a dark man is suddenly bursting through the undergrowth, colliding with her vater who fights back with ferocity she has never seen from him before. the herbs magdalena has prepared and arranged are immediately scattered under their warring paws and she opens her mouth, squeaking her protest until @Tinúviel appears. her mother throws herself between magdalena and the fighting men. then a woman sidles up at her mother's side and magdalena is so close, pressed so tightly against her mother's subtly rounded side, that she can hear the words coming from renfri's mouth - dripping with honey. "she's taking my mutter!" she calls out, raising the alarm amongst those who are gathered.

the rage sparks in the pit of her belly, the smoke curling around her throat as the dormant embers crack and sputter within her. tinuviel cedes almost immediately and the taste at the back of magdalena's throat is caustic and acrid. before anything more can be done or said, the andal queen slips away and all magdalena can do is yowl a: "you coward bitch." at her retreating back. they move too quickly, running from the fight in a way that magdalena knows she will never catch up. so her gaze swivels with deadly intention. if it hadn't been for the momentary shock that had gripped her, magdalena would have launched herself at the queen.

there is fire in her orange and brown eyes - dual-toned autumn leaves burning in a hungry wildfire. a need to take and tip the scales back to equal. they say she must be protected, that magdalena must find her brothers and run. she spits on the notion. the girl chuffs low in her throat, beckoning @Rohan and @Arion from their lairs, demanding her brothers march to war at her side. her hindlegs bunch, zeroing in on the nearest andal target, the girls who had been so close to renfri's side, the ones renfri seemingly cared enough to warn. if i cannot have you, then i will have them.

magdalena propels herself forward, ignoring the squeeze in her chest as she barrels for @Seifrienriosa. she attempts to come from seifrienriosa's right side, aiming to throw her own right shoulder into the andal girl's right hip, trying to throw her off-balance. magdalena's left paw reaches out, attempting to curl around seifrienriosa's back right ankle as magdalena tries to sink her claws into the flesh there- the aim is clear, she attempts to completely sever the tendons there and leave the other crippled.

do not cause trouble - magdalena would do no such thing. one could not cause trouble for those who were as good as dead.

magdalena vs seifrienriosa
for minor maim
1 out of 4

Hits:

Rolling 0d20: 8

Dodges:

Rolling 4d20: 19 + 2 + 13 + 16

Luck:

Rolling 5d20: 19 + 4 + 20 + 6 + 17

coded by flea + background credit

"And when did you get back?" The question comes from behind @Arryn, Saladin pushing his way so that he were closer to him. Dual colored eyes inspected his sibling for a long moment, lips pulling into a thin line all the while. It was funny, really, how he'd been the only to that had stayed after their parents decided to dip. But seeing both @Evren and Arryn back only made the yearling feel a little more whole. His attention shifts toward his other brother before his eyes narrow on the girl (@Faustine), an ear flicking.

"I guess one of us had to be the weak link," his own jab is spoken, a wide grin now curling his lips. After watching his Evren and the girl for a few more seconds, Saladin's attention is stolen by the fights, watching as they all unfolded. The main one was the typical pride challenge while others were young versus old and against newly declared enemies. "Good thing we don't live in Andal anymore, am I right?" A joke to try to lighten the otherwise tense mood.

art by spu, table by dee

A shadow in the darkness, Léonie Miroslav moved soundlessly through the Mire, lured there by the promise of a show. She was a little late to catch the very beginning, but it seemed she’d not missed much. Pressed low into the dead brush, her hazel eyes found a pair — a pale male and the brown one she recognized as Alaric’s son — but what captured her attention was his dad and the opponent he battled: Aeistrios. Léonie had never liked Alaric. She may not have hated him with as much intensity as her brother (when it came to the affair that had broke the family, she blamed her mother more than Alaric), however she was by no means fond of him.

And yet, as she crouched there in the swamp, she sincerely hoped to see the Stärke patriarch rip his enemy’s head clean from his neck. The order was given: remove Aeistrios and his followers. Léonie glanced through the crowd to see who would jump to obey, yet her focus was pulled away by the sound of a child shouting that someone had taken her mother. Curious, the dark imp looked over as the battle began, wondering if she had time to visit the pride cache and steal a snack before shit got out of control …

Léonie is actively hidden!

Sleuth
Level 5: Can't be discovered if actively hidden in threads

artwork • coding

He had seen it all unfold, arriving just to watch some female go for @Faustine. Eyes narrow in complete delight, ready to witness the battle. But through a tidal wave of disappointment, a Mire male stepped in the way. But then.. How interesting. The Mire female now going for the interrupter. I like her. Cassius rumbled with a wicked grin as he strolled up beside Faustine. She was fiery. All fury. Much like him and the dark yearling at his side. Maybe he'd collect her too one day. Break her legs and throw her down at Faustine's feet first.
His eyes shift over to Faust, his expression softening but it didn't touch his eyes what so ever. Something malicious lay there instead. Oh dear. Tongue sliding over his fangs before clicking against the roof of his mouth. What ever shall we do about this terrible disrespect. More expectation than question, a heavy emphasis on the We. His skin crawls as his muscles tense with anticipation. Cassius was dying to get into some trouble.

Art by Ink, Code by Minxy

Silence engulfed the air, soft fluttering of snow cascading from the dark sky above, contrasting so much against the black of night filled the emptiness surrounding him. He could hear his heartbeat – steady – in his ears, a low humming war drum that began to pick up as moments went by. As faces filtered in. The first was a curvaceous Ecrosian woman, who smiled at him atop a boulder. ”Come to fight for your glory?” His smile made the winter air feel like a cool summer breeze. “Glory?” his words wafted with a cloud of hot air, dissipating in front of his snagged-toothed face. “Nein, liebling. Simply taking back what has been stolen.” Teeth bared in a cruel smile, voice dripping with icy confidence. “Glory will be a pleasant side effect.” But above all – he sought power. Control. Perhaps @Ahmes will wish to partake?

More flooded in, one by one, some in groups. He knew the Ecrosians would be first. He knew that he would be an open target, but they would not be able to do anything for the laws of this land forbade it. Only Bruno could face him now. @Emory's face was the next one he paid attention to, the father’s measuring gaze following his son’s as the boy sat down and nodded his support. He was pleased to see the shift in the boy’s stature, the confidence that now slowly began to rise within his eyes. He will make a fine Heir in place of Zagrius, and if the other boy returns he will be punished greatly for his absence. For his betrayal of duty.

@Eris followed her brother dutifully, her face far more mature than he remembered. There was not an ounce of gratefulness in him, of course. It was natural for them to obey their father’s word. Why would he praise the sun shining or the cold winter winds blowing? In fact, all he could think about now was how he needed to raise more children, to fill this valley with his progeny much like his Vater had. No, he must outdo Alaric in that aspect. Runa’s presence was a reminder that he had a second daughter. Not that he’d forgotten, but she was always in the back of his mind. An afterthought, he always remembered the child as a brooding creature, standing back and observing with those two mismatched eyes. Her loud words made an ear flick, and his jawline tense in irritation. Much like her siblings, she’d evidently grown into her own. And her own seemed to be a haughty, arrogant one. He wasn’t too worried – marrying her off would smooth her temper down. Or he will forcefully smooth it.

@Alaric's arrival pulled him from the children’s conversation, and Luther’s eyes narrowed in on the man. His father. But the word rots in his mouth now. He may have looked up to Alaric, once, but that was no more. He would never realize it, but being betrayed so openly by the man he idolized made the knife as if laced with poison, slowly eating him on the inside. ”You have much to learn.” Luther met the words with mocking amusement, scoffing back at the old and weakened man. “Ich weiß genug darüber, was ich nicht tun sollte, wenn ich dich beobachte, Vater.” ”I know enough of what not to do by watching you, father.” His eyes glinted with disdain. The last word was spoken with both disgust and scorn. ”You would not hold the throne long, once they know who you truly are.” “Sie? Und wer sind sie, Vater? Die Sigrun-Frauen? Die Dieudonne-Huren? Oder vielleicht deine weinenden Huren?” They? And who are they, father? The Sigrun wenches? The Dieudonne harlots? Or perhaps your weepy whores? His voice boomed with laughter. “Du verwechselst mich mit dir selbst, Alaric. Ich bin kein treuer kleiner Hund, der alles tut, um den Abschaum des Tals zu besänftigen.” ”You mistake me for yourself, Alaric. I'm not a faithful little dog, bending every way to appease the valley's scum.” Playing their political games. Striking deals with men and women so far beneath him that he had to bend and twist so he could shake their hands. No. He will never be his father.

He notes the Gold Crows gathering at the sidelines, but @Hubert's voice was what tugged on Luther’s focus. ”So the prodigal son returns.” “So he does, kleiner Hubbie. The prodigal son in the flesh.” He jested back, but his eyes shone with an unsettling hunger for power. The lanky boy had some nerve, hiding behind his false sense of security that Luther would be too preoccupied with Bruno to redirect his wrath toward Hubert. Unfortunately, it was true. He could not have his fun with his bastard of a sibling today. He would be busy with the other, traitorous one. "You will have to forgive me if don't swoon." “Don’t fret. I am very forgiving.” Forgiving, but not forgetful.

@Aeistrios' arrival was speedy, and Luther was more than pleased to see that the lion was a man of his word. The pale Rike returned the nod of support with his own, mischievous smile and curt nod. In fact, so much so was the Andal King a man of his word that he went straight for Alaric’s throat. It made Luther’s smile widen. Perfect. This land will not soon forget his blood rise to power. In that same breath, he saw his daughter, the arrogant one, rise and lunge for a Wolfbron girl. That is until @Tai stepped in, some unknown hiccuping Ecrosian, and the girl’s wrath redirected towards him. It amused the challenger to no end.

”Bitter are the wars between brothers.”
As chaos began to bubble to the surface, @Tinúviel appeared to take a child from being bulldozed by Alaric & Aeistrios. A child – likely her and Alaric’s whelp, a half-sibling to himself. He would’ve preferred to see @Magdalena stomped to death, but even that much won’t be enough to punish @Tinúviel for her wrongdoings. And as if @Renfri could read his mind, she slipped up beside Tinúviel, having some sort of exchange with the woman before the duo began to depart and the weepy wench’s children yelled out that she was being taken to Andal. He felt a pang of jealousy for being unable to trap the woman himself, but he knew that she would be at his disposal should he ask Aeistrios.

”Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is more than I can bear. Today you are driving me from the land, and I will be hidden from your presence; I will be a restless wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.”
A pale ghost he was, a wanderer of the land. Presumed dead by his brother’s hand, thrown into the depths of the sea and returned twice. Oh, how tired he was of his banishment. And now he was very much real, rising from the dead to seek vengeance upon those who wronged him. And especially upon @Bruno ♔, whose voice now echoed above the swampland. Prepare yourself. It was a thought more for his dark sibling, but it echoed for Luther too. Judgment is coming. He kept vigilant, muscle tensing beneath thick pale furs, teeth gnashing, claws scraping the ground as they itched to take the thorny crown. His crown. He will be the judge & executioner tonight.

”But the Lord said to him, “Not so; anyone who kills Cain will suffer vengeance seven times over.”
He could feel eyes boring into him – but it was not the audience’s gaze that pressed so tightly on his back. It was there, like an itch he could not scratch down his spine. Mild and yet infuriating. Suddenly, he heard paws beat against the snowed-in ground. The rustle of tree branches and debris.

And he spun to try and meet @Bruno ♔'s leaping form.

His face contorted in a furious snarl, his war cry reaching high above their birthland. He felt claws rip & tear through the flesh on his back, searing through his skin like a white-hot brand. Blood & snow flying. Teeth then tore through the base of his spine, but Luther’s movement prevented them from gaining a solid grip. At that point, he’d swung halfway, and so he attempted to complete his spin to try and face Bruno head-on, caring little that it may worsen the damage from his brother’s talons. Leaping from the shadows. Women’s tricks. There was no surprise here – Bruno would make a fine wife, but not a King. Never a King. His teeth sought to grab onto any part of Bruno he could reach. He will make him howl with pain tonight.

He will make him regret the day he forgot his place as the second son.

Luther vs. @Bruno ♔
for Ecrosia Mire
Round 1 / 5
Hits:

Rolling 7d20: 9 + 20 + 13 + 11 + 17 + 1 + 15

Dodges:

Rolling 4d20: 18 + 3 + 7 + 8

Luck:

Rolling 5d20: 1 + 14 + 7 + 16 + 15

she flocks to chaos as would a vulture to carrion: avaricious and frenzied in her state of deprivation. weaving through combatants and spectators alike as she navigates the colosseum with slackened grins and beady-eyed stares — delighted to witness history in the making. and though she were no practiced warmonger, harboring intentions of participation, the queen were keen to attend as an extension of her king and in support of their mire allies.

despite recent events and the shroud of uncertainty now cast upon their friendship, olive sidles upon his right flank with the brush of shoulders in greeting. a fervent gaze scours the arena as she pinpoints the various battles around them, coming to a standstill as her focus snags upon the vehemence between saxe and starke. “do they have any friends?” she queries to @Violarum, tones exasperated above the drums of war. not that the saxes’ behavior had not warranted indefinite adversity from the strongholds of amaryllis; and the smirk riddled upon her features betrays of her expressed incredulity.

art by yumpy / code by corvus

<

Ciara watched everything from a hididng spot she had found, among the dense vegetation of the Mire. She had covered herself in dark mud to make her even harder to see on the dark background, eyes of green peeking out of the bushes, she saw her father being attacked, she saw her brother fighting her strained one. She wanted to help, but she didnt know what to do, she wasnt a fighter. She barely knew how, if not in any ways. She was a healer but not a professional one, just a trainee. She felt frustrated. What would her mother do? She of course was a fighter, but Ciara was not.

She sighed as she decided to hide, hide and atleast be there to support them even if from the shadows.

Ciara is attempting to hide
+10 Remain undetected in a large thread (5+ characters)
+5 Infiltrate a group thread without getting caught
+5 Practice disguising your appearance

code by shaz - line art by Graylynx colored by Shaz

Recluse could not understand what went through @Aeistrios's mind in this. He had only just secured a pride of his own, its numbers small, his many children vulnerable. He was swarmed by bees looking to retaliate against him, yet had come here to kick a hornet's nest. Had his foolishness been of no consequence to others around him, Recluse might not have cared, but what he did reflected on his allies as well, namely.. Recluse.

Could he afford to tie himself to such a wreckless king? He was beginning to have some doubts about the arrangement, yet he would find himself here anyway. He knew full well that he could draw aggression as well in simply being present, a senseless fight that they might come to regret the following day as they fought a new battle within themselves.

He would find himself observing @Renfri as he neared the Mire border, a lioness he had little fondness for. She appeared to speak with @Tinúviel, and while he could never hope to know what was said, the brown lioness's expression spoke volumes. He felt the fur along his spine prickle. Foolish.. just like her husband. Perhaps he would be more reasonable if he didn't have this chaotic lioness at his side, or was it the other way around?

The lion would only watch for now, little interest in assisting the Oasis queen. He would be here to defend against the theft of cubs or Oasis lionesses, but he had no qualms with Ecrosia, he became a threat to them only if they sought to make him one.

image by moogle/code by saph

from the shadows, bruno - and among their ranks, chaos

morwënna, tail lashing, flinched at alaric's declaration - we are at war - mind cast back to bruno's promise of stability. like anything in the mire, it would have to be fought for. there were whispers of the brother cast through the strangers around her, blood running cold as her suspicions were settled. the enemy had come from within. and wën had not been the only one haunted by a brother.

though the spectre in their midst was hardly metaphorical.

it was @Tai who caught her attention - the quiet creature bruno had asked to stay, one single note she had been witness to, not knowing the nature of their relationship but at least aware that her friend had a fondness for the advisor. he snapped toward @Runa, the wildcard, who outwardly seemed to attack blindly whoever was nearest - but then, if the challenger was her vater? perhaps to sow chaos from within was their only intention. it was certainly one a child runa's age could accomplish. morwënna's lip curled readily, distate at the idea of blindly obeying a father, especially at the expense of those you had lived so close to, hunted with-

when runa turned on tai - and @Alaric declared the oasis an enemy.

wën's focus snapped to scent alone. she was a war hound at heart, set upon the nearest target - whoever they might have been.

she did not particularly care, then, that @Recluse had not specifically made himself a threat. an enemy on ecrosian land was an enemy no less for not striking immediately.

- fight begins -

morwënna uncoiled, the serpent finally unleashed. a snarl ripped from the depths of her infernal chest, she charged at recluse from the male's right side, claws extended and aiming to slam downward anywhere on his torso get down in the dirt, where you belong.

morwënna vs @Recluse
for dominance

1 / 3

hits:

Rolling 6d20: 19 + 2 + 13 + 1 + 6 + 10

dodge:

Rolling 4d20: 6 + 14 + 19 + 5

luck:

Rolling 6d20: 14 + 1 + 12 + 19 + 9 + 8

lead scout perk; +1 luck to all pride-mates when fighting on their pride territory (must be present prior to the start of the fight)

LEIAH

Where her family went, the raven was not far behind. Leiah took her time moving from their new desert home. The young girl wasn't stupid, she knew that they'd likely be entering into a pit of vipers and she wasn't about to make herself their next meal. She moved from the desert sand, scooping snow and underbrush onto her fur as she walked. Leiah would pause every so often to brush against the trees, allowing the smell of lichen to cling to her fur, disguising the scent of the oasis. She would slink within the shadows of the night, using the trees to her advantage as she wove her way deeper into the swampland. This place was miserable, then again nothing would ever live up to her standards. Her purple gaze flickers, finding @Renfri's retreating frame along with a strange woman. But that was not her main concern, no her gaze would move to land on her father @Aeistrios. Hunkering down amongst the dense foliage she would continue to watch and remain alert and silent, waiting.

*Leiah is attempting to hide!

barbarian & assassin exp
+5 - Observe a fight (Aeistrios v. Alaric)
+10 - Sneak into another pride's territory without getting caught (Ecrosia Mire)
+10 - Successfully stay hidden for the duration of a thread

code by flea, art by yumpy