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Post by Lady Kamille Verlithax on Sept 25, 2023 15:50:28 GMT -5
"I highly doubt this will take that much effort to undo, given how sloppy they were at delivering it. People who handle the really dangerous things usually knows exactly what they are doing and the cost of the reagents they have."
Aledüne can feel the Witch tense up for a moment, but it was faint, as she bended over the raven's feathery neck.
"Let's go, Mischief!"
Mischief was light and fast and sudden - Kamille seemed surprised at how quick he took the skies, clutching to his neck. The raven didn't seem to have riders so much, so their flight was a bit turbulent, with sudden halts and sharp turns. Despite being under their control, the raven was still a bit more chaotic by nature than it was necessary for a smooth flight, but still...
There was some experience there. Kamille seemed to know when to lean and how to position herself to make the flight smooth, helping distribute their weight accordingly. She was clearly a seasoned rider - or, at the very least, knew what she was doing.
But even so, as the raven flew overhead in circles, Mischief finally found a corridor to follow, swooping through without much more agitation. No one seemed to give the raven a second glance, as they seemed busy enough looking for the missing guests - ironic, at least. An opened door looked like an invitation, and Mischief followed inside. Looked like an office, with bookshelves lining the walls, and there was no one inside. The raven took them to the desk, where Kamille promptly dismounted.
"You got a lot to learn from Kalaf, Mischief! By Ginma- Are you okay, Aledüne?"
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Post by Aledüne Nevaar on Sept 26, 2023 13:36:38 GMT -5
With the two finding purchase in the office, the chaos of the area behind them now just a backdrop as the two got off the Raven. Kamille's question seemed to almost catch Aledüne off guard. Clearly not used to others showing concern for him, usually because he has no trouble portraying himself the master of most situations he found himself in. Now, being so small as they were, it was clear that he wasn't in complete control, and so her question makes him laugh, the irony that despite his powers and abilities he was still vulnerable in so many ways.
"Yes, I am fine. I must admit that I am not used to riding a mount, much less a raven, but the skies is by no means a stranger to me my lady. I do thank you for your concern however, as its not often I find myself the target of genuine empathy. And with the empathy coming from such a beautiful and powerful woman I could almost feel myself blushing had we not still been in trouble."
He walks over to her and confidently takes her hand and kisses it. "Excuse my forwardness, but allow me to in kind show concern for you. Even though I get the feeling that your power exceeds my own, I would feel bad should anything happen to you, as I must admit that tonight's events, however short has made me somewhat fond of you." His words are direct, but they ring true as he holds her eyes confidently.
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Post by Lady Kamille Verlithax on Sept 29, 2023 15:37:59 GMT -5
Once again the Witch seemed taken aback - but unlike Aledüne, she couldn’t help but blush at the display. While she was used to the pleasantries and flattery - and, truth be told, enjoyed them - it was other thing entirely that struck a chord. Aledüne didn’t seem used to genuine empathy, and the concept looked foreign to him.
"You.... You certainly jest."
Then, perhaps to hide her own fluster, she chose to use a provocative tone herself, half joking, half assessing how far he'd go.
"You'd better get used to it. I hear that some situations bring people together like no other - I can bet that being poisoned together might be one of them...!"
But her sassy tone was quickly put aside before his confidance and watchful gaze. Her eyes couldn’t help but wander to the silver locks of lush hair that crowned his handsome features. They made memories on the back of her mind ressurface, their fresh graves barely finished. For all that she had hoped, she had come to terms with the idea that the worst might have come to pass. Yet she couldn’t deny the wound was still open...
Stop it. You're starring.
"I'm sorry. We... hm... We should-"
Rushed steps outside of the office made her stop on her tracks. Maybe out of morbid curiosity, or the fact that she didn’t want people to catch them while they were so vulnerable, Kamille was quick to pull Aledüne behind an inkwell and pen, where their sillhouette could be mostly hidden.
And it looked like her intuition was spot on, as two men rushed into the office with a nervous agitation, as they talked in a tone just a hint above a whisper.
"...to explain! We're so dead! Do you get this?! Not only the wrong people, but-!"
"Will you fucking chill? There's no way it can be traced back to us! The effect is probably wearing off soon too, so no harm done?!"
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Post by Aledüne Nevaar on Sept 30, 2023 19:08:11 GMT -5
"As long as it is with you I might not mind getting poisoned every now and again." He gives her a wink and was about to comment on something else when she started pulling him, allowing her to lead them behind the inkwell. He again keeps close to her, pressing her into the wall of the glass bottle as if the concept of physical boundaries wasn't a thing between them as he tries to keep out of view from the intruders. What would be striking is that Kamille might not even feel it unnatural to be close to him. If this was due to her lingering feelings for a lost love that stirred within her, or the calming almost familiar smell that Aledüne gave off she might not understand, but he clearly had an ability, a natural charisma that made his presence unintrusive. At least to her.
As the men talk he looks down on her, their faces close. And after a moment he looks away, almost as if he was blushing, if only his Alabaster white skin remain clear as milk that might be the natural conclusion.
He keeps his gaze averted, but leans in even closer and whispers. "Seems we have our culprit. At least now we know this is only a temporary state, but how do you suggest we confront these men? I don't particularly feel the need to let them walk out of here."
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Post by Lady Kamille Verlithax on Oct 3, 2023 18:55:52 GMT -5
Jasmine. A warm, intoxicating perfume of jasmine rose from her neck - one he would be assaulted with for the proximity with the Witch.
On some level, she shouldn't have much reason to complain - it was often her to invade people's physical boundaries without a care in the world, as if it didn't mean much. As if she was allowed to. When the tables turn, however, it was a different feeling. His presence was not... unusual. Once again she felt a hint of familiarity from him - from his coldness, from his alure, from his smell. It was diametrically opposite to her own warmth, that of a Pyromancer that once-
-that once invited a stranger into her house, least he endure the downpour on his own. And then he entertained her with his stories of long lost Obelisks and a throne of bones and iron spikes. And at some point she realized that she wanted the Lich to keep on talking, not only because of the stories of the past, but because she enjoyed the sound of his baritone voice. He said...
New memories are always made, Lady of Cinders. So long as you live and breathe, live in the moment...unshackle yourself from the past...do not become me. For it is a torture no one should endure forever. Promise me this.
Sorry, Amílcar. I can't.
Mischief's croak brought her to the present. Only then she'd realise she'd been staring, her hands pulling at the fabric of his vests on their own accord.
"CAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWW!"
Both of the men on the room stopped talking to look back on the raven, perched up in the middle of the desk. If they brought their eyes a bit to the side they would see...
Kamille pulled Aledüne closer. She seemed to be holding her breath, just waiting on whatever stupid thing her raven would do next.
"Isn't.... Isn't that the Witch's famil-...?"
"CAAAWWWW! I'LL TELL THEM! I'LL TELL THEM! CAAAWWWWWW!"
"Get it! Shut it up!"
In a flurry of black feathers, Mischief took flight as the men lunged forward to get to the raven. Soon, the room also errupted in chaos, the men screaming at the bird, that yelled at them indignant, flying in circles out of their reach.
Oh, my sweet, stupid bird... Kamille finally spoke up.
"We can use this to our advantage."
And that was all - without any other warning, she closed her eyes. As someone who could understand the weaving of a spell, Aledüne would notice she was casting something on him - a cleansing spell of sorts, one that seemed to burn away the residue of the poison from his blood, forcing the effect to finally end [1]. She imediately cast the same spell on herself, and as she did, it would almost feel as if it had the opposite effect and she was getting smaller - or, rather, he was turning back to his normal size.
[1]Remove condition
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Post by Aledüne Nevaar on Oct 4, 2023 13:22:36 GMT -5
Somewhat flustered that the witch had the solution to the problem the entire time, Aledüne doesn't allow his surprise show. As soon as the men spot the two growing out from the kitchen table, a black portal appears to block the door behind them that leads out of the kitchen. Out from the portal steps a man clad in the armour of a paladin. His eyes bears a sick yellow tint to what would otherwise have been a set of beautiful green eyes. His skin carries a hint of the same colour to an otherwise tanned complexion. His hair is raven black, as is the armour. In his right is a shield bearing the insignia of a god that Kamille would recognize as Solaria, and in his left a obsidian blade bearing the same insignia.Without words the man exchanges a glance with Aledüne, and with a sight, as if he couldn't be bothered he stands to block the door completely, weapons at the ready.With a heavy voice, Aledüne steps down from the table, his fingers igniting with black fire. "Now speak, tell me who you are and why you have made the error of poisoning me and my company. Know that I am asking as a courtesy, and that the information will be mine even if you both choose to remain silent. Last one to speak forfeits their life." His eyes glimmer with a resolution, his body poised to strike at anyone who tries to run.
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Post by Lady Kamille Verlithax on Oct 6, 2023 9:13:16 GMT -5
Kamille wasn’t exactly sure her spell would work, but was pleasantly surprised it did. She wasn't stressing too much over it, since she had an idea that for a potion to have long lasting effects, more potent, expensive reagents were necessary. And given the offenders didn’t seem that much efficient, she doubted that was the case.
Still, she sighed with relief as they were both turned back to their normal size - and right at the moment she had wanted, as they found the responsible for this. Or at least the middle men. Mischief provided with a quick distraction, and as Aledüne summoned his magic, she couldn’t help but shiver.
She knew this magic. She'd seen it multiple times - the Witch wasn’t an adept of necromancy, but she spent months at the house of a necromancer lord - the Lord of Ghouls.
What were the chances? How could this man remind her so much of Bellighul? How could she try to forget him or bury her feelings when this stranger breathed life into them?
Focus.
The irony that the man summoned, enveloped in the death magic she knew very well, carried the insignia of Solaria, didn’t escape her. What an unfortunate soul that was, huh? Still, she raised an eyebrow before the summoning magic and the undead man that came through the portal, apparently used to such situations.
The two men imediately stopped running after the raven, as the Necromancer and the Witch suddenly turned back to normal right before their eyes. Their attempt at escaping was quickly twarted by the undead thral that blocked the door.
Both men stared in shock at the sudden turn of events, and while one of them was frozen in his tracks, the other was quick to fall on his knees.
"My lord! My lady! We're just servants! I swear we know nothing!"
Kamille had hoped to stay out of it, but seeing as Aledüne seemed a bit too eager to jump to violence, she approached the man, gently raising his chin to make him look up to her. Her approach was far gentler, warmer, but not without second intentions either.
"If you’re afraid of your employer, I'm the one you can trust to protect you. But you need to tell me the truth." [1]
[1]Detect lies
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Post by Aledüne Nevaar on Oct 6, 2023 13:36:31 GMT -5
As Kamille pushed past him he was surprised. And as she bends down and shares her gentle smile, a pinch of jealousy hit him. As if he wanted her warmth all too himself, a possessive feeling that surprised even him. After all he barely knew the woman, and still she was able to instil such strong emotion in him. Why? Had she already put a spell on him without him knowing? He grew paranoid as the uncertainty and frustration is instead directed at the two men.
"You heard the lady. Her presence is the only thing preventing me from ripping your throats out, but even that will have its limits. The next words coming out of either of you had better be something productive or I am going to be employing other methods on the one that survives to get my answers." The truth in his words are clear. His eyes carrying not a shred of hesitation.
Taking a step forward he places a hand gently on Kamille's shoulder, careful to not touch her with the claws. "Please step back Lady Kamille, I won't let this rest on even your word alone. A man does not stand behind a woman, waiting for her to find a solution to his problems. Not that I doubt your ability to uncover the truth, but please bare with me this selfish request."
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Post by Lady Kamille Verlithax on Oct 7, 2023 13:41:55 GMT -5
It doesn't seem to occur to her that her approach would upset Aledüne, but she was still somewhat surprised at his request. Not displeased in the least, though, she offers him a knowing smile and a swift touch on his for a moment, before stepping away.
And as soon as she steps away, Aledüne can see the hope fading from the man before him. As her warmth faded and gave way to his unforgiving demeanor, the man seemed to shrink in his place.
"Lord De Mare."
The one standing seemed to finally regain a piece of his senses. His eyes nervously jumped from Aledüne to the man guarding the door, and finally to Kamille.
"All we know was that the target was Lord De Mare. He's a friend of the Sultan - and the Sultan has lots of enemies."
Kamille crossed her arms. She didn't look that much satisfied by that answer. It felt like he was giving them an information because they wanted, but not necessarily that was the true one.
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Post by Aledüne Nevaar on Oct 7, 2023 14:14:27 GMT -5
Giving a satisfied nod, Aledüne holds true to his word and quickly rips the throat out of the man kneeling. The blood spurts out in a mist the covers the floor, but avoiding Kamille and Aledüne completely. Not the first man he has executed clearly.
"That was a start, and as promised you have earned a chance at life. Now try and answer again, but this time I would suggest you make me believe it. You have already pleaded guilty to an assassination attempt, and so nobody would bat an eye if I killed you right here and now." His words are calm, collected. His words promising truth, but his eyes are filled with a bloodlust not seen in common men. A crazed look that would make any doubt of his desire to kill him disappear.
Two guards rush towards the kitchen as they hear the spectacle that was happening. They attempt to force their way through the paladin in the doorway, but with heavy armour and a good leverage on the doorway he isn't budging. "What is happening here, stand aside now and explain yourself!"
With a finger Aledüne hushes them, giving the paladin a look, and instantly the paladin turns to begin the explanation of what was happening in the office. As they do, Aledüne takes a step closer, almost touching nose to nose with the assassin.
"Remember, I will know the truth. Your words doesn't matter, and the only thing in question is if you get to keep your life tonight." He leans in, as if to kiss the man, a dark chuckle comes from under his breath as he whispers his next words to him. "Now lie to me."
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Post by Lady Kamille Verlithax on Oct 7, 2023 15:09:56 GMT -5
A part of her expected that Aledüne would still hold on a little longer from violence - did she do the right thing by stepping back? Still, she couldn't question his results, as the remaining man widened his eyes in shock, as he too didn't think the man would keep up his word. It certainly wasn't his first time.
"I.... I...."
Kamille inspected Aledüne as he dealt with the remaining man. Something in his demeanor struck her as... disturbing. A kind of bloodlust, or yet hunger that wasn't that much strange to her. She knew that. She'd seen that before. She...
"Th-the L-lord... L-lord Tharlan... H-he... Had his p-proposal den-nied... H-his son... He wanted... He wanted his s-son t-to... M-marry Lady De Mare..."
As much as she thought there was more to it... it fit? Maybe there was more to the story, but petty crimes definitely match with shitty outcomes, right? She doubted Lord Tharlan had the means and the gold to hire good assassins to get the job done, although... A denied proposal was hardly a good enough excuse for attempted murder.
"I'm gonna calm down the guards..."
It was clear she had a good estimation of the power of her smile, and she was quick to abuse such power. She went over to the guards that Aledüne's minion was barring from coming in, echoing his story so that they didn't get so alarmed and the story didn't spread so quickly.
"I'm sorry, gentleman... We're in the middle of an investigation, and sadly one of the perpetrators chose to act with violence, so we had to defend ourselves. I'm sure Lord De Mare wouldn't like that such a scene would become common knowledge at his daughter's coming of age celebration."
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Post by Aledüne Nevaar on Oct 10, 2023 16:42:54 GMT -5
The guards seeing the Witch Of Moonglade present gets nervous and nods their heads. "Yes, ma'am. Of course you are right ma'am." The guard speaking stutters slightly, but tries to stand his ground. "I must however still insist that the subject be questioned by law enforcement. If we allow you to take the law into your own hands, we might get fired or charged with aiding vigilante justice."
Aledüne in the meantime had completely forgotten about the guards. He chuckles at the mans fear, stepping away from him for a moment to allow the man some room. "And you expect me to believe that one of noble lineage would risk everything just because he was rejected? Either he is stupid, or he has the emotional maturity of a child." The look changes on in his eyes again, now bearing a level of contained rage. A look Kamille would recognize in her years of experience as the look of a beast about to attack. Strangely enough Aledüne doesn't, keeping his cool. This however proves that there is a darkness in him not common to any mortal man, elf or not.
Taking a moment to consider what to do, he eventually sighs and waves it off. "This has already started to bore me, and the truth no longer interests me. If what you said really is the case then the motivation of this Tharlan is below my attention and better left to the city guards."
He looks over to Kamille for a moment before looking back. "And as such I am no longer interested in knowing if you lied or not. Instead I will simply take my vengeance on you. Though I did promise you your life if you told the truth." He looks almost disappointed he made the promise. He thinks for a short second before grinning widely. "And so, since you were so kind as to give me a new perspective on the world, I will do so in kind. Though I would hate to ruin my clothes any more than what I already have." He looks to the man that had gotten his throat ripped open. "You, why don't you gauge out your partners eyes and we will call it even hmm?" (1)
With the command comes action. The dead body moves as Kamille recognizes one of the more basic Necromancy spells to raise dead. The body gets up, and the man who had so far been talking in hopes of staying alive starts screaming and runs to the corner of the room cowering away from the man he had previously worked with. The body starts slowly stepping towards him, not running as it normally would have been able to do. Kamille perceptive as she no doubt was, would also understand that this was just another method of intimidation on Aledüne's part. "That is unless you have anything of interest to tell me?"
(1) Raise dead - Dark domain spell
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Post by Lady Kamille Verlithax on Oct 11, 2023 11:30:34 GMT -5
Kamille understood the use of intimidation, as she wasn’t one to shy away from it - much on the contrary. She often understood the usefulness of questionable actions towards great outcomes, and would have her honor take the brunt of it anytime if she thought the goal was worth it.
This Lord Nevaar... Aledüne didn’t look much different.
For a moment she asked herself if that was truly it, and if she should interfere any further as she saw the contained rage in Aledüne's face. He had asked her to step aside, and for the time being she respected his wishes. Turning back to the guards she tried to calm them down.
"We'll surrender him once we're done, and I can assure you no harm will fall upon your names because of it, my good gentlemen. Depending on how everything goes, it might as well be that you'll become the heroes of the night? I assume the noble guards wouldn’t have hesitated in jumping to the aid of a lady when threatened by her aggresor... After all, you were just doing your jobs."
And it also stands to reason that if she, the Witch of Moonglade, said so, very few people would grow a pair to question her. Still, she gave the guard a quick, reassuring touch on his arm, squeezing lighly.
It was then that she felt the hairs of her scruff standing up once again. She was, by no means, foreign to necromancy - much the opposite: despite never pursuing that path, Kamille had somewhat recently found out that her father was incredibly skilled in hiding some aspects of his life. Including the fact that he was a necromancer himself, and far from an ordinary one, he had in his possession some highly sought after tomes of the dark domain that would make scholars of that domain all around Charon envious.
All tainted memories now.
The undead still made her raise an eyebrow, despite her experience - but the man before Aledüne was absolutely horrified. He screamed and recoiled, trying to get as farther away as he could, clawing at the walls as the dead body of his companion dragged himself after him.
"PLEASE HAVE MERCY! THAT'S ALL WE KNOW! WE ARE JUST SERVANTS! PLEASE!"
The guard's resolution seemed to come back for a moment, despite his palor, even closing a hand around Kamille's arm to push her aside, but then...-
"The Observer!"
The man was curled to a ball against the wall, but he shouted something that clearly got the Witch's attention.
"L-lord Tharlan is... is a g-gentleman... b-but he st-started to... to talk with... with t-this person.... I don’t know who he is, I swear! I swear I don’t know! H-he started to change! That's all I know!"
Kamille nodded to Aledüne.
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Post by Aledüne Nevaar on Oct 11, 2023 11:50:45 GMT -5
Looking back to see the confirmation on Kamille's face, the dead body drops at the feet of the terrified man as he works to get further away from the now unmoving body. Hiding under the kitchen counter, he starts sobbing, having revealed everything, knowing that his life was over, and happy that Aledüne's attention was no longer on him.
"Seems this is someone you know of. Would you be so kind as to let me in on who this Observer is?" He takes the few steps across the room and stands in front of Kamille again. He gives a nod to the Paladin, who takes a step aside to allow the guards to take the man into custody. They move quickly into the room, taking a wide step around Kamille and Aledüne who they had reason to be insecure about
"If this Lord Tharlan is under the influence of someone else, and have been told or manipulated in some way to pursue marriage with Veronica De Mare, or at least the appearance, I imagine it would not be too far fetched to imagine the Sultan being involved somehow considering he is close with the De Mare family. Since the De Mare mainly deal in riding and military horses, this could also be an attempt to weaken the cavalry and by extension the military or the region. Though considering that we have no information, and the way this assassination attempt was carried out, I believe that the real goal isn't as obvious."
He puts his index finger to his lips and thinks for a moment longer, staring off into nothing before suddenly locking eyes with Kamille. "That is unless the De Mare family wasn't the target for tonight, and instead you were the real target." It didn't feel like an accusation, but rather a confirmation. After all, she seemed to have recognized the moniker, The Observer.
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Post by Lady Kamille Verlithax on Oct 11, 2023 12:59:21 GMT -5
Kamille was thoughtful for a moment. It's been quite a while since she last heard of The Observer. Raising her eyes to Aledüne, she pondered over the idea of how much she should share.
"I met The Observer once. He commissioned me to... handle a threat. At the time, I didn’t know much about him... Truth be told, I still don’t know much about him."
But the truth always comes around. The Observer asked her to take care of a vampire that had seized a piece of land by the coast of Zeinav. He didn’t expect for her to actually know that vampire, and that he held an allure over her far deeper than his vampiric abilities...
"It's been a while since I last heard his name. I won't doubt if he's involved in some conspiracy against the Sultan, as I've come to understand his actions through... a different light. Or he might be unsatisfied with... our previous agreement..."
The Witch didn’t interfere as the guards took the trembling man away, noticing the wide arc they made around to avoid them. Glancing once more to the man on the ground, now laying still, she finally took her eyes back to Aledüne. She didn’t look frightened or afraid in the slightest, and even took a step closer, taking her hands to the chest of his vest and straightening it, lining up buttons and chains as if to see his clothes perfectly neat once again.
Her mind was set: she needed to know more about this man, that flashed a brutal rage in a second, and showed himself the master of his own emotions in the next. This Lord, this... Necromancer, that she had never heard of before. And she would argue that it was because she needed to know such things in her line of work, but... truth be told...
She was damned curious.
"You're full of surprises, Lord Nevaar... I often put great value in actions, rather than words. And you kept your actions accordingly. I'm impressed."
From up close, it looked like her eyes held a renewed glint, if even... a suggestive one. The guards gone, only them both remained, plus his paladin and the dead man. She shot lazy a glance around for a moment.
"Is... this... intimate enough... for you? I'm sure they don’t mind..."
Bewitching by nature, it was easy to assume she had woven some special spell, one intended to trap him into the azure, starlit pools that stared back at him. Her eyes held a gravitas, a pull, strong as the tide.
Deadly, as the deep sea.
The Witch extended her hand, in a gesture, asking for his. Her warmth as enthralling as the perfume of jasmine that rose from her neck, as she closed in the distance between them.
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