The Order of Maltet (Open/ Ilia Resistance)

[Orcleous]

The sun rose over the horizon bringing with it the new dawn. The light, in all of its brilliance shinned down upon the world dispelling the darkness and bringing the deeds of man into light. A lone figure walked the streets of Carrhae. His body covered in crimson armor and on his shoulders a magnificent magical weapon weapon. The weapon stood six feet long from point to pommel. The best way to describe it would be a long five sided iron rod that was thicker than a mans head. Each of the five sides of the weapon was etched with magical symbols that glowed with a holy radiance. Connecting the massive hulk of iron was a steel pole wrapped in dark leather and orange cloth. At the end of the rod was a thick iron ring that had a long piece of cloth tied to it. On the flowing paper was prayers to havens to smite evil and uplift the holy. Xigsahw, was the name of this weapon and thought it was not well known to the people of Carrhae it was on the tong of everyone in town.

Like a ghost the warrior passed thought the streets. His dark brown skin gained the eye of many who looked on. His fluffy sheep wool hair women awe and the men snear. Without a single word he had drawn the attention of everyone in the market place. Questions of his identity filled the air and question of the weapon on his shoulder followed suit. The fact that he did not speak nor did he stop made him all the more interesting, however the warrior was not here to pick up fans. He was here to fulfill a mission, one given to him by a native of this land. Stepping on to the local platform that was used to hang criminals the warrior got everyone attention. He turned and faced the small crowd that was gathering. Other simply stood around stalls and shops looking in his direction. "That would be enough", spoke the Champion as he looked at the people. Any more and he might start to second guess himself.

Without saying a word the champion called upon his natural energy. Suddenly there was a great aura pulsating from his body. A aura of fear, depression, and outright intimidation. [Daunt] For a moment everyone around the stand near him felt a great pressure. The old, the young, and even the healthy. It suddenly became hard to breath. It was almost as if a great pressure was weighing down on them. Growns and complaints erupted from the crowd, but as soon as it came it suddenly vanished.

"DO YOU FEEL IT", shouted the Champion taking hold of everyone attention. "DO YOU FEEL THAT PRESSURE! DO YOU FEEL THAT WEIGHT. THAT is only a taste of what is to come", spoke Orcleous. He had them now. He had there attention. It was good idea for him to use that ability. It beat him just yelling out like a madman. "As of right now your country is being invaded by Eturia. The full might of the holy empire is raining down upon you and if you do nothing then that feeling you just experience a moment ago will become your reality. The Eturians plan to enslave you, kill you, and convert you into there distorted idea of the faith. They plan to demolish everything you hope and dream for and strip away the one thing that all Ilians have over every other nation, your freedom. My name is Orcleous, Orcleous of Isengaurd. At the moment I am working with a man named Argus to fight against the threat that bears down upon us all. Even now, as I stand before you we have already struck the first blow." With that Orcloeus moved his hand to his bag and pulled out the crumpled up remains of the magical bow he destroyed the other day. "Look at there weapons", he shouted as he tossed the broken hunk of wood and metal into the crowd. "Know there power, know what we fight. I implore you all to stand and fight. No heroes are going to ride in to save you all. There is no Winter Lion! There is no Rising Lance! We must become our new heroes and stand up against this evil tied. If we do not stand we are all doomed! REMEMBER OSTIA! REMEMBER THE AREAN! AND ABOVE ALL ELSE REMEMBER BARIGAN!!!

Orcloeus stopped for a moment to let the crowd react to his speech. His words and actions got mix revies, but he felt he got his point across. Now was the time for him to finish it.

"THOSE WHO WISH TO PLEDGE THEMSELVES TO THE FIGHT COME AND JOIN UP! JOIN THE ORDER OF MALTET!"

[Nyroshea]

Nyroshea had been running the typical morning errands. Purchasing medicines and other supplements from the market as early as possible so that he would have the night to himself. Most of the procedures were pretty routine for him, even though he had only just gotten out from his comatose a few weeks ago. He'd been well enough to walk on his own without use of a cane to support his weight. Quite, he was healed nice and properly for the most part, save for his grooming.

Which caused for him to beg the question--was he seeing things, or was there a man clad in crimson armor taking to the platform just now? He wasn't dressed like the other soldiers in Carrhae, quite frankly he stuck out like a big red sore thumb or a stubbed toe with an afro. Yes, perhaps that was a better way to phrase it. From where he stood, he'd brushed the purple locks from his eyes to get a better look at the man--

It was then that the lad was hit with a rather menacing pulse through the air, the loud roar of the intimidating soldier filled the air in a form akin to the blackness. The sensation of being dragged down to the gates of hell was not an unfamiliar one. He shivered and closed his eyes. Geeze this guy sure is scary; hella scary! he thought at the first moment. Clutching his chest, he stood back up with some uncertainty.

It was then, that he saw the scattered weapon. The words of the man rung through his head like two cymbals crashing beside of his ears. But their meaning was not lost on him. The sensation akin to the black bile, the enemies approaching onward.

They would truly bring death to the Ilians, and this man, a mere foreigner from outside was putting his life on the line to save them? It was a bit out there--but being in his youth, Nyroshea didn't particularly think to question his motives further. He could not fight well, he as incompetent, and he knew this -- but --

"I don't think anyone should really have to die feeling that sort of thing." the boy would reaffirm himself, clutching his fists to his side as he stepped forth from the crowd. He was not particularly big nor strong, but he'd seen enough. With two events shaping his life into the throes of decadence, he'd already experienced death and its lonely, ugliness.

"If no men will step forth to aid your cause, then I will do it... I might not be the strongest, but I have picked up a few tricks from the time I'd spent travelling with my uncle. I think I can be of at least one use or two..." he humbly folded his arms behind of his back and merely smiled. He wasn't too show offy; offering only words for flavoring over the grip fear had on his heart. He the most confident due to his incompetence with magic. But this was a time of war, and child or not, if these adults couldn't make a difference for the future generation then the next gen would just have to take the reigns into their own hands, he garnered.

"I am Nyroshea, the Anseah. We'll get more acquainted later, Orcleous of Isengaurd."

[Dawson]

Dawson was strolling in the streets when he suddenly felt some type of fear come over him. N-no way, HE can't be here already...could he? Dawson thought as he looked around nervously. He sighed a breath of relieve as he noticed that it wasn't Draco...but a man who seemed to be advertising some type of resistance for Ilia. He did tell Bee a while back when he was with her that he didn't like fighting with his elder magic, but if fighting for this resistance meant getting stronger, then he knew what he needed to do. Plus, he didn't really like Etrurians, especially since they constantly discriminate against those that use elder magic, regards of the reasons.

He stepped forward from the crowd that formed around the strong man. "I pledge myself to your cause...if you will have me...my name is Dawson...that is all you must know of me" Dawson said, staring at the great man that stood. He could see that someone else is also pledging their loyalty to the resistance even though he looked fairly young. It mattered not his reasons for joining, hopefully he knew what he was getting into. Perhaps, he may even find an ally or two that could help him defeat Draco when the time came...

He patted his satchel where he kept his tome in. He just hopped that the man who was recruiting for this resistance won't judge him for the use of his elder magic, or even view him as an enemy...Dawson nervously looked at him, waiting to see if the recruiter would take him in.

[Orcleous]

Orcleous gave off a long sigh as he looked at the recruits standing before him. He had hoped to recruit more people to the cause, but his speech seemed to have had a daunting effect on everyone. He was hoping the people volunteered in droves, but it seemed that Orlcoeus speech skills needed to be worked on. They were not as fine tuned as his ability to smash his enemies. Still he did manage to pull a few people. With the low turn out and the fact that they all seemed like stragglers Orcleous firmly believed that they were the real deal and not spies. There was no point in worrying about spies right now, Orcleous reminded himself.

"Nyroshea eh", spoke Orcleous as he jumped down from the platform. His crimson plated boots sunk into the hard earth. Naturally at this point Orcleous was weighing almost two hundred and eighty pounds without his armor. You throw in a forty pound suit of armor and a Xigshaw that weight over a hundred itself you get a pretty massive guy. Orclous should consider himself lucky the stand did not break under his weight.

"Well kid welcome to the Order", spoke orcleous as he rached out and touched the young man's shoulder. "Don't worry about your combat experience we will work on that. Congratulations you are the first, that fact will be dully noted.As orcleous finished talking to the young man another person stepped up. He was no warrior that was for sure, but looking at him orcleous could tell he used magic. It seemed that mages were orcleous drawing point. Looking down at the man Orcleous noticed two things. One that he was probably older than him and two he had a dark tome at his hip.

"A shaman", spoke Orcloeus as he walked up to the man. "How good are you with that tome. Elder magic may have a disadvantage against Eturia's light magic, but its effects are very effective on the battlefield. Using it wisely we can turn that to our advantage. We may sound like a order of knights , but will take anyone under our belt even a mage." As Orcleous finished talking to them two young girls ran up to him in mini skirts of all things. They had armor, but Orcleous would not really call it such. It was mostly just a chest guard. Immediately orcleous knew there profession, Pegasus Knights.

"My name is Shala", spoke the first maiden. She had bright green hair and eyes that were as blue as the Bern sky. Her skin was as pale as the moon and as flawless as silk. In her right hand was a silver lance, which gave testament to both her classy nature and her experience in battle.

"And my name is Raquisha", spoke the second girl. Her skin was tan, but not as dark as Orcleous. She looked sun kissed as if she spent many a long ours in the sun. Her body was far more muscular than her counterpart and it held far more scars. Her hair was a tangled mess of crimson strands and her posture was closer to that of a man. She held a sword on her belt, rather than a spear and from Orcleous could tell it was part of the killer series.

"I am a Pegasus Knight", spoke Shala.

"And I am Griffon Rider", spoke the Raquisha

"Griffin Rider", spoke orcleous with surprise. A bright smile crossed the maidens face. Its innocent look contradicted her outward appearance.

"Yes my father got it for me, when he visited Vinland", spoke the maiden.

"So can your order support our mounts", spoke Shala in a devious tone. Her eyes gleamed like a thief and told the Champion that she is to be wary of.

"At the moment, no", spoke Orcleous. "However before the day is thought we will be ready."

"Good", spoke the maiden. "Then you have my lance."

"And my sword", spoke Raquisha.

Oh boy what have I gotten myself into, thought Orcleous to himself. He had wish Argus had done this part. However he said he was going to be talking to the merchants. Since did not know anyone for the region he was stuck with recruiting. At the very least though he could see who he was going to have to train. They were going to need to get there team work down to a point and learn the basics of gorilla warfare. It would be best to eliminate all hot heads off the back then to have to deal with them in the middle of training. That being said The Order was not really in the position to turn down members. They would need all the people they could get if they desired to turn the tide of this invasion. At the moment they were small and there size would be there greatest advantage.

[Nyroshea]

Nyro's uncertainty was quick to vanish, and soon he could puff his chest up with pride. The man's words served not only to boost his morale, but indicated just how seasoned he may have been. The way Orcleous spoke now scaled with how he engaged the civilians earlier was a symbol of a serious mind that aspired for greatness but was not afraid to mince words. In a sense, to Nyroshea, he seemed like the type of person the lad could aspire to become like. With a confident nod, the lad did his best to keep composure and not do something obscene like shout in excitement. This wasn't a game like the other times, this could brew into legitimate warfare. The enemy would be experienced, and he'd need a level head to outmaneuver all of them.

A single mistake can lead to a certain death after all. Having not one, but two close-calls is but one too many.


There was a sense of accomplishment to be felt though, as he turned to see more people follow suite and take to positions in the army. A stout lad of a much darker heritage with locks of hair akin to the darkness he sported. And two dames that seemed to be set paradoxical to one another. A cool beauty and a rugged vixen. He didn't quite know what to think of them, because the lot seemed rather... Stoic, perhaps?

"Mm..." Nyroshea hummed sheepishly, swaying his hands to and fro as he looked at the audience, the recruitees, and the Champion clad in crimson steel. ""Do you have fliers, milord? he asked, wanting to seem useful due to his second nature. "If not, I think I can scout for some people... I've traveled these mountains quite a few times. I think I may know of some people who can help."

[Dawson]

Dawson nodded at the man clad in armor. "Let my results on the battlefield speak for themselves, I am aware of the disadvantage my magic would have on Etrurian light magic users, but I'm certain that I will be of use" he said as he patted his satchel. Not to mention I along with Bee and the thunder mage with us take down one of Dracos "minions" and he had a Regal blade for petes sakes! he thought. He was tempted to say he took down a Regal Blade wielder, but he remained silent. He didn't want to attract too much attention in case Draco sent another to take him down, which in turn would also put those in the resistance in danger.

He looked around at the other recruits that signed up. He noticed a young lad who seemed like he had some combat skills, but still looked young. He also noticed some girls join with the resistance. From what he heard, they were fliers, one a Pegasus and the other a griffin. I've heard of Griffins, but never seen one myself. Those that ride one in battle are supposedly well experienced in handling them in and out of combat. Dawson thought. He then looked at the cladded recruiter. "I will not fail this group...nor will I fail you, Orcleous of Isengaurd" he said. Perhaps sticking with the group would be benificial after all. Not only would he grow stronger to defeat Draco, but he could possibly find an ally or two that might be able to lend a hand to him as a favor. Not to mention, he has a good chance of hiding from Draco since he likely won't know he joined with the Ilian Resistance...at least not for a while.

[Orcleous]

So far four people, thought Orcleous. It was a good start. He wanted to recruit half the town, but that was not truly viable nor did it happen. Out of everyone he talked to he had four people. A pupil, which little magical talent but lots of potential. A Shaman, and a proud one at that, who commanded elder magic. Two different types of flying units. One a Pegasus and the second a griffin. They were both useful for operations, but they would cost a lot of upkeep to keep them running. A Pegasus needed hay and a Griffin, well Orcleous was not sure of what they ate. However if he had to guess they ate meat. With that in mind they would have to hunt down enough animals to keep the beast feed. Not only that but they could not shelter the beast in the same place they kept the Pegasus. They had not even started yet and they were already having problems.

First things first, thought Orclous. He needed to follow the rules of mercenary leadership. During his time wondering the world Orcleous had learned a lot of things. One of the most important things he learned was that everyone had to get scratched. If you ran a group or a organization you had to talk to everyone and treat everyone with respect. That means you had to address there opinions and advice. Even if it was bad you had to at least listen. Orcleous did not want to be the leader of this thing, but he was now out in the open. Argus was the true leader, but for all these people knew Orcleous was leading the charge. That meant he was the one in charge of tending to there needs and aiding them in there transition form freelance to rebel. How in the world did Aiden pull this off thought Orcleous.

"I see so you know some people that could help us out", spoke Orcleous to Nyroshea. "Can I have you to write that information down. We can use all the fliers we can get, but the only problem at the moment is that we can not support them. Our base of operation at the moment is a house. We do not have a fort. If we recruit that many people with mounts we are going to have a problem of trying to find space to house and store there food. So for the moment we are going to have to hold off on that till we can properly prepare for it."

"Dawson", spoke orcleous as he walked over and placed his hand on the man's shoulder. "i have the upmost trust in you. You joined this organization with no promise of gold or power. That alone makes you worthy of trust. Not only that but you have the ability to control the ever seeking neither", spoke Orcleous as a serious expression dawned his face. He knew the darkness. He knew of its pull and the beast that spawn from it. "In the coming days use your power wisely, and if you notice anything magical from the enemy side let me known immediately. I have seen magic in work, but I know very little of it."

"Ladies", spoke Orcleous dropping a bit of his formality as he walked up to the two maidens. He pulled out a small bag of coins, which came form his personal funds, he would simply have the order pay him back later, and placed it into there hands. "Buy yourselves some supplies for your mounts. We are going to move out soon. After we arrive at our temporary base we will work out a way to keep you all supplied. "

"Alright then", spoke Raquisha.

"Meet me back here in a hour, we will move out then."

Orcleous then turned toward Nyroshea and Dawson. "If you have buisness to take care of in town finish it. We meet here in a hour to move out. We will head back to our temporary base and then began to make plans to find a new one and begin our group training regiment."

[Nyroshea]

Nyroshea adamantly nods his head, accepting the task of his commanding officer with utmost urgency. He'd barely even joined and already this reticent lad was put to work by the tolerating behemoth. I won't let you down sir! toggling through his satchel, the lad brings forth a clutched piece of parchment. Sort of wrinkled but it should be just enough to make the appropriate marks for advertising their grandeous occasion. He was subtle though, aware that spies could be watching - he would have to deliver these fliers to the most exclusive of Ilian taverns. (Which is virtually not masking any action at all. The lad found the idea more secret agent like than it actually had been in his head, thus he knew not any better.)

Mental fantasia aside, the violet haired boy did appreciate the sort of mutual respect the much taller, seasoned man was giving to he and the young cohort Shaman beside of him. Truth be told he'd been concerned with getting invited at all. It made him think, really . . . was it his bravado that won the champion over? Or was it merely desperation . . . were Ilia's forces truly so weak that they would have to accept even children into their factions now?

It was a haunting thought that caused the boy to shudder even moreso than the Ilian cold.


In any case, the real dilemma at the moment seemed to be funding. But that was not something Nyro either studied or understood much about. So he paid it no mind! What he understood from the dark toned males message was simply not to recruit any more warriors accompanied by pets (unless they could manage their mounts on their own funding). Such was fine, for the warriors the boy had ideally in his head were some of the local mercenaries he had been acquainted with. More oft than not they would be found at one of the pubs of shops keeping guard for a merchant. It was quite a walks away from Carrhae, but he should be able to make it there and rendezvous in an hours time.

The determined yellow eyes lit, shimmering in the warm sun beams. He had his mission! And now he would see it carried out to the bitter end! (Hopefully an end that was not before their war even started.) "Understood, Commander. I shall return to this point in the hour." he spoke as clearly as he could, feeling a tingle in his stomach as he did so. He wasn't so used to speaking so clearly to strangers, especially adults. A lot of this bravado was forced out, so to say the least it was foreign to the tongue. Still, hopefully he'd leave a good enough impression on them, enough to build their morales some too.


With that said, the youth whisked about to set off for awhile...

[Temporarily M.I.A. You may skip my turn till he returns.]

[Aria Hart]

It had been a few weeks since Aria ventured her way into the frozen north of Ilia in search of some work. She needed to find someone that could make use of her specific talents. She did not intend on doing anything illegal, but of course she had some urges she just needs to satisfy sometimes. Either way she was more so in the market for work involving being a bard rather than work involving being Opus. She found herself in the lovely little town of Carrhae. It seemed to be relatively quiet and unremarkable, but she heard some interesting news while she was there. Apparently there was a war going on, where Etruria was attacking Ilia. She quickly got the amazing image in her head of the beauty that could come from such a war. Sure she has seen lots of pain, but she was never able to bear witness to an actual war. Her heart was set and she had to find some way to watch this war for inspiration. It would be such a grand performance.

She was in luck, as there appeared to be some form of meeting regarding this very war happening in town. The bard happily watched the show, noting that the man was quite intimidating. Normally this would be enough to discourage her, but there was something about this man that also enticed her. She watched as various people flocked to this figure to presumably join his noble cause. Most of them looked like supporting characters, but she could imagine a whole manner of backstories for them. The imposing man also did not seem like a very good main character, but it would certainly be a start. She imagined his vocal range, and hoped he would be able to land a low bass in her mental opera.

Stepping over to him, in time to the war drum beating in her head of course, she smiled broadly and looked up at him. "Am I too late to come say hi? My name's Aria Heart, bard extraordinaire. I don't suppose your little resistance could use some artist talents?" she said confidently as she struck a little pose to show off her natural adorable nature. Though if someone examined her closely, they would be able to see the dark magic tome sticking out of the bag on her back. Luckily her more personal secrets were tucked to the very bottom of the silk black bag that contained all her belongings. "Either way its a pleasure to meet you all," she said with grin as she knew that this would be a pretty good ticket into the war.

[Sigma]

Well, let's say that the last few days of travel were... well to be honest quite boring... The only thing that kept Sigma smiling was the knowledge that he was getting closer to Carrhea, the closest major town to Edessa. He was travelling pretty fast but that was to be expected since he pretty much had nothing on him apart from his thief tools and his trusty shortsword. THe weapon was actually quite plain, but he still felt quite attached to it after all these years.

Finally seeing the town in the distance, Sigma started rapidly jogging towards the trading town, ready to start the first chapter of his new life. As his bandanna was almost about to fall from his head, desperatly trying to stay on him despite the young man's haste to reach the settlement, Sigma abruptly stopped in his track as he heard the voice of what seemed to be a middle-aged man coming from the center of town.

"DO YOU FEEL IT"

Curious, Sigma decided to quickly find the source of that sound. As he got closer, he could feel the air around grow thicker and darker, like weights were being progressively attached to his body as he got closer to the epicenter of all of that shouting. Arriving in the street where public exectuions were held, he saw the person giving the speech throw a broken bow on the platform he was standing, or at least it looked like a bow from where he was standing...

Completely absorbed by the man's charisma as he was talking about the approaching forces coming to attack Illia, the grey-haired man couldn't help but think he was dreaming. At every sentence, his hopes were getting bigger and bigger. Was this the destiny he was supposed to follow? Only a few days ago he decided to go and be apart of history himself... This seemed too good to be true! The person wielding what seemed like an impossibly heavy staff looked like the kind of hero he would invent in his head during his childhood.

After he finished his speech, Sigma decided to stand back for a few moments and see what the other persons seemed to think of his pep talk. Strangely enough, there seemed to only be five person to go up to him... Well, I might as well strike when the iron is hot!, he thinked to himself, finally going towards the very imposing man with the afro. As he got closer, he waited for the lady to finish before presenting himself.

Going in for a handshake, he finally made his introduction:

"Well that was certainly quite a speech you gave everybody. I'm Sigma Wolfhart, pleased to make your acquaintance. People might only see me as a thief but i prefer to say that i also excel in intelligence gathering and investigation. I might not be the greatest swordsman, but i'd love to give my skills to the Order of Maltet if you people would be happy to have me."

Well, who would've thought that he was going to fulfill his goal that soon? It might not take long before his name is forever remembered in the history books...

[Hiro]

Hiro's army had been stuck at the border of Etruria, they attempted everything they could to get past without using his ace in his sleeve and nothing. They could have used brute force to get past but a skirmish on the borders could only work to hinder his plans. The army had retreated further inside of Ilia's borders with their heads hung low, unsure of what was next. Hiro was different though, he wasn't going to let that loss set him back. Their numbers had been starting to thin out as people lost hope and returned home, he figured the promise of treasure wasn't enough of a reason for them to stick around but he couldn't blame them too much, after all they were stuck in Ilia. Hiro had spent months planning their next move as well as recruiting again to replenish the numbers he had once lost, he felt he was doing alright considering he had no experience fighting let alone leading an army. Then suddenly, as if a god was listening in on his problems something happened that was a blessing for the rogue spy. Etruria had began attacking Ilia, Hiro wasted no time in nabbing up extra people as he made his way to what appeared as the rally point for a defense.

By this point his small army had almost completely replaced itself, with only a few devoted to their cause remaining, the 250 men and woman had marched into the city of what looked like the defense. Hiro moved through the city silently as his troops remained on the outside, looking around for somebody that had appeared to be the leader of the resistance. Once he couldn't find somebody that suited his liking he took a couple of crates and placed them in the center before standing upon them. Almost yelling he began to speak. "Ilians, brothers, sisters. Majority of you won't know who I am nor will I expect you to." Hiro pulled back his hood as he saw a small crowd gathering. "I have people willing to fight against the threat of Etruria, to aid you in this fight. The greatest assist the group has to offer is a Hiro beyond words. I may not be talented in the arts of combat, but where I lack physically I exceed in my knowledge of the enemy. My group has only a single goal here, yet it's the greatest one there is. We plan on taking the fight to Kraft himself, we're going to aid you in pushing back his army in your home then kicking down his front door. Who's willing to join us once we're done here?"

[Dawson]

Dawson smiled slighty, he knew that it was true, the recruiter had full trust in him. But he sighed sadly. He still could remember that battle that cost the life of the thunder mage. He then looked up determined. "Yes...I will not dissapoint you sir" he said. He then turned as a girl along with a theif showed up to join the group. He looked at the one who called herself Aria Hart. Hmm...maybe its just me as a Shaman, but I think she also uses Elder Magic as well...then again, she looks too cheery to be using it..." Dawson thought.

Thats when something caught the attention of Dawson. It was what looked to be a Rogue that had experience fighting Etruria. Someone who fought Etrurias army AND survived? Perhaps...maybe he could help the resistance? Dawson thought. He then looked at the people who joined, first at the theif, then back at the strange girl, then back at the recruiter. He nodded at the recruiter who called himself Orcleous and said "I am ready to depart when the rest of you are... In actuality, he was hoping to not suffer the same loss he felt. He couldn't get over his guilt of seeing Bee lose a close friend during that battle... a death he likely could have prevented if he did something different. No...I must keep moving forward. There is no point in dwelling in the past. All I can do, which I hope Bee is doing as well, is to keep going, keep going and get stronger. One day, we both will be strong enough to get revenge, to bring Draco down for his crimes! Dawson thought. For now though, he would start by helping the resistance.

[Orcleous]

Another magic user and a thief, thought Orcleous as the two new recruits came up to him to join the Order. It seemed that Orcleous speech had more effect than he thought. Every now and then somebody else was trickling in. A young women approached him. She had a... well unique style about her. It was Gothic, but slightly more flair. Orcleous really did not have a word to put on it, but he could tell she was trying to be cute with the way she dressed. She introduced herslf as a Bard of all things. Orcleous half expected her to have a sword or a bow, but from what he could tell by the item hanging out her bag she was a shaman. Another one, thought the Champion. Dark Magic had its use on the battlefield and magic itself can turn the tide of any battle. There was no way that Orcleous was going to pass up on new recruits either. Still he had to wonder what was this women's deal. A bard and a shaman, that was not a usual combination. Even still Orcleous was not going to turn her away. Not when he needed people. 

"No, it is not to late", spoke Orcleous. "Let me give you a small introduction. I am Orcleous of Isengaurd. By the fact that you are talking to me means that you are willing to put your life on the line to defend Ilia and you are looking to join up with the Order of Maltet. With that in mind, welcome aboard. We can use all the help we can get. That being said I would like to talk to you later about your skills as a bard. It might prove useful in raising the moral of the men and lowering the moral of our enemies."

Before Orcleous could truly be done talking to her another man approached him. From just looking at him Orcleous could tell he was a thief. He had that shifty look about him. The man walked straight up to him and moved for a hand shake. Orcleous liked his style. The champion stretched his arm out just beyond the man's hand and grabbed his forearm. "Well meet Sigma of the Wolfhart family. We could truly use a soldier like you in our forces. Most of us are simple combat units. We can fight or can be taught how to fight, but information gathering is a entirely different skill altogether. I am pretty sure your services would be valuable to our cause."

"Listen up", began Orcleous however the champion was suddenly cut off by the sound of another man making a speech. The champion turned his attention toward the main street were he saw a man talking on the top of a few boxes. It seemed that he was not the only one attempting to recruit people today. The man began talking about Eturia and fighting and the fact that he knew things about them. Orcleous however simply looked on with a bit of skepticism. The man appeared not long after himself and he apparently had his own Resistance group. From the way his speech sounded he was not from the area. Who in the world is this Hiro, thought Orcleous. He had a mind to go meet the man and have a few words with him. If they were lucky they could form some kind of alliance, but at the same time Orcleous was not sure about this mans motives and purpose. It was kind of like how the villagers viewed him. Eventually thought the champion figured there would be no harm in talking to the man. He could check to see if there motives lined up. 

"Right, I am going to tell you all the same thing I told the others. Go out and buy any supplies you are going to need. In a hour we will leave to go meet up at our temporary base of operations. Once we are there we will have a stratagem meeting to keep you all up to date." 

With that Orcleous walked away from the two individuals and made his way over to the new guy. In the back of Orcleous mind he began to wonder if there newly recruited members would be pouched by this guy. If you were looking from Argus point of view you would probably be worried that Orcleous would be. However the Champion had already decided to partner up with the knight. There was no way he was going to be pulled off to join some other group. Still though he had to wonder who this man was. Did he have any connection to the enemy and why did he come to this town to deliver his speech?

"Hey", shouted Orcleous as he walked up to the man. A small crowd had gathered but Orcleous easily pushed himself thought. His magical weapon sat straddled across his shoulder and his crimson armor shinned in the morning light. "So who are you, and who is your group?" Orcleous stared at the man's eyes looking for any hint of deception. He did not expect to see any to be honest. He was not that good at reading people, but he wanted to make sure the man knew that he was not completely trusted. "Hmm", spoke Orcloeus after he mentally examined his words. "Let me rephrase that statement I just made. Better yet let me start over. My name is Orcleous and I am recruiting members for the newly formed Order of Maltet. When you came into town and gave your little speech you said you were looking to fight the Eturians. You also mention that you have your own little group. So I was a bit curious about who you all actually are."

[Sigma]

Sigma was quite satisfied by Orcleous's enthusiastic response when he grabbed him by the forearm. Well, at least he knew that that man wasn't only halfway into this resistance thing... He was also pleased to hear that his skills could be of great use to them. It felt good that he might finally be able to do some good instead of simply doing contracts for morally grey civilians. Thanking the armored man, he was ready to hear what else he had to say right until another recruiter seemed to appear... But this one claimed to already have some combattants one his team. Well this is definitly strange, Sigma thought listening to the man's speech. He didn't feel the same kind of trust he had for Orcleous, maybe it was simply the charisma the first one seemed to exude while talking but anyway, this man named Hiro had that sort of vibe where you can't put your finger on what his true motives are...

Being told to stock up on supplies before moving out, Sigma didn't feel that he really needed a whole lot perticularly... Maybe a few rations and a new bedroll to replace his old musty one. He was used to the cold climate of Illia but it didn't mean that he liked to be freezing in his sleep...

Looking over his shoulder as he was slowly moving towards the merchant stalls after he had agreed with the recruiter's meet up time, he couldn't help but feel wary of this new person... Hiro... It definitly didn't ring any bells. He quickly thought to make a mental note about trying to find more information about the man. Sigma also hoped that Orcleous knew what he was doing. Making our first enemies this quickly would not be wise if we wish to actually see ourselves living through this...


For now, Sigma guessed that the best thing was simply to do as ordered. Anyway, he knew he was going to have a lot on his plate soon, might as well enjoy the hour he was given. He looked towards the other new recruit, she claimed to be a bard if he remembered correctly...

"A bard and a shaman? I've seen some pretty uncommon sights but I do have to say you're definitly in the top 20... Eh, no, top 25 would be more accurate. Well anyway, i do hope we get along Aria, we have to stay united if we want to survive this."

[Aria Hart]

Aria looked a little surprised at how fast they were jumping to conclusions. "Woah, when did I ever say I would be willing to pledge myself to some kind of cause. Personally I believe I am more of a free spirit, and would like to keep it that way," she said with a bit of sass as she looked away from Orcleous. "However, that doesn't mean I don't want to be inspired by all your thrilling exploits! Just imagine what kind of opera I can write about that," she said with a grin as she remembered her idea about making a show out of an entire war. Aria then chose to look over all of the characters present again. It certainly seemed like they would be good characters for a show, but there was just something missing from this line up.

Aria smiled a bit as she nodded exactly four times, "Well I hope it doesn't dishearten you or the audience very much, but I won't be joining your little order, but I will help you every step of the way," she said happily and not meaning a word she said. She was perfectly expecting to betray them at one point for a thematic twist, but they didn't need to know about that. Once she was done chatting it up with Orcleous, someone else turned to her. This man seemed to be a thief and tried to start a conversation with her, "Don't worry, I am much more of a musician, it is just that elder magic helps me to accomplish my goals much faster," she said with a trademark smile as she remembered all the times that elder magic allowed her to have her way with people's corpses.