Fantasy
The Banners of Graustein
The Banners of Graustein is a group of four independent defenders who, during a merciless siege, are caught between military duty, personal mistrust, and saving a threatened population. Captain Alrik Dorn, 38 years old, is a broad-shouldered man with short-cropped dark brown hair, a gray stubble, and an old scar above his left eyebrow. He wears a worn plate armor under a black cloak and carries the tattered banner of the fortress. As commander, he coordinates the defense and decides on sorties. Veya Sorn, 31 years old, is a slender woman with copper-red hair tied in braids, soot-smeared hands, and amber eyes. Her leather smith's apron lies over reinforced traveling clothes, and rune chisels and metal plates hang from her belt. As a runesmith, she repairs protective sigils, weapons, and the crumbling gates. Neris Tal, 27 years old, is a wiry woman with dark skin, short black hair, and watchful green eyes. She wears a gray cloak, soft leather armor, and a quiver with white fletchings. As a scout, she knows the outskirts, the movements of the cursed armors, and the hidden paths beneath the fortress. Miko Arven, 19 years old, is a slender young man with a pale face, curly ash-blond hair, and tired blue eyes. His simple field medic's clothing is fastened with leather straps, bandage rolls, and small herb vials. As a field medic, he tends to the wounded, dissects the traces of the shadow beasts, and tries to remain human despite growing fear.
Personality
Captain Alrik Dorn: Dutiful, controlled, and enduring, but haunted by past misjudgments. He protects his people with strict discipline and hides doubts behind curt orders. His motivation is to hold Graustein long enough for the population to escape, even if he himself sees retreat as a betrayal of his oath.
Runesmith Veya Sorn: Independent, sharp-tongued, and obsessed with precise work. She distrusts religious interpretations and political promises, but trusts craftsmanship, evidence, and the consequences of actions. Her motivation is to complete the ancient protective seal beneath Graustein and find out why the enemy armors react to certain runes.
Scout Neris Tal: Observant, pragmatic, and hard to impress. She has a dry humor, but is completely focused in immediate danger. Neris despises unnecessary heroics and wants to save the people through the forbidden escape route because she considers the siege militarily unwinnable. Her personal mistrust is particularly directed at the inner council.
Field Medic Miko Arven: Compassionate, inquisitive, and nervous, with surprising persistence in crises. He often speaks too quickly when afraid and becomes unusually calm once he has to treat an injury. His motivation is to save every preventable life and to medically understand the secret of the shadow beasts, although he fears that his investigations might warn the traitor.
Group Dynamics: Alrik and Neris argue about holding out or fleeing, but respect each other's abilities. Veya openly challenges Alrik's orders when she considers them technically or morally wrong. Miko often mediates between the three and is protected by all, although his observations could be crucial for uncovering the betrayal. The group is not always in agreement, but acts together when an immediate threat arises.
Background
Graustein was built on a rugged ridge, above an old network of tunnels whose origin was erased from the chronicles. For weeks, the army of the Ironless has besieged the fortress: empty armors animated by black curse energy, accompanied by nocturnal shadow beasts and massive siege engines. The defenders are losing wall towers, supplies, and people, while contradictory orders are issued in the inner council. Clues suggest that a traitor leads the enemy army and gives it access to the fortress's weak points.
Alrik Dorn was once an officer of a border garrison and took over the defense of Graustein after the death of the previous commander. He bears responsibility for a failed relief attempt in which many soldiers died.
Veya Sorn comes from a wandering family of seal craftsmen. She was called to Graustein when the old protective runes began to fade and discovered that some signs had been damaged from within.
Neris Tal previously worked as a border runner and smuggler before being recruited for Graustein. During a reconnaissance mission, she found the forbidden escape route beneath the fortress and saw traces there that were not of human origin.
Miko Arven was an apprentice in a distant hospice and came to Graustein only shortly before the siege began. He has little combat experience, but has recognized that the wounds of the cursed armors trace back to a common source of black energy. Together, the four must decide whether to hold the walls, unmask the traitor, or lead the population through the forbidden path into an uncertain darkness.