wingnut2292
New Member
Ledaal Ryusei was an Immaculate Monk, a member of the Immaculate Choir. Paying a dear price for his craft, he was trained as a classical Castralto from a young age. In the Morning he practiced the forms of the Immaculate's school of martial arts, in the evening he sung the praises of the Holy Dragons. It was a simple life, the life a third son of a Dynast would live. His Eldest Sister would inherit the House in time, and his Older Brother was being groomed to be an officer in the Imperial Legion.
Then Thorns fell. The Immaculate Monks fought bravely along side the Heroic Dragon-Blooded in the defense of Thorns. But the Exalted Guardians became exhausted, and the Undead hordes were effectively limitless and so, the City fell. Ryusei was prevented from fighting as he was an acolyte and not yet a monk. Knocked unconscious for a majority of the battle Ryusei survived to find everything he knew ruined and turned upside down.
On the Graves of the heroic Dragon-Blooded that sacrificed their lives, Ryusei swore revenge and justice against the Undead.
As well as oaths of vengeance are, they don't put food in one's belly. Hungry, dirty and in rags begged for food, literally singing for his supper. This caught the eye of the Undead, as Mask of Winters is a patron of the Arts, with the Twilight Amphitheater appearing out of nothing as the Shadowland of Thorns arose. Singing for the Deathlord was contemptible but it also put Ryusei within sight of his target.
There was a small wrinkle in this plan. The Undead had the roster of the monks and acolytes from the temple and were looking for them. So...when Ryusei was mistaken for a girl because of his sweet unbroken voice, Ryusei swallowed his pride and didn't bother to correct the presumption.
Time passed. Ryusei's, now calling 'herself' Astra improved in skill as the counter-tenor pased through childhood and blossomed into young adulthood. As Astra, Ryusei had cultivated a reputation of beauty and wonder and grew a following in among the Living and the Undead.. 'She' frequently gave the excesses of her station to the poor and needy, and was concidered a fair teacher and healer when she wasn't singing.
In time, Astra recived a request to perform before the Deathlord priveltly, Astra knew she had her chance. In the Empty amphitheater with the Deathlord no less than ten feat away center stage, Astra started her preformance but halfhay though the second movement she sprung her trap and started singning the Incarnate Hymn of Exorcisim and Peaceful Repose. It was an old Hymn, from before the rise of the Immaculate Order, written in the Old High Tongue, discovered deep in the Music Libraries of the very Amphitheater Mask of Winters made appear.
A team of 25 (since 5 is a lucky number in Creation, 5x5 is considered very lucky) exorcists- members of the resistance that exists underground in Thorns- arose from thier cover as stage hands and ushers and began anointing the stage and theater with incense Jade censor and scattering oil, rice blessed and wardes blessed in the name of the Holy Dragons, all while singing the harmony to Astras melody.
It worked. The Deathlord was visibly setback. He acted like he was short of breath, moved slow and showed signs of not-slight pain and nausea, like having a the a migraine headache with a bad case of food poisoning on the side. It may not be the immediate dismissal back to the Underworld a lesser ghost would suffer, but the Deathlord was affected.
But then the air turned black in negative light relief and one of the Mask of Winter's Deathnight lieutenants attacked, and wasn't affected by the Hymn and holy rites. At least, not the the same degree. Visibly shaken, Mask of Winter anger was as cold as his mask, and instead of killing Astra outright, he commanded her to be brought to the Jugernaught to "be made an example of."
Then Thorns fell. The Immaculate Monks fought bravely along side the Heroic Dragon-Blooded in the defense of Thorns. But the Exalted Guardians became exhausted, and the Undead hordes were effectively limitless and so, the City fell. Ryusei was prevented from fighting as he was an acolyte and not yet a monk. Knocked unconscious for a majority of the battle Ryusei survived to find everything he knew ruined and turned upside down.
On the Graves of the heroic Dragon-Blooded that sacrificed their lives, Ryusei swore revenge and justice against the Undead.
As well as oaths of vengeance are, they don't put food in one's belly. Hungry, dirty and in rags begged for food, literally singing for his supper. This caught the eye of the Undead, as Mask of Winters is a patron of the Arts, with the Twilight Amphitheater appearing out of nothing as the Shadowland of Thorns arose. Singing for the Deathlord was contemptible but it also put Ryusei within sight of his target.
There was a small wrinkle in this plan. The Undead had the roster of the monks and acolytes from the temple and were looking for them. So...when Ryusei was mistaken for a girl because of his sweet unbroken voice, Ryusei swallowed his pride and didn't bother to correct the presumption.
Time passed. Ryusei's, now calling 'herself' Astra improved in skill as the counter-tenor pased through childhood and blossomed into young adulthood. As Astra, Ryusei had cultivated a reputation of beauty and wonder and grew a following in among the Living and the Undead.. 'She' frequently gave the excesses of her station to the poor and needy, and was concidered a fair teacher and healer when she wasn't singing.
In time, Astra recived a request to perform before the Deathlord priveltly, Astra knew she had her chance. In the Empty amphitheater with the Deathlord no less than ten feat away center stage, Astra started her preformance but halfhay though the second movement she sprung her trap and started singning the Incarnate Hymn of Exorcisim and Peaceful Repose. It was an old Hymn, from before the rise of the Immaculate Order, written in the Old High Tongue, discovered deep in the Music Libraries of the very Amphitheater Mask of Winters made appear.
A team of 25 (since 5 is a lucky number in Creation, 5x5 is considered very lucky) exorcists- members of the resistance that exists underground in Thorns- arose from thier cover as stage hands and ushers and began anointing the stage and theater with incense Jade censor and scattering oil, rice blessed and wardes blessed in the name of the Holy Dragons, all while singing the harmony to Astras melody.
It worked. The Deathlord was visibly setback. He acted like he was short of breath, moved slow and showed signs of not-slight pain and nausea, like having a the a migraine headache with a bad case of food poisoning on the side. It may not be the immediate dismissal back to the Underworld a lesser ghost would suffer, but the Deathlord was affected.
But then the air turned black in negative light relief and one of the Mask of Winter's Deathnight lieutenants attacked, and wasn't affected by the Hymn and holy rites. At least, not the the same degree. Visibly shaken, Mask of Winter anger was as cold as his mask, and instead of killing Astra outright, he commanded her to be brought to the Jugernaught to "be made an example of."