Stitch

* Ragged Knight
* Royal Knight

## About Them

Stitch, alternatively known as the Ragged Knight, is a damaged Vessel. They are one of the children of the Pale King and White Queen, created of the Abyss with Void sealed within their shell, which appears to be slightly visible through the crack in their face-plate. Like most, if not all other Vessels, they are genderless, or at the very least possess no obvious gender specific traits.

## Background

The Ragged Knight is a vessel that has suffered a severe amount of damage, enough so as to crack the face-plate of their shell, however despite the aforementioned damage caused to them, they seem capable of containing the Void within their form, and also seem capable of holding their own in combat, wielding a pin-like weapon, an uncommon implement that has proven extremely deadly in their hands. Being a child of the Pale King and White Queen, the other Vessels therefore serve as their siblings.

Originally, before becoming the Ragged Knight, they were taken from the Abyss after their birth and brought to Hallownest, though eventually deemed impure, and therefore incapable of sealing the Radiance within themselves, but rather than being tossed aside, served as a Peacekeeper within the Pale Kings Kingdom, maintaining security within its borders, and ensuring that no plot would live to see fruition, while the Great Knights fought to defend the from outside threats, he fought against those that would strike from within.

When the infection took a hold on the denizens of Hallownest, they were tasked with assisting in the efforts of combating the infected thralls and bringing an end to the Radiance' influence within the nest, serving as a subordinate to the Pure Vessel and the Five Great Knights, participating in a great many battles and earning themselves some recognition from the greatest warriors of their time, though not quite able to match their abilities.

During one such battle, they were split from their fellow warriors and forced to fight through a number of infected creatures, some of which were far larger than them in both size and stature, regardless, they engaged their enemy without hesitation, exacting the will of their King and eventually destroying the creatures, but suffering severe injuries in the process, the halo-like headpiece of their shell being snapped off, as well as a crack located the near of their face-plate, despite this, they fought on.

After the Pure Vessel proved successful in defeating the Radiance and the tides of infection were quelled, they attempted to return to the Pale King, only to find that their master could not recognise them, dismissed as nothing more than a “broken thing”, they’d subsequently leave their home and ventured out onto the surface, forfeiting their memory in the process.

## Present

Long after they’d forgotten who they were, they, like many over Vessels, heard the call back to Hallownest, feeling the pull back towards their home. Though they wouldn’t recognise the ancient underground kingdom, the familiarity was enough to spur something within themselves, something that lingered beneath their cracked surface, and sought to find out why he seemed to care for this place, why he felt remorse walking through its winding tunnels, the truth behind himself.

The name “Stitch” was provided to him by the Elderbug they encountered, likely for their rugged and patched appearance, though he seemed to accept it, many others would simply come to refer to him as the Ragged Knight, it would be sufficient until he discovered who he truly was.

Their weapon of choice is a metallic safety pin which has been sharpened, becoming the Sharpened Pin, for the most part appearing identical to its normal counterpart, however, one of the edges of the thin pieces of metal has been sharpened, turning it into a deadly slashing weapon capable of cutting even the toughest shells to shreds, however, unlike nails, it lacks proper piercing capabilities, but makes up with the shortcoming by being considerably lighter than the average nail. It is unknown how they came to obtain such a weapon, only that it has been the doom of many infected bugs since it fell into the hands of the Ragged Knight.

## Personality

Formerly a fierce defender of his kingdom, his detachment from his home and memories have quelled the fires that once burnt brightly within their shell, and from the ashes grew a new person, calmer, significantly kinder than he once was, anyone that might've somehow recognised them with his rugged appearance would eventually come to doubt their beliefs upon encountering them, no destruction followed them, and they would inflict no wrath on the remaining denizens of the kingdom he once oversaw with an iron fist. His movements are slow and considerate, he doesn't rush pointlessly and appears to be keenly aware of their surroundings, changing their posture or manner of movement to avoid disturbing or waking the inert inhabitants scattered throughout the caves of Hallownest.

Naturally curious and inquisitive, and freed from the shackles of distrust and suspicion, he wanders the ruins of the once great kingdom, happily and without haste, exploring the ancient subterranean structure, rediscovering long lost treasures but for the most part leaving them undisturbed, stashes of Geo, Charms and other personnel affects were left as quickly as they were found, but prettier things, crystals, carvings and flowers were collected and treasured closely, only shared with those he trusted not to take or break them.

Like many of the creatures that remain within the tunnels of Hallownest, they count the Radiance as their enemy, unknowingly so however, unaware of the nature of the Infection and the one responsible for it, believing it to be nothing more than a sickness, or a kind of parasite, regardless, he attempts to keep his distance, avoiding contact where possible and when forced to engage in combat, escaping or eliminating his opponent quickly to ensure that their was no opportunity for himself to become host to the sickness that had already claimed so many.

They speak quietly, and even then sparsely, talking similarly to a child, asking question about things that they fail to understand and, on most occasions, misinterpreting or misunderstanding the explanations offered to him, but always thankful for the answers regardless of how useful or useless they ended up being. Commonly they will break off a conversation to look at or inspect something that had caught their eye, simply walking away from the other participants of the exchange and returning when satisfied, sometimes bringing whatever they found so interesting with them, not thinking to offer an explanation or trying to excuse the act in any capacity, but not doing so with the intention to insult anyone either, the action not being born of boredom or disinterest, but rather their curiosity overtaking all other priorities.

## Appearance

Stitch's appearance is noticeably rugged and patched together, various pieces of fabric that has been carefully stitched together with thin thread, very clearly barely holding together, yet somehow managing to remain in one piece, concealing their arms, torso, and lower body, only barely exposing their darkened feet. They wear a hooded cloak with darkened grey-ish colouration, with holes cut in the hood so that what remained of their shells head-piece could poke through, and a longer, brown rags and patched cloth beneath it as to obscure the rest of their body and arms, the ends of which hare significantly shredded and therefore left in tatters.

Their face-plate possesses two wide eyes, something fairly standard for Vessels, but are also accompanied with a large, spider web-like crack near the center of their expressionless face, two of the longer cracks reaching quite far down the white shell, one reaching all the way down to the the chin-piece. Their head-piece, once believed to be interconnected, almost like an angels halo, appears to have been snapped, causing them to look more akin to jagged horns.

## Behaviour and Tactics

* **Slash:** Stitch will dash forwards, slashing at their enemy with their Sharpened Pin, moving a moderately wide distance along the battlefield, while moving, they hold their weapon back and will swing it forwards when their opponent is within range, this is most easily dodged by waiting for them to come near and quickly dashing out of the range of their swing.
* **Downward Slash:** Jumping into the air and, depending on the distance between themselves and their opponent, dashing forwards, raising their Sharpened Pin overhead and bringing it down on their opponent, this attack is dodged by simply moving behind them or dashing away as they strike downwards.
* **Dash:** A quick dash across the battlefield, mostly used to reposition themselves or avoid oncoming attacks, backwards or propelling themselves upwards into an overhead position, commonly chained with other attacks, particularly Slash, however, without being chained with an attack, the dash itself is quite harmless.
* **Chain Strikes:** Dashing towards their opponent, Stitch will slash their weapon wildly, at first bringing it overhead and then following it with a number of attacks directed both in front and behind themselves, they may still be attacked from overhead with some difficulty, but it's best to simply remain beyond their reach until the attack has transpired, leaving them exhausted and exposed for a free couple of hits.
* **Parry:** Using their Sharpened Pin in tandem with defensive techniques, Stitch will deflect their opponents attack and turn it back on themselves, not dealing any damage but pushing them away, putting some distance between themselves and their opponent, this will likely precede one of his other moves.
* **Shade Lunge:** Using the Void held within their shell, letting it escape through the crack in their face-plate, Stitch performs a devastating lunge that can only be avoided by simply outrunning it, moving away as quickly as possible to avoid the attack, after using this attack, Stitch will become dazed until attacked again, and so the battle will continue.

## Auriel

### Powers and Abilities

LeadershipHeightened Agility and Mobility

Skilled Combatant

### Alignments

Lawful Good

"I fought with everything I had to preserve Hollownest, I gave everything I had to preserve Hollownest.

## About Them

Auriel, alternatively known as the Royal Knight, is the past and dream variant of the wanderer known as Stitch, the Ragged Knight, once a proud and skilled Knight that served as the Pale King’s Enforcer, only existing now as nothing more than a repressed memory lingering in the fractured shell of the damaged vessel. Their personality and appearance are extremely different from their current real-world self, wearing armour and wielding a more traditional channelled nail. Like most, if not all other vessels, they are genderless, or at the very possess no obvious gender specific traits

## Background

Like all other vessels, Auriel was born in The Abyss as a child of the Pale King and White Queen, making all of the other vessels their siblings, as well as being able to contain the Void within their shell. They’re an exceptional combatant, their armour granting them some protection against oncoming attackers, though their skill with a nail and natural agility ensured that few bugs ever had the opportunity to land a hit against the king's loyal enforcer, their weapons claiming many lives in order to protect the integrity of Hallownest and it’s people.

During their search for the Pure Vessel, the Pale King took the vessel from The Abyss and brought them to Hallownest, raising them for a short while before deeming them impure, incapable of withstanding and containing the Radiance within themselves, even so, his loyalty and dedication to the king ensured that he would remain in their service, becoming the Royal Knight and serving as the kings enforcer, maintaining peace within the kingdom and ensuring that no bug would ever turn against the king, eliminating those that would without hesitation.

As the infection began to take hold of Hallownest, turning the citizens and many of the subterranean cities defenders into the mindless husks, serving as Lieutenant to the Pure Vessel and the Five Great Knights and acting as a field commander for what remained of the kings military forces, placing himself on the front lines and putting their life in danger repeatedly in order to stem the flow of the endless hordes and buy their king the time needed to find a way to combat the growing threat.

After being severely injured during one of the more intense battles which claimed the lives of many bug soldiers, only surviving due to the interference of Dryya, who, despite their injuries they fought alongside until they could be reinforced by the other Great Heroes and the forces that’d been held in reserve, though eventually their forces proved incapable of holding the line, their forces retreating backwards and yet another section of the kingdom fell to the Infection, countless soldiers that were either injured or incapable of escaping joining the ranks of the endless hordes.

When the Radiance was finally sealed away within the Pure Vessel and the kingdom, or what remained of it began to quiet back down, he approached the king only to be turned away from the monarch and escorted out of their palace by the Kingsmould. Battered, broken, and now without purpose, Auriel stumbled out into the wasteland to forget themselves, seeking either death or to lose themselves in the empty lands that surrounded the Pale King’s Kingdom.

Before leaving, the damaged vessel hung up their armour and left their nail embedded in the ground at the peak of the Howling Cliffs, before disappearing from the kingdom completely, these items and the stories of their accomplishments being all that they left behind, serving as the only evidence of their existence and an unmarked monument to their sacrifice. Even so, they don’t seem to have been completely forgotten by the world, as an unfinished painting of the Royal Knight remains in the hut belonging to Nailmaster Sheo.

## Present

While never appearing physically within Hallownest as the Royal Knight, their channeled nail, now weathered and brittle with time can be found at the peak of the Howling Cliffs from years of neglect, the weapon can’t be interacted with until Stitch has been interacted with and the painting in Nailmaster Sheo’s Hut has been inspected, only then can it be dream nailed and the repressed memory can be accessed.

In this stage, a distorted and shifting version of the White Palace, the Knight is approached by Auriel, the Royal Knight, however they don’t immediately attack, instead requiring the Knight to challenge them, only then will combat commence. When defeated, they bow before the victor before disappearing in a flash of light, returning the Knight to the real world.

The nail can be struck two more times to repeat the battle, though each time they become stronger, faster, and possess more health, upon their third defeat, their real-world counterpart, Stitch, will be waiting for the Knight to awaken before thanking them for helping them remember before retrieving their nail, from that point of they can be found either in Dirtmouth or one of the other areas of Hallownest, the only place that they will not visit are the Palace Grounds.

## Personality

Unquestioningly loyal to the Pale King and unflinchingly fierce in the face of animosity, they served as a defender of Hallownest without regret for many years, in doing so having earned themselves recognition, both for their dedication and combat ability even among the greatest warriors of kingdom, they were a proud and hard-working individual that placed serving the kingdom’s monarch above all else, spending the rest of their time becoming stronger and honing their already impressive skills and techniques.

Ultimately their accumulated strength and service to the kingdom have served a more selfish purpose, the acknowledgement of their father, the Pale King, the one that had brought them from the Abyss and given them purpose, though their declared impurity gave them a sense of rejection, this only served to embolden their resolve and dedication, becoming jealous of his brother, the Hollow Knight, seeing them as the favoured child that he would prove himself superior to.

While participating in the countless battles against the hordes of husks, Auriel proved themselves to be a capable field commander, though assisted by the Five Great Knights on most occasions, they led what remained of the bug soldiers in efforts against the Radiance’ countless thralls while fighting on the front lines, possessing enough knowledge to utilise formations, make use of the environment, and hold forces back in reserve, and while sounding cowardly, they knew when to withdraw forces from the field.

## Appearance

Auriel’s appearance is quite regal compared to the rags and cloaks worn by most vessels, his real-life self included, their metal armour appearing stainless and polished, made of fine materials and created with the finest workmanship, these traits are shared by their cloak which is worn beneath the aforementioned armour, coloured is a deep crimson, it’s composed of a surprising soft fabric intended to provide warmth and generate an aura of royalty wherever they may travel.

Fairly generic in terms of face-plate features, possessing two wide eyes but otherwise appearing completely expressionless, lacking any of the features that’d be needed to actually perform any kind of expression. Noticeably, their face-plate is devoid of the cracks that mark their real-life counterpart, and distinguish themselves from their siblings is their interconnected, almost angelic looking halo.

## Behaviour and Tactics

* **Slash:** Auriel will dash forwards, slashing at their enemy with their Channeled Nail, traversing a moderately wide distance along the battlefield, while moving, they hold their weapon back and will swing it forwards when their opponent is within range, this is most easily dodged by waiting for them to come near and quickly dashing out of the range of their swing.
* **Downward Slash:** Jumping into the air and, depending on the distance between themselves and their opponent, dashing forwards, raising their Channeled Nail overhead and bringing it down on their opponent, this attack is dodged by simply moving behind them or dashing away as they strike downwards.
* **Dash:** A quick dash across the battlefield, mostly used to reposition themselves or avoid oncoming attacks, backwards or propelling themselves upwards into an overhead position, commonly chained with other attacks, particularly Slash, however, without being chained with an attack, the dash itself is quite harmless.
* **Piercing Charge:** After pausing for a moment to take up their stance, they quickly dash forwards, using their momentum in an attempt to drive their nail through their opponent, dealing damage to them and knocking them back. It can be useful to watch them closely throughout the fight, as, without noticing the small pause they do before utilising this attack, it could easily be mistaken for the standard dash.
* **Thunderous Blows:** A devastating blow directed at the ground, creating a deadly shockwave that travels outwards in either direction from them, usually used twice in quick succession in order to force the Knight to evade, after the second blow they’ll commonly transition into a Piercing Charge to catch their opponent off-guard. As long as you’re watching Auriel and keep track of the shockwaves, they can be easily evaded, the follow-up needs to be timed carefully in order to be avoided.
* **Deep Cut:** A quick slash across a bug's lower body, usually used in tandem with a dash in order to rapidly close-in on an opponent, doesn’t cause any damage but inflict a slow effect on the target, halving the Knights running speed and jump height for a few seconds. While this attack can be avoided but simply jumping over them, simply taking the hit and the subsequent effect in exchange for a free hit is an effective strategy, provided the Knight can evade the subsequent attacks while slowed.