Screams.

Heat from the fires, burning the houses filled the air and choked it with thick, black smoke.

A shrill shriek from somewhere.

"Ha...ha...keep-r-running..." A tired, panting, strained breath carried upon the wind as he forced his legs to move. Thunder and lightning crackled overhead, a wind whipping across the wasted plains of the sea-side town. Almost enough to knock a man over, let alone a young child.

"A-ah!!" He would stop dead in his tracks, falling over as his butt would hit the ground and attempting to scramble away from the beastly creature in front of him. A horrid monstrosity, lacking any flesh - only sinewy muscles, black blood and yellow veins. Slowly, the creature would turn atop its baleful steed, its uncannily human face responding to the boy's screams with a terrible, cruel laugh as it would reach a hand out - 

A peal of thunder, a flash of lightning.

In a near instant, the creature painfully shrieked - a cacophonous sound mixed of human and horse as it reared back on its steed, shuffling away, its arm cleaved clean from its body in a single stroke. The boy's eyes widened, a woman standing between him and the Fomorian. Hair the color of a warm summers day, a stern, determined countenance and in her hand was a blade with a hilt of gold.

[color=fff79a]"Those who would dare bring violence and destruction to this land,"[/color] The beast would quickly recollect itself as the woman in front of it began speaking, her golden blade gleaming against unseen light. [color=fff79a]"Fey corrupted by the vengeance of the betrayed god,"[/color] She'd shift her stance as the monstrosity would charge towards her with a shriek, this time of fear. [color=fff79a]"Die as the pitiful creature that you are!"[/color]

The blade swung forward. The large sword cleaved through the air. Blinding light. Lightning fell from the sky, as if inflicting divine retribution and punishment upon the monstrous creature, its shrieks drowned out by the cacophonous sounds of lightning ripping its flesh asunder, the sight of the woman silhouetted against it.

[center]Upon wings of lightning and with voice of thunder
Bearing hair of sunlight and a soul of purest white
The King shall return, to deliver the land form its curse
Beasts of the land shall be slain
The Fey and and their kin will face retribution and redemption
The traitors will have their reckoning
The land cleansed of its curses
Hail, for the King will return and deliver us[/center]

The boy couldn't help but to call to mind the old prophecy his teachers told him about.

The woman would sigh, a small smile forming on her lips as she'd turn from the now deceased creature, its carcass burnt to naught but ash.

[color=fff79a]"Hello,"[/color] She'd say, to the boy, kneeling next to him, offering a gentle smile and a hand. [color=fff79a]"Wouldn't happen to know any good place to eat around here, would you?"[/color]

[hr]

Hello hello! Its me again, with another RP! Finally after some months of debate I decided to go ahead and start this and put it up. I was flipping ideas back and forth in my head, but finally settled on this. Before I go any further, I will say this RP is tangentially related to my other RP - [url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/topics/183108-the-epic-of-beginnings-an-isekai-adventure-civ-builder/ic]The Epic of Beginnings[/url], though no need to go read or do anything with that. While there will be major spoilers for a single character and their backstory and history, it will mostly be its own thing.

The general theme and feel for this particular RP is a fairly light-hearted power fantasy theme to start with in a fairly dark world. That is, the world is in a fairly shit state - but the characters will be making every attempt available at making it not such a terrible place, plagued by wastelands, infertile grounds, monstrous creatures and roaming bands of bandits.

And who will you be playing? This RP takes inspiration from Arthurian, Irish and Gaelic mythology, with perhaps some hint of Norse mythology. Players will be playing knights that somehow find themselves in service to a person claiming to be the reincarnation and avatar of an old king of legend said to once return to deliver the land from troubles.

However, before reading further - note I want this to be a [i]small[/i] cast. SMALL. I will be accepting no more than [i]4[/i] active characters at any given time!

Also, I would like to go for a fairly brisk pace if at all plausible. I'll be aiming for a post from me twice a week! While that schedule can be somewhat flexible, though the longest I'm ever waiting is a week from the previous one.

A few notes about characters:

[list]
[*]Players will be fairly powerful to start with, and should possess some manner of power from somewhere and while they might have some inhuman ancestry - they for the most part should be human. Aim for a middling power level. They should be able to reasonably handle most non-boss level threats without too much trouble either by themselves or with a companion.

[*]Powers can come from pretty liberal places - is your sword special? Is your armor special? If so, where did they come from and what do they do? Perhaps you have fairy blood that gave you supernatural senses or the ability to control wind. Maybe your family was once in service to an Elder Beast, and were given special abilities by it. Or maybe you're just a really fucking strong dude that can bench press a dragon. I'll be pretty chill with anything, but generally think less mage and more Sorcerer/Knight.
[/list]

Some world info:

Albion is a sick, cold, unkind land. When the Fey and Elves betrayed the last surviving god to live through the Endless Night, with its final breath and power it cursed both them and the land itself. The land became sick, unable to sustain large scale crops, and the Fey and Elves were twisted into abhorrent beings that seek nothing but to bring pain and further curses to the land. Once upon a time, a king sought to bring justice to the elves and heal the land, but he was betrayed by the one closest to him.

Such tales though, have been lost to the echoes of time. What remains is a wasteland where humans struggle to simply live.

[hider=Notable races] 
(not a comprehensive list, feel free to ask if you have an idea otherwise)
[list]
[*]Humans
	The main inhabitants of Albion. Numerous, but generally fairly weak by all standards. They often find themselves at the mercy of the dangers of the realm. They generally live scattered across the realm in smaller communities, though there are a few larger settlements that are ruled by those claiming to be Kings or Queens. Some even claim descent from the Old King and his knights. Whether true or not...is up for debate.

[*]Giants
	Rare in Albion, are the Giants. Impossibly tall humanoids with the strength of twenty men and the ones in Albion have a particular affinity for fire. They tend to be skilled smiths and master workers of metal. Reclusive, and neutral to friendly towards humans. They seem to treat humans often as one might a pet. They tend to live in craggy, mountainous areas where ore is plentiful.

[*]Elves
	Once created to be the protectors of the Fey, there are very few elves remaining in Albion. Those rare few that escaped the corruption at the hands of the Betrayed Gods curse, fled deep into a forest, never to be seen again. Its well known going into the forest is nearly a death sentence for most humans. They possess an affinity for nature and the ability to use what is known as a 'Leargas' - entering a trance like state where they are able to channel all the skills, knowledge, and strength of their ancestors. Those that have mastered this ability are the fiercest of fighters, able to perform superhuman feats.

[*]Unseelie Fey
	The fey that were corrupted by the Betrayed Gods curse. None escaped, and were all twisted into dark forms of themselves. They curse others just as they were cursed into terrible monsters. Perhaps there are some who remain who are untwisted, but for the most part, they would not last long in this land. Often seen at night and in the hours of twilight at dusk or dawn. Running into one is almost certain to bring trouble...though on rare occasion one may take liking to a human.

[*]Dwarf
	Another rare sight in Albion are the Dwarves of Emain. Stalwart seafarers based from an island just of the coast who worship the Sea Goddess Delpithi. That said, they are a raucous bunch, often raiding coasts for supplies and a good fight. The possess a supernatural ability and affinity for water, with the ability to quite literally sing the water to do as they wish. A Sea shanty is more than just something to pass the time with.

[*]Formorian
	The twisted forms of the elves cursed by the Betrayed God. Their abilities and nature vary far and wide. Some are utterly bestial and savage, seeking nothing but to bring ruin, disease, and more famine to the cursed land. Some are articulate and intelligent. Some have even occasionally helped or procreated with humans, should it suit their purposes - but by far and large, most are utterly miserable creatures that deserve nothing but the swiftest and fastest of deaths.

[*]Tuatha
	A mysterious race of humanoids bearing a wide range of animalistic features, claiming descent from the Betrayed god and other old deities. They have a wide range of magical abilities that are fairly too innumerable to note. All possess some form of animal features though, and live on Mt. Sliabh. They possess highly mystical abilities and often become advisors to rulers and tend to be staunchly pacifistic unless they must protect themselves - and if they do they may be able to rend the land itself asunder. While they are friendly with humans, they rarely mingle beyond acting as healers or advisors.
[/list]
[/hider]


[b]On Gods, Elementals, and Spirits:[/b]

While you can't play as a full blooded demigod, perhaps you claim some form of divine ancestry in some manner? Or perhaps you possess some relic from one of these divinities that give you superhuman feats. There are many gods that once inhabited Albion, though most are now long gone and only possess a fraction of their former ability and being regulated to little more than spirits and ghosts haunting particular areas. Still, perhaps you somehow gained ones favor and thus boons from it.

[b]Elder Beasts:[/b]
One of the main threats upon Albion and the rest of the world for humanity - are Elder Beasts. Great, Powerful, and often times terrible beasts that stalk the land and more often than not, end up negatively affecting humanity. Most don't do it intentionally - most do not possess intelligence and seek little more than to do what they were created to. One could say each one is some embodiment of some natural phenomena.

However, as strong as they are, they can be killed. And from their corpses can be crafted the finest of weapons and armor. Mystical in abilities, and world-shattering in power at their greatest height. However, working with such materials usually requires a trained or more mystical hand.

Conversely, some more intelligent Elder Beasts take humans under their wings. Protect them. Teach them - and share a portion of their power with humans. To be sure they don't do this out of love or a desire to actively protect. Most do not understand such concepts - every portion of power they give to a human returns to them when they die. If the human cultivated the power, then it will return much stronger to the Beast. But in a world that is difficult to live in, humans care not for such things if they can live and eat safely.

[center]~Character Sheet~[/center]

[hider=CS]

Name:

Age:

Gender:

Appearance:

Abilities:
	Please include what your character is capable of, and any supernatural feats they posses be it strength or otherwise. Also where it comes from, and generally how proficient they are in it. Kill an elder beast somehow and made a weapon from it? Given an enchanted sword from a hand sticking out of a lake? Got Fomorian blood in you that gives you some abilities? Feel free to be as creative as you want.

History:
	Fairly explanatory. Be sure to include what brought you to the Queens service. Did she find you? Did you find her? 

Anything else: Any dark secrets in your history? Skeletons in your closet? Love affairs with some kings wife that could spell ruin for the entire country? No? Live a little! While you don't have to, don't be afraid to give me something to work with that I could attempt working into some plot somewhere.

[/hider]