Crimson Paladin

The Storm Cycle: Reclamation

The wyvern had avoided the knights' attempt to swiftly kill it. Perhaps most alarming was seeing ice seemingly rot off of its face. What kind of monster could cause the gruesome impossibility of making water decay? It'd clearly be a good idea to not let the thing touch him- Ethelred's armor might not be able to withstand the wyvern's corruption.

At least they were able to get some more information out of it. The wyvern claimed to be the Herald of War, and that the big black one was the Herald of Perdition. This was just one of many signs that it was closely affiliated with their fallen foe. Come to think of it, the emblem on its head was similar to that on the so-called Herald of Perdition's chest.

As the wyvern curled into a ball and charged again, the Frozen Knight braced his lance against the ground, ready if it came after him. Instead, however, the wyvern turned to target Luana instead. As it descended upon Luana, Ethelred charged at the monster, swinging his lance at it like a bludgeon. Luana didn't have Elias' immortality or Ethelred's armor, so it would be wise to not let it hurt her.

@BrokenPromise@Rune_Alchemist@Guy0fV4lor

The Long Afternoon of the Mojave (A Fallout Roleplay)

Here's my faction submission. Character sheet submission will be coming soon. If numbers need to be changed, I'll make the necessary changes.

Brotherhood of Steel

Faction Name: Brotherhood of Steel Mojave Chapter

Description: Formerly led by Elijah, the Mojave Chapter of the Brotherhood of Steel was forced to go into hiding following a disastrous battle against the NCR at HELIOS One. Having lost their elder and overhalf their knights and paladins, the chapter would have been wiped out had they not fled the battle and taken shelter inside a concealed pre-war military installation in Hidden Valley. Since that fateful day, the chapter has survived by remaining hidden from the NCR and stealthily procuring food and supplies from traders, biding their time and gathering data on the state of things in the Mojave to share with the rest of the Brotherhood.

Recently, however, the other Elders have finally sent aid, along with a new mission from Arthur Maxson himself- to find a way to stop the Green before it can become a threat to humanity's survival. With no allies and the the NCR still hunting for the chapter, however, they will need to seek out allies or uncover pre-war technologies if they want any hope in succeeding in their mission.

Territory: Hidden Valley Bunker

Sphere of influence: The Mojave Chapter has only survived this long by staying under the NCR's radar, and as a result has little influence outside of their bunker. However, they occasionally send research and recon teams into the Green-heavy regions west of New Vegas, and have a few undercover suppliers that work to keep the chapter fed and supplied.

Force Composition: With the reinforcements from the west, the Mojave Chapter currently has 34 paladins, 55 knights, 15 combat-capable initiates, and 34 scribes, with a total population of approximatly 250. Additionally, they possess approximately 20 operational Duraframe Eyebots.

History: The Mojave Chapter of the Brotherhood of Steel first came to the Mojave under the direction of Elder Elijah, whose radical ideas put him at odds with the western elders. They occupied the Hidden Valley bunker and HELIOS One power plant, with the latter being of such great interest to Elijah that he made it their headquarters despite being poorly defensible. When the NCR arrived in the Mojave, conflict was inevitable, and in 2276, the NCR carried out Operation: Sunburst, laying siege to HELIOS One. The battle was a devastating blow to the chapter, and in the chaos, their elder disappeared without a trace. The chapter might have been wiped out if it were not for Head Paladin McNamara taking command and leading the remaining Brotherhood defenders in a retreat back to Hidden Valley, where they locked down and hid from the victorious NCR.

For the next few years, the Brotherhood remained hidden, occasionally sending teams of paladins or knights to the surface to perform reconnaissance or seek out technology. While some of these missions led to further losses of Knights and Paladins, they also bore fruit, including the recovery of a armored Enclave Eyebot prototype. It was during one of these expeditions, a failed effort to procure replacement HEPA filters for Hidden Valley's air filtration system, that the Brotherhood first came into contact with the phenomenon now popularly known as The Green, and the deadly effects of its spores.

While the Brotherhood did eventually obtain the needed filters elsewhere, the rapid emergence of this strange new plant life, and its considerable lethality, became a matter of far greater concern. The Brotherhood continued to send expeditions to gather data on The Green, modifying their power and recon armors with self-contained breathing apparatus- and implementing stringent decontamination procedures- to prevent any more fatalities from Greenlung. Meanwhile, the scribes shared whatever data they recovered with the western elders, not just of The Green, but of any technology they had recovered, including the prototype Eyebot.

In 2286, the Mojave Chapter received a contingent of reinforcement from the west, composed of Brotherhood veterans and duraframe eyebots disguised as NCR refugees and civilian-model eyebots. However, this aid did not come without conditions attached- the leader of the reinforcing Brotherhood members, Sentinel Irving, bore an encrypted message from Arthur Maxson himself. The message claimed that based on the data they had gathered, The Green was a threat to humanity and that the Mojave Chapter was to be tasked with stopping it spread by any means necessary, and at any cost. The message further explained that Irving was to be assigned to serve as the chapter's Sentinel to ensure compliance with Maxson's orders.

While some of the Brotherhood (particularly Hardin, who disliked the shakeup to their rank structure that left him third-in-command) were displeased at these changes, they could not deny that the assistance was sorely needed. Over the next two years, the new Sentinel familiarized himself with the region, the chapter he had been assigned to, and the threats that they faced. By 2288, the Brotherhood had identified a number of leads to be pursued, in hopes that at least one of them would allow them to defeat a foe that not even the NCR had been able to best...

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

Roger Falkner

Well, this was just great, Roger thought. Just as he angled his spear to deflect his foe's incoming forelimb, he saw things had gotten much more complicated.

The twisted construct was already proving to be a stubborn foe, but now it was only one worry among many. Discarded dolls rose out of the rubble around them, much more crude-looking than the first one but also far more numerous. The Lions would not be able to focus everything on the big one, but would have to split their attention. Having already moved to engage the big doll, Roger wasn't in a position to fend off the smaller ones- he would need to trust in the strength of the others to handle that.

His spear had so far proven ineffective against the doll's hard body, but the Steel Princess had already singled out a weakness- its joints. Velvetica commanded those fighting the large doll to strike at the joints in order to disable the limbs. Complying with his commander's order, Roger raised his spear, gripped it overhand, and thrust it into the doll's nearest elbow joints. The Steel Princess' tactical acumen had always paid off before, and he trusted that it would continue to do so, even against a foe they had never fought before.

@VitaVitaAR

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

Fleuri Jodeau

As the fort came into view, Fleuri was already feeling quite uneasy. The means by which the message was conveyed- by a hysterical man who then dropped dead before he could elaborate on anything- was both very strange and very suspicious. The fort might be a rather mundane fortification that any defender of Thaln would be familiar with, but with the circumstances of the message, they were more or less going into this ordeal blind. Even so, it was the Roses' job to investigate and deal with whatever threat had come up, and he was going to do just that.

In the time since the last mission, Fleuri had focused almost entirely on training. There had been plenty to take in from the dream, particularly the techniques and moves that Florian had used against him, but he had also made a considerable effort to obtain instruction from Rui. He didn't know how long the foreign swordswoman would be here before being recalled back home, so he had been keen on learning as much as he could from her. The language barrier was still a bit of a problem, since Rui spoke very little of the language of Thaln, but communication had become slightly easier when he realized that Rui some of Talderian. Not quite the same dialect as what he had learned from the priests and priestesses that educated him, but it allowed for somewhat better verbal communication than in Thalnish.

He wasn't sure if his skill and lethality with a sword had improved by any measurable metric in the short time between the last mission and this one, but learning took time, and perhaps some more experience in the field would do him some good.

The first thing he noted as they arrived was that the fort didn't appear to be under siege. The relief from that first observation quickly died when he made his second observation- there didn't appear to be anyone on the walls. No sign of a battle on the outside, either, just an eerie nothing. Just what could have happened here? And was it still happening here?

Fleuri followed behind Amy as he had approached the fort. It was good that Fanilly had opted to take a cleric on this mission, even if Amy's repertoire of spells was not exactly the standard array of magics expected of a devotee of Mayon. A dedicated user of magic, even somewhat unconventional magic, could greatly aid them. Her partially-demonic heritage was very odd for sure, but what did it matter? The church saw only good in her, and if it was good enough for them, it was more than good enough for Fleuri. If anything, he was glad that they had another pious devotee of the goddesses accompanying them.

He wasn't the only one afflicted with an oppressive discomfort with this mission- Amy's ominous words suggested that she was even more at unease. In fact, she seemed quite certain that there was something terrible here. Fleuri wasn't sure what sort of senses that Amy possessed to pick up such things, but between being a cleric and having demonic blood, it stood to reason that she'd be more attuned to this sort of otherworldly stuff than the more mundane knights like himself.

"Steffen's right, you've got us watching your back," Fleuri assured the horned cleric. Once they reached the courtyard, he would stick close to Amy- it was imperative that the Roses stuck together, because Sir Rickert was grim proof of what happened when a knight was cut off from his brothers and sisters even for a moment.

@6slyboy6

Bible of Ichor: Septet for the Dead

Captain Argus Fellborn

No sooner had Argus slew the last beast in this house did he hear a terrible ruckus going on outside. There was a piercing shriek, followed by what sounded like a house being smashed apart. These houses weren't going to provide any protection against whatever that thing was. As for the girl, she appeared unharmed for the time being, but seeing her parents die in front of her would assuredly leave her mind thoroughly scarred. There wasn't much left to do except try to keep her out of the way and hope that there wouldn't be too much collateral damage.

"I suggest you find a place to hide," Argus spoke to the child, before exiting the dwelling. Upon stepping outside, he saw exactly what the source of the noises were- a huge, chimeric beast. Just how many of these twisted things were there?

Argus rushed to intercept the beast, bringing his sword to meet one of its bared claws. He was unsure if the human woman that the monster was targeting would be of any use in this fight, but the other vampire and her gorebats should prove useful allies.

@Rune_Alchemist@Pyromania99

The Storm Cycle: Reclamation

Elias had grabbed the wyvern, and Luana was making the effort to assist restraining it. If being disintegrated didn't stop him for long, surely whatever dark powers the wyvern possessed would barely slow him down. If just one blow from this beast was enough to kill, it would be prudent to kill it as quickly as possible, which is what Ethelred intended on doing.

There was the option of capturing it, but Ethelred wasn't going to take the risk. This thing was too malevolent to parlay with, too dangerous to spare.

Ethelred thrust his lance at the creature's head, channeling his powers of ice through it. Unless his queen or the other knights spoke up, this beast would receive no quarter from him.

@BrokenPromise@Guy0fV4lor@Rune_Alchemist

Bible of Ichor: Septet for the Dead

Captain Argus Fellborn

Upon striking down the first beast, Argus was able to get a good look at the inhabitants of the home. A human couple, already dead before he could intervene. A shame, but their bodies would at least yield blood. They could be useful for necromancy, but weak materials made for weak servants- Argus would be better off raising the beasts.

The corpses weren't alone, though. A young girl, no doubt the daughter of the deceased. Perhaps the beasts saved the weakest and least appetizing for last. Or perhaps her parents, in a final act of familial affection, held the beasts off to grant her a most brief reprieve before the end, giving their lives to buy her but a final moment of life in this broken, wretched world.

She was too small to be fed upon, too young to be a proper thrall or undead minion. Given enough time and fortune, she might grow up and help to keep the humans from extinction, but that was hardly a consideration worth entertaining at this moment. Yet Argus felt a need to keep her from death. There was, after all, nothing to be gained in letting this child die.

As the pirate charged, he drew his pistol and fired at the beast, striking it from a distance beyond his sword's reach. Even if the shot didn't kill the creature, it'd serve as an effective message that the helpless girl should be the least of its concerns. As soon as he got close enough, he'd bring his cutlass down upon it.

@Rune_Alchemist

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

Roger Falkner

Any chance of getting out of this without further fighting was dashed to pieces upon hearing the Witch mentioning testing. He shouldn't have been surprised, given that they were dealing with a Witch. In his mind, for those possessing such vast magical power, everyone else was nothing more than a source of entertainment. Still, at least she wasn't actually trying to kill them- that would be far, far more difficult to survive.

Even with the witch just letting them fight the construct, it still would be a formidable foe. Given the state of the cultists' bodies, it had managed to kill them with disturbing efficiency. Its strange appearance and gait meant that its attacks and movements would be unlike fighting any human foe. However, with its quadrupedal stance and bladed front limbs, Roger saw some potential parallels to that of a griffin and its wicked front talons, something that he was quite familiar with.

Roger rushed forward to near where Urden was. The demon's intervention had bought them a temporary reprieve to move and reposition, but she broke it off as abruptly as she had initiated it, leaving the construct once again able to attack. As the mercenary attacked from the front, the griffin knight flanked it from the side, stabbing at its torso with his spear.

The Storm Cycle: Reclamation

This wyvern was very different from the previous one. Blindingly fast but not very large, it still seemed that on the surface it'd pose less of a challenge to the team. However, this hope was shattered when Luana shouted a warning, claiming that its claws had some sort of poison in them.

He didn't fully understand how the druid's powers worked, but Luana had proven herself and Ethelred was keen on trusting her. Besides, if this wyvern was meant to be the equal of the bigger one, the one it referred to as the Herald of Perdition, it made sense that it had to be much deadlier than it looked.

The Frozen Knight jumped off his horse- he didn't know if his icy steed was affected by the poison, but he didn't want to risk it- and charged Elias' location. If the dragonslayer could hold it in place, the Ethelred should be able to strike it with his lance.

@BrokenPromise@Rune_Alchemist@Guy0fV4lor

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

Roger Falkner

Delving into the ruin meant that Roger would have to dismount and leave his griffin behind. This was something that he knew would happen occasionally- griffins didn't always fit in the places where the Lions must tread. Fortunately, Roger was no slouch in combat even on foot- his mother ensured that he'd still have the martial skills expected of a knight even when not astride a griffin. Still, he much preferred to face danger alongside his stalwart companion. Fortunately, he would not be doing this alone- the other Lions were all themselves stalwart companions, although he was a little surprised that the Nem merchant had accompanied Velvetica and the others into this tomb. Perhaps she just didn't want to be alone with Shortclaw.

It was clear that someone had already been here. The corpses of the cultists and necromancers were fresh, and killed with precise blows without the telltale signs of having managed to struggle or fight back. Who could have done this? And where were the hostages?

The answer was at the bottom of the tomb. Two strangers awaited them. The first was a bizarre creature, limbs stained with blood. Obviously this one had played a role in executing the cultists. The other one, was much more interesting, and much more dire. A girl, with unnaturally white skin and a brimmed, pointed hat upon her head, and with jointed, prosthetic-looking fingers.

The effortless slaughter of the cultists. The monstrosity that stood alongside her. The brimmed hat and strange appearance. All of these pointed to a certain conclusion- this was a Witch, a practitioner of the terrible Witch-Queen's form of strange magic.

The others made their statements and remarks, all quite diplomatic as to account for the very real possibility that this witch could kill them all without breaking a sweat. For Roger, there wasn't much else he could chime in, except for one matter that had not been brought up yet.

"Commander, what of the captives?" he asked Velvetica, not wanting to address the witch directly. "The cultists may have been stopped, but these bodies don't account for everyone that they took."

@VitaVitaAR