[hr] [center][h2][color=FFFFFF]E[/color][color=C2B280]arthshatter: Aldrith the Bonebreaker of Nazaire[/color][/h2] (Memory)[/center] [hr] Time: [color=C2B280]Morning[/color], Location: [color=C2B280]Unconquered Son Barracks outside of Nazaire[/color] Mood: [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JT7Wyc-MSAc]”Rise Up” by Daniel Farrant & Nick Kingsley[/url] Current Event: [color=C2B280]Defense of Relouse[/color] [hr] [center] [color=FFFFFF][i]Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I keep you, strengthen you and help you; you will be upheld with Dami’s right hand and embraced by Ipte’s left, I call to thee for you to see my creation is important to me. You are important, rise, and seek Pentad’s light.[/i][/color] [color=C2B280]Book of Flourishing, 10:19[/color] [/center] [i]Crack[/i] [color=C2B280]Caelum’s body lurched back as a sharp pain cut through his rib cage. On his knees, coughing, Caelum could not catch his breath. His armor was bent and cracked where his rib was protected, [i][color=FFFFFF]did a rib break?[/color][/i] Caelum questioned as he labored for air. A sense of fear crept in, [color=FFFFFF][i]what could he do against such skill and power?[/i][/color] [color=990000]“Get up!”[/color] Aldrith commanded, sending another Force punch across Caelum’s helmet. The power at which the second Force punch came was significantly less potent than the first; it was just enough to rock Caelum’s bells out of order as he fell to the ground like a lump sack of bricks. No longer was he trying to catch his breath; he was now focused more on holding his head above the darkening peripheral creep. [color=990000]“I said get up!”[/color] Aldrith roared intensely once more as he picked Caelum up by the head using his Force. Caelum could feel Adlrith’s grip tighten across his skull like a vice to a block of wood. If the hold had been any less, Caelum was convinced that blood would have run out of his nose, ears, and eyes, but the grip was so tight that nothing could escape. [color=990000]“If this is all you have to offer, then you are worth less alive than dead to the Brotherhood, a strain on fucking resources!”[/color] Aldrith with his other hand, used another Force punch to hit Caelum in the gut; again, he lessened the power since his last strike at Caelum’s head. Caelum’s cough returned as spit and bile came up only to drip down from the corners of his mouth. [color=990000]“You disgust me; I will do us all a favor and kill you before Oraphe condemns us all for giving you a chance at life.”[/color] Aldrith reared back once more, and as he sent it forward, it ceased in mid-stride. Caelum prayed underneath his breath, and as he did so, he found all of the painful stimulation he was experiencing to subside. A momentary peace, a piercing truth that the flesh never overcame his faith. There was something in Aldrith’s last statement, the words of not living up to his Creator’s love…it was untrue, he knew it, and Caelum sought those words in spirit to remind him that they were untrue. This faith countered the effects of his commander’s grip; devotion to Oraphe emboldened Caelum to retaliate and to share the power of what was amplifying in his gut. A profound sensation of energy surged from Caelum as his left hand instinctively twisted open with his palm facing up while still suspended by his throat in mid-air; his left hand was what had been applying Caelum’s Force to Aldrith’s reared hand, which was to perform another Force punch. [color=990000]“YOU ARE USELESS TO THE FAITH AT LEAST DIE WITH DIGNITY!”[/color] Aldrith’s roar resonated in Caelum in a way that only gave him more motivation to train everything left on his commander. Caelum looked at the earth below Aldrith and sent a Force strike to Adlrith’s knee with his right hand, which caused Aldrith to drop him from mid-air. On Caelum’s way down, he used his left hand, gripping Adlrith’s rear hand, to Force punch the earth directly underneath Aldrith. The earth shattered below Aldrith’s feet as Caelum landed with one knee up and one knee down. Aldrith had nothing to grab that would save him from falling into a deep pit of defeat.[/color] [hr] [center][h2][color=FFFFFF]C[/color][color=C2B280]amp Relouse: Wake Up Call[/color][/h2] (Present Day)[/center] [hr] Location: [color=C2B280]Camp of Relouse[/color] Mood: [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKdOpgYG610]Whatever Doesn’t Kill Me (Better Run) by Benji Heard[/url] Current Event: [color=C2B280]Defense of Relouse[/color] [hr] [center][color=FFFFFF][i]Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.[/i][/color] [color=C2B280]Prayer shared with Caelum by Maris[/color][/center] [color=C2B280]If it was not the smoke and flames that woke Caelum, it was the cries and screams of Parrench en route to their graves. Caelum’s eyes loosened from a locked slumber. Then as if a jolt of lightning splintered down his spine, he sprung up from a soldier wailing outside the tent. His throat tickled slightly as smoke crept into the tent he was in. Quickly, Caelum began to check himself to see if he had adequately healed from his previous wounds sustained in combat with Thorunn, [color=FFFFFF][i]I’m good[/i][/color], he thought. Caelum rotated his body to hang his legs off the bed and press his feet to the ground. He saw his equipment and others laid out on the table across the tent. Surprisingly, Caelum felt renewed, strong…enough. He got up and used his Force magic to begin equipping his armor, strapping it, and giving it a little less weight to his body. Once everything was in order, Caelum emerged from the tent when a Parrence priest was running from Eskandr filth. Caelum twisted his body to meet the unwitting Eskandr, who did not anticipate a forearm to come shooting out of the tent entrance. Caelum successfully clotheslined the Eskandr with his forearm. The Eskandr felt as if he were hit by a crashing wave to the chest, the top half of his body whipped back, and the back of his skull struck the mud. Caelum looked down at the Eskandr whose spirit was knocked clean from his body, [color=FFFFFF]“I can’t kill you while you are down, fool, get up!”[/color] Caelum’s teacher, Aldrith of Nazaire’s voice almost echoed in Caelum’s words. He used his Force to raise him toward Caelum’s chest, a part of a Caelum thought to deliver his cold steel into the heart of this savage, but his devotion to his Creator spoke not too. Instead, the faithful paladin gripped the Eskandr while untying one of the taut ropes that kept the tent secure. He used the rope to tie the backhands of the Eskandr while the savage remained suspended 6 inches off the ground. Caelum dropped the Eskandr as retreating Parrench approached, [color=FFFFFF]“Stop!”[/color] Caelum shouted. The retreating Parrench fell even if their legs wanted to hop, [color=FFFFFF]“Why are you retreating?”[/color] The soldiers were terrified; words were scarce in their minds and hearts to explain their horrors. Yet, by the grace of Oraphe, one found her truth to share, [color=87ceeb]“Sir, the lines are broken, and just this way is a warrior wielding the very breath of dragons at the edges of her scythe!”[/color] Another soldier shouted, [color=87ceeb]“She is DEATH ITSELF!”[/color] Caelum felt the hairs on the back of his neck and forearms begin to stand, [color=FFFFFF][i]her.[/i][/color] Caelum pointed to the tied-up Eskandr, [color=FFFFFF]“Take this one with you; he may be of use to Arcel and the Queen.”[/color] The soldiers nodded, grabbed the Eskandr, and bolted. Caelum pressed in the direction from where the soldiers retreated to greet the Pyro Pixie, Thorunn Silverhair.[/color] [hr] [center][h2][color=FFFFFF]B[/color][color=C2B280]oss Fight (Round 2): Camille, Gerard, and Caelum v. Thorunn Silverhair, the Pyro Pixie[/color][/h2] (Present Day)[/center] [hr] [hr] Interactions: [@Pirouette], [@pantothenic], [@Force and Fury] Location: [color=C2B280]Camp of Relouse[/color] Mood: [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_LL1VZEN-s]Facing Fears by Ivan Torrent[/url] Current Event: [color=C2B280]Defense of Relouse[/color] [hr] [center] [i][color=FFFFFF]Find mercy toward those who try to strike you, those who wish harm upon you beneath their breath, those who do not know you, and those who cannot see you. Show mercy, and may love be seeded in them to one day grow up like a tree bathing in light, shading and protecting as you once did for thee.[/color][/i] [color=C2B280]Book of Lazaire, 9:55[/color][/center] [color=C2B280]Caelum heard Throunn’s wrath as he gained ground from the infirmary to her position. The sound of her scythe thrashing was concretely embedded in Caelum’s memory. He had now encountered this witch twice and to his dismay, she did not take long to recover from their last battle. Upon arriving to the scene of Thorunn Silverhair, Caelum saw a small knight lunge at her clashing steel to steel. The fast thinking system of Caelum’s mind wanted to move in and reinforce the knight’s effort, but the slower thinking system of Caelum’s mind knew to scan the field before attacking blindly. Emerging from the flames adjacent from Caelum was a red-robed Priest. Caelum recognized the wardrobe, a Rezaindian, an ally. Caelum looked over to the Priest, who too met his gaze with a look that silently affirmed they were here to fight this witch together. Breaking their gaze of affirmation was the eruption of a firewall that Thorunn raged forward at the Parrench knight who disengaged and defended valiantly despite her size. Caelum immediately saw Thorunn’s attention on the Parrench knight as an opportunity to attack her from behind with the Priest. He raised his blade, slashing down; a slicing Force cut through the air, spitting up mud on its way to the witch’s ribs. The Priest followed by reaching into the depths of Thorunn’s flames; he manipulated the flames to twist into blazing serpent heads, and each head tried to strike Thorunn’s frame simultaneously. [i]But…damn…was she good.[/i] Throunn’s effortless display of skill showcased a dance performance that evaded Caelum’s slicing Force by sidestepping and absorbing Gerard’s serpents in unison. [color=800080]“That was pathetic,”[/color] she spat, reusing words familiar to her. [color=800080]“Your magic teachers should be ashamed of you.”[/color] Then, she picked a target and made a snake of her own, as she sent the flaming serpentine, Gerard having expertise in the art of fire, whipped the serpent-like tornado back at her. Thorunn would need to defend. Caelum tried seizing the moment by sending another slicing Force to push her back with a lightning bolt from above where he anticipated her to be pushed, but the first attack did not budge her. Therefore, the lightning bolt hit earth and not Silver hair. [color=800080]"You sneaky little prick,"[/color] she hissed, shaking her head at the clever combo attack. [color=800080]"My turn!"[/color] Drawing from the residual heat in the air, she reached for the priest's and knight's heads with twin fists of Force, to squish them like overripe fruits. [color=FFFFFF][i]Deja vu[/i][/color]. Aldirth liked to punch Caelum with Force too. Caelum prepared to defend as he did against his teacher years ago, but to his fortune Thorunn’s force was interrupted by a golden aura shielding Caelum’s body. Caelum turned to the smaller Parrench knight and saw her focused on him. She shined bright as Oraphe, and Caelum could only thank her in spirit. Her strength and gesture of protection would not go to waste.[/color] [color=C2B280]Caelum lunged behind Camille’s gift and swung his sword while charging the atoms in the air his blade cut through. Electricity sparked in his cut’s wake . Caelum knew Thorunn would most likely not bite his blade with her own. She would dance as she always did, and when she did, Caelum would leave a gift when drawing back. As anticipated she side stepped. Caelum drew back but as he did there were several snap crackle and pops of lightning splintering in explosions around Thorunn. Her defensive arm was numbed by Caelum’s trick. [color=800080]“Bastard!”[/color] Before she could counter, Caelum peeled back to a defensive position and Gerard stepped in to take the witch down. Gerard raised flaming swords to Thorunn immediately after Caelum’s attack. She had no breathing room, somehow she pounded the priest a Force shove that made him miss and leapt backwards to secure space. The yells of Parrench were beginning were soften as more found their feet back to the fortified city. He sensed they were not winning and the Parrench resolve was broken outside the city walls. If his senses were accurate, it meant that this battle was nearing an end. Camille, Gerard, and Caelum could not afford to be surrounded by Eskandr and still fighting Thorunn. Everyone felt that it was now or never, even Thorunn, she summoned immense strength to raise medical tools, splintered wooden beams, flaming sheets, and discarded weapons, then in one motion, all of the items came flying at the three Parrench loyalists. Gerard burned everything away, Caelum dodged and parried while take some glances off his armor, but Camille took a wooden beam to the chest of her protective aura. Thorunn slightly staggered Camille and with grace Camille reacted swiftly by thrusting her greatsword into the ground to stop Thorunn’s Force from peeling her back. Camille spun nimbly turning lost momentum into gained momentum and used it to ram Thorunn down with her shoulder. The girl charged her, like a wild animal, like The Nashorn! Thorunn stood her ground, raised her arms, and drew everything that she could from the charge, filling herself with Force. It wasn't quite enough. The more petite woman hit her nonetheless, though barely moving. Thorunn stumbled back, cursing and bruised in the midsection. Caelum watched Thorunn wince slightly from the smaller knight’s attack. He remembered that was precisely where Rodric had burned her in their last encounter on the beach. Gerard sent several fireballs from all sides to exploit the opening created by the petite knight, Camille. To all of their dismay, fighting fire with fire was not in their favor, Thorunn brushed away Gerard’s assault and returned with arcane lances that nearly sent Gerard to Echeran if it were not for this more miniature knight’s vigor and profound instinct to protect her allies. [color=FFFFFF][i]Impressive[/i][/color], Caelum thought. Camille’s size truly did not reveal anything about her. She was persistent in showing that her small size packed an immense punch. It was clear to Caelum that without her, Gerard and himself would have lost this fight meeting their fate like Oleric and Magnus. The three continued to press their attack on Silverhair. It was not enough; as soon as Thorunn caught a breather, she reminded them why she had a strut of confidence about her all the time. Thorunn raised everything but the roof and kitchen sink a second time, sending it all at the three. In the same breath, she hurtled forward in a blur, Gerard was first. She tackled and grabbed him with an inhuman howl, grabbed his ankles, and flung him to the ground thrice until he lay broken. Caelum tried to defend Gerard, and Thorunn was happy to take care of him too, but the girl made the mistake of getting between her and her prey. [color=800080]"Your gods are weak before the power of Father, Mother, Sister, and Brother!"[/color]She screamed.[color=800080]"I shall send you to Visitor!"[/color] This time, the youth's golden aura was not enough. Thorunn ripped her from the ground and repeated her attack, slamming her victim into the ground again and again. She tossed the girl away when she was done. [color=800080]"Now,"[/color] she growled, a wicked, evil look in her eyes, [color=800080]"it's your turn, handsome."[/color] She fixed her gaze upon the one remaining member of the group. Thorunn's enemies lay defeated. They were around her but not surrounding her anymore. She was safe. They were on death's doorstep. Brother was supreme on the battlefield, not these weak Parrench gods with their names stolen from the yasoi. She began drawing again to finish off the final one. Her people were racing forward now. The soft Greenlanders were covering their gates as they retreated inside. There was just this knight to...kill.[/color] [color=C2B280]Caelum stood one to one as each of his allies fell on the battlefield. Once again, she was too quick, too powerful, but Caelum knew not of giving up. Instead of feeling hopeless, he searched for an answer. He took a deep breath as she slowly advanced. Her confidence was ever present in each stride, and in Caelum’s peripheral, he saw that his side was no longer on the field. It was only Eskandr scum flooding. Oraphe revealed in Caelum as he searched in his mind’s eye of Thorunn’s true identity. It clicked as he replayed her actions, her moves, and her attitude. He listened to all three battles he engaged her in and it finally sank at this moment as a peaceful feeling draped over his body. She was a terrified little girl. Her incessant need to keep everything at bay. She became easily frustrated whenever things did not go her way. She lacked patience and focus and treated everything as if it were a game when events fell her way but erupted in terror and tantrums when events did not. Thorunn was still that little girl, immature but armed with more power. Caelum felt something different in himself as he now pierced the veil of her overcompensating persona. Caelum’s perception flipped; what wounds did she hide so profound that life became meaningless enough to slay without discretion? Caelum’s deep love for Oraphe bridged across to this hurt child who approached with a bloodlust in her eyes. It was clear, today he could not kill her, he needed only to show her mercy and save his allies before the Eskandr completely overran them all. First, Caelum wanted to reach her soul, to give her more to think about than simply adding another number to her kill list; in clear Eskandr language, he spoke in her tongue, something familiar to listen to, something closer to home, [color=FFFFFF]“I understand you Silverhair! The resentment toward those who are different and who appear threatening. You are scared, and I do not blame you. Your anger must keep your fear at arm’s distance. It must be difficult to have the Eskandr world looking toward you for strength and deep down…you only feel fear. Who would you be if you were not terrorizing those you felt threatened your security? Who would you be if you were not fighting with anger to keep your fear at a distance as you have shown so clearly to do on the battlefield against all of us as your enemies? Who would you be if you felt loved...”[/color] Caelum paused to let the words seed. [color=FFFFFF]“When we first met…when you killed my friend on the hills of Vitroux…I thought you took pleasure in destroying life, but now I see…it is not the destruction of life you seek…it is love…the love from your people, affirmation that you are enough, that you are stronger than you are, that you are…special…if not special enough to be loved…then feared, a mistaken belief Silverhair.”[/color] Thorunn was quiet, but her approach slowed down. Caelum did not know if he had reached any part of her. The pace at which she slowed however gave him time to set the trap, while he spoke to her, he focused his Force on the earth 30 strides in front of her. [color=FFFFFF]“Know Thorunn, make no mistake…you are loved…and find it in your soul to forgive what I must do next.”[/color] Thorunn confusingly took her next step…she made no mistake; she would kill him today. Caelum threw his gauntlet down onto the earth-shattering ground where Thorunn stood. All at once, the ground fell away beneath her. Thorunn's eyes went down, and she shrieked as her body followed them. All rational thought evaporated. It had been the knight. It had been an attack to buy him time so that he could collect his gravely wounded comrades. She did not know this or care. She saw only darkness closing around her: a tiny space where she was trapped. She was trapped and couldn't get out! Thorunn wailed and screeched, tears coursing from her eyes. She pounded at the earth with fists of flesh and bone and Force alike. There was light above. She needed to go to it. There was light! She'd be safe and free or... or maybe not! What was out there? Who would hurt her!? She cried out and battered he ground until there was a great crater around her. She collapsed to her knees in the middle of it. There was nobody here who could do her any harm. She was Thorunn Silverhair, First among the Æresvaktr and surely Queen of Hegelich after this. She breathed. She breathed some more, glaring at any who dared look at her. Tears evaporated from her cheeks and she stood, composing herself. The knight was gone, though, along with the other two. She scowled, spat, and joined the advance of her countrymen.[/color]