RP:Tasking the Follower of Hind
This is a Devout's Guild RP.
Summary: Khitti wants the recipe to Theoduin’s sweetbread and gives Larz a task to keep his mind off unpleasant matters.
Sanctum of the Divine
Nestled in between Kelay’s most popular restaurant and the town hall lies a grand cathedral-esque structure. Stone in varying shades of grey make up the four walls and foundation of the building, with silver-painted doors and white accents to match in varying spots of the building, giving a few key outdoor access points in case of emergency. Tall, vivid stained glass windows--one of each of Lithrydel’s major deities--line the two side walls of the building, serving as the Sanctum’s magnum opus. From the Light of Arkhen, to the darkness that Vakmathras calls home, each individual deity is shown in all of their glory, wielding their chosen magics or weapons, in poses befitting them all. On the inside of the Sanctum, beneath each stained glass window, lies an altar dedicated to each god, complete with candles, incense, and whatever herbs needed for worship. Caretakers of the Sanctum show no judgement, for a person is free to worship whom they wish--it’s how they do it that matters. In addition to the altars, this room also houses pews, lined down the center of the building, until it reaches a slightly raised platform with a podium. This may be used for sermons, weddings, or funerals. An elaborate door, one that opens only for those in the Devout’s Guild, seemingly leads to nowhere on the back wall behind the podium. For those in need of shelter and food, a staircase leads down into a sizable, furnished undercroft. Here, a fully staffed kitchen is in working order, with a large dining room to accompany it, on one side of the basement, while the other holds comfortable beds, for those weary citizens of Lithrydel that neither has a home nor the money to spend on a room at an inn. All in all, the entirety of the building is under the Devout’s Guild’s protection and no quarter will be given to those that seek to harm Lithrydel’s citizens and lay waste to the realm.
Largakh spent the next few days resting, but after the first night he slept, someone offered a blessed candle to the half-orc, “for the night terrors,” they had shyly offered. I guess it was foolishly optimistic that he would escape his torment unscathed, but the candle will absorb the nightmares and keep them at bay for the time being. After a good cleansing, outwardly, he is able to start helping around the place and people are more accepting of the man once he bathed, shaved off the wild looking beard, found clothes and cut his hair, but between helping he is reading and praying before the altar of Hind for his more inward cleansing. Dressed in a simple pair of black slacks and a cotton long sleeved tunic to hide his vitiligo, he makes his way towards the kitchen with a large crate in his arms which he’d been tasked with to help with. Even though his face still looks a little gaunt and his skin a little pale from lack of sun, the half-orc is looking much better to the point of near unrecognition. His natural scent able to surface now that he isn’t covered in a year’s or so worth of stench and it’s oddly pleasant; notes of a campfire in the woods and an undertone of lemongrass are subtly left in the half-orc’s wake.
Khitti was… not quite as active just yet. She’d slept in her office that night, the top of her desk a puddle of drool, with Khitti sleeping right in the thick of it. As per usual when this happened--and she clearly had things to take care of that day--her sword, Tenbatsu Kaji, floated up off the floor from where Khitti had laid it the night before, and over to the redhead’s desk. Snoring continued from the guild’s leader as the katana levitated its way up over its wielder and promptly whacked her on the back of the head with its sheath. Lots of loud swearing would ensue. Many fraks, gorrams, and all the seven levels of hell left Khitti’s mouth as she rubbed the back of her head and glared at the sword, “What the ever-living hell did you do that for, Seika?!” Khitti knew the answer of course, and she was promptly given it. “You’ve things to do today… or have you forgotten? I’m starting to wonder if all this driving you’ve been doing since your child was born has finally started to mess up your brain.” No one but Khitti could hear this, of course. All anyone heard outside of her office was their fearless (okay, she’s really not always fearless; it’s more like stubbornness) leader yelling at nothing and even throwing a few things. Her groggied and angry behavior would preceed her, making its way down to the public kitchen of the Sanctum in the form of whispers and giggling by way of some of the members lower on the guild’s totem pole (ie: students). Khitti might not have been drinking last night, but in order to deal with the headache (THANK YOU, SEIKA) that wrapped itself around her brain, she’d down a shot… or a few. Not enough to really get her drunk--she’d gotten herself a nice tolerance over the past year--but it was enough to dull the pain. With Tenbatsu Kaji on her back, and its recently acquired partner, Khitti’s wakizashi, strapped to her hip, she made her way downstairs to make sure things were going smoothly and people were doing what they needed to do. The whispers all but ceased when Khitti showed up and those that didn’t were promptly given a glare. “If you’re not actually helping down here, return to your studies. -Immediately-.” Most of the students would scurry away and clear out the place, leaving ample room for Khitti to slump down into the nearest chair, amongst some of the poor folk--injured and not--who’d taken up temporary residence in the building. They eyed her with a smirk, knowing full well of her temper at this point--the guild constantly had regulars staying with them, night after night--and greeted her with a few hellos and even a chuckle or two. Saving Khitti’s arse as usual, was the student that typically was sent to this kitchen to help--they practically begged for the job every day; it was their calling it seemed--gifting her boss with a nice big cup of coffee that’d been well-sugared. “Why haven’t I promoted you to deputy leader yet?”
Largakh has decent hearing thanks to his elven heritage and even though what he hears is surprising, outwardly, he doesn’t react. A package arrived for Larz, along with a letter from his grandparents and while he skimmed over the letter which explained that they are definitely cutting their travels short to come back to Lithrydel and see their beloved grandson who they thought was dead. A brow quirks, so… People thought he was dead and that meant no one went looking for him, his father really covered his tracks to set the evil agenda in motion. Suddenly, that train is thought derails and the mouth-watering scent of his grandfathers famous sweetbread fills the kitchen which made the man grin. Passing by Khitti while bringing the box over to a woman and her young daughter who almost got kidnapped the other day before Larz helped them here, “elven sweetbread?” Perfectly savory and moist bread which had a subtle crunch to the cinnamon buttered top that glistens in the candlelight. The mother accepts two pieces while mentioning what a delight and that her late husband’s favorite treat was this very bread, but he’d never been able to find a bakery that sells it. “You two settling in?” They nod with mouths full of sweetbread before he grins and brings the bread back over to where Khitti is sitting, “would you like a piece?” His gravelly orc voice spoke low and soft, as he can easily tell that she’s probably got a headache, but it didn’t take too much detective work to see she’s stressed.
The smell of the sweetbread filled Khitti’s nose and roused her from her headache-induced stupor. She doesn’t even taste it before she’s already considering asking Larz for the recipe so she can sell it at the bakery. Or better yet, -he- could sell it at the bakery. Khitti wasn’t a money-hungry person by any means, but that didn’t mean she was an idiot businesswoman either. “Oh my gods, yes.” She’d snatch it up out of his hands as quickly (and as nicely) as she could at the moment and gobbled it up. Look, don’t judge. Khitti reaaaaally likes her baked goods. She’d wash it down with her coffee before finally acknowledging him further, a sigh issued at length, “That was amazing.” She paused, rubbing the back of her head, “If you ever end up happening upon a talking weapon, never oversleep around it. It won’t be very pleasant. At least, -mine- isn’t, anyway.” The redhead peered over her shoulder at her katana, offering it a smirk and a glare. “How are you?” was asked eventually once she attempted to stop being bitter, focusing her attention on him, “You’re clearly feeling a lot better since I last saw you.”
Largakh grins proudly down at the remaining bread, “yup. Grandpa Rolafir’s secret recipe, he won’t even tell his only grandson.” Typically, he doesn’t clue people in right away that the other half of him is elvish, but it’s not every day you snap back from near death, or worse, near total loss into Darkness. His gaze follows hers to look at the weapon she speaks of, “I’ll, uh, keep that in mind Miss Khitti.” Honestly, if any inanimate object speaks with a conscious to him, he will just ‘nope’ right outta there. Figuring he will stop hovering, he lowers down to sit near her in a general sense of at least an arm’s length away, “I am, indeed. All thanks to you and the wonderful people here at the sanctum,” his hand smooths down his jaw where the wild looking beard used to be. “So glad to get that itchy hair off my face,” is said with the start to a chuckle at the end. “I see what you meant before, about the over abundance of trouble around here. Just the other day, I helped that widow and her daughter here after the little one was nearly kidnapped,” with a shake of his head, the half orc lets out a sigh. “I also found my old place, it has been rented out to someone else. So, if there is anything I can help you with around here or for the Devout’s, just task me to it,” it will still be some time for his grandparents to travel back home to their secluded cabin in the woods and even if they ask him to stay with them again, he just couldn’t.
Khitti wouldn’t blame Larz if he did. She probably would’ve done it too, considering at one point, she didn’t believe in the gods. But… dying in holy fire and being brought back from the dead with the help of not one, but -three- of Lithrydel’s deities will definitely change your perspective a little. Her attention shifted back to that bread as he downed it, to which she nodded in its former direction, “If you’re not careful with that stuff, I’ll put you to work at my bakery in Cenril too.” She finished her coffee, pushed the mug aside and pulled the katana from its place on her back, setting it in front of her so she could actually use the back of her chair to lean against. “I’m sure you’ll find someplace new. Plenty of space in the forest here to have something built or there’s always Cenril. The place is bursting at the seams practically, but I still manage to see apartments and houses for rent or for sale there. I can’t speak for Gualon, since I’ve never really been there--but you obviously know that place like the back of your hand. And I don’t suggest Larket or Venturil. Is there a specific sort of scenery you like to live in? Or maybe you’d want to change things up a bit? The guild’s got a contract with some terramancers from Xalious; they built the Sanctum and has repaired some places that’s needed it because of things we’ve been involved in. Hell, they even remodeled my bakery and put in an apartment for me and my family above it.” The terramancers were definitely good people and Khitti was glad to have them handy because look, it’s Lithrydel. Things get hella frakked up here and things get destroyed -all the damn time-. “As for work… what skills do you have? What did you do before you disappeared? I don’t want to send you out to do something if you’re not a fighter, nor do I want you to be stuck in the Sanctum all the time if you’d rather not assist the few students here that we have.”
Largakh actually had placed the remainder of the sweetbread back in it’s box to keep for later because, “oh, I know I have to be careful with this stuff. I love my grandpa and all, but I can’t eat that all the time like I used too. I was a, uh, chubby little orc growing up,” he says in a nearly embarrassed manner. “I’m not entirely welcome to stay here so close to Sage forest. My grandparents were actually shunned by the elves for taking me in when my mother passed,” a shrug. “I ended up moving to Gualon as soon as I could because at least orcs were too stupid to care if I am a halfbreed and I had hopes that the elves would accept them back into their society, but… that didn’t really work out.” It seems he has dealt with a lot of adversity in his long(?) life… I mean, the guy has a streak of silver in his hair and he definitely carries himself as an older gentleman, but his face looks quite young. “Cenril might be a good change of pace seeing as that’s where Kyori and I stopped the kidnapping, but the apartments for rent seem a little… luxurious and I am quite the simple man.” While rubbing the back of his neck, he answers her last question, “as far as what I did before I was taken. I worked as a city guard for a while and eventually worked myself up to be a detective.
Khitti smirked somewhat as Larz spoke of eating that delicious bread in his childhood, but it soon faded as he went on to describe what the rest of his life had been like. This prompted a frown from Khitti. “You shouldn’t have to put up with that,” she said, her voice firm, like it had been the day the two met. “But… I do understand. I, uh… used to be a vampire at one point. And not a very good one.” Olive-green eyes peered up at the ceiling as she told the tiniest portion of her own story, her lips remaining twisted into that frown. “I refused to feed from the living for a long time. And when I finally did, I only fed from criminals. The majority of them from here and Xalious, because it was so close to where I was living at the time. The people in Vailkrin found about it pretty quick--word travels fast amongst the vampire houses there. They weren’t exactly kind about it. People in Frostmaw weren’t either. Not only was I undead, but a necromancer as well. Meri--that woman that saved you--and my partner Brand, were a couple out of only a handful of people that really accepted me.” Her line of sight fell from the ceiling finally, fixating on the half-orc again. “I think Cenril would definitely be a good change. I’m not gonna lie that sometimes the size of the city and the amount of people can be stifling sometimes, but it’s easier to blend in there, without even trying. And the seaside is the best part. Especially in the evening, during the sunset. The oranges and reds and yellows of the sun mix with the same colors of the bricks and stones that’s been used in the buildings--it makes it look like it’s on fire.” Khitti shook her head and sat up in her chair again, offering Larz a shrug, “All that to say that I’m sure you’ll be fine there. Cenril’s a huge melting pot of people from Lithrydel and elsewhere. As for the money, a new slew of jobs will be put up on the board upstairs in the guild hall very soon. And of course, the people that do odd jobs around here like cleaning and cooking and whatnot get paid for their time as well. I don’t just force people to have their nose in a book studying all day. I’d offer you a job at my bakery, but it sounds like it’s not quite up your alley, unless you’re making your grandfather’s bread.” Letting out a ‘hm’, she got up from her seat and wandered to the counter where a notepad and pencil was left, to be used to make a list of goods needed to stock the kitchen when necessary. “There is something I think you’d do well with, but it’s kind of far away,” Khitti said, returning with said items and reclaiming her chair.
Largakh shrugs with that crooked grin a constant on his face, “it’s just the way it is and makes me stronger… more careful of who I let close to me.” Khitti was saved the pretend ‘dumb orc’ act he usually puts on because he knows that’s all people expect. Larz’s grin does dwindle a little in her serious retelling of her life, but there is no judgement from the orc, “and you’re happy now as a human?” Vampires notoriously do not have souls and does that not equate to not feeling joy, but he’s just not known many to make a definitive thought on such subjects. Also, he doesn’t care much. “Orcs are inherently evil. Some people treat me like a time-bomb and after a prophetess told me that one day I would come to be the Blue Orc… I even treated myself that way, too. For a long time I only lived to do good in hopes that I would be remembered for those things and not the things that were to come.” He let out a heavy sigh, “but I know the truth now and even though I'm not going to become a victim of my blood, I still want to do good.” Larz found himself grinning again as Khitti talks of Cenril, “I do know a little of it. I used to go to one of the cliffs that overlooks the ocean and just meditate or pray, but you describe it better than I ever could.” The half orc nods, “I would like to stay as busy as I can. It will help me deal with my emotions on getting over Lanara.” He runs a hand down his face as it becomes somber along with the story, “I, uh… stopped by the orphanage when I checked on my old apartment.” His voice broke a little and with his elbow propped on the table, he allows his head to sink a little into his hand where his eyes are. Holding back tears, “two kids were murdered.” The woman running the orphanage told him why and told him who, but he just cannot come to grips with the fact that two innocent lives were lost and it is sort of his fault for introducing them to Lanara. A sharp intake of breath and the success of holding his tears back brought him back to the conversation, “traveling will be a good thing miss Khitti.”
Khitti nodded, side-eyeing the table in front of them, “I am happier now. I didn’t have a choice in becoming a vampire. The one who sired me would say otherwise, but I really didn’t. I was going to come to terms with it at some point, I think. Especially after I’d finally started feeding, but… then I met Brand and… well… it was all downhill from there.” It really -had- been downhill. How did they even end up together? How did that happen at all? They -hated- each other in the beginning. Hate doesn’t even seem like a strong enough word for it. There were other, more complicated things that had happened--things that seemed like they’d tear the two apart for ever. And yet, something still managed to break down the walls on both sides. “There’s a saying in one of my favorite fairy tales, about a demigod who fell in love with a human: People do crazy things when they’re in love. That whole quest of mine was insanity, heh.” Khitti scratched the back of her head awkwardly, dwelling on all the bad things she’d done then. Some things that she actually missed doing. She still missed the darkness, craved it. There was a yearning for a balance of the light and dark that she’d almost certainly never get. When he brought up the orphanage, her features switched from a look of introspection to one of utter confusion. Lanara… killed children? She’d never been told this. Word had gotten around that one of the Backstreet Bards had done it. Khitti’d believed it because… why wouldn’t she? Madness seemed to take hold of people so often that she didn’t even question it. “I’m… sorry, Larz. I don’t know what to say.” She truly didn’t. The redhead sighed, finally going to scribble down Larz’s task. “There’s a logging camp in Frostmaw’s woods. While that’s nothing out of the ordinary, they’ve hit upon a section of trees that were connected to frost dryads. They’ve died, unfortunately, as is the way with dryads, but their spirits are seeking revenge. The loggers have gone for now, but the spirits need to be dealt with. It’s up to you to decide whether it’s by force or by trying to talk to them. It may be difficult to do so, however. I’ve dealt with way too many evil spirits in my life--once they reach a certain point in their rage, they’re unreachable. I think though, that with your connection to Lauria and Hind, you might be able to work with them. I can’t say that I know too much about dryads, but maybe there’s a way for you to solve it by planting new trees for them?” The directions to the area in the frozen forest were written down and the parchment slide over to Larz.