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Kiddo Seanchain Vice Captain
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 Posted: Mon Jul 25, 2011 6:56 pm
Kocerou's troops were quick to react to the spreading roots, but still the vines grabbed many fae that did not hop out of their grasp quick enough. The entirety of the cavalry was grounded and horses screamed as they went down. The snap of bones breaking was a sickening sound. Their riders rolled free for the most part, drawing short curved knives and seeing to their downed beasts before turning to regard the battlefield. The scream of dying and wounded horses filled the air. A handful of unlucky fae were crushed under their mounts and the vines were quick to cover them from sight. The rest of Kocerou's army struggled to maintain ranks until a cry was sent along the ranks.
"Scatter!" it went, "Break formation!"
And the fae did so. They dispersed like a cloud, slipping between the vines and pausing here and there to stunt their growth with magic. They avoided the patches where the dragon fires burned, dark circles of soot with the dead ringed inside. The fae retaliated with a volley of arrows and there was a strange tingling in the air, like electricity, as the casters readied themselves. Magic churned in the air, almost ready to rip open the fabric of reality against the dragons.
"This could be good or bad," Kocerou muttered, "We lost our cavalry but they won't be able to engage us head-on either. So long as my generals keep us in the tangle it'll be a skirmish instead of a pitched battle. Hold position Astalder, I want to try luring the King into the tangle where his guard will be forced to break up."
He focused and his decoy hesitated, reining back on his mount and drawing it back towards the vines.
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Posted: Tue Jul 26, 2011 8:41 am
When it was time to go, Warden took wing with the rest of his line, heading to the Fae lines and unleashing his freezing breath upon the enemy when it came time to do so. The volley of arrows that came as retaliation was swift and one came dangerously close to hitting its mark.
Hearing the order to drop the bags, Jace went on and and tossed the sack down towards the battlefield below.
---
Blade stared as he saw the knights wreck havoc on their front lines, taking out their calvary as Kocerou had said. It was a bit of a gruesome sight, bringing a sort of grimace to his face, but war was never supposed to be pretty anyway.
As the rogue prince called him to hold position, Astalder refrained from advancing, beating his wings steadily to remain where he was.
"If that doesn't work... we do have a bit of fire on our side here that could help break things up.. not exactly the sneakiest way to go about things but that's there if we need it," the dragon said.
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Posted: Tue Jul 26, 2011 7:45 pm
Jayara Location: Dragon Knights' Outpost
Active Players: Reborn Enduria, Ira/Bullseye, Champion Leverne, Reborn Ruscar, Commander Tumlar/Bantone, Squire Warden/Jace "We will offer what assistance we can, but understand we can promise nothing more until after the battle ahead," Tumlar replied, looking between both the fae dragon and rider before hearing steps from behind and glancing to see Leverne making his way forward. "Our focus remains the rebels at large," the dragon knight continued. "But we will know now what to look for. If spotted we can at least try and send you word." He did not comment on should the brother have been bound when found. He saw no need where the messenger pair already probably understood what could come of it.
Bullseye felt on edge as Tira spoke up and knew better to follow with his own words this time. There was Truth in what she side when you simply Try you have greater odds of failing, cause your mental efforts is set at doing what is necessary rather than going all out and perhaps even more.
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Posted: Tue Jul 26, 2011 8:15 pm
Target watch as he stayed in the back he didn't have much but natural instinct talents. Hearing the crunch of the bone started to turn his stomach as he was lucky to not be one of those tangled in the mess. He didn't have magic talents like the Fea. "Oh Brother what mess have I gotten into." Ran through Target's mind not realizing that the Dragon Knights were the ones that dropped the monstrous weeds. Once the word came across to scattered, weren't they scattered enough with their few in numbers. Target then ran around the back where there were few and out to the outer left side looking for others he could carry or attack what has been slipping trough the lines.
Toft in his lofty perch watch as the battle clashed the birds scattering and black clouds raising to the sky, the moans cries of all those believing they are fighting for a right. Watching flyers take flight and then drop like they are hitting an invisible wall high above. How long with this last, how long will both sides continue to be childish.
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Posted: Mon Aug 15, 2011 10:12 am
Location: Dragon Knights' Outpost
Active Players: Reborn Enduria, Ira/Bullseye, Champion Leverne, Reborn Ruscar, Commander Tumlar/Bantone, Squire Warden/Jace Rakura Lynn Tira seen Leverne looked at him, now bringing him in the conversation. Though happy to see he is still living. "The Dragon has been ask to be remove from battle by our Queen. Try is not an answer. You will remove the Dragon from battle before harm seeks him." Bullseye felt on edge as Tira spoke up and knew better to follow with his own words this time. There was Truth in what she side when you simply Try you have greater odds of failing, cause your mental efforts is set at doing what is necessary rather than going all out and perhaps even more. "You will stand down, messenger." Dragon eyes sharply turned upon the visiting fae knight, following better notions to just admonish than outright rebuke her before Leverne who had just arrived. "The agreement was to assist in the war alone. That request is a concern for the fae, not for the Knights. Thus said, thus followed. Champion," Tumlar spoke to Leverne without blinking any lid, "I leave this one to you for any other messages you need passed along." The armored dragon turned and began to leave. He had said his peace and offer. While he did not relish the thought of denying one dragon a chance, but at the cost of what? Two, three, a hundred more? The next battle was decisive. If it ended here, more abductions and casualties could be prevented. If it did not, then he knew he would soon learn that number for it would certainly include his own. ((For the sake of wrapping this line up, Tumlar is returning back to the camp, regardless of anything else Ira says unless she physically threatens him. He will leave conferring the details of the Prince's location to the Champion. Leverne he may stop for if he were to speak up, but I would prefer the assumption that if Leverne has something to say to Tumlar he would bring it up after the messenger left and back at the outpost.))
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Posted: Mon Aug 15, 2011 11:55 am
Location: Above the Battlefield
Focus: Knights' Flight
The initial charge of the Prince's cavalry had been decimated - not that the airborne Knights had the time to assess that front.
Tumlar had not felt so much magic tension in the air since the previous year when the mage knights had been brought out to uncover a raiding Fallen who had encamped himself so well in a bedrock cave that they had to pry him out.
The saturation of magic now made that feel like a tickle.
Then the arrow that jammed itself somewhere behind his front leg made all the magic irrelevant.
'Tumlar!' Bantone shouted as he kept his head down and close to the dragon's neck, only shifting his arrow marked shield enough to be able to look past and see if he could get a visual sighting on the strike.
'Not bad enough to take us down before we need to,' Tumlar replied, already knowing his bound's cry was more out of shock from the connection than outright concern. There was enough of a connection that his bound could sense how bad or not that it was. Even so, there was not much they could do about it in the air other than continue to fly evasively.
What remained of the two flights of Dragon Knights split, one left, one right, to circle around high overhead back to where the take off point had been. The front line lead by Tumlar had dropped two knights and the rest all casualties by the second volley. The back line had dropped one of the wing riders with the other wing rider taking heavy casualties.
((ooc: Blade, I'm leaving it to you in regards to if any injuries and extent in regards to the squire.))
Location: On the Battlefield Ground
Focus: King's Army
The king watched as the focus of the battle turned toward the dragons in the air and the tangled territory in the middle. The Knights were serving their purpose, the following continued distraction to the archers - a bonus. Their sacrifices would serve him well, far more than their survival would past their initial use.
The scattered enemy was condensing themselves in the newly created greenery. Quickly he ordered commanders to pincer the smaller army from either side as they regrouped. Ranged forces, magical and non, were to fire into the masses, cutting down those fighting from within before any sort of direct combat would even be needed. Those who could not fire aggressively with magic to prepare defensive counter spells. Cavalry were to sweep in and take what strays remained ahead of the main troops, clearing the way for the main bodies of the army.
As the orders were carried out, a lone rider was still continuing his way across the dragon battered field front and center. That same familiar rider was ultimately carrying forthwith toward his position an unmistakeable blade as well.
"Champion," the king spoke to Leverne without turning to look, "Go regain that which you lost and end this foolish nonsense of a war." Cold was his voice as he looked out over the battlefield and the rider with the queen seated upon her ride beside him.
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Kiddo Seanchain Vice Captain
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Posted: Mon Aug 15, 2011 6:25 pm
"It's not foolish nonsense," Leverne snapped in reply. He was a champion. It was his duty to advise his king, even if the king didn't want to hear it. "Your disregard of Kocerou's fervor is why he felt compelled to commit treason. But I hear and obey, as always, my liege."
And he spurred his horse forwards the decoy prince, readying his sword as his steed broke into a charge.
-------------------
Kocerou hissed in displeasure at the change of events. He had to take action now, before it was too late.
"I think this may be it," he told both Blade and Astalder, "Leverne will dispatch my decoy in quick order. Dive for the King, aim to force them to scatter away from his majesty to buy me time. I will try to kill him on my own - once I'm on the ground, take flight and set fire to the vegetation on the side where my fast cavalry went down. I want a barrier between them and the rest of the king's army until they can withdraw and regroup under cover of the archers. The longer his forces take to get to mine, the better our chances are."
He hesitated and when he spoke again, there was sorrow in his voice.
"I would stand a better chance should I stand with a dragon at my side. But I am Prince and that has obligations stronger than my desire to win the crown. Sometimes, simply fighting for a cause is enough, even if one should die in the attempt. I pray the King realizes that the forest is dying and relinquishes to the natural order of things. I am pleased to have met you, dragon and Bound, and pray that the Blessed Path continues to shelter you both. Protect my army. Give them time to reform. Now, dive, and end my part in this."
--------------------------
On the Prince's side, the signal was given for a withdraw, not a retreat, but falling back towards one corner of the battlefield. If the army could put the unnatural growth between them and one side of the King's pincer, they could sweep to the side and engage only one half of the army at a time, which would considerably even the odds.
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Posted: Mon Aug 15, 2011 6:57 pm
With their part done in the meantime, Warden was circling back with the rest of the flight, trying to fly as evasively as he could. It wasn't easy, given how many arrows had been fired up at them all. Moving back, he suddenly let out a roar as an arrow wedged itself near the base of his wing. It was making it rather difficult to fly and he was losing altitude pretty quickly.
-----
Watching all the chaos below, Astalder and Blade glanced towards Kocerou as he spoke of the new plan. It seemed like this one had a considerably lower chance of success than their previous one, which was already not so great.
"Alright.. We'll come around to see if we could provide back up once we're done. Good luck," Blade said grimly. Hopefully they could get back before things took a fatal turn between the fae royalty.
"Here goes nothing" Astalder added while taking in a deep breath. Then, tucking in his wings, he dove towards the king as quickly as he could. Seeing how Kocerou wanted the forces to scatter, he let out a tremendous roar once he was close to the ground to try and startle the lot.
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Posted: Tue Aug 16, 2011 7:08 pm
Focused in silences they both were, they had a small group to perform their task. With no doubt that favor was on their side, but favor wasn't for their personal objective.
The cry went out and the other side didn't stand down and it was moments before skies were filled and amongst them was the newly bounded. The plan was to keep three ahead followed by two then the others would flank around the sides. While still assisting the knights but most of all keeping cover. Being more precise where the dropped the seeded bombs, and performing a difficult task of evasion. Tira knew few that were like this in the skies, and were already placed else where. Jaws tight as the party kept their eyes open, the sounds filling the area. Then the front moved and let out cries. With in seconds Bullseye was thinking with her moving with her as the others flew higher to out reach the arrows as a decoy the ones that were off the sides that were fast flyers took off low to the ground for a full charge Fea with words barely heard that were carried with them in the wind. the few that follow to a wide out side flank as Ira said words with her flying arrows sparks of light as they wrapped around the bolt and flew till they hit and lighting shot off in different directions, if the bolt hit someone, it was luck, if it connected with others, even better. The bolt was mainly a distraction those archers following the ones that took higher air would most likely be snipped out by the two that stayed low, while the others following Ira and bulls-eye ambushes them from behind.
-----------------------------------
Target arrived to just see giant shadows raise to the sky and those arm take the risk of firing though trees still gave them some cover. Target then went to run in head on before he saw a flash of light and stumbled back as the large crack was more harmful to his ears than the bones he heard breaking and it was a few seconds a Fea dragon and it's bound approached as veins gathered collecting the bows that it could. Target hesitated but then ran straight towards the bound before he stopped not getting too close to the vines that gathered around the bows and slinked his way towards the white dragon with a red target upon his face. Target just saw focused eyes and then thought of only one thing he could do when out numbered, Target turned around an not looking back this time and ran straight towards where the others were that weren't apart of this war. 'There has to be another way, why must it be this way, why is he so persistent?'
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Posted: Tue Aug 16, 2011 8:21 pm
Location: On the Battlefield Ground
Focus: King's Army
The cavalry picked up the pace on the far side of the ivy, attempting to continue the plan which was now going from pinching the dwindling army between the two encroaching points to smashing it from two different directions against the corner they had now backed themselves in to. Delayed by traveling around the ivy as they were, it would only be a matter of time before the difference in numbers would begin to take their toll.
As those fae more skilled with their natural magics began to catch up to the field of battle, some began to stop at the outer edge of the dropped tanglevines. Kneeling, paws pointed toward the ground, hooves pawing, each caster in whatever pose and chant began to work their power in some fashion, a sketchy unison at first beside the squirming damaged and undamaged plantlife.
Location: Above the Battlefield
Focus: Knights' Flight
"Lahmear's Mercy," Bantone both whispered mentally and aloud into the headwind that hushed his voice. The human rider had chanced a look behind and below him at the swirl of fae and the barraged landscape. Not only were the armies all struggling to reposition themselves but -Bantone blinked hard and looked again- was the wall of plantlife they had dropped beginning to move as well?
That story about Hammand and Leverne was starting to sound more and more plausible.
'Do not tell that to the champion,' his dragon half grunted, still trying to power wing it back to the landing point, it not being far now. 'If he learns you've been doubting him, a duel with you is not out of the question as I would allow it to-'
There was a disturbance toward the landing point as Tumlar could make out in the distance they were quickly covering...
Location: On the Battlefield Ground
Focus: King vs Prince
Even winglengths above, eyes the color of chlorophyll snapped toward those soaring toward him, finger's sliding over his riding beast's neck while speaking calming -and enchanted- whispers of the fae. The invisible remained followed by king eyes, right up to the point where the black dragon roared.
A crystalline web of climbing ivy sprouted instantly creating a barrier the clearness of morning dew, darting upward into the path of the diving dragon, leaving the option to the dragon to make a breakneck turn or chance crashing head on into the shield abruptly between them and the seated king.
Around the crowned faerie of the Silver Rose, surprise struck most of the royal guard and the overall reaction was random. A few gathered enough sense to draw their blades and draw closer to the king and queen. Others scattered as hoped, many steeds spooking beneath their riders while tying up others who became preoccupied with staying in the saddle and reigning in their beasts.
(ooc: I'm assuming that once Astalder's roared, the invisibility is shattered. If not, assume the king's caused the invisibility to drop.
Also, Queen's actions are yours, Kiddo, as requested. wink )
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Kiddo Seanchain Vice Captain
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Posted: Tue Aug 16, 2011 8:33 pm
"Continue the dive!" Kocerou cried, "You have a harness touched by the Blessed Path - I can use this!"
And the thread woven into the leather burst into brilliant white fire as Kocerou channeled his power through it. The crystal ivy shrunk before it and then shattered, clearing the path for the dragon's dive. Kocerou drew his sword and readied himself to leap.
Behind the King, out of direct harm's way, the Queen watched with wide eyes, her face resolute and fierce at the same time. She had yet to draw her sword.
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Posted: Tue Aug 16, 2011 9:53 pm
Warden was struggling to remain aloft with the injury so close to his wing. Snarling, he tried to press onwards, especially when he saw a flash of light up ahead. Something was going on. Surely the fae didn't managed to come around their forces. Something else had broken through the lines.
----
Seeing the barrier be placed up, Astalder was just about to pull out of the dive, but Kocerou reassured him that he could continue. The dragon rushed on towards the King and Queen, breathing out flames towards the guard in an attempt to clear out as many of the soldiers as he could for the Prince. Anything to try and improve his odds.
While Astalder dove, Blade leaned forward, gripping onto the harness tightly in an attempt to make sure he wouldn't end up getting flung off at any point.
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Posted: Thu Aug 18, 2011 8:09 pm
While not matching the Champion, experts in sword and magic the king's guard were, acting quickly enough to absorb the innermost selection of the dragon's fireball, but the energy of doing so at such close range was enough to toss a few of them clear off their rides. At the same time, those who had been disoriented enough from the roar were starting to regroup, one or two beginning to take aim at the dragon an its passengers - some at the dragon's human rider.
Crystal shards rained down on the area, tiny pieces scattering, refracting light as if a handsized star had exploded. Through the silvered barbute's windows, glass-like clinks off the metal sides, the king's eyes narrowed as the traitor prince closed in, sword and shield prepared in wait for the leap.
First it had been Timmir's Deep that had raised questions. Now it was this.
Just as Kocerou became airborne, the king swung, his sword shinning as a crescent of Blessed firelight shot forward now aimed for a frontal strike at the now closer target.
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Posted: Thu Aug 18, 2011 8:29 pm
Kocerou's eyes went wide in shock but he did not flinch away from the attack. He threw up his arms crossed before him and answered like with like - one of the only ways to fight Blessed magic was with the Blessed Path itself. The white fire wrapped around him, catching him up in the force of the blow and sending him tumbling to the ground. He landed on his hands and knees, barely a yard away from the King, and raised his head, spitting blood from a split lip. The white fire pooled at his feet, slipping off his hair and skin like water. He stood, taking even paces towards the King, sword at ready and resolve in his eyes.
"Let's finish it then," he hissed, "You and I were born of the Blessed Path, so it shall determine if you are still upholding the duty of the Crown - can you still wield its power like I can?"
Off to the side, the Queen gestured for the surrounding guard to hold back. This was going to get ugly.
----------------------------
A good distance away, Leverne rose over the prone body of Kocerou's double. The glamour had fallen away - thankfully before Leverne did more than disarm the fae. He wasn't terribly shocked. The Prince was better with a sword than this.
"Stay down," the champion told the downed fae, "You're an illusionist, are you not? Cloak yourself and stay alive."
Then he turned, noting the dragon's dive and the sudden burst of power that did not feel like fae magic coming from the King's unit. Leverne snarled. This was not good. He started forwards to join the fray in defense of his King, but a hand on his wrist stopped him. He looked to the side. A man stood there, skinny and pale with only a white cloth around his waist. His hair was long, pale, and his eyes had no pupil.
"I need to borrow your sword," Sain said pleasantly, "It'll make my task here easier."
"I know you," Leverne whispered, falling to his knees.
"Yes. Now. Thorn, if you will?"
And Leverne silently gave up the blade. The guardian of the Blessed Path held it up before him, resting on his palms, and faced the fighting Prince and King.
"I can contain whatever damage those two wreck," he said, "See to it that I am not disturbed."
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Kiddo Seanchain Vice Captain
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Posted: Thu Aug 18, 2011 8:49 pm
The white flames bursting between the combating fae was practically blinding. Snarling as he shielded his eyes for now, Astalder's feet touched down briefly before he launched himself back into the air to do the second part of Kocerou's orders.
Once they were away, Blade glanced back for the moment.
he shot towards the dragon.
Nodding, the thief leaned down while the black dragon sped towards the rest of the battle field. The plants that the knights had dropped were coming into view, though for now they were currently out of range. Within the next moment or so, Blade would have a clear shot, however.
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