The Marble Castle was in a uproar, as thousands of people from different species filled it's court, from humans and elves, to orcs and dwarves to even goblins and the highly unknown murlocs. The only structure in the court and right in the middle of the crowd was a large stage, currently on which several royal soldiers were looking around at the crowd.

Then, the doors of the keep opened and a old man dressed in royal clothing emerged from it, accompanied by a mage, several huge guards clad in pitch black armor and two more people, the Grand Marshal of the Kingdom, Valyas Atmos and Maryvale Blood(known as the Marshal's Hound among the higher ranks of the army and nobility), a woman clad in pitch black armor. The man was presumably the king, unifier of the small human kingdoms, the one who quelled the rebellions of the lesser species and somehow managed to convince the massively powerful dragon Sssalivan the Terror to defeat the still weak Avatars of Death and King D(Demon King) and retrieve the swords Earthrent, Soulstealer, Darkstalker and the newer Universal Weapon called Anna, created by the Archangel Gabriel.

Sssalivan did only part of his job, he did defeat the Avatars of Death and King D, but only managed to retrieve weakest of the sister swords, Soulstealer, Earthrent having been taken back to the Grand Temple by the Protector, a immensely powerful golem. Darkstalker on the other hand was taken away by Midnight the Eternal, the right hand of the Avatar of Death, lastly, Anna was almost captured, however, the Archangel Gabriel stopped Sssalivan from claiming her.

However, the attack on the United Human Kingdoms only started, every other species besides the elves declared war to the humans and the elves, wishing to dethrone the two superior species. Thus far, King Adamas has been able to beat back his enemies, but he is aging and will soon die, so he wants to assure victory and continued superiority for the humans by retrieving the Four Universal Weapons.

Now, Grand King Adamas had ordered another gathering of mercenaries to retrieve the other three swords, this time however, he had only the best mercenaries gathered, people stronger than his own regular forces. King Adamas got onto the stage and looked at the mercenaries, his eyes seemingly studying everyone there, before saying in a booming tone:

"My good people, as you know, humanity is in peril and thus so far I have been able to protect them thanks to my strategies, but I am getting old and I won't live forever to protect us. And so I wanted to announce all of the current mercenaries that I am trying yet again to retrieve the Four Universal Weapons, this time to ensure the safety of my realm. The rewards will be as follows for each respective weapon you bring.

Earthrent, the second strongest of the blades and the sword of King D has been taken far away in the Endless Deserts and from what info I have managed to scrounge up, it is guarded by the last Guardian Golem still alive, so the rewards will be, 200.000 gold bars, a Castle of your choice on the borders of the United Human Kingdoms and a lordship.

Soulstealer, the sword of Midnight the Eternal, while it is the weakest of the swords, it's power can still destroy armies with only a swing and the fact that now Sssalivan the Terror has it means that it will be all the harder to retrieve, hence, you will recieve 150.000 gold bars and a lordship. if you also manage to kill Sssalivan the Terror and bring proof, then you will recieve and extra 50.000 tons of gold and a small outpost on the borders."

Darkstalker, the strongest of blades has been taken away by Midnight the Eternal, this sword belongs to the Avatar of Death and will be the hardest to retrieve since we have no idea where it is, though I suspect it is in the Death Marshes, the only place on this plane of existence in which death still has a grasp. The reward will be 300.000 gold, a lordship and you will be appointed the lord of the Marble Castle.

And now, the newest of Universal Weapons, Anna. Created by the Archangel Gabriel to defeat King D and the Avatar of Death, so we assume it is powerful, however, since Archangel Gabriel had to intervene to stop Sssalivan from taking it means that it isn't any stronger than it's sister weapons. The reward for getting her is 150.000 gold bars and a lordship.

However, if only one person manages to retrieve all of the swords, he will get the greatest rewards that I can give. The hand of my daughter and making that person the heir to the United Human Kingdoms." he finishes. "I will leave any questions you may have to the Grand Marshal." he says slowly turning back and heading inside the castle.

The Marshal bows curtly to the King Adamas and turns towards the crowds.

"Before I answer your questions, I will have my second in command, Maryvale Blood retrieve the swords, if anyone has anything against this, then you can leave!" he said glaring. "Now... any questions?" he asks the crowd.

Iosef, the hob, clung to one of the great walls that constituted the Marble Castle's power with an ear cupped. The murmur of thousands, regardless of how loud the king was speaking, was deafening enough.

Still, he wanted to be faster than most in the pursuit, and as soon as the name Earthrent came into his ears, he was paying attention. He'd probably miss out on the lordship and the castle, given his demi-human status, but if those 200,000 bars of gold could buy him holy charms to defend his village against the likes of his mother, by all means...

The Endless Deserts?

Iosef dropped off the castle walls, and into the crowd. Like a few dozen others, he was sprinting, bobbing, and weaving his way out.

Could he steal a horse? Maybe. Just when he was farther out the city walls. Lord knows how much sprinting that would have to take...

Connor stands up, then speaks in his signature Cockney accent: "Well now, mister Marshal, I gotta ask: wot'll 'appen if some bloke ain't so 'appy in givin' up the swords, then, eh, guv? Y'know, right, if some bloke just takes the swords for themselves? Farker could destroy the bloody castle and the bleedin' kingdom itself! Blimey! Just askin', eh guv; seems like it'll be pretty bad for us 'umans." With that, Connor sits back down, yielding a few chuckles from the crowd due to his accent.

Iosef, the hob, clung to one of the great walls that constituted the Marble Castle's power with an ear cupped. The murmur of thousands, regardless of how loud the king was speaking, was deafening enough.

Still, he wanted to be faster than most in the pursuit, and as soon as the name Earthrent came into his ears, he was paying attention. He'd probably miss out on the lordship and the castle, given his demi-human status, but if those 200,000 bars of gold could buy him holy charms to defend his village against the likes of his mother, by all means...

The Endless Deserts?

Iosef dropped off the castle walls, and into the crowd. Like a few dozen others, he was sprinting, bobbing, and weaving his way out.

Could he steal a horse? Maybe. Just when he was farther out the city walls. Lord knows how much sprinting that would have to take...

There were plenty of horses to steal from, as almost everyone was currently paying attention to the Marshall's words, however a few guards were still spread around paying attention to the mass of horses, however, if he wanted something stronger, he could try and steal a wyvern, though these creatures were only loyal to their current rider.

Connor stands up, then speaks in his signature Cockney accent: "Well now, mister Marshal, I gotta ask: wot'll 'appen if some bloke ain't so 'appy in givin' up the swords, then, eh, guv? Y'know, right, if some bloke just takes the swords for themselves? Farker could destroy the bloody castle and the bleedin' kingdom itself! Blimey! Just askin', eh guv; seems like it'll be pretty bad for us 'umans." With that, Connor sits back down, yielding a few chuckles from the crowd due to his accent.

"I'm glad you asked, because they will always be watched by our wyvern knights, if they even do the slighted wrong move, they'll be burned alive before they'll even have a chance to use the sword.

As for the weapons themselves... most of their power has been drained in the previous rebellion and their use against Sssalivan the Terror, they won't be currently powerful enough to bleed anyone dry."

@Claw2k11

Tempting as either two options might've been, Iosef couldn't risk either while he was still in the heart of the city. Panickly, he ran towards the nearest guard, and grabbed its shoulder.

"I need to get to the Endless Deserts! Which way was it, again?"

@Claw2k11

Tempting as either two options might've been, Iosef couldn't risk either while he was still in the heart of the city. Panickly, he ran towards the nearest guard, and grabbed its shoulder.

"I need to get to the Endless Deserts! Which way was it, again?"

"It is a ten day travel by foot north of here, a two day travel by horse and only half a day travel by wyvern." The guard answers.
"You do know the king allowed mercenaries without a horse take one for free from the stables, right?" The guards asks. "Or you could take a wyvern, but you'd need 100 gold to rent one of those things."

<Snipped quote by Simple Unicycle>

"I'm glad you asked, because they will always be watched by our wyvern knights, if they even do the slighted wrong move, they'll be burned alive before they'll even have a chance to use the sword.

As for the weapons themselves... most of their power has been drained in the previous rebellion and their use against Sssalivan the Terror, they won't be currently powerful enough to bleed anyone dry."

"At least you're prepared." Says Connor, now thinking about how he'll be able to get and keep the sword without the wyvern knights noticing. He doesn't stay long, as he leaves the court almost immediately. He dashes outside and looks to which ways he could go.

<Snipped quote by Claw2k11>

"At least you're prepared." Says Connor, now thinking about how he'll be able to get and keep the sword without the wyvern knights noticing. He doesn't stay long, as he leaves the court almost immediately. He dashes outside and looks to which ways he could go.

There was a tavern on the outskirts of the castle, surely filled with brigands willing to help him against the wyvern knights. Or maybe some mercenaries would accept to help him against his foes.

The last one would be the most risky of all. He could try and gather the unhappy servants and slaves(of other species) around the city, or better yet, he could try to convince the nearby subjugated nomad and settled tribes to help him against the humans as they already hated the humans for killing a part of their warriors.

"Hm... Surely there's a way I could cop all of them togeffer somehow... Might be 'ard ffough." Connor mutters to himself, quiet enough that no one else could hear him. He racks it over in his brain, preying to the almighty entity known as the GM whatever God the humans worship that it could be possible.

The Dark Knight, Maryvale Blood, was standing silently in the corner of the Grand Marshal's stage, keeping a sharp eye and ear out for danger. It was in times like these that an assassin may try to make their move against their target, where lots of people can see, yet at the same time, nobody can. The extensive crowd of varying types made for the perfect cover; those who wished the King of the Grand Marshal dead could easily sneak inside. It was just a matter of who and where.

Perhaps she was overthinking things. That was something the Grand Marshal warned her never to do. Overthinking instills panic and distress - it weakens the mind and therefore body. But she couldn't help it, given the circumstances.

Maryvale takes a deep breath, though you wouldn't be able to tell without a trained ear.

Her job was to protect the Grand Marshal and the King. She was a guard, like all those here. All she had to do was watch, and nothing more. 'Calm, Maryvale, calm.' She thought to herself. She wished she could go, however her duty was with his majesty and the Grand Marshal, her saviour. And besides, she knew that she couldn't navigate her way there. She barely knew the inner walls of the city!

No, she would wait patiently for the adventurers to go, and do as the Grand Marshal instructs, keeping watch for any dangers and acting on them if necessary.

"Hm... Surely there's a way I could cop all of them togeffer somehow... Might be 'ard ffough." Connor mutters to himself, quiet enough that no one else could hear him. He racks it over in his brain, preying to the almighty entity known as the GM whatever God the humans worship that it could be possible.

TheGM god that humans worshipped would tell him that he can go first and convince a few guys to join his party, do some missions for some fair amount of gold, hire some mercenaries, then convince the tribes and non-human slaves to rise up in revolt against the humans.

The Dark Knight, Maryvale Blood, was standing silently in the corner of the Grand Marshal's stage, keeping a sharp eye and ear out for danger. It was in times like these that an assassin may try to make their move against their target, where lots of people can see, yet at the same time, nobody can. The extensive crowd of varying types made for the perfect cover; those who wished the King of the Grand Marshal dead could easily sneak inside. It was just a matter of who and where.

Perhaps she was overthinking things. That was something the Grand Marshal warned her never to do. Overthinking instills panic and distress - it weakens the mind and therefore body. But she couldn't help it, given the circumstances.

Maryvale takes a deep breath, though you wouldn't be able to tell without a trained ear.

Her job was to protect the Grand Marshal and the King. She was a guard, like all those here. All she had to do was watch, and nothing more. 'Calm, Maryvale, calm.' She thought to herself. She wished she could go, however her duty was with his majesty and the Grand Marshal, her saviour. And besides, she knew that she couldn't navigate her way there. She barely knew the inner walls of the city!

No, she would wait patiently for the adventurers to go, and do as the Grand Marshal instructs, keeping watch for any dangers and acting on them if necessary.

The Grand Marshal puts his hand on Maryvale's shoulder and whispers to her:

"My loyal servant, retrieve the Universal Weapons for me, take how many soldiers you deem necessary and kill any mercenary in your path that tries to get the Universal weapons, also..."

He puts in her hand a sort of whistle in her hand.

"Use this when in trouble."

<Snipped quote by Delta44>

The Grand Marshal puts his hand on Maryvale's shoulder and whispers to her:

"My loyal servant, retrieve the Universal Weapons for me, take how many soldiers you deem necessary and kill any mercenary in your path that tries to get the Universal weapons, also..."

He puts in her hand a sort of whistle in her hand.

"Use this when in trouble."

Maryvale takes the whistle and looks at him, though the expression she gave was unidentifiable due to being fully clad in armour. "Lord Marshal, are you sure this is wise...? I'm not all that great when it comes to directions, as you're well aware." She asks in a tone that is hard to pinpoint due to the distortion from her voice mechanism. "And might I ask what this whistle does, exactly?"

<Snipped quote by Claw2k11>

Maryvale takes the whistle and looks at him, though the expression she gave was unidentifiable due to being fully clad in armour. "Lord Marshal, are you sure this is wise...? I'm not all that great when it comes to directions, as you're well aware." She asks in a tone that is hard to pinpoint due to the distortion from her voice mechanism. "And might I ask what this whistle does, exactly?"

"You'll have a few men with you, they'll take care of the directions, you focus on the fights. As for the whistle, it will call my wyvern to help you against any enemy stronger than you."

<Snipped quote by Delta44>

"You'll have a few men with you, they'll take care of the directions, you focus on the fights. As for the whistle, it will call my wyvern to help you against any enemy stronger than you."

"Yes, Lord Marshal, though I assure you, no such enemy exists." Replies Maryvale with a nod of acceptance. "I will take a contingent of five guards and complete your task to the letter; I will not fail." She continues by bowing slightly, before awaiting her dismissal. Once dismissed, she would head to the barracks to pick up five guards: one strong, one smart, one good with directions, one with good eyes, and one recruit before explaining to them their mission: to guide her to the first of the four swords, Anna.

'For all the Grand Marshal has done for me... I will not fail...'

<Snipped quote by Claw2k11>

"Yes, Lord Marshal, though I assure you, no such enemy exists." Replies Maryvale with a nod of acceptance. "I will take a contingent of five guards and complete your task to the letter; I will not fail." She continues by bowing slightly, before awaiting her dismissal. Once dismissed, she would head to the barracks to pick up five guards: one strong, one smart, one good with directions, one with good eyes, and one recruit before explaining to them their mission: to guide her to the first of the four swords, Anna.

'For all the Grand Marshal has done for me... I will not fail...'

The Grand Marshal dismisses her. As soon as she leaves the stage, she can see that the guards have already been prepared for her by the Grand Marshal himself.

The strong one is naturally a orc armored from head to toe in steel armor. The smart one was a knowledgeable high elf wearing regular magic resistant elven clothing, armed with a elven sword and a bow. The one good with directions was oddly a large gnoll wearing leather armor, armed with two broadswords. The one with good eyesight was a avian(eagle man), wearing leather armor as well and was armed with a longbow and two shortswords. And the recruit was a fresh human knight wearing steel armor and armed with a longsword and shield.

"My lady, I believe we should go and search first where she was seen last, in the Death Marshes, if not, we could try and get the info out of the person who saw her last... Sssalivan." The high elf proposes to Maryvale.

<Snipped quote by Delta44>

The Grand Marshal dismisses her. As soon as she leaves the stage, she can see that the guards have already been prepared for her by the Grand Marshal himself.

The strong one is naturally a orc armored from head to toe in steel armor. The smart one was a knowledgeable high elf wearing regular magic resistant elven clothing, armed with a elven sword and a bow. The one good with directions was oddly a large gnoll wearing leather armor, armed with two broadswords. The one with good eyesight was a avian(eagle man), wearing leather armor as well and was armed with a longbow and two shortswords. And the recruit was a fresh human knight wearing steel armor and armed with a longsword and shield.

"My lady, I believe we should go and search first where she was seen last, in the Death Marshes, if not, we could try and get the info out of the person who saw her last... Sssalivan." The high elf proposes to Maryvale.

"Examining the Death Marshes would likely be our best course of action. That way, we can also learn of any clues regarding the location of Darkstalker, too, or perhaps even recover the sword entirely. Two birds, one stone, as they say." She then addresses each member individualy.

"Orc," she says, "you will be acting as the party's shield and sword - you will work to draw the attention of the enemies we face alongside myself"

"Elve," she continues, slightly mispronouncing 'Elf', "you are our observer. You will keep a keen eye over the battle and support when necessary, though directing and advising us as a unit is your top priority."

"Gnoll," Maryvale nods, "it will be your duty to guide us to our destinations. In battle, I'd like you to strike in powerful, brutal bursts - steamroller hit-and-run tactics."

"Avian," directs Blood, "you will be positioned with the Elve a majority of the time. You will help with observing the battle, whilst also covering with arrow fire. If you deem it necessary, you may also engage up close, though try to keep your presence hidden from the enemy, if possible."

"And lastly..." Blood's eyes rest on the recruit. She was shorter than him in stature, though he could feel the strength contained behind her armour. Her eyes, though he can't see them, were piercing into him like needles. "I want you to learn. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity - as our wildcard, you have the power to assign yourself as you see fit in battle. It is the greatest responsibility, so make sure you don't mess it up."

Looking over all of them, Maryvale folds her arms. "Finally, I want your names and why you're here."

Everyone nods in understanding to their role in combat, the elf bowing curtly to Maryvale and starting to talk.

"I am Torien, a half-elf, I have been shunned by my own kinsmen for my entire life, being forced to hunt alone, no family, no friends, no nothing." He says. "However, I met a young knight on a mission to kill any rogues around the castle, he spared me and promised me that with him by my side, I would reach greatness and here I am, thanks to the Grand Marshall." He says with a chuckle.

The orc grunted and said. "I am Ghoros, I was an outcast as I was different from the other Orcs, I was smart, I didn't have the luck to be born in a royal family, so I was sold in slavery to a human taskmaster in charge of a mine. I worked endlessly for no pay and almost no food, until the Grand Marshal and several knights arrested the taskmaster and chose me out of the hundreds of slaves there to be by his side, for him, I would kill my own kind!"

"I am Magay." The gnoll says. "I was born into a small gnoll tribe, yet I had a good life ahead of me as the son of the tribal leader. However, a orcish clan attacked us, killed the male adults and enslaved the rest of us. However, the Grand Marshall led a raid to free the slaves there and chose me to help him in his quest."

The avian nodded again and began to talk. "I am Maraya, a female avian, I was part of a raiding party from my tribe. Our raids took us close to a small village that we thought unprotected, but we were ambushed close to the village, all of my fellows were killed, I was shot down by three soldiers. As soon as they saw I was a female, they wanted to take me, but a dashing young knight tried to stop them, when they refused, he threatened them, the three men fought him and died, later he was almost executed because he saved me and killed three soldiers but he was only demoted as result. Since then, I have been completely loyal to him"

The young knight smiles and says. "Well, I don't have any long tales about the Grand Marshal, he's my father and I just want to make him proud."

"Shall we depart my lady?" The High Elf asks, our horses have been prepared."

Everyone nods in understanding to their role in combat, the elf bowing curtly to Maryvale and starting to talk.

"I am Torien, a half-elf, I have been shunned by my own kinsmen for my entire life, being forced to hunt alone, no family, no friends, no nothing." He says. "However, I met a young knight on a mission to kill any rogues around the castle, he spared me and promised me that with him by my side, I would reach greatness and here I am, thanks to the Grand Marshall." He says with a chuckle.

The orc grunted and said. "I am Ghoros, I was an outcast as I was different from the other Orcs, I was smart, I didn't have the luck to be born in a royal family, so I was sold in slavery to a human taskmaster in charge of a mine. I worked endlessly for no pay and almost no food, until the Grand Marshal and several knights arrested the taskmaster and chose me out of the hundreds of slaves there to be by his side, for him, I would kill my own kind!"

"I am Magay." The gnoll says. "I was born into a small gnoll tribe, yet I had a good life ahead of me as the son of the tribal leader. However, a orcish clan attacked us, killed the male adults and enslaved the rest of us. However, the Grand Marshall led a raid to free the slaves there and chose me to help him in his quest."

The avian nodded again and began to talk. "I am Maraya, a female avian, I was part of a raiding party from my tribe. Our raids took us close to a small village that we thought unprotected, but we were ambushed close to the village, all of my fellows were killed, I was shot down by three soldiers. As soon as they saw I was a female, they wanted to take me, but a dashing young knight tried to stop them, when they refused, he threatened them, the three men fought him and died, later he was almost executed because he saved me and killed three soldiers but he was only demoted as result. Since then, I have been completely loyal to him"

The young knight smiles and says. "Well, I don't have any long tales about the Grand Marshal, he's my father and I just want to make him proud."

"Shall we depart my lady?" The High Elf asks, our horses have been prepared."

"Good to see we're all so well-acquainted with the Grand Marshal. It makes this a lot easier." She explains before nodding at Torien. "Yes, we shall depart immediately. Let us go forth without falter!" She says as she lead the way to the horses. Upon arrival at their stables, she orders the Gnoll to be their guide and the Avian on point.