Arnickles Renodin/Maura/OS august
Roleplay from Ferdinand Greybrook (2 days, 20 hours ago)
Message sent to everyone in the region Rines (20 recipients) The Basilica
It was only a few hours before sunset before Ferdinand returned from training to private study. He did not believe he would be gone for as long as he did. Nevertheless, the Templar's Vanguard are growing stronger as a unit with each passing day. With their higher levels of training, Ferdinand himself needed to be sharper than before to get the very best of his soldiers. As a pastime while the Sun was in the middle of the sky, Ferdinand maintained his military wear after training as if he was on campaign, a good habit that he had picked up since joining the Enlightenment.
Despite his best efforts, Ferdinand was not the most patient man and is passionate about his strong beliefs. Hence, awaiting new orders from the Marshal was somewhat agonizing. Hence, time was either spent on self improvement or military drills with the Vanguard. He did not want to neglect his duty for petty reasons such as fashion. Contradictory, perhaps most to Ferdinand himself, the Templar maintained a sharp black beard, as typical of Greybrook's, while assuring that his embolden equipment of his family's crest was constantly maintained.
Opening the letter that a scribe gave him upon his arrival to his resting quarters in the city, he immediately tucked it inside his cloak and sent off towards the barracks. With the Captain being paid this morning, Seviana was more tolerable to deal with and acted with more intuition - while continuing high discipline when he was not present. Striding up to the Captain and the 44 other soldiers of the unit, whom were taking a break for the evening sun, Ferdinand ordered:
"We have direct orders to stand guard by the Basilica! We move out in one minute!"
Ferdinand was met with a large grown by his fellow soldiers. Despite their only momentary respite from training that morning, they are hard workers whom do not hold a grudge. Travelling to the other side of the city, Ferdinand had gave discrete orders to stand guard by the Basilica and to stay alert. Unfortunately for the Vanguard, they are not very subtle in their approach, considering that they march in formation with precise paces. Hence, even with Rines' large proportion of militia, the relatively lighter armour infantry caused a bit of a stir.
With the Templar's Vanguard stationed outside the Basilica, Ferdinand ascended the steps and opened the large decorative door into what he presumed to be the main reception hall.
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Roleplay from Ulrika (2 days, 15 hours ago)
Message sent to everyone in the region Rines (18 recipients) Ulrika tapped the pouch that she had hung around her neck and nodded 'Aye m'lady, they are here'
They rounded the corner and the familiar sight of the Grand Basilica came into view
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Roleplay from Vahanian Blint (2 days, 14 hours ago)
message to all nobles of Obia'Syela (OOC: I want to get this RP out before I forget some of the details I have swimming in my brain.. so please ignore the fact that technically speaking, Vahanian is 1hr outside Rines..)
Purging The Heretic's Stain. Pt. 1
Vahanian and his men thundered through the city streets, it was late in the evening so there weren't many people out and about. His face a mask of stone, fixed with a stare of determination and sheer will. His horse rounded the final corner and he slowed to a trot before arriving at his destination. The estate of Adolphus the Heretic. The estate had been quarantined and sealed off by the city guard. Vahanian dismounted, his boot splashing in a puddle as he stepped down off his horse. He walked over to the captain of the city guard and nodded. The man saluted and said "We sealed off the premises as soon as we received your raven mi'lord. Nobody has gone in or out since then, you have my oath on that."
Vahanian nodded, turned to Baldwin and said "Ready the men." Baldwin turned and shouted out some commands to Vahanian's personal unit of soldiers. Vahanian turned back to the captain of the guard and said "I need 10 of your best soldiers to supplement my own forces, the rest are to pull back and seal off a 3 block perimeter around this estate. Summon the fire volunteers to ensure the blaze doesn't spread. " The captain nodded and hurried off to do as he was bade. Moments later Vahanian stood at the head of his own soldiers and 10 of the city guard.
He called out in his best parade ground voice, it helped that it was quiet at night and he stood in the middle of the stone courtyard so his voice resonated throughout the estate.
"Inhabitants of the Heretics Estate! You are hear by commanded to lay down any arms you may wield and surrender yourselves to me now. Any who do so will be treated fairly, fed a proper meal, and turned over to the inquisition for questioning and clearance. If you do not. You will be caught. And you will be executed as a traitor to the sacred realm."
Immediately several stable hands, gardeners, and most of the kitchen staff rushed from various locations around the estate out into the open, their arms raised. Vahanian instructed the city guard to take them and hold them outside the courtyard, they were to record their names and occupations before escorting them to the inquisition. Vahanian waited for several more minutes, and little by little several more staff members and courtiers that had been in Adolphus's service surrendered themselves. Based on how many people had surrendered and the information his spies had provided him, there were about 30 people left within the estate. Some of them armed with real weapons, the others mostly had what they could find.
Vahanian turned to Baldwin and said "Get all the animals out of the stables and have them taken to the Templar Nexus for safekeeping." Baldwin grabbed several guards and did just that, after all the animals had been retrieved Vahanian looked at the stables and commanded "Burn it." Three fire arrows were fired at the thatch roof and several torches thrown in various locations around the stable, seconds later the building was engulfed in flames.
Purging The Heretics Stain. Pt. 2 (WARNING: Semi-Graphic Content follows. Reader discretion may be advised)
Vahanian stood in front of the stable as it burned, the column of smoke marked his location in the city like a lighthouse guides ships to shore. He drew his sword and turned around to face his men.
"Kill any who resist or threaten you, if anyone surrenders escort them out of the estate and leave them in the custody of the city guards. Nobody travels alone. If you find dark magic, mark it and move on, we'll handle that after the heretics are dead. We're not hear to loot, we're hear to purge. Do this right and we all get to go home in one piece." His men drew their weapons and he nodded at Baldwin, who shouted a command and several men ran forward and kicked in the front door of the estate's main manor.
Vahanian and his men poured into the manor and went room to room, executing anyone who stood in their way. Vahanian himself kicked in the door to a side bedroom, several men stood there makeshift weapons drawn. He stepped in and one man rushed forward, Vahanian flicked his wrist and disarmed the man before decapitating him with another stroke of his sword, the blood sprayed from the man's neck and splattered on his cloak and tunic. Vahanian quickly and effortlessly dispatched the remaining men in the room before moving onto the next. He eventually arrived at a door, a door that could only lead to Adolphus's study.
Vahanian kicked it in and entered, before Baldwin could accompany him in three men, all in their early 20's rushed at Vahanian, from their builds and the hammers they were wielding he guessed they were blacksmiths. They attacked as a unit - smart. Vahanian stepped back and began fending off the three attackers simultaneously, Baldwin rushed into the room and froze for a moment, it was masterful to watch Vahanian wield a blade. He almost admired the feat before the realization that his lord was being attacked by 3 men hit him like a tsunami's wave. Just as he was about to rush forward and jump to his lord's aide, Vahanian severed the hand of one of the men, who cried out in excruciating pain.
The man grabbed his stump as the blood poured from his arm, it caused the two other men to pause, which meant immediate death for one. Vahanian stabbed his sword through one's throat which caused him to drop in a gurgle of blood, the other recovered quickly and roared in rage and doubled his attack. Vahanian stepped back and riposted parrying and blocking each attack his opponent threw at him, Baldwin moved forward before Vahanian called out "Do not interfere!" his opponent didn't falter, didn't even flinch - a credit to his determination. Baldwin just stood there and watched as Vahanian dueled this man, who was obviously skilled in combat, but Vahanian was better. It struck Baldwin as odd the way Vahanian moved around the room right up until the moment that Vahanian's opponent slipped on the pool of his brother's blood. Before the man hit the ground, Vahanian had decapitated him.
The man's head hit the floor with an audible thud. The smell of urine and feces permiated the air as the two dead man had no doubt soiled themselves after death, and the third man who was still bleeding on the floor looked up at Vahanian with rage and desperation in his eyes "Defiler! Murderer! Traitor!" The man spat at Vahanian, spittle forming on his chin, mixed with blood, tears, and mucus. Vahanian walked around behind him and grabbed a fistful of his hair, pulled his head back and whispered "I want you to know, that you died for nothing. Nobody will remember you. Nobody will care. Your brothers died as you will. Like sheep to the slaughter." With that Vahanian slid his blade through the man's back and out his chest. He withdrew it and then decapitated him for good measure.
Vahanian cleaned his blade on one of the dead man's tunics, before returning to the main hall, by the look and sound of things his men were wrapping up their slaughter. "Bring the oil" He commanded, several men walked in with jars of oil, the rest filed out of the main manor and into the courtyard. After the oil had been spread throughout the manor Vahanian commanded, "Bar the doors and burn it to the ground."
He repeated this process with every building on the estate's property. After he had finished, he barred the gates to the estate and posted a notice with a knife through it. The notice read:
"By Order of the Oracle and the Steward of Rines, this premises is branded as the home of a heretic. Until a cleansing ritual can be performed any who are found within the premise will be treated as heretics, the punishment for which is death.
Signed - Vahanian Blint, Grand Templar of the Sacred Realm
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Roleplay from Maura Arnickles Renodin (2 days, 13 hours ago)
Message sent to everyone in the region Rines (18 recipients) Arriving at Basilica with the two companions Maura immediately frowned at Templar's Vanguard stationed conspicuously; as if ready for battle. Curious stares and whispered questions from the gathered crowd couldn't be more obvious. The Inquisitor approached the crowd and said: "The templars gathered here await consecration of their weapons from priests in the Basilica, so they would better rid our holy lands of the undead scourge! You ought to be thankful to your indentured protectors!"
The whispers intensified but the mood slowly changed from fearful to cheerful and soon crowd started to offer the warriors food and drink. Maura walked past the gathered soldiers, tapping one of them on the back, and entered the Basilica, motioning for her companions to follow.
The Holy Basilica of Rines, house of the Grand Council, next to Grand Temple one of the two main offices of the Oracle; estate under the care of Antonia Fitz-Roberts - it was the very epitome of magnificence, splendor and architectural prowess. The vestibule alone looked as if it was a throne room of some ancient empire, and with a magnificent archway it led to a lofty hallway, that in turn ended with three gateways. On one end there was a passsage to the residential part of the Basilica, where surely Dame Antonia had her chambers, on the other end one could find clerical and administrative offices, in the middle however there was a short flight of stairs, leading to a set of highly decorated doors. Behind those doors one could find even more overwhelming surroundings. The main reception hall, or simply main hall could've been the biggest room on the ground level of Basilica, it could've fit another building inside it, high rib vault was supported by marble columns wider than centuries old oaks. Maura rarely had occasion to visit Basilica but always thought that the hall is furnished depending on the occasion, most usually however it was simply an imposing amount of empty space surrounded with an ellipse of benches and scupltures, crowned with a decorative double-spiral of stairs that led to another set of halls and chambers placed on top of this one. Few are allowed up the stairs and most likely imagine that they lead all the way up to the Solarium. Maura never learnt if that is indeed the case.
Locating Sir Ferdinand was a bit time consuming and before she could greet him, she herself was found by a couple of servants instructed to show Ulrika and Apostate to their chambers, she considered for a while and then nodded in confirmation and then caught the arm of one of the servants with an iron grip and uttered in lowered tone: "I am most certain that Dame Antonia got used to having guests of both Royal and Heraldic bidding in her house, however it would not sit well with me if she weren't informed who occupies the chambers in her own estate. Inform her that my agents are extension of my own person and as such I hope they will be provided the same hospitality and security I would."
Watching them depart she slowly approached the Templar and said - "Sir Ferdinand... walk with me" - and leading him through the hall she continued in half-whisper:
"Grand Templar speaks well of you. He does not speak a lot of you, but the little he does speak is spoken... well..." - they walked a longer while until the silence grew uncomfortable - "... and that speaks volumes, Sir Knight" - she finished her sentence as if long minutes haven't passed inbetween.
"Of course I will not tell you why you're here, that is not my thing to tell. I can't even say with certainty that you will be told at all. I do can say that you may be needed. One must always prepare for everything and you, my dear Templar friend, are a part of that preparation..." - she scratched her head - "about that, have you had time to study the Lexicon recently?"
They stopped walking in front of an incospicuous looking door, Maura said - "Anyhow, I said enough." - as she knocked heavily on the door. A young woman in priestly garments opened, she didn't need to speak, her stare was articulate enough and Maura answered the question in young priestess' eyes: "The Inquisitor for the Oracle."
The door were shut, Maura sat at the bench by the door and looked at Ferdinand, saying:
"Now we wait."
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Roleplay from Ferdinand Greybrook (2 days, 4 hours ago)
Message sent to everyone in the region Rines (14 recipients) The Quiet
Awaiting the arrival of the Marshal forced Ferdinand into a awkward nervousness he had not felt for some time. The clear grandeur of the Basilica was simply magnificent. Having never truly visiting the monuments in Rines, Ferdinand took the time to study his surroundings. The lofty hallways, highly decorated doors and the marble columns were notable pieces of what could be accomplished architecturally. There was always a few administrative clerks or various religious figures briskly walking through the hallways. However, one particular statue of the most dazzling white stone caught his eye before the Marshal found him.
The Marshal oozed a presence of calm and authority. Yet, Ferdinand learnt quickly that this was not the place for conversations suited for the Barracks or otherwise. He made a mental note to ask the Marshal later of these. While the Marshal spoke sporadically, Ferdinand was quietly pleased with the complements that the Marshal gave him. While he did not seek recognition, the praise justifies the work that he had worked upon recently and now can continue to do with some confidence. The Marshal turned to ask him:
"about that, have you had time to study the Lexicon recently?"
"Marshal, the Lexicon has been a great use to me. Arguably, it forms a precise concept of what humankind and ultimately Grey Knights need to accomplish. Templar's seek to protect life. Hence, I will continue to study our resource and learn the lessons of those whom fought before us. Though I have learnt a considerable amount, there is always more to learn."
Ferdinand stepped back and allowed the Marshal to converse with a young woman behind the looking door and awaited the events that were due to unravel.
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Roleplay from Vahanian Blint (1 day, 22 hours ago)
message to all nobles of Obia'Syela
After Vahanian had finished at the heretic's estate, he rode to his own, he bathed and changed his clothes before heading to the basilica. As he passed through a courtyard he heard the distinct voices of Maura and Ferdinand echoing across the marble stone, her heard mention of the Lexicon, and smiled.
"She will lead him well, and he will sever even better" he thought to himself.
He rapidly ascended the steps of the basilica's main tower, before arriving at the Oracle's door. He knew that she would not require him to wait or make a formal request for an audience, but old habits die hard and so Vahanian stood outside and spoke to her chamberlain all the same.
The small priest disappeared into her quarters to announce his arrival, and Vahanian stood in the foyer lighting his pipe.
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Roleplay from Apostate (1 day, 22 hours ago)
Message sent to everyone in the region Rines (14 recipients) They sang such sweet melodies. All eight of them, a beautiful choir to Apostate’s mind. The door, humming commands, demanding to be opened. He had to stop himself from reaching out and taking them. They sung of tearing the veil, of bringing his master and Lords back, of a new era. His breath quickened.
He was lost in it, that fell soul song. So lost he nearly bumped into the Inquisitor when they stopped. He didn’t listen to what she said, only the song. Just the song. Its chaotic and orderly beat, its cruel and sweet words, its demands and begging.
He reached out and quickly withdrew his hand like he had touched flame. No, not here. Not with the Templars.
They moved again and he found himself lightly humming the song. So close, but so very far.
The Basilica would have awed him if he did not belong to the song. It’s architecture and glory paled in comparison to the song. His hand went to his short sword, it would be so easy. Just ope- no, no. Not now. Not yet.
Rooms? In the Basilica? Apostate was shocked, enough to drag him out of the songs embrace. He blinked in disbelief. Now his situation struck him and he was filled with fear. What were their plans for the stones? What if? No, he had to hope for the best. The song danced at the edges of his thoughts and he caught it.
Absentmindedly he followed the servant to his room. He didn’t pay attention, not until the song went away. His mood fouled instantly. He paced, worried. He paced and waited.
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