Laue — Roleplayer Guild

Mages

The argument between the young man and the witch raged on, those closer to them could barely hear their conversation. Before teleporting out, he nearly yelled one last sentence out: "You cannot change my mind, Master. This is all for her, and you know it!". Shrugging, and with a deep, loud voice The Witch instructed: "Listen!"

The man with fine, noble-like clothes steps forward, revealing a huge stack of papers in hand:
"You were all gathered here for an opportunity of the century. I can offer you all citizenship, and a purpose, a goal in life. By joining my Covenant of Scholars, you would be free to travel across Meldindiar freely, well, as long as you don't toss fireballs around randomly.

As members of the covenant, your duty would be to search for things lost to history. Meldiniar is built upon the ruins of old kingdoms, which, in turn, were built on some other ruins. There are so many things lost to history, and paladins make sure whatever remains benefits them and the history they write. But you must be wondering what's in it for me. My great great grandfather was a king of Eternal Kingdom, sadly, that eternity ended with paladins taking over everything for the "greater good".

So this is what offer: help me to overthrow Grinnoc. A world where you are not persecuted. A world where you would given your own land to manage as you please. A world where you would be heroes. A world where you would free to seek knowledge and wisdom. You do not need to fight Grinnoc alone. Meldiniar has a huge sprawling underground of crime, vice and occasional resistance. Grinnoc does not have as much supporters as he things he does, I assure you of that. Moreover, any lost knowledge, any old, powerful artifacts can be used to further this cause.

As an up-front reward, you will get citizenship and a place you can call home - Velstrach Fortress. It was abandoned over five hundred years ago, and now we found where it is. It also formally belongs to me, so no one should bother you there. I do warn you, however, it must be in shambles right now, but it was once the main hub of trade in Altea. It will be yours, forever, should you tell me your name and join my cause."

...

After everyone who accepted those terms, the man bid farewell. The Witch created a dimensional door for him - a portal, presumably leading home. "I hope she will be OK." he said to the witch before leaving. "You prepared her for this, Deliah. Have faith in her," After he left, The Witch created another portal, far larger, leading to the long lost fortress.

...

They were transported near the gate to the main courtyard. The fortress itself had two sets of thick walls, now overgrown with vines and moss. They also had huge dents in them, some completely broken. The main perimeter walls were surrounded by moat on the sides, a huge cliff leading down to a huge fall into the waves below, and a raging river in front, with a huge drawbridge, now in shambles. The second, inner wall, separated the industrial area (smithies, bakeries, tanneries and so) from the keep, armory and barracks, as well as the main square. It still had various practice targets left over. Cracked walls and floor indicated a fierce battle has raged within, but there were no corpses, no skeletons. Nothing at all.

Though everyone could feel it - an ominous, powerful, otherworldly presence. Entering the courtyard, it was littered... with rocks? One rock was especially huge. As they approached it, the rocks literally sprung to life. "Demons!" the witch shouted. At the very least, the mystery of battle became clear.

Greater Earth Demon - Beyonder [+]

Lesser Earth Husk - Possessed [+]

This huge square courtyard now became a battle arena. Without waiting for anything, The Witch conjured up huge thick vines which constricted the big one. The vines started to tighten up, and it almost seemed it will simply crush the elemental, but some kind of barrier appeared all around, protecting it. Faint lines of energy connected to the smaller ones - the mages that got possessed during the battle with the demon somehow, now deformed and mad. "Destroy the husks so I can destroy the demon. I can hold it place, but it will require my full concentration." The objective was clear. But the husks were powerful still, a few unlucky mages who got hit by their slow but deadly blows got either turned to paste or thrown back a few dozen meters. Their rock-like skin did not help either.

Paladins

It was getting late when the paladins reached their first stop. Leaving the horses in the nearby pasture, the villagers led them to their elder's house, all prepared with simple foods for them to indulge before the night. The villagers were extremely helpful and polite, which caused some paladins to became suspicious. Some hesitated with eating their food, some gulped it down instantly. Alicia, one of the candidates, silently conjured her Sword of Light, aiming to use it for Shadoweater, just to feel more at ease - there was nothing wrong here after all.

As the glowing sword of energy exploded into small dust particles, the illusion was quickly broken. There was blood everywhere: on the walls, on the floor, outside. Whatever "food" it was, it certainly was something sinister. The villagers, losing their glamours, were robed men and women - mages, without a doubt. Those who've eaten the food started coughing blood violently, falling to the ground and dying in a grotesque show, as the mages prepared to fight the rest. The Inquisitor himself, who taken a few bites, was resisting the poison, as well as trying to cleanse it, but unable to fight as of yet.

...

It was a blood bath. But eventually, the paladins prevailed, and the Inquisitor recovered. Just to be sure, Alicia casted another Shadoweater. The imagine of one of the paladins was distorted, revealing another mage. He was quite different from the others, and his attire was unlike anything else seen on Altea.

Manaron - The Puppetmaster [+]

"What a bother you lot are. Now we will have to do it the hard way." the mage sighed before teleporting away. Just as he did, faintly visible "strings" appeared above all the fallen, in a marionette-like pattern. Long, sharp bones sprung out of their fingers, as well as every other bone "jumping" outside, creating a bone armor of sorts. One corpse, however, was glowing all black, with it's eyes glowing red. It could also talk: Oh how I loathe this technique, directly controlling a goddamn corpse just so I could command the others. Let's get this over with."

The empowered body, directly controlled by that mage, was far tougher, faster and had much more tricks at it's sleeve. And any time it fell, another corpse would get empowered. But Levran was finally able to fight, and what a fighter he was. Creating solid lances from light - a feat no paladin has yet saw or imagined, he was cleaving through the puppets. Light would also eventually burn away the reanimation spell, along with the rest of the body, so it could not be reanimated again. This was going to be quite an eventful night for the paladins.

Alicia

The march was boring - it took half a day, and everyone was getting tired. Eventually they reached the small village. Peasants never really liked servicing paladins like this, so their politeness and helpfulness was odd. Even more so that most peasants know only simple words. Something was off, but Alicia just couldn't find out what. Seemingly some other paladins felt this way too.

Eventually they were lead to their elder's house, which was quite big, with the main hall having enough seats for everyone to dine. A relic left by some ancient noble who liked feasts, it was now the heart of this village. The sinking feeling that something was wrong did not abandoned Alicia, and she just could not force herself to eat the food, though it looked delicious - paranoia was gnawing at her. Trying to tell herself that everything was fine, she conjured up a Sword of Light above her, to explode it for Shadoweater - a skill she devised to break through illusions and various other lingering magical effects. Everyone gave her a stern look once they saw a glowing sword of light above her shoulder, only to be horrified when it exploded - a broke the illusion. The walls, the floor - everything was painted in red. Whatever was on the table, certainly was not food. And the "villagers" were hooded men and women - quite obviously mages. Those who ate their "food" quickly died in a horrific death. Alicia cleared her mind, for the only thing that mattered now was battle.

Some mages carried melee weapons of their own, supplementing their magic style. Some flung spells from afar. It didn't matter. Using her Swords of Light Alicia would intercept and destroy projectiles. Anyone trying to hit her in melee would simply miss and quickly be cut in half - Alicia's blades were made by masters of the craft, far superior to any standard issue weapons other paladins received. Most of them could not even afford a single, regular sword on their own.

If there is one thing Alicia learned through all the years - is focusing on the task at hand. In battle, there was no time for any kind of worries. Her mind was clear, ready to process the scene. Every projectile, everyone nearby, their position, their movements, their momentum as well as her own, all had to be considered. Her combat style, had little to no defence, Alicia had to simply not get hit at all. A fireball shot down there, a throat cut open here, Alicia was "flowing" through the battle, spinning and twirling around, painting her trail with blood and ashes. A mesmerizing, deadly dance Alicia performed. Once that was over, she even received quite a few cheers and ovations - for all it's worth, at least she has proven her worth to her peers, no longer just a "spoiled, bratty princess playing a soldier".

It was not over yet, however, but everyone was quite exhausted at this point. Casting another Shadoweater, just in case, the real mastermind behind it appeared, reanimating EVERY fallen body and empowering it. Fortunatelly, Levran had recovered, and was just moving them down in droves. The very few who did not go after Levran were rather easy to deal with, but still much tougher than the mages before them.

William

It all made sense now. Deliah Eternus still held on to his long lost title. His promises would tempt many, and considering his position, he would be forced to fulfill them. As a bonus, they would all gain citizenship and a home of their own. A home that needs serious repairs, but still a home. Deliah's cause benefited everyone, except paladins. And knowing that his daughter is a paladin, his underworld connections, as well as having The Witch of the Black Forest as an friend - he was planning this for a long time, and setting all the gears in motion right now. William had to admit, the noble had thought this through, except for one variable he could not predict - The Azure Covenant.

The huge portal was finally open, and they've found themselves near the inner gates of a huge fortress. It was battered and overtaken by nature, but it was built masterfully, and could serve the mages well if it were to be repaired. And with William's expertise of nearly everything, this could be a great new start for them. Unfortunately, the hundred or so mages quickly found out what was the cause of abandonment - a greater earth demon. However, the husks - the mages possessed by lesser elementals/demons. As far as everyone knew, you can only get possessed if you let it in, usually unknowingly. And would the majority of castle's residents would just choose that when facing a greater demon? Something was amiss, but there was no time for investigation. The Witch, displaying her immense power, bound the Greater Elemental, which in turn made it to tap into the husks nearby, creating an impenetrable shield. The goal was clear - to destroy the husks.

Unfortunately, William did not yet know much offensive magic, but his Exhaust proved helpful - the possessed still seemed to require oxygen, and one by one, William neutralized them, making them easy targets for more... destructive brethren. A few weren't as careful as they should be, and got smacked around and/or turned into paste - far beyond any healer's help. Slow, sturdy and extremely powerful - not something you would want to be hit by.

Mages

Those who reached the forest would soon find that vegetation itself would move out of the way, revealing a path deep into this pitch black forest. It could be felt from afar, even more so for the people with the gift, that every leaf, every blade of grass was imbued with magic, and hundreds of red, glowing eyes were flickering in the distance - intruders would not get far. Finally, they would reach a huge clearing, with a massive circular structure in the middle. It's walls were actual trees, grown in a shape of a dome.

Inside all along the outer "wall", there were rooms, hundreds of them, with giant leaves for doors. Everything was illuminated by some kind of giant glowing flowers, acting as lamps. The rest of the structure was a giant hall, littered with tables and chairs. The tables were full of various delicious fruits and berries. In the very middle there was a throne, and in it sat a very old woman. Without a doubt, this was the mythical Witch of The Black Forest, and she was prepared for their arrival. Most likely, she was the one to call them. Besides her were two men, one rather young, and other one older, with a fancy, nobleman attire. The Witch and the young man were arguing about something. But the people who came cared more about satiating their bellies and getting some rest - the witch was waiting for all of them to come.

Paladins

After everyone arrived, the hundred or so paladins were lead to the grand hall. After taking their positions in a formation, they were greeted by a giant of a man in an Inquisitor uniform.

Inquisitor Levran [+]

"I'll keep this short. We have a reason to believe the mage group only know as Azure Covenant is operating from The Black Forest. As you all know, all of our smaller expeditions that went into that area have never returned. It is a certainty that the forest is enchanted to ward off intruders. But magic is magic, and it will not stop our force. The mages associated with The Azure Covenant are extremely dangerous and more than willing to kill you, as they killed dozens of other paladins. You will be allowed to attack them on sight.

Three of you will also be under my close watch, as you were selected as potential candidates for the Inquisition. That would Alicia Eternus, Varkasan Trenact, Conrad Felden and Sylvestra Wyrmire. You three will ride near me and the other officers. We will be riding through several villages that will be used as rest stops and places to eat. We should arrive at our destination in three days. Direct any remaining questions to your commanding officers, and head to the stables. We will set off within the next hour."

Alicia

Arriving near the HQ, Alicia, like everyone else, was asked for papers. Passing by, she heard other paladins say something about "getting to eat real food now, thanks to the Eternus' maids". Not paying much attention to it, she headed to the main hall, where nearly a hundred of other paladins stood. The girl knew some of them, but they weren't exactly close friends. Heck, she didn't have any close friends. But she had no time to screw around, as they were supposed to stand in formation and listen to the briefing.

...

The briefing was just about what Alicia expected, including being a candidate. Many strings were pulled for this, and combined with her skill, she was the prime candidate. She was not too sure why the other three were selected, but did not question it much. A part of her wanted to warn everyone that it was a trap - guilt washed all over her like a heavy rain. None of them knew just HOW prepared the forest was. She would survive, but the majority here would not - that much Alicia knew, and it was necessary step to dethrone Grinnoc, but it felt wrong and bad. A gnawing feeling was also there, as if something will go wrong, far worse than the forest. But it was just the nerves, right?

A little bit shaking and twitchy, Alicia headed towards the stables. The stench of a hundred horses could be felt from afar.

William

Finally, William has entered the forest. Falling behind the rest of his group, his pace slowed down to a crawl as he analyzed his surroundings. Brimming with magic, this forest would annihilate intruders, but also would guide and protect it's allies. Such level of enchantment required decades of time, immense power and experience, something far above the scholar's current capabilities. Even the animals of the forest were enchanted, most likely under direct control of The Witch, also being her eyes, noses and ears. Not even a blade of grass would move without alerting the master of this forest.

The final destination brought everything up to 11. Even though William has never seen elven nature magic, it couldn't be anything else but that. Not even the Grand Archons of old could manipulate nature in such a way, without destroying or twisting it. The people he traveled with quickly rushed to the tables, as they haven't eaten in quite a while. Hunger gnawed William's stomach too, but he was too distracted by this literally magical place to care. After wandering around for a few hours, and not really learning anything other than "it's amazing", he finally sat down to eat. Or try to - he wasn't a fan of fruits.

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