The events of the 5th of Moonstone, 1067
The Soldiers all stood assembled in the barracks, at attention. These gatherings were so infrequent, that "at attention" meant quite a few things, depending on the person. Major Merkil, stone faced and dour, leaned against an archery target, watching the assembled group. Varen and Towersacks looked like the epitome of perfect soldiers, their backs straight, their armor gleaming. In contrast, Neo was constantly getting spit-wads to the back of the head by a chuckling Maggarg; Neo responded with hard thrusts behind him with his sheathed sword and only succeeding in hitting Zako in the gut and groin.
Sulari stood at the front of the room, her hands crossed in front of her. She hadn't been seen much lately; at her own request she had slowly taken a desk position, taking over the paperwork from a frequently disinterested Merkil. Standing beside her was Jools, and one of the newer members of the standing army, Wilber. They both stood rigidly at attention, nervously aware they were the center of attention.
"This will be kept short," Sulari started. "And though you have training and patrol, I wanted to take a moment of recognition for two of our newer soldiers. Jools Machinescalded, and Wilber Anvilquiet, have gone out of their way to stay uninjured, to listen to their superiors, to follow instructions, and to spend their off-time in training and study. These, friends, are the consummate soldiers, and as such, I am pleased to grant them the rank of 'Champion'! Jools, Wilber, make us proud."
There was a brief, loud cry from the assembled soldiers, and Sulari got out of the way fast enough to avoid the flood of bodies rushing at the pair. Jools was knocked down by his squadmates, dog-piled under laughing bodies. Wilber was nearly knocked off his feet by Maggarg, and kept upright by Adol, who were giving him congratulations and trying to steal ornamentation from his armor.
Watching from the corner, mostly unseen, was Riddlewire. He took a healthy plug from his hip flask and snorted, giving a slow shake of his head. "In the constant defense of our fortress, the soldiers do what they do best - play grab-ass and party... when the dark days hit, let's see how well that camaraderie holds them."