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korivalthedarkone · 8 years ago

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2nd Champion Trial

Here is the second posting out of three for Rethandral Sunfall’s Champion trials. We do not have any in-game record of how a Blood Knight ascends through the ranks so myself and @inathia are bravely winging it and having fun while we’re doing so. Read the epic challenge below!

Despite the war and rebellion raging across the region of Suramar, it still somehow managed to retain it’s beauty as the seasons started a change properly into late spring. The camp at Meridil is quite busy with adventurers, soldiers, mercenaries and shady souls that look only to take advantage of the situation.

Out of the countless bodies coming in and out of the larger camp was set up a simple tent amidst others all emblazoned with the sigil of the Phoenix Guard. This tent belonged to Rethandral and his wolf sprawled out in front of the entrance lazily panting, watching the Knight mend the aged wolf-saddle that was only used back in the prior campaign. Rethandral took a final look at it to judge the work and was appeased by how it turned out. Setting it upon an overhanging branch, he gave his wolf a pat on the head and sought out the commander's’ tent.

A brief knock was given upon the stone entrance way considering no doors were present, Rethandral took a step in and glanced about. Knight Lord Inathia Dawnblade looked to be present though busy as usual with a bit of a small mountain of paperwork. A glimpse perhaps at his future.

“Knight Lord.” He stated respectfully, and awaited her response.

The Knight-Lord’s tent is modest in comparison to the other tents scattered about the Meredill and Ambervale grounds. Durable black fabric with red trim and a simple tapestry woven with the crest of the Phoenix Guard was plenty enough for her. The interior of the tent looked as if she expected to pack up and leave at a moment’s notice; the bedroll in the corner was neatly made, and her desk was completely clean (a far cry from her office back on the Isle of Quel’Danas).

Knight-Lord Dawnblade sits quietly in her chair, feet firmly planted on the ground and knees spread apart to allow her to hold her runeblade between them. With the sword’s point stuck into the ground, she gently rakes a whetstone across the edge. The long scraping sound has a slow rhythm to it. While some might find it maddeningly similar to a chalkboard, the Knight-Lord seems to find it relaxing.

“Master Sunfall. I see your lessons thus far have served you well. Good work in Felsoul Hold.” She sets the whetstone down and inspects the blade. At her touch, the Thalassian runes on it glow faintly.

“You’re ready for your next trial, then?”

Pulling long strands of hair back behind his blunted ears, Rethandral nods. “I feel to be rested enough from our previous missions to be prepared for anything to be thrown at me. Boulders included.” He cracks a grin marred by the old scar, considering half a cliff’s worth of rocks had nearly collapsed atop him down in the Felsoul Hold region. From behind him, has massive wolf pads up and pokes her square head into the tent entrance to look at Ina’thia and sniff at her tent. “Visha, get out.” Rethandral would gently shove his worg back out of the tent, and his furry companion relents to merely sitting right outside.

“What will the trial be for today? I recall there is combat and the questioning by the other Knights.” Rethandral tugged slightly at his white beard hairs before settling his arms across his chest to watch his Commander.

“I’ve taken quite a bit of consideration for one of the challenges, to be questioned by my fellow Knights. There has been a long list of things and events that have gotten me to where I am today. I’ve fell into a bit of inner peace with my situation. If only the same could be said for my brother, he’s been a bit distant from me.” His broad shoulders shrug lightly within the shoulder plates. “I can’t help him in every trouble he has, as much as it pains me.”

“Tonight is combat, Sunfall. A test I have no doubt that you will pass, but one that you must endure nonetheless. I did, and others before and after me did,” she comments with a brief glance past Rethandral, recalling the events of her own Champion trial, “It won’t be easy, but you haven’t gotten this far and been with the Phoenix Guard this long because it’s , yes?”

Finally, the Knight-Lord rises and shrugs her cloak over her shoulders. Her sword is securely hung off of the worn leather belt at her waist and she kneels down to pick up her battered shield. Far from the grand, magic-infused splendor of Rethandral’s shield, Ina’thia’s is worn, weathered, scratched, scuffed and a tiny bit dented in some spots. It’s kept clean, but it seems she prefers to carry reminders of past battles with her.

“There is a clearing on the beach between here and the isle of Azsuna; the Withered don’t go there, and the waters are too deep for the local wildlife to go near. I think it will suffice for our trials quite nicely.”

She stands back up again, holding her shield and something else -- a small metal insignia, circular in shape with the red phoenix of the Blood Knights carefully set into it. Focusing on her palm, the insignia glows with Light energies that is not so harmonious, but rather, a little bit chaotic. It has a faint arcane glow to it, and occasionally crackles with little bolts of Light energies that look not unlike electricity.

“Bring this out there with you. Keep your energy focused on it and, above all, . In the old days, we advanced by killing those who out ranked us and claiming their insignias for ourselves. There are other knights out in the Isles who are hungry for promotion, Sunfall. Defeat them before they defeat you.”

Stepping forward, Rethandral scooped up the charged amulet, felt the energy within it and added a portion of his own considerable well of energies to the crackling item. "No, you can be sure of it that I will be coming back with the item before the sun touches the horizon." Was that a bit prideful of him to boast like that? You can bet your butt that he was, but he hasn't gotten this far through as many campaigns as he has by being a whimp.

"It will only be a pity that we'll be losing some Knights today. Will you be coming out to watch?" He asked with a half grin, not particularly expecting her to be able to do so. "If not, I'll keep in touch, Knight Lord."

“And why would I tell you what my plans are, Sunfall?” Ina’thia smirks at Rethandral. “It’d ruin the surprise. Get going!”

A growl and a bark is heard outside as Visha bounced in place, eagre to leave. "You don't even have your saddle on, pup! May the Light watch over us." Rethandral said in farewell as he turned to leave the tent. Another day of killing, though not the killing he entirely looked forward to.

With a stern sounding command of 'sit', he got his wolf to stay still long enough to get the saddle and straps on her then mounted up and loped out of the camp remembering the general area that Inathia Dawnblade has spoken of. He's passed it once or twice and his wolf made easy ground crossing the wilderness and skittering down steep hillsides that he'd never put a horse to.

Dismounting, his plate boots sunk into the sand and he glanced down noting that it might be a possible problem. Granted, his opponents would also have that very same issue as well. Sighing, Rethandral pulls out the charged insignia trinket and took a closer look at it. A long low warning growl alerted Rethandral of danger and he looked up. He didn't sense demons, and there were no spiked silhouette of naga about...

"Announce yourself to your Knight Master." He growled.

The waves gently lap at the shore between Suramar and Azsuna as the tide goes out, leaving a brilliant sandbar of light tan that shimmers just a teeny bit with grains of ancient mana. As the tide recedes, fragments of the ancient night elf empire can be seen. Foundations of old buildings, intricately designed columns, smashed pottery and what quite possibly are scattered night elf bones. Hard to say, but it wouldn’t be the most gruesome thing found on the Broken Isles.

There is one Blood Knight on horseback standing at the edge of the water. While the size of the knight suggest that it is male, little other detail can be discerned beyond the pristine armor he’s wearing. He either hasn’t been subjected to the rigors of the Broken Isles campaigns, or cleaned up for this grand event.

He slowly turns his gaze to face Rethandral and smirked under his mask. The bright, fiery fel energies of his eyes can be seen from within the hollows of his helmet. “You must be the one that the Knight-Lord spoke of. She was right; you aren’t all that impressive. This will be easy.”

A deep laugh rumbles out from Rethandral's chest and he holds up the magically charged trinket tauntingly. He then tucks it behind his chestplate and then pulls the faceplate of his helmet down to cover his scarred face.

"Is that what you think? Then come forth and test your mettle against I, Rethandral Sunfall. You won't be getting that token until I'm dead and bleeding on these sands." Rethandral draws out his blade and golden flames erupted into life as the metal was exposed to the salty sea air. "Let me educate you on how to properly fight."

He beckons the Blood Knight to come forth with a tilt of his shield, pleased to hear a low growl of his wolf somewhere behind him, behaving.

"I'll even give you the benefit of the first strike."

The Blood Knight’s felfire eyes burn ever so brighter at the sight of the empowered trinket. The Knight-Lord had promised him that capturing the trinket -- at all costs -- would ensure his promotion, and also what he assumed to be her favor. His grip on the polearm resting across his lap tightens.

“I have killed in Knight-Lord Dawnblade’s name before, and I will do so again. I’ve heard stories of your shield, Master Sunfall. The power of the Sunwell is for naught unless you know how to properly channel it. Will it protect you from a spear in your chest?” the Blood Knight laughs loudly, and it gives an odd echoey sound from within his helmet.

With one swift movement, he swings the polearm up to sit cradled in his arm, which is held out to his side. His other hand firmly rests on his destrier’s reigns, and the armored beast of a horse snorts once. While it begins pacing side to side, getting its footing in the sand, the Blood Knight points the tip of the spear at Rethandral.

“Die!” His heels dig into the horse’s sides, and the beast charges forward at Rethandral! The Knight’s spear is held out, pointed at a downward angle, with the intent of making quick work of the would-be Champion.

"Fool." Mutters the Knight though it wouldn't be heard out of his helmet. Hoisting his shield in front of him with half of his face exposed, Rethandral waited as the destrier gained speed through the wet sand and the end of the polearm bore down on him steadily. If this Knight ever did his homework on Rethandral, he should have known his history with horses and mounted combat.

Rethandral leans into the oncoming blow with his shield denying the lance a solid blow to knock him to his backside. His blade nicks out from the cover of his shield to slash at the passing horses' legs and armor hoping to throw the Knight off his horse to make it a level playing field. Staggered by the passing blow, Rethandral took a knee and glanced over his shoulder before pushing back up to his feet to face the departing horse.

"You call that a charge? I would fail you if you were my mounted student! Pity your horse for charging a -good- foot soldier. Stay Visha!" The warg that inched closer and closer to the fight pricked ears up and then bounded back up a short hill and let out a nerve rattling howl most likely to spook any weak willed horse.

Raising his sword and swinging it about around his head in a jeer, he laughs at the Knight. "Care to try that again?"

The charging destrier's legs are slashed, causing it to shriek in pain and throw its rider from its back! With a yell punctuated by a soft 'thump' into the sand, the Blood Knight quickly rises. He is disoriented from the impact, and doesn't notice his horse limping away from the scene of the battle.

"Lucky shot, Sunfall! But can you fight a spearman? You have to get close to do anything with that sword and board!" the Blood Knight taunts, spinning his spear so it stands upright in his grasp, then holds it out as an extension of his own arm. The spear tip glows with an unstable enchantment that seems almost as reckless as the Blood Knight himself is.

"I will take that insignia from your corpse!"

"Then you truly don't know what you have gotten yourself into, Blood Knight. I don't need my weapons to kill you."

In the background a combination of wolf snarl and horse shriek is heard as Visha falls to her instincts of chasing and killing an injured animal on the shore of the marshy sand bars, armor being crunched by powerful jaws and bones snapping.

"Long walk if you win." Rethandral raises his arm that has his shield strapped to his forearm, he takes hold of the holy powers within him and his right eye flares to a brilliant burning golden life. An illumination of the holy energies line his armor, shield and blade before pinpricks of light form above the challenging Blood Knight. They stretch into spear length stretches of energy pointing down and shower the Knight with burning pain should any strike.

"Now, -whelp-, are you going to come kill me or not?"

The Knight smirks at Rethandral as he raises his free hand. With one sweeping motion, he siphons the crushed grains of ancient mana intermixed with the sands, creating a torrent of brilliant violet energy that coalesces around him. Simultaneously, he summons a barrier of Light, bolstered by his siphoned mana, to withstand the barrage of Rethandral's magical attack.

"I, too, am master of Light and Arcane. The Knight-Lord taught me well. Your fancy shows won't get you far! FIGHT ME!" the Blood Knight taunts, dropping the arcane-infused Light barrier once Rethandral's bombardment is complete.

Planting his feet firmly in the sand, he readies himself to stay balanced during a physical attack by his shield-bearing opponent.

Gritting his jaw as he faced his opponent, the two armored men stared each other down. No amount of bluff or bluster would make this Knight falter. Only physical pain and brute force would do. Something Rethandral Sunfall was very good at delivering.

The air about him shimmered like a heatwave before being viciously drawn in, the sand writhed and smoked as the arcane was pulled from the ground and air. His Sunwell blessed shield shimmered at the abundance of the magic and the gems fastened within it glowed brilliantly with the added stored energy. Rethandral could go at this for hours.

With a gusty yell, Rethandral Sunfall charged across the stretch of sand with his shield securely held and his blade hidden safely behind it. The methods of sword and board fighting were not always graceful or beautiful to look at. You pushed against your enemy until they broke, bashed and stabbed your weapon to injure and kill. A brutal and ugly affair.

The challenge was to stay inside the spears' reach and make it useless.

The Blood Knight opponent duels with Rethandral with precision and expertise, keeping Rethandral just far enough out of range with the tip of his spear. It’s clear that he’s becoming more fatigued, as fighting on sand is exhausting enough as it is. Finally, Rethandral gets close enough and shield bashes with enough force that the Blood Knight stumbles back, using the butt end of his polearm to prop himself up in the sand.

“You fight well, ,” he hisses, peering at Rethandral from behind strands of hair that have fallen in front of his face, under his helmet, “But I have tricks up my sleeve. Did you think fighting another Blood Knight would be ?” he taunts, and conjures more energy from the sand. With a sweeping gesture, the ancient mana grains of sand shimmer as they coalesce into bright violet forms with spears. Vaguely elf-shaped, the purple forms carry violet spears that radiate arcane energy.

They form and replicate until there are three in total. When completed, they lower their spears at Rethandral, forming a circle around him when counting the real Blood Knight.

He smirks at the spell, “I haven’t forgotten my old tricks. I will be taking that insignia, now!”

With a quick turn of his wrists, his polearm kicks up an arc of sand and he lunges at Rethandral!

The decades of fighting experience told him what he couldn't see within the limits of his plated hood. Arcane energies crackled at Rethandral's backside as the conjured mimics of the Knight came forward. With a vicious grin, the air about Rethandral took on the sudden appearance of a heat wave before turning into glass thin fragments of shards glowing brightly. Shouting a wordless cry, Rethandral rips the arcane energy about him and pulls it to himself disintegrating the Knight's conjured minions and meets his opponent in a clash of metal.

Pumped up on arcane-fueled adrenaline, Rethandral batters away the initial lunge of the polearm and brings his blade to knock the weapon down and away from him leaving his Blood Knight opponent wide open. "Fighting a Blood Knight isn't supposed to be-" Rethandral grunts as he pulls his shield back up in a horizontal swing to try and clip the Knight in the helmet with the edge of his shield, "... easy!"

Rethandral funnels the burning arcane energy through his body and out to his sword arm, the heavy blade gaining a crackling arcane charge to it. He would lunge his blade downwards between the helm and neckpiece of plate armor to try and end the fight then and there.

The advancing arcane apparitions are quickly vanquished with a blast of arcane energy! The apparitions discorporeate and their essence is siphoned into Rethandral’s being, empowering him with the might of ancient mana of the area. Rethandral might even feel a little bit of the desperate, longing energies that have permeated the crystalline mana.

His opponent certainly wasn’t expecting Rethandral to take control of the conjured apparitions; he didn’t know many other Blood Knights that had such mastery of arcane and Light magics. In his momentary amazement, his guard is down… just long enough for Rethandral’s blade to connect with the edge of his helmet!

Rethandral’s empowered blade grazes the Blood Knight’s face, cauterizing the laceration with arcane energies. The helmet goes flying off into the water, landing with a very anticlimactic ‘sploosh’ in the distance.

The challenging Blood Knight sinks to a knee, though he still holds on to his ranseur.

“...Impressive…” he winces as his face shoots with pain, “Perhaps you are worthy of the Phoenix Guard after all.”

Pausing a moment to catch his breath, Rethandral watches his opponent, ready for this Knight to get back up and strike again.

"...Impressive..." The man winces with visible pain from the seared cut. "Perhaps you are worthy of the Phoenix Guard after all." The man kept his head down, defeated.

"Know this, Knight. You have been judged.... You have been measured.... You have been found wanting. May the Light have mercy upon your soul that you are returned a better man in another life." Rethandral stated those chilling words with a fierce tone.

The challenging Blood Knight looks up surprised with wide eyes, seeing Rethandral Sunfall gather up the energies he has taken from his environment and pass it to his blade. "What...?" A tremble of fear colored his voice as he dips his head once again.

Air crackled with the burning energies of arcane and holy fire as his blade came down and beheaded the Knight. Not long after, the body smoldered slowly and then erupted into a golden blaze as holy fire consumes the flesh. Rethandral stayed watch over the burning remains, his last bit of respect towards a fellow Knight who fought well, until the flames left only charred bones and blackened armor hours later.

Rethandral takes in a sigh and turns about to start the search for his wolf and the long ride into the evening back to the Meridil camp.

The reddening sun dances upon the horizon by the time Rethandral and his wolf Visha return to the Phoenix Guard camp in Meridil. A few of the members look at him questioningly seeing the multitude of new dents and scratches within shield and armor, but no one voices the silent questions as Rethandral dismounts and heads into the main area of the camp that Knight-Lord Dawnblade took residence in.

Standing straight, Rethandral saluted his Knight-Lord crisply and crossed his hands behind his back. "The task is done, Knight-Lord Dawnblade. He fought well, at least." His demeanor of excitement of the challenge at the beginning of the day has now turned to one of solemnity. It wasn't just an everyday thing you had to purposefully kill a brother Knight.

#Rethandral Sunfall #Phoenix Guard #Blood Knight Promotion.#Champion

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