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Post by Yahtzee on Oct 31, 2011 15:12:09 GMT -5
Ages ago, the great magical races came together at the end of their era. The magic energy that powers all was draining from their bodies and slowly they were headed for exctinction. And so they passed on their legacy to the last magical race, humans. These recipients went on to become nobles, kings, and rulers over the lands.
The great horn sounded and people flocked to the street. Many leaned from their windows expectantly, waving long pieces of colored cloth. Confetti rained down along with flowers. Through the streets people lined up to flank the marching army. Soldiers dressed in ceremonial armor proceeded down the main road, silver-gold armor adorned with waving banners and intricate metalwork glinting in the sunlight. Even in the faces of the men and women walking the cobblestones there was a sense of immense pride within each of them and with the group of the whole, as if the army weren't just conquerors, but brother-in-arms.
A huge beast of war stomped in the middle of the parade. It was a massive beast, resembling a rhino, but fifty feet tall and covered in scales. Three separate horns sprouted from its snout and heavy armor rested on it's back and limbs. Atop that stood the general of the army, head high and face smiling. Today was a good day, a great day for the Empire.
Thirteen Years Later
The house was abuzz with work. Servants dusted and scrubbed every inch of the house, driving the grime and dirt away. The boring work had become exciting. The house was getting a new master and everything had to be perfect. Everyone was cheerful.
Save for Olivia. As daughter of the town's noble family she had been in line to inherit the house as her first mansion, the groundwork for her own political career. But now a higher noble was essentially stealing it from her. Apparently the new Emperor was trying to hide this new up-and-comer in this backwater town.
Olivia marched through the mansion, steps heavy and mood sour. The help slipped away, trying desperately to hide. The girl was dressed in leather armor: chest guard, greaves, bracers, and pauldrons. A wooden sword hung from her hip.
She stopped, turned, and went the other way. Her boots ground into the carpet, swiveling on the heel when she got to one end. In one swift move she drew and swung the sword. It hit the banister and snapped with a massive crack. The broken piece spun as it arched gracefully, smacking a passing servant across the head. A flurry of commotion broke out as Olivia marched into the courtyard.
"Gods dammit!" She went to the near wall, grabbed another wooden sword from a rack, and went to work on a practice dummy. A majority of the strikes were aimed at the neck.
"Lady Hightower!" A servant with no significant features emerged, peeking her head around the corner so as to minimize herself as a target. "Lady Hightower? Your father wishes to speak with you."
Olivia roared, embedding her sword into the dummy. She swung around and walked passed the servant. As she walked down the long hall to the greenhouse her nerves calmed down considerably. The light filtered through filmy glass was soft and the mixed smell of myriad flowers soothed her. The greenhouse was located about fifty feet away from the main building, away from the thicker treeline nearer to the main house.
Her hand wrapped around the lightly rusted doorknob. Father refused to let the help anywhere near the greenhouse for fear of them messing with the plants within. Horticulture was delicate, or so he said. She slipped through the gardens, dodging the large and most likely dangerous plants.
In the center of the garden sat Elliot Hightower, primarch of the Hightower family and keeper of the Light Elf gene seed. He was pretty old, easily over sixty. His graying blonde hair seemed silver, cropped short to avoid the mess. His old eyes peered behind a pair of small spectacles. But despite his ragged appearance his hands moved with confidence and precision, dodging the snapping jaws of a malicious plant.
Olivia sat across from her father. She poked at the plant, pulling her finger away every time it tried to bite.
Elliot continued his pruning, waiting patiently until he was finished. "Tell me, what do you think of the new master?"
She raised a brow. Her father was getting rather forgetful in his old age. "I don't know, sir. What is he like?"
"He hasn't arrived?" He did a few mental calculations and remembered the date. "Ah, that's right. Now I remember. I wanted to tell you about him."
That made sense. Olivia rolled her eyes, uninterested. Despite her anger at losing the mansion, she had little interest in other nobles. You should only rely on yourself in the end. Sure, she paid attention to he tutors and servants since she couldn't do everything herself. But she had a firm belief in relying on no one. So she had little initial interest in this noble. Plus she was already against the idea of getting to know him.
"Our new master is to be Leon Drakonis, son of Alexander Drakonis."
Olivia blinked, somewhat taken aback by this. Alexander Drakonis used to be an Imperial General and Grand Prince before he died, making him essentially the chosen heir to the throne. But he had died over a decade ago, leaving his legacy to his son. She had heard nothing of the boy since then.
"There is a list of accomplishments. Apparently he has been away at a variety of schools." He reached into his apron pocket and handed over an opened envelope. A heavy wax seal hung from it.
Olivia yanked out the paper and ran down the list. The titles were impressive, but she lingered on the last one: Vivamus Templari, a student Templar. The Templar order was the most exclusive group within the Empire. Excluded to nobility, Templars were men and women entirely devoted to the Emperor, warriors beyond compare, and wielders of divine magic. She did a mental calculation and figured that Leon was nineteen years old. A dawning sense of admiration took her for a moment.
"Impressive, no? He will prove a powerful ally."
So this is why. Olivia narrowed her eyes. Once again her father was thinking strategically, of his position. She wasn't surprised. He had always been like this, even when she was little. "I'm sure he will, father."
"I'd like you to get to know him...as the head of our family." He finally set the clippers down and looked her in the eye. From his pocket he pulled out what appeared to be a small crystal that glowed with a yellow light.
She was at a loss for words. To be the head of a noble family meant total control, to have weight in the Imperial court, and the most important duty, to be the scion of one of the ancient races. her family had bared the spirit of the ancient white elves for millenia. "I...I don't..."
Elliot chuckled and went back to his pruning. "You'll say yes. You've always wanted to."
Olivia reached out and took the gem. It glowed even brighter in her hand. The warmth pulsed like a heartbeat. That's right. It was the souls of an entire race poured into one spot. She slipped it into her pocket and took a deep breath. "I'll do it tonight."
Her father merely nodded. "Just don't lose it."
She walked out as he chuckled.
Walking through the city was relaxing. The cobblestones beat at her feet as she fought back. To march through it in her soft leather shoes required great fortitude, or so she thought to herself. Ever since her tenth birthday she tried to walk the main street once a day. Sometimes she was lucky enough to catch a wagon on the way back to spare her the sore feet.
The sword at her hip helped. She couldn't walk in public with a wooden sword anymore so father allowed her to don a short sword. The real metal gave her some much needed reassurance.
To be the head of her family...was she ready? She was only seventeen. Sure, some families passed on their heirloom stones earlier, but often out of necessity. Despite her pride in being a noble, she had plans to prove her skill as a warrior first. That way no one could look down on her.
Her finger tapped her pommel. Her feelings about the new city master had shifted considerably over the past hour. Her new fortune had dulled the sting of losing the city. But that title was what earned her interest. Vivamus Templari; to even earn a recommendation to join them was a great honor, but to pass the years of training required to be accepted was even greater. To become Eques Templari, or a knight, one had to prove himself both beyond human and beyond temptation in service to the Emperor. Few among them ever became knights. Before the passing of the ancients, Templari would often slay a great beast to earn knighthood.
Leon Drakonis of the Drakonis family, Vivamus Templari, soon to be master of the city of Vinge, and holder of his family's heirloom stone, the essence of the dragon. Such titles seemed heavy with destiny. She admired the perseverance it took to earn such fame. "I wonder what he's like."
She finally snapped back to reality once she got to the gate. Vinge was a relatively small city that hugged the mountain. The mansion overlooked the city from high up. Even from the gate she could see the top two floors clearly.
"Out of the way!" Olivia jumped back as a score of men on horseback rode through the gate. They came to a stop, the iron horseshoes scraping on the stone. Five soldiers sat atop these massive beasts. Their forms were dejected, beaten, and hopeless. Red blood was splattered over their damaged armor, dripping into the cracks and divets.
"What happened?" She ran up and started helping them off the horses. Other guards were already there assisting. The man she pulled from the horse fell on her, knocking her over. "Ow! What the-?"
The man could barely move. Upon hitting the ground, his armor had split open. A huge cavity was left gaping in his abdomen. His intestines had spilled out. The only thing that had kept them inside had been the delicate shell of metal. The man blubbered incoherently, his painful jibbering drowned out by the blood bubbling from his lips.
Olivia frantically pulled herself out from under him, blood smearing over tunic and breaches. She looked up. "What happened to him?"
One of the other battered soldiers looked at her and, recognizing her, replied, "We were ambushed by bandits during patrol. They had some kind of wizard with them. He killed Captain Embers without even touching him!"
Olivia got to her feet. "They won't get away with this."
She jumped into an empty saddle and grabbed the reins. The horse neighed in slight protest, but submitted quickly. "We must go after these bastards! Who's with me?"
The guard lieutenant looked up at her. "But lady Hightower-."
"No buts! Every minute we waste is another minute they have to escape!" The horse reared, allowing Olivia to strike a dramatic pose that seemed to convince the other guards. They roared in approval and went to get the other horses. The lieutenant quickly sent a messenger off to inform Eliot.
Olivia barked orders at the guards until they were ready to leave. They were twenty strong and armed to the teeth. At least half of them wielded shortbows. Even Olivia quickly traded out her own weapon for a longsword and some light armor. The lieutenant insisted on a helmet which she grudgingly accepted.
They rode out into the early afternoon.
Templar do not get escorts or bodyguards. It's a matter of pride for anyone in the order. Their duty was to protect the Emperor's land and people and putting others in danger's way by escorting them was in opposition of that goal.
Leon was very dedicated to that rule. Moreso because he prized his own abilities. Besides, Templar, with their magic and weapons, rarely worry about untrained soldiers.
Having graduated the Order, Leon was dressed in custom armor. The metal was as hard as diamond and colored bone-white with black gilding. Overlapping plates allowed for a surprising amount of movement, but there was nor armor on the inside of the thighs or biceps. Templar also do not wear helmets, except in war.
So without a helmet, Leon's bare head was exposed to the warm sun. His blood-red hair was combed back
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