The Rising Legacy (Open!)

[Anonymous]

Warning: This thread contains some gory content.

A wind rose off the ocean's surface some few leagues from the coast. It was a cool, slightly salty wind that blew onto the coast a few miles out of Cerenis. Ranar was at his villa south of the port city when the wind blew through. The leaves of the tall, thick trees that provided shade to Ranar's large patio danced in the wind sending shadows playing across the ground. The soft patter of water running over rocks filled the air and made everything that much calmer. A servant opened and closed the door leading to the patio carrying a tray with a silver goblet on it. The tapping of her shoes offset the sound of the wind blowing through the leaves and the water flowing over rocks.

After she set the tray down on a table next to him, Ranar thanked her and set her off back inside. He picked up the goblet, took a sip of wine and sighed. Things were so much calmer out here. The hustle and bustle of Arca contrasted largely with the peace and quiet of his villa. The most stress he ever had to deal with was a servant accidentally breaking something or his food not tasting that delicious for a meal. He loved visiting his villa. It was a place where he could just sit back and relax.


((OOC: There ya go! ^.^ Feel free to come a-knocking. You'll be let in, don't worry.))

[Anonymous]

Molly was still in her quarters on board the ship, patiently waiting for the men to be done with their work on deck. Her last stay in Cerenis had been short lived; the town had been rather small but the townsfolk, fishermen the lot of them stubbornly stayed and where rewarded as such.
She had been a trainee in the magic school of necromancy fleeing persecution during that stay, now returned to the mainland after hundreds of years in study.
Her intention was to travel the entire world to seek out what her ancestors had left behind and perhaps make friends with interesting people at the same time.
 
Her colleagues used to call her crazy, a visionary, sometimes they would mock the ideas presented and sometimes they would try to discuss them. But they never acted upon them.
Someone with the talent to go far within the field of necromancy but the desire to do great lay elsewhere.

The world had forced necromancers to huddle together for protection, like sheep. She and a few of her fellow patricians that she often referred to as friends, did not intend to live out their entire lives on the same island just because the world hated and feared Necromancy.

Finally the ships deck settled down, signalling that it was time to leave. <We have let the world wait long enough>  
Stepping out from the ships deck blew memories of a small village town away, continuing down the ramp onto the dock with shaky legs, wobbly from the sea voyage.

It made her feel old if anything to remember how this place had used to look and now see it all grown up. Intending to scour the docks and maybe hit a bar to ask for information. Dogs barking at her feet changed that trail of thought quickly. Instead she pulled out a magical compass that served as a bloodhound to track down, powerful yet latent or dormant necromantic energy signatures. <This city was the staging point for a massive necromancer migration to Thanathos, there should be something of value to my quest here>

After much whirling it finally stopped and curious to see if the gizmo actually worked Molly followed its directions to near pinpoint, eventually reaching the walls of an estate. She entered the premises and continued walking up on a road.  

With the needle of her Hound humming silently to mark that she was close enough to make an educated guess as to where. <What would a necromantic artefact do inside a noble's villa?> She dropped it back into the satchel. Stretching out a bony, slender hand, knocking at the door hoping the master would be present.

[Anonymous]

After a few moments, the door opened to reveal an elderly serving woman. The woman stared for a moment at the arrival before remembering her manners.
"Welcome madam." The attendant said in a chipper voice. "Please, come inside. I will alert the master to your presence." Turning slightly from the guest, the elderly lady told a young serving man nearby to go and tell the master that he had a guest waiting for him and that she would be shown to the parlor. After getting a comply from the young man, the elderly woman opened the door wide enough for the guest to be shown in, and more, before curtsying.
"If you would follow me, please? The master will meet you in the parlor."

The young serving man strode self-confidently through the villa, as he imagined he should. Although new to the job, the rest of the staff that lived at and took care of the villa, while Lord Ranar was both here and away, were a pleasant and nice enough bunch that settling in had been no problem at all. The only thing that the young man was worried about was the Lord himself. He hadn't met the master of the house yet and the serving man was slightly nervous at finally meeting the person who paid for his services.

It was a slight walk, the patio being on the opposite side of the modest sized villa, but after a few minutes, the young server was quietly opening the door that let out to where his Lord was lounging. Finally able to put his practicing to the test, the server stopped about five feet from Ranar before bowing.
"My apologies for intruding, my Lord, but you have a guest." He said, straightening.
"Oh? I am not expecting anybody. Did the guest give a name?" Ranar inquired.
"I was sent to inform you before I learned her name." Ranar turned to look at the man and raised an eyebrow before the young man realized his mistake.
"I'm sorry, my Lord, I'm new and not well versed in dealing with those higher than me." The young man said, blushing. Ranar smiled.
"Do not fret over it much." Ranar got up from where he lay. "Where is this mysterious guest being shown to?"
"The parlor, my Lord." Ranar nodded his thanks and dismissed the man.

The parlor, eh? Must be somebody who looked respectable but did not have the look of a noble. As the Lord made his was through the villa, he contemplated the identity of this stranger, female by the serving man's words. It could not have been a merchant, the staff knew Ranar did not see them at his villa. The guest must not have looked the part of a noble, either, or else they would have been shown to a more important room. He continued trying to figure out who would come calling on him without notice until he reached the room he was told the guest was shown to. Failing to think of an answer, there was only one way to find out. He nodded to the steward who opened the door to announce him.

"Announcing his Lordship, Ranar Ingram." He followed into the room after the steward had said his piece.
"Welcome to my villa. What may I do for you?"

[Anonymous]

A storm was starting outside and the cause was coming closer.  Two merfolk riding sea serpents were chasing Hachen and his pig who were trying to escape using a small boat.  "I told you airship, air ship." Hachen yelled to his pig companion using his magic to blow gusts of wind into the sail and moving the water around the ship to make it go faster.  The merfolk were using magic to make a storm to stop the ship and Hachen was heading to the shore, bringing the storm with him.

[Anonymous]

<Post deleted by user, disregard please~ sorry for the inconvenience>

[Anonymous]

When Hachen got to shore he was dripping wet, as was his pig.  "Pretty?"  Hachen said to himself when Kain met him.  Hachen looked back over his shoulder, he couldn't see the merfolk anymore but he knew they would keep coming, it'd be best to hide for now.  Hachen shrugged and followed Kain, maybe these people would let them in because of the storm coming in.

[Anonymous]

Although she never really minded her surroundings the room she had been lead into indicated slightly that this was not a merchant noble. A suitable inquiry before she was left alone to wait for his lordship led to the discovery that this was his lordships summer villa.
   
    Finally the door swung open and the lord was announced. Not even past introductions before his lordship Ranar Ingram asked why she was here. Practical and way to straightforward for noble. A polite curtsey while she inspected the lord with a satisfied smile.

He had that look in him that he probably wouldnt mind parting with whatever relic The Sweeper had found. His posture, even his clothes made her think he was pretty down to earth.

In summary according to first impressions he was ideal.  
   
    "Lord Ingram, my name is Molly Beneth, Travelling Doctor. Please forgive the uninvited intrusion, i recently arrived in Cerenis, from Tanathos and dont intend for my stay here to take much time.
     
    It would seem you have a Necromantic artifact here, the residing energies are strong enough to be detected by my tool's. If you dont mind i would love to look into it as these can often attract spirits and its like if left unattended. It might also happen that it can still serve a purpose wielded rather than on display or in a storage house."

(OOc: appologies for not including either post in my post. It is just that its a villa and i suspect neither Crono or my character would be present in a room with a door leading outdoors.)

[Anonymous]

So many guests today! The servant who was posted at the door could only shake her head in wonder as she opened the door.
"Good day to you!" She said heartily. "My! I'll never get used to how quickly the weather can change when you live on the coast! Come in, come in. I'll let the master know that he has another guest. Quickly, before the storm hits, and I won't accept no for an answer." The serving lady beckoned the new guest inside and told a nearby server to inform his lordship about the new guest.

Ranar listened to Ms. Beneth's request and thought it over for a little bit.
"Yes. Yes, I can see what you mean. It would be a very nasty experience to have an unwanted apparition floating about. I'll accompany you in your search for the object. Yes, what is it?" Ranar asked as a servant came into the room, begging his pardon.

"My Lord, you have another guest awaiting you in the entrance hall."

"My, I'm quite the popular one today." Ranar muttered to himself. He turned to Molly. "Since it appears I will not be able to accompany you in your search, she will accompany you instead." He motioned to a serving lady standing next to the door, set there in case the Lord or his guest needed anything. "When you find what you are looking for, join me in my study and we can discuss...arrangements. What you find may be of much worth to me."

Ranar turned away from Molly and made his way to the front doors, the server trailing in his wake. After a minute or two of walking, Ranar turned a corner and was greeted by the sight of the doorkeeper chatting up a young man and his pig. Interesting, not many people had pigs as pets.
"Welcome stranger. What may I do for you?"

[Anonymous]

"Sorry about coming in, but there's a bad... storm coming in and both my pig and I needed a roof over our heads, lightning is a nasty thing to get hit by."  Hachen said looking around while pig sniffed the air.

[Anonymous]

It didnt take long before Molly opened up her bag and pulled out the Sweeper again. Multiple bone arrows acting like a 360 degree compass for artifacts. She had given it two instructions. To locate artifacts that would be helpful for her or humanity and to locate dangerous ones she would have to destroy or keep out of other necromancers hands. This one was an artifact that would give her more power.

Lord Ranar's study, elegant, simple and with a furnace to keep the cold outside. Shelves of book's and papers, a writing desk and a lot of stuff to decorate the furnace with. Ghasping with suprise as she realised what the artifact was. Its powers had grown over the years but now that she was close to it. The scent of necromancy was rather unmistakeable. She pulled down the head of a giant stag from the wall and with great precition, despire the servant womans protests pulled out one of its eyesockets. It was unmistakeably the black eye of Sara Nizbel.

She had been a dangerous woman, living on the edge of necromancy. Experimenting with dragonsblood and infusion. Her death had been one of the few that might have been justified but as soon as she had died. Since her body wouldnt burn in any ordinary fire. It was chopped up in little pieces and scattered across Serendipity.

Apparently her eyes where decent lookalikes to stag eyes. Laughing at the irony as she picked it up. The eye felt light to the touch yet already wanted to fuse itself with her body. Remembering her plight she dropped it back to the ground. Leaving it for the servant woman to pick it up. «That is a relic.»

The sweeper plinged yet again. This time an artifact harmful to the cause. Considering the book. Why it was in this mans hands she didnt know, but this was no ordinary freedom poetry book.
It was rather heavy considering the size of the book, and the dried dragonsblood used for ink burned her skin. Just lifting it made her back ace, yet she wondered who's book it was so she turned a few pages. Already a vast amount of graveyard odour was rising from her palms because of the burns.

Clearly whoever wrote this book, did not want a necromancer to look upon its contents. «This is also a relic. Please carry them both down." It took a few moments before a pair of servants picked up the book and they walked past her, telling her to follow.


The sound of thunder heralding their arrival at Lord Ranars study. Molly's mind weighted heavy. She had no idea what kind of powers rested in the eye but if she used it. No doubt reading the the contents of the book would be made possible.

Yet this all felt very strange, as if someone had planted both here purposly.
«Lord Ranar, i have brought with me two things i deem necromantic in origin. One, is the eye of Nizbel it will enable me to read artifact number two. Its origins is unknown but it the ink used is mixed with dragonsblood. And Nizbel fused her body with dragonsblood. This is no coincidence.»

[Anonymous]

When Molly approached Ranar with Hachen and his pig nearby the pig snorted and moved behind Hachen for protection.  When Molly talked of the artifacts he thought it might be the smell of the eye but he's never seen pig shake from a smell before.  

"Necromancery you say, well I don't see that very often.  Dragonsblood too now that must be hard to get, this seems to be very interesting stuff here."  He says looking over at the book and the eye, the pig kept Hachen in between the itself and anything necromatic.  He'd never been near necromancery before so he hadn't a clue as to why pig was afraid of it and he couldn't tell what pig was thinking at the moment.  He kept himself looking at the artifacts as if more facinated by them than his pig's reaction.

[Anonymous]

"A storm? I had been outside not too long ago and it had been fair." Ranar glanced out the window. "I suppose it should not be that surprising considering how close to the coast we are." As if on cue, the rain broke just as he was finishing his sentence.

"Come." Ranar said to his companion, including the pig. "I told another guest to meet me in my study when she was ready. Plus, it will get us farther away from the windows in case something untoward should happen." As he lead the man, whom he had yet to formally meet, he spoke a word to a servant who scurried off a different way.

Ranar entered his study shortly before thunder whip cracked above the villa, he could only assume that his unnamed companion was following him. Molly entered shortly afterwards, followed by servants carrying a couple of items. One he recognized, the other he couldn't quite place. The book he had set aside to browse at he leisure the other was...an eye? Interesting.

He nodded along to what Molly was saying, noting the way the pig reacted to the artifacts. Ranar was aware that animals could sense dangers better than humans could. All very interesting.

Ranar was also very aware that necromancy was no idle thing to fool around with. He knew his history. He knew what had happened all those years ago. He raised his piercing eyes to Molly. "Alright. You are permitted to examine these artifacts tomorrow after the storm has passed. You both are welcome to stay here over the night but I will have to insist that the artifacts remain in this room and undisturbed." A servant came in and whispered into his ear. He nodded and the servant hurried off.

"You are both welcome to join me for dinner. The table has just been set for all of us." He smiled down at the pig. "Including you." He raised his head back up to look at his still unnamed guest. "We've yet to be formally introduced, I am Lord Ranar Ingram and this is Ms. Molly Beneth." He nodded toward Molly. "A traveling doctor." He paused to let the man introduce himself before heading off towards the dining room.

[Anonymous]

"I am Hachen Raine... and this is pig,"  Pig snorted with recognition "and we both thank you for your invitation to dinner."  Pig snorted something and Hachen nudged pig with his foot, it seemed like a person elbowing another for saying something wrong.  All the while Hachen wore a pleasant smile.  When Ranar left he turned to Molly, "Nice to meet you too, I don't meet many necromancers."

[Anonymous]

Listening to Ranar, the man obviously not a fool. He would do his research and perhaps ask questions during dinner or later during the following night. Fortunately for him, Molly was a patient woman, even if she needed neither of the things offered. Food and sleep for the undead, now that was a good joke. Regardless she would accept Ranars offer because her soul needed to be prepared for what was to come.

She caught herself staring at the pig for some reason, apparently it seemed to be the brains of the two. «If you so desire to meet one you should visit the island Suna. Its practically overwhelmed by them.» Following Ranar out of the room, Molly could feel old exitement rise. She hadnt had a more eventfull evening in decades.

[Anonymous]

"Suna aye."  Hachen said to him self thinking about it for a second.  He noticed that Molly said that more towards the pig than him.  He shirked off any notions and turned to pig, "Maybe we could go there, but I pick the boat this time.  Remember last time with the row boat."  Pig snorted a few times towards Hachen's face and they both seemed to argue for a few minutes before turning away from each other.  It's not often to see a man and a pig argue when they can't fully understand each other.  

"Sorry about that, he gets... fiesty sometimes.  Anyway what is Suna like, besides Necromancer overwhelmed, as you put it."  Hachen asked turning to Molly.

[Anonymous]

"It is a very boring place if you are not a necromancer, all things considered it would be best to stay away." She smiled a motherly smile at the pair before going after Ranar Ingram. "For now eat well and sleep soundly. I have a feeling that the following hours will prove most exciting."

Seating down at the dinner table in silence. Hopeing it wouldnt be too rude not to eat.

[Anonymous]

Lightning shot down not far from the window when Molly finished her sentence.  Hachen bade her farewell and turned to pig, "Right so the usual or do we relax this time."  Pig snorted and Hachen sighed.  

He kneeled down to pig and flicked him on the head.  "No, how often do we get the chance to see necromancery?  As long as the lizards don't track us here this should be all around interesting."  He headed out and pig followed.

They found thier way to the dinning room and were amazed at the size of the table, it was the biggest one they had ever seen.  Hachen sat down and pig jumped up to the seat next to him.  "Well, this is a first for you pig, instead of getting kicked out you get a chair."  Hachen and pig talked while waiting for the food and others to arrive.

[Anonymous]

A servant waylaid Ranar on his way to the dining room, informing him that a letter had arrived. The lord directed that the letter be placed in his chambers for later study before continuing his walk towards his destination, arriving shortly after Hatchen did. Being the good host, he took a seat near the man and his pig, striking up conversation about the unusual ferocity of the storm.

The food was brought out shortly after Molly arrived. Since there were only three people, it was a relatively modest meal made up of various fish caught earlier today. The cooks did an amazing job, as usual, putting just the right amount of seasonings to really bring out the flavor in the food. Spiced wine, a couple of juices, and water accompanied the meal to give the guests a choice in their drink. When the meal was finished, dessert consisted of various small cakes.

Ranar made small talk over the meal and asked passing questions of Molly about how long her studies would take, what would she need to do them, and other related questions scattered about the meal. He was very interested in what would happen during and after the examination of the artifacts but didn't press too much. For all he knew, some things she might care to explain could cause him to revisit his meal if discussed now.

Once the meal was finished and the dishes taken away, Ranar stood. "I trust that everything was to your liking." He opened. "The cooks can only do so much on such short notice." He smiled, letting the other two that he wasn't upset with the guests showing up out of the blue. "As I said before, you are welcome to stay the night and considering the weather..." He glanced out a nearby window where it was still raining. "I think that it would be beneficial for you to accept my offer. Beds have been prepared and servants will show you to your rooms." Ranar gestured to a couple of nearby doors where a couple of waiting servants curtsied or bowed, respectively, when mentioned.

"I apologize but I must take my leave of you for a moment. A letter arrived for me shortly before dinner and I must look it over." He nodded at the two. "If you will excuse me." He turned and strode out the door, headed off to his chambers.

[Anonymous]

Throughout the meal Hachen kept a happy countenance and didn't show any hint of knowing why the weather was so strong.  Pig would correct Hachen n some details when asked questions but all in all they weren't asked many questions they would have to lie to.

After the meal Hachen said goodnight to Molly and left to his and pig's room.  He snuffed out any light source in his room and watched out the window which faced the sea.  He wasn't sure if the lizardmen would find him but he wanted to make sure he stopped them before they started ransacking the town.  He fell asleep in a chair, his face pressed against the window and pig went to sleep on the bed.

[Anonymous]

The food looked delicious, Molly could barely contain the urge to eat it. After all she didn't have the necessary digestive parts to eat it so she left the plate empty. Instead focusing on the conversation at hand.
 
"The eye of Nizbel is only part of the puzzle surrounding her. Apparently or at least from what I have read about her. The body couldn't be burnt, nor did it rot so they chopped her into pieces and spread her across the lands. You see, the eye contains some of the essence of Nizbel and she infused herself with dragons blood amongst other things. I knew from the second my hand touched the eye that it wanted to be fused with me."

"And then there's the mysterious book. It just feels as if someone wanted them both to be found at the same place. How long it will take to study them both is unknown to me. It all depends on the method used and for how long my stay is welcome."

She wanted to explain in debt but Ranar didn't inquire further so that part was left out. As food became desert. Watching the men eat in quiet and then finally they were dismissed because he had matters to attend.

"I am afraid  I can't do your chef's cooking justice. My line of work has given me the appetite of a dead man."

Moments later she was alone in a room, trying out the silky bed before opening the window to listen. Opening the purse she always carried to prepare her tools for the coming day.