#ionah copperheart

[aquadestinyswriting]

Happy STS! In a museum dedicated to your characters, what would be the main artifacts? Like a distinct piece of clothing, a favorite toy, a family heirloom...

Hi Roses, thank you for the question.

Oof, now I need to decide which characters I'll be discussing in this question as I believe I've answered a similar one for my main OCs already.

I think I'll answer this for my villains this time, since it should be pretty interesting to see what would be put in a museum for them.

Schreiber: I think the most likely thing that would be put in a museum for Schreiber would be his journals. As slimy as the man was, he was still a very influential man and one who was fairly intelligent to boot. He had some legitimately good ideas for how to run a city-state of Toreguarde's size; it's just a shame he was a racist and sexist dickbag.

Ionah: Ionah is a tough one for this question. Despite her status, she didn't have a lot that was her own since most of it belonged to the family she married into. I think the only thing that would be donated to a museum would be her wedding tiara, as that is a Stonefort family heirloom that Yoruk won't want to pass down due to the association with his "mother" (and, as per tradition, his only daughter would be given Meredith's to use for her wedding).

Firetome: Much like Schreiber, Firetome was an intelligent and influential man. I think the item of his that would be donated to a museum would be his personal Holy Symbol. As each Holy Symbol is unique to each cleric, it's not something that would be used again anyway, and is an example of how Evil can corrode even the most sanctified of items. It can now serve best as a warning of the corrupting influence of the Demon Princes.

[aquadestinyswriting]

The Final Straw

Summary: Yoruk pleads with his mother to see reason once again. Only things get a bit out of hand as the argument escalates.

Words: 2,306

Tags: @druidx @homesteadchronicles @sparrow-orion-writes ,@warriorbookworm, @odysseywritings, @writeblrsupport @blind-the-winds

Warnings: physical abuse, magical abuse, psychological abuse, suffocation, blood mention, parental abuse, domestic abuse (I think that's everything, let me know if not).

Notes: Takes place about two days after Yoruk proposes to Meredith and after certain events in @druidx's 'What Alexis Did Next'. This one is going to be pretty heavy going, so you've been warned.

The staff of the Copperheart estate were used to the regular screams of the house’s mistress and the odd explosion of something relatively inexpensive being Shattered; Lady Copperheart’s temper was legendary and had been a fact of life here for nearly five centuries at this point. What was less common, but now becoming increasingly common, was the return shouts of the Lady’s only child. Firik, the house’s elderly butler, retreated down into the kitchens to wait out the yelling match with a weary sigh.

Yoruk crossed his arms over his chest as his mother’s tirade came to an end, her chest heaving with exertion and emotion,

“I’m going mother, and that’s that.” he said as calmly as he could manage, “I’m sixty-seven years old and a fully grown man. You don’t get any say in what I can do with my life any more.” he told her. Ionah felt her rage bubble up again, a surge of arcane power welling up within her and threatening to spill over. She fought the sensation down and glared at her son, tucking several stray hairs that had come loose from her customary braids behind her ears,

“An adult? What I see before me is currently one very ungrateful brat of a son who doesn’t seem to understand how this is going to affect the reputation of this house!” she snapped, “It’s quite bad enough that you even proposed to that little trollop of a smith’s daughter, and now you think you get to leave before calling that off and finding a decent match that reflects the honour and prestige of the Copperheart name? I don’t think so.”

Yoruk felt his own temper flare at his mother’s words, a swell of righteous indignation and anger already bubbling over despite his attempts to fight it down,

“The ‘trollop’ has a name.” he ground out, “What you don’t seem to realise, mother, is that she has far more honour than you ever will. Now, if you don’t mind, I need to go and start packing.” Yoruk started to march to the door, only to find his progress halted as every muscle in his body suddenly froze up.

Ionah’s hand trembled, clenched so tightly that her knuckles were white. The noblewoman walked slowly over to her son and backhanded him with her free hand, hard enough for her rings to leave imprints on his cheek.

“You are not going anywhere.” she snarled, “You will call off that farce of an engagement and you will Inform Captain Bolhammer that you are resigning as a member of the Moradhir Guard and resuming your training as a Kingsguard.” she spat. Despite the magical Hold on his person, Yoruk managed to send the much shorter woman a hot glare. His ears rang and vision blurred as his lungs strained against the magical paralysis. The divine magic that had been slowly building around the paladin finally spilled over and released itself with a massive Crack! 

Ionah’s eyes went wide as the force of the explosion of magic knocked her to the floor, shattering her concentration and unbinding her spell. The noblewoman quickly cast another spell, slowing her travel enough that she was able to avoid slamming into the fireplace and roll to her side, unharmed. 

Yoruk coughed as fresh air finally entered his lungs once more. He fell to his hands and knees as fire ripped through every last nerve in his body, his stubborn determination the only thing preventing him from falling into unconsciousness. He was too distracted to notice his mother’s recovery as she stood, picking up the poker next to the fireplace.

Ionah’s thoughts raced as she approached the young man, who was still coughing and wheezing even as she slowly walked towards him. So the ungrateful brat was stupid enough to use magic against her to get his own way? Clearly he needed a more severe lesson in manners. She should never have let Forhok cow her into allowing him to go into training as a paladin. Her hands shook some more as she raised the poker above her head. She should have done this a long time ago. Clearly her own parents knew far better, if she hadn’t thought that she was better than them, then perhaps she might have had a son at all. Not this… thing that pretended to love her. She brought the poker down.

Ionah did not know how long it took before she was wrestled away from the bleeding and bruised body below her. She couldn’t hear what was being shouted at her over the ringing in her ears as she pushed the staff that had dared to manhandle her away, nor her own screams at them to not touch her. When it became clear they would not allow her to continue her punishment, Ionah marched up to Yoruk’s room, threw some clothing into a trunk and threw it down the stairs and out of the somehow open front door.

A small group of Ironguard stared as a trunk flew out of the door of the Copperheart residence and flew open, scattering various items of clothing out onto the front garden of the manor. The most senior officer placed a reassuring hand on the trembling maid who had rushed out and hailed them,

“Don’t worry, we’ll take care of things from here.” he nodded to the rest of the group,

“Stonebreaker, Woldbasher, start questioning the rest of the staff about what happened, Onyxaxe, Thundersword, you’re with me. Let’s see what kind of situation we’re getting ourselves into.” he said. The other officers saluted him and cautiously entered the front door.

The first thing Lieutenant Broadforge and his men saw was Lady Copperheart, her dress covered in soot and ash and her normally impeccable hair coming loose from her style waltzing down the stairs from the upper levels. The noblewoman smiled at them and attempted to dust off her dress,

“Ah, good afternoon officers. To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?” she asked pleasantly. Broadforge noted the glazed eyes and distant expression on the lady’s face but returned the smile and bowed,

“We had some reports of a disturbance up this way ma’am.” he replied, “We just wanted to check things out and make sure nothing was amiss.” The lieutenant surreptitiously gestured for two of his men to go into the main sitting room, where he’d noted a large gathering of what appeared to be staff out of the corner of his eye. He returned his attention to Ionah as she heaved a sigh,

“I do apologise, lieutenant, it seems the argument between myself and the ungrateful young man who used to live here was a little louder than I thought.” she said, “If you could, can you escort him from the premises please? I no longer wish to have him under my roof.” Broadforge nodded and offered the noblewoman his arm,

“Why don’t we talk about the matter in the drawing room while my lads deal with this young gent, eh?” he offered. Ionah nodded and came the rest of the way down the stairs, gently rejected the offered arm and strode airily towards the drawing room on the opposite end of the hall to the front sitting room. The Lieutenant looked to his men and gestured for the others to go into the sitting room to see what was going on.

Stonebreaker, Woldbasher, Onyxaxe and Thundersword all stared at the scene that greeted them as they walked into the sitting room. Several paintings had been knocked from the walls and a cabinet lay on its side, the glass shattered and all the little ornaments that it held scattered on the floor. In the middle of the room, surrounded by various members of staff was the bruised and bleeding form of a young man, collapsed and unconscious on the floor. 

Woldbasher was the first to react, quickly getting Thundersword to help him clear the staff away and start talking to them, while Onyxaxe  knelt down next to Yoruk and checked him over,

“Laddie’s alive, thank Moradin. Better get him down to the infirmary right quick though, looks like there’s at least a couple of broken bones here.” he called. Stonebreaker nodded and walked back to the door,

“I’ll run off and let them know.” he said, “I’ll get a hold of some of the Moradhir guard to give us a hand while I’m at the cathedral too, seeing as the lad’s one of them.” he added, gesturing to the etched leather shoulder pad Yoruk was wearing. Onyxaxe nodded and looked up at Firik, who was kneeling opposite him,

“Alright, so what happened?” he asked. Firik shook his head and gestured to the poker that was lying nearby,

“I’m not sure on specifics, but we heard a loud crack from down in the kitchen, rush up here and have to manhandle Lady Copperheart away from Master Yoruk because she was beating him with that.” he replied. He swallowed thickly, “We knew she had a temper, but we never thought she would go this far.” Woldbasher's eyes narrowed,

"Sounds like we need to have her ladyship brought down to the watchhouse to answer a few questions." He said, "Can't be having that kind of behaviour." Thundersword shook his head,

"The lieutenant's got the say on that." He said, "And it depends on the lad pressing charges."

"Knowing Master Yoruk, he probably won't." A short, rotund woman sighed, "From what I hear, he's been ordered on an expedition away from the mount, along with a bunch of other paladins and Kingsguard, to find whoever tried assassinating the king the other day."

"You mean the assisination attempt at the ball?" Onyxaxe asked, "Thought it was agreed that it were the Dalliance lass?" 

"Aye, that's the official word, but no one knows where she's gone. It's why the palace has ordered a bunch of expeditions to go find her." Woldbasher said. The tall dwarf turned to the much shorter woman,

"When was he due to leave? He asked. The matron sighed,

"Next week. He'll definitely insist on going now, he was on the verge of walking out and never coming back before this kicked off." A stony silence fell over the group. Unless Yoruk wanted to stay in Fangthane, then there was every possibility that Lady Copperheart would get away with what she had done scott free.

Lieutenant Broadforge shook his head as he regarded the woman in front of him.

"So you were defending yourself then?" He asked, noting that Ionah seemed to be completely unharmed. Ionah nodded, dabbing at her eyes with a beautifully embroidered handkerchief,

"Yes officer. I don't know what came over him. Yoruk was arguing with me over my concerns about him leaving on this expedition. I merely told him to stop being ridiculous and that he had other responsibilities here to take care of. I walk up to him to better get my point across, the next thing I know I'm flying back from him and he's walking over with his hands raised." She sniffled,

"I was, as you can imagine, absolutely terrified, so I reached for something to defend myself with. Luckily, I was able to overpower him and knock him unconscious before he could touch me." 

Broadforge rubbed at his temple,

"We'll collect statements from everyone in the house and get one from your son once he wakes up again." Ionah glared at the Ironguard,

"I won't keep you from your investigation, officer, but as of this moment that monster is not my son." She said, "As much as it pains me to do so, I cannot, and will not, have him associated with the Copperheart name any longer." Broadforge's head snapped up, his eyes wide,

"My Lady Copperheart, are you absolutely certain?" He asked, "You're willing to leave your House entirely without an heir?" Ionah nodded, her eyes brimming once more,

"I am more than aware of the consequences Officer Broadforge." She replied, her voice tight, "However, I don't believe I have any other choice. The boy is not fit to wield the clan name, and I won't have its reputation ruined by association." 

Broadforge noted Ionah's statement and nodded wearily,

"Of course, my Lady, forgive me." He sighed. Something wasn't adding up, but until he got the reports from his team, he couldn't waste time on making assumptions. He stood and bowed,

"Thank you for your cooperation Lady Copperheart. I'll keep you apprised of the situation. Have a good day." Ionah stood and nodded,

"Of course, officer. I'm so sorry to have inconvenienced you." Broadforge cocked his head,

"Given the severity of what occurred in your statement, will you be willing to press charges if it comes to it?" He asked, "Only because His Majesty takes such accusations of domestic abuse incredibly seriously." Ionah shook her head,

"If it's all the same to you, officer, I don't think that's entirely necessary. As terrified as I was, and still am, I think he'll learn a hard enough lesson while on this expedition he's insisted on going on." She replied. Broadforge nodded again, saluted the woman and left the room.

Ionah scowled at the door once it was closed. She pulled out a small necklace from under her dress and regarded it. The attached symbol of an eye with draconic wings sprouting from it on either side glinted in the dim light of the glowstones. Khalin willing, the impertinent boy would die while he was gone, solving all of her problems in one fell swoop. She placed the necklace back under her bodice as she heard the Moradhir Guard arrive to escort her former son out of the house. She smiled, then began to loudly pretend to sob, burying her head into her hands. Appearances needed to be kept up after all.

[aquadestinyswriting]

WriteblrCafe Playlist Challenge: Day 2

I should have clarified yesterday that this challenge is from this post and is part of the ham and cheese sandwich prompt for the month. Again, the tags are merely for the people that might be interested in seeing me ramble about why I like chose particular songs to go onto my playlists for my WIPs

Tags: @druidx, @asher-orion-writes, @homesteadchronicles, @warriorbookworm, @mariahwritesstuff, @ashirisu, @thesorcerersapprentice, @blind-the-winds

Alright, this song is a cover, but it totally slaps. Now this is a weird one because it's one song of many that's on two different playlists. It's on the playlist for Fangthane's Folly for Ionah and also on the Ouroboros of Destiny one because it also fits Llachlan. You can thank @druidx for pointing out this one to me in the first place.

The song itself is really quite sinister, the minor key really upending the normally happy and upbeat message the original conveyed to millions of people. This means that this version of the song fits well with villains who believe that they're owed the world and more. The underlying tone of manipulation, though, lends itself well to the victims of those villains who have been seduced into doing terrible things because of that manipulation.

In the case of Ionah, it's the Demon Princes whispering in her ear that she's deserving of a greater place in the world she inhabits. Naturally, Ionah totally buys into this because she's a narcissistic bitch of a woman and is more than happy to use the encouragement and power given to her so she can exact revenge on the people she believes have done her wrong. In this case, Ionah isn't necessarily being manipulated, she already believed she was due more than what she had, the Demon Princes merely gave her an excuse to be worse.

In the case of Llachlan, however, the song is a classic manipulation tactic. This is Ionah convincing her youngest grandson that the powers he can wield are nothing to be ashamed of and that he should embrace them to take control of his life. This isn't a bad message in itself; Llachlan sorely needed to hear that being a Sorceror isn't an inherently bad thing and that he can achieve great things if he can learn to control his burgeoning power. However, this is Ionah we're talking about. This song represents the first step in her taking control and distancing Llachlan from the family that dearly loves and wants to help him despite the stigma against what he is.

This is a song I often have on repeat when I'm writing Ionah because it's so effective for getting into her headspace. The bass drop in the song gives me chills every time and is a reminder that even the nicest of messages can be twisted to dark and evil ends.

[aquadestinyswriting]

A Circle None Can Break: Part Thirteen

Summary: His Majesty is brought into the Royal Vaults to see the message left for him there. He sends his Kingsguard to find the thief and vandal responsible, only to have a heart to heart with the Archlector

Words: 2,332

Warnings: None that I can tell. Let me know if I'm wrong

Notes: Second to last chapter folks! This has been a journey and a bit. The message being referred to can be found at the end of the Flash Fiction entry A Mother's Wrath

tags: @druidx, @strosmkai-rum, @homesteadchronicles, @warriorbookworm, @odysseywritings, @sparrow-orion-writes, @blind-the-winds, @writeblrsupport, @writeblrcafe

King Storri glared at the moulded runes on the wall of the Royal Vault. He sniffed and turned to the captain of his Kingsguard,

“Do we have any idea how the culprit even got into the vault?” he asked lightly. Captain Bloodvein stroked his beard thoughtfully, mulling the question over,

“Not yet, Your Majesty. All we know so far is that the doors weren’t forced open and none of the guards, or any of the rest of the staff, have seen anyone skulking around the palace.” he replied. The taller dwarf glanced at the runes on the wall. They had been too perfectly moulded onto the surface to have been the work of some random thief and vandal. He cleared his throat as his king fumed,

“Your Majesty, perhaps we need to consider the possibility that this was not the work of a mortal being,” he ventured warily, “The Vault has been thoroughly protected from all manner of teleportation magic and the runes are confirmed to be physically present and, by all accounts, appear to be part of the wall. The language used is also indicative of-” he was cut off as Storri raised a hand,

“I will confer with the Church with regards to this message, Captain. However, if the disappearance of a potentially sacred or heretical artefact was the work of the gods, then how do you explain that?” he asked, pointing to a scuff mark on the floor next to the shelf and a faint footprint next to it. Captain Bloodvein heaved a sigh and nodded,

“I’ll send out a search party for the individual responsible at once, sire.” he said, turning to the small troupe of guards he had brought with him, “Broadaxe, Silverhand with me.” he called, starting to lead the two other dwarves out of the Vault, only to be stopped by the appearance of a tall, thin figure in the doorway. The Kingsguard stumbled to a halt and bowed deeply as the Archlector quietly sauntered into the cavern. He nodded to the Kingsguard and smiled,

“Please, don’t stop your search on my account.” he said mildly, stepping aside to allow the Kingsguard to leave. Captain Bloodvein bowed once more, frowning in consternation, but quickly recalled himself and left.

Storri turned stiffly and inclined his head at the sound of the Archlector’s voice behind him,

“Archlector, to what do we owe the pleasure?” he asked. Archlector Vanskleig said nothing as he glided across the cavern, peering at the runes moulded onto the wall his king was standing next to. The elderly dwarf cocked his head,

“It’s curious, don’t you think? That we should be so troubled by earthquakes, and that some random miscreant manages to gain entry into the Royal Vault, of all places, to steal a random sacred item mere hours after you dismissed Lady Frigidwake from the mountain?”

Storri tensed. The Archlector’s voice was soft, gentle even. However, even Storri could not miss the undercurrent in the elderly dwarf’s words. The king turned back to the wall, shaking his head,

“What should I have done instead, Archlector? Sent one of our own out on what amounts to a suicide mission when we are only barely recovering from a disaster that Lady Frigidwake, and her companions, were responsible for?” Vanskleig sighed, leaned on his staff and laid a hand on the young king’s shoulder,

“I just don’t want to see ma people suffer any more.” he murmured. He huffed a sigh and shook his head, “However, I will concede to yer wisdom on this matter. The tablet still needs to be returned, however.” Vanskleig squeezed the younger dwarf’s shoulder,

“I understand your reluctance to get involved, Your Majesty, I do.” he said quietly, “However, inaction on our part will have graver consequences than can possibly be imagined.” He gestured to the runes, “Not a one of us, not even I, can deny the Call of Kherillim or even Dànadas.” he added. Storri hung his head,

“Aye, that it does. So long as yer Kingsguard don’t do anything rash, then there won’t be any further issues.” 

Edwin and Selene raced through the streets of Fangthane, Gruk in tow, while Snorri kept the patrons of his bar in their seats. 

“What in all the Hells is the lassie doin’?!” Gruk despaired as he skidded around the corner and onto the street leading out to the main entrance to Fangthane. Edwin shook his head,

“It’s not Meredith, Gruk. Throff has had enough and is making a Statement. I just hope we find your daughter before the Kingsguard do.” he muttered. Selene said nothing, guilt squeezing at her heart. While she was more than aware that getting Gruk’s daughter involved in her city’s problems was the Will of the Gods, that didn’t stop her from wishing that there was another way to solve the problem.

~Too bad, there isn’t.~ came Chrackle’s voice in her head, ~Anyway, you’re a bit late. The girl’s surrounded by Kingsguard. Giving you a heads up that she’s very upset so you might want to duck and cover.~ he said. Selene grimaced, realising only now that she could feel the pull of magic towards the front door. She grabbed Edwin and Gruk and pulled them behind a pillar just as a loud Crack! Echoed around the hall. Loud shouts of fear and partial outrage quickly followed suit, along with the muffled voice of a young, female dwarf yelling something. Selene couldn’t make out what the young cleric was saying over the ringing in her ears. She could barely hear Edwin’s swearing. She glanced over to Gruk, who had gone white under his beard. The smith looked up at the human wizard and gestured in the direction of the front door with a determined grimace. Selene shook her head, but Gruk could not be swayed and he snorted, got up and marched out from behind the pillar to confront whoever got in his way first. Selene swept her gaze over to Edwin, who shrugged and got up to follow the dwarven man. The ringing in her ears abated slightly as Selene rounded the pillar, only to find Captain Bloodvein standing next to a wary looking young dwarven girl wearing clerical vestments and clutching a stone tablet in her arms. The Captain of the Kingsguard was waving for the other dwarves with him to stand down as he approached Meredith, glancing up at the doors at the girl’s back. Selene followed his gaze, jaw dropping open at the sight of the huge crack  spread across the massive, granite slabs that made up the front door. Selene quickly recalled herself and brought her gaze back to the two dwarves at the foot of the doors.

Captain Bloodvein held up his hands in the most placating manner he could,

“Alright hen, point made. I’m just here to get that tablet and take it back where it belongs.” he said, keeping his voice level. The young woman glared at him, tears brimming in her eyes,

“And I just telt ye that I couldn’t.” she snapped. Captain Bloodvein heaved a sigh,

“I can’t let ye keep it.” he said patiently, “If ye’re worried that ye’re in major trouble, don’t be. I saw the message yer Mistress left fer us. I’m no’ daft enough to get in Her way.” Meredith frowned, concerned,

“Ye swear I’m not in trouble fer this?” she asked. Captain Bloodvein clasped his hand to his chest and bowed his head,

“On my Oath and Honour as Kingsguard, ye have my word.” he said. Meredith’s frown lifted into a look of shocked surprise for a moment, before she grimaced, nodded to herself and held the tablet out,

“I’m not even sure why She wanted me to take this anyway.” she muttered. Bloodvein smiled as he took the tablet from the girl’s hands,

“I’ve got a vague idea as to why, but let’s wait to see what happens next, eh?” He turned around and nodded to the half-incensed, half- worried Gruk, who had stopped in his tracks halfway up the entrance hall, “My apologies, Mr Ironforge, I’m gonna have to borrow yer daughter fer a bit longer. I rather think there are some folk that want to have a chat with her first.” he said, glancing over to Selene, who bowed her head in embarrassment. Gruk snorted, crossed his arms over his chest and nodded,

“Of course, Captain, I’ll no’ get in the way of that.” he agreed. He glanced over to his daughter, his expression softening slightly on seeing the scared and anxious look she was giving him,

“We’ll have a chat with yer mum when ye get home.” he said, “We’ll sort something out. In the meantime, mind yer manners.” he told her. Meredith slowly nodded, a small smile finally gracing her features. Edwin sighed and ran a hand through his hair,

“I suppose you’ll be needing someone to get word back to Snorri and his pub about what’s going on?” he asked, “I dread to think what kinds of rumours are making their way around the place by now.” Gruk slapped the Abouna on the arm,

“Dinna panic, I’m comin’ with ye, ye daft blithy.” he sighed, “It’s not like I want any of those rumours doing the rounds, and I know what’s being said in that bloody taproom.” the smith looked over to Selene,

“You make sure to take care of ma wee girl, aye?” he said, voice stern once more. Selene chuckled and nodded,

“Of course. I’ll, hopefully, see you later. Provided His Majesty doesn’t throw another hissy fit and throw me out immediately.” 

“Be an idiot if he did.” Chrackle squawked, fluttering onto Selene’s shoulder, “Already need to repair door. Will need replace if he that stupid.” Selene glanced to the crack in the door again,

“Quite.” she murmured. She waved Gruk and Edwin off and turned to Captain Bloodvein, who had finally managed to coax Meredith down the stairs. The kingsguard quickly created a square around their Captain and his two guests and quickly marched back towards the Palace, making every attempt to keep ahead of the slowly gathering crowd that was congregating near the front doors.

Firetome seethed as he read through the latest report that was hurriedly placed onto his desk. He, and his his master, had both been most pleased when word had reached them of the theft from the Royal Vault. The High Inquisitor had been hopeful that, once the girl had been arrested, he’d be brought in to question her. This latest report, however… He threw the parchment onto the fire with a frustrated grunt. Now that the Archlector had become involved, there was little to no chance of stopping Moradin’s little pet from getting to Toreguarde. He didn’t bother looking up at the knock on his door.

“Yer Eminence, ye have a visitor.” Vera called from the door. Firetome schooled his expression into one of weariness,

“May I ask who it is?” he asked with a resigned sigh. Vera stepped to one side as another, feminine figure appeared in the doorway,

“Thank you for bringing me here dear.” came a familiar, lilting voice, “I believe I can take it from here.” Firetome nodded at the dubious expression on Vera’s face and smiled as Lady Copperheart walked into the office,

“Lady Copperheart, to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?” he asked, smiling broadly at her. Vera sighed, shrugged and left, closing the door behind her. Ionah waited until she was sure the trainee Inquisitor was gone before she replied, sitting down smoothly in the chair opposite Firetome. She smoothed out her dress,

“It’s recently come to my attention that His Majesty has agreed to have one last meeting with Lady Frigidwake, despite insisting that she leave the mountain earlier today.” she sniffed, “As I understand it, there were some…ecumenical developments that led to his change of heart.” She glanced up at Firetome, “You happen to know anything about that?” she asked sweetly. Firetome huffed a sigh,

“Aye, disappointingly. Apparently Throff Herself saw fit to get involved.” he replied, “T’would seem that our attempts to prevent help from reaching Toreguarde have been thwarted for the time being.” he grumbled. Ionah shook her head,

“Disappointing.” she tutted, “However, we are not entirely out of options.” the noblewoman took out a compact mirror and checked her reflection, “The girl is young and inexperienced and there are rumours afoot about other forces encroaching on Toreguarde, which I’m sure will be more than enough to take care of her.”  she added. Firetome snorted,

“Given that she seems to be a favourite of Moradin and Kherillim both, I doubt anything else that wants to throw itself at her will be enough.” he muttered, “I’m of a mind to ask Grimbeard to keep an eye on her. See if he can’t cause her some trouble while she’s there.” 

Ionah smiled,

“You speak to dear Grimbeard, and I’ll see what my own connections in the city can do. A word or two in the right ears should be enough to keep her too busy to deal with what she’s there to do.” she said, leaning back in her seat. Firetome grinned at her,

“Well then, my lady, I think we both have rather a lot of work to do. I’ll make sure to tell my Inquisitors to allow you entry whensoever you need to speak to me again.” he added, getting up from his chair and offering his arm. Ionah beamed at him, took the proffered arm and allowed herself to be escorted back to the door,

“Thank you, High Inquisitor. Do endeavour to keep in touch, won’t you?” she simpered. Firetome kissed her hand as he opened the door,

“Of course, my lady. Until next time.” he said. The High Inquisitor watched the noblewoman go, feeling a little better about the situation and returning to his desk to get on with the mountain of paperwork that was waiting for him.

[aquadestinyswriting]

15 Questions OC Edition- Ionah

Right, so I got asked by @druidx to do this for Ionag aaaaages ago, but procrastinated on it. I finally have the spoons to do it, so here goes.

No tags for anyone since I'm pretty sure most of my taglist have done this so often that they don't have anyone left to do it for. Tags are merely for the people that will be interested in seeing these answers

Tags (again just for interest): @asher-orion-writes, @homesteadchronicles, @warriorbookworm, @mariahwritesstuff, @writeblrsupport, @ashirisu, @thesorcerersapprentice, @blind-the-winds

A dark cavern within the deepest recesses of The Pit. The cavern is damp with only the barest hint of light. Chained up in one corner is a nominally dwarven woman with obsidian skin that is barely highlighted by the light given off by the flames of her green-yellow beard and hair. Eyes of the same colour glance up at the shadowy figure of the Interviewer.

Interviewer: Nice place.

Ionah: Eh, it's not any worse than the other parts of this plane. What can I do for you?

Interviewer: I just have some question to ask you, if you'll oblige.

Ionah: Oh is that all? No favours you want, nothing in exchange?

Interviewers: I'm not nearly that stupid. I'm fully aware that making a deal with you is a very bad idea.

Ionah: *sigh* It was worth a shot. Well, get on with it.

1. Are you named after anyone?

Not that I'm aware of. My parents were never the type to answer silly, wee questions like this when I was a child. I did sneak a peek at the old family tree once, so I think it's a name that used to be quite common and my folks decided it sounded nice.

2. When was the last time you cried?

*scoffs* Most likely when I was a wee bairn. I don't really recall having ever cried over anything in my fully concious life.

Interviewer: Not even following the death of your husband?

Ionah: Why waste tears on the man that made my life a misery? Quite frankly if he hadn't followed dear old King Nargond to his death, I probably would've offed him myself. At least he did the dignity of saving me the trouble.

3. Do you have kids?

*growls* I did. An ungrateful little sod of a son who had all these fanciful ideas about how the world was a good and just place. I tried my best to let him know the truth of the world from the minute he could talk, you know. Better that he grew up knowing how callous and cruel the world is than finding out the hard way. Pity my late husband disagreed with that and filled his head with notions of honour and loyalty *gags*.

4. Do you use sarcasm?

Folk seemed to think I was always being saracastic for some reason. I never liked that. I always telt folk my truth, but they'd rather think I was bein' ironic or sarcastic than face up to the truth; that I despised the vast majority of them.

5. What's the first thing you notice about people?

What's there to notice? If you really want an answer though; whatever it is that makes it easy to manipulate them. For some, it's noticing the body language of those that are insecure. For others, it the way they talk about themselves or others. Yet others have little ticks that give away the way they really feel about someone or something. I could go on, but I get the distinct feeling you want this over with sooner rather than later *tight smile*

6. What's your eye color?

Are ye blind, or what? In mortal life they were blue-grey. Not the most common of colours. Most folk seemed to think that meant I was partially blind or something. I was always quick to disabuse them of that notion.

7. Scary movies or happy endings?

I'm guessing these movie things are similar to stage plays? *Interviewer confirms they are*. Neither then. I have no idea what it means to be frightened and happy endings disgust me. I'll tolerate a well-written tragedy though.

8. Any special talents?

*smiles widely and produces a sickly green flame in one hand* I'm a woman of many different talents. I realised I was a sorcerer at around the age of 25. I kept it hidden, because my people don't look kindly upon that kind of untamed and wild arcane magic. I developed my skills in secret and learned of ways to gain more power until, eventually, I discovered how to strip the gods of their power and deny them the ability for them to grant it to their clerics. I probably should have diversified a bit, stripped the power from Throff first before going after Moradin, the benefits of hindsight.

9. Where were you born?

Fangthane. My parents' house.

10. What are your hobbies?

*rolls eyes* Those who have time for things like hobbies are indolent folk who are too rich and/or politically powerful for their own good. Hobbies are a waste of time that can be spent gaining more power and prestige and buttering up the people who are useful in helping one attain more.

11. Have you any pets?

Animals are filthy, disgusting creatures that should only be kept if they're useful, otherwise they all might as well burn. I never once saw the point of keeping something that tracks in dirt and attracts pests for something like... *spits out word* companionship.

12. What sports do you play/have played?

See my answer with regard to hobbies. Sport is a waste of time.

13. How tall are you?

I might as well indulge you for this one since I can't exactly stand up. I'm four foot seven.

14. Favorite subject in school?

I hated school. The teachers had power over me and I rebelled against it at every opportunity. I only took in the lessons that were useful to me personally and ignored all else.

15. Dream job?

*cackles* Job? Why would I have need of a job? That's work for folk too poor and/or lazy to make the right connections in life. Dreams, like hobbies and sports, are a waste of time and energy. Dreams are for folk that can't tell fantasy from reality and those too young to know better. If you want to attain anything, you need to work for it and accept that dreams are made to be shattered and broken.

Interviewer: That was.... most enlightening. Thank you for your time.

Ionah: I'm glad I could be of use to you. Now are you sure there's nothing you want in exchange?

Interviewer: *already creating portal* Quite sure. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have other places to be.

Ionah: Ah well, when you get back to the material plane, tell Yoruk that his mummy misses him dearly and to tell him to come visit some time.

The Interviewer doesn't reply and steps through their portal, not noticing the stray ember that has attached itself to their figure. Left alone to her own devices again, Ionah smiles widely as the shadows engulf her once more.

[aquadestinyswriting]

😍 for the whumpy ask game!

Thank you for the ask ashirisu. Taken from this ask game

What made you truly fall in love with your OC and made you want to continue their story?

I need to set up a random generator for my OCs at this point, I have so many spread over all my wips ^_^;.

I'll answer this one for my favourite villain, Ionah. I came up with Ionah when I took over the Destiny's New Servants campaign as GM and she ended up becoming the most enjoyable antagonist I've created thus far. I really started to fall in love with her around the time of Meredith's trial in game because she was being a sneaky, duplicitous b-word who was only found out because Snotgrut was being super thorough about everything to do with this trial.

Now her backstory is a somewhat tragic one, but that in no way absolves her of what she ultimately ended up doing. Getting to organically show off that backstory to the player characters was a tonne of fun and I enjoyed getting the chance to play this kind of nasty, narcissistic character who would do everything within her growing power and influence to get away with murder. It makes her a tonne of fun to write too. It's even better now she's starting to make moves in the current campaign too ;).

[aquadestinyswriting]

88%. What do they think is the worst thing that can be done to a person? (OC your choice)

From this ask game.

Had to have a think about who I wanted to answer this for since the heroes would all have fairly similar answers; so let's go with my villains, Ionah and Schreiber, because this should be fun to explore.

Schreiber: Schreiber honestly believes that the worst thing you can do to a person (i.e him) is to do anything that might impinge upon his reputation as a fine and upstanding gentleman, who only wants what's best for his city and it's people. It's why he's so insistent on keeping to the word of the Edict rather than the spirit, because he truly believes that anyone who breaks it is out to get him on a personal level. I like to think that he was the one who came up with it in the first place, and got all his buddies to agree with him, which is why he's so defensive about it. He also thinks that doing anything to impact the profits of his or his friends' businesses is the second worst thing in the world.

Ionah: Ionah is similar to Schreiber, in that her reputation is the most important thing to her. The thing is, the worst thing she thinks anyone can to do, is to disagree with her on a fundamental level. She's so self-centred that she truly does believe that only her opinion should matter. If you have the gall to hold different values to her, then you are the worst scum imaginable and deserve to be utterly obliterated; mentally or physically, it doesn't matter as long as you shut up and never disagree with her again. The absolute worst thing that she thinks has ever happened to her is when Yoruk proposed to Meredith, because her plaything dared to exert its independence.

[aquadestinyswriting]

WIP Series: Destiny's New Servants- Fangthane's Folly Edition

This is a masterpost of all the writing to do with the Destiny's New Servants campaign from Meredith's perspective as well as the side stories of things that happened 'offscreen'.

Genres- High Fantasy, drama, angst, new adult

Themes-  Corruption and abuse of power, Religious schisms and the politics involved, crisis of faith, racism and xenophobia, classism, growing up, good and evil, family (both biological and found)

Synopsis:  Fangthane has stood as the shining beacon of dwarven-kind upon Titan for millenia, but the aftermath of the Demon Wars ten years ago has left the city-state with wounds that have only barely begun to heal. Unfortunately, there are those both within and without that would see the mountain crumble. Relations with the city-state of Toreguarde have been fraught since the Drakemari Empire became involved in its construction, but things have been more or less amicable until recently. With the rise of the dread Necromancer, Darkhide, problems both old and new are threatening to ignite a war that Fangthane can barely cope with.

In the midst of all of this, a young cleric of Moradin must attempt to navigate the lies and treachery of her own people to uncover the truth at the centre of all this madness. Whether anyone wishes to listen to said truth… well that’s another matter entirely.

Main Characters

Meredith Gruksdottir: The young cleric in question. Sent to Toreguarde to permanently seal up the Hellmouth under the wizard's tower, now she needs to sort out fact from fiction before a schism tears her people apart.

Jotunn Ragnarsson: The High Priest of Moradin in Fangthane, who is trying to seek out the evil that has taken root within the mountain. All the while, navigating the delicate politics involved in preventing his people from going to war against Toreguarde.

Yoruk Copperheart: Meredith’s fiancé. He has recently returned from overseas, only to find things have gone horribly wrong in his absence.

Ionah Copperheart: Yoruk’s mother. Seeking to gain power by any means necessary.

Skarld Firetome: Recently elected Archlector. Has his own agenda, contradictory to the religion he claims to follow

Garl Grimbeard: Recently elected High Inquisitor. A slimy sort who, like Firetome, has his own agenda very much contradictory to the religion he claims to follow. Has a massive grudge against Meredith and her friends.

Side Characters

Elowyn O'Toreguarde: One of Meredith's travelling companions, and her closest friend and confidant. Started out as a rogue-trained officer of the Toreguarde Watch, has since been ordained as a paladin by the Powers That Be.

Aurianna Aurum Filiae: Elowyn's paladin mount. A young gold dragon that typically disguises herself as a small, golden kitten.

Felix Parker-Tinker: Another of Meredith's travelling companions. A gnome sorceror who likes to make undergarments after discovering a talent for it. Is extremely happy-go-lucky and never seems to get angry. This unnerves people.

Darius Wesker: Human sorceror, aged 16 years old, or thereabouts. Is basically Merri and Elowyn's baby brother during the time that he travels with them.

Quentin Goldenrose: Elf ranger with a cougar as an animal companion to start with. Is the party's tracker and scout. Loyal and steadfast, he likes to tease Meredith quite a bit.

Enezeage: Half Orc monk. Isn't too much taller than Felix and is broader than he is tall. The muscle of the group. He doesn't say much, but he lets his fists do most of the talking for him.

Olin Starhammer: High Priest of the Temple of Moradin in Toreguardde. Is basically Merri's honourary granddad.

Stories (in roughly chronological order)

The Adventure Begins

Fight or Flight AO3

An Unusual Discussion AO3

Puzzle of the Heart AO3

A Promise Kept AO3

How to Resurrect a God AO3

A Little Chat AO3

The Darkhide Arc

Slipping of the Mask AO3

Cracking the Anvil AO3

On The Edge AO3

The Hand That Wields AO3

Broken Soul AO3

Letting Go AO3

Fangthane's Folly

A Hero's Respite AO3

Where Secrets Lie AO3

Splitting the Anvil AO3

Keeping Faith AO3

Truth's Embers AO3

Fire Hollowed Souls AO3

Eye of the Storm AO3

An Solas as Gràdhaiche

The Anvil's Fall

The Anvil's Fall AO3

Trapped in the Dark AO3

Bitter Truths, Sweet Lies AO3

The End Game

Hell and Back AO3

End Game AO3/How it Ends AO3

A Long Overdue Conversation AO3

Tag list (dm for +/-): @druidx

[aquadestinyswriting]

OCs as animals Tag

I was tagged for this one by @mariahwritesstuff. This one sounds like fun, so I'll keep this train going.

No Pressure Tags: @druidx, @asher-orion-writes, @homesteadchronicles, @warriorbookworm, @mariahwritesstuff, @ashirisu, @thesorcerersapprentice

Rules: Choose any Oc/s and pick an animal that relates to them and why. You can also include images or drawings of your own but don't have to.

I'll be taking some of the cast from Fangthane's Folly for this one because they need a bit of love. Under the cut to save folks' dashes. Also to warn for bugs, cockroaches and snakes because some people just don't want to see the pictures (don't worry I'll pop the warnings in the tags too for anyone that needs to filter for them).

Meredith: It took a while but I finally settled on a Jack Russel terrier. Meredith is a loyal sort and I was loathe to use a dog for her just because of that, but she's tenacious and adaptable so these little fellows do actually fit her remarkably well. Jack Russels are also very stubborn and vocal, both of which are traits Merri shares with this loveable breed

Yoruk: Again, Yoruk is a very loyal individual, but is much more reserved and quiet than his wife. He is hard working and dependable though and very gentle at heart (though he will give as good as he gets if push comes to shove). For these reasons I'm going with the Clydesdale horse for him

Jotunn Raganarsson: As the High Priest of Moradin for Fangthane, Ragnarsson is a very hard-working man. He is very patient and kind, which leads many to suspect he's a bit of a pushover. This is very far from the truth, however. Ragnarsson is a dwarf's dwarf and incredibly stubborn when the situation calls for it. It might seem a little stereotypical, but I'm going with the Highland Cow for Raganarsson

Now for our antagonists. I love all animals, even the ones seen to be icky and evil and I know they have their good qualities. Nevertheless I cannot in good conscience leave the bad guys out of this.

Ionah Copperheart: Ionah is a smart woman. She knows what her connections can get her and uses them to the utmost to get what she wants. She is sneaky and conniving and puts on a façade of gentility to cover up the fact that she's an evil, narcissistic witch. With all that in mind I'm actually going with the Preying Mantis for her. Mostly because of the amount f patience she has to have given the people she's working with.

Skalrd Firetome: More traditionally cunning and duplicitous, Firetome worked his way up the ladder legitimately and hid his true intentions and nature for several centuries before finding the perfect opportunity to strike. For this reason I'm going with the traditional snake for him. More specifically the cottonmouth, or water mocassin, as this snake gapes as a defensive mechanism, which goes with Firetome lying to get out of trouble.

Garl Grim(e)beard: Grimbeard is scum. He is the lowest of the low in terms of bad guys. He is ultimately just a lackey with aspirations of greatness. He is not liked by anyone at all and is very clear about what his goals are because he's a terrible liar. He is just very lucky that others can spin his goals for him because he wouldn't be able to get to where he is in the wip otherwise. He is also a coward and just generally repulsive. Now I am going with a stereotype here, so just to put it out there that I think the animal in question is ten to one hundred times more useful than Grimbeard will ever be. Due to his cowardly nature, which hides a strong sense of self preservation. and general repulsiveness, I'm going with the cockroach for him.

[aquadestinyswriting]

WIP Series: The Trouble with Meredith

Genres- High Fantasy, drama, angst

Themes-  family, growing up, faith and its impact on a personal and societal level, political bureaucracy, Destiny and its implications.

Synopsis: Meredith Gruksdottir is the youngest daughter of Gruk and Morag, both members of the Ironforge clan. She is found to have a deep connection to both Moradin and Throff from a young age and, not only that, but is a Shaper to boot! No one seems to know how, considering the ability to Shape was completely lost to the dwarves of Titan, but it's clear to the clergy of the Church of Moradin that the girl's been Marked. Now it's up to the new High Priest, Jotunn Ragnarsson, to try and help this little girl navigate her life with a Destiny hanging over her head.

Roughly a decade after the Demon War's end, Meredith begins having distressing nightmares of a city crumbling into the abyss. She knows that she must set out to try and save it, but her young age and the simmering distrust between Fangthane and Toreguarde make it seem like that's an almost impossible task.

Main Characters

Meredith Gruksdottir: The main protagonist of this series

Meredith's Family: Merri's immediate, biological family.

Jotunn Ragnarsson: The High Priest of Moradin in Fangthane, who has to navigate teaching Meredith through her training from Acolyte to full Cleric.

Yoruk Copperheart: Meredith's sweetheart. A young Paladin who has a lot of deep and very much reciprocated feelings for her. He's trying to find his own way in the world, despite his mother's constant interference.

Ionah Copperheart: Yoruk’s mother, a witch of a woman who despises her position in life. Has greater aspirations for her son.

Tag list (dm for +/-): @druidx

Stories (all of these are pre-DNS)

(multi-chapter stories will be linked via their own introduction pages. All stories will be linked in Chronological order)

Come Back Again Ao3

A Theological Conundrum Ao3

Kith and Kin Ao3

A Lesson in Propriety Ao3

A Mother's Intuition Ao3

The Final Straw Ao3

Shattered Glass Ao3

Brìgh an Teaghlaich Ao3

Foreshocks Ao3

Striking the Anvil Ao3

Filled with Clarity Ao3

A Mother's Wrath Ao3

[aquadestinyswriting]

15 Questions OC edition poll

[aquadestinyswriting]

Character Profiles Masterpost

This is where you'll find links to all the profiles I've made for my OCs. Most of them are from the Titan Fighting Fantasy universe. I'll link to any others when I come across them.

Titan Fighting Fantasy

The Heroes

Selene Frigidwake

Edwin Goodwin

Meredith Gruksdottir

Yoruk Bloodvein

The Found Family Members

Vera Thoriksdottir

The Villains

Ionah Copperheart

Reginald Schreiber

Skarld Firetome

Garl Grimbeard

Thaddeus Darkhide

Side Characters

Dwena Diamonddust

Thazaar Clayrmantle

Thaddeus Darkmantle

Meredith's Family: Gruk, Morag, Hilde, Dugald

Olin Starhammer

Jotunn Ragnarsson

Archlector Kargun Vanskleig

Meredith's Clerical Friends: Birghe Gurrisdottir, Ugri Kiruksson, Kidri Toroksdottir

[aquadestinyswriting]

The Troubles of Meredith Gruksdottir

This is a masterpost of the fiction I've written specifically about Meredith Gruksdottir. The following are to be read in the order I've posted here and the series will cover her life from childhood until well after the events of the campaign titled Destiny's New Servants.

Other Characters

Yoruk Bloodvein

The Found Family

Meredith's Family

Ionah Copperheart

Gavid Bloodvein

Stories

The Trouble with Meredith (Prequel series for Destiny's New Servants)

An Unusual Discussion (during Destiny's New Servants)

Fight or Flight (during Destiny's New Servants)

Puzzle of the Heart (during Destiny's New Servants)

A Promise Kept (during Destiny's New Servants)

How to Resurrect a God (during Destiny's New Servants)

A Little Chat (during Destiny's New Servants)

Fangthane's Folly and the Anvil's Fall (wip series. During Destiny's New Servants)

Hell and Back (during Destiny's New Servants)

End Game / How It Ends (during Destiny's New Servants)

A Long Overdue Conversation (post Destiny's New Servants)

By Any Other Name (post Destiny's New Servants)

What's in a Name? (post Destiny's New Servants)

The Toddler's Adventure (post Destiny's New Servants)

A Promise to Break (post Destiny's New Servants)

Dion Mo Cridhe (post Destiny's New Servants)

Role Reversal (post Destiny's New Servants)

The Trouble with Cultists (post Destiny's New Servants)

Old Habits (post Destiny's New Servants)

Maternity Woes (post Destiny's New Servants)

A Most Desperate Plea (post Destiny's New Servants)

Sharing is Caring (Post Destiny's New Servants)

A Minor Diplomatic Crisis (post Destiny's New Servants)

[aquadestinyswriting]

Kith and Kin

Summary: This one takes place before the campaign Merri was a part of. Ionah makes an attempt to control her "rebellious" grown son in front of a pub full of commoners. The pub's landlord has a few words to say on the matter.

Words: 1,911

Warnings: implied physical abuse, some very mild swearing.

tags: @druidx, @strosmkai-rum, @homesteadchronicles, @warriorbookworm

The Hammer and Anvil was particularly busy this evening, Snorri, the landlord, had actually had to have both cooks and at least two of his other servers on. The middle-aged former Slayer hadn’t complained at first, but when the miners arrived alongside the usual complement of day-shift Ironguard and Temple Guardsmen, he had begun to regret it. He’d heard that the landlord of the Elemental’s Crack had closed up shop early, but why, Snorri didn’t know quite yet. Making matters worse, a pair of dwarfs with glossy black beards, pale skin and the amber coloured eyes and aquiline noses of the nobility of Fangthane were standing in the middle of the main barroom, arguing.

The taller, but younger of the pair, was wearing heavy plate armour inscribed with runic passages, denoting him as a paladin .His helmet was tucked under his arm and his face and ears were flushed as he argued with the dwarf in front of him. The other was a somewhat stout woman, her hair and beard ringleted and cascading down her back and chest. She was wearing a heavy crinoline dress that was dark green and black with gold trimming, and so much jewellery Snorri marvelled that she had even made it down to the Trading District in one piece. She was brandishing a closed fan and pointing it at the taller dwarf, jabbing it towards his chest accusingly. The crowd of dwarves around them inched further back, leaving a clear space for Snorri to push his way towards. The broad-shouldered, auburn and white haired dwarf watched as Yoruk Copperheart attempted to regain his composure, failing utterly and throwing his hands into the air.

“Mother, for the love o’ Throff will ye please just listen?” Yoruk pleaded. His mother glared daggers at him,crossing her arms tightly across her chest. She snorted,

“Alright, I’m listening.” She said, gesturing for her son to start talking. By now what little conversation was still going on in the rest of the pub had died down, all eyes sweeping over in the direction of the two out-of-place nobles. Snorri snorted, collaring the youngest of his servers as he tried to squeeze past and take several glasses back to the bar,

“We any idea why this witch is causin’ trouble in ma pub?” he asked. The beardling shrugged,

“Mrs Copperheart?” he asked, glancing over to the two dwarves in the middle of the ring of dwarves, “Somethin’ to do wi’ her son hanging aboot us common folk as much as he is.” he replied, with a sigh, “Don’t know no details.”

Yoruk, to his credit, was ignoring the fact that his mother was causing such a major scene in a public area. He stood a little straighter and glowered at the noblewoman in front of him,

“As much as you don’t like this little fact, I’ve made a lot of friends that come from more humble backgrounds than you'd like.” He stated levelly, “This is the sort of thing that comes with bein’ a Paladin.” He added. Ionah threw up her hands,

“And this is exactly why I wanted you to join the King’s Guard!” she snapped, “No good is coming from you spending this much time amongst this… filth!” This earned the woman several nasty glares and annoyed tuts from the pub’s regulars, but she ignored them.

“Now come along, I’ve arranged a lovely dinner with Ragkusson’s absolutely charming young daughter.” She turned to walk out of the bustling pub, waving her hand airily and snapping her fan open as she did, fully expecting her rebellious young son to do as he was told.

“No.” That single word hushed what little whispered conversation was taking place as the bar patrons held their collective breath. Arguments between parents and their grown children were not uncommon. Gruk and Meredith, Snorri’s older brother and his niece, fought so often that it was considered unusual if a night went by without one or both storming out comparatively early. Yet something told the regulars that this was going to be a sight to behold.

Ionah immediately stopped in her tracks, all of the swagger that came with being a noblewoman who knows her rightful place in the world evaporating to be replaced with unmitigated fury. She snapped the fan she was carrying shut as she turned to face her son again,

“No?” she repeated quietly, trying her best to suppress her temper as she strode up to her son, seeming ten times his size despite only just reaching his shoulder these days, “You are going to do as you are told!” she snapped, “We are leaving this… hovel and going home to have dinner with Ragkusson and his family.” She hissed, her voice quietly menacing and promising much worse to come when they were both in private. Yoruk glared at his mother, refusing to be cowed,

“No.” the young man repeated, taking a step back. The paladin knew he was treading on incredibly dangerous ground by doing this, but he had had enough. He was not going to be forced into a relationship he never wanted when he already had someone he loved and adored with all his heart. Yoruk tilted his head up a little, the polished clasps in his beard catching the dim light coming from the lamps around the bar’s walls,

“Please send my apologies to Ragkusson and his daughter, I’m sure they’re both absolutely charming people.” he said, his voice calm and level. He narrowed his eyes, “But I refuse to spend time with a woman who insists on disgracing us both in public!” Ionah’s face darkened to an interesting shade of maroon,

“If your father was still here…” she hissed, jabbing her fan into her son’s chest plate menacingly. Yoruk drew himself to his full height before she could even finish the statement,

“Don’t you dare bring my father into this!” the young man rumbled, now taking a step towards his mother, “He was a good man and I will not have you disrespecting his memory!” Several dwarves who had been standing at the front of the crowd, shuffled back as, feeling the palpable surge of power around the young man; a paladin’s righteous fury was not something anyone wanted to be on the receiving end of.

Snorri sighed and shook his head. As much as he wanted to see the noblewoman get her comeuppance, he didn’t fancy his pub being blown up by a caster throwing a wobbly again. The repair bill from the last incident had been enough to knock out around half his savings. Snorri marched between mother and son, shoving them apart,

“A’right, that’s enough!” he roared. He turned to Yoruk first, “Laddie, sit yer arse doon before ye do summat stupid!” he snapped, causing Yoruk to stare dumbly at him for a moment before nodding and letting the power he had gathered dissipate. Ionah blustered as she regathered her wits about her, her face burning even darker,

“How dare you!” she shrieked, “Do you have any idea who you’ve just manhandled you oafish brute?” Snorri, with over three centuries of practiced patience that was now wearing dangerously thin, turned to the woman,

“Och I’m sorry m’lady, I hadn’t realized that I was in the presence of someone second only to the King.” He replied with a mocking bow before narrowing his eyes, “Unfortunately, seeing as ye currently see fit to disrespect the dead, I need to ask ye to leave.” He rumbled. Ionah snorted imperiously,

“And why, pray tell, does it matter to you how I speak of my late husband?” she asked, peering down her nose at him. The shift in Snorri’s stance was subtle, but it was enough to show off a network of old burns and scars that littered his arms and face,

“Because I fought alongside Gilhadsson to protect this mountain from the constructs and demons that poured oot of that massive hole under Toreguarde. My nephews weren’t so lucky.” He said quietly. The noblewoman in front of him stared wide-eyed at him, opening and closing her mouth with silent protests. Snorri shifted his stance again, crossed his arms and glared at her,

“I highly suggest leavin’ before I get the Iron Guard on duty to assist ye oot.” He warned. Ionah glanced between the pub’s Landlord and her son a few times before she cleared her throat, sniffed and dusted her dress down,

“I will be having words with the Fangthane City Council about this.” She said, glaring at Snorri before turning to her son, “As for you; I will pass your message along to Ragkusson and his daughter. When you get home, we are going to have a long conversation about your attitude.” She told him. Yoruk glanced at her, but said nothing and turned his back on her. Ionah’s glare deepened at the reaction, but she turned on her heel and stormed out of the pub, slamming the door behind her hard enough to cause some dust to come down from the ceiling. Snorri snorted in distaste and wiped his hands on his apron, turning to Yoruk, who sighed, running a weary hand down his face and beard, all the previous anger and frustration gone, replaced with tired resignation.

“I have to admit, ye handled that really well, son.” Snorri said, clapping a large hand on the boy’s shoulder. Yoruk looked up at him, face twisting into an apologetic grimace,

“I didn’t want to cause so much hassle.” He said. He looked over to the door out of the pub, “I probably should have just left with her.” He muttered. Snorri shook his head and tightened his grip on the paladin’s shoulder,

“No lad, ye did right by yourself.” He assured the younger man, “The old bat’s gonna have to realise that ye’re a grown man now and can make yer own decisions.” The older dwarf rummaged around in his pinnie and produced a set of keys, “Here, take my spare room for the next couple of weeks and lay low for a bit.” He said. Yoruk took the keys with wide eyes,

“Thank you… but I really don’t want to impose…” Snorri waved the comment off, guiding Yoruk to the bar and pointedly glaring at the patrons who were continuing to stare at the pair of them. The moment everyone had turned back to their drinks and their friends, he looked back at Yoruk with a gentle smile,

“It’s no problem lad, word in the vein is that ye’re plannin’ tae ask Merri a right important question soon. That makes ye family.” He insisted, giving the younger man a wink. Yoruk flushed under his beard, avoiding Snorri’s gaze,

“I probably shouldn’t ask how you heard aboot that.” He muttered, earning him a roaring laugh from Snorri,

“Aye, that's probably best lad.” He clapped him on the shoulder again and got back up, “Drinks’re on the hoose for you after you pop the question.” He added in a low voice before he finally made his way back up to the bar, where his youngest server was trying to take orders from three quarters of the bar at once. Yoruk smiled as he watched the landlord go about his business. That the older dwarf already considered him kin warmed his heart and hardened his resolve,

~I’ll find some way to get around my mother’s protests eventually.~ He thought, ~For now, I think I have a gift to find.~

[aquadestinyswriting]

Character Profile: Ionah Copperheart

Finally getting around to one of the primary Villains of 'Fangthane's Folly and the Anvil's Fall'.

Name: Ionah Copperheart (originally of Clan Stonefort)

Race: Dwarf

Job: Languishing in the Pit for the rest of eternity.

Current Age: As of the time of the end of the Campaign, she was around 450 years old (equivalent to around 50 years old)

Height: 4'7"

General Description: Ionah is a little broader than most nobles, but she is still on the thinner end for someone born from a purportedly middle-class family. She had black hair and dark brown eyes as well as the standard pale skin of most mountain dwarves that spent their whole lives underground.

Personality: Ionah is a woman who knows her position in life and despises it. She is a cold, calculating and ruthless woman who will use her position to her own advantage and to further her own goals. Everything in her life is primarily about her and her feelings and, if she doesn't get her own way... woe betide anyone who stands in her path to 'rectify' the situation.

History

60 years: Falls in love and starts courting Garl Grimbeard, much to the distaste of her family as he is from a much poorer family, and one that is intensely disliked by everyone else besides. Ionah flouts all the hints her family cares to give her and carries on regardless.

65 years: Is forced into an arranged marriage with Forhok Copperheart in an attempt to rescue the Stonefort family reputation. It doesn't quite work, but Ionah is spared some of her family's downfall due to being married into one of Noble stock.

377 Years: After a very fraught marriage (due to her own bitterness about being forced into it in the first place) and dealing with some major fertility issues, Ionah finally gives birth to her first (and only) child, finally providing her husband an heir to the family name. Unfortunately, Ionah and her husband are informed soon after that it is very unlikely they'll be able to have any more children.

412 years: Is told, in no uncertain terms by Forhok, that her son is going to train as a Paladin rather than as a Kingsguard like his father. Ionah, seeing this as a loss of the prestige of her reputation in the eyes of the society she lives in, attempts to fight back against this decision. She fails in the endeavour, but that doesn't stop her from feeling angry about it.

440 years: Loses her husband in the Demon War, but isn't overly upset about this. She sees this more as an opportunity to use her position to influence others more effectively and begins making connections to other nobles. She also makes her first attempts at getting Yoruk to start training as a Kingsguard again. She doesn't succeed.

446 years: When Yoruk starts openly courting Meredith, Ionah is furious. Since Merri is, apparently, from a low to middle class family, she feels that the relationship is far beneath him and will utterly ruin what little reputation she has within Fangthane's High Society. She starts trying to find him more 'suitable' matches, only to have Yoruk push back against this, much to her anger, frustration and disappointment.

447 years: When Yoruk proposes to Meredith in front of most of Fangthane's nobility no less, Ionah completely loses it. Once he tells her that he is going to Khull with the rest of his unit, no matter what she says or tells anyone else, she snaps, beats the everloving *bleep* out of him and disowns him in front of all her neighbours.

447-450 years: Continues to use her position to manipulate Fangthane's political sphere and ends up gaining a position on the Council through some very smart sweet-talk. Attempts to have Meredith arrested and executed for High Treason and Heresy with the help of Firetome and Grimbeard, but the plan is ultimately foiled. She then spends some time stoking the fires of the Schism and Civil War that followed and ends up trying to destroy the world by kicking off Ragnarok at the request of the Demon Prince Khalin. She is ultimately stopped by Meredith and her friends, but manages to kill off her only son in front of her 'daughter-in-law before she is banished to the deepest depths of the Pit (that action was undone by a Wish spell almost immediately after Ionah's banishment, but she still managed it).

Yeah. All in all, Ionah is not a nice character

tags: @druidx, @strosmkai-rum, @homesteadchronicles, @warriorbookworm

[aquadestinyswriting]

End Game

Context: This is another one based on the actual events that took place in the previous roleplay campaign. This was during the final session (which we recorded so I had a reference for all the speech in this one). It does focus quite strongly on a single event within that whole fight, so I’ve left out all the rest of what happened for the sake of you (and my own) sanity. Once again, some minor creative liberties have been taken to add to the drama.

Summary:  Let’s just say Ionah is a [insert bad word of your choice here]. Not going to say too much more to avoid spoilers for anyone who doesn’t already know what happened ;)

Words: 1,159

Warnings: None that I can think of right now. The events were kept deliberately vague even in-game at the time. Angsty parts are angsty and the fluff is fluffy.

Tag list: @druidx, @strosmkai-rum

Elowyn gazed sadly up at the demon that had once been a dwarven woman. Nearly all vestiges of what would have been her ‘humanity’ were long gone, replaced by obsidian skin, a fiery beard of sickly green and a similar fire burning where the eyes used to be. All around the adventurers, the distant sounds of battle raged ever on. Ionah sneered at the angelic figure that the woodling had been polymorphed into, clearly unimpressed by the speech that the woman had given in an attempt to appeal to whatever Goodness might have remained within her. None did, and so she simply raised a hand, palm open. Elowyn heard Meredith take in a breath as an image of some sort of dwarven knotwork coalesced above the obsidian hand. The image glowed with a soft gold and silver light and pulsed gently as it floated. While Elowyn had no idea what the knotwork was supposed to represent, she glanced to her side, only to see Meredith’s face pale slightly.

Meredith’s heart began to thunder in her chest as Ionah summoned the image. While she understood that Elowyn had a duty to try and change the demon’s mind, the dwarven cleric knew that the other woman was so far beyond redemption that the idea of trying to save her was almost laughable. So when Meredith noticed the traditional image of ‘Family, son, loved one and heir’ appear in that… that… Velskvinne’s hand, she knew that she was planning something horrific. Even knowing all of this didn’t prevent the shock of seeing those pale green fiery eyes look to her, smile lazily then crush the image with no hint of remorse. The pulse of magic made of the purest Evil radiated out and washed over the ragtag group as the image shattered into dust.

Elowyn’s eyes went wide as Meredith suddenly lunged for Ionah with a deep, feral growl. The paladin quickly grabbed a hold of her best friend’s shoulders to stop her,

“Will you just…” Elowyn panted, struggling to keep Meredith from launching herself at Ionah, noticed that the belts holding the Orb in place on her hip had been cut and that the demon was now glaring daggers at Snotgrut. The goblin grinned at Ionah with a wide smile and a wave, then vanished once more. All at once chaos erupted as Felix launched his Dispell attempt at the demonic dwarf and Elowyn lost her grip on Meredith. Giving up, Elowyn yelled out,

“Go!” allowing the rest of her friends to finally get into their usual battle positions. Before taking to the air, Elowyn grabbed a hold of Meredith’s shoulder again, pulled the other woman back and turned her around,

“That was something to do with Yoruk wasn’t it?” she asked quietly. Meredith, her face scrunched up and red with barely repressed rage and grief, simply nodded, unable to find her voice through the storm of emotion that raged within her. Elowyn nodded and took a deep, shaky breath. She then squeezed her old friend’s shoulder tightly before letting it go once more. There would be time to grieve for those that had been lost later. For now, there was a battle to win.

~*~

As the final traces of Ionah and her vile magic were pulled down into the Pit, Meredith sat back on her haunches, whooshing out a sigh. The sounds of the demonic and other assorted evils being pushed out of the Heavens were a somewhat distant rumble at this point. The inquisitor closed her eyes, trying to ignore the sounds of her friends’ friendly bickering and Snotgrut finally being smote. While she was glad that Ionah had finally been dealt with and that Ragnarok had, apparently, been averted, her heart still ached at the thought of what Ionah had already done. Before she could dwell on it any further, Meredith suddenly felt herself being lifted up and crushed against Elowyn and Thannan as ‘Arry lifted off from the ground, hugging all his friends and howling joyfully. She heard Elowyn sigh, mutter to herself and join the massive Awakened Wolf in his celebration. Meredith felt her heart lift ever so slightly and chuckled as the others joined in. Eventually, ‘Arry set everyone back on the ground, satisfied that he had let pretty much all of Creation (or at least all of the Heavens) know of the group’s victory. Elowyn turned to Meredith, looking somewhat concerned as the dwarf deflated again,

“That… thing that she did with the knot. What exactly happened?” she asked, her voice quiet and gentle. Meredith felt her throat constrict and her eyes well up. Suppressing a sniffle, the dwarf rubbed her eyes on the sleeve of her vestment and took a deep breath,

“That was…” she paused for a moment, trying very hard not to just break down there and then, “That was a connection tae… him.” Elowyn knelt so that she was at her friend’s eye level, confusion written all over her face,

“And is he alive?” she asked carefully. Meredith shook her head and fiddled with her Holy Symbol, staring at the ground so that she didn’t have to look at Elowyn’s expression,

“I don’t know.” she mumbled, trying to ignore the crack in her voice and the fresh tears that threatened to spill down her cheeks. Elowyn wrapped her arms, and wings, around the grief-stricken dwarf,

“If he is…” the woodling-turned-angel paused and started again, “You know that I would go back and beat her in the Pit a second time if it would bring him back.” she said. Meredith leaned into the hug and nodded,

“I know.” she mumbled. The dwarf startled as she felt another, smaller, hand land on her shoulder. She jerked her head up and turned it only to see Felix smiling at her, the symbol on his hand glowing a faint blue-purple colour,

“I wish for all things to be well with you and all those you love.” he said quietly, the symbol on his hand flashing to white and a wash of powerful arcane magic flowing around both the gnome and the dwarf. Both Meredith and Elowyn stared at Felix, his smile growing wider as the spell he had just cast took effect.

Meredith blinked, hardly daring to breathe. The strength of the magic that her gnomish friend had just cast… The dwarf’s throat tightened, her eyes welling up once more, as the magnitude of what Felix had just done hit her. Only just barely holding back a sob of relief, Meredith threw her arms around Felix’s shoulders and hugged him,

“Thank you.” she whispered, hiccoughing slightly, the dam that had been holding back her emotional turmoil for the last five minutes finally breaking as she wept into the gnome’s shoulder. Felix hugged her back, shrugging a little even through his own tears,

“Well I know what it means to have a true love.” he murmured, “And I know that you’d do the same for me if you could.” Meredith simply responded by hugging the gnome more tightly. Now, everything was truly right with the world, she decided, finally letting the normally irrepressible gnome go and wiping her eyes on the sleeve of her vestments, before turning to Elowyn with a shaky, but happy smile and stepping forward to greet the human-sized snowy owl that had landed nearby.