When Rezello and Linceleste set out on horseback, his first assumption was that they would siege the southern entrance, carving open a path for Carmen and his entourage to escape from. When Lynx rode past the gate and towards the eastern wall, Rezello hesitated for a moment before continuing to follow, trusting that she had some sort of plan by deciding to attack there instead. Evidently she didn't, or at least whatever plan she had in mind did not go accordingly, given her quick retreat back towards the southern entrance after her grenade resulted in the wall being consumed by flame. Strategy, it seemed, was not a part of her education.
Her new plan, a cavalry charge, pushed the pair into the outpost and through a line of musketeers and soldiers, the former of which were either trampled or felled by her sword. The latter, meanwhile, spared no time attacking, striking at their horses, and while Rezello did what he could to defend his ally, even with his enhanced strength there was a clear limit to how much leverage he could apply with his spadone one-handed while trying to control his horse with the other. Despite his efforts, his steed was no warhorse, and when it was struck on the flank by a thrown spear, it ceased to follow his commands, galloping to the east and away from Linceleste as her own horse was overwhelmed by the other soldiers.
When Rezello had managed to take back control of the injured horse, he found himself in front of two enemy soldiers, both seemingly eager for a fight. He released the reins, dismounting as he stared down his pair of opponents.
I think it's about time to show a bit more of our capabilities, don't you?
Lifting his spadone in response, he gripped the hilt with both hands, aiming the blade skywards. Magic energy surged from the mask and through his body, manifesting in arcs of lightning that sparked along the length of the greatsword. Stepping forward, he cleaved the space in front of him, a wave of concentrated electricity launching from the blade towards the pair.
Even if it didn't kill them, the surge of lightning would at least distract or disable the two long enough for Rezello to turn his focus towards the group of soldiers now gathering around Linceleste. Briefly dismissing his spadone, Rezello summoned the pair of daggers stored in his Armory, lobbing one each with inhuman strength at the soldiers nearest Lynx before summoning his spadone again as he broke into a sprint to defend his ally, lightning surging into the blade once more as he readied to strike.
At first, the diplomatic approach seemed to be going surprisingly well; despite recognizing Carmen and the others as being involved in the incident earlier in the day, the sergeant that first confronted them as they approached allowed the group to enter the outpost and speak with the commanding officer. There was some tension when the commander brought up an incident that had occurred on the border several years back, but they managed to shift away from that topic and on to matters more at hand.
Listening to their discussion over the communicator Carmen gave them, they learned the status of the major factions in the area; who the rebels were, some details concerning the identity of the "witch" they had previously heard of - the one behind the experiments they had witnessed earlier, apparently - and the fate of Paladin Thomas... dead, if they could take the commander at his word. Rezello glanced at Linceleste as that detail came to light, as she had previously mentioned that Thomas was her uncle; whatever she was feeling, she didn't seem to be showing it. Refusal to believe the commander's claim, perhaps.
Regardless, when the commander was pressed for evidence or details of the paladin's demise, he refused, instead declaring his intent to have Carmen and his entourage detained. Obviously, that was not an acceptable outcome, and it wasn't long before fighting broke out. Even without the communicator, the sound of combat could be heard from their position outside the outpost; Linceleste took that as her cue to detonate her drone's explosives, blowing open holes in the northern wall of the outpost and escalating the chaos occurring within.
"I'm going in. Please someone ride with me, I will make a passage way out for our comrades inside!" Linceleste spoke for the remaining party. Mounted herself on her horse.
Rezello nodded, spadone appearing in his right hand with a flash of silver light as he rode his horse alongside her, acting as her vanguard as he readied himself to strike down any stray soldiers still outside the outpost as they made their way towards it.
The memory of the lantern's projected visions ran through Rezello's mind as the party left behind the makeshift grave site. The priests deserved better, but it was the best they were able to provide at the time. The silhouettes of the three executioners in particular stuck with him, and the 'experiments' they had been discussing; seeing what their results were, what sort of goal could justify such acts? Nothing but satisfying a sadistic desire for cruelty came to mind. His conclusion was clear: should they encounter those three or others responsible for these experiments, there would be no room for mercy. Death was too good for such people, but leaving them alive would be a greater injustice.
When they stopped in the forest to rest, one of their members - the "self-righteous coward" - vanished. Perhaps what they had witnessed was too much for his pacifism, or the moniker had been more than just a self-deprecating jest. A pity they had already lost one of their numbers, but there was nothing that could be done about it now. After a cursory search of the forest surrounding their temporary stop, they continued on their way, eventually ending up on the outskirts of a simple fortified outpost and an accompanying roadblock, preventing them from continuing undetected.
Thus, the party set to establish a plan. After some debate, it seemed the decided course of action was for Carmen, accompanied by a few of their members, would attempt to talk with the commander of the outpost, while the rest remained behind, ready to come to their aid if diplomatic means failed. "If this is the plan we're going with, I think I'd do best to remain here. After all, I'm no diplomat, and from what we know of these men I don't think my presence is going to do much to help your case otherwise. Should things take a turn for the worst, my sword arm is always ready. Best of luck to you, captain."
As quickly as the battle had begun, it was over. While Ludvig and Mirielle handled the musketeers - one of which had tried to flee, but was quickly stopped - Carmen and Carnatia tried their hand at interrogating the pinned sergeant. Unfortunately, they weren't able to get much out of him beyond a few vulgarities and accusations, the latter of which at least gave a small amount of insight into the region's current troubles - even if they did ultimately result in more questions than answers. Amanitia's spores relaxed the sergeant's attitude somewhat, but only served to reveal an apparent lack of his preferred alcohol. As the man continued to ramble, Rezello dismissed his weapon, making his way back to his horse as the peasant they had rescued from strangulation approached to plead with Carmen.
Rezello mounted his horse, looking back at the subdued soldiers as some of his party members brought up the possibility of killing them off. It would be easy to do so at this point, but ultimately the consensus was to leave them alive. Didn't stop them from continuing to discuss it, though; if nothing else, it was useful to establish their positions on such matters before it inevitably comes up again. Rezello had killed before, but it had always been thugs, highwaymen, bandits hiding out in dungeons and ruins waiting to ambush explorers and adventurers less capable than himself, not soldiers. Not that these ones acted much differently than his former adversaries.
In the meantime, Carmen and Carnatia had been pressing the recipient of their rescue for more information about where he was leading them. His reluctance to fully explain what it was he was bringing them to had incurred suspicion, and though Rezello doubted that the man would lead them into harm's way right after they had saved him, caution wasn't entirely unwarranted. Men acting in desperation rarely act rationally, and from what they had seen this region was certainly in desperate times, to say the least.
When they arrived at their destination, it became evident why Dromele was reluctant to describe what stood before them. Corpses desecrated by flame and decay, the signs of a gruesome end evident even on what little remained of their carcasses. The few charred remnants of their clothing marked the dead's allegiance to the Order; whoever did this clearly had not taken kindly to Paladin Thomas's activity in the area.
Perhaps they should have killed the soldiers after all.
Nearly two weeks had passed since the party had left Dragon's Maw behind and continued on their way into Tretagor. Plains eventualy gave way to forest, and though the rain that came with the change in scenery made Rezello wish that his armor's cape had included a hood, a bit of water was ultimately preferable to more of the vast emptiness that had surrounded them for most of their journey.
Within the last few days, the signs of the conflict in the region became apparent; blighted forest, buildings abandoned and left in ruin. The path they took brought them to a particularly unsightly scene; the remnants of a makeshift gallows, skeleton still hanging from a rudimentary crosspiece. Perhaps abandoned like the rest of the ruins they had passed by, or left there intentionally as some kind of warning. Whatever the case, as the party passed the hanging bones, smoke and a cry for help became visible and audible in the distance, and with Carmen leading the charge the group quickly made their way to the source.
A group of five soldiers and a prisoner they had taken, some of the former preparing to put the latter into another makeshift gallows. When the party arrived, the soldiers paused what they were doing and assumed defensive stances, clearly not expecting any visitors. While Carmen initially tried to reason with the men, it quickly became clear that wasn't going to work, especially when they started hanging their captive in the middle of their conversation.
Mirielle was the first to make a move, though Carnatia tried to stop her and insist upon diplomacy; a nice thought, perhaps, though given the predicament of the now suffocating man, they didn't exactly have the time to parley. While Rezello was thinking of what move to make next, Ludvig had already set upon a course of action; one moment he had set his hand upon Rezello, and in the next Rezello felt the world around him shift as he was suddenly moved in an instant to the other side of the sergeant, now on his feet.
As his mind caught up with his body, he heard Ludvig speak, realizing as he glanced at the man that he had already cut the prisoner loose. Turning to face the sergeant, whose focus was on attempting - and failing - to strike Carnatia, Rezello summoned his bec de corbin, swinging the hammer-head in a low sweeping motion at the man's legs as he stumbled backwards from Carnatia's counterattack.
At Carmen's suggestion, Rezello and the others made their way to the tavern, following after their quick-moving companion. Mirielle initially lagged behind, blatantly taken aback by Amanitia's misinterpretation of the relation between her and Amaris, but caught back up with them quickly enough. While the others ordered - certain requests drawing the ire of the bartender present, though thanks to some luck the cook apparently knew the more fanciful orders well enough - Rezello took a seat at one of the open tables, looking around the tavern.
Empty. Not necessarily a surprise, given the time, though he expected a tavern in a city as busy as Dragon's Maw seemed to be would have had at least a few patrons. Another stroke of luck, perhaps. As much as they could try to keep a low profile, a group like theirs would almost certainly draw attention from others. Plus, it meant Carnatia, Ludvig, and Amaris - the latter two deciding to add some of the same as what Carnatia had ordered to their meals - wouldn't have to wait for someone else's order to finish... or, as would be more likely, delay them from getting started
As the cook was working on the more complicated orders, the barkeep brought out his "best in da east" sausage rolls and a collection of drinks. Though Rezello hadn't yet put in an order, it seemed as though the barkeep had read his mind, bringing pretty much exactly what he would have chosen. Plus, it was on the house, apparently.
"Quite a colourful bunch you have here. Can't say yous are the most unusual though. I've seen more mercs like you folks cross the border in these past two years. Usually they got no papers with them, means one-way trip to no man's land. You, eh... got a similar purpose?"
"More unusual than us, eh?" Rezello glanced at his companions for a moment before turning back to Oswald. "You must see some interesting people out here on the frontier, friend. As for our purpose, well, I can't really say. Details weren't really a part of my job description, I'm just here to try to keep these people safe. As for a 'one-way' trip, well... Whatever we're here to accomplish, I'm hoping it'll turn out two-way. I expect most of my allies here would agree."
He lifted a sausage roll to his mouth, the jaw of his mask moving with his own as he started eating. Better to maintain secrecy, even if this man was just a barkeep trying to make a bit of friendly conversation. Besides, it wasn't exactly a lie; he didn't know too much about the mission, aside from what he was told during his initial briefing and had been discussed on the party's first night together. Whatever wasn't already known to the public must have been that way for good reason.
"But, who knows how things will turn out. Tell you what, though, if I do return, I'll be coming back for some more of the best sausage rolls in the east."
Rezello refilled his glass, taking another drink of the unusual wine as the archbishop returned with another individual, an addition to their band. A white-haired woman in an unusual garb, similar to that worn by some of the female members of the faith that he had encountered before, though distinctly more threatening in design. The former inquisitor seemed to recognize the significance of the outfit; as soon as she saw the new member, her demeanor shifted abruptly, her focus directly intensely upon the "penitent" as she introduced herself. From her words, it seemed she may have been famous- infamous? For something, though her name wasn't one Rezello recognized. Regardless of whatever past she might have had, he had been hired to protect his allies, not pry into their histories, and so to him she was no different than any of the others.
While Osric and Carnatia introduced themselves to their new member, Ludvig had apparently started stumbling his own way through a first impression - first with a spit-take at Amaris's initial appearance, followed by suddenly appearing behind her and trying to touch the back of her hood. An attempt quickly foiled by a combination of spikes manifesting from the hood itself and a set of chains similarly appearing from the ground, the former impaling Ludvig's hand and the latter narrowly missing it as they snaked through the air with sharp, angular turns, a startled reaction sending him recoiling to the ground. Unsurprisingly, Ludvig's shenanigans were not taken well by the newcomer, and as he made his way back to his feet she explained her past, evidently as a warning against such behavior. With an apology, he left the room, followed shortly after by Lynx.
Carmen was the next to leave the hall, with Mirielle quickly finishing what remained of her meal before chasing after him, presumably to discuss something about their latest addition to the party. Matters of faith and such. Whatever the case, Osric had the right idea with his previous toast. Some degree of tension was always inevitable in groups like theirs, and no good would come from letting them get out of hand. After all, it was Rezello's job to protect his newfound allies, even if that meant protecting them from each other. As long as they could remain civil with each other, hopefully it wouldn't come to that.
"How about you, Rezello? This feel like those carefree camaraderie from missions in your past?”
"Well, it's not the most cohesive group I've worked with, but for a band of strangers we certainly could be doing worse. For now, I'm keeping my hopes up that any internal strife we have had thus far can be sorted out soon enough, once we have had time to know each other better... and perhaps depend upon one another. Nothing like a bit of mutual reliance to build solidarity."
Most adventuring parties Rezello had been a part of in the past tended to be smaller than their current group, perhaps half the size. Larger groups like this were typically reserved for more dangerous or otherwise difficult jobs; the expedition from two years ago came to mind, as the group then had been roughly the same size - minus the support crew. Obviously, given the nature of their mission, no such group would be joining them for this. Beyond the typical routines of travel, very little happened during the first near-month of their journey. Lynx had taken it upon herself to handle much of the logistics of their supplies; something to keep herself occupied, or perhaps as a way of trying to prove herself useful to the others. For most of the journey, Rezello had returned his armor to Armory to reduce any unnecessary weight, though he kept his spadone on hand as a cautionary measure. Luckily, such preparation proved unnecessary, as they arrived in Dragon's Maw without incident.
As they reached their stop, Rezello dismounted his horse, stretching his legs for a moment as he looked around. Returning his weapon to Armory within the safety of the frontier city's heavily fortified walls, he thought about setting out to find himself a meal. Preferably something meaty, but not dried or otherwise preserved - he had eaten more than enough of that in the past 25 days. The pork Carnatia described sounded appealing, though her mention of "fine" dining was... less so.
It seemed Rezello wouldn't be the only one entering unfamiliar territory. An exciting prospect, to be sure, but of course entering such lands on official business was always different from traveling as an adventurer. Their group would be representing their employers in the Order, after all, rather than themselves as individuals. Then again, from Carmen's brief outburst it seemed that the rest of the Order had never intended for their mission to take place in the first place. Politics putting on a facade of morality while getting in the way of truly positive action, from the sound of it, but he wouldn't pretend to understand the scope of such things.
He could, however, relate to the feeling of frustration at the inaction of others. While he hadn't been the only one left untouched by the incident in Scheel twelve years ago, to his knowledge he was the only one that had been actively trying to discover its cause. Of the twelve other members of his former conroi, he had crossed paths with four of them since their disbandment of the Sten Corps. They had taken up the life of an adventurer, as he had, though none did so with the same purpose. Thinking of the other surviving knights again, he couldn't help but wonder where they might be now. Perhaps some of them had ended up traveling into Tretagor; the constant wars there would certainly provide plenty of opportunity to a prospective mercenary, had they chosen to go down that path.
Realizing he was starting to become lost in his thoughts again, Rezello dispelled the lingering memories from his consciousness and set his mind towards the present and the future - for example, the meal in front of him that he had yet to finish. He worked away at the meat and soup he had taken, listening in on what seemed to be the tail end of Carnatia's insight into the politics of the situation. Intricacies that were well beyond his understanding - it made him glad that the officials in Westernant hadn't chosen to grant him the same sort of title and standing that they had done for her, for such things would've been wasted upon him.
As Carmen and Mirielle made their comments on the elves, Rezello could feel the spirit within his mask begin to stir.
Elves, scheming? Sluggish? Surely not. Humans are just impulsive. Don't know how to form a proper plan of action, or...
Rezello ignored the voice now rambling within his head and continued eating, concluding his meal with the remainder of his wine.
The Order of the Golden Sun. Though not well-versed in the world's various religions, the Order was one that Rezello had heard about more frequently than most during his adventures, be it from traveling priests, clerics that he had occasionally allied with while undertaking jobs too much for an individual to handle, adherents keen on sharing their faith with others, and other such individuals. From what they shared, he knew that the Order was powerful, but it wasn't until he had been hired on as a Pontificate and brought to the temple in Helvetia's capital that the full extent of its influence became apparent to him.
Seated in the Glory Hall, he silently scanned the decorations and paintings adorning the walls as he awaited the others, wondering to himself what sort of character and accomplishments the individuals depicted in the latter must have had in order to earn such veneration. Lost in thoughts, he hardly even noticed his future allies begin to arrive, his focus only broken by the Archbishop's welcoming speech. Aside from the man now speaking, seven others had joined the room, one of whom Rezello immediately recognized - Carnatia, the noblewoman who had participated in the same expedition he took part in two years ago.
As the Archbishop's prayer concluded, Rezello joined in with the rest of the group's "Amen", albeit slightly delayed as he was not quite familiar with the customary response. He took a drink of his wine, finding its taste to be roughly within his expectations of what wine is like. There was a hint of something unusual about it, but his palate was hardly refined enough to tell what, let alone fully appreciate it. Regardless, free drink was free drink, and it had given him no reason to complain.
With the prayer and first drinks out of the way, some of the members of the forming party began to introduce themselves. Carmen, the man that had accompanied the Archbishop when he arrived, began, followed by Carnatia. Mirielle, a former inquisitor, came third, then a man named Ludvig - spelled with a v, apparently - and finally Linceleste, a young woman who looked to be roughly the same age Rezello was when he first set out on his adventuring career.
Carmen briefly interrupted any further introductions, inviting everyone to eat. As he talked with the young York woman, Rezello moved to acquire some of the turkey and salmon, along with some soup. When Carmen redirected his question from Linceleste to the group as a whole, Rezello answered, "This will be my first time traveling this far east." Remembering he had yet to introduce himself, he quickly added, "Rezello Fulsteel-Ashton, knight-for-hire."
Appearance: Rezello stands at a height of 6'6", or roughly 198 cm.
Bio: Rezello was born in the city of Scheel, along the southern edge of the Leize river in the northern frontier of Westernant. The second son of one of the families within the Fulsteel lineage of House Ashton, Rezello was chosen as a child to be trained as a knight of the Sten Corps - a tradition within House Ashton that would have fallen upon his elder brother, had he not been a sickly child incapable of taking on that responsibility.
Through their childhood and into their teenage years, Rezello and twelve other sons of House Ashton endured rigorous physical training and education, preparing them for the duty of guarding the city against threats both known and potential; the former from the untamed wilderness to the south, and the latter from the tainted lands to the north, across the waters of the river that it had been built along.
On the eve of his seventeenth birthday, Rezello and the other knights-in-training were armed and sent into the wilderness to prove their capabilities. Each was tasked with hunting and slaying a great beast before returning with a trophy from its carcass to prove their victory; within the span of a week, Rezello tracked and defeated his target, a giant boar. Returning to the outskirts of the city, he reunited with three other trainees who had completed their mission, awaiting the return of the others.
Once the thirteen were all together again, they headed into the city with their trophies, only to find it seemingly abandoned. Leaving behind the proof of their hunt, they searched Scheel for an indication of where their people had gone, but found nothing. Everything seemed to point to a single conclusion: at some point, while they were outside the city, everyone had simply vanished.
The eldest among them, the first to have returned from his hunt and de-facto leader of the thirteen, was the first to speak, declaring that without people to defend, the Sten Corps had no purpose. They had all earned their knighthood for naught, and on his authority he disbanded their order. Taking up his sword, he left the city, heading south. The remaining twelve soon followed suit, each going their separate ways.
Rezello, dissatisfied with merely abandoning the city to its fate, set out in an attempt to find answers; if none could be found within Scheel, he would simply have to find them elsewhere. There had to have been a time when something at least similar had happened somewhere else, he just had to find a record or sign of it.
Early in his newfound quest, while searching ruins not far from Scheel, he discovered a broken mask within the top floor of an abandoned wizard's tower. Holding it up in the limited light that shone through the tower's window-slits, he suddenly felt compelled to don it; upon returning to his senses, he found it fused to his face. With it came a newfound sense of power, along with a voice he did not recognize; it, however, claimed to recognize him.
Two years ago - a decade after he first set out on his quest - he joined an expedition to Nuria in the heart of the Land of Twilight in a last-ditch effort to find the answers he had spent a decade seeking, having exhausted every other lead and intuition he had. By the end of the expedition, he finally put his search to rest; regardless of whether or not he had found what he was looking for, the former population of Scheel remains vanished, their fate a mystery to most. After the expedition, Rezello briefly retired, his original ten-year mission completed, but found that settling down only made him restless and soon returned to the one thing he truly knew well: adventuring.
When the Order set out to recruit Pontificials for their observation mission, Rezello was seen as a suitable candidate for the role of security; while he didn't have much of a reputation among the general populace, his participation in the Nuria expedition granted him some level of reknown among the various authorities of Westernant. Due to the unique nature of his history, he had the skills of a knight without obligation or connection to any existing political or military entity, and while he wielded a small amount of combat magic it was primarily defensive in nature.
As such, he found himself invited to join the observation party. He accepted.
Passives:
Steeled Blood: The men and women of the Fulsteel lineage inherited the tall stature and robust physique of their progenitor, warrior adventurer Redmond Ashton, granting them enhanced strength and endurance.
Heavy Weapons Specialist: Though trained in all manner of weapons as part of his knighthood, Rezello is especially adept with large two-handed weapons such as halberds, warhammers, and greatswords that make the most of his strength.
Spells:
Armory: Grants access to a small pocket dimension, allowing Rezello to swap out between different weapons he has collected. Only mundane weapons can be used with this spell; those that have been enchanted, made using magic materials, divinely forged, or otherwise enhanced beyond purely physical means cannot be stored.
Rezello can also summon and dismiss a set of armor, though only one can be bound to the spell at a time.
Electric Shell: Emits a surge of lightning magic through the metal in Rezello's armor and weapons, electrifying those in contact with him or struck by his melee attacks. Consumes magic energy slowly while idle and rapidly while affecting a target. Ineffective if the target does not normally conduct electricity.
When using his spadone, Rezello can concentrate the lightning into the sword's blade and release it with an attack; for example, swinging the blade unleashes a short-range wave of lightning, while thrusting launches an arc of lightning in the direction of the thrust.
Hold Ground: Channels earth magic through Rezello's legs and into the ground beneath, anchoring him in place and bracing his body against attempts to move him. Energy consumption is proportional to the amount of force resisted.
While using this spell, Rezello can also harden his body, enhancing his resistance to physical damage.
Conjure Sparks: Produces a small flame, too weak to be used offensively but capable of igniting flammable objects, maintaining warmth, or providing light. Multiple sparks can be combined to increase the size of the flame, but not its power.
The flame can be created anywhere within a small area around Rezello, as long as he can see the point of origin.
Mundane Skills:
Survivalist: At a bare minimum, basic survival skills were expected of all members of the Sten Corps, as defending the city often required them to track beasts and monstrosities through the untamed forests that lie beyond its borders.
Equipment Maintenance: Though the Sten Corps styled itself as a proper order of knights, and were recognized as such within Scheel, in truth they were little more than particularly well-equipped guards. Without elements such as the page and the squire to perform tasks like maintaining equipment, it fell upon the knights to do so, either by hiring servants or learning to do it themselves. Rezello chose the latter.
Equipment:
Fulsteel Spadone: A long, thin two-handed sword. Forged in Scheel as a token of his entry into knighthood from a steel alloy denser than those typically used in swordsmithing. Rezello's preferred weapon.
Weapons of the Armory: Rezello's Armory spell currently contains a messer, a pair of long daggers, a pollaxe, a bec de corbin, and a morningstar.
Sten Corps Armor: Blackened armor, consisting of a mix of plate and mail; pauldrons, gauntlets, half-plate rerebraces and greaves protect the limbs, while the torso is covered by a gambeson, hauberk and green-clothed brigandine. A helmet would also normally be worn, but does not fit over Rezello's mask.
Mask of the Tower: A cursed mask of unusual design, fused to Rezello's face. Rigid, with a leathery texture; the jaw is articulated and can move with Rezello's mouth. A spirit trapped within grants him his magic abilities and claims to be familiar with the Ashton bloodline.
Member
Augran
Izurich
Soldat Elf
Lunamaria Hawke
Fetzen
Pandolin
Nallore