Alfaris Alqatil

Somewhere in the icy shores of Bahrid, a fresh group of juvenile Pingus arrives at their new home for next couple years. Hidden from the world, they will learn what it means to become a fearsome sea warrior deserving of their troops nickname. It all starts with picking a partner in crime.

Welcome, young'uns! I am glad to see so many fresh faces eager to protect our waters from the unwanted threats of the world. Our third year recruits have been working all week to build your nests for the year; if you get through the first task, you can stay! If not.. we'll make sure to send whatever remains of you to your family, if you wish us to do so.

— May the Usturia

Companion for Life

One of the first - and most prominent - skills these naval squires need to master is riding. However, picking a riding partner isn't without risk: the Mahawt are notorious ocean dwellers capable of showing ships what the bottom of their domain looks like — and Pingus happen to be one of their favourite snacks.
Fortunately for these recruits, they will pick from a group of calves whose teeth and ferocious instinct haven't developed far. Unfortunately for these recruits, their mums are there alongside their young and are fierce protectors. While they have been with the pingus for a long time, they will absolutely "accidentally" snack on those they do not deem trustworthy. A nicely added security bonus, some would call it.
So, while it seems like the recruit is the one choosing their partner, it really is the mum that do the choosing and approving. Once a calf has bonded with their pingu, the duo will be partners for life. Many stories tell tales of connections between the knight and their ride. When they are forced to part ways, usually because one of them goes to The Realm of Eternal Slumber, both will refuse to get a new partner - regardless of their current realm - and wait until they are reunited again.

Wow, the two of you look like a single fish in the water! Take good care of each other, okay? I know you'll learn how to do that here - hell, I'll be the one teaching you - but let me tell you still: if you do, you'll stay companions for a lifetime and get to do the most awesome things together.

— Noot, rider of the Legendary Duo

فرسان الموتى
------
Knights of the Dead

Formation Type

Rakibhut

Training Level

Professional

Location

Bahrid

Related Species

• Mahawt
• Pingu

The Legendary Duo: Zuzu and her rider Noot

Inspiration & Motivation

Becoming a battle hardened fighter requires a lot of knowledge and practice, thus a lot of patience and experience. Recruits undergo an intensive and challenging three or four-year program meant to build the strongest pingus for the tasks at hand.
The first two years are physically challenging as the young squires learn how to ride and fight with their Mahawt partner and build up the strength and condition to do so for a prolonged time. During these years, the pingus also learn how to take care of their companion and themselves, should they ever get injured far from home or other similar scenarios.
The third year is mentally demanding; the academy tests and builds the mental resilience of their recruits to see how they would handle missions. Pingus emerging as leaders during this year will receive the option to stay at the institute for an additional year to further develop their leadership and battle strategy skills.

We've managed to keep everyone this year once again. Since the academy opened, we only lost a handful of our recruits and only one or two of them were actual dropouts. It really helps that all the pingus coming here have had basic military training. To get into Alfaris Alqatil, you need a letter of recommendation from upper leadership. We produce the finest warriors after all, and that starts with the selection of recruits.

— Sierrah the Mutamaris

Yet, the institute has an impressive low number of dropouts during those four years and that's not without reason. Alfaris Alqatil mainly teaches through veterans, active-duty personell, and fourth-year recruits. Showing the young recruits the lengths others have gone to and what can be achieved gives them a huge boost in motivation to keep going. For the last-year recruits, teaching and training the rookies is part of their curriculum to becoming an officer.
The school puts extra effort into inviting renowned warriors and their companions for guest lectures or practical sessions; they are the heroes everyone looks up to and aspires to be. Noot and Zuzu of the Legendary Duo are regular visitors of their former schoolgrounds hoping to inspire many of the young pingus and give them the experience of a lifetime. The morale boost after such a visit can be felt in the air.

"Barney, Shawn, Lesley, would the three of you be so kind and fix the first-years igloos?" May the Usturia sighs. "They've uh.. melted again since Noots visit."
"Isn't that the second time this year?" Barney chuckles.
"Those two really know how to boost morale, don't they?" Shawn adds with a big grin.
"You can literally feel it in the air!" Lesley piles on.
The four pingus have a good laugh about it.

"Someone has to do it, isn't it boys?" An all too familiar voice approaches.
"By the ocean.. NOOT! MAY, PINCH MY FLIPPER, I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!"

Hidden somewhere along the icy coastline of Bahrid lays Alfaris Alqatir training a new crop of excellent warriors by Matt Palmer