Fellan

>Name: Mohammad Basri
>Male
>Fellan Witch Empire
>Commoner
Egyptian born and raised. I enjoyed farming and horse/sheep/goat/cow/coyote riding before I was conscripted to fight for the glory of our latest oppressors.
Not much else to say.
>Cavalry
I did mention I rode pretty much everything I could get my hands on. Some of my fellow Fellan soldiers joked that the animals I rode "enjoyed themselves too much" and "expected more of my gentle touch". At least, I think it's a joke, since I see them laugh at the notion. Never quite understood myself.

>>Skills (5+2=7)
>Horseback Riding (free)
>Animal Handler (6)
Like I said, I enjoyed the company of animals. I felt special among them, not like back home where if someone calls "Mohammad" half the street would look up and the other half would ask "Did you mean Hamad?".
>Common Knowledge (free)
>Spellcasting (5)
Healthy mind, healthy body. That's what my pops would say. The fact he spent much of his hard-earned money to guarantee me an education attested to his conviction. Pity I didn't really share his grand aspirations, I just wanted a simple life.
>Leadership (4)
The trick to assuming leadership is to find the group's alpha and knock them down a peg. After that, you treat everyone with respect, not tyranny. That almost always makes you the new improved leader, approved even by your predecessor.
It's surprising how often that trick works on humans too...
>Small Arms Training (3)
Curiously, my mounts don't require much training to not spook at the crack of gunfire. Must be my (sigh) animal magnetism.
One of our tours took me to the heart of Asia where we met some of the steppe tribes. Some were friendly, some were not, and some were downright hostile. The first had some kid who offered me some pointers on horseback marksmanship, which translated well enough from bows to guns. In exchange, I helped him hunt down some wolves, even managed to tame one for him as a pet. He was very thankful.
>Survivalist (2)
Our tours were long and harsh. We had to move ahead of the main force at times. My time as a farmer served me well in adapting.
>Tactics (1)
We met a few feisty Ginq outriders, who managed to kill our commander and nearly broke our forces. I rallied the troops, and started a retreat, leading our rider-less horses in one direction while the troops laid low in hiding (it was nighttime).
After an hour-long chase, I led my pursuers through a pass, then had the other horses charge them as they emerged from the passage while I picked them off with my rifle one by one. It was a very close call.
I got a medal, and was unofficially titled "Harras Knight" (though my teammates jokingly called me Stud Knight). An honorary title of course; no way was a non-Fellan getting knighted. At least I got promoted to Lieutenant.
>Information Network (0)
My pops contracted a malignant infection while putting in his work on the Suez canal when he was a kid. It didn't become very obvious until a few years later. Antibiotics were expensive, and he was just a farmer, so he limited his dosages to barely get by. He lived like that for almost half a century.
And now it's flared up again, and my pops is in no more shape to earn money for it. I needed a cheap way to get him medicine, and followed a lead I got about some Frencian merchant that dealt as much in favors as he did in money. He asked for non-essential information: what kind of rations we got in our meals, the ethnicity of our truck drivers, how many tire resupplies we got... that sort of thing. In exchange, I received enough money to send him so he could buy the antibiotics.
As it turned out, there was no helping his infection. It had developed so much that he needed a surgery. One that I couldn't afford.
The merchant had a few suggestions, but the war had recently ended, and more options were opened to me as I was promoted again to Captain...

>>Magic (5+2=7)
>Minor Heal (6)
>Major Heal (5)
I tried really hard to learn this to heal my father. Apparently, the magic doesn't count infections as "wounds".
>Body Strengthen (4)
My mounts ran longer and farther than most.
>Physical Ward (3)
Cavalry charges akin to tanks.
>Summon Familiar [Bewinged-Warg] (2)
When I finally mastered this spell, all the jokes finally stopped.
>Elemental Wall (1)
>Elemental Trap (0)
Perfect for herding my enemies, as well as dissuading pursuers.

>>Items (5+2[from witch]=7)
>Maldea Crystal (6)
The merchant gave me this so I could bring him his required information more efficiently.
>Universal Map (5)
The difference between sleeping in a ditch and sleeping with the fishes.
>Blacksmith Bombs (4)
Bombs away!
>Elemental Knife (3)
Standard issue officer knife.
>Gas Mask (2)
I was actually issued this to counter the effects of a certain witch's toxic brews.
>Mana Tank (1)
Standard issue to any spellcaster.
>Ring of Bonds (0)
I promised my pops I'd show him grandkids to spoil rotten.

>>Witches (5-2=3)
>Maribelle Lygae Lemington (2)
I asked for her to be added to my squadron when I learned of the versatility inherent in alchemy. She spends most of her time brewing potions for our mounts.
>*Hansel Byrn Griffin (0)
I was actually summoned to her family's farm personally when news of my prowess with animals (why's everyone laughing?) reached them. After being satisfied by my skill level, they asked me to spend a few months familiarizing myself with the Griffons, before instructing their caretakers in ways to improve the farm's growth. The pay was good, so I accepted.
After my mission was done, I was reassigned to more pressing matters, but I seem to have caught the eye of the Duke's young daughter. When the war was over, and I was preparing for my Ire assignment, she was assigned to my squadron ("orders from above", they said).

>>Events
>Luck of the Ire
I hoped that earning some achievements in yet another front would entitle me to some extra pay, recognition, maybe even a cross. Anything so I could afford my pops' surgery.
I devised some new ways of combat during my tours there. The most prevalent of which, one that was lauded as both humane and effective, was attaching a crop sprayer filled with Draining Potion to two horses, having them run through and perpendicular to the streets with the rioters, then conjure a wind wall to direct the spray at them, rendering them ineffective and ready for escorting.
Good news: I earned my Victoria Cross.
Bad news: Non-Fellan nationals weren't permitted anywhere near the Royal London Hospital, which had the only known doctors in the Fellan empire capable of curing such an infection.
It was time for more drastic measures. I called up the Frencian merchant, and he gave me a "simple" task...
>The Second Emu War
I spent long months scouring Aust for the last of the Emu. I would approach a mob nonchalantly, rush their leader and ride him before anyone would be wiser, then lead the tamed mob back to an enclosure. Apparently, this Frencian merchant made an under-the-table arrangement with the Fellans to purchase their Emu herds, and even utilized my connection with the Griffons to appropriate some ships for transport to Vietnam. The amount of money he threw at them must've been amazing for how much they were willing to humor his outrageous request.
After all known Emu territory had been cleared, the birds were shipped to Vietnam, with me along for the ride to calm them down. Once we reached Vietnam, high-command sent me further orders to transport the birds through Ginq and steppe territory until we reached Syria. The merchant paid for the trip, and the Ginqs and steppe nomads would be weakened by the Emu passing through their territory, so the higher-ups considered it a win-win. I was also accompanied by my witches, though scarcely anyone else was willing to humor the assignment any.
On the way, I asked Maribelle to brew a concoction the Frencian claimed would lessen the Emus' dietary needs (he said that was a side-effect, the target being making them hardier and more durable). We also met some nomad tribes, many of which we traded some Emus with in exchange for safe passage (thankfully, my witch companions weren't informed of the side-mission), and I exchanged some messages with my acquaintances from the beginning of the war.
As we approached the borders of Iraq, I proposed to Hansel. She was surprised to say the least, and promised a yes if her father approved. She went to sleep happy. It may have had something to do with the drugs I'd added to the tea.
My nomad compatriots finally came out of hiding after tailing us for weeks. They took several mobs as their payment, then set about tying explosive potions to the sides of the Emu.
Our plan is to move into Iraq at high-speed, and cause as much havoc and chaos as we can. The merchant said he needed us to keep the Fellans as occupied looking south and east as possible. Once dawn approaches, we are to retreat under cover of receding darkness and the nomads' witches Blended spells. Hopefully, I'll be back before my companions awake. I'll claim that nomads snuck up on us and stole the herd, lost control of it near Iraq, then used the chaos it caused in the territories to raid and pillage. Worst case, I'll get off with a demotion for "incompetence" -never enjoyed my rank anyway.
In exchange, I'll be introduced to a certain gifted professional from Arxia that will treat my father at no charge.
Oh Allah, please don't let this blow up in my face, I have a marriage to look forward to!