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Post by Richter Abend on Feb 26, 2010 1:11:47 GMT -6
Richter suppressed a complaint, instead staring blankly at Ariston, nodding his head slowly. Really? Lead a mass? He had no idea how to lead a mass. It didn't help that he didn't buy into the Prophet's words at all.
Or was that the point?
The pink-haired High Officer saluted as Ariston departed. "Yes sir," he said officially, watching his superior leave to prepare for the ceremony.
Richter paused and rubbed his chin in contemplation. While he didn't much know the order of ceremony, the rhetoric itself shouldn't be a problem. After all, he had made sure he was exceptionally well versed in St. Elimine and the Prophet's teachings back when he was staying in Castle Etruria. "Dress smart?" thought Richter to himself, "but all I have is this uniform..." No, wait. that wasn't true. Before they had left for Sacae, a soldier had brought Richter a nice set of robes. The High Officer had dismissed them at first, never imagining himself in ceremonial robes, but now he guessed that this is what they were for.
Alright, so he had to get ready, but so did all of his men. Ah, but Clair wasn't here. Looked like he'd have to start spreading the news himself. To his right, a ways away, he noticed a blond haired soldier talking to that young girl Lyar had brought in. He recognized the girl. Name started with a G. All of his men were always talking about her beauty...Guinevere. That's was her name. Then Richter spotted another person walk up. Long haired guy in yellow. It was the musician they had picked up on the plains.
Walking up to them, he gave a brief smile and nodded towards each of the three. "Came to inform you that we're holding mass in the chapel in an hour." He looked them up and down. "Dress your nicest." Richter drew a circle in the air with his finger. "Spread the word." He nodded, then walked off to inform another group of soldiers who had already settled down for a game of dice.
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Post by Guinevere von Altenburg on Feb 26, 2010 1:40:42 GMT -6
Gwen jumped to attention when Commander Richter spoke. She hadn't seen him coming, and still couldn't believe he had actually talked to her. Granted, they had spoken a few times before, but it was still a rush. She listened closely and nodded at his order to dress nice. "Yes, Sir!" Truthfully she didn't care for masses. What she was really excited about was a chance to dress up. Sure she was a soldier, but she still had a girly side and she didn't carry that pack all the way here for nothing. "Sorry, Sir Bard, must I must be off. Commander's orders you know." She turned to Love. "If you'd like to borrow something, I should have some extras." Woohoo! Pretty time!
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Kyro
The "Before" years
[M:5]
Strength does not lie in one's arm or mind, but in what they fight for...
Posts: 29
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Post by Kyro on Feb 26, 2010 11:59:27 GMT -6
Huh, and I thought Elias would be the weirdest thing to happen to me. This...this is something else. Kyro honestly couldn't remember a stranger time: he had picked up Elias a day ago, flown all over Lycia looking for the Herald, found a contingent of the army moving through Lycia, seen a dragon, and had now been caught between two orders. Really, neither one could officially be anything more than a request, but they were given as orders. Deigning not to ride Aiyer--it might be seen as aggressive, especially after his council with High Officer Abend--Kyro had been forced to subject himself to Elias' boundless excitement for the entire march. And now they were coming up to a barren shell of a fortress, asked to put up tents while repairs were considered and prepared for. "Looks like another night under the stars," the wyvern rider muttered, making sure to take note of all the soldiers that actually had tents until Elias began to drag him along. Finally (and bemusedly) extricating his arm from the mage's hand, Kyro told his friend, "I'm going to see what that officer wanted with us. You can feel free to talk this time, just don't get into trouble. And," with a bit of thought, "try to avoid the crazy shaman that tried to shoot you. We don't need any fights."
With that, he stepped over to the pink-haired officer, hearing news on the way of the mass and the order to "dress nice." Good luck with that. I don't bring spare clothes on simple message runs. Simple or not, no Etrurian mass would have any self-respecting Bernese soldier in attendance if there was an option. But now to the real question...finally Officer Abend appeared. "I need to know why you need us. Our orders were to return as soon as possible, but if you need any help, I'm willing to give it." This was all said quietly; the superior officer would doubtless take such a request with suspicion, and Kyro knew which officer he preferred personally. Something's not quite...right with this man. He has...what is it? Then it struck him. He responds to orders the same way I do. Is he having second thoughts, joining this army? This could turn out well...
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Elias
Mage Knight
The Crimson Mage
I'm just saying that the problem isn't going away, no matter how good we get at stabbing them.
Posts: 451
Etruria Fame: 1
Sacae Fame: 2
Lycia Fame: 1
Profession: The Crimson Mage
Affinity: Fire
Profile: Profile (updated)
OoC Alias: Elias
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Post by Elias on Feb 26, 2010 12:32:42 GMT -6
"Ok captain." Elias saluted, as they were military now and military people salute all the time. It's like sign language for them or something. They were supposed to get all fancy dressed and go to the giant evil church. He wasn't sure exactly why they were supposed to, but there it was. "I'll make sure I don't catch anyone on fire, I promise." He said with a kind of seriousness that was almost a bit disturbing. He took his orders to heart, because that's what a good soldier does. And he was going to be the best soldier ever in the history of forever.
"Well which soldier should I talk to about soldiery things?" He said aloud to himself. He looked around and... Wait! There, her he'll talk to her. Elias ran up to his target with impressive speed. "Hey, it's you. Dolly!" He said cheerfully, talking to Love. He didn't exactly know her name, but she looked like a doll earlier when she was trying to break him as a messenger, so that's who she was in his head. Dolly. He didn't realize he just interrupted another person's conversation, well that or he didn't really care. "Never said hi before, I was trying to be an awesome messenger. I'm Elias, The Crimson Mage! Magic caster and soldier extraordinaire." He introduced his self and struck a cool pose. He lifted a hand behind his head and concentrated for a quick moment and conjured a ball of flame, the rest of body lowered like he about to throw it. Instead he made the flame go away and returned to a more normal pose. "I bring about firey justice."
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Post by Richter Abend on Feb 26, 2010 12:36:19 GMT -6
Richter nodded toward the messenger. "Right, Kyro was it?" he asked. "This should keep you. I need you to send a message to the Ilian leadership." He wasn't exactly sure what to call them; the people that ran Ilia. When he was younger, Ilia was run by a union of mercenary warlords who, while acting independently, all worked together when it came to Ilia's best interest. From the things he'd heard, though, the Ilian government had become surprisingly more centralized to the point where they were now making Bern a fiefdom. "I need you to inform them that, soon, High Officer Richter Abend," the High Officer continued, stressing the Abend, "will want audience with them over the matters of...Etruria."
Richter wasn't sure that, if his words were delivered, anything positive would come out of it, but it was worth a shot. Depending on how his coup went, he would need shelter...and forces. If anything, Ilia may be the one to help. In all his time as a mercenary, his father had worked closely with many of the Ilian warlords under the old regime, and if any of them had ended up in the new Ilian leadership, Richter may just have a chance at rallying Ilia under an anti-Etrurian banner. Despite their poor state of living, as a mercenary, the name "Abend" went far in Ilia.
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Morgoth Animus
Shaman
DEAD
"Save the world? You know not what you say."
Posts: 155
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Post by Morgoth Animus on Feb 26, 2010 13:08:08 GMT -6
Morgoth became bored of thinking, so he wandered off. He came to two girls staring at the red guy, and when Morgoth heard what the guy said he chuckled.
"Have you been practicing that? Crimson, eh? The color of blood, my favorite. I'm Morgoth, son of none and a Shaman. I believe we met before." Morgoth liked surprising people, and he continued. "What did you do to get your name, I've never heard of a Crimson Mage. Did your parents die in a bloody battle or something?"
OoC: ;D Yay, Morgoth's getting bored with pretend. Wait, its not time....
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Elias
Mage Knight
The Crimson Mage
I'm just saying that the problem isn't going away, no matter how good we get at stabbing them.
Posts: 451
Etruria Fame: 1
Sacae Fame: 2
Lycia Fame: 1
Profession: The Crimson Mage
Affinity: Fire
Profile: Profile (updated)
OoC Alias: Elias
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Post by Elias on Feb 26, 2010 13:17:42 GMT -6
"Nah, my parents are back in Lycia doing something goofy. Or do you mean my birth parents? In which case, yeah they died. If it was gruesome and bloody? I dunno, I was, like, three." Elias tapped his chin with his index finger, trying to remember as far back as he could. "As for why I'm a Crimson Mage... Well I'm a mage, and I wear crimson. The coolest color ever, and yes the color of blood." That somehow made things even creepier.
"Wait, you're that one dude who attacked me earlier. Shaman-guy." Kyro said I shouldn't talk to him, at risk of a fight. I'm also a soldier, and soldiers always obey orders... However soldiers need to know other soldiers. This is a conundrum! What should I do, what should I do?
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Love
Shaman
[M:0]
Posts: 37
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Post by Love on Feb 26, 2010 19:27:48 GMT -6
Oh it is so nice to meet you, was the phrase Love gave back to Guinevere when she spoke to her. "I'm . . . Love." She gave a more faithful smile than the last few she had given.
She was cut off from speaking anymore however, when the commander came over. Yes. THE commander. Of all people to turn Love quiet, it was him. She stayed motionless during the mass message and was frozen too when Guinevere dutifully gave her reply.
Eventually he was gone and Love panicked a little. A church? How could see go back to a church and face it again? Oh my oh no. She would be punished for her misdeeds. Oh my, oh no, oh dear.
But she still had to keep a straight face back in the real world. "Yes. I do not have anything to wear. Please lend me something." She sounded slightly monotone...but maybe nobody would notice it.
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Post by Guinevere von Altenburg on Feb 26, 2010 19:49:13 GMT -6
Guinevere gave Love a smile. "Follow me then." The solider then led the way back to her tent, a spring in her step as she did. She didn't have many chances to get dressed up out in the field, so she liked to take advantage of it when she could. Once inside her tent, she spread out a fair amount of clothes for Love to choose from. "Pick anything you think will fit." She gave the girl a smile before starting to change herself.
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Aeros
Manakete
Posts: 77
Etruria Fame: 1
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Post by Aeros on Feb 26, 2010 20:09:18 GMT -6
More traveling, more flying, more avoiding curious eyes had covered Aeros' time for days on end. In it all, he never tired of moving, never tired of hiding, never even tired of Tuatara's endless, amusing, inane comments. No, what he tired of was the landscape that prepared for war, or seemed to be in war, or had been ravaged by war. His five years of recovery had shown him quite a bit of Lycia, some of Bern, and the tiny bit of Etruria he had traveled through with Rayl, but nothing looked the same anymore. Five years can be so long when it's all the memory you have... After moving away from the battle zone in the Bandit war, Aeros had been basically forgotten and left to his own devices, namely recovering. With a shredded wing, injured leg, and the numerous bruises and scrapes accumulated from the other dragon, the next several months were miserable. It had taken four years for him to recover enough to comfortably travel, and the next year was taken meeting Tuatara and journeying to Nabata.
That debt was paid, and the manakete had put it behind him. Now he considered repaying the kindness, however slight, that Rayl and his company had given him when the bandits still hunted him. So here he flew, following the path Rayl had taken. His famous face made it easy, and Sacae appeared to be the end of the tracking.
It would seem so, Aeros thought as he spotted the blue armor he had heard Rayl now wore. He had worn similar armor all those years ago, but now it seemed...flashier. More official. Before he could great the knight, however, something caught the dragon's eye, and he plummeted downward to avoid what seemed to be the Etrurian army. The Herald...or not? I should have paid attention to the faces of the soldiers that survived that time. Rayl would be the one to talk to. Without ceremony, Tuatara found himself dumped off of Aeros' back while Aeros shifted to human form. "Listen, Tut, you have to be careful here. There are Etrurians over that little hill over there, and if they find us, they'll probably kill us. Just follow me and try to stay close." Knowing the thief would probably follow him anyway, the manakete slowly walked toward the small group, noting his old ally's distraction and deciding a careful greeting would be best. "Sir Rayl," he asked, folding out his wings as he had the first time he had met them. How things change, how they stay the same...
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Post by Rayl Torien on Feb 26, 2010 21:07:07 GMT -6
Rayl's full attention was now fully affixed on the Etrurian dillema...as a matter of fact, he had nearly forgotten of the existance of his companions, as he dismounted, kneeled onto the ground and thus, using his lance to support, looking down to the earth as if some great plan would come from Mother Earth herself and speak to him...
...odd, at some point some Sacaen beliefs must have sunk into him...just like the beliefs of so many different peoples of Elibe...wasn't mass going to take place in an hour or so, judging by the sun's position in the sky? His mind was wrapped up on so many things, but was shattered when he heard a familiar voice, one he had not heard in many a year:
"Sir Rayl."
the aforementioned man rose to his feet and turned around, a smile on his face," Aeros! Well met, it's been too long old friend!" he took a step forward, and extended a hand," Of all the places we were to meet again, this surely is the strangest!" his smile faded as reality hit him," I am sure you have seen the forces below?" how had he, Aeros, been able to come up behind him with them noticing the dragon? Was he with the Etrurian Forces? No, he couldn't be, not after what happened at the docks...Aeros...Richter...Sireace...none of them could possibly side with the Prophet after what happened to them in Delphia!
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Byron
Archer
PopMeat
Posts: 50
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Post by Byron on Feb 26, 2010 22:19:38 GMT -6
Byron walked as he hoped he would have a nice place to relax, his chances were slim but he hoped none the less. Byron procceded to drag is feet along the road as he looked around at the soldiers and a few giving him foul faces and cursing at him. Byron didn't understand he wanted to help, yet everyone was pushing him down. Although, it didn't help that they basically ambushed the army. Byron looked around and he saw someone he hadn't talked to in a while. Marcus.
He was just standing around looking aimlessly for something. Byron strolled over to catch up. Not like there was much to catch up on, but it was company none the less and Marcus didn't want to kill him. Byron smiled as he approached Marcus, "Hey, long time no see."
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Post by Clair Feldsky on Feb 26, 2010 22:43:35 GMT -6
Clair and Lyar rode up the gentle slope of the hill. The squire-turning-knight was trying to figure out just what to do when they got to Rayl's group. She wasn't sure what to expect. Lyar was Ostian, and would likely be given a warm welcome, but she was a part of Etruria's Inquisitional Army, however temporary that was likely to be. The Commander had just ordered her to stop a message on it's way directly to the Herald, after all.
She saw a silver bolt dive from the sky to the earth, landing on the other side of the hill from her. Was that a dragon!? It wasn't Marcus, he was black and green. She stopped momentarily, before pressing on. She couldn't spend the time worrying about it. Lyar needed the healer that was up there, so regardless of the danger to herself, she had a responsibility to get them there.
She picked up the pace and rode up the hill again, leading Lyar's horse deciding to go with the simple truth as far as she knew. "Sir Rayl! I have an injured man here! He needs help!"
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Aidan Lowell
Griffon Knight
Symbol of Rebellion
Ten years is far too long to be a stranger in your own home.
Posts: 265
Bern Fame: 4
Illia Fame: -4
Profession: High Consul in the Bernese Senate
Affiliation: Bern
Affinity: Thunder
OoC Alias: Elias
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Post by Aidan Lowell on Feb 26, 2010 23:30:51 GMT -6
This... that... what... what. WHAT? What the hell!? In a rare showcase of emotion, Aidan had a mixture of surprise and fear on his face. A.. A.. dragon. A dragon came from absolutely no where and landed right in front of them and morphed into a human, talking to Rayl like he seriously didn't just swoop in. A few people came piling off his body, but that wasn't what caught his attention. No, it'd be hard pressed to take his attention off of the giant lizard-man.
Dragons... It was... It was a dragon that did... that to Bern. The fire... the death... I.. I don't want to remember. Not right now. Not like this. The knight stared in disbelief, and he couldn't believe how calmly Rayl took it. Not only was he not readying his spear... He extended and hand, and a smile. What was going on?
Aidan, however, held his lance at ready. He had long since dismounted the steed, and before now he was trying to gather as much information as he could from the immediate area. The thing he was thinking about was utterly destroyed when the monster came into view.
He heard another voice, one off in the distance calling. He couldn't even concentrate enough to make out what it said. He didn't know what was going on, and sure enough no one was even trying to explain things.
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Post by Rayl Torien on Feb 26, 2010 23:52:09 GMT -6
Rayl's reunion was cut short when he heard:
"Sir Rayl! I have an injured man here! He needs help!"
Without another word he turned to face them. The injured man, a hulk of a human being, oddly enough a smile on his face despite the grave injuries he had. He wore tattered Ostian armor...were they fugitives or hostages of these Etrurians? This thought instantly died when he saw Clair's armor...the black and white was not unknown to him...he'd worn the uniform before.
"...I will help your friend, but you will leave your prisoner here, Etruria-"
"B...ut...S...she's my...friend..."
Etrurians friends with Lycians? it was understandable, people were individual...perhaps Rayl was thinking too much on politics...but nevertheless, Rayl could not let them leave his eye now that they knew of his presence...wait- how did she know he was here...
"Alright then, you must both stay here with me and lay your weapons down...I am sure you know why Etrurian." he was trying not to use words along the line of prisoner, captive, or hostage.
while the paladin spoke kindly, you could tell his opinions of The Country, more specifically it's leader, were quite obviously seen in his tone while he walked over to examine the girl and her pegasi closer...she reminded him so much of Persephone...
you could see something was at the back of his mind now that wasn't war related, as he searched her eyes for something, realized it was only there in his mind, before he turned back to the the troubadour," Evangeline, tend to the injured man. Sir Lowell and Lady Aevian, make sure they are fully unarmed."
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