#knightstuff

[wearemercs]

by KnightStuff

[ceruleanknight7]

FEEDIST KINKTOBER 1/15 - BOUNTIFUL HARVEST

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

Not gonna do every day but 15 seems manageable enough hey? Let's kick it off with a reasonably wholesome and niceish one.

[theoldlord]

   Adamar pressed his steed into a trot beside him, tugging his hood just a little more down over the top of his head. He lived to be outside the walls, like Araian had said... but he was no stranger to the endless dangers that lay in wait. Scanning the sides of the roads idly, nodding his head in agreement.

"Family is a hard thing to come by these days, my Lord."He said, a tinge of regret tinging his words.

"You and yours have been nearly the only family I have known." He cleared his throat lightly, trying not to think to hard on the recent events.

"I failed in keeping your daughter safe, but I mean to atone for that failure. I’ve... Never spoke of it out loud, but I've always thought of Rosemarri much like a sister. She was always there when the road grew dark for me."

  He had lost count long ago regarding the number of times they had traveled the road from Stormwind to Duskwood, as well as the many times that journey etched into their memory had been interrupted by violence of some kind. Be it bandits, beasts half-starved and desperate for a meal, or something other-worldly.

  Though not dressed to be waging war in the mud alongside tens of thousands, Araian was dressed appropriately for where they were going. A suit of chainmail was worn beneath that cloak. His sword strapped to his side and that massive war hammer rested in a holster hanging off the side of his charger, easily drawn in case the call for violence had to be answered..

"I have had more trouble holding on to family these past years than finding it. Their lives fall like water through my fingers.. I'm cannot accept their passing any longer." Sparing a glance over at the knight riding alongside him.

"My daughter's fate is no fault of your own, Adamar.. But in the failures of a father that played at war seeking vengeance for a dead king and the boy that grieved for him. Her father should have been here to protect the lives that matter most in this world to him..”

I want her back, and that is precisely what we're going to do. One way or another."

"Losing that which we love, seems to be the cost of duty." Adamar sighed softly, digging his canteen out of the saddle bag and took a quick gulp.

"Honor and duty. They used to mean everything to me." He chuckled lightly again, thinking back to his squiring days. Things were so much easier back then.

"It's just an endless cycle of war, all in the name of a man sitting upon a throne. Sure, we defended hundreds, if not thousands in the process. But, when it came time to hang up the sword... who was left to watch over those so close to home?" He stashed that canteen away and shook his head.

"That's why I'll see this to the end, my Lord. I know dark and terrible things lay in wait, but you will not fight it alone, my Lord. We’ll search through the very gates of hell and beyond until this family is whole once more."

Araian made to cut the man off with a wave of his hand.

"Honor and duty are not coffers we pay tithe to in the lives most precious to us. Those we hold dear were taken from us, and from behind our backs while we faced a separate evil no less. Those that struck at our family..Their fate is sealed and I will see all those that have wronged us turned to ash by the very Light I command." Declaring it so for all to hear, not that they were gathered around anyone at all on the empty road to Duskwood.

"The two words should hold as much meaning to you now as they did before, if not more so though, Adamar. Honor demands we answer the wrongs we've suffered with justice. It is our duty to protect the weak and combat the wicked.. Never forget that. Use it as fuel for the fire we'll burn them with." Pointing further down the road to where the Three Corners outposts' torches glinted in the distance.

“We'll start in Duskwood.. I want to see where she was taken from us.."

@adamarmeadowcroft, @hallowed-secrets

[theoldlord]

   "Lord Cutler. Here. Lady Blacksage. Here. Lord Dawnstride. Here. Lady Grouss. Here. Lord Sunshield. ... Lord Sunshield..?

   No voice sounded to answer the attendant's call and the rush of whispers and murmured voices rose as heads turned to spot the empty seat along the long row of tables and high-backed chairs where Araian Sunshield was to take his seat. While the wars had raged it wasn't uncommon for seats in the House to be empty as various lords and ladies were scattered across the world fighting Stormwind's battles.. But now? At the wars end attendance was almost mandatory if only to note who was still left among the kingdom's nobility. Pages were dispatched to discover what kept the Lord of Sunshield from the gathering.

   Araian pulled his gaze from the towering statue of Danath Trollbane at the sound of Adamar's approaching steed. The charger he himself was seated upon shook its head with a snort as if greeting the knight's own mount as the lord tipped his head in a knowing nod.

   "We should be attending a gathering of the House of Nobles.. I am sure they have sent summons to nearly every lord or lady they could find in the Kingdoms in an effort to determine just who remains after the war."

   Araian began, sparing a glance back down the walkway that led into the city proper, as if expecting a retinue of the King's pages sent to summon him back to the Keep.

"I have more pressing concerns and you do no one any good standing guard at the door alongside a few dozen other knights of the realm."

   The reigns were given a firm tug as his horse stopped beside Araian's and Adamar gave his own glance back towards the city. A scoff escaped him at the mention of the gathering they SHOULD be attending. He recalled his last time setting foot in there, the looks and comments that he received upon returning from their little skirmish off the coast of Kul Tiras.

   "I agree, my Lord." He allowed a faint chuckle as he reached a hand down to pat the neck of the beast.

"Any chance to venture beyond the walls, I’m grateful for. This city is poison on the soul." He turned his gaze forward once more. "This a personal matter?" He knew damn well it was.

   Amusement crinkled the skin around his eyes as Araian nodded his agreement before urging the charger beneath forwards and the clatter of the beasts hooves sounded over the distant din of the city behind them.

  "We are of a people that were born to live our days beyond the high walls of the kingdoms we serve I've found. We do no good to anyone caged up like pets. Besides,there are enough roosters strutting about the Cathedral Square as it is."

   Araian chuckled, nodding politely to those men adorned with the lion on their tabards, standing sentinel at the city gates.

"It is a family matter, Adamar. As personal as they can get and no one living within these walls will keep me from her."

The pages that had surely been sent to their estate on Manor Row would discover the Lord of Sunshield and his escort had already departed and were long gone..

@adamarmeadowcroft, @hallowed-secrets

[theoldlord]

   Araians words hung heavily about him, he knew the man to be right. Maybe... he had just grown used to the feeling of everything being ripped away. Adamar’s life seemed to be a never ending struggle to keep a shred of something left to call his own. Southshore, Theramore, his sister, his wife and child. The loss weighed heavily on the knight’s shoulders and silence gripped him for a time. Finally, he looked to Araian and offered a firm nod.

"I have not forgotten. Nor shall I ever."

    From the outside it must have been strange, peering in. Those that had flocked to the Sunshield banner, each of them in some way had lost more than anyone should in the journey of life. Perhaps that was a part of what made them so damn stubborn in so many aspects of life. Stubborn enough to refuse the passing of those they'd lost.. And maybe even damn themselves in the process of getting them back.

    "Nor shall we ever." He repeated those words with a nod as they crossed the bridge and into the  familiar gloom of Duskwood.

   "Her house was burnt to the ground. There.... is not much left save for the frame of the fireplace. Jerrith and myself sifted through the ashes and did not find much of anything. I searched the woods and there was not a trace of her trail, or scent. As if she just, vanished."

    Like Adamar it should have felt like home to him Duskwood, but it didn't. Those that had made it home were not there to welcome him back..

   "Aye, you told me. Still, I want to see it. I need to look with my own eyes and witness what may have happened before we continue. Come, take me there." Half hoping in the back of his mind a feral worgen, or even a lumbering corpse would dare to interrupt their objective for the night.. 

   Adamar nodded and he spurred his mount forward with haste. It wasn't that far of a ride to reach the outskirts of Darkshire where Rosemarri's house used to be. He let the wind pull his hood back, no longer worried to keep his face hidden for all in Duskwood would know him. From the last few citizens to the numerous beasts that roamed the hills. This WAS his home, and always would be.

   As Adamar took off, Araian's charger followed suit without needing the spur of the lord's boot for encouragement. A lifetime together saw rider and mount in tune with each others thoughts and before long Araian was nearly keeping pace with with the Sunshield knight. Despite the looming glow of Darkshire and the torches that lined the roads, Araian's gaze never reached the village. Instead? His stare fell on the spot that had once been the site of Rosemarri's cottage.

   As Adamar had stated earlier, little remained of the original structure but burnt bits of wood and piles of ash and debris. Only the stones piled to make the fireplace still stood to mark the spot of his daughters demise. As soon as his mount came to a halt  Araian's boots hit the ground with a 'thud!'; The war hammer holstered to his steed was drawn effortlessly and held his grip as he strode slowly towards the ruined remains of that cottage. Tentatively stopping just steps from where the door may have stood before he fell to a knee.. His free hand pressed flat to splay his fingers out across the dirt and ash.

   Adamar dismounted shortly after, giving the horse a steadying pat as he looked about the distant tree line. They were still fairly close to town, but nowhere was safe in duskwood. The husk of the cottage a testament to that. He rolled the great sword from his back and strode forward to stand a few feet behind Araian, giving the lord his space. He planted the tip of his sword in the ground and kept his attention to the world around them.

  Araian's fingers clawed at the ground, gathering up a fistful of dirt and ash as he knelt with his head bowed. Whether it was from the words of others and he'd made the assumption, or that he was a father and just 'knew' that the very spot he now loomed over was where his daughter had last stood and breathed freely before being taken.. The weight of such foreboding thoughts alone might have crushed him were it not for the rage fighting furiously against the pain the man felt.

"I am coming for you, Rosemarri. I swear it." He whispered under his breath as if they were for his daughter alone.

   Suddenly, Araian slammed his fist into the ground, striking at it with all of his might. Dirt, ash, and debris exploded outwards as the eternal bleakness of Duskwood and the ever-present cloud cover that hid the light from the forest floor broke. Blinding golden rays of light pierced through to bathe the kneeling Paladin in its warmth. Like a spark that ignited a wildfire, golden flames burst outwards from Araian's fist to consecrate the immediate area where that cottage had once stood.

   Adamar took a single step back in surprise as the ground beneath him was suddenly bathed in holy fire. It licked at his boots and filled him with a warmth that for a moment... reminded him of yet ANOTHER thing he had lost.

  His gaze turned to the sky and the light that pierced through the cloud cover and basked them in its warm glow. He looked back to the aged paladin and was awestruck. Even when he was a paladin and the light flowed through him, never had he imagined the light responding in such a way. He once more stood his ground and planted his sword into the earth so that he could lean his weight upon it. The display confirmed it... the time of sitting about asking questions was over.

The true work was just beginning.

@adamarmeadowcroft, @theborderlandcoalition, @agilneanrose

[ceruleanknight7]

FEEDIST KINKTOBER 6/15 - CAPTIVE

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

Warning for focus on sadistic and masochistic elements! In a clunky way because I'm not used to writing it!

[ceruleanknight7]

KNIGHT-LIGHT #8: LAVENDER

The Knight of boundless curiosity...

STR - 10 DEX - 12 CON - 11 INT - 17 WIS - 12 CHA - 15

Somewhere in her early 30s, Lavender is around the same age as Hyacinth. Her familial relationships with scholars have led her to seek out new knowledge, new information. As a result, she pokes around a lot, both at things and at people. That's why she wanted to become a Knight in the first place- to learn more about the world.

She's quite talkative, willing to open conversations with pretty much anyone. Though she might initially give off the impression of being pacifistic and peaceful, she has a realist streak following a couple of unpleasant experiences. You don't want to be on the wrong end of her throwing knives.

She often ends up acting as a diplomat, both in formal negotiations and more tense situations that risk bloodshed. Even if the Knights are quite capable, several of them would prefer to avoid too much bloodshed if possible. Her efforts are sometimes hindered by the others, though...

She's also the designated team medic. Everyone else has survival skills, but she's the one who's most capable of field medicine when it becomes necessary. She's fine with that, although annoyed that Burgundy is usually the one she has to patch up.

Her greatest strength is her curiosity. It leads her to pick up on things that others might not notice, ask questions that others might not ask. It works especially well in combination with Cerulean's intuition.

Her greatest weakness is her overthinking. She can sometimes get lost in the sauce, so to speak. She gets so focused on one specific idea or possibility to the detriment of all else. She's aware of this and is constantly telling the others to make sure to snap her out of it if she's going too deep the wrong way.

Regarding Cerulean: Lavender finds Cerulean to be a breath of fresh air to the group. He's a bright spot when several of the Knights are downers, who's nice to have around.

Regarding Goldenrod: Lavender knows with confidence that Goldenrod is a good person. She just worries that he's relentless in the wrong way sometimes.

Regarding Hyacinth: Lavender's interactions with Hyacinth were bumpy at first- they became Knights at about the same time- but they eventually turned out to work well together in certain situations.

Regarding Charcoal: Lavender wants to know more.

Regarding Verdigris: Lavender knows that Verdigris could be a good leader, she still doesn't quite understand the green Knight's behavior.

Regarding Burgundy: Lavender wishes Burgundy would simmer down with his abrasiveness a bit. It would help the team and Lavender's peace of mind a lot.

Regarding Coquelicot: Lavender and Coquelicot often end up having the same thoughts. She knows they have similar backgrounds, so it's easy to bounce ideas off of him. His thoughts are sometimes a bit out there, so it's nice to have that perspective.

Regarding The Knights: Lavender enjoys acting as a mentor when Guards need guidance, and she has a large reserve of knowledge on unusual topics that she lets them pick her brain about.

[ceruleanknight7]

KNIGHT-LIGHT #7: COQUELICOT

The dramatic Knight of true art...

STR - 12 DEX - 14 CON - 10 INT - 13 WIS - 14 CHA - 16

Coquelicot is nothing if not an interesting personality. He comes from a lineage of people with significant magical ability, something that he also inherited. His prowess with magic specifically outpaces all of the other Knights, some of them by a significant margin. Such capability, combined with his excellent combat skills, make him a major threat to anyone who opposes him.

He's quite longwinded in his speech patterns, even moreso than Goldenrod. It seems like that's just how he talks, because he behaves like that even when he's being "serious." Or so he claims, at least. He's not a serious person very often.

For someone who behaves like that, he's surprisingly judgmental. He often picks and chooses who he likes and interacts with based on how "interesting" they are, though how he determines that is anyone's guess, really. Most of the time, he's overly polite, but he sometimes drops an extremely personal jab at someone's insecurities.

He's quite erratic in his behavior. His decision-making is often opaque and seemingly illogical to others, though he always has some sort of explanation... which can be as flimsy as "I thought it would be thrilling." He might be right, but Goldenrod is just as right in being irritated about it. As such, figuring out what he's going to do can be a mystery sometimes.

His greatest strength is his flexibility. He can easily change weapons, plans, behaviors, and really anything else that needs to be changed without too much of a hassle.

His greatest weakness is his demeanor. While it's true that it can cause others to underestimate him, it also makes him unreliable. It's hard for the rest of the Knights to trust that he'll stick to a specific strategy.

Regarding Cerulean: Cerulean is boring the vast majority of the time.

Regarding Goldenrod: Goldenrod is an amusing cliche, down to the smallest detail.

Regarding Hyacinth: Hyacinth is too rigid to make for many interesting events.

Regarding Charcoal: Charcoal is intriguing, both as a combatant and as a mysterious person. The way he responds to needling about his backstory is indicative of something verrry interesting.

Regarding Verdigris: Verdigris is ruled by useless fears. That being said, the idea of what causes her to behave like that is something to be investigated and poked at.

Regarding Burgundy: Burgundy is someone who can be endlessly provoked. His strong reactions to the slightest provocation are fascinating. It's worthwhile to test his boundaries every so oten, just to see what happens.

Regarding Lavender: Lavender's past is familiar in a parallel sort of way. One could compare being raised by magicians to being raised to be a scholar. Similar, yet different at the same time. How does that result in two people interacting, when they collide?

Regarding The Guards: Teaching Guards is important to building up the interesting ones. Of course, the rest do matter to some degree, but a few Guards will go on to do great things. They can become Knights. They can change the world. They die nobly. It's hard to make a concrete judgment of a Guard, since they contain so much potential.