Raineh Daze

Blades of Iron Roses: A fantasy Knight RP

Lilianna Belwiss

All power and no finesse, combined with suicidal recklessness? Were this a duel, it would be criminal to not call it off after inflicting a minor scratch to bruise her opponent's ego. Yet a duel was not the same as a battlefield and no such mercy could be spared for her foes. The first to get in range found their clumsy attempt at a strike going wide and her legs collapsing beneath; Lilianna's first strikes had severed tendons and left her ultimately harmless for other knights in the back lines to finish off at their leisure.

The second fighter could be considered to have a better time of it--if only because Lilianna wasn't ready with an incapacitating blow handy and staying to pick a target within range of massive hammers would be a one-way trip to the morgue. Of course, simply bleeding an opponent dry through dashing in to inflict minor cut after minor cut should eventually wear the enemy down... but even simple adrenaline meant that her injuries seemed to do nothing.

The fencer simply went for a more economical approach, using footwork to draw the heedless enemy back into the ranks--and letting numerous blows from behind deal with the matter. Honestly, attacking the Knights without a numerical advantage?

---

Sir Tyaethe Radistirin

Walking for days without rest was a good way to travel, faster even than by horse and certainly faster than a group that needed to bring supplies for the journey along with them. It gave all the time in the world to hunt down cultists as they rested, to follow any caught out but nevertheless taking the wise idea to run--and to find out that there were others here, doing the same thing even before the Iron Roses had been drafted into the plans of nobility. At least it would mean a swift conclusion to the hunt, once the last remnants were defeated.

So it was that those looking up might notice a figure moving behind the archers, caked in shining red and dry brown. Syrupy liquid slithered down from a raised sword--and all raising one question: where had all the blood come from? An answer that came with a wordless roar, the massive sword swinging down through a defenceless cultist like paper, the paladin stepping forward into the spray before they had even fallen and smashing her shield against another to send her tumbling down into the canyon below.

The ambushers, themselves, had been caught from behind and were now doomed to be ground to dust below whilst those unprepared for a sudden melee got to be lambs to the slaughter.

Fate/esoterica

Hm? But the objection is just because the skills either do or not do certain things--and Instinct is one of those where it's clear what it does and so's Clairvoyance, since they both come from F/SN in the first place. And whilst Instinct is great for fighting in conditions where you can't see what's happening or reacting to something that you have no way to detect, neither achieves an effect that would be "see clearly something you can't see". ^^;

Fate/esoterica

I think the issue there is that this isn't being impaired by the mist from within, where instinct covers being blind-sided and attacking what you can't see, but it's instead trying to aim carefully at something distant? Careful aiming and instinct are at odds with each other.

Fate/esoterica

As for the reasoning behind the Clairvoyance thing, er... it's enhanced visual acuity up to seeing the future. Whilst that would help with identifying movement in the mist and other clues to indicate where somebody is... fundamentally, the reason you can't see through fog is because the fog itself is in the way. Seeing right through magical fog as if it's clear air is the same as using clairvoyance to see through a wall.

Fate/esoterica

Assassin

And then there was one. Rider's Master had gone--and she felt a little relief at that, killing a child would have been strange... it was children that wanted her to kill. It would have been an extremely uncomfortable thing to go through with; not having to strike upwards threw all her experience off. All the organs would be in the same place but her knives would be awkwardly big, too. Berserker's Master had been dragged out of the picture and that meant their... friend? Not-enemy? That one was out of the way too. If it was just Saber, then getting past to Saber's Master would be easy and--

Why was Mother being so friendly with them? This wasn't a place like the church where people wouldn't fight and both of them had already been starting fights. The Master had even got involved in somebody else's fight! Why even tell them where to go to find safety...? If she just attacked now, then there would be no Saber's Master and no Saber. Turning her back to them and running off...

She didn't understand. If they went to attack? If she didn't do something that was going to happen. Mother looked like an easy target. Saber and Saber's Master were both violent. How could you trust strangers like that?

Mental Pollution: C

We will keep you safe, Mother.

Saber and her Master would get one warning. The creak of an old lantern opening but then the air itself was thickening, a cloying choking fog descending. Seeing out to the church or even identifying its direction was blocked off, an unnatural smog extending to every direction. Within the fog, a single dark shape, incongruously dressed in modern clothing, wielding a pair of knives and moving around its targets, picking an unguarded approach.

They wouldn't know where it was coming from until it was too late. Nobody ever did.

Murderer of the Misty Night: A

"From Hell..." Assassin said, knives clasped in her hand. Not quite opposite where she started but still away from the obvious location. A perfect ambush spot, with a clear sight to Mira, "Maria the Ripper!"

All conditions were met. It was night, the target was female, and it was misty. No more a physical attack but rather a curse, death should be guaranteed. Whilst the origin might be the knives, what could a surprised magus do to respond? She would die and Mother would be safe.

Fate/esoterica

Let's put it this way: he painted a giant target on his Master's head, and had the strongest Assassin for London around. It was game over even before the Master was one that could keep Saber occupied for long enough to let Jack finish things.

Fate/esoterica

Also the roleplay was set in London. Did I mention that IIRC, they gave away their Servant's identity as Uther Pendragon too? It was insane.

Fate/esoterica

@Raineh Daze A dead apostle summoning assassin and a braggart!Saber?...I can definitely understand trying to and wanting to off them on page one.

@VitaVitaAR O_O Well, i wouldn't have guessed that you two had made plans for this. I was really just having Elizabeth check out the situation, and prime Jack for a strike in case Saber did anything towards Johanna.

@Crusader Lord

No, the braggart summoned Saber. And gave away his location. And boasted about summoning Saber. So basically, a vampire samurai and Jack paid the guy a visit whilst his Servant was about twenty flights of stairs down. It was hilarious. Also killed the RP because the guy refused to accept the consequences of being that abysmally stupid.

It's been several days and there was a high chance Jack might be in a position to off someone. With Saber possibly joining in against Johanna and Jack being able to stop Saber by going for Mira, it came up. :P

Fate/esoterica

Trust me, I wouldn't be proposing this if it was going to take someone out at the beginning of the roleplay.

... okay, one time I did try and pull off an assassination attempt page one, but that was because someone bragged about having Saber and gave away his location when a Dead Apostle had summoned Assassin. They weren't very happy.

Fate/esoterica

@Crusader Lord But it's a recipe for disaster to pass up every opportunity because the Servant might have a counter. D: