Crimson Paladin

The Storm Cycle: Reclamation

Sorcha's briefing made it clear that she had a particular interest in dragon scales. She wanted to obtain the scales from the black wyvern, and wanted to enlist the services of a giant to hammer those scales into armor and weapons. Judging by her worry about the return of dragons, and the mention of a surge in wyvern activity, it sounded like she expected the band to be fighting more dragons in the near future, and wanted to be prepared accordingly.

The returned king that the black wyvern mentioned...he couldn't have been referring to Varakel, could he? After all, if the Old King could return to life, surely it'd be possible for the evil black dragon could as well. The thought made Ethelred shiver.

Ethelred's mission would be taking him to work with the forces of Harzelslack, to deal with wyverns that have been terrorizing the regions. Ethelred perked up a bit when Sorcha mentioned that they'd be working with Lonan and Grainne. It'd be good to see those two again, he thought. He wasn't sure if Luana and Grainne would get along, so it might be a good idea to observe their interactions carefully until he could be sure it wouldn't devolve into a scuffle. The wyverns would be tough foes, but assuming there were no unpleasant surprises awaiting them, it shouldn't be anything they hadn't already faced.

"Meet up with Lonan and his band, clear out the wyverns around the Llothbrokr mountains," Ethelred spoke, summing up his mission to ensure he had heard it correctly. "You can count on us, your highness."

@Rune_Alchemist

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

Fleuri Jodeau

The Barukstaedian warrior was finally defeated. He had been a difficult foe, bested only through the cooperation of the three knights. It was a shame that such talent was wasted working for these treasonous conspirators. The warrior wasn't done yet, though- he still had enough left him him for some dying words, asking for the names of those who defeated him. He also gave them a name- Alfrid Stormcaller. If he had to guess, it was that the warrior was a mercenary, fighting to obtain either a glorious victory or a glorious death, and make some money in the process.

"Sir Fleuri Jodeau, of House Jodeau, of the Iron Roses," he introduced himself, bowing and sheathing Candlestick. "I can't approve of your choice of employers, but you were a most worthy foe."

His voiced displeasure with the conspirators was a gross understatement, but there was no need to bring it up to a dying man. There was no harm in a bit of reverent tact for this man's final mortal moments.

@Conscripts@Creative Chaos

Bible of Ichor: Septet for the Dead

Captain Argus Fellborn

This twisted world would not allow Argus any rest, it would appear. A massive amalgamation of boar and bear had decided to interrupt his conversation with Charlotte, and it didn't look like it was going to back down. Unfortunately for the beast, Argus wasn't going to back down either. The vampiric pirate drew his cutlass as he turned to face the creature, with an intent to kill in his eyes. With the newly obtained knowledge regarding what was almost certainly his ship, Argus' motivation was at high tide, ready to cut down- and then raise up- anything that dared to stand directly in the way of his goals.

Unfortunately, the witch had a caveat- she wanted the bear-boar's pelt intact to make a blanket. That would mean no explosive blood magic, and a rather narrow range of options of where it'd be acceptable to stab or lacerate it. Still, it appeared to be a mortal creature, and that meant there were many possible routes by which its life could be snuffed out.

"I'll take care of this," Argus bluntly stated, staring the monster in the eyes and silently daring it to make the first move. If its animal mind perceived it as a challenge, all the better. He'd have some pertinent questions for Charlotte afterwards, because this monstrosity was clearly not natural.

@Rune_Alchemist

The Lion's Banner: A Fire Emblem-Inspired Anime Fantasy RP

Roger Falkner and Shortclaw

So, they would be facing necromancers.

Roger was unsure what sort of magic they'd be facing. Obviously they'd be facing the horrors of necromancy, but surely these evil mages would have other arcane tricks. In any case, they needed to be stopped. If the Steel Princess was correct, if these necromancers were searching for a specific tomb, then they couldn't be given any more opportunity to uncover it. Additionally, if there were living prisoners still among them, it was all the more pressing that that their captors be swiftly struck down.

The Griffin Knight wasn't sure what sort of tactics the enemy would use. Just how precise of orders could a necromancer command an undead minion? Would it tax or divert the puppeteer's attention, to issue commands to their rotted puppets? It went without saying that walking corpses would feel no fear and exhibit no hesitation, thus any attempts to rattle them would have no effect. Against a foe that would not- or more accurately, could not- yield, they'd have to go through, around, or over the undead to get to their vile masters.

When the Lamia gave her account, it took Roger a split second to realize that she was referring to him, misnamed as he had been.

"I am ready to go," he assured Velvetica, as he glanced at his mount, "And it looks like Shortclaw is, too." The griffin still had plenty of energy after their scouting flight. "Oh, and my name is Roger," he added, addressing the Lamia.

@AzureKnight@VitaVitaAR

The Storm Cycle: Reclamation

"A key? Quite interesting," Ethelred responded to Fio's explanation of the trinket. "I wonder why she would give such a thing to me."

Ethelred was doubtful that the fairy could have crafted it herself. She wasn't exactly a very powerful unseelie. The fact that Fio kept her in a jar suggested that the Sword Witch had no fear of the fairy's power. Perhaps she swiped it from another Unseelie. That'd explain why she'd be willing to hand it over.

"On the matter of Luana, she proved to be a great help in dealing with the Unseelie," he acknowledged the druid. "She's a bit talkative, but I can vouch that she's a courageous woman."

There wasn't much else to say, for now. Ethelred was still awaiting a more detailed debriefing from Luna about her elf encounter. Even if he wasn't quite as invested in it as Luana was, the mention of a boat, and Sorcha's own seeming interest in the topic meant that this was worth closely listening to. Furthermore, he didn't want to delay Sorcha's own announcement, because she wouldn't have called them all here just to share stories of their last mission.

@VitaVitaAR@BrokenPromise@Rune_Alchemist

Bible of Ichor: Septet for the Dead

Captain Argus Fellborn

A ship floating since the death of the world...could it be the Swordbill? Argus' eyes went wide at the ship's mention.

Unfortunately, if this witch's information was accurate, something unwelcome was squatting in it. Even more concerning was just how unsafe the seas had clearly become. Still, at least he had some understanding of what was going on, and some goals to reach them. It could take a while, but as long as he stayed fed and played it smart, he should have all the time in the world.

"There are many things which I am presently disappointed with, miss, but your information is not one of them. This knowledge was worth the price paid," he spoke. Getting his ship back would be a lofty task, but he at least had somewhere to start.

The witch expressed her own in the ship, particularly something that the filthy bilge-rats occupying it possessed. Judging by her choice of words, she had deduced his own interest in the ship. It was quite likely that she had deduced- or had been told by that grimoire of hers- that the vampire standing before her was this ship's former captain. Argus wasn't sure exactly what the witch wanted with the cultists, but if they had a common goal, she could be a useful ally for the present circumstances.

"Aye, further information on this ship could prove useful," he replied to her offer to cooperate. "I have other business to attend to in the meantime, but depending on the work you need, I should be able to make time."

As a vampire, Argus had all the time in the world to pursue his goals as long as he could find a steady supply of blood. He wasn't so sure about how much time the witch could afford, though.

@Rune_Alchemist

The Lion's Banner: A Fire Emblem-Inspired Anime Fantasy RP

Roger Falkner and Shortclaw

One of the first things that Roger always noticed about Velvetica was her stature. It contrasted heavily with the voluminous tend that she resided, and even moreso next to the soldiers in her command. Roger himself wasn't particularly large compared to many of the other Lions, yet he still towered over his commander.

Only a fool would underestimate her, though. She was a hard, uncompromising woman, a skilled fighter with a dangerous enchanted sword, and a decisive leader willing take risks. Roger was one of those risks, in fact. An unproven knight from a family of griffin tamers, and she gave him a chance. He wasn't the only one either- Roger reckoned that many of the Lions, diverse as they were, had similar stories.

"We spotted large tracts of disturbed land near our enemy's location. It looks like they have been digging all over," he reported. "We spotted some strange objects dotting the ground, and landed to investigate further. They were effigies of some sort, made out of bones and skulls."

I should have cut it down and brought it back, Roger thought, worried that he might not be able to give an adequate description of those strange objects. Fortunately, he was not the only scout that had been sent out. The elf Irian, in particular, would probably be able to give a more concise and detailed description of whatever those things were.

@VitaVitaAR

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

Fleuri Jodeau

Fleuri's attack had little results, scraping against armor, but Vier's strike managed to breach the man's armor. With the warrior still grappling with the powerful Invgarr knight, this presented an opportune time for a finishing- or at least heavily wounding- blow.

He wouldn't be using his greatsword, though. With the three knights in such close quarters, and with the man's still formidable defense, Fleuri decided this was a good time to bring out Candlestick, the ancestral sword he was borrowing.

Wherever you are, I hope you approve of this, Armand.

The knight dropped his greatsword with a clang, and drew the enchanted blade from its scabbard. Despite its age, its enchantments had seemingly kept it strong and pristine over the years. It had been a while since Fleuri had used an arming sword, but he was still versed in the motions and techniques for wielding them. It was certainly a far finer weapon than the mundane arming sword that he had wielded during most of his time as a squire.

Fleuri charged forward, thrusting the enchanted sword at the breach created by Vier. He was tempted to half-hand it as to put more force into the blow, but he wasn't sure how the enchantment worked and thus didn't want to risk hurting himself touching the blade.

"For Reon! For the Roses!"

@Creative Chaos@Conscripts

The Lion's Banner: A Fire Emblem-Inspired Anime Fantasy RP

Roger Falkner and Shortclaw

As they returned to the base camp, Roger spotted something at the top of an approaching tree. It took him a moment to realize that it was Valmyra, a Lamia member of the Lions. It made sense that her serpentine lower body made her a good climber.

As they passed her, she shouted a question, asking what those strange shapes in the disturbed ground were. The griffin rider couldn't blame her for wanting to know- after all, he had been curious about them, too. Unfortunately, she'd have to wait a few seconds for an answer while Shortclaw was making his landing.

Once his mount was firmly on the ground, Roger took off his helmet and turned the snake woman.

"They look like effigies or totems made of skulls and bones," he answered her question. "I have no idea what they mean, though. Maybe the others will know."

She was a curious sort. Her chimerical half-human-half snake body reminded him a little of the half-avian, half-leonine bodies of griffins. Roger knew little of her, other than that she was formerly with the patrol corps and that her primary weapon was a fine-looking spear. As a user of spears himself, Roger wondered if the lamia be willing to share weapon techniques some time.

Roger dismounted the griffin and began to walk back to the main camp where the Steel Princess would be found. Shortclaw followed closely behind, holding its head low. Roger knew that this behavior wasn't a sign of submission or subservience- griffins were, after all, very proud creatures. On the contrary, this was a sign that the beast wanted its partner to preen his head feathers.

"Later," he softly spoke to Shortclaw. Even if Velvetica planned to not give them any rest, he could always do it while they were on the move.

@AzureKnight

Bible of Ichor: Septet for the Dead

Captain Argus Fellborn

Upon having his hand stabbed, Argus instinctively reached for his pistol, ready for a fight. When she did not attempt to follow through with her blow, and instead held it to her lips, the vampire eased up slightly, but waited to see what her next move would be. The blow had been inconsequential, but if woman was going to start a scuffle, Argus was going to finish it. On the other hand, killing a knowledgeable person in such a broken world could be a great waste, and even if he held back, even a restrained physical rebuke might kill this frail-looking woman.

Fortunately, the witch seemed to only want to deduce his nature...and now she had a price for the information that the pirate sought.

"For a moment there, I thought you might...never mind," Argus replied, taking his hand off of his holstered gun. It was fortunate for the witch that Argus was not a particularly prideful vampire- back when he had thralls, he allowed and even encouraged them to voice when they disagreed with him- and that as a pirate captain, he had a certain appreciation for particularly foolhardy and audacious actions.

He considered asking about the previous two vampires she mentioned meeting, but if the blind maid was correct, the vampires would be in the village- the witch might be referring to them, or she might be referring to others. It might be worth asking about, although he suspected she might require additional blood for that information.

"I agree to your price," the vampire spoke, holding out his hand. If the witch provided a vial, he'd use his magic to run his blood into the container until it was filled. He found it a bit amusing that he had found himself returning to his pre-vampiric roots in supplying suspicious people with dangerous, forbidden substances.

@Rune_Alchemist