RuneScape Forum Archive | Scions of House Arenar (RP)

Mar

2023

Bluefirecan

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Adrienne breathed a sigh of relief as her sister steadied herself and got back up. Evvie instead she was fine, but the elf didn't need empathic abilities to see that wasn't entirely the case.

The next thing Evvie did, after regaining a bit of her color, was apologize for causing a scene. It seemed so infinitesimally small compared to the scene of the king's still cooling body laying at the head of the room.

Rie offered her sister a small smile, conveying a depth of emotion only a sibling would understand.

"Evvie, you're already being good,"

the older sister responded, before reaching to draw her sister into a hug.

Assuming the hug was received, it would be clear that Adrienne was hugging her sister with all the emotions of having seen Evvie for the first time - alive, even - in years, of having witnessed their father's death, and of very nearly losing her again. The elf schooled her emotions well (a force of habit, both from her position as a diplomat and a result of her empathic inclination), so this was as close to total emotional breakdown as some of her siblings would have seen in a very, very long time.
I just play FFXIV at this point. DC: Crystal

23-Feb-2022 18:13:23 - Last edited on 23-Feb-2022 18:13:52 by Bluefirecan

NotFishing

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The Vault

The keys turned, and an audible click was heard. Roland pushed the doors, and with the screech of metal that had not been oiled for some time, the doors slowly opened inward.

Uncle Leon led the three Scions into another chamber. It was dark, so with a flick of his hand a small ball of light appeared on one of his fingers - what one might consider to be a generic spell. The room was illuminated just enough to see inside.

"No..."

Leon whispered.

The room was empty, save for two plinths with glass cases atop them... although those cases were now smashed. One of the plinths had nothing atop it save for glass fragments. The other had the shoulders and head of a mannequin.

"The Scroll of Succession... The Amulet of Inheritance..."

Leon muttered under his breath.

"They're both gone."

---

An hour later, every single Scion, with the addition of Dalhover, stood in what was known as the Crisis Room. It was a large chamber with a square table in the center, and on that table was a highly-detailed map of Tavia. Portraits of various warrior kings and queens were on the walls, giving the room a martial air.

"The Scroll of Succession is gone,"

Leon explained.

"Without it, there is no official record of who should succeed the King. I am having scribes pour over my brother's personal journals, to see if there are any hints as to who he intended to appoint during the ceremony, but I doubt we will find them - my brother kept few personal records."

Beneath the gold, the Bitter Steel.

07-Mar-2022 00:41:47

NotFishing

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"And even if such records exist,"

Derene pointed out.

"They will have no legal basis. They are not official, and may even be accused of forgery."

Leon nodded.

"And even if that weren't an issue, there's still the matter of the Amulet of Inheritance."

"What's so important about this amulet?"

asked Gallus.

"It's a key part of the Ritual of Ascension,"

Leon answered.

"You all know that when a Scion is to become Monarch, they must journey down to the ruins of the First Temple, beneath our city. The Amulet is a key component of that ritual, and its existence is a state secret. Even to you."

He gave them all a weighty look.

"The fact that the thieves knew where both it and the scroll were stored, and chose to take both of them, suggests they are somehow privy to secrets that most of the Royal Family doesn't even know."

Roland slammed a fist onto the table.

"Then what are we waiting for?"

he demanded, before fixing his gaze on Evie.

"Use your powers to track down these items. I'll follow the assassin's trail wherever it leads. And then I'll shove their own knife up their-"

"Not yet,"

Leon interrupted.

"First, let us go over what we all know. I understand some of us have abilities that offer certain... insights."

With those words his gaze shifted to the Black Prince.

"There was something you wanted to tell us, Flynn?"

Beneath the gold, the Bitter Steel.

07-Mar-2022 00:42:03 - Last edited on 07-Mar-2022 00:44:18 by NotFishing

George Rozas

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In the ensuing hour that followed their confirmation of the scroll's theft, alongside that of an artifact Leon had called the Amulet of Inheritance, Flynn allowed his mind to process the full scope of what had happened. An assassination acted out in full view of most of the realm's nobility through the use of a magic thought to be nothing more than a fanciful tale. He considered not the existence of the magic itself, but how it worked - did the user require line of sight to create those portals? If so, that required them to have been within the throne room at the time of the murder. However, if that were necessary then they would not have been able to enter the vault and steal the scroll and amulet. Could the user perceive the place they wished to place a portal without being there? That seemed the more likely alternative, but speculation could only get him so far.

His thoughts continued in a similar manner as the immediate situation was handled and the Scions gathered, his speculation and considerations helping him to straighten his thoughts and process his emotions. By the time the meeting began Flynn found his mind to be far more clear, sharpened and prepared for what may have to come next. With Prince Leon's explanation of the amulet's role as a key component for the ritual of ascension, an apparent secret kept even from them, the mystery of the killers and the thieves only grew deeper.

The Crisis Room's attention turned to him with Leon's words, the prince undaunted by the focus - likely having been expecting it. He acknowledged his uncle with a nod, letting his attention turn across the room as he addressed everyone.

"As I'm sure most of you know already I can tell from a glance when someone, or something, is dead. I can pinpoint the very moment their life ends, even tell how close someone is to dying from wounds, sickness, even poison - without visible symptoms."

I am Inferi.

07-Mar-2022 01:47:23 - Last edited on 07-Mar-2022 01:56:34 by George Rozas

George Rozas

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Flynn spoke clearly, confident in his words and matter of fact about his capabilities - things most of his family, and likely Dalhover as well, likely already knew from his time learning the arts before leaving the capital. Albeit, the mention of seeing whether somebody was dying without seeing any outwards symptoms was likely a new piece of information. He leaned forwards in his seat, eyes alight and focused.

"What I haven't yet told you is that this is not where my perception of death ends. When someone dies, I not only see the moment their body loses all life - I can also see their soul."

The fact that he could also manipulate the soul of a dead being was something he chose to leave out, it was irrelevant to the conversation and probably wouldn't be received especially well by everyone.

"If someone dies - I see their soul rise out of their body and drift off to wherever it is souls go. Occasionally it takes more time for them to depart the body, but even then the veil of life no longer hides it from my view, so I can tell they are there all the same. Don't ask me where the souls go, I've tried numerous times to follow them and not a once have I managed to do so to the end of their journey."

A momentary crack in his demeanor shown through - frustration - before he set it aside.

"Why the prolonged explanation? Because you need context when I tell you that father's soul did not leave his body, nor did it remain. To be precise, I do not believe his soul was within his body at all when he died."

I am Inferi.

07-Mar-2022 01:47:26 - Last edited on 07-Mar-2022 01:57:20 by George Rozas

Azi Demonica

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Whenever paranoia is correct, everything gets worse.

Dalhover eyed the map in the Crisis Room, getting various flashbacks of his many adventures of here, here, there and over there.

Leon spoke of scribes seeking whatever information they could: journals, records, letters, anything...

Meanwhile, the various Scions spoke of the situation. Indeed, with both the Amulet and Scroll missing, especially now, any accusation would erupt strife.

Dalhover paid attention to the First Temple ritual. In all his many adventures, such a protocol was clearly well beyond his chances of knowing. Not even Scions knew of it. Someone who knew Leon or the King for a great long time would be of the few capable of such knowledge.

Roland was quite eager to chase after the thieves, though Leon wished discretion, and encouraged Flynn to speak, who nodded and began...

Like everyone else, Dalhover knew The Black Prince dealt with magics most would consider dark and unsettling. However, more pages needed turning to fully grasp the additional aspects of his knowledge. Despite the stigma of necrotic sorcery, Flynn was more than just that.

Dalhover’s eyes widened when Flynn revealed so much more than what came to mind: witnessing souls leaving the body, yet no such soul was present in His Majesty’s body.

The old knight blinked once, twice. Thinking heavily, he held his chin. “If that is indeed true, then...was The King a soulless husk? For how long?” He pondered to himself, unable to find an answer. Incapable of magic, it would be up to the Royals to solve this most strange mystery, leaving Dalhover blank mentally and facially, as if half his life evaporated.

08-Mar-2022 04:27:39

Inferi

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For the first time in a long while, the Crisis Room actually had people in it dealing with an actual crisis. One of those was few and far between, and something that anyone with any sense would wish never came about in the first place. Ariadne herself had never used the Crisis Room for any issue, as nothing she had done thus far could be considered on the level needed to make use of such a place. She had hoped it would remain that way, but now that was clearly a hope that had been completely dashed.

The real problem, and, obviously, the reason why they were here, was that they simply did not have enough information. Revealing that there was now an amulet that went along with the succession process just added to the problems, as well as adding to the questions that she had. Stealing the scroll had been something that she had assumed was done simply to add to the chaos, for there was no purpose to stealing something that only had meaning in an official capacity. Whoever had done this would be able to gain nothing from it, or so she had believed.

Now, though…the situation was far more complicated, and much more dangerous. The scroll was important, yes, but it paled in comparison to what she was hearing about the amulet. Something that was part of the Ritual of Ascension, and in the hands of someone who likely knew secrets that even they had not yet been made aware of…

Her thoughts were interrupted by yet another revelation, one that she had been waiting for Flynn to share but had respected his wishes to wait. It was shocking, to say the least. Dalhover immediately spoke about one option, but that was not the only one that she could think of. Neither made sense, but at the very least she wished to vocalize it, perhaps so someone could simply tell her that she was wrong and they did not have to worry about the possibility. Done in by the dubious doings of destiny.

10-Mar-2022 01:56:05

Inferi

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“

Another possibility is that whatever struck him stole his soul, so it would not have been present upon his death.

” she spoke up, her voice much more controlled and even than it had been during the events an hour before. In the time since then she had taken a great deal of effort to compose herself, as more emotional outbursts from anyone was not productive in the slightest.

“

I can’t claim to know or understand magic of that nature, but I find it difficult to believe that His Majesty was a soulless husk for any extended length of time.

” she added, although she gave little pause before speaking what she felt was her chief concern, “

In truth, I am more concerned with the issue regarding the Amulet and the Ritual. Uncle, if whoever stole this knows the secrets of the royal family, and has the blood necessary to use magic, is it possible for them to undergo the Ritual themselves?

” Done in by the dubious doings of destiny.

10-Mar-2022 01:56:58

NotFishing

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Leon's eyebrows rose at Flynn's declaration, his expression one of mild surprise. He opened his mouth to speak, but then Dalhover decided to pitch in his own theory, followed by Ariadne. Then, Ariadne posed a question toward him.

"As far as I know, they would need to be a Scion,"

he said.

"Which they almost certainly are. It's a horrifying thought, but the alternatives are far less likely and even more disturbing."

He paused.

"So let's assume there is at least one rogue Scion behind this - some illegitimate child whose existence was never made known to us. Such things have happened before. They would still need journey to the First Temple. A full company of guards has been sent down to secure the Temple, with additional men patrolling the tunnels which lead to it. Even if this Rogue Scion somehow fights their way through all of that, they still need to perform the Ritual. And I doubt the Lifebringer would approve of someone like that ascending to the Throne. There have been a few rare instances in the past where unworthy Scions have attempted to undergo the Ritual and... failed."

Beneath the gold, the Bitter Steel.

12-Mar-2022 07:54:16 - Last edited on 12-Mar-2022 07:55:54 by NotFishing

NotFishing

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Leon seemed awfully cagey about all this, and for good reason. Talk of any sort of unrest, conflict, or 'unworthiness' amongst the Scions was an extremely taboo topic, even amongst the Scions themselves. They've all heard rumours of past Scions and had their own personal suspicions regarding present Scions, of course, but never in any official record, and for a Scion to openly acknowledge it in such a blunt manner in such a setting was most unusual. From anyone else, it would have been regarded as slanderous; perhaps even seditious.

He shook his head.

"There is little chance that they will ascend. Either they overestimate their own supposed worthiness, in which case their plan will fail on its own, or they have some other goal beyond the throne. Perhaps they wish to see us descend into infighting,"

he suggested.

"Or maybe they wish to see the Three Tenets broken, and the world as we know it... undone."

For a brief moment their was a tremor of fear in his voice as he spoke the last word.

"Either way,"

he continued,

"We will only know for certain once we find out. This is our highest priority, and I expect every single one of you to be ready to commit every available resource to resolve this crisis, with nothing short of lockstep unity between one another. So with that in mind, does anyone else have more information?"

Beneath the gold, the Bitter Steel.

12-Mar-2022 07:54:25

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Scions of House Arenar (RP)