Saul LaJora
| Angelicus Ostrus | |
|---|---|
 | |
| GM | |
| Adam | |
| Game Time | |
| DunDraCon | |
| Characters | |
| TBA |
Description
My image is pretty well known, some would say iconic. Tall, Blond hair to the shoulder, blue eyes, fair skin and great snow owl wings. The spitting image of the traditional angelic. Kind of makes me look out of place with the company I keep. Beyond the Angelic visage, the most noticeable feature is the scar crossing my left eye, A couple centimeters deep, and about three inches long. The eye beneath it always seems somewhat ethereal. The other thing people tend to notice is the staff I carry, I used to have it all the time - but its harder to get away with that nowadays. Its a white staff, with silver inlay, topped with a quad helix surrounding a large gem, the color of sapphire. As I said, iconic.
Vitals
| Full Name: Saul Raphael LaJora Alias(es): Paul LaJora |
Place of Birth: Small town, Heaven Apparent Height: 6' |
Characteristics
Statistics
- Strength +10, High
- Dexterity +30, Super Angelic
- Tox +0, Mid
- Speed +30, Super Angelic
- Perception +0, Mid
- Charisma +10, High
Derived Statistics
- Hit Points 100
- Defense d100+30
- Initiative 5d10
Abilities
Viae
Body, Spirit
Light, Creation
Viae per day: 5
Second Sight
Weaponry and Gear
- Staff of Souls
Background
Before the Fall
My father died when I was two. He was just a supplier, but he died an honorable death. He was helping evacuate a city that was being overrun by demons. He never made it out. I’ve been told he was a kind and honorable angel, but I have no memory of him. He named me Paul.
My mother is a bookkeeper. She keeps track of the requests for wares and the requests for supplies for heaven’s armies. She would often work late and leave home early. One of my best friends was Bramble VanThorn, so I would often spend time there. Most of the time at home, I was alone.
I learnt to read early, and read ever since that time. I learned to make dinner for myself and would sit down to read afterwards, read into the night, sleep, and go back to school. Most of my first hundred years were spent between reading and school. Or at the VanThorn’s.
I went to earth for 15 years. It wasn’t supposed to be that long, and like many I was looking for a way to get them over with. I was interested in healing, partly because of Mrs. Van Thorn. Because of my interest, my mom sent me to be apprenticed to an apothecary in Tyrell. I was his first apprentice and picked up on things faster than he ever expected. I would read and memorize his lore books far before he’d ever get around to asking me what was in them. After only a few months I took my leave of him. Originally I was supposed to be his apprentice for five years; there was no chance I was going to let that happen.
I searched and wandered the city -states trying to find books of knowledge. Looking for books of lore and conversations with healers. This venture would prove fruitful for a few years until one day in my wanderings I saw an injured man lying on the road running through woods. Even at my great distance I could see that he was obviously injured. Out of the woods steeped a cloaked woman. She knelt down before the man. She began doing something with him, with her hands, but I couldn’t see what it was. I stood curious. After about a minute she glanced my way. I called a greeting but she did not answer, just turned back to her work. I began walking to go meet her. Before I could get halfway, she stood suddenly and quickly disappeared into the woods. I called out but no response came.
I went up to the man on the road. His wounds had indeed been severe- more severe than my knowledge would have healed. There was an ointment and a brace on his wound- I could only suppose the woman had paced them there. The ointment was something that I had never seen or heard of before. Carefully I picked the man up and carried him back to the nearest town. It turned out he had family there. I offered my services to them and looked after the man while he healed. He recovered quickly over the course of a few months.
At the end of this time, I knew I must seek out this woman whose skill in healing had surpassed all I had found in my searches. In the town I learnt the legend of a witch woman who lived out in the woods. Despite the horror stories that were told, I surmised this must’ve been the woman I had seen. I left for the woods, intent on wandering till I found her.
I wandered though the woods for weeks. Eventually I ran across a small clearing with a small house within it. The Woman was standing out side of the house, and watched me as I approached.
"You have much perseverance young one, Why do you seek me out so?"
I told her I had traveled the land in search of knowledge, with a desire to learn the healers’ arts. I told her how I did not know how she could have saved the man. She told me she would instruct me. And that she could use an apprentice for assistance.
I stayed with her for the remainder of my time on Earth. She taught me a lot of Medicine, but also most things I know about life. For example, unlike my other teachers, she would take me around, find an injured person and tell me to heal them. Not a test I could study for, but a test in improvising. She also taught me the fundamentals of Magic, for she was, indeed, a witch. She also taught me not to use it, as life lives in cycles and magic can disrupt these cycles. But she kept my interest in healing, and taught me my interest in life.
By the time I was back in heaven, I had decided that I wanted to be a healer. And the position to help the most people seemed to be in the military. So I enlisted, with plans to become a field medic.
Basic training was, well, basic training. After training, I easily passed the exam for Medic school, and joined the rest of the to be field medics. Much of what I supposed to be learning in classes, I had already learned or figured out from my time on earth. As such, combined with a photographic memory, made the classes simple, and I often read ahead of the class. I convinced them to let me take the Medic Examination early- a few years early. My scores and abilities were good enough to get me accepted in to the White Wing clan. Though I'm not the youngest member they've taken, I am one of them.
The Fall
I was then assigned to 4 Crow Legion, 3 Lion Company. We were a new-formed company, all new recruits. I was still quite the shy type then (and mostly am now… but better), and stayed away from people at the social times. I did, however, notice another like me, and eventually, the two of us became friends. His name was Chris.
He was from a family of laborers, and had gone to the wood elves while on earth. He was a good recruit, just not good enough to be pulled to an elite, partially because he had no family history to speak of. I made a few other friends there, but only one more who needs to be spoken of. My friend Andrew was a mage, though he wandered through the camps enough for everyone to meet him. He was a talkative and likeable guy.
The 4 Crow Legion was sent to the front on a standard offensive. Unfortunately, the battle soon became very nonstandard. We happened to run in to a major Dys offensive, but on their terms. The two offensives clashed, but theirs was larger, and knew the terrain better. The Angelic army was forced to retreat. And the remainder of the 4 Crow legion was the rear guard.
We held them off as long as we could. But soon the lines began to waver, and soon, the order to run like hell was given. It was Chris that saved me that saved me that day, both Andrew and me. We were running, he grabbed me and ran for the woods. On the way there, we ran across Andrew. He was lying on the ground, badly injured but not mortally. I picked him up and ran after Chris. Whatever skills he learned with the wood elves, they saved us that day. The daemons ran though the woods, but never found us. From there I healed Andrew, and we started the long hike back to a main base. Only when we returned did we find out the Legion was wiped out.
Entirely. As was Andrew's Mage legion.
The three of us were given a tent, but without Legion markings, as 4 Crow Legion had been destroyed. The three of us would become our Generals oversight.
He intentionally didn't send us to other Legions, keeping us aside for 'special' missions. We became our own Unit, under the General's direct control. We were known as the Triad. We would be given missions that were critical, but would be too hard for a large army to do: deep field scouting, hit and run sabotage. All in our department. Andrew even created a delayed Shatter spell for bridge and building destruction. Chris got us in, Andrew carried the firepower, and I kept everyone alive. I could be silent and hidden when given the proper instruction. I wore Gray or camouflage then rather than white, and from there... well. there are some funny stories, but I needn't go in to them, such as Chris beating off a full-of-himself recruit with a turkey leg... Turkey leg vs. sword, who will win?
Well, that was Chris for you, master of any weapon. An amazing swordsman; the one who taught me how to use a staff.
Anyway. The three of us became very tight. We had rings forged, each the triplet of the other for the three of us. The rings were simple bands topped with a casement for three stones. Each one of us had one of the slots filled with a different stone. A ruby for Andrew, an emerald for Chris, and a sapphire for myself.
Years whittled by and we came to one of the great campaigns. We were assigned to 6th company. We did our usual stuff and were sent out on a flanking maneuver against one of the larger demon armies. An archangel general was leading us. I did my usual duties, mostly trying to stay pretty much out of combat, tending to the fallen who could be quickly repaired and sent back. Of course with battles like these, your powers get used very quickly and you are left to more… mundane methods.
So we went to go fight and we ran into a demon patrol. It was larger than we would have ever expected. It was near to the size of our company. They had surprise on their side. We never knew what hit us. We outnumbered them though. Eventually we regrouped and destroyed almost all of them. A few were hunted down, and I think we got them all… but I don’t really know. Invariably it didn’t matter that much. Of 100 souls, only 20 were left. I looked around the streets, and saw nothing but the dead and dying.
Instead of honoring the dead, or even letting the men and I help the dying, the commander ordered the remaining 20 souls to march out. We had been diverted as a flanking maneuver, and the commander intended to complete the order, even if he didn't have the men to fight. There were some daemons on the hive mind, and they knew we were coming; we had to keep going.
We picked up and moved. It was a bloody battle… Our comrades in arms were lying there, lying there bloody in the streets. But the general had ordered us to pick up, we had to move… we had to move now. So I started up, see if there was anything I could do. I went up to the general. And seeing the dying bodies of my comrades around me, people who’s legs were cut off and were bleeding from their hips. Blood, blood, everywhere… Angels are resilient… they were still alive. People with their arms… their intestines falling out of them. Angels just lying there… dying. I pleaded to the general. “We must, we must help them. There’s a number of men here who could be saved. Some could easily be saved and we could take them back. Even if we were to treat them here…”
He said no and ordered me to form up with the rest of the group and march on. When we started marching, I fell back and pleaded with him again. “Let me stay at least. I am but one of the apothecaries here. Let me stay, stay and try to help these men. So many of them… so many of them could live.” But he wouldn’t let me. And then when I refused to move, he used his command viae on me. He gave me a command I could not physically resist. I was forced.
Muscles dragging against muscles, I was forced to march with the group. I marched through the street with the dying members of my company lying at my feet. They watched as I walked past… with the shield on my robe. They cried out, “Help us. Please help us Paul. Help us…” But I couldn’t.
My body couldn’t… but my heart yearned to go to them. My body was forced to march forward, march ever forward with my heart being torn apart. I took one last turn with my head- that was all I could do- and saw among the men one of my best friends, Chris. He was on the side of the road, his legs cut off at the hips, his spinal cord visible beneath the gore. He was not yet dead but had been slashed through the midsection. He pulled himself with his arms to my path and grabbed on to my leg. I was forced to drag him as my body marched on.
I heard him cry up to me, “Paul! My dear friend Paul! Help me. I know I cannot live, please let me die in peace. I don’t want to die suffering, dying slowly. Please end my pain.” I wanted to stop, to save him so badly, at the very least end his tortured life. I pleaded with him again, called out to the general. “Please, at least let me help him, my friend.” But he answered with a resounding “NO. No, you must march on.”
I couldn’t take it. My friend, my dear friend let go of his strength, long before his agony ever would’ve. His hand slipped from my ankle. I just couldn’t handle it anymore. Through some assertion of will… I was so emotionally wrought… I broke the bond, the command bond that the general had over me.
By force of will I dispelled the Commander's magic, and turned to my dying friend. He was beyond anyone’s help. The only thing left for me to do, was to ease his passing… With my dagger in my closest friend, I turned to face the commander.
The rest of the men had already marched away and out of sight, following the commander’s orders. The commander had stayed behind to make sure I went as well. Slowly I walked up to him. "Time for you to be removed from the cycle."
With that I punched him in the gut- then in the face.
He backed up, and drew his sword, but before it got to the ready position, my foot had already connected with his hand, and the sword went flying A few more kicks and he was in the air. He remained there for almost a minute, just bouncing off my feet. The last move was a single kick, that sent him flying sideways though a brick wall. What remained of the building collapsed on him.
From there I went back to the main battlefield, and started to heal the few survivors. There were 18 in all. 18 souls that would not find their end in the depths of Dys. I left the 18 of them to wake up together, but without me, as I moved off to bury my dead friend. I gathered up what I could of him and laid him in a grave, his sword on his chest. He still lies there today, under a city of Dys. I took two things of his, though: his cloak and his ring, triplet to mine.
After burying him I went back to the rubble that once was a brick wall. The commander was under there, somewhere. I saw his sword and sat down upon the heap. I still have that sword.
That's where they found me. Sitting on top of a pile of bricks, holding my friends stuff, the commander’s sword lying at my feet. They arrested me, but never located the body.
I was taken back to the courts of heaven where I would be court marshaled for the murder of a superior officer, disobeying orders, and other such charges that I cannot recall. I was offered a lawyer, someone to speak on my behalf but I declined. I just shook my head no. I entered the courtroom the first day and was asked to give my plea for the charges. I stood up and said the first words I had spoken since they had found me:
"Guilty."