We've launched the announced Talent and Lore Update! All characters are granted one free RP talent and race change. Update Log.
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08/01/'21
Gaia Reborn
Gaia Reborn, the hottest MMORPG of the last decade, has seen millions of players experience its unique world - a combination of fantasy and reality. When Gaia Reborn was a game, one goal was to make the game world a one-half scale model of the real world. This pursuit was known as the Half-Gaia Project, and it is one of the aspects which led to Gaia Reborn becoming such a popular virtual world. With regional servers having unique areas, quests, cities, and monsters, it wasn't uncommon for people to create alternate characters on other servers to experience what felt like an entirely new game.
Ten years after the game's launch, millions of players have joined and created countless characters across the many servers. Now, with the release of the latest expansion, Pioneers of Arcadia, many are getting ready to begin new adventures in the new Italian server, exploring the new region corresponding to Italy, known in Gaia as Italia. Characters would have to start from fresh in this new world, but Italy would finally get its own piece of this world.
Countless players created their characters, logged in with excitement fueling their hands as the cursor swept across the screen, and then... darkness... Everything was black, and as their eyes opened, the players found themselves in the streets of an unfamiliar city. Looking around to survey their surroundings, many players realized this city was not so new after all. While desolate and ruined, the architecture conquered by vines and greenery, this city was unmistakably Rome, but at the same time, it was not. Finding themselves in the bodies of their characters, trapped in the world of Gaia Reborn, players are left to adapt to their new reality in this fantasy world.
Oh, dear. A week ago, if you had told her she would be wearing armour and walking around in a medieval town, she would have thought you insane. Even barring the sheer absurdity of that statement, Cecilia truly believed she would spend the rest of her life bringing criminals to their knees, exposing them for the world to see. There was a satisfaction in seeing the truth come together and unequivocally proving their guilt once and for all. It was risky and dangerous. Most crime lords didn’t appreciate others snooping into their business, but it was what had to be done.
As much for herself as for others.
The shock to the system from experiencing this new reality never quite set. Perhaps something in her had fundamentally changed that day, but being surprised about anything was quite difficult for her. Perhaps that was for the best; there was no way panicking would make anything better.
And besides, these people needed her. The Landers, as they were called, often relied on adventurers or one of the few landers that decided to take up adventuring themselves to deal with threats to their safety. There wasn’t much in the way of nobility, and though guardians were present in town, they didn’t seem to appear at all outside their premises. Trade routes being threatened, livestock being killed, a necromancer kidnapping people. The problems never ended, it seemed.
But that was fine. Cecilia knew what getting into this lifestyle meant; even if she didn’t ask to be teleported into a new world, she certainly couldn’t turn down people in need of help and a land in need of rebuilding.
The adventurer’s guild was also a place that could use her services. Not in the traditional sense, but in a more… soft touch. Cecilia was a chef, and those were greatly appreciated in a world where those who didn’t choose such a vocation could make subpar meals, at best. While her cooking wasn’t the best in the world, it was certainly enough to satisfy the hungry party of adventurers at the table. Walking up to them dressed in an apron, she offered her trademark motherly smile and sweet tone of voice.
“I hope everything’s tasty. I would hate it if it weren’t up to snuff.”
One of them, the leader judging by his mannerisms and the way he addressed the party, smiled and spoke exuberantly, “Sure beats eating whatever slop we tried to come up with! This is the first proper meal I’ve had in a week!”
Giggling, Cecilia spoke in good humour, “Perhaps you should bring me, then! I’d love to be able to cook for you all. Not eating proper food for so long is no way to live.”
It was his turn to laugh, “You make a good case! I’ll think about it next time we go on a quest.”
Cecilia merely smiled wider before deciding to leave them alone, standing back and returning to the kitchen. She had established quite the rapport with a lot of the guild staff, to the point where the chefs agreed to let her help them and give her some tips. It was nice to have some form of companionship, though she knew that at least some of it had to do with her talent. The name of courtesan had some… interesting implications, and though she didn’t quite mind it, she still wondered what kind of player it attracted.
Cecilia shivered at the thought, glad she wasn’t as easily influenced by such things as the landers.
Removing her apron, Cecilia quickly donned her armour and weapons, once more returning to the front of the guild building to take a look at quests. As much fun as she had cooking for others, she still had a purpose here. Her eyes scanned over the board, and though the regulars were used to her by now, any newcomer would likely find the motherly woman quite out of place among the more… conventional adventurers. Were she not wearing armour and weapons, it would be quite easy to confuse her for a civilian lander with no ability to defend herself.
It had already led to a few cases of being underestimated.
After a two hour ride on horseback from Tivoli, Aminatu arrived in Romalia and the winged Cavalier brought her majestic ebony warhorse to the stables.
Her walk was full of a militant nature. It was gallant and powerful and yet, full of grace. She radiated confidence and the essence of strength like the sun radiated heat waves. Her bronze skin contrasted well with her radiant ivory wings and the pristine white ivory silk she wore with gold embroidery and Heliopolite platemail as her garb. Golden jewelry adorned her hair and her body in the form of a circlet, necklace, and bracelets.
Her eye was adorned with a substance of eye shadow made of finely ground malachite, a greenish-blue mineral. In Heliopolite culture, Kohl is used as eyeshadow around her honey hued eyes that emitted a golden glow and is made from a ground up mineral used with olive oil. It gives a dark line and is often used by men and women in the desert to control the sun’s glare. Her lip color and rouge came from berries and cherries mixed with oil and a red mineral.
She makes her way through the bustling city streets and eventually finds herself lurking within the adventurer‘s guild and seeing a familiar face and places her order.
Sounds from the kitchen begin, the cook, Nailah, locates Papa Nandi’s book of recipes and gets to work. First, crispy onions, onion rings coated in flour dropped in simmering oil and stirred into a caramalized brown. Crispy, but not burned. Precious pantone cerulean blue Heliopolite silks adorned the slender Alv’s diminutive frame.
Tomato sauce was grated onions, garlic, coriander and red pepper flakes, sautéed till fragrant. Fresh tomatoes added, simmer some more! Then a dash of vinegar to top it off.
Bubbling sounds coming from the kitchen as lentils were cooked in a medium sauce pan,brought to a boil then reduced to a simmer until they were just tender. She made sure they were seasoned with a dash of salt after it was drained.
Rice soaked in water was added to the lentils and both returned to the sauce pan. She added virgin olive oil, salt, pepper, and coriander. Then finished that off with water to let the mixture simmer once more until the water was absorbed by rice and lentils.
Choosing elbow pasta, she boils this until it’s al dente adding a bit of salt once more and warming up the chickpeas as the pasta boils.
Putting it all together she fluffs the rice and lentils, transferring that to a platter, where she tops it with the pasta, tomato sauce, then chickpeas, and finally a topping of crispy onions to make a wonderful Koshari.
“Tashakor, sayyida. Glad I can still find the joys of home and Heliopolite herbs and spices still within the walls of Romalia.” Her nostrils flare as she inhaled the tantalizing aroma of a delicious Heliopolite dish.
“Pajalusta, hamshira. It’s a pleasure to be of service. I heard you and the tribe were back in Italia, it’s been what? About a decade since we’ve last seen you? I heard you were up north out there. Dealing with Genova and Milaturi.” Nailah wipes down the counter as she checks to make sure her boss doesn’t catch her slacking off and making small talk.
“Yes, we sailed across the Mediterranean Sea during our last deployment. Messier jobs, but always good coin to be made.” The winged desert nomad’s demeanor was cool, calm, and collected as she held a reserved demeanor when speaking of her life as a mercenary.
“Oh, so the blessings of Nephthys sends you here in the hopes of earning coin? What are you doing here in Romalia?” The cook probed, seeking to hear of the warriors latest exploits.
“Now you know the rules, Nailah. Client confidentiality. However, it’s no secret that we help secure trade routes. Many of us are stationed along the path to L’Aquina.” She rebuffed, deflecting and keeping her cards tight to her chest about the tribes affairs.
“What about the caravans? I wanted to get some jewelry for my husband. Oh, and my cousin has been wanting to get his hands on an actual handcrafted Heliopolite scimitar!” Her eyes danced like courtesans of the sands as she looked hopefully toward the Paladin.
“Unfortunately, the Caravans already passed through to Tivoli. They may still be there, but last I heard they were making way through the mountains of Monti Sabatini.” The Cavalier shrugged as she began to prepare herself a cup of coffee.
“Monti Sabatini? Oh, goodness. The monsters are dangerous out there...May Anhur watch over them and guide their blades.” A frown came over her face as if she feared the perils of Monti Sabatini. A graceful dip of her head came with her well wishes.
“Tashakor, Nailah. I’m sure the tribe will appreciate your words. May a thousand splendid suns smile upon you.” Aminatu takes her meal and then departs from the kitchens to the dining area.
The rugged Heliopolite giantess looked for a open table with enough room for her to spread her brilliant ivory wings. As she ate her Koshari she meditated on thoughts from her travels, how in only a week her world had been invaded by some strange immortal race. Before she remembered laying underneath the stars with her Zarian friend, Zaniri, centuries ago and talking about the notion of if there were aliens from another world. She was curious and fascinated by what lied beyond. Mesmerized by the sea of stars and basking in all it’s glory.
And somewhere in that ocean of space to her, came these strange beings, these outlanders, who claimed to be from another world and yet seemed to know so much about theirs. The thought was so jarring, so surreal.
She noticed how many of them laughed in the face of danger and even though they barely had complete control or coordination of their limbs, they rushed headfirst into battle in some kind of odd zeal to get stronger. However, when they experienced pain, they shirked from it as if the concept were foreign to them. It all made no sense, especially after many of them swore that they faced mighty dragons and slayed mythic beasts in other parts of Gaia. Was this some curse of Set? Some devious affliction?
The Paladin from the Order of the Sun and Ankh couldn’t be sure, but their presence was either to foreshadow something divine or something truly sinister.
Much like the reporter, this “Hawk of Horus” was keeping an all watchful eye out and looking for clues to solve the mystery of the strange outlanders. She learned that upon death, they somehow revived in a Cathedral within Romalia. Did they have some connection with their divines? Usually life after death was only possible through divine blessings known only to Paladins or years of learning how to cast a spell over another. Yet, many of them were of no clergy and had no religious zeal towards any Romalian pantheon though seemed to know details about them.
They worshipped strange Gods from their realm. Normally, she’d feel that they were spewing heretical nonsense, but something about the gleam in their eyes as they spoke and how detailed their religions were shook Aminatu to her core.
Once she finished her meal, she watched other’s interact. She knew this was a hotspot for adventurers and she decided to observe them in their natural habitat. Some of them had been brave and helpful, yet seemed mostly concerned with Romalia and her affairs. As the Enoch’s eyes scoured the tables and kitchens to read the room, she saw they all, regardless of background, had a special type of camaraderie with each other. However, what she found unnerving was them considering her world just a game to them...or so the rumors said.
As her mind was swimming with thoughts, something caught her attention that calmed the waves of her ponderings and conspiracy theories. She noticed one of the kitchens chefs...at least, she was certain she saw her in the kitchen. Surely, a woman with those...measurements, would be recognizable, especially with armor having to be fitted for her bosom.
The dusky skinned Enoch walked up to the board where Cecilia stood and perused the quest board herself, all while sipping from her cup of coffee.
“Do you hunt your own meals, sayyida?” She spoke with a thick and rich Heliopolite accent that sounded like an ancient Egyptian to those who were from Earth. "I’m sure I saw you back in the kitchens when I was speaking to Nailah. From the way the adventurers compliment your food, I’d take it you have a knack with herbs and spices. I sensed the kindred spirit of Hathor and the peace of Isis in you. Perhaps if you ever spent time with with Nailah or my tribe, we could show you how to make dishes from Heliopolis.” Aminatu imparts a cordial demeanor as she scrutinized the woman’s gear.
“If you’re able to come up with the coin, I’m sure the merchant caravans could potentially outfit you with something for the perils of the wilds, hamshira. The roads are not safe as you can see from the many hazards on the board.”
“Do you fight often? Know your way around a blade as well as you do a kitchen knife?” She maintained a casual demeanor as she sipped from her coffee.
From Aminatu’s appearance and the ornate khopesh sword and large Heliopolite tower shield upon her back, one could tell she was an self assured warrior by how she carried herself.
INVENTORY
EQUIPMENT: Arm of Heliopolis, Starter Heliopolite shield, Heliopoilte Platemail ABILITIES USED: TAGS:Cecilia Word Count: 1601
template by caesar
“I wonder if you came in need of Isis’s peace or have come to wield Anhur’s rage? The winds of the dunes tells me that you desire one or the other. There is no place in-between.”
“Oh!” The smaller woman expressed some surprise at the sudden engagement of the Heliopolite lady next to her. As she looked at her, Aminatu would be able to see her kind, motherly eyes and warm smile reflecting a softer but more mature woman when compared to most of the adventurers, “Really sorry about that, dear, I was so focused on the quest board that I didn’t even notice you.”
Her accent would sound unusual, the Scottish woman letting her origin seep through as she spoke. Despite the stereotypically harsher sounds of Scottish English, she still sounded sweet as pie.
“You would be right, dear.” She nodded, “I was in the kitchen, helping with the food. I’m a chef, but I’m still very much inexperienced, so I thought it best to work with those more skilled than I at the art of cooking. If I’m going to be filling the bellies of others, I want the food to be good, especially if I’m going to go out adventuring with them later. You never know, they might try and pull a prank out of spite for bad cooking!”
Cecilia giggled at her own quip, smiling at Aminatu. Although she was dwarfed by the taller woman, she didn’t seem intimidated or off-put by her. In fact, she seemed quite eager to talk.
“I’m sure they would have much to teach me! I could see her working on your food in the kitchen. It looked right delicious!” She said, genuinely impressed with the dish Nailah had cooked up, “I was wondering why she was cooking something so different, but now I see why. I’m just glad I got to see it in action!”
At the comment of her equipment, she laughed nervously, “O-Oh, yes, my equipment isn’t really the best. I’ve been wanting to get something else ever since I showed up here, but I just haven’t had the gold. The younger ones were a lot quicker to get themselves situated than I. It’s only now that I’ve gathered my wits and understood the ins and outs of this place, which is actually why I’m here now. I’ve been eager to go out there and make myself useful, even if I’ve been called something of a wuss for not wishing to rush headlong to my death… I’m still not quite used to the notion that I will simply be revived if I die. That definitely wasn’t my reality back home.”
Her tone had turned more serious. Perhaps even grim as Cecilia frowned ever so slightly… she quickly regained her kind smile, however.
“But my story probably isn’t interesting to someone like you! You look like you’ve seen quite a lot in your time.” She said, commenting on her. To Cecilia, Aminatu seemed almost surreal, an amazon of a woman straight out of some fantasy story… though she reminded herself that she was effectively in said fantasy world now. A fantasy become reality… or this was always a reality that they were simply transported to. She didn’t quite know what to make of the whole situation.
“I’ve been getting the hang of my blade.” She said, pointing at her back, “I have a lot more strength now than I did back home, so I’ve been using that to my advantage. Still, it takes a bit of getting used to to be able to fight properly. I’ve been trounced in training more times than I care to count, but it has made me stronger. The people I fought back home couldn’t be fought with weapons; I had to use my wits and words to bring them down. The change of pace is a bit of a shock for me, but I’m sure I’ll get used to it.”
Cecilia’s accent made Aminatu squint as she noticed the resemblance to a certain nation south of the Norwegian Sea. It may not have been apparent immediately but the celestial-like warrioress held within her centuries of journeys and knowledge of Gaia. For a brief moment, she remembered the fierce skirmishes with the Norse raiders; both for and against which made her crack a smile.
She listened intently as the woman spoke, relaxing a bit herself as she looked down toward the human woman, maintaining eye contact with her golden pearls. Her politeness and etiquette would not go unnoticed and she sensed a certain gentleness is the woman’s words. She seemed different from the other adventurers. She was more humble and mature. A stark contrast from most of what she had witnessed thus far.
Cecilia’s passion for cooking reminded Aminatu of her father, Papa Nandi, who was a rather esteemed chef back in Heliopolis. He was a simple man with a good spirit and though he would never make it on the hunting grounds, he could certainly whip up a fine meal with the meat! The benevolent Paladin didn’t interrupt her as she spoke, seeming well mannered herself, but noted her care and consideration for helping feed the starving population of impoverished adventurers.
Her talks of pranks and spite reminded the Desert nomad of the insatiable antics of the Baron’s youngest son in Tivoli. In a spirit of empathy she chuckles alongside Cecilia. It seemed the two older women shared an amusement of youngsters and the thrills of youth they expressed.
By now, by their close proximity, Cecelia may have noticed the fragrance of frankincense and myrhh emanating from the Heliopolite. Pungent scents were enjoyed by men and women alike and were prized greatly. The human seemed to make easy conversation and took interest in her culture. She didn’t treat Aminatu like a “Sandrat” like some of the prejudiced Romalians.
In regards to her equipment, she seemed anxious but as she kept drawing a distinction between her and the younger adventures, Aminatu started to take her for an old soul in a young body, or at the very least, a mother who was a bit more down to earth. It seems she took the methodical approach to preparing for the dangerous lands outside the city walls. As they spoke of death and she referenced home, a sudden serious nature followed by a sullen expression. The Enoch’s intuition couldn’t place it if it were because she had an experience with the parting of another or if she were homesick. However, as her wadjet eye set upon the woman she started to believe it was the former. The way she quickly deflected and shifted the attention away from herself was a telltale sign not to pry, so Aminatu respected the woman’s privacy and leaned and ear to the change of subject. Aminatu’s years did see many cycles of life. It wasn't uncommon for an Enoch to live seven lifespans of humans.
Aminatu paused briefly to inspect the details of her blade. In response to seeing that her weapon was a straight sword, the Heliopolite hummed lightly and twisted her lips in disapproval. However, something she said stood out to Aminatu. She claimed she was much stronger in this world than her world before. Well, that scratched out the theory that these outlanders were some type of deity themselves.
She seemed to be a cautious woman, but resilient. The kind of spirit that falls down seven times and gets back up eight. As she spoke of enemies she couldn’t conquer with might, as she spoke of wit and words, Aminatu raised a quizzical brow, then gave careful consideration to the woman’s words.
“Then you either mean the ways of incantations and the arcane or something that requires…the finesse of Bast and the guile of Nephthys, our lady of the sands. Were you some kind of courtier back in your home? Many nobles held great influence with parchment and pen, hamshira, you will find that wits and words are just as effective in this world. As a mercenary, I can tell you this with certainty: The pen is mightier than the sword. I’ve witnessed it personally. Many seek to expand their sphere of influence. Perhaps you may find that is why most of the most prolific scribes have been Enochs. We live an average of seven human life cycles, so we are great at documenting history and building long lasting connections with families that last through several of their own generations.”
The hubris known to the winged race was shining through as Aminatu puffed out her chest confidently.
“The way you speak of the young ones running into trouble and pulling pranks reminds me of a troublesome youth. Have you been to Tivoli? The Baron’s youngest son there once tried to sneak into one of his father’s meetings with the leader of one of our merchant caravans when he was only five years old and he tried to drink the wine off the table, but ended up spilling it all over the merchant’s fine robes! Needless to say, he brought shame on his family, but not nearly as much as when he snuck into one of our tribes tents and started smoking Hookah and eating all of Rhaajir’s snacks! We looked everywhere for him and turns out, he had fallen asleep in a stack of hay by the stables!”
Aminatu scoffed in an amused manner, shaking her head as she lifted a regal hand to her mouth. The jewelry in her hair danced as her shoulders were riddled with mirth.
“But, yes, though you lack a proper sword. A proper curved sword, that is. You may grow into a fine swordswoman if you remain diligent and dedicated to your practice. I’ve learned many styles and techniques over my years, but most of my swordsmanship I learned as a Paladin of the Order of the Sun and Ankh bringing honor and glory to Horus. We’ve campaigned against the sinuous Setite hordes...cultists and defilers whom worship Set...he is a god of chaos, trickery, manipulation, and deception.”
She takes a sip of her coffee, brooding in angst against the thoughts of the Setite Hordes.
“Speaking of Gods...it seems the gates of Osiris open for your kind like a revolving door. Some legends claim that it is the blessing of Osiris that tethers the soul of the Oathsworn to their bodies after suffering a fatal blow. I have only seen this ever occur among the most faithful in the order, and not very frequently at that. For this...transcending even death itself so commonly. It is...jarring, especially when it is an innate trait even the weakest among you possess.”
She shifted her body to fully face Cecilia as she closed her eyes, then exhaled roughly, speaking bluntly.
“However, do not allow this knowledge of “immortality” to enable you to shirk your training. There may come a time when you fight alongside mortals and they’ll be putting their life in your hands. Use every second chance you get to ensure they don’t ever have to worry about not having a second chance, hamshira. I’ve seen how your kind...some of the younger and careless ones. Some take quests and are meant to protect others, but they bite off more than they can chew and joke about it after they leave the cathedral, but I’ve seen children visiting the gravestone of their parents because they put their faith in these “immortal” idols and it backfired on them horribly.”
She allows a moment of silence for the reality to set in. She casts a studious gaze over Cecilia, trying to surmise how she received Aminatu’s words.
“You seem more mature than others from your community. Hopefully they can learn by your example. Here you are helping feed others with barely any gold in your pouch. In these dry barren sands, you are an oasis in the eyes of Isis and to these people. If you are eager and looking for work, then I have a job for you. I don’t care how long you stay, but my tribe and it’s mercenaries could use a set of eyes and ears. Keeping an eye out for potential jobs and contracts. It’s better to use people outside of the tribe for these things. Information is key in our business and I may need you to gather intel of certain leads.
"We could also use another cook for the camp. It will be a few days spent on the road. If you can prove yourself capable with a blade, we could help train you alongside the Heliopolite warriors, perhaps get you some work patrolling alongside the merchant caravans or scouting out and clearing territory ahead. As for more immediate tasks, I do have a particular job involving a sort of...expedition down into the Myrmekes Nests of the Ciminian forests. It’s about halfway down to Tivoli. We can take my steed, Anhur, and maybe today you will see why Heliopolites make famed cavaliers throughout Gaia.”
INVENTORY
EQUIPMENT: Arm of Heliopolis, Starter Heliopolite shield, Heliopoilte Platemail
“I wonder if you came in need of Isis’s peace or have come to wield Anhur’s rage? The winds of the dunes tells me that you desire one or the other. There is no place in-between.”
Being very much aware of the vainer side of things, Aminatu’s scent didn’t go unnoticed by Cecilia. It was simple when compared to what one would find in Romalia, but she found that it suited the warrior woman quite a bit. She would have to ask her about it when she got the chance!
Cecilia seemed quite happy to talk to Aminatu, taking no note of the fact that she seemed a fair bit different from most she had seen. In fact, the glint of curiosity in Cecilia’s eyes was obvious. She was, after all, a reporter. She was curious by nature and sought to find out about all sorts of things. New experiences were the spice of life, after all! The thought of falling into the same routine wasn’t appealing to her at all.
The widow blinked when Aminatu mentioned the arcane; it was quite easy to forget that while adventurers knew a lot about this world, the landers knew next to nothing about their world. Perhaps now was a good time to drop a few tidbits of information about Earth to Aminatu.
“Certainly the latter. There is no evidence of the arcane arts, or mana for that matter, ever existing in my world. My world was completely mundane and relied on technology for everything from war to transportation. To me, this place is completely fantastical.” She explained, “Our cities were large and sprawling, densely packed with people of all sorts. You could meet all manners of individuals, but that also meant that anyone could be my enemy, for crime rooted itself deep within society. To that end, the mind became the greatest tool one could have. After all, how can a blade cut through an invisible enemy and an ever-changing river of lies?”
“But my job wasn’t quite in the realm of the political, though it was certainly closely intertwined. I was… a seeker of truth, what we called a reporter. In our world, there are professions dedicated to the dissemination of information to the rest of the public. I specialised in investigating and gathering information on criminals, so it was a risky business. I had no mana to defend myself, and technology had reached such a point that weapons could launch metal pellets faster than the eye could see. It was… quite deadly, as you can imagine. I was fortunate enough to not have been murdered by any of the several criminal organisations that wanted my head.”
The subject matter was rather grim, and her expression was appropriate to it, but she quickly smiled once more.
“But yes, the pen is indeed mightier than the sword. I’m sure I would have much to learn from the Enochs, but I only seek enough power to ensure that lies are never perpetuated and people are never trodden on. I’ve seen my fill of that back home, and I don’t wish to see that cycle repeat itself here.”
Listening attentively to Aminatu, Cecilia’s smile grew wider as she listened to her describe the antics of the baron’s youngest son. She giggled, evidently used to the sort of things children could come up with.
“He certainly sounds like a handful! Reminds me of my oldest son. We were once in a candy shop with him, but that sneaky little boy just disappeared. I was beside myself with fear, wondering if someone had kidnapped him, but one of the workers led me to the back of the building. Lo and behold, the boy was happily munching on the sweets in the shop’s storage! I had no idea whether to be relieved I found him, angry at him for worrying me like that, or embarrassed at the fact that my son was stealing from an establishment.”
She shook her head at the memories, but her smile seemed almost sad as if reminiscing on something long gone. As Aminatu shook her head, Cecilia couldn’t help but notice the jewellery that adorned her hair. It was almost cause for envy and a reminder that all her expensive jewels were back home. She really should have adorned her avatar with some more of it!
At the mention of her sword specifically, Cecilia tilted her head in confusion. Being from Europe, straight blades were the most common type of weaponry represented in history, so she didn’t quite have the perspective that Aminatu did.
“You sound incredibly experienced. I’m certain I could learn a lot from you.” She said, “But why do you favour curved blades over straight ones? I’ve not seen much in the way of curved blades… or any blades, for that matter. I don’t have your knowledge.”
The mention of their immortality caused a small frown to make its way onto Cecilia’s face, which only deepened the more she spoke about the adventurers. To the landers, their appearance must have been nothing short of surreal and a definite break of established rules, especially for someone religious like the woman before her. Worse yet, the younger ones were reckless and didn’t understand their responsibilities, and got landers killed. Cecilia took a small pause to let the words stir in her head to formulate a proper response before speaking.
“Aye. I can imagine it must go against every established convention that had previously existed, such power granted to such a wide array of seemingly inept people in an arbitrary fashion. Many younger ones haven’t quite absorbed the seriousness of the situation; perhaps they treat this place as a game to cope with the stress of being forcefully ripped from their homes and plopped into a strange and unfamiliar place. Most of them aren’t like us. They aren’t used to suffering and hardship, the comforts of our world ensuring that their needs are seen to if their family has the money. This is not to discount the hardships of those who did suffer, but even still, they have a lot of growing to do before I can see them as anything other than children in over their heads.”
She sighed as she finished, very clearly saddened by the current state of the adventurers. They were kids thrust into a new world and given abilities they didn’t have the sense of responsibility to wield, not experienced warriors like the Heliopolite woman before her.
Aminatu’s next words made Cecilia blink, evidently not expecting the praise. She smiled rather bashfully, putting a hand on her cheek as she giggled, a small blush on her face.
“Oh, come now, I’m hardly that special! I’m sure many would do the same in my position.” Despite her words, Cecilia’s giddy look betrayed the fact that she very much enjoyed the praise, showing that she perhaps wasn’t as humble as first impressions would suggest. She did regain her composure as Aminatu continued though, making sure to pay attention to her words and look into her eyes as she spoke, the dark purple jewels meeting the bright amber. She nodded along with what she said, putting a hand on her chin as she thought on Aminatu’s offer. After a few moments of thought, she smiled and nodded.
“I would love to help you! You’re quite lucky you asked me, in fact. My career in my world means I’m quite good at finding out things others might not, so I’m sure I can find jobs to take. I’d also love to accompany your tribe on the road! I’ll do my best to contribute to the group! I’m inexperienced, but I do believe I can still be of use to you.”
“I’d be happy to accompany you to the Nest as well. It’d be a good way to prove myself, I imagine, and to gain some much-needed experience with the blade. I can’t wait to see you in action. You look incredibly strong!”
Her beaming smile was plain for Aminatu to see; Cecilia was clearly a woman who wore her heart on her sleeve. Suddenly, however, her expression changed as if she had remembered something.
“Oh, but where are my manners!” She said with an embarrassed expression, “I didn’t even introduce myself! I’m Cecilia. It’s nice to meet you!”
The incessant chatter of the refreshingly rectilinear cafeteria filled the halls as they rang with friendship and laughter. Aminatu set her used cup aside near the trash can in an area designated for used dishes as she listened. This was perhaps the longest conversation Aminatu held with an adventurer before. As she listened to the Courtesan and looked into her Amethyst eyes, she felt a sense of sincerity in her words, and the desert nomad felt a kindling of curiosity herself that rivaled the kind-hearted Chef. Whereas Cecilia was curious by nature, the Huntsmaster was curious by trade. Paperwork and processing the Dossier files prepared by her Falcons was part of her routine as she reviewed what the intel gatherers of her tribe presented to her. She developed a network in the sea of city/states, some earned through coin or a favor, others earned by grooming loyalty to a illustrious nobility of Heliopolis.
Aminatu had so many questions left unanswered, but she knew not to underestimate the potential of these ‘immortal beings’. The winged Heliopolite released an exhale of comfort when she ascertained that Cecilia was not speaking of arcane mischief. The warrior had a way of having reservations towards the arcane. Some might write it off as tribal superstitions either that or a certain warrior culture pride on might and mettle.
The chocolate colored angelic woman reclined back and crossed her arms as she soaked in knowledge about the adventurer’s world like a sponge. In fact, as Cecilia spoke of her world possessing hardly any magic at all, Aminatu found her mouth ajar. The notion was curious and she could already feel the erosion of various theories she had formulated. Conspiracies turned to dust as the woman spoke. She thought perhaps they were from the heavens and had some correlation with divinity at one point due to their knack for escaping death and the judgement of Osiris. She made a detailed account of her world to which Aminatu swiftly withdrew from her bag quill and parchment to be able to catalog the account and have records. Observant eyes would notice the foreign women did not write in traditional text, but a well written scrit and series of hieroglyphics
“Don’t mind me, this is all just so bizarre and engrossing to listen to these enthralling tales. It’s almost as if it were something penned by an author of fantasy novels, pari. From the sounds of it, the bazaar there must be teeming with tools and technology. Perhaps...some invention is what caused you all to come here? But such a device would surely be Zarian or Human in nature.” She paused for a moment, quite perplexed. “So how do your people take the appearances of others in our world with no magic? I thought you to be some shapeshifters of some sort at the very least. Wait….did you dishonor your Gods?” The pious Enoch squinted with an air of suspicion. “Are you cursed? It is not uncommon to be punished for one’s transgressions….and what is the true nature of what your people look like?”
Aminatu’s eyes dilated with wonder, then dulled a bit as Cecilia spoke of enemies and a world where crime was rampant. “Sometimes justice is better served by those who have experienced the pain. Criminals do not die by the hands of the law. They die by the hands of other men. It strikes me profoundly that the world is more often than not a bad and cruel place, sayyida, but the world is also like a belly-dancer: it dances a little while for everyone.” She demurred, while occasionally flicking her gaze to her surroundings in a vigilant manner before they nestled back into settling on Cecilia’s gaze.
“Seeker of truth...you bear the spirit of our God, Thoth. He is the Lord of Magic, Keeper of Knowledge, and Knower of all things. He is the Scribe to the Gods and many scribes of Heliopolis honor him. Perhaps there are some truths to be unveiled of this world and it’s great cities. Such hidden gems we shall surely find on the road, hamshira. But be cautious, whoever plays with a cat, shall find it’s claws. “ Aminatu detailed as she seemed to be scrutinizing Cecelia more closely. “So, you were a huntress of information and exposed criminal networks? I’d imagine work like that must be far easier with your newfound capabilities. It seems in your world before, the risk of death didn’t stop you. Why so adamant? Did it pay well?” Aminatu lifted her fist to her chin and knitted her brow, wrinkling her forehead slightly.
“Metal pellets? Launched faster than an arrow from the string of a recurved bow? Without magic? You realize how crazy that sounds right?” Aminatu chuckled lowly at the thought. “You’ll have to show me a sketch sometime. I’m curious what this non-magical device looks like.”
Aminatu chewed on the inside of her cheek as Cecilia spoke. “Well, I’d imagine for you to first seek the truth, you must travel and explore and get to know the world around you firsthand. The dead cannot cry out for justice, it is the duty of the living to do it for them, but give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world.”
A keen eye may tell that Aminatu no longer seems to smile at this point, entering a paradigm shift to a more reserved and focused manner. Fortunately, Cecilia was able to lighten the mood with tales of her son. Wait. She had children. That explained the motherly nature, but made the profession even more bizarre. “Do kidnappings happen often where you’re from?” Her gaze turned to stone as the swirling sands of her eyes could pull you in like quicksand. She didn’t laugh. She didn’t crack a smile. The woman’s words were a blur as if she triggered something within Aminatu. The Enoch champion’s nostrils flared. It was obvious her mind was swimming with thoughts.
The topic of weapons popped up and so Aminatu added, “Our people do not favor straight blades. We Heliopolites fight with curved scimitars and Khopesh swords made of bronze, iron, steel, or even Mithril depending on the swordsman’s wealth. Our Gods designed the Scimitar and Khopesh. This is taught to us by our priests and the Book of Helios. The straight blade is seen as offensive to our Gods. "
“If you ask on a level leaving religious views out of it. There are differences between the two are this:
The main difference is function. Curved swords are better at slashing while straight swords are better at thrusting. This is mostly relevant if you are fighting enemies who wear armor. If the enemy is wearing chainmail or plate armor, then slashing attacks are unlikely to hurt them. You then want a straight sword which allows you to do a thrusting attack which breaks through their armor.
Straight swords also give you more range for the same weight. This is useful for fighting in close formations where every centimeter of range counts. That's why traditional close formation armies like the Romalians used straight swords back during the Old War.
Depending on how curved the blade is, the slash damaged would not be the same: not as deep, or as big area. Another thing to keep in mind is that sometimes, weapon can keep stuck in bodies, a slightly curved blade can prevent this.
As the other answer says, straight blade are better to thrust weak point of enemies. However, a curved blade can be harder to parry. With a sword like the Khopesh, you can bypass a shield.
The Milaturi also win some battles against Romalians thanks to Milaturi falx, hitting over roman shields. Romalians of old then redesigned their helmet, and crushed the Milaturi. It's a great exemple, as Romalians had straight short blades: there is no blade better than another, you just have to have a blade depending on the enemy equipment.
Curved swords are generally better at cutting. This is because they have a longer surface area of blade that generally follows the motion of your cut and is therefore in contact with your target longer. This can create a deeper cut. With curved swords you generally try to do what is called a Draw Cut. This is when you cut something and slide the entire length of the blade against the target. By doing so you can slice much deeper than just by hacking.
Curved swords aren’t exclusive to Heliopolis, they generally appeared in areas or ages where the contemporary enemy was lightly or unarmored. This is because the earlier mentioned deep cutting is very effective against bare human bodies and beast alike, but not so much against chainmail, plate mail, or beast with thick defenses. This is was this weapons selling point was and is why we see them more in the Middle East and Heliopolis where and at times when the enemy would have been more lightly armored due to heavy armor causing one to sink in the sand.
Straight Swords were generally designed to have some capacity for piercing. While not every straight sword was necessarily designed to pierce, and by all means straight swords can cut, historically the great increase in the use of straight swords in for example, Romalia, was in response to a greater need for piercing ability in the Old War.
Piercing weapons I believe are more effective against armored opponents. This is suggested in Half-Swording and other techniques that emphasized using the point of a blade to bypass armor. While every sword seeks to be the most optimal tool, balancing cutting and slashing often at a tradeoff. This knowledge helps our merchant caravans cater to their clientele and their specific needs.”
After her detailed monologue, she entered a state of withdrawal where she became not the speaker, but the listener. Cecilia’s words rang true as she spoke on the naivety and poor coping mechanisms of the outsiders. She didn’t seem to be excusing their behavior and it seemed she distanced herself from the immature souls as well. Perhaps she was truly a woman of wisdom.
“I pray Thoth opens their eyes and Isis opens their hearts to receive understanding or my people will shun them and they will be like pariahs and exiles pushed out of the sands. I believe that if you show the people the problem, then you show them the solution, they will be moved to act, but you can’t get rid of poverty by giving people money. Give a man a fish, he eats for a day. Teach a man to fish, he may eat for a lifetime, hamshira.”
The woman’s giddy nature lightened up the numbness Aminatu felt in her heart. Some small relief or distraction was welcomed as her mind occasionally drifted elsewhere as she wore that soldier’s classic thousand yard stare off at a wall as if her gaze could drill a hole into it. She forced herself to maintain focus as the eager Gladiator accepted the opportunity to accompany her. The mahogany mistress looked back to the twin swords that adorned Cecilia’s back. “Before we go out there, do you wish to spar for practice or anything? Get some practice or a refresher? Maybe I could go over some things with you. I want to make sure you’re prepared for what we will face. It’ll also give me a feel for your skill, strengths, and weaknesses. Alternatively, we could practice against some beasts outside of the Nest, before exploring deeper within. Which do you feel more comfortable with?” She asked curiously as she departed, assuming that Cecilia would walk alongside her towards the stables. “We’ll have a deeper discussion on the information gathering within my tent. I have two subjects in particular that I need the eyes of Thoth upon. I also have a bounty on a cultist and I’m searching for someone missing. But we can discuss that at camp.”
To Cecilia’s praise, the prideful warrior fanned out her wings with hubris. “Anhur and I will show you a demonstration of the wrath of a thousand splendid suns, sayyida.”
As the human introduced herself, Aminatu cast a benevolent smile, fist to heart and proclaimed “I am Aminatu Nandi. Sheikh and Huntsmaster of the Khi’fika tribe in the region of Italia. Paladin of the Order of the Sun and Ankh. It is a pleasure to meet you as well, Cecilia.”
After they trek through the whirling streets and alleys, it appeared as if Aminatu had a knack for identifying shortcuts through the city. As they pressed forward, they would come to the stables to find a black and beauteous Frazier Warhorse with a shiny coat that gleamed in the sun. “Come say hello to Anhur. He’s one of the newest additions to our cavalry. I named him after our God of War. Breeded some fine stallions to get him, too. Our tribe is known for horse breeding and selling horses to different nations. Our winged cavalry is our nation’s military pride, but that is another story for the campfire, sayyida.” Aminatu teased with an impish grin, knowing the “reporter” would be dying for details later. “From here, we’ll either go to the Colloseum or the wilderness. Pick your poison and I’ll share what I have to teach.”
INVENTORY
EQUIPMENT:Arm of Heliopolis, Starter Heliopolite shield, Heliopoilte Platemail
“I wonder if you came in need of Isis’s peace or have come to wield Anhur’s rage? The winds of the dunes tells me that you desire one or the other. There is no place in-between.”
The curiosity that Aminatu felt didn’t go unnoticed by Cecilia as she spoke. While it was natural to wonder about another world, she noticed how her interest went beyond passing curiosity and into genuine intrigue, absorbing everything she said like a sponge. It really made her want to talk more about it to satisfy her thirst for knowledge, and she couldn’t help but smile warmly at Aminatu.
Cecilia could only giggle as Aminatu produced a quill and parchment. The warrior woman was really into this! That settled it; she’d have to talk more about this in future.
“Looks like I make for a great storyteller!” She quipped with a mischievous wink, “Perhaps I’ll entertain your tribe with tales from my world in future, considering how well-received I am so far.”
At the suggestion that technology might be what had brought them here, Cecilia furrowed her brow, putting a hand on her chin in thought. After considering her words a touch, she spoke.
“The ability to traverse dimensions is something far beyond the reach of our technology as far as the general public is concerned, and information travels fast in my world. It’s not out of the realm of possibility that a government could have been producing such a thing in secret, but we were brought this “game” by a private organisation, although they also could have been working with governments.” She shook her head, “It’s not impossible, statistically speaking, but I find it highly unlikely to be solely the work of technology.”
“As for taking on the appearances of others… before entering what we were told was just a game, we were given the option to deeply customise our avatars, the bodies that would represent the “players”. We never did knew that these avatars would become our real bodies, and I can only imagine those who decided to toy with their avatars for a laugh are now profoundly regretting their decision. I’m fortunate enough to have only made some minor changes to mine before entering.” She said, shivering at the thought of some of the people she had seen, “As for the work of the gods, I doubt that’s the case either. Similar to the arcane, there is no concrete evidence of divine power of any sort existing in my world. To be faithful, you need a lot more… well, faith. I personally never believed in any god for several reasons, chief among them being that I had never observed any of their influence. It’s not like this world, where the work of the gods is clear to see. Even if I don’t worship them, it would be silly for me to deny their existence.”
“As for the true nature of my people, we are merely humans. We’re the only sentient species that populate our world, as far as we can tell, and we populate virtually every nook and cranny on the planet. It would be quite difficult to escape our notice if some other species starting swinging swords and making ships.” She giggled.
As Cecilia listened to Aminatu talk on the nature of criminals, her eyes too dulled, similarly to Aminatu’s own, “Hmm. In our world, some countries have codes of laws that are over a thousand pages long. It’s good that there is a genuine concern for order, but it makes it difficult for a common person to comprehend and can have loopholes exploited. It’s like you said at the end of the day, only people can take the fight to these criminals.”
Cecilia smiled as Aminatu spoke; being told you bore the soul of a god was no small praise, after all. She listened to Aminatu detail Thoth and the scribes who honoured him, as well as speak about the secrets and truths to be unveiled in this world. She nodded along with her, but her smile left her face the instant Aminatu asked why she did what she did. Her face was unreadable, and although she still bore the vestiges of her previous smile, her eyes clearly demonstrated that her mind was elsewhere. After a few long moments, Cecilia finally returned to reality, sighing heavily.
“Well, it’s not what I’d call a happy story, but I’ll tell you since you’re curious. It did pay well, but it was certainly not the main reason I did it.” She began, “My husband was the local Police Chief; think of police like the guards of my world, enforcing the law and protecting the citizens, at least in theory. I had a family with him, but… they were murdered by criminals. The loss of my family broke me, and I was an aimless shell of a person for months. However, I somehow found the strength to pull myself away from thoughts of death and decided to dedicate my entire life to exposing these criminals and seeing their empires of deceit crumble. I didn’t wish to be a police officer, since I had a few issues with them due to my upbringing, so I decided to become an investigative reporter. I developed a reputation as being almost suicidal in my search for truth, and there’s perhaps a kernel of veracity to that statement.”
Cecilia had a hollow, faraway look in her eyes as she spoke. The death of her family very clearly still affected her, and if Aminatu were particularly perceptive, she’d notice Cecilia wore a wedding ring.
The widow took a few moments to compose herself, clearing her throat and shaking her head to rid herself of her buried emotions and push them to the side for the moment. The last thing she needed was to cry in the middle of the guild and be asked by the other adventurers. At least Aminatu understood on some level the pain she felt, but the younger ones…
Cecilia once more smiled at Aminatu, as if reassuring her that she was fine, but it had a slightly forced nature to it. Cecilia didn’t want to mope around, after all. She had a conversation to continue with this fine woman.
“It would be ridiculous if it worked solely from draw weight, but there’s a lot more to it than that.” She explained, “It works off a combination of mechanisms within the weapon and chemical reactions. Think of it as a tiny, contained explosion within the weapon that launches the metal pellet out of it. I don’t know the exact workings of it, but perhaps we’ll be lucky enough to meet an adventurer who knows the ins and outs of a gun… oh, these weapons are called guns, by the way! Silly of me to neglect to mention that.”
She nodded in agreement with Aminatu’s words, “Indeed. Those trodden on are often in no position to call out for help, so it’s the duty of people like us to stop evildoers from imposing their will on others.”
At the question, Cecilia solemnly nodded, “Aye. The cities are tightly packed, full of corners and people where a child can easily be taken. One must keep constant vigilance when out with their children, lest they never see them again. There are special vests with a leash parents can buy to ensure their child doesn’t run off, in fact.”
It seemed Aminatu’s mind was elsewhere after that exchange, however. The subject had evidently triggered something within her. Instinctively, Cecilia grew concerned, her expression reflecting this as she spoke in a distinctively softer voice, “Hey… you all right?”
It appeared that the question about the swords was something Aminatu knew a fair deal about. Unsurprising, given the woman’s experience, but Cecilia was still unprepared for the boatload of information that came here way. Still, she was evidently trying her best to keep up, noting the important points and the distinction between curved and straight blades. There were so many intricacies to this matter! She definitely needed to brush up on her knowledge of weaponry if she wanted to fight.
“Oh, wow! That’s a lot of information to take in!” Despite her words, her eyes sparkled with a desire for more knowledge, “It really does sound like there’s a lot more to the world of blades than meets the eye. I hope you can teach me while we travel together because I’ll certainly be asking a lot from now on!”
Cecilia could only nod solemnly as she listened to Animatu speak. It was difficult to teach people this young the stakes at hand and their responsibility. Even those who realised this was more than a game still had a sort of light-hearted attitude that showed her they didn’t quite comprehend the dangerous world they were in. There was nothing wrong with hope: hope was the fuel which kept people soldiering on even in the darkest of times, but that required facing reality.
“Yes. I just hope they don’t have to learn it the hard way, for it could require the death of someone who won’t come back.” She said with a frown, “I’m not sure how effective I’ll be in teaching them their responsibilities. Chances are, they’ll just brush me off as an old woman… I hate being called old.”
The mere mention of the word “old” seemed to make Cecilia’s mood sour, bringing out an annoyance that showed she was rather vain, especially considering the pains she had went to to keep herself looking youthful.
At the mention of sparring, Cecilia perked up, nodding with a smile.
“I would love a spar! I’ve been wanting a challenge to see how I measure up, and you seem like you’ll offer me that challenge. I’m under no delusion that I’ll best you, but a spar would definitely help me get to grips in a practical environment. Knowing how we fight will also let us work better together.” She said, “I hope I’m up to your standards!”
With her decision made, she accompanied Aminatu through the streets, taking note of how she would cut through several alleys to travel faster. She took mental notes, trying her best to remember these spots for later use. Once they arrived at the stables, Cecilia widened her eyes in awe at the horse. This was Aminatu’s horse?
Cecilia hung onto Aminatu’s every word, nodding along as she absorbed the details about her horse and cavalry of her tribe. They even h- wait, they had winged horses!?
“H-Hey!” Cecilia said indignantly, “You can’t just gloss over that detail and expect me not to ask!” She puffed her cheeks; it was clear that Aminatu’s mischief had been effective, “Will you tell me if I perform well in our spar in the Colloseum, please”?
Her thirst for knowledge matched a Nozgor’s cravings for blood as she allowed Cecilia’s words to marinate in her mind. With the conversation unchained, words flowed upon wings of freedom as the duo talked and painted visions of their world and perspectives in captivating words. Walls Aminatu usually had up with the younger adventurer’s were seemingly coming down and the stones the Desert Nomad was prone to use to build walls were now being used to build a bridge and connect with one of the outsiders.
The sense of nostalgia amongst such a kindred spirit reminded her of when she ventured off to distant lands and empires and learned of different cultures and communities of Gaia, but nothing was quite as bizarre and unthinkable as this.The giggling didn’t bother Aminatu one bit as she scrolled up her notes and secured the document in her satchel. As she spoke on storytelling and gentle words of exploring the tribe on the grounds of warm greetings. Aminatu paused a moment as her eyes fixated upon Cecilia. She paused as her eyes shifted left as if pondering something or weighing certain factors.
“I think some stories around the campfire would fascinate the others. Some may be a bit superstitious or wary at first, sayyida. You must know that your people’s sudden appearance and powers are alarming. Others will show you the comfort of Isis’s peace. However, I will inform them that you are with me and you will be given sanctuary.” Aminatu obliged as she showcased a flicker of a grin.
The conversation began to become more complex and intellectually stimulating as the Human spoke of traversing dimensions, information being transmitted in rapid succession, government conspiracies, private organizations creating some grand game, yet doubt was cast on technology being the sole proprietor of the cause of this recent pandemonium.
“Shadow politics are usually always playing a hand behind the scenes, I’ve learned, but you are right, there are shadow organizations well hidden with their own set of ulterior motives at play. Your world is no different than mine in that aspect. There are many self-serving entities. Perhaps...this is some sort of experiment? So, this...matter that happened? It was because you chose to play this game voluntarily?” She questioned, seemingly playing detective herself and trying to surmise the possibilities. “Well, perhaps we have a clue...you come from a race of humans...and there are humans in this world. Humans have always been innovative in society. So there’s a commonality there, but surely...something of this magnitude would be the possibility of the influence of magic and technology….now that begs the question of whether would be modern technology or ancient...we also have to discover if there’s some type of divine connection to the pantheon worshipped at the cathedral since your souls seem somehow tethered to it...then there is the matter of if your people are only showing up here in Romalia or all over Gaia.”
Aminatu’s golden orbs flashed wide as she pondered a theory. “Out of curiosity, about how old is your world...and when did humans first appear?” She squinted even harder as she ruminated on her ponderings and postulations. “Now, humor me...throughout our history there has been a time where humans were not treated as equals to the other more long lived races. A period where there was a lack of affluence for Humans in Gaia until they started standing up for themselves and starting a movement, bringing ingenuity and innovation along with them. Now, what my hypothesis is….is that perhaps your people are descendants of the humans from our world. Perhaps they were pioneers of magic and technology well above their years...there are spells known as “Gate” spells known for teleporting a person up to 300 meters, sayyida. So, your people...I’ve seen them under the all watchful Eye of Horus, they possess an ability I’ve seen no person here be able to do. They are able to teleport to Romalia from as far as Tivoli or even greater distances or so the rumors say and so they claim themselves. “
“You claim that you are the only sentient beings of your world. Well, consider this...we have several races of sentient beings. Perhaps why sentience isn’t common in your home is because Gaia was your ancestors home. Shapeshifting itself is a type of ability common to our world. And the fact that your world knew about our image is only more evidence that some of your people knew of our existence, but perhaps kept it well hidden. There are no sources of mana perhaps in your world which is why you were unable to wield magic and had to find ways to accommodate for the lack of magic by using these “guns” that fire pellets instead of a well placed spell to cast an arc of lightning. Maybe some shadow organization had some means of coming back and they used you all as the guinea pigs…” Aminatu blinked, then chuckled at Cecilia in a light hearted manner. “Ha! I really had you going, didn’t I? All this talk about conspiracies makes me want to smoke some hookah and lay underneath the stars. Only Thoth knows the truth, but I’m sure if we put our heads together we can investigate the matter ourselves and get to the bottom of it. So, what do you think? Perhaps we’ll find the truth we seek in our travels.”
A brief moment of silence followed as she allowed her thoughts to digest. Sometimes her thoughts blew her own mind and some of her best theories came after hot boxing in her tent with Desert’s rage. The melanin Queen snapped back to reality, and cracked her knuckles seeming to enjoy the ASMR of the noise which was another little quirk she possessed.
“No concrete evidence for Gods...maybe the Human who somehow found himself in your world chose science and technology and abandoned the Gods...does religion exist in your world? You seem familiar with the concept of religion as if it’s not a foreign thing to you. The concept does sound very discouraging, having to rely on faith alone. Perhaps once you witness the influence of the divines here, maybe faith shall be rekindled. I mean...to experience death and be given the gift of renewed life in a cathedral of all places...I’d think some Gods were involved somehow. If even through some….pact made with Humans...a pact perhaps we don’t know about...hmm...curious indeed.”
Aminatu rubbed the side of her face as the thoughts kept stirring. “Well, even if you do not worship the Pantheon of Heliopolis, I would love to introduce you to the Heliopolite Pantheon and share about the culture sometime. I think it would make for deep conversation. Also, allow for more insight on our customs and traditions.”
Aminatu lifted her left hand to trace over her henna tattoos. “These hieroglyphs and symbols are all in honor and glory to my people, her culture, and to give honor and glory to our Gods.” Aminatu informs. “There’s more underneath the armor, but you’ll probably see that later at some point. There’s a nice symbol that gives honor to Isis.” The Paladin chimed seeming to take pleasure in her pious nature as she spoke to the atheist.
Conversations continued to flow on topics of crime and law. A subject Aminatu could discuss for many moons. Once Cecilia built up the courage, Aminatu inclined her ear to listen to the woman’s more personal story.
“There is no compensation as sweet as vengeance during those times of trouble, sayyida. You must have wrath, as rightful wrath is what makes you create your own ethical standards...and as I always tell my men, beware the wrath of a patient adversary. Hell hath no fury, eh?” Aminatu proclaimed as she gave Aminatu a soft pat on the shoulder. A soft signal of empath, though to be fair, the conversation was a bit heavy, especially after she hadn’t even had her first coffee yet. “When you mess with someone’s love or family, you don’t want to be on the other side of that woman’s wrath. My mother taught me there is only one thing we can do during these times….Tahamul. It means “To Endure”.
“I worship a God called Horus whom is known as the Lord of the Sun and Master of Vengeance. He is ruler of Heliopolis and Pharaoh of our Gods. He is a God of divine retribution...and I, his Paladin. I hear the plight of many angered souls within the temple. Broken spirits who have wept for years unending upon the alters. Even with those whom served underneath me, I bear the weight of their souls. The battles we face weighs on them, and the wars weigh on me. I can’t even begin to count the number of personally handwritten letters I’ve had to send to the families of the fallen over the past century alone. I, too, know my share of loss and witnessed the plight of others widowed or orphaned due to life dealing them a bad hand.” She stated as she resumed crossing her arms and allowed her tongue to trail over her teeth.
“So, your husband was similar to a high ranking guard by the sounds of it, an officer in the hierarchy, no doubt. Chief of Police sounds like a title that is earned through many years of service. It sounds as if he led an honorable and noble life. Did you ever discover who the criminals were who snuffed your family out? Did you ever consider hiring mercenaries?” Based on her direct questions, Aminatu’s blunt nature became more exposed. She was not one to beat around the bush. “I’ve known men and women clean out their coffers in the name of having a mercenary put a blade to the throats of those who dared harm their loved ones.” She confessed, seeming to be less emotional over the subject.
“What matters is you clawed yourself out of that hole. The depths of deprivation and mounds of depression that those criminals buried you in and simply tossed away the shovel. What you went through is a scary and traumatizing event….and from the ashes you rose like a Phoenix to take matters into your own hands and relentlessly pursued criminal networks in your old world as a form of retaliation and retributive judgement. I’m sure your husband and children’s hands are shoulders with every word you pen. May I ask...tell me, sayyida, what were their names?”
“So, now that you’re here. What are your plans? You intend to live your life exposing criminal networks in every city we pass, hamshira? Perhaps this is a new lease on life. I could understand why it would consume you in your old world, but here, I foresee the wheels of crime changing...consider this...your people appear peaceful for now, but what if poverty causes them to resort to crime and violence? How will you stop an immortal? Kill him just for him to revive? Lock him up? What if he bashed his skull into the wall until he died and escaped into his new life?” Aminatu shook her head at the thought. “But then again, your immortality would aid you in your cause as you can investigate without fear of death, but what concerns me, pari, is I know all too well that there are fates worse than death.”
“I must admit, I’m curious, what “issues” with the guard did you have due to your upbringing?” Aminatu probed, curious what matters a seemingly kind hearted chef would have with the law once upon a time. “Were you some kind of pickpocket, got into fights at the tavern? Enjoy your share of drugs in your youth?” She chuckled lightheartedly to soften the atmosphere a bit, but as her eyes danced a little, they captured sight of the ring Cecilia still wore to this day. “Praise be to Isis, The lady of all love sees your heart, sayyida. I pray that the tribe can be like a second family to you and offer comfort and a sense of compassion.”
Once Cecilia gathered her emotions and tucked them away, information concerning guns cropped back up and as they did, so did the attentive Enoch’s parchment and quill. “Mechanisms and chemical reactions? I’m familiar with explosives and shrapnel. The Heliopolite armies have used such things. However as you speak of it, I’m not sure how I feel about the notion of “guns”. They sound as if they could pierce and penetrate armor quite easily and they don’t rely on drawing strength like a bow. Not everyone is adept at casting spells or even dedicating the years it takes to learning them, but if these “guns” were produced...it could tip the scales for whichever nation is the “highest bidder” perhaps. And if not, It would surely start an arms race.”
“These discussions of evildoers imposing their will...remind me to tell you about the treacherous cult of Set later when we have time. You will learn of my people’s greatest enemy.” A scowl shattered upon Aminatu’s face with the rage of an earthquake.
The discussion of leashes for children was certainly peculiar, but Ami was still tangled in the webs of her thoughts. Her mind roamed with thoughts of Taliset. “A talk for another time, sayyida.” By her tone, one could surmise she was uncompromising on the subject.
“When we get to camp, I will show you an arsenal of arms and their purpose, their advantages, and their disadvantages…”
Aminatu could tell the woman was eager to learn and the desert nomad had the patience to teach. The pressure of having to consider if another one of her students would die and never return was a weight lifted from her shoulders. With Cecilia, the human woman had the luxury of trial and error. But she wondered if that would be the woman’s crutch or a tool used to sharpen her strength. After all hindsight is 20/20 and death isn’t a mistake many could not have the luxury to learn from. There were no do-overs.
“Reality is that that is exactly how it will happen. There’s no sugarcoating it. We have no control over your people. We must have faith in the leaders of your guilds to do right by us as well as being vigilant for the strays who do not belong to a guild.”
When the human fumed about being called old, Aminatu snickered, somehow understanding the sentiment. “Well, with your current form, I’d say you look as youthful as any Alv or Enoch, now what I am curious about though is how deep does immortality for you outlanders go? Do you still age but just revive upon death? Will you always revive upon death, including natural causes? Do you age as the races you appear to be? Hmm...so many questions….and if I’m lucky...I should have almost three more centuries in me to find out! The sands of time in the hourglass of an Enoch shift the slowest among the sentient races of Gaia. But of course, there’s one way to make sure you don’t hear them brushing you off, you have to show them that you’ve still got it. Both on the arena, in the fray, and off of the battlefield.” Aminatu smirks with a coy grin as she slides a tuft of her raven hair behind her ear and simultaneously flexes her bicep which appeared like a mountain range of carve stone and solidified muscle. “It’s like an officer you never spent much time in the field being the critic of the troops who do. You have to show them that you have the guts to help lead from the front. Everything off the battlefield is just about self-care, and if we ever stop in the city after time off the road, I could show you a few places. When we aren’t and we’re on the road, I could show you a few tricks with the other ladies of the tribe. There are natural remedies as well one can discover in the wilds.”
When the challenge presented itself in the form of a spar, The Gladiator rose to the occasion understanding the benefits of warming up before an excursion. Aminatu respected the woman’s assessment and approved of her way of thinking. Cecilia had already formulated that it would be a method of also allowing her to see the strength and weaknesses of Aminatu upon the battlefield so they could know what they are capable of and come up with potential ways to synergize.
“The same boiling water that softens the potato hardens the eggs, it’s about what you’re made of, not the circumstances. Pain turns a woman into a warrior. I’ve survived because the fire inside me burned brighter than the fire around me. When you learn to survive without anyone, you can survive anything. You never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have.” Aminatu’s golden globes looked straight ahead as she spoke, her wings tucked in slightly so as to not clog up the road and block foot traffic.
“Oh, so interested in wings now are we? Sounds to me like you skipped past the opportunity when you had the chance.” She replied, teasingly fanning out her wings of glory. “You could have picked any avatar and you still chose the likeness of humans? That’s curious. I always thought I had the opportunity to explore life through the eyes of a different race, perhaps….I’d be a….” Her words trailed off as if she was trying to tease Cecilia on purpose, releasing a light chuckle. “That’s a whole other conversation, but yes, I suppose I could allow some stories to be the prize if you perform well. Perhaps I could even show you the advantages of learning combat on horseback as well if you ever wish to learn.”
She then instructs Cecilia, “Alright, look at me and do as I do. There are proper and improper ways to mount a horse. I’ll be doing most of the work, but when you get on, swing your weight quickly with one leg over and hoist yourself up, then to aid Anhur in carrying us, you’re going to want to not sit on the comfortable parts of your butt, pari. “
“ I will teach you how to position your “seat” and legs. Your motive is to get into and stay in balance with Anhur, regardless of the gait that he travels at or to the maneuver he is executing at. Our center of gravity must be directly over his and we must ensure that it stays there, unless we deliberately change it to cause a certain response from the horse.”
“Even in these cases, we as the rider must still be in balance with the horse because our position must aid rather than disrupt the horse’s performance. To do this we must don a “Deep” seat technique which is most recommended for most riding styles, with the possible exception of hunting and jumping; and even there a deep seat provides the reassurance necessary to steady a horse approaching a fence.”
In order for her to sit deeply in her saddle, Aminatu placed her weight as directly as possible over her pelvic bones, not allowing her buttocks to provide the soft cushion which seemed so desirable to most novice riders. She sat as far forward as possible, bringing herself towards the pommel of the saddle and allowed her legs to hang freely, with the inside of her dusky thighs rather than the back of her thighs against the saddle.
“See how I am doing it? I’m not some sitting on the soft side of my rump, but placing my weight on my pelvic bones. Sometimes comfort isn’t a luxury we can afford in the fields of battle or for the price of expedited travel. There are many novice riders who do this, but they end up overworking their horse.” She explains, wearing a sour expression as the Cavalier lent out a strong arm to assist Cecilia getting up. “Now, you try. Feel free to wrap your arms around my waist to ensure you don’t fall as we ride, but if you do fall, try to tumble, do NOT grab my feathers. Last one to do that almost made me AND Anhur fall over and that could have crushed both his legs and mine and harmed Anhur.” The winged Enoch stated with snarl to the past and a shake of her head in disapproval.
When Cecilia situated herself upon the horse, ivory wings with soft feathers would block her view of the path ahead that Aminatu followed. Anhur trotted at a simple gait, much slower than he normally would due to carrying two people, but he proved he was a strong horse built to last as they made their way to the Colloseum. "So, tell me something, Sayidda. Do they have horses in the world you are from? It would be a shame in a world without magic to have the famed speed of horses and carriages for their journeys!"
INVENTORY
EQUIPMENT:Arm of Heliopolis, Starter Heliopolite shield, Heliopoilte Platemail
“I wonder if you came in need of Isis’s peace or have come to wield Anhur’s rage? The winds of the dunes tells me that you desire one or the other. There is no place in-between.”
As Cecilia conversed with Aminatu, she felt something akin to relief in her chest. At first, she was a bit confused with it, but she realised what it was as the conversation continued. It was a sense of happiness on having found someone she can hold a proper conversation with as equals; much as she loved interacting with the younger ones, there was always a barrier between them. She couldn’t really connect with them by virtue of their lack of maturity. With Aminatu, she finally felt as if she could more openly converse and be properly understood. It was a refreshing change of pace after a week spent among kids.
On Aminatu’s response, she nodded with a slightly more serious look.
“Indeed. I imagine I am as foreign to them as this world is foreign to me, perhaps even more so with the mysteries surrounding us adventurers. But I appreciate your willingness to have me. Thank you, Aminatu.” She smiled gratefully at the warrior woman.
Her talk of conspiracies and shadow organisations evidently triggered something within Aminatu, as she went into great detail about such things as well as her own theories. She was a lot more of a thinker than she let on initially, something Cecilia greatly appreciated. Strong and smart was a pleasant combination. By the end of it, Cecilia put a hand on her chin with furrowed brows, carefully considering her response,
“Aye. There are many games in my world, where we create an avatar to control in a fictional world from the comfort of our homes. However, we remotely controlled them while looking at them through a technological screen that projected an image of what was happening in the game world.” She tried to explain the notion of video games as simply and succinctly as possible, “This one was advertised in much the same way, and the players were none the wiser to what was about to happen to them. As soon as we finished creating our avatars, we were transported here. We never could have known we would be physically transported to another dimension; that idea was still nothing more than fiction in the eyes of many. I’ve heard from other adventurers, however, that they played different versions of this “game” that took place in other locations. They obviously weren’t transported there, so that begs the question as to why this place in particular. Perhaps it has to do with the cathedrals here, as you said, but my intuition tells me that’s not the only reason. As for where they show up… well, we were specifically advertised this location in particular. In fact, this reminds me of something. We were told that this “game” was a fictitious recreation of our own world, and there are indeed many parallels to my world’s history with what I’ve observed so far. The major difference is that by our standards, this world is about two thousand years behind in terms of technology and historical events.”
Blinking at the question, Cecilia quickly went through her mental files. She was always a good study who kept up with things like history, sociology, and geography. After all, one had to understand humanity to understand humans.
“As far as our knowledge goes, our planet is approximately 4.6 billion years old. Our first ancestors appeared around five to seven million years ago; they were wilder and ape-like. Humans, as we are today, are said to have appeared around one hundred and thirty thousand years ago. I do find it very interesting to hear how humanity evolved alongside your races, and while your theory is interesting, I’m not sure that’s the entire case. The evidence of our pre-human ancestors makes that theory shaky. It wouldn’t be out of the question for humans of this world to have joined in with our own society, however. Perhaps they were forcefully transported there and wished to find a way back home? That wouldn’t explain why they felt the need to bring us all here though, or our immortality. Perhaps they lost sight of their true goal and were corrupted by selfish ambition along the way.”
Seeing Aminatu chuckle, Cecilia looked briefly surprised before chuckling along with her.
“Aye, indeed. As much fun as I have theorising about this, the only way to find true answers is to find proper, empirical evidence that will allow us to put into context the events that led to this.” Cecilia smiled, a small fire burgeoning in her purple eyes, “I admit, the prospect of travelling and piecing together all the evidence to find the truth is exciting. I’m more eager than ever now!”
On the subject of gods, Cecilia hummed in thought. She did have to take a look at her own biases before speaking, as she was now in a world where the gods very clearly had influence.
“Perhaps. However, you might remember that I mentioned our worlds are parallels to one another. Names such as Thoth and Isis are familiar to me, as is your culture. In our world, your people are called Egyptians. Romalia, too, has an equivalent in the form of Rome. The cultures, religions, and even historical events appear similar. This includes religion, and yet the gods have no presence that has been proven through proper, unbiased testing. If the gods are involved, it would very likely be the gods of this world, rather than the other world.”
At the mention of being introduced to the gods, Cecilia smiled eagerly and nodded.
“Of course! I would never pass over an opportunity to learn! Religion is often deeply intertwined in the culture of a people, and I can tell that yours is no different. Learning about your pantheon will be fascinating!” As always, she seemed ready and willing to expand her repertoire of knowledge.
In a similar vein, Cecilia would attentively observe Aminatu’s tattoos. She was indeed quite pious! That amount of dedication was no small feat, and it deserved praise.
“You’re incredibly dedicated to your gods, aren’t you?” She said with a smile, “Anyone who puts so much of themselves into a cause deserves praise. You seem like a very determined woman!”
Having just talked about a rather painful moment of her life, Cecilia still felt emotionally tender. It was hard to revisit those dark memories, even if they were what made her the woman she was today. She gave a small, appreciative smile to Aminatu’s gesture of empathy, grateful for the emotional comfort.
“Yes. Seeing my family’s murderers be handed life in jail was such a weight lifted off my shoulders. I wouldn’t have minded a death penalty, but with the rest of their lives staring at a cell, they will never hurt anyone ever again.” She said with a nod, “I taught them that they messed with the wrong woman, and now they are cursed to forever live their lives in isolation, without any sort of freedom. Good riddance.”
Listening to Aminatu speak of her own god, what she said earlier started to make more sense. It wasn’t just her personal opinion, but the symbol of the god she worshipped. The burden Aminatu bore was no small one; the weight of so many fallen souls on one’s shoulders was almost crushing. Though she was too small to put her hand on Aminatu’s shoulder, she did put one on her back in sympathy.
“You are an incredibly strong woman, Aminatu. And I don’t mean just physically.” She said with a smile, “It’s no easy task to bear such a massive weight, yet you soldier on despite that. Many could learn from your example. Take care that you don’t collapse under that weight, though.”
The conversation turned to questions about her husband, and the option of mercenaries. She blinked; she had forgotten that she didn’t quite know the laws of her world.
“I did discover those directly involved, and my findings had them thrown into prison for life.” She then sighed, “But I never managed to topple the criminal syndicate they were a part of, despite the repeated blows I dealt to their operations. As for mercenaries… they’re illegal in my world, at least in the function of assassination. Various private entities provide security and such, but a civilian isn’t permitted to hire mercenaries to kill another. The government is far more present than it is here, and having mercenaries act in their place would undermine their power, which is something they don’t like.” She frowned, closing her eyes. Much as she wished to hire mercenaries at times, she recognised the complications of such a thing in the modern world. Besides, she didn’t have the necessary contacts.
“Aye. Indeed. Friends did help me, although my extended family and I were never close. At the end of the day, however, I found the strength to dig myself out of that hole. The notion of being defeated by such vile people makes me sick to the stomach.” She closed her eyes, “My husband was named Harris. Harris Ainsley. My three kids were named Lewis, Ailsie, and Bowie. Cute little thing, they were, even if Lewis was a naughty troublemaker.” She smiled sadly, reminiscing on the antics the boy got up to.
“As for my plans… I do intend to do the same, but I also wish to expand my horizons. I have the opportunity to become far stronger than I could ever hope to be back in my world, to freely explore what to me is a mysterious new place full of things to discover. I also want to publish my own newspaper!” She said with a beaming smile, “The rapid dissemination of information seems to be lacking here at the moment, and I wish to preemptively put an end to the era of unreliable rumours by examining the facts to portray the truth. Of course, I am just one woman with her own biases, but I still believe that others will benefit from this. I imagine I’ll spend a lot of gold hiring scribes until someone invents the letterpress, though…” She sighed mournfully at the thought of all that gold spent having scribes reproduce her work.
“As for punishments… hmm…” Cecilia put a hand on her chin in thought, “I know for a fact that adventurers loathe losing their hard-earned equipment and material goods. That would only be a good punishment on a fairly wealthy adventurer, as taking from one that already has little to begin with would only exacerbate their issue and cause them to steal more. Perhaps we could set up guards in the cathedrals to ensure no adventurer thinks of trying to escape through suicide, but that’s just an idea. Punishing beings that can’t die is difficult.” She furrowed her brow, obviously not satisfied with her own answer.
“As for issues with the police… I grew up poor. The police tend to look at the impoverished with a far colder and more suspicious eye than they do the wealthy. More than once, a police officer has attempted to trick me into incriminating myself in some manner, and I had to learn all their little tricks and deceitful manoeuvres to avoid spending time in jail. When your trust of the people meant to protect you is so low that you have to actively watch for their attempts at indicting you, there is a very obvious problem.” She sighed, “Obviously, not all police officers were like that, but it was a significant enough problem that I learned to look at them with suspicion and apprehension rather than trust.” She shook her head, the reminder of her experiences bringing feelings of resentment within Cecilia.
Aminatu’s words rekindled her smile, however, and she could only offer a word of gratitude to her.
“Thank you. I’ve no doubt that the people of your tribe are compassionate and welcoming, especially if they have you as an example.”
The mention of guns causing an arms race and giving most power to the highest bidder, Cecilia’s face instantly darkened. She sighed, closing her eyes.
“That is exactly what happened in my world.” Her tone was grim, “A cold war between two nations with weapons so powerful that all-out war would destroy the planet as we know it. They raced to create a weapon more powerful than their adversary, and they fought in an endless series of proxy battles in impoverished countries that have absolutely nothing to do with their conflict. The powerful governments treat the ones in disarray as a testing ground for their machines of death and have so far offered no compensation to them. They impose their selfish agenda on others with impunity, and it has caused me to have a fairly low trust of authority. And although the cold war proper is over, its legacy still remains and is being fought in a more subtle manner. It is not just guns that they use as weapons, but information as well.” As she spoke of the reality of her world, she held a grim look on her face. Despite her motherly nature, she was well-experienced in the realities of her own world.
The mention of the cult of Set caused Cecilia to take pause, observing Aminatu’s hateful look. She merely nodded at her words; whoever these cultists were, they vexed Aminatu in a way that seemed to be beyond just principle. After all, she recognised that look in herself. Similarly, she let the talk of kidnappings go. Seemed Aminatu had no intention of discussing it at this moment.
At the mention of the adventurers, Cecilia frowned. Those younger ones would be a handful, she just knew it.
“You’re right, Aminatu. It’s the responsibility of people like me to ensure they don’t go astray and cause irreparable damage. It feels a touch egotistical to declare myself a leader, but if I don’t, then who will? Certainly not the other youngsters.” She shook her head like a disappointed mother.
Aminatu’s praise instantly knocked her out of her mood, however. Cecilia’s smile beamed as she laughed in a nervous, yet happy manner, “Thank you! I put in so much work back on my world to maintain my youthful looks well into my forties, so I’m glad I don’t have to work as hard here. Without everything back home, I would have been doomed!” Aminatu’s question about their lifespans did make Cecilia think, however, “I honestly have no idea. I’m personally leaning on us merely being revived after being killed through non-natural causes, but our lifespans not being extended in any way. I’m not sure how diseases would be treated, though. I hope we can find out, though! I’m curious as well.”
As the conversation switched to self-care, Cecilia’s smile brightened and her eyes sparkled with joy. This was clearly a topic the vain woman loved and was well-versed in, and she was very eager to discuss it.
“Yes! Showing the younger ones that you’re not just a woman past her prime is important if you want them to respect you. I would love to accompany you to go searching for those sorts of things and learning from your tribe! I could even teach you a few of the tricks I learned in my world!” She offered happily.
As they spoke on how exactly they would test Cecilia’s aptitude for combat, she couldn’t help but chuckle with a smile.
“Y’know, I’ve heard those exact sayings back in my world as well. Our worlds really are parallels. It seems they hold true here as well. I’m glad.” She smiled wider as she accompanied Aminatu, her expression resembling nostalgia.
Cecilia’s frustration only mounted as she was further teased by the Enoch, “I couldn’t have known I was going to be stuck with this body indefinitely! If I did know, then…” She trailed off in thought. Seemed she didn’t know which race she would pick. Puffing her cheeks, she would speak in a determined fashion, “I will definitely impress you, then! You don’t keep stories from a reporter!”
With the impromptu lesson on horseback riding suddenly beginning, Cecilia took care to pay close attention to every direction she was given. Like with swords, there were a lot of intricacies and little details to riding on a horse that the common person would never know. Nodding along with her words and ensuring she absorbed the important details. There was one small matter, however…
“Erm…” She began, with an embarrassed smile on her face, gesturing to her body. There was clearly fat there, “I’m not as slim as you are, Aminatu. I’m not sure I would be able to find a spot that’s uncomfortable, as you put it. I’ll do my best to find the balance, though.” Seemed that having such a… gifted body did come with its quirks.
Observing Aminatu do it, she went over the steps in her head and nodded in affirmation. Walking up to the horse, she pictured how the process would go in her mind, the gears turning in her head. After a moment of that, Cecilia would prepare herself to climb up, and she did! Her limbs were comparably stubby compared to Aminatu’s, however, and she had overdone it. She almost fell over the other side, but she firmly wrapped her arms around Aminatu’s waist.
In this moment, the warrior woman would feel two massive mounds of flesh pressed against her back. Cecilia’s bust was prodigious, and it certainly affected her interactions with others. This was just one example of that.
Barring that incident, however, Cecilia was good company for a horseback ride. She followed the orders that Aminatu gave her, and found the proper balance to sit on her horse. Cecilia’s smile, likewise, indicated that she was enjoying this new experience.
At the question, she nodded affirmatively.
“We do indeed have horses in my world! They were a part of our culture for so many years in so many civilisations. It was only in the last 100 years that we phased them out in favour of other methods of transportation. A horseless, metal carriage that uses flammable fuel as a way to power its internal combustion and make its wheels turn.” She explained to her, “It’s quite hard to explain with just words, so I would like to draw what I talk about, but I would love to tell you about my world. Perhaps I could get a talented artist to better represent what I’m talking about.”
Aminatu’s crash course on horseback riding seemed to at least fall on attentive ears. Given what the human told her, she was a reporter in her world and being able to retain details was part of her job, so Ami didn’t bother to trust her ability to keep up. Her affirming her understanding have Ami some semblance of relief. These were basic instructions and she figured that Cecilia understood the general gist of it.
As the bashful Human hesitated a bit and showed off her physique, Aminatu chuckled as she felt she new where this was going. “Yes, it seems that I’d have a rather large target for the side of my blade. And I thought Anhur had ass…” She chimed with a flash of a wicked grin as ebony fingers stroked the beast’s mane. Anhur whined with envy and the rough exhale from his nostrils could be heard making jealous protest. “All those comfortable bits would make you a fine rider one day, should you ever wish to take up the way of the Cavalier. I know it’s always been a blessing for me. Sounds like we both have our perks. ” The ebony melanated woman was a cocoa wild child. Diamonds, beauties, and pearls could never compare to the beauty that was her essence. She was consistently in shape and her curves were sublime. A radiant blend of feminine elegance and a lion’s strength. “Finding balance is something I find we must not only do on a horse, but in life as well.”
Aminatu exercised caution as she observed the woman’s attempt to climb on the horse, Aminatu’s eyes grew wide as the woman almost fell over, but the giantess’s confidence in her own strength superseded any thoughts of a massive catastrophe. Rich veins became more prominent and her muscles defined as she gripped Cecilia in a way that exuded safety and security. Perhaps in that moment she would look like a surreal image of a phantasmagorical guardian angel. “It’s okay. I’ve got you.” The few words echoed the sturdiness of a mountain as she offered the woman reassurance. As she wrapped her arm around Aminatu and the woman wrapped her arms around Aminatu, then nuzzled her two large mounds against Aminatu’s back. “Are you trying to dent my armor with those melons, sayyida? There will be no cheating in this duel!” Aminatu quipped with a smug expression.
Her feathers flattened a bit to provide room as armor met armor during their riding. The tribal warrior didn’t seem to mind. She never much cared for the sentiment of comfort being a soldier for so many years. This certainly wasn’t the first time she rode with another on the saddle. As they traversed the pathways of cobblestone, Aminatu’s ears twitched at Cecilia’s response. It was as if there was bittersweet emotions attached to the revelation of horses in her world.
“Phased them out?” She spoke slowly as if she thought the notion unthinkable. “Horseless metal carriages using flammable fuel? Internal combustion? Your people certainly are humans. They are fabled tinkerers, though perhaps not quite on that level, but mostly matters of agriculture, sailing, irrigation systems, and some engineering for military pursuits.”
She paused, humming lightly. “I would love to see your pictures and hear more about them, sayyida. However, I must say that I do feel like some technology may take some joys out of the simple things. These machines would be the end of an honored legacy and tradition of my people. Our tribe makes a good source of income as cavaliers and horse breeders. This would affect our source of income and our pride as warriors.” She holds the reins of her horse tighter as if she wished to ensure herself and Anhur would always remain close. The arrival of the outlanders made the traditional tribal woman wary, and she was concerned about the changes to their world that may follow.
Aminatu felt her heart sink as Anhur trotted past the crowd. A storm swirled in her mind and her blunt nature forced her mouth open. “You know...I’ve been thinking. Remember when you said that some nations from your world had advanced technology so much so that they inevitably used it to assert power and control in the name of reckless ambition? I will not lie to you, hamshira. My tribal instincts would compel me to kill them when you mentioned the ahmaqs went as far as to create ways to blow up a planet larger than ours. However, our nations could not wage war in a preemptive strike against your people. I know that they would only respawn, so I will pray to Horus and Isis on these matters.”
Aminatu paused for a moment, the golden glow of her eyes scorched like the sun. “I would not enjoy it, hamshira, but if the genocide of your people were necessary to prevent planetary destruction, and I had the means, I would not hesitate. I have lived long enough and taken enough contracts as a mercenary to know how easily a more advanced society can take over and erase a less advanced one. Sure, the nobles may court each other and parley under clever guises, but the cravings for will to power has very often caused the decadence of an empire who were too trusting. Some were even invaded by their allies. I would not doubt the same held true for civilizations of your world.”
The philosophical talking point marked Aminatu as a woman that believed the ends justifies the means at times. “Tell me, reporter, in your archives of history, can you recall any civilizations who crumbled due to misplaced trust in a more advanced society? How do you feel your world might be different if these people who developed these guns and tools for such massive amounts of destruction were butchered like lambs to the slaughter before they could ever devise such cruel tools and abominations that would obliterate the very earth they walked on?”
Aminatu was perhaps an abrasive woman, but by the tone of her voice, one could tell she spoke to seek to understand and be understood. “As I said before, it is important in life to find balance, hamshira. In war, we have to at times make the tough decisions. Decisions paid in blood that we’ll never know in the end if they were worth it, but that the consequences of inaction could lead to devastation.” The winged woman’s voice rang with a remorseful nature. It seemed she bore more than the souls of her own men on her shoulders. “Do not take these words personally, sayyida. If even a Heliopolite within the clergy developed such a device capable of that type of destruction. I don’t care if they were a high priest, I would accept exile if it meant bringing them to death and destroying any blueprints to such a device.”
“And yet the winds of Isis, our Lady of All love blow upon me as I hear of your people’s plight...curious enough...you mentioned parallels and mention of Thoth and knowledge of Isis. These people...these Egyptians. So they were like the Heliopolites of my land… our worlds are connected somehow.”
If the human woman had not been intimidated by Aminatu and had already fled by now by the Enoch’s dark philosophical arguments, Aminatu would pause. “Hm. You haven’t ran for the hills yet. I admire your aptitude for conversation. You know...I would often eat and drink with many foreigners. Some allies, some enemies. We may have had differences of opinion, but there was always a foundation of respect and cordiality. “
As they neared the Colosseum, large massive walls were erected to form into a war-torn yet grandiose arena. Shrubs, vines, and plant life cling to it’s walls and edges. “Here‘s your stop.” Aminatu stated as she made it to the entrance. “Take it nice and slow.” She instructed as she looked over to a Zarian Cleric adorned in purple robes.
“Another one, Ami? We’re going to have to start charging you rent!”
Aminatu chuckled softly. “Beluar here is one of the many clerics on duty to ensure wounds are properly treated. He’ll be there as a contingency.”
"Yes, I'll...uhhh...try to make sure Aminatu doesn't send another one to the cathedral. Mmh...no promises, though! Best of luck!" "Yes, I'll
Aminatu waved her to follow her to the center of the ring. “You already have all the gear you need. You’ll have to get used to the concepts of pain. It is often unavoidable in combat.”
As they arrived in the center of the ring, Aminatu dismounted from her horse.
“My scouts tell me that your people possess some kind of magic or strange anomaly that allows some spirit to possess your body and fight for you, but it is at times not very effective.” Aminatu frowned on such cheap and gimmicky means of combat. “It requires too much setup and can leave you exposed. In combat, every second counts, so you will have to learn to naturally make your weapon an extension of your own body. This will take time. However, seeing as you are less clumsy than your peers for some reason, I think you have the aptitude to learn this before them.
“We’ll be going over physical conditioning. I’ve noticed that some of your people are nowhere as tough as our people starting out, but their are a rare few that seem to soar through their physical or magical prowess. We will mainly be focusing on the concepts of strengthening the back and abdomen, but cardio and strong wrists are essential for sword fighting.”
“There are also mental aspects, such as state of awareness and calmness. Swordsmanship goes beyond what me may initially preconceive. The art of deception is of extreme importance. Fighting fair will only get you killed in a sword fight. Foul play should always be expected when going up against any opponent. “
“There is a certain confidence, resolve, and toughness of spirit you must possess. Remember, courage is not the absence of fear, sayyida. Then we must go over rhythm, or rather the lack of it. In battle, you do not wish to get into a predictable pattern. It will be your undoing as your enemy finds ways to use that against you.”
“Intimidation, or rather not being intimidated is as critical as knowing how to use intimidation against a lesser opponent. In addition, timing and distance should be considered in the equation. It seems simple enough but being close enough to actually hit is a skill within itself. “
“And finally, caution, Do not give into the spirit of timidity, but have enough common sense to not underestimate your opponent.”
Going over the basics, we will touch base on Basic attacks and the eight lines of attack as well as proper defenses.
There are basically 8 angles of attack with a sword when cutting - straight down, straight up, diagonally down to the right, diagonally down to the left, diagonally up to the right, diagonally up to the left and left and right strikes horizontally.
While other angles are theoretically possible, they are all pretty much variations of the eight main attack angles - as are thrusts.
Most experts agree that if you want to win at sword fighting, you are better off seizing the offensive than waiting for the right time to counter-attack. But no matter how skilled you are on the offense, at some point you will have to take some defensive action, and for that there are basically five main counters.
One: Holding our sword overhead can be used to defend against an overhead attack and should have enough space so that it can absorb the force of the incoming blow. The same basic principle can be used against a rising vertical attack, though with the sword held downwards instead of up.
Two: Simply extending the arm outwards and away from the body can parry most downward diagonal cuts or thrusts or high horizontal attacks coming from the left to the right.
Three: Conversely, an attack from right to left is parried by swinging the arm across the body.
Four: Diagonal rising cuts, cuts directed to the right leg, or low horizontal attacks can be parried by dropping the sword downwards and bracing with enough space to absorb the impact of the blow.
Five: Conversely, low attacks directed to the left side of the body are parried by turning the wrist so that it faces outwards and sweeping the attack aside. "
Aminatu continued a series of monologues, drill exercises, education on proper stances, drills with training dummies. There was even an interesting segment where Aminatu allowed the assistance of a special beast that blew bubbles to be used as a form of speed and accuracy drills for Cecilia to train her hand and eye coordination by striking or thrusting at randomly moving bubbles. Several hours passed until the point to where Aminatu would finally check with Cecilia if she felt ready, then she would climb upon Anhur, then await her opponent in the center of the ring.
Aminatu smirked with an impish grin.
“Remember, the safe word is "I yield"."
INVENTORY
EQUIPMENT: Arm of Heliopolis, Starter Heliopolite shield, Heliopoilte Platemail ABILITIES USED: TAGS:Cecilia Word Count: 2200
template by caesar
“I wonder if you came in need of Isis’s peace or have come to wield Anhur’s rage? The winds of the dunes tells me that you desire one or the other. There is no place in-between.”
Cecilia’s face got subtly redder as she continued to smile bashfully, laughing at her comments.
“Plenty have tried, Aminatu. I’ve become quite used to defending strikes there.” She commented with a small smirk. She was well aware of her size, it seemed, “Perhaps I’ll take you up on your offer someday. It seems the occupation does benefit women like us.” She said, surreptitiously taking a look at Aminatu’s well-built body. The power she exuded certainly struck Cecilia’s fancy, although she wouldn’t let that show in an obvious manner.
As Cecilia hung onto Aminatu, she felt a sense of security and power from her. Her strong muscles, firm frame, confident nature, stunning beauty, and comforting words all worked to momentarily put her in a trance, The smell of her perfume didn’t help matters either, and she couldn’t help but stare up at her for a short few moments. Aminatu’s quip, however, snapped her out of her stupor. Blushing heavily, she abruptly let go of Aminatu, looking away from her.
“Well, a warrior takes every advantage she can get, right?” She said with a small chuckle, “To tell the truth, my body is a bit… inconvenient, but I’ve learned to live with it. Getting everything custom-fitted is expensive, though. The amount of heads I turn is quite exorbitant, as you can see.”
Indeed, as they rode through the city, plenty of residents would stop to look at them. Most were subtle, throwing glances while getting on with their day, with a few being a bit more obvious about where their gazes lied. Cecilia had long since become used to these gazes, so she very easily ignored them.
As Aminatu talked about methods of transport in the other world, Cecilia actually smiled. It seemed Aminatu valued her horses a fair bit, something that seemed to be embedded in her culture. Anhur was certainly one mighty horse, supporting both their weights. However, Cecilia shook her head.
“You need not worry about horse breeding dying out entirely. Although they’re no longer used in war or as the main method of transport, there are still many who breed and compete with them in all sorts of different sports.” She said, “Your culture would still have a place in my world, albeit in a different function than before.”
As Cecilia listened to Aminatu speak, her face turned more serious, the topic discussed being of grim nature. To hear one speak of genocide like that was never pleasant, but it was to prevent even worse disaster from being let loose upon the world. Nuclear weapons were meant solely as tools of destruction and shows of power, so many nations wielding them that no one presses the button for fear that the other will do so in return.
Fear. That was the only thing that prevented mutual annihilation.
“I understand where you’re coming from, Aminatu. I would likely do the same, in your position.” She said solemnly, “But I do not believe you need to worry about these weapons. At least not in the near future. I said before that the technology of this world is two thousand years behind ours, and that means the discovery of the methods used to create these weapons would take a lot of time. I don’t doubt some of the more technologically-inclined adventurers would create some of the more primitive forms of guns, but as for these destructive weapons… I doubt it.”
She looked out to the crowd as they continued to ride, “But more important than that is the view on these weapons. You must understand; these weapons were created by old dogs of war who did not see the folly of escalating conflict to the point of mutually assured destruction. The adventurers you see had no say in these matters. In fact, they had no say in much of anything. They… we were forced to watch in silent resentment as the few old war hawks and selfish men governing us continued to engage in their petty politics, unwilling to relinquish control of the world as they drained the planet dry. Please, give them a chance. Though immature, I believe most know well the errors of their predecessors and aren’t eager to repeat them.”
She sighed, thinking on the history of their world. It was entrenched in greed, resentment, conflict. There was, however, a ray of hope.
“We know the mistakes we made in my world. I will do everything in my power to ensure they’re not repeated in this one. I swear it.” Her gentle voice held a steely inflection to it, a subtle sign of the seriousness of her promise, “Seeing the state of my world, I could not bear to see it happen again. My life is limited compared to yours, but even still.”
Thinking a bit, she would nod at Aminatu’s question.
“Aye. When the European countries set out by ship to the world beyond, they met with indigenous tribes. Their meetings were almost universally hostile, the colonisers wishing to impose their will upon the tribes. Even those they had initially good relations with.” She said, “Nowadays, efforts are made to preserve the land of the indigenous tribes in most countries, though to call it a proper reparation for what they suffered would be incorrect in my eyes. Still, it’s better than nothing.”
She sighed, shaking her head as she mourned the state of her world. As she spoke, Cecilia smiled at her, winking.
“I would be a rather poor reporter if I wasn’t able to listen to all sorts of opinions.” She joked, “And your views are far more reasonable than most. Founded in reason and a desire to preserve life, rather than being marred by hatred. I can certainly respect that.”
Cecilia would stare in awe at the colosseum, marvelling its size and might. It exuded strength and firmness, and despite its walls being taken by nature, it still stood strong. It was certainly a place worthy of being the centre of martial might. Getting off the horse, Cecilia would take care to not fall off, ensuring she was properly secured and balanced before coming to the ground.
Walking in step with Aminatu, Cecilia would smile sweetly at Beluar, “It’s nice to meet you, Beluar! Don’t worry, I’ll try not to give you too much work.”
As they walked towards the ring, Cecilia stood opposite of Aminatu, at the ready to receive her instructions. She seemed attentive, properly listening to what Aminatu said. The spirit possessing their body… she probably meant auto-attack. The basic skill back when they were playing a game, but it was now a way to attack for those not practiced with the blade. Cecilia had intentionally forwent such a skill, believing it to be a crutch that sacrificed skill in favour of easy combat without having to put in the time to learn. Even if the younger adventurers were faster than her, she knew her training would pay off in time. She very much disliked relying on these sorts of things.
Cecilia blinked when she mentioned some were weaker than others starting out. She did wonder why that was, putting a hand on her chin in thought. Weren’t all adventurers supposed to start at the same level? There was no time to ponder this, however, as she had a lesson to take.
She proved to be an able student, especially when it came to grasping the concepts Aminatu told her about. She very quickly understood what to do and what not to do. No doubt, this was helped by the training she had already done, but she seemed to get accustomed to fighting rapidly. She didn’t appear to mind the heft of her blade, nor be hindered by her… endowments, although she did favour swinging her body more than her arms to strike, due to her arms not having as much space to move as another warrior might’ve. She was good at visualising what she had to do, the gears turning in her head before performing a manoeuvre, and she usually caught mistakes she made before Aminatu had to point it out.
Unfortunately, the inadequacy of her weapon showed. Although it wasn’t the worst weapon out there, its lack of balance made Cecilia have to use more time and energy to recover from her strikes, both exposing her to counters and preventing her from pressing an aggressive and intelligent offensive effort. Although accurate and technically sound, she was a touch slower than what was adequate.
…
Cecilia leaned on her sword, panting as sweat beaded her brow. Even though her choice of class had bolstered her physical prowess considerably, this training was still tiring. Aminatu wasn’t silly about training her; though gruelling, she did not thoughtlessly push her past her limits for little to no gain. However, she still knew how to get her to tire, both in terms of cardio and in exerting the proper muscles used for swordfighting.
Looking up at Aminatu, she took a moment to catch her breath before nodding, hefting her sword and taking a battle stance.
“I understand.”
Taking one final breath to stabilise her breathing, Cecilia charged at Aminatu. She knew the warrior woman had greater mobility atop her horse, so she needed to first get Aminatu off it. Heavily armoured as she was, a direct offence wouldn’t do much, but if she could find an opening, she knew to exploit it.
Upon reaching her, Cecilia would use her range advantage, swinging at Aminatu before her opponent’s sword could reach her. It was a swing right to left, but it wasn’t as committed as it might have seemed to an onlooker. Aminatu would be able to tell if she blocked that Cecilia was testing her defences before committing to anything big.
Aminatu ● notes here ● 1,628 words ● 9,131 total words
Welcome to the help dialog for the Custom Mini-Profile Creator plugin!
Click on any of the tabs above to go through the plugin configuration process!
You can access this menu at any time by clicking on the icon in the bottom right bar (may not be applicable if you're on Forums.net), or you can disable the welcome window and/or the icon by going to Plugins > Manage > Custom Mini-Profile Creator and changing the Show Help option.
This step is essential as it gives the plugin everything it needs on the page to get as much profile information as possible.
To make the profile variables work you'll need to add a new line to the very end of Themes > Layout Templates > Mini-Profile and paste the code below on it. The code should be placed completely outside of the mini-profile, so if you're using the default mini-profile template this will be after the very last closing </div> tag. This needs to be done on every theme you have the plugin enabled on as the template is theme-specific.
If your mini-profile template is already customized and you've hit the variable limit for your template you're free to remove any lines from the code below if they contain information that you don't plan on using. For example, if you have no plans to ever add a user's IP to their mini-profile for staff reference you can remove <div class="mp-info ip">$[user.ip]</div> from the code and everything else will still work just fine.
Once you've added the HTML from the Layout Templates tab you're ready to move on to building your mini-profiles. If you want to get going and try some out now or you're not very adept at HTML, CSS, or Javascript, worry not! This plugin includes some examples for you to try out. You're free to skip to the Custom Profile Fields tab and read over this tab later when you're ready to build your own.
Here's a quick rundown of each of the components in Plugins > Manage > Custom Mini-Profile Creator:
Name This is the name you'll be adding to your custom profile field dropdown once you've finished coding the mini-profile. Pretty self-explanatory. Make sure this name is unique from every other name you use for your mini-profiles or you'll end up overwriting the earlier ones in the list.
HTML This is the HTML that will go inside your mini-profile. You can use just about any HTML tag here so long as it's appropriate for where the mini-profile is showing on the page. Please refrain from using <style> or <script> tags here. You have the next two sections for that! Also, remember that mini-profiles can show multiple times on the same page, so you shouldn't add ID attributes to any of your elements here. Two elements on the same page cannot have the same ID per HTML standards.
CSS This is where you'll place what would normally go in your forum's style sheet or what would normally be between <style> tags. Try to code your mini-profile's HTML in a way that will allow you to target it specifically with your selectors. For example, you can surround all of the content in your HTML with a <div> element with a class and target that class and its child elements specifically with your CSS. That way you don't accidentally target every mini-profile on the page with CSS that was meant for the one you're building. One more thing: The forum theme's CSS still applies beforehand, so your mini-profile may look right in one theme but not in another. The best way to circumvent this is to define as many styles as you can to override the theme's CSS.
Javascript Anything that normally goes between <script> tags will go here. This one's a bit tricky since you'll obviously want to target the custom mini-profile specifically. Luckily there's an easy way to do that. In your statements you can use the $(this) variable to target the mini-profile if you're coding using jQuery. Otherwise, if you only plan on using standard Javascript you can target $(this)[0] instead.
Once you've finished building your mini-profiles it's finally time to add them to the Edit Profile page for use! To enable selection of custom mini-profiles you'll first need to add two specific custom profile fields in Members > Custom Profile Fields in your forum's admin area:
Mini-Profile Theme
Staff Mini-Profile Theme
Mini-Profile Theme is for mini-profiles that are designed for member use. You can set the Who Can Edit option for this field to Staff With Power if you only want staff to be able to choose mini-profiles for users. Otherwise, if you want members to freely be able to choose their own mini-profiles you can choose Members and Staff With Power.
Staff Mini-Profile Theme is for mini-profiles designed specifically for staff use. This field is completely optional.
Set the type for both of these fields as Drop Down Selection. Click on the (View/Edit) link to add mini-profile names to each of these fields.
If you've just installed this plugin you should have three different mini-profiles already installed by default: Example 1, Example 2, and Example 3. You can add these to your dropdowns to test them out and see the plugin in action.
If you're having trouble getting this plugin to work despite following the instructions in the previous tabs you may want to check that each of your themes meets the prerequisites below in Themes > Layout Templates > Mini-Profile.
First, ensure that opening tag of your mini-profile template includes the $[miniprofile_class] variable in its class. On the default ProBoards theme it should look something like this:
<div class="$[miniprofile_class]">
Next, make sure that the default {foreach} loop for custom fields is present inside your mini-profile. It doesn't need to be visible, so you're free to add it inside a hidden element if you don't plan on displaying it or if it would mess up the appearance of your own custom template.
Beyond that you can do whatever you like to the mini-profile template for the most part and it shouldn't negatively impact the plugin.
The following is a list of available variables for use in the HTML section of the mini-profile creator and their definitions. Adding any of these to a mini-profile will generate the content described in its definition in place of the variable so long as the information that variable outputs is visible to you.
To reference your forum's custom profile fields you can use $[user.customfieldname], substituting "customfieldname" with your custom field's name. You'll need to type the name in all lowercase with no spaces and only use characters A-Z and 0-9.
For example, Mini-Profile Theme becomes $[user.miniprofiletheme]. This will output the value of the custom field. In the case of this example, it'll be the name of the mini-profile theme you've chosen in your profile.
IMPORTANT NOTE: These will only work if you followed the steps in the Installation tab of this window on each of your themes. Any themes that do not include the template code specified there will not have these variables replaced in the mini-profile.
$[user]
User's display name link.
$[user.age]
User's age (if visible to you).
$[user.avatar]
User's current avatar.
$[user.badges]
User's list of badges.
$[user.birthday]
User's date of birth (if visible to you).
$[user.color]
Hex color of user's group. If user is not in a group this will return inherit.
$[user.custom_title]
User's custom title.
$[user.email]
User's email (if visible to you).
$[user.gender.image]
Image associated with the gender selected in the user's profile (if available).
$[user.gender.text]
Name of gender selected in the user's profile (if available).
$[user.group.name]
Name of user's current display group.
$[user.group.stars]
Star images associated with user's current display group.
$[user.id]
User's numerical ID.
$[user.instant_messenger]
User's list of instant messengers specified in their profile (if available).
$[user.invisible]
Returns 1 if a user is invisible. More useful for Javascript.
$[user.ip]
User's IP address (if visible to you).
$[user.is_online]
Returns Member is Online if user is currently online.
$[user.is_staff]
Returns 1 if a user is designated as staff. More useful for Javascript.
$[user.last_online]
Timestamp showing when user was last online.
$[user.likes]
Number of likes this user's posts have received.
$[user.location]
Location specified in user's profile.
$[user.name]
User's display name in plain text.
$[user.personal_text]
User's most recent status.
$[user.posts]
User's post count.
$[user.rank.name]
User's current posting rank.
$[user.rank.stars]
Star images associated with user's current posting rank.
$[user.registered_on]
Timestamp showing the date/time the user registered on the forum.
$[user.registered_on_short]
Condensed version of user's registration date.
$[user.social_network]
User's list of social networks specified in their profile (if available).
$[user.username]
Outputs the user's login username in plain text.
$[user.warning.bar]
User's warning bar (if it exists).
$[user.warning.level]
User's current warning level (if visible to you).
$[user.website]
Website specified in user's profile.
You can utilize the $(this) variable in the Javascript component to target the mini-profile <div> element. For example, if you wanted to add a class to the mini-profile you can use:
$(this).addClass('class-name-here');
Profile variables can also be used in the Javascript component in this plugin. In Javascript the value undefined is used to signify that a value doesn't exist for the variable you've specified. With this in mind you can use profile variables in Javascript conditional statements within the plugin similar to how they're used in the actual layout templates section of the admin area.
if(variable) will only run if the variable you specify has a value.
if(!variable) will only run if the variable you specify has no value.
Example 1 (variable has value):
if(user.group){
$(this).find('.group').show();
}
If the user has their group displayed in their profile the above Javascript would make the HTML below visible if you had it hidden with CSS.
icon in the bottom right bar (may not be applicable if you're on Forums.net), or you can disable the welcome window and/or the icon by going to Plugins > Manage > Custom Mini-Profile Creator and changing the Show Help option.
icon in the bottom right bar (may not be applicable if you're on Forums.net), or you can disable the welcome window and/or the icon by going to Plugins > Manage > Custom Mini-Profile Creator and changing the Show Help option.
