Faction Of Swords and Beskad I New Mandalorians

[Jenn Kryze]

"Love makes us whole. It is our legacy as a people. It is why we live."

Although a world of the Galactic Alliance, Ukatis is a planet of proud traditions, defiant against the never-ending march of industrialization harkening the end of their ways. Reluctant to ask outsiders for help, these feudalists are much like ourselves in their noble qualities... and all too different in their worst excesses, their society based upon stratified social classes and enforced gender inequality.

All the same, you are to help these people. For today is a chance at glory and atonement.

The sight of Mandalorians on Ukatis is quick to inspire dread and wrath alike, for it was the Mandalorian Enclave that struck their capital of Axilla during the short, if brutal Crusade against the Galactic Alliance. But today is a chance for us to show these people that we are more than warmongers and destroyers. So too can we be saviors, champions of righteousness, equal to their knights and abiding by codes of chivalry of our own.


Objective 1: A Walk In The Woods​

For the brave, the chivalrous, and the bold.

A great and terrible beast preys upon isolated Ukatian settlements within the woods of Artois! Entire villages have been destroyed, and haggard survivors babble on in terror, speaking of a monster no knight has been able to defeat, no matter their mettle! With Duke Bohemond and his wife missing for months, it is the young Lady Mathilde Leyweald who has seen fit to call upon the aid of Mandalorians to slay the creature; ready to receive the hunting party at the gates of her family's castle, the young Dreamweaver expects much of you. Do not let the great tales of courage and heroism be for naught.



Objective 2: Diplomatic Complications​

For the silent shadows, those who never shall abandon a brother.

Calamity! An emergency distress signal relayed by Karrys speaks of dire news; Pollux , Alor'ad of the House of Kryze, has been taken prisoner by House Seiros during a clandestine visit to see his paramour, and the penalty they reserve for such a crime promises to be quite dire indeed. Deploy under the cover of night, infiltrate the House's estate through their water garden, and free Pollux before it is too late. But be mindful of your use of force, 'lest you start a new conflict altogether...​

 

[Mathilde Leyweald]

Mathilde Leyweald

With Lord Bohemond Leyweald and Lady Victoria missing for the past few months, all eyes within the keep had begun to turn towards their daughter. Though largely inexperienced in the fine art of leadership, the young Dreamweaver rose up to the occasion all the same, the aura of tranquility she projected soothing the humble, if competent court of her lord father. If any held objections as to her rule, they kept such thoughts to themselves, all too aware of the undying loyalty Bohemond inspired in his subjects. Even the most common of men-at-arms had seen the girl grow into a young woman over the years, and with such a bond, came the unmistakable protectiveness held by Ukatians for those of the so-called "fairer sex", as they chose to put it.

If such talk bothered the new Lady of the House, she certainly hid it well, her expression placid and her voice measured. There was no point in sending more knights to hunt after an elusive beast that kept decimating their ranks, after all; to do so would only waste their skill and throw away their lives. Although her first decision was met with some trepidation by the seneschal, the grovetender passed an edict calling for the populace of surrounding villages to take shelter within her keep for the duration of the crisis, escorted by contingents of men-at-arms; furthermore, all travel to and from the castle itself was to be heavily monitored.

A few voices had risen up in protest when she asked for Ser Gontran to ride out to Axilla and ask for aid from a Mandalorian she knew to be hiding there. These were the same people who had visited fire and death on their world, for no good reason! But her decision was final, and the legendary skill of these great hunters was not to be denied...

Which brought her to today.

The gate had been opened, and so did the young lady await the arrival of those who would deliver her people from fear. Castle Arden was located a day's travel by horse into the woods, and yet she hold no doubt in her heart. Mandalorians were a resourceful lot, and she expected them to make it to the castle by midday, traversing the forestry through the uneven trail.

"What if they are waylaid by the beast, my lady? Or- if they decided not to come at all?" came the Seneschal's voice, respectful in spite of his doubts.

"They will come", assured the brunette gently, regarding him with a kind smile. "I have dreamed it."

 

[Karrys]

Karrys be aliit Stohl was furious.​

Ukatis was a difficult world for her to return to on a good day. A planet she had spent a past life in, and almost found a reason to stay. To let herself be, to let herself feel truly enough to abandon the great pursuit, the endless journey. It had been so very dear to her. Leaving it required no small effort of will. Returning so many years later to bomb its capital under the command of the Mandalorian Enclave had been a way for her to leave behind that chapter of her life, to let her hate for its antiquated social structure subsume her love of some of its people. Under the rubble, she had left her dreams and her love.

That was before Jenn had them return to help in the reconstruction, even as the locals fixated them with hateful glares. Before Corazona von Ascania had befriended the Duchess, all but forcing Karrys to keep on flying her friend to a planet she both loathed and adored, something that should have been left in her past.

Maybe that was why she had agreed to start ferrying Pollux to and from Ukatis. Because he only had the one lifespan, the one chance at love, and through him, she could make amends. Though she knew the Kryz'alor suspected her involvement in the frequent and poorly-explained disappearances of the Alor'ad, Jenn had never pressed her on the topic, the unspoken code between them preventing such a confrontation. They left well enough alone when it mattered.

But now, her respect for her friend's secrecy had cost him dearly. And what did The Redeemer do in all this?

Remain undetected. Await the arrival of reinforcements. Do not shed blood. ​

Oh, the Duchess spoke as if it was their duty to be the shepherds, to guard the bleating sheep, but Karrys knew who and what she truly was. Throughout her lifetimes, throughout her identities, she had always been, and would always be, a wolf.

Waiting for the promised reinforcements by the rendezvous point she had communicated, the crimson warrior awaited by the river, only two kilometers from the imposing and well-guarded estate of House Seiros. If Jenn had sent her competent vode, then they could head upstream, slip into the water gardens, and free Pollux before anyone knew what hit them. The cover of night would allow them to remain undetected for a little longer.

That was the plan, anyway.