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Blood, Riches and Glory: Ghosts of Iron Coast

Oh boy. I have a feeling that while Gripus ends up with all the elf chicks, Luca's going to end up with a contingent of little beggar girls.

Blood, Riches and Glory: Ghosts of Iron Coast

Ugh, just noticed that I copied the wrong link for the picture of Liliana's sword. Here's the base concept for what it actually looks like. Sorry about that.

Blood, Riches and Glory: Ghosts of Iron Coast

@Frengo xD so sorry! I hate it when other people pull that on me and I straight up didn't even consider it. Shouldn't happen again though, now that both of my characters are in the flow.

Blood, Riches and Glory: Ghosts of Iron Coast

Liliana Stormshadow - The Fallen Star

Location: Campus Magnus

Campus Magnus was a filthy, disgusting place, but to Liliana it was as a second home. She would never forget her homeland and the vitality of those enchanted trees, but now she only walked this dead land. She had been cast out, and could never return to live among her own kind. This was something the High Elf lived with every day, as her striking appearance often drew the attention of others. The color of her hair and eyes could not be helped, and her ears stood out even more than the average Wood or Sand Elf. It didn't help being a woman among so many fighting men for so long. Even the old and the infirm would howl catcalls and jeers at her, and this typically led to her storming off in a huff.

This was one such time, and Lili was fed up with it. If the men would not behave themselves, she would simply leave early. It didn't matter to her if she met her end at the hands of some long-dead warrior, as long as she fell in battle and managed to get away from the idiotic soldiers. Arms crossed over her chest, she stomped her way towards Imperator Gauis' quarters. She had built a rapport with him over the years, and figured she could convince him to bring the soldiers in line or at least grant her enough supplies to make it to that cursed Tower.

When she finally reached the leader's tower, however, Liliana stopped in her tracks. A man had just exited the building, and something curious about him drew her. She could not recognize him at first, but then she felt the familiar aura of the arcanist and her eyes narrowed.

Only one person powerful enough to feel like that anywhere near here. He may look different, but I doubt he has changed. Those eyes though... Suppressing a shiver, Liliana approached the cloaked figure. They had not met in many years, and she was both happy and not to see him. While his magic would be invaluable and she owed him much, Lili had never truly trusted Gripus.

"It's been a long time, mage. What brings you back to the Iron Coast?" she asked rhetorically, moving her hands to her hips. Her left hand rested on the hilt of her curved sword, while her right thumb simply hooked into the wide leather belt that held her armor in place. The wind blew her hair awry, but the cold seemed not to touch her. The whole world seemed cold when one was used to the Sun's warmth and it had abandoned them.

Blood, Riches and Glory: Ghosts of Iron Coast

@Frengo So... if you don't mind, I'm going to make it so that Gripus pulled Lili's ass out of the fire in the battle where she lost all her companions.

Edit:: Also wanted to get her into mix ASAP, so I tossed an intro post up already. Didn't think about whether or not you might be writing a post, so sorry if I've messed anything up.

Blood, Riches and Glory: Ghosts of Iron Coast

(Reposting this from earlier for @Frengo's convenience)

A true warrior joins the fight!

Sun's Disgrace

Name: Liliana Stormshadow

Age: 184

Gender: Female

Race: High Elf

Race Overview: The near-immortal race of legend, Elves have walked the world since before time was counted. With lithe forms and pointed ears, Elves can be found nearly anywhere, in harmony with nature. High Elves in particular live deep in their enchanted forests and are rarely seen among more mortal peoples. When one does venture out, it tends to be an individual of strong will and great strength, or one exiled for great crime or shame. Oftentimes, it is both. Elven traits include sharp senses, low-light vision, and a prolonged life. High Elves in particular are extremely long-lived, and nearly all of them have hair one shade of blonde or another.

Titles: The Fallen Star (among her kin) and Sun's Disgrace (among her Order)

Appearance: Liliana's most striking features are her platinum blonde hair, which is straight and falls to her waist though it us usually tied back, and bronze eyes. Less noticeable, but still easily separating her from the other races around her are her larger than average pointed ears and sharp features. For an elf she is relatively thick of body, with curves to match, but do not be fooled. The majority of her mass is lean muscle, earned in her years on the front lines defending the Iron Coast from the initial Undead threat.

A glance in the mirror...

Weapons:
Redeemer Edge:: This curved, two-hand sword is Liliana's primary weapon. Runes inscribed on both sides of the blade glow golden in the presence of Undead. Upon striking many of the weaker Undead, the one hit will burst into gold flames and disintegrate. Against living opponents, this weapon appears to have no magical properties. The blade gleams like polished silver and the wire-wrapped hilt is inlaid with gold.

Whisper:: A silverwood longbow, strung with unicorn hair. Though it will never break and is very powerful compared to a normal bow, it is otherwise unremarkable.

Mithril Scale:: Though not truly magical, Liliana's armor is rather special. The mage-worked steel has a light blue tint and provides her a measure of resistance against magical attack, as well as making it incredibly hard and light. She wears scaled shirt of layered metal plates with only one pauldron, and a half-skirt of the same belted around her hips to cover her flanks. Her other armor includes mithril bracers and sabatons over leather gloves and breeches.

Steed: As a Paladin, Liliana once rode a unicorn, Andruin, into battle. She has lost the ability to summon her companion, and refuses to replace him with a mundane mount.

Abilities:
Divine Grace:: Liliana is immune to most mundane sicknesses and disease, and will remain in the prime of her physical condition for many decades to come.

High Elf Blood:: High Elves are naturally attuned to all forms of magic and can use any not specifically granted by a particular deity. Liliana is unskilled in most arts, having devoted much of her life to Sol and her blade.

Talents: Liliana is an excellent fighter with blade, bow, or her bare hands. She also has skills in herblore and forestry, as well as a vast knowledge of history. With her knowledge of the wilderness, she makes a wonderful scout, guide, and cook for any group on the road.

Magic:
Natural Magic:: This magic calls upon mother nature to provide what is needed most, be that a simple meal or a raging storm. Small animals can be turned into messengers or a dead plant can be returned to life to give food or medicine. Liliana has not spent much time with this magic, but has perfected a single spell; one that calls down blast of lighting at a nearby designated location. It drains her considerably to use it often, but she can manage to pull it off at least three times a day.

Sol's Gift:: As one Disgraced, Liliana has extremely limited access to her once-formidable array of holy magic. Where once she could have called upon the Sun's light to wash away legions of the dead, she can now only manage a single scalding ray projected from her palm. There was a time when she could recall a soul to its body and return it to proper life, but now she struggles to heal even minor wounds.

Backstory: As a youth, Liliana spent her time in her woodland home as a gardener and tamer of flying beasts. She married young, for an elf, and thought her life idyllic and wonderful. That was, until a thing almost unheard of among her kin came to pass. Upon returning from a hunt with her prized hawk she discovered her husband to be unfaithful, catching him with another woman. Showing a depth of emotion unknown to High Elves she struck down both in a fit of rage, killing them. This earned her the ire of her elders and race as a whole, and she was cast out to live among those less removed from the world.

Lost and alone, she turned to a guiding light in the darkness. Liliana discovered her new purpose in the worship of Sol, God of the Sun. Aiding those in need and striking out against the forces of darkness, she aspired to become a Paladin. She was accepted into the Brotherhood of the Sun due to her exceptional skill and the high priest's orders, despite the Order's previous exclusion of women among their ranks. This led to her being disliked by many, but especially hated by the Knight-Commander, Orlan. When things started falling apart, she was dispatched to the Iron Coast with minimal support and only one other Paladin.

During the original Undead threat Liliana was ever on the front lines, desperate to prove herself. In the end, this led to her undoing. In a particularly bloody battle the small group of soldiers she and her companion, Aren, had joint command of, was entirely wiped out. Before they were able to retreat, Aren fell to the Revenant leading their opponents. Outmatched and outnumbered, Liliana barely escaped with her life to report to the Order. In the end, Knight-Commander Orlan ruled that she was to blame for this disaster, and had her cast out. Disgraced and alone once more, she returned to the Iron Coast to seek her end. It has yet to come and now, many years later, she seeks to redeem herself in the eyes of her Order by ending this curse once and for all.

Starting Location: Campus Magnus

Into the Harsh Light of Day

Bernard frowned when Maxine backed away from him, taking a moment to glance at his hands. Due to the burst of action, he had failed to notice the sticky blood staining his fingers. It was hard to see in the low light, but it stood out to him like red rubies on pure white silk. A disgusted look crosses his face as he considers just how many vampires the feral he had killed may have drained, and he wipes his fingers on the back of his coat until they are relatively clean. The leather was waterproofed, so the blood would wash away easily when he got around to cleaning it or standing in a rainstorm. When he finally returned his attention to Max, her barrage of questions left him stunned and reeling.

"Ah, well... Yes, she was feral. That seems reason enough for her to come after you, you're fairly young and compared to her, weak. And I doubt any trouble will come from her final death. Unless she has some major powers behind her, nobody's going to call me to heel for taking out the trash. If any of them even remember that I exist. As for the rest of your questions..." Bernard sighed heavily again, mentally preparing himself. What he was about to tell her probably looked bad, really bad, and certainly wouldn't help her adjust any. While he didn't want to look like some creep, Max deserved the truth.

"I've been following you and watching since I turned you. Had to know the kind of person you would become, and protect you from those who would end you before you got the chance to adapt. I've been... away from things, for a long time now. I didn't want to draw attention to you by suddenly reappearing in town, so I stayed in the shadows. Speaking of which," he says, the last being an aside as he reaches under his coat to produce an older model phone from an inner pocket. Sliding it open, he rapidly tapped out and fired off a message to an old acquaintance before replacing the device. Octavius would want to know he was back, and with the dead feral in the room it was only a matter of time anyway.

Back in town. Made a bit of a mess. Will explain later. Let me know if you need something.
~Bernard

Message to Octavius

"Why I turned you..." Bernard had been avoiding the question, saving it for last. The answer was complex, and even he didn't really understand it all. "I guess when you get to the bottom of it... I was lonely, and tired of it. I've spent more than a century away from my own kind." The explanation was severely lacking, but he couldn't come up with anything better. He looked away from Maxine now, gazing out the broken window as he awaited her response.

Blood, Riches and Glory: Ghosts of Iron Coast

Luca Warren - Raven Queen's Attendant

Location: The Streets of Actium

"M-master? Reclaim?" Luca stammers out in confusion as the girl backs away a step and curtsies. None of what she said made any real sense, except for her name and the apparently heartfelt request that he care for her.

Now what've I gotten myself into... Brother Valerian always warned me I'd only land in trouble on my own, but this is not quite what I was expecting. Pyria's squeak startled him out of his thoughts, and he looked back over his shoulder at her after glancing at the newcomer he had failed to notice approaching. Standing straight again, he stuffs his kerchief back into the folds of his robe.

"Pyria, no need to be rude. And please, call me Luca. I don't know how you lived before, but I am nobody's master but my own. Still, I will be glad to share my room and food with you. As for you," he said, turning more fully to face the stranger. "I am here seeking the same end. I heard the call had been put out from Campus Magnus, and am headed there from Entrium. I was going to stay the night here and look around to see if I could find more information, or an expedition preparing to leave from here soon. If nobody comes today, I'll be leaving for Campus Magnus in the morning to learn what I may."

While he talked, Luca used one arm to push the edge of his cloak out around his new charge's shoulders. Though his spell would keep the wind from her, she seemed to take comfort in his presence after the bit of magic he had performed.

Blood, Riches and Glory: Ghosts of Iron Coast

@OneStoryToMany Liliana would be too distrustful to offer anything up, but Luca would certainly donate to a good cause in a pinch.

Also, I only just now realized that both of my character's names start with 'L'