Crimson Paladin

The Storm Cycle: Reclamation

Ethelred

Just as the bandits seemed to break from the knights' combined efforts, arrows started flying from within the forest. One arrow struck Ethelred square on the faceplate, but failed to penetrate the crystalline armor.

That was either a very lucky shot or a very precise one, he considered as more, less accurate arrows began flying, with one glancing off his horse's flank. This could be a problem. The surviving bandits were now regrouping, their morale seemingly restored by the unseen archers' ambush, and now the knights had to deal with two groups of enemies, all while being completely exposed and out in the open.

When this is over, we need to speak to the queen about having those trees cleared. Ethelred wasn't too concerned about himself- his shield and armor should be enough to stop these arrows- but his horse was another story. Its tough, ice-like flesh was tougher than that of an ordinary stallion, but wasn't rigid, unyielding crystal like his armor, and a direct hit from an arrow could wound it.

Fortunately, aid came at just the most opportune moment. A golden barrier rose up in front of both mount and rider, shielding them from further arrows. It seemed that Lunalel had joined the battle. Ethelred had always considered her a reliable one, with her useful array of elder beast granted powers. This respite gave him an opportunity to assess where the arrows were coming from, and what to do next.

Od and Reinhardt probably could handle the remaining bandits close by, thus Ethelred opted to focus on dealing with the archers. After seeing where the arrows were coming from, he spurred his horse on. With his shield raised, he drove his horse at an angle towards the forest some distance from where the arrows were emerging, all the while leaving a trail of frigid fog behind them. He didn't want to charge them head-on into a potential trap, or give them an easy, direct target, rather he'd want to get a good look at what he was up against, and flank them from within the forest.

He'd have to proceed with caution once he reached the cover of the trees. The rapid speed of his movement would leave him at a considerable distance from the other knights even if any of them also opted to approach the archers before cutting down the remaining brigand foot-soldiers, but he wasn't entirely sure what he would be facing.

The Storm Cycle: Reclamation

Ethelred

Ethelred assessed the foe as they came into view and he brought his horse down to a trot. It was a band of brigands, perhaps fifty in number. Their goal was probably to break down the gate and sack the town, and their current objective appeared to be to break down the gate.

I can't be sure how good their odds of success would ordinarily be against such fortifications, but in these very un-ordinary circumstances, I can be sure that they have no chance of success. While Ethelred had aided people against bandits before, he had never actually taken part in a siege, and knew very little of the field of siege engineering.

The prevalence of banditry was a sad reality of the current state of Albion. This was this dark age, without law and without order. Men lived in fear of one another, and for strong preyed upon the weak. Even before being frozen, Ethelred had sought to undo these injustices, to fight against those who would selfishly darken Albion even further, but there was only so much that a single knight-errant could hope to accomplish on his own. But with the Queen and her fellow knights, they could do more than just fight bandits. They could lay the groundwork of a society where people can live without fear of being preyed upon by bandits, and make Albion a place where banditry is a much less attractive career choice than it currently seems to be.

For now, however, working towards that lofty goal meant repelling this horde of brigands. The knights needed to convey the message that Airedale is off-limits to bandits, that depredations upon the good people of the town would not be allowed to happen.

Ethelred was not the first one to have engaged the bandits. Someone was fighting them up close, and what looked like Fio's sword magic was being cast upon them from the walls. He couldn't see who it was that had drawn first blood, but it'd make a good distraction for his own attack. The knight rode closer, his mount increasing its speed to a canter, then a gallop. As he drew closer, he couched his lance under his arm and aimed for the first unlucky bandit in his way.

Ethelred made no war cry as he closed the distance, for he needed no war cry. His appearance- an icy knight upon a frightening steed- and the effects of his powers would speak more loudly than any words he could shout. Prior to being cursed, his family's motto was his war cry, but with his family line wiped out, he no longer had a desire to speak it.

The mounted knight plowed into the bandits' ranks. Anyone unfortunate enough to be in the path of his crystalline lance would likely be knocked off their feet, bearing a grisly, flash-frozen wound where its struck them. His horse was fighting equally aggressive, using its horns to ram any bandit unfortunate enough to be in its direct path, and trampling beneath its icy hooves any who were not thrown clear by the blows of the horse or its rider. It was fortunate that despite the horse's newfound aggression and surprising mastery of its new state (in fact, it seemed to have been a quicker learner than Ethelred when it came to getting used to their new forms), its obedience to its rider had never wavered, because Ethelred would not want to find himself on the receiving end of its horns or hooves.

The Epic of Beginnings - Fragments of a weathered scroll

Novak

"The Hag told me that Lazhira indeed didn't steal it," Novak confirmed to them. "She seemed to think that Lazhira intended to, however, and was quite adamant that the girl not be allowed to obtain it. I'm not sure what that means but it's clear she's involved in this whole affair somehow." Novak left out the part where he had been tasked with finding the orb. It would likely get out eventually since Lazhira and Narkissa also witnessed the deal he had made, but he didn't want to make potential trouble by revealing it at the moment.

Perhaps I'm not too different from Lazhira in some regards, he mused.

There was a lot to consider from the hunters' words. They believed that the orb was one of two keys to the seal, and with those keys, they could fix the seal. From the sound of things, though, the hunters didn't sound like they had a plan. Or perhaps they did have a plan, and didn't want to share it with Novak and Nobunaga. Still, perhaps it was possible to coax some more relevant information out of them.

All this time they seemed to think that Lazhira was the one who took the orb. That implies they don't know who the real thieves were, nor where it now resides, so no point in asking them that, Novak reasoned. Perhaps, however, they might know something about the Hag's motivations...

"There's another thing. The hag...she wants the orb, too." he spoke with some hesitation. "You have any idea why?

@Rune_Alchemist@VitaVitaAR

The Storm Cycle: Reclamation

Ethelred

Outside of the castle walls, sitting upon a rock overlooking the shore, Ethelred sat with a book in his hand. His horse stood nearby, its reins held firmly in Ethelred's other hand. The knight's lance and shield lay nearby, ready to be used if he found himself facing peril. The horse seemed to be sniffing something in the air, but the knight paid no heed, his attention completely given to the book he was reading. While it was true that some found his found his appearance, being unable to remove his strange, crystalline armor, and it was true that the stable keepers were somewhat relieved when they didn't have to watch his strange, cursed horse, he had a much simpler reason for his isolation out here. He simply wanted better light to read by, with no shadows to obscure the rays of the early morning sun.

The book told a tale, written after he had been frozen, of the struggles and conflicts of a village somewhere in the northern part of Albion. It was a rather quaint matter compared to the tales of the Betrayed God or the great king of Albion, but it was nonetheless a piece of history that Ethelred had missed while he was trapped in ice. Since being freed, he had sought to catch up on everything that had transpired in the century that had passed during his imprisonment. Sometimes he listened to the tales of bards in taverns, while other times, such as this one he sought out books from the town's humble library. From what he could surmise from the stories, things had gotten steadily worse over the last century. However, with this queen showing up and gathering the greatest knights of the land, it seemed like there was finally hope to make things better...

Suddenly, Ethelred heard the bells from the town. He jumped to his feet, dropped the book, and grabbed his weapons. He made it a habit to always be prepared for trouble when venturing outside the walls. His armor, cold powers, and animal companion would normally be more than enough to handle most troublemakers, but the knight knew from experience that he might need his lance. He climbed atop his horse and rode off towards the town, the mount's excitement causing it to create a trail of frozen footprints and icy fog behind it. He wasn't sure what the commotion was about, but whatever it was, he needed to get there as quickly as possible.

It sounds like it's coming from the north gate, he assessed as he drew close enough to the town to distinguish the direction. He cantered off, heading in the direction in the north gate, unsure what he'd find there. There were several possibilities he could think of. There were many greedy people out there who would seek to take advantage of the honest people of the town, and many supernatural beings that'd take delight in tormenting them. Furthermore, there were those, both mundane and mystical, that likely saw the Queen and her aspirations as a threat, and would seek to bring her down before her goals could be realized. Whatever the case, whoever they were, whatever their aims were, they needed to be stopped.

Or perhaps a sentry simply saw a large animal lumbering about in the distance and mistook it for an Elder Beast...

The Storm Cycle: Reclamation

Ice Knight

Name: Ethelred

Age: 134 (26 when frozen, only recently thawed)

Gender: Male

Appearance: Ethelred currently cannot remove his armor, thus it is all anyone sees of him.

Abilities:
Ethelred was altered by a malevolent unseelie's curse, and is now what he has deemed "kin" to ice and snow. Freezing temperatures do not harm or hinder him, and he can see through ice, allowing him to navigate snowstorms and see through his frozen helmet. He can freeze things by touch, through his armor or even through the tip of his lance, and in enclosed spaces he can measurably chill the air around him. He doesn't seem to need to eat or drink, and he's not entirely sure why. He's also not entirely sure why the curse didn't affect his mind- perhaps the curse was flawed, or perhaps killing the fey stopped its progression before that point.

Another effect of the curse is that his armor seems to have fused with him, and taken on an icy, crystalline appearance. The armor slowly "heals" any damage inflicted upon it, including any attempt to shave off its crystalline protrusions. His lance and shield were also altered, but mercifully they were not merged with him.

Ethelred's horse, which suffered the same curse as him, remains a loyal companion despite its twisted appearance. Its horns and protrusions allow it to defend itself effectively, and like Ethelred, it's not bothered by freezing temperatures.

As a knight, Ethelred is skilled in the use of his lance both mounted and dismounted. It might not have a cutting edge, but it makes for a brutal bludgeon and the tip is quite sharp, as the fey that cursed him found out the hard way.

History:
Over a century ago, Ethelred was the youngest son of a noble family that controlled a small piece of land. Being somewhat removed in line to inherit their land, he was never particularly interested in politics and intrigue. Instead, he became a knight-errant, a wandering warrior seeking to emulate the heroic tales of the old king of Albion. He traveled the land, helped people, and battled bandits and raiders who would prey on the weak and vulnerable, and occasionally even came into conflict with supernatural malefactors. He never figured that his family would miss him- after all, he was the spare of a spare of a spare- and he reasoned they'd probably be more comfortable with one less potential claimant scheming to inherit.

While traveling through a rarely-treaded mountain pass, Ethelred was suddenly beset by a magical spell. His boots froze to the ground, and a layer of ice began to form around them, spreading up his legs. His horse fared no better, rooted to the spot by the same curse. As Ethelred tried in vain to free himself, an unseelie approached, its inhuman voice chuckling at the knight's plight. It gloated about how this curse was its doing, and how it would enjoy what came next but in the middle of its ramblings, Ethelred thrust his lance forward and stabbed the fey through the torso just before his right arm froze up, a final defiant blow.

As the evil fairy tried to pull itself free of the weapon, its face turned to horror as it saw the ice advancing along the lance. The last thing Ethelred remembers as his head froze over is seeing is the fey frantically struggling as it too was encased in an icy tomb, a victim of its own wicked curse. It's not an entirely bad way to die, he thought as it went black.

The next thing he remembered was waking up on the ground, having been freed from his frozen prison. Above him stood a radiant woman, sword in hand. She spoke of the king's return, the beasts being slain, the fey facing retribution, and traitors facing reckoning. By the time Ethelred regained enough strength to stand up and ask who she was, she was gone. Stirring awake next to him was what he initially believed to be some sort of elder beast before he realized it was his horse, twisted into some sort of strange ice creature by the unseelie's curse.

It didn't take Ethelred long to realize that he too was changed by the curse. His armor, which had taken a strange crystalline appearance, would not come off, including his helmet. The freezing cold temperatures no longer bothered him, and found himself no longer growing hungry or thirsty. His first was to interrogate the fey that cursed him, still frozen with his lance in its chest. He attempted to free the unseelie by smashing the ice that imprisoned it, but this only caused the frozen fairy to shatter into pieces. If it wasn't dead before, it was definitely dead now. At least his lance wasn't broken, though.

With little hope of finding more information on this curse, he descended the mountain and found a changed land. It seems he had been frozen for over a hundred years now, and things had gotten even worse in Albion over that period. He also learned that the frozen forms of him, his horse, and the fey had not gone unnoticed, and had gained some local fame as "The Frozen Knight", as both a landmark for those navigating the mountains, and as a symbol of human defiance against the Unseelie. It was a relief to him that the local highlanders weren't afraid of him, and it was probably a relief to them that he intended to be the very symbol of human spirit and resilience that they had made him out to be.

Ethelred set out in search of the woman that freed him. He traveled from town to town, helping the locals, taking time to master his new powers, and catch up on the state of Albion. By the time he reached the queen to pledge himself to her, having decided her goal was a worthy one, word had already gotten around of his deeds.

Anything else:
About 40 years ago, his family got into a conflict with another noble family and ended up getting wiped out, and their castle reduced to a ruin. The perpetrator of the massacre, currently the rival family head, is still alive but elderly, and Ethelred wants justice. For now he's stayed his hand, either because he wants to help the queen establish a law of the land by which justice can be carried out, or perhaps he's biding his time because as the saying goes, revenge is a dish best served cold.

Another thing is that while he doesn't want to lose his powers, he would at least like to be able to find a way to take off his armor.

The Epic of Beginnings - Fragments of a weathered scroll

Novak

Some of the hunters seemed to be considering Novak's words, but one of them, armed with an axe, decided to attack. As he readied his torch in hopes of turning aside the blow, Nobunaga rushed in to help. To Novak's surprise, his companion did not kill the attacker, but positioned her sword at the man's neck, ready to decapitate him if he tried anything. This was a relief to him, as he was worried that killing the hunter might be enough to spur the others into fighting, too.

"Look," he told the hunters, as he pocketed his mask and transferred his torch to his off-hand in case he needed to draw his sword, "We told you we don't want to fight. We don't want to harm the seal."

"I understand we've been at odds with each other over the past few days, and have even come into conflict," he continued, hearkening back to both the attempted ambush and the assassination attempt, "But if the seal is in jeopardy, we need to set our grudges and grievances aside for the sake of this region, and quite possibly the entire world."

He wasn't sure how convincing his pleas would be, but he hoped that they'd listen to reason.

"Now, regarding the old woman, please let me elaborate. In the deepest part of the temple, we ran into a strange old woman dancing with a stitched-together dummy composed of body parts. She claimed to be the Illuminator, and was manically fretting over the loss of something that had been taken from her. She...she had knowledge about me that I've never told a living soul, something that no ordinary person could possibly know, and she somehow vanished from the temple after we spoke to her. But please, if you know anything about her," Novak said, shifting this conversation in hopes of coaxing information out of the hunters, "Exactly who or what is she, and what do you mean that she's been missing?"

@VitaVitaAR@Rune_Alchemist

Dungeon Clearer! A Fantasy Adventurer RP

"Oh my god she just ran in."

Dungeon Clearer! A Fantasy Adventurer RP

Léon Reverdin

The battle was over. The necromancer had been slain, the undead goblins fell lifeless, and the living survivors retreated. Léon took a sigh of relief and lowered his hammer. He lifted his helmet just long enough to look over himself robes to ensure that there were no wounds on him. Fortunately, the blood splatter on his robe was not his.

Now would be a good time to provide any healing required, he thought. He wasn't a very experienced adventurer, but he understood that these moments of calm were the time to provide healing, because they couldn't be sure the goblins would come back, and there was no telling when they'd get another opportunity. None of his companions appeared injured, but he knew better than to make such assumptions.

"Is anyone injured and in need of healing?" the cleric asked the group. "Did anyone get scratched or nicked by the goblins?"

Nuri, as was fitting for a Reonite paladin, was already planning to pursue the goblins further into their cave. Léon was a bit uncomfortable killing retreating foes, but there was some logic in her actions. The goblins could regroup and return, and as long as they were nearby, the group would not be able to relax. On the other hand, there was some risk in pursuing them into their tunnels, especially at a hasty pace. If the goblins made their home in these tunnels, there could be traps, fortifications, and even more goblins.

Assuming nobody needed healing, Léon hurried after Nuri, not wanting her to go unsupported.

"Careful, Nuri, there could be traps ahead," he urged her. This seemed like a rather risky course of action to rush in like this without letting the Nem and fairy scout the tunnels out, but he simply didn't have the boldness to directly tell Nuri that. He was fearful of where they would go, and certainly didn't want to go down this path himself, but it was his duty as a Cup, as a cleric, and as a Mayonite to support, protect, and look after the well-being of his companions.

@Zoey Boey

The Storm Cycle: Reclamation

Here's my character submission.

Ice Knight

Name: Ethelred

Age: 134 (26 when frozen, only recently thawed)

Gender: Male

Appearance: Ethelred currently cannot remove his armor, thus it is all anyone sees of him.

Abilities:
Ethelred was altered by a malevolent unseelie's curse, and is now what he has deemed "kin" to ice and snow. Freezing temperatures do not harm or hinder him, and he can see through ice, allowing him to navigate snowstorms and see through his frozen helmet. He can freeze things by touch, through his armor or even through the tip of his lance, and in enclosed spaces he can measurably chill the air around him. He doesn't seem to need to eat or drink, and he's not entirely sure why. He's also not entirely sure why the curse didn't affect his mind- perhaps the curse was flawed, or perhaps killing the fey stopped its progression before that point.

Another effect of the curse is that his armor seems to have fused with him, and taken on an icy, crystalline appearance. The armor slowly "heals" any damage inflicted upon it, including any attempt to shave off its crystalline protrusions. His lance and shield were also altered, but mercifully they were not merged with him.

Ethelred's horse, which suffered the same curse as him, remains a loyal companion despite its twisted appearance. Its horns and protrusions allow it to defend itself effectively, and like Ethelred, it's not bothered by freezing temperatures.

As a knight, Ethelred is skilled in the use of his lance both mounted and dismounted. It might not have a cutting edge, but it makes for a brutal bludgeon and the tip is quite sharp, as the fey that cursed him found out the hard way.

History:
Over a century ago, Ethelred was the youngest son of a noble family that controlled a small piece of land. Being somewhat removed in line to inherit their land, he was never particularly interested in politics and intrigue. Instead, he became a knight-errant, a wandering warrior seeking to emulate the heroic tales of the old king of Albion. He traveled the land, helped people, and battled bandits and raiders who would prey on the weak and vulnerable, and occasionally even came into conflict with supernatural malefactors. He never figured that his family would miss him- after all, he was the spare of a spare of a spare- and he reasoned they'd probably be more comfortable with one less potential claimant scheming to inherit.

While traveling through a rarely-treaded mountain pass, Ethelred was suddenly beset by a magical spell. His boots froze to the ground, and a layer of ice began to form around them, spreading up his legs. His horse fared no better, rooted to the spot by the same curse. As Ethelred tried in vain to free himself, an unseelie approached, its inhuman voice chuckling at the knight's plight. It gloated about how this curse was its doing, and how it would enjoy what came next but in the middle of its ramblings, Ethelred thrust his lance forward and stabbed the fey through the torso just before his right arm froze up, a final defiant blow.

As the evil fairy tried to pull itself free of the weapon, its face turned to horror as it saw the ice advancing along the lance. The last thing Ethelred remembers as his head froze over is seeing is the fey frantically struggling as it too was encased in an icy tomb, a victim of its own wicked curse. It's not an entirely bad way to die, he thought as it went black.

The next thing he remembered was waking up on the ground, having been freed from his frozen prison. Above him stood a radiant woman, sword in hand. She spoke of the king's return, the beasts being slain, the fey facing retribution, and traitors facing reckoning. By the time Ethelred regained enough strength to stand up and ask who she was, she was gone. Stirring awake next to him was what he initially believed to be some sort of elder beast before he realized it was his horse, twisted into some sort of strange ice creature by the unseelie's curse.

It didn't take Ethelred long to realize that he too was changed by the curse. His armor, which had taken a strange crystalline appearance, would not come off, including his helmet. The freezing cold temperatures no longer bothered him, and found himself no longer growing hungry or thirsty. His first was to interrogate the fey that cursed him, still frozen with his lance in its chest. He attempted to free the unseelie by smashing the ice that imprisoned it, but this only caused the frozen fairy to shatter into pieces. If it wasn't dead before, it was definitely dead now. At least his lance wasn't broken, though.

With little hope of finding more information on this curse, he descended the mountain and found a changed land. It seems he had been frozen for over a hundred years now, and things had gotten even worse in Albion over that period. He also learned that the frozen forms of him, his horse, and the fey had not gone unnoticed, and had gained some local fame as "The Frozen Knight", as both a landmark for those navigating the mountains, and as a symbol of human defiance against the Unseelie. It was a relief to him that the local highlanders weren't afraid of him, and it was probably a relief to them that he intended to be the very symbol of human spirit and resilience that they had made him out to be.

Ethelred set out in search of the woman that freed him. He traveled from town to town, helping the locals, taking time to master his new powers, and catch up on the state of Albion. By the time he reached the queen to pledge himself to her, having decided her goal was a worthy one, word had already gotten around of his deeds.

Anything else:
About 40 years ago, his family got into a conflict with another noble family and ended up getting wiped out, and their castle reduced to a ruin. The perpetrator of the massacre, currently the rival family head, is still alive but elderly, and Ethelred wants justice. For now he's stayed his hand, either because he wants to help the queen establish a law of the land by which justice can be carried out, or perhaps he's biding his time because as the saying goes, revenge is a dish best served cold.

Another thing is that while he doesn't want to lose his powers, he would at least like to be able to find a way to take off his armor.

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

Fleuri's trying his hand at the art of a doppelsöldner. Fortunately, he's got Gerard to make sure he gets it right.