Knight of Wessex (A Written World Quest)

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Audrey Eotenslaga's goal was clear–to travel across the sea to the distant Isle of Bornholm, and to show the strength of Wessex' newest generation to all the nations of northern Europe! It was a simple enough task after all–who was better than the youngest new Knight of Wessex to show the neighborhood that the King's great investments have begun to bear fruit?

Of course, there was obviously work to do in advance–Sir Vieux was very clear that Audrey still had a bit more work to do before he'd feel comfortable letting her out on her own–but the primary focus she had remained on excelling in the upcoming contest of will and courage!

"You're not going to win, I'm afraid," Audrey's Master said, despite her protests. "It's not a matter of talent, it's a simple fact that God doesn't make all men equal–and there are people out there who are younger than you are–and stronger than I am. Not many of them–admittedly–but if they're going to show up, it'd be here in one of the major contests of our part of the world." He tapped the name at the top of the list. "Take this Skallagrimsson lad for instance–he's two generations removed from one of the mightiest warriors in recent history, and evidently such a prodigy in one of the trickiest of the Norse magics that he's killed a man a year past. It wouldn't be impressive if he did the same to another child–but he's here, and apparently so brilliant in the art of battle that grown men couldn't stand against him from this report, and he's had a year since to get even better. That is the level of competition you're up against. You're highly talented and will still grow better over time, take this as a chance to broaden your horizons, rather than expect victory."

Expand her horizons indeed, but that didn't mean she needed to surrender right from the start! Audrey Eotenslaga always sought to be her very best self at all times! She had already reached many of the expected benchmarks of a Knight–even if her remedial lessons in mathematics and logistics weren't commanding her full focus–and surpassed several still! She advanced from the intermediate level of Hard-Fall to a threshold held only by seasoned veterans–and the threshold of true Mastery loomed enticingly in the distance. She even managed to refine her grasp of her Hama somewhat in her free time! Whether she could claim victory or not was in God's hands–but Audrey Eotenslaga had done everything she could to ensure she could meet the challenges set before her.

Save one, of course.

There was a certain level of technique that no amount of will or power could match–save for an art of a similar degree of potency. The Last Word of any Martial Argument–the Finale. They were as perilous to study as they were potent in war–techniques that could immediately turn the tide of any battle.

The problem was that you simply couldn't master them from practice. Much of the potency of a Finale came from challenging an opposing argument–and the only thing that could match a Finale's potency was an opposing one. Given that the loser of such an argument often found themselves in dire risk of immediate death, it made studying a Finale to be a daunting prospect for those who had but one life to give.

Trinkets and treasures could even the odds, but only by so much. At the end of the day, when two Finales clashed–only one was likely to live to tell the tale. Yet to expect Audrey to go on a quest beyond the shores of Wessex with an untrained and unpracticed technique? That was folly still.

So Reinald Vieux spoke with his contacts, passed some change around–and finally–in the last few days before departing for Winchester to catch the ship–Audrey's training partner had arrived. Someone of great strength, who had earned a measure of regard from the Kingdom, and who's discretion and skill could be vouched for–who was willing to look death in the eye for a bag full of silver and a letter of recommendation to any lord who needed a strong arm to work with.

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"Hiya Miss Eotenslaga!"

Aldwin Beckson had shot up like a weed in the past several years since the Tournament at Winchester, a scraggly yellow beard now adorning his chin, along with the shaggy hair that made him look even more like a particularly affectionate dog from a distance. He was still full of energy–though his gear had obviously improved since the last time they had met–the heavily patched gambeson replaced with a fresh one, and his woodsman's hatchet swapped out for a genuine sword of respectable craftsmanship–if not one of the best ones Audrey had ever seen.

In other words, he looked the proper picture of an Errant in good standing! Good for him!

"You've come pretty far since we last threw down! But apparently we're supposed to trade pointers?" He asked, tilting his head in hopes of a response. "Use my best move, you use your best one, and we both figure out what they're missing or something?"

"A trade of Finales, yes." Audrey nodded, eyeing him up. He had a new mail hauberk–but that was neatly folded and kept to the side. Her Hama didn't see anything particularly fancy or protective on him though, right? Was he just going to take this on the chin? "You are aware that these are powerful moves though, right?"

"Oh yeah! The Super Moves, right!" Aldwin nodded eagerly. "Yeah, but God'll protect me if it's not my time to go, right? No sense wasting a perfectly good protective charm on a friendly exchange of pointers–if it's my time to go, it'll be my time to go–but if it's not, I'll be right as rain with a good rest and a few decent meals! I'm more worried about you! Super Moves are pretty… Uh, Super! Are you going to be okay testing one like this? I know you Knights-to-Be are super strong, but if you lose, that's it, right? You just get taken up to Heaven and have to watch?"

Audrey puffed her cheeks out. "Who do you take me for? I've trained long and hard for this!" She protested, placing her hands on her hips all the while–which looked somewhat incongruous in her full plate. "Besides, I do have a protective charm in the unthinkable event that I botch this! I've nothing to worry about!"

Seriously though, the nerve of the lad! She appreciated his genuine concern but come on, this was just an advancement of two techniques she had already mastered! If she botched something like that up, she'd give up her spurs on the spot!

"Well, long as you're sure about it!" Aldwin nodded, and set himself in his stance on one end of the feel. "Just let me know when you're ready to go!" A moment later, the eruption of sea-green light erupted from his form–the Frami of the Norsemen stoked, fed into his blade.

Come to think of it, did she even know what his Martial Style was? He mostly used his water magic in their tournament match?
"Ready? Here I go!" Aldwin leaned forward then–and suddenly, Audrey knew precisely why Sir Vieux demanded that her first use of a Finale be in controlled conditions.

She felt the eyes of the World suddenly weigh heavily–God Himself standing in judgement between two valiant warriors–willing to stand as neutral arbiter in the disputes between His children. If she had not been mentally prepared for this–if she had been distracted, or otherwise handling her day to day business–Audrey would have hesitated.

That would have been death.

Instead, she fell back to her training–a torrent of Zeal poured from her Temple, fortifying her body and soul beyond all of its ordinary limits, as the red-slashes in Audrey's eyes burned bright and hot–a thousand times a thousand vectors flickering across her awareness and forgotten just as quickly, as she touched the meanest facsimile of God's awareness.

A single path remained, highlighted in burning red–and the Devil-Lightning crackled along Sunder's blade. She pivoted in place in the same eyeblink that Aldwin vanished in, her body pivoting backwards to provide a better fulcrum for the Giant-Killing Blow to land home.

And so it was that when Aldwin Beckson blinked back into view behind her, arms outstretched.

Thunder cracks and clouds gather. Light flashes, blinking between day and night over-and-over again. Stars shine as the moon rises, cracks of black-and-red spider-webbing across its pockmarked surface.

Sunder sings a song of violence and Aldwin is swept along by the tide.

Blood splashes, skin cracks, and horror grips the heart of Audrey Eotenslaga.

Where Aldwin once stood is nothing but a pair of legs and his hips, the skin cracked and blackened by the force of impact.

"Incredible, Miss Eotenslaga!" And yet, Aldwin's voice still rings in her ears. How- How could Aldwin be alive? She split him in half! His spine was severed, her blade robbed him of life!

And yet, a hand reaches up and pulls the still-standing legs to the ground. There lies Aldwin, his upper half intact and carefully aligning torso to legs. A cloak of spectral hands falls from his shoulders as light glows and reattaches half to half.

"There we go, all better!" Aldwin says as he clambers back to his feet, "You're really something, Miss Eotenslaga," he says with a great big smile.

Audrey can't help but stare as she is once more reminded of just how hard to kill Norsemen truly are.
Superlative Counter is now Refined, and may be safely used in battle!
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That… Adventure aside, the remainder of Audrey's training was reviewing her studies and developing her options. Refinements to her analysis abilities would let her better gauge where her foes were strong and where they were weaker–while her work on Light was…

Well, it was going.

She had spoken to the Bishop of Warwick on the matter–and while his own expertise didn't fall in that field, he had made an academic study on the matter. Light was as much a matter of Presence as it was about actual illumination. She had made an initial study in the field with her Cloak of Invisibility–but she was inspired to develop the reverse as well–a Cloak technique that amplified her natural charisma to a nearly supernal degree, based on the Bishop's advice.

He also had some more thoughts on how the Revelation might be useful for a Knight–such as tricking the instincts of her opponents by throwing her presence at a critical moment, to bait a moment of the foe losing contact to force an opening rather than merely attempt to find one. Though as he concluded, her understanding was her own–and it would be difficult for anyone to find any standard issue, all-purpose understandings on the go. He did still have a list of a few ideas she could seek to work with though, which was nice.

All good things eventually came to a close though, and Audrey's final review session before the greatest challenge of her… Official Squirehood was concluded. A few final good-byes to her friends and fellows in Warwick and the best-wishes that came along with it–as well as gathering up her stipend, of course.

It had been building up over the past few years, and having a little spending money would assuredly serve her well!

The real question at hand–of course–is what they'd have to worry about on the way.

"The King's council will make sure the Captain is trustworthy, it would be ridiculous to send you with someone who's just as likely to rob you or not–but a ship's owner is always looking for more opportunities to make a little silver on the side." Sir Vieux explained. "You might get someone reliable who'll get you there and back, no frills–but you might also get someone more adventurous who'll take a side job on the way to make ends meet. There's opportunity there if the cause is righteous for you to join in–but there's no guarantee that their assessment of the risk is accurate or not, and it'd be awkward if our ship's crew ends up dead or imprisoned because they tried to bite off more than they could chew. Plus, there's always the chance of just tripping over some monster or raider group out for a quick fight."

Audrey did wonder sometimes–she had heard tales of all kinds of things that happened to people who dared leave their homelands and go travelling–and Bornholm was almost as far away as one could get without leaving the confines of the map entirely.

It was anyone's guess if things would go smoothly–but Sir Vieux seemed to be convinced that a voyage of this length wouldn't be the most routine trip. Audrey only wondered what could happen on the way.

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When you arrive, you find that your ship and crew are…

[ ] Norse (Highly likely to get in violent encounters, while the commission will stop them from raiding, a quick spot of mercenary work isn't banned–and there's always the chance of some blood feud getting in a fight with another force on the way. Sizable chance of useful treasure or allies to be made, but also a high risk of getting in over your head.)
[ ] Anglo-Saxon (Fairly determined to get you there and back in one piece, won't intentionally get distracted due to the King's commission,and strong fighters if trouble happens anyway, but reduce opportunities)
[ ] Frankish (Even safer than the Anglo-Saxons, as they're highly cautious and have solid backers to ward off shenanigans. On the other hand, they might not be the fastest navigators, they're not really known for their skill at navigating the sea, but silver is silver.)

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AN: So, what culture is your ride going to be from? This is mostly a matter of weighing the Grace Rolls for your adventure and determining what sort of things will happen. Norse will get you there in time or not at all, but there'll be a high chance of Trouble happening on the way, with rewards to match. Anglo-Saxon are a bit safer and highly likely to get you there on time, and the Frankish crew is extremely safe but also very cautious and there's a risk that a bad roll will get you there late.

Welcome to the Europe Travel Rules! The place where most cultures go to be lost–presumed eaten by the locals! You'll have a grand old time, I'm sure of it!