RP:By Blood And Fire Quenched

Part of the The God of Undeath Arc

Part of the Mearcstapa Arc

Summary: After being receiving a missive from the Countess of Castle Blackwell, Reginae Naginis meets with her to discuss the casual topic of overthrowing the gods with the help of an entity known as Alithyk Caluss. Regi ends up pledging herself to the cause with the singular goal of amassing a cult following.

Castle Blackwell

Quintessa has spared no expense with accommodations, diverting funds from her personal coffers to prepare for a royal visit according to whatever standards Queen Reginae’s inspectors put in place. In the castle audience chamber the Countess awaits seated in a large, obsidian throne at the head of a darkwood table, smaller, empty chairs flanking her on each side. Places suitable for her Naga guests to seat themselves also occupy the other side of the table. In order not to spook the strangers, Quintessa has allowed security to remain very lax, sending her personal guards to wait outside of this chamber during this meeting. It would only be Quintessa, Reginae, and whoever else the queen trusted inside of this room during this meeting. Even the countess’ own council is not allowed in. Wearing a simple black and crimson gown and a red-beryl tiara on top of her head, the changeling’s pale hands fold together upon the darkwood table as she awaits her guest to respond to the summons sent to the queen’s room in Castle Blackwell.

Reginae’s skin itches every second until the meeting day comes. Since she received the invitation, her mind’s been a whirl with possibilities. The Countess of Castle Blackwell had allowed her guards to do a sweep of the meeting area before moving out of the healer’s tent after the Blood Bowl battle. She’d gone to careful length to hide any healing injuries under the Alithryian whites and golds of her trim, flowing dress. Ringlet curls nestle between her shoulder blades. For the ease of her own guards, Reginae opted to keep her naga form over shifting. Once she receives the summons, she’ll present with a small entourage of guards. Her Queen’s Guard is notably missing as is her captive. Reginae takes one of the empty seats at the large oak table, her guards fanning out around the room to post up near doors or take seats of their choosing. Reginae casts a lingering stare at the changeling before offering a smile, trying not to let her anxiousness show. “Good morrow, Countess.” She purrs, adjusting her giant white tail around the chair she occupies.

Quintessa ‘s mismatched eyes watch the guards carefully yet emotionlessly, the countess doing her own inner inspection of Reginae’s queens guard. She doesn’t speak a word, however, until the naga speaks, snapping Quintessa out of her momentary distraction. “Good morrow,” she responds, her black-painted lips curling into a smile as he meets Reginae gaze, “I hope your visit has been comfortable and your recovery swift.” The changeling only allows the pleasantries to linger in the air a few seconds before her smile shrinks into a serious line again, one last glance at the guards in the room before she parts her lips to speak again. “I know my letters were cryptic but I assume you can guess I did not invite you here for a cup of tea,” Her blue and hazel eyes drift away in thought, trying to find the right words to say what she wanted to. “Long ago I had a vision. The Great Serpent guided me- visited me in a dream and it showed me two people. One, a naga scientist who I found out worked under the Queen of Larket years ago named Muzo, and the other was also a naga, a resplendent alabaster female with the Alithryian banner flying behind her. You, Queen Reginae. I ignored that vision, however, and since then misfortune has followed me. I think that the Serpent that fell from Arh’Nuk wants us to work together… But I no longer hear its voice. It has been silent for so long… There is, however, another being just like it that barters with mortals; The Great Defier of Death, Alithyk Caluss.” She stops here, allowing Reginae an opportunity to let it all sink in.

Reginae appreciates the direct approach. Nagas weren't flowery people who lingered on inconsequential things. Pleasantries and tea parties weren’t her idea of a good time but she can appreciate a thoughtful host. “Your hospitality has been second to none.” Which begs the question of why. What was to be gained for her presence? Most found the Naga to be uncultured and monstrous as a civilization. The Naga Queen listens intently at Quintessa outlines her true reason for the gathering, a curious smile raised in the interim. Muzo’s name pulls a twitch from her calm features. The Countess paints a memory so vivid to this day. The undead naga worshipers that helped fill the summoning circle that Muzo so carefully crafted on the hill above the temple of Aramoth in Cenril. The womb like embrace of the leviathan upon it’s summoning the closest she’s felt to peace in aeons. While Reginae is curious about these misfortunes, she is also on the edge of her seat when this grand woman details Regi’s experience as her own. “Yes,” she says hoarsely, licking her lips as if parched for more. Long had she waited for it’s words to fill her mind again in vain. Almost a year had passed in deafening silence. She was not alone. Her brows furrow in slight disbelief. “I’ve never heard such a name.” But she isn’t entirely opposed to hearing more. “What does this Alithyk Caluss speak of?” What did it want in exchange? Why did it need to barter?

Quintessa can see that her words have enthralled the naga, that Reginae hangs on every mention of the Leviathan that she herself had summoned. When the queen starts to ask questions, digging deeper into this mystery, the smallest hints of a smile grace the changeling’s lips once more. “Few have,” she begins, “Until very recently. A cult dedicated to Alithyk called the Order of the Shade worked diligently over the last 2000 years to free it, and they were successful. I, myself, am not affiliated with the Order, but I am this Undead God’s prophet. It speaks to me- it tells me all the ways I too can defy death, defy Vakmatharas himself.” There is a spark of fanaticism that starts to build in her voice. “Caluss wants to free us from the eternal atrophy that is death- wants to transform this entire realm into one of peace and order. Infinite. Never-ending. No more struggling against Vakmatharas. No more will the reaper have power over us… At least those that help it…” Quintessa pauses thoughtfully before an idea pops into her head, the hint of her smile shifting into a grin of all sharp teeth. “Would you like to hear the voice of Alithyk Caluss too?”

Reginae’d long held contempt for most of the gods named to dictate the realm. They’d created the naga and then froze the entire race in time for their own mad reasons. A punishment for simply existing. The Order of the Shade sounds vaguely familiar though the Queen can’t place it’s origins in her mind. When Quintessa starts to speak of being a prophet for the entity, Reginae feels her nails bite into her palms. The itch to feel the powerful being’s voice flood her mind was insatiable, even before the offer to hear it is extended. A thrill of indescribable need threads itself through Reginae’s entire body. Any hint of a poker face has fallen by the wayside. Hearing a voice again felt like her reason for breathing. “My sister tried to find that end with no success.” Returned from the dead, Jaize’s attempt to defy the natural order had driven her to monstrous deeds in the name of peace. Would Alithyk Caluss have similar demands? It hardly feels important now, with it’s voice on the proverbial table between them. Reginae lets slip a heavy exhale. A tremor of need in her voice when she answers. “What do I need to do?” It was a bad move to so quickly fold to an unknown but her solitude had stolen away a measure of her pride. Still the Countess had failed to explain the price they are to pay for this great gift of freedom and peace. “What is asked in exchange?”

Quintessa too held contempt for all the gods for creating this world as flawed as they did. All of the suffering in her life was their fault, even if they did not do it themselves they certainly didn’t do anything to stop it. Such arbitrary powers were too much for them, and to defy them and these powers, even for just a second, brought the changeling ecstasy. When Reginae asks what she needed to do in exchange for this, she stands slowly, a large orb that had been kept somewhere on Quintessa’s person placed gently on the table before her. The orb, upon closer inspection, was actually a massive gem, about the size of a grapefruit, black and multifaceted. It rests on the table, only producing an eerie aura until Quintessa’s long, slender index-finger taps once upon it, causing a ripple of necrotic energy to echo through the Weave of magic. Then, with a slow, steady inhale to steady her emotions, Quintessa taps upon the Eye of Alithyk Caluss a second time.

Kanna || No sooner does Quintessa tap a second time against the obsidian gemstone do the windows directly behind the Countess blow open. An ill cold wind floods the room, robbing it of any semblence of warmth it may have had before. The candles and sconces illuminating the marble table extinguish, plunging the room into a darkness only broken by the red moonlight of Arh'Nuk directly outside the windows. "To be in the presence of a queen... How riveting." A voice with the timbre of dripping honey echoes out, his voice undercut by the buzzing of thousands of chitin wings. The windows are quickly shut by the Countess' stewards at the snap of her fingers, and the candles relight themselves with an eerie green flame. There standing behind Quintessa is a creature enshrouded in ebon robes. There is an incredibly powerful aura emenating from the figure as it steps forward. Every step reverberates through the floors in a way that make the seats the two mortals rest upon tremble. The closer it gets to Reginae, the clearer the visage beneath the hood becomes as the emerald lights highlight it's features. A slender black proboscis lies curled against it's skinless withered lips. "Queen Reginae." It repeats, it's voice as gentle as falling gravel against dragon bones. "Do you not tire of praying to Gods that ignore your pleas? Being asked to exchange lives for a chance at acknowledgement?" The lips audibly crack as they peel apart in a smile, revealing a toothless mouth. "All I ask is that you trust in me." A clawed inky hand is extended for the Naga to take, should she accept.

Reginae watches, wound tight as a spring, when the gem is revealed. The necrotic energy tingles through her fingertips; familiar and electric. The room falls apart in a wave of organized chaos. All of the beings in the changelings employ rush to close the windows with deft precision. Practiced. Reginae keeps her azurite eyes on the robbed figure. Her guards are half out of their seats, looking to their Queen for instruction. Without looking at them, Regi waves a hand and they settle. The voice claws through her blood and bones, burying itself under her skin. It deafens any warning bells that might have given her pause. The visage of this entity is rotting. It reminds her too brilliantly of her sister’s decrepit body as necromantic magic fell away from her. Her mouth again feels endlessly dry but her need for a guiding light reigns supreme. “The Gods do not deserve their power.” She agreed, standing slowly as if the creature was calmly approaching the Queen with intent to ask her to dance. It’s light was mesmerizing.”Trust is earned.” That’s what she says but her hand falls mindlessly between it’s claws. All her talk was pointless. This was what she’d been waiting for. Fate found her, through the Countess and Alithyk Caluss, and Reginae Naginis would rise to meet it’s call.

Quintessa ‘s breathing grows shallow in the presence of Caluss’ avatar, the changeling sinking back into her seat as the being addresses the queen itself. The countess wasn’t entirely sure how Regi’s retinue would react to this development, but also there was little she could do now. She had summoned him so Reginae could hear the voice of Alithyk Caluss for herself. When the naga’s hand finds Alithyk’s, Quintessa inhales a shaky breath before she dares to speak up. “The Order of the Shade is no more. Disjointed and scattered to the wind. I do not know where they are but we will form a new order. The old members, those still loyal to the God of Undeath, will flock to us when they hear our call… However, I am needed elsewhere for our mission to work. I cannot rebuild the cult myself- but you? Your influence as Queen, nay, your mere presence itself inspires fidelity. I have felt it since I first laid eyes on you… Your allure. You were made for this task. You were made to be a cult of personality.”

Kanna || The long ebon fingers close in around Reginae's hand as she stands against her better judgement. The sensation of pure necromantic energy is a pleasant buzz against the Naga's pale skin, not too warm, nor too cold. "And trust you shall have." With it's other hand, a ring is produced, blood-red in color, with runic markings on it to enhance it's beauty that rival the mage's moon above. Should Reginae be able to read the inscriptions carved into the underside of the ring, she will see that it is a ring of unholy protection, especially against that of fire. The ring is delicately placed upon Reginae's finger of choice, with it fitting perfectly snug. "A token of our newfound alliance, my dear Queen. Trust in me, and this relic shall protect you in your time of need." The God of Undeath steps back and tips his body forward in a bow. The candles go out again, this time without a wind to snuff them. "Until we meet again." By the time the lights return, the flames once again a soothing golden-red, the Great Insectoid has taken it's leave.

Kanna gave Reginae 1 Bloodstone Fire-Resistant Ring.

Reginae considers the possibilities for a cult grown from her influence. Her and her little song bird could sway a great many creatures with this worthy cause, by force if need be but she doubts it’ll be difficult. The naga alone had lost faith in the gods long ago. Vuryal returned them to the timeline but even The Apprentice had lost their reverence. Her fingers tingle with want for more, more so when the ring settles snugly around her finger. The Countess Quintessa’s words are clear and enticing. “I won’t fail this cause.” Her eyes flicker from the robed figure to the changeling at her side before the figure vanishes and silence soaks back into the room. The mad Queen watches the green light catch in the bloodstone, adjusting it like a badge of honor. The avatar’s voice plays again, balming her anxious nerves. Reginae sighs, lowering herself back down to the table, turning her twisted grin to Quintessa. “I owe you great thanks for this introduction.” Her body language has become lax. An addiction after a draw of their chosen substance. “If I can be of further assistance in the days to come, you need only ask Countess.”

Quintessa ‘s chest rises and falls with her breath, her heart beating hard and fast. She had been in the direct presence of Alithyk Caluss before, sometimes for a prolonged period of time, but it was not something Quintessa could ever get used to. Mismatched eyes remained locked on the spot the avatar once stood, the young woman trying to swallow the lump in her throat now that it had left them. Sapphire and topaz hued eyes flicker back to Reginae, satisfied with her presentation of the God of Undeath. A pale hand reaches forward and scoops the large gemstone up to hold it in her lap, her form looking somewhat exhausted from this short ordeal. Still, the changeling manages to offer the Queen a smile. “You are welcome,” she responds, a shaky hand drawing a clove-scented cigarette from a small silver case the countess kept in her blouse. She places it between her lips but she does not light it. “And the same goes to you. My castle- my citadel, you now have the freedom to come and go as you please.” A snap of her fingers causes an arcane flame to spark on her fingertips, lighting the cigarette and releasing the scent of tobacco and the other herbs that she used in them. “I have nothing more to add, your Majesty, but do not feel rushed to leave. Stay as long as or as short you like, I will entertain you as long as you desire.”