Fantasy Of Distant Legends

[Kylesar1]

Sheub "Shelby" Mangoza
Cesimir's Manor​

Shelby put up her guard as soon as Cesimir showed that he wasn't as friendly as he let on. The product of bullying. That saved her life as she started moving back as soon as he started using more magic after his performance. By the time he uttered his command, she was ready and got down. The man was no pushover when it came to magic as he summoned magic mines and hellhounds. She dealt with hellhounds as times, as they were a go-to for Orc Summoners back in Kaer Leon. They were fierce and Shelby couldn't toss traps between her group and the hellhounds.

She looked over and saw someone panting for breath already. He must've used some kind of spell to protect himself. That seemed to be the only explanation to Shelby. This was a group test to assess individuals, so she may as well work as a team. "30 seconds!" She moved to the back behind everyone else and kneeled with her crossbow in her arms. This was her bread and butter weapon, the reason she was accepted to join this guild.........and she was in her "kill zone." That's the distance where she can efficiently react to someone trying to charge her and also shoot in a way that could damn near guarantee a hit unless magic was at play. They were easy to find, but pretty hard to set up in and maintain in the middle of a battle, which was why this was always done BEFORE the battle started.
Shelby notched onto her crossbow an Ethereal Arrow. The Holy Magic inside those arrows will hit Hellhounds for devastating damage since they were considered hellspawn. Shelby focused her sights on the hellhounds closest to the panting man on the ground. She would protect him until he gathered himself again. By the time she was done setting up, it was time for action. Sheub was concentrated, her eyes not focused on one area, but looking at the bigger picture and looking for the slightest movement from the hellhounds so she could end one by putting an Ethereal Bolt in its head. This was why she was here..........to join this guild, and she'd be damned straight to the lowest pits of hell if she were sent home on a glorified audition.

 

[Noble Scion]

Anri Maruhachi - Cesimir's estate

Spoiler: Appearance

View attachment 536803

A strange, small (compared to humans) reptilian creature approached them, which briefly made Anri ponder if it was someone's pet given some of the things people had following them around, but quickly realised her mistake when the creature appeared to be sentient and asked her a question. "Hello there scaly! Pleasure to meet ya Azza, the name's Anri, an' there's no need to worry, I don't mind my height, it is one of our people's most striking features after all!" she smiled amicably, noticing how skittish the person was and attempting to be approachable, yet before the conversation could continue, the entire world seemed to flick to something entirely different.

Anri had never been witness to such a strange form of magic as suddenly the world around her changed to one more dimly-lit and music filled the air before being greeted with a strange look from who she could only assume was the one that had called them all there. "Well this is cool, innit?" Anri bumbled as she began tapping her feet and clapping gently in time with the music on Mizu's shoulder, swaying happily and clapping along, wary of closing her eyes in-case she missed a scene.

Once the performance was complete, Anri, like several others, clapped boisterously in response.

"Yeah, lil' me is still on big you's shoulder" The borrower chirped, giving Mizu a tiny thumbs up to his large eyes, yet a mere moment later, the same person delivered a rather vicious sucker-punch that knocked her straight into the air. She squealed briefly as she panicked before erecting one of her little platforms and crashed into it with the momentum she had, which proceeded to both wind her and drain her energy.

Remaining on the barrier for a small moment as she gasped to fill her lungs, she considered turning to scold the man, but quickly thought better of it and began venturing her way downwards through the air, dropping and summoning the little magical platforms until she was on the ground and practically exhausted. "Pa always said I shoulda practised it more" Anri grumbled to herself as she sprawled out, attempting to exhale all the fatigue before realising that she didn't have time for respite as vicious creatures began appearing around the room, not just friendly dogs like the ones she'd seen before that had even given her a ride a few times, but scary ones, the type of ones that looked at her as some small bit of meat that was ripe to be eaten. Needless to say, this was rather concerning, yet they weren't attacking just yet.

"OI, YOU BIG LUGGAMAJUG, THE HELL DID YOU WHACK ME FOR!?" she yelled as she stood up once more, her voice sounding strained as the combination of being hit by something much larger than her, and having to use her last resort magic, which she didn't practise often due to how draining it was, made Anri feel quite unwell. Nothing seemed to be broken, but it was evident that the girl was in a bit quite a of pain.

The call of aid did reach her ears as one of the younger members of there makeshift group spoke of healing. Conveniently, she had landed at least somewhere close to him. "Sir, I wouldn't mind a bit of healin' if you could spare it." the tiny girl grunted, her stance leaning primarily on her left foot as she held her arm that was already turning a soft shade of purple, looking expectantly up at the young man with a gentle, calm tone, despite her current state as she put on a front.

Kaizer Harrison - Cesimir's estate

Spoiler: Appearance

View attachment 536806

The area darkened, and before the show had even started, Kaizer knew it had all the makings of a great performance. She enjoyed performing herself, yes, but watching others perform and viewing their own abilities was just as entertaining for one such as her.

"Oh joy~!" the famed performer laughed as the singing commenced, tapping her feet in-tune, but refraining from clapping for fear that the sound of metal on metal might off-put this "Cesimir's" performance, if that was who he was. Instead, she merely set her sword against the closest wall and began nodding in-tune.

To her surprise, the mage even moved towards her and pulled her into the scene for a brief dance, and Kaizer was more than happy to comply for the few seconds it lasted, smoothly moving back to where she had been after her time in the spotlight had subsided.

Once the performance was over, she couldn't prevent herself from clapping for such wonderfully presented choreography. Magic in performances was one of the few things she could never do, so seeing something as unique as a bunch of golems dancing along was really something special. "Bravo! Bravo!" she called boisterously, her smile being heard through her voice, despite the helmet.

That joy didn't last long.

Lady Harrison braced herself from the explosion, allowing her armour to take the brunt of the impact while covering her slightly exposed chest from the shrapnel, Moderately surprised as the magic she had been praising internally was suddenly turned against them. "Well that took a turn for the worse.." she hummed to herself, grabbing her sword with both hands and taking a look at the others, each of which appeared to have been harmed or exhausted by the explosion.

Underneath the helmet, she was gleaming with a strange joy, despite the circumstances.

"What a beautiful statue I shall make after this~!"

"Anyone who doesn't intend on battling with the beasts, or is not suited for it, I recommend you stand behind me." The fancy knight suggested confidently as she strode into a better position to allow for such a thing to occur, getting into a stance and preparing for the encore of that enjoyable little show
June Verles CrimsonEclipse Birdsie (everyone else for the last paragraph)​

 

[Hanarei]

Bethany Evelyn - "The Arcanist Absolute" Armitage

Evelyn's gaze of distaste towards Cesimir remained in full effect along with her pouting of having her own introduction ruined. The expression was interrupted as she felt a large pool of mana welling up. The green haired woman glanced over to see a skull suddenly pop in falling to the ground. She watched it as a raven mask soon followed suit as she stared upon it. Is it part of the show? No... it doesn't look gawky and actually seems interesting. A skull is pretty awesome looking, it seems to be a fair more interesting then this showboating disgrace of a... It was at that moment the skull started to talk seemingly focusing upon herself. ...then again if it can talk it seems like something stupid he would do...

The young woman let out a soft sigh, giving in to the Skull's demand despite a general hesitance she had to do so. She still wasn't sure if it was part of the man's weird stunt so she was half expecting it would do some dumb gawky magic trick some novice mage would of came up in a second. Such an amateur trying to make a flashy intro like he was something special like she was. She lifted her hand, waving it with her lips parting to speak not even seeming to need to utter them with her skull as she caused the skull to float up in the air levitating with her will to float near her. It wasn't much of a feet her to do such magic, truthfully even her twerpy little brother could probably do it with little effort given how trivial a skull was weight wise to float it in the air. Her focus on the skull had left her all but oblivious to Auren's gaze... granted for her it wouldn't of been that unique, nor would she of probably minded being admired given how truly amazing she was.

Evelyn was taken a bit back as the man suddenly laid out an attack, causing her to jump as she ducked down swiftly to avoid the blast. She at least had some reaction time to her given her complacency to not be prepared for such a thing to cast a spell that could of been far more effective for her. Faust wouldn't of been as lucky given she had forgotten about him in the process of avoiding the flame leaving him casually floating in the air to be struck by the explosion. She got up slowly glancing over at her mother hearing her speak up as she took off enraged.

"I could take care of it my...grrrr... whatever" She muttered as her mother was far ahead of her making her protests of her going ahead all but mute. She was use to her mother always doing things that bothered her, granted she had to admit she hadn't seen her that angry before. It made her a little bit afraid of her even if it was something her pride would never openly admit. She walked over to her little brother seeming to roll her eyes a bit. She wasn't fond of listening to her mother but she could at least do a little something for him. Clearly it was because having 1 less brother would of meant one less sibling to make her look good too in comparison, rather then caring for her brother or anything.

"Hold still dork." She spoke thumbing through her handheld spell book before picking out the right spell. She softly chanted what sounded like a short streak of incoherent babbling before flicking his forehead placing a Protection from Fire spell upon him. It wasn't a school of magic she was the most familiar with, but the spell in itself wasn't that complicated for her to be able to use at the very least focused upon one person. The head flick itself only needed to be a light touch but Evelyn couldn't help but flick her brother's forehead to apply it instead. At the very least it would help deal with the Hellhounds fire and any more fire the showboating jerk egocentric mage had up his sleeve. Her eyes glanced noticing the rather small girl... a pixie? Faerie? It didn't matter much as she simply shrugged her off given she seemed to be asking her brother for help anyways.

She watched as the orc looking woman already seemed to be on the effensive firing off her own form of magic at the hounds. Her eyes finally shifted to see Kaiser taking up a front as if seemingly trying to act as a meat shield. She didn't mind someone acting as a distraction to keep her perfect body untouched as it rightfully should be. With her mother going directly into the fray of things it limited what she could do. While it was tempting to use her magic and just hit her mother, it was something her own morality wouldn't allow even if she might pretend otherwise about caring about her mother.

"Well... this damn circus show of a greeting clearly is set up in a way that likely won't allow avoiding this stupid scenario to just be skipped... granted teleporting without knowing where exactly I am isn't really a great solution to the problem anyways even if for some reason he hasn't somehow blocked it. I can attempt to set off or disable some of these mines but who knows what kind of stupid gimmicky stuff he attached to them just to be obnoxious." She spoke out seemingly more directed broadly as a ramble. It was her way of sounding smart and gloating in a way while 'explaining' things. She noticed one particular hound attempting to approach the group from the side. She lifted her hand thumbing through her spell book finding a spell fitting of it. She softly chanted the spell before closing the book.

"Leashed Shackles." She spoke clearly as a chain of sheer force appeared attaching the hound to an area 20 feet back to the side of them. The hound would find itself quickly snagged back pulled back before it could travel further then 30 feet away restricted as if it wore a collar around its neck the force chain being attached to the ground. It wasn't perhaps her best choice but it felt far to fitting for her not to use such a spell to restrain the Hellhound and get a chance to show off how stylish she was. She couldn't help but showboat a little given the others made her more... 'unconstrained' shows of magic less possible without hurting everyone.

Mentioned: Epiphany Birdsie Kylesar1 darkborn LostHaven

 

[LostHaven]

Faust Windfallow
Cesimir's Estate | Hanarei (and everyone else, I guess)

"Uh, thanks, I think?" Faust muttered with uncertainty, watching as Evelyn cast some sort of cheap, basic levitation spell that any half-baked, mentally challenged dude with half a drop of mana in their meridians could cast. He began brainstorming ways through which he could still cast magic... His entire body was gone, so metamagic, drawing runes, and almost every other mean was out of the question. Would chanting work? Faust groaned in frustration, after coming to the daunting realization that he would be forced to resort to the most tedious, and un-flashy way of casting magic. "Fuck my life..." He cursed.

And his day was about to get worse, much to this cynical lich's dismay. Why Hellhounds and mines of all things? Why fucking hounds? Before long, several hounds have already gathered beneath him, yapping at the floating skull, hovering just out of their reach. "Shoo! Fuck off!" Faust snapped at the annoying dogs, to no avail. He grumbled angrily as his vision drifted toward the young mage, who appeared to have begun casting her own spells in an attempt to subdue the Hellhounds. Faust looked on disappointingly at Evelyn's choice of spells, which clearly were not optimal in this sort of situation.

"Hey, the little mage over there..." He called out toward Evelyn. "Why the fuck are you restraining a Hellhound, those things are very nasty," he advised, "just kill it for the love of gods." Was this girl another one of those crazy people who proclaimed themselves some sort of crazy, cringey title like 'The Sorcerer King' or some shit? "Seriously, what's the goddamn standard of magic nowadays?" He continued to grumble as he attempted to formulate a method to explain how to use one's common sense to Evelyn without her suffering a complete brain meltdown.

"Ok. I think I've got it..." He said to Evelyn, "cast 'Icicle Lance', but increase the chant to double its length by dividing each line of the chant by half. Then add this on in between the 3rd and 4th syllables..." Faust then proceeded to utter a chant, that seemed impossible to replicate with the mortal tongue. It was a convoluted jumble of inexplicable sounds, that sounded like some sort of Eldritch language played in reverse. The length of the chant Faust had instructed the girl to add on was almost double the length of the original chant, just what in the world was he telling her to cast?

"You should at least be able to manage this, right? If you want to show off, at least do it properly, for fuck's sake... Barrages of black ice is so much better looking than your goddamn chains. What sort of fucking kink do you even have? Why the fuck do you even have a spell that puts a collar around somebody's neck?!" Then, his two burning orbs of soulfire tilted downward, toward the pack of for Hellhounds that had been snapping at his floating head nonstop. "Ok, can start by aiming at these god-forsaken hellhounds..."

 

[June Verles]

Christopher Armitage
​

Luckily for Chris when the exam suddenly began without notice he was behind his mother, so all he had to do was take cover and take advantage of his mother's fire resistance, one of the abilities he didn't get to inherit. As he'd stand up he'd raise his eyebrows in surprise from a moment when seeing his mother's rage achieve a whole new level. He couldn't blame her though, Azhi was pretty roughed up, luckily he knew healing.

Nonetheless as he observed the battlefield he internally sighed, everyone was separated and shouting meaningless orders at each other. His sister was arguing with a skull about who was the more egoistical mage from the two of them and some random white haired kid was already downed. He probably should intervene before everyone is dead and he has to bother being a front line combatant.

Taking off his shoes off nonchalantly to reveal his naked feet he pulls out some seeds from his chest satchel throwing them on the ground before stepping on them. Breathing deeply he utters a chant with a bored tone;

"Convolvulaceae autem Rosa Necrosis "

As he'd finish the short chant from bellow his feet would erupt tree-like roots that would begin quickly spreading around the entire battlefield, their light weight allowing them not to trigger the mines. Extending to people who were hurt by the initial explosion like Mizu he would attach his roots to them and pull them towards Azhi, seeing as he already nominated himself healer.

Next taking advantage of the bounded hounds he'd blossom pink flowers bellow them that soon shot out a gas that once ingested would calm them down and inflict slight necrotic damage. Once attached the seeds would begin embedding themselves into the skin of the hell hounds and literally spread bellow their skin to their meridians, beginning the slow excruciatingly painful process of sucking their mana dry.

And while this happened Christopher was wondering if he should go home with his mom for dinner, he didn't have anything prepared at home.

( Birdsie LostHaven Hanarei Noble Scion everyone who wants to be pulled to to the healer.)

 

[CrimsonEclipse]

Aazaa Deepwater - Cesimir Estate
​

Oh today is a joyous day indeed! For she, Aazaa Deepwater, has mastered the art of conversation! Despite what she perceived to be an insult, the tiny woman, Anri, did not get mad and instead replied cordially! This has never happened before! Never! Whenever Aazaa talked to anyone before, they were all like ‘Shut up Aazaa, you’re small so you should talk small’ or ‘Annoying Aazaa, runt should be more useful, not so noisy’. It didn’t bother Aazaa, nope, not even a little, not at all. I-It’s not like Aazaa cried whenever they told her that, or that she wished she was bigger. Ha! What did they think Aazaa was, a crybaby? So yeah, it did not bother her.

Anyway, this was Aazaa’s first conversation with anyone not from the tribe, and based on this sample size that should not even be used to compare or judge anything, Aazaa was glad to find out that all people are as nice and friendly as Miss Anri. After all, Miss Anri would not have been nice to her if everyone else is not nice as well. Yep, you can’t beat that logic. One nice person automatically equates to all people are nice. Aazaa is so smart. Giving Anri the biggest smile she could muster, Aazaa was about to reply to her friend and continue this amazing conversation that they’ve been having, when things took a turn for the worse.

For some reason Aazaa could not realize, most likely because she wasn’t even invited to this event and therefore has no idea what all this was all about or why they were even here, the dancing and singing man suddenly changed his clothes, used fancy magic, and then summoned creatures, that to Aazaa, looks somewhat similar to those Howlers that her tribe sometimes had to fend off. Those Howlers were bad enough, they were mean and they bite and they were stinky and they were noisy and they were many, but even those Howlers weren’t as bad as these, these, um, Aazaa was going to call them Fire Howlers. Yeah! Fire Howlers! They weren’t attacking yet, probably because the dancing meanie told them not to yet, but they were probably going to be attacking soon.

That was when she noticed the explosion that was going off nearby her, Miss Anri, and the golden haired man she has yet to talk to. The golden haired man pushed Anri off his shoulder, and while he looked like he was just bullying Miss Anri, Aazaa knew that he was just trying to push her away from the explosion. Aazaa knew better and tried to run away from the explosion, and she managed to do so, she wasn’t the quickest nor was she the nimblest but she was, um, well, actually she tripped and fell flat to her face. Which, to her luck, actually helped her since the shrapnels from the explosion soared right over her prone body. Aazaa scrambled up and continued to run away from the explosion, her eyes open as wide as they can be, alert and looking out for danger.

The tiny kobold was considering just running away entirely, to get away from this crazy party, but she wasn’t confident about her abilities to run from the Fire Howlers. Thankfully, she heard what the fancy metal clad person said, so Aazaa came scrambling towards her. “I-I’m Aazaa, I don’t think I can fight those Fire Howlers, so, um, i-if you’ll excuse my presu-persu- if you wouldn’t mind, then I’d gladly take your offer.” Aazaa went babbling as she held her staff, the wooden implement shaking in her trembling hands.

Noble Scion

 

[Fable]

Ces Mansion | ( Birdsie Epiphany June Verles CrimsonEclipse Kylesar1 Hanarei Noble Scion )
Cesimir dropped the act of polite host and told them all to hit the floor or die. How... welcoming, and what the hell was with the talking skull? Even better he enlarged the room after causing a table to explode (which barely managed getting harmed by), set magical mines and summoned beasts. Lilian was pissed. She didn't waste any time shouting vulgarities at him, instead she summoned her deck, cards popping into existence with a white glow and circling around her. She plucked two cards from the deck; levitation and shield and cast them on herself.

Her body rose a bit above the ground by about three feet and a shimmering magical shield enveloped her in a sphere of protection. "You've got to be fucking kidding me with this shit," she muttered under her breath. Her eyes were pulled towards the older woman who had what seemed to be a litter of children have wings burst out and her looking as pissed as Lilian probably did. The female orc jumped into action as well opted for a physical weapon it seemed. Lilian put the poor orc at the top of the high death risk list she was compiling in her head. Speaking of, where was that little brownie looking girl from earlier? Hopefully not squashed underfoot.

That question was answered when she heard the tiny voice shouting.

If there hadn't been other people in the vicinity she would have used one of her trump cards, but she didn't want to get blamed for killing people over a test. Lilian had to levitate away from the sprouting roots. Whatever that white-haired guys was up to she wasn't sure, seeds on the hounds?

As the cards rotated around her she plucked another before shrugging and letting it go so it could float back into the deck. She did this once more before settling on a card she wanted to use. She held the card in one hand and snapped her fingers on her other summoning a burst of ice to explode from the area under the hounds. The card's glow faded slightly from its use, she only had a certain number of casts so she needed to make these count.

 

[Birdsie]

June Verles Archdemon Noble Scion Kylesar1 Fable Silver Wolf Hanarei darkborn LostHaven Inheritance

Hellhounds [NPCs] - Ludenwick Manor, Dining Hall

A hellhound tried to flank from the left, only to be caught by Evelyn's chain. The hellhound began to howl and growl, barking at its loudest, then fired a cone of flame towards Evelyn, trying to get vengeance. After releasing the wave of flame at full force, the exhausted, mana-deprived hellhound slumped over and took a moment to rest.

The rest of the hellhounds, not splitting off too far away from each other, picked up on Christopher's gas, but weren't too bothered by it.

They began to run, one of the hounds attacking Chris. Fortunately for Chris, Shri had chosen the hound nearest to her, and battered into the hound, digging her claws into its chest. The hellish monster seemed hurt, but not dead, or even disabled. It howled and barked, trying to claw at Shri's face.

The six remaining ones went after the rest of the group.

Three of them were hit by a burst of ice from beneath, throwing them off in various directions. The biggest one - the pack leader - ran across the battlefield and leapt at Lilian, intending to bite into her neck with his leap. With her shield, this wouldn't be a big problem other than maybe bruising her neck and exerting enough force to possibly terminate her levitation and tackle her to the ground.

One hellhound went to the one in chains, trying to rescue its companion by focusing its breath and melting them away. It gave up after a moment and growled in Evelyn's direction, rushing toward her.

The last hellhound attempted to run in the direction of Mizu, Aazaa, and Anri, but this opened him up. He (presumably Kylesar1 ?) received an Ethereal bolt to the head, right between the eyes. The creature, in an astounding display of endurance, kept moving, slowed down, for several steps, the bolt not enough to take it down. However, its holy energy soon kicked into its head, causing it to hit the floor and spasm for several seconds before it semi-exploded into black gas, which rapidly degraded into mana.

One of the hellhounds that was sent flying hit a mine with its body, and though unhurt by the flames, mana shrapnel and the kinetic pressure from the mine threw it into the ceiling, before it went back down and died on the floor, degrading into black mud, and then mana.

The two, remaining hellhounds soon picked themselves up, but seemed momentarily disoriented from the experience of being thrown several meters, and open to attack.

Azhi Armitage - Ludenwick Manor, Dining Hall

Azhi heard the voice of the little borrower next to him. He crouched down to reach her, and laid his hands on her, gently, as to not cause discomfort. He sent a healing pulse through her body; about enough energy to get rid of any wounds except total extirpation. The perk of being small was needing less energy to heal, he supposed.

Azhi saw the chained hellhound charging up flames to get revenge for being bound. He looked at Evelyn and then at Anri. "Wait here," he said.

He stepped in front of his sister and cast Buff on himself and her at his full capacity. A jet of intense fire hit him and coiled around him. Protection from Fire kicked in and mitigated the damage, though some of the flames went past his small frame and washed over Evelyn, potentially scorching her unless she cast an additional spell, though saving her a lot of potential injuries.

He emerged mostly unscathed, though grimacing from the heat.

"We're even, sis," he said, grinning before he turned to the two hellhounds - the chained one and the one freeing him. Azhi hesitated, aware he was too weak to attack them, even when strengthened to this extent. He was a young boy, with little training in combat against humans, let alone fiendish grizzly hounds.

It was unfortunate that the free specimen growled at them and began to run in their direction. "Take him down, sis - I'll back you up!"

He reached down and scooped Anri up, shielding her with his hands. If the hellhound got close, he was intent on kicking it in the snout. Hopefully, wounds made by these things could be healed with magic...

 

[Kylesar1]

Sheub "Shelby" Mangoza
Cesimir's Manor​

Shelby opted to take down the hellhound going for a tiny kobold and an even tinier girl she only spotted due to being knocked off a larger person's shoulder. Those hellhounds looked like they could eat those two whole so they were worth protecting. They probably had their strengths, but she guessed not enough to take on these hellhounds. They WERE pretty big, afterall. The hound completely neglected the orc woman in the back and that was its mistake. Fully open, she took her shot. It blasted the hound in the head. A kill..........well, it got back up. Tch! she missed! To her, if she didn't hit what she was aiming for, she missed. If she aimed for the chest and hit the shoulder, it's a miss in her eyes. FUCK!

It caused her to delay getting her arrow a bit. She brushed off the thoughts and grabbed another Ethereal Arrow, and had it notched on her crossbow at lightning speed. This wasn't a product of magic, just months and months of practicing that exact motion, successfully mitigating for the most part the biggest weakness of a crossbow, which was a longer reload time compared to a traditional longbow. She still couldn't compete with an expert shortbow archer, but she was fast. She took aim at that same hound, but the Holy Magic kicked in and ended the hound. Turns out she really did hit. It was just a durable creature and she was hard on herself for nothing. She needed to correct that as it just delayed her ability to shoot at a timely pace.

Shelby's sights strayed a bit until they settled on the 2 hellhounds that were dazed and released her pent up bolt at one of them, aiming that bolt again in the center of its forehead. Her killzone was a lethal place to be as she aimed for her second bull's eye in an attempt to take it out of the fray before it could even jump in and attack. Shelby was far back enough to where the flamethrower attacks didn't reach her behind all of those in front of her. They'd have to shoot a denser attack like a fireball. She was too far back to be collateral damage. She chose the two that were dazed because she simply couldn't account for the other members of her not quite yet team. They could get in her line of fire and take the arrow instead of the hound she was aiming for. If one of them were weak to Holy, it could poison if not kill them outright............so she stuck to the ones she had a completely clear shot on.

Shelby took in all her not quite yet teammates. She didn't even have time to mingle for real. Hopefully they didn't peg her as the anti-social type or someone who was rude or just looking to go in and fight. She was FAR from the lone wolf type. She needed a team, whether assigned or constantly swapping up teammates, as she probably couldn't take on any big missions alone, nor would she want to. Who would she ramble on about Honey, her pet badger she unfortunately had to leave in Kaer Leon to?! She'd have to throw those thoughts to the side as she realized that she once again had to notch her bow. See, this was why she needed to be single-mindedly focused. Kind of hard though when her broadway show was followed by a hellhound attack. Maybe she shouldn't have desired an encore.

Birdsie Epiphany June Verles CrimsonEclipse Kylesar1 Hanarei Noble Scion Fable

 

[darkborn]

Of course this had to happen. Of course.

After dodging the initial fire blast, throwing himself down into the ground, Auren had stood up only to see hellhounds coming at the guests. ...What sort of sadistic idiot was Cesimir? GAGH! Who attacks guests with fire, then summons freaking demon dogs from Hell to torment them even further? Was he insane?

No time for thinking. Everyone had already killed these animals, and there were only two left. It seemed like they were disoriented... Auren cursed at himself. He was slow. He should've helped the first chance he got. Unfortunately.... Enough. Time to focus on the hellhounds.

Well, time to kill some beasts.

Auren unslung his bow, and in one smooth motion, drew and arrow and fired. His first target was the Hellhound approaching the green haired girl who was apparently a magic user, the white haired boy, the little thing the boy had crouched over, and the floating head. Unfortunately... Auren felt that the shot was slightly off. He was too nervous. A second curse popped out of his mouth. ...Dad would throw a fit at me... No, focus on the shot...

Barely a second after firing the first arrow, he switched target to the other hellhound. The one with a bolt stuck in it. And off it went. And that was a much better shot- Auren could just tell. Five years of training tended to allow for that kind of intuition. Of course, he'd have to figure out who shot the bolt and thank them. The Hellhound was definitely in a world of pain.

Repeating the lightning quick process of renocking and shooting his arrow, he aimed and shot at the first hellhound, the one he felt like he missed the first time. He was not going to stand for mistakes. None. He had to be perfect- he couldn't fail anyone. Anything less than perfection was failure. And Auren did not want to fail.

After firing, he nocked his arrow again, but stopped shooting. Twenty one arrows left. Well, twenty in his quiver. He needed to look for that insane magic user, in addition to seeing if anyone else needed help. A bit naive? Eh, noone could blame him- he was young after all. And he loved his books. He began scanning the area, making sure to keep an eye out on the hellhounds. The smell of singed items irritated his nose, but he ignored that. The eyes were kind of more important right now.

Auren's worried mind kept up coming with lists of stuff to do, plans to complete. But now was not the time to be a control freak. Now was the time to focus, to see what was happening. Plans could happen when he knew what was happening, exactly.

Kylesar1 , Birdsie , LostHaven , Hanarei , At others vaguely.

 

[Epiphany]

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[/div][div class=statusText]Location: Cesimir's estate
Tags: None specifically[/div][/div][div class=title]Shriandriath the Debased Maiden[/div][div class=text]The hellhounds don't act exactly as expected. In her experience, the real things tended to perceive an incoming solitary threat as a challenge to the pack leader, to be responded to in kind. Usually they'd allow for single combat before overwhelming the loser or submitting to the victor.

But then, these weren't the real thing.

Shri sends the first one tumbling and she tumbles after it, her landing not quite its usual epitome of grace. How many years had it been since she'd manifested wings, anyway? As she touches down beside the snarling beast, her foot triggers one of the mines and it rocks her backwards. The fire means nothing but the concussive force is palpable, even through the armor she wears and her own supernatural fortitude.

She needs to return to protect her children. But leaving an enemy at her back is a sure way to end up dead. So the Succubus leaps once more, meeting the hellhound in the air as it leaps right back at her. Claw and teeth meet claw and teeth as the two tear into each other. Rage momentarily returns her to the peak of her strength and she finally baits it by offering her arm. When its teeth sink in, they dent the armor and indent her skin uncomfortably. Then she draws it in, wraps her other arm around its neck and drops to the floor, landing it over several of the magical mines and blowing it apart.

Rising from the carnage, she sees her children facing off against the monsters and the Succubus feels a real surge of outright panic. Once more, rage replaces reason and this time she sweeps her hand in a gesture that encompasses all of the visible mines on the floor. Once, Shriandriath the Debased Maiden could rip the fiery energies of that magic straight out of those traps and turn the flame to her will, sending them to consume the constructs endangering Thomas' children. But the decades of normalacy among mortals has done its work.

Her gesture accomplishes exactly nothing. With a glare, Shri ducks her head and charges back into the fray.[/div][div class=text][/div][/div][/div][/div] [class=wrapper] background-color:#5e5560; box-sizing:border-box; color:#eeeeee; display:inline-block; position:relative; width:100%; text-align: justify; [/class] [class=title] color: #bfbfbf; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size:3em; font-style:italic; padding:0; text-shadow:0 0 1em; margin-bottom: 10px; [/class] [class=box] margin:2em 1em; padding:2px 4px 0px; position:relative; [/class] [class=boxBg] box-sizing:content-box; height:100%; pointer-events:none; position:absolute; width:100%; [/class] [class=boxBgLarge] top:0; left:-5px; padding:0 4px; border:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.35); [/class] [class=boxBgTall] top:-8px;left:3px; padding:8px 0; width:calc(100% - 8px); height:100%; border:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.25); [/class] [class=boxBgMedium] top:-4px; left:-1px; padding:4px 0; border:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.4); [/class] [class=boxInner] background-color: #5e5560; overflow:hidden; margin:0.5em; [/class] [class=statusBox] box-sizing: border-box; border-right: 3px dotted white; padding: 15px; float: left; max-width: 250px; margin: 0px 15px 15px 0px; [/class] [class=text] padding: 0px 15px 15px 15px; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size:0.8em; [/class] [class=statusText] font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 0.75em; margin-top: 5px; [/class] [class=characterPortrait] box-sizing: border-box; position: relative; border-radius: 20px; overflow: hidden; [/class] [class name=characterPortrait state=hover] opacity: 0.5 [/class]

 

[Archdemon]

Fox
Location: Cesimir's Estate
Mentions: Hanarei LostHaven Noble Scion Birdsie Epiphany CrimsonEclipse

Fox wasn't entirely prepared for what was to happen after the musical gig, but he was in a better position to adapt when it all went to hell. When the blast hit the table Fox kept away but got hit with some of the projectiles. He was fine overall but this took him off guard, that mage has a lot to answer for. Still he was in this situation with everyone else so he mist help them. The battle had started with the mother charging forward, flying. A hound got chained, some charged those moving forward, some died. He'll a skull suddenly appeared as well, but he will worry about that later.

Fox looked to those rallying behind Kaizer, and decided to throw in his efforts there. Fox switched to his Rush stance and used his new found agility and hopped, jump, and flipped his way there. Once he joined up with them he looked at those still alone and motioned to them to join up. Then he turned to Kaizer and pointed his finger forwards and towards the group, signalling to move forward while protecting everyone.

Fox then made his way forward, using his speed and agility to dodge mines along the way. He reached the last dazed Hellhound and decided to take care of it. He sent two fast jabs at its face, and while it was busy dodging he would kick it in the air, grabbed it's leg, and raised his leg high and cracked it down on the neck of the beast, aiming to break it and kill it.

 

[Hanarei]

Bethany Evelyn - "The Arcanist Absolute" Armitage

Evelyn had expected person some comment or acknowledgement of her clever use of magic, after all she found a sense of irony in her choice of spell to work to subdue the hound. It presented a sense of style or flare that simply blasting away the hound just wouldn't do in her mind. It was quite apparent there was a voice of disagreement. That voice came from the skull. Evelyn looked towards Faust as it wasn't hard to tell she was glaring at him both for insulting her magic along with his seeming persistent call of her being a little mage, something she had dismissed as being meant to belittle someone else.

"Clearly what I was doing was showing a sense of dominance over such a hellhound who someone of my talent shouldn't even really bother to give such a creature individual attention to begin with. To utilize such a spell against such a foe to destroy it would be an insult to me and abuse to such a poor creature who clearly stands no chance." She spoke with a soft blush on her cheeks at his mention of a kink, her expression keeping angry and stern though she couldn't hide the slight bit of embarrassment it brought to her with something refereed to in such a way being directed to her. She could only blame her mother for such a thing. The awkward conversations and 'talks' she had managed to scar her in all things related to 'that' quite well.

"Either way if you don't understand the irony in putting a leash on a dog, I fear your brain might of been lost with your body.... though I guess that was a bit cruel. Obviously such a great and powerful skull like yourself is clearly far more intelligent then that, after all someone so wise would have plenty to show for it such as a strong reputation, a body who shows no signs of age. I have to admit your 'body' sure does lack showing any signs of damage." She spoke with a smug shrug with the blush having faded away fortunately with her retort. Unfortunately for Evelyn her argument with Faust had caused her to be distracted only catching on as the cone of flame came out as her little brother came running infront of the flame to block it. She quickly spoke a few quick lines to raise up a small shield fortunately saving her from being singed, though the shield itself would of stood no chance in fully mitigating the flame if her brother hadn't protected her from it.

"You dork, you're not suppose to try and protect me!" She spoke out in a bit of frustration. Naturally she knew he blocked her from being burnt though she wasn't willing to thank him up front, though the fact she had only called him a dork and scolded him heavily indicated she was thankful. She would of likely found more poignant names to call him by and gloat about her own abilities in handling herself if she hadn't at all be thankful for his help, specially as he told her to take out another incoming hound. She held out two fingers pointing it at the incoming beast. A glow formed at her finger tips as her lips parted briefly uttering a few words greatly amplifying the spell.

"Ray of Frost." She spoke as a greatly amplified beam of pure frost fired out to strike at the hellhound freezing the beast as she struck it direct on. While she had other spells she could of used without the need to amplify the effects, Evelyn so it as a way to get back at the obnoxious talking skull refusing to follow its suggestion viewing it as a way of showing off more to take an even more simple spell and greatly amplify its effect. She could of done more naturally, though Evelyn was far more obsessed with attempting to show off attempting to show low effort now in a rather silly game with a talking skull.


Mentioned: Birdsie LostHaven

 

[Inheritance]

Brom Beararm
​

As he charged, he decided that the hell hounds were more of a threat, despite his first diagnosis of the battlefield. As he cut and turned towards the hellhounds, he took in the scene of the battlefield. As he watched, he observed that almost everyone had some sort of magical ability when they fought, and very few did it the old fashion way. Admittedly he was a bit disappointed, and while he didn't hate magic or its users he was not a fan of working with it-he simply didn't trust it.

All this he took in as he charged, noting a few people that were very talented fighters that he should be wary of (for better or worse), though one stood out to him. Admittedly she was a bit shocking-with wings and horns unlike a normal human, and had a very distinct battle style that was unlike anything he had ever seen. Despite her abnormalities however, she fought with a spirit that matched even the greatest warriors that he had fought with, and at once he had a great deal of respect for her. He cut again and bolted over next to her.

"I'll go low you go high!" He barked, and took the lead in a full sprint, before swinging with all his might at the legs of the hell hound-a blow that could decapitate a horse. It leaped, as expected, and looked down upon him as he slid underneath. He could only hope that she heard, and would act. She had wings after all- going high shouldn't be too hard.

Epiphany

 

[Epiphany]

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[/div][div class=statusText]Location: Cesimir's estate
Tags: Inheritance [/div][/div][div class=title]Shriandriath the Debased Maiden[/div][div class=text]As the Succubus charges towards the next Hellhound available, she finds herself side by side with a warrior. Undoubtedly a warrior, judging by the sheer number of weapons the man wore. A useful ally to have in a fight like this, especially with mobile enemies and a floor prone to erupting with lethal traps.

"I'll go low, you go high!"

The instruction was followed by the man sprinting forward towards a charging Hellhound. She immediately divined his tactic, though it'd been decades since she'd fought cooperatively (or at all). Thankfully, despite the lag in understanding, she was less encumbered than he and Shri quickly caught up as he reached his enemy. With his weapon sweeping in a lethal arc at the monster, Shri jumped, landed in a crouch and then sprang right up into the air. White leathery wings unfurled to their fullest, snapping to catch the uplift from the magically created heat of the traps.

When the Hellhound jumped to avoid having its legs scythed through, it jumped straight into her waiting arms. With her armored boots on, Shri couldn't bring her toe-claws to bear by ripping its stomach open as she might otherwise have done. So instead she swooped over it, snared it in mid-air with her talons and planted both boots into its belly before dropping down. As with the other, the Succubus used Hellhound's body to absorb the blast of the ward-traps, killing it and protecting her from the brunt of the explosion.

Brom received a respectful nod of acknowledgment. It was tempting to continue the fight by the warrior's side. But her children were still in danger![/div][div class=text][/div][/div][/div][/div] [class=wrapper] background-color:#5e5560; box-sizing:border-box; color:#eeeeee; display:inline-block; position:relative; width:100%; text-align: justify; [/class] [class=title] color: #bfbfbf; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size:3em; font-style:italic; padding:0; text-shadow:0 0 1em; margin-bottom: 10px; [/class] [class=box] margin:2em 1em; padding:2px 4px 0px; position:relative; [/class] [class=boxBg] box-sizing:content-box; height:100%; pointer-events:none; position:absolute; width:100%; [/class] [class=boxBgLarge] top:0; left:-5px; padding:0 4px; border:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.35); [/class] [class=boxBgTall] top:-8px;left:3px; padding:8px 0; width:calc(100% - 8px); height:100%; border:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.25); [/class] [class=boxBgMedium] top:-4px; left:-1px; padding:4px 0; border:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.4); [/class] [class=boxInner] background-color: #5e5560; overflow:hidden; margin:0.5em; [/class] [class=statusBox] box-sizing: border-box; border-right: 3px dotted white; padding: 15px; float: left; max-width: 250px; margin: 0px 15px 15px 0px; [/class] [class=text] padding: 0px 15px 15px 15px; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size:0.8em; [/class] [class=statusText] font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 0.75em; margin-top: 5px; [/class] [class=characterPortrait] box-sizing: border-box; position: relative; border-radius: 20px; overflow: hidden; [/class] [class name=characterPortrait state=hover] opacity: 0.5 [/class]

 

[Noble Scion]

Anri Maruhachi - Cesimir's estate

Spoiler: Appearance

​

Her harassment of the healer appeared to pay off as the young boy did just as she asked, making her outside feel all nice, soft and not-sore once more using only his hands, a feat that seemed strangely gentle for one so big. The sensation of being healed was a strange one, like bathing in the warm tea-cup her mam used to prepare for her back when she lived in her people's village.

Before she could thank him for his act of kindness, he moved a mile away with a step to cast some magical things at the red and angry dogs that appeared to have murder on the mind, yet the young gentleman returned after a moment.

"Thank ye Si-" The mouse-sized lass began before her miniscule feet were quite literally swept out from underneath her by the very same person, being enclosed in a warm and fleshy bed, leaving only small scratches of light peeking through the spaces between his fingers. She'd been picked up before, but either not so gently, or just as gently, but they kept their second hand away and awarded her full vision.

"I can handle myself I'll have you know! No doggie's ever eaten Anri Harumachi the brave!" she yelled from his hand, considering poking his delicate hands with her pin, but choosing not to, considering her had been kind enough to heal her in the first place. Instead, she stood up and began inspecting his hands with what little illumination there was, curious at how he'd done the nice thing that made her feel better, gently working her fingers around his and following the lines of his hands to see if they led anywhere.

Kaizer Harrison - Cesimir's estate

Spoiler: Appearance

​

A quiet, almost imperceptible "Fuck." emanated from the woman's helmet, with a tone laced heavily with the scent of disappointment.

She had most certainly wanted in on this action, and her chance to do so was swiftly falling away as the air of battle seemed to dissipate before her with each deceased hellhound. Her position as frontline had been widely ignored, and nary even required in this battle, making the conceivable idea of her making a piece of art worthy of her standards practically impossible, yet as an opponent still stood, the knight felt almost compelled to at least participate in some form instead of falling into the heavy-hearted ways of failing a performance. The only obstacle in her way was those dreaded mines she had been foretold of.

The people behind her would be fine, right?

Lady Kaizer Harrison, deciding to chance her luck for the sake of her artistic integrity, took off with leaps and bounds towards the final beast, basing this choice of movement on the idea that the more time she spent off the ground, the less time she would spend at risk of the cursed death explosions beneath, and to her surprise, it paid off.

Landing beside the beast attempting to kill the flying mage that had dispersed the pack initially, Kaizer swung her sword with all the momentum she had, catching the beast mid-jump and slamming it into the ground while simultaneously cleaving it in two, a feat that the performer herself was rather surprised at, which could almost be seen from her surprised, yet happy gasp that followed the feat of strength.

"Well then.. That was something." Was all she said, before falling into a silence that seemed unbefitting of her as her mind attempted to unsuccessfully devise a piece of art she could create after such minimal action, only being stunted by the fact that there hadn't been nearly enough action for her to create a piece that truly encapsulated the moment. In the end, her shoulder simply sagged, her head tilted down and all movement ceased for the woman as she was denied access to something that had the potential of being immensely satisfying.

The knight seemed utterly disappointed after winning a battle, and made no intension of paying a shred of attention to any of the others in the aftermath of the battle, seemingly consumed by the lust for creation, and utterly devastated at the lack of being able to do so.

After a brief moment, she reluctantly outstretched her hand for the small bag of holding straddling her waist, hidden underneath the folds of fabric, and slid her sword inside, reaching down into its murky darkness afterwards and pulling out a metal file and a small log of wood, before beginning to chisel away at the piece.

Even if she wasn't going to be able to capture the moment entirely, she had to maintain her craftsmanship as much she did her swordplay.

Birdsie Fable (everyone behind her too, pretty much)​

 

[Birdsie]

June Verles Archdemon Noble Scion Kylesar1 Fable Silver Wolf Hanarei darkborn LostHaven Inheritance IamNotLoki

Ludenwick Estate

Hellhounds [NPCs]

vs. Shelby

On the edge of the room, one of the hellhounds previously blasted by a mine began to shake off the daze, and looked to the group, growling, only to receive a crossbow bolt into its left eye-socket and die almost instantly, becoming a cloud of mana.

vs. Evelyn, Azhi, Anri, Faust, Shri, Brom & Auren

On another part of the room, a hellhound ran at Evelyn, Azhi, Faust, and Anri. It received an arrow in its back, which didn't even seem to make it pause, though forced it to limp slightly with its back-right limb. A bar of polar ice smacked it in the snout, stunning it and blinding its eyes with crystalline droplets of ice. The hellhound broke its run, as to not hit any mines.

After throwing another hellhound into the minefield and destroying it, Shri moved in the direction of her children where Brom met her pace and said, "I'll go low, you go high!"

Shri and Brom met it. It gathered its bearings, and ran towards Brom, jumping to avoid the attack as predicted, only to be met by Shri. The hound whimpered when struck, then growled and tried to claw at Shri's feet as she pushed it all the way down into a mine, its body acting as a protective buffer. A fiery explosion spread, with a flash, a bang, and a harsh pressurized gas pushing into the faces of onlookers, with a foul smell.

vs. Fox

The hellhound turned and growled when Fox approached it. He sent two fast jabs at its face, and it whimpered with each hit. He caught its leg and raised it high into the air. He sent his foot to meet its body mid-air and cracked the neck of the beast, killing it instantly despite its fortitude.

Its mangled corpse fell to the ground and began to degrade slowly.

vs. Kaiser & Lilian

The hellhound pack leader was already mid-leap when Kaizer flanked him and swung her greatsword. He was bisected into two, and his body dusted into black-blue gas mid-air, dissipating around Lilian and Kaizer. It had a foul smell, sulphury and rotten.

Cesimir [NPC] // Azhi Armitage

"W-we did it." The boy practically sagged with relief, briefly closing his eyes.

He gave Anri a glance as she said she can handle herself, and smiled at her. "My bad. I'll let you do it next time."

A pink cloud burst in the room's center, and Cesimir stepped out, clapping his hands in a slightly patronizing way. His body language was jovial and vibrant, he moved with something reminiscent of jubilant swagger. "Excellent work, duckies! You've managed the beginner's course with only minor injuries!"

He tapped the end of his staff against the floor twice, dispelling the mines. He tapped it another time, and a document appeared in his hand.

He looked at them, and you could sense an almost wild excitement in his gaze. "Let's see what's next, shall we?!" Cesimir cleared his throat and read:

"Chamber two; contains five doors and a riddle. All but one door lead to a gruesome death, and the riddle points to the right door. As added incentive, the ceiling has spikes and moves down one meter every half a minute! The contestants can solve the riddle or sacrifice their lives for the team to proceed. Those who died will be resurrected for the next chamber, but receive a penalty in both the next chamber and their overall score."

"Chamber three; a gauntlet, containing lasers, poison dart launchers, invisible mines, trapdoors, three distinct variants of bear traps, invisible octopi that fall from the ceiling and choke whoever's neck they touch, pools of lava with thin pillars that you have to hop to get to the other side, and many others! Players who received a penalty in the second chamber have bombs strapped to their necks that will implode if they do not complete the gauntlet in two minutes."

Cesimir stopped reading for a moment, and just when people had time to breathe out in assuagement, the goddamned sociopath flipped to the next page and continued:

"Chamber four; a large warehouse with plenty of cover and shade. The ceiling has a shower of deadly acid that activates and burns everyone indiscriminately if one of the guards detects movement or noise of any kind. Also, taking out a guard penalizes the entire team for the next chamber, and taking out two guards instantly deploys a pump of harmful neurotoxin that kills everyone in the room."

His tone slowly lost excitement, as he read, "Chamber five; blah-blah-blah, baby tarrasque, blah-blah-blah, instant death." He crumpled the paper with two hands, threw it in the air, then disintegrated it with a bolt of fire. "Who cares, right? What matters is the friends we made along the way! Any questions before we proceed?"

Azhi raised his hand, holding Anri in the other.

"Yeees?" Cesimir pointed at the boy cambion with his staff.

"Um... Mr. Cesimir, sir, why are you doing this?" Azhi asked awkwardly.

"What would you possibly be referring to? I'm just welcoming you and everyone else to my estate - I've even granted you the joy of playing with my pets just now!" One could feel that Cesimir pout-frowned under his mask, deriving such an impression from his beaten tone.

Azhi lowered his hand, a bit meeker than before.

Cesimir returned to a neutral expression and tone, losing both excitement and faux sadness. "Any questions the answers to which aren't painfully obvious?"

 

[Epiphany]

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[/div][div class=statusText]Location: Cesimir's estate
Tags: Hanarei Birdsie June Verles [/div][/div][div class=title]Shriandriath the Debased Maiden[/div][div class=text]As the battle came to an end, Shri stepped around the remaining traps and reunited with her children. Azhi seemed to have the little pixie well in hand. Christopher's plants had been amply effective, or at least she thought so. And her darling Bethany's magic had impressive affect. Who knew a child of hers could be such a prodigy in the magical arts? Despite the danger, pride swelled in her heart as Shri gazed fondly at her three most precious offspring.

Then Cesimir appeared. The sight of the archmage that'd threatened her children led to a wholly unexpected reaction, even for the Succubus herself. Her kind had always dealt with danger through seduction. But the manic glee of the mage was unbearable and she launched herself back into the air, wings fanning to glide her across the room right at her enemy. She promptly rebounded as she encountered a magical barrier. Of course. Stumbling slightly as she landed, Shri snarled and slashed the invisible bubble sheltering the wizard with her talons. Half a dozen blows didn't cause the surface to yield by even an inch. Useless.

Instead, she listened to his insane test expectations with smoldering crimson eyes. By the time he asked for questions, she took a minute to gather herself, giving her son Azhi a chance to ask his question. The answer was exactly as unsatisfying as expected. She didn't bother with raising a hand.

"You summoned us under false pretenses then," Shri said, her rage grown to an icy distillation. "I came here under the auspices of the Adventurer's League, commissioned by the King to protect and aid his realm. I was given to understand you share that same commission. Your actions prove you a traitor instead. Two of my children are Adventurers as well, and my youngest son who you just spoke to is barely more than a boy. You've threatened them with death and your offer of revival, if it's even to be believed, scarcely mitigates that risk of harm. I want no part of these mad games of yours, monster. But you asked for questions and that's a request I intend to honor. So here's mine."

"Your song said if we were unsatisfied we could request to transfer. Tell me how to transfer out of here? And we'll be on our way."

The Succubus glanced back at the other adventurers assembled and gave each a brief nod, the offer plain that they should walk out of here with her.
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[Kylesar1]

Sheub "Shelby" Mangoza
Cesimir's Manor​

She didn't come here for this. This was insanity. Shelby felt like a guinea pig or a lab rat in the hands of a scientist who didn't really have a goal other than to see how long they could survive before dying. They didn't need all these tests! Some were better than others in certain places, like Chamber 3 was her secondary forte: Traps. Magically made or not, she knew all about them and how they worked. It paid to know about them as those were some of the only things besides her teammates that kept her away from the target she was eyeing.

The rest though? Riddles? Stealth? Penalties for dying? Life wasn't some game, some time trial where falling off the stage penalized you for 5 seconds. Oopsie! Poopsie! Silly me, I died...........NO! The concept was simple. She wasn't a stealthy person. She was a big-ass heavy orc woman. Her stealth was relegated to camouflage suits in a deep forest popping off headshots from distances up to 500 meters, not sneaking around like some unarmored wood elf. If she wasn't a stealthy person, why the hell would she take a mission where life and death depended on the ability to stay hidden?

Riddles? The only books she read were having to do with her craft. Traps and Crossbows, and magic having to do with such. Frankly, riddles made her head spin. Yeah, yeah, big, Orc, dumb, kitchen, brute, sandwich, savage, whatever. She didn't have to go to the College of Winterhold to prove her intellect. If she couldn't solve riddles, why the hell would someone trust her to choose the right door? She couldn't trust HERSELF to choose the right door!!

Even the hellhounds showed that. The tiny girl and the cute kobold had skills that did not equip them to take on hellhounds. They shouldn't be doing that mission. They should be somewhere that suited them better. Shelby was pretty angry about people those into danger who weren't equipped to handle it.

The mouth-wateringly beautiful yet alluringly intimidating succubus woman spoke up and, in a way, amplified her sentiment. She decided to stand with her as she was not confrontational enough on her own. "This is crap!" Shelby yelled out. "This test is nothing more than a sadistic fantasy. You couldn't even be bothered to read the last room!" This was humiliating. Defeat was humiliating and this test seemed made to humiliate as many members of the team as possible, or make them grateful to him for letting them live after failure. "If we're not equipped to handle a task, it's crap to put them on the task." This was just a bad leader, or at least one unconcerned about their well-being. If the ability to revive meant you just treated current life as disposable, Shelby wasn't the girl to work with them. Her brother wasn't disposable. She didn't like to think of herself as disposable. She'd rather move back to Kaer Lyon than work with someone like that

She stopped aiming her crossbow and let it rest in her free hand. "I didn't come here to die for someone who doesn't care about life. I refuse to be a test subject for your magic and gauntlets." she finished. While the beautiful succubus was more polite in a verbal sense, Shelby was a bit more blunt. She wasn't one to do the verbal dance for anyone. It didn't mean she was an asshole. It just meant she knew what she wanted and hated wasting time being nice to someone who didn't deserve it. Cesimir definitely didn't deserve it.
Birdsie Epiphany

 

[Birdsie]

June Verles Archdemon Noble Scion Kylesar1 Fable Silver Wolf Hanarei darkborn LostHaven Inheritance IamNotLoki

Cesimir [NPC]

Cesimir's staff disappeared as he stuffed it into some nebulous pocket dimension.

"Ooh, getting cold feet?" Cesimir asked the succubus with a mocking tone. He shrugged, tilting his head. "Eh, not my place to judge with this forcefield on, I guess."

Suddenly, his posture snapped into rigidity with his hands together behind his back, and his voice into cold, if condescending professionalism. As if someone flipped a switch, and his setting went from 'Amused Clown' to 'Unfeeling Robot.'

"False pretenses, why would you say that? Today is orientation day, and I am orienting you. This little event? 'Tis merely a demonstration of the life ahead of you. Do you think this won't happen in the future? Friendly, atmospheric dinner with the family, children, and allies, and suddenly the forces of hell try to assassinate you? Of course, it will. You don't have to be paranoid about it, but you do have to be prepared. I will concede this was in small part for my personal amusement, but make no mistake - this was a very real test, and being unwilling to continue due to the risk of something as petty as death is a failing grade."

Cesimir gesticulated dismissively as he continued to explain in a higher, more profound octave, "This is a high-risk job, Miss Armitage. As you 'protect and aid the realm,' you will gain fame, but with fame comes adversity. More and more people you pissed off will want your head on a silver tray, and you bet they will try to get it whenever they can. This dinner? A demonstration. You're lucky I didn't aim for your children. They will. And a cleric might not be present to defibrillate their mangled bodies when that happens."

In response to Shelby's complaints, Cesimir pointed at where Anri and Azhi were, then at Mizu. "See those three? That's beautiful. That's what I expect. The little lady can't fight big opponents, but she can sneak, gather info, smuggle keys into your cell. You rely on her to do that, and she will rely on you to shoot dogs in the head."

He changed tone, to one less condescendingly professional and more perfunctory. "Anyways, if you want to transfer, you'll have to talk to the old scaly bitch-- er, that is, to Dylaxanne; the guildmistress. Best write a letter."

He clicked his fingers. Quills and papers appeared in midair, in front of Shri and Shelby.

"I only accept the very best. People who can live up to the adversity of fame, and survive even when there are a hundred people who want their heads in a sack. If you're so concerned about the lives of your children, maybe don't bring them here in the first place?"

He tapped his heel on the floor. The dimensions of the dining room returned to normal and a door appeared, leading to the foyer. Cesimir walked in that direction as he said, "There will be no quartrer for weaklings. If you can't survive this obstacle course, you won't last long in Team Glamis. As carriers of the king's name and the capital city's legacy, this team must be the best. Luthandriel asked me to see to that, and though I disrespect him, I like him and don't intend to fail this task. Dismissed."

 

[CrimsonEclipse]

Aazaa Deepwater - Cesimir’s Mansion
​

It was utter chaos. Like, honestly, this was the most chaotic thing that Aazaa has ever been a part of. The next most chaotic thing she’s been a part of was during the tribe’s last mating season. For a bunch of cowards, Kobolds were surprisingly ferocious and aggressive when it came to finding a mate. Not that anyone wanted to mate with Aazaa, even the smallest male would rather not mate at all than mate with the runt. I-It didn’t hurt Aazaa at all, nobody would want to mate with stupid dumdums after all.

However, as chaotic as things were, it ended surprisingly quick, and with no casualities to boot. Aazaa didn’t see everything that went on, but it was very clear that the people she was with could definitely take care of themselves. She saw one of the Fire Howlers take a bolt to the eye, one being turned into a pincushion by a masked man, and one more being exploded. The last of the Fire Howlers, the biggest and meanest one of the pack, was bisected by the metal clad person Aazaa had hid behind, showing how much of a good decision it was for Aazaa to hide behind them.

The moment the Fire Howlers have all been killed, the singing man, clapping and talking as if nothing disastrous or out of place had happened. Aazaa would honestly be angry at him, why wouldn’t she? After all, he almost killed them all. Well, not really, but he did put all of them in unecessary danger. She should be angry at him, at least she would if she wasn’t so terrified out of her mind. And her terror only grew as the man introduced more ‘tests’ for them to go through, all of which sounded like horrible ways to die. “Aazaa s-shouldn’t have come here. Aazaa will die.” Aazaa repeated over and over, almost like a chant of sorts.

Aazaa wasn’t the only one who wanted out. There was a little boy who asked why they were attacked, but the singing man only replied sarcastically. She felt sorry for the boy, but Aazaa wasn’t about to speak out to defend him. Two scary woman, one of them a tall scary woman while the other was a beautiful but scary woman, also gave the singing man a piece of their minds, obviously unhappy. She honestly wasn’t quite sure what the beautiful woman had said in its entirety, she used a lot of difficult worss, but she’s definitely the angriest of the bunch. Aazaa was reminded of a mother bear going into a rampage after her cubs have been threatened. It was scary.

“U-Um, excuse me?” The little lizard girl cautiously raised her hand. She wasn’t planning on anything at first, but now that three others have raised their voices, Aazaa was a bit more confident to do the same. “Metapop-Metamorp-Memamtop- I-I mean, what if someone, I-I’m not sure wh-ho, but what if someone came here without really knowing w-what’s going on? I-I’m just saying, um, what exactly, is the, uh, the reason why were here? O-Of course I know why I’mhere, like, yeah, definitely here because of, you know, stuffs, and things.” Aazaa bravely (in her mind) said, thinking that with the way she phrased her question that the singing man would definitely not know she was the person in question. How could he? She had mastered the art of conversation after all.

Birdsie Kylesar1 Epiphany

 

[Fable]

Ces Mansion | ( Noble Scion Epiphany Birdsie )
Lilian should have been more prepared for if she became the focus of attacks. The of the hounds lunged for her and had she not had her shield up she probably would have had her head ripped off. Instead the shield managed to keep her head attached but there was going to be an awful bruise there later where the hound had gone to chomp down. It also caused her to fall to the ground, but with levitation still active she 'bounced' back up. However her shield had been popped so she had to quickly recast it before she got mauled again, however this time she combined her three cards to make it a magical shield imbued with magical ice, lets see those fuckers come bite her now!

The armored woman came to Lilian's aid thankfully allowing for her to recast without being interrupted by the hound. "Thanks for that," Lilian said to the mystery savior. She lifted her hand to cover her face as she cringed at the awful smell that had been released. Most unpleasant.

Shortly their 'host' appear in a cloud of pink and Lilian sent death glares at his person. He really had tried to kill them! With his pleased expression Lilian felt her hand twitch wanting to attack the bastard. Then he went though a list of chambers that they were going to have to go through and her eye twitched. The very angry mother clawed at the shield the insane mage had protecting him. At least Lilian had someone to share hatred and fury with over the shit that just happened. The orc was also not having any of these deadly shenanigans as well.

As Cesimir went through a personality switch and argued that they had to be prepared for this kind of insane shit outside of a controlled area she stomped towards him. "We are aware there are dangers that come with the job, but we didn't expect you to be one of them. You want to test out our skills? See if we can do well under pressure or if we'll sacrifice others to save our own necks? There are better fucking ways to do it. You even admit this is also being done in part for your own personal amusement, that is what pisses me off. I'll do your fucking tests since I came here knowing I might die getting involved in this endeavor but I am not here to amuse you. I even get the whole bit of 'don't trust the host' because that host could be as insane as you are. Now, where the fuck is chamber two?"

 

[June Verles]

Mizu Nagoyaka​

Mizu was unable to do anything else for the rest of the fight after deflecting the shrapnel earlier in the fight. After managing to get his breath back he would step up to look around and see that everyone already finished off the other hell hounds and the test was already over, he'd sigh at his own uselessness. Hell it even looked like he hurt Anri more than protected her, he'll definitively apologize at a more opportune time.

Still after sulking for a moment he stood up, putting his sword around his waist and dusting off his ass as he did so. Walking up to the group he had a ample spot to be able to observe the exchange that happened between Cesimir and the more miffed members of the party, after all his methods were anything but ethical. At the same time though he still kind of wanted to see this through, so he was just going to wait and see the outcome.

Christopher Armitage​

Christopher's blank expression didn't change when he saw that his roots didn't do anything interesting. He was thinking wherever to retract the roots but Cesimir would probably be able to clean them with his destructive tendencies. With that in mind he simply strapped his sandals back on before making his way back to his family.

Speaking of psychopathic pyromaniacs as soon as the challenge was over Cesimir appeared out of no where very conveniently, only to tell them about the next bothersome tasks they have to do. It seemed like this man thought of him and these people gathered here as nothing but expendable resources, well it's not like Christopher could take a moral high ground with the brain dead slaves in his basement.

Yawning he scratches his cheek lazily as he awaits what's going to happen, even if his family goes home he'll see this to the end. It would be rude to the host otherwise.

 

[IamNotLoki]

Liam Gregory
"Nolan No-Shoes"
Location: Forest of Glamis >>> Slums of the Capital

Black, callused feet sorted through the unpaved forest floor... feeling through thick piles of yellow petals for dangerous ankle-breaking roots. The feet belonged to a huge lumbering mass of rough cloth and grey hair the people call "Father Nolan". Accompanying the priest was an old mule with a back full of supplies.

The good father's huge hand grasped gently on the bark of an oak as he moved up into a forest clearing. The bright afternoon sun broke through the leafy shadows and revealed the priest's face. Despite his humble garb and fatigued stance, Nolan's expression is bright and cheery... his wrinkles, like rivers, ran through his aged smile.

The giant man took a long deep breath... savoring the scents of the springtime flowers that greeted his arrival.
"WHAT A BEAUTIFUL DAY, FATHER HANN! THANK YOU!" The wandering priest cried out through the forest, causing flocks of ravens to flutter and crack above him. "HAHAHAHAHA!" A hearty laugh as he peered up at the shadowy birds above. His eyes followed the birds as they trailed off into the horizon... leading his gaze onto the massive walls of Glamis. Huge hands stroked the back of the mule. "There she is, Wog. The capital. It's been a very long time since I've last stepped foot into the city..." He took a leather bag of wine from the animal and squeezed what's left into his parched mouth.

Pretty soon the mulchy, rooty soil of the forest gave way to the hard cobblestone streets of Glamis. The once lone traveler soon found himself walking amongst the crowd heading towards the great city. A guard was stationed on each side of the portcullis, they paid no mind to the 8 foot tall monster garbed in roughspun cloth. The holy pilgrims can travel anywhere they wish with the blessing of the church... even a man that stands out as much as Nolan would get very little inquiry when wearing the cloth of the clergy.

The man and his mule walked on through the shabby, rat-infested slums of the outer walls. Peasants and beggars alike spent their days calling out visitors to purchase goods or to give them aid. Nolan felt feelings of nostalgia and grief hit the back of his head as he remembered running through this very same alley as a slumrat. He could remember the feeling of gut burning hunger that often accompanied his childhood. He sees the same hunger in the eyes of those staring at him from the shadowy corners. Dead eyes...

Nolan walked to a well and lowered a small, bronze bucket. When the bucket returned, he stared deep into the eyes of the man reflected back at him. Another man named Liam had the same dead eyes... that man is gone... lifted up to be remolded by our Father

He felt a shadow sneak behind him from the forner of his eyes. A small hand reached behind his mule and dove within his bag of food. Liam turned to face the small figure with compassionate eyes.

"Good day, child!" Nolan's voice was louder than he thought... It echoed through the quiet slum like a drum.

It was hard to tell the child was a boy or a girl because of their frail body and long ragged white hair. The child skin was grey... like winter mist. A dark elf... Its feral gold eyes stared at the massive man with both hunger and fear.

"Don't be afraid..." Nolan said in the gentlest way he can with his deep booming voice. He could see that the child was holding one of his oranges in her small hand. "Do you know what that is?" He whispered with a big smile as he knelt down to meet her golden eyes. Oranges were quite rare in the western lands... they are succulent, sweet fruits found mainly in the lands of the east. He watched her move the fruit to her mouth as if she was about to bite into an apple.

"W-Wait! Not like that!" Nolan raised his voice suddenly... causing the young dark elf girl to growl and run. Just like that the girl was gone.

--------------------------------------------

After a day of reading the Hannogg to the illiterate beggars, Nolan distributed bread and dried fish to the hungry who stayed after his sermon. He couldn't help but think about they young dark elf he met this afternoon.

"STOP THIEF!" a male voice called out in the crowd, grabbing the giant priest's attention. He spotted a flash of snow white hair blurr through the alleyway into a crowd of people. It's her...

Praise Hann... for leading me to this poor soul... let me change her fate.

Nolan tied his mule named Woguran to a post. "I'll be back Wog..." He said briefly as he crouched down, touching the floor with his hand. "Let's see if this old man still has it in 'im..." He growled as he launched into the street... accelerating into an inhuman sprint. Pretty soon, the girl's tangled white locks was just ahead of the priest. The elf girl launched herself into the rooftop... dashing past blurs of white laundry to evade Nolan... but the priest was relentless.

She leaped into a merchant's tent and ran back down to the street. Nolan hesitated at the edge of the rooftop. "She is a slippery imp... My Lord give me strength..." He whispered under his breath as he dove down into the street to continue the pursuit.

The girl looked quickly behind her to see the monstrous priest breathing out puffs of steam just to reach her.

Nolan saw what was ahead and stopped in his tracks. "WAIT! LOOK OUT!"

CLANKCRASH!

The girl slammed into a massive wagon... breaking one of its wheels... causing the horses run free. A horrific creak filled the air as the wagon suddenly fell upon the girl's left leg.
CRACK!

"AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!"
An earshattering scream echoed through the air as the young girl's leg was pinned under the weight of a beer wagon.
The peasant men were quick to assist her... trying their best to lift the ruins of the wagon... but to no avail... it was just too heavy.

Nolan moved past the men and gripped the underside of the wagon... He took one huge breath and lowered his legs. The girl clawed into his robes as she cried tears of pain. "Hold on... Do not fear, child..." The old man took another huge breath and slowly lifted the wagon off the floor. With a smile on his face... the feat of strength looked so easy for the priest. The peasants were looking at the priests with awe, wonder... and fear as he effortlessly lifted a wagon 4 times his size. The peasant men quickly grabbed the girl out, allowing Nolan to drop the wagon.

"I- I can't afford to pay a cleric..." The girl grit her teeth.

"No need... you are safe in our Father's hands..." The old man let out bursts steamy breaths as he placed a hand over the girl's leg. "It's not too damaged... don't worry..." Light emanated from Nolan's hand and healed the girl's leg with holy light. Pretty soon she was able to stand up on her two feet.

The commonfolk started to clap and cheer for the miracle that just happened. "No need to praise me, good people... it is the work of Hann our Father... I am just a servant of his endless grace..." The old man pleaded.

Pretty soon the crowds dispersed as if nothing happened. "What is your name child?" The old man asked the little dark elf.
"W-Why... what do you want from me?" The girl grit her teeth. The old man took out an orange from his sleeve and the your girl flinched. He offered it to her but she shrank her face in a disgusted expression.
"I- I don't want more of that... where did you get such bitter apples?" She asked. The priest sat down next to the petite child so that they can see each other's faces. Comparing the two in size was like comparing an ant to a dragon. He looked a lot bigger that he was standing next to someone so small and frail. The priest focused his hands on peeling the skin of the strange orange fruit. He gave he a wedge.

"Try it now, child..." He smiled a bright smile as the girl took the orange wedge. She hesitated for a minute... but gathered the courage to put it in her mouth. Her eyes opened wide as the sweet juices filled her dry mouth. "It... It's sweet!" She proclaimed.

"Just like life my child. It appears bitter... but when someone guides you through how to enjoy it... you would find that it is very sweet indeed... HAHAHAHA! I made that up just now!" He laughed a hearty laughed before standing up... his shadow covering the young dark elf fully.

"Well... what's your name?" Nolan said as he started walking to the direction of his mule.

The girl found herself following the large man. "A... Aegis..." She muttered as she followed him.

Nolan smiled. "The shield of our God... Nice to meet you Aegis... I am Father Nolan..."

God has gifted her speed and cunning... He can use her skills in his Kingdom... but my fellow clergymen will not accept a dark elf for they are known to worship a pagan spider goddess... Instead I hope that the Adventurer's guild will train her to be a righteous woman. She cannot join me in my path of redemption... that path is mine... and mine alone...

(Im sorry.... long post... sorry sorry!)

 

[Inheritance]

Brom Beararm
​

The fight was fought to a close, much to Brom's disappointment. If he was being honest, he would have enjoyed a little more combat-though this group was clearly adept enough to handle a few fiery dogs. As he put away his weapons, he saw his battle partner...chastising? Was she chastising the magi who brought them here? He raised his eyebrows as he moved closer to the two listening to their conversation. His look of surprised was replaced by a look of skepticism when she suggested they all leave this clearly insane man's council, and while that might have been the right thing to do, that certainly wasn't the most fun thing to do.

"Are you kidding? How could any of you say that?" He boomed, addressing the whole room. "Sure our magic friend here put us in harm's way-but let's be honest: That was fun! How often do you get to team up with amazing fighters such as yourselves, and get to kick the shit out of these beasts without any drawbacks?"

He stepped closer to the archmage, aware of the barrier but still stood as close as he could. "This man just gave us one hell of a time and you are all scolding him? You should be thanking him! I can't have been the only one who had fun here right? Did nobody else enjoy themselves, or at least enjoy watching other amazing fighters work their talents?" He turned to face the mage. "I for one, will follow your lead. If you can promise me fights like that you better believe that I will follow you into hell. I didn't come here to sit around and sip tea, or to knit my panties in a circle. I came here to stretch my talents, and along the way bash some skulls. I hope each and every one of you stick around, because this could be one hell of a time. If any of you people want to walk out on this opportunity, which I hope you don't, then I say good riddance!"

He turned to the succubus that he had fought with. "I am surprised to see you up here! I saw a spirit in you on the battlefield, and you'd shut it away and rock it to sleep when opportunity calls? None of you are going to get a chance like this again, because if you walk out I'm damn sure this man ain't gonna come lookin for you. Now again, where the hell do I sign up?"

Birdsie Epiphany Fable CrimsonEclipse Kylesar1 Noble Scion

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