RP:Mending Shadows
Part of the A Test of Faith Arc
Pale Moonlit Path
Tiphareth follows close behind as the Queen and her crew ferry off the wounded paladin, finally meeting up with the location where they appear to have slowed or stopped within the dense fog.
Satoshi, upon reaching the twilight comforts of Vailkrin, orders her escorts to place redovian on the ground atop one of the guard's cloak. The white fabric rapidly absorbs the injured man's blood, but at least the flow has been partially stymied by Satoshi's peculiar healing methods on the trip here. Kneeling down beside Redovian, the magus begins singing, the melody soft and haunting as it calls to the surrounding fogs and brings them forth. Gossamer threads pool upon the first of Redovian's wounds, a ripple running through them before they seep beneath the flesh to seek out torn muscle and broken bones, places of damage they can wrap themselves around and begin righting--with the unpleasant chill that comes of the foxkin's magic.
Tiphareth notices the Queen commencing her unique healing ritual upon stopping in the unusual triage location, "Good evening Queen, you appear to have your hands full here with this one... while I am no healer per say, I have certainly created more than enough potions toward that end in my day to be of suitable proficiency at it... would you mind my assistance?" The Eldermage, speaks the request, though is already removing bottles and vials from his satchel as if she had answered, looking back and forth between his task at hand and the healing Queen for her response.
Redovian feels the unnatural cold creep into his body, as his wounds begin to close. The man shivers violently, from both Satoshi's magic and the loss of so much blood. In his weakened state, and all alone with a vampire and a lich, the man wonders why these two, supposedly evil and vile beings, are the ones whom came to his aid. Tiphareth, the enemy he was training to fight for years now, offering him aid, and wisdom. His Queen, a vampire with a sorted past that while mostly unknown, has some red in her ledgers nothing could hide. Yet here, in the land of the damned, a fallen paladin's life is being saved by a vampire and a drow lich. This situation, coupled with the presence of something far darker than even those two, places questions in the man's mind that he cannot answer. And, perhaps due to his temple being so close, Vakmatharas' voice, once a whisper, seems to hold more power. Its a powerful tone, but, it is whispered in the man's mind in the way a father would call to his son. Perhaps Tiphareth can hear it, perhaps not. " Give yourself over to me, and power shall once again be yours... accept your Queen's dark gift, and be reborn as my child."
Satoshi, save for a slight falter at Tiphareth's sudden appearance, does not miss a beat in her song, instead turning the words of her reply into lyrics, "It'd be appreciated, Eldermage~. I do not tend to heal the living, they've a habit of dying when I flood them with my magic~." The hint of laughter that enters her voice suggests she's joking, but when it comes to Satoshi... there's probably more than a grain of truth in the statement. Still, she won't turn away the aid of a mage as skilled as the Lichdrow, not when she's determined to keep Redovian on the side of the living until he's told her his choice. Naturally, she's unaware of the whisperings going on within the fallen paladin's mind.
Tiphareth gathers about the strange assortment of unknown substances and begins work upon an impromptu potion upon the street path. A mortar and pestle is removed from the satchel, the first entrant dropped within being a small dried portion of flesh, forcibly taken from an innocent child, followed closely by a vial of clear liquid, known by the Eldermage to be tears from a tortured wood elf. A few drops of the Lich's own vile waste tops off the mixture as he begins mashing the bizarre concoction into a paste, all the while pouring out unknown verse through thin ebon lips. The language is ancient, and unknown to nearly all but the inner conclave of Vakmatharas followers as his chants grow more ominous, deep echoes and reverberations accompanying his bodies mortal voice. From an outward vantage point, it unknown whether the Lichdrow is crafting a mixture of magical or divine origin, though Tiphareth knows full well this is no potion of arcane origin, truly being a sacrificial offering request of aid to his Dark God to save the tortured ex-paladin's body... though his soul was another matter entirely.
Satoshi risks a moment of distraction to look toward the working Eldermage, having never seen him concoct a potion before and terribly curious what his methods consist of. The scent of flesh is a familiar one to the kit, as well she can hazard a guess what the salted odor of the liquid is, although she has no way of knowing their dark origins. So he uses ingredients like she does, apparently, or so she thinks. Momentary distractions aside--likely at the cost of some minor frostbite on Redovian's arm--Satoshi resumes her weavings, blindly directing the threads of frigid mist through the man's system purely by will.
Satoshi, with a gesture of her hand, shoos her escort away to stand guard in case any hungry vampires decide to try and take a nibble from Redovian.
Tiphareth finishes mashing the pasty poultice before approaching the heavily injured knight, "This mixture should aid in accelerated healing of his more serious wounds" Tiphareth places a gloved hand into the mixture, not wishing to accidentally kill the man though incidental contact with his deadly digits, before he proceeds spreading the concoction over Redovian's gapping injuries, chanting all the while in the same ancient tongue utilized before in the unholy creation of the vile curative offering.
Redovian continues to shiver, expecially when Satoshi is distratced and indeed his arm becomes frostbitten, only causing his shivering to increase. But, with Tiph's incantation done, the man starts to feel better. Warmer. While not quite healed just yet, the offering was answered. Redovian, the fallen paladin, the former champion of kanos, has his strength returned to him by the Supreme Lord of Death, by a sacrificial ritual done by a lich, while a vampire used magic to heal his physical body. Again, the voice. " You have doubts... I can give you power that will clear away any dounts you will ever have...Call out my name child... and I shall embrace you in my arms. Accept the gift offered by your Queen. Ascend to something more, and never fall again..."
Tiphareth leans in toward Redovian, the very embodyment of death now standing over the ex-paladin's body as a low, harsh whisper slips from his lips into his "patient's" ear. "Vaakmaatharaassss" An elegant soothing of the word into an almost melodic tone as multiple voices at once emerge from within the drow in harmony.
Tiphareth looks toward Satoshi, "He seems to be stabilizing, shall we allow him to convalesce locally, or do you think he has strength to travel all the way to Frostmaw?"
Satoshi shakes her head at Tiphareth's words, a sigh voiced as she releases her hold on the magic now that Redovian indeed seems table. "Too far to travel. He'll have to stay here, or close by at the most." Perhaps she's also hoping the presence of Vailkrin's constant twilight to influence Redovian toward accepting her offer?