|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Tue May 29, 2012 7:32 pm
 There is an amazing light show, dazziling tourists, as well as threatining rival soldiers here in the city of Garonoff. For the city itself was constructed around one of the blazing Dengen Holy Grounds. The city had begun with the great king Garnu who founded the Holy Ground, being the stratigest that he was Garnu decided that instead of impowering himself so much with the holy ground, he would impower an army even if only double per soldier. So as the city was built Garnu ordered placements of mirrors around the city, guiding the holy lights to the military posts of the birthing empire. Now the army lay ready, each more than double the skill in all forms of dengen, they were from that day fourth known as the fearsome "Silver Army" Land Laws: 1. All those who offend laws shall be forced into military servitude. 2. Every child must be trained in at least one form of dengen (a law implied to create a city that could defend itself) 3. No man shall remove property of another over a single peice of gold's worth 4. No man may kill or they shall be given the worst of military positions 5. should one not pay their taxes due they shall be given three chances to give fourth their pay before it is counted against them as an offense 6. No man shall destroy the property of another without the consent of the owner. Sub - RP areas: - Garnoff Castle - Isaac's Lab - The Silver Armory (Residents of all Silver Knights) - The Soaring Fortress (Residents of Garnoff Dengen Masters) - Sun Square (place of royal announcements/ Skyron and Menna's false marriage) - Glory Church (Resident of Garnoff's Paladins) - North Gate - South Gate - West Gate - Holy Chamber (Hidden Holy Ground of Garnoff) - Royal Chapel (Place of Oban and Menna's marriage) - Lower Dungeons 75/40
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Jun 07, 2012 10:10 am
 Gallion the legendary knight of Garnoff made his way down through the hallways, keeping a steady yet hasted stride. Not many could stand before a king, for although the city truly respected the man they called their leader he was still a king to be protected. In the case of the man they called the "Glory of Garnoff" however, it was but a simple task to make a path to his lord. Stepping out onto the wall which guarded the city, Gallion found Lucheston looking out towards the horizon in the south.
"My lord, word by hawk claims that they have arrived unharmed, and continue to speak with the king of Dokoro." The Silver Knight began, though his king was not moving. "You're worried about them...." The knight concluded, for the two men had been friends for nearly a decade. Turning to face him now, Lucheston showed through expression that the knight had hit the mark.
"I sent the tyrant a message, showed him that he was not our superior regardless how many peoples he has conquered." Lucheston began. "I can only hope that the rumors do not hold as true as we thought, and that the message was received without violence....I feel as if I were a fool." The king stated, placing his head in his palm.
"It was a necessary action, if you had not done so I'm sure that King Doko would have taken the treaty lightly. We needed him to realize that this was a truce between two equals, otherwise he wold have walked all over the people of Garnoff." The knight reassured him. Of course this is what King Lucheston knew from the start, but as a father he remained concerned. Watching over a group of men who now had begun construction upon catapults for the wall, the king only became more concerned...however as king he was undaunted, and when his service was required by his people, the father Lucheston Sorian was left behind. His people needed him now for the preparations, and his sons were more than capable young men.
"At least my son shall return with a new bride, and Oban will be a great king indeed. I believe him to be more likely to rule well than myself." Lucheston smiled. Gallion couldn't help but nod in agreement, for he had often met and sparred with the young prince throughout his service to the king.
"He most certainly is wise, and I can only hope that the people of Garnoff will be as willing to receive him as the soldiers." Gallion concluded.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jun 26, 2012 5:03 pm
The road to Garnoff had been long and tiring, nearly a week's ride through the many valleys and pathways which cut through the world to lead them to civilization. The road was exhausting for most who would ride their horses as many hours as they, and it appeared to the men of the Silver Knights that the path returning was far more distant than the road they had followed to the Tyrant's City. All but Skyron were spent from the long journey, the young prince had only been spared the depletion for his skill upon horse back...something Oban could not boast of.
"Not long until we reach the city walls my lords." Called one of the knights among the men. He wore lighter armor than that of the typical soldier, for as a scout he would need to make way farther, and faster than the others. " Just half a day longer until we meet with our own." He reported.
"Good, I believe the horses are tiring as much as we by now." Oban noted, but was soon met with Skyron's words.
"The horses can handle a half days march with ease, even if they tire, they can rest within the palace once we breach the gate." The prince noted apathetically. Sticking his heels into the horse's flanks, he drove his steed onward towards the wall. Not long after this however, the earth began to tremble.... "What is this, a quake, a troll?!" Skyron roared, startled by the sudden violent shakes. For a moment, as the Silver Knights took stance about their lords and the regular soldiers wandered around in search of the source, the tremors began to cease. "Captain, what was that?" Skyron addressed his head Knight.
"I'm...not sure, perhaps it was just a quake of the earth my lord." The captain proclaimed, though no sooner his guess was proven incorrect. Lifting from the earth, a pile of stones seemed to levitate about each other, dirt falling from it's sides in small streams as it towered over the group before it, just as pebbles seemed to visibly flow up and about the form like blood through veins. A shining glimmer of green could be seen atop the mass, like emeralds at the peak of a hill. The ground continued to quiver, and the collection of massive boulders began to form into a more recognizable shape. First arms, then a head, holstering the gleaming stones. The body appeared to end upon the waist which rose from the ground like a tree. Lastly, a horrid sound which echoed about, the sound of stones grinding against each other with tremendous force from within the beast. It created a sort of growling noise with the crushing of stones which pierced the ear, and sent shivers through the spines of those not so courageous.
"Elemental!" The captain roared, calling the name of a creature forged of the earth and nature's vast supply of dengen. The energies had manifested into a being of stone, and as a creature of dengen, it needed dengen to survive...something the group before it had a considerable amount of. "Move!" He called to his men, urging them to make haste in a retreat from the massive beast.
"Get me out of here captain!" Skyron roared, fear slipping into his tone as the Goliath of stone began dragging it's massive hulk by it's arms towards them, leaving a trench behind itself. "Get me out of here now!" His face was nearly a shade of purple with the urgency of his voice. Few but the greatest of heroes had lived to speak of taking on an elemental. Not even Gallion of Garnoff's Silver Knights would utter a word of his encounter.
The soldiers were drawing back, stepping out of the path of the charging beast, though more often than not it would sweep it's arm about and take hold of one of the many soldiers. The creature would then continue by smashing it's capture upon a near by rock or tree, breaking it's prey like a constrictor before many rocks would break apart for the beast to drop it's catch within the core he used to devour them. All retreated from the foul beast...all but one. The captain turned about and began to scream, for as he and his fellows cried in protest, retreating all the while, Oban drew his blade...and rushed for the leviathan....
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jun 26, 2012 10:11 pm
 The trip was tiresome to say the least. Gashrious was an elder and slept most of the trip. Menna was left with her own thoughts, planning out the ruse and redefining it in her mind. Or else she was imaging what Garnoff would look like and what it would be like to be it's queen one day. She'd often thought about being queen. And while she knew it probably wouldn't be of Dokoro (although she didn't know what her father was going to do with no heir) she couldn't imagine anywhere else. She'd never been outside of Dokoro. The intrigue of seeing somewhere new for the first time helped to ease the claustrophobic feeling of being trapped in the carriage all day.
The party pushed ahead, eager to reach the party that had gone before it. Menna found herself eager to meet Oban again. He was intelligent and commanded loyalty in a way his brother, even with all his looks and height, could not. But she wasn't looking forward to interacting with him as her father saw fit. She didn't want to pretend she was better than him or marrying his brother, but with her father watching everything she did she hardly had another choice.
The carriage was suddenly stopped. "Already?" She murmured. There was wild neighing coming from the horses and shouts from the men. She couldn't stand now knowing, so she pulled aside the curtain and leaned outside the carriage. Her eyes widened when she saw the creature that was up ahead. She'd read enough stories to know what an Elemental was. And why she would never want to meet them. There were a lot of people that had dengen, but Menna had a particular large amount of it. Most forms of bone dengen were coming, changing one body part or a few. Hers was strong.
Which made her the perfect target for such a dengen-hungry creature. She half-fell back inside the carriage, her heart beating double time. Her father had insisted she couldn't learn sword play, so she had no defense. Not that a sword would make much of a difference against such a creature. "Gashrious, wake up." She begged the elderly priest. She knew there was not much he could do to help the situation, but he was often a calming presence in stressful situations. "Gashrious please wake up!"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jul 02, 2012 7:35 pm
The beast swept it's arms fourth, like massive trunks of ancient trees, sending it's bound boulder limb across the ground to grasp yet another soldier, though this time it was met with failure.
Oban leaped towards the limb of the beast, his blade drawn and readied above his head. As soon as the rushing giant's arm collided with the man, he aimed and stuck his weapon into one of the streaming veins of pebbles which ran across the behemoth, perhaps the only protion which could be considered soft upon the creature. As the arm lifted high, the prince began to lift himself upwards, and run along the outstreched limb. His boots scrapped against the dirt and stone as his armor made small metalic noises, all the while the beast grinding stones to create it's growl. As he moved higher up the stone arm, the leviathan reached with it's other arm, grasping for the pesky prince to swiftly remove the annoyance. With a swift roll however, the young lord managed to evade the deathly grip. His swift feet however could not keep him upon the monster while it began to sway violently, swinging about it's shoulders so that it could defy him the climb. Oban rolled over backwards from the force of the surface's motion, nearly falling had he not stricken once more with his blade.
***
The elder priest began to stir, his nap interrupted by the young lady's cries. Though he always kept her well being as one of his greatest priorities, Gashrious couldn't help but feel a bit cranky upon his awakening. "What is it child?" He mumbled, the words falling from his lips like slop from a spoon. His voice even was faint for his weary body could not help but to limply apply force to each breath. It was then that the ground shook with a great quake, the elemental having smashed at a tree in attempts to reduce Oban to a pulp. "Dear lord, what was that?!" He sputtered, shocked by the jolt, yet still moving in a grogy fashion. As his eyes shot open, his gaze fell upon the terror of the young lady's features.
***
The bulky tree began to fall to the ground bellow, as the building like beast struck it with intentions for another. As it struck the ground to shake the wooded lands about Garnoff, Oban had finally risen to the creature's shoulder, striking down with his sword with all his might to break the stones. The lord then continued to drop down, cutting a path through the softer pebble filled pathways. As he slid to the bottom, where the pit of the arm lay, Oban took hold of a single ledge crafted by the boulders which created the beast, and used it to climb back upwards.
By now the creature was becoming desperate to remove the young warrior, for if it was capable of feeling anything at all...that would have hurt. Punching at itself as Oban evaded towards the torso, running along it's upper bodie's side to catch a near ledge, one could here an almost sickening crackle of the blocks of stone that held the arm. Climbing higher, hand and blade dragging him upwards, Oban reached the collar, and leaped for the beast's wounded limb. Digging deep with his blade as his lunge reached its end, the warrior slid through upon the other side. With the end of his cut path, rather than grasping the ledge as he had before, the lord dropped to the ground, nearly twenty feet bellow. Landing with a roll, and diving aside, Oban became covered in dirt upon his many features and armor, which fell from the wounded creature.
As he quickly made space between them, the beast grabbed for it's own arm, and all about would witness as the limb fell to the earth, once more nothing more than boulders. Curiously, one would also see a green glowing, and almost organic material seeping from the wound. As the men staired in awe, that substance slipped down from the leviathan. Leaning in close, the beast then ripped itself upwards again, tugging stones from the earth to form a new arm.
"This might take a while" Oban muttered to himself, as the cheers of his men began to fade at the sight.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jul 02, 2012 8:45 pm
Menna was on the verge of panicking, but she could still see the annoyance on Gashrious's It turned into confusion when the ground shook. "It's an Elemental." She explained. "At least I think it is. I've read about them in books. They're made out of dengen... and they crave it." She took a deep breath and looked out the window again. There was Oban and his men...or rather, Lucheston's men, fighting the creature. But they looked like dolls in comparison. She watched, her eyes riveted on the fight. Please be safe. She thought.
For a moment it looked like the battle was turning in their favor... then the creature reformed itself. They needed to take it one in one savage strike to defeat it. But it kept batting them away. The men could only get in simple hits. We need a distraction. The thought popped into her head of it's own accord. And there was an obvious distraction to offer. She had a dengen ability that had been strong at birth and carefully cultivated since. And that was only the ability she knew of. If the books she read were true, just because you knew you had one sort of dengen didn't mean you couldn't have another.
The terror began to fade from her features slightly, replaced by determination. "I need to get a message through to the soldiers." She said in a quiet voice. "But I can't get any closer without drawing attention." And she didn't want to get closer...until she meant to. She looked out the carriage again. The Dokoro soldiers were joining in the fight, but without much enthusiasm. Until their Grand King gave the strict order, they weren't going to try very hard. She looked back to the priest. As sharp as his mind was, he was still old enough to be her grandfather. But she couldn't think of anyone else to ask.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Jul 05, 2012 9:48 pm
As the beast arose once more, flailing it's massive arms about with a new found ferocity, Oban began his climb once more. This time however, he chose to take the path of a near by tree. Reaching each palm to the branch above him, one after another, the lord rose higher and higher into the forest's perches. The brave man waited above the furious creature for the perfect moment to strike, like a falcon spying down upon it's prey. ***
Gashrious was still filled to the brim with shock, a beast before him which his eyes had only once before laid upon. An elemental, and this one of earth, rather than one of wind which lived only for just a moment before it became a small tornado and passed. As his eyes dropped to the creature like the dust which fell from it's shape, the old priest couldn't help but feel the same as the soldiers about him. He watched as the men of Garnoff and Dokoro, save the ever fearless Black Diamond Knights chuckling at the scene before them, ran away in terror of the gruesome being. The sound of clattering stone and grinding boulders was louder than an avalanche of massive rocks. He wished his legs were young once more to carry him away... and then he spied Oban.... taking two large strides before leaping at the beast. *** The air rushed past him as he dropped from above, falling as his blade cut a path downward before him. Landing with a solid thump upon the top of the creature, the more noticeable sound which echoed about the soldier's words would be the sound of the blade piercing deep into the apparent head of the leviathan. It was a solid blow, digging into the top of the emerald bearing protrusion. Unfortunately the Goliath responded only by turning about the stone atop it, so that the glimmering gems would gaze upon the prince, and if ever one could see an emotion from a stone it was now, with great rage flowing from the beast. The elemental was aware that this must be the same monkey which struck it's arm from it's body once before, and was not willing to repeat the experience. The beast began to rush forth, removing Oban from his feet and requiring him to hold on by sword alone as the creature continued by crashing into the many trees of the forest, which responded by falling atop the behemoth. Though still holding on, and only finding himself scrapped quite violently by the trunks of the land, the young lord found it quite difficult to avoid being crushed by the falling debris.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Jul 05, 2012 11:21 pm
OOC: Figured it was high time to do a little NPC control myself. Can't let you have all the fun. XD Sorry if it comes across a little godmode-ish.
Gashrious didn't reply, staring only in shock. Menna let out a frustrated sound. Her old mentor wasn't going to be giving out much advice. This time, she was on her own. She continued to watch the spectacle before her. The Black Knights only chuckled at Oban's fighting. He was not the heir in their eyes, therefore he was not worth saving. Skyron was nowhere to be seen, which made her angry. The Queen too was probably tucked away somewhere safe. Not that Doko's knights would fight any harder if she was out and about. Had Skyron been fighting, Doko would probably have ordered his men into the fray. If the "heir" to the Garnoff throne died, the deal would be off. Me as well. She suddenly realized. While she didn't believe her father had any real affection for her, she needed to live to make the deal work.
"Gashrious, if my father asks, I went crazy and fought you off." She said to the old priest. Her entire plan was a desperate attempt to distract a creature 30 times her size and convince her father he needed to help with defeating it. If all went well, the creature would be bested and things could continue as planned. If not.... well, she wouldn't have to fear the two countries going to war, as there would only be one king living. But she couldn't dwell on that. She threw open the carriage door and jumped out, heedless of anything Gashrious said to stop her.
The Black Knights guarding the carriage were too immersed in the scene to notice the Grand Princess running around. She was thankful for that, as she needed to get a bit away. She ran off to the side of the road, looking back to her father's carriage. She wondered what her father thought of the situation. But she doubted he cared or would be happy if he realized his daughter wasn't where she should be, so talking to him wasn't going to solve anything.
It didn't take her long to realize she didn't really have a plan for this. The Black Knights. She thought. They needed to join the fray first, before she made any sort of distraction. But no one on the front lines would allow Princess Issimenna to put herself in danger. An idea popped into her head and she sprinted forward. It said something of the spectacle that no one noticed enough to chase after her. She sprinted closer to the elemental, to the Queen's carriage. She hopped inside, shocking the woman herself. But she didn't have time to be gentle. "Skyron's clothes, where are they?" She asked. The queen blinked in shock, but motioned to another tarp-covered wagon. Menna nodded in thanks and hopped out long enough to root through the luggage to find Skyron's things. She hoped no one was paying attention as she slipped under the tarp. It was only a few moments later when the form of the young prince appeared. The onlooker might have been confused at seeing the man fumbling to grab a sword from the wagon.
The elemental was struck for a moment, sensing something tantalizing coming from nearby, but the men around it kept it from moving toward it. The flare of dengen was fleeting, so the creature turned back to it's prey. Meanwhile Skyron could be seen walking back to the Dokoro caravan. There was something slightly off in his walk, but it could have easily been from the adrenaline of the moment.
"You there!" The voice of Skyron called out to one of the Black Knights. The sound of a male voice coming from her mouth still disturbed Menna, but she pushed all her authority behind it. "Tell your men to assist, or lose the treaty." The princess-turned-prince turned and ran back to the front line, not even pausing for fear of losing her courage. If Oban could be working to fight this thing, so could she. The Silver Knights looked shocked to see the second prince around. If they noticed he was wearing different clothes, no one mentioned it.
The sight of the prince their Grand Princess would be marrying throwing his life in danger was enough to make the Black Knights stop chuckling. But no one spoke. Menna as Skyron looked back, hopes plummeting as she noticed still no one moving forward. She tightened her grip on the sword, with Skyron's hands, and moved forward. The creature was busy enough with the other knights and Oban, but it noticed her quickly. Dengen was at it's strongest when she was mid-change, but there was a heavy layer of it around her person when she was masquerading as someone else. The creature took a step forward, leaving Menna diving to get out of the way of it's massive feet.
It was the sight of the Garnoff heir almost being crushed that convinced the Black Knights into action. That being, to tell their Grand King that the prince was fighting and could perhaps be killed. Menna took this as a good sign and hoped the next part of her plan would work out as well. "Oban!" She called out loudly. She hoped he would remember what he'd seen the night before enough to figure out what was coming next. She had to dodge another one of the creature's footsteps before she could call out again. "Reinforcements are coming! Rally the troops, you're only going to get one shot at this!" She didn't even know if one shot would be enough to defeat the creature, but it was the only plan she had in mind. She waited long enough for Oban to do what was necessary. She had not been privy to military strategy enough to advise him on anything, so she let him do it himself. In the mean time she busied herself dodging more attempts from the creature. It was only the attacks from the knights around her that kept the creature from trying something more than merely trying to step on her.
When Oban had rallied everyone and, she hoped, had formed some plan of attack, it was time for the distraction. She needed to do something that would keep the creature so enraptured that it wouldn't be thinking to defend itself. So, she changed.
It was natural to change back into Menna. And she heard many shouts of surprise as both Black and Silver knights noticed long flowing hair coming from the head of their "prince". But as Menna her dengen was safely beneath her being and the creature wouldn't be distracted. So she changed again. Rokan had made her change as many people in the palace in her time, so it wasn't difficult to come up with people to change into. Mostly female. The scullery maid that snuck pastries from the kitchen. The women who'd flaunted themselves before her father. Verity, Nanette, and her other ladies-in-waiting. Her body wasn't used to the constant changing and it wasn't long before she was truly dizzy and disoriented. To make matters worse, the more she did it, the more the creature made attempts at her. It was difficult, because the target was so small, but she was quickly losing steam. She dodged trees and debris, but her vision was starting to blur. Too much. A thought in the back of her mind was clear as day. Far far too much.
Oddly enough, it was not the giant trees and boulders that was her undoing, but a simple rock a bit bigger than her fist. As she tried to simultaneously switch from Verity to Nanette (not a simply gesture as the two girls were on opposite ends of the appearance spectrum) and sidestep the giant's fist, the stone hit her in the back of the head. Immediately she snapped back to being Issimenna and fell to the ground hard. In pain and disoriented, but conscious enough to watched the giant fist reaching for her again.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jul 08, 2012 9:11 pm
As the elemental rampaged about the forest, many men of his own or other forces either fleeing or simply standing about...some laughing, Oban rode atop the stone beast, his blade holding deep within it's emerald embedded head. The creature appeared furious, striking at the few men valiant enough to wander by. The lord was struck by every branch of every tree which fell over the back of the leviathan, as the monstrosity broke through the trunks of the ancient forest about him. Each time he rushed over to the opposite side of the stone protrusion to avoid a falling timber, he could not fully avoid the crashing branches lest he loose hold of his blade, falling from the great height of the elemental's bulky form.
It seemed strange to him however, for the massive being appeared distracted from it's efforts to remove the young warrior. It was a predatorial being, only distracted by assault and bountiful prey. With mere adrenaline kept the man from collapsing, through the dirt which covered his determined features he managed to spy his own brother, prince and assumed heir to Garnoff, running about not away as one would expect of the coward, but towards the beast as if he were drunk.
"What are you doing Skyron, return to safety." He roared above the crashing behemoth. Oban was concerned for his brother, for he had lived with his twin alll his life, and the two knew all about each other. Even if they had begun to separate when King Lucheston had announced the chosen heir, the two were still siblings. "Go back!" He commanded as the beast swayed about once more, attempting to throw off it's rider. For once however, as his twin lord approached, the knights clad in black and golden armor began to rush forth. The elemental striking at it's new opponents only to be withheld by a golden sphere about each of the men as they charged.
They could not however catch up to the young prince Skyron. The man appeared to be keeping a lead on them even as he stumbled about awkwardly. Removing a small dagger from his belt, Oban attempted to remove his blade and replace it's hold with the smaller steal weapon. As he did so, Skyron changed....Menna, he realized.
"What are you doing here!" He called again without using her name, for he was not certain if she desired others to know of her skill. "Go back!" He roared, this time more urgently than when the lord had thought his twin had come to battle. As the lady began to shift between forms, the elemental followed her... hungrily. Terror filled the young man when she collapsed, a stone catching her stride abruptly removing her from her feet.
"No!" Oban roared with ferocity as the beast took hold of her small form. The stones of it's chest began to part, the center opening up as it had so many times before to devour it's prey. Dirt fell away as it opened it's massive maw to receive it's capture, and horror struck every man who would behold the scene. Gashrious himself whimpered for the moment, reaching out a hand as if he could still save the young woman.
Lifting her into the air, the elemental was ready to devour his next victim, ignoring the small explosions and the golden punches of the knights at it's lower body. Lifting the lady high carrying her upwards further to drop her within the pit of it's torso, the leviathan seemed to gaze upon it's catch for just a moment... just as Oban denied him.
Leaping from his perch as the creature stopped, the lord turned in the air as he fell in an arch downward, the steal of his blade raised above his head. With a loud cry of refusal, the warrior dropped into the depths of the beast's torso removed from sight by the pit. Within the elemental Oban spied upon a green hued protrusion within, and struck with all his might. The green substance from before which had brought the elemental it's arm once more spewed from the blow, gushing from the gash within. The behemoth dropped to it's knees, crumbling as it fell. The many stones of the beast's body dropped like rain, showered in a layer of dirt as if an avalanche of earth had just befallen the land where it stood. As Menna was released from it's high grip, a Black Diamond Knight stood beneath, ready to catch her from her fall.
The creature was no more than a pile of stones and dirt, a new hill created by the beast's form. The downfall had tumbled down atop a few men, leaving them buried by a short amount of dirt which could easily be pushed aside for them to crawl from within, but Oban...he was deeper in the behemoth's ruble. The brave lord had been in the center of the creature when he struck it's core, and was thus buried beneath the entirety of it's body... The others were pulled from the rubble...many waited still shocked by the occurrence just a moment before. Many moments passed, none moving from where they stood, struck with awe at the site...and then...a hand erupted from the top of the massive hill, clad in the armor of a Garnoff royal....
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jul 08, 2012 9:33 pm
She could see Oban riding atop the creature, shouting at her. His face was terrified. She knew she should have been afraid, but she was in a sort of dreamlike state. She didn't scream, or even whimper, as the giant fist closed around her. She found herself off the ground, looking down on a bunch of terrified faces. A voice in the back of her mind was screaming that it wasn't right for her to be so calm. She should be screaming or calling for help. But what help was there to be had?
A gape formed in the chest of the creature. So this is how it eats. She thought. Her trance had not yet ended and she seemed to be looking at everything like she was curled up in the library, reading about the situation in a book. But the longer she spent as the Grand Princess, the more she came to her senses. And the more she realized what was going to happen. Her eyes widened as she realized she was looking in the eye of the great beast. But she did not scream until she saw Oban jumping into the maw meant for her. "Oban, don't!" But it was too late. He'd already disappeared. There was a few moments of horror for the young princess, until she was distracted by her sudden release. She didn't even have time to look down before she was caught by one of her father's knights.
The Black Knight dutifully turned to carry her back to the carriage, but she struggled out of his arms, hitting the ground with a dull thud. He reached for her again, but she was running towards the mound of rocks and dirt that had once been a terrifying creature. She paused, feeling nearly sick to her stomach about the situation. There was a moment of relief as she noticed a hand sticking up through the mess. She sprinted forward, grateful that she was not in skirts, and clawed away at the debris until the entirety of the prince was freed from the natural dungeon. He was not the heir in her father's eyes and decorum dictated she treat him as such. But it was everything she could do not to throw her arms around him. "I'm so sorry." She said in a whisper. "I really thought that was going to work out better."
Now came the shocked aftermath. Not only the shock at such a beast existing and being defeated, but that the quiet, thin little princess of Dokoro held such a skill to help them beat the creature. However there were still wounded men to attend to from both sides (though far more Silver Knights than Black needed care) and a journey to continue. The same Black Knight that had caught her before came again, this time not to carry her but escort her. She thought she'd be going back to her own carriage to change. Instead she found herself being ushered into her father's carriage. The sick feeling returned to her stomach. What in the seven planes would her father have to say about this? She was still dressed in Skyron's clothes that hung loose on her thinner frame and covered with generous portions of dirt. Hardly fit to see a Grand King. But her father was known for impatience, so she climbed inside and sat across from him, hands folded nervously into her lap.
OOC: Doko is technically yours, so have at it.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jul 08, 2012 10:13 pm
Oban coughed a bit as the dirt was thrown from his body. The lord had dragged himself upwards towards air as the others stood by, digging his way to freedom from the felled beast, concerned for the young princess he had acted so recklessly to save. Upon hearing the voice of the woman he felt relieved, and upon hearing her apologize, noticing that he alone received the worst of the surviving men, he felt more so. "Don't be sorry, it worked didn't it." He managed a smirk, exhaustion catching him as the battle had ended. As he lay there before the princess, feeling weak, a knight escorted her away from the mound towards the carriage of the Royal Tyrant. The battle having ended, even Skyron stepped forth, removing himself from the cover of a distant tree. Rushing forward, the prince looked down upon his valiant brother catching the gaze of his twin. Many others began to move about, helping the fallen soldiers and searching in case others remained buried. *** The Tyrant's transport along the path to Garnoff was quite different from that which the young lady had been spending in. The inside was red of course, like the other it was filled with pillows of all sorts, but at the same time the Tyrant had made certain that he had obtained the most comfortable of cushions, far more fluffed than those which Gashrious had rested upon. There were countless engravings into the walls, filled with gold to make their appearance more dazzling. The embellishment of the caravan was unprecedented, as was the trend for the tyrant in all of his belongings. "Good work..." Doko stated, quickly but clearly. His gaze seemed distracted as he watched the others from several caravans give their service in helping the fallen. The Black Diamond Knights were apathetic of course, stepping back into a defensive formation about the carriages. "That was both reckless and stupid, though well thought out." The Tyrant continued appearing to conflict his own statements with ever word. "You could have died, which would be quite troublesome for our prior arrangements. You are no warrior after all, and should resume acting as if you know that. If I think positively however... " Doko began, using a phrase which he had not often used before. "You have gained their trust." For a moment the king was silent, a rare moment indeed, and as the Knights of his city kept all from hearing distance the man continued. " We will need their trust if we are to maintain dominance. If they distrust us then we will not hold their people within our grasp. All that we need now is for you to stop acting heroic and realize that your fiance still needs his bride." His voice began to elevate, though only slightly. He appeared tired, but that did nothing to diminish the return of his sarcastic yet agitated tone. "You are dismissed. Go make yourself presentable." He waved a hand and turned away once more, adjusting the black robes he wore for the travel from between the two kingdoms. "Ah," He began, trying to get one last question in before the princess left. " When did you learn to become Skyron? I was wondering how you could have found the time to practice." He questioned. "Rokan hasn't been training you for weeks." The statement was odd, considering one had thought that the assassin had been informed to train Menna for the last time that night before, and yet here was Doko, oblivious to their last meeting. "Forget it, it may be useful later, and interesting now, but I'm sure I wouldn't care to hear more." Doko stated, seeming to think aloud as he changed his mind.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jul 08, 2012 10:50 pm
Had this been the first time Menna met the Grand King she would have been amazed at the expense that had been put into a simple mode of transportation. But she'd grown up around the tyrant her entire life and the lengths he would go to show his royalty had ceased to surprise her long ago. She was more attentive to the man himself and the words he was saying. It seemed like he either couldn't decide what to say or he was trying to give her a compliment without actually making it a compliment.
"Father I... I mean, Your Highness..." While she could avert his anger when it was directed at someone else and even prevent it from forming in certain situations, she was never very good at holding an actual conversation with the man. Father or not, he still held her life in his hands. She may have been the princess but one word from his lips and every Black Knight would come after her. It made her tread very lightly. "I did not mean to act recklessly. I could not see another way to keep the creature from killing everyone. I'm sorry."
All his talk about having Garnoff trusting them made her nervous. Was this alliance just a step in taking over the country? But you don't have their trust father. The words rang out in her head clear as a bell, but she didn't dare say them aloud. I have it. And you've never earned mine. There was a small consolation in that. She'd showed herself to be a different sort of person than her father and she was certain the men would remember that. But no one would be able to forget the things her father did to come to power. She'd just widened the gap between them.
She opened the door when he dismissed her, pausing only at his last question. Any passive expression she had was shattered by his last question. She blinked in surprise. Rokan hadn't been ordered to teach her? But then why had he done it? She didn't know what to make of this development. Should she say something? Brush it off and hope to figure out what Rokan was doing for herself? She didn't have to say anything in the end, as he brushed it off. She left quickly, puzzling over the situation in her head.
She was halfway to her own carriage, when she was stopped yet again. She expected it was a Silver Knight giving his thanks or a Black Knight to drag her back to her father to answer his question about Rokan. She was surprised to find Queen Sorian smiling down at her. "Your Majesty." Menna dropped into a curtsy out of habit. The queen only shook her head. "I must thank you for everything you've done." She sounded so formal and regal, it made Menna look down at her dirty clothes with a grimace. The queen sensed it, or else she already had it in mind, and escorted Menna to her own carriage. The princess tried to protest, but her future mother-in-law wouldn't hear of it.
"I found your dress." The monarch produced the garment and handed it over to Menna. The girl thanked her and moved to leave, only to be stopped again. "Aren't you sharing a carriage with that priest? Highly inappropriate to change in front of him, don't you think?" Menna wanted to insist that Gashrious would gladly wait outside, but the queen would brook no debate. So Menna slipped out of Skyron's clothes and into the dress, blushing all the while. Afterward, the queen insisted on helping her fix her hair. Menna had to admit that she had deft fingers and quickly plaited the locks, speaking as she did so.
"That was very brave. But very reckless. Where would your father be without you? And Skyron, can't have him being a widower before he's a groom, now can we?" Menna wanted to believe that the woman was just trying to keep up with the ruse, but she had a feeling she enjoyed the fact Doko wanted Skyron to be the heir. "I suppose not."She said quietly. "But I think someone as brave as Oban is just as deserving of a good wife." The queen stayed silent and Menna quickly made her leave after her hair was done. She wanted to talk to Gashrious. She wanted to see how Oban was doing. She wanted to be anything other than Doko's daughter and Skyron's intended bride. But things were what they were and she climbed back into her own carriage, grateful to see the old priest's face again. "I'm so sorry." She spoke with much more sincerity than she'd used when she'd been speaking to her father. "I couldn't think of anything else to do." She paused a moment, then moved to kiss him on the cheek. She sat down just as the carriage lurched forward. They were on the move once again.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jul 08, 2012 11:18 pm
As Menna moved to comfort Gashrious, the priest stood abruptly clasping the lady in a tight hug. "Don't be sorry where you are not at fault." He spoke, still holding her. For a moment he was silent... but as he released the young woman and sat down upon the cushion of the opposite side. "If any one is to apologize it should be I. Certainly one such as myself could have lured the beast even now, or at least I could have kept you from running into danger as you had. Still I remained frozen where I stood, for my last encounter with an elemental was quite horrific and we had none as valiant as Lord Oban." The old priest spoke as if she were his own daughter, appearing devastated though she had not been harmed. Resting as best he could against the walls of the rocking carriage, the priest would not be able to sleep even with the greatest efforts, until they reached the safety of Garnoff the glowing city. *** "Are you certain you are all right sir?" A silver knight asked of Oban as he guided the horse which carried the young lord. "After riding such a beast, laying here upon my horse is the most comfortable I have been this day." The prince assured him, his body hanging upon the seat. Exhaustion held the prince, and he was covered in dirt and bruises from the brawl, but soon enough he would be strong enough to walk about once more. For now however, the knights insisted he rest.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jul 08, 2012 11:33 pm
Menna hugged the man back gratefully. Had she found her death at the hands of an elemental, it wouldn't be her father she'd feel sorry for leaving. She was nothing more than a pawn to him and she'd gladly see him lose the game he was playing. But Gashrious was, in her opinion, the best man Dokoro had to offer. She'd be sad to see him alone in the palace. "Well we don't have to worry for the moment." She said when she was comfortably settled again. "There is one less elemental in the world and I doubt there are any more in the area." Still, she was grateful when they finally passed through the safety of Garnoff's walls. She knew she would have to once again stand behind her father and keep quiet until a direct question was asked.
The carriages pulled into the courtyard, forming a semi circle with Doko's carriage in the center. Menna looked out on the arrangement with a frown. Use caution, Your Highness. She mentally urged King Lucheston. My father may have sights on more than just your hand in friendship. The more she thought about it, the more she was positive that her father intended to add more ground to his empire. And use her to do it.
Menna was slow to get out, waiting for her father to do so first. The queen stepped out of her carriage, glancing at Doko several times. Waiting to be chastised for doing something wrong, Menna guessed. She gave Gashrious one more smile before stepping out of her own carriage and walking to stand by her father, slightly behind as always. There was a long moment of tense silence. Would Lucheston come out or would they have to meet him? Menna knew which her father was expecting and which would make him furious. But she could not think of any words that could possibly abate his anger at an ally who did not come out to greet them.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jul 09, 2012 10:28 am
The city was an astounding site, for the moment the gates opened before them they would witness a glow of light flooding out from the massive doors. Even the gates themselves were magnificent as it appeared that titans pushed them open from within. The city was grand, for each home was of stone and well kept. Water ran through the streets to give life to the vegetation which filled the city, keeping the many rising levels of the kingdom blooming with life. As the collection of carriages made their way into the courtyard a group of armored men stepped fourth, many carrying the banner of Garnoff. Their silver armor glimmered, and seemed to be much more well crafted than that of the the knights which had accompanied the caravan. These men were in fact the elite of the Silver Knights, second only to Gallion himself within the walls. Their step was trained and timed to perfection, and as the forward row parted, the heroic Gallion stepped forth from their ranks. "Welcome King of Dokoro and companions to the city of Garnoff." He began, giving a low bow to the royalty which he faced. "I announce the arrival of the Silver King Lucheston Sorrian." With a hand swinging wide to guide the attention of onlookers a tall man stepped forth from the midst of the many silver clad men. He was very intimidating in appearance, with battle tested armor wielding scars of past encounters, and a blade the length of which exceeded the typical sword. Most impressive of all was the gaze of his eyes, reaching others in a manner which drew their respect but seemed to respect them in turn. "Welcome to my fine city. You must be tired after your long travel, let us retire to the castle and it's beds for the time being. When all have rested we shall return to our prior arrangements." He spoke in a soothing and calm manner. Offering no bow but lending his hand for a shake to Doko. A short laugh escaped the tyrant, for of course he felt no exhaustion at all, save from boredom. "I am glad you decided to meet us here, rather than requiring that I make my way towards your throne instead." He smiled, feeling as if he had obtained some position of dominance. The tyrant even went as far as to refuse the hand shake of the king who's city he now remained within. "Well you had made a journey of nearly a week's pass. If you had traveled so far then it only seems fitting that I might cover the short distance from my throne to this courtyard if we are to be allies." A smile reached his features as well. "Although as my family made their way to your home I don't believe you shared the same opinion." Lucheston stated, regarding that Doko had required the Sorrians to meet within the halls of Dokoro as he had heard. The smile was abruptly removed from Doko's features, his brow somewhat furrowing in agitation. Patting the tyrant upon the shoulder, the king of Garnoff turned about and began to walk towards the castle, giving signal to his men to follow suit. Clenching his fist at the gestures of Lucheston, Doko too turned, making hasted strides back to his carriage. It was a small loss, but he could already tell that he and the Silver King were going to have many conflicts of word.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
