Rebirth

[Isa]

Ice moved down the hill at a slow trot like pace. He'd already found several potential candidates to replace his siblings, the first handful that he'd tried to pass the power off to had died, the last one had been weak minded and unable to control the power, eventual overwhelmed him. Frustrated Ice had taken forcibly taken the power back and left the man as a stone statue. Stumbling as his muscles spasmed again he fell head first down the hill, the first few spasms had been weeks apart but they were gradually getting closer together, he could almost feel time slipping through his fingers, at last he had found a candidate he felt would be able to both control the power and remain uncorrupted by it. With luck this person would be able to hold a few of the elements without problems. Now he just had to reach them before the conflicting powers destroyed his body and soul.


OOC: Not much of a starting post but it should get the ball rolling, if every one can make a post for there character going about there day to day life I'll work Ice into it at some point, or I'll have him draw another character along to slip in and create a "test" of some sort for your character.

[Darkninja]

Akihito moved from target to target throwing kunai's and shurikan's at the training post he had made. After landing the last kunai dead center he smirks then a sizzling sound can be heard coming from one of the kunai's and then *BOOM* the training post blows up sky high. "Alright it seems the paper bomb was a success." Unsheathing his two Mid-Sized daggers he turns to a 10 feet-tall training post made from the best wood he could find.

"Lets see how sharp you two are." Taking off at lightning fast speed towards the last standing post he leaps in the air while gracefully twisting his body and then vanishes behind on the other side of the training post. Sheathing his daggers slightly then a second after sheathing them completely the 10 feet-tall training post starts to fall of in sections one by one.

"Phew, that concludes today's training." Completely exhausted from all the training Akihito heads into the forest to look for edible plants. later that day Akihito had a satisfying meal and soon found himself wanting to move on. In doing so he gathered all his equipment and started to travel by tree. Wondering where the road would take him he felt that his adventure has yet to begin.

[Doc]

MUSIC: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Up5qS...eature=related

The sound of colliding steel echoed throughout the chamber and continued to reverberate from wall to wall down the length of its adjacent corridors. The noise of feet shuffling and stepping rapidly followed suite as the two men that stood within the sparring arena danced to and fro across the floor, their blades cutting swiftly through the air and colliding with one another in blurs of silver. The room was lit solely by torchlight, each flame propped outwards from against the stone walls of the extravagant and massive building.

The first of the two duelists looked as though he was approaching the end of middle age, his hair dark and combed back into a simple pony tail with only several grey streaks running through his locks. About his mouth was placed a finely trimmed goatee which game him the look of a gentleman, the brows above his chocolate brown eyes also plucked to perfection. His skin was already tan enough, but its darkness seemed accentuated by the white button-down shirt that he wore as a top, the sleeves of which frilled outwards in all directions at the wrists.

“Mind your footing.” He commanded, his voice possessing an accent that was rich of a foreign heritage. He advanced forward towards his opponent, flicking his wrist quickly as to parry aside an oncoming attack before countering with one of his own.

The younger of the two stood slightly shorter than his sparring partner, but his appearance was no less refined. His hair was a deep shade of hazel while his eyes were a sharp blue, his gaze deep and piercing like that of a hawk. He was handsome to behold, bearing neither scars nor blemishes of any sort upon his fine features. A bead of sweat ran down along his forehead, dripping down and falling upon the stone floor beneath him as he blocked the other man’s attacks.

“Well done.” The older man complimented as his student retaliated with a strike of his own, forcing his teacher to retreat several steps as their dual resumed. Back and forth they moved with precision and skill, their focus so intense that they failed to notice the entrance of a newcomer into the private chamber. It was not until the messenger finally cleared his throat that the two brought their dance to a halt, both looking to the man responsible for the interruption.

“My Lord,” the servant bowed at the waist to the older of the two dualists before looking to the younger and bending even lower, “My Prince.”

“What?” the younger swordsman questioned, his tone one of annoyance as he cast the messenger a glare.

“Please forgive my intrusion, but your father has requested your presence.” The man humbly informed his master, his eyes downcast at the floor. He received an irritated snort in response, causing him to flinch visibly.

“I’m in the middle of training.”

“My Prince,” the older swordsman attempted to politely interject before his student shifted his glare to him as well, blinking as he offered a small smile while correcting himself, “Edgar, you should not keep your father waiting.”

“But, Dagonet-“

MUSIC: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RV1EA...eature=related

“It is the duty of every knight to faithfully serve his master, is it not?” Edgar’s mentor questioned, raising a brow. His protégé frowned; his shoulders drooping after he reluctantly sheathed his rapier at his side.

“Yeah, yeah. Duty.” The young swordsman muttered bitterly between gritted teeth, casting his gaze elsewhere as his voice dropped to a quiet murmur, “… when I’m Duke I won’t be such a pain in the-“

“Duty and honor reside within the heart of every knight. They are his sword and his shield.” Dagonet reminded his student as he placed his sword within its scabbard as well, walking briskly to Edgar’s side and nodding in the direction of the messenger, “Go now and see what your father requires.”

“Right.” Edgar sighed, raising a gloved hand to brush aside a bang of hair that lingered over one of his eyes. He looked down at the still bowing messenger before him and rolled his eyes.

“Well? I haven’t got all day.”

“Yes, my Prince.” The servant nodded before bowing once more to Dagonet, “My Lord.”

Dagonet smiled as he nodded in kind, watching as the young prince followed the messenger off in the direction that he had come.

-----------

MUSIC: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJ59eX0WhOc

From where he sat upon his throne, the noble Duke of Athlem raised his gaze to see who had entered the chamber. At the sight of his son grudgingly trudging along behind the messenger that had been sent to fetch him the Duke sighed, simply shaking his head as he glanced to his wife that sat at his side. Both were finely dressed, as was to be expected for the highest ranking members of the nobility.

Edgar glanced at the many stained glass windows that he passed while approaching the throne, his hands upon his hips as he moved. His expression was sour and his eyes conveyed an obvious desire to be elsewhere.

“My Lord and Lady, I present to you his highness Prince Edgar de Chevalier.” The messenger bowed humbly before stepping aside, falling back behind a line of armored knights that stood firmly at attention. Another contingent of soldiers stood directly across the royal blue carpet that lead to the throne, each saluting as Edgar stepped forward.

“Father.” He nodded to the Duke before looking to his mother, who smiled as she rose from her seat and approached him. He grimaced in embarrassment and shied away slightly as the woman fondly embraced him and placed a kiss upon both of his cheeks.

“... Mother.” He nodded as she stepped back to look him over. The Duke rose as well then, coming forward to stand beside his wife and regard his son with a gentle smile.

“Edgar. I trust your training is progressing smoothly?”

“Yes, father. Dagonet and I have been sparring daily.”

“Good.” The Duke smiled fondly, “Then the day is fast approaching when you too shall serve as a member of the Knights Chevalier. I look forward to your captainship.”

“Not enough to spare me the busywork…” Edgar mumbled under his breath, earning a raised eyebrow.

“Hm?”

“I was merely clearing my throat. Excuse me, Father.”

“It’s fine, it’s fine.” The Duke waved his son’s apology aside, ignoring the earlier remark as well, “I am sure that you are wondering why you have been summoned here.”

“The thought had crossed my mind, Father.” Edgar answered, glancing about curiously.

“I have need of you to perform an errand for me.”

Edgar’s expression fell slightly at that, his brow twitching slightly. He was a knight, not some errand boy.

“It is the duty of every knight to faithfully serve his master, is it not?”

Edgar scowled as Dagonet’s words played through his mind. He cast a glance over his shoulder quickly just to make sure that his mentor hadn’t stalked him here.

“What is it that you require, my Lord?” he managed to ask politely.

“As you may have already heard, a gang of bandits has been causing trouble for the farmers of Athlum who are trying to bring their goods to market. There have been several ambushes and violent incidents.” The Duke explained, his hands folded behind his back, “In order to stop these criminals I have decided to dispatch you and a contingent of Knights to deal with the issue.”

“… Father?” Edgar questioned, visibly surprised to be assigned to such a task, let alone to have a unit of soldiers serving under him.

“Consider this assignment your rite of passage into the Knights Chevalier.” The Duke smiled. Edgar’s eyes lit up like the brightest of stars as his mouth turned upwards into a wide grin.

“Be careful, Edgar.” His mother smiled, earning an eager nod in response.

“Yes, I will.” He answered, bowing at the waist with a twinkle in his eye, “I will put a stop to these outlaws, Father.”

[Paladin_girl]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Gy6Ll9Vxh8

The river of Terra di Aria snaked around the little village, glistening in the sunlight like water upon metal, the sound refreshing as it trickled upon the rocks and pebbles. On the grassy bank, a figure in white was kneeling with a pail in her hand, carefully retrieving some of the water. She cupped her hands together, some of the water flowing into them, in which she splashed it upon her face.

Standing up, she picked up the full pail and slowly began to walk towards what seemed to be a small fort in the centre of the town. In the streets, children laughed as they chased one another, while the farm hands gathered together in the taverns, talking heartily about their day's work while the women outside sprinkled seeds and water upon the ground. Those of whom were not doing such relaxing notions were still doing their work, even when dusk was slowly approaching.

One of these people was the girl with the pail.

Upon opening the large oak door into the fort, she was greeted by the sound of heavy coughing and weary groans, while others whispered to one another about such sounds and their exhaustion. The girl glanced around slowly before settling the pail on the ground, her eyes searching for the infermiera superiore, better known as the head nurse in the village's small infirmary. Judging by the number of people lying on the floor, it was clear that many of the beds were already taken up.

The plague had spread so quickly that the priestesses of Eir took up the roles of being the nurses for the civillians living there. It had been difficult, with very few recoveries – if at all. It had been so for at least 6 months.

Nearby, the girl spotted Vittoria and Ettore, unable to help smiling at them. It had been a good few months since the priestess and her lover had seen one another because of the war. Even pleasant villages seized up their arms to fight for their motherland. But there was always the risk of nearby religious groups taking this as an opportunity to “spread the good name” using delightful methods such as pitchforks and brands.

But watching the couple, it was as if they had seen one another each day. Natural indeed, the girl surmised, but it was obvious that they had missed one another. Ettore was already dressed in his armour, his sword at his waist and helmet in one arm, while the other arm was around Vittoria. She prayed that poor Ettore would return alive for the sake of Vittoria. The girl was about to walk towards them when a low voice suddenly shook her from her thoughts.

“Niscar.”

The girl, Niscar, turned around to see the head nurse's bulging head and distinct scowl. But even the head nurse had dark circles below her small eyes like many other priestesses – it was clear that even she had to work to keep the plague at bay.

“O-oh! S-Superiore! Forgive me, I-I was simply-”

“Yes, yes, I know. Daydreaming. Did you retrieve the water?”

“Y-yes, superiore.” Niscar held up the pail towards the head nurse, who grasped it gingerly, but tightly as if it was fresh milk rather than water.

“Ensure that you attend to the others. We are short-staffed thanks to Adele and Diana getting this frightful plague.”

“Y-yes, superiore.” came the slow reply and Niscar nodded, deciding not to dwell any further, hurrying down the infirmary hallway.

[Megilwen]

"Rhea!" came her mother's voice from behind her in their little cabin.

"Yes, momma?" questioned Rhea as she stood from her garden, wiping her hands off on her apron. Rhea picked up her gardening basket and joined her mother in the cabin.

"Rhea, ,I'm all out of Bloodroot from my medical kit. Would you mind collecting some for me?"

"Of course not momma. I needed to go check my snares anyways. We've used almost all the meat from the last rabbit and I need more feathers. I'm running low on arrows and so I need some pheasant feathers for the fletching."

Rhea set her gardening basket aside, packed some cloth scraps into her apron, slung her nearly empty quiver over her shoulder, and grabbed her bow.

"I'll be back before dark momma." Rhea promised as she left, kissing her mother on the cheek. "Come Wulfric!" she called as she walked down the path toward the woods.

The large gray wolf, who had been dozing in the shade of the house, looked up at his name. Seeing his mistress leaving, he let out a "woof" as she stood bounding after her.

Within a few minutes of following the trail that left the clearing that held their cabin and Rhea's garden, she turned off the path using her own innate sense of direction toward her set snares. She planned on making the circle to check on her snares, while keeping a watch for patches bloodroot. Thinking back on her lessons with her mother, she remembered that bloodroot could be made into a paste to use for skin diseases, or the roots could be used to cure migraines. She'd also have to remember to pick extra to sell in town as the plant released a red color that could be used as a dye.

As she though Rhea wondered through the thick trees with her bow strung and an arrow at ready just in case she should scare out a pheasant. Rhea took the opportunity to listen to the stillness of her surroundings and the peacefulness that permeated the air. She cooled feel the cool earthy loam beneath her bare feet. Wulfric padded silently beside her, ears pricked, listening to the noises of the forest that Rhea couldn't hear.

The first few snares were empty. Eventually, she came to a snare that had a rabbit in it. She grabbed the trapped rabbit and moved a away from the trap so the sent of blood would not scare away any other small game that would come this direction, and then efficiently slit the small creatures throat. She allowed most of the blood to drain out before tying the rabbit to her belt. She then returned to reset the snare.

After checking a few more of her snares, Rhea strayed to where she knew a batch of bloodroot grew. She laid aside her bow, took the cloth straps and collected some of the plants. Then she gently wrapped them in the cloth before tucking them into her apron pockets.

Wulfric, who had been laying beside Rhea while she picked the herbs, lifted his head and let out a quiet "wuff". Rhea reacted quickly and quietly, picking up her bow. Wulfric sat up, alert and ready, and at Rhea's signal he ran into some near by bushes and succeeded in scaring out a pheasant. Rhea quickly drew and released her arrow, successfully shooting the pheasant through the heart. Wulfric collected the dead pheasant and happily brought it to Rhea.

"Thank you, Wulfric." said Rhea, as she took the pheasant from the wolf, removing the arrow with her knife, and then tying it onto her belt beside the rabbit.

The two companions then continued along their path to finish checking the rest of the snares. In one she found a partially eaten carcass, which she removed and through in the woods. In another she found another rabbit, which she was happy to let go. One single rabbit, not to mention the pheasant, would be enough to feed her and her mother for a few days and it was mating season for the rabbits. Better to allow as many to live as possible to increase the population, then to kill needlessly.

After checking the last snare, Rhea turned back toward home. When she arrived in the clearing she was surprised to see a wagon at their cabin so late in the evening. The cabin door opened, and Wulfric always protective of his mistress raised his hackles in warning to whoever it might be that would come out.

"Oh Rhea!" exclaimed her mother, as she stepped out of the cabin followed closely by a young gentleman. " I was afraid I was going to miss you. Mr. Ward's wife is going into labor and I'm needed. You'll be fine here alone, right?"

"Of course Momma." Rhea assured her.

"I probably won't be back until sometime tomorrow, darling." said her mother, as she put her medicine bag into the front of the wagon and then allowed Mr. Ward to help her up. "Be careful."

"I will Momma." Rhea promised as the wagon pulled away.

Soon the wagon was gone. Rhea went about the business of cleaning the rabbit and the pheasant, putting the meat into the smokehouse, and putting the feathers to boil and dry so she could fletch some new arrows tomorrow. Wulfric happily ate some of the scraps from the skinning of the rabbit. Rhea set aside the skin to finish preparing later, as well as placed her mother's herbs onto her work bench. As night was quickly falling, she prepared for bed before laying down among the pile of rabbit furs in front of the hearth with Wulfric at her back. After a long day Rhea quickly fell asleep.

[Isa]

Ice looked at the gang of men around him. he'd been focused on the group of horsemen, trying to balance out the powers by a little of the strength from each once a day. He'd been watching the men using air to bend the light and see them clearly despite the distance, and had confirmed the speed they were moving by feeling the vibrations of their horses hoof beats with earth. He was fortunate that one of the candidates he'd selected was among them. Still the band of thieves were his immediate concern.

"Come on boy,we want your money, we saw you in town paying the innkeeper gold, we want the rest of it, give it to us and you can just go on with your life." Heaving a sigh as he stood Ice untied the strings of his purse from his belt and dropped it on the ground.

"I'm afraid your mistaken all I have is a few copper pennies your welcome to them of course." He smiled a little these men might be useful for him, the bag on the ground contained very little money, the gold he'd payed the innkeeper had been changed using the elements powers. watching the first man bend towards the bag he stepped forward and placed a hand on his back. Releasing his own power into the man created a crackling noise and a few short pops as Ice formed over him and rapidly spread to the rest of the group.
"I'm not going to kill you men, even if I can see the blood of innocents covering your hands, but I will leave each of you stuck here for as long as it takes for those with the authority to dictate your punishment arrive."
Working quickly to finish before the horsemen arrived as well as to be sure his work was finished before the ice had melted he pushed the thieves into a tight group and used earths power to erect a small cage around them. placing a slab of rock in front of it on the trail he touched a finger to it's front releasing enough power to make it feel soft to him, and then began to write.

Edgar de Chevalier, I offer you a chance at the power to perform act's such as this, If you feel you are worthy travel alone to the town of Terra di Aria, I will find you there.
-Regards the Elemental

Finishing the letter he withdrew the power and then looked towards the town he thought he could find the next candidate in and released his grip on the power of air, letting it lighten him and his load as he began to run, he could feel the slight push on his back as the winds changed course to move him faster.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Ice glanced around the little town, he could smell the lingering scent of death even as it was overwhelmed by the decay of bodies unable to be buried. He;'d seen other places the plague had struck but none had seen it so badly as this peaceful town. Pushing his way through the streets he made his way towards the Church he noticed a couple off to the side sharing a lovers kiss. Hesitating to interrupt them he glanced around the bustling hall and admitted that the quickest way would be to disrupt there happy moment.
"Priestess I beg your pardon but I recently came into town and it is of vital importance that I speak with whoever is in charge of these people, I may need some help but I know a way to cure them. In exchange for your help I will give you some peace of mind." Touching the man's shoulder he let another tendril of elemental power free, metal this time, and directed it into the man's leather armor, in moments it's color began to change from the light tan of leather to the dull silver sheen of good steel. "Your lover will be a little safer for now, but if you don't hurry I won't have enough strength left to heal all those that need it."

[Doc]

Edgar stood with his arms crossed firmly over his chest, brows furrowed in contemplation as his knights cautiously maneuvered about the already captured bandits that they had come upon. They were caged in what looked like rock that had risen right up from the earth beneath them, imprisoning the outlaws and keeping them in place until the arrival of the Knights Chevalier.

Further, the bandits had been apparently frozen as well, their legs still stuck to the ground by a miniature glacier as their bodies shook violently from the cold. Their flesh was clammy and possessed a bluish hue from the lack of warmth that shot upwards from their toes.

"My Lord," a knight spoke suddenly, stepping forward towards Edgar, "We found this letter nearby."

"And? What of it?" the young prince questioned, looking to the soldier.

"... it's addressed to you, milord."

Edgar's eyes narrowed as he looked to his side. There stood Dagonet, also bearing an inquisitive look as he regarded the parchment held out before his young master. Edgar took the note quickly and unfolded it, his eyes scanning over the words with a look of surprise and...

... excitement?

"Edgar...?" Dagonet questioned, stepping towards his charge with a raised eyebrow. The prince responded by thrusting the paper out for his instructor to read as he wasn't exactly sure how to explain it himself.

"The elemental?"

"Father spoke to me of them once," Edgar nodded, folding the letter once again before slipping it into one of the pockets of his leggings, "when I was young. He'd tell me stories."

Dagonet nodded, running a thumb over his chin in thought.

"I remember." the master swordsman spoke, "The elementals represent the raw forces of the world. They are men and women who have devoted themselves to mastering their specific sphere of power for the betterment of all."

"Sounds to me like a bunch of hocus pocus." Edgar answered, looking back to the prisoners in thought.

"I think whoever this elemental is, he wanted to leave you with a sample." Dagonet stated, gesturing towards the bandits, "It would seem that there's certainly a degree of truth to all of this."

"Then I suppose it is settled." the prince snorted, turning and heading in the direction of his horse. He ignored his teacher's confused expression as he pulled himself up and onto the saddle.

"My prince, you cannot be serious..." Dagonet began, "To go alone? There are too many risks. An what of your father? Remember, a knight's duty..."

"I'm more than capable of taking care of myself, Dagonet." Edgar scoffed, looking down at his mentor while taking the reigns of is steed in both hands, "And with these new abilities I'll be able to perform my duty much better, ne?"

"But you still must at least inform the Duke..."

"I leave that pleasant task to you." the young swordsman smirked, "I'll return once my affairs with this elemental are concluded."

"My lord!" Dagonet started, only to be cut off by the neigh of Edgar's horse as it kicked off in the opposite direction. The man watched as his student rode off down the path leading out of Athlem, his lips curved into a frown as his hands found his hips.

[Paladin_girl]

It was obvious that Ettore and Vittoria found the interruption somewhat surprising if not unfair for different reasons. For Ettore's armour to suddenly change from hard leather to steel was impossible, if not inhuman – and cautiously, his lips found Vittoria's ear to whisper quietly:

“Diavolo.”

Vitorria nodded in understanding of her lover's concern – and was about to reply when Niscar had returned with a handful of bandages, stumbling clumsily over some steps that lead towards a room. Their eyes met.

Niscar slowly nodded in understanding, carefully placing the bandages upon a wooden trolley before slowly walking towards the stranger and the slowly escaping couple. Niscar was a willing scapegoat, but being alone with this strange man did not make her any less nervous. He was a strange one, no doubt of that – and he was indeed not the first to guarantee a cure. It made the priestesses cynical, if they were not already tired from their work.

Niscar however, was not about to question it. But she nor any other of the priestesses had the time. It was either the plague or the war which was exchanged for the lives of the people.

“S-Signore!” said she, attempting to be firm, “pardon my rudeness, but I am afraid we have little need of your witchcraft. What is your reason for being here?”

[Isa]

Ice glanced at the partying couple. and shook his head.
"I'm less a devil then your deity." Directing the gazer of his grey eye's back to the young girl and smiled. Something about the girl reminded him of his sister.

"It's not witch craft of any sort, unless you would declare Eir a witch for performing a miracle. though I'm afraid my motives are not entirely selfless, I came here for much the same reason that everyone else here did. This has become a place of healing. The same power's that allowed me to grant that young man better protection is also destroying me little by little, the only way to slow it's progress is by releasing it." He clutched at his arm as another spasm of pain shot from his wrist to his shoulder. Grimacing in pain he looked at the bandages the girl had set down.

"Please, I'm asking politely that you let me due my duty to these people. if you or the other priestesses would prefer I not exercise my power to save them then at least let me be a doctor for them. I have a detailed understanding of the human body," He pointed towards a young boy that had just came in. "I can tell you that he's running a fever, the priestess that sees to him is going to try helping him by reducing it. at the early stages of this plague you want to raise his temperature the cause of the disease requires a host whose temperature is withing a narrow range, if you increase the boy's fever past that range then the disease will die and he'll recover, you could also try dropping it below that range but you pose the risk of freezing him to death if you do." Shaking his head again as he pointed out other victims of the plague.

"but even with my knowledge most of these people will die unless you let me use my power to help there are to many here to treat effectively with traditional means given the number of people helping, and that number will slowly dwindle as the people helping tend the sick become sick themselves.. I don't ask for anything more then a chance to help them, at least give me that chance."

[Paladin_girl]

Intently, Niscar listened patiently. They were words similarly spoken by other sooth-sayers and quacks, but something was interesting about this man. She couldn't forsee nor understand as to why, but here he was, asking for a chance. No sooner had she prepared herself to reply, than the Superiore appeared, gruffly putting a hand on the girl's shoulder and looked at the stranger angrily.

“We have no need for your fakery! Get out! We've had enough trouble what with your kind showing up and making our jobs harder! Shoo!”

Niscar glanced at the Superiore nervously, then looked at the stranger, bowing her head apologetically.

“T-there... are so many patients, Signore,” she said quietly to him, “I would not wish to strain you. But if you are happy to make yourself scarce, you are welcome to Terra di Aria. B-but the Superiore i-is as caring as she is strong. Please do not think badly of her.”