Fantasy Dark Fantasy RP ((CLOSED))

[SimplySugar]

“... so let's go around and introduce ourselves and what we all bring to the table."

She shifted uncomfortably as the group tightened together, eyes bouncing back and forth between each other. Hesitance drifted in the air before Andromeda's voice broke the silence with a sharp sting. Ethereal watched Andromeda's confidence boom through the crowd, but found her threats solemnly dwindle among the bloody rips of her wedding dress. Ethereal laughed sadly at her aggression, the coldness of her tone and rashness of her words reminding her of a small broken child. It was doubtful anyone other than Vox could help stitch up her wounds, but no one but her would ever be able to help with the scars.

"Half. I'm half-orc. Name is Shuza. ..."

Her thoughts were quickly interrupted. She looked up at the towering woman nearby, admiring the orcs steady build and open loyalty towards her god. She could sense the mistrust, but that was everywhere, in everyone. It was unsettling to think that a group smothered in suspicion would be the source of Vales freedom. Yet, it was a relief that Vale had a group willing to do something at all.

Ethereal brushed her dress off briefly before relaxing her hands upon each other. "My name is Elysian, although you may one day encounter others who recognize me as Ethereal." She smiled invitingly, hoping to instill some feelings of peace in her stature. "I am also capable of an array of healing and cleric abilities, although they are not yet that impressive. To make up for it, I can hold myself up during a quarrel using a variety of magic that I hope to assist you with - but please heed my caution. I will fight with and for all of you, but I will do everything in my power to avoid killing anything. If you choose to land the final blow, that may be your choice." She glanced at Vox. "Nature knows me well, and it has never been my purpose to live in order to take without consequence."

 

[Tetro]

Before the group's men could speak up to introduce themselves, dozens of guards approached the group. Antoine, the man leading the guards, was the newest captain of the guard since the last captain died in battle during the two-day war. Antoine addressed the group, speaking cautiously, "are you the adventurers planning to lay siege to the castle?" Vox looked at his new band of 'heroes' before looking back to the man and bluntly replying, "yes." Antoine nodded, speaking more confidently, "we'll help you in whatever way we can. We only have thirty-four to spare, including myself, bu-" Vox cut Antoine off, coming up with the idea that forced him to smile, "make that thirty-six." He patted Andrius and Khuzani on the back, pushing them towards the guards.

When the guards looked at the once elite warrior stationed in Vale long ago, they became visibly hostile. "Those men are imperative in getting us inside the castle. Andrius will be commanding you, taking point in the battle. Follow his instructions to the letter. We'll meet you lot at the castle in an hour!" Vox knew the guards might try something, so making Andrius seem as critical as possible to the success of saving Vale was a way of keeping him from any potential backstabbing. Khuzani would also have the benefit of being apart of a plan involving infiltration. If that didn't tickle the older man's fancy, then Vox didn't know what would. He also figured it would be funny to put all the responsibility on their shoulders. "Now go; there is no time to waste." Vox didn't wait before gesturing to the others, "no time left for introductions; let's move. If we take too long, our friends might end up fighting the whole city guard." He spoke low so that the guards couldn't hear him.

~

The sky was grim and overcast with thick grey clouds that kept the sun's face from the land. The five left of the group made their way through the filthy streets of Vale. The people were still cleaning bodies and blood, but it wasn't as bad as it had been hours ago. The air was thick with the smell of bile, blood, and death, but with the creatures of darkness gone, breathing was a little easier for everyone. The oddly-dressed group attracted plenty of attention. Whispers followed them, most of them involving Ethereal and Andromeda. If not for Vox's presence, some of the more brave people might have thrown an insult or two at Andromeda. But instead, they kept their nasty words to themselves. Ethereal, on the other hand, was looked upon more so with admiration and awe.

Vox had the group moving in a way that kept Andromeda and Ethereal in the back next to each other, with Shuza and Onatahn on either side of them, with Vox taking the lead. Even though it looked like the two women in dresses were being escorted, Vox knew better than to take any risks leaving them open to any surprise attacks. "if we make it out of this alive, each of you will get a bag of gold. Afterward, I'll be leaving. I suggest you all do the same before the Beauregards send someone to reclaim the city."

 

[Ivan Dark]

A half-orc and an eryunite? Is this one of those circuses I've heard so much about?
Andrius looked on at the two as they made their way over to the group, sizing them up immediately. His eyes traced the outline of the half-orc female, and then the outline of her weapon; there was much promise in having her along. He smirked openly at the thought of recklessly diving into battle to do what he was bred to do, with little to no consequence; the very thought made him all the more anxious to reach the castle steps.
But the other one.
Onatahn's staff gave him the opposite effect.
What a strange creature. He thought to himself. Andrius may not have had the magic abilities of the few that were here, but he knew just from dealing with their kind the presence they gave off, alike a scent almost. Vox's was faint, but complex in nature, as if it was trying to hide itself. Ethereal's was dry and cold, yet the way it radiated from her suggested underlying compassion. Shuza's was what he would have expected from any member of the Nulgha order. But Onathan's...
It wasn't natural, nothing the likes that Foswen had birthed before.
It scared him; the very third eye that Onathan possessed was enough to make Andrius avert his gaze towards the eryunite.

Looking off into the distance, amongst the retreating folk, Andrius's eyes darted to the sight of men in uniform and a familiar face.
"Antoine?"
In no time, the guards surrounded the group and Andrius's suspicions were confirmed; Antoine was leading these guards to rebel - how quaint.
Vox spoke to the captain of the guards as the men scanned Vox's party, most as baffled as Andrius was to find such an array of races under one banner. And yet, their greatest surprise was Andrius himself.

"We have only thirty four to spare-"
"Ha!" Andrius laughed at their numbers, "I'm sure the others will join after they've finished pillaging their own ci-."
"Make that thirty-six."
And, before Andrius could even react to Vox's words, he was pushed forward and presented to the guards by Vox.
The guards gripped their weapons tighter upon seeing the warrior and Andrius could sense their uneasiness. To them, he was nothing more than a lion amongst their pack of wild dogs, one so far away from its clan, yet no less lethal. And with the order gone, who would he serve?
"Andrius will be commanding you, taking point in the battle."
"You can't be serious!" Andrius exclaimed out loud, "I will not-"
" We'll meet you lot at the castle in an hour! Now go; there is no time to waste."
There wasn't a moment's reprieve after Vox had pushed Andrius forward before departing with the rest of the company to who-knows-where. And all that Andrius could muster was a spiteful growl as he glared at Vox. The so-called leader had turned tail to leave the chaos to him.

Andrius turned back to see the men at his disposal, knowing full well that the arms they brought with them were mere children's toys if they were to storm the castle. It was at this time that Andrius noticed Khuzani had also been entrusted to stay behind. A thought of his own began brewing.
"You, Antoine." He pointed to the captain.
"We're leaving. An arms stronghold was abandoned not to far from here. You and your men will find equipment that will better serve you."
And with that, the elite soldier turned heel to walk past Khuzani. "Take care of this lot for me won't you, old man? I've grown more tired than angry."
It was in the guards' best interest to follow Andrius, despite his fearsome reputation. But, Andrius couldn't say the same about their company.
Regardless, as Andrius marched the empty streets towards the weapons hold, he had only one thing on his mind for the next hour:

A nice nap.





In the darkness, a puff of smoke followed a beam of light shinning through a doorway that lead to the outside. Andrius's shadow crept into view.
The hold was dark, and yet despite the state of tarnish out in the streets, the hold had little smell of mold or rust. Almost as if it was untouched by the plagues. Almost.
Andrius was the first to enter, seeing a lone, dark oil lamp resting by the hallway that lead to the store rooms. He was quick to light it.
The smell of death was in the air.
Holding it out towards the dark hall, he walked past the many rooms, each time shinning the lamp into them to reveal their contents.
On the left, he spotted weapons and various shields. The next, a room nestled in quivers of arrows; he took mental note of this room for himself.
On the right, the light showed him a room of various scrolls and books, likely nothing more than smithing records and battle reports.
But what was in the next room was exactly what Andrius had been searching for.
With a single smash of his boot, Andrius smashed in the worn lock that held the double doors together. Pushing the lock and chains aside, Andrius threw the doors outward and let himself in.

The lantern was set by the wide doorway, maintaining the light in the hallway as Andrius walked into the room, and let out a grunt of effort as he hefted something onto his shoulder... something large. As Andrius emerged from the room, a shower of dry hay flittered down from his shoulders and a pair of horse legs lay atop them. They were dry. They were dead.
With another huff of effort, Andrius forced the weight into his legs as he pushed against the ground in order to pull out the rest of the horse's shriveled body along with its hooves. Walking into the dark of the next room, he dropped the dried sac of flesh down into the corner of a much larger stable room, a cloud of dust rising to meet the horse's body.
It was then that Andrius groaned aloud, rolling his shoulders back as he went to retrieve the lamp back in the hallway. Back in the single stall, Andrius took a whiff of the hay. Although the horse had been layed to rest there, obviously dehydrated and locked behind large iron doors, there were no signs of urine or excrement - that could be smelled further down into the wide open space of the other stables, fortunately. Setting the lantern down, by the bed of hay, he stared curiously at the deep outline of the horse's body on the straw, untouched by waste and blood. Pushing the stable doors back closed, he set his quiver and bow down by his newfound bedside. And with everything settled, he sat down into the embrace of the horse's figure. After a moment of silence in the stable, he blinked a few times before removing his helmet and immediately pulling his hair back with his hands to brush it out of his face. His hazel eyes stared out into the cold light of the grey sky from the barred windows above him. He blinked once again, grumbling to himself in disdain.
What a bother.
Setting his helmet down beside him and setting the bow down by his feet, he plucked an arrow from his quiver, casually burying it into the hay under his shoulder before settling on his back to stare at the ceiling, hoping to drift into sleep as the guards and Khuzani got themselves settled in.

Minding the horse, of course.

 

[SimplySugar]

It was a surprise to Ethereal when the newborn group immediately began to separate, yet the idea of having the castle breached at multiple angles didn't seem thoughtless to her. While the inside of the castle was primarily unknown, it would be helpful for both groups to go in independently if there were multiple entrances to be found. That, and their chances of getting in at all were multiplied. However, it was hard for Ethereal to say what the end plan would be until they could reconvene at the castle together.
She smiled and laughed lightly at Vox's comment, following her team as excitement pumped through her. The source of Vale's troubles was just around the corner and somehow she managed to find an entire crew to help get rid of it. As Ethereal glanced back at the guards, she silently thanked the two for joining and hoped their odds were the best. They still needed to introduce themselves.
~
"Who knew 'Following The Leader' was such a literal song, especially for a kids tune." She murmured out loud. Having never actually heard the song before, her silly comment was announced in a completely serious tone.
In spite of the silence that plagued most of the trip, it allowed her more time to take in the surroundings of Vale. While things naturally seemed familiar to her, it was only hours earlier when she was first introduced to it all. Seeing the destruction in person was nothing like knowing about it. Yet, beneath the grim waste and overwhelming flavor of death, tiny pockets of green could be spotted in the cracks of cobblestone and broken soil.

"if we make it out of this alive, each of you will get a bag of gold. Afterward, I'll be leaving. I suggest you all do the same before the Beauregards send someone to reclaim the city."

Ethereal shook her head. "I have no desire for gold. I would highly recommend giving my share to someone who needs it most on your way out."

She pondered for a moment how long their mission would take. She stole a glance at Andromeda for a moment, taking in the site of her wedding dress that had been caked in black mud that littered the cities grounds. Her chin still stood stronger than the others, but beneath her cold glare that kept ahead, Ethereal saw the broken pieces of her heart floating in her eyes. "You must have cared for him a lot," She began, taking notice to the judgmental eyes shooting at Andromeda's striking form. "It seems as though Vales people hate you for something they have lacked for decades." Ethereal looked upon her people longingly. "I have never known anything more impenetrable than love. Death has never been able to destroy it, only create it into something new." Ethereal grabbed a flowering bud that had crossed her path and placed it into Andromeda's hand softly. "I suppose we're all looking for that."

Ethereals attention quickly shifted on Shuza, who walked right besides her and was still baked in suspicion. Rightfully so. "Nulgha. I know of them vaguely, but I have never met one of their followers before. You seem incredibly experienced and independent, I have no doubt their teachings must be beneficial. If you're comfortable, do you mind telling me about them?"

 

[Yhmera]

Shuza narrowed her eyes on the man who seemed to take charge as if he were the leader. He didn't even ask what or why she was there. To top it off, now he was sending people away. No asking. No explanation. Vox set her very being on edge. She didn't like or trust this man who demanded everything and asked nothing. Clinching her jaw was all she could do to keep from lashing out at him. Her focus was stolen when Ethereal, the ghostly woman beside her ask about her god. "Nulgha is a goddess of Motherhood and love. She is also a goddess of healing. A protector of women and children."

As she spoke, her eyes slowly turned back to Vox. "Her clerics are only women but she excepts all. Answers the prayers for any willing to seak her out. For all are her children in this world." Shuza grew quiet as she thought about the attack on the town. The feeling she still had here. "Nulgha hates the undead. Necromancy." She grew quiet once more as she contemplated her words. "You are a ghost? A spirit maybe? I will pray that you find your way and find rest."

"If we make it out of this alive, each of you will get a bag of gold. Afterward, I'll be leaving. I suggest you all do the same before the Beauregards send someone to reclaim the city."​

"I am not here to take orders from you. I'm here because my goddess brought me here." She barked back at Vox. Distain thick in her voice. Oh she would take his gold. Turn around and give it to the orphanage. They will need the funds after all of this. Golden eyes turned to Andromeda who claimed to be the sister of this man. But she had a different feel to her. It was hard to believe they were related. It just meant that she couldn't be trusted either.

"Nulgha please provide me guidens. For my path is still unclear." She whispered, touching the pendant that hung around her neck with her free hand.

 

[FellowKnight]

Khuzani glanced calmly up at the corpse of Vox, as it spoke of its triumphs over death and the war waged in Vale. A song sung in most parts of the land, filtered and warped through the many lenses of braggart 'adventurers' and 'warriors', proper storytellers. Khuzani knew better. In his travels, he battled Corruption most of all, and sought it out to extinction. But the land was vast, the world greater, therefore the reach of Corruption outranked him; spawning near endless vices and seeds to root itself, rotting a populace from civil and saintly, to mad and unruly. Victory could not exist if the rot was never treated, and all poisonous veins of this land trailed back to Vale.

"You’ve delayed your end, corpse of Vox, only to yield your humanity. Hardly a bargain. Whatever glory you think you’ve groped now belongs to-- ungh!" He grunted as the little girl, Andromeda, pushed her way past the three of them. She spouted off an irreverence regarding her talents and her will to use them, and openly professed her loyalties. Bold, but perhaps untimely. On her last bit, his sentiment echoed much the same. "Hm. For a man resurrected, you leave your heart exposed.” Khuzani’s tone was sharp, his eyes glazing over Andromeda. “Death has ignored you.. Will it ignore her?"

Khuzani then listened carefully as the others went around to introduce themselves. Shuza, the half-orc, was a stalwart follower of Nulgha, and rightfully suspicious of their group’s intentions; he'd only heard stories of the Orcish Goddess' teachings, and he'd met only a handful of Orc-spawn on the road. Their ferocity and resolve was renowned, as were Nulgha’s flock and their free-spirited ways. He'd count on Shuza's steady hands and clear head, while he discounted the capacity of her heart.

Elysian and Ethereal were in fact titles, belonging to the girl of mystique, though she grew warmer the more she spoke; as he suspected, she was versed in magic, and as he would've feared, she too would not kill unless needed. Bent and coiled correctly, the girl could prove to be a devastating weapon, but her flowing vitality and divination may be just as deadly a tool.

At her last words he wondered, aloud, "Yet to reside in a world where taking is living, what life have you been shackled to?" And what made you do it? He felt the girl's time in this realm was short. A brief miracle, if only put to good use.

To the native eyes of Vale, they were a discordant party indeed, yet the cure they embodied was instrumental. The foundations of the capital city were rotting and crumbling. Parasites had made nests in the cracks, feeding on the blood of man, the virility of women, and the dreams of children. They were about the business of washing it all away. Of performing a surgery with sterile hands and steady hearts. Of setting the bone and burning away the remains, to build something new. Something better. The strings of their lives had crossed and tangled, and none of them would be free until the work was done. Whatever the cost was, no matter the pain, Khuzani resigned long ago to pay and endure it. So it was.

He was disturbed from deep thought as Vox shoved him and Andrius forwards, an addition to the thirty-four bodies they were to do battle with. Where the faces of the guards lit up at Andrius' might, they ingeniously deflated on the wrinkled stature of Khuzani. The Beauregards had done well in alienating him from the people, and though bitterly, he was grateful for it.

Andrius had placed him 'in charge' of the group, but he thought little of it until they'd settled in at the stronghold, and he'd overheard the griping. They were too afraid to speak ill of Andrius, even as he slept alone in the stables, but their unease was obvious. This was a death march after all, and little was in store for the men aside from further bloodshed and agony. Khuzani would almost relish their position and become entirely absent to the suffering presence Vale had become. These men knew only the bloody side of it, the undead blood-crawlers and their thralls and the carnage that came with them. They had yet to peer into the true dark that this corruption was borne of.

With a clarified thought, he gathered up their men in the largest room against their protests and closed them in.

"Terror is a door." He said simply, with eyes closed and palms flat in front of him.

They demanded answers and even tried to leave, but they were trapped. And a chill broke in the room. Spine-tingling and skin-shrinking. Their every breath came out in a smoky plume, and they began to shiver. Maybe they looked for an escape more diligently now, maybe they would scream for help. All too little too late. They would notice with some degree of horror that the shadows of the room, even their own castings, were drawn to the center in a pool at Khuzani's feet. A deep rumbling shook the space and forced cries out of them.

Then came the True Dark. It oozed and filled every inch of the room like a vessel taking water, and soon they were lost in it. A black fog so thick and dark, it made navigating with any degree of confidence untenable. It wrapped at their feet and tugged on their ankles. It brushed across their faces and whispered in their ears. The tell-tale footfalls and panting of a creature, perhaps a pack, could be heard all around them. They were being stalked. In the distance, the echoing stomps and deep-chested grumbling of more mountainous things. Above the incoherent whimpering of the men, the groaning growls of what lurked in the dark, Khuzani spoke a simple question.

"Do you understand?.. We are but flesh and blood and bone and sinew laid bare, as an offering. Should you squander that, your one moment of truth as it calls upon you, to lay down your life in service of your country and state and fellow man.." A sharp breath, though it was hard to tell from where. "You become unworthy of killing. This realm has your scent, it will draw you back and poison you with insanity. These creatures will not eat of your pathetic flesh and grant you tangible deaths. Do you understand?.. They will kill your spirits and feast on your minds. You will rot as your senses are robbed, and you will fade into a shell of nothing. Prisoners inside husks. Do you.. understand?"

Abruptly, the vision ended and they popped back into the musky store-room as if they hadn't moved an inch. The faint snores of Andrius could be heard, along with the soft rustling of wind as soft light flowed from torch and window alike. Some men collapsed, others vomited and cried, but they would all remember. Khuzani made sure of it. If the cure is to work, the work they were charged with had to be done without question or bicker. They could not splinter.

"You do." He padded out of the room, past men who were too terrified to speak let alone scream, and made his way to the room adjacent, propping up his feet on a barrel as he dozed back into deep meditation.