Sign Up Dragon Knights: The Night Wars

[Darth Vectis]

This Rp will contain, but not limited to, language and graphic violence.

 

Dragon Knights: The Night Wars

When it all began, we were just humans; we were just people fighting to stay alive. At the time we thought it was just how we were suppose to live, to crawl and struggle and squirm our way through our downtrodden existence. To bite, claw, tear, rip and fight one another for some resource or for some plot of land someone had laid claim to, or to fight for someone elseâ??s love. It was all mayhem them, everything about it was madness and the only outcome that followed for people like us, was death.  For mortals, the only thing that awaits us as we ran out on to battlefield after battlefield, bloody conflict after bloody conflict was the tip of cold steel and the unforgiving boots as the living tramped over the dead. This was one of the darkest times in our history, a time before we had been granted our powers and abilities to serve more effectively in these constant battles. It started in the War of Daemons, a time when we were thrown into the trenches with creatures that never existed on our plane until a conglomerate of dark wizards had come together and unleashed the horrors on the world. We fought, and we died the same as any battle, but this time, we found we were the only ones who were dying. The daemons we fought, they were hard to wound, and even when we did bring them down, they rose only moments after to renew their fight. No matter how hard we tried, we could not kill them swiftly; we could only bring them down when torn to pieces. This required more attention, and this claimed more soldiers then anything before.

We left ourselves open, their ranks easily swept through many battalions and for once, we looked as if we would fall to dark magic and the swinging sword arms of unholy creatures. But, it would seem our luck would change in this war, a wizard from the conglomerate defected from their group. Hunted and alone, he was ripe for the picking and only the instincts of the Emperor Commander at the time were the only thing to save that manâ??s life. He returned the favor readily, spilling secrets he could to help us combat the darkness spreading across the world. He even supplied his own magic to imbue our weapons with strength against the daemons, and at first it was effective and we tore through the daemons with ease. But, it lasted only a short while before they enhanced their daemons to resist the magic. Then they unleashed greater creatures upon us, and we struggled further to fight the ever pushing army of evil. The wizard, who we knew as Teâ??lian, tried his best to help our forces, giving us every advantage, he even found soldiers who had the potential for magic and enhanced them to give us an entire battalion of battle mages. He even took a few and tutored them to practice magic as he did; they learned the grander spells where our battle mages learned the art of war magic.

But, even these new soldiers and new means of combat, we still raged against the darker side that seemed able to resist our efforts after considerable amount of time. Our biggest struggle was the wizards who controlled the army and more specifically, their leader who simply had the title of Zodiac. His ability to command the minds of all his troops was staggering, and his prowess in the field of magic easily kept us at bay, and foiled many attempts to put agents in his ranks. At this time, the war had been raging on for over twenty years, children had been born and raised into this war and knew how to fight from the moment they could hold a sword. Teâ??lian had spent almost a decade perfecting a new ritual he had been working on for us, something he kept very much under wraps. He worked on it alone; none of the other mages assisted him, not even his most talented apprentice, his chosen successor was allowed near the project. None of us were ready for what came next, a burst of light, a sudden explosion of pressure that sent us all to our feet. I remember being there at this time, I was still very young, but I had seen more blood and bodies then any man should ever see. I had watched my comradeâ??s die, fall to protect an ideal that many of us were forgetting about and embraced the art of war.

When I stood on my feet, my weapons at the ready and my eyes vigilant, we all looked around trying to find the source. I ran toward where the wave had come from, suspecting at the time it was some horrible experiment gone wrong. Little did I know, that this would change the course of my life, and the course of history as we knew it. When I had arrived, others had followed as well, but I was the first to push forward and when my eyes befell it, I nearly fell to my knees in awe and in fear I had never known. Teâ??lian was standing there before a great beast, scales covering its body and the massive talons showed from its front appendages. Great wings with leathery membrane in between the digits spread wide in the air; the massive head was long and horned with great big emerald eyes shining down on the old wizard. I could see the scaled lips on the creature move, its mouth opening and closing at it spoke a language I could not understand. But the Wizard seemed to know what was going on, as I could hear him respond in the same language. I recall him turning then, looking out to the crowd that had gathered. His words rang out to us clear as day, and they rang with the sound of hope

â??All of you gathered here now, you have come because you have been called by one greater then myself. Behold, the product of years of tireless work, I show you the first and only dragon of our time. With him, there will be more who come in time, and they will sail through the sky and rain fire on our enemy. But, that will take more time, for I have brought one of their very eldest and wisest of their kind. He calls upon you to come before him, and in return he shall grant you something greater than any man will ever have.â? I know all who could see the great dragon felt hesitation and reluctant to step before this creature, its sheer mass and alien look was enough to make everyone cautions to its words. But, I remember that day, and I remember how something pulled and tugged at my mind and I could feel something greater. I let my legs take me then, moving forward as I approached the dragon, my fear had washed away and all I felt was an overwhelming sense of calmness. When I stood before the wizard, he simply smiled at me and stepped aside as the creature looked down at me with its large eyes and snout. Its lips did not move this time, but I heard its words regardless, echoing in my mind as it spoke to me.

â??Mortal, I could feel your mind from here, you were one of many thousands I had probed for but the only one who had stepped forward. I can see it was not the enticement of the gift I will grant, but something more. You shall become my first Dragon Knight, for upon you I grant powers that shall change your existence hence forth.â? My mind was suddenly ablaze with life; information rushed forward as I suddenly knew everything about the dragons and the world he had come from. I knew everything the dragon itself knew; it was all laid bare before me and soaked into the depths of my mind. It was one of the single most painful experiences of my life and simultaneously, the most pleasurable. With the knowledge, I found I could read the minds of others around me, picking up thoughts at will, I discovered later I had a small understanding of magic at my disposal. It couldnâ??t compete with the magicâ??s the battle mages or the real wizards knew, but, I was given another gift that they would never have. In the moments the information had taken over my mind, my body had shifted and changed and in mere seconds I was a creature of only a slightly smaller size then the dragon we all saw. My wings were the same, I had the same four appendages and a tail for balance, my appearance however, was different with more scares and glowing blue eyes instead of emerald. The change only lasted a few moments, as I stretched my wings and roared my body returned to its natural state. As I tried to understand everything going on, the dragon spoke once more.

â??This gift, the form of a dragon, can be passed to others, but only to those worthy of the power should be handed this tool. For if it falls into hands of dark users, everything could be undone, for with the ability to become a dragon, comes our longevity and knowledge as well. Choose wisely your first guard of Dragon knights, and go forth now, as the Tourid Shegul, the First born.â? I chose several to be knights, near to one hundred different soldiers were paraded before the dragon and almost all were turned away. At the end, only a handful were considered worthy of being Dragon Knights, and that day changed the war as that day a dozen dragons rose into the air and rained fire and destruction upon the daemons. There was nothing the wizards could do against our new rage and power and in a matter of weeks; we did what we hadnâ??t been able to do in over two decades. In one year, we had move the frontlines miles from our last bastion and took back the land one battle at a time. In that same time, more dragons had pushed their way into our world, using their own strengths to further our war. We finally had let hope seep into our bones, risked the pain that could have struck at any time but we hoped on anyways. Three years after our alien allies had arrived in our time; we had pushed the daemon army back to the stronghold of Zodiac and his followers. We stormed his fortress, stamping out all resistance that followed, in both our dragon and human form. I was there when Zodiac was captured and the war brought to an end after almost thirty years and was officially brought to an end with the execution of Zodiac and the rest. But, history has a way of repeating itself, treachery and betrayal followed not long after the war as a new group of darkness decided that our world was for the taking.

This new hand of evil that appeared was one of the saddest moments in my life and duty as it was some of my fellow Dragon knights who turned from us. Seeing our abilities as a reason for us to rule and conquer the world as we saw fit, Corvin led them with a ferocity only shown in the Dragon Knights themselves. In the short time between wars, we had seceded from the empire and the Emperor Commander so that out powers could not be used to enforce his rules and laws. Surprisingly, he had agreed with our decision and we were awarded our own land where it had all started, and there we constructed our own battle tower there. We had created a safe haven for both our knights and the dragons that roamed our world without a home. Corvin had been my second, and literally the second knight born into our world, he was pure of heart then, and even now he was pure in his own mind. But, he had forgotten our true purpose, and thus began our new battle, this began the Night Wars. That was almost ten years ago now; this war has been more of attrition rather than a steady push in either way. We lost men, I lost knights as they did, we even lost dragons to carelessness and careful planning. And in that time, I created a new warrior to battle the Dragon knights who had fallen so far, I named them Dragon Slayers.
 

They were different then the knights, they could not take the form of a dragon like we could, but they had all the mental ability and strength against the inquiring minds of both knights and dragons themselves. They were also taught in all forms of both combat, taught both how to use the sword in the field of battle and the art of subterfuge and subtleness. They knew only magic that helped their fight, ways to heal and enhance their own strengths, but this made them great in their ability to bring down Dragon knights in any form. They were given a single purpose, something driven into them like it was driven into the knights before. Their goal was to vanquish the dark ones, destroy the Knights who had turned and the dragons that had been swayed to fight for Corvin. For now, we fight on every avenue that can possibly be fought, and for this I have gathered soldiers from every aspect of the wars we had fought. Battlemages, Wizards, Dragon Knights and Slayers alike and I found a handful who became my council of war. We even had ambassadors from the Empire, all of different houses who came to our tower with many agendas, to seek favor from us, to find out our secrets, or to even bring us back into the empire. No matter their reasons, I need them all for if we are to win this battle, Iâ??ll need everyone for this fight and we will do everything we can to make sure the Night war ends like the last, with Corvins head on a pike. I am Malik, the First Born, and with your help, we will bring peace to the world once more.

 

 

Welcome to Dragon Knights: The Night Wars, itâ??s been a pretty extensive trip and so much blood has been spilled in the history of this world and even more will fall as Dragon knight fights Dragon knight and Slayers make their show of force in the world. This will be different because we already know who the enemy is, we already know our goal but getting there will be the struggle we all get through. I want as much diversity in this group as we can possibly get, so I am limiting how many of each will be available. As I will be playing the position of a Dragon knight, I will allow one other Knight, one Slayer, a Wizard and Battle mage. However, if you wish to be someone like one of the ambassadors or something not listed here message me and tell me your idea.
 

Now, for the fun part of the whole endeavor, the sign-up process, this will also not be based on first come first serve, if multiple people want the position then the best writer will be given the spot.

Name:

Age:

Gender: (men and women are dragon knights and slayers alike.)

Race: (This is a fantasy world, and it was controlled by a sprawling empire that has gathered different kinds of people, if you have a specific race in mind go for it just message me before hand.)

Appearance: (Most of you, I will only need your everyday appearance, for the other dragon knight I will need a description of your dragon form as well.)

Class: (Are you another dragon knight, slayer, battle mage or wizard? Or something else entirely.)

Abilities: (No matter whom you are, Knight or slayer, we are all skilled in only a limited things. Are you more of a magic wielding knight, a slayer who is better at wading into battle or killing from behind? As a battlemage, did you focus on magic to enhance your weapons or something to launch at people as you swung your sword, be creative.)

Motives: (Everyone, no matter who you serve or where you hail from, something motivates you in this war. Is it the desire to do good for everyone, or is it to get your name remembered for all time, or is it something darker?)

Snippet: (Our entire lives have been embroiled in war and conflict, we donâ??t have much personal history but you can give something of your daily life. What kind of training do you do, what is your role in the tower, what are your connections to the knights if you arenâ??t one or a slayer. Anything will do here, just looking at ability.)

Edited April 16, 2013 by Darth Vectis

[Orcus]

Name: Haytham Pavel
Age: 25
Gender: Male
Race: Human
Appearance: [[url="http://i1280.photobucket.com/albums/a491/Robert_James_Mediavilla/1110092_zps21307ccd.jpg"]Haytham Everyday[/url]] [[url="http://www.medievalcollectibles.com/images/Product/large/RT-158.png"]Helmet[/url]] [[url="http://www.ezcosplay.com/media/catalog/product/cache/5/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/I/c/Ichigo-Final-Hollow-Mask_3_2.jpg"]Horns on the Helmet[/url]][[url="http://www.creativeuncut.com/gallery-15/to-mirdyn-walhorn.html"]Armor[/url]]
Appearance wise, he is exactly as shown, only with the silver eyes indicative of a Dragon Slayer, light stubble covering his jaw, not just on his chin, much [[url="http://www.creativeuncut.com/gallery-15/to-vice-bozeg.html"]shorter hair[/url]] and he stands at 6'1''. He also possesses some draconic modifications, such as sharpened teeth, slightly elongated canines, narrow pupils and pointed ears. His armor is crimson in color, and his overshirt is black, as opposed to the silver armor and white cloth pictured. His helmet is constructed from pieces of black dragon bone, which is nigh indestructible, and has crimson lines vertically drawn over each eye. His helmet also houses the horns of said dragon, whom his father dealt the finishing blow to. His everyday attire is exactly as pictured as well, the only difference being that the armor covering his left arm is more form fitting and less bulky.

Class: Dragon Slayer

Abilities: Light Constructs- Haytham only received a little bit of magical talent from his mother [Basira], the ability to use offensive light constructs. By manipulating light magic, Haytham can create weapons and shields. He does so by concentrating light magic into floating rings of varying size, depending upon what he intends to create. Once the ring(s) exist, he can do a number of things including but not limited to:

• Squeeze the ring(s) in his hand(s) to create a â??beamâ? sword
• Grab the ring with his left hand and draw the ring back with his right, thereby causing the magic to form into a bow shape, complete with a â??beamâ? arrow
• Grab the ring in his left hand and then position his right hand underneath, wherein the energy will stretch out, creating a two-handed polearm.
• Turn his arm away from the energy (so that his palm is facing toward him) and brace for an attack, which causes the ring to grow in size and solidify, creating an energy shield. This ability can also be done by crossing his arms as if he was defending himself; this action creates a larger shield, but it is much harder to maintain.

Motives: Haytham has a simple motivation for fighting in the warâ??to protect innocents. He witnessed the immeasurable power of both the dragon knights and the dragons firsthand; his father, [[url="http://www.creativeuncut.com/gallery-15/to-lanselot-tartaros.html"]Krom[/url]], is a well-respected Dragon Knight, and he personally trained Haytham so he would be able properly fight against dragons. He knows exactly what devastation Corvin's treacherous knights could cause to unprotected humans, so he eagerly conscripted to become a Slayer. 

Snippet:

â??That roar... I must know, are you one of the Dragon Knights?â?

Haytham angled his head  left to view whoever had addressed him. Judging by the man's billowing cloak, rune covered tome and the noticeable lack of blood stains on his person, he was most likely a Wizard.

â??No, Sir Wizard. I am not but a Dragon Slayer,â? Haytham stated plainly, focusing his attention wholly on the wizard.

â??But then, how--â?

 

â??I am Haytham, son of Krom the Unyielding,â? Haytham interrupted, fairly agitated by the wizard's disregard for the fallen souls beneath them.

â??I inherited many dragon-like features from my lord father; my dragon's roar is one such draconic development,â? Haytham elaborated before turning to escape from his agitator. Unfortunately, the man eagerly followed after.

â??How fascinating! I was unaware that dragon touched bloodlines evoked physical abnormalities in offspring. Truly exquisite!â? The wizard raved, producing another book, this one worn and frayed, in which he quickly scribbled something. Haytham watched with mild interest as the wizard finished his note and shoved the book into a small pouch, which easily consumed the entirety of the book despite being a fourth of its size. Haytham's hand tightened reflexively around the hilt of the oft neglected short sword hanging from his waist. 

â??Exactly who are you, Wizard?â? Haytham demanded, stopping mid-step to confront his pursuer. â??The enchantment placed upon that sack requires quite the magical proficiency. Proficiency either lacking in or found useless to the average war mage. Only wizards from the Empire have both the time and the resources to study such specified sorcery.â? The Wizard clapped his hands with pleasure and grinned devilishly.

â??Quite the astute observation young man!" Magistros exclaimed. "I am Diedrich Magistros, one of the foremost Wizards from our magnificent Empire. The pleasure is all mine,â? Magistros punctuated his sentence with a dramatic bow. Haytham bowed slightly in acknowledgment, although he found this information distressing. If this man was who he claimed to be, and Haytham saw no reason to doubt him, then it meant the Empire was intensifying its attempts to absorb Malik's forces, or worse, to find Malik's weaknesses. Haytham had no intrinsic problems with the Empire, but he pledged himself to the same neutrality the original dragon knights had. He had no desire to be the Empire's lapdog.

â??How... fortunate that the Empire could afford to lend such a noble asset to our cause,â? he said through a false smile. Magistros opened his mouth to respond, but the first word had hardly fallen from his mouth when a nearby tower of bodies erupted with magical discharge. A tattered knight stood in the center of the blast, his weapon readied in his flesh-less fist. Haytham detected the stench of some manner of dark magic immediately; the thick black smoke seeping from the knight's skin provided a clear indicator of foul witchcraft. The soldier bore his teeth and howled, and then sprung upon the pair. Magistros disappeared in a flash of light, leaving Haytham to handle the rabid warrior alone.

â??Superb,â? Haytham grumbled as he dodged the warriors first swing. Haytham marveled at the ferocity of his enemy, whose blade sliced through the air like silver lightning. Apparently his enemy's nearly-deceased affliction had not inhibited his fighting prowess. A lesser soldier would have fallen against such reckless madness, but Haytham had no intention of losing against an ambition-less, walking corpse. Still fatigued from the previous battle, Haytham decided against attempting to physically overwhelm his opponent, and instead went on the defense. The creature's movements were predictable and lacking in finesse; Haytham only needed to wait for the undead to inevitably leave a hole in its defenses. The enemy raised his hands above his head to deal a powerful downward strike, and Haytham saw his opportunity  A single light ring appeared in his right hand, and he thrust his fist toward his opponent's throat. When his fist had practically connected with the zombie's throat he clasped down on the ring, driving a light blade through the creatures neck.

â??How fascinating!â? Magistros' voice cried from above the battlefield. Haytham's gaze darted from the throat suspended on his light blade to the sky above him, where Magistros floated, upside down, scribbling frantically in his book once more. Haytham scowled and disengaged his weapon, dropping the body in a heap on the ground. He briefly considered cutting Magistros down at that moment and burning his body, but the Empire would surely notice if someone of his status abruptly vanished. Haytham would have to keep an eye on Magistros, though, and any of his ilk. With enemies this vengeful and allies this deceitful... What hope did he and his allies have for peace?

Edited May 16, 2013 by Orcus

[Orcus]

Accidentally posted twice, and I can't find a means to delete this one... So how's about I ask you a question! Will you be updating the backstage thread with information about the Empire and the key figures in Malik's army? Feel free to answer this question in the actual backstage thread where this conversation belongs, haha.

Edited April 16, 2013 by Orcus

[Akieen Cloud]

Name: Bayel Moretal

Age: 25

Gender: Female

Race: Human

Appearance: Bayel stands at 5'6, her form fit and womanly, yet strong, She wears an eye patch over her right eye which she lost in a previous battle. Her attire is simple, black slacks and a white tank top shirt which she wears a blue jacket over it. Her heeled boots giving her another inch to her height. Her blue hair and piercing green eye make her look exotic, or menacing depending on her mood.  (attachment)

 

Her dragon form is unique as she is a White dragon, her scales slightly translucent so that when the sun hits her scales they have a rainbow shimmer to them. The right side of her face is marred by a large scar rending her eye useless while her left eye is Emerald green, piercing and fierce. Her build is slightly smaller then most Dragons, her talons not as deadly looking as her build is more for speed. Her back spikes replaced by a sleek green mane; her wings feathered and slim.  (attachment) 

Class:Dragon Knight

Abilities: Bayel was given the unique ability to hear the whispers of the deceased. Not able to see them, she often freezes in her place, her gaze lost and distant as she listens to the advice of warriors passed. Besides this strange ability she is well trained in hand to hand combat, her loss of one eye giving her a better ability to sense her enemy allowing her to counter or attack with precision giving her melee prowess a few notches above others. 

Motives: Bayel's motive is to stay as close to Malik as possible and keep him safe and alive. Having taken it upon her self to protect him, from the start of the war enemies targeting him to put an end to the war, she follows him constantly in order to keep him safe. No doubt to his own annoyance. 

 

Snippet:

Bayel tapped on the door, the hollow echoing of it reverberating through the hall.

"What?"
"Breakfast."

She could hear him shifting and moving around the room, faint whispers echoing through her mind.

'He's annoyed.'

She blinked as the door cracked open to reveal a sleep ruffled and rather annoyed looking Malik, Bayel bowed her head slightly and presented him with a tray of dried meat, fruit and cheese, a pitcher of water on the corner. No more words were exchanged as he took the tray and slammed his door shut as she turned, the whispers returning.

'He's grateful'

She moved through the halls now, listening for any threat, as she made her way back down to the kitchens to retrieve her own breakfast, much the same as Malik's only her's consisted of meat, bread and cheese, not being a large fan of fruit. Sitting at a small table she began to eat, pausing often to stare ahead as more whispers filtered through her mind. They were so often any more she was used to them and seemed to operate even as she was listening. Her movements automatic anymore as her body continued to feed her. After several moments she finished her meal and wiped her mouth and hands, taking her tray back to the kitchen she rinsed it off and handed it to the woman manning the wash sink, her heels clicking on the stone floor as she made her way back down the hall. She stopped in front of a certain door, her keen hearing picking up the snores from the other side letting her know he had gone back to sleep instead of eating.

'He hates that your such an early riser' 

She gave no indication that she had heard the whisper, she made her rounds through the halls, taking her time knowing he would be more annoyed to wake finding her there, he had told her many times that he hated finding her waiting outside his door in the mornings. She inclined her head to those she passed, she never said much, speaking mainly to Malik, people didn't seem to mind, her demeanor being somewhat 'creepy'. She stopped suddenly, her gaze losing it's focus as information flooded her mind. The whispering filtering through her mind so quickly it was hard to hear all of it. She turned and moved quickly through the halls back to Malik's room, the door still closed, her heart slowly slightly til she saw one of his ambassador's striding forward. She leaned on the wall and waited, not sure what was going on, but not willing to allow Malik to endure it alone. Such was her purpose now, him being the first born he was the most important person to their cause at the moment and she was unwilling to allow harm to reach him. Be it at the cost of her own life. 

Edited April 16, 2013 by K.G

[DeLarge]

Name: Garrick Flynt

Age: 34

Gender: Male

Race: Half Human/Half Virdisian Forest People - The Virdisians are humanoid descendants of ancient trees, believed by the Virdisians to have grown at the Crucible of Life at the dawn of creation. Even though they have evolved to the point of walking and acting much as humans do, they still have a lingering psychic connection to trees across the land. However, due to Garrick's half-human parentage, for him this amounts to nothing more than a vague sense of events occurring within forests of the same species as his father.

 

Appearance: Fully-clothed, Garrick appears to be entirely human: he has a head of cropped, hazel-brown hair and a scruffy beard growing over his chin, deep forest-green eyes and a slightly crooked grin. He stands at roughly 6 feet tall, with lean, sinewy muscle and a rangy stride: in fact, the only thing which distinguishes him from the normal human soldiers is that he is missing the ring and pinky fingers from his right hand.

 

However, when his clothes removed, his Virdisian heritage is obvious: he has a growth of tough, dark flesh across his upper arms and shoulders, as well as his lower legs and feet which closely resembles tree-bark, and a close look at his hair would reveal tiny, leaf-like growths throughout that one could be forgiven for thinking were caused by numerous nights spent sleeping on the forest floor, but are actually attached to his scalp.

 

On a day-to-day basis, Garrick wears a pair of dark green breeches tucked into a well-worn brown boots with several small knives strapped to his thighs. Around his waist he wears a thick leather belt, the back of which hold his two short-swords, and above which is a collarless white shirt entirely covered by a black tunic with a large metal breastplate. He usually wears fingerless gloves and a large pack on his back filled with his essential equipment, along with a custom-crafted longbow and a quiver of arrows, and around his neck on a black leather thong is an arrowhead-shaped shard of bark carved from the very tree his father was descended from, given to him by his mother for luck.

 

Class: Battle-Mage

 

Abilities: Garrick would be the first to admit that his skills in offensive magic are severely limited, to the point that he had to pay another Battle-Mage to enchant his weapons for him. However, where his skill really lies is in defensive magic: he has enchanted his own armour to resist the most vicious of direct blows, and is able to throw up strong defensive shields at a moment's notice: whoever is inside the shield is essentially impervious to physical attacks from even the strongest of daemons or dragons. Unfortunately, he is unable to deflect other forms of attack: heat energy from dragon-fire and many forms of offensive magic will puncture his shields without much difficulty.

 

Garricks does, however, have an ace up his sleeve along with the weapon-mastery that comes with being a Battle-Mage: his Viridisian heritage has made him an expert tracker, able to hunt even the smallest of creatures through miles of woodland. His travels across the land have also given him an in-depth knowledge of much of the geography, and as such he is an invaluable member of any party.

 

Motives: Garrick has one very simple reason for fighting against Corvin and the rogue Dragon Knights: he doesn't know how to do anything else. Born into war and orphaned from an early age, Garrick has always been a soldier. Even when the war against the daemon hordes was won and many of his comrades turned their hands to farming or baking or simply homelife, Garrick found work as a mercenary, fighting those he was paid to fight against and spending his money on drink and women. Since Corvin instigated this new conflict, however, Garrick has rejoined the army and become an important part of Malik's War Council.

 

Snippet:

 

"Thirty pieces of bronze? You play me for a fool, Carstairs," snarled the weathered Battle-Mage, his short blades on the table between him and his former comrade.

 

"Do you complain because my prices are unreasonable," replied the younger man, pushing the blades back towards his so-called 'customer', "Or because you have wasted the pay for your last three contracts on ale and strumpets, and have not the means to pay for this rather taxing service?"

 

"Dark molasses rum is far more costly than ale will ever be, and those women showed me the way to the Kingdom of Heaven and back. Rather quickly and rather forcefully back, admittedly, but nonetheless you charge too much!"

 

"I hear no bartering, Garrick," said Carstairs rather dismissively, "Only simple-minded excuses and more reasons I should not enchant your blades."

 

"Very well! I will give you..." Garrick fumbled in his pack and fished out a small leather coin-purse, emptying the meagre contents on the table, "Seventeen bronze shards and a pendant belonging to the Water Goddess of Qarantine?"

 

"That's no pendant, Garrick. That is a mere trinket sold to you by a merchant trader of Sarahaster, of no value to me or anyone, in fact. I will, however, accept your seventeen bronze shards..."

 

"Perfect!" cried Garrick, pushing the coins over to him before Carstairs placed a single hand on his wrist.

 

"Seventeen bronze shards...and a favour."

 

"And allow me to assume your intentions...you wish to send me on some wild goose chase or suicide mission in the hopes that my inevitable and presumably messy, painful, and likely exruciatingly drawn-out death will leave you not only in possession of my seventeen bronze shards, but released of any obligation to enchant my blades and, knowing you, free of guilt for my untimely demise. Might I be correct in this assumption?"

 

"I would imagine so, yes."

 

"Very well. What would you like me to do?"

 

---

 

ooc: Hope this is alright for you - I made up a race, but it doesn't have too much bearing on the story. Let me know if I stepped on any toes!

[Darth Vectis]

Name: Malik â??The First Bornâ?? Diarmad

Age: 39

Gender: Male

Race: Human

Appearance: [Malik Human] [Armor]

Malik is almost never seen without his armor on, though he doesnâ??t wear the helmet while within the confines of the Battle Tower or in the presence of dignitaries or the respective leaders. His armor doesnâ??t have the metal loop hanging over his head and instead of fire wings he has a dull gold cape with black trim and the sigil of the Dragon Knights. His armor is dragon forged, the fiery breath of an original dragon used to heat and temper the metal to give it a unique quality to change with him. Only two sets of this armor are known to exist at this time, one set is worn by Malik, the other by Corvin.

[Dragon Form]

As time has gone on and Malik has fought and slain other dragons in his dragon form, he has received multitude of scars that has made his dragon form more terrifying and grizzly with metal from his armor replacing scales on his body and adding further protection.

Class: Dragon Knight

Abilities: Malik is one of the most skilled melee combatants among all the Dragon Knights, proficient in multiple forms of combat including: Single handed weapons,dual wielding, two-handed weapons, ranged weapons, and exotic weapons as well but has left his magic neglected.

His magic ability is there, but he hardly uses it and his magic has grown to fit his needs, used as an offensive weapon, but in a way to disorient or confuse his opponent. Whether it be a blinding flash of light, a short dust storm or creating a copy of himself, but any defensive measures are left up to his combat prowess.

Motives:
Malik fights for everyone in his care, whether it be his Knights waiting for their commander, or the people in the budding town around the Battle tower. His memory is still fresh from the Daemon Wars, and he wishes to never let that level of death ever come again.

Snippet:

â??You are a most gracious host my lord Malik, thank you for allowing an us and audience.â? Malik didnâ??t say a word as he gestured with one gauntlet handed toward one of the high chairs around the long table. The large ambassador sat down, his lone bodyguard standing a step behind his chair with his eyes focused on the Dragon knight with the occasional twitch toward one of the numerous guards within the room. The ambassador seemed jittery, almost excited to be in Maliks presence but this was a normal feeling for first timers. Especially when they came from a smaller government than the empire, though it was far less often.

â??Ambassador Yalin, welcome to Dragons Rise, I imagine that the journey from Gratnia was without an incident.â? Yalin nodded vigorously, the pudgy face of his shaking as a smile grew with genuine excitement.

â??Yes, very much my lord. Now, Gratnia would first like to extend itâ??s greatest appreciation for sending a few of your knights to handle the situation we had in the capital.â?

â??It was not, we simply did what was right, nothing more.â?

â??It truly was, and though we donâ??t have much we would like to pledge our allegiance to-â? Shouting voices could be heard from outside the door, someone yelling at one of the guards before the doors burst open and in walked the slender, robed figure of a man with a strong presences, an arrogant look plastered on his face as he took in the people in the room before settling on Maliks cold face. Malik knew this man for where he hailed from, and that alone was the only desire to have him thrown from the edge of the battle tower.

â??Dragon knight, I demand to be seen.â? The look of arrogance and privileged life further clear on his face as he looked to Yalin and gave him a disgusted look.

â??This peasant ambassador from one of the backwater governments can wait for the Empire.â? A woman stepped forth then, appearing from nowhere in her magician robes and a fire burning in her eyes brightly. Her auburn hair cascading down her shoulders as her robe seemed to hug her hourglass form, causing the lecherous eyes of the Empresses ambassador, though she seemed to care little.

â??Ambassador Loric, do not address the First Born as if he was just another man. You are here purely on his good graces and the fact he hasnâ??t had you killed for your disgraceful behavior is beyond me.â? A sly smile spreading across Loricâ??s face as gave a mock bow toward Malik.

 

â??Oh do forgive me my lord, Tourid Shegul, I was not aware you would send your traitorous witch upon me.â? Her hands pulled away from her robes, a power welling up inside of her burning with white hot rage. Malik took but a single step forward and laid a single gauntlet hand on her shoulder, he fire cooling instantly as she looked back at the Dragon Knight and stepped off to the side and allowed Malik to approach.

â??Loric, you will be given your opportunity to address me when I deem it necessary. You are here on my allowance alone, the Empress wouldnâ??t dare
approach this tower without my consent, as I would not approach her capital without proper warning.�

â??Pretty words, but that does not diminish the fact that you have made the empresses most important political figure wait three hours while you meddle with these common and unimportant worms!â? Loricâ??s slender yet perfectly manicured hand had reached out and jabbed a single finger into the armored chest, barely pulling away before hearing the uniform ring of weapons being drawn and the oppressive feeling of magic in the air. His eyes suddenly taking in all the guards who now had swords drawn and had created a circle around the three people, the distinct glow of gold and silver eyes mixed in the gathering of guards.

â??Touch the Dragon commander again, and you will be sent home in a pieces and your empress will have to find a new high born lackey to take your place.â? For the first time, since he entered the room to where he stood now in the ring of steel and magic. Malik raised a hand and with another hand gesture and the swords slid back into place and the feeling passed but the circle remained.

â??This show of force, as you might call it when you tell your empress later this evening, is of their loyalty and will alone. Trust me, I have tried to get them to leave me be, but I always find them hiding in the shadows or Cassandra trailing behind me. And donâ??t get me started on Knight Moretal, I recall not too long ago she had-â?

â??Yes yes, I understand they are always around to protect you Dragon Commander, I hardly see-â?

â??I was not finished Loric, despite their existence, I do not need them. In my mind, they protect you from me, for in the eyes of my people and the innocents I protect I remain calm and collected. But, in times of war and away from them all, this floor would be bathed in your blood, for mercy is a luxury I no longer have. Remember that before you stomp into another of my meetings, for it will end differently.â? Malik walked past Loric then, bowing his head to Yalin who stood by, stone still and fear in his eyes. Loric remained frozen in place, remembering the eyes of the First Born and seeing an animal in there he dare not rile from itâ??s slumber.

 

 

 

OOC: Everyone has done a great job so far, Delarge I really enjoyed your race creation. Just going to wait another day before we get the ball rolling. I will hopefully update the backstage with information on the Empire an it's new empress, along with some info on Covin.

Edited April 17, 2013 by Darth Vectis

[Kayin Cloud]

Name: Julian Kiris

Age: 10

Gender: Male

Race: Human

Appearance: Julian stands at 4' tall and weighs in at roughly 65 lbs. He has light brown hair and bright green eyes which often turn a darker green whenever he casts his spells. Despite an intellect which Julian could boast, he is still very active physically which can be seen in his build. He always carries a large spell book around with him. The tome probably weighs roughly 22 pounds itself, but he enchanted the book to weigh less to him. He wears a white dragonhide tunic with black shorts and boots.

Class: Wizard

Abilities: Julian's spellbook is certainly not full, but he practices a wide variety of spell schools but specializes in Evocation spells for long range or close range damage. . He frowns upon Necromancy and just about never uses it unless it is a life or death situation. If he can't bring himself to throw a fireball or a bolt of lightning, he'll use a Transmutation spell on himself to turn himself into something who can handle a situation properly. He doesn't much fight in armed combat but he is very good at avoiding it, though he has some martial arts teaching simply from his ample curiosity and learning that he can use martial arts to cast his close quarter spells while using Abjuration spells to protect himself.

Motives: Julian is merely in the war to meet dragons as well as fill his 1000 page spell book. Being a child prodigy, a lot is expected of him from his hometown, but no one wants him involved in the war at his age. He has always looked forward to meeting the first born and interrogate him for everything he could find out. Most of all, he has an insatiable curiosity that compels him to never stay in one spot.

Snippet: "You're too young to go off to the battlefield, Master Kiris," spoke one of the elder wizards. "You have no business in this war, child!"

"How come? Aren't we in need of skilled sorcerers and wizards alike? What makes me any different?" Julian asked, idly flipping through the pages of his spellbook, turning each page by twitching a finger. "Is it because you're afraid I'll show you up? Or is it because you don't want me to learn any new magic? Or is it be-"

"ENOUGH!" the elder interrupted. "Enough of the questions, you little twit..."

"But you can't learn anything without asking questions one way or another," Julian replied, giving the wizard a serious stare. His book closed on its own abruptly. "Is that not how we come across our knowledge of the arcane? By inquiring? By researching? By practicing?" He turned to face the elder wizard, looking up to him and pulling the hood of his cloak over his head. His senior replied with nothing, looking irritated. "Now if you insist on trying to stop me, you'll either have to physically stop me or magically contain me."

"You challenge your senior?! Foolish child!" the wizard said before motioning his hands and a cage of light dropped over Julian, trapping him within. The bars formed beneath his feet as well, leaving him now underground escape route either. "Now, stay still like a good lad," he said before he realized that that was far too easy. He felt a weight on his shoulders all of a sudden as Julian was sitting on them despite being in the cage. "You little tw-" and he was suddenly silenced as Julian tapped him on the forehead and then was unable to use his hands as they felt as heavy as his whole body now, pinning him to the floor. All he could do was scowl at the prodigy before him.

"You know, you would know how I did that if you would ask. But for starters-" Julian uttered a few words, dispelling the cage as well as the illusion he left in the cage. "-I'll clean this up. The silence and gravity spells should wear off in a few hours. I've got dragons to go meet!" a big grin crossed his lips. "This is gonna be awesome!!" he shouted as he bolted out the door of the stone-walled room, spell book hugged to his chest. Edited April 19, 2013 by Kayin Cloud