The seven Duchies of Central Rynmere and their respective baronies, cities, towns, villages, and landmarks each overseen by a Duke of one of the seven noble families and ultimately controlled by the King of Rynmere.
All his plans were going down the drain. All but one. He looked Xander dead in the eye as the tall Krome spoke and could only hope that Steward had never bothered to learn the countenances of all the little lords and ladies in Rynmere. Guards were coming. It didn't matter. Everything had gone wrong except for one thing. He only needed to escape.
The stab into her side was deep, the blade buried itself into her skin all the way up to the hilt. She slipped from his grip and sagged, and Rafael used the moment to throw her at Xander. It was the only tactic he could come up with in the spur of the moment, buying himself time by throwing the wounded Celeste into her future husband's hands.
He didn't bother pulling out the knive as he was freed of her weight. Without a moment's hesitation he bolted towards the exit, his footsteps echoeing loudly against the walls. The door, thank the immortals, was still open. He threw his shoulder against it and tumbled out the other side, smelling the moist air of the Krome Wilderness. It tasted like freedom.
"Wha-?"
Of course the exits were guarded! There were two of them, but neither was fast enough. Rafael jumped forward and unsheathed a blade from one of the guard's belts. The other attacked but the spritely Warrick dodged the strike and doled out a venomous cut to the guard's wrist before turning on his heels again. While he ran, he whistled a sharp tone on his fingers. For a few trills, his call remained unanswered, then horses whinied in the distance.
It was only a matter of time now. One bit, maybe two before the soldiers from Warrick would come to his aid. He stopped and turned to face the acursed fort, breathing heavily. One bit. He had to hold his ground for just one bit...
Last edited by Rafael Warrick on Tue Apr 25, 2017 3:31 pm, edited 1 time in total. word count: 328
Life is a dark comedy, only you're not in on the joke.
Rage, all he felt was rage, a burning sensation that found its way to the top of his innards. The bubbling fuel of his anger finally boiling over as the blade pierced her flesh, the knife drawing blood in less that a trill. "NO!" His shout echoed through the halls of the house and if anyone had been unaware of the events they would no longer be. His voice was the conduit through which his emotions escaped his body, the emotions that he was no longer in control of. His calm and cool demeanour gone, little was left of his facade and instead there was a broken man. A soul tortured and neglected, filled with anguish and rage, every emotion that had been suppressed for many arcs was suddenly free. It consumed him like a tornado as he watched helplessly.
Then she was in his arms the woman he was to marry, the one he was supposed to protect and care for. Her body limp and her side bleeding, to him she could have been dead, he did not know and he could not think straight and for that reason did not wait to see. The guards were now in the room along with some servants, all of which could do more for Celeste than he could. Even as he paused for a few trills on his knees to place her against the cold wood gently he knew what came next. His common sense was gone and his self control to the wind as he stood and ran to the door. The guard who had failed to stop the attacker was stood gripping his wrist, the longsword he had been wielding on the floor.
Xander took up the blade with ease and in seconds was running after the assailant. He would have been even faster had he not been dressed formally. Although, he was lucky he was only in his shirt now, this meant he had free range of movement in his upper body. He was ahead of his guards, easily gaining on the youngster, the support had been too distracted by the lady Celeste to follow immediately but when they had realised their Lord was gone they had quickly made chase. Still Xander reached the boy alone, the longsword gripped tightly in his hands as he breathed heavily. For the rage that was leading his actions he felt a strange sense of control as he regulated his breathing.
Each breath he took was stable and calming, the rage slowly coming into check as he stood before the boy. His hands gripped the hilt of his blade as he recalled his lessons with Doran, the stance he took was just how he had been tutored. His grip was just right including the index finger against the blade and of course the vision, he kept a close eye on his opponent, how he stood and where he looked. He looked at his least defended areas and thought for what was his best move in order to avoid an easy counter from the boy or even a fatal miss on his part.
He said nothing, instead he just kept his eyes on the enemy and further reined in his anger. He was still under heavy influence from his emotions but was now in more control of his faculties. He did not know how long he had and so he took the initiative and moved a step closer to the boy, keeping the tip of his blade points at him and a light footing. He replayed the lesson he had over and over in his mind as he waited, test was his first plan, see the enemies ability and style.
With that Xander stepped to his right and began his swing, pulling the blade across from right to left at his back at the height of his opponents shoulder blades. Due to the difference in height this meant that nothing too much was exposed of Xander's own body and with the extra reach of his longer arms it was completely possible his opponent would have to move in closer to get a good strike on him. Thanks to the distance between them and the high speed of Xander's attack it would be much more of a quick slash than a deep cut if it hit. Here he was attempting mostly to test his opponents defences and try to do some quick small nicks against him, the distance was a factor in this too as the weak of Xander's blade was all really in reach of the youngster at this time.
The last time he'd faced an armed opponent one on one, without anyone to come to his aid, had been in the Warrick Tournament, almost an arc ago. He'd fought more battles since that time, but never alone. This fight was not a game or contest. This was real. He swallowed down a lump in his throat as wrapped both hands around the longsword and steadied himself. His right heel dug into the soft soil, unearthing the loose dirt into a pile. He'd need it later...
While he could not wield the advantage of having the twin suns at his back, for the sun was not out and the light of the moons was too faint to yield anyone an advantage, he could rely on other things. He'd trained under Malcolm of Krome, one of the finest swordsmen around, even though the Warden of The North was no longer his teacher. He wondered if this Krome was as fine a swordsman...had this wolf tasted blood before?
For a trill he admired the courage of Xander, who marched on him with nothing but a sword. No armour, no gauntlets, no crossbow...just the tall, snarling wolf of Krome, encircling a fierce lion cub. From what Rafael could tell in those few moments before Xander struck, the man before him was not unfamiliar with a blade. His blow was hard and powerful and would've shaken Rafael if he'd tried to parry it. Instead, he leapt back a pace and narrowly dodged the strike. Xander's reach was longer than he had anticipated and it was only through luck that the blade didn't graze his skin.
His foot landed behind the pile of dirt he'd constructed earlier and he kicked the dust up at Xander's face, aiming to distract and confuse the enraged wolf, even if only for a moment. A fraction of a trill later, Rafael rebounded and besieged Xander with a flurry of fast, but light strikes that leave a shallow cut at best. The sound of neighing and whinnying and clopping drew ever nearer, but soo too did the sound of ironclad boots...
word count: 366
Life is a dark comedy, only you're not in on the joke.
Xander had expected an easier opponent in the boy but he knew better than anyone not to judge a book by its cover. He had no thought much of Lord Alistair Venora either but then he had discovered the mans secrets, looks could be deceiving. So when the boy dodged Xander's attack he remained where he was not advancing further and instead retracting his blade to a forward pointed position again like it had at the beginning. What he had not been ready for was the dirt. It flew up in a cloud of particles and clumps, the clumps were no the issue really, they just bounced off him. No the problem lay with the dust.
Even before his opponent was attacking he was moving back, remembering his lessons and the necessity to remain light on his feet. Sometimes dodging could be as useful as parrying, that was what Doran had told him and so his first big step meant the blade narrowly avoided his right forearm. However, the dust still blinding him meant he was not as lucky with the second blow of the boy's sword. This one slashed a shallow gash along his right thigh, luckily missing any major arteries there. Now as the dust began to clear and Xander regained his vision, forcing himself to look even as the last few particles were still floating around he managed to raise his sword to parry the third blow, applying enough force only to bounce the blade back momentarily.
However, when the fourth slash of the attack came and Xander had regained his composure he saw his opportunity. He stepped to the side of his attacker's attack, his thigh throbbing in protest from the strain on it with the gash. However, with his miss Xander swung his own sword down upon the opponent's blade. Forcing it downwards to the ground so the tip hit the soft dirt.
Then using as much strength as he could muster Xander altered the course of the blade, using the resistance that had been offered by the enemies blade in slowing the downward motion and instead pulling up and across. The blade moving towards the younger fighter's chest or arms, depending which was further forward at the time. He was now wary of the assailant and his underhand tactics and so he kept his eyes over the whole of the boy looking for what he may use to his advantage next. Unaware of any threats he kept the blade on course for the youngster, the force behind it enough to cut deep into his enemy and maybe even crack a rib if it was to come near one. This all depended on the form of the man at this point and whether he could dodge the attack.
Xander had noted that the attacker was noticeably more nimble, bouncy and acrobatic than himself. With the addition of the wound his leg this was even more the case. Had it not been for the insane amount of adrenaline currently flowing through his veins Xander would likely be limping and in a tremendous amount of pain from the slash. The blood was beginning to soak through his now also torn trousers.
Xander forced his blade downward and while Rafael tried to pull the steel free, the young Krome suddenly altered course. The upward swing was fast and Rafael could not parry it. He leapt backwards but could not prevent the enemy steel from grazing over his arm and drawing blood. The cut was deep. Deeper than the one he'd managed on Xander. Gritting his teeth, the Warrick boy retaliated with a roar. His blade was still low whilst Xander's had swung up high. The young wolf was defenseless as Rafael stabbed his blade behind Xander's calf and yanked back, aiming to cut through the tender flesh there. A moment later, he'd retreated again, clenching his bloodied blade with both hands whilst thundering hooves drew nearer.
Yet, behind his foe a small army had gathered, Swords, shields and halberds all came storming towards him. Steadying himself, he raised his blade to his side and stood his ground. Yet before the first Krome soldier ever reached him, six Warrick steeds crashed into the mass of Krome soldiers. One horse fell, impaled by one of the halberds along with its rider, the others slammed through the lines like a waves on rock. Some of the Krome soldiers were trampled, while others managed to jump aside. Rafael looked on in horror as Finton, one of his men, was dragged from his horse and slaughtered as the broken Krome lines regrouped. Enraged, he charged forth, throwing himself into the thick of battle, hacking left and right before a rider galloped past him and pulled him onto the saddle.
"Get back," he roared into his saviour's ear. "Get back!"
He did not want to leave Quinten, Helga, and the others in the hands of the wolves, but the rider ignored him, instead urging the mount to rider faster. Horrified, Rafael watched over his shoulder as the last of the remaining riders was dismounted by the Krome troops. Captured or killed, it was impossible to tell. Only he and his loyal advisor Olyfer had escaped...
He pressed down on the cut to his arm, attempting to stop the bleeding. Yet the pain he felt there was nothing, nothing compared to the loss of his soldiers who had trusted him to lead them. He wondered how many had fallen, how many wives had lost their husbands this night. All because of one person.
All because of him...
OOC: Alrighty: that's 6 horses charging into the Krome soldiers so I would expect pretty significant damage (a horse is pretty big and powerful). Feel free to have taken one of the NPCs hostage. You may assume that after enough interrogation/torture, they'd give up Rafael's identity.
word count: 456
Life is a dark comedy, only you're not in on the joke.
In the heat of battle it was impossible for mistakes not to be made and this was his first big one of the fight. In his wish to bring about the end of the boy quickly he had left himself prone to attack in his leg. The left calf exposed to the false servant's counter. Xander's solace came from the fact that he too had managed to injure his enemy, the blade slicing through the soft flesh on his arm. Xander had never drawn blood from another before and it was surprising how little it phased him. He felt no remorse only satisfaction at seeing he who had stabbed Celeste suffer too. It was unfortunate he had been unable to block the attack on his calf and he had hissed as the sharp edge cut through the soft and unprotected flesh.
His opponent retreated yet again after this attack, moving out of reach of Xander's sword. The sound of hooves was loud in his ears and the shouts of the guards organising themselves behind him was a happy sound. He watched the boy soldier, wondering his next plan. The space between them plenty large enough that neither could hit the other and any advance could easily be dodged by a simple step back. It appeared they were at a sort of stalemate and it was lucky for Xander as the adrenaline was beginning to grow thin. The searing pain from his calf and thigh getting to him, he remained strong though, fighting the urge to drop to a knee.
He thought about his next move and he would have continued to fight one on one had he not been distracted by the sound of steel against steel behind him. Actually it was more to his left side now than behind, it appeared the horses had somehow bypassed them and they had rotated during their fight. This rotation meant that they were both now able to head tot he fray without impeding one another's advance. It so happened that was what the cruel child did, quickly pursued by Xander who was hobbling due to his calf. The injury was causing him more issues than the thigh.
As Xander approached the force, around 12 guards, the horses ploughed into them with full force. The original sound had been that of the lead horse running directly into the sharp point of a ground stabilised halberd. Now the main act was underway and the cracking of bones filled the air. Two of the Krome men were trampled by the horses, their heavy and powerful hoof strokes breaking one mans leg and another mans ribs along with an arm. The rest of the troops managed to avoid major damage from the horses themselves but another two men were not so lucky as they died at the hands of the mounted troops blades. Though with he battle still eight to six it quickly began to go wrong for the outside force. The halberds made quick work of the horses and the men or women that fell from them were quickly dispatched.
Xander entered into the fight quickly too, mainly in pursuit of the boy he really wanted. Yet, in the thick of battle he was unable to keep track of his target and instead was sidetracked with helping a guard to rip a rider from his mount. Xander only caught sight of the main assailant now, mounted alongside another man riding off away from them. He knew he now could not let all these enemies die and so he quickly stayed the hand of the man next to him who was about to slay who they had pulled from the horse. "Stop, we will need this one. Anyone else who still has alive keep them too, we need their information." The guards of course obeyed his orders and quickly moved to take away the two surviving enemies towards the house. He remained and looked over the dead and injured. Three guards lay dead on the floor, one had been left behind with his broken leg and Xander would take his time to drag that man back to he house too. He could have been more gentle with the injured comrade but due to his wish to see Celeste and his impatience thanks to his won wounds he was rather rough.
He reached the house quickly where he was met by Badon who took the injured and now standing on one leg soldier inside for treatment. Xander looked out down the road in the moonlight and wondered if the boy quite understood what he had started. With that last thought he closed the door tot he outside world.
Quick PSA:
Injuries; especially severe ones, really need to be described throughout a post, and are not subject to interpretation by a reviewer. If an injury is vague, this will be brought to a Prophet for further clarification. If it is detailed, it would imply that it has been previously worked out between the players. We, as reviewers, do not want to give more damage than was originally intended. Nymph reviewed the injury and discussed it with Celeste.
Rafael Warrick
Knowledge:
• Nobles: Jerks
• Deception: Using a False Name
• Deception: Playing the Role
• Celeste Andaris: Believes Nobles Are The Same As Everyone Else
• Celeste Andaris: You Kidnapped Her and then Stabbed Her
• Xander: Very Angry With You
• Interrogation: Knives Allow for Violent Interrogation
• Stealth: Covering the Mouth Prevents Screams
• Intimidation: Threats Keep A Target Silent
• Intimidation: A Weapon Creates More Fear
• Intimidation: Deprive Target of Air to Force Obedience
• Intimidation: Threatening A Loved One to Stop Attack
• Politics: Making an Enemy of Andaris Will Cause Others to Intervene
• Politics: Strengthening a Weak Position
• Unarmed Combat: Throwing a Body to Distract a Foe
• Unarmed Combat: Kicking Dirt Into An Enemy’s Eyes
• Blade Combat: Dodge Heavy Attacks To Avoid Being Rattled
• Blade Combat: Faster Attacks Are More Likely To Hit Than Powerful Attacks
Loot: Afraid not.
Injuries:
• Minor bruise on leg from table.
• Major cut on arm – Will require stitches to properly heal and thirty to forty-five trials.
Fame:
-10 for attempting to kill Celeste.
+2 for supporting a popular cause.
Comment: Very enjoyable thread! I particularly enjoyed seeing the reasoning behind Rafael’s actions, and the NPC’s were well-written. The combat writing was also on point. There were a few spelling errors here and there, but they didn’t take away from the story much. I recommend running everything through a spellchecker before posting it! Keep throwing dirt in the nobility’s faces, lil guy!
Celeste Andaris
Knowledge:
• Your Father: Argued violently with Peake
• Peake: Dead
• Detection: Noticing Inconsistencies with Role
• The Servant: Swears like a Sailor
• The Servant: Asked you a Personal Question
• The Servant: Kidnapped You
• Carpentry: Taking Care of Polished Tables
• Politics: Making an Enemy of Andaris Will Cause Others to Intervene
• Persuasion: Appealing to Reason
• Intimidation: Letting Them Know That You Have Many Allies
• Psychology: Excessive Fear Makes You Pass Out
Loot: None to speak of.
Injuries:
Stab wound in side of torso, struck rib - Requires stitching and good cleaning - 10-14 Trials til healed.
Comment:
Poor Celeste! Trying to be a nice person, and it gets you stabbed in the side! Your grammar was all on point, and the way that you wrote about her past experiences was phenomenal, sounds like she’s had a hard-knock life.
Xander Krome
Knowledge:
• The Servant: Tried Kidnapping Celeste
• The Servant: Belongs to the Citizen’s Alliance
• The Servant: Stabbed Celeste
• Detection: Noticing Faults in Others’ Plans
• Detection: Observing an Enemy’s Stance
• Psychology: Treating Servant’s Well Keeps Them Loyal
• Discipline: Deep Breaths Removes Rage
• Running: Formal Dress Slows You Down
• Blade Combat: Use Reach Advantage To Avoid Counterattack
• Blade Combat: Quick Attacks Test Enemy Responses
• Blade Combat: Only Parry What Must Be Parried
Loot: Two prisoners allied with The Servant.
Injuries:
Shallow gash on right thigh – Heals in fifteen-twenty trials
Moderate cut on left calf – Requires Stitching – Heals in thirty trials – Will cause walking to be painful until healed.
Fame:
+3 for helping organize a celebration
+2 for chasing after an attempted murderer
Devotion: None.
Comment: The Wolf has tasted blood! The surprise you exhibited in your posts was perfectly portrayed, and the subsequent battle afterwards was exhilarating to observe. There were a few spelling errors throughout, and so I’d recommend that you use a spellchecker before submitting a post. There was also a slight issue with run-on sentences that made it somewhat more difficult to review the thread, and so I docked a point there. To help with that, I would recommend that you say a sentence out loud, and adjust your writing to reflect the natural pauses of reading.
For example: You said "Then she was in his arms the woman he was to marry, the one he was supposed to protect and care for. Her body limp and her side bleeding, to him she could have been dead, he did not know and he could not think straight and for that reason did not wait to see."
Another way to say that might have been:
"Then she was in his arms, the woman he was to marry, the one he was supposed to protect and care for. Her body was limp, and her side bleeding. To him, she could have been dead, but he did not know. He could not think straight, and for that reason, he did not wait to see."
Basically, just try to break long sentences into smaller ones.
All in all, good work, and I look forward to seeing how Xander enacts revenge against Rafael.
word count: 878
Credit to Pegasus
As a note: Noth is a Grandmaster in Intimidation. That means that he's at least as scary as the Count from Sesame Street. Beware.
"The tyrant confuses those he can't convince, corrupts those he can't confuse, and crushes those he can't corrupt." - Anonymous
