| “ | Laws are made not to be broken.
They are made to curb our savagery
— Toba Beta
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” |
Two of my personal favorite barbarian characters. Both Logen and Conan have very similar stories too them, but with greatly different endings. Logen's years of battle and savagery ended up leading to nothing but pain, and despite his attempts to fix it, never really got better for him. Conan's struggles were rewarded in the end, with his long saga of adventures eventually ending with him becoming king, despite coming from almost nothing.
Logen Ninefingers[]
| “ | You have to be realistic about things
— Logen Ninefingers
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” |
Born in the North, Logen Ninefingers was a barbarian warrior and former champion of Bethod. He was from the far North, and first gained a reputation as a skilled warrior before agreeing to join Bethod in exchange for the protection of his people. He would become Bethods champion, but gain an evil reputation. He would eventually fall out with Bethod, going on the run with his band of named men before being allied with the Union, for following the magus Bayaz but later becoming a soldier in the military. After helping defeat Bethod, Logen finally decided to leave, going to the far country in an attempt to leave that life behind, but this would itself eventually fall through.
Equipment[]
- Knives (2): Logen always had a knife on hand, usually more than one. These knives varied, being basically anything he could grab. But they were usually work tools, similar in shape to bowie knives, with the ones he took near the start of Red Country being described as heavy and thick (probably about 10 inches to a foot long).
- Saber: The sword Logen found at the start of Red Country was described as a cavalry sword, being slightly curved with a single edged blade. Appearing to be a cavalry type saber (as the cover art showed), the sword had a short handle and long curved blade, making it apt for cutting. It might have had a hand guard, but this isn’t entirely likely, more than likely having a crossguard (possibly more, the book never really describes it well).
Abilities[]
Bloody Nine: While under pressure or in preparation for a severe fight, Logen could enter a mental state known as the Bloody Nine. In this state, Logen is somewhat detached from his body, letting a completely unhinged and savage personality take his place. While the Bloody Nine is active, Logen becomes a ruthless and physically superhuman figure, no longer feeling pain and feeling unmatched enjoyment with causing both pain and death. However, in recent days, Logen has had trouble staying in this mind set, with it usually only lasting until something knocks him out of it (though this isn’t consistent) or his body gives up on him.
Conan the Barbarian[]
| “ | You Spawn of Hell!
— Conan
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” |
Born in the northern territory or Cimmeria, Conan was a barbarian warrior and later king of Aquilonia. He would start his career as a warrior very young, having a reputation as a brutal warrior at the age of 15. He would take it upon himself to start traveling the world, fighting as a bandit, pirate, thief, mercenary, and soldier in the service of many kingdoms. He would eventually gain rank in the world, and challenged the king of Aquilonia to a duel for his crown. Conan won and became the new king, but would have to suppress a rebellion meant to end his life. Conan would survive, but would live to regret his decisions in life, missing the freedom of his youth.
Equipment[]
- Shortsword: Conan’s preferred melee weapon was a short and heavy one handed sword. This sword was of the common fashion of his time, usually being straight and double edged, with a blade similar to that of a migration period sword (double edged, completely straight, almost no taper, short point). The sword had a limited hard guard, usually only having a wooden or iron disk under the blade.
- Hand Axe: Conan’s favored left hand weapon was a one handed axe. This axe varied, as he often broke them, but for this I will be giving him a one handed axe with a single head. This axe will be head heavy, making for powerful cuts, and will be around 2 feet long Conan was a good shot with throwing this axe, but tended to not bother with getting them back after doing so. He usually opted to use this as his second weapon, often paired with his sword.
- Armor: Conan had a set of armor, and wore an especially good one as king. He wore a Mail shirt, and over that he had a metal breastplate. He also had an iron helmet to cover his head. In total, the armor was somewhat inconsistent. The mail and helmet were clearly made of iron, and could turn cuts on contact, though truly incredible blows could cut through. The breastplate seemed to not be made from iron, either being made from ornamental gold or bronze, as a grunt carrying an axe cut through it with one swing, though it could probably turn or at least eat some attacks.
X-factors[]
Experience[]
While Logen is actually older than Conan, and both have both been fighting from their teenage years, Logen has a nasty disadvantage in this fight. Logen had spent a decade in retirement in the far country, leaving a very large gap in his career. Conan, by comparison, didn't have a break in his career anywhere near as long. While this doesn't discredit Logen's some two decades of prior experience, and he isn't all that rusty, the fact that Conan has some 5 years extra experience (Logen is 5 years older than Conan) is certainly a deciding factor.
Fitness[]
Purely taking them at their baselines, Conan and Logen are nearly equal in terms of strength, agility and toughness. While Conan is marginally stronger, Logen is marginally tougher, and are about as agile as each other. But what off sets this debate is the Bloody Nine. In all areas, the Bloody Nine makes Logen substantually better then Conan. Logen doesn't feel pain and seemly can hold himself together through mortal wounds in this form, often pushing himself far beyond his normal maximum (example: ripped a mans a head off with a blunt sword, with one swing, while there was a dagger lodged in his back).
Fighting talents[]
Purely in terms of blade work, both Conan and Logen were very simple, both using very simple brawler styles. But where the two differ is in what they primarily focus on. Conan has become skilled in a larger variety of weapons. However, while very cunning, he was more reactive in how he fought, and didn't always think his actions out (example, going all out on a jobber in Phoenix on the sword, which broke his sword). Logen, by comparison, was a much more reserved fighter while out in his normal state. He was very good at planning in the moment, having a much more pronounced tactical streak. However, a lot of this went out the window in the Bloody Nine state, as it caused Logen to pretty much lose his mind.
Brutality[]
Usually, both Logen and Conan have a very similar mindset about killing, with both often going in for the quickest, though usually not cleanest, method of killing an opponent. But what really turns the tide here is the Bloody Nine. The state turns Logen into something comparable to a feral animal, with Logen's bar for viable attacks pretty much going out the door, and his ability to determine friend of foe vanishing. And in this state, Logen has gone in for some genuinely upseting attacks (Example: head butting the Stone-Spliters head into blood pulp). He always goes for the most devastating strike, even if it leads to him taking an injury, and will throw said attack against anyone unlocky enough to be nearby.
Scenario[]
This battle will be a savage match between two angry men. Conan, as king of the Aquilonians, has decided to conquer the neighboring lands. It just so happens that Logen has taken up living in those lands, still on the run from his past, and still going passing himself off as the farmer Lamb. Conan sent men to sack a farm Lamb was living on, and Lamb killed those men. Hearing of his man, Conan decided to deal with this battle himself.
Logen and Conan will both be used from later points in their life. Logen will be used as of his appearance in Red Country, and Conan will be used from up to the Phoenix on the sword. Both are older men by this point, but can still kick some serious ass, and have the most experience possible.
Prologue[]
Conan road his old war horse down the dirt path towards the old farm. He loved slowly, keeping an eye of the terrain ahead of him. He clutched the hilt of his sword tight, ready for anything. The day before, he gained a report from a group of scouts. They'd been scouting out a farmstead on the outside of a large town during a raid. But as the approached, they were confronted by the farmer who own the place. When they tried to push past him, the farmer butchered a handful of them. So accordingly, Conan took it upon himself to deal with this man personally. He continued onwards, gray skies overhead.
Logen Ninefingers, now going by the name Lamb, sat quietly on an old apple barrel. He held his saber in hand, thumbing the blade as he waited. He'd killed some men the day before, but had let some get away. So noe he was waiting here, since he knew more men would be coming. He watched the crows picking at the day old bodies in the field, simply filling them time. Say one thing for Logen Ninefingers, say that he's patient. But his waiting wouldn't last long. After maybe another minute or two, Logen could see a figure coming up over the hill. The man was mounted, and dressed in full armor.
Conan could see the farm house from the top of the hill, a small wood and stone shack. He could also see the remains of his men, now a feast for hungry crows. And most importantly of all, he could see a man waiting for him, more then likely the old farmer in question. Conan lashed the reins and moved brisky down the hill, grey sky getting darker.
Logen could see his opponent now. A big man with dark tanned skin. He road closer, but Logen stayed seated. "If this bastard wants too fight or talk, then he'll have to wait until I damn good and ready" he thought, wipping a drop a rain from his brow. It didn't take long for the big man to get close too him, now maybe only 20 paces away. Logen was surprised by the other mans age, appearing to be well over 40.
"Are you the man who slaughtered my men?" Conan asked, his tone hard, voice filled with venom. Logen looked up at him, saber still in hand. "I was" he said. "Your boys tried to burn my farm, so I gave them what was coming." Conan scowled hard. "You took them by yourself? With just a sword?" he asked, hand still tight around his sword hilt. "And with a few good knive" Logen said. "Father always said you could never have to many knives."
Conan's scowl shifted too a thin smile. "You're a warrior then?" he ask. Logen shruggled. "I tried to leave that life behind. But it had a habit of coming back too me." Conan's smile switched for a large, manic grin. "Then you are just the man I am looking for." Logen was confused. "What do you mean? You cam searching for me?"
Conan laughed. "No, but you're the type of man I was looking for. A warrior with the skills to challenge me." Conan slipped off his horse, hand still on his sword hilt. "Hold on" Logen said, now standing up to meet Conan. "You came seeking a battle? What kind of sense is that." Conan laughed again, a deep, throaty laugh. "I seek to regain the excitment of my youth once again. For years, I've ruled over Aquilonia with a troubled brow. And now, I may once against feel the thrill of battle against a worthy opponent."
And with that, Conan drew his axe and sword from his belt and took up a battle pose. "Prepare farmer! bring up your weapons to face mine!" Logen's face was grim. "If this is how it must be, then I don't dissapoint you. He took up a simple stance, saber in one hand, a long skinning knife in the other. Both Barbarian's eyed the other down.
Battle[]
TBC
Conclusion[]
TBC