Antarok

Welcome to the Antarok Forum Roleplaying Game!

If you would like to play, please register an account and notify us through Discord. Please check out our wiki for additional resources. https://wiki.antarok.net/ You can find our Discord below: https://discord.gg/JQJ7QfkDVV Understand that we are currently in a playtest through the end of 2024, meaning you are welcome to play and earn experience, but there might be sweeping changes before the full site launch in 2025.

Closed Shadowy Dealings

A 'Closed' thread means that only authors you have OOCly authorized should post to your thread.


༺༉❁ September 10 year 124 of the third age ❁༉༻
<notes>
Lucia was not usually one to do too many favors for others, but she had found the request of a good friend hard to resist. That friend, Velho, had come into possession of some rather interesting pets and, consummate Animist that she was, he'd asked her if she could help care for them. He was a busy man and all, what with his actual job as a Ferrier. She had not agreed to this entirely out of affection for the other nor necessarily the kindness of her heart; there were some elements of avarice in her decision– he'd said she could bind to any of them if she wished. How could she say no to the opportunity to claim control over a Grovebane?

But to do that, she needed Anathemite, a relatively rare variant of Alkahest. Her first thought was to patronize an Æld'Norai Alchemist and simply have them convert Aetherite into the substance, but then Velho had mentioned he knew somebody capable of generating it on their own. She was a bit disappointed to learn that the woman in question was a Fælnir, but upon him explaining that all they'd need to offer the girl were parts of the Grovebane itself, she became more amenable to the idea. Easy enough, fair enough, she supposed.

❀ •════════════════════• ❀​

Traveling to Græntún by way of a portal from Thokkmyrr, Lucia looked at the hastily– and poorly– drawn map Velho had given her to designate her destination. It might've been a bit clumsy, but at least it was accurate; she arrived easily enough at the Arcane Anvil in the early evening. She didn't bother to knock, simply opening the door and allowing her appearance and Arcana to announce her presence. Augmented by Rusalka's Idolatry, the woman would appear to be a creature possessing otherworldly beauty, her visage slightly different to each set of eyes that'd set upon her, adapting as much or as little as needed to suit their standards.

Lucia herself was dressed in a fluffy, soft looking black gown with an off-shoulder neckline, adorned with elaborate stitching and limned with lace. Paired with black gloves and coruscant, white gold jewelry the woman would look as if she were dressed for something more than simple errands. Her clothes, however, were contrasted by the bundle of Grovebane limbs she bore strapped to her back.

Looking around the room, the dainty Ælf's discerning blue gaze swept over the various items on display. And for a moment, she'd linger like that, simply perusing the wares. If Abraia or one of her employers were in the room, she'd then turn to them and speak: "I'd like to make a trade," words given in a smooth, silken tone and accompanied by a disarming smile 'cross soft lips.
 
Abraia had been salty about the grove bane experience. She hated the whole day and the injury she had frightened her still. It had made her look a little more kindly towards elves because one had saved her even though he hadn't needed to.

She was not used to elves coming personally to visit. She still did not like them much and considered their beauty to be sub par. So when a female elf walked in so rudely Abraia used her full might of Crest to try to one up the otherworldly beauty.

She wanted to send the message that they were not the only ones to be pretty. Abraia knew she would regret spending all that aeris but pride made people do weird things.

She felt vulnerable. Cae was her protection but she had separated from him. She was on her own for the first time after becoming a strong mage.

"You're an elf. Take what you want." She said through gritted teeth. "I have anathemite, aetherite, and weaponry." She pointed to the wall with weaponry on it and the chest which contained her valuables.

She saw the grovebane limbs. She recognized them so was this elf in Velho's employ? She was curious but she did not want to make small talk to someone who could kill her for literally any reason.
 

<notes>
Lucia had set eyes on Abraia before the girl had noticed her– her subsequent application of Crested ornamentation was a visible shift that occurred in the ensuing seconds, like a peacock showing its feathers. Due to her education– and centuries spent amongst Hespæria's Mystics– she could recognize Pact magic when she saw it. A Crested Fælnir? Interesting, but at the same time, she did not find herself feeling surprised. She held some mild concern about a Fælnir with that Pact, given what she'd learned about Crest at its apex. However, that wasn't her concern; she had full faith that the Emerald Vigil had eyes on this one, and that if she were still alive, she had yet to earn anyone's ire.

The Rusalka almost appeared amused at the display. She could've perceived it as an insult and reacted accordingly, but her arrogance led her to react as if Abraia were exactly as she'd behaved; a peacock, and thus, an animal. Does it make sense for animals to be punished for harmlessly acting on their base instincts? No, and Lucia was above petty violence; she believed that to lead the Fælnir, the Æld'Norai ought to display a heavy, but restrained hand.

"Quite right. I could just tax you as I see fit, but hard work ought to be rewarded." the pale woman replied, her dulcet voice decorous.

"I seek a Globe's worth of Anathemite, though I don't quite care whether the Globe is whole or you grant me my price piecemeal. And in return, you can have these limbs, hide, blood and a few eyes." As she spoke, Lucia moved over to a nearby table where she began to lay out that which she'd tied to her back. The limbs themselves had been wrapped in already treated Grovebane hide; four strips of hide roughly four meters in length each. The exact contents of the bundle she carried were as follows: two forelegs and two hindlegs, plus a twenty-four ounce bottle of blood and three eyes. Both the blood and the eyes were stored in brionic containers designed to keep them from decaying.

"Take these as gifts; tokens of goodwill for your services to Ælheim," her honeyed words would come across as entirely sincere.

Subjugation is more effective, after all, when the subjects believe they are valued. Kindness, in a fashion, served Æld'Norai interests as much as cruelty– a fact they'd known for millennia, and that such manipulations in particular were used by Hespæride used amply. Hespærian subjects did so love their mistress…for good or ill.
 
Abraia liked what she was hearing. Maybe she was desperate to hear anything that didn't involve her immediate death. She breathed deeply to calm herself. If all she wanted was alkahest that she had painstakingly created.

It was such an odd thing to ask for out of the blue. The elves must have known she could produce it to be asking about it. Elves knocking on her door asking for anathemite was just what she needed.

She walked over to the chest and took out a globe's worth of anathemite. She put it in a container then placed it on the table next to the body parts of the grovebane.

Eyes, blood, and hide. Why? It seemed like a sick joke meant to remind her that she'd almost died.

"Thank you for these "gifts"" She said. "Did you want anything else?"

She ran her hand along the limbs and noticed how strong they were. Slowly she was realizing that she might be able to make something useful from this. Maybe this hadn't been such a bad deal after all. Maybe the eyes and blood were useful too.

Not wanting to sound stupid she did not ask. If she had to then she would figure it out on her own.
 

<notes>
Having been Rusalka for some time, Lucia had become fairly adept at recognizing emotion in others through their body language and facial expressions alone. These things were easier to pick up on when you could definitively confirm your suspicions– or disprove them– through your Arcana. As such, she wasn't oblivious to Abraia's cageyness.

The behavior was somewhat strange to her; normally, the Fælnir were brainwashed enough from birth that they treated the Æld'Norai with reverence, often idolizing them. It was…odd when they didn't. They were taught that the resources taken by the Ælves were used to improve Ælheim as a whole, Fælnir included. And while many Fælnir died at the hands of the Æld'Norai, the majority of murders were committed during holidays and sacrificial rites where the chattel were taught that these sacrifices benefited them as a whole. Otherwise, the blood of Fælnir was generally shed in more clandestine manners to avoid sowing discord among their numbers.

Maybe it was the girl's Crest? Lucia wasn't sure how esoteric the 'bonds' it could break could be; she wondered if it could 'break' some of the emotional manipulation the Fælnir were supposed to be subject to. The thought made her ever the more wary about the girl being allowed Crest, but again, if it were truly a problem, she'd have been disposed of by now.

But when Abraia asked if she sought anything else, the Rusalka paused for a moment. "Hm. Not for the moment, no," she answered as she picked up the packaged Anathemite.

As she turned to leave, she'd glance back at Abraia, "...oh. I almost forgot; Velho sends his regards," then she'd walk out the door.

Velho had said he'd considered Abraia to be more useful alive than dead; talented Fælniri craftsmen were useful if only because one had much more leverage over them than craftsmen of their own kin.

If Abraia were curious about what sort of crafts she could make from Grovebane parts, she could seek out a Fælniri shaman who specialized in Animism. There were a few notable ones in Rømskog, and because Abraia was an approved artisan, they would be free to share what they knew with her. Alternatively, she could experiment with the parts herself, but this would result in wasting some of her materials.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Abraia let some tension out when Lucia did not claim to want any more from her. She verified that this had been a gift from Velho. That made her think even more strongly that he was not as bad as he first thought. First he had healed her and then he had given her a gift.

The gift of life and some parts. It was not really a gift because she paid dearly for it but it was still something. She doubted any elf cared how much she had to sacrifice to make that much anathemite.

Once Lucia left Abraia would take one of the appendages and wrap it up. She would go take it to some of her craftsmen friends and meet with some scholars to figure out what she might be able to do with it.

She once wanted to make the best weapon for Sjal but that part of her life was empty now. She needed to find some new friends to craft for.
 
꧁══════════•༺༉ { Reviewed/Canonized } ༉༻•══════════꧂​

Rewards

Abraia

+6 XP (599 wc)
+4 Grovebane limbs
+3 Grovebane eyes
+1 Bottle of Grovebane blood (24oz.)
- Globe's worth of Anathemite

Lucia (Velho)

+13 XP (1266 wc)
+ Globe's worth of Anathemite

Comments

A more fair trade deal than the Fælnir usually get, haha. Thank you for agreeing to do this ❀

꧁══════════•༺༉ ❁ ❀ ❁ ༉༻•══════════꧂​
 
Last edited:

Active Play Areas

About Us

Antarok is a living forum roleplaying game with experience-based progression where time flows in the game as it does in the real world.
Back
Top