# The Last Bastion



## Vaz (Mar 19, 2008)

Well, this is a dive in the dark. After reading recently about the Song Dynasty in the 12th Century of south China, and with the mention of the Chaos Hordes attacking the Great Bastion (Great Wall) of Cathay (China), and breaking through, but being halted in the middle of the heartlands, I've become really quite keen on this theater of operations.

So, is anyone else interested? 

The premise is that the Great Bastion has been breached by a series of Earthquakes, and the hundreds of thousands of Norse and chaos warriors lead by Daemon Princes pour through the gap only to meet the waiting ranks of the Terracotta Golems, Cyclopean Ogres, and the waiting ranks of the Imperial Guard. 

The battle destroys the host of the Cathayans, scattering them to the four corners of the country, as regional Lords under the directives of the Emperor recover their strength, and attempt to destroy the Chaos Host. 

Some bands of warriors, joined together by necessity for safety in a land of horrors do not return to their homelands, for whatever reason - be they too far away to be close enough to help, through shame, and a desire for atonement, or whether those homes are too close to the horde for their to be any chance to survive.

One such warrior is Hua Guodong, a grizzled senior captain of Cathay's feared Bei Wei Cavalry. His entire wing of the Guan Do wielding cavalry had been wiped out by the assault of a rampaging Chimera, and it nearly took his own life before he was able to slice one of it's three heads clean off.

However, the battle by that point was clearly lost, and to his shame, he fled. Vowing to avenge the loss of his honour, he decides to gather together a group of warriors who somehow survived the devastation of the Great Bastion.

At this point, this is where our story starts. In a village to the north of the Jade River in northern Cathay, the warriors have assembled. Those still willing to fight on against the coming tyranny have mustered in force. Thousands gather on the flood plain outside the village, and the greatest of these warriors have been ordered by Imperial Decree to harry the rear guard of the Chaos Army, and buy time for the full might of the Jade Host fall upon the spawn of chaos.

- - - - - - - - - 

This is where you come in. Your characters are who will be joining this small raiding expedition.

Normally, the Cathayans and Nipponese have regularly come to blows in the past, but this threat is so great that they have bonded together to combat the chaos armies.

As such, you may choose to be one of the following races:

Cathay
*Bei Wei Infantry/Cavalry* - Wearing Winged Helmets, and wearing Mountain Pattern Armour, carrying Guan Do halberds. They are mounted on some of the finest and fastest warhorses in the Cathayan Empire, themselves also armoured in the Mountain Pattern Armour. Hua Guodong is your Captain).

*Tiefutu* - Also known as the Iron Pagoda's wearing two layers of padded lamellar armour, and carrying a long bamboo lance, their horses are similarly attired. They are the heaviest cavalry of the Cathayan military. However, they are not well suited to the long range attacks of the campaign, so strip down to carry just the long lances.

*Cathayan Ogre* - Armed with a Cathayan Longsword, they are among the heaviest infantry in the Empire. They are usually volunteers from the Badlands, but also they are those born into the Imperial Guard, where they serve not just for food and coin, but also for a sense of honour and duty unseen in any other Ogre.

*Mangudai* - A race of hardy people from the Northern Steppe's, they have chosen not to serve the forces of Chaos, like the bloodthirsty Khorne worshipping warriors of the Hung, or the Tzeentch Worshipping Dolgans. Almost peerless horsemasters, and armed with short spears and a bow, they are capable warriors.

*Rtakhrab Pai’dpungpa* - the greatest warriors of Tyboc, the ancestral name of the Mountains of Mourn ride upon armoured steeds, and the full name of the Rtakhrab, or the Rtak is bestowed upon them. With Iron Ringed lamellar and Javelins, they defend themselves with a large round shield beaten to a mirror finish, so the last thing their foes see before they die is a twisted mockery of the fear they sow before them.

*Zhan Ma Dao Infantry* - Like the many iconographic Bei Wei Guan Dao Cavalry, the Zhan Ma Dao Infantry, literally the Horse Hacking Sword Infantry are a specialised regiment of only the most physically able warriors.​Nippon
*Bushi* - The samurai are the strongest warriors of the Nipponese army. Landlords, and Gentry of the country, they can afford the finest armour and weaponry. Mounted on horseback, they are either equipped with a Yari, a lance like weapon, or a Daikyu - a huge longbow, over 7 feet tall and a draw weight in excess of nearly 250 pounds. They also carry their ancestral paired weapons - the Wakisashi and Katana. Female Samurai, although rare, are not unheard of. However, the Katana is a weapon which women are not allowed to bear, so use the Naginata, a large 2 handed pole weapon with a short sword attached to the top.

*Ogres* - Ogres are possibly the widest travelled of all the races of the entire world, and it is no surprise to find out that they are indentured into the Nipponese army. Most form as Yojimbo, lay men granted the rights to bear arms as a Bushi, but without the title or prestige, in all respects a bodyguard. Rarely, they also join as Shinobe.

*Shinobe* - Ninja's. Armed with less conventional weaponry, they tread the path less well trodden. Bushi know of it, but prefer to pretend that it doesn't exist. Shinobe do not wield long weapons, such as the Katana, due to the nature of their job.​
*Dwarves* - The Dwarves aren't exempt from the war. The paths of the berserker cult of Grungni, the slayers regularly brings them to this part of the world to fight the fearsome Celestial Dragons or Chaos Beasts which roam north of the Bastion.

*Hobgoblins*- Not all the Hobgoblins returned the semi-slavery of the the Chaos Dwarves. Although the Cathayan's still treat the greenskins with distrust, and there is emnity between them and the Dwarves, they know enough to appreciate a common enemy. Even Ghazak Khan, the Terror of the East, and captain of the Hobgoblin fought alongside the Cathayans at this battle.

And it's yours to go with. Use a similar layout to mine for ease .

- - - - - - - - - 

Name: Hua Guodong
Age: 34
Appearance: Typically Cathayan in appearance, he has black hair, and dark skin, with almond shaped eyes. They are dark in colour, almost black, but flecks of gold can be seen if you look deep enough. He stands at an average height for his race, while his physique is clearly toned and muscular. Not hugely stacked muscles, but simply that he is exceptionally fit, with a wiry lean strength.
Equipment: He is armoured in Mountain Pattern Armour, or Shan Wen Kai, a flexible coat of lamellar that provides a similar amount of protection to the Imperial Full Plate armour, although much lighter. He has a warhorse, a beast known as Nameless, for fighting atop it is Guodong's least favoured method. Although normally armoured in a similar manner, it is now just carrying a saddle. He is armed with a Guan Do, a halberd like weapon with a single cutting edge well over 8 feet tall.
History: Born in Jizhou province, he joined the Imperial Guard as a Ge wielder. He progressed through the ranks, until he attained the rank of the Bei Wei Guard. He recieved his Guan Do, and his sheer ability and diligence in martial arts allowed him to pass on through until he became a captain of a wing of 20 other Ber Wei Cavalry. He had lead several raids against the Hung raiding tribes, although his first major engagement had been the defence of the Great Bastion.


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## Masked Jackal (Dec 16, 2009)

Hmm, I don't know much about Cathay, but being a Dwarf Slayer caught up in this war seems interesting to me. 


Name: Gornik
Age: 72 (Not sure about typical Dwarf age, winging it here.)
Appearance: Gornik has the characteristic dyed orange and greased hair of a Slayer, and in particular, he has taken to a spiky look. The rest of him shows the marks of his travels, tanned skin, cris-crossed by his many scars.
Equipment: Gornik wears only his hides, which he has taken to wearing after he left the lands of the Dwarfs and his Dwarven clothes wore down. He has three axes as well, two at his hips, and a large one on his back.

History: Gornik was once in the personal bodyguard of his lord, a thane who had gathered a host to take the fight to the Greenskins. Before, he had had a reputation for being unusually frenzied for a Dwarf during battle, but after then, his reputation caused him to take up the mantle of Slayer, because of a particular failure.

The thane Gornik served, and his bodyguard had been in the heat of battle, slaying greenskins left and right. Slowly, the bodyguard dwindled, until only Gornik, his thane, and two others lived against the few remaining greenskins. The cowards ran, and Gornik pursued, his hatred coming over his sense, since the boss of the orcs had come after his lord, and was about to strike the killing blow. Afterwards, he was plagued by doubt, though the other two survivors felt sorry for his fate, they knew he had been overzealous, and Gorniks depression led to his new life. 

Now, he comes to Cathay, to take whatever fight he thinks he can get. Perhaps here, he'll find peace...


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## Anfo (Jul 17, 2009)

*Name:*Azhar Jian

*Age:*25

*Position:*Shinobe

*Appearance:*Azhar stands at 6'5, 180 lbs. He wears black 'robes' the robe opens in the front, and ends at the knees. Under this he wears black pants. Azhar face is covered by a hood, and you can only see his mouth. Azhar wears black gloves. The only color on his body is the white linings the edge his clothes. The lines are this and wispy and seem to shine in the light.

*Personality:*Azhar an arrogant man. He believes himself to be better than everyone else. This is fueled by the fact that he moved through the ranks of his Shinobe brotherhood so quickly. Azhar is good at many things. Making friends, and following orders isn't one of them. Azhar will often find himself staying behind on high risk missions for this purpose.

*History:*Azhar joined his current Shinobe brotherhood at the age of twelve. The brotherhood he is part of is specializes in assassinations. They have been know to commit some of the biggest assassinations ever. Azhar quickly climbed through the ranks because of his skill, not his attitude. Being at suck a powerful position has made Azhar cocky to say the least.

*Equipment:*Ninjato(short sword), throwing knifes, tanto (dagger) and poison.


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## Amoeba Bait (May 31, 2010)

OK, I'm interested in getting in on this RP action, but I've never done it before and I'm a little unfamiliar with the whole Cathay/other Eastern places. I've decided that I'm goning to play as a Dwarf (with your permission Vas :wink so here is my character.

*Name*: Skorri Stonebrow

*Age*: 57(?) I'm not too sure on the relative ages of the Dwatf folf so I'm just going to outline here that he is young.

*Position*: Dwarf Ranger/Mercenary

*Appearence*: Skorri is slighly taller than you average Dwarf, with a youthful glow in his grey/blue eyes. He has a charchol (sp?) beard which reaches halfway down his chest. Skorri is more fond of light, leather armour than the chunky noisy chain/plate mail prefered by other dwarves and he wears a deep green cloak with muted browns (kinda camo). Instead of wearing a helmet, Skorri wears a fur hat made from the pelt of his first succesful wolf hunt.

*History:* After the overrun of his distant Uncles mighty fortress by foul Skaven, Skorri and many other Dwarves of the ancient hold 'Karaz Bar-Karok' set out on a might quest to slay the Grey Seer responsible for the attack. After many months of stalking the Skaven leader, it was a single crossbow bolt from Skorri that slew the vermin. Upon his return to the Dwarf holds and the new colony, Skorri was offered a position of signifcance (I'm not sure how the Dwarf Heirachy works :wink, but he declined the offer to live by the way of the hunt, as a freelance.

*Personality*: Skorri is a quiet and attentive individual, always ready to learn from his elders. He however is a man (dwarf) of morals, and is set in his ways on many issues (ie: His battle role). He loves the thrill of the hunt and preffers to strike from afar with his trusted crossbow than risk his neck (or top of his head- the stunty ) in battle. He is somewhat reclusive in the realms of friendship (You might give away my position you clusy oaf!), however if you are on his good side, he is a strong and loyal ally.

*Equipment*: Crossbow, hip-quiver with bolts, one-handed axe, leather armour, cloak. (I'm not sure what else I need to add)

Anyways, again this is my first time at an RP thread so I look forwar to it!!


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## CommissarHorn (Apr 14, 2008)

This is pretty cool because I’ve actually started making a Japanese fantasy army led by Samurai. So bloody good timing.


Name: Zenigata Murashi (In Nipon, the family name comes before the individual’s name)

Age: 29

Appearance: A Nipon, Murashi is fairly tall, standing at 5’9”. His Black hair is unsualy cut short and neat, but not as unusual as his green eyes which, although a family trait, suggest a foreign influence somewhere down the line. He wears the black and dark green Samurai armour of his family and the Zenigata symbol of a red circle with a red line through it, on a green background. His body is toned and athletic, rigid from being trained since childhood.

Equipment: Wearing the traditional white/black/green hilted Katana and Wakizashi of his family, Zenigata Murashi is also armed with a tall Yari, which he keeps attached to his horse. Murashi is much better at fighting on the ground though, eschewing armour in exchange for speed, typical of a Zenigata. He uses both his Wakizashi and Katana at the same time, utilising his family sword technique of being able to rapidly switch weapons between hands and surprise opponents.

History: The son of an ancient Samurai family, Murashi was drilled by his father and grandfather in war and leadership so that he could become worthy enough to join the Shogun’s Samurai force, in place of his father who, having been wounded, could no longer fight. Instead of committing Seppuku, Zenigata (Murashi’s father) was persuaded by his Lord to train his own son to fight in his stead. So Murashi, fairly young, was inducted into the Shogun’s Imperial Army and found himself leading men into battle. Fighting Norse pirates and invading Khorne, Murashi quickly gained respect as a well honed swordsman and warrior, putting more responsibility onto him. 

The Shogun, interested in forging ties with the Cathay and intent on spreading nationalistic hate against the Chaos forces within his lands, decided to send an army from each Daiymo and Lord to represent the Niponnese in aiding Cathay. To the honour of the Zenigata family, Murashi was chosen by his Daiymo as a representative and was charged with a small force of 2 other lower ranking Samurai and 50 peasants. Having never before fought on such a large scale, Murashi is led by his hate of the dishonourable Chaos and his loyalty to the Shogun, vowing to never return without the completion of his mission.

The battle, massive, ended up with the destruction of many Samurai and almost all of Zenigata’s peasants, some of who deserted. Murashi, who had before witnessed the pardon from Seppuku that his father received, diligently believes he can avenge his loss and continue fighting until either he is victorious or dead.


Horn come on, you have an edit button; there is no reason for you to have to doublepost. - darkreever

I understand. They felt like two different posts though, one signifying an arrival and the second, the arrival. But I'm insane and your totally right. Won't happen again.


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## Boc (Mar 19, 2010)

First, a couple of questions:
Will these characters be leaders of small bands or will they simply be the sole members of the harassing force?
How many characters are you planning on accepting?

Second, this looks quite interesting, I'll be posting up a Mongudai character sheet in the morning (coupled with DAs)


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## Vaz (Mar 19, 2008)

This is simply a group of warriors as a harrassing force. At the minute, I'm accepting any and all comers (except Dwarves - we have two already), and would prefer a couple of Cathayan characters, considering the location.

There is no limit I'm setting, simply starting the RP when I feel there are enough for a good story. Also, due to the nature of the RP, I won't stop recruitment once the action is started - i.e this band of warriors attracts others with the stories of their deeds.

All are currently accepted - although no more Dwarves or Nipponese (we have 2 each), excepting Ogres.

Vaz - Hua Guodong (Cathayan Bei Wei Cavalier)
Masked Jackal - Gornik (Dwarf Slayer)
Anfo - Azhar Jian (Nippon Shinobe)
Amoeba Bait - Skorri Stonebrew (Dwarf Ranger)
CommissarHorn - Zenigata Murashi (Nippon Bushi)
Boc - (Mangudai)
dark angel - (Mangudai)
deathbringer - (Cathayan)


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## dark angel (Jun 11, 2008)

I am in, as Boc mentioned, if you will have me, with a Mangudai character paired with his. As Boc asked: Are our characters single or do they themselves have a small band of NPC's? Character will be up tomorow, hopefully.


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## Amoeba Bait (May 31, 2010)

Vaz said:


> I'm accepting any and all comers (except Dwarves - we have two already),


Oops! Sorry for stealing the last Dwarf spot. Its just that I feel like I should play to what I know.


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## Vaz (Mar 19, 2008)

Yup, not to worry DA. I'll add you to the list. Sorry, obviously hadn't made it clear. No it's just us warriors. Any NPC's will be added into the story as and when needed, but initially, we're on our own.

Don't worry about it, AB. It's all fluid, and the process is first come first serve. If someone makes a good enough case, I'll be happy to review, and we're all adults or capable of acting like them, so there's no need to apologise. If there's enough interest, I'll open up the dwarf and nippon slots again - but after all, Cathay is the focus of the RP for a reason, so having few Cathayan warriors is not the general intention.

It's also to place people hopefully out of their comfort zone, and allows us a slight free reign as there is so little written about them.


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## deathbringer (Feb 19, 2009)

Ill have a crack at a cathayan
However i would need till tuesday to do a charactor
I have a resit exam for uni which i cant afford to fail plus i've been putting off the gm's of the rps im already in
so it would hardly be fair to post a charactor before attending to them


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## Vaz (Mar 19, 2008)

Not to worry. Added you to the list.


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## CaptainFatty (Nov 9, 2008)

I'll take a Cathayan ogre then if you'll have me.

Name: Ritoru Oni

Age: 46

Appearance: Tall and fat. He is bald but has a long mustache typical of ogres. His black eyes are always glaring, reflecting the snarl that usually covers most of his face. He Wears Plain but torn leather pants and walks barefoot. His upper body, except his gut, is uncovered to show off his strength (fatness).

Equipment: He carries a large Cathayan Longsword which he took from another ogre who was 'conveniently' found dead in the middle of a road. Although the Cathayan's of his village had no doubt it was Ritoru who killed the other ogre, they kept silent out of fear and respect for him. His gut-plate bears the standard gaping maw depiction but with a serpent dragon surrounding it, a testament to an earlier feat in his life.

History: Ritoru's earliest memories are of the small Cathayan village in which he grew up in. He was raised and taught by the Cathayan monks, giving him a (very) slight intellectual edge over most ogres. The village elder, an ex Samurai, taught him the art of combat, honing his skills with a blade (but using a tree trunk for lack of a large enough sword). His moment of honour came when a small band of chaos warriors chanced upon the village and began raiding it. Ritoro promptly beat them all into submission and ate them, earning him the respect of his village and the decorative gut-plate.


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