[OOC] Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

[VitaVitaAR]

Thaln has had a history of conflict. Laying to the southeast of the Kingdom of Velt, and southwest of the Kingdom of Ithillin, Thaln has found itself long embroiled in various forms of conflict. From ideological conflict between the kingdom's nobility, to the clash of warriors on a battlefield. Its history was born from warfare. It is these conditions that resulted in the rise of the Iron Rose Knights.

It was two hundred years ago when an orphaned girl, no older then sixteen, took up a fallen warrior's sword and defended the Mayonite High Priestess Anessa Fasel with her life. Despite no prior training in the art of swordplay, she fended off several armed soldiers and ensured the Priestess's safety. Due to her miraculous defense of the High Priestess, the girl was immediately granted sanctuary and assistance. But her one desire she named above all was to found an order that could defend Fasel, ensure that no harm came to the High Priestess of Mayon. It was here that the Iron Rose Knights came to be.

First lead by the girl, whose miraculous swordplay paved the way for tradition, they began as Knights of the Mayonite Clergy. Since then, successors of the orphaned Elionne Carthet have always been maidens born under a full moon, as the Starlight Saint of Roses herself was. Over time, their purpose changed. Motivated by the Mayonite tenets of the protection of those who could not protect themselves, the Iron Rose Knights slowly began to grow more distant from the Mayonite Clergy.

Two hundred years since their founding, the Iron Rose Knights have become defenders of Thaln and its people. A noble order of knights founded on Mayon's tenets of protecting the weak. Their symbol, over so many years, has remained a Iron Mayonite Rose. A link to their roots, one that will forever remain even if their duty has long since changed to serve the country as opposed to the High Priestess of Mayon. Of course, this change could never have happened if the High Priestess had not chosen to give the Knights' services over to the kingdom.

Since their founding, and the changing of their purpose, the Knights have proven themselves by again and again striking down warlords, bandits, and foul cults.

Now, Thaln is at relative peace. An era of simplicity, it seems, as compared to a past of conflict. The current King and Queen have governed wisely, and their daughter has shown herself to be a popular figure among the people.

The Iron Rose Knights stand ready, to strike at any threats that may rise.

However, can they truly prepare themselves for the danger that lies ahead?

---

The Iron Rose Knights stand in service of Thaln's people. An elite force that adheres to old tradition, this does not mean there is no dissent in the ranks. One of the chief sources of such dissent is their method of selecting the captains of the Iron Rose Knights.

While no-one can deny the miraculous nature of Elionne Carthet, the first captain of the Iron Rose Knights, the tradition that resulted from her has begun to wear thin on some nobles, and some within the ranks of the Knights. To pick a young girl, inexperienced even if she has fought and trained in warfare and the art of the blade, over those with more experience on the battlefield. And to choose her simply because she was born on a full moon? This has rather resulted in some strife even within the knights themselves in recent years, as the order has grown older.

And the current captain, only recently having ascended to her position, must bear it.

And some nobility even say that perhaps the time has come for such an old order to fade away...

---

Here's some information crucial to the setting:

Races(ONLY HUMANS ARE PLAYABLE. PLEASE ASK IF YOU DESIRE OTHERWISE. I MAY CONSIDER IT):

• Humans: Straightforward and coming in many varieties. Humans in Thaln are ruled by the King and Queen of Thaln, living Thaln's Capital of Aimlenn.
• Elves: Elves, too, come in several varieties.
  
  • High Elves: There are a handful of High Elven settlements beyond Lethienvel, but they are few and far between. Rarely, a High Elf from beyond the veil will venture into the rest of the world. High Elves boast perhaps the greatest proficiency with magic among their kind. An extremely rare sight in Thaln.
  • Dark Elves: From the Far North, Dark Elves are mysterious folk who dwell so far to the North that the sun rarely pierces the snowstorms. Another rare sight in Velt. Dark Elves are highly proficient assassins and are skilled in the art of stealth and infiltration. Notable for their purple-grey skintone.
  • Wood Elves: The most common variant of Elven kind in Velt, and the youngest, Wood Elves dwell in forest cities and towns. They are fond of solitude, but gracious hosts to visitors who arrive with their permission. Few intruders, however, return alive. Wood elves are known for their skill in archery and hunting. There is a Wood Elf Settlement in Thaln, but finding it is extremely difficult.
  • Desert Elves: The elves of the eastern continent, specifically the Near East. Unfamiliar to most of the people native to Thaln, they are nearly as rare a sight as High Elves from beyond Lethienvel. They are notable physically for their dark, tan skin.
• Dwarves: Short, bearded folk dwelling in their deep mines and working metal, dwarves have a reputation for honesty, loyalty, and being the most stubborn people you could possibly meet. Dwarves often build vast kingdoms within mountains across the land. The dwarven capital is far North of Thaln, in the great Grey Mountains, home to their most vast halls and the Deep King. Dwarven metalworking is the best by far in the land, but they lack magical capabilities entirely. They are only ever seen in Thaln as traveling parties.
• Nem: A diminutive race from the deserts of the south, the Nem resemble small humans, commonly reaching heights of around 3'4-3'5. They are universally pale in skintone, with red or yellow eyes and black hair. Nem males cannot grow facial hair, and as a whole they are small and agile but lacking in physical strength. They are also known for being skilled archers, and wielding curved swords(well, more like daggers to the larger races). Their language lacks an equivalent to the letter "B", and some Nem have trouble pronouncing it as a result. They are nocturnal and possess excellent night vision, but during the day their vision is slightly worse than a human's. They also easily burn in the sun and must wear covering clothing to move during the day. Most Nem live in their desert homes, but there are a few found in Thaln as well. They have an extremely low alcohol tolerance. Nem worship a night goddess known as Ila-Nem.
• The Hundi: The Hundi are a near-human race. On average they are around the average human height, or slightly shorter. What physically sets them apart from humanity is their soft, furred, dog-like ears and tails. Loyal, proud, and honorable, the Hundi are said to be incapable of lying. On every Hundi's sixteenth birthday, they are sent on a journey to practice their highly-valued combat skills and learn about the world first-hand. An unusual custom of the race is their unique marriage rights. An opponent who defeats a Hundi in honorable combat immediately gains the position of that Hundi's fiancee, to be married as soon as possible. Hundi are most common in Ithillin, but some enter Thaln as part of their mandatory quests, or as wanderers or the occasional sellsword.
• Ingvarr: A hardy race from the north, living in Barukstaed and even further. Bearing horns upon their heads and physical strength far beyond what their stature would suggest, Ingvarr are known as fierce warriors and share much in common culturally with the humans of the north. They pay some respects to other deities, but primarily worship their own set of gods, once again shared by many of the humans dwelling in the north as well. Fierce combatants with an honor code and a passion for battle, their culture passes down many elaborate sagas of battle.
• Fairy: Fairies resemble female, human-like children. With the exception of the fact that human children tend not to be six inches tall at most, winged, and wearing clothing made from flowers. Fairies possess translucent insect-like wings, and all fairies are female. They tend to possess a childish immaturity, but they are in fact adults. Fairies tend to be inquisitive and curious, as it benefits such a small race of beings to investigate their surroundings thoroughly. Their curiosity extends to when they meet new people, as well. Fairies are mostly harmless, the worst they seem to be able to bring themselves to do being mischevious pranks upon other, larger races. However, harming or killing a fairy will bring the anger of other fairies upon the perpetrator, and they carry a large amount of sharp objects and know how to aim for the eyes and throat far too well. Fairies cannot die of old age, and only violence or disease can kill a fairy. A common sight in Thaln's forests.
• Lamias: One of the monstrous races, and an extremely uncommon sight outside of the wilds, lamias are human until you reach their thighs. For, from the thighs down, a lamia possesses a strong, thick snake tail instead of legs. Lamias are carnivorous and possess sharpened teeth, though no lamia dwelling in Thaln is venomous. There are various races of lamia across the lands, though only one dwells in Thaln. A lamia's tail is incredibly strong and remarkably dangerous.
• Harpies: A mountain-dwelling monstrous race, harpies are an unusual race of beings in that they are entirely female, relying on the males of other races for reproduction. In place of arms they have a pair of wings, and therefore lack hands and cannot create clothing or tools easily. Harpies dwelling in towns or cities often live with a roommate of another race in order to be dressed properly. A harpy's bird-like feet are highly dexterous and possess sharp claws, and their wings are strong enough to easily break a man's arm. They are light due to their hollow bones and highly cold-resistant. On average they are somewhat shorter than human females.
• Orcs and Goblins: A pair of closely-related races, Orcs are on average a head taller than a human man, and are very burly and powerful. Goblins are far smaller and are wiry and thin. They usually possess sickly green or grey skin, and are violent barbarians who pillage and steal from others. Orcs are generally found roving in warbands, while Goblins often hide in deep, dank caves. Both Orcs and Goblins are known to eat the flesh of other races. Orcs often ride boars, often given aggression-boosting herbs.Not playable, even if you ask.
• Trolls: A relation to Orcs and Goblins, Trolls are tall, muscular, and dim-witted beasts. Eating anything they can get their hands on, trolls are more monsters than they are sapient beings. Orcs often use them as attack dogs of a sort, filling them with aggression-boosting herbs. Not playable, even if you ask.
• Mindless Undead: Undead reanimated by a source that does not retain their mind. These undead can be revived at any point after death, and unlike sapient undead their bodies are not preserved. Rotting corpses or skeletal warriors, mindless undead crave flesh and will attempt to consume it even though they are incapable of digesting it. With the aid of guiding intelligence, such as a necromancer, mindless undead can wield weaponry. Necromancy can also raise mindless undead. They may also occur in places of great violence or magical disturbance. While a bite from a mindless undead can cause unpleasant infection, they are usually no great threat to a prepared warrior. Mindless Undead are considered an abomination by the Dual Church of Reon and Mayon, and are exterminated whenever possible. Not playable, even if you ask.
• Giants: A race of huge humanoids, often ranging from seventeen to twenty-five feet tall in height. They resemble, quite simply, enormous humans of either gender. They are extremely strong and physically capable, but few giants ever posses the capability of performing magic. Velt's Giants live in small settlements resembling human villages, but there are giants with a more tribal civilization further south. In spite of the size difference, half-giants are possible. They tend to be around ten feet tall and have immense strength.

Locations:

• Thaln: A land covered in forests and plains, Thaln has had a remarkably bloody history. However, in recent times there has been a period of relative peace. The last notable conflict was the War of the Red Flag, between the Kingdom's armies, including the Iron Rose Knights, and the forces of the rebellious noble Anzel Cazt and his allies. It ended in a resounding victory for Thaln's forces and Cazt's soldiers were crushed, the noble himself struck down by the Iron Rose Knights' previous captain. However, she died shortly afterwards from her injuries. There have been several years of peace since then, but only recently was a replacement captain of the Knights had her sixteenth birthday and was instated. Notable landmarks include the Brennan Forest, home to the White Stone Shrine. Its capital is the city of Aimlenn, home to the Mage's College and Candaeln, home of the Iron Rose Knights.
• Velt: The country of Velt, northwest of Thaln, is a vast land composed largely of plains and forests, with a few notable mountain ranges(such as the Northern mountain of Cahladren, home to the dwarven city of Draz'khzidra). The River Nirinel runs through the heart of Velt, and the Veltan capital of Meridan is situated on its Southwestern bank.
• Ithillin: The land to the northeast of Thaln, ruled by King Indril of Calthir. Similar to Velt in climate and geography, though lacking in the mountainous regions to the North, Ithillin has a bustling trade with both Thaln and Velt. The country's capital is Calthir, situated to the northwest. Deep in the southeast their lies the Black Pit, Talderia, a foul crater given a wide breadth by all but the most insistent of adventurers.
• The Veil of Tears/Lethienvel: The famed, or perhaps infamous, rushing wall of water dividing the western land of the High Elves and the lands east of them. There are gate-ways between them, though the water. There is no visible source, and yet somehow it appears to flow. Though somehow, it is difficult to tell if the water flows up or down. Its infamy stems from a tragic event in the history of the High Elves, the first occurrence of the spilling of High Elven blood by other High Elves. The tragedy and regret from this incident gave the location its name, and to this day many High Elves still have reluctance to cross the Veil. However, there are some settlements on the opposite side of the Veil.
• Orodagor: In the land Northeast of Ithillin lies the shattered remains of a relic of a long-passed age. Orodagor, the Black Fortress, was a stronghold for the armies of Hidroroth of the Dark. Hidroroth, the poison existence born from the utter fall to evil of one of the world's deities, sought to paint the world in shadows an consume all life in a shroud of darkness. He was slain, ultimately, in the Battle of Inmoorn, thousands of years ago, his spirit left to the judgement of the Gods. Orodagor was one of the remnants of this long-passed age, abandoned for centuries. However, nearly a thousand years ago, a new figure appeared and made her stronghold here. The Witch-Queen of Orodagor, as she came to be known, threatened Velt and all the lands around it by sending her coven of witches to overtake the lands. She was apparently slain at Orodagor in spite of her incredibly powerful magic, but rumor has it she did not perish here.

Other:

• The Church of Reon/The Church of Mayon: The largest religion among humans in Thaln, originating from Velt, this dualistic religion worships both the Sun Goddess Reon and the Moon Goddess Mayon. Both Goddesses, it is said, cannot be separated from one another. Reon's symbol is a highly-stylized lily, and Mayon's is a similarly-stylized rose. Chapels to the goddesses are paired, and adherents focus on either one or the other. Paladins of both goddesses are a common sight, with Reonite paladins being highly aggressive combatants while Mayonite paladins are often more intended to keep peace. The religion is deeply anti-slavery, and Reonite paladins are often deployed to break slavery rings and free those being sold through them. Worship for either sect features the sacrifice of lilies for Reon and roses for Mayon. In Thaln, Mayon worship is more common then Reon worship, but both goddesses are revered.
  
  • Reon: The sun goddess Reon is believed to have the form of a beautiful maiden. While unimpressive in stature in spite of her nature as a deity, it is said that the goddess possesses a fiery nature. She is described as having fair skin, flowing, long blonde hair, and alert blue eyes. She is clad in red and gold robes. Reon is said to have a palace on the surface of the Sun, a paradise that all her worshippers go to after death. Naturally, the aspect most strongly symbolizing her is fire. Lilies are even burned to be sacrificed to her. The weaponry of Reonite Paladins is often enchanted so that it is capable of in some way channeling this divine fire. Reonite Paladins are highly aggressive fighters, their purpose being to destroy evil.
  • Mayon: The moon goddess Mayon also takes the form of a beautiful maiden. She is taller than Reon, with shorter, black hair and somewhat darker skin. Her eyes are a soft shade of amber. She wears robes of blue and white, and like her counterpart possesses a palace, though naturally hers is situated on the moon. The aspect that most strongly symbolizes her is water, for water is directly effected by the phases of the moon. Incorporating water into weaponry in a direct manner is difficult, so unlike Reonite Paladins, Paladins of Mayon do not often use such enchantments. They are more protective, often wielding enormous tower shields for the purpose of defending themselves and the innocent from evil. Roses a cast into the water as a sacrifice to the Moon Goddess.
• Magic: Many races possess a natural internal source of mana. However, not everyone has enough to achieve the status of a mage. Magi are practioners of magic educated by a tutor or by a Mage's College, honing their skills in order to cast a variety of spells. Spells require some concentration and the ability to cast, using chants ranging of at least one word. Stronger spells require more words and therefore take more time to cast. Running low on mana is dangerous as it may strain the caster's body, causing them to lose consciousness or worse. Magic users educated outside of the accepted systems are known as witches, and are viewed with no small amount of suspicion.

---

So, um, basically to summarize this is an RP about an order of Knights in a conflict-filled country, taking place in a fantasy setting filled with all kinds of different fantasy-related things. Of course, Thaln has less interaction with some of the other races then some other countries do, but it's a fantasy RP nonetheless.

I'm not going to be the only one guiding this RP, as well! My friends @Raineh Daze and @Rune_Alchemist will be joining me as co-GMs!

Additionally, for the sake of maintaining a consistent pace, we will be enforcing a strict posting schedule for this RP. Players must post at least once a week, barring outside circumstances interfering, and inform myself or one of my fellow GMs if they are unable to make it. Players who do not post at least once a week may face removal from the RP after two weeks.

A final note, as indicated by tags, there's heavy anime influence in the setting and this RP.

---

Bios:

• Name:
• Age:
• Gender:
• Race: Human(unless you discuss it with me AND your idea is approved. Nonhuman Iron Rose Knights must be an extreme minority)
• Appearance:
• Personality:
• Brief Backstory:
• Equipment:
• Skills:

@Raineh Daze[@PigeonOfAstora]@Richard Horthy@Rune_Alchemist@Saiyan@HereComesTheSnow@Psyker Landshark@Rin

[Rune_Alchemist]

Hiyooo~
Wind based magic archer shall be up...hopefully on friday.

[Saiyan]

Excited. As. <beeeeeeeep>

[Richard Horthy]

Is there a character sheet template around? Or is it mostly all the stuff that we think should be used to fit enough stuff in?

[VitaVitaAR]

@Richard Horthy: Character sheet template is at the end of the post, but I'll post it here too:

[list][*][u][b]Name[/b][/u]:
[*][u][b]Age[/b][/u]:
[*][u][b]Gender[/b][/u]:
[*][u][b]Race[/b][/u]: Human(unless you discuss it with me AND your idea is approved. Nonhuman Iron Rose Knights must be an extreme minority)
[*][u][b]Appearance[/b][/u]:
[*][u][b]Personality[/b][/u]:
[*][u][b]Brief Backstory[/b][/u]:
[*][u][b]Equipment[/b][/u]:
[*][u][b]Skills[/b][/u]:[/list]

[Richard Horthy]

@VitaVitaAR Shit, I must've missed it. Thanks for that!

[VitaVitaAR]

@Richard Horthy: No problem!

[Pyromania99]

This will be fun :)

[Psyker Landshark]

So despite me saying the exact opposite half an hour ago, I'm reconsidering reapping Renar. Mostly because looking it back over, I liked what I had going three years ago and didn't get to use him that much.

@HereComesTheSnow I'm a fucking liar lmao

[HereComesTheSnow]

get ya deads on

[VitaVitaAR]

@Raineh Daze@PigeonOfAstora@Richard Horthy@Rune_Alchemist@Saiyan@HereComesTheSnow@Psyker Landshark@Rin: Oh right, since we have a discord server, expect an invite soon!

[Rune_Alchemist]

@VitaVitaAR
Alright, here we go. four hours until work and I managed to get everything written and mostly to where I feel comfortable with it. I think I got the timeline generally right, but otherwise do tell if there are problems. I'll see about fixing them when I can get a minute.

If it wasn't quite clear, the intent is that she made a name for herself during the rebellion if that's acceptable.

Archer girl

• Name:
  Cecilia
• Age:
  23
• Gender:
  Female
• Race:
  Human
• Appearance:
  A cocky grin. A head full of bright, long blond hair tied with a bow and into a braid. Cecilia stands at roughly five foot nine, being a bit on the taller end of the spectrum even if she complains that she feels a lot shorter than she used to for whatever reason. She isn't particularly often dressed in a way one might envision a knight all things considered. More of something like a roguish character out of some fairy tale. A cloak to hide her appearance and keep warm, armor to cover her vitals and help with her archery but otherwise dressed in fairly simple garb.
• Personality:
  A lackadaisical loveable rogue is what she calls herself. Seshaeal calls her a lazy rude miscreant. Both are probably applicable depending on your interpretations and dispositions. Cecilia is the type to let others do her work for her if she can help it, having no discipline whatsoever when it comes to such knightly things...but gone are the days of youth when she caused trouble for entertainment, thieved for her own fun or benefit or fought as a mercenary simply because that was the only thing she ever saw herself as amounting too.
  
  Now, she finds herself uncertain of quite what she wants to do, or if she can even pull off being something more than a petty criminal or mercenary, but she'll definitely try if given the chance.
• Brief Backstory:
  Cecilia's history begins not with her, but with a noble house by the name of Autmere. A well off family and noble house known for producing some of the best archers in the kingdom within their family. A well established family in Thaln, and ones who have always aided the kingdom in their times of need and readily defended the kingdom against the rebels in the War of the Red Flag. A little known secret however, is that the reason the family produced such great archers who could supposedly command the wind themselves was because of the heirloom bow that the family had, which supposedly housed a spirit of the wind that would lend its aide to the family.
  
  This, is not the noble house a young boy named Cecil would be born into.
  
  Cecil was born into a rival house by the name of Estierelli. A now disgraced noble house that supported the rebels in the Red Flag conflict, but before then they were quite an influential merchant family. No is quite certain when they became rivals of Autmere outside of the two families themselves, but the Estierelli's claim that they were thieves and liars, and Cecil grew up hearing such tales of the Autmere's. Perhaps, this was motivation enough for the family to later support the rebels.
  
  Regardless of hows and whys, Cecil was quite the roguish characters growing up getting into all manner of scrapes and run ins with the law. Thievery, being a big one. A spoiled little brat, as one could imagine, and eventually he would come to earn his fathers ire with his antics when it was discovered he was having an affair with the Autmere's daughter. So he was given an ultimatum. He would be disinherited unless he put some actual effort into supporting the family and break things off with the Autmere girl. Eventually, Cecil would come up with the brilliant idea of stealing what he thought the Autmere's had stolen from his family.
  
  Their magical Heirloom bow.
  
  Under the cover of night with help from their daughter, he'd infiltrate their manor and successfully managed to steal away the bow. What he did not expect, however, is that the bow did house a spirit...and one that in fact, seemed to agree with him using it...but not before he was discovered stealing it. With the help of the spirit though, he managed to escape but not before being wounded himself and having to flee into the nearby countryside, taking shelter in a seemingly abandoned stable.
  
  Where, he would later awaken to the fact that he was now a woman and the spirit seemed to be the cause of such a change. Seshaeal, she said her name was, and that this was just simply the consequence of using her abilities and definitely not because she thought it'd be funny. Ignoring the spirits incessant chattering and comments about how cute 'she' was, Cecil headed back to Thaln to discover that the news had spread quickly.
  
  Either he had been murdered by the Autmere's and falsely accused of theft, or that he had stolen the heirloom bow and made an attempted on the Autmere's daughters life.
  
  It was here, he made a decision.
  
  He would quietly disappear. He couldn't go back home like this - like anyone would believe him and even if he did, he'd just be tried for theft. It was no surprise that two years later, when Cecilia was now 18 during the Red Flag War his family ended up siding with the rebels in some misguided attempt for revenge. It was during the war, too, that Cecilia would now make something of a name for herself and eventually earn some recognition as a skilled archer on her own, eventually being recruited into the iron roses.
  
  The life of a knight suits Cecilia just fine. Just don't ask too much about where she came from. She keeps the bow and Seshaeal both underwraps for fear of her past coming back to haunt her.
• Equipment:
  Tempest Spirit bow
  A magic bow inhabited by a spirit of wind by the name of Seshaeal. The bow itself is made of smooth wood and decorated with some sort of green, glass like crystals. Its surprisingly flexible and sturdy. Supposedly one who holds it allows for them to use Wind based magic...only if Seshaeal likes them, of course.
  
  Cecilia can use Seshaeal's blessings in a number of ways, typically in powering up her arrows to fly faster and more accurate. A number of more uses though enable her to use arrows to deliver highly pressurized blasts of air to targets, use arrows to guide extremely powerful gusts of wind, etc, guide multiple arrows at once with air currents. Things of similar nature.
• Skills:

Aside from her ability to channel and use wind-based magics thanks to Seshaeal's blessings and assistance, Cecilia is a skilled archer in her own right. Her fighting style is often quick, dirty, and makes use of somewhat unconventional tactics and her wind-blessed agility so she doesn't have to directly fight most opponents.

[VitaVitaAR]

@Rune_Alchemist: Accepted.

[Psyker Landshark]

Renar Hagen

Name: Renar Hagen, the Bastard of Brias
Age: 22
Gender: Male
Race: Human
Appearance:

Armor

Stands tall at about 6'2. Is well-muscled and broad of shoulder. When not in armor, typically wears clothing that is simple in design but well-made. His main concession to vanity is draping himself in a fine cloak or cape.

Personality:
Focused and keen, Renar is a man who knows what he wants and how to acquire it. And if he can't acquire it yet, he'll find a way. From his childhood, he'd possessed a chip on his shoulder about his status as a bastard, ever seeking to prove himself and win glory. So long as one doesn't throw his natural born origins in his face, Renar is unbothered, but anyone who attempts to degrade him by insulting his birth status wins themselves a grudge. His primary goal is to win enough prestige in order to rise above his bastard status, either becoming legitimized and taking his father's name or being allowed to start his own noble house.

Renar is more cunning than he is chivalrous, willing to take actions that nobler knights would balk at. After all, he's already a bastard. He'd only be living down to what was expected of him. So why not abuse that to his advantage? In his mind, a knight is a trained killer first and foremost, and any pretensions to honor and chivalry are coping mechanisms to convince oneself of their cause. Still, even he has his limits, and he would not stand for harming children or one's own spouse or paramour.

Despite his craftiness, Renar can't help himself when it comes to personal challenges. Whether it be a formal duel or a single combat in the midst of battle, he is easily goaded into one-on-one battles, eagerly wishing to prove himself better over another.

Brief Backstory:
Born as a bastard of the House of Brias to his lord father and a commoner mother, Renar was nonetheless allowed to reside within his family's castle and be raised alongside his trueborn siblings. The Brias family had martial origins, originally being a knightly house before winning lands and glory a century ago. Nonetheless, they were still only a minor house, and even a bastard could be of use to them. By the time Renar was capable of walking and talking, his eldest half-brother was already a grown man. Nonetheless, another son could always win more prestige for the family, despite his bastard status. He would never bear the family name, but he could certainly create his own dynasty.

Renar was raised much the same as his half-siblings were, given a formal education as well as training at arms. He had a fair head for numbers and proved himself adequate in matters of administration, but Renar's talents skewed far more towards the training yard. Castle Brias's master-of-arms was noted to have remarked that of all of Lord Brias's sons, the bastard was by far the most skilled in the knightly arts.

Once he'd completed his squiring and his training, the newly christened Sir Renar took to the battlefield in the hopes of earning further advancement and prestige as a knight. Had he been but a few years older, he could have fought in the Red Flag War and won glory for himself that way, but he’d only barely managed to finish his squiring by the conflict’s end, and the knight he’d been squired to had been stationed within the capital for the entirety of the war’s duration. A bastard had no place on the tourney circuit, and so real combat was his only chance to prove himself worthy. While it only took a few skirmishes and tourney placings for his trueborn brothers to be inducted into orders such as the Crown Knights, Renar served under a banneret for three years, fighting outlaws and beasts until an opportunity presented itself at last.

His chance finally came during a defense against an orcish raid into Thaln, and he seized it with all he had. After a brutal battle, Renar slew the orcs' warchief in single combat, having been the only one of his banneret to break through to him without being bogged down by the rest of the raid party. He claimed the raid leader's mantle as a trophy and distinguished himself in the process, earning an offer of recruitment into the Iron Rose Knights.

While some other knightly orders had also extended offers to Renar, he’d ultimately chosen to join the Iron Rose’s ranks for their prestige and their role in general. Being an Iron Rose knight was a far more likely way for him to gain further glory and establish his name than being stationed in a more specialized order. And so he gladly became a knight of the Iron Rose. That had been two years ago, and he still serves with the order to this day.

Equipment:
Renar's armor is rugged and well-worn, but solid and dependable. His set of full plate appears to be a hodgepodge of whatever scavenged pieces he determined both fit him well and provided the best protection. He bears a cavalry lance for use on horseback, but prefers using a poleaxe on foot. His sidearms consist of an arming sword and a dagger, both sheathed on his belt. Renar wears a savage-looking fur-lined mantle into battle, it once belonging to an orcish raid leader he'd slain in single combat and kept as a trophy. His personal steed is a simple brown rouncey.

Skills:
Renar is skilled and well-rounded in the knightly arts. Despite the fact that he rides well enough and would likely place a decent ranking in a joust, he prefers fighting on foot as an infantryman and is a far better infantry fighter than he is a cavalryman. He has been trained in most martial weapons, and can fight well enough with a sword. However, his true ability lies in fighting with polearms and quarterstaves, enjoying the reach and versatility a pole weapon affords him. Renar complements his already formidable skill on foot with a willingness to use dirty tactics, believing that victory on the battlefield washes away all stains of dishonor.

However, Renar is only a passable shot with a bow and has no affinity for magic whatsoever. He attempts to compensate for these shortcomings with sheer physical might, exercising and training constantly in order to improve his strength, agility, and skill.

Off the battlefield, Renar has a surprising head for numbers and accounting for a knight, being rather adept at finances and administration.

Made some edits and adjustments from last time. Renar is aged down just enough to have barely missed the war, because I didn't want to adjust his backstory too much to deal with it.

[VitaVitaAR]

@Psyker Landshark: Accepted.

[Pyromania99]

Here she is. I think the sheet is correct now.

Dark Knight Elf

Name: Shanil Haddly
Age: 40
Gender: Female
Race: High Elf
Appearance: Shanil looks much as you might expect a young elven woman. Lithe, pretty with a certain look about her. That said, she has a rather dour look about her at most times. The look of a woman that had all but given up on life at some point. The armor she wears at most times doesn’t help change that opinion most would have about her.
Personality: Shanil had come close to ending her own life on a number of occasions in the past and while she has moved past that point, she hasn’t given up on looking like the worst days of her life were but minutes ago. She can’t help but worry about others dying in front of her, or perhaps it would be more proper to say she’s more worried about those that she may come to care for being put to the sword.

To those she meets, however, she comes off as rough and unfriendly as Shanil doesn’t seem to care if she’s rude or not. If one can manage to get past the rude attitude at first, they’ll find that she seems to care greatly for those close to her though she tries her best to convince herself that she doesn’t. They’ll also find that she has a soft spot for children.

Her ultimate goal is the destruction of every last person involved with Anzel Cazt’s rebellion.
Brief Backstory: Shanil was once from beyond the Veil. Her past is something she has only ever elaborated on to one person other than the fact that she was banished for some reason. At the age of twenty, she made her way into Thaln and took to using her skills with the sword and magic to be a bodyguard-for-hire for merchant caravans. Soon enough, she fell into line with one certain family that she took a shine to, the Haddlys.

They were a nice family of four people. A mother, father, young adult son and teenage daughter. Over time, she grew closer to the family, she also grew closer to the son and the two fell in love. They got married and continued to run the family business with the mother and father as the daughter also fell in love with someone and got married.

It took time, but they managed to have a child together. And some years later, a second. They were happy and content to run the business and travel… Until five or so years ago. While they were on a trip delivering wheat and iron. A rather routine sort of business. They had a number of guards hired and Shanil felt safe enough to go hunt for their dinner. After taking a time to hunt, she returned to an awful sight. No one was in sight nor were the horses. She hid in the bushes in case there was something dangerous and she caught sight of movement behind one of the carriages. There was a man moving…. Something. That something turned out to be the body of one of the guards.There was another man rustling in the carriage. It was a long, hard fought battle as she instantly dispatched one and fought two more.

She killed the men and noticed something missing. Her family. She followed where the man took the guard’s body and found them. She shrieked, unable to look straight at what she had seen. Distressed, panicked but above all she felt sorrow.

After some time, she finally calmed herself enough. She couldn’t just leave them here so she took a shovel and dug them all graves, marking a path from the road so she could find them again later. Before burying her husband, she took a necklace from his neck. A present she had bought for him just after her wedding.

After saying her goodbyes, she returned to the caravan and searched the bodies for anything. They didn’t quite seem like bandits and they didn’t fight like it. They seemed a bit like soldiers, if she had to guess but had little information on it. She found a note on them mentioning that supplies were needed and “Lord Cazt”. She wasn’t sure what that meant so she pocketed that and gathered up supplies for the road. With the horses gone, she’d have to walk to town and forsake the goods. She had to survive where her family did not.

On the road, she stopped for the night on the third day of travel by foot when a man in distressing dark armor with skeleton motifs introduced himself as “Terian”, a traveling knight. Skeptical at first, she felt she had nothing to lose, even if the man were to kill her in her sleep so she offered him to sit with her and rest. He asked why she was by herself, so she answered truthfully. At the end, they sat in silence for some time before the knight spoke up. He offered her to join him on his travels. To train in the ways of his Knightage, one which had been basically a secret order of sorts that was all but gone at this point.

With nothing else to her name, she accepted. She had nowhere to go except with her sister-in-law and she didn’t know if she could manage to discuss it with her. Together, her and her new teacher headed off to the city where he formally introduced himself as Reikard. In town, they learned that there was a rebellion fully brewing and Sharil was finally able to put two and two together. Lord Cazt needed supplies for a rebellion so he ransacked merchant convoys. With anger and purpose in her step, she and Reikard moved towards the future as the made guerilla attacks against the rebels where they could.

Eventually, the war was over and Reikard decided it was time for him to retire and he gifted his equipment to his disciple. And from that point, Sharil moved on her own, hunting down rebels that somehow managed to avoid the long arm of the law to feel some purpose in her life.

Equipment: Sharil’s equipment is the very same as that of her teacher. Dark metal with skull and skeleton motifs adorn the armor and her greatsword is fairly ornate though nothing else truly makes it special.

Skills: Her greatest strength is truly her magic. With control over Shadow and Frost Magics, it gives her a great number of things she can do. The first thing to mention is her ice magic because it’s the most simple really. Creating ice, using cold blasts and other things of the sort. Her Shadow magic on the other hand is a bit more special. It’s the magic she learned from her master and he taught her many things to do with it. The first thing she can do is use the shadows inside her armor to magically strengthen herself by using her own shadow to control her body like a puppet of sorts. In addition she can form shadows to use as offensive projectiles, binding a target with her own shadow among other things.

[VitaVitaAR]

@Pyromania99: Accepted.

[ERode]

You plan on tossing timeskips around in this RP, or is it mostly going to be fairly regular temporal progression?

[VitaVitaAR]

@ERode: No huge timeskips, but I'll skip over say, riding back to the capital after a mission, or stretches of time where not much happens.

[Raineh Daze]

• Name: Paladin Tyaethe Radistirin, First and Youngest of the Knights.
• Age: 238
• Gender: Female
• Race: Human (Vampire)
• Appearance:
  
  Default

  
  Average knight for scale:
  
  
  
  Adult

  For obvious reasons, she doesn't exactly fight like this:
  
  It's not even that much taller:
  
  
  
  Armoured

  Standing over six feet tall, it definitely doesn't match her height out of armour...
  With sword:
  
  A better look at the armour:
  
• Personality: The opinion of those who only have to interact with the Iron Roses in their capacity as knights is that Tyaethe is a serious, no-nonsense veteran. This is completely true provided that she's acting in her capacity as a knight of the church, off rescuing people or doing simple military work--she's quite serious, if prone to taking the aggressive and faster option. When there's a real fight on hand or something strong to oppose, she gets more hot-headed... and in general is quite prone to an "ATTACK ATTACK ATTACK" mentality, prone to forgetting that most people do not share her ability to disregard physical injury.
  Off the battlefield, outside of religious matters she's quite lazy. There's no equipment for her to upkeep, no physical exercise to keep in shape, no family matters to attend to, and even the captain only needs so much assistance in a day. It leaves her plenty of time for either emulating a cat and finding somewhere inconvenient but comfortable to nap, or playing tricks and teasing other members of the Iron Roses. Or helping them as the case may be. At times, the vampire can actually seem her age, bored of the repetitiveness of time and duty--but still obliged to be here.
  Unless she respects you, making fun of her height or age is quite a way to set her off.
• Brief Backstory: Coming from a minor noble family, Tyaethe was always expected to carry on her family's duty as knights of the crown. Yet due to favours owed by a highly influential and religious duke to her father, the standard of education that the girl received was much higher than her family would have expected--until the duke's own outspoken nature and the cause of the original favour came back. Having made enemies with a vampire of some age, and defied death once before, they came back for vengeance during a feast. Perhaps the vampire recognised Tyaethe as the child of one of its enemies and wanted to make a more ironic point, or maybe they just didn't want to kill a child in training--but of the attack, she was the only survivor, and quite confused at that.
  With her teacher dead, but his influence still felt, the girl went to the church and pledged herself to training as a paladin and to become a knight in Mayon's service--with no idea of what she had been afflicted with. When this became apparent, it was already too late to back out... despite Reon's virulent hatred for vampires in particular, Mayon had no such compulsion against intelligent but unwitting undead and showed no signs of displeasure. So, even though the church would normally have resisted accepting the undead into their ranks, Tyaethe completed her training as best as possible despite the lack of ageing and became a paladin.
  Hot-headed and somewhat hard to work with, Tyaethe spent most of her time as a crusading knight-errant and working on her magical abilities--not wanting to go to yet another social function made doubly awkward by her apparent age, or snap at another companion for bringing attention to the fact. Her tendency for long trips away from most paladins helped with forgetting what she was, and Tyaethe developed a reasonably good reputation for her abilities.
  Which is about when Elionne prevented the assassination of Falthir and impressed the older paladin so much that she was the first to swear her service--before the Iron Roses had even been founded--and was something of a teacher. This, combined with her apparent age, is the source of the "First and Youngest" title... which she still hates hearing. Unfortunately, it's open knowledge, along with her condition, leaving Tyaethe with a very strange reputation.
  When Elionne disappeared, the vampire didn't know more than anyone else, though she certainly took the news hard. In the end, Tyaethe stuck with the knights, though she's become touchier about her apparent age over time, and has a tendency to act as a stumbling block to changing tradition. Occasionally, nobles looking to advance their control over the knights have been dismayed to learn that the circumstances of Tyaethe's original vow to join the knights more or less require Elionne to be the one to make her leave or be proved dead. Of course, that's outweighed by the people who are glad she hasn't gone anywhere; finding someone willing and able to fight dragons when they intermittently show up, let alone one so gleeful about it, would be... difficult if the paladin were to retire or go travelling.
• Equipment: The only piece of "real" equipment that Tyaethe possesses is her sword--a blessed blade enchanted to have no weight to the wielder, so that even someone in her situation can wield it without any difficulty, and as resilient to damage as it could be made. Everything else, aside from her scarfs, is nothing more than a magical construct created as needed.
  Though it isn't really equipment, she also has two hundred years of accumulated money left over for whatever might need the investment--not a bad amount.
• Skills: As one would expect of the most experienced knight in the order, Tyaethe's greatest asset is her swordsmanship, despite the link between vampirism and magical power. She takes pride in achieving victory through nothing more than the mundane application of skill, now honed over entire lifetimes, and insists that using some magical enhancement hardly detracts from the achievement; there are enough people around physically monstrous enough to achieve the same effects regardless. Some people have disagreed with this. Whatever their opinion on magically assisted swordsmanship, her skill is sufficient that she only gets excited when prodigies join the knights and provide some decent competition until they leave, or age catches up.
  Of course, as a vampire, there is no avoiding the massive raw magical power requirement to survive the process, one Tyaethe seems to have naturally exceeded by a considerable margin despite her development. Although dependent on regularly feeding to be able to fuel this level, the point that the paladin considers to be satiated and not a danger--and therefore maintaining something approaching her natural capacity--is akin to standing next to a bonfire of mana.
  All of this energy is regularly redirected into one of the least efficient spells possible, generating an illusion and enforcing its reality through stubbornness and sheer magical energy. In practical terms, it amounts to a minor capacity for shapeshifting and conjuration, no matter the mechanism behind it. This, of course, is how the paladin maintains an adult appearance as needed, or actually armours herself as a knight--ageing up or conjuring armour as appropriate. Due to its nature as little more than raw magic, it protects even better against magical attacks than physical, although it also provides the (rather unnecessary) protection of normal armour.
  With the illusions requiring constant investment, there is a limit to how long they can be maintained, with the armoured one being particularly extreme and reserved only for combat itself. Merely looking how she would if she had grown normally can be kept up with little difficulty, as long as she's awake.
  Then, of course, there are the abilities that stem directly from being a vampire. Using mana for physical enhancement is the most obvious, and where even the weakest vampires get a dreaded reputation: unless starving, even the least combat-trained vampire can boost themselves to scary levels. The other one is that inflicting damage that can't just be healed away is a matter of some difficulty without holy blessing or a talent for decapitation. It also has a few minor talents that are occasionally handy--obviously, seeing in the dark is a big one, but her other senses are quite sharp, although not to extreme levels. Except for two exceptions: heartbeats and the smell of blood. Quite hard to sneak up on, this one.
  Having pretty terrible unaided eyesight isn't a skill, but it's noteworthy.
• Other: Yes, drinking blood is required--blood becomes mana, mana sustains life. Yes, the sun is dangerous. It isn't quite lethal, though: Reon hates vampires but she's aware it's not a choice.