Artina's Last Hope: IC

Artina was dying. Everyone could see it. Was it some dark spell that the Guardian has cast? Was it the doing of those strange monsters of the Shadowarmies? No one knew. But what the people of Artina did know was that...

Their protector had gone mad, slaughtering and conquering all in his way. Monsters never before seen now roam the land. The earth itself is decaying, plants are refusing to grow. The sky is shrouded in dust,the sun has become dull. The twin moons are dyed blood red. Artina is dying and the gods are silent.

Until now.

The gods whisper to seven souls, seven Chosen. They hear words of hope, guidance and instructions...

Kelel speaks: Go to Laglade, the kingdom of the west. Wait outside the temple of my wife, look for the woman with only one shoe.

Dinana speaks: Go to my temple in Laglade, speak to the girl at the altar. Tell her thus: Your time has come, the godess bids you to fight.

Athma speaks: Go to Laglade and stay vigilant. A grave threat approaches. Strike it down.

Aurin speaks: Go to Laglade, ready your ship. Soon you will find a new crew to sail with.

Ionus speaks: Go to Laglade, wait for the enemy. Protect the girl with the ruby eyes.

Mercurius speaks: Go to Laglade, to the temple of Dinana. Remove one of your shoes at the entrance and await Kelel's servant.

Jonius speaks: Go to Laglade, speak to the girl with ruby eyes. Ask her to take you to her mother, so that our fight may begin.

'The Western Dominance, a mountain road, about two hours journey to the Capital

Dinana's Day (Second Day of the Week), Fifth Month, Spring, Sundown

Mila was tired of walking. What she was thinking, going to Laglade she didn't know. She could have stayed in Gothal. She wouldn't have any shortages of jobs there. But nooooo, she had to go to the Western Dominance.

Mila grunted and wiped the sweat from her brow. How much longer was it to the capital again? This road looked the same to her. Cliffs, forests, the occasional monster.

Something caught the werebeast's eye in the distance. Was that...a building? Yes. It was!

A small wooden two-storey thing. A man was chopping wood outside. A sign stood next to the building.

A traveller's pub.

Mila stared at it for a few seconds, before shrugging. She needed a drink anyway. Clutching Claw she made her way towards the pub.

"... The basics of fighting is balance and footwork... the warrior who keeps his feet flowing in harmony, who is always in balance shall win a thousand battles..." says a voice to the air... walking over a small flowing river, book in one hand a spear in the other... her inquisitive green eyes glued to the pages.

"... Aha... these charts show the most basic spear wielder movements... one handed stab... two handed stab... swing... defensive postures..." she continues, passing with her thumb the pages on the book she was reading. The elven maiden had in her hands a small, worn down copy of a martial instruction manual... not a great one, really, but the only one the village she had passed by had.

This woman was Jane Elariel Hightower... and the only reason why she could walk over the flowing waters was due to her gifts as the Chosen of Dinana. That she could, at least, gave her reassurance that she had not been driven insane.

For one reason or another, the Mother Goddess had given her the task of carrying on her cause... to try and set right the world. All on the shoulders of a young elven scholar... one who didn't know how to wield a spear.

Then again, she said to learn martial arts since you didn't know it, Jane... if you were a master swordswoman she may have sent you to learn sorcery she reasoned, remembering the words of her Goddess... for to live is to learn new things. One Chosen by Dinana must be good in everything.

Tall order that... but she trusted in her. And if it was what was required of her... then Jane would do her best to learn. Thus why she was stabbing with her magical spear at the air until her arm started to ache... over and over again, stabbing to learn the motions and get some muscle in her arm. Trying to imitate the drawings on the pages.

She didn't know how spear fighting would help the world... but at least, her other mission seemed a bit more easy to realize "Go to my temple in Laglade, speak to the girl at the altar. Tell her thus: Your time has come, the Godess bids you to fight... She said" goes Jane, repeating the words in her dream. She wondered who was the girl in the Altar... but then again, all shall be made clear when she arrives.

For now, she was walking on the river that fed the city of Laglade... she roughly guessed it would take her an hour or two to get to the city... and from there, to find the girl in Dinana's temple.

Go to Laglade, wait for the enemy. Protect the girl with the ruby eyes.

Words from the God Ionus. What those words neglected to mention, however, was that Laglade was the entire kingdom. Imagine Ragnar's surprise when he had asked a pair of shepherds for directions, only to be bluntly told that he already was in Laglade, all thousands and thousands of miles of it. Just as well. These were the God's instructions. Wait for the enemy.

And so, that's what Sir Betrassus did. Wandered the roads of Laglade, either alone or straddling the back of refugee caravans in between small jobs (He always demanded half up front), seeking out this girl with ruby eyes. Well - now he wasn't. He needed time to rest, and this pub on the side of the road was as good as any.

Now, normally, a man dressed in full gilt regalia would draw inordinate amount of attention among men and women dressed in worn leathers and battered armors, all survivors of the shadowarmies. But such was the nature of his curse. To be unknown, unseen, forgotten. A quick glance, and then abrupt dismissal. Left to mull over his thoughts for the time being. His helmet set aside, Ragnar grimaced as he sipped his beer. He barely recognized the taste or the sensation. The little that he knew of these kind of drinks was that this watered down swill did not compare.

Was this even his homeland? Laglade. Was it ever called that? It was much larger than he remembered. Such was the passing of time, Ragnar supposed. The bright lord, the protector of all the lands, as Ragnar remembered him, apparently called the "Guardian," had turned insane, and waged war upon the world. His former king, whoever he was, uniting a number of disparate kingdoms did not seem too far fetched by comparison.

The knight yawned. Enough reminiscing. Ragnar lazily scanned the other patrons of the bar. Perhaps the ruby-eyed girl would be in this pub of all pubs, on this day of all days. Long shot, but he was sure Ionus would provide.

edited 26th May '15 11:27:54 AM by HazzyHaz

Bazur grumbled to himself as he walked the streets of Laglade.

It had been a short carriage ride from the small port he had sailed into the the main capital. No one bothered him when he arrived, the time of pirates being feared was long past. They were supposed to call themselves "privateers" these days. That hardly mattered to him. It was the same job under a different name. The only reason he was even stopping here were direct orders.

Bazur stopped in his travels as he came across a pub. While it does me no good to defy the sea god, Surely Aurin will understand the need for a moment of rest and a solid drink.

Within the pub sat an old man, of the were beast variety to be exact. A man hardened and matured in the hardest of ways in his long 64 years of life. And he had the scars to show it. Fighting claw to sword against the shadow armies of the hero he once held in highest light.

"A break from fighting is nice every now and then..." He said as he finished his drink, his voice deep and rough. As he set the empty mug down onto his table he took a long object from his coat, an ornately decorated pipe. Filling it with tobacco and bringing it to his mouth, he set his hand alight before concentrating the flame to a single point at his index finger, which he then used to ignite the tobacco.

edited 26th May '15 3:29:56 AM by SolusLupus

Erik sat huddled in a corner of the pub, doing his very best to try and avoid attracting any attention, all the while taking small sips from a stein of ale.

The past few days of Erik's life had consisted of a lot of running and hiding from people and creatures much more powerful than him. Even with his magical ability, there was only so much Erik could feasibly do against bandits and monsters without any support. Maybe he'd try and hire the services of a mercenary or those of someone in a similar field. But of course doing so would run the risk of being extorted or killed, something that Erik would definitely want to avoid.

Sighing, Erik pulled a book at random out his pack and began idly flipping through it as he continued nursing his drink.

Mila blinked. Holy Ionus, this pub stank. And that wasn't just because of her feline senses. This place really was full to the brim with the lower masses of Artina.

That dwarf over there? Looked like a renegade to Mila. That Orc? Bandit.

Mila smirked. She was right at home.

The beastwoman then noticed someone who looked way out of place. Looked like a fop. A nervous fop. Mila scented a job.

She walked towards the man, pausing only to nod at the old werebeast in the corner (it wasn't everyday that two werebeasts met outside the homeland. They were endangered, after all.) and sat next to him.

"You. Yeah, you. You look like someone who won't last two seconds out there. Do you need a mercenary?" Mila told Erik with no preamble.

Jane, the river

At that moment, the voice of Dinana whispered a warning. Jane would smell the faint odor of sulfur and see a faint black smoke drifting towards her from the riverbank.

The telltale sign of a Shadowcreature...

The enemy was here...

Slamming his book shut reflexively as Mila called out to him, Erik looked up at the mercenary, his eyes widening in something resembling fear as he did so.

This was not a woman Erik wanted to mess with.

Struggling to maintain his composure, Erik managed to stammer out something resembling a response.

"Uh, I've been doing pretty okay on my own. Y'know, running from town to town, hiding from bandits and monsters, that sort of thing."

Erik grinned sheepishly as he finished.

"Plus I don't really think I could afford your services, assuming you're looking to be hired."

Now of course Erik had to hope that Mila wouldn't react violently to his declination.

"Oh Dinana..." Mumbles Jane, a chill going down her back as she quickly stows away the book she was reading... seeing the smoke coming at her, she begins to run over the water and river, trying to make some distance between the thing and her... Grasping her spearstaff tightly with her two hands... and as she runs, she takes a deep breath calling upon the powers of the mark on her left hand to cast a spell of Vitality upon herself... to strengthen her body and ward away tiredness from running.

Alexander was sleeping in a inn, in the village of Ferreya, a confederation of villages under the rule of a local tribe. He was resting after a day of battle, as he was hired by said tribe along with some other mercenaries to fight against another tribe.

In his sleep, Alexander heard a voice, the same voice he heard when he got his blade, the voice of the god Athma, telling him to go to Laglade as some great threat was approaching.

He then woke up, and looked up where that city was. Luckily for him, it was not distant from where he was now. He then took his stuff, put it in a bag (aside from , to have them ready in case they were needed).

He headed for Laglade. If his calculations were correct, it was just thirty minutes of walk away.

As he was walking, though, he heard something behind him. He turned, only to find nothing was there. Was that really just him imagining things?

Sorry for this and any future late answers, I am having problems with my internet connection and I don't know when I'll solve them. I'll try to be as present as I can though

Artina had seen better times, has it not?

A white-haired girl clad in robes of a shrine maiden walked the road, a thick coat on her back; meant to protect from the harsh weather of the continent. Archipelago from where she hailed had much more forgiving climate.

By her side slithered an enormous white snake, its crimson eyes carefully eyeing the local vicinity. Even though it seemed peaceful, Shadowarmies never slept. Caution was prudent.

Reina had heeded Kelel's words without hesitation, making her way from the small village she was resting in to Laglade, where the temple of Dinana stood. Her mission was to find a girl with only one shoe. The walk was an arduous journey, but she complained not. With Snow as her guardian, they marched by day and rested at night, wary of bandits, beasts and Shadowarmies.

Nevertheless, she marched on. There was hardly any time to rest in such a quest, after all. Munching on an apple she glanced at her snake companion perking up a bit. Someone was ahead of them.

"Who do you see, Snow?" She asked, tilting her head a little at the serpent, then looking ahead at the path in front of them. A young man, likely not too much older than she was. Black hair, covered in scars despite his age. No doubt a hired sword. Snow sensed not any others in the vicinity, so he wasn't a bandit luring any would-be travelers into a trap.

For now Reina remained silent, maintaining her steady pace behind the black-haired man as Snow slithered along, head slightly forward in case any danger decided to reveal itself.

The black-haired man is, of course, Alexander.

edited 26th May '15 2:26:58 PM by FergardStratoavis

Speeding towards the capital of Laglade, off the beaten path, Mana sprinted across the grass as her spells led her towards the Temple of Dinana.

Should get there in no time! She thought as the city appeared over the horizon. Taking a moment to slow her pace and boost her stamina, she was off once more to complete her patron's odd request. Take off my shoe outside Dinana's temple. Is that supposed to mean something?

The Pub

Mila snorted. Typical. Just her luck that the easy target would be poor.

However...an idea started to form in Mila's head.

She sat next to Erik and ordered a beer. "So you can't afford my services, huh? Look, I haven't gotten a job in a month. I need the money. Let me make you a deal. I escort you to whereever the Grus you're going. All you have to do is feed me, handle all the lodgings. Way cheaper than my usual fare, let me tell you."

Meanwhile, the others at the pub would hear drunken patrons gossiping about what they think are interesting tales.

"Have ye heard? That godsdamned Guardian has been sighted in the east. Looking for something they say. Wiped out a village!"

"Oy, did you hear about the princess of Laglade? Lass fights alongside her army at the front lines! What a woman!"

The River

At that moment, an arrow came hurtling towards the elfmaiden. There on the bank were three figures.

Jet black skin, robes of shadowy smoke. They were humanoid, but at the same time...inhuman. Their faces were hidden beneath a silver mask, a mask fashioned to look like a man screaming in terror.

Shadowarmy scouts.

Meanwhile, the Chosen of Mercurius would hear her patron's voice.

Turn left. An elfmaiden is under attack at a river near you. Aid her.

Not one to disobey gods, Mana nodded to no one and turned away from Laglade's capital towards the river.

Shadow freaks, she thought with a grimace as she saw three of them coming towards the elf. Sprinting towards them like a blur, she sought to deck as many of them as she could before she stopped at the elf's side.

edited 26th May '15 6:54:51 PM by Insano

The River

Should Mana not keep moving, she'll likely have a bit of a problem standing on the middle of the river which was a few feet deep... and over which Jane could stand as if it was stone. For her part, the elf maiden barely dodged the arrow coming her way... a flinch of her head as her keen ears felt the whistling of the arrow.

Startled, she takes a few steps back... noticing the scouts she lets go of her staff... letting it fade away into moonlight as she lifted her left hand before her as if it was a shield... forming a fireball on her right, her breathing accelerating by fear... however she had to try and remain level headed... Though by her panic, she shoots from her right the fireball before it gets at peak power... a smaller explosion though aimed at the scouts.

The old werebeast chuckled a bit at the stories the drunks were tossing around. "The guardian wipes out many a village lads. What is it that makes this time so special? This... object he's looking for?" Taking a puff from his pipe, he blew out a smoke ring.

"Aherm," Ragnar coughed loudly, running a hand through his unkempt brown hair. As soon as he was certain that he had drawn their attention, the knight continued. "How far is this village? Any survivors?"

Alexander had continued walking for a bit. He concluded that he just imagined someone was behind him.

All of a sudden, Alexander stopped once again. Now, he was sure there was someone following him. He didn't knew how he knew, he just... felt it. He felt someone behind.

As he turned, he saw a young woman with a snake. He didn't say anything, preferring to observe the woman, keeping one hand on his sword, trying to see if she meant any threat

The Pub

The drunk men turned to face the ones who spoke to them, frowns on their faces.

"No one survived, mate. When the Guardian does his thing...it's very thorough. Nothing but a crater left."

"As for the thing he's searching for...no idea. No one does."

The River

The scouts were punched hard, however, the blows did not seem to bother them much, only serving to distract them long enough for Jane's fireball to to explode right in front of them.

Smoke obscured the two Chosen's view....and then more arrows came flying towards them from the smoke.

In the moment on which the arrows left the smoke screen, Jane extended her left hand forward "Lady Dinana!" She cries out, closing her eyes as she tries to create a barrier... casting the divine spell of Sacred Barrier her Goddess bestowed upon her.

"Hrmph." A noncommittal grump. Another sip of the watery beer. "And the princess? What's she look like? How's she fight?"

The man seemed on edge. Reina could understand that very well. She was the one with a giant white serpent as her companion, after all.

"Blessings of the Seven with you, fellow traveler." She greeted the black-haired man with a small nod and a smile, approaching. Snow relaxed a little although its movement left little to think about: if the man proved hostile, he would intervene with no hesitation. "Where do the winds of Artina carry you?"

Something happened and I doubleposted. Please disregard this post

edited 27th May '15 8:27:46 AM by DarknessAwaits

The woman smiled at him, and asked where he was going. Was it a trap? Was it some sort of signal to attack? Or was she sincere, just wanting to know the answer?

Alexander decided to answer, even though he kept his hand on the hilt of his blade: in case of a sudden attack, he would've been ready

"I am going to Laglade. Who are you and why did you ask?"

"It must be a fortunate coincidence then, for we also head that way." She beamed in response to his words, nodding. "My name is Reina, good traveler. My companion's is Snow." She gestured to the giant snake whose eyes remained focused on the hilt of Alexander's blade, still held by the latter.

"As for the reasons, a mere curiosity of someone that also travels." The white-haired girl smiled again, adjusting her coat a little on her shoulders.

edited 27th May '15 8:27:41 AM by FergardStratoavis