A young man approaches the castle, frowning at a map in his hands. He nears the castle and finally sees it, stopping. He gapes up at the tall towers and formidable battlements, seeming lost for words. Until he mutters. "Well, I suppose I'm lost."
{JAMMERS!} Don't know if I'm supposed to post his bio here in this topic, but here, it is just in case.
Name: Azril Leifson
Age: 16
Hair: Sandy blond, scruffy
Eyes: Chocolate-brown
Race: Human
Skin Tone: Pale, with faint freckles on his face
General Description: A young teenager wearing simple, though not unsightly, peasantry garments; grey leggings, large black boots, forest-green jerkin over gray canvas shirt, and a leather baldric and belt slung over his torso to hold extra belt pouches.
Skills/Class: Archery; he can shoot a crossbow his dad owned, and can hunt game with simple bow and arrows in the forest. He knows a good bit about forging metal in blacksmith shops, not to mention cooking and baking delicious treats and keeping a vegetable garden.
Items: A walking stick his father had before he passed away; a map of the kingdom Morñornia and some of the surrounding territories; his backpack carrying some apples, a roll of bread, a flask of water, some tools, a saddle blanket, and a pocket watch he built himself.
Backstory: Azril was born and raised as a simple peasant in Morñornia with his parents as a single child, and often helped his father in his blacksmith shop of their small country village. He’s interested in building things and mechanics, and is sure that there’s a future in engineering and that he can create something that’ll change the world. When he was fifteen years old his father passed away, and his widowed mother struggled for money to feed herself and her boy before marrying again. Azril’s stepfather was demanding and abusive of him, and after a year of living in misery, Azril ran away to find a new life for himself. He hopes to be hired out somewhere as an apprentice blacksmith or even a servant, although privately he’d rather do something more exciting, like being a warrior and inventing new gadgets for his medieval world.
OOC: Sorry, let me get you started.
IC: A guard on the wall sees him and calls out. "Oi! Wha're you doin' 'ere?"
IC: The youth jumps and gapes up at the guard. He drops the map, and hurriedly scrambles for it, looking quite nervous. After a few seconds of clumsy movement, he clears his throat and replies. "Uhh. . . hi. Hello. Greetings. Um. . . do you happen to know where a fellow can find some work?"
IC: A guard on the wall sees him and calls out. "Oi! Wha're you doin' 'ere?"
IC: The youth jumps and gapes up at the guard. He drops the map, and hurriedly scrambles for it, looking quite nervous. After a few seconds of clumsy movement, he clears his throat and replies. "Uhh. . . hi. Hello. Greetings. Um. . . do you happen to know where a fellow can find some work?"
IC: The youth jumps and gapes up at the guard. He drops the map, and hurriedly scrambles for it, looking quite nervous. After a few seconds of clumsy movement, he clears his throat and replies. "Uhh. . . hi. Hello. Greetings. Um. . . do you happen to know where a fellow can find some work?"
"Wha' kinda work ya lookin' fer?"
"Well. . ." He licks his lips and takes a breath before replying. ". . . I can fight. Uh, with this staff, I guess, but I'm pretty good at archery. I'm looking for work as a warrior."
"Well. . ." He licks his lips and takes a breath before replying. ". . . I can fight. Uh, with this staff, I guess, but I'm pretty good at archery. I'm looking for work as a warrior."
The soldier shrugs. "Lord Urbien always wants more soldiers. Come on in." The gate begins to open.
"Well. . ." He licks his lips and takes a breath before replying. ". . . I can fight. Uh, with this staff, I guess, but I'm pretty good at archery. I'm looking for work as a warrior."
The soldier shrugs. "Lord Urbien always wants more soldiers. Come on in." The gate begins to open.
The young man jumps at the loud creak of the gate swinging open, then, hesitantly, ventures into the fortress.
Valerie takes a seat immediately, while Daniel waits for a moment before following suit. "I wouldn't blame him for dying in battle, but that is true. How have things been here of late?"
Urbien shakes his head. "That war with those Xains left this place a mess. Our resources are drained and our army is all but useless. I have done what I can, but this is not a problem that will be solved soon. Perhaps not at all, without a king."
Valerie sighs. "It seems things are worse than I heard. How many men do we have left?"
Urbien shakes his head. "That war with those Xains left this place a mess. Our resources are drained and our army is all but useless. I have done what I can, but this is not a problem that will be solved soon. Perhaps not at all, without a king."
Valerie sighs. "It seems things are worse than I heard. How many men do we have left?"
"Somewhere around fifty. In a pinch, we could muster up somewhere around twice that. I'm investing as much as I can in building that up, but a major success might be necessary to return to our former strength."
The guard comes down to the walls to meet him. "Go over to the barracks and we'll get you started on basic training." He points to the barracks.
"Uh, sure." The youth sees the building the guard pointed to, and heads inside.
He finds a stocky, red-faced man waiting inside. "Welcome to the army. Grab a sword and a spear and we'll start you on training." He points to a rack of weapons on the far wall.
"Uh, sure." The youth sees the building the guard pointed to, and heads inside.
He finds a stocky, red-faced man waiting inside. "Welcome to the army. Grab a sword and a spear and we'll start you on training." He points to a rack of weapons on the far wall.
The new recruit obeys after hastily shoving his bag of belongings and his walking staff in one corner of the room. He lifts a longsword and nearly drops it. Brick, this is heavy! Huffing for breath, he clings to the sword and grabs a spear.
He finds a stocky, red-faced man waiting inside. "Welcome to the army. Grab a sword and a spear and we'll start you on training." He points to a rack of weapons on the far wall.
The new recruit obeys after hastily shoving his bag of belongings and his walking staff in one corner of the room. He lifts a longsword and nearly drops it. Brick, this is heavy! Huffing for breath, he clings to the sword and grabs a spear.
"Alright. Let's head out to the practice field." The man leads him out to a small field, where a handful of other soldiers are training.
The new recruit obeys after hastily shoving his bag of belongings and his walking staff in one corner of the room. He lifts a longsword and nearly drops it. Brick, this is heavy! Huffing for breath, he clings to the sword and grabs a spear.
"Alright. Let's head out to the practice field." The man leads him out to a small field, where a handful of other soldiers are training.
He follows, gazing at the other soldiers in a compound of curiosity and anxiety.