Doctor Walter Beowulf SaturdaySaturday leaned back in his chair, feet on the table, eating grapes. He wasn't quite sure where he'd found the grapes. In fact, he wasn't quite sure what grapes were "I must say, I'm impressed by the level of technology this ships runs on. It far surpasses that of any other alien vessel I've encountered" he mused out loud to the aliens, while staring fixedly at a small section of wall. He seemed fascinated by every aspect of the ship "As for your unfortunate security breach, is it possible that you were carrying information that the AI doesn't know about, or won't tell you? Computers can easily be programmed to ignore things, or keep them secret. Perhaps you had leaked footage of the next Avengers movie. Or maybe top secret information of the captain's guilty pleasures" he leaned in close to Commander Lightwood "She probably has a secret teddy bear" he whispered conspiringly. Hopping off the chair and onto his feet, Saturday stood , hands on his cane, looking expectantly at Winters. Alexei PavlovAs soon as Clarity had responded Alexei noticed there was something wrong. She sounded in pain, and even though she joked, it had barely a hint of humour in it. "Do you need, like, a lozenge, or some hot tea, or something?" Alexei tried to joke, but even that was hollow and half-hearted "Uh... ah f*ck it, I can't joke about this. You look out for yourself, okay?" Alexei said as Clarity hung up. She sounded serious 4 Hours laterIn the engine room of the ship, Ensign Pavlov knelt next to a capacitor, with a spanner in hand, looking like he was working. In actual fact he wasn't working, but it was always good to give the impression of productivity.
Prince Vyle Blackwing, the Night HunterVyle's eyes narrowed "I could quite easily. I could do anything to stop you from running headlong into your death" He stated unemotionally, but avoiding eye contact. Suddenly he looked up and stared into her eyes "I have devoted my life to protecting humanity from the horrors the lurk in the dark. Horrors I have to constantly convince myself that I am not" He put his hands to his temples and closed his eyes, fraught with indecision "Why are you so stubborn...FINE" he barked "But at least let us face this together" High Treasurer Evelynn Sylvig, the Storm LadyEvelynn rolled her eyes "Of course you're special, you're a mage" she exclaimed "And from what I've seen, you're rather skilled" she ignored the tragic backstory of the murder of the girl's parents because it was boring. "Anyway. If you're going to be ruler one day you should learn about our nation... I'm assuming you do know what nation we're in..?" Solomon, the Deathbringer"You're right. Legends die. But death has never stopped me before and it never will" Solomon grinned. Suddenly he paused, and cocked his head to the side. "Hold that thought, someone's arrived" Solomon skipped away elegantly and soon arrived at the battlements of the outer wall with the hooded undead form of Aaron and a wraith beside him. He said nothing to the two gathered below, and simply looked down with a sinister smile. Kilian Kadmark, the Voice of the WildSprint, jump, run, chase, sprint, run, leap, chase. Prey. Prey. I am the predator. Pray, Prey. Pray to your gods. They will not save you now. Chase. Sprint. All fours, chase. Howl. Growl. Prey can't escape. Prey within reach. Leap, pounce, grab. Claw, maul, shred, tear, rip, devour, drink. Blood. Raw meat. Delicious. Kilian looked up from his kill, and wiped his mouth. He scanned the forest. The prey had friends. He would let them live. They would spread the word of what lay within the forest. A terrible creature. They'll tell of how it sprang from the undergrowth and devoured two of their friends. Prey. They were so easily frightened, so quick to run instead of holding their ground. They'd run back to their stone walls and hide. They thought they were so safe. How wrong they were. Zavarius Boldhorn, the Monster SlayerZavarius waited a moment, impatiently. He could smell the foul monsters that occupied the city now. Suddenly a very humanlike voice called out, though the mage doubted anything human would live in such a place with such monsters "You are addressing Zavarius Boldhorn, member of the Royal Council and representative of King Archon Dragoncrest, first of his name, Supreme Ruler of Redania" the mage rattled off again, he hated having to repeat himself "If you move you and your... 'subjects' for lack of a better word... away from Oxenfurt and away from any Redanian city, we will let you leave in peace. Otherwise there may be bloodshed and if it comes to that we will not give up until Oxenfurt is reclaimed for the king. We have the city surrounded. Make the smart choice"
DM Message Woah it's been a long time guys. So I don't blame you if you've completely forgotten everything. Let's do a quick recap of each mission Darklight Disturbance: Members: Shyra, Tessa, Lumen, Conrad, Kara, Laurentinus, Alice. The Adventurer's Society is off to investigate some interesting disturbances happening within the Darklight Caverns, in the mountains between Tyrrus and Hirokir. On the way they fought some giant spiders who were clearly out of their natural habitat, and killed them. They soon arrived at the village of Ashten near the mountains. Conrad and Tessa soon met a man named Rayyad Khayrat, a forest shaman who kidnapped them because they'd killed his spiders and rode off on a giant spider. Alice witnessed this. Meanwhile Kara and Laurentinus met Lord Arval Galaharram, commander of the regional guard, and managed to trick him into thinking Laurentinus was a duke. Eventually they realised Conrad and Tessa had gone missing and went towards the caves. Alice went to Shyra and Lumen and told them what she'd seen. Soon they too were going towards the caves. Meanwhile, Rayyad took Conrad and Tessa around his home, the ancient ruins of Arak'Un. He explained to them that he was from a long lineage of rulers of this underground kingdom and he was cursed by the Gathered Rulers of Hirokir to guard this place with his life. The object keeping him here was supposedly a totem that he'd been unable to find. During this time Rayyad slipped up and accidentally unleashed his alter ego, the being living inside his head, the Webber Prince. He explained that he'd brought Tessa and Conrad here to replace him as protectors of the ruins, at which point they obviously got mad. Tessa went towards the mines, where they'd decided the totem might be, and was bitten by a giant spider. In her nightmares she was haunted by the Webber Prince. Kara and Ren had run into trouble against a couple of spiders but they successfully fought them off. They regrouped with the others and together they all went towards the ruins of Arak'Un. However, the path split and the group separated. Tessa, Conrad and Rayyad went down the mines and encountered many difficulties until they eventually found the totem and began to bring it back. Kara and Ren had gone down one tunnel and met the giant spider, Shadowweaver (The spider Rayyad had been riding previously). The spider became a sort of messenger between Rayyad and Co. and Kara. Rayyad allowed them into the ruins. Kara and Ren explored a bit, found Rayyad's house, but suddenly the Webber Prince took over the mind of Shadowweaver and caused him to bite Ren. Alice and Lumen had gone down another path, fought a spider, and ended up in the same place as Kara and Laurentinus. At this time, Conrad, Tessa and Rayyad appeared and they spoke to each other, but Ren noticed that Rayyad's voice was the same as the Webber Prince and was suspicious. Suddenly, Alice noticed something as well, Rayyad claimed the totem was keeping him here, but he'd been seen outside. At this climactic moment and the reveal of Rayyad's lie, suddenly Arval Galaharram appeared and attacked Rayyad, under the mistaken impression that he was an enemy. Tessa attacked Arval, and that's where we are. Big Game Hunting Members: Sanderson, Lyra, Bryce, Aedan, Ulrich, Sebastien. Sanderson decides to give the rookies some training by helping the town of Fordington, currently being invaded by drakes. So they set off and partway long their journey, find an inn. In the morning they meet a man who calls himself the Night Knight and who beats Bryce in combat. Continuing the journey, they arrive at Fordington to find a disaster. They talk to the Mayor of the town, Ulysses Emirys, and Aedan meets the strange old druid, Old Man Greenbeard. Aedan helps the druid in caring for the injured, but they are soon attacked by a drake. Aedan communicates with the drake, which explains that their kind has been forces down from the mountains because of unnaturally cold weather caused by someone known to them as the "Winter Man". Meanwhile, Sanderson, Bryce and Lyra meet Sebastien and Ulrich, two other warriors come to help the town. They set up tents and Sanderson assigns first watch to Bryce. After Bryce confronts Sanderson about the strange green potion he had, Sanderson explains it helps him sleep and promptly downs the liquid. In the morning it is revealed that since Sanderson didn't assign any other watches, Bryce was up all night. Bryce, Aedan and Sanderson head to the Wizard's District of the town, which is in ruins, and meet Wizard Jayna Iceroth. After heading into her library, she had to abruptly leave to check on something. When she's gone, the drake she was dissecting on a table comes to life and attacks the group, but they defeat it. Meanwhile, Ulrich, Lyra and Sebastien meet Chuck, a guard commander, who takes them to the Forge where fire drakes have made their nest. The Mists of Fogwarden Members: Aston, Kellan, Badun, Arthur, Kevin, Anthea, Baldomar, Roric Aston is about to begin a mission when suddenly the eccentric spellsword Kellan Sithwyr comes into the Adventurer's Society and requests their help in dealing with a group of mercenaries known as the Brotherhood of the Burning Blade. So the Adventurer's Society head north and arrive at the Hinterlands, where they search for Fogwarden Keep. On their way they encounter a group of wolves surrounding Russel the scout, who turns out to be a member of the Burning Blade. He tells them where the keep is and what the Burning Blade want there. Arriving at the keep they find the traveller Roric Ritter being held captive by the Burning Blade. They defeat these thugs and together head into the tomb, where they opt to take the puzzle route. Now they must solve puzzles to get them through the tomb and confront Philius, the leader of the Brotherhood of the Burning Blade.
... Well. I think it's time to blow the dust and cobwebs off this RP I've been working on changing the way this whole thing works, because I couldn't keep track of everything in the old system I ran this with. THUS, I have changed it. It's still essentially an RPG, there's still levelling up and abilities and stuff, but the major difference is that battles are going to be less mechanics based and more story based. There are also some other changes, have a look in the OOC to see that. So, hopefully we can start this up again because I'm really excited at some of the plots we have left to explore. If you're still interested in this RP please re-post your character applications, using the new character app template.
"No wait!" Vyle exclaimed, shocked, as Ana volunteered, but it was too late. She had disappeared. Vyle bit his lip and cursed. This was exactly what he didn't want happening, he couldn't afford to lose Ana again. But then again, this was clearly a sign of her trying to be independent and take risks again... Vyle considered his options. On the one hand he could try to protect Ana, and she'd resent him for it forever. On the other, he could let her be, and face the risk of her being captured or killed or tortured and the longer he took making this twice-damned decision the more danger she was in and Vyle was really starting to panic now "Damn this" he uttered, before shadow enveloped him and he launched into the air. Black cloak flittering around his silhouette, red eyes glared through the night to where he could see Ana standing by the castle. The black shape swooped down towards her and landed next to her, becoming more Vyle-like as he arrived. He suddenly gripped her arm, paused, and let go again. "I can't let you do this... please understand" "Here we are!" Evelynn trilled as they arrived in Evelynn's personal solar, a relatively large office with several bookshelves "I'm intrigued, Annabelle, why did Archon choose you to become his heir? It is an interesting conundrum isn't it? You certainly don't have a noble upbringing, and you don't seem particularly remarkable, oh no offense meant dear" Solomon glared with interest for a moment, then a sadistic smile crept across his face as he narrowed his eyes. Stepping back slightly, Solomon continued to stare at her "...I like you. You're going to be a lot of fun" he waggled his finger at her "Very determined. Very dedicated. Fighting against the negative opinions that others thrust against you, right? If someone says you can't do something, you can't be something, you'd try as hard as you could to prove them wrong" he suddenly moved closer, challengingly "I know people like you. I was one" he paused for a moment, and looked her up and down with a sinister appraising gaze. "You may become a legend. When I die, and I'm sure it won't be much longer, I'll be a legend. The legend of Solomon. Raiser of dead. Destroyer of villages. They'll sing the tale of how my head was chopped off and paraded around the city. They'll talk about me for a long time. After all, legends never die" Zavarius sat astride his horse just outside the city gates of Oxenfurt. behind him, set up on a nearby hill, the armies had gathered. But this mist was just ridiculous, there was no way they could fight an enemy within that supernatural fog. Nevertheless, it was likely this confrontation would turn to battle. "I am Zavarius Boldhorn, member of the Royal Council and representative of King Archon Dragoncrest, first of his name, Supreme Ruler of Redania" the mage yelled "I demand to speak to the leader of who, or what, currently holds Oxenfurt, so we can come to some arrangement" "So. Have you discovered anything of use?" Archon asked levelly. The alchemist he was speaking to gulped and stuttered nervously. His gaze occasionally flickered to the object on the slab in the centre of the room. "Now that depends on-" "I asked a yes or no question" Archon interrupted, his voice not threatening, but reminding one that it could very quickly become threatening with ease "The only acceptable answers are 'yes' and 'no'. Which is it" the alchemist avoided the king's gaze, but eventually drew his eyes up to stare blankly at the king's face "...yes" the alchemist stated. A dangerous atmosphere that was barely noticeable dropped as the king became slightly less intimidating "Good. What?" Archon questioned emotionlessly "W-well the source appears to be magical and we've been able to replicate the process in small animals" the alchemist explained, pacing around the small dimly lit room, trying to avoid looking at the object on the slab. "Impressive. But?" "But... well... it's a very dangerous experiment. Most of the animals died in the process. And we believe the reaction would be very different in humans, and definitely in mages" "So... you need human test subjects. You need mage test subjects" Archon concluded. The alchemist merely nodded slowly. "I can give you humans. Mages would be more difficult. For the moment, carry on with your work. I am impressed with your progress" Archon left the room swiftly, purple cloak billowing behind him. The alchemist was alone now in that accursed room. Well, except for it. He turned, and stared with morbid fascination at it. It stared back. It tried to scream, but its mouth was gagged. It tried to struggle, but its arms were bound with silver chains. All the troll-like being could do was stare with those baleful eyes.
MasqueMasque stopped for a moment, and stared at the fairy queen. That is a twisted and unrealistic interpretation of how redemption works. Dying won't save me, dying won't help anyone, and it certainly can't bring back the dead. Why do you think I haven't already taken my own life? The least I can do before death. is leave it better than I found it. And I WILL do that. Nobody can stop me... ParagonParagon was shocked as he was suddenlt and violently thrust backward by the throat. He had not expected the werewolf's sudden aggression, or his recklessness. Black Knight immediately drew her shortsword and her stele, before Paragon had even hit the wall. Paragon could easily have drawn his weapon, but he did not. He raised a hand to command Black Knight to stand down "...I apologise for the necessity Mr Keller, but you must understand our need for secrecy. I promise I will never again take memories from your mind, and I cannot lie. Now if you would kindly let me down, before Black Knight gets violent" Black Rook, White QueenElizabeth smiled kindly for a moment at the girl, but it seemed this moment of sweetness was not destined to last long. Next thing she knew, her stomach was in agonising pain and she was flung into the forest. John was standing, arms crossed with a bored expression, before the event took place, but as the girl drew back her arm he was already reaching for his longsword. His mind went straight from idleness to cold fury, bypassing the shock inbetween. But, as he listened to the girl, he hesitated. For a moment he stood there, sword at the ready, poised to strike, but hesitating. Eventually, John laid his weapon on the ground and raised his hands "Fine. You got me. Just don't kill her" CassandraThe door to the dimly lit bar was flung open. For a moment, the silhouette of a tall man stood in the doorway, before he moved aside and held the door. Through the doorway then came a wheelchair, with a one-legged woman sitting upon it. Yet despite this obvious weakness, the man who held the door and the people who followed behind her treated her like royalty, and just the look on her face was enough of a giveaway that she was in charge of the group. Panning her gaze across the bar idly, her eyes lit up with interest as she saw one of the men at the bar. "Karl Bardison, if I'm not mistaken?" she greeted in a friendly manner "Fancy meeting you here. We haven't met before, but I've heard a lot about you. You've probably heard less about me"
"Am I getting into your head yet?" Solomon suddenly appeared at the bars of the cage. hands gripping the metal with ferocity, his face only inches from Veera's "Madness is a worm" he scowled "It crawls into your ear and burrows into your mind. It eats away at your sanity. It eats away at your life. Until nothing is left but an empty husk of what you once were. Your heart may beat. Blood may still pump through your veins, but you're not the same. You're not alive" Solomon grinned at her menacingly "You've got all that to look forward to" Crouching low and silent in the bushes, Vyle was almost invisible to his own companions. He could have been mistaken for a statue in the dim light of the afternoon "He's baiting us. We can't get caught in his trap" Vyle said quietly "I think... we need to draw him out. If possible. We need our own bait..." he turned his gaze to Zephyr and Selene, their new witcher friend, and stared, cogs turning in his head for a moment. "You want me to be bait?" Willow whispered incredulously "That's not necessarily what I was implying..." Vyle winced and backtracked slightly "Perhaps bait is the wrong word. Perhaps one of you could go out there and challenge Solomon? Try to draw him out maybe?" Evelynn was getting tired of teaching, and Annabelle wasn't learning very fast. She sighed as the girl was startled by the lightning and picked up the book she dropped. "Now we've lost what page we were on" Eve sighed melodramatically. "I love storms, it's exhilarating. As a child I used to run out into the rain when it was stormy. Mother would chide me so, she'd say it was not fit for a young woman to go gallivanting in the rain like some barbarian heathen. "Leave that to the savages on Skellige" she'd say. Oh I do miss her terribly though. After I'd been scolded for running out in the rain she'd get cook to make me up a lovely pie, warm and meaty, filling. Oh those were the days. But these are these days. Just be glad you're not still with Violet, I doubt she'd let you inside if you were in the middle of training" Evelynn rambled, before collecting up the books "Come along then. We'll go somewhere less noisy"
Doctor Walter Beowulf Saturday"Ignore the pirates, don't surrender the alien, please do risk your life for a stranger" Saturday asked the commander as she helped him up "A plethora of thanks" He said to the people who'd picked him up gratefully. He suddenly grabbed the communicator from Brianne "Hello mister Winters. I'm an unknown life form" he spoke softly and calmly into the communicator "If I may make a suggestion, I'd say we should congregate here. It's an excellent landing zone, why do you think I chose it? Besides, there's only one pirate left" Saturday glanced towards the two soldiers who had dived behind cover. Unfortunately for them, the ruins were incredibly unstable. He turned away from the phone momentarily "Shoot that load-bearing pillar. The one that's almost falling apart. Yep, that one" Alexei Pavlov"I'm not really sure what anyone expects me to do here" Alexei mused to himself. His gun was on the shuttle. And the shuttle was in the sky. As he made his way along with Winters he half-heartedly kicked some dead bodies of pirates. Then he yelped in pain, because his leg still had plasma burns on it. Casually, he got out his phone again and called up the number he'd run earlier "Come on blue, pick up. Everybody here is a boring soldier type"
Red Scarlet Crimson substance Draining from an over-full barrel of a lord's cellar Or what was once man it drips. Waste not a drop Like the last font of water in a desert of arid sand Under the pale light of a red moon Like a desperate man, dying of thirst, drink the liquid its tang rolling down the throat staining teeth red, spilling from the corners of the mouth it drips. Far from the dignified tables of kings and queens I do not dine, I devour yet at midnight we both drink a red delight that stupifies the mind its taste bitter its promise great the more we drink, the looser the chains on the beast our inhibitions demolished their steadfast walls crumbling under the tides of red vivid liquid onto a marble floor or the dirt it drips. Blushing, sweating skin under silken garments or rags the night goes on And the red never ends new bottles new victims it drips. In the morning it will be forgotten In the morning, there will be regrets But not for I for they drink the blood of society and I drink the wine of life. It drips. -Kilian Kadmark
Character Name: Kilian Kadmark Age: 22 Gender: Male Race: Half Elf Appearance: Kilian is youthful and attractive in a rough and wild way. He has brown hair Bio: Persecuted by both elves and humans, Kilian often felt out of place wherever he went. Having been born from a wild affair between an elf and a human merchant on one of his more exotic travels, Kilian had a strange upbringing. His father took him back to the Northern Kingdoms and tried to raise him as he would a human son, giving him a good education, teaching him how to use a bow and arrow, and treating him well. But Kilian was never supposed to live among humans and he knew it, he spent very little time in his father's home town, instead ranging off into the woods and learning the ways of the wild. Often as a youth he would try to flee home, before his father would find him again (sometimes days later) in the woods trying to eke out survival. When Kilian was 17 his father didn't return from one of his outings. Kilian was not sad, rather, he considered this being unchained from the shackles of civilisation. Wasting no time, he went away to live in the woods as a hermit. He survived through hunting and gathering and lived like this contently for a while, away from any people. Though he did not dislike people in particular, he felt uncomfortable around large groups of them. Kilian felt much more at home amongst nature and wild forces. Though his education had left a mark on him, and he felt a deep connection with words. Words had power over humans, he would conjecture, and words could encapsulate the essence of life. And so it came to be that Kilian would write poetry of his experiences. But one year there came a harsh and unforgiving winter, the worst Kilian had ever experienced. Shelter was scarce, food was scarcer. Kilian found himself slowly dying, away from warm fires of civilisation. But Kilian had been loyal to the forest, and the forest was loyal to him. When it seemed all hope was lost, in the midst of a terrible blizzard, a trail of blood materialised in the snow before his very eyes. Kilian had no choice but to follow the sourceless trail, which eventually led him to a path, upon which a cart had broken a wheel. The healthy young farmer did not notice the emancipated hermit as he approached, guided by some mysterious force. It was obvious what needed to happen. Kilian well understood the meaning of “kill or be killed”, for that was the nature of the forest. What happened after that is too horrible to recount, but Kilian came into contact with wild forces. He was taught of dark, messy magic of wood and stone, of blood and bone, and with this knowledge his mission became clear. It was kill, or be killed. Kilian still writes poetry, but it has taken a turn for the dark, he has discarded his lovely, petty poems of the past and now writes to embody the essence of raw power and emotion, an intermingling of beauty and pain. Occupation: Forest hermit Weapons: Bow and Arrow Secondary Weapon: Knife Powers: Blood magic
Solomon the NightbringerAfter Veera entered the rusty iron cage, Solomon motioned for his undead to chuck the young mage in as well, before he slammed the door shut with a squeak of hinges and a deafening clang. "And now... we wait" Solomon smiled, and stared into the middle distance. Undead hands burst from below the earth and grabbed his feet. Solomon stood motionless as he was slowly dragged into the earth, ready and waiting for those who would come. "I see" said Vyle, who in truth could not see. "Very well. We will travel with you, witcher. I am Vyle, these are my friends. And you are?" "Selene. Selene of Temeria" Willow greeted with a coy smile "Lovely to meet you Selene. I suppose we'd better be heading off" Vyle concluded, as he swept his cloak and began to head off Evelynn smiled at Anna's wonder "Yes the library of the palace is one of the greatest in the- what" suddenly she turned to Annabelle with alarm and recoiled "You... can't read?" she looked pityingly upon the princess for a moment, then made a melodramatic gesture of disappointment. She placed a hand on her hips "Why wasn't I told this? Well I suppose that'll be our first lesson" She turned on her heel and flitted over to the shelves of books. For a moment she looked upon the books, then carelessly grabbed several from the shelves at random. She returned to the girl with armfuls of books and placed them heavily on a table, staring at Anna with intent "These should do. Right. We're going to teach you to read" Everyone is now ready for a time skip
Nicholas Nightwine"Nicholas. In all this world, you have done so much good. Helped so many, straight as an arrow. Do you think you should doubt the choices you make, or continue to act on the orders of those higher then you without question?" For a while, the cogs in Nick's brain slowly turned as he thought the question through. I think... he began ...firstly you shouldn't invade people's heads without warning, it's really creepy. He stated, acting slightly offended to the fairy. But as for the question... I think I would always have some doubt, I always have had some doubt. I'm not completely subservient, not to Paragon, not to Brianne, not even to you. If I judge an order to be morally wrong, I will not go through with it. MasqueMasque was shocked that his solution had actually worked, and even more shocked when the fairy kissed him on the cheek. He blushed redly, and scowled, rubbing his cheek to remove the wet mark. When she wasn't looking he smiled a thin and puzzled smile. He followed the group eventually to a clearing with the others in and Gaia. He was still annoyed with the mother of fairies, for the various struggles she put them through, and how she'd deceived them. He couldn't stand being deceived, but you had to expect it with fairies. ParagonA screen caught Paragon's eyes and he paused for a moment. He grabbed a nearby remote and rewound the display. Just as he thought "Hestia's taking them somewhere. Considering they're carrying an injured ifrit I'd assume she's taking them to her penthouse. That's where you need to go Abyzathilad" he commanded the demon before responding to Grayson "What a coincidence, I was thinking the exact same thing. I would advise caution. White Rook has already volunteered to become a part of your new pack, you can take him and some of his werewolves. If you can avoid dealing with the High Warlock, that would be preferable. Follow me" Paragon lead the way out of the office, trailed by Grayson and Black Knight. As the exited the HQ they were greeted by a group of werewolves. Paragon turned to Grayson abruptly "For security reasons, I'm going to have to remove your memory of the location of this place. Apologies" Paragon lifted a finger. Grayson's mind, the brutal bestial mind of this man, was putty in his hands. His own mind pierced into the mind of the werewolf, and pinpointed the particular memory he was after. Seamlessly, the memory was deleted. Gord Gottwell/AbyzathiladGord rolled his eyes at the other demon as they walked together, by Mephistopheles' mammaries, did he really have to work with this? "Don't get so cocky, that was your downfall last time. Remember? You were decieved and captured by one of those, ahem-" he put his fingers in the air like quotation marks and mimicked Slavko "-'those weak fools', 'those dear Nephilim'-" he scowled at the demon after he finished his mockery "Here's what we're going to do. The former leader of the Nephilim in New York, a certain scrumptious Miss Lightwood, is currently feeling the effects of lycanthropy. If we can find her without any Nephilim with her, then we won't be detected as demons. If her brother spots us our cover is blown. Last I heard she was with the delectable Hestia Sunspoke, who's also a bit of a problem. What I'm going to do, is get some of my werewolf friends. What you're going to do, is find yourself a new body to possess. We'll meet in twenty minutes on the pavement opposite her apartment. Now get out of my sight, or you might end up in my stomach" White Queen and Black RookThis... this was not at all what Elizabeth expected. She found herself speechless as she stared, open mouthed, into the young girl's shining forlorn eyes. Uncertainly, she reciprocated the hug and leaned down protectively. "Some things are worth the risk" she said. Meanwhile, John stalked into the bushes to find where he'd left his clothes. A few moments later he returned, in human form and fully clothed. He hung back awkwardly as the child cried. Elizabeth turned to him subtly and mouthed "what do I do now?". John shrugged "I have no idea". Elizabeth rolled her eyes "Shhh... it's alright" she comforted the girl and stroked her head.
"I'm so glad you understand" Solomon said slowly, his voice hollowly in response to Veera "And I wish I could say I'm sorry to have to bring that pain onto anyone who loves you" He tapped his cane and some undead brought forth a rusty metal cage "Get in" he commanded without feeling, as the undead puppet of Aaron moved forward to enforce his master's will. "Ah. You are a witcher I assume? Greetings, we are also on the hunt... for... Solomon..." Vyle trailed off at the end as he saw Teliana's extreme reaction "Ana, what are you doing?" he said, an expression of confusion and slight embarrassment crossing his face. Anxiously he crossed the distance between then and stood by her side, standing over her almost protectively "She poses no threat, even if she did, we three could easily overpower her" he hissed quietly so the witcher wouldn't hear "I would take whatever limited help we can find right now. And you know that if anything happens, I'm here for you" "You shouldn't advertise your power so much, mage. The Witch Hunters have become a lot more active as of late" Willow stated as Selene of Temeria, her voice strict, but concerned "If you don't know anything I'll be on my way" Vyle turned to Ana, his face almost pleading "I would like a witcher on our side, but I'm not going to do it without your permission. If you really feel uncomfortable with this..." Violet rolled her eyes "Very well. But I want you back out here tomorrow morning. First light" she commanded the princess, before turning her back and walking away. Evelynn turned to the princess with bright eyes and a plastic smile "Come on then Anna! Do you mind if I call you Anna? You know when I was a little girl I always dreamed of being a princess" Evelynn rambled, forcibly grabbing Annabelle's hand and dragging her into the castle "I was the second cousin to some lord or another, but I was never comfortable in our squat little manor on the moors. I always looked out at the spires and towers of the Hierarch's Palace in Novigrad, oh that's where we are right now by the way, and oh I was so jealous of the people who lived there. Of course this was before the reign of Archon. You know, I would ask my mother to get me the prettiest dresses and braid my hair in patterns that I thought were so lovely at the time, but oh it never came close to what the princesses and ladies would wear. I asked for a tiara one time, but mother would never get me one..." and on and on Archon's closest advisor rambled until they arrived at the castle library, an enormous archive of books on all subjects.
Ashleigh cursed as the ship was thrown off course, but fortunately it landed in the gatehouse, leaving a possible entrance. Any entrance was good enough. Ashleigh placed a helmet on her head, the kind worn by her soldiers, and spoke into her headset "Veera, get into their base and try to take out their sharpshooters on the battlements. You too Requiem. Anthem, with me" she commanded as she ran along with her soldiers "Squadrons, spread out. The artillery is active. Group 1 with me, Group 2 flank the entrance by the west, Group 3 flank it by the east. Throda, do what you do best, get in there and kick some-" Ashleigh suddenly stopped mid-sentence as she heard the click and saw the metal hidden in the ground. With demigod reflexes she placed her hand on the ground. Instantly, a beat travelled from her hand as the ground between her and the bomb resonated with her music. The undulating earth hit the bomb with a boompf sound and propelled it away as the explosive reaction began to take effect. The blast was slightly mitigated but still blasted away all the nearby soldiers and Ashleigh was thrown a few feet away. With a scowl she checked her injuries, she was mostly fine, she would heal, she was a demigod after all. But a few soldiers had been killed in the blast. "And watch out for bombs" <FORCE RESETTING> ... <SYSTEMS OPERATIONAL> ... Flickering light, darkness, enemies, friends. Legs operational. Arms operational. Body operational. Visual receptors operational. Timothy awoke to see Kala. With a lance embedded in her chest. She was hurt. She was HURT. Timothy suddenly got to his feet, and glared at him. The man in white. SHE WAS HURT... and this was the man who did it. ... <OVERDRIVE ACTIVATED> ... ... Unknown systems within the core of Timothy activated, and he felt an entirely new emotion. Fury. Without hesitation, Timothy sped forwards on mechanical legs suprisingly quickly for such a bulky creature, but that bulk only gave him more momentum to hit things with. As he bounded forwards he raised his fists, which were now crackling with electricity. He even seemed to be growing as the anger filled his mechanical heart, his already impressive height was increasing dramatically as panels and machinery shifted and undulated like liquid across his brass body. Timothy was driven with single-minded purpose, to obliterate that bastard who injured his mistress. As he came close to the man, he swung a fist with all the momentum of a train straight towards the demigod's face.
Doctor Walter Beowulf Saturday"Hold on one moment!" Saturday called out to Brianne and Crow "Let me get my shoes on!" The commander could see a masked man in a suit hopping towards them, desperately tying his shoelaces while moving, This was incredibly difficult seeing as in one hand he had a briefcase and in the other a cane. Saturday yelped as a plasma blast narrowly shot by his head. Giving up on tying his shoes, Saturday sprinted forward somewhat elegantly, but the blasts of plasma were getting closer and closer. Until, dramatically, it seemed that Saturday would meet his end. A plasma blast was a metre away from his head and there was nothing he could do to stop it. Saturday did a quick calculation, let's see, distance = initial velocity + acceleration x time... 12 m/s, 2m/s squared, hmmm. the bolt would definitely hit him in the trajectory he and it were moving at. "All hope seems lost, but fortunately, I am Doctor Saturday, master of time and space! There is no problem my mind cannot solve" Saturday stated confidently. Suddenly he was no longer there, he was instead sitting cross-legged on the ground behind Brianne and Crow "Hi. I'm the unknown lifeform" Alexei Pavlov"Woah, look dude, watch where you're pointing that thing, I don't like getting shot by anything except a camera" Alexei held his hands up in a placating gesture, but unfortunately his words could not stop bullets. Alexei "Mother of shitting hell!" collapsed to the ground grasping his leg and screaming obscenities "Not cool! Not cool! That was my favorite leg you misanthropic sexist goth! I was gonna give you my number but now there's no chance!" Alexei rolled over the ground and curled up as the shuttle flew away. After a moment he stood up and limped towards Dietrich and his soldiers, trying to avoid being in the open and hiding behind walls and dunes every so often "Yeah, yeah, the bird's flown; she's flying the shuttle" Alexei said as he approached and caught the end of the communication.
Character Name: Cassandra the Hag Age: 35 Gender: Female Race: Werewolf Appearance: Cass is an albino and so has white hair, red eyes and pale skin, in both human form and wolf form. She is missing a left leg, which also carries over to wolf form, and usually goes around in a wheelchair while in human form. Despite her name "the hag" she is quite good looking. She is quite short and is smaller than other werewolves in wolf form. Backstory: Cass knew about the world of the downworlders before she became a werewolf. She was born into a very mystic family, her mother was a fortune teller (Secretly a warlock, but Cass didn't find this out until much later). Most of her mother's props were junk, but there were a few things passed down the family for generations that actually were magical and she was always told to be wary of those. One of these was a wolf skull, the eyes of which glowed whenever Cass was near. Though she asked her mother many times what this meant she never got a straight answer, although her mother was very wary of it. When she was 14, her mother told her of the hidden world of the downworlders and the shadowhunters and Cassandra was instantly excited by this, she wanted to be a part of this world and tried as hard as she could to uncover it. One day, when Cassandra was 18, the family was attacked by a werewolf. Her mother was injured severely but Cassandra protected herself by holding up the wolf skull protectively. It had an instant effect, the werewolf slunk back and tried to escape, but she locked the doors. After talking to the wolf it transpired he was very superstitious and the wolf skull was evidently some famous ancient artifact. Cassandra forced the werewolf to turn her into a werewolf and she joined the pack with enthusiasm, although she was nowhere near as powerful as the other werewolves. But Cassandra had another trick up her sleeve to give her an advantage, she knew of the ancient shamanic rituals and artifacts and she used them to great effect. Eventually she was given the position of shaman, a position not often used. However, she was too reckless and after one encounter with a demon her leg was clawed by the pestilent being, giving her a spreading deadly disease. The leg had to be removed, but she carried on regardless, after all, physical strength was not what she was hired for. Cassandra eventually found a way to remove memories from humans and she used this on her mother so she would forget everything out the downworlders and nephilim, in order to keep her safe. The wounds she'd gained from the night of the attack still impacted her, Cass now keeps good care of her mother in her spare time. Eventually, after many years, Cassandra became the alpha of her pack, a controversial move that only happened because the other wolves were scared of her powers and she was far more intelligent than the others. Cassandra is a cautious and steady leader, she prioritises the safety and security of her pack above her personal ambitions. However, she now stalking out of the shadows to claim the position of Alpha of New York. Magic: Though Cassandra does not have her own magical abilities (because she's a werewolf), she does have knowledge of powerful shamanic items and rites. Other: Sawyer is the guy who attacked them, turned her, and now serves as part of her pack.
Nicholas NightwineNick grinned as they beat the werewolf and strode confidently onwards to where the wolf lead them. His gaze kept flickering back to Alarick, and he smiled in response to the other man's smile. Eventually Gaia greeted them and told them there was yet another trial "Another one? Fine. I guess it's all probably worth it. I'm ready" Gord Gottwell/AbyzathiladGord grinned menacingly as Slavko talked "By Beazlebub, you're like a petulant teenager. It doesn't matter whether or not you accept me as your boss, the fact is this" he steepled his fingers and gazed over them "You will do what I say... or you will suffer. And believe me, I know how to make people suffer, even fellow demons" He licked his lips "And death is certainly not an escape, I have special contacts in Hell" Paragon"Your mission, demons, is to find the location of Raziel's Sword. Both of you are expert manipulators, it may be difficult but failure is not an option. As far as I am aware it is still in New York. The Nephilim will know where it is" Paragon stated, his back turned to the group "Disobedience will be punished. Success will be rewarded" He stated levelly. Black Knight opened the door and the overweight demon left the room, looking over his shoulder for the other demon "As for you Grayson... you were cruelly taken out of your rightful position as Alpha of New York, but it is my wish for you to return there. We will give you assistance in this task and help you against the other contestants, provided that once you reach the position you help us. Call it a trade of favours. And with your enhanced body you'll be far stronger than your rivals. Sound fair?" Black Rook & White QueenElizabeth gritted her teeth. The child was being very strange, Elizabeth wasn't sad, she was determined. "I serve Paragon because I believe in his ideal world. Gaia stays here in her secluded forest, never helping the rest of the world! Paragon is an activist, Gaia is passive! I don't want her protection!" White Queen fired off a few rounds from her assault rifle, but the wind deflected them away. Meanwhile John, or Black Rook if they were going to use code names here, pounced at the child but was blown away by the vortex. He loped over to Elizabeth and nodded at her. She nodded back. Determined to break past the wind barrier, she clung to John's fur and vaulted onto his back. He stood for a moment, coiled to strike, before suddenly charging forward and leaping forward. But he was not aiming for the child, no, he was aiming slightly to the side to leap into the wind. For a moment, he was picked up by the swirling zephyr and they got closer to the child, before White Queen pushed off him and used her flight to proper herself inwards. With their combined momentum and carried by the wind she accelerated in an inwards spiral, until she was suddenly right next to the child. She reached out with one hand and managed to snatch at her arm. MasqueMasque glared at the others angrily "Do you not understand? Gaia doesn't understand real life, she lives in a world of stories and meaning. She probably wants us to work together, that's how the other trial worked, right? Everyone attack the dome!" He suddenly leaped off the tree and landed on the earth dome, pencil raised. It wouldn't do much, but it was the intention behind it that mattered He stabbed the earth angrily and stomped on it ineffectively. Cassandra the HagBlood. Red upon pale white fur. The opponent, stalking opposite her, red matting their black fur. The metallic tang in her mouth, fresh. Her lips pulled back into a growl. The two wolves beside her growled too, these were true wolves, animals. The crown of branches encircling her neck glowed green softly, resonating with the green glow in the wolves eyes. The opponent's eyes darted back and forth, wary. Cassandra's eyes were locked on his, blood red eyes, her gaze a spear piercing across the short span of concrete between them. Other eyes watched, yellow, curious, scared, respectful. Suddenly, the true wolves darted forwards to strike. The opponent put up a fight, but he was weakened from before and could only snap at the attackers pitifully as they clawed and bit. Lastly, Cass loped forward on her three legs, jaws dripping blood and eyes glaring with murderous intent. This wolf had challenged her place as leader. He could not be allowed to live. The wolves had brought the opponent to the ground, his neck was bare. With one swift strike, she bit down hard. Later, Cassandra sat in front of the mirror in her wheelchair, combing her pure white hair. The shower had removed most of the blood. She hated it when her rule was contested, it was always so messy. She applied a blood red lipstick on her lips and posed in the mirror for a moment. "This city has been missing an alpha for too long. I think it's time for my name to be known." "There will be others" Said Sawyer from where he lay on her bed "None of them are worthy. They think physical strength is everything, like Grayson did. He ruled through fear, I will rule through respect. Either way, it's ultimately up to the four"
Ashleigh was shocked to hear a thick dwarven accent in her earpiece. She narrowed her eyes as she watched the dwarf's ships flying towards them "Good to have you with us Mister Bronzebeard, though I do wish you'd called earlier. We're sending a shuttle into the artillery piece to disable it, it has priority over the AA gun. I would therefore advise you to land as soon as possible, unless you have your own method to destroy it" she told the dwarf calmly "And please, inform me before you do anything rash. Upon my signal, we attack" she instructed as a last remark. The shuttle which contained requiem and the pilot flew calmly through the air and Ashleigh watched with anticipation. At the last moment, as the shuttle was nearing the wall, the pilot suddenly turned it downwards to head straight towards the artillery gun, and both pilot and Requiem activated the ejector seats. They flew out of the ship and watched as it screamed down towards the gun, before activating their parachutes. Ashleigh grinned as the plan begun, and raised her sword into the air. It was a ceremonial sword and she had no idea how to use it, but it was something to rally the troops. "Charge!" she yelled, and their line rushed forward, heading towards where there would soon be a large hole in the wall.
"Stone, eh?" Solomon grinned and sat back casually at the table "A heart of stone isn't as great as it seems. I was stone, until someone made me into cloud. I was weightless in their arms. Their death turned me into something worse than stone. What would that be I wonder? Whatever the case, I was emotionless, then I was in love, and now I feel nothing but hatred and grief. But hopefully not for much longer" Solomon explained, his mouth contorted into a mournful frown. "Everyone I've ever loved died that month. Everyone who helped me, everyone who I believed in, and who believed in me. The least I can do, is bring one of them back" Solomon tapped his cane on the ground and the ground shifted once more, paving stones moved by many undead under the earth. The stones fell away to reveal a second floor below them, one covered in carvings and hellish symbols. These symbols were organised in circles, and in the centre sat a coffin. Solomon walked solemnly over to the coffin and sat on it "I'll give you three guesses as to who's in this" He said sadly. In the centre of the village was an upturned cart, its wares spilling out and slowly rotting. No complete bodies could be found, indicating that they'd all been added to the necromancer's army. The few parts that were found were mostly covered in pustules and infested with disease. Out of curiosity, Vyle lowered a bucket into the well. He didn't even have to bring it all the way up again to smell the foul stench of disease in the water. "The water is polluted with some kind of foul disease, probably Solomon's doing" Willow soon came across a ruined village on her search, and immediately noticed it had three people wandering around within it. Quickly, she transformed herself into a guise she didn't use very often, but one that could be useful in this case; the appearance of a female witcher she'd killed once. As Selena of Temeria, she rode into the strange village. As she recognised the people, a smile flickered across her face, the vampire and mages from Oxenfurt, and one of those was her quarry, Zephyr himself. "Greetings" she said to the gathered group as she approached on her steed, looking around the village with those cat eyes "I am on the hunt for a necromancer names Solomon, I assume he's passed through here?" Violet smiled and nodded her head "Good. I thought it was going to take all day" she complimented. Suddenly Evelynn, Archon's most trusted advisor, walked into the courtyard with a stern expression "What are you doing with the Princess?" she asked Violet disdainfully. Evelynn's distaste of Violet's methods was no secret, she believed magic was an elegant thing and that mages, women in particular, should not engage in physical combat. Of course, Violet defied this every day and carried her morningstar everywhere she went. "I am teaching Anna earth magic. I was going to move onto combat" she said calmly, her mouth curving upwards at the edges as she finished the sentence, she knew it would irritate the other mage "Hmph! Archon has asked me to teach the Princess in academic subjects" she said, crossing her arms. Violet didn't respond and merely turned to Annabelle "What would you prefer, princess? Being taught to fight like a warrior, or learning about boring history?"
Nicholas Nightwine"This is no normal werewolf" Nick gritted his teeth as his mind raced through the possibilities. Regardless, a werewolf was a werewolf, and their weakness was famous. Nick quickly checked his pockets but he knew he wouldn't find anything silver, he cursed himself for not packing more astutely. The werewolf was breaking free now, and by the looks of it they couldn't beat it with brute force alone, surely Gaia would not make the challenge so simple. Nick took out his stele, and as he was grabbing the weapon he caught a glint on the end of his sleeve. Nick grinned. The silver cufflinks. Once again his excellent sense of fashion had helped save the day. Nick quickly took out the cufflink, and turned to face the werewolf, which was attacking him. He quickly stepped back away from its mouth, he couldn't let it touch him, that was important. He didn't want to end up like Brianne. Dodging its swipes, Nick grasped the cufflink in between the fingers of his fist so it just poked out, and when he saw his opportunity, swung his fist around to hit its face, silver protruding from his fist. Masque"You can't burn through rock, stupid!" Masque hissed at the other warlock from his safe position. The fairy couldn't possibly know where he was, but they certainly knew about the stupid vampire "Valister! What the hell do you think you're doing? Get up here!" he shouted to the vampire who was probably going to get themselves killed. Stupid people made him so angry. Augur HQ"Oh of course, I understand perfectly Mr Keller. You are a man at the peak of physical fitness. Which is exactly why you are useful to us" Paragon replied casually "And of course, our own experiments have only improved this. I will get to you in a moment. But first, demon" Paragon stood and faced Slavko, that visor revealing nothing. He gestured to the suited man, who seemed unperturbed at the insult directed his way by his fellow demon. "This is not merely, 'Some fat guy', this is 'the fat guy'. May I introduce you to Abyzathilad. Embodiment of Gluttony, Devourer of humans, and your new boss" the demon stood up eagerly and proffered his hand to shake "You can call me Mr Gottwell, it's what the humans call me. I have a feeling we're going to get along very well Mr Slavko. Our delectable fairy friend here has given us a mission. I'm sure you'll enjoy it" Gord said with anticipation evident in his voice White Queen & Black RookElizabeth the White Queen listened respectfully to the Mother of Fairies "Indeed. Paragon's cause has brought together races with histories of rivalry. He has shown us that the past is merely a distraction and should make way for progress" she responded zealously. The fairy queen was soon gone, and now they were to face a child, with powerful magic. Elizabeth's eyes widened with shock, and she momentarily turned to Black Rook, they nodded at each other. Both leaping to the side to avoid the tempest, they were nevertheless knocked slightly by the powerful wind magic this child possessed. As Black Rook leaped, fur began to sprout from his body and his clothes began to fall away. A gust caught him and he was sent sprawling into the soft undergrowth. But the creature that emerged was no longer human. The black wolf stood, ready to pounce, hackles raised and lips pulled back in a growl. Meanwhile, White Queen pulled the assault rifle from off her back. They couldn't get close to the girl due to the vortex of wind that surrounded her at the moment, but she shouldn't be able to keep that up long. For the moment, both agents kept low to the ground, poised to strike at any moment.
