Ylissean Year 946 B.G.

Peace has endured for 64 years since the final destruction of Medeus, the Dragon of Darkness. The whole of the continent Archanea has been united under the banner of Ylisse, led by the Exalt, Helia, through whose veins flows the blood of the Hero King. Yet in an instant, the peace that reigned over the Ylisseans was broken.

Portals transcending time and space rent the skies, and from within, horrifying creatures poured out, terrorizing the unprepared citizens. In an act of bravery befitting the descendant of the Hero King, Helia rallied the Whitewings and the Knights of Ylisse and led them into combat against these monsters. By the grace of Naga, they drove the demons back to the portal from whence they came, and a temporary peace was restored.

However, not all of the world would be so lucky. These portals, dubbed Outrealm Gates, appeared throughout the world and across time, each time with beasts akin to those which had attacked Ylisse rushing forth. The Knights of Ylisse, using the power of these portals for themselves, gathered promising individuals from across history, bringing them back to Ylisse with the hope that these would be the men and women with the power to put an end to this threat.

"The Knights are returning, milady," a white-clad healer explained to the regal woman before him.

"Then I must greet the guests they are bringing," she replied. "Stay close to me, Ishmer."

"Yes, Lady Helia." The priest bowed as the Exalt stood, waiting for her to march past with her flank of guards before he would follow. As he shuffled along behind her, he turned his Barrier staff over in his hand, observing the jewel inlaid at the end. Will this truly be enough to protect her? he wondered to himself. Whether a staff can save her or not, I would die before I let one of those monsters touch her.

The Exalt and her entourage exited the castle to arrive at a raised balcony overlooking the courtyard. Waiting there to greet them was the Captain of the Guard, who bowed low from the waist as Helia approached. "Milady," he said softly.

"Rise, Captain," she commanded, and the man did as he was asked. "I need you to be ready to ride at a moment's notice. The Whitewings are ready in their barracks. You must be the one to alert them should something happen."

"Yes, Your Grace," the Captain acknowledged before descending from the balcony and mounting his silvery steed near the base of the stairs.

The Exalt turned her attention to the entering Knights and the men and women who accompanied them. As she came into their view, many of the Knights began explaining to those who accompanied them concerning who she was with gestures and bows. Some of those who entered gawked, perhaps due to seeing royalty for the first time, others revered her, and still others acknowledged her with indifference. "They aren't what I had in mind," Helia said to herself, "but they'll have to do."

Holland entered the courtyard with a gruff 'hmph', staring up at the Exalt, Her Majesty Helia, with apathetic eyes. So this is the ruler of these lands, the mercenary thought to himself as he squinted his eyes to get a better look at the royal lady on the balcony. She certainly seems royal, I'll give her that. Hopefully the pay-off for this venture is as rich as she looks. With a small chuckle and grin, Holland looked around the courtyard to scout out the rest of the knights.

Seems like they all come from different lands and backgrounds. The mercenary gave a sigh and folded his arms in front of him. ...although I don't think I recognize anyone here as being from Jehanna. I saw some people in what looked like mercenary garb earlier, but it was different from my gear. Oh well. With a quick shrug of his shoulders, Holland walked around the courtyard in search of anyone with a similar history or origin.

Rhys followed the group of ... heroes, making sure everyone reached the courtyard with ease as she brought up the rear. She didn't rightfully trust these people who came from different worlds, but she understood that if they were willing to fight for our cause then who was she to deny them. Though she wasn't too keen on being assigned to work with these warriors either.

Rhys sighed. 'I don't see a lot of good meat here; doesn't look like a one could put a dent in my armor. Awful-lota women folk as well. Though I 'spose that would make baths a bit easier. It'll be just like home. 'Cept we'll be fightin. And on the move. ... I hope we have enough food. How long was this war suppose to last?'

Rhys let out a small yawn just as the the Exalt began to speak. Relaxing her stance and toying with her lance, as she thought about how sharp this weapon was. No doubt she was looking very professional as she started daydreaming.


"Halt... State your name and allegiance."

Anastasia looked around curiously. It took her a minute to realize the the soldiers with their weapons pointed at her were indeed talking to her. She was busy taking in her new surrounding; but before the Ylissean guards could prompt her further, she gave an elegant bow and proceeded to do as directed.

"My name is Anastasia, and I am a butler under the Miraz family in Aarn. I come in behalf of my Lord to seal this gate and stop the attacks on our lands from creatures spilling though."

"Hm, well then. It seems we've caught you in time. We arrived just in time to see another party enter our world from your side and have sent men to give them chase. I assume these are friends of yours? If so, we'll gladly welcome them to our kingdom unharmed. We are Knights from the Kingdom of Ylisse and we're recruiting brave heroes to help you with your task for our own sake."

"I would be honored to join you in common cause, and I thank you sir for welcoming me and my comrades, who did indeed enter though this gate a moment earlier." 'Though I'm afraid your men might not ever make it back alive...,' she thought to herself regrettably. "There will be another party, I'm sure, to enter this gate; but I doubt they would be so kind as to fight for us. They would be our King's personal soldiers whose first task would be to guard this gate. However, this is all I have to say. Please, lead me to your commander and I will be glad to join you in arms until our enemy is defeated."

---

Anya entered the courtyard. Honestly, it was a rather peculiar place. The walls were big and bulky, and it didn't look all that appealing from a luxurious view, but it seemed safe and comforting in its own right. There were plenty of people here, a lot of which who's looks clashed with this kingdom's apparel. We're these all people from other worlds as well? There was certainly a great diversity. Then Anya looked up and saw the Exalt. She was someone important, but surely not the ruler of this land? Where was the king? Still she looked like she had something to say, so Anya paid attention with an open mind. She was here with a job to do. She was going to do it.

By-tor looked around the courtyard she had been put into with scorn. She was used to Dark woods back home, their cruel monstrous terrain and the mankete turned foul by twisted magic that would see her as no more than a meal on a platter. Here it was the opposite. It seemed as if she had been caught in between the nobility and common mercenary. She was almost disgusted to be seen within their ranks. They knew nothing of the primal warfare that she believed made a warrior a real warrior. With her dirtied body, unwashed and clotted with mud from the forest and her hair in a permanent behead, she was a stark contrast to her rival units.

A large drop of saliva dripped on her, the acidic feel of it itching her skin, the smell of rotting deer and corpses exposed to her exactly who it was. She looked up to see her wyvern, who had allowed his maw to expose itself, his stomach churning in the hunger that growled for some of the nearby people to be feed into it. This stopped when she pulled hard on her rein, choking him enough to get him to behave once more.

"These here are our freinds, 'ya here laddie? Now quit'yer droolin' or I'm gonna have'ta change the bargain' over me eye!" She hollered at him, her stiff, gruff voice sounding like she was barely a woman, no feminine charm to it. After this, she spat on the ground, the spit filled with a concoction of contaminants.
"We ain't doin' anything like feedin'ya some pansy Lil' milk drinkers anyway, you'd be soffer' then ye are now" She chuckled in continuation, elbowing the beast in the gut. She awaited further instruction, deciding against talking. Talk was cheap. The only ones worth wasting the breath to her were the ones who could keep up with her.

Ink
When Ink was led into the courtyard, his eyes were immediately drawn to the tomes and staves in the hands of those before him. In particular, exalt Helia was making his mouth water with a distinct presence, possessing stronger magic than anyone else loitering about. Ink tries to shake off the feeling, walking away to stand off to the side, keeping to himself in spite of his skin crawling. Maybe it was a bad idea after all, being around several mages all the time.

Ink reaches into one of his pouches and pulls out a small piece of candy, popping it into his mouth and biting down sharply. Magic and sugar mix on his palate and he begins to feel more relaxed as exalt Helia stops resembling a gyrating water balloon full of honey.

He looked at the people he would soon be calling his allies. Ink should really make some magical friends, quickly. He had a tendency to be a general nuisance when he didn't get enough magic to satisfy this silly curse of his.

...

Or he could just chill here. He wasn't exactly a social butterfly, and he did just eat after all.

...

Getting kind of hungry again...

Elena
The air in Ylisstol was fresh and alive. It was a lot warmer than her home, but not quite to the point of being hot. Bärenfröst seemed uncomfortable all the same, being led into a crowd of battle-ready strangers. Elena leaned over him, as she would so often do, nuzzling her head into the back of his neck and petting his side to calm him. Of course Bärenfröst would need a little time to adjust. If not to the people themselves, then the different climate making his fur shine brilliantly. As Elena got up and saw the crowd and exalt Helia, she signaled to Bärenfröst to find a spot among the crowd of people before them. The polar bear seemed to tower over everyone, and people moved out of its way as it approached, not wanting to get in the way of such a giant.

Elena dismounted as Bärenfröst sat down. No one she could see appears to have come from a land as cold as her home, and few of the people here employed animals Bärenfröst could play with. Even exalt Helia didn't seem very welcoming, but her personality mattered not. Elena was here to follow in her father's footsteps, just as he'd always wanted.

Bärenfröst yawns and Elena can't help but lose her train of thought completely, turning back to hug and pet him by standing up on the tip of her toes. "Ah~ you're so cute."

@Ryik

After mumbling to herself about the lack of strength in their team, By-tor burst into laughter almost suddenly. She had been spectating, looking across the group to find out the kind of people she would be dealing. She had been upset. A bear riding woman, who may get along with her pet as long as it wasn't hungry. She didn't raise anything passive if anything the more vicious the prouder she had been. Everyone else was annoying to her. A lady drabbed in silky, soft clothing, her demeanor giving off the impression she had some sort of power despite what her body did. A few puny looking warriors, a fancy person with a voice to match and a walking suit of armor that she assumed would be her only Solace within the group. When her eyes met with Ink was when she started to laugh. here he was, staring at a this highly regarded priestess, drool foaming at his mouth and his eyes filling with desire. She immediately went to the conclusion he was interested in her body and not the truth that he wanted the magic around her. she grinned, her teeth seeming jagged and sharp, like some sort of shark, and she bellowed her response to him with glee, her voice filled with pleasure in the face of demeaning another.

"Little lads' onleh a few moments in and he can't keep his pants on! Scannin' the first girly he can, tryin' to figure out what she's hidin' under all that garb!" She roared in harassment, pointing at Ink weakly, too busy with her laughing. She suddenly turned and pat herself on the rear which now faced him, before spinning around to stare back at him.
"Take a looong look over here! You'll be sorry to hear that peepin' like that'll getcha nun' but a fist in the cheek and a black eye welp!"
And with that, she had broken the silence between each member of the team, albeit in a hostile and rash way. She leaned against her large beast and caught her breath, eyes closed and tearing from laughter. Her beast did not seem nearly as please as she did, turning to her and blowing air from his snout. She caught a whiff of it, the dragon's breath smelled of burned trash and hair mixed with a strong vinegar. Looking back to him she smiled and awaited a reprise.

Ink
Ink turned to the woman making crude gestures at him, apparently mistaking his hungry gazes as lustful. Maybe he should take offense, but he'd hate to taint his first impression to the entire army over something petty. That being said, not contradicting her meant admitting to her accusations, so he shook his head and decided honesty was the way to go. "You got it wrong. I'm just really hungry." This was the truth. "I had a light breakfast and the exalt just so happens to resemble a talented chef I once knew." This was Ink lying through his teeth. He could have just launched into a monologue about his curse, but fuck, what kind of first impression is that?

Not to say that the woman before him was exactly charming. Before Ink even looked at her, he could already sense that she wasn't anything special.
To be more specific, Ink couldn't sense anything from her at all. She was about as magical as a sack of potatoes.

Regardless, Ink offered a genuine smile, exhibiting charm and friendliness in an attempt to smoothly shrug off the scene she had caused. "My name is Ink by the way. Who are you?"

---

Nyx would walk into the room with very timid body posture and gulps deeply. She would look at everyone before finding somewhere to sit. She didn't seem interested in conversation. She would wrap her arms around her body to keep herself warm. She looked around a bit from where she had sat down. Her eyes set eventually on the girl which she would soon find out is named Anastasia.

She would eventually get to her feet and walk towards the girl. She would bow before sighing "Y-y… Hello…." She would stop after that and would wait for the girl to reply.

Among the soldiers-to-be in the crowd was one who very quickly became the loudest, insulting one man from halfway across the courtyard. Immediately, some of the soldiers closest to her leaped into a ready stance, perceiving the Wyvern Knight as a potential threat rather than an ally very quickly. Yet, she could have been all bark and no bite, so none of them dared move in on her without a command to, a command which never came.

Helia, rather than paying particular attention to the girl herself, instead turned toward the man she so readily insulted. Her heart felt heavy as she looked in his direction, and she suddenly felt much more weary. The man was a void for magic--a consuming black hole that would likely never be satisfied. She heard a grunt of shock from Ishmer behind her, and she turned her head slightly and said barely loud enough for the Priest to hear, "You felt it, too."

"Yes, milady. That man . . . I have never felt a presence like his before."

"The girl is of no threat to us, I feel. Perhaps merely words. But that man, we must be cautious around. He could be a great ally or a dangerous enemy. His staring . . . it was not in lust as the girl believes. It was the stirring of his hunger."

The guard continued fidgeting with her weapon as her thoughts fell in line with her theme.


Anya shifted her gaze from the buildings and Helia, and focused more on the group of people she might soon entrust her life to. Her first notice was of the guard twiddling her weapon around and humming to herself. Disgraceful. Really that person should be fired, or sent to guard the tulips or something. Moving on, she couldn't help notice the beasts that had joined this group. In particular, the wyvern and the bear. Both looked fearsome in their own right, but she wondered if they were truly a great force, or if they were complete babies deep down. Her adoptive brother Lel could easily make friends with any animals that wondered onto the grounds. Pacifying them before they were either slaughtered for food or released outside the grounds. But these two surely were a healthy looking couple. The rest of the people sort of blended together without too much noticeable features, but there was one that did seem to cause a bit of a stir. In fact, Anya was just about to confront him about his personal affliction when she was stopped by one girl Anya almost overlooked otherwise. She straightend up and gave the approaching girl her full attention. No need to be rude and disgrace her teachings.

"Greetings, fair lady. I am Aanstasia." She gave Nyx a polite bow as she secretly made her thoughts about the girl. Frankly, there seemed more capable things going on around her, between the Wyvern and the Bear, but she knew she shouldn't be to dismissive on looks alone. There very well could be a beast hidden deep down within this frail little woman, strong enough to save us all in a pinch. "And what may I have the honor of calling you by?"

@Lady Athena

delete this please

---

Nyx would gulp deeply before nodding. She would bow back to Anastasia "I am Nyx, nothing more or less than that" She would giggle nervously the lady who stood before her reminded her of her allies of the past
@Aether Spawn

@Ryik

She looked at him with an eyebrow raised. Despite all her attempts to mock him viciously, he came out seemingly unscathed mentally and for that, she didn't know what to think. In her time, when she was around rowdy hunters and poachers of her forest, she assumed every man around her was as willing to fight as them. It was a bit sad, she was hoping to prove her strength. A tinge of respect for the man came with his response. She had brought attention and humiliation to him in a very crude way. Where most men would vow revenge or cower away, he remained dignified. He had guts, though he didn't look too tough, maybe he could prove himself. For now, he'd be the closest thing to a friend she had here and he deserved it in her eyes. To others, the curse was worse than taking a beating from her.
"Wit' a name like Ink ya'd think ye'r a writer, but you don' look like ye' could 'old a quill" She smirked finally, more of a teasing way. She put her hand out for a handshake. it looked dirty and smelled just as bad as the rest of her.
"Name's By-tor, By-tor Ectus! And that'er is me pet Kadal" She practically roared in a prideful burst of eagerness to make her mark. The Beast she had come with turned to him and sniffed before turning away to look to the others. By-tor, as she called herself let out a hearty laugh.
"he thinks yer too soft ta gobble up! Too bad, I guess we'll have to find some other emergency preserves"

As things seemed to settle down involving the Wyvern Rider and the magic-consuming man, the soldiers in the courtyard began to ease back into their initial positions.

"I am sure a number of you know already why you are here," Helia began to explain to the crowd, "but for those who may have arrived here by accident, there have been a number of incidents across history involving monsters who have invaded our world from another dimension--another time. These creatures are merciless, and seek only to destroy whatever they encounter. This threat to our world is what we seek to overcome, but we cannot do so with our forces alone. It will take all of you, along with any companions you may encounter along the way, to defeat them. If you wish to back out, I do not blame you; this task is not a simple one. Should retreat be your desire, I would suggest you make your way toward the gates now, where our troops shall proceed to return you to your home." A small handful of men and women hesitantly did so in response to her command. "For those of you who remain, I commend you. I am confident--"

"Your Grace!" the Captain of the Guard shouted, already atop his horse and riding for the Whitewings' barracks. Helia looked to the Outrealm Gate, which had turned a bright crimson. From its cold gaze poured forth a wave of black, winged figures.


As many of the troops in the courtyard moved to confront the approaching demons before they could reach the capital, Helia spoke again to the crowd before her. "The time has come that I must request your assistance. Those who would be willing, please accompany the soldiers to fight these Outrealm Demons before they can arrive here. However, I would ask that some of you would please remain here, that, should these monsters make it here, we can defend the capital."

"Milady," Ishmer said so that only Helia could hear, "You say 'we' will defend the capital. Surely you don't intend to confront these monsters yourse--"

"I do, Ishmer. I will not cower in fear as strangers fight this threat for me. I will assist them in any way I can, whether you are by my side or not."

"I will follow you unto death, milady."

"Good," Helia replied. "Then get ready. They will be here soon."

Within minutes, a number of the Outrealm Demons were already soaring over the walls and swooping into the courtyard. Now it was time for these heroes to be truly tested.

INSTRUCTIONS / INSTRUCCIONES / 説明書:
1) Select your unit (s/he will be among the BLUE sprites; each has a nameplate to assist you in finding your character)
2) If your unit does not appear on this map, inform me via PM and I will remedy this issue
3) Place your unit anywhere you desire within the highlighted blue square
4) Post IC concerning your character preparing for battle so I know you are finished