(LORE) The Team I Was Part Of

(fantasy) The cell I was part of consisted of five members, including myself. At first, there were four of us, but during the conflict against the Ricori we suffered a casualty and two new members joined us. They were the survivors of another group that had been decimated during the fighting. Groups of four were certainly quieter and better at remaining unnoticed, but they were not strong enough to deal with direct and open combat. One would have expected our superiors to split the group up once the matter in Matorias was over, especially considering that we had come close to death fighting in the streets, and send us to Lermorontia in smaller groups. Instead, they made no changes whatsoever, and all of us are still expected to carry out the assigned mission. There are two women in the group. Both are quite young, but their personalities are completely different. Pirla is a sensual and seductive woman. She is in charge of gathering information for the cell, and her dealings with men are extremely licentious. She has no qualms whatsoever about obtaining information by any means necessary. There is no doubt that she is sadistic and depraved. I have personally seen her smile and enjoy herself while torturing someone. If she had not been assigned to my group, I would keep as far away from her as possible. As if that were not enough, she is not particularly intelligent. If she possessed even half the intelligence she boasts about having, she would never have agreed to join this organization in the first place. I still remember the contemptuous look on her face when she saw the lifeless body of Pircias' brother. She immediately burst into laughter and mocked how pathetic he had been when it came to his family. Then she looked at me with a mocking expression and said: “You should forget about your wife and daughter. Don't be like this useless good-for-nothing. If you need some company, you have me.” Fortunately, I am a calm and composed man who keeps his temper under control. My response was simply to meet her spite and cruelty with indifference. I did not say a word to her, nor did I even look at her. Not satisfied with that provocation, she continued mocking me. “I wouldn't have expected anything else from our cook. You're even a coward when it comes to that.” My response was exactly the same silence. She is the kind of person who enjoys feeling danger and playing with boundaries. Her skills and violence may prove useful in a place like Matorias, but in Lermorontia her attitude and notoriety will not go unnoticed. The leader of the group has far too much affection and consideration for her. His desires as a man in a position of power are considerably more pronounced than his leadership abilities, charisma, or ingenuity. If that were not the case, he would not indulge every one of that woman's whims. Both she and the pathetic Eoliras Yorio are the strongest members of the group. They spend all day using the Red Gems. Both of them have an almost idealized view of the Red Diadems as an organization, and they are constantly justifying whatever atrocity they happen to commit under the excuse of the organization's cause. Perhaps the fool Yorio genuinely believes what he says, but Pirla is simply a shameless lunatic. The fact that the organization has accepted someone like her into its ranks is enough to make me question the ideals they claim to defend. Although supposedly there is no formally designated leader, since all of us hold the same rank, it is obvious that some opinions and positions carry more weight than others. Being “stronger” allows them to override the leadership capabilities of those who are less powerful. Miristenia, on the other hand, is a very different kind of woman. She is disciplined and hardworking. She often solves the problems and conflicts the others get themselves into, cares about the group's well-being, and does everything she can to reconcile us whenever tensions arise. I have the impression that she genuinely joined the organization because she believed in its ideals. She reminds me of many of the cadets I once had, who eventually joined other groups, or who are no longer living in this world. She seems like a fish out of water. A woman like her should be doing something else instead of wasting her time in this nest of drones and clinging to all these false illusions and ideals of equality. She rarely speaks about her past. If I had to guess, I would say she was once a servant in a noble household, but abandoned her position and future for this cause. Unfortunately, once you take the first step down this path, it is too late to regret it. As for her appearance, she is not particularly beautiful, but neither could she be considered ugly. She is more pleasant-looking than average, and whatever she lacks in beauty she makes up for in her attitude. The oldest member of the group goes by the nickname Bark. Everyone calls him that because his clothes have a strong smell of tree bark. According to what he has told us, he used to be a lumberjack from a noble family in the north of Arcadia, near the borders with the City-States of Persiosta and Armaseris. There is a forest in the area surrounding the border between the duchies whose wood is highly prized for its magical properties, as well as for making luxury furniture and other expensive objects. My father told me a great deal about it. For a man without any formal education, Bark knows quite a lot about the world, largely because he worked as an itinerant merchant. Bark is a man of few words. I would not say that he is introverted, like Miristenia. Rather, he is apathetic and indifferent. He does not like speaking about his past. What is truly noticeable, however, is how much he hates the noble families of the north. Every time he mentions them, his eyes and voice reveal a deep resentment. I suspect that he fled the north and sought refuge in the city of Matorias, where he encountered the Red Diadems and saw an opportunity to join the organization. He is patient and quite reserved, although his attitude can often be petty and irritating. Why do you have to be so mysterious? There is no doubt that you are a fugitive from the law. I would even assume that you are being pursued for good reason—probably because you did something serious enough in the north that you cannot even seek refuge in the northern borderlands, forcing you to flee all the way here, to a place where life is barely worth living. As for me, everyone has heard about my wife and daughter—from my own mouth, of course. It is convenient for them to think that I am an extremely rustic and simple man, incapable of thinking about anything beyond them. Besides helping with every operation, I take care of the household chores. Cooking, washing clothes, and so on. While the others sleep, I secretly write this diary. Even if they sometimes go too far, most of the group underestimates me, and that suits me perfectly. If I believe the group is making a mistake, I try to steer the conversation toward a specific point so that they can realize it themselves. If I act too stupid, I will only attract unnecessary attention. The key is to maintain the difficult balance of being useful to the group without standing out in any particular way. —Secret Diary of Ficlas