Hmm, things settings wise that I'd like to learn about? Maybe a little about the capital and how far away it is from where Lena's at in Farnshold, and how large the kingdom she lives in is, and maybe why it's in such a state of disrepair as has been mentioned previously. And if she were left alone, hypothetically, if Jaime were killed and stuff, but Farnshold saved, Lena would probably be a little depressed for a while, and Might try to go on a slightly difficult mission of some sort, perhaps. I'm not Entirely certain how Lena's reaction would be to that to be perfectly honest.
The country is close to Europe size, it is -very- large, number about half a billion people all said and done. The Capital is in the countries heart, placing you about 3 months away. You'd be likely to pass countless villages, dozens of towns and a big city or two on the way.
It would be easy to place the reason why the Kingdom is beginning to falter on a few things, ask a dozen people get two dozen answers. It's an amalgam of several smaller kingdoms united under one banner, the wars have ended, soldiers have to return home and there's a difficult adjustment there. Magicians and power hungry individuals have led to corruption amongst the political sphere leading to power struggles, crime and other abuses of the population. Monsters exist and it is a lot of work to keep the large land safe. It's basically an empire rotting out from age. It's not all bad, life will vary dependent on where you go, some are happier than others. I don't intend this to be an inherently dark setting of course, but there is work to be done.
Does Lena have any beliefs? Spiritual/religious or otherwise.
Ah I see. I wasn't expecting the country to be Quite that big. In that case, Lena's younger sister Is of age now most definitely, cos her birthday I had planned to be a month or so after Lena left home. As for the huge empire like land, hmm... Lena Might eventually try and create her own little country perhaps, later on of course. Maybe like Mount and Blade or something perhaps.
As for her having spiritual and religious beliefs. That would depend on the type of religions there are in her kingdom. If there's a goddess of love, she'll definitely make offerings to her when she can. And a god or goddess of battle as well. Again, any more would depend on what sort of pantheon and stuff she has in her lands. Are there any other kingdoms out beyond the borders?
Religion is something like a primary creator, pantheon of servants. It'd probably be doable for Lena to someday get her own little stretch of land. Who knows! As for Foreign Kingdoms, yes, but not touching borders, across the sea, somewhere through the wilds perhaps. Terra Incognita.
Final question? Does Lena have any other talents or skills? What, aside from combat skills, is she good at? Or was educated in.
Hmm, Lena had a proper education, so she knows How to act like a noble lady herself, even if she doesn't do so. So... mostly a court education if you go by the Crusader Kings methodology of educations. But since her papa and the noble house she lived with had a couple of other trainers that also helped supplement her training, Lena is a more martial type, you might say. But Lena Is proficient in maid work as well, and if she had any hobbies, it would probably be tending gardens and crops and the like. She finds it relaxing, and other hobbies include playing a harp, violin, or lute, all of which she knows how to play, and she also likes to dance as well, and though she's Very shy about it, she actually has a nice singing voice.
Lena throws herself with everything she has towards the Cult leader. She hears herself screaming, anger and fury both as she desperately tries to grab and wrench the staff from the woman's hand. She sweeps back agilely and points the staff straight at you and just as you saw before, this time from the other end, the air around the staff ripples as a wave of pure force rips through the air to the short distance between the two of you and catches Lena square in the chest.
The wind is driven straight from her lungs as Lena is sent crashing through the solid wood door and slamming into the ground outside the room. She rolls for a moment across the carpet to the top of the stairs where by an effort of will manages to stop herself before rolling down them.
For a moment it's too hard to stand, she spies down into the main-hall as the twisted ritual continues, the towns folk agonizingly participating against their will, fueling the dark magical power the woman used to kill Jaime, that she's about to use to kill Lena now.
You hear, over the sound of the unbridled lust down the stairs, the footsteps of the woman stalking towards you as you struggle to stand. You taste copper, perhaps from some grievous internal injury? You're not sure, but the fights not over yet.
"Two lives more, what's it to me? After all I have been through, after all I have sacrificed. Know you don't die in vain, know you die because you could not see the wonderful world I tried to show you." She extends her hand, but her spell is halted momentarily.
You hear a faint whistling sound from up above then what sounds like an explosion as the whole world seems to errupt, like an earthquake. The roof above the ritual caves in, collapsing towards the assembled ritual girls. You hear the dark elf woman roar a no and then as the debris threatens to crush the people below the air itself shimmers and the stones are stopped inches from them. You see what caused the sudden impact, a solitary figure standing in the midst of the floating wreckage with a gleaming silver blade plunged deep into the magical circle.
And there comes a sudden release in the air, the pressure of the dark ritual just -vanishes- and is instead replaced with a sudden feeling of relief, of lightness. It does not do anything to ease the loss of Jaime but it is enough to get you to your feet, to give you the strength to turn to the one responsible.
She looks past you, at the scene in horror. "No, no, no, no, no, she assured me...she assured!..." She takes a tentative step back, away from Lena, worry plain on her face.
Seems you'll have your chance for revenge after all.
Lena 6/7 FP, 0/8 AP 6/?? CP
Jaime -???/8 FP, ???/7 AP --DEAD?-
Cult Leader ???/??? FP, ???/???AP
Lena growled, snarled even, as she tried to break free and grab the staff, but then she felt a burst of powerful energy slam into her from the staff. Lena flew backward and slammed into the large oaken door behind her, and it was broken down as she went through and then slammed to the floor and rolled and tumbled until she slid to a halt at the top of the stairs. Lena coughed and spat, and she tasted blood, and knew that she was hurt inside somewhere, and looking at the floor she knew she saw blood on it just below her. "Ngh... b-bitch. I'm not... t-through yet. I'll... n-never forgive you, f-for taking Jaime from me. From this world. She was... a m-much better person than me... and she didn't... d-deserve that," Lena growled through clenched teeth, before spitting another bit of blood out.
Lena was struggling to get to her feet even as she heard the whistling and then the explosion above, where she saw the debris caving in below to stop the ritual she thought. Looking down after the smoke cleared a bit, Lena saw the angelic figure standing in the middle of the magic circle, and the elven bitch was now vulnerable it seemed, or at least now terrified of Lena, who felt her body lightening up, though the pain was still Very present. Leveling her gaze at the dark elven cult leader, Lena growled and snarled again as she stood with her spear in hand, where she charged at the elf with her shield raised, using it to block any incoming blasts from the elf, as she slammed the shield right into the elf's face.
"TAKE THAT BITCH! I'LL MAKE YOU PAY FOR HURTING JAIME, FOR ALL OF THIS!" Lena screamed as she attacked with wild abandon, and assuming her shield connected, she'd spin and bring the butt of her spear around right into the side of the woman's head.
Lena launches forward with a bash of her shield, the Cultist leader is caught square by the blow and send tumbling to the floor but manages to regain herself well enough to scramble back to her feet before sending a lance of force towards you off the tip of her staff.
You bear your shield down and bear the weight of the force, sliding back but only an inch before launching force and landing a narrow jab against the woman that draws little blood. She roars. "Stop this! I swear! I'll destroy you! I'll kill you!"
Lena 6/7 FP, 0/8 AP 6/?? CP
Jaime -???/8 FP, ???/7 AP --DEAD?-
Cult Leader -2/??? FP, ???/???AP
"YOU ALREADY KILLED ME YOU BITCH. MY SOUL WILL NEVER STOP HAUNTING YOU UNTIL THE DAY YOU DIE FOR HURTING JAIME!" Lena roared right back at the woman after she'd spoke to Lena, who was no longer caring about any wounds that the elven woman might cause her, and trying to beat her down into submission as she raised her shield again to bash the woman in the face and stun her if she could, so that she could follow up with a submission pin to try and prevent the woman from getting free.
Lena swings her shield forward, but with a flash of light the the air grows thick in front of her once more. It slows the blow to a stop, but as her opponent goes to whip up another spell Lena breaks through the thick shield in front of her and tackles her opponent to the ground, binding her limbs.
Lena 6/7 FP, 0/8 AP 6/?? CP
Jaime -???/8 FP, ???/7 AP --DEAD?-
Cult Leader -2/??? FP, ???/???AP -Held-
Lena's shield bash was slowed by the elven woman's spells, but just as the elf was about to blast Lena again, her shield bash made it through and Lena found herself atop the elven woman with her shield pinning the elf's arms down somewhat. "N-Now you pay," Lena growled and used her knee to keep the shield over one arm, while her hands pulled the other of the elf's arms up so her wrist was even with her forehead and a few inches to the side, and Lena then pressed her spear down over the elf's arm up there, and pressed her other foot on it, and she tried to pin the other arm down under her spear with the center of the haft of her spear over the elf's throat to choke her out, as she stood there.
"Now, BEG FOR MERCY!" Lena cried at the elf as she grabbed her legs to hold them up so she couldn't kick them about to try and break free, hoping to put the elf here into a position that she simply Could Not escape from.
Lena grabs the elf sharply, pinning her down as she begins to try to choke her. She gasps and struggles for a moment, staff dropped. But you feel a hum as you choke her, pulling tighter and harder to try to stop whatever she was doing, but too late. She gasps out some kind of answer as a power ignites.
Lena soars through the air once more, thrown back by an invisible force as she slams against the stone chair with a loud thud, slamming her head against it sending her vision swimming.
"T-that's...enough." She extends her hand, leaving her staff abandoned, and forces the shadows to coalesce into her hand, forming a long blade. "I'm going to kill you. If it's the last...damn thing I do." A desperate fury burns in her eyes as she stalks towards Lena whose senses begin to return.
Lena 3/7 FP, 0/8 AP 6/?? CP
Jaime -???/8 FP, ???/7 AP --DEAD?-
Cult Leader -5/??? FP, ???/???AP
Lena gasped and grunted in pain as she was suddenly flung back through the air to land on the large high seat of the duke of this region, before she landed with a groan of pain. "U-Ugh..." Lena panted, the pain arcing through her body like lightning.
Coughing up some more blood, Lena spat it down onto the floor and struggled back to her feet, the spell having Really done some damage to her. "F-Fucking bitch. I already told you that you already killed me," Lena growled at the elven woman, raising her shield to block the blade, to bat it to the side where she'd try and stab the dark elven woman anywhere she could after parrying her blade aside with her shield, refusing to give up, and refusing to give in to that darker power that she knew could defeat this evil witch.
"Then allow me to finish the fucking job!" She roared as she darted towards Lena, blade at the ready. Lena pushes to her feet and steps into the charge of the woman finding renewed strength as she slams the blade to the side, sending the woman unbalanced as she buries the spear into her stomach. She lets out a cry, a look of sheer shock on her face. "C-can't...can't...w-..." The light in her eyes goes out, and she is no more.
You struggle to remain standing as the woman falls backwards off your spear, it's a hollow feeling of victory. You hear footsteps, the figure you saw out in the main hall has appeared at the doorway. They smile softly, just the presence alone feels warm.
"Ah, I see you saved me the trouble, little one." The figure strides gracefully across the room, their wings furled around them and sighs. "What a mess, what a waste. I truly am sorry."
Lena 3/7 FP, 0/8 AP 6/?? CP
Jaime -???/8 FP, ???/7 AP --DEAD?-
Lena lunges forward as she parries the woman's blade and watches as her spear buries itself in the elf's midsection, where Lena gasped softly, not having been expecting to hit her That easily to be quite honest. As the dark elven woman falls backwards off of her spear, Lena dropped it to the floor along with her shield and nearly fell to her knees, but just managed to hold on and maintain her footing. Lena barely heard what the angelic figure said and immediately turned and ran as fast as her body would carry her to where Jaime had fallen and skidded to a halt as she fell to her knees next to Jaime and cradled her in her arms as she pulled Jaime into her lap.
"J-Jaime... honey... come on, p-please talk to me. W-We did it. W-We stopped her a-and saved Farnshold. C-Come on... p-please. It... it isn't fair to not have you here too. Y-You're the real hero here... n-not me," Lena said frantically, shaking Jaime ever so slightly to try and wake her up, sniffling as tears started streaming down her cheeks.
The figure passively watches Lena run past and sighs, somewhat...boredly? You don't really catch it as you go by but they let you go without follow, it seems. You burst down the steps and out the door, moving rapidly towards the stairs and down, everyone appears...alive? Unharmed but asleep. Strange? You don't care. You make for the door and around to the back of the keep where you see the destroyed rubble of the wall and the twisted and broken form of Jaime laying in the midst of the street.
She makes no sound of reply, there's quite a bit of blood and...well, it seems bleak. This goes on for about half a moment, tears clouding your vision, sobbing filling the quiet streets. You hear footsteps, the descent and soft landing of the angelic figure from before, standing three feet from you.
"I am sorry, again, for your loss. But this matter is not yet completed. You want this all to be over, right? To put things right for Farnshold?" She seems impatient.
Lena didn't care that everyone else seemed okay now, even thought that Was what she and Jaime were trying to do. Finding Jaime like she was made Lena cry out in pain, pain from the heart, at seeing her friend and lover like that, even if they had only made love a couple of times. The amount of blood made Lena cringe too, and she knew deep down that there was likely little hope of Jaime being alive after this.
"W-What? C-Can't you help her? P-Please... I... I'll do anything! Just... p-please help her. I d-don't care. I... I'll do whatever w-we need to to make things right. Just... p-please help Jaime. I... I beg of you," Lena asked, grabbing the angel's hips and giving a little shake while still on her knees, before she bowed her head all the way to the ground as she begged for the angel to help Jaime.
She stares at you for a long moment, silent, a face set like stone. She seems to stiffen as you touch her, though you don't really know why, maybe she's just really uncomfortable? "She's died. I'm afraid, and there's nothing to be done for a soul when they pass on. Trust, she is well. She was a good soul, she did good deeds, sought to help others out of the good of her heart. Her loss...well. Again, I'm sorry."
"The town, this ritual. Lena. We have to finish this for good. You know the taint within you, it will continue to grow, to haunt others, to help evil destroy the good and give wicked a hold in this world. You have to give it up, for good. Do you consent? Can I take it from you? It is the only way to return Farnshold to normal, to protect the world."
"B-But... y-you're an angel. P-Please! I... I don't care if s-she and I can continue to be friends, t-to be lovers. She doesn't deserve death. Please... I beg you. And I... I don't care about this power, i-it's vile and terrible, and n-not worth having if all i-it'll do is cause my f-friends to be hurt," Lena pleaded with the angel, sobbing aloud right now, and more than willing to forsake the dark power within her, knowing that Jaime wouldn't want it.
"I... I don't deserve to... be alive now, if it weren't for Jaime," Lena cried softly, sniffling and wiping her eyes. "H-How can I ever face her parents, t-to tell them what happened to their daughter? T-To her friends in the mercenary company? H-How can I keep on going? I-It hurts, knowing I'm responsible for h-her death," Lena asked the angel with tears of despair in her eyes.
