• Closed • The Life of a Rebel [Burning Mountains]

[Vivian Shiryu]

Several bits later, Vivian's sparring partner was bent over his sword, clearly exhausted. He had improved since they started, however, and Vivian had hopes for him in the future. With her sparring partner exhausted, however, Vivian turned towards the archers to see how Zvezdana was handling herself. However, she saw that the Venoran was standing alone, with hurt written all over her body languange. A concerned expression crossed Vivian's face and she started towards her friend. However, before she got more than a step, she heard a snide voice from behind her that stopped and filled her with a rage so fierce she felt it would melt steel if given form. "Looks like Sonny finally told the cowardly bitch off." one of the younger members sneered to his friend.

Turning on her heel, Vivian faced the owner of the voice, who was easy to pick out due to the maliciously arrogant expression on his face. "You. Over here. NOW!" she snapped, her voice full of barely contained fury. The man's sneer deepened and he swaggered up to her.

"You're just the Venoran whore's little bodyguard, too cowardly to even fight with us at Lowtown. You'll be easy." he sneered as he drew his weapon, a heavy battle axe, before pausing to look at the weapon before sneering at her again. "Wait, no, I'll get a training weapon. Obviously you don't want face a training blade." he said, before he started to turn towards the racks.

"Keep the axe. You'll need all the aid you can get." she said, her tone cold. The man turned back towards her with a scowl and readied for the match. After a few moments, the man charged her, proving to be as aggressive as axe wielders typically were. Letting out an annoyed sigh, Vivian stepped back out of range of his initial swing, letting it slip by her her before she stepped in and made her own small slash, opening up a rip on the arm of his tunic. "You'll have to do better than that, oh might warrior." she said, her tone cold.

At the insult, the man roared in rage and made to smash her with one of those heavy overhanded strikes that enraged people always seemed to favor. Vivian's response was step forward again. Instead of her usual shield rush, however, she instead slammed the solid steel of her rapier's hand-guard into the offensive mans face. The man reeled back, spitting blood and a tooth, looking up at her in shock just in time to see Vivian swing her rapier again, this time looking very much like she was fully intending to slice him open. He hastily managed block that strike, but not the backswing that opened up a cut on the chest of his training tunic.

The man stepped back to try and put distance between them, but Vivian stepped forward as he stepped back. Making use of the longer reach of her rapier to make another slice at her opponent, this time at the back of his hand. The man cried in surprise and pain as she opened a cut on the back of his hand, causing him to drop his axe. As she moved to swing again, he raised his arms in self-defense. "I yield!" he shouted, clearly unnerved by her extreme level of hostility.

Vivian paused in her strike, then lowered her rapier. "Show proper respect, or next time I won't let you off so easily." she said, wiping off the blade of her rapier and sheathing it. Turning away from the training fields, she walked over to Zvezdana and put her arms around her friend. "Come on. Let's go find the twins. Spend the rest of the day with people who have more intelligence than a slug." she said, her tone gentle, though she still sounded irritated underneath the gentleness. As they turned to leave the training grounds, Vivian saw the twins running up with an excited air about them. Feeling that their good mood was what both her and Zvezdana needed, Vivian beckoned them over. "You two look happy. Something good happen?" she asked, her tone cheering up slightly as she let the exuberance of the two girls she had taken in wash over her like a soothing balm.

[Seira Shiryu]

When Seira saw Vivian, she was hard pressed not to run over, and hug the older woman. She was so excited that she actually felt giddy. And while she did resist the urge to hug her friend, she did race over with a bounce in her steps, and an excited sparkle in her eyes. Seri was right behind her.

"Vivian, guess what?!"

Seri poked her in the side, and gestured. Zvezdana was there, too, and in her excitement, Seira hadn't noticed her until Seri had pointed her out.

"Lady, Zvezdana, I think you might like this, too." Seira said with an eager grin.

Seira and Seri grinned at each other, communicating silently in their special way for a trill before turning back to the adults.

"We think we've found a way to really help you guys out a lot!" they exclaimed at the same time.

Seira played a few notes on her drum in a loud, slow sequence.

"See how far the sound carries?"

Seira played a second sequence of notes to give them a better idea of what she was talking about.

"It's a really crisp, clear sound, too. If you set up a series of relay points along a line between the fort, and some place the Qe'dreki want to go, they can "talk" to each other using a drum code. They can send messages along the relay line back here, too; you just need to have one person who knows how to play the drum stationed at each of the relay points. Patrol groups can "talk" to each other too, or with us. They'd just need to make sure to stay within hearing distance of each other so they can send messages if they need to."

"I bet you can do other stuff with it, too." Seri added.

"We've even started working out a code, but you'd need someone who knows more about playing this kind of drum to work out the fine details. The basics are easy enough that a novice drum player should be able to manage it."

"If we can do it, anyone can." Seri said simply.

"I'm not sure how much you guys know about playing a musical instrument, but there are seven basic notes; A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. Since there are twenty six letters in the alphabet, notes A through E have four letters assigned to them, and F and G have three letters each. The note A could mean a, b, c, or d, and so on. And you'd know which letter was meant by the number of times the note was played. Here, let me give you an example. This is what Vivian's name would sound like using the code." Seira said eagerly.

Seira ran the letters and notes through her head quickly. Then she played F twice, C once, F twice, C once, A once, and ended with playing D twice.

"See? We'd need to come up with a sequence of notes to play at the start of a message to let people know one was coming. And we'd need an ending sequence too, to let people know when the message was over. Oh, and a set count of silence between each word, too. That way, people will know where each word of a message ends, and the next one begins. Maybe something like five trills of silence between each word? Something like that, anyway. Maybe playing a sequence of notes louder than the others could be used to empathize it."

"Playing each word out the long way could get confusing pretty quickly, so we'll need to come up with special codes for certain things. Each person could have their own code that represents their name, for example. Ranks should probably have codes, too. Important concepts could have special codes, too. Like "danger," "emergency," "urgent," "all clear," and other stuff like that." Seri said when Seira looked like she was think about something.

Seira nodded.

"We'd need codes for numbers, too." she mused.

"But I'm not sure what could be used for that. Having a sequence of notes to indicate the next set of notes means a number, and then playing one note for one, two for two, and so on might work if it's a small number...but not for the bigger ones."

"The best part is that it doesn't matter if a bad guy hears the message, because they won't know what it means. All they'll hear is someone playing a drum!" Seri said excitedly.

Seira frowned thoughtfully for a bit.

"They might be able to figure it out if they heard it enough times...but we could prevent that by using different codes. It would be easy enough to assign different letters to different notes every so often so an enemy couldn't know what was being said in the code."

Seira looked up at Vivian, and Zvezdana hopefully. It was obvious that she was seeking their approval.

"What do you guys think? Could something like this help?"


Word Count: 833 words

[Zvezdana Venora]

Zvezdana had looked up to the sparring ring where Vivian was fighting with live weapons. She tensed. What had Vivian gotten herself into that required the use of sharp blades instead of training weapons. Her fingers tightened around her bow. Without it strung, it would make a good whipping stick. A few decent lashings were all that would be needed from the bendable wood. With her unstrung bow in hand, she began to close the distance between her and the training yard. Before she could even make it halfway to put her foot down, Vivian had ended the battle. A sigh of relief escaped her, her heart rate having increased with each step in fear that the large soldier would have ended Vivian with a good swipe of his blade.

She should have known better that Vivian. Her right hand woman was worthy of the position by skill. It helped that they were now friends, but that had not always been the case. Her sergeant approached her, a soft smile on her face. Zvezdana simply nodded, walking alongside them as they headed back to the keep. Seira and Serial were on their way out, toting their drums.

“Do tell. This must be some very exciting news given the look at your faces,” Zvezdana attempted at a soft, cheerful tone, but she was exhausted. It was evident in how her eyelids hung and her shoulder slumped forward. Although she had given it everything she had all day long, she had been defeated. No matter how hard she tried, there was no end in sight.

Zvezdana listened to the sequence of notes, although they all sounded the same to her. To a musician, she suspected that each note had a slightly different tone that her ears could not pick up on. Zvezdana looked past the young girls, wondering to herself on how many of these thick headed cows would be able to listen to a code on the wind. Sound traveled fast, but there was a point that it would be slower than a horse. Especially by the length of time it would take to send a long message. Quick messages would make a lot of sense this way, but written and verbal messages were always easier when it came to tactics and strategy.

"You are definitely on to something, but it would be incredibly difficult for long messages. I can certainly bring it up to Blackwood, but I don't know how thrilled about this method he will be? Although enemies won't understand the message, sounds will lead them to the encampments of the soldiers relaying the message. Lives would be at risk," Zvezdana certainly did not want to negate the twin's work, but there were definitely things that needed to be fine tuned. They had a great concept, but the higher ups probably would not think the same. If she could convince them that Seira and Serial were doing all they could do to help, they might consider it. Then again, they might argue that children should stay out of the concept up war. "I'll see what I can do. Maybe consider making musical phrases to battle commands? Drums on a battle would definitely be helpful to superiors when giving commands to a large battalion. One person cannot control thousands, but a few drums might be able to."

Zvezdana fell quiet after that, her mind foggy. She felt bad for being practical about the girls' idea, but she had to prepare them for what Yoreth would say. This world was cruel, and these young children were having to learn the hard way. Zvezdana chewed her lip before looking towards the tower that she stayed in. Once the conversation had died down, Zvezdana gave a polite nod to each of her friends. "I'm going to retire early tonight. I have a lot on my mind. Make sure you all eat. Vivian, you can tell the cooks that I will not have supper tonight, if you see them. Goodnight."

It was a curt goodbye, but she did her best to offer a smile at the end before walking away with her head low.

Word Count: 690

[Vivian Shiryu]

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Vivian listened to the girls explanation, then listened to Zvezdana's reply to it before she spoke. "It would put soldiers in danger if not used right. However, that could be solved by putting the drummer on a Volareon, or otherwise high up, or finding some way to make the sounds echo around so it's hard to tell where it's coming from." she said, thinking back. She didn't fault Zvezdana for being practical, but her own experience told her that it wasn't always easy to tell where a sound came from. She considered the idea, and Zvezdana's words, a bit more.

"If Blackwood doesn't see the potential uses, he's more a fool than I thought. The idea about it being used when commanding large forces is a good one. Did a bit of pitched combat and even siege training when I was an Airman, and it gets chaotic just in training. In a real battle, I can't imagine how difficult it is to get orders to the proper troops, or get a good sense of the battle. The drums would help a lot with that, since it lessens the need couriers and such." she said, before watching as Zvezdana turned her gaze to her remote tower. When her friend said she would retire early, she simply nodded. "Rest well, Zvez." she said, smiling.

Once her Queen was gone, however, Vivian turned to one of the new recruits that was leaving the training field. "Tell the kitchens that Zvezdana will be dining alone in her tower tonight, and that she would like a simple meal." she commanded. When the servant had gone, she smiled at Seira and Seriel. "Not good for her to not eat. Come on, lets go work on those patterns some if you want." she said, smiling warmly at the girls.

[Seira Shiryu]

Seira nodded when Lady Zvezdana mentioned how difficult it would be to send long messages via musical instrument. It was something she and Seri had thought about, and they thought they had a potential solution.

"That's why we would need a bunch of code words. Like a short series of notes assigned to mean each person's name rather than spelling someone's name out using musical notes. And some phrases like "danger," or "all clear" would have codes, too. It would mean a lot to memorize for the people using the code, but it would make the messages a lot shorter."

Lady Zvezdana's next words were a problem that hadn't even occurred to the twins. But she was right; if the people receiving the message could hear it, then so could any enemies near the people who were sending the message. Still...that would assume that the enemy just happened to be close enough to hear the coded message when someone sent one. Sound carried, that was true. It was why this whole idea might be useful in the first place. But the further you were from the origin of the sound, the harder it would be for an enemy to pinpoint exactly where it was coming from. The message would probably be finished before an enemy could track them down. Or would it? How long would it take for a skilled warrior to track someone who was several miles away down using sound, anyway? If you were out hunting down someone who was your enemy, you would probably be really determined to find them.

"We hadn't really thought about that." Seira confessed quietly.

"Maybe it would work if the person who sent the message moved as soon as they played it? Especially if it was a short message? The enemy might not have enough time to find them that way."

When Seira spoke, it was with great hesitance. It was obvious that she had no idea of what an enemy warrior could and could not be expected to do.

Of course...if they were under attack and needed help when they sent the message, the enemy would already know they were there. Would a message calling for help bring aid faster than enemy reinforcements could find them? she wondered.

Seira didn't know. Maybe her idea for a drum code wasn't really that useful after all. Lady Zvezdana suggested coming up with battle commands, and Seira brightened considerably.

"That's a good idea. Someone would need to tell me what those commands were, though."

Vivian's suggestions about putting someone on a volareon, or high up somehow sounded like they might work, too.

"Unless you're really close by, the sound will echo, making it hard to pinpoint exactly where it is coming from. Even if someone just played a short message, and moved immediately afterwards, it might make it impossible for the enemy to find them if they weren't really close by when the message was sent."

Lady Zvezdana left, and Vivian told someone to take a meal to her. Was it really that late? Seri's stomach rumbled, and Seira suddenly felt hungry, too. But she was still too excited to eat just then, so when Vivian offered to help them with working on the patterns, Seira grinned, and jumped at the chance.

"I'd like that, thanks!" she said, grinning once more.

[Ent]

Your rewards little ones

Name: Zvezdana

Knowledge:
Ranged Combat (Longbow): Holding a drawn bow is draining
Ranged Combat (Longbow): Use cloves to stop blisters
Ranged Combat (Longbow): Practise makes perfect, you will only get better through hard work
Ranged Combat (Longbow): The best choice of weapon for a pregnant woman
Cryptography: A drum code
Tactics: Drums to communicate in battle
Tactics: It is hard for one man to control a whole army
Vivian: Protected your honour
Vivian: Suggested that while clearing up the evil boy king you also take on Syroa
Vivian: Skilled with a rapier


Loot: N/A
Injuries: Blistered hands, if not popped will heal in a few trials, if popped and not cleaned and dressed properly they run the risk of infection. Achy muscles, you will struggle with drawing the bow and holding it for long the next trial.
Fame: +2 (Working among your people to try and show you care)
Devotion: N/A

Story: 5/5
Collaboration: 5/5
Structure: 5/5
Magic: N/A

Name: Vivian

Knowledge:
Bladed combat (Rapier): Don't thrust hard when sparring
Bladed combat (Rapier): Guard smash, using the guard of the sword as a blunt weapon
Bladed combat (Rapier): Conducting shallow slashes
Teaching: Correcting a youngster on their mistakes
Teaching: Giving a fair chance to your training partner
Tactics: Drums to communicate in battle
Tactics: The battlefield can be chaotic and anything to make it easier is good
Cryptography: A drum code
Zvezdana: Was scolded by Sonny
Zvezdana: Has blistered hands from using the bow you gave her
Zvezdana: Likes the bow you bought her

Loot: N/A
Injuries: N/A
Fame: +5 (Defending the honour of your Queen)
Devotion: N/A

Story: 5/5
Collaboration: 5/5
Structure: 5/5
Magic: N/A

Name:Seira

Knowledge:
Musical Instrument (Drum): The notes of, A, B C, D, E, F and G on your drum
Musical Instrument (Drum): Practise makes perfect
Musical Instrument (Drum): Can be used to make codes
Tactics: Drums to communicate in battle
Cryptography: Using a drum to make a code
Cryptography: The use of tone in creating a code
Cryptography: The use of repetition to assign a letter
Vivian: Was impressed and liked the code
Vivian: Offered to help you with the code
Zvezdana: Was impressed and liked the code
Zvezdana: Was worried the sound would be a risk to the soldiers


Loot: A new drum code
Injuries: N/A
Fame: +5 (Working on a drum code to help more Qe'dreki survive)
Devotion: N/A

Story: 5/5
Collaboration: 5/5
Structure: 5/5
Magic: N/A

Comment: Great job, that was well written and enjoyable to read. There were a couple mistypes here and there but in a longer thread like this I think it is to be expected and I did not take any points from anyone for it. I loved the development of the code, it was great and I was impressed to see it grow into what it was, smart kids. Vivian is just a badass (remind me not to cross her any time soon) and I thought you wrote her wonderfully. The only thing I might say is to be careful of her skill, when she was fighting the young soldier who was learning that was okay but the axe guy was dispatched rather easily for a competent swordswomen. Zvez, great to see her getting in among the normal people, showing she knows the importance of everyone doing there part, working among the people does indeed help your appearance.