RP:Killing In The Name Of

Part of the Welcome To The End Of Eras Arc

Summary: Killing in the name of... Well, this time, it's in the name of Science and Vakmatharas, as Kasyr contracts Lhyrin to cull the feral vampire population by trapping them and handing them over to Langley of House Markan.

Vailkrin Castle

Lhyrin || Thankfully, Lhyrin had made their way back up to the mainland after having found Kanna in Alithrya, otherwise they would not have seen the request to speak to Kasyr that had been left for them at the Maharan home. They had not wanted to leave Kanna there, but once it had been made known that the mad queen wasn’t exactly going to kill the bard, Lhyrin took their leave of that underwater world for a short time. Now, they approached the castle and were shown to wherever Kasyr had situated himself for the day. They pondered on whether or not to bring the situation up the the revenant, but left it for after the former king had said what he needed to say. When Lhyrin approached, the kensai would find himself speaking with a rather gaunt forsaken elf, the newest addition to House Mahara, one who quite stood out amongst all the bookworms that took up residence there. They were dressed in their usual black and green leathers, though now their long sleeves were removed, the long winding snake tattoo on their left arm shown, a move meant to keep Lhyrin focused on the task at hand: finish up with Kasyr and then return to Kanna immediately. “You wished to speak with me?” Their Vhysian lilt was obvious, yet their tone lacked personality, neither leaning masculine nor feminine. There was truly no way to figure out just what gender the vampiric elf was, as Leoxander had come to realize weeks ago.

Kasyr had set aside a small sitting room for this particular meeting, one neatly adjacent to the pantry, in the instance that his guest might harbour an appetite that might otherwise interfere with their business. That said, whilst it would certainly be an easy enough affair to avail oneself of something to eat- there's very little besides that would have marked this room as occupied, given that the bookshelves look untouched, the fireplace is long extinguished, and even the chairs seem barely disturbed. It would, in fact, look almost like Lhyrin had been ushered by the servants to the wrong room- were it not for the fact that the Kensai emerges from further down the hall a moment later, a bundle of papers tucked under one arm. As for his other hand, it's currently being used to brush aside what looks to be a rather persistent petitioner- and an astute listener might even be able to catch hints of words like, 'Economic repercussions', 'long term ramifications' and 'immediate decisive action'. "Ta geule. We're done here. Tell Colette she can make her case in person, so I can tell her no to her face." That's more than enough to cause the emissary to bristle, but they don't even get the time to follow up, since Kasyrs already piled into the room after Lhyrin, and slammed the door. "Oui. Er, Hi. Yes. That es correct." The kensai shifts from one foot to the other, before finally deciding to meander over towards one of the chairs which unlit fireplace. "Though, I suppose I ought to prelude this with a question." The kensai pauses to adjust the papers from his armpit to his lap, his hands folding overtop them, "What es your thoughts on Strays, both in regards to the feral vampire population, those who haven't succumbed, et the sires that make them, en fait?"

Lhyrin waited until Kasyr had seated himself, and then took up the other chair, their bow and quiver having been left at the castle’s front door for now. “I don’t think of them all that much at all to be honest. They’re basically a waste of space. An affront to Vakmatharas, as their continued existence keeps their souls from moving over to his realm, while also being inedible because of their undead state. They serve no purpose in society.” For someone that spent their time often in the forest, the forsaken elf seemed well educated, a product of their wealthy upbringing. “Thankfully, House Mahara seems to be smarter than others when it comes to wantonly adding to the feral population. I don’t quite understand why it’s so hard to finish your meal or why it’s necessary to turn these people when they have no intention on keeping them. Like I said, it’s a waste.” The stormy-eyed elf looked around the room for a moment, taking the place in before settling on the revenant once more. “I’m going to assume, with the way you’re asking, that you want me to do something about them.”

Kasyr wasn't quite sure what to expect from his line of questioning, but the combination of zeal, as well as a lament to the potential edibility of that particular 'slice' of the population hadn't been it. And yet, while the specifics of -why- they were problematic may have differed, the summary of -what- they represented was similar enough. "Serve no purpose, save to provide an excuse for surrounding regions to point out, et declare us the same as them. The fact that so many of them have cropped up over time has sometimes had me wonder if it served someones agenda to see us labeled as uncivilized beasts." But the truth was likely far simpler. Carelessness. Apathy. Reckless Ambition. Or sires unable to teach, or even defend themselves. The look of distaste on his face is hard to miss, even without vocalizing the thoughts. "Correct. I've been looking to curtail this problem to a degree. While certain houses have taken it upon themselves to rehabilate or adopt strays, it's a slow process, et one that does little to account for those driven mad from starvation, abandonment ou- " An inability to cope. "-Weakness. That said, a colleague of mine seems of the mind they can put to use- et so, I'd ask if you'd be able to take on a long term contract to supply house Markan with any Ferals you find. I'm sure I could likely negotiate some favorable terms for the apprehension of problematic strays as well, if they're unaffiliated et need a patron." Gods know they'll need some initiatives underway, in order to help smooth things over in the wake of all the sanctions.

Lhyrin listened to what the other vampire had to say, their stormy line of sight shifting towards the unlit fireplace. They studied the ash that still laid there, from whenever the hearth had last held flame, mulling things over. “I honestly don’t care what it is your colleague wants to do with them. I suppose at least this way, they’ll serve some sort of purpose, whatever that may be. However, they shouldn’t even be here anymore. They should be long since dead and left to rot to feed the mushrooms. And by that, I mean, they belong to Vakmatharas and have for some time. And I imagine, whatever it is your colleague from the house that dedicates itself to science would be doing with them, it may very well prolong their wretched existence further. So…” They turned in their chair, facing Kasyr finally, the shadows of the room making their gaunt face seem even sharper, and their body almost impossibly longer (not that this would particularly have any effect on the revenant anyway). “I want every third feral for myself, to sacrifice to my Dark Lord. And that’s all I ask in return for this. I have no need for money, between House Mahara and my own affairs in Vhys. I will take no great pleasure in it, seeing as how the multitude of them haven’t had their wits about them in quite a long time and won’t even know what’s happening, but alas. I cannot pass up an opportunity to give the God of Death his tribute.”

Kasyr might normally try to mask his expressions in the midst of a negotiation, but given the combination of zeal and homicidal disgust coming off from Lhyrin- the Kensai doesn't even bother to hide the curious air of mirth that crosses his gaze at the mere -suggestion- of the ferals having their standard of living improved. Nor does he curb the "Mmmmm" that might normally proceed a firm desire to rebuttal a statement. At least, not until after Lhyrin's directed their attention back towards the Kensai, and proposed their arrangement. "Every fourth. Progress es a hungry beast, et spares few. Though, provided this works out amenably, I'd be willing to retain you as a sanctioned hunter even past this project- which may provide you with ample opportunities to acquire tributes for your lordship." One hand drifts forward, if only to begin drumming out a simple beat along the table, "Would you need hunting supplies? At the very least, I can likely see that you're provided with leads on any sightings, ou the like."

Lhyrin pursed their lips together in thought as Kasyr tried to haggle with them. To be fair, they knew that these experiments were most likely to end in death in some form or fashion. After all, why would they want to use the ferals otherwise? They almost felt… saddened? at having not been a part of such experimentations, if only for that rush they got when they saw the light leaving their victims’ eyes, but alas. After a moment, Lhyrin just shrugged and nodded, “Fine. Every fourth. And I have no need of hunting supplies. I’ve been a dark ranger in Vhys for a very long time, so I will have all I need. Leads, on the other hand, would be nice. It will make the job take a lot less time. Have them sent to Chateau Drakenheart and I’ll go over it there. Shall I stick to Vailkrin? Or would you like for me to branch out a bit and keep an eye out for any strays elsewhere? King Macon and I have a sort of… understanding, so anything I might find hunting in Larket, I could certainly bring back here for your colleague as well. The same for Vhys. It would give them a bit of variety, I suppose?”

Kasyr is grateful that there wasn't a pronounced bout of haggling, if only because he has so very little patience for the process. Far better to find a means of delegating and automating the process of leadership, than to painstakingly work out every last detail. "Leads I can provide- Known both insofar as known Ferals, their sightings- as well as the individuals responsible for recklessly making them." Courtesy of house Asharam, and their diligent cataloguing of individuals and incidents that might prove problematic to the city. "I'll also see that you're provided with incident reports et sightings from our local constabularies, et those abroad- frankly, I imagine most foreign dignitaries will be glad that we're addressing the issue, rather then leaving it to them to clean up." There's a pause there, the swordsmans expression growing pensive at the invocation of Macon's name. "Feel free to let Macon know- I imagine he'd appreciate proactive pest control, but I feel it'd still be best if he was aware of your assignment."

Lhyrin || “To be perfectly honest, Lord Azakhaer, I’d rather I didn’t tell him. You see, I made an offer to him some time ago, to hunt down naysayers of Vakmatharas in Larket and make an example of them all publicly and he denied me this. Apparently Larket’s sect of Vakmatharas worshippers don’t work that way and would rather make their sacrifices unseen. A pity really, but all that to say that he’s much more focused on hunting the Red Witch and he thinks me stupid enough to do so, when she hardly leaves Cenril nowadays. I honestly don’t think he’ll notice a few feral vampires missing. He certainly hasn’t noticed the few strays I took from him before him and I even met,” Lhyrin said, the barest hints of a strange sort of mirth clinging to their words. “If you truly think it wise to alert him to the situation, then perhaps it’s best to come from you. The less I have to hear about his obsession with the girl that got away, the better. His single-mindedness bores me to death and from what I’ve seen of him so far, I highly doubt there’s any changing that. I almost feel bad for his poor wife.” Yes, Lhyrin definitely was sh*t-talking the Larket king. But their dislike of King Macon was rooted in his approach to offering up souls to Vakmatharas, rather than anything truly political, like everyone else. The elf stood, intent on leaving, and gave a faux, melodramatic sigh. “I will need to make a detour to Alithrya now and again to check on something there, but aside from that, I will keep your colleague in House Markan well supplied.”

Kasyr is doing his best to remain impassive in the face of all this tea, but it's difficult. In a certain sense, this must have been what Rodin had felt like when they'd dumped all of the guilds proverbial dirty laundry on his lap. And whilst he certainly doesn't play the part of a journalist, he can't help but find himself a bit inquisitive about the whole of it, "By Sacrifices, do you mean their naysayers- only quietly cleaned up, ou, do they have a preferance- perhaps those of a witch-y variety. I'll confess, whilst I'm currently in the process of negotiating for better trades with Larket in order to alleviate the various restrictions placed on Vailkrin, I never quite immersed myself in their culture- even though they share a central religion." That was adequately neutral, perhaps. Which left the matter of Valrae, "Your pragmatism in regards to the Red Witch is appreciated. Despite the rocky relations with Cenril, courtesy of the Blackwell Brigade- She's still rather central to a bit of necessary Deicide. So, please continue to wait, at least until we've dealt with the Pseudo-Deity that's pretending it's worth the scum on Vakmatharas' Shoes. Maybe, " ...If he can snag the timing right- that -would- be adequate, wouldn't it? "Maybe wait to confirm if it's a job he'd even still want done until -after- Vailkrin's mended itself. That our sanctions are dealt with." And to buy a proper bit of time to snap the trap shut on the agreement he'd made with the Hard Citys Monarch. "In any case, Far be it from moi to slow you down if you have an existing appointment. Et so, Happy Hunting."

Lhyrin || Oh, Lhyrin knew -exactly- what they were doing by spilling this tea. They were currently like a cat, making full eye contact with someone while very carefully, with a cold, calculating look in their eye, pushing a cup of tea right off a table and into Kasyr’s lap. “Unfortunately, the number of witches in Larket is on the decline.” It was truly awful. Lhyrin -loved- having them for dinner. “Most of the naysayers though, are those that still follow Cyris or Delisha, and still linger about in the region for one reason or another. Macon has given me leave to hunt as I see fit, so long as I eventually bring him the Red Witch.” And yet, it was obvious that no steps had been taken to apprehend the new mayor of Cenril and bring her back to Macon. It was almost as if Lhyrin was using him. It couldn’t be… could it? “Waiting was -always- a part of the plan, Lord Azakhaer, and will continue to be so, even after her usefulness with this… supposed “God of Undeath” has come and gone. Should our dear witch-obsessed King give word to you on whether or not to cancel my hunt of the Cenril mayor, do let me know. And with that said, yes, I will take my leave. You know how and where to reach me if you require anything more of me, my lord.” The elvish vampire pulled their hood up over their head, offered the revenant a bow, and then headed towards the castle’s front door.