Continuum: Dawn (The Chantry)

[MelonHead]

The Chantry is the homebase of the powerful Templar order which devotes its time and recourses to policing the city and protecting the city.

Gladius Dei
Sword of God
‘In darkness, these blades will light our way’

The Sword of God is a Templar faction based in the Singing city. Its origins stem from another world, where the night held terrors and abominations which fed on humanity. When technology was not enough, something greater had to be forged, through spirit, faith and strength of steel the Order fought back against the denizens of darkness. They used powerful weaponry and suits, mimicking the medieval Templars of old in their style and code. They fought for their God, and with his guidance they knew they would prevail.

As with all things, they first struggled… but their strength soon overcame the threats of the undead. They fought glorious and righteous battles all over the lands, until it finally came down to one last battle, where the darkness was purged. Almost all traces of its taint were scourged from their world. The Order eventually grew lax, with little to fear from inhuman monsters they diverted their attention to the evil within humanity itself. That was when the Order lost its true purpose, they began to police mankind and lost the support they once held. Where once the sight of an armoured Templar caused children to cheer, it then struck fear and guilt into the hearts of innocents.

The High Seneschal, a wise and devout leader of men, with his two most trusted crusaders behind him, challenged the Grand Master. He could not abide the darkness which had settled over those who claimed to be servants of the light. In the end, a civil war was fought within the order, and it fell apart. Remnants remained… one last citadel, the last bastion of the Gladius Dei.

When the cataclysmic event named the Disjunction came to all worlds, the three remaining Templar leaders stood their ground within their fortress. The earth around them shifted… and their citadel was shaken apart but they survived, along with most of their technology and equipment, locked under the metallic fortress.

Amazingly, in such a short period of time new citizens flocked around the fortress… even in disrepair it seemed as good a place as any to start anew. A city soon formed amidst the rubble, above it the entire metal fortress stood, and within it a growing new order of the Gladius Dei. Once again assured that they walked the righteous path, for why would they have been spared along with their weapons and teachings if not for God’s favour?

Grand Master: Grand Master Revelator Ovidius Cezar Gerhard high commander of Gladius Dei, veteran of the order. Messenger of God. Tier 8.

Seneschal: Highest ranking field officers. Usually seen accompanied by groups of battle tested Crusaders. Only take orders from the Grand Master himself, and God. There are places set for a maximum of 4 Seneschals, although their numbers are far lower than this due to the hard times as of late. Tier 5.

Knight Captains: (For the benefit of anyone unwilling to completely conform to the order, this is a PC rank) Talented outsiders who show an unnatural devotion to the defeat of dark creatures usually attain this rank. This marks them out as a distinguished warrior, capable of giving orders in the field. They are usually among a group of five or so Crusaders, who they may command in the place of a Seneschal. (Tier 4-5.)

Crusader: Veterans of the order. Accompany Seneschals on important missions and guard the Chantry. They are outfitted with standard Templar power armour and outfitted with the weapons they choose from the orders varied armoury. They have the power to command small groups of lower level members, if they so desire. They come in at tier 4.

Sergeant: Crusaders in training, they wear lighter less expensive, and less effective, variations of the power armour. More like a full body suit which offers protection but little else, it does however provide them with useful experience before upgrading. These soldiers guard the Chantry and support Page’s as backup in hotspots. They use metal blades with edges charged with energy, which can cut through steel and armour after a short period. They also have lighter versions of the pole arm, which fire weaker plasma rounds. Most carry shields. They come in at about tier 3.

Page: The bog standard foot soldiers of the order, armed with nano weave mail stylized armour. They carry simpler versions of the squire energy blades which are capable of slicing flesh and bone with relative ease, but have difficulty with above average armour. They carry crossbow style projectile weapons, which fire much weaker and smaller versions of the polearm plasma projectiles. Some carry shields. They are often found policing cities under Gladius protection. They come in at tier 2.

Clerics are a separate entity within the order, who are only answerable to Knight Captain’s in military matters, Seneschals, the Grand Master, the High Cleric and God.
The war-priests, the battle clerics, these men and women of Gladius Dei are called many names, but their abilities and devotion towards the Lord is undisputed. Templars who exhibit talent of the mind are initiated into this circle. Clerics can heal woulds or call down divine punishment, while blasting evil with their trusty plasma weapons with a zealous intensity matched by none. They are usually armed with ranged weapons and shields as they are too valuable to lose in the thick of battle, although some brazen clerics disregard their safety to prove themselves. Clerics recruited from the other dimensions may display vastly different abilities from the norm, although they still draw from the same concept.

Holy Abilities
Healing
A trained cleric can stop bleeding, counter toxins, inject life force, and close light wounds of his allies.

Physical Ability Enhancement
The clerics can ignore pain and push the limits of their physical body through divine faith, although their bodies may be damaged from the overexertion.

Offensive Holy Spells
Using the easiest visualization of the Lord's wrath, clerics can smite their foes with all manner of holy attacks, such as arrows of light.

Battle Cleric Standard Armour
Helmet display and optics have the same range of functions as the templar armour, except with additional monitoring of the user's mental state and energy to better grasp their mental fatigue levels. The helmet's shape is also designed to ward off possible psychic assaults by scrambling such energy waves.

The armours have a larger and more powerful Aesr core built into the suit, giving them not only increased protection from energy/arcane-based influences, but a means of amplifying their holy abilities and miracles. Through training, one can learn to concentrate their willpower upon the core before unleashing their psionic abilities, increased the magnitude by almost two-fold.

Compared to the regular templars, these suits are more streamlined in order to compensate with the extra energy expenditure used to run the large Aesr core. This leaves them with slightly less protection and mechanical strength, but the suit is also more agile as a result of the lighter weight. The extra agility is designed to more than offset the reduced defence their suit provides, allowing them to escape and dodge better.

A special feature of the Battle Cleric Armour is its self-destruct function. This was built so that clerics could not be captured and corrupted by the enemy forces, leaking vital information about the order as well as turning into a formidable and terrifying opponent. Any cleric that judges escape to be impossible will active the self-destruct sequence, detonating the nuclear power core within 5 seconds. The resultant explosion will wipe out anything in a 15 meter radius.

Speed:
Running: 70 mph (112 km/h) maximum.
Leaping: The powerful exo-skeletal legs can leap up to 15 feet (4.5 m) high and across. Add 15 feet with a running start.*

Statistical Data:
Height: 2.9 m
Width: 1.1 m
Length: 1.0 m
Weight: (180kg)
Mechanical strength: can lift/press 1 tonnes
Power System: Nuclear; average energy life is 20 years. All weapons are powered from the power system.

Clerics are tier 4.

http://fc04.deviantart.net/fs70/i/20...92-d38tyrw.jpg

New Reference, note this is just an idea of how the rudimentary Crusader armour looks, any rank equal to or above Knight Captain will likely have a custom built suit of their own choosing, and except for the compulsory mark of the order will look different.


Gladius Dei battle armour weapons

Plasma Blades – A form of superheated longsword, the rudimentary design is two wide metal alloy ‘prongs’ in the place of a blade which generate a form of superheated energy around themselves, this can be charged directly by the suit to overcome tougher obstacles, but can basically be expected to slice through iron and steel with relative ease. These are carried by Templars sporting power armour, and are therefore way beyond human capability to wield. They come in at about four foot in length and are carried in one of the two weapon holsters on the suits backs. They weigh around 15kg.

Energy Shield --A force field or deflector shield comprised of a field of tightly bounded boson particles of significant magnitude so that objects affected by the force shield are unable to pass through the central axis of the field and reach the other side. The shield is usually somewhere between 26-28 inches in circumference allow the knight a good deal of bodily protection against frontal assaults. This shield can be powered up with energy to allow it to disperse or block incredibly powerful attacks. Generated on the off arm by the power supply of the armor.

Heavy Plasma Pole-arm--The heavy plasma pole-arm fires oversized, armor-penetrating plasma bolts capable of causing extreme damage to whatever target they strike. Like other burst plasma bolts, the projectiles from the heavy plasma pole-arm detonate upon impact, showering that surrounding area with damaging plasma shrapnel. Powered by their armor this has an effective range of a hundred meters. The pole-arm head is also a Plasma weapon and can be used in combat to slice down the unbelievers with deadly ease. The stronger the charge the stronger the strength. They weigh around 20kg. The polarm is 2 meters long.


Templar Knight standard issue armor.

Helmet optics include an energy detection unit that can sense power sources, power cables, and so on. Advanced Audio Receptors allow for eavesdropping and can detect people sneaking up on users. The integrated Sound Scanner is capable of separating out the frequency of all other noises, even a single whisper under tons of ruble. Meanwhile cooling systems maintain climate control inside the armor. This also includes air filters.

Covered with an incredible refractory coating, the Templar armor's exterior can deflect thermal rays, lasers, and other energy weapons to a limited degree. However a charged attack of two or longer will ignore the deflective abilities of the armor.

Templar armor also absorbs incoming radar signals, preventing them from bouncing back. Together with a built-in radar reflector (that supplements the radar-absorbing qualities of the refractory coating) Templar armor is extremely stealthy against technological sensors.

The outer fabric of the armor can also absorb many forms of energy, including magic. Linked to a new aether-magnacouple, this system allows the Templar to absorb the energy from normal energy attacks or magical sources. However the Armor must power the defenses to match incoming damage. If the incoming energy is far superior to the allotted defense energies the outer fabric can and will be rend by the force.

The Templar can emit a high-solar burst that radiates Ultra-violet light from the armor in a 30‘ radius. This burst is capable of blinding unprepared opponents and with the aether-magnacoupling can inflict injury to traditional undead opponents.


Speed:
Running: 60 mph (96 km) maximum.
Leaping: The powerful exo-skeletal legs can leap up to 12 feet (3.6 m) high or across. Add 10 feet with a running start.

Statistical Data:
Height: 7 feet, 5 inches
Width: 3 feet, 5 inches
Length: 2 feet 5 inches
Weight: 200kg
Mechanical strength: can lift/press 1.5 tonnes
Power System: Nuclear; average energy life is 20 years. All weapons are powered from the power system.

Gladius Dei Transport/Vehicles

The WRH personal transport, sometimes referred to as the steed due to its use by Gladius Dei.
They are capable of reaching speeds up to five hundred kilometers per hour, and have a flight ceiling of twenty-five meters. They are controlled by handlebars located towards the front of the vehicle, and foot pedals slung underneath adjusted speed and altitude.

These highly maneuverable vehicles were equipped with sensor and communications devices located between the handlebars, including a comlink and a comlink-jamming device. They are armed with a sonic lance for combat.

The LPT or ‘Mule’ as it is commonly referred to is a lighter less agile but cheaply mass produced variant of the WRH. They are capable of reaching speeds of up to 200 hundred kilometres per hour. They have a flight ceiling of ten meters, and are controlled in a similar way to the WRH. They are provided with a comlink for close communications between personel, and a less effective comlink-jamming device. They have two lighter variants of the plasma polearm attached to each side at the front of the vehicle. (They resemble futuristic motorbikes/starwars speeders) They are used by Squires and Sergeants.

Lower Rank weaponry and equipment

Sergeants: Crusaders in training, they have a lighter variant of the power armour worn by the Seneschals and their guard. It stands at about 7ft. (Although this very much depends on the user) And is plated in a similar metal to the armour itself, it has a much less effective power source, only capable of lasting a couple of days of sustained use, however it does provide half the mechanical strength and speed of the traditional armour. It is mostly used for protection, and the wielding of otherwise beyond human weaponry.
They carry metallic blades laced with energy at the edges, capable of cutting through steel after a few seconds. They are usually well trained and veterans in battle, although this is not always the case.
They also use weaker variants of the Shimmering shield of faith.
Most bring along energy lances/polearm variants, which are less powerful than the crusader weapons but still produce a sizable wallop.

Squires: Nano weave mail armour and helm. Capable of blocking bullets but vulnerable under any sustained duress.
Weaker variants of the energy laced swords used by Sergeants, technically only a grade above what would be considered as a normal steel longsword, flesh and bone are no real obstacles though.
Energy crossbows, which fire plasma bolts of a similar, if weaker, effect to the energy lances and polearms of squires.
Some carry energy shield like equipment, which are projected from a thin metal buckler. They have the durability to sustain the force of one or two gunshots before they fail and break down.

Real Name: Ovidius Cezar Gerhard
Occupation: Lord Cleric Revelator of the Gladius Dei,
Other Aliases: Lord Cleric Revelator, The Fist of God, The Light in the Darkness, The Purging Flame.
Place of Birth: Presumably Aearth
Marital Status: Single
Known Relatives: None
History: Grand Master Ovidius Cezar Gerhard was born the son of a plowsman in the Carraler Valley. At the age of 10 months his father realizing he could not support another mouth and wanting his son to grow to be something gave him to a Templar at Brightgate Chapel. Ovidius’s original name has been lost as the High Cleric at Brightgate took the boy as his own son and gave him the name he has. Through out his life, Ovidius has believed that he was given to the Order for a reason and with the sudden displacement of the Order to the AC continuum he believes that God has brought he and his Senechals to this land to purge it of evil and bring forth an era of peace and prosperity.
Height: 6 ft. 8 in.
Weight: 275 lbs.
Eyes: Gray
Hair: Gray-White.
Appearance: A large framed man composed of muscle and bone. Even at the age of 54, he is well muscled and capable of fighting with such fervor that many lesser men would falter after a few moments. His storm gray eyes are like thunder clouds and when he turns his attention on you a certain awe and fear creep over you. His voice thunders as if it were God himself speaking to you. Ovidius can recite the Gladius Dei bible chapter and verse and is capable of holding a religious debate with ease against most Templar scholars.
Known Powers:
Abilities: Grand Master Revelator Ovidius Cezar Gerhard has had extensive training in unarmed combat, swordplay and is considered an expert in the Templars fighting techniques.. His fighting ability is unsurpassed among the Gladius Dei order, and has been known to rally his troops by leading a charge that most would retreat from. His motto is 'I will endure to the end.'
Weapons: Ovidius employs two weapons: A two-handed vibro sword named Repentance that is nearly 5 feet long and 4 inches wide at the base, tapering to a point.
Repentance-- Due to nano-techonlogy and super conducting materials it can Radiate Daylight and Heat: the nano-crystals embedded along the blade can radiate the equivalent UV rays to natural daylight over a 50ft (15m) area (good against vampires) . It can also radiate heat up to 80 degrees (26.7 centigrade), affecting a 10ft (3m) area.
2-- It can generate a plasma burst similar to a Plasma-Pole-arm that has increased range of 200 meters.

His second weapon is a plasma hammer called Divine Fist.
Divine Fist- Can cast these events which are powered by the faith of the Lord Cleric and augmented by nano-technology.
1--Turn Dead
Range: Up to 60ft (18.3m) away
Effect: This magic will turn/repel 20-30 animated dead. This means that those creatures affected will turn and immediately leave the area without harming the spell caster or anyone near him. The dead turned will not come back for 24 hours. This magic only affects "animated" dead, and skeletons or corpses that are magically animated like marionettes, but will not affect vampires, zombies, or any corpse or skeleton possessed by a living entity.

2--Heal Wounds
Range: Touch or 3ft (.9m) distance.
Effect: This powerful invocation will instantly heal minor physical wounds, such as bruises, cuts, gashes, bullet wounds, burned flesh and pulled muscles. It will not help against illness, internal damage to organs or nerves, broken bones, or poisons/drugs.

3--Fear
Range: 20ft (6.1m) area, up to 100ft (30.5m) away.
Effect: The invocation creates a sensation of fear over a particular area. The Lord Cleric can place the enchantment on an area occupied with people, or an area that is not presently occupied. Anybody entering the area of enchantment is suddenly washed with terror and will be momentarily stunned and unable to attack for one post. This is useful against named NPC’s and can be used to halt an advance by them.

4--Globe of Daylight
Range: Near self or up to 30ft (9.1m) away.
Effect: A small globe or sphere of true daylight is magically created. The light is bright enough to light up a 144ft (43.9m) area. Because it is daylight, it can ward off most vampires, keeping them at bay just beyond the edge of light. The Grand master can mentally move it along with himself, or send it up to thirty feet (9.1m) ahead. The maximum speed at which the globe can travel is the pace of a fast walking man.

5--Protection Circle: Superior
Range: Radius of the circle.
Effect: In principle and function, the superior protection circle is just like the simple circle, only stronger. The Grand Master must draw the circle to have effect. The circle ceases to function only if it is seriously marred.
This superior protection circle will protect everybody inside its radius by preventing lesser tiered supernatural creatures from coming any closer than 20ft (6.1m) from its edge. Even greater beings can be held at bay. Lesser beings can not stand to be within line of sight of the circle and are forced to leave (even if it's only to the next room with the door shut). This means no attacks are possible for the lesser beings, Tier 3 or less.

Armor: Ovidius wears the best armor that the Gladius can produce, it is called the Light of Truth.
The armor comes with the full range of sensors including thermal, radioactivity (an alarm function alerts him of dangerous conditions, like the presence of plutonium), neutron detector, also targeting/tracking, and telemetric sensors. A new Detection Unit is capable of picking up outside radar-tracking devices that lock on or "paint" him (e.g., incoming missiles), while a psionic tracer can detect and track even small traces of psionic energy. Ultra-sonics allow for a form of ground-penetrating radar (for finding underground chambers, etc.).

Helmet optics include an energy detection unit that can sense power sources, power cables, and so on. Advanced Audio Receptors allow for eavesdropping and can detect people sneaking up on him. The integrated Sound Scanner is capable of separating out the frequency of all other noises, even a single whisper under tons of ruble. Meanwhile cooling systems maintain climate control inside the armor.
Covered with an incredible refractory coating, the Templar armor's exterior can deflect thermal rays, lasers, and other energy weapons to a limited degree. However a charged attack of two or longer will ignore the deflective abilities of the armor.
The Light of Truth armor also absorbs incoming radar signals, preventing them from bouncing back. Together with a built-in radar reflector (that supplements the radar-absorbing qualities of the refractory coating) This is nearly invisible against technological sensors.
The outer fabric of the armor which shimmers with every movement can also absorb many forms of energy, including magic. Linked to a new aether-magnacouple, this system allows the armor to absorb the energy from normal energy attacks or magical sources. However the Armor must power the defenses to match incoming damage. If the incoming energy is far superior to the allotted defense energies the outer fabric can and will be rend by the force.
The Light of Truth can emit a high-solar burst that radiates Ultra-violet light from the armor in a 90‘ radius. This burst is capable of blinding unprepared opponents and with the aether-magnacoupling can inflict injury to traditional undead opponents.
Speed:
Running: 120 mph (193.1 kph) maximum.
Leaping: The powerful exo-skeletal legs can leap up to 25 feet (7.6 Jet thruster assisted leaps can hurl the power armor 150 feet (45 m) up or across.
If necessary, the thruster can momentarily hold the powered knight aloft as high as 22 feet (6.375 m) off the ground for upto 90 seconds. The thrusters are not made for flying.m) high or across.
Underwater Capabilities: Light of Truth can also walk along the bottom of the sea at about 25% of its normal running speed.
Maximum Ocean Depth: 1,000 feet (305 meters).
Statistical Data:
Height: 9.5 feet
Width: 4 feet, 6 inches (1.4 meters)
Length: 4 feet, 3 inches (1.3 meters)
Weight: 1,715 lbs (324.3 kg) fully armed
Physical Strength: Can lift/press 8 tons of weight.
Power System: Nuclear, average energy life is 52 years.

The massive iron fortress stands as the home to the Templar order of Gladius Dei. Found on an elevated plain it dominates the skyline of the Singing city. Within is a massive complex which houses and feeds the entire order. The Citadel is about 200m by 200m large, and made of a dark iron which is painted with the bright symbols of the order.
Large gates allow the only entrance into the citadel, making it an easy point to defend and removing any hope of fleeing from weaker minds. It is a point to stand ones ground, and a reminder of the steadfast resilience and strength of the Order itself.

Underneath the citadel is an underground complex of research labs, which develop and test the weaponry and armour of the Templars. More effort is placed in the Crusader armour especially, and the Seneschals each have a specific lab for their armour and weapons.

Wide platforms transport the armour clad Templars from underground to the main hall, allowing them to leave the citadel through the main gates battle ready. The platforms can transport about ten fully armoured Templars at a time, and open out into the main hall as mentioned. This place is an area with a raised podium and many tables, where rudimentary battle plans and patriotic speaches/sermons are delivered. Obviously the real planning is carried out in one of the four towers adorning each corner of the citadel.

Before any major battle is joined, a group communion is held within the main hall to bless those who are about to fight, and to strengthen the spirit of the order.

The hall is a massive room with a high ceiling, about forty meters by forty meters. Most of the rest of the Chantry is simply living quarters and mess halls, for each tier of Templar. The Chantry has three levels, although these all circumnavigate the main hall which stretches up to the top of the citadel. The armoury can be accessed by four smaller platforms at each corner of the citadel, which is how the lower tier troops acquire their weapons.

All Templars are bound by this vow.

I swear upon my honour, and my Lord:

To revere God and maintain His Church

To serve the Grand Master, who represents God.

To protect the defenceless

To give succour to widows and orphans

To refrain from the wanton giving of offence

To live by honour and for glory

To expect not material rewards for my duty

To fight for the welfare of all

To obey those placed in authority

To guard the honour of fellow knights
And remember those who have fallen

To eschew unfairness, meanness and deceit

To keep faith, under any threat

At all times to speak the truth

To persevere to the end in any enterprise begun

To respect the honour of women

Never to refuse a challenge from an equal

Never to turn the back upon a foe

To offer no mercy to the undead, and expect none in return.

As is my duty as a Templar, as is my duty to God.

Christian
Esfir

[MelonHead]

Order Rising

Powerfully built in padded simple clothing, trousers, boots and hose, the Seneschal of the Vigil strode down the corridors of the Chantry his heavy footsteps echoing against the metallic walls around him. It was fairly early; Christian Tyme preferred to wake to see the sun rising above the horizon out the narrow window of his elevated room. Such luxuries were all to be expected as a Seneschal, rank meant nothing when you lived and fought for god, especially if your home was a fortress.

His powerful stride quickly brought him to the training hall, a large vaulted room with training weapons on every wall and plenty of eager combatants to spar with. Chris avoided such skirmishes with his fellow Templars, they were usually too interested in the respect they would gain by defeating him in a duel, and he was not interested in such pointless glory. Instead he walked full on to the other side of the room, where doors adjoined to a training gym for weights and endurance. The ten or so occupants of the sparring room gave his departure regretful glances, although some were already locked in battle and one or two hammered on training dummies with blunted swords.

After a half hour of rigorous exercise, Christian felt the blood rush and general awakening feeling he had come to long for. He walked into the training room and seized a blunted sword, making purposeful strides towards a dummy so as not to give the other Crusaders any ideas. For the next ten minutes or so he took it apart with artful strikes, single minded in his exercise and training. It could be said that Christian was slightly narrow minded, but those who knew better could see he had an incredibly trained mind.

In the forty minutes or so since he had arrived, the numbers in the training hall had steadily increased to a loud and active thirty or so. They went at the dummies and each other with swords, shields and polearms, perfecting the style of fighting which made the Gladius Dei one of the greatest fighting forces in the known world. Christian paused for a moment on one of the benches scattered at the sides of the training hall, where participants would watch the duels and learn what they could about fighting through theory. He allowed his mind to wander, the clashing of swords and shields rhythmic and soothing.

[Valeric]

The training hall was thick with the scents of sweat mingled with polishing oils. It was still relatively early in the morning, but the large room was already filled with several dozen members of Gladius Dei, all of them engaging in weapon drills or sparring against each other. Training in the order was mostly done individually, without an organized regime.

Esfir Maksimov was longing for a good workout after her clerical duties. In the end, she was still a creature of action, and would long for the thrill of combat eventually. Several heads turned in response to her entrance- she was still clad in the cleric's official robes, which she pulled off and discarded upon a bench. Underneath the loose fitting garment, she wore a pair of trousers and a sleeveless turtleneck, both of them a pure white in color. Compared to the heavily built warriors that surrounded her, she looked thin and frail; a person suited for the pen, not the sword. However, there was something about the dangerous glint in her eyes and the slight grin she wore that said otherwise.

She tied her brown hair up into a short ponytail, and went directly to one of the empty spots in the hall, one hand holding a fighting stick, the other holding a shield. Holding them up, she executed a series of movements. They were fluid and graceful, precise like a dancer's steps, but anyone with a good eye could tell that she lacked the speed and strength behind her swings. Esfir carried out her routine without hesitation in front of several watching people. She knew they weren't impressed, and she wasn't here to impress. After several sets, she decided it was enough warm-up.

"Anyone available for a sparring session?" she called out loud to the people nearby. They gave her apprehensive looks, and some muttered amongst themselves. She hadn't done this before, and had no idea it was going to be so hard. In the first year she joined the Order, Esfir lived on the battlefield quelling an uprising of resurrected jungle brutes. She returned to the Chantry a veteran, but those who lived to spread tales about her were few.

It didn't look like any of them were interested. No, the look they gave her suggested something else. It's my rank.

"No one is going to punish you for sparring with me," she said, hoping it would encourage someone to step forward.

[MelonHead]

“Could it be that all these brave knights fear to test their skill against you High Cleric?” His deep voice boomed from across the training hall and he pushed himself to his feet.

He shook his head with something close to disappointment. “I’ll spar with you for a while, if you wish.” The other knights looked somewhat astonished at his acceptance of a challenge; it had been quite a while since they had seen him fight. The Seneschal walked purposely over to Esfir, stopping only to pick up a wooden training sword in his right hand and a shield in his left. He tested their weight with a few revolutions of his arm and then assumed a position somewhat centre stage facing the cleric from about eight feet away.

He stood with his right foot planted in front of his left in a mid-guard, his shield slightly off centre protecting his torso. With one more experimental twist of the sword in his right hand, he gave Esfir a questioning glance.

“Ready?”

[Valeric]

She looked in the direction of the loud voice, and was surprised at the person accepted her challenge. Christian Tyme, Seneschal of Gladius Dei, was a man that few people didn't recognize. He approached her with confident strides, picking up a set of training weapons on the way. Esfir had gotten more than she bargained for this time. The Seneschals weren't just a high ranking, they were also the best warriors of the Order. Christian was tall and powerfully built. There wasn't a shred of doubt that he was stronger than her, but she wasn't intimidated by that fact.

At least I'll have a worthy opponent now.

"Ready?" Christian said while assuming a combat stance.

"Sir Christian. I wasn't expecting a Seneschal to spar with me," she said cheerfully, crouching low and raising her weapons in response. "As ready as you are."

She closed the gap between them with a few light steps, entering just inside of striking distance. Her movements were relaxed, and she casually swung a light blow with her stick at Christian, expecting him to parry or block the attack with ease. If Christian played along with her, she would exchange a few strikes with the man, clashing their weapons against each others.

[MelonHead]

Christian remained still as she approached striking range, allowing her to throw her first blow uninterrupted. With lightning reflexes he stepped back on his right foot while lifting his blade to deflect her tentative strike. Then, accepting her casual warm up, he pushed forward with a flurry of blows and retreated under her own, the dull sounds of their weapons clashing filled the air and splinters spat across the ground. Finally, after half a minute or so of exertion he would pull back, and provided she did not immediately follow him settle into his earlier ready stance.

“You fight well, High Cleric, but can you handle my best?” He asked her curiously. With no warning, he dived forward with a high cross but then feinted as hopefully she raised her guard to defend herself. Although her keen eyes would no doubt pick up on the feint, he hoped some small period of hesitancy would allow for his neat sidestep to the left and a swift cross towards her hopefully exposed ribs on her right side.

As they were still only just warming up in their spar, he did not fully commit to the strike and so assumed it would be parried, if only barely. If that was the case he could quickly pull his arm to the right while presenting his shield forward to catch the riposte.

[Valeric]

As expected, Christian accepted her invitation. They crossed their weapons without any intention to strike the other. Despite this, she felt the shock in her arms whenever she parried a blow from the Seneschal. The man had strength in those arms, and they carried well into his strikes. After a while, Christian took several steps back, assuming his former stance.

“You fight well, High Cleric, but can you handle my best?” Christian called out, before dashing forward with his weapon raised. Esfir was almost taken by the feint before she caught what he was doing, but it was still a split second wasted. She moved her shield to follow his movements, blocking his real strike in time. However, she was caught off-balance, and she stumbled a few steps, losing the opportunity for a swift counter attack. Still, the grin on her face did not falter.

"Nice hit, Christian," she said with a chuckle. She moved in this time, her shield raised and her weapon hidden from view, ready for a sudden thrust towards Christian's torso.

[MelonHead]

Christian returned her grin with a small smile of his own, sparring was perhaps one of the few pleasures he still allowed himself to enjoy on rare occasions. Since he had arrived in this world of darkness and terror, life had been serious and dangerous, it was good to let go once and a while even for a Seneschal.

He pulled away as she did, drawing his sword low to his waist as he watched her movements over the crest of his shield. She approached him carefully, but he could tell from the way she was positioned an attack was imminent. What he could not tell is where the strike would be aimed, and certainly not when it would come. Taking the initiative, he jumped forward and threw the rounded wooden shield he now clasped in his left hand forward. His aim was to place the large shield as an obstruction, jamming the rim into her shield and turning it. The eventual position, assuming his strength was sufficient, should lie with the rim of his shield under her right armpit and locking her own shield in place while also making it incredibly difficult for her to strike over the shield at him with the sword in her right hand.

Assuming he was able to perform this without her striking at him first with the attack she was primed to unleash, he could duck down low to his right, while his shield still pinned her own and her sword, to rap her across her left knee with his blunted wooden sword.

[Valeric]

Esfir saw him jump forward instead, in an attempt to surprise her with a sudden thrust of his shield. She sidestepped to the left at the last possible moment, evading the rim of his shield. She was now in his guard, and her shield was still able to block any strikes from his sword. In this position, she lashed out with her stick, aimed for his solar plexus. The blunt tip of her weapon would deal next to no damage to the large man, but he would surely feel the hit if it landed neatly.

[MelonHead]

Esfir noticed the incoming danger and neatly sidestepped his shield, however as he was only expecting to reach the shield before applying his strength compensating was no great chore.

However the immediate danger of an embarrassing defeat so early on brought him to a pressing need for defence. As his weight was to some degree thrown forwards immediately jumping backwards was not a realistic option, and therefore he instead implemented the sword already primed for an attack.

As he twisted his body to the right, seemingly counter intuitive because it placed him closer to the blade and its owner, he swung his sword from down low to meet the oncoming attack. His move brought his shield in close and just in time he clipped Esfir’s sword with his own to divert it into his shield and away from his body.

Then, while she hopefully remained unbalanced he stopped his right-left swing mid-arc and forced it forward in a horizontal slash from left to right towards her neck. As he did so he pivoted his body, returning it to its original position facing Esfir head on, and once again allowing him to use his shield effectively. If his blow landed he would immediately pull back his right arm and retreat behind his shield.

If his strike to her neck was obviously going to land, he would significantly slow it's momentum before it did so, he was after all only sparring.