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[center][h2]F[color=C2B280]ields of Fire: 
Deal or no Deal[/color][/h2] (Present)[/center]
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Location: [color=C2B280]Outside of the Village, close to Mount Errant[/color]
Mood: [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uGmE8fVzQ0]”So Say We All” by Audiomachine[/url]
Current Event: [color=C2B280]Fields of Fire[/color] 
Interactions: Queen Eleanor, Sweyn Thunderspear, Nashorn[@Force and Fury], Maerec [@Dao Ma], and Camille [@Pirouette], Arsene [@Th3King0fChaos], Hildr [@Jasbraq]

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“Stand ready!” A commander of the Queen’s army shouted. The echoes of a thousand bloodlines stood roared back as if there stood on the field of battle, a legion of lions. Shield walls for both sides were anchored into tight to each line of brother and sister holding firm to their handles. Blades at the ready, sweat dripping from the unruly brows of determined faces, on the Parrench side, they were ready to die today. Two forces of enormous weight pinned against one another before the throes of Mount Errant, under the pressure to decide if they would unite against the threat that lurks in the lake, or cut each other down before the Dragon could intervene. 

Caelum stood firm with his sword still sheathed but a hand wrapped around the hilt ready for the Eskandr savages to declare an act of aggression. He did not have faith in their ability to speak to others without spilling bloodshed first. It appeared…he’d be right. A large Eskandr brute towering over most who dashed to his side to get out of the way emerged from the Eskandr frontline. Carrying a hammer and set of shoulders the size of Caelum’s upper body, the brute raised his hammer and pointed it at Sweyn who remained tucked away next to the Queen. The brutes speed began to increase as did his position between the Eskandr and Parrench lines. If someone did not step up to declare a negotiation, then the battle would begin now.

Caelum saw what was about to happen, [i] he is not going to stop. [/i] Caelum took a step forward, [i] now or never [/i]. He drew his sword and shouted at the hulking mass attempting to instigate a fight before reason could intervene, “Stand down and let’s negotiate or Sweyn’s neck is the first to drop on the battlefield.” Caelum needed to see if there was leverage or if Eskandr cared little of their own. Fortunately for Parrench, the Eskandr did care about Sweyn and the brute stopped, but not without laughing and shrugging as if to say, [i] then let’s go! [/i] 

Caelum looked to his Queen, “What say you?” Arsene added, “Where should we begin?” The two could not make any moves without Eleanor’s consent. She was the authority power, it was for her to decide how things would play out and her response was nothing short of clear, “Sirs Caeum and Arsene will speak as my representatives,” she announced, “Know that we will be retaining custody of Sweyn until we may come to an agreement regarding that beast over there.” She raised her hammer and ambiguously pointed it toward the brute and the dragon.

Caelum and Arsene acknowledged their Queen’s orders, and then each other. The two began to walk into no-man’s land, a space where neither line held advantage. The two approached the brute, a brute known as the ‘Nashorn’. This Nashorn stood firm, raising one fist in the air and clasped his other around it. [i] a sign? or was he mute? did the Eskandr send a mute to negotiate?”[/i] There was a female Eskandr who had grabbed the Nashorn’s shoulder earlier Caelum’s and Arsene’s arrival, but she now shrunk away after the Nashorn’s hand was raised. [i] interesting, what are they up too? [/i] Caelum noted as he witnessed another female Eskandr make her debut into no-man’s land. She threw herself at the Parrench, dropping her weapons and asking for peace. Arsene acknowledged her difference in relation to the attitudes of her side, [i] Drudgunzean [/i]. She was not like the rest, yet she was with them no doubt. 

Before Caelum and Arsene could ask terms, the Queen shouted behind them having realized what the Nashorn had done, “Sir Maerec!” she shouted, “Lord Perceval!” Take a detachment and follow those Eskandr! Secure the prisoners!” She turned back to face the brute and Drudgunzean, “This is what you call negotiating in good faith and honour?”

The alarm bells for Caelum went off. His hand clinching his sheathed blade in caution of what was to come next. The Drudgunzean attempted to de-escalate a rising tide of tension by declaring she had no intentions of deceiving them, and her last words that Caelum hung on were, “I wish to end this peacefully.” 

Caelum’s bells went off again, [i] peacefully? under what conditions, and who’s definition?[/i] Caelum’s gaze focused on the Drudgunzean woman known as Hildr, “How do you plan on ending this peacefully?” He wanted to know what Hildr was willing to exchange in terms of Sweyn’s safety. Instead, Hildr failed to understand Caelum and thus he repeated only for the same question to fall on deaf ears once again, except Hilder snapped at Caelum and Nashorn claiming they were barking like dogs. Arsene attempted to clarify, yet again, Hildr could not seem to grasp what was being asked and her forces began pressuring her to make a decision. 

[i] Typical, they cannot even agree on what they want. [/i] Eskandr began calling for blood, Hildr cried for peace, and the Nashorn began to reveal his impatience. As tension was about to break…Hildr called for a duel, “I showed you a sign of my trust, my patience, even my honor as a knight. If I need to duel for the senile fool, I will propose that.”  

Caelum was confused, [i] Her trust, when was this shown? They sent Eskandr to secure innocent civilians for leverage not even moments ago, did she forget? Her patience, when did she show patience when asked the same question several times only to deflect and insult her own side and the Parrench by comparing them to dogs? Her honor, what honor was there in burning villages and slaughtering innocent women and children?[/i] If this is what she truly believed then she was lying to herself. Caelum realized that the Eskandr never wanted to negotiate, if they had, they would not have sent out a mute brute and a bad liar. 

To answer Hildr’s request for a duel, Caelum raised his foot to step forward. He would accept her challenge regardless of her excuse to do so. She would be reminded of how she chose the wrong side, to be crushed beneath the boot of an Unconquered Sun would be the greatest honor Caelum could ever give her…maybe…he could restore that last line of her’s…honor.

Suddenly Camille’s voice struck Caelum’s cord, “I will duel!” Caelum dropped his foot back. [i]hmm…maybe it’s for the best.[/i] Caelum felt good about Camille taking this challenge. He believed her will and gift was stronger than this Drudgunzean. If he had not, he would have already engaged Hildr. But, Caelum had witnessed Camille’s abilities first hand and so long as the Nashorn stayed out of it, she would be able to handle it. He had faith in the Saint, Dami’s Chosen.

Camille stepped forward, “Let our duel be Dami’s scale and judge the outcome!” 

Camille and the Drudgunzean clashed steel to steel. The two seemed to gain little ground on each other until Camille landed some minor blows forcing Hildr into a disadvantage. [i]Alright, Camille, take what she gives you.[/i] Caelum said to himself as Camille’s sword penetrated Hildr deeply into the shoulder. Camille then drew her blade back, [i] no, quarter her, do not kill her! [/i] Caelum shouted in his mind to the idea that Camille would show no mercy as a lady of faith. The opponent was down, the option to imprison her is supposed to be given before taking the life unless your life is in immediate danger. Camille decided that Dami would be the judge, not conventional rules of engagement for the faithful. Caelum wanted to step in, but it was done…Camille’s blade sundered down.

Caelum expected to witness the death of Hildr, but instead, she rolled out of the way and retaliated stabbing Camille in a similar location as Camille did to her.  Both collapsed to the floor, without a conclusive victor, Eskandr and Parrench were held in suspense…who would find the strength to finish? Caelum internally battled between interfering and protecting Camille, he chose to hang in time, as long as the Eskandr continued to do so with him. Camille found her legs, relieving Caelum slightly that she was strong enough to get up on her own. A second time for the final blow, Camille raised, and she missed…not because of her own doing or Hildr’s. The Nashorn intervened.

No longer was this to be decided on a duel. Queen Eleanor rushed off her horse faster than Caelum could get to the brute. She engaged the brute with fierce force while the Parrench charged the lines behind her. The Eskandr pushed forward and the battle before Mount Errant transformed into utter chaos. The Nashorn struck Eleanor down, then Caelum, followed by Arsene, but both times Dieudonne saved his Parrenchmen from being killed by the Nashorn for good. While Dieudonne kept the Nashorn’s attention, Mathieos recovered the Queen using his gift of blood magic and then worked on Caelum while Eleanor aided Camille. 

The Nashorn set his sights on Caelum. The two came to blows once again, yet this time Caelum was not overwhelmed by the brute’s strength. The two went steel to steel without either giving up their guard, the brute tried to lean against Caelum, and feeling his weight drop back, he sparked his blade which snapped Nashorn’s weapon back. The spark burned Nashorn’s cheek, but it was not significant enough to derail the fight. The most it would do is maybe leave a burn mark and add an upgraded feature to the ugly face. 

When the blades were separated, the Nashorn and Caelum planned to re-engage, but both were cut short by the roar of the Dragon. The ferocious winged tyrant reminded everyone that they had spent too much time fighting each other, and not enough time preparing for the dragon. As soon as the Dragon came onto the scene, Sweyn escaped. Now, Parrench and Eskandr alike were ceasing their clashes and introduced to the new battle space set by larger threat. If they could not band strong together, they would all be sent to Pentad. [/color]