Knight's Intro Role-play

[The Shadows]

"We need a new leader," a shadow said, her eyes gazing over her companions, "we cannot be left to vanish without a leader."

"Naft Ali is right," another shadows spoke, this one male, "one of us should rise to become leader."

"We cannot do that, Pheriman," another male spoke, his voice rash and harsh, "we all know that we cannot lead ourselves. It goes against our ways. It was the one wish that Umbros held before he departed for the Great Shades. He had wanted none of us to rise to power; he knew it would destroy us if we did. He said we had to find another leader, another one who is of our kind, to lead us to the Great Shades."

"Well said, Barak," a woman said as she joined the circle.

"What are you doing here, Faet?" Barak shouted, "You are not among the Three!"

"Then perhaps I should be considered among the Four," Faet sneered back at him, running her shadowy hand through her hair, "as I have found what we have been looking for."

Her words were met with silence from all; Barak's face darkened in hatred.

"You don't believe me, do you...?" she said. "You should, really, as it is our perfect chance to act."

"What is it?" Pheriman asked, further enraging Barak.

"A kingdom not far left of the horizon," Faet answered, "is looking for a new king. They are a castle of knights, and it is bound to be among them that our new leader may be found." She ended her speech with a sickening laugh.

"Show us," Barak demanded.

"So be it," Faet said and led the others out of the circle. The moment they left the chalk-drawn diagram, the plane of darkness that they had been standing in departed and they were made open to the world as a whole. Faet lifted her hand and pointed into the distance; shadows swirled across the sky, causing the obstacles blocking their sight to become invisible for a moment. "The land of Dunburrow," she declared. "If we begin now, we may reach them by nightfall, just in time to slay their new king as he is crowned."

"No," Barak said dryly. "We cannot kill so quickly, or they will kill us even sooner. We must advance slowly, gathering knowledge before we act, or else we will fall too soon and never meet the land of the Great Shades that has been promised to us."

"Then what do you propose that we do?" Naft Ali said before anyone else could speak.

Barak grinned darkly, "Why, of course, we infiltrate them. After all, if any one of them is in any way familiar with the ways of magic and darkness, they probably already sense our presence in their land and will be expecting us to attack." He paused, his grin growing even wider. "So, Naft Ali, we must instead advance with different tactics, tactics more deadly than swift killing."

[zarikrahia]

((OOC: I won't be here for 8 days, so my knight is just being deadly quiet.))

Lady Zari felt a flare of malevolence somewhere in the land, and fell the the floor in the middle of the coridoor, much to the alarm and confusion of those within sight. 'I have to warn someone.' She cast out with her mind for other knights- the nearest one was Kat. She leapt to her feet and ran to the spot where Kat was standing. 'Evil....in...the land......closer than I thought....prepare yourselves...Zahaere Emaya in my room...has a scroll that could help...be careful...' With those words, the Crimson Knight collapsed unconsious on the ground.

[Deleted]

After listening to Ikkin's kind response to his own, and after watching the Indigo Knight fly away towards the castle, Lord Wolf once more found himself alone. He enjoyed the solitude, however, and the silence that it offered him.

"Have you a moment, Erros?"

Wolf turned to his left and saw that a large wolf had walked up beside him. The markings that it bore were the same as those worn by the wolf in his mirror, and so it was in fact the same sentient being as before.

"I have a moment," Wolf said, granting his guide permission to speak further.

"I have been listening to the earth and the thoughts of those presiding it," his companion told him, "and I sense that it will be you who is crowned as king tonight."

Wolf looked away from his guide and back at the castle. Was what he was being told true? What if it were, and he was to be deemed king of Dunburrow? What would become of him then?

Yes, he was a prince, but a prince of the forest and a king of men are vastly different classes of royalty.

And a lord of the wolves is not intended to be a lord to greater beasts as well.

"Are you certain?" the Green Knight asked.

"As certain as is the sun in setting."

Those eight words darkened the sky for Wolf. He had known he was one of those favored to become king, yet he had not foreseen himself being given the honor. In fact, he was not certain if he were even crowned king he would be able to meet the needs of his people to the greatest extent possible.

Yet, he knew, or at least greatly hoped, that his knightly companions would rise as his council and assist him to rule, for he knew he would not be able to take upon such a task alone.

"What else can you tell me?" he asked.

"Well, King Erros--"

"I am not king yet," Wolf hissed, "and there is still a chance that I do not become king. Until the ceremony tonight, no one can rightfully say what will be so." He looked away, glancing back at the forest. "Besides, I quite like my title of lord, anyways... perhaps, if I do become king, I shall keep it..."

The wolf at his side sighed, drawing the Green Knight's attention to where it needed to rest. He said, "Already, the sun is beginning to set. The presence that I sensed... it is on the move, and it thrives in darkness. And the moon rises late tonight."

"What does the moon have to do with anything?"

"The moon breaks the still darkness of night. Come true evening, when the sun crosses beyond the horizon, there will be ten moments of unbroken darkness for evil to act in. I doubt it will strike during the ceremony, however, as all the knights will be there... though elsewhere, in the nearby villages, or elsewhere in the castle itself... I fear those there may be at risk in those ten moments."

Wolf nodded in understanding. "Then I shall alert the other knights, shouldn't I?"

"Of course you should."

Before he could say anything else, his companion had faded as quickly as he had come.

With utmost haste, Wolf began running towards the castle.

He had to find Shino, the White Knight, and the Kit, the Grey Knight.

They would likely know what to do.

[Kat]

With a shy smile, Kat nodded. "Yes, let's find Sir Kit. He'll be able to help."

But before anything else, she saw Zari suddenly surprise her out of nowhere, say a few choice words and collapse at her feet.

"Zari wants us to go to her room, because she may have something that can help," said Kat to Shino anxiously. "Perhaps I will find this Zahaere Emaya, but I cannot trust her - him - whatever, not just yet. Sir Kit will have to come first, and we have to get Lady Zari to the infirmary." She heaved Zari up underneath the shoulders and gave her a gentle slap on the cheek.

"Out cold," the Purple Knight confirmed. "Infirmary first. We take her to the healers, and see if they can figure out if this has anything to do with magic, or if the Crimson Knight just isn't feeling up to par today."

[zhunter]

When Shino saw Zari come up, speak, and collapse he had barely time to blink. But he acted just as fast, following Lady Kalianne's actions. "Your needed with Sir Kit, m'lady. I will take Lady Zari to the infirmary." He gently and slowly took the Crimson Knight form Lady Kalianne and held her in his arms. "The power that Lady Zari spoke about. Get it first. Then meet with Sir Kit..." He instructed her hastily as he began to walk away.

Abruptly he turned and faced the lovely lady before him with concern in his eyes. "If you should see the Green Knight, Sir Wolf, please explain to him the matter. He will be able to help. And one more thing, Lady Kalianne..." He paused and his eyes changed to gold as he said this, "Be careful, m'lady." With that he briskly walked down the corridors, heading for the healers.

[Tam]

Smiling as the first breeze of the cooling day drifted in from the open window, Tamia stepped from her room's privvy feeling clean and refreshed. The setting of the sun had cut her slingshot practice slightly shorter than she had expected, forcing her to retire to her room and get ready for the upcoming coronation. Still wringing her damp hair with a towel, she moved towards her bed, where she had already laid out her dress for the evening. She had hardly taken two steps, however, when like a flash a shadow appeared at her windowsill. Instantly on guard after Sir Shino's warning, the knight relaxed when she realized that it was only Oran... back from his intelligence-gathering expedition, no doubt.

I was wondering how long you were going to spend playing with that stick, the cat said with distaste as he delicately stepped from the sill and sat on her bedside table, giving the slingshot a quick sniff.

Tamia lifted the gown, the only one that happened to be in her possession at the time, and glanced it over. It wasn't as extravagant a thing as she knew other women would be donning for such an occasion, but she had liked it and bought it. Without any long sleeves to get in her way, it was fairly slim-fitting, with a full skirt the colour of fresh tangerine. In between the folds of the dress, the fabric was highlighted with splashes of yellow. Atop this, she planned to wear the short lavender cloak she had found in one of the town's shops a few weeks ago. As she worked on squirming into the gown, which seemed about the size of a performer's tent now that she wanted to put it on, she retorted, "And I wondered how long you were going to spend skulking around the castle, looking for imaginary threats."

Oran watched the young knight's struggles with calculated indifference. Not that I would expect a human such as yourself to know, but not everything that is dangerous can also been seen. His piercing green eyes met hers as she finally triumphed over the garment. At any rate, that particular imaginary threat is the least of your troubles right now.

Tamia was turned away from him as she sat on the bed, drawing back strands of her long hair and tying them into a low ponytail separated into two bunches. When she heard this, she did not stop, but straightened, listening intently.

I am sure that you, like most of your comrades, have heard of the danger approaching, correct?

"Yes," Tamia said quietly, braiding a forelock of hair almost without thinking. "I don't know what to make of it. I've heard the other knights discussing things on a scale that I can hardly even understand." She finished, and started a braid on the other side of her forehead. "I know I must be wary of this new threat, especially on such a night as this... but I don't know if getting worked up about it will help anything either."

Then you are not a lost cause after all, Oran stated, and Tamia tried to decide whether he had just attempted a joke, or was merely mocking her again. Leave the magic and sorcery to those so inclined to use it. Your duty is to your new king, and you must be ready to protect him with the skills you have learned. Shadow in darkness indeed is approaching, and it will strike tonight.

She joined the braids at the back of her head with a golden ribbon, mind churning over what he had just told her. "This darkness that everyone keeps mentioning... does it have a name?"

Oran looked at her solemnly, tail still for one rare moment. No, he said at last. It is a menace unfit to bear a name in the human tongue.

The knight held his gaze for a long time. "How much danger are we all in?" she inquired quietly.

The cat jumped lightly from the table. Let me phrase it this way, he replied ominously, Be prepared to transform between the noble lady of the castle and the defending knight of Dunburrow in a matter of seconds.

The trousers will be staying, then, Tamia thought as she pulled on a light pair of pants. When she was finished, she let her billowy skirt fall, all at once hiding all traces of the pants she wore underneath. She looked down at her dress with a grimace, not relishing the thought of having to rip open the skirt if it came to running.

I think, on some level, that may be considered cheating, the cat remarked, sitting at her door.

Tamia pretended to ignore him, searching the room for jewellery. Where on earth would she find the kind of jewellery one wore to these things? After digging through her chest of personal items, the best she could find was a single golden necklace, crafted to resemble a metallic rope.

That's hardly ornate, came the scathing thought from Oran.

"Then I'll make it ornate," she muttered, eyes scanning the room and coming to settle on a pile of herbs that she had found while outside. She selected a short vine with small, shiny leaves and cream coloured flowers, and proceeded to weave the vine around the gold chain on her neck.

She lowered her arms and shrugged. "How do I look?"

The black cat considered this for a moment. You look like you are doing what all the knights are doing, he said. Overdressing for the wrong occasion. He pawed at the door. Now, if you don't mind, I would like out.

Tamia finished belting her sword at her hip, wishing that she could say she wouldn't need it, and strode towards the door.

Thank you. He looked over his shoulder at her as she opened the door. By the way, a knight has just collapsed outside Lady Kalianne's quarters and is currently unconscious.

The cat hadn't even finished that thought before the knight had bounded off down the hallway, voluminous skirt rippling behind her, leaving the door to her quarters unlocked and open.

[Kat]

Kat watched him go. "You be careful too, sir," she called out to Shino's retreating back.

It was a plan - find the scroll Zari had referred to before fainting, and then go to Kit. She couldn't help but feel a little anxious and hoped that Shino and Zari would be all right.

She heard hasty footsteps and listened, craning her neck towards the sound. Kat peeked out of the corner of her eye at her moon pendant, which was still glowing with a dark purple light that unnerved her very much. She thought she would just find that scroll and Kit, but now apparently it looked as if there was more to come.

"Lady Tamia!" Kat shouted. "Lady Tamia, wait! What brings you out here?"

[KitClairvoyance]

"Kit!" Maya cried out in alarm.

Kit stopped in mid-stride, the veins in his head throbbed with fire. There was a very strong presence nearby, and it didn't seem freindly. The corridor echoed with a dull thud as Kit half-fell, half-slumped against the cold stone of the castle's wall. He could feel the eyes of the enemy observing the castle, observing the lands.. observing them.

For a detached moment, he could remember himself wishing he could turn off his clairvoyance.

He lashed out with a raw burst of magic with his eyes closed and his senses overwhelmed with the sheer sense of all-consuming power. Fear was an understatement of what he felt during those moments. Gradually, the feeling swept past him, as if it had lost all interest in the castle at the moment. When Kit finally reopened his eyes, he saw Maya kneeling down next to him, her features visibly shaken.

"Kit?"

"We can't win." It was only when he said that statement did he realise how scared he was. He took a deep breath and slowly got back onto his feet, leaning against the wall as he did so. He scanned the corridor, hoping that nobody had seen him in such a pathetic condition.

"Kit.."

"Maya, you felt it too right? If we fight this thing, it'll be walking down to our own graves."

"Nothing I haven't done before." Maya replied with the sly smirk that she almost always used. Kit looked at her and smiled, she was right. She was a demon, born from the spirit of someone who died. She had faced death before, perhaps it was his time to face it too. The cards never said anything about losing, there was still room for victory, however unlikely it may seem.

"Thanks. We should get to the others." Kit pushed himself off the wall and turned to head down the corridor. "..and Maya, not a word to the others about what just happened."

"Kit, I can't talk to them." At this statement Kit laughed a little, the remnants of his fear dissipating.

"True. Let's go." He resumed his walk down the corridor to the main hall, as if nothing had happened in the first place.

[Deleted]

The Green Knight ran through the castle corridors, turning down one marble hall after leaving another. He closed his eyes as he ran-- time was the essence he was required to breathe from, yet all the time in the world would be useless if he could not recall that path to either Sir Kit or Sir Shino.

Turn to the left here.

Wolf smiled at his familiar as the wolf entered his mind and began guiding him. All he could say was, "thank you," and then in his haste, it came out a mere mumbling of unheard words.

Turn again here, to the right now, and run straight ahead. Keep your distance. Avoid turning down the next right corridor. The events there...

Wolf stopped running. "The events there are what?"

Not of your concern at the moment. There was silence; Wolf tightened his jaw, staring blankly into nothingness as if angrily staring down his lupine guide. You are near where you are needed, the wolf continued into the Green knight's mind, and to turn from that path now is to act as a fool. Continue straight ahead, then at its end, and only then do you turn in this corridor.

Lord Wolf felt the spirit melt out of his mind as he ran forwards and then turned to the right-- he dug his heels into the ground, swiftly turning on his side to avoid crashing into Sir Kit.

"Sir Kit," he gasped after standing up straighter, "I know when the enemy will strike, and I know their weakness."

[Dice]

Lady Pyro stood, looking out of the castle window at the skies, where unpleasant gray clouds seemed to be lurking on the horizon. She glared at them darkly, then closed her eyes and rested her forehead on the cool windowpane. The king's ceremony was fast approaching, which meant that the evil they were going to face would soon be there as well. She wondered vaguely what kind of evil it would be--shadow-creatures she had faced before, a few malevolent flaming things attracted to her flame blade, but never anything quite serious. Never anything that was unknown.

So caught up was she in her thoughts that she didn't notice the strange vibrating at her waist for a while. Her eyes opened widely and she snatched the flameblade from its scabbard, holding it aloft as it shook. She grasped the hilt with both hands, the material wrapped around her palms cushioning her grip, and forced her will onto it. Flames emanated slightly from the tip and the hilt grew very hot, but she clamped down hard with her mind and eventually, the sword clattered to the ground, once more silent.

"What evil sorcery is this?" She cried, looking down at the sword. She looked at her hands--the cloth around her palms had shielded them, but her fingers were showing signs of almost-burns, having been unorotected as she grapped the sword. With a muttered oath, she returned the sword to its sheath and tossed both far from her. How could she have been so blind? The earlier incident with the tapestry--she had been too embarassed to be wondering at her lack of control.

The balance between good and evil is shifting, she thought to herself. The blade, a magic-forged item, had felt the scales tipping and had reacted quite violently, breaking her usually iron control both that morning and seconds ago. She tied the sheath to her belt once more and went in search of someone who she could alert, or someone who would know just what was going on.

[zhunter]

Ooc: Nice excuse, Pyro.

Shino, oblivous to all magicial happenings, rushed down each hall never breaking and turning certain corners then and again. In his arms he carried Lady Zari, the Crimson Knight of the Castle. He looked down at her as he ran and saw a worried expression on her face. Her hair was sprawled over his chest and arms. Perspiration had appeared on her face when she had first collapsed moments ago and now it seemed to be getting worse. He had to to hurry.

Finally, he came around a corner and barged through the door where a few men & women in white were standing around.

"Sir Shino!" One woman exclaimed as he placed collected himself, "Shouldn't you be at the ceremony? It's half an hour till the ceremony."

"This fair lady collapsed on her way to see me and my companion. I need her to get immediate attention." Shino said as he panted slowly. That woman motioned for him to lie her down so he carefully set her down on one of the stone tables in the room. What looked to be a healer-mage did hand motions above her body and the air around her started glowing.

Another one got a wet cloth and placed it over her forehead. "There seems to be some kind of dark energy swirling around her. I can't quite pull her from wherever she is." the healer said. "You must do everything you can for her." Shino said as he looked carefully at her facial expression. Anguish was spread across it. He hoped she would be alright.

"I must go meet with certain people that may help with this. I will be back." he quickly walked out of the door still wishing for her safety. "I wish for all of our safety now..."

[Shadaras]

Rounding a corner, Shade saw Kit and Wolf in the hallway. Running up to them, she heard Wolf say "I know when the enemy will strike, and I know their weakness." Skidding to a stop she said "If you know, then tell us now." 'Gyre, she called, listen to what Wolf says, please.

[Deleted]

Shade had just run up to Lord Wolf and Sir Kit, and in Sir Kit's silence she had demanded that Wolf tell what he knew immediately.

Wasting no time in the matter, he opened his mouth, his words spewing forth like a downpour from a heavy cloud, "They need total darkness to act! They must be shadows of some sort, for the light weakens them! For ten minutes tonight, the ten minutes during the ceremony, there will be no sun and no moon in the sky and they will have no weakness! They will strike then."

Shade and Kit stared at him, and without waiting for either to speak, Wolf continued. "They will not strike at the ceremony-- they'll strike elsewhere, at the village or in the castle anywhere where we are not presence." He sighed, shaking his head. "They are already coming towards us."

As Wolf nodded, certain that he had said everything, he took a step back to give some room to the two knights before him. He hoped in his heart, in his soul, they would not inquire about his sources.

He wasn't sure how he would answer them if they did.

[Deleted]

((Pyro, you can talk to me. *shrug* Not like I have anything else to do))

Fenrix caught the scent of fire and burning flesh. Muttering the dragon spell for farsight, she glanced around. She spotted the outline of Lady Pyro, from a window. Sighing she closed her eyes, shifting her form to a minor dragon, it would do her no good to shift into a major dragon, those were too big to fit in the castle.

{Lady Pyro. Are you hurt? I heard you shout.} She wrinkled her nose and sniffed the air. {And I smell fire.}

OoC//: Yeah, I don't knnow what I'm doing ^^ It's been a long day.

[Shadaras]

Shade swore beneath her breath. "When true night falls... No, this can't be what that speaks of." Raising her voice, she said "They need total darkness? If we have lights all over the castle, will that weaken them? Oh, and it sucks that they like darkness and shadows. My power comes from those as well, at least in part."