- Class: Caster
- True Name\Title: Princess Skuld, Elven Queen of the Dead
- Alignment: Chaotic Evil
- Appearance: "Behold the Magecraft of the Elven Queen!" A petite girl, short in stature, with dark green eyes and black hair. Her crown is gold, with green flames burning in it. Her outfit is largely black, with green highlights and bleached white bones.
- Short Bio/Synopsis: The Half-Elven Princess Skuld, who became Queen of the Island of Oland and slaughtered her half-brother Hrolfr Kraki and all but one of his companions. Cold, callous, and cruel to her enemies, that is the image that Princess Skuld presents. Indeed, her desire is to fulfill the image of a wicked seductress. She is arrogant and cruel, taking pleasure in mocking and manipulating others around her. And yet, she is perhaps too eager to be praised, to be treated as someone worthy of attention and appreciation. For there is another side of Princess Skuld. A girl who was simply guided through life by others, a girl who naively trusted in those around her until she was twisted by the horrific discovery of the treatment of her mother by her father. Indeed, in spite of a nature described as sadistic cruelty, Skuld will show her Master consideration provided she likes them, mostly through the lens of treating them as a servant and insisting on being praised. Still, she will never see the dead as anything other then tools. In spite of her nature as a seductress, Skuld is highly self-conscious about her own petite figure, and secretly feels she does not meet the image she attempts to portray.
- Stats:
- Strength: D
- Endurance: E
- Agility: C
- Mana: A+
- Luck: C
- Noble Phantasm: A
- Class Skill:
- Item Construction: C
- Territory Creation: B
- Personal Skills:
- Necromancy: A. A skill pertaining to the reanimation and manipulation of the dead. Caster raised a vast army of undead in order to slay her brother and his companions, transforming Oland into a nightmarish kingdom of death.
- Grace of the Elven Queen: C. In life, Caster was a master manipulator who easily twisted those around her to her will. As a result, she is capable of using her words, and the grace of her bearing as the Elven Queen, in order to twist the perceptions of those around her so that she is not attacked.
- Elemental Spirit Manipulation: C. Caster may freely make use of weak, wayward spirits representing the elements. Her undead army was bolstered by many other supernatural beings, including elemental spirits.
- High Speed Divine Words: B
- Noble Phantasms:
- True Name/Title: Oland: Darkness Nightmare Capital
- Rank: B
- Type: Bounded Field
- Range: 1-60
- Maximum Number of Targets: 1000 people
- Description: A bounded field that recreates the conditions of the island Kingdom of Oland as it was during Caster's brief but devastating reign. Her desire for vengeance against her own family twisted the island into a dark, cold place swarming with the dead. Within the Kingdom of Oland, there is no light nor heat, leaving it a place completely devoid of anything resembling life. Those who manage to breach the bounded field are left in a dark void of freezing temperatures. Servants who fail to pass a luck check suffer a rank down in all physical parameters as a result. As Oland is a replication of the location in which Caster's legend took place, once it is established it grants her a staging ground bonus as long as she is inside of it. Even when she is not, it vastly reduces the mana cost for the summoning of her undead and permits the invocation of monstrous creatures such as undead ice giants and skeletal wyverns. Even the raising of an undead dragon becomes possible, though the reanimated corpse of such a beast is far weaker then it was while it was alive. The chief limitations of this Noble Phantasm are its limited range and the time required for its establishment, as impressing the Kingdom of Oland upon the world is no simple ritual.
- True Name/Title: Great Quilled Boar ~ Heinous Maneater of Skuld
- Rank: A
- Type: Anti-Army
- Range: 1-50
- Maximum Number of Targets: 100 People
- Description: The greatest and most terrifying beast that was brought to bear in the battle that saw the death of Hroflr Kraki and all but one of his companions. A slaughtering beast, the Quilled Boar is an enormous monster with skin made of interlocking quills and fire burning in its eye sockets. The quills all across its body are capable of being fired as projectiles, and its thundering hooves can crush even the sturdiest targets beneath them. Its tusks carve great rents in the ear and its teeth are sharp as swords. A monster with a taste for human flesh, the Quilled Boar will seek out and devour humans whenever it is able. Because of its nature as a barely controllable rampaging beast, Caster is reluctant to use it unless she is truly desperate and cannot think of any alternative plans. To summon the Quilled Boar in a populated area would lead to nothing less then a massacre.
- Misc/Other/Trivia: Skuld is incredibly smug and liable to brag. Flattery is an excellent tool for her Master. In spite of her nature as a seductress, shows of affection are likely to make her flustered unless they are on her terms. Skuld deliberately dresses in provocative ways due to her self-consciousness over her small figure, and views any more mature women as direct competition.
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STATUS: I think watching fight scenes can help in general terms with writing combat, since it can give you an idea of flow and choreography. 4 yrs ago
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I think watching fight scenes can help in general terms with writing combat, since it can give you an idea of flow and choreography.
4 yrs ago
At least if you're writing something you know, with knights.
4 yrs ago
I mean, depends on what you're writing, and the tone and theme of what you're writing. Trained armored knights were legitimately monstrous on the battlefield, so looking up how they fought helps.
4 yrs ago
As much as there's a lot of reasons twitter sucks, I genuinely don't want to see it die for the sake of all the artists who now rely on it. Hoping the shithead stops trying to directly administrate.
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roleplayerguild.com/posts/5… If anyone's up for fighting some kaiju, why not try out my new RP, Godzilla: YATAGARUSU?
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@HereComesTheSnow: I'd envisioned the hooded man leading the mercenaries up through the carnage, so I suppose right side.
Mihama Nanako
It worked! Not only was she pleased that she might see Meltryllis in another outfit for practical reasons, but she kind of wanted to see the Alter Ego wear something else out of curiosity, too. The doll-like girl would look good in anything, and Nanako wasn't the most in the know about fashion among the girls in her class, but that didn't mean she didn't want to see how Meltryllis would look in a different outfit anyway. She knew just where to go, too, her favorite shop was pretty close by!
Trying to kill her own price tag concerns, Nananko led the way...
At first it seemed like Meltryllis didn't particularly care for anything in the shop, which was a bit concerning... until she came across...
...
For a moment, Nanako's heart stopped.
A penguin hoodie.
It was a penguin hoodie.
Her cool, arrogant Servant... wanted to wear an adorable penguin hoodie.
She had to see this. She had to! Meltryllis was really cute, it was true, but that didn't make the choice on her part any less surprising!
For a moment, the brunette was nothing but enthusiastic... until she saw the item's price.
That made her heart plummet. Of all the articles of clothing in the store... Meltryllis wanted one that cost that much?! Why did it even cost that much?! But she'd promised, hadn't she? That she'd get what the Alter Ego wanted...
It was with a heavy heart that she took the penguin hoodie off the rack to take to the changing room for her Servant. She couldn't go back on her word.
@PKMNB0Y
Hey um, I noticed some slots were filled by NPCs... any chance of maybe filling those? ^^;
There wasn't much else to do so I decided to push right for the summoning.
"We'll simply be contacting the lingering dead in the immediate area of the last disappearance," Tomoko clarified, lowering her staff as she did, "If anyone's seen what was going on, it was probably them."
A smile still on her face, she turned to face the door before immediately being tackled by the oni, yelping as she hit the ground a bit too hard for her liking.
"Owowow..." she rubbed her backside, squirming a little.
"We're just asking them questions, they're not the perpetrators," she said, wincing slightly as she patted the oni carefully on the head, eventually managing to get her to let go. That was that. Well, at least she was fairly certain of the fact that ghosts weren't the perpetrators. Truly dangerous ghosts did indeed exist, but this string of disappearances didn't appear to be the work of such beings. At least, not any that could still be considered the spirits of deceased humans.
The girl paused for a final time, however, when she heard Mikoto's protests. She remained still for a brief moment, before turning entirely to face him.
"Don't worry about any of that," she said with a dismissive wave of her hand, "I wouldn't make that kind of mistake. Invoking a kami requires a lot more work then just calling up a ghost for a casual chat. Besides, humans who have died and yet linger here are recognized as spirits, aren't they?"
Indeed, ghosts were able to recognize her nature as well.
"You shouldn't be so doubtful of your club president."
Tomoko waved her finger in an admonishing fashion, as if being perfectly comfortable with summoning the ghosts of the dead was the most natural thing in the world. To be fair, to suggest that she had never communicated with the dead before would be rather silly. It was hard for Tomoko to go a week without meeting a ghost.
That being said, most people were not so likely to view the action so casually.
As the door opened, the shape of the girl Tomoko had arrived with in the first place shimmered into view, holding her umbrella over the petite blonde girl, the single eye upon it glancing at the others, the tongue waving back and forth.
"Let's go!"
The trip there was a wet one, though as they reached the scene of the crime the rain appeared to be dying down. Tomoko, with her hands-free umbrella, had of course remained completely dry during the whole walk.
Why she had elected to walk there rather then any other method of transport was perhaps mysterious, or perhaps simply because she felt like it. Regardless of the case, by this point in the day there were few people in this area of town.
The most recent disappearance had happened at night, and no-one was certain where it had actually occurred. Therefore, Tomoko had decided to travel to the site of the second-to-last disappearance. Not only was it a shorter walk, but it was also one of the most baffling: It had happened right behind the child's parent's backs.
Makishima Taro's disappearance was among the strangest of them, for certain.
The site of the disappearance was a playground. It seemed as if Tomoko had deliberately targeted both a fairly late point in the day, and a day where there would be very few people in the area, to begin her investigation.
"And now... let's get started!"
The ofuda she drew and tossed into the air was one-hundred-percent necessary, one of many invocation spells she had prepared prior to her arrival.
The pose she struck, drawing the five-pointed star of Abe no Seimei in the air with her cane around it, was almost invariably not. As the shimmering sign faded, the ofuda began to glow...
Tomoko straightened.
For a few moments, nothing in particular seemed to happen... And then...
Lurching out of the shadows, was the gaunt, grey-faced figure of a girl in her teens. She appeared like a dry corpse, her kimono in tatters with the colors faded away, eyes rolled back, hands grasping at the air, fingers curled like claws. Her mouth hung open, a death rattle escaping her throat, dried blood caked over one empty eye socket, a ragged gash across her throat.
When she spoke, her voice was like a whisper.
"Who... dares to-"
The ghost stopped for a moment.
When she spoke again, her voice was completely different.
"Oh, it's you, ojou-sama!"
Almost immediately, her eyes seemed to reappear in the sockets. Her hair neatened considerably, skin fading to a pale, but much less grey flesh tone. Her wounds sealed, her cheeks filled out... in moments, aside from a certain ethereal nature...
The girl who stood before them wasn't threatening at all.
"And some other people! What are all of you here for?" she questioned, tilting her head. "Fufu, if you're here to play karuta again, I won't lose this time!"
@Rune_Alchemist@TheHangedMan@RolePlayerRoxas@Crab Bane@Raineh Daze@Pyromania99
A smile still on her face, she turned to face the door before immediately being tackled by the oni, yelping as she hit the ground a bit too hard for her liking.
"Owowow..." she rubbed her backside, squirming a little.
"We're just asking them questions, they're not the perpetrators," she said, wincing slightly as she patted the oni carefully on the head, eventually managing to get her to let go. That was that. Well, at least she was fairly certain of the fact that ghosts weren't the perpetrators. Truly dangerous ghosts did indeed exist, but this string of disappearances didn't appear to be the work of such beings. At least, not any that could still be considered the spirits of deceased humans.
The girl paused for a final time, however, when she heard Mikoto's protests. She remained still for a brief moment, before turning entirely to face him.
"Don't worry about any of that," she said with a dismissive wave of her hand, "I wouldn't make that kind of mistake. Invoking a kami requires a lot more work then just calling up a ghost for a casual chat. Besides, humans who have died and yet linger here are recognized as spirits, aren't they?"
Indeed, ghosts were able to recognize her nature as well.
"You shouldn't be so doubtful of your club president."
Tomoko waved her finger in an admonishing fashion, as if being perfectly comfortable with summoning the ghosts of the dead was the most natural thing in the world. To be fair, to suggest that she had never communicated with the dead before would be rather silly. It was hard for Tomoko to go a week without meeting a ghost.
That being said, most people were not so likely to view the action so casually.
As the door opened, the shape of the girl Tomoko had arrived with in the first place shimmered into view, holding her umbrella over the petite blonde girl, the single eye upon it glancing at the others, the tongue waving back and forth.
"Let's go!"
The trip there was a wet one, though as they reached the scene of the crime the rain appeared to be dying down. Tomoko, with her hands-free umbrella, had of course remained completely dry during the whole walk.
Why she had elected to walk there rather then any other method of transport was perhaps mysterious, or perhaps simply because she felt like it. Regardless of the case, by this point in the day there were few people in this area of town.
The most recent disappearance had happened at night, and no-one was certain where it had actually occurred. Therefore, Tomoko had decided to travel to the site of the second-to-last disappearance. Not only was it a shorter walk, but it was also one of the most baffling: It had happened right behind the child's parent's backs.
Makishima Taro's disappearance was among the strangest of them, for certain.
The site of the disappearance was a playground. It seemed as if Tomoko had deliberately targeted both a fairly late point in the day, and a day where there would be very few people in the area, to begin her investigation.
"And now... let's get started!"
The ofuda she drew and tossed into the air was one-hundred-percent necessary, one of many invocation spells she had prepared prior to her arrival.
The pose she struck, drawing the five-pointed star of Abe no Seimei in the air with her cane around it, was almost invariably not. As the shimmering sign faded, the ofuda began to glow...
Tomoko straightened.
For a few moments, nothing in particular seemed to happen... And then...
Lurching out of the shadows, was the gaunt, grey-faced figure of a girl in her teens. She appeared like a dry corpse, her kimono in tatters with the colors faded away, eyes rolled back, hands grasping at the air, fingers curled like claws. Her mouth hung open, a death rattle escaping her throat, dried blood caked over one empty eye socket, a ragged gash across her throat.
When she spoke, her voice was like a whisper.
"Who... dares to-"
The ghost stopped for a moment.
When she spoke again, her voice was completely different.
"Oh, it's you, ojou-sama!"
Almost immediately, her eyes seemed to reappear in the sockets. Her hair neatened considerably, skin fading to a pale, but much less grey flesh tone. Her wounds sealed, her cheeks filled out... in moments, aside from a certain ethereal nature...
The girl who stood before them wasn't threatening at all.
"And some other people! What are all of you here for?" she questioned, tilting her head. "Fufu, if you're here to play karuta again, I won't lose this time!"
@Rune_Alchemist@TheHangedMan@RolePlayerRoxas@Crab Bane@Raineh Daze@Pyromania99
Saber - Benienma
The rice paddle disappeared in a shower of golden light as Benienma straightened, placing her hands on her hips.
"The mere fact she would have said no should have made you reconsider, and yet you didn't dechi," the diminutive enma replied, narrowing her eyes slightly at the fox-tailed schoolgirl. Really... what could have possibly made her think that it was a good idea to not only take such a picture, but then post it on the internet? As far as Benienma knew, something being put on the internet meant anyone could see it from anywhere. That meant Mana's posterior and thighs existed all across the the world at all times now... truly, it was deeply unfair for the girl! And incredibly embarrassing! Simply looking at it had been embarrassing enough!
"While it may be pointless in terms of aiding you in understanding food preparation, I may need to put you through remedial lessons to teach you responsibility dechi," Benienma continued with a nod, as she approached Suzuka with a frown.
@RolePlayerRoxas@Rune_Alchemist@Raineh Daze@Pyromania99
Saber - Arturia Pendragon
Happy with the decision that they had came to in regards to tonight's meal, Arturia was quite prepared to return home. Aside from the importance of having a good meal, it was also important to ensure that her Master's home was secure. While there was no threat of an imminent battle in such a situation as this, where Servants were summoned for its own sake rather then fighting in the Holy Grail War, the practice of keeping ones home secure was an important one in the King of Knights' mind.
Besides, the Saber-class Servant was truly quite excited for the fried rice.
As they walked, they passed an expensive jewelry store. Arturia did not spare consideration for such things, as she was unsuited to them as far as she understood. And yet, she happened to glance in the direction of the building...
Through the window, she saw one of the cashiers, a young woman, on the ground. The window was shattered... and from what she could see, anyone else in the shop was sitting on the floor...
And yet there was no-one else currently on the street who had noticed this?
In fact, even her Master would not be able to discern anything was wrong, though. No-one on the street currently, save for Servants with particularly high Magic Resistance, would be able to pierce the veil that had been placed over jewelry store.
To them, it would seem as if it was a perfectly ordinary jewelry store.
Regardless of what was occurring, the blonde knight-girl could not let this stand.
"Master, I cannot allow this to continue!" she declared. In a flash, golden light flowed across the smallish girl's body, replacing the outfit that her Master had purchased for her with her blue and white armored dress, the hazy form of her sword cloaked in Invisible Air.
The pace with which she erupted forward was enough to dislodge cobblestones under her feet, and send a backdraft across the plaza as she leaped through the shattered window. and landed on the carpeted floor, to the surprise of everyone inside
The fact that, to anyone watching, the window did not break and the Saber-class Servant appeared to completely disappear when she entered would immediately indicate that something was wrong.
@Rin@PKMNB0Y
Yuriko T. Louvyngyr
"Jack!"
Yuriko reached out, placing one hand on her Servant's head and ruffling her hair immediately. She'd picked out a set of clothing, certainly... and to be honest it was definitely Yuriko's style. Was Jack trying to emulate her...? That was adorable, but it was more important to make sure that the Assassin didn't go wandering off like that again.
"That's a lovely outfit you picked out, but don't go wandering off again, okay?" she lightly admonished the white-haired little girl. Being too harsh, even now, even though Jack was a Servant, was a bad idea, wasn't it? Yuriko felt certain it had to be, "I was worried."
Hoping that this was enough to instill the point for the child Assassin, the suit-wearing girl patted her on the head one last time before straightening.
Jack had come back, and the girl was asking for her name.
A smile on her face, Yuriko bowed. Perhaps gently taking the girl's hand in her own was abit much, but the excitement of her changing fortunes probably got the better of her.
"Yuriko T. Louvyngyr, at your service. I hope you'll do me the service of returning the favor, Miss...?"
@Raineh Daze@Crusader Lord@Rune_Alchemist
I feel like everyone was waiting for the Guild maintenance that never happened.
If I missed anything please let me know!
To say the guards were unprepared for such a fierce attack was an understatement. The number that had swiftly begun to filter up the left stairway were almost immediately met with Maritza's furious assault, slammed into walls, broken against the stone. Any who escaped this fate were reeling from the assault of the naga, and thus were ill-suited to defending against the other knights as they pushed their way down the stairs.
But Fanilly had researched strategy enough to know what the trouble of this engagement was. The stairways side by side meant that mercenaries could easily rush up the other stairway and surround them. Even though they were more skilled, being penned in between two groups of mercenaries would mean that they would have to fight on both sides... and that was a dangerous situation in such an enclosed space, especially one that their opponents likely knew better.
One of the mercenaries had been knocked out, cold, by Sir Jarde... but at the same time continued fighting like that would be far more dangerous then she was willing to risk. It was best to aim for capturing the leaders. There was little other choice then to kill their opponents here and now.
On top of all of this, they had to move quickly. They had to. Fanilly couldn't allow herself to fail at this, not when the life of the nem girl's sister hung in the balance.
"... We will split our numbers," she said, finally, straightening near the top of the stairs. The initial defense was being battered through quite effectively, so she had to take the opportunity to dispense orders when she wasn't immediately caught up in the fighting.
"A two-pronged assault will make it harder for them to stop us," she continued. It seemed as if Tyaethe had already hit upon the same idea, having made her way deeper already. "Dame Tyaethe has already headed deeper. Half of our number will take Vosahnn and accompany her, the others will remain with me!"
There were already footsteps hurrying up from below... And she could hear sounds of fighting as well. Tyaethe had already begun to engage someone down there, and given how it didn't immediately stop she had to assume it was someone more skilled then the average mercenary.
Speaking of which...!
Something whistled past her face. It was clear that the one responsible had missed almost deliberately, as if to get her attention, and Fanilly almost immediately took cover to avoid being hit by the followup shot.
It never came.
There, strolling up the stairway almost casually and flanked by reinforcements, was figure of a tall man clad in black leather armor, a hood hiding his features.
"Well well well, the Iron Roses? Hmm, you've made short work of many of our mercenaries, too, just what were we paying them for?" he cocked his head to one side, resting a crossbow on his shoulder. In his other hand was a shortsword. "Are you lot any better, or should I lower my expectations accordingly?"
He glanced towards the mercenaries at his sides, who seemed to be quite concerned about the amount of dead on the stairs and in the entrance hall.
"Well, no matter, I'm certain I know exactly how you got here so quickly and who told you," he continued, his tone still casual as he addressed the knights, "That will cost her one whole sister."
Fanilly's eyes narrowed. Right now, there was still a chance for the others to make it deeper, half of them had to go as soon as they could...!
"With me!" she said, finally, beckoning to Vosahnn and at least some of the others. Her decision-making had to be swift, and if Tyaethe was caught up in fighting and at least one of the conspirators was here it was best for her to take the nem girl and try to force a path deeper into the mausoleum and leave the rest to reinforce Tyaethe. Right now there was still a path down that wasn't fully barricaded...!
As three of the Throne Knights including the captain himself(now accompanied by a girl recognizable as the royal family's young court mage) accompanied the Princess and the Roses who had chosen to stay behind to defend her headed into the back halls and up the stairways, it was as if they were taking a stroll into history. Portraits of notable figures, and of course the royal family, lined the walls.
One in particular stood at the end of the hall. It was by far one of the largest paintings, depicting a rather striking sight. The first was a scene that every adherent of the goddesses would know. The towering, black knight, a crown of spines rising from his helmet and clutching an enormous sword . A single, ethereal-seeming young woman in armor, clutching a silvery blade. Both of them on a rock jutting high above a plain. The battle raging below.
The Duel between Saint Lilianna and Orodrunn was the end of the war between all peoples of creation and the forces of the second dark lord. She had in the end miraculously shattered the black blade, Angroron, and pierced his armor to slay him. It was a scene familiar to all those who worshipped the Goddesses.
Also notable was the absence of a particular portrait for one generation of royalty...
Prince Meren, still clad in his gleaming, royal-seeming armor, had butchered the other members of the Royal family by surprise in the night, all save his younger sister, whom he had become obsessed with. Elionne challenged him to battle, In a bout of furious combat after which Meren believed 'he would make his sister his own', Elionne slew the mad Prince by piercing his chest, and the Royal line survived through his younger sister.
The reviled madman's portrait had been removed from the walls and burned.
Eliabelle turned to the left, and soon enough they reached her room. Within, it was rather lavish, with a four-poster bed laden with pillows(and a stuffed dragon toy) and blankets, a large bookcase full of various volumes, a desk, a body-length mirror, a nightstand, and even access to a balcony. The glass and steel doors leading to the balcony were shut.
Captain Balsung leaned against a wall, as the other two Crown Knights took positions outside of the Princess's bedroom.
"We've heard not the slightest rumor of their return," he said, finally, "As far as we know, they were all captured or slain after the traitor fell to your last captain. They should all be accounted for now, so we've know clue whatever dark and filthy rock these bastards crawled out from underneath.
The Court Mage remained silent, blushing faintly and shuffling her feet as she stood as close to the Princess as possible. Eliabelle, desperate for some form of normal conversation, headed to the bookcase and took a red-bound novel from a shelf.
"S-so, have any of you read Fireheart?"
It was a hundi-written novel, about a young hundi on her coming of age journey. It had become quite popular in recent years.
@HereComesTheSnow@Asuras@jdh97@Animal@TheFake@Crimson Paladin@PaulHaynek@FlappyTheSpybot@Raineh Daze@ghastlyinc@Krayzikk@Heartfillia
But Fanilly had researched strategy enough to know what the trouble of this engagement was. The stairways side by side meant that mercenaries could easily rush up the other stairway and surround them. Even though they were more skilled, being penned in between two groups of mercenaries would mean that they would have to fight on both sides... and that was a dangerous situation in such an enclosed space, especially one that their opponents likely knew better.
One of the mercenaries had been knocked out, cold, by Sir Jarde... but at the same time continued fighting like that would be far more dangerous then she was willing to risk. It was best to aim for capturing the leaders. There was little other choice then to kill their opponents here and now.
On top of all of this, they had to move quickly. They had to. Fanilly couldn't allow herself to fail at this, not when the life of the nem girl's sister hung in the balance.
"... We will split our numbers," she said, finally, straightening near the top of the stairs. The initial defense was being battered through quite effectively, so she had to take the opportunity to dispense orders when she wasn't immediately caught up in the fighting.
"A two-pronged assault will make it harder for them to stop us," she continued. It seemed as if Tyaethe had already hit upon the same idea, having made her way deeper already. "Dame Tyaethe has already headed deeper. Half of our number will take Vosahnn and accompany her, the others will remain with me!"
There were already footsteps hurrying up from below... And she could hear sounds of fighting as well. Tyaethe had already begun to engage someone down there, and given how it didn't immediately stop she had to assume it was someone more skilled then the average mercenary.
Speaking of which...!
Something whistled past her face. It was clear that the one responsible had missed almost deliberately, as if to get her attention, and Fanilly almost immediately took cover to avoid being hit by the followup shot.
It never came.
There, strolling up the stairway almost casually and flanked by reinforcements, was figure of a tall man clad in black leather armor, a hood hiding his features.
"Well well well, the Iron Roses? Hmm, you've made short work of many of our mercenaries, too, just what were we paying them for?" he cocked his head to one side, resting a crossbow on his shoulder. In his other hand was a shortsword. "Are you lot any better, or should I lower my expectations accordingly?"
He glanced towards the mercenaries at his sides, who seemed to be quite concerned about the amount of dead on the stairs and in the entrance hall.
"Well, no matter, I'm certain I know exactly how you got here so quickly and who told you," he continued, his tone still casual as he addressed the knights, "That will cost her one whole sister."
Fanilly's eyes narrowed. Right now, there was still a chance for the others to make it deeper, half of them had to go as soon as they could...!
"With me!" she said, finally, beckoning to Vosahnn and at least some of the others. Her decision-making had to be swift, and if Tyaethe was caught up in fighting and at least one of the conspirators was here it was best for her to take the nem girl and try to force a path deeper into the mausoleum and leave the rest to reinforce Tyaethe. Right now there was still a path down that wasn't fully barricaded...!
As three of the Throne Knights including the captain himself(now accompanied by a girl recognizable as the royal family's young court mage) accompanied the Princess and the Roses who had chosen to stay behind to defend her headed into the back halls and up the stairways, it was as if they were taking a stroll into history. Portraits of notable figures, and of course the royal family, lined the walls.
One in particular stood at the end of the hall. It was by far one of the largest paintings, depicting a rather striking sight. The first was a scene that every adherent of the goddesses would know. The towering, black knight, a crown of spines rising from his helmet and clutching an enormous sword . A single, ethereal-seeming young woman in armor, clutching a silvery blade. Both of them on a rock jutting high above a plain. The battle raging below.
The Duel between Saint Lilianna and Orodrunn was the end of the war between all peoples of creation and the forces of the second dark lord. She had in the end miraculously shattered the black blade, Angroron, and pierced his armor to slay him. It was a scene familiar to all those who worshipped the Goddesses.
Also notable was the absence of a particular portrait for one generation of royalty...
Prince Meren, still clad in his gleaming, royal-seeming armor, had butchered the other members of the Royal family by surprise in the night, all save his younger sister, whom he had become obsessed with. Elionne challenged him to battle, In a bout of furious combat after which Meren believed 'he would make his sister his own', Elionne slew the mad Prince by piercing his chest, and the Royal line survived through his younger sister.
The reviled madman's portrait had been removed from the walls and burned.
Eliabelle turned to the left, and soon enough they reached her room. Within, it was rather lavish, with a four-poster bed laden with pillows(and a stuffed dragon toy) and blankets, a large bookcase full of various volumes, a desk, a body-length mirror, a nightstand, and even access to a balcony. The glass and steel doors leading to the balcony were shut.
Captain Balsung leaned against a wall, as the other two Crown Knights took positions outside of the Princess's bedroom.
"We've heard not the slightest rumor of their return," he said, finally, "As far as we know, they were all captured or slain after the traitor fell to your last captain. They should all be accounted for now, so we've know clue whatever dark and filthy rock these bastards crawled out from underneath.
The Court Mage remained silent, blushing faintly and shuffling her feet as she stood as close to the Princess as possible. Eliabelle, desperate for some form of normal conversation, headed to the bookcase and took a red-bound novel from a shelf.
"S-so, have any of you read Fireheart?"
It was a hundi-written novel, about a young hundi on her coming of age journey. It had become quite popular in recent years.
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