#barbarian/tribal au | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

anothanobody · 1 year

Note

I wouldn’t call it a gamble because no succession system existed or was developed excluded from other political-administrative institutions, and were normally aligned with religion. By this I mean the succession of the leader reflects a worldview from a certain people. Because in most cultures the ruler in a monarchy receives the right to rule, and the legitimacy to keep ruling, through the will of the deity. You can find this in the divine rights of kings in European tradition, but also in the Mandate of Heaven invested on Chinese emperors. So the system by itself isn’t a gamble, it develops organically with the community and its institutions. But yes, masculine primogeniture involves a strike of luck regarding the ruler’s capability. But this is something that also happens in other successions. The Romans, Greeks, Chinese, Persians, Arabs all had to contend with minorities and regencies. That is, the choice fell on a child or teenager, therefore it also depends on luck. See what happened with China in the 19th Century, they had three minorities one after the other, specifically designed and intended to keep power in the hands of the regent, the Empress Dowager Cixi. This ended up nullifying the emperor as a political institution and started the period known as ‘the century of humiliations’.

The thing is, in the Barbarian au we don’t have a single succession system. We haven’t defined one for the Romans or the Huns. In fact, as I mentioned earlier, the Romans of the late Empire succeeded one another almost father-to-son, based on the accumulation of power on the position of emperor. Now, to abridge the matter, Roman imperial dynasties found its legitimacy in the figure of its founder. The first imperial dynasty, the Julio-Claudian dynasty, started with Octavius Augustus and ended with Nero and based its right to rule in their familial connections to Julius Caesar. The Theodosian Dynasty based its right to rule in the familial connections to Emperor Theodosius I ‘the Great’. Blood wasn’t the most important factor, but it certainly mattered. Even if the adopted children – already grown men with their own children sometimes – weren’t father and son, they had some consanguinity. Octavius Augustus, the first Roman Emperor, was biologically the great-nephew of Julius Caesar and his adopted son. In turn, Tiberius, the second emperor, was married to Julia, Augustus’s daughter. Also, we must bear in mind that ‘adoption’ for the Romans isn’t ‘adoption’ for us today, it is more in the sense of submitting under the authority of the pater familia’s (‘father of the family’) in order to be recognized as part of their own family.

For the Huns, however, we don’t have any surviving records. Everything we know about Hunnic culture stems from the writings of Jordanes, the western Roman imperial emissary to Attila’s court in present day Hungary. We know, however, that the Huns themselves stem from the people presently known as the Mongols. The Huns were the ‘European Mongols’ in a sense. And we know for a fact that Mongolian traditional succession was invested in a ceremony called Kurultai where the chiefs and potential successors, usually children of the previous ruler, would congregate in their homeland and choose among themselves who had the best claim. This normally involved who had the best military capabilities or feats. This method is unabashedly tribal and would certainly be repudiated as barbaric by the Romans, who had more sophisticated techniques and criteria. On the other hand, Roman-style adoption of adult men was repudiated and seen as subversive. Many centuries later, none other than Genghis Khan himself, the greatest Mongol Khan ever, tried to impose his adoptive son as successor, and the war that followed broke the largest territorial empire ever created in four.

For me at least, part of the fun in the Barbarian au is trying to conciliate the two very different cultures Eren and Mikasa represent and rule over through their love. Roman society slowly became more Germanized as Germanic peoples crossed the border in the great migration movement from the 4th and 5th Centuries a. D., Attila being an important factor in pushing the Germans into the Empire’s territory. So which criterium prevails, then? In my opinion, blood is the only element capable of unifying their cultures at this point.

Fun fact, for a long time it was claimed that the Hungarians were descended from the Huns. Which is why we call it HUNgary in Latin and German-based languages. In Hungarian they are Magyars. The medieval kings of Hungary even claimed direct descent from Attila the Hun as a source of legitimacy and had Attila’s Sword included in their royal indumenta. It is now known this sword is a forgery made in the 9th Century and that Hungarians are a Uralic people and not related to the Huns, who are Mongolian in origin. But it would be fun to have Eren’s famous sword passed to his son and to the generations forward.

my beautiful history anon. i think the sword being passed down would be a great addition tbh. and the inheritance in this au would certainly be by blood as their kids would be the ones from both sides. so that’s inevitable. always happy to see you in my inbox. made my day brighter

#barbarianking!eren x empress!mikasa

2 notes · View notes

sroloc--elbisivni · 1 year

Note

cooould i ask 3, 4 & 11 for "To such a deep delight 'twould win me"

absolutely

3: What’s your favorite line of narration?

oooo man i like so many lines of this but i also very much set up a lot of lines to....counterpoint each other? things are meant to play off the previous or following lines so picking one is hard. i think i will say the first line -- "the morning of his wedding day, Mirage refused to speak." because i rewrote that several times deliberately to get it to come out in iambic septameter. ba-duh ba-duh ba-duh ba-duh, ba-duh ba-duh ba-duh. iambics are fun.

4: what's your favorite line of dialogue?

“I don’t think anyone has concubines anymore,” Hound said, apologetically. “They’re kind of old-fashioned. Maybe you could lounge around while I fed you peeled grates?”

in pursuit of an ethical barbarian au i wanted to avoid the 'culture with tribal influences/viewed in-story as less advanced is traditional and unchanging and eternal and trapped in the past' trope so i really liked getting to toss in 'yeah no this has gone out of fashion'. also anyone who has read anything i've ever written for transformers could tell you i'm a sucker for a cheap pun. hehe peeled grates. what is a peeled grate? unimportant! couldn't tell you! we are JUST here for the pun.

11: what do you like best about this fic?

i like a lot of things about this fic, so don't misunderstand me when i say that what i like best about this fic is that it's done. getting down to the deadline on this, a big bang fic with an enforced deadline, and just plunking out the end of chapter 2 when my muse wanted to dive into turtle pond was just. ugggghhhhh. and if i had not had an outside deadline i would never have finished it, and now that it's finished i like it so much and i'm so glad it's out there to share.

#talky talk #kapuchino357 #ask meme #hm should i make a #fic talk #tag for stuff that isn't actually writing? i think so

3 notes · View notes

the-maelstrom-afterhours · 8 months

Note

[Barbarian au] Churin the half elemental had been sent as tribute to the barbarian warlord Sigurd in exchange for his warriors protecting her people's lands. She'd heard descriptions of him, ranging from him literally being a dragon to him being a human using illusions. As a powerful half elemental though, she hadn't been taken to him by guards, or even as a prisoner, she travelled by herself. When she was led into Sigurd's hall she saw various tribal representatives taking turns to present the warrior with money, women, and weapons. Sigurd himself was shirtless, and probably the most muscular man she'd seen, even by dragonborn standards, who [when standing, currently he was seated] he stood at least a foot over the tallest. He was covered with scares over his unusually strong scales, and lounged with a beautiful, almost naked, collared blonde girl hugging his leg, another on his lap, a redhead one leaning on his shoulder with a lazy smirk and a scar over one eye, and a trio of dark hair girls in veils, high heels and nothing else filling his tankard. Several new girls had been led off by servants as Churin had watched, and eventually it was her turn. Sigurd's eyes flicked, examining her as she was led forward. "And you are?"

She eyed the Dragonborn curiously, her attention flicking over each of the girls before fixating on him "My name is Churin. And I've been sent as tribute to you." she said, her tone even as she spoke "Or rather, I've volunteered to be your tribute. I'm one of my hometowns better warriors..." she said, lifting her shirt to show him her stomach before flexing to show off her muscle tone "...But I'm guessing that's not something that you're going to be interested in about me." she said, looking over at him.

#anon question

0 notes

surveille · 3 years

Text

The conceit of the barbarian AU is that kidnapping mates is perfectly normal and even expected among the tribal mechs, yet I’ve never seen a fic exploring how that works for them. There’s a couple mentions of mechs from the same tribe who already know each doing the kidnapping as like a marriage ritual.

What about the pressures of growing up in a culture where you could be legally kidnapped and forced to shack up with a stranger at any time? How old does a mech have to be before they can be taken, and what happens if someone underaged is taken by accident? Are there standardized ‘rules of engagement’ across some or most of the tribes? Maybe in one tribe it’s a crime to drug, restrain, or coerce a mate into interface, while in another it’s expected that the kidnapper sparkbond/impregnate a mate as soon as possible in order to tie them to their new family unit.

Is kidnapping a bonded mech or one with sparklings allowed? If no, how would you know that information pre-kidnapping and what happens if you do it by accident? Is it okay to kill the mate of a bonded mech and then take them, or would that bring dishonor on your house and your cybercow? If taking a mech with sparklings is allowed, is the kidnapper expected to adopt the sparklings or to leave them with their other parent? What if you kidnap a pregnant mech by accident?

What if you try to kidnap someone and they beat your ass? Is the cultural expectation for you to leave them alone or try harder next time?

I have questions.

#possibilities are endless #barbarian au #nomad au #cybertronian culture #i realize the forced marriage trope is the point #i dig it #but worldbuilding #is my fave part of this au #transformers #fanfiction #writing tropes

25 notes · View notes

lyricalporcupine · 3 years

Text

Have a scene for an upcoming fic about Skyspear Yasha au. Today was weird so I wrote this instead of working on the prompts. I’ll get to those tomorrow! I’m feeling better btw!

~~~~~~

(Note: Takes place several weeks after the arranged marriage. There is an attack from another tribe and it’s the first real fight Beau’s been in. They haven’t had their first kiss yet, let alone had sex. This takes place before all that)

~~~~~~~~

The last thing Beau remembered was an arrow piercing her belly, near her hip, a shout, and total darkness.

She woke some time later, though she’s not sure how much time had passed, in her bed. The furs were heavy but soothing, the familiar scent of animal musk and the sweat of herself and Yasha prominent deep in the fibers.

She felt a large, calloused hand holding hers and she took a deep breath and slowly blinked her eyes open. The hut was cast in its typical dimness. The ever present fire was softly crackling in the middle of it and when Beau turned her head toward it, she saw a large bodied silhouette.

“Yasha?” Her voice cracked, throat dry. She tried to swallow and her throat stuck, causing her to cough.

The hand holding hers pulled away and she watched, with bleary eyes, as the figure picked up a waterskin and held it up to Beau’s mouth.

“Drink,” came the familiar voice of her wife.

Beau raised her head and drank deeply from the canteen, her hand wrapped loosely around Yasha’s wrist. After a few deep gulps Beau pulled away and took a deep, shuddery breath.

“What happened,” Beau asked as she settled back into the bed. She blinked her eyes and her vision refocused and she watched as Yasha corked the waterskin and sat it aside.

Yasha herself resettled beside Beau, legs crossed. “You were hit with a poison tipped arrow,” Yasha said softly. “We thought—“ Yasha paused, swallowed and tried again. “I thought I was going to lose you.”

“How long have I been knocked out,” Beau asked, her voice still rough.

“Half a day,” Yasha replied. “Give or take an hour. After the healers did all they could I moved you to our bed.”

Beau reached for Yasha’s hand and the barbarian quickly gave it, her grip light. “Have you been here the whole time, watching over me?”

Yasha’s gaze fell to the bed and she gave a small grunt. “Mostly. I did have some matters to tend to that couldn’t wait. There are more I need to deal with.”

Beau nodded and released Yasha’s hand. She tried to push up into a sitting position and hissed in pain. “Fuck.”

Yasha was immediately hovering over her. “Be careful,” she said softly. “Please.”

Beau groaned and moved the blanket from her lap. She found a bandage wrapped around her belly and down around her hip and upper thigh. The bandage was stained a light red and she looked up at Yasha. “What did the poison do?”

“I was told it kept your blood from clotting,” Yasha answered. “There’s also a chance the wound may be infected. It’s a very large gash.”

“Greeeat,” Beau snarked flatly.

Yasha reached out and gently laid her hand where she knew the wound was. Her palm began to glow and warmth flowed from Yasha and seeped deep into Beau’s skin, even through the bandage. Beau felt the pain severely lessen even if it didn’t fade completely.

“That feels great,” Beau said with a groan. When Yasha pulled her hand away, Beau looked up at her. “You have healing magic?”

“Some,” Yasha said softly. Her eyes were still cast down and she wouldn’t meet Beau’s gaze. “The healers in the tribe are good at what they do. They saved your life. But I’ve been trying to find a cleric. It’s been difficult. Not many people want to be part of semi-nomadic tribe in the wastelands.”

Beau reached for Yasha’s hand and, once again, Yasha feeely gave it. “I do,” Beau said softly.

That got a small smile from Yasha and she gently squeezed Beau’s hand. “After today, I’d say you’ve earned your place in our tribe.”

Beau smirked. “I didn’t earn it by marrying you?”

Yasha’s smile turned into a smirk. “Sadly, no. In fact, that made the other tribe members more wary of you. They wanted you to go through the standard trials to induct you into our clan.”

“You couldn’t have convinced them otherwise,” Beau asked.

Yasha gave a small shrug. “I could have. And considered it. But a lot of them do not like what I’ve done with the clan since taking over. They think I’m soft.”

Beau’s eyes dropped to Yasha’s hand still held in her own. She flipped it over and began tracing her fingers along the various grooves along Yasha’s palms. “I remember you telling me our wedding night that the Skyspear position isn’t hereditary.”

“That is correct,” Yasha said.

“So how did you become the Skyspear?”

Finally, Yasha looked up at Beau. Her eyes were hard, cold, but it wasn’t directed Beau herself. “I killed the last one.”

Beau’s eyebrows raised. “Can I ask why?”

“It is tradition,” Yasha said. “To gain a new Skyspear, you have to slay the previous one. That’s how it’s always been.”

“Alright,” Beau said. “But I have a feeling something happened to make you challenge her. You don’t seem like the type to want the power.”

Yasha shook her head. “I did not.”

Yasha fell silent and Beau waited. When it became apparent that Yasha wasn’t going to elaborate, Beau decided to prod her a bit. “What changed your mind?”

Yasha’s eyes fell again. She was silent for a long while but Beau could tell it was because she was considering her words.

“Tribal life is hard,” Yasha began. “There are certain rules and oaths one takes when committing to the clan. To become a member you undergo severe trials. Survive them and you become a member of the clan and earn your name. Before becoming the Skyspear, my clan name was Orphanmaker.” As she spoke her old name, sadness tinged Yasha’s voice and Beau gently squeezed her hand.

“Once you become a member,” Yasha continued, “you vow celibacy until an appropriate mate is chosen for you.”

“You don’t get to choose your own spouse,” Beau asked, disbelieving.

Yasha shook her head. “No.”

Beau picked up on the grief in Yasha’s tone and quickly put things together. “But you did anyway. Didn’t you?”

Yasha smiled at Beau’s quick mind. “I did.”

“What was her name,” Beau asked gently.

Yasha’s smile grew and became wistful. “Zuala,” she said quietly.

“Can I ask what happened to her,” Beau asked softly. “I’ll understand if it’s too painful to discuss.”

Yasha surprised her by shaking her head. “It is painful but. I want you to know.

“We married, in secret,” Yasha explained. “And we were happy, for a while.”

Yasha’s face fell and Beau knew why. “You were found out.” It wasn’t a question but Yasha nodded slowly.

“We were.”

Beau’s heart sank. She was sure she knew how this played out but found herself asking anyway, “What happened?”

Yasha took a deep breath and released it slowly. “We were taken into custody and held for a day. Or less. I’m not sure. Then the Skyspear called for Zuala and she was taken from the cell.

“I managed to escape,” Yasha continued and Beau could hear the emotion causing Yasha’s throat to thicken. “I ran to where they had taken her, which was to the executioner. But I was too late. I watched, too terrified to move, as they killed her.”

Beau felt her eyes burn, bison blurring slightly from tears. “Yasha…”

Yasha shook her head slightly but continued. “I’m…unsure what happened after that, exactly. It’s a blur. I blacked out and the next thing I remember was standing over the Skyspear, my sword plunged into her chest and hearing her gasp for breath.

“More fights happened after that,” Yasha continued. “Some clan members claimed I was the new Skyspear. Others said I had betrayed the clan. Some of them attacked me and I fought to defend myself. Most of them did not survive.

“To make a long story…slightly less long, I became the new Skyspear. I changed a lot of things. No more assigned mates, for starters.”

“Yeah, I can see why you changed that,” Beau said.

Yasha smiled at her. “I also put a stop to the children fighting.”

“The kids fought,” Beau asked, surprised and slightly aghast.

Yasha nodded. “I fought many other children while I was a child. Most of those fights were to the death.”

Beau’s welted widened and her mouth hung open. “You killed other kids?!”

Yasha’s head hung with shame. “I was being primed as the Skyspear’s greatest weapon.”

“And then she totally fucked you over,” Beau said.

Yasha shrugged. “I knew the rules. So did Zuala. But.”

“The heart wants what it wants,” Beau said softly, to which Yasha nodded.

They sat in silence for several moments. Beau was lightly running her thumb across Yasha’s knuckles when Yasha finally spoke up.

“I was scared.”

Beau looked up from Yasha’s hand. “Scared?”

Yasha nodded. “I saw you get hit with the arrow. And when you fell I feared I had lost you.”

Yasha looked up at Beau and the human could see fear in Yasha’s eyes. But there was something else there, too, that caused Beau’s breath to catch.

Yasha pulled her hand from Beau’s, only to flip their positions and to hold Beau’s hand in hers. “I have grown fond of you, Beauregard. Far more so than I expected, especially given how little time we’ve known each other.” Yasha’s eyes fell shut and she took a deep breath and blew it out of her nose. “I do not wish for you to get hurt.”

Beau reached out with her other hand and lightly gripped Yasha’s wrist. The barbarian’s other hand lightly laid across Beau’s, gently holding it in its place. “Y-yeah,” Beau said, stuttering slightly, feeling her heart beat rapidly against her ribs. “I like you, too, Yash.”

Yasha gave Beau a small but genuine smile. She squeezed Beau’s hand before gently pulling hers away. “I have to go,” she said, quickly standing.

Beau’s heart immediately sank. “You’re leaving?”

Yasha sighed as she made her way to the yurt’s leather flap that acted as a door. “I need to check with the healers and see how the others are doing.” She turned back to Beau. “You wish me to stay?”

“Of course I want you to stay,” Beau said softly, almost sadly.

Yasha looked at her for a moment, then to the flap, and back to Beau again. She moved back to the bed and bent forward. She raised one hand and gently cradled the back of Beau’s skull and leaned down to place soft kiss at Beau’s hairline. Yasha pulled away only to press her forehead against Beau’s in a tender gesture.

“I’ll be quick,” she whispered before pulling away and quickly headed outside.

#porcupine writes #beauyasha #yasha nydoorin #lyricalporcupine #beauregard lionett #wip #beauyasha fanfiction #Skyspear Yasha au #there is another author doing a Skyspear au as well #we are basically feeding off each other lmao

18 notes · View notes

ohfugecannada · 3 years

Text

Oddworld: Role Switch au

So a couple of weeks(?) ago, @oddest-worlds posted an idea for an au where mudokons were an evil cultist species-supremacist power because of the mudokon moon incident and the glukkons were the enslaved natives. I really wanted to pitch in ideas/headcanons, but was busy with coursework at the time.

Fortunately, I just finished my project and now have more free time so I got to writing some stuff.... a lot of stuff... mainly just some points on the main trio of eusocial races (Mudokons, Glukkons and Sligs) and their role in the AU. So strap in!

(Fyi if you have/had other ideas that contradict the headcanons bellow, feel free to ignore those. Or pitch in some of your own ideas, I’d love to hear them!)

Glukkons

Were once a spiritually oriented race who practiced black magic, occultism and alchemy and were allies of the Mudokons thousands of years ago

When the mudokons declared themselves as the supreme race because of the mudokon moon, they were, understandably, upset and concerned

Fearing their once allies were drifting further away into cultist, species-supremacist behaviour, the glukkons set out to disprove the mudokons declaration of supremacy though their alchemical arts and unify their species once more

It’s said that some glukkon alchemists were successful in finding the answers they seeked out, but what those answers were have long since been lost to time

Now becoming more industrialised and realising the glukkons were a possible threat due to their alchemical powers, the mudokons orchestrated a war against them, nearly wiping the glukkons out in the process before thier surrender

After the war, disillusioned, outnumbered and on the brink of extinction, the glukkons began working for the mudokons, who belittled, oppressed and eventually enslaved them

Now most glukkons are born into subservience to the Mudokons, oblivious to their spiritual past, true history and culture

Still native glukkon tribes out in the wild in hiding from the mudokon empire

I mentioned this before, but I personally imagined the glukkons of this timeline walking on thier legs, which are still somewhat short, and retained thier long arms. Basically, they have the same body type to gibbons and similar long armed apes

Because they walk with their legs and not on their arms, most glukkons stand at almost half their canon height, roughly around 4 or 5 feet tall or so

In industrial captivity, most glukkons tend to have a grey or pale skintone like the glukkons we see in soulstorm

Native Glukkons born outside of captivity are much more diverse in skin colour, with their base colours ranging from brown to purple, red, pink or green etc

Along with This, they have the ability to change their skin colour like octopuses (which makes sense given their closest relatives evolutionarily are the oktigi and other octopus/cephalopod-like creatures)

Notably, they flash different colours across their face and skin when feeling strong emotions like sadness, anger, excitement etc. Similar to the mudokons in Abe’s Exoddus

Glukkons from certain tribes also have bioluminescent markings and patterns on their skin that are visible in the dark. Though, this trait is not as common

Using this colour changing ability, some glukkons are able to copy the colours and even textures of their environment and become one with the scenery. Essentially making themselves invisible. Of corse, this particular aspect of colour changing usually doesn’t come as naturally or involuntary to glukkons as the emotional-based changes. In most cases it takes years of training to master the art of invisibility

Much like the Mudokons in canon, industrial-born Glukks are born into captivity from a mother queen and their eggs are shipped off to be sold into slavery

Baby or young slave glukkons are raised alongside their siblings and cousins over a mudokon master and are usually kept together as something akin to a demented orphanage where youngling glukks are sent to work as soon as they can pick up a rag and bucket

@oddest-worlds, You described the mudokons as being cult like. I personally imagined this would ya know aside from the moon worshiping mudokon supremacy stuff manifest itself most in the way they control thier glukkon slaves

Glukkons in slavery, much like people born into cults, are indoctrinated at a young age to believe their mudokon masters are perfect, all knowing and benevolent beings, that the outside world beyond the factories is a savage, unforgiving wasteland where outsiders will try to lead them astray, and that they are better off and safer dedicating their lives to loyaly serving the mudokons

Glukks who challenge these beliefs, defy their mudokon masters or try and escape to the outside are often severely punished. Either from being removed from their glukkon group, being held in a cell for hours or days where they are interrogated and for their “crimes” or getting severe beatings.

Native free glukkons have a similar tribal society structure as the native mudokons in canon, with each tribe having their own distinctive culture

As said before, they practice the occult, black magic and, most prominently among different glukkon tribes, alchemy

As well as living in tune with nature, Glukkon alchemists often practice the art of transmutation, turning one type material or substance into another, and joining certain substances and/or materials together. Which they do in order to better understand the natural world around them

Nowadays, though, native glukkon civilisation is far from what it once was millennia ago

Thanks to the mudokons and other industrial societies either enslaving or killing off their numbers as well as building over their sacred lands, most native glukkon’s main priority is to hide away from the rest of society and to protect what little of their culture and traditions still remain

From my research I learned the practice of alchemy (or at least the traditional western version of it) could be traced back to Egypt and Thoth, the god of arts and sciences, so I thought it would make sense if at least some individual native glukkon tribes culture and overall aesthetic would be loosely based on the ancient Egyptians as a callback to this, with some small echos of the architecture we see with the glukkon aesthetics of the canon timeline plus the more native looking early concept art of glukkons

Also while researching alchemy I noticed one key aspect of it involved change and transmutation, I.e. turning base metals like lead into noble metals like gold. I thought about how this could also connect to their colour changing. Maybe some native glukkons believe the colour changing to be a glukkons most primal form of transmutation. And view the ability to blend in with the environment as a way of being one with nature, both in the figurative and literal sense. Or something else along those lines

In industrial propaganda, native glukkons are painted as savage barbarians and alchemists as swindlers and charlatans that lead gullable slave glukkons astray, filling their heads with doubt, or with the promise of bestowing riches and immortality for a price

Enslaved glukkon’s clothes tend to consist of whatever textiles they can get their hands on in the factories and what little the strict dress code implemented by their mudokon masters will allow

The main item of clothing worn by most glukk scrubs is a shoddily cobbled together shirt and overalls. Sorta like an even shabbier version of the basic glukkon pud uniform in munchs oddysee

Like many things, native or liberated glukkons tend to have a lot more freedom when it comes to what they wear

The more traditional fashions often worn by glukkon alchemists include long, loose fitting robes, sometimes with these thick ribbed shoulder pads. Pretty much the same as outfit worn by glukkons in the very early concept art back when they were still called “Oldger” or “Ociti”

Mudokons

A once spiritual race that possessed psychic powers and were allies to the Glukkons thousands of years ago

When the shape of a Mudokon pawprint appeared on one of Oddworld’s moons, some mudokons took this as a sign from the gods that they were the chosen race

Blinded by their self imposed delusions of grandeur, the first believers of the mudokon moon sign set out to prove the mudokon race’s superiority over all other races of Oddworld

The moon believers did this by recruiting more mudokon members into their tribe, slowly converting the many tribes into one unified empire, increased consumption of the planets resources and began to isolate themselves from the rest of Oddworld

Building massive towers that reached the skies, they began to spend most of thier time indoors, only looking up at the night sky to see thier sacred moon, the symbolic reminder of thier divinity over Oddworld

Gradually abandoned thier spiritual ways in favour of a more industrialised way of life. Only a few powerful figures within the Mudokon empire still use their psychic abilities such as possession

Growing more paranoid that their Glukkon allies and thier powers of alchemy would prove to be a threat to their rising power, the mudokons orchestrated a war against the glukkon tribes, nearly wiping them out in the process

After the war, the mudokon empire gave the queens of the last remaining glukkon tribes an ultimatum: give away thier children to the empire where they would be “employed”, “sheltered” and “safe”, or let them be born into a “primitive” tribal wasteland at the brink of extinction

The mudokons were able to enslave their once Glukkon allies and quickly rose to become the most powerful, and power hungry, civilisation in all of Oddworld

In terms of architecture and aesthetic, I figured many of those motifs from their spiritual/tribal past would subtly carry over to their current society, I’ll be it more metallic and industrialised. Like larger, dystopian dieselpunk versions of the huts, buildings and structures we see in Monsaic Lines and other native mudokon locations

The buildings they live and work in are also incredibly tall, with some structures in their urban cities reaching above the clouds (basically the opposite of the canon glukkons subterranean cities)

The Mudokons are the main industrial society with a stronghold over the planet

Having essentially brainwashed both thier mudokon citizens and glukkon slaves, the mudokon empire is singularly concerned with proving their dominion over the planet oddworld. with no reguard for the native creatures and cultures that inhabit it

Mudokon society is extremely dedicated to the idea they are the best civilisation in all of Oddworld

As far as they’re concerned, their empire is the supreme civilisation, unparalleled in architecture, politics, philosophy, military and art

And they are dead set on proving thier superiority to the other races of Oddworld, no matter the cost

Any historical records that makes mudokons civilisation and society look bad or less then perfect are either deeply hidden away or destroyed. Through this constant revisionism as erasure, their true history has been long forgotten

Only consistent part of their history is the mudokon moon, which they hold as a sacred symbol and a reminder of their power as the “chosen race”

Now, the sight of the mudokon moon is rare for any industrial borns due to the sky being covered by air pollution from the mudokons buildings and factories

Young mudokons are born as eggs by their respective queen and sent to be raised by a foster mudokon worker and, if they’re rich or well off, their many glukkon slaves

As I said before in the glukkon bit, the way glukkons are taught how to view the world is very similar to real life cult indoctrination and brainwashing. Young mudokons get a similar treatment in terms of their education

At an early age, mudokons are taught by their elders that oddworld belongs to the strong such as them, that the other races that cannot compare to the mudokons, And that all mudokons which as them are perfect and destined for greatness. (Provided they work hard and follow the rules of the empire...)

For a mudokon, lacking this sense of superiority over other races and drive to prove themselves as exceptional is frowned upon in thier society, and such mudokons are often either outcasted or placed in the lower ranking job roles

Like the glukkon workers in canon, adult mudokon workers are often employed as powerful bosses and rulers in the mudokon industries of food production, science, politics and/or religion to name a few

While some individual mudokon masters value mollah and material gain over other things, mudokon society as a whole isn’t quite as obsessed with mollah the same way glukkon society in canon is. They do hold monetary wealth and riches in high regard, of corse, but mostly as one of many status symbols to prove their superiority over others

Due to their belief of being the superior race, some mudokons are known to be extremely arrogant and self centred, to the point they’re often compeating with one another over who is the better mud

In terms of physical appearance, I imagine mudokons having a lot more angular features, like more talon like claws on their hands/feet to evoke a bird of prey

While mudokons are still omnivores, teeth such as their canids are more pronounced due to consuming more meat products such as scrab, Meech, slig and elum meats

I also feel like the slight uncanny-valley elements the mudokons already have should be subtly accentuated in the switch designs for creep factor and everything

unlike muds of canon, muds of the switch au tend to be on the lean, average and/or slightly cubby side rather then underweight and slightly bony in terms of their weight. Mostly down to having relatively better diet and quality of life, at least compared to their canon counterparts.

Mudokons also have way more feathers on their heads! Though, due to the airborne pollution of their industrial lifestyle, feather growth is mainly restricted to their head and face

don’t tend to grow as many feathers on other parts of their bodies like arms, legs etc

On top of this, as mudokons tend to live in colossal tower-like structures, they’ve evolved adaptations to life in higher attitudes such as naturally taking shorter breaths.

One popular form of dress for most moderate or high ranking mudokons consists of a shirt garment with a v-shaped neck (kinda like a Dashiki) a medium length skirt and long ornate robes or feathered cloak. Think more fancy versions of the native clothes worn by the mud shamins in canon.

How intricate, layered, extravagant and/or customised etc these clothes are depends on how high the individual mud wearing them is on the power/wealth hierarchy. Kinda like the wealth hierarchy with canon glukkons. Most lower class muds tend to look closer to the muds we see in canon with a short loincloth-like skirt and simple vest.

While the majority of mudokon society tends to be more industrialised, there are certain elite and powerful groups within the mudokon empire that still practice their spiritual psychic powers

One example of such a group is an elite task force of mudokon agents specifically trained to hone their psychokinetic abilities.

Fed on an exclusive diet of mind altering spooce shrubs, they are granted powerful and dangerous abilities (provided they don’t die from spooce overdose first). Such as the power to possess the minds and bodies of other beings

They are employed as black ops-like operatives by the mudokon empire to manipulate the affairs of other Oddworld nations and races behind the scenes with their powers of possession, as assassins to take out highly dangerous targets from afar with death via red ring explosion or possession induced head explosion, or as bodyguards to protect highly powerful and elite clients, usually mudokon queens. Essentially taking on a similar role to the Glocktigi in canon

Sligs

Race of amphibious/semi-aquatic swamp dwellers

Society not as complex or “advanced” as others like the glukkons or mudokons, technology wise

Somewhat nomadic as they tend to move around from place to place in colonies, though their preferd environments are wetlands, marshes, swamps, lakes and bogs

Were never enslaved by Glukkons, Mudokons or any other societies of mudos for that matter. probably since Sligs are seen as useless and impractical for such tasks anyway. I mean, what kind of peanut-headed chumps would have a legless species who can’t use their hands do their dirty work for them?! lol!

While functional on land, they’re a bit more adapted for life in water, with webbed hands and seal-like tails for swimming as well as gills in their mouths for breathing underwater

Walk with their hands when on land (similar to pantsless sligs in canon but slightly less awkward)

Use the highly dexterous tentacles on their faces to pick up objects and use tools while they walk or swim

Covering themselves up with dirt, moss, mud etc is a big part of their culture. Not because they think they’re ugly like the Sligs in canon, but because it provides good camouflage from larger creatures and predators wanting to eat them

If a Slig is spotted or about to be caught by anything that would want them as food, they can use their arms to leap away from their attacker

In terms of actual clothing, they don’t wear much aside from a covering that wraps around the middle section between their abdomen and their tail mostly so their butts don’t get cold when they go up on land. These coverings are usually either made of soft reeds weaved together, a leaf held together by a stick going through both ends or whatever they can get their tentacles on in thier surrounding environment

Even without fancy covering or camo, Sligs are pretty diverse when it comes to their appearance

Depending on the environment, their skin tone can range from light green to yellow, dark green, blueish-green, teal, brown or black to name a few

Some Sligs also have tiger like stripes similar to the ones on big bro Sligs in canon

And, of corse, there’s albino Sligs. How they’re treated tends to vary form colony to colony

Some outcast or even kill albinos, fearing their bright colour could attract predators

Other colonies are a lot more accepting of albinos, though they tend to be more protective of them due to, again, being more easy targets for predators

Most albino Sligs either take extra care to cover themselves with as camouflage as possible to hide their bright skin, or stay under the water for most of their lives, rarely ever venturing up to the surface world

Queens are also never seen on dry land, as their birthing process is significantly less painful underwater

While none of the queens in this timeline are as cripplingly obese as queens like Skillya in the canon timeline, most healthy queens are still rather large. Sorta like the size/weight of an average male elephant seal, or a salt water crocodile

Also, while some queens can still be jerkasses, they don’t usually eat their own young, as they don’t hold as much resentment towards them due to the less painful birthing process. Plus, their many drones usually bring them smaller fish and swamp dwelling creatures to keep them well fed

Baby sligs (or sliglets, as I like to call them) are born underwater and later take their first peek up to the surface after a couple of weeks

Raised by either one of their drone fathers or their many older siblings

baby Sligs are also born able to swim and walk on instinct, sort of like lizards. They only need to stick with their guardians for protection and to learn valuable life lessons from them like camouflage, avoiding predators, looking both ways before they cross the rivers etc

According to ex-Just Add Water employee Will on the Oddworld forums, Lorne Lanning originally envisioned Sligs having pig like fur, but this was cut from Oddysee due to technical limitations at the time. I headcanon that native Sligs had fur in the canon timeline but lost this trait due to their industrial lifestyle, similar to mudokon’s feathers. Hence in this timeline, some native Slig colonies do have fur.

usually more common, much thicker and more prominent on Sligs from colder climates as it helps them stay warm

The fur is also good for collecting dirt and growing moss and algae on, adding to the Sligs camouflage

I also have this headcanon that the noises sligs make for the BS and S’Mo BS commands in Oddysee and Exoddus gamespeak are remnants of their old language before they were enslaved by glukkons in canon. This is how Sligs communicate to each-other in this timeline: through a series of frog-like ribbit and croak vocalisations.

They do have the ability to speak language in the same way Mudokons and Glukkons do, I’ll be it in a limited capacity since they’re somewhat cut off from these language speaking societies and not used to talking in words. Think of it how, in canon, Gabbits like Munch can speak language with characters like Abe but can also call to other Gabbits through a dolphin-like “song”

Though they were never slaves, that doesn’t mean industrial societies like the Mudokon empire haven’t caused trouble for them

On top of occasionally hunting them to make high protein meat products and for sport, the Mudokon empire has also put their glukkon workers to use digging up Sligs swamplands for iron ore, as water that carried flakes of iron accumulated and settled in those swamps. As well as gathering peat from mires for fuel

These practices have been encroaching on the Sligs natural habitats. driving them out and disrupting their usual migration patterns

In a lot of cases, Mudokons purposefully try to drive off or exterminate Slig colonies. Viewing them as useless, dirty pests getting in the way of the precious resources that, much like everything else on Oddworld, the mudokons feel a sense of entitlement to

Alright, that all the points I got down for the big three. I do have some ideas for the other races like vykkers, steef, oktigi, meeches etc but for now, I’ll just leave it here. Again, please let me know what you think of all this and feel free to make contributions.

@southern-forests

#oddworld #au #aus #mudokons #glukkons #sligs #oddswitch #oddswitch au #role switch au #I had the most fun writing about swamp sligs

21 notes · View notes

esper-aroon · 3 years

Photo

the barbarian prince of yiling

this is the au where wei wuxian is a prince of a tribal kingdom who gets captured by the lan emperor (and then falls in love with the emperor’s brother)

#the untamed fanart #mdzs fanart #wei wuxian #wwx fanart #fanart #mdzs au #i'm proud of myself for managing a greenish palette #it's not that far from blue but still... variety #though i never want to draw chains ever again #was gonna give him a collar too but... didn't manage that #my art #reference image used #barbarian prince wwx

74 notes · View notes

diamondbreakingboi · 9 months

Text

2023 TF Big Bang Preview

Howdy y'all!! I'm super excited to show a snippet of what I've been working on for this year's @tf-bigbang!!! Big thank you to @shapeofmetal!! I had the great honor of working with them for my first ever Big Bang!! Their artwork is sooo beautiful!! I can't wait for y'all to see it!!!

In 'Ad Astra Et Retro', watch Bumblebee's perception of his world be flipped upside down in this upcoming Barbarian/Tribal AU set in a continuity soup (mainly tfa and tfp) Featuring drama, angst, cultural differences, and best of all - Blitzbee!!!

Will Bumblebee realize the truth of his world before it's too late or will he be consumed by all their lies?

Full fic coming soon to ao3 September 22-24th! Until then, I hope you enjoy this snippet!!

...

“Put me down!” Bumblebee screeched.

“Calm down little, buggy wuggy,” Blitzwing cooed.

“Don’t call me that!”

Bumblebee yelped as he was tossed upside down and held up, by his uninjured leg, to meet Blitzwing’s optic level.

Whirr. Random smiled. “Oh I cannot wait, little bug! We’re going to have so much fun together! Late night gossip sessions! Snack raids at the ration tent! Maybe even stargazing!”

Blitzwing was obviously making fun of their situation and Bumblebee didn’t appreciate it at all. “As if! I will not be sleeping in the same tent as a barbarian! You couldn’t pay me 1,000 shanix to do that! So you can get all those stupid ideas out of your small, little processor! It’s not gonna happen! Nuh uh!”

Whirr. Blitzwing's blue, emotionless face stared at him.

“What?”

“You can admit that you’re scared, little insect. No one will judge you.” Whirr. “Except me!” Blitzwing cackled.

Blitzwing released him and he landed in a puff of dirt.

He stayed on the cool dirt and stared up at the clouds while Blitzwing continued to laugh at his misfortune.

This was going to be a long cycle...

43 notes · View notes

liliesoftherain · 4 years

Note

I request a fluffy barbarian au where Bakugou is crushing on this thick, badass viking lady and shes like I will only marry you if you can beat me in a fight.

A/N: Anything for you bb(; I enjoyed writing this request, and just so y’all know I did some rough google translates for the words so don’t sure me if something’s wrong haha

Title: The Barbarian King

Pairing: Katsuki Bakugou x Reader

Katsuki Bakugou!:

“Another weak man, who thinks he can beat our (y/n).”

The giggling females behind him as he passed only served to fuel his anger, the raging roses blooming across his cheeks causing their giggles to increase. These women didn’t care that he was a king, that didn’t matter to them here. Here was a town counted as a free for all trading market, and in the district, mainly vikings and other Nordics took place in this residence for trading and sales. Status here didn’t matter, your value as a tradesman and the quality of your products were the only things that did.

Katsuki had walked towards your area, seeing the way your broad back moved as you helped load a wagon of goods. He glanced at your face and saw a bead of sweat drip down your neck and below your collarbone down your shirt. However his gaze traveled back up to your face as you looked up at him through your lashes from your crouched position, you gave him a smirk as you looked away from his stare.

“What is it now, your terribleness?” You spoke out in the common language, lifting a large vase into the cart before smacking your hands together to get off the dust.

You turn to the man behind you, that teasing smile still on your face as you glanced over him. He was flashy for a Barbarian King, but you assumed that was the whole point. Furs lined his cape and boots, fine leather lined his legs for his pants as well as his belt and arm bands, and while he remained shirtless, his chest was covered in battle scars and intricate tribal tattoos. He was a fine man, maybe not as built as some of the men in your home village, but he was a sight to behold for sure.

“You know why I am here, leubh.”

“Is that so, Aldrnari? And what did I say about calling me leubh, hm?”

Bakugou clicked his tongue at the nickname of flame in your native tongue, your teases doing nothing more but rile him up enough where he felt the burning of desire dance along his skin.

That’s why he was here after all.

“I do not like to repeat myself, leubh. You are going to accept my bindan, yes.”

You hummed while you turned away from him, speaking in your tongue to the trader who you were making the sale with before getting your dirhems. You thanked the trader once more for his business before he walked off, and only then did you turn back to the adonis ruler, who had only starred as he awaited your response.

“Your terribleness, I already told you I am not your love, your leubh. I have my rules-”

“Then I am willing to do what it takes, leubh. You shall be mine.” He growled out lowly, muscles twitching in anticipation to hold your toned body against his own.

Even if he had to beat you first.

You were packing your leather satchel with whatever little belongings you had brought, considering you had only come today with the items for your trade, and were preparing to endure the trek home.

“Are you now, Aldrnari. I do not think you have what it takes to challenge me for my hand.”

Bakugou, now annoyed, snatched your wrist to make you face him as he was ignoring the constant flow of people walking by. You only stared at him in amusement, knowing you could break his wrist if you really felt threatened.

This King wasn’t as fearful as everyone made him out to be, you could see the kitten soul underneath the lion’s exterior. You were interested in the man, surely you didn't know what lady wouldn’t be, but you had rules, morals. You had to keep true to yourself, and that was a man who could triumph in battle. You had no room for a man with a weak will.

“I will challenge you because that is what you ask of me. I bow to no one but my kwoeniz, my queen, and that is what you shall be.”

You bite your lip to hide a smile, merely removing your wrist from his hold and placing your hand upon your waist instead.

“You are certain of yourself, kǫttr.”

“Koh-tah?...” Bakugou blinked at you in confusion, eyebrows furrowed at the word he hadn’t heard you use before, butchering it with his dialect.

“Kǫttr. Baby cat, that is what you are.”

“Huh!? I am a kuningaz, a King. Not a kattuz. Wōd wíf.”

You laugh at his face, which was pulled into a frown, before walking down the path once more. You heard the rustling of his cloak and the clanking of his tribal birthright, the necklaces of fangs that hung from his neck as a warning, a name, an indication all at once.

“I may be a ‘crazy woman’ as you say, but it is the truth. You are soft, sweet like a babe with the heart of a león, a fierce cat.”

You both walked side by side as you walked down the path, enjoying the creek beside you and the whispering willows along the way. The sun would be setting shortly, giving you enough time to head home.

If it wasn’t for your stalker hot on your trail.

“I am fierce, yes. Loyal and true. It’s shall be my duty to protect you-”

You stopped suddenly, a snarl pulled at your lips as you pushed him away.

“Am I not able to protect myself, veslingr?” You hissed an insult in his face.

“That is not-”

“I may be a woman, but I am no means unable. Understand this well, Bakugou, I am not meant to be bound and be made a slave.”

He sighed, overall agitated with your stubbornness and failure to understand.

“Dúfa, you are as free as that in which I call you, Dove.”

“Gjof ser ae til gjalda.”

“I do not understand, leubh.”

“A gift always looks for a return. You shall expect a service far lesser than what I deserve, Víkar.” You called his title in your language as you spit on the ground, a bit disrespectful but he had insulted your pride.

You would not let that go.

His glare did not waver, as neither did yours. The tension was thick, you swore there were sparks in between the both of you, bright enough to blind and hot enough to scar.

“Let us settle this then, (y/n), we shall fight. When I win, you shall accept bindan, our binding. No going back on your word.”

You looked up at his towering form, staring down through your nose with narrowed eyes.

“I never go back on my word, that I can say with honor. You know how I feel about honor, Aldrnari.”

“Yes, to be without silver is better than to be without honor. You have said so many times, leubh. Come now, I have not all day.” His wickedly cocky grin spread across his face as he crouched low, preparing to strike.

You only clicked your tongue back, going into your own fighting stance. The wind blew by, and your eyes narrowed in signal. You jumped up, landing powerful blows onto his large arms as he staggered back from the force. You grew annoyed however, only seeing the powerful man defending.

“You are not attacking, Bakugou! Do you think so little of me!?”

You kicked his stomach, sending him flying back as you tried to regain control of your emotions FIghting with anger was like fighting with the intent to die, and that’s what you were trying to avoid. Hell, with how many times you have won over a man who had asked for your hand, you should just become a part of the wise Volur! A woman married to that of her magic and healing than to a man.

“I think too highly of you, that is my problem.”

Bakugou got behind you faster than you could have anticipated, securing you from behind. You thrashed, but he held tight, leaning in close to your ear.

“(y/n), I have won. You have said that all I needed to do to win your heart was to fight you, so be it-”

“You have been running and defending, not attacking!”

“I have never once said I would attack you, my eardlufu beorht, dear light. I have respect for you as a woman, as my kwoeniz, as a fighter. I shall protect you, as I hope you shall protect me.” He maneuvered in front of you, kneeling on the ground as he still held your hands tight.

The smoldering look on his face made your breath catch in your throat. He was serious, as serious as you could see. There was no falsehood, no games, just pure honesty pouring from his soul.

“The eyes of a maid, tell true, to whom her love she has given..” You whispered softly to yourself.

“Huh!? Maid- I am trying to be honest, yet you call me a maid?” His exasperation was clear, and it caused you to bark out a laugh.

“You are not the maid, you fifl! Fool! I am saying the eyes are a gateway to the soul, and while you are not a maid, you have the eyes of one. An honest opening to your heart, elskan mín.”

His stare did not waver, but instead of rage it held compassion. It held that of a caring man who you knew you couldn’t hide from, yet that would not stop you from teasing.

“However, it is that you have not won against me. How shall one win if he does not fight, hm?”

He flicked your forehead as he stood, causing you to huff in response to the surprise attack.

“Now I have, I have attacked yet not hurt you. Because for the rest of my days I shall be at your beck and call for your safety, as you will mine. We shall be equals, I will not be above you. I will give my heart, my life, my title, and my own safety to insure yours. As you will mine. We shall fight hand in hand, love hand in hand, and be hand in hand for forever until eternity. You said it yourself, I am elskan pín, your love.”

Your cheeks grew warm as you heard the words spilling from his mouth, he knew you had called him your love?

“How did you know what I had said? How do you know those words-”

He placed a thumb over your lips as he held your chin with his hand, a soft smile forming as he stared into your eyes.

“It is as you say, Inn matki munr. ‘The mighty passion’ that we share gives me the incentive to learn your native tongue, as I hope it does for you.”

“You leaned into his touch, not wanting to fight off your feelings any longer. It was true, while he may not have attacked you, he fought for your love countless times. You knew what he was capable of, and Bakugou was a man who was not fearful of heart. He was a passionate man who made a great King, who would make a great husband.

“It shall, well it has. I accept your offer, Víkar. With my life in your hands and yours in mine, I accept it all.”

He let out a loud yell of victory, startling you further as he lifted your large frame off the ground and spun you around. You were by no means a small woman, proving further of his strength.

“It is settled!”

“Unhand me or else, Katsuki!”

The sound of his name leaving your lips caused a shiver to run down his spine as he did what you told, gently placing you on your feet. He kissed you eagerly as you did the same, before he pulled back and rested his forehead against yours.

“Að unna, Katsuki.”

“Ic lufie þē, (y/n).”

And you both did, love each other very much, the soul never lies.

532 notes · View notes

ibijau · 3 years

Note

i know u probably dont know but uh. using the word barbarian to describe any asian chara, esp central or east asians, is smth u wanna stay away from. the "violent tribal mongoloid" stereotype is INCREDIBLY racist and literally everywhere in both hemispheres. using it for the nie is especially bad bc of their portrayal as a "less cultured, very violent" clan. if u wanna know more im happy to give more info but theres more on google

That's an excellent point, and I will find a different way to describe that AU if I continue it

#jau rants #I don't even have an excuse that was just wrong of me #Argh I'd need to do actual research to continue that fic uh #Welp it'll probably stay on the wip list forever then orz #Deleted the post in question

9 notes · View notes

prepaint · 4 years

Photo

What’s this? An old sketch based off of my own Megop Tribal/’Barbarian’ AU fanfic called ‘Save a Prayer’ that just updated to a second chapter? perhaps ;)

#tfa megatron #tfa #my art #sketchies #im so sorry for not having actual art yet ;(#transformers #tf fanfic #transformers animated #maccadam #megop #tfa megop #its currently rated teens & up w/ warning for graphic violence (tho it comes later)#save a prayer au #shameless self promo

275 notes · View notes

anchanted-one · 4 years

Text

FFXIV Prompt 12. Tooth and Nail

It was hot as an oven in the Burn, but Legatus Gnaeus Van Crixos could see a film of frost covering the nearest corpses, a sheen that did not let under the heat. Adding to the sense of dislocation was the cloud of some flowery smell hanging over the battlefield, masking the smell of blood and gore. The reflection of the moon shimmered in the air like a mirage, though it was the late afternoon. Here and there, conical furrows marked their way through the baked soul like some clawed hand had carved their mark on it.

It had been a crushing defeat for the Ever Glorious Empire. The Emperor's withdrawal following the unrest back home had left the war effort in the hands of Crown Prince Zenos and his newly reformed XIII Legion. The odds should still have been heavily in their Empire's favor, but he and his XXIII had fought against a savage push by tribal forces of the Azim Steppe, backed up by a small contingent of swordsmen from Doma.

The demon leading the Doman contingent had fought with—of all things—a wooden blade, but the wood had cleaved through reinforced steel of magitek armor like it was a hot knife through butter. While all of the tall, horned devilkin called Au Ra had been dangerous, this stick-wielding Samurai had dived into formations of Hoplonmachi and Vanguards alone and chewed them apart like a wolf among chickens.

The push by the combined Doman-Steppe forces had been so heavy that Prince Zenos himself had led reinforcements; only for the incoming troops to be scattered when the demon samurai faced him in single combat—and beaten him. His soldiers had lost heart and run, and Gnaeus couldn't really blame them. The Crown Prince was the deadliest warrior the Homeland had to offer. This was partly a combination of drugs, magitek augments, and cutting-edge modifications, but the truth was that Zenos was a great warrior even without these advantages. But counting those additional strengths he was invincible, or so had been the belief of every son and daughter of the Homeland. Today, the Prince had fought tooth and nail and still been beaten. Bleeding and bested, he would have died then and there had he not dived into some portal and escaped that demon's wrath. He had survived the day, but his myth of invincibility had not. Thousands had seen him fall, thousands had seen him run with his tail between his legs.

Seeing their reinforcements—an entire Legion—turn tail and run, the few survivors of the XXIII had surrendered. The armies of the Steppes had not been pleased, damned savage heathens! But thank goodness, they had readily accepted the surrender without their officers—or what passed for them—having to enforce discipline.

There were several of them there. Officers. War Leaders. Battle Masters. Whatever titles these backward barbarians used. A massive brown-skinned specimen with black sclera and horns, and all the arrogance which only a scion of the Imperial House should possess. A blue-black skinned woman with white hair who rained fiery death upon her enemies stood a short ways off, eyes observing the prisoners' every move. And of course, the Samurai who had nearly killed Zenos.

If they could rout two legions in the field, what was to stop them marching on the heart of Garlemald itself? Was their glorious conquest at an end?

"I heard rumors," Fulvia Sas Quintus whispered. "That the Crown Prince died in the battle of Ala Mhigo, and his body is possessed by a ghost."

"Keep your baseless market gossip to yourself, Tribunus!" Crixos hissed.

"Hear me out!" she insisted. "I have fought beside the Prince before. Never have I known him to flee. He is the most courageous man I have ever seen. He would rather die fighting than flee."

"What is the point of this?" he demanded.

"Just... the real Prince Zenos would not have lost to this savage."

Crixos considered that. It was true that the Prince loved fighting above all else. It was also true that many had found his newfound dedication to Imperial authority surprising. "Perhaps there is something to the rumor," he admitted.

The Dark Skinned nomad looked over at them and grinned mockingly but did not say anything.

Presently, a cloud of dust appeared in the distance and a small group of soldiers arrived on chocobos, bearing flags belonging to the different nations in the Eorzean Alliance.

"What news?" the Samurai asked.

"The Garleans have fled the field," a messenger said. "The day is ours!" Her message was greeted by a war chant by the nomads, and a more mundane cheer by the Domans.

"Anything else?" the tall brown savage with the arrogant demeanor asked from behind the Samurai.

"Aye, there's one other thing," a cowled man emerged from the midst of the messenger's escort. "You Ryosen?"

"You already know me, Master Weaponsmith!" the Samurai answered aloofly.

"Right, right, whatever. I've got what you requested." the 'Master' smith pulled out a bundle from his saddlebags and tossed it to the Samurai, who snatched it out of midair with ease. He unwrapped the bundle to find a katana sheathed in a beautifully decorated scabbard. He drew it from its sheath in a swift motion and held it to the heavens, observing the way the light glinted off the edge. Then he struck, attacking the pile of Magitek armor and discarded weapons before him. The targets were sliced and diced like a salad. The sword radiated with a calm but deadly purpose, readily accepting the Samurai's talent like a sponge. Legatus Gnaeus swallowed the lump in his throat. WIth a true blade in his hand, this monster might even be a match for the true Zenos.

"It's a good blade," the Samurai bowed reverently to the smith. "Far better suited to the war I must fight."

"I call it the Kiku-Ichimonji," the weaponsmith grumbled. "To be honest, I was surprised you said you were taking up a sword again. Are you really concerned about the Garleans that much?"

The Samurai shrugged. "I have heard... summons," he whispered. "My sword arm is needed, and anything less than ironclad resolve will be disastrous." Gnaeus tried not to groan. Garlemald was doomed.

#ffxiv #ffxivwrite #ffxivwrite2020 #ffxiv writing challenge

6 notes · View notes