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Description
~~~

…

The evening was cold and foggy as the other knights and I slowly made our way into the heart of the great fortress. Though it sat high upon a rocky hill, the chill from the winter rains had settled over the landscape like a great blanket, smothering everything in a freezing, dripping mist.

The castle was eerie and quiet, and the only sounds were the echoes of our armoured footsteps on the hard stone. Occasionally one of us would let out a quick breath, and in the dismal silence it seemed loud enough to alert the very dead. We continued without another sound.

Farther now – and though the night was falling quickly down and the air was stiflingly cold, beads of sweat gathered in hoards upon my exposed neck. I let out a long breath and the air clouded up ahead of my face, sending a chill down my spine.

Suddenly, a heavy wooden door seemed to loom out from the shadows, and we all stood still as the knight leading us stepped up to it, lifting the heavy latch and screeching it open. As the door banged against the stone wall, the nasty sound echoed through the chamber. We cautiously stepped inside…

The Grand Master sat at the end of a long table, and other knights were already present, expectantly looking up at our late approach. We kept our eyes down as we made our way to the seats around the table. I sat down at the far end away from the Master, though I thought I could feel his piercing stare right at me… I shook away such thoughts as the meeting began.

“One year.”

The other knights and I glanced up as the Master’s voice echoed through the chamber. His voice was low and raspy, and it sounded hollow through his blood red helmet. He continued.

“One year since those jackals as Maysaf took down our previous Grand Master. One year since those thieves, those…assassins…thinned our ranks until we were begging off the buzzards for our meals. One whole year…”

The Master paused and looked up, scanning us seated around the table. He sighed and shuddered.

“But what they don’t know,” he went on, “is that we are stronger than that. What is but one man lost to us? Though he is a brother, a fellow knight in Christ, he serves as the fire to fuel us to fight harder for what we believe in.”

I swallowed a lump in my throat as another silence fell over him. I glanced around nervously, unsure of what was coming.

“This is our time,” he suddenly snapped, sitting up in his chair. “This is the time…where the Holy Land will see the true might of the right…the real faith of the Poor Knights of Christ…and the wrath…of the Knights of the Temple!”

SHING!

We all stared in amazement as the Grand Master rose to his feet, unsheathing his great silver sword and planting it into the table before him. The stained glass window behind him framed his head and seemed to create a holy aura around him, making him appear almost angelic—

“Rise ye Templar Knights! And let the whole world see our power!”

Almost on cue, the rest of us knights took up our swords and planted them on the table in front of us, resting our hands over the hilt and bowing our heads in a silent prayer to our great Crusade…

“And the whole world shall know…”

~~~

For a contest by - a guild I'm part of - an 'anniversary' contest. I did the Templar Knights regaining their power after the Assassins wiped through their ranks.

Also a bit of a personal piece - I'm rather partial to knights and Crusaders myself. :3

Too long - about 3.5 hours. Ugh... I tried to make it easier on myself in the long run, and I'm pretty happy with the outcome - turned out how I expected it to.

Large size for better details.

Enjoy!

Assassin's Creed (c) Ubisoft - Art/story (c) me.

(Contest - 3rd place - got a one-month subscription!)

(This piece has been featured in an 'Assassin's Creed' fan feature! You can find the article here: [link] )

'Non nobis, Domine, non nobis, sed nomine tuo da gloriam!' - Not to us, God, not to us, but to You be the glory!

'Veritas vos liberabit' - The truth will set you free...

'Gradatim vincimus' - We conquer by degrees...

'In Hoc Signo Vinces' - In this sign, thou shall conquer...

'Aut Vincere Aut Mori' - To conquer or to die...

'Sicut Umbra Transeunt Dies' - As the shadow pass the days...

~~~

Description
~~~

…

The evening was cold and foggy as the other knights and I slowly made our way into the heart of the great fortress. Though it sat high upon a rocky hill, the chill from the winter rains had settled over the landscape like a great blanket, smothering everything in a freezing, dripping mist.

The castle was eerie and quiet, and the only sounds were the echoes of our armoured footsteps on the hard stone. Occasionally one of us would let out a quick breath, and in the dismal silence it seemed loud enough to alert the very dead. We continued without another sound.

Farther now – and though the night was falling quickly down and the air was stiflingly cold, beads of sweat gathered in hoards upon my exposed neck. I let out a long breath and the air clouded up ahead of my face, sending a chill down my spine.

Suddenly, a heavy wooden door seemed to loom out from the shadows, and we all stood still as the knight leading us stepped up to it, lifting the heavy latch and screeching it open. As the door banged against the stone wall, the nasty sound echoed through the chamber. We cautiously stepped inside…

The Grand Master sat at the end of a long table, and other knights were already present, expectantly looking up at our late approach. We kept our eyes down as we made our way to the seats around the table. I sat down at the far end away from the Master, though I thought I could feel his piercing stare right at me… I shook away such thoughts as the meeting began.

“One year.”

The other knights and I glanced up as the Master’s voice echoed through the chamber. His voice was low and raspy, and it sounded hollow through his blood red helmet. He continued.

“One year since those jackals as Maysaf took down our previous Grand Master. One year since those thieves, those…assassins…thinned our ranks until we were begging off the buzzards for our meals. One whole year…”

The Master paused and looked up, scanning us seated around the table. He sighed and shuddered.

“But what they don’t know,” he went on, “is that we are stronger than that. What is but one man lost to us? Though he is a brother, a fellow knight in Christ, he serves as the fire to fuel us to fight harder for what we believe in.”

I swallowed a lump in my throat as another silence fell over him. I glanced around nervously, unsure of what was coming.

“This is our time,” he suddenly snapped, sitting up in his chair. “This is the time…where the Holy Land will see the true might of the right…the real faith of the Poor Knights of Christ…and the wrath…of the Knights of the Temple!”

SHING!

We all stared in amazement as the Grand Master rose to his feet, unsheathing his great silver sword and planting it into the table before him. The stained glass window behind him framed his head and seemed to create a holy aura around him, making him appear almost angelic—

“Rise ye Templar Knights! And let the whole world see our power!”

Almost on cue, the rest of us knights took up our swords and planted them on the table in front of us, resting our hands over the hilt and bowing our heads in a silent prayer to our great Crusade…

“And the whole world shall know…”

~~~

For a contest by - a guild I'm part of - an 'anniversary' contest. I did the Templar Knights regaining their power after the Assassins wiped through their ranks.

Also a bit of a personal piece - I'm rather partial to knights and Crusaders myself. :3

Too long - about 3.5 hours. Ugh... I tried to make it easier on myself in the long run, and I'm pretty happy with the outcome - turned out how I expected it to.

Large size for better details.

Enjoy!

Assassin's Creed (c) Ubisoft - Art/story (c) me.

(Contest - 3rd place - got a one-month subscription!)

(This piece has been featured in an 'Assassin's Creed' fan feature! You can find the article here: [link] )

'Non nobis, Domine, non nobis, sed nomine tuo da gloriam!' - Not to us, God, not to us, but to You be the glory!

'Veritas vos liberabit' - The truth will set you free...

'Gradatim vincimus' - We conquer by degrees...

'In Hoc Signo Vinces' - In this sign, thou shall conquer...

'Aut Vincere Aut Mori' - To conquer or to die...

'Sicut Umbra Transeunt Dies' - As the shadow pass the days...

~~~