• PM To Join • Taking of the Guard: Andaris B [VII Event]

[Celeste Andaris]

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She made sure that the man was taken care of, in death as he strove to take care of others in life and she did it with a frown of concentration and determination on her face. Celeste was so focused on doing right by this man that it was a genuine shock to her when she looked up and recognised the Lotharro in front of her. Torqin, her childhood... friend, she supposed. They had certainly shared enough that she had to have a word for who he was.

Savior

That was who he was, what he was. There was no doubting it. But was it him, could it actually be? He answered and as he spoke, saying that yes, yes it was him, Celeste's face lit with delight when she realised that it was him and she moved, leaning forward and she put her hand on his cheek. "Torqin. Really? I've thought of you so often, prayed for you to have survived." She shook her head and spoke softly. "Even in the darkest moments, there is some light. You have provided that for me again, so many arcs on. It is good to see you, old friend." But then, there was no time for anything, for the other man, Carlton, he spoke of them being spotted and Celeste nodded her head and Torqin's urging to move. Move she did, but only for a step.

"Torqin, my husband? I can not and will not abandon him here," that was without a doubt to her and she turned to argue with him, to tell him that they had to go to Xander and then suddenly he was towering above her with his shield and there was the very clear thunk of something hitting it. If she stayed here, she was going to get these people killed. "But.. but Xander," she said and she hesitated just long enough that Torqin bundled her into the carriage,more than half carrying her. She didn't fight him, but more clung to him in uncertainty as they made the short but eternally long journey to the door of the vehicle. Someone was trying to kill her, again, and she held on to her childhood friend as though he might, once again, save her.

In the carriage, she didn't sit on the bench, but instead crouched on the floor, thinking that, if anyone shot at them, they'd aim for where she should be, not where she was. The carriage ride, with the corpse of the man there with her, was a span of time she did not fully comprehend. It might have been a few trill or half a dozen breaks. It was akin to the nightmares she had where time sped by in slow motion and she simply crouched on the floor with the dead man and prayed for her husband to be safe. But they arrived and the carriage was opened and again, Torqin had to half-bundle her out. She looked at him with wide eyes and looked around uncomprehendingly, but she did as she was bid, just not quite as quickly as perhaps he might like.

Into the building, up the stairs and then, they stopped. Finally, they stopped. He had brought her somewhere safe, as he had done all those arcs ago. Then, they had been running from her father and now? Now who were they running from? Celeste didn't know, didn't understand entirely what was going on, but she knew that she had a duty here. And as Torqin knelt, she recognised that at least part of that duty was to him. She already owed him so much, before this night, and now it seemed she owed him more. So, she listened to his words and recognised them as what they were - or she thought she did. "And I more than gratefully accept your pledge, Ser Torqin. Please, stand." She whispered those words and then she looked at him with wide brown eyes. "I'm so glad you're alright. I worried about you." Her gaze lingered on his face as she considered the changes which had come over him in the arcs since last she'd seen him. "My husband, he..." No, she could not think this way. Xander was fine. He was more than fine.

"There will be injured and dying, alongside those who Vri has greeted already. Is this a place where we can arrange aid?" Celeste asked, blissfully unaware of any further danger to them.

[Muse]

VII TAKING OF THE GUARD

15 CYLUS 718 | ANDARIS B

The trail the fleeing VII bandits left behind them as they dragged the struggling, wounded squire away from the dying body of her Knight was sloppy indeed. Once the bells began ringing, the traitors knew that the warning wouldn't keep people in their homes, and while most of their compatriots had already made their silent escape from Drakengard in the cover of darkness, some had agreed to stay behind and do the most difficult work: make the final scene.

Doran was sure of the signs, carefully and quietly following the footprints and the drag marks and the blood, even though he may not have been sure of the promises the Sacred Seven gave their people or the power their spirits wielded across the kingdom from beyond the grave. The sounds of whispering soon became audible, letting the simmering Mortalborn know he was closer behind the bandits than it seemed. A girl was sobbing, her words muffled by a gag or a hand.

"Excellent." Came a woman's voice, not bothering to whisper, "Go take her with the rest of them. There's one more wagon set to leave and you'd better fucking hurry, the lot of you."

"Aye." Grunted one of the other voices, a hoarse young man panting from his efforts. There was the crunch of a body against the snow and cobblestones and the squire whimpered, having been tossed down for a moment, "But you carry 'er the rest o' the way."

"Excuse me?"

"You 'eard me."

"Now's not the time." The woman hissed, and there was the sound of weapons being removed from their scabbards, "Pick her up and I'll follow you. I'm going to make sure you weren't followed, considering how careful you two idiots were."

"Oh, please." The third voice laughed, "You two piss it out and I'll take her alone." There was a grunt, and from Doran's hiding place, if he attempted to peer around the edge of a building and see what he was up against, he'd see a large man without a mask or a hood, face reddened by the cold in the darkness, heft the squire up on his shoulder singlehandedly, the bound girl lamely attempted to squirm away without success. The other two bandits were bristling at each other, blades drawn,

"Come on." The big man growled before turning down the next alley by himself.
"Aw, lookit, the man's gotta blade." The axe-wielding bandit chuckled, talking as if he would to a child.

"Does th' pretty fodsack know 'ow to use it, though?" The one with a sword didn't hesitate to leap forward, taking the bait or at least making sure Xander thought he was. His weapon was shorter, a bastard sword by the length of it, and he held it in both hands for the moment, swinging in an upward arc with enough strength that he was hoping to deflect whatever the noble brought his way, wanting to knock the other man's swing wide so he could shove a shoulder at him instead of his weapon. He was a bit of a wild card, strong and fiercely committed to his unspoken cause, whether it meant dying for it.

Neither of the bandits appeared to be wearing any armor other than thick leather, though the bandit with an axe appeared quite comfortable with his buckler, hovering just out of reach of the Baron's longsword, waiting for his moment to wade in instead of risking hacking into his compatriot. If he had an in, he'd take a swing for Xander's shoulders or arms, attempting to disarm him. But if not, he'd make sure to defend on both their behalves with his buckler.

They weren't going to make it easy for Xander, even if the nobleman had more skill than the two of them put together.
There seemed to be a single attacker, tossing knives at the noble and the driver and the warrior, and while Torqin was quick to act and Celeste was a little bit resistant, the trio made it to safety. It was impossible to tell whether they'd been followed, however, for Carlton was far busier attempting to make a quick exit than to keep an eye on whether the figures on the rooftops trailed them.

A few moments of quiet was given to the trio in the smithy, just enough time for the chill to leave them but the darkness to feel heavier. Carlton moved to watch the window, to keep an eye on the street outside and the carriage, as if he was simply anticipating the inevitable.

When the bits passed and no bandits clawed at the door or leapt onto the rooftop, when shadows didn't creep in on them, the three found themselves with the opportunity to form a plan. The bells were still ringing and soon those who had discovered the dying, the wounded, would need to find them help without having to travel all of midtown to find it. There were only so many healers around, most of them probably Greencloaks who wouldn't be able to save all of the guards left behind.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR WAITING ON ME. Here we go. I'm ready to get this going for reals. Even though the season has ended and turned to Ashan, I hope you'll keep up with me. Kherron has stepped out. I set up some things for you—two of you are in combat so I'm taking it slower, and then Torqin and Celeste are making plans, which I'll leave you to it and jump in with something when you've posted. Yep.

Please note, this is happening concurrently across the whole Kingdom of Rynmere, and you have been placed in a group that best allows you to react. There are open options here for you to pursue:

• Find a dead/downed guardsman and take action (help or don’t)
• Run into a VII member (this is high risk)
• Investigate/interrogate a survivor

Talley of Guards killed/taken/left behind as messages will be provided post event wrap up.

Rules:

• You must post either 3 posts or 1500 words to be eligible for rewards
• I will be posting again in a week or less (I mean it this time, I'm sorry that I've let this drag on and on), whether you reply or not. I trust you people to be faster than me, but I'll do my best to see this to a conclusion in a post or two. I think we're pretty close, depending on how combat goes.
• There is no post order

Have fun guys!

[Doran]

As he followed the footprints and the trail of blood, the Mortalborn could not help but wonder how those people hoped to succeed in the long run. They did not seem to care if anybody was following them. Did they really think that they would be able to defeat everybody that crossed their path? When he had made his move against the Immortals and fled across the battlefield in Oscillus, he had made sure to cover his trail, and he had not left any survivors. Taking a prisoner – a prisoner that would be able to identify them and provide their enemies with valuable information if she was freed – seemed like an unnecessary risk to him. But no matter, their carelessness would work in his favour.

Soon there would not be any of them left.

As he moved further down the street, he could hear voices that grew louder and louder. He slowed down and eventually stopped in order to listen in on them. The squire was apparently still alive. He could hear her miserable sobs. Many would likely have intervened right away so as to not prolong her suffering, but the Mortalborn stayed where he was and peered around the edge of the building that he was hiding behind. He wanted to know who he would be up against.

They were only human which he found disappointing to say the least. He had defeated a Naerikk Swordmistress and one of Xiur’s own creatures and killed the Hyx that had haunted Etzos’ Underground. There appeared to be three of them, two men, one of which was carrying the squire and would thus likely to be able to react to an attack in time and one woman, apparently their leader and the most intelligent member of their group, judging by her statement that she would make sure that they hadn’t been followed.

Judging by their mention of wagons their hiding place was located somewhere outside the city. Were they bandits – or leftover Qe’dreki that had grown desperate? It didn’t matter. They would die all the same. He waited for a few more moments in order to allow the big man to turn down the alley and the other two to move a little closer to him. His aim was to step forward, raise his sword and bring it down on whoever reached him first so that he would have the element of surprise on his side and be able to end things quickly.

Once they had been dealt with, he would hurry after the big man and drive his sword through his body.

[Xander Andaris]

The noble resisted the urge to smile at there words, it appeared he was being underestimated. This now gave him the upper hand, it would make anything he did unexpected and surprising to his attackers. Luckily for him the swordsman apeared to fall for his bait and whether intentionally or not he managed to do something that Xander was more than capable of countering. Remembering that moving was often better than a clash of swords Xander perhaps did something unusual. He too stepped forward except to the side, a move he had used on Caius not long ago. He was making a passing step and in doing so also putting himself on the flank of the attacker. His swing moving upward where he had previously stood and also stepping between the axeman and Xander's new position.

From here Xander made his own move, swinging his longsword from his left and slashing at the backs of the bandit's thighs. The swords arc coming in heavily against whatever stood against the blade and hopefully passing through it. Following this came the draw once planted in whatever it came into contact with Xander drew the sword back towards him, enacting a drawing cut. If anything this were and incapacitating blow, meant to bring down the man not necessarily kill him, although a strong possibility if he severed anything important if anything at all. The leather may have been sturdier than he expected.

Finishing his passing step to stand behind the swordsman he kicked a leg out into the man's back hoping to speed up his fall. Then he once again readied himself, taking up an ox guard as and standing out of the reach of the axe. Rather than stopping though he moved first now, taking the initiative and twisting the blade over his head bringing it down in a diagonal slash towards his opponents neck as he advanced to close the gap, hoping to remove some of his opponents space to swing.

The space was rapidly covered with two large stops as the sword moved through its arc. Xander knew axes were best for swinging they could be used as a blunt weapon with the handle and some could be used to stab with but not always effectively. Still Xander hoped to limit the bandit's options in this move knowing he also had to block to stop the wolf slashing his neck.

It was a brave move but he made sure to keep one eye on the swordsman and the angle as to not show him too much of his flank. In essence he was trying to use each bandit to block the other and limit there options.

[Celeste Andaris]

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Celeste had no idea what to do. She wasn't a healer, she couldn't work in some way that the greencloaks out there could not manage because even the most untrained greencloak was more skilled and more experienced than her. She couldn't fight them and she couldn't provide back up. In short, she could do nothing.

Feeling frustration building in her, Celeste looked around. They were in a smiths.

A smithy. Somewhere that made weapons, but weapons would be no use by the time they got them anywhere. But then. "Right," she said, and she looked at Torqin with a very calm gaze which she did not feel. Not at all. "We can not aid the fight, and we can not provide medical care. But the fight means that there will be injured," she said and she looked at him as she spoke, starting to feel the calm she was pretending to feel come over her. "and the healers who have the skills will need a place. So, that is what we will do. We will get the fires going, boil water, rip bed sheets or clothing or whatever we can find in here to make bandages. We will wash tables and clear spaces for people to do the work they will have to do."

Yes, that was what they would do. "The smoke from the fire will be seen. And either the enemy will come and we will fight them or we will bring our injured here. Put the Adunih sign on the wall if we can. If it saves one life.." Well that one life might be her husband. But if it was not hers, it would be someone's husband or wife, father or mother, daughter or son. "Then we did not cower, we acted."

And with that, she nodded her head. "I'll strip the beds. You two, get the fires lit, get pots of water boiling. Irons for cauterizing, Anything that might work as needles and thread. Buckets, bowls, any receptacles you can. Prepare this place and turn it into a field hospital."

Because, she thought, they were going to need one. With a glance out to where the carriage had stopped. "And make sure there's a place to take the dead." Once they were clear, and not expecting anything other than them to jump to it and right now, Celeste got to work stripping every bit of cloth from every place she could, so that wounds could be bandaged.

[Torqin]

As Torqin knelt there, his mind raced and heart thundered like the drums from the homeland of his father. He'd heard the words she'd spoken earlier as they made their way to safety. She'd thought about him after helping him to get to freedom all those arcs ago. She hadn't forgotten him. She'd held his life in her hands, and had kept it safe. Celeste could've easily told the guards who found her which way he'd gone, and tracking him wouldn't have been hard. He didn't know the wilds, nor how to sneak through them. It would've been the easiest thing in the world. He had often wondered what she'd said to them instead.

And she'd called him friend. Old friend. His eyes filled with tears as he thought on that. Just how much had she thought of him to still consider him a friend? All those nights, being cold, hungry, scared in the Eastern Settlements, never knowing if that trial would be the one where he would be found out and executed, he had kept one idea in his mind. It was all worth it, because he'd protected her. He wondered if he'd made things worse though. Had her father beaten her more because of him? Or stopped? What sort of damage had he done because he protected her once, but couldn't do so for every trial?

She accepted his pledge, and the tears flowed freely, silent, but nonstop. He'd had so few friends in his time in the settlements, and they were gone now. He'd finally found her once more, and she had accepted him, wholeheartedly and readily. He rose at her command, his smile broad and toothy, not caring if she saw these tears. They would be the only one's she'd ever see him shed, he promised himself that.

And immediately Celeste set in to being the leader Torqin knew she would be when she was a young child. He listened to her words quietly, and when she finished, he set to work, first by delegating. "Carlton, I'll get the firewood and fires going, and I'll find the other supplies. I doubt much has changed here since I was here last. You can clear space, we'll get everything to the walls, tables in the center. We'll keep the most injured up here, for they cannot defend themselves. Those that are more able or seeking shelter, we'll keep downstairs if we must fight. The dead, we can keep them out back. They will not be bothered there, and will not interfere with those coming in through the front."

With that, Torqin turned and went to work proper. He made his way down the steps quickly, and out to the front door. He looked out into the street, and unlocked it. He opened the door and stepped into the street. Peering up and down, it seemed quiet for the moment. He stepped back in and shut the door, leaving it unlocked, and made his way to the back. Out the door he went, and found the firewood pile that was necessary to run a smithy. He grabbed a heavy armload and hustled back in and up the stairs, depositing them next to one of the fireplaces. He repeated this for every fireplace on the second floor, and a few of the forges on the first floor.

He gathered up several of the tinder boxes while constantly checking the street side windows for signs of movement. He began lighting the fires with the flints and steel rods in the boxes, striking them over and over until the flames caught. And soon, heat and light washed through the forge, and their position would now be exposed. Heading back downstairs once more, Torqin fetched metal wire and nails, and set them about on the tables Carlton had set up and cleaned. Torqin carried up barrels of water, normally used to cool red-hot metal, and would now be used to heal. Quickly the field hospital began to come together.

Once all the supplies were ready, Carlton quickly put up a painted symbol of the Adunih on the front of the building while Torqin stood guard. Then the driver was sent inside to be with Celeste upstairs, and Torqin stood in the street, shield and club in hand, as he searched for sign of life. And soon, some found him. A small family, a mother and two children were rushing toward him.

"Ho! Over here! Come here! Quickly now!"

The family came close, though kept their distance. "Get inside, we're setting up a field hospital. Do you have any injured?" The boy was holding his arm, and it seemed to be broken, "Get inside, we'll keep you safe." And so Torqin continued to watch the outside of the building. In seemingly no time at all, a few more people managed to find their ways to him, two injured guards carrying one another and bleeding lightly, an elderly lady that looked ready to beat him upside the head with her cane, and another family of four. But no healers. At this point, the safety they could offer truly was all they could give. Not a medic among them. Something Torqin realized he'd have to rectify following these events. If Celeste were ever injured, who would need to be most trained to save her life? Him.

He made his way

[Ghoul]

And now I'm here!

to finish what's been started

Hi - so sorry this was met with such an abrupt end, but I come bearing gifts! I will be grading the thread. At the time, we still had our rules concerning word count, so I'll be using that as a means to give awards to participants of the thread rather than the number of posts you had.

Kherron
You've only had one post, and it was under the 1.5 that had previously been the rule for threads. As such I cannot give you any awards - my apologies!

Doran

Rewards

Points: 20
Renown: 10

Knowledge

Tracking: Following a trial of blood
Tactics: Attempting to understand your enemy

Celeste

Rewards

Points: 20
Renown: 10

Knowledge

Leadership: Delegating tasks
Torqin: Pledged his life to you

Torqin

Rewards

Points: 20
Renown: 10

Knowledge

Intelligence: How to spread information
Celeste: Pledged your life to her
Celeste: Hadn’t forgotten you

Xander

Rewards

Points: 20
Renown: 10

Knowledge

Axes: Good for swinging
Tactics: Take the first move