|
Join the AAF Cartographer: Vlaskovic Historian: Artstotszka Guardian: Freechrist |
 Founded: January 20th, 2016 Motto:Where Dreams Become Story. We prefer a small closely-knit active community, than that of a large inactive loose-knit community |
The regional roleplays now can be found on the region's Regional Roleplay Dispatch that's pinned onto the WFE. |
| Welcome to Audaxia. We hope you enjoy your visit. You're currently viewing our forum as a guest. This means you are limited to certain areas of the board and there are some features you can't use. If you join our community, you'll be able to access member-only sections, and use many member-only features such as customizing your profile, sending personal messages, and voting in polls. Registration is simple, fast, and completely free. Join our community! If you're already a member please log in to your account to access all of our features: |
| [OPEN] The Last Stand; Continued from: The Invasion of Vandinium | |
|---|---|
| Topic Started: Mar 22 2016, 04:50 AM (2,017 Views) | |
| Vandinium | Mar 22 2016, 04:50 AM Post #1 |
|
---------------------------March, 21st 2018-------------------------------- --------------------------Falskaar Province, Cessius City, Above-Ground Command Center, 7:31AM--------- Footsteps rang through the hallways, echoing for what seemed like forever, the triple-thick bunker over the command center was an older model, and echos went on for about a mile... the walls still adorned with the old Imperial flag along with it's motto: 'Fight for what you believe is right', all written in Gothic font, all slightly smeared. Frederick himself was pacing, back and forth, just outside the busy command center, his own thoughts not fully collected as of yet that day. He took a moment for himself, a quick prayer to the gods, should they be looking over him, and to his father, whom he hoped was looking out for him, and he made his appearance into the command center, standing tall, proud and with a straight face, trying to remain stoic in his situation. He stood near the main console and looks over at Magnus. "Couldn't get sleep either?.." He spoke with an air of authority, every seat filled around them with a man or woman with a headset on, speaking whenever there was a request or a squad to organize. A woman comes running up to Frederick and holds over a mug of heated tea, he nods towards her and takes it, sipping away at it... before looking out at the monitors, the city outside made of concrete, sweat, snow, mud, bunkers, and soldiers.. old Katari monuments strut around, all virtually untouched by time, soldiers trained harder than they were before, new legionnaires pour in every day, expert soldiers with the best equipment money and experience can buy. He turns to Magnus again. "It's almost time.... Almost.. been a harsh winter, and a harsher resistance." He sips more of the tea before placing it down. "Magnus, I'm honestly not cut out for this military shit... logistics, management, and attrition, I'm good with that, but commanding troops, I will never be as good as Cessius." He beats up on himself for a moment before returning straight up. "I'm confident with my generals to win their battles..." Edited by Vandinium, Mar 22 2016, 05:25 AM.
|
 |
 
|
| Hawkwick | Mar 22 2016, 09:10 PM Post #2 |
Co-Keeper
|
--------------------------March 21st, 2018-------------------------- --------------------------Falskaar Province, Cessius City, Above-Ground Command Center, 7:31AM-------------------------- Magnus Ulfbert's grey-green eyes gazed through the console, as if pondering something. Or someone. A lot had been on his mind as of late. The sounds of the control room had blurred into noise, but one voice stood out. He didn't turn to face Fredrick, instead giving him a very slight nod as he kept looking at the console with his obviously sleep-deprived eyes. "Mhm." he grunted as he turned around, grabbing his mug and taking a small sip of the dark coffee. "Japao is just a distraction. Narheim knows what he's doing. As soon as they finish their troop rotation, they're going to fortify what they have. We're still at war." He turned back to the console, listening to Fredrick. "You don't have to be. Let the people who know what they're doing do their jobs. It's what Matterhorn did, and what Narheim's doing right now." He muttered, reflecting on Narheim momentarily. Despite the fact that Narheim had saved him from Matterhorn, he had also saved the Kaiser. And by all accounts, Markus was a bit unstable. Magnus thought a more appropriate word for his brother-in-law was mad. But he wasn't sure if his wife agreed. "But I was thinking about something." he said. "This would be a lot easier with international support." he said, repeating what he had said almost a year ago. "We could potentially have food, weapons...hell, even troops." he sighed. Spirits knew they weren't running low on those these days. He glanced at the new legionnaires on the console. "And if we can't get international support, we could get our friends. Everyone who hates the Union, at least to my knowledge. Valuable assets. I have a list, if you want to see it." he explained. The list was too short for him to take any comfort in it. --------------------------RAV Revenant, International Waters, Near Japao, 1:01PM-------------------------- Evelyn Jensen dug into the cup of Ramen, trying not to make a mess on the rocking supercarrier. It sure beat the rations that the Union served. Their search for Hellhorn in the last two days had turned up nothing. Only one known hideout remained, and the man was probably there. She didn't exactly know how to feel about it. One side of her remembered him as a raging asshole, and the other side remembered how much the people loved him. They were fanatical, even. And he was well-intentioned, at least initially. But that was years ago. Her opinion of him and her life had both changed since then. Partially because of him. She set the cup down momentarily, looking over at one of the RAAF computer screens in the room they had given her. It reminded her more of a cell, but that was what came with the cargo level. The steel door to her room opened, and Hinrich Reinhart walked in. "Pack your bags. You're leaving. Right now. Weszterberg's orders." he grumbled. "What?" she asked, a little thrown off by the sudden news. "It came from Amelie, like I said. She told me that your connections to Hellhorn may strain 'mission parameters' once he's captured, so you're being reassigned. Naturally, she went on about how invaluable your info's been, all that shit." he sighed. Evelyn bit her lip, considering what she had just heard. "Fuck." she whispered. "I wasn't expecting this." She continued, turning around to throw the ramen in the trash and pack her bag. Her hands went over to the jacket she had unpacked, grabbing it and throwing it in the bag. "Neither was I." echoed Reinhart's voice. Another shirt went in. "Where are they sending me, exactly?" she asked, putting her hand around her pistol that was laying on the desk. "Vandinium." reported Reinhart nonchalantly. "Fuck." she repeated, much louder this time. "That is not cool. Make sure that she knows it." she said, tossing the pistol into the bag, her eyes still focused on Reinhart. "This might be it." she said, gazing at her adoptive father. He was everything that Hans Jensen tried to be. At least to her. He nodded twice. "This is probably it. Stay safe and stay alive, EV. " They both hugged each other. And then she was off. Edited by Hawkwick, Mar 22 2016, 09:12 PM.
|
|
|
|
| Artstotszka | Mar 22 2016, 09:23 PM Post #3 |
|
The Royal Palace, Paradizna, Aurora, Artsotszka, March 21st, 2018 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- As the meeting of the Council of five drew to a close, opinions of the meeting differed greatly; Some were ecstatic, others disappointed. Jonas Ackner would very clearly fall into the latter category. Of noble origin, Ackner had gained the coveted position of advisor to the King of Solaria through a combination of Hardwork, Nepotism, and Underhanded tactics. As he exited the room he found the King conversing with several people, including a man he recognized as James Volukunov, a potential suitor for his daughter’s hand in marriage (and thus, the Solarian throne). The other two people in the group were also Volukunovs, one a younger girl with short blonde hair, and the other a lean brunette, however he didn’t know them personally. It was incredibly easy to pick them out in a crowd due to their purple eye color, however it gave you know clues as to which member of their family it was. As he quietly joined the group, James began speaking to the King again. “Are you sure that it’s a wise idea, favoring the Vandiniumites over a continued AU alliance? I have no love for the Altics, but counting on Vandinium seems like betting on a horse with 3 legs.” The king was quick to retort “Yes, but the Altics success is the problem; For every mile of Vandinium they occupy, the sooner they will try to invade Solaria and restore their empire of old” The blonde one (Alice Volukunov) spoke up, the surprise in her voice and her Vipuran accent noticeable. “I’m more surprised that Annalise agreed with the Council’s ruling. Normally a day doesn’t go by without her cursing the southerners, but to agree to actually smuggle weapons to their resistance? She must’ve really taken that attempt on ‘Bella’s life personally if shes willing to help Mr. Amnesia and his band of misfits.” The brunette (Sarah Volukunov) replied“I think it has to do with Grandfather Viktor passing away….Now that she can’t go to him for advice, she’s listening to Samuel quite a bit more.” Ah, Jonas remembered the walking tank of a half-breed that the Empress married. Of all the things he disliked about their illustrious ruler, her relationship with that savage had to be the worst offence. He had originally hoped the man would fall dead to spare the empire the shame, but instead She continued to consort and breed with the brute. As Jonas continued to stew in his hatred, the conversation continued without him, and eventually ended. But Jonas’s mind was racing. To actually support the Vandiniumites?! Their ancient enemy! Of all the things the Empress had done, from letting her be married with a human, to reproducing with that impure barbarian, or getting involved in the foreign civil wars! This had to be the final straw, and gods damn him if he didn’t let speak his mind. As he entered the throne room, he refused to marvel at the furnishings, the gold, purple, and red color scheme giving off a feeling of Imperial majesty. He noticed the Empress’s guards, the Praetorians, standing tall as statues on either sides of the room. In front of him, on her throne, sat Empress Annalise XVIII.  As he came to a stop, the hushed conversations in the room died down as the herald began: “All hail Her Grace, Annalise of House Volukunov, Eighteenth of Her Name, Empress of Artstotszka, Ruler of the Kitari and the Exiles, Chieftess of The Fourteen Tribes, Queen of Aurora and Guardian of the Component States." “Why is it that you have come to gain an audience with me? I do not recall planning this meeting.” As she spoke, she gave off an air of power and authority, and even he was intimidated a bit. “Your majesty, I know what your decision was at the meeting, and i’ve come to prevent you from making more terrible mistakes!”His angered shouting caused to guards to move forward in an attempt to arrest him, however with a flick of the Empress’s wrist, they stopped in their tracks 2 feet behind him.” “My Guards, do not detain him, I’m quite eager to learn of Mr….? “Jonas Ackner, of Solaria.” Ah yes, I’m intrigued to know Mr Ackner’s opinions on my rule…” The sarcasm was dripping off her words, and hushed whispering spread amongst the witnesses. “Your highness, agreeing to helping the Vandiniumites is a fool’s erand! I’ve tolerated many of your poor decisions, but this is a step too far!” “Oh? Perhaps you’d like to tell me of some of my ‘poor’ decisions.” It didn’t take much to launch Jonas into a tirade “First, you marry a Savage, then you squash our traditions and intervene in the squabbles of petty foreigners?! An-and then, you have the audacity to allow a HUMAN to become King of Vipura!?! You put abominations in line as the future heirs to the throne, you allow Altic ships to sail through our waters, y-y-you….(sigh). Eliza should have been Empress instead of you, she wouldn’t make such boneheaded MISTAKES!” “SILENCE!”. Something in his rant must have hit a nerve, and only now did he realize how far he overstepped his bounds. Annalise, in a slow, commanding voice, continued “Do you think of me as some lowly courtier, Mr. Ackner? When my dear sister Eliza Volukunov rejected the crown 4 years ago, Empress Annalise The Seventeenth, her arm clad in the trappings of royalty, placed this crown upon my head signifying by Divine Right and Law of Succession that I, Annalise The Eighteenth Volukunov, was to rule Artstotszka. That is why I am your Empress! You are not in Solaria anymore, where you have an modicum of power or respect; Yet you have the nerve to come to Aurora, and in my own palace, and question my decisions? You question the choices of my sister, you insult my husband, you DARE call my children abominations?” “GUARDS!” As she spoke, the two Praetorians flanking him roughly grabbed his arms, and looked towards their leader. “What would you like us to do, Your Majesty?” Annalise seemed to observe her hand for a moment, not even looking him in the eye when she spoke. “Execute him” Her reply was cold and nonchalant, as if she was pulling weeds from a garden. As Jonas panickedly screamed and pleaded for forgiveness as the guards dragged him away, Annalise rested both hands on her stomach as she slowly began to smile. Edited by Artstotszka, Mar 23 2016, 01:17 AM.
|
|
|
|
| Vandinium | Mar 24 2016, 10:47 PM Post #4 |
|
--------------------------March 21st, 2018-------------------------- --------------------------Falskaar Province, Cessius City, Above-Ground Command Center, 7:36AM-------------------------- Vandiniumite ration coffee tastes like mud, the dark coffee especially so. "Yes.... yes... I suppose your right, Cessius' training when it came to warfare honestly almost all went over my head... he did train the generals and commanders, I have a few still leading the army so... you're right.." He turns from viewing out of the port back at Magnus and sips at his tea... He didn't want to interrupt Magnus, giving him a chance to say his peace. "It's not my place to go out and beg for Vandinium." He begins, placing his tea down. "But, we are in a position where any help we can get would help, I think I already know who's on your list but... go ahead, lets here it." He grabs an empty chair and sits down, the creaking making him flinch, Fredrick didn't seem to trust these age-old chairs. |
|
|
|
| Wahland | Mar 26 2016, 10:12 AM Post #5 |
|
--------------------------March 22nd, 2018-------------------------- --------------------------Throne Room, Royal Palace, Zwickau, 1:30 p.m.-------------------------- Markus sat slumped on the throne, visibly disturbed. He hadn’t moved much from that position in the last month or two. All he could think about was his wife, trapped in some Vandiniumite prison, enduring the same torments he had gone through himself some years earlier. He refused to believe the possibility that she was dead. Somewhere deep in his gut, he knew she was alive. The only thing he wanted was her, the last few weeks he had begun to lose focus on the ongoing war. He repeatedly told Narheim the number one priority was getting Elisia back, and any other decision that needed to be made, he quickly delegated to Narheim while he sulked in his throne room, only occasionally appearing in a meeting with Narheim, although almost never in person. He didn’t want anybody to see him like this, unshaven, wearing days old clothes, and smelling like he just ran 20 miles, and any time an assistant tried to enter the room and bring him food, they were quickly met with a burst of anger and yelling. As the main double doors of the room creaked open, Markus reached for the nearest object, lifting it above his head, ready to chuck it across the room at whoever dared to disturb him, but just before he threw it, a familiar face entered. “Brother…” said Viktor. Markus stared blankly, it felt like it had been a decade since he last saw his brother, and everything came rushing back at once. He dropped the tablet that only seconds before he was about to embed in Viktor’s skull, and rushed toward his brother and grasped him in a tight hug, however Viktor did not return the hug with such passion. He put his hands on Markus’ shoulders looking him in the face. “Marky, we need to talk.” Viktor said. “Of course” Markus answered. He strode over to his throne slumping down on it, as Viktor paced around the room. The room was covered in paper, hundreds of intelligence reports on possible locations and clues to where the Vandinites were keeping Elisia. “Markus”, Viktor said. Markus’ head snapped back to him, his thoughts had trailed off for a moment, “Markus, I’ve heard rumors.” Viktor said. “About this war and its goals, About you.” Viktor said. “Some of it is pretty troubling.” Markus stared at him. “The Vandinites….I know they weren’t responsible Markus. You need to make this right.” Markus’ blank stare quickly turned, his eyelid began to twitch slightly and he became visibly irritated. “Viktor...you know how they are. You know they would kil-”, “I know they are misunderstood Markus.” Viktor cut him off with a frank tone. “I’ve spent enough time with them.” Markus’ looked astonished, “Lies! They are murderers, savages! You’ve seen what they did in Hawkwick. As long as Frederick is in power, no one is safe!” Markus exclaimed. “Frederick is the most misunderstood of them all Mark. He was just a kid, he practically still is. Instead of starting a war, maybe you should have just TALKED with them.” Viktor said. Markus’ eyes began darting around the room, “No, you cannot talk to someone who won’t listen. All they understand is force...POWER, and that’s exactly what we’ve shown them, and we will end it...SOON.” Markus said. “Please, for the sake of your wife...your child...your SANITY. Make peace. She is rotting in Vandinium because of what you’ve done, you need to end this.” Viktor said. “How dare you speak of her.” Markus’ attitude took a dramatic shift. “Don’t you ever speak of her. They stole her from me! She was just another victim of theirs. I gave her what she deserved, a chance to make them feel what she felt her whole life.” Markus said. “Exaclty, she is exactly back where she started, because YOU sent her there, the Vandinites aren’t perfect, and maybe they never will be, but then again we aren’t either, and committing the same brutal acts won’t make things right Markus. You’re delirious.” Viktor said. “NO. You’re just like THEM!” Markus yelled. “How dare you come here and try to pursuade me to give in to them. They will feel my pain till the very last man!” He continued. “I will kill every last one of them if that’s what it takes.” Viktor took a step back, his brother huffing and puffing in rage. “Well you’ll have to do it without Artstotszkan help...I came here to try and end this, they will no longer support your cause, the world is beginning to see it for what it is. You’re not right Marky… whatever they did to you, it changed you.” He said. He had struck the final nerve, “They made me STRONG! They showed me the TRUTH! The Altics need a strong, powerful leader, and that’s what they made me. The Vandinites failed to see it… and so did our father...and now YOU. You TRAITOR. I want you out of my sight..go back to the Artstotszkans… tell them I don’t need their help. I will kill every last Vandinite that stands in my way. NOW GO! Guards!” A small security team burst through the doors. Viktor turned and looked at his brother a final time, “Markus, if you’re actually in there. I love you.” Markus turned and walked the other way, “GO!” |
|
|
|
| Artstotszka | Mar 26 2016, 10:22 AM Post #6 |
|
The Royal Palace, Paradizna, Aurora, Artsotszka, 3/22/18 2:10 AM ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- After Jonas Ackner was executed by 2 members of the Praetorian Guard, the Palace had been a flurry of activity; While few support what he had done, many in the reactionary party attempted to jump ship, expecting a purge (After all, a similar situation occurred in 1409, when the captured human leader Stefan Kresge claimed Anya The Great had no right to rule; She ended up mounting his family’s heads on pikes). The order, however, never came; Annalise calmly left the throne room, and retired to her chambers for the night. It had to of been 2 or 3 in the morning by the time he got home from fixing the situation at the Palace. After changing into his sleepwear and doing his usual “before-bed” routine, he sat on the edge of his bed to collect his thoughts. So much had changed, and he worried about his sisters; After he relayed the news, he’d never seen Annalise so, so… shaken. And gods only know Isabella’s reaction when she gets the news; She’s been a nervous wreck ever since that attack in Vandinium, and if it weren’t for her whole “hero crush” on her husband then he was sure she’d have been sleeping behind a wall of barbed-wire. He made sure Viktor was the one to tell her, hopefully that would calm her-. james ‘s thoughts were disrupted when he felt a pair of arms wrap around him. Smiling sadly, he turned his head to see his girlfriend, Danièle. “I thought you’d be asleep by now” “I knew something was wrong when you stayed late. You never stay late, not unless something bad happened. What's wrong Jamie?” She knew him so well. Frowning again, he looked blankly at the wall before answering, “I... well...Eliza died tonight..” “Your sister? I thought the doctors said she had good chances-” “Yeah, well, the doctors were wrong!” She seemed surprised at his raised tone. “I-I, sorry, I didn’t mean to snap at you. But no 'good chance' is a sure thing. They thought she might make it, but she passed away from blood loss at around midnight. All she ever wanted to was to live a normal life, and even that got taken from her.” “Did…did the-” “Yeah, the baby survived, Matilda Volukunov, healthy and with an average weight. Though in reality, I think things will just get worse from here on.” “Why’s that?” “When I told my mom the news, she asked if she could adopt the baby, and Anna flipped out on her; I almost thought she was gonna end up like that solarian adviser from earlier today. I don’t know what we’re gonna do, but i’ll bet you money that Anna keeps Mom outta this. I guess she always did have a favorite-.” His ranting was interrupted by her giving him a kiss on the cheek, before speaking. “Come on Jamie, I think it’s time we go to bed. I’ve seen you when you don’t get enough sleep”. She bounced backwards into her spot on the bed, with a big doofus grin on her face. She always did know how to cheer him up. He smiled back, moving close to her, his mind pushing back his tangled web of worries to tomorrow. After all, he never really was in this for the politics anyway Edited by Artstotszka, Mar 26 2016, 10:25 PM.
|
|
|
|
| Hawkwick | Mar 27 2016, 01:44 AM Post #7 |
|
Co-Keeper
|
--------------------------March 21st, 2018-------------------------- --------------------------Above-Ground Command Center, Cessius City, Falskaar Province, 7:32AM-------------------------- Magnus smirked at the Emperor. "No, but it doesn't stop me from begging for Hawkwick." he said, placing the coffee down, having had enough. "First, the Nations. Artstotszka is a prime bet. I'm sure you've already given that one some thought." he said, pausing to think. "Next, uh, Wahland. I know, I know, it's a long shot, but they could maybe get the opportunity to set up some mining or something here. And the League of Monarchs, too, they could be potential allies. Moreland, The, uh, The Teutonic Union. We could use them. We could even issue an international call for help. For Hawkwick, not for Vandinium, if you don't want to beg." "Now, second, the people. I have reason to suspect that Janus Wulfar is a royalist, and in control of the Hlymrek region in Hawkwick right now. There's, uh, there's, Hinrich Reinhart fled the Union and the NFA. Now he lives in Wahland. I think. He was a Hans Jensen supporter back in the old days. We have a mole at Blackhorn, Arngeir, and I know an Altic Lieutenant General that is due to arrive at the front lines in a couple days wants to defect as well." He listed, pausing momentarily to take another sip from his shitty coffee. He sighed, wondering where his sister was off to. He was getting worried these days. "Where's Ava, Fredrick?" he asked, just trying to pass the time. He was sure his twin sister could handle herself. *** Ava Ulfbert was two rooms away, conversing with a potential candidate for Royalist military leadership. Jackson Brody was Wahlsh, born and raised, but he had experience fighting as a contractor against Blackwatch in Vandinium, and, most recently, in Renoveria, during that whole ordeal that happened down there. They had been talking for an hour or so. "-and yes, I did fight the Hawkwickans, briefly. 2012 was a hectic year. Lots of side switching, side creating, that whole ordeal. I guess I want to apologize to your nation for destroying one of your anti-air radars." he chuckled. "I realize you're trying to clear my credentials, make sure I'm not a spy, or whatever, but I will tell you this right now. I was on an outbound flight at Zwickau and I saw what those men did. Those men- and I saw those men. Those men did not come from Vandinium. They were liars. Altics playing dress-up. I know the truth behind this war. And it's not right for me to keep it silent. So I'm here to do what I'm good at. I'll train your troops, I'll command your armies, and your nation, to victory. This I swear." Ava nodded. "For Hawkwick?" Brody nodded. "Yeah, for Hawkwick. Ah, beautiful world we live in, where I have to clarify which nation I'm fighting for, and only by talking to one person." he grinned. "Although I am a merc, so don't get your hopes up, your Grace. I am still expecting to be paid." he continued, the grin not disappearing. Ava nodded, unamused. "No shit." she said, deadpan. She often dropped formality for those who did not like it, and she could tell right now, that Jack was not a fan of it. It often helped with securing deals. And this one appeared to have been secured. She shook the man's hand and saw him disappear to his new quarters. A new voice called from the doorway, as she got up. "Nice work." said Magnus, leaning and grasping an empty coffee cup. He had finished whatever conversation he had been having with Fredrick. She frowned. "Were you listening?" she asked, getting up and beginning to walk towards the door. "Yes." he said. She ignored him, trying to go out the door past him. She felt a hand on her arm. "What, what is it?" she asked her brother, mildly annoyed. "You okay?" he asked. She sighed. She'd been wanting someone to ask this question for a while. And this time, it appeared Magnus had actually asked it before Fredrick. "Sorry...it's just, you ever get that feeling that we're fucked?" she asked. Magnus shrugged. "Yeah." he said. Ava wasn't amused. "It's not funny, okay? I'm talking about-" she stopped, interrupted. "I know exactly what you're talking about, Ava. But you can't crumble. Don't think about it. Not now. Right now you have to focus on living your life. Do it for Valeria. Nations be damned." he said. Ava nodded. "Y-yeah. Yeah." she said, hugging her brother. She took comfort in the fact that she wasn't the only one in this gods-forsaken bunker with the same opinion of the situation. "Now go, do what you can. Don't die." she said, with a slight smirk. It had been the sarcastic advice they gave themselves before taking tests back in high school. Considering how close to death they'd both come, it was a little ironic now. --------------------------March 26th, 2018-------------------------- --------------------------Over Vantakatari, Occupied Vandinium, 1:23PM-------------------------- The sun shined bright on the burned and bombed husk of the Vandinium Royal Palace. The Union forces that had taken this portion of the city had inherited the remains of the Royal Palace, but refrained from setting up any sort of command center inside of it. Instead, the command center was set up near the old governmental complex, with the entire square completely locked down and fortified. As far as anyone could tell, only a small observation post remained at the palace. So, when the helicopter carrying Evelyn Jensen flew right past the fortified square on towards the palace, she quickly turned her head to face the soldier sitting in the chopper next to her. "Uh, mate, what's the problem?" she asked, glancing at the increasingly larger Palace below them. She did not want to go anywhere near that place, that was sure. "It's the loading dock, lady, you're gonna have to walk or get a ride, if you got business up at the Square." said the soldier in a very heavy Eldenheim accent. She sighed, turning to face the door as the helicopter touched down into the mud. The sun was exceedingly bright today, and it had shown, leaving a torrent of mud wherever it touched the previous week's snow. She opened the door and hopped out, sinking about an inch or two. Even the helipad was covered in this shit. She turned to face the road out of the palace, and tried, but failed, to get several vehicles to stop for her. "Shit." she muttered in frustration, eventually deciding just to walk. It would take an hour or two, but hopefully she'd get more acquainted with the new Vandinium in the meantime. Maybe her doubts about actually joining DRAGON would get some credibility. Several patrols passed her as she walked towards the palace. All of the men were still wearing the winter camouflage at this point, although most had rolled their sleeves up today. Another twenty minutes up the road, she saw Union soldiers performing a violent search on a suspected criminal. Undoubtedly just some poor sod who had gotten himself lost throughout the maze of rubble that the city had become. The occasional gunshot rang out in the distance, the occasional tank or yell in English or in Altic rang out, but it was oddly quiet. People who were out on the street walked quickly, and nobody made any attempt to have a bit of fun, at least when in view of the Union. Every restaurant, every bar and every club, was totally empty. She eventually passed an archway flanked by two men in a uniform she didn't recognize, but as she passed them, she realized the men must be Vandiniumite Traitors, now in the service of the AU, undoubtedly as provisional troops or something similar. As she reached the fortification at the barrier to the square, she pulled out her DRAGON credentials and showed them to the heavily armored man at the barricade. "Go in." he said gruffly. Every Union soldier still kept their faces masked. It sure dehumanized them, but she supposed that was the point. The square was relatively intact, with any craters being patched by white Altic concrete. She turned to go to a building that likely had some sort of government function, entering through the front door and making the first left. "Ah, Jensen. I've heard about you." said the man inside. "Have you?" she asked, pulling out the part of the mission briefing that she had gotten. This was definitely the room. She heard angry yelling outside. A round of shooting. Silence. Prisoners being executed, probably. Sounds that only perpetuated the fact that she didn't want to be here at all. "Well, get to it, then, Adler. What's our assignment?" she asked, tired of formality. Especially within DRAGON. They were spies. If they wanted to do something formally, they might as well just not perform espionage. Heinrich Adler looked mildly surprised. "Alright, straight to the point, then? You'll be tasked with all operations regarding Wahland and their interests in Vandinium. It's no easy task, but I'm handling every other nation's interests, so I think you can handle it." Evelyn bit her lip. At least this sounded like a relatively safe job. Edited by Hawkwick, Mar 27 2016, 01:47 AM.
|
|
|
|
| Vandinium | Mar 30 2016, 10:16 PM Post #8 |
|
--------------------------March 21st, 2018-------------------------- --------------------------Above-Ground Command Center, Cessius City, Falskaar Province, 7:38AM-------------------------- The Emperor strokes at his growing mustache... not bushy yet.. barely even a mustache.. he tied it up into two small strings... hoping that it will grow out to be as bushy as his grandfather's... He glances back.. "Then I need you to do the begging for me, but we need to show that the A.U. is weak, so when we get help we can get more, since making the A.U. will increase the odds in their eyes for potential gain... got to break a few eggs.." He finishes his tea and puts it down. "Get every royalist you can, the gods are on our side... An independent, peaceful Hawkwick can be achieved if they rebel against this Unholy Union. We have killed one another for centuries, soo much blood spilled by our people, yet we forget our blood a true Monarch leads his people in peace as well as war, now is the time for war, but peace beckons.." he seems to get his confidence back up... Turning around. "I let her roam, she's somewhere in the base, check her room first." "I'm beginning Operation Ein Meer von Blut." He turns back to Magnus as he walks away. "You have till 5, tell your royalists to don a red dot in the middle of their flag, and to smudge out the AU flag pin on their vests with a red marker or whatever they can find, my Civilian Legions won't be able to tell the difference if they don't do so..." He turns back and looks at all monitors before yelling out. "Code Yellow!" --------------------------March 26th, 2018-------------------------- --------------------------Vantakatari, Occupied Vandinium, 5:00PM-------------------------- There was an odd amount of silence, all resistance broke down in the former capital, the sun shining fully after a mid-morning shower... melting some of the ice on the mud yet again creating a further sloppier roads and countryside, another winter storm supposedly on its way fallowed by another cold front. Even Altic Union patrols would remark that it was too quiet, the people were never placated, even though being slaughtered in their resistance they were firmly resistant, using the 'last man' doctrine to stand against them. Not a single gunshot was heard for three hours, and the people seemed surprisingly placated. This all broke as soon as 5:00PM hit in Vandinum, all chaos broke loose. First it was one patrol radioing in being attacked by resistance fighters, then it was twelve, thirty, and soon the entire city erupted in urban combat. An Altic convoy filled with reinforcements and relief supplies were caught right in the middle. Shoulder-mounted missile launchers fired from cleared buildings into Altic Vehicles, fallowed by a hail of machine-gun fire from businesses, fallowing that was a fanatical charge from both sides of the convoy, men and woman, holding ancient bolt-action rifles bayonets attached charged into dazed Altic soldiers, skewering some, others were gunned down, but several make it to groups where the fanatics loosen their jackets to show bomb vests before setting off the vest, sending shrapnel in every direction around them.. Vandiniumite jets fly overhead, firing several high-explosive missiles into verified fortifications. --------------------------Nea Cesscara, Vandinium-Altic Borders, 5:00PM-------------------------- "Code Red!" "Code Red Code Red Code Red!" Legionnaires mobilized behind the lines, the ones on the front lines charged out, the new battle tanks flowing through the muddy terrain with ease, the smaller more advanced tanks speeding past defenses broken by bombardment by Vandiniumite Airforce.. they maneuver around and blast into the flanks and rears of Altic soldiers, tanks, fortifications, supplies, softening up the Altics from behind while the Legions push forward, hard, with the help of the Civilian Legions resisting and causing utter chaos in the mud... Legionarrie Sevenoscovitch Drăculești sat near the back of the APC, listening carefully to the screams and the orders over communications, tanks were pushing through, he looks around at the men around him, some seeing battle all their lives and some barely seeing battle at all.. some young fighting aged men, others older hardened veterans, the Centurion made his voice heard. "Icscht Is thime, READY! Legion! Say your prayers to your gods and your ancestors, then finally say your prayer to mother Dra, mother to us all! Now!.. Make your final preparations to meet your ancestors, for if we are to die today, our ancestors will greet us as in birth, in death! The Enemy has yet to do the same, drag as many of those disgusting traitors to the afterlife as you can! Dra Invicta!" The Legionarries repeat. "Dra Invicta!" The Centurion Bellows. "Dra Eternia!" The Legionarries repeat. "Dra Eternia!" He begins them into a chant in Romani to boil their blood. "Rubrum Legiones, Maxa Imperator, Para Mortem, Fatum Terminatum!".. They continued with the chant as the forward tanks shatter the front lines. Edited by Hawkwick, Apr 1 2016, 06:41 PM.
|
|
|
|
| Wahland | Apr 4 2016, 11:35 PM Post #9 |
|
--------------------------March 23rd, 2018-------------------------- --------------------------Vipura, Artstotszka, 11 p.m.-------------------------- Viktor had only just stepped off his plane when his phone went off, his child was about to be born. Immediately he called for a car and rushed his way to the palace. After what he’d been through the past few months and all the chaos surrounding him, there was nothing he wanted more than to meet his child. Only fifteen minutes later he rushed through the doors of his wife’s room where doctors were helping her through labor. Viktor rushed to the side of her bed, where she was wincing in pain, a small sigh of relief coming over her. Viktor clutched her hand and she squeezed as tight as she could giving it one final push. A loud cry echoed through the room as baby Karoline drew her first breath. The doctor wrapped her in a small blanket handing her to Isabella. The baby opened her eyes, her bright purple eyes peering up with curiosity. Viktor could see a small ring of blue around the edge of her iris, the strong Altic genes shining through. He stroked her silvery white hair and Kitari ears softly. Viktor looked down at Isabella, kissing her on the forehead. “Viktor.” She said. “She’s beautiful.” Viktor nodded, “For two cultures that have clashed for centuries, we do make beautiful kids.” He chuckled. Isabella smiled, “Viktor...now that I’m a mom, I want to devote my time to her”, she said looking down at baby Karoline again. “I want you to take my place.” Viktor looked at her again “Are you sure...an Altic sitting on the council?” Viktor asked. “Annalise might have a stroke.” He laughed. “I want to spend every waking moment with her”, Isabella continued. “I know they will listen to you, and you can help end the conflict. I trust in you to lead Vipura.” Viktor nodded, “Of course. I love you, and her.” He said, looking down at Karoline, kissing her on the head. --------------------------March 26th, 2018-------------------------- --------------------------Remote Outpost, Occupied Vandinium, 5:00PM-------------------------- Dominik sat huddled in his small bunker, a small industrial heater failing to warm the small structure. A light drizzle left a mist hanging in the evening air, turning the snow into thick mud. The small combat outpost was situated on a small hill overlooking a small village below. Surrounded by thick trees about 100 meters away on each side. He had been stuck in that COP for nearly two months now, and he was beginning to become restless, as had the other two dozen soldiers holed up in the COP. The fighting had nearly stopped completely, except for an occasional pot shot from one of the villagers, but he hadn’t heard a gunshot in days. Then, finally, a call came over the radio, a villager was approaching the outpost. Dom grabbed his rifle and helmet and walked toward the entrance. The villager stood about 50 meters from the OP. “Sir”, one of the soldiers spoke up, “She says she has information on the insurgents and our missing men.” Over the last month or so several patrols had gone missing, and Dom no longer sent patrols to scout the surrounding area. Dominik took out a pair of binoculars and looked toward the woman. She was dressed in civilian clothes, and held a small bundle of papers in her hand. “That’s it?” Dom replied. “Yes sir. She says she knows where they're being held.” he said. “She won’t say anything else?”, Dom replied. “No sir, she wants to make a deal.” The soldier said. “Well shit, it’s the only intel we’ve gotten in weeks. We’ll go check her out.” Moments later Dom and four other soldiers slowly approached the woman. A sniper back in the COP had his rifle aimed dead center of her forehead, ready to dispatch the woman at the first glance of trouble. After they got within 10 meters of her, they ordered her to lay flat on the ground with her hands behind her head, and the woman followed the instructions. Dominik remained about 10 meters away as the three of the soldiers moved to secure the woman. The men walked over and grabbed the woman’s hands and zip tied them before lifting her up to do a body search. The woman began mumbling something under her breath, and as the soldier unzipped her jacket, a faint beeping could be heard. “SHIT! Bom-” before anyone had time to react the bomb detonated, instantly killing the three soldiers, and sending Dominik flying backward, instantly knocked unconscious. He regained consciousness only seconds later, as all hell was breaking loose. Dom rolled over, pushing himself up off the ground. He wiped the mud from his face and looked toward the treelines and saw gunfire spewing from them at an unbelievable volume. He managed to get himself to his feet, and took off in a sprint toward the outpost. Just before he reached it a bullet hit him in the leg and he fell to the ground. He cried out in pain and clenched his leg, only a flesh wound. Two soldiers dragged him backward into the relative safety of the COP. Once inside, a young Sergeant ran up to him. “Sir, they hitting us from all sides.” Just as he finished a loud whine could be heard...artillery. A round landed directly on a watchpost built of sandbags, obliterating the structure. The soldiers continued to fight with whatever they had, but they were undersupplied and already running low on men. As the minutes dragged on, more and more men fell, and Dom frantically tried to call for reinforcements with no answer. Within five minutes the Vandiniumites threatened to completely overrun the outpost. With each wave the enemies grew closer and closer to the walls. Several minutes later as a heavy rain began to fall, the Vandiniumites got close enough to start scaling the walls. Dominik sat in the middle of the outpost repeating the calls for help over the radio. He looked to his right as a massive explosion ripped through the outpost, they had breached the walls. Vandiniumites poured through overrunning the soldiers inside. Dom stood up taking out his pistol, and emptied the clip before a Vandiniumite saw him and fired a round, hitting him in the shoulder. Dom collapsed to the ground. As he watched the Vandiniumites slaughter the remaining soldiers, his vision blurred and he fell unconscious, the taste of blood and mud in his mouth. --------------------------April 3rd, 2018-------------------------- --------------------------Above-Ground Command Center, Cessius City, Falskaar Province, 3 PM-------------------------- Despite the chaos surrounding her, Mallorie found peace in a small courtyard of the Command Center. High walls surrounded it, and there was a small still-frozen fountain where she sat. Over the last couple months she had spent a large amount of time sitting at the fountain thinking of her family, and life before the war. She thought of the hunts she would go on with her father and brothers. She missed those days. In the back of her mind she could see how Markus had always been slightly off. He and their father had never been close, and never saw eye to eye on any issues. Where her father would take his time to stalk and track his hunt, Markus would fire at the first given chance. Her father would use every last bit of the animal while Markus would kill simply for the adrenaline rush. ‘I should have seen it…’ she thought to herself. ’If I had seen it sooner this never would have happened.’ Despite everything her brother had done, she still loved him deeply. She knew that HARM had changed him. No matter how crude he could be before, Matterhorn and his goons had made him snap. The silence of the courtyard was broken by the sharp creak of a metal door and Mallorie was drawn back to reality. She looked up to see Magnus standing in the doorway, holding a small folder. ”Fredrick’s people finally found something interesting for you.” He said, jiggling the folder up above his head, before beginning to slowly stroll over to her. He sat next to her, keeping the files in his lap. His grey-green eyes scanned her, making sure nothing was wrong. He was always worried about her these days, and the fact that she had been spending hours at a time at a fountain hadn’t given him much comfort. ”You okay?” he asked her quietly, the concern coming through slightly in his voice. She looked him in the eyes, she knew she couldn’t hide it. “It’s just...my family. I can’t stop thinking about them. About how it was before…” she said. Magnus’s mind turned to his family, to his father’s face. Then to his sister, and to their talk about hope the other day. People were slowly crumbling around him. Dying, or falling apart. But one thing remained perfectly clear to him: he couldn’t let that happen to his wife. He knew her family situation was fucked. He knew the grief of losing his parents. But, he knew nothing of having his family driven apart. She did. ”Mal…” He started, droning off almost immediately. He couldn’t think of anything worthwhile to say, so instead, he took her hand. ”It’s...yeah. The world’s fallen apart. Just don’t think about it. About them. About him. Please. I can’t--I won’t see you fall apart, too. I won’t let that happen.” he continued. Mal was one of the last things he had. “As long as we have each other, that’s all that matters. We’ll have our own family soon enough.” She replied. “I just want to end this. What’s in the folder?” she asked. Magnus smiled a bit at the thought of finally getting a family together. Maybe with a new name. Ava had already taken Fredrick’s. And Ulfbert itself was a fabricated name. He brushed away the thought. The folder was more important now. ”Wyvern Network access codes for some secondary RAAF facility. This one’s in...huh. Central Hawkwick. This might be it, Mal. This might be the key. We might have a legitimate place for you to do your magic.” By ‘magic’ he meant ‘hacking’. While not widely known, Mal was a brilliant hacker. If there was a backdoor into any network or system, she could find it. While she did love the outdoors, Mal would much rather sit on a computer slaving over bits of code any day. Growing up, both her brothers were the sports players and athletes, but Mallorie had always taken a liking to technology and computers. In Heimar she had attended the Royal Zwickau Institute of Technology, earning a bachelor’s in computer and network engineering in only two years, before leaving for Vandinium, forced into politics by her family. “So, you want me to break into an RAAF network?” She asked. Magnus shook his head. ”I’m not a fan of the idea. It would involve my wife going off to gods-know-where to break into one of the most secure facilities outside of Blackhorn. But Brody and Wulfar seem keen on it. So do Fredrick’s people. I’ll leave the choice up to you.” he said, kicking up the snow that had accumulated at the base of the fountain. She thought hard for a moment, she didn’t want to leave Magnus, but at the same time she knew she had to do anything to help, and this could end the war if successful. “There’s nowhere I’d rather be than here with you, but we can’t pass up an opportunity like this.” Magnus nodded slowly. ”You’re sure? Because if you are, we need to get this whole shitstorm underway, as soon as possible.” he asked. It never hurt to double check, with him. “I’m sure. I can write up some code and have it ready by tomorrow. What will security be like? I don’t have any combat experience, and the only time I've fired a weapon is hunting with my dad.” she explained. Magnus nodded, mildly surprised she hadn’t gotten the opportunity back at the Palace. ”Since we are talking about around-the-clock high-security, we’re probably going to have some top-notch people working with you. Royalists, Fred’s Special Forces, even. We’ll get the best.” He said, an idea regarding the guards for the operation forming in his head. He threw it out. No. He couldn’t do that. He put the folder in Mal’s lap, retracting his hand from hers and standing up slowly. ”Hang in there, Mal. I love you.” He said. “I love you too Mag.” she said with a soft smile. Throwing his furry collar up and walking back towards the gate, he turned around, getting another glimpse of his wife. ”See you later today, then?” he asked her. “Of course”, she said. |
|
|
|
| Artstotszka | Apr 4 2016, 11:40 PM Post #10 |
|
The Royal Palace, Paradizna, Aurora, Artsotszka, 3/28/18 2:10 AM -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  The atmosphere inside the council chamber was tense, to say the least. Viktor’s assumption of power in Vipura had, contrary to all expectations, changed Vipura’s vote from ‘Neutrality’ to ‘Anti-Altic’. This of course had triggered a 3-hour back and forth debate amongst the various rulers, with no end in sight… “You dare trust the opinion of this outsider on Kitari matters?!” The Viceroy of New Takorra, Bradely Riley, had been irate ever since Viktor had changed Vipura’s vote. Even now, he was staring daggers at the Vipuran King. “He is only ruling because of political marriages, and-” He was cut off by Vinzenz Visscher, Grand Prince of Zwitelgiest. “Is it not true that you are in power due to politics as well Riley? If the New Takorrans actually knew how to run a country then you’d be out of a job.” “My Job is to guide the New Takorrans while they integrate into the Empire! Yet you somehow everyone here trusts my opinion less than that of an Altic National, the brother of the King himself!” “If even the brother of the King disapproves of the Altic Union, then surely that must highlight how dangerous they’ve become-” “And yet the King of Solaria disagrees with his assessment; This is a man who has ruled since before you were born, and I value his judgement far more than some Altic Royal. The only reason he even sits in this room is because he’s fucking a Volukunov-!”\ Having remained silent while her subordinates argued with each other, Bradley's comment had been a step too far, and it was now time to intervene. Before Viktor could attempt defend himself, she calmly held her palm up to him to cut him off, while glaring at the newly-silenced New Takorran leader. “Viceroy, I recommend you hold your tongue, before I have it removed.” Riley wisely quieted down, with King Konrad now voicing his concerns. “We can’t morally interfere in this war. This was caused by a brutal Vandiniumite massacre of hundreds of innocent civilians.” Viktor replied in turn. “I’m sorry Konrad, but we can’t follow our morals on this; War doesn’t decide who's right, war decides who's left.” A tense silence fell over the chamber; everyone was uncertain how to continue. Annalise, tiring of this petty bickering, broke the silence. “Now, if you have no further reasons for opposition, then I will confirm this vote in favor of stopping ALL support to the Altic Union-” “New Takorra will not comply”. A harsh silence overtook the room, and Annalise once again looked at the up-in-arms Viceroy. “Excuse Me?” “The Treaty of Elso in 1513, signed between your forerunner Empress Annalise XII and The Council of Elso, confirmed the autonomy of New Takorra from Empire matters. As I have not supported this course of action, I will this veto any attempt to use New Takorran resources for intervening in these petty Human squabbles.” The room erupted into murmurs, with Riley smirking amusedly at his clever diplomatic footwork. Annalise, however, was not amused. “You think that any matter not concerning your city states is ‘Not your concern’? You refuse to protect Artstotszkan power in the North, against the more highly valued recommendations of King Viktor or even Emperor Samuel ?! And yet, even after all that you-you… DARE speak of rebellion in my Empire! You think that a piece of paper, signed by my ancestor still applies over 500 years and the annexation of New Takorra, has ANY VALUE!?” By now she was standing, gripping the table with white knuckles while her gleaming silver armor gave her an imposing aura. “Let me be very clear, Viceroy Bradely Riley… I do NOT tolerate such dissent within my Empire, and I will put you down like a dog if you dare continue this line of thought.” She lowered her voice, ignoring the rest of the room while she focused slowly on The Viceroy. “Your ancient veto, is nothing against my modern artillery. “ “Do i make myself clear, Viceroy?” “Y-yes ma’am.” “Excellent. Consider yourself relieved of your post, I will vacate New Takorra’s seat on this council until they finish holding their governmental referendum. “ She then Glanced over at the other “No” voter, The King of Solaria. “King Konrad, will I have any problems with Solaria complying?” He stood up to meet Annalise’s gaze, with several seconds of silence surrounding their unspoken battle of words. Then, he grinned, before extended his hand and responded in Altic “Ich verspreche, mein Leben , Ehre und Blut zu dir, mein Kaiser , Annalise Der achtzehnte Volukunov !” Shaking his hand and grinning back, Annalise understood the subtle message in his words. Unlike Jonas or Bradley, perhaps some people were finally realizing that she was the ruler her mother could never be, a ruler fit to wear a crown. |
|
|
|
| 1 user reading this topic (1 Guest and 0 Anonymous) | |
| Go to Next Page | |
| « Previous Topic · War Roleplays · Next Topic » |
9:41 PM Jul 11