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 Post subject: Cynefrith's Journey
PostPosted: February 7th, 2017, 4:37 am 
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Location: In the clouds
Cynefrith's horse, however swift it was, couldn't keep up with the pace of Cynefrith's thoughts. He had just escaped Castle Auratavia. He was on his own. While he was certainly large enough to pass as an adult, he still only had 14 years of age, certainly not old enough to face the cruelties of war.

Despite that, Cynefrith was already halfway to Oakland. There he would join the Isilian militia raised for the Ostron war. Then he would find board a cog headed to Secara. Despite the travel opportunities available to nobles, Cynefrith had not travelled much aside from his home in Northubeorc and his family in Tiberford. Perhaps leaving his warm, comfy bed behind was not the wisest of choices. His mother must surely have noticed his absence by now. Oh how she must be crying!

But he needed to push such thoughts out of mind. He had a mission - a purpose. Why should he stay behind when so many are fighting? A cold breeze blew in the night air, pulling Cynefrith back into the present moment. The invisibility potion he had downed earlier was beginning to wear off: his extremities were already reappearing. He urged his horse onwards. He was already halfway to Oakland, and there was no turning back.

_________________
Lord Cynefrith Kalo Arataefia of Northubeorc
Eorl of Gelderlond, Protector of the Östrons
Knight of the Order of Östlond in Gelderlond
Student of the Gildscype Scytera (Archers' Guild)


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 Post subject: Re: Cynefrith's Journey
PostPosted: February 13th, 2017, 5:18 am 
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Cynefrith stopped before the Dragon Monument, the proud symbol of Isilioth. The sun was barely beginning to peek above the horizon. Its first rosy rays glared into the sky. "Good horsey, good horsey," Cynefrith muttered to his brown-spotted steed. The boy was tired after several long hours of riding in the night, and the horse looked no better.

Cynefrith then dismounted the horse and started walking alongside, passing under the grand monument. The city of Oakland had a long, proud history, being founded by some of the first Isilian migrants to the New World. However, despite the recent economic prosperity brought to it, signs of wear abounded. Many of the old buildings have cracks or obvious signs of renovation. For many decades the king had been declared missing, presumably long dead or far away. Raiders, of course, saw the political instability as an excuse to prey on the town. However, these were not those days. Tiber III was back, and it seems the Isilian dragon has taken some notes from the Pyrencian phoenix.

A few of the townfolk began waking to do their morning duties. Guards patrolled the town. Cynefrith kept walking with his horse on the worn cobblestones of the Oakland streets. He was set for the docks, where the militia would be gathered there for their voyage to Secara. Cynefrith did not want to miss his chance. He had already abandoned his home, deceived his friends, and even betrayed his family by making this journey. To go back now would be admitting his cowardice. Not only that, but he could hardly imagine the disciplining he would receive. His mother would certainly have harsh and creative punishments in her Östron repertoire. Whatever lay on the battlefield could hardly pale in comparison to his mother's fury in Cynefrith's mind.

A stocky guard wearing Isilian garb appeared from behind a warehouse on the other end of the docks. "All soldiers called to fight in Ostland gather around here!" yelled the figure.

"There it was!" the young Cynefrith thought as he started walking to the man. Several other people, presumably militia, started assembling around the building the man was standing beside.

One, a red-haired, scruffy man with dwarfish figures, began loudly complaining to his peers. "By the dragon! They expect us Isilians to come and solve the mess those exploding bastard worshippers had gotten into. I say we let 'em leave the empire, that way when they kill themselves huggin' the damn monsters, we can all laugh at the chunks of 'em left behind!" He and a few of the other soldiers began laughing. The guard who called the others to the warehouse even smirked a little.

The dwarf-looking man meandered closer to the building haphazardly, as if he had not even stopped drinking from the night before but carried on into the morning without even thinking of such notions as "respectable drinking hours". "Oi! Now who are ya? Are ya even able to lift a rapier?" he directed in Cynefrith's direction.

"Uh," Cynefrith stammered, "you mean me?"

The dwarf-man replied sardonically, "No, I meant the brick wall over there. Of course I meant ya! I've seen whores with bigger biceps than yer legs."

Another soldier, a blond-haired and freckled man who had laughed earlier, piped up, "You sure about that, Daryl? I'm pretty sure she was a man."

Daryl immediately retorted, "Listen, Roger, it only looked that way 'cause of the hair. Besides, her forest had nothing on yer mother's."

The soft breeze carried with it the laughter of half a dozen soldiers listening to the conversation. Daryl had turned his attention away from Cynefrith to continue bickering with Roger. In the meantime he had finished walking to the boat. He followed the lead of the guard and started walking with horse onto the deck of the boat. Cynefrith was very afraid he was not prepared for what adventures were in store.

_________________
Lord Cynefrith Kalo Arataefia of Northubeorc
Eorl of Gelderlond, Protector of the Östrons
Knight of the Order of Östlond in Gelderlond
Student of the Gildscype Scytera (Archers' Guild)


Last edited by Cynefrith Arataefia on February 15th, 2017, 12:36 am, edited 3 times in total.

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 Post subject: Re: Cynefrith's Journey
PostPosted: February 13th, 2017, 6:02 am 
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You always manage to sneak in hilarious stuff. I love this personal insight into the ongoing war!

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Ealdorman Cerdic Beoden Accynnafon of Östlond
Runner Up of the Glas Claddach Boat Building Competition
Minister of Justice


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 Post subject: Re: Cynefrith's Journey
PostPosted: February 16th, 2017, 5:06 am 
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The boat steadily rocked back and forth between the waves. Cynefrith was trying to sleep after a long day, but the motion of the boat prevented him from doing so. He was only one of many men on the cog - peasants from all over New Isilioth had been called by their lords to the fight. The opinions varied. Quite a few saw the ordeal as a noble fight to return order to their wayward Imperial brothers; however, the prevailing opinion was one of dissatisfaction. This war was taking them away from their family, their crops. But as the nobility of Isilioth had lent their men for the fight, the peasants were left no choice but to obey their lords.

A handful of soldiers from the Royal Army had boarded this particular cog to oversee. They had fine horses and quality crafted equipment. Cynefrith even managed to catch a gleam of a magic enchantment on a professional soldier's bow, feeling a tinge of jealousy at sight of it. His own was of decent quality - the Auratavia family always demanded well crafted bows - but he was forced to take one of the lesser-quality bows out of storage. Anything of higher quality would have born the Auratavia seal, a sure giveaway of Cynefrith's true identity.

Before he boarded the boat Cynefrith had taken care to invent a believable story. When the guard asked for his information, Cynefrith claimed he was a shephard from the plains east of Tiberford. Those sort of areas would have little contact with Oakland other than the occasional tax collection. In addition, the nomadic lifestyle of that occupation gave a passable excuse for having a horse. The guard paid little attention to the specifics of the people boarding, only that they came. Still, the fear of some officer discovering his ruse and sending him home terrified Cynefrith.

A particularly strong wave hit the boat, causing the boards to creak and rousing Cynefrith from his dozing once more. The ship contained a little over 50 people and about half as many horses. Due to his experience with archery and horse riding, he was placed among the hobiler-archers. Of course, the heavy cavalry was reserved for the knights. This thought reminded Cynefrith of his knight training. As many other nobles, he had started at twelve years of age. He began to learn archery, sword fighting, horse riding, and leadership. Cynefrith easily excelled, surprising many of his tutors with his talent. His escapade brought these lessons to an abrupt halt.

Cynefrith turned over in his bunk, mildly disturbing the slumber of the soldier sleeping below him. Sure, he ended his training early, but he was already such a fine warrior. He could already imagine the heroic exploits he would do on the field, the arrows sticking out of the torsos of some crazed fundamentalist zealots as they fell to the ground. Perhaps his honor might be recognized by a knighthood from Cerdic himself! Cynefrith turned over once again as another wave struck the boat, with the image of him standing in shining armor in his mind.

_________________
Lord Cynefrith Kalo Arataefia of Northubeorc
Eorl of Gelderlond, Protector of the Östrons
Knight of the Order of Östlond in Gelderlond
Student of the Gildscype Scytera (Archers' Guild)


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 Post subject: Re: Cynefrith's Journey
PostPosted: February 16th, 2017, 6:44 am 
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The sounds of alarms woke Cynefrith from his sleep. Bells rang and shouts flew across the boat. "All men take your position! Enemy ships are approaching! I repeat all men take position!" screamed the first mate. The men who were not already awake quickly climbed out of their bunks and put on clothing. As Cynefrith walked to the deck, he saw a scene of organized chaos. The crew was working the rigging, climbing to and fro. The soldiers were setting up fire charge dispensers and ballistas.

A Royal Guard yelled orders to Cynefrith to man a ballista. Östron ships had been spotted on the horizon. Intelligence from the scouting ships reported that the Östfleot had been tailing the Isilian fleet for several hours. Cynefrith had known of the danger of the Östfleot, but this would be his first encounter with them. In fact, it would be his first encounter with any enemy in the war. Adrenaline pumped through his veins, giving him a sense of anxiety. He even felt shivers run down his spine.

The captain shouted, "Get the ship into a defensive position behind the carracks. Our ship isn't nearly strong enough to face their heavy ships." The sailors quickly steered the boat away from the direction of the Östron fleet. Two others had joined Cynefrith at the ballista: Dylan, the dwarfish man at the docks, and a lanky potato farmer from Goldshore. The morning sun shined on them and the seabreaze carried the scent of salt.

Several minutes later, the sails of the Östron ships began to rise from the horizon. However, the daylight brought into view a completely different picture from what the scouts had seen in the black of night. The flags flying in the morning breeze were not the black and green creeper of Östlaed, but a silver tree. These ships were Östron certainly - their design told no other story - but they were from Östlond. Earlier, it seemed the Isilian fleet was hopelessly trapped by the opposing fleet; instead, they were greeted by friends. Suddenly, opposing the Östfleot was less of the herculean task it had appeared on taking off.

---

The captain received word from the Admiral of the Isilian Fleet, Sir Blackridge. G.R.H.H. ships were among the Östrons, giving undeniable proof of this new fleet's friendliness. After exchanging several messages with the Östron admiral, Admiral Blackridge had learned of the assault occurring at Secara. The blockade had escalated to a full naval battle, and the Imperial forces were in dire need of reinforcement. The current mission was to assemble the different contingents of the Imperial fleet together for a decisive battle outside Secara harbor. The fleet now set sail at full speed and began preparing for battle.

_________________
Lord Cynefrith Kalo Arataefia of Northubeorc
Eorl of Gelderlond, Protector of the Östrons
Knight of the Order of Östlond in Gelderlond
Student of the Gildscype Scytera (Archers' Guild)


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 Post subject: Re: Cynefrith's Journey
PostPosted: February 19th, 2017, 6:22 pm 
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The sun blazed high in the sky, beating down on the collected navies of Östlond, Isilioth, and G.R.H.H. The small breeze from the morning had increased to a stiff wind puffing the sails of the ship with every gust. The sailors knew of the ongoing battle at Secara. Some soldiers even rumored that the bombardment had leveled half the town and scores of Östrons were landing on the shores. While the real situation was hardly as abysmal as the hyperbole spread among the soldiers, the situation certainly needed these reinforcements.

Cynefrith worked on preparing a ballista. He was dismayed but ultimately glad that the morning incident had proven to be a false alarm. At least he would be fully awake when it came time to prove his honor. Of course, he knew there would probably be little opportunity considering that the ship Cynefrith had boarded was only a transport cog. The real battle would involve the carracks.

---

That afternoon proved to be anticlimactic on many levels. The sight of the Imperial fleet had shocked the Östrons and prompted an immediate retreat. In his hubris their admiral had underestimated the firepower the states of the Empire could muster. After swiftly ceasing the bombardment and retreating out of the north end of Secara harbor, the Östfleot was pursued Imperial carracks. In addition, there was no invasion, no forces to be repelled from the town, only a few burnt buildings on the northwest side. Cynefrith hoped for a chance for validation. As of now, the only thing he had to show for his efforts was a sore neck from the crooked wooden bunks of the ship.

It seemed even the wind felt disappointed. What was at one point a roaring gale had quieted back down to the soft breeze it was in the morning. The transports docked on the piers, and the soldiers were gathering their sparse belongings. Cynefrith, with his stuff on his back, led his horse off the boat and spoke disheartened, "Perhaps another day."

_________________
Lord Cynefrith Kalo Arataefia of Northubeorc
Eorl of Gelderlond, Protector of the Östrons
Knight of the Order of Östlond in Gelderlond
Student of the Gildscype Scytera (Archers' Guild)


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 Post subject: Re: Cynefrith's Journey
PostPosted: February 20th, 2017, 2:00 am 
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Joined: October 14th, 2016, 11:54 pm
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Location: In the clouds
Some major lore is happening currently, so to give some context I am posting an abridged version of the events to follow. They will be expanded upon later.

Overwinter and Studying at Arnum
Cynefrith spends time in the Arnum Monastery, where he continues training as a knight under an assumed name. Rumors of his disappearance reach the town, but he remains unnoticed.

Travel to Gwyntoft / Bombardment of Gourdham
After rejoining the Imperial forces he travels overland to Gwyntoft. He still struggles with his own identity and tries to come to terms with his new life. He and the Imperial forces relieve the bombardment of Gourdham.

Battle of Staenan
Cynefrith experiences his first battle and while he is a skilled soldier, he immediately finds out that war is unlike what he imagined. He also gets knocked down by a giant explosion. Not a fun experience.

Battle of Finwarfaestnes
After seeing the reality of war in Staenan, Cynefrith becomes numb and withdrawn. However, he returns to normal after some heroic moments in the battle.

Battle of Acholm
By this point Cynefrith is an adept soldier, but people are quickly starting to discover his true identity. After the heavy chaos of the battle, he meets up with Gelderlondish forces in the middle of the town.

Meeting with Kalo
At this point Cynefrith recognizes his father and vice versa. At this point Cynefrith throws off all pretenses of hiding and embraces his father. After a heartfelt talk Kalo decides to let Cynefrith decide if he will continue fighting. He does.

Knighthood
After recognizing Cynefrith's heroic actions at Finwarfaestnes and Acholm, along with some gentle persuasion from Kalo, Cerdic knights Cynefrith in front of the Ostur.

Battle of Beorcfeld
Cynefrith helps with the siege of Beorcfeld as a knight of Ostlond.

_________________
Lord Cynefrith Kalo Arataefia of Northubeorc
Eorl of Gelderlond, Protector of the Östrons
Knight of the Order of Östlond in Gelderlond
Student of the Gildscype Scytera (Archers' Guild)


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