Ch'dau right now:

Also, I LOVE quail eggs. I want them now in some tonkotsu ramen. Thanks.

*droooool*

Yeah, that's kind of how I saw it too! K is pretty slow to trust as it is, add to that that Ara's a Syl and, well, YA KNOW

Been waiting to get to that q and see what Ara says  she may come back to it later though  I think I'll keep Kith's reaction as it is.

Ooooo we'll get her. WEEEEEE'LL GET HER

"Were I a holder of a keep in this particular city,” Aranwen says, “I'd make certain to have eyes in the city itself that I might know of events beyond my gates. And if her eyes are looking for you two, well, we best be cautious.”

Kith nods, “Mmm, that is a good point. Perhaps it is best if I keep ahead of you two as we wind around this city.” She reaches for her hood reflexively before turning back toward the door and is reminded of its absence as she grabs the air.

”Kithran, you can wear my cloak.” The bladesinger offers, “The black should serve to obscure your appearance to an extent. Let's be on the streets as little as we can."

She takes the proffered garment and wraps it around her shoulders. It has a different smell to it, as the bladesinger herself has, but it is earthy and pleasant, and the fit is much better than the wealthy man’s cloak she had been using for the last year.

“Once again, thank you Aranwen. I feel a bit naked without some sort of cover while sneaking about.”

Aranwen nods and continues, "If we are followed, what would you suggest we do, Kithran? I expect you have more practical experience with that than myself."

“I suppose it depends. How good are you two at disappearing?” She eyes Ch’dau wearily, “If that is possible, that is my preference. Otherwise, I lead them into a place in which I may quickly and quietly dispose of them.” She shrugs, “In that scenario we could attempt a nonlethal subdual if you like, but given that these are loyal servants of the, as Ch’dau puts it, ‘monkey-faced bitch’, I see no reason to spare any mercy.”

"Ideally we won't be put in a situation where we will need to employ countermeasures,” Aranwen muses, “but it would be best to have something planned in advance, just in case."

“Right, well, this city is large and terrible and crowded, so if we are followed I will attempt to lead you two into obscurity. But if that doesn’t seem to work, we will lead them away and . . . .” She scrunches her face dramatically and makes stabbing motions with her hand.

The bladesinger chuckled, as she retrieved her sword and sheath from its position as improvised door bar, "Now then, let's get you two a real meal."

“Excellent plan,” The thief grinned, and was able to actually pull a hood over her head this time when reached for it.

With the door unlocked, Kith slowly pulled it open and peered out. The alleyway was clear, though crowds passed or huddled at either end. Almost directly across from her she could see where they had rested the night before, before she had revealed her sleeping spot. Blood set splattered across the opposite wall, stuck at a height likely to indicate Ch’dau’s wound from the bone spider beast. More dripped toward the door and it almost seemed unreal, her last twenty-four hours, but with a nigh mythical Kazari and bladesinger at her back, it was undeniable.

She turned back to the others, “Alright, the Cock Inn is closest, so we’ll head there first. Give me space, but don’t lose me.” She begins to step out, but stops herself and turns back to Aranwen, “I should have perhaps brought this up earlier, but before I rely on you, I have to ask, where do your loyalties lie, Bladesinger? Not just for this task, but overall? Mine are to my well-being and to finish my jobs. Ch’dau is relentlessly devoted to me, which I cannot help but have come to accept, but Sylvari . . . well, you are a very loyal lot in my experience, sometimes to a point at which I am very uncomfortable with, so I would like to know where yours lie before we proceed.”

((OOC: Ara’s reply. Will revise Kith’s response if necessary))

“Very well then,” Kith turns back around and with that, she leaps forward into alleyway, walking easily to the end and glancing back to the door. As the other two stroll out, she hops into the crowd, progressing forward as well as in the direction of the inn.

Some time passes and she lowers her hood, approaching a merchant’s stall with a pleasant grin, inquiring of his wares. As he speaks she peaks out to make sure the others had been able to follow her movements and she sighs. Ch’dau does well to slither in and out of the crowd, but while anyone not looking for a giant cat may not realize the cloaked furball just ahead of them, she imagined one interested in his blood may not let such a hulking being slip by. Luckily, it didn’t seem as if anyone had caught wind of them yet.

Once she noticed the two stop and wait for her, Kith thanked the merchant for his time with a wide, genuine smile, and jumped back into the crowd, drawing her hood back over her head. They continued like this for the several blocks that remained, until Kithran finally reached the entrance of the Countess and Cockatrice Inn. She rested easily for a moment, scanning for anyone who may be following their little group, before slipping inside.

The smell of a decent meal hits her immediately, and she forces herself to push it aside as she searches for any who may cause them any trouble. Though relatively full for the breakfast hour, she is satisfied with her initial search, and steps out to find Aranwen and Ch’dau waiting for her.

She nods her head inside, “Come, we should be okay in here for now.”

Settling themselves into one of the only remaining tables, Kithran leans in, “I didn’t notice anyone following us here, so I believe we should be okay for now. Did either of you two see anything?”

((OOC: Any response))

She then looks pointedly at Ch’dau, “I believe I told you to be inconspicuous, my friend.”

((OOC: any response))

Kith smirks back at him, “If we have not joined a skeleton army by the end of this, how about I give you some lessons on how to disappear, even as a giant silver cat man, and in exchange you give me some tips regarding limb-ripping and fighting as fiercely and explosively as you?”

((OOC: assuming a positive))

“It’s a deal then!” she turns back to Aranwen, “Have you noticed the Cidal priest a few tables away, Aranwen? Will he do?”

Decisions decisions.

And thanks for the cloak! Feels like there's a spotlight on her without it

Wasn't sure if I'd be able to work on anything today, but some plans fell through and I am very much looking forward to get into a Kithy head space that is a little lighter than where it is in HC at the moment haha

Just stalling over here  hahaaaaaa HELP

I am curious as to the timing of everything though. It would have taken Davey and her team a little time at least to take Kith to the room, change her clothes and wake her up. However your guys' story just pressed forward immediately. So I'm curious if Kith has even woken up at the time you guys are playing in.

Thank you Raven! I had a tooon of fun working with Olan on this post and can never express enough my love for a brave young Cedric post

A labor of love and deep hatred from our master of dungeons and myself.

Please hurry and murder those zombies ASAP hahaaaaaaa but seriously hurry

The room is quiet as Charl leaves, save for the light rustling sounds of Davena settling Kithran back down into place. She can feel the blood pounding in her head and she believes at first it is a continuation of the rage that had coursed through her just moments ago, but as the silence begins to break with the sounds of maniacal laughter, the anger gives way to fear. The creature enters the room and it is a moment she had been dreading since she had fallen the night before; that cold, pit in her stomach, that panic she had only pushed through because her friends needed her. But now . . . .

The thing looked at her, ichor dripping from its incisors, and an ungodly grin plastered to its face. Davena speaks to her of the pain and suffering, death and the loss of one’s mind and one’s self, but all of those are preferable to this thing, to what that witch intended to do with her.

"I will release you from the hold now," Davena continues, and Kith’s fists yearn to break her jaw, "Once more, I will offer to answer any questions that you may have."  She pauses, her expression grows hard and cold again. "I would advise you to stay where you are, however. If you move, the ghoul will bite you - and you will receive your first punishment after. If you were not aware, you will be unable to move or resist, but you will feel absolutely everything. Do you understand?"

With an uttered syllable, agency is returned to her body, and she lets herself bask simply in that for a moment, unsure of how long she will be granted such a gift.

The giggling erupts then and the creature seems barely able to control itself, sending Kith toward a spiral until Aranwen’s words force themselves into her mind. They fight to press back the darkness of panic lining her mind before it truly sets in, you are not there, you are here . . . but here is pretty terrifying, Ara. She shakes her head, No, I am here. Do not look there. I am here.

Kithran composes herself, despite the fiend, and makes herself look back up at Davena. Davena, who had just bore witness to Kith’s weakness. Davena, who would command and watch Kith being brutalized by this creature. Davena, who Kith would do her best to stall for as long as possible.

“Alright, okay. Yes, I have questions. But first, do you mind removing that thing from the room? It is clearly difficult for me to concentrate with it in here. You’ve mentioned wishing me as much comfort as possible at this time, that is all I am asking for. He is more than welcome to come back in for the rape.”

Davena smiles patronizingly. "Kithran, that ship has sailed," she replies. "I gave you the opportunity to discuss this respectfully, and you foolishly chose to attack me in a pathetic attempt to escape."

I still punched you in the face.

Her face hardens. "I could bind you if I so chose.  I could hurt you so very, very much. But I am a reasonable - if firm - woman. So I am allowing you a final chance to conduct yourself in a more... civil manner."

She glances at the ghoul. "However, I am no fool. While I doubted that I could trust you, I wanted to give you the chance. This creature will not harm you as long as you comply - you have my word on that."

Kith manages to suppress the scoff that threatens to escape, but her expression gives her away. Davena chuckles. "You doubt my word? When have I ever lied to you? I told you that we were investigating the undead - we were. I wanted to know which fool had brought a large group like that out to attract attention to our efforts. I told you that we slew the priest, and we did - Garn cut the fool's throat, and the man was grateful for the mercy. I told you that none of the priests had shared the knowledge of the curse of the door with me... why would they?"

She shakes her head, beautiful blonde hair floating as she does so. "No, the creature will not harm you as long as you comply. If you try to get up, he will bite you. If you try to run or attack... well, it will be a more painful outcome for you."

She pauses. "As for a 'rape' - my dear. I am here to give you a great gift. This creature will not be involved... not at first, anyway. There are preparations to make for this momentous event. I understand that you are frightened, child... anyone would be. But you need not be afraid - provided you make no more foolish choices."

“You’ve met me, Davena,” Kith glances again at the ghoul, but returns to her captor, forcing as much malice as she can out of her voice and expression, “I am foolish by design, but you have the word of a shifty thief that I will stay put,” for now, “though I should mention that I quite enjoy being bound, so if you must, you must. Please don’t tell the clerics.”

Davena allows the corner of her mouth to raise in a ghost of a grin.

"Be that as it may, child, I've no wish to be struck again... and truly, no wish to administer the necessary punishment after. So for now, at least, the ghoul will remain."

Kithran’s eyes want to shift back to the ghoul, but focusing on Davena allows her to center herself in rage, rather than fear. I am here, I will break her jaw, I am here.

“I apologize for the crassness, Davena, it is the only armor you’ve left me with, and as I will shortly be out of my mind, I am wont to enjoy it while I can.” Don’t look at it, I am here, “My first question is only, why? What is all of this for? Is it simply your lord’s intention to rule this wretched plane? And you, what is your prize for being such a loyal servant, and finding the only creature in all the land capable enough to bring about this, this . . . this anchor?”

The blond woman pauses for a moment before responding.  

"What do you know of the gods, and of how they interact with the world?" she asks the rogue, who shrugs in return.  "As you are surely aware, the gods exert their influence in Audalis through vessels such as myself and your friends, Gib and Cedric. And yet... mortal vessels are a rather limiting factor, as you might imagine."  She pauses another moment.

"A deity may, in fact, manifest directly here in the world, using the form of an avatar. But doing so requires a great deal of focus and energy, and puts the deity in question at great risk; should that physical form be destroyed, it would cause them serious harm.  Furthermore, while manifesting in such a way does give them great power in a focused area, it forces their influence at large to be diminished, as they are less able to give necessary attention to their entire domain."

The blonde woman smiles, though the smile is very cold and empty.  "Long ago, when the idea of the world was young, the gods came to a binding accord to never fully manifest in the physical realm, for doing so had catastrophic effects on reality. A cleric's acts are the ripples made from casting a pebble into a pond... the avatar's acts are a boulder tossed into the same pond... the full might of a god is a mountain top cast down from on high into it.  And yet..."

She stares wistfully for a moment or two. "Even so, were a god to so manifest, they could bend reality to their whim. All other powers would be forced to bend the knee - if they were to survive at all. Yet the agreement was binding; no matter the desire, no matter the reason, no deity can directly manifest here. It cannot be."

The smile tugs at her mouth again, this time, seeming genuine. "Unless there was another way. You see, if a god's very essence were combined with the reality of this physical world, then this anchor would allow them to bring their full glory into our world." She pauses and looks at Kithran meaningfully. "This, dear, is where you come in."

"With the aid of certain rituals, the dead can feel the urge to procreate. Of course, this is not possible... except, with proper preparation, it is possible to bind their issue to the living. To bring forth a being of both death and life. To create... an anchor for my Lord."

The blonde woman's beautiful face is caught up in an expression of rapt devotion as she seems to marinate in the idea, but to Kith, for a brief moment the elation on her face is reminiscent of the uncontrollable joy of the ghouls.

"As for my prize? Kithran, you miss the picture. Certainly, my Lord will reward me handsomely, but I long ago gave my life to him wholly. My entire purpose is to do my Master's bidding. I will confess, however... I am more than a little envious of you. I can serve, but you, my dear... you will be the MOTHER OF A GOD. What greater honor can a woman have?"

An aneurysm, “Indeed, yes. I would jump up and join you in praise, but alas, I am not allowed.” She grinned and continued in her prone state, “These ‘preparations’ you are to put me through before your lord plants his massive anchor in me, what do those entail? And what exactly are those things anyway? Were they made to giggle like that? Are they the only conduits in which your lord may . . . complete the forming of his anchor?”

Davena's expression sours a bit at Kithran's sarcasm, and the blonde woman's tone is ice.  "You would do well to hold your tongue when it next decides to mock my faith. If you drive me to punish you, child, the price I extract from you will be more unpleasant than even your vivid imagination can conceive of. Once I act, I will even the ledger for every offense," she pauses to touch a finger to her lip with a faint smile, "so you would be wise to operate within my grace."

“We’ve established my wisdom already, Davena.” She shrugs, “There is only one way in which I am not destroyed here in some way or another, and since they seem to be taking their time,” she pauses for a quick glare toward the door, “then torture or melting my mind will do.”

The priestess ignores this, glancing instead at the ghoul beside her. "These 'things' are simply ghouls. They are intelligent after a manner, though the transformation into undeath destroys much of their mind - ergo the giggling. They revel in pain and chaos and fear, have a taste for the flesh of the dead... and are quite insane. Those slain by them become ghouls themselves, which is convenient for the church."

She pauses to consider the query.  "I am not certain if the rituals would work with other undead.  Skeletons... well, they obviously lack the equipment necessary to carry out their part, as do zombies in many cases.  Zombies are also mindless, and as such, cannot feel the arousal necessary."

She muses for a moment. "Many of the more powerful undead are skeletal in nature and thus again are unsuitable. A vampire might potentially work, I suppose, though those creatures have their own agendas and can be troublesome to deal with."

Davena shakes her head. "No, the ghouls are simply the best choice. Quite dead, yet still with the ability to think, still well enough preserved to typically be able to perform the necessary duties, can be aroused well enough... and are still easily controlled."

The emptiness left by the priestess’ moment of pondering is filled only by the endless giggles of the ghoul, and Kithran scrambles for more words. She has plenty of questions, but as the time passes she can feel Davena’s impatience to begin whatever it is she has planned for the thief grow.

"As for the rituals themselves…” Davena continues, “there are incantations to be spoken over you and your... partners. You both require preparation to enable the joining of life to death in this manner, for without it, the joining will fail."  She pauses meaningfully. "We can continue to try again and again until it takes, of course; keep that in mind if you plan to try to disturb the incantations. Our ghouls lose many parts of their minds in undeath, so if you so desire to give them practice in these matters, by all means - go ahead and interrupt the rituals. A month from now, two months from now... you may be more amenable to cooperation."

“Do you think you will live that long?”

The blonde woman's face is a terrifying mask for a moment or two, but she relaxes back into a more serene expression.  "My dear, I can appreciate the need for bravado, to show some sort of control over the situation. But you have no control. You need to accept this; it will make everything far easier on you."

"Before we proceed," she continues, "there is a test I wish to administer." Kith struggles to keep back her sneer, but the priestess holds up a hand to forestall any protest. "It will not hurt you in any manner whatsoever, I promise you this."

Davena reaches up and removes the necklace she wears. "Did you know that my mother was also a priestess? A powerful priestess, in fact - of Miellyah, of all deities." She chuckles musically. "This trinket is, in fact, a relic from her work." She holds the pendant up for Kithran to inspect. It is a rather simple silver necklace with a grayish stone set into the pendant.

Kithran leans in slightly to inspect, though veers away as the the ghoul twitches in her peripheral vision. She looks looks back up at her captor, “She sounds kind. My mother left me. It would seem both of ours have failed us.”

Davena nods, and Kith is unsure if she caught the slight, "She was indeed kind. She helped many people, gave of herself selflessly. But she had no real power; she could not protect herself - or me - from those who wished us harm.  Her weakness cost her own life and my freedom; so yes, she did fail me. But fate had a plan for me, and it has worked out rather well."

Davena returns her attention to the necklace.

"The stone here glows white in accordance to your fertility," the priestess explains. "The closer you are to your ideal time for conception, the stronger the glow will be. Once the seed is successfully planted, the glow turns golden." Davena smiles. "I always thought it to be a rather silly device, truly; what woman cannot simply track her moon flow? But as it turns out, the flow is not predictable for some women, and some lack the sense to listen to their own bodies, so the stone is tangible proof for them, I suppose."

Davena pulls her blouse up, exposing her belly, then places the pendant against her skin just above the navel, but nothing happens. "I watched my mother do this dozens of times, studied the glows when she did it. Of course, as you can see, it does not glow at all for me - I may as well be a man, for all the good my womb does."  Her expression has fallen, appears slightly... sad.  

"I once was in your position, child," she explains, as she pulls the pendant away, letting the blouse fall back down. "I once carried the Dark Lord's seed, even delivered a babe. But the connection was not strong enough, and it perished. I was left barren, so this has become my life's work. If I could not mother my god, I could see to it that He was still born. And now, I have found you."

She smiles gently and holds the pendant up. "Raise up your skirts, Kithran. I already know that you are close to the appropriate time, but I would like to confirm exactly how close." She glances at the ghoul, then at the priests. "No harm will come to you if you comply. If you do not, the creature will bite you, I will read you anyway, and you will then be punished. The end result will be the same; your choice is how painful the path must be."

Kithran felt a wry smile touch the corner of her mouth despite herself, “Davena, as you wish, of course, but people usually buy me a drink first.” She keeps her eyes on the trinket as she pulls up the putrid gown the witch has dressed her in.

The priestess allows her gaze to drop, feasting it on Kithran's nether regions for several long moments before returning her eyes to meet Kith's. An undeniable smirk decorates Davena's face. "Perhaps later," she states casually. "We will have plenty of time to fill, after all."

The suggestion feels more like a threat, and Kith narrows her eyes, “I am flattered, truly, but I must decline. Aranwen would be very disappointed, and there is not much less in this world I would wish for myself than her disappointment.”

The priestess shrugs and Kith presses on, “Hypothetically, if your Lord’s anchor womb should, say, fall out of a window,” she asks, watching Davena’s expression turn impatient, “would that bring your plans to an end?”

The priestess reaches forward with the pendant as she answers. "Naturally, your death would prevent the birth of the anchor, which would be a shame. But if you perish, we will continue the search; another suitable vessel will be located eventually. The Devourer is infinitely patient, and will bide His time until the conditions are right. Of course," she fixes gazes with Kithran again, "it will be difficult for you to locate a window here underground. And you will have an assistant on hand to ensure your comfort and safety at all times; you are far from the first young woman initially unhappy with her fate." A falsely sweet smile decorates the beautiful, scarred face as she touches the pendant to Kithran's belly.

The pendant is cool to the touch, though it momentarily causes a tingling sensation in Kithran's skin. The false smile on Davena's features is rapidly replaced by a large, genuine grin as the stone begins to glow intensely white. 

"My dear, your time is upon you," Davena speaks breathlessly. "The potion you drank earlier will help extend the window of opportunity, but the glow tells me that the timing is literally as good as it can be."

The priestess glances over her shoulder as she removes the pendant from Kith's skin. "Charl, tell Ranus to start his preparations at once - it is time," she speaks, and Kith tries to control her breathing.

The dark robed man bobs his head and turns to leave.  "At once, Mistress!" he answers.

Davena glances back at Kithran, a genuine smile on her face.  "Pull your skirts down for now, dear. It is time to prepare."

I bet my cat dad can beat up their cat dad!

I don't know man, I feel like Davena is coming on to Kith very aggressively.

Kith is just like, "whoa, hey man, I don't mess with my mom's leftovers".

P.S. So excited for everyone to read and judge for themselves.

I love her as a character, but I told Olan, that I also personally hate her so much. I'll just be out enjoying my life in the WORLD and this slitch will pop into my mind and I have to force a scowl off my face because no one would understand. It is a deep and visceral hate, and I love and appreciate Olan so much for creating a character that could evoke such human emotions like these from me BEEP BOOP

InKHORDible

Looking forward to your next fragment.

Yes, I've noticed they've been taking a VERY long time to load sometimes too--mostly in mobile.

Cedric is doing such a good job. I always just want to hug th guy a tell him to keep it up and that Solanis must be so proud.

I'm excited every time I get a Cal'ele'miur notification! My ride to work will be catching up on come faerie tales

A pirates gotta do what a pirates gotta do!

Good luck, Eol, and have fun!

Got it.

Kithy vegetables, an excellent source of iron and magnesium!

It's gonna get creepy either way. If she dies she can't be Dumvena's stupid anchor.

But anyhoo, yeh, may have some q's this go around before the unimaginable horror.

Gonna start working on a Kith response. I have some post-work errands to get to, but it should be up late tonight!

If you post to the game on Sunday, you get a free Hidden Corruption bobble head! Post multiple times and collect them all!

It's like you've never met us

Work keeps making me work, but I was able to get a Kithy post up with a little help from my DM.

I get byyyy with a little help from my DM!

The wagon rocks gently and she lays on her back, staring unseeingly up at the herbs thrashing about from the ceiling, the jars lightly clanking, strapped as they are to the shelving lining the walls. She’s humming a tune she’s been working on, and watching as the sun breaking through the cracks above her illuminate brief clouds of dust, swirling about the cabin.

It is the dream she has most often, she knows, but it doesn’t matter.

She tilts her head back and can see her father’s back as he guides them home, humming along to her song.

She smiles and closes her eyes . . . .

* * *

“There, there,” Kithran felt herself ripped from the memory as a soothing, grating voice wrenched her back to herself. A sweet liquid suddenly coursed down her throat and she rolled onto her side choking, taking in her surroundings, confusion slowly giving way to clarity. The meager room glowed warmly by the sconce, but Kithran’s gaze went no further then where it had landed on Davena’s wretched face.

Kith watched as it twisted into a malignant smile, "I am certain that this is very confusing for you, Kithran. I want you to be as comfortable as possible, and you must certainly have questions. Feel free to ask anything, and I will answer to the best of my ability."

The half-Syl thief opens her mouth to tell her to fuck off but the witch glances back to the door at the worms awaiting their mistress, "Brothers Charl and Hagan will not harm you unless you make that necessary." She turns back to Kithran with a look that makes her teeth grind together, "You may try to run if you wish, but I think that you will find it useless to do so, and it will try my patience," this time the corner of Kith’s mouth twitches and Davena’s soft voice becomes a threat, "As the brothers can attest, it is not healthy to try my patience." The worms wriggle in their boots as if on queue, and Kith glanced around the room once more, lingering for just a moment on the door she willed a silver Kazari, a bladesinger, and a few spellslingers to burst through.

The smile returned to Davena’s voice as she continued, and Kith drew her eyes back to the cat food, "I understand if you are angry or afraid, anyone would be. But I want you to understand - you are special. You have been chosen. You are valuable. You have every opportunity to be treated as such... provided you have the wisdom to make the best of things." She put the flask away in an inner pocket and fixed Kith with a gaze. "What can I answer for you?”

Kithran drew in a deep breath, attempting to clear her thoughts of the unrelenting anger she felt for the woman--perpetuating the horror of those ghouls out in the world, deceiving her and her friends, bringing them to this cursed place, and putting her in this ridiculous outfit. The woman deserved to be torn into however many pieces Ch’dau saw fit. She nearly smiled at the thought.

Instead, she looked up at Davena, who still held her patronizing grin, and finally spoke, “I suppose, my first question is--”

Kithran punched Davena in her smug face, then swung her legs around to kick at her. Instead, one of the worms at the door slithered forward before she had the chance and commanded her to “Halt!” And she did, right in place, a kick poised to knock the rat off her wooden throne.

Though her body is frozen, her head is still able to turn from worm to witch, and she forces out a laugh as Davena’s face turns smug again and she begins to chant, “They’re going to find you, you rotting bitch, and they’re going to carve you int-” and then even her words freeze in her mouth, as the familiar embrace of the ghoulish paralyzation takes her once more.