Crimson Paladin

Blades of Iron Roses: A fantasy Knight RP

Fleuri Jodeau

Fleuri listened closely to what the Captain had learned. He glanced over at the Earl, whom Fanilly had spoken of as if he was not present. I wonder if he is capable of grasping that he has been enchanted. It must be quite a bewildering feeling to have one mind's clouded and be unable to realize it even as others address it in the same room.

From what he had just heard, this Dark Lady didn't just set up trap, but had also cast a spell on the Earl to make him completely unfit to lead the city's defense. In other words, she had meticulously planned this out prior to the siege.

Captain," he spoke up as soon as he had the opportunity, "The local fairies described a "Dark Lady" having scoped the area out for a good vantage point before the battle near where that spell was cast from. They also claimed to have seen her skulking around the Old Falthier ruins. Assuming our information is correct, this must be the same woman.

"And if I may, Captain," he continued, "This reeks of a set-up. If she wanted the orcs to make it into the city, why didn't she blast the gate or cast a spell on a gate guard? It sounds like she set the stage for a stalemate instead, putting as many people as possible in peril so that we- or you, specifically- would show up to save them, and charge right into the range of that magic attack."

The thought that this lady exploiting the Captain's dedication to protecting the people of Thaln made Fleuri's blood boil. They could not- they would not- give up protecting the people regardless of the peril involved, but these vile machinations needed to be stamped out as swiftly and decisively as possible, before more innocents were caught in the middle. Fleuri felt a twinge of helplessness knowing he was of little use against the arcane powers of their adversary. And he still had no idea who this enemy was, beyond the vague description of a dark sorceress.

@VitaVitaAR

Blades of Iron Roses: A fantasy Knight RP

Fleuri Jodeau

At the gates, Fleuri dismounted and walked into the city. According to the captain's healer cousin, they were to report to the castle, while it was a hassle to navigate through the still-congregated crowds, Fleuri, having visited the city before joining the Iron Roses, had little trouble finding the way leading to the castle.

The city hasn't changed much since I was last here, he mused, looking up at the castle. And thanks to us, it looks like it'll continue to be that way. It was a good feeling to stop and look upon the results of the Iron Roses' handiwork, to remind oneself that what mattered wasn't the corpses and blood-splattered battlefields they left behind them, but the people and settlements that were preserved in the process.

Blades of Iron Roses: A fantasy Knight RP

Fleuri Jodeau

So she may be at Old Falthier, he thought. Fleuri knew little of the ruin, but he didn't need to in order to realize that this was valuable information. They would need to take this information to Fanilly and Tythae as quickly as possible, because every moment they wasted would mean more time for the Dark Lady to recover from her failed attack and plan something else. They couldn't be sure what further tricks this mysterious adversary may still have up her sleeve, but they at least had some faint idea who she was and where she may be hiding out.

He put his helmet back on and gripped the reins of his horse, turning it toward the direction of the city. "I'm heading into the city to meet up with the Knight-Captain. Hopefully the locals are done parading their saviors around."

"Oh, and fairies? Don't put yourselves at risk. We wouldn't want to be responsible for any of you getting hurt" he finished before trotting away.

Blades of Iron Roses: A fantasy Knight RP

Fleuri Jodeau

Fleuri cringed as he watched Tiral flicked the fairy on the forehead, knocking the tiny creature back. To a human, it might not seem like much, but to a fairy, he thought, it must be like getting struck by the end of a trebuchet arm. He hadn't caught why Tiral was angry or what the fairy had done to warrant a response, but it seemed to be an out of place act regardless, especially for an Iron Rose. The fairies' response to this act only seemed to make it look even less justifiable.

"Tiral, was that necessary? What could she have possibly done to you to justify that?" he piped in after Klaus filled him in, slightly upset.

Even if the fairy did somehow have it coming, it was prudent that the Iron Roses not antagonize them. If these fairies saw anything related to this attack, the knights would need to know, even if it meant walking on eggshells as to not displease these childish beings. I suppose it's up to me to try and mend things, Fleuri thought to himself as he removed his helmet and carefully plucked a single scarlet feather from the plume.

"Thank you Feeree, you've been most helpful. It's not much, but here's a little something for your trouble," he said as he rode forward, offering the feather to the fairy. "Sorry about my friend's behavior."

Regarding this information, it was quite disturbing if it was true. A human sorceress of some sort, leading orcs? It'd explain how they got into Thaln while simultaneously unable to actually accomplish anything. Surely, he reasoned, sorceress or witch capable of getting orcs to do their bidding must be extremely powerful, and likely very influential as well. I wonder if Tyaethe might know anything relevant about this, he wondered. If this person's true target was the Iron Roses, then perhaps the Immortal Knight- having battled the order's enemies since its inception- could be able to recognize this mysterious foe's description or handiwork.

Blades of Iron Roses: A fantasy Knight RP

Fleuri Jodeau

As Fleuri drew closer to the other knights, he was able to discern what they were doing- they were speaking with fairies. From what he knew, they were beings of magic, native to Thaln's forests, childlike and perpetually immature by human standards but not malevolent. Depending on how long they had been watching, they may have some information regarding whatever was going on, he hoped. Assuming, of course, that they were feeling cooperative and had not been offended in some way.

He brought his horse to a stop as he reached the group. "Klaus, it's good to see you no worse for wear," he said as he rode up alongside her, raising his visor. "I'm afraid I am a bit out of the loop at the moment. What happened out there? What was that beam?"

Blades of Iron Roses: A fantasy Knight RP

Fleuri Jodeau

Fleuri didn't have to go far to find his horse. It had withdrawn from the scene of the battle, but had not nearly as far from it as it could have gone. A side effect of the creature's training, most likely, he thought as he approached it. Fleuri briefly examined the horse to ensure it was uninjured from the battle. Fortunately, it seemed none of the bloodstains on the animal's scarlet caparison were its own blood. Satisfied with its condition, he sheathed his zweihander and climbed onto his mount. He wasn't sure how long it'd last in this dangerous line of work, but it had proven itself today.

As he returned, he noticed several knights, including Klaus clustered near the trees. Curious as to what they were doing, he took his reins and trotted his horse toward the knights' location.

Blades of Iron Roses: A fantasy Knight RP

Fleuri Jodeau

Fleuri breathed a sigh of relief as he looked over the aftermath of the battle. The trolls had been felled, the surviving orcs had routed, and he didn't see any of the Iron Roses among the dead. His armor was splattered with blood from head to toe, but the important thing is that none of it was his blood. It was another successful mission in the order's long and glorious history, and further proof of the worthiness of its young captain. Tragically, it seemed that a number of the town guards had been killed, but fortunately the fiends had not made it into the city, he assessed as he looked up at the battered walls that had protected the city.

Now that the battle was over, the question in his mind was why and how this happened. The raiding party somehow slipped deep into Thaln undetected, yet they had foolishly opted to beat their heads against a fortified town not far from where the Iron Roses are headquartered. They certainly weren't greater fighters than a typical orc. Fleuri wasn't an expert on this sort of matter, but the seeming inconsistency in the orcs' competence suggested to him that they had help, he thought to himself as he listened to the captain address the knights.

So this magical attacker is indeed an enemy. Whoever they are, they probably had something to do with these orcs making it this far into Thaln. Trick these dumb brutes into making trouble, wait for us to respond, and then ambush us. But who? There were probably many evildoers who held a grudge against the Iron Roses. Perhaps someone knowledgeable in magical fields could narrow it down; surely there couldn't be a great many people capable of such a deadly spell, he guessed. Regardless, what was important was that the orcs were stopped, the people were safe, and it this was a trap, it had failed.

When the gates opened and the locals emerged to congratulate their saviors, Fleuri opted to step away from the crowd. As much as he craved attention, it was best if he didn't partake in it, not anymore. Not since he gave himself to Reon and to the Iron Roses. He needed to find his horse anyway- hopefully it hadn't been stolen or killed, because he didn't want to have to explain that he lost two horses in a row.

Blades of Iron Roses: A fantasy Knight RP

Fleuri Jodeau

With this troll down, Fleuri took another moment to look across the battlefield while he pulled his sword free. He could not spot the captain nor Tyaethe, but he did see several more trolls in the distance. Unable to keep up with Klaus on foot, he opted to head for that direction as he hefted his blood-stained sword over his shoulder.

He did not get far, unfortunately; a pair of orcs spotted and charged him, letting out inhuman warcries. When the closer one drew near, Fleuri skewered it on the end of his zweihander with all of his strength before the greenskin could get close enough to strike the knight with its own weapon. The momentum with which the orc charged forced Fleuri back several paces, but he regained control and tossed the his wounded foe to the side, freeing it from his blade just as the second orc closed in.

He swung his sword in an arc at the second one as it came within range, but the orc stopped just shy of the tip, narrowly evading injury, then charged forward before the knight could bring his massive sword back in the greenskin's direction. Fortunately, Fleuri was all too familiar with this window of vulnerability when swinging his zweihander, and had devised techniques to adapt to and deal with foes who sought to exploit it. In addition, his fixation on the recent sparring match with Tyaethe had brought these now rarely used techniques to the forefront of his mind. He sprung backwards with surprising agility, just narrowly avoiding his foe's crude cleaver-like weapon, and swiftly drew his dagger from its scabbard with his left hand. When the orc pressed its attack and swung again at the knight, Fleuri parried its blow, giving him the opportunity needed to decapitate his foe with his zweihander.

One mistake is all it takes, he mused as he slew his foe. One mistake, pressing a perceived opportunity a bit too far in the heat of the moment, was all it took for even a clever warrior to fail. It was something the knight knew all too well.

Just as he delivered the fatal counter-blow, something further into the battlefield lit up like lightning, and in the corner of his eye, he saw the strange beam flying at an unseen target. He had only enough time to notice the beam change direction and disintegrate a troll. What was that? he wondered. Was it one of ours? No, the mages were instructed to stay behind. Besides, he had never seen any of his fellow knights cast such a spell before- this had to be a third party. It had struck one of the trolls, but only after changing direction- if they had meant to hit one of those massive beasts, there would've been no need to pull off a trick shot. Then what was it's intended target? "Oh no," Fleuri muttered, as he came to a realization. If it was aimed at one of the Iron Roses, he reasoned, it must have been meant for either Fanilly or Tyaethe.

If this hypothesis was correct, than he could find at least one them further ahead where the beam had been. Once again, however, he found his way blocked by another orc raider. At this rate, I'm not going anywhere quickly, Fleuri lamented as he tightened his grip on his weapon.

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

Astaroth Quintus

Astaroth's timing had proven to be poor- just as he had attempted to speak with the candidate, others showed up as if out of nowhere and uncouthly confronted the candidate. Astaroth rolled his eyes in disapproval beneath his mask; they couldn't have made a worse first impression if they had deliberately tried. Have these fools ever encountered a demon of prestige in their entire lives? Even as a sorcerer's apprentice in the human lands, I knew better than to speak with such disrespect!

At the same time however, the candidate seemed to take it well, having handled the child's outburst quite diplomatically. It wasn't nearly enough to conclusively convey what sort of demon this Dengran Minsau was, but it cast a decent first impression upon Astaroth. He did not know enough about the candidate or about about nation-building to know if Dengran's promises were empty or not, but Astaroth was willing to give it a shot, just as his own master did for him.

"My lord, I am Astaroth Quintus, a sorerer and ritualist," he spoke up, bowing his head in respect. "I am not from Avici, but I have resided here long enough that I can guide you to what passes for a town hall." It wasn't exactly a feat to be able to navigate a town such as this, but he wanted to make himself useful to Dengran.

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

Astaroth Quintus

Within a dingy tavern, Astaroth Quintus sat, tankard in hand, working up the willpower to take another swig. He didn't exactly what he was drinking or where it came from, but it was vile. It was to be expected that decent drinks would be in short supply out here in the middle of uncivilized nowhere, but perhaps demons found it more palatable than humans.

Gathering his mental fortitude, he lifted it to his mask, opened a spacial rift on the surface his mask with the index finger of his free hand, and poured it through the weak disturbance, emerging on the inside of his mask into his mouth. He winced throughout, but managed to swallow it without gagging. Here he was, a master of forbidden magics, a manipulator of eldritch energies and the fabric of space, struggling to finish a tankard. He wasn't sure if this was the high or low point of his life. Perhaps it was simultaneously both.

Fortunately, before he could subject himself to the disgusting beverage any further, his attention was turned to the outside, where through a window he discerned a newcomer, a blond, human-looking fellow accompanied by a towering demoness. Astaroth almost immediately recognized the man as the one depicted in the sketches circulated through the town- the sketches depicting the demon king candidate that Avici was being handed over to. The sorcerer bolted out of his chair and made for the door. This was an opportunity he had been looking forward to- the opportunity to vie for a position in the new ruler's retinue. It was, in fact, the reason he had stayed in the town, scraping by as a hedge wizard. And now, when the candidate finally arrived, his inattention almost caused him to miss it.

He exited the tavern and made his way to the man, careful as to keep his distance from both the candidate and his giant companion. He was nervous and almost hesitated, but the prospect of failing in this endeavor (and perhaps a bit of alcohol) pushed him forward.

Good day sir," he began, "Are you...um...the Demon King's candidate that we have been expecting?" His introduction wasn't as smooth at it could be, but he at least didn't flub it up too badly.