Changing of the Guard

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Changing of the Guard

Postby Tracy » Tue Feb 14, 2012 9:27 pm

The Royal Guard. Magisbane Jr. had always aspired to be selected to guard the King and the leader of the Army, Chalnoth. This was his lifelong ambition.

Yet, here he was, a hardened veteran from years of fighting the forces of evil. He had seen the fall of Generals of Evil attacking Britain. He had fought off the undead invasion in Skara Brae. He had bloodied his blade on many a murderer that once plagued Felucca. He had been recognized for his feats, having been selected first as an Elder, then a Sonoma Ranger, and finally, a Royal Guard. His life dream had come true.

Yet now, years later, he stood on the balcony of the PAE Keep, staring into the sea, contemplating the emptiness years of battle had left inside. He had followed the ways of the Light, upholding the virtues to the best of his ability, always continuing his studies as a Paladin. His contemplation was interrupted by a voice from behind him, within the keep:

"My love, must you continue to stare into the sea as if it were the Abyss itself with such loathing in your eyes?"

Azaleta, his third wife, stood behind him, gently rubbing his shoulders in her quirky elven fashion. Without turning, he silently nodded, thinking of all the guards he had seen fall before his eyes. His mentor, his friends, his brothers, his comrades-in-arms. After a long silence, he finally spoke.

"I must leave the Guard."

"But you mustn't!", she replied, "There are people who rely on you to rid the lands of the murderous scum who, without honor, without prejudice, kill any who cross their paths. Scum like those who murdered my father!"

Magisbane Jr. sighed, resignedly. "I can't just quit, I have to find a willing and capable replacement. I have to train him. I have to mentor him. Then he must be approved by both the King and Sir Chalnoth, as well as obtaining a unanimous vote from the standing Guard. One thing is for sure though, I cannot continue this war. I have fought, I have led, and I have seen progress, but in the process, I have lost myself. I do not like who I have become."

Azaleta replied, "If I may ask, why must you refer to your successor as a man? Could I not go in your stead? You have taught me all that you know. I could be your replacement."

"Yes, but you do not yet know the ways of battle. Men are taught and trained, but heroes are forged from their actions on the battlefield."

"Again, I ask, why do you say 'men'? Can a woman not fight as nobly as a man?"

Magisbane Jr. lowered his head, "When I joined the guards, there were only men. There was a period of transition afterward wherein we accepted the first three women into the Guard. Women are just as capable as men, some even more so, but old habits die hard. I apologize, I meant no offense. I do feel I should still accompany you, however, because I do not want any harm to befall you. You are, after all, my wife, and the mother of my only son. And there is still the matter of you being confirmed by the King, Sir Chalnoth, and the standing Guards, none of whom have you fought alongside for years. This is a nigh impossible task, unprecedented in every way, but I shall pursue the matter at our next Guard meeting. I make no guarantees though. I tell you this now, my wife, if I cannot be replaced, you will lose me forever. I feel myself slipping every time I strike a killing blow, deeper into myself. I fear there is not much left of me now. If I go, and do not return, train our son to be a smith of sorts, so he must never endure the hardships of battle."

Azaleta replies, "I will do as you ask, my love, despite my better judgment. I patiently await your return with news from the throne."

(To be continued)
Last edited by Tracy on Sat Feb 18, 2012 4:36 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Tracy
PAS Royal Guard
PAS Royal Guard
 
Posts: 2388
Joined: Thu Oct 05, 2006 5:40 pm
Medals: 5
Mastica's Light of Love (1) Artemis Entreri Medal of Honor (1) DeGuy Medal of Honesty (1) Zerena Medal of Sacrifice (1) PAS Royal Guard (1)

Postby Tracy » Sat Feb 18, 2012 6:38 pm

Azaleta knew nothing of the art of forging a blade. She had once used a blade clumsily, during her training with Magisbane Jr., but had lacked the ability to wield it correctly. Magisbane Jr. had worked with her tirelessly, endlessly, patiently. After months of training, it was apparent to them both that she lacked the knowledge of the blade, and would doubtfully ever obtain the skills necessary to wield a weapon of battle.

Magic, however, came naturally for Azaleta. She had learned the words of power long ago, but she was never formally trained. Being an elf, she had spent most of her youth in the woods, attuning herself to nature, caring for plants, mending sick animals, and communing with the earth. It was during these communal times that the words of power were revealed to her, generally one at a time. She would reflect on the word for some time, and try to use it, sometimes with surprising results.

The first such word of power she learned was "In". Azaleta was never told exactly what it meant, but she had a feeling deep within herself that it was a word of creation, of sorts. Over time she began to experiment with the words of power, logically constructing her spells to do what she wanted them to. "In Lor", create light, "In Vas Mani", create great health, "An Corp", dispel death, "Kal Ort Por", summon magic movement. To Azaleta, magic was nature, and nature was life.

So it was no surprise that when she had first met Magisbane Jr. four years prior, she was alone, in the woods west of Yew on her home facet of Felucca, creating magical fruit to feed to the wildlife. For his part, Magisbane Jr. had been taken aback by the girl of the woods with her blue skin, caring for the animals. He almost immediately dismissed her as a hermit of sorts, inconsequential to the grand design, and had turned his steed away to continue on his journey, when a rogue ambushed the girl of the woods, Azaleta. Magisbane Jr. quickly drew his blade and charged toward her, jumping off his horse mid-gallop, but before he could reach the fray, he heard her shout, "IN VAS FLAM!" and the rogue was engulfed in flame from the ground to the top of his head. By the time Magisbane Jr. reached her side, the thief lay on the ground, barely able to breathe. With an "In Vas Mani", she made him whole again and told him to flee, and never return to those woods. She then quickly healed herself of the damage the rogue had caused to her, and sat on a nearby log to recollect herself.

Magisbane Jr. was astonished, having horribly underestimated the girl of the woods and her capabilities.

"Are you okay?", he had asked her.

"I do not wish to be interrupted when I am communing with Mother Earth, but yes, I am well. As you can see, I have already recovered from my wounds."

"Communing with Mother Earth?", Magisbane Jr. asked.

She explained, "All life forces on the planet are interconnected, they are as one. When a loved one dies, they reconnect with the life force of the Earth. My mother returned to the Earth when I was very young. And my father, he, he..."

Her voice trailed off, as a single tear made it's way down her right cheek. Sensing the loss was fairly recent, Magisbane Jr. responded, "I am sorry, you do not have to talk about it if you do not wish to."

Azaleta stood and responded, "No, I wish to honor his memory and commune with him, and no simple thief will hinder my communications. I hope to someday avenge him, as he was taken from me long before his time. He was all I had left connecting me with the world of the living, so I spend most of my time here, in the woods, conversing with him in the only way I know how."

Magisbane Jr. reflected on her words momentarily, then replied, "As a soldier and Royal Guard for the King himself, I will help you find your father's killer. And when you find him, you will have the means to avenge him."

Thus began her training with the blade, and eventually her romance with Magisbane Jr. The training would ultimately fail, and she would instead hone her magical skills, but the romance would continue to grow...

-------------------
-*Present day*-
-------------------

The last thing Magisbane Jr. had requested before his departure was that if he did not return, to train their son Azarone to be a smith if he failed to return. Three moon cycles had passed since then. Their son was a bit old to begin an apprenticeship, as no master smith would take a teenager as an apprentice, he would need to be perhaps eight or nine years old at a maximum to be considered.

Azarone had more of the human characteristics of his father, and as such was not in tune with nature to the same extent as his mother, but he was a very strong lad, able to carry large loads of supplies at a time.

Azatrae found the solitude of the PAE Keep to be an enjoyable thing at times, but the snow on Dagger Island was much colder than her home area near the Heartwood, so she spent less time communing with nature than she had in years past, with exception of healing an injured polar bear now and then.

Desiring to fulfill the last wishes of her teacher, mentor, and husband, she gathered her essential belongings, and with the words "Vas Rel Por", she opened a moongate to a location she had visited once before. A large city with many people, in which Azarone might learn the art of the blacksmith hammer by spending time in the local smith shop, with the assistance and convenience of having a forge and anvil in the house with them.

With a tear in her eye and a silent farewell, Azaleta and Azarone entered the moongate and stepped out to their new home, Luna.

(To be continued)
Tracy
PAS Royal Guard
PAS Royal Guard
 
Posts: 2388
Joined: Thu Oct 05, 2006 5:40 pm
Medals: 5
Mastica's Light of Love (1) Artemis Entreri Medal of Honor (1) DeGuy Medal of Honesty (1) Zerena Medal of Sacrifice (1) PAS Royal Guard (1)


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