The Arc

[Ahana]

Ah, now this is where things got complicated.

The Matron of Tekin'afi unleashed a plague and all of Herozzal shrunk from its casting. Indeed, even as she spoke, Jhaago and most of the surrounding Vysstichi had recoiled from her raspy voice.

Jhuliel Tekin'afi, Matron of the Third House of Herozzal, was none to be denied.

But her servant, upon receiving Haya's gift of plague, did not follow instruction and make toward the arc and Jhuliel's guards were a breath too slow in forcing him into the shimmering portal. Xugix bolted, naked as the day he was born, into the Vysstichi city - madness! Insanity! To do so would bring plague upon the dark elves themselves!

But to intercept.. to intercept would bring certain death to the soul who dared to save Herozzal. Ah, the Plague Queen would be undoubtedly pleased with this outcome, whatever way it fell. Xugix gained two steps, bringing him about four meters from the arc, before a pair of strong arms grabbed him around the waist and a rough voice, feminine by Herozzal's terms, hissed in his ear.

'Spread Haya's will outside the city.. to the light born, all in power - - gain audiences with Governors, Priests, the Archprelatess.. bring them all to their knees.'

Alahara Aronyth, the Vysstichi who grabbed Xugix and fifth in line for Matronhood in that House, lived but another moment, enough to fling him literally toward the arc, before Xugix's previous guard Thyrna stepped forward and drove her tined knive directly through the woman's back. Alahara gasped, utterly astounded to have blood welling in her throat and a spiked dagger jutting out of her ribcage, before her knees buckled and she collapsed to the ground - her eyes fixed on Xugix.

'Twenty five cycles, male.' called out the Guard from House Nilalin. 'Show them the power of the Vysstichi.'

And with that, the guard grabbed Xugix's things in one hand and flung them at the infected Vysstichi - - he had a daunting task ahead of him, to bring the top-world to their knees, but the Matrons had thought him ready, willing, able - - the real question was if he was, or not? In a cloud of dust Xugix's pack landed at his feet, literally at the edge of the arc as the shadow reached out for his naked form.

Telath waited for his action.

Herozzal waited for his action.

Would he fulfill his destiny and bring the light elves, the cursed children of Phedos, to their knees?

[Xugix]

After an abrupt landing Xugix regained his feet as fast as possible and clothed himself in pants and boots before he began running towards the Upperworld while pulling his shirt on, buckling weapons, and finally wrapping his cloak on before dissapearing out of sight.

[Deriond]

The young Vyssitchi boy kept to the shadows as he slowly made his way to the great obsidian arc that towered overhead. The young Vysstichi boy's name was Deriond and he had traveled for many months to get to his destination. As Deriond crept closer towards the arc he knew what he had to do, he was going to enter the dark subtereanian city of Herozzal.

The land around the arc was barren and dead and the arc itself seemed to have a slight sense of evil about it but he was not afraid. As Deriond slowly and silently came closer he desperately hoped that none of the guards would notice him. Then suddenly he felt a sneeze coming on, fearing the worst he desperately tried to hold it in but to his ultimate despair he sneezed...

[Ahana]

Deriond:

On this day, the two Houses assigned to watch the arc in a tense division of power were House Melervs and House Tekin'afi. This was, perhaps, a poor decision (or a very conniving one) on the part of the Council for House Melervs and House Tekin'afi, were the second and third seats respectively.. hence, placing them in such close proximity to one another, was .. less then a guarantee for peace. But, but.. the two women claiming Tekin'afi hadn't yet noticed the small boy that had emerged unheralded from the shimmering portal.

It seemed for a long while that none of the guard's would notice him. Then, of course, it was a bit before Deriond sneezed and drew the slow pivot of the two guards closest to him. Illha and Kazle Melervs, sisters, each vying with the other for dominance in the House. It was a silent war, marked with whispered rumors and poisoned words, but it was a war nonetheless.

Illha's long face turned to lay upon the boy like a branding iron upon the flesh of the lower males and she leaned down with half a curious gaze. Snow-white brows, or perhaps the color of the finest mushrooms in Herozzal, lifted straight into the air as the woman bent at her thin waist and jabbed her index finger toward Deriond.

'...you're awfully young to be wandering. Anyone following you in, little bit?'

[Deriond]

The young Vysstichi boy watched with his crimson eyes as two female Vysstichi guards made their way over to him. They looked similar perhaps they were sisters; one of them leaned down and looked at him like he was nothing compared to them. Deriond looked back up at her with his innocent little crimson eyes.

'...you're awfully young to be wandering. Anyone following you in, little bit?'

"N-No one is following me i-in, I'm by m-myself." stammered Deriond in a small voice. Deriond looked down to the ground feeling helpless as he awaited a reply from the Vysstichi guard...

[Ahana]

Illha shared a sideways glance with her younger sister, Kazle, before a wicked and toothy grin spread its way across her face. The Matron of House Melervs, Alaere, had a single surviving daughter, Tua, and that daughter had given birth just twelve years ago to her first, (and hopefully only, from Illha's point of view), daughter Ulioze. A plaything for her .. as a gift .. and Illha would stand a step above her sister.

The woman continued to smile, a thoroughly unnerving experience, before she ran a hand over her close-cropped white hair and dropped to a crouch. The leather greaves she wore over her legs creaked with the movement, still untested in true combat, and mulled over the boy's stammering words. He was smart to be afraid. This was Herozzal, perhaps the last true bastion to Vysstichi values with the single exception of Hon'elgg, and he was a male. A boy, true, but a male first.

A steady finger reached out to caress the boy's trembling chin as he spoke, each word tremor-filled and hesitant, his blood-red eyes turned down toward the black rock ground. 'All by yourself..' she repeated with a grin. '..that's not a problem at all. What's your name, bit? Why'd you come to Herozzal?'

[Deriond]

The young Vysstichi boy felt unnerved as the intimidating Vysstichi lady crouched down in front of him. Deriond began to regret coming to this strange place and he desperately wanted to leave but something inside him urged him to stay and answer the strange Vysstichi lady’s questions.

"All by yourself...” she repeated with a grin "...That's not a problem at all. What's your name, bit? Why'd you come to Herozzal?"

Deriond didn't trust the strange lady but knew that the consequences for being disobedient to a superior were harsh so left with no other choice he replied, "My name is Deriond... and I'm not sure why I came here." Deriond felt powerless as the two Vysstichi ladies gazed at him with their fiery red eyes.

[Peril]

Deriond:

Irae Tekin'afi, second oldest daughter of Matron Jhuliel...and the epitome of evil, stood by watching the Melervs sisters through narrowed crimson eyes. The boy would be prime property...and each of the four women guarding the arc knew this. Phyrra nudged her older sister and whispered. "What do we do? Mother wouldn't want us to let this one slip by." The youngest Tekin'afi daughter had yet to come into her fierceness but she was quickly learning from Irae. The two of them had become an inseparable duo as they'd gotten older.

Never one to do anything that wouldn't directly benefit her, Irae was grooming Phyrra for later. She'd need at least one ally she could trust...for what she had planned. "Of course...Mother wouldn't want us to let this one slip by..." If one were paying attention it wouldn't have been terribly hard to gather from Irae's whispered tone of voice that pleasing their mother was the farthest thing from her mind. Irae wanted this boy for herself...for her House. In truth, she already thought of House Tekin'afi as her own. The rest of them just didn't know it yet.

Irae spoke up...slithering over like a snake to stand slightly behind the boy (as if protectively) ...her dark, manicured hand dropping lightly to his shoulder as she glared at Illha. "I know why you came here Deriond..." The evil Vysstichi woman looked down at the boy momentarily opting not to state why she thought she could claim to know.

"Tell me...would you like a manly...tattoo? One with snakes...two of them...right here on your forearm?" The crimson eyes looking down at the boy were certainly not those of a loving mother but more like a hunter trying to use honey instead of a bow and arrow to catch her prey. She was describing the painful branding of House Tekin'afi that all slaves were forced to wear. The interwined snakes facing each other encircling a "T".

Phyrra stood back but alert, her dagger noticeably equipped in her right hand. She was young but had learned how to use her deadly dagger well under Irae's careful tutelage.

Irae stood behind the boy, her eyes glancing to the left and the right almost subtly...making note of Tekin'afi's guards as well as the whereabouts of those guards loyal to House Melervs, before returning to challenge the older of the sisters.

[Deriond]

Deriond watched with his fiery crimson eyes as two more Vysstichi ladys arrived. The two pairs of sisters were obviously from rivaling houses, and the last thing Deriond wanted was to be caught in the middle of a Vysstichi house war. Then a faint smile crossed Deriond's face as his devious mind began to formulate a plan, maybe he could work this to his own advantage...

Deriond kept his crimson eyes downcast as the older of the Tekin'afi sisters strolled over to Deriond's side and placed her hand on his shoulder and spoke to him. "Tell me...would you like a manly...tattoo? One with snakes...two of them...right here on your forearm?" Deriond did not know how to respond to the Tekin'afi lady's question, he knew the wrong answer could prove fatal, in the end Deriond chose not to speak.

Deriond looked to the lady from House Melerv crouched in front of him then to the Tekin'afi newcommer standing by his side, he began to feel intimidated by their presence. Deriond was confused, either way he might end up a slave for House Melerv or House Tekin'afi and neither of the Houses looked inviting. Deriond began to regret coming to this dark harrowing place...

[Ahana]

It was a fair assessment from the little boy. Herozzal, even in its kinder moments, was rarely an inviting place for those not bent on conflict or worship. For the child, caught between the second and third Houses and their want to exact position over the other, it could distinctly be considered terrorizing.

Behind Illha, her sister Kazle moved to intercept Irae but, due to her ever wandering eye, moved a bit too late. When she did reach the daughter of Tekin'afi, it was with a split grin that could, most definitely, be considered a sneer. Even despite the power struggle, the two sisters hadn't ever considered Tekin'afi above common laborers.

Forge-dwelling Vysstichi, pah.

'..I wish you'd stay on your side of the arc, Tekin'afi.. The stench that trails behind you lingers for days even after you pass..' was the girl's greeting as she bat Irae's hand from the boy's shoulder and slid, an ebony barrier of flesh and leather, between her sister, Deriond, and the interloping House.

As for Illha, still crouched by Deriond's side, she only smiled lazily and watched the boy's reaction with examining eyes. He was smart, very smart, to simply not answer Irae's query. The lines of Illha's face softened a bit, purposely - - for the woman was no stranger to deception, and she raised a hand and stage-whispered to the boy. 'You're a smart one - - anyone who can still use their nose knows to stay well clear of House Tekin'afi.

C'mon bit, it's time to go.'

In direct defiance to the arrived Vysstichi, Illha winked at the boy and stood, offering Deriond her hand. Kazle would run interference behind her. The bonds of their House and their blood, while weak and self-serving, should ensure the vixen's loyalty at least in this instance.

[Deriond]

Deriond watched with his fiery eyes as Kazle the younger of the two Melerv sisters sauntered over to Derionds side and batted away the hand of the Tekin’afi named Irae. Kazle insulted the Tekin'afi sisters and Deriond hoped they wouldn't take to much offence because the last thing he wanted was to be caught in the middle of a skirmish between Tekin'afi and Melerv.

The second sister Illha was still crouched at his side. Deriond thought that she seemed more kindly than the lady from House Tekin'afi, but then again appearances can be deceiving. Illha leaned over and whispered in Deriond's ear, "You're a smart one - - anyone who can still use their nose knows to stay well clear of House Tekin'afi. Deriond listened keenly to the Vysstichi lady's words, C'mon bit, it's time to go.'

Illha winked as she offered her hand to the young Vysstichi boy. Deriond kept on switching his gaze from Illha to Irae. He didn't want to go with either of them, all he wanted to do was get into the dark city of Herozzal. Deriond knew that he had reached a great decision in his life and that he would be marked with the memory of this day for the rest of his life... Slowly Deriond let his gaze rest upon the Vysstichi lady named Illha, for some strange reason he felt slightly compelled to go with her. So far his instincts had never been wrong and he hoped they would stay that way.

There's no turning back now The little Vysstichi boy thought to himself as he stood up and took the hand of Illha.

[Peril]

Irae's narrowed eyes watched Illha's hand graze her own, dismissing it from the boy's shoulder, and if looks could kill the older Melerv sister would have fallen to her death that very moment. The woman's insults flowed past Irae Tekin'afi's ears hardly making an impact on the woman's steel-like psyche. There were no words that could hurt the evil woman's feelings for she barely had any to hurt. She glared at Illha already accessing that she wasn't going to win this particular battle at this particular time.

It wouldn't do to bring a visible war between their Houses while on arc duty. Likely it'd result in one or both Houses being left out of the rotation for quite some time after. "But it's a stench you remember well don't you Melerv...a memorable one, lasting in it's impression..." Irae raised her chin as if to snub her nose in return. "If you weren't so annoying, I'd invite you to worship...you'd never be rid of my stench."

Irae glared at the retreating sister's back, watching the prized property chose to follow her. 'Damn...', she cursed almost inaudibly thinking she really needed to pay another visit to Buz in honor of Illha Melerv. Buzologhen, the orc who was going to see to it that her mother and older sister were removed...as thorns in her side. He'd see to it or die himself as far as the second oldest Tekin'afi daughter was concerned. Before it was all over, Irae meant to have the respect she felt she was due.

[Ahana]

Arms crossed smugly over her chest, Kazle barred the way to follow Illha and Deriond like a big, arrogant, unmoving wall. The smirk that played at her lips wasn't even a smidge hidden - - not at all.

'We remember your stench like mushrooms that rot in the ground. Not out of fear or fond memory, but disgust.'

Meanwhile, the visiting (and likely now staying) Vysstichi boy was being lead down the twisting, rocky corridors, past the hawking traders and the many shouts of the merchants who had sprung up around the arc since the discovery that it was passable to all races.

Deriond's small hand was easily enveloped by the larger Vysstichi woman’s as the steady sound of her footsteps, at first absorbed by the noise of the bustling crowd, easily became the more dominant sound. Beneath her feet, the small granules of granite flecked with obsidian crunched as the straight corridor continued forward for what seemed like forever, especially to one with as small a stride as Deriond. Beside Illha, the child had to nearly jog to keep up and she left him little choice.

'...curious to see Herozzal?' prodded Illha, out of nothing more then the desire to see what this little bit she had picked up was made of. 'Tell me.. where are you from?' With luck, this child had come from another Vysstichi settlement - - Herozzal had heard rumors of an above ground city of Vysstichi, separate from the Mother city of Hon'elgg. If he bore knowledge.. already he had seemed clever, perhaps his gifting to the Matron would be all the more worthy and Illha would garner all the higher rank and finally, hopefully, stop having to guard the ridiculous arc.

As they walked, the silence of the oft-traveled corridor between the arc and Herozzal began to grow more traveled. Vysstichi males dragged litters of goods, mostly mushrooms and barrels of some liquid, and a rather intimidating woman who corralled several miserable, ankle-chained, slaves up the corridor at the crack of her whip. The further they came to the Vysstichi city, the louder the droning of voices, still distant but approaching, became. The tunnel branched many times, many ways, but the well-traveled main path continued to be their destination. It would emerge shortly into the lower level of Herozzal, the common level, where the strict order of things wasn’t so tightly kept and claimed Houses were rarity.

OOC: Peril, you can keep on if you feel like bantering to further establish the feel of your House.

Deriond, after your reply I'll post your entrance to the city .. providing that continues to be your goal

[Deriond]

OOC: Herrozal sounded like an interesting place for my character, I didn't really have any goals here I just wanted to become a slave or have an adventure. I'm really fine with anything that happens to my character. With an exception to dying of course

IC: Deriond faintly smiled as he was led hand in hand down the winding passageway of the dark Vysstichi city of Herozzal. As they walked down the tunnel Deriond watched the denizens of the dark city with his curious red eyes. The various shadowy inhabitants of the city all appeared to be grim faced and they watched Illha and him pass with a slight morbid fascination.

Soon the tunnels became silent and empty and the only sound were the repedetive footsteps of the Vysstichi lady walking next to him. Deriond had been forced to jog to keep up with the Vysstichi lady and after what seemed like an uncountable amount of time and Deriond had slowly begun to think that perhaps there was no end to the dark twisting tunnels. After a long period of time without speaking, Illha finally spoke to him. '...curious to see Herozzal? asked Illha, 'Tell me.. Where are you from?' Deriond thought about her question then replied, "I'm not sure where I am originally from, but I have been to many different places."

The tunnel slowly appeared to become more well traveled and they came across more citizens of city. As they continued down the tunnel Deriond saw the occasional devious female but mostly chained males loaded with mushrooms and other various items traversed the dark tunnel.

As Deriond and the Vysstichi lady continued to make their way towards the center of the dark city of Herozzal, Deriond could hear the sounds of the chaotic city getting louder…

[Ziska]

Walking slowly up to the immense obsidian arch, Ziska nervously wiggled her fingers as she tried to get the guards attention. She knew it was stupid to come here but she couldn't resist the new land that she had never explored let alone been near before.