forums.rs

Forums

Temple Knight Heist

Quick find code: 49-50-194-65640049

of 2
D F Angel

D F Angel

Posts: 19,587 Opal Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
Prologue


A brace of hares meandered about a great oaken tree, sunlight shimmering through the branches to illuminate their soft furs. One, the elder, travelled cautiously, nose to the ground and ears to the wind, every few seconds raising its head to spot out danger. The other; younger, more careless. Bounding off, nibbling at this and that, digging holes here and there in the hopes of finding suitable soil for a burrow.

As the younger sprinted forwards to investigate a patch of berries, the elder was forced to abandon its vigil in order to keep up with its spry companion. It was only in the final moment that it realised the folly it had made; barely turning its head towards the disturbance before a quarrel pierced its skull, ending its existence. The younger bolted for it as a man emerged from the bushes, instinct making it run in the opposite direction, taking it straight into the trap that awaited it. Its forward motion tightened the noose about its throat, and in a few short instances, both hares were dead.

The man was sitting atop a fallen trunk, the hare he'd caught in his trap cooking atop a fire he'd kindled himself, the one he'd shot sat in his lap, half eaten. He tore off a leg and bit down hard, letting the juices run down his face and mingle with his unkempt beard. He was in his early thirties; dull, green eyes went this way and that as he enjoyed his meal, not wishing to fall prey to bandits, bears, or those rogue goblin tribes that would sometimes venture this far east. Having an open fire was always a risk, but the man's attire showed that he had been amongst the wilderness for a long time now. He knew how to stand his ground in a fight. Hags be hagglin', gods be god damn crazy, it's all happening ogre at Into The Fire

19-Jun-2015 01:46:34

D F Angel

D F Angel

Posts: 19,587 Opal Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
Plate mail adorned his lower body, iron-wrought greaves, poleyns and cuisses, showing that he was no common bandit. The legs were rusted, dinted, scratched and scraped, a testimony to constant use and past skirmishes. On his torso he wore chainmail, the links of which had been broken or torn off about his right arm, exposing the limb and his heavily scarred pectoral muscle. His black hair, made lighter by dirt and foliage that had entangled itself within it, ran down the back of his neck and rested upon his shoulders. At his left hip he wore a sword, at his right, a dagger.

Finishing the hare, the man took one last look about his campsite before heading to retrieve his sleeping bag- and in the corner of his eye he saw a stranger moving towards him in the shadows. Instinctively the man's muscles tensed, though outwardly he showed little discomfort, his arm edging almost casually towards his sword hilt. "Greetings, friend," he croaked out, a voice unused to talking. "Come warm yourself by my fire, there's-"

"Captain Varrus," the stranger greeted him.

The man straightened up at once, his unarmoured right arm reaching for the hilt of his sword, eyes never leaving the stranger- though the stranger made no move to stop him. Captain Varrus was who the man had been, but in a past life, back before he was exiled from civilisation. Now to hear that name meant death, as Varrus had an extremely large bounty placed on his head. He examined the stranger more closely- a weathered, grey travelling cloak covered the majority of his features, though the hood was down, and an elderly face looked upon him. The stranger's eyes were near grey, his nose overly large, his skin freshly shaved though adorned with wrinkles, brownish-grey hair fell neatly about his shoulders. In his fifties, if Varrus was to give an estimate. Hags be hagglin', gods be god damn crazy, it's all happening ogre at Into The Fire

19-Jun-2015 01:47:11 - Last edited on 19-Jun-2015 23:51:55 by D F Angel

D F Angel

D F Angel

Posts: 19,587 Opal Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
The stranger looked at the sword and chuckled gently. "I mean you no harm," he stated, raising his hands up in submission. However, as he lifted his hands, his cloak rose up at the hem, revealing pristine, white armour underneath. Varrus also took note of a slight bulge in the cloak about the stranger's left hip, which was most certainly a sword.

"You a White Knight?" Varrus asked, sliding his sword ever so slightly out of its sheath. He had been a soldier of Varrock once, a captain of the city guard, well trained in arms. But that was almost a decade ago, and there were no true swordsmen out in the wilderness to practise against. The White Knights were the elite of Falador's military strength. When he was younger, Varrus thought himself capable of besting a White Knight in single combat, though now he wasn't so sure. Still, the stranger was old, and yet to draw his weapon...

"No," responded the stranger, smiling as though proud of Varrus' observation. "I have the honour of being a Temple Knight."

"Never heard of 'em."

"Exactly." The stranger chuckled and moved his hands back down. Reaching underneath his travelling cloak, he unclasped his sword belt and let it clatter to the ground, before gesturing to the fallen trunk. "May I?" He did not wait for an answer, but took his seat anyway, with Varrus watching him warily. The ex-captain had dropped his hand from his sword hilt, but instead rested it gently on the hilt of his dagger. This knight might have gotten rid of his sword, but that didn't mean the man was unarmed, after all. And it had been over half a decade since someone recognised Varrus for who he truly was. Hags be hagglin', gods be god damn crazy, it's all happening ogre at Into The Fire

19-Jun-2015 01:47:59

D F Angel

D F Angel

Posts: 19,587 Opal Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
"We're an elite branch," the temple knight informed Varrus, leaning in conspiratorially. "Even most of the white knights don't know we exist. Our organisation was founded in the Third Age by Saradomin himself, to combat the evils that plague Gielinor. We are unscrupulous in our devotion to peace, and loyal to a fault to our founder. Your hare's burning."

Varrus did not even risk it to glance sideways at the hare that still remained skewered atop his campfire, though he most certainly smelt the burning. Varrus had known countless people who tried to talk their foes into submission; act jovial, and wait for their guard to fall. "And what does your order want with me?"

"Nothing." The stranger laughed as he said it, a kind-hearted laugh, fatherly. "They have far graver matters to attend to than one outlaw in the middle of the woods. Even you will have heard of the gods' return."

It was true that he had heard of the return of the gods, though whether or not Varrus believed it was another matter entirely. He had seen the trees weeping, as though crying out in anguish. The dwarves wept too, and claimed that their great Guthix was dead. But Guthix was immortal: all knew this. Guthix was born with the universe itself, he was eternal and essential for life. And not long after came those who said the gods were returning to Gielinor. That the Edicts of Guthix had been shattered. More heretical talk, Varrus had believed.

But what they said about Lumbridge was far too consistent to be blatant lies. A war, a war of the great god Saradomin against the pretender Zamorak, which destroyed most of Lumbridge, and left a giant crater where once there had been forests for miles around. But if the gods had returned, then why hadn't Saradomin answered his prayers? Varrus refused to believe that his god had forsaken him entirely.

"What of it?" Hags be hagglin', gods be god damn crazy, it's all happening ogre at Into The Fire

19-Jun-2015 01:48:54

D F Angel

D F Angel

Posts: 19,587 Opal Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
"There has been another battle. The forces of Armadyl and Bandos have met upon the field. The former will be unknown to you, but the latter you will have heard of. The goblins name him the Big High War God." Yes, Varrus had certainly heard that term before. A ruthless god for a ruthless people. "Their war has forced our order's hand."

"Forced it how?"

"Behind bars at our headquarters is locked away the most powerful and dangerous criminals of the past century. I won't trouble you with all of their names, though I'm sure you will know of Solus Dellagar." The Murder Mage . It was said that Solus Dellagar murdered eight-hundred civilians single-handedly at Edgeville, and tried leading an attack of an undead army against Varrock. Varrus had been young then, almost a man full grown, but he knew fear that night, when the wizards marched out to combat the hordes of reanimated monstrosities bearing down from the Wilderness.

"This last battle took place outside the very walls of Falador. It could have easily broken into the city, and left it in ruins. For that reason, Lord Saradomin has requested that all captives who swear fealty to His Holiness, should be given leave to join his armies. The Temple Knights have consented."

Varrus considered this for several moments. The Murder Mage allowed out on the field, and hundreds like him. Though powerful warriors, they'd cause more destruction to other Saradominists than the enemy. Backstabbers and murderers, some of them insane, most of them treacherous. "And what? You want me to join the freak show?" Hags be hagglin', gods be god damn crazy, it's all happening ogre at Into The Fire

19-Jun-2015 01:50:43

D F Angel

D F Angel

Posts: 19,587 Opal Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
"No, I want you to stop it." There was no smile on the stranger's face now, and his wrinkles crept in to form a sternness to the man's features that took Varrus aback. "I've spent my entire life putting these men behind bars, I shall not allow them to be set free. I've been recruiting a special task force in order to infiltrate the Temple Knight Headquarters, and kill these criminals before they are allowed to be set free."

Understanding dawned on Varrus. "You're wanting me to join this task force?"

"Wrong again, captain," the smile came back to the Temple Knight's face, and he was the kindly old man once more. "I want you to lead it." Hags be hagglin', gods be god damn crazy, it's all happening ogre at Into The Fire

19-Jun-2015 01:51:11

Azigarath

Azigarath

Posts: 9,271 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
Very nice first paragraph, those bunnies provided a nice scene despite their untimely ends. Though, strangulation takes more than just a few short instances. The man is mentioned to be no common bandit, as he wears armour, though I don’t know what “plate mail” means (splint mail?), especially in regards to it being worn on the lower body.

He also wears a hauberk with the right sleeve torn off somehow, presumably by consistent and repeat damage. Wearing armour while hunting isn’t that good an idea though, especially mail, which constantly jingles as you move in it.

Then, a stranger appears, who wears white armour, for whatever reason. I suppose the story has a context like that of in-game. He greets himself and mentions the hare burning. The Temple Knight talks about some other topics, like the god wars, Murder Mage, and a request for the bandit to lead the task force. Prologue ends at that, though the prologue reads more like a chapter; prologues are generally brief about a broad subject, but oh well.

Anyways, the story flows smoothly and has good mechanics, with a plotline broadening towards the end of the prologue. It follows the in-game events currently, a frequent style for RS fan*ic. I don’t have much to really say though, but there we go, here is proof I read the story.

19-Jun-2015 02:15:58

D F Angel

D F Angel

Posts: 19,587 Opal Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
I'm thankful for your feedback, Azi(c)garath.

I'm afraid the art of role-playing is a lazy art, (we want to quickly bypass the boring character descriptions and get to the action!!) so 'plate mail' is just a term to refer to your generic, run of the mill armour, vague and unspecific in order to hide a lack of knowledge on the subject, haha. So for the lower body this would mean greaves, poleyn and cuisse.

Wearing armour whilst hunting is stupid, you're quite right. That's more of an oversight on my part than the character's though, haha. I'd argue that as a nomad he has no place to store his valuables therefore must carry them on his person, but I realise that'd be stretching things after ten years at this. So I'll take a scolding for that one, and be sure to avoid such idiocy in future.

The reason for the hauberk's damaging will be explored later.

The stranger is a member of the Temple Knights, which is closely related to the White Knights of Falador, and their members also wear white armour.

And yeah, I could've simply called it Chapter One, but the term 'prologue' isn't one I get to use often so I just went with it. If this clashes with the concept of a prologue then I'm more than willing to edit it in order to save any confusion.

I've not actually played Runescape in a number of years, I'm just somewhat aware of what's happening ingame. I figured people reading a Runescape story would be quite knowledgeable in game lore so I would have to keep up to date on it. Personally I don't agree with the idea of gods walking the earth, but it helps get the narrative of this tale in motion.

Thanks again for giving your proof, and for taking the time to not only read this, but post a review as well. I will consider everything you said in the hopes of pulling off a better performance next time.

~ Angel Hags be hagglin', gods be god damn crazy, it's all happening ogre at Into The Fire

19-Jun-2015 02:55:00 - Last edited on 19-Jun-2015 03:07:00 by D F Angel

Quick find code: 49-50-194-65640049 Back to Top