The Bloody Bird Ch4: Meet the Mayor

Raza and her group finally arrive at the settlement after Raza reported on her encounter with the bandits. She only focused on the information she gathered from questioning the Tatterer.

"What of your injuries then?" Asked the Barbarian, with a smug look on her face.

"These? These were the cost of learning the strengths of our enemies. This Tatterer had armor like the ranger described, but more. It acted in defense of it's wearer, trying to hinder my blade with each attack."

"A formidable for it would seem." Said the Sorcerer rubbing his chin.

As the group approached a guard walked up to them.

"Hello there, what business have you hear?"

The ranger stepped forward and said," We were hired to guard this town, and have word for your official. It concerns news about the refugees to the south."

"Sir Henrick's group? We've been worried since yesterday, they have yet to arrive. What happen?"

The group lowers their heads sadly before the rogue comes forward, saying,

"Take us to your official."

The hope that sparked in the guard's eyes fade as he turns to guide the group into the small, but growing settlement. They pass some houses and buildings still in construction. After arriving in what looks to be the town center, one of the only areas with fully constructed buildings, the team is guided into a town hall and escorted to a room in the back.

"What sort of man do you think the official is?" Asks the Barbarian.

"Organized hopefully, starting a new city isn't a venture taken lightly, so the king would put a man that is either known for his ability to organize, lead, or is at the very least trustworthy." Said the Sorcerer. At that statement the guard winces as he grabs at the door.

"Well... the mayor, is definitely trustworthy."

"Fantastic." States Raza in a sarcastic tone. The door opens and at the desk sits a blonde haired fair skinned man with his hair up and spiked, standing at least a foot up from his scalp. His apparel is regal and colored green.

"YO! Who ya'lls be?!"

Raza reaches for her dagger, but the Rogue reaches down and stays her hand. The Ranger's face contorts in shock along with the Sorcerer. The Barbarian, never having met an official before acts as if that greeting is perfectly normal.

"We have been sent to guard your town mayor, I am daughter of a tribe of warriors from the west. We have come to be called Barbarians."

The Ranger steps forward and says," I'm the most skilled Elven Ranger from the Felsan forests to the north."

The sorcerer walks forward, "I'm a descendant of a red dragon from the Mage's Circle of Terath to the east."

The Rogue walks forward and says," I also hail from the east, but my skills lie elsewhere, typical of those who hail from the merchant port of Griffith. I suppose you can call me a Rogue."

Raza steps up, the shortest of all her team and says, "I'm leader of the mercenary band called the Wings from the Sarin Desert to the southwest, my men refer to me as the Bloody Bird."

"Kinda short ain't ya?" Says the mayor putting his hand to his brow to look at Raza. Once again Raza pulls for her blade, but the Rogue once again intervenes. The mayor walks out from behind his desk. and takes an unsteady bow.

"My name is Gale, Mayor Gale is what they've been callin me, but please call me Gale, or Bro, yeah, that works too."

Raza takes a deep breath, walks over to the window, and flips up out of the room. Everyone else runs to the window except for the mayor, who goes back to his desk and takes something out of the draw, then proceeds to begin smoking it. By the time everyone has made their way to the window they look up to see Raza standing, perched on the tip top of the town hall.

Raza was looking to find a peacefully location to set up residence in near the town. She saw a river to the east that flowed from the north and it's trajectory became lost behind a hill. That would be ideal. Raza lept from the top of the house and landed by her men in front of the hall.

"I care not for that fool of a mayor's words, I want the three of you to spread out and await the arrival of our tribe, also construct a map of the area within a 5 mile radius to give a solid understanding of our surrounding resources."

The Tengu bow and speed off into the town, leaving Chakan and Raza.

"What would you have me do, Raza?"

"Come with me, I've found a possibility for a secluded spot to train, away from view of the town, but close enough to jump to it's defense."

Chakan bows and him and Raza begin to take off. They follow along the river behind the northern hill and the come across a ritualistic looking cave entrance. The entrance had bones of deceased with cave paint and feathers along with beads making the look of the whole thing look rather primitive.

"Wasn't expecting this, looks like the town already has a few visitors." Said Raza.

"If the mayor is as foolish as you claim then he would probably overlook invaders like this. Looks Goblin in make. We should be able to make quick work of-"

Raza puts out her hand to warn Chakan not to enter. She then points to a cave painting on a discarded shield. The picture shows a circle of goblins worshiping some four legged wolf creature.

"Look, these goblins have a master, likely more dangerous to deal with than it's green little followers."

"It looks like just a Worg, we could fell one of them without issue."

Raza motions back to the painting again.

"No, Worgs and Goblins travel in packs, but the painting only shows one worg, This is something else, this is a Barghest."

"Barghest? What is that?"

"A planar wolf that makes a habit out of consuming things in this plane, they are extremely dangerous, but in one regard they have on thing that makes them less dangerous than a worg." Raza begins walking.

"What would that be?"

"A worg is merely a more dangerous wolf. A barghest is a being with a code of honor."

Raza and Chakan march into the cave, following the scrounging and scrambling of small goblinoid creatures. They arrive in an opening after less than a minute. They come to a hoarded up area full of about a dozen Goblins and one wolf like creature prowling at a stage like elevation of the cave.

"Master of the cave, I presume?" Shouts Raza, breaking the routine of all the goblins and the barghest, leading to a panicking room of short green beings running for something to use as a weapon. Two unlucky bastards tried to hold some ears of Corns like daggers. The barghest kept more composed than it's underlings and pounced down in front of Raza.

"Have you come to be a meal for me Birds?"

"We are representatives of the settling village to the south of the river, that I'm willing to bet that you have been preying on." Says Raza.

"Then it would be in my best interest to eat you, so you don't report back to them."

"Then what? Wait for the guards to all come and kill you, nobody wins then, both of us are dead. I have a better idea."

The barghest's eyebrows furrow before it says," Really? And what would this idea be?"

"I don't tell of your position, and supply you with food, under 2 conditions."

"And these conditions are?"

"The first is..."

Raza reaches for her double blade and says,

"Prove to me you are worth my time."

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The Bloody Bird Ch3: The Tatterer

Raza and her group continues up the trail to the budding town they plan to guard. The refugees they were sent to escort dead, they have no choice but to move on without them, but they did retrieve a cart to travel a bit easier.

Partway there the Ranger notices something and tells the group to stop. He looks up the trail then down off to the side and then returns saying,

"The bandits are ahead."

"What!? But back at the battleground you said they ran to the forests?" Responds the Rogue.

"I did, but one of them had very distinct footprints and that one realigned with our path. They can't be more than a half hour ahead of us. They number around a dozen, not counting the weird footprints."

"What's so weird about this guy's feet?" Asks the Sorcerer. The ranger lowers his had and tries to collect his thoughts.

"It's like his boots are a collection of multiple kinds of material, and they are frilled as well, with bits of materiel hanging from the cuff. It's common among people with fur boots, but it is sloppy, uneven, just kinda strange." Raza walks forward and reaches up to the elf's shoulder.

"Good work. This won't take long." Raza begins to walk forward, but the Barbarian steps in her way.

"Hold on, you're just going to lead us in and fight, you saw what these people did."

Raza looks up to the woman with a defiant eye and says,"First, the day a savage gives me advice in tactics is that day that I slit my own throat. Second, I never said we were going, I am going."

"Are you insane!? They killed an entire village for no reason, they will kill you on the spot!" Says the Sorcerer. Raza turns to the Barbarian and says,

"You heard him, I'll die. I figure that is what you want, still gonna stop me?"

The Barbarian stands to the side and Raza walks by. As the rest of the group beings to walk forward, but Raza motions for them to stop.

"I'll handle this, trust me, the rest of you will just interfere." And that is the last thing Raza said before she picked up her pace and ran ahead of the group.

After an hour of moving along the trail Raza spots a small caravan of people dressed up in dirty leather armor, she clinks her double sided sword against her sword breaker dagger to get the groups attention.

Even after running for an hour straight Raza's training let her catch her breath on the short stroll back over to the group.

"What do you want girlie?" Says one of the 12 men who exit their carts and start moving toward Raza. She examines each of the boots that they wear and besides the third bandit from the left having laughably small feet, they all looked normal.

"I'm not here for you guys, I'm here to talk to your boss."

"You want to talk with me?" Says a rough manly voice from the back of one of the carts.

Out of the back of the cart leaps a hulk of a man, standing around 7 feet tall covered head to toe in a mishmash of cloth, leather, metal bits, and layers of fur. It looks like being in the outfit would make a man sweat within seconds, but this man walks like he is perfectly comfortable.

His face looks wild, with bits of brown hair poking out of his horrid clattered material helm, and he walks like a monster more than a man, with a giant greatsword gripped in his hand.

"My name is Raza Lockter, mercenary leader of the Wings. I have come to Parley." Says Raza standing firm. The man laughs a strong laugh that pierces his men to the core, but does little more to Raza than make her blink.

"Do I look the sort to Parley!?"

"No, you look the sort to murder, pillage, and maim, but I stand by my question. I wish to have you answer questions about you and your men regarding the dead refugee villagers to the south."

At that the man's eyes focus in on Raza and he walks over to her, kneeling down to meet her eyes.

"Well well, the bird's done her homework. Well, Raza was it? Give me one good reason that I should Parley."

"I'll give you three!" Says Raza indignantly pressing forward into the man's face, making him recoil back.

"First because I will not run. I've seen plenty of bandits kill plenty of villages and from how splayed and scattered the dead were with wounds in their backs, I think you are the sort who gets off on people fleeing and letting you chase. You hunt for fear, and I have none."

"Second I am not affiliated with the kingdom. With how efficient you left with none left alive save for one hidden elf that you missed, I think that you were given a job to attack those people of the kingdom, and I do not fit that bill."

"And third you don't get a say in it, because to lead a group as capable as the one who killed those people would take leadership, experience, and planning. Meanwhile you look like you are just simply a brute, meaning you have a boss who has a brain. Meaning your boss would want you to keep someone as involved aand influential as a Merc leader alive to meet with himself."

The man is taken aback by Raza's words, as everything she said was true. The man grimaces then walks back to his cart and takes out a crate. He places the crate on the ground and sits on it.

"Fine, we can Parley."

Raza walks forward to talk with the man.

"Firstly, what should I call you?"

"My name is the Tatterer to those who've heard of me." says the man, motioning to his disheveled armor.

"Alright then, who is your leader?"

"Me brother. He tells me where to take our men and I get to go wild, he doesn't tell me more than I need to know."

"Why are you attacking the settlers?"

"They're in our territory. We're just protectin our land."

Raza turns and begins to walk back down the path without saying a word to the Tatterer. Then suddenly the Tatterer rises.

"Hold it there bird. That's it?"

"Yes I have what I need."

"Well I got a question for you bird. Why do you care what happens to some doomed town?"

Raza turns, gripping her sword. She knows that he just called her bluff. Unfortunately she refused to lie, as her code would contradict lying to an adversary.

"I was hired to guard the settlers by the kingdom."

The Tatterer smiles and haunches forward. With each statement taking another step and noticing Raza's worry come clear.

"So you are with the kingdom. And my brother said that I can kill as many guards as I'd like."

Raza shakes as the the hulking man raises his sword and Raza grips her double blade.

"And from the looks of it you do feel that fear that I supposedly love."

"It's not fear... It's excitement!"

Raza leaps up into the man and before he can reach she punches him in the nose, following up and over him into a flip. Raza had fought plenty of bruisers in her time, and as long as she could out pace them, she could aim for their vitals. Knowing that, she swiped with her blade right at the nape of his spine, hoping to kill him in a single slice.

Unfortunately the Tattered armor across his body leaped and stretched it's material to intercept and blunt Raza's attack, making the slice much too weak. Raza thinking that the Tatterer was to die was in shock, and didn't see the massive man's back hand coming at her. She was struck and flung back with four more cracked ribs than she started with.

The Tatterer screamed and charged at the little bird woman with a big overhand swing coming at her. Raza knew that she couldn't block the strike, so she would instead use it to strike back. As the blade comes down Raza twirls taking the blade on one half of her double blade, forcing it down and away.

However Raza set the second blade to act as a lever and when the first blade was forced down, her second blade sprang up to fly into the Tatterer's face, another fatal strike. Just like her strike before the armor worn by the Tatterer reacted and blunted the strike, only leaving a flesh wound across the large man's cheek.

Anticipating another immediate retaliation, Raza lept back and finally saw the impact of the sword on the ground, and shuddered. The impact of the blade left more than a slash on the ground, but it left a miniature crater. Raza figured that after a single strike from that sword, and she would be put on death's door.

"You aren't that bad girl, you hit pretty good for a tiny thing." Says the Tatterer. rubbing his cheek where his new wound was placed.

"Boss! Incoming!" Shouts one of the bandits pointing down the path at Raza's group closing in.

The Tatterer curses under his breath then him and his men get back into their carts.

"For now you live, but I'll be back for you Raza Lockter."

The bandits take off and Raza stands firm, at least until they are out of sight, then she crumbles down and holds her ribs. Chakan is the first to get to her, and tries to support her onto the cart.

"He was impressive, let me tell you Chakan, you've got some competition, If I met him before you, then he'd be Raze's father."

"Shut up and get in the cart!"  Shouts the Barbarian.

Once in the cart one of her Tengu sits by her, she turns to them and says, "I need you to go back to Sarin and gather the tribe, We will not lose to these bandits a second time."

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The Bloody Bird Ch2: Scared Little Girl

Raza Lockter, Sir Henrick and her five best men exit the Sarin Desert on their way to the road to Bailor. Henrick purchases a horse in the border city and tells Raza her orders.

"There will be a small group of others that are also being dispatched to guard the village, wait here for them, I'm gonna go on ahead and join the royal guard who are escorting some refugees to the new town"

And so Raza turns to her men and tells 4 of them to scout the city for the four men she should expect. She had been given a basic description of them. While she waits Chakan, her mate speaks up.

"I worry for Raze, he is all alone in the tribe, and you know the other children bully him."

"Good, bullying will make him stronger or weaker. If it is the latter then he is no son of mine."

"You know typically the mother is the caring person for the child."

"Unfortunately I only had my father and he only taught me of war, its why the wings follow him, and why they follow me."

"Very well dearest."

After a few hours the Wing agents return with the four individuals. First was a Barbarian woman, likely daughter of a chief and seemed to be of great strength. Second was a lithe little Rogue girl with a tendency to sharpen her blades.

Third was an Elf with a wolf-pup following him behind. He walked like one who knew the forests past the desert, much like the Rangers that Raza had heard of. Last was a small man with a fire in his eye and claimed to have dragon's blood like a Sorcerer.

Raza looks over each of them and sighs, despite their potential it was just as she feared, they were green. None of them had seen warfare before and so she would need to take charge.

"I don't know you and you don't know me, and quite honestly, that is the way that it should be. Chances are that we will never meet again after this so I see no point in giving our names. Trade names among yourselves if you wish, but I don't wish for such pleasantries, they will only serve as a hindrance."

"You're a bit cold ain't you girl?" said the Sorcerer. Raza motions for her men and the others to set off.

"Call me what you will, but words don't make facts. For those, you need strength."

The group travels northeast toward the position where the refugees had planned to meet them.

After walking within two miles of the meeting point Raza and the rest of her men stop in place. the Rogue looks to her, and says,"Something wrong? You scared suddenly, Bird?"

Raza's eyes go steely and she reaches for one of her blades. the rest of the group recoils, afraid that she may attack any moment.

"Ready you're weapons and spells! The refugees are in danger!" With that Raza sprints through the woods along with her men. After running through the forest for a few minutes the ranger and his pup manage to catch up, falchion in hand.

"Why are they in danger?" asks the Ranger.

Raza looks back to the man and in a serious tone remarks,

"I smell their blood."

Raza and the Ranger arrive at the edge of the forest and Raza sends her Tengu to flank the forest edge. Raza and the ranger wait for the rest of their team to arrive before exiting the treeline, but what they saw they were not ready for.

Bodies lay across the ground, dozens... no hundreds of dead villagers and guards lay across the hills. Raza wades among the dead as she hears one of her companions puking behind her. Raza uses her Carrion Sense to try examine the area, all of the wounds are old, signifying corpses, but she can smell one wounded person of the the north.

"There's a survivor! come on!" Shouts Raza.

After searching the bodies for a few minutes they find a young elf girl. They pull her from the bodies and move her to the trail away from the dead. The Ranger patches her up back to heath with a combination of herbs and spells before she begins talking.

"The bandits came and attack from the forest, Henrick tried to rally a defense, but... then... my parents." The girl begins to sob and the barbarian kneels down to give her a hug after dropping her ax.

"They know the area well, did they use any ability past just sword, girl" says Raza coldly.

"I...I don't k-know."

"Then what good are you?"

The Sorcerer grabs Raza by the arm and says, "Hey she just lost her family, give her a break."

Before Raza can respond the group hears the girl mumble something.

The barbarian leans down and says, "What's that hun?"

The girl mumbles again and the barbarian reacts in shock before walking back to the rest.the barbarian stumbles over her words,

"She... well she-"

"She asked you to kill her." Says Raza staring at the girl with no emotion showing.

"How did you know?" Asks the barbarian before Raza begins to walk over to the girl.

Raza's memory flashes for a moment as she see's herself as a little girl clutching a bloody dagger over a number of children's bodies staring at the ground with dead eyes.

"Because I know that feeling all too well." She says.

Raza stands before the young elven girl. Raza takes out a short sword that is about the right size for the girl and drops it at her feet.

"Take it and get up." Says Raza to the girl who looks up at Raza with tears in her eyes.

"Don't just sit there and hate your life! Take the blade and get up!" Shouts Raza. The shaken girl grips the blade and stands with it. Raza turns and begins to speak

"Death is not something that you can just ask for, it is something you must earn. Now show me that you are ready to die." States Raza turning and taking out a whip with a serrated tip.

The girl looks at Raza warily then lets go of the sword, letting it drop to the ground.

"I'm scared... I want my mommy." Raza snaps her whip to get the girl's attention.

"I WILL NOT STRIKE AN UNARMED OPPONENT! TAKE! THE! BLADE!" Shouts Raza.

The girl grabs the sword and charges Raza, tears on her face, and she tries to thrust the blade at Raza. Raza leaps up and to the left out of the way of the blade, then flicks out her arm to begin twirling in the air, then before you know it. the whip in Raza's hand has struck the girl's face, and she falls to the ground dead.

Raza retrieves the blade and mutters a short prayer

"Lord Zurck, accept this soul to bath in your shadow."

As Raza rises she notices that there is a figure blocking the sun, she turns up to see the barbarian swinging her ax at Raza. Raza flicks up her blade and barley manages halt the attack inches from her face, but she still buckles to the ground under the force of the attack.

"YOU KILLED HER!" Shouts the barbarian. Raza rolls out from under the attack and flips up to her feet.

"Of course I did, and what would you have done, made her live with this!" Raza waves her arm out to the scores of dead bodies. The barbarian looks out to them and lowers her ax.

"This is not my first time seeing this, and this is not my first time seeing a young girl who was done with life! But I made her think without the coddling of those who say they care! Or that they understand! She made the choice to die with a clear mind and in a fair combat! When you are being tortured and chained to a wall only dreading the next day to have another part of your soul drained from your body and then you want to keep going! Then and only then do you have the right to tell me that what I did was wrong!"

Raza flicks off the blood from here whip and turns down the trail and keeps walking while her Tengu get in line behind her.

Raza's new companions watch her walk off with their mouths open.

"I don't like how she works." Says the barbarian.

"At least she's fair about it. She gave the girl every chance to give up, but I guess it was just too much to live with." Says the Rogue.

The Sorcerer quickly casts Detect Magic then turns back to the rest, "Well there is some magic about her, she's more than just a normal fighter, but it's not arcane, I can tell you that."

"Well, she knows her stuff either way, better to have her with us than against us, that's for sure." Says the Ranger.

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The Bloody Bird Ch1: The Stained Invitation

A man wanders in the middle of a sandstorm while dressed head to toe in full-plate. Fearing that he is not prepared to move in the storm he takes cover in a cave to shield himself from the storm. He sits at a meager fire eating his rations as he examines a map. He draws ever closer to his target, and thinks he should arrive by mid day tomorrow.

As he rests in the night he is suddenly awoken from scurrying in the cave. He reaches for a torch, lights it, and waves toward the shadows.

"Who goes there!?"

The man reaches for his sword and shield after swapping the torch to his left hand and throwing his shield on his back. He inches closer and closer to the spot he heard the scurries. Off to the corner he notices a small object that looks like an off color rock, but once he kneels to examine it he realizes that it is a crushed piece of parchment.

He slowly puts down his sword. He hasn't heard the scurrying for a bit so he thinks it is safe to examine the paper. As he opens it he finds that it is in a very rare language for the common folk of the city he is from, but luckily due to circumstances the solider can make out enough words to get the gist of the message.

"No. Noise. Human. Here... Flank-!"

Before he finishes the last few words he drops the letter and grabs back his sword. he turns on his heel and throws the torch out and spots three figures in the shadows a short 10 feet away from him. The figures are small lithe creatures with long pointed faces and they seem to be brandishing small blades as well.

The moment the torch lands two of the figures flank left and right while the smallest one leaps up at the man, but he has just enough time to flick out his shield from his back. In the cave can be heard impact of shield connecting with tiny torso, but before the man can react he feels a stinging pain in his right calf.

The man brings his pommel down into a small skull that crumples to the ground. Then finally the man catches a break and hears the scurrying again to his back. He spins and points his sword to the neck of a 3 ft tall humanoid raven, stopping it in it's tracks. Then the man responds in the tongue of his adversary.

"Yield!"

The small creature drops its dagger and kneels down, and soon two other smaller bird men kneel on each side of it. The man retrieves his torch and kneels down as well to match their glossy eyed gaze as best he can.

The man speaks to the young ones again, "I. Seek. Tengu."

The small birds look back and forth to each other then motion to themselves as if answering.

"No. Tengu..." The man look contemplates his next words carefully then finally snaps up as if he has the words.

"Bloody Bird."

The two bigger Tengu look to the smaller one who is shaking, after a few moments the small one looks up at the man and finally speaks.

"Mother."

The three Tengu children stand and motion for the man to follow them. For about 2 hours they guide him through and underground cavern system. it would have taken less time, but during the fight he gained a limp from the biggest Tengu's gambit.

The man finally arrives in an opening in the cavern and sees dozens of the Tengu all shorter than human, clad in leather armor and brandishing blades to train or just standing to see the new arrival. All of the Tengu's feathers are black, but some are accented with blue and grey dyes. Only one, a tiny female centered toward the back of the cave seems to catch the eye of the man. Her feathers tinted dark red.

"Why have you come here sir knight?" Inquires the red Tengu, in the common tongue. The man kneels  and responds to her.

"I am Sir Henrick, knight of Therin sent with a request for Raza Lockter, leader of the Wings, also called the Bloody Bird."

"I am she."

Henrick rises and addresses Raza

"The King requires that aid of your whole company to help guard a town that is to be constructed on the road between Bailor and Griffith."

"You wish to hire my entire company? We only send a few warriors to handle our jobs. We refuse." Raza turns in disgust from Henrick

Henrick jumps up and immediately falls to his knees from his injury.

"Arg! Please mam! recently a group of bandits have move into that area and they are wiping out any new settlements we try to make! We need more man power or more innocents will die."

Raza turns back at Henrick with a steel gaze.

"As they should! If you are so weak that you need to call upon my men for help then you don't deserve all of us! You may have our 5 best and no more! We have no wish to have a pitiful challenge that would be wiped out in a single day!"

"But you have never seen how these bandits-!"

"YOU STILL SEEK TO CHALLENGE ME!? Then do so with a blade not words!"

Henrick looks puzzled for a moment as Raza leaps across the cave and lands behind the man with a sword breaker dagger to the back of his neck.

Henrick turns his neck to see her and says, "Wh-what!?"

"Challenge me with a blade, if you win you'll get my full force, no charge. If I win then you'll get 5 of us and pay double."

"I was wounded in the cave, it wouldn't be a fair."

Raza points her dagger off to the side at two rocks that would serve as chairs across from each other.

"There then, we will sit and duel, no legs involved."

Henrick looks to the rocks and realizes that the are at least 4 feet apart. His sword would have the clear advantage over her daggers.

"Very well." States Henrick smiling slightly and walking over to the rocks.

The two duelist sit opposed and Raza takes out a second dagger to accompany her sword breaker dagger.

"We fight until one of us yields, and passing out counts as a yield, agreed?" asks Henrick

"That's fine." Responds Raza.

One of the other Tengu approaches and picks up a rock.

"Begin when you hear the rock." Says the Tengu and both combatants nod.

The rock flies up into the air and the moment the sound of its crack on the cave floor happens Raza immediately brings up her sword breaker in a defensive position. While doing so she raises her dagger in her right hand up, presumably to block a high strike while the sword breaker blocks the front to deflect a thrust.

Henrick admits that the defense is solid, but with her slender frame and his heavier long sword an overhead strike would force her to crumble and so he strikes to her head. Henrick is suddenly shocked as his blade swings down right past her raised dagger as if she wasn't even trying to block. The only thing that halts the long sword is the sword breaker that she raises up.

Just as Raza's bird-like arm begins to crumble under the force and Henrick's victory seems assured, his vision suddenly goes red.

"AHHHHH!!!!!" Shouts Henrick as he reaches for his face which now has Raza's normal dagger firmly planted in his right eye.

Henrick buckles to the floor screaming as Raza rises up and walks past the screaming man.

"5 men. We set out in 2 hours and daybreak. Double the pay. Remember this next time you challenge my word."

As Raza walks past him to one of her underlings she says, "He yields, tell Chakan, to ready 3 others to set out in the morning."

The Tengu bows and runs off.

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The Bloody Bird

Original System: Pathfinder (Player)

Systems Featured in: Pathfinder (Player, NPC, Historic Figure), D&D Fifth Edition (NPC)

Name: Raza Lockter 

Race: Tengu (PF), Kenku (5E)

Main Class: Tengubushi (PF), Fighter (5E)

Occupation: Leader of a Mercenary company of former Tengu/Kenku Bandits

Archetype: Acrobatic Dexterity based Sword Fighter with ties to a Dark God

Alignment: Lawful Evil

Homeland: Therin, Age 800 BB.

Personality: Cold, warrior with a code, believes that the weak have no right to live, lives for honor and to improve one's own skill, will not strike a helpless enemy, intense hatred for slavers, will only fight for a cause she believes in, is attracted to anyone or anything strong, disciplinarian, military leader, provided she has a child to pass on her mantle, she doesn't fear death for reasons explained in her story.

Appearance: Red leather clad with little metal other than a left side shoulder guard and flexible joints to not hinder movement. The leather fits all along her body except for her hands, head and below her knees to better grip ledges she jumps to and from. 

Keeps weaponry loosely secured to body meaning to hinder acrobatic ability, but in doing so, trains herself to adapt with it and become more capable. Eyes are pure black and her feathers should be black as well, however after so many battles her feathers and leather armor have been tinted dark red from the blood of her enemies, leaving an impression. 

Even when dry her feathers still show a tinge of red. She is 4'11" and only a light 100 lb due to her slender bird-like frame. Her weapons vary with time, mostly being blades, but she always holds her personal engraved dagger strapped within reach under her right forearm.

Strengths: Superb above average stats in all areas other than wisdom. Skills focused around acrobatics and other skills meant to supplement her warrior code and mercenary work. Her abilities in combat are lightning quick with enough force behind them to kill most enemies before they have a chance to respond. 

Character wise, her deal with her god has given her immense powers. Her loyalty to her god can often serve as a fantastic dues ex machina to get herself and her allies out of unwinnable situations.

Weaknesses: Although her charisma is above average, her personality is cold, stand offish, and at first glance, out right cruel. Her allies have never really attempted to care about her, and the only reason she has high charisma to lead her men and to perform a blade dance to earn money when not questing, similar to how a bard would perform. 

Also her warrior code can get her into terrible situations, such as being in a one-on-one duel with the leader of a bandit camp who is at least 4 levels higher than her. Her loyalty to her dark god, while helpful can also cause further friction with her and her allies, as the GM is the one who is in control of the God, and her god has asked her to do things that would lead to trouble for her group, and she obeyed without question.

Read her story