RP: The Heart's Void

From HollowWiki

This is a Devout's Guild RP.


Summary: Zahrani returns from her guild quest in Gualon and informs Khitti about a strange, dark magic-powered device the feline's named 'the Voidheart'. Khitti trades one bit of bad news for another: Talyara and Lanara had been kidnapped which subsequently led to Lanara going to another land to get the help for her mental health that she so desperately needs, and the plague through Lithrydel is spreading at an alarming rate and needs to be stopped.

The Sacrosanct, Sanctum of the Divine, Kelay

With the soft clank of armored steps, Zahrani pushes open the door leading to the Sanctum of the Divine. The panther wears her simple plating and her more elf-like face while traveling, her dreadlocks and athletic form a familiar sight for the Kelay residents who regularly visit. The paladin carries a sealed cubic box over her shoulder, the container covered in various runes and prayers as a safeguard for...whatever it is inside. With a polite nod to an elder lady who was sitting at one of the pews reading a book of poetry dedicated to Cyris, Zahrani enters the backroom reserved for Devout's Guild members. The woman places the box on the table, breathing a sigh of relief as she sits down in a chair. While she rests, she checks the fit of her armored leggings; her strength training necessitates it when her body changes. If she builds or loses muscle mass, depending on when she has time to train, she needs to adjust the fit on her plating.


From within her office, Khitti heard the clink of metal along the floor of the Sacrosanct and something set down on the main table of the room. Hesitation was obvious, though to no one but Khitti herself, leaving the redhead to just sit there for some time, debating on whether or not to exist as a person, rather than the lump of anxiety and depression she’s been since Lanara left. “You’re fine. This is fine. You had to give Camina the day off, so now you have to deal with people yourself. This is totally okay,” she whispered to herself. But, as the narrator usually says, things were not okay. Eventually, Khitti would get up and go out there to greet Zahrani, giving time for the feline to tend to her armor as she needed. A deceptively cheery smile was giving to her guildmate and the redhead wasn’t entirely sure if she cared if Zahrani could see past it or not, “Hey.” There’s a pause and a blink as her attention settled on the box, “What the heck is that?” Another deity box of sorts maybe, she wondered to herself. The last one she’d seen was one that Scandal had found, and that had held something that hadn’t been a part of this realm in a very long time. Khitti’s forced smile faded somewhat, crimson brows knitting together in concern.


Rani unclasps her leggings and her breastplate, revealing a sleeveless shirt and grey-dyed pants beneath. A subtle hint of lavender and citrus comes from the panther; a soft fragrance that she had received as a gift from a citizen of Gualon. Looking up at Khitti with those intense cyan orbs, the paladin smiles warmly at Khitti, "Hello." It's a weary smile, and the feline herself seems to have been through quite a bit in her latest journey. At the question regarding the box, Rani returns to a standing position and places a hand on it, "This..." She closes her eyes, sighing before returning them to the Guild leader, "...err, before I explain, can I offer you a hug? This was a hard retrieval in Gualon, and it feels like Lithrydel has gotten emptier since we were together last..." The woman allows her weariness to show a little more; a sign of trust in Khitti. "I just...feel like we could both use a hug, at least."


The concern written on Khitti pale features worsened when she was asked for a hug. Had she ever seen Zahrani like this before? She’d say nothing to the panther-in-disguise, but would instead close the distance between them needed to give Zahrani a hug. “I’d say I wish all of this unhappy stuff would just end but then I guess we’d be out of a job, wouldn’t we?” Khitti attempted a laugh, but stopped short, a heavy sigh quickly replacing it. “It seems like we both have bad news though--though I suppose it’s possible that you’ve already heard mine.” She frowned and allowed the feline to take all the time she needed with the hug. Khitti’d been doing the same lately, with Brand. She’d practically absorbed any hugs that poor guy had in him, leaving him about as wore out as she’d been. Thankfully, a large cheesecake and a bottle of whiskey set him right after a little while, and Khitti’d opted to take comfort in that one of them was alright for now.


Rani wraps her arms around the other woman, giving her Khitti a warm embrace before offering a weary smile, "Fortunately, I'm not burdening you with bad news this time around. Gualon is safe..." She lets the redhead go, before turning towards the table again and placing her hand on the box, "Someone unearthed an artifact that..." The feline realizes that there's still not much that she knows about what exactly this is or what it's capable of. "...I've decided to call a Voidheart. It...for lack of a better explanation, it makes people face parts of themselves that they've kept locked away. If you can't reconcile with yourself and break free from its hold, it seems to impact the world around you. The old sage that kept it...couldn't break free from his own existential dispair. Ayras and I got pulled in, but the fact that we managed to get out seems to have..." the paladin shrugs as she does her best to summarize her experience. "...caused it to reset itself." The panther takes a seat once more, pulling another chair out for Khitti, "The experience has left me a bit...stretched thin...but you said you had some bad news of your own. Would you care to tell me?" It's the cat's turn to have a look of concern on her face. She's so used to being the ~strong one~ in her relationships with other people; it's an easy role for her to just drop into.


Khitti listened to Zahrani’s tale, her entire body visibly tensing as the name ‘Ayras’ is made known to her. Almost involuntarily, the redhead flexed the fingers on her right hand, the urge to give the other aforementioned redhead a holy fire-infused right hook to her jaw overtaking any other thoughts in Khitti’s mind for the moment. Rani would go on, the mention of the strange box’s ability pulling her from her not-so-nice, Ayras-punching reverie. “I’ll refrain from asking about how you managed to find yourself paired up with that hellspawn, since the mere thought of Ayras boils my blood.” Clearly, the two hadn’t gotten along in the time that they’d known one another. “I do think, though, that you might be wrong. It might not be entirely bad news, but it’s still quite serious. I’m glad you found it though and brought it back here. I don’t think Kahran had quite made it to Gualon yet, but imagine if he had and found this.” She paused a moment, then continued after a bit of thought, “If you want to tell me, later on, once you’ve recovered, then feel free too. Whatever it is that you saw, is likely not something that should be kept bottled up. It can be kept in the Guild’s storeroom, underneath Vailkrin, if you’d like and we can maybe inspect it further in the near future, likely as a duo, so that whatever befalls us, we’re not alone.” The redhead studied it the Voidheart a bit longer, then eyed Zahrani and her weariness. “I think though, that you might want to sit down for my news.” She’d motion to the nearest chair before wandering off to her office to grab a couple things. Miraculously, she managed to bring back a hot teapot, two mugs, and a half-full bottle of whiskey and sat down next to Zahrani, “The tea is lavender and chamomile. The whiskey is, uh, self-explanatory. Your choice.” She’d give Zahrani time to compose herself as much as possible with whatever drink she chose before she finally spilled the unfortunate news, “Not too long ago, Talyara and Lanara were taken by witch-hunters.” Pause. “I… didn’t even know they were gone. I just thought they were busy doing all the preparation for Lanara’s wedding. Krice rescued them, that grey-haired guy with the sword similar to mine, but I guess afterward, Lanara just broke. Eli just disappeared without a trace and between that and the kidnapping... “ Khitti sighed heavily, eventually pouring herself a glass of whiskey--it was clear now why the bottle was half-full. “She’s been taken to a mental hospital in some realm far away from here. She’s so far from herself that she doesn’t recognize anyone that’s gone to see her.” The whiskey was finally drained from the glass, a permanent frown written on the templar’s features. “It’s an awful thing to say, but it feels almost like she’s dead… even if she’s not, and I think it’s harder for me to cope with this because of that. Because she’s somewhere where none of us can see her or protect her like we should’ve. I know there was nothing we could really do, but…” Khitti was on the verge of tears gain, secretly wishing she had the ability to never cry again, as childish as it was. She’d done it far too much lately.


Rani does indeed take a seat, pouring herself a mug of tea and sitting down. As she takes in the story of what happened to Lana and Taly, the paladin is motionless, holding the cup in her hand with an expression somewhere between worry and deja vu. It’s the kind of look someone gives when they’ve heard similar news before. The panther seems shocked, turning to look down at her mug of steaming tea, the soothing aroma providing a light steam to her face. She inhales slowly, closing her eyes at the thought of Lana’s predicament. With a slightly shaky exhale, the paladin says softly to herself, “This...this is real. A world only in my head wouldn’t be this cruel to those I love.” She also reaches for the bottle of whiskey, pouring a small splash of it into her tea before taking a sip. Not bad, flavor-wise. Looking back at the red-headed templar, the cat moves to sit next to her, “I was with Taly when she was in a really bad place last year...Have you heard from Taly since then?”


Khitti offered Rani a bittersweet smile, “You’ve been lucky thus far with that, it seems. At least neither of them are dead.” The bittersweet smile turned a little more sour before disappearing altogether. Talyara might be shaken and battered and Lanara’s mind might’ve flown the coop, but at least they were still breathing--and there may even eventually be hope for Lanara, regardless of the fact of if she returned to Lithrydel or not. “I’ve not spoken to her yet, no. Her and I don’t quite know each other as well as Lanara and I did, so I wanted to give her some space. I didn’t want to just barge in at her cottage in Frostmaw and making her think that her boss was coming to get her to throw her back into her studies.” Sigh. “I only just brought her into the guild… I asked Meri, the night she told me about all this, how I’m supposed to protect any of you? Especially those that can hardly protect themselves? Talyara’s not a fighter; Lanara was still learning. How am I even a guild leader if I can’t take care of my people and keep them from harm? How the hell am I supposed to lead this guild against Kahran, whenever he shows up again?” Khitti’s voice started to break towards the end of her questioning, tears welling up in her eyes. With a few sniffles, she tried to keep that emotional dam from cracking anymore, more whiskey used to glue it up, “It’s like Venturil all over again, except worse because I actually know these people.”


Rani takes a long sip of her tea, a few sniffles of her own escaping from the panther. The cat simply listens while Khitti speaks of what’s on her mind. Tears form at the corners of her eyes, the paladin opening her mouth, then closing it, searching for the words to say. “Not many days go by...where I don’t ask myself similar questions. Because...for everyone I help, there are others I can’t, no matter how hard I try. They stay with me...I don’t know if they’ll ever completely leave...” With a shuddering exhale, she finishes, “...especially when I watched them grow up.” The feline is good with remembering faces of the departed, but the ones she’ll truly never forget are the handful of children her colony has lost during the near thirty years she’s lived among them. Some were lost to the sea, some to the city, and some to traffickers and slavers. It is a grief shouldered by the entire Collective. The tears flowing freely, Rani turns to the red-headed templar and speaks softly, “I became who I am, not just because I wanted to protect myself others, but because I wanted to empower others to do the same. Everyone I know...everyone I love and grew up with...we looked to each other for protection and comfort. And we still lost people we loved in the time it took for us to find our strength.” A pause, and a sigh. “It hurts...knowing what happened to them...” The paladin inhales, searching for the words as she stairs at her own reflection in her teacup, “...and we have every right to grieve for them.” Looking back at Khitti, the panther moves to lean against her one of her dearest friends, “Just know that you’re not grieving alone...and you don’t have to protect everyone by yourself. I can’t speak for others, but...~I~ am not going anywhere. I’ll fight, and mourn, and plan, and protect with you, for as long as you need me here.”


Khitti nodded as Rani spoke, frowning at the feline’s tears as they make themselves known. “I know you’re not… it’s still just very hard to deal with. I can dish out advice and wisdom by the boatload, but I can hardly ever take it. This damn plague going around isn’t helping either. There’s a quote my dad used to tell me: “It can’t rain all the time”. It feels like it hasn’t stopped raining in a long time…” Khitti poured herself another cup of whiskey and downed it soon after, then fixed her posture just enough to allow Zahrani to lean on her easier. “I think things are going to get worse soon. Kahran’s been gone for far too long and every once in awhile his henchmen still turn up. Between that, the witch-hunters, the plague, and dealing with Larket now and then, we’re going to be spread pretty thin--and that’s not even including those tasks I’ve set up for the guild.” The redhead sighed, staring off towards the other side of the room, “I think we’ll be alright. It’s not like we don’t have outside help, but I can’t help but be pessimistic about things.”


Zahrani stares out at the other side of the room as well, shoulder-to-shoulder with her comrade, her head leaning against Khitti's. At the mention of the plague, she nods, "I've been doing what I can on that front as well. I showed some of the people living in the old Larket tenements how to keep the rats at bay. We also sealed a breach into the sewer, so they'd have one less place to get onto the streets." Many members of the Isran Collective were also finding work as rat-catchers, and subject matter experts on dealing with vermin. Did it perpetuate a stereotype? Maybe. Does it pay well, under the circumstances? Definitely. At the Templar's attempt at optimism, the panther sees a moment to try and build on it, "Things will be alright...." Looking down at the bottle of whiskey, the feline then adds, "Aside from booze, is there anything you need that you think will help? Anything I can do to help with your stress?" She wipes the tears from her face, "You've been a good presence to be vulnerable around, so let me know if there's anything I can do."


“I’ve been told that I need to seek out a man named Sargaso. He apparently knows the source of the plague, beyond just the rats. Meri knows him, and I’ve sent word to both of them that, when he’s ready, I’d like to broach the subject with both of them and find out more. But, there’s a woman named Penelope, a healer, she’s come down with the illness too and was the one that told me about Sargaso. She’s supposed to be looking for a cure and was going to speak with Emilia, the Healer’s Guild leader to find out what they were doing about it. How are your healing skills? Mine aren’t the greatest as of yet--I can really only deal with minor to moderate injuries at the moment; nothing as serious as this--so it might be best that you try to give her a hand. Even if we’re able to slow the symptoms and help the sick from being too poorly, I think that’ll be better than just leaving them to fend for themselves and die.” Khitti sighed and shrugged as best as she could in the position she was in, “Some of the waitstaff at my bakery have caught it too and I’ve heard that holy magic helps a little, but this box, the source of the plague, is apparently running on dark magic. It might be something that we have to work together to destroy, but I want to find out more about it first before making that decision.” Her olive-green line of sight shifted back to the box on the table before them, “Same with that too, I guess. Or, I wonder… if maybe the magic that fuels it can be manipulated in a way to help.”


Rani takes in the steady stream of information on the plague that Khitti provides, writing down Sargaso's name as well as Emilia and Penelope. " Don't worry, I haven't lost my healing hands. And I've met Emilia. Matriarch Roahin is looking to work with her to build and staff a new healing facility in Cenril." The feline breathes steadily as she writes, glancing at the runic box that the paladin had brought with her. "I'm still looking to determine what exactly the Voidheart is capable of. For all I know, it could make the plague worse...you mentioned another box as the source of the disease. Who possesses it, if anyone?" She could see to Khitti's waitstaff as well, if they haven't progressed too far.


Khitti could only shrug at Zahrani’s question, a slight frown twisting her unpainted lips, “I’m not sure who has it, if anyone. Penelope said she wasn’t even supposed to tell me that. Sargaso likely doesn’t want either a panic or a bunch of stupid people trying to look for it, whether they’ve good intentions or not.” The frown had faded and was now replaced with a smirk, “Unfortunately for them, I’m not quite bright in the ‘Don’t Get Yourself Into Trouble’ department. It didn’t seem like something we could help with originally, so I didn’t -do- much, but now that I know it’s a product of dark magic, -that’s- definitely something the guild can help with.” Her attention switched back to Voidheart, crimson brows knitting together carefully as she studied it, “And, another unfortunate thing, Zahrani, is I think the only way we can fully know what Voidheart is capable of is by someone being a willing test subject while someone else observes. Dismantling it, if that’s the route we end up taking, is likely simple enough, but truly finding out what it does is not going to be fun times, I imagine.” Khitti didn’t make further mention of her waitstaff; it was likely that they were too far gone at this point.


Zahrani nods in understanding, looking back at the box, "I think with close friends, it'll be easier to explore the Voidheart and figure out it does. I was with a complete stranger last time, and it cut us off from each other completely." The panther smiles back at Khitti, before adding, "Getting into trouble is...sort of what we do. Especially the devout of Cyris. A lot of our faithful are anarchists; they believe in having as little hierarchy as possible in the pursuit of Freedom. Of course, that makes certain powerful people very uncomfortable, to say the least." It's also a philosophy that tends to attract many of her kind, even those who gravitate more towards other deities like Delisha.


“Heh, that makes sense, I guess. I’ve definitely never been fond of those that far up in power--even though I worked for Hildegarde for a time. If Lionel was the religious type, he’d likely join us in following Cyris. Guy’s the Steward of Frostmaw, just under Hildegarde, and he can’t stand it much either,” Khitti said with a smirk, then shook her head. “But, enough of that for now. You’re exhausted and need some sleep in order to better process things. You can either take Voidheart with you, if you think that’s safer, or you can leave it in my office, or in the storage room.” The redhead jerked her thumb in the direction of the trap door portal that led to the guild’s other headquarters. “No one below your rank is allowed to get in there and even then, we’ve got people that take inventory fairly often, just in case. If you do put it there, I’ll let Camina know.” Leaning over against the feline, she gave Zahrani a hug, and then moved out of her chair, letting the paladin leave if she wished to. “I should probably head home too. I’ve done enough sulking for the day. Brand’s gonna end up tickling me or something in attempt to have me smile--or worse yet, tell several dad jokes.” And if it wasn’t the dad jokes, it was the puns. Lucky for Brand, the pun-telling wore off on her, instead of her getting sick of them and shunning him for the rest of her life.


Rani smiles as Khitti leans in for a hug, the panther grateful for the physical affection. As the two get to their feet, Rani approaches the box and lifts it once more, "I think this should go into our store room, with a note to contact me if anyone wants to investigate it further." A sound plan, for even the feline was not invulnerable to capture. She makes it a point to carry as few dangerous or valuable objects with her as possible. Before she heads for the portal, the cat offers a wave to the Templar in farewell, before adding, "Say hi to Brand for me. He's a good one for loving you as much as he does."


Khitti nodded to Zahrani, offering the feline a smile before she took her leave. “I will. And he is. He’s the only one that’s been able to put up with me for this long. Three years is a long time when you’re stuck with me.” She’d then let Rani continue on with her business so that she could get home. Once she’d left, Khitti would let out a heavy sigh, then go off to find Camina to let her know about Voidheart.