#☠ ▌ ｔｈｅ ｂｌａｃｋ ｇｏｄ＇ｓ ｃａｌｌ ( tortall au. )

[stygicniron]

madefate asked:

❛ of all the idiots in the realm, i’m trapped with you. ❜ / from clarisse!

Ask Meme: Getting Medieval -- @madefate

“I’m thrilled to be here too,” Nico drawled, a muscle working in his jaw as he studied the back of the head of the bandit driving the cart. It was a bit embarrassing as a page, a knight in training, to be captured by a hill bandit. It was more embarrassing for two pages to be captured by hill bandits, but there they were, arms bound behind their backs, weaponless, and jostling every so often with any small bump in the road.

The bandits had been careful to speak in low voices when around their captives so Nico wasn’t fully sure where they were headed. Twisting a little, he tried again to pull his hands free.

[stygicniron]

madefate asked:

there’s no way i’m leaving you like this . / from jason!

Ask Meme -- @madefate

Nico shook his head. His ears were ringing and he couldn’t fully remember why they were ringing. That probably wasn’t a good sign, but at any rate, it at least added credence to the fact that Jason had better things to do than hang around with him.

“Go,” Nico groaned, tugging his helmet off his forehead to try to help the ringing in his ears. (It didn’t.) “Grandma Nealan will be here soon. Go on! They need your help.”

[stygicniron]

tumblr forgot my tags again 4/?

[stygicniron]

Set on the world of Tortall created by Tamora Pierce, primarily based during the Protector of the Small and Trickster’s duology timelines, however this is flexible.

Nico’s father is the third son of the noble family Chronos and not set to inherit the vast land and fortune of that noble family. He therefore became a priest of the Black God, the god of death of the realm. Nico’s father had an affair with Nico’s mother, but decided to raise the child anyway, going out of his way to claim Nico as a true son. There were some rumors that Nico’s mother was even allowed to live in the residence of the family, although this has yet to be confirmed by the rumor mill.

For his part, Nico did not want to follow in his father’s footsteps to become a priest and instead decided to try for his shield to become a knight. However, the Black God has other plans, taking an interest in Nico and claiming him as his champion. Nico initially had some skill with the Gift, primarily concerning an area more commonly called the Sight, which he inherited from his father. This magic let him see and eventually speak to ghosts. As Nico grows as the Black God’s champion, this magic becomes more powerful.

While he does not wear the full black robes of the priests of the Black God, he does typically have a black hood draped over his shoulders, only raising it when he works with the dead. His primary weapon is a blackened iron sword.

Plots to explore:

Nico going on a quest to make sure the killing devices are fully eradicated, trying to bring peace to the souls trapped inside

Nico’s powers expanding??

Trying to figure out who Nico’s knight-master might be

Open Muse Requiring or By Request

[stygicniron]

madefate asked:

❛ nobility is defined by what you do, not who you are. ❜ / also from meathead!

Ask Meme: Getting Medieval -- @madefate

Summer exercises that year were more involved than previous years. In previous years, the Page Training Master would take the pages to brief excursions in various areas of the realm--one year it was to spend time among the Bazhir, another time it might be clear out the bandits and camp in the hill country. This summer, Padraig haMinch had it in mind to see war. The rumor among the pages was that their Training Master had grown weary of such trivial outings to the rest of the realm and that the war at the country’s northern border had drawn his attention and interest. Of course he said that it would do the pages some good to see an active warfront, to appreciate what fighting a war truly meant, but the pages could also tell haMinch decided to take them north so he could feel like he was contributing in some way. He had apparently received some frantic letters from worried parents demanding that he stay out of range of the fighting, and such letters had been swiftly replied with the rather pointed question of what the parents thought their darling children being trained to be knights actually meant.

Nico didn’t think the parents needed to have been particularly worried. While the pages had been assigned to various locations along the warfront, none of them were intentionally within the active fighting. The pages would serve support roles largely, although this didn’t mean they wouldn’t see fighting.

Mouth set in a grim line, Nico continued his work stacking kindling to build a pyre. He’d been assigned to the refugee city of New Haven not far from the Tortallan-Scanran border. Down the road and up on the hill, he could still see the burned out remains of the former refuge camp Haven and the ghosts that lingered there.

Sir Nealan’s words drew his attention, and he realized he’d been daydreaming. The camp healer had been making sure he did his job well; he didn’t want the water supply getting infected by any of the enemy dead. “I’m sorry, sir. I’m almost done,” he said, fingers fiddling with the black cord tied around his neck before returning to his work. “Good thing it’s not about how you look though,” he continued. “I look like I just dove head first into a mud bath.”

[stygicniron]

i will write a more formal verse post/page for this later, but for now, quick and dirty for To.rtall verse:

- (based on Tam.ora Pierce’s world of Tor.tall), set roughly during the Scanran war, so around Pr.otector of the Sm.all series and Tric.kster’s duology

- Nico’s father is the third son of a prominent noble line, meaning he has some money and some inheritance but he is not the primary inheritor of the grand lands or fortune

- Nico’s father therefore became a priest of the Black God, the god of death of the realm. The priests/esses of the Black God will typically wear a black robe while they are performing their duties. When they are attending someone who has died, they pull up the hood of the robe. The Black God is also depicted in this way

- Nico’s father had an affair with Nico’s mother but decided to raise the child anyway, going out of his way to claim him as a true son (also cared for Nico’s mother despite some of the scandal of making an affair public). polycule H.ades-Persep.hone-Maria though

- Nico doesn’t want to follow in his father’s footsteps so instead decides to become a knight to try to make a name for himself (he’s not due to get much inheritance anyway)

- the Black God has other plans, taking an interest in Nico and ultimately claiming him as His champion

- Nico initially possesses some small skill with the Gift magic mostly representing in an area more commonly called the Sight which for Nico lets him see and, eventually, speak to ghosts. Nico’s father also has this skill. As Nico grows as the Black God’s champion, this becomes more powerful

- but just picture a knight in shining armor with also with a black hood under his armor and a black iron looking blade. and he’s the good guy!!!

-things still noodling over-- Nico’s family’s noble family name, idk tying this to the killing devices plot? But how far do Nico’s powers go??? Who is Nico’s knight-master? Also Bianca and Hazel are there!! I just don’t know where yet. Stop me or I will figure out how all the pjo kids fit into this

[stygicniron]

madefate asked:

“It would have been a lot easier to treat if you’d MENTIONED IT SOONER.” / meathead obviously

Lost Meme -- @madefate

“I’m not dying, Neal,” Nico said, waving a vague dismissive hand at the older knight as he watched the other busy himself with making some vile concoction. Nico knew he was going to have to end up drinking that mess soon, which was part of the reason he’d waited so long to ask for help for his scratchy throat that long since moved from slight itch to feeling raw. And besides, Neal had other, sicker patients to take care of than needing to fuss over Nico.

Then again, Sir Nealan’s general state seemed to be fussing, so that wasn’t too different now versus any other time. “It’s just a cold,” he tried to argue around his hoarse voice.

[stygicniron]

madefate asked:

“ are you insane?! run! “ / meathead!

Ask Meme : Shining Armor -- @madefate

Killing devices. Nico had heard about them, breath vanishing from his lungs as he gaped at the bug like creature, it’s too-many-jointed legs ending in knives scuttling across the farmside. But he thought with Blayce gone that meant the end of the killing devices too? His mind clamored in horror, rolling to the side as the beastie was suddenly on him, only just getting out of reach of the knife-fingered swings.

Gods above and below, how did they allow this one to come back? Nico wondered distantly, an odd ringing in his ears blotting out whatever the knight was yelling at him next, the voice of the spirit fueling the device suddenly tumbling into his awareness. Gods, it was a person. And Nico was so angry he could hardly breathe.

Holding out a hand in a commanding gesture, he twisted it once, fingers pinching together to pin the spirit and thus the killing device in place. This was new, the calm distant portion of his mind noted, but the rest of him could barely contain his rage at the sorcerer who conjured this monster again.

[stygicniron]

madefate asked:

❛ what’s a life threatening quest without a bit of music? ❜ / from Neal!

Ask Meme: Getting Medieval -- @madefate

Nico was pretty sure he still had spidren silk in his hair, sticking it together in unfortunate clumps and making the back of his neck sticky. They’d fully cleared out about three spidren nests that day, the odd human screams of the monsters still filtering uncomfortably around his mind and making him jump at every rustle of branches in the woods beyond. 

Because yes, even though they had guards posted around the clearing where they’d set up camp and it would even be his turn to take over watch in a couple hours, he still couldn’t feel like he could relax just yet. Relaxation would come once they were all safely tucked back into their castle the next day and he could wash himself off thoroughly enough to get the monster cries out of his head.

So of course Neal’s voice came filtering out of the gloom around the camp fire, drawl pointed enough that Nico almost wanted to strangle the older knight the instant he spoke. Another one of their companions, Nico couldn’t tell who, had pulled out a lute, idly strumming at the instrument to give the night time some extra sound rather than the memories of spidrens. 

“Please don’t sing,” Nico drawled back to Neal before he realized what the other might be getting at. “No, I’m not going to sing either.”