Knight Kat

A discussion took place in FC chat last night over how many players play characters that are ICly "Jobs" (Dragoon, Paladin, Scholar, Black Mage, Warrior, etc.), and how many play IC "Classes" (Archer, Lancer, Gladiator, Thaumaturge, etc.). I believed most, or a large percentage of characters play Jobs. Another believed most play Classes. It was a lighthearted discussion, and I hope to keep this the same way. I am not looking to scrutinize characters, or argue against someone playing certain types of characters. I am not really looking to make anyone feel like they need to present lore information to support their character (even though I usually like to discuss lore). I also know that many characters fall into categories outside of the narrow Jobs and Classes of the game. I tried to include as many options as I could think of in the poll. Please vote. If you feel like it, I'd love to read about what your character is, and maybe why you chose to make them that way. Edit: Oops, I didn't allow multiple choices in the poll. Choose the best poll choice for your main character, but feel free to post about your other characters as well. -- I'll start.

[align=center]Judgement of Blood[/align] “By the time we caught up with Enju, he had trapped the Blood Witch. She had done all she could to fend him off, and he was not unscathed, but he was driven by the same determination we all had that sun. We defeated her monsters, and most of us bore little injury to show for it. That sun, every one of us were warriors. That sun, the Twelve had been with us. We were ending the havoc of the Blood Witch. We aided him in her capture. After being knocked out, the Blood Witch was defeated and helpless. Finally, our battle was over. But our judgment had just begun. In the Wailer reports, she was arrested a generation ago for a crime that only a monster would commit. She was certainly a monster now as well. But there was aught that did not make sense. Did she kill many children for alchemy research? Mayhaps, but aside from words on a paper, we had no proof. It mattered not, for the crimes she had committed that sun alone - the murdering of all in the village - was enough for me to want to end her immediately. In the past, I would have ended her immediately… None of us ended her. Something more was happening in the Shroud. Others like the Blood Witch had been pursued, and some were even captured. It was possible to cleanse them of their powers. It was possible to question them. One had been questioned, and his story told of a voidsent that had power over all of these corrupt mages. After all, people in a prison do not disappear into the void for no reason. Something either aided them, or stole them. The Blood Witch had ranted before that ‘something’ was the fault of the Wailers. ‘All their fault’, she screamed. She acted like someone else was a criminal when clearly she was the one who had been committing the crimes. Mayhaps she was insane. Clearly she was. But that did not mean there was no reason for her madness. I held back my spear, Anstarra held back… Whatever heavy object she favored at the time. Everyone held back their weapons. Of course, Zanzan was not going to kill anyone. He desires world peace. We were not going to pass judgement on her yet… We granted her temporary mercy, and I still do not know why. I had changed, and I do not know why. We wanted to find out more, so justice had to be put on hold. We wanted to find out what turned an Elezen woman into a monster more brutal than the worst that could be found in the Black Shroud.”

[align=center]Trial of Blood[/align] “It was time. The Blood Witch, who we believed to be Jainelette Brenaile, wrought havoc. She brought her corruption to a small village. The entirety of the people, a group of traveling merchants and a Wailer patrol, all rendered silent. Desperate for answers, the Adventurer’s Guild put out a high-risk leve. We did not need to track the Blood Witch, for her crimes lead us right to her. We expected a fight. We expected nothing short of a nightmare. We were not wrong. Enju, Anstarra, Zanzan, Reppu and I arrived to a dead village. No birds chirped, no wind blew, the place bore the scent of death and countless bodies were spread about the ground. We slowly entered - wary and weapons ready. We hoped to find survivors. There was the scream. A woman screaming from within something akin to a mill house. A sign of a survivor, yet we did not get the chance to act. All around us, the dead came back to life. They were not revived, but turned into monsters instead. From behind us, to our flank and to our front; the decaying monsters closed in with large numbers. They began to move like starving wolves. ‘Twas unnatural. I can not describe, and they did not give us much of a chance to study them. They began to swarm; wanting to add us to their ranks, or make us a meal. Anstarra let loose arrows, Reppu let loose her Carbuncle and Zanzan began to cast fire and lighting in a volley. Enju and I drew our lances. We stood firm to defend the ranged fighters behind us. My guisarme stabbed, slashed and hooked as I attacked any demon corpse who came near. They were fragile. The spread of magic attacks from Zanzan re-killed most of them. Others were brought down by everyone else. The whole of the time, the woman screaming in that damned house never stopped. Anstarra and Reppu’s carbuncle went in before our fight with the demon villagers was brought to an end. I do not know what they saw in there, but what came out was not a woman. Crashing out from the building was something I had never seen before, and I have seen some crazy shite in my life… The Monster was in the shape of a person, but it was huge. It was made from countless bodies of the dead, bloody vines and some stone. This was more than some violent seedkin; this was a thing I would only hear about in legend… But this was reality for my comrades and I. Attacking this monster was easy for our ranged fighters. Hurting it was not. The vines moved as they took damage; it was almost as if they regrew. One body being burned by fire did not seem to hurt it. Even as the corpses were torn asunder, it gathered the fallen dead, and replaced what we destroyed. To prevent it from crushing our allies, Anstarra and I charged it. She had tossed aside her bow to use a large pole that use to be a support pillar. She is an odd Sun-sister… I struck at it with my lance, but no matter the fury of my blows, or how well I struck true, killing the monster with a spear was not going to be possible. I moved with Opo-opo tactics; using agility and speed to avoid getting crushed by its large arms. I used my lance to thrust and hook at it like an angry hornet. My only wish was to slow it down, and keep it distracted with me. Anstarra bashed it. Strike after strike, she tried to deal her damage. But she was only playing a part as well. Everyone else did what they could. Zanzan cast his magics while Reppu and Enju fought it outside my attention. So focused on what I was doing, I must speak true and say I remember little about what the others did. There was no plan. We worked together, but we had to rely on our instincts to guide us in the effort. Enju was intent to guard Reppu, Anstarra was handling her wood and Zanzan did what he is wont to do as a Thaumaturge. He did not try to negotiate with it, thank the Gods. I am sure it was very flashy, and created a great amount of colored light. In what I would call the last great battle in which I used a spear, we finally tore the monster down. Once we rendered the monster broken and slow, Zanzan cast fire into the depths of its form made of many corpses. With it defeated, we all wanted a respite. But the Blood Witch was still hiding in the building. I am not certain what she did to anger Enju aside from all she had done thus far, but he immediately charged in after her. Everyone pursued.”

Been awhile since I posted screenshots. Kiht: Qara:

If Fate-14 newbies don't fill all the slots, I'll take one. But it would not be a bad thing if four players new to the system got in on this. I'm happy either way.

[align=center]Those Who Escaped the Monster[/align] “Finally, Weylan mailed the records to me. Parchments upon parchments of words and things to know. It took me much time to read and understand. But I started to learn, after a Moon of work, who it was that was causing the chaos in the shroud. Fires that could not be washed away with water, blood that corrupt seedkin into murderous monsters, Chocobos turning into creatures of nightmare and sightings of mages and other mysterious people who seemed to be responsible. Too much of what these people were doing were also crimes from a time before I was born. A generation past, when the Thousand Maws of Toto-rak was still used as a Gridanian prison, there was a group of criminals kept there. That same group of criminals disappeared from the prison. The crimes of that same group were now nearly the same as what we were seeing now. There was too much on the parchments to tell in this one entry, but what I saw most important was that all of these criminals were captured by a squad of Wailers lead by one man, Arden Wood. When he retired, his son took over. His son, Jeph Wood, was the leader of the squad killed by the Blood Witch. The sole survivor was Weylan. Jainelette Brenaile, an Elezen woman sentenced to life in Toto-rak for killing twenty-six children in forbidden Alchemy research, seemed the same as the Blood Witch. Void-corrupt Alchemy was what Nihka said the Blood Witch uses, and the Blood Witch was indeed a crazy Elezen woman… However, when she was arrested, it was forty-one cycles in the past. The woman should be elderly. She was not. I decided to bring all of these facts to allies and adventurers who had taken up the cause of saving the Twelveswood. Everything we had found left a trail to Toto-rak, and the few survivors on the records Weylan sent. Arden Wood was still alive… He needed to be questioned. I was no diplomat; certainly not one that would do well in talking to Wailers. I had accomplished the tracking of truth like a good scout. I handed it to allies that would do better at playing nice with Wailers. However, my work was not done.”

[align=center]The Duel[/align]

[align=center]Legacies[/align] “When I was a child, the role of scout was chosen for me. One problem with a small society was that roles had to be filled by assignment. We could not be free to choose our own role, or there would be the potential for some roles to be left unfilled. If we did not become what we were ordained to become, we would dishonor our family. I was to become a scout, and for the most part, I felt naught but love of the role. However, I was one of the few growing children who had a close relationship with my father. Moon-Keepers are insular, but males have a benefit of wandering and learning by adventure and exploration. Because my father visited my Clan often, I was able to learn what he learned. One sun, I felt too controlled by the role I was to fulfill. I was at a part of my life where I wanted to rebel - at least a little. When I spoke of this to my father, the one person who might understand my urge to explore and seek freedom, he told me he would teach me how to use the spear. He said that a scout’s weapons are bows and knives. I could rebel by a slight amount by being a scout with a spear. It was a simple way to appease me, but I accepted. It was from that point on where I became a lancer – the one choice I made for myself. I wanted to be like my father. I wanted to be as skilled as he was. I wanted to be the hero he was. Much from there is history. I learned how to use the bow and knives as was required of me, but I stood proud with my spear when I was tested, and when I was finally deemed a Jakkya Scout. I learned more about the battle art from a mentor and the Lancer’s Guild of Gridania. It did not matter to me if I faced stronger foes, or if they had longer reach. I struggled, I fought, I got hurt but I overcame. They were stronger? I had to be more agile. I learned to use their strength against them. I learned to parry and deflect. They had longer reach? I had to be faster. I had to learn how to work my way past their reach, and make their advantage a disadvantage. I do not oft tell others about how oft I lost, or how much I got beaten by those who harassed and ridiculed me. I was a small Keeper, a female Miqo’te, an ‘adorable savage’. But I struggled to the top. With the aid of my mentor, Yvelont, I began to make quick work of Elezen lancers in spars. Hyur and other Miqo’te fared no better. Highlanders were a challenge, but I could match even them in some bouts. I stubbornly fought every sun as an ‘underdog’ lancer. My mother was proud, but did not show it well. She insisted that I was so busy trying to overcome my weaknesses that I was not building my strengths as a Moon-keeper. She lectured me on the reason Keepers took pride in our archery. Keepers fought with wit, guile, tenacity and tactics. It was true that some in my clan used spears, but those were the ones who did not do as well with the bow. It was considered a weapon for those huntresses that were too dense to be skilled archers and scouts. While my Clan’s lancers used their spears to great effect, they focused on beastkin and creatures. They were the living wall that protected our archers and healers from direct melee. My mother oft said that those who stand there with a sharp stick and wait for the enemy to come at them are brave, but foolish. When I asked my father what he thought of that, he had little answers or arguments. He simply told me that he used a spear because spears do not run out of arrows, and female Keepers found him more impressive because of the use of the weapon. Unfortunately, this gave me more question than answers. How is it that the lance is seen as a weapon used by the brave, dense and foolish, yet it is also seen as impressive to be able to use one in battle? I suppose somehow a male who does foolish shite and survives to talk about is desirable. I always found that silly. Or mayhaps, lancers were not as foolish as my mother made them out to be. However, one argument my mother made has always given me pause. It is an argument that I see becoming more valid. Both the bow and the spear are time-honored hunter’s weapons. But the bow, she insisted, would withstand the test of time, and never fully become obsolete. Despite my mother’s wisdom, I let pride and the love of my father keep me on the path of the Lancer for many cycles. Looking back, I see that I was able to accomplish so much with a spear in hand. Though in the end, I found I was being a ‘Dense Little Miqo’te’. I became a warrior, but my true calling had always been that of a scout.”

[align=center]Wailing on Wailer Weylan[/align] "I doubt many would go to such lengths to track down a single Wood Wailer. R’elend claimed that he was only after revenge. But he had gotten his gil. He either had a bigger pride than he should have, or there was something else driving him. It did not matter to me. My goals were to find out what dirty secrets Weylan and the Wood Wailers were hiding. My friends Enju and R’shesha were there to aid me. The details of how we set up the ambush would bore most people. Enju was to approach Weylan; acting like a fan of his service. Shesha, R’elend and I were to hide and listen. If Enju was unable to learn all we needed to know, we would act. Enju met with some good success, but we needed more. It was becoming clear we would need to force information out of Weylan. R’elend and I acted. The situation turned from tense to hectic. We managed to bring down and restrain Weylan. The male was panicked and hostile. He was fond of throwing out empty threats. But we knew we had him. It was time to question him… Through threats and scare tactics which may or may not have included a stone and a Diremite, we managed to get Weylan to talk. He told us that he was part of the Wailer squad that was attacked by the Blood Witch, and told us a story which brought more questions than answers. However, he did give us a trail. It took all we could to scare him into submission, but he was ‘convinced’ to aid us further by sending us reports related to what was happening in the Shroud. We let him go. R’elend got his revenge; Enju, Shesha and I got our information, and soon we had our hands on secret Wailer reports and history. The answers to the many questions we had only spawned more questions. It was time to pool our information, and speak with all others who had taken up the defense of the Twelveswood."

[align=center]The Crazy Unleashed[/align] “Anstarra had been cursed with the craze of the Blood Witch. She must be strong of mind to endure it without becoming what the Witch was. Until she was cured, she was limited in what she could do. Nihka Mioni worked tirelessly to aid her, and learn of the new plague that had started in the Shroud. Reports of monsters and corruption and death began to spread, and eventually, Nihka learned that somehow the Blood Witch’s power was related to alchemy and the void. Unfortunately, while the forest began to fall under siege of these mysterious forces that used void magics, I found myself split between two priorities. The Shroudwolf Clan and saving the forest. I never wanted to be a mother to the Clan, nor did I want to be a dictator. I wanted to lead by example, and work with the highest-ranking members to decide Clan law. What we came up with was fair and agreed-upon by all members. It was a code of laws much like the code I was raised upon in my own family. However, I learned that laws will not work when a leader is not around enough. I was there for the Clan at least half of my time, but some time needed to be dedicated to helping my home forest. Unfortunately, it seems I could not be a scout, hunter and Matriarch all at the same time. Keepers have an insular nature; one that is not quite as potent in me as it is in others of my kin. But the Shroudwolf Clan was founded and created by strays. A clan that grew by sheltering and recruiting stray Miqo’te could not exist if we closed our doors then drove off all visitors and strangers with hostility. Unfortunately, some in the Clan were content to do exactly that despite laws that forbade them from doing so. I step away to get fresh air for twenty ticks then came back to find one of the Clan had assaulted someone who had done us a service in the past. Lethal force was used on an unarmed, defenseless Keeper guest. Word spread, and the Clan was shamed. As leader, I was shamed. Friends began to send me letters trying to lecture me on leadership while Wailers investigated us thoroughly. Never had I been so dishonored. The Clan council took actions to enforce discipline, but not to my standards. What we were left with was an opportunity for the same shite to happen again. Was I to be a dictator or a mother? Clearly, leading by example was not working. I was at my breaking point, and had to decide once and for all what I would be. The Twelveswood burned; I was not going to continue to look after children who could not behave. Mayhaps it was dishonorable to give up on something and accept failure, but my honor was already destroyed. I chose to rebuild it on a different path. I stepped down as Matriarch.”

[align=center]Crimes for Justice[/align] “One sun, I got a letter in the moogle mail. It was an invitation to a feast by the Wood Wailers. I knew the letter was boar-shite the moment I got it. Aside from the Moon-sister I helped, there would be little reason for the Wailers to invite me to some party. However, I was curious. They invited me to the Carline Canopy, and such was a safe place to go; especially if I was to go unarmed. Little do most know, I am always armed. A hunter is little without their tools. I dressed in formal garb – formal for me, that is. Then I went to this ‘party’ they had set up. I expected some kind of trick. I did not expect it from… R’elend. The Brass Blade sun-brother sent a fake invitation to get me to meet him unarmed. It was a clever ploy, but not if he intended me harm. He bought me a drink, and talked with me about what had happened. To me, he is a boar, but he spoke true to my honor this time. I overcame my surprise because what he offered was a chance to learn what the Wailers were hiding. Why a Wailer would make us do a leve then falsely declare it abandoned and flee was too suspicious for me to let go. The crazed blood witch ranted about how it was all the Wailers’ fault. There had to be more to the story. This witch did not attack these Wailers for no reason. R’elend proposed that we should steal the information from the Wailers. It was an expected proposal from a thief, but not outside of my own willingness. Mayhaps stealing is wrong no matter what, but to me, I had a forest to defend while the Wailers can focus all on their little city of Gridania. I was not content to sit by while they played with conspiracy. A scout does not steal form kin or allies. The Wailers are not my allies… In the midst of dusk, R’elend and I stalked into a Wailer office. I will not say guards went unharmed, but we caused no permanent injury or death… We searched through storage and files. We found information on Weylan, the Wailer who betrayed us. While there was little to see that showed the Wailers were hiding something, we did not expect the most secret information to be in a small barracks office. R’elend and I completed the mission without being caught, but it was close at the end when some new guards arrived right as we left. The Brass Blade and I parted ways, but our work together was not quite done.”

[align=center]A chronicle of Crimes Against Nature from the perspective of Kiht Jakkya.[/align]

I greatly apologize, but I need to pull Qara out of A Court of Owls event scheduled for Friday. Something else has come up I must attend to. :cry: I hope everyone has fun though.

I'd like to sign Qara Hotgo up for a Court of Owls > : )

Chirping birds, and the rustle of breeze against brush and branches fills the area with a gentle, ambient sound. The crunch of a boot on somewhat dry ground combines with the noise of nature as Kiht Jakkya comes to a stop on the open, caravan-paved dirt road. She lets her gaze wander before letting out a gentle whistle. A tiny falcon flies from a near-by tree canopy to meet her lifted arm. He greets her with a gentle but shrill "cheep". "Greetings, Haru. You are going to miss the forest it seems." She speaks quietly to the bird. Haru only responds with a tilt of his head. Kiht begins to gaze about the forest once more. The sun is setting, and the light from it gets filtered through countless leaves of the tall Black Shroud trees. For once in many moons, the forest seems peaceful. It isn't the peace of a darkness that masks a verdant Hell, but the peace of an environment returned closer to balance - the peace of a slightly fairer land. There are no voidsent to leap out from the brush, nor are there unnatural monsters to eat passers-by. The Keeper hunter grows a smirk before turning away from her home. She faces a road to Eastern Thanalan, and begins to slowly continue her pace. "Haru... I never thought I would say this, but we taught the Elementals a lesson." She speaks before a soft chuckle escapes her. "I am leaving this forest before they realize that." She walks a bit further before she takes in a deep breath of forest air. "I will not forget O-Rhen's crimes, nor his honorable sacrifice. I will not forget those who lost their lives. But for once, I am glad... There will be a nounce more justice in this forest from now on." Haru ignores Kiht's banter, and flies off of her arm to pursue an unfortunate mouse who chose a bad day to wander onto the road.

Thank you, Verad, for running another lengthy Fate-14 plot. I am so glad this story got to center in the Twelveswood. It feels like I just completed the reading of a novel, and my character was part of it.

Kiht will be there so I can at least observe. I'd like to see how this ends.

Kiht Jakkya: A non-traditional, traditional Keeper who decided to sit on everyone's fences instead of doing her own thing. Qara Hotgo: An orphaned mail delivery lady who is to become the worst Sith Lord ever.

What we have so far for First and Forsaken Fahn is as follows: Liadan Summerfield Tengri Geneq Kiht Jakkya Zanzan Yanzan Nehu'a R'shesha Otharn My schedule for next week is: Free Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and -next- Sunday (the 24th) anytime after 5 CST (Last week of Winter Break!).

Well, there is the meeting that we're trying to get set up, and I suppose that is where we could ICly hash out who is doing what, at least. I would like to be included in that meeting if no one minds. The First and Forsaken Fahn is the only event Kiht has a hook for at the moment (Nihka and Zanzan told her), so she would at least like to offer her help with it.

Au Ra, Xaela, Hotgo Tribe: A tribe recently massacred by the Dotharl. The only members surviving are those who left the tribe to travel on their own and were not present during the killing. The Hotgo were known for their vibrant face paints which members would constantly change depending on their current mood. Lore Source I've had a Hotgo character for several months now. She is my alt, and I noticed many people didn't play Hotgo, so I didn't feel the need to discuss this at the time. However, now I am starting to see Hotgo pop up. A few I may even encounter at some point, and I have been playing my alt a bit more recently. While some may just have their Hotgo leave their culture behind, this is for those like my character who didn't (not completely). Qara (my alt) still paints her face based on her emotions and moods. I have even made a color legend on her wiki which explains which mood each color means. But I have been a bit concerned about how this might clash with the color meanings of other Hotgo player-characters. The lore doesn't seem to explain color meanings. I put a disclaimer that Qara's color meanings might be unique to her family unit within the tribe in case of a clash, but were that the case for each Hotgo family, wouldn't it confuse members of the tribe? If you have a Hotgo character, I'd like to know how you handle face paint, colors, meanings and potential clashes in other players' color definitions. If you don't have a Hotgo character, I still welcome feedback as similar situations could happen with other cultures in the game. Another thing to think about is that many characters ICly asked Qara why her people paint their face to display moods. The lore doesn't explain that either, so I have had Qara explain a vague reason that isn't really proven in lore.

I'd like to sign Kiht up for Simple Implications. It's time to bring her back into action.

Apologies for the short notice, but I must forgo participation in Sylph-Destructive Behavior. IRL business hasn't given me adequate time to prepare for it, and I feel I shouldn't go unprepared. Please give my slot to someone else, and I sincerely hope you all have fun.

Signing up for Sylph Destructive Behavior... I'm only mildly insane.

Signing Kiht up for Blood Harvest.