Templar-General Smoking Death

## Smoking Death

"I fight not for personal glory or gain, but for the greater good. For the ideals and principles that my country stands for. For the future of our children and our children's children and of course for our Goddess." Smoking Death reasons his fighting in this war.

## General Information

### Physical Description

Smoking Death is an anthro dragon with black scales covering most of his body, except for his wings, which are made of thick membranes to support his weight in the air for short periods. He also has the usual features of a Dragon. He has a slim build and stands at 6'6" (1.98 meters) tall, weighing also around 325 pounds. His eye color is a Fierce dark blue.

### Clothing Description

Smoking Death wears a black trench coat over black trousers, a white-red jacket with all his medals, and his nameplate. He usually opens his trench coat indoors and closes it when he goes outside. He does not wear shoes, as the scales on his feet protect him from sharp objects on the ground.

### Weapons & Tools

Smoking Death keeps a Kidd Boltgun Model '05 in his office as a reminder of his battles as a soldier. He also carries a Solar Inquisition "Silver Day" Revolver on his right pelvis, hidden under the trench coat. He carries a lighter with some light fuel and cigars in his pocket, revealing his habit as a heavy smoker.

### Accessories & Misc

Smoking Death has scars on visible and non-visible parts of his body, painted in dark blue scales, serving as a testament to his perseverance and resilience.

## Background Information

### Religious Background

Since Smoking Death was young he believed that Celestia and Luna are Goddesses as they have raised the moon and the sun. He even sometimes prayed to them as times got hard and he hoped to get help. To his surprise, his prayers were somehow heard and things got better, no matter if it was a battle or just an illness. But since Luna turned into Nightmare Moon he was just disgusted by her and he started to pray only to Celestia. And since Celestia turned to Daybreaker and she could move both celestial bodies, he even started to worship Daybreaker as he believed she was the true Goddess. He even has made an education to a priest, partly for his military career but mostly because of his beliefs.

### Goals

Honor and inner peace are the driving goals behind Smoking Death's actions.

### Prior Experience

Smoking Death has amassed extensive experience in various military ranks, culminating in his current rank as a Templar General.

### Strengths & Weaknesses

Smoking Death's out-of-the-box thinking and strategic mind make him an exceptional military leader. His unique approach to problem-solving, coupled with his wealth of wisdom from past battles and decisions, allows him to excel in his role. His Firearm technique is nearly on par with that of a veteran fighter, and his offensive tactics are highly efficient. But for that, Smoking Death's wings allow him to fly for only short periods since he never trained extensively in flight. His rigid adherence to discipline and regulations can cause friction with his subordinates. Additionally, his heavy smoking habit can lead to short tempers if he hasn't had a cigarette for a while, it can impair his judgment and decision-making.

### Combat Strategy

Smoking Death favors fast, hard strikes that catch the enemy off-guard, using overwhelming force to achieve his objectives. He is highly skilled in offensive tactics and capable of holding ground and repelling enemy attacks with great efficiency.

### Personality

Smoking Death exudes toughness and commands respect from his troops. He is known for his brutal honesty and directness, never sugarcoating anything. Despite his tough exterior, Smoking Death is a wise and intelligent individual who deeply cares for his troops and his country. But he fears failure and dishonor stems from his infrequent losses and his reluctance to admit mistakes. As for his hobbies are reading history books and analyzing military plans in his spare time. He is also an avid chess player, using his strategic mind to excel at the game.

## Historical Background

### Summarized

Smoking Death was born in Canterlot, the capital city of the Equestria(Solar Empire), as an anthro dragon. As a young dragon, he showed an interest in military tactics and combat, and he pursued this interest by enlisting in the Equestrian military. He hadn’t the chance to prove himself there and just ended up being a Sergeant, guiding his squad so they wouldn’t die. But since the war between Sun and Moon began he felt a deep hatred for Nightmare Moon now Princess Luna as he felt betrayed by her action starting a civil war. He only wants one thing, revenge and the death of everyone supporting her in this war. He guided his Squad through battle after battle to get another day to live and delay the troops of the lunar forces. As the petition has taken place and the great military purge has happened, he knew it was now the ideal time to rise and shine. During these early years in the new Solar Empire, Smoking Death could finally prove to be a highly capable soldier, quickly rising through the ranks and earning numerous awards and commendations for his service. He excelled in both defensive and offensive tactics, earning him the nickname "Smoke" due to his ability to strike quickly and disappear just as fast. He then even made an education, since he has hit the rank Sergeant, Seventh-Order, SVIIO, to become a priest to even rise higher through the ranks. As Smoking Death continued to rise through the ranks, he gained a reputation as a brilliant strategist and a skilled fighter, earning him the respect of his fellow soldiers and the admiration of his superiors. He was a key player in several successful military battles in the civil war. And so over the years of civil war, Smoking Death continued to hone his skills and refine his strategies, always seeking to improve himself and his abilities. He eventually became a trusted General to the God-Empress Daybreaker, and his counsel was highly valued in matters of war and strategy. Smoking Death's military career was not without its challenges, however. He was injured several times in battle, and his scars were a testament to the sacrifices he had made in service to his country. He also struggled with his heavy smoking habit, which often caused tension with his fellow soldiers and superiors. Despite these challenges, Smoking Death continued to rise through the ranks, eventually becoming a Templar General in the Solar Empire's military. He was known before for his strict adherence to discipline and regulations, and his subordinates knew that he expected nothing but the best from them. Today, Smoking Death remains a respected and admired figure in the Solar Empire's military, known for his bravery, his intelligence, and his unwavering dedication to his country and his Goddess.

### Diary

**“War: when smoke and death become your best friends”**

A Notebook from Templar-General Smoking Death

Last edited: 28th May 1009

I write this Notebook in case my end has brought me to a better place and the generations after me can learn from my mistakes and prevent war like this from happening again. To the reader, this is a story about war and how I got the name Smoking Death. I can’t write much or else the paper won’t be enough for the future.

It all began in Equestria where I hatched and saw the light for the first time with my own two eyes on the 19th of June 963. It was bright and burned a bit in my eyes. I hatched in an orphan home since my parents hadn’t been seen by anyone. I think that they sent my egg away as they may have got attacked by something and sent me away, in the hope I could see the light of this world. But that is also only a thought. I have no idea who or where my parents are, I only know they are not here with me and may be dead. But as I looked around me, there wasn’t a single trace of another dragon, only me and the other ponies. In my very young years, I and the ponies became great friends and play buddies. It was the only beautiful time I can remember back then when I was not treated as an outsider but as a friend. But of course, those years didn’t last long, we dragons tend to outgrow other races as we get more quicker mature than the rest. And so I could already walk hours after I hatched and spoke after a year. The rest were of course miles behind me and even the educators were astounded by it. But no wonder, I was the first dragon to be raised there. So they thought it would be a good idea to put me with the big ones as I hit the age of 3, but having the mind of a ten-year-old. And this is where life truly began. I tried to make friends, with no success. I was an outsider to them since I was different. There was a moment I was learning since I was so fascinated by all the knowledge I learned here. I did mind my own business as the older and bigger ones came to me and as magic threw my book away. As I looked up, there was a Unicorn, a Pegasus, and an Earth Pony, teaming up against me. The Unicorn was seemingly the leader of the trio and I can remember the sentence he spoke, “Why are you even here? Shouldn’t you be in the mountains and burn things like the rest of you? I heard you dragons eat ponies and have fun killing them.” I tried to prove them wrong that I wasn’t that kind of dragon there, but the only thing I remember was that a hoove hit me in the face and everything turned black. As I woke up again, I was laying in my bed with an ice bag on my head to relieve the swelling a bit. I now know this was the beginning of me being an outsider and fighting mostly on my own. The years passed with pain and slurs, hearing stuff like, “Black Plague!” or “Scalebutt!” or even “Black Death!” I was 16 when I was completely broken down on my knees. They kept getting into groups, even bigger than last time if I could fight them off. It even escalated that hard, I don’t remember clearly but, I know that I nearly killed one. And so I searched for methods to relieve pain and stress, so something like this wouldn’t escalate that quickly again. So, I found a cigarette package with some cigarettes left. Curious as I was, I tried them and man this was an experience. As if all the bad things floated away as I had taken my first inhale. It was like another world for me. A world without stress, without bad thoughts, only calmness and silence. And so my smoking habit started which lasts till this very day. I don’t regret it, this world wanted to keep me down so I would need a little help here to keep a stoic face and to keep my inner dragon in his cave. And as again others tried to insult me, a specific insult kept in my head. “Smoking Death”. This “insult” somehow resonated with something inner with me. I liked it. I liked it so much, I used it as my new name since my old one was “Black Scale”. It was not very creative. When I turned 18, I could finally leave this hell hole and yes, no one adopted me but who can blame them? Raising a dragon is not something on one's bucket list. But as I left I thought, “What do I want to do with my life? What is my purpose here?” And as if destiny heard my call, I saw an enlistment poster, with the text: “He can’t do it alone! Help us to keep Harmony! Enlist in the Equestrian Army!”. A Pegasus was protecting a foal with his wing as some sort of entity was lurking at them. But that is when the thought came to my mind. There is no sense in giving the world pain back as it sucks it off like a sponge. But to protect others from the pain, so they don’t have to suffer the same as I did, made more sense to me. So I went to the nearest recruiting office I could find and enlisted myself there. As the recruiter saw he was firstly completely gaffed seeing me in his office. But of course, he didn’t hesitate long to bring me into the army since who wouldn’t want a creature who could smack the shit out of one on his side. And after filling out some papers and getting through some exams, this sentence did change my life, “Welcome to the army, Smoking Death.” And so as the first dragon in Equestria, I was in the army starting of course as a cadet to get used to things. The first couple of weeks were a bit hard since it was waking up early and having a strict routine and shift plan to get us in the shape of soldiers. To my surprise, I wouldn’t be insulted or anything equal but something similar would come to the light. They won’t actively insult me but passively. For example, you had to do night shifts there with a partner. And as I got picked, everyone was praying to not be picked. And then the drill sergeant whispered to my ear, “I will let you go through the night shift alone, as everyone else would piss their pants full. Also I trust you that you can handle it by yourself Cadet Smoking Death.” And so was my first night shift, my first lonely one. It taught me how it truly is to be alone and be protecting others for the sake of the greater good. And so the days passed, mostly alone with my own thoughts to accompany me through the weeks of training. As I eventually finished my training, I was Private Smoking Death. The calmness didn’t last long as I got my first mission which would be something like saving a cat from a tree or helping at farms. Better said I got mostly trivial tasks since they didn’t want me to prove myself there to get a higher rank than them. But how did one say, “Everything has a good and bad side.” The years eventually flew by like leaves in the wind, and after 19 years of service, I eventually ended up being a sergeant. But the 20th year of service was a year that would change everything I have known. On the 31st of October, 1001 at about 11:40 PM Celestial Coast Daylight Time, I was stationed in a garrison in Ponyville. I thought the night would be like every other Night. I did enjoy the time with my earth pony friend “Short Leaf”, he was a funny guy and didn’t fear me, something I wasn’t used to and something I will be forever grateful for him, showing me that the world isn’t that cruel. We were best friends. We were nearly on every mission together for the last 10 years. But after 5 minutes, suddenly the power went out. I was going outside to look what happened and then realization hit me harder than everything else I have lived through. Houses in flames, ponies running away in panic and screaming, leaving only some other garrison soldiers, the police and me to defend the village. We could say we were lucky there since Ponyville isn’t a big place and so there were not many ponies we had to go against and yet it was the first real battle in my life. I will spare some details, but I can write that it was bloodshed since I was a dragon with claws and a mouth with weapons, and some ponies brought chaos to the village. Some of my brothers and sisters have fallen but we were the last standing group, securing Ponyville for a moment. It was Short Leaf, one other guy from the 9 garrison ponies left, and myself. We then started to fortify Ponyville, in the hope to win more time. We managed to hold the Village but. As we defended I only heard a loud thud beside me. I only saw how my friend had just fallen on the ground. My whole world nearly shattered. I was so angry and sad, I beheaded some of them since I couldn’t control my rage at all until the backup arrived from the army and managed to hold and calm me down. It felt like I was just kicked into my guts and opened up like a can. That's how it felt, to lose a friend who was the only and closest one has had. The one garrison soldier and I were then commanded to report to the command sergeant major for the status report. As we two then arrived, we got praise for holding Ponyville and not letting these lunars capture the village even if it is only a village. Soon after that, we got informed about the real deal happening, and I noted myself a mission too. I will protect everyone on my side with my life, I don’t want to live through that again what had happened before. I was so filled with anger and vengeance, I couldn’t believe what her divine imperial majesty sister did to us! But as I snapped back, I got sorted to the 1st Equestrian Army Group, second Army, 25th Ponyville Onhoof Division to the 124th Infantry Battalion. I was staying in Ponyville, defending it with my brother and sisters until our last breaths. But as days passed, I wondered why we didn’t attack, why we only defended. I had nothing against it since it was safer but it wouldn’t bring any progress for us too. The battles were tiring and I didn’t know how long I would stand through that improvised plan to hold our position. But as the weeks passed by, we eventually did make progress through the war, but one situation nearly ended the war for me. It was a typical assault on a bunker near the front of Ponyville. The mission was to capture it and eliminate every hostile being there. So everything did go to plan, we managed to capture the bunker and could push back the lunars, making some of them surrender but one of them didn’t want to. He threw a grenade at us and if I didn’t manage to throw it away maybe we would have been dead by then. But to my bad luck, the grenade blew up mid-air, nearly destroying my whole right arm which was again lucky. I know how it bleeds like hell and hurts like eternal fire, and how my whole flesh looked like a flag for itself. So I was getting quickly transported to the nearest military hospital to get my arm patched up again. As I woke up I had to wait some weeks till my arm was fully healed again but with this knowledge, I managed to keep my mission a success. Soon I was getting redeployed to the front and everything went better than I thought. I had made combat decisive decisions that led to many successes in our battles which also brings me to my Nickname “Smoke”. Since I was able to surprise the enemy quickly and before backup arrived, I was already gone from the scene, like a smoke cloud. I didn’t know what happened back then in our country as we were concentrating on our battles and surviving. I was meanwhile the leader of my squad since I was seen as the best one to fit in this position. I would have even gotten promotions and medals for my service but that never came since the battles never ended and we had to defend or attack. since the time of hesitation or delay was a luxury we couldn’t afford there. In the breaks between the battles, I did take a glance at the newspapers and I just shook my head since the headlines were just blunt and only to get more readers for that. They don’t know how it is to fight here and how it is for her divine imperial majesty to plan all this. And then 1004 this summer we got the newspaper that her divine imperial majesty ascended and soon I got pulled off from the front being brought to the commanding place where new ranks were made and things generally changed. Also there I got informed that I got promoted that high, and I was offered to make a priest education which I took of course since I believed that the ascension of her divine imperial majesty was a sign. Also, it was a big break from the war at all. After that I flashed through the ranks like a lightning bolt, always making an innovative or outstanding move bringing me more medals and a better reputation. I got a name for my brilliance and my strategic thinking which I think also got carried to her imperial divine majesty. But who knows. As an anointed general…

**The Story ends here for now since it is a Diary for Smoking Death that will get filled with time.**