RP:The Restless Dead
Part of the Unforeseen Consequences Arc
Black Library
As you climb down into this room its immense size is the first thing that strikes you. The old wooden ladder creaks un-nervingly as your foot rests on it. This dimly lit room is huge and filled with dusty ancient bookshelves. On examination you can see the shelves are carved from solid black oak, strong sturdy and known for its arcane properties. Lining every shelf is thousands of books all colors shapes and sizes. All the books appear to be about necromancy and black magic and thus the whole subterranean chamber is filled with a most ominous evil aura that seems to sicken right to the soul of any who enter. The smell here is of stagnation for not much fresh air reaches this place; it seems to invade the nostrils like some strange miasma adding to the sickly sensations the room seems to invoke. On the walls hang various ornaments from candle stick holders that bring a tiny tinge of light to certain areas and preserved skulls of all kinds of creatures from Human to Dragon, Drow to Centaur and things even stranger than that. Faint but heavy footsteps can be heard against the cold stone floor distantly so it would be wise not to stay too long without sound reason.
A thigh bone covered in carvings is lying on top of a shelf.
Vajramirne's arrival was marked by the draconian half-elf dropping straight down through the trap-door overhead to the floor. Always one to make an entrance. It didn't hurt that she was relatively familiar with the place. Landing safely was just a matter of slowing one's fall on the various shelves and tables nearby the ladder which served as an entrance. The Shieldmaiden's eyes adjusted quickly to the dark, and quickly set about scanning the room for any sign of the one with whom she had come to meet.
Celiann had been sitting, eyes steadily focusing upon an open tome while her hand wrote on some scratchy parchment. She seemed quiet, content and focused in her work. With such a landing and dramatic entrance, however, she jerked and spilled the inkwell onto the parchment and down the table. A small yelp as she flapped a hand nervously, panicking as she moved the tome immediately and then set about fixing the now oozing ink. A series of panicked mumbles and whispers were emitted, before she finally - and nervously - addressed whoever was here, "Wh-Who goes there? Um, look, y-you shouldn't sneak up on people! This is a p-place for necromancers, you know, so.. um... yeah!"
Vajramirne rose up to her full height without much further delay and stepped forward into the light. Although considerably taller than the typical female elf, her facial structure and features were quite distinctly elven. "My name is Vajra Mir'ne Abassalle. Some call me the Shieldmaiden. Excuse my sudden arrival. I am here on business."
Celiann saw the incredibly tall woman and near gasped! She was only around five foot something, so she was fairly short. But that wasn't too important, at the moment! Celiann nodded eagerly and began to fumble around, near tripping over the bottom of her robe in the attempt to get around her desk, "Oh, yes, um, I'm Celiann. I'm, um, y-you know, the one who wants to hire you. Is that the t-term?"
Vajramirne made a quick assessment of Celiann as she approached. She didn't quite know what to make of the woman, other than the fact that she seemed to be quite at home down here amongst all the tomes and darkness. Vampire? Considering her location here in the City of the Dead, that would be a reasonable guess. She wasn't particularly intimidating, though... so perhaps not. Vajra had had very little experience in dealing with vampires, truly. "Do not worry yourself too much with formalities, Miss Celiann. Just tell me what it is you need help with, and I'll see what it is I can do." Dealing with a woman also took a bit of the nerve off. Vajra was much more comfortable around women than she was when she had to deal with men.
Celiann was a little bit relieved that Vajra didn't seem so hostile or intimidating at the moment. But she was certain she was a capable warrior. She offered a smile, causing those fangs to glint slightly in the light, "Oh, yes, of c-course." She was a fairly timid woman, that much was obvious. "Um, yes, what it is," she cleared her throat, fingertips nervously adjusting her round spectacles, "Well, um... Things are going wrong in Vailkrin. And, um, I think it's starting to... meddle with the dead. So... I want to raise one. But I'm not sure it will r-remain controlled by my magic, so... That's where you come in." A shy smile, before she raised a slim digit, "There is, er, one issue, though. Um, it's not all... All too legal to dig up a body. So, I need you t-to disguise y-yourself as a mourner, with me, as we dig the body up and raise it."
Elarick shouted, "* Thunder preludes the arrival of unnatural lighting from within the void that towers above the fallen city of vailkrin in a most forboding of manner. From the epicenter of the darkness, a swirling vortex begins to form... something is coming...and it cannot be something good...*"
Vajramirne couldn't help but notice the visible glint of fangs any more than folks could ignore the occasional silvery scale protruding from her flesh. Still, she wanted to continue to appear professional, and so she eased herself up against a nearby bookshelf and tapped her chin in thought. "Trouble in the City of the Dead? Well, now... I'm almost curious enough to take this job just on account of wondering what you might discover." Still, the job was a bit strange. Dress up like a mourner? How hard could it be? "Right... so how much are you willing to offer if I take the job?" She'd have named her own price, but to be honest... she was a bit timid herself. Losing a customer because she over-valued her own worth was not a fun experience.
Elarick shouted, "*A deafening boom erupts from the void, lightning trails about and plunges down to the dark city, landing randomly, as the activity within the darkness nears reaching its end...*"
Celiann was ready to check her coffers and see what money the noble House could spare for the project, but then that lightning went off. She raised a digit and said in such a cowardly manner, "P-Please stay here a m-moment!" that said, she rushed - but mostly stumbled - to the ladder, running up and peeking her head out to see what was going on. It was the void in the sky - a vortex was forming within the void. Kasyr, surely, couldn't ignore her now. "Oh... Oh dear, th-th-that's bad..."
Vajramirne glanced over towards where Celiann hung from the ladder and frowned. She'd seen the strange sight over the city, too, on her way in. If this was somehow all connected... there was a good chance that she'd gotten herself involved in something much bigger than a simple bodyguard gig. "That storm... it has something to do with the troubles you've been describing, then? Tell me... what sort of troubles are these? What has been happening to the dead?"
Celiann watched as the lightning plunged at random spots but seemed to be reaching its end. She descended back into the room, obviously more shaken and worried looking than previously. "Um..." she looked around the room, "these are m-matters of state. Um, if I hire y-you, then I n-need secrecy and loyalty. C-Can you give that?" A quick and hesitant addition, "I d-don't have too m-much gold, the House is on l-limited resources. Um, t-two th-thousand gold? How's that? I'm not, um, sure what the rate is." Those pale cheeks turned a rosy hue, obviously, she was a very, very shy sort!
Vajramirne offered the woman a warm smile and bow of her head. "You seem like a nice enough lass. So I'll level with you. The job's not worth that much. You'd be overpaying me quite a bit. So how about you pay me half that, and keep the other half as my reassurance that you can count on me not to cause you any problems. After all, money isn't everything... sometimes it's just good to have someone you can trust at your back."
Celiann couldn't have felt more relieved. She didn't have a whole lot of money to give in the first place! "Ohh," she smiled slightly, "That sounds k-kind of you. Thank you." She extended a slender hand, obviously to shake on agreement, "Y-Yes, you seem like a g-good person to have at m-my back, too. Um, if you ever n-need anything, just ask."
You shook the woman's hand firmly, though it seemed a bit formal of a gesture considering their current location. "I will certainly keep that offer in mind. You seem very... knowledgeable about matters involving the dead. I happen to be something of an... amateur scholar in that field. Perhaps I'll pick your brain sometime."
Celiann smiled near proudly, "Oh yes, I love my study. It's just so in-interesting!" That said with a little contended sigh to go with it, she finally offered something close to a grin, "Oh, you feel free to pick my brain any time!" that was probably flirtatious for this timid vampire. But that out of the way, she was on to business. "Um, shall we g-get started?"
Vajramirne quickly adjusted her velvet gown, dusted off soem of the cobwebs, and gave a little twirl. "Do you suppose this looks mournful enough? If I had known what you meant by not looking like a thug, I suppose I could have gotten some more traditional elven funeral clothes..."
Celiann at long last eyed the dress over. It was fair to see her cheeks flared a deeper red as she nodded shyly, "Y-Yes, um, that will... um, work great. I mean! It's n-nice! No, um! F-Functional. Yes." She tweaked her spectacles, "D-Do you have a weapon?"
Vajramirne's normally professional veneer was rather ruined by the blush of red streaking her cheeks at Celiann's awkward blundering about for words. With a nervous chuckle, Vajra hefted her bag a bit higher on her shoulder. "I brought all of my equipment with me, just in case there was trouble. One can never be too cautious after all... especially in the City of the Dead. Er... no offense of course. I..." she blinked stupidly and shook her head, "Not that I anticipated you would... er... require caution... or something like that... I'm just going to stop talking now."
Celiann rose a hand as if to suggest no offense was taken at the remark. She still blushed, obviously still a bit embarrassed by her own blundering words. She gave a small laugh at the suggestion of stopping their banter, perhaps thinking it might be good - at least, on her part - for a little bit. That said, her hand reached her back touching the small piece of looped fabric that obviously held the near unnoticeable darkwood wand in place. A good hiding spot, one could assume. That found, she smiled at her, "Okay, ready t-to go?"
Vajramirne nodded her agreement and quickly moved to head up the ladder as well. "Very well. Let's not waste any time, then. The sooner you can begin your research, the sooner we can find answers to why the dead are distressed here in Vailkrin."
Celiann exits up.
Celiann had a bit of an idea of what was causing all the troubles in Vailkrin, but her evidence was merely circumstantial at the moment. She needed something solid - something that would tell Kasyr that he should believe her. So she led Vajramirne to the Mausoleum, looking around and finding it mostly void of life. A tomb with a recent victim wasn't too far away and she marched right on over to it, looking around once again. "Um, this one. We'll try this one," she placed her hands upon the lid of the tomb and began pushing. Certainly, she wasn't physically strong but she was a bit stronger than the average human. Possibly from that vampiric side of hers. Assistance might be necessary, though.
Vajramirne didn't require asking. She'd been hired to help, and help she would. If trouble came, she could always act like some poor distraught relative with a trinket for the deceased. And if worse came to worst, she could always just cleave their way out of any trouble with relative ease. Not that that was a desireable option... but an option all the same. "So, I assume you have a theory. Otherwise there wouldn't be much point in running an experiment."
Celiann couldn't help but grin at the use of 'theory' and 'experiment', it seemed to really strike a chord with her. "Oh, yes. I had a theory as soon as I put that note on the board," that sounded most definitely like a plan. She pushed with Vajramirne until the lid of the tomb fell off just slightly. Enough access for her to work her magic, anyway. That said, she looked to Vajramirne and then behind her, "P-Please, step back a little. D-Don't want you too close to the magic, might get hurt," she offered a serious nod before withdrawing the wand from the loop in her robe. The wand pointed downward, finger resting along the length of it as she pointed it directly to the skull of the corpse. She stared in the determination of focusing her magic, but felt as though she was met with some resistance. Reanimating the corpse for a few minutes should have been simple enough... Oh, this was embarrassing. Her House specialised in Necromancy; she was proficient in it - this should have been simple! Instead, she stowed the wand away and rolled up her sleeves, pressing her thumbs to each fang to break the skin and allow the darker hued blood to pool at the tip of her thumb. Blood accessible, she 'drew' a streak down each forearm and then swiped her thumb over the brow of the corpse and allowed her fingertips to rest upon its temples. Lips moved in a quiet chant, words such as: 'rest', 'awaken', 'bound', 'eternity', 'servitude' and 'death' could all be heard whispered from the necromancer. But then - what a stroke of luck - the corpse gasped into life! It appeared to be a man, asking what happened to him. Celiann finally spoke, "Shh. Tell me... L-Look into the plane of your s-spiritual existence, what was blocking me? Speak."
Vajramirne stepped back as she was asked, though she watched Celiann's procedure rather intently all throughout. That was, of course, until she heard a strange sound coming from the tomb through which they had passed to get here. Then her attentions were re-directed... and sadly, she missed whatever conversation the necromancer may have had with the newly-risen dead. Vajra lingered in the tomb for a few chilly moments, listening to the sourceless hum of energy which filled the air, but seeing no sign of whoever (or whatever) had made the sound that distracted her. Once back inside the mausoleum, the shieldmaiden spared no time in returning to her post behind Celiann. "I heard something. It may have been nothing... but if I tell you to take cover, I suggest you do so quickly."
Celiann gave a little nod of her head in response to Vajramirne, but was mostly focused upon the corpse at hand. She pushed for information, until the corpse finally shuddered and rasped wheezily; head tilting back and revealing the large gaping slash mark in his throat, "In my heaaaad," words extended due to the raspy nature of the voice, "calling to meeeee." Celiann frowned; confused, "Who is? What is c-calling to you? Speak," but the corpse instead tossed its hand tightly to her throat causing her to let go and end their connection; end keeping the creature alive. But... it didn't return to death. It kept a firm hold and began to sit upright. Something else was controlling it.
Vajramirne really was worth every copper bit she charged, and then some. It may never be known exactly -how- she managed to don her armor and shield in such quick order, but there was certainly no denying that she had. One moment she'd been at the far end of the room, and the next she was lurching forward with her spiked tower-shield lashing out to pulverize the undead creature into bonemeal. "Miss Celiann!" her voice rang out, but it was obviously too late to warn the woman.
Celiann , while being a necromancer, was still trained in other dark arts - such as cursing spells and spells to inflict pain. Certainly, a pain spell probably wouldn't do a world of good here, but a curse or perhaps a spiting spell might be of use. One hand kept a firm hold on the hands at her throat - not too worried about running out of air, after all - as the other slipped the wand from the fabric loop and and flicked the wand, hissing the word: "schiacciare!" The corpse let go of her, torso crumbling inwards slightly as if hit by a great impact. But it was still active; still attempting to crawl forward and out the tomb as Celiann back-pedalled.
Vajramirne's massive shield splintered open as she reached the reached the corpse, revealing it to be not at all what it appeared. Having seen that simply bashing the thing wouldn't work, the draconian half-elf decided that the best course of action would be to hack the poor bastard into pieces. That was where her weapon came into play. The tower-shield revealed itself now to be a large bladed disc surrounded by four long blades. It would cut through bone and flesh like a knife through butter. The only problem was, there was no guarantee that her hacking the body to pieces would actually do anything to stop it. Especially not if the outside force controlling it was of considerable strength. "I assume... this is what you were talking about... when you mentioned disturbances among the dead?" The question was asked wryly, but Vajra couldn't help bit smirk. "Don't worry... I'll send this poor bastard back to his early grave."
Celiann watched Vajramirne in action, obviously a little bit in awe! Physical combat was not her department, so watching it always seemed to impress her. Most of the time she claimed it was brutish and infantile, but it did secretly impress her. It was an art, in some way. She nodded her head, "Something like that, y-yes," a short pause, "um, I'll tell you more in the library. Not the b-best place to talk about it here, is it?"
Vajramirne hadn't really been paying attention... so when the severed arm of the corpse wrapped itself around her leg... well... it came as quiet a shock. Yelping, the arm was pried free with her off hand and hurled back into the tomb from which it had come. "Right... ah... yes. Let's head back to the library, then. I believe we've gotten all the answers we're likely to get from our friend here..."
Celiann watched as the arm was tossed back into the tomb, causing her to finally return to the side of the tomb. She pointed the wand back at the tomb, watching the still moving pieces of the corpse with fascination, before whispering: "cancellare!" A small 'thum' of energy was sounded, the pieces seizing in their movements and seemingly completely dead. Even though those spells seemed to have only two effects, the vampire seemed a little more reserved and tired than before. She nodded to Vajramirne, speaking much more quietly, "Yes, all the answers from him," a small yawn as she gestured to the door - waiting for her to take the lead.
Vajramirne made her way back over to the library with little in the way of fanfare or conversation. She was far too busy working out causes for what she had just witnessed in her head.
Celiann appears from above.
Celiann followed Vajramirne, mostly silently, before arriving and looking around. She would certainly have to explain her findings to the woman... "Um, can I get you s-some tea?" Her fingertips reached to rub her eyes. Looked like she could do with a sit-down.
Vajramirne chuckled and bowed her head. "I would love some." She wasn't much of a tea drinker... but... considering the outcome of her latest alcoholic binge, perhaps it was time to start. "Something was controlling that body. Something that most definitely wasn't you. I might be jumping to conclusions here, but... whatever it is... it doesn't seem to be friendly. That corpse meant you very serious harm."
Celiann gave a little nod of her head, moving about to fetch some tea. The pot was sitting in some enchanted cosy, kept perpetually warm and ready to serve. She reached for it - but her hand was shaking so terribly - and brought it down, pouring a small degree into a cup and presenting the cup to Vajramirne. "Here, some sugar and m-milk." She knew that she needed a different drink altogether if she wanted to feel replenished. But there wasn't much at hand. She sat down upon a comfortably armchair, eyes settled upon the woman, "No, it wasn't friendly. Something... Something wasn't l-letting me connect with it. Pushed me right out of the seat of power - th-that's what I call it - and took over. But... But it mentioned something c-calling to it." Her eyes drifted over to a scroll, and she simply whispered: "the stars."
Vajramirne was genuinely confused, now. She'd never heard of the stars commanding an undead servant to turn upon the one who would raise it. Frowning severely, she sipped at her tea and attempted to contemplate the meaning of that. "Stars? Perhaps it was simply... confused? The stars were calling to it?"
Celiann seemed to just fall still for a few moments, obviously her mind was running wild with all her theories and current information. She lurched forward, blurring ever so slightly as that vampiric edge kicked in without command. She unravelled a scroll and then spoke, "No, no, um, the stars are disappearing. There is... There is some k-kind of void here in Vailkrin, making the stars disappear. Not fall; not be eaten up by some... collapsed star, but just vanishing. Now, lightning from t-this void and the dead being moved by another; by an unseen..." Clearly it was all very interesting to her, but still a bit confusing. "Wh-what could be so powerful?"
Vajramirne tapped the silver scales protruding from the side of her forehead idly. "Disappearing stars... a void spawning storms... and the dead being commanded by some force unseen and unheard save by the spirits. Sounds to me like perhaps it might be some sort of... malevolent spirit of great power. Maybe a revenant? Mayhaps we're dealing with the handiwork of the God of Death?
Celiann shook her head, "No, the G-God of Death wouldn't t-try to kill me. A N-Necromancer probably would have b-been given a task," she said quietly. She turned to look at Vajramirne, "It's n-not something f-from here. A r-revenant c-couldn't be so powerful to make stars disappear and everything else." She sighed and fixed her glasses, before whispering, "I'm th-thirsty."
Vajramirne flashed a polite smile at Celiann before rising up to her feet and setting down her cup of tea. "Anything I can assist with then?" She hadn't exactly meant the thirsty part, although after a moment's consideration she realized that there were indeed many easy targets which she would be more than happy to lure back to their end here. "I might be able to round something up for you, if you need. Alas, I know of no such power capable of rending open a hole such as that..."
Celiann seemed a bit surprised at that offer. She even fixed her with a look that said: please don't be joking. "A-Are you s-serious?" she asked so quietly, so worried it was a lie. She was hungry, so hungry for that very particular and necessary hunger. She tried to think of something else Vajramirne could do, "Um, be wary of t-the dead. A-And keep your eyes on the sky."
Vajramirne yawned silently as she rose up to depart, casting a glance over her shoulder and grinning fiercely. "What can I say... I enjoy being very good at my job! I'll be back before you know it!" And then, just as she was about to disappear out into the Necropolis, she slipped back down into the library and blushed brightly. "Err... do you have... ah... how to say... any particular... ehem... preferences?"
Celiann blushed furiously as she quietly listed her preferences, "Um, female. Not old. Healthy looking. Has t-to be female," she said for emphasis. For vampires, drinking blood was very important. Survival and pleasure all mixed together.
Vajramirne made a note of that. "Female? Right... female... not too old... healthy-looking. Sounds like a plan. I'll just go snag a real cute one for you then. Shouldn't be too hard. I seem to have a knack for that sort of thing." Ending on that note, Vajra departed from the library once more. This time, she was off to the one place she knew she could find an easily persuaded, healthy-ish female without much incident at all... a tavern.
Celiann nodded as Vajramirne repeated the little list of requirements. She blushed furiously still, before lowering herself into the chair. Waiting for the meal to be delivered. The idea actually made her grin ever so deviously.