[System]
Age: 20 years

Gender: Male

Status (wealth) : Lower class, disguised as an Upper Class (has the same status as a farmer or beggar, but is pretending to be a Duke)

Appearance + Mask : Beautifully slim looking man with slender hands and an enduring smile. His skin is pale and soft to the touch, and his eyes glow a light green much like a cat's. Brown hair tumbles into his eyes and just barely reaches his neck.

Any weapons to be brought in: Weapons? Why, of course not! Only a hidden dagger or two, just in case someone is onto him about his identity...

Job/Occupation: Thief

Personality: Ladies of both old and young ages agree that Duke Indigo is a charming young fellow, though they've never seen him at a Masquerade before. Indigo is a loving, caring individual with a big heart and a humble mind. That's how everyone pictured Indigo before the incident. Frederick, if he ever shows what's under the mask, is an arrogant, selfish, and cruel young boy who is only in it for the money. It would take a stubborn person and a strong heart to really soften his ego.

Backstory: As a child, Frederick grew up with two goals in life; to become rich and help his parents out of debt. All the jobs he ever took on were either disgusting or gruesome, and he hated working for the higher ups. Especially Duke Indigo. Even though they were the same age and looked alike, they were nothing alike. Indigo was too nice, too caring, too self-centered. He used the taxes to help other places instead of his own, which pissed off Frederick to the point of killing him. No one needed to know he was dead; no, Frederick would fill in and pretend to be Duke Indigo for a little while, maybe until the Masquerade.

Theme song (optional): None

Any other info (optional):

Doesn't matter the gender; as long as they have some rich connections, he doesn't care.

- Willing to do anything just to impress the Upper Class, whether it's juggle or jump off a roof. Only if they were willing to pay for a show.

- He is absolutely in love with animals. Show him an animal and he'll treat it with care.

- Certain things seem to tick him off, even though they are little. Scraping a fork on a plate, the sound of glass breaking, and obnoxious laughter make the thief cringe outwardly.

- He thinks all Upper Class are snobby, but can be persuaded to think otherwise by the right person.

[User]
The king of Afterclaw proceeds down the hallways of his castle, servants scuttling in his wake as he fits a snug mask over his ancient but handsome features. He reaches the guards stationed at the main door and nods at them, once before giving a command.
"Open the Gates"

[Assistant]
The wind blew on that glorious night of the Masquerade. The weather wasn't too hot, too cold, not in Indigo's opinion. No, the weather was just perfect for dancing with fair maidens, flirting with a princess or two, drinking the night away... And, of course, stealing the King of Afterclaw's treasures. Yes... That most certainly was the highlight of this trip.

Stepping out of the carriage, the brunette looked around him with an aura of elegance. People knew who Duke Indigo was; a man of pure kindness and a humble thinking process. He wasn't supposed to walk by a poor, homeless hag without sparing a gold coin. That was who Duke Indigo was, but that most certainly didn't speak for the selfish Frederick. The thief who was on the loose for countless bounties of theft, and he was possibly charged with murder. But no one would find out it was Frederick under the metaphorical mask; instead, it would be Indigo under the literal mask on his face.

He dipped his head to a group of women passing by and approached them. "Ah," one woman began, looking in her thirties, "if it isn't Duke Indigo of Rendisone! I didn't expect you to be here."

Indigo laughed and shook his head. "My dear lady, I've never had the time in the past to come... Work projects, certain happenings at the mansion... I thought I would stop thinking about work and come have some fun for once. I am quite excited for what lies ahead." The women laughed with him, going on ahead into the party as he was stopped by a guard. "Ah, yes... Invitation."

He dipped his hand into his coat pocket, pulling out the paper for him. The guard checked it, then looked at Indigo's eyes under the mask. "Any weapons we need to know about, Duke? It'd be a shame if we were to have you kicked out during the festivities."

Indigo smiled kindly at the guard. This smile was fake, but it didn't seem fake to the man in front of him. It even seemed fake to the female guard that approached to listen to the Duke. "Why would I need a weapon?" He laughed like a carefree sailor, his body covered by the black cape he was wearing. Even if they tried, they would be able to find the dagger... Or so he hoped. "I promise you, if anything goes badly or someone sneaks in unauthorized, I trust you guards to take care of it. Ta ta~!" He moved swiftly past the two and into the party, prepared for whatever might come at him.

[User]
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Naina got ready. Fitting the shoulder less dazzling white gown over herself. It had a full skirt with a lacy navy bow in the back and glittered with small navy blue diamonds stitched in at the edges. She fit her mask over her face and left her tiara in its special box. No one should know who she was, obeying the rules of the masquerade and if she wore her tiara it would give it away for sure. She went out of her room where the guards stationed there bowed at her. She exited the palace by using the garden door and then winding all the way back to the front to enter like every other guest did. She reached the guards at the front and handed them her invitation. She murmured something under her breath to them, to let them know that she was the princess so they could look out for her before entering the huge ballroom. Once inside she saw a man with brunette hair who was looking around him. She swept her skirts around her and made her way to him. She gave a small smile and a greeting.
"How are you finding the ball so far?"She asks him.

[Assistant]
Rosetta was filled with anxiety, she couldn't believe she had managed such an invitation. Although at the same time this hadn't beem her first time attending such an event since her father was so well known in the upper class world.

Rosetta patted off her emerald green ball gown as she exited her coach. She held herself tall as she walked eloquently to the gates. Around which the gardens were absolute perfection!
"Stunning! Very well taken care of which I absolutely impressive what they much pay in their up keep" Rosetta said aloud to herself before noticing the guard.

She hurried to him amd handed him her invite, "Rosetta Marie Holland my good sir." The guard just looked at the paper and nodded, "Any weapons Miss.Holland?" Rosetta smiled a lovely smiled and with a bit of flushed cheeks she leaned to him and said, "If I were to say yes would you give me a full search? I might enjoy a pat down from someone as muscular as you." She giggled and then waved to the guard, "I am sorry just having a bit of fun I am actually rather nervous I have no need for weapons." The guard opened the door for her then seeming rather unphased by her playful joke so Rosetta just adjusted her mask and stepped inside.

Looking around she seen two others nearest the door, finding it better to avoid people for now she made her way to the banquets to find herself a snack. This she had hoped would ease her nerves. Rosetta was not a child anymore and wouldn't be sent to the children's wing for a ball, no this time she was stuck here to mingle and hopefully not embarrass herself.

[User]
Quinton

The young butler started to head into the castle through the side as the invitation to work as a temporary butler to a noble for the night was allowed by his Cafe's boss, Skylar. It was quite surprising that he would get an invitation to anywhere, and even more so to a fancy ball such as this event. His red mask to cover his eyes, he heads through the security checkpoint without too much trouble...not really worried that his Bracelet of Holding nor Handkerchief of Magical Detection would get him in trouble. The fancy suited butler decided to find a noble that seemed to need his attention and commit himself to attending to her, preferably a her, for the ball. After all, he kept having an itching feeling to serve a person and ended up using his Handkerchief to look for a magical individual if possible. Eventually, he reaches a noble youthful lady of sorts and does a deep bow to her.

"Good evening madam, my name is not of high honor nor nobility. Tis just a normal name called Quinton and I have come upon a troubling predicament. You see, I was somehow allowed to participate in the ball as a guest though I am merely a servant...however, I do have a strange feeling to do my actual duties in aiding a person. If you don't mind, would it be alright if I served as your butler for the night? Whatever the lady desires within fit and mature matters, I will do my best to accomplish it."

[Assistant]
Western formal wear was definitely something else. Khalid didn't completely understand the point of a shirt, and a tie, and a vest, and a jacket, but it was what the Westerners did and he didn't feel like standing out tonight. Besides, the suit was a beautiful silver color with a long back and he rather liked it. So maybe there was something to suits after all.

Once he was sure his tie was on properly, he put his mask on and did a double check in the mirror. To him, his eyes still stood out as being not very human, but the gold of the mask seemed to down-play the flickering light a bit. Hopefully it would be a decent enough disguise.

He double-checked to make sure he had his invitation - something he was still rather surprised he had received - and before he knew it, he was at the gates.

Khalid offered his invite and allowed the guard to pat him down for weapons, and then he was allowed in. If there was any place to make trade agreements, this would be the place, and Khalid fully intended to take the opportunity.

[User]
Indigo smiled at the woman. She looked fine; beautiful dress, beautiful mask, beautiful face... He wondered if she was nobility or just a pretty peasant. Regardless, he bowed to her lowly. "Ah, milady," he said, voice full of velvet. He looked around him one last time before staring into her face. "The ball? It's fantastic, so far. I've only just come in, so I'm not quite sure what to think of it... I'm ready to have some fun around here; dancing, eating, chatting with beautiful women such as yourself... I'm ready for all of it."

He was also ready to sneak away during the party to take a good look at the King's treasury. He would never mention that to someone, though, especially since the king was possibly nearby. He eyed around the room for the male; no one, just a butler and another fair looking woman, and a fancy man walking into the ball. Nothing suspicious, nothing out of the ordinary... This was going to be an easy one.

Indigo looked at the woman. "I am Indigo. And who might you be, young woman? Possibly nobility? I wouldn't be surprised if you were, if I might say so myself."


[System]
0 - The Fool
Rui Shinichi - Askr
I - The Magician
Matthew Harvester - Kresnik
II - The Priestess
Shirohane Kotori - Kikuri-hime
III - The Empress (NPC)
Hamada Leiko - Titania
IV - The Emperor (NPC)
Sutoraiki Kaminari - Zeus
V - The Hierophant
Samuru Amakusa - Shiro Amakusa
VI - The Lovers
Ryan Alon - Geraint
VII - The Chariot
Akane "Saito" Hanezawa - Setanta
VIII - The Justice
Katsuro Takuma - Giles Corey
IX - The Hermit
Ayano Wakahisa - Dantalion
X - The Fortune
Hashimoto Sato - Chronos
XI - The Strength (NPC)
Noboru Yamamoto - Atlas
XII - The Hanged Man (NPC)
Alexei Dragunov - Prometheus
XIII - The Death (NPC)
Chiaki Nettu - Freyja
XIV - The Temperance
Shizuka Otonashi - Inari
XV - The Devil
Jun Himura - Mordred
XVI - The Tower (NPC)
Fubuki Sayaka - Arachne
XVII - The Star (NPC)
Sieghardt Kasumi - Saturnus
XVIII - The Moon
Mako Moritomi - Israfil
XIX - The Sun
Zeke - Yatagarasu

The Story Thus Far
NOTE: This will only include story relevant events.

The beginning of the school term was nearing, and Rui had recently moved into Warakuma and was going to be attending soon. He met Noboru, who was a childhood friend of his shortly after arriving, and soon after he met Kami. Eventually the three went to the Warakuma Amusement Park, and after Noboru separated, Kami and Rui were drawn into the House of Mirrors.

After a series of strange events, they enter the Mirror World for the first time, and summon their Personas with the help of Kazuki, who happened to be there at the time. They were led out and informed of the Mirror World and the events that have taken place around it.

Shortly after discovering this, Noboru was taken into the Mirror World involuntarily. With the help of Kazuki and Megumi, Kami and Rui find the dungeon Noboru was in, and rescue him. Shortly after these events, Noboru was now part of the party.

In the following week, Matthew Harvester was taken, and police involvement resumed on the mass abductions originating from a year ago. Noboru, Rui and Kami responded quickly and went into the Mirror World to rescue him, also adding him to the party at the end of it.

With Golden Week near way Leiko Hamada was next, and just as quickly the party of four rescued her with the assistance of Riku. From then on, Kami formed the Investigation side, while Rui took care of the Dungeon side.

Shortly afterward, Chiaki Nettu was taken, and the team put together a rescue effort that resulted in a success. Meanwhile, Kami's investigation was showing up little results, as kidnappings so far seemed to be random, so no pattern was discernible.

Not long before midterms, Akane Hanazawa was taken, and the party put together a team to rescue her. The rescue was a success, leading to Akane joining the party. What followed after was a double kidnapping however, where Sato and Kotori were captured.

In the following week the team went to both dungeons and rescued both Sato and Kotori, subsequently the two joined the party as well.

The next week, Ayano and Kami had met up at the shopping center, and after a few events that had transpired, Ayano was captured, and immediately the next day Kami brought everyone together to rescue Ayano. After a difficult dungeon, it was found that Ayano had a more unique power as a Persona user, after she had been rescued.

Ayano's powers were put to the test during an emergency roughly a week later, when Alexei pursued cultist members as they kidnapped his sister, forcing his way into the mirror world. With Ayano's powers the party pinpointed their position and started a rescue mission for both Alexei and his sister Elena.

It was a success, with Alexei joining the team shortly afterwards, although with little time for rest, two more were taken the next week. Those two were Sieghardt, a member of the Drama club, and Ryan, a timid member of the Manga club.

Rui and Kazuki led two separate parties to rescue them in the coming weekend, though Rui's party run was smooth and Ryan was rescued without much incident, Kazuki did not have a much better time, and ended up requiring assistance, to which Rui and his party after rescuing Ryan, reinforced in the effort to rescue Seighardt. It was a resounding success, and the two were rescued safely.

After some investigation by Kami, he managed to find an unsettling truth after pinpointing the cult behind the attacks. The Junsei Sekai Tensei, or Perfect World Resurrection, was an old cult that has been around for awhile. There was one problem though, and that it's leader has gone completely MIA, and his wife died one year ago, despite the cult members passing mentions in a police interrogation.

Fast forward a week later, the Star Drop Café was attacked, and Mako, Shizuka, and Masahide were abducted by members the cult the party was pursuing. Aiko was injured, and Noboru sat this out to watch over him while everyone else successfully rescued the abductees.

Following this event, Jun Himura was abducted by the cult, and a Katsuro Takuma was caught in the crossfire, as well as many others. After a struggle from Jun Himura, it resulted in multiple of the abductors to be thrown into the mirror world as well. This resulted in strange knight enemies found within the dungeons, which were actually the people who were accidentally thrown into the mirror world.

After a rescue requiring two parties to go through different routes in the dungeon, everyone was rescued successfully. Though that has been resolved, tensions among Yakuza, authorities, combined with the presence of the Junsei Sekai Tensei cult, has made things uncomfortable for a few people.

That aside, summer break has begun but not two days into it, an incident has occurred in the Mirror World. Before they could investigate, Zeke, the hawk, guides everyone through to a new area called Seto, a giant lake and sea. Immediately they detect someone inside of it, much like the dungeons before, however upon reaching it, it's much smaller, but the threat to the person trapped here is all the same.

Rui takes a party in to rescue Samuru, while Kami takes another party to investigate Seto's immediate area. After a battle against Samuru's shadow, he awakens to his Persona and joins the team shortly after, while Kami's group sets their first foot into Seto's open areas, which starts as Japanese village and goes on into the fields.

Throughout the week everyone in varying parties explores this new area and progresses through it. Though considering this is Summer Break, Tadao offered everyone to take a trip to the beach for the weekend, which everyone accepted.

The Velvet Room - Challenges and Services

Challenge Rules and System

Character Moves and Skills

Collected Cards

Player Status

[User]
Shinza Shopping District - After School
23/5/2015 Saturday

Rui had ruffled through his pockets randomly on the way out of school and found the note with Shizu's addressed scrawled on it... Now that he thought about it, he didn't know her actual name, just her maid name, Shizu. Well it probably wasn't that big a deal. He wondered if he could wear one or two of those outfits into the dungeons... It'd be pretty fun, he knew Noboru and Leiko would be the most down for that.

The piece of paper had the shop name and address on it. The shop was unsurprisingly placed in the Shinza Shopping District, though at the same time it was on the side that was closer to the main new urban shopping centers. Soon he arrived to 'Otonashi Tailors'. It seemed like a fairly regular store, a bit on the high side, but tailors considered that was not unexpected... What should he do? Should he just ask if Shizu was in? Was that even her name? That was her maid name right...?

Well in any case, hopefully she was there so he didn't have to go through that awkwardness. He put the paper away and entered the store.

[Assistant]
Ayano Wakahisa: Warakuma High
 Saturday, May 23rd

Ayano couldn't help but lean back and yawn after the tests have finally ended. Now her doubts have finally subsided and she could go on to focus on more important things...Like the Boss Raid event that's being held at her game right now, if she manages to get home early, she might be able to snag some goodies for herself! The girl knows she tried her best, but some of the questions were just one big puzzle for her, a puzzle that-unfortunately-she doesn't know the answer to. Leaving her to wish that her other scores would make up for it.

After all, this is only the beginning of what is to come in the school year. But...that will have to wait, right now...It's raid time!
Prepping herself, Ayano quickly gathered her things and went on home, ready to start grinding!

Ayano Wakahisa: Wakahisa Residence
 Saturday, May 23rd

Gazing at the clock in her laptop...Ayano can't help but shrug that she's spent her entire day grinding with little spoils of battle...What was the drop rate for these items?! And how come her party members keep on getting the good stuff?

Grumbling to herself that luck is as fickle as always, the girl decided to call it quits in the meantime to focus her attention on other things...

[User]
Shizuka Otonashi || Otonashi Residence || May 23 SAT: After School
Lying on her back atop the bed with a PSP in hands, Shizuka was deeply indulged in the latest edition of this one otome game with pop idols as your possible love interests while the female main protagonist you play as is their composer. This edition had several new love interests to choose from and each individual having their own unique, romantic story. Shizuka giggled softly and blushed from time to time from the cliche shoujo lines the voices spouted. Cliche yet still effective on this innocent maiden who has yet to experience her first romance.

"Ah... These main protagonists from these otome games are blessed from having such cute, romantic experiences with these love interests..." Just as she was daydreaming about the possible romantic shoujo experiences that she would like to have, a knock came upon the door to her room. In a slight panic, she slid the handheld device under her pillow before sitting up right on the edge of her bed. "Ahem... You may enter."

The door opened as a maid bowed before entering, going directly to the point of her intrusion. "Pardon me for my intrusion, young mistress, but a young man by the name of Rui Shinichi is asking for your presence at your mother's tailor shop. Although... He mentioned 'Shizu', instead of your full first name."

"That would be no problem, I'm definitely sure he was referring to me. Thank you for informing me," she bowed her head slightly in gratitude before the maid herself bowed to excuse herself and left the room. "Alright, time for me to work on my tailoring skills."

---

Shizuka Otonashi || Otonashi Tailors || May 23 SAT: After School
Upon entering the store premises, Shizu, who was dressed in a casual dress with a twin braided red wig, asked the staff where they had Rui wait for her at. After being directed towards her mother's office, which was usually empty due to her frequently going off to fashion shows and conferences, Shizuka opened the door to the office to find the upperclassman seated at the chair across her mother's desk.

"Good afternoon, Shinichi-senpai! Sorry to have kept you waiting, I hope it wasn't too much of an inconvenience to you. I've brought the final sketches of the designs with me so please pick one that you want first, with your preferred color while I start with the measurements." As she handed over the sketches to the other and picked up a tape measure, paper and pencil from her mother's drawer, she paused in her movements once she was before the male. Shizu started to stutter as her cheeks blushed a light pink color.

This being her first time to tailor clothes for other people, this was the first time for her to take measurements of someone else, and someone from the opposite gender at that. This might be a little difficult than she had originally thought.

[Assistant]
Otonashi Tailors - After School
23/5/2015 Saturday

The establishment was quite nice, and a little fancy. It seems they did from formal to traditional styles, but were more specialized to fashion and formal. Although she said this was her mother's shop... Except her mother was nowhere to be seen. On the other hand he found himself waiting while the shopkeeper called for Shizu, and he was whisked off to one of the offices. He waited there for awhile, at least ten to twenty minutes, so he had plenty of time to admire the decor.

After awhile, Shizu finally showed up, she was in her casual wear. In comparison to her maid outfit it was more innocent.

"It's fine, your mother has good taste in decoration", he said. He probably looked at that dress over there several times already. She handed him the final sketches for him to look at and likewise he did look at them... Well, if it came down to preferred colours, probably black? And charcoal gray... Maybe red...? Or would blue suit him better? Hmmmm...

At the moment he was too engrossed to really notice anything else.


[System]
Persona Data Sheet:
Nicknames and titles- Woebringer, Fiendhewer, Defender of the Southern Marches, Warden of the Frosthills.

Sex: Male
Age: 25
Race: Human

Height: 6'2
Weight: 210 lbs.
Body Type: Lean, athletic, toned muscles
Skin type/color: Tanned faced and upper torso
Scars/tattoos/birthmarks: Several battle wound scars from arrows and cuts
Hair color: Reddish blond
Hair style: Long, pulled back, just above shoulders.
Eye color: Gray-blue
Eye shape: Wide

Class: Knight-errant
Side: Silvershields

Armor/Clothes worn-

Head: Great Helm over padded arming cap and chain bascinet

Torso: Leather brigandine worn over a mail shirt and gambeson. Heavy black hooded tunic.

Upper arm: gambeson and chain from the shirt

Lower arm: leather and plate vambraces protecting the forearms

Hands: chain and leather gauntlets

Waist: heavy double wrap sword belt

Upper legs: heavy suede pants under the draping edges of the gambeson and mail shirt

Lower legs: mail and plate greaves

Feet: heavy calf boots under the greaves

Weapons- (all lengths are overall lengths):

Main hand/primary: 44-inch long war sword with a hardwood grip wrapped in leather

Offhand/secondary: 28-inch kite shield made of wood reinforced with steel bands.

Other weapons carried:

25-inch long war hammer with hardwood handle on the belt.
10-foot long oak spear with a 13-inch long hewing spearhead.
20-inch long poniard on his belt.

Unique skills/special abilities/magic/technology –

Proficiencies:

Literacy, Languages common, elf. Lore- religious. Land navigation. Celestial navigation. Climbing, acrobatics, swimming. Horsemanship. Wilderness survival. Falconry. Haggling.

Weapon proficiencies:

War/Longsword. Two-handed sword. Lance. Polearm/spear. Mace. Ax. Dagger. Shield. Armor usage.

The three horses of Lars: During a jousting tournament, he has a large chestnut red charger that is heavy and strong. In normal combat areas, he uses a lighter courser that is dappled colored. When Lars is not fighting, he uses a palfrey for riding, which is a sleek black mare.

Persona biography-

Lars is the son of Grim, hence Grims'son or Grimsson. Born in the northern reaches of human lands he grew up in a strict household. His father is a minor lord and raised his sons, all seven of them, to be warriors. Lars is the youngest of the boys and has been overshadowed by his brothers and father in terms of their exploits and heroics.

The early training of Lars included the rules of the court, chivalry, music, writing, and weapons. Lars also became devoutly religious having witnessed what he believed to be an angel who had saved him from death at the edge of a lake. Lars has become extremely spiritual over the years, praying early in the morning and after every battle, believing his purpose is a bulwark against evil in all its myriad of forms.

After several years training, at the age of 10, Lars become a squire to his older brother Hafjarl, where his training focused more on combat. Lars expanded his training in weapons and in particular, he learned the tactics of fighting on horseback. This was one of the most important aspects of becoming a knight and one of the hardest skills to master. As a mounted knight, he witnessed the awe and respect that people paid his brothers throughout the land. At 13 Lars worked hard on the list where he mastered the lance and controlling his horse in melee, mastering these skills, becoming a fierce combatant on horseback.

Having gained his knighthood as a member of the minor nobility, Lars decided that he had to leave the small lands and explore the wider world. In this, he hopes to gain the honor and fame that has eluded him and made him the outcast among his family.

Lars has been traveling the last seven years exploring and learning the ways of the world, yet that one fleeting piece of honor and glory continue to elude his grasp. He has served in many armies in many lands. His name is recognized among many mercenary companies as a skilled warrior and he takes his knightly oath of largess and compassion for the weak as well as his unyielding faith in his Gods so seriously that he has made a name for himself, sadly though he can't see this.

[User]
Karvos was the last to join his companions, his tower shield heavily bloodied after smashing in the face of an unlucky and witless marauding Black Talon member who made the mistake of believing that shields were only used for defense and got a tad too close for comfort. The pointy end of his halberd was similarly soiled, though everything else about him was clean besides a few speckles of blood here and there, none of which were his own. His handsome face was relatively calm and quite focused on the task at hand, which matched the confident yet brisk stride that he took as he approached the rendezvous point before the enemy would have a chance to intercept him while he was on his own. Fighting was one of the few things that he was really good at, so as things stood now, the attackers were not all that impressive to him outside of their numbers. He still couldn't fight everyone alone or would be quickly overwhelmed if left out in the open, plus he was bound to run into more competent enemies if they had made it this far into the city without getting killed off or allowing themselves to be distracted by other things.

He didn't introduce himself to the two, only nodding silently as he took a temporary position between them, standing behind the stagecoach that they were approaching. Although he didn't bother introducing himself, revealing the Silver Shield emblem on his bracer and leaving it at that, he felt like they should get on to business quickly so he spoke up.

"I'll take out whoever you need, just so long as I can point a stick at them," he said confidently. "I'm not one for giving orders, only following them."

[Assistant]
Ioetta nodded in response to her comrades. She cracked her neck to one side and rolled the shoulder of her left arm. Favoring it somewhat due to an earlier glancing blow which had left behind marks and indentations in the armor. Then without further hesitation Ioetta held her kriegsmesser in her right hand and began moving forward. Working to quickly close the 23 or so meters to the stagecoach abandoned in the center of the bridge. The sound of metal gently bumping against into metal echoed as the Silver Shield defenders moved up mixing with the cacophony of their feet on the hard flagstone and the screams across the east end of the city.

Lady Ioetta knew once they began to near the enemy would become aware of their presence. Stealth would be no real aid here, but speed would be. Coming to the front of the stagecoach Ioetta slowed her steps as she stopped before an overturned crate. She took a position along the left hand side and waited.

Without turning her head away from that side of the coach, she gestured for one of them to hold the right side of the coach with a wave of her right hand. At least with three of them they could have one reserve member if one side began to falter. She stood so that the coach blocked her profile until one had nearly rounded the corner-- standing just 6 feet from the driver's seat. Standing so that the crate would block underneath the stagecoach. She hardly wanted her feet shot out from under her in case the enemy had come armed crossbows.

She felt her heart hammering in her chest as sweat beaded down her forward. The adrenalin already coursing through her body in anticipation for the violence soon to follow. She slowed her breathing and waited. There was nothing else left to do for now.

[User]
There it was - the sound of footsteps, quickly approaching from the other side of the bridge. Unsurprisingly, their intrusion didn't go by unnoticed - but at least it spared them of the need to creep around. Gernev halted, eyes quickly darting to the palace gates ahead, then down to the coach, confirming that neither of the positions were taken by archers; relived, he threw all caution to the side, breaking into a run headed straight for the coach.

The orc simply bashed down its door, ramming it in with the full weight of his armor-clad body, but then paused just before entering, turning round to face his comrades. Gesturing Phia to stay hidden, quiet and come inside the coach as well, he peered through one of its windows to capture the enemies' positions, and picking a safe moment to do so, hopped right through it, landing with a sharp metal clank from his plated boots. Setting his left foot forwards, heel in line with the right foot's toes, he took a bold, daring stance, mace hanging low, the arm holding it as if almost lazily relaxed, while raising his longsword overhead, in a manner similar to the Ox stance. Hopefully, by that time, Kirian would be making his entrance as well, and together, they could draw all the guards' attention, letting Phia slink into the coach unnoticed.

One of the slivers of his combat savvy, gathered over years spent in raids and military campaigns, told that the best use for a bow and arrow was ambush, and only second best was keeping the enemy at bay. If all went well, for all the hails of steel that felled the Black Talons from Xoni's walls, it would be the Silver Shields who'd be cursing archers in this battle.

[Assistant]
With each step they took, Lars' voice carried as he uttered a prayer to Graff, the God of war and battle. Each word echoing as the chaos outside the walls dimmed a moment. The soft clank of the chain armor, and the beat of the sword pommel against the shield, enhanced the prayer as they kept time with his cadence.

"You are called Gangleri,
Wandering God,
at home nowhere and everywhere;
You are called Sigtyr,
brilliant in Your battle-glory,
born to conquer, to possess the world;
You are called Grimnir,
and by vitki Yggr,
in honor of Your terrible time upon the Tree.

You are known by these and many other names,
and the paths to You are many.
We praise them all, that You may savor
in each of Your guises,
and by whichever name pleases You the most
the fermentation of our spirits.

May these words please You oh God,
and may You bestow upon us,
whose mouths overflow
with adoration and praise,
the terrible grace of Your blessing."

As he finished he prayer, Lars was at the coach, on the eastern most side, the shield pressed against the back of the coach. It was clear that the enemy was upon them. The stench of Orc filled the air. It was a rotten, putrid smell oozing from their pores; a stench that once cursed with smelling, never forgotten.

Smashing the coach heartily with the shield, Lars snarled as the brutish creature hopped out, "Well Lady, it appears the Black Talons have graced us with their ugliest warriors." The coach on his left shoulder, the shield before him as he let the war sword drop into a low guard, the blade jutting up ever so slightly, his booted feet apart. Rising slightly on the balls of his feet, Lars flexed his knees a tad, ready to react forward or back if need be.

The orc, heavily armored and wielding a mace and longsword assumed a posture that the seemed similar to the Ochs, with the sword up and to the outside. The point of the sword aimed somewhat towards Lar's face.

It was a stance normally requiring both hands on the hilt for stability, yet this Orc seemed supremely assured of his position that he carried it with a single hand. It was clear that the poor bastard had some training, not very good training but some training. At least he would offer some fight. The Ochs stance, although not as stable as others, would protect the Orc well enough, and allow him a counter with a straight thrust. Of course if he was skilled he might turn to cut diagonally down, or pull back to cut from underneath. All this of course was possible from the Ochs; however, this Orc carried a mace as well so those moves must be modified to account for the second weapon.

No matter, Lars already gleaned some insight to his opponent already.


[System]
Age: 25

Gender: Male

Race: Human

Appearance:

Unmasked. Fully Armored. Fleuri stands 5'10'' without his armor.

Personality:
The Jodeau family is known for its devotion to Reon, and originally, Fleuri was no exception. Tutored by priestesses and paladins, he was brought up to be honorable, selfless, and devoted. During his time as a tournament competitor, he cast many of these values off, becoming proud, materialistic and glory-seeking, desiring above all else to obtain the fame and wealth that his family no longer possessed. After being humbled by his near-death experience, he has returned to his old ways as a faithful worshiper of the sun goddess, along with a few pangs of guilt of having fallen so far. He still craves the thrill of tournament combat, and would not be above participating to aid the church again, but for now, he has more important duties.

Those who have met him can attest that Fleuri is a man of action. He is hot-blooded and quick to act or speak, but not necessarily foolish or impulsive- his experience fighting in tournaments taught him the importance of quick thinking and decisive action when windows of opportunity appear. When he speaks, he never makes claims he cannot back up and never makes promises that he does not believe he can keep.

Brief Backstory:
The Jodeau family is a once powerful, now minor noble family in northern Thaln. Over a century ago, its head at the time, Armand Jodeau, dedicated himself and his house wholly to Reon. As proof of his devotion, he gave most of his family's then-considerable land to the serfs that worked them, both to prove his lack of materialism and to demonstrate his devotion to the church's opposition to slavery. Armand would go on to serve a Paladin of Reon and later an Iron Rose Knight before embarking on a quest which he never returned from. Ever since then, the Jodeau family has remained close to the Church of Reon, both to honor Armand and because in their impoverished state, they have become reliant on the charity of the church.

Fleuri was the second child of the Jodeau family and was thus groomed to become a knight. His family had little in terms of wealth or holdings, but the church provided that which his family could not. Consequently, Fleuri received an education from Reonite priestesses and was trained in knightly combat by Reonite paladins. While the rebellion raged, Fleuri served as the squire of a paladin of Reon, battling necromancers that sought to capitalize on the bloodshed and death. As noble as it was, he was frustrated by the unsung nature of their behind-the-scenes quest while others were gaining fame and prestige on the battlefield. When he was knighted, shortly after the end of Phoran Cal's rebellion, he set out into the world to serve as a knight-errant, spreading the word of Reon.

During his travels, he began entering the tournaments in the lands he passed through, where, with many of Thaln's knights dead or disgraced as a result of the war, there was a shortage of contenders. Utilizing the training he had received from the Reonite paladins, Fleuri proved himself a capable tournament fighter, and as time went on, he became increasingly successful on the tourney grounds. At the same time however, he began to drift from his original purpose and turned his mind to fame and wealth. He stopped aiding those he passed, and began planning his journeys solely for the purpose of competing in tourneys.

While traveling to one such competition, he fell deathly ill from a fever and sought aid from the Church. As he laid there, tended to by the priestesses, all he could think about was how he had fallen from his path, more concerned with gold and glory than helping others, and now faced the prospect of dying before he could make amends and correct his mistakes. When he recovered, he attributed it to the will of the goddesses. He renewed his vows and vigil at the church, rededicating himself to fighting evil and aiding the innocent. Fleuri may not have died, but he was reborn.

During the next tournament, he fought harder than he ever had before, and when the dust settled, he was the last man standing in the infantry melee. Hailed as a champion, and standing on the precipice of fame and glory, he proved himself a changed man when he donated the prize to the church and soon afterward petitioned to join the Iron Rose Knights, following in his ancestor's footsteps. Since ending his tournament career, Fleuri has served the order faithfully.

Equipment:
Fleuri owns two suits of armor. The first is the suit he started out with and is normally seen wearing. It was originally a tarnished, battered hand-me-down, but he has added onto and improved it until very little of the original armor remains. The second is his tournament attire, a heavier and more protective suit that bears the livery of the Reonite church, rarely used outside of competitions. His primary weapon is a two-handed sword, his preference for which he picked up as a squire, having come to appreciate its effectiveness at dismembering undead. His other possessions include a dagger as a backup weapon and a gray warhorse for transportation and mounted combat.

Skills:
Fleuri has been trained in the use of a variety of knightly weapons, but he is most experienced and proficient in the wielding of greatswords. He employs an aggressive and surprisingly fast-paced fighting style not atypical for devotees of Reon, moving and attacking far more swiftly than his armor and heavy weapon would suggest. He is additionally skilled in horsemanship and in the use of a cavalry lance, owed to frequent travel and the many jousts he has participated in.

[User]
Fanilly felt her steel clash against another's, as the edge of her dagger locked up the blade of a bandit's sword from the result of a wild swing. She forced him back and swung her longsword up in response, slicing upwards through his body and briefly lodging her blade in his chest. He fell back with a gurgle. To take another's life had long been the greatest obstacle in her mind for her commandment of the Iron Roses. However...

She had surpassed such worries prior to truly taking her spot as captain, for better or worse. No-one deserved to suffer, but murderers and thieves with no remorse would be paid in death. That, at least, was no longer among the many concerns the young girl faced in the course of holding her position. The battle already seemed to be won. And yet... something seemed wrong. These were bandits who had slain soldiers of Thaln, those who had trained all their lives in combat. But these common criminals seemed utterly unprepared for such a battle. Just as the ambush party...

"Do NOT let your guard down!" she called to her knights. She did not what them believing they could simply focus on nothing more then slaying the bandits. There could have been some kind of trick, a second group, something... even as his throne burned, the Bandit King did not appear.

She hesitated. A soldier, one of the men who had accompanied them in the charge along, stood nearby, having just struck another of the bandits' number dead. However, the bandits seemed largely preoccupied with other areas. Indeed, it seemed as if Fanilly's initial shielded charge had pushed them directly into the path of the other three groups. At this rate, the entire camp would be cleared of bandits swiftly and without loss. "... Something seems wro-"

As she scanned the battlefield for a point of entry, she spotted a man in leather armor, emerging from the forest. He swung up... a crossbow? He raised his weapon, took aim, and fired, a bolt whizzing through the air to strike... Fanilly didn't see exactly who. She had only seen enough to know it was one of the other girls. She was already in mid-stride. Perhaps he had fired once already, but she could stop him from shooting again! But he was wielding a much heavier set of equipment. Fanilly's armor was made from an alloy purchased from the northern dwarves long ago, a suit passed down through the Iron Roses, known for being almost unnaturally light.

And so, in that moment, Fanilly acted without thought. She had to protect her knights. She had to keep them safe. Lowering her shoulder, she slammed it into the man's side. He let out a surprised wheeze and stumbled, and she swung her sword up to knock the crossbow away in the same breath. The bandit drew a shortsword and lashed out, catching himself as he did. Fanilly raised her sword to deflect the blow, but he swiftly followed with another. The blonde locked his blade in her parrying dagger and struck out, impaling the man through his chest. He let out a wheeze, and as she drew back he fell with a thud.

"Haah... haah..." Fanilly looked back. She'd covered the distance between herself and the others, and the crossbow man, quite quickly. Only now did she realize just how far away he had been.

Only now did she realize that everything had become warmer. Hearing a violent creaking sound, Fanilly looked up in time to see an enormous tree in flames. It tilted, and fell towards the battlefield.

"Look out!" Fanilly cried. Taking a step forward she made a bid to run back to the battle, but everything happened quite a bit too quickly for her to make it. The burning tree crashed down ahead of her, cutting her off from her knights.

Inwardly she cursed herself. How had she been so foolish as to charge for that crossbowman, away from the battle?! It had been a kneejerk reaction. Her faith in herself plummeted. But she didn't have time for that. She had to return to battle, to-

There was a clattering sound beside her.

Fanilly turned. It was the body of one... one of her soldiers. Half of it. Her eyes widened as they traveled over the bloodied upper half of a man, cleaved apart cleanly.

"At last, the Iron Roses," spoke a deep voice. Fanilly looked up.

He was a huge man, taller then anyone Fanilly had ever seen before. He worse simple pants and was barechested, his face remarkably cleanshaven. He looked to be in his thirties, perhaps, with dark hair and a truly enormous sword resting on one shoulder, stained in blood.

"It really is true," he said, with an amused smile, "They did get a little girl for their captain. Heh."

He swung the blade off his shoulder.

Fanilly raised her sword and parrying dagger. But the sheer size of that sword... deflecting it seemed unlikely! Was this...?!

"Allow me to properly introduce myself," the man said, smile widening into a grin, "I'm no simple bandit king, even if that human garbage saw me that way."

He cocked his head to one side.

"Knight's Doom Jeremiah is my name," he said, "The Three Hundred Man-slayer!"

He charged.

@Raineh Daze@Asuras@jdh97@Psyker Landshark@Click This@OwO@Animal@TheFake@ERode@Crimson Paladin@ghastlyinc@PaulHaynek

[Assistant]
Tyaethe Radistirin

Her searching for Jeremiah was fruitful--in that she was actually looking the right way when the tree fell, dividing them from their captain. Though the log somewhat obscured the view, it didn't hide the soldier's brutal death, which confirmed everything that the paladin needed to know, calling out over the din of the battlefield and the screams of bandits with surprising clarity: "Nobody try blocking him!"

Exactly like the royal soldiers they had seen earlier--plate cleaved like it was just foil; armour, weapon, and bone giving way with no difficulty. Her sword might be able to take it, but the number of blessed blades amongst the Iron Roses was quite slim. It wasn't a firm way to judge Jeremiah's ability, but perhaps he was one of the more exclusive adventurers gone rotten, already a match or more for most of their knights without the advantage of negating their main usual advantage.

The bandits between Tyaethe and the log were the next people to fall in pieces. If Fanilly could just deal with him until others got there...

"Three hundred...? Three hundred? W-We killed the Vos Korvungand to a man!"

... if he didn't make Tyaethe collapse with laughter first.

[User]
Aria and the shielded knights surged past Fleuri through the breach, into the fray. I've done my part, I suppose, he thought as he watched his colleagues charge. No. An Iron Rose's work is never done, he rebuked himself. He was unsure what he could do, and how to make himself useful. He needed to see where he was needed, and he couldn't do that from where he was standing.

I need a better view of the battle, he contemplated as he looked around. His eyes came to a stop on a tree at the edge of the camp, possessing branches low enough to climb onto without difficulty and large enough to support the weight of an armored knight. From up there he'd have a relatively unobstructed view of the camp.

Somewhat reluctantly, he drove his greatsword into the ground, as it would impede climbing (and in his haste to join the battle he had neglected to take a sheath or sling for it), then drew his dagger and thrust into the tree trunk. Using the dagger as a step, he made his way up to a large branch. The limb shuddered as he climbed onto it, but to his relief it did not give. He remained uneasy at having disarmed himself to get up there, but was at the same time relieved to be able to see what was going on.

The bandits were surrounded on all sides. The initial attack, spearheaded by the captain herself, had driven the bandits back, right into the path of the three other groups. He looked closely for any sign of this so-called "bandit king" but none of the surrounded brigands looked like or fought like a bandit king. None of them looked or fought like real warriors, just raiders and ruffians. Certainly nobody capable of cutting through those Thaln soldiers. He continued looking, searching for any exposed flanks of either friend or foe, and for any spots where the bandits threatened to break out of the encirclement and escape.

He spotted one straggler, a crossbowman who had somehow avoided the encirclement. There was no need to go after him, however- the Captain herself rushed up to the shooter and handily dispatched him. Perhaps I should just join Tyaethe's group. No real use for me in Aria's shield wall...

He was about to climb down when he saw a burning tree fall near the Captain's location. He couldn't discern whether or not the tree struck her, but what was clear was that she had been cut off from her group. Whether it was a trap or not, the captain likely needed help. Without thinking twice, he jumped down from the tree and reclaimed his armaments from their impromptu sheaths, then rushed in the direction of the burning tree without delay.

If his hunch from earlier was correct- that the enemy leader would single out Fanilly, as a perceived weak link in in the Iron Roses and as a symbol of the kingdom he so brazenly opposed- it was quite possible that he was heading straight for the Bandit King.

Reon, whatever I face, I ask for your blessing that my sword strike true, and I ask for your protection that will I not fall.


[System]
Character Sheet
* Picture: Verbal descriptions just don't cut it for me unless they're memorable. Pictures spur my imagination much better.
* Data: Species (if not human), birthdate (mm/dd/yyyy, standard Roman calendar), height, weight, eye color, hair color, skin color (if not the default medium-dark)
* Blurb: Introduce your character to us and tell us what makes them interesting. Advertise them. Do NOT tell us their whole personality or biography - that should be revealed in-story for best impact. Short and sweet is the rule here.

And that's it! I don't care if you develop skills and abilities on the spot, or if you happen to be carrying something useful that you didn't know you had. This isn't D&D. We're making a story here, so go wild and have fun!

Feel free to create NPCs at your pleasure, so long as they don't usurp your player-character. If you think they might take over your interest, post their character sheets here.

For reference, the current date is January 1st, 3200 A.D.

[User]
When Liliana saw Winter smile at her and compliment her work, her heart filled with pride and gratitude. She smiled warmly back at Winter. "Thank you your majesty. It means so much coming from you. I am truly grateful to be here with you, and I'm glad that my research can be of use to you."

 The cool dressed orc who had entered the room along with her then began to speak and introduce himself to the queen. She didn't know much about orcs, Starkstone didn't get many visitors. The few things she did hear about them didn't exactly paint a pretty picture, but there were always exceptions, and he was exceptional indeed. He introduces himself as Goro, and despite his verbal trippings he spoke with elegance and restraint, something she could appreciate.

 When Goro presented the pineapple to Winter her ladyship became ecstatic. Liliana herself was also pleasantly surprised, albeit not to the extant as the mistress. It looked like a rare species that she would love to get her hands on and inspect, though the beaming excitement that radiated from the angelic immortal is a priceless treasure she would not trade for any other. Who ever Goro is appears to be well traveled and have an eye for the finer things in life.

 A man who looked like he carried a part of the forest with him walked in just as the mistress was serving the pineapple slices. He takes a seat next to Liliana and began to speak. He says his name is Nkosi Naswaru, and that some strange force known as the Mother guided him. A greater spirit perhaps? Perhaps maybe a god? Intriguing. Liliana's barely functioning nose catches the faintest scent of cedar coming of him. He must have some interesting microorganisms growing on him, though somehow she doubted that he would compromise his personal space just to satisfy her curiosity.

 As Liliana bit into the pineapple her mouth was met with an explosion of sweetness. She turned to Goro in wide-eyed excitement, tears of joy running down her face. Not many fruits grew in the arid Grey Canyon, so to taste something this sweet was a welcome change of pace. She then gave a series of short small bows. "This is DELIECIOUS! Thank you so much Goro!" Liliana wiped her tears once more. "Oh! How rude of me. I forgot to introduce myself. I am Liliana Rosenveldt of Starkstone. It is a pleasure to meet you both."  The queen then decided to summon their attention as she gets down to business.

 Liliana heard the proposal that Lady Winter offered them. Goro talked to the queen concerning his ability to write and make use of the notebooks as well as asking about the whereabouts of this "Bay'kin" place the lady was referring to. Nkosi then accepted the invitation and attempted requisition arms and gear for the trip. It was then that Liliana graciously accepts the codex, then kneels before Winter.  "Your divine! I will accept this most holy mission you have granted me! It would be my pleasure to serve you my lord." She stands once more, hugging the tome given to her. "I will cherish this fantastic gift you have given me Lady Winter, and I will bring you all the secrets that I find." she says as she smiles.

 Liliana turns to the two adjacent gentlemen.  "I guess we're all on the same boat. Truth be told I don't have a lot of experience fighting, but I won't hesitate to eviscerate our enemies!"

[Assistant]
Looking at the other two, Goro tried to get a feel for them. This Nkosi's fellow seemed like a rough sort, reminded him of his old captain who taught Goro seafaring. Had a certain air of intimidation but control about him, like a steady ship in a tempest. Still, he also seemed the type to serve his own interests rather than the group, something that Goro didn't like. That sort of mentality is why he left Ulayh in the first place. Plus some other things he disagreed with. "I expect danger, I ain't worried bout dat. But only a git calls dere ignorance bravery, mate. I don't know wot's at Bel'kin, an knowing wot is can help us prepare accordingly. No sense in goin bushwhacking wif only half a sack. In order words, be prepared." Goro learned the hard way of what it was like to go on an adventure unprepared. Indeed the journey here had been quite a struggle because of poor preparation, and that didn't even involve any dangers with brigands or beasts. The trip had been peaceful, but the lack of food, not knowing local medicines or poisonous plants or even where to find shelter in rough weather had did a number on Goro more than any blade or fang has.

As for the other, Goro had his suspicion. Granted, they were racist suspicions. Something about her from her long dark hair, pale stone-like skin, and general sophisticated demeanor made the orc think she was a witch of some sort. His mother would tell him bedtime tales as a child of women with such duality of beauty hiding ugliness, luring young foolish men to their dooms with their sweet faces and kind words. Of course Goro had grown out of such fears, but he would be lying if they didn't make a sudden resurgence looking at this girl. He had to keep himself in check however; last thing he wanted to do was make an enemy of her, witch or not. It was just good business. Otherwise she seemed respectful enough. She enjoyed the fruit and spoke well towards Winter. A bit too much for Goro's taste; it reminded him a lot of the toadies back at home. But at least Winter likely earns that respect.

What did catch Goro off guard was how emotional she got eating the pineapple. He knew it was good but damn, to drive a woman to tears? "Ah. Good ta know. Nice ta meet ya, Lady uh... Lady Liliana." Her following declaration of acceptance towards Winter made Goro really wonder if this lady was off her kilter or not, but then again maybe this was normal where she came from. Goro's people were much more brusque and boisterous when they weren't kissing up to their superiors, so this sort of flamboyance was simply unfamiliar to him. He tried not to think about it too much; as long as Liliana did her part Goro wouldn't mind how she acts. He finishes the rest of his coffee and puts his tome inside of his bag, tightening the straps around his hook hand and moving his club from his backpack to his belt for easy reach. When Liliana was done talking to Winter she turned to Goro and Nkosi, mentioning her inexperience but eagerness for fighting. This got a chuckle from Goro.

"Let's not go lookin fer enemies now. Last thing we need is fer people lookin into magic like us get a rep fer violence and such. Now I don't mind fighting if I gotta, and I ain't not stranger to war, but dat don't mean every confrontation's gotta end in blood and guts. Remember dat Lady Winter is sendin us ta research da magic stuff goin on in Bel'kin, not slaying monsters or taking out a rival gang of lads."

[User]
The pineapple, it seemed, had struck a chord with Liliana. "This is DELIECIOUS! Thank you so much Goro!" she gushed. The woman wiped away her tears of joy and proceeded to bow most fervently to the orc. "Oh! How rude of me. I forgot to introduce myself. I am Liliana Rosenveldt of Starkstone. It is a pleasure to meet you both."

Goro looked decidedly uncomfortable with all this praise. "Ah. Good to know. Nice to meet you, Lady uh... Lady Liliana."

Once Winter finished going over the details of her request, Nkosi took the opportunity to address longstanding contractual issues. "As long as the request for border walls is upheld and the other smaller agreements from my tribe kept, I'm at your service and at your disposal, if you so wish it. I also wonder if you will be gracious enough to supply us with better traveling gear and weapons for this mission of yours?"

While Nkosi was concerned with the logistical side of things, Goro's concerns were more about intel. "I'm honored that you're gonna let us greenhorns do something this important so quickly!" Goro declared. "Truth be told, was a mite worried that you're gonna make us sit in a dimly lit room for a couple months doing nothing but reading. I've always been more of a hands-on kind of orc myself anyways. So Lady Winter, what's at Bay'kin? I imagine that it ain't just some barren lands. Any sort of trouble you be expecting us to run into while we're doing our thing?"

Nkosi glanced at the orc and spoke first. "We are traveling into the unknown, dear friend. Hostility is to be expected and accepted as an ugly truth of life on the frontier."

Goro retorted, "I expect danger; I ain't worried about that. But only a git calls their ignorance bravery, mate. I don't know what's at Bay'kin, and knowing what it is can help us prepare accordingly. No sense in going bushwhacking with only half a sack. In other words, be prepared."

Liliana agreed. "I guess we're all on the same boat. Truth be told I don't have a lot of experience fighting, but I won't hesitate to eviscerate our enemies!"

"Let's not go lookin for enemies now," Goro warned with a chuckle. "Last thing we need is for people looking into magic like us get a rep for violence and such. Now I don't mind fighting if I gotta, and I ain't no stranger to war, but that don't mean every confrontation's gotta end in blood and guts. Remember that Lady Winter is sending us to research the magic stuff going on in Bay'kin, not slaying monsters or taking out a rival gang of lads."

Winter stared longingly at her plate of pineapple. If she took another bite, she wouldn't be sober enough to participate in the discussion. She symbolically pushed it away and took another sip of coffee instead. "So, allow me to reiterate everyone's respective concerns. Nkosi, you want to know about traveling gear, weapons, and supplies, as well as whether I will uphold my contractual agreements with your tribe. Goro, you want to know what challenges we will face on the way to our destination. Is that correct?"

She cleared the table of decorations and laid out a map over it.

"We are here, at Southaven Tower in the Kingdom of Man. The plains and grasslands are benign and easy to travel on. The roads are paved, well-maintained, and routinely patrolled, so there are few threats on our way out. Not that highwaymen don't try, though. To the west lies mostly mountains and deserts, where Westhaven Tower and the Necropolis of Stone are located. The Sky Nomads roam this side of the continent, and while they're a rowdy bunch, we need not worry about them, since our journey is more eastward. To the north, as you know, Goro, lies the tribes of Fellmore, and the Storm Eye nation in particular. It's mostly tundra, a barren ice-desert where life is hard and little grows. It's a miserable place, if you ask me, but the fishing is surprisingly good in the Ulayhan region, and the abundance of iron and gold make it strategically important. We won't be going that way either, but it's important for us because Bay'kin lies just southeast of the Fellmoran border and a stone's throw away from Storm Eye territory, so we'll need to keep our eyes peeled northward."

"The Waru Forest, where Mister Naswaru hails from, is where we will encounter our toughest challenges. I've been hearing wild stories of strange and deadly monsters appearing in the area, which we should be on our guard against. The xenophobic Waru tribe isn't known to take kindly to visitors, and they will either turn us away if we need help, or drive us out if we are weak. There are maybe...one or two sub-tribes that might give us the time of day, but they're not in our path, unfortunately, so resupplying is out of the question until we reach Easthaven Tower. From there, it's a straight shot to Diamont, the fortress city, and its suburb Bay'kin."

"From here to Easthaven Tower is about 700 miles, roughly a fortnight's journey. The rations I've prepared will only last us a week if we make the entire journey on foot, which, if I have a say in the matter, we will not. I paid the stablemaster at Edmond's Inn well in advance to let us use four of his horses, and there's an inn at Diamont that will take us. If all goes well, we should arrive in five to six days, seven if we encounter trouble."

Then Winter withdrew a parchment listing their supplies.

4 lengths of rope
4 matchboxes
1 box of iodine tablets (for water purification)
1 lidded cast-iron pot
1 cooking stand
4 sets of utensils
4 bowls
enough pemmican to last a week

"As for weapons and armor, I expect you to bring your own. We should use magic to fill any defensive gaps, since it will serve our research purposes admirably."

Winter sat back down and ate another slice of pineapple. "Ohmmm so good..." she moaned. She closed her eyes for a few heartbeats to savor the moment. "Anyway, are there any further questions or concerns? Nkosi, you may rest assured I have not forgotten my contract with your people, and development is proceeding on schedule. I'll complete the deal once we pass through your village."


[System]
Age: 21

Gender: Female

Appearance:

Abilities:
Luna is one of the strongest warriors from her family. Part of that comes from her unwavering training in her youth and part is from an inherited power in her lineage. Long ago, a dying Elder Beast made her family, so long as they were honorable warriors, inherit the remnants of her strength throughout their line. It was an Elder Beast of Light and Honor, or so the stories told. Out of her two elder brothers, her and a younger brother and sister, it appeared as though she were the one to inherit most of the generations power though the family's heir was close behind her.

For that, she is able to use a variety of Light based Magics. Healing and creating weapons from that light based magic, hence the family name, as well coating her weapon with light energy to strengthen it (though this can become taxing). She also can create damaging beams of light from her hands that damage opponents. Among other things, of course.

In addition to her family's boon from an Elder Beast, there were stories that far before the Lightswords were even called such, they had mixings with giants and have a very small amount of giant blood in their veins. There isn't much to it. They have a small affinity for the giant's relation to fire which gives them a resistance to the cold. Luna won't be jumping in a freezing ocean but she can more easily resist the cold winds of the north. Their strength is also increased a small bit thanks to their giant ancestors.

History:
A long time ago, to the cold north, the Lightsword family was not known as such. It was a clan of warriors with no such name. Then one day, Lucilia, an Elder Beast, took them under her wing. She saw their honor in combat and taught them and blessed them with her power. From that day, the clan was blessed with Light Magic. They fought with Lucilia for years until one day, she lost in battle and was put on her death bed. As she lay, she told the clan that they would continue to receive her blessing in their lineage so long as they stayed honorable warriors. The clan wholeheartedly agreed and had their entire line blessed and given the name, Lightsword. So the story goes, skipping over a couple of specifics. Still, Lunalel goes by this story, proud of it. If one asked her to recite the tale, no matter how many times, she definitely wouldn't mind sharing it. She could recite the majority of the tale perfectly since even before she could hold a blade properly though that was earlier than a normal child, given the family's heritage. And when she could hold the blade, she trained with it the rest of her life, becoming one of the best swordsmen or women of her generation in Lightsword territory. After a time, she went on active patrols with the soldiers. They would patrol the land and made sure that there was no threat of robbers, brigands, bandits, monsters and many other things. From there she received a reputation of being fairly well liked among the soldiers for a couple of things. They trusted her strength and endurance, such as when she made every grown man seem like a small child when she won a drinking contest against some of the best!

In recent days, Lunalel was with a number of soldiers in a small patrol. While on patrol, they were beset by a large pack of feral, starving beasts. While they would be able to slay a number of the beasts on their own, there were too many of them as they were being surrounded. Some beasts lunged and were quickly dispatched by the squad as they started to back up trying to not get fully surrounded and soon they made a break for it. They knew the location of a chokepoint nearby so they could prevent being surrounded on all sides.

As they retreated, the beasts were on their heels trying to maul or bite them only to receive spear thrusts or sword swipes. One soldier was about to be pounced on by the beast! Quickly, Luna aimed her hand at the oncoming beast and shot it with a beam of light powerful enough to kill it's frail being. Soon, the group arrived in a cave, as defensible as one could get against beasts like this. They set up a position ready to strike down any beast that enters. Soon, a pile of haggard and starving corpses lay at their feet but there was no sign of them stopping. They wondered what could possibly push such beasts to attack without regard but there was little time to discuss it before they had to defend themselves. Soon, however, a loud crackle was heard outside the cave and a figure appeared before them…

The figure, a woman, then asked them if they belong to the Lightsword house, to which of course, Lunalel smiled and admitted that she was the first daughter of Lord Lightsword before thanking her for saving them. From there, she led the woman to the castle. Where she introduced the woman and reported the attack. The woman needed to talk to her father about something and he dismissed everyone in attendance aside his Heir. Sometime later that day, her Father came to her and told her that she had a month to get ready for she had somewhere to go for him.

Anything else:
-Has a High Tolerance for Alcohol. Particularly likes the taste of mead.
-Her family has her mother and father (though apparently she takes more after her father), her two elder brothers, a younger brother and a younger sister and many extended relatives aside.
-Insists others call her Luna, rather than Lunalel, if they're friends.
-Gets flustered if a woman starts to hit on her.

[User]
Silently and diligently cleaning his Lance's head, Niall was listening to the discussions going on around them. So that knight, Luna, was a Lightsword it seemed and these two men were her brothers. She certainly seemed to have a fiery character to her and obviously knew how to defend herself well, as expect of the Queen's knights. Niall was gad to have her around. The same would be said of the magic user - Fio. Her attacks were relentless and deadly, as well as often proved to be the focus of the three knight's strategy in the previous fight.

As for Luna's out-loud questions, Niall remained silent. He could have theorized and asked questions of his own, but the fact of the matter was he knew nothing about that enemy so had nothing to share, for now. Being a newcomer in the group, he was content to wait and listen for now.

When the Queen joined them, Niall stood up, Lance at his side. He followed them to the fort. Once in the room, Niall propped his lance against the table close by his. He did a small and polite bow to the knights when he was introduced.
"Pleased to serve alongside such skilled fighters, Queen Sorcha ." he simply answered.

He listened to the rest of the discussion and plans before adding. "If I may, my skills are best suited for the cover of darkness. It would be no issue for me to scout at night time. That being said, I will accept whatever decision the majority agrees with." he said, politely. Niall himself was already well rested, but food was always a welcomed sight.

[Assistant]
Aftermath

---

"Cursed, huh? No wonder why you smell like them." Marduk quipped Ethelred, noticing his curse previously before. As for the notion of them being knights of this "Queen Sorcha," such a thing only piqued Marduk's curiosity slightly. Not merely a duo, but part of a troupe of heroes wandering Albion and fighting off against the many threat that plague it? Well, if the "heroes" were anything like the two Marduk had run into, they might as well be a group of misfits rallied behind an even greater weirdo. Still, it wouldn't hurt too much to hear them out.

"As for whoever it is you're looking for, I've only heard rumors. Otherwise, I would've crossed blades with them both." Marduk stated as a matter of fact. "If not for our common enemy, I may have even tried having a round or two against the two of you. Ancestors know that I'm itching for a good fight, and you two look like you'd give one, knights and all."

In regards to the knight who seems to believe they're in charge, Marduk could only scoff at his demeanor. After all, he left the Elves to be free from being told what to do, his quest be damned. To be commanded especially with one who fights as crudely as this human knight only seemed to annoy the warrior further. Still, he chose to leave airing out his frustrations of the matter for another time. After all, they were still rocked from their previous fight, and Marduk had taken the brunt of it.

"I'll join you monkeys on your quest," Marduk began, ignoring the fact that he, too, was also primarily of simian origins, "but I do not acknowledge whatever authority you have in this troupe. I will respect you as a fellow warrior, but do not treat me as some soldier you can order. So long as we can come to that understanding, the Swordwind will be more than obliged to lay waste to whatever it is you are hunting.

"As for a horse, I only see a beast of burden as a burden to myself. As a trained warrior, my legs are more than suited for marching long distances..." Marduk began, before coughing a small spittle of blood once again. He did his best to hide this from his allies, although his painful wheezes make it difficult to mask his injuries. It was clear that he needed to not exert himself as hard. "... That said, a steed does sound helpful."

In regards to the rather grim mayor of this town, Marduk simply nodded his head to the stables at the mention of a reward, making his way to take what he had rightfully earned by way of might.

[User]
"Yes, thank you for the assistance Niall. You seem to be a strong warrior as well. Glad to have you along." Luna said with a small smile. Still, scouting? That was a good thing of course, but still... "Truthfully, I could use some rest. We've been traveling for a while now and like to get a little shut eye before we did much else." The knight said, stretching a small bit. "But, it's up to you guys. If you want to head out tonight, I'll go with you." Still, she was looking forward to the food, most of all. It was a bit difficult to travel with good food when you were riding with a light load. "Well, it's up to you Fio, I suppose. Unless Niall wants to risk going solo."

The Knightess gave a light shrug. If Queen Sorcha had approved of their skills, than Luna was confident they could likely handle themselves in most situations. "Either way, I'd like to talk to my brothers for a small bit before we do anything. I really need to tell something to Leo..." Luna seemed a bit... Irritated. Somewhat out of character for her. "Just something small to discuss with him. Nothing big. And it'd be nice to catch up with Gabe."

She gave a small sigh. "Well, that aside, when was the last time I've slept in the barracks? It hasn't been that long, but it feels like a lifetime ago." The Knightess thought aloud. It wasn't that difficult really. They were always kept fairly warm with some magical items so no one was going to suffer from frostbite at night or anything. "If any of you need anything, just ask me if you can't get ahold of Leo or Gabe. I'm still a daughter of the house and they all listen to me still, I'd like to think."


[System]
Age: 28
Gender: Male
Rank: Sergeant
Ethnicity/Nationality: Caucasian-American

Physical Description:

Daniel stands 6'2" and weighs in at about 195 lbs. His time in the military has given him quite a hard and toned frame as a result, which can be seen here. As a result of the sun that constantly beats down on Vietnam, Daniel has tanned slightly despite his ethnicity's stereotype of not tanning very easily.

Skillset: Danny is capable of keeping a cool head in times of extreme stress, able to dictate orders rationally if needed to. He also has experience in recognizing NVA/VC strategies and being able to figure out a way to counter them if he needs to. He is trained as a rifleman.

History:
Daniel Pope was born in San Francisco, California on April 17th, 1939 to a nurse and a soon-to-be World War 2 veteran, who would be fighting against the Japanese during the Allied Powers' island-hopping stint. He had one older sister, and a younger brother that would come along within some time. After his dad came home from the war, he had a relatively normal upbringing, definitely filled with stories about his time in the war. As a result, Danny had been really particular towards the military. His dad was his hero growing up, and pretty much inspired his conscription into the military.

As soon as he graduated high school, he immediately enlisted into the Army, where he was sent to boot camp. His enlistment allowed him some time in between for him to get acquainted with the military setting, base life and whatnot. Being on a base was also where he would meet his wife, Marie Thompson in 1960. With her, he would have a daughter born in 1961. However, in 1963 he received a letter that pretty much told him he would be going to Vietnam. The timing of the letter was rather unfortunate, as he had a second daughter along the way, but he knew his duty as a soldier. He had served two tours previously before coming to the 1st Cavalry, bringing along his expertise and familiarity with the operation of the Vietcong and NVA.

Equipment:
* M16A1 Assault Rifle
* Colt M1911A1
* M1942 Machete
* Gerber MkII Combat Knife
* Standard-Issue Army Fatigues, Boots, Load Bearer, and Helmet
* Backpack with god knows what inside.
* Picture of his wife and two daughters as a personal effect
* Fingerless gloves just in case he sweat too much for him to hold his gun properly

[User]
The smoke cleared after that; brief and intense firefight that left Buck soaked in sweat, shaking and sucking down the air, fouled with powder and gasoline fumes, as he quickly loaded three rounds into the shotgun to replace the ones he'd expended, and then another, because he had a round racked in the old shotgun anyway. He watched those flares go up with impassive eyes knowing what that shit meant -- his eyes shifted over to Bobby, to see if he needed another belt. They were in some deep shit in this place, with a crashed helicopter and a flare going up. The shakes always happened and, strangely enough, they never went to his hands. It was like his knees had to rattle a bit, just to vent off some of the extra tension. Barnes didn't care -- some guy made a comment about it when they'd just gotten in-country, another new guy like him, and then the dude got blown up when he grabbed an ammo can full of papers on a village search. Click, boom went the trap that he'd stepped on.

And Barnes was still here, still shaking.

The thing was, Barnes was a fairly tall guy, but skinny and the 'Nam was taking that off him, leaving him wiry and tough, but he humped extra ammo with no complaint, because he knew that the pig was one of the great advantages in the jungle.

He used his towel to swab off the sweat from his brow, then stuffed it back along his neck, but it didn't really help -- they were on foot in the jungle, cut off, at least until An Khe realized they were gone, maybe the chopper pilot got a radio call out, and search and rescue started up.

That wasn't gonna help them now, though and this place wasn't safe at all. "Man, this place is about to be crawlin' with beaucoup VC in a hot fuckin' minute," he observed quietly to Bobby, keeping his eyes toward the tree line, scanning the area for movement. He'd managed to stay alive three and a months in Vietnam. It was one thing to get wasted a couple days in, but the idea of getting zapped after you've been in, this close to in country R&R, was far more horrific. He couldn't imagine what it would be like a couple weeks out from returning to the World. He didn't think about the World very much right now, because it was just excessively painful to do so.

[Assistant]
"Let 'em come, baby," Bobby said with a wink towards Buck. "Bobby D. got something for their asses."

He was glad he was working the pig. It was heavy enough that it acted as an anchor for his body. He knew Buck got the shakes when the shit got heavy and who the fuck wouldn't? If not for the pig Bobby would look like he had epilepsy he would shake so bad. Jack Johnson helped hide his fear. The skinny guy with the big gun and even bigger mouth who told everyone that his first act back home would be to do Lynda Bird Johnson in the Oval Office, right in front of her daddy. LBJ fucked all of us, he told them, so Imma fuck his daughter. The truth was that as soon as he got home he would kiss the ground and never ever fucking leave St. Louis again.

"I'm good," he told Buck after he made sure the ammo belt still had plenty of rounds. "Jack's ready to chew up the next round of Dinks."

[User]
After the second explosion and the grunting Pig, there was little left of the VC that had charged toward them. Chris had shot another, he had watched the red blossom on the man's chest before he fell. When the distinctive popping of the AKs died down, he felt a thrill that they had won and he smiled a toothy grin.

"Hey, man, I got one!" he exclaimed just as the flare exploded in the sky. His laughter died and he huffed a breath, even dying Charlie was an asshole.

If the grenades and gunfire did not zero in their position then the flare certainly would, it was likely a known signal and soon the trees around them would be full of the enemy. Chris rubbed the sweat from his brow, cleaning his glasses on his t-shirt before glancing at the two black men next to him. He felt that slight trembling in the limbs and the pounding of his heart. It was a rush to be in combat, to be at the edge of death and look right at it and spit in it's face. Not this time, bro. It was like shredding a heavy and coming out the other side and Chris had come to realize not long after getting over just being shit scared was that he was starting to enjoy the shot of adrenaline that came with a gunfight. It was ass puckering for sure but what fun things in life weren't? In the quiet moments it bothered him that he might like it too much, but his dad had told him not to be a coward and disgrace him anymore than he already had. Well, fuck it, Dad. Chalk another body up for you, he thought. It was only when he thought of Diana that he felt a little bad. Touching the silver ring around his finger, he tried not to remember her and concentrate on the job they would have when more VC showed up to the party.

"Chuck's gonna choke on that pork," he said, with a small chuckle at his own joke before reaching for his radio and shooting a look towards Davis. "Hey, Sarge? Wanna make a phone call and maybe arrange for a ride?"

[Assistant]
As the echoes died down from the report of gunfire and grenades, one of which he was guilty of, Elijah made sure he was reloaded, then glanced around. Seeing no more movement, he shuddered a bit. Scooting around, he peered into the gory mess that was the cockpit then sighed. "Guess we don't have to scuttle the chopper. The radio is down, and nothing else looks like it's salvageable," he reported. Gingerly he searched the bodies and pulled a couple pistol mags from them, slipping them into a pocket.

Pulling off his ALICE pack, he opened the top flap and pulled out his boonie hat and put it on. With his pack ratcheted back down he squinted a little. For the moment, he wasn't giving much thought to the situation. It was just another day in Charlie's outhouse. The whole thing was a shit sandwich as far as he was concerned. His hands were shaking a bit, but he felt exhilarated, alive and ready for more. "What's the play, Sergeant. Think we got time to scavenge or we just gonna book it?"

The jungle would be crawling with VC. That much was certain, but he also knew if they just picked a direction and ran for it, they wouldn't get very far. If they stayed at the crash site playing with their dicks for too long, the VC would swarm them like ants, and then it wouldn't matter how many grenades and ammo they had. Right now they had a fair bit of gear strapped to them, but it wouldn't last. The dead, of course, had more. That was why he'd taken a couple mags from the pilots for his pistol. Already he was thinking about putting a grenade in his pocket... just in case it looked like he might wind up in Charlie's hands. One last present from Uncle Sam, right? Not right now though. Thing's weren't nearly that bad.

[User]
Ryan flicked his rifle back to safe, cursing as the flare arced overhead. He hadn't had a chance to shoot more than two rounds; the grenade had shredded the first three VC, and his boys had laid out enough disciplined fire to put down the charging line quickly and efficiently. When the echoing gunfire ceased he wasted no time, dropping to a knee and digging his map out of his map and compass out of his cargo pocket.

"Hey, Sarge? Wanna make a phone call and maybe arrange for a ride?"

"No time," he said shortly, waving off his radioman. Instead he quickly oriented the map with the compass, using the locations of a few known landmarks he'd seen on the flight in to triangulate their position as best he could. It wouldn't be perfect, but it would give him an idea of where they were, and where they needed to go.

After a moment or two he pointed one finger at the map.

"Okay, we're about here, give or take some milage. The Cong came from the West...So...Over here. Maybe this village." He indicated the spot.

"There's a river out here to the East...Got some clearings, might make for a good LZ. Couple villages, too…"

He stared at the map for a brief moment, then folded it up and crammed it back into his cargo pocket.

"Alright. First thing's first. We've gotta clear this LZ most ricky-tick. Charlie and his boys will be here any time, following that flare. We need to move East, towards that river. If we can find some open ground, I'll try and call back for an extract, but our main goal is finding somewhere to hide ourselves so I can get a better grip on our pos. If we can spot a village I can figure the rest out from there, but I can't get a solid fix from fuckin' trees."

He pointed at Sgt Pope.

"Pope, you're on point. Eyes peeled, head on a swivel, and watch the fuckin' ground. I don't think there'll be a random trip-wire this far out in the boonies, but there's no sense not playing safe. Everyone else, give me a staggered column behind him. Six meters dispersion, watching your footing. We need to move quick but careful."

Ryan looked to Buck. "Barnes, you're next in line. Derricks, behind him. I want that gun where we can deploy it forward or back. Then it's Hoffman, me, and Dodgers. Dodgers, you'll be at the rear. You'll be able to hear Charlie coming before the rest of us, and if he starts catching up you bust out Thumper and drop a forty-mike down his throat. Shit goes dinky dau, pop some smoke. We don't have the numbers for a stand-up fight."

He stood and hefted his rifle, adjusting his helmet on his head.

"Okay boys. Move 'em out. We're gonna show these motherfuckers why Uncle Sam sends Cav to do the hard shit."

[Assistant]
As the firefight settled, Daniel scanned the environment in front of him just to make sure that there were no survivors. If there was one thing American forces liked to know, it was knowing that there was nothing but dead Charlie. A dead tango was the only tango they liked, and with this particular kind, they tended to be nasty and killing them was the best way to make sure they wouldn't do much damage. Those sons of bitches knew what they were doing against the Americans, and boy, did it work. The helicopter right in front of Daniel acted a testament to that. And that was only one out of a hundred instances just like that. As soon as the environment was deemed clear, Daniel put his M16A1 on safe. Right now, bullets were the most important thing someone could have in an environment like this. All but one bullet would go to Charlie, the last one, on the other hand, would go straight back to sender.

Daniel backed up to First Sergeant Davis's position, crouching down and peering at the map from time to time as he got settled. He did figure out their current location pretty well, which was a good thing considering the nature of the situation they were right now. At least they had their bearings, and that was a valuable piece of information. As First Sergeant Davis dictated his instructions and where exactly they were, Sgt. Pope was put on point. Perfect, at least then he would be able to put his skills to use, finding out whatever booby trap they had. As everyone got lined up, Daniel switched his fire selector to semi-automatic, knowing that having firepower at an immediate notice was a very valuable asset.

Daniel took out his compass and pointed himself due east, signaling for everyone to line up on him as he commenced the traversing towards the river. "Alright guys, on me! We're going to take this nice and easy." He said, pointing his gun and walking forward, careful to maintain his proper footing. He had to be on high alert constantly, never knew when there could be one of those damned traps. It was unlikely this close to here, but it was better safe than sorry.