Crimson Paladin

The Epic of Beginnings - Fragments of a weathered scroll

Novak

They now had a location and some idea of what the hunters' goals were, but there were still many questions that were left unanswered. There was still more that Novak needed to uncover, and the hunters' hideout may have the answers he was looking for. Novak needed to know more about this seal, the orb, and whatever they might know about that old temple that had disappeared.

"I think we should look for this hideout," Novak suggested to Nobunaga. "We might be able to learn more about what they're up to. With the Kyrinth angry and alert, whatever hunters are still out there are probably too distracted to notice a few outsiders like us sneaking about."

As he voiced his suggestion, Novak walked over to the dead archer. He became uneasy and perhaps a bit nauseous at the sight of the headless corpse, but he had a feeling he'd be seeing a lot more of this sort of thing in this world. He reached into the man's quiver and removed every last arrow, placing them into his own quiver. He didn't have a bow, but it might be helpful to hold onto these arrows for Nobunaga.

"Goodbye, and please be safe, Enli," Novak spoke as the chief departed. He was still a little uncomfortable leaving Enli by himself, but they might not get another opportunity to investigate the hunters while an enraged elder beast was running interference.

@Rune_Alchemist@VitaVitaAR

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Fantasy Knight RP

Fleuri Jodeau

Fleuri wished he could be surprised to see Veileena Cal and her bodyguard there, but after the encounter with Damon, he could no longer be entirely sure that others in the family weren't also involved in dark dealings. "That is Veileena Cal, daughter of the traitor Phoran Cal, scion of the Cal family, and the person whom I hoped would redeem the family's name," he answered Runa, opting to address their most immediate question. It appeared that the others were already questioning Veileena, so it would be a good opportunity to bring Runa and Gerard up to speed.

"Here's what's going on," he turned to Runa. "This morning, a message arrived requesting the Iron Roses' assistance at Fort Daelantine. When we got there, we discovered the entire garrison was dead, and there had just been a battle between two groups of mercenaries, one of whom had disguised themselves in the dead soldiers' uniforms. It was fortunate we had someone with a knowledge of mercenaries in our ranks," he said, looking at Gerard. "Upon investigating, we learned a few very troubling things."

Fleuri paused to take a breath. "First, the fort wasn't attacked, the soldiers appear to have gone mad and killed one another in a frenzy." Second, someone who wasn't insane apparently broke into the captain's quarters, killed the captain, and stole something from his desk. Third, both mercenary parties were hired to retrieve a black shard from the fort. We believe that it is a shard of the evil weapon Angroron, and that it was somehow involved in the entire garrison going insane. This shrine was mentioned in a note on the corpse of one of the thief's victims just outside the captain's quarters. Currently, we don't know who hired either of the mercenary bands, and we don't know how this place ties into whatever is going on. I'm not sure why Veileena Cal is here," he paused, glancing at her for a moment before turning back to the Hundi knight, "But the fact that she's here makes me think we're on the right track."

@JessieTargaryen@VitaVitaAR@HereComesTheSnow

The Epic of Beginnings - Fragments of a weathered scroll

Novak

Novak looked away as Nobunaga delivered the coup de grace to the first hunter, then again when she finished off the other one. It was clear that he wasn't used to this sort of thing. It was probably a mercy, but he wasn't sure if he'd have the stomach to do it if it were up to him.

The words of the second hunter were of particular interest to Novak. The seal they claimed that they protect, that they claimed the Illuminator protected was probably the same seal that Lazhira had mentioned when discussing the Orb with the Illuminator's avatar. Lazhira seemed to think that the god's goal was to open the seal, and up until now Novak had assumed that this was the case. On the other hand, the Illuminator never actually claimed that this was his goal. There was one other thing Novak hadn't considered.

A key doesn't just open things, it can also lock them.

It wouldn't help to reveal possibly incorrect hearsay and conjecture to Nobunaga, however, so Novak didn't speak up it. Besides, he didn't want to let slip the deal he had made with the god to someone so dangerous, ruthless, and opposed to the Illuminator.

"Judging by how the Kyrinth reacted to threats to the deer, I'd guess they were trying to anger it," Novak spoke. "They were probably hoping it'd kill Enli and us. Still, I'm not quite sure how antagonizing the Kyrinth and making the forest a more dangerous place helps to protect that seal they mentioned."

@Rune_Alchemist@VitaVitaAR

Dungeon Clearer! A Fantasy Adventurer RP

I'd still like to continue, too.

The Epic of Beginnings - Fragments of a weathered scroll

Novak

The battle was over. One of the hunters was dead, two were fatally injured, and aside from some bruises, it looked like Novak, Nobunaga, and Enli were unscathed. Novak wrenched the spear from his sword and tossed it away, not wanting the hunter to be able to reach it.

"It's a good thing you were with us, Nobunaga," he said to his companion. "Enli and I wouldn't have survived this without you."

Indeed, Nobunaga had felled every single one of their foes, showing considerable skill with both a sword and bow. Novak couldn't help but wonder how Lady Mie's bodyguards would compare to the red-eyed swordswoman in terms of swordsmanship. Either way, it was pretty clear she handily outmatched the hunters.

There was still the matter of the wounded hunters. One had been literally disarmed and wouldn't last long before he bled out. The other- the one whom Novak had been fighting- had taken an arrow to the lung and was probably going to die soon, too. He needed to die- he tried to enrage the Kyrinth, tried to kill Enli, and tried to kill Novak and Nobunaga despite them having helped the hunters. In fact, he very well may have been one of the people trying to kill Novak at the temple, too.

Novak stepped over the man, his blade to deliver a coup de grace, placing the sword over the approximate location of the man's heart. His arms wouldn't drive the sword in, though. The feeling of imminent danger was wearing off, and the willingness to kill was fading from him. Try as he might, he didn't have the will to stab this incapacitated man anymore. He had killed ornery birds and ungrateful slimes, but he had never killed another person- or if he did, he couldn't remember it. Either way, he found himself hesitating to do it.

"Why did you try to kill us? We helped you, we've put our lives on the line to help your village, and you stab us in the back!" he shouted at the man, not caring if the dying hunter could or would respond. He may not yet have the stomach to kill a wounded man, even one so grievously wounded that it'd probably be an act of mercy, but between the throbbing pain in his face and the hurt from the hunters' betrayal, he nonetheless found himself angry to the point of tears.

@Rune_Alchemist@VitaVitaAR

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Fantasy Knight RP

Sad to see you go. Good luck with everything else!

The Epic of Beginnings - Fragments of a weathered scroll

Novak

Novak's simplistic attempt to fell his opponent didn't go as he hoped, and his attack was stopped by a blow to the face by the other end of the spear. He wasn't sure in the heat of the moment if he had managed to learn that move, but he would remember the painful lesson that spears can be used to do more than just stab with the pointy end.

Novak didn't have the time to attempt another blow, because the hunter managed to line up the spear for another thrust, aimed at the reincarnated would-be-adventurers's chest. It was possible that the scale armor would stop the spear, but that wasn't a risk that Novak was going to take. He swung his sword to deflect the spear strike similar to how he had done before, but more force behind it this time. This was partially out of frightened desperation due to the fight going south, and partially out of hope that he could strike the spear hard enough to cut through its wooden shaft and deprive the hunter of the weapon's pointy end. Novak kept his ability active, fully expecting the hunter to display more tricks before the fight was over.

At this point it seemed unlikely he'd be able to beat the hunter by himself, but if he could hold his own long enough, Nobunaga might be able to intervene. Having been focusing entirely on his opponent, however, Novak had no idea how the archer had fared, and couldn't be sure if and when help would come.

@Rune_Alchemist@VitaVitaAR

The Epic of Beginnings - Fragments of a weathered scroll

Novak

Novak watched as Nobunaga dismembered one of the hunters, picking up on her sword movements. He could feel his martial skills growing, and while it wasn't much, it nonetheless felt like a step up from from the utterly untrained newbie he was previously. One had been dealt with, but there were still two of them, and one of them was headed straight for Novak and Enli. This would be his first real fight with a human opponent in this new life. The thought of actually killing another human in close combat unnerved him, but the hunter's murderous intentions were quite clear- at this moment, it was kill or be killed. And if he was killed, then the village chief would likely die, too.

Novak deflected the incoming spear strike with his sword, while using his ability to observe the incoming attack in hopes that he could discern something useful. Before the hunter could line up another thrust, Novak counterattacked almost reflexively, stepping forward and swinging his sword at his foe's neck. He himself found himself a little surprised at the aggression of his move. Was it simply the rush of adrenaline in a fight-or-flight situation that had compelled him to attack rather than defend, it was it the skills and reflexes that he was picking up from watching Nobunaga fight?

It might have been possible to learn some more from this hunter's moves by trying to draw out this fight, but right now, Novak just wanted to get himself and Enli out of this ordeal alive, and that meant not holding anything back and trying to end the fight as quickly as possible.

@VitaVitaAR@Rune_Alchemist

War Never Changes III: Annals of the East

Here's my CS, much later than it should've been.

Children of Atom

Name: Church of the Children of Atom

Flag: This is one of several flags they use

Territory: Megaton (under Brotherhood rule), the Glowing Sea, and the western half of Mount Desert Island.

History: The Church of the Children of Atom was a religion worshiping the god Atom that sprung up in the Capital Wasteland around an unexploded atomic bomb, based on the belief that every atom was a universe and that nuclear fission resulted in the creation of new universes. In the Capital Wasteland, the church prospered due to both the economic boon brought on by the publishing of the Wasteland Survival Guide and the increased stability brought on by the Brotherhood's rise to power. Missionaries and faithful set out to find other holy irradiated sites, and one such expedition, sent at the behest of Confessor Cromwell, came to Mount Desert Island.

On the island, the Children of Atom were aided by a synthetic man named DiMA, and settled in what was once an old submarine base, irradiated by the submarine's leaking reactor. Tensions arose, however, when a missionary was murdered in Far Harbor, a tragedy that would cause Confessor Martin to depart from the island. In his place, a ruthless fanatic named Tektus took power, giving himself the title of High Confessor and eliminating anyone he considered might be disloyal to him, and preaching the destruction of both Far Harbor and Arcadia.

Eventually, DiMA chose to act, and had Tektus replaced with one of his synth followers, programmed to believe he was the real High Confessor, with the best traits of both Tektus and Martin. The synth Tektus proceeded to make peace with the other factions on the island and rein in the fanaticism that his predecessor had encouraged, and peace on the island was achieve.

When the Institute survivors took Arcadia, the synth Tektus was upset at this shift in the balance of power, and wary at the new arrivals' much more liberal use of DiMA's fog condenser technology, but the two sides ultimately reached an understanding, where the Institute would control the eastern half of the Island and the Children of Atom would rule over the western half.

In practice, the Children of Atom only control the southwestern part of the island, preferring to leave the northwestern half of "Atom's kingdom" largely untouched and unsullied, aside from a few retaliatory strikes against trappers. They've taken over the Fringe Cove Docks to use as their own harbor, and have taken Brook's Head Lighthouse from the trappers to enable their ships to safely navigate the fog.

Pressing Issues: Currently, the Church is seeking to re-establish contact with its other branches. Last they've heard, the church in Megaton remains strong in the faith and prosperous, but due to being under the Brotherhood's rule, is politically and militarily powerless. The situation in the Commonwealth is much more dire, with many its faithful being violent fanatics. and as a result the church's reputation in the Commonwealth is very bad. Currently, the High Confessor is looking to send missionaries and inquisitors to the Commonwealth to correct the fanatics and their misguided beliefs, and to send messengers to Megaton to ensure that their brothers and sisters aren't being mistreated.

They're not entirely sure what to make of the Institute. It's unclear if they can be trusted, or what their long-term goals are, but what is clear is that they have considerable technical expertise, and so far have been willing to coexist. There might be considerable risk in sharing the Nucleus' tech left behind by DiMA but also considerable opportunity if the Institute's scientists and engineers could make the Vessel- and the base housing it-operational.

As for Far Harbor, they're still upset at their killing of their missionaries, but have agreed to peace, or at least mutual non-aggression. Since the Institute now claims sovereignty over Far Harbor, this has not changed. Most of the harbor's inhabitants are welcome to come to the Fringe Cove docks to trade, except for Allen Marks, whom the Zealots and Inquisitors have standing orders to arrest if he sets foot in Children of Atom territory.

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Fantasy Knight RP

Fleuri is also an aggressive fighter, a believer in "the best defense is a strong offense". He uses a greatsword because dismemberment is generally a reliable way to put foes down. Unfortunately, as he learned in their last mission, chopping off limbs isn't always enough against foes that can regenerate.