[b]Starry moonlight, whistling breeze, rustling leaves, light footsteps, but without caution or fear. The forestry around stood silent, save for crickets and the occasional hoot of an owl. With each sound her ears, sensitive and feline, flicked to track. Amber hues befit her eyes, vision of a higher ability, while the silvered rapier bouncing by her thigh gave off a glint for all those wishing to prey upon the such armed traveler, a thorny item for certain. Light step, without caution, nor fear. Olivia Woodland happened to be in thought - her mind wandering to more a eventful time just days before. A lake, the warm sun on the back of her neck, a clear, quite pretty day, before the present. The followers of hers finally decided to directly confront her, yet it was no surprise to her, perception was an obvious strength of Olivia's. Bandits - a dozen, give or take - had become confident enough to stand in her path and demand payment for use of 'their' path. The hidden agendas of a group of men, finding a lone wandering girl just entering the years with which she would be married off, weren't exceedingly hard to make assumptions for. Yet, a dozen untrained thugs against Olivia, a distraction to be certain, but only just. Minaire whipped back and forth in her memory of the event, a whirlwind of flecked crimson and slit leather. The weapon performed the much needed antiquity of self-defense, while its wielder was careful to only inflict pain, not death. A porcupine's quills, not a bear's claws. They quickly receded again to the forest, and eventually left her trail altogether within the hour. Too much trouble for so little gain. Olivia contents herself with a small lift of her lips, a rather smug look, before remembering how her foot slipped on her other at one moment. She had almost fallen into the lake itself, that would have been much more of a problem. The thoughts of drowning slip in, she returns to kicking rocks along the path in idle. Olivia happened to be a fairly pretty sight by all noticeable standpoints. Her complexion was light, her face unmarred and smooth, her body light and youthful. The light clothing she wore only highlighted her size, being very thin in itself, while the contrast of black and white made her fashion sense rather likable, in simpleton's terms. [/b] "...footwork.... Hm...." [b]She thinks aloud, a whisper under her breath. [/b] "...usually the first thing someone would teach, should probably get that under my belt soon...." [b]The subtleties of footwork now dance across her mind. How easily a duel could be won, or how quickly defeat might come of it, because of one creeping step. She delights herself with the distraction of watching an owl in flight above, as an interruption, and stops from her walk through the forest path to admire the flight. [/b] "...has to be nice, flying everywhere-" [b] She sits down on a tangle of roots to rest, her back to the tree it hosted. [/b] "-you can just go wherever you want. Pretty bird." [b] The bird flies out of sight, the canopy obscuring further view. Olivia places the bag over her shoulder down beside her, and fishes out a sweetroll to nibble on while she rests. The pastry makes for a delectable picnic. Home on the road.[/b]

[b]a strange kid sits in on a tree branch overlooking a village from a small hill. He bites into a small hare and observes the villagers going about their day with his dark red eyes, vampiric eyes, his pale skin obscured and protected from the sun by a makeshift hood he had fashioned into his garb. He hums to himself as he watches the little merchants and blacksmiths go about their routines. [/b] [spoiler]open. I kinda wanna see how long it takes for someone to see this... This thread is kinda dead[/spoiler]

[spoiler]this thing is dying.... ;-;[/spoiler]

[b]Templar Hall:[/b] Eric Hallwinter had been prepared to sacrifice everything for the Throne of his people, of his family. The line of Hallwinter had been unbreakable for generations, and he'd be damned if a rabble of hellspawn threatened the land he lived. Currently, he stood at the head of the table in the Great Hall, overlooking a battle map. "These demons march through Corcolus, with complete disregard to human life. They make no efforts to plunder, and give no inch to pain. They will drive their forces to the death in a tireless struggle into Cardinal lands, and they will attempt to swarm our lands before we can coordinate our forces. That is why we must end this invasion before it begins, smash this ant against a wall of shields and a desert miles long." He points to the North, near Hellas. "This is the point of no return. If they reach this point, they will have access by sea to every single Kingdom, including the Sunderland. That is why we cannot let them move here. I will lead my forces down South, and coordinate Legion forces to push these demons to the Sunderland, where they will be crushed against a barren desert, and insurmountable defenses... Any questions?" (Open)

[b]A War Begins[/b] The Southern forces, now having marched through the backbone of the Southern perimeters for days and now traversing up the rim of Corcolus are victorious as the end goal comes into sight; an intrepid and looming, built of black brick and binded by cement. The fort stands tall, casting a shadow over the dense wetlands surrounding Corcolus. Once built during an ancient war between the humans of the Mainland and the war-like Grothls empire, a group of isles far to the east of the Mainland. Cannons protrude from the sides, through the cobble, and mortars line the roofing. Inside, it is dank and dirty, cobwebs spanning every corner off the place, but packed with rations and rapiers, enough to supply an army. Odium, at this sight, smiles on the horseback of an undead steed and the army, lead by his truly gallops on the saddle towards rge base, as it would be the home and base of operations of The South for a long time coming. Well, at least the Undead Army. Ira and his satanic council would pull the strings back at the Manor while Odium and the Southern force would pursue them endlessly. But as the forces pour into the new headquarters, Odium ponders an idea. An idea so destructive it would wipe the surface of the Mainland out, destroy the continent, sinking into the sea, into the Archipelago. Ira's plans for the war, to recover the Northern relics would certainly be grueling; and in order to win, a power greater than even Ira's would need to be harnessed. So, he recalls what Ira had told him once, in the Spire Chamber of the Southern Manor: [i]bear this spell I shall give you with wiseness, for it will destroy everything in its path, leaving nothing but a ravaged world in its wake. Say these words, words of power, and the war will be one.[/i] Odium, now verging to say these words to preliminarily secure victory, thinks of how Ira would be displeased; yet, once they had won, he would no longer be mad. Mostly, Odium wanted to see the repercussion of what he would do. So, he goes to a room separated from the rest of the base; quiet, secluded. Odium, saying these three words, that inflict such malice and dread to those that gear it can never be described, he puts the nail in the coffin. The sky dims; lightning crackles; and a wind blows through all of the Mainland. A torrential rain, and a vortex of wind. In the sky, it is hard to see, but chariots and war-ships float, Spirits, shrouded in darkness, indescribable float on them. The light of the world, all of its color, drains into nothing as one thing can be known, clear as day; The Wild Hunt had begun, and the Horsemen, unleashed. [spoiler]Closed, muhuhahahaha[/spoiler]

[u][b]Eastern Mountains, in the Fog.[/b][/u] [i]"Three days..." "Three days and still nothing. Just fog and wildlife. Not even any merchants or people."[/i] [b]Layla says, angry at herself.[/b] [i]This place better be as good as i was told. Wasting so much time searching for it.[/i] [b]She thinks in her thoughts. [/b] [b]Layla, wearing her leather armor, climbed over a few fallen trees. Hoping to see a new scenery before nightfall, instead of the usual same trees and boulders. [/b][spoiler]Open to evo only.[/spoiler]

In the past days, death sweeps across the land... People begin to die of famine and disease... The South continue their conquest, even with Odium dead, and this land, once in eternal summer now turns freezing cold with the Hunt's arrival. Southern forces arrive at Corcolous, headed by The Horsemen; Death, War, Famine and Pestilence. They attack Corcolus, the police breaking like toothpicks under their might. Villagers flee in terror and large buildings level, fire now burning in the night sky. [spoiler]Open[/spoiler]

[u]Hellas, 05:09[/u] Two cloaked figures march through the snowy forest as the sun is barely dawning and shining on the ground below. Snow crunches under their feet as they continue, and stop at peculiar pile of snow in the middle of the nowhere in particular. "This is it?" Derylen says as he digs through the snow and digs out a wooden crate, locked and stamped with the insignia of a hare. Yana puts down the sled and they both begin to load and fasten the crate to the sled. "Remind me ag-ain why are we not taking this through an actual route?" Yana questions, clearly annoyed. "Smuggling up north is tricky, snow has routes tighter, travel is more predictable, so we have less chance of getting caught if we avoid taking the usual traffic routes, it's tedious but it works nine times out of ten" He answered. "Let's just hurry this up, snow is begin-ning to melt through, my boots" "You go ahead and clear the way, you're better at traveling through this sort of climate. I'll just follow your prints" Yana nods and jogs ahead as Derylen continues securing the merchandise to the sled. A cloaked lone figure jogs and navigates through the snowy pines, a bow and quiver slung on her back and coated with snow. She marks tree bark and snow as she passes and continues towards a nearby town. ((Open))

Across the continent Templar emissaries go to courts, each bringing the same message, that the Templar could not stop the wild hunt this time. They were still too few, lords and Kings were called to take up arms, not against each other as is so often the case but on an exalted March to the south, to meet the true enemies. If they agreed they would meet in the Templar headquarters, a fortress on an island in the middle of a lake. It was a grand castle, the only way in and out(know to the public at least) was a bridge with gates and towers at increments for defense. It was here the Templar gathered and where the nobles of the land were summoned. [spoiler]open[/spoiler]

[b]Council was in session at Hammer's Grasp, and Lord Commander Fel was at the head of it[/b] Vel, tell me, have have the Seers been shown? [b]The head of those who used witchcraft in Sunderland in defense of the Kingdom, the Spellbinders, Vel spoke[/b] "My Lord, a shadow blankets the South, covering it in malice and evil... Four beings of vile power have been summoned... and shall bring dread upon the mainland... The Horsemen." [b]The chamber breaks into yelling[/b] "The Horsemen?!" "Can we defend from such beings?" "The Bulwark is not yet strong enough" [b]They were quiet by Fel raising his hand[/b] Quiet. Vel, is that all? [b]The old man shook his head[/b] "I'm afraid not.. another power also rises in the South.... one that causes the very ground to corrupt and freeze, the sky to turn black, their very being the embodiment of maleficence.... One word came from the Seers mouths before they were overwhelmed... Wild Hunt." [b]The chamber, this time, was deadly silent, no one uttering a single word, barely a breathe was heard[/b] "My Lord... If what they saw were any indication... this is the beginning of the Age of Dread..." No, Fel. I believe in the strength and resolve of those of the Iron's Blood. If they dare march on Sunderland, we will return these demons to the Hell they sprung from. I give my honor as Lord Commander, we will not fall. [b]The men in the room seem inspired by Fel's declaration[/b] This Council is dismissed. [b]When the room was empty, Fel still remained in his seat, thinking[/b] We must endure this.... Or all will be lost...

[b]The Wild Hunt ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Far in the South, the sky turned pitch black, thunderclouds rolling in as loud booms are heard Hoar frost appears everywhere, the temperature dropping harshly as a snow storm appears out of Najee And that's when the ships where seen Three of them, piloted by towering beings of flesh and magic, slaves working to keep the ship running The sails where made from human skin, tanned and used for the ships The hull was covered in ribs, skulls as decorations on each ship It was a terrifying sight to any on looker, as the ships eventually arrived at shore, I've ridges formed to each ship, as mighty, undead horses where seen jumping over and onto the ridges, carrying the men as they headed towards shore[/b] [spoiler]Open to Ver if he wants[/spoiler]

[b]Several hooded figures surround a pool of a bubbling black liquid. Several candles surround them as they chant. Their robes are covered in runes that speak of darkness and death, and no eyes are visible beneath their hoods, only two purple glowing shapes.[/b] [spoiler]Open, see the smoke.[/spoiler]

[b]The North, on the trail[/b] The war hounds howled as they picked up the trail. The Knights rode several yards behind the massive dogs, watching all sides. The Templar were hunting. They were soon going to find their prey, and then there would be a reckoning. Too long had the order stood idle, for far too long, but now people would soon learn why the Templar are feared by the wicked.

[i]It was a quiet and restless evening, the sun was soon setting, leaving the sky a bright orange and blue color. Soon it was dark out and the air had become cold, the sky had turned black and the ground dim with the moon's light. I had finish scouting out towards north of the east kingdom when the sun had set, I missed time scouting mission and was left out at night. Alone in the dark. Heaving a hefty sigh I began walking back towards the East kingdom. The soft sound of metal hitting against each other and boots on the floor seemed to echo as I walked out in the night sky. Walking out at night was something that nobody wanted to do, because fear of getting jumped by any monsters or demons. Those thoughts began to cloud my mind and I began to pick up the paste, but the moon had fully shown it self by now, finally coming out from behind the trees and showing itself, it was a full moon. I looked up for a moment before I continued my walk. The walk was far but I could make it back, or I had hoped. But I couldn't shake the feeling I was being watched, without thinking, I let my hand rest on the handle of my sword. I could hear the sounds of something being pressed against the grass, footsteps and they weren't mine. The sound of busing rustling and hollow wood echoing, I was being followed. Wanting to get back to the east kingdom I picked up my pace even faster and had grabbed onto the handle of my sword tightly. But it seemed that the sounds followed me just as quickly. As I had thought, I was being followed, three werewolves showed themselves. Their fur standing high and their teeth shiny with blood, the blood thirsty beats eyed me intently and I drew my sword, positioning myself so they were in front of me. One lunged at me and sidestepped and took a slash at it towards its leg, the beast took the blow but shook it off, the three of them were ready to kill me, but I wasn't dying tonight. The sounds of wolves howling, a sword swing and the sound of a man grunting and yelling was heard off into the distance.[/i] [spoiler]Open, you hear the sound[/spoiler]

[u][i]Somewhere in the north[/i][/u] [b]A strange knight armoured head to toe with bone armour walks on a muddy path, a big warhammer/axe on his back along with a bow and a lot of arrows[/b] "I wonder if there are any bathhouses around..." [b]He continues to walk and silently scrapes some dried up blood off of his gauntlets with an arrow, and sighs when the arrow breaks[/b] "Pshh....." [b]He takes another arrow from his seemingly endless supply and continues to scrape the blood off, and stops when he finds a little encampment [/b] "Hide yer wives because The Way has arrived...The Way into your grave that is..." [b]He walks into the little encampment and walks towards the nearest cabin before kicking the door out of its hinges, and murdering all the men inside[/b] "And the females remain, how....lucky...." [b]He grabs the nearest one by her hair, an evil smirk on his face as he does truly terrible things to her[/b] "You aren't escaping for none shall know what happened...." [b]He rams the knife that he used to kill everyone in his village into her throat before horribly massacaring the rest, and then he lights the cabin on fire as he walks out[/b] "The big, bad wolf has arrived..." [b]Several armed guards approach him and he maniacally laughs as their captain nervously steps out of the line[/b] [u]"D-drop y-your w-w-weapons"[/u] "After I've taken your life" [b]He stabs the kitchen knife through his throat before he can react and the rest quickly back away as one pisses his pants[/b] "Your fear turns me on!" [b]He pulls his warhammer/axe out and flips it to the waraxe side before charging them with insane speed and decapitating the nearest one with one swing, splattering the rest in the process, they quickly run away, scared[/b] "Good, very good" [b]He continues to massacre everyone in the encampment, lighting the cabins on fire in the process, creating enormous clouds of smoke[/b] [spoiler]Open, you see the smoke[/spoiler]

[b]a tavern in the capitol[/b] "Some things in life are bad They can really make you mad Other things just make you swear and curse. When you're chewing on life's gristle Don't grumble, give a whistle And this'll help things turn out for the best... And...always look on the bright side of life... Always look on the light side of life... If life seems jolly rotten There's something you've forgotten And that's to laugh and smile and dance and sing. When you're feeling in the dumps Don't be silly chumps Just purse your lips and whistle - that's the thing. And...always look on the bright side of life... Always look on the light side of life... For life is quite absurd And death's the final word You must always face the curtain with a bow. Forget about your sin - give the audience a grin Enjoy it - it's your last chance anyhow. So always look on the bright side of death Just before you draw your terminal breath Life's a piece of shit When you look at it Life's a laugh and death's a joke, it's true. You'll see it's all a show Keep 'em laughing as you go Just remember that the last laugh is on you. And always look on the bright side of life... Always look on the right side of life... (Come on guys, cheer up!) Always look on the bright side of life... Always look on the bright side of life... (Worse things happen at sea, you know.) Always look on the bright side of life... (I mean - what have you got to lose?) (You know, you come from nothing - you're going back to nothing. What have you lost? Nothing!) Always look on the bright Side ooooof Liiiiiiiiiiiiiife" Cheering goes off around the tavern and the bard packs his loot and the coin he was paid. [i]always look on the bright side of life indeed.[/i] [spoiler]open[/spoiler]

[b]A knight in bone armour walks on a small, muddy path, his blade covered in dried up blood and hate burning in his dark black eyes [/b] "A village, good..." [b]He pulls his sword out of its sheath and walks into the village, and forces his way into the nearest house by kicking the door out of its hinges [/b] "HERE KITTY KITTY!" [b]Horrible screams can be heard in the house and it lights on fire as the man walks out, the hate in his eyes burning even brighter [/b] "THE BIG, BAD WOLF HAS ARRIVED, LITTLE PIGGIES" [b]He continues to murder everyone as he lights the houses on fire, maniacally laughing until he finally begins to leave but then a kid charges him with a stick [/b] "A stick? Do you want to die, kid?" [b]The kid charges him and runs straight into his blade[/b] "Tsk, tsk, tsk" [b]The kid spits out blood before falling off of the blade and landing with a loud thud, blood streaming out of the wound and soaking his clothes[/b] "Dumb, so goddamn dumb" [spoiler]Closed [/spoiler]

The elk stands outside of the decrepit mansion its windows boarded up and light shining through the cracks. Water drips between the cracks i. The roof, rain was not uncommon here, but the basement had taken a toll. 3 feet of water sit in the bottom of the stairwell, the library was down there, its door was always locked and sealed to prevent any water from entering. Tanya begins stripping down out of her armour then gets in the water keeping only her knife. She swims toward the hatch, it was used as an escape tunnel, but as she figures it could be used to drain the water. She pulls the hatch open and the water floods out nearly dragging her with it. She opens the library door and enters, she sees a skeleton wearing a beautiful suit of light armour. "Father" She had come here once before looking for her family, her real family. Turns out most of them were killed by vampires. She takes a book off of the shelf. All of the light in the room seems to bend toward it. She closes the library and the hatch then gets upstairs and starts reading. [spoiler]open, see the elk and check it out[/spoiler]

redacted

[b]Location: Forest, near Bjornsson homestead[/b] Having woken early in the morning to stoke the fire, Sigmar sits by his gear, looking about to ensure that the surrounding area was still relatively safe and secure, and waiting on his traveling companion to awaken so that they'd be able to continue to the village. He sits for about half an hour more, and decides to get up and walk around, looking for more firewood.