Crimson Paladin

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

Fleuri Jodeau

It was easy to forget the humanity of one's foes, especially during the heat of an intense fight. It was ordinarily quite unwise to consider such nuances in battle, because even a brief moment of hesitation or distraction could get a knight killed. Just like with Sir Rickard. Even so it was a melancholy sight to see a dying opponent overcoming the fear of the end, the excruciating pain of a fatal wound, and any grudge against his killer to face his end with dignity and use his last living moments to plead for the life of another. It wasn't a common thing, that was for sure.

"I'll do what I can, you have my word," Fleuri assured the dying warrior, raising the visor of his borrowed helmet, as to allow his foe to see his face and to give the man some assurance that his words weren't being received by a a heartless sheet of steel. There wasn't much else he could do there- there was no patching up this wound, and even if he could somehow save the warrior, to a northern warrior like him, it might even be considered a grave trespass to deny him a worthy death like this.

Fleuri was so distracted by the warrior's death, so caught up in not wanting the warrior to breathe his last alone, that when he looked up, he realized he was the only one left in the upper chamber. All the others had descended to continue their mission. After sheathing Candlestick and recovering his greatsword, he hustled down the stairs and deeper into the tomb. He could not allow himself to fail his fellow knights by falling behind.

When Fleuri reached where the others had congregrated, following the sound of the clash of metal and the cracking of lightning, he took a second to assess what what was going on. The first thing he noticed was that none of the Iron Roses had fallen. This was good- he didn't want them to have a repeat with Sir Rickard. The second thing was the foes they faced- several undead, a necromancer- no doubt the leader that the Nem mentioned, and near him, the Nem hostage. There was a female mage- presumably the mage woman mentioned by both the Nem and Alfrid- and an armored warrior battling the knights. The second warrior in the Nem's description of the conspirators, perhaps?

It took another moment for Fleuri register the warrior's armor.

Erich Cazt, the Demonbreaker.

Fleuri desperately hoped that he was a mindless undead controlled by the necromancer, and not a willing undead participant in this treasonous conspiracy. Part of his hope was because Erich was a formidable warrior in life and would be very difficult to take down if he was still in his prime, but most of it was because Fleuri desperately didn't want to believe that such a great hero could fall so far.

What followed upon his arrival would quickly answer that question. An arrow shot by Dame Cecilia sliced the necromancer's arm off, releasing his hold on the hostage. At this point, Fleuri watched as the armored figure of Erich grabbing Gerard and throwing him towards the necromancer, before ceasing his movements. Having fought necromancers himself, he was able to recognize the sight of a one's control over a minion slip, but the sight of an undead momentarily regaining its wits to turn upon its controller was something he had not previously witnessed.

Fleuri saw little need to mop up the remaining undead. Any that remained should fall once the former mercenary brought Armand Jodeau's morningstar down upon the necromancer.

It looked like another victory for the Iron Roses.

Just then, he noticed another figure in the room- a shadowy figure leaning against the wall, sarcastically congratulating them and mentioning a certain Damon who according to her had somehow weaved his own plans into this. Fleuri had no idea what she meant, however. Before he or any other could ask, the shadowy woman vanished.

What was that about?

@VitaVitaAR

Bible of Ichor: Septet for the Dead

Captain Argus Fellborn

If there was any doubt in Argus' mind that this monster was an unnatural creation, the seam upon its chest dispelled it. Somebody clearly made this thing and sewed it shut. Those same stitches, however, would provide an ideal place to fatally disassemble this creature without compromising its pelt any more than it already was. Assuming, of course, that he could get close enough to cut them.

That might be easier said than done, however, he concluded as the bear-boar began to charge, hurling its massive claws at the vampire.

First, Argus used his blood magic to spray a stream of his own blood in the monster's eyes, as to impair its vision. Then as it drew close, the pirate slashed at the underside of the first paw to come towards him, seeking to both turn the blows aside and hopefully lacerate an artery. The next paw to come at him would receive the same attack.

This would be much easier if he wasn't trying to leave a serviceable pelt, he thought.

@Rune_Alchemist

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