Gods and Nobles: Fortuna and Iltu's rpg
 

{Hi girl, I made the roleplay thread! How about you start us off, since I'm pretty new to these things?}

“Are they gone?” Bernadetta carefully pulled her hands from her ears as she noted that the rapport of a gun failed to break the silence. She peered at the door, locked a dozen times over and reinforced with titanium. The walls were of stone and the spacious room lacked windows—and any other furnishings. This was a room of safety, not one of comfort. The less it had, the less options it gave to a stealthy attacker.

Faye flicked the light switch and allowed her shoulders to relax as the light dismissed any notions of hidden enemies in corners. “I think so. Darius is doing a quick search of the area, but I think we’re alright, Princess.”
Bernadetta did not fail to notice that her guard’s hand remained on her pistol.

“The vampires,” she shivered, “The rouge ones, I mean, not the guardians like you. Why do they hate me… us?” She corrected herself, gazing at the door as if expecting it to burst open despite the fortifications. “The royals and nobles and their guards, I mean.”

“You know as well as I do,” Faye told her, moving to Bernadetta’s side. “They think human royalty enslaves vampires.”

“Maybe that’s how it is,” Bernadetta said miserably, sitting down on the floor and anxiously pulling at her long, curly red hair.
“It is not, princess,” Faye was firm, “What they don’t realize is that we choose this line of work. There’s not much for us out there. What else can we do?”

“I don’t know,” Bernadetta replied glumly, placing her elbows on her knees and her chin in her hands, “I just wish that things were right and that they’d leave us alone.”

Sometimes strange things happen when too many godly powers collide.

The barren land of Dugondea served as a battlefield for a multitude of gods, and though three against five might seem to be an uneven battle, Tzanusade and Domdel were apt fighters, who more than made up for Xochipili's incompetence.
On the other side, Locyrex was greatly weakened by the hot desert sun, and Audreyllis and his half sister Aviena were not famed for their combat abilities. Saelin and Nezzarade were left to face the much older and stronger gods, relying on the other three for backup and healing spells when needed.

With sweat and pristine white hair clinging to his face, Locyrex looked a wreck, not nearly the fierce warrior king Audreyllis knew him to be.
"The battle of the gods has truly begun," Locyrex remarked solemnly to Audreyllis, "this is but the first scrimage. How soon will we be able to retreat?"
"Retreat?" Audreyllis said with a haughty toss of his red hair, "Death comes long before surrender, right?"
The Winter King was not amused.
"I know you're joking and you know how much I loathe comedy. Now help me create a diversion to let us all get away and regroup back in camp."
Audreyllis nodded and sent a signal to the other three gods. They all began to send energy down to their hands- the opposing side prepared themselves by creating similar blasts, and all fired simultaniously.
In some perfect planetary alignment and some blessed psynergy- all eight were hit and vaporized on the spot.

Audreyllis awoke in the middle of a dark metal room surrounded by strangers. A young woman sat on the floor and the others looked ready to fight.
Clearing his head a little, Audreyllis managed to sit up and said to them,
"Anyone mind telling me where in Zanitiom I am?"

Bernadetta screamed and leapt to her feet, making to dash towards Faye. The vampire had already moved in front of the girl, gun drawn and pointed at this strange man. How had he gotten here!?

“Don’t move,” she warned as Bernadetta frantically touched something on the woman’s waist and drew hair hand away once more, in a jerky motion, staring at the newcomer with fearful eyes. She wanted to look around the room and see if there were more, but she couldn’t avert her eyes. “How did you get in here?” Faye asked coldly, her finger ready on the trigger.


Darius halted his patrol as he heard a high noise, discernable only to his keen ears. He looked down at his waist and sure enough, a faint red light blinked. “Damn!” he cried, rapidly turning off the strange pager and rushing into the fortress. Suppose the other vampires had gotten in?

He whipped out a metal stake in anticipation of the possibility. If he recalled correctly, Faye had used the last of hers in fighting Lauraine away from Bernadetta… Her pistol might put a vampire out of commission for a spell, but it would guarantee nothing.

Audreyllis frantically put his hands up, their eagerness to attack him was not altogether startling, he got that a lot, but the strange weapons looked mysterious and he didn't wish to find out how they worked.
"I have no idea where I am or how I got here, I swear. Now if you all could just tell me where I am and who you are, I think things would be much easier for all of us. And while you're at it, please put that device down; I'm unarmed as you can tell, and I mean you no harm."
Gods did not often show fear in front of mortal beings, but Audreyllis sensed that he was in the presence of fellow immortals. Therefore, showing fear was quite natural.
By all things, he thought, where did the others go? Where is Nezzarade and Locyrex?

And then with a sudden dread he whispered, "Come to think of it, where is Tzanusade and Domdel? Hopefully dead in a ditch but I'm just never that lucky..."

"I'm not putting it down," Faye replied shortly. "Not until I'm certain you're no threat."
"You're in Lerutia," Bernadette offered in a shaky voice. "In the Mavilla Fortress, near the border of Tritatu. I... I'm Be... Elizabeth," she said quickly, realizing the folly of revealing her name and catching herself in time. Her tan skin was pale white as she addressed the man.

"Hush," Faye gave as much of a command as she could, "We need to take this slow."

Locks turned in the door and a moment later, Darius stepped in, black hair windswept from running so quickly. He lunged towards the intruder with his stake, but a sharp word from Faye stopped him in his tracks.
"Hold it. He's not dangerous. Yet. Lock the door, Darius. We don't want someone worse to get in if they're still around. Or if this one is just a distraction."
Reluctantly, Darius turned, though he kept his stake in his hand. He was loathe to turn his back on a potential enemy, but that was why he was wearing sunglasses indoors, afterall. The mirrors built into the sides gave him the advantage of seeing behind him.

Audreyllis tried to calculate his exact situation. None of the locations they had given him made any sense whatsoever, so he concluded he was not on Murtra or any other land known to him. The girl Elizabeth seemed to be harmless, but those standing around her were certainly not. Audreyllis could only conclude that she was someone important for reasons beyond him, and that the others wanted to make sure he wouldn't make a move against her.
Or, well, any of them, but he had a stinking suspicion the penalty for harming Elizabeth was worse than going after the others. Not that he had any intention to, it was all mere speculation. Anyway.

"My name is Audreyllis," he banked on the fact that, if he truly wasn't in a known realm any more, these people wouldn't have any prior knowledge of him, "I come from a land called the Summer Realm. I have no intention on harming any of you, or even staying here much longer. I just need to find the others and find a way back home." He didn't risk trying to charm them with one of his enchanted smiles, he kept to the meek and cowarding pose. He still had no idea what they all seemed to be so paranoid about, or why the room looked like a prison. Was he in a prison? He needed answers...

No, he needed to find Nezzarade, Locyrex, Saelin, and Aviena, and then get the hell out of the foreign world. Those strange metal devices looked more menacing by the second.

"A-aureyllis?" Bernadetta repeated hesitantly, the way she spoke the name hinting that it was something it would take her a while to pronounce swiftly and correctly. "Faye," she said, "put your gun down, please..."
"Elizabeth-"
"Don't make me order you."

Faye looked hard at the princess and then let her arms drop to her sides. The gun, however, remained in her hand. Darius mimicked her with his stake.
Bernadetta lifted her chin in an attempt to pose as though she were a fearless queen, but her shoulders shook and her knees nearly buckled. "What is the Summer Realm? It sounds like a vacation hub."

She tried to take a step towards Audreyllis and was stopped by Faye's outstretched arm. "Careful," the vampire warned.
Darius made no noise, but watched intensely.

Ah, Audreyllis thought as he saw Elizabeth order the more intimidating individuals about, she really is the one in charge here. That made things a great deal easier. The others looked like they were well-seasoned fighters, but she was innocent. That meant he could possibly get her to help him.
"The Summer Realm is a large island off the coast of Fekwik, a mortal continent. The Summer Realm is home to my mother, the Summer Queen, and my many siblings. I need to find my siblings, and the King Locyrex, as soon as possible and return to my own world. Lady Elizabeth, I would be most honored if you could assist me, but if not, I kindly ask that you let me go on my way."

"I've never heard of those places," Bernadetta replied in dismay, "How can I possibly help you get back to your home? I can try, but..."
"He could be lying," Faye warned again, but Darius shook his head.
"It would be idiodic to try to make up a place you're from," he said, "Only an incredibly stupid person would do such a thing. Perhaps this man's story is... credible."

"And he doesn't look stupid," Bernadetta added for Aureyllis's comfort, casting him a timid smile. "We'll do what we can."
Faye and Darius did not protest, though the looks on their faces marked them as far more reluctant.

Audreyllis touched his hand to his heart and bowed- a sign of humility- and smiled gently at Elizabeth.
"My lady, thank you for your troubles. I promise I shall try my best not to be a burden to you or your guards, and that I would be most happy to assist you in any way I can during and beyond this journey. Now, if I may, what is this room we're in and who are we hiding from?"

He couldn't take his mind off of worrying about his commrades, particularly Nezzarade and Locyrex. Were they in a hostile environment, perhaps with less benevolent company than he had found? It sounded strange that he would already be missing them, but he felt horribly alone in the universe without his sister's warm smile and his lover's cold embrace.

Hopefully they were alright, wherever they were.

Startled by his formality, Bernadetta dropped into a clumsy curtsy, quite nearly tripping. She was well-practiced in such gestures and could do them in the msot elegant fashion when she had to. Given the situation and her sudden companion, however... proper ettiquette and how to execute it was not the first thing on her mind. Faye glanced at her reaction to Audreyllis and offered him a short bow, Darius a more grdging incline of the head.

"You're in a room of Mavilla Fortress," Bernadetta stuttered. "In times of war, it's a base for operations on this side of the country, be it strategists or a place to house soilders and weaponry. More commonly, it's used for strategy, since it's on the border of Tritatu, and that's one of out allies. It's ability to house soldiers is more precautionary, as we don't expect Triatu to turn on us, but there's always the possibility of another army attacking through here. In times of peace, it's a safe house for royalty and nobles to hide from enemies in the event they should have need to cross the border. A-and others who may know about it, of course." she stuttered. The princess bit her lip, worried she had, through her knowledge of the place, pegged herself as a noble- or more.

"As for who we're hiding from," Faye picked up for her, "we're hiding from rouge vampires. They're rutheless- no mortal from the lowliest rat to the most powerful centaur is safe from them."
"And even some weaker immortals," Bernadetta added with a shudder, "like fairies and unicorns."

Audreyllis smiled all the more charmingly at Elizabeth, feeling his guard drop without really meaning to. She was a charming and innocent young lady, like Nezzarade or Aviena or... he felt a sudden sickness in his stomach. Elizabeth sounded exactly like Chyrisiti, just as sweet and naive. Unlike Nezzarade, this girl was no warrior. It was a small wonder why her guards were so protective. Which brought to mind- what rank was she? A lady, countess, or princess perhaps? No matter really, she was important and most probably very foolish in matters of survival- a most horrid combination.

"I'm not sure I know of the types of creatures you speak of, my lady. Vampires, faries, and unicorns do not exist in Murtra. I would like to assist you all in some way, but to do that I'd need to learn more about their strengths and weaknesses." Of course, he kept to himself that he was not one of the 'weaker' immortals, or even immortal at all. Being half Sheolai and half Drokkukai meant that one could feel confident in one's strength. Nevertheless, if these 'vampires' were to the people here what 'gods' were in Murtra, he could have some huge problems...

"How do you not have them?" Bernadetta cried, "Aren't they everwhere?"
Faye glanced at Darius- did he still think this man's story was true? How could a place not have fairies or unicorns.
Darius gave a nearly inperceptible shake of his head, letting Faye know that Audreyllis was not to be dicreited just yet. If he was indeed a friend, he didn't want to make an enemy of the man. Bernadetta was oblivious to it, but something was... strange about him. And Darius wasn't entirely certain he and Faye would be able to fight him. He certainly was not human, that much he was sure of.

"That is presicely the advantage of and problem with vampires," he said, looking over his sunglasses with eyes that were an odd, inhuman shade of dark gold. "We have many strengths, and very few weaknesses. We are fast, strong, difficult to kill, and have high tolerance for pain. This is ideal when we work to defend. When we work to harm... it becomes an issue. Forgive me for not quite trusting you as my lady seems to, but I am not quite willing to reveal any weaknesses to you just yet."

"Ah, I see," Audreyllis said after some thought, "So you three are...vampires as well?" To Elizabeth he said, "Well, I suppose all worlds have different creatures, if I am, as I suspect, truly on another world. You may or may not have heard of creatures from my world, unless Sanglai or Krypsek are creatures you are familiar with."

He had to find a way to get to the others. He knew they were powerful gods, and surely they could handle themselves, but he couldn't help but worry. Not only that, three of his enemies were on the loose in a foreign world. If these 'rogue vampires' or some other nasty creature were to fall in league with Tzanusade...he shuddered to think about it.

"If you require assistance in fighting these creatures, I will be more than happy to assist. I may not look it, but I have a variety of...unique powers and abilities that you could find helpful. But also, I have to ask that as soon as it's safe, we look for my companions. They are the people closest to me, and I'm afraid they might be in danger."

"Faye and I are vampires," Darius tiold him crisply, "Bernadetta is a human."
Bernadetta leanded towards Audreyllis eagerly, her trepidation replaced almost entirely by fascination and curiousity. Sanglai? Krypsek? She'd never heard of such things! Their names were almost as strange at Audryllis'! "What are those?" she asked, and Faye shot her a stern glance.

"You can ask about them later, Elizabeth."
Bernadetta, Darius, and Faye all realized the same thing at once. Bernadetta paled, though her gaurds remained completely calm.
"D-darius," she stuttered, "Did you call me Bernadetta?"
"Sorry," Darius inclined his head, "My mind was elsewhere, Elizabeth. My younger sister was called Bernadetta, you understand, and sometime you cause me to think of her."

Faye repressed a smile at this- she knew full well that Darius had no sister. That had been quick thinking on his part. Still, she looked closely at Audryllis, to see if the name Bernadetta had stirred anything in his face. If he recognized it, he surely was of this world.

"What of your companions," Bernadetta hurridely changed the subject, "Why do you think they are here as well?"

Audreyllis realized they had been hiding her name. Her reaction wouldn't have been so delayed otherwise. Still, their business for doing so was their own, and he didn't want to make himself suspicious by pressing the matter.
"Don't worry, Lady Elizabeth, I'll tell you all about them later, the Krypsek and the Sanglai and anything else from my world that is unfamiliar to you." He gave her a reassuring smile. This was the most he'd ever had to smile without employing the serpent's charm, but he figured that was a good thing. It meant he felt like he could trust these people.
"My companions and I were hit by the same blast of energy as I was, and I ended up here, so they must be around as well. Even if they aren't, it would still relieve my anxiety if I could look for them."

Faye looked over at Darius, her expression thoughtful. "Were any rouge vampires nearby?"
"Not that I could find," he replied, casting a careful glance at the heavily barricaded door.
"Then let's go!" Bernadetta said excitedly, "We can find his friends and they can help us get out of here, and maybe even help get rid of the vampires chasing us!" She looked at the man desprately, her brown eyes pleading. "Even if we found them, you would still help us, right?"

"Blast of energy?" Darius asked, turning defensive. "What sort of energy blast would create a magic so powerful and not kill you?"

"Of course I would still help you! I may look like a rogue but I've been shaped into a man of honor! My sister, Nezzarade, would hate me for all time if I left you all to fend for yourselves. I'm sure that once we find my companions, they'll be happy to assist you as well."

Audreyllis was a little nervous but very excited about seeing more of this new world. No one had ever heard of such a thing- a world beyond Sheoltra? Sheoltra was the limit of the universe, where the most powerful gods lived. But to have this place, a whole other world with its own unique creatures, THAT was something awesome.

"My companions and I...we're rather hard to kill... How do I explain? We're called Sheolai and Gyaevai and...Drokkukai, but the more commonplace term, if you're familiar with it, is 'gods'."

Bernadetta's jaw dropped. "Gods? But how-"
"Impossible." Darius growled, giving Audreyllis a steely glare. "There's no such thing as gods."

"He just said," Faye said calmly, "It's a more commonplace terms that we'd understand. Do not react so harshly.
"Let's just go," Darius snarled. "We'll get out of here, find his... companions or whatever the hell they are, and leave them behind us. We certasinly don't need the help of any... gods." The word flew from his lips like venom in the form of sound, so that even Faye cringes, and Bernadetta sharnk away.

"B-but Darius..." Bernadetta trailed off, looking at Aureyllis hopelessly. So much for tales of Sanglai and Krypsek.

Audreyllis glared back at Darius and let his mouth curl into his famed Serpent's Smile- an expression taught to him by a snake on Murtra, with the power to enchant and terrify.

"No such thing as gods? Then explain my standing here, vampire. My mother was one of the ten gods that created my home world, my father was a powerful immortal warrior. I'm used to my existence offending people, but only because of my Drokkukai side. Now you claim to loathe me for my Sheolai side as well? You understand little."

The words flew out of his mouth without him really thinking about them. He knew, of course, that he would anger Darius, but he was rather sick and tired of people hating him for his species.

"I'm offering you assistance in exchange for your help. I'm not an unreasonable person, am I? I'm not like the foolish Xochipili or the heartless Tzanusade, who ask for tribute from those around them. I don't ask for anything but common respect, and you fail to give me even that. I'm glad your fellow vampire and your dear Lady Elizabeth are dear and charming women, or I wouldn't be able to stand this company at all."

Darius bared his fangs in a full blown snarl, and Bernadetta raced past the protective Faye to Audreyllis. She placed her hands on his arm, and looked up at him pleadingly. "Please don't," she pleaded.

Faye grasped Darius by the wrist and pulled him to a corner of the room where she spoke to him in hushed tones, not loud enough for either the human or god to hear. He glanced up several times, but always at Bernadetta never at Audreyllis.

"Don't be cross with him," she begged, not demanded, "He has his reasons, about not believing in gods and all. He doesn't hate you for being a god, really he doesn't. He's angry because he thinks you're lying. Please." She looked so lost, like she had no idea what to do- and she did not. She liked Audreyllis. She wanted to be his friend. She wanted him to like her and her gaurds, and vice versa. But she had deep loyalties to Darius, he'd defended her family since before her grandmother was born. And if she had to choose... Well, she'd choose Darius. And she did not want to do that.

Audreyllis broke the charm and patted Bernadetta on the head.
"I am deeply sorry for my outburst, my dear lady. I do hope that this will be the last of mine and Darius' quarrels. We shall of course behave, for your sake at least." He shot a steady but cold look to the vampire guard. "Besides, we gods aren't all that I've heard we are. Most creatures think that we're somehow limitless, but that isn't the case. We're powerful yes, and possess immortality, but we are neither omniscient nor omnipotent. Truly, the gods from my world are just like any other species, just harder to kill."

He gently took up Bernadetta's hand and kissed it. "You are such a benevolent person, lady Elizabeth. You remind me somewhat of the sisters I'm looking for. I sincerely wish I knew more people with hearts as generous as yours."

He let go of the human's hand and turned to Faye.
"I suppose we all should be heading out now. I don't know much about these rogue vampires, but from what you all say we probably shouldn't wait around for them to come back."

Bernadetta gave Audreyllis a tenative smile, releasing her gentle hold on his arm. He was so... kind, and well-mannered. but despite this feeling, she gave Darius a worried stare, then turned the look back to Audreyllis when he was occuopied with Faye. She feared for how this would end... Suppose this wasn't their final argument? Suppose the fighting got worse? She was afraid. Darius was strong, but how strong was this... this god?

Faye nodded, moving away from Darius and towards the door. "You're right. If we've lead them to this place by mistake, it's not as safe as we thought, magical and physical reinforcments both. They'll find a way." Under her breath, she muttered, "Resourceful bastards."

Bernadetta giggled, pressing her hands to her lips to stifle the sound, and Faye looked back in mild suprise. It was obvious she hadn't meant for that comment to be heard... Shurgging her soulders, she moved to the door and dealt with the locks, Darius sweeping across the room to help her after just a moment. Together, they pushed the heavy doors open, staring out into the dark corrider ahead.

Faye pulled out a flashlight and shone it into the darkness, glad she and Darius knew this fortress intimately, and would have no problems leading everyone out.

Audreyllis jumped back a little when the flashlight came on. "It gives off light, but there's no fire..." The devices in this world were truly astounding. He would have to try and figure out how much infomation he could take back with him to Murtra. If nothing else, it would give his human friends something to tinker with.

As they walked through the corridors, Audreyllis called out to serpents and spiders in the area. Soon a small following of the creatures trailed behind the group, and Audreyllis said, mostly to Bernadetta, "I wanted to see if the creatures here would respond to me like they do in my world. Apparently they don't recognize me but sense an inherrent connection, and call me their lord."
While walking, he scooped up one of the larger spiders and put it next to his ear.
"She says there are suspicious characters about, and that we'd best be on our guard."