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04:29, 28th April 2024 (GMT+0)

Asali Askarid

Appearance: Towering 1.74m and weighting 56kg, Asali is a lithe and lean, as quick and agile on her feet as she is a rider. Her skin still being as characteristically pale like the rest of her people, despite the many hours under the sun while on duty, seeming stubbornly resistant to catching anything remotely close to a tan or anything related to it. Her eyes of a "Caribbean blue" resembling some southern shallow waters and her hair of a light blonde tone kept almost at shoulder length. Asali is most often seen in the standard long coat issued to the raiders over whatever and always practical over stylish (which depending on taste may not negate the second) clothes underneath, sometimes part of standard issue uniform and others clothes of her own, the choice is usually made to meet the demands of terrain and climate.

Personality: Of a generally friendly and cheerful demeanor with those she knows, for strangers and the service there is nothing but the stern and professional attitude, seemingly ever confident and level headed to make the right judgment of a situation, which was always a must have requirement for her scouting duties. Asali is in truth just someone passionately invested in riding the beasts and the alternative practical military uses for them, which basically encompasses her job, she is no stranger to jokes and other more laid back attitudes even when in duty if the circumstances do offer themselves to it. Over all, the one way that one could best define her persona is as a twisted mixture of pragmatism and idealism on equal parts.

History: Raised in Bells from Veridian parents, Asali was raised in Azmarin, a busy port city and trade hub though it is better known for housing and acting as Bell's main base for the fleet. Her parents made a living partaking in the trade was was shipped in and out of the city and the flow of products that came and went in and out the country to feed the mercantile machine of Azmarin. They employed their contacts and friends back in Veridia to act as a node for the flow of goods there in Bells. Even though it was a bit of a thankless job as it was, always having to keep an eye on business, the benefits derived form it were enough to maintain her and her two brothers as well as get them a somewhat accommodated house to live in and education.

The city itself had always been ripe with opportunities, it wasn't just commerce or humble more basic trades such as fishermen, farmers and the like, but also the many industries and trades that surrounded the needs of them all... Ships needed repairs and drydocks in which be built, carpenters, smiths and all shorts of craftsmen, which in turn demanded materials to feed their needs. Strange folks gathered there from far away lands making the city quite a cosmopolitan location, having the city crawling with artists and other cultural oddities. There were also sailors from both merchant and navy fleets came to land eager to find some solace that would make up for the unforgiving days at the sea, all at the expense of their hard earned money. The later while a cheerful lot, would be the excuse and demand for more more unsavory trades that were usually relegated to the surroundings of the docks for convenience and proximity.

But none of these things directly interested Asali as much as riding one of the flying beasts that were employed generally by the navy and army to scout and gather intelligence. With a very modern yet small fleet as they had, even more so when compared to the large number of ships that the different merchant fleets had, it was paramount to have a fast and reliable tool, so that the fleets would have a much larger area of control. Being able to not only spot the enemy and its estimated direction long before they could even see your ships, did not only grant a great area of control, with which their few ships could effectively protect Bell's commercial interest from those who would find their holds too tempting to pass, it also gave them a much needed extra reaction time to respond to such threats and intercept the would be pirates before they could do any real harm.

That was not to say that such was the only use they had, in war times they would also operate in actual combat missions with a similar procedure as well as being scouts for the army, though given the comparative size and scale of the movements, they were employed in smaller numbers for it. A not so glamorous or prestigious task that was sometimes entrusted to them, was that of couriers, delivering messages or small packages, though this task was usually reduced to things of utmost importance and when on private venues, just for the wealthy. All in all, the riders of these beast are regarded with a moderate degree of respect, derived of the important job they have in Bells and partly due the mystique of a rather romanticized view of them.

Still as early as Asali's infatuation with the job and the beasts was, there was a long way to go before the day she could aspire to be one of the prospect candidates for it. In the mean time, she spent her days in Azmarin with her family, learning the workings of her parent's business to the extent they would entrust little kids with responsibilities. Nothing too exciting for most but the things she learned had something beyond their face value, dealing and witnessing the constant flow of wildly different goods, on a regular basis did put things in perspective. She couldn't help but develop a keen eye for people and business, being able to rather accurately estimate the value of goods, just how important these things were and the empire of logistics behind most of the many things one could enjoy in times as prosperous as theirs. This understanding would be an invaluable skill for her in her future career but back then she could hardly know that and saw it more as a necessary evil to put up with until the day she could finally soar through the skies.

Aside from whatever her parents may had taught them, Asali and her brothers attended to school, being this their main occupation until they reached a point in which the expenses of higher education were more than what their parents could afford, which happened to be at the age of fifteen. From then on they would "have to pursue their own life and choices." said their parents. Fortunately, the three children had it all figured out by then, the eldest brother (Tulgor) pursued a seafaring career as an official of one of the many merchant ships, having being always more fond of the navy  but being pragmatic with his choice during times of peace. The second brother (Bronyak) who had always been the most interested in their parent's business, tried to open his own branch of it in Bell City, looking like the most clear candidate to inherit the whole thing when their parents retire.

Asali had her future just as clear as her brothers, when the time came, she joined the ranks of her beloved sky riders, it was far from easy though and not even half as glamorous, she spent the next two years as an assistant, helping with maintenance of their main station at Azmarin and looking after the powerful beasts to "get familiar with them" they stated. The place itself was akin more to a wide field with large buildings to th sides, to house  the beast, materials, riders and other personnel, comprising two sections, one for the navy and army branch, the other for the civilian one, though in practice there was little distinction or separation between the two and such differences existed only in paper, being that way so much that mixing raiders and missions for the between the different branches was common practice, specially considering the lax demands of peacetimes.

The young snow elf spent those two years in constant awe absorbing like a sponge every bit of information fed to her, both officially and by the riders through conversations. Even though it was a thankless job, she was afforded clothing, three meals a day, a token fee and over all, a chance to work to the realization of her life's dream. It was by the end of those two years that she finally got to the next level, assigned her own beast to ride and a veteran rider to tag along, she and the other newbies would spend the next six months accompanying the veteran in their assignments, to learn the ropes and to ensure they wouldn't "screw up",  though that was hardly necessary with most of them, two years of theory, careful observation of the fully fledged riders as well as constant contact with the creatures that they would eventually ride were enough for them to sit comfortably on the saddle after the initial "first time shock". The six trial months which could be bets resumed in a "fangirl" squeal, she was recognized as a green but fully fledged rider, which didn't mean they spared her any amount of contempt because of her inexperienced or avoided granting her any too complicated assignments, a barrier that would take her another year and a half to overcome.

It was then at the age of nineteen that she transferred to the scout corps branch proper, working first for the army, mostly in mere exercises and helping to update the map charts of remote areas within the country. It was only later that she started working for the navy in one of the "important" roles, being a ship's far sight, partaking in naval exercises and keeping the main sea routes safe. With the development of technology, new wondrous arms and machines, it was only natural that in a country that boasted such a modern armada as theirs, there would be discussion on how to employ and implement the new devices into all branches of the armed forces. In this regard, Asali was always a strong advocate for the usage of riders in other roles outside scouting and skirmishers, with the engineering of newer and more destructive weapons, it struck to her that their speed, range, and a mobility hardly ever hampered by terrain, they seemed to be a perfect fit as a strike force of great impact and surgical precision. A sizable force loaded with fire bombs or other reactive devices, could easily strike from the skies and destroy enemy supply depots, lines or even the enemy's headquarters provided the intelligence of its location. It became even more scandalously obvious to her how these things would even be more effective in naval warfare, the more "basic" fleets of their enemies wouldn't stand a chance as they delivered death from above and set their ships ablaze, Bell's already superior navy would enjoy an even bigger advantage over tis enemies.

Asali's voice wasn't by far the loudest advocating for these changes nor was this one only doctrine struggling to be recognized and put to the test, which didn't mean she wasted any opportunity to speak about the topic with her peers or anyone firm any other branch of the military. At the dawn of a new war that threatens to engulf the whole continent, the alliance between Alarym and Veridia did in turn seal that between Bells and Medwen, it was the natural side to join, keeping connections with Leyland and Medwen and leaving Bells with only one land front to worry about with their old enemies of Alarym, all the while their allies handled the greater threat of Veridia. There was much to gain from that situation, if fates would have it, Bells could take the oceanic possessions from Alarym and with a strong blockade isolate and strangle their enemy to it's knees, as their armies marched form both North and South. The real question was what was left for Bells after that happened and if to happen.

Yet all of that was thinking from a regular state point of view, Bells wasn't, to each of Bells Jewels and to most of its industrious and profiteering citizens, warfare was a necessary evil in their interests, every effort form man power, ships, resources and of course money invested or being used for war, was time and resources not being employed in expanding their commercial venues, trading and making money. It was a burdensome task that had to be done in order to maintaining the safety of their trading empire, a costly effort that may yield some benefits in the long run, should they have some territorial gains and eradicate their enemy but that was an optimistic point of view. Still even if it was to happen that way, would they continue a fight in far lands against the might of Veridia? Would they sue for a separate peace? Those were hard questions to answer but one thing was certain, for most and specially those not involved with the armed forces, the shorter the war adventure lasted the better, in their mids it was a matter of going to war, protecting their interests, asserting dominance and signing a peace that would grant them tribute as victors, then resume trading.

Asali herself had her doubts, fighting their northern neighbors was reasonable thing to do, not only to defend themselves but perhaps to to get rid of the pests once and for all, after all they had been but a nuisance for them since anyone could remember. However, getting in entangling alliances with nations that hadn't always been friends with them and that put them at odds with a power so strong as Veridia was a completely different thing, what made things worse, it as her opinion that this war was going to be one to last further damaging Bell's interests. Those were her concerns but there were other things to worry about and consider, her parent's business which was centered around the trade with Veridia was facing hard times and the longer the war dragged the harder things would get for them, Bronyak even if to a lesser degree, was facing a similar situation. On the other hand this may be the chance her eldest brother Tulgor had been waiting for, to join th navy and finally make a meteoric career during war times, so much could be said about Asali herself, maybe even offer some room of opportunity to demonstrate that the ideas she defended regarding warfare were right.

The next month had been hectic, Bells navy taking a way more aggressive stance in fending off their northern neighbors, Asali saw her fair share of combat, even though if just as a navy scout, still unable to get her chance of demonstrating anything. Still the knowledge that they were officially at war rather than just hunting "anonymous" pirates somehow made it all the more thrilling and in truth the scale and frequency of the confrontations had substantially increased. Yet despite the seemingly impassable difference in numbers, Bells modern fleet and tactics  kept reaping success, or at least it seemed that way form the narrow scope of her experiences, being her only concern the land front. Bells had always favored a smalled elite force of well equipped and drilled troops just like the navy but unlike at the sea, Alarym has an ace of its own, it was a country well known for its knights and while the new machines and methods were steadily displacing such units from the battlefield, they were still battle worthy and a fearsome force to face on the field. Asali could only wonder just how well would her country fare on that front, one thing was war propaganda or expectation and another was the unsettling uncertainty that the actual war brought.

She wouldn't have a chance to check it by herself, after just a month Asali and a few others were assigned to a front they never expected to visit in a long while if at all. Apparently Medwen was having troubles not only at fighting Veridian armies but keeping track of their astoundingly fast progress and movements, They were expected to link up with Medwen's forces along different sections of the front and provide them with regular and accurate surveillance of Veridian troop movements and positions, so they could better organize and consolidate an stable front or at the very least have the luxury of some reaction time. Asali wasn't specially excited about this change though, much like her brother she was at home in the naval theater and the prospect of moving to a secondary front to Bell's interests almost seemed like a punitive destination but on the other hand she had great deal of curiosity about the Veridian armies and just how they were able to outperform so many foes at once. Veridia was the homeland of her parents, in a sense was her second home she never visited, though her parents did tell her a good deal about their country, in a way it shaped a bit of her will to fight them at least for a nation that wasn't really any real friend of theirs.

Seeing the speedy progress of the scarlet armies, she couldn't help but wonder what would happen if they got too close to Bells, they were already had a handful with Alarym. Then there was the fact that despite being a rather cosmopolitan nation, if things got tough and threatening, they may not be so lenient with people like her parents that hailed from enemy nations or with their children... Asali and her brothers were only one generation away from being Veridian, it was hardly ever an issue during their childhood and peace times but with an ever bigger war looming over their other border, people back home could start seeing folks like Asali and her family as agents subservient to the enemy. She could only hope and pray that it wouldn't come to that and ti all depended on how Medwen fared against Veridia, something she would have a chance to asses at her new destination, Blackthorne.

Images by Shabazik (http://shabazik.deviantart.com/)