RP:An Aspiring Amateur Appeals for Approval
This is a Necromancer's Guild RP.
Synopsis: Not long after gaining admittance into the Necromancer's Guild, Raevyn bothers Bradyn for additional access to the Black Library. It didn't go as well as she had hoped.
Date: Dec. 9th, 2017
Necropolis Foyer
Inside this ancient looking tomb are large stone sarcophagi, each sealed and oddly locked. You see several necromancers standing by one of the massive graves, locking it just seconds before you can see what's inside. They turn to you with a cold gaze, and stare through your soul before walking out, almost ignoring you completely. Finding no way to get into the graves here you finally give up on trying to figure out what lays within them. You may go to your east, south, west, north and recently somebody has removed a panel in the floor that leads down.
Raevyn had been staring at the abyss beneath the bridge that separated Vailkrin and the infernal forest for some time now. It wasn't the first time she had done this- a similar act took place a couple years ago upon her very first fateful interaction with one of the more terrifying locals, Larewen. And even though she had managed to cross the one leading to Cenril, for some odd reason, this bridge was seemingly giving her a bit more trouble than she anticipated. "You can do this." she said, trying to reassure herself. Still, she stood there, watching, waiting, hoping that she could just get the nerve to take that first step. If it hadn't been for 'Rawr' she would have probably stood there all night. A great force was felt against the woman's shoulder, a shove, sending her stumbling forward and eventually falling over onto her knees. There was a definite anger in her eyes as she looked back at the undead babysitter, her voice a sharp growl. "What are you doing?! I had it! I was just about to go!" The zombified man rolled his eyes and grunted, starting to now lead the way across divider between worlds. Picking herself up with a quick dusting, Raevyn followed along through the streets of Vailkrin; A city she had put off exploring so many times. She wanted to take her time to see the sights, but that note in her pocket told her not to be late. "Are you sure this is the right way?" the girl asked, when they came upon the cemetery gates. The note didn't offer much in the way of direction. Necropolis Foyer. Vailkrin. Tonight. Those were the key pieces of information. Again, Rawr gurgled, a barely spit out word coming to surface. "C-c-come." When they finally reached the ancient tomb, Raevyn thanked Rawr for his help, soon to walk through the large open area with a mild curiosity. Those dead blue eyes were on the lookout for the one she was here to meet, although she wasn't even sure what this Bradyn looked like. Would he even know who she was? The novice necromancer came to a stop so that she could examine a few of the graves, that terrible scythe planted into the ground now so that she could lean upon it while she waited for her contact to arrive.
Raevyn had more reason than normal to be nervous about entering the darkness of Vailkrin. It was considered by some to be an unnerving location, a place to be avoided, even on it's best of days. Vailkrin was currently not in it's best of days, no thanks to Larewen. The Lady of House Dragana has seen fit to create a civil war, trying to stir up trouble between houses. The Maharan's have not delcared at side at present and it has not been confirmed, but Bradyn speculates that Larewen is probably not pleased with this decision. Her want for revenge on certain houses seemed like a foolish endeavor with how the numbers were panning out. Raevyn's would find her walk through Vailkrin to be particularly tense, and the girl was greeted with a less than kind eye numerous times during her walk but she manages to make it from point A to point B without being harassed. When Raevyn arrives at the Foyer, it would seem at first glance that Bradyn is no where within sight and that she must wait. Alas. This is not the case and the Maharan male will not come walking into view. A voice is heard very shortly after Raevyn arrives into the Foyer, the source initially sounding like it were directly behind the girl and her undead counterpart. "Raevyn." It comes, spoken plain as day. Good cause to turn around and look, right? Or at the very least give a glance over one's shoulder to make sure that no one is there, friend or foe, no? Surely Raevyn does this, but she will find that no one is behind her. Just darkness engulfing the cemetery. When Raevyn's attention circles back to it's original point, prior to investigating that strange voice, she'll find a man standing in front of her. Games aside, he does not greet her with a smirk or smile. The expression on his face is a flat one. Bradyn Mahara is of decent height, standing at an even six foot. His attire is clean and well presented, but he is not very creative in his color choices -- as one might expect from a mortician. His shoes are polished and black, pressed pants are matching in color. The only deviation Bradyn has from the color choice of black is the crisp white button down shirt that he wears beneath...you guessed it, a black vest. It is not until Raevyn notices him that Bradyn speaks again. A simple introduction and an extended hand, "Bradyn Mahara."
The girl had been a little lazy with her posture and she began to slump on the shaft of the scythe while she waited for Bradyn to show up. She was perhaps a little bored, as indicated by her swaying back and forth as she looked around the foyer for anything interesting to study. Her mother, had she been present, probably would have had a fit. 'Don't slouch Raevyn!' she could hear in her head. 'Always be presentable. Look respectable. Blah...blah...blah.' Suddenly there was a call. Her name. Those raven tresses whipped around as she glanced over her shoulder, looking for the source of voice; Yet she was left in a state of confusion as no one could be found. How odd. When she finally gave up her search through the darkness and faced forward once again, the girl nearly jumped out of her skin as she came face to face with the man with whom she were here to meet. He was quick and quiet, and that seemed to unnerve the young necromancer just a tad. Wide eyed, and obviously startled, Raevyn quickly straightens herself upright like some sort of admonished soldier caught slacking off in formation. It seems as though her mothers words still had some impact after all. "Mr. Mahara!" she returned in greeting, removing the fine leather glove from her right hand; That very hand then used to shake the one extended by the vampire mortician. His attire was quite dapper, she thought, as she took in the man's appearance quite carefully. She seemed to admire his sense of style, although the girl definitely felt a bit embarrassed of her own taste of dress. While she was fairly conservative with her clothing choices, for the most part, what she wore was commoner filth by comparison. A dusty hooded cloak was draped over a black satin, gothic blouse and she wore a pair of black leather pants that seemed to be fraying at the seams. Her boots, while adding about four inches to her meager five foot two height, had definitely seen better days. Still, she tried her best to carry herself in a higher regard; To maybe make some sort of impression on the man that she had been told was a bit difficult. "It is so wonderful to finally meet you, sir. Thank you so much for meeting with me. As I have explained in my letter I am a new inductee of the necromancer's guild; A guild I am to understand that you are a part of?" She would pause now and wait for the man to respond, her burning question held off while she worked up the nerve to even bother asking. He was a little intimidating!
Difficult was a matter of opinion, Bradyn would argue that Khitti was a bit difficult herself. "Your letter said that Khitti was the one who informed you that you should speak with me." Raevyn might have wanted to lead with the letter, for at present Bradyn's done was mistrusting and full of doubt with on the average it lacking in much inflection. "Yet the last I heard anything of Khitti is was from Larewen, sobbing because she was dead." For the record, Bradyn offered no amount of comfort to Larewen in light of her tears, he just looked at her like she were some sort of freak of nature. Who cries? Gross. The hand that Raevyn offers is given a look of disdain, because at present Bradyn is of the opinion that the woman is here spewing garbage and lies...and for what? To gain assistance? Be civil is what Khitti's letter would have instructed and Bradyn was doing a fine job of demonstrating just why he needed to be told this, and why Raevyn might have been warned that the Maharan was difficult. The expression on the vampiric male's face is telling, it says that Raevyn better produce some sort of feasible explanation and fast or else he may very well end up playing with Raevyn in a less than nice manner. Not that he is doing well at this 'nice' thing to begin with.
It was seen in the girl's eyes that she was fighting to maintain her composure; Those nerves beginning to unravel. The looks that he was giving her, his mannerisms- she could see that she would need to earn her place in his trust. "Dead? No sir, the woman I met was most definitely alive. Here, look. From the front pocket of her satchel a note was revealed, immediately offered out the the mortician so that he could read it. And once the note was opened, he would see a distinct purple ink and a familiar handwriting that belonged to the more advanced necromancer.
"I’m back. The spell worked. The woman that accompanies this letter, Miss Raevyn Mcgowan, has been admitted to the guild, and I’ve taken her on as my student as well. Please be civil with her. It’s my understanding that she wishes to do some research on a particular subject aside from necromancy itself and your library is the only place to get some decent info. I didn’t say you would let her in, as it’s not mine to give that permission, but perhaps you could help her? With it not pertaining -entirely- to the dark arts, perhaps she could just be monitored? This is entirely up to you. As for the guild, perhaps you can aid her in her studies, as you’re obviously gifted in the art of resurrection. She has a… friend… that’s following her and you might be of some assistance there, if nothing else. I’m sorry we’ve not spoken yet. We’ll do so soon. Find me in Cenril if you wish because it may be some time before I can go to Vailkrin. -Khitti’"
She would wait for the man to finish reading before suddenly diving straight into things. "I was told that... you are the one that bars entry into the Black Library. So, I am here to seek your permission to enter. Even if supervised. I know that we hardly know one another, and I am to understand that only those of a certain prestige are granted entrance, but I implore you, I beg, that perhaps you could make an exception? This is... extremely important to me. More than you could ever know. I promise, I only search for history. No book of spells. Nothing beyond my means." The girl bit her lip now and watched the vampire's reaction, her nerves further beginning to come undone as she waited for his response.
The letter is read and there is one line in particular that causes Bradyn to roll his eyes, though such a gesture is not commonplace for the male. Which line in particular that is causing this reaction is undoubtably a mystery to Raevyn, she certainly has not read the letter - has she? Inwardly Bradyn would like to crumple the letter up and toss it aside, or perhaps even burn it. Outwardly, Bradyn keeps his composure, the letter is folded up and tucked away neatly into his pocket where he may or may not have this fit later. Steeled gray eyes settle upon Raevyn's face once his has finished with the letter, listening to her request. There is no hint of what he is thinking either way, and the tone of his voice does not serve well in suggesting if he was angered, annoyed, unbothered. It was just flat. "As a member of the Necromancer's guild, by default you have access to the Black Library." Larewen would like to think that she made this arrangement with the Maharan, and they may have conversed over this matter it is true. The fact is, this tradition that Bradyn was following was put in place before Larewen's reign on over the guild -- he was not heeding her request but rather keeping to what he sees to be a valuable piece of history. "The entire library is not open to you. Certain areas are only accessible to those who have achieved a certain rank within the guild. So depending on what piece of history it is you wish to learn about..."
The ghastly scythe in the girl's possession is handed over to the undead travel companion waiting patiently behind her while Bradyn took his time with the note. It was nice having a zombie thing around at times, because she could always have him carry things when her arms grew tired. She gently rocked upon the toe of her boot, hands folding behind her back as she observed the vampire's reaction to Khitti's written explanation. Sadly, there wasn't much to be observed. The first of his words were met with hope. A smile. And most likely, a stifled excitement. She sort of wanted to give him a hug, because he looked like the sort that could really use one, but given his serious and tedious nature, that would undoubtedly not end well. Raevyn was quite understanding when he explained that she would be barred from certain sectors of the library, because thus far, this was a fairly good start. "Well. I am looking for the history of a being. A man, I think. I only know that his name is Nasada." She paused, gauging the man's reaction- There were plenty of times when the name had been brought up, she might have gotten looks of disgust or surprise. "I think he was a dark man. Evil. I know that he and Headmistress Larewen were friends in his previous life." Raevyn's hands came to fold upon one another in front her now, a glance up as she tried to figure out exactly what she wanted to know. "I am looking... to know who he was, and what he stood for. What his purpose was in this land. Perhaps even where he might have lived, or if he had any kin. Really, anything at all that may be... pertinent to a situation I find myself in." She concluded with a positive nod and returned those dead eyes back to the man that stood before her.
If there was a reaction to be had, Bradyn did not reveal it..or maybe he simply knows nothing of this Nasada. He was a learned man in what he was good at, the subject of death, but there was still plenty of other knowledge that eluded him. He was by no means a young man, appearances might put him in his mid-thirties but there was no telling how long he had been a vampire (not a ridiculous amount of time). It is very well plausible that Bradyn lived through any terror that Nasada may have created but his nose was in a book or his attentions were devoted to something like the, oh...I don't know...the embalming process? Nothing to creepy or anything like that. "Hm." Comes the responses, surface level would suggest that the conversation would possibly end right there just shy of Raevyn herself saying something. But! A question or two never hurt anyone, especially when it might lead to furthering understanding of individuals -- not that Bradyn is trying to make friends but drive and motive are not bad insights to have about people. "What particular situation do you find yourself in and how is Nasada connected to that? Why would you think that you would find information about him within the Black Library?"
Raevyn was a bit hesitant to answer the man's question. So much had happened in the last couple of years that she really did not want to go through it all over again. Then there was the fact that she did not really know Bradyn too well, and this was quite a personal matter. It was likely he didn not really want to know too much anyway. Yet, she wanted this man to fully understand the importance behind this matter, to give herself the best shot at whatever material would be most helpful- If any even existed in the first place. And so, reluctance is pushed aside and she began. "It all started with the day that...I think I died." Those words would be the catalyst for a lengthy tale that might very well bore the man to death. She spoke of the gemstone she found in the woods, of how a couple of bandits attempted to rob her, hitting her repeatedly on the head with it. She spoke of the terrible nightmarish things she saw in what she would describe as some sort of eternal Hell. She spoke of her return home after three days of dreams, coming to see herself in a whole new light. No longer were her eyes a bautiful emerald, or were her skin kissed by the sun. No longer would she adore those pretty dresses of multiple colors- Instead opting for the shades of the bleak. She spoke of her dreams and growing love for the occult, soon turning from her previous studies and instead to the art of necromancy. From here she described those awful nightmares in which a name came to her, the one she would don as a pseudonym while she secretly practiced the black arts; That same name see sought to research. She would speak of her tutor's death and her banishment from home, her journey into that cavern that brought her to this land. She spoke of those that found her through this name and how they reacted and attempted to use her for their own nefarious devices. She spoke of strange gifts and the blackouts that lead her to the locations of Chartsend and Gualon. And finally, she spoke of the undead that now follows her, a gift that the girl was mislead into believing was Larewen's doing. When the tale was over, she would next address Bradyn's second question, "Well. I can not seem to find any text on this man in any other library in the land. I have been from Xalious to Cenril, and there is not one mention of him. Some time back, after I first came to this land, my friend Diryon suggested that I try to find the Black Library. That any mention of this man or what he was may be found here due to the nature of the works within. For all I know, it could have been all intention to erase him from the annals of history, but it is my last hope. Nobody, not even Lady Larewen, will tell me the truth about this man."
Bradyn got more than he had bargained for. This was not the concise answer that he was hoping for, it rambled on and on and it had crossed Bradyn's mind more than a time or two to just interrupt her. Or walk away. He would have no shame in walking away, except that would not be being civil to a newer addition to the guild? For shame, Khitti and her rules. So Bradyn stood there, inwardly hating Raevyn but outwardly projecting none of it. When she finally finishes with her story, Bradyn's tone of voice actually has a sharpness to it when he speaks. "Right. All of that is well and dandy." He might have missed a bulk of the point, his thoughts might have wandered and he might have tuned her voice out mid-way through her explanation. Might have. Or maybe he was just callous and had no emotional response to offer up for the woman's plights and her desperate search for answers. It was her problem and not his. "As I have explained, not every area of the library is open to every rank of the Necromancer's guild. As a Novus Morior, you will only have the ability to search through our most basic texts. If you cannot find what you are looking for, you will have to advance your rank. I am not interested in making exceptions for those who are not willing to dedicate themselves to their studies." To the study of the dark arts, not the study of history in search of a name. "Now if you will excuse me." Here is where Bradyn turns and leaves in a rather abrupt manner, intent on leaving Raevyn sitting right there. She was not going to get a guided tour of the library and would soon learn on her own which areas our off limits. Hint: wards are probably in place to bar entry. Short of Raevyn following after Bradyn, and why would she want to do that? ... this meeting seems to have found it's close.