Blacklight: Origins

[Justice knight]

'A hero is someone who, in spite of weakness, doubt or not always knowing the answers, goes ahead and overcomes anyway.'
Christopher Reeve

The third crusade has begun and the first generation of the Ordo Vindicta's battle ready knights are being rallied for war. In the Holy Land all is not well, Richard the Lionheart has requested the aid of these knights to deal with a most troublesome problem.
His forces have been set upon the dead -be they friend or foe- nightly and as each Crusader falls a new enemy is created.
The Ordo Vindicta must find the root of this problem, be it man or demon, sorcery or accursed pact and extinguish it before the crusade is lost before it has truly begun.

The Ordo Vindicta
The members of the Ordo belong to a sub group of the crusading Knights Templar. It's knights are unique for this setting as they are not pulled from any race or gender, the fact they are human is enough. Instead the Ordo looks for a different trait in these potential candidates.
They are taken as children, but only those orphaned by the various supernatural monsters of the world, be they vampires, lycanthropes, demons or anything in-between.
These children are then taken to the Ordo's temple located in the heart of England and the weak are weeded out. The strong are then taught to hate that which is not Human- especially that which led to the death of their family.
Alongside this brutal physical training they are also raised in a religious environment, studying scriptures in depth making them not only the fiercest of warriors, but also holier than most holy men.
Finally they are taught the story of the First Vindictus Knight and to see him and his death as the ultimate way of martyrdom and aspire to end their life in such a way.
They fear not death as they see their work as righteous and would gladly die before revealing any secrets, they are raised to the peak of humanity's physical prowess and are put through constant spiritual test to fortify the strength of their souls.
The final step for every aspirant is one that ensures their body, spirit and mind have a constant aegis, they are stripped bear and the holy cross is branded onto their chest with a red hot poker to serve as a constant reminder of who they represent and what they fight for.

:

The Tale of the First Knight
All aspiring knights are told this tale again and again as a form of indoctrination that is extremely effective.
The story tells the tale of the first Vindictus Knight who's family was slain by a demonic creature from the depths of Hell itself. In the Ordo's early days it's monks were misguided and attempted to summon a demon to learn of their weaknesses to allow for easier combatting or humanity's oldest and darkest foe.
The First Knight was there to oversee this summoning and to slay the demon should the warding circles and holy sigils fail.
By some bizzare twist of fate the summoning went extremely well, too well in fact. Rather than summon a weak young daemon as was intended, they summoned an incredibly powerful and impossibly old Daemon of Wrath, it brushed aside the petty holdings and proceeded to slaughter the monks that had dared to summon it to the mortal realm.
Thinking quickly the First Knight seized one of the crosses from the wall, ducked under the Daemon's bladed arm and slammed it into the Daemon's accursed single eye- stunning the creature.
He ordered the single monk that remained to gather more children and train them, for humanity would need every knight possible against such a horrible foe. The First Knight then returned to the room and had it sealed.
It is said this mighty duel lasted for a full day before a single shriek of terrible proportions heralded the end. Several monks rushed into the room, they found the Daemon had been vanquished and the First Knight terribly wounded. In his last moments of life he once again told them to gather more knights and said something that would become the defining creed of the Ordo and was inscribed onto his statue that has been erected in the temple's courtyard:

'One unbreakable shield against the coming darkness.
One last blade, forged in defiance of fate.
One last light in the blackness.
Let them be my legacy to the world we have conquered,
And my final gift to everyone I failed'

Weapons and Armour
Whilst being armed with Hate and armoured by faith is all well and good, having steel doesn't hurt either and it is for this reason the Ordo's knights are armed with the finest weapons and armour wrought by the best artificers of man.
For simplicity's sake the weapons and armour here are in a 'dumbed down' state rather than going into fine detail about each one.

:

Weapons
One handed sword- A good all-rounder weapon
One handed Axe- Better against 'fleshy' foes
One handed mace- Better against armour or bone

Two handed weapons are the same as their smaller counterparts, but but are slightly better against things the small versions are not and exceptional at killing things they are good against.

Greatsword
Battleaxe
Warhammer

:

Armour
All armours are emblazoned with the Crusader's cross, in fact they look exactly like the armour of a Templar except for the fact they are more finely crafted and have holy scriptures painstakingly inscribed to the inside of each piece.

Plate Armour- The heaviest and best armour available to the knights. Unable to swim and the noisier metal makes them more likely to be attacked by the blind undead.

Leather Armour- Lighter than Plate armour and conversely less protective, however the protection offered is still decent and the Knight retains the ability to swim and is quieter than full plate.

Robes- Completely silent, making the knight almost invisible to the blind undead, is the fastest to move in and allows the knight to blend in as nothing more than a man of faith. However it offers no protection against attack so the only defence is the Knight's own skill at dodging.

:

Additional Equipment
These additional pieces of equipment can be taken alongside a one handed weapon.

Shield- Gives the knight substantially more protection in the form of a block as well as a potential weapon in dire situations.

Bow and Arrows- This is a weapon that allows the knight to attack at range, though more effective against a 'fleshy' foe (especially if the arrows are set ablaze) a well placed arrow can find a chink in armour or the focus point binding together a skeleton.

Additional one handed weapon- The option for more aggressive knights, this also allows them to mix and match weapons (such as an Axe and Mace to take on all types of foe) to become better suited to take on the multitude of evils in the world. (Please state in sheet what additional weapon is being taken)

Character sheet
Player:
Name:
Age:
Sex:
Physical description:
Backgound:
Weapon:
Additional equipment(if applicable):
Armour:

:

Player: Justice
Name: Dante
Age: 24
Sex: Male
Physical description: Dante is tall and muscular, as to be expected of the Ordo Vindicta. His eyes are green and his hair is a light brown that is kept short to prevent it from falling in his face.
Backgound: Dante was orphaned as a baby by a coven of witches, as such he was raised completely by the Ordo. Over time he proved himself to be an exceptional swordsman, strong of will and a natural born leader, as such it came as no surprise when Dante was selected as the Knight Commander and thus leader of the Ordo's knights.
The only person who disagreed with the choice was Galahad -the superior warrior of the two- he believes that Dante's code of honour (fight only a foe who can fight back, children are innocent regardless of race) leaves him weak, soft and unable to make the difficult decision when it comes down to it.
Weapon: Sword
Additional equipment(if applicable): Shield
Armour: Plate armour

Rules/Notes
Please remember the time period, though it isn't necessary for you to speak with 'Ye olde English' please can you not use overly modern phrases.
I am purposefully steering away from the racism and discrimination that happens in this time period, so please can you guys do the same too.
Sexy times are okay, just fade to black
As always, the what the DM says- goes.
Finally -and this is a big one that could annoy people- regardless of what I promised people in the past, please can you only make Human PCs- this is their story and I don't want Angels, Demons, Vampires etc to become the stars.

[The SheoDovah]

Hidden:

Character sheet
Player:Lord Dovah the Last
Name:Ser Merideth the protector
Age:39
Sex:Female
Physical description: Merideth is 6ft tall with dark black hair that she keeps in a ponytail. Her skin is white and bares signs of battle. Her face is small and wide. Her nose bares a deep scar and is pointed. Her ears are large and her right ear is missing the top of it. The left side of her face is completely burnt and her left eye no longer works. Her remaining eye is light blue. The right side of her face has plenty of scars. Her chin is large and round.
Backgound: Merideth of Albion was born into the noble family of Regis. They ruled over the city of Baneslot for many generations and were respected by it's peoples. Baneslot was ugly on the outside and was home to mostly mercanies thanks to it's guilds but it was a force to be reckoned with but it did not matter.

35 year ago on a warm summer's day, the city went about it's normal business. Merchants sold their wares, [&@%!] sold themselves, Mercenaries sold their skils. They did not know what was about to hit them. The city had attracted the attention of a demon and his minions. It had decided to attack it and attack it, it did. The walls were set alight, the smell of burning man filled the air. Smoke rose from the city within seconds and the wooden gate was cast asunder. The Demon made short work of the city and within 30 minutes, the city fell to it. Anyone that faced the demon fell. It approached the head of the Regis family and ripped his head off. It took great delight in destruction and proceeded to wipe out the family. By the evening, the city of Baneslot was a burning pile of rubble and there was no-one left apart from the youngest Regis. The Ordo took her and turned her into a warrior.

As she grew up, she developed a hatred of all supernaturals and was taught to never give up. The Ordo crafted her into a killing machine and confronted the demon 30 years later. It was the toughest battle of her life and almost resulted in her death. She lost the use of her left eye and the left side of her face was ruined but it was worth it. For the demon called Balrog had been vanquished.....

For now.


Weapon: A One handed sword with a demonic horn on the hilt and made of steel. It bares hundreds of scratches and whilst it is outclassed by most swords, Merideth refuses to part with it. It has seen many battles and bathed in the blood of her foes. She calls it Vengeance
Additional equipment(if applicable):A steel bow with the words "May your aim be true" inscribed but they have been scratched out and replaced with "May my arrows kill your kind." It is looked after by Merideth.
Armour: Merideth uses Plate Armour. It has many dents, many scratches and has seen it's fair share of battles but it has saved her life on many occassions. The fangs of vampires decorate the wrists, the fur of a lycan adjorns her pauldrons and the claw of a demon is embeded in the chestplate. Merideth can't remember the last time it was clean but the sight of her does give hope to normal warriors.

Hope this is ok, Justicar the lady.

[Justice knight]

Yeah that's fine, she is a bit in the old side for the time period but it works.
Oh and in the sheet you've said Ordo Order quite a bit, Ordo is Latin for Order anyway- I just shortened Ordo Vindicta (literally Order of Vengeance) to Ordo to make things a tad easier
Just edit that and you're in.

[Hissien]

Would you like me to post the sheet or just let it be a surprise?

[The SheoDovah]

Done. Is it just one bit of additional equipment or a few within reason? I forgot about the shield and would like to know if it's possible to have a bow and shield.

[Justice knight]

Just the one sorry Dov.
Accepted though.

[The SheoDovah]

Ah well. It'll be interesting to see what the other knights will be like and what will happen.

Also, are we allowed to proclaim that demons shall not pass on narrow bridges?

[BetaB17]

Oh how I must partake >_< but luck hardly favors me at this time ;-; I still have the draft somewhere.. But I need a temp laptop if I am to fully partake

Also, just to mention that 30+ isn't actually all too old during said era.. Life expectancy per average was very low... But only bc most ppl didn't live pass childhood and more so early life<_< if you were healthy you could expect around 50-60 at most, maybe more if under quality care but even then it's rare

[Justice knight]

Ah, I see I stand corrected, thanks for that Beta.

[Hissien]

Spoiler:

Character sheet
Player: Hissien
Name: Agni Dhingra
Age: 27 (in this life :3)
Sex: Male
Physical description:

Hidden:

Agni is 6’ and weighs about 170, he has a medium build and has a thin scar across his neck from when he was put to death. He has a third eye mark over his Ajna or brow chakra. His hair is long and black, his eyes are golden, and his skin is a light brown color.
Backgound: Agni was born to a very large and very prosperous family living in Bengal, as the son of the king of Bengal Agni was given special privileges and given access to the finest tutors and teachers in all of what would later be known as India. Agni was arrogant, for he was of the highest caste and thus better than all beneath him. He took what he wanted and cared little for the lives of others, but being the highest will only get one so far. When Agni was caught committing an unforgivable crime, the murder of one’s own brother, he was sentenced to death. So, he died. But life, and death, are two sides of the same coin, and easily changed by those who know the way.
It is unclear who the man was who raised Agni, some say it was Shiva himself, but the end result was Agni was returned to this life and became a devout Shaivite in short order, a follower of lord Shiva, Mahadev. It is unclear what happened for the next five years of his life but what is known is that he traveled eventually encountering the Ordo Vindicta in a scouting party investigating reports of witchcraft. When encountered it is said a ray of light came down from the heavens, marking Agni with his third eye mark and making it clear for all to see that pagan or not there was something holy about him. He was taken in for questioning, after deciding he was not a threat the order recruited him, on pain of death.
Weapon: Sword, his weapon of choice is dual wielding Patas, with fast, quick strikes. Balaaditya, meaning "The young sun" is his right handed Pata. These swords of of the highest quality and are made from a combination of steel and silver and were blessed in the waters of the river Ganges before his departure. They are inscribed with the holy mantra to lord Shiva "Ohm Namha Shivaya"
Additional equipment(if applicable): Sword, Left Pata, known as "Balachandra" meaning "The young Moon"
Armour: Robes, Agni does not like to hamper his mobility

Not my best work, but I can give more details if you like

[Kerr]

This is how we should introduce ourselves every time we meet someone.

Hidden:

YouTube Link

People did live to their 80s even then. Not many but some did. Also the crusades period with offshoots of crusaders without mentioning discrimination? I question that decision but alright.

Anyway, I'll probably cook up a character during the week. Thinking someone from the Holy Roman Empire. Not that I would, I'd just make a base human, but if somebody else wanted to would they be able to make a Reborn? What Chris is, where they're reincarnated with all their memories intact. Also, what year is it exactly? 1189?

[Rook]

IT'S FINALLY HERE! I've been saving this handsome fellow for just such an occasion.

Hidden:

Player: Rook
Name: Jean Corbeau
Age: 24
Sex: Male
Physical description:

Spoiler:

Jean possesses a small build, standing at 5'10 and only having the muscles and weight that he needed to survive his training. What he lacks in size, however, he makes up for in sheer willpower. Hanging above the holy brand on his chest is a silver crucifix that he took from the corpse of his mutilated mother.

Background: Born to a prostitute in Rouen, France, Jean led a decent life in the brothel. Though it smelled of liquor and tears, it was more comfortable than living on the streets like the beggars. Though he frequently interrogated his mother, Aurélie Corbeau, about his father's identity, she would simply brush the question away with a pat on the cheek or a halfhearted reprimand. Jean frequently fantasized of secretly being royalty, though as he grew older, he eventually decided that his father was simply one of the many Jews who inhabited Rouen, and she was simply fearful of discrimination. As Jean grew older, he took various jobs around the city. Some days he acted as a courier, others he simply stole food from a stand and ran like the hounds of hell were nipping at his heels. His sufferings in the city were often comforted by his mother. Though compared to the ladies of the court, whom he sometimes spied riding upon their snow white stallions, she was nothing much, in his eyes she was the most beautiful woman in the world. Her profession mattered little, it was simply another way to live, as she often told him. But at the age of 13, in the night, the door of the brothel was bashed open, and three pale people swarmed into the building. They sunk their teeth and knives into the [&@%!], though Jean and Aurélie escaped to a closet, they were dragged out by a balding man and his red-haired female cohort who killed Aurélie, before turning on Jean. However, before they could harm him, they were tossed aside by a tall man with long, black hair. Speaking in guttural tones, they argued. The dark-haired man, who seemed to be the leader, sunk his steel blade into the other man's chest, causing his companion to flee before she met the same fate. With a final look at the Jean, he stalked away, muttering to himself and extinguishing the candles as he went. Jean relished the darkness, as he could not see the blood, but could only feel the warm hand he grasped, which slowly and agonizingly turned cold...

****

The Ordo Vindicta discovered Jean in the building, cradling his mother's head in his lap, and clutching a bloodstained steel necklace in his right hand. Despite his initial physical weaknesses, he was forced to overcome these barriers by his instructors, or die trying. With time and much effort on his part, he ascended to a level upon which he could compete with his fellow trainees. He was shaped into something he had never dreamed of becoming: a huntsman.


Weapon: One-handed sword
Additional Equipment: Shield
Armor: Leather armor

By the way, here's some Crusade-related music if you want it:

Hidden:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b11-37Me ... CrzJjOHHsA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0d4qM7gCH8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kdka1WN1c8c

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3tROcKHO6nE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJmlr8-Fq9Q

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1-TrAvp_xs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJ-IBNPIVqg

[BetaB17]

Hiss, I can only imagine his '2nd life' to be nothing more than misguided ignorance <_< forced to drink a lethal poison.. 'Died' and had no present vitals.. Only to have the effects wither away, being more akin to a temp-coma.

Gotta love the unexplained details

[Hissien]

What are the general Knight's weapons and armor made of? Steel? Where are they getting it from?

[BetaB17]

I suspect primarily steel or a reinforced variant, but but by all means inferior to that of a katana's<_< bronze and iron could still be in use, maybe even other common materials like copper. Gold however.. While great for decor would be I'll advised as a means of defense or a weapon, it's heavy and is a soft metal. Silver on the other hand has seen use in weaponry.. Though more common for them to be tipped or plated than solid due to the supply needed so the use in war was ill advised.

I suspect, but correct me if I'm wrong, but blessed silver or steel that was forged with holy water may be the most desired in the given circumstance. Irony be that iron is the only means to pierce dragon hide.. So there is no perfect tool fit for any ole kill

[Hissien]

Well at this time in history, there was no steel in England.. It had been invented in India, and had spread to China and Japan but had not quite reached Europe yet if I remember correctly which is why I asked. That said they could have easily had access to an Asian smith due to their influence. Then again given their station they could use some kind of rare metalsmithing process known only to them.

[BetaB17]

Depends on what kind of steel we're talking about. Tha age of iron is hard to simplify, seeing as different regions and cultures have reached it or greater tiers at vastly different intervals>_> it's safe to say Damascus steel and other foreign influences coming from the middle east and the subcontinent were not out of reach, given the crusade. I even believe the roman empire at some point had access to steel, even if it wasn't of their own making

Regardless of the tier in common use, it's not like we're comparing ebony vs dwarves gear in TES>_> early steel is far from refined and more so less understood, partly due to experimenting. Be it iron or steel in common use.. Both fail to compare to the cheap alloys we see today. I guess really much of what we may see could either be passed off and explained or ignored, the same as lack of gender or foreign racial discrimination.. I don't object but then again this isn't exactly historic, what not with hellspawn and the damned

[Kerr]

Well we have dual wielding with two long weapons which basically nobody did because it's not a very good idea. Do you dual wield tennis rackets? No, you put the force of your body behind one. A shield in your other hand to make you not die would be far more useful. Or a shorter weapon like a dagger or short sword.

Also despite what you might be led to believe Katanas aren't that great, not bad but they weren't the best swords ever. Anyway I'm fairly certain steel was in use at the time (might be wrong) but wasn't anywhere near as good as present day steel or steel from other parts of the world. Although seeing as we are fighting monsters Iron or Silver might be better to be outfitted with, I dunno.

Do we have other equipment like a waterskin or a knife for practical purposes?

[Hissien]

It really depends on the type of sword, Pattas, specifically were most commonly used in that way and their not always short.

[Kerr]

Yeah, that was an over-generalisation on my part. The practicality of dual wielding does depend on the weapon(s).

Here's my sheet.

Hidden:

Player: Kerr

Name: Gertrude the [&@%!]

Age: 20

Sex: Female.

Physical description: 5ft/1.52m and average build for her size. Is by no means tall. Has a 'cute' (although don't call her that to her face) and almost childlike appearance. Shaggy red hair and brown eyes. Face covered in freckles.

Background: Gertrude believes her father to be a knight. If he was or not is unknown, although that's what her mother always told her. Her mother was Anna, a barmaid. Gertrude was born in the Jovial Juggler Tavern in the City of Worms. She was raised there in her early years, helping out by doing all sorts of work. When she was 7 her mother was killed by vampire. The vampire was being tracked by an 18 year old Ordo Vindicta knight with black hair and green eyes named Vincent. Vincent killed the vampire and came across the young Gertrude. He took pity on the child and blamed himself for what happened to her mother so he took her with him back to England. Gertrude wasn't given much choice and was was trained in the Ordo Vindicta. She was always better with an axe than a sword, she was often chopping wood and while those axes aren't the same as the axes used on people they did improve her skill. Her superiors saw no reason why she couldn't use an axe instead of a sword so she kept it. Gertrude said she was the daughter of a knight and wore the title of [&@%!] as a mark of honour, she wanted to prove despite everything she could be as worthy as any knight. Three years ago Vincent, who had become something of a father figure to Gertrude over the last 10 years disappeared while on assignment and hasn't been heard of since. He's assumed dead.

Weapon: One Handed Axe

Additional equipment(if applicable): Shield

Armour: Leather Armour

[Rook]

Also despite what you might be led to believe Katanas aren't that great, not bad but they weren't the best swords ever. Anyway I'm fairly certain steel was in use at the time (might be wrong) but wasn't anywhere near as good as present day steel or steel from other parts of the world. Although seeing as we are fighting monsters Iron or Silver might be better to be outfitted with, I dunno

Related:

Hidden:

[Br3admax]

I've been looking forward to this one. I'll make a sheet if I have time in the next few days-weeks.

[Justice knight]

Right sorry about this, I've been awfully busy lately and I kept forgetting to post.
Everyone who has applied is accepted, happy to have you, now I'm gonna try and answer questions:
Date? I'm purposefully leaving blank for a story reason, this is a similar format to Day of the Wolf where it's already happened and it's a story being told in the not too distant future so some details have been forgotten or aren't being told on purpose.
As for miscellaneous equipment such as a small knife or water skin? Presume you have them and if you'd ever be in a situation you don't have them then I'll let you know.
Finally, the actual equipment let's go for steel acquired by the Ordo, the Knights don't ask and the Artisans do not share where they get it from. Same goes with the weapons but they're made with a steel and silver together.
Also presume when you're dual wielding you use short swords or smaller axes if that makes you feel better about it.

[Archer]

Hidden:

Player: Archer
Name: Ralf de Carrefour
Age: 24
Sex: Male
Physical description: 5'8" and fairly muscular for his height. Ralf's light brown hair is already thinning, but he keeps it short as to minimize the chance of anyone noticing. He has a thick jaw, heavy brow, and blue-grey eyes. He has a medium length, yet thick, beard.
Background: Ralf was born to two lowly farmers, though what their names were he can't remember. At the age of 6, he and his parents went to the nearest village in order to sell their surplus crops, but were attacked by a pack of werewolves at the crossroads leading to the village. Fortunately, an Ordo Vindicta knight had happened to leave the village in time to see the attack and arrived just in time to drive off the lycans from consuming Ralf. Ralf's parents, however, were not so lucky. The mysterious knight took Ralf to the Ordo's headquarters there and left him to be trained as a knight. Sadly, Ralf remembers nothing of his life before the Ordo, so he took the name de Carrefour to represent where he was 'born'.
Weapon: Greatsword
Additional equipment(if applicable):
Armour: Leather

Sorry it took so long.

[Hissien]

I think one thing for everyone to keep in mind whilst playing this is one thing: your character IS a knight of the Templar, so no being merciful to supernaturals is going to be normal to your peers. Your character should be making assumptions, generalizations and in general attack first and Ask questions only if it doesn't die... Deviations from this should come later, not right out of the gate. While most of you seem to have this concept down, I just felt that it should have been pointed out since it's something that I talked with justice about a few months ago... Or this was at least how I understood it, so correct me if I am off base on this.