The Blade of Miquella

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A voice whispers, its sound not felt in the vibrations of air, but in the plucked strings of your soul. It is a voice far dearer to you than your own. One first heard when the two of you lay, limbs entwined, within the womb of one you would never again call mother.

Sister-

The word cuts off not with the sharp slice of a blade but with a slow strangled sigh. A pulse of urgency beats sharply within you, drawing you from muddled yet pleasant dreams. Up from a quagmire of crimson filth, your mind rises, snapping chains of Rot woven from chitinous flesh and fungal growth as a single coherent thought forms… Miquella… is that… where?…

Please-

You stir. Centuries of somnolence fall from the twisted, briar paths of your mind. Your head lifts. Crimson hair flows back to frame a face lined by a thousand battles. Eyes of a faded gold open, casting pale luminescence down upon a pool of gently flowing water.

For a moment only, you allow your eyes to settle upon that crystal-clear water. It is an elegy for your fallen mentor. His words ringing in your thoughts as limbs ravaged by battle and Rot propel you upright. Just as still waters turn foul, stagnation leads to decay. Warriors must remain ever drifting. Fifteen words that you had carved upon your very soul. A simple concept that had given birth to an art that had made you unbeatable. Invincible.

You step forward, the golden prosthesis attached to your hip making not a sound as you glide over damp earth and crumbling stone. The stillness of your face doesn't move as you lean forward, slender fingers wrapping around the gift that had transformed you from Malenia The Severed into what you had always truly been in your heart.

Slowly, you stand. Even more slowly, almost reverentially, unalloyed gold slots into place.

The Great Rune resting within your soul pulses, expanding out along flesh wrought from metal and consecrated in your brother's name. Centuries of loss. Of despair. Of shameful retreat into dreams. It all falls from you. Burned away by depthless love and a simmering ocean of fury.

"I am Malenia, Blade of Miquella and I have never known defeat." Your lips pull back, baring sharpened teeth. Your voice is soft and yet the words scorch the air around you. "You foul thing. You who have stolen my brother from me. Wherever you hide, know that I will find you. I will find you and I will carve that truth upon your flesh so that you can never forget."

With your oath still resounding throughout the cavernous space you had chosen to wait for his return, you walk forward, toward the soft glow of the Erdtree. You would find him. There was no other option. But until you could drown his jailers in their own blood, many things yet had to be done. You would see Elphael restored. See that his dream of a sanctuary where all were welcomed became reality.

It would be your gift to Miquella.

And your atonement.


Malenia is enormously powerful, arguably the most powerful demigod in Elden Ring (almost certainly the most difficult fight in the game). Even she, with all that power, cannot singlehandedly find her brother and alter the course of the Lands Between. To accomplish that task (and any others voters deem important) she must shore up the weaknesses both within herself and within her realm. Through the Blessing of Grace (expressed in the turn options as quests), Malenia will have guidance on how to proceed. Quests will be revealed as the story progresses and as certain events or turn results occur. Aside from that, posters can suggest potential quest options that will be incorporated into turn options at GM's discretion.

Regarding the setting itself, we are ~100 years prior to the start of Elden Ring. Additionally, while I'm perfectly fine with voters making plans based on meta-knowledge please understand: first, Malenia awakening is a rather large butterfly flapping its wings, and second, in order to act on meta-knowledge Malenia must have an in-character reason to do so.

Regarding the structure of the quest itself, turn lengths will vary from hours and days to months or (perhaps) even years. To that end, the number (as well as the scope and complexity) of actions available will also vary. Finally, to reiterate a point made above, I think that storytelling like this works best when done collaboratively. So if there's something you want to see, call it out in the thread and I'll try to include it.

For reference, see Malenia's character sheet below (she's just as absurd as one would expect, but then the Lands Between are a dangerous sort of place).


Turn Options

Malenia has Two actions she may take this turn. Vote for as many options as you want, the top two will win.

Quest: Secure Elphael, Brace of the Haligtree [0 of 4 tasks completed]
Awakened from slumber by her brother's desperate plea, Malenia can only lament the decayed and decaying state of his city. Before embarking on a path to rescue her lost sibling, Elphael, the capital of her brother's realm must first be secured.

[] Reach out to those still loyal to Miquella. Though centuries have passed since your brother's disappearance and your own slumber, there must still be loyal men and women who yet reside within the roots of the Haligtree. [Diplomacy. On success: gain Loretta, Knight of the Haligtree.]

[] Reunite with the remnants of the Cleanrot Knights. These knights once swore to fight at your side, even as the putrefaction of the Scarlet Rot devoured their flesh. Now that you have risen, it is only right that they return once again to your side. [Martial. On success: gain a squadron of Cleanrot knights.]

[] Take stock of Elphael. Once, the Brace of the Haligtree was the capital of Miquella's realm and a promise to all. It now a shadow of a shadow of that munificent promise, but it need not remain so. [Stewardship. On success: gain a deeper understanding of the issues plaguing Elphael.]

[] Search for hidden paths. The cowards that stole Miquella reached his cocoon unseen and left without alerting a single soul. Such a weakness in the defenses of Elphael cannot be borne. [Intrigue. On success: shore up hidden pathways into and through the Brace of the Haligtree.]

[] Take stock of Miquella's library. Once, Miquella had a library containing books gathered from the far corners of the Lands Between and even from those beyond the fog. Time has doubtless worn them down, but perhaps some may yet be recovered. [Learning. On success: gain a rudimentary library.]

[] Meet with the soldiers of the Haligtree. In the early years of the Shattering, countless men and women swore themselves to the light of your brother's benevolence. Time has doubtless worn down all but the stoutest of them, but any who have kept the faith these long years deserve a place under your wings once again. [Piety. On success: gain a platoon of soldiers.]

[] Personally patrol Elphael. It is almost certain that various threats have made themselves at home in Miquella's city. It would be a trivial task to put them to the sword. [Combat. On success: eliminate one or more threats from Elphael.]

[AN]
A short chapter to start, but all I really wanted to do was try and set the stage. That and reflect at least a mote of the sensation you get when you walk in and see her cutscene for the first time. Since we don't really have a set timeline of events, my headcanon is that Malenia leaves to fight Radahn for *reasons* -> is dragged back to the Haligtree by Finlay -> finds that her brother has been taken -> due to her injuries, and despair from her brother's loss, she succumbs to her long slumber.

I've wanted to do something based on Elden Ring almost since the game came out, but it wasn't until I picked the game back up after a several-month hiatus that an idea started to crystallize. So here we have it, a quest to reunite a girl with her brother and maybe, just maybe, resolve some of the quiet tragedy of their story.

Golden fingers clench along the hilt of your Hand as thought and recrimination both assail your mind as you stand once again under the light of the Erdtree. How long had you lain there waiting, so damnably sure that your brother's return was inevitable? That he had just wandered deep into dreams, guiding those shunned and discarded by the Golden Order to shelter beneath the boughs of the Haligtree.

Rage unfurls within you, rising along a tide of Rot. Rage at your own foolish credulity. Rage that you had swallowed such a pleasant seeming lie even when the evidence of Miquella's absence was staring back at you. The Haligtree an empty husk. The stone floor of this once great auditorium cracked and broken. Pools of Rot collected in places where the stone hadn't given way to the sea below. More than even that slowly building conflagration of rage, you feel…

Golden eyes narrow. Rage transforms into disgust.

You glide forward, golden prostheses dancing along the banks of an idly drifting river that exists only in your mind. One step. Two steps. Three. Your Hand flashes. Chitin and flesh part as though they offered no more resistance than sodden paper. An instinctive flick of your blade scatters droplets of blackened blood, the motion to sheathe your blade complete even before the Kindred of Rot can finish falling to fetid water with a series of muffled splashes.

Perhaps Miquella would say there was a place even for these loathsome creatures within his Order. Until that day came, though, their presence was one thing you would not, cannot, abide.

Vile pest exterminated, you allow your eyes drift. Past the shallow pool of Rot lapping futilely at the unalloyed gold of your feet. Past a hill of pale flowers that had doubtless slaked their thirst upon that selfsame contagion. Until they land upon a bridge wrought from the graceful bend of branch and root, where at the far end you can feel the presence of a spirit of the Haligtree, tortured and tainted by Rot.

Your Hand flexes in your grasp for a moment, before you relax. There would be time enough to dispatch the malign creatures that dared make a home of your brother's city. For now, though, you had tasks to complete.

[New turn action gained.]


Reach out to those still loyal to Miquella. Though centuries have passed since your brother's disappearance and your own slumber, there must still be loyal men and women who yet reside within the roots of the Haligtree. [Diplomacy. On success: gain Loretta, Knight of the Haligtree.]

The lift draws to a smooth, almost unnoticeable stop and you step out onto the shaded balcony that Loretta had claimed as her arena. You hear the soft clop of hoof against stone even before you see the knight emerge from between thickly woven branches laden with crimson leaf.

Perhaps the Haligtree was not in so dire a strait as you had thought.

"Your Highness," Loretta's smooth, dry voice greets you even as she slides gracefully from the back of her warhorse. "I hope your slumber proved restful."

There was an edge of something. Not quite impoliteness, but perhaps… judgment in the knight's eyes as she regards you. Rot seethes under your skin in response, but your face remains still as you respond.

"I heard Miquella's voice. He pleaded for me to save him."

Whatever Loretta had been expecting to hear, it wasn't that. The knight shifted from where she had been leaning on her mount, her legs wobbling momentarily as the curse of the albinaurics bit into her before she straightened.

"Lord Miquella is…" she pauses for a moment, jaw working soundlessly before gesturing to the piles of crimson leaves gathering in the corner of her balcony. "Even as the Haligtree changed colors, I thought he had…"

"Yes…" Your agreement comes out as a long, slow sigh. You had thought the same thing. Been fooled by the same deception.

"We must find him. I can gather some soldiers. We can be ready to ride in an hour." A spark of urgency seems to run through the knight, and she's halfway back onto her saddle before your voice stops her.

"We will find him." Your words are less a promise and more a simple truth of the world. The conviction in them enough for the knight to slide back to the ground and focus her entire being upon you.

"And whoever kidnapped him will spend an eternity dying." That is your promise, and if the glint in Loretta's eyes was anything to judge, it was a promise she'd be happy to help you keep. "The Lands Between are large. And as mighty as we are, I do not know if we alone would be enough. We need more. More eyes. More trained warriors. Enough to drown this realm in blood if need be. But even more than that, I would have my brother return to a place that fulfills the dream he has laid before us."

A long moment passes, where you can see the war of ideas clashing across the knight's face. To saddle her steed and search the Lands Between for a trace of Miquella's passage, or to follow your own plans for his rescue. Her answer, when it comes, causes your lips to split in a bloodthirsty smirk. One that's soon mirrored on the knight's face.

DC 50 vs. 29 + 26 = 54



Reunite with the remnants of the Cleanrot Knights. These knights once swore to fight at your side, even as the putrefaction of the Scarlet Rot devoured their flesh. Now that you have risen, it is only right that they return once again to your side. [Martial. On success: gain a squadron of Cleanrot knights.]

Recruiting Loretta to your cause had been, in many respects, a simple task. You had merely to lay out the facts for the knight to fall in line. In essence, re-recruiting your Cleanrot Knights back into your service should have been even simpler.

They had, to a one, after all, sworn to be the blades of your wings even as the Rot slowly devoured their flesh and their minds. It was a loyalty even the Starscourge would not have been able to claim from his soldiers. And yet.

You pace outside of a small chapel, golden feet soundless upon stone, as you feel the resonance of Rot and unalloyed gold waiting within. You hadn't noticed, maddened and insensate by turns from the injuries you had received fighting the Starscourge and the Blooming it had required to defeat him, but your once valiant knights were but a mere shadow of what they had once been.

Four knights. That was all that remained of a company that had once numbered more than three-score.

You turn, your stride having brought you to the end of the marble portico, and begin to pace back the other. Was it right to call them back to your service? When you knew all that waited for them there was the grindstone that would eventually wear them down to nothing. Perhaps it would be better to start anew. To let your beloved knights find what peace they may in this…

"Lady Malenia?" A voice, hoarse from disuse stops you mid-step.

You turn to step through the doors of the chapel as though you had always intended just that. The thoughts that had kept you from entering sink back down into the mire of your soul. Your knights deserved far more from you than to see the doubt and regret that plagued you.

"Sir Cadoc," you glide past rows of low wooden seats, as calm and serene as you had ever been. On the surface, at least. It was almost all you could do, to keep the pounding of your heart under control. "It has been some time, has it not?"

Your knight moves to stand, bracing himself on the crescent-bladed scythe Miquella had gifted him for valor in battle.

"Sit, Sir Cadoc. And you three as well: Sir Cai, Sir Bryn, Dame Eira." You wave your knights back to their seats sprawled out along the pews.

Despite your request, your knights shift upright, turning to face you with an attention that bored far deeper into you than Loretta's ever could. In each of those pale golden stares, you can feel the loyalty, the oaths, the bonds that have tied you and your knights together with chains far stronger than dragonstone.

Perhaps in your quietest thoughts, you believed your knights deserved better from you. Deserved better than you. But it seems that was something you could not offer and something they would not accept. So, instead, you offer them duty.

Your Hand sinks easily into the stone floor of the chapel as you rest both flesh and unalloyed gold atop the pommel. "A foul and blasphemous act has seen my brother stolen from his place within the Haligtree."

Four figures stop, motionless in a way that would have shamed a statue. Unlike most who dwelt within the embrace of the Haligtree, these four had sworn themselves to you. And each had glimpsed at least a fraction of the depths of the love you felt for your brother.

As one, they move. Ancient metal and even older bones creak as they kneel before you. You can't quite help the pride… the relief… that creases your face in a smile.


Despite the demands pressing down upon you. The thousand-thousand things that must be done to both rescue your brother and restore the Haligtree to its former glory. You can't quite keep yourself from lingering at that small, out-of-the-way chapel.

Eventually, though, you have to leave the warm embrace of camaraderie. And it is as you clasp hands with Sir Cadoc—most senior of your knights left—that he whispers in your ear, "Commander Finlay has not joined us in an age, but I believe she would welcome your presence, Lady Malenia."


DC 35 vs. 35 + 43 = 78


DC ?? vs. 29 + 73 = 102

[New turn action gained.]



Support units can be used in one of two ways, either assigned to actions tagged as (Can be assigned to a support unit) or added to a task to provide a bonus to that task. Units that are assigned to a task without Malenia do not count against the number of actions she can take in a turn. Multiple units may be assigned to the same task.

To tag a turn option as using these support units, please use the following format if you want them to act without Malenia's presence

[] Action 123.
-[] Cleanrot Knights

If, on the other hand, you prefer to take advantage of the bonus provided by these units then it should look like this:

[] Action 123
-[] Cleanrot Knights (supporting)



Turn Options

Malenia has Two actions she may take this turn. As we now have some burgeoning complexity in how votes work, please vote by plan. Please note that bolded options are either new or have updated text.


Quest: Secure Elphael, Brace of the Haligtree [2 of 4 tasks completed]
Awakened from slumber by her brother's desperate plea, Malenia can only lament the decayed and decaying state of his city. Before embarking on a path to rescue her lost sibling, Elphael, the capital of her brother's realm must first be secured.

[] Take stock of Elphael. Once, the Brace of the Haligtree was the capital of Miquella's realm and a promise to all. It now a shadow of a shadow of that munificent promise, but it need not remain so. [Stewardship. On success: gain a deeper understanding of the issues plaguing Elphael.]

[] Search for hidden paths. The cowards that stole Miquella reached his cocoon unseen and left without alerting a single soul. Such a weakness in the defenses of Elphael cannot be borne. [Intrigue. On success: shore up hidden pathways into and through the Brace of the Haligtree.]

[] Take stock of Miquella's library. Once, Miquella had a library containing books gathered from the far corners of the Lands Between and even from those beyond the fog. Time has doubtless worn them down, but perhaps some may yet be recovered. [Learning. On success: gain a rudimentary library.] (Can be assigned to a support unit)

[] Meet with the soldiers of the Haligtree. In the early years of the Shattering, countless men and women swore themselves to the light of your brother's benevolence. Time has doubtless worn down all but the stoutest of them, but any who have kept the faith these long years deserve a place under your wings once again. [Piety. On success: gain a platoon of soldiers.]

[] Personally patrol Elphael. It is almost certain that various threats have made themselves at home in Miquella's city. It would be a trivial task to put them to the sword. [Combat. On success: eliminate one or more major threats from Elphael.]

[] Dispatch the remaining Kindred of Rot. Some things cannot be abided. Some creatures cannot be allowed to live. Purge them with fire and blade and unalloyed gold. [Combat. On success: all Kindred of Rot purged from Elphael.] (Can be assigned to a support unit)

[] Search for Knight Commander Finlay. When you lay insensate upon the swamps of Aeonia, torn in body by the Starscourge's attacks and in mind by the Rot that you let Bloom, Finlay managed to carry you back to the safety of the Haligtree. [????. On success: gain Knight Commander Finlay, improve bonuses of Cleanrot Knights.]


[AN]
The goal with support units is to give a choice between a higher likelihood of success on fewer actions or a lower likelihood of success on more actions. Depending on how things work out, I may end up tweaking numbers either up or down.

We know very little of Malenia's character save that: she loves deeply (Miquella), she isn't power hungry or even particularly vengeful (she left Godrick alive after beating him), and she inspires great loyalty (Finlay, Blind Swordsman). That does leave a lot of space for me to fill in as we go, but I think it explains something of why I (and so many others) find her a compelling character.

Malenia



Traits

Empyrean
Born from the two halves of Queen Marika, Malenia has within her the potential to ascend beyond that of a mere demigod. Her empyrean nature has also drawn the attention of those who lurk beyond the veil of the world. [+10 to all stats]

Avatar of Rot
Within adamant flesh seethes an ocean of Rot, held back only by the touch of unalloyed gold. With a touch, Malenia can allow that ocean to flow out from within her, though controlling its spread once released proves a far more difficult challenge. [+15 to Piety and Combat]

Great Rune of Decay
Twin to the Great Rune of Abundance held by her brother, together they form an endless cycle of abundance and decay. But for the touch of Rot this Rune would have been the most sacred of them all. [+5 Stewardship and Learning, +10 Combat]


Abilities

Waterfowl Dance
The culmination of her mentor's art combined with Malenia's own incomparable skill. Even the Starscourge could not match the steps of her dance. [+20 Combat]

Scarlet Aeonia
Each time the scarlet flower blooms, Malenia's rot advances. It has bloomed once already. With the third bloom, she will become a true goddess. [First Bloom, +5 to all stats]


Equipment

Hand of Malenia
A prosthesis of unalloyed gold crafted by her brother. Consecrated in the Grace of the Haligtree, the Hand of Malenia can cut through even the strongest of armaments. [+10 Combat]


Supporting Units

Cleanrot Knights
Once again commanded by Knight Commander Finlay, the Cleanrot Knights have begun to recapture a mote of the skill and grace they once possessed. Despite her reappointment, time has been a formidable foe to the Cleanrot Knights.

When assigned as either a solo unit or the most powerful unit in a group, Cleanrot Knights use the following stats
Combat: 18
Martial: 14

When assigned with a more powerful unit, Cleanrot Knights provide the following bonuses
Combat: +9
Martial: +7

Loretta, Knight of the Haligtree
Once a Royal Carian Knight, Loretta discarded both the prestige of her position as well as the glintstone scythe granted to her for valorous deeds in the war between Caria and Leyndell. In exchange, she searched far and wide for a home for the albinaurics, eventually finding one beneath the boughs of the Haligtree.

When assigned as either a solo unit or the most powerful unit in a group, Loretta, Knight of the Haligtree uses the followings stats
Learning: 20
Combat: 16

When assigned with a more powerful unit, Loretta, Knight of the Haligtree provides the following bonuses
Learning: 10
Combat: 8