Welcome back to Our Brave Boys, a quest that is more about worldbuilding (or loredumping) but also a somewhat light RP setting. You are all young men of 20 years of age and are part of the Nation's Apprenticeship Required for Male Youths, otherwise known as ARMY. The Nation is one of many countries of the Empire, but after decades of suppressing Republican Revolutions, the Nation emerged as the leading faction championing the Monarchy, placing the late Princess of your Nation on the throne as Eternal Empress.The quest essentially runs as a world event where you are all common soldiers who have little control over the progression of the war, but are nonetheless free to write bits of your characters' thoughts and even subtle actions to bring life to your characters.The Nation has a mandatory conscription policy for all young men, who must serve for 5 years after conscription at 20 years of age. Nearly a year and a half has passed since the quest started, although new boys are welcome. You might want to skim through the archive to understand the lore.To get conscripted, please take a look at the instructions in the first thread: https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/2025/6220569/OOB2: https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/2025/6258776/The Story Thus FarYou are the junior brothers of Lexion XXI, 41st Artillery Cohort, Battery Green, Section 1. Any additional entries will overflow to Section 2 of Battery Green.Legion XXI spent several seasons training and laboring in Japmi until the Southern Principality reported instability due to Revolutionary riots, prompting the Sovereign Marshal to order Legion XXI to be stationed across the bay from the Southern Principality. While Legion XXI was on standby, the Grand Prince of the South escaped a revolutionary coup, prompting General Reigen Mugen to push forth and establish a foothold before the revolutionaries dig in.
Things to Know>The NationYou are a scion of the Nation, the embodiment of all cultural values, histories, and memories. All the relationships everybody has within the Nation, all the burdens they bear, and all the fondness they hold to each other, from your younger peers to your ancestors from time immemorial, are all part of you. It can be almost thought of as an advanced Tribal organization. The Nation is multi-ethnic, though largely culturally homogenous, with a founding tribe of piebald pygmies with large, round ears. Over time, it received genetic introgression, producing a variety of skin, hair, and eye colors that all ultimately assimilated into the Memories of the ancestors.tl;dr - your state>The CountryThe physical homeland of the Nation, also known as the End of All Rivers. It is located in a vast swamp that's the estuary of all rivers on the western side of the continent. The Country is more than a physical location, but the earth and trees the Nation has diligently cultivated since it could learn to remember. The Country is not something to be owned or given. As far as the Nation has known, it simply belongs there as much as the Nation does not belong in the World Above.tl;dr - your homeland>The World AboveThe poetic name given to the outside world, as nearly all of it is located upriver at a higher elevation. The Nation has always remembered it as a chaotic world needing the Emperor to instill order and prosperity. The inhabitants of the World Above are all considered foreigners by the Nation.tl;dr - the rest of the continent>The EmpireFor two millennia, the Nation was under the protection of the Empire, the supreme and benevolent force that brought order to the chaotic World Above so that the Nation could remain in peace. It is comprised of several states, including the Nation. Several generations ago, the Empire fell to ambitious, evil republicans who sought to destroy the foundation of civilization. It lost its Emperor, and with no protection, the foreigners entered the Country to take it away from the Nation. As the Empire had always protected the Nation, it was time for the Nation to protect the Empire, and installed the Eternal Empress to maintain security.tl;dr - the suzerain of the world above the nation controls>The Eternal EmpressThe Nation is still considered a subject of the Empire, once having an Idol rule it as a member of the Empire's Lords and Peers. Unfortunately, during an era of chaos when the evil republicans sought to destroy the foundation of civilization, they executed your Idol. When the Nation rallied to preserve the Empire, it installed your Idol, once barred from the line of succession, as the Eternal Empress, a symbol of unity across the World Above and the Country.
>Apprenticeship Required for Male YouthsAlso known as the ARMY. All able-bodied men of the nation are required to complete a five-year apprenticeship to prepare them as functional members of society. Part of this includes serving in a military capacity. This mandatory service only exempts those too ill, enabling the Nation to field half of all standing Imperial Legions stationed across the Empire.>Matchmaking Assistant Initiative for DamselsThe Nation has a deep-seated fear of extinction ever since the Grand Republic attempted to eliminate the whole Nation via conscription of child soldiers. It was always considered proper for one to marry and have children by 25, but as all young men must serve in the ARMY, it leaves little time for young men and women to court each other. Thus, the babas and aunties of the Nation have banded together to help young women back in the Country connect with young men serving abroad so that they would be ready to immediately produce the next generation of soldiers once they return.
>You all sat on the defense watching the flanks for what felt like hours. Some of you even decided to count the tumbleweeds that rolled by. The more observant of you had to correct some of you for counting the same tumbleweed. As the sun neared the horizon, Lieutenant Shino Nozo ordered you all up to continue marching. It was cooler, and you had all already rested after watching the defense for hours. You only reported tumbleweeds."It was just a reconnaissance force up ahead. General Reigen Mugen wants us to get to the city within two days. We don't know if any loyalist forces are still putting up a fight," was all Lieutenant Shino Nozo said of it.>After two days of marching, passing by villages, acquiring maize and feed, you finally reached the outskirts of the City of the South, the original capital of the Heavenly Empire. Buildings slowly rising from two stories to five. It was said the City of the South was defended by mighty walls taller than any building, but you could not see it from here. Instead, sprinkled across the city-scape were many high-rise spires. You could hear the sporadic sound of gunfire from beyond.>Battery Green was placed in the rear of the line as reserves. You all pitched your tents but kept your packs lined up in a neat order. The order of the day was to stand by, although Lieutenant Shino Nozo left with all the officers to attend a strategy meeting. Before night, the Lieutenant returned."71st Infantry Cohort will be the main effort for us; we will be in reserves. As we have no guns, I hope you are all prepared to get close and dirty. The far right will prioritize seizing the nearby port for when the rest of the Legions arrive. Our focus will be too seize ground and a staging area for the Legion. Once we establish a foothold, we will conduct patrols until the main army arrives. The attack will commence at 0400 hours, so get some rest."You wouldn't all get to sleep the whole night. There was a watch rotation after all, and some of you were even posted up ahead to watch for any movement. These shifts lasted only an hour, and while you might be worried you'd want to sleep as much as you could before the big day, at least you weren't 71st Infantry Cohort.
>>6309135Wrong image, meant to post the whole section.
>>6309138>Nezu has never seen buildings this tall, nor a settlement this large. Unable to sleep well, he takes to doing a rough sketch of it. he loses steam part way through due to his still pervasive sense of doom and gloom, and so does not finish the work beyond some basic outlines, before laying down and "counting tumbleweeds" in his mind in an effort to fall asleep.
>>6309125Okay, guess I'll try to generate a new uniform-filler?>Name: Gorkau Orkaun>Skin Complexion: Lightly Tanned>Hair Color: Green with black patches (or the other way around)>Eye Color: Dark Orange>Ear Shape: Large, angular top>Other Facial/Head Features: Quite a square Jaw, heavy brow>Background: Second son of a brewer at Feather Falls. Kept a small cliff-side garden of herbs and mushrooms.
>>6309253Sorry, but dual-colored hair has to have one as white. It represents their piebaldness, the white patches essentially have no pigment. I suppose you'd rather have green/white hair instead of black/white? Otherwise everything is fine (even the ears).
>>6309270Ah, misunderstood that then. I might go with pure green hair then, no secondary colour, since we already have a green/piebald guy?..Feel free to use your judgement on what you think looks best.
>>6309138>Naro watches the lamps burn in the distant skyscrapers, wondering what people could ever want such tall buildings for. The smeltery chimney at home is way taller though, not that he'd ever admit to climbing the thing by ladder. He doesn't envy the 71st, potentially having to have to go door to door inside them.>It's cold on his watch with desert nights being uncomfortably chilly. Looking out into the dark as occasional distant gunfire cracks out in the night, he feels very vulnerable and alone and almost opens fire on an owl. It's a miracle he gets even a few hours of sleep afterwards.
>>6309138>Kiro, for his own, tries to force himself to sleep, to poor success. He lies awake in his bed, eyes shut, attempting not to think. >He wanted to join the Infantry when he registered - he wanted to see combat, to actually do something before being forced to go back to his lame village to do a lame job for the rest of his lame life. >But like this? He didn't like it. Not as part of something his unit wasn't meant or trained to do. But he was damned if he was gonna slip in the middle of a firefight because he didn't get enough sleep. >So he flipped his pillow once more, and tried to sleep again...
