RP:Shielding the Vault

This is a Healer's Guild RP.

Part of the No Seaborn Left Behind Arc

Synopsis: Joan and Rani team up as members of the Healer's Guild to re-seal a Vault in Chartsend containing an unspeakable darkness. While Rani implements the rune design that Joan created, supplemented by her own Divine connection to Cyris, Joan is unexpectedly tasked with keeping a strange child away from the Vault. Upon their completion of the shield, a Seaborn interloper enters the cave and offers his own reinforcement to the Vault.

Cliff Caves

Joan had sent a quick jotted off note to 'Rani, letting her know the vampiric healer requested her assistance with a quest for the guild. Joan had thought her friend the feline would fit perfectly for what seemed to be needed. Once that was done the undead woman would make the long travel out to Chartsend, scouting out the listed location after she met up with the local healers there while waiting to see if Zahrani would join them.

Zahrani makes her own journey from Cenril, all the way to Chartsend. She had left a horse at the stables of her destination, before going the rest of the way on foot. She looks over the note again, her black jaguar muzzle jutting out from an armored hood. With the war going on, things were difficult enough. The last thing the people of Lithrydel needed was another wicked entity to breach its containment. Tail swishing, the paladin waves to the vampiric healer, a grin on her feline face before speaking, "Good to see you again, my friend." before glancing into the entrance to the cave.

Joan offered her feline friend a full on fanged showing smile as she greets the other woman. "Yeah, it's been awhile, I see you got my note." She juts her chin outwards to the note the panther had. "It seems the vault in here needs renewing as well as purified and sealed up. I thought working together with you we could make the seal last longer and keep the evil housed inside locked away for longer then six years with those snazzy sunlight powers you have. Wanna take a gander inside?" Joan makes a hand motion for the feline paladin to go ahead of her into the cave and towards the awaiting vault.

Zahrani feels warmed that Joan had thought of her and her abilities. With a determined nod and a quick warm-up stretch of her arms she says, "Yes. Let's see what we can do to keep this affliction contained." With that, she walks with the vampire into the cave. In the darkness, the faint glow of her divine aura passes over the rocks and earth like the reflections in a pool. Cyan eyes scan the area, before alighting on the magical shield that they were tasked with restoring. And not a moment too soon, for it had already started flickering, threatening to crack and fail and release its wicked contents.

Joan hangs back slightly as she catches the sight of the flickering vault once she and 'Rani walked deeper into the cave towards that magically guarded vault. She wasn't totally evil but there was an off chance her dark magic and necromancy tendencies might negatively effect the already weaken shields. She would lift up one hand up and out, lightly extend her index finger as she allows a tiny amount of magic flicker out to alight the torches all along the cave walls to alight the cave so both of them could better get a view of what they were dealing with. A frown turned her icy pale lips downwards as Joan gets a good view of what they faced. "Just about timed it right, eh?" She said to the panther. Joan could feel the evil emanating from the weakening vault and it gave her pause, she'd look to Zahrani now, this was more her friend's specialty now. 

Zahrani watches as wisps of dark energy try to make their escape from the ward. With a chuffing noise, she raises both hands to chest level. "This might get a bit loud," she warns, as the air around her begins to snap, crackle, and pop. Arcs of Sunfire jump from finger to finger, hand to hand. With a swift forward motion, two large whip-like tendrils of bright yellow energy connect between her hands and the surface of the fracturing shield. They make an incessant buzzing noise as they infuse the barrier with energy, 'welding' its cracks shut. The buzzing and the light-show stop, the jaguar woman panting at the expenditure of energy. The ward now takes on a more fluid, rippling quality. The paladin turns to Joan, "Do you have the layout of glyphs and incantations to re-crystallize the shield?"

Joan wrinkles up her pert nose up in a show of displeasure, she looks down towards her low slung satchel, flipping open the covering she would shift about the many contents in it muttering about 'needing to clean and organize'. With a loud "Aha!" she'd pull out the original plans, these she would roll out and hold out towards 'Rani. "These should be it." 

Zahrani moves over to stand next to Joan while they look over the original specifications of the ward. With a sigh, she goes, "This will take a few minutes, but I've bought us time..." She reaches into her pocket, pulling out a pair of arcane chisels. A basic tool for sustained spells. She hands one to Joan, "Let's divide the work. I can handle the geometry of the seal, if you'd like to handle the inscriptions. Can you think of any translations or improvements?" The jaguar paladin understands why this shield rune was built the way it was, but she is not as well-versed in rune-smithing as she is with Divine healing.

Raelynn found herself at the cliffs, a place she had yet to see and was as good of a place as any to look. ‘Don’t leave any stone unturned,’ she would hear people say. The troubled girl had not been expecting to see another person, let alone two way up here.

Joan had laid out the sheets of paper on a convenient rocky outcrop near the vault, almost immediately the bookish vampiric healer was rattling off what she had read out loud as she had been studying magical glyphs, runes and arcane sigils for a few years now. "Hmm, that sunlight magic of yours would be the best, I try to tinker with the shielding I might let some dark magic slip in and ruin what we are tying to prevent." She pulls at her lower lip as she looks over what had been written down as she thinks about what could be seen as an improvements. "Perhaps warding the shield and vault with blinding holy light or something? You know a magical blast that would leap out to those that have evil intentions." She pulls a small pencil out from her satchel and begins to sketch a few things out on the papers as she thinks, as she sketched away she would notice the sounds of approaching footsteps enter into the cave, she would pause as she looked up in a curious manner, "Hello, are you here to help?" She ask aloud to call attention to the visitor. Her guild badge hung out on that pure silver chain about her neck, it clearly was the healers guild symbol, 'Rani had one also but Joan didn't know if the panther paladin had it out in plain view like Joan did. 

Zahrani ponders her friends idea of a magical blast of Holy fire as a trap for anyone with ill intent. "I think I could make that work." The jaguar paladin's ears turn towards the sound of footsteps, her cyan gaze alighting upon an avian woman approaching. She offers a feline smile to Raelynn, before preparing taking her chisel and preparing the first layer of geometry on the newly-restored magical barrier.

Raelynn hadn’t bothered to quiet her steps, not that she had ever not needed a reason to sneak, but what was curious is that the girl appeared to be a mass of a dirty brown blanket wrapped around her, hiding basically all identifying characteristics about her, other than a few stands of curly black hair with what would be crumbs flecked throughout and a brilliantly blue eye peeking from the edge of the cloth around her head. “Just looking,” she mumbled, the back side of her pile shivering at a strange feel to the air as she looked between Joan and her companion. “It’s dangerous,” the strange mound of cloth mumbled as she confidently walked forward, intent on continuing deeper inside and beyond any barriers. She had to find it. “Here it there…Where are youuuu?” Raelynn whispered to the winds.

Joan blinks as she gives her amethyst colored head a shake as she ponders on what was up with the youth, a queer glance is given as she holds out her pencil, she used the eraser end to point at the blanket covered youth, "Yeah it is...but please don't get in the way dear. We are working on strengthening the shield to this vault and adding traps that may harm you." She turned back to the sketched out possible improvements as 'Rani gets to work.

Joan said to Raelynn, "Hmm, you look like you could do with something warm to eat and drink would you like to come along with me to to the tavern?"

Raelynn said to Joan, "Okay,” she said without hesitation, her original objective forgotten as she watched the other woman just clunk out and go to sleep. “Where?"

Joan would lead the way towards the tavern after she rolled up the papers she brought with her, these she would stuff back into her satchel while she asked a few polite probing questions to the youth.

Raelynn strolled along behind Joan, in no rush and with a vacant shadow dimming her visible eye, her mind seemingly elsewhere.

Joan would lead the way into the inn, as she entered she would cast a glance back over her vested shoulder to see if the dirty blanket covered youth followed her in. the vampiric healer would take a seat at the nearest table, pulling out a chair for her slender figure to sit down in. Once seated she would place her elbows on the table before she as she looked over Raelynn, "I'm Joan and that was my friend Zahrani. we are both with the healers guild and are on a mission, but since 'Rani seemed busy I thought we could go and get a few sandwiches, maybe a couple of bowls of soup or chowder and something hot to drink to bring back." She would flash a hint of a fanged smile towards the youth.

Raelynn tucked her legs under herself as she sat across from Joan, her head cocking to the left ever so slightly as the woman smiled. Raelynn mimicked the expression, but horribly failed at any semblance of sincerity. She knew it was the socially appropriate response, she was sure, but at the mentioning of sandwiches and soup, and hot drinks her brow furrowed in confusion. The strange walking pile of ragged blankets reached inside and from the depths pulled out two biscuits and a sealed bottle of horribly warm milk. One of the biscuits was set, or rather dropped onto the table in front of Joan. The sound it made as it fell onto the would would have been softer if she had dropped a rock. “Milk and biscuits,” she stated with a conviction that conveyed that this was the only and proper meal anyone should have, and proceeded to break the seal on the bottle of milk and pour it over the horrifically stale biscuit. “I’m Rae,” she whispered as she pushed the milked biscuit towards Joan, the other already in the opposite hand and at her mouth so she could start to nibble at the softening, and frankly gross biscuit.

Joan held up her hand as a way of declining the offered now milk soaked biscuit. "Thanks, but you should really try some soup and a sandwich, it's my treat and it would please me if you partook, yeah?!" Joan would then lift her hand up to catch the attention of one of Cara's serving girls, once one of them noticed and drifted over to their table Joan would give her order to the girl. The sever took the order and hurried away to put in the order, in short order she would return with a tray full of the ordered items, these she would set before the older woman and the youth. Nodding that she was pleased with what was presented and that her order was severed to them correctly Joan would take up a hot steaming mug of tea. Sipping at it she would give the youth a more thoughtful look over. "Well Rae, it is a pleasure to meet you, what drew you out here today if I may ask?" Her tone warm, bright and hopefully projecting sincerity.

Raelynn reached a tentative hand to a bowl of soup and pulled it to her like a cautiously curious feline. She sniffed it a few times, the edge of the blanket dipping slightly into the bowl and when she pulled her head back, several drops of the still warm liquid fell onto her face as the soaked fabric pulled back, the sudden warmth making Raelynn huff in annoyance and stare at the bowl. “It’s hot,” she nearly growled, but suddenly smiled, genuinely and dipped her biscuit in the steaming liquid, letting soak, and stared at Joan for a nearly uncomfortable amount of time. “Looking for the Burning Dawn,” she said, answering Joan’s question and ignoring or not caring about the redness and slight blister already forming beneath her eye from the hot soup.

Joan blinks a few times as she grabs up a nearby napkin, this she would unfold and hold out to Raelynn. "Huh, I don't know what that is, but I offer you any help I can...use this to wipe at the mess on your face." She frowned now watching the youth, she clearly had mental issues and needed to be tended to this caused the vampiric healer some alarm, as she had not yet dealt with healing the mind.

Raelynn took the napkin and did as instructed, sort of. And the biscuit was still in the soup, but much softer she was happy to note as she took a bite if it. If only Joan could know that what she was seeing if the Avian was itself a seal, or sorts. A fragile one at that. “It was my fathers sword. It’s dangerous,” she swallowed the mouthful of dough. “To everyone.” The blanket clad Avian pulled the blanket from her head and gave Joan a full view of her face, and thick curly hair that was knotted and riddled with biscuit crumbs and other debris. Her expression was suddenly serious, “I have to find it, or we could all die.” The usual shadow of aloofness was gone from Raelynn’s eyes for but the briefest moment as she stared at Joan, as if she could see into her spirit and through it, as if she knew her better than herself, and then that clarity was gone, and the girl sat there, biscuit being gnawed on.

Joan sits back against the back of her seat, one finely shaped brow shot upwards, "Huh, well I know about dangerous items, a friend of mine left me a few items. Her name was Raevyn." She wasn't too bothered with the sudden stare as there seem to be some clarity for the youth. Joan would pick up her spoon and dip it into the bowl of soup, she'd spoon some up and lift it up to her icy pale lips and blow at it before opening her mouth then place the spoon into her mouth, her lips close about the spoon as she eat the soup, she'd take her time and chew it with her mouth close, then make of show of swallowing while she pulled the empty spoon out of her mouth then dip it back into the soup and repeat the whole thing over again before saying to Raelynn. "Repeat what I just did using the spoon. That is how you properly eat soup."

Raelynn pushed the soup away and stared angrily at Joan. Who was she to order her around and lecture her on propriety. Biscuits and Milk were what was proper! Her chest heaved as she slowly breathed in and out and a mass on her back, her blanket wrapped wings, shivered. Out of nowhere, the entire building groaned and the patrons inside started in surprise. For a split second, it felt like the pressure all around Raelynn had increased tenfold, but was gone just as quickly. “I don’t like soup,” she whispered and stood and walked out of the tavern and back towards the cliffs, not paying attention to those trying to catch their breath from the sudden increase of gravity, or the remains of shattered bowls and glasses and plates. “Nice meeting you,” she mumbled while she slowly walked to the door.

Joan just let out a sigh, she was only being polite and trying to show the possible feral youth now to behave and act while out in public. But then Joan herself was sort of a shut in and forgot about how to interact with people. The magical display just had Joan shrug her shoulders. She did ask for the sever girl to pack up what was left of the ordered food so Joan could take back 'Rani's order. Yes, it was strange, but this whole land was stranger, and she had already ran across a few teenagers that where as odd if not odder in behavior then Joan herself. Those pesky social norms...she left quite a tip for the sever and explain to everyone that nothing else would happen and to excuse her and they youth that was in here with her. She got a few glances and overheard a few muttered words and complaints but she ignored them for the most part. She didn't come out here enough to care what these folks thought of her. Making a mental note Joan would speak about Raelynn to those higher up in the guild and see if they could help the strange youth. Oh, and perhaps remember to ask about some 'Burning Dawn' sword. With her food wrapped up and stored in portable food transport items Joan would take her leave, she had to get back to the vault after all, couldn't leave 'Rani all alone to do the work this was suppose to be a group effort.

Zahrani had continued the work while Joan kept the strange young avian distracted, the paladin putting the final touches on the runes that would create a blast of Divine Sunfire through the cave, should someone attempt to disturb the vault's magical barrier. Cyan eyes scan over the arcane symbols for "purification", "sunlight", "Cyris," and "expulsion." The new additions to the vault would pack a punch. Upon successful completion of her part of their shared task, the feline turns to Joan, offering a warm, slightly weary smile to the vampire, "How is the young one?"

Joan makes a face as she comes back to the cave after her trip to the tavern to get her and 'Rani some sort of meal to tied them over. She carried a large picnic basket with her as she gave a sad shake of her head towards her friend and fellow guild mate. "I seem to have said something that well disturbed the girl and she took off, she is really lost in her mind and will need a healer of perhaps Emilia's level to help her out mentally. Other then that, I got us some hot creamy potato soup, a couple of really nice thick meat and cheese sandwiches and a couple of drinks. Come eat and take a rest before we finish." She looks over what the feline did as she now rolled out her stretched plans once she set the basket on the rocky outcrop they were using as a sorta table top.

Zahrani could use a break, though a look of concern passes across her face as she hears the concerning news about Raelynn. The armored feline takes a seat across from Joan, before reassuring her, "She seemed unsettled. There's no telling what could have upset her. I'll send word to Cenril and Schezerade as well. If they see her around, they'll let the guild know." The Isran Collective had a secondary home in the Avian city, thanks to a connection of kinship with one of its most influential denizens. The jaguar takes a drink, before releasing a grateful sigh and saying, "Thanks for bringing the meal, my friend."

Joan exhales out in a noisy manner as she leans up against the cave wall, her voided gaze looking over runes as the shone brightly, almost to the point she needed to squint to look at them. She really wished she could contribute magically but she was one of the undead and that might help the evil the vault was shielding back against so Joan just made another face before digging into one of the hot steaming bowls of soup she taken out of the basket.

Zahrani enjoys a few bites of soup, looking from the vault back to Joan's face. The feline is silent for a few moments, giving the runes a once-over before saying, "I'm glad you're here, and I'm glad to be able to help you with this." A bit of appreciation for her guild-mate who takes active roles in multiple guilds. Rani doesn't know how she does it. After a few bites, the paladin gets to her feet, chisel in hand, ready to finish the job.

Joan nods as she take another hearty bite from her creamy piping hot potato soup. "Thanks 'Rani that means a lot...I mean I know being one of the undead does mark me as evil in certain ways and me being a necromancer doesn't help matter even more when it comes to something like this, but I do my best to daily prove I'm more of the shaded gray neutral type." She watches her friend go back to work, her drawn out runes look to be copied to the letter by Zahrani.

Zahrani nods in understanding as she wraps up the last runic inscriptions with the arcane chisel. One last scan of everything they had planned out. The feline places two of her fingers to her lips, giving a ritual kiss before placing the two fingers over the arcane symbol for Cyris. The magical barrier hums as it re-stabilizes, projecting a calming warmth as the black tendrils of the darkness recede from view. With a soft exhale, Rani turns to Joan with a grin, "I've seen you work; you have nothing to prove to me."

Mcracken was suddenly just sort of... there. Whether this wild-haired, unkempt man of indeterminate age and heritage had climbed up from some sea cave below or wandered here by some more conventional means, it was very probable that nobody would notice his presence until the moment he cleared his throat very loudly and said in a low-toned voice, "Dost thou.. that is to say. do you need assistance with..." he waves long, oddly webbed fingers at the epicenter of attention. ".... that?"

Joan turns as she soon as she sensed another presence in the cave with her and Zahrani, the vampiric healer offers a rolling shrug of her vested shoulders as she glances over the man as he spoke to them. "Sure, any and all help is welcomed. See me and 'Rani here are from the healers guild and were sent out here to help the vault here. It's holding back a great evil and the seals were weakening." She explains.

Zahrani turns her feline muzzle towards the stranger as he approaches. The paladin pockets the magical chisel, before adding, "The most time-sensitive work is done. The shield is stabilized and reinforced now..." The black Jaguar woman takes a breath, then, "What may we call you, stranger?" Her voice is a smooth-yet-slightly-raspy tenor, with a Cenril feline accent to it.

Mcracken gives the situation a sweeping glance, then hmm's and nods to Joan and Zahrani each in turn. "I didst hear thy arcane workings from far..." he flaps a gesture in one general direction, ".. yonder, redolent in the aether." he bends his long frame now almost in half to peer at the runic figures, inhaling deeply through his nose. "Most competent!" he decrees, glancing at Zahrani without straightening himself. "But if thou wishest a smidgeon of further precaution, may I offer..." the apparent beggar reaches down to air-trace several sweeping lines in the air, which fills with a hum so low and deep as to barely be a sound, intoning syllables so old and alien they cause nearby stones to exude sweat, as though weeping. Before this din can cause any kind of permanent harm to the fleshly duo he's intruded upon, the sound ceases, and from somewhere comes a loud clicking, cracking, and a soft boom. Only then does Mac stand to his full height and mumble something that sounds like "M'cracken", and then "Naught shall break thy seal but that its head does explode in an ugly mist." His wide mouth twists into a surprisingly pleasant smile.

Joan gives her friend a telling glance as the man goes about helping with his bit of strange magic, the vampiric healer now arches up her other eyebrow as she hears what the man added on..."Okay overkill there, but sure whatever works, yeah?" She does notice the weird sweating of the cave rocks and moves to stand away from the rocky outcrop she had been leaning against just a few moments ago...her outfit was rather pricey.

Zahrani gave the undead a woman a nod of her head before moving away from the vault door, felines and wetness didn't mix well so the feline excuses herself to head to the opening for a few moments.

Mcracken tilts his head and peers at Joan, from one angle and then another, tapping one long forefinger on his lips. Then he scratches his beard, from where a tiny blue crab is dislodged and tumbles to the ground, confused. Mac scoops it up before saying to Joan, "Thou art of dual nature, opposing yet in odd harmony. It is interesting indeed."

Joan tilts her head slightly as she studies the man in a slightly interested manner, since the vault now seems more then strengthened magically and now perhaps overprotected; she figures their business here was now concluded, she gives a jerk of her head towards where Zahrani was near the entrance of the cave, ready to leave. "I suppose, since you helped us how about I buy you a drink or two at the local tavern, hm? We can speak more there if you like." Zahrani at this point offered one of her feline grins before departing; she had other duties to attend to.

Mcracken said, "I do not thirst, except for conversation and company, for it has been long since I had the pleasure of either." He steps to allow Joan to lead the way, his every word and gesture tinted with an air of some bygone age. "Perhaps a little music…"

Joan makes a hand gesture towards the cave entrance, "Whatever the gentleman prefers. Shall we go then?" She'd take the lead from here, making the trek to Sea-La-Vie.