The Silent War

[Marik]

Behind every power struggle that has ever taken hold of a city, every war that has ever been fought for power or riches, behind every transfer of royal power, basically whenever power is involved in politics, there are two pairs of armies that fight. One of them carry banners and horns and drums with bright lances that flash brilliantly in the sunlight and burnished armor that gleams as the army marches and when they have benders, they are celebrated and lauded. The other set of armies operates in the shadows, draped in dark cloaks and bearing daggers and poisons with their benders operating in secret and keeping their work quiet.

This particular war was no different. King Adleburn of Omashu was being challenged by the Chief of the Water Tribes, Chief Okuo. They both possessed grand armies that marched against each other on vast fields of glory and shame. Neither army could gain the other hand. Unannounced to either ruler, the Order of the White Lotus began to build its own army, but one of shadow and secrets. The Order recognized the threat posed by such mighty armies constantly warring and they knew that they had to put a stop to the potential cataclysm.

Which side will you join? Chief Okuo the Just? King Adleburn the Magnificent? Or the Order of the White Lotus? Which of the three will remain standing when the dust settles?

Each separate faction has "secret weapons" that I will PM to anyone who joins said factions. For instance, if someone joins the Water Tribe army, I will give them information about their faction's projects fitting their station in said faction.
And since there must be rules, pay attention.
1.) Follow the forum rules. Any infraction in this area will receive two warnings and then will be reported to the moderators of the forum.
2.) No godmodding. Unless approved by the party involved in the chatter thread, there is to be NO GODMODDING! If it is purely accidental, you will be asked to change your post unless the effected party says otherwise.
3.) No Avatars. That's just not fair to the rest of us mortals.
4.) Have fun. Violators of this rule will be banned immediately.

As far as characters go, feel free to make either a soldier or bender in the Water or Earth armies or one of the White Lotus's warriors.


Name: Shai Tan
Age: Mid twenties (exact age unknown)
Hair: Black, worn long and in a low ponytail
Eyes: Ice blue
Bending: Water (mostly)
Appearance:
(compliments of Tera)
Faction: The Order of the White Lotus
Position: Shadow Hand (assassin)

[Nev]

Name: Izia Krall (Iz)
Age: 28 (looks slightly younger)
Hair: See appearance, imagine hair longer and sweeping to the left.
Eyes: deep crimson, (not like twilight)
Bending: Fire/Lightning His fire is that of a master, this is why he is able to learn the art of lightning. However, he can not shoot it out of his fingers, he can only bend electricity though his body, this only allows him to attack with lightning up close. He is still training to extend it to a bolt of lightning.
Appearance:
http://halfaltielle.deviantart.com/art/Prince-31971778< Hair longer and a bit more amber
Faction: Earth Kingdom (Adleburn) /Fire nation (he helps the EK, but belongs to the FN)
Position: Captain of a small infantry unit inside Adleburn's army.
Sword: http://quelkron.deviantart.com/art/Rapier-3511499

[Tera253]

Name: Cunning Bastard Sanaki Almedha Zelgius [Sanaki]
Gender: Lobster Tera Female
Age: Older than dirt unknown. She claims to be 27.
Hair: No joke here Black, worn loose except the traditional FN topknot
Eyes: glazed amber (blind)
Bending: Avatar *looks up, sees rules* dammit... Fire I guess. -.-
Appearance:
(compliments of Tera. oh wait... that's me. =B )
Faction: O.W.L.
Position: TBA

[assassin would be good, but that's more of her "side" career. I can make changes if necessary. And sorry for all the lame joking. I'm in an unusually good mood for no reason. Have been all day.]

~Sanaki~

[Tera253]

alright, here goes...

Name: Katara Zelgius Altina II [I shamelessly recycle names. I know ^^]
Gender: Female
Age: 32
Hair: dark brown
Eyes: gold
Bending: Fire and lightning
Appearance: image
Image notes: it's the 15-year-old version of her (but the one I'm using, like I said, is older). the older one basically just looks a little more developed, is more well-built, and has longer hair.
Place of Birth: Water Tribe
Faction: Water Tribe
Position: TBA. She's a mercilessly strong patriot.

[I can change a few things around if needs be]
~Katara~

[Nev]

Secondary.

Name: Kari Heruja
Age: 27
Hair: see appearance, she also has a ponytail from the back of her head, blocked by her neck in the appearance >.>
Eyes: Light blue enclosed in a Hazel ring
Bending: Water/Ice
Appearance: http://half-blood-inc.deviantart.com/ar ... l-73948532
She normally wears a black body suit on her top half, which is covered slightly by the traditional Water tribe jacket (with fur) that she wears to keep wrong. Even though she wears a thick jacket her movement is quick.. SHe wears black pants neatly tidied up with black boots she wears. Hidden in her jacket are a multitude of weapons.

Faction: O.W.L
Position: Assassin
Sword: http://dewoutr.deviantart.com/art/Dagger-91771977

[Marik]

[[Doc might recognize this character. Tera might if she was spying on the WT during AvRen.]]

Name: Arako (Ar’-eh-koh)
Gender: Male
Age: 23
Hair: Dark brown, worn in a wolf-tail.
Eyes: Ice blue
Bending: Water
Faction: Water Tribe
Position: Defender of the Crown

[Marik]

Shai Tan strode down the corridor of the abandoned fortress that the White Lotus had claimed as their own. His strides were quick and carried him swiftly through the complex. His eyes, however, seemed fit to freeze over the mouth of a volcano. He had been given a target and the customary payment for his services, which he was incredibly relieved about, but on this assignment he had been given a partner.

He NEVER worked with a partner.

He was supposed to meet his “partner” in the courtyard, so he walked to a balcony that looked over the paved area. He peered over the edge and saw one other assassin waiting for him. He did not know her name, but he knew that she was an assassin. He had seen her in the guild hall and he could tell by the way that she carried herself. Deciding to just get it over with, he heaved a sigh and slid over the railing, landing in a crouch to absorb the impact.

Shai Tan made no effort to soften the look in his eyes as he straightened and walked towards the woman. He had been hoping for someone that he at least knew of, like Sanaki (perhaps she would join them in the field *hinthint*), then he would have a measure of his or her talents. But this woman was an unknown to him which meant, in his thinking, that she couldn’t be too good.

“So, you’re coming with me?” he asked, his smooth baritone voice sounding more bored than anything.


Arako dipped a low bow as he was dismissed from the court of Chief Okuo. He backed up a few steps, then turned and walked out into the gently falling snow. He smirked slightly as he saw a group of soldiers who had been sent from the south to serve as reinforcements. They were only too obvious as they gazed at the massive buildings that were spread all across the Northern Tribe. Arako had grown up here, so the constructs had long ago lost their majesty in his eyes.

One of them in particular seemed to stand out from them, due to her golden eyes. Why was there a Fire Nation soldier here? The other Water Tribesmen did not seem to be on edge because of her, but Arako chose to stay alert, just in case, as he moved to the side of the avenue and waited for the group to pass by.

[Tera253]

“So, you’re coming with me?” he asked,

Sanaki knew that the question was not directed at her, but she figured that she could answer it just the same.

"Aye, as a matter of fact I am," she replied, appearing from behind Shai Tan. She had slipped off the railing [OOC-by "slipped, I mean, a cross between sliding off and jumping off, not slipping accidentally. that knocks off about 58 coolness points from anyone] and landed without a sound behind him, and had quickly straightened her stance into the noble, regal one that she usually carried.

"I did not thnk that you would mind, but of course, you, like me, are hard to predict. I could be wrong just this once."

she smiled sweetly--mischievously; her blind eyes gazing forward--not quite at Shai Tan, but enough to look like it.

--------

Katara was one of the only ones who was not gazing around at the grandeur of the Nothern Water Tribe's buildings. She was from the south, indeed, but she was from a decent sized city that at least had a set of walls. Moreover, she had been here before, several times. It was just duty calling her to defend her country, even if it was just her Northern Sister Tribe.

Her red clothes made her clearly stand out, but she wore them not because of a different nationality, but rather, because of her bending skills, which were the art of fire. She was born in the WAter Tribe, and though she had been to all Four Nations in her short life, there was no place like home.

a man walking out of the Chief's Court was one that grabbed her attention. She could tell when a person was alert--or, at least, in comparison to those who were not on edge. He was staring at her, which was therefore what Katara assumed was the cause of his alertness. She could not blame her, as the Fire Nation was on an axis with the Earth Kingdom, and there were very few benders whos bending dsicipline was different from their nationality. Katara though, had never been ashamed of her mixed heritage.

"Did you need something from me?" she asked, directing it at him. She did not seem upset, angry, or displaying any type of emotion at all, save perhaps an ounce of curiosity.

~Ty Lee~

[azularulz15]

Name: Zora Lunalelle Skrabanek (she perfers to be called Lune or Zor)
Gender: Female
Age: 21
Apearance:http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z207/GrimRapersDaughter/awesome%20anime%20girl%20pics/Me%20and%20my%20friends%20pics%20for%20stories/pretty.jpg
Bending: ahhh.... Earth (oMG! It's my first earthbender!!!! o.O the world is going to end tommorow isn't it?)
Faction: Order of the White Lotus
Position: Assasin (nothing else seems interesting to me right now)

[Nev]

Kari stood in the small courtyard, her hands were safely placed in her pockets, each gripping a knife, just incase. She had to be prepared with all the other assassins around. Kari breathed out slowly, she was cold and was getting slightly warmer with the hood on her head. She tapped her feet as she waited for her partner.

So, you’re coming with me?” he asked, his smooth baritone voice sounding more bored than anything.

The man didn't surprise her, she had known he was there and so his voice was not surprising at all. Kari sighed, she couldn't be bothered with this assignment, it would get boring soon enough, like all missions she had gotten. Kari was about to turn round when another voice entered the equation.

"I did not thnk that you would mind, but of course, you, like me, are hard to predict. I could be wrong just this once."

'I didn't know this was going to be a trio mission' Kari thought, she decided to introduce herself. She casually turned round and cleared her throat.

"So I'm Kari, we ready for the mission" Kari said, a sense of boredom in her voice. She walked forward between the two assassins and kept going, walking to the main gates. She didn't care about their name, if they introduced it she wouldn't mind but if not it was alright.

[Marik]

Shai Tan glanced to his side as Sanaki walked up. Well, this would be a good chance to see her in action, at least. He nodded his acquiescence.

“ So I'm Kari, we ready for the mission” his assigned partner asked, shortly before brushing between Shai Tan and Sanaki. Shai Tan narrowed his eyes at the woman’s back as she left. She might just have to be the victim of an accident out on assignment. But that would depend on Sanaki, really. Shaking his head in frustration, he started after Kari. This is why I work alone, he thought bitterly.

******************************************
Arako blinked when the woman addressed him. “Uh, no.” he said. “I guess I’m just not used to seeing someone from the Fire Nation here.” His tone asked for clarification on this matter.

“My name is Arako, guardian of Chief Okuo. And what do they call you?” He stayed back a little ways from the group, just in case he needed to either fight or run. One never knew what to expect when one was dealing with fire.

[Tera253]

Sanaki acted as if this Kari woman had not done anything to her. he did,however, smirk at Shai Tan, detecting his emotions.

"don't let her get to you," she chuckled, "those that think they are incredible annoy those of us who really are. Let us see how this plays out--if I am even needed."

she paused for a moment before lowering her voice.

"but I assume you do want me accompanying you, am I correct?" she asked.

*********************************************************
“I guess I’m just not used to seeing someone from the Fire Nation here.”
Katara raised an eyebrow.
"I do not hail from the Fire Nation," she remarked, "though it would seem I would. It was in my blood."

She paused for a moment only to indicate the belt she was wearing, which bore a red Water Tribe Emblem on it.

"I am among those reinforcements sent from the Southern Water Tribe," she said, "I was born there, and am a patriot to the end of my days. My bending discipline was my fathers, and he was a firebender. my mother was the waterbender, and that was how I was born here."

"They call me Katara." she said, "Katara Zelgius Altina II. Some know me as The Red Patriot. Others know me by different names. Apart from that, I am a Southern Water Tribe loyalist to the end, and my life means nothing if the Water Tribes fall."

She bowed in a respectful Water Tribe fashion, as a guardian of the Water Chief was surely a higher rank than a soldier like Katara.

Major Katara, though, was a militaristic woman. fighting was what she did for a living, and so honor and loyalty were ingrained deep in her mind.

~Katara~

[Nev]

The two assassins behind Kari were talking again.

'Oh great, these two are chatter boxes, well at least I can tune out of their babbling' Kari thought as she pivoted on one foot to make a quick shout behing her. Her hands unwillingly came out of her pockets and waved in the air.

"Hey you guys, lets get going, I want to get this over with" Kari shouted, turning back along her path after placing her hands back into her pocket. She carried on walking through an archway, turning right to travel down a corridor. She skipped down a couple of steps and turned left and right to come into a hall like room. Kari stepped down another flight of stairs and waited for her partners to get to her. The front gate stood behind her, a couple of guards held their weapons and the faint smell of oil filled the hall from the oil lamps.


~~~

Izia rose early, like he always did. The sun hadn't yet risen but the view of the night approaching dawn was still enough to make him smile. A pre day chill swept into his chamber, like a wave of icy cold water. Iz's lower half stayed covered as he sat up, the chill hitting the bare chest that he slept in. A large yawn followed his movement and next came an almost feline like stretch. Upwards and outwards he limbered up his hands and arm.

Izia rolled out of bed, grabbing a red towel as he stood up straight. His toes were numb as they touched the cold wooden planks of his room, he shook them to continue the blood flow. He walked across his room, picking a silk robe from a small rack as he walked. In a small add on to his room was a small toilet, sink and shower which was rare for an army man but since he was a fire bender all that was needed in this little en suite was a supply of water. Which wasn't difficult.

Izia placed his robe and towel on a hook and then produced a small flame for the heating apparatus. The fire lit the small chamber that was next to the shower, heating the supply of water that was there. he next turned the knob to get the water flowing, a pelting shower fell from the small metal head. Izia removed his under garments, stepping into the stream of hot water before he got too cold.

After a few minutes washing the essential body parts and hair Izia took the towel from its hook and dried himself, replacing it with the silk road when he was finished. A knock at the door attracted Izia's attention, tea was here.

[Tera253]

"Hey you guys, lets get going, I want to get this over with"

"With that kind of patience," she remarked, "you can probably retire from the assassin field."

She lengthened her still elegant stride, not increasing the pace of her footsteps, but rather, only increasing the legnth each stride covered, until she caught up with Kari.

"so," she said once she was next to her, "do you bear a grudge of some sort against us? or is it merely impatience?"

~Sanaki~

[Marik]

Shai Tan contented himself with the role of The Silent One and walked a pace or two behind the woman. Mostly studying how they moved and behaved; valuable information to have regardless of who one was dealing with.

He saw that Sanaki had very good and efficient control of her body, a good sign for a partner. She was also balanced and well coordinated.

Kari was light on her feet. Possibly connected to her martial arts style? Perhaps. He did have a lot to learn about that one. Two things that he knew for sure were that she was impatient and quite confident. Two very possibly fatal traits for an assassin, especially one working a mission alongside Shai Tan. Not that he was fond of killing his companions, but if she happened to fall behind because of either of these faults, he would not risk himself to save her, that was certain.

So he remained silent as the three of them walked down the street towards the docks that would carry them to the small town in which their target resided. Just to be safe, Shai Tan moved to the opposite side of the street and fell back a few paces. After all, it was foolish to put all of one's eggs into a single basket, so to speak.

[Nev]

Kari walked down the street, Sanaki next to her.

"so," she said once she was next to her, "do you bear a grudge of some sort against us? or is it merely impatience?"

"Nah, I'm okay with waiting but only if the mission needs it, having to wait for people to finish their chit chat, that irritates me" Kari hushly said, maing sure not to draw attention to her and Sanaki. Shai Tan had gone to the other side of the street, a clever idea for such a quiet man. The sea's cold wind made Kari chill, she wasn't a very warm person and wold feel a small amount of cold in the middle of summer.

'I wonder who our target is, Shai Tan has all the information, I just know to go to the docks' Kari thought as she popped a small lollipop into her mouth.

Kari walked onto the wooden dock, the wood barely creaking with Kari's delicate weight. She stopped, waiting for Shai tan to get there. The boat was nowhere to be seen.

[azularulz15]

Zora silently followed the other assasins, since she'd been late. She followed Shai Tan and stood silently next to him. He seemed to be the person to talk to. Zora usually "Hello. I believe you're Shai Tan, am I correct?"
Zora didn't smile, she almost never smiled. She usually had a blank face. She'd waited to introduce herself but decided not to.

[Tera253]

"Nah, I'm okay with waiting but only if the mission needs it, having to wait for people to finish their chit chat, that irritates me"

Sanaki smirked.
"you will not have to worry then," she replied coolly, "because no one ever has to wait on Zelgius Sanaki."

the blind woman sense Shai Tan's location several paces behind them, and on the opposite side of the road. She made no indication of this though, and continued her casual stride.

"never for a moment think that I ever hold things up just because I'm blind."
She actually did not think Kari had thought that it was because of her blindness, but rather, she was introducing this fact, as she seldom revealed this unless it was for effect.

upon reaching the docks, Sanaki's thin frame made no sound as her feet touched the ground. She simply stood there, upright and regal, awaiting Shai Tan's arrival.


~Sanaki~

[Nev]

Izia walked out of his room, locking it for his own sanity. He didn't need for it to be locked but prefered to know no one would be going through his things. He wore trousers, a vest top and a pair of sandles, casual clothes for a day of rest. He held a sword in one hand and a sweat towel in the other. He had someone to meet, so he briskly mad ehis way to the dojo that he had researved.

Iz slipped his feet out of his sandles, placed them in a small locker and then made his way in. Three soldiers were finishing up their session and rough grunts acoustically bounced oof of the walls as kicks and punches made contact. Izia sat on a bench to the side of him, taking his sword out and placing the metal safety cover that he used when sparring. Next was his routine stretch where he showed off his flexibility. He bent down an dtouched his toes, stretched his hands sideways and worked his feet.

"Hey Iz, you time for me to whoop your ass!" A dainty voice shouted out behind him, the three soldiers sensing the tone and leaving. Izia turned with a large grin across his face. There she stood, her hair in a bun and her body covered by shorts and a vest top. She held a sword in her right hand, a small sheild type glove clung to her thin arm.

"Ah Captain Lucie Haze, there you are mistaken, I am going to be beating you today" Izia replied, stepping slightly closer towards her. He stroked the side of Lucie's face, her warm cheek making him smile even more. His head lowered but before he could go in for the kiss Lucie placed her hand on his chest.

"I told you Romeo, it would just complicate things but I suppose if you beat me today, we can go on one date" She chuckled childishly. A small push and he stepped back, hopping slightly and swinging his arms side to side.

"You ready, I need to get planning for tonight, I think I'll take you for tea and then for a meal." He replied, wrapping bandage over his hands. As he scooped up his sword she unsheathed hers, placing a cover over it so the sword wouldn't cut skin. She moved it in her hand, a swordsman shining through. Lucie walked into the middle and got into her starting position. Izia did the same.

"Right then, two rules, swords only and first to ten. You can use firebending. Let us start then" Lucie said, her eyes sparkiling with joy.

[Marik]

Shai Tan had stopped a little ways back when he found that someone was following him. He stood still and waited for the girl to catch up.

"Hello. I believe you're Shai Tan, am I correct?" she asked.

"I might be," the assassin replied, still watching to dock where Sanaki and Kari were waiting. "Or I might not be." He flashed a quick hand sign of the White Lotus's assassin's guild. If she really was an assassin, she would respond in kind. If she failed to do this, Shai Tan would probably just leave her dead in the gutter and then continue with his mission.

Assuming that the proper hand sign was given, Shai Tan made his way down the street and to the dock. He nodded at Sanaki, glanced over at Kari and then moved to the end of the dock.

Nothing happened for a moment, but then one of the underwater boats emerged from the depths. Shai Tan quickly unscrewed the hatch and slipped inside the vessel. Whether the others followed him or not was completely up to them. He was not going to wait.

[Tera253]

Sanaki waited at the dock until Shai Tan arrived. using her senses to observe what he was doing, she waited until he had slipped into the hatch before she did so much as move.
however, the moment he did, she slipped in seconds later.

"you know," she remarked casually, "if you wait longer than a minute, I'll start wondering what you did with the real Shai Tan."

She was only casually joking of course, as she was familiar with some of the ways in which he worked.

This would be fun.
~Azula~

[Marik]

Shai Tan glanced over at Sanaki.

"I don't intend to," he said, as he turned his gaze towards the hatch, wondering who was going to come through it first.

(In other words, if Doc and Az don't get themselves onto the boat in about twenty four hours, or in their next post, they will be left and forced to make their own way to the target or stay here with the White Lotus.)

[Tera253]

Sanaki crossed her arms calmly.

"and of course," she said, to complete the thought, "if that were the case, I would have to kill you."

she smirked, and the tapped her foot.
her impatience was kicking in, and she was personally only going to wait a few more seconds before acting as well.
~Sanaki~

[Nev]

Kari followed both Sanaki and Shai Tan into the hatch, licking the looly pop she kept between her teeth. Kari slumped into the uncomfortable chairs that lined the ship, she had placed the two knifes that were in her hand back into her jacket. She crossed her legs, placed her hood on her head and then closed her eyes. Easily aware of what was going on behind her she decided to nap. Before sleeping she opened her mouth to speak.

"So whou'd the target Shai?"

[Tera253]

[OOC--time to quote a PM almost word for word. hehe...]

Sanaki, who had since also sat down, remained in a relaxed position, her arms folded and her blind eyes closed.

"just to let you know," she remarked, "our target here is an Earth Kingdom general. He has made a few "cunning" strategies that have resulted in the deaths of quite a few civilians, and so the White Lotus decided that he should be removed from the playing field."

and then she was again silent.
~Sanaki~