Darne

Darne
[[file:|240px]]
Culture	{{{culture}}}
Religion	{{{religion}}}
Gender	Androgynous
Race	Allay Faerie
Ethnicity	{{{ethnicity}}}
Nationality	Tynzeu
Title(s)	Thane of Verits
Age	23
Birth	{{{birth}}}
Death	{{{death}}}
Player	_Osh_

Darne is the name of the character currently played by _Osh_.

Appearance

Darne shares the majority of his appearance with humans, his body resembling one very closely. Unlike humans, however, he is incredibly short - approximately 5'2" (~157cm) in height. Moreover, he is a mere 45kg in weight. This is where his more allay-like characteristics are seen, as he shares a similar bone density to them. He also has wings resembling that of an allay. Although they are much larger than an allay's, the techniques required to fly with them have been lost to time.

He is usually seen wearing a blue jacket over white. The vast majority of the time, he can be seen with very light amounts of armour, amounting only to shoulder pads and a sheath for his sword. Most notably, however, about the clothes he choses to wear is his mask. While the reason for wearing his mask is unknown, he has commonly refused to remove it and very few have seen him without it.

Race information

For information regarding appearance, see the first paragraph of the appearance section above.

To Darne's knowledge, he is the last of his kind, with the rest having been hunted to extinction for their wings. Prior to their extinction, they were a nomadic people living far to the east of the CinderCivs world.

Character posts

Journal Entries

Alone no Longer, Journal Entry I

It has been years since I fled. Years have passed since my home, my people, were destroyed. While I used to hold out some degree of hope that I was not the last of my kind, I have yet to find another.

I was lost, scared, for so long. Encountering the faintest trace of civilisation in a region made me withdraw from it entirely. Could they really blame me? My entire life I witnessed my kind hunted for sport, for our wings, for use as what? Trophies? How could they not understand. -# Clarification: My character's race has naturally larger wings than that of ordinary allay, though they are not large enough to allow for flight.

I stumbled upon a small village, around 2 months ago. I hadn't eaten in weeks, and my chances of survival were looking slimmer than ever, so I took a chance. All I could feel was my stomach, and the aching that echoed through each of my limbs, themselves incredibly weak by this point. If I was caught there, I was certain I'd die. I began devouring straight from their meat storage.

I must have looked like some disgusting, rabid beast, lacking even the most basic amount of self control. Before I knew it, I had eaten through an entire week's worth of their meat stores. The presence of such a large amount of food overwhelmed me. Every little smell was intoxicating, the taste as I shovelled the food into my mouth was absolute bliss. I couldn't hold back any more. Just as I was about to continue eating away at their food, one of them opened the door behind me.

It was in that moment that I resigned myself to death. I had lived long enough. In death, I would finally be reunited... with them. I never knew up until that point how easy it was to give up. It felt almost liberating, knowing that I would not have to shoulder the weight of being the last any longer. But he did not attack me.

He spoke in a language which I am still struggling to understand even now, that of the Tynzeu people. I can only imagine what he must have been thinking, but he took me in. He... cared for me, provided me with everything I needed to survive. I don't understand. Why are they so... good? Why am I not dead. Why have they not finished off the last of my species.

I cannot help but laugh. I hate it, I truly do, that I can laugh when I am all that remains of my people, of my family. I can hardly sleep, all I can think is "Why?"; Why was I the one to survive? Why did I deserve a second chance where they did not. Above all, I don't understand why these Tynzeu did not kill me.

I've been here for a while now. I still can't fully understand their language, and they seemed to suggest I use this "journal" to help me learn it. I may not understand them or their motivations in being kind to a creature like me, but I do understand this:

I think I owe these people my life.

Flying Friends, Journal Entry II

I was finally starting to get the gist of this language, Tynzeu, when someone who referred to himself as Dr. B. Fleuys requested an audience with me. I was quite confused at first, since I didn't think there would be any reason for me to see a Doctor about anything, but I agreed nonetheless. Like all the others in this land, he was quite tall, though not as tall as Auteus for example. I believe he is human though cannot be certain, I've seen few humans in my lifetime - especially not in Tazkuytai. He spoke of how he led a company 'Haste™' and how he wished to find some creatures with similar characteristics to myself, the allays. I have always been fond of allays, most likely due to our close genetic ties? I fail to recall any other reason, I just know that it brings me pain to see harm inflicted upon them. I am sure that, if I were not the last, I would be able to get a more concrete answer than that.

I can't remember the details of the conversation very well. Dr. Fleuys was employing all sorts of weird words which - even after practicing Tynzeu for months - were lost on me. The conversation ended with us launching an expedition through the surrounding region (and beyond) to locate an allay to bring back to Tazkuytai.

While the goal of this expedition was to find and retrieve some allays, I couldn't help but marvel at the beauty of the land, of nature itself. Perhaps it is because I was not in the best place last time I travelled the wilderness, but it is truly a refreshing experience. Tazkuytai might not be a particularly large town yet, but the air there still cannot compare to the taste and the smell of the atmosphere further south - in the pine forests.

It took us quite a long time, a few days I think, but we eventually found a small group of them. We brought them back home, and Dr. Fleuys stated that he wished to begin researching them. He promised that no harm would befall them under his watch. In hindsight, perhaps I was too trusting; but I truly do believe that he will take good care of that allay. I took one in myself, naming it Altir and returning to my quarters.

I think I will build a sanctuary, where no harm will ever befall Altir - or any of his kind - again.

Sanctuary, Journal Entry III

I've seen an increased number of Allays wandering nearby Tazkuytai as of late. I wonder if they have perhaps tracked the allays that myself and Dr. Fleuys retrieved last week.

With each allay I find, my desire to provide them a sanctuary grows. It was this realisation yesterday that led me to petition Auteus personally.

I knew that I was asking a lot, perhaps too much, especially given how much he has cared and provided for me since I met him and the rest of the Tynzeu. But I had to ask regardless.

The biggest point I thought would work in my favour going into this discussion was the vastness and emptiness of the region surrounding Tazkuytai. I hoped that I could leverage my aid in developing the region further to benefit my point.

Of course, these were my thoughts going into the discussion.

I entered his quarters and I readied myself for a long debate.

A discussion which I originally thought would be long and hard-fought was over in minutes. Upon hearing my desire to construct a sanctuary for the allays, he proposed an idea. If I were to lead the construction of a castle in the mountains to the south west - approximately at the midpoint between Verits and Tazkuytai - I could use that as a sanctuary for my winged friends.

Perhaps he simply saw the defensive utility of having a castle in those mountains, or perhaps he truly believes in my cause and trusts my judgement. Truthfully, I am inclined to believe the latter, as he has been kind to me in all interactions I have had with him since arriving here, even when I frankly did not deserve his kindness.

Whatever his intent, permission to build the castle was granted, and it would facilitate the sanctuary for my blue-faced companions.

I surveyed the site later that same day. The view was frankly stunning. I thought that I had seen nature's beauty when I went on the expedition with Dr. Fleuys, but to think it had so much to offer... The air too, it was remarkably fresh. It was cold too, but not in a bad way. I've always felt a greater affinity to the cold than heat, so this was a truly enjoyable experience. See the attached screenshot :>

Tomorrow, the construction is set to begin.

Summons, Journal Entry IV

Things were starting to calm down a little, the plans for the foundation of the sanctuary were nearing completion. After that, I would simply have to call a meeting with the leader of the Artisan's Guild and request his expertise in beginning the construction.

While I say they were calming down, in reality things across Vukodlak were shifting. Acquisition of new territory around the old town of Verits, now renamed to Veritsky. Given its close proximity to Tazkuytai, it is sure to cause some changes around here. Who can say what the future holds for us. Even though I wish I could help, I am just so busy!

Who could have thought that beginning such a large project in the mountains would leave me so busy..

Oh well! It'll all be worth it in the end, when I offer Altir and his brethren a place where they can stay safe and be free.

It seems whatever creature determines upon my fate had other plans, however.

I was just starting to adjust to the workload when a bird arrived in Tazkuytai, carrying a seemingly very important message. Upon reviewing it, Auteus had it brought to me.

Summoned to Castle Horachek for an audience with the Empress?! My heart stopped in confusion and fear. What could the Empress possibly desire from me, a shadow of a dead people? Had I done something to offend her?

Perhaps she wanted to turn me into some sort of court jester? I doubt any of my kind have ever been seen in the empire before, especially not recently...

Maybe I am being summoned because of some law I unknowingly broke? I really hope they don't execute me...

To be honest, I was starting to panic. My panic only subsided when Altir took a seat on my shoulder. I like to think that it was his attempt at reassuring me.

Regardless, it was time that I prepared a horse and set out for Owczarka, the town surrounding Castle Horachek. I believe it should take a little under a month, should conditions be favourable. I just hope that the route is safe, and that any who I may encounter are as kind as the Tynzeu have been. I had best not keep the Empress waiting.

Whatever is desired of me, I will do my best.

Travel. Journal Entry V

I believe I shall have reached Owczarka by the end of tomorrow, so my travel is almost completed. When I first began this journey, I was concerned that I may have offended the Empress in some way, or that I may be ambushed along the road to Owczarka.

As time passed, however, both of these fears lessened. I hope that, should I *have* offended the Empress in any way, she will have likely had time to calm herself, and I will hopefully leave the meeting with my head still securely on my shoulders. I was, however, ambushed approximately a week ago. A small group of travellers must have seen me as an easy target. I am not, after all, particularly tall or muscular - quite the opposite in fact. I never realised quite how short my species was until I began to interact with the people from these lands.

They were not particularly well armed, thankfully. The 4 of them began to surround me, demanding I hand over all of my belongings. My heart sunk in my chest, I was not prepared for this, all I had was my sword. I lacked any form of armour, and I was outnumbered 4 to 1. Every part of my body was telling me to flee, but I refused.

If these barbarians wish to imitate those that brought my people to extinction, then let them try! I strongly doubt they are of similar strength to those that bested my people's best warriors in combat. I had never taken a life, my hand was shaking at the mere prospect of doing such a thing.. or was it shaking from fury? To be honest, I am not sure. I readied my blade and charged at one of the 4 men. I believe I caught him off-guard, and he was unable to parry my strike in time. Blood spurted from his throat, and I turned to face the other 3 men, who were now charging at me furiously. I parried the first strike, aimed for my chest, but I was unable to prevent the second from grazing my shoulder.

I was outmatched. If I had the option to fight each of them individually, their inexperience would guarantee their death, I simply could not handle 3 of them at once. If I stayed, I would have been killed. My people's legacy would be lost, forgotten to the passage of time. Thus, I chose not to stay. I fled, my heart pounding faster than I ever thought possible, desperately pleading for my body to keep up. Before I knew it, the forest engulfed me. As soon as I knew I was safe, I vomited. I had... taken someone's life. Sure, it was self defence, but that person likely had a family, had people who cared for him.

Am I truly any different from those who hunted my people for sport? I... I do not wish to take any more lives on this trip. Sleepless nights in that forest for a few days, before I finally found my way back to the roads. It was time to continue onwards to Owczarka. The rest of the trip was rather uneventful, thankfully, and the place I had been struck by the barbarian has since healed.

Tomorrow I should arrive in Owczarka, and I will meet with the Empress on the day following that.

Chaos. Journal Entry VI

I haven't had much time to write as of late, as things are only just starting to calm down. I met with the late Empress, and was granted the city of Verits to rule over. Although close to Grasyn geographically, this still posed a few issues for me logistically, as ruling over two large pieces of land directly is quite difficult as it turns out!

I have been constantly travelling up and down the mountain that Grasyn is located on, managing petty disputes between citizens, overseeing the construction of the Grasyn castle, overseeing the reconstruction of the city of Verits. I felt as though I was going mad, I had no time for anything else, and my health was beginning to decline from the stress.

But that wasn't even the start of this hectic period; as news soon reached us that the Empress has been slain by a Dragon following her changes to the constitution. If this wasn't foul play, I frankly don't know what is. I had met with her a mere week prior. And now she was... dead? How was this possible, she seemed fine. A Dragon? I could have suffered the same fate when I visited...

But even more suspicious was the rise of High King Radzig Markow to the Sculk Throne, as he reacted unusually quickly and was able to secure the throne with little opposition. This was aided, in part, by him revealing to the rest of the nation that he had produced children with the late Empress, who were now still too young to rule. It's possible that he was acting as a regent, but with foul play likely, and him taking the title of Emperor rather than regent, we were incredibly suspicious.

Personally, I had never met him prior to this, only heard rumours. None of the rumours were particularly bad, but what else could this have been but foul play?

We organised a meeting with the new Emperor, and were able to secure his blessing in the ascension of Auteus to the status of High King of Tazkuytai, along with procuring some of the land around the city of Verits, making it easier for me to manage my territories now that they were connected.

I thought this was a bit of good news, finally, since it would make managing the lands so much easier. And I was right, it was much easier. But this was the calm before the storm.

The rest of that month was relatively fine, albeit a little hectic, with the rise of a new Emperor, granting of new titles, and such.

The next month, however, was just pure chaos.

We received letters from the capital stating that the former vassal of Knaarland had been granted independence from the crown, which alone was already cause for suspicion, given that the vassals are what made up the empire.

I had never visited, nor did I know anyone from there, so I didn't care much.

Even more concerning, was that we received a letter detailing the secession of Vukodlak from the Vukodlak Empire? We wouldn't have taken the matter very seriously usually, but given that the letter stated we would now fall under the Empire of Inarith, which was a direct title of the new Emperor Radzig Markow, we believed it to be the culmination of a plot.

I had a headache for days trying to figure out what was going on, and I was not the only one. Nobody seemed to know quite what was going on here.

So, with the declaration of the Inarith Empire, and them attempting to place themselves as our overlord, we chose to secede.

I was terrified. Sending a letter of secession to an Empire as large and influential as Vukodlak was nothing more than a death wish. If it came down to it, would we be able to fight them off?

But we had sworn loyalty to the Empress, to the Sculk Throne, to Vukodlak. We had not sworn loyalty to the Emperor, who had no right to rule by the Empire's own constitution, nor had we sworn loyalty to Inarith.

The process was not easy, there were border disputes around Verits and I had to be on guard in case the Emperor chose to press his claim at all times.

I couldn't sleep. For days I didn't sleep, preparing defences, building walls over Grasyn, readying garrisons of troops in Verits, evacuating citizens.

Should our gamble for independence fail, it would likely cost us our heads. Fail, it did not. No troops ever did cross the border into Tazkuytai.

This was a month ago, it was only as of last week that we finally got some clarity regarding the events that transpired. There had been some form of plot within the capital, and our independence had simply been a side-effect of that. But this mattered not, we were independent now.

It was time for us to make our mark on the world.