Knight's Intro Role-play

[Shadaras]

Demons don’t dream. The thought hung in my head. I had learned it a few years ago, when I was wondering why my friends among the knights had dreams, but I didn’t. Lisengyre told me that demons don’t dream, and ever since then I’ve wondered what our minds do while our bodies sleep.

I don’t know if this is what it’s like, but I know that it’s similar. I knocked myself out to protect myself and Kit, a fellow knight, so I’m not sleeping. I’m unconscious.

Why am I stating the obvious?

For that matter, why am I talking to myself?

Shade blinked. All she could see was a bright point of light, like a star, wrapped inside a shadow. It still glowed, but its light was dimmed. She walked around it, and from the other side, she could see a swirl of blue and green, with soft bits of gray-white mixed in. The star was between her and the swirl, but the swirl is at the same level as her head, and the star is at waist-height for her.

Shade reached over the star, and touched the swirl. A rising sun over mountains. A starry sky. A full moon, making the grass silver. A quiet farm, the sun rising on the horizon. There are two figures there, one who looks like she is sleeping, and another, who is standing,

But suddenly the scene disappeared, and she saw the second figure standing on a hill overlooking destruction. Fire and shadows filled the world, except for the figure on the hill. He stood alone, watching the destruction of his people.

Shade blinked. All she could see was a bright point of light, like a star, wrapped inside a shadow. It still glowed, but its light was dimmed. She walked around it, and from the other side, she could see a swirl of blue and green, with soft bits of gray-white mixed in. The star was between her and the swirl, but the swirl is at the same level as her head, and the star is at waist-height for her.

Shade reached over the star, and touched the swirl. A daemon howling in pain. Fire consuming a tree. Battle, swords flashing in the sun. The same hill, with a kneeling figure. The same one as before. Flashes of light appear in front of him, and he reaches out, grabbing a spear.

He looks at it for a short time before dropping it and standing up. The scene fades, and nothing can be seen.

Shade blinked. “What was that?” Her voice was swallowed up by darkness, and she felt fear. Shade was afraid of darkness, for the first time in her life. Always before, she could sense when she was about to run in to something, even before she met Lisengyre. But now, Shade was afraid to move, for fear of running in to something.

[Tam]

Had Tamia been closer to the scene of the battle, she might have heard the Purple Knight's warning shout. As it was, however, she was closer to the two motionless forms up ahead than the fight she had left behind, and was painfully oblivious to the operation the knights were now trying to coordinate.

Drawing even closer to the figures up ahead, she felt her shoulders sag from both relief and exhaustion as she recognized the still forms of the knights Shade and Kit, who was somehow still standing, slumped against the dungeon wall. Shade's dagger lay next to her limp arm, gleaming darkly as it reflected the light of the battle raging just down the corridor. Neither of the knights seemed to be conscious, and Tamia immediately feared the worst.

Anxiety gnawing at inch of her mind, she crossed the last few flagstones to where Kit and Shade lay against the wall, and immediately flinched as a powerful sensation came over her. It was like a thousand invisible hands had just been thrust right through her body, clawing through every cell with icy fingers. She took a shaky step forward and as quickly as the feeling had arrived, it disappeared, leaving the knight standing over the motionless bodies of Kit and Shade. It seemed that a cluster of complex-looking runes had been drawn on the dungeon wall here, and she realized that the sensation she had just experienced was probably due to some sort of protection spell cast by one of the knights before they passed out. As she looked at them, she almost thought she could see coherent words behind the strange symbols. She averted her eyes quickly, forcefully discarding the thought.

Wasting no time, she knelt beside the nearest knight, who happened to be Shade, and pressed her fingers against the the side of her throat. She didn't need to have completed her studies in healing to know that what she felt there was bad. Although a pulse was present, it was erratic. The pulse rate, in fact, seemed impossibly slow. She found Kit in a similar condition.

After checking both of them over for serious injuries, she rose stiffly and bit her lip. They both looked more than slightly battered, and she suspected that Shade had at the very least cracked a bone or two in her leg, from the swelling she saw. Kit was in worse condition -- a long, jagged slash on his arm was oozing copious amounts of blood down the already grimy wall, and didn't seem to be healing quickly enough. At least they were alive. But they needed immediate help.

Tamia clenched and unclenched her fists to alleviate her anxiety, mentally running through possible courses of action. She could do nothing for them with what she had here. Perhaps one of the knight-mages had healing magic....

A bony disembodied foot bounced off a wall nearby, and Tamia remembered that the other knights were fairly busy at the moment. She kneaded her forehead furiously. She could try and get to one of the castle healers, but even if she could find anyone who was not at the celebration upstairs, it could be too late by the time they returned. She cursed Oran's timely disappearance. He would have known what to do.

The more she ran through her options, the more frantic she became. There's nothing I can do, she realized. I can't do this alone.

It was at that moment that the dungeon wall behind her exploded in a shower of stone and shadows, flexing and pulling against itself like the laws of physics had no voice whatsoever in what was happening. Tendrils of darkness lashed out from the writhing wall, ensnaring her ankles and torso. Before she even knew what was happening, she was being swallowed by the wall itself as it continued to bulge and mutate with dark magic. "No!" she cried, unwilling to desert this battle just yet. She fought desperately against the force of the magic, already her entire lower body engulfed in the shifting stone of the wall. However, for all her struggling, she could not disentangle herself from its mass.

At the same time, she knew that it didn't have to end like this; she wasn't helpless anymore. Tamia grinned fiercely at the throbbing wall as it continued to collapse upon her, dragging her into its gaping maw. It was logical. If she did not want to die -- which she did not -- all she had to do was utter the single syllable that had been waiting on the tip of her tongue the entire time. She did not know exactly what it meant, but that didn't seem to matter anymore. It would help. One word was all she had to say.

So she said it.

[Kat]

The shield flickered once, and a small hand ax got through. Kat parried its fatal journey with a swipe of her staff, and began to feel the first signs of magic fatigue. But when the magical purple dragon she had summoned out of nowhere came flying back, its tiny face, no bigger than a lizard's, showing reptile anxiety, it let out a sound like the faint twittering of a bird before disappearing with a puff of violet smoke. The power returned to Kat, and she felt the strength pour back into her as she raised her staff again.

It only took four words - four words that Archmage Meridian had once told her not to use unless it was totally unnecessary, as the spell, cast to its full strength, could drain a lot of magic from the caster. But the space was enclosed, so there was no need for the entire spell.

Kat shouted them out as loud as she could, suddenly feeling something throb in her temples. But it passed like the blink of an eye, so she ignored it at first, watching something like a whirling funnel slowly build up in the middle of the skeleton horde. Some of them still had some sense left and bolted, but the rest stood in silent, bony horror and astonishment and were engulfed instantly by the amethyst tornado sucking them up one by one, two by two, group by group.

The shield flickered again, and stayed off for a full second before coming back up. I can't recall the power till that whirlwind's far away...or else it'll end up grabbing us too...

But now Kat could feel a headache spreading from her left temple to her brow as she mentally controlled the whirlwind, guiding it through the dungeon and making it take every hapless skeleton it could. Still, most of the skeletons left were drawing closer to the shield, attempting to crack it like an egg with clubs and cudgels. She felt a blast of magical wind as the whirlwind whooshed past, leaving a trail of bones in its wake.

With as much power as she could muster without accidentally tapping into her life force, the Purple Knight finally maneuvered the whirlwind away from the shield, and once it was far enough, at a distance she roughly estimated, she brought the shield walls down and felt the power return to her. She was a bit woozy, and tottered slightly on her feet as though waking up from a very confusing, very strange dream.

"Run!" she shouted, her voice wavering as she ran as far as she could away from the whirlwind that continued buffeting the skeletons.

While it was at work, there was very little magic she could cast. Either that, or she would die a very early death.

[zarikrahia]

Zari looked around her, still humming with the force of her own memories. None of the Knights appeared to have registered them at all, which was good. She sprang into the air- mustering up a bit of magic, and suddenly every living thing's outline tuned a particular colour. Her human friends' outlines were yellow-orange, as they should have been. Her own showed up red- Fae generated more heat than humans. What puzzled her was that the skeletons had no traces of necromancy around them, and they had no heat of their own.
Zari sighed, and began targeting some skeletons, watching as they crumbled to pieces.

[Dice]

Pyro shielded off some skeletons with her sword before she saw a huge tornado stem from the air in the middle of the oncoming skeletons. It smashed bones to the ground and the Black Knight quickly glanced at Lady Kat. The other knight looked a little unsteady, but fine, and when she yelled out to the other knights to run Pyro decided that it would be best for her to listen. Switching out her sword for her dagger so she could maneuver more easily, she dodged through the skeletons and the growing piles of bones, trying to find an exit, so they could escape the path of the magical whirlwind.

[Tam]

"Brecan!"

In less than a heartbeat, the tendrils of twisted matter pulsed and then emitted a sickening crack. The Orange Knight's continued thrashing quickly broke the now rock-hard restraints, and the unnatural mess of stone from what used to be the dungeon wall fell to crumbling pieces.

Tamia's mind tingled with the thrill of the defeat, but there was also a deep sense of dismay that she had not heeded Oran's words, and instead insisted on trying out another new word. The worst part was that she couldn't actually remember what she had said. All there was was a vague, fuzzy memory that she couldn't quite focus on. Who knows what that word (that spell?) could have resulted in. I have to find out where these outbursts are coming from, she decided firmly. This is dangerous.

But it would have been more than dangerous if you hadn't said it, a small, reasonable voice argued inside her head. Surely Oran would understand that.

Still frowning, Tamia tore a strip from the bottom of her once-pretty tangerine dress and set to work bandaging some of the more obvious wounds on the unconscious knights before her.

***

Oran did not understand.

I thought you were one of the more intelligent humans of your age! the cat rebuked her furiously, baring his teeth in a hiss to strengthen his point.

"If I wouldn't have said it, I would have died. Should I have just lay back and let that wall devour me?" Tamia retorted, indignant. Oran had fortunately returned fairly quickly, carrying a few selected bundles of leaves and roots from her room in his mouth, as well as a tiny bottle of a deceptively innocent-looking clear liquid that he had snatched from the infirmary. The solution hissed as she applied it to Kit's shoulder, and she winced.

And you just knew that the dark magic's intent was to kill you, did you? he snapped, saying the words 'just knew' in a painfully scathing tone, as if the idea of her knowing something was beyond ludicrous.

"I wasn't ready to find out," she shot back, dropping all pretense of guilt. "It's been a long time since I've let anyone but the King himself tell me what to do, and I'm not about to start taking it from a domestic shorthair."

You have no idea what I am capable of. Oran's voice was menacingly low, and for a moment the knight's resolve wavered as she caught a glimpse of the knowledge behind his eyes. You have been lucky. Your first two taps into this particular branch of ancient power were not fatal, as they usually are. You'd best hope your lucky streak continues. Of course, you do not have nine lives at your disposal, so I very much doubt it will.

With a contemptuous flick of his tail, he was gone, leaving the Orange Knight very much alone.

[Kat]

Kat ran as fast as she could, glancing behind her back to see if Zari and Pyro were still there. Pyro was there, but Zari had stayed back to do some magic of her own.

"Be careful," the Purple Knight called out, her voice cracking on the last syllable. There was no need to say what to be careful of, as her amethyst whirlwind continued sucking up unwary skeletons and hurling them aside like rag dolls, many of them reduced to mere piles of bones or even bone rubble, for those who suffered the strongest parts of the spell.

Her legs, feet and side were screaming in protest as she sprinted - with much difficulty, as she was still wearing her high-heeled sandals. But she didn't want to just sit down and rip them off and risk getting caught in her own whirlwind.

Squinting ahead of her, she could see something move. It disappeared once Kat concluded that it wasn't exactly something human. But it was beside a few figures that may well be human, if nothing else. She stopped in her tracks and braced herself with her sword and staff.

The Purple Knight was nearly out of magic, and as it restored itself, she couldn't cast much. She felt extremely vulnerable, but tried to think about the fact that she was a knight, and she could still fight even without her magic.

"Who goes there?" she called out. Hopefully Kat could still remember what one of her training masters said about fighting with two one-handed weapons at once...

[zarikrahia]

Zari could feel her strength returning. She was unconsiously feeding off the dark energy in the air. She registered Kat's voice, but her golden eyes were closed. The reserves of magic she had stored were completely gone- She wqould have to tap into her lifemagic- Something only done in an emergency, used to give life rather than remove it. If she put enough...No time for thinking, just acting. She opened her eyes, and dissolved into the air.

[Deleted]

Blue as green is red. Solid air to swim in there. Clouds taste like candy.

The vastness of blue washes across him, the colors blurring at their edges. Then again, perhaps he was the one washing through the sky, and he was blurring at his own edges...

Potatoes, apples. Fruit falls up from the dense ground. Swirling mud tastes good.

Spinning, tumbling, he rolls across the forest's floor. Or, perhaps, more likely, the forest is rolling across him, smashing against him while he lies stationary in the sky, unspoken for and hurting still.

Come to me, seeker. Enter my humble abode. Hear now the answers.

Crashing thunder, rolling like lightning through the earth. He falls faster, falling through the air like a feather, yet like a tossed stone as well. He lands upon water. It holds him for a heartbeat, then he slips beneath the surface. He sinks lower, into the darkness far beneath him, until silence overcomes him and he rests upon the ocean floor.

Awaken, thou Wolf. Listen to these sacred words. Wisdom and guidance.

Two eyes burst forth light in the shadowy waters. They grow greater in size, nearer to the unconscious soul. A voice proclaims, shattering the stillness and creating utter chaos in her midsts, "Thou asked of me to be granted guidance and wisdom. I shall now give thee both guidance and wisdom." The enchantress pauses. She speaks again. "Take heed, young man, for king art thou, thou art not a king in heart, in soul. That is thy wisdom." Another pause. Continuing chaos to make way for more words. "Return to thy body and seek out those carrying the spell. It shall fortify the kingdom and dispel the castle of evils, for a time. That is thy guidance."

From water to earth. Reincarnation of soul. Revival of mind.

* * *

A moan escaped Wolf's mouth. Slowly, a great pain throbbing through his skull, he opened his eyes and stared up towards the ceiling far above him. What was he doing here...?

The man...he had called himself Barak? Or had that been just a dream?

And what of a spell? He suddenly felt the need for a spell. To find those who had it...

His head still spinning and pulsing with flashes of pain, it took Wolf a few moments to rise to his feet. Once standing, he swayed, unsteady, and put his hand upon the wall for support. He sighed, leaning into the castle to keep him standing.

How long had he been unconscious? How far was morning from the horizon?

A few moments more passed as Wolf gathered his strength. Still holding onto the wall to keep himself upright, he began walking away from the scene. He had to find someone...someone with a spell...

[Tirilia]

((*reads for a long while* Oh dear.. how to join in? *lol*My char is the Scarlet Knight, 'The Knife in the Dark', a sort of.. Double Agent I guess, no one is ever really sure whose side my char is on, only she knows that. As far as I can tell.. Some of you are at the castle.. so I'll start there I guess, tell me if I need to relocate ))

*The Lady Tirilia stood alone on the tiny balcony below the window of her room. She had needed to climb through the window to get to it, but it had been worth it. With her arms folded around herself, her thin cotton slip billowing in the chill wind. Her dark eyes drank in every stone, every tree, every detail of the landscape that surrounded the castle. This was a habit she could not help.. she was considered an expert at gathering intelligence, with an irritatingly acute memory and natural talent for tactics, she knew that if anyone were to ask her, she could describe each tree in detail. With a sigh she parted from the view, climbing back through the window and into her newly given quarters inside the castle of Knights.

They didnt quite trust her yet, she knew. She could see the apprehension in the eyes of the Lord who had first greeted her. It had surprised her, she had to admit, that he had permitted her to enter the kingdom. Especially given her replies to his questions. She had in fact been completely truthful, she had no use for lies when it was easier to speak the truth. She smiled to herself, he had asked her where she had come from and her reply had been quite simply factual, 'Everywhere'.

She was, in truth, quite proud of the title he had awarded her, The Knife in the Dark, a balance of both beauty and terror. Tirilia ran her fingertips along the flat of her treasured fencing blade and reflected upon that meeting. She had gained an instant respect for that knight, he had summarized her entire being in a few short words. An interesting skill, one that she could relate to with her own mastery of the human mind.. Reaching out her hand to the stone wall behind her bed, she eyed it with interest, her head to one side as if listening while her long dark brown hair fell across her shoulders in a style of organized chaos. Her mastery of the spiritual realm reaching out to the slow life of the stones themselves and using them to touch every living being who was in direct contact with the castle, including the man by the name of Wolf and the injured knights outside. Her eyes bore into the stone and after what seems an eternity she gasps and stumbles back from the wall, horrific flashes of blood and pain still flaring like fire before of her eyes.

When did the battle begin? had she been daydreaming so long? the man she had first met had said nothing of any battle, why hadnt she noticed? Cursing herself, she slid on a dark grey skirt, caught up her blade and ran into the halls barefoot. Her lips curled into a growl, showing her teeth, the torch light glinted off a hint of fangs...*

[zhunter]

[glow=lightblue,2,300]Attention Everyone...[/glow]

Sorry to halt the whole operation, but per Ikkin's ideas I'm going to shut this down. We will do a new Knight role-play soon with a continuation of this RP. It will be easier to role-play for newer members also. Meanwhile, you can check out the Guild Wars and wait a couple days till that opens to all Guild members. It will be an awesome RP experience I hope.

Thanks for all your great role-playing guys and ladies!

[glow=white,2,300]

~Shi-No the White Knight

[/glow]

[Deleted]

Lord Wolf ran out of the castle, stepping onto the zenith of the highest tower he was certain he’d be able to climb and gasping for another breath of air. Now here, he slowed his pace and gazed at the sky, the night sky illuminated by the moon and painted with the flickering stars above him.

The stars…those who held the spell he had been instructed to find.

In the forest, still young, he had been taught that the stars were ancient spirits of magic, their light shining upon him each night from millennia before. He had been taught that they were the weavers of the world, each star a deity, the reign of each deity a spell of untamed magic, of perpetual power unrestrained.

Wolf smiled, seeking out a star. He knew many by name, yet the name of this star he had only learned earlier that day, that day at the onset of evening when the world had been torn apart and then sewn back together in less time than it had taken his heart to beat a single beat and to continue its living.

Years before, lying with his brothers in the forest, he had been told, “You shall learn that name in time.”

Now, that time had come and it had passed him by already.

He breathed in deeply, centering his forces and fortifying his concentration. He called out, “Zosma!”

He shivered, a cold chill running down his spine, and the world was shattered around him.

The god Zosma, spirit of the forest and soul of the earth, stood before him, once more facing him from across the field of shadows, of nonexistence. The god shone brilliantly, his dozen wings spread and wrapped around him and his greatness ten times greater than it had been the last time they had met. His golden and green armor had been replaced as well, shining now in the tones of white light and fertile soil.

He spoke, “Why hast thou called upon me now?”

Wolf answered, “I need thy power, to end the night and let a new day be born.”

A fleeting smile crossed the deity’s stern and unyielding face.

He spoke once more, “Thy wish shall be granted.”

A bolt of green light shredded through Wolf, channeled from the world of the divine and into the world of the incarnate, the god’s inhalation into the living world and his exhalation from the world of immortality. His power spread outwards, gathering all evil and decimating it, lifting it from where it stood and forcing it out of the castle. A second swell of energy encased the kingdom, a flash of vibrancy igniting the castle for a life’s breath and sealing it with protection.

The god, though, was not yet finished.

He lifted the bodies of those fallen to the day’s-- and the night’s --evils and swiftly placed them in the caring hands of the infirmary, bestowing upon them the power to awaken when they would. He took the hands of those unharmed and led them to their bedchambers, lying them down and sending them into sleep.

At last, his work complete, Zosma rose from the land and melted back into the stars.

A ray of golden light struck the castle, the sky began to burn with the radiance of life, and a new day was born.