[IC] Bible of Ichor: Septet for the Dead

[Rune_Alchemist]

Location:
Village
@crimson Paladin@VitaVitaAR

---

“Awh! Hey what the hell was that for you stupid kid!” Kordelia screeched upon having the back of her head assaulted by Aleksiya. “I’ll feed you to my puppies!”

“I see. I had my suspicions, but I thank you for trusting me with that information.” Gilles replied, glancing over to Aleksiya and Kordelia and ignoring the latters outburst. “Your wariness is understandable, madam Aleksiya but I assure you the secret is safe with me. We can find out how to handle everyone else much easier if we’re working together on the matter…but that will be something we can deal with later once everyone is properly safe.”

“Heheh, don’t you worry. Now that I’m here, you humans got nothing to worry about. I won’t let anyone spill any of your delicious blood.”

“...reassuring.” Giles turned his attention back to Argus. “If there’s nothing else, I would like to go ahead and get everyone moving. The sooner we get moving the easier it will be to convince everyone to move.”

Village
@Pyromania99@Click This

---

“Get off.” Julene gave Akyasha a rough shove as she finished her spiel. “If you think I’m gonna prostrate myself in front of a ‘god’ or whatever the hell she is you’ve got more than a few screws loose, redhead.” She snarled, though she noticeably didn’t move or do anything to the Lily Akyasha had given her.

But really, what could she do?

She could become their servant, sure. She’d get inhuman power and also the ability to help everyone else in the village. But at what cost? Her freedom? She hated the thought. The reason she even did what she did now is because she wanted to be free from this dreary dark world. Could she give that up?

“And how long is ‘years of loyal service?’ A decade? A century? What if I decide I want out after a year?” A brusque reply as she’d eye Giselle’s hand warily. Silence stretched for a few long seconds as Julene went over everything in her head repeatedly.

“Sorry, I can’t do it. I don’t think I can keep a good head about myself bowing my head to you a lot as some meat puppet.” She inhaled a bit sharply. “I don't know much about vampires...just old legends and what my old man and mom used to tell me. They had undying, loyal servants that couldn't even think or do anything without their lords permission. I'll pass on that, but...but why don’t you just make me into what you are. A proper vampire?”

[Click This]

Giselle de Farry

Undead Princess, de Farry

---

Giselle slowly raised an eyebrow at Julene’s response. After leaving her hand hanging, she drew it back. Instead of becoming angry at being turned down though, she let out a bark of amused laughter. She had her now—no matter who she picked, she doubted this blacksmith would be wallowing as a mere human for much longer. “A counteroffer? Bold. I like your moxie, it reminds me of those heady, early days after the Orosian-Kyrsan War.”

She stood there, considering the human girl. “You’re right. You don’t know much about vampires, and you won’t have the experience to not make mistakes. In the past, my maids might spend decades of service training and learning before they proved themselves worthy to join the ranks among us.”

Aside from those very early days, it was unprecedented for a servant or maid of hers to be immediately made into a vampire. “But then again, these are unprecedented times, aren’t they? Very well, here’s my counteroffer. As you say, I’ll allow you to join our ranks. But you will be under my wing as a part of my maid corps—take a knightly oath of service as you humans are so fond of. You’ll learn all there is to being a vampire, in addition to being a Farisian maid—that is, to fight, shoot, and perform all the other duties as expected of one. It will be hard, troublesome work, but you will have your free will. You’ll still be beholden to Ichor, as are we all,” she said, tilting a head towards Akyasha. The fact that she wouldn’t be preached to unlike her was left unsaid. “But I think you’ll find it fulfilling.”

She held out her hand again.

[Pyromania99]

"Turn you into a vampire?" Akyasha replied, "Well, it's possible but..." Giselle spoke before her. The cleric seemed to have a small difficulty as she had actually considered it as an option but had already shelved it. Less out of pride and more out of concern for what a brand new vampire might do. The number of vampires were dwindling in this day and age and the cleric knew that more numbers were good, though it was a small problem as far as blood supply went. The real problem was the lack of control one would have on a vampire. Thralls were easy to control based solely on obvious factors. A vampire could do most of what they wanted.

"A vampire that doesn't worship Ichor even moderately concerns me. I hardly would even ask you more than a prayer a week to start and to learn of the goddess' graces and our tenets." Akyasha thought on it for some short seconds. The cleric rubbed her temple. "I believe Giselle and my offers are fairly similar at this point, if that's the thing that would be required for us to have you join us. A vampire, though, I would in return ask you to join the sisterhood I plan to rebuild. However long as it may take. It's the small price to pay for power. Fret not, I'll teach you the basics of being a vampire along with the knowledge of the goddess." Akyasha mentioned, "I know you don't desire to be bound to another, but there is only so much one can promise in a system as such."

The cleric was a small bit desperate. She was not about to let the last day of work go to waste. Whilst she would not have considered this course of action so easily prior, Giselle pushed the ante up tremendously.

[Crimson Paladin]

Captain Argus Fellborn

Gilles appeared to take the reveal well. Key word, appeared. It was too early to be sure how Gilles had taken the news, but Argus believed the headman might just be willing to go along with it. He'd wait until later to burden Gilles with the additional information of former occupation as a pirate- and the familiarity of his flag.

Perhaps it would be best revealed by crafting a new flag and showing Gilles. He could probably find the materials needed around here.

"Aye, I believe it be prudent to make preparations. If you would all excuse me, I must use this time to regain my strength. I have been fighting with little reprieve since making landfall," he spoke before beginning to walk away. "If another of my kind gives you trouble, do not hesitate to ask me to mediate."

He would have plenty of time to catch up with the other vampires, but his first order of business would be to fetch one of the gorebats and feed upon the stored blood. Depending on how thorough the gorebats were, fallen should sustain them for some time, giving the living a reprieve from being tithed and providing them some time to be eased into their new arrangements first.

The second matter would be to scope out the wounded to see if there were any villagers on death's door that might be willing to join his crew to forestall their end. He'd prefer to not enthrall this already small pool of mortals, but for those too wounded to make the journey, and for those whose wounds were too grievous to be saved, what did he have to lose?

Once they got to Alavaris, the pirate could focus on more long-term matters, such as catching up with the other vampires, rearming himself, press-ganging undead into his crew, studying Charlotte's necklace, and figuring out his next move. Between the spear-maid, the witch, and the villagers, there were many that desired something from the captain, and each of them could offer him something for his efforts. He wasn't entirely sure what Cynthia was offering, but the villagers could offer nourishment, and Charlotte was offering to help get his ship back.

@Rune_Alchemist@VitaVitaAR

[Rune_Alchemist]

Location:
Village
@crimson Paladin@VitaVitaAR

---

“Lady Aleksiya, Sir Argus, its been a pleasure.” Giles bowed as the two vampires would leave, leaving him alone with his thoughts as he took a seat. What a tiring day. When was the last time he slept? He was certain it had been awhile, and he likely wasn’t going to get too much either in the coming hours.

A soft sigh, a hand held to his temple.

The members of the Ithica society had been correct after all, then.

Perhaps he should pen a letter to them, but how would they receive it and who would deliver?

He glanced towards a shelf where an innocuous mirror was laying.

Village
@Pyromania99@Click This

---

“I ain’t wearin’ no maid dress!” Julene rebuffed angrily. “I’d almost rather wear a hells-dammned habit.” A statement likely that would likely amuse the vampire nun. “Tch, but I don’t have much of a choice, do I?” The blacksmith mulled over the offer, glancing towards the village and the people moving about in the dim lantern light. She could only let her pride get to her so much. If she turned them down, then what about everyone she grew up with? The people here?

“...Fine. Tch. I guess it’d be better to learn as much as I can about vampires and Ichor too. Julene responded, reaching a hand out and taking Giselle’s hand. Teach me whatever, but I’ll be the worst damn maid you’ve ever had, promise.” She then turned towards Akyasha, still with a sigh. “And you - damn it you…make no sense to me and I don’t fancy the idea of worshiping any demon god but whatever. I’ll learn as much as I can from you too.

---

A VERY VERMIN DAY TO YOU

A quiet writing of a pen upon old parchment.

Howls of beasts in the darkness.

And then quiet.

An unsettling, disconcerting quiet that signaled danger. The chittering of rats walking from the darkness - no - it was better to say their black fur was the darkness. It moved and shifted with them, a living wall of vermin, eager to snatch, feast, fester and claw whatever they could get their diseased fangs on.

“Ah, little Lottie! A very nice evening? Day? Oh dear myself, this darkness still confuses me. However do you mortals tell what time of day it is?”

“Ah, dearest little Est, what can I do for you? Its been quite some time since you visited little old me, ehehe.”

“Mhm? Can’t two old friends see each other? After all, if not for you I would still be rotting in the corpse of that hideous monster, ahaha.”

“I also told you I want nothing else to do with you.”

A long bit of silence followed as Charlotte closed her journal.

“Also, calling me a mortal is the funniest joke I’ve heard in a very, very long time.”

“Ah, all you little ants look the same to me you know? I can’t help it any more. That said…” Est walked up to Charlotte, cozying up next to the witch who seemed completely unperturbed. “Come on little lottie, don’t give me the cold shoulder. You wound my rotten little heart.”

“My shoulder is quite warm…but I understand the metaphor.” Charlotte sighed, placing the book upon the desk. Her normal, unsteady, slightly manic look was replaced by a cool, calculating gaze. “What do you want, you failed god?”

“Now that’s the look of the woman I fell in love with, eheh.” A slow, toothy grin spread across Ests mouth. “I am here…to make a deal! A deal between a witch and a proper god mind you. It involves…those tears you’ve been searching for.”

“...I’m listening, rat.”

Halls of the Old World

“Are you certain…Rikard?”

“Quite. In summary, I ran into three of them myself. On our way to retrieve the Heart we found the corpse of a great serpent already viciously slain. On our way out we too, were being eavesdropped on by them as well. No doubt they are wary of us.”
“Rhea?”

“...I didn’t see any, but their stench was all over the place. I went back to investigate, and I had half a mind to hunt them down myself but when I drew close to the cathedral…that gods damned Ichors power still lingers there. I can not get near it now.”

“I see...so the wheel of fate is moving and time is starting to ever so slightly crawl forward once more. Ah, and the object of our hunt? It slipped away again as well?”

“Unfortunately. Est is proving to be quite…difficult to corner.”

“Unsurprising, considering what she is. The power to travel between the fractured remnants of this broken world…”

“We almost had her once, we will again. Perhaps we could find allies in the unlikeliest of places if we play our cards right…”

“...I’d rather kill them and filet their brains.”

“And that, dear Rhea, is why Rikard does the talking and you do the killing. Dismissed, I’ll talk this over with the others and see what they have to say about all of this.”

A lonely little Thrall

They were gone.

And she was alone again.

Fra walked quietly down the hallways of the chapel, the sounds of beasts outside the only company she had now. She had questioned herself why she had been left behind, a miserable, failure of a thrall like her that couldn't even die properly when their creator did. A fluke? Initially she had convinced herself Ichor had some grand plan for her.

She reached the chapel, gazing up at the statue, an unreadable expression.

A pause.

She should get some food ready for their return. Perhaps some cake, or some raw meat? Beast meat wasn't very appetizing but she could at least make it presentable with her meager skills.

A small smile, as she hurried off out of the cathedral.

A small prayer offered towards the Goddess.

~The Rebirth, End~

And so the god of Silverlight would fall
That was the desire, the plan, the gift.
The false Sun, The Egg of Disaster, the wayward stars, the heavens were to be felled. Oros’ Cycle ended permanently.
That was the gift of Ichor to her children
A new age dawned. One of Blood and Night where the dead could exist without recourse
I have seen such an age, and that is why i ask you, undead
To give thyself, they hate, they rage and they life
And the world shall be made anew where we can live as we desire.
- Bible of Ichor, Chapter 3 verse 1

[Pyromania99]

Akyasha watched on as Julene said her words, the end of her lips tilted ever so slightly down. So she has chosen. How shameful. So long spent trying to buy the service of such a woman only to have Giselle swipe her up in a frustrating manner. The cleric grabbed her flower from Julene and held it in her open hand just to have it wither away as quickly as it was grown not much earlier. Another vampire was realistically a possible threat but it could prove a boon. The woman supposed it was time to tell.

She closed her eyes for a few seconds as she took a breath, the petals of the Blood Lily scattered about. Akyasha made eye contact with Giselle for some seconds before her eyes narrowed in irritation and the vampire turned away from the scene now behind her. "If you so wish I shall teach you all you wish of our goddess. Just don't slack or I will give you an earful of it." With that, she started to walk away. "Enjoy yourselves. I shall return to the others in the meantime." Despite her efforts, it was obvious that was was somewhat displeased for whatever reason. Akyasha now returned to the others and considered that their next trip was likely to home as she recalled all of her nearby gorebats.