To the Citadel and Beyond! (Open Introduction RP)

[Barmacral]

Sauntering along on his horse, Burgandy scouted out the area around him, seeing the marking of one sentry, he assumed then that this meant he was missing several more. Not surprising really, it had been years since he'd done any real work, and he was getting rather fat and out of touch with his skills. Looking around as he came towards the camp he felt a bit of nostalgia, as he remembered the day he joined Whiskeyjacks Bridgeburner Company.

 

He walked towards the headquarters, he felt like he was being watched, but couldn't see anyone. He hoped nobody would kill him, but he was terrified. What if they thought he was their enemy? Or didn't think he would do any good in the army, would he get to go home? Or would they kill him on the spot? He hoped they'd let him go, but he didn't know what his family would think of him, being cast out of the army. His mother would be happy, but his dad would probably hate him, maybe cast him out of the house; his dad was afterall a retired Veteran of the Queens Guard. Realising that he was standing still he loosened his grip on the two cutlasses he'd stolen, took a deep breath and started walking forward again, glancing nervously around him.

 

Snapping back into reality he looked around and realised that he was gripping his cutlasses tightly. Taking a deep breath he let go of them and put his hands back on the horse’s reins, and spurred the horse, whom had apparently stopped back into motion. Relaxing a little, he kept a lazy eye out around him and retreated back to his thoughts. Why did he feel this much trepidation in coming to the Citadel? He had been through it all before after all.

 

He heard a bird chirp and practically jumped out of his skin. After a few moments of looking around wildly he relaxed, it had only been a bird, he was ok. And then he thought of his father mentioning one night that sentries use birdcalls to communicate with each other. All of a sudden he was terrified, what if they wanted to kill him? Oh he hated this walk, why couldn’t he just get to that camp he was told would be up ahead. Clenching his fists he sped up his pace when out of nowhere two men, one with a sword in his hands and the other with a bow nocked but not drawn, suddenly appeared. Staring at them wildly and trembling he didn’t move. After a long moment the one with sword motioned him to follow and turned the other way, walking off into the bush.

 

Hearing a bird call Burgandy bar Burgundy di Tigana snapped out of his reverie and focused on exactly the spot where it had come from. ‘Ahh’ he thought, ‘good, now I know where another is.’  Sauntering forward he put his hands behind his head, careful not to lock them together in case he needed to work quickly. Looking around he saw a man approaching him from the citadel. Stopping to dismount, he took the reins in hand continued walking until the man reached him. Waiting for his greeter to speak, he didn’t say anything.

 

- Barmacral

[Quibby]

Just my luck, Salla thought as she waited in the thick forest around the Citadel.  That'll teach you to go anywhere near the scouts.  Captain General Salla Alliatar of the Infantry was not one of the soldiers sent to bring in the new recruits.  Unfortunately, she'd been nearby when the scouts were drawing straws, and wouldn't you know it if she hadn't drawn the short straw.  Some of the looks that went around the collected scouts suggested that this had not been an entirely unforeseen turn of events; it seemed far more likely that it had been the type of 'destiny' that involved a scout who knew which straw was which.  Typical.  However, it did mean that she had a decent excuse not to do her paperwork right away.  Not that there was much to do anyway.  The only piece that she really needed to consider could be done in the quiet of the road: the Commander had started making requests about soldier preparation.

 

The Band, it seemed, might be on the move in the near future.

 

She'd received the briefing without a word.  The man was older than the typical prospective Bander, with brown hair.  He also appeared to be a touch overweight, according to the scout report.  Also according to the paperwork, he probably had some sort of past experience, as he had noticed some of the signs that the scouts left to test the incoming applicants, and he knew that he was being watched.  It at least meant that he would be more interesting than the usual suspects.

 

The birdcall in the trees told her that it was time to move.  Stepping out of the shrubbery, Salla adjusted the targe on her left arm, making sure the man saw her as she approached.  It was just as the report said: overweight, brown hair, knew something of how the business went.  His hands were behind his head in an effort to show that he meant no harm.  They were probably not clasped, either, which meant that he was prepared for the worst.  Salla couldn't help but grin at the thought; the man probably knew that there was more than one scout tailing him.  He would never guess that there were a full dozen of them taking careful aim with their bows, just in case things got nasty.

 

Salla brushed a few strands of gray-and-black hair out of her tanned face, then, mentally cursing the shortness inherent to all Cairhienin, said to the horseman, "You're approaching the Citadel of the Band of the Red Hand.  State your name and your business.  Try anything funny and... well, just don't try anything funny."

[Barmacral]

After a while of following the swordsman through the bush they suddenly broke into a camp, with pickets spread all around the camp. As Burgandy stared in wonder at the camp and all the bustling activity, a man who looked somewhat important walked up to him. “State your name and business here, and do not lie, we know when a person is lying, and we don’t treat liars well.”

 

Quivering in terror at the man Burgandy stammered “I.. I.. I want to join your a-army sir. My name is B-Burgandy bar Burgundy di Tigana.”

 

"You're approaching the Citadel of the Band of the Red Hand.  State your name and your business.  Try anything funny and... well, just don't try anything funny." The woman, yes, it was definitely a woman, said to him. She was grinning at him as she said it too, clearly pulling anything stupid would land him six feet below where he stood now. And this woman was short with an accent that distinctly suggested she was from Cairhien. He was joining an army though, and if one thing held true from his last time in one, it was that the men and women bond beyond any nation.

 

Giving himself a shake he peered at the woman for a moment before responding. “I am Burgandy Bar Burgundy di Tigana, and I’m here to join your army.”

 

[Quibby]

Salla had to give the man credit; he didn't look around.  Instead, he just shook himself once and gave her a reply: "I am Burgandy Bar Burgundy di Tigana, and I’m here to join your army.”  It would seem that the reports were correct. The man had some experience with military or pseudo-military procedure.  Rule one: don't irritate the liason officer.

 

"Well met, Master di Tigana," she replied.  "I am Captain General Salla Alliatar, of the Band of the Red Hand.  We'll escort you to the Citadel, where you can sign the registry and get settled in.  By the way, you can put your hands down, but any false movements will see you so full of arrows that the bloody porcupines in the area will be trying to bed you."  Hiding her right hand behind the targe, Salla made a few rapid hand gestures.  The air was immediately filled with birdsong.  None of it originated with a bird.

 

The point made, Salla turned and proceeded back towards the Citadel, her pace set to eat as much ground as possible with as little effort as possible.  Infantry were notorious for similar little tricks.  Salla chose not to speak to the man, letting him make of the silence what he would.  There would be time enough for speaking later.

 

It took only twenty minutes to reach the Citadel, and nearly as long to see it.  The Ogier masons were doing a near-miraculous job in the construction.  The stone walls seemed to melt into the forest, despite the clashing color.  The walls had only been completed recently, and the masons' full attention was being devoted to the internal structure.  Already the Red Keep had expanded drastically since Commander Deathwatch had taken his leave of the Band.

 

"Burgandy bar Burgandy di Tigana, welcome to the Citadel of the Band of the Red Hand.  The register is to the left, through that door.  Go make your mark, and I'll give you the tour, if you wish."

[Barmacral]

"Well met, Master di Tigana," she replied.  "I am Captain General Salla Alliatar, of the Band of the Red Hand.  We'll escort you to the Citadel, where you can sign the registry and get settled in.  By the way, you can put your hands down, but any false movements will see you so full of arrows that the bloody porcupines in the area will be trying to bed you."

 

A Captain General then, they must be bored if the liason officer herself was coming out to meet him, he would be very surprised if it were out of any sort of sign of respect. As he watched her, the trees suddenly burst out in sound, with it sounded like birds from all over the world. Nodding at the Captain General to show that he’d got her point, she turned and set a quick pace back towards the citadel, without saying a word.

 

He matched the pace fine, if not as well as he’d have liked, being as out of shape as he was. As she was not speaking, he didn’t speak either, the silence suited him fine; he preferred to spend his time on his own thoughts than idle chatter anyways.

 

”Alright kid, see that tent over there?”  The man asked, clearly looking impatient, at Burgandy’s nod the man continued “That’s where you want to be going to register, once you’ve done that there’ll be someone to show you around the camp and get you settled in. Ok, what are you staring at? Scram!”

Burgandy jumped a little at the man’s command and walked very quickly, almost running to the tent he’d been pointed to and ducked inside.

 

Coming out of the tent a short while later, Burgandy looked around, not really sure what to do next when some tall lanky older man walked up to him “Hey, you the new kid?”

 

“Yes Sir, I am” Burgandy responded, more than a little nervous.

 

“C’mon with me, names Fiddler, Antsy, he’s the Sarge here, tells me you’re the new kid on the block, and its my job to settle you in. Ever fought before?”

 

“No sir, I haven’t, not more than a little training my dad gave me before I came here.”

 

“Well then, as long as you can tell one end of a weapon from the other, we’ll make you good at it. And quit with the sir, I told you my name, and I ain’t no officer. Now c’mon, I’ll show you your new rooms and get you started with your training.

 

After some 20 minutes had passed they broke through the tree line and Burgandy blinked. This was not what he expected to see, this base was quite clearly not going anywhere, as they had an actual building set up instead of a series of tents; clearly, this army was planning to stay around for a long time to come.

 

"Burgandy bar Burgandy di Tigana, welcome to the Citadel of the Band of the Red Hand.  The register is to the left, through that door.  Go make your mark, and I'll give you the tour, if you wish."

 

Looking down at the Captain General he nodded, “Yes, I think I’ll take you up on that Sir, thank you for offering.” Looking around he located a stable, then walking over to it he handed his horse to the stable hand, and went in the door Salla had indicated to register himself.

 

After he made his mark he walked back out to Salla. “I’ve registered Sir, they’ve assigned me to the scouts, might I take that tour now?”

[Quibby]

Salla shook her head once.  Sometimes these new people just...  "Yes, I'll give you the tour, but if you call me 'sir' one more time, I'll see to it that you're mucking stables and digging latrines for the rest of your natural life."  It was probably the rank that did it.  Most people in the military were male to begin with, and anyone of a higher rank was more likely male than female.  It probably had a lot to do with the fact that few armies employed women; the Band was actually pretty unique in that.  Spinning on her heel, Salla set a ground-eating pace up the main avenue of the Citadel.

 

"Off to the left of the main gate, we have the cavalry course, where the horsemen practice with the lance and work their formation riding."  Though Salla had no doubt that the new man would discover things for himself, she nonetheless decided that she might as well warn him.  "There's a bit of a... well, you could call it a rivalry between the various corps of the Band.  Scouts are generally picked on by the cavalry.  Cavalry's generally harassed by the archers.  Everybody tends to get into it with the infantry, including the infantry.  The only real reason we have medics is to pick up the pieces and stitch them back together."  Salla smiled again, slightly.  "You'll find, though, that the fighting is mostly just a way to pass time.  Besides, the Redarms make sure that any fights that break out don't last long.  Everybody in the lower ranks of the Band serves in a rota for the Redarm position, and you'd better make damn sure to keep the fights contained.  Any damages get taken from your pay.

 

"Anyway, to the right, we have the Ogier grove.  Actually a nice place to go to relax.  No matter how many people end up there, it's always quiet."  Salla went silent for a little bit, only opening her mouth to point out a few other features: the sparring field, pasture, and archery field to the left, and the city proper on the right.  "Back behind the city and the grove is the Field of the Fallen.  Anyone who has lost their life while in the Band has a stone there, regardless of where their bodies lie.  Our troops have cycled through many times now; most all of the original Band has a stone in that field."

 

With that, the duo entered the fortress proper.  "The Citadel, as you've no doubt noticed, is triangular in shape.  I don't know why former Commander Ramzael chose to design it that way, but that's how it is."  Salla stopped inside the heavy gates of the fortress.  "The large structure in front of us is the Red Keep.  All of our higher-ups and important visitors stay in there.  Most of the offices are in there, as well.  These smaller structures around us are the barracks.  Medics are in the middle, cavalry to the far left, infantry to the far right.  Immediate right is the archers, and immediate left... is your new home."

 

Salla finally turned back to the new recruit.  "You'll have to report to the captain general of the scouts, who'll assign you a bunk and get you set up with equipment.  There's a mess hall in the Red Keep, and one in the city.  There are also taverns and other such places in the city, so you'll have places to spend your money.  Now, do you have any questions before I leave you to your own devices?"

 

 

OOC: Citadel layout is here.

[Barmacral]

"Yes, I'll give you the tour, but if you call me 'sir' one more time, I'll see to it that you're mucking stables and digging latrines for the rest of your natural life." Salla said, not looking in the least bit amused.

Hmm, she doesn’t much like Sir then Burgandy mused, but these commanders are fickle, he’d best try calling her Ma’am before dropping rank altogether; best to learn the workings of the army before getting comfortable or making assumptions. As he opened his mouth to reply she promptly turned on her heel and started marching away at a very quick pace. Setting himself to follow her he looked around at the citadel in wonder, and he remembered.

 

”Well kid, this place was never supposed to be permenant, for all that we’ve been camped here for the last year and a half, so its pretty beat down and set in its routines. Yet despite all that the commanders keep us ready to march on any day, so nothing permanent that can’t be taken with us gets set up,” Fiddler said, showing himself to be very friendly and chatty, “the only exception the soldiers make to this rule is in that tent over there, where they’ve got the heaviest damned table in the world set up. Took 46 men and two hours rotating shifts to move it from the mudpit the idiots first thought to set it up to where it is now.”

Burgandy, enraptured by everything that was going on around him, and hanging on to Fiddler’s every word, quite forgot about his nervousness, and found himself getting very excited. He found himself starting to have all kinds of questions, but didn’t say anything, because he didn’t want to miss a word the veteran, at least he assumed Fiddler was one, was saying.

 

"Off to the left of the main gate, we have the cavalry course, where the horsemen practice with the lance and work their formation riding. There's a bit of a... well, you could call it a rivalry between the various corps of the Band.  Scouts are generally picked on by the cavalry.  Cavalry's generally harassed by the archers.  Everybody tends to get into it with the infantry, including the infantry.  The only real reason we have medics is to pick up the pieces and stitch them back together." Burgandy nodded at the warning, a pleased that the commander was so kind as to warn him, he didn’t interrupt her though, as she continued. "You'll find, though, that the fighting is mostly just a way to pass time.  Besides, the Redarms make sure that any fights that break out don't last long.  Everybody in the lower ranks of the Band serves in a rota for the Redarm position, and you'd better make damn sure to keep the fights contained.  Any damages get taken from your pay.

 

“Over there is the infantry camp, which is divided between the regulars and the heavies, you don’t want to mess with the heavies, they are stupid, strong and able to deliver as much of a beating as they can take, and in case you were clueless the heavies tend to take the heaviest beatings.

“To right of that camp is the engineers, they are an odd bunch of fellows who largely keep to themselves; work miracles in battles though, always handy to keep around to get out of sticky situations. On the other side of the infantries is the cavalry, who are the most arrogant bunch in the camp. Probably comes with having to look down their noses at the rest of us when on their horses. Nobody likes them.” Glancing up at Fiddler in wonder, he noticed the man grinning at him, before continuing his story.

 

"Anyway, to the right, we have the Ogier grove.  Actually a nice place to go to relax.  No matter how many people end up there, it's always quiet."  Salla went silent for a little bit, only opening her mouth to point out a few other features: the sparring field, pasture, and archery field to the left, and the city proper on the right.  "Back behind the city and the grove is the Field of the Fallen.  Anyone who has lost their life while in the Band has a stone there, regardless of where their bodies lie.  Our troops have cycled through many times now; most all of the original Band has a stone in that field." With that Salla and Burgandy entered what appeared to be the fortress itself.

 

“After that is the scouts, whom are plenty fun to have around, probably because they are the most like us. You’ve been assigned to my own corps, the marines. We are generally considered the elite corps of this army, and the primary support of the other groups. The Bridgeburners Company are whom you’ll be a part of specifically; our motto is first in, last out, which means we take the brunt of everything that comes at the start. Happens that way every time.

“Now kid, I’ve pretty much explained the camp to you, you got any questions?” After Burgandy shook his head, finding himself a bit speechless after it all Fiddler spoke once more, “C’mon kid, lemme show you your tent so you can get settled in. You’ve been stuck with Hedge I think, which probably dangerous for you, man likes to cut things way too close in combat, as well as every day life.”

 

"The Citadel, as you've no doubt noticed, is triangular in shape.  I don't know why former Commander Ramzael chose to design it that way, but that's how it is." The commander stopped just inside the gates, and Burgandy stopped right beside her. "The large structure in front of us is the Red Keep.  All of our higher-ups and important visitors stay in there.  Most of the offices are in there, as well.  These smaller structures around us are the barracks.  Medics are in the middle, cavalry to the far left, infantry to the far right.  Immediate right is the archers, and immediate left... is your new home."

Looking at Salla, whom had turned to regard him for the first time since the tour started, he waited for her to finish. "You'll have to report to the captain general of the scouts, who'll assign you a bunk and get you set up with equipment.  There's a mess hall in the Red Keep, and one in the city.  There are also taverns and other such places in the city, so you'll have places to spend your money.  Now, do you have any questions before I leave you to your own devices?"

 

“No ma’am, I think you’ve pretty well covered everything that I need to know, I should be able to find my way from here.” Watching her to judge her reaction to the title, he continued, “thank you for taking me around on this tour, it was quite helpful.” Standing at attention he saluted her, “permission to take my leave and get settled in?”

 

Regarding him for a moment Salla waved her hand at him, “dismissed,” she said, before turning and walking away. Relaxing a bit Burgandy turned and walked towards the scouts barracks, preparing to get himself settled in before going off to get himself back in shape.