands of their southern neighbor, out of both a desire for further expansion and a wish for revenge after they were left alone in the desolate wastes the War created. But they dared not fight Retania, for their physical weakness and lack of combat experience meant they would surely lose any war. But all that changed when they discovered the means to utilize the armies that now ravaged the lands and took it for the Molesin. A Molesar has never appeared on the battlefield, but their presence is felt by the high-quality equipment that the front line troops receive, including magiteknikal devices that can enhance the power of spirits, and communications intercepted a few days prior to the assault on Castle Ethos has shown that (according to a very excitable engineer) they are on the verge of "revolutionizing" warfare with a new type of weapon.
[] ...for it was the human language itself.
Man was not united. Not under one banner, of course, but not even under one purpose. The north of Retalor was not empty of human life as had been thought by most, but contained a new human nation that was built our of outcasts and exiles, formal and informal. After contact with Retania was reestablished, negotiations soon fell through, and with their newly acquired army the people decided that a first strike strategy would be optimal. Taking the people of the frontier by surprise, they showed mercy where they felt they could, and this has reaped grand rewards. Rear line security forces being made up of human militia and negotiators being able to speak as proper equals has softened the occupation significantly and given the advancing armies a much easier time of getting a surrender from enemy forces, for this is no war of extinction. There is also a more sinister side: infiltrators and spies can sneak behind enemy lines unnoticed to extract valuable information.
Archaeologists had known of the existence of the First Ones, a race that had long ago somehow left this mortal plane and left many ancient ruins behind. They had not known before now that a small but significant sub-group had for one reason or another remained in this world, bound to suits of armor in order to keep going. It is theorized that should this anchor be sufficiently damaged, the inhabiting soul will leave this plane or even die outright, but as of yet there is no proof of this. Awakening from ancient tombs with a desire to remove the surrounding people from their ancient lands, the threat they present is in the form of the Legion: their soldiers can fight once again, immensely powerful warriors and sorcerers that can turn the tides of battle through personal prowess along with vast strategic knowledge and experience. They also often gift their more successful minions with legendary equipment, giving them the lead in powerful artifacts.
[X] ...for it was in a strange speech.
The Molesin Imperium, run by the race known as the Molesar had formed in the dead lands of the far north. Congregating in a handful of vast Citadels that are larger than even the great cities of Piania, they had long wanted the lands of their southern neighbor, out of both a desire for further expansion and a wish for revenge after they were left alone in the desolate wastes the War created. But they dared not fight Retania, for their physical weakness and lack of combat experience meant they would surely lose any war. But all that changed when they discovered the means to utilize the armies that now ravaged the lands and took it for the Molesin. A Molesar has never appeared on the battlefield, but their presence is felt by the high-quality equipment that the front line troops receive, including magiteknikal devices that can enhance the power of spirits, and communications intercepted a few days prior to the assault on Castle Ethos has shown that (according to a very excitable engineer) they are on the verge of "revolutionizing" warfare with a new type of weapon.
[] ...for it was the human language itself.
Man was not united. Not under one banner, of course, but not even under one purpose. The north of Retalor was not empty of human life as had been thought by most, but contained a new human nation that was built our of outcasts and exiles, formal and informal. After contact with Retania was reestablished, negotiations soon fell through, and with their newly acquired army the people decided that a first strike strategy would be optimal. Taking the people of the frontier by surprise, they showed mercy where they felt they could, and this has reaped grand rewards. Rear line security forces being made up of human militia and negotiators being able to speak as proper equals has softened the occupation significantly and given the advancing armies a much easier time of getting a surrender from enemy forces, for this is no war of extinction. There is also a more sinister side: infiltrators and spies can sneak behind enemy lines unnoticed to extract valuable information.
The fact that there was yet another issue to contend with as well as the obvious was hidden from the general public, as it was feared citizen morale could not at this time survive another blow like that. These were trying times indeed, and became yet worse when the enemy army shattered the stalemate by forcing a breakthrough and then managing to rapidly march to Castle Ethos. Now storming the nation's capital, they hoped to capture the Princess, leader of the unified nation. Still trapped inside, cut off from reinforcement and retreat by elite outriders, the situation looks dire for the nation. With their ruler on the verge of being taken hostage and their foe making gains across the entire front, all hope had been lost among the highest levels of the military. However, a chance remains for good to win the struggle: a hero will yet emerge.
The Hero (The Protagonist)
[] A Predestined Legend
The people of the land think no hero will emerge to save them, but only because they got their ancient prophecies in the wrong order, and thought that the second one came first, the one that said that if the Hero died in the climactic battle then none other would emerge after and the land would be plunged into an age of their invader's rule. However, evidence unearthed in the north revealed that the prophecy remains intact, and a new legend will rise to combat your threat. One of immense power, courage and skill, one who is fated to survive until the actual climactic battle and will cause immeasurable trouble until then. But crack teams of prophecy analysts have read everything they could find, and they think this is manageable. They are a variable to be planned about, nothing more. That said, their presence does make things more than a bit tricky to pull off...
[] An Otherworldly Presence
Danger! Blare the spacetime integrity runes of your capital's temple to the Great One Jackillarnathoskater, Lord of Planar Stability. A dangerous long-distance summoning ritual has been performed in Castle Ethos! The generals and leaders of the land cursed when they heard the news, for this changes things. With even greater potential than any legendary hero, this one could become an army-slaying warrior. At least signs indicate they don't start out that strong, and lack knowledge that could advance the foe's magical or technological base. They also probably won't stay down like they should, but it will be possible to delay their progress by laying them up for days or weeks with wounds in battle, hopefully for long enough to devise some kind of counter measure.
[X] An Unexpected Game-Changer
Things seem to go perfectly fine... for a while. But the army keeps taking surprising losses and defeats, strange events keep happening on an identifiable trail that gives significant breathing room to the Retanian forces. Nothing is explicitly unique about whoever they are, but someone or a group of someones is doing more than their part to push you back. Very difficult to pin down and deal with, but at least they're not incredibly powerful in a straight battle: mere regulars may pose a threat to them. Yet they are not a threat to be underestimated, as the trail of losses and woe they have left behind them should prove more than adequately. The most dangerous threat might be the most unpredictable one.
The people of the land think no hero will emerge to save them, but only because they got their ancient prophecies in the wrong order, and thought that the second one came first, the one that said that if the Hero died in the climactic battle then none other would emerge after and the land would be plunged into an age of their invader's rule. However, evidence unearthed in the north revealed that the prophecy remains intact, and a new legend will rise to combat your threat. One of immense power, courage and skill, one who is fated to survive until the actual climactic battle and will cause immeasurable trouble until then. But crack teams of prophecy analysts have read everything they could find, and they think this is manageable. They are a variable to be planned about, nothing more. That said, their presence does make things more than a bit tricky to pull off...
[] An Otherworldly Presence
Danger! Blare the spacetime integrity runes of your capital's temple to the Great One Jackillarnathoskater, Lord of Planar Stability. A dangerous long-distance summoning ritual has been performed in Castle Ethos! The generals and leaders of the land cursed when they heard the news, for this changes things. With even greater potential than any legendary hero, this one could become an army-slaying warrior. At least signs indicate they don't start out that strong, and lack knowledge that could advance the foe's magical or technological base. They also probably won't stay down like they should, but it will be possible to delay their progress by laying them up for days or weeks with wounds in battle, hopefully for long enough to devise some kind of counter measure.
[X] An Unexpected Game-Changer
Things seem to go perfectly fine... for a while. But the army keeps taking surprising losses and defeats, strange events keep happening on an identifiable trail that gives significant breathing room to the Retanian forces. Nothing is explicitly unique about whoever they are, but someone or a group of someones is doing more than their part to push you back. Very difficult to pin down and deal with, but at least they're not incredibly powerful in a straight battle: mere regulars may pose a threat to them. Yet they are not a threat to be underestimated, as the trail of losses and woe they have left behind them should prove more than adequately. The most dangerous threat might be the most unpredictable one.
And the conventional forces of good are far from gone. Even now, the Paladin and Knightly Orders are taking surviving blooded and elite units, reorganizing them under new and increasingly effective banners, crafting a sword from the men and women who have survived so far. And as this sword is being forged in the fires of war, so too do the merchants of the south call upon all their favors and riches to craft a great hammer from more and more brave soldiers equipped with the finest armaments that money alone can buy, bolstering their strength with forces from almost every known nation, acquiring new assets one way or another that sail in to the ports and move to fight at the front for every defeat they suffer. Yes, things have gone well so far but the war is far from over.
Where shall you stand by the end of this? What power and rank will you have obtained, and shall you have succeeded and defeated the enemy? But wherever you end, you shall surely start as a mere Villainous Grunt Captain.
Character Sheet:
Titles: The Captain, Knight-Captain, Carnifex Elite, Invader of Ethos, Elite Captain, Gunslinger, High Lord's Guardian, Dragoon Lord, Champion Slayer, Gunslinger God
Archetype: Barnin-Yun, Bug-Knight.
Company: The Victorious Blades
60 Armored Dragoons (Rifle + Bayonet, Backup Melee Weapon, Steel Armor)
40 Elite Guardians (Melee Weapon + Shield, Secondary Melee Weapon, Steel Armor. One or more enchanted.)
Equipment: Masterwork Holy RuneBlade: "Benediction of Judgement"
Suit of Steel Armor
Magical Barrier Generation Array
2x 5-Chamber Heavy Revolvers
Status: One-Armed and Dangerous
Individuals of Interest:
Allies: Special Weapons Engineer Boris.
The Ruination of Aeon, Elder Tyrant, Traitor.
The Dragoon Lords, Four Dragoon Lords.
Enemies: Princess Amethyst Reton, Princess of Retania.
The Last, "Las", Necromancer and Ally of Retania.
The Cult of the High Tower, Mysterious Organization.
Last edited:
- Location
- USA
[X] Torniels
[X] ...for it was in a strange speech.
[X] An Unexpected Game-Changer
[X] ...for it was in a strange speech.
[X] An Unexpected Game-Changer
Chronobreak
Chara Appreciator
- Location
- Chicago
- Pronouns
- He/Him
[X] Barnin-Tra
Insects.....BUGS. ALL ZE BUGZZ.
[X] ...for it was in a strangespeech.
War of Spite.
[X] An Otherworldly Presence
Killkillkillkill.
Insects.....BUGS. ALL ZE BUGZZ.
[X] ...for it was in a strangespeech.
War of Spite.
[X] An Otherworldly Presence
Killkillkillkill.
Rungni Khazadson
Just another random Runesmith!
- Location
- New Zealand
[X] Barnin-Tra
[X] ...for it was in a strange speech.
[X] An Otherworldly Presence
[X] ...for it was in a strange speech.
[X] An Otherworldly Presence
- Location
- The Great Beyond
- Pronouns
- He/She/They
[X] Torniels
[X] ...for it was of the Old Tongue.
[X] A Predestined Legend
[X] ...for it was of the Old Tongue.
[X] A Predestined Legend
- Location
- Minnesota
[X] Torniels
[X] ...for it was the human language itself.
[X] An Unexpected Game-Changer
[X] ...for it was the human language itself.
[X] An Unexpected Game-Changer
Ridiculously Average Guy
I'm you, but stronger
- Location
-
[X] Spirits
[X] ...for it was the human language itself.
[X] An Unexpected Game-Changer
[X] ...for it was the human language itself.
[X] An Unexpected Game-Changer
- Location
- USA
Torniels- We are bred for war, but unlike some bred armies we actually are intelligent and good at what we do including the generalship side. I don't think I have seen that before for a race that has high reproduction (at least that was my understanding with the spawning pools)
Strange Speech- They make magitek for us!!! And they do innovation. Magic and tech.
Strange Speech- They make magitek for us!!! And they do innovation. Magic and tech.
- Location
- nz
[X] Torniels
[X] ...for it was in a strange speech.
[X] An Otherworldly Presence
[X] ...for it was in a strange speech.
[X] An Otherworldly Presence
Night_stalker
Slava Ukraini!
- Pronouns
- He/Him
New
[X] Barnin-Tra
[X] ...for it was the human language itself.
[X] An Unexpected Game-Changer
[X] Barnin-Tra
[X] ...for it was the human language itself.
[X] An Unexpected Game-Changer
TheGrudgeKeeper
Keeper of Grudges and Awesomeness!
- Location
- Fighting Skaven and shit
[X] Barnin-Tra
[X] ...for it was in a strange speech.
[X] An Otherworldly Presence
[X] ...for it was in a strange speech.
[X] An Otherworldly Presence
- Location
- Home
[X] Spirits
[X] ...for it was of the Old Tongue.
[X] An Unexpected Game-Changer
[X] ...for it was of the Old Tongue.
[X] An Unexpected Game-Changer
MasterDrakus
DEUS SOL
- Location
- Minas Gerais, Brazil
[X] Barnin-Tra
[X] ...for it was of the Old Tongue.
[X] An Unexpected Game-Changer
[X] ...for it was of the Old Tongue.
[X] An Unexpected Game-Changer
- Location
- va
[X] Torniels
[X] ...for it was the human language itself.
[X] An Unexpected Game-Changer
[X] ...for it was the human language itself.
[X] An Unexpected Game-Changer
