The Noble Knights - Maxed thread 5

For too long Lordran has remained untested by the might of the Knights. The dragon Seath has been allowed to run rampart for far too long. The undead lord Nito has built an undead army to rival the armies of the living. The half-breed spawn of Seath is in hiding, working on her secret plans. The demons of chaos run rampart without any to stop them. These foul beasts must be stopped before it is too late. Knights you stand before me as part this new order. We are the Noble Knights, and we will not allow these travesties to stand. No one else has the power to stop them. It falls to us, to the strength in our arms, the blades of our weapons and our strength of brotherhood to purge Lordran of these evils. Noble Knights we shall be the dragonslayers, the crusaders and the saviours that Lordran needs. Our order is primarily Sunbro's participating in jolly co-operation in the lands of the lords, fighting against those who would save the corrupted fools.

The home of the detestable half breed Priscilla. Offspring of a dragon she carries too much of Seath’s blood to be safe. She hides in her painted world, planning and plotting. We cannot allow this to continue. Do not be swayed by her words of peace my men, stand strong.

Write your summon signs in her world. Aid others who are trapped to escape her world by ending her life. Kill her and claim the dagger of her tail for extra prestige among us. But beware of her Lifehunters. Dangerous individuals wielding scythes designed to make you bleed. They wild fend her to the end and you will have to fight them to get to Priscilla. But persevere. Show them that they can make us bleed, but we will repay that blood in kind. In order to best help those in need and battle the lifehunters a soul level of 80 or 120 is best.

The home of the dragon Seath. I hope that I do not have to explain our task here but there may be newer member among us who need direction. Seath is a dragon of sorcery. In the great war to slay the stone dragons Seath turned on his own brethren for material gain. Once a traitor, always a traitor. For too long he was under Gwyn’s protection but no longer. Now he is open game. He will be dealt with the same way as his daughter.
Drop your summon sign in the archives and in the crystal cave my knights. Aid the warriors within in killing the dragon Seath so we may rid the world of dragons once and for all. Claim his sword, cut from his tail for extra prestige among us. In Seath's realm a soul level between 60 and 80 or 120 is best.

The undead menace is spawned from deep in the catacombs inside the unholy tomb of giants. From within work Nito’s servants the gravesworn, infecting the worlds of those who try to eliminate his presence. We must purge the undead from this world to reclaim it. Wherever you see his servants signs invade them, kill them to save the worlds they have infected. Hunt in the catacombs for these unholy lurkers and teach them the error of their ways. Drop your summon sign in the catacombs to aid others in their journey to kill the gravelord and his priests. help them survive the infections so they may reek revenge on his servants. However the tomb of giants is too dangerous my friends. It is not its inhabitants are too strong but thats its environment is too evil. The darkness there absorbs light and we cannot afford to lose knights to cliffs and other obscured hazards. Therefore I will ask you to refrain from entering the tomb.
Fear not though he shall not go unpunished. We will drop our signs so other may be helped to kill him and we will hunt down his servants and spread their ashes to the wind. In the lower catacombs soul levels as low as 40 and as high as 70 can find people to help. In the darkness of the tomb it is recommended to be a soul level between 60 and 80.

The city of Izalith and the surrounding lands have fallen into ruin and become flooded with demons. The bed of chaos continues to spawn these monstrosities. Countless brave warriors have fallen trying to eliminate its threat both facing it and against the demons that guard it. Even the great Solaire was tricked by its spawn and fell. We must not let more fall. Now is the time to act. We must put our strength towards helping eliminate the chaos threat. Drop your summon sign here to help warriors succeed in battle. But be weary of the Protectors of Izalith, these powerful pyromancers wield both normal and chaos pyromancies. For the demon ruins and izalith a SL of between 60 and 80 is best.

Sworn Knight EeAyEss ***, Sunlit Knight (PSN)
Ser Isaac (XBL), Sunlit Knight **
Elite Tower Knight Amkproduction10 (PSN)
Bane Knight Niko * (XBL) (niko585)
Tower Knight Boilerfan **(PSN)
Tower Knight RantFromRant (PSN)
Carim Knight Smileyjoker10110** (PSN)
Stone Knight The_Dark_Dreamer (XBL)
Sworn Knight Joeyd215 (PSN)
Sworn Knight Pesth (PSN)
Sworn Knight loklopez (XBL)

*the quest begins*

Lady mildredof catarine sets forth from the firelink shrine on her long and deadly quest.... Sworn to solo the game in human form and bring back seaths tail aswell as slay the evil beast.

+10 claymore in hand and dressed in onion head armor she slew all that her gaze fell upon. 1st quelaag and then the gargoyles fell to her blade. In the fortress of sen she met and defeated her 1st invader... Only to fatroll into a axe of death. Bloody but still strong in spirit she continued on and defeated the golem and traveled to anor londo....

*the holy quest continues*

In the city of anor londo she faced the toughest trials yet, the gargoyles fell but death to archer and invader slowed her quest. Fighting onward she was tempted to summon a sunbro after dying to S&O 3 times, but fatrolled to victory.... Seath im coming for you.

She enters the beast's lair having made her way thru the archive with no trouble. Sword in both hands she battled the beast cutting its tail with 3 mighty blows. Loot in hand she raises her sword in salute to the fallen dragon and heads home to glory and fame.

It all began the day that Letos brought back the ember. The power and potential contained in the flame was something that Oscar could not resist exploiting, even though the crystals contained in the ember stemmed from the Primordial Crystal; the artefact that drove even Seath to insanity, the potential was too great.

He charged the Sage Knight Andarta with researching the ember and learning how to use its power to forge weapons for the order. Of course Andarta had leapt at the chance to research and gain more knowledge from the artefact, but he had no knowledge of crystals. He couldn’t have conceived how powerful and crucial they would one day be to the order.

To gain knowledge, he once again sought after the one who had taught him all he knew of sorcery, great hero and sorcerer of Vinheim, ‘Big Hat’ Logan. However, he had left for a place of far greater knowledge, to learn evenmore from the tomes of another. His search meant he must journey to the land of the Grandfather of Sorcery, Seath the Scaleless.

Andarta left the Anor Londo camp, making his way to the Duke’s Archives. With the entrance having been cleared by Letos’ expedition, he found it safe to enter. His progress was swift, as Seath was slow to replace the losses Aeter had caused to his forces. Eventually he found Logan, who was working in a secluded room, surrounded by books. To Andarta’s great surprise, what he was studying was none other than which he required to master. His study was focused on the use of crystals, which could be in turn used as part of magic. According to the archives, crystals were not just mere tools for use as a part of sorcery or to fuse with weapons.
They were in essence linked to the root of sorcery; they were linked to the soul.

Logan and Andarta worked tirelessly, they first learned to use crystals as a part of sorcery, and fuse the power of crystals to the power of the soul and the sorcery that became of it. Powerful
magics were formed, beyond anything ever before using the principles that Seath himself developed. He had used crystals to make his own self into a catalyst. This magic Logan found, would be the secret to unlocking the creation of crystalline weaponry and the most powerful catalyst of all, fused with the power of the soul and crystal; the crystallised catalyst.

Finally Andarta and Logan found the secret to the forging of these weapons using the crystal ember, weapons that had great power, but imperfect and brittle. Logan slowly perfected the
technique until he finally crafted a single perfect creation from the flame; a tin, crystallised catalyst. At this time though, Logan had become secretive. He created another sorcery, his last sorcery. However, this final knowledge of crystals however drove Logan to anger and dismay, rejecting Andarta’s greetings. Without revealing the secrets of the flame, Logan fled away to further within the archives, researching about the Primordial Crystal itself.

Andarta, realising he could lose this knowledge of the ember hastily gave chase to Big Hat, and
cornered him in a room laced with crystals. Logan had gone completely mad. He did not even recognise Andarta and attacked him with the sorcery they had created together. With regret Andarta plunged his sword through Logan’s chest and ended his life. He took the Big Hat and the crystal catalyst, and also a book in Logan’s own writing, which explained the steps to create a perfect crystalline object. Andarta upon returning to the room of Logan’s studies found the ember and all of Logan’s possessions including his great catalyst crafted from the Archtree
inside.

With the knowledge he now possessed, Andarta forged a blade solemnly using the principles left behind by logan. His soul and crystals were poured into the blade, which he then tucked away before leaving, returning to Oscar with the knowledge he had sought. When he returned Oscar was shocked to see Andarta, he had changed, aged. His figure now instead of a Balder forged breastplate had the robes of a sage draped over him, and a large rimmed hat hiding his face. In one hand, he held the unmistakable catalyst of Logan and the other a crystallised sword from Andarta’s country of Balder.

As Andarta presented the sword to Oscar, the grandmaster caught a glimpse of the knight’s eyes. Where there was once the youthful look of inquisitive notion was now a cold gaze of wisdom. As Andarta told the grandmaster of the ember’s origin and danger, Oscar decided that only those who could be deemed worthy to withstand the power would wield the crystalline armaments.

Thus, the order of the Crystal Seekers were born, to harness and wield the power that drove Logan and Seath to madness and continue the search for higher knowledge and sorcery.

Since usernames rarely make good real names I’ve renamed the knights that need it for this. Knights if your toon actually has a name just post it and I will change it.
Boiler – Bero
Niko – Niko
Aurea – Aurea
Sparkly – Spearson

Gabranth waved up his knights, they had arrived. The Tomb stood before them, the utter
darkness swallowing what little light made it this deep into the catacombs. Only the warm glow from Izalith allowed the knights to see, albeit no further than an arm’s length away. Bero took point as they entered; followed by Spearson, Aurea, Niko and Gabranth brought up the rear, despite his wish to take point his stone armour would likely be his
death. Spearson weaved his magic and a slight glow, as bright as could be risked, emitted from Bero’s sword, which he kept in front of him scanning ledges, directing the group along the path that they had picked out. Gabranth breathed a silent prayer that the knights first attack here had been successful, and that they had taken maps rather than push on.

The route they took was dangerous, but for the same reason Nito’s giants could not patrol the way and it was barely guarded. The necromancer and his skeletons that guarded its beginning fell to Gabranth’s solo charge, his unnamed greatsword cleaving through 3 skeletons and taking the necromancer’s arm in one swing. A quick reversing of the hands allowed a swift uppercut through its chest finishing it off, and a bash with the hilt caving the skeletons skull in. After 10 minutes along the path they encounter a lone skeleton. Bero pushes his blade through its chest and then scrapes it off along the cliff face before it can attack.

The rest of the journey passes in silence as the knight’s edge forwards encountering no
further resistance. At the end of the path they come to the outer vault, a short jump separating it from their walkway. Spearson jumps first, easily making it. Bero jumps second, some difficulty but easily managed. Gabranth jumps second, a running start giving him enough to make it, except just as he jumps the ledge edge gives way under his weight and he plummets. His outstretched hand grasps the air. Spearson throws himself down barely grasping Gabranth’s wrist. Bero throws himself on top of Spearson arresting his fall. Niko and Aurea leap as one, immediately grabbing Spearson as they land. Niko uses her blades to hook into Gabranth’s armour and ease off the weight on Spearson. Slowly, the 4 pull Gabranth up. Once they pull his chest over Gabranth heaves himself over, the knights tumbling backwards.

Before the others can catch their breath Gabranth is up and pulling the knights onwards. The slip has cost them time and their efforts will have been heard. Now more than ever
they need to move. They sprint to the vault entrance Gabranth now leading. As he turns a corner he swings his sword in front of him. The blade slices through the leg of a giant’s collapsing it. A twirl over his head brings it down on the fallen remains crushing it to powder. Spearson emerged next, a blast of magic soaring over Gabranth’s head exploding on the vault wall. The blast hit nothing but sent a storm of dust and bone flying through the air obscuring the entire landscape before the vault. Before the storm covered his eyes Gabranth noted the defenders and their positions, 5 more giants, 3 gravesworn and at least a dozen phantoms. As the other knights rounded the corner he signalled them their targets. He counted down, 3 fingers ... 2 fingers ... 1 finger, his fist closed and they moved. Bero spearheaded the charge, his shield protecting him as his greatsword swung mighty arcs to either side, crushing many of the summoned phantoms. Spearsons magic followed, great blasts of magic keeping the guards dazed. Niko ran up the vault wall, leaping off it and executing a backflip mid air before plunging down in top of one of the gravesworn, her twin blades penetrating either side of its neck. Aurea followed Spearson halfway before splitting off and leaping at the other giants. His divine mace burnt their bones and caused them to crumble while he danced between their legs watching them fall one by one. Gabranth himself followed last, but his charge was most important. As his knights passed their tactics blew away the fog, and the guards recovered ready to strike. His battle cry roared through their ranks as he plunged into them, an unstoppable wall of rock crushing all those who stood before him. “BY MY BLADE OF JUSTICE I PASS YOUR JUDGEMENT!” he roared. His blade cleft the second gravesworn in twain from head to toe. The phantoms that rushed him could not penetrate his armour and he destroyed them with swings of his blade or fists covered in rock. The third gravesworn leapt to meet him, its scythe hacking at his armour. This one was skilled, its scythe aimed
for the joints in his armour as it danced away from his blows. His armour slowed him to much and he could not keep up. The gravesworn grew more viscious, Gabranth started feeling pain as it pierced his joints. “ENOUGH” he roared. Dropping his blade he caught the scythe mid swing and pulled, wrenching it from the gravesworn’s grip. Suddenly unarmed the gravesworn backed off but could not escape Gabranth. He punched it in the face sending it reeling backwards. Its rose slowly, blood pouring from its face. “I JUDGE YOU GUILTY” he roared and kicked the gravesworn. Its ribcage caved in and the limp body fell off the cliff and dropped into the darkness below. Gabranth retrieved his sword but saw the battle over, Aurea having finished off all 5 giants while Niko had helped the others kill the phantoms which had eventually died with their masters.

The vault door was caved in by the combined efforts of Bero and Gabranth. Inside sat the large divine ember which the 2 carried back. Despite the danger they managed to take the same route back, a bridge of bones allowing them to cross the gap with no danger. At the start of the Tomb Spearson sent a missile of magic into the sky, signalling the attack. The knights of Havel cleared a path for the group to escape with the ember.

Back at the burg Oscar met Gabranth as he cleaned his blade. “Have you found a name for it yet?” asked Oscar.
“I believe so” replied Gabranth.
“I thought so. Bero already briefed me. Good work Judge Gabranth.”
Gabranth looked at Oscar with knowing in his eyes. “Thank you sir.”
Oscar nodded and left. As Oscar walked away Gabranth turned back to his blade. As he cleaned it he traced the newly etched figures in his blade. Judgement.

The alarm sounded, sentries were instantly alert. Ballistae were loaded and crossbows mounted on the wall for accuracy. Troop formations appeared through the archives marching to the front door, ready to repel invaders. The Dragonslayers assembled at the forefront, spears held ready, the Knights of Havel and Sunlit Knights covering their flanks. The seekers lined the upper aisles; supported by the mage knights they raised their catalysts ready to rain sorcery on intruders. The lifehunters had arrived.

They arrived in a group, 4 wide and 20 deep. Crossbows, ballistae and talismans followed the group, each targeting a separate part of the group showing the hours of training the knights in defence of their new home. At the front a group of 3 led them. The Wyrmhero walked in the centre, his armour freshly painted and resplendent in its colour. Ahhotep, his newest second in command, replacing Etraiu the deserter, walked on his left. His twin blades sheathed on his back. The crossbreed dragon Spurgun was on his right. The Dragon’s form raised mutterings among the assembled soldiers and even some Dragonslayers raised eyebrows at their brazenness.

The procession halted with the hand 5 metres from the Dragonslayers. Neither of the 2 sides had weapons drawn but the tension was easy to see. The 2 sides stared at each other for a minute until the Dragonslayers broke into 2 groups forming an aisle. Between them walked the Noble Knight’s command. Oscar passed through first in his golden armour followed by Lady Mildred in hers. Ser Allant in her brightly polished Astoran armour came third and Gabranth rumbled in forth, his rock armour shaking the floor with each step and Judgement hanging from his side.

“Hand” growled Oscar.
“Oscar” responded the Hand coldly.

The pair stared at each coldly again, the entire hall silent in anticipation. The Hand raised his hand and waved his ranks apart. The 2 outer ranks split off allowing the 2 inner ranks to move forward. A barely dressed woman led the groups, innocently twirling a massive scythe in her hands. It was then Oscar looked past the lifehunters and noticed who the centre ranks contained. Row upon row of men and women in the armour of knights made up the bulk of the lifehunter force. Each had a hood over their head but their armour made them immediately identifiable. Oscar was taken aback for a second, unbelieving of what he was seeing.

“I request your aid Oscar. I bring your knights taken prisoner back as an offering of goodwill.”
Oscar was silent for a time. The lifehunters were a sworn enemy. “What do you want Hand?”

The hand waved again. The barely clothed woman walked back into their ranks and pulled out a man dressed, unlike the others, in rags. With a flourish she pulled off the hood and Aeter stared back at Oscar. For the second time Oscar was speechless. He had
assumed Aeter dead after he had stayed behind to buy the knights enough time to escape.

“The Gravesworn must fall Oscar. I am willing to put aside your actions until they are destroyed.”
Oscar turned to his regimental commanders. One by one they nodded at him. He turned back to the Hand and stuck his gauntlet out. “Till the Gravesworn are destroyed.”
The hand grasped his gauntlet “Till the tomb is cleansed.”