The Winged Strategist

[There might be the sound of flicking pages. Journal pages. And then -- the high-powered whiiiiirr of ... a hairdryer. It must have blown the journal to a recording page. Are you envious yet, Lucetians?

Albert had arrived in his Malnosso-furnished quarters earlier and spent some time checking things out, and has been there long enough to relax. Might as well take advantage of what is available before being sent off to battle tomorrow morning, right?

The hairdryer sound goes for awhile before being shut off, though there's still nothing visible to go with all the noise.]

Hn... So they will give all of that...

[There's the soft sound of footsteps on thick carpet and then a buzz as the strategist rings for assistance. Albert's request is muffled by his bath towel.

But there's no mistaken the rumbling vibration of something shaking the walls. Albert opens the door to his previously-empty storage room.

The door is loudly slammed shut.

...

...And the door is opened again.

......]

...There is an owl in my room.



[ooc: Drafted people, feel free to post your initial reactions to your own rooms in this post if you don't want to make your own entries. o/ If you want to interact with other drafted people, just drop a note in your comment or make your character available.]

[Like many others on this day, Albert is inspecting the fountain and surrounding area that has changed overnight. He has tried to talk to the birds, who are too busy twittering and cuddling to be bothered. And now he is looking at the fountain itself, reading aloud the inscription on it.]

"Dragobete." ...Well, if there was any doubt before, there certainly isn't now...

[He begins taking some notes, glancing at the goblets appearing on the edge of the fountain.]



[ooc: He is oddly enough taken. So voice replies are okay. :|b

EDIT: Catch Albert for action posts in the fountain square log.]

[voice]

Hello, everyone. If I've spoken to you over the past few days, you already know that I have been recruiting people to join my army. Hopefully we will soon have a base, and you can set up your businesses. ...Or business. [He pauses as he looks at his notes, then corrects himself.] Businesses. I've been told to look something up, so that is what I'll do.

To anyone interested, we are called Pro Licentia and we are fighting against oppressive regimes, like the Malnosso. [Any and all of them. ...But that might have turned off one potential recruit, so he won't say that.] If you would like to join our cause, come speak to me. We welcome people of all professions. ...But too many people of the same profession might be a problem. [That's why he's got a list.]

[Another pause.] If you have any suggestions, I've put together a suggestion box in the middle of the town plaza. I remember being told a suggestion box would be a good idea.

[And another pause.] ...And if anyone has seen my horse, I would appreciate knowing where she is.

[action]

[Albert can be found wandering around the village at different points of the day, leaving himself open to be talked to. He most notably heads to the barracks around noon time, since Natalia suggested he look there as a possible base of operations...]


[ooc: How the suggestion box works -- You can comment to the below thread titled 'Comment Box' with notes, big and small, for Albert to read. These will only be viewed by Albert, and if he follows up on the comment or suggestion, it will be in person. ...Oh, and if the comment is left by the character anonymously, please note that somewhere!]

[voice]

My thanks to those who answered Mr. Belmont's survey about practical skills. Knowing who has knowledge about certain skills will be helpful should there be situations where we need residents' specialties. I hope those who have volunteered information will remain open to the prospect of teaching or aiding others should the opportunity arise.

We're approaching the end of the calendar year, and with it the beginning of another New Feather cycle. Everyone remain alert for newcomers who arrive in this weather.

( Off-journal communication to Yuber )

[action]

[Raine and Genis may notice boxes outside of their doors come early morning. Genis has a blue and white sweater and Raine has a cream-colored winter gear set (scarf, hat, and gloves) -- courtesy of All Passions.

The gift-giver is nowhere to be found. He won't be home until evening.]

First Abduction (Dec 5-Dec 9, 2007) -- He was forced to lie on some sort of stainless steel table while his wings were broken. He was also deprived of food for about three days, and barely slept throughout the abduction. This experience left him disturbed by how easily his sense of safety could be violated so thoroughly.

Second Abduction (Mar 11-Mar 18, 2008) -- This time around, Albert was struck blind for a reason he doesn't quite remember when he returns. He was able to sleep at random intervals during his kidnapping, and he somehow received nourishment so he didn't die of starvation. He doesn't feel like he was gone for an entire week; there may be a memory lapse. It's later on that he recalls that he was struck blind while the Malnosso tried to extract the Pale Gate Rune on his forehead. He remains concerned by his memory lapse.

It is during this abduction that he recalls hearing someone reciting The Lord's Prayer, which he later recited following Jacob's death.

Third Abduction (Jul 9-Jul 17, 2008) -- The longest of Albert's abductions to date, and the most physically damaging. Over the course of a week, his hands were removed and his head drilled into, all because the Malnosso continue to try extracting the runes he (and others from his world) wears.

Fourth Abduction (March 30-April 7, 2009) -- Albert's vocal cords were temporarily removed in an excessively painful procedure that was repeated during his time in captivity. Fever set in as a result. The Pale Gate Rune on his forehead was checked up on at this time as well. He would later remark that this may have happened because he was callous in his discussion of Tyr with the scientists.

[written]

Quite a few abductions in the last two or three days. Perhaps the Malnosso feel confident enough about the situation that they can continue some of their research.

We must still be cautious, though. Until we know that the intruders are no longer trying to breach the barrier, everyone should continue to carry their weapons with them. We do not know if they will try to breach the barrier again from the east, so we may not have much time to prepare if they get through again.

I thank everyone who came together in such a short time. We were able to accomplish much more under the threat of danger than we were in times of peace. [He knew it would happen, but he's hoping others will catch onto that fact.]

The eastern barricade has been completed, and there has been considerable work done on extending the barricade to the north and south of the village.

I recommend that everyone who has been physically exerting themselves the last few days to get some rest. We have basic defenses in place, and injuring or exhausting ourselves now would be foolish.


[action]

[Such a hypocrite at times. He hasn't been sleeping since his initial calls for action four days ago. Not that he feels tired; this is that kind of work he was born to do.

...

Okay, so he's threatening to doze in Astrid's stable. His horse is being nice and acting as a cushion.]

( Locked to Vyse, Yuri Lowell, Sigmund, Raine, Yuan )

I believe the experiment is over now. And not a moment too soon; the practical jokes were going stale.

And there are still New Feathers arriving... Hm.

[written]

Genis, please send a message when dinner is ready. I will be out for awhile.

If anyone needs me, I will be in the library.


[action]

[For lack of anything better to do on a nice summer afternoon, Albert has decided to sit in the library with a ... somewhat-odd setup. A map stretched across a table out of sight from the front door, dotted with small wooden figures designed as soldiers, cavalry, archers, mages... The map, upon closer inspection, shows patches color that denote plains, mountains, water bodies, and forests.

In some ways, the setup looks like a game board. It's really a lasting reminder of another strategist's presence in Luceti; he was the one who had introduced Albert to the method of practice, after all.

Nearly two years in Luceti without access to strategy books and news of warfare have dulled his skills. He doesn't look pleased as he makes moves for both armies.]

[written]

A word to our numerous New Feathers: Do be careful what you say when our endearing captors come asking questions. You might just have your throat torn out for talking back.


[sound/voice]

[There's the sound of fingers tapping on a tabletop.]

...So many variables changing in this past year. Hn.

Created: September 17, 2008
Last updated: May 30, 2013

Albert's bonds were initially created out of convenience; for the longest time, he had no desire to go out and harness all of the spirits' powers because he was not a fighter in that way. As he began developing his rune magic (upon translating a book of Sindarin runemastery left by Yuber and "borrowed" from Nu), he embraced the versatility of combining the two types of "magic" to enhance one another.

Because of his long time to create bonds with the different spirits, he is able to combine their "magic" accordingly. Though there are personality conflicts with a few of the spirits, his skill is quite high just from long exposure.

On another note, he has long suspected that the Filial spirits' powers are Shifts because Shift Hunters can detect them; the connection was further reinforced when he pieced together through observation of Yuber and his own movements that the Shift Hunters detect the summoning Shifts that Rem (the Observer) placed on them.

( The Filial Spirits )

Turn down a few torches. We'll rest here for now.

[Albert's voice echoes as he calls out to the rest of the group to stop. It's been a steady walk away from the warehouse even though they had been told by their Malnosso co-conspirators to leave the tunnels quickly. Extinguishing several torches, as they had been every time they rested, would help keep the amount of smoke down.

He takes out one of the sunstones that Sigmund had brought along, activating it and taking a seat against one wall. He then pulls out a notebook and begins writing, keeping an eye on the others moving around in the semidarkness.

Really, the silence following their success was rather unsettling.]

...This is certainly different.

I can deal with this, though.


[Action]

[Albert is most definitely looking for the clothes he had before as a child; he wasn't really dressed for cold weather. Unfortunately, he's discovering that nothing an 8-year-old would wear will fit a 13-year-old.]

This is...

[There's the sound of a book being dropped, then papers being scattered.]

...I am not amused.

[He curses at something not visible on the journal's little visual screen.]

Get off me, you-- Rune!


[ooc: Since runic legendary creatures (that is, the Rune incarnates) seemed a little ... out of his league, Albert's now a rather infamous ... person from his world.]