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Overlord of Night- Shadow
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 Posted: Tue Sep 07, 2010 5:14 pm
This... this was what the kingdom had come to in just a few short months? The entire power structure had crumbled and been replaced by one made of toothpicks, simply swaying in the wind of political influence? One strong breath could easily knock them over. And they were at war... what sort of time was this to change out the government? The blows would be coming hard and fast, and what chance did a child backed by some old man with a lust for power have at defending an entire country from experienced military forces, especially with their own best troops sentenced to exile, or worse, death? Pathetic. Even the worst kind of fool could see that this was not the time to make a play for power. But this one had not; and now, there was every chance that their world may just come apart. Chaos... This seemed vaguely familiar, like the stories that Soren had told him of the war on his own continent. All of the nations going to war, and a god of chaos being awakened... and here, was there not yet another God of Chaos? That b*****d, Loki...
Renault had learned many things over the last few months. In the wake of that demon's latest scheme - for his stench had been all over it, Renault could smell it, though he doubted many others could - the Saint had gone himself to Estarcia to assist in their reconstruction. As a token of goodwill, sending an esteemed holy figure was one of the best things they could have done; the country's clergy saw him as a paragon of his own faith and an ally to theirs, and therefore trusted him and passed that trust onto their congregations. However, the Saint's interest here was not simply reconstruction. It was also information. With the attention the priests gave him, he was able to speak with the higher-ranking bishops of their Church, and in turn he was able to learn of the structure of the deities of Learania.
In Learania, there seemed to be something of a pantheon; the deity worshipped varied mainly by region, though within regions there were sometimes smaller sects. And among these gods and goddesses, there was one name he recognized immediately - Loki. According to these holy men, Loki had traditionally enjoyed the following of the westernmost country of Mordache. This did not come as a surprise to the Saint; after all, did not those pulses of dark energy seem to come from that direction whenever the creature went into action? However, one thing of note he learned from the clergymen was that temples built to these gods and goddesses still existed, in many places.They pointed him in the direction of a convenient one; situated in the foothills outside Eyris, north of the place known as Fefga's Manor, it had once been a spot for those becoming Bishops to visit along their pilgrimage, but had since been forgotten by time. After all, that pantheon - save for Loki - had not been seen in Learania ever since... well, the clergy couldn't tell him, but there had supposedly been an event during which the pantheon had vanished.
Armed with this information, the Saint made his way back towards his home country; it had been a little over three months and a fortnight now since he'd been gone. He couldn't go back to see the others yet, sadly. He had research to do. Making his way into the foothills where he'd been sent, he found... nothing. Or so he thought, at first. However, it wasn't long before he chose to see not with his eyes, but with his spirit. Closing his eyes, he tapped that well of power inside of him; the endless, glowing light afforded him by the Lady he served. His senses expanded, as his breath slowed; he spread out from himself, feeling, sensing the living things and those no longer living, feeling their hearts beat in tune with his. The true power of Light was that of Life itself; this was one thing he'd learned in his reflections. And here was a door, simply a stone set into the ground; but upon it was a powerful seal, set by one as skilled as himself. However, the person had only been as skilled as himself; and he had not possessed the years that Renault did, the experience with the magical arts. With his knowledge, he did not bash through the spell; he simply severed the lines holding it to the door, and with a light push sent it to float away, somewhere in the direction of Mordache. With any luck it would make it all the way there and perhaps explode on one of Loki's minions, but more likely it would just destroy some poor, unfortunate bird. Oh well.
The Saint entered into a glorious place; inside, the temple looked pristine, as if it had just been built no more than a score of years before. The man's eyes widened for a moment; but only a moment. Clearly, this temple hadn't been lost; it had been hidden, for some purpose or another. The thought crossed his mind that there might be something hidden here; however, that thought was banished with another sweep of the room. There was nothing out-of-place here; save for traces of magical energy from times long since passed. Reliefs adorned the walls; interspaced with these were eight images set in mosaic glass, a great statue posed directly in the center. One single image at the end made Renault's eyes narrow; though the form and face were different, the being of Loki was unmistakable. These, then, must be Learania's pantheon; and the statue in the center must be that of the goddess this temple was dedicated to. Her face and form were unfamiliar; yet it seemed to the Saint almost that he had encountered her before. He shook the thought from his mind; of course, that wasn't possible. Perhaps she was simply reminiscent of Goddess Ashera. That may be it.
So there he stayed; there were books of lore still upon the shelves, pages crisp and ink sharp. Food seemed to find its way in; from where, he was never sure, but not once did he find himself wanting. Nothing from outside intruded. The place itself was completely silent, but not oppressively so; it was calm, peaceful even, as if a good spirit still watched over this place. The man found his head cleared, his senses heightened, his soul... invigorated by the time he spent here. If this was how the bishops of old had trained, they must have been very powerful indeed.
The atmosphere was such that the man had lost track of time; by the time he felt to check, it had been over two months since he had entered this place; going nigh on three. He hastened out; of course, he sealed the door shut behind him once again, his own spell quite easily as powerful as the one that had originally shut it. He left the place with almost a wistful air; this was a place that one could stay in for ages and not regret a moment of it. But, he would be missed, and he needed to return to the city.
However, the closer he got, the more his senses tingled with a sharp sense of impending doom. The air had grown thicker; it nearly crackled with something like lightning, though a storm was nowhere to be seen. It took a moment for Renault to recognize it; it was that same feeling he had sensed, twice before, in front of the Dragon's Gate... That feeling of a door being there, with power pulsing on the other side, about to rush out the moment it was opened. The Saint shuddered, clutching his robed about him more closely as he entered the town. No, it could not be that bad. After all, were not the Crew still in charge? Were not the Guard still protecting the town? He had heard rumours of a war, but... Surely, it could not have gotten this far?
And it had not, he found, as he made his way towards the castle. But something else had; he found the eyes of citizens looking at him with faint distrust, and the soldiers - many now, rather than a few - almost openly hostile towards one they recognized as a member of the guild. How odd... What had happened? The castle was ahead, looming over; but now it seemed ominous and forboding, rather than the welcoming, solid stone walls he had come to know.
As he approached the gate, he could see from the corner of his eye two guards stepping forward, weapons held loosely but clearly meant to intimidate. Hm, he didn't wish to waste any time now... So he closed his eyes for only a moment, drawing upon the Light inside him and willing it to simply extinguish. And it did; he himself flickered for a moment and then became dim. This was not invisibility; as far as he knew, invisibility was not possible. But if there is no light in a thing, no discernable life, people do not wish to look at it. It is an aberration, and should not exist. So, instead of encountering this and being forced to deal with the fact, the eyes of a person of normal willpower will simply slide away, barely even registering the fact that someone has passed. They will note the action as the movement of a person they barely know, someone who they are acquainted with but cannot quite remember the name. They are of no importance, and the event is soon forgotten; in this case, as the guards step back to their posts, not even remembering why they had stepped away in the first place.
The castle was, of course, simple to get into. They had not yet begun to lock the main gate, though the Saint held no doubts that they soon would do so. However, he did not care for such things. Right now, he would need to discover what was going on... His senses danced about the castle, only alighting on any consciousness for a fraction of a second. He shuddered involuntarily as he touched something quite black and cold; that one he moved away from rather quickly, not wishing to feel it again. The presence of Crew was... nearly gone? How strange... But, there was still one comforting, familiar presence, someone he knew he could trust. The slightest hint of color crept into the man's cheeks; look at him, flushing like a schoolboy at the thought of his unseen love. How ridiculous. But he went to her, of course. A flight of stairs, down a hall; a passing soldier's eyes slid to the floor, as if he'd found something acutely interesting there. The Saint waited until he passed, then slipped up to a door at the left of the hall; he waited a moment before pushing the door open silently, slipping in and closing it behind himself. He knew that Isadora would notice; so with one movement he slipped up, hand coming around to cover her mouth, the other stopping her sword arm from perhaps drawing a blade. "Shhh," he whispered, lips placed close to her ear. "It is only me, Isadora. There's no need to shout."
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Posted: Tue Sep 07, 2010 8:33 pm
Report, report, report, acceptance from new member, report, report, complaints from citizen, report.
Things were not going so well for the paladin after she was placed in charge as captain of the guild. It was bad enough that the guild had been stripped of the ruling power and given to King James. But to have about one third of the guild being arrested or received harsh punishments after the trial was even worse.
Since that trial, citizens of Eyris were starting to have doubts about the guild. Sure they knew that they were here to serve and protect Learania. But after seeing some of the members on trials, they were beginning to wonder if the whole guild were nothing more than criminals.
And they're maybe right. Isadora thought grimly as she looked at the papers before her. In her hand were the resignation papers. Ever Nils resigned his crew and being banished for the crimes he committed, the paladin received more resignation papers from members. Why did they resign? It could be they had enough of that slimy, arrogant, ruthless, old git and didn't want to be any part with him. Isadora couldn't blame them for feeling like that. She too was upset and angry with Rogvald for ruining half of her guild. If only she too had the will and power to resign her position just to cut the ties with Rogvald. But she couldn't.
"Augh! Rogvald, you slime git!" Isadora muttered in anger as she tossed the papers to the sides and rubbed her temples. She wanted to quit but she couldn't. She had to stay in order to protect the guild and Learania.
If I quit right away, who would protect Learania from Sentria and Mordache? Isadora thought. Didn't the members who resign knew what they had done? Sure the paladin understood that they despised that arrogant adviser, but she would have thought that they would be smart and stay longer just to help stop the war. Why did they have to quit in the middle of the war? It was not helping for the paladin at all.
Thankfully, at least she had the Watch and the Guard to relied for help. At least they knew what would happen to Learania if they dared quit... However, that left one problem. The position of Commander for the Guard.
With Vaida being sentenced to death, the position for the commander was vacant. The paladin would take its place as temporary to stop the war. However, she had too many in her hands to deal with. In addition, she had no time to find a new replacement to take its position while they were in the war. Perhaps she should give the position to one of the Guards captains... That was if there were Guards captains.
With no report about what happened to Deborah and Needles being stripped of her job and banished from Eyris, that left Arashe and Valter for Isadora to choose. However, there was still a chance that they may resign from their position due to the trial and Rogvald. Seeing the report she had been given, it seemed that Arashe was a friend of Blossom. So it was unknown if he decided to resign or not. Isadora hoped that Arashe didn't resign. Otherwise, she would have to beg both him and Valter to stay in the Guard just to help her prevent war from the Sentrians and Mordacheans.
Before the paladin was about to read the next report, she felt a presence in her office. Was it Crow again with the war report? That Crow... Somehow, the paladin wished that the boy would act normally instead of sneaking up when she was least expected. It would drive the paladin to paranoid if he continued to do so. But when she looked up, she saw that it was not the spy but the person she had long to see for a long time.
Isadora got up from her seat and ran toward him, wanting to hug him. "Ren-"
However, she was silenced as Renault placed his hand over her mouth and her arm. As soon as he let go of her mouth and arm, Isadora wrapped her arms around the Saint. Tears starting to form in her eyes as she tried to bury her head into his chest. How long had it been since she last saw him? It was so long and hard to tell for the paladin. However, just having him in her presence was enough for the paladin to have some shred of happiness and hope from the long turmoil and suffering she had to endure.
"Oh Renault, I've missed you so much." Isadora cried softly. Her shoulders were shaking and she felt that her legs were about to buck down to the ground to support her up. "I don't know how much longer I can endure at this moment. Learania is in war with Sentria and Mordache. Learania has a child king who is the descendant of Leander along with that arrogant old goat of adviser. The guild is being disbanded due to some of the guild members resigned or received punished from that old git adviser, Rogvald."
"But what is worse..." Isadora cried as she looked up at Renault. Tears fell down from her eyes. "... Is that Rath was arrested for conspiracy and maybe attempted murder of Nino and now, both he and Vaida are sentenced to death within few weeks. Renault, I... I don't know what to do anymore."
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Overlord of Night- Shadow
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Posted: Wed Sep 08, 2010 7:42 pm
Strong arms wrapped tenderly around the woman as she was able to finally let go of what she'd been holding onto. One hand rubbed her back tenderly, in sympathy; of course, she'd been left here alone to deal with this huge mess. This was completely ridiculous; they couldn't simply let this madman push false charges onto those who had held this country up and protected it from all invaders. These people couldn't just throw out the guild that was now nearly as Learanian as Learania itself. It couldn't be allowed. The two of them were obviously not enough to take back the castle; but perhaps they could plan, and make preparation for when the time did come. The entire guild could hardly have been taken captive; Renault felt a great ache in his heart at the thought of something having happened to his daughter. Dear Goddess, why had he been gone so long?
The Saint's hand came up, gently cupping the Paladin's cheek, as he bent forward to place a soft kiss on her forehead. "Isadora, don't worry. They can't possibly do it. After all, we're here. And the people will recognize that we've helped them before; they can't possibly just stand by and watch our guild members die." Or, at least he hoped so; his confidence was much less than he tried to make it appear. An attempt to rescue them at all with two people was tantamount to suicide; it would only be feasible as a last resort. He didn't know how many men this 'Rogvald' had under him, or had tricked into serving him; and they were the only ones really left in the castle. They'd have to plan, and they'd have to do it well, as well as hopefully not reveal the Saint's presence to the enemy.
The man stepped back for a moment; he took Isadora's hand in both of his, not letting go as he thought. "...All right. I'm here now, so... at least you needn't be alone, Isadora." A slight smirk slipped onto his face, ideas beginning to form in his mind. "Now... we are the only members left in the castle, really... although I'd imagine that laguz presence is an ally as well? That means we're the last possible protectors of the treasures in this castle... and our allies' last hope of getting in."
Renault seated himself on a nearby chair, pondering. "Now, let's see. We can't count on any of the castle guards, of course. If we were to rescue anyone ourselves, they would be weaponless unless we brought weapons with us, and in any case they'd be weak from captivity..." He didn't seem to be talking to Isadora so much as musing over the options now. "There isn't any way we could stage a rescue attempt on our own, not without severe casualties." He paused for a moment, fingers drumming on the arm of his chair. His eyes turned up to Isadora again words now clearly addressing her. "But! Our friends could hardly just stand by and watch while the Crew is executed. I have no doubt they'll make some sort of attempt to rescue those in the dungeon... but they won't have any way to get in, and they'd probably be injured trying to take the gates." A soft chuckle came from his throat, and he grinned up at the lady. "So we'll be their way in."
"Right now, all we need to do is wait. Keep in favor with this... 'Rogvald', pretend you're doing his bidding, and wait for the right moment. Of course, I may be wrong; the others may not come. In that case, we'll have to make our own attempt..."
The Saint took Isadora's hands in his, rising to pull her close and smile softly down at her. "I will stay with you. I promise you, I won't leave you at the mercy of these people. And if there's anything I can do to assist... you need but to ask."
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Posted: Thu Sep 09, 2010 12:44 pm
"Isadora, don't worry. They can't possibly do it. After all, we're here. And the people will recognize that we've helped them before; they can't possibly just stand by and watch our guild members die." Renault reassured.
"That's true..." Isadora replied, but she doesn't out optimistic. Although it was true that the guild had protected Learania, but thanked to Rogvald, he made it looked like they were some corrupted guild. The citizens were casting glare at the Guards after hearing what Mihira did during last autumn. People were having doubts about what happened to Nino and made theories that Rath killed her due to his hunger for power. And even if the citizens remembered how gallant the guild were to protect and serve for the country, there was still a problem if they dared tried to save. Rescuing those who were sentenced to death would be a treason against the king.
Before the paladin could ask the Saint how could they have hope when all seemed to be lost, Renault assured her that she wasn't alone. That brought relieve to her. Having someone to be with her and help her was a miracle for her. If not, then Isadora could have sworn she would have a meltdown and resign her position immediately.
Isadora suddenly noticed the smirk on the Saint's face as he started to mutter something about members left in the castle and laguz. Laguz? Was he talking about Tibarn? No, it couldn't be. Renault knew Tibarn quite well. Maybe it was Skrimir he was referring. After all, Skrimir did come to Learania while Renault was away, so it would made sense that they hadn't met each other.
The Dame Knight watched as the Saint sat down and muttered to himself. Listening closer, it sounded like he was trying to form a plan to rescue. But who? Was it Rath and Vaida or the members that were being sent to prison? Isadora knew quite well that Rogvald didn't say anything about how long would the member's imprisonment would be. After all, the old git said that their final verdict would be taken placed in the "Grand Prison." So it seemed they didn't need to worry about the members. They would find a way to rescue them. Right now, they need to focus on Rath and Vaida. After all, they weren't sure how long did these two have to live before the execution. But how to rescue them was the problem she couldn't figure out.
Just then she heard Renault gave off a chuckle. Did Renault find a way to rescue them? If so, she hope it won't lead to treason with the King. Isadora waited to hear what Renault's plan was, but the Saint informed her that all they needed to do was wait and do Rogvald's bidding. The paladin frowned. She was unsure what Renault was planning. But to continue doing Rogvald's service, the paladin wasn't sure how long she could keep her morals (and sanity) in place.
"Renault, I don't know what you're planning, but I'll try staying in Rogvald's... good side." Isadora nearly choked on the last part. Just saying that the old git had a good side made it sounded vile that the Dame Knight wanted to vomit. She felt her hands being raised up as the Saint gave her the comfort words she longed to hear since she took the captain's position.
"Thank you, Renault." Isadora spoke softly as she placed her head against his chest. "Just having you here with me is what I needed from this dreadful event. If only things are back the way they were."
((Blah..... Crap post... .__.; ))
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