#squaddies

[opfors]

[modern-inheritance]

The Mystery of Simon Withal

So, a while back I was making dossiers for all the members of the Wolfcats, Arya's original squad with the Varden, and Simon Withal was the medic.

But he wasn't just the medic. See, Simon was a jack of all trades, master of all. He came about in my mind as a bit of a play on the 'Tinker, tailor, soldier, sailor, rich man, poor man/ doctor, lawyer, chief' nursery rhyme. Simon was a soft spoken man that had an early-middle aged face, and, by Arya's and Glen's accounts (and Brom's, when pressed), they all met him at various times but he was always 'somewhere between twenty eight to fourty two, and even though we knew him for over forty years he never seemed to age more than ten.'

Simon knew how to do many things. If you ever asked him how or where he learned something, he would simply say 'I was xyz before I joined the varden.'

A quick list of SOME the things Simon claims to have been employed as:

Soldier (though for what army no one knows) Surgeon Lawyer Gardener Field Medic Wildlife Ranger Hunter Tailor Shoemaker Gardener Miner Sailor Chemist Tax Fraud Investigator Banker Military Police Bank Robber Jeweler Spy Demolitions Expert Mason Nobleman's Son Lumberjack Pirate Firefighter Dog Trainer and Breeder Shaman Beggar Mailman Body Hauler Acrobat Mortician Urgal Translator Tinker And that's not even half of it.

Now, the more that I, and I guess Arya and Co. think about it, they start to wonder if Simon had some elven blood in his line. See, Simon didn't die. After the Wolfcats were dissolved, he stuck around for a few more decades before simply disappearing into the wilds one day, heading east further into the Beors. No one knows what happened to him, but Glen has had a sneaking suspicion he's returned with another face at a few points.

But that's just another mystery.

[tinsnip]

Squaddie songs, sung by the soldiers of World War I.

[modern-inheritance]

Modern Inheritance: Flag (One Word Prompt Short)

(A/N: Arya’s original Varden squad lasted for about 12 years, with boot camp and specialized training interspersed with combat in the first two years or so. I’ve always wanted to do stories about the ‘squaddies,’ but I’ve never been able to put them on paper. But they’re always in the back of my mind with MIC.)

Flag

It was one of those things that she never explained to anyone, but somehow, everyone knew not to question it.

Arya only brought it out after she participated in a sabotage run or a major victory. Tied to whatever stick or pole available, the haggard flag would be planted outside her tent for a day before disappearing again. When passing by it the elf would give it a smart human salute, and would stand a vigil at dawn and dusk when it was on display. Occasionally members of the Varden who knew of its significance would come by to pay their respects and quietly murmur with Arya over hardwon beers. No one disturbed them when they came, and when they left they always touched the flag with gentle reverence. 

The cotton bunting was somewhat yellowed with age, the edges frayed and the end ragged and torn. There were holes that wind flitted through that looked suspiciously like bullet wounds, one corner charred orange and brown. The pole edge had rusted stains the shape of gripping fingers where bloodied hands had raised it in triumph. 

The white dragon still stood tall, the rose in its claws faded yet not forgotten while its blade still stabbed into the royal purple field. Below, a hand painted emblem of a shield where a mountain cat and wolf were locked in an endless chase, a sword the only thing separating the two beasts. The phrase “Now You See Us…” curved around the bottom of the crest, while 1st SPECIAL TACTICS AND RECON DIVISION arced above it.

No matter the weather, the flag never changed, the cloth now steeped in magic and preserved till the end of time in quiet remembrance. 

If anyone looked through Arya’s collection of pictures and fairiths they would have seen the flag as it started its long journey. The group of ten human men and youths, joined by a young elf woman, all beaming while holding up the crisp new flag and bearing patches of the emblem proudly on their shoulders. The pictures losing men as the years went on. The final taken decades ago, a dark skinned elderly man with a streak of his tightly curled white hair dyed startlingly blue standing beside Arya, arms slung over each other’s shoulders. They held the tattered flag together one last time, smiling just as broadly and just as proudly as they had all those years before.

The unit emblem was lost to time, only found in two places in the Varden. On a faded patch sewn to the inside of Arya spidersilk combat jacket, and on that tattered, honored flag.

[modern-inheritance]

Pick another Modern Inheritance Cycle Squaddie to get his backstory! (Round 3)

Manielen "Jaybird" Delsson (Alagaësian)

Paxten "Pax" Gormsson (Alagaësian)

Caleb Rosensson (Alagaësian)

Voting ended onFeb 12, 2023

Currently completed profiles:

Samuel "Sam Wicks" Wickie

Rüdiger “Rudi” Brynsson

[modern-inheritance]

Pick another Modern Inheritance Cycle Squaddie to get his backstory! (Round 4)

Kaz Tehmon (Surdan)

Paxten "Pax" Gormsson (Alagaësian)

Manielen "Jaybird" Delsson (Alagaësian)

Voting ended onFeb 19, 2023

Currently completed profiles:

Samuel “Sam Wicks” Wickie

Rüdiger “Rudi” Brynsson

Caleb Rosensson

Who are the MIC Squaddies??

'Modern Inheritance Cycle Squaddies' is the nickname I use for 10 MIC original characters that make up Arya's first squad in the Varden. All were selected to be part of a small, experimental, guerrilla force due to their skills, experiences, and dedication to the Varden's cause. When Arya first arrives at the Varden the group had only just been put into their basic training, a test run to see if they could learn to move as a unit and work as a cohesive team. Arya was attached to them as their spellcaster and wildcard, and, as her mental age at the time was about 15-16ish, grew into the rebel fighter she is through her experiences with the Special Tactics and Recon Wolfcats (as they came to be known). After a little over a decade of active duty, the group was disbanded, and it faded into obscurity save for the remaining families and survivors that knew of their activities. At the start of Eragon, Arya is the last surviving member, and still quietly pays homage to her first squad.

I have always had ideas for the missions, adventures and shenanigans the Squaddies got up to during Arya's first few years with the Varden, but I never took the time to write out the characters or think too hard about how I wanted each to be presented. Because of that, I could never put any of the ideas to paper. This is my way of forcing myself to give these guys their days of glory, which will also help in further worldbuilding the particular setting, technology, and history of Modern Inheritance and how it differs from the original Inheritance Cycle. Thank you for helping me with this project!

[modern-inheritance]

MIC Squaddies Profile: Rüdiger “Rudi” Brynsson

Nickname(s): Rudi

Race/Ethnicity/Nationality: Human w/ dwarf ancestry, Alagaësian  

Gender: Male

Age: 27

Place of Birth: Melian

Height: 5’2” (~158 cm)

Body Type: Short King

Eyes: Grey

Hair: Dark brown

Beard: Dark brown flecked with grey

Specialty: Field engineer (demolition/sapping, structure breaching, tunnel warfare), urban warfare

Excluding the group’s elven spellcaster, Rüdiger “Rudi” Brynsson is the second oldest member of the original Special Tactics and Recon Wolfcats. He is also the very shortest of the group. His height has never held him back, and despite occasionally having to grudgingly ask Sam or Arya for a bit of a boost to get into the saddle, Rudi has quite the commanding presence when among his younger comrades. When the lanky commander Vans can’t quiet the rabble, a booming call to attention from his second-in-command immediately snaps everyone into line.

Rudi is accustomed to questions about his height. He has to use both hands three times over to count the number of humans unfamiliar with dwarves who have asked him if he was one of the Knurla. With a thick beard, short stature, even a vaguely dwarven sounding name, it’s easy to understand the mistake. Most of the questions are met with a gruff, “No, I’m just short.” and nothing else. Only a handful of people know that there is more to it than that.

Though an extreme rarity, Rudi comes from a line of humans who, through choices that placed them on the side of the dwarves during the War of Iron, produced offspring with the Alagaësian native race. Though he is three generations removed from his most recent dwarven ancestor due to the difficulty of dwarves and humans having viable children, traits of the Knurla remain strong in his line. The strongest of these traits is the addition of another toe on each foot, which Rudi frequently brushes off questions about by saying it’s a common mutation among the men of his family.

Rudi was born in the small town of Melian to two hardworking parents. His father’s work as a stonemason and his mother’s work as a civil engineer saw his family frequently traveling between Belatona, Feinster, and Cithrí whenever work was available. Like many children of tradesmen and tradeswomen, Rudi and his siblings followed in his parents footsteps. He apprenticed under his mother while also working at building sites when his father’s health began to deteriorate, quickly picking up the skills and knowledge needed for both trades. 

As the youngest of his brothers, Rudi felt a duty to remain with his father and mother to provide them an income after his elder brothers left to find their own paths. The three of them continued to follow the same circuit of cities until, when Rudi was 22, their caravan was dive bombed and burned by a Forsworn and his dragon in a completely random act of violence. The attack killed his parents and left Rudi with burns on his forearms, his hands only being protected by thick leather gloves he was wearing to protect his aching fingers after weeks working in Cithrí. 

Another caravan found and transported the survivors back to Cithrí, where Rudi spent years undergoing rehabilitation to regain adequate movement and strength back in his arms. During this time he dedicated himself to learning more about his parents' work, eventually finding that they had both been early members of the Varden. Their time spent legitimately working on buildings and infrastructure in the Broddring Empire and frequent trips back to Cithrí were also covers to send plans, blueprints, and updated maps to the resistance. 

By age 27, Rudi had been a part of the Varden for 3 years, though he had been unable to join a combat role due to his wounds. His work was more administrative and focused on pinpointing weaknesses in infrastructure that could work to the Varden’s advantage. He found the work frustrating, and developed a rather gruff personality as he saw carefully laid out plans go to shit due to simple bad luck. He sees the world not through pessimism or optimism, but a hard line realism. 

Finally cleared for active duty, Rudi was placed as second in command of the Special Tactics and Recon unit due to his penchant for planning, understanding of the layouts of urban centers, and knowledge of structural and civil engineering, all skills valuable for guiding a strike team often sent into enemy territory. 

[modern-inheritance]

MIC Squaddies Profile: Samuel Wickie

Nickname(s): Sam, Wicks

Race/Ethnicity/Nationality: Human, Surdan

Gender/Age: Male, 22 (on first meeting)

Place of Birth: Forlis, a small town on the shores of Tüdosten Lake, northwest of Petrøvya

Height: 6’5”

Body Type: Tall and muscular

Eyes: Light green

Hair: Sandy blond

Specialty: Navigation, terrain reading, strength 

Samuel Wickie, more commonly known among his friends and the squad as Sam or Wicks, is a young man from the Surdan lakeside town of Forlis. Towering over his teammates and cutting an imposing, muscular figure for such a height, most outside his social circle give him a wide berth. Sam is, however, one of the softest of the Special Tactics and Recon Wolfcats, clinging to his youthful outlook and always first to smile.

Sam was chosen for the Wolfcats for his uncanny navigation abilities, as well as his physical strength. Growing up on the shores of Tüdosten Lake, Sam spent his childhood illegally crossing over into Alagaësia to trade with other settlements across the lake. Whenever a route would be pinned down by Broddring soldiers, Sam would be the first to find a new one, over land or through the water. Maps were dangerous, as they could be easily seized by the patrolling soldiers, so Sam learned to read and memorize terrain.

His routes required him to carry whatever he wanted to barter with, and he never turned down requests from the villagers on either side of the border. Sam never viewed the people of Alagaësia as an enemy, only the soldiers, and preferred to help his fellow man rather than fight. As Galbatorix began cracking down on Surda’s encroaching border, however, Sam found himself in the position of being hunted by emboldened Broddring patrols. To save his family and in hopes of getting official Varden and Surdan support for Forlis, Sam joined the Varden as a recruit and has been with the Wolfcats ever since.

Sam is close with Caleb, the two young men thoroughly enjoying each other’s complimenting lighthearted personalities. Sam does his best to keep Caleb as young as possible, feeling responsible for him like an older brother, and won’t hesitate to put his foot down regarding Caleb’s safety. His feelings are understandable when looking to his family’s past: at only 14, Sam’s younger brother Malcom drowned while evading a Broddring patrol on the lake. Against his brother’s orders, Malcom had been attempting to take over his brother’s duties while Sam was ill, and had never crossed the lake alone before. Sam, though quick to smile and of sunny disposition, never quite forgave himself for the loss.

Like most people of Forlis, Sam wears a beaded braid in his hair, with each bead representing a feat of strength, cunning, agility, or bravery. Sam has four beads, two for feats of strength he performed while helping villagers, one for cunning after his years of dodging Broddring patrols, and one for his bravery for joining the Varden.