RolePlayer.me

Valentines Day is just around the corner and it is nearly impossible to be a secret Valentine online. It's very hard to send an anonymous message or card and that is where we come in.You can be someone's secret Valentine simply by sending your message through the New York Post Office. Here's how it works.You send a message to the post office containing the following:* The message you want to send as a secret Valentine;* The link of the person you want to send the message to (Be sure to make it clickable so we can easily find them and relay your message.);* If you wish to send along a picture of a card, a bouquet, a gift or anything else you would like to send then include that as well.After this we will send the person in question a message from the New York Post Office. The receiver won't be able to tell who sent the message because all messages will come from this profile. The only ones that know who sent it are the Post Office employees and they are sworn to secrecy by penalty of death, no just kidding, they are sworn to secrecy though.   Added note I: If the people we are sending messages or comments to have private profiles and do not accept our friend request in time, we will unfortunately be unable to deliver your message. We do apologize but such is the problem with private profiles.   Added note II: To be able to keep better track of which messages have been sent and which haven't, it is easiest for us if you can sent each delivery in a new message. This way we can move the messages that have successfully been delivered to the saved box while the rest remain in our inbox. (Edit: Though the message system has since changed, we would still like to have all messages sent separately to help us keep track of things.) This will be the eleventh year the Post Office is in business! The first two years not many knew about the service provided by the Post Office so be sure to spread the word and help spread some Valentines Day love. We can't do this without your help! Who doesn't need a little love in their lives right? Looking forward to relaying your secret Valentines again this year! 

1. If added please discuss a storyline with me and if I request you I will discuss a storyline with you aswell although I do have a starter already made out.  If I add you then bare with me and I will send a starter comment when I can. I will not just be a number i'm here to Roleplay and be creative. 2. Don't god mode with me, if you do it with me then I'll just ignore it and block you. Danielle as of right now has very few mains  I'm in the midst of looking for her other Mains, if anyone is interested please let me know asap. I do things my way with my own characters. �@ 3. I'm a paragraph roleplayer, a multi-paragraph roleplayer and a novella roleplayer (Sometimes), One-liners, if you want to roleplay with a rper like me, It has to be atleast a 5 sentence comment or more. Unless discussed with me....Yes you are allowed to do part's in the comments. If you would like to learn I will be more then happy to help you. I will not Tolerate one liners. So do not test me with the one liners you will be instantly deleted. This goes for ALL of my profiles. I'm a writer and I appreciate it that if you want to rp with me then you step your damn game up and  write and not be boring.. think thats' about all Im gonna say for now. Dont like this shit then get the hell away from me, your not worth my time. �@ 4. Don't act like you know my character just because you see something in my display name and or from the show, she is completely my character different in all aspects she will bad mouth, she will talk back and she will be a smart ass when she wants to be. If and when my character does find the right guy she will be faithful to him completely, there will be NO CHEATING, if my characters gets cheated on by someone then They will be off my list in a heart beat. I'll roleplay with anybody. I will roleplay with people from other shows or movies like Supernatural, vampire diaries, ncis, ncis la, hawaii five 0, arrow, The Covenant, Twilight blah blah, and so on. This is roleplay, I'll do anything for the fun of it. It's a lot more fun that way when you have people who actually know how to  RP then just give you a line that says once again "Hi Danielle how are you doing?" Now that's fine if it's in messages but not in comments. And those of you who have already done that it's fine because i've already replied back to you on it. But from now on keep it in messages 5. This is Danielle's Storyline so please abide by it. I might be a bit bitchy here and there because of IDIOTS who won't stop with their shit so don't get offended. If you wanna be a close friend start rping with me and we'll see where it goes from there. Danielle is an original yes you might have seen my other profile like this around, this would be a back up profile if anything did happen to it and or just another place to come to when things aren't going  well on the other. I put my own swing into the character myself. IF YOU SEND A STARTER AND I REPLY TO IT AND THEN DON'T GET A REPLY AFTERWARDS OR IF I SEND A STARTER AND DON'T GET A REPLY AND I FEEL LIKE YOUR JUST COMPLETELY IGNORING AFTER A FEW DAYS YOU WILL BE DELETED AS WELL. 6. There will be no OOC talking in comments, Comments are strictly for RP. There are few people I will talk OOC with in message and comments and those people will know once they have been told it is ok to talk OOC. My profiles are to RP on not to just sit around. If you want to discuss storylines then that's what messages are fucking for. If you want to roleplay then that's what  COMMENTS are for. Do not sit there and expect me to roleplay in status comments because DUH that is not how I roleplay. I will NOT and I repeat WILL NOT Roleplay in status comments. Status's are how I express what my character feels and is doing. That doesn't mean roleplay in them. There's a reason why there's a damn comment box so I suggest you use it. 7.. In order for stuff to HAPPEN, it MUST be roleplayed out. It can't just be this is what's going to happen and poof it's done and over with. I will not allow it, it will be done the correct way. If not there's no damn point in even being here if roleplay isn't done the correct way. None of my profiles will be thrown into anything that is not roleplayed out. this shit is going back to the way it use to be dont like it then i suggest you delete yourselves off my profiles. 8. I will not take the fall for anyone else anymore, seems i've been doing that a lot lately and it's basically ruined roleplay for me. I'm tired of getting blamed for shit that I dont bring up but someone else does and I actually throw it out there because no one is willing to step up and face anyone when they have a problem. I will tell you that when and if it comes to it I am a fighter, I dont takes peoples shit, I do say what's on my mind and people do get threatened by it and scared to where they switch shit around and make it look like they aren't at fault for their wrong doings. I call it like it is, and see it like it is, if someone starts shit I call them out on it I dont run and hide. They can't hack that shit on how I'm truthful then get the fuck off my page. �@ 9. Last but not least, If your willing to abide by these rules then please by all means sign the rules if not then dont fucking send me a comment and delete yourself from my list. I take my roleplaying seriously, if i don't get back to your comments automatically Bare with me and I'll reply when I can.... I am not younger then 21 I am older then that. Not afraid to say my age either I am 34, and I have a daughter to raise and nephews and nieces to watch so I am very busy during the day, getting her off to school and doing things around the house keeping up with outside work and inside work as well.I DO HAVE A LIFE OUTSIDE OF ROLEPLAY THAT IS MORE A PRIORITY. if i do come on during the day it's because i'm relaxing finally. I'm mostly on at night after I get my daughter to bed and that would be around 8-8:30 eastern Standard time. So like I said bare with me please.. Thanks for reading and Comment letting me know that you read and Understand these rules, with your RL age and your favorite TV show growing up. Thanks, Danielle's Writer

Q.    CAN ANYONE JOIN?A.    Short answer, yes. Slightly longer answer, yes.... So long as you have a roleplaying character and you can make that character fit into a Middle Earth setting then absolutely, you are more than welcome and we would love to have you.Q.    HOW CAN I JOIN ?A.    You have two ways to do this. You can either contact the Fellowships main page requesting to join or you can contact Altariel, the storyline creator, directly. Either way, your message will be answered as quickly as possible and an entrance into the storyline will be conceived for just your character alone. All new members' entrance into the storyline is designed or created for just that character, we try to be original and creative and a lot of thought is put into it. Our public relations moderator Nymph is then informed of your entrance into the storyline and she will help to ease you in smoothly (most members are always enthusiastic about new members joining our storyline and will ensure you are made to feel welcome).Q.    GREAT I CONTACTED THEM; THEY SAID YES- WHAT NOW?A.    Sign the group rules here https://www.myspace.com/fellowship-of-the-simaril/blog/541910211 Once Altariel has told you when and how to bring in your character, your good to go !Q    WOW!, THERES ALOT OF POST'S TO READ, DO I HAVE TO READ THEM ALL BEFORE I JUMP IN?A.    Having a basic understanding of what our storyline is about will make the experience much more enjoyable for you but no, you do not have to read every single post that has already been written. If you would like to talk to one of our moderators they will be more than happy to give you a shorter simplified version on what is happening in the storyline around where your character is likely to join in. Over time it is hoped that you will come to love and enjoy it as much as we do.Q.    I'M WORKING FULL-TIME AND DON'T HAVE A LOT OF TIME TO SPARE, IS THAT A PROBLEM?A.    Most of our members are all very busy people and may only be able to log in once a week. Having a busy life is all part and parcel of being human and living in the real world. We come online to write as our characters to escape real life, many find it the perfect way to relax!Q.    SO ONE POST A WEEK WOULD BE ENOUGH?A.    If that's all you want to contribute, then we are delighted to have it. If you would like to post once a day, brilliant, if you can't, then don't worry. All we would ask if that if you plan to be away for an extended period of time, let us know and we will work our characters around that to include yours in our posts. Q.    I HAVE MORE THEN ONE CHARACTER, CAN I BRING THEM IN TOO?A.    All new characters are treated as a new member and must follow the same procedures as any other new member. Basically you have to contact Altariel and explain this new character to her so that she can fit them into the storyline too.Q.    IS THERE A LIMIT ON THE AMOUNT OF CHARACTER'S I CAN ROLE-PLAY?A.    It is not that there is a limit but we do prefer a variation of characters. Having multiple characters within the same group who are similar in a lot of ways is very tiring on the other members not to mention confusing. Having a really good imagination and writing one character well is better than multiple characters that all look and sound then same.Q.    I HAVE THIS BRILLIANT IDEA AND WANT TO TRY IT OUT, CAN I ?A.    Once again, you need to contact Altariel who is our storyline creator. She usually is working far in advance planning what will be happening in the coming weeks/months of our storyline. All ideas should be run by her first to prevent any confusion or diversion from where the storyline is at. Sometimes a really good idea can get lost if it is placed in the wrong part of a storyline, Altariel will make sure that any ideas are seriously considered before they are used and credit given where it is due.Q.    I SEE OTHERS ROLEPLAYING ANIMALS, CAN I DO THAT TOO?A.    Yes as you can see we have many talented writers within our group. Everyone is encouraged to be as creative as they like, within reason of course. As stated at the start of this FAQ page, once your character fits into the realm of Middle Earth as Tolkien perceived it, then there should not be a problem. Contact a mod just to be sure.Q.    THE IDEAS WHERE DO YOU GET THEM?Our storyline is a completely original idea dreamt up by our very own Jo who writes as Altariel. The rest of the moderators are here to help her to get this idea out to anyone who would like to take part upon this amazing quest. The various ideas used within the storyline are usually thought of by Jo and the other moderators.Q.    CAN I USE THEM?A.    As with all ideas, they belong to the person that thought of them. As a group, we encourage all our members to be original and imaginative. We love to see people use their own imagination and produce new and exciting things for us to read.Q.    YEAH BUT CAN I USE ONE OF YOUR IDEAS SOMEWHERE ELSE, NOT ON MYSPACE?A.    If you ask permission from the group, they will let you know, depending on which idea you like. If you take something that is not your own idea and use it somewhere else claiming it to be your own, then the group will not look favourably on this. It is considered plagiarism, this is not a good idea and we do not recommend or encourage it.Q.    WHAT IF I TAKE SOMETHING THAT'S NOT MINE AND USE IT ANYWAY?A.    You will be asked to remove it immediately and to not steal from anyone again. As was said earlier, original and individual imagination is far better than stealing and be known as a thief.Q.    I HAVE THIS PERSON I WANT TO USE FOR MY DEFAULT PROFILE, IS THAT OK?A.    What pictures you choose to use for your own character is your decision completely. All we would ask is that to make sure that another member of the group is not already using the same person for theirs. This would be too confusing for everyone not to mention disrespectful to the person already using it.Q.    I WANT TO PLAY A MAIN CHARACTER FROM LORD OF THE RINGS.A.    As long as we do not have that character already, then there should not be a problem. If you are unsure if we have that character already, then just contact any of the mods. We only allow one of each character in the group (multiples of the same character just doesn't work! )Q.    SOUNDS GREAT BUT WHAT HAPPENS IF THERE IS SOMEONE THERE DOESN'T LIKE ME?A.    No matter where we go in life, we will never like everyone nor will everyone like us. If you have a problem with another roleplayer in particular, then just let us know and we will help if any problems arise within the storyline. We usually advice our members if there is a personality clash to avoid each other. If problems persist, then the moderators will do all they can to help.Q.    THERE IS ONE MEMBER SENDING ME MESSAGES THAT I DO NOT LIKE OR WANT TO RECIEVE, WHAT DO I DO ?A.    If you are receiving any unsolicited messages, IM's or comments from another member of our group, we would ask you to save them and to send them on to our Security Department where they will try to sort out any problems and put a stop to it. This group is strictly against bullying in any form, we do not tolerate it.Q.    THAT'S ALL VERY WELL, BUT THERE IS ONE MEMBER OF THIS GROUP THAT IS DRIVING ME CRAZY!A.    Our first answer to that will always be, ignore them. If problems persist, we then advice our members to remove the person they do not like or are having problems with, from their friends lists and have nothing to do with them.Our Security Dept. does not cover, disputes between members, who's character pages or RL pages are not role-playing in our group! If you are getting targeted upon- Facebook- or any other site our Group does not actively write upon. There is little we can do! Our advise is block the Member and place an official complaint to the site you are on about them.Security upon the Fellowship, pertains to conflicts between character's in our group and the SL, or non Members trying to drag our group and members into Drama, publicly! - The Security Department can not and will not Police, everyone's RL accounts, or Facebook accounts! - Though they may offer advice on how to steer clear of other accounts the offenders might have. Q.    OK, i'VE DONE AS YOU'VE ASKED. i'VE IGNORED THEM, DELETED THEM, BLOKED THEM BUT THEY ARE STILL MAKING COMMENTS ABOUT ME ON MY FRIENDS STATUS'S AND I CAN SEE THEM THERE.A.    In this case, our Security Department will more than likely be fully aware of issues between two members. Our advice would be to copy and paste any offending comments, remarks, status' etc. into a message and forward them on immediately to the Security Department. We would ask you to please not try to deal with this yourself, do not try to reason or contact the person making these comments, let the Security guys take care of it, they are very experienced in this area and usually sort it out promptly. At this point, the offender will usually get a warning from us.Q.    I'VE DONE ALL YOU HAVE ASKED AND EVEN CONTACTED THE SECURITY DEPARTMENT BUT THE BULLY STILL WON'T LEAVE ME ALONE. I WANT TO LEAVE THE GROUP; IT'S JUST NOT WORTH IT A.    Rarely we get to the point that the Security Department has not been able to sort a matter like this out. When a situation develops and a member of our group has been found to bullying another member then the matter is taken very serious. If after the bully has been contacted and asked to stop their offending behaviour and they still persist, all evidence gathered is prepared and presented to the 11 moderators. The moderators will then hold a vote as to whether they will go to group voting and if the bully will be asked to leave the group. They will then not be allowed to write within our group or storyline again.Group Voting is determined, upon the moderators, placing their votes ( opinions) regarding the offender's actions. If the majority vote decides group voting has been reached, then all evidence of the rp'ers actions will be sent out to all writers upon our members list, they then will place a vote as to wither they believe the offender should be allowed to stay or asked to resign, with the majority vote ruling.Q.    DO I HAVE TO ADD ALL THE OTHER MEMBER'S OF THE GROUP TO MY FRIENDS LIST? I DON'T KNOW WHO MOST OF THEM ARE.A.    No, not at all. You are responsible for your own character and who you would like them to associate with.Q.    I SEE YOU HAVE FOS AFTER YOUR NAMES, DO I HAVE TO DO THAT TOO?A.    Yes you do, to considered a member of both groups the FOS . The letters ~FOS~ after our names helps to distinguish our characters by associating them with each other and our group. We are very proud of our group and our groups status within the roleplay world. Our group is recognised for our standing on bullying and being against any drama tactics. We strive to provide a safe environment for all our members and pride ourselves on our achievements in this area.Q.    SPEAKING OF DRAMA, I HATE THAT MORE THEN ANYTHING.A.    You are not the only one. We do not tolerate drama within our group. We write a story together, sometimes very complex, sometimes just for fun, any member found to drag drama into the group will be asked to remove it immediately.Q.    OK I'VE JUST POSTED AND SOMEONE HAS POSTED AFTER ME AND I THINK THEY HATE MY CHARACTER!A.    Firstly, we would ask you to go back and read their reply to your post again. Now ask yourself, is it their 'character' who is replying to you? Or is it a personal reply from the writer behind that character? Our members take their characters very seriously and some write their characters portraying them as cross or aggravated which can come across wrong if you read their post in the wrong context. Most of our writers are seasoned and very experienced writers and will not let personal feelings come through in their posts to our group.Q.    I'M NOT SURE WHAT I SHOULD DO NOW, WHAT SHOULD I DO?A.    Ask! If you are unsure about anything, always ask, it costs nothing and saves a lot of worry. You can either contact the other member directly, telling them you are unsure of their post and they should be able to explain it to you. Or, you may contact one of the mods, they will be only too happy to help you out too.Q.    NO I'M SURE IT WAS A PERSONAL DIG AT ME!A.    If that is definitely the case, then posts like that will not be tolerated and will be removed from the storyline. We do not allow any form or bullying or drama tactics to enter into our storylines.Q.    I WRITE FOR OTHER GROUPS TOO, IS THAT GOING TO CAUSE  PROBLEMS ?A.    Absolutely not! We encourage all members to write wherever they feel comfortable. Writing is a hobby, you should be enjoying it with whoever you like !Q.    I'M HEARING SOMETHING ABOUT A BALL? WHAT IS THAT ALL ABOUT'?A.    A few times a year our group will host a Ball. Sometimes the Ball will be linked into our storyline, other times it might be for a festive occasion. These Balls are open to all writers within Myspace to come and join in. We will give you plenty of notice when they are to be held, and also where they will be held. We move them around to different accounts depending on which character we think people might enjoy.

  FELLOWSHIP OF THE SILMARILLION'S   RULES OF RP     1)RESPECT IS TO BE GIVEN AT ALL TIMES, TO ALL RP'ER'S WITHIN THE FAMILY OF THE OF FELLOWSHIP.   2) ALL RP WITHIN THE SL'S OF THE GROUP, MUST FALL WITHIN THE PERIMETERS OF THE SL ENGAGED IN - OR WILL BE DELETED FROM THE SL - All family member's are free to make personal rp's still in stats messages etc.   3) IF JOINING AS A TOLKIEN CHARACTER, YOU MUST! ROLE-PLAY IN CHARACTER, AT ALL TIMES!   4) OTHER CHARACTERS, ARE ALLOWED BUT DO NOT USE ANY CHARACTER PHOTO OR NAME, ASSOCIATED ALREADY WITH A TOLKIEN CHARACTER,IN THE GROUP - IT WILL RESULT IN YOU BEING ASKED TO CHANGE YOUR PHOTO, NAME - OUT OF RESPECT FOR THE ORIGINAL MEMBER.5) ALL ROLE-PLAYERS MUST POST A BIT ABOUT THEIR CHARACTER, -THEY ROLE-PLAY IN THE CHARACTER INFO TOPIC, TO HELP OTHER ROLE-PLAYERS UNDERSTAND YOUR CHARACTERS TRAITS, HELPING TO STOP OFFENCE WITH WRITTEN MISTAKES ABOUT CHARACTERS.6) TRY TO KNOW YOUR TOLKIEN CHARACTERS! NOT ONLY WILL IT HELP YOU WITH ROLE-PLAY, BUT WILL STOP TOLKIEN'S CHARACTER ROLE-PLAYER'S FROM GETTING OFFENDED.................REMEMBER!!!!! IF YOU ARE NOT SURE IF IT'S AN ACTUAL TOLKIEN CHARACTER.......ASK!  The Mods are there to help all RP'ers within the family!7) THE FELLOWSHIP IS A GROUP  WHOM RESPECTS ALL RPER'S,   - We pride our-self's, on the belief that all RP'ers are equal!  And hence have created a group, where all rpers should be free, from slander, drama,stalking, bulling and jealousy! - Instead giving all the opportunity, to feel, safe,and part of something very special, while they relax, and have fun with rp. SO -a) DRAMA WILL NOT BE TOLERATED UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES OR GUISES.  THAT INCLUDES IN THE STORY-LINE, IN MESSAGES, IN COMMENTS, STATS OR ON IM.  IF YOU HAVE A PROBLEM THAT YOU CANNOT DEAL WITH ON A ONE TO ONE BASIS THEN PLEASE! - MESSAGE THE MODS OF THE GROUP AND THEY WILL TRY TO SORT OUT THE PROBLEM BEFORE IT  ESCALATES.   b)IF IT IS BROUGHT TO THE MOD'S ATTENTION,  THAT ANY MEMBER WHO IS UNHAPPY WITH A GROUP RELATED MATTER IS TRYING TO CAUSE DRAMA, THEN THE FELLOWSHIP, WILL HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO  ISSUE A WARNING! IF THE RP'ER PERSISTS, WITH DRAMA, THEN UPON THE AGREEMENT OF ALL FELLOWSHIP MODS - .THE SITUATION, WILL THEN BE TAKEN TO A GROUP VOTING, WHERE ALL MEMBER'S OF THE GROUP, INCLUDING THE RP'ER RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DRAMA, GET TO VOTE WITHER, THEY SHOULD STAY, OR BE ASKED TO RESIGN.- WITH A MAJORITY VOTE RULING.8) MOST IMPORTANT!!!! HAVE FUN AT ALL TIMES  MOD'S FOR THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE SIMARILLI ARE - FOUNDER OF THE GROUP: Altariel. HEAD MOD-  Elven King Thranduil.GROUP MOD'S - Legolas, Elrond, Ereinion, Glorfindel, Gimli, Tarilhir, Jasper, Erzi & DeorhildThe fact that are so many Mod's for the group, ensures all decisions are fair, to all rpers around the globe, and guarantees all RP'ers a Mod for the group is never far away, or hard to get hold of.

Creed picked up Melia, and flashed to the bottom of the boat, where his new slave was holding her child. Both beaten and worn, they watched him wearily, the child whimpering. Creed lay Melia on a bed and pointed to her, staring at the slave. "Heal her!"

The Beta programs are various projects to exploit viral reprogramming of the human genome to create superhumans. The object of these programs was to develop super-soldier-spies. Integration into the Bourne The Beta programs are retconned into the Bourne film continuity in The Bourne Legacy (film), as the reason why Jason Bourne is a superior subject as compared to the average wetworks teams and spies. He is retconned to be a Beta-I series project subject. All Blackbriar and Treadstone operatives are retconned to be Beta project subjects, Blackbriars being Beta-II series. History �@ The program originated in an accident at USAMRIID at Fort Dettrick, when Dr. Dan Hillcott examined the 5 dead scientists after a viral accident. He discovered a way to modify the human genome. This lead to his collaboration with Dr. Albert Hirsch to create the foundation of the Beta programs. The programs modified human cognition (blue pills) and human muscle power (green pills). Eventually these could be obviated by full viral modification of the human genome, and permanent enhancement, but it resulted in a severe flu-like condition, where the subject could die. Dr. Hirsch is part of the Black operations side of the government, while Dr. Hilcott works at Sterisyn-Morlanta (a Candent Group company). The pills are manufactured by Morlanta Pacific in Manila, Philippines. The entire Beta programs are overseen by the National Research Assay Group. Projects The first project in the program was Emerald Lake (Beta-0 series), the original of the enhanced spies. They used two viral factors to induce increased muscle and cognition abilities. However withdrawal of the viral factors lead to loss of the skills imbued by the viral factors, necessitating the need to keep popping the pills. The loss of the cognition factor lead to a decline in baseline cognition below that of the subject prior to induction into the program. After Emerald Lake, several Beta-I series projects were initiated, for the Black programs, JSOC, and the CIA. The CIA program was Treadstone. These improved programs still had bugs to work out. The next step were the Beta-II series projects. Treadstone-upgrade, Treadstone without the inconsistencies was what came to be Blackbriar. It was a Beta-II project. It was not the only one. The JSOC program was Outcome. LARX was Treadstone without the inconsistencies, Outcome without the emotional attachment, and was the latest Beta-III project.

Operation Treadstone Operation Treadstone (or usually just Treadstone; in the novels, Treadstone71 or Treadstone Seventy-One) was a top-secret black ops program of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in the Jason Bourne series of novels and movies. It recruited only U.S. Service members to turn them into nearly superhuman assassins and was formed in direct response to the Congressional Act which banned the U.S. from partaking in any assassinations. It used a behavior-modification program to break down the assassins' morality and make them effective nearly unstoppable living weapons. After the morality break down, presumably, the assassins received advanced training in sniping, hand to hand combat techniques, and tradecraft. The last surviving member of Treadstone is . It had a successor, which was . In the novels, it was formed after the Vietnam War. Treadstone71 was the successor to the pre-Vietnam Operation Silverlake. Treadstone is so top-secret that several Deputy Directors of the CIA have no idea that it even exists. In the books, Treadstone headquarters is located in New York City and looks simply like a dilapidated house but is in reality a fortress, having bullet resistant glass and multiple security systems. It is, in this context, a top secret operation to trap the international assassin, Carlos, by creating a mythical assassin called Cain. In the movies, Treadstone is headquartered in an office at CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia. Its membership consists of many agents, who are essentially assassins, based in different countries around the world. As sleeper agents they lead normal lives (piano teachers, businessmen, etc) until "activated". At this point they can be quickly deployed on missions after which they presumably go back to their daily lives until called upon again. Access to Treadstone archives and files require a Level 5 Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI) clearance or higher. Staff Ward Abbott - Head of Operations. Alexander Conklin - Field Director. Stationed in Langley, Virginia. Albert Hirsch - Director of the Treadstone training program. Neal Daniels - Superivising Training Officer. Nicky Parsons - Field logistics coordinator and agent handler. Stationed in Paris, France. Daniel Zorn - Assistant to Conklin, and later to Abbott. Operatives �@ Treadstone operatives are very capable assassins. They leave no trace of their existence. Conklin states that while anyone can carry out an assassination, Treadstone agents are meant to be "invisible". "They don't make mistakes. They don't do random. There's always an objective, always a target." �\Nicky ParsonsHYPERLINK "/wiki/The_Bourne_Supremacy"[src] Treadstone operatives are highly trained in numerous killing techniques such as turning nonlethal objects into lethal weapons. They are nearly superhuman proficient at using firearms or other weapons, sharpshooting, using explosives, operating vehicles, (advanced) hand-to-hand combat, and many martial arts techniques. All Treadstone agents are also observed to have excellent observational skills, heightened target awareness, lightning reflexes, hyper peak of human physical condition, escape-evasion abilities, and mental process which also gives them the ability to think quickly and calmly in stressful situations. The following is a list of known members (current and former) of Treadstone: Known Assets Jason Bourne/Cain [David Webb] - Based out of Paris, France. Professor - Based out of Barcelona, Spain. Castel - Based out of Rome, Italy. Manheim - Based out of Hamburg, Germany. Jarda - Based out of Munich, Germany. Bootlace - Based out of Calshot, UK Secret 01- Based out of (Classified Lev.6). Paz - Based out of London, England Chimp Beaver Eagle Brick Hornet Pyramid Owl Blue Jay Objective- Red Rum Physical / Psychological Effects Due to the stringent and experimental training program, Treadstone operatives were recorded to have experienced a number of physical problems due from the physical and mental enhancement. These include suffering from chronic headaches, which seem to never go away, consistent fatigue, due to the stresses of their job and sensitivity to bright lights. The most dramatic effect is amnesia. This was only experienced once, by Jason Bourne. Bourne's amnesia was the result of his being shot and left for dead after a mission in the Mediterranean Sea. Amnesia was extremely rare and considering their regular circumstances should not have happened. He lost his entire memory, including his name, origin and profession. He retained basic functions, such as addition, subtraction, making coffee, knot tying, and shuffling cards. He also retains an almost instinctive ability to perform well in combat situations. As of The Bourne Supremacy, he has regained parts of his memory, mostly those related to the most emotionally charged of his past actions (i.e. his assassination missions). �@ Status �@ Treadstone is currently, as of The Bourne Legacy film, inactive. It was shut down two years before Supremacy, at the end of The Bourne Identity film. In Legacy, Treadstone has been retconned to be a Beta program along with Blackbriar, for creating superspies through genetic engineering.

Operation Outcome Operation Outcome, a program that is an improvement over Operation Treadstone and possibly even Operation Blackbriar. The Outcome agents had two of their chromosomes altered, giving them better recovery from physical injuries with additional unknown benefits. Since Treadstone agents were prone to physical and psychiatric ailments such as strength, speed, depression, anger, compulsive behaviors, headaches, sensitivity to light, and in Jason Bourne's case amnesia the program may have been designed to overcome those obstacles after Bourne went rogue and Treadstone was upgraded to Blackbriar. A point of distinction between Outcome versus Treadstone or Blackbriar is that Outcome agents are better prepared to talk their way out of trouble rather than fight. When Bourne and Pamela Landy exposed both Treadstone and Blackbriar to the public in The Bourne Ultimatum film, Agent Byer (Edward Norton) decides to execute all of the Outcome agents worldwide and the R&D staff including Dr. Marta Shearing . Unlike Treadstone and Blackbriar, Opreation Outcome is not a CIA program. It is like the other two, in that it is a Beta program project. <a href="https://s1339.beta.photobucket.com/user/redrome500/media/1-4_zpsbe04ff42.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="https://i1339.photobucket.com/albums/o707/redrome500/1-4_zpsbe04ff42.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 1-4_zpsbe04ff42.jpg"/></a>

DISCLAIMER: I swear like a sailor OOC. Be forewarned when reading my rules. If they offend you, then clearly you are breaking one or more of them and maybe you and I shouldn't RP. Just sayin.Since I've been gone for awhile, I'd say it's that time again. I will NOT RP with anyone who hasn't READ and SIGNED these rules before they contact me about a storyline. Believe me, I can tell if you haven't read them.1. SPELL- AND GRAMMAR-CHECK!!! This is my #1 pet-f***ing-peeve. Hence why it's #1. I DO NOT care how long it takes you to respond, you NEED to check your spelling and grammar when you write. I have to do it all day, every day for a living, and it drives me up a wall when someone cannot take 5 minutes to use the INTERNET or a f***ing dictionary to look up a word. Also, I DON'T GIVE A RATS ASS how they do it at Marvel, Inc. My character has one of the thickest accents in the entire Marvel Universe, which is why when she is SPEAKING the words are spelled incorrectly, but my descriptive paragraphs are ALWAYS spelled correctly, unless by some miracle a misspelled word got past me, because hey, it happens. We are all here to have fun, but I will NOT read and then re-read your sh*t 5 times to try to decipher it. I will simply tell you I can't understand it and could you please take a look at it again. If the sh*tty spelling and grammar continues, I will contact you OOC. If you get pissed at me, then: a) you did it wrong, you KNOW you did it wrong, and you are pissed because I called you on it, or b) you're too lazy to check it in the first place, and you are pissed because I called you on it. Either way I DON'T GIVE A F***. *FIX IT* and quit your bitching, or delete me and go find a sh*tty Rogue to RP with who doesn't give a damn about your crappy spelling.1a. I do not tolerate IM and/or text speak in RP. I am guilty of it in messages sometimes because I type so fast and have a lot to say, but you will NEVER see me doing it in a blog, comment storyline, etc. DON'T DO IT TO ME.2. I do not roleplay as any specific version of Rogue, I roleplay as the version that I am most familiar with, which is the Rogue that still has all of her powers...and by that I do mean *ALL* of her powers. (Earth 616 version, not Evo, not Movie, just plain ole, good ole fashioned Rogue)3. Rogue (as I RP her) CANNOT control her skin. This is a fact of life. Deal with it.4. Do not attempt to touch Rogue unless she initiates the contact, or unless we are involved in a fight SL. This should be pretty self-explanatory. If not, see #3.5. Rogue does NOT give out her name. Her name is NOT Marie. (I realize that Rogue's name has been revealed as Anna Marie, but I do not play that way, I prefer the mystery....that's just how I like it)6. Do not assume that Rogue knows who you are. Just like in real life. Unless this has been proven by Marvel Canon or Ret-conned in, forget it. You need to introduce yourself as part of the initial RP. (i.e., Rogue would naturally know Storm, Gambit, or one of her other X-Men teammates from the good ole days, but not necessarily a member of say, the Avengers, or the FF)7. NO GOD-MODDING!!!! This is a straight-up d*ck move. Don't do it. We're all here to have fun. No one can do that if someone has decided not to take their hits. Even I take my hits, and my character is invulnerable to most things. If I can take my hits, so should you. When in doubt, DON'T BE A DOUCHEBAG. 8. My RP style is para- and multi-para. As such, I will only RP in messages under EXTREMELY specific conditions. 9 times out of 10, it will not happen, so you should probably not even bother to ask. There are a select few that I will RP with in messages. You know who you are.9. One-liners, "thanks for the add", and other useless comment sh*t has NO PLACE on my page. If you put it up there I WILL DELETE IT. Keep it to yourself, please.10. PICTURES - Many of my pictures were given to me by a VERY dear friend who no longer plays as Rogue. She is one of the best Roleplayers of Rogue that I've ever seen. All of the others I got myself. Having said that, DO NOT STEAL MY SH*T. If I see my pics on anyone else's page, I will call you on it and post a bulletin with the URL on it to show everyone what an a**hole you are. Again, when in doubt, DON'T BE A DOUCHEBAG.11. If I add you, I send the starter...if you add me, then you need to send the starter. If you add me and a week goes by and I don't here from you, I'm going to delete you.12. RP and RL are two SEPARATE things. We all have both, so accept that sometimes it may take awhile for me to get back to you. I have a lot of stuff going on IRL (as does everyone else), and sometimes I just can't stay up all night RPing like some lucky folks get to do. That's pretty much it.....if you read and sign these rules, I WILL hold you to them. Basically that means that I assume if you signed them, you read them. You break em...and out the door you go, because I absolutely will *not* coddle you because you decided that you wanted to be a slackass RPer.

                                                                                 Rules & Regulations                                                                      Please read and follow the rules 01. No Drama or BS;  I will respect you as long as you respect me and my boundries. So with that said, I ask that everyone to stop bringing me there drama and there issues. Don't come onto my page and start a mess or a riot of any kind that is not even worthy or related to role play.I am here to have fun I am sure you are too, so lets drop the BS and just leave your drama at the door, if not you will get deleted.  02. No God Moding; I know this is rare but do not kill off my character, or control him. I am the person behind him and I choose his fate what happens to him.  03. No Stealing / Jocking; We all know that we work hard for our pics, please do not jock/ steal my pics. If you want one I will go out of my way to get you one or heck it might even be better than mine. Clearly my pics are tagged, and if found  I will call you out on it, and if you still do it I will block you and black list you. Letting everyone know that you couldn't follow a simple rule.( If you got this far, please post what you like about Teen wolf.)  04. Para, Multi-Para & Novella; I accept all three role playing styles. I like at less five (5) proper sentences or more, in my para at all times. I normally love multiple paragraphs at a time, at less two (2) to six (6) at a time. I like something to read, and I like something to reply to. I also like Novella, and I will role play with Novella role player's if they ask me nicely to. I normally don't do it often, but when it comes around I easily do it and I love it. Also it normally does take me a slight bit longer to reply to Novella role playing. Due to the fact that sometimes I am not always inspired, and I rather give my best work then something less of it. I am a perfectionist, I admit that willingly.  05. Literacy Required;  now normally I do not post, or mention this rule cause it is common sense that if someone doesn't understand something that can GOOGLE it. However, I noticed a few group of people are not trying to even understand what some words mean. So I am just hoping that people will take this rule under consideration mostly and learn to widen there vocabulary skills. I mean no one wants to role play with someone they have to repeatedly explain what they are writing.   06. Grammar & Correct Spelling's;  I am truly not gods gift, I do make mistakes here and there, but I try to make myself better and if you point it out I will correct myself and will try my best no to make the same mistake again. I know there are picky people out there but I will let it slide for a bit but when it comes to text talk, I will not reply and just delete your comment. ( if you gotten this far, please post Who is your favorite Teen Wolf Character.)  07. Discussions & Story lines;  Honestly when it comes to discussion I am all for it, I love to chit chat ooc and discuss what will happen between our characters. I do tend to chit chat a bit more coming up with more ways that our characters can be involved with one another. Or sometimes I would say if you would want to wing it, that means just go with the flow, I have done this with some people and they actually like what happens to our characters in rp. So hit me up and lets do this.    08. Messages & Comments; now this is a very, very easy rule to follow.  I like to talk and chit-chat out of character as well as discuss story lines in my messages mostly.  I however will not role play in messages, not one bit. I like to role play in comments, cause it helps me keep track and follow up on what I owe and what is owed to me. I find this simple and easy to do, but if it isn't for you.. then just delete me, cause it be a waste of time of trying to discuss a story line with you just to have it not work out or turn into some sort of drama. Hint why I throw this information into my rules each and every single time...  09. Starters & Replies; now I know that people are busy and that life can get sort of in the way and it's the same for me. I try and do what I can when I can and how fast I can without being to speedy so I can send my most quality work out each and every time. Normally if I take on the role of sending a starter, it takes me longer then most people to get them out.. due to the fact, I role play with a lot of people. So I ask most people when it comes to starter's and replies, to be so very patient. Cause patience is a virtual that we all need. I also normally see if the other people can do the starter, if not.. and asked properly, I be more then happy to. As for replies, it's the same thing.. I Take my time, so please take your time to. (please post what is your favorite candy.)  10. Mature Content & Love Interest;  I am a very mature role playing individual. As it also says on my header picture, I am into "Mature Content." I like to role play love scenes and other erotica like story lines. I am very interested in getting them kind of story lines going as well as build my role play around proper substance. I am not all about the "erotica" themed style stuff. I will throw that out now, I look for more substance then anything in a role play, cause it isn't a role play if you don't got substance over anything else, but I welcome erotica in my story lines.  I am also a multiple love interest profile as well. I however will not just take anyone on as my lover or love interest. I am very picky in who I choose and I will not just be with anyone fully. I wanna make sure I pick the right person for me, someone I can trust and have a good time with. Someone who understand and gets me.. simple as that. Until then I am just going to have fun and have a good time role playing on this profile. But when I find that one person I click with, its hands off and I stay loyal to that person. But If I feel or see that I am being cheated on or being played I do my thing.    11. HAVE FUN! Yes that is it, HAVE FUN, don't take things to heart and don't tell me who I can be with and such, I am east to get along with, just back off if I tell you to stop, you keep on pushing me to the edge. I will delete you and block you. I tend to clean out my friends list in a two weeks, if you do not show any sign you want to rp, then you got to go, sorry I don't like to keep people around to talk, you can easy chat it up at least.12. Mains: I know when it comes to main, there is suppose to be a select few but I want to give everyone a chance I dont like to shun out people, like others do. I believe everyone has talent or that writers gift and sure they might need help but hey as long as we are rping and having fun that is all it matters.I have already 3 Lydia 4 Jackson, and 2 issax so if you wants something let me know and lets talk. Any Restrictions .. only on one part and thats li and that spot is filled already. Unless otherwise that spot is never gonna be mutli and stuff. just throwing it out there. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I claim the right to change and alter my rules at any time. when signing this blog, you agree in taking Knowledge to that.   please do not sign my rules with "Read & Underwood" I will know if you did not read them if you post that. Please sign with the following, plus your signature. Thank you!

*waits* come for me hashirama!! i'll kill you senju scum

  on the equinox.Site Here.   Envied Riches (Rper.me)A Separate Peace™ (Rper.me)TRICK OR TREAT. (Rper.me)ϟ𝐃𝐈𝐒𝐒𝐄𝐍𝐃𝐈𝐔𝐌 (Rper.me)The Awakening (Rper.me) 𝚄𝙽𝙳𝙴𝚁𝙱𝚁𝙾𝙾𝙺𝙴 (Rper.me)VELVET premades, (Rper.me)CABINET OF CURIOSITIES (Rper.me)𝑩𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒅𝑹𝒆𝒊𝒈𝒏 (Rper.me)𝕿aste 𝕿he 𝕭lood (Rper.me)𝓗𝓸𝓶𝓮𝓬𝓸𝓶𝓲𝓷𝓰 (Rper.me)Breathe Again. (Rper.me)𝐌𝐢𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐫𝐬 & 𝐌irages (Rper.me)𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐎𝐒𝐌𝐎𝐒 (Rper.me)Empire State (Rper.me)Site Here.Site Here.Site Here. 

*Lycan had chosen to leave the DSW in the capable hands of his sister Kelly Derakas and had taken just his flagship and his warship "The Mirage" and "The Pride of Korriban" as the ships headed out of DSW space and into the unknown regions of space in the outer rim as he stayed in his command throne onboard The Mirage the other smaller class of ship was within the forward bays of the massive ship. Lycan ordered the crews to rotation shift and had left all comms lines open to search for a noble quest for the old Sith Lord, he had hit 5000 years of age and was still young for his species maybe in this quest or search he would find his species, the Scarrens had vanished after a war with the Jedi their loses to great to stay on their homeworld scattered to the far reaches of the galaxy as far as the old scrolls in the Derakas palace vaults said.((more to come))

STARTERS NOTE: Let me know if you can work with any of the starters bellow as they are or if you want me to personalize them to better fit your character and story! | ~* STARTER 1 The Roman Republic - the City of Capua Relations between Rome and the Persian-Parthian Empire, collectively known as Iranians, had long been tense. While the once again united Iranian nation strove to regain the territories of their once vast empire, the largest the word had ever known, before being invaded by Alexander of Macedonia and divided by his general following his death, the emerging Roman force in the west also sought to bring under their dominance all the territories that Alexander had once claimed and then go even further. Yet, such concepts served only to further sway the men whose accord was needed for such endeavors and motivate the men who had to partake in the impending military campaigns essential in the completion of such goals. The main reason for conquest was a simpler one, which was the main reason for all wars, namely resources, and the east was a rich land overflowing with unique items and astonishing novelties. For many years now Rome had eagerly drunk from the rich spring flowing from the east, to the point that it had become dependent on those luxurious commodities, especially the aristocracy which, in no way different from the aristocracies of other nations, better secured their position by constantly amazing their fellow citizens with some bewildering novelty that they alone had come to possess. As the Roman Republic continued to expand and develop, the task of securing a constant flow of the now much needed commodities from the east became a thing of great concern, especially since the Iranians had once again secured control over much of their former empire, except for the coastal regions of the Middle Sea and Anatolia, including the Kingdom of Armina, the northern neighbor of the Persian-Parthian Empire. To the west, the barrier between the Empire of the Iranians and the territories either directly or indirectly controlled by the Roman Republic, was the river Ufrātu River. Long, arduous battles between the Romans and the Iranians, with grave casualties on either sides, made the two nations realize that they had met their equal and neither could be able to definitively defeat and subdue the other. Whatever victories either side might gain, it would only be temporary and the balance would soon shift, reverting the order of things to its previous state. This was due to the vastness of the territories controlled by either side and the diverse array of nations that inhabited those lands, with the people of the western and eastern hemispheres generally being at odds with each other in both culture, tradition and way of life, despite some similarities that proved the differences were merely the result of different contexts. Continuous warfare would offer the people of both nations a tense and scarce existence, with the need to divert most resources towards sustaining military campaigns. As such, the primary means of assuring future prosperity and social development became trade, an emblem of civilization after all. To ensure the stability and security of trade routes, the Iranians and Romans first had to come to terms on a multitude of relating subjects and sign detailed treaties. Ambassadors from both sides were sent to the partner nation where they would be granted residence and the freedom to represent the interests of their nation, while respecting the laws of that land. On more important occasions, high representatives of each nation would visit their commercial partners in their homeland. This type of visit brought Maniya to Rome for a second time, although the first time when the visit was an official one and of such high stature. Following her marriage to the second-oldest son of the King of Kings, almost two years before, Maniya kept her adoptive name of Mahtab and continued to perform the duties that came with being the heir of the House Kurush-Hakhāmanish, the oldest, wealthiest and most prominent Iranian dynasty. Due to her previous knowledge and experience in such matters, as well as being more familiar with the Roman world, mostly because of the tortures she had suffered at their hands - something she kept secret and no longer sought vengeance for, Maniya was allowed by the King of Kings, with the joint approval of the Royal Council, to head the diplomatic mission to Rome. She was the one who made the proposition for such an excursion, in light of recent events. Back when the peace and commerce treaties between Rome and the Iranian Empire had not yet taken a final shape, military confrontations still occurred between the Persian-Parthian military contingents stationed at the western border of the empire and the legions assigned to the neighboring Roman province of Syria. One such confrontation had been delayed by means of foregoing negotiations and then averted altogether when Maniya discovered that the Legatus in charge was someone she was acquainted with, a Roman who had actually saved her life. (Legatus Titus Flavius Virilus) It happened years before, in Britannia, when she was a young woman in her early twenties, travelling the world alone so as to explore it with the eyes of a common individual. There she was mistaken for a Britton rebel, with whom she had sought shelter, and crucified together with all the rebels who had been caught. Titus Flavius Virilus, then a Centurion in rank, took notice of the peculiar looking boy with messy short hair and realized it was in fact a girl. She convinced him that she was not a Britton by addressing him in Greek after she realized that some Britton rebels were also familiar with the Latin tongue. After she was taken down from the cross, barely alive and with severe injuries for which she would find a cure much later and at opposite ends of the known world from where they stood, Maniya was left in the care of some Roman-friendly locals, while Virilus had to move forth and see to his own duties. When Maniya and Virilus became reacquainted, they developed their bond into a lucrative relationship that became the starting point of military collaborations between the two opposing forces. Their combined efforts helped settle the major disputes between the Iranian-friendly and Roman-friendly people of the region, ensuring as much stability as possible. The fruitful outcome of their actions was seen by both Roman and Iranian officials as a solid foundation on which a stable alliance could be built. The final treaty outlining this collaboration was to be signed in Rome, by Maniya, on behalf of the Iranian nation. She had been authorized by the King of Kings and the Royal Council to act as representative and had with her the royal seal. Although the greatest part of the treaty presented the details of joint military engagements, its main purpose was in fact the securing of trade routes and commercial activities carried out between the two nations and their common allies. Military action was one of the means that contributed to the achievement of such end. The Iranian delegation headed by Maniya set on a sea voyage towards Italia, departing from the eastern shores of the Middle Sea, travelling together with Legatus Virilus and a small contingent of soldiers who accompanied him to Rome. The Legatus too, left the eastern lands only temporarily, to assist in the discussions prior to the signing of the treaty, as well as to regroup some of his most trusted soldiers who had served with him in Britannia. Together with Maniya and her entourage, he would then return with the additional unit to supplement the legion left in Syria and also in the company of the new Governor of Syria, bound to replace the one in office, whose proconsulship was at an end. In Italia their vessels docked at Brundisium, a major center of Roman naval power and maritime trade, as well as the chief point of embarkation for Greece and the East. (The Via Appia - white) From there, the convoy comprising of horse-riders, marching soldiers and baggage carts made its way along the Via Appia and only made a one day stop at the family villa outside Capua, inherited by Titus Virilus. Although they had strived to keep a low profile during their march, Magistrate Sextus of Capua had gotten word of their arrival and on the very same day he and his personal escort went to greet the illustrious visitors at the Virilus Villa. His enthusiasm was not met by an equal response as the master of the house, Legatus Virilus, politely but rapidly sent him on his way, telling him that they were in a hurry to march on towards Rome. He did however had to promise the Magistrate that he and the foreign guests, together with the future Governor of Syria, would attend the celebrations that Sextus was eager to organize in their honour. The political prospects the magistrate would be exposed to while mingling with the aristocratic elite partaking in such a gathering were practically boundless. Virilus was well aware of these well-known interests of politicians that were never among his interests, since he had always been a man of war. As such, he dismissed the man with a mildly obscured ironic grin and more or less closed the door in his face. Two weeks later, when they returned from Rome, it so happened that the eager Magistrate was once again there to greet them, this time having arrived at the Legatus' villa well in advance of the property's master himself. Unfortunately for Magistrate Sextus, his enthusiasm was once again dampened by the same ever changing whims of politics that he also sought to embrace more tightly. The future Governor of Syria had not returned with the delegation all the way to Capua. Not too far from the premises of the city he and his own escort had broken away from the convoy with whom he had travelled from Rome and took the road to Neapolis. There he had to attend legal and military matters concerning the legions that either returned from or set sail towards the western territories of the Republic. Further on he was to travel to the city of Baiae, a fashionable Roman seaside resort west of Neapolis and one of the most famous gathering places of the ultra-wealthy aristocrats of the Republic. The city was also notorious for the hedonistic temptations on offer and for rumours of scandal and corruption. Such was the double nature of the aristocracy, though not at all different from aristocracies of other nations: due to their high status they could discreetly engage in all the deeds and pleasures they themselves deemed immoral and punishable before the public they had to control, while very few dared to cast any accusations upon them, even with proof. Nonetheless, Roman learned men, some of whom genuinely adhered to the concept and deeds considered to be moral and decent within Roman society, described the city of Baiae in their writings or orations as being a "vortex of luxury", a "harbor of vice" or a "den of licentiousness and vice". What had made Baiae such a famed resort for the wealthy, aside from its beautiful scenery and the elaborate, luxurious villas like no other in the Republic, built on the very coast and offering a superb view of the sea-side, were the topographical wonders of the city. Baiae was host to an important region for thermo-mineral bathing. Roman engineers had constructed a complex system of chambers that channeled heat beneath the land's surface into bathing facilities that acted as saunas. The baths were used not only for relaxation purposes, but often also as medicinal remedies for various illnesses. The future governor undoubtedly wanted to enjoy such delights once more before he would have to depart from his homeland but most certainly the purpose of his visit had more to do with the men of power he would encounter there, or possibly had set up a meeting there in advance. Either way, because of his political standing no one beneath him in title could question him on his motives and when asking the governor concerning the date of his return, the party who had to wait for him in Capua had no choice but to accept his response along the lines of 'When I return you will see that I have returned'. Magistrate Sextus was the only one who found some joy in the news, hoping he would at least be able to meet the Consul and future Governor in person, upon his arrival, although the man had also instructed Legatus Virilus to be ready to depart immediately after his return. Taking into account the days to be spent on the road and speculating on the affairs the Consul would be attending to, the conclusion was that up to a week would pass before his return. As much as she longed for home, Maniya was not displeased by the news. She would have loved to visit the city of Baiae as well and enjoy its delights but with circumstances being as they were, she had to settle with Capua that also had much to offer, despite lacking the wonders of Baiae. Capua was after all considered to be the second city of Italia, after Rome itself and was famous throughout the Republic and beyond for its bronze artifacts and exquisite perfumes. Maniya was also keen on exploring the city's cultural heritage but the Magistrate's offer, aside from the banquet at his villa to which he promptly invited them before they barely had time to dismount, comprised of a festival of games, organized in their honour, at the newly constructed Games Arena of Capua. These games that so many thrill-seeking Romans were so eager to attend comprised of none other than the renowned gladiatorial matches where slaves of the Republic and on occasions volunteering freedmen or even citizens, fought for coins and for the lives. Maniya was by no means thrilled to see such grotesque displays as she strove to discourage violence and do as much as possible to reduce and if possible, abolish slavery in her homeland, where the notion had far less gruesome connotations than in the west. In the Persian-Parthian Empire slaves were mostly prisoners of war or citizens in debt but their treatment as slaves and the work they did was similar to that of a free citizen employed as a servant. Slaves also received payment for their work, although inferior to that received by a free servant and they could buy their freedom if they were able to raise the needed sum. The life of a slave was by no means pleasant there either, but it was considerably safer and slaves being used as sexual objects occurred only rarely. This was also due to the fact that over there a man could legally have more than one wife at the same time as well as publicly recognized mistresses and in some regions women could also have, legally, more than one husband at the same time. Since she wanted to keep a low profile, upon their arrival Maniya and her entourage, together with the Romans who had returned with them from Rome, bound also to sail towards the east, rode directly to the stables and had yet to meet Magistrate Sextus face to face. Virilus had been the one who conversed with him each time, as was appropriate since he was the master of the villa. After having settled into the chambers they occupied during their stay at the villa, Maniya was informed that the Magistrate, together with his wife and a few more members of his escort were still in the main reception hall, awaiting to greet the foreign guests in person and offer some welcoming gifts they had brought. Seeing that the meeting was impossible to avoid, Maniya went to greet the guests but without making a grand entrance. She approached quietly, from a lateral corridor and without the company of any attendant. (Magistrate Sextus and wife, Aemilia) Magistrate Sextus and his wife, Aemilia, were both sited on a comfortable sofa, conversing and sipping the wine they had been served. Appius, the man who had been administering the Virilus villa for years, in the absence of its master whose military duties kept him away from home, had just parted with the couple with the promise that he would inform the foreign guest of their expecting visitors. 'Your excitement is rather exaggerated, don't you think?' Aemilia whispered to her husband through somewhat gritted teeth that were sustaining a forced smile, just in case. 'The Consul has yet to arrive and until then we must spend coin to entertain these... foreigners, and with what benefit to us?' she concluded with a rather smug grimace. 'I have told you, once cannot expect to gain coin without spending coin first, and unless you want to find the quality markets empty of fine silks and rare jewels, you'd do best to aid in keeping the stream flowing,' the husband instructed. 'And how precisely am I to do that?' the sneering wife retorted. 'By smiling and being a good host. We must make good impression and with that rewards will surely follow. Gifts of their own perhaps, to us, a good word to the Consul and even an invitation maybe, who known,' the Magistrate spoke with revived enthusiasm. 'A visit? Where? To them, in their land?'Aemilia scoffed. 'It is said to be a place of magnificent wealth and unimaginable splendors,' the Magistrate continued with the same enthusiasm. 'Have you not paid attention at the games to how that lanista of lesser note, Vibius I believe, described the place? Some wealth, indeed, but mostly ghastly and with odd people of questionable intent. He should know, his ludus is there and he practically lives there for over six month each year,' Aemilia rapidly replied, showing even more self-content upon expressing the unique knowledge she thought she possessed. 'The ludus of Vibius is in Damascus, in Syria, a different place altogether,' her husband calmly corrected her. 'He says there is nothing but arid land and deserts stretching further east. Is that where this fantastic land of fabulous wealth is supposed to be?' she inquired ironically, once more. 'Merchants and other travelers who ventured there, even scholars of Rome, describe it as such,' replied Sextus. 'So are they supposed to be Syrians of superior quality to those the Republic has subdued?' Aemilia questioned further, never losing the irony in her tone. 'From what I have heard and seen the notion proves difficult to be assumed as truth.' At this point in their conversation Maniya decided to intervene and make her presence known. She had quietly amused herself with the couple's discourse but eventually grew tired of listening to it from the shadows. 'Those you generally call Syrian are nowadays mostly a mixture of Greeks and Arabs. We are Iranian, a different nation in its entirety.' With this unexpected intervention Maniya almost startled the couple whose attention was focused in a different direction, from where they expected the foreigners to appear. Magistrate Sextus was the first to stand up, followed by his wife who seemed to rise only because she knew her husband expected her to. 'Greetings!' the Magistrate spoke with a small, symbolic bowing of his head, a more polite tilt to be precise. 'We were merely speculating, hoping to learn more from our esteemed guests themselves. I assume correctly that you yourself are with the delegation?' He assumed that by the robes she wore, which were evidently not of Roman fashion and neither what he would have expected a woman to wear. Maniya was dressed in a knee-long, black coat of sorts, with long, loose sleeves and golden embroideries along the edges of the sleeves, around the neckline and in a vertical line on the front, on either sides of the buttons that closed the coat. The coat was also tied around the middle by a golden-coloured sash and underneath she wore black trousers and knee-high leather boots. She wore no jewelry aside from a ring on her right hand that bore the insignia of the dynasty she belonged to. But what surprised both Sextus and Aemilia was that the foreign woman looked nothing like they had envisaged. In fact, if dressed in Roman clothing anyone seeing her would assume she was a Roman-born citizen. 'I am. The men and our attendants will join us momentarily,' Maniya replied. 'Splendid!' the Magistrate exclaimed. 'I am looking forward to meeting the honorable Mahtab who has fought alongside our brave Legatus Titus Flavius Virilus to vanquish the enemies that threatened both our nations.' 'It is an honor to meet you as well. I am Mahtab of the House Kurush-Hakhāmanish. Mahtab is a woman's name,' Maniya informed the Magistrate with a mild smirk masked into a polite smile and extended her hand in greeting. 'Ah... apologies, I did not know,' the Magistrate was so taken aback by the revelation that he failed to find the proper words with ease. 'I am Sextus, Magistrate of Capua,' he introduced himself and since the gesture of receiving an extended hand in greeting, as if from a man, confused him, Sextus courteously took her hand in his and kissed it. 'My wife, Aemilia,' he then introduced her as well, with a glance in her direction. 'It is a pleasure to meet you,' she responded on a much tempered voice and with a forced smile to mask her perplexed reaction to what she had learned while watching the conversation unfold. Maniya greeted her with a symbolic bow of her head and a smile. | ~* STARTER 2 The Persian Empire - the City of Alamut 1 week after the Persian invasion of Alamut Following the complicated affair regarding the wrongful invasion of the Holy City of Alamut, and the sudden marriage proposition made by Prince Tus in sign of reconciliation, Princess Tamina requested time to consider the proposition. For the sake of maintaining a peaceful relationship between the two nations, no one on the Persian side could request a quicker reply and risk spoiling the opportunity of subtly bringing Alamut under their sphere of influence and control, without any bloodshed. In the meantime, the King of Kings himself, King Sharaman, had arrived in the Holy City and the princess had several diplomatic encounters with him, expressing her desire of ensuring the safety and prosperity of her people in the new circumstances that would arise following her alliance through marriage. King Sharaman assured her that she would retain her sovereign privileges and duties and like any other city-state allied with the Persian Empire, the people of Alamut would go one with their lives as before and the monarch of Alamut would retain the right of governing its people according to their own rules. The only change would be the recognition of King Sharman as their supreme ruler and the payment of the corresponding monthly tribute. Much had changed in Maniya's life as well, unbelievably much to be precise. One week before, just after the invasion, she had snuck inside the city, on her way back from Hindustan, to meet her childhood friends, Dastan and Bis and now she woke in one of the lavishing guest chambers of the royal palace of Alamut, with the two men she loved, Tus and Garsiv, on either side of her. It was not a dream, but the manifestation in reality of a life-long dream. The people of Alamut had a strong belief in destiny and with all the incredible things that had happened since they arrived in the Holy City, Maniya found it difficult to ignore the proclaimed powers of the mysterious deities worshiped in that city. It seemed as if destiny had brought them all to Alamut to finally put their lives in order and end their emotional suffering. With the overwhelming events off the past few days, Maniya had almost forgotten that she was in a foreign city that would get to keep its independent rule although it will be under the Persian sphere of influence. Now that she would openly assume the leading role of House Kurush-Hakhamanish, her adoptive family, and continue being the leader of the people living under the patronage of her house, Maniya would also have to meet with the princess and her advisors, to discuss political, administrative and military issues. She had spent over a year in Hindustan, covertly gathering information on the many dynasties that constantly fought for land, riches and power in that region and that were potential enemies of the Persian Empire, until proven otherwise. Because of the knowledge she now possessed, her advice was crucial in any courses of action the King decided to take in the region and the support of Princess Tamina was just as crucial, since the Alamutians had century-old relations with the people east of the Hindu River. Political issues aside, there were also personal reasons for becoming acquainted with the princess, who would soon become family, the wife of the young adopted prince whom Maniya affectionately called her son, since she had taken care of him and his best friend when she was a young slave girl and the boys homeless orphans. There had been however a slight incident the previous day, a misunderstanding that Maniya hoped would soon be clarified, as soon as she got the chance to talk to the princess. Overwhelmed with joy because everything that had happened, Maniya rushed to share the news with her life-long friend, Dastan. Their encounter was not different from any of the previous ones, Maniya acting as always like both one of the boys and a fun older sister. Still, the princess, who did not know Maniya nor her relationship with Dastan, had undoubtedly drawn a wrong conclusion when she saw her future husband having a joyful time with his arm around the shoulders of a beautiful woman, who in turn had her arm around his middle. Maniya had drawn her own conclusion of what the Princess must have thought when she spotted her looking at them with a stern and slightly ironic look on her face, before turning around abruptly and walking away without another glance in their direction. At the time Maniya, Dastan, Bis and Roham were being shown though some public areas of the palace by a group of enthusiastic young Alamutians who were eager to receive the foreign guests, once the misunderstandings had been cleared and the Persians began to help the Alamutians in repairing the damages they had caused during the invasions. The day ended with a banquet where the princess conversed mostly with King Sharman and Prince Tus and discreetly avoided Dastan, as well as discussions regarding her reply to the marriage proposal. When Maniya arrived later on, together with Garsiv, coming straight from a meeting with the Persian generals, her eyes met Tamina's once more and she saw the same expression on her face. Garsiv and Maniya did not linger much at the banquet and they left as soon as Tus joined them. Maniya had her arm intertwined with that of her husband to be and as they walked away she felt Tus's hand touching her lower back. She did not turn to search for Tamina's expression, in case she still had her eyes on them, but she nonetheless thought with a smile that it might have been amusing. These thoughts returned to her the morning of the following day when a servant brought word from King Sharaman that she was to have an audience with Princess Tamina to discuss the pending political issues while Prince Tus would accompany him to Hindu-Alexandria, the capital-city of the Harauvatish Satrapy, which bordered Hindustan directly and therefore also the city of Alamut. The meeting was necessary in order to avoid any potential internal conflicts that might have arose as a result of the sudden invasion of Alamut, whom the eastern satraps had long wanted to subdue but were always ordered against it by the King of Kings. 'This should be quite interesting,' she exhaled with a snicker once the servant left, leaning back against the cushioned bench she sat on, in between Tus and Garsiv, as the three dined in the balcony of the guest chamber they were occupying. 'My first talk with my future daughter-in-law,' she added with a chuckle before bringing a dark-red, seedless cherry to her lips, which immediately enveloped it and took it in. Garsiv, who sat on her left side, halfway turned towards her and with his right arm outstretched and resting on the back of the couch she leaned against, watched Maniya closely, the corner of his lips curling up into a smirk when the luscious moves of her lips and fingers made him relive in his mind scenes of the previous night. 'Be sure not to be too much of a shrew as a mother-in-law,' he then said with a muffled chuckle. 'I thought you liked me as a shrew,' she retorted on a seductive tone. 'I love you as a shrew,' Garsiv replied while leaning over to kiss her lips quickly but voluptuously. 'But don't scare the princess ... at least until she gives her answer.' 'I could not possibly wish for her answer to be anything but positive, although it worries me that this girl will have Dastan wrapped around her little finger.' 'You will make sure she does not cross any lines, I am certain,' Tus intervened and put his arm around Maniya's waist in a comforting gesture. She turned to glance at him with an ironical grimace. 'That is unless your six wives combined don't drive me insane,' she retorted, referring to the four wives of Tus and the two wives of Garsiv. The two men laughed in unison, each nodding in approval of what Maniya was saying. 'Then we should have Tamina meet Lida. A few hours with her and the princess will be the one driven to madness,' Tus added on a higher and joyful tone, trying to use amusement to help him cope with the thoughts of his difficult third wife, whom he would have to face soon enough, once they returned to Babylon. 'Or secretly plot to have us all killed and drive the empire to ruin,' Garsiv added sarcastically, with a scoffing grimace that he displayed often enough. This time Tus's smile seemed forced and did little to hide his concern. Garsiv might have spoken in jest but they all knew better, given the trouble that Lida had caused ever since she had approached Tus with an alliance though marriage. At this moment they still knew too little about the Princess of Alamut to be certain of what they could expect. Maniya cast a short glance in Garsiv's direction, her own smile also darkened by concern, then turned towards Tus who was visibly affected by the troubling suppositions. She leaned closer to him, putting one arm around his back and caressing his cheek with the other, then giving him a light kiss. 'Joking aside, I promise you no such thing will happen,' she assured him. 'Be wary when you speak to the princess. We cannot know just yet how well we can trust her,' Tus told Maniya on a much more serious tone. 'I always do that and if there are any secrets she is hiding, I will uncover them. Do not trouble your mind with this, focus only on your meeting with the Suren and secure your coronation.' 'If ever there will be one,' Tus turned his gaze from her, scoffing almost in the same manner as Garsiv, though still showing his own, different character. 'Of course there will be.' With her right hand still around his back, Maniya leaned even closer and placed her left hand on his upper chest, massaging him tenderly. 'The King is just overly concerned with everything that is going on throughout the empire. But the west remains the key to your glory. Drive out the Romans as you did before and make sure they don't return, secure the western border with more stationed troops and ensure the allegiance of Armina, undoubtedly wavering now with the death of Pakur. Once the western conflicts are resolved other issues will be much easier to deal with.' 'The people were on our side when we retook Anatolia, Syria and Iudaea. They will join us again if we march in better armed, better organized and in greater numbers,' Garsiv added, leaning into Maniya and reaching with his arm around her back to place his hand on his brother's shoulder. Maniya turned to greet Garsiv's gesture with a smile and removed her hand from Tus's chest to take Garsiv's free hand in hers. 'My heart throbs at seeing you hacking Romans,' she smirked. 'Just your heart?' he smirked back. 'No ...,' Maniya trailed and gazed at him seductively while bringing his hand to her lips, which then lingered on his flesh for a few moments. Simultaneously, Tus placed his own hand on top of Garsiv's, which continued to grasp his shoulder, thus both acknowledging and returning the gesture of support. Afterwards he moved his hand to gently grasp Maniya's chin and turn her gaze towards him, while at the same time slowly leaning forward. 'Then let us be done with this place and go home,' he half-whispered the last few words as his lips met hers, in a tender and lasting kiss. 'I long to return to Babylon,' Maniya whispered back. 'But first we have the Kushan to deal with here.' 'Barbaric cave-dweller, we'll scatter them like weeds,' Garsiv exclaimed with confidence, on his usual high tone, though at the same time he placed a rather tender kiss on Maniya's upper neck, just below her earlobe. Their tender moments lasted only a short while longer, until the servant returned, at King Sharaman's command, to urge Prince Tus to hasten his departure. The three of them left the room together and after escorting Tus to his entourage Garsiv went to find Dastan and Maniya asked one of the Alamutian guards to show her the way to the hall where she was to meet with the Princess. Once there she was told to wait in front of two tall and beautifully engraved but closed doors. It was not a burden however because Maniya soon found herself mesmerized by the carvings that adorned the stone walls. There were also writings among the engravings, the language being that of the land and one of her favorite, Sanskrit. She smiled when she saw her name written on the wall, although it was a mere coincidence, since in Sanskrit it translated as "glass bead". Maniya had known this for a long time and the detail was part of the very complex path that she thought to be her destiny. Noticing this on the wall immediately made her look down to the string of glass beads she wore like a bracelet wrapped around her right hand, the string that Tus had given her years back, when they were young. Her mind kept jumping from one detail to the other and since the glass beads that always made her remember Tus, when they came into view she inevitably started replaying the events of the past few days in her mind, still unable to fully believe that it was all real. | ~* STARTER 3 The Persian Empire - the Makai Desert After marriage, only Maniya's social position and degree of public exposure had changed, while her habits and desires remained the same. Although Maniya had found emotional fulfillment in her new life, marriage also did not ease her responsibilities towards her adoptive family and the people under their patronage, nor did she want them eased. Now more than ever she had every means at her disposal to ensure, among other things, the efficient training of the men who were compelled to come to arms when called by the lords they served, who in turn had sworn their allegiance to the House Kurush-Hakhamanish, Maniya's adoptive family. Other responsibilities included making sure the peace was kept in various regions under her patronage, by the people appointed for these tasks. When needed, she and the soldiers under her direct command, which formed a small army in effect, would march towards the conflict areas and intervene personally to solve them. Such was the case when hordes of bandits, mostly escaped prisoners or vile, lawless criminals who had never been captured, began to rage havoc on the scattered settlements of the southern region of the Maka Satrapy. This region was covered mostly by the Makai (Greek: Gedrosian) Desert, where human settlements could only be built around the few scattered oases. Because of the environment they could not be large or thoroughly defended, making them an easy target for the desert bandits. They even took over some of the smaller settlements that were not near any major travelling routes. The entire satrapy of Maka was in fact a dry, mountainous region and aside from the few larger cities and the dispersed oases, small towns and settlements had been established on the coast as well. In that area, sea-bandits or pirates had also become notorious by frequently attacking trade ships, especially those sailing to or from Hindustan (India). The Makai Desert was one of the largest barren regions of the empire and one of the least populated, as well as one of the most dangerous, primarily because of the harsh environment, and only in smaller proportions because of the bandits. Crossing this desert was a battle in itself and a most arduous one at that, so much so that many brave warriors of the past had made a goal of it, which, if achieved would have been a great victory in itself. The most notable of them had been the legendary Assyrian Queen Shamiram (Greek: Semiramis), King Kurush (Greek: Cyrus), the founder of the First Persian Empire and the most famous Macedonian King, Iskandar (Greek: Alexander), all of them trying to succeed where the other had failed in the past. All three had marched straight into the desert with a large army and barely made it to the other end with only a handful of soldiers. The others, together with the animals and the carts that had to be abandoned, all fell prey to the merciless desert. Since the days of Iskandar, almost three centuries later, significant progress had been made to chart the approximate parameters of the desert and identify the areas that had to be avoided at all costs, together with those that proved to be significantly more hospitable, in comparison. The guides who accompanied Maniya's convoy were also versed in the art of finding their direction by the stars at night and by the sun in day-time, the same as sailors, and did not rely solely on landscape marks that were easily obliterated by the blown and drifting sand. In most areas there was nothing in the vast and featureless desert to determine what course one should take - no trees, as elsewhere, by the roadside, no hills of solid earth rising from the sand. Still, there were ever-present hardships that could not be avoided such as the blazing heat and burning, sun-baked sand. In some areas there were only lofty hills of sand - loose, deep sand, into which one sank as if it were mud or untrodden snow and sources of water, aside from the few known oases, were very scarce. Even with guides, it was still more or less marching into the unknown, especially when it came to finding water sources, which were not permanent. Almost on a constant basis, old water sources dried up and new ones emerged or were formed by streams flowing from the rocky mountains bordering the desert. In the Makai regions, the same as in the neighboring Hindustan, there were certain periods each year when it rained heavily. Rain fell not on the plains but on the mountains and the otherwise small streams could grow into overwhelming torrents able to sweep away everything in their path. Maniya and her troops were actually fortunate to not have been compelled to venture into the desert during such a period, when water in abundance was a curse instead of a blessing. Iskandar himself had met such a misfortune when his camp had been swept away during the night by the powerful torrents of an overflowing stream. In pursuit of the bandits who had now mustered into a small army, though with the expected lack of structure and discipline, Maniya marched her troops along the outer rims of the perilous desert, heeding the instructions of the trained guides. Given the conditions, their own discipline during the march was difficult to maintain but still they went forth, following the trails left by the bandits, as few as there could be in the desert, such as lost object that had not been completely engulfed by the sea of sand. One afternoon, after several days of travel, a scout ridding ahead broke away from the small party he was with and galloped back with speed to deliver urgent news to the commander. 'Mahtab Banu (Lady Mahtab), a small village up ahead, appears to have been sacked not long ago, a few days maybe,' the scout informed, slightly panting, mostly due to the pressing burden of the waves of heat that fell upon them. The blinding sun was almost halfway along its descending course and still it shone as powerfully as it had earlier in the day. 'Any survivors?' Maniya brought her mare to a halt upon noticing the approaching scout and raised her right hand to signal the riders behind her to do the same. 'Unlikely, but we are yet too far to be certain. Anyone who survived the raid had to hide well and they are most certainly still there.' 'Call the others back. We will regroup and advance in formation. We cannot rule out the possibility of this being some sort of trap.' 'Yes, lady,' the man complied with a swift bowing of his head and simultaneously stirred his horse to change course and ride off back from where they had come. 'Tiran�s,' Maniya called her bodyguard who also served as her second-in-command in this expedition. 'Have the archers form a line of three groups in a half circle covering the perimeter around the village from where we stand. We will advance separately through the two openings.' Having advanced with his own mount so as to stand next to Maniya's, the seasoned warrior with the demeanor of an all-knowing hermit, was, as usual, not quick to form words, offering instead a prolonged stare. It was a look resembling those given by masters to students or by parents to children when they expect them to acknowledge their error. Here the problem was not the advance strategy proposed by Maniya but her intention to march alone, of which Tiran�s was certain even if she had not voiced it plainly. She did not have to, he knew her long enough to predict her intentions. 'You disagree?' Maniya questioned following a brief silence whose meaning was not unknown to her, but still she chose to purposely ignore it. 'Only with your intention of having me lead the other group instead of riding by your side.' 'We cannot keep arguing about this. If I appoint you for something important it is because I trust you above all others.' 'The only thing important to me is your safety,' Tiran�s responded with the severity of a dutiful protector. 'I swore to you and your honorable mother to always defend your life with my own if needed and now I also swore it to the King of Kings himself. Such an oath, I cannot break.' Uncustomary for Maniya, her silent reply was one of compliance. A small smile spread her lips when King Sharaman was mentioned, her husband's father. The notion of having a husband was still new to her, especially since he was the man she thought she could never have, and she often found herself in need of being reminded that her life was now completely different, though apparently the same. The difference lay only in her emotions and the way she perceived her purpose in life. In the past her own survival held little meaning, only achieving the goal mattered and now, as strange as it may sound, she had to learn what it meant to care for herself, how to achieve a goal without sacrificing her life in the process. 'I understand. This is still new to me.' The smiled lingered on her lips and following a short glance in the distance ahead, she scanned the mounted men behind from the corner of her eye before returning her attention to Tiran�s. 'Have Arash lead the second advance party then.' With Tiran�s ridding beside her, Maniya led one of the advance parties, simultaneously with that led by Arash, down the mildly steep sand and rock walls of the small valley, home to the ravaged village. In those lands, what was commonly referred to as village were in fact tent settlements raised along oases. Most communities were of pastoral nomads, sometimes also mixed with tribes of hunters. The village stood desert and even the remains of tents were torn and scattered. Desert winds had already set a thick blanket of bright-yellow sand over the remains, yet still proved inefficient in obscuring the most terrible of remains, those that once had life. Had it not been for the layer of sand, the grounds would have been no different than those of a battlefield. There could not have been more than fifty people in the settlement, yet the massacre looked like that of thousands when they were all but piles of butchered corpses, some even with limbs and ruptured flesh or bone far from where their bodies lay. If the pools of blood had been absorbed or partially covered by sand, nothing could mask the horrid stench of rotting flesh, which the heat only made stronger. The sight became clear to Maniya once they had marched halfway towards their destination. At that point she stopped and ordered the other party to do so as well. A soldier behind her, following her command, cried out the order to the group led by Arash. It appeared that the unfortunate souls were denied peace even in death. There was one vicious predator spread over them in great numbers. With another hand signal Maniya had the soldier behind her deliver another order. This time the man raised a flag whose purpose was to have the archers back on the hill take position and stand ready to fire. The soldier with a similar duty in Arash's party did the same and at Maniya's command they signaled the archers to release their arrows. Many of the sharp missiles hit their target, impaling the hungry vultures to the corpses whose flesh they were tearing, while the rest caused the other birds of prey to swarm off in haste. The sight, though now less darkened by the cloud of birds, was in no way more southing. The parties went on further down and stopped just in front of the main scene of the massacre. Here Maniya dismounted and Tiran�s followed. Other soldiers did as well, while the remaining mounted ones were ordered to ride along the edge of the settlement and further scan the surroundings. Once, such a sight would have scarred or shocked Maniya but that was a time long passed. Circumstances had forced her to expect anything at any time and always keep a straight face and a focused mind. As such, upon seeing the bodies up close she only sighed and shook her head before scanning the environment and doing a quick, visual assessment of the former conflict zone. 'Where do you think survivors could have hid to escape this?' she questioned Tiran�s as they both advanced through the corpses, one carefully placed step after another. 'There do not seem to be any such places,' he responded, yet squirted his eyes once more to prevent the wind-blown sand from entering his eyes while attempting to find in the distance areas he might have overlooked. A sand-storm had once again started, mild by comparison to what that desert often gifted its guests with but still dense enough to partially obscure sight from reaching too far into the distance. 'Perhaps over there,' he pointed to a stain of darker colour amidst the sand, far enough from where they stood, among a patch of desert vegetation and a semi-circle of palm-trees on the other side of the pool of now bloodied, water around which the oasis had formed. 'It might be a tent still standing.' 'Let us go see until this sand breeze turns into a full storm. We might as well be forced to take shelter here.' The commander and her bodyguard encircled the water and hurried to investigate the remains of one of the largest tents, some of its vertical supporting beams still standing and holding in place the fabric that served as walls and roof. The curtain which had been a makeshift door looked as if it had been torn from its upper support in a brutish attempt to pull it aside. Only its left corner was still attached and the rest of the worn-out fabric was fluttering in the wind. Maniya left it as it was and only pushed it aside to step inside the tent. 'No bodies,' she commented, somewhat surprised by the clean sight. 'Those who took shelter here were dragged out to be taken or killed in front of the others,' Tiran�s pointed to some randomly thrown or shattered belongings and the remains of jewelry ripped apart, all indicating a struggle. 'Mahtab Banu,' Arash announced his presence when he too stepped inside not long after Maniya and Tiran�s. 'I have retrieved your weapon,' he explained his rather hasty arrival and extended to Maniya the sai he had come across. She was about to question him on the nature of his find when her eyes met a replica of one of the dual impaling weapons she wielded. It was not a common weapon and its discovery spurred her curiosity. 'It is not mine. I have both with me,' she replied, pressing her right hand against the two weapons hanging from a belt by her left hip, in place of a sword. Still, she reached forward and took the weapon from Arash's hands and examined the design of the hilt, different from hers. 'Where did you find this?' 'Impaled in a corpse. It delivered a fatal blow,' Arash formed a new opinion after discovering it was not Maniya's weapon, while before he had been confused to discover her weapon in a long dead body. 'Show me where you found it.' At the place in question nothing else out of the ordinary caught Maniya's eyes, not even the twin of the sai found by Arash. Not willing to give up on discovering the mystery of the one sai, Maniya ordered the two men to look for its pair while she ventured further, driven by an unknown impulse that told her there was more to be found there. Beyond the borders of the oasis, where only two or three solitary corpses lay almost completely covered by the sea of sand, a sudden brightness shone from amidst one of such sandy mounds. Maniya recognized it as the reflection of the sun upon metal, most certainly the polished surface of a weapon. Disregarding the shouts of Tiran�s who urged her not to rush forward into open, empty terrain, Maniya did precisely that and struggled through the treacherous sand as if through tall snow to reach the place from where the light had come. Its source had been indeed a weapon and none other than the twin sai she was searching for. Clutching its hilt, a female hand by the looks of it stretched from beneath a lifeless male body, barely visible from beneath the sand covering it. 'Help me push this body,' she called to Tiran�s, once she saw him approach. When he reached her, Maniya had already brushed off most of the sand on top and began to roll the heavier body off that of the woman beneath. 'There is a woman's body beneath.' 'The sai was hers,' Tiran�s noticed the other sai in the woman's hand. 'Pull the woman from underneath when I lift the body,' he then instructed and Maniya complied. For Tiran�s, lifting the dead body was far from difficult. He could have thrown him aside with one hand but used both so as not to accidentally bring more harm to the woman beneath, in the slim chance that she was still alive. When the body was lifted, Maniya moved to grab the shoulders of the woman lying on her stomach and pull her out. 'A Saka woman?' Tiran�s inquired after having thrown the male body aside. Judging from her yellow hair and her foreign-looking attire, his first assumption was that she might have hailed from a northern steppe tribe, generally referred to as Saka by the Persians and Scythians by the Greeks. 'It would explain the sais, but it is no certainty. The drawing on her back is a motif common in the far east, where the sais also originate. It might be that she visited the same distant lands I have and maybe even beyond,' Maniya reflected upon seeing the large, colourful dragon painted on the woman's back. 'It is not safe to linger here. If you desire it, we can take the body and give at least this woman a proper burial. There is no time for the others.' Maniya then proceeded to inspect her for signs of life and found her breathing, though faintly and with a slow beating of the heart. 'She is alive!' The enthusiastic reaction took her as well by surprise, although it was a natural reaction to have when finding life among so much death. 'We must take her back to the tent. She is between life and death, her wounds have gone untreated for too long.' Aside from the harshness with which the sun had treated her body, leaving burns and even mild blisters, there was also slight bleeding from cuts evidently received in combat, although none too deep. A most severe wound was on the right side of her forehead, from where blood had flowed across the side of her face. Tiran�s understood the order and took the woman in his arms to carry her back to the tent. Maniya had taken the other sai and could not help admiring the twin pair on the way back, glancing from time to time to her hip to compare them with her own. They returned to the tent they visited earlier and placed the injured, unconscious woman on a pile of blankets that served as a bed. 'We will take shelter here for the night and set off early in the morning. The guides say we could reach the canyon by nightfall. Bring the physician from Harauvatish (Greek: Arakhosia) to tend to this woman and have the men dispose of the bodies outside, before the storm gets worse.' The man complied with a nod and left Maniya to tend to the woman before the physician arrived. She placed the blonde woman's sais next to the improvised bed she had been laid on and began to look around the tent for any items that might be of use. To begin with, water was needed and she was fortunate to discover a small waterskin still half full. She used half of what was left to soak a piece of cloth and with it she proceeded to wipe off the dirt and dried blood off the woman's face and arms. Special attention was paid to open wounds, which were carefully cleaned and prepared to be treated with medicine by the physician. It wasn't long before the physician arrived, one of the few women taking part in the expedition. Already informed about her task, the woman only bowed her head to Maniya upon entering and went forth to where she was needed. A boy, her son and apprentice, came after her, carrying the required supplies. 'It will take time for her to awaken, days, maybe weeks. I would have to remain by her side, should there be complications,' the female physician informed Maniya. 'Do so. We will be taking shelter here for the night but tomorrow we move on. Perhaps, by some miracle she will awaken, if not, we will move her with a stretcher or some improvisation.' 'As you command, Mahtab Banu. In the meantime, I shall do my very best to bring forth that miracle,' the spirited woman assured her with a confident smile. 'I have every confidence you will,' Maniya returned her smile, knowing well that the woman's words were not in vain. She had proven her skills many times before. After one more glance at the blonde woman and her sais, Maniya left the tent to go find her mare, Devi. No doubt she had already been taken care by a soldier or another attendant but Maniya preferred to tend to her personally. Devi was not just an animal or nothing more than a means of transportation, she was a longtime companion. While tending to Devi, whom she found near the water, together with the other horses, Maniya was approached by Arash. 'Has something happened?' she inquired. 'Nothing worrisome, Mahtab Banu, but we did find something we thought might interest you. Close to where you found the injured woman there was a dead horse beneath the sand. It might have been hers. The bags strapped to the saddle were full of written scrolls, Greek writing. I had them brought to your tent.' 'Thank you, Arash. Quite an interesting find.' The unexpected announcement came as a pleasant surprise that made Maniya eager to unfold the scrolls and uncover the mysteries. 'It seems we may discover much about my sai-wielding comrade before she even awakens,' she exclaimed with some enthusiasm, turning towards Tiran�s, who was tending his own horse close enough to hear what Arash had said. 'If they're even about her,' he commented plainly. 'They appeared as accounts of journeys, but I did not linger on them to be certain.' 'Now you have made me even more curious,' she replied to Arash's comment with a smile. 'Let us be done here and go uncover these new found mysteries. But, crucial matters first. Arash, once the men have set up camp here make an assessment of where we stand - casualties, wounded, supplies and report back to me by nightfall.' Later in the evening, after a fairly optimistic assessment report presented by Arash, Maniya had freed herself from her light armour and unbraided her long hair to brush off the sand, then sited herself within the larger tent, close to the wounded woman. The recovered parchments were spread around her and Maniya unfolded each in turn to see if they were numbered or if any order for their succession could be established, perhaps after the chronology of the written accounts. However, such an ordering was difficult to establish so Maniya lingered on a parchment that caught her attention due to the mentioning of Hindustan. The following parchment she picked up described, as she had assumed earlier, a journey to the far eastern lands.