[PK] Destined for the Maw

[MangoManMini 150]

A paladin which loses their dearest loses their passion - but sometimes in it's stead, they lose their life instead.

 

(All but the first paragraph of events told here happened IRP, a real story of a character who went so far)

 

For your convenience, I've contained events before the PK in the following spoiler tag;

 

Spoiler

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Erel

 

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For some, life at first seems hopeless - and for many, it stays that way. But for Erel, a second chance were given, by a deity above whom had failed him once before, and yet saved him in turn.

The boy began feeble; hidden as an embarrassment; one born half-breed, in a time where it were scolded. Starved through poverty, he were born mutated; an arm that developed broken and burdensome - hidden from the doctors who may have told the world of his existence. Little hope were held in that little heart.

 

Until they were slaughtered.

 

A mystery to him even in older age, one day, the chatter outside died - a foul smell rose into the air. Outside was horror... a horror that wrought him with guilt - as he felt... free.

Amidst the corpses, a figure stood - mists of silver weaving about their form, trickling up the streams of blood that leaked from their form. Heaving and shaking, the figure approached, and spoke the next few words that would drive Erel to his fate; "His light has offered you new beginnings, boy. Xan holds you in debt; live on, for him."

Why did the paladin do this? For what righteous reason could the murder of an entire town justify? Erel would never know; and would fear to question why he found himself so lucky.

 

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As a boy, he left - wandering the paths until he found a seaport town, and found a ship to new lands; despite his seasickness, his freedom laid beyond that sea. Watching the seas - the waves crashing against one-another, and into the hull of the ship... It were a blessing he soon came to appreciate, upon meeting his future wife.

Two children lost in an expanse of land, where unfamiliar wars wrought and darkspawn treaded amidst the night. They knew eachother for a short time, and would certainly meet again in the future - though their parting would come with it's costs.

 

'Elysium'. The word shook in the boy's mind, did it not scream a new life? Safe from the troubles he couldn't escape before. He found himself there, and yet... struggled to get work; a boy with one arm were not much use in the world of manual labour. He approached those with mina, and were promptly turned away, one building after the over found him entering with head high, and leaving with stare at the ground. Hope were dwindling again...

 

And yet, there it stood. A building of marble and gold - a spire that sat stalwart in the city, casting hope to those who needed it... Erel needed it.

Fate acted - perhaps it were Xan himself; a guide amongst his journey, nudging him in the right direction. The spire he stepped dirtied shoes within were a chancery dedicated to his very saviour.

 

Entering, a man stood before him; donned in blackened armour - his silhouette shadowed by a bruised cape of red. What could he have possibly seen in him?

A janitor. Fitting. But it were work - work he had searched so hard for, and so somehow the boy ended up living amongst the paladins, mopping the floors until they reflected their glorious visage.

 

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Fate continued to guide this boy - as one day as he worked a particularly difficult stain from the pillars, he met again with the girl he first found. He learned her name; Rue Marjoram. Yet his stare was never met...

 

The girl had gone blind.

 

It shattered his heart; such a sweet soul, ripped from the ability to see the world around them - a world he'd grown to greatly appreciate. It would not do. He would not have it. He mopped, and when he couldn't mop, he swept - and when the chancery were clean, he'd work a second job at the tavern; all with one arm... And yet soon, he'd acquired a small fortune. He could buy himself a new arm; robotic, strong... to have a limb he were starved of from birth.

Rue would see again.

The funds went towards a pair of new eyes for the girl - mechanical eyes that let the girl see the boy once more, and the colorful city they regained sight in. The look on her face was enough for him - damned be his arm, this were the greatest joy.

 

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His trials began. Amongst other initiates, Erel had been chosen by the man whom once deemed him janitor - this 'Richard', did he see something in him? Perhaps the act of kindness towards Rue had given him an impression...

Trials passed, and Erel's dedication grew; this were his chance to repay his debt to Xan; he wouldn't have made it from that village, were it not for one of his chosen.

And soon, he would become connected.

 

---

 

At a young age, he came to be within the ranks of his peers, a budding new paladin with the blessings of an aengul - finally he could enjoy his warmth where he once felt so cold. He spent his years after serving his lord, learning the ways of the paladin and aspiring to live up to his role models; Richard and Rune.

He had even went on to declare engagement with Rue; proposing beneath a jade jewel tree... Life were brimming with colour - his life, never better.

 

And then Rue is killed.

 

Vampires, were what got her - Erel were not even present, he heard it from a friend... The very darkspawn he stood to defy, had taken his most beloved.

He had failed his name as a paladin - Erel had failed to live up to his blessings... The one he held dearest, killed and fed upon by those he were meant to stop.

 

Erel would be no more. 'Marjoram', in heed to his wife's surname, would take over.

 

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Marjoram

 

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Marjoram acted with little of the aloofness that his former self did - where Erel were worry-free, happy, and childish; Marjoram were reserved, duty-driven... and hopeless.

Little - even Xan's warmth - could heal him from his failure; as a paladin, he were ill-achieved... often driven to alcohol, and brooding. For a long, long time - he isolated, those who once knew him came to assume he were dead. He had abandoned his previous efforts, he had forgotten the troubles he involved himself to protect order. He had crumbled.

 

Richard then returned. Weren't he dead? He must've been by now... Yet somehow he found him again - Marjoram's golden arm acting to show just how different he were since they last met.

Richard pulled him back - like a line cast to the deep, dark ocean; he were fished from despair and brought back to the order.

 

 

The world were threatened again; the darkness had crawled from it's crevices to seep into the masses and attempt to consume them, as it had threatened to do so many times before.

 

Marjoram's last day began where his first did; upon the open seas.

 

Enemies he had lost touch with - allies he did not know... He felt as lost as he first did many years ago...

With few words to begin with, Marjoram stuck by his allies; as a vindicator, his shield could prevent lives being taken... Goodness, he had lost enough already.

Alongside him his allies cut down the hordes of undead - after spears of bone had stricken their boat to a standstill, they stood upon the land with swords and shields raised; blood flying, painting a gory canvas...

He would not have been able to handle it all, were it not for Richard who stood alongside him in battle - amidst their order who had gathered all for the same purpose;

 

Kill that drake.

 

It rattled in his head the entire battle... he had failed once before, would he dare fail again? His embers grew restless...

 

Since my wife passed, a thought has always haunted me... In dedication t0 Xan, i am destined to his realm for service... Even in the afterlife - i will never see Rue again...

 

Through blood and rot they advance - eyes cast to the sky as the drake spewed flame across the battlefield, whom Xan, presented in form, challenged in a battle of the titans. When despair should take them, Marjoram cast his embers out to rekindle his allies' souls. The onslaught would not stop until they could return home to tell the tale... His rattle from within - their newfound cobalt hue proving a newfound strength...

 

Will i miss her? I'm sure i will... a normal descendant is destined to meet their beloved in the afterlife, but me? She will live amongst those at peace, and i will only be able to remember...

 

They advanced. Across the ashen beach, and towards a keep of looming presence. They followed the beast in the skies - it had loomed over the entire battle, and yet those present had managed to force it to fall. It spewed flame and belittlement through agony as it's weight came crashing down towards the group - it's head craned towards Marjoram and his people; jaw rattling as teeth bore towards them.

 

... Would... Would there come a day where i forget her smile...?

 

Marjoram stepped forwards as the embers crackled from it's throat - the drake's neck lunged forth to engulf him between wretched chatters. Where his allies braced for flame, Marjoram stepped forth and allowed the embers to lick at his ankles and scorch his armour... Flame crawled up his frame as a mass of cobalt embers burst from his hands and eyes, forming a great sphere of sapphire glow that enveloped him between the beast's jaws...

 

-Whatever... Despair or not, my service is predetermined... If i cannot find solace, then i'll offer it to others.

 

The shield shattered as quickly as it were cast - xannic embers exploding down the drake's throat and wreaking havoc on the beast's insides; gum and tongue charred to a charcoal concealing sapphire cracks. And yet as it's teeth fell from it's mouth, the jaws clamped down... In one wretched crunch, Marjoram's upper half were subject to it's giant maw. The force clamped down on his armour and tore straight through it - and as the drake's head wrenched upwards, it took that half with it...

His lower half stayed stood for some time - his metallic arm that remained, reaching towards the sky as the beast fell at his feet.

 

"I will not forget, Rue..."

 

A phrase he uttered without words - as there were no head to say so... But even unspoken, the words were no less true.

 

---

 

If one were to find his lodgings, a number of messages had been written; to both those alive, and deceased;

 

Richard

Spoiler

"Richard... Where do i begin? If you are reading this, well... i'm dead. I suppose it is solace to know that i've died before you have! You have certainly offered more to the world than what i have, and will continue to do so despite the odds - of that i have no doubt.

 

When we met, i were without hope; cheery on the outside, perhaps... but it acted as a mask for how i truly felt. I want you to know that without you, i would have amounted to nothing. You found me at my lowest, and somehow - you saw something in me.

 

In honesty, i have few achievements - but i hope my death was something of one. I don't want you to miss me, as i am destined into Xan's servitude, am i not? Ever want a chat? I believe there's a ritual for it - just remember to prepare a bottle of the wine you always drank."

Rune

Spoiler

"Rune... it is a shame we never got to speak after i aged - but you were a role model to me just as much as Richard - i hope he reads this on your behalf... The pair of you seemed to have an inseparable bond; and a determination to serve Xan that i had never seen before... You reminded me much of the woman who saved me as a child... Ah, why am i writing this? I can simply tell you this when i see you at the palace."

Rue

Spoiler

"Rue... i will never see you again, and you will never see this note; that is bittersweet to me... I'm sure in the afterlife, you're living a peaceful existence; surrounded by those who love you... I'm... lost for words writing this; but know i have never once stopped thinking of you. If i wanted you to know anything, it would be this; i never lost your ring. The paper ring you weaved me in our youth, i had it encased in resin - very organised for me, huh? It strangles my finger a bit, these days - but i would never dare take it off... Wherever i am buried, if there is anything left of me, i hope the ring stays with me... I'll miss you Rue; and whilst i hope you miss me too... enjoy your afterlife in paradise. You deserve it."

The Order

Spoiler

"It's likely you haven't heard of me... I have spent many years being anything but an exemplary member of our order; the evils of alcohol and hopelessness consumed me for some time... I have few achievements to speak of - yet if you read this, i have died; and in no doubt for our cause... Whatever the situation is today; do not make my mistakes - do not let despair consume you... However dark the world may get, our light will always prevail; with Xan or Without... Times before the Paladins told of heroes whom fought the dark with their swords and naught more - i have no doubt you can do the same...

Continue the fight in my stead; and know that when your time comes to act in service for Xan in the afterlife, i'll get your room squeeky-clean for you."

 

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This character has been a ride, and i thank all the staff involved in the event for hosting such an awesome event - i am happy to end the character with this one, and i namely want to thank HogoBojo & Bobbox for consuming my upper half.

 

Keep fighting the good fight, even without the pretty mists. It was great being involved in this community.

Ahh so many spelling errors! Sorry! It's 5am.

[Johann 2498]

Gael mourned the terrible scene, etched forever into his memory.

 

 

[HogoBojo 4725]

Although the Paladin was unfortunately destined for the maw, their sacrifice would not be one in vein. Due to their brave actions in their final moments, they caused a critical injury to the Drake, allowing the others to work together to defeat it. If it wasn't for them, who knows the outcome that would have transpired, and how many more would have perished. 

 

Spoiler

Thanks for participating in me & @BobBox's portion of the event. Couldn't have done it without him, so huge props. Thanks for all the roleplay & the good faith you showed. <o/

 

[christman 3529]

But the palace wasn't there.

Two souls—teacher and student—would never intertwine in what should have been. Their righteous, endless fight desolate.

Lost.

[SacredSource 397]

 

The eyes of Richard watched as the refuge of Marian encompassed and encapsulated Erel. He yelled out the order to strike Elden with every device that the force had; yet the Dragon simply pierced through the refuge. The beast burned, and in return, Erel was no more.

 

A desire to scream seemed to radiate over the man; though, a comfort came that the immaculate palace already had Rune. He shut his eyes, took upon a remnant of his son before moving on. As Xan fell, so did the ichor of hope quickly leave the eyes of the Paladin. Rune and Erel were condemned to subjugation by Azdromoth.

...

 

Though the only son without his blood, Erel was the only son Richard had loved. His only heir he considered true. The righteous son that took upon the path of virtue and carried on the true legacy of their lineage of Rune and himself. He continued upon home with the last vestige of his son, the Paladin's failure haunting him every moment as he rode home with the body of Seeker Jack. The son who had the blood of Malin and Horen, the son who sought to protect others despite his affliction, the son who truly succeeded in finding peace on the Sunlit Path. Albeit only a memory now, it was the tale of a hero who went from cripple to janitor to Arkknight of Xan.

 

Beside the grave of Rune now laid the grave of Erel Marjoram Othaman. Remorse fills the father, the man returning to the site constantly to visit both of his beloved dead. He holds upon an old, blessed Lorraine cross, its properties having become completely inert with the fall of Xan.

 

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Erel Marjoram Othaman

Under shadows cast
Erel's light did strive and shine
Duty bound his heart
Now in peace, he sleeps divine

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“Erel, Rune, forgive me. I was not strong enough. I can't come home. Farewell forever. I love you both.”