References: The Eight High Generals
The Whisper:
One of the few women in the military and one of the most feared of all the High Generals, she is perhaps second most feared for her ruthlessness and skill. She is surprisingly blind and mute, but she can supposedly communicate to her troops subvocally, like through a radio frequency, but not exactly telepathy. They say she can hear a heartbeat from a mile away, that her body reacts instantaneously to any threatening noise from a grunt emanating from a heavy thrust to the air whisking about a blade swiping through it. And she is feared because she puts herself on the front lines, not the least bit afraid of any battle, and this in turn inspires her men with a morale unlike any of the other Generals save one.
The Whirlwind:
The calmest of the Generals, one of the many rarely seen, he is a blacksmith turned soldier early in his life. Coming from a long line of highly skilled smiths, he crafted a rapier of all things whose slices and thrusts can supposedly generate an ethereal force equivalent to a small burst of wind. Small, but deadly, they say just a few slices from ten feet away from his blade can rip the flesh right off a fully armored man. He is rarely seen on the battlefield, preferring instead to keep to his own.
The Juggernaut:
The strongest of the Generals and the largest, when he runs, no rope, arrow, pit, or wall can stop him or even slow him down. He swings a giant axe the way many swing daggers--hardly any resistance, maximal swiftness and agility, and without any loss of balance. He can supposedly cut right through stone, and his axe was forged by none other than The Whirlwind, and it has never broken or dulled. He is a true berserker--so bloodlusted that he'll kill his own men if they stand in his way. He clearly prefers the frontlines.
The Bloody:
The newest of the Generals, he is more of a shock-and-awe terrorist than true warrior. He relies more on the latest technologies to help him raze whole areas to the ground regardless of what's actually in them. He earned his name because his sword has never been cleaned, and in fact has become so foul that one cut brings certain death from the poisons coagulated--and infected--blood can bring. Not the most skilled by far, but he is the wealthiest, and he commands much of the large artilleries, perfect for total annihilation. He has no real special talents other than his name and reputation bring fear--at least the others show mercy or follow their orders wholly--he shows none and seeks only to destroy.
The Watcher:
Nothing is known of his actual skill in battle. What brings him victories in duels is his rumored 360 degree vision that allows him to see not only in all directions, but even behind objects, ultimately allowing him to see his enemies' backsides as he attacks them from the front. He is swift and agile, allowing him to expertly penetrate any vulnerabilities his perfect vision can find. His actual strength and endurance are probably no more than the average soldier's. He is never seen anymore, instead a perfect spy, somehow acquiring a cloak of invisibility that, coupled with his spherical vision, makes him all the more deadly.
The Soothsayer:
The man The Whisper is second to in gaining respect from his soldiers, his mere voice can inspire thousands of soldiers to great feats of strength, skill, endurance, and speed well beyond their own adrenaline rushes. He has no actual skill in combat on his own, relying on his men to fight for him while he ensures their flawless, absolute victories. Some say his soothsaying is so powerful that his men will follow orders even through their deaths. It was rumored he was almost as powerful as The King, and it was perhaps this very rumor that led to his ultimate but unknown demise one decade ago. Only after he died were the enemies of the Empire ever able to begin gaining footholds in assaults.
The Ghost:
The second and only other female High General, she has never actually been seen in battle in war, instead seen regularly in tournaments. To outsiders she moves fairly normally, but for some reason her opponents can never seem to anticipate her attacks. They say she's never been touched in battle, but nobody has ever figured out why her opponents can't seem to lay a finger on her, even when her stances show clear vulnerabilities and her opponents not only recognize them but have the skill to act upon them. For this, she earned her monicker.
The King:
The most feared of all the High Generals, the oldest and most powerful and most experienced. He has never lost a battle he has participated in himself, but that is not what is frightening. Rather, it is how he wins his battles: he has never once been observed lifting an arm or blade against his opponent. Instead, every opponent he has ends their own lives before him. And they do so because he commands them to, and they listen. Thought to be hypnosis, this was rejected when it was witnessed he could command a volley of arrows to stop in mid-air and return to their archers' hearts. Nobody knows where his power comes from, but rumor has it he sold his very soul to the most powerful of all Demons; anything that comes near him is subject to his absolute rule, the living, the dead, and the otherwise inanimate. He was rumored to have killed his own subordinate, The Soothsayer, when it was hypothesized that The Soothsayer's own powers could force men to break The King's rule. The royal king himself fears The King, that should he ever try and overthrow the empire and make himself ruler, there would be nobody to stop him. At least for now, The King seems not the least bit interested in actually ruling over anyone.
One of the few women in the military and one of the most feared of all the High Generals, she is perhaps second most feared for her ruthlessness and skill. She is surprisingly blind and mute, but she can supposedly communicate to her troops subvocally, like through a radio frequency, but not exactly telepathy. They say she can hear a heartbeat from a mile away, that her body reacts instantaneously to any threatening noise from a grunt emanating from a heavy thrust to the air whisking about a blade swiping through it. And she is feared because she puts herself on the front lines, not the least bit afraid of any battle, and this in turn inspires her men with a morale unlike any of the other Generals save one.
The Whirlwind:
The calmest of the Generals, one of the many rarely seen, he is a blacksmith turned soldier early in his life. Coming from a long line of highly skilled smiths, he crafted a rapier of all things whose slices and thrusts can supposedly generate an ethereal force equivalent to a small burst of wind. Small, but deadly, they say just a few slices from ten feet away from his blade can rip the flesh right off a fully armored man. He is rarely seen on the battlefield, preferring instead to keep to his own.
The Juggernaut:
The strongest of the Generals and the largest, when he runs, no rope, arrow, pit, or wall can stop him or even slow him down. He swings a giant axe the way many swing daggers--hardly any resistance, maximal swiftness and agility, and without any loss of balance. He can supposedly cut right through stone, and his axe was forged by none other than The Whirlwind, and it has never broken or dulled. He is a true berserker--so bloodlusted that he'll kill his own men if they stand in his way. He clearly prefers the frontlines.
The Bloody:
The newest of the Generals, he is more of a shock-and-awe terrorist than true warrior. He relies more on the latest technologies to help him raze whole areas to the ground regardless of what's actually in them. He earned his name because his sword has never been cleaned, and in fact has become so foul that one cut brings certain death from the poisons coagulated--and infected--blood can bring. Not the most skilled by far, but he is the wealthiest, and he commands much of the large artilleries, perfect for total annihilation. He has no real special talents other than his name and reputation bring fear--at least the others show mercy or follow their orders wholly--he shows none and seeks only to destroy.
The Watcher:
Nothing is known of his actual skill in battle. What brings him victories in duels is his rumored 360 degree vision that allows him to see not only in all directions, but even behind objects, ultimately allowing him to see his enemies' backsides as he attacks them from the front. He is swift and agile, allowing him to expertly penetrate any vulnerabilities his perfect vision can find. His actual strength and endurance are probably no more than the average soldier's. He is never seen anymore, instead a perfect spy, somehow acquiring a cloak of invisibility that, coupled with his spherical vision, makes him all the more deadly.
The Soothsayer:
The man The Whisper is second to in gaining respect from his soldiers, his mere voice can inspire thousands of soldiers to great feats of strength, skill, endurance, and speed well beyond their own adrenaline rushes. He has no actual skill in combat on his own, relying on his men to fight for him while he ensures their flawless, absolute victories. Some say his soothsaying is so powerful that his men will follow orders even through their deaths. It was rumored he was almost as powerful as The King, and it was perhaps this very rumor that led to his ultimate but unknown demise one decade ago. Only after he died were the enemies of the Empire ever able to begin gaining footholds in assaults.
The Ghost:
The second and only other female High General, she has never actually been seen in battle in war, instead seen regularly in tournaments. To outsiders she moves fairly normally, but for some reason her opponents can never seem to anticipate her attacks. They say she's never been touched in battle, but nobody has ever figured out why her opponents can't seem to lay a finger on her, even when her stances show clear vulnerabilities and her opponents not only recognize them but have the skill to act upon them. For this, she earned her monicker.
The King:
The most feared of all the High Generals, the oldest and most powerful and most experienced. He has never lost a battle he has participated in himself, but that is not what is frightening. Rather, it is how he wins his battles: he has never once been observed lifting an arm or blade against his opponent. Instead, every opponent he has ends their own lives before him. And they do so because he commands them to, and they listen. Thought to be hypnosis, this was rejected when it was witnessed he could command a volley of arrows to stop in mid-air and return to their archers' hearts. Nobody knows where his power comes from, but rumor has it he sold his very soul to the most powerful of all Demons; anything that comes near him is subject to his absolute rule, the living, the dead, and the otherwise inanimate. He was rumored to have killed his own subordinate, The Soothsayer, when it was hypothesized that The Soothsayer's own powers could force men to break The King's rule. The royal king himself fears The King, that should he ever try and overthrow the empire and make himself ruler, there would be nobody to stop him. At least for now, The King seems not the least bit interested in actually ruling over anyone.