Timeskip Log

[oathshackledbird]

Diarmuid Ua Duibhne (Lancer) COURT Seelie (Neutral Leanings) TITLE Knight of the Golden Cadre Maskhunter/Hartslayer Shield of the Cothromach Champion of Redgate OCCUPATION Knight/Trainer ABLE TO FAST-TRAVEL Servant ability to travel at up to 100 times normal human speed. A ring given to him by Alyosha that allows him to teleport himself only pretty much anywhere. A ring given as a boon that will allow him to teleport to the side of any Seelie shardbearer if their life is in immediate danger. COMMUNICATION METHODS A magical compass from Rin. Messages sent by birds. A necklace enchanted by Rin to allow contact with Seelie/Unseelie. RESIDENCE IN 2,701 Cu Chulainn's castle, Dun Dealgan, south of Daonna, his rooms at Alyosha's villa, and occasionally his rooms at Caer Glaem when he is working on his personal training ground. RESIDENCE IN 2,702 His rooms at Alyosha's villa, and occasionally, his rooms at Caer Glaem when he is working on his personal training ground. As of May, he will be invited to move into Flora's villa in Leathann. MAJOR EVENTS MASTER/SERVANT BOND CREATED W/ALYOSHA. [ ✖ ] SETS UP HIS PERSONAL TRAINING GROUND AT CAER GLAEM. [ ✖ ] CSI: DAONNA. [ ✖ ] BECOMES A CAPTAIN IN THE RED HAND. [ ✖✖ ] MAJOR CHANGES POST BATTLE: His right arm is missing at the shoulder. There are several 'bleed over' effects from his Master/Servant bond with Alyosha because various factors. These include: When his emotions are high (especially when he is angry) he will grow fangs and the pupils of his eyes will slit like a snake's eyes. He will crave blood whenever his energy levels are low or whenever Alyosha is strongly craving it herself. This is partly because of her being a vampire, but also because on his world, blood is one of the things that carries magical energy and so he knows it is a source of gaining that energy should he need it. Because of Alyosha's shadow magic, when Diarmuid uses his fire ring, the fire summoned will be shadow tinted instead of normal. Unspecified bleed over from the sigil magic that is so tightly tied to her. POST TIMESKIP: No longer introduces himself as 'Lancer.' Instead, he uses his real name. Diarmuid's fighting style shifts to something reminiscent of Capoeira. His right leg is used as much as possible in place of his missing right arm, and as a result of that, his right leg now is lightly armored from knee to foot with armor that is much like that which was once on his left arm. His boot has also been modified with a hidden blade. The blade can be released with a certain tap of his foot giving him a second weapon should he need it.

SUMMARY OF KNOWN DETAILS If Diarmuid was confused going into the battle, he is even more so coming out of it. Both castles lie in ruins, untold numbers are dead on all sides, and who knows how many worlds went with them? What good came of all of it? None. None that Diarmuid can see. As a result, he is pushed even more toward favoring the neutral side. Deep down, he no longer fully considers himself Seelie. The golden cloak that marks him as a knight of the Golden Cadre is not a badge of honor, but a reminder that even knights can take the wrong path. After he recovers from losing his right arm and spends some time learning to fight again, he will focus on strengthening his bonds with his family and friends. It doesn't matter what side they are on for he does not see them as Seelie or Unseelie. They are family. They are friend. That is all that matters. When not helping Alyosha, his new Master, and fighting the Neutral fight, he will also spend time training others, building his personal training ground at Caer Glaem, and...breeding bandersnatches? Well, at least trying. Who knows if the bandersnatches will cooperate... Of course, all of that will be put to the side when it comes time to spoil babbins and mercenar-- Err, wait, that should be spoiling babbins and LEADING mercenaries. That's better... PLANS Recover from his injuries both physically and mentally. Adjust to his new Master/Servant bond with Alyosha and the bleed over. Learn to fight again. (Looking into a new arm will come later.) Work on getting the personal training ground he has been granted built to his specifications. Meet with Lancelot to discuss worries etc about Tarz's tactics. Keep in contact with his Unseelie friends. Find ways to meet with them despite the crack down on cross court interaction. Spend more time with Grainne. Teach fighting and shard training as requested. Tag team fighting with his new Master so they can learn to be badasses together. :-D Do whatever he can to help the Neutral side. Go hunting for new bandersnatch friends with Alice. TIMELINE OF EVENTS Things Occurring THROUGHOUT the Timeskip Working on his training grounds at Caer Glaem. Learning to fight again/Practicing with his shard.(Alyosha and Lancelot will help.) Training others to fight/use their shards. Becoming used to his bond with Alyosha and the overflow from it. SPRING IN 2,701 (Mar, Apr, May) MARCH - Ask Rin to enchant the necklace he got from Merida so he can contact all Seelie/Unseelie with it (Late Feb). Talk to Politezerker about his arm. (Late Feb) Recovery from losing his arm. (Both mental and physical.) Visits the new Barrel. Check in on Kayneth. Meet Gilgamesh. Visit Zuko at Azure to help unfreeze things and for fire training. More unfreezing and fire training with Merida. Finds a strange and very large egg... Begin work on his training ground in Caer Glaem after a handwaved talk with John and Lancelot(Flora will help with terrains). Long talk (and cry session) with Grainne about his arm, her losing the baby, and other things from her time back home (handwaved). Talking to Lancelot about Tarz. Check in with Saber now that she has had time to calm down. Go hunting for bandersnatches with Alice. APRIL - Travel to the Cothromach and renew his vows to it and Sansa. Talk about ferry system work. Meeting Aslan at Caer Glaem (Training Grounds). Teach Hikaru (Lucifer) to use her(his) shard @ the Station. Trip to the Barrel to celebrate his birthday. The strange egg hatches right around his birthday. Congratulations Diarmuid! It's a fluffy green bird?!? Well, at least it's not a dinosaur... MAY - Map out the waterways around the Cothromach for Sansa & the ferry project. Hunt golden swans with Thrall (get at least two--one for Caer and one for Aengus) Start training Oscar the bandersnatch to hunt. Work on the training grounds with Flora. Drop into the Art Gallery Opening in Parrais. SUMMER IN 2,701 (Jun, Jul, Aug) JUNE - Training for those who wish it: Gilgamesh-shard. Goes to the Treun tournament. Observes, but does not participate because of his arm. Bonds with Merida. Meets Javik at the tournament. Acts as Alyosha's witness at the duel between her and Hermione. JULY - CSI: Daonna (Quest)--Sent to Daonna after the hangings to investigate for Waver. Interview Alice, Merida, Faolan. Work with Sara & Politezerker. Lén accompanies Diarmuid to help. AUGUST - Fire training with Merida. Talk with her about battle/Master stuff. Meeting Remus Lupin. Golem hunting with Javik. Visit the Cothromach's Markets. FALL IN 2,701 (Sept, Oct, Nov) SEPTEMBER - Heartbreak: Grainne is sent home from the Drabwurld. Language kerfuffle! Just how close to Gaelic is Drabbish anyway? Help Alice with her orphanage. Training: Gilgamesh/Work on the Training Grounds OCTOBER - Samhain! Meet the Black Shuck Meets Sam. Anniversary of his arrival. NOVEMBER - Hunts inmates. Protects others from the inmates. Meets up with Lancelot to talk. Becomes co-parents to a bunch of mercs with John Grimm. WINTER IN 2,701/2,702 (Dec, Jan, Feb) DECEMBER - Yule! Silliness with Fox Merida. Hunt the White Hart. Slays him with Katsa. Reward: 200 gold pieces, a while cloak and the title of Hartslayer until the next hunt comes around. Anniversary of the Fox Hunt. JANUARY - Shard Training. Working on his Training Grounds. 'Learning' to relax a little with Kaldur. Meeting up with Gilgamesh at Caer Glaem. FEBRUARY - Runs into Grell at the Noa Woods for sparring. Goes to Parrais for the Ostara Feast. 1 year anniversary with Alyosha. SPRING IN 2,702 (Mar, Apr) MARCH - Fight zombies. Visits Lumina's Chocobo Ranch and does some undead removal. Gets a new friend for Aengus? Learning to fight again complete. APRIL - Shelters his fairy groupies to keep them safe. Work on his training grounds at Caer Glaem finishes.

( codes by whambam )

Comments

WINTER IN 2,701/2,702 (Dec, Jan, Feb)

[oathshackledbird]

Artist: Josephine Wall

December

[oathshackledbird]

Outside Links (Please don't respond to this!)

[oathshackledbird]

Mid/Late November: Hunting the White Hart
Mid/Late November: Finding Fox Merida

Yule Gift Links

[oathshackledbird]

Yule Gift List:

Kayneth
Lancelot
Faolan
Rin
Saber Alter
Grell
Merida
Berserker (Jekyll/Hyde)
Kaldur
Thrall
Dorian
Aslan
Gilgamesh
Alyosha
Waver
Alice
Cu Chulainn
Sam Wilson
Cullen

Yule 2701

[gordianknots]

A new pair of boots are delivered to Diarmuid, with a spell on the soles of both so that they will never wear thin - good for long journeys. No not identifies the sender.

Yule 2701

[oathshackledbird]

[The boots will be put to very good use considering Diarmuid's new fighting style. Thank you, mystery gift giver...]

Hunt for the White Hart

[oathshackledbird]

Who: Diarmuid Ua Duibhne (Lancer) and Open!
Where: All over!
When: During the Hunt for the White Hart
What: Open Log for people who want to run into Diarmuid either before or after he downs the White Hart with Katsa's help.
Warnings: To be determined. See individual threads.

Before killing the White Hart with Katsa:

When Diarmuid had set up his offering to the Black Shuck just a few months ago, he had sung a song that praised the role that death has in the cycle. His people have a matching song that focuses on life's role in the cycle, and it is this he sings as he sets up an offering to the White Hart before he begins his hunt. A container of honey sits next to a bottle of the finest wine. Diarmuid pours some of the wine into a glass and then drops a few drops of his own blood into it. Finally, as he reaches the end of the song, the honey is stirred in and the whole glass is raised to the sky.

"For you, White Hart. Please bless me during this hunt. Let us meet and end this as you wish and as tradition demands."

After holding the glass aloft for a moment, Diarmuid lowers it and pours the glass over the ground. He bows his head respectfully for a few more moments and then stands and packs up what is left. Both Oscar and Ogma are excited to get going. It is time to get to work...

After killing the White Hart with Katsa:

Even though the White Hart's body has now vanished and Diarmuid has parted ways with the young woman who had helped him down the marvelous beast, Diarmuid is still in the area where they made their kill. He sits at the base of a tree, Oscar resting beside him and Ogma perched in the tree above him.

Diarmuid had participated in the hunt this year, not for glory or fame, but as a test. Slowly over the months since his injury, he has started to gain confidence in his ability to keep fighting even without his arm. Surely, if the White Hart believed in Diarmuid enough to allow him to down him, there would be no way for Diarmuid to doubt his ability any longer. As much as he wanted it to happen, Diarmuid had never believed it would actually happen.

Then it had...

He laughs softly to himself and then looks up at the sky and whispers, "Thank you. Thank you."

Once he's done speaking, Diarmuid runs a hand though his hair and then shuts his eyes. He's just going to stay here for a while. To let it all sink in. To allow his thinking of old to pass away. He's still himself. He can still do everything he needs to. One arm or not.

It's a good feeling...

after the hunt!

[babbylon]

Faster, faster, just a little faster...

Ah, but he's really out of shape on this front. Lily pants and heaves and he must slow the poor mare to prevent her collapse from exhaustion; he knows by now he must've lost, having tracked the Hart nearly to its lair only to fall behind at the last second. A thrilling hunt, nonetheless, and when he stumbles upon the man who must've been the one to slay him, he smiles.

"Diarmuid."

Nothing like vengeance or envy enters his heart. If anyone were to best him, best that it was Lancer, Diarmuid Ua Duibhne. Best that it was the one who wanted more than anything to win. And Gilgamesh can empathize with those words: I want it more than anything.

"Congratulations," the King acknowledges with a bow of his head, dismounting. "You were a worthy opponent. Shall we rest a while, then?"

It is a testament to how much he's come to trust Diarmuid that he'd admit to weakness. But he is tired. To rest a while, and to rest together, would surely not be such a bad thing.

[oathshackledbird]

When Diarmuid senses that familiar presence and hears the voice that belongs to it, he can't help but smile. He opens his eyes and when he turns his head in the golden king's direction, there is something almost glowing about his expression. It seems as if a weight has been lifted off Diarmuid. As if he has come to terms with something at last. Something, he has needed to come to terms with for a long time.

"You honor me, King of Heroes. Thank you," Diarmuid bows his head in return and then motions for the king to join him by the tree. While he waits for his offer to be accepted, he gets into the bag Oscar is wearing and pulls out a bottle of fine wine. It is what is left over from when he gave his offering to the White Hart at the start of the hunt. Now that the hunt has ended, it seems like a good time to finish the bottle.

"Will you drink with me?"

While Diarmuid notices the weakness, he makes no comment on it. All men grow tired once and a while. Yes, even kings.

[babbylon]

Gilgamesh lets the heavier armor fade away into casual clothing, and so sits beside Diarmuid with his back to the trunk. His endless taste for wine quite possibly being the worst kept secret of all time, his eyes light up seeing the bottle. How thoughtful of him, and just another reminder that this Servant really was prepared for everything as far as decorum went. Five stars once again.

"No need to ask," Gilgamesh assents, relaxing with one leg drawn to his chest and the other splayed outward. Like a child, almost. "Under the condition you recount every perilous moment 'til the end. That was my rightful kill, you know."

But he doesn't sound too pressed about it. Just playfully put out, and that's much better than the alternative.

[oathshackledbird]

"Of course. If you wish, I will do whatever you ask to make it up to you," Diarmuid smiles and hands the bottle to Gilgamesh once the golden king is settled. "It is a shame you were not there. Did you get to see him at all?"

Diarmuid means the White Hart, of course.

"Such a majestic animal. I was saddened when his body just vanished. I would have loved to have taken his antlers to carve. They would have made beautiful gifts..." he trails off for a moment, thinking about the things he would have carved and then pulls himself back together.

"I could never have done it without Oscar and Ogma's help. Or the help of the young woman I met in the woods. She was quite good with a bow and she was the one who was able to slow him down so I could finish him," he laughs, suddenly realizing he is jumping ahead in the story. "Sorry. Here I go spoiling the ending before I have hardly begun the story."

January

[oathshackledbird]

Early-ish January | More on that 'cut loose' sort of thing

[waterbearer]

Kaldur has a mission with several objectives. One, thank Diarmuid appropriately for the magnificently excellent Yule wine. Two, ensure that the man actually takes a break once in a blue moon. And Three, train reflexes and skills in situations where one is not in the most perfectly prime shape.

The best way to achieve all these things, of course, is in the time-honored tradition of drinking games. Other than the lovely goblets and bottle of wine, he has also brought the stock of Hermione's 'blood replenishment potion' that was a part of her gift, on the off chance that Diarmuid would need his alcohol preprocessed for consumption.

It takes a little while to find him, before tracking him down to his training grounds, now nearing completion?

"Diarmuid, do you have anything pressing? I'd like to borrow you for the rest of the day." He holds up a goblet. "And cash in on a drink."

[oathshackledbird]

Indeed, the training grounds is much closer to completion than it was the last time Kaldur visited. While the cold weather has brought a stop to most outside work, that hasn't stopped those working inside from making progress. In fact, enough process has been made that Diarmuid has already sent the workers home for the day. They deserve a break after all the hard work they have done.

"There is never anything more pressing than a drinking engagement with a friend," Diarmuid grins as he walks over and puts an arm around Kaldur's shoulders. "And what do you know? I seem to have one right now. How have you been?"

[waterbearer]

Kaldur, of course, is very much enjoying the weather, still about in a sleeveless top and a lack of shoes. He's gotten not a few disgruntled stares from those who don't do as well in the cold. He leans into the arm, bringing up his own to match Diarmuid's, directing his fellow knight away from the progress on the training ground.

"I have been very well, thank you. Enjoying the temperatures we've been having." Kaldur navigates through the acstle easily, heading down towards the underground ruins and lake, where he lives. Kaldur has plans and being in a protcted area that would still be able to withstand the (possibly drunken) antics of two individuals with super-strength.

"Though, before I go into more details for my plans for us this evening, I have to ask— How intoxicated, potentially, could you get? I thought it might be interesting to train under some sort of influencing factors. Alcohol seemed the safest." As long as they didn't over-indulge and were careful to stay hydrated, they should be fine, and the effects would wear off as it was metabolized.

[oathshackledbird]

"I am glad to hear that. Cold doesn't bother me as much as it does other, but the sun is something I miss seeing a little more often," Diarmuid doesn't fight as Kaldur leads him down toward the underground ruins and lake. He has not been down there much and so he is curious as to what Kaldur is up to.

"How intoxicated? To be honest, I am not sure," Diarmuid's curiosity becomes amusement as Kaldur explains his plan. "My body processes the alcohol very quickly. I think at the most so far, I have only gotten tipsy. Of course, I haven't really done a lot of drinking since I took my master and changed. I don't know how that will affect things. Sometimes I think, when it comes to servants, being willing to get drunk has a lot to do with it, but I usually don't want to get drunk so I haven't really tested it." He turns to Kaldur and winks at him, "I guess it's time to test things a little more thoroughly."

early january; inside the halls of caer glaem

[babbylon]

[There's a hunter on the prowl.

There's a shadow stalking Diarmuid this day. It leaps on silent feet from wall to wall, rounds corners and trails his every step. It hangs off chandeliers, resting off the edge of one and peering at the man through that vague, almost translucent sort of image—through its magical guise.

An ordinary individual could not see it, but an extraordinary Servant certainly can sense something amiss. It seems less like it's trying to hide and more like it's trying to play, sinewy in its its movements and graceful even from behind its enchanted cloak.

And if Diarmuid looks carefully enough, he may even spy it grinning, inexplicably. But only for a moment. It wants to gauge his notice, draw his attention.]

[oathshackledbird]

[Ever since his meet up with Kaldur, Diarmuid has been trying to take his friend's advice and relax more. That is why he has left the training grounds so early today. The workers can finish for the day without him as there is plenty to be done and they know just how to do it. On his end, though, it is not so easy. He is not sure what he is going to do...

Well, he is unsure until he notices someone is following him. Every so often, Diarmuid will catch a vague shape out of the corner of his eyes or sense a smirk turned upon his back. Whoever it is obviously means no harm, so he can't find it in himself to be worried. Instead, he decides to join in the game.]

Do you really think hunting me will be so easy?

[And just like that, he is dashing off down a hallway. Try to keep up mysterious hunter!]

[babbylon]

[And they're off to the races. He's glad Diarmuid has seen through to his spirit, knows in his heart he means him no harm. Gilgamesh never backs down from a challenge, regardless of source, but he has no intent of turning Diarmuid into a bloody smear on the wall over a misunderstanding. They've progressed past that point, at least.

The instant Diarmuid dashes, Gilgamesh takes off after him. The golden sparkles that now trail behind give him away, but of course he was given away from the start. Now, he doesn't try to hide the spread of his mana, letting it expand and fill the area.

And it's considerable. Powerful. Infinitely more so than before. Hot on Diarmuid's heels, he twirls about the man, still just a strange patch of mysteriously shifting air to his eyes. Again, he's not so interested in chasing as he is in showing off, in courting and flirting. Such is the way of the King of Heroes.]

[oathshackledbird]

[Ah yes, that wave of mana proves Diarmuid's suspicious correct. He thought the smirk thrown in his direction felt familiar. There is so much mana, though. When had Gilgamesh grown so much stronger? Was it a gift? Something returned for deeds done for the monarchs?

A master?

It seems odd to Diarmuid that one so independent as the King of Heroes would take a master when it isn't necessary, but then again, Diarmuid had ended up taking one himself...

He nimbly twirls as he moves down the hall, following the golden sparkles as they shift from one place to another around him, grin on his face. Then, when those sparkles are on the far side of him, he dashes into a room that splits off from the hallway.

Just because it is Gilgamesh and Diarmuid wouldn't mind one bit bathing in the feeling of all that mana, doesn't mean he is going to end the chase so easily...]

February

[oathshackledbird]

noa woods.

[erythristic]

[near the loch is where she's set up, taking advantage of the snow to be alone in her practice. sparring on her own was one thing, but magic was another. and when she worked with fire, she preferred space if there wasn't anyone that could handle it close.

before fire, however, she wanted to use the snow. it was lightweight enough that her magic should be able to touch it, move it, and she's been seeing what she can do with the blunt force she's learned. nothing delicate yet, but being able to throw it around was something, and so in her vicinity, there is a high chance of getting hit by flying bits of snow while she tries to figure out how to calm herself and make more precise movements.

a presence is on the edge of her senses, and she stills, the snow dropping down from where she'd been keeping it as she works to place who it might be. a Servant...which, though?]

[oathshackledbird]

[Which servant indeed? Diarmuid makes no effort to hide his presence and steps into the clearing once the snow stops flying around. He pauses to dust some snow off his shoulder--did he get it or did a tree just decide to decorate him? It is hard to say.

He gives Grell a smile and a slight bow of his head in greeting.]

Funny running into you here. I had no idea you were such a fan of snowball fights.

[erythristic]

Hardly, Lancer.

[but the smile on her face says hello enough.]

It'd be unspeakably pathetic to have a snowball fight on my own. I've been practising magic. Less successfully than I would have hoped, but that's why I practise.

Now it's your turn to reveal what you're doing out here.

[oathshackledbird]

Ah, that sounds like what I did when I wanted to practice the fire abilities I was given. It's not good to burn down the place you live while trying to learn how to control your new powers.

As for me...

[Diarmuid turns to motion in the direction of Mair.]

There is a young lady who has a chocobo ranch not far from Mair. I have one of her birds and said I would bring him by when he was a little older. I was locating the ranch, so I wouldn't have to try to track it down with a young chocobo trailing along behind me.