Union of the Six

[shadowz1995]

This is the world of Linhael. (Lin-Hi-eel) A world permeated with the forces of magic. Since the start of known history, many millenias ago, there existed five powers in the world. The power of fire, water, lightning, light, and earth. These powers existed in a state of balance with one another. A state of natural peace.

Eventually, these powers were able to be used and harnessed by the beings that walked the world's surface. Many gained extraordinary abilities and powers that made life both easier and more entertaining for everyone. This stayed true until 5 primeval, ancient bloodlines that seemed to be blessed by the very creators themselves harnessed the true power of these magical elements that dominated the planet. It was only these five families that could wield the power to such Godlike standards. These families went on to create nations centered around the power they harnessed from the world. Kingdoms were built and all things seemed well for a time. Until power began to thirst for power...

Centuries passed and these kingdoms have been through times of war and tentative alliances among themselves time and time again. One kingdom could not completely destroy the other no matter how hard they pushed. They were all equal in strength and ironically, continued to preserve the balance of the world.



After some time, the nations became complacent. Wars raged back and forth but it was only in name. No real battles were ever held.

It was only when another kingdom rose from the depths of the world that this equilibrium was shattered and the planet was hurtled in a battle royal styled war that was longer and bloodier than any war the world had ever seen. This war lasted 100 years and the sheer destruction of the final battle was enough to scar the planet permanently

The World Scar

(Closest thing I could find to what I had in mind)


All of the rulers clashed in one gargantuan battle and as their wills and godlike powers raged against each other, the world had cracked. A large chasm opened in the center of the battlefield which painted the sky crimson red and turned the clouds as black as night. Life could no longer grow there and thus is was called "The World Scar". It served as a permanent reminder of what should happen if these rulers were to try and disrupt the balance.

A forceful ceasefire was made, though assaults and raids were still sent out of spite.

The world had enjoyed roughly 1 decade of tentative peace before history began to repeat itself.

The suspicion among the nations has been boiling and tensions have never been higher. There has been talk of a war that will completely end the planet. The populace is alight with talk of Armageddon and should this next war take place, it could very well decide the supreme power of the planet.

The kingdoms went through their preparations for the growing threat of their nations. On the surface, all looked calm. They would still hold their balls, have their festivals, go on hunting parties, and trade happily. It was behind the scenes that soldiers were being outfitted with the best gear their kingdom had to offer, deals were being made, and secrets were being shared. It was on the tongues of every citizen and in the vibrations of the air. War was coming. The war to end everything. Everyone knew it. It was only a matter time.


OOC: Union of the Six OOC

CS: Union of the Six CS

Extras: Union of the Six Lore pages

IC: Union of the Six​

 

[shadowz1995]

Deshwitat L. Rubdich

The sky was bleeding...

The once pure blue skies were now stained red with the blood of the fallen. The clouds were as black as night and the very air was heavy with death. It was like the life itself was being drained from the land to the...... ungodly chasm just a few meters away. It was like everything good and pure in the world was meaningless in the face of that abysmal atrocity.

So many were dead. So many were still dying.

Why did they come here?

The booms of terrifying thunder still filled the sky. The ground still trembled with the wrath of the Earth Kingdom King. This place was a battlefield where the Gods were deciding who would the world. What place did mere soldiers have here?

I looked to the sky to find the holy sun. To look for answers.... but nothing could be found. The divine sun was absent in this place.

Moments later...seconds perhaps.... a being crashed into the earth besides me a few feet away. The creature was bleeding horribly and thrashing as if its wings had been broken. I though it was one of our griffins and I began to crawl to the creature. To try and soothe it with the light in its final moments at least. I hadn't noticed the darkness that surrounded the creature. How the shadows themselves were being drawn towards it.

Eventually, the creature stood on two legs and I finally saw it in its full glory. I had only seen it from a distance, battling our Lady of Light. Now it was here, wings broken, bleeding, and above all, enraged.

The creature turned to look at the thing that still drew breath in this area. Me.

Steel-like claws sank into the flesh of my throat and dragged me into the air so that I could stand evenly with it. The pain, the terror, I could not even scream. Eyes as red as the bloodied sky....

The last thing I saw before I breathed my last.

Those accursed eyes.

______________________________


Deshwitat's eyes slowly opened as the death of the Elysium soldier faded away. The haunting memories of someone whose essence he absorbed during the final battle of the 100 year war to bolster his abilities. One of tens of thousands.

That memory was just the last one of the night. They constantly torment his dreams. Desh was living the memories of his victims so it felt like it was completely real. It WAS real. It was every single night. Hundreds of memories he experienced of those slain by his hand. Their hatred and resentment still echoing in his very soul.

Yet, Desh merely stirred from his slumber and had awoken at that last one. He could remember a time when the memories would have him trembling, terrified and in tears. How the memories tortured him every time he let his guard down.

Now, they were just the things that woke him up. Many, many lives were lost on all sides. It was a true tragedy but blood needed to be spilt for him to win his people's freedom. They wouldn't have ever allowed it otherwise. The denizens of the dark had now experienced a decade of peace and safety. A comfort they were not about to give up. A peace they had never known.

Any sacrifice was worth that peace. No matter how many needed to die, his people would prosper. He would make sure of that.

The warm body in his embrace stirred slightly at his awakening

'Speaking of...'

Desh had his arms draped around the red headed demoness as they slept together. A small grin shaped the archdemon's lips as he lifted one arm from the woman. A single claw traced the contours of her figure with a feather light touch. "Sophia..." the king murmured, "Come now. Time to get up." Desh said one thing but was doing another entirely. It was clear that the Dark king did not want to get up. Evident by the way he traced her skin and held her close with the other arm. Then again, why would he want to with such a woman in his bed? It wasn't an exaggeration to say that the women in Desh's life eased his burdens. Whether it be Sophia's constant assistance, Cassiopeia's humor, or his beautiful daughter's pranks. They made the weight of leading the kingdom of monsters that much more bearable. A small piece of sanctuary that he considered invaluable.

"Before you tempt me to forsake my duties." He added with a deep chuckle as he placed a kiss on her bare shoulder and rose from the bed, trying not to take the blankets off of his partner. Desh's clothes were draped and ready for the day and he (reluctantly) began to pull on his casual wear. He had no royal duties to attend to this day and that meant he could spend it doing paperework and helping his citizens in their daily lives.

The demon king grabbed Sophia's robes and laid them out at the foot of the bed for her. "Come on. The 'princess' awaits and I'm sure Pia wants to talk your ear off." ​

 

[Britt-21]

Sophia De' Lexington: A mighty Demon, the perfect attendant; Was in the King's chambers, happily snuggled up against him while arms embraced her to keep her close. It didnt take a genius to figure out what the attendant did with her King, nor did she care what others thought if they ever put the pieces together. What she did with Desh was her business and no one else had no reason to stick their nose into it...except Pia because Pia was someone that Sophia held dear and always told her everything. She also held Noblesse dear as well, especially since she had been the daughter to the King and was also helping her train to become strong, control her powers, and give her the basics. While Desh had trained her in the Archdemon department whenever he could. It was amazing how much she picked up from her father's side rather than her mother...

Sophia began to feel a light touch running up her figure causing her to stirr. Soon enough, the sound of his deep voice filled her ears. Calling her name softly, telling her that it was time to get up. This caused her to stirr some more and open her eyes slowly before lifting them to look at the man holding her while his claw continued to run alon her skin "But tempting you is fun, Desh. It's one of the things I love using to my adventage." the demoness released a light laugh while he pressed his lips to her shoulder and pulled himself away just to get out of bed. This didnt stop her from allowing her red eyes to follow his every move, watch every muscle flex while he dressed himself. Usually she'd help him get dressed -being his attendant and all- yet watching him was far more entertaining. Sophia began to sit up, holding the sheet over her chest as Desh placed her clothes at the foot of the bed "Pia always wants to talk my ear off, Desh. But she is my best friend, so I do not mind not one bit." she shifted and threw her legs over the side of the bed, releasing the sheet and stretching out her arms.

Dropping her arms, she slid off the bed and moved towards Desh in her naked form, lifting her hand and gently cupping his cheek "Thank you for last night." a grin slowly formed on her lips as she stood on her tiptoes and pressed her lips up against his. Keeping them locked for just a few moments before pulling away and sliding her hand down to his chest, pulling from him and turning to grab part of her clothing from the bed. Suddenly, she was pulled back and forcibly turned around to face Desh "Oh my~" a laugh escaped her lips as she found his lips upon hers, giving her a deep and passionate kiss which she returned, her hand sliding into his silver hair.

The kiss didnt last long and he released her, leaving the Demoness almost breathless "You love taking my breath away, dont you Desh?" she turned towards her clothing, putting on her undergarments and then putting on her dress. "I'll be sure to see if breakfast is ready for you and your daughter." she pulled her hair out from the back of her dress and turned to glance at him. Just looking at him almost made Sophie smile all the time, mainly because he was one of the kindest men she's ever served. "I'll also check to see if she is awake in her chambers. Unless you have other plans to wake her?" she was slowly sliding back into her role as an Attendant, but her body language and her expressions had said something else. That she was still happy, and still relaxed from her time with the Dark King.

shadowz1995 Fluffy-Kat (mentioned briefly) Roleplay Skittle (briefly mentioned)​

 

[slim]

☼Nadian Karim☼

The Jinn woke up to angry growls from her dragon companion and one of his feet crushing her nose as he landed square on her face.
"Silence Carron, please..my head is ringing." Nadian groaned as she batted the dragon off of her and rubbed her eyes to clear their blurry state. She tried climbing out of bed but felt something warm and immediately withdrew before blinking a few times to adjust her eyes. There were three other bodies draped on and off the bed, and she had nearly stepped on one of them. Were they dead...oh. Nadian snorted a little and climbed out before grabbing a nightgown off the floor that may or may not belong to her and walking out. Carron followed her and the two padded through the bustling palace. It was the second day of Alsahwa, a festival that came whenever the harvest did and was prosperous.

Nadian enjoyed celebrating it with the townspeople and eating and drinking a lot. Judging by the people in her chambers...she had quite a night.


The city was cleaning up for another night of celebrations and so was the palace. Nadian had left halfway through but there were some nobles laying about in the hallways and Nadian’s servants were trying to clean around them. It was a humorous scene, but eventually, the seriousness of other matters pressed in.


The Jinn went up to her study and ruffled through some papers before finding the pile she had left off from yesterday and got to work. She liked getting stuff out of the way so she could have the night to enjoy herself. Carron got bored and flew out of the window to do his rounds or whatever and Nadian continued reading and signing stuff for a good while until she had completed everything. She arranged everything on her desk before getting a slip of paper and writing something down.

Hopefully you’re not a mess from last night’s festivities. If not, I’d like to meet up and get any information you may have for me. Noon in the Jal Tavern.” She rolled up the paper and opened a small cage on her desk and dug her hand around until she found the cobra. It seemed a little sluggish since it was still digesting food, but she trusted the creature was fine. She attacked the note to it and carried it to the main entrance of the palace and released it. It went down the stone steps and vanished in the gardens. Nadian had always wanted to follow it and see where the mysterious dark elf hid, but it would be an invasion of privacy. She herself started setting out towards the town until she heard the familiar sound of soldier’s armor clanking behind her. She turned around to face the four of them with a smile on her lips that grew bigger at the sight of one of them who had seemed to have gotten dressed in a rush.

“It’s fine, I’m safe in my own kingdom, I’m sure. Oh, and Hakim, last night was very pleasant.” She waved them off before changing into a hawk and flying off before they could argue. The small trip gave her time to clear her mind, and she soon landed and changed back to her human form before entering the tavern and sitting at the table in the corner.


mentioned: raspy boi shadowz1995

 

[shadowz1995]

Victor Anguis

War was brewing and the demand for information was climbing higher and higher and higher. People were jittery and having them know calmed them. Very few individuals knew of the existence of Serpentine and even less knew how to get a hold of them. Victor himself was always moving from place to place so that no one could ever get a whiff of his position. He had been staying at his branch at the Fire Kingdom known as Ignium for longer than he had ever stayed in one place before. The reason being was that he was getting paid, handsomely, for information on the movements of the other kingdoms. The Queen was as clever as she was beautiful and she knew it. The dark elf had to admit, he liked a confident woman like that. She truly earned her position as ruler over this nation.

"Master Hydra. A message has come in for you sir..."

'Speak of the devil and she shall appear.'

Queen Nadian had dispatched the pet cobra he had provided her with a time and place. Strange... Victor was usually the one that decided on the when and where. It must be urgent if she needed him so suddenly. The master thief turned from his desk and began to gather his equipment for his trip out. There had been quite a few developments since he last met with the fiery woman and she would surely want to hear it all. Though as she knew, the more information he gave her, the higher the price. But she was a Queen after all. Money should be of little importance to her when her kingdom was at risk. The burden of responsibility always filled the coffers of his guild very well. Especially if it came from royalty....

________________________________________________________

The dark clad rogue strode silently through the streets without much issue. Normally, he had a very suspicious visage but considering the festival that was going on, a person who was hooded and masked didn't raise many eyebrows. Many being the operative word. He still got suspicious looks from the commonfolk.

It wasn't long before he got to the tavern that the Queen had mentioned in her letter. Hydra strode through the doors like a ghost, pale white eyes finding his target sitting in the far corner of the tavern. He slide past individuals like a whisper on the wind and slipped into the seat opposite of her Majesty. Naturally, he couldn't draw attention to the lady or to himself so he merely nodded to her in way of greeting before pulling out his notebook. Inside it, words were already written with graceful penmanship,

"Your highness, always a pleasure. You've have never been the one to name a time and place before. What has changed?"

Trained eyes watched every detail of the woman for any indication of betrayal or mistrust. His senses were dialed to 11 as he tuned in for sounds that broke the ambiance of the establishment. He was right to be cautious. They had a set way of communication and this wasn't it. So naturally, Victor was suspicious.
​

slim

 

[Nogoodname]

Arissa gazed down at the people below from the balcony of her room in the castle of the kingdom of Alisette. So many people.. all scurrying about their daily lives.. she always found it so intriguing to watch from high up here during her very brief moments of freedom. Surely they all knew.. her people, from nobles to commoners, everyone knew of what was to come. A brief sigh escaped the fae's lips as her hand traced up and down the marble railing of her balcony. War was coming, nobody dared to speak of it, but you could just tell.. Every day tensions between the kingdoms grew little by little, and while none of the rulers wanted to plunge the world into chaos once again, it was only a matter of time before tempers hit their boiling point. The kingdom of dark was the most prevalent threat in her mind, every day they grew stronger, bigger, more powerful, it was only a matter of time before they would grow arrogant enough to test their boundaries once again, if anyone was to be the catalyst, it would be Deshwitat and his fiends. The queen of light could still remember her last encounter with the demon, and those hellish eyes.. She shut her eyes tight and drew a deep breath to calm herself, the demon would not come near her kingdom, not until she lay dead at his feet, that was the promise she made to herself and her kingdom.

It was a sudden, chilling wind that broke the queen of light from her daze, and she reached up to rub her arm gently as she withdrew back into her room. She needed to quit thinking on these kind of things.. it was a detriment to her work, though it didn't help that today of all days was the esteemed Festival of Lights. A time of reflection and meditation of the past year, and the years that had come before it, a time for the kingdom of light to look back and see just how far they've come, and for Lumin to show just how proud he was of all of them. That was probably why she just couldn't shake that fateful battle from her mind, the battle that had left a permanent scar on their world, and allowed Deshwitat and his minions to gain a strong foothold that would become their wretched kingdom.

Slowly she roused herself from the depths of her mind once again and moved to the mirror to prepare herself for the long day ahead of her. This was no time to be thinking of dark matters.. it was the festival of lights! The fae shook her head dismissively as she reminded herself of the joys of her favorite holiday. This was not a time for brooding, it was a time for joy and peace of mind, a time to escape from the hard labors of the year for one day to enjoy the fruits of their labor. Soon enough the streets would be crowded with citizens, enjoying sugary snacks, playing games, watching the shows, drinking and enjoying one another's company.. it was to be a grand time for all, what point was there to sit around and mope when there was fun to be had? The fae quickly straightened out her soft locks before going to pick out something to wear for the day, settling for a flowing white dress trimmed with gold, which she quickly pulled on before doing a final once over to make sure she was presentable, and heading out.

Just being out of her room and having something to do for the day was already lifting her spirits, and she donned a bright smile as she made her way down the long, ornate hallways of the castle. Soon enough she would be among her people, celebrating the occasion with her loving husband and king.. which reminded her..

After only a few minutes of searching she pressed through the doors of the study to find Felric, as well as another man standing at his desk. The queen frowned in realization as her gaze shifted over to the other man, Ricard, one of Felric's dusk rangers. Arissa had to force herself not to sign in annoyance as she stepped into the room, interrupting their conversation.

"Right, thank you.. Ah! Arissa, you're awake" Felric mused, shifting his gaze over from Ricard towards the queen, who gave a simple nod in response.

"I've been preparing for the big day!" Arissa chimed, before glancing over to Ricard "You know I don't like you working during our celebrations..."

Felric shook his head simply "I'm sorry, but this is very important, I promise I'll be brief"

Ricard finally turned his attention over to the queen to give a quick bow before her "My apologies, High Auroran" he said, shifting his gaze between the two of them "Maybe we should discuss things another time..." he muttered, noting the queens displeased demeanor.

Arissa shook her head quickly "Oh... no no, if this is important I won't keep you.." she said, giving the man a quick once over. Ricard was a rather short man, roughly 5'5, medium length brown hair and blue eyes, human, as were all of the Dusk Rangers, humans being the most common of the races, not bound to a specific kingdom meant that they could not be traced back to the kingdom of light, at least not easily. Felric himself had made the division himself many years ago at the start of the hundred year war. The Dusk Rangers were made to be spies, infiltrators and saboteurs, and they did their job efficiently. There was no outfit for them to wear, no badge or symbol of their rank in order to keep their operations discrete, as well as allow the kingdom of light maximum deniability... The queen of light detested the idea of the Dusk Rangers, but she respected what they did for the kingdom, and so she tried her best not to show her disapproval.

"Anyways.." the queen continued, glancing up to Felkin once again "I'm going to help prepare, you know where to find me" she said, making her way back out the door of the study, down to the bottom floor of the castle where she met with Relkynd, the captain of the Solari, to help prepare for the evening ahead of them. As per tradition instilled by the queen, the castle would open it's doors to the public of Arisette later in the evening, allowing any and all to join the king and queen themselves for food, drink, music and dancing to bring a memorable end to the celebration.

 

[Wandering Grim Hollow]

Crown Princess Alva Patricia Une
Misty Hollow, Kraken Hunting​

"How long has it been..." Crown Princess Alva Patrica Une muttered as she gazed out towards the churning grey sea. The chilly sea spray didn't deter her a little as it sprinkled against her cloak and any exposed clothing. The Elucidator was anchored nearby and she would soon be boarding it with her daughter and other members of the Court that decided to come along. Either for the heck of it or for the sheer heck of coming to witness a kraken hunt. From a safe distance of course. Only the experienced fishermen will be going to Kraken Bay while the Elucidator and its escort will stand a set distance away. In the event a Kraken slips past, the ship is more than prepared to handle it. Its just a matter of which fishing vessel is going to be incompetent this time.

"Its almost time...." Patricia sighed, turning away from ocean before beginning her short walk back to the remains of what used to be the village inn. Now nothing more than a ramshackle shelter with the wind and water coming right through the walls and roof. Still, it was the best bit of shelter in the village with the help of some patch work and a lively fire in the remains of the fireplace. Even with the fire, the people inside wore cloaks in an attempt to stay a touch warmer in this frigid cold weather. That was such the sight that greeted Patricia as she pushed the barely standing door open with a creak.

"A-Ah! I-Is it almost time, M-M-MIilady...?" A middle aged man with greying hair asked as he clutched his cloak as close to his body as possible. The sight of the Royal Treasurer trying his best to look dignified while shivering is rather amusing and a little touching. Unlike herself, Lord Charles Pendleton is a mere human and is less resilient to the cold having grown up in the farmland strip of the Principality. Still, his dedication to witness the legendary kraken hunters at work seemed to what's pushing him to stay.

"Indeed Charles. Its almost time indeed." Patricia simply said as she glanced towards the figure standing by the fireplace. While appearing human at first glance, the woman's strange eyes betrayed her nature as being a selkie. That and the seal skin that peeked out from behind her cloak told of Lady Merle Hydreana's true nature. The pair made eye contact and simply respectfully nodded at each other. Such was how they saw each other. While Patricia was a terror on the land, Captain Hydreana is the terror of the sea and Patricia respected the woman for her knowledge and peerless command of ships. That was when her thoughts turned to the other two people that were supposed to be there.

"Where is Lady Arwoll and Jacelyn? I thought they were in here when I left."

Mentioned: Crumbli Nogoodname

 

[Historical Storyteller]

Lord Walter the Bastard

And so begins the episodic madness of Lord Walter and company as they arrive at Alisetta to attend the famed Star Light Festival for reasons unknown to man...​

"The bastard is coming! The bastard is coming!" Word quickly spread throughout the streets like wildfire and when the people heard it they were overcome with fear. All the happiness in the world melted in the face of this newfound terror and most ran for the shelter of their homes while some bravehearts grabbed their weapons and stood ready for one epic last stand. It seemed as if the devil himself had come to the doorstep of their beloved city to destroy everything they loved.

And here he was, the devil incarnate himself, riding atop a magnificent warhorse and gallantly dressed in the finest armor of the land and he was accompanied by several heavily armed knights. His name is Walter the Bastard, and the very mention of his name was enough to send the common man quaking in his boots. Nobody knew what Walter the Bastard was doing here, but everyone knew that it meant trouble. The last time he came here he promised to sack the city dry and burn everything to the ground. Many wondered if Walter the Bastard planned to do just that, but they weren't aware of how he was going to do it.

It did not matter now, the common people were determined to put a stop to this madness before it was too late. But lo, one of the royal heralds bade them to put their weapons away, for Walter came here not as a hated enemy but as an honored guest. The people were reluctant to disarm themselves when the scourge of the kingdom was here before their eyes. Surely, this must be some sort of trick, he must have bribed the royal officials to pacify them.

Finally, seeing that the mob still stubbornly held onto their weapons, Walter decided to speak in a grim tone, "You will either drop your weapons or you will drop dead for threatening an officer of the Royal Army. If you still have any doubts as to why I am here, let me make it easier for you by saying whatever I do here is none of your business."

One could feel the tensions rise between Walter's armed band of knights and the multitude of peasants that have gathered to confront them. All it would take for things to blow over was one false move and there would be blood on the floor.

Thankfully, the herald had sensed this and acted decisively before things could take a turn for the worse. He repeated his proclamation and said that any man that dared to interrupt the Star Light Festival would be hunted down by the Royal Army, and this rule applied not only to Walter but to everyone in the city. There would be no exceptions, and the punishment would be swift and brutal.

The peasants finally relented and placed their weapons back to where they belonged. In almost no time at all they set to sheathing their swords inside their scabbards, hiding their little knives and daggers under their cloaks for secrecy while some openly displayed it on their belts. Those with longer weapons such as spears and polearms had to place them on a big rack while others who had ranged weapons such as the bow and arrow had to go all the way back home to return it. Curiously, there seemed to be a huge amount of magic weapons as well; there were wands, elder staffs, floating orbs of light and tomes of secret power in their number. Everyone in this city was armed to the teeth and it was clear that they would be ready for any war if it should come to their doorstep.

"Well, that wasn't so hard now, was it? Move along people, we've got a party to celebrate." Walter started to trot off towards the Radiant Dawn Palace before one brave peasant stopped him.

"If I may ask, Lord Walter, what are you here for?" said the peasant.

Walter decided to humor the peasant's curiosity and so he answered this, "I've come to attend the Duel Tournament and become the new reigning champion. Now, leave me be. I've had a long day and I want to rest for a while before the fighting starts."

 

[Crumbli]

Lady Gwendolyn Arwoll
Misty Hollow, Principality of Oceanius.​

Direct: Wandering Grim Hollow

​

"Lady Arwoll, you must rest."
Gwendolyn looks up from her slumped over position. One eye half closed she recognises the face of her guardsman and returns to looking at the letters. Black bags had set up camp beneath her eyes and her skin grew pale as she struggled to stay awake. Her lips pucker but she remains silent. Her heavy eyelids slowly close but are pried open once more as she turns her gaze to the candle beside her.
The wax of the candle was almost nonexistent in the deep plate it sat upon. The wick, no taller than a flea, lapped at the pool of wasted time. The flame flickers low and before passing on its own, is squeezed out by the guard. He takes a blanket around her waist and pulls it up over her shoulders.

"I know I pay you to care but you can let me handle myself." She looks up at him defiantly but grows quiet as he places his hand on her forehead. He forms a weak smile and slides his hand down her arm to her right hand. He squeezes gently and widens his eyes. She was cold. Frozen to the touch. He wraps the blanket around her front and places his hand on her letters. "You pay me to ward off ruffians and thugs and bears. Frostbite was never on the list."
She exhales and looks to her left. The room she was hiding away in was one of the warmer ones. Its walls were mostly intact and while there were holes here and there, the broken window had been covered with cloth to keep the cold sea breeze out. Through the missing weatherboards she sees tall yet soft rocks and gentle rocking boats. "Then why try to keep away the cold air's bite?"
"Because, my lady. If you lose your fingers you won't be able to hand me my pay." He begins to sort her letters into a neat pile over the top of her. Gwendolyn shakes her head at the sounds of rustling papers and stands, clinging onto the blanket for warmth. "Touché." She begins to rise and the guard steps aside for a moment before continuing on with his sorting. "Rest well, lady Arwoll."
"Will you be joining the others in resting?"
"I think I can go for another day. You hardly slept on your way here, so it might explain the difference."

Gwendolyn shrugs her shoulders and makes her way over to the doorway. She looks over her shoulder and smiles before exiting and heading over to the women's room. The floor boards were far from quiet but she focuses on her footing to ensure she doesn't stir any of the members nearby. She slips inside the room, closing the door behind her, and creeps over to the lying bodies.
Beneath her blanket she wore her nightwear but, despite the room being warmer, she wouldn't shed her new layer of clothing if her life depended on it. She lays down with the group near the door to try get as much heat as she could without encroaching on their personal space. While under normal circumstances she'd be more than happy to be incredibly close to the others, she was aware of her current temperature. Her heavy eyelids close over and within an instant she's drifted off to sleep.

She awakens slowly, still exhausted, and notices that everyone had already left the room. She was alone. In a panic she rises to her feet and rushes to her attire for the day. The blanket falls from her to the floor and her daily gowns and armour are forsaken for the rapier and its belt. She takes a hold of it and frantically makes her way downstairs to make sure everyone was safe. On her descent she's greeted with rays of light and raised brows. The fire was lit and the court members were ready for the ship. She however was in her nightwear and holding a rapier down by her side.
Embarrassment fills her and she offers a polite bow to the members of the high court. She turns on the spot and returns to the upstairs to get changed into the correct attire as fast as she could. As she strips herself of her night wear she curses under her breath. The gown hugs her body and over top places a cloak and her almost sacred face mask. She takes her boots and slows her pace as she does the laces up one by one to secure her feet.

Once done she fastens the belt to her waist and returns downstairs. Her guard smiles to himself as she returns this time with some grace. He doubted that the high court members would even care about her nightwear but for Gwendolyn it was clearly an important mistake. Before she'd even rejoined the group she begins to apologise in a calm tone with her eyes glued to the floor.
"I apologise for my tardiness, your highness."

Naria Alejandro
Hacin outskirts, Igninuim.​

Tending to her flock of goats, a seemingly young girl walks the far streets with an older gentleman until arriving at a large caravan. The older man looks to the young girl with a smile, the corners of his mouth pushing his wrinkled cheeks up into his grey eyes. He was dark skinned and wore slightly more lavished clothes than she did. "Would you mind terribly if we stored our wagon with your flock for a short while?" He looks up at a younger man with the same physique and skin tone. Likely a relative. "Just until we return from our meetings?"
The girl nods and extends a hand out to the man, "You better pay me for this, mister." He chuckles and looks around before passing her a coin purse with next to no coins inside. She smiles and tucks it in her dress, pulling her coin purse out in exchange and handing it back to him. "Geez mister that's a lot. I didn't mean that much."
"A sweet girl. Oh the joys of youth." She pats his leg and signals for the younger of the two to follow her with the caravan. The older man places the full coin purse on his belt and heads into town. "I've got a place to keep it safe. It's where I live too." The young man seems a little twitchy looking about left and right unnerved by the number of beggars and passersby.

The old man makes his way into the town and the boy follows her with the caravan to a hovel barely on the inside of the walls. Beside it was a shack tall enough for the wagon to enter and sit comfortably. The boy releases the horses from the caravan and the duo push it into place. The young man kneels down to speak with the girl once done.
They begin to speak in hushed tones."Naria yes?"
"That's my name."
"I thought that.. uhh.. you'd be older."
"I'm twenty two. Trust me, child. It's an act. Be here tonight and we'll take them to the storehouse." Naria's tone deepens from her childish pitch used before and the young man reels back in surprise. He'd been fooled like he was supposed to be. He goes to stammer something but feels her finger press up against his lips. "Shut your mouth. Go now and be back when the moon's at its highest. I'll be around with my flock until then." He nods and scrambles off to find the older gentleman he'd arrived with.

Naria sighs and climbs up the back of the caravan. Time to see what they'd brought her. Inside were seven people. Three were men of fighting age and muscular builds while the rest were frail women. The men had been beaten and were bruised and bloodied. They had blindfolds over their eyes and balled up pieces of cloth inside their mouths kept in by another piece of cloth wrapped around their jaw. The women on the other hand were gagged and tied with few markings on them short of rope burn.
Typical. The men were too damaged to fetch a high price on the black market but the women were perfectly fine from what she could see. One of them might even get her the higher price bracket. She rubs her hands together and closes the back of the caravan up again. This group seemed dehydrated and she'd keep them that way until they were sold. If they couldn't muster the energy to resist then they'd be a lot easier to handle.

 

[slim]

☼Nadian Karim☼

Nadian ordered a drink pretty quickly upon entering the building and sitting down. The server was a friendly girl who obviously had no clue who Nadian was which was actually very refreshing. She was getting a lot of stares, but her people weren't the sort to clammed around her whenever she went in public. The Queen was a natural sight among her people and had been for hundreds of years. The serving girl brought back a large mug that Nadiana gratefully accepted and slid a gold piece over that the girl accepted with wide eyes.
The drink was the woman's favorite and she held it with both hands as she sipped. There was a layer of foam with a creamy brown liquid that had a level of spice as well as sweetness that felt like velvet over the tongue. Nadian was so into her drink she didn't even catch Victor sliding into the seat in front of her.
She opened her eyes to see Victor's familiar face. Nadian touched her forehead and gestured outward as a casual 'hello' before turning to the paper Victor pushed out for her to read. Her eyes skimmed over the message before resting on the man's face. He wasn't normally a very joyous or relaxed person, but the way he was holding himself now was a little too on edge. He looked like he was ready to fight or flee at a moment's notice. Had Nadian's request to meet really been that out of the blue?
"Maybe I just wanted to see you, Victor." Nadian mused with a twinkle in her eye. It was a partial truth, since Nadian enjoyed the elf's presence even if it was always about work. Did he do it for money or to keep himself busy? It seemed like a stupid question, but with all the money Nadian had given to him, he could've in comfort for the rest of his days, or at least half of his life since elves seemed to live for a while.
"I'm afraid I need information-any information, mind you- on the other kingdoms. We both know tensions are high and for a good reason. I don't know how much time there will be left before something big happens. I just need a couple more days to develop something I've been working on for years. I don't care if you run off after this conversation to tell others what I'm about to tell you now since, let's face it, it's your job. Soon, I won't need to continue banning iron and copper, it'll be useless against myself and other Jinn. It's a rather annoying thing to have a weakness, I've learned." Nadian returned to her drink again, making steady eye contact with the man in front of her as she drunk.
"Also, I'm a little hurt you'd think I'd betray you after all these years. If I did that I'd be the stupidest ruler in the six kingdoms."
​

shadowz1995

 

[shadowz1995]

Victor sat and did what he did best.... Listened. Nothing in the woman's movements betrayed tension and her voice didn't waver. Even her heartbeat remained steady, only elevating slightly when she spoke of the safety of her kingdom. As one would expect of a ruler, of course.

Slowly, the thief released the hidden grip he had on one of his knives and placed both hands upon the table. He reached for his journal while simultaneously pulling out something to write with and began to jot down his words swiftly. Occasionally, he would glance up at the Queen and to their surroundings before returning to his notebook to continue. Eventually, the dark elf finished and turned the message around for the Queen to read,

"I have not survived this long in this profession by being trusting, your Highness. I am fully prepared for anyone and everyone to betray me. That includes when you violate the process in which we are to meet. However....

I have never taken any information from you or your kingdom and sold it to another kingdom. I have cells across every kingdom. Yet, I am stationed at this one for a reason. I would like to see the fire nation of Ignium emerge victorious once this world is plunged into chaos. I am here because I am betting on you to win this and I want to be on the winning side.

Now, enough niceties..."

By the time the ruler of fire was done reading what he had written, Victor already had a second notebook on the table with the information he had gathered.

"The kingdom of water has dispatched to emissaries to try and forge alliances. One to the kingdom of light and the other.... to dark. What's more, both of these emissaries are the children of Queen Une. The princess Jayce goes to light and Prince Hamilton goes to dark. We have also heard word that 'The scourge of the kingdom' also known as, Walter The Bastard plans to attend the festivities in Alisette. Chances are he has already arrived and discord has already begun to spread among the peasantry. To the dark kingdom, a rebellion is about to be launched against the Archdemon Desh. Also, he apparently has a daughter.... roughly 13 years of age and incredibly powerful. She already almost matches her father in her control over darkness.

Lightning and Earth are remaining silent for now but they are mobilizing. I hear that the second son of the Lightning king is actually alive, serving as a ninja. If the rumor is true then something must have happened for him to forsake his claim to the throne. My agents can barely get information from that place due to how cautious they must be at all times. They cannot blend with the citizenry and the elements are slowly killing them. I may be forced to pull them out."

That sobering note marked the end of Hydra's report and seeing as the Queen was drawing eyes to her with her mere presence, Victor had to play his part. The thief pulled down his mask and removed his hood. The dark elf shook out his pale hair and a perfect smile came to his scarred features. As if the two were friends who had not seen each other for a long time. He waved a server over and jotted down on a blank page that he would like what his old friend was drinking, gesturing to the Queen. He slid her the equal amount of pay the Queen did unknowingly which caused the same reaction as she rushed off to get his drink.

All signs of his caution were completely gone and Victor had taken a completely relaxed state. Pale, white hues looked on to the Queen's own with warmth and kindness, marred only by the fact that only the Queen of flame would know that this was an act. It would also be the first time Victor had completely revealed his identity to the fiery woman. Complete with his long ears, facial scars, and piercings.
​

slim

 

[slim]

Nadian Karim

Nadian saw Victor unclench slightly, meaning he understood she truly wishes no harm to the man. She had never understood those willing to betray others ever in her life. She wandered through the library in the palace and read personal account of her ancestors. There was backstabbing, trickery, adulthood... a complete mess. One incident nearly caused a family feud that would've destroyed the city if it hadn't been resolved as quickly as it had been. Nadian used to wish she had the cunning trait her family members before always seemed to have, but looking back at it, it was nothing but a curse. Her parents had been good rulers, and maybe Nadian could be better. However, she needed to outlast this incoming storm if she wanted to make a lasting influence.

Victor presented her with a message written down and she read it. It was probably the nicest thing the man had said to her, and he even through in the state of his loyalty. Even if it was a lie, it was comforting. He took back his notebook and wrote more and showed it.

Alliances...Nadian had never even considered the idea. The light kingdom was a possibility. They shared a few ideals as her kingdom and could be good people once they got their head out of their asses. The water kingdom would be harder, but that was just Nadian's view because of their polar opposite abilities and such. She had heard rumors of the Queen and she didn't sound like she'd happily aid anyone, especially the fire kingdom. The lightning kingdom and the earth kingdom seemed rather isolated so it would be hard to judge their reactions towards an alliance. The dark kingdom would be her best chance if their king was getting rebellions igniting in his kingdom. He might be open to something, and Nadian knew he wasn't an unreasonable person.

She was lost in thought until she heard movement and glanced up to see a face glancing back at her. Her eyes trailed down the scars and the very large smile he had put on out of the blue. Had she truly not know what he looked like until now? His smile was unnerving simply because she imagined him snarling all the time or scowling under the mask.It made his scars bunch up in a weird way that was almost comical. She wanted to know where they came from. Hell, she wanted to know why he never spoke. People with secrets were like treasure troves and the only people worth talking to. Nadian caught herself staring and turned back to her drink which had gotten cool. She encircled the mug with her hand and soon steam started coming out and bubbles rose to the surface of the drink as she heated it up.

"Well, thank you for meeting me on such short notice and the valuable information, as always. I've worn you out enough for today. You can come to the palace to get the money and I'll throw in extra or you can send someone later to get it or whatever you do." Nadian said.

shadowz1995

 

[Shadowfall]

Ghazzy Crashasmasha
Dark Kingdom, Palace Steps​

"Awight gitz, we'z almos' 'ere."

The group of greenskins had almost perked up from their, what seemed like, endless march. It was on the darkened horizon, the castle that had a perpetual overcast above it, like a very angry frizz 'air squig. Very, very angry. He and his band had been walking for the third day in a row, and for good reason. War was brewing, the energies in Da Spyre were growing to be too much for him, and business had almost ground to a halt. He needed this next few jobs, otherwise he would have to walk for another week to the next kingdom to beg, and that simply was no fun.

After an hour, he and his small retinue of harp bearers, squires, stuff luggahs, and his two trusted 'bodyguards' made it to the gates of The Dark Kingdom. "Hmph." He stared upwards into the perpetual night. "Reel kreeative name dere." Approaching the entrance, he was stopped by two undead guards. Rolling his eyes, he waited for the whole spiel.

"Ork! It has been some time since we've seen your kind in the dark kingdom. What brings you and your..." The guard regarded a grot who was struggling to hold a pile of supplies and keep it from tipping over. "Children?" Raising an eyebrow at this, he slowly turned his head to see the grot drop the rations all over the floor. He pulled up his visor just so the creature could see the mixture of disappointment and expected failure on his face. Turning his attention back to the guard so Ghazzy wouldn't see the grot attempt to pick up the pieces, he wiped his forehead with the back of his large hand, then he pulled down his lower eyelids, trying to convey stress to the guard. Usually, it's better to convince somebody when they feel bad for you. Inhaling deeply, then exhaling, he decided to address the guards again.

"Look, we ah 'ere ta sell oua serveeses to da king of dis kingdum. Deez," He extended his arm into a singular pointing finger at the grot who was now buried under the stuff. "arren' mah children. We'z 'ere ta do biznezz. . ." He paused for a moment, before bringing himself to say his next sentence. "An' ta buy wheelbarrowz. Evidehntlee, mah grots are too irresponsahbul." The skeletal figure feigned sighing, as he didn't have to breathe.

"Are these 'grots', your slaves by any chance, or held against their will?" Ghazzy, the black armored ork raised an eyebrow. "Nah. Rehtinoo. Assigned ta me fer misshuns and such. Ah'm a high rankin' offishal, don't yoors 'ave a band ov followahs carryin' dere stuff?" Deciding that the black armored ork and his band weren't going to sack the kingdom the moment they stepped foot in it, the skeleton knew he was going to be disassembled. The ork nodded respectfully, and went through the gates. The other guard posted at the gate began to argue with the other, but Ghazzy and his people were already in, so that wasn't any of his concern anymore.

Taking a brief trip through the marketplace, and after lightening their load of precious metals, they gained a new companion, the annoyingly squeaky noise the wheels made. He sighed. At the very least however, they came pretty early in what can pass for morning in the eternal blackness. Commotion was about, the monsters he had heard in myth and legend milled about as if they really did exist. Stranger still, was the squabbling that he saw and heard, over what seemed to him to be nothing. Or at least nothing he cared much about.

Again, he was stopped by guards, bigger this time, when he approached a place of importance, the palace/castle/abode of what he assumed to be the king, with the spires and crests and such. The large brute held out a hand at hip level, and was shortly supplied a notepad and magical pen he had bought off a Jinn merchant at Ignium. It was big enough to fit his hand nicely, and never ran out of this purple thing it secreted when he wrote in his cryptic glyphs and commontongue letters. This time however, he was scrawling quickly onto his little notepad.

"Sir! Loitering is not allowed nearby the royal castle, move along."

"Ah've got biznezz 'ere awight, jus' gimme a sek." Ghazzy said out the side of his mouth.

"State your buisness then, or leave!"

"I sed gimme a sek! Ah'm almos' done."

Frustrated with the stupid ork's incompetence of speaking and scrawling, he yanked the sheaf out of the brute's hand, and took a good look at it. It seemed that he was tracing a replica of the castle's front gate. The ork however, had a slightly annoyed gaze on.

"What's this?!" The guard inquired, jabbing at the paper.

"I loike da way da kassle looked, so ah started drawin' eht."

The guard was in disbelief. An ork, with a little mob of wheelbarrows, stopped in the front gates to draw? When, why, and how did this ork even develop a thought process to even comprehend beauty, and get past the front gates. Utterly befuddled, he looked at the ork again, who had his large palm out, ready to accept the notepad back.

"What is your business here?" He questioned, placing the pad back into the massive paw of Ghazzy.

"Murkkenerry work."

"It's mercen- Right, mercenary work. Does it have to be for the king at this moment? Isn't there some wealthy merchant you could be working for? He isn't accepting visitors at this moment."

"Ah can wait."

"I said he isn't accepting visitors, you have to go now."

"And ah sed ah can wait, tell your king dat summa da orks are lookin' fer work. Ah'm sure 'e, loike e'rryone, is preppin' fer waa. . . waaag- Battle. 'E's preppin' fer battul, an' 'avin' a Blakk Ork is reel proppa fer a sukksesful eckstended battul. Ya copy?"

"I didn't understand a word you just said greenskin."

Sighing, the Ork tried to reiterate what he just said. "I. . . kan. . . 'elp. . . king. . . wif. . . proppa. . . punchin'. . . Ya geddit?"

"Seriously, I think you're just wasting my time now. The king is plenty powerful on his own, the Dark Kingdom will win over them all, just like they did in the past."

Ghazzy, frustrated with the guard, threw his hands up into the air.

"Ah'll give ya sum shinies if ya lemme ehn."

"What are we talking here?"

"Stehl, da yellah gubbinz, choppa bitz, shinies."

"Fine. But he usually isn't ready around this time, so you can wait on the steps while I examine your goods."

Nodding, he stood guard with the man as he examined the gold promised for his services.

shadowz1995

 

[shadowz1995]

Victor's gaze flicked to the side as he heard some whispering among the peasantry. They were beginning to suspect the Queen of having some secret dark elf lover instead of doing some shady, back alley dealings like they had been initially. It was a perfect opportunity to slip away without arousing suspicion.... at least the kind of suspicion that could get them both exposed. Suspicions of the Queen having a lover or two is nothing unheard of in these parts. Victor wasn't about to let this chance slip away. He quickly jotted down a few lines for her to read,

"I'll meet you in your chambers after we split up. For now, play along your highness."

The moment Nadian looked up from reading his words to her, he quickly slipped the journals back into one of his many pouches and his expression quickly turned to that of someone who was having some dirty thoughts. A raised eyebrow, his eyes looked at her lips, and his eyes appeared to be filled with desire. The dark elf stood from the table and snatched one of the Queen's hands and gave her wink as he tugged her along. As if they were two teenagers sneaking out of their homes for a night together. The grin Victor had was mischievous all the way until they exited the bar and turned a quick corner into an alley. There, the dark elf's expression immediately switched back to what the Queen was used to, stone-like and cold. He pulled his hood and mask back on and gave her a nod, signifying the now was the time to split up and they would meet at her private chambers.

It would prove to be a much easier task for the Queen, given that it was her home. For Victor, he needed to sneak in during broad daylight..... and that was never an easy thing to do anywhere. Especially, when the people were cleaning up for the festival. It would have been easier if the streets were bustling with activity.

But alas, beggars could not be choosers and Victor wasn't a master for nothing.

The dark elf turned from the Queen and quickly sprinted down the alley, only pausing to jump to a railing and start scaling the side of the tavern they were in to get to the roof.
​

slim

 

[Soviet Panda]

Buras stood resolute in front of the western gate, his face emotionless and his eyes tracking anything that got close. He was all business on the outside. But frankly, he was bored out of his mind and was slowly cooking in his armor. Luckily the latter, which was life threatening, could be handled via servants running to them to give them cold water and occasionally rotating with other Guardsman that were in the shaded tower. However, boredom still posed a problem.

Well, it would be for a few more short minutes. For as soon as he was rotated out, he was on a two day leave to enjoy the festival. One to enjoy it, the other to deal with the inevitable hang over. It was a blessing that most of these festivals were so long, it allowed everyone to enjoy it without leaving the entire city defenseless and without law.

And right on schedule, his replacement came out of the guard tower. Returning the salute that he was given, he marches off into the tower. And as soon as he was in it's cooling shade, he stripped himself of his armor and changed into civilian wear consisting of light and airy trousers and a simple and sleeveless vest. That done, he puts his stuff on a rack and leaves, expecting a runner to take it back to his bunk in the barracks eventually.

Now that he was off duty, he didn't know what to do. His impressive height let him look over the heads of everyone, but all he saw were people cleaning up from last night. Well it made sense, take care of the cleaning during the hot day and have a party during the cool night. It made sense, but he didn't like it. So he wandered aimlessly, occasionally helping whoever asked once they mustered the courage to approach the scarred giant.

 

[Morgrim]

Post by Morgrim (Ft. Nogood)
Xerxes Greenblood & Arissa Carmenor​

It seemed that many of the kingdoms were having its own celebrations, and the Earth Kingdom was no different. The Earth Kingdom was celebrating its own summer fete, giving praise to another year of absolute peace. The kingdom was strong, and growing every day, and it had been the eighth consecutive year without a single crime. Xerxes abandoned his elvish armor and weapons in favor of a meticulously embroidered robe of greens and golds. The outfit was baggy on him, but provided ample comfort, and decent cover from the oppressive heat of the forest. It was a scorching temperature that made sweat form on his brown, but he was smiling nonetheless. He was with his people, and they welcomed him with open arms. In the times of peace and celebration he spent much of his time in town with his subjects. He respected their ability to treat him as one in the same as all of them.

He had known plenty rulers to act high and mighty while hiding in the castles and the back lines in battle, but not him, he'd never be like that. He shared in laugh and drink, and many gathers and hunters preparing food for the festival urged him to try a bite. By the end of the hour he had a full belly, and a head swimming from alcohol. He had to take seat at a nearby fallen tree so that he could regain his composure, it was then that his adviser hunted him down, approached.

"Well shit, I guess today can't be all sunshine and smiles." He let out a sigh as his second in command approached him, and took a seat next to him. It could be noted that he was donning a scowl that was close to splitting his face in two from hearing the kings comment.

"Now my king I am sure you know what this is about, war is coming, and we can't all sit idly by and waste our lives away on food and parties. We have to make contact with the other kingdoms, we have to see who we can align with so we are not crushed." The adviser was fidgeting with his fingers and looking down, he did not want to insult the Earth Kingdoms strength, but all the other kingdoms were a powerhouse to be trifled with. "I know you don't want to hear it, but we will need help, we can not fight this alone, not against all of them at once. I suggest you make an appearance with one of the other kingdoms, and I will do the same. Even if we can side with one other kingdom it will be a huge victory."

Xerxes just grumbled, but he knew Aeries had a point, not to mention he couldn't turn down his brother forever. It was still only early in the afternoon, but he retreated back to the elder tree; his palace until the night was young and he rested his head. He knew that forging an alliance despite the differences they would have would only be for the best even if it doesn't seem like it in the beginning, his brother had always been smarter then him, and he chuckled at how he ended up in charge instead of him. His brother told him the best bet for him would be to go to the Kingdom of Light first thing tomorrow. A mysterious source or two let him know they may be interested in making an alliance with whomever was interested. With another sleepless hour with head full of things, and even anxiety he could finally slumber, falling into the warm embrace of the night.

The next morning he woke, and it was already afternoon, his brother was ripping the blankets off of his bed, and shouting at him to get him, to which he fell out of the bed with a heavy thud, and a migraine. "Ugh you devil, it's so early, why are you trying to ruin my sleep!?"

"Idiot it is afternoon, and you promised you would visit the Light Kingdom, now get of your ass, and hurry up, you can eat on the way." His brother tossed him a small back full of food, and ushered him out of his bedroom to the stable where the king's horse was waiting, already saddled up. He mounted his horse, and set out. The journey would take him three hours by horse back, giving him plenty of time to think of all the ways it could go wrong, or that he could mess it up by saying something uncultured or insensitive.

3 hours later.

The heat was bearing down on him like a vengeful god. He thought the forest was bad yesterday, but he must have been spoiled by all the shade he gets in the forest home. He had taken to putting his shirt over his head like a rag to blot out the sun, and when he arrived at the gate he must have looked like quite the fool. Unfortunately though they did not teach etiquette in the Earth Kingdom, so he had virtually no shame. A few guards stop him at the gate, and he just waves them smiles "Oh don't mind me I am just hear to see the Light queen, where can I find her?"
At the front of the gate to the city of Alisette stood two tall guards, each of them summer fae donned in white and gold plate armor. The two of them stood at either side of the gate, each bearing spears, one of which tilted downwards to point at this newcomer, not threateningly, more to point at the man. "State your name, occupation and reason for entry" he said, not a question, a command.

"Ummm yeah okay. I am Xerxes Greenblood. I am the King of the Earth Kingdom, and I am hear to see the Queen as I already said, unless you are deaf. I can prove I'm the Earth King if you want, but that would probably mean I have to make an earthquake that would destroy your kingdom, so how about we use the trust system. Oh and she isn't expecting me, but I'm sure she would love to see me." Meanwhile Xerxes was just sunshine and smiles the entire time, despite the two guards that acted like they were all that. "So can I pass?"

The two guards gave each other a sideways glance before returning their gaze to the man who had clearly spent much too long out in the sun. And simultaneously resumed their stance at the gate, clearly not so keen on letting him pass. "You'll have to provide some proper identification if you want into the Golden City of Alisette, sir" the man spoke once again.

Xerxes just sighed, clearly these two guards were not impressed, and it's not like there was some special badge that proved someone was royalty. He was kidding when he said that he would create and earthquake, but maybe he had no actual choice. He just hoped that it wouldn't scare the poor horse away. He dismounted the horse, and took a few steps back, rubbing both his hands together he gave the guards a look.

"Well okay then, low and behold, prepare to be amazed, and have your socks knocked off." After making his dorky little entrance he raised his hands into the air, and the earth behind him started quaking and shuddering, land was being split and torn, and rocks were shaking spasmodically. The Entire earth was shaking at this point, and no doubt everyone in the entire kingdom would be able to feel it as a monster earthquake shook the Earth. The very Light queen would have to know this is no natural occurrence, unless she was a fool. And as soon as it started, he lowered his hands and it stopped, probably leaving the two guards too scared to do anything else.

"Now unless you want me to unleash my wrath upon you I suggest you let me in, escort me to the queen, treat me to a nice dinner, and then apologize. Or at least do half of those things and I'll call it even."

As soon as the earth began to rumble the two guards seemed to quickly change their tune, "Wait! Sir!" the man called once again, dropping his spear to the ground and waving his hands dismissively. "You.. you have my deepest apologies. We simply.. weren't expecting royalty" the guard said, the other nodding quickly in agreement.

The man quickly turned and shouted something off to someone out of view "Prepare a griffin! We have royalty!" he called out, and within moments the gate swung open to allow Xerxes entry. A few moments later something came into view from up high before a griffon and it's rider landed in front of the gate. Both the well groomed griffin and rider were donned in decorative order, clearly this rider was of some importance, she shifted up slightly on the great beasts back.

The guard cleared his throat to speak once again "Alynn Novelli, the captain of the guard will escort you to the castle, Sir"

The rider gave a simple nod of her head, giving Xerxes a once over "We can take my griffin, or I can lead you on your horse"

He too did the same, and gave the guard captain a once over. She looked impressive all dressed up in fancy regalia, it was far more formal than what he was used to.

"My horse will be fine in the stable thank you, I would gladly take to the skies if it is quicker. My business is important, even though it is unexpected." He approached the guard captain, and without even waiting for an okay got on the feathered beast, sitting behind her. "I'm ready, and I do also help you could do me a favor and tell me a little about the Queen, what can I expect from her, and what would be best to avoid?" Xerxes wanted to maintain optimal behavior while in the city of another. He knows he would hate for someone to come in his home and cause him trouble so he doesn't want to do the same, well besides starting an earthquake the terrified two guards, and who knows how many citizens.

The captain didn't seem to mind his presence, her griffin quickly spread it's wings, and with a powerful leap it flew up high into the air! Alynn turned to Xerxes as they were in the air "Ah, the Queen is a treasure! I don't think you'll have any troubles with her, she leads worship at the city church you know!" she said with a small smile. "Though, I'd be careful if I were you, while my boys could use a little roughening up every once in a while.. I don't think the queen will turn a blind eye to that kind of aggression. Long as you're a peaceful visitor though, she'll be happy to have you.. And you couldn't have come at a better time! Today's the big festival of lights! There's gonna be a grand feast at the castle tonight, lots of people, good food, better drink, perfect time for visitors" She mused, at this point it hardly seemed like she cared weather or not he was paying attention..

Xerxes smiled at that, and found it odd that at the same time his own Kingdom was having a festival, so was this one. It seemed the world was in good humor. "Oh odd that you should mention that, since my own home was having it's own celebrations. Looks like this business trip could end up being quite the nice vacation, and I sure hope that she is not upset about that little earthquake, I promise you it was nothing to be worried about, it was more just to scare those two, no real harm was meant." Xerxes said looking over the fine city. He didn't think it was as nice as his, but it was beautiful none the less. He idly rubbed his fingers through the feathers of the gryphon. Despite being so close with beasts, there was not to many large birds in his Kingdom since the thick foliage made it incompatible with creatures like this. If he wanted to he could issue a command to the bird, but decided that would probably only lead to trouble, so he refrains. Instead enjoying the flight to wherever the guard captain was escorting him to.
After only a few minutes of travel the griffin landed gently in the city barracks, where the captain began to dismount "This is as far as we're flying I'm afraid" she explained, reaching down to ruffle the griffin's mane "Sarina here gets spooked by larger crowds, the castle should be right up the road, do you require further guidance?" Alynn asked, shifting her gaze back up to the ruler once again.

Xerxes gave a proper bow to the woman, and thanked her for her time. "Thank you, but I think I will be okay to go on my own now. I hope to see you again in the future though." He waved goodbye as he headed towards the castle, no doubt she would be there. It took only several moments, and he was close enough that he could sense her magic. Despite what the guard captain said, he wondered how the Queen would react to him. Maybe she was kind to her own people, but how would she feel dealing with an Earth Kingdom dweller. He had no illusions that the other kingdoms probably whispered about what savages they are, people that sleep and eat in the wild, friends with beasts. He would just have to prove there is so much more to the nature lifestyle.

By this time he was at the castle, and he headed inside where there was a huge amount of guards all wearing incredibly fancy armor that glimmered and glistened with a shine. These must be royal guards because just looking at them they looked so much more important then the others. Heading to where the largest abundance of magic power was coming from he quickly found the queen. He approached trying his best to mimic a nobles gait.
"Hello there Arissa, it's good to finally meet you, I am Xerxes Greenblood, and I would like to have a chat with you. I am sure you know of the rising tensions between the nations, and I am not sure about you, but I could use some more friends right now. What say you in going somewhere a little more private and discussing the current relationship between our kingdoms?"

"So strange... and you're sure it won't happen again?" The queen asked the captain of the Solari.

"Aye, seems to have been a random occurrence, you know how rare tremors are around these parts."

"Yes.. You're right.. I just can't help but... oh" The queen was interrupted as she caught a glance of the perpetrator of the quakes. She should have known from the start that this would be his doing.. the one man who could control the very earth below their feet. "Xerxes Greenblood... It's good to meet you again on good terms like this" she greeted the man, waving a hand to dismiss her guards. Now this was a surprise to the Queen of light, though it was a pleasant one, discussions of peace during a time like this always set her just a little more at ease. "Come, let's speak in my study, we'll be able to speak freely there. Would you like a drink? Some food? I know you must have traveled quite the distance, you must be starving!" she offered, ever the perfect host.

Xerxes was appreciate, and even though he wasn't actually hungry, he could still go for a bit to eat. "What a gracious host, I would be happy for any kind of hospitality you have to offer. A drink for example would be lovely right about now." Xerxes said following in tow behind the Queen of Light, following her to her study. Truth be told being around so many guards made him uncomfortable, not because they were threatening, but because it felt so alien. In the Earth Kingdom there was very little security on the actual inside of the city, because it was so well fortified outside. All sort of natural beasts and difficult terrain to make it a venture for anyone to even get there let alone survive.

"As I said, it's clear tensions are rising, and I am sure that some of the other kingdoms are even preparing for war as we speak. I do not consider myself a man of violence however, and I would like to have some friends in these trying times. I think we could benefit greatly from forging an alliance, as such I would be happy to open up any trade routes with you in case you are in need of special medicines, cloth, and meat. I would also be happy to allow you safe passage in my territory as would be custom with an allied nation. In return I would hope you can show us similar courtesy, and should a nation decide to attack you protect us, and we protect you. I think it sounds fair, unless you have a counter offer. Or unless you had any other terms you would like to discuss?"

Arissa lead the elf back down the winding halls of the kingdom back towards the study, instructing a servant along the way to have a glass of wine delivered to the study before leading Xerxes inside, sitting at the desk. She offered him a seat, and listened along to his explanation.
The Queen of Light watched the mans eyes as he spoke, carefully weighting his words, one needed to be incredibly careful during the discussion of a treaty, especially in dark times like this.. The fact that Xerxes himself had come to discuss things carried a great weight, it meant to Arissa that he considered this treaty important enough that only he could discuss it's terms. That act alone was enough to earn the queens respect. But at the same time.. a treaty so large offered so eagerly was a grand red flag for Arissa.. it could be sparked by any number of reasons, and none of them very preferable, from desperation.. to malice.

Xerxes, was a wild card through and through, it was difficult to gauge just what he was planning.. especially considering the customs of his kingdom, or the lack thereof, it could simply be that the king of the earth kingdom had decided one day that the kingdom needed allies, and without further thought made his way down to the first kingdom that seemed open to his own. Either way this would be tough for the queen to consider, and would have lasting repercussions if negotiated hastily... and even if she were to decline him, she would need to do so in a way that allowed further talk of alliances later down the line if the need came.

After a brief moment of consideration the queen finally spoke "Hmm.. Xerxes, I trust you, and I like the people of your kingdom. If you agree to keep your trade routes open me, the same will go for mine to yours, and if you are attacked I will lend aid. But heed my warning.. if your forces make a move on another kingdom aggressively, you will get no support from me"

Xerxes let out a heavy breath of relief, one that he hadn't been aware he was holding. "Oh thank you. My brother will be so happy to hear this." Then he realized that may need some further explanation.

"My Brother is my adviser and the smarter one between the two of us. He wanted me to make this alliance, and I know it is a good idea. You have no reason to worry though, I will not make an aggressive play against another kingdom, but if they act first I will be forced to make a response to defend either my territory or yours. After all I am not a violent man and I believe that fully. You have no reason to worry about me. I just have one more negotiation." He said with a brief pause. "As we will be trading goods with each other now, I think it important to trade information as well, after all goods supply a kingdom, but information is often what will save it. So if you come across anything interesting please let me know. Now is there anything else you would like to discuss?" He said whilst taking a sip from the wine and admiring its smooth flavor. It was better then anything he had in his village, and he had to admire the craft that the city of light obviously possessed.

Arissa couldn't help but smile at Xerxes relief, maybe she had over complicated things.. maybe she didn't need to be so heavy handed in her warning.. nonetheless, everything seemed to be panning out smoothly, a fact that the Queen of Light couldn't be happier over. "Right... well I'll be certain to tell you if I come across anything important, but for now we should probably get down to the nitty gritty, shall we?"

Xerxess and Arissa discussed the rest of the details over more wine, small snacks, and a few hours until everything looked to be right as rain. It was then that Xerxes decided to take his leave. Making sure to leave with a bow, and a friendly wave and saying his goodbyes. After another griffin ride, and departing on his horse it would take him another three hours to get home, this time with the sun setting so the heat was much more mild. He returned home to a overjoyed brother, and adviser, and to a warm bed.

 

[Nogoodname]

Jacelyn, or Jace as she liked to be called, had stepped outside for a moment to get some fresh air, and enjoy some time to herself before the group went off on the hunt. The hunt itself had always been a rather exciting time for the girl, even when she was too young to be allowed to participate. Even now the excitement wasn't lost on Jace as the group waited anxiously to board the ship and be on their way. But at the same time, Jace just wished that she didn't have to be with her mother almost constantly through the event. A deep sigh escaped her lips, it wasn't that the girl hated her mother.. she couldn't.. well.. it was just.. she wasn't the same anymore, and Jace had never gotten used to it. Something had changed within Patricia during that fateful day when news of her father arrived. His death had been hard on everyone but that didn't give Patrica any right to..

No no.. she was dwelling on things again, just leave it in the past and move on she urged herself, turning to make her way towards the inn once again. The redhead made her way inside, blinking in realization that everyone else had already gathered and were ready to head out "ah, er, sorry I'm late" Jace muttered, going over to meet with the rest of the group. It was nearly time to head off, at least there was that going for her. She could be out of this place soon enough, just had to have a little patience. Jace quickly straightened out the rather boyish white tunic under her brown vest while the rest of the group prepared to head out.
Wandering Grim Hollow
(sorry for such a short post, I couldn't think of much for an intro >.<)

 

[Cosmo]

Zahir took a moment from his work to look around at the stables he was currently standing in, the smell of shit, animal sweat, rotting hay and the faintest tinge of iron from blood assaulting his senses, but, despite the smells, it was one of the finest stables in the city, outside of a rather charming tavern that, admittedly, Zahir had only stepped foot in once, years ago, when he procured a permanent... arrangement to house his steed, Dashir, for the barracks stables were crude beyond imagining and the caretakers tended to be hamfisted with not two senses to rub together in the care of a fine warhorse. Despite the thick wooden walls, Zahir could hear the noise of the city, of the celebrations of Alsahwa. They had arrived back from their patrol just in time, and now he understood why his men and women were more... lively and quicker on their feet on the return as the festival had slipped his mind as it was never something he paid much mind to. Even a desperate struggle against a large bandit force, the riders of drognar, did nothing to dampen their spirits as, wounded and bandaged, they had thrown themselves in the crowd and Zahir had no doubt that in nine months time, the streets would be littered with bastard children.

He shook the thoughts from his head and ran his hand down the flank of Dashir, feeling for any more scraps and cuts he had missed as he enjoyed the soft feel of the fur as the strong corded muscles underneath flexed under his touch, the battle had been rough as the Drognar pieces of shits did so love their bows, and Zahir had patched up what wounds he could in the field, but now that they are... 'home', it was time to ensure no infections appeared. Most of his lancers preferred to let the barrack stable hands do that, but Zahir would never let anyone do this, this was his duty to his friend and he would run naked through the fucking palace before he let someone else care for Dashir in his stead. Zahir fought back a grimace as he over extended himself, the wound at his side opening up beneath the filthy, sand encrusted bandages allowing a trickle of blood to break free of the scab and run down his flank. A lucky arrow that had slipped through his guard and between the lamellar plates, a one in a million shot, but his wound could wait, he would survive it as he always did, Dashir was more important. Zahir whispered silently, coxing Dashir to relax as he probed one of the deeper wounds to feel how it was healing and to ensure the ointment had gone deep enough, ignoring the pained whine and kick of the hoof, a threat if there ever was one as many a bandit had fallen to those powerful hooves crushing down upon them.

"Not so bad, is it, you big baby?" Zahir asked, the words echoing out from his veil as he placed his helmeted forehead against Dashir's, their eyes meeting, or, well, eye in Zahir's place as the other was deader then the sands of Igniuim. He would be sleeping here tonight, in the hay in the other stall, so he could keep an ear out for Dashir's breathing and ensure nothing was going wrong. It was a silly fear as the young boy, Ahmed, was a friend and would come running for him if anything happened, but Zahir couldn't bear the thought of Dashir alone during such a.. dangerous period of his healing, and, well, Zahir also had no desire to be alone during this festival, at least this way, he could spend it with something that had long since earned his respect. He had already, sternly and with sharp tongue, turned down his men's offer to join them in their festive.

"Is he going to be okay?" A small voice inquired.

Zahir leaned back from Dashir and turned his head, his dead eye falling upon a small boy in rags, Ahmed, no more then eleven, the stableboy for the tavern. An orphan from one of the various soldiers who died, or a bastard from a festival like this, it was always hard to tell which was which in this city, that said, it didn't matter all that much, in the end, they still were left with no family or home to go to and were an endless supply of cheap labor under the guise of 'charity', but, it kept them off the streets, so it was better then nothing, "Aye," Zahir said, a small smile sliding across his lips hidden behind the veil, "I'll think he make it to see another battle, old bastard will outlive me at this rate."

Zahir winced as he leaned over to the saddle bag, fishing through one of the bags until he came up with a small leather bag and tossed it to Ahmed, "Dates," Zahir said, knowing full well how fond of the dried sweet fruit the boy was, "If you could bring some fresh water and bandages, I'll be sure that old coin pincher in there gives you a full meal, with meat, and some fucking new clothes, damn things are growing lice and I'll not have Dashir here scratching himself from the bites," he finished reaching up to the hidden clasp of his armor and starting to undo them.

"And the battle?" the boy asked, his eyes wide with the normal wonder young boys felt when thinking of battle and blood, of course, no one ever told them of how terrifying it was, of the screams and moans of the dying or how men shit themselves when they die, but... who was he to take away his innocence?

"Aye, aye, I'll tell you the gory details, now off with you runt, and don't forget the damn bandages," Zahir said taking his hand off the clasp to shoo him from the stables.

​

 

[slim]

Nadian Karim

Nadian looked up from her drink to see Victor with an expression she had never dreamed he'd wear or even could make. She was so surprised she choked a little and had to hit her chest a couple times, attracting a few stares. She read the elf's note that he swiftly put away and reached for her, giving her a few moments to drop her body temperature so she wouldn't burn him a little. She was a Jinn after all, and a mere 96 degrees wasn't comfortable. She usually stayed at least 120 degrees normally, and now that she was being dragged off by Victor she felt uncomfortable with the temperature switch to the point she didn't realize she was even being dragged along like a naughty child.

Victor pulled her along and she had to jog a little to keep up. He still had that facial expression that put her off, but not in a bad way. She just reminded herself that it was his job to blend in and adapt. He solidified her thoughts when he once again slipped into his normal impassive expression. He soon stopped and nodded before sprinting off, and Nadian watched until he vanished on the rooftops. She stood there for a while as if transfixed but soon got her bearings and slipped back towards the bustle of the city. She was going to head back immediately but saw a familiar face as she was walking on the main road. She stepped into the stables, ignoring the piles of horse poop and smell as she approached the man. She made sure to avoid the back of the horse as to not get kicked.

"Zahir, correct?" Nadian asked as she scanned his face. She had met him a few times at meetings discussing the city's safety and requests for more men to be stationed out there. She did the did the salute for 'hello' and watched him tend to the horse.

"I haven't seen you in a while. Nice to know you're still alive and well." Nadian said warmly.

mentioned: shadowz1995 Cosmo

 

[Cosmo]

Zahir stopped his work with his clasp and closed his eyes under his helm, the chain veil obscuring the scars and, well, everything that made him, him, outside of his eyes. Of course, it was just his luck to run into her, the Sultana. He had seen her, what, a handful of times in his lifetimes and usually just in the background as his higher officers strutted like peacocks hoping to impress her and earn their way into her bed whilst he cared only for getting more recruits to the Wardens to watch the roads. He was.. impressed, flattered and incredibly unnerved that she knew his name.

"Captain Mudawar, [Moo-Da-War]" Zahir corrected before his mind could even consider to whom he was speaking, "But, yes, my lady, your memory serves you well. Sadly, a few too many knocks on the head have not done so well for mine," he added as he desperately tried to figure out why she was speaking with him. In fact, why was she here? In this small barn next to a nice tavern of no real distinction? Meeting someone? Not that it mattered, the Sultana did as the Sultana wished, but any thought to keep his mind occupied and his nerves under control were of a blessing, and he was ever grateful for his veil that made reading his facial features as impossible as it was to make them out.

Zahir fully let go of his armor clasp to return the salute before going back to work at it, loosing the lamellar breast piece and pulling down the shoulder guards, "Aye, suppose someone has to be glad to know I still draw breath, Imagine Commander Hamir is still waiting for me to croak and be buried beneath the sands, would make his... extra actives easier to hide, " he agreed carefully, his mind still trying to recover as he felt way out of his depth, even more so, the smille she sent him had him more then a little confused. Was she doing some odd.. touring of the troops? Blessing them with her beauty and presence so that they will happily throw themselves upon the enemies' spears when they come? Late coming back from a tyrst with a lover, one whom, unlike the rumored many she has, she is not supposed to be with and is checking to see what he saw or knew, which was jack and shit .

"By the hells," Zahir whispered under his breath in frustration over his lack of understanding or familiarity with the situation, his body still moving of its own accord, stripping his armor from his body as his muscle memory was long trained to do. His sword belt came off with a single practiced motion and he hung it over the stable wall.

"What brings you to this piss sta..." Zahir stopped and shook his head, "No, it doesn't matter and you aren't entitled to tell me shit besides who to fight and where to die, but shouldn't you be off," Zahir said his right hand rolling in the air as he tried to find the right word, his left at the hem of his chain shirt preparing to tug it off, "doing.. Sultana..ly.. duties for the festival? I'm not exactly charming company."
​

slim

​

 

[slim]

Nadian Karim

The Jinn watched the man become aware of who had spoken and tensed herself for the typical shock to attention and rambling as commoners tended to do. She was thankful that the man did nothing to suggest his shock and simply corrected her on his name. She inclined her head in apology. "My apologies, how rude of me to just state your name without the formalities. Ironic, since people here love to boast about those. I shouldn't be so careless." She watched him dismantle his armor bit by piece. It was nice to run into the person who did so much for her kingdom and didn't get much in return. She could invite him to the palace for a meal or something before he set off, and the royal stables would be a much nicer place for the horse that seemed to be injured. She couldn't stop herself from patting the animal's side with a feather-light touch as to not agitate the poor thing, and it only gave an ear tick in her direction to signal it even knew she was there.

"Commander Hiran...a distant name. As you can see, I'm awful with them. Still, I hate power games people play. It would make everything a lot easier if everyone's intentions were clear, but that would mean a perfect world, and we can't stand that. Too placid." She gave the large animal a gentle pat before turning back to the man who was now taking off his sword. She let out a soft chuckle at his correction mid-sentence and the tentative question.

"I was just stopping by the tavern for my favorite drink that my cooks can't recreate no matter how hard they try. Bless their hearts. As for the festival...I don't do anything for it but take part in it as just another face in the crowd." Nadian turned back to the horse before pausing and turning back to the man.

"I almost forgot...would you mind accompanying me back to the palace for dinner? I can have someone take the horse to the stables and look over it's wound, although I'm sure you took good care of it. It's the least I can do. You can refuse, of course. I don't get insulted easily,' Nadian said with a chuckle.

mentioned- Cosmo

 

[Cosmo]

Zahir tilted his head slightly in agreement, most men and women, give them a fancy title and they parade it around as if simple words made someone worth more then just the pampered piece of shit wrapped in silk they tended to be, but his title was not simple bravado, it was who he was, and his first name implied a companionship and intimacy he was not comfortable with especially considering who was saying it, but it wasn't worth saying so as it would reveal far more about his vulnerabilities then he was comfortable with. Better to offer her a small nod and move on from that specific topic.

He couldn't help it as he blinked in surprise as she caressed Dashir's flanks and the horse was.. content. He was a warhorse, a proud destrier with a foul temperament, it had taken poor Ahmed months before the horse stopped snapping at his hand when he tried to feed him, yet the Sultana had no issues getting close to the grumpy, wounded horse, either she had a gift with animals that went beyond most peoples or Dashir was, somehow, doing it just to aggravate him, and if a horse was capable of such a thing, he would have been certain it was the latter, as it was, he could only suspect. ​

"Yet you remembered my name, my grace," Zahir pointed out as Hasim was far more important then a simple captain like him, and Zahir did not have an ego large enough to believe he stood out in a crowd, so he couldn't help but wonder why she knew his name, unless it was simply the 'luck of the draw', as it were, "A perfect world," Zahir said shaking his head softly and scoffing at the idea, the chain links of his veil swaying before him, "The only difference is people would piss on your boots and stab you in the front instead of fucking your wife then stabbing you in the ass, in the end, you still get stabbed."

He made to pull off his chain shirt, but stopped at her insane comment, a face in the crowd, her? In her finery and with her appearance? Zahir had extreme doubts that was possible. The Sultana was not someone that could go unnoticed by anyone that was not a simpleton and blind, but as he had managed to recognize her, it left some doubt as to if simpletons wouldn't recognize her. Still, he held his tongue, her reason, true or false, was her own and he knew better then to pry into the business of others, not least of all because he truly didn't want to know.

Zahir froze as she made her offer, what had possessed the Sultana to make such an offer? They were not comrades nor friends, this was the first time he had ever truly spoken with her, and he had not lied before, he was not considered pleasant company by most. Refuse the Sultana, yes, that seemed like a safe thing to do regardless of her words. In that moment, Zahir couldn't help but feel away from the situation, as if he was someone else looking down upon the scene and the future was laid bare, if he said no, he would go to sleep in that hay, wake up the next day, and continue with his life, nothing would change, nothing would happen, he would go back to the life he was used to, if he said yes... something would change. Zahir wasn't sure what, but he would be set down a path that would destroy his world and he wasn't sure whatever would take its place would be better... or worse and then the situation was over and he was back to.. himself, "I," Zahir began getting ready to tell the Sultana that he had no desire to dine with her, but was truly grateful for the opportunity when someone entered the stable, a small boy in rags doing his best to haul the large bucket as the white bandages bundles around his shoulders threatened to spill down.

A smile worked its way across his face at the young stable boy, "My grace," Zahir said, giving her a slight bow, "This is Ahmed.." he trailed off as he realized he didn't know what the boy's surname was or even if he had it, "This is her grace, Sultana Nadian Karim."

He took some small pleasure in watching the boy's mouth pop open and much less pleasure in the bucket of water being dropped and falling over leaving him without an easy means to clean his wounds without getting another bucket. Zahir's dead eye trailed over the boy, his torn rags, his overly thin body that looked like he could topple over at the slightest breeze, and his little brown eyes focused upon the Sultana that could not have been bigger if they tried, "I promised the runt stories, so if you would be willing to put up with me and the runt, I would be... happy," Zahir said forcing that word out, "to dine with you."
​

slim

​

 

[Shadowfall]

Freyalise Whiterose
​

Another day, another job, another golem. This was the way that Freya looked on life at the moment. She was always busy, since the king had put her to use with creating the kingdom's next wave of autonomous defenders, soldiers without souls, so those who did live didn't die to outside forces. Her work was something of a trial and error. Her current golems on the borders attacked anyone that was wielding a sword. Again, if they just sheathed it, it wouldn't be a problem, but plenty of people did walk around with swords and no scabbards, so there was that too. Maybe she should work on a color based system, since armies kept a specific uniform most of the time.

Freya stopped writing for a minute so she could lightly tap her head on her wooden desk in frustration a few times. Then, she rewrote what she just smudged up, and wiped off the excess that had rubbed off on her forehead. Currently, the elf was in a far secluded area of the forest, where she had chosen to make her abode. The sun's rays were shining down on her, but not uncomfortably, as she had a golem solely dedicated to being her personal fanbearer to beat the heat, though she still felt the residue of the ink dry on her face.

Suddenly, there was a moment of clarity. "Of course!" Quickly standing up, she gathered together he notes and slid it into a leather satchel she kept around her shoulder. Rushing outside caught in a wind of inspiration, she slammed the door behind her, stepping over her floor clay as she left. It's a intruder deterrent, and also a message board, as which to she quickly imprinted 'Out to work, fixing golems.' with a quick stabbing motion using her fingers.

Her house, unlike many people of the Earth Kingdom, was close to the ground. She prefers to keep her feet on the ground, where she is most powerful. With a good leap upwards, the ground strained to follow her feet. Soon, she was traveling on pure moment. Of course, this might have left a few rocks and upturned acorns forgotten by squirrels, but the ecosystem won't be able to recuperate if there isn't anyone to protect it from burning down in holy fire and hell flame.

In a few minutes, she was able to make it to the edges of the Kingdom. Balancing while going at high speeds is very difficult, and has earned her a few scars and cuts, but it so, so worth it. Seeing one of her newest patrols, a 6 foot towering beast lumbering slowly across the border of the kingdom, where there is just grass and road. Dismounting, her feet scraped the ground as she slowed down, crouching as to not snap her legs. The golem payed no heed, continuing their mindless walk as it patrolled the perimeter. Sprinting up to the golem, she wiped off the runes that were inscribed in it's back, turning it back into an inert statue. She had to raise the ground so she could properly reach it's spine. Tracing little runes into it's back, they glowed with power as she lifted her finger to write the next one.

"Life"

"Bind"

"Guard - Perimeter"

"Walk"

"Kill"

She scratched her chin, and rummaged through her satchel, the golem beginning to move as she did. Realizing her mistake, she brushed off the 'Kill' rune, turning it's defensive pose into one more docile, it's balled fists turned back into finger-like rock stubs. Nose back into her book, she flipped through her notes until she found what she wanted again.

"Kill - Wielding Weapon, Murderous Intent, Running"

Nodding with her own handiwork, she watched as her creation came back to life. It's head, but a small dome on top of it's torso with two glowing green dots, on top of a longish stony torso cobbled from many rocks. Each arm becomes wider in circumference as one goes down the length of it's arms, which end in three little protrusions for grip. These protrusions usually disappear when fighting, leaving a ball of pure stone to pulverize whatever stand in it's way. It's legs are very similar to it's arms, besides from the fact that it's 'feet' are perfectly flat, and easily mold to any surface it steps on.

It was standing at a slight crouch, as if battle ready at any moment. The golem knelt it's head and closed it's eyes when it noticed it's master was standing behind it. Freya smirked at this. The bind rune certainly does have it's perks. She waved it off to go do it's duty for it's kingdom. As she watched the golem walk off, she just remembered what she was forgetting.

Jogging up to the thing, she wrote one last, very important rune, she made sure to write it carefully as she briskly walked.

"Link - Soldier"

That would make her job much easier than having to write each and every rune on each and every perimeter roaming golem in the future. Now she would have to find the next dozen and just write two runes instead of one. She sighed to herself before propelling herself on her board again.

This was going to be a long day.

 

[Fluffy-Kat]

Noblesse Rubdich
​

What little light of the rising sun had quietly snuck into the room of the little heiress, outlining the curtains that covered her window. Some of the golden light peeked through the gap of the curtains, creating a fault line of light over the only bed in the room, straight down the middle. There was a small body occupying the rather large bed, that could potentially hold four adult people, and it stirred as the sun rested on its face. The movements broke up the straight line of light, fragmenting it in certain places as it sat on her body, ever so gently waking her up.

Long lashes parted and revealed the red irises of Noblesse. Her long white hair trailed behind her on the bed while he layed on her side. Shutting one eye closed again, she pushed herself further into her pillow. Seemed like no one under this roof wanted to leave their bed. Turning fully to be face down on the pillow she released a long breath and groaned quietly into the cloth. "No...." was all she said. She spoke to the morning, the sun, the light, the early time. "No...." she repeated again. What awaited her today? More studies, more training, and her father. She opened her eyes at the thought of her father, staring into the darkness of her pillow so close to her face. He would the only reason shed get up, to be around the only man she ever needed in her life and grace him with her daughterly love. Wait a second....his schedule was open on this day. Noblesse's eyes widened and she pushed her self up from the bed in an almost push-up position on her belly, "Yes!" she gasped and sat up out of bed. The demon child whipped the covers off her and she scooted to the edge of the bed, throwing over her legs and standing. She ran over to the window and pulled the curtains apart, allowing the sun's light to fully swallow her room. Her pale arm reached out to push the window open and allow air to hit her face. The reds of her eyes scanned to view. The dead trees and their branches that drooped and reach for the dead below, rather than the sky above, the clouds that covered the sky and blocked most of the sun. Noblesse liked to pretend those were ashes that lingered in the sky from the great war during her father's time. They haunted the kingdom as a reminder. Her favorite part were the rivers that laced and tangled through out the land. The sun was brightest during dawn and twilight, because it was slow close to the horizon, the clouds havent completely covered it yet. It was during these times, these small windows of light, that sun reflected off the surface of the rivers, and made it look like the kingdom had flows of molten gold. It was beautiful really. The only pop of color in the barren, dingy land. The castle at the highest peak of a mountain that resided smack in the middle of the kingdom, over looking its entirety.

Noblesse turned and rushed to her door, swinging it open and running out into the corridor. There she collected herself as the servicemen of the castle passed by her. She greeted them with a small bow of her head, her long hair sliding off her shoulders as she did so. When they passed, she looked over her shoulder to make sure their presence was gone, and once the coast was clear, Noblesse turned a corner with her back against the wall. Listening to the footsteps grow farther away. Noblesse closed her eyes and her body was swallowed into the wall, only visible by a shadow. The shadow moved to the ground and slithered and scurried silently in zig-zagging motions. 'I'll get him this time!' She thought as she searched. The blob of shadow snuck through the castle rather quickly, checking rooms, the kitchen, the studies, 'I'll just wait in the dining room,' she thought. The dark patch darted across the halls and patiently waited under the table, safe from any light that may cross the room.

"Fine. But he usually isn't ready around this time, so you can wait on the steps while I examine your goods."

The little shadow began to physically form again from under the table, becoming a girl once more. Noblesse remained on all fours, her attention directed toward the front door of the castle. Voices echoed through the foyer, down the halls, and into the dining room. 'Father never has visitors this early,' she thought to herself. And just what guard let someone in with out announcing to any royal family member that there was someone at their steps? Melting back into a mobile black puddle, Noblesse swiftly fled the table to get a closer look. Barreling down the corridors and into the foyer, the shadowed girl hid in the shadows of the room. Strange creatures waited inside while one of the guards searched their things. The heiress left as quickly as she came in search of her father.

Once she reached back into the hallways of several rooms, she sprung back into the familiar form of a young demon girl. She ran down the hallway, zig zagging from one room to the other, knocking on the doors and trying the knobs, "Father!" The light, etheral trail of her night gown flowed and followed behind her, "Father!" She yelled again. She went through several spare rooms, the study, the library, the kitchens. No luck. Until her hand landed on a knob, and when she tried to open it, it was locked. He had to be there. Short, quick knocks hit the door, "Father! Father!"

Spoiler: Nightgown

shadowz1995

 

[shadowz1995]

Deshwitat L. Rubdich

The king of demons looked over his attendant with a smirk as she made herself presentable but the image of her naked form was still more than fresh on his mind. Desh shook his head to free himself of those thoughts, for he had a daughter to attend to and a kingdom to run. "I believe I w-" Deshwitat immediately turned his head and listened to the nearby knocked on the doors. It sounded... frantic. It was only when he head his daughter's voice that Desh's eyes widened in what could only be described as a miniature panic attack. Noblesse was knocking door to door quickly and calling for him. What in the 7 hells could have her so worked up. Desh tried to unlock the door but in his rush to open it, he had a bit of trouble unlocking it. Instinct overrode reason as he ripped the door off its frame with a hard pull to reveal his daughter's face. Immediately the king knelt down and took hold of his child, "Noblesse, what's wrong?!" He asked hurriedly. He smelled no blood on her nor anywhere nearby and she looked completely healthy. Maybe a bit shocked that he just ripped a door off in his fumbling, but otherwise unharmed.

The heir of the Dark Kingdom was still in her night gown for christ's sakes. What could have sent her running in such a hurry? Instinct still driving his thoughts, the Lord of Darkness's eyes glowed with malice as his took control of the dark surrounding him. The light that illuminated the castle quickly dimmed and then vanished completely. Shadows swallowed everything in the interior, tendrils of darkness writhing and searching for the cause of his daughter's distress. Everything the Desh's power passed was completely absorbed by the abyssal power.

The darkness searched through the castle and found nothing astray. Every servant on the inside was flinching in terror, thinking their king had gone made with rage and everyone was going to suffer his wrath. Alas, the were unharmed within the writhing abyss. These shadowy appendages eventually made their way out of the castle and flooded the outside world. The sky itself turned darker than it already was under the influence of the Demon King's power. The darkness snaked down the palace steps and consumed the guard at the gate and the entire band of Orkz but the power stopped spreading once it took the greenskinned creatures into its shadowy maw. There, Deshwitat had found the anomaly that he had been searching for.

They seemed innocent enough but Noblesse was alarmed by something and these strangers were the only thing that made sense. Everything Desh's darkness had consumed left nothing to be revealed. It was as if the darkness from the world scar itself has eaten everything it touched. Not even the floor beneath their feet was visible....everything was just black. The only thing that could be seen was the piercing, glowing crimson eyes of the Dark Lord within the abyss.

"Who are you? Why have you come?"

The voice demanded. To those within the Desh's power, it sounded like the sound came from every direction. The only ones spared being swallowed in Desh's magic was Sophia behind him, Noblesse in her father's arms, and anyone beyond the palace steps but it would be assured that everyone in the kingdom could feel the overwhelming presence of the King's Rule.
​

Roleplay Skittle (You wanted an entrance? There you go) slim (He's a chance for your personal guard) Fluffy-Kat Britt-21 Daimao (Your chance for an intro) MorgathosTheRussian (You as well)

Shadowfall