The decision had been made and the accord struck. The world was changing, and with it so would the Hallows. Artorias had not been kidding when he'd said those words at the Hallows meeting last season. Now, with winter ended in Boreas and the weather shifting into the more favorable springtime, it was time to put his words to action. The knights of the Hallows had been put to the test defending their home from invaders multiple times, and each time they'd shown their strength and mettle. Now it was their turn to show the world that the Hallows was more than just high walls and skilled healers.

The Lord of Cinder made his way down the long corridors of Hearthstone headed for the far end of the east wing. Donned in his black leather armor with Embershard slung across his back, armed for bear and ready for battle. He pushed open the large double mahogany doors and stepped into the council chamber while Argent went to work lighting the candles in the trays beneath the Carved Table, gradually bringing the map of the world to life in its surface. Artorias rounded the table and took his place at the head of the table, eyes scanning the glowing orange lines of the map. So far, this room had been used to plan a defense, host a meeting, and plot potential alliances. Today, it would be used to plan a raid.

Lifting his muzzle, Artorias gave an authoritative call summoning the Hallows' fighters to the council chamber. He would need his best fighters ready to accept the call, as well as some of their learning warriors and knights looking to test themselves in actual combat. This would be a good experience for all, and the Lord expected a good showing from his wolves. Now he just had to wait and see who would answer their alpha first...

ooc: First Hallows raid meeting has begun! All entrants must be in the thread by July 24th at the latest! If we get 10 combatants before then, we'll move faster through the rest of the meeting!

"Artorias Carpathius" | "Carpathian"

This was the first time since coming here that Mercury would participate in a raid. His old home had had its fair share of spats and border skirmishes before and he wasn’t opposed to the idea of a fight. He would support Artorias however his alpha needed him to. He knew that this coming raid would be a good chance for the pack to learn to fight as a cohesive unit, and get in some training in a more battle-tested manner.

He ensured he had his sword and bracers, and took his companions down to the War room where Artorias was hosting this meeting for his wolves. It seemed he was the first to arrive, and he nodded silently to his Alpha as he took a seat.

"Mercury"

Leaving for her trip had taken a little longer than she expected. Perhaps it was the nerves or fear that nestled in her chest. Leaving home on her own for the first time was no simple feat. Especially when one paired it to the fact that an enemy pack lingered out there. Her life would be on the line the moment she stepped paw outside of Hallows territory.

Upon her father’s call for a raid, Bramble knew this was her chance. She could head north into Boreas with the raid party and then head to Insomnia on her own. Bramble was brave, don’t get her wrong, but the task was daunting and unlike her sister, Ember, the idea of staying alive overpowered the idea of diplomacy. For now…

Gathering herself with a deep inhale, Bramble makes her way down to the council that she is all too familiar with now. Her head is kept high as she slips in the room, noticing that she is the only other wolf aside from Mercury and her father. Good! Early was good. As she passes Mercury, she gives the man a friendly dip of her muzzle before making her way to her seat. It felt familiar as she sat, paws upon the stone surface, aqua eyes turning to the effigies that stood across the map.

table coding by bunni ♥

The promise of The Hallows being more forward in their pursuit of good and justice in the world had admittedly strained her nerves a bit. She was a pacifist at heart no matter how many times it had been proven to her that sometimes peace was not an option. She had preferred the days when their pack kept to themselves and kept their doors open to aid others, but she trusted that her brother knew the world best and was doing what needed to be done. Each time they had been the target of a raid she had been ready to jump in and assist from the sidelines, but this time as the aggressor there was no option but to be on the front lines with the rest of them if she intended to be there to pick them up when they fell.

She didn't feel that Solaire was knowledgeable enough just yet int he application of his healing knowledge to be sent on his own to patch up their fighters so when the call for the raid went out she slung her cloak around her shoulders, buckled the scabbard for her dagger around her leg, and slung her bag of supplies across her shoulder. With Eilwen perched on one shoulder and Blue sitting on her back, she made her way down the corridor and into the council chamber. She felt a bit of relief when she saw Mercury already there. At least she would have a comforting presence with her as she faced a battlefield for the first time. She gave her brother and niece a small smile and a nod as she went to sit beside Mercury, doing her best not to fidget too much while she waited for the rest of the fighters to arrive.

"Gwynevere Carpathius"

When Artorias mentioned the agreement he had made with another alpha to bring the pack to them for a raid she eagerly agreed to join in. Despite the Armada's more fighting-forward tendencies she was pretty sure she had never actually been on the initiating side of a raid–or if she had it had been many years since then–so that would be a new experience for many of them. Plus, after how her fight in their last raid went she felt like she needed a chance at redemption. She was just finishing adjusting a couple of things on her armor with Marigold's assistance when her husband's call echoed through the castle. She grinned and quickly grabbed Momento before trotting down the stairs from their room and following the corridor to the council chamber where a few of their wolves had begun to gather. She paused by Bramble to give her daughter a kiss on the cheek and a grin before walking around the table to take her seat next to Artorias, giving her husband a grin as she waited for the others to arrive. Hopefully she would have better luck this time around than she had in her previous fight and she could break this curse of losing to anyone that wasn't Artorias.

"Briar Carpathius"

The howl that went out to call the pack's fighters together for a raid caught her attention and made her look up toward the sound. Being here in The Hallows had given her a lot more opportunities to hone her fighting skills than she had when she was living as a loner with her parents and the thought of getting a chance to put what she had been learning into practice was very appealing. She hurried into he castle from where she was working on a few moves with one of the pack's practice swords in the courtyard and followed the corridors down to the open set of doors where it looked like a handful of the pack's wolves had already begun to gather around an intricately carved table. She looked down the length of the table to where Art was sitting and offered him a nod and a grin as she went to take a seat herself, glancing around the table at everyone else while she waited for the meeting to begin. Some faces she knew and some she didn't, but that was just part of the continued process of getting acclimated to a new pack, wasn't it?

"Rebel Klein"

Had Dusk ever turned down the opportunity for a fight? The opportunity to show the world just what the Hallows was all about? No. Never. So, when her father gave the call, the obsidian woman made her way to the meeting. There pretty much wasn't a time where she wasn't garbed in her armor, Whisper in her tail. She was ready.

Others had arrived before her but that didn't matter. Dusk was always carrying one out duty or another. She was a very industrious lady. The Carpathian princess made her way to the front of the congregation, nodded to her father, and took a seat beside Mercury, back straight, eyes forward. She was all business.

"Dusk"

This was it! A chance to test the skills he had spent so much time practicing. All the long hours and days of keeping his muscles primed and all the sword swinging to master different techniques were about to pay up. Thorn carefully looked over his sword, well-cleaned and sharp he put it back in its sheath and strapped to his back. The sword was heavy yet a familiar weight that seemed natural.

Thorn entered the chamber, sharp-eyed looking to the others who had gathered, with the majority being blood family along with a few others considered family by sharing the pack.
He made his way forward, sitting near Dusk, no surprise spotting her here. His head then turned to face his father, ears up fully alert for news on this upcoming battle.

"Thorn Carpathius"

When the summons for a group of fighters echoed through the halls of the castle he was initially interested, but almost talked himself out of it. There were so many warriors within The Hallows, plenty of them more seasoned than him, but before he could decide one way or another Dusk was already readying herself to go down to the meeting and the way she looked at him said she expected him to go to. He chuckled and just grabbed his armor and dagger, throwing them on as he hurried out after her. He did love how rough and tumble she could be. They went down to the meeting room where a number of other Hallows wolves had gathered and he followed Dusk in to find a spot at the table. He gave Rebel a grin, glad to see his cousin raring to go as well. He looked to Artorias curiously, interested to see who they were going for and what the plan was.

"Sitri Klein-Destruction"

altho the thread isn't finished yet, assuming sorc has already joined

His bed was warm, comfy, and most importantly, Sorcerer was in it. Who would want to leave the arms of their sleeping boyfriend? Unfortunately, Grimshaw knew he didn't have much choice. Well, actually he did, but he didn't want to disappoint Artorias and as one of the Vanguard, he was more or less expected to show. They were going to be raiding after all, and if they sought to be successful, The Hallows needed their best and strongest fighters to attend. Although he had never asked for such a rank, not to say he didn't appreciate it, he had to live up to it. He might be getting older, but he wasn't going to start getting weaker now. Even if they had to adopt he was determined to be a father. Getting old now wasn't acceptable.

Prying himself out of the sleeping mans arms, he pressed a soft kiss to his cheek and quietly left their room. It wasn't like he was going off to war, risking his life with the chance he may lose it, so why was it so hard? This was just a meeting anyway, it wasn't like he couldn't return to his lover in the next few hours. Perhaps he wouldn't even know he was gone.

Once out of their room, he picked up the pace to the council chamber and entered. There was no surprise that he had been the last to arrive, though it didn't seem like he was late. Offering a nod towards Artorias and any of those that acknowledged him and took his place at the only remaining seat. At least he wouldn't have to wait too terribly long for the meeting to start.

"Speech!"

Code © Skelle/Witchdogtor DO NOT USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

One by one his family joined the meeting, Artorias greeting each of them in kind as the seats around the Carved Table were filled. He returned Briar's affectionate smile, feeling the nervous jitters starting already. This was a monumental moment for the Hallows; one that would change the shape of their future forever. Once Grimshaw had arrived and filled the last seat, Artorias began the meeting. "Today marks the beginning of a new age for the Hallows. Today we show the rest of the world that we are more than just strong walls and unyielding ideals. We are steel and claw and fang, and we will not bend in the face of adversity or evil." Gesturing across the map carved into the stone table to the effigy on Alias Island, Artorias continued. "Today we launch our first raid. Our target is Elysium. Because they are our ally, this will be a friendly raid meant to test our strength and battle prowess, so I don't want anyone initiating any maims unless they escalate." Artorias was clear in his instructions. This had been a preplanned engagement to test both sides. It would do no side any good if wolves started losing body parts.

"Deimos has set up a cache of valuable metals and rare gems for us to claim, so we will go claim them. Even if this is a friendly raid, I expect no one to hold back on their strength. Use your weapons only if you can ensure you don't lop off any limbs or appendages. I want everyone leaving the battlefield whole." He knew this was a big ask of his warriors, especially since so many of them were armed and chomping at the bit to showcase their mettle. "If anyone has any questions, speak them now and make any necessary preparations. Otherwise, we march for Alias Island immediately."

"Artorias Carpathius" | "Carpathian" | "Corbin" | "Eira" | "Argent"