Crimson Paladin

Blades of Iron Roses: A fantasy Knight RP

Fleuri Jodeau

Granted a brief reprieve from battle by the orcs' disorganization and the trolls' singleminded charge forward, Fleuri raised his visor to better scan the battlefield. He still could not spot the form of the Knight-Captain, however, and he could not afford to stand around doing nothing; he had to act. What would the Knight-Captain desire that he do in this situation?

She'd want me to not worry about her, and with the townspeople still safely behind the walls, she'd want me to aid my brothers and sisters, he silently concluded, just as he spotted Klaus battling a troll some distance away. She had maimed it quite handily, but it was still going, oblivious to what ought to be both unbearable pain and serious bodily distress. As you would command, Captain, he thought as he lowered his visor and tightened his grip on his zweihander.

"For Reon!" shouted Fleuri as he charged. Without his horse it took more time to close the distance, but he was deceptively fleet of foot even fully armored. The scarlet garbed knight rushed in from behind, swinging his sword horizontally into the back of one of the troll's knees. He preferred to strike killing blows as quickly as possible, but with the troll's great stature and hunched posture, there wasn't any place where he could decisively cut it down from behind, not without more strength than he could muster. And with the damage Klaus had already inflicted to the beast's arm, a grievous enough leg injury would leave it more or less immobile, and by extension, vulnerable to a killing blow.

"Klaus, finish it off!" he shouted to his sister-in-arms.

@Noodles

Blades of Iron Roses: A fantasy Knight RP

Fleuri Jodeau

The orcs had been scattered, but the trolls- ten of them, from the look of it- had now turned their full attention to the attackers. At this point it was doubtful that they could actually turn the tide, but they could no doubt inflict considerable casualties among the knights if not swiftly dealt with. Fleuri had never fought such creatures before, but he knew enough of them- they were immensely strong and durable, simple-minded and probably non-sapient yet intelligent enough to be trained as war beasts by orcs. The orcs had probably drugged the trolls to remove the sensation of pain and any sense of self-preservation (not unlike the human bandits whom the Iron Roses had fought), meaning the beasts would fight until they were physically incapable of continuing.

I suppose we'll see soon enough if this horse was trained correctly, he thought as he eyed one of the beasts in the rapidly dimming lighting and formulated a plan of attack. He had only obtained this horse today, but it was likely he had nothing to fear- the martial traditions of the kingdom and the threats it faced ensured that any properly trained war horse would have been trained to not shy away from the often vile scents of creatures such as trolls- but it was always a bit of a leap of faith to actually put the training to the test.

Reon, guide my lance that I may strike true, Fleuri silently prayed, before kicking his horse into a canter, and then a gallop as he drew closer to the troll, aiming his lance at the troll's head. His horse's training proved sound, continuing along the path as it drew closer, providing a margin of relief to the knight. As he finally closed the distance, he struck the troll squarely in the head, his lance outraging the troll's fists. The considerable force of the collision caused the lance to break with a sharp audible crack, showering its wielder with fragments, but Fleuri had enough jousting experience to avoid being unhorsed by the impact. Still gripping half of his shattered weapon, he looked back as he turned his horse around to see the result of his blow. The troll was lying motionlessly on its back with the other half of Fleuri's lance, still bearing the knight's scarlet banner, jutting upward out of its head like a battle standard.

Relieved that he had prevailed in his charge, but a bit frustrated that his lance was of no use anymore, Fleuri scanned the battlefield as he trotted along, hoping to spot the captain, to no avail. What happened to her? Was she unhorsed? Upon reaching the walls of the town, he dismounted and drew his zweihander; he would have to continue the battle on foot.

Broken Oath - A Demon's Land Divided (Open for Business!)

Edit: Sorry, posted in the wrong place.

Broken Oath - A Demon's Land Divided (Open for Business!)

Name: Astaroth Quintus (formerly known as Zacharias)

Appearance:

Appearance

Credit to Jason Nguyen

Gender: Male

Race: Human

Age: 26

Personality: Astaroth Quintus rarely mingles with demons and is never seen without his mask; demons would see him as human, and humans would see him as being warped into something else. Despite being reserved and withdrawn, he is a bold risk-taker when it comes to obtaining knowledge- the more forbidden, the more alluring it is for him to get his claws on it. While he normally cares little for politics, he recognizes the glaring flaws of Tsukran's society, primarily its decadent and selfish rulers that are responsible for an endless war that has given demon society a burning hatred of humans. If Tsukran is to become his home, changes must be made.

A final detail of his personality is his insecurity; he feels unworthy of the name Astaroth, and remains unsure of why his master sacrificed himself to save him. It is a mystery to him, one worthy of his attention, if only to grant closure to the question that haunts him. And even if he doesn't find out why, he is determined to live up to the name and prove his master's faith in him was not misplaced.

Abilities: Astaroth Quintus is an expert in the fields of forbidden magic, primarily in the fields of the manipulation and channeling of raw eldritch energy, which he can use to deadly effect. Beyond its obvious use as a weapon, he has been taught to use this energy to manipulate the fabric of space, allowing him to create a variety of effects, such as blinking short distances, forming spacial barriers, levitating, or folding space around himself to appear invisible. He additionally possesses the knowledge to perform rituals to summon others, either astrally or physically, to his location provided he has something of them, such as a close personal possession or a lock of hair.

Beyond his knowledge, his body has been altered by frequent exposure to eldritch energies, giving him above-human resilience and quite likely an unnaturally increased lifespan. While he is no warrior, he is far from helpless in close combat- he can channel his eldritch power through the mutated claws on his fingers to tear at the fabric of the plane, moving through armor and flesh alike to tear into the vital organs within. Unfortunately, it also has also somewhat lessened his manual dexterity.

Equipment: His only consistent equipment is his attire, which completely conceals his altered human form, and a scroll providing the details of rituals.

History:

The sorcerer known as Astaroth Quintus was once Zacharias, a student of the arcane arts in the human lands. Tempted by the allure of forbidden knowledge, he sought out sources of magic that his superiors could not teach, and his rivals could not match. After extensive searching, he managed to obtain a grimoire authored by the infamous demon lord Astaroth. With the information in the book and his own research, he was able to use the book to summon Astaroth, and made a pact with the demon for knowledge. Unfortunately, early into his tutelage under the demon, Zacharias's actions were discovered, and with no other options, he allowed his demon patron to summon him away, bringing the human to Sanjiva.

As per the contract, Zacharias now belonged to Astaroth and had to serve him from that point on, although because the agreed tutelage had not ended, the demon was obliged to continue mentoring the young mage. Initially Zacharias felt cheated and was convinced the demon had orchestrated everything, but as time went on, his feelings changed. Astaroth protected Zacharias from other demons who were not so receptive to a human living in Tsukran, and while it was unclear what Astaroth's original goals were, in time he began treating Zacharias less like an indebted servant and more like an apprentice. During this time, Zacharias learned that his master was not the first to be known as Astaroth- it had been passed down from demon to demon, no two alike, but always bound to carry the responsibility of answering the summons of humans who had heard the name and sought to make deals.

Shortly before the contract's terms of arcane tutelage would end, Astaroth was called on to aid the war effort, and Zacharias followed his master to the battlefield, where they served as battlemages for the demon forces. Near the war's disastrous conclusion, Astaroth sacrificed himself to allow Zacharias to escape, claiming that there was nothing more to teach him, and naming him the new Astaroth- specifically, Astaroth Quintus, the fifth being to bear the name. Zacharias was free from servitude, but too warped by eldritch energy to return to human lands, yet still too human to be accepted in his former master's household. He thus went his own way, his travels eventually bringing him to the untamed province of Avici.

Broken Oath - A Demon's Land Divided (Open for Business!)

I've opted to withdraw my demon knight and submit a different character, a more magic-oriented fellow.

Astaroth Quintus

Name: Astaroth Quintus (formerly known as Zacharias)

Appearance:

Appearance

Credit to Jason Nguyen

Gender: Male

Race: Human

Age: 26

Personality: Astaroth Quintus rarely mingles with demons and is never seen without his mask; demons would see him as human, and humans would see him as being warped into something else. Despite being reserved and withdrawn, he is a bold risk-taker when it comes to obtaining knowledge- the more forbidden, the more alluring it is for him to get his claws on it. While he normally cares little for politics, he recognizes the glaring flaws of Tsukran's society, primarily its decadent and selfish rulers that are responsible for an endless war that has given demon society a burning hatred of humans. If he wishes for Tsukran to remain his home, he knows that change must happen.

A final detail of his personality is his insecurity; he feels unworthy of the name Astaroth, and remains unsure of why his master sacrificed himself to save him. It is a mystery to him, one worthy of his attention, if only to grant closure to the question that haunts him. And even if he doesn't find out why, he is determined to live up to the name and prove his master's faith in him was not misplaced.

Abilities: Astaroth Quintus is an expert in the fields of forbidden magic, primarily in the fields of the manipulation and channeling of raw eldritch energy, which he can use to deadly effect. Beyond its obvious use as a weapon, he has been taught to use this energy to manipulate the fabric of space, allowing him to create a variety of effects, such as blinking short distances, forming spacial barriers, levitating, or folding space around himself to appear invisible. He additionally possesses the knowledge to perform rituals to summon others, either astrally or physically, to his location provided he has something of them, such as a close personal possession or a lock of hair.

Beyond his knowledge, his body has been altered by frequent exposure to eldritch energies, giving him above-human resilience and quite likely an unnaturally increased lifespan. While he is no warrior, he is far from helpless in close combat- he can channel his eldritch power through the mutated claws on his fingers to tear at the fabric of the plane, moving through armor and flesh alike to tear into the vital organs within. Unfortunately, it also has also somewhat lessened his manual dexterity.

Equipment: His only consistent equipment is his attire, which completely conceals his altered human form, and a scroll providing the details of rituals.

History:

The sorcerer known as Astaroth Quintus was once Zacharias, a student of the arcane arts in the human lands. Tempted by the allure of forbidden knowledge, he sought out sources of magic that his superiors could not teach, and his rivals could not match. After extensive searching, he managed to obtain a grimoire authored by the infamous demon lord Astaroth. With the information in the book and his own research, he was able to use the book to summon Astaroth, and made a pact with the demon for knowledge. Unfortunately, early into his tutelage under the demon, Zacharias's actions were discovered, and with no other options, he allowed his demon patron to summon him away, bringing the human to Sanjiva.

As per the contract, Zacharias now belonged to Astaroth and had to serve him from that point on, although because the agreed tutelage had not ended, the demon was obliged to continue mentoring the young mage. Initially Zacharias felt cheated and was convinced the demon had orchestrated everything, but as time went on, his feelings changed. Astaroth protected Zacharias from other demons who were not so receptive to a human living in Tsukran, and while it was unclear what Astaroth's original goals were, in time he began treating Zacharias less like an indebted servant and more like an apprentice. During this time, Zacharias learned that his master was not the first to be known as Astaroth- it had been passed down from demon to demon, no two alike, but always bound to carry the responsibility of answering the summons of humans who had heard the name and sought to make deals.

During the most recent war, shortly before the contract's terms of arcane tutelage would end, Zacharias followed his master to war, where they served as battlemages for the demon army. During the disastrous end of the war, Astaroth sacrificed himself to allow Zacharias to escape, claiming that there was nothing more to teach him, and naming him the new Astaroth- specifically, Astaroth Quintus, the fifth being to bear the name. Zacharias was free from servitude, but too warped by eldritch energy to return to human lands, yet still too human to be accepted in his former master's household. He thus went his own way, his travels eventually bringing him to the untamed province of Avici.

Blades of Iron Roses: A fantasy Knight RP

Fleuri Jodeau

As the enemy came into view, Fleuri could see that, bless Reon, the city's walls had managed to keep the orcs and trolls at bay. It was a relief that they were not too late, but they had no time to lose- the walls would give sooner or later, and the knights had a narrow window of opportunity where they had the element of surprise, an advantage that they surely could not afford to waste.

At first glance, the enemy forces were considerably more numerous than the knights, but were more poorly equipped and in all likelihood, much more poorly coordinated. If the knights were able to get the jump on the orcs, they'd be hard-pressed to promptly react, and if the knights could identify and kill the raiding band's leader, the enemy would break and scatter. The trolls would be another story, as they would likely be too stupid to retreat, and they'd definitely make trouble once the orcs could bring them to bear, which made it all the more important to break the orcs as swiftly as possible.

Heeding the Captain's orders to charge and Klaus' request to cover her, Fleuri kicked his horse into a gallop and lowered his lance. His greatsword would be of little use on horseback, so he had opted to take a lance, a weapon which he had plenty of experience using mounted. Following behind Klaus in a wedge formation, he struck several orcs as they cut into the enemy's loose formation. His lance had yet to break, and with any luck they'd be able to do further damage before the momentum of their charge was used up.

Blades of Iron Roses: A fantasy Knight RP

Fleuri Jodeau

Why would they come so close the the capital, so close to us, Fleuri pondered as he strapped on his armor and weapons. I don't like this. But so long as Brennan is in danger, we must act. Fleuri was no strategist, but he knew when something seemed out of the ordinary. Why would greed-driven raiders travel so far from their homes to pillage? Why would they risk so much? Perhaps, he wondered, he was simply over-thinking this, and overestimating the intelligence and planning of orcs. Still, it never hurt to expect the unexpected, especially when things were already out of the ordinary.

After he finished gearing up, Fleuri headed to the gate, ready to move out. This battle would be a bit different than what he was used to. The trolls, in particular, would be unlike anything he had fought. Massive, durable, and monstrously strong. At least they'll be easy to hit, he thought. Still, it would be wise to not attempt to duel one- such beasts would be best handled by multiple knights.

He remembered Tyaethe's words about making attacks compliment one another. Perhaps this would be a good time to speak to Klaus on this. We might make a good team if we learned to synergize our attacks, and the prospect of fighting trolls make for excellent incentive.

A Life in Salem - A Fallout RP

Inquisitor Carver- Crater House

The Inquisitor wasn't sure of what to make of this. This seemingly wretched mutant was steeped in Atom's light, His power emanating from the being's frail-looking body. Carver knew of ghouls that possessed this degree of Atom's power, but they were pitiable wretches, imperfect vessels whose minds had been burned out, unable to withstand becoming conduits of His light. But this Zheik was different- while his physical form had clearly suffered from becoming imbued with Atom's glow, his words were those of an enlightened mind. He didn't just understand Atom, he channeled it.

"Come with me, Zheik, we need to speak in private," he beckoned the mutant. He did not wish to speak further of his investigation where the flock could overhear, and did not wish to alarm or worry them with what Zheik was saying. The Inquisitor led the two of them away from the crater house to the west, until they came to the shore.

"It should be safe to talk here," he said. "I am afraid you have come here during a trying time- I believe this congregation may have been led astray. There have been rumors circulating of unprovoked attacks perpetuated by Atom's faithful in this corner of the wasteland. I only recently arrived and have had little time to gather information as to how serious the situation is and how widespread this erroneous doctrine is. Aside from Brother Abraham, I do not yet know whom among this flock I can trust."

"As you are not part of this congregation, and none of the troubling rumors spoke of anyone as peculiar as yourself. I can speak to you plainly. Whatever threats we face, we must first scour the inward vessel of corruption. I need your help to lead the congregation back onto the true path of Atom. And I need someone whom I can trust to have my back when I investigate the truth of this matter."

Broken Oath - A Demon's Land Divided (Open for Business!)

Gaius Petrilus, Demon Knight

Name: Gaius Petrilus

Appearance:

Appearance

Gender: Male

Race: Demon

Age: 27

Personality: Both humans and demons can attest that that Gaius is a demon of honor, someone who is polite and courteous to friend and foe alike, respectful to the dead, and whose word is trusted even by his enemies. Whether this makes him a burgeoning paragon of Tsukran or a theatrical fop who insists on playing by the enemy's rules depends on the demon being asked. In private, he is more complicated. He is an idealist who wishes to end battles with as few casualties as possible by slaying the champions that grant the human armies their resolve. At the same time, however, he is torn between the guilt of slaying good men and women- even if for the greater good of his people- and the demonic bloodlust that swells within him. Gaius lives to fight, but notwithstanding the consolation that his foes were granted honorable deaths, their deaths have begun to weigh on his conscience. Nonetheless, his duty is to protect demonkind and he will not shirk it, but if there was a way to secure a future for demons without this perpetual conflict, his duty would demand that he pursue it.

Unusually for his kind, Gaius has interacted with humans off the battlefield, and these experiences have given him the belief that humans can be negotiated and dealt with beyond exchanging prisoners or arranging pitched battles. Unfortunately, with the degree of scheming and intrigue in Tsukran, not to mention the reputation that demons have for twisting deals and contract, it is simply not possible with the current state of things.

Abilities: As part of his heritage, Gaius is imbued with the strength of stone and iron, as strong and unyieldingly durable as his element. As a Demon Knight, he is a deadly swordsman, trained from a young age to fight the enemies of Sanjiva. Together, these traits make him an unyielding warrior.

Equipment: Gaius wears a demonic suit of armor and carries an enchanted sword which causes the earth itself to yield when struck- but only in its natural form.

History: Gaius was born to House Petrilus, an aristocratic house within Sanjiva known for its affinity with earth, said to be a result of interbreeding with gargoyles long ago. Being the fourth child, far removed from inheritance, he opted to remove himself from his family's scheming and become a knight in the service of Sanjiva. After being knighted, he took up a place in the Demon King's army, ready to face whatever threatened Tsukran.

During the most recent war, Gaius fought on the front lines of several battles, and gained renown for challenging and slaying a human paladin in single combat (a deed that made him known as the Antipaladin)- and infamy for later returning the paladin's corpse to the humans. At the same time, he gradually drew disillusioned with the conflict despite how it stirred his demonic blood, and began to lament slaying the humans, more so after having personally seen that not all of them are the murderous fanatics that his leaders made them out to be.

Near the end of the war as the tide turned against Tsukran, Gaius was chosen to escort the retreating leaders of back to Sanjiva. When he learned that the retreat had been covered by sacrificing waves of conscripts, he was furious, and protested both their failure to negotiate safe passage and their callous treatment of their soldiers. His superiors, appreciative of his deeds but unable to tolerate his insolence, responded by reassigning him far from Sanjiva. Little did they know that this reassignment would put him in contact with others with similar disdain for Tsukran's leadership.

Other: I have a "human" appearance for him in mind, but I'll get it later.

Broken Oath - A Demon's Land Divided (Interest Check)

I'm interested, too.