The Temple of Winter was a barren place, usually only inhabited by those who worked under the obsidian eyes of the Goddess, Elysia. Inside the walls of Elysia's church, one could hear the song of swirling, snow-filled winds raging outside, keeping unwanted and faithless visitors away. The frosted winds provided protection and their sounds were ever present, a reminder that only those strong enough to face the elements and death would receive anything close to compassion.

However, there was another noise that had mingled its way into the song of the ferocious winds. It was barely audible to those with normal hearing, but the Goddess had heard it. A heartbeat. One that was both erratic and fluttering with nervous anticipation. Something had gone wrong for sure. The fast thumping of the heart pounded within Elysia's ears and it was at once that she appeared before the source.

The priestess turned with the sudden presence of the Goddess, dropping a bundle of crystals she had been carrying. The tiny crystals clattered to the marble floor and then it was silent again, minus the heartbeat that was now palpitating even more rapidly. The priestess rose her hands to her chest for a moment and sucked in a surprised breath; her unaware reaction was followed shortly with a low bow to address Elysia's presence.

Elysia did not notice the bow, but instead looked around the chamber she had entered into. The Goddess of Winter knew this room well and it was not without great importance that the priestess would have been lingering within its confines. The clergy under Elysia's charge usually guarded this room outside the oaken door and never entered it. For it was death that loomed most fragrant within this sanctum.

"What is amiss here? The clergy hardly ever steps foot within this room, so why should this day be any different? What has made your will change so?" Elysia questioned, moving a step forward towards the priestess. Shoulder length white hair framed a pale cheek as Elysia tilted her head ever curious.

"My Goddess... I... you see," the priestess began, stumbling on her words. The girl folded her hands together, circling her thumbs against one another and kept her posture awkwardly bowed, as if Elysia were going to execute her.

"Yes?"

"The Immortal Kings... One of the souls have been.... stolen."

Elysia moved past the girl and let her eyes search the wall. The Goddess knelt and the priestess, now covering her face in her hands, did not look back for fear of being turned out into the frigid Aleris' snow fields. There Elysia found for certain that the souls of one of the ancient kings, those selfish beings that previously shared the same blood as Alerion, had been stolen from under her roof.

"Well, then," Elysia said moving away from the marble wall, "we have no time to waste."

Still hunched over in a bowed position as the Goddess left the room, the priestess did not even see Elysia make her exit or get the time to ask where she was going. Instead, the deity was gone as if she had never been there in the first place. Outside Elysia's temple, there was no clue of who had stolen the soul of the immortal king, only that the theft had been completed fast and precisely. Whoever it was, made sure they did not leave a trail of clues behind. There was not even a single footprint left in the snow.



Twenty-four years had passed since Alerion had shed his immortal blood to defeat the ancient kings of his lineage. Since this time, many of the citizens of Aleris had struggled to grasp what their newfound emotions meant; what it meant to be at last... alive. Numerous people had made great progress with learning how to be human again and accepting their newfound lives within the realm of Aleris.

It was during this time of soul searching that the Outer Gates were found, portals to other realms that were mysteriously connected with Aleris. King Alerion had discovered these gates and as he granted scientists to study them occasionally, no one had been able to figure out what their true purpose was. It wasn't until recently that quite a few of the gates had opened up and people from other realms started drifting into Aleris. It remained civil; most of the visitors came and went for trade purposes. King Alerion had been able to establish relationships with some of the emissaries of the realms - their respective leaders - but others were unreachable.

The action of theft had never been a problem to address, until Elysia stepped into Aleris' main city. It was a little past midnight when she arrived and the city was mostly quiet, save for a few roaming dogs and cats or the occasional late night traveler wandering the city. It was there that she waited for her fellow deities, having summoned the call earlier. A crime had been committed, and she would not be able to recover the king's lost soul on her own. If it had gotten into the wrong hands of a bitter and vengeful person, the progress which Aleris had made over the years might be totally reversed.

"My brothers and sister... grave danger is among us," Elysia spoke softly, though no one was beside her. The wind carried her words to Galenous, the trees passed the message along to Aurora, and to Tempesturo, her voice was received with a flickering air of chaos.

It was time to test these travelers from the other realms and from Aleris as well. The hour of justice was at hand and among the deities, they would uncover the thief. Deities, in the eyes of others, were an example of human perfection and a guiding voice of reason. Nevertheless, they were not immune to mistakes, and Elysia sought to correct the one she made. A mere priestess was not enough to guard that room and to be wary of threats to the Goddess of Winter. She needed something else for herself. A Templar.

Almost as if he hadn't just traveled from the far west of the island, Galenous was standing next to Elysia. The Autumn God, stood close. If one were to judge by appearances, they would never be able to tell that the person standing beside the Ice Goddess was a God himself. His shirt was made of a coarse red material that was worn to the point of thinning through at places. His pants matched in material, but differed in color, these being a dark brown.

The odd part about his presence would be his head. Where most would expect a normal oval shaped head with hair of some sort, Galenous wore what could only be called a mask. This one in the shape of a deer skull. The sockets where eyes should have been where empty and black, giving no hint that there might actually be eyes inside.

"Dear Sister, I believe you over estimate the situation. Grave danger is always among us. It is a part of us. However I'm sure that the situation is dire, or you wouldn't have called to us. What has transpired?"

The patient God listened as his Sister explained the circumstances.

"That is disturbing My main question for you would be, do you really think that We should get directly involved? I'm not saying that we're not needed a bit, however if we continue to hold their hands through all the hard times then what reason do they have to live?"

He took a moment to think about what he'd just said to Sister Winter. Then went on.


"Of course I'm not saying that they're pointless if we do this for them, but wouldn't it make them feel more in control if they did something to help us instead of us doing it for them? Maybe we should wait for Summer and Spring's opinions?"

Aleris was awakening. The actions of King Alerion had broken the curse that had plagued the citizens of Aleris and allowed Herself and Her siblings to enter the world. As the Goddess of rebirth and hope She had been quite busy since the the moment the denizens of their world began to awaken, introducing the idea of hope, bringing about the rebirth of an entire world into something new, something grander. So it was with some dismay that the great tree in the center of her temple whispered the disconcerting words sent to her by her sister, Elysia.

There was grave danger among them....

To the Earth Mother this was most distressing and it was with great haste that She departed Her temple dwelling and sought out the location of her sister, Elysia, until She found Her in the Grand City of Aleris where King Alerion resided in the Royal Palace at the center of city. Her brother, Galenous, was already present and it was the tail end of Their conversation that greeted Her before She made Her own presence known and it was to Galenous' words that She addressed Her words as She appeared next to Her celestial siblings.

”And if we do not step forward and aide them in their times of strife and struggle than what good are we? What cause have they to worship us?”

Her opinion had been stated even without knowing the circumstances of the situation. She knew only that They would need to be their for the people who were slowly but surely putting their faith in the newly present Gods of Aleris. It would be folly to leave them to their own devices now without even a hint of divine guidance so soon after becoming a part of their world. Realizing She would need the whole story before speaking further She fell silent and allowed her Sister Winter to speak, explaining exactly what had occurred.

It was grave news indeed, the knowledge that the missing soul could undo all the progress the people had made since the lifting of the curse was most distressing. The question that burned most prevalent in Her heart, however, was that of just who had taken the soul? Who would want it? Who would wish to risk returning the people of Aleris to their near catatonic state which in turn could so easily banish the Gods back to the fringes where they had waited for so long before.

”I do not believe We should allow the responsibility of retrieving the soul to fall upon the shoulders of the humans alone. We've as much to lose as they. I believe We should work with them to meet this new crisis. It is time to name our Chosen.”

Just as Elysia had had the thought that it was time to name Her Templar so too was it time for Aurora to call up Her Paladin, Her Chosen. The one who would act as head of Her clergy and guard Her temple. It was then that She cast her gaze about Their small assembled group only to realize They were still short one member of Their small pantheon. Tempesturo, Their brother of Chaos, had still not joined them. Which, honestly, wasn't overly surprising considering the nature of the energies Tempesturo ruled.

”Come My chaotic Brother of Summer....We shall need You as well.”

Wherever He was He would hear Her voice, She knew, just as She had heard Elysia's without fail. It was in his nature to do the unexpected but this concerned Them all and His voice would needed.

In a world of forced indifference there was no place for him and his siblings. Life, death, transition, and chaos were merely words, not ideals to be explored. While his brother and sisters slept though, he had been a wild bull pacing behind an impenetrable fence, chomping at the bit and awaiting his chance to run. Then Alerion sacrificed his immortality, he gave his people back their “fire” as it were. And with that fire, the fence slowly opened -- and out rushed the least godly of the 4 deities, the God of summer, Tempesturo.

Elysia had summoned him first, and while he’d heard her call he just couldn’t bring himself to answer, at least not right away. Words like grave and danger held no sway over him. His was a mind of recklessness and fierce intensity, oblivious to danger no matter how grave it may be. If something had happened that threatened the world entirely and even they the Gods themselves, than why would he want to stop it? Let it come. He hadn’t waited so long for freedom just to become tied down by responsibility -- that was a mortal plight.

Then Aurora called out to him. Of his 3 kin it was the Spring Goddess who best captured and contained his flame. The bonds between all 4 Gods was strong, but each of them shared a particularly deep connection with only 1 of their siblings, his was shared with Aurora. She was life embodied and life was nothing if not a bedfellow to chaos. When her voice called to him, wherever he might have been, it was left behind as he finally answered the call of his kin.

The appearance of the Summer God wasn’t nearly as discreet as the others. His approach was heralded by a loud commotion. A massive ball of fire rolled quickly down through the streets of Aleris like a descending bolder. Seeming to consciously decide its course it weaved around obstructions, that is until it appeared at the head of the street his siblings were on. A few merchant carts were “accidently” bowled over by the tumbling fireball as it veered down the street and headed directly for the assembled Gods. It seemed as if it would strike them directly..but the closer it came to them, the smaller it shrunk, until the flames themselves began to slowly taper away. Seconds before impact the flames had all but vanished, and what was seen was a man rolling to a stop on his rump, hands braced beside his hips and legs stretched out as he looked up towards his 3 surrounding siblings.

”Now those are some solemn faces. Doesn’t anybody remember what I said? If I’m going to be at these ‘meetings’ there has to be smiles. Frowns don’t make anyone happy, do they? No they don’t.”

Pushing himself up to a vertical base, the flames that burned around his hands and feet crackled and swayed with each movement. His clothing was unremarkable, and if anything it was rather shabby. A white over coat with various colored patches stitched over holes in both the torso and sleeves. The shirt was wrinkled and blue, at one time it might have been a rather nice sweater but with all the tiny holes and loose weaves it was something a vagrant would wear. Couple that with tattered black slacks and the outfit looked less like something a God would wear, and more a beggars uniform. Once standing he dusted himself off though it did little good in removing the flaws in his attire. And when he finally looked back to his siblings, he brought up his right hand. In his right hand he’d taken a twig from the street and scorched the tip so that he could gather the ash on his thumb. It was the ash he used to trace a smile on the corners of Aurora’s mouth.

”See? Isn’t that nicer?”

The flames on his hands gave off no heat less he so chose, so all that accompanied his touch was a soothing warmth that radiated no further than just beyond his fingertips. As his hand fell from Aurora he grinned towards her before looking to Galenous and Elysia.

”You two don’t get smiles, because Elysia deals with dead people..so they wouldn’t notice it anyway. And Galenous because…”

He paused a moment just to stare at his brother, blinking and gawking at the stag skull over Galenous' face.

”…yeah. Good talk, Galenous. Anyway, what’s all this about? If it’s about the eruption in your territory, Elysia..I meant to talk to you about that. I know I said it wasn’t active, but then I figured..why shouldn’t it be? Not like a little lava ever hurt anybody. Sure it’s killed a lot of people but I’m sixty percent sure they were dead before they felt anything. Though..there was all that screaming. Oh well..too late now, am I right?”

He nudged Elysia softly in the ribs with his elbow, chuckling before striking the pose of a man frozen in place by an avalanche of molten rock, then..chuckling some more. He shook his head as the laugh tapered off and dropped his hands to his sides.

”Ohhh that’s funny. Sorry, sorry..please…continue.”

A single hand rose to Elysia's forehead as Tempesturo made his appearance at last; as with always, nothing was quiet about the God of Summer. There was usually some sort of chaos to wake the sleeping and peaceful souls of Aleris. Merchant carts were leveled haphazardly into the air, flying a few feet as Tempesturo made his grand entrance. They clattered to the streets shortly after and the fires that had grazed them consumed the wood instantly; the flames of Tempesturo's being could not compare to ordinary fire.

Elysia pointed towards the carts. "I hope you plan to replace those," she said her voice serious and chiding him like an infant, like she had expected Tempesturo to do such a thing as build new carts.

For a moment, Elysia moved a step backwards as Tempesturo offered "smiles" to his siblings. Though she found balance with all of her brothers and sisters, she preferred not to have the heat of his hands grace over her skin. Just as well, Tempesturo decided she did not deserve a smile for the duties she carried as Goddess of Winter. Elysia's hand fell from her forehead, but was replaced by an arched, slender brow.

"Yes, the volcano," Elysia replied. "Well, 'natural' disasters do happen. However, it did put quite a burden on everyone, trying to get the snow to stick to the ground again and figuring out what to do with all the dead."

Elysia shook her head slowly, remembering the day where lava started flowing dangerously close to her temple. The God of Summer and his volcano had her sweating for days, a feeling which she was not comfortable with. As if to remind her about it once more, Elysia felt Tempesturo nudge her in the ribs; the heat radiating off his skin sent her back a few steps in response. The Goddess of Winter rubbed at the spot over her ribs which was soothed by the icy feeling of her fingertips.

"As much as I would like to smile," she began looking up, "there is a matter that needs to be taken care of first. A soul that had belonged to one of the Immortal Kings has been stolen from my domain. I fully take fault for not securing my temple from infiltration; however, the fact of the matter remains that this soul could be in the wrong hands."

Elysia took a breath and looked to her siblings, hoping she had caught their attention and all humor had been drained from Tempesturo's loud introduction.

"I cannot find the thief by myself, so I need to ask all of you please keep an eye out for any suspicious people. With the Outer Gates starting to open and more people travelling through them, any one could have gotten their hands on the soul. Myself... I will be changing my appearance to that of an Alerian Marshal and conducting investigations. I hope that I can have my brother's and sister's assistance with finding the thief.

You all do realize that if a corrupt individual has taken the soul, this could undo all that Alerion has fought to change. Already, I can feel people starting to stray from life, becoming lost and confused. Aurora, surely you have felt something being that Rebirth is under your charge?

Alerion is already aware of the situation and he is issuing a formal declaration to the citizens of Aleris. We'll have his help as well, but as you know, there are a select few who would rather try to tempt the patience of the deities and see that this thief finishes what he or she has started."

((This takes place a few days after the meeting where the other deities agreed to help Elysia find the thief who took the stolen soul. Moving along a bit for storyline purposes...))



In the morning before most people had awoken (or had gone to sleep for the night), there was a notice posted on various buildings throughout the realm of Aleris. It was an official declaration from King Alerion himself and not a moment after the lonely page was spotted hanging against walls, did people start to gather to read the contents, as if they had been beckoned by the Royal Seal stamped upon the parchment. There were a great many murmurs and even a few gasps as people crowded around, stuffing their faces were ever they could peek, reading the elegant writing.

"My Humble Citizens of Aleris,

I have two announcements which are of utmost importance, ones that may affect our beloved kingdom directly.

First, and foremost, a recent crime has been committed against our Goddess of Winter, Elysia. A thief has desecrated her temple and along with this deed has stolen an important religious artifact. In the time to pass, there will be many investigations. I ask for your understanding and cooperation as we work to recover what has been stolen from the Lady of Winter. The Alerian soldiers will be around conducting interviews alongside our Chief Investigator, Lyseria.

Should you notice any one suspicious or in possession of ancient relics, please contact an official at the castle immediately.

Secondly, we are proud to have signed our first alliance with one of the Outer Gates realms - The Outlands. The leader of this land is Emperor Lumine Ravenholm. With this alliance, it will open many trade options and technological advancements for Aleris. I hope for the best with our newfound allies, and wish that as I extend my open hands to them, that you all will as well.

Sincerely,

King Alerion"



A newborn infant cried endlessly in its crib - hungry and needing to be changed - searching for its mother. But, the house had been vacant with the exception of the baby. Several hours before the departure of the mother, she had been caring for her child as any loving parent would after new life has entered into their world. Something changed, however. The mother placed her baby back in the crib and took an uneasy step back.

The look in her eyes became lost. What am I doing here? she wondered. Why does this child stare at me so? Tilting her head to the side, she could find no reason to stay and take care of the baby, or to even continue the life she had become accustomed to. Instead, she turned and left her home, wandering out into the streets of Grand City and was not seen from again.

The loss of Alerion's brother had started taking effect. The emotionless mother was just the beginning, and unless the thief was found soon, the vibrant land the Alerian citizens now knew might revert to its previous form. A dark and desolate void, one where people had no reason to live. Aleris would die.

((This takes place two days after Alerion and Alasiah's meeting that was posted in "Either a Hero or a Fool." viewtopic.php?f=4&t=504&start=0))

Two days were not enough time. Despite Alerion, Lyseria and Alasiah working tirelessly throughout the night, the days had passed all too quickly. They had sent numerous letters to the Redmont family and the families of Eternelle Lune requesting additional help, but none of them had seemed to warrant any response from either realm. The King of Aleris had sent word by both animal and human scouts, yet neither of them had made it to the recipients. It was almost as if the Ravenholm Empire had put a stop to any outbound communication just in case, but Alerion had no way to be sure - there was no telling if the Redmonts were indeed as bloodthirsty as Lumine described or if it was just another one of Lumine's schemes at work. Nevertheless, two days had inevitably passed and the three - Alerion, Lyseria and Alasiah - were left shaking their heads with no other choices but to march out.

The drums of war could be heard from every corner of Aleris Kingdom, despite the quiet path the army took towards The Outlands gate. The way to The Outlands was not an easy one and the entire army could not travel by train. The army trudged out by horseback and foot from Grand City, the capital of Aleris, and made their way west past the ominous presence of The Oblivion Mountains. Their travels took them further through The Shadow Marshes and southbound past the small town of Barriston where a few more troops joined Alerion's band of soldiers and officers. It had been a few days since the departure from Grand City, but they had made it as scheduled to meet with the Ravenholm army.

Alerion paused outside The Outlands gate where he dismounted his horse in disappointment. Waiting at the gate was a less than expected number of men, about 20 or so, from the Ravenholm forces. When Alerion questioned the men about their leader's lack of support, they only replied that Lumine would meet with the rest of the army later - that the element of surprise was what would ultimately weaken the Redmont forces.

Elysia, still disguised as Lyseria, was more cautious herself. She had heard little from her deity siblings the last few weeks, so she was clueless as to whether or not they would make an appearance. She felt it was her duty to march side-by-side with Alerion not only because she was a goddess of this now forsaken land, but because she had made a grave error herself - letting the soul of one of Alerion's brothers get stolen and risking the current state of Aleris. Strolling into The Outlands where she would become very mortal was not one of the best choices, but it was one that she had to make even if it might put her life at stake.

The army crossed through the gate after much arguing between Alerion and the Ravenholm troops. There was nothing the King of Aleris could do to sway them or convince them to bring more of Lumine's soldiers through first. It was either head through the gate or Aleris would be subject to attack. At this point, Alerion had no idea who was on Lumine's side or the size of his Empire (Lumine seemed to leave out details like this) and he did not want to cause any harm to his people if possible.

Passing through The Outlands Gate was not the hardest part. Seeing the Redmont headquarters unaware of the battle ahead and less than a half a mile away was. Still, the steady hum of footsteps moving forward in unison grew louder as they approached and soon it would be definite to anyone within the Redmont fortress that something was amiss. And as luck would have it, the Redmonts were not the only ones about to face an unfortunate turn of events.

The soul sickness that was creeping into the hearts and minds of Alerian citizens had finally made its mark. Suddenly, men started dropping out of their ranks. They walked from their unit, some confused wondering at what they were doing and others heading off into the distance. Alerion and Lyseria both let their voices ring out, trying to command the men to come back, but they did not turn. It was as if the soldiers had lost all motivation they previously had to fight or to live. Together, Alerion and Lyseria watched nearly horrorstruck as a majority of their soldiers started turning away one by one with no regards to the bell towers that were now ringing in alarm from the Redmont headquarters.

Post originally by Character_Daphne Redmont

The sudden wail of the alarms were what ended the conversation between the Huntress and her unlikely sister-in-law. Eyes of brilliant gold narrowed faintly, and she cast a surreptitious stare towards the windows of the study that overlooked the courtyard of the estate; already, the forms of Absolutioneers and other guards were scrambling to defense posts, along the high wall that had been built to protect the locale from any kind of protracted siege. The only issue Daphne had, was that they were facing the other direction, where the rift to Aleris was located. "I think we've run out of time, Ainsley," the blonde-haired Lady Redmont hissed as she moved to stand before the window. Dusk was approaching rapidly, and thus, the Absolutioneers would have an advantage; but nevertheless, they were still outnumbered. She tilted her head, pale locks of silken hair caressing the soft curves of an elegant face and barely hiding a faint frown. "Those aren't Ravenholm forces. Uniforms and formation don't match what our scouts have seen, and..."

Daphne trailed off, watching in obvious confusion from the library of the manor; due to the location and the fact that they were on the seventh floor of their home, it allowed for easy observation of the approaching forces. Even as they began to break ranks, and wander off as though they had no idea of whose territory they had wandered into, Daphne stared in puzzled astonishment. "Ainsley, come with me. I believe we should have a heart-to-heart chat with our guests," the Huntress finally snapped, abruptly turning away from the window. She paused by the door, strapping the sleek lever-action gun to her side once more, a brief nod granted towards Ainsley. The witch had been busy, crafting the current weapon the Huntress armed herself with to replace the brute model given to her by Alastair Bluefield, in what seemed like another lifetime.

Her stride was purposeful and fluid, and not one soldier dared to meet her gaze as she stormed through the halls, with the equally-angry witch at her side. "It's Aleris. It has to be; if it were Eternelle Lune or Reino del Heilo, they would've sent word first," Daphne spoke in hushed tones, her temper beginning to bleed through the calm, hushed tone of her voice. There was another reason Daphne had already crossed Eternelle Lune off the list of possible attackers; Mariska Vereticus was still family, and she would've contacted the Lady Redmont if there were issues to be resolved. And from the intelligence that her scouts had gathered, Reino del Heilo didn't have the necessary forces for any kind of siege.

That, and the overwhelmingly erratic formation displayed by the soldiers marching towards the estate from the rift was unlike anything she had seen from an enemy of the Redmonts.

The front doors burst open, and she descended the stairs, ivory wings spreading back and stretching in a majestic display of beauty; all three divisions of the Absolutioneers paused to stare, and all of the soldiers stood at attention before both Daphne and Ainsley. The blonde-haired angel paused, casting another glance towards Ainsley, who had become an unlikely friend in the aftermath of Maxim's departure. A hushed silence fell across the defenders who had assembled in the courtyard, and even those archers and snipers mounted upon the wall turned to watch the reigning Lady Redmont. "The day we've waited on is finally here. We knew that we would have our backs against the wall, and our King left us because he felt he had failed us."

"Well, we're going to prove him wrong today. The enemies are at our gates, and beyond them, are their Ravenholm masters! We push these intruders back to their rift, back to their realm, and then we follow them through and keep pushing them until we're at their gates," Daphne shouted, which had the desired effect. Men and women garbed in both Redmont sentry attire and Absolutioneer gear shouted their unwavering agreement, and for once, the humanity of the Dynasty was surrounded, and protected, by the darkness of the Brood.

"United, we stand!"

"Divided, they fall!"

The words were chanted, over and over, by the soldiers that surrounded Daphne and Ainsley. The gates were slowly opened, and Alerion, Lyseria, and Alasiah Bluefield would be greeted with the sight of an organized defense force, made up of the full Absolution Brigade and supplemented by Dynasty sentries and saboteurs. At their forefront stood no less than five Redmonts, brandishing their weaponry of choice. The gate slid back, revealing the forces of the united Redmont Bloodline and their respective leaders, one at a time...

Cassandra Redmont was the first to come into view, with the Black Cross division of the Absolutioneers behind her, and an elegant rapier extended in a mocking feint towards the enemy.

Kaine Redmont was next, an unearthly glow radiating from his hands; the very fabric of his sleeves was shredded by the hellish light, indicating the sorcerer's power. Behind him were a mixture of human sentries, vampiric assassins (clad in unmarked Absolutioneer armor to protect them from the last, dying rays of sunlight), and transformed therianthropes ranging from savage werewolves to frightening humanoid scorpions.

Daphne Redmont stood in the center, with the newly-formed Silver Sky division of the Absolution Brigade behind her. Wings were spread in a display of beauty, and locks of blonde hair were swept back by one hand, as she drew the lever-action gun from its resting place upon her left hip. A soft smile tugged at the corners of her mouth, and she raised the weapon to aim directly at King Alerion, across the expanse that would be their battlefield.

Ainsley Redmont was visible next, and behind her were the roaring, demonic warriors of the Red Sun division of the Absolution Brigade. The hood of her robes were lifted, and her eyes were glowing with an eerie indigo light, whilst runes upon the gauntlets strapped to the witch's forearms were pulsing with the same illumination.

Nathaniel Redmont stood there, transformed into the demonic entity that Aubrey's final spell had left him as. Clawed feet dug into the ground as he snorted in disgust, horns spiraling from either side of his skull. Shredded clothing and modified armor was strapped tightly to his hulking, massive frame, and in his hand he brandished a massive blade, one that a normal man couldn't have lifted effectively. It was the precursor to Zahrim, the soul-destroying weapon that only a certain fallen priest could wield -- and while not as powerful, it certainly looked intimidating in the hands of the demon.

The chants were even louder now, with the gates of Northcrest open and the Alerisian army fractured beyond repair. "UNITED, WE STAND! DIVIDED, THEY FALL!"

With the five Redmonts at the forefront, the army readied themselves and began marching forward. The first few Alerisians who wandered into the path of the Lady Redmont herself were subdued; her fist smacked across one man's cheek and he simply fell backwards, staring up at her in stunned belief. It was then that the Huntress realized something was frightfully wrong, and that her family had a huge advantage. "Ainsley, these Alerisians... it's as though they have no idea why they're here, or what to do," she remarked, as she stood before another. The soldier simply stared at her, until she smashed the back of her elbow against his face to knock him out.

The next order was issued from Lady Daphne Redmont, loud enough for Alerion, Lyseria, and General Alasiah Bluefield to hear. "Subdue all invaders; kill none unless forced to do so in defense!" Together, the blonde and brunette Redmont beauties known as Daphne and Ainsley sauntered towards the confused and vastly outnumbered trio of King Alerion, Marshall Lyseria and General Alasiah Bluefield. Daphne let a smug smile creep across full, mauve lips before gesturing towards the mockery around them; the only casualties were a few of the Ravenholm soldiers, and most of them had surrendered out of fear. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Lady Daphne Redmont, reigning ruler of Northcrest and the rightful leader of the Outlands. This," Daphne paused, glancing towards her sister-in-law, "is Baroness Ainsley Redmont, second member of the trinity that currently rules the Redmonts in the absence of our King. And you, Alerisians, are under arrest for attempting to lay siege to our home." She was an example of Redmont beauty, as were most of the femme fatales that wore the name. She brushed an errant tendril of blonde hair away from classical, regal curves of a lovely face, and those golden eyes shifted towards Alasiah Bluefield.

"I do recognize you, Bluefield... that red hair and those blue eyes mark you as the filthy scum that you are. I assume you're to blame for bringing these Alerisians here?" she inquired, still keeping her gun trained on Alerion. The 'fight,' which could hardly be called such, was virtually over. All Alerisian soldiers were in the process of being secured with shackles and disarmed. Though she had no idea why the army of Aleris was there, or what had happened to cause them to simply surrender in such an odd fashion, Daphne was delighted.

The Redmont Bloodline was victorious... and without a single shot fired, or a blade swung.

It looked as if their plans to recover Maxim would have to be put on hold for now. As Ainsley heard the alarms, her head snapped up and looked towards the direction of window. Watching with Daphne, she noticed the numbers of the Alerian army had far outmatched their own, but something was wrong. The formation of the army was a mess, which wasn't typical for such a strong kingdom. In fact, soldiers seemed to be moving haphazardly in different directions as if they had no real goal or motive. Ainsley placed a hand on her forehead for a moment trying to make sense of the situation, but had her thoughts cut off briefly as she fell into step behind the Redmont Queen.

"I do not care who it is," Ainsley said following Daphne. "If it is a battle they want from us, they will soon rue the day they decided to fight the Redmonts - both Dynasty and Brood. Let them see what our family can do when united."

As the two women departed through the main doors to face their foes, Daphne gave a speech which was a very fitting and rousing boost for the army of Redmonts that had little time to prepare for the fight ahead. Ainsley helped by moving and shouting to others for their proper formations. Given the distance between the Redmont headquarters and the Alerian army, she did not think there would have been enough time to get everyone situated and ready, but the careless regime of Alerian troops allowed them to prepare.

The battle was over sooner than Ainsley had expected. Though her blood longed to show these intruders vengeance, their lacking skills did not allow her. Ainsley stayed close by Daphne, protecting the Redmont Queen with her magic where necessary, though there was little need to. The witch reached out and grabbed the man Daphne had leveled to the ground, only to find he was beyond dazed. In her years she had seen very few people in such a state as the man before her and his condition could only have been the cause of an extremely powerful curse.

"These men have no souls," Ainsley explained moving her eyes away from the blank look in the fallen soldier's eyes.

Making their way to the leaders of the Alerian army, Ainsley could smell a stench in the air that was none other than Bluefield. As she stopped in front of Alerion, Lyseria and Alasiah with Daphne, her annoyance for such a foolish battle only grew seeing the Bluefield. Defeated Alerian soldiers were being gathered and bound behind the two Redmont ladies and Ainsley watched cautiously ahead of her, should any of them try to make any sudden moves.

"Alasiah Bluefield, I presume? It seems your declaration of a truce between our families was merely a farce. We do not take jokes lightly here," Ainsley said glaring towards the Bluefield.

It was then that Ainsley noticed while looking at Alasiah a group of about 20 or so extra men standing behind their Alerian leaders. Their appearance contrasted from the soulless men Ainsley had encountered moments before; they appeared rather at ease and confident. No, these men were different from their Alerian counterparts. They were...

"Ravenholm," Ainsley hissed with a nod to direct Daphne's view. "This is not over."