[System]
Main Antagonist
Pre-fall Name:
Calcifer God of Chaos

Age:
his mortal body is 38

Outfit: this is how he looks when he is trying to make a good appearance, and when he is in control of his anger.

Personality: Jaded, arrogant and not all there most times. Calcifer has slowly gone insane, but not outwardly. He can compose himself quite nicely, but he can easily turn violent and not think twice about cutting someone into pieces.

Alignment:Chaotic Evil without gods.

Morality: "yeah, so what if I did turn that guy into dog food?"

Likes:
fighting.

Dislikes:
everything.

Secrets: He is the fallen god of entropy and plots to kill all the gods as he blames them for his punishment.

Will PM @The Grey Dust with further secrets that he would be privy to.

Companion (Optional):
The same bird he used as a messenger when he was a god.

Other:None at this time.

[User]
Darko turned his head toward his champion and smiled through his cowl. "I have bestowed upon you my champion my power, my generals are yours to command as well as my army." He turned his head to the underworld and gestured her over. "Come hither my champion. Your death will come as soon as your mission is complete. A place here among my generals will be open." He turned to her and gazed at her. And behind her a portal opened. "Go now. To the plagued Forest. My army awaits there for your command. Darkness is your step. Blight. Your touch. Fear is your words. Head to the location on this." He held up a map to a forsaken tomb. "The army that rests in these tombs shouldn't be awakened. I send you to the one in my land. Dark and cursed. Be on your guard and know I will always hear your calls. Gather the cults as well they heed my words so they shall heed yours. Go now and make me proud."

Darko looked out his balcony and smiled when the Volcano in his world erupted. "Then the Lord of fire is awake. 100 years he sleeps then when he wakes the fires in his world burn and the lakes boil. Maybe I will pay the Lord of fire a visit and bring him up to speed on the world." Darko raised his scythe and sliced open the fabric of his world and entered the world of fire. Gazing around at the beasts that walk his world. He turned into a black cloud and flew across the landscape of the burning world to the great fire palace. He appeared before the fire drake and smiled "Good Evening Fregion, enjoy your 100 year nap?" The Dark Lord his presence alone could send a world cold. But unfortunately his presence in the world of fire was only warm. Darko was a cold being. His cloak took care of that. Unafraid of the creatures and the fire god.

[Assistant]
Aside from some changes in the landscape due to the passing of the years, everything else seemed to be fine. Fregion was about to shift his attention to the mortal realm and witness himself what Padmarashka talked about earlier when he sensed an anomaly. A rift in space had been opened in his world, with the temperature around the rift dropping a few thousand degrees. Fregion instantly knew who the surprise guest was.

He watched as Darko entered his castle in the form of a black cloud before turning back to his normal self. "Good Evening Fregion, enjoy your 100 year nap?"

"Nii fon hi ahk lost ni vuldak gein muldeytorax ko laat 100 eruvos Darko," Fregion told the Lord of Death. "You came uninvited once more, 100 years ago, right before I fell asleep and caused all sorts of problems. Now that I think of it, I don't remember telling you to come back after I had woken up either. Why are you here, Ner'zhul?" Fregion spoke, obviously annoyed by the presence of the Dark Lord.

[User] Darko knew in his past visit he caused a bit of Chaos in this world. But alas this wasn't to be the same visit. "I have come to bring word of events of late. That is all. No Doomed creatures running free and what not." Darko spoke truthfully. His minions and creatures haven't entered this world after him. He came on good terms so to speak. He explained the events that have past in the mortal world and the current problem that threatens the gods. He even spoke of X playing his little games of riddles and puzzles. He brought up the Dead guardians of the Sacred Mountain and the note left behind. Darko knew that within these burning grounds was that weapons exact twin and came to investigate. He knew that Fregion was tasked to guard it and hoped that it was still in safe keeping. If it was safe he was going to have to ask for it not for himself. But as a gift to his brother Hal. A weapon that was capable to standing up to the weapon stolen out of Darkos realm. He stood there unflinching and calm as he asked these questions of the Fire God.

[Assistant]
No blood signified a coming birth,
And the child would be born by blood,
And the child would be baptized by blood,
and death at last once more by absence of blood.
The red cycle, as the mystics know.

It was quiet in the void of being, where his consciousness dwelt as his body melted into naught but blood. Not quite alive, yet not quite dead, somewhere between as his heart beat with a steady thumping. What was the body but a machine to consume? To feed upon the precious fluid which was blood? The brain was nothing more than guide to seek it, the stomach and lungs to enrich it, the bones and sinew to make and consume it. But the heart was there to distribute it. To share her to the rest of the world, to drown it in her unrelenting love. Blood, the most divine of all prima materia. There it was, a soft and gentle call, a beckon by his mistress, a red light to pierce the blank void. He was hers, and she remembered her faithful servant. With a metaphysical smile Dyleon faded from this void... Only to wake to find his eyes a new, staring at the shapeless form that was his beloved. Her hand reaching at his newly formed chest, claws tearing into the soft skin and plucking from its wicker cage a beating heart. Like a precious ruby, held in her hand as he offered it freely, suppressing a grunt of pain as he felt the gem severed from the source. Falling over in supination, from both the shock and unending adoration, clutching the hole she left behind as it sealed up. A perfect servant, devoted, dedicated and now once again deathless.

"As you command my love..." Dyleon whispered as she drifted away into the darkness. Reborn, still tender of flesh and weak of bone, fragile though the blood coursed through him. His body strengthened once more slowly, his unclothed form changing as it hardened into a killing machine again, his eyes twinkling with a bloodlust as his vigor returned. As naked as newborn babe, but as innocent as one who just committed a massacre. His strength returned, the blood coursing swiftly through him as his hunger grew. Blood, his body demanded, his blood magics allowed him to live without his heart, yet required him to be sustained by gallons of it. He growled as his form changed, his face elongating as his long black and red hair grew out into fur. A tail formed and claws grew from nails as fangs descended. The Werewolf howled at his goddess, towards the endless sky of hades, his song of praise.

His ears twitched, a bestial growl greeted Chakan as he sniffed the airs around her. "Dogs chew bones, Wolves drink blood. I am no beast of Darko, I serve Sekaulla, my mistress, my love, my Goddess. You have no blood to spill, no tribute to give her... Why would I hunt you?" But before He could glean an answer, Chakan was summoned to another place. Leaving Dyleon alone in Hell. Or was he? No the air smelled of blood, rich in power, beyond the blood of humans. True to his canine form, he panted, his saliva thick in wanting. So commanded the goddess to hunt the prey, so shall he feast upon them... Time to Raise Hell by laying waste to it. A bloodbath.

[User]
Fregion listened as Darko told him about the events that had taken place in the mortal realm. When he reached the part about what had happened at the Sacred Mountain, the one and only place in the mortal realm where he gods were allowed to walk upon, Fregion frowned; "I doubt that a mortal could fell one of the Guards of the Inner Sanctum. Those creatures are trained by and are only loyal to the Creator himself. No god would even dare go against his will..." Fregion said while trying to figure out who would do such a thing.

"At any rate, the sword you're looking for was entrusted to me by the God of Blacksmiths, one of the very last mythic grade weapons he made before he stopped associating himself with the other gods. I have kept it safe within this very castle for nearly five centuries. If you ask that I give it to you then I'll have to refuse. You already have your scythe, you don't need another powerful weapon."

[Assistant] Darko hearing the god of fires answer and statement thinking that he wanted the sword for himself made him laugh. His laugh was enough to make the fires of the world go cold for a brief period. "For myself no. For my brother Hal. I have scythe this is true. But for Hal and it is true. A unknown threat has brought down the guardians. Don't believe me then let me show you." he then raised his hand and a pool of lava turned red and revealed in the reflecting pool the fallen guardians. "I'm sure you remember the forsaken army. One of the tomb seals has already been broken." Darko gazed at the Fire Lord, then he turned to the pool. He knew that few of the gods were given specific things by the grand creator. And as much as Darko hated to admit it, he and Hal were chosen by the grand creator himself to seal off the forsaken army. One in Hals lands the other in Darkos and it was Darko had been the sole sealer of the sword stolen. He was supposed to have felt a presence remove the sword. But he didn't. He didn't even feel a presence enter his realm. He knew Hal was to be the protector over the stolen swords twin. The only other sword that has been known to stop it's twin. Both forged by the blacksmith god by the same material. He knew Hal had entrusted the Fire God with the sword.

[User]
Hal was on his way back down the mountain where Darko and himself had discussed and agreed that, whatever this new force is the, gods of both light and dark will need to address it together. Even with a greater evil against them Hal wasn't sure that a plan such as this could work. There are some deeply rooted quarrels between all of them, and Darko especially. There was something down inside Hal that made him distrust Darko even with the changes he has shown. It is almost like Hal can feel that there is a darker side to his brother's plans and drive. Just before Hal reached the edge of the travel barrier he felt his griffin call him, and share it's sight with him. Hal watched through its eyes and heard through its ears as the unknown figure brutally attacked. Hal began sprinting as the figure addressed him of the death of his guardians, made threats of releasing the Forsaken Army and killed his griffin.

Once he was able Hal produced his horn and sounded it. It was not the same tone as last time, but instead a lower and fuller noise that would feel as though it could shake mountains, topple fortresses and carry to the ends of the world. There was a moment of echo after Hal finished blowing the horn and a rift opened to an area that had not seen the gods for some time, this was the war room that Hal and his servitors created during the Clash of Gods. He turned and looked to the sky before speaking to all gods of light "Friends, this is Hal, the one that X addressed in his prophecy of the fall has come forth. I have seen him, and he moves to release the Forsaken Army that Darko and I sealed in Anima Portas. By now he has entered the tomb, and none of us can get to him. We should gather in the Hall of War to plan for his next move." After this Hal then connected with Darko. "Brother, I was too late to warn the guards, and as a result my griffin has fallen to the one we sought to stop, who calls himself Calcifer. We are meeting to plan a defense, and I will send a messenger to you with the report when we are finished."

< < < - - - - - > > >

As Calcifer began to enter the tomb he could feel a dark presence, but before he could look around to confront it he found himself in an infinite realm between the physical and the spiritual, X's place of residents. Turning once more he came to face X as he stood from his chair and made a speech that was something of a congratulating for his deeds as well as a condemnation and threat. "You saw these events were going to happen yet you stood by and did nothing to stop or delay them? What a friend you are to the others." Calcifer said adding a spiteful emphasis into it. "You think be to be that slow, That I would turn back simply because 'forces beyond my mortal self' scare you? Bah!" He spat at X before continuing. "My aim is not just to restore myself, and you the god of secrets should know this. My vengeance is exactly that, to kill and destroy everything and everyone that has forgotten me by your hand, but that is not it, I would have you sit in your… unwavering neutrality and watch as it all comes crashing to an end." Calcifer was clenching his fists as he spoke and they began to turn back to what he was before, letting off small flicks of flame.

As X made his departure and made his statement of Calcifer being nothing more than a pawn the realm faded Calcifer looked on into the gaping blackness of the tomb as his hands returned to normal wondering if he would really enter the tomb or into another of X's realms. He again felt the presence from before and turned this time to see several small trails of blood trickling towards him, and he slowly smiled, knelt down and watched the blood inch closer and closer. "Sekaulla, still up to you usual games I see." He reached out and scooped some of the blood in his hand. "What may I give the pleasure of your visit?" Calcifer had made almost a one-eighty turn in attitude and tone from when he was talking with X.


[System]
* Age: 19
* Gender: Female
* Race: Harpy
* Class: Nun
* Appearance: Sophia's most obvious trait is that... well, she's got feathery wings, white flecked with grey rather than the normal darker tone. She is also small, even for a harpy, and it wouldn't be unfair to tell her to cut down on the sweets a bit. Her hair matches her feathers, and is far too long for someone with no hands to take care of it by themselves. As for what she wears: it was presumably patterned after a normal, red-and-gold (what other colours would you expect from a sun goddess?) habit, but it's been shortened a bit--and naturally, given its relatively simple construction aside from the trim, it has enormous arm holes.
Predictably, Sophia's eyes are blue.
* Personality: Having spent most of her time hanging around with books or doing religious things, Sophia is rather shy and not too good at socialising with people. She's got strong morals, however, and won't refuse to help someone in need. She's also an enormous glutton, and even manages to overcome her own race's tendency to not gain weight through the sheer amount she'll eat if able. Pretty good nun otherwise, though.
* Brief Backstory: With her great-grandmother having been the last person in her family to live outside a city, Sophia's rather more civil than many harpies, and wouldn't ever have the first clue how to go about living in the mountains, though with all her recent male ancestors being Nem, she'd have a bit more luck at surviving in a desert. Oddly enough, despite their race, her mother and grandmother both worship Reon, and Sophia chose to join the church when she was younger.
Given that dungeons are dangerous places, and she's a pretty skilled healer, she was sent out with someone she remembers from her schooldays on their current mission.
* Equipment: In case her magic fails, Sophia has a normal first aid kit... not that she can use it at all, but it's still useful to have it around.
* Abilities: Not just a nun, Sophia is something of a scholar, as well as being trained in various positive magics--particularly the art of healing, but also magical barriers that can act as an extra layer of armour, or temporarily letting someone push their body past its normal limits (though she insists that they let her fix things after the fight). She's pretty knowledgeable about theology and history.
What she lacks is good survival skills, due to never having lived outside of civilisation. She also has a stubborn inability to acknowledge that she's actually pretty badly shortsighted. Which is an even bigger problem than normal when you can fly, since everything you can navigate by is kind of hard to see...

[User]
"Let's go!" Al shouted back, and with a grunt, pushed against her hand. His muscles tightened as he turned his entire torso, yanking the knight from her chair and into the air. Turning his body around, he flailed Cristine around in a circle, before pulling her back down onto the table. The legs immediately gave way like a schoolgirl confessing to her crush, and the table collapsed onto the ground, the knight on top.

"...Miss, are you okay? Miss?"

[Assistant]
Tanya let out a huff. Oh, she had to play nice with the people drinking their minds away here? Okay, fine, the kind of people she wanted would ideally be mostly sober and therefore would be very quick to pick up on any harsh words... but... whatever! Wouldn't they get lured in by the treasure in the ruined old castle? Sure, it was 'popular' in a manner of speaking, but there was a reason she had a target there. No-one had ever reached the lower two levels of the decaying ruin. And, indeed, shortly after the attempt to appeal for the creation of a party, a cloaked man approached.

"That depends on your skills," she said, simply, when he suggested that it may be in their best interest to take him along. If he was in actuality a pumpkin farmer wrapped up in a travelling cloak he would hardly be the useful sort to take into a dungeon, would he? Still, he was not likely to be a simple farmer if he was considering such an offer. "Sophia, if you'd like you can give him an explanation, for now..."

The short, purple-haired girl trailed off as a woman in the garb of the King's Army, smelling strongly of spirits, approached their table and slammed her arm down to challenge... whoever to an arm wrestling contest. Well, she wasn't going to dignify that. "... If you're here to ask about our mission, then you'll have to-"

Someone pushed her to the side. Tanya, not exactly being resistant to such a thing unprepared, stumbled off the bench and caught herself, Repharion's scabbard rattling against the wood. Furious, she swiftly stood up and turned to face a rather sizable man, who had shoved in to take the offer of an arm-wrestling competition.

"...You idiot..." Tanya's violet eyes narrowed. What kind of person did that? It wasn't like she'd been unnoticeable. "Are your heads as thick as the drink she's overindulged in?!"

Tanya gave a swift gesture towards the soldier. "This table's not for..."

She stared blankly as the results of the stupid arm-wrestling competition resulted in the table's legs giving out. After a moment of silence, the short paladin let out a sigh. There was no good expression of anger that truly covered this kind of situation. "... Well then, I'm sure the owner of this tavern is going to be thrilled when he sees that. Perhaps some, oh, I don't know, rational, logical thought may have been in order? Reon's Peace! Are you two even sober enough to understand my offer?!"

[User] "I... am not a miss!" Cristine sat up to slap Al away. Her other arm, the one that had actually made contact with his, ended up in a mangled mess. It wasn't enough to be truly crippling, but still enough to be quite disgusting to look at. In other words, it was pain Sergeant Wykes was used to. The knight struggled as she attempted to stand up on her broken arm in her drunken state. "I" she hiccuped "I work for a living!"

[Assistant]
Leander was expecting the worst when more people showed up, and got the worst when the drunks and the arrogant started having a strength comparison contest. Leander really had to question the wisdom of expecting mercenaries to behave and work together, even if under the lure of untold riches at the end of the task. While this was all going on, though, Leander was coming up with suitable responses for Sophia.

"Honestly, I fail to see the wisdom behind actions such as these," Leander said, gesturing to Al and Cristine. "As for my talents, however," Leander began, turning to Sophia and taking out his staff, which was covered in runes from top to bottom. "They rely on more than just brute force, which is exactly what these drunken fools have." Leander then channeled a bit of mana into his staff, causing a small glow of light in the blue crystal to appear for a moment before disappearing again. "Trust me, you'll want more than sheer muscle for this mission of yours."

[User]
Liliane had been sitting alone at one of the tables for many hours. Apparently, finding a group of people to go adventuring with was difficult (especially since Liliane never asked anyone). While she didn't drink a single drop of alcohol, she had eaten multiple saucers of various tree nuts. She silently moped to herself.

Though, that moping quickly ended once a not-shady woman aggressively declared that all those who wanted to go into the Prison-Castle would go with her. Liliane had wanted to go to the Prison-Castle for the longest time (in fact, she wanted to go to almost every single not fully unexplored dungeon in Velt), but she never could because the rumored giant-rats were her perfect counter (just like almost every kind of enemy in a dungeon).

Liliane deposited the nuts from the saucer into her hand and stood up. "I'll join you in your adventure!" Liliane yelled out loud. After yelling, Liliane had realized that her table was rather a ways off from the Paladin and the rowdy group of people already near her.

[Assistant]
"A-aww. That looks like it stings. I'm sorry, Miss; I think I overdid it." Al frowned, grabbing the knight's good hand to help her to her feet.
"I'll get back to you on the job offer in a minute." Al said to the paladin.
"And as for you, Miss, you should at least let me get you to a doctor. This is kinda my fault, after all." he said, scratching the back of his head.

[User]
Well nevermind! Lady Tanya's dramatic outburst had summoned all manner of cheerful reprobates! In fact, from his position at the bar, Marc was able to witness two spirited competitors promptly demolish the table he had been sitting at only five minutes prior! Of course, he also had to listen to the innkeeper grumbling about yet another broken table, but that was beside the point. He clapped quite loudly. "Good show!" Oh, Lady Tanya was going to slap him for that. "Well done!"

But, now was not the time to tarry! The huge paladin disengaged from the table to greet the warriors that had utterly annihilated the table at which they had sparred. Ignoring the man with the staff for the moment, he spoke to the arm-wrestlers. "Spirited! Very spirited! Wonderful!" He was clearly pleased at the shattering of the table, though he knew later he would be the one to pay reparations to the tavern keeper. But that did not dissuade him! "Do you not agree, Lady Tanya? Though they are truly ruffians, I believe warriors of such merit should accompany us on our quest! What say you?"

[Assistant] The mighty gates of the castle stood imposingly as, at their very base, Fieri Angharad pushed uselessly at them. As ancient as they seemed, the oaken doors were still nearly as sturdy as the day they were hoisted into position. Fieri's fingers clenched around her rod in abject irritation, as she impotently slammed a fist against the doors. With nothing but a mocking shower of wood and paint flakes to mark her failure, Fieri briefly decided to turn back from whence she came. Just as Fieri crossed out from the door's threshold, a cunning idea struck her. This castle must be ancient... just think of all the holes there are! All I have to do is find one big enough to fit me! With an impish grin, Fieri began slithering around the castle's perimeter, searching for handholds and piles of rubble.

[User]
Haruka's tail wagged in excitement as she sat at the bar. A normal person might have given up after asking perhaps a hundred different bars for sake only to find out that there was none, but Haruka was not normal. Nothing would deter her from her quest to get some sake in the west. She believed that if she was persistent, she could definitely find some some day. Thus, even if she failed 10,000 times, she would not be dissuaded. She would just try 10,000 more times.

"Yes, miss bar captain," she called out to the young woman working the bar, "I am in search of some sake! Might you have any, please?"

Yet again, the answer was no. After some confused conversation establishing what exactly sake was, Haruka was informed that they had nothing like that. With that out of the way, she turned to look at the other patrons with a wide smile still on her face. Westerners were very interesting, she thought as she caught a glimpse of a yelling purple-haired child standing on a bench.

"Westerners really do have hair like the rainbow! Yellow and red and even purple. It is amazing every time I see it!"

Then, there was a Western game of wrestling arms betwixt a drunk woman and a very tall man. How big the Westerners were, too! One would never see a man that tall in the East. Or a woman that drunk, to be honest. Both were amazing, but then the tall man slammed the woman through the table which was bad. Haruka's tail waggled even faster, and she rushed to the scene of the injury. This was the time! Her medical training would really pay off! Finally, she could be of use to someone in need.

"I can doing now this for you now please," she cried as she grabbed the drunken woman's arm. With one quick, skillful motion she set the arm back into place. Then, she snapped some pieces of wood off of the already broken table, reached into her robe to rip off a bit of her sarashi, and dabbed some poultice around the afflicted area before splinting it.

"It will better in soon time! You may do many alcohol for unmaking the pain."

[Assistant]
"That was convenient. Thank you, foreign doctor lady." Al smiled.

"Anyways, this is my fault, so I'm gonna do this doctor many alco-Oh! She meant buy her a drink." he exclaimed, his eyes lighting up with sudden realization. "...Just a moment."

The swordsman turned around, and discretely opened up his wallet, to discover a moderate supply of coin. At this tavern, it could cover a nice meal, but not much more. He peeked over his shoulder.

Surely a girl this size couldn't have that big an appetite.

"Miss, let me buy you the drinks." he smiled, tying his wallet back onto his belt.

[User]
Sophia was beginning to have concerns about their choice of location, since so many people here seemed to be far too violent and altogether belligerent. Everybody seemed so... unrestrained, and to the sheltered harpy it was all rather overwhelming. It didn't help matters that the only person here she could really trust was her fellow Reonite paladin; Marc seemed to be well-intentioned enough... but the fact that he spoke like a chivalric novel was offputting. Of course, she'd also known Tanya for longer.

"Ah, the castle is--" the diminutive harpy managed to get out before an ominous and sickening noise interrupted her vain attempt to explain what exactly awaited them in the castle. Were all taverns so violent? She didn't want to be in them again if this was a common occurrence, her wings were fragile...

Happily, someone else splinted the injured limb whilst the numb flapped over to take a look at the injury. It simplified the healing process, since she couldn't really align bones manually without considerable pain, but whilst the poultice might be a good anti-inflammatory, it was questionable if it would really help healing speeds.

"Could you please try and keep your arm still?" the white-haired harpy mumbled, wings arcing around to surround the injured arm. It was set, and the poultice would avoid a few nasty effects... so it should only be a few minutes to get it healing at a good rate. If the arm-wrestling girl realised she shouldn't move, at least.


[System]
Age: 26

Gender: Female

Mastery: Hydromancer
Specialty: Blizzard

Rank: Adept

Appearance:

Nataly is 5'7" and is a slight 116 lbs. Her northern roots show in her pale skin, contrasting with ice blue hair. The hair is cut short, left at about shoulder length and her have bangs bound with purple bands. She has eyes are deeper blue than her hair, and what could be considered a "cute" complexion.

People are surprised by Nataly's slender frame because her robes are huge. They billow out from the sides and are bulky with fluff to protect from the cold that she conjures. Contrary to her skills, underneath the robes she dresses rather revealingly, to help deal with the heat of the southern lands the Academy sit on (relatively speaking). She has a pendant with a cut piece of blue amber on it that she'll often pull out to help her focus when conjuring up her icy magics.

Equipment: Why carry weapons when concealable and untraceable ones can be crafted out of ice?

Demeanor: Nataly has been rather bubbly as of late. The prospect of finally getting promoted from Adept to Weaver has lifted her spirits in recent months, and has seen a surge in her production in classes as well as her kindness towards her fellow Hydros. You do not want to get on her bad side though. If ever wronged in any way, it's not possible for Nataly to just let it go.

History: The Andrades welcomed young Nataly into the family during a nasty blizzard in the Far Northern town of Cartaquilla, which serves as the main port for the Kingdom of Gran Helada. That might have served as a premonition for Nataly's future, but blizzards were a regular facet of life in the frozen lands. For Falco, a fisherman by trade, and Yoreli, a stay-at-home mother, the first daughter in the family after three boys was a welcome change and they doted the young girl from the moment she was placed in the buffered crib.

The first sign that Nataly might be special in more ways than one manifested when she was eleven. Yoreli opened the door to Nataly's room one morning to find the girl playing in a layer of snow, a icy replica of her brother Jaime standing guard as she made snow angels. Yoreli scolded the child for leaving the window open and letting all the snow in but the window was closed, revealing the sunny day that Cartaquilla had been blessed with. As Yoreli looked up she could see the sprinkles of snowflakes falling from the ceiling, then dropped down to her daughter, still happily waving her arms without a care in the world.

This revelation was met with fear and seclusion for Nataly, as Yoreli did her best to hide the witchcraft her daughter perpetrated. Falco paid no mind, usually out on trawling expeditions but Yoreli kept Nataly's powers a secret from her husband and he maintained a loving bond with his child. However, the snow that Nataly so willingly embraced would prove to be her father's downfall. Twelve hours after he left Cartaquilla on a day hunt for crab, one of the worst blizzards in a century struck. It paralyzed the region and trapped all seabound ships for days while the ice raged on. Worry grew with each passing day, and the prospect of Falco returning was fading. It got to the point that on the third day, Yoreli came out into the snow, searching for her sixteen year old daughter only to find Nataly standing in her pyjamas, tears frozen to her face, desperately trying to bend the snow away to open a path for her father to come back. She failed.

Without Falco, Yoreli tried to look for other paths to taking care of her children. She learned about the Academy for people with Nataly's talents, so the girl was sent packing at age 17 for the far south. Nataly was slow to progress off the bat. She still was upset about her father and did not want to conjure up the substance that took him away in her mind, but eventually the icy walls tumbled down and she was starting to get the hang of controlling her gifts. She finally passed her Adept exam at 23, and has been working hard to try and progress up the ranks. Nataly wants to get to the point where she could control the snowstorms of her hometown and at least make sure other kids don't have to lose their parents like she did.

[User]
Nina had made sure she'd be there to say farewell to her daughter, while Timothy had unfortunately needed to be at the market today of all days, but he had asked Nina to relay his farewells to her, which she of course did. There was no question about her doing so.

"You be careful now, Silvana. I wouldn't be able to rest easy if I knew of you hurt somewhere with me unable to get to you." she said as she hugged her daughter tightly.

"You don't need to worry about me, mother. I'm a big girl now, I can take care of myself. Even if I am just an Adept." Silvana said back while hugging back tightly. Both women were muscular enough to not be able to crush each other with their hugs, but still making sure that they didn't crush Silvana's pendant.

"Being an Adept isn't something to say that about. You might not be as powerful as a Weaver or a Master, but Adepts are still powerful enough in their own rights." Nina said, smiling towards her as she slowly let go of Silvana.

"But..." Silvana still wanted to become a Weaver like her mother, but it would take more time until she could become one. She simply wanted to make her parents proud of her, even though they were proud enough that she got into the Academy.

"No buts, dear. Now, have you prepared all that you need for the journey?" Nina had gone over what to bring with her the day before to make sure she was ready for today.

"Yes, mother. It's all in my bag." Silvana turned sideways to show her mother the bag hanging from her back. Nina nodded and smiled, pulling her daughter back into her arms for a final hug.

"We're going to miss you so much." she said, tears slowly crawling down her cheeks.

"And I'll miss both of you." Silvana replied, crying silently with her mother.

"We love you." Nina said, letting go after a while so that Silvana could go and join the others on the airship.

"And I love you both." Silvana said back to her mother before turning around to go towards the airship. Her mother stood there, watching her child leave before returning to her duties at the Academy.

---

Having dried off her tears, Silvana approached the airship where a few other mages had already made their way towards. She smiled towards them as she got closer, making sure her bag was firmly held onto her back.

"Ah, such a nice day today, isn't it? And so exciting to be traveling by airship." she said, addressing no one in particular. She grabbed her pendant for a moment, which was hanging outside her robes at the moment, holding it in her hand as she looked up at the sky.

[Assistant]
"Do you think they have big monsters over there? Or maybe they ride robots instead. OH! What if they ride robot monsters? I mean, they obviously need something smaller than an airship to get around if they have to do something alone, and they're too advanced to just walk." The energetic voice of Fei Hidalgo was the only thing Drew could hear at this point. She was bouncing around and circling him as she asked question after question about Jurai. "Wait, I got it! Maybe they have wing! Y'know, like fake wing things they put on. That way they could fly instead of jut walk!"

Drew laughed softly and spoke to her in a calm tone. "Well, I'll find out. If they have wing suits or something like that, I'll be sure to bring some back to you." The pair walked slowly, since Drew was in no rush to get to his destination. He had plenty of time and he knew most of the academy like the back of his hand, so he knew he wouldn't be late. He stopped to get a quick bite to eat, though he had already finished his breakfast while Fei had only taken a few nibbles since she was so busy asking him questions.

This whole thing was still puzzling to the Hydromancer. Why ask for him? Sure, he had good grades and was friendly with the instructors, but he wasn't that extraordinary. His skill set was uneven compared to the average Elemental and he wasn't exactly known around the academy, except maybe as "that guy who sits at the side of the room". Maybe they heard about his recent attempt to get promoted to Weaver, but since he failed, that just made the decision stranger. Sure, Fei insisted it was because they knew what an awesome elemental he was, but there were better choices.

They got as close they were allowed to the airship before they had to depart. Drew hugged his sister, putting on a brave face for her. "Don't fall behind in your studies just because I'm not there to help you. I don't want to come back and discover you're failing." He said jokingly. He knew she'd be fine, this was mostly to try and leave on a happier note. For all he knew, he wasn't coming back at all. Something this important likely meant danger ahead. Still, with all the other mages joining him, he might just be able to get through this.

He walked ahead, turning back to wave one last time before he joined his fellow elementals. He was content to just stay in the back quietly, seeing just who was accompanying him. He could recognize at least one familiar face from class, though he didn't actually know who it was. He also recognized one of the Masters, but the rest were all new to him. He also could have sworn there were supposed to be more arrivals. He stepped aside so they could come in without running into him. He took a deep breath, waiting for something to happen.

[User]
Rummaging through his bag to make sure he had everything, Tobias rubbed his eyes tiredly. He'd stayed up far too long the night before, and was regretting that choice now. He'd forgotten that he'd had to pack and was now sure that he would forgetting something in the rush. Muttering essential ingredients under his breath, he tied his belt of potions around his waist, making sure each was corked properly. Wouldn't do to have a sudden explosion inside the ship. Or worse.

Satisfied that he had all that he needed, he did one last scan around the room, before turning on his heel and walking swiftly out the door. Suppressing a yawn as he strode through the hall towards the courtyard, he saw groups of students-Mages and Adepts-hurrying in the same direction, eager to get a glimpse of the airship. His lips curved in a faint smile as a girl hurtled past him, shouting at someone to wait and looking much like a bedraggled cat.

Not slowing down, he quickly ducked into the library, nodding in greeting to the librarian before locating a couple of books to take with him on the journey. Just three, as he didn't want to overload too much, but then again didn't want to be left reading one over and over again. Finding them quickly and checking them out equally as fast, he slid them into his bag. Finally considering himself ready, he started walking towards where the airship was landed.

Getting closer to the formidable vehicle, he saw the other Elementals standing around waiting. Walking up to them, he nodded curtly in the direction of Ling, and greeted them, trying not to look too annoyed. He didn't want to seem too offputting.
"Well then. Any more of us on the way?"

[Assistant]
For once, sleep didn't linger for very long on the body of the 26 year old woman in the room painted a dazzling icy blue. Usually she would enjoy the naturally chilled temperature of her room as long as possible and then drag herself out of the room to go to the classes. Sure there was an uptick in willingness to go early to class in recent months with the rumors that a promotion to Weaver was on the horizon, but she still preferred to stay in her room. Today though, today was not like any other day, and Nataly Andrade was rife with anticipation.

She had heard rumors from some of the Adepts that the Masters were looking at people to head to the North. For what? No one knew. But it was closer to home than Nataly had been in nine years, and she wanted to go. Surely there were other students with greater talents who were going to be looked at, but Nataly was determined to get a slot on the expedition. Maybe she could even sneak a trip back home, to try and show her mom what she had done with her time in the Academy. There was almost no contact with Gran Helada during her time here, so the least she could do is try and get a message up to her remaining family. So when she got called into the Master's office alongside Eve, she was ecstatic.

Nataly threw on the clothes she had chosen for the trip that didn't hit the suitcase and threw on her robes. It was still going to be a bit warm for them, but she wanted to make a good first impression on the Northern party. At least look like someone who was ready to freeze up a storm...well, close enough to it. Maybe someday... She shook her head. She grabbed some more last minute toiletries and did one last sweep of her room. I think that's everything...Not like I can't buy stuff I guess...The markets up North may be barren but they have some things... She looked out the window of her room and saw how high the sun was hanging. "Shit! How am I late?"

Nataly quickly grabbed her bag and dashed out of her room, deftly managing to hook her feet into her sandals as she ran. The urge to just slide down some iced over stairs was tempting, but she didn't need to risk smashing into a wall on the way down. Still she did everything short of that to get out of the residence quick as she could. Luckily it appeared no one was clogging up the hallways with meaningless shenanigans, no doubt still hungover from the pre-trip celebrations the students through. Any excuse for a night free of studying. Nataly was thankful she didn't go too overboard now.

Running out into the open fields outside the Academy, it was clear why there were no students in the corridors. They were all out here gawking at the massive ship. Great. Good work Nataly... She kept silently cursing herself for mucking up already as she moved through the crowds toward the ship. As she neared, she could see the crowd of adepts already there, including Eve, as well as one of the Light masters. A name wasn't coming to mind. Damn it...guess I gotta play this off...

The Blizzard specialist gave a wave as she approached the group, flicking the robe back to reveal the light blue hair "Hey! What's going on, everyone? You all weren't waiting for me, were you? I'm sorry it took me so..." Nataly was distracted by the presence of someone she did remember from last night. She pointed at the guy seemingly covered in a layer of dust...or dirt...what was it? "Wait, weren't you Alexi's flavor of the hour at the party last night? Don't tell me she tossed you out this early?" She shook her head, laughing. "You must have done something really stupid. She'll usually take a guy for all he's worth!"


[System]
vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/thiefgame..
Age: not exactly known, appears around 35

Gender: Variable, male by birth

Rank: Peasant/Thief

Species: Metamorphic/Human

Appearance: Varies based on disguise being used. In his default form he is a slim male of below-average height, with pale skin, black eyes, & dark eyes. He has a lithe and graceful body with long, elegant hands.

Personality: Thomas is a cynical and jaded loner who spends the vast majority of his time by himself. He has no friends and prefers it that way, trusting no one with information on his private life. He treats new people with anything from curt mistrust to outright hostility. Due to his distant attitude, most who do not know him find him sinister in appearance and demeanor. Despite this and his profession as a career criminal, Thomas is not callous and is capable of feeling guilt for his actions.

Thomas could be considered a consummate professional. He is solely devoted to his profession, spending all his time and effort on larceny and honing his skills as a thief into an art. For Thomas, thievery is a form of freedom from the bonds of society and law. It is a central part of his identity; he steals because he's the best there is and he values his professional reputation. Thomas will often pass on jobs if they are too easy or do not involve proper thievery, while pursuing marks without commission if tempted with alluring challenge or reward. He views himself as a devoted thief and refuses to be something he perceives as lesser, be it an assassin or a grave robber. He finds needless death or collateral damage pragmatically abhorrent, viewing it as unprofessional and brings unneeded attention to his job.

Anytime he is not on a heist, he's planning the next one. What time Thomas uses for recreation he spends maintaining the clock tower he lives in as well as maintenance on his equipment. He also has both a personal and professional appreciation for fine art and craftsmanship. He is shown to collect rare and priceless items for his own personal collection, ranging from jewelry, paintings, or rare curios of unique historical significance.

History His parents died young, and he was thrown into the streets. Becoming a thief was inevitable, he possessed raw talent that meant he quickly excelled. He made sure to acquire in-depth knowledge of the Imperial City's streets, rooftops, and shadows to get by. His very survival depended on stealing, while he was still young he learned to swiftly relieve people of their possessions while they went about their daily business, leaving many to believe they had accidentally misplaced their belongings. For years he honed his thievery skills to perfection, also learning to craft his own clothing, gear and weaponry. Around the time he was seventeen he discovered his abilities. He didn't much care for it, but he knew it would be helpful so he trained at it like he trained to be a thief.

Eventually Thomas' met a Flask, a fence who was worth maintaining a relationship; over time the two became close professional friends, at least in Flask's opinion. Flask eventually introduced Thomas to Gail. Thomas was impressed with Gail's talent so took her on as an apprentice. For two years he began teaching her the skills he had acquired and they developed a working partnership. Gail's first solo job she killed a servant that spotted her. This reckless action horrified Thomas, he ended their partnership immediately.

Extra: As a thief he uses tools to steal, he uses a wrench, pry bar, wire cutter, lock pick, razor, & a claw (grappling hook). He also carries a blackjack & compound bow with a variety of arrows (Blast, Blunt, Broad head, Choke, Fire, Rope, Saw tooth, & Water)

[User]
Thomas watched as the beasts were forced to work around the ice barrier. "This is pointless. Running like this is only going to give them the advantage. We have to manipulate the situation into our favor. We need to create a dead end, a box canyon. The ice magic will work perfectly for that. Eir your ice wall will have to be tall enough that they can't jump over it even if they use the trees for extra height. Instead of fighting them off from multiple directions we can create a choke point that gives them only one avenue for attack where it gives us the advantage to eliminate them as they come in. Or we can keep trying to outrun them and quite obviously fail."

Thomas figured these uppity nobility bastards would lead to his death but their ineptitude was absolutely appalling, he didn't realize it would be this soon. If he was going to die he was going to try his hardest to make sure he was the last one to die and watch every last one of them go before him. If ghosts exists he was going to make damn sure he came back as one to haunt that good for nothing bastard who got him into this.

[Assistant]
Miral swore a bit before looking at the noble whose horse had abandoned her, "You, get those carriage horses moving!" she said before getting down from her own horse and started swinging her pike in a circle, basically applying what Thomas was telling Eir to do, but with fire instead. She created a wall of fire, pushing the dogs in, the trees catching to eliminate them as an escape option. Her horse and Ryford's (which she will have been leading since its rider disappeared) stomped on the mutts as they got closer, squealing as they weren't about to let their claws gets into their hides. She backed towards the carriage, directing her flame wall to block the woods off on all sides so no more of them could join their current attackers, going all the way to the edge of the crag, "If we can get those horses moving and get on the bridge, I can roast these mutts and we can be on our way before anyone gets bitten," she said, not turning her back to the hounds, driving her pike in their their heads before they could get too close to her and throwing them into the flames.
Ryford swore and tried to urge the horses forward, but they were slow to progress, freaking out from all the sounds and the obvious presence of something malicious.But there was something rumbling in their direction from within the woods that suddenly spooked them into wild, uncontrolled action. They bolted forwards, nearly breaking their harnesses on the carriage as they yanked on them suddenly. Ryfrod had to grab the seat to not be flung back into the carriage and he looked back to see what was coming at them that scared the horses so badly as he tried to reign them back in. He would much rather someone else be driving so he could get to fighting and dealing with these beasts.
Miral looked past the flames as she saw some hulking figure that looked like the large beasts that wandered the plains around the Imperial City barreling towards them with no regards to the flames. It's large ears were tattered and barely still on its head. Its long trunk was covered in the sores that covered the hounds, its eyes blazing red like a flame. Its usual grey body was black like it was charred and there was flesh missing as if it were the dead brought back. She paled a little, getting back on to her horse as the beast was quickly closing the distance. She didn't need to grab the reigns for Ryford's horse, the beast not being stupid enough to hang around to get crushed, keeping up easily with the carriage. Miral followed onto the bridge and threw up another fire wall at its base, filling in the gaps to burn the hounds, but the larger monster was still coming, running straight into the flames for them, as if driven beyond its sense of self preservation and made only for killing them.

[User]
Spade bent lower over his deep brown horse, Kynder, speeding up as the sun touched the horizon. He needed to reach the group before the sun completely winked out. Losing light near the Dead Woods was normally deadly. Either he finds them before the sun goes down or he waits till morning a safe distance from the forest. It'd do no one any good to get killed on a fool's errand through the inky forest.
Spade's eyebrows furrowed as he remembered the events leading up to this hasty ride. The Quinn's were a prominent, wealthy, and politically charged family but what they didn't have was a presence on this mission. They wanted to benefit and bask in the glory of a completed mission. Spade snorted with their self absorbed egos. As the least favorite item in all of their mansion they were quick to offer him as the fodder to their rise. The silver goblets were regarded more precious than their own son. He wasn't the daughter they wanted and he had a strange form of magic that made them uneasy. Spade smirked at their discomfort.
Despite their feelings about him they felt the need to send a Quinn to bring praise to the family and so after bribes, negotiations, and other political nonsense Spade was sent. Late. They sent him late. And now he was trying to make up for it.
Wind whistled past his ears while he squinted ahead. The first of the Dead Wood's trees were coming into view after hours of driving Kinder mercilessly. Spade didn't like working her this hard but there wasn't much of a choice. If they got across the Crag then his chances of finding them was near nothing.
A low whining whistle broke the silence from the nearing trees. A howl? Definitely, but of what? Undoubtedly some monstrous beasts the Crag had spit up. A sinking feeling filled Spade's gut. The party was probably the reason for the howl. He cursed and urged Kynder faster. Why'd they enter the forest this close to dark? Nobles. Their pride will be the undoing of them all. They think they own everything. They thought that they could tell mother nature when to rain and when it wasn't allowed. Unfortunately some could actually do it and that didn't help matters whatsoever.
Spade hit the edge of the forest and didn't slow whatsoever. He kept barreling through the darkening woods. Soon the carnage of a battle spread out before him. Fire, spikes of ice, and bodies of rotting wolves filled the path making Kynder's footing waver. Flicking the reigns Spade urged her to jump a particularly jagged spike of ice.
 "Their ice caster is pretty strong."  Spade muttered as he strained his ears for the group. He thought he could just make out their shouts up ahead. Kinder snorted fearfully as they passed a wolf that was just hanging on to life. Spade felt alive. This is what it was like to live not the infernal politics of the inner city. You only truly lived when you were closer to death.
Suddenly there were walls of fire along the sides of the road. Spade leaned low holding Kinder's mane and whispered in her ear.  "It's ok. It's ok. Just a bit of fire Kynder. That'a girl, Kynder."

Then the wolves came. They were trapped between fire. They were scared, hungry, and mad.  "Crap."  Spade said sitting back in the saddle. He quickly drew his Tarot Deck from the pocket in his sleeve and flipped the top one over swiftly. He momentarily glanced down to see three cups with three women above them.

Three of Cups.

Spade focused on the three mutated wolves on one side. Lowering the glowing card down at arms length he then thrust his arm straight up into the air. The reaction was immediate as three geysers of boiling water shot up. Spade smirked as the three wolves were propelled twenty feet into the air. Kynder and Spade flew underneath ignoring the other mutts. A satisfying yelp sounding from behind when they crashed back to the ground.

He could see the wagon now. The horses were in a panicked rush obviously scared from what they had just gone through. Spade was just allowing a smile of victory cross his lips when the monstrous bipedal creature crashed out of the trees. Charging forward Spade watched the party careen onto the bridge the monster closing in. A wall of fire sprang up but the festering creature didn't hesitate in the slightest. It stomped out some of the flames and Spade pushed Kynder to jump through the remaining small ones.
Spade knew if the creature reached the wagon it was going to go over the edge. He flipped another card praying for an easy solution.

Four of Pentacles.

Spade pointed the glowing card forward. A four cornered star appeared in the air before him. It shined of gold and fire. Then it shot off slamming into the legs of the beast and the stone beneath it. There was a resounding crack as the stone split and dropped a couple feet. The beast, stumbling from the explosion on its legs, fell hard on its face. Seeing his chance he urge Kynder past the fallen creature. They were going to make it! He did it!
Then the muscular arm of the creature spun around smashing into the side of Kynder. Spade was thrown from the saddle forcefully. Seemingly in slow motion Spade turned over in the air. He watched Kynder thrown into the air with the force of the impact sending her over the edge of the bridge. Then it all sped up again and he whipped around slamming into the stone bouncing and skidding forward toward the wagon.

It hurt.

[Assistant]
As one would expect, the Metallic creature was not one to waste time. Perhaps it had another objective tied into the group, at some point it had arranged to meet up with them. But they where late, and the Warden is far from patient.

The ground would rumble, and the faint sound of thunder would make the horses even more uneasy too the point that they tried to run in various direction despite being attached to a carriage. Within seconds a massive arc of lighting would seem to consume the undead pachyderm, along with a large section of cursed earth beneath it. A anguished trumpet is heard just before another loud crash shook the now burning trees along with any whom where still close to it.

When the light finally faded the Warden stood in a mess of burning gore and glass. Despite being blown to pieces its remaining limb and head continued to try and approach the group, to this the Warden did not act, rather it made a cold statement directed at the parties leader.

"Late..."

[User] When the carriage lurched forward thanks to the stupid beasts pulling it Thomas lost his footing, he fell of the side but was able to grab something before he fell to the ground. He climbed inside. When he saw the lumbering behemouth he pulled out all of his explosive tipped arrows but before he could fire it the sentient armor or whatever it was decimated it to a head and limb. "If that thing can do that by himself why are the rest of us here? It can do this quest on its own." He put back all but one of the explosive tipped arrows, the remained explosive tipped arrow he fired into the mouth of the head/limb freak. The resulting explosion was very satisfying and very disgusting, blood and guts went everywhere.


[System]
Appearence:

BTW I drew that, heehee ^_^
Age: 32

Civil and Thief clothes are the same, made of fur and leather hides from the animals she has hunted. When she is on the hunt she will have her face painted in tribal war paint

Weapon:
A pinewood bow with thick, gauged horse hair twine, and a sharp, curved dagger

Tools:
A quiver of arrows, caltrops, small vials of various poisons (hand crafted by her), and a sage green ocarina which she plays now and again. Not necessarily a tool, but essential to her, her hawk companion Dmitri

Bio:
Life was not always so grand growing up in the eastern Elven Empire of Telnivir. Rather, it was monotonous to the young elven girl. Born to a family of nobles, Nirayane had everything handed to her upon platters of the finest gold, lavish, elegant clothing, precious, priceless gems and jewelry that sparkled so radiantly, wealth, all that a noble elf's daughter could ask for...except for her of course. She was smothered no less, protected as though she were nothing more than a priceless trinket. Her parents had even betrothed her to a wealthy and handsome steward of the Imperial Court, yet Nirayane felt no love for him, nor any sort of affection. Nay, what she longed for was freedom, liberation from her gilded cage, her tightly clenching shackles of obligations to the haughty and stuffy nobility.

Such came for her one fateful evening, when she had finally made her decision to cut all ties with her family and free herself from the bondage of her elegant lifestyle. She had only made it so far through the thick of the forest, until suddenly she was set upon by a rowdy clan of brigands, named the Black-Horned Elks, led by a brutish orc war chief named Torvald Stone-Hide. Torvald took the girl captive and chained her up in his personal quarters at the abandoned fortress of Raven's Perch, believing certain she would fetch a pretty coin from her family, but as the years waned on, his cruel treatment of Nirayane lessened and he slowly became smitten with the elven maiden. Nirayane the same had grown attached to the orc, developing romantic feelings for him, and soon the two were lovers. Through her time together with the bandits she became molded by the brutality surrounding her day in and day out and developed her own kindred bloodlust. Her orc husband took note of this and allowed her to participate in raids, pillages, and heists to satiate her fearsome appetite. She became skilled with an assortment of weapons, yet favored the bow above all, her prowess in archery nearly unmatched as she could kill a target from almost leagues away, earning her the title Shear-Breeze. Other attributes she learned from her savage companions were how to live off the land, to hunt for meat and for hides and to gather special herbs and reagents for brewing potions and poisons, and to tame wild animals, except for her husband of course.

Yea life was wonderful for the newly crowned Queen of the Elks, yet...how cruel fate be that this life as well be shattered.

Twas upon one grim day when a couple of bandits returned to the fortress from a recent raid, spattered in blood and with eyes widened in fear. The chief Torvald asked them of what they had done, and the men simply answered....unknowingly they had killed the wife and daughter of the Imperial Guard Captain. In his blind, berserk rage the orc beheaded them both and ordered to Nirayane and their men...prepare for battle. It wasn't long after, the Captain and his men came thundering towards the fortress with only one goal in mind, burn it to the ground. The battle was quick, bloody, and with numerous, grisly casualties upon both sides, one of which was the bandit queen's lover. Nirayane could only witness in horror as her beloved Torvald was skewered by many a sword blade before he fell to his death from the stone tower of Raven's Perch.

She fled the fortress with her remaining men, and through several dark and harrowing times, they traveled towards the west to the kingdom of Kalardia. It was during that period, the queen's crown began to falter, as did her leadership over the unruly brutes. They made several forceful, unwanted advances upon her, and soon the elven maiden was once again a slave. In her desperate bid to be free of her tormentors, she had no choice but to slay them in cold blood. As if Fate herself had frowned upon her, the brigand's luck only grew worse, as she was seized at the border of Kalardia and imprisoned awaiting execution, seething with anger behind grit teeth and glaring eyes. Luckily however, the King of Kalardia, Igolvert, offered her amnesty from the headsman's axe, only on the grounds she join the Thieves Guild.

Nirayane, no less, took the offer and since she has remained loyal to the Guild, but never forgetting her beloved Torvald and the orc chief's courageous sacrifice for her.

Not important info: She's mute.

[User] "Ah Hotarubi" Nadia smiled as she heard her say her name. She was already used to be petted like that from her and she didn't mind at all. "So you cause the ruckus earlier?" She asked, looking up at Hotarubi.

[Assistant] "AHHHH. what the hell are you doing." Chloe said bolting up and drawing an arrow from her quiver and aiming it at her heart. she noticed that she too was also from the guild. "I'm so sorry, you scared me. please forgive me." She said a small silver tear Dripping down her cheek and onto the ground.

[User]
Nirayane hissed at the new recruit like a cornered serpent preparing to strike, her teeth, they were even sharp as one, a common trait of elves who became feral. If she wanted to, she could have killed the girl any second and bat not a single eyelash towards it, one slice across the throat would be all it took, but....Hotarubi probably wouldn't appreciate Nira slaying their new members without remorse, also....she must've frightened her a bit too much, judging by the stray tear streaming down her cheek.

Without warning Mira caught the tear upon her finger, a peculiar expression to her own face, and gently wiped it away, then ruffling the girl's hair, the mute's gesture of apology. There was a commotion going about the rest of the guild, yet Nirayane paid no mind to it, she was never that close to her guild mates anyways and often, she preferred solitude.

Of course she realized it was the fifth of Morning Star, a day...or rather a night many of the wood recognized as Veralyn's, Maiden of the Stag and Goddess of the Hunt. Tonight, for many a seasoned archer, it was the ripe time to display their innate prowess with the bow, for the moon would be full and the forest teeming with life as the heavenly huntress descended from High Alti above unto the trees, drawing her arrow to the sky and signaling the hunt to commence.

Nira, she mostly hunted alone, but...perchance this one could join her, first however...she needed to see something. Rather curt of the elf, she snatched the girl's bow from her hand and oddly...sniffed of it. Just as she thought, ash wood, light, malleable, good for an intermediate bow, but Nirayane suspected this girl's skill was above intermediate, and a bow of a thicker, heavier wood may suit her better, something crafted of pine or cedar. Upon further inspection pulling back the drawstring, she also discovered the string was thin and woven of flax fibers. Impressive, but given her experience, she wasn't much a fan of plant fiber. It wasn't thick enough and too much pressure would snap the string in two.

She handed the bow back to the girl shaking her head in disapproval of the flimsy weapon, not bad but could be better. She, though not able to speak, told her to stay put, then scurried off to her sleeping quarters in the cistern, stopping at the table everyone had gathered around with the chest of gold coins atop it and setting down the crown she stole in front of Hotarubi with a stern nod. Then, once she returned from her room, clutched in her hand was another bow, crafted by Nira's own two hands from thick, knotted cedar and for the string, only the coarsest fibers of horse and elk hair woven thick with a supple draw weight and enough to send an arrow soaring leagues away.

With another curt nod, she set the bow in the girl's hand, a present if you will, for welcoming her to the guild. And though she preferred to hunt alone...perhaps she wouldn't mind taking this one with her. Going back to Hotarubi, she looked her leader dead in the eyes and signed to her a simple message, I'm going hunting and I'm taking the young lass with me. We shall return at yea break of dawn with meat and venison for everyone.

[Assistant] Looking at the bow given to her another tear trickled down her cheek. "Thank you. This... this bow its.. its amazing. i mean just the way it feels is almost magical. Did you make this?"

[User] Simbad weaved his competently through one of the many paths that led to the thieves guild and tossed a bag of money on the table, "Here's the guild's cut." he said curtly and grabbed a drink and sat down at one of the several tables.

[Assistant] Nirayane nodded yes, but her eyebrows furrowed again when she noticed another tear fall from the girl's eye. Strange...why would she be crying? Nirayane was not meaning to offend, she merely offered a better style of bow for the girl to use. Once more she wiped the tear away, and then she brandished her own bow, showing that she too was an archer, though she figured this new one was her equal or perhaps surpassed her a bit, who knew? I have told the others I am going hunting, and I wish for you to come with me. I would love to see your skill with a bow. Is what she would have said if the elven girl could speak, but unfortunately all Nira could do was gesture in some way that made sense....and the only gesture that would make sense was just grabbing the girl(Chloe) by the hand and pulling her towards the exit. No time to waste when the perfect night for a hunt came only every few moons.

[User] "oh my gosh its brilliant. i cant wait to test it out, but i guess thats where we are going." Chloe said pulling up the pure white hood up covering her shiny blond hair which was covering her deep brown eyes. she shouldered the bow and grabbed her quiver as the elf pulled her by the hand

[Assistant]
They were just about to leave the sanctity of the cistern, until Nirayane paused forgetting something, or rather someone. With a whistle, nearly echoing off every moss covered wall of the hideout, she called to her other hunting companion. The hawk was perched on the table picking at a small rat he caught earlier and was swallowing some of the meaty morsels down his gullet, until he returned with a screech and flapped his wings taking to the air, flying past the other guild members and Hotarubi before landing on Nira's outstretched arm. She scratched Dmitri lightly under his beak and petted his head with a wry smile crossing her lips. Now we can go. A short nod to the other archer and off they went with Nirayane pulling her hood of wolf fur over her head and pushing back her shimmering sapphire hair behind her pointed ears, revealing her eyes of amethyst.

There were many ways in and out of the guild's infamous hideaway under Ivek, from just simply dropping into the sewers by one of the many aqueducts and tunnels that bristled and snaked below the cobblestone streets, or for a more discreet approach, there were the few secret entrances spaced about the surrounding forest, and it was through one of these doors Nirayane and the other girl, human no less, emerged from. Aye and how beautiful it was for an evening hunt. The Moon of Veralyn hung high in the sky and the Earth Mother's children were at play through the forest, cute rabbits, squirrels and other tiny creatures frolicking about the grounds covered in dead autumn leaves, but small game they were compared to what Nirayane was out for this night, deer, elk, maybe a moose or two if she was feeling brave, a test of skill it would be to the other archer as well. After all, for Nirayane any could hit a standing target, but the true showing of prowess was chasing a wild beast.

Pulling an arrow from her leather quiver and nocking it, she nodded for the other girl to follow her and have her bow ready as well, for in the thick, ephemeral mist of the woods she could hear it from afar, the clip-clopping of hooves...south of them. Tonight, we shall feast upon your bounty, Lady of the Hunt.

[User] Chloe looked at the tracks. "Doe. was here 30 seconds maybe 40 heading south." she pulled arrow from her Hardwood quiver and leant it against the side of the bow ready to fire. she looked to the Elf and made a gesture to look towards the small bush. Chloe was decent at making animal calls and attempted her best do Call. Surprisingly a doe made an appearance near the bush.

[Assistant]
Nirayane's eyebrow rose quite surprised at the girl's tracking skill. She was a natural at it, and impressed the elven girl, same with the animal call that brought the doe into their presence, the first kill of the night. Ever silent, she stalked their prey through the bushes and thorns, trying to place herself in the ample position to strike, her fingers, sharp, intertwining around the drawstring of her weapon and slowly pulling it back with a fresh arrow nocked. Nira kept her breathing steady, gradually her inhales and exhales becoming shallower until almost no breath at all escaped her lungs and passed her lips by. The doe, proud and majestic as any of the forest creatures, she was bathed in the light of the full moon cascading through the dappled shadows of the trees, her cream white fur seeming to glow almost ethereally in the midst of the thicket of red snowberries of she was nibbling on. Carefully Nirayane rose from a crouched position, closing one eye and zeroing in on her target, and then...she let loose of the arrow and watched as it soared along its path with a snap of the bowstring, almost in slow motion, until it thunked into the meat of the deer, releasing a hurtful yelp before scampering away to safety.

Nirayane quickly took off after the escaping animal, the scent of fresh blood upon her nose, but kept back a bit so she didn't end up getting skewered herself by the deadly dart of her hunting companion, plus wishing to see how good of an archer she was.


[System]
Gender: Female
Age: 22
Appearance:

Rank: Private
Class: Lancer

Weapons and Equipment: Lancaar-SH M01 and an old, far eastern sword

Personality: A peace-loving, flirtatious woman with a fierce sense of justice. She carries with her mannerisms from a foreign land, though her heart embraces the peaceful land of Gallia.
Bio: Regan emigrated from her home to Gallia some years ago, her family seeking to escape involvement in the war. Their home country was one that had decided to take a side in the war. Regan agreed with the move, but for her own reasons. Her father was originally a Gallian citizen, smoothing over their immigration into the country. It's where she obtained her mortar lance.

RP Sample: Fwoosh, fwoosh, fwoosh, fwoosh. A young woman stood in her yard, swinging a wooden sword overhead and shuffle-stepping forward and back as she did. She'd been at it for ten minutes now, and with a final step forward and swing, she took a deep breath while resting her sword against the ground, her hands laying over each other on the end of the hilt. "Huff... huff... whew." She takes a moment to gaze out over the grassy fields that surround her home now. The change of scenery was really pleasant, but at the same time, it was strange to be in a foreign land. Well... she supposed it wasn't foreign anymore. She was a citizen of Gallia now, this was her home. Though, the foreign martial clothing she wore would have most people fooled. Now that she's done with her morning practice, perhaps she should change and go into town? Bathing might be good, too, before she goes.

"Mama, I'm going to town!" The young lady calls as she slips her shoes on at the door and steps out of her home. They didn't live far, and the walk was very pleasant. She wondered who she'd find out and about today... though she should probably go with some purpose in mind, instead of just aimlessly wandering. She'd start by going to the bakery and purchasing herself something to eat, after her workout. From there... eeeeh... something would probably happen? She'd figure it out, but she had something to start with.

As the young lady walks, she gazes at the river along the road, admiring the clear waters and the fish within. Such a beautiful, peaceful place...

[User]
Corporal James Hunt|Battle for Vasel
@POOHEAD189@Kitsune

"Roger that sir, I'll pass the orders to Jatmoore." Taking a moment, he tuned the radio to Lilly's frequency before speaking. "Fireteam Bravo, this is Corporal Hunt. Regroup at the intersection just up the road between us. Continue pressing the attack as you do so. Let me say it again too, no heroes. We're all going home today, I already promised you that. Hunt out." Putting the talk piece down, he turns to Colins and taps his shoulder. "Come on, first floor."

Leading the way down the stairs, he gets Fairglave's and Rousseau's attention from raining death and hell on the Imps. "We're moving up, You two keep cover fire for us while Colins and I clear the barricades."

[Assistant] (placeholder oops)

[User]
Private Durandal
Regan produced a cloth to wipe her sword clean before sheathing it and recovering the enemy lances. She was already planning how to fire on the enemy armor below when Jatmoore motioned a huddle. When she said to fire on the tanks, she only smiled. The lances from the three lancers in the room were already in a row by the window, waiting to be shot. Well, two were. One had been fired, but she found a lancer round laying about. The soldier was probably reloading when they surprised them. They just had to load it, if they even needed it. The idea was not to need it...

She would take a position out of sight by the window, peeking out to assess the position of the enemy tanks. The lancer took a moment to focus, taking a breath and readying her body for the action. Almost meticulously, she would grab the first lance, exhaling slowly, and with a sharp inhale, as Jatmoore completed her countdown, Private Durandal would begin. Plucking the first lance from the ground, she'd prop herself in the window and aim carefully but quickly, to fire on the closer tank. She'd put the lance back down and grab the next one. She had to get the second shot off before the enemy had time to react. She quickly propped herself in the window again and fired down on the second tank, though she had ducked back too quickly to see if the last one got taken out.

The Lancer would gather the third lance and its round and load them as she moved some windows over. With a quick peek, she saw that both tanks were out, which was good. She lobbed a grenade at a gathering of enemies and laid low for a second, taking the moment to grab her own lance. Just as she did, she heard Jatmoore bark her order. With a new pep in her step, the Lancer ran back to the window. Yellow house? She sets down her own lance for the Imperial model and fires on the wall of the building, to expose its occupants, before picking up her mortar lance and firing a follow-up round into the exposed interior. And then she'd duck back into cover.

[Assistant]
PFC Colin Nelson

He moved like a machine, letting off one shot after another, ducking down every shot or two. Bullets flew passed him, and before he knew it, every Imperial was dead. More than a few were from his own rifle, and not for the first time was he a bit perturbed at how easy it was for him to gun someone down. Colins chuckled uneasily at the realization that everything seemed to be going smoothly at the moment.

Corporal Hunt tapped his shoulder and told him to follow him to the first floor, and Collins nodded quickly, watching his comrade's flank as they descended and moved forward. He hadn't felt this accomplished in months. The orders to clear the forward barricades were welcomes ones at that. He reloaded as they moved out of the building, hefting his rifle and readying his next shot.
@Raven_Operative

[User]
Lilly Jatmoore & PFC Snider
What?! Lilly's eyes went as wide as saucers for a moment as she ducked around a corner and covered her mouth. She never spoke like that and very rarely swore, what had gotten into her? After Private Durandal had dealt with the house they had been allowed a brief moment of (sort of) calm where no one was returning fire specifically at them, and that calm allowed Lilly to realize what she had just said. Just calm down. Keep shooting. Keep fighting. You can do this.

A few minutes later, Hunt's orders came over the radio and Lilly took a moment to compose herself before relaying them to the group. "Good job everyone, Mr. Hunt's fire team will be joining us shortly. We'll meet them at the intersection in 5 minutes. If your areas are clear, you can make your way downstairs." Lilly took a brief look out her window, making sure that the Imperials had retreated well past where she could fire on them, before descending the stairs and standing guard beside the door leading out to the main streets.

***

"Alright! Onwards!" As Snider piloted the tank further down the main road, it's machine guns and cannon made short work of the few remaining imperials who dared to stand and fight. When they passed Corporal Hunt's house, Snider radioed them. "Corporal Hunt, we'll act as a shield for you as we advance. There shouldn't be too many lancers left alive, so you can use our tank for cover in the streets." He slowed the tank down to a walking speed so that the infantry could keep up, though he actually couldn't tell if they had taken him up on his offer or not. Everyone's eyes facing forward and the hatch being closed meant that the tank's ability to see behind it was non-existent.

At the intersection, the Gallian defenders had pushed up to the tank traps and sand bags, and were trading shots with imperials at the command post two blocks down the street. The few retreating Imperials who survived had bolstered their numbers and were preventing the Gallians from safely advancing. When Snider pulled up beside the store on the corner, he stood up and opened the tank hatch. To their right, he saw Lilly's fire team come out of the building to meet them and a small handful of soldiers emerge from the buildings to their left. He didn't recognize any of them, so they must be Charlie section.

When everyone had gathered together, he shouted down to Hunt. "Alright, corporal, what's the plan? With the imp tanks gone, I can probably advance unhindered in an attack now."

***

Lilly let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding. No one from Hunt's fire team seemed to be injured, and the group of soldiers joining them seemed to be in likewise condition. Phew. She had met a few close encounters with enemy bullets, but she was overjoyed that so far no one had been injured. Thank the Valkyur. As the groups began to organize, Lilly gathered with the rest of her team as they waited for Hunt's orders.

Snowman@CirusArvennicus@Shyla Nesthorn@Zarkun@Jotunn Draugr

[Assistant]
Corporal James Hunt|Battle for Vasel

James had been firing from behind a mailbox while Fairglaive, Colins, and Rousseau fired from their own pieces of cover. The Imps were in full retreat and if they didn't get shot from behind, the got shot in the face and chest when they turned around to try and provide cover fire of any kind for their retreating fellows. "Say hello to the Valkyrur for me you Imp bastards!" He had to duck a flurry of responding SMG fire, but the owner find himself choking on blood from a round fired by Colins. When Snider moved up beside them and offered to provide mobile cover, he waved his team over behind the tank and followed the tank to the intersection, continuing to fire when he could.

A few minutes later, the tank stopped at the intersection and all the soldiers now under James's command hurried to his position. Let's not get anyone killed, Hunt. All these soldiers are going to come home from today's battle. With a deep breath, he started lining out the idea he'd come up with once the Imperial tanks had gone down. "Snider, I want you to hold position for a bit and lay down some covering fire. And, in the process if you can, don't leave them any thing to hide behind. Jatmoore, flank left with your fire team, have Durandal drop lances on them with that mortar lance of hers until you find a spot that leaves them exposed to your fire. Charlie Section," he turns to the group that had come from the opposite side, "flank right, same idea, minus the lance. If you got grenades though, let the bastards have it. Once you two are in position, let me know. Snider, at that point we're going to move up the middle and close the Imps between all of us. Any objections?"

[User]
Charlie Section:
PFC Fenrir Cheslock / Private Smythe
 Still catching his breath from his impromptu wrestling match, Cheslock assembled alongside the rest of Charlie Section, as the reinforcements gathered around Gallian tank. He fumbled through his equipment to make sure he still had his hatchet, knife, machine-gun, and spare ammunition. Everything was accounted for, as the tank's hatch swung open, revealing another first-class Private.

 "Who's the armour?" he whispered to Smythe.

 "Snider. He's damn good."

 Fenrir nodded in recognition.

 Walking around the base of the tank was Corporal Hunt, the highest-ranking officer currently present, and Cheslock knew to keep his posture as straight as possible while the Corporal was around.
 The tank-driver shouted down to the Corporal, asking for further orders, now that the enemy was in full retreat.

 Addressing each section present, Hunt gave his orders. They were to perform a flanking attack from either side, surrounding and overwhelming the imp outpost.

 "Any objections?" the Corporal barked.

 "No, Corporal", Charlie Section resounded in eager unison.

[Assistant]
PFC Colin Nelson

Colin Nelson had survived thus far, and was fully intending to help everyone else do the same. He gave chase with the rest of the team, firing crackshots every now and then, shooting off limbs and heads with expert, if erratic precision. The young man fell in beside the rest of the team behind the Gallian Tank. He saw another private checking his ammo, and Crackshot did the same. He had gone through about a quarter of it, he would guess. Not so bad so far. His ears twitched at the sound of Corporal Hunt speaking. Colin almost felt a kinship with his superior officer now, having been taking out these Imps alongside him in a few short, albeit fierce minutes of combat. "So I just go up the middle once the plan is enacted with the rest?"
Draugr@Zarkun@Raven_Operative

[User]
Private Durandal
Durandal had positioned herself away from the window, to let someone with a proper gun up, to fire on their retreating enemy. She loaded another mortar round to her lance, but found their role in combat had come to an interlude. She took the opportunity to steady herself; even years of her mother's martial arts training had not prepared her for war. Though she understood the skills she had to be lethal, they had been... studied... as a (albeit strict) form of art. An artist, not a warrior, though there were chunks of the latter that came as inseparable from the art itself.

Regan stopped her thoughts. She was about to become philosophical in a dangerous place. She finished cleaning her sword, sheathed it, and gathered her equipment to await rendezvous on the first floor. She found herself a Lilly. Something had happened to her squad leader's mentality during the fight. "Jatmoore," she approached slowly as she spoke, not wanting to potentially startle her, "holdin' up alright?"

It wasn't long before Hunt showed up, however. A quick rally later and they had new orders. As Regan moved to form up on Jatmoore, she took stock of her surroundings, and it struck that this used to be someone's home. People lived here...

Stay focused. She was becoming acutely aware of the mental strain she was enduring. Twice now, her mind had started to wander. However, with any luck, she could get rest enough to gather her thoughts after this battle. A good evening's meditation should fix what ails her.