RP:Per Aspera Ad Inferi

This is a Devout's Guild RP.

This is a Necromancer's Guild RP.

Through hardships to Hell.

Summary: Raevyn seeks to find sanctuary from the horrors she's unleashed from a tome once belonging to Nasada and happens upon Khitti. Khitti tells Raevyn to give her all the information she has about the book and does her best to heal Raevyn's mind with Tenbatsu Kaji's magic. It seems like it had worked... until history repeats itself somewhat and black liquid flows from Raevyn's eyes and nose, eventually taking over her entire form and drowning her in whatever void the book wished, leaving Khitti to use Tenbatsu Kaji to destroy the book, in hopes it would help things further. But... Raevyn did not return... and Khitti's left with even more infuriating questions than she had before.

The Mallard Family Bakery and Tearoom, Kelay-Sage

The door of the restaurant swung open violently, in its wake a pale face hidden behind a hood. Panic was evident as she quickly closed the door, quick to peer out into the dimly lit streets as she did so. It had been a long time since the girl had entered this establishment; Not since Larewen Dragana first brought her back from the brink of the dark wilderness on the outskirts of Vailkrin. The main body of the restaurant seems to have gotten a bit of an uplift sometime in the last few years, but the real surprise was the new addition in the southern room. With a book clutched tightly to her chest, the woman clad in back made a quick retreat for what is now the new Ms. Mallards, every few seconds looking over her shoulder to make sure that none had followed her in. She would not wait for any greeting, nor offering to be seated before she quickly found a chair in the back of the room and sunk into it, making sure to keep her eyes on the entryway in fear.

Khitti sat by herself at a table near the window (well, it was a window to look in on the restaurant, at least), seemingly going over paperwork as she sipped her hot chocolate (who the heck drinks hot chocolate in the middle of summer?!) and ever-so-slowly ate away at her carrot cake. One would think that the owner of the bakery that replaced Mrs. Mallard’s in Cenril wouldn’t show her face at their new establishment here in the Kelay-Sage area, but honestly… Khitti enjoyed their food. Okay, she might’ve felt a little bad about Mrs. Mallard’s death as well--even if that woman had been about as horrible as horrible can be. That horrible woman’s bakery kept her grounded when Khitti had amnesia, though. It’s where Brand had found her again. It’s where Khitti and Meri and Alvina had some of their last happy memories together before Khitti’s untimely (but not entirely unexpected) death. So, she thought to support the rest of the Mallard family in their endeavor to keep the bakery’s heart and soul alive. It’s something Khitti would’ve wished for if she had died (again… for the third time). And so, she was as she went over the numbers for what it would cost, how many people, and how long it would take in order to get the Paladin’s Guild’s new headquarters made--literally right next door, in fact. “Frakking hell,” she muttered to herself. “These terramancers are going to be the death of the guild’s bank account -and- my own.” It was becoming increasingly clear to Khitti, that as the occasional damage bills came into wherever it was she called her office for the day, that the terramancers were going to get every penny out of her, because they knew there’d be more damage in the future and she was going to go to them regardless. They -did- get the job done quickly after all. Khitti sighed, rubbed the bridge of her nose as she felt a stress headache coming on, and wondered if maybe she should’ve stopped at the tavern instead. They had alcohol there. There was a reason why Brand always had a bottle of whiskey with him when he was forced to take care of the Tranquility’s paperwork--this was likely it. With that lovely seat by the window, it hadn’t been hard for Khitti to spot Raevyn’s panicked antics--in fact it was kind of welcomed because it kept her from paying attention to those dreaded numbers--and olive-green eyes just watched as the hooded female scurried to a seat with a book. The bakery wasn’t quite as active as the restaurant and the poor girl was sure to get some snark from Khitti. “If you’re trying to hide something, whether yourself or something else, it’s best not to look too distressed. It’ll only give yourself away.” She, of course, didn’t know it was Raevyn--and nor did the katana that floated next to Khitti’s table, though Tenbatsu Kaji did glow with that calming, golden aura.

Raevyn shouldn’t have been totally surprised that someone would call her out on her strange behavior. She hadn’t been in Kelay all too often in the last few months, so she really didn’t think she would run into anyone she knew. Those that typically knew her best were always out in Xalious, or lately, in that forsaken city of the damned, Vailkrin. Wide eyes of pale blue peered out from the shadow case by that fur-trimmed hood, not long to land on the one that had addressed her. There was genuine shock plastered upon the girl’s face when she dropped the hood to reveal her identity. “Miss Khitti…? Is it really you?” It had been so very, very long since the young necromancer had crossed paths with the redhead. In fact, the last they met was just before that damned book had sunken its fangs into the poor girl and turned her into a recluse. “Oh by the Gods of the land. I am so glad to see you at this hour.” Raevyn stood then and found herself quickly approaching Khitti’s table. She did not quite know of the woman’s shifting of guilds or professions, only that she was no longer a main player in the role of the necromancer’s Guild. “I am afraid that I have done something terrible. That… I may have cursed myself in some regard. I don’t know what to do…” Raevyn said in a panicked and desperate tone. Again, the girl glanced toward the doorway.

Khitti blinked a few times as Raevyn made herself known and frantically approached the templar with her admission of doing something awful. Her thoughts immediately went to Bradyn, knowing the girl was likely still in the Necromancer’s Guild, and then shifted towards Venturil and the dark deeds the leader of House Mahara had conducted there. Crimson brows furrowed in concern, and she did her best to quell whatever emotions the thought of Bradyn were forming in those darker parts of her mind--those ones that the Light still couldn’t quite touch just yet. “What… did you do, Raevyn?” Olive-green eyes scanned the younger female’s face for some time before Khitti finally motioned to the chair on the other side of her table, taking care to only move some of her papers out of the way so Raevyn would have a place to lay her book if she wished. “What is going on?” Khitti kept her voice as calm as possible, those aforementioned eyes staring at the girl expectantly for answers.

The black of her lower lips was sucked under her upper canine, brow then knit to expose the worry written all over those porcelain features. She looked absolutely guilty, even if she hadn’t actually committed a crime. “Cela and I… we found this… book.” The item was pulled away from Raevyn’s chest and dropped onto the table with a thud. Its cover was thick and leathery, with strange sigils written on its face. Should Khitti open it to inspect its contents, she would find everything from journal entries to arcane spells written in the many languages of the many races across the land. It made it tough to decipher to those unfamiliar with some of the more ancient languages, but the ghastly and gruesome depictions of the dead would speak as to exactly what sort of book it were. “In Larket. Many, many months ago. It belonged… we think it belonged to the necromancer, Nasada. At first, I was excited. It was the answer to my problems. I thought that with enough study, that if I could decipher the languages within, I would find a way to… cure myself.” Raevyn paused and thought about it- Had she ever spoke to Khitti about her predicament? “But I think I’ve instead cursed myself. At first, it was harmless. Cela and I… we’ve seen… spectres. They have never done anything to harm us. I thought it was just harmless warding. But the more I read, the more I translate..” Raevyn slipped into the chair across from Khitti. She began to look a little unhinged. “I’ve seen things. I… see things. Terrible things. They follow me. They whisper into my mind. I have seen things that no living being should witness. Terrible, terrible things. I think… I have let something out…” A wreck, Raevyn clutches the sides of her head and stares upon the table. “..What have I done?”

Khitti || Well, this was not at all what Khitti expected. The mention of Celaeno brought a slight frown to the redhead’s pale lips, and her line of sight fell away from Raevyn as she spoke. The worry didn’t leave her, of course. It only shifted to the entirely new topic. After the bittersweet memory of the metal-gauntleted half-elf faded away into that aforementioned dark part of Khitti’s mind, she finally took up the book and inspected it. Some of the things within, it reminded her of the book she found Lionel reading in Xalious almost three years ago. -That- book had been about the Dark Immortals and their deeds and anything else that had gone with that from so long ago, back before Khitti’s time in Lithrydel. “Trying to cure one’s self of dark things always does more than what you’d expect. It’s never simple. Magic, from anyone or anything, always comes with a price, no matter how you use it. I should know--it happened with my vampirism cure.” Oh, the things she could tell to Raevyn, but it’d likely only make the girl’s state worse--much, much worse. “What exactly are you trying to cure yourself of? What does it have to do with Nasada? Months ago, when we spoke and you mentioned him, I talked to Lionel and got nothing but bad news from him when it comes to this necromancer. You were just looking for information then and I thought little of it, but failed to remember from my own recent past that going looking for information doesn’t always end up that way. You always stumble upon something and it’s almost always bad.” It just seemed to be the way of things around here in Lithrydel. And Khitti’s homeland, Dhavislaav. And… well… pretty much everywhere else. “I’m sure it can be dealt with, but now -I- need information.”

As Khitti examined the book, she herself may get a dreadful sensation, perhaps even hear whispers or catch things out of the corner of her eye. If not immediately, then perhaps some time down the road. The longer the exposure to the book, the worse the hallucinations. Raevyn looked up with manic eyes, breath heaved in and out deeply. She was trying to calm herself down. “Well.” she started, going over the events again and again, almost as if they had been most recent. “Before I came to this land… I.. found something. A stone. The more that I know now, I would say that it was perhaps more than that. A soul stone. I tried to take it home… but… I never made it. Sometime into my journey, I was attacked. Robbed, I think. But the assailants never got what they wanted. Instead… they hit me with it. So hard that the thing broke.” Vivid flashes of that night came into the girl’s view. “I think… I thought it was a dream. At first. I found myself in a horrid place. A place I could only imagine was some sort of twisted hellscape. It was so awful, Khitti.” Those pale eyes began to water, hand set atremble as she carried on. “The dream, it didn’t feel terribly long. Not at all. But… I didn’t wake for three days. That’s how long mother said I had been gone. That place… the dream.. I was scared that it was a taste of where I would go. Anyway… after I went home.. Things changed. I became withdrawn. I didn’t really talk to anyone, or study as I ought to have. And every night.. The dreams. Those awful dreams. Eventually they told me to walk the path of… darker arts. And so I did. It cost me my home. My quiet life. They cast me out when they caught me. It’s why I was so nervous about speaking of necromancy when I first came to Lithrydel.” Long, black nails began to dig at the tablecloth, a sense of discomfort present the longer Raevyn continued to talk. “When I came to Lithrydel, I took on the name. Nasada. It came from a dream. I used it to conceal my necromantic deeds at home, and thought I best continue to use it in this new country. Yet… people, they reacted to the name. Larewen Dragana… a vampire of Vailkrin, she especially seemed to know something. It would take some time until I found out that whatever happened… when those cretins attempted to rob me… Nasada, his essence.. His.. soul… whatever it is. It’s now bound to me. Inside. He has weakened. This, I know. But he’s there. I have suffered because of his presence. Dreams that are not mine. Waking in strange places. I have even attacked my closest friend. He sent a guardian to spy over me for some time… but I have not seen Baelok in so long. When Cela and I found this book… I was sure it would have a means to separate myself from this terrible man. I think I’ve found something, but… this book. It has infected me. The dead. The shadows. Memories of those I’ve loved. They haunt me incessantly. Perhaps this is punishment for my misdeeds...”

Thankfully for Khitti, the book’s whispers couldn’t quite reach her, thanks to the holy sprite within Tenbatsu Kaji. When they finally -did- try to sink their claws into her, however, the sword glowed a fiery orange, and Khitti’s attention quickly shifted to it, her frown remade anew, and this time with a bit more concern--if that was even possible. Khitti listened intently, of course, taking in every scrap of knowledge Raevyn spewed out, committing it all to memory. Heh, of course Larewen would’ve been interested in Nasada and his soul and likely gave little to no care about Raevyn herself. Types like Larewen Dragana never did--that’s why it took Khitti so long to rid herself of her own “demon” of sorts, Amarrah. The mention of the soulstone reminded Khitti of Dominic--not her son, but of Brand’s former other half--for he too had dealings with a stone and its contents within. This whole situation was quickly complicating itself tenfold, but there was a Light at the end of the tunnel. “Excuse me,” Khitti said first and foremost to the waitress that was passing by, “Tea. The biggest cup you’ve got. Chamomile and Lavender please, and honey if she wishes it.” By she, Khitti of course meant Raevyn, as the tea was meant to help calm the girl’s nerves. “It’s funny that you should find me now, instead of a few months ago,” her attention returning to Raevyn. “I don’t know if I would’ve been able to help you back then. Battling dark magic with dark magic sometimes only makes things worse. Fighting fire with fire, as they say, doesn’t always work. But…” Khitti grabbed Tenbatsu Kaji from where it floated and set the sword in the middle of the table, that orange glow shifting to red as it got closer to the book and Raevyn herself. For anyone that dealt in dark magic or was one of the undead, the aura itself would surely cause pain to them. “Does the aura hurt you at all? Or is the book’s hold too strong? If it does, I can help with a temporary fix--and I say temporary because I’m assuming you’re going to keep this book in your possession--and it will help to clear your mind.” She paused, took a deep breath of her own and let it out carefully before continuing, her voice gaining a somber tone, “Not long before Celaeno left the lands, I healed her lesions. They were gone, entirely, and didn’t return even after using more dark magic. This situation, however, is a little different. The magic is much stronger, much older than whatever Celaeno’s father used on her.” She assumed that Cel had told Raevyn that her master had in fact been her father. And if she hadn’t? Well, it’s not like Cel was around anymore for the time being, if she was ever going to return at all.

Raevyn nodded toward the waitress to confirm Khitti’s order; Honey in the tea was an absolute must. “Perhaps… it is fate, then. I wanted to say something before… to bring it up. But I promised Cela we would wait for telling anyone, and Sir Lionel, I was not sure as to what he would think.” As Tenbatsu Kaji was brought closer to the table, Raevyn physically recoiled, terrified eyes falling to her hands as she quickly peeled off her gloves expecting some sort of blisters to have been forming. It was hot, like a bad sunburn, but no sort of physical manifestation appeared- Thankfully. “What… what is that? It burns…” she slid her chair back slightly, just out of reach that it the aura didn’t affect her too badly. “Cela…” Raevyn began, looking then to the floor as she had a bit of a memory hit her. It was that very night that the book stole her away; Celaeno had been speaking about some sort of progress with her own affliction. “Please. Any-” A resounding boom cut the poor girl off as the door to the restaurant flew open with great force and a gust of wind came blowing into the peaceful sanctuary, sending papers and other light decorations all around the room. Terrified, Raevyn stared at the door as if she knew something was coming to get her. And yet, nothing entered. “Anything. Please, Khitti! It won’t stop until I am mad. I… if I am not already falling into madness now.” Raevyn’s gaze fell to the book, almost wanting to reach out and caress its pages; But she knew better.

Khitti breathed another sigh, this one of relief, as the holy glow did indeed hurt Raevyn, and the sword’s aura resumed its golden hue to lower it’s intensity upon confirmation. “I understand your reasonings for not wanting to speak to anyone about it, to be honest. Especially Lionel. I do fault Celaeno for leaving me out of it however because she should’ve known better.” She shook her head, continuing on with her thoughts, “It’s holy magic, Raevyn. I’ve uh... had a bit of a career change, I guess you could say. Tenbatsu Kaji was forged in the temple of Cyris, blessed with holy water, and even has a holy sprite living within it. If, after all of that, the sword was unable to harm you, then you’d likely be well and truly too far gone.” Khitti mustered a faint smile for the girl, for that was good news, but it was soon washed away by the gust of ill wind. Not much in the realm of darkness unnerved Khitti, for she’d dwelled in it for far too long. Lately, however, with the goings-on in Venturil and her dealings with the one known as Gabriel, things had certainly begun to. It wasn’t quite because things were rather creepy, but because Khitti secretly craved the darkness again. It unnerved her that she sought to feel the cold embrace of dark magic once again. Wasn’t she done with all of that? “Come here. Lean forward a bit,” the redhead said as she tried to quell these feelings of guilt and lust towards the thought of wielding the Black Tides once more, her hands outstretched to place themselves against Raevyn’s temples. “It will hurt, but I’ll do my best to channel it slowly.”

Raevyn frowned, but understood Khitti’s position when it came to Celaeno. She felt guilty, and perhaps should have spoken up sooner. Yet, they had met here and now, when Khitti was more in a position to offer assistance. An assistance that even Raevyn had not known about. “Cyris… A.. God, yes?” Raevyn had heard of Cyris in her studies about the realm’s many deities. It was strange, that she, a preacher in the name of the darkest God in the land, would be here seeking help of one who served a God that was practically the antithesis of her own. Well, she did not exactly serve Vakmatharas. Not in a genuine way, at least. “You are always so full of surprises, Khitti. I was sorry to hear that you had parted from the Necromancer’s Guild. Mister Mahara has been.. Fair. Helpful at least. But he is so stuffy. He never shows emotion. I hope you have found happiness with your new path, however.” Raevyn managed to muster a smile, even if she were terrified deep down. As instructed, the girl leaned forward, palms flat upon the surface of the table to prevent herself from slipping forward. “I… can handle the pain, I promise... I just want the shadows to stop.”

Khitti couldn’t help the curling of her upper lip in disgust at the mention of Bradyn and his “helpfulness”. “Bradyn Mahara is no better than Larewen Dragana, no matter what he thinks of himself. The only time that monster shows emotion is when he’s taking a life in the worst ways imaginable.” Nevertheless, Khitti persisted through her own thoughts and set herself again on the task at hand, shifting the topic of the conversation back to Cyris. “He’s a god, yes. Of freedom and independence.” Tenbatsu Kaji’s golden aura grew stronger as Khitti channeled the sword’s magic, the holy energy seeping into Raevyn’s mind, seeking to eradicate what it could of the book’s hold on the girl. “I have walked a path of light and darkness, even when I had my necromancy, forever stuck in between. After the sword chose me, I realized that Cyris was a perfect fit for me. I want people to understand that even those that wield the darkness can do good. Just because someone’s a necromancer or anything else of the sort doesn’t mean they have to walk the same path as Nasada, or Larewen, or Bradyn. It’s a sentiment I have to instill within the Paladin’s Guild too, as their leader. I think it’s going to take some time, but I’m hoping my efforts won’t be entirely fruitless. Everyone should be free to choose their own path, no matter what magic they use. It’s what I tried to tell Celaeno. I’m not sure if it ever truly got through to her.” In her own mind, Khitti spoke to Seika, the sprite within the sword, instructing them to stay away from any part of Raevyn’s mind that might be inhabited by Nasada himself, instead of just the what the book created. Getting too close too soon might make things entirely worse. If Nasada did sense the holy magic, it’d serve as a warning: you’re being watched and this girl is protected. Don’t frak things up and make things difficult for yourself. “I’m still in training too, and I don’t think it helps my case. That’s why I have to channel the sword’s magic… I don’t have any of my own.” Her frown returned and she chose to stare at the table instead of Raevyn as she finished up working the temporary healing spell. “There are very few that believe in me, and even less of those few even want anything to do with the gods, good or otherwise.” Not long as she finished speaking, she pulled her hands away from the girl’s head, releasing her and allowing her to sit back into her chair once more. Khitti’s attention didn’t sway from the table though, her line of sight not quite on the sword or the book, but somewhere in between.

Raevyn’s eyelids fell shut at the holy warmth began to fill its way into the void of the darkness that had been plaguing the girl’s mind as of late; Face contorting and wincing as the aether surgery sought to remove the cancerous growth piece by piece. It was pain as Khitti had noted, but Raevyn tried her best to ignore it and put on a brave face. “I… knew from the first time we met.. You were a good person, Khitti. I always thought the same… even home.. That anyone can practice anything and now turn to darkness. That there are good people who practice dark magics, and I am certain that there are evil people that practice with schools that are revered. Raevyn’s hands slipped to the edge of the table and began to squeeze, a coping mechanism as the power of the light went deeper into the infection, trying to clear it out. “I believe in you. I really do. I am… thankful that you helped Cela. And I am happy that you have found a better purpose. Even if you must channel the magic of someone… or something else.” As the pain began to lessen and the holy essence began to subside, Raevyn relaxed a little, finally opening her eyes to settle them on the servant of Cyris. “I think that with time, others will believe in you too. You are wise, and compassionate. You have probably lived a thousand lifetimes in such a short time on this world. You are something that others… myself… can aspire to.” Raevyn reached out and gave the woman’s arm a reassuring squeeze. In the moment of silence that followed, there was the soft sound of drops hitting something. It was viscous, like molasses, and it came in intervals of two seconds each time. When Khitti looked up, she would notice that Raevyn was dripping from her nose and eyes; At first one might mistake it for blood. Upon closer inspection, it was black. Ink-like. The table below did not bear any sort of droplets however, which would lead one to wonder, where exactly had they fallen. Splat. Another drip. Looking back to the young necromancer’s face would show another drop coming from her eyes, but it did not fall- It ascended. As if gravity itself had reversed, the drops began to pool on the ceiling, spreading out until it formed a strange inky puddle. “I… don’t feel…” Raevyn started, but by that time, it was too late. Suddenly, black slimy tendrils shot out from the ceiling and grasped Raevyn around her shoulders, torso and neck. It immediately pulled her upward and against the ceiling, a straining and creaking sounding out as if the pool of damnation was trying to crush the frail girl. Another tendril shot out and snatched at the book, attempting to pull it into the murky pool as if there were no ceiling impeding its path. However when Khitti looked down, the book would still be sitting there upon the table. Did it miss? Raevyn began to scream frantically- It was ear piercing, a sound of true and pure terror, a sound expected of one that knew they were about to meet their end. Raevyn began to sink into the liquid, her body the first to fall into the abyssal depths of black, leaving her pale face in contrast. She looked to Khitti pleadingly, expecting the Paladin to intervene, but it was all happening too fast. There would be nothing that anyone could do. The inky black liquid soon began to seep into Raevyn’s open mouth, drowning out her screams and finally pulling her under completely until there were naught but a dry black stain in her wake. Where the girl had gone would be anybody’s guess.

Khitti mustered a smile for Raevyn, finally looking up, “I sure hope you’re--”, but she was cut off by the blackness that seeped from Raevyn’s eyes and nose. No no no no! Not again! Damnable black liquid was never a good sign; it was the very thing that happened to Khitti when the dark energy of the Shadow Plane tried to taint her human form, forcing her to become one of the undead so long ago. A strange vampire-like hiss escaped Khitti’s lips--a remnant from her past self--as she stood from her chair and sought to grab the girl’s arm to pull her back out, but it was quite too late. Seconds ticked away as solutions to this madness raced through Khitti’s mind. Well… there really was only -one- solution wasn’t there? “Seven frakkin’ hells and all the gorram paths in between. Brand and Meri are going to kill me when they find out what I’ve been doing.” As if Venturil wasn’t bad enough. Tenbatsu Kaji found home in Khitti’s hand easily, the templar willing it into her grasp without even reaching to get it. She stared at the book. That book. That damned tome. After another moment’s hesitation, mostly to try to clear her mind, Khitti raised the katana above her head, the sword’s tip hovering precariously over the book. No sooner was that done did Khitti drive the sword into the book--or tried to anyway. Hadn’t she read something like this somewhere? A powerful wizard using a sharp pointy object to destroy some evil guy’s journal? This had to work… right? There was always some truth to stories, no matter how far-fetched they might seem. As Khitti attempted to destroy the tome, Tenbatsu Kaji’s aura flared to that deep dark red again, holy fire bursting forth from the blade’s edges.

The blade would hit its mark most assuredly. Right through the cover, end to end, the blade pushed through and landed right into the table. However, Khitti might notice that there had been little resistance, that Tenbatsu Kaji was able to push into the tome like a knife through butter. Suddenly, the item that had been sitting on the table, turned to ash. Was the blade’s holy fire too much for the book to handle? Was the heat intense enough to vaporize it on the spot? The tablecloth itself did not suffer the same instantaneous ashing, instead catching aflame- To which the waitress was already coming over with a pitcher of water to douse the thing and keep it from spreading to anything else that might go up in a blaze. Raevyn did not reappear. There were no more ghastly tentacle of black, and all seemed to calm. Much like what had happened with Celaeno a few months prior, it was almost as if what took place were some sort of twisted vision; An illusion of the macabre. Only time would tell the truth.