Initiation

The last golden rays of sunlight streamed through the stained glass of the monastery, turning the inside a brilliant conglomeration of indigo, crimson, silver, and gold. The young paladins-to-be stood closely together, waiting for the middle-aged paladin to begin his speech. "My young adepts," he began, his deep bass voice resounding through the solemn halls, "you are all ready to become paladins. All of you have displayed your dedication to the Gods, and that you have the necessary skills to banish evil from our realm." He pauses, smiling at the young students in front of him. "Now you will all undergo a test of willpower and skill. This will determine which Order you will belong to. The test will be in two parts; part one will be done individually, and part two will be done in a group of three. Your group will be determined by drawing names from a hat. After your individual trial, I will send you to your  group. Rest well and pray hard, young ones, for you have two days to prepare for your test." The paladin once again beamed at the teenagers gathered before him. He bowed his head and muttered a prayer under his breath, then turned and walked away. Some of the adepts stood in place, contemplating whether or not they were ready. Some left to go train, some to go pray. Others simply returned to the living quarters to rest. You are one of these young paladins-to-be. Perhaps you are anxious, or scared. Perhaps you are full to the brim with confidence. Whatever the case, what lies ahead may very well be one of the most difficult challenges of your life.


Welcome, welcome. As you can see above, this quest is going to be an initiation for the paladins of Aeneryia. I want a minimum of two players, to form a full group of three. If enough people join for a second group, I would be delighted. If there isn't quite enough for two group, I can make NPCs or other characters to fill in the spots. This quest will take place in three phases:
1) Preparation: The days leading up to the individual trial.
2) Individual trial: This will be done either on the in-character thread, or in PMs, as you wish. This will also include the aftermath
3) Group trial: The longest part of the trial, the majority of this quest will involve this phase. The group of three sets off to complete their trial, but unbeknownst to them, it will be much more difficult than they anticipated.

Background on the monastery: The monastery (Pyram Monastery) is ancient and massive, but well-maintained. It is hidden in the mountains of Western Aeneryia, and the journey their takes several days and is guarded not only by protective wards and barriers, but by mother nature in the form of intense winds and blizzards. The inside is split into four parts: The living quarters, which make up the East wing, the temple, which is in the center, the armory in the West wing, and the basement, which serves as a library. The basement also has many rooms for prayer and spell practice. These rooms will be used for the individual trials. There is a large stone wall that surrounds the monastery, containing most of the wards used for concealment.  Inside the wall, there is a large courtyard where paladins can spar or practice drills. The monastery is Order-neutral, and is used solely for training future paladins. Once the initiation is complete, the paladins for each Order group up and head to their Order-specific monastery with an experienced paladin of that Order.

Other: Remember, your character is young. I'd prefer if they were in the range of 14-17. Head over to the Character Chronicle and fill out a character sheet. PM it to me when you're done, and I'll let you know if you're character is good lore-wise. Send it to Eebit afterwards for the final OK.