Crimson Paladin

The Storm Cycle: Reclamation

The tree was not going down so easily. The first thing it did in response to its damage was release a scent from its interior, and it seemed to siphon Ethelred's strength. The second thing it did was attempt to move its branches and roots to attack the intruders. Roots emerged from the ground and grabbed Ethelred, but froze upon contact with his icy armor. While this was going on, the tree's singing became louder. Ethelred had no doubt that it was becoming desperate, so whatever they were doing was probably working.

The knights were growing weaker with every second, however, and they needed to finish this thing off before they succumbed to the sound and smell. Ethelred grabbed his lance and began to pull on it like a lever, attempting to widen the crack and break the trunk apart. But would he have enough remaining strength to do so?

As he attempted this, the Frozen Knight looked over at the others and witnessed the tree's overhanging branches twisting and converging, preparing to come down on Elnith. He did not see if she had noticed this incoming attack.

"Elnith, above you!" he shouted as he continued to pull on his lance, desperately trying to make the tree give before the knights did. The air around him became frigid as his own desperate exertion became evident.

@BrokenPromise@Rune_Alchemist

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

Fleuri Jodeau

Fleuri trudged through the cemetery, torch in hand. He was taking a quick detour to his own family's resting place, a short journey that should not delay their arrival at the Cazt Mausoleum. It'd be a quick stop, then they'd meet back up with the rest of the knights. However, even with the proximity to his brothers and sisters of the order, the eerie calm of the cemetery and the dance of the shadows of the trees and headstones against his torch frayed his nerves, made all the worse by the knowledge that there was a necromancer and his thralls in the area. Fleuri recalled the advice of his mentor, the paladin whom he had served as a squire during the War of the Red Flag.

It is normal for even devoted servants of Reon to feel apprehension or fear when faced with the prospect of battling the undead. What truly matters is that you carry out Her will regardless. Through devotion to Reon, knowledge of our enemy, and experience in facing them, we have the strength to stand and fight when others would falter and flee.

Another important lesson his mentor had taught him was the importance of preparation when facing necromancers and undead. Failure meant not only death, but the very real possibility of one's remains being desecrated, reanimated, and used against your allies. With the situation as dire and urgent as it was, the Iron Roses hadn't have much opportunity to prepare. Fortunately, Fleuri knew of a way to mitigate this problem, because his family had already prepared for this scenario.

It didn't take long for him, and whoever accompanied him, to arrive at one of his destination- a modest above-ground structure with a heavy door of tarnished bronze. Two particular details distinguished this particular tomb: Armand Jodeau's sun symbol above the door, and the two statues of Reon flanking the door, their slightly mismatched shade of stone compared to the rest of the structure making it clear that they were later additions. This was not the entire tomb, of course- behind the door, flanked by the sarcophagi of House Jodeau's founders, was a stairway that led to an underground crypt where the rest of the family- minus a few shameful disgraces- were interred. To Fleuri, it was a grandiose reminder of the power they once wielded, and of what they had become since then. It was a little somber to look upon, knowing that someday he too would be laid to rest within.

"This is the place," he announced. "First, I better make sure the door is still sealed."

It was fortunate he didn't need to go inside, because with his nerves as rattled as they were, he would have to muster a great deal of courage to set foot in his future burial place. He examined the door, checking to ensure that its lock had not been broken. The door did not budge, its lock holding it tightly shut. Relieved and satisfied at the knowledge that the tomb had not been broken into, Fleuri then began examining the statues more closely.

"When Armand Jodeau pledged himself to Reon, he was concerned that the enemies he'd make might be willing to desecrate his family's tomb in order to get to him." he explained. "Some time after he joined the Iron Roses, he commissioned some changes to the mausoleum to ensure that his kin would have the tools to put their ancestors to rest if it ever came to that, even if they lacked his specialized training as a paladin. According to my father, these tools are hidden in a compartment in one of the plinths."

The statues, depicting a goddess known for her small stature, were much shorter than the ones they replaced, and stood on conspicuously tall plinths in order to maintain the same profile. In theory it was only supposed to be used if their own tomb was desecrated, but the circumstances now demanded otherwise. Besides, Fleuri was sure that it would displease both Armand and Reon to let these tools go unused when a nearby mausoleum was in need of cleansing.

"Let's see, this looks like the door. There should be a button around here...ah!" Fleuri pressed a button hidden on the back of the left plinth, causing a stone door to open on the side. The knight reached into the recesses of the cache with one hand, using the other to illuminate the dark space. For all he knew, this might be the first time in a century that it had been opened, and he was curious to see what was within.

"Let's see, this must be Candlestick, Armand Jodeau's first paladin weapon," he announced as he removed a modest-sided arming sword and unsheathed it in front of the others. "He switched to a larger longsword later in his career, which he continued using when he joined the Iron Roses. It looks like it's still in decent condition after all this time." He wasn't sure if it was a magical effect that kept it pristine, or if members of his house had been secretly maintaining it.

"Next, this has to be Dawn's Break," he said as he pulled out a spiked morningstar, featuring a brass or gold plated head. "When Armand expressed his desire to join the Iron Roses, the Church of Reon requested that he undertake a special mission first- to defeat a black knight who had been riding around a crossroads north of Aimlenn at night, murdering anyone who came along after the sun had set. According to a survivor, the knight had taken a spear right to the throat to no effect, so the church believed he or she was an undead. For this mission, they gifted Armand a blessed morningstar to more effectively combat such a heavily armored foe. They never did learn the knight's identity, though, because in the resulting duel, Armand smashed and scorched their face and armor beyond recognition." He placed the morningstar and sword on the ground, offering them to the others. He could've used either of them, but was more comfortable with his own sword.

"Looks like there's also a few vials in here," he continued as he pulled out two glass vials full of a clear, colorless liquid. "Must be Reonite holy water. Throw it, or apply it to a sword or arrows, and it should burst into flames on contact. At least for undead that have Reon's ire- I'm sure it'd have no effect on someone like Tyaethe. By itself, not much use against the more powerful forms of undead like vampires, but if you get it on their wounds, it should make it harder to regenerate. I doubt we'll run into anything like that, though- probably just some mindless skeletal remains raised from the mausoleum's sarcophagi. Still, necromancers can be full of surprises, so you can never over-prepare when going up against one." He attached one vial to his belt for his own use, and placed the other one on the ground.

"That looks like everything. Let's meet back up with the captain before she reaches the Cazt tomb. And while it goes without saying, I do expect Candlestick and Dawn's Break to be returned to the tomb after we're done tonight." With that, Fleuri rushed back back to rejoin Fanilly and the others.

---

The interior of the mausoleum was what Fleuri had expected- shambling, mindless undead. Such dreadful foes might prove somewhat troublesome for the weapons and more easily frayed nerves of ordinary soldiers, but the Iron Roses were no ordinary warriors. Assuming these corpses didn't hide any surprises, this wouldn't take long.

"For Reon! For the Roses!" Fleuri shouted as he charged into the tomb. He came to a stop just outside the reach of an undead's axe and swung his sword horizontally, intending to bisect it- and any other undead close enough to get hit- at the waist. He'd probably only get one swing like this in before the confined quarters and the presence of the other charging knights would require him to resort to more careful attacks.

With the battle having begun, they had to dispatch these undead quickly before the conspirators below could have a chance to react. The Nem had given some information on what sort of foes that they'd be facing, and assuming her information was accurate, they'd also have to fight their way through two warriors, a mage, the necromancer himself, and lastly, the fifth man who was a complete mystery. Whatever the case was, Fleuri was certain that these walking corpses would be merely a warm-up compared to whatever lay deeper.

@Conscripts@HereComesTheSnow@VitaVitaAR

The Storm Cycle: Reclamation

Ethelred wasn't entirely sure if he was seeing what he thought he was, or the song was causing his eyes to play tricks on him. His ears, however, were quite insistent this massive tree was the source of the song.

Lugh did mention that the Unseelie can disguise themselves as trees, he thought as he looked at this bizarre tree. He didn't see a face or mouth from which the sound emanated, but its bark seemed to be moving like skin and the sound was definitely coming from here. Judging by the gnarled roots, his best current guess was that it was feeding on its victims.

The Druid wasted no time, and attacked the tree almost immediately. Ethelred didn't know if stabbing it would have any effect, but he opted to do the same. He raised his lance and drove it into the tree's bark and attempted to freeze it. He hoped that it'd at least cause the tree enough pain to cease its singing.

"Elnith, Lugh, help us silence this thing!"

@BrokenPromise@Rune_Alchemist

Epic of Beginnings - Dawns Cradle

Novak

This is a waste of time, this stubborn dog has made it very clear she won't lift a finger to help, Novak thought as Lissa spoke her case. The Yaga was still quite unconvinced and still quite indifferent to his friends' plight. Novak couldn't help but wonder, however, just how deep was her dedication to her goddess' tenets of callous non-intervention? Would she be singing a different tune if the Krysa interrogators got hold of her? Was all her talk about not fearing death just bravado, or did she really believe it?

The real question he wondered was this: was she a foolish sorceress yet to experience a real test of her faith, or was this the end result of someone who had already been thoroughly broken?

"The right decision?" he asked angrily. "Helping them to starve out a caravan over the actions of one person is not a remotely right decision, especially when they have neither told us why they want us dead or made any offers of surrender! Even if one among our number was guilty, do all of us deserve to suffer for it, especially if we have no idea as to their guilt?" It was clear that this nihilistic witch was clearly getting on his nerves.

"But yes, if I had solid proof of her guilt, I would confront her over it."

"But you've posed a question to me, now let me pose one for you, Yaga," he spoke, now somewhat calmed. "If, as you suggested, I were to betray my caravan and side with the Krysa, would you begrudge me for taking it to its logical conclusion and also telling them where and how to find you? Would you begrudge your goddess if they were at your door and it was you that she refused to help deliver from the rat-folk?"

@Click This@Rune_Alchemist

Bible of Ichor: Septet for the Dead

Captain Argus Fellborn

"Cynthia!"

Argus lost his footing as the unseen leviathan destroyed the wreck. He did not want to take his chances in the water with that monster swimming around- he needed to stay on the platforms. As he fell, he managed to guide his fall forward, and stabbed his sword into the nearest wooden wreckage.

Using the sword as a handhold, he scurried up onto the floatsam, not wanting to present any part of him as a target for that monster. Judging by the way it was ramming the wreckage to try to force them into the water, Argus guessed it was either a whale or a shark. With how it was completely ignoring the skeletons in the water, it was probably under the control of their master.

Most importantly, did it have blood?

If it weren't for that monster lurking down there, Argus would use this debris as a makeshift raft. But with that thing actively hunting them, he didn't want to stay in one place too long. There wasn't much in terms of footing, but he might be able to move across the debris field if he moved quickly enough.

The pirate attempted to make his way towards where he last saw Cynthia, jumping from platform to platform like a frog on lily pads. He'd strike at any skeletons that might be in his way, but he couldn't afford to fight them- he'd have to settle for unbalancing them or knocking them into the water.

He was hopeful that Cynthia had survived that attack. After all, if something happened to her, he might not get paid.

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

Fleuri Jodeau

According to the assassin, the conspirators were hiding in the Cazt Mausoleum. If they had chosen that specific place to hide, it was likely that they were more rebel holdouts, seeking revenge against the crown for their faction's defeat. It made Fleuri wonder- could this be connected to Jeremiah? Might this be part of a greater organized effort by the rebels to regroup and strike back against Thaln? Just how many more of these rebel groups could still be lurking about in the shadows?

The mention of a necromancer was a rather dire piece of information. While a few controlled instances of necromantic magic were tolerated, the works of most necromancers were an abomination against Thaln, heresies to be stamped out. Fleuri had fought against their ilk before, although this previous group owed no allegiance to Cazt. To the contrary, they snatched and raised the traitors' dead as readily as those who fell fighting for Thaln. In fact, during the investigations, Fleuri's mentor had even somehow managed to convince a few soldiers loyal to Cazt to temporarily ally with them against the necromantic coven, because even a few of the traitors' rank and file were appalled at the notion of their dead comrades being desecrated in this manner.

Once again, Fleuri would be going up against a necromancer and their undead minions. It was likely that given the nature of their hideout, that most of the undead they'd run into would be the animated bones of long dead members of the Cazt family, nothing particularly menacing. However, necromancers could be full of surprises, and given the location of the mausoleum, it was possible that this wicked mage might also raise the dead from other graves and crypts in the area- including potentially his own family's burial vaults. All the more reason that Fleuri was determined to join the rescue team and, Reon willing, bring these conspirators to justice.

When he was brought to the armory, Fleuri wasted no time equipping himself in the Crown Knights' armor. As much as he wanted to put on an entire Crown Knight plate harness, time was of the essence. He grabbed a visored helmet, cuirass, gauntlets, and greaves- there wasn't enough time for everything else. He made a point, however, to put his tunic back on over the cuirass to serve as a makeshift surcoat. He wanted their enemies to see his heraldry.

"If anyone wishes to follow me once we get to the graveyard," he proposed to the other knights reading themselves, "My own family mausoleum keeps some anti-undead equipment stored in the event that we ever need to put our ancestors to rest. I don't know exactly what's there, but it might prove useful against whatever awaits us in the Cazt mausoleum."

For this particular mission, Fleuri was not going to head into it unprepared.

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

Fleuri Jodeau

The assassin wasn't loose for long. Renar tackled her to the ground as she tried to flee. Not that her escape attempt would have done much good, with the Crown Knights blocking the doorway. She might have been able to get through a window, but given her small size, she'd probably just hurt herself if she tried.

Once she was knocked to the ground, Fleuri lost sight of her. With the danger seemingly passed and the Crown Knights having the situation under control, he decided it'd be a good time to get a good look at this assassin, see how this would-be murderer would react. He could tell so far that it was a female Nem, but not much else beyond that.

When Fleuri reached the Nem, she was in the process of writing something down with charcoal, surrounded by the other knights, her confiscated effects nearby. From what he could discern from the assassin's trinkets, she was a member of the Velt Adventurer's Guild, likely a Coin based on the rogue's tools that she had been carrying. Curious, he thought. The Veltan Adventurer's Guild was a respectable, prestigious organization that would never stoop to attempted assassination of a Crown Princess. Perhaps she was doing work on the side. But why take a job so clearly out of her league, and one where her chance to escape and collect her payment was almost nonexistent?

As Fleuri watched what the Nem wrote down, however, the answer became evident.

Iron Roses...she's addressing us.

Tyli Vosahn...probably her name.

What happens to me doesn't matter...sounds like she never expected to make it out of this

Please save my sister...ah, that'd explain it.

Based on the Nem's written words, it sounded like she had been coerced into this. Someone wanted the Crown Princess killed without anything leading directly back to them, so they abduct the sister of a Veltan adventurer, and threaten to kill her if said adventurer doesn't pull off this job- a job that'd almost certainly result in being either captured or branded the most wanted criminal across several kingdoms.

Fleuri could somewhat understand the girl's motivation, but it wasn't something he'd ever do. His own sister Lisette would be aghast at the very notion of one of her siblings committing such a dark deed, even to save her life.

On the other hand, it also meant that they were relying on someone clearly out of their depth, and someone who'd sell them out immediately after being captured. Surely their wicked plan wouldn't hinge all of its success on one unwilling participant? It might not, Fleuri thought- there could be more surprises in store in case this one failed.

Even so, it was clear what their next task would be. Wherever the masterminds behind this attempt might be hiding, they'd likely be holding the Nem's sister as leverage. Once the would-be-assassin pointed them in the right direction, it'd be the Iron Roses' duty to bring these conspirators to justice and rescue the Nem's sister.

"Captain, might I assume that this is the beginning of a new mission for the Iron Roses? It was fortuitous that the princess had asked the knights to bring their weapons.

@VitaVitaAR

Bible of Ichor: Septet for the Dead

Captain Argus Fellborn

It was clear that this sea monster wasn't fooling around, Argus observed as one of the pieces of floatsam was pulled beneath the waves. Argus pressed onward, wanting to stay ahead of the beast.

As they got closer to the mast in the distance, another platform beneath him was pulled under. Fortunately, he still had both his reflexes and sea legs, and was able to avoid losing his balance and falling into the water. Unfortunately, there were more skeletons coming. One of them came at him with a fishing net, intent on immobilizing him. Argus would be impressed with the creativity of it if he weren't the target.

He probably could cut his way through the net, but that'd still slow him down, and he couldn't afford even a momentary delay with that monster practically nipping at his heels. But just as a ship could sail against the wind, this could be used to his favor.

"Thanks crewmate, I need this," he mockingly spoke as he caught the edge of the net and threw it into the water behind him, hoping it might be able to slow the beast down even for a moment. Just as he began to parry and cut his way through those in his way, Cynthia's spear came hurtling forward, impaling several skeletons as it hurtled into a mast.

She's got a bit of a competitive streak, Argus noted as he took advantage of the strike to resume his flight forward. She'd make a poor candidate for a thrall- it'd be a great waste to suppress such a spirited, defiant personality with a surrender of one's will that accompanies enthrallment.

Perhaps he was jumping the gun- they still needed to escape these skeletons and this sea monster before he could think about rebuilding his crew.

@Rune_Alchemist

Epic of Beginnings - Dawns Cradle

Novak

Novak was surprised at being let back in by the white-haired woman. Whatever she said to the Yaga must have been very convincing.

"Thank you, very much," he replied as he re-entered the house, but not before glancing around to see if anyone else was nearby. The wards had already failed to keep two people out, after all.

He took a moment to think, then the Yaga witch in the eye, and spoke.

"Here is my case. The caravan whom I belong to is besieged by the Krysa and Yaga, trapped and unable to flee. They blame us for an assassination attempt of a Krysa noble, and will accept neither surrender nor withdrawal from their lands. I only managed to slip out because they didn't recognize me as one of the caravaners. If the caravan cannot get out of there, they will die whether by starvation or being killed for a crime they don't even know about."

This wasn't anything so far that the Yaga didn't already know, but he wasn't finished yet. Lady Mie had tasked him with a contingency in case he couldn't find Dawn, and if Dawn was unable of get them out, he might not have any choice left but to go with it.

"There's more to it than that- if the Krysa and Yaga cannot be convinced to let us go, or we cannot somehow escape, we are going to escalate things, and it will get bloody. Lady Mie has ordered that, if all else fails, I am to head to Chawaga and seek the aid of the Oni clans, to come here and rescue what's left of the caravan by force. If they want to bring battle to peaceful caravaners, we'll oblige them the likes of which they won't expect. And heavens help the Krysa and Yaga if the rescue is too late, because if the Oni of Chagawa come all the way here only to find Lady Mie dead, the bloodshed probably won't stop there. Unless, of course, the Krysa and Yaga can be convinced to let my friends go."

He wasn't sure how feasible it was, only that it was what Lady Mie instructed him. Would the Oni listen to him? Would they go all this way here to save Lady Mie? And could it even be done before she and the other caravaners ran out of food?"

"Look, I've been trying my hardest to piece together this puzzle myself, in hopes that with the aid of the folks from Dawn, we could gather enough evidence to convince the besiegers to let the caravan go. But with the Krysa on edge and suspicious of everyone, with an intelligence officer snooping around on the orders of their Tsarita, it's difficult enough to gather the basic facts without painting a massive target on my back, let alone assemble a case that could bring pause to the rat-folk.

That was his case. He turned to the newcomer, silently waiting for her to make her own case. He was unsure if a goddess would deign to intervene in a mortal matter, but he needed to try every possible angle to help Lady Mie's group.

@Click This@Rune_Alchemist

The Storm Cycle: Reclamation

Ethelred declined the crude earplugs. "I appreciate it, but a curse prevents me from removing my helmet to insert them. Like with Elnith, however, it should provide some resistance to other curses." Unsure if she heard with her ears plugged up, he tapped his helmet and tugged on it slightly to show that it could not come off.

He wasn't sure what to make of this woman, but he couldn't see any fault in her logic or reasoning. He was willing to work with her for now. Besides, unlike that elf, this newcomer didn't disparage him for being cursed. She made some blunt remarks and jokes, perhaps, but he sensed no contempt in her tone.

As she tried to convince Lugh to take the earplugs, which he declined due to the size of his Tuatha ears, it happened. Something changed. Birds started to drop out of the sky. In the distance, Ethelred could hear a haunting sound.

It was singing. A strange, unnatural singing in words that Ethelred could not discern, probably in a language he did not know. They had found the source of the disappearance- but it had also found them.

Ethelred turned towards the source, gripped in its compelling spell. He felt a powerful urge to press on in that direction. A part of him wanted to flee, to resist with all his might and do the opposite of what the voice wanted, regardless of the pain and exhaustion it might bring him. He saw the aftermath of one who had followed the singing, he knew that those who fell under the spell perished.

He could not, however. They were here to find this voice and silence it forever, and that meant heading in the direction that it was pulling them. He feared that doing so might make it harder to resist.

He looked about. Lugh was pained by the singing. Ethelred's horse was visibly agitated. Both of those things made for strong motivations to resist this magic. The druid was behind them, promising to keep them safe. Could he trust her to watch his back in this...afflicted state? It's not like he had much choice- he had to put this thing down.

"Onward, we...need to silence...this thing forever!" he commanded, his voice audibly pained. As he headed towards the noice, he took his lance and scraped its spikes against his helmet, trying to create an abrasive noise in his ears to drown out the singing.

@BrokenPromise@Rune_Alchemist