Graded [Vegard City] Healing the Holy City of Vegard

[The Last Curse]

Mentions: Elvario NeramoDJI Silent Angel ​

The second Cayde took a step into the crypts; he felt a chill go down his spine. He was this close to finding out whatever was causing all this, and the thought of meeting it didn't sit well with him. Regardless, Cayde tried to steel himself; if this place made him feel uneasy, he couldn't imagine what Ceylan was going through right now. However, that confidence soon fleeted as Cayde heard the doors lock behind him, effectively sealing him and his companions in the crypt. He turned and immediately started jostling at the handles, but no matter how hard he pulled, they wouldn't budge. "Son of a-," Cayde mumbled before stopping himself. Even with Preston's tricks and his evident frustration, Cayde still made a promise.

With an exasperated sigh, Cayde let go of the door, but he could overhear Ceylan talking to Malerie and Maikoa over his shoulder. Upon hearing the two were monsters, he was struck with a realization. No wonder they lacked the attributes of beasts; they were never beasts to begin with. Though after hearing that, Cayde felt conflicted. He was always told monsters were cruel and uncooperative creatures, but from his time with Malerie, she'd been nothing but helpful and considerate to other people. Even Maikoa, as cryptic as she was, just seemed genuinely curious about her surroundings. For monsters that were supposedly untrustworthy fiends, the two seemed oddly...human.

Deciding not to think of it any further, Cayde shook the thought out of his head. Monsters or not, they were all stuck in here together, and persecuting each other wouldn't help them reach their goal. Still, Cayde kept quiet as they traveled through the tunnels.

After passing by some sarcophagi and eventually finding a set of stairs leading downwards, Cayde would think up a way to navigate through the crypts. "Hey, so I might have an idea..." He said cautiously, "If we want to go deeper in here, I think we should follow the artificial parts. See, Preston said they built this place apart of the caves, which means they used the cave's structure to form parts of the crypt. So the sections without coffins or any man-made details are probably the natural tunnels he was talking about, and I can only assume those are the paths that lead out from the crypts. Why would they need to renovate tunnels out of here when nature's already done it?"

Cayde pointed over to a sarcophagus through the faint torchlight, "And just check out those sarcophagi. Look at all the detail they put into those shelves - the church obviously didn't want to throw their dead in some dank cave - they wanted to make some parts presentable." Cayde realized he was rambling and shook his head before simplifying his ravings, "I'm just saying we should follow where the coffins and constructed parts lead."

 

[Silent Angel]

Malerie

The nevermore walked in, shuffling her feet as she moved past the man. He made her feel uncomfortable, and the quicker she got away from him, the better. She almost was glad when he didn't follow them down, and when Ceylan mentioned him being too sharp, she couldn't help but reply, "He seemed like he actively wanted to stop us. I'm not sure why he would do that if he had any sort of good intentions for the city..." She glanced back, as if checking to make sure he wasn't following them. She would keep doing that, over and over, since she almost could feel his eyes on the back of her neck.

She glanced back at him once more when he mentioned her being a monster. She smiled sheepishly, having been caught in not exactly a lie, as they hadn't really ever asked what she truly was, but it was more of a half truth. "How long did you know? Or... is it more for me what I am? I guess other healers kind of know of my type of race." She glanced back in the direction they came from again, this time also trying to hide the humiliation on her face. It wasn't something she was proud of at all, but the other one definitely was. She just hoped she wasn't forced to bring them out before she was able to leave the group on good terms.​

 

[Elvario]

Ceylan
​

Mentions: Cayde Whitinger The Last Curse | Malerie/Malady Silent Angel | Maikoa Groave NeramoDJI

Ceylan, although not being of the same mind as his fellow priest, could at least understand his reasoning. “In times of difficulty, a lot of people look to the church for some sort of stability and guidance. It wouldn't be surprising to me if he's been forced to put on an act of being in control ever since the first diseases happened, especially considering the state the mayor was in, so regardless of the outcome, I believe his intentions were noble.” He could spot her nervous behaviour even without his improved insight. “What I'm trying to say is that you shouldn't have to be so worried about him.”

Malerie's question was a bit more difficult to reply too. “I...” He started, before changing his mind. “Truth be told, I had my suspicions ever since we've met, but I chose to ignore them and focus on the problems at hand.” When he spotted the humility on Malerie's face, he instinctively reached out to lay his hand on her odd mask-like head, speaking his next words as if he was giving her a blessing. “I'm glad I did so, as it has shown me your sincerity in helping this city and that you're more than your species.” He wasn't sure about the other monster, but Malerie, at the very least, had more than proven herself to be of good nature.

With that out of the way, he turned his attention to more practical matters at hand. Cayde had come up with a rather sharp observation on how to navigate this place. “You're right!” Ceylan said, as he checked the names on the crypts they passed. The ones in the man-made parts were definitely the more famous and influential people, compared to the ones in the natural parts of the cave-system, which backed up Cayde's observation on the level of detail. “We can even do the opposite and follow the natural parts once we've solved things here, to find our way out.”

The observation had gotten him a spurt of energy, as he held up the torch he'd been using higher to look further into the tunnels. Thanks to Cayde's observation, they were able to make their way further down into the crypts without unnecessary detours. It was clear they were going deep, however, as they kept ascending different sets of stairs at every twist and turn. Eventually, they were undoubtedly below the sea-level. However, as they went deeper, the odd feeling of pressure increased more and more, to the point where Ceylan felt like he as wading through the water.

In fact, even Maikoa would start to pick up on it, as the pressure was strong enough for those having an affinity for magic to feel it upon getting this close, albeit to a far lesser degree. For Cayde and Malerie, it was even more subtle, as whilst they didn't actively experience the sense of pressure, they were likely to start feeling nervous and perhaps a bit paranoid. There was clearly something wrong in these depths of the crypt.

Desecrated Crypt

​

When they eventually arrived at the very bottom of the crypt, they saw a hallway leading into a very peculiar scene. An odd statue of a winged women holding a knife downwards, as if ready to plunge it into someone, was standing in the light of some sort of light-giving-crystal embedded into the roof, although various candles were places through-out the room to further light up the place. Skulls were randomly laying through-out the crypt, which was a stark contrast with the clean and well-kept parts of the crypt they'd gone through thus far. Ceylan was noticeably shocked when he saw the disrespect with which the remains of the dead were treated, as some even had candles places upon the skulls. Cayde, being the most perceptive of the bunch, would spot that some of these candles were pretty new...

The odd stone coffin-like structure in the middle didn't seem to be there to hold someone's remains, but what it's exact purpose was, was unclear. What would stand out, however, were the odd vines growing from it. Whilst they were just odd to everyone else, to Maikoa, these things would look very differently. They were vile. Extremely vile. Whilst her own magic allowed plants to grow spontaneously for a while, it felt like any contact with these vines would do the exact opposite and like they'd bring disease and suffering to anything they'd touch. She'd instinctively realise that messing with these vines without a proper plan was not likely to end up well.

Ceylan, meanwhile, was struggling to combine observing the room with not passing out from the pressure he felt in this place. He didn't recognise the plants, but he did recognise the statue. “It's an angel of death. They're pretty controversial. Some say they bring salvation to those that suffering by taking them to paradise, others say they require people to be sacrificed to them. There's a growing group of people that think they can obtain supernatural powers by doing so.” Ceylan, however, was missing out on how this was linked to the events going on in the city above them, until he spotted something through his sixth sense. “It's like... there's a curse set-up to spread some malign properties of something into the city, but I can't figure out what it is...”

Malerie, being a Nevermore, was likely to realise the potential of this for the more evil-inclined ones among her species. After all, a mechanism that could cause people to fall ill would be a very good way to get people to rely on their healing.

As they were standing in this crypt, they'd all start feeling a growing tiredness, but they'd also start to feel hot, then cold, then hot again, whilst feeling a bit woozy. Malerie, having the most medicine knowledge, was likely the first to realise that their immune systems themselves were starting to go haywire. Ceylan and Cayde would soon realise the same thing, considering their own healing and medicine knowledge. It was clear that they needed a plan and that they needed one fast, if they didn't want their bodies to succumb to whatever was going on here.

 

[The Last Curse]

Mentions: Elvario Silent Angel NeramoDJI ​

As soon as he stepped into the desecrated chamber, Cayde felt an adrenaline rush as his body was wracked with a wave of strange symptoms. He thought it was just his nervousness afflicting him, but as his body went from hot to cold and became increasingly lethargic, Cayde knew this wasn't just his anxiety. As he tried to look for the source, Cayde's eyes eventually saw the statue standing in the middle. The longer he stared at it, the more uneasy he became; Cayde wasn't sure if being in the statue's presence was causing these afflictions, but Cayde was sure of one thing: he didn't want to be in the room with this thing for long.

Regardless, Cayde decided to survey the chamber for clues. As he did so, he listened to Ceylan absentmindedly, "Angel of death, Sacrifices, Supernatural powers..." he muttered to himself with a shudder, "This is like the gnoll situation all over again..."

Eventually, Cayde found some skulls littered about the crypt, some bearing candles inside their eye sockets. As Cayde moved closer to inspect the macabre display, he noticed something unsettling. While the skulls themselves were old, the candles placed inside them seemed relatively new - the wax hadn't even begun to pool yet. "These candles..." Cayde said hesitantly, "They're still new. Someone just put them here." Cayde checked his surroundings for the signs of another person, but other than the three he came into the crypts with, no one else was there. "They've gotta be around here, right?"

After investigating the skulls, Cayde stumbled upon another bizarre sight: long vines leading away from a coffin in the center. Curious, Cayde knelt to observe them, but they seemed ordinary vines from what he could see. Granted, he was puzzled about how they were able to grow in a place like this, but from sight alone, he couldn't detect any anomalous properties. Still, Cayde wanted a second opinion, and who better than the woodland monster Maikoa. "Uh, Maikoa," He called out with a hint of reluctance, "Do these vines seem weird to you? Or is it just me?"

Cayde's eyes drifted over to the stone coffin as he awaited an answer, studying how the vines protruded from it. At that moment, he remembered something Ceylan said earlier, specifically something about sacrifices. He tried to put the pieces together: there was a statue depicting a being that took offerings, a large stone coffin that could hold something inside, and evidence that someone was recently here before. As he scoured his mind for answers, Cayde slowly came to a dark realization.

"Wait, Everyone. You don't think someone's in there..?" Cayde said as he pointed over to the coffin, "We know someone was just here. Ceylan said this angel needed a sacrifice, and these weird vines are coming out of this coffin. I mean, whatever's in there has gotta play a part in all this."

 

[NeramoDJI]

Maikoa had not really given much of a reaction to them calling her a monster, as she understood not the complications or implications of that accusation and claim. Instead, she simply walked after them in search of finding what her instincts were calling her to. As they walked deeper and deeper, she began to hug herself with her bark covered arms, looking down the way as she looked to the others to see if they had reactions. However, entering the crypt, she ignored everything in the room except that was attached to the vines, kneeling down to look at them.

"These sisters of mine are corrupted. They hunger endlessly." She said softly, looking to those in the crypt. "They seek life, but not as one usually would. They are like a glass with no bottom, the life leaks out leaving them just as empty as before. But they can't think through the hunger, they eat and eat and eat." She said softly, looking at the vines sadly. "I would not touch them if I were you. They would take everything you have and leave you a husk. Much like they have done to this town." She said, gesturing to the air as if to refer to that what was above the ground.

"They must handled delicately, lest they cause further harm than now." She said softly, before standing to rejoin the others. "And I do not know if someone else is inside the coffin. I only know of what causes my sisters pain and why they cause others pain."

 

[Silent Angel]

Malerie

The other monster in the room stumbled, surprised at the weight of the evil they faced. It wasn't so much she could feel it magically, more the fact of what it radiated. She backed away, her eyes moving from it to the others. "Umm, guys? I think... I should go. It... isn't safe for you. If I stay here." She continued to step back, not sure what she would do if she came out, but she was sure the stress from the situation, if anything happened, could very well bring her out.

She took another step back, her nervousness clearly showing. "J-just... burn it! Get rid of it somehow, I don't know! That's obviously what's causing the sickness in the city, and even if I don't take advantage of it, others might. This thing makes the city ripe for the picking, and it needs to be destroyed before others catch wind of it. Please..." She seemed almost desperate at this point, like she had a personal stake in getting rid of it, but didn't dare to try to herself.​

 

[Elvario]

Ceylan
​

Mentions: Cayde Whitinger The Last Curse | Malerie/Malady Silent Angel | Maikoa Groave NeramoDJI

For the first since his time in Vegard, Ceylan had no clue how to proceed. Malerie was, oddly enough, being even more nervous than he expected someone to be. Even with how odd and dangerous this situation was, the moment she mentioned that it wasn't safe for them if she stayed, Ceylan realised she likely had some sort of ulterior motive. She was going to be more of a problem than a help in this situation, from what it looked like. She even gave part of herself away when she mentioned taking advantage of it, the meaning of which wasn't entirely clear to Ceylan, but it was ominous. Even so, Ceylan had seen enough of her good side to have a little more faith in her than she seemed to have in herself. “Whatever this is, I'm sure you're stronger than to fall for it.”

Cayde didn't exactly have to mention the gnoll situation, as that'd already been on Ceylan's mind and he'd been trying not to think of it too much. When Cayde noticed the candles were 'fresh' ones, Ceylan felt a shiver running down his spine. “We'd best be quick.” He tried to sound somewhat confident, but he still didn't even know what to do.

Maikoa had a lot to say about it, but it was tough to make sense of her words. Ceylan tried to put all the clues together, including Cayde's suggestion that there might be something in the coffin. The curse... the angel of death... the ritual... the plant... Suddenly, it was like it all fell into place. “That must be it!” He said, somewhat excited despite the situation. “If these vines are taking away life, the curse must be here to make them take it from the entire city. I bet whatever is inside the coffin makes all the life it takes...” He wasn't sure how to put the next part of the theory into words. “... go to the ritual? If this is done by someone that believes angels of death take life in exchange for power, this might be an attempt to gain power through usage of the plant, rather than through sacrificing someone directly. I'm not sure how that part would work, but it'd explain everything.”

Putting the pieces together was one part, however, but finding a way to stop this was something entirely different. “Burning the plants might work, but that's the first thing most people would think off, so whomever set this up might have prepared something against it. We could also try to disturb the ritual... Take away the candles, place the skulls back into the crypts, take away the knife from the statue, all that kind of stuff. Perhaps that'll break the curse that's spreading the power of these vines through-out the city...” Those were two ideas he could come up with, but there was another. “Perhaps... perhaps I could even try healing it. Healing magic is a way to give life, in a sense, so it might be a way to let life flow into it. If we feed it a lot in a short amount of time, the ritual it's tied to might not be able to handle the sudden burst of life and whatever channels it into the ritual might break.”

There were also a few options Ceylan didn't come up with, such as actually trying to look into the coffin itself to see if they could do something with whatever was in there. The lid would be very heavy, but if they'd work together and were very careful not to touch the vines, they could probably push it off. Simply leaving would also be an option, but that wasn't on Ceylan's mind in the slightest.

As they were still thinking, however, a weird orange-like mist started to slowly flow into the room from somewhere at the back of the dark hallway leading into it, which they'd just come from. It was too dark to see its origin. The mist almost looked like fire, but it would be cold to the touch and flow across the bottom like a morning mist instead. The visible part of the mist was proceeded by an odd fruity scent, which Malerie, being closest to the entrance/exit would be the first to pick up on. It wouldn't take long before the others would start to smell it as well. Cayde would be the first to pick-up on what this might be, as the fruity scented gas might be an alchemical nerve agent. However, it didn't check all the typical boxes, so there was likely some magic going on as well, which would make it behave different from normal. The latter meant there was a very fair chance that whomever was spreading this gas was close.

Cayde's mask might help him resist it slightly longer than the others, but it wouldn't be anything considerable, as the gas was known to seep through pretty much everything. Maikoa, with slightly higher vitality, would also be able to deal with it a tad bit better. The first to feel weak on his knees was Ceylan, as he'd already been hit the hardest by the curses' effect thanks to his sixth sense. That said, it was clear they'd need to act quickly if they didn't wish to succumb to this gas.

 

[The Last Curse]

Mentions: NeramoDJI Elvario Silent Angel ​

Maikoa's response was enough for Cayde to immediately back away from the vines; to think he was just seconds away from touching them sent a chill up his spine. Regardless, Cayde gave her a grateful nod, "Thanks, Maikoa. We'll try not to touch them." With his question answered, Cayde figured it was time to find a way to get rid of the vines and, by extension, the ritual causing the outbreak. Fortunately, Ceylan had already come up with a few plans, but on the other hand, Malerie seemed incredibly anxious. Concerned, Cayde approached her, "Hey, Malerie! Look, we're all nervous, but we're this close to stopping this ritual." He said with a sense of urgency, "Please, you've been with us since day one. We need you here." Cayde wasn't sure if the pressure was getting to her or if it had something to do with her being a monster, but whatever the case, he couldn't just let her walk away.

With even more stakes at hand, Cayde turned to Ceylan to quickly discuss his plan, but as he did so, he noticed a faint fruity scent forming in the air. Visibly confused, Cayde looked for the source, and eventually, his eyes skated over to the chamber's entrance, from which he saw a peculiar orange gas pour out of it. Then, Cayde inhaled through his nose, and his body immediately rejected the gas, forcing a harsh cough out and making him nauseous. In addition, Cayde could feel his mouth begin to salivate. At that moment, he realized what was happening: Someone was trying to gas them.

Cayde waved his arms wildly, trying to catch everyone's attention, "WAIT! Guys! Someone's trying to gas us! I-" Another cough cut off his sentence. Cayde tried to steady his breathing, "I-It might be some nerve gas, I dunno - but it doesn't just... flow like this, especially not underground." He turned to the entrance and pointed down the misty hallway, "Someone must be doing this. They've gotta be down that hallway!"

Cayde looked between the stone coffin and the hallway, deciding his next move. He had to help break the ritual, but with the malignant gas pouring into the crypt, he couldn't do much with it lingering around. Cayde had to stop whoever was creating it; they couldn't be too far. Cayde jerked his head to Ceylan and Malerie, "Ceylan! Uh, as you said before, maybe healing magic'll help disrupt the ritual - we've gotta try. Malerie, please, see if you can help Ceylan in any way you can." Cayde turned to Maikoa, "Maikoa, we've gotta find whoever's doing this. We just gotta push through the gas!" He yelled, his voice starting to waver. "Everyone, cover your mouth and nose and take small breaths!"

With that, Cayde held his breath and beckoned for Maikoa to follow. Then, with torch in hand, Cayde bolted down the hallway, hopefully with Maikoa in tow.

 

[Silent Angel]

Malerie

Malerie eyes widened before the monster shook her head vigorously as two of them seemed to lose some trust in her. But she couldn't fully blame them. After all, they didn't know about her... predicament. But she could try to explain, at least. "I-I'm not staying away because I'm afraid for myself." Her voice dropped, almost to a whisper. "I-I'm afraid of what will happen to you all if I stay too close to that... thing."

As she continued to worry about her dilemma, the end result was already chosen for her as, slowly, she noticed the room filling with a strange type of gas. Before Cayde even said anything she knew it was bad news, but when he told them what it was, she ripped off a piece of her clothing, dousing the fabric with her water skin before tieing it over her mouth to protect her from the gas as best it could. As she did that, Malerie ran over, getting right next to Ceylan as she said, "If I start acting weird, knock me out and tie me up until I stop, alright?"​

 

[NeramoDJI]

"If that is what you wish." Maikoa said, kicking over skulls and candles already, punching some skulls too, just trying to disrupt anything like Ceylan said. "I will have to disagree on pursuing the gaseous pouring individual. If they were trying to deal with us for being here, they would not use such a slow method that could be simply walked away from. They are most likely trying to buy a bit more time before something big happens. But I suppose there is no alternative I could find. If I used my Life blessing on these vines, it would not have the same effect as healing magic. However, it fits the description Ceylan gave to how to stop it. So I will try before I follow." She said simply, turning to the vines and gently grabbing the fruit at her hip, looking towards the vines

[Life Flow] (1 post cooldown)

And upon casting her spell to the vines, she ran towards Cayde to assist him, kicking a pair of skulls on her way before running towards the masked man, deciding to follow him since she was asked to, even with her previous disagreement.

 

[Elvario]

Ceylan
​

Mentions: Cayde Whitinger The Last Curse | Malerie/Malady Silent Angel | Maikoa Groave NeramoDJI

As if their situation wasn't problematic enough, the added prospect of being gassed was soon dropped on top of it. Already having way too much on his mind on top the condition he was in, Malerie kindly asked him to engage in some weird fetish of hers knock her out and tie her up if she were to start acting weird. Ceylan knew there was no way he'd be able to do so, especially not in this situation, but figured he'd try going along with it, as it might make her feel better. “I don't know why, but alright.”

It seemed like Cayde and Malerie were both on board with the plan of healing these vines. Considering Malerie didn't have a focus of her own, Ceylan extended his staff by holding it horizontally across from him, so that they could both make use of it. It's Orichalcum properties would ensure that it could handle the magic of the both of them. That said, he already started to feel weird from the gas; as if the curse wasn't already enough. There was only so much he'd be able to handle, so he figured he could only go about this the all or nothing way. Sending as much of his healing magic into these vines at once, Ceylan laid his hand upon them. He'd never offered a [Healing Prayer] for a plant before, let alone one with such malign properties, but there was a first time for everything.

Thanks to Ceylan initiating the healing, he took the brunt of the drawback from it. The vines pretty much drained him of his energy the moment he made contact, as even his high level of healing wasn't able to fully overwhelm these life-hungry plants. Malerie would feel the same kind of drain on her energy, although she'd also notice that Ceylan was bearing the brunt of it. When Ceylan passed out from the drainage, nerve-gas or curse, or perhaps just a combination of all three, it looked like she was going to be next. However, that's when Maikoa's magic backed them up. The combined magic of Ceylan's and Malerie's Healing magic, as well as Maikoa's [Life Flow] turned out to be too much for whatever the vines had been tied too.

The thing didn't go down quietly. Instead, something inside the coffin exploded with enough force to sent parts of the coffin's stone through the crypt. The shock-wave blew out all candles, whilst a piece of rock flying directly upwards from the shock destroyed the light-giving crystal in the top of the room. It was now completely dark for everyone. All the light sources had been taken out instantly. Furthermore, the pieces of the coffin that were violently blown up were sent flying through the crypt. Ceylan, having already passed out, escaped the blunt of it due to already laying down on the floor. Malerie and Maikoa, however, were both hit by some of the flying debris. Whilst it was by no means lethal, it'd knock the air out of them and give them a pretty considerably bruising.

Now that whatever channelled the life harvested by these vines into the ritual was most definitely destroyed, they could feel the effects of the curse starting to lift as well. The vines would still be unpleasant to touch, as the life-draining properties were those of the plants themselves, but they were no longer casting their malign effects upon the space around them, nor on the entire city above them. Furthermore, the blast had been strong enough to blow the entire statue off of its feet. It was now laying broken into pieces on the ground behind them. It was pretty clear there was little to nothing left of the ritual here. (OOC: Due to Maikoa aiding in the crypt first, she'd be too late to arrive near Cayde before the next events would have already played out.)

Cayde, who had started running immediately after noting the gas, would realise it was getting thicker and thicker the closer he got to the entrance of the hall. It didn't take long for him to start feeling the awful feeling you normally only experienced in nightmares. He wanted to keep running, but his legs were getting too heavy to carry him. The gas, being even stronger in presence here, was clearly getting to him. Even so, he managed to press on, albeit slower than before and with a lot more effort. He eventually saw the shape of someone that had to be behind all this. However, the strangely manipulated gas got even thicker around him, slowing him down enough to make him unable to reach the man.

Mysterious Stranger

​

Spoiler: Mysterious Stranger

The strange opponent didn't say anything, merely swaying a lantern around to cause even more gas to flow towards the others. With his other hand, he held a staff that he brought upwards. It looked like he was planning to bring down it on Cayde while he was succumbing to the properties of the gas. He'd been able to hold out longer than most would've been able too, but it still wasn't enough. However, an explosion further down the hall distracted the stranger. Just before the explosion took out all sources of light, Cayde could see a a look of frustration upon him. Then the lantern was blown out by the force of the explosion, along with all other sources of light.

For a while, it would be dark and eerily silent. Cayde could vaguely hear footsteps leaving, likely that of the one behind all this. With the gas still in his veins and no source of light, it'd be a foolish if not outright impossible endeavour to pursue him. Before long, it was completely silent. The curses' effects had already mostly receded and the gas was doing so as well. They wouldn't have any light until Malerie, the only one possessing something to start a fire with, would find and light up one of the candles used in the ritual (unless someone took the tinderbox from Ceylan whilst he was still out for the count).

Whether they would consider this outcome a success or failure was up to them, but the basic task had been fulfilled. The city would no longer be under the influence of the curse that kept making everyone in it fall ill. With the blast destroying a significant part of this crypt, it wasn't likely for the one behind all this to return either, but he'd gotten away from them and left them in pretty bad states. It'd take a while for the gas to fully leave their bodies and for them to be able to move freely again. Until then, their movement would feel heavy, sluggish and weak. With Ceylan still out for the count, it'd be up to the other three to decide on their next move.

 

[The Last Curse]

Mentions: Elvario Silent Angel NeramoDJI ​

Cayde continued to push through the malevolent gas, but the further he moved forwards, the more his vision obscured and the weaker he became. Soon enough, his mask failed to filter out the poison, and with every breath, his eyes watered, and his lungs seared with pain. Still, even as his sprinting was reduced to a crawl, Cayde inched forwards, and eventually, he spotted a figure further in the gas. But, through teary eyes, he couldn't see much of the stranger - nor the staff they were about to strike him with. Even as he tried to get a better look, Cayde couldn't move a muscle; whether it was his body failing or the stranger's influence didn't matter. All he knew now was that his fate rested in their hands.

However, before thoughts of regret could fill his head, he heard an explosion behind him. Too weak to even look back, Cayde slowly craned his head to see the stranger, catching a slight glimpse of their face before all light was extinguished around him. Not soon after, he heard feet quickly escape the scene. With the stranger's retreat, Cayde could feel the gas dissipate around him, and as somewhat-fresh air started to re-fill his lungs, Cayde fervently probed for the straps on his mask, ripping it off him. Cayde gasped and wheezed; he wasn't sure what the others did back there, but whatever it was, it saved him his life.

Though still weak, Cayde slowly came to his feet and turned around to face where he came. His eyes still stung, and he couldn't discern anything in the darkness, "C-Ceylan? Malerie? Maikoa?" He wheezed feebly, slowly returning to the chamber, "Are all of you okay? Did anyone get hurt?"

 

[Silent Angel]

Malerie

Malerie was flung back from the explosion, her body hitting the ground and rolling into a wall. Everything ached as blood dripped to the floor from the slices left by the shrapnel. She looked at the surroundings with bleary eyes, seeing the crypt was destroyed, and feeling the curse leaving her. That gave her just enough strength to stand, mouth still covered by the wet fabric. She looked to the two others who were with her, the girl's gaze fixed upon the man.

Slowly she wobbled over, reaching out to pick up his staff with shaky hands. She held it in her grip, weakly pressing it against the priest and feeling her power flowing through it into him, enough to give him strength and to wake him, as she said, "H-hey, don't give out on us just yet. You think that we'll be able to get into the city again without you? They're gonna think me and tree girl decided to have a post victory snack if you're not around!"

The joke wasn't the best, but with the gas in the room, she wasn't going to pass up on any messed up humor that could lift their spirits. And as for the truth of the statement, maybe not the normal people, but she was positive that the priest in the town would try and pull a fast one on her if Ceylan wasn't around.​

 

[Elvario]

Ceylan
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Mentions: Cayde Whitinger The Last Curse | Malerie/Malady Silent Angel | Maikoa Groave NeramoDJI

Ceylan was completely out of it until Malerie healed him back up. Considering his only 'wound' was the fact he'd completely drained whatever magical energy he had in a single burst, having a little bit of it flow into him from someone else did the job. He definitely didn't feel great, but he was conscious and everything was still working, albeit a lot more painfully than before.

He wasn't clear-headed enough to get Malerie's joke, but he did catch her talking about getting into the city. “Thank you.” He said, as he got up and blinked a few times. When the darkness didn't clear up, he realized it wasn't his vision that was failing him, but the fact that they were in complete darkness. His tinderbox was still where he left it, but he couldn't find the candles in his pack. The explosion likely had ripped it open and made its contents scatter. After feeling around until he ended up inappropriately grabbing Malerie finding a candle from the ritual, he managed to light up the candle and reveal the impact they'd had on this place.

The toppled-over statue, destroyed coffin, scattered skulls, strewn-about candles and destroyed crystal-light would probably puzzle any archaeologist for the coming few ages. The vines were still there, probably in need of a 'do not touch' sign, but at least they were no longer actively harvesting the life out of the entire city above them. After looking around for a bit, Ceylan found more candles that were still in good enough condition to light up, so that the others could use them and to light up a bit more of the place in general. He realised Cayde had asked for their well-being as he was doing so. “I'm still in one piece... I think we all are, luckily. Did you see who was trying to gas us?”

Ceylan would automatically set to work gathering up the skulls used in the ritual. To his regret, some of them were cracked from the blast... He hoped the dead would forgive them. The least they could do was to put their remains back in a proper part of the crypt, which was what he was planning to do. He also managed to somewhat tie his backpack back together. He'd have to get it properly fixed later on, but it'd hold for now. He then recalled Malerie mentioned the city. “I don't think it's a good idea to try getting back into the city. When the priest told us these caves stretch underneath the water towards the mainland, I'm pretty sure that was his way of telling us to get out and never return. Well, for you two to never return in particular, I'm afraid. You might have helped these people enough for them to tolerate a monster in their midsts, but they wouldn't be able to explain such a thing to the rest of the country. They'd risk their own safety if they were to be convicted of harbouring and working with a monster, so returning there might do them more harm than good, now that the diseases should have been stopped from spreading.” After a bit of thinking, Ceylan did have one idea. “I could return to the city with Cayde to confirm everyone is well, while you wait outside of it, if you want us to do so, but for now, we should clean up this mess and find our way out of here.”

He was putting his words into action as he continued collecting skulls and brought them over to the closest intact part of the crypt to lay them to rest properly and with some prayers for rest and peace. As he was gathering the skulls, he also found one particular item; the dagger the statue had been holding. It wasn't part of the original statue, that much was clear, but it didn't look like it had been the catalyst for the vines either. It was made of an odd blackened metal and probably wouldn't be of any use in combat, but he figured he'd take it in for evidence. Perhaps it'd give them a clue towards whomever did this. That said, after cleaning up as best as he could and offering a final prayer, it was time to head out again.

Going with the earlier plan of following the natural parts of the crypts would start leading them away form the city. Some parts were partially flooded, forcing them to wade through the water. Other parts were inaccessible due to cave-ins, forcing them to turn back around. Some parts were only accessible through ramshackle looking wooden ladders. All in all, there were plenty moments for Cayde to his his survival knowledge to help them get around a little bit faster and better. Eventually, they'd manage to make their way back to what seemed to be the cave's entrance. By now, they were a fair bit away from the city and it was clear that it was already getting dark again. They'd been in the crypts and caves for the full day.

Cave Entrance

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With the last of sunlight setting, Ceylan gave a tired sigh. “Well, what we do now all depends on what you guys think is best.” He was still tired from the events, so part of him just wanted to throw his bedroll down and sleep, but this might not exactly be the best place to get a good night's rest. Then again, going back into the city with two monsters in town would be an even worse plan.

 

[The Last Curse]

Mentions: Elvario Silent Angel NeramoDJI ​

As Cayde stumbled further into the ruined chamber, its utter destruction was the first thing that caught his eye. The suppressing statue was devasted, toppled over, and the coffin, or at least what remained of it, was utterly devasted. Cayde's eyes widened with shock - the plan went well, but maybe a bit too well. Regardless, Cayde was relieved to see that the others were okay. With his worries gone, Cayde answered Ceylan's query, "I couldn't really make out much of them because of the gas, but I did catch a glimpse of their face..." Cayde trailed, taking a moment to gather his thoughts. "They were a beast, just like everyone else in this city, but their face looked more man than animal. They had these two red ears - maybe a fox or a wolf, I'm not sure. I think they had red hair too, but that's all I can remember."

After giving his description, Cayde quietly listened to Ceylan's talk to Malerie. When Ceylan finished, a frown formed on Cayde's face. Malerie had assisted them since the beginning, and not even she could get the credit she deserved, all just because she was a monster. Cayde shook his head, "Look, Malerie, monster or not, you've helped so much and then some. Hell, you, Maikoa, and Ceylan saved my life back there! I don't care what they say about monsters, I thank you and Maikoa from the bottom of my heart." He then turned to Ceylan, who was already getting the crypt in order, "With that said, let's go help Ceylan."

When everything was said and done, Cayde helped lead the group through the caverns, eventually making way towards an entrance. The trek had left him tired, and all Cayde wanted to do now was rest. Still, as exhausted as he was, Cayde was wary. Though he had only heard them leave, Cayde still believed that stranger was stalking the crypts, waiting to catch them off guard. Whether his assumption was true or false didn't matter, Cayde did not want to fall asleep in these caves. "I think we all can use a little rest," Cayde said flatly, "Let's find an exit and set up camp there. I don't wanna stay in these caves any longer..."

 

[Silent Angel]

Malerie

The monster looked from the priest to the alchemist, her face falling at the thought. "W-well, I would have much preferred being able to at least say goodbye to some of the folks in the city, but if it would cause more problem than it's worth, I understand the need to go without." She looked at the others in the group, her face still somewhat crestfallen, with the lady doing her best to wipe her sadness away. "T-thanks, Cayde." She looked down at the ground and at the still somewhat visible gas that had almost pooled on the ground around them. "We should get out of here. The gas hasn't completely gone, and it's better if we aren't exposed to it any longer." She followed Cayde out, looking around to make sure no more surprises popped out.​

 

[NeramoDJI]

Maikoa was blown back by the explosion as one might expect, and when she had realized Ceylan had fallen down from said explosion, she ran over similar to mallery, watching the woman heal the man while she leaned down to hold his head above the residual gas, trying to keep the rest from getting into his system. She of course released him when he began to awake, standing up and dusting off the bark she wore. "It is good you are alright. I would hate to lose an acquaintance." She said, simply saying what she felt. She began to look around, hoping to keep things normal as they began to go about their actions afterwards.

"I have no qualms with leaving without a word." Maikoa said, looking around at the others. "I have not done as much for them as you. My instincts towards this place have fallen away, so I will simply drift from here." She said, shaking her head slowly. She followed down in the cave, waiting for the two non monsters to perform their journey to the surface, seeing as she couldn't really go anywhere without them. She looked over to Mallery, humming as she simply stared at the other monster, before glancing around the cave more, keeping her eye out for any other attempts at Ambush, holding the glowing fruit at her hip gently.

 

[Elvario]

Cave Entrance

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Mentions: Cayde Whitinger The Last Curse | Malerie/Malady Silent Angel | Maikoa Groave NeramoDJI

Ceylan had merely nodded at Cayde's description of the enemy. He didn't recognize any of it. Luckily enough, the enemy didn't show himself again. He'd likely decided confronting them wasn't worth it after his ritual was already thoroughly destroyed and with everyone needing to recover and Ceylan cleaning up the crypt, he'd gotten more than enough time to make a run for it. Upon Cayde's suggestion, they ended up setting up camp a little outside the caves, after finding the exit/entrance of this cave system.

Ceylan
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Before going to sleep, however, Ceylan did share a few more words with Malerie. “Listen, I'm sorry about before. If I were in your shoes, I'd really want to go check up on everyone as well. It's just... Difficult. If it was just my personal standing, I might take the risk, but it's everyone in the city that'd be put at risk. It's harsh, but people don't know any better than that all monsters are the pinnacle of everything evil, so it'd be really difficult to explain that you're different. It's probably going to be like that wherever you go and I wish I could do something about it, but I'm not in any place to do so, I'm afraid... I'm sorry for that.” He hated to be the bringer of bad news and the enforcer of rules that he personally believed shouldn't be applicable to Malarie, but in the bigger picture, he really feared it wouldn't be good for her or Maikoa to re-enter the city. “I'll promise I'll do whatever I can tomorrow and to make sure that everyone is okay. Then we'll return here to inform you.”

With that promise made, it was time to settle in for the night. With the curse gone and after such an exhausting day, Ceylan slept like a log.

The next day, Ceylan and Cayde would find both bridge guards standing guard upon walking across the bridge. They were already looking better than before. Ceyalnd and Cayde would also soon meet up with the others. Even Preston was there, who seemed to be in a good mood upon spotting they were in monster-less company. Preston immediately showed them the way to some patients that hadn't started to heal yet, but with Ceylan's and Preston's magic and miss Nana's medical knowledge, they soon assured everyone in the city would recover.

It was already late in the afternoon when they returned to Maikoa and Malerie. However, they weren't alone.

“Malarie!”

Miss Nana

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Spoiler: Miss Nana

Miss Nana came running at the Nevermore at full speed. She'd clearly fully recovered. With a mighty hop, she jumped straight into Malerie's arms for a heartfelt hug. “You did it! We did it! Everyone is going to be okay!” Tears of happiness were forming in the bunny-lady's eyes.

A bit more behind and a lot more awkwardly, someone else followed.

Harley

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Spoiler: Harley

“Eh... the mayor gives his regards and apologises for not being able to meet you personally. He can't be associated with a monster, but says he feels horrible about not being able to properly thank the ones that saved his life. He begs you for his forgiveness...” After an awkward pause, he continued. “...and ehh, I'd like to thank you as well. We heard the two of you are monsters, but it's difficult to believe. All they normally want is to destroy all other species, so it's really strange how you two are different...” He quickly realised his awkward words. “I mean, I'm really grateful you are! You saved your lives! It's just, odd, is what I'm trying to say, like, the good kind of odd!”

It seemed like a crying bunny lady and an awkward old hare were the only ones to come say their farewells, but the knowledge that they had saved this city from a terrible fate was hopefully comforting enough to know they'd done a great job.

From there, they'd likely split up. Ceylan was asked to stay a few more days by Preston, as they'd go through various religious rituals. This was, after all, the Holy City of Vegard. Cayde was welcome to stay and rest, although he'd probably just get bored out of his mind if he did so. Malerie and Maikoa would have to move on, but they (and Malarie in particular) had earned the gratitude of a lot of citizens. Perhaps their oddly good behaviour for individuals with a [monster] title would be the start of something bigger, or perhaps it'd end up being seen as nothing more than an odd fever-dream-like exception. Only time could tell.

The End.​

 

[Novama]

Isekai Hell RP Grade​

A very meaty and developed plot line. Rather than a thin string of bread crumbs with an obvious conclusion, this mystery had well tread lines and unknown endpoint. Some of it made me wonder if it would be a worth while thing to create skill trees where the skills for secondary knowledge could be specialized in. The prospect of beastman health vs fae health vs human health is something I have not seen explored often. Of the healing related stories I have read, only about 2 of them considered the various health needs of the differing types of fantasy folk. It is so easy to handwave everything with 'magic heals', but there would seem to be a space for proper medical study and investigation, even in a fantasy world.
Another rp where 'combat', if it could be called that, was handled light and loose. Not an issue, but generally not how world rps will be handled.
Should be noted most races of the world are recognizeable on sight by world natives. Title scanners can help sleuth out the shapeshifting types easier, but their main purpose if criminal title checking. It is good the monsters were gotten out of town before order and health were restored.

Afterward
Vegard was saved. The dead would be remembered and join their ancestors while the living would carry their memory and help them persist through the generations. Despite the efforts of Ceylan and crew, the local church would take full credit for the achievement. Attendance and membership for the churches in Vegard increased to numbers thought impossible for the small holy city.
Cayde and Ceylan would be welcomed back to the town anytime by the locals, but their relationship with monsters put them at odds with the local church claiming to have saved the town. In exchange for letting things slide, Ceylan would be granted additional funds for his missionary efforts by his home parish.
Malerie was assumed to be a fever dream by many and Maikoa was believed to be partially responsible for the plague despite their more recent arrival to the city.

Ceylan - 84 point (narration) - optional title acquired [Wandering Saint] - character is a wanderer that brings healing and wellbeing wherever they go. While the stories told by the people generally exceed reality, the faithful aware of who the character is consider them truth and are more hospitable to the character in hopes of being blessed.

Cayde - 56 points - optional title acquired [Honorary Beastman] - despite character being of a different racial tree, they helped out many beastmen. Those aware of character's deeds will treat them more favorably. Racist members of the tree will be more likely to see the character as one not so bad. Tolerant members of the race will be more likely to treat character as one of their kind.

Malerie - 40 points - optional title acquired [Nightmare Medic] - character provided a lot of aid to those who likely would not have accepted it had they not been in clearer state of mind. Rumors will follow character of a haunting figure that appears to those in their hour of need offering to mend their flesh in exchange for their soul.

Maikoa - 12 points - optional title acquired [Plague Spreader] - character has been publicly associated with the spreading of disease that claims lives. Settlements will be especially wary of those with similarities to character appearance. Character less likely to be attacked in the wild for being a monster due to fear of contagion. Character will be more quickly identified and forcibly driven away from settlements with extreme prejudice.