Fantasy Rifts [IC][Closed]

[joshuadim]

Arnas looked towards Edoardo and gave him a nod, keeping in mind his words with regards to their likely location. If they were lucky, they would simply pass through this region towards their destination of Leskau. It seemed so simply, and yet Arnas found himself staring out towards the fields beyond; the greens contrasted so greatly what he had witnessed, as though the innocence of the world had yet to encounter such man-made horrors. By now the ruined settlement was behind them such that the black smoke was only a distant trail, but the idea of those responsible getting away with it filled Arnas with a silent rage as he squeezed his hands into balled fists. It was rather noticeable that Arnas' feelings came to the forefront as he shifted between moods of rage and melancholy as he continued to ruminate on the events of the past, alternating between grinding his teeth together and wiping tears from his eyes when thinking of the child who never had the chance to live embraced in their mother's grasp.

There also lay the blame he put onto himself... perhaps if they had not been inconvenienced on the road to Merish... if they were faster to travel... then maybe they could have been there to stop such madness from ever having taken place. I can't blame myself. There was no way I could have known. Arnas then rationalized, Our task now is to carry word of such crimes... THEIR crimes. Arnas' anger was once again redirected towards the perpetrators; the so-called retinues of the Merishian Crown who had once sworn to uphold honor, who now threw it away for grain and their own self-satisfaction.

The leather under his gauntlets squeaked as the pressure on them grew as he continued to reminisce about the village, and so deep in though he found himself in that he almost missed the white smoke in the distance. For a moment, Arnas blinked as he made sure he was not imagining things as he looked up. But as it became apparent that this was no trick of the mind, he quickly snapped back to reality as he shifted towards the front of the wagon and tapped Terrence on the shoulder: "Stop. Stop!" he shouted, looking towards the sky above. To the others it quickly became apparent what had occurred, as the wagon came to a full stop. Both Chowder and Abdula let out snorts as their labour came to an end, and began to graze on the small grasses that grew on the road below. The beasts couldn't care less for what was in front of them, but for Arnas he gritted his teeth: "...campfires?" Arnas spoke up as he watched white smoke continue to trail upwards into the clear skies.

Ser Faralt disembarked from the wagon to look upon the sky himself, and let out a gasp: "Perhaps it is *them*?" he asked to the others, looking upon them. "The vile wretches of man who committed such evil!"

"We can't know for certain... but the circumstances are there." Arnas commented, "But-"

Arnas turned to face the burnt knight, only to find him storming off towards the distance in pursuit of his justice. "Shit, Ser! Wait!" the young mercenary called out, but his words fell on deaf ears. "Gods damn it." Arnas muttered before jumping off the cart himself. "He's going to get himself killed. Again." Arnas turned to the others, grimacing before motioning his head: "...we might as well check ahead. And maybe talk some sense into the good Ser before he does something brash."

Beann Breadman Chaos Gallant Oreo Cookie Worthlessplebian Arnalia

 

[Arnalia]

Lucina Lux​

Lucina had not spoken a word. Not when they saw the smoke from the village, the ruins, the blood, the corpses. Not even when they learned of the culprits or found the undead knight. As she put the spirits of the victims to rest with Eduardo reality slowly sank it claws into her mind.
When she left the wars had just begun. There was fights. And violence was not absent. But the citizens, her temple, she, still clung to the flicker of hope that this would all soon stop. That the rebels and the crown would see reason. Surely they would not be blind to how foolish it were to attack their own ? And yet, here they were.
It is in pain and tears flowing that Lucina came to accept it. Merish was in a civil war.

Lucina mind escaped to better time. When brother Jo taught her how to use her first spell. How sister Frida always made a pie to celebrate one of the children birthday. Or how even the stern brother Kal would prove to be a patient teacher when she didn't understand something. Lucina remember how stressed she was the first time it was her turn to teach the younger children. And how proud she proved to be as each of her pupils and siblings in all but blood strived. Her chest grew tight. Dread now ran through her. Were they all right ? Was the temple still standing ? Oh by Alandra she should have stay. She should have been here to defend them. To guide the young and alleviate the burden of the ancients. How stupid of her to go on a wild goose chase while her family was dying !

Lucina covered her face as her breathing grew ragged. Deep breath. She needed to breath. She silently whispered the prayer of hope to Alandra. Begging her goddess to watch over her servants and Merish. Hope. She needed to hope. Whenever mankind lost their way, their morality, their humanity. Only hope could bring them back. Hope for peace, love, prosperity.
And right now for the priestess. Retribution.
Ragul the Just and Alandra the maiden were to be witness.
Lucina shall ensure that whoever did this slaughter would not find peace.

--------

As the horses abruptly stopped, Lucina snapped back to reality just in time to hear Arnas. She jumped out of the cart and turned toward her companions. "Let's be quick ! I will cover you." Not waiting for a response she followed Arnas and the knight.

Beann Breadman Chaos Gallant Oreo Cookie Worthlessplebian
joshuadim

 

[Worthlessplebian]

Edoardo Vargas Melcher​

The towering Sobekon laid instead low in the caravan he found himself in, short snout aimed to the ground. The grizzly sight from the village weighed. At times, he lifted his eyes to see the black smoke rise. It was getting smaller and smaller, but the tragedy couldn't seem to stay there. Indeed, a silent spectre stalked their steps. It reached into the priest's reptilian heart and took. Took so much. A lacuna of bottomless sorrow. He white-knuckled through it, at least as much that he doesn't feel rage. Let all the torment, melancholy, and ache into his soul, but not anger. Never anger. His keratin-plated tail wrapped his sitting form, fingers lock together in prayer. A final prayer for the people of this village. And a prayer for the good Ser now damned to unlife.

His mentors in the church taught him not to let his mind wander after prayer, nothing in the scripture forbid it but ecclesiastical habit. A soft hiss from the scabbard's leather throat told the occupants that he drew his khopesh. The clawed, saurian digits drew a curvy line. A warrior, a man, like Arnas was grieved, his mind wanders. Likely he sought answers for the world's cruelty, more possible is that he foolishly wished penance for their tardiness. Edoardo arrived at the same conclusion one to two furlongs ago. Although his observation was tempered by reason. Had they arrived on time, they would've only blunted the catastrophe, not stopped it at best and worse, they would've lost their lives. Or so Edoardo believes.

Suddenly Arnas' pleas snapped whatever specualtive mindset Edoardo found himself in. Walked in a crouching gait to see what all the hullabaloo was about, only for his reddish-orange eyes to understand before him. They were covered by the protective membrane. "Gods..." The deep, graveled voice engendered by surprise was low. Ser Faralt had that look about him, the look of a man who just saw the bastard who whacked his child to the ground. The knight's next course of action was dreadfully obvious.

Arnas and Lucina were the first to react, followed by Edoardo as he leaped off the caravan. "Yes, yes," billowed the croc. "We'll move with haste."

Arnalia Beann Breadman Chaos Gallant Oreo Cookie joshuadim

 

[Oreo Cookie]

Vera rested her chin on a gauntleted hand, her eyes on the receding plumes of black smoke that the wagon rolled away from. The destruction of the village and its inhabitants was a tragedy, yet she couldn't help but feel a growing sense of detachment to it all. While the sights she had seen were grisly, it was just another instance of extraneous violence to her, and such events did not tug at her heart in any significant way. After all, sometimes the innocent perished, sometimes the monsters went unpunished, and sometimes good people died trying to do what was right. Or only halfway died apparently. She thought, flicking her eyes to Ser Faralt. Vera wasn't entirely sure how she felt about the undead knight staying in their midst, but since the others were comfortable with his presence, she in turn would tolerate him and his... unusual affliction.

Arnas' shouts combined with the wagon's abrupt stop shook Vera out of her musings, and she cast her gaze at the newfound source of their attention, columns of white smoke. The knightess' mouth quirked downward in a slight frown while she observed the smoke, her mind calculating the potential risks and rewards of investigating. Helping an undead knight pursue justice was not in the job description for their mission, and she was prepared to voice that when the members of the group left the wagon one by one. With a resigned sigh, she got up from her relaxed position and hopped out the wagon.

Vera jogged after the others, holding the hilt of her sword in one hand. "Let's try to be discreet about this, eh?" She called out. "Vile wretches or not, folks might get the wrong idea if they see a band of armed travelers strollin' up outta the blue."

 

[Chaos Gallant]

Terrence pulled on the reins, bringing the steeds to a sudden stop along with the cart. “Hm?” His mind had returned to thoughts of securing his family's trade routes and home when Arnas’ called the group’s attention to the sky. ‘Oh dear.’ “It certainly seems that way, but-” Terrence didn’t have the chance to finish his sentence before Ser Faralt spoke up.

“While it’s not out of the question that it could be them, maybe we should think about this before-” Arnas seemed to think the same as he, but neither could finish their lines of thinking before the undead knight was on the move.

“Out of the frying pan and into the fire, huh?” Terrence thought out loud as he watched Ser Faralt waltz off into likely impending danger. Or perhaps it wasn’t danger for him, he had after all lost his life once, was it even possible for him to lose it again?

Aelestra blinked slowly as she watched the undead knight take off towards the smoke, quickly followed by Arnas and Lucina, and even Edoardo as well. She glanced over at Terrence, shrugging at the current situation. 'What could go wrong?' she signed to him, a glint of sarcasm in her eyes.

“Hmph, with our track record I think it is more apt to ask, ‘What could not go wrong.’ I suppose we should be following after them.” Terrence said aloud. With most of the party already disembarked, he gathered his ax, wishing he had time to hide the wagon away. He looked back to Aelestra to sign, ‘If I was not wiser, I would have thought we were some heroic band of justice-seekers out of a story book. You would think after seeing the gates of hell open and the dead rise, they would be more hesitant to run head first into danger.’

Aelestra snorted in amusement and shook her head in agreement. It was rather careless to run head first into potential danger but it couldn't be helped now. She was expected to aid those that needed it and with how the undead knight charged in, he was certainly going to need it. Aelestra gestured Terrence to follow with a tilt of her chin upwards before turning to take off in a brisk jog to catch up with the rest of the group.

 

[joshuadim]

As the group quickly followed the undying knight, they saw that his pace continued to increase in every step as the smoke in the distance grew closer. Arnas was first to reach Ser Faralt with a brisk jog as he grabbed him by his shoulderplate. "Ser, wait-" he began to say, but was quickly shrugged off by a grunt of annoyance from the burnt knight. His single-minded task was vengeance, even if it meant it would send him to the afterlife for real this time. But Arnas grew angrier at the man's lack of foresight: "Gods damn you, wait!" Arnas then spoke, getting in front of Ser Faralt to the knight's anger.

"Get out of my way-"

"Think this through for one second. If you charge in there by yourself, what good will you be dead to those that need justice?" Arnas then asked. From under his helm, Faralt stared with lidless eyes at Arnas with a deafening silence. Arnas rolled his eyes and shook his head: "Alright, let me put it this way. Can we at least make *sure* that its the same people and not some random passersby that you accidentally chop up?"

A tense moment passed between the two as Faralt continued to stare down the young mercenary, but he relented as he sheathed his blade and sighed. "Fine... what do you propose?"

Arnas looked over towards the near distance, and pointed: "The road descends a bit, meaning we'll be at an incline. The grasses are tall enough that we can cover our movement and observe from a distance." the young man proposed, giving Faralt a look of confidence. "Can you manage that?"

Faralt looked to where Arnas had motioned towards for a moment and gave a nod, the metal of his helmet creaking from the momentum. "Aye."

"Alright, then that is what we will do." Arnas said, before looking over to the others and motioned for them to follow. Rather than follow the road, they ventured onto the grasses of the nearby fields. Long green stalks reached up to their waists and chests as the insects buzzed and the sun shone brightly above them. The clearest indicator of the way was the smoke above them that grew ever closer as they walked. The crunch of the ground beneath them sounded as everyone stayed quiet as to not alert anyone to their presence, or rather as quiet as they could.

Arnas watched the white plumes grow thicker with abated breath, until he stilled and motioned for everyone to stop as he heard distant voices. Laughing, talking, and seemingly celebrating. Some joviality was taking place as Arnas crouched, with the others following their lead as to mask themselves into the grass entirely. It was but a few moments later that they came across the start of a ridgeline that permitted a decent look further down and saw pitched tents and warm campfires burning as men walked about or relaxed. Sabatons and hargreaves, as Ser Faralt had described earlier, but the biggest indicator of their status was the banners they had planted next to the entrance of their campsite.

In total, it was close to what Ser Faralt had predicted in their numbers, about nineteen in total, and the burnt knight's breathing grew more errant and angry as he watched, the metal of his armor giving off soft creaks as he shifted slightly in place. "It's them." he practically hissed out, "Their commander, over by the tents there... he was the one to strike first."

Arnas observed where Faralt had mentioned, and saw a well armored man with equipment that surpassed his peers go about inspecting some swords. "How many times have I told you to clean your blade? Blood ruins the metal after a time." he barked at a nearby footman, "We can't fight for shit without a good arsenal."

"Camping so close to the road... the gall! The arrogance on these mongrels!" Faralt whispered, before trying to stand. However, Arnas quickly shoved him back down into cover before their position was revealed and glared at the knight. "Wait. We should at least come up with a plan." the young mercenary whispered. "We do have to get rid of them, since they are camped on the road. I doubt they will allow us to pass unharassed... any ideas?" Arnas then asked quietly to everyone else.

Arnalia Beann Breadman Chaos Gallant Oreo Cookie Worthlessplebian

 

[Breadman]

"When hunting packs of monsters, we usually would either set up a trap or lure the strays to cull their numbers." Fraskia knelled down next to Arnas and their ill-fated knight. "Waiting for nightfall would be hazardous if we don't know their planned movement." She moved her gaze from the camp to Arnas "Fire runes would make for a good distraction and maybe more if the wind is favorable."

 

[Chaos Gallant]

Terrence followed after Aelestra, satisfied, or at least the most he could be, with the cart’s current state. He knelt down alongside the rest of the party as they observed the soldiers in their camp. He waited to speak, listening intently to Fraskia’s plan when a thought crossed his mind. It caused his brow to furrow, thinking on it a bit longer before he decided to share.

“I do not want to be a stick in the mud on our road to justice, but is it possible the soldiers were unjustified in their actions? I realize that to Ser Faralt they seemed an innocent village wrongfully slaughtered, but there have been tales of whole communities dedicated to demonic cults and the sort. The odds that the dead rise shortly after a brutal massacre, but only a stranger among them rises is quite odd. You cannot deny this, even if it is believable after seeing what these rifts are capable of.” He let out a sigh and caught his breath, “Ser Faralt I do not believe you have led us astray. Perhaps I am only hesitant to begin slaying officials from a foreign land on the premise that they have no just cause of their own. I am aware times have been turbulent as of late in Merish and men have been known to horrific things under the guise of honorable warfare… I am not going to try and impede any plan we move forward with.” Terrence looked towards Lucina, “Sister, you are merishian are you not? I would hold your word highest in this decision, these are your people and your lands.”

 

[Beann]

Squatting down with the rest of the group, Aelestra listened quietly to the ideas being thrown around on how to deal with the troops ahead. She didn’t have a particular idea of her own but hearing Terrence’s input made her rethink the party’s actions. It was a farfetched justification, and perhaps her friend was grasping at straws at this point, but there was that constant ‘what if’ in the back of her head. What if he was right? What if the entire village was part of a cult and the undead knight was a result of being slain on their grounds. Aelestra wasn’t one to really overthink things but they currently were plotting to take out more than a dozen men.

She looked back and forth between the members of their group and shrugged helplessly. Her eyes flickered over to Lucina, signing a suggestion: ‘Maybe we can follow Fraskia’s idea and lure a few out. While the rest hide, we can introduce ourselves as sisters of the church and see how they react.’

Arnalia

 

[Arnalia]

Lucina Lux​

Lucina silently stared at the army banner for a long time. Too stunned to chime in her comrades plan or think about squatting down. This could not be possible. Of all the thing Lucina expected this was among the worst beside this whole stupid war. As Laurence inquiry reached her ears and she noticed Aelestra. Lucina gaze bore through her companions. "This is the merishian royal army," she muttered, each of the words piercing her heart.

Laying down near everyone the priestess sat there for what felt like forever. Her silence hanging tense in the air. Closing her eyes and lowering her head, Lucina said.
"This is King Lameril army. Not the one of Prince Verus," she spat the Prince name with venom. Opening her eyes again Lucina slowly looked at her companions one by one. "King Lameril is a good ruler." She frowned and shook her head. "Of course some didn't like how harsh he was with enforcing the laws." Lucina let out a mirthless laugh. "But before the war, if you had ask any person in Merish that wasn't a noble if they preferred to be under the rule of Lameril or Verus. They would tell you that they'd rather jump of a cliff, then have someone who held a banquet when a whole city was starving to death be their sovereign. That person is Prince Verus." The corner of the priestess mouth lifted up in disdain. "He is a staunch conservative. So when King Lameril started to reform the kingdom to improve the life of the common people, he and many nobles were enraged," she scoffed and crossed her arms, "at least the one that like when they can exploit what they see as their "property" and treat them like animals without impunity," she said voice laced with a quiet anger.

Lucina let out a long sigh. "We are not suppose to take side," she let out. "I mean- Alandran priests stay neutral in conflicts if they can. So we are able to help as many people as possible without being harassed or killed." She bite her lips. "At least that's what we are "supposed" to do." Lucina looked away for a moment. "None of us- Well, my temple at least. But I expect many others. Didn't think the war would turn out this.....barbarous," she took a breath, "we believed that at least the army would only fight between themselves and leave civilians alone," she raised her hands up, "Don't misunderstanding me, both the royal and the rebels were equally brutal with forcing villages to give them their grain. But...not like this..."

The priestess put a hand on her forehead. "I left when the war had just started. And clearly I see that we were all wrong." She shook her head. "I don't need to know more to be sure that my order must be torn apart on what to do now that our worst fear have come through." Lucina briefly glanced at the royal army camp. "I want nothing more then to ask them why and hope." She looked at the others again and hesitated. "I- I'm not sure I can be of much help with this," she whispered, voice cracking at the end.


Beann Breadman Chaos Gallant Oreo Cookie Worthlessplebian
joshuadim

 

[Worthlessplebian]

Edoardo Vargas Melcher​

The large Sobekon knelt down and simply stared at the encampment. The banner they flew meant little, but he recognized the significance in his fellows' eyes. The resemblance of a predatory animal became all the more apparent as the pupil slits honed onto the enemy. He listened, of course. Listened to the chatter of what they should do, listened to their qualms too. His hip muscles twisted the long, propulsive tail to whip the ground. They were talking too loudly.

The Priestess' explanation of the political, hierarchical window dressing gave a unique context to the soldiers' deeds. However unique posed no depth to solving their conundrum. In fact, the brutish crocodile actually acted his appearance, seeming quite uninterested by the entire thing. "Obviously, this is a difficult venture, whether moralistically or tactically. I recommend that we swallow the reservations for now, and focus on the task ahead." The short-snouted priest whispered with a venomous edge to his words. "If these soldiers are of Lord Lameril , then it's unlikely they'll simply fall for the lure. A better idea," He said with his clawed index pointed to the ground then he circled in the air. "Encircle the enemy, attack from all sides. With good fortune, they'll be disoriented." Edoardo proposed to his comrades, it seems like a good idea. Several would attack from the tall grasses, while the rest approach from the road.

"They might also be freshly tired, like ambulatory sacks of blood." A mite grim from the priest, but that might be the inherent aggressiveness of his subspecies appearing.

Beann Arnalia joshuadim Chaos Gallant Oreo Cookie Breadman

 

[joshuadim]

Arnas listened as the rest of the group discussed potential courses of action, with the young mercenary judging the merits and costs of each suggestion in his mind. He wasn't by any means a tactical expert, nor trained in any military school of thought, but he could at least have a voice of his own on the matter. He first started with Fraskia, who seemed to suggest that using the chaos of fire to their advantage from one of her runes. "It could work... though things could get out of hand fast if the fire spreads." Arnas commented to the rune-knight,"Unless, you mean to sneak up and set fire to their tents rather than the grasses?"

Terrence went ahead and translated to the rest of the group what Aelestra had suggested when she signalled to Lucina, but Arnas was immediately skeptical. And his concerns only compounded once Lucina delivered an apt lesson in the politics of Merish. "...they slaughtered a whole village. Men, women and children without care." Arnas spoke through gritted teeth, the thoughts still fresh in his mind as anger took hold again, "Why wouldn't they add two more women to their bodycount? I am against this course of action. We're going to need everyone to get where the Guardian asked us to go."

It was only part of his reasoning as to why he opposed the idea of using both ladies as a distraction. He looked over to Aelestra for a moment with concern before shaking his head and sighing. Then came Edoardo, who proposed an attack from all sides. Initially, Arnas was skeptical as they didn't have the numbers to fully encircle the camp while also being within range to aid one another. But that gave him an idea: "What about... we use fire as a way to block off and disorient them, then attack on two fronts?" Arnas suggested as he pointed a finger to the dirt beneath them and began to drag it across the soil to paint a rudimentary picture of their battlefield.

"We set their tents aflame... that blocks one way from being easy to take. And then, using our current ridgeline, we assault in a prong?" Arnas looked up expectedly to the others to measure and take their thoughts on the plan as well. He figured merging the two best parts of separate plans would make for one good plan, after all.

Arnalia Beann Breadman Chaos Gallant Oreo Cookie Worthlessplebian

 

[Oreo Cookie]

Vera hunkered down alongside the rest of the group and peered at the encamped army through the underbrush. She opted to remain silent, her expression purposely impassive as the group offered suggestions on how to best proceed. The unwitting soldiers she watched were not her countrymen. Even if they were, she doubted there would be that faint sense of comradery in her. She did not feel a sense of malice towards them either like the burnt knight. She just felt neutral towards them. The soldiers were an obstacle in her eyes, and perhaps that's why she found herself nodding in agreement with 'strike first, ask questions later' suggestions offered by the rune knight and the Sobekon.

Vera turned her attention to the dirt diagram that Arnas had drawn. "It's not the worst plan." She assented brusquely. "If we're quick about it and take out their leader too, the rest might not be able to mount a solid counteroffensive."

 

[Worthlessplebian]

Edoardo Vargas Melcher​

Edoardo inspected the dirt-etched strategy by Arnas. A simple nod of his head assented to the plan. He poked one claw into the dirt then draw an E on the side from which he'll attack. He looked to be smiling. It was hard. To simply not enjoy this plot. Hard because he had been a religious, stoic Sobekon. Short-snouts such as him were born and bred soldiers. Fighting is in his blood as much as periphrastic argumentation in long-snouts. An instinctual itch that not even the most fervent dogma or strict discipline could beat out of him. Though he has not yet mastered himself entirely, Edoardo knows when to tighten the binds and when to loose them.

"Yes, the demoralizing effect of losing a leader is not to be understated." He commented in agreement with Vera.

 

[Breadman]

"Grass looks dry enough" Fraskia looked towards the enemy camp again. "I might be able to set off a bigger fire with a bit of luck." The plan was good enough for her. They had their targets and Vera brought up a good point. "Aye, lets kill the fancy one first."

 

[joshuadim]

Arnas gave a nod as he heard the others' opinions: "Alright then. That's settled." he spoke before turning to Ser Faralt, who had observed passively up until now and refrained from making any remarks. "And Ser? What do you think?" Arnas asked of the burnt knight, hoping to obtain an explicit form of approval from the undying. He was quiet for a moment as he ruminated on the details before sighing.

"Very well. I agree to this course of action."

Arnas gave a nod and moved away with a few others to prepare a semi-encirclement of the campground. Fraskia in the meantime had the task of starting the flames upon their tents, using the cover of tall grasses and shrubbery to path her way over. As she stalked closer to her objective, she could smell the food that the soldiers had requisitioned in all its bounty. Meats, grains, vegetables, and even an open ale keg that had been the subject of use by the Merishians. They had been feasting away as if they had not seen the sight of food in days, or even weeks, given how much of a mess they left behind with their platters.

And thankfully, because of their preoccupation on relaxation and eating, Fraskia had no trouble coming up on the pitched tents as she got to work using her fire rune. The embers latched on to the canvas and began to flicker before flames sprouted and smoke began to rise. The fire began to spread quickly, as Fraskia then moved on to the next tent, and the one after, until there was enough flammable material ablaze that she need not worry anymore on that end. As she retreated to the grasses nearby, the yells became apparent from the camp as the soldiers caught wind of the fire and began to panic.

"Shit! Get the food out, quick!" one yelled, with a few rushing over to their precious reserves. "Fire! Fire!"

"Gods damnit," their commander yelled out with anger, "Get this fire under control, NOW!"

But they would not have a chance as the situation turned for the worst for the Merishians as Arnas, Faralt, and the others charged out of the grasses in their planned manuever. "TO ARMS! WE ARE UNDER ATTACK!" their leader yelled once more, which sent his soldiers scrambling and panicking for their weapons. The man himself drew his blade, with it suddenly taking on an fiery appearance to indicate that this was no ordinary soldier or commander: he was a mage knight.

But Arnas didn't care as he tunnel visioned his was over to the commander, sliding under one of the underlings' swings before twirling about and clashing his steel with that of the Merishian commanders, which sent sparks and embers flying about around them from the impact. "You dare challenge me!? I'll have your head, boy!" the commander roared out as he pushed Arnas back with a shoulder shove, leaving a fair distance between the two of them. A fiery aura took over the Captain that encircled his form, forming what seemed to be a second layer of armor atop his normal protection.

ROYAL ARMY OF MERISH DETACHMENT
10 Merishian Footmen (10 HP each)
6 Merishian Archers (8 HP Each)
[One Archer and Footman have fled!]

Captain Hansur vas Kopperhallen
20 HP
Battle Trait: Fire Blade - Deals additional damage over time against enemies Hansur hits.
Battle Trait: Fire shield - Blocks 10 total damage received before expiring.

Special Debuffs
Ambushed! - All enemies, except for Hansur, have a chance to panic and flee whenever one of their allies fall.
​

---

Arnas was quickly joined by Faralt to face off against the Captain with his blade in hand as he growled. "Remember me, foul cretin!?" the burnt knight yelled from under his helmet, "Death may not have yet taken me, but you will greet it on this day!" And with that, Faralt charged at the Captain with Arnas joining soon thereafter as the air filled with burning smoke and chaos engulfed the campsite with the sounds of yelling and fighting.

Arnalia Beann Breadman Chaos Gallant Oreo Cookie Worthlessplebian

 

[Beann]

Through her travels, the monk had heard bits and pieces of the political upset in Merish but the importance of it fell through in her eyes. Aelestra did not care for what side they would technically be supporting if they were to attack, she only cared about if their attack would be justified. If these troops were at fault for the destruction of a village without a valid reason. Terrence had brought up a good speculation of cult involvement but it would seem Arnas was past that and wanted to deliver justice blindly. She stared at him with a neutral expression, blinking without an idea as to why he would be against using her and the priestess as a distraction. It’s not like they were completely defensiveness.

In any case, they decided on a different course of action: setting fire to the tents and using that as a distraction to flank them. Aelestra shrugged in response, not really hurting over which plan was better so long as they were all on the same page. Once Fraskia split from the group in preparation for the fire, the monk gestured to her merchant friend to follow as Arnas took the lead in getting them in position. Within the tall grass, she watched the unsuspecting troops, wondering if this truly was a good idea.

It didn’t matter anymore as the fire that Fraskia started quickly gathered the attention of everyone in the vicinity. Taking advantage of the distraction, Aelestra rushed forward from the tall grass, her emotionless gaze locked on a man reaching for his bow. Halting directly in front of him, she used the forward momentum to attempt to strike his throat with an open palm.

 

[Worthlessplebian]

Edoardo Vargas Melcher​

In the time since his departure, the priest has met a variety of folk from the lands, spoken with them, feasted with them, and aided them if they so allowed and wondered how they were doing. As Edoardo stalked through the tall grass, an allusion appeared to his kind's water-shrouded ambuscade. The blades of greenery tickled his hardened hide. Apricot-hued eyes and stocky, rounded nose bobbed atop the green. The campsite growing closer and closer before Edoardo submerged further into the vegetation and dirt. Vestment-adorned stomach almost dragged through nature's bedding.

Then he stopped. As if time froze for the warrior-priest, he laid there so immobile that the disturbed insects were beginning resettle into their natural routines, climbing over, around, and under the crocodilian. His tail swayed lightly, instinct-driven while five-fingered claws punched holes in the earth propping up the massive form into a striking position. The signal, Fraskia's tent scorching, released Edoardo from his ambush-point.

He charged from the grasses with a certain animalistic vigor. Eyes turned to slits the sharpness of blades. Jaws popped wide and chords reverberating a terrible, terrible roar. The sound resembling a raging inferno than anything living. Khopesh drawn and ready, instead he chooses to sic the maw on an unsuspecting archer!

 

[Chaos Gallant]

With the group having made their decision, Terrence took his ax in hand, waiting for Fraskia to set her plan in motion. The ensuing scene was chaos, the soldiers running about trying to take up arms and set out fires.

Terrence charged in after Edoardo and Aelestra, setting his sights on one of the footmen. He readied his attack, pulling his arms to his left side like a batter. Reaching the soldier, he let his blow swing towards the enemy with all of his momentum in an attempt to knock the weapon from his hands.

 

[Breadman]

Fraskia observed the chaos she started. The men were in a panic as the flames started to spread and engulf the tents. The rune knight maneuvered from outside the camp and noticed a chance to cause further disarray. She moved her fingers again to invoke another rune and she cast a gust of wind to go through one of the fires and to carry the flames towards the soldiers.

 

[Arnalia]

Lucina Lux​

Her face twisted at the sight of the battle. A mixture of pain, reluctance, but also grim determination fueling Lucina to go on. "Alandra guide our hand to end this quickly," she muttered and joined her companions.

Panicked as her countrymen were she was sure there was a way to convince some to back off. Deep down a tiny part of her scoffed at trying to save men that ransacked a village and slaughtered innocent and children. She dashed this thought away as quickly as she could. Preserving life and stopping blood from being spilt was the reason she joined Alandra, those were the values that made her who she was. And who she hoped she would continue to be. Life was to be saved whenever possible.

So trusting her comrades she stayed a bit behind to avoid the worst of the fight. Still close enough to heal them if need be.
Not eager to hurt anyone Lucina casted the new spell she had been practicing on Arnas. Hoping to aid him in his fight against the mage knight.

 

[Oreo Cookie]

Vera pulled her visor down, clicking it into place as the fiery mayhem unfurled before them. While the men screamed and panicked, she took a steadying breath, allowing a battle calm to wash over her before blood was shed. With sword in hand, she followed the others and charged into battle. Her target was one of the footmen, and her sword swung in an upward arc as she met the soldier in combat.

 

[joshuadim]

Battle of the King's Trail - Turn 1


​

---

ALLY ROLLS
Lucina – Uses Divine Protection on Arnas; 3 damage shield placed.
Arnas – 2; Miss.
Faralt – 4; Miss.
Aelestra – 9; Aelestra deals 4 damage to Merishian Archer #1. Merishian Archer #1 HP = 4.
Edoardo – 9; Edoardo deals 4 damage to Merishian Archer #2. Merishian Archer #2 HP = 4.
Terrence - 10; Crit roll 1d6 = 6. Terrence deals (4+6) 10 damage to Merishian Footman #1. Merishian Footman #1 is dead!
Fraskia uses a Wind Rune to spread flames onto the Merishian Footmen. 1d4 = 3. Merishian Footmen 5, 6, and 7 are hit by gusted embers! 2 damage each; 2 damage next turn. Merishian Footman #5 HP = 8. Merishian Footman #6 HP = 8. Merishian Footman #7 HP = 8.
Vera – 10; Crit! 1d6 = 6. Vera deals (4+6) 10 damage to Merishian Footman #10. Merishian Footman #10 is dead!

Panic Roll #1: 1d6 = 5; Merishian Footman #3 has fled!
Panic Roll #2: 1d6 = 2; No effect.

ENEMY ROLLS
Captain Hansur – 6; Hit. Arnas takes reduced damage from Lucina’s shield! 2 damage; Fire Blade scorches Arnas! Arnas takes an additional 4 damage for the next turn. Arnas HP = 24.
Merishian Footman #2 – 9; Vera takes 3 damage. Vera HP = 27.
Merishian Footman #4 – 3; Misses Edoardo.
Merishian Footman #5 – 3; Misses Terrence.
Merishian Footman #6 – 10; Crit roll 1d6 = 2. Terrence takes (3+2) 5 damage. Terrence HP = 25.
Merishian Footman #7 – 8; Fraskia takes 3 damage. Fraskia HP = 27.
Merishian Footman #8 – 8; Edoardo takes 1 [Hardened Hide] damage. Edoardo HP = 29.
Merishian Footman #9 – 7; Edoardo takes 1 [Hardened Hide] damage. Edoardo HP = 28.
Merishian Archer #1 – 4 [5-1; Monk Evasion]; Misses Aelestra.
Merishian Archer #2 – 3; Misses Edoardo.
Merishian Archer #3 – 10; Crit roll 1d6 = 5. Edoardo takes (4+5-2 [Hardened Hide]) 7 damage. Edoardo HP = 21.
Merishian Archer #4 – 5; Misses Terrence.
Merishian Archer #5 – 7; Ser Faralt takes 4 damage. Ser Faralt HP = 26.
Merishian Archer #6 – 10; Crit roll 1d6 = 3. Ser Faralt takes (4+3) 7 damage. Ser Faralt HP = 19.
Merishian Archer #7 – 9; Vera takes 4 damage. Vera HP = 23.
Merishian Archer #8 – 3 [4-1; Monk Evasion]; Misses Aelestra.
​

---

Arnas and Faralt both charged at the Captain, swinging their blades with their strength; their collective steel arced through the backdrop of continued smoke and fire, but were parried by the Captain bringing his blade up and struggling for a moment against their weights. However he quickly tilted and shoved both their weapon trajectories aside before swinging straight at Arnas. The young mercenary had been left completely exposed, however Lucina's protection spell came in time to take the brunt of what would have been a devastating hit as Arnas stumbled backwards and hit the ground. He could feel a burning pain at his side and, when he glanced, saw that there was a small inkling of burning flames that had been left from the impact. As he tried to get back up, he realized that two of the archers had aimed straight at him. "Look out!" Ser Faralt shouted as he jumped in between Arnas and the two arrows that were meant for him. In return for such a move of self-sacrifice, Faralt was hit in both the leg and the shoulder. The burnt knight dropped to one knee as he struggled to pull out the arrow from his leg that now left him temporarily crippled.

Aelestra nimbly approached one of the archers and, before he could even draw an arrow for his bow, was struck straight in the neck from the monk's palm. Although a powerful strike, she hadn't managed to crush his windpipe as he choked and gasped for air while stumbling back. There was retaliation from his comrades as two archers nearby loosed arrows at close range, but Aelestra was quick about it; she deftly scrambled across the ground, keeping her pose lower as to reduce her presence, and felt the arrows whoosh past her and hit the ground behind her.

Terrence had also charged, marking one of the footmen as his target. Using his axe he struck at the man hard enough to carve into not just his side but all the way into his interior, leaving his innards to spill out as he gurgled out momentarily before collapsing. Such was the brutality of the strike that one of his compatriots nearby looked at Terrence before turning about and fleeing in terror. But some of the others shouted in anger as they attacked Terrence to avenge their fallen member. One of the footmen sliced at Terrence's back, carving a deep gash into his flesh while the an archer fired an arrow. However, Terrence managed to scramble out of the way in time to avoid the projectile from thudding into him.

Vera also had great luck in dispatching one of the enemies, as she charged with her blade and impaled her target cleanly through. He shouted in pain as he gripped onto Vera's arm desperately, only to collapse once she kicked him off her steel to die below. Unlike with Terrence however, this only steeled the resolve of his comrades as two of them attacked Vera with rage. An arrow thudded in between the plating of her shoulderplate and breastplate with an accurately placed shot, while another footman hit his mace straight at Vera's side. While her armor took most of the impact, the rattling of her innards was still painful as a result.

Fraskia utilized the encroaching fires to her advantage, as she called upon one of her wind runes and cast a favourable wind to blast the fires of the tents towards several of the enemies. Three of them were blasted with embers that burnt and singed at their flesh, causing them to panic for a moment as they tried to pat themselves off and put the flames off. But one took the initaitve to charge at the rune-knight as he shouted out and swung his mace at her. Like with Vera, Fraskia's armor took the brunt of the damage on her arm, but the pain surged from the impact regardless.

Edoardo's attack with his natural weaponry of teeth worked to great effect as he chomped into one of the archer's shoulders, digging deep into the man's flesh as he yelled out in pain and fear. He pulled out a small dagger and tried to hit at the Sobekan, but failed to even pierce his hide which only furthered his struggle. However, his allies would come to his rescue as two footmen charged at Edoardo to free their ally. While their weapons only scratched the surface of his scaling, one of the other archers nearby had, by luck, fired an arrow towards one of his less thicker regions and thus pierced into him. This was enough to get Edoardo to release his jaw's grasp on his target, which led to the archer scrambling away to make more distance.

Lucina had managed to avoid the fighting unscathed thus far, as many of the soldiers here had either not noticed her presence, or were shocked to see a Priestess of Alandra fighting against them. One of the footmen advanced towards Lucina, but not with malicious intent as he looked with both confusion and despair: "W-why? Why have you turned against us?" He was a young man, with a haggard face and dark eyes that betrayed a tiredness beyond his years.

Arnas in the meantime had gotten back up to his feet and helped Faralt up as well, just as the Undying knight had pulled out the arrow from his knee. No words needed be exchanged as they both prepared to attack the Captain once more, but he had other words: "You..." he pointed to Ser Faralt, "You... you died. I saw you die."

"Perhaps you should've made sure!" the burnt knight spat, not allowing the captain to speak further as he charged again with Arnas following close behind.

Arnalia Beann Breadman Chaos Gallant Oreo Cookie Worthlessplebian

 

[Breadman]

The rune knight was struck, so she would return the favor. She spat out a curse and swung her blade towards the mace wielder.

 

[Worthlessplebian]

Edoardo Vargas Melcher​

As jagged teeth sank into warm flesh, the Priest trapped the archer's shoulder. His comrades tried so valiantly to save him, but the armoured skin resisted their efforts. Until a low arrow was let loose and struck true. Side skewered straight through with a pointed arrow, a howl of pain as jaws unclench from shoulder.

Immediately, the Priest snapped off the arrow shaft and swung his khopesh in arching motion at the soldiers closest.