TRAITS:Human of the Northern Vale, (@zmwrites this is for you) First of His Name, The Unbroken, King of the Northern Vale, Companion of the Quest, Victor at the Battle of The Underneath, Goblin-Bane, Consort of the Voice of the Emerald Groves, Friend of the Champion of the Northern Vale (I could add more… but I won’t… for now)
STRENGTHS: Charismatic and Dutiful, Cares Deeply For His People
WEAKNESSES: Unchecked, and often Unable To Overcome Grief or Rage
EXTRA: Alaric was the youngest person go be crowned King of the Northern Vale in hundreds of years, gaining the title at fourteen and receiving full rulership at sixteen
FIRST IN TEXT INTRODUCTION;
“We have waited so very long for you, Champion of the Northern Vale. And now you are here.”
Sadie could not help but look up from her bow then, taking in the King properly for the first time. He looked like a king, or at least every king Sadie had seen in movies or read in her books; everything about him was golden, his hair, his skin, the crown upon his brow. He gleamed like something not entirely real, not entirely tangible.
Their eyes met and she gave him a tentative smile, unsure how to respond to the scrutiny of a monarch. The King grinned in response, and he suddenly looked so young, beholden of a boyish sort of charm. Sadie realised that he couldn’t be any older than twenty-five for all that he was the King of an entire Vale, and inexplicably her nervousness fell away. She grinned back.
TRAITS: Champion of the Northern Vale, Human, of the ‘Earthlands’
STRENGTHS: Curious and Eager To Help
WEAKNESSES: Naive and Prone To Burning Out
EXTRA: Wielder of the Champions Gift; Pyromancy
FIRST IN TEXT INTRODUCTION;
The missing girl looked so small on his laptop screen, a tiny blip in a hallway stacked with grand paintings, all too-long school blazer and halo of brown curls. Connor always felt a kind of kinship with these news stories, a kind of sadness. The missing were his kind after all, no matter where they ended up. As the therapist they had gotten him when he was fifteen and still angry would have said, obsessing over other missing kids was futile. Connor knew that from experience now, after years of chasing and always coming up empty and hollow. He knew not to dwell. But in the process of scrolling away, of putting Sadie Blaine behind him, he caught it. At the very end of the clip, before the unexpected glitch that had reporters frothing at the mouth, the missing girl reached out and touched the painting. Or so he had thought at first glance. Now Connor saw what he had missed before, the missing girl was not touching the painting, no. She was going through it.
TRAITS:Champion of the Valelands, Human, of the ‘Earthlands’
STRENGTHS: Fiercely Loyal and Fiercely Independent
WEAKNESSES: Uncompromising and Untrusting
EXTRA: Wielder of the Champions Gift; Meteoromancy
IN TEXT INTRODUCTION;
The newcomer stood apart from the rest of the gathered crowd, reminiscent to Sadie of King Alaric’s pale, manic shadow; silvered rather than golden, in constant motion as opposed to the King’s assured stillness, slender where the King was solid. But he was of a height with the King and adorned with the same aura of power, the same look of regality.
“Connor,” King Alaric said, a smile of genuine warmth bleeding through his serene mask, “You’re home.”
The man, Connor, came forward, embracing the King like a brother, a friend, and for the first time Sadie noticed his attire, yet another stark contrast to King Alaric’s court robes; jeans, sneakers and a red hoodie. Her heart leapt into her throat.
“You’re a Champion!” She said, starting out of her chair in a rush.
He looked at her then, and when he spoke it was like the crack of thunder rolling through the hills, the toil of a storm overhead, “I used to be.”
BASICS: ‘Valiant’ Valiant As The Sword Strikes True, 293 moons (approx. Twenty Four), She/Her
TRAITS: Elf of the Emerald Groves (the Western Vale), Queen Consort of the Northern Vale, Companion of the Quest, Voice of the Emerald Groves
STRENGTHS: Intelligent and Incredibly Skilled in Combat, Logical
WEAKNESSES: Never Acts First, Prideful
EXTRA: Valiant is one of the founding members of the Free Council, set up in the Valelands after Connor’s quest was complete
FIRST IN TEXT INTRODUCTION;
Champion! They cried again and again.
Champion! Champion! Help me! Champion!
Shecouldn’t help them though, couldn’t do anything but make it worse. She tried to tell them that, to make them understand but their voices kept rising, frantic, reverent, relentless. The trees and the grass and the bugs, the animals and the wind, all pleading for their Champion. Sadie clapped her hands over her ears at some point to ward off the sound but it made no difference. Someone began to scream and sob amongst the cacophony, it took her a while to realise she was making those noises, throat raw, tears streaming down her hot cheeks.
It took her even longer to realise the sounds of the living around her had faded, just one voice, soft and soothing, spoke to her.
“Hush, hush,” it whispered.
Sadie blinked up at the owner of the blissfully quiet voice and gasped. She was beautiful, skin as dark and rich as the night sky, hair a regal spill of thick black twists over one shoulder, ears long and pointed. Impossibly pointed.
“Are you a dream?” She asked, awestruck by the woman’s obsidian eyes, the quick flash of amusement behind them.
“No, I am Valiant As The Sword Strikes True, daughter of the Emerald Groves. And I have been looking for you.”
The stranger withdrew his weapon, just as, “For Teffrin,” emerged from his lips.
Annchi screamed as the man’s blade pierced through a lady sitting closest to him, blood spilling from her mouth. Theo withdrew his sword and charged forward.
A dark hand came from behind the stranger and yanked his head back. A blade slid across his neck, so smooth and quick he almost missed it. He knew it had happened when the stranger dropped his blade, hand coming to clutch his slit throat.
His attacker knocked him to the ground, her curly hair short and coiled tight, her skin deep and, now blood-spattered. He was about to thank her. But he stopped short, fear sinking deep in his spine. The women was dressed in black, in a leather vest and shirt, her arms bare. One arm decorated with a a snake tattoo, running from her forearm up to her shoulder.
Theo raised his sword. “Seize her. Seize the serpent!”
The other knights made no move to do any such thing, while the woman stared at him dourly. “Who are you?”
“Who are you?”
“Theo, this is Emogen.” Annchi gestured towards her, alarmingly calm in the fray. “My guard.”
“This is your guard?” Theo stepped in front of Annchi, brandishing his sword all the while. “A serpent?”
Emogen scoffed, wiping the blood from her dagger on her trousers. “Former serpent.”
“As if there’s a difference.”
“Theo, it’s alright. Em’s in my father’s employ.”
“So you might want to drop the sword, knight, before you take out one of his majesty’s inside men.” She smiled in that slink way only a serpent could smile. “Or women.”
“In the name of Teffrin!”
Theo turned towards the ring, body firm between Annchi and the serpent woman. Out in the ring, a knight sparred with a new intruder, he fell moments later. Beside him, his horse lay impaled on a spear of black metal. Metal that melted into sludge.
“For the abandoned god,” the intruder roared, hands burning as another spear grew in his palms. straight from the forge of sorcery. He raised it, pointing it towards the stands.
Theo grasped Annchi’s chair and wheeled her back, diving in front, shield raised. “Get her out of here,” he demanded the serpent, against his better judgement. “Now!”
The spear lodged in his shield, the force of it knocking him back a step or two. Then it melted, red-hot. He flung the shield aside before it had a chance to scald him. The black metal hit the ground and gurgled like living tar. “Throw me a shield.”
Golden light struck the ground behind the intruder, distracting him from his target. The intruder turned and raised his weapon, roaring out Teffrin’s name once again, only to be thrown aside in a blast of light.
The attacker raised a bow that shone like stars, and felled the mage with one arrow to the neck. As he fell, the spear in his hand melted like magma against his flesh.
Theo was so numb, it took him a moment to realise why everyone was screaming. Why they were standing and shouting and pointing, not at the dead mage with the melted ribcage, but at the attacker with the bow. Because he stood in the centre of the arena, hands and feet sheathed in gold, wings white like a dove stretching from his back. A young man and a wolf by his side.
“Is that a seraph?” Behind him, Annchi’s voice trembled, but there was a delight in her awe.
In Theo, there was only dread. What would bring a seraph to them, of all places? And who was he seeking?
TRAITS:Paladin of the Vale Knights, Adviser to the Northern Vale, Mentor of the Champion
STRENGTHS: Knowledgeable and Influential
WEAKNESSES: Tradition and Dismissive
EXTRA: The Vale Knights are the only humans who still know True Speak, although it is learned rather than inherent and limited
FIRST IN TEXT INTRODUCTION;
The first time Connor had stepped foot in the Valelands, his mentor, Harlas had been there to greet him. Safety was what the man had given him when he was younger, with his neat beard, large hands and gruff assurance; the only adult in Connor’s life who had ever looked at him like he was meant for something.
It was Harlas who greeted Connor whenever he awoke in a cold sweat, nightmare fresh in his mind. It was the echo of Harlas’s voice that threatened to pull him under.
Your quest is complete, Champion. Well done. He would say, and Connor would lose all air because he knew what was going to happen next, had lived through it time and time again in his dreams. He knew the reward a Champion recieved for completing their quest.
Let us take you home.
They had never lied to him, Connor supposed. But they had known– they should have known– that after everything, how could home be somewhere they were not?
Welcome to my blog and to my masterlist! I’m so happy you’re here! Please know that if we were meeting in real life, I’d be handing you a warm cup of tea and a biscuit right about now :3 Here you can navigate through my creations. Have a great day!
Last updated: May 14th, 2022
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Some serious gems and treasures in this Masterlist. Working my way through rn. If you have an affinity for TBB, especially Hunter or Crosshair you will NOT be disappointed And don’t even get me started on MAUL.
