Aliases are alternative forms of a reference. They can include actual aliases for characters, nicknames, plural variations, gendered versions of some [Classes], and even typos.
“Pick that up and dispose of it, would you, Umina? And if the others smell of lavender, rosemary, raspberries, or any other floral scent, discard them too.”
The lizard girl standing closest to the entrance nodded and began sorting through the letters. Niers sighed as he turned back to the map, conscious of the eyes on him. He stepped to one side casually, allowing Umina to pick up the letter he’d opened. She moved very carefully, as if afraid one mistake from her would crush him.
He hated being treated like that. But Umina was new to his group of students and so she wasn’t quite used to his stature. Either she would learn or she would not. Niers concentrated on the battle and put petty distractions aside.
Umina hesitated as she held the bunch of letters the Courier had brought. Niers knew she was capable of magic, but burning a set of missives that came from a Courier must have gone against all her instincts.
One of Niers’ older students intervened before Umina could interrupt their teacher. He took the letters from Umina in gauntleted hands and let her conjure a small flame between her hands. The letters curled and burnt away as he held them to the last, calmly, without fear of fire.
One of Niers’ older students intervened before Umina could interrupt their teacher. He took the letters from Umina in gauntleted hands and let her conjure a small flame between her hands. The letters curled and burnt away as he held them to the last, calmly, without fear of fire.
Niers pointed to the map and looked at Umina, the young woman he’d entrusted with his division of cavalry for the battle. She was a lizard girl, which was to say, a member of the Lizardfolk, who were not the same as Drakes. There was a lot of bad blood between the species, and despite their superficial similarities, they were quite separate races.
She nodded with a trace of uncertainty. This would be the first time Niers had put Umina in a command position, and with his swift-moving cavalry elites, no less. He believed she would rise to the challenge, but it seemed the girl herself didn’t believe that.
Perhaps he should advise Marian to talk with her? No, that was best left for her to do herself. As touchy as the Centaur could be, he knew that she and Umina were friends.
That made Venaz frown, but Cameral and Umina nodded. Their species understood privacy a bit more, even if that wasn’t the entire reason why Niers was so hesitant.
Yes, his best. Some were bright and truly talented, like Umina, a Lizardgirl who was studiously checking her notes despite already knowing the answer. However, she was hesitant and afraid to be bold. Others, like the Dullahan named Cameral were gifted but lacking the creative talent Niers tried to inspire.
Umina the Lizardgirl shouted as a wave of her soldiers collided with the enemy. Her cavalry circled around and struck Cameral’s forces from the rear. The Dullahan struggled to keep up with her rapid attacks as the two other spears of cavalry kept circling and hitting his troops in odd places. And while they did, her archers and heavy infantry kept circling, forcing him to keep adjusting his rows of soldiers, stretching, stretching until something broke—
It ended with a shower of arrows hitting Umina’s command. It was a stray shot aimed at her in sheer desperation, but one of the arrows filled with dry paint powders struck Umina squarely on the chest and she was knocked out. Reluctantly, she watched as her leaderless army struggled to repel Cameral as he regained control of the battlefield. In the end her forces routed, although Cameral had lost nearly a half of his army in the process.
It ended with a shower of arrows hitting Umina’s command. It was a stray shot aimed at her in sheer desperation, but one of the arrows filled with dry paint powders struck Umina squarely on the chest and she was knocked out. Reluctantly, she watched as her leaderless army struggled to repel Cameral as he regained control of the battlefield. In the end her forces routed, although Cameral had lost nearly a half of his army in the process.
The Centaur paced back and forth as Niers stood in the shade, marking the positions of Umina’s strategy with figurines. It wasn’t a game, or rather, these practice sessions were meant to simulate actual battles. The hired [Soldiers] and [Actors] could form any number of armies and do battle as two of Niers’ students attempted to defeat each other.
