Fantasy Elm's Gate (In Character)

[BakaTheIdiot]

This is the official In Character Section of the "Elm's Gate" Roleplay. All Roleplaying will be done on this thread. Any non-roleplay information shall be posted in their respected threads. Enjoy!

 

[BakaTheIdiot]

1st of Autumn - Titan's Hand Outpost

Near the base of some long forgotten mountains, each with a story to tell, there sits a camp. At first glance, it would appear to be nothing more than a loose gathering of tents and small wooden huts, but upon closer inspection, nothing could be farther from the truth. Upon closer inspection, one would find a small military, operating with such extreme precision one would not be wrong in calling it a machine; the men working this operation were merely gears helping it run.

This camp is the famed Titan's Hand.

Nearly 10,000 strong, armed to the teeth, and trained every day to deal with the Terrors of the night, this collection of brave men, women, and even children, stand as the final remains of Humanity - nay, all civilization's greatness. Leading the charge is the one and only Saith Winslow, a living legend to the locals. Now, 2 years after the founding of the Hand, this band of ragtag soldiers makes readu to take the fight for all life directly to the Terrors.

The Titan's Hand is preparing to make the long, hazardous journey to the legendary Elm's Gate.

---

"Damn it! I lost again!" A young soldier groaned, witnessing his comrade's better hand. "How in the hell are you so good at cards?!"

"Practice, my friend," The victor chuckled. "Practice and patience, which you seem to lack."

The two recruits, new members of the legendary guild, had only been a part of the team for a handful of days, but with such a dangerous task at hand, even Saith himself claimed, "If the person can hold a sickle, they can kill a Terror, and that's just fine with me. We need everybody we can get." Just as the two young men finished their game of poker, no sooner had the founder of their team entered the room.

"Am I interrupting something?"

The two recruits immediately sprung to their feet and saluted their superior and founder. "We were unaware of your presence, sir!" They chimed in unison.

"At ease, gentlemen." The old warrior said calmly. "There will be a gathering near the front entry at noon today. Don't be late."

Before the two men could respond, Saith had already left the room, getting ready to prepare his parting announcement before the departure of the "Second Expedition."

 

[HighSanguinaryPriest]

In a small makeshift arcane forge, a lone figure worked away at a set of rather unique looking plate. It looked to have been made from the blackened bones of the dead, yet upon closer inspection one would find that it is crafted from a strange crystalline metal, and other strange components, clearly of mage craft. Whistling a rather haunting tune, Fabian continued his work, using specialized tools to carve and infuse runes inside the plate, occasionally adjusting the sleeves of his black robes. After a while, and a lot of precision work, the Mage Born began putting away his tools, only to don the Necroplate soon after.

Necrotic and negative energy quickly infused the warmage, a dark aura forming around him like a cloak. Grabbing his mageblade and strapping it to his belt, before taking up his war staff. Grasping the haft, he infused his mana into it. With a metallic *ting*, a long fine blade emerged from the butt of the weapon. With a thought, the blade retracted. With a smirk, the necromantic warrior left his workshop in search for something interesting to do.

 

[OGAirbear]

Valarie​

Val sat at the bar. She grabbed the bottle of bourbon that was next to her and filled her glass. She drained the glass as the door to the bar opened and more people walked in. She watched as a barmaid tried to break up the two drunken ladies. One of them pushed the maiden away and she knocked over my bottle spilling it onto the floor. "Okay, that's enough out of you two," Val said standing up. I ducked her drunken swing and punched her square in the jaw. She fell to the ground unconscious and Val looked at the other lady. "Leave," She said in a deadpan voice. She stumbled out the door past a man with a bird. Val pointed at two men sitting in the corner. "Throw this cow outside," She commanded. They nodded and stood up carrying her outside. She returned to my seat as the maiden came over to me. "Thank you." She said smiling. "Yeah, whatever. I need another bottle." She said pointing to her glass.

Arya​

Arya leaned against a wall in the marketplace. She watched as people walked by bought their things. A few people gave her odd looks but most walked past without noticing her. An old woman from a booth just down the street hobbled over to Arya. "Hello, Shado dear. Have you eaten yet today?" She asked looking up at her. Mrs. Magoo was a sweet old lady who sold fresh fruit here in the market. "I have not ma'am." Arya said smiling. "Well come grab some fruit from my stand." She said patting Arya on the shoulder. Arya shook her head saying, "You know that's not how I do things Mrs. Magoo." The old woman smiled and nodded. "Well I have a package for an old friend of mine but my fragile old body can't travel that far to give it to her. Would you deliver it for me? I can pay you in food." Arya smiled and nodded. "That I can do ma'am." She said following Mrs. Magoo over to her booth. Magoo gave Arya the package and told her the address of her friend. It was a town near the Elm's gate. Arya had been once there before so she knew the way. Magoo put four apples into Arya's satchel and they parted. Arya left the market and found her horse. She attacked the satchel her horse's saddle and mounted it. She took off at a gallop out of town.

Morrigan​

Morrigan slowed her horse to a walk as they came to the base of the mountain. Her contact had told me this is where she could find the Titan's Hand. She knew they were sending voyages into the Elm's gate and she wanted to volunteer her services. As she approached where she thought the encampment to be she kept an eye out. She doubted she would be able to walk into their base unnoticed.

 

[BakaTheIdiot]

Titan's Hand Outpost - Saith Winslow

Saith had been searching for one of his prized assets. In the ranks of his small army was a necromancer, who would likely prove his usefulness in the time to come. Even though he saw many, many moral problems with his work, he desperately needed to fill the gap in his armies. After about ten minutes of searching, just as he was about to give up, Saith finally came across his most valuable forge-man, Fabian.

"Ho there, Fabian!" Saith called over to the somewhat gloomy forge master. "Are you busy, or do you have a moment?"

HighSanguinaryPriest

 

[HighSanguinaryPriest]

Titan's Hand Outpost - Fabian Dulaan

Fabian had been wandering the camp for only a few minutes when he head a familiar voice call for him. He froze mid-step momentarily, before turning to look upon the man that had called him. A slight smirk tugged at his lips when he heard the commander's question. Deciding he was in a good enough mood, the Warmage responded in his usual smartass manner.
"Well I was planning on bringing back a couple of whores, and about a pound of hallucinogenic mushrooms and have a bit of a party. But I suppose i can spare some time for you."

BakaTheIdiot

 

[Foster]

In the secluded shelter of a medical tent Foster Corvade was hard at work. Grunting with effort the physician pulled the razor sharp teeth of a bone saw back and forth across the skull of the corpse that lay before him, the scene illuminated only by the flickering light provided by an array of incense candles. This was no ordinary autopsy. No, this particular lost soul was one of the few that had returned through the great gate alive, albeit completely mad. Had he been present Foster would have put the man down himself but thankfully somebody on hand had done that job for him. Brain rot. The madness plauge. Foster had been tracking the wake of it's destruction for years and all signs led to Elm's gate, something behind those mighty doors was the source of the scourge, he was certain of it. And this now expertly dissected body was the final nail in the coffin. The man had gone in healthy and returned with the worst case of brain rot Foster had ever seen. With the skull of the victim now cleaved in two Foster tentatively reached inside, gently scoping the brain from it's cradle. It now sat in a small metal dish, looking incredibly forlorn even for a disembodied brain. It's surface was laced with a network of white tendrils which seemed to penetrate deep into it's flesh at strategic points. The doctor knew it well, this was a common symptom amongst late term suffers of the rot. He'd long ago drawn similarities to that of a fungus and it's own networks of tendrils but with no way to prove his theory he'd kept it too himself, eager not to sully his reputation.

With a sigh he tipped the brain into a large jar, landing inside with a wet plop. He was getting tired of preserving organs, it didn't matter how many brains he pickled he never seemed to make any progress towards a cure. Just another body for the grave.

"You don't look impressed Tobias." Foster chuckled as his raven eyed him from across the room, perched deftly atop several large books. The bird had been a little off ever since arriving at Titan's hand, clearly uncomfortable with the change in housing.
"Here." Foster called to his companion, flicking a sliver of meat at him. The treat was caught deftly in the raven's beak and disappeared in the blink of an eye. One of the benefits of owning a bird when you had to cut up as many bodies as he did. Really saves on clean up.

 

[BakaTheIdiot]

Titan's Hand Outpost- Saith Winslow

The old warrior shook is head with a smile. "We're preparing to assault the caves. We leave at dusk. I'm here for that army you claim you can make." Saith grinned. "That was the arrangement, was it not? You bring men from the dead, and I point in the direction I want them?"

Outpost Gate North - Ashley Winslow

It was a cold day, as was typical in autumn. Atop the makeshift battlements outside the guild sat a young woman, looking out into the fields. Perhaps a watchman, or maybe a guard. It mattered not. The young warrior quickly noticed a stranger near the hills, mounted on a horse and coming this way. It was a bit late for volunteers, but surely the great Saith Winslow wouldn't mind another hand in the struggle.

Blade on her waist, the young woman climbed down the ladder, touching solid ground, and walked outside to greet their guest. This was Ashley Winslow, the only child of Saith. She put two fingers to her mouth, and whistled so loud from a distance it would sound like a cannonball. Two guards immediately came to her side.

"Oi! Stranger!" she called over to the figure. "What business do you have here?"

HighSanguinaryPriest OGAirbear

 

[OGAirbear]

Morrigan
North Outpost Gate​

Morrigan raised her head to see where the voice had come from. She spotted a woman standing atop the battlements. I raised my hand in a friendly greeting. "Hello, I am Colonel Morrigan. I hear you are sending people through the Gate. I am here to volunteer." I call up to her.

 

[HighSanguinaryPriest]

Titan's Hand Outpost - Fabian Dulaan​

Fabian leaned upon his warstaff nodding in agreement. "That is one of the agreements we made." He replied looking the commander in the eye. Standing straighter, the Warmage hefted his staff and strode over. "Lead me to the sleeping army. It'll take me an hour to raise them all. Three if you want more powerful undead that can think and adapt. I recommend the latter" Fabian said, his tone more business like. "I will be taking a few of the more... Impressive specimens for my own personal projects. Do not worry about having to lug them around or the smell. I'll take care of that." He added as an after thought. After several long momenents of thought, the mage spoke once more. "You know, I could get you a new eye. If you don't mind it having to come from a body and then altered with necromantic and anima magics, and the high possibility to the see the souls of the living and dead. comes in handy actually..."

 

[BakaTheIdiot]

Titan's Hand Outpost - Saith Winslow

The old warrior smiled and shook his head. "No need, Fabian. I've been without a left eye for nearly twenty years now, and I've gotten used to it. I don't necessarily appreciate the idea of necromancy..." he trailed off. "...but these are trying times. If we all want to survive, we need to set aside difference and bias. Even just until the war ends." With that, he turned his back to the necromancer and began heading off in the direction of the field graves. It wasn't much, but at least it was a memorial of some kind. Planks of wood protruded from the ground, each inscribed with a name, all of whom were presumably warriors from an age long past.

"These were some of my finest. Take your time, Fabian. We'll need every one."

Outpost Gate North - Ashley Winslow

"Well, we could always use another volunteer or two." The woman sighed. "That said, I lack the authority to make you an official member. Head on in to the main camp, and look for a soldier with one eye. He can enlist you, or at least tell you someone who can." The young warrior then pointed in the direction of the battlements, whistled, and watched as the previously closed gates slowly rose from their divots.

"Oh, and watch where you step. Some of the guys here are real assholes."

HighSanguinaryPriest OGAirbear

 

[HighSanguinaryPriest]

Titan's Hand Outpost - Fabian Dulaan
​

Fabian simply nodded before raising both hands before him and towards the sleeping dead. Focusing his magic into his warstaff, emerald bolts of eldritch power lanced out and crackled. Even his pale lavender eyes glowed with the necromantic power as he breathed deep the power of death. "For Thou Whom Slumbers Beneath Stone And Clay, Heed This Call, Rise And Obey..." He intoned, his voice resonating at several pitches as he focused his arcane power, weaving a tapestry of nacromantic energy. "Trek Onto The Mortal Door, Assemble Flesh, And Walk Once More!"

The Emerald energy shot out and enveloped the bodies. Limbs began to twitch, flesh and skin, patching together. Slowly they began to rise, screaming like wild animals. Those that had been dead longer and had little to no flesh, began to merge with the fresher dead. Ivory carapaces began to form on the bodies of the merged undead, creating a thick platemail of bone and teeth. After a minute, their roars of life died down, and before the two stood 200 undead, 50 of them the more powerful grave knights. Gesturing towards the grave knights, they strode forward and knelt before their new master.

"What are our orders Master Dulaan..." The closest one hissed, their eyes shining the same pale lavender as the warmage.

"Gather the remaining bodies. We have much work to do..."

"It shall be done Master..."

 

[CelticHero37]

Kai-ren
Unchained Gladiator of Aclea​

RUN!

The word resonated in Kai-ren's mind like a siren as she tripped through a foreign terrain. Her heart hammered in her chest, begging for freedom from the claustrophobic darkness that crept ever closer. The cragged mountains of the land she had fled now seemed welcoming compared to the trees that speared into the sky around her. Despite heeding the warning of the screams she'd heard on the wind, something had noticed and was hunting her. At first she thought it was another warlord looking for the prestige and future fortune of catching her, but as the chase dragged on it became clear she was dealing with something worse. At one point she was almost caught. Something vaguely humanoid had closed in on her, but she managed to grab hold of a rock and deliver a powerful blow to get free. Since then she'd been running, it was all she could think to do.

Unfortunately, that plan was beginning to fall apart as her legs became increasingly difficult to control. Her burning muscles cramped, causing her to stumble. The darkness pressed down upon her as she struggled to get up. Her throat was so dry she couldn't make a sound. All she could do was listen as the haunting footsteps of her assailant grew louder to stifle her beating heart. Left with no other choice, Kai-ren strained to grab the handle to her broken blade. Perhaps she could do something with the splintered base. She turned to face her enemy, but nothing was there. She wondered if it had all been in her head. It was certainly plausible as she was starved, exhausted, and in a completely unknown land. However, as she started to reconcile this in her mind, she suddenly felt a breath on her neck...

***​

Kai-ren shot up, nearly banging into the horse that had been about to nibble on her hair, mistaking it for hay. Of course this startled the horse, which in turn was followed by human voices as someone came to see what was going on. Kai-ren apparently had collapsed in a barn at some point in the night. Whoever owned the barn and horse was likely a warlord, and she new better than to stick around. So she snuck out a window and sought out a safer place to figure out her next plan of attack. She didn't get very far, though, as something caught her attention. The barn wasn't part of a small farming village. Rather, there were many other structures in the area; a majority of them temporary and hastily constructed. This wasn't exactly a city, but as far as she was concerned, it seemed like what she'd been told about them. The closest she'd come to seeing a city had been the arena center in Aclea. Yet again she had the instinct to run. The conditions that resulted in this city had to be worse than anything she'd ever experienced before. However, she couldn't afford to run away yet. She needed food and water, then she needed to treat her wounds. It wasn't anything major, but she had multiple cuts and lacerations, some of which were likely already infected and needed ointment.

Making sure to keep her chains hidden as best she could so as not to chance being identified as a gladiator, Kai-ren snuck up to the North Gate of the outpost. As the person who seemed to be on guard gestured to open the inner battlements for someone, Kai-Ten flipped the hood of her cloak up and attempted to slip inside the base while the guard's attention was on the inner battlements.

BakaTheIdiot

 

[BakaTheIdiot]

Titan's Hand Outpost - Saith Winslow

Taking note of the fact that he was no longer of use in this situation, Saith turned to the rest of his encampment. The Northern gate had opened, which could only mean one thing: recruits. He made his way to the opened gates, taking note of two figures: one approaching from a bit of distance, and one who had already snuck through. It was a bit unusual for someone to act so shady around the encampment, but it was hardly a first.

"Can I help you?" He called over to the hooded figure.

North Gate/Outpost Interior - Ashley Winslow

Ashley watched the great gate rise into the air, the dirt below displaced in the movement. In a way, the gates were a testament to their strength... and a reminder of their goal. Still, the gate rose, and the path was open. "Alright, come on in."

CelticHero37 OGAirbear

 

[OGAirbear]

BakaTheIdiot Foster HighSanguinaryPriest CelticHero37
Morrigan​

Morrigan nodded her head to the girl and moved her horse forward inside the gate. She looked around as she entered. She was impressed at the almost military level of organisation. She dismounted her horse and tied it to a post before moving deeper into the camp. She looked around for the one-eyed soldier the girl had told her about.

Arya​

Arya had ridden the whole night. When she reached the town the sun was just breaking the horizon. She made her way through town to the bar Mrs. Magoo had told her to go to. She barely recognised the place. She had been here years ago on a job but seeing to town in daylight it looked completely different. She dismounted her horse and tethered it out front before heading into the bar. She wasn't surprised to see a few people passed out in the bar from last night. If she lived right next to the Gate in these times she'd drink too. She moved over to the barmaid. "I'm looking for a friend. Valarie-" She started but a figure at the end of the bar interrupted her. "You aren't a friend of mine so what do you want?" The woman, Valarie, said in a tired voice. Arya appreciated her straight to the issue manner. "I'm here with a parcel from Mrs. Magoo." She says moving down the bar to sit a few stools away. Val drained the rest of her glass and fixed Arya with a surprisingly sharp look. "Well give it over." She said gruffly. Arya produced the parcel from her bag and handed it over to Val who took it and opened it. She snorted when she saw the contents. "Good ol Winnie." She said placing the bottle of amber liquid on the table. Val poured her self a glass the glanced over at Arya. "Wanna drink mate?" She asked. Arya shrugged and nodded. It had been years since she'd had a drink with someone. She figured she would find another job when she got back to the city. God knows she needs a break.

 

[CelticHero37]

Kai-ren
Unchained Gladiator of Aclea​

Kai-ren froze for a moment, but didn't look toward the person who had spoken to her -- keeping her face shrouded by her hood. Then she shook her head and veered off in another direction as if largely ignoring the person. Due to the fact that she still hadn't had any food or water, her body hadn't yet been able to recover from the night before. As such, she dragged a foot and nearly tripped. She stumbled forward, losing control of the chains she had hidden in her cloak. As they jangled to the ground, she glanced around quickly to see how much attention it had drawn before glaring at the person who had asked her the question.

BakaTheIdiot

 

[BakaTheIdiot]

Central Outpost - Saith Winslow

Saith knew that the moment she shook her head that she wasn't here to volunteer. He kept a close eye on the stranger. Right up to the point that the figure tripped, revealing chained wrists. Saith had his suspicions, but only now we're they confirmed.

Another escapee.

This was not the first time he had sheltered an ex-slave, but it was still a surprise. Still, it was against his guild's constitution - and his own moral code - to turn her away. He walked over to the semi-bound stranger and said in his signature, commanding voice,

"Up, on your feet. Let's get those chains off of you."

CelticHero37

 

[CelticHero37]

Kai-ren
Unchained Gladiator of Aclea​

Kai-ren snatched up the chains and tucked them away as she stepped back, spooked. Then she cocked her head to the side and looked at the man suspiciously. Of course she hadn't expected these people to speak the same language as her captors from far away, but to her surprise, she found she could understand him somewhat. It took her a moment to process what she was hearing. It brought back vague memories of when she was a child. It seemed he was speaking the same language as her parents. Despite that fact, she still wasn't sure about the nature of this place. It seemed like he was trying to be nice, but she'd felt that way about people before and found it was a good rule of thumb never to trust anyone. Not to mention the fact that letting him deal with the chains would mean revealing the fact that she was not just as slave, but a gladiator. That was something much more prized and valuable where she came from. She took another step back.

 

[OGAirbear]

Morrigan​

Morrigan was looking around the camp when she saw a scared looking girl backing away from a man. "What's going on here?" She ask stepping in front of the girl protectively. Morrigan looks back at the girl. "Are you okay dear?" She asks smiling kindly. The girl looked petrified and Morrigan felt for her.

CelticHero37 BakaTheIdiot (sorry its short I just wanted to jump into an interaction.

 

[HighSanguinaryPriest]

Titan's Hand Outpost - Fabian Dulaan (Undead)
​

While Fabian and the Majority of his Undead continued to gather and create more undead soldiers, the warmage sent three of the more powerful undead, two Death Knights, and a single Bone Lord to link up with Saith and follow his commands. It didn't take long for the three greater undead to find the cycloptic commander, for when they did they saw that he was being possibly threatened by a woman. Wordlessly, the Bone Lord pointed at the woman and the two Death Knights quickened their pace, hands on the pommels of their weapons.

Silently they came to a stop behind Saith, both knights flanking him as the Bone Lord came to a halt Behind him. "Master Dulaan has placed us under your direct command Lord Saith. Do you wish us to dispatch these interlopers?" The Bone Lord rumbled, from behind the thick bone and steel helmet, it's eyes glowing a faint lavender as it placed it's hand upon his blade, gripping the hilt with a steely grip. To say the least, they three looked intimidating and the thing of nightmares.

BakaTheIdiot OGAirbear CelticHero37

 

[BakaTheIdiot]

Central Titan's Hand Outpost - Saith Winslow

"Stand down." The old swordsman said. "They've done nothing wrong. This one merely slipped into our ranks without consulting me first. We'll see to it that she gets food, water, some supplies, and is sent on her way home. There's no need for any bloodshed." Seeing that his friendly gesture had failed, primarily because it was likely that she didn't speak his language very well, if at all, and instead opted for the universal gesture of friendship and trust: he extended his hand.

"This isn't the first time we've encountered a Gladiator." Saith uttered in another tongue, hoping it even resembled her language.

CelticHero37 HighSanguinaryPriest OGAirbear

 

[HighSanguinaryPriest]

Titan's Hand Outpost - Fabian Dulaan (Undead)​

The three undead took a couple steps back and stood at attention, all three belting out a "Yes Lord Saith" with that taken care of, the three watched on in curiosity as their commander interacted with the woman. This would come in handy if they were forced to aide or interact with other mortals. Despite being animated corpses, their "Souls" were that from the realm of death. Spirits that want nothing more than to walk upon the material plane. Silently they watched, waiting for the female's reaction to their charge's act of non-aggression.

 

[OGAirbear]

Arya and Valarie had finished off two bottles of whiskey and were starting their third. It was nearly lunch time so the barkeep brought them over some sandwiches on the house. "So tell me about yourself," Arya said picking up a sandwich and biting into it. "Not much to tell. Dad's an ass sister is a goody goody and I'm a drunk that fights anyone who threatens this town." Val said taking a drink and grabbing a sandwich. "How'd you get that job?" Arya asked taking a drink of her own. "I went as far away from my past as possible and ended up here. some bandits tried ransacking the place, I stopped them and stuck around. It's quiet here for the most part and I get free liquor and rooming for all I've done for this town. Recently with the Gate acting up, it's gotten a little busier around here." Val said. Arya nodded finishing her sandwich. She'd heard about odd things happening around the Gate and people going into it and not coming back. "What about you?" Val asked. Arya shrugged and filled up her glass. "Mom died, dad wasn't around so I was put in an orphanage. Ran away and fond that I have a particular set of skills. I lived on the streets until I was found by a league of men that taught me how to kill. I started to use my skills to make some money." Arya summarized. Val held up her glass and Arya clinked it. "To shitty lives," Val said and they both drank.

 

[CelticHero37]

Kai-ren
Unchained Gladiator of Aclea​

Kai-Wren's eyes widened. He knew she was a gladiator. She glanced around suspiciously. The bone army had her particularly on edge. "I will not... fight in your arenas. I am free. Let me be and no one will get hurt. I only need to eat and rest." It took a while for Kai-ren to get her idea across as she hadn't used this language in a while. Part of her wanted to make the first strike against them, as they seemed to be just the type of people that would look to enslave her again, but she had a gut feeling that something was different here, and her gut hadn't led her astray yet.

 

[BakaTheIdiot]

Titan's Hand Outpost - Saith Winslow

She was timid. He could see that much. He didn't have to speak her language - at least, not fluently - to understand that she didn't trust him. This was valid, as he looked pretty damn terrifying. As such, he continued:

"We have no arenas. This is a military outpost. We're gearing up for an invasion." He was pushing the limit on what was true and what wasn't, but at least he could try to get the point across. "I know where you come from: this place isn't it. We'll provide you with some supplies, and you can be on your way, should you so desire. Nobody here is trying to take you hostage." He then pointed to a local soldier and switched dialects:

"Get food, water, a horse, and a smith. Let's get these chains off of her, and she'll be off."

"Are... are you sure? Trusting a stranger like her?"

"Positive." The swordsman replied. "What are you waiting for? Move!"

CelticHero37