| “ | I fight to win. I don't bother choosing a specific method, nor am I burdened by such useless things.
— Eleonora Viltaria
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” |
Eleonora Viltaria is one of seven Vanadis, legendary female warriors and nobles of the fantasy kingdom of Zchted, armed with magical weapons said to have been bestowed by the first king of Zchted, said to have been a dragon in human form.
Elen possesses the magical longsword Arifar, and is an expert in wielding the weapon in battle. The weapon gives her the ability to manipulate the winds, including using the wind to deflect incoming arrows, summoning destructive tornadoes with the force to destroy three platoons of soldiers in one strike.
Elen can even use her powers to levitate both herself and her horse into the air. She also possesses superhuman speed and agility. With these powers, she is estimated to be a match for between 1000 and 5000 normal human soldiers armed with medieval weapons. Eleonora is also an expert in military tactics and strategy.
In spite of her strengths, however, she (like the other Vanadis) is far from invincible. Vanadis are can be harmed and killed by physical injuries, much as any human. Eleonora, like the other Vanadis, rely on their powers to evade or deflect enemy attacks, and thus wears no armour. The more powerful abilities of the Vanadis greatly cost the user's strength, and some of the most powerful such a long "cool-down time" that they can only be used once per battle. Elen also refuses to use her most devastating powers, such as her aerokinesis, on normal humans, considering the act dishonourable. Eleonora can also be physically overpowered by a larger, stronger person, if they catch her by surprise or are able to keep up with her superhuman speed.
Battle vs. Aegon I Targaryen (by SPARTAN 119)[]
Tigrevrmud Vorn and Eleonora Viltaria rode through an open field, flanked on each side by Limlisha and Ludmila Lourie at the head of an army of 9000 men, In the distance were an invading force from a previously unknown land, who had first invaded Zchted a few weeks ago.
They were now about 300 meters away from the enemy army when Tigre gave the order: "Archers, nock your arrows!... draw.... LOOSE!"
At once, 2000 archers loosed their arrows and unleashing a storm of wood and steel. The arrows reached the apex of their flight, before dropping down on their foes. Bodkin points pierced through mail and even plate, some of them striking down their targets instantly, while others merely wounded men and horses.
Arrows fell around him, and yet Orys Baratheon stood firm. As soon as the last arrows hit the ground, Orys ordered his crossbowmen to hold at the ready. Soon, the enemy would charge.
Sure enough, Eleonora Viltaria held Arifar forward and charged forth, followed by Tigre, Ludmila, Limlisha, and the rest of her 2000 cavalrymen. Thousands of hoof beats thundered as the Zchtedi cavalry charged forth. A few fell to Orys' crossbowmen, but the force as a whole kept charging forward like an unstoppable force of nature.
At about 100 meters, Tigrevrmud nocked three arrows at once, and loosed his bow striking three targets at once. Tigre then struck down one of Orys' lieutenants with another well-placed bowshot. As Tigre stood back and picked off his foes, all the while moving to avoid crossbow fire, Orys and the Westerossi cavalry charged forth, colliding with Elen's cavalry.
Elen swung her blade at a Westerossi knight, the magical steel of Arifar cleaving through the mail hauberk that protected his neck and slicing his head clean off. The Vanadis of Zcthed then urged her horse forward, cutting down men and horse like a scythe through wheat.
Meanwhile, Ludmila impaled another of Aegon's knights on Lavias. All around her, Zchtedi and Westerossi alike fell to lance and blade, as the two forces clashed. Cavalry charged past each other, trying to get in a deadly swing of a blade, before coming down around for a second strike.
Unlike the lances of wood and steel, however, Mila's Lavias did not break from the force of impact, allowing the mystical blade of ice to impale foe after foe as Ludmila plowed through Orys' cavalry and into the infantry line.
A crossbowman took aim at Ludmila, but immediately was struck right between the eyes by an arrow from Tigre's deadly Black Bow. But the Vanadis of Ice was not out of danger. She was surrounded on one side by the infantry line, and Orys's cavalry were closing in from behind.
Ludmila, however, only smiled darkly as she waved Lavias through the air. A dozen spikes of ice sprouted from beneath her horse, impaling all of her attackers and allowing her to ride to safety. Several Westerossi infantry fled in terror at the power of the mysterious female warrior.
Meanwhile, Orys Baratheon charged at Limlisha and swung his blade. The sword made contact with her chest, but only lightly dented her plate armor. Rather than dueling on horseback (FYI cavalry did usually not do this IRL), as was commonly depicted in fiction, Lim turned her horse and charged again at Orys, swinging her longsword and striking him over the head, denting his helmet, but not piercing his flesh.
Suddenly, a horn rang out across the battlefield from the Westerossi side. Orys and what was left of his army retreated. The Zchtedi army prepared to give chase, but were stopped in their tracks by a shout that diffused through the ranks: "DRAGONS!"
Silhouetted against the sun were flew three dragons, the mounts of Aegon the Conqueror and his two sister, Visenya and Rhaenys. Aegon pulled on the reins of Balerion and the dragon dove in low over the column of Zchtedi infantry and strafing them with flames, followed by the dragons of his two sisters. Soldiers dropped their pikes, only to be engulfed in flames and incinerated. A few archers tried to fire on the dragons, but in the chaos of the smoke and flame-covered field most of their shots fell short of their mark, and those that did strike did not but annoy the colossal beasts.
Black smoke rose from the funeral pyre of over 4500 men as the dragons turned their attention to the scattered surviving Zchtedi soldiers. Ludmila, Limlisha, Tigre, and Elen, however, stood firm as Mila and Elen both unleashed the full force of their environmental powers, summoning a blizzard accompanied by violent winds.
In the sudden storm, all three Targaryen dragons were forced to land, and Visenya was almost blown from her mount.
"The dragons are downed, CHARGE!", Ludmila yelled to her unit of about 100 knights as they charged at Meraxes and Rhaenys and Meraxes, trying to flank her.
Meanwhile, Elen's Arifar glowed as it fed power into the arrow Tigre nocked in his Black Bow. The Earl of Alsace loosed the arrow, which glowed with a mystic light as it flew the distance of about 500 alsin (unit in the Vanadis world, about 1 meter) to target in less than a second, a trail of violent wind rushing behind the arrow.
No one in the battle would have seen anything like it, but if an observer from the modern error might liken the impact of the arrow to that of a .50 BMG round, blowing clean through the neck of the Dragon Vhaegar, going in one side and out the other. A look of shock was frozen on Visenya Targaryen's face seconds before it, along with rest of her head, was reduced to a bloody mist.
(Visenya eliminated)
Meanwhile, things went a lot worse for Ludmila Lourie and her cavalry charging Meraxes. The dragon turned his neck to the side, and breathed a stream of flames, charring horses and men alike to blackened husks. The Vanadis of ice was vanquished in fire.
(Ludmila eliminated)
The second the flames overcame Ludmila, the storm over the battlefield lifted, the snowfall and winds immediately ceased, allowing the dragons to once again bring death from the skies. Rhaenys spurred Meraxes on towards the enemy commanders, now about 300 meters away, it would not be long before Elen and Tigre would be in range of her deadly flames.
It was at this moment that Tigrevrmud Vorn loosed the second to last arrow in his quiver. The arrow flew straight over the head of Meraxes... and into the forehead of Rhaenys Targaryen. Rhaenys slumped over and fell from the back of her mount, dead before she hit the ground, but the dragon continued to fly towards them, as though intent on avenging its master.
Once again, Arifar glowed with an unearthly light, as Elen yelled Ley Admos! and swung the blade. A razor-thin gust of wind as powerful a hurricane was unleashed towards the dragon. The wind-blade cut through the the neck of the creature, severing its head and continuing, cutting the body clean in half. The two half of Meraxes fell the ground with "thud".
(Rhaenys elimiated).
But the battle was not won for Elenonra and Rhaenys, not yet. Form behind, Aegon swooped in on Balerion. Tigre turned and tried to nock and arrow, but before he could, Aegon gave one an order to his dragon in high Valyrian: Dracarys- breathe fire. The dragon obeyed, and Tigrevrmud Vorn and Eleonora Viltaria were reduced to ash and bones before they had time to scream.
After the fall of their leader, the surviving Zchtedi soldiers fled the battlefield or surrendered on en masse. Most of those who fled were captured and immediately swore fealty of Aegon out of sheer terror...
Epilogue[]
Hall of the Fortress of Lietmeritz, Zchted, Temporary base of Aegon Targaryen during the Zchted Invasion
It had been three weeks since Aegon and his dragons had slaughtered the armies of Zchted on the field of battle, and effectively taken control of the provinces of Lietmeritz and Olmutz. Since then, the rest of Zchted was in chaos. Rumor had it that King Viktor of Zchted was raising an army of his own, along with the neighboring country or Brune. It was said that thes armies included this continent's own endemic species of dragons. The existence of rival dragons was certainly an unpleasant revelation to the King of Andals and First Men.
It was also a Pyrric victory for Aegon, his own beloved sisters, and by Valyrian tradition, also his wives, were dead, along with two of his dragons. And yet, Aegon did not go into mourning, but pressed forth his campaign, determined to avenge their memory by taking all of Zchted. They would bend the knee... or they would die.
As Aegon sat at on the throne formerly belonging to Vanadis of this territory plotting his next course of action, heard the great wooden doors of the hall open. In the door, flanked by Aegon's guards, was a woman in ornate, yet revealing clothing similar to those of the two mysterious "princesses of war" he had defeated in his last battle. The woman had black hair with a slight bluish tinge extending down her back, and mysterious b
"Your Grace, a woman claiming to be Lady of Osterode and a relative of the king of Zchted seeks an audience".
"Bring her in", Aegon said.
The guards ushered the woman into throne room. She stood about ten feet away from the throne and immediately got down one one knee. "Hail Aegon Targaryen, King of Andals, First Men, and Zchted!", the woman said, "I am Valentina Glinka Estes of Osterode. I come to offer you my services"
"And what are these services that you can provide me?", Aegon asked, pleased with her description of him as "King of Andals, First Men, AND Zchted.
"I have an army of 10,000 men they are at your command, and I also have the power of a Vanadis, something that you will no doubt find useful.", Valentina replied
"What is this power of which you speak", Aegon asked.
"Behold", Valentina replied, and disappeared into a black circle, prompting both Orys Baratheon and Aegon's Kingsguard to draw their swords. Valentina instantly reappeared in a most... compromising position, specifically straddling on king's lap, facing him, her arms wrapped around his neck.
"As you can see, I can travel anywhere I want through the shadows, Valentina said in her most seductive voice, "You lost both your wives recently, and beside, ruling Zchted will be much easier with a Zchtedi queen. And who better for a warrior king to marry than a princess of war. Make me Queen of Zchted and I will bring you the heads of King Viktor, and those Vanadis that still resists.
The Kingsguard approached Aegon as the Valentina got off his lap, swords still drawn. Aegon, however, said, "Guards, stand down. As for you, Lady Vanadis, if you really can bring me the head of the king of Zchted, I will make you my new queen."
Valentina Glinka Estes walked away, satisfied with herself, "That was easier than I thought", Valentina thought to herself, he is clearly much brighter than that old fool Viktor. But still, I fooled him, and when the time is right, I'll get him out of my way, and take the kingdom for myself..."
Silesia, Zchted Imperial Capital
Limlisha sat in her room at a roadside inn. Three weeks after the battle, she was a wreck of her former self. Previously Limlisha almost never drank at all, but since the death of everyone she had ever cared about, she had consistently tried to drown her sorrow in alcohol. Even that, though, could not keep away the memories of the fiery death of Ludmila, Tigre, and Elen at the hands of a foreign invader's dragon.
It was at that moment that she noticed that, leaning against the wall next to her own sword, was a familar weapon.
"Arifar?", she said.
Limlisha picked up the blade and glowed with a mystical light.
Elen's sword... the legendary Viralt, one of the weapons forged by the Dragon King of Zchted, had chosen her to be its next wielder. Immediately, Limlisha felt strength well again in her body.
She stood up, holding the sword at her side, and declared to the empty room, "In the name of all the gods, I swear vengeance upon the invading king Aegon and everyone else who aided him his murderous campaign!"
Expert's Opinion[]
Eleonora was a skilled military tactician and possessed a powerful magic, as did her allies, however, in the end, sheer castle-razing destructive power of Aegon's dragons won him the battle. The experts also took note of the fact that the Vanadis lacked any form of armor. Tigre's arrows were powerful, but he had little defense against close-in attacks.