Super Cool RP Title

[Krowdon]

Three Years Ago

    Sanglier stood on the forward deck of his ship Liana's Claw, leaned against the railing, and took a deep breath of sea air, closing his eyes as he placed one hooved hand over his heart.

    "Trinity guide me," he whispered to himself in prayer, voice trembling. "As we enter this new world. Give me the strength to guide this land into your light, that these creatures here--"

    "S-sir?" A gaunt rat nervously interrupted. Sanglier took a deep breath to calm himself before gripping the railing of the ship before him, his fur bristling ever so slightly.

    "Mate Hookfang, what is it?"

    "We're close to land, sir. You can see the lights. The other ships are anchoring here to await further orders,  and we shall sail on to Port Eastbank and dock there. B-but Sir, a lot of the soldiers are a bit worried. The creatures of Southsward have been our trade partners for many, many seasons. Don't you th-"

    There was a loud crack as Sanglier whipped around and backhanded the rat across his jaw, sending him stumbling backwards, where he collapsed upon the ground. Hookfangs eyes were wide as he pressed a paw to his now fractured and bleeding jaw, where the boars hoof had sliced into the skin where he made contact. Strolling over, the boar placed his foothoof on the rat's chest, and pressed down on him.

    "If the soldiers have a problem with our mission, I will send them to the Gods themselves and they can tell them their doubts. Saint Liana herself told me we are to have Southsward, and Trinity willing, all of Mossflower for ourselves. Well, in the name of our King, of course."

    He lifted his weight off of Hookfang, who scrambled to his feet, wheezing as his breath returned.

    "Tell my soldiers to ready themselves, we dock at sunrise."

----------

Port Eastbank was built along an interconnected group of small islands along the Southsward shoreline, all connected by a series of bridges, with one large bridge that lead onto the mainland, turning into Galedeep Road, named after one of the heroes that defeated the Foxwolf, which connected the Port to Castle Floret and the rest of Southsward.While many creatures came and went, the Port itself was mainly inhabited by otters of various Holts that had united.

One such otter was Harbormaster Cyrus, who on this morning stood with his son, Dune, as they watched Liana's Claw pull into dock. Tapping a claw impatiently on his ledger, Cyrus watched the dockworkers moor the massive ship and set up the gangway.

"Ain't expectin' a ship today from Avignon." Cyrus huffed, flipping through his ledger again. "Unless I missed somethin' but we ain't expecting anything for another month at least."

"We'll have to see what they want then," Dune said, gently placing a paw on his fathers shoulder. "Come, the gangway is secure, let's meet their Captain at the bottom."

-------

The last dockworker scrambled out of the way as a giant of a boar in chainmail swept past them and down the gangway. He was followed closely by a ferret in bright red robes, and the ships Captain.

Harbormaster Cyrus stood squarely at the end of the dock, paws crossed over his chest. The rest of the beasts on the dock had backed away, and were anxiously eying their harbormaster as he strode up and planted himself in front of the boar.

"Now just ye wait a minute there! Ain't got a ship from Avignon docking today, what's the meaning of th--" Sanglier's spear cut the otter short as it was thrust into his gut, the wings at the base of the spearhead stopping it from digging any further into the otters stomach. Gripping the haft, Sanglier pushed Cyrus off the edge of the dock, ripping his spear from the otter as he fell into the sea. With a cry of anguish, Dune ran towards the docks edge, but froze as the bloodied spearhead was pointed at him.

Sanglier gently wiped both sides of the spearhead off on Dune's cheek as the otter stood there and trembled. "I didnt think I'd have to dirty my spear so early. What's your name, Otter?"

"D-d-dune. Dune is my name."

"Well Dune, hopefully your manners are better than your former friends. I've had a long journey, you see. We all have," he said, gesturing to the ship, where at least two score archers had lined themselves up along the railing of the top deck of the ship, bows in paws. "So I think I'm going to have my soldiers disembark, and you're going to take us to whoever runs this beautiful port."

Present Day

    Looking out from the window of his tower in Castle Floret, Sanglier observed the bustling city below him. It had been three years since he and his army had landed in Southsward's Port Eastbank and swept across the country, easily crushing any resistance that had gotten in their way. The beasts here were spread out in small communities, they hadn't stood a chance against the heavily armed invaders.

    Castle Floret had proved to be the most difficult to take, high up on a cliff and surrounded by moats. There was nothing a battering ram and a few dozen determined soldiers couldn't do though, and Sanglier had quickly established himself as Governor of Southsward once he'd slaughtered the royal family.

    A knock at the door drew Sanglier's thoughts away from the city below, and he growled as he strode over to the door. Opening it, he looked down to find Cardinal Alban standing there. The Cardinal was an elderly ferret, his red robes distinguished him as an upper member of the Clergy, and he'd come with Sanglier to not only help establish the Church in this new land, but to be a guiding hand in how the kingdom was to be ruled. He was the one beast in the Castle Sanglier held in higher regard than himself, and as soon as he realized who it was, the boars irritation was quick to dissipate.

    "Cardinal, please, come in," he said, stepping aside and holding the door open. Cardinal Alban bowed, and slowly made his way into Sanglier's quarters, taking a seat in the plush armchair by the fire. He gestured to the seat next to him, and Sanglier turned it around so he could sit across from the Cardinal.

    "My son," the ferret began, folding his paws in his lap. "There's no doubt that we've made great strides in ridding this land of heathens, and bringing a new age of Enlightenment to the beasts here. However, our troops do report some trouble to the East."

    "There's no trouble my army cannot handle, Cardinal."

    "That may be so, but the fact is that there are still creatures who believe that they were better off without us. Why don't you send a patrol out, see what the fuss is."

    Standing up, Sanglier gave a deep bow to the Cardinal. "It shall be done. Thank you Cardinal, and Trinity bless."

    "Trinity bless you too, and Saint Liana watch your back."

[Raphael the First]

  The ringing...please stop the ringing. His consciousness sat still in void. All there was, was the ringing. Then a blinding light.

  Air rushed to the lungs of the terror seized badger as he sat up straight from slumber. Still, there was the ringing. "Aauuughhh..." Paws found forehead. "Haaaaaahh...darn. darn! What happened to me...?" Though past attempts were unsuccessful, perhaps it was time for a review.

  'My name. My name is Raphael the First.' His thoughts began. 'I am a badger, obviously. I...have some sort of decent physical build. My body remembers the weapon I carry, a halberd, and its forms even if I myself do not. I surmise I am some sort of warrior. If I had to guess, I am decently into 'young adult'. I've woken up in this place several times, but I do not know how many days or weeks have passed. The ringing accompanies all of these awakening incidents.

  Fortunately, food has not been a problem. The area I find myself in seems to be transitional in between a forest and something a little flatter and grassier. It is well suited to provide. I have no idea which way is North, nor the nearest civilization. I can only wander and hope to find...something. Or someone.

  There is only one more thought and feeling that occupies my mind at the moment. The face of a Boar. An ugly, infuriating face. When I linger on it too long, my vision goes red and I need to tear through things with my paws. I can't control it.

  Perhaps that is related to why I am here? Who can say...'

[Flitchaye Warrior]

A lone sea otter stands upon the lake shoreline, looking at the sinking remains of a wooden schooner, its hull dashed upon the rocks lining the lake bed. The otter wears strange garb, a tattered and worn blue and red frock flapping lazily in the wind. A single crimson sash runs across their chest, with a rusted and chipped cutlass pushed into it. The sun hangs lazily in the sky overhead, surrounded by a slowly expanding blanket of clouds. Holding a dirty and torn hat to his chest, the otter sighs.

"I suppose it weren't ever gonna last me forever." With that Rillug dons his hat and turns around, staring off into the looming forest surrounding him.

"Well," he ponders, "I ain't a single clue where I am. There's no sea for miles, and not a soul in sight." He scratches his chin thoughtfully for a few moments, before laughing to himself and traipsing off towards the trees. "Suppose I might as well get going, eh? Can't very well do anything here by meself."


A few hours later finds Rillug deep in the woods, cursing to himself as he swings his cutlass to and fro at the dense foliage around him. The sky overhead has begun to darken, a storm ready to break out at a moment's notice.

"Blasted forest ain't no place fer a proper sea otter. I should be out on the waves!" He spits to his side as he dispatches an unfortunate oak branch. "But now, I've gone and got meself stuck here without a clue of me bearings. At least by the lake I had me boat."

As he's muttering and cursing to himself, Rillug misses a low-lying branch in his path and crashes his head into it. Reeling from the blow, he clasps a paw to his head takes a step backwards, tripping over a loose stone and falling into a bush of stinging nettles.

"Ah, blast it all!!" He screams, kicking and hacking wildly to get free of the nettles, all the while being pricked and poked and prodded in retaliation. After his titanic duel with the bush he manages to free himself and chucks his cutlass to one side. Sighing, he slumps against the nearest tree and falls silent.

"What a fool I am," he mutters, rubbing at his eyes. "Screaming and kicking like I ain't nothing but a babe." He pauses, the words bringing something back to his mind. Wistfully, he stares at the ground, lost in thought.

"Just like Sali..."

His sea-salted features soften for but a moment as the wind flows through the tree overhead. His features quickly harden back into a grimace and a clap of thunder sounds in the distance as he leaps up. ""Arggh, I cannot sit here a moment longer while that vermin still draws breath. Even without me ship, I'll find that filth if it's the last thing I do."

He snatches up his cutlass and storms off further into the woods as another peal of thunder sounds out, and the pitter-patter of rain starts overhead.

[Krowdon]

Two Months Ago

   Cassia was jolted awake by the sound of something, or maybe someone, falling to the ground with a heavy thud outside her house. Getting up, she crept over to the window and pulled back the curtain just enough to get a look out the back window, where she saw an otter trying to free his footpaw from the bucket he'd stepped in, the crashing sound had been him knocking over the table and plants on the porch as he'd fallen down. He was dressed in a dark tunic, with a knapsack of supplies that was now strewn about the back porch.

   Opening her window, she leaned out and whispered just loud enough for the other otter to hear, "Dune Waveskipper, do you mean to bring every guard in Port Eastbank to my back porch?"

   "Shhh! Let me in," Dune whispered back to her as he kicked the bucket off his footpaw and climbed through the window. Shutting it behind him, he quickly closed the blinds and sat down on the floor. Cassia sat beside him and they waited, listening for any sign of guards coming to investigate, but the night was silent.

   "Hey Cass," Dune said, getting to his paws. "I'm sorry about your plants. I gotta get my things and go though, I've only got a little time t-- Hey!"

   Cassia grabbed him by the shoulders and dug her claws into the fabric of his tunic. "Where are you going?!"

   "I-I have a way out. Past the guards, past the walls, B-b-but it's really dangerous and really more of a one-otter type th-thing you kn--"

   "Please! Dune, Please. Take me with you. Or at least try!" She said, voice wavering as she held back tears. "Please, I need to find my... my..."

   "Your son, that's right," Dune said quietly, pulling her into a hug as she broke down, sobbing into his chest. "Alright, Cass. We can't stay here much longer, we've got a small window of time that's already been taken up by me failing to cut through your yard. Grab a few necessities, and let's go."

----------------

Present Day

   "Y'know, I hear there's an island in the middle of it," Dune said, skipping a rock across the surface of the Great Inland Lake.

   "I hear it's haunted by the ghosts of those Foxes," Cassia replied, setting her pack down in the sand. "Do you think that's where they could have gone?"
   Frowning, Dune pulled a weathered piece of parchment out of his pocket. It had been the only clue they'd found on their quest to find the other refugees who had escaped Southsward since Sanglier and his Conquerers, as they had taken to calling themselves, had arrived.

Cassia and Dune had come across a holt that looked like it had been abandoned for a few seasons, and amongst the upturned furniture he'd found this parchment with a hastily done drawing on it, with the word HOME scrawled at the top, though neither he nor Cassia had been able to identify the structure depicted. They could only hope the inhabitants had made it out before the holt had been ransacked.

   "No, there's definitely a tree drawn here. I don't think this building is on an island," He said, folding it back up and tucking it back into his pocket. "Somebeast should recognize it. We shouldn't stick around here much longer anyhow, those storm clouds look nasty to me. I don't fancy being out along this shore when that storm hits."

   "So explain to me why you think a tree means its not an island?" Cassia asked as she gathered her things and followed Dune as he led the way northwest into the forest.

[Raphael the First]

    Oh rain. Wonderful. This is just what he needed. Amnesia, confusion, aimless wandering, and now rain. If there were ever a day a badger earned some slack, today was clearly not it.

    A crack of thunder emphasized the point, as if the sky taunted Rapheal for his efforts. It seemed that truly, the only thing that was on his side was his beloved halberd. In a recent inspection, he had uncovered a memory. Or at least a clue. In the blade itself, inscribed in beautiful script, was the name 'Lucy'.

    The weapon shone defiant against the darkened day, cutting his path forward swiftly and easily. Moving through the wilderness felt oddly familiar, as if he had done it before. Now if only he could remember before...

    A sound broke his attempt at daydreaming, forcing his attention to the source. No visual, but it was easy to discern. That was the sound of someone doing the same thing he was doing: cutting through brush. A shimmer made his blood run quick. A blade. A cutlass? Best to make the first move.

"HALT!" He shouted, readying his weapon. "Identify yourself! Friend or foe?"

[Flitchaye Warrior]

 Rillug was once again, lost. Well and truly lost. Continuing to be assaulted by the heavy downpour, it felt as though he had been tracing the exact same ground for at least an hour as he tried to press on. No matter which direction he went, or which turn he took at the fork he always seemed to end back in the same clearing in which he had started, with its hacked up pile of stinging nettles. As he took a moment to ponder his situation, a loud, booming voice called out to him and roused him from his thoughts.

"HALT! Identify yourself! Friend or foe?"

Rillug whirled around to face where the shout had originated, and readied his cutlass in response. He was hoping that he wouldn't have to use his cutlass, but he was prepared to just in case. Gathering all the courage he could muster, he shouted his own challenge back. "Why, it'd depend upon who be askin', eh?! If you're one of them vermin, then tremble at the sight of Cap'n Rillug, terror of the waves!"

Not waiting for a response, he yelled out one final demand, looking around and through the brush as he did for his foe. "Now show yerself, a'fore I'm forced to show you me blade!" A peal of thunder boomed out across the woods as he raised his blade high.

[Raphael the First]

    The warrior, as he was for now, huffed in some studied thoughtfulness. What was living without risks? Besides, maybe this person knew him, or could at least help him find his way out of this green hell. He stepped forward some paces. When close enough, he gently tapped his blade to what he could see of the others, indicating his desire for peace and parley. Pulling back the brush, the badger serviceman's eyes widened a little. Someone of actual size, standing near if not as tall as him. Why was this surprising? In the pits of his head, something told him this was uncommon. At least for him.

    Snapping to attention, he gave the stranger polite eye contact. "Hello Sir. I am Rapheal the First. It's nice to meet you. I would tell you more but...I am mostly unsure myself. I was actually hoping you could help with that, but first: Who are you?"

[Krowdon]

    The heavy rains soaked the two otters as they slowly made their way through the woods. Cassia shuffled along a few feet behind Dune, lost in her own thoughts. She was glad to finally be free from Port Eastbank, the strict laws, heavy taxation, and long work hours enacted by the invaders had taken their toll on her, but worse than that, at least, was how long she'd been separated from her family.

    She was brought back to the present when she bumped into Dune, who had abruptly stopped walking. "Hey wh--"

    "Shh. Get down," Dune interrupted, ducking down behind a tree. Cassia followed suit, sticking as close to him as she could. Listening carefully, she could just make out two distinct voices through the sound of the rain.

    "There's some beasts over there," Dune whispered, peeking carefully around the tree. "I think maybe one is a badger? Let's keep our heads down until they move on."

[Flitchaye Warrior]

Rillug involuntarily flinched as the hidden beast tapped his cutlass, but quickly recovered and barked a challenge at them. "Oi, Don'tche touch me blade... a'less yer ready t-to..." his voice trailed off as the wind left his sails when the bushes parted and he found himself starring face-to-face with someone nearly a head taller than he. He was even more caught off guard when the beast suddenly snapped to attention.


"Hello Sir. I am Rapheal the First. It's nice to meet you. I would tell you more but...I am mostly unsure myself. I was actually hoping you could help with that, but first: Who are you?"


Raphael the First, huh? Whoever this was seemed important, if a little strange, but he did not seem hostile. And looking him up and down at a glance seemed to suggest that he wasn't a vermin. Bewildered by this turn of events, Rillug had lost himself in his contemplation before remembering the beast's last question.

"Oh, err, me?" he stammered out. "I... I am Cap'n Rillug, terror of the waves n' vermin alike!" Trying to regain some of his composure, he puffed himself up in a similar manner to Raphael. He hesitated a moment, shoulders sinking before asking, "Say, yer not a vermin beast, right? Then, if'n ye don't mind me askin', what be you?"

[Raphael the First]

 The storm hampered conversation, but he was close enough to get the message and respond.

 "That's just it." he offered woefully, his grip on his weapon slackening. "Even I don't know. I have no idea where I am, what is nearby, the date, who's who...anything. All I can piece together is such: I woke up flat on my back after a bad dream out here in my armor, plainclothes underneath, and with my weapon." He gave a slight roll of the wrist, gesturing the weapon in an attempt to allow it to make its acquaintance to the otter. "I remember my name. Raphael the First. The other thing I've found is that on the blade of this beautiful weapon is a name etched in a nice script: 'Lucy'. As for using the weapon, I can say I remember quite well...or that is to say my body does...ah..."

 He let his new associate process that as he looked around the surrounding area. In the storm all senses suffered, to his dismay. With bright flashes coupling with deep shadows, you could never be sure of what you see, and especially what you hear. Still...that tree...did something move. He couldn't be sure. He doubted it. It was fine.

 Turning back to his mustelid friend, he let the disappointment fill his face completely. "I don't know what to do anymore. I'm so lost..." His eyes were awash in youthful honesty. For a moment it was like looking at a boy far from home, but with no idea where that was. Inclement weather only served to amplify his agitation, as he imagined it would with most animals. "And I'm getting really hungry..."

[Flitchaye Warrior]

Rillug listened thoughtfully to Raphael as the rain continued to patter overhead. He couldn't help but smirk when he mentioned not knowing where he was, since Rillug was in the same boat. As the badger looked to him once again, he quickly wiped it off his face to regain composure. His face shifted to one of concern, "Well, tis a right fearful thing, to ferget who ye are. Seems yer lucky though – to remember yer name." Rillug paused, thinking what he would do if he couldn't remember who he was: if he couldn't remember his family or what happened to them. He shuddered at the thought and pushed it from his mind. He hoped it wouldn't ever come to that. Rillug's eyes followed Raphael as he looked around the clearing. The bright flashes of lightning lit up the undergrowth, illuminating things for just a moment. In one such flash Rillug thought he saw something and stopped to turn towards it before Raphael interrupted his thoughts once again.


"I don't know what to do anymore. I'm so lost... And I'm getting really hungry..."


Something in Rillug softened as the beast made his honest plea. He shuffled a little awkwardly, but decided it would be best to take charge and look after Raphael as if he were one of his own. He straightened up and puffed out his chest. "Don'tcha worry, ye 'ave Cap'n Rillug 'ere! Ah'll see to it that we get fed n' find more about yer lil' situation." A sudden gust of wind buffeted Rillug and nearly toppled him, ruining his previously dignified pose. "Aagh, but first let's find ah spot o' shelter to ride out this 'ere storm, shall we?"