Crimson Paladin

The Storm Cycle: Reclamation

The fight was finally over. The wyvern was certainly a tough foe, but in the end, their skills and powers proved sufficient to bring it down. And even if it was one of the few creatures capable of surviving having its head frozen inside and out, Lonan made sure it was dead.

Ethelred let out a sigh, releasing a breath of cold mist from his helmet. "That should do it. It's a shame that this thing refused to go down without killing people, but at least he won't hurt anyone anymore."

There were many questions that were left unanswered. Where were these "heralds" coming from, how many of them are there in all, and who were they heralds of? The Frozen Knight suspected that this would not be the last of these unique wyverns.

Ethelred walked over to his horse and mounted up. "I should head back to the castle and await Sorcha's return, she'll want to know all about this." He was unsure if they would or even could safely make use of this thing's corpse given how lethally venomous it was in life, but they'd need to know its location regardless.

@Rune_Alchemist@BrokenPromise

The Storm Cycle: Reclamation

The trap had worked, and the wyvern had been left stunned by the blow and further immobilized by Luana's vines. Well, except for its tail, which was as mean as ever.

They needed to use this opportunity to strike a fatal blow. Ethelred surged ahead behind Luana, careful as to not get struck by its tail this time. Instead, he came to a stop just short of its tail range and bided his time while the courageous druid grappled the dragon and allowed herself to be the target of its tail strikes.

As Luana gripped it and kept the beast distracted, Ethelred waited for a window of opportunity in between the wyvern's tail attacks to charge ahead, aiming his lance for the wyvern's eye and readying his powers to freeze this vile creature.

@Rune_Alchemist@BrokenPromise

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

Roger Falkner

"She wasn't too much trouble," Roger replied to Istvan. Not too much trouble by his standards. He managed to pull it off without getting scratched or bitten, and without resorting to using a falcon's hood, so by his standards, it was not too much trouble. "Getting her in the carrier was a bit of a challenge since Griffins don't like being caged, but I managed to convince her into it. On a related note, you, err, shouldn't need to feed her for a while."

Sirona was probably capable of making the trip herself, but even if it was possible to somehow compel her to do so, it was far faster to use a full sized griffin to fly her here instead.

"As don't worry, Lord Cadmon, your cousins were no trouble at all. Having a chimerical apex predator at one's side tends to make people more agreea..." Roger's ramblings trailed off and ended upon seeing Cadmon's dawning anger, followed by a furious exclamation to Istvan.

Evidently there was something in Baron Bridger's letter that Cadmon had not anticipated, something that had made him livid.

@HereComesTheSnow@The Otter

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

Fleuri Jodeau

This must be the head, Fleuri assessed. The helmet encasing it was a perfect match to what he had seen Halestadt previously wearing, and the tall knight reacted upon picking it up.

Fleuri didn't try to peek at what was inside the helmet. Whatever Haelstadt's reason for concealing their face, he'd respect it. He in fact had a certain fondness for the romantic trope of anonymous, helmeted knights taking the field in tournaments or on battlefields. It wasn't exactly a realistic depiction- for any tourney of any worthwhile prestige, there tended to be a number of roadblocks to entering (as Renar could very bitterly attest to), and no organizer would let some random stranger hiding in a suit of armor take a precious competitor slot, but regardless, it was a concept that Fleuri liked. His own ancestor, Armand Jodeau, had a reputation for rarely showing his face to others, to the point that the paintings of Armand in both the Jodeau manor and Candaeln depicted him helmeted.

He had no idea what Haelstadt was- some sort of undead, perhaps? Generally, decapitation was effective in eliminating the threat of undead, but perhaps there were some for which it was merely an inconvenience? Whatever the reason, while Reon generally disapproved of undead, exceptions such as the Roses' very own Tyaethe was proof that they couldn't just run around and condemn people for not dying when killed.

Again, it was none of his business, and it was generally prudent to not pry too hard into an immortal knight's business.

"Here you go," Fleuri spoke, handing the helmet over to the black knight, careful to not let the head fall out. He was unsure what'd happen next, although he was a little curious as to whether Haelstadt would be able to simply reattach it by sticking it on their shoulders, or if they'd have to carry it back to have it fixed later.

@VitaVitaAR

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

Fleuri Jodeau

They had been victorious once again. While it could be argued that this entire ordeal was so far shaping out to be overall a defeat for the Kingdom of Thaln, there was no doubt that this particular skirmish was a smashing victory for the Iron Roses. Even with their monstrous abominations, the Golden Boars had been slaughtered without inflicting any casualties of their own- aside from the evidently immortal Haelstadt.

Fleuri feared that this was just an opening act to something much larger. The shard was still unaccounted for, as was whoever had hired the Golden Boars. And as for the Boars themselves, this was clearly much more than a simple mercenary job. To attack the Iron Roses, to attempt to abduct Veileena, to make use of such twisted cursed mutants in their ranks, suggested that their role may be more deeply involved one than merely swords for hire in this instance. Fleuri wasn't sure just how many men and women they could call upon, though- perhaps Gerard may have a good grasp of the malignant mercenary company's overall size.

For now, however, he suspected that they'd be heading back to the city. There was much information and news that needed to be to be conveyed to the kingdom. There were many questions that still needed to be asked of Veileena, and of those also involved with the shard. Lastly, and with the day coming to a close, the knights would need to rest and regain their strength.

Speaking of Veileena, she seemed none too pleased at being detained, and was asking for someone to help Haelstadt recover their head. With most of the knights conversing with one another, and with Tyaethe standing still, Fleuri decided to assist.

"Don't worry, Lady Cazt, I'll help find it," he spoke as he trudged to the general area where he had glimpsed Haestadt's head going flying. Theirs was not the only severed head, or severed body part, but none of it could be confused for Haelstadt's black helmet. The head wasn't where he thought he had seen it fall, however, and with night having fallen, the head might not be particularly easy to spot. It'd be a lot easier to find if the head could speak, but Fleuri couldn't recall ever hearing Haelstadt speak even when their head was attached.

Hopefully, the head had stayed inside the helmet, because he had no idea what Haelstadt's uncovered head looked like.

@VitaVitaAR

The Storm Cycle: Reclamation

"Sorcha isn't always like that," Ethelred replied to Luana as he stretched his armored foot out onto the path to refreeze the constantly thawing ground. "She doesn't show it to everyone, but she can be quite unqueenly when she wants to be. You'll see, just give her time and you'll get the chance to see her let her hair down. As for Elias, the man has always had a heavy burden placed on his shoulders, and it can be lonely at the top. He's a direct descendent of one of the old king's knights, heir to his vast power, and he's been through a lot."

Ethelred turned his helmet's faceplate towards Luana, who was currently in the form of a cat. "But I see your point. Elias and Sorcha don't seem to rely on others as much- they're so powerful, they don't really need to. As far as I know, Elias can't even be killed conventionally. I saw him disintegrated by that black wyvern whose corpse you may have seen earlier, then a short while later, he reappears, unclothed but no worse for wear."

It was precisely because of his severance from most of his past life and of his frozen, crystal-encased state that he was not an "icy" person. Whether confiding in a fellow knight or simply traveling with his faithful frozen steed- the last remnant of his past life- connections with others helped reinforce his humanity in defiance of his cold, inhuman form.

"Lunalel isn't like that, though. You haven't really gotten a chance to work with her yet, but she understands the importance of working..."

Ethelred was interrupted as Lunalel spoke up, commanding him to get into position. He looked up and saw the Lonan riding towards them, wyvern on his tail. This conversation could wait- it was time to act.

Just as Lonan passed, his supernatural mount unaffected by the slippery ice, the Frozen Knight swung his lance to trigger the trap and bring the swinging, spiked mass down on the incoming dragon. This trap of theirs was an example of what Luana was talking about- hunters combining their talents and powers to bring down prey.

@BrokenPromise@Rune_Alchemist

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

Roger Falkner

"What do you think he'll do when he runs out of spare sons and daughters to offer you?" Roger asked. For all he knew, this Baron might be offering his daughters to every border lord in Velt in hopes that someone would be foolish enough to be dragged into his scheme.

In the business of raising griffins, it was imperative to understand the importance of making good deals. Raising and training large apex predators was an time-consuming and resource-intensive investment, and the only reason that the Falkners had managed to keep it going for as long as they did was because they understood and appreciated the value of their work enough to not buckle when foolish or entitled nobles made unreasonably low offers.

Roger definitely did not envy Cadmon. For all his power and influence, the man was clearly drained by it. The responsibilities of running a fief bordering Ithillin (even if he could delegate it to others), the duty to Velvetica's father, the court intrigue that people like Baron Bridger were trying to drag people into, were all clearly eroding his spirit.

Hopefully, the company of his Least Griffin would help lighten the burden of Cadmon's duties.

@The Otter

The Storm Cycle: Reclamation

"I'm not an expert on traps, I'll follow your lead and lend my power to improve on it," Ethelred chimed in. "I don't have a weapon suitable for felling trees, but I'll lend my ice to improve the lethality of any trap you can envision- and ensure that our target won't have decent footing when the time comes." The druid would know of traps far better than him.

Ethelred wasn't entirely sure about Sir Lonan's plan to act as bait. While he had great faith in the Harzel Knight's abilities, he was uncomfortable with Lonan making himself the target of this immensely swift, incredibly deadly monster. Nevertheless, he would support Lonan in any way he could.

"Since you're putting yourself in harm's way, Sir Lonan, you can use my shield," Ethelred spoke, offering the crystalline shield. "Don't worry about breaking it, I believe it can regrow just like my armor."

@BrokenPromise@Rune_Alchemist

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

Fleuri Jodeau

Their coordinated blows worked. Lacerated by poleaxe and greatsword, the legs of the mutant gave way. Fleuri weaved behind the giant as it fell, avoiding the trajectory of its violent collision with the ground. For all the things that could be said about Sir Renar, Fleuri could not deny that the man knew how to coordinate in a fight.

The fight wasn't over, though. Even if its legs were too wounded for it to get back onto its feet, it remained wounded beast, flailing and frenzied. They needed to hit this abomination's vitals to put it down, but it would be dangerous to get within reach of its massive, swinging arms.

While Renar went around to strike at the head and neck, Fleuri would approach from the opposite side. As the giant tumbled down, Fleuri leapt onto its fallen body from behind and dashed along its spine, banking on the likelihood that its twisted, mutated arms would have trouble reaching directly behind its back. As Renar struck what ought to be a fatal blow to the neck, Fleuri raised his sword and buried it in the pitiful horrors' neck bones, attempting to sever its skull from its spine.

By Reon, you will be put to rest...

@Psyker Landshark@Raineh Daze@VitaVitaAR

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

Roger Falkner

Cadmon's talk of dowries and marriage deals reminded Roger just how foreign the aristocratic politicking was to him. He understood the concepts well enough- in this case, this Baron Bridger was trying to obtain Cadmon as a son-in-law. The mention of a meager dowry, and the multiple offers, indicated to Roger that this baron viewed marrying off his children as nothing more than a transaction.

It wasn't the same way with the Falkners or their beasts. Between their commoner status up until a few years ago, and the importance of not alienating potential clients, they had always managed to avoid getting entangled in political marriages and the political intrigue of the nobility. In fact, his parents' marriage was initially opposed by his mother's family, right up until his father proved himself in the eyes of his beloved's father. The Falkners' griffins themselves were the same way- they chose their own mates, mated for life, and trying to sway them away from their choice of mate was a dangerous exercise in futility.

Would this be the future of the Falkners, to be married off for alliances?

"And what does he want out of you, that he'd make such an offer so many times with so many of his children?" he stated. "I'm guessing it's a lot more than you'd be getting out of him."

@The Otter