Skirmish in Hemlot

[Merlin Emrys]

Hemlot is a small town that lies on the border of Gore, close to Camelot. King Uther's spies have caught that a band of soldiers, about 30 in number, are closing in on Camelot to lay siege to the Guild at night. They are traveling though the town of Hemlot.

A small band of Camelot's warriors have been dispatched to the town to engage in battle with the Gore soldiers...

It is dusk.
The town is quiet.
And the assembled warriors from Camelot nervously await the signal to attack.

[This thread is now unlocked- fight for Camelot!
^{Those signed up: Prince Arthur, Merlin, Evie, Tristan, Chase, Selphia, Dreamer, Imriel, Elizabeth and Jared. If you have recently joined the army and now wish to participate, please PM a member of staff for permission and your name will be added} ]

[Prince Arthur Pendragon]

"Right men, listen to and heed my words."

Arthur stood at the front of his band of soldiers, who ranged from the newest recruits to the most battle hardened knights, with his arms folded tight against his chest and his feet chest width apart. His face was set into a serious grimace, but his eyes shone like they always did at the beginning of a battle as though he was finally about to do what he was born for.
Although he loved the taste of battle on his tongue, Arthur was exceptionally good at keeping it hidden for he knew the havoc that would erupt if any of his men (or women) began to get too emotional. It was best to keep yourself detatched from war and to keep the element of anxiousness.

He was dressed in his mail shirt, leggings and coif, which Merlin had done a fantastic job of polishing. It always paid to look good for it made your opponents think you were more prepared and ready than they were and that was half the battle won. Over the mail were his armour leggings and the breast plate which bore the Pendragon emblem. He rarely got to wear the emblazoned armour and it made his stomach knot up as once more he realised this was real. His gauntlets lay on the saddle of his war horse.
Only a few of the soldiers here today had horses and they were the only the ones who had already reached knighthood. It made more sense to spread your army across ground and horseback, or so one of his fathers mentors had once told him. Arthur hadn't argued.

"Today we fight for Camelot, for our family and for our friends." Arthur continued, pacing the length of his troops.
"We stay alert and we stay as discrete as possible...for now." Behind him the small town of Hemlot lay sleepily in the dusky light. It was about to be woken up, Pendragon style.
He mounted his horse and led his charge quietly into Hemlot, alert and full of anticipation.

[NOTE: Please can everyone try to keep there posts this length or shorter. There are many of us in this thread and people can easily be put off if some of start to write essays! Any posts which admin deem too long will simply be deleted. Thanks guys!]

[Evie Perroy]

Evie was a part of the small crowd listening to Arthur as he spoke. She was wearing her bronze studded leather armor, meaning a lot of flesh was uncovered, and had goose bumps all over; probably as a result from the cool evening air and the anticipation of battle.

As Arthur rode forward with a few other mounted soldiers, she followed behind on foot, quietly unsheathing her sword with a metallic hiss. Evie looked at the faces around her. Arthur aside, she didn't recognise any of them from the training grounds. Perhaps some of them were mages? There was no time to look in greater detail as they edged closer, but Evie reckoned that she would be able to tell them apart from their lack of weapons and armor.

It didn't matter that these people were strangers to her. They were all allies. She pressed forward with the group, circling the wrist which held her sword.

"Ready?" she asked, more to herself than anyone in particular.

[Imriel Cwningen]

Imriel took a deep breath. She stood on foot with her sword hanging quietly in its sheath by her side. Though she had a horse, Imriel had not reached knighthood and therefore was delegated to foot soldier. Perhaps her chances of being injured were higher, but she knew she was ready. She wore her brother's armor which was brightly polished the night before. Polishing her armor had been a way to relax her nerves. This would be her first real battle and Imriel did not know if she was ready, but she did know that she trusted Arthur and the other men he trained.

Imriel looked around, but in her state the only thing she could see clearly was what was ahead of her. Her own comrades blended in around her. She could hear the horses from behind and Arthur's voice. Imriel took a deep breath and began to follow her leader.

[Merlin Emrys]

Merlin stood on foot beside Arthur's horse as the Prince spoke to the small gathering of troops. Mages and soldiers alike were mingled. Merlin felt it would be better that way, rather than to separate them. That way, those with magic could help protect the physical fighters and vice versa. Mages were left open to physical attacks a lot of the time they were casting spells. Merlin was purely a defensive presence here. He wanted to keep Camelot's casualties to a minimum, and of course, to protect the Prince whilst he was fighting. Unlike the Prince, he didn't address his warriors through a rousing speech. Instead, as they advanced into the village, he sent out orders telepathically to the other magic users.

Magicians. Arthur is in charge, you follow his direction at all times. Dreamer, he addressed his White Mage, I want you to focus on defensive spells, shields and the like for the army soldiers with us. They are our allies and we must look out for them. Merlin continued, addressing everyone again, The rest of you need to attack. Be careful your spells only affect the enemy. Anything too big could affect us all, and kill you through exhaustion. We're not expecting enemy mages, but be prepared. Good luck. Merlin's words weren't given in such an impressive tone as Arthur's had been, but they were important and he knew they would be heeded.

Merlin could already feel the buzz of anticipation. He knew many soldiers, Arthur included, loved these action moments. Maybe it was his wary personality, but Merlin was already began to run through a list of protective spells so he would have them at the tip of his tongue.

[Chase Caldera]

Chase was excited. The battle was only moments away. He stood among a group of soldiers who looked like they would run away at the slightest sound. Chase cursed his bad luck. He would get stuck with a bunch of new recruits. Not that he intended to stay with them for any longer then necessary.

He listened to Merlin's orders. They seemed pretty straight forward take out the enemy and try not to hurt your own team. He was interested in seeing Arthur in battle though. After all if half the rumours were true Arthur was both a genius planner but also a genius fighter surpassing all others in the land.

Chase and the soldiers around him started moving forward as the silent charge for Hemlot began. It was finally starting and Chase was ready for it. Whispering "De" He slowly started to hover and then fly over the soldiers. Now he would be able to work without any interruptions from enemy soldiers.

[Selphia Dek]

The ruby sky that hung over head seemed to mimic what was to occur below it. Selphia had been studying the sky while awaiting orders to move to a different location. Both hands drew the edges of her hood further across her brow. Dark robes she donned, though these were a bit heavier then her usual ones. Perhaps they would aid in protection. She had chuckled at the naivety of her thoughts. As if a robe of natural fabric could save her from a razor sharp blade. Well, one could only hope.

Focus was the key here, and Selphia had to make sure that she remained focused upon the task at hand. She would be able to aid to a certain degree of her skill level. Her telekinesis would help her to a degree, since her sword skills were rather lacking. Curling her hands within the sleeves of her robes as she turned her attention to the booming voice that moved through those crowded together in the twilight of night. Tilting her head to the side trying to get a better look. But there were so many present. Selphia simply stood and let her thoughts stretch out beyond her. Hearing Arthur’s thoughts as he thought them, followed by those words that then came from his lips. It was strange at times when this happened. She turned furrow her brow at the slight pain that started to rear itself, due to her lack of focus.

She would then turn her gaze to the dark haired man that stood at Arthur’s side. She had only briefly spoken to Merlin, but she would follow his lead for it was his guild. She turned her attention to a soldier to her right who nudged her to get a move on. Selphia turned about and started to fall in behind those more skilled and better armed then she was. She felt a soft brush across her thoughts. Then came Merlin’s voice. His words were calm. His orders simple, Arthur was in charge. He then mentioned the few members of the guild that she had heard of or briefly met.

Her gaze settled upon the back of the person before her. Was she to rely upon them? She didn’t know. Though they possessed sword skills and such, while Selphia needed to focus half the time to keep herself sane. Her small group came up against a low wall. Ducking behind it they would wait until further observation, then they moved again. Just what was their objective here?

[Jasen "Dreamer" Masters]

Dreamer's eyes scanned they army in front of him, recognizing many faces, young and old, from both the guild and the army. Dreamer grabbed his stomach and tried to slow down his breathing as he tried to focus at the task at hand. Dreamer was use to single missions against monster's. This was different, this was a battle between two armies of men. Dreamer couldn't fathom the resulting loss's from the battle, it made him sick.

He tried to calm down by moving around on his feet and checking the gear on himself. He had all the things he felt would be necessary. Dreamer wore his usual white clothing, with a few changes. He had a belt with four blades attached to it, two on front and two on the back. He had a few patches on the belt, all of which were stuffed with medical supplies.

He was ready for everything
....He hoped

...Dreamer I want you to focus on defensive spells, shields and the like for the army soldiers with us. They are our allies and we must look out for them...

Dreamer nodded and began breathing slowly, scanning the army again for a position he should move in. Dreamer noticed Chase gently rising into the sky again, and ignored him, it was Chase's choice if he wanted to be an easy target for any archer's or spear throwers.

[Prince Arthur Pendragon]

Although the band of men and women was scattered wide, Arthur still remained at the front of his charge, currently crouched low to the ground and looking through an alley which led to a row of houses.
It was getting darker by the minute and he hoped that Merlin and his magicians would have some sort of plan in place for that. It needed to be something that would give only his army the advantage- and Arthur had no idea if magic even stretched that far.

Just as he was about to give the word to advance, Arthur was aware of a shadow that passed in front of a window in the first house on the row. It was a tiny sign, probably missed by everyone else, but it was enough to decide the Prince's next move.

"Imriel. I want you to lead a small band of men and circumvent the street." He signalled to some of his more experienced soldiers- including Jared Tempest- whom he knew would not object at being led by a youngster. They trusted Arthur, and if he thought Imriel was worthy then so did they.
"They are in the houses and i wish for you to enter in through any back entrances there might be. We will do the same from the sides."

Next he gestured to a Chase, a mage who seemed to be hovering in mid air. Arthur hadn't the time to be surprised as he had a plan for him too.
He quickly explained that he wanted him and Elizabeth(another new army recruit that showed a lot of promise) to cause a distraction, anything they pleased as long as they did not give away that either held magical ability.

Finally he split the remainder of the group into two. With him were Evie and Dreamer and in the other band- Merlin, Selphia and Tristan. Between them they would circumnavigate the houses from either side and hopefully catch their opponents unawares.

[Elizabeth Severn]

All Elizabeth could feel was the tension going through her shoulders and back. Oh, how she loved this. Going into battle was something she lived for, and now she was getting the chance to do it yet again. And, gods willing, she's be able to make it out in one piece.

Tonight she had on her full armor, although it was not quiet like the regular plate mail. It was her normal outfit for training, the corset and boots, along with metal bracers and grieves that rose up past her knees. Under the corset was a fine chain mail shirt, made especially for her from way back home. The finishing touch was her metal pauldrons, a couple of interlocking plates resting on her shoulders. They were all completely unadorned, made of plain, dark steel.

Elizabeth stayed toward the back of the group as they moved into the town. She wanted to see what everyone else was doing and be ready to lend a blade wherever it was needed. As Arthur spoke, she listened carefully, waiting for her assignment. As he spoke about a distraction, she glanced up at the mage he indicated. And who could it be but that annoying little boy she had met in the forest.

Sighing deeply, Elizabeth turned to him. she placed the tip of her longsword into the dirt at her feet, and gave the boy a halfhearted glare. "Any ideas then?" Tonight wasn't going quiet as she had expected.

[Imriel Cwningen]

Imriel nodded. "Yes sir," she replied before she turned around and noted which men would be with her. She nearly sighed with relief when she noticed they were experienced. Of course Arthur would not send a band of inexperienced men into battle, but it did reassure her that she would be surrounded by men who could fight better than she could. Imriel signaled to the men and they began to move.

They were silent as the circumvented the street, moving through foliage and around other buildings. Soon they crept up to the building, hiding behind some half built structure a few paces away. She surveyed the back, noting a door to the left. It was not a rather large door and would cause a bottleneck when the men would try to enter through it. But it still was a door. Imriel smiled briefly, though the rest of her face kept the serious, concentrated look. She turned back to her men and instructed them on who would enter first.

The strongest would go through the door first, followed by the most experienced. She would enter next and then followed by the remaining men. Now she only waited for Arthur's signal.

[Merlin Emrys]

Merlin nodded toward Selphia and Tristan as their names were called. Arthur had spoken highly of Tristan, he was expected to be the next soldier to be awarded a knighthood. Merlin knew Selphia was his most advanced psychic, and she had almost reached the level of mage. They were a good team. He could see what Arthur's plan was. To attack the soldiers from several fronts. Although they would be weaker in smaller groups, they would also have the element of surprise.

The groups parted ways, and as they began to creep around the houses, it progressively got darker. Merlin barely spoke above a whisper and light flickered into existence just above his hand. Rather than an orb of light, it looked exactly like the flame of a torch, except of course, there was no wooden body. Magic was outlawed in Gore, and it had to be performed carefully.

"Selphia," Merlin whispered, "See if you can hear their thoughts. Where are the enemy and what are they doing? Tristan." Merlin addressed the soldier, "You head around these houses first. And I need you to keep an eye out for Selphia as well as yourself. She will be unable to fight when she's concentrating."

Merlin fell silent, as they were closer to the houses now. He indicated for Tristan to lead, then Selphia to follow. The flame reduced in intensity and floated alongside Tristan so he could see the terrain was walking on. When they were in position, they would wait for Arthur's final signal to engage.

[Sir Tristan de Braose]

Tristan advanced quickly on the small band of Camelot warriors after having tailed them for a while, following them to their prime location of Gore. True to Tristan's nature, he had woken up late putting his armour on at the last minute and had missed the travel to Gore with the rest of the soldiers and Mages. He had quickly drawn up a check to make sure he had gotten everything he would come to need and shoved a few slices of toast in his mouth to make sure hunger would not become a problem for him. Tristan latched on the end of the group, shifting his eyes from side to side and clearing his throat. "I'm not late..." He said innocently, hoping he had evaded the notice of his fellow fightees and sparked up a large smile in anticipation for the fight.

He rubbed his hands together and fought the urge to jump about like an excited child; he really did love chances like this. When Arthur began to speak his attention was immediatly pinned on the instructions he was giving and his face took on a solemn pose. He was going to be with Merlin and Selphia; things weren't too bad. Infact he would go so far as to say he was elated with this compisition. He soon navigated himself until he was near his chosen group as they began planning the route ahead. Selphia was going to infultrate the minds of the enemy whilst he was on hand to protect her and fulfil the fighting half of the bargain; no complaints from him.

"Wow, I'm getting a bout of De Ja Vu; Hello Selphia, nice to meet you again. And you don't need to worry, I won't let anything happen to you" He reassured, hoping she would have no reason to fret as after all he had already saved her life once before.

As Merlin had indicated, Tristan began to lead, slowly using his stealth and agility he managed to place one foot in front of the other without making the sightest hint of noise. He unsheathed his sword wordlessly and held it at perfect eye level in case of any surprise attacks. He wielded his sword with confidence yet with anticipation keeping himself alert and on edge in preparation. Considering the circumstances, Tristan was inexplicably incredibly happy, he followed the light that Merlin had provided for him.

[Evie Perroy]

Evie nodded silently, and moved to stand beside Arthur and a young mage with hair so much fairer than hers, it was almost white. She let her gaze rest on him for a few minutes out of curiosity. Evie had never been close to a mage before, not that she knew of, and she wondered if this was one of the mages Dante and Henry had stolen the egg from at the Guild. Evie then wondered if this was one of the mages who could read your mind, and blushed, hoping he wasn't.

Instead, she looked to Arthur, who was leading their small team around a group of houses. Although she knew the Prince would soon be facing her boyfriend in a match to the death- Evie couldn't hate him. She followed close by the two young men; her eyes peeled for enemy soldiers.

[Chase Caldera]

Chase wondered to himself how in the world he was supposed to get away with causing a distraction without being recognized as a mage. Luckily for him it was dark enough out that he doubted anyone would see him flying above them. After all it wasn't like Arthur had forbidden him from using magic. Just not to let anyone else to realize it.

Chase looked for something he could use to cause a distraction. He found it in a wine barrel conveniently placed next to the local pub by the center of the village. "Nim mesc nen" He whispered. The wine in the barrel sloshed out and spread across the ground. Chase grinned, now for the fun part, "Ruin lhach" A small fireball shot from his hand into he wine igniting it. Well that should be a good enough diversion for Arthur. Not only that but everyone in the village was still asleep and thus wouldn't recognise that he had used magic.

Chase manoeuvred himself farther up in the sky to get a better view of the battle. Now no one would be able to see him unless they purposely were searching the sky. For now he would wait for farther orders.