Fantasy Kraiven to Orivae: Rebuilding a Broken Kingdom

[WayfaringWaaksian]

Nellie Noi
Property Line --> Entrance​

It actually worked? No offense taken, no mockery given? Nellie felt like she could finally breathe again, and not because of that deathly hypoxia withering from their breathing space. It already was going better than expected. However...
With the contract being soul-binding, she could read the terms as if they were burned into the back of her eyelids. "-- Wounds to never be healed in a way that allows for scale regrowth". That was definitely not what she was intending for, but it was a result of her vague wording. If she wanted specific parameters, she would have to give them. Besides, it was all the more reason to not fail. Terrible consequences were in store for the kingdom if she failed. Terrible consequences should be in store for her as well.

Arnold speaking gave Nellie pause, not just of her advance to the library. The air grew teeth, gnawing with numbing coldness at any exposed skin. "... It was inconsiderate of me to not ensure you knew the Maestro's true nature," she confessed, gaze dead-set before her. "I apologize. I'll warn you of any potential danger. That includes Holy, Fae, and Draconic, and Daedric." Her tone grew sharper, the look she finally sent Arnold's way piercing. "All magics and affiliations will receive equal scrutiny. Not just Daedric. I will NOT tolerate any suggestion that a Daedric being is more dangerous on that account alone. Maestro Rook is no more dangerous than Mariah." If given the Order, the angel could smite everyone in the city. Rook, similarly, would need clearance from King Corvus to declare war with a city belonging to Mariana. "Orivae is to become a haven for both Holy and Daedric people. My suggestion is that you consider that before comparing anyone to that thing."

That demon wasn't a person. And if he was, then it just went to show that people were capable of becoming monsters. "We will continue this another time. For now, Arnold, I ask that you redirect that scrutiny to me. Hold me accountable, just as I will you."

With that, Nellie led them to the front. Her crystal was silent, but the nip in the air told of anxious thoughts. A gambit, Arnold called it. Is that undesirable, Goddess? Is that properly witch-like to You? Her mockery was underlined with worry. What if the Goddess saw it no other way? When she knocked on the door twice, another quote echoed in her mind. Cruel circumstance, or cruel nurture? She counted the seconds. 10...

Cruel circumstance?

20...

Cruel nurture?

40...

Cruel nurture?

47...

Cruel nurture?

51...

You made me this.

54...

I never had a choice to begin with.

56...

It was this, or never--- She brushed off the frost accumulating on her palms, leaving streaks of wetness on her fingers.

60. Nellie knocked once, allowing herself breath again. The chill subsided. I won't be like You. I won't hurt her again.


Kylesar1

 

[Kylesar1]

Guildmaster Arnold Asella
Aecor Athenium- Property Line -----------> Aecor Athenium- Lobby​

"A haven for Holy and Daedric is a pipe dream while we're still standing on ruins caused by the power both you and Rook wield." Arnold fired back, unfazed by her words. They kind of fell on deaf ears when Nellie didn't have the faith enough in the Goddess to enforce her will to any believable degree. "Remember that when you look into the eyes of this woman, because she is not the only one." It wasn't words she wanted to hear, but if Arnold had any plans to be her trusted advisor, he would not lie to her, even if he had to wear an overcoat when delivering those words.

Josephine answered the door, eyes thoroughly glazed over. They were NOT welcome here, and she lacked the emotional power to even be cordial. Not that she was hostile. She was defeated. Like a whipped dog, there was no fear. No fight or flight. Just the will of a whipped dog to lay down and accept her punishment so she could move on. "Rook said you gave him your word," Josephine said, opening the door to the Athenium for them to enter ahead of her.

The Aecor Athenium was starting to come together. The books were neatly arranged, labelled by group. Arnold could only imagine that all of these books proved a hindrance if she had to put up bookshelves. Did she have the documents they had come here to get from her?

"Lass, we are all busy people, so out of respect for your time, let us get right to business," he told her. He wouldn't keep the floor for long. This wasn't his conversation to have. "Nellie gave her word to Rook, for which I bore witness. Rook trusted my word because you trust my word, so I hope that holds weight here and now." The man laid it all out on the table. Rook trusted his witness, so that was the card he wanted to play, because Rook may not have accepted Nellie's proposal otherwise. It actually made Arnold wonder just how much of a different being than Josephine was Rook. Besides the obvious Daedric loyalties, was Josephine the biggest determinant of if Rook would like something?
"Are you loyal to the Goddess?" Jo asked him, bringing him back to reality before his mind wandered too far away
"Absolutely not," Arnold said without hesitation, "Nellie's biggest problem here is having to reconcile her position as Queen of this land with being the Scion of the Goddess. The moment she forsakes the people on the Goddess's word is the day I will turn my blade on her with full force." This was not a lie by any means. Nellie was not serving a well-liked Goddess. The odds were not exactly in her favor, and while Arnold definitely didn't want Nellie to suffer alone, he needed her to be wary of her position, and be wary of HIS position as her advisor. His loyalty lie with the people, not with the Goddess. If the two were ever at odds, the people would win even if it meant having to fight the trio of Nellie, Vlad, and Mariah........ and certainly lose his life unceremoniously
"And you are here on her behalf?"
"No," Arnold corrected, "I am here on YOUR behalf. Nellie can speak for herself. I just implore you to listen."

"..........very well," Josephine decided with a nod. A slow nod is definitely was, but she actually agreed to lend her ear, and that's what Arnold was going for. "Not that I have any real power here, but I will listen."

"My mouth will be shut henceforth," Arnold said, responding with his own nod in kind. "I will speak only when spoken to, unless it is something alert-worthy."

• OOC: I won't make it hard for Nellie to convince Josephine. Just don't do anything Daedric.......or threaten her

WayfaringWaaksian

 

[WayfaringWaaksian]

Nellie Noi
Aecor Athenium - Lobby​

What the fuck...?

Nellie knew better than to brand Arnold as a bigot over his bad choice of words. Not this man the Daedric of this city had spoken so well of. But was he really so clueless? Had he not seen what his own guildmates had gone through? And did he not know what Vlad knew? That was not a conversation Arnold could escape.

But for later. For now, seeing Josephine face-to-face banished any other thought from her mind. And it was her face... sullen and flushed, eyes hazy and red from prior emotion. Weak and resigned, accepting the fate to come. It was a face Nellie knew so well, knew as well as the cracked wounds in her heart that oozed every time she saw it.


Nellie held herself together well as Arnold conferred with Josephine, solid and stoic as she intended even before this meeting. But when it was her time to speak, the words couldn't form. Pressure behind her eyes broke into a stream, and numbness in her legs brought her to the floor. Not a collapse under the weight of her actions, but a slow kneel. A kneel followed by a bowed head, followed by hands planted before the librarian's feet.

"There... are no words." An admittance to herself and to Josephine. "There aren't words to express the remorse I feel. Or to convey the wrong I've done to you." Teeth hooking under her lip bit back sobs. She hurt her. She hurt this poor woman who did nothing wrong. "I accepted this power to protect my people, and I failed you. I keep failing you..."

Daedric ebbed strongly through her, an aura felt by both witnesses. But it wasn't a threatening one, angry and sharp like an ice shard to one's throat. It was deep and dark and so mournful, a winding drone like a whale's wailing call. If one bent down to touch her, their hand would burn on contact. If they stepped back, they would feel almost nothing. It was entirely self-contained to Nellie.

"I'm not here to solicit forgiveness. I've come to make something very clear." Her hands were clasped now, a plea not to be absolved, but to be understood. "My loyalty to the Goddess does not surpass my loyalty to these people. When I opened my heart to Her, I... wasn't aware of how much She'd changed." Or had She? Was She always like this, and the Daedric just drew out the worst in Her? "But it's done now. I am obligated to Her. But to you... I will always put you before Her wishes. Always. Even to my detriment." Even after seeing what became of her brother, Nellie had no fear of the Law. Nothing could be worse than this, seeing her people wounded by her own actions. "You have my word as Queen that any threat I bring to you is not intentional. It's failure on my part. And I WILL NOT fail you again, Josephine Warren."

Nellie met her eyes now, tears having slowed to a trickle. "Whatever you need, I will provide. I'll ensure it. If it means shielding you from the Goddess's influence, it will be done to the best of my ability. If it means isolating from me, you will never have to speak to me again. If it's as simple as improving your quality of life here in Orivae, it will be done to the fullest extent. For I am but a servant to my people." Words mirroring a Queen bowing to her subject.


Kylesar1

 

[Kylesar1]

Josephine Warren
Aecor Athenium- Lobby​

The gesture was a lot extreme, but this kneeling, the exchange with Rook, and now the words reached Josephine. Despite her chest beating in her ears and her nose burning with the desire to break down crying, her brain knew she had to carry on. Jo bent down to quickly help Nellie up, but Arnold stopped her. "Lass, Nellie will get up on her own," he whispered in her ear, "In the noble world, it is disrespectful to deny them their gesture of sincerity." Ah, Jo thought. Nellie was royalty? Made sense since the woman was literally Goddess's chosen. Jo took the advice to mind, lest she piss off her or the Goddess. "Tell her to rise, then say your peace." He could sense that she was actually a little weirded out by literally bowing at her feet as the Queen of this place, but it made sense. "Locathah are a dramatic people."

Nevertheless, it at least looked sincere so there was no reason for Jo to not believe her.......... for now. Oh Rook, if you're wrong about this woman I will pluck you bald, Jo thought. It was already weird enough to consider this Locathah a WOMAN instead of a walking fish, but this thing was also bowing to her, a slave.

Jo sighed as inaudibly to Nellie as possible. "I accept your apology, so please raise your head, Nellie," she said, "I am willing to trust that you are a woman of your word, if for no other reason than he trusts your word," she said, referring to Rook. "I'm........ I would rather not ever see the Goddess again..........and honestly you too, but if I can be of help, I want to swallow that fear." This wasn't a lie. She really truly wanted Nellie to walk out of this house and never see her again. The ring worked its magic to where the Daedric was dulled, but the dull turned her stomach from a rapid churn to a slightly nauseous shake. She had to pull her weight. Josephine saw everything that happened and knew she was here to lend assistance while building the library. Out in the country, those who didn't work didn't eat, and if these people used to be adventurers, they knew that sentiment well. She would feel bad to be a leech off these people. "But please stand up. Bowing to a slave aside, it is a little awkward for me." Bowing was just not a thing out there in the country. Nellie was royalty and Jo wanted to respect that, but she couldn't speak to Nellie clearly while the Locathah bowed

"I cannot give you much besides Books," Jo said, giving a sad smile. The semblance of a small smile hit her lips, which was a slight symptom of a breakthrough. "Any of these books you want, you can borrow. I just need a decree to bring the books back on time." The "decree" is either an Ordination or a Curse on the books should the person be overdue to renew or return, or if they damaged the books. "From what I understand, I need either enchanted parchment, to turn the library into a Curse or Ordination Zone, or for each book individually to be bound to the delegate to then be lent."

Spoiler: Librarian Lore

LORE: Librarians Want Their Books Back​

Do you want to know why library owners are such powerful people? It's because they are not only neutral overall, just wanting to gain and spread knowledge, but they have the means to protect their assets from destruction or theft. Libraries are important assets to a territory, and librarians fall under a protected class of people, in the same vein as postal workers. Attacking a library is attacking a hub of knowledge and an archive of history. Many places take such offenses seriously, similar to targeting a Central Church, School, or Hospital. On top of housing the archive of history and knowledge, a librarian may also be the archivist of classified information and/or serve as an information broker. Librarians are ultra smart people, and training to manage a library is extensive. They are oftentimes noncombatants, but that is by no means a requirement. In fact, a librarian capable of killing interlopers is highly desirable

The most prolific Librarian in this RP is Elaina. The deceased Kitsune Twins were the second. Josephine is primed to be the third, if she embraces Rook to the fullest.

There are a few ways Librarians protect their assets against thievery and damage

• Binding the patron themselves- The patron is to sign an enchanted contract saying that they are to return the book by the end of a given day. The penalty is magically enforced to prevent escape. This is the most common way to lend books since it is the cheapest and costs only the enchanted parchment, a drop of blood from the patron, and the ink used to fill in the blank.
• Binding the book- The book itself is enchanted or cursed with a conditional dictated by the owner. The most common conditional? If the book is not returned to a location within a given time, it will inflict the condition on the holder.

Guildmaster Arnold Asella
Aecor Athenium- Lobby​

Arnold sat in silence while the exchange happened. He did his job. Maintain the courtesy. He also secretly cast a shield on Jo to prevent the passive passing of Daedric power into Jo to help keep her from getting sick. The [PH Shield] or Perfect Health Shield.* Nellie was dramatic as hell, but if that's what it took for Jo to accept, all's well that ends well.......... so he thought. The look Nellie gave meant that their conversation wasn't done in the least. This elicited another internal sigh from Arnold, who had effectively tuned out the conversation though he kept his head straight ahead, dissociating as much as he could yet keeping just enough processing power to notice if his name were called or to notice them looking towards him.

This was about to be a tricky one. Like mother like daughter. It was one thing to not allow discrimination. He agreed in fact. However, to expect the people to flip the script instantly while still standing in the ruins of their home was impossible. The last thing Nellie needed was any more discontent directed towards her from the people. This was gonna be tricky indeed. Nellie was a rather extreme person. Just like the Goddess........... and Nancy as well, but at least Nancy was generally extreme to where he had to be reassured or convinced to do something. The Goddess stripped the boy based on a small feeling taken to the extreme. This entire thing would be easy had She just heard Nancy out. But....... if She is as Daedric as She was Holy, reason was impossible. Demi is as unstable with Draconic vs Fae. The difference? Demi is immensely aware of her instability and expressive of her feelings as compensation. She wasn't a ticking time bomb. She was a manually primed bomb. She will never punch you in the face without you being warned that she would punch you in the face and why said punch was coming

Was it a pride thing? Was it an isolationist thing? Would the Goddess even be open to these conversations?

WayfaringWaaksian

 

[WayfaringWaaksian]

Nellie Noi​

Even through her intense emotion, Nellie could tell that the gesture was a bit much for Josephine. She was still getting used to being bowed to herself, let alone holding the title as Queen. The discomfort that would bring a slave must be exponential. Still, Nellie didn't rise until directly asked, brushing away stray tears as she said, "Apologies. I don't wish to bring any more discomfort upon you." But the message had to be sent, and hopefully was understood. Nellie wasn't just some monarch to appease and obey. "I saw that you were ready to help me up. You're very kind, but... I have to ask not to touch me. For your own safety, please. I don't have the greatest handle on my Daedric output, as I've demonstrated all too well."

It burned her to think that this woman was forced here in this terrible place. An additional pang of guilt rippled through her chest to merely suggest assistance. It was a burden that Josephine didn't deserve to carry, and would regardless of her wants. Elaina had her agenda here. But Josephine being willing deafened the blow. "The world has changed far more than we expected, in ways we couldn't have predicted. Access to a library would supply us much needed information." They had the protection of a God, lands fertile with resources, and a nearby coastline for trade. What they needed now was the knowledge of how to apply all of that, so Nellie thought. "Don't be so downtrodden. Books are more valuable to us than you can imagine."

With business back on the table, Nellie felt the knots in her gut loosen up, and her sorrow settle. She had the opportunity to help Josephine help them, and put some validity behind her apology. "There's a shortage on parchment as of now, so unless Elaina is supplying from her end, there's nothing much I can do there. But I can provide the magic. If you don't mind the Daedric touch, that is... I suppose Mariah, Arnold, or Vladimir could lend a hand." Though Josephine did say Curse or Ordination, which made her think Divine magic was needed for that route. "Binding each book individually sounds tedious if this entire building can be enchanted. But I'll leave that discretion to the librarian."

Nellie wasn't much of a bookish person. That was Nancy and Vlad's deal. Most of her more articulate speech came from those two, and just mingling with the noble crowd for so long. So the logistics of running a library was lost to her, when she wasn't drawn to be in one in the first place.


Kylesar1

 

[Kylesar1]

Josephine Warren
Aecor Athenium​

Josephine was more than happy to take that step back when Nellie warned her. That ring was potent in reducing the Daedric effects on her body, but reducing was not eliminating. Nellie was absolutely RADIATING with that stuff and being that close to her was like wearing a Plague Doctor's mask and approaching a mountain of rotting corpses. Josephine's stomach still churned, but churned slower

After catching her distance and getting back on track, she listened to Nellie's proposal. "Hmmm......." There wasn't much option. Daedric or Holy. Since it was a Neutral zone, it would have to be both. "I will need both Holy and Daedric Curses to keep things even in a Neutral Zone," Josephine responded, "For that, I will need assistance from both you and Mariah if that's OK." The words were flowing a little easier for the woman now, set a tiny bit at ease. It helped a ton that she was put in a business mindset. "I can put in a request for Parchment from Lady Elaina." Elaina got off on the power of control......Josephine guessed in every sense of that phrase. As such, she would have to justify every single request made, even down to a pen to write with. The sole exceptions? Unless it affected Elaina herself or Jo was willing to lighten her own purse. Elaina wasn't a frugal woman by any means. Any sense of being a cheapskate came purely from knowing that she had someone under her thumb. Still, this was Jo's best chance at a normal peaceful life so she was going to take it.

"I will begin with 500, and give you 5 for 1." Lady Elaina just expects a return on investment, so if it weren't capped at 500, it was likely to be capped at not much higher. Besides, there should not be 400 individual transactions with these books this early on. 5 for 1 was 5 parchment for 1 of whatever currency they had which, for Kraiven, would be bronze. Useless for the current times, but enough could be melted down to form 1 actual bronze in the modern age. In other words, pennies for parchment. "Allow me to consult Lady Elaina on the matter." Josephine tapped her crystal twice. "Josephine to Lady Elaina."

"............Yes Josephine." The voice of the witch came to being and it was like Josephine's whole world ceased to be her own.
"I am making a deal with Nellie for the people of Kraiven. We require 500 parchment."
"Reason being?"
"To loan out the material," Josephine responded, "I would like to draw contracts on such parchment."
"Why can't you turn the library into a cursed zone?"
Josephine internally sighed. This was a valid question, and she wanted to explain her case. Luckily, Josephine anticipated exactly that so the answer did not come scarce for her. "This is supposed to be a Neutral Zone. It is better to keep the Holy and Daedric in the parchment rather than in the location. If our magic suppliers are Nellie and Mariah, I would rather not stretch them thin." When it came to the suppliers, Josephine wanted to limit the stretch on said suppliers. She didn't have a staff and as of right now, Nellie and Mariah had a well as deep as the ocean their Goddess came from in terms of the well they had to pull from.
"Why do you need 500 parchment? Any reason for that one?" Elaina asked, and if Jo could visualize something based on what was being said, Lady Elaina was probably filing her nails
"400 for the library. 100 for the leadership to utilize for the benefit of this city."
"What is 100 parchment going to do for the city?"

Elaina seemed more open to giving the parchment to Josephine. Not so much so giving it to the city. Then again, the witch's cooperation could always be bought

WayfaringWaaksian