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MOD PLOT | the pain of changing,
๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐พ๐๐๐๐๐
You awake.
That in itself is notable.
Perhaps you remember your dream in vivid detail- perhaps not. What matters is, you're here now. under the earth. You can feel the chill of wind, hear the cries of bats. Anyone wounded will be tended to by two clerics in dour robes of black and white. They say they are servants of the Riven God, and they are here to help you, Their chosen.
You may speak to them at any point, and they will answer questions to the best of their ability.
Likewise, they will have many objects blessed by the Riven God, to help Coffin Sleepers. Censers, coffins, gallows gristle, dirt from the graves of murderers, and the blood of something called a 'widowmaker' are the most common objects, but ask if you want something else. There is only one pre-used noose, first come first serve.
As they lead you through, the scent of salt becomes very strong, and you often hear the sound of rushing water. The clerics are very careful to keep everyone from some of the cave network, which they say is flooded.
Slowly, the scent of fresh air goes stronger. The caves begin to look carved, specifically like some sort of altars with lit votive candles, meticulously maintained. Vasili and Rohese may take time to clean these altars, re-light candles, before pressing forward.
Finally, the shadows break.
You are at the bottom of a well. Vasili cautions you: "You can go up, but... it leads right to the churchyard of Kismet."
Rohese chimes in: "It is holy ground."
And it is, of course, daylight.๐ฟ๐๐ ๐ฑ๐๐๐๐ ๐ฏ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐พ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐
They explain further: It is the Feast Day of Sigsimund. On that day (or on the night after), all vampires must feed from a living human. Blood taken from a corpse, or not immediately sucked from the vein, will be poisonous to the vampire. And they must feed, or they will die.
(Vampires who do not feed will be met by confusion by the clerics-- they thought you had to...)
Above the well, around the church of Kismet, is the town of Ainsmere. The people of Ainsmere know what day it is. They have put holy water in their homes, spread carved holy symbols on their doors, put blessed objects by their windows, set traps in their homes, and sleep with knives under their beds.
How will you feed? You are so thirsty, in some cases it may consume all your thoughts.
The Clerics of the Riven God will do what they can, but regretfully they cannot kidnap people for you to feed. This is, they say, a test of your commitment to your new blessings under the Riven God. They wish to see you use your glorious purpose.
But some of you will not be able to make it to the village. Can you wait in hopes your fellow vampires will bring you back a victim? The clerics will try to help, giving some blood, but it will not do much more than quiet thirst for a precious few minutes.
For those of you who do not trust others to bring food back to you down the well, you can attempt to traverse the sewers, but it is disgusting and brackish. Worse, holy water has gotten into the sludge, and it's too diluted to be prohibitive, it's still incredibly painful to trek through, for those sensitive to such things. Yet if you take this path, you may find strange bangles made entirely of carved jade.
Just clean 'em off first.
A vampire does not necessarily have to feed, on Sigsimund's say, but hunger will become more and more painful, until they become immobilized with it.๐ฟ๐๐ ๐ฎ๐๐๐๐๐ & ๐๐๐ ๐ฟ๐๐๐
The Church of Kismet is abandoned during the night. Inside is a beautiful place, that would be elegant and bright during the day, where reflective mirrors bring the sun to full bloom. There is also an expansive library ripe for the plucking. (Like, super ripe.)
Ainsmere itself turns out to be coastal-- explaining the scent of seawater in the caves, and how many passages were blocked off.
It is a town with much industry and little room-- thus many houses are stacked atop each other. Packed in close, moving with stealth is a must-- however, villagers are highly superstitious of the well on the grounds of Kismet Church. If you are chased and make it back first, you may be safe. However, getting caught and seen entering the well too many times will put the town on high alert; they may even begin throwing things down the well.
As for the clerics, they pray, and try to make the well hospitable.๐ฏ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ฝ๐๐๐๐
For good or ill, when Sigsimund's Feast Day is over, you must leave. The clerics lead you to another path in the cave, where you can find boats and an underground river.
The clerics ask you to be very quiet as they make their way through this path. The water is deadly still, and if you are rowing, you are cautioned to do so very slowly, to break the surface of the water as little as possible.
Of course, if you don't, something may rise to the surface. The clerics will go silent if this happens. The creatures in the water may act harmless or simply curious, simply looking like mermaids, but interacting with them in any way will cause a change in demeanor. They will use everything in their power to drag people into the water and drown them.
The clerics will not help. They will only watch, horrified. It's up to you to fight these creatures off, or save a fallen friend.๐ฌ ๐ณ๐๐๐ ๐ป๐๐๐๐
Finally, the river will break into land, and after a few steps, you'll find your new lodgings.
The clerics say it is a place holy to the Riven God, and vampires have nothing to fear. The inside is overgrown, but sleep will come easily to a vampire that has fed.
Dreams will be restful, but drumbeats will form the background to any sound. So will a deep voice, welcoming you over and over. You are chosen. You are mine.
Later, you can explore the church grounds. You'll find the place, as mentioned, totally overgrown and largely nonfunctional, but rather big!
There is also an overgrown garden, various votive candles the clerics are busy re-lighting, and a store of food in the larder. (It's largely blood sausage, salt pork, and other cured meats, along with various red wines on the young side.) There are also deer and boar in the forest to hunt, and while you don't need blood when it's not a feast day the hunger is still there and it tastes delicious.
While the rooves are in various states of disrepair, everyone should be able to mostly get around without having to worry too much about direct sunlight. They may have to be creative with coats and glasses, if necessary. (Where did they get coats and glasses? Clearly they stole them from Ainsmere.)
Throughout, this symbol is carved and painted, over and over.
CLERIC ROHESE.
"I've never found my trust in the Riven God misplaced."
"This can't be easy for you."
option c.
Loki. Look. Just because you're not where you last remember being and just because your life turned into a spectacular sort of shit show before you arrived hereโ wherever here is, exactly, doesn't mean you should take it out on this poor woman.
With that in mind, he takes a breath. Tries to calm down, or center himself, or at least think of a good and useful question to ask her.
"Are there other vampires or just us?"
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The Cleric Rohese's hands are not soft; hard work has been done with them. But they are warm, and they are gentle. "All tribulations are sorrowful, but you will overcome."
Her hands slip away, back into the dark folds of her robes.
"There are others. It is my sincere hope I will live to see you meet your new kin."
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He's a survivor, after all. What other options are there?
He tilts his head a little. "Are they... here?"
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She looks deeply uneasy with this prospect.
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"How often does this happen?"
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Please, dear girl, explain.
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He reaches out, squeezes her shoulder.
"Thank you." For dealing with his questions. For helping with this transition. For being nice to him.
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option 2:
Dettlaff listened, even as the tangled concepts sank uselessly beneath the glassy ocean of his thoughts. Fragments retained. Memories of the sound of his voice, more than the words heโd uttered.
Enough, however, that muted curiosity pulls at him now.
โHow can you be sure the Riven God was responsible for rewarding your faith?โ
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She holds out her hands in a right angle, a gesture clearly well-practiced, contextually faithful.
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Her hands shift, his remain at his side, and in the moment that he studies her his own chin dips low beneath the edges of his collar. If there is a custom sheโs enacting, he doesnโt know it well enough to respond in kind.
And so abstains entirely.
โYou are human, correct? Aware of the creatures that surround you now, the ones you aid. Is it trust that also shields you from fear?โ
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โAnd might a day yet come where youโll be,โ the pause there is weighted. Laced with consideration, phrasing eluding him. โchanged, as we are.โ
Some might consider this to be elevation. For him, it was only a downgrade.
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She bows a little, barely more than a duck of the head.
"Is there anything I can do for you? We were told you may be lost, angry or confused?"
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โA fair grasp of our current tenor. Yet it is hardly the first time my kind has been shunted into a world we were not intended for.โ
But...Rhenawedd. The flocking bruxae, alps, katakans, ekimmara and fleders heโd kept close company with. How far they are from him now. His claws dig rigid lines in the deeper skin of his palms though the thought is subsequently soothed, the Witcherโs plan might yet work regardless: Rhena will be safe, even if he cannot be at her side.
โBe cautious. Teething creatures often test their fangs on whatever lies closest to them.โ
Is that his request, or is it advice? Possibly both.
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Yet when she looks to their assembled companions, she only smiles.
"If you've questions, I will do my utmost to answer. Yet I cannot promise you will like the truth."
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Helpful as she has been, there is no point to it. Further discussion, the choice to know her betterโ or she himโ for if his intended course of action proves ruinous, he'll likely not see her again.
But that is a decision to be explored later.
He lifts a hand in a gesture near to a formal farewell, beyond proving a touch too still.
"Thank you, and farewell."