[PK] A Beloved Betrayal

[Marthia 273]

 

ows are a precarious thing, an agreement held up by the vows of two lovers, the vow of a knight, the vow of a duel. Revanda Russandiel Wyldcliffe Wick was a woman of vows, a Ranger and Knight of Numenost who upheld her vows to nation until the very end, even when such vows led to her very demise. . .   t all began within the scalding ashlands of the Redmont, a journey of questions. What was intended as a kindness, Russandiel was brought towards his holy sanctum, to understand his return to an old faith. There they spoke, and more did Russandiel realize there was no other option.   “What happened to the SHAME of it?” - “Do you not remember how I bore aurum te mine own skin, over yours? Did I not tell you multiple times that if this happened again, I would not have mercy?   “And who taught you to shame it? Numendil?” - “Shall you live to please your Tar? To simply follow what is blindly given - or shall you look at the world through your own eyes, make judgement yourself? Tell me, what sin do I bring?” et one strike be enough.   “You said it yourself.”   rom this moment, Russandiel’s scythe was drawn and lit with a holy illuminance. Long shadows cast upon her opponent's face. Differences took them to combat, and a singular slash was met with hardened cloth. It was too late. Her scythe clattered upon stone after an attempt was made to stop a second punch. Her hand, moving to take hold of a flying fist, slipped through it. Nothing was in her control now.   “Is that it?”  “Fight then, hmm?”  “What do you fight for?”   “For oaths I took decades ago. I believe in them for a reason. Quenta believed in them. Ewin believed in them. Rossiel, Elen. GOD- Canaiddun? Why are you so blind now?”   “Oaths died for. Would Quenta, Rossiel, Elen, Ewin, any would agree with the Tar as of now? They fought what they were told. Blindly.”   “Don’t disgrace them.”   “I follow them because I was told to. I was told that I must, by people who come before me, for reasons I do not need ta truly understand!”   “I know Quenta would follow the Tar. If he agreed with him or not, he would still be loyal. That is who he is.”   “That is who I used ta be.”   “You disgrace them.”   “Fight for what is right. For what they died for - nie what is lost. Think for yourself, Russ.”   nergy swirled, a static brought to a man’s will. A metallic taste brought to her tongue, her opponent pressed on.    “I do not need ta. I do not wish ta. I only want it… ta stop.”     hand settled upon her shoulder.    “Then, you lack conviction. For this, I am sorry.”   “Russandiel is gone.”   ussandiel found herself defeated with fist after fist greeting her scarred face. A strike was rendered unto the templar, splitting her cheek. Blood poured from a jarred maw. Death was not the goal for Russandiel, but it was met in ease.   “Beat me as much as you want. Go ahead.”   “You wished to kill me.”    “LIVE WITH A PURPOSE, RUSS.”   er opponent would drag her by the throat, bringing her to the lip of the famed Volcano of the Redmont.   “S-Stop” A name, once revered, fell from her lips in her panic, “STOP.”   “Why should I? You have claimed yourself my enemy.”   “I always was.”   “You can change. Our fate is our own, Russ.”   “. . .” An offer was made, and an admission of unhappiness conveyed. “I can’t stay to watch this.”   tear, unseen by tightly shut eyes, trailed down the opponent’s cheek.   “Then, I am sorry. You lack conviction. You will die, such is your fate. You were the only one I cared for.”   evanda Russandiel Wyldcliffe Wick would be cast unto the depths of the Redmont, gracing a rising heat with her plummet. The flames of insurmountable pain; her cries for aid and safety would only be filled with heated liquid rock.     evanda Russandiel Wyldcliffe Wick, what was once a noble Ranger, Knight, and blessed warrior of Malchediael… would be no more.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Einin @confusedjester Spoiler My most beloved daughter, you were always a ray of sunshine to me. My only, and deepest, regret in life is that I was never afforded the blessing that was being your mother by blood or legal right. I know the curse of Wick well, and I could not bear to see you carry it. Thank you, for letting me love you.    Elise and Roran @rose6614 Spoiler Elise, I have known you since your youth. I can confidently say, you are brilliant. Kind, compassionate, everything I desired to be. I could not be prouder of the person, of the mother you have become. As I told Einin, I could not bear knowing that I would pass you the curse of Wick if you did share my blood. Luckily, you do not!  @MontyMain2000 Spoiler Roran, I did not know you well. And quite frankly, I think I scared you many times. Oh, how I love rats. I hope you will love them too. I will be with you, in Desperaux.  P.S. He is stuffed. He requires no food or water. He will follow your intent, for as long as you deem him of service to you. He specializes in delivering messages, to replace those DISGUSTING birds.  Cleome @confusedjester Spoiler Cleome, my darling child. You are my blood, my image, my happiness. I do hope you grow and flourish, even if I am not around to see it.  Iudas @TheOnlyTub Spoiler My son, you are a pinnacle of faith. Do not forget that actions speak louder than words. Willow @rose6614 Spoiler My daughter, you grow more unlike me every day. For that, I cannot express a greater regret. What happened with Warrick will always stand as evidence of the curse we bear. The curse of Wick. I will say once more, it is not the blood which flows or the branding we bare. It is how the world sees us which makes us so inclined to fall from grace. Do not fall. Yuria @Linguini Spoiler My dearest friend, I am sorry I did not get to see you in these final years. I have long felt death looming, and more with time have I expected to greet it. I am sorry I was not a better Lord. Lark  @HurferDurfer1 Spoiler Hello my son. I love you. GOD bless. Casimir @Security_ Spoiler My husband, time has brought us to a standstill. The world, however, moves with such a haste that I grow dizzy. I find myself longing, now, to have things stop. So desperately, I pray for it. I do not wish to see our children grow, nor the conflicts arise and arise, as they did in our youth. I fight for Numendil. I fight for our Tar. Still, however, do I feel eyes scolding me. Wondering if my next move will be one which will bring just another reason to hate Wick. I do wish they saw us differently, and that my work would not be for naught. Leomonte @MonteGiant Spoiler Leomonte, my longest friend, you have the most interesting of hearts. Vigorous, intense, passionate, and still I wonder how you do it all. I will miss you. Gloredhel @glassyskies Spoiler Dhel, I am so sorry that I could not openly express how much I loved you. A secret I hid for so long, you did not deserve it. Find someone to passionately love you, see  you, and bring out the light in you I saw so vividly. Kieran @BreadNugget7567 Spoiler I am sorry. I hope you have found the happiness I could not provide. Auris @Tainga Spoiler For as long as I can remember, you were the most consistent friend I had ever had. Every trouble, you were there. Every worry, you were there. Never did I have to wonder if you would think differently of me for it. Thank you for being so strong and so selfless. It did not go unseen. Canaiddun @Curry Spoiler My once fiance, you fell from me when we were both so young. I look for you in everything. Every bouquet of flowers, every long abandoned ruin, every boar! I miss our days of rangering. I miss when we were so close. I miss you.   If only you had not become overtaken by the dark. I would have lived a life happy with you. In my last few decades, I can say with confidence the impact you had on me was profound. I became so fixated on purifying my own blood, my kindred, so that they would be unlike you. Maybe I am ignorant. Elros @Halt Spoiler Thanks for helping me win my case! I will not be able to take the mansion I was offered tax free. Instead, please allow Wicks the same amount of tax-relief.  Antonius@Nooblius Spoiler Dear Antonius,  Oh where to begin. I always came to you with such hardships, and never was I turned away. I thank you deeply for being there for me in my greatest of trials. You stood in empty shoes, standing in place of a father I did not have. Thank you. GOD BLESS. Iosefka @ichigomaster98 Spoiler My teacher, my most beloved teacher. Oh, how I will miss your whimsy. Your wonder, your creativity, your intelligence, your selflessness, and your leadership. All unmatched. Thank you for sharing such with me. I am so fortunate to have met you that day in Norland. After I lost Canai, I was so lost. You, on the other hand, found me. As you have, undoubtedly, found many. Cally @TheBigBubbles Spoiler Dear Cally, Thank you for the help you gave my husband and I with Willow. I know, we are a troublesome pair.. a troublesome family, really. Still, it does not go unappreciated. I remember fondly how we met, and how I immediately scorned you. Funny how things turn out. You were a blessing in disguise (ha). Flame guide, my friend.

 

 

Spoiler

OOC Message:
Hello everyone! I wanted to include here a few special thanks. To MonteGiant, you are a dear friend. OOCly as well. Thank you for helping me with formatting (my poor picture).
Russandiel was an adventure I did not intend on having. I made her, my first character, August of 2024. She was an older character from 2016 who I revamped. Once known as Revanda Wyldcliffe. I played her on another server, and might I say, the themes of tragedy and heartbreak were consistent.. despite it having been 8 years. I started over her story, gave her loyalties, ambitions, drive, and love. Russ, although people often saw her as cruel and unusual (as is Wick), she was always filled with so much heart. I learned so much from her. And to her, I give so much thanks. In so many ways, she was the first step to what I expect to be a long-held hobby of mine. To everyone who loved her and appreciated her as much as I did, I thank you. Thank you for allowing me to create something amazing.

Many might ask, why in the world would you kill off your amazing Templar Bardmancer Housemage? The answer is simple. My death was BADASS. HAHA- THANKS GUYS!!

 

Edited September 2, 2025 by Marthia

[confusedjester 811]

The news was not received well.

The Heiress held the letter within trembling mitts, a blurry gaze cast over those final scribes from the woman she called mother.

In her dimly lit room, did Einin sink to her knees, shoulders sagged, pressing that letter to her dome. 

A girl would sob- mournful, anguished cries from the depths of her soul, out into the suffocating air.

As her heart ached, did she press her head to the floorboards, mumbling to herself.

Distraught, sorrowed, and pained, did Einin murmur.

 

The sun would set, and the room would grow cold. The wicks of the candles then would snuff out.

 

--------------------------------

 

Cleome's eyes traced the paper. Her red brows rose, high to her head. It was shock, at first- her mother, a woman she believed would live forever, and ever- now dead, with nothing to show for it except this singular piece of parchment. 

She inhaled- then exhaled, a rocking on her heels, anxiously, before her feet carried her to find....

 

Not her brother- but her father.

[Tainga 521]

Athaenis Vourkehardt stumbled into the Silver Spears headquarters, trailing after Azruphel after she had retrieved her mail. They were fresh from battle–bloodied, weary, the sting of wounds still clinging to them. 

She carried two letters. The second stole her at once. As she sank into her chair, her eyes fixed on the parchment, Azruphel's voice dulled into nothing. A message short and spare, yet loud in meaning: A farewell. 

Russandiel. Her friend. A constant. Gone. 

Grief struck like a blade. Tears began to form, her chest hollowed, her heart heavy. Another friend lost. Another death to add to the growing count. It never softened, never dulled–it cut fresh each time. And for her, still alive, still in health, knowing she would not see them again–cut deeper. 

She might have wept, there in Azruphel's company, had not something clawed at her mind. A wrongness. A thrum in her chest. This is not right. She had heard Russandiel but a month ago in the square, and much earlier than that even–bright and alive. A woman who had things yet to live for.

Russandiel would not have yielded to death. 

And more than that, she was a Wick. That truth alone made Athaenis certain–there had to be more. There was more. 

Unless, of course, she was deceiving herself. Perhaps it was just the weariness speaking, her grief clinging to her. She had lost too many–left and right, left and right–and could not bear to accept another. 

She would not believe it. Not until the pyre burned, and she saw Russandiel's body given to flame.

[jihsoo 746]

r

[Lasombruh 612]

(Rip the formatting)

[Marthia 273]

Just now, Lasombruh said:

(Rip the formatting)

Spoiler

rip my one picture... ;-;

 

[Security_ 2287]

It was thus, Casimir leered over the expanse of lava, unable to truly tear his gaze away. An urn rested upon the windowsill, glinting brightly in the candlelight. It took quite some time for words to make their way out, "Russandiel, the hole in my heart shall never mend. It is forever lost, like ashes in the wind." From the urn, a bit of ash was scooped, sent to fall to the broiling heat beneath. "Yet, you taught me a valuable lesson. Fate is not ours to control."

[TheOnlyTub 550]

Iudas Reaction:

Spoiler

"Oy vey"
The pious son of Russandiel once again hunched over a thick stack of papers within whatever temple he sequestered himself inside of. A shaky hand held the letter brought to him via courier rat. The Wick-Priest had much on his mind as of late, and much to consider going forward. For a few fleeting moments the kohen of the True Faith did not pray to GOD, he only wished for the embrace of his mother.

 

Fionn Reaction:

Spoiler

Live Fionn Reaction:


It did not take long for That Which Was Truly Most Wicked to hear the news. Be it the howls of his uncle from the nearby volcano or the small skeletal spies he had bring him news on his kinsman one may never know. Yet all the same the Rat was pleased. Hurriedly he scurried around the halls and rooms of the Black Sepulchre, making preparations for a meeting long overdue, a debt most grand was to be collected, for no brand was lain without marking a price upon its flesh.
"My Justice"

 

[Curry 115]

Arriving back at his home, Canaiddun came across the letter sent to him. Though decades had passed by now, he still recognized almost immediately her handwriting. He took a seat to read it through properly. Only a few muttered whispers escaped him, then a long silence. Soon after, his gaze moved to the mirror next to him, his vision blurred, and he struggled to recognize the face that was in front of him. A hysterical-sounding laugh then could be heard echoing throughout the room, before a somewhat high-pitched voice began to speak.

"Another promise broken, Canaiddun. Here I was starting to grow bored as well." A faint pause then followed before he continued. "Oh, what will you do now, bolts? You seem only to know how to lose nowadays. Its honestly pathetic." The laughter continued, mocking Canaiddun. He stood up and raised his hands, grasping them both onto the sides of his head in an attempt to shut out the voices. He looked in the mirror one more time before shattering it. With that, the silence returned for a moment.

Tears then soon began to run down Canaiddun's face while he took a seat in his chair once more. "Why- how- GAH!" He barely managed to construct a proper sentence while attempting to keep himself together. As he continued to mourn, his gaze would lock onto an old memory, a ring. "Silver.. What if I.." He tapped the table a few times as he contemplated in silence. "It could be something.." Was the last thing he muttered before putting on his helmet, making his way to an unknown destination.

[MonteGiant 891]

Leomonte would receive the letter of Russandiel's death, and soon would a flood of sadness overtake him. An ally, a friend, and many other things. . . Gone. . . He does not know if he will ever see her in the afterlife, but still would the warrior hum a hymn in her name, ending such a song with a message. "I will miss you, and I will treasure the days that I have known you. . ."

[latte 2238]

A strange sort of melancholy followed a certain Wick as she caught wind of the news. The death of an enemy, a friend, a sister. And for the first time in many years, Georgiana Wick allowed herself to sorrow. Hiccups of cries erupted from an ashen mountain - the very same one that Russandiel had met her demise upon.

[Monty Cobra 921]

9 hours ago, confusedjester said:

The news was not received well.

The Heiress held the letter within trembling mitts, a blurry gaze cast over those final scribes from the woman she called mother.

In her dimly lit room, did Einin sink to her knees, shoulders sagged, pressing that letter to her dome. 

A girl would sob- mournful, anguished cries from the depths of her soul, out into the suffocating air.

As her heart ached, did she press her head to the floorboards, mumbling to herself.

Distraught, sorrowed, and pained, did Einin murmur.

 

The sun would set, and the room would grow cold. The wicks of the candles then would snuff out.

 

Once that news had been broken to him, did Aurus remain steadfast at his wife's side... but what comfort could one give in the face of losing a mother, a grief both of them already knew so well? No. There was no way to ease that hurt. Aurus resigned to hold Einin through the long hours of the night as her wails echoed the room, in the absence of a woman that he wished he'd known better. . .

[Cally 1080]

reserved?

[MontyMain2000 6]

Roran read over the letter which had been delivered to him by none other than a stuffed rat with comically large ears. The man had his head propped up upon his fist while he sat at his desk, reading the letter over and over as a feeling of regret filled his chest. He never got to reconcile with Russandiel, to tell her how he now understood her more than he had ever expected. His mind flashed to the day in which she begged on her knees for him to slay her daughter which had fallen to the sway of warlocks and demons and how he wonders if with his feelings now he would do the same to her, to cry and beg to slay a wayward child he once so loved. The man found himself talking aloud these thoughts to that stuffed rat, it's ears perked up at attention to his voice, he didnt know why he was talking to a stuffed rat but perhaps deep inside him he hoped a piece of Russandiel could somehow hear him through it. For the coming years the stuffed rat known as Despereaux, a gift from Russandiel, became not only a courier but a trusted confidant and keeper of the knight's most inner thoughts spoken aloud.

[Linguini 53]

Yuria reads the letter.

 

Alone. A mixture of tiresome solace.
 

She had forgotten many faces. 

 

Russandiel's included. 
 

I'm here and I'm there. I'm up and I'm down and I'm low and I'm peaking, it's cold in the deep end.