And here ends Vivi's little introduction. I regret that you won't be seeing much of her again for a while, but I'm not a very fast writer.
I should be getting to the other members of her NWN party sometime, but with ATG and TFFG also on my plate...well, who knows.
The Knight Rogue, chapter 4
The final day of Vivi's time at the Order dawned with a bright and clear morning, perfect for all the Order's squires, who awoke early to prepare for the day. The remaining ninety-four squires (many had left for varying reasons in the last six months of training) were, for the most part, extremely nervous. After all, on this last day, one was finally tested by Torm directly for suitability to enter the Order.
One of these squires was not nervous. Vivienne Delacroix was completely calm - and rightfully so. Every time her fears threatened to creep back in she recalled the memory of the old knight in the library. Though she didn't know the specifics, she was confident the day would end well.
Before, she might have had some small worry about her appearance. Every squire was determined to present their best this day, and they'd taken pains to have everything polished and shining. And it wasn't as if she hadn't done the same things - but she'd stand out anyway in the sea of shining plate and glittering chain. Offhand, she couldn't think of anything that looked less like a knight; form-fitting black leather, a shortsword belted to her right side and a longsword across her back. The only thing that seemed even similar was the metal gauntlet on her left hand, but even then, it wasn't a particularly heavy one.
Vivienne looked over herself in the mirror one last time, then shrugged. I may not look the part, but no matter what I look like, I will be a knight at the end of the day. She smiled inwardly. Even if I'm not exactly what most people would think of as a knight.
On the other side of the temple, Borin "Boggy" Oggram was also confident the day would end well, though he was most certainly wrong. He'd just finished polishing and donning his extravagant full plate. He was sure he'd make such an incredible impression on Torm that his acceptance was assured. And, he thought with a sneer, all those inferiors who had surrounded him for the last year would get their comeuppance. He couldn't imagine that any of them deserved knightly status, but he supposed that Torm, in his mercy, might grant a few of them that state.
The ceremony was to be rather simple. All of the squires would stand in ranks in front of the temple, and High Priest Barriltar Bhandraddon would summon Torm's vision and guidance. One by one, the squires would pass in front of the High Priest, and Torm would send a sign for each - a glittering aura of golden radiance for someone worthy to enter the knighthood, and a pillar of bright white light for someone Torm had decided was worthy of being his paladin. On the rare occasion when someone was rejected, Torm simply sent no sign until the rejected candidate removed him or herself from in front of the High Priest.
Rejection was rare mainly because the instructors continually emphasized that if at any time any squire felt that they weren't suited to become a knight, they could leave with no hard feelings and no consequences. In this fashion most of the squires that would normally be rejected weeded themselves out, unless they were supremely self-delusional.
Boggy, unfortunately for him, was in the latter category, and had his eyes fixed on the pillar of light. His purity and knightliness, he thought, were absolutely perfect. Torm would be overjoyed to have him as a paladin, he was sure. The others...well, Boggy was also sure that there would be a much higher number of rejections this year. After all, he didn't think many of them were suitable to be knights at all - and he didn't doubt he was right for a second.
The squires were abuzz with conversation as they headed out to the courtyard of the temple in a large mass. Not a few were nervous, doubting their worthiness in some way or another, and it showed in their strained expressions and slightly shrill tones of voice. A large crowd had gathered, many of them parents and friends, but just as many curious spectators, ready to watch what was always an impressive ceremony.
That didn't do wonders for the squires' nerves. Still, training took hold as the time of the ceremony approached, and they formed ranks in front of the temple and waited. Every squire looked around, hoping to catch a familiar face or two in the crowd, craning their necks to look over or around other squires. Even if intellectually, they knew their family would never have missed it, everyone just had to make sure with their own eyes. Vivienne was no exception.
Vivienne spotted her mother and father easily, but they weren't all she was looking for. After a few seconds, a wave from a rooftop caught her attention. Arlo, Luce, and a number of other Grayclaws were hidden in balcony shadows, watching from the buildings around. Lucien popped out to wave and wink, then vanished into the shadows again.
Vivienne grinned. Her whole family was here.
There was a loud booming sound as the bell atop the temple was rung, signalling the start of the ceremony. High Priest Bhandraddon called everyone to order and they all went through the basic opening rituals by force of habit. He then gave a short sermon which none of the squires paid any attention to, and then three senior knights came up and gave speeches about knighthood and the responsibilities thereof (which were rehashes of material they were already intimately familiar with). The squires didn't pay any attention to those speeches, either, but they sounded impressive for the audience.
After the speeches, it was time for the Test, and all of the squires tensed up as one, then began to present themselves, one by one, in front of the High Priest.
First up was a Tantran peasant's son, Alain Landry by name. A hush fell over the crowd as he walked in front of the High Priest. After a few seconds, he was surrounded by an aura of radiance and applause broke out in the crowd. Nearly sobbing with relief, the new knight stumbled off to be congratulated by friends and family.
The next ten or so squires were knighted without notable incident, each presenting themselves and then being gifted with the radiant aura symbolizing approval of knighthood. The next up was Javier Moreau, one of the squires Vivienne had always thought was one of the best people in her class - in personality as well as skill.
Torm evidently thought so, as well. A brilliant pillar of light burst from above his head and bathed him in a flare of radiant white. The audience, as well as many of the other squires, broke into cheers, as Javier struggled to contain his surprise as well as the sheer spontaneous joy of feeling Torm's power surge through him and strengthen him. No longer a squire, Javier Moreau was now not only a knight, but a paladin of Torm. Vivienne smiled and cheered for him, along with the other squires.
One squire was not cheering. Boggy was horrified that Javier Moreau had made knight - much less paladin. He was convinced that Torm had made a serious error in judgement, and resolved to take it up with him personally once he was a paladin as well. He felt he could prove that Moreau couldn't possibly measure up to finer examples of paladinhood - such as Boggy himself.
The next thirty squires went by, four becoming paladins. Boggy grew more and more agitated with each one that became a paladin, convinced each time that he'd have something to discuss with Torm. He was already annoyed enough about those becoming knights.
At length, it came to be Vivienne's turn, and she traced the same path the other squires had. There were a few whispers and mutters of both outrage and confusion in the crowd as the young lady in black leather walked up to the front of the group. Vivienne half-turned while presenting herself in front of the High Priest, regarding the crowd with a defiant stare that silenced many of the mutters. Torm's next decision silenced the rest.
A brilliant column of white light appeared around her, surrounding her with the shining glow of Torm's approval. Vivi snapped bolt upright in shock. I'm a what now?
She'd expected knighthood, at least, given that Torm had said that he accepted that rogue-like people were often great heroes. She hadn't given a single thought to paladinhood, thinking it completely irrelevant to her situation. This was the very last thing she would have guessed would happen, and her mind was still in a state of stunned shock. Partly that was due to surprise; partly, it was due to the elemental euphoria that poured through her as Torm's power flooded into her.
Then it was over, and she moved out of the way for the next squire, echoes of the experience still ringing in her mind.
Deep in the crowd, someone else was similarly in shock, but for completely different reasons. Borin Oggram's breathing was fast and shallow, his face pale, and he was sure he was about to pass out. He simply could not accept the fact that Vivienne had made paladin. He couldn't see a thing right about it. Torm was clearly thinking wrongly this day. Boggy twitched his feet, eager to get to the front. Obviously Torm needed his exalted guidance.
Boggy's turn came, none too soon from his perspective, only eight squires later. He smirked and walked up to take his place, ready to bask in the luxuriant light of Torm. He stood before the High Priest and nodded.
Nothing happened.
Boggy looked at High Priest Bhandraddon again and nodded sharply. "Get on with it!" he hissed.
Bhandraddon looked up and met Boggy's eyes, then slowly and solemnly shook his head.
Boggy's eyes bugged out. This can't be happening to me! I'm perfect! I'm the best! He stood there, stunned, for another full minute.
One of the senior knights cleared his throat. "Squire Oggram," he said, emphasizing the word squire, "Please remove yourself. You are holding up the proceedings."
"This...this is an outrage!" Boggy stammered.
"Yes," the knight agreed. "Now please leave, and make it less of one."
There were rumbles in the crowd, and they only grew louder as Boggy pointed a finger at the High Priest. "I demand that you approve me!"
"No one demands anything of Torm, young one," Bhandraddon said sternly. "And you are not worthy of approval."
The rumbles in the crowd grew louder still. Boggy was outraged at being humiliated in front of the crowd - he would prove to Torm that he should be a knight and a paladin! There was only one thing he could think of. "A...a trial by combat!" he blurted. He looked around rapidly. Who could he easily defeat...?
"Her!" he declared, pointing at Vivienne, who was talking with her parents. "A trial by combat! It is an old tradition, rarely called upon, but I invoke it!"
The three senior knights next to the High Priest broke into roaring laughter. "Young man," one of them said, "I do not know what romance novels you have been reading, but the church of Torm has no tradition of trial by combat. One cannot fight one's way into paladinhood; you are not made worthy by defeating someone who is."
Boggy grew pale as the crowd laughed. The titles of a few novels did in fact pop into his mind, but he wasn't about to share them with the jeering crowd.
"Now, please, stop holding up the proceedings," another of the senior knights said, pointing the way out.
"Hold on," Vivienne said, running up to the knights. "Boggy wants to fight me? I'll take him up on it!"
"Milady," one of them explained, "you need not do this. He has no right to challenge you to a trial by combat."
"Oh, I know," she said with a dazzling smile. "But I want to do this."
"I am not sure..." one of the knights began.
"Look," Vivienne said. "Either you can clear an area right now, or the two of us can go off into a back alley somewhere and beat on each other until one of us is dead. He wants to fight, I want to fight, so what we have here is a willing duel between two citizens. You can't stop us, so you might as well get this over with quickly. Besides," and with this she threw a glance at the High Priest, "Boggy needs someone to teach him a lesson."
Bhandraddon cocked his head to the side, as if listening to a voice only he could hear, then nodded. "Let a field of battle be cleared!"
In short order, Vivienne and Boggy faced each other across a hastily formed clearing, the crowd having backed off on all sides to give the combatants space. Boggy had brought out his massive shield, and carried a platinum-hilted longsword with runes of power written up and down its blade. Vivi faced him with her two swords drawn, the short sword held blade-down. Both were plain, nondescript weapons, and she'd shrugged off the offers of magical blades to equal Boggy's from the other squires and knights.
"Ready to go, Boggy?" Vivienne shouted with a smile.
"Have at thee, wench!" Boggy snarled in reply. He charged.
Vivi remained motionless as Boggy thundered toward her. Then, at the last moment, she jumped straight up, flipping up and over him as he ran by. Boggy skidded to a halt in surprise as Vivi landed directly behind him. With a single vicious stab, Vivi's shortsword tore through the mail protecting Boggy's left shoulder join. Instead of continuing the strike, however, she turned the blade to the side, popping link after link, and ripped his entire shoulder plate off.
That armour looked very pretty, but no one had ever claimed it was well-made. As it happened to be, it was a good example of why jewellers should not be allowed to make armour.
Boggy tried to turn around and received a kick to the head for his efforts, spinning him about again. Vivi's longsword then flashed out, splitting off his right shoulder plate.
Boggy stumbled forward, off-balance, and turned quickly, raising his weapon and shield. He hadn't even gotten his feet under him when Vivi hit like a whirlwind, blades slamming into his arms and sides, unaffected by the frantic waving of his shield.
Her longsword struck with brutal precision again, cutting through his left gauntlet. Boggy screamed in pain and dropped his shield, again stumbling back to try to regain his balance. Again, Vivi didn't let him, pressing the attack and forcing him to stumble further and further as she kept peeling pieces of his armour off of him.
It was evident to the crowd by this time that she was toying with him, forcing him back and forth around the clearing while hacking his armour into little bits. Vivi's parents allowed themselves to relax a little.
Then, Boggy finally managed to get some space. Reaching out with his empty left hand, he grabbed a spectator and threw him bodily into Vivi's path. Vivi reacted instantly, spinning and kicking out a leg to push the spectator back into the crowd while using her momentum to whirl forward into position, but that split second gave Boggy the time to get his feet under him and swing his sword at her for the first time. His magic sword darted forward in a flash of silver, and Vivi's spin had put herself right into its path.
Boggy smiled...and then suddenly he felt a wrenching force seize the weapon and rip it out of his hand, only barely conscious of the complicated twisting motions of Vivi's swords. He looked up to see a sword spinning lazily in the air, and the thought that's my sword percolated into his brain. Then a single finger flipped up the visor on his helmet and a metal gauntlet wrapped around a shortsword hilt punched into his face three times. Boggy stumbled backward again, right into the range of Vivi's longsword. It slashed up and into his side, and a final leaping kick knocked Boggy on to his front on the ground, helmet ringing like a bell.
Vivi casually sheathed her own longsword and plucked Boggy's out of the air as it descended. "You lose, Boggy," Vivi told him, not even breathing that heavily.
"I...I can never lose! You...you cheated!"
Vivi rolled her eyes. "Whatever you want to believe, Boggy. Slick move you pulled there with the civilian, too, in case you've forgotten. You probably think you're a paladin, too."
"I AM a paladin!"
Vivienne laughed. "Boggy, that's the funniest thing I've heard all day. You belong in one of our books under the category of 'people who shouldn't be knights'. Or did you even read any of them?"
Boggy replied with an inarticulate roar as he rose to his feet and charged her, hands spread as if to rip her apart.
"Boggy, not smart," Vivi said as he continued his charge. "I've got all the weapons, remember? And I just kicked your ass, remember that too?"
Boggy didn't stop.
"Oh well. Can't say I didn't warn him," she sighed. Just as Boggy got close, she lashed out a foot in a devastatingly accurate kick that snapped his head back with an audible crack. He slumped bonelessly to the floor, neck broken.
There was silence among the crowd. Vivi leaned over him. "Goodbye, Boggy. Somehow I don't think I'll miss you."
It was late at night, and the party her parents had thrown for her had finally wound down. The number of nobles her parents knew who were wishing her well was staggering - as well as tiring, since she didn't happen to know most of those nobles and was reduced to a lot of smiles and nods and "thank-you"'s. At last, they'd all returned to their own estates, her parents were in bed, and the only people left awake in her house were the servants, cleaning up the last of the mess.
Vivi slipped quietly out her room window, and swung on to the roof. Silently and invisibly, she hopped from roof to roof, finally arriving on top of a large, nondescript building. She reached down and opened the hidden ceiling door, then dropped through.
"Vivi! You made it!" Lucien said with a welcoming smile. Behind him, thirty or forty Grayclaws raised their mugs in salute.
"Naturally," Vivi said. "How could I forget the real celebration?"
Arlo laughed. "I always said you'd make a wonderful knight, Vivi. And you did it!"
"Yes, Arlo, I did. Thank you...thanks for everything. All of you."
The assembled Grayclaws cheered and ushered her to the place at the head of the table. Vivi grinned. Now, this was the way to celebrate knighthood!
The best way to describe Vivienne is as a paladin with a special kit (so far, unique to her).
VIVIENNE DELACROIX hf LG Pal4
STR 12
DEX 21
CON 9
INT 16
WIS 12
CHA 18
Weapon proficiencies:
Short Sword ++
Long Sword ++
Dexterity-based fighting + (allows her to apply her Missile Attack Adjustment to melee attacks: the 2E precursor to "weapon finesse")
Pick Pockets 25%
Open Locks 35%
Find/Remove Traps 25%
Move Silently 80%
Hide in Shadows 80%
Detect Noise 15%
Climb Walls 60%
Class abilities - Paladin:
Detect Evil Intent
+2 to saving throws
Immunity to disease
Healing by laying on hands
Projects a circle of power when wielding a holy sword
Class abilities - Rogue:
Pick Pockets
Open Locks
Find/Remove Traps
Move Silently
Hide in Shadows
Detect Noise
Climb Walls
30(15) discretionary points per level.
Unlike other paladins, Vivienne cannot cast spells, turn undead, call for a bonded mount, project an aura of protection, or cure disease. Unlike standard rogues, Vivienne gets no backstab bonus, nor the ability to use wizard scrolls and magic devices, nor the standard thief skill Read Languages or the extraordinary thief skills Tunneling and Bribe.
