Crimson Paladin

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Fantasy Knight RP

Fleuri Jodeau

As the knights approached the Silver Stone, the details of the shrine came into view. Fleuri looked over the shrine as they came to a stop. The carved silver stone, the offering table, and the surrounding stones looked just as they had been the last time he had been here.

There were no outward signs of vandalism or desecration upon the great stone, and it didn't look like anybody was there. There was a lingering worry in the back of Fleuri's mind that perhaps the note might not have had anything to do with the events at the fort, and if they had been mistaken and the real lead went cold as a result, it'd be his fault. On the other hand, something did feel...off. But was it his intuition, or was he simply still shaken up from the grisly scenes at the fort?

Fleuri continued to look around, but did not approach further, not without orders from the captain. After all, they were dealing with an evil artifact of catastrophic potential that had already wiped out an entire military garrison, so a little caution was quite warranted. On the other hand, if they hesitated too much, whatever trail they might find may grow colder and colder, depending on what they'd find here.

I never thought I'd find myself apprehensive about being here at night, Fleuri mused.

It was at this point that Fleuri heard someone approaching. He turned his horse around and headed to where Gerard was, looking out at the new arrival to see who it was. Whoever it was, their rapid pace of approach probably ruled out being a pilgrim coming for the shrine, and the fact that they were alone suggested that they weren't looking for a fight. Even so, Fleuri remained tense, unsure what their arrival meant for them.

As the rider drew closer, Fleuri was able to discern the armor-clad form of a fellow Iron Rose knight with the distinct ears of a Hundi. Judging by her armor and black hair, this knight was Runa Liulfr. She was only recently inducted into the order, as Fleuri recalled, but had several years experience as a squire to one of the older Iron Roses.

I thought she wasn't coming. I can't say Tyaethe will be happy about her tardiness, but I'm glad she's with us now.

When Runa finally reached the group, Gerard was the first to welcome her here, albeit wordlessly. They couldn't be sure how much she knew of the current situation, so it'd be a good idea to ensure she knew what was going on.

"I'll make sure she's brought up to speed about what's going on," Fleuri said to Gerard as he rode past him towards Runa. He directed his horse to the Hundi knight's left flank to greet her.

"You are Dame Runa Liulfr, correct? I am Sir Fleuri Jodeau, and the knight over there is Sir Gerard Segremors. It's good that you were able to join us," he introduced himself.

"Now that you're here, much do you know about our mission?" he asked as he circled his horse to be facing the shrine alongside the new knight. "Whoever told you where to find us, did they explain everything that's been going, or do you need someone to fill you in?"

@HereComesTheSnow@JessieTargaryen@VitaVitaAR

The Epic of Beginnings - Fragments of a weathered scroll

Novak

It appears that the negotiations were short.

In just a few brief moments, the trio's situation had radically changed. The Kyrinth had bounded off, and now they were facing three hunters that intended to kill them. Novak wasn't entirely sure how successful the meeting went, but at least it didn't attack or try to place blame on them. They'd have to worry about that later, however, because the more pressing matter was the trio of hunters bent on killing them.

Novak drew his sword, trying his best to not convey how scared he was, or that he had almost no idea what he was doing. Fighting a mindless slime was one thing, but these were people who killed things with their spears and bows for a living. Novak had been hesitant to copy their techniques and skills before, worried that picking up a lesser warrior's moves would handicap him in the long run, but it was clear that if he didn't start picking up on how to fight right now, he wouldn't live long enough to have to worry about it.

Novak took a few steps back, partially out of hesitation, but also to be able to watch Nobunaga. As a clearly experienced sword fighter, her techniques would be most relevant to him, even if their swords were differently shaped. Additionally, Novak had noticed how Lady Mie's guards had similar swords to Nobunaga's- if he took a job with the foxy merchant, he'd probably end up switching to a katana and picking up more techniques exclusive to it. First, however, he'd need to live through this fight.

What happened next would depend on the actions of his foes or companions. If the hunters reached Novak, he'd attempt to defensively deflect or parry strikes from their spears, while focusing on picking up their techniques. If Nobunaga were to intercept either of them, he'd try to pick up on her moves, at least for as he wasn't facing the threat of immediate impalement from the other spearman. If she were to instead go after the archer and leave Novak to hold off the other two hunters by himself, however, he'd be unable to watch her and would have to focus entirely on not letting himself or Enli get skewered.

@Rune_Alchemist@VitaVitaAR

The Epic of Beginnings - Fragments of a weathered scroll

Novak

Novak considered what he saw as he pocketed the mask. Normally he'd be a bit relieved that the arrow's target wasn't him or Enli, but in these circumstances what he saw could actually be even worse. According to Akando, the reason the Kyrinth was upset may have something to do with the hunters being irreverent of the deer. If someone was going to shoot a deer within sight of the Kyrinth, during this very sensitive meeting, it might make this very powerful elder beast quite angry. And those eye, staring at him...was this mystery assassin watching him even now?

He didn't have time to speculate. He had to warn them before what he saw could come to pass.

"I think someone's coming," he spoke up as he approached Enli and the Kyrinth. "Over there, at the edge of the grove. Something spooked the deer, over there." Novak pointed to where he had seen the eyes, in the general area of where the deer had been startled.

There was always chance it could be a false alarm- if the Illuminator controlled what the mask showed, it could be possible to show things that aren't there, giving everyone present a reason to be upset with Novak and distrust him in future dealings. Even so, he couldn't afford to dismiss this, not with what was potentially at stake. A slightly annoyed Elder Beast was a less terrible outcome than a livid Elder Beast.

"There's more," he said, looking back Enli, then up at the Kyinth, a little apprehensive about revealing something that could only have been shown to him through supernatural means. "They...I think they intend to kill the deer."

@Rune_Alchemist@VitaVitaAR

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Fantasy Knight RP

Fleuri Jodeau

"I've been there twice," Fleuri replied to Gerard's question. He had visited it once as a squire, and again after finding his faith again. "It's the oldest shrine to Mayon in Thaln. I can think of a few possible reasons whoever was behind this might have an interest in it, and none of them are good."

Perhaps it was simply the pre-determined site of a rendezvous, an easy landmark to meet with other malefactors and conspirators. Another possibility was that they wanted to vandalize and desecrate the shrine out of spite for the goddess. As the patron goddess of the Iron Roses and the most commonly worshiped goddess of Thaln, anyone with ill will towards those organizations might also have ire towards her. A more alarming possibility, however, was that they wanted to use the shard's power on Mayon's faithful. Fleuri wasn't sure if the shrine could be subverted in such a manner, but it wouldn't be a good idea to wait and find out.

Normally Fleuri might also consider the possibility that it could've been a written reminder for the soldier to make a pilgrimage, but the circumstances around the man's death were too suspicious to write off any possible lead. If Abigail's analysis was correct, the man knew the killer and likely thief enough to let his guard down when he was killed, implying that he was lucid when it happened. Perhaps he was simply somebody who had been deceived by the infiltrator, but if so, why bother killing him at all, why not leave him to be driven mad?

"I think this man might have been an accomplice, the circumstances of his murder seem too strange to simply be a soldier at the wrong place at the wrong time," Fleuri stated. "If that's the case, then this note might be the lead we need."

"I'm going to inform the captain of what we found," he told the younger knight, "She needs to know about this as soon as possible. Thanks for your help, Abigail." Fleuri rushed back to the courtyard as quickly as he could, where the other knights, Alette, and her massive subordinate, still were.

"Captain, we've found something," Fleuri reported to Fanilly, before making a brief pause to compose himself. "Gerard, myself, Abigail found the scene of a double murder in the fort. Someone appears to have slit the captain's throat in his bed, stolen something from his desk, and stabbed a soldier to death outside. Unlike the other deaths, however, it looks like both the killer and the soldier were lucid when this happened, and Abigail thinks that the soldier was letting his guard down when he was stabbed, which sounds to me like he wasn't killed trying to stop or apprehend the culprit. When we searched his corpse, we found a note simply saying The Silver Stone."

Fleuri wanted to ask Fanilly if she had discovered anything out there, but he could wait to ask about it later.

@HereComesTheSnow@ghastlyInc@Raineh Daze@VitaVitaAR@FlappyTheSpybot

The Epic of Beginnings - Fragments of a weathered scroll

Novak

So this is the Kyrinth, Novak thought to himself as he beheld the deer. "I wonder if that's it's true form in the flesh or if it's just an avatar." He didn't know much about the Elder Beasts, so he couldn't be sure how they "worked".

Novak watched as Enli spoke with the Kyrinth. He wasn't entirely sure of what this "calamity" was. Was this tied into the orb? Was the Illumintor using Novak to bring about this calamity? He couldn't be sure, but he wanted to know.

Had it been a terrible mistake to venture into the Illuminator's temple?

When the Kyrinth turned to Novak and asked him to keep watch to make sure nobody was spying on them, Novak felt a bit of relief at not having to stare down this seemingly diving beast the entire time. It'd mean he might not hear all of Nobunaga's scheme, but he could always ask her about the specifics later.

"Yes, Kyrinth," he replied to its request, and walked a few paces away.

While Nobunaga gave her proposal, Novak slowly walked around the perimeter, keeping his eyes open for any sign of people eavesdropping on them. He took note of the blue deer that were still within sight, reasoning that they might notice and react if someone else was sneaking around.

I can't see anyone, and I can't afford to overlook anything, not right now, he thought to himself. This meeting had to go off without trouble. Whatever sort of calamity he might have been compelled to help bring- and he dearly hoped that the Kyrinth was mistaken- he didn't want the people of the village to suffer.

After a bit of consideration, and while faced away from the others, Novak reached into one of his pouches and pulled out his mask. He placed it on his face and glanced around, hoping that it might grant insight. He wasn't sure if it'd work in this instance, since this action might be against the Illuminator's interest, but if the artifact's functionality was dependent on whether or not the God of Knowledge wanted him to see something or if it furthered his interests, Novak needed to know. He was also curious as to what he'd behold if he looked upon the Kyrinth, but he dared not turn his head and reveal the mask to it.

@VitaVitaAR@Rune_Alchemist

Dungeon Clearer! A Fantasy Adventurer RP

Léon Reverdin

This does not feel like a holy place, Léon thought as a chill ran down his spine. There was none of the feeling he knew when he stepped into a church of the Twin Goddesses or his order's shrine. Just...nothing. This wasn't a holy place, it was the desecrated corpse of one- similar in some ways, but wrong in all the important ways in a way that made it far more disturbing to behold than it should be. And this was before factoring in the undead, the eeriness of a ruined temple, and the wrongness of the structure being buried underground.

The skeletons may have been vanquished, but Léon's heart was still pounding. The cleric nervously paced through the temple, tightly gripping his hammer as if expecting a fight- if one could fight an oppressive presence such as this. He hoped that he could find something holy, or something once holy, that could be rescued from this desecrated temple.

It was clear that something other than undead had been here. Many of the benches appear to have been violently destroyed, and there were strange carved bones that had no place in a temple of the twin godddesses. He did not recognize where they were from, but his first guess would be that they were from some sort of primitive culture, one with no regard for mortal remains or the twin goddesses.

"Liliane, Nuri, have either of you seen bones like this before?" Léon asked the paladin and Hundi. "The undead couldn't have made these, and they're not suppose to be in a place like this, but I don't know what made them. Any ideas?"

If something or someone was living down here, that might suggest that they were responsible for here desecrating this temple and raising the skeletons. The prospect of the terrible state of this temple could be attributed to a mortal being, something that can be felled with a hammer, seemed a much less dreadful idea than the alternative.

On the other hand, it'd also mean that there was was some very tangible danger ahead.

@Raineh Daze@Zoey Boey

The Epic of Beginnings - Fragments of a weathered scroll

Novak

Novak was conflicted about whether to stay and rummage through the scrolls, or accompany Enli to meet the Kyrinth.

Would the Kyrinth take offense to me wearing an animal's scales like this? he wondered. No, everyone is wearing clothing made from animal hide, and it's not probably not making a fuss over that. Novak recalled Enli mentioning that the hunters killing deer might be angering the Kyrinth, so perhaps it might take exception to something made of deer hide, but as far as Novak knew, his outfit came entirely from that armored beast.

His other concern was that he wasn't entirely sure that the Kyrinth would want to see him. Would it know of the deal he had made with the Illuminator? Would it view him in the same light as the hunters who served the Illuminator? No, I'm not the same as them. I didn't break a covenant like they did, nor did I kill any deer, he tried to reassure himself.

There were a few reasons he wanted to meet the Kyrinth- he hoped that the Elder Beast would be able to explain some of what was going on, that it'd be able to identify who among the hunters are up to no good, and lastly, he wanted to keep Enli safe. Lazhira seemed to believe that they wouldn't move against the chief, but Novak had been concerned for some time that they might move to eliminate Enli if there was any chance that he could discover the misdeeds they were committing behind his back. With plenty of newcomers in town, they'd have plenty of scapegoats and suspects to pin the crime on. Perhaps he was just being paranoid, but it seemed like a good idea to keep their main benefactor safe.

Novak wasn't much of a fighter at this point so he wasn't sure if he'd be any use in a fight against anything stronger than a pitiful, injured slime. On the other hand, he'd be with Nobunaga, a trained swordswoman, and he distinctly recalled the hunters not showing much martial skill in the fight against that armadillo-like creature.

"I'm ready to go when you two are," he finally replied, his mind made up. "I can always search through the scrolls later."

For now, he'd keep his deal with the Illuminator a secret. He still wasn't sure what the Kyrinth or Enli would make of it, but Nobunaga had made her stance on it quite clear and he didn't want to give her a reason to turn her katana on him.

@VitaVitaAR@Rune_Alchemist

The Epic of Beginnings - Fragments of a weathered scroll

Novak

"I appreciate your offer, Enli," Novak replied, removing his helmet and placing it on his lap. "As it turns out I do have some questions about it."

Enli's offer to answer questions about the temple was fortuitous for Novak, who hadn't been able to get much from Lazhira. The adventurer hoped to further explain more about the temple if they had time, but couldn't pass up an opportunity to learn more about just what he had gotten himself into. In particular, he wanted to know more about the orb that he had perhaps foolishly agreed to help retrieve.

Before he could present his question, however, Nobunaga arrived. She spoke to Enli, claiming that there was a matter of concern that needed to discussed.

As if there wasn't enough bad news going around today...

"Hello, Nobunaga," Novak welcomed her. "I actually have a matter of concern myself that I was about to ask Enli, if you'd allow it." Novak didn't want to delay Nobunaga's news, but he really needed to get this question out of the way. It also might be a good idea to make a mental note to later thank her for killing that beast whose scales he now wore.

"As I was saying, there are some things that we discovered that we don't know the entire context of," he said, turning back to the village chief. "While I was searching the lower levels, I learned of an orb that had been stolen from a pedestal in the temple, and that the Illuminator is quite upset about its theft. Lazhira seems to think that returning it would be a bad thing, but she's been stubbornly elusive about what she knows. Just what is this orb? What's so important about it?"

There were many other things Novak wanted to ask about- what sort of twisted human experiments were people doing there? Are such dark deeds considered remotely morally acceptable by this friendly village? Were those slimes made from people? What's the deal with Lazhira, and how is she tied into this? Had there been any word of Leannah's return? However, between Enli's meeting with the Kyrinth and Nobunaga's news, it'd be better off to not burden the chief with too many questions.

@VitaVitaAR@Rune_Alchemist

Dungeon Clearer! A Fantasy Adventurer RP

Is anyone else going to post?

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Fantasy Knight RP

Fleuri Jodeau

Most of the searching ended up being done by Gerard, due to his complete lack of regard for the fort captain's belongings and Fleuri's hesitation to move them. They didn't find anything, however, although Fleuri thought the empty drawer might be a bit curious. It had been left open, but had nothing in it. Perhaps the captain had simply been doing some reorganizing prior to his death, although it was also possible that something was here, but someone took it and didn't bother to shut the drawer.

"Does it seem odd that someone would go through the trouble of breaking into the captain's quarters and murdering him in his sleep instead of just letting him succumb to whatever madness gripped the fort?" Fleuri asked Gerard and Abigail. "One of the drawers of the desk was left ajar and empty, hardly something you'd expect from a disciplined officer. I think whoever snuck in here was looking for something, and if they were, they probably found it."

Fleuri followed Gerard out the door where the corpse lay, which his fellow knight was currently examining. Fleuri knelt down and took a look at the wound in the man's chest. It looked like it was made with something small and narrow, nothing like the weapons that the soldiers were carrying. True, a maddened soldier wouldn't be above using anything as a weapon, but Fleuri didn't think they'd be lucid enough to kill with a few well-placed blows to the vitals with a small object.

"This doesn't look like the work of a berserk soldier, either," Fleuri observed. "I'd guess it's the work of whoever broke into the captain's quarters."

@HereComesTheSnow@VitaVitaAR