KnightNES: The Black Sacrifice

Name: Phineas the Blind
Knightly Style: Paladin
Patronage: Church
Order: Order of the Unlit Flame (Holy)
Squire: None
Cohorts:NONE!
Relics:
Stats
Might: 2
Mind: 5
Mastery: 2
Magnetism: 2
Moxie: 4
Traits: “Brilliant"
Phineas the Blind is not, as most seem to believe, blind. His right eye was plucked from its socket when he was a child by his drunk mother, and his left seems to have clouded, but the herbal treatments given him by the Holy Sisters of Mercy in his village spared his sight. He joined the order of the Unlit Flame shortly after he had a dream where he found certainty that he would never lose his sight completely. The order educated him with many texts and scriptures from many orders, but his true talent resides in the field, when he is examining the ancient relics of bygone eras. Phineas carries a dirk of natural origin and a shield of natural origin. His only other posessions are his clothes and armor and an unlit, half melted candle. He retrieved the candle from one of his order's library-monasteries that had been half torn-down and half haunted by a monstrous lich. Phineas banished the lich into an unremarkable stone and tossed the stone into the sea. (I don't know if that's really valorous, but I need to save my good stuff for later, if what I have here is even good..)

I didn't know if it was cool to put in a companion yet, or if anything else is really right, so HOLLA if it's all fubar'd

Yeah, don't worry nutra. While I think you already have some things to screw me over with, I'll be sure to provide more.

I've got to dedicate some more time to formulating original national and extra-religious data. Please excuse the scant nature of my character's background.

Sorry, characters cannot begin with Cohorts (and no one from the Close-Worlds would follow your characters into Terminus!)

nutranurse said:

Sorry, characters cannot begin with Cohorts (and no one from the Close-Worlds would follow your characters into Terminus!)

Click to expand...

Alright I'll save him for later.

Canfre: A History of a Modern Empire (As studied by schoolchildren of Canfre)

Several centuries ago a small town was founded which was named Canfre. The town was ruled by kings and over the years Canfre grew and expanded under their wise rule, it was not until a neighboring city, Salonas, decided to force Canfre to join their banner. The wise King refused and Canfre crushed Salonas in war. This period began the great expansion of Canfre as the succeeding kings began to get greedy, soon huge swaths of land were conquered by Canfrein legions and Canfre made numerous enemies. As the great expansion slowed down and Canfre settled into a period of domestic growth and cultivation the people grew restless under this new form of government and overthrew the Monarchs, rather than place a new line of Monarchs the people chose to elect senators instead and rule the way they wanted. During this rule Canfre waged 2 bloody wars, 1 across the sea against an old but powerful enemy. The 2nd was waged to the north against an ancient but noble enemy. Canfre won both wars after periods of ceasefires and truces.

It was during the latter war that our noble Emperor led the army against these enemies. It was with this army that he broke a rule of Canfre by crossing a river and marching against Canfre itself. With a small but bloody civil war Augustus drove the Senate out of Canfre and proclaimed himself Emperor. The Civil war continues to this day, but the power of the Senate is diminishing and Augustus's veteran Legions are closing the noose.

Religious Beliefs of Canfre:
Canfre believes in numerous Gods, with one deity ruling them all as King of the Gods. Octavius himself devotes his being to the God of War, Mars, believing that his successes in battle and life were due to him.

Royal Family of Canfre:
Emperor Augustus 49
Empress Julia 35
Prince Tiberius 17
Princess Nicea 15
Prince Cicero 10

Family Tree of Julius Octavius
Father: Titus (Deceased; illness)
Mother: Poppea (Deceased; illness)
Brother: Lucius 32; Wife Vulia, 3 children.
Brother: Sulla 28; Wife Illinius, 1 son.
Julius: 25; Wife Livia, no children.
Sister: Orculla 21; Husband Brutus, 2 children.

Anonymoose, would you mind including some great deed that Phineas has done which would attract the attention of the Red Queen?

Milarqui said:

OK, so far we have:
Chevaliers: 2
Gallants: 1
Legionnaires: 1
Paladins: 2
Sentinels: 2

And so far I am the smartest.

EDIT: I have a question: does everyone have a mount or will we have to pay a guy to bang some coconuts together?

EDIT 2: Dammit, man, you broke my being the most intelligent guy around!

Click to expand...

I thought there would be more Legionnaires, to be honest...

Yes, everyone has a mount. A Rouncey to be precise. It's an ordinary all-around warhorse, no special abilities. Let me make note of that on the front page.

Name: Sir Edwin the Merry
Knightly Style: Gallant
Patronage: Church
Order: Order of the Crimson Thistle (Holiness)
Squire: None
Cohorts: None
Relics: None
Stats
Might: 2
Mind: 4
Mastery: 2
Magnetism: 4
Moxie: 3
Traits: "Jovial"

Sir Edwin the Merry was the younger son of a rich hereditary knight of the long dynasty that has ruled the Castle and owned much of the city of Porthwinty since its foundation centuries ago. As younger sons do, he could have gone right into the Church, but, instead, he set off inland into the country of Gorindin to gain his fortune, and, as he passed through the countryside, he found a trail of destruction; monasteries, houses, and farms alike were laid waste and deserted. But he was most infuriated about the monasteries, for he had always been a most pious man and had always attended Church eagerly when he had been young. So on he went, to find the demon who had committed all these acts of violence. When he got to the very heart of Gorindin, he found a castle guarded by a massive dragon, and he killed it, and inside he found all the priests chained up in the middle of a courtyard, tied to a large water fountain, which was squirting water all over them. Then he looked around and saw the ends of crossbows poking out of the arrow slits in the walls.

No-one quite knows how he escaped, but he did, and by the time the sun set over the castle that night, twenty crossbowmen were tied to that fountain, and the Church was restored in Gorindin. The unjust king who had usurped the throne and had been persecuting the Church was chased out of the country forever, and the true, noble and just king ascended to the throne in his place.

Ever since, Edwin the Merry has been defending the Church against all kinds of monsters and evil kings, although he always likes a bit of exaggeration, and sometimes those who hear his stories are not quite sure whether the dreadful Ogre of Mulantira was actually an ogre, or whether Edwin was, to put it lightly, speaking metaphorically, or whether he was, as quite often he is, actually slightly drunk.

For the purposes of the NES the 'massive dragon' that Edwin defeated will have been in reality some stupidly strong bandit lord or the like. (It just became 'massive dragon' in the tales because that's funner to tell.) Disregard that, just read the bottom part of your background.

Yeah, it's coming soon. Still formulating interesting stuff.

Name: Andrey Vastnetsov "The Drunk Samurai Bogatyr"
Knightly Style: Legionnaire
Patronage: Self
Order: Protectors of the Divine Library (Holiness)
Squire: None
Cohorts: None
Relics: None
Stats:
Might: 4
Mind: 3
Mastery: 3
Magnetism: 3
Moxie: 3
Traits: Jovial

Andrey was a stable boy in a nation of rich lording over the poor which were numerous and helpless. An orphan he was taken in by the servants there. He had seen many injustices in his early life and one he felt must directly was his apparent fate as shoveling horse excrement as a permanent career choice. He longed to be a bogatyr, a brave knight, able to do what is right and help those in need. Gazing wistfully at the courtyard where the young prospective squires trained in the courtyard he decided to sneak away at night and steal a horse to ride to the Far East. A mystical place that appealed to his sense of adventure and excitement in his young heart.

Succeeding at his daring goal, he lived off the land until he made it to the ports that lead to an island nations where knights were reportedly the finest and held in great esteem, picking up the local language with relative ease. Sneaking aboard one of the ships as a stowaway he was unfortunately caught by the captain midway. The captain wanted to throw him overboard but the samurai knight of the islands intervened and saved him under the condition that he would serve him as a novice. Andrey gladly agreed.

Under the tutelage of Miyamoto he learned to write and read not only his own language but that of the Island nation. Miyamoto realized the boy's inherent brightness and aspired to teach him not only the martial aspects of knighthood but appreciation for knowledge and social graces. Though progressing marvelously Andrey in his later years discovered the darker side of wealth and knighthood. Booze and easy women. Well that, and unlimited power. There were certain arts and texts that his master forbidden him to study, but his hunger for power and therefore more booze and women was insatiable.

One night in a drunken quarrel he engaged his master in a dual wielding longsword-shortsword duel and won by pure savagery. Although the master was more skilled Andrey was drunk off his ass and merely shrugged off the blade in his abdomen before he sliced off his masters head with the short sword. Once the hooch wore off he realized how immensely screwed he would be he if stayed. So he took a bottle of the finest fine, several artifacts, loaded the saddle bags and took off for the nearest port back home.

Once back, he sold the rare but uninteresting artifacts for a nice sum, established himself in his nation, began continued to drink heavily and collect various relics and texts all the while sleeping around, fighting and retelling the by now epic story of how he once slew a giant enemy crab on the Far Eastern shores.

So we have.... 3 drunken, lecherous knights now? Hooray, beer!

Ah...didn't read through the others descriptions cept das. I could have thrown in some pedophilic incest instead of alcoholism if it would please you.

Hahaha, I would be fine with it, but I do not think the moderators would be! Drunken knights are fine--the more the merrier! No real need to change your background.

Name: Iolite
Knightly Style: Paladin
Patronage: Self (formerly The Stone Temple (Church))
Order: The Sapphire Guard (Justice)
Squire: None
Cohorts: None
Relics: (Cannot wait to see what I get, if I can play)
Stats
Might: 3
Mind: 4
Mastery: 2
Magnetism: 2 +1
Moxie: 3
Traits: Jaded

Iolite was a quiet, intelligent girl, who worked with her mother, who owned the stables the Church had always used for their crusading Knights. Iolite's mother was always so proud of her daughter, taking over organization duties and most of the workload whenever her mother fell ill, which was often. Her mother had contacted the Stone Temple, and the larger Church of the Stones, to have her daughter become a squire. Years passed and Iolite was honed both physically and mentally, but her sheltered life inside of the Temple grounds left her unprepared for the harsher outside world. Her first real mission with the young Knight saw them leaving the continent eastwards and crossing a vast smokey ocean to fight a war for the Church.

They arrived at the Amethyst Citedal, the legendary home of the Eastern Crusaders. It had been burnt to the ground what seemed like decades ago, and was an empty shell. Unlearned barbarians killed the cowardly Knight she had worked with and took her and made her a slave in gold mines farther inland, and eventually as a harem girl for their battle-scared leader.

Needless to say, she escaped with her life, years ago, but those events still haunt her memories and nightmares. She wandered the land in search for an ocean-worthy vessel, but found none, eventually finding herself in the land of Terminus.

Awesome potential in this background! Welcome to KnightNES! 2 more knights and then.... you guys wait till the 18th/19th for Update 1 (I'll make update 0 as soon as I get all the knights). I am eager to begin, but I am forced to wait till I get back to school where my desktop/photoshop/tablet are.

Name: Sir Jacques de Challon
Knightly Style: Sentinel
Patronage: Noble
Order: L'Ordre des Gardiens du Coeur (Order of Chastity)
Squire: None
Cohorts: None
Relics:
~Destrier (Warhorse; “Heavy&#8221~
“A heavy warhorse.”

Stats
Might: 4
Mind: 2
Mastery: 3
Magnetism: 2
Moxie: 4
Traits: Courageous

Sir Jacques was to an ancient but minor noble family in the kingdom known as le Royaume d’Or or the Golden Kingdom. His childhood was spent, as all noblemen’s childhoods are spent, learning how to ride, to hunt and to wage war. He learnt of the Court and the King and of the rituals and customs of the land. His life would have continued in this way and eventually he would be presented to the Court, marry a lady of equal station, fight in some of the King’s wars and retire to raise his own sons to do the same.

But Fate had decided that the young Jacques would not live such a relatively quiet and peaceful life as a knight and nobleman of a rich and powerful kingdom far away. While out hunting with his brothers, friends and a few veterans of his father, Jacques and his party were ambushed. Daemons sprang from the trees naked; their hides were blue, red, green, yellow, black, every colour of the rainbow, with an innumerable variety of patterns twisting and swirling across their skins. Their serrated black blades dripped with vile hissing venom and dark darts flew from the trees, slaying two of the young hunters. The older youths and the veterans controlled their horses and reached for their hunting weapons: hunting crossbows, light lances and swords, which the esquires wore as a symbol of their status and the veterans wore with the permission of their lord. The five younger youths bolted and were slain brutally by the daemons. Jacques fought alone side his friends and father’s men. He was blooded that day well and truly slaying six of the daemon men; one with his crossbow, two with his lance and three more with his sword when his horse shot from under him. The others were equally valiant and the raiding party of daemon men were driven back. How that party had slipped across the border past the vigilance of the paladins and sentinels alike was never discovered.

His courage and skill-at-arms that day were noted and continued to be noted as he became a young knight in the service of one of le Royaume d’Or great lords. At the young age of twenty-five he received the call of L’Ordre Des Gardiens du Coeur, the Order of the Guardians of the Heart, sworn protectors of the Golden Kingdom and its people. It is the highest order in the land, its members are courageous, impetuous; men and women of swift action. L’Ordre Des Gardiens du Coeur is unique amongst the orders in that it maintains its own small army of well-trained and disciplined men-at-arms, crossbowmen and assorted infantrymen It was in the service of the Order that he truly earned the title Champion of the Close-World. He led a force of hundred dismounted men-at-arms, fifty crossbowmen and eight of his fellow knights to hold off the largest army the northern daemon-men had ever mustered. They had to delay an army of two thousand insane bloodthirsty warriors long enough for the Royal Army to finish mustering and join the battle. Jacques realised that the only option left open to him was to expend his own life and the lives of all those he commanded as extravagantly as possible for as long as possible. Under his leadership the men did just that and when the Royal Army arrived four days later only one living thing was found at the pass where the delaying action was to take place. Jacques was found kneeing at the centre of the battle-line with the standard of L’Ordre Des Gardiens du Coeur grasped in one hand and his sword-hilt in the other. His armour was dented and torn, his helm and shield lay sundered on the ground and the blade of his sword, which had hewn in two the head of the daemon chieftain, was shattered into a hundred pieces.

Not long after he was summoned by Queen Gloria of the Last Kingdom to fight as one of her champions. He came with all due haste.

OOC: More details on the Golden Kingdom, the surrounding lands and the Orde Des Gardiens du Coeur to come.

I am a bit hesitant to let your character be a young demon slayer, but if you place the Golden Kingdom near to some hell-type land (with the Golden Kingdom being the last bastion of humanity of this world or something like that) (not necessary, see edit) then I will permit it.

EDIT:

Reading the rest of your background, the Golden Kingdom needs to be rather close to the edge of its world to be close enough to Terminus to refer to its world as a "Close-World". If you find this agreeable then your background checks out!

If you read my backstory carefully you will notice I also use the term daemon-men. Think ancient Pictish warriors and that sort of thing. These are barbarous men covered in tattoos using shock and fear as their primary weapons. In a stand-up fight they have no chance which is why they use raiding parties and speed to attack the Golden Kingdom instead. They are called daemons mostly because they take so much punishment before dying and various unsavoury battle practises such as ripping out their foe's throat and drinking their blood. The people of the Golden Kingdom do not regard them as humans and thus tend to describe them using the same terms used for animals. Though I'm happy to have proper demons as well. Originally I planned the ambush scene to involve a lone and weaken Infernal but then I read the commandment "no magical dickery" so I changed it.

Ohhhhh. Alright, then all is well with your background.