VitaVitaAR

The Epic of Beginnings - Fragments of a weathered scroll

"Indeed I do," Nobunaga replied, nodding in response to the Kyrinth's query, "The village elder already desires to restablish a relationship with you. Simply informing him of your willingness and the proposed conditions should go a long way to beginning further discussion and negotiation."

It was not as if this relationship would be formed within a day, after all. Considerable work would have to be done to establish it.

"It may be prudent to offer an idea of the knowledge you possess to teach, and how it could be of benefit," the petite girl continued, "I would avoid offering too much, of course, as the purpose is to make them desire more. The wisdom of one who is one with nature could provide them with so much, and... well..."

A small smile on her lips, Nobunaga gestured to the faun.

"I believe winning the children over may be remarkably easy. Certainly, my companion seems to have been won over."

Putting a face to natural concepts, especially quite an endearing one, could be quite useful for these endeavors.

"But as you mentioned, those who wish to work against you in service of this foolish 'God of Knowledge are still an obstacle," she began, with a wave of one hand. After a moment, the black-haired girl glanced towards the other person who had arrived.

How foolish he was. This matter was hardly so simple.

"Punishing, or even killing them, will not solve the problem at hand," Nobunaga continued, "It is impossibly naïve to think belief in a god would cease because of that. Faith, even when it is self-destructive, is hardly so logical. No, rather... It's not simply the believers we must target."

Nobunaga's smile twisted into a smirk.

"Our goal is simple: We must slay the God of Knowledge."

Killing a god was no easy feat, much less accomplishing it in five days. However...

"It's not as if I believe we can achieve this outcome with violence," the small girl added, "Hardly. Rather, there's more then one way to kill a god, is there not? If worship of a god becomes undesirable, if people suddenly find no reason to pursue what a deity offers... is that not death as well?"

At the very least, it would be death within this village... and a god of knowledge without wisdom or care was a reckless threat to any society that attempted to worship them. The complete loss of such a deity, replaced by those who pursue knowledge with their own capabilities rather then listening to a god, or at the very least learning from someone who possessed wisdom as well as knowledge...

"Rather then simply striking down the cult dedicated to this fool, we must strike down the idea of him in the first place. We much make it so he is utterly without appeal. This is no easy task, but if it can be achieved, then his influence here will fail."

Eroding confidence in a leader was an excellent way to collapse his support, after all.

"But in order to stand a chance of achieving this goal, I must know everything I can about this God of Knowledge," Nobunaga said, "And I must be able to exploit this knowledge and craft it into a weapon with which to slaughter him. At least in the minds of the people of this village."

@PaulHaynek@Rune_Alchemist@PKMNB0Y

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Fantasy Knight RP

I've removed you from the tag. Since you never mentioned leaving I forgot to take it out.

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Fantasy Knight RP

Hey, sorry if that seemed kind of rushed everyone.

I wasn't sure if I should condense everything into one post or spread it out, but I decided since there wasn't much that could be seen from the safe observation angle that would change the next move it was best to avoid having most of the players be idle and wait and move things forward instead.

Apologies for the kind of clunky transition it resulted in.

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Fantasy Knight RP

Fanilly considered the proposals for approaching the fort. While getting close with stealth was undoubtedly an ideal approach, it seemed difficult even utilizing the long grass... Though perhaps the naga was more capable of stealth simply due to her nature? But if they delayed longer, then it was possible that there was no way that whatever force currently occupied the fort would be able to prepare...

... But...

... Something was strange. Something didn't make sense. If the fort was being occupied... where was everyone? At this distance, it should have been possible to see someone on the walls, someone somewhere.

But there was no-one. For that matter, there was seemingly no sign the walls had been sieged at all. The fort seemed as if it was almost untouched from the outside... Just what was going on? Surely if there had been an attack...

Something didn't add up.

"... Very well, go ahead and take a look. If anyone spots you, signal us immediately."

Once Dame Maritza and Sir Jarde had proceeded ahead, Fanilly found herself sinking deep into thought...

... What if they were too late? What if something had gone terribly wrong? What if everyone in the fort was dead already?

Unfortunately for the scouting team, there was little more that could be discerned on approach and thus nothing to be reported. Without going too close to avoid being seen, it seemed as if the north door was intact and there was absolutely no-one on the walls.

When they signaled to approach...

The knights were able to proceed right up to the north gate without being stopped. On closer inspection it wasn't even shut...

But within...

The first and foremost among these details was what had been done to the south gate. The doors were reinforced, capable of barring entry to anyone but those using siege weaponry or potent magic. They had been destroyed, splinters of wood scattered across the ground, one of the doors even smashed off its reinforced hinges and lying on the ground. And within...

Corpses.

The bodies of the soldiers who had occupied the fort were visible, now. Not all of them, but enough to make it clear what had happened. Bodies lay strewn across the fort's open entryway. They had died through various means, more and more discernible as the knights approached. Some had been stabbed, others riddled with arrows, some burned... and some seemingly hit with extreme force, limbs at odd angles. Whatever the case had been, the fort's soldiers had been absolutely massacred.

And inside, Fanilly could see a man wearing Thaln's colors frantically raising a crossbow. Spurring her horse on, she tried to get to his assistance...

A crimson spear pierced his chest before he could even aim.

"You could have just surrendered, but you had to throw it all away, didn't you?" said a voice, as the spear's wielder came into view. It was a strange tone, somewhat... squeaky in a way that might be endearing if not for the situation. The wielder's appearance was that of an extremely pale, petite girl with dark blue hair in pigtails, her eyes as crimson as her spear. The armor she wore was light, leather, overlapping to provide better protection. "What a wasted life."

Almost immediately, Fanilly drew her sword, cold fury in her eyes. This girl... she was responsible for this...!?

"Drop your weapon immediately, or the Iron Roses will kill you where you stand," she said, her tone cold and piercing. This girl had just slain a soldier of Thaln right before their eyes. If she did not immediately surrender, her execution would be immediate rather then after imprisonment.

"... Ah?" the spear-wielding girl looked up, resting her weapon on her shoulder. "... Ohhh, those Rose knights, huh? Heh, your captain's just as cute as I heard. I wonder if that's why you all follow her so closely?"

In spite of the situation, the leather-clad girl grinned.

"You don't have to be mad," she continued, "These aren't the noble soldiers of Thaln you think they are, or whatever the blazes you were thinking. Just go inside and you'll see what's really going on."

She shrugged.

"I dunno what happened here either, to be honest. Fuckin' bloodbath if I ever saw one."

This was... they weren't Thaln's soldiers? But they were wearing the colors, the armor... what was going on? To Fanilly, it sounded like a trap. She'd just seen her kill a man in Thaln's colors, and yet she was expected to believe that this girl wasn't actually killing a soldier of Thaln?

It didn't make any sense, but if it was a trap... then it also was a rather poor one...

The blue-haired girl sighed, cocking her head. Her pigtails bobbed. "What, are you going to attack me? Fine then. But it's not going to magically make your assumptions right."

She snickered. If they had taken this entire fort, there were surely other fighters somewhere around here...

@HereComesTheSnow@TheFake@Crimson Paladin@PaulHaynek@FlappyTheSpybot@Raineh Daze@ghastlyinc@Krayzikk

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Fantasy Knight RP

Going to be updating tomorrow.

Dawn Beyond Tomorrow: A Magitech distant postapocalyptic action-adventure RP

Just checking to see if everyone's okay.

The Epic of Beginnings - Fragments of a weathered scroll

Nobunaga brushed off the statements by the new arrival. She had little interest in openly discussing her own otherworldly nature(nor any reason to reveal that she was the same as him).

No, she had a far more important purpose.

A smile crossed the small girl's lips.

"In that case, my proposal is a simple one," she began, "It is plain to me that the value of access to the forest was not enough to override the desire for knowledge, even if they lack any idea of how this pursuit could effect them."

She spread her arms.

"Of course, you could merely insist this pursuit was punished in forming a new deal, but even the threat of punishment cannot stay the desire for knowledge," Nobunaga continued, "As such, that desire must be met with something else. Not only must this adherence to this reckless and careless God of Knowledge be punished, but an outlet for the desire for knowledge must be provided."

Nobunaga's smile grew. She had considered this the moment that the Kyrinth spoke of the root of the trouble between itself and the villagers.

"The villagers are to protect the forest, to ensure that it will flourish, to treat it as valuable not only for the sake of the resources they require but also for its own sake," the warlord continued with a flourish of one hand, "Because the guardian of the forest is also their beloved teacher."

The value placed on a teacher, someone who gave their knowledge to others, was high. And in a world like this... there was so much that the elder beast could share, wasn't there?

"You cannot move against this god directly, but you can supplant its purpose," the very thought of punishing the reckless god of knowledge in such a way, even if he had long sense moved on from this experiment, was pleasing to the practical-minded girl, "Those who seek knowledge will merely need to consult with the teacher they knew from childhood. The one whose very existence is tied to the natural world, whose knowledge of this world improves their lives."

She had no way of knowing just what the Kyrinth knew, but its very nature as a beast of the natural world and the title of 'Elder' implied wisdom if nothing else.

"Replace this god of knowledge. The value of not only access to the forest, but of a teacher who is far less reckless and far more wise, who will become beloved for the knowledge they pass on, will seal a renewed pact with the villagers. After all, knowledge is a valuable thing, and thus those who can provide that knowledge are beyond value."

It was something of a gambit... but surely, the capacity to guarantee care for the forest improve giving knowledge, and also begin wearing down the reckless deity's influence... it had to count for something, didn't it?

@Rune_Alchemist@PKMNB0Y@PaulHaynek

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Fantasy Knight RP

@Krayzikk: Is everything okay?

Dawn Beyond Tomorrow: A Magitech distant postapocalyptic action-adventure RP

The left path shared some similarities with the right. Just as was the case on the right side, the glow proved to be the work of a multitude of glowcaps, covering nearly every surface in the tunnel. Joining them in this case were a multitude of vines hanging down from the ceiling, immediate recognition of the species rendered difficult due to the lighting and their generic appearance. Still, this implied potentially more lush growth deeper in the cavern.

This time, however, it became apparent just why the glowcaps were so numerous.

Roughly five meters on into the left path, was the relatively fresh corpse of a carrier bird. While it was still most certainly dead for more then a day or so, that was still fairly fresh given how difficult to access this part of the cavern must have been. The implication was obvious, there must have been another entrance to this cavern elsewhere... or the building that had fallen into the pit wasn't as empty as first expected.

Glowcaps had already begun to grow on the body, but it was mostly still visible. On closer inspection, another grisly discovery would be made: The carrier bird's body was savagely torn open, much of the meat and internal organs gone. The entire underside of its neck had been torn away as well, and given the particular density of glowcaps there it was likely the animal had been killed by having its throat torn open.

The presence of a saddle was also concerning, though no human body was present.

@Pyromania99@Raineh Daze

The Epic of Beginnings - Fragments of a weathered scroll

So that was it.

The machinations of another deity, and those who chose to connect themselves to it, were the reason for the collapse of the deal between the Forest's Ruler and the people. And on top of that, the Kyrinth's personal feelings on it seemed to be one of mild disappointment rather then anger...

In a way, a lack of animosity between both parties was both a boon to their cause... and a setback. Without a particular grievance or incident, it became harder to address it specifically. Additionally, the fact the Kyrinth had no particular attachment to the land and could simply relocate the forest in its entirety...

But Nobunaga would not be discouraged from her cause.

"So it is the actions of those who still cling to the ideals of this god who threatens the very land they live upon?" Nobunaga asked, casting one glance back towards the new arrival before refocusing on the great deer once more, "Unable to see the danger through the allure, I see."

She took a deep breath.

"Still, there are those within the village who wish to rekindle the lost relationship between you," the petite continued. Indeed, the town's chief was quite happy to hear that she was willing to attempt to reform their deal, and she could not imagine that desire was absent from the rest of the townsfolk.

Then perhaps...

"You may have no particular need to remain on this land... but are their not animals who dwell within this forest who would be incapable of moving with it? Those with young, those who have attachment to a strict territory, or any other myriad of reasons. This sacred grove and all within it may be able to depart, but there are still creatures that would be destroyed not by a natural cycle where one animal feeds upon another, but by the upheaval of what lies sealed beneath this land and the waters that would rush in to contain it."

Nobunaga paused for a moment.

"Of course, my concerns to that regard may be unfounded," she added. It was impossible to know for certain just what kind of capabilities the Kyrinth had in regards to the creatures that lived in the forest, but it was unlikely it was specifically sending those beasts from before to attack the town based on its own lack of malice.

With that being said, then perhaps it was worth appealing to its concern for native creatures living outside of the grove itself.

To be truthful, a God of Knowledge sounded far more like a figure that would appeal to her under other circumstances... But Nobunaga detested what she had heard here. Seeking knowledge and away to better the future was all well and good, but it was utter foolishness to pursue it to destruction. Knowledge had to be acquired with wisdom, not with recklessness.

Nobunaga placed a hand to her chest.

"Regardless, I have proposal, if you should be willing to hear it."

@Rune_Alchemist@PKMNB0Y@PaulHaynek