Fable - Ask Heist Of Roses

[Selina Della Altas]

Location: Aionus Citadel, The Vaulted Keep. Kalitian Desert.
Population: 1000. 100 Priests, 900 Templar Knights.
Number of Vaults: Unknown

Entry into the citadel was a hard-won privilege, one that Selina Della Altas intended to make the most of. Within this keep hundreds of clerics and templar stood as sentinels over their occult charges, artifacts of dark gods, relics of lost civilizations, teachings of forbidden knowledge... This last one was the reason she was here, and it was her privilege as a scholar to come and aid the priests in understanding some of their more dangerous relics.
The citadel was designed both to keep out, and keep in. The vault stretched down deep into the earth with innumerable passages and cells sealed with holy wards and celestial magic to keep contained unimaginable evils.

However, whenever a certain artifact seemed to baffle their methods of containment, it became necessary to fully understand what it was they were sealing away from the world. When their wards were breaking down at a higher rate due to the power of the artifact, they needed a scholar of magic to come and study it to find a better way to contain this evil...
But the reason this keep was also designed to keep people out was for the same reason they wanted to keep these artifacts in. If these things were to fall into the wrong hands, great evils could be unleashed on the world.
Which is why Selina counted it as a sign from the gods that she was actually permitted to enter their vaults and study their demonic artifacts.

_______________________________________________________________​

"This staff is the artifact. It was taken from a necromancer who infused the wood with demonic energy to fuel his spells, in spite of its seemingly uncomplicated history and origins the wards on this vault are having trouble containing the evil radiating off of it."
An elderly cleric guided Selina into the vault deep beneath the citadel, it was a veritable labyrinth to get here but things like that didn't worry Selina.
"If you need anything just ring this bell, an attendant will come should you require specific materials or research. Food and drink will be brought down presently. I needn't remind you of our rules, Miss Altas-"
Selina raised a hand dismissively.
"Correct, you needn't remind me. I will behave myself. For now, just let me cast my spells and I'll call when I have need of you."
Selina pulled her hood back and let her long black hair cascade around her shoulders. She removed her cloak and placed it over a chair as she approached the pedestal which held a staff of blackened wood.

The staff did indeed radiate dark magic, just by looking at it with the naked eye she could see a black mist radiating from the charred stick. It was a little over five feet in length, about as tall as she was, and it bore various occult runes and markings. Whoever that necromancer was, he knew his stuff, she had to wonder how he got access to such demonic energy that could warp his staff in such a way.
No doubt it was thick with enchantments, such a personal item as a staff was bound to be modified to the magic users' unique preferences. Of course, she had to be wary, but then, she wouldn't be a wizard if caution wasn't her number one priority.

She began her magic, starting with crafting various divination spells to determine the exact specifications of the staff, Its weight, its length, its maximum magical capacity, the nature of its enchantments, and the number of its enchantments.
She used her own staff to begin her work, mumbling words in her own arcane language as her staff provided the power to fuel her spells. Magical circles laden with runes and symbols appeared in the air around her and she began meticulously altering each one, tuning her spell to read the dark necromantic staff as if it were an opened book for her.

______________________________________________________________________​

Outside the sun shone high in the sky, the white walls of the citadel gleamed brightly in the afternoon day. Below and surrounding the citadel stood various small towns and villages who used the oasis as sustenance the same as the citadel.
Up on the walls on vigilant patrol marched teams of Templar Sentinels, watching over the citadel as well as the villages below and the horizon beyond. The last demon raid on this citadel was well over fifty years ago, but the Templar never loosened their discipline or let their guard down. The enemy always waited for their guard to be down, so there could never be a moment of laziness among the troops.

Templar patrolled the walls while clerics prepared for the afternoon worship in the cathedral, the villagers went about their daily lives and hardly paid any mind to the massive fortress except to provide monthly tribute to the knights that swore oaths to protect them against any and all danger. Pilgrims often came to look upon the citadel and give praise to Aionus, the god of sentinels who gave his blessings to those who were watchful of the evils of the world.

But that meant pilgrims were commonplace, and the presence of strangers in the villages was never questioned.

Gwendolyn Vollmund
Charity Briarthorne
Eilerias

 

[Gwendolyn Vollmund]

“This staff isn’t going to be an easy score by any means..” Gwen muttered glancing through her reports.

“The security is tighter than most and these wards..It’s like it was built to keep us out or trap us in as much as the artifacts.” She continued her grumbling flicking through pages.

They had been at this tavern for two days now and it was starting to wear on her restless and paranoid nature.

She had been pouring over data, patrol times, numbers, weaknesses, contacts, contacts contacts...She had been a bit..Irate to say the least. On and through out the entire ordeal.

Gwen was coming along unlike the last time. She had been providing intel as usual, but she came along for a reason she had not disclosed. It had been a quite sudden decision after Cleo had brought her some information the night before their departure.

She laid her quill to the side and glanced about her room in the tavern. Gilgamesh always had a contact somewhere. She was in a very nice private study room.

A perfect place to plan large enough for her to have a couple of large work areas between the table and desk the room boasted but remained compact enough to be sensible. Jexa entered and gave her two notes.

Word from Heticate that preparations were made and ready no doubt, and word that her target had entered the keep. All as planned. Gwen slid open the letter from Heticate as she nodded to Jexa.

“Thank you.” She said with a genuine smile despite the emotionless look of acknowledgement Jexa responded with in return. “Oh my..” Gwen said nearly breathless quickly folding the letter and putting it back in the envelope.

Her tone held such alarm that Jexa paused to turn and ensure her safety. “Jexa..This one is for you child.” She would say unable to meet her head of security’s eyes handing it over wordlessly.

Jexa snatched it up with a quick intake of breath that was much out of her character giving her mother the correct letter.

Which she opened slowly. Peeking at it to confirm it was what she predicted before sighing with relief and opening the letter to read it. Perfect.

Her target had arrived as well. Her next expected occurs ce confirmed by the next letter. It was time to take her leave and do a final walk through.

If she planned on participating in the robbery then this action would be reckless and dangerous, but as it was she was simply staying at the tavern and waiting with the escape escort after it was completed so this walk through would be very beneficial and held less drawbacks.

She left without a word. Cleo would tell the others if they asked her. Besides considering where they were going…Even the taverns proximity to the keep messed with Cleo visually..

Soon she arrived at the keep itself. The paladins were incorruptible when it came to dark evils, but as she had many connection in the educational world due to their frequency of the archives both for righteous causes and for less…

Reputable goals…

This combination meant she had high friends in high places both righteous and not. Her access was granted within 10 minutes of approaching the gates. Her arrival was not received like Ms.Atlas.

She was not an invited guests, but an unwelcome visitor. However, rather than being treated like such she was treated with respect and given space much like a manager in a work house or a sergeant in the barracks of lazy soldiers.

Unwelcome, but powerful. She wished it and they were more than happy to oblige. She knew where she was going, she knew what she was doing, she could let herself out.

Those were the simplified version of the orders they had been given anyway. She walked the halls with purpose as she reached the problem vault…The staff..It spoke to her. Called to her.

Someone was breaking it. Peeling it open and laying it bear.. Gwen’s jaw tightened at its anguish as her mind drowned it to silence.

Allowing her to Foucault on her goal once more. She entered quietly to find a young woman with her back to her studying the staff intently.

“Do you know of Jyn Lyn Selina?” She asked making herself known. A pale figure wrapped in darkness with glowing grey eyes that washed over those in her vision like a fresh wave of rain on a cold day.

A tinge of lightening illuminating her form and face eloquently in blue light as she walked into the light. A neutral pilgrim of darkness cloaked in shadows in the land of light.

She clearly did not belong here. The way her eyes stared into Selina. Unless she noticed and closed her mind to it she would feel her shoulders relax.

Despite the unnerving chill the eyes would give her she would feel a scared sort of comfort.

This woman could kill her without a thought..Just to watch her squirm..Just to watch her beg..

Could…

But didn’t want to. She wanted to be her friend. She could tell her anything. She wouldn’t want her as an enemy..

Honesty..

That would be wise..

Right?

Another chance to break her gaze. How much of this was natural and how much of this was…

Her doing…

If she had not resisted Gwen would seem to glean what she wished before nodding dismissively gesturing that Selina was allowed to turn around and continue her research.

Which she would feel compelled to to do for some reason. Approaching further into the light the woman would look between the woman and the staff. She gazed at it with the affection of one that had been there when the staff was made.

She carried herself like a teacher as she walked. Like she had burst in on Selina to check in on her progress on a project. She would place her hands on the woman’s shoulders lightly. Getting a better look at her she would seem to notice something with a knowing chuckle as one hand would move from her right shoulder.

It would push on her lower back lightly adjusting its posture and forcing the woman to straighten gaining a couple of hidden inches in height.

A common malady in those that often studied hunching over a desk. Heticate had had the same problems when she was a young imp.

She would place her hand back to the woman’s shoulder. Her hands were strong but gentle and dexterous as strummed a light rhythm on the young woman before hers shoulders leaving Selina facing the staff with Gwen behind her caressing her shoulders.

“He was the first owner of this staff. A true genius…He…” Gwen paused. Her light shoulder rubbing halting as she seemed to realize this woman was incredibly intelligent. Gwen might as well starting talking to her like a newborn at this rate.

“Well..You have seen his work. Simple, articulate, powerful, effective..” She said these words like they were extremely high praise and in all honesty, coming from Gwen it was.

“One of the best healers a general could ask for. Few healing staffs in many arsenals don’t bear his mark. But..” Gwen paused.

“He began to reach further. Healing people closer and closer to death..Necromancy was a logical step though few in his circle saw it revelation coming. His staves were destroyed. His accolades torn away. He became very..Different..” She said the word with no bias. As if she judged the change as simply occurring and large enough to be worthy of note.

“Some did not see his vision..and now this is what is left of him..” She nodded to the staff. “There’s a lesson in that I like to think..It makes the killing that came after less for nothing and more for a cause but..I don’t know..” She mused quietly.

“He mastered the most simple magics so completely he could add to the base symbols and runes so the staffs true power could remain masked from those attuned to detect magic it uses. A Trojan horse if you would. The room is having difficulty containing it because it’s magic is…”Underestimating..” it so to speak. The ward seems to recognize the staff as a low level artifact and only realizes and increases it’s power to contain it, but this fluctuation is causing the wards to destabilize..” Gwen said softly.

While still taller than Selina her whisper would still reach her ears. Spoken like it was almost to herself, yet still managers ti sound like an instructor as she spoke.

This had began as a simple recruitment, and light recon mission, but she had found a gap in the vault security she had not noticed before until now.

Quite a timely epiphany indeed…She blinked refocusing on the woman she held at the moment.

 

[Selina Della Altas]

Divinations were almost like prayers, pleas to extra-planar beings of knowledge and wisdom to answer quarries. A popular spell used by heroes of old was called "clairvoyance", a magic used to guide the caster in the way they ought to go to reach their ultimate destiny. She'd dissected that spell almost to its source code and found strings of commands that connect to the divine realms, giving credence to the tales of ancient heroes being guided by the gods or other holy beings of benevolence.

Right now, she was dissecting and rearranging one of her spells for detecting and reading magic. An informational spell for scanning and gathering data on specific objects, but she had to tune it just right, because this staff was shielding itself, there was a befuddling enchantment which made casual divinations unable to read any useful details about the staff. But if she found just the right code combination, just the right magical frequency that the creator himself used, she could slip past the ward and lay bare all of its secrets... But caution was paramount, and she had her own protective wards in place. Lichdom was often a goal of necromancers and if the owner of this staff had stored his soul inside of it, she had to be prepared for a possible attempt at possession, mind control, triggering a curse or magical attack.

Selina practically glowed with the magic spells she had cast. The crystal orb clutched in the roots of her staff glowed as well and gave a steady hum as it supplied her with the necessary power to cast her magic. Her fingers worked rapidly in the air, touching a glowing panel of symbols in a language unrecognizable even to the experienced archivist. Each series of symbols she pressed seemed to enter a new command or remove an old command from the rune-laden magical circle in front of her.

“Do you know of Jyn Lyn, Selina?”

"Only his legends and reputation. I assume you are insinuating that this staff belonged to him?"
She paused her work momentarily to see who had spoken, expecting to see a cleric she was prepared to tell the intruder to leave.
"I'm a bit busy at the moment, leave me-- Oh, excuse me."
She changed her tune suddenly, realizing a stranger had entered the vault.
She blinked a moment in surprise, her hand still poised mid type above the glowing panel.
"Did the clerics let you in here? I am in the middle of an examination."

She clearly did not belong here. The way her eyes stared into Selina. Unless she noticed and closed her mind to it, she would feel her shoulders relax.

Selina didn't close her mind, but one of her wards floating around her brightened in response to the influence on her mind, a buffer against such manipulations she expected a ghost of Jyn to try, but Selina was calm nonetheless in spite of the strangeness of the woman and her glowing eyes.

Naturally she'd immediately attempted to deduce who this person was, what she was, and what she was doing here.
Thief? A servant of the necromancer? A demon attacking the vault? An associate of the Templar? An eccentric cleric? A spy? The Herald of magic coming to stop her again?
Not a human, those eyes... an elf of some sort? Some other magical race? She was attempting to influence her mind, what could be her goal? How was she doing that?

Despite the unnerving chill the eyes would give her she would feel a scared sort of comfort.
This woman could kill her without a thought... Just to watch her squirm... Just to watch her beg...

Could…

But didn’t want to. She wanted to be her friend. She could tell her anything. She wouldn’t want her as an enemy...

Again, the ward brightened and hummed with the effort, shielding her mind from influencing effects that continued to assault her. Selina only paid the ward a confirming glance, making sure it was maintaining its integrity. She continued to watch the woman, waiting for her to become a threat or an ally.

If she had not resisted Gwen would seem to glean what she wished before nodding dismissively gesturing that Selina was allowed to turn around and continue her research.

That gesture was well practiced and natural, her posture was non-hostile, so Selina felt safe in turning her back to the strange woman. Perhaps she was the vault lore master or something.
She turned and went back to her work, picking up where she left off without hesitation.

She tried one more series of commands based on the information she was just given. What she knew of Jyn Lyn and his legend, based on that alone she was able to narrow down the possibilities and soon her spell broke through the befuddling enchantment.
She activated her spell, and the circle began to scan the staff with invisible probing strands, gathering information and details about the staff.

She carried herself like a teacher as she walked. Like she had burst in on Selina to check in on her progress on a project. She would place her hands on the woman’s shoulders lightly.

Selina was vaguely aware of the woman observing her, she felt like she was in class again with her professor looking over her shoulder... Particularly a teacher that was very critical of her and her ambitions to learn magic even though she had no way to use magic at all. Just a mundane girl who got lucky enough to have paid enough to receive an education at the prestigious magical college of Elbion.

Suddenly chills ran up her spine when she felt hands on her shoulders, she involuntarily shuddered and let out a small yelp of surprise!
"Y-you startled me!"

Getting a better look at her she would seem to notice something with a knowing chuckle as one hand would move from her right shoulder.
It would push on her lower back lightly adjusting its posture and forcing the woman to straighten gaining a couple of hidden inches in height.
A common malady in those that often studied hunching over a desk. Heticate had had the same problems when she was a young imp.

Selina grunted a little in awkward discomfort at being touched so freely, even her professors didn't correct her posture, nobody ever had. She was the daughter of a merchant family and left to attend the college before she could come of age to be tutored in the arts of womanhood, she knew that daughters of noble families were tutored in such things from the day they could walk... She'd never cared overmuch, she only wanted to learn and that consumed all of her interests.

She cleared her throat to break the awkward silence and relieve herself of the awkward touching... It didn't work, she still felt increasingly uncomfortable. It was simply that she was unused to such familiarity, even when she joined a sisterhood with the witch's coven in The Reach.
The woman's silence wasn't helping either.

She would place her hand back to the woman’s shoulder. Her hands were strong but gentle and dexterous as strummed a light rhythm on the young woman's shoulders, leaving Selina facing the staff with Gwen behind her caressing her shoulders.

“He was the first owner of this staff. A true genius…He…” Gwen paused. Her light shoulder rubbing halting as she seemed to realize this woman was incredibly intelligent. Gwen might as well have been talking to her like a newborn at this rate.

Now she spoke, talking about Jyn Lyn, but her voice sounded the slightest bit condescending which irked her a little. She'd cracked through the befuddling enchantment and practically demonstrated a small portion of her magical prowess by performing her magic in front of her and exhibiting that her wards were powerful enough to withstand her little test. If she were seeking this stranger's approval, then she figured she was owed some by now.

“Well... You have seen his work. Simple, articulate, powerful, effective...” She said these words like they were extremely high praise and, in all honesty, coming from Gwen it was.

“One of the best healers a general could ask for. Few healing staffs in many arsenals don’t bear his mark. But...” Gwen paused.

“He began to reach further. Healing people closer and closer to death... Necromancy was a logical step though few in his circle saw it revelation coming. His staves were destroyed. His accolades torn away. He became very... Different...” She said the word with no bias. As if she judged the change as simply occurring and large enough to be worthy of note.

“Some did not see his vision... and now this is what is left of him...” She nodded to the staff. “There’s a lesson in that I like to think... It makes the killing that came after less for nothing and more for a cause but... I don’t know...” She mused quietly.

She speaks as if she were there, as if she knew Jyn Lyn personally. Which, if she were telling the truth, confirmed her assessment that she was an elf, or some other race with longevity... Vampire also came to mind... But more importantly, it sounded like she knew the true story of Jyn Lyn, that was information she found interesting. She'd never done any serious digging into the legend of Jyn Lyn, but now it seemed relevant... So, she endured the chills and the tingling touches of the woman on her shoulders, hoping to hear more.

“He mastered the simplest magics so completely he could add to the base symbols and runes so the staves' true power could remain masked from those attuned to the magic it uses. A Trojan horse if you would. The room is having difficulty containing it because it’s magic is… 'Underestimating it...' so to speak. The ward seems to recognize the staff as a low-level artifact and only realizes and increases its power to contain it, but this fluctuation is causing the wards to destabilize...” Gwen said softly.

That made sense, the issue was with the way this staff hid its true power, the wards in this vault were being deceived and thus couldn't properly adjust to the fluctuations of various power levels. But what was the purpose? If that was all there was to it then it was only to prove to be a pain and an annoyance to any who tried to lock it away, perhaps making it easier to be recovered, that was true, but all she had to do was remove the befuddling and stealth enchantments and the vault would do the rest, problem solved... No, there was something else at work here, possibly even a will behind this enchantment and why it was causing problems.

She deduced two options. Either the staff contained the soul of Jyn Lyn, or the demonic power suffusing it was also possessing it with a malicious intent... It was calling for help, and between fluctuations in the ward, it was sending out that call.
After the woman was done telling Selina about the staff, she almost scoffed a little at it.
"Tsk, simple, juvenile and amateurish. His technique isn't too bad, he understood the concept of stacking lesser spells for a powerful effect... You speak highly of him, but he was ultimately a fool. He had so little foresight, so little imagination, so little knowledge for the power he had... Look-"
She pointed to the string of unintelligible symbols rolling across the glowing screen.
"- He placed wards, enchantments and curses all throughout and around this staff, but they aren't chained together. Half of them are completely isolated commands and the other half don't trigger unless the first ward is completely dispelled, and I've simply bypassed it to gain information. A fatal flaw, he obviously was so confident in his power that he never expected to be defeated and his staff taken. Sure, he was prepared for burglars and amateurs, but not a true wizard."

While still hotly taller than Selina her whisper would still reach her ears. Spoken like it was almost to herself, yet still manages to sound like an instructor as she spoke.
This had begun as a simple recruitment and light recon mission, but she had found a gap in the vault security she had not noticed before until now.

Quite a timely epiphany indeed… She blinked refocusing on the woman she held at the moment.

She didn't think it was possible for her to get so many chills at once from the same person in so short a time, but even the whispering brough her to shivers... Not unpleasantly so, but she couldn't admit that.
She decided the confront the woman.
"Okay, listen, I don't know who you are, but how do you know so mu-"
She turned around and found herself staring up at a woman much taller than she expected, she gulped and stammered a bit, taking an involuntary step back and stopped against the edge of the alter where the staff sat with its secrets being read and recorded by her spell.
"- I-I mean... You j-just know so much... Umm, I'm Selina Altas, I'm a wizard from the college in Elbion... Arrrrre you an archivist here?"
She gulped again... She was super close, and this woman held power not just in her magic but in her body... Selina knew she couldn't go toe to toe with this woman and expect to win... Unscathed.

 

[Gwendolyn Vollmund]

Selina didn't close her mind, but one of her wards floating around her brightened in response to the influence on her mind, a buffer against such manipulations she expected a ghost of Jyn to try, but Selina was calm nonetheless in spite of the strangeness of the woman and her glowing eyes.

Gwen frowned but slowly smiled. It was not as if she were truly TRYING to infiltrate Selina's mind. This magic simply rolled from her naturally, despite this her magic being thwarted in any way was a slight annoyance.

Again, the ward brightened and hummed with the effort, shielding her mind from influencing effects that continued to assault her. Selina only paid the ward a confirming glance, making sure it was maintaining its integrity. She continued to watch the woman, waiting for her to become a threat or an ally.

Her smile only widened. So she did have skill..

"Only his legends and reputation. I assume you are insinuating that this staff belonged to him?"
She paused her work momentarily to see who had spoken, expecting to see a cleric she was prepared to tell the intruder to leave.

Gwen would frown, some what robbed of her theatrics and flair, but let her pointed silence answer the girls curt response rather than dignifying such a rude response with breath from her lungs.

"I'm a bit busy at the moment, leave me-- Oh, excuse me."
She changed her tune suddenly, realizing a stranger had entered the vault.
She blinked a moment in surprise, her hand still poised mid type above the glowing panel.
"Did the clerics let you in here? I am in the middle of an examination."

"I go where I please young one." She would say with a slight smirk. "Where a barrier exists that coin or force can not break.. Knowledge is the key..." She would say solemnly. Some would think this some stupid virtue the elf was reciting implying that a sharp mind could solve any problem blah blah blah. Believe in yourself and study..." But any one that truly knew her understood what what she meant.

It was her knowledge and her sheer wealth of it that had allowed her to be owed the favors and have the allies high enough in the church and clergy to vouch for her uninterrupted presence there. A place people of her repute would scarce be allowed. The means for access could not be obtained with evils such as blackmail or bribes.

As evil it's self was their enemy and thus such methods were mostly guarded against with cracks being found out quickly. These farmers of men. Guarding their human stock from from the vermin of corruption and the decay evil brought..

It was pathetic.

As here she stood.

A fox.. allowed to roam free for teaching the farmers, fathers, fathers, how to grow their flocks and control them years ago.

And what a clever fox she was...

Suddenly chills ran up her spine when she felt hands on her shoulders, she involuntarily shuddered and let out a small yelp of surprise!
"Y-you startled me!"

"Hush. Focus on your task child." She would shush in a tone not harsh, but firm. Her eyes watching over her shoulder and judging every movement.

So critical, and yet not negative...or positive... She made no indication to if what she was viewing brought approval or disapproval. Only that no move was missed. No breath not counted, no second guess or correction unnoted.

Selina grunted a little in awkward discomfort at being touched so freely, even her professors didn't correct her posture, nobody ever had. She was the daughter of a merchant family and left to attend the college before she could come of age to be tutored in the arts of womanhood, she knew that daughters of noble families were tutored in such things from the day they could walk... She'd never cared overmuch, she only wanted to learn and that consumed all of her interests.

She cleared her throat to break the awkward silence and relieve herself of the awkward touching... It didn't work, she still felt increasingly uncomfortable. It was simply that she was unused to such familiarity, even when she joined a sisterhood with the witch's coven in The Reach.
The woman's silence wasn't helping either.

"Outside discomforts will always exist. Some much worse than correcting your posture young lady." Gwen would say not being able to help herself as her inner instructor came out slightly. While appropriate for this particular person, she was not here to teach her.

She was here to speak with her. Learn about her.. She allowed the silence to drag. Relishing, somewhat teasingly, the discomfort Selina was feeling. Obviously not uncomfortable with her touch.

Simply not used to it. Gwen kept her hold on the shorter woman. This familiarity had been claimed by her. Not asked for.. Something that had successfully put Selina off balance enough to allow Gwen a better place to negotiate from.

"Tsk, simple, juvenile and amateurish. His technique isn't too bad, he understood the concept of stacking lesser spells for a powerful effect... You speak highly of him, but he was ultimately a fool. He had so little foresight, so little imagination, so little knowledge for the power he had... Look-"
She pointed to the string of unintelligible symbols rolling across the glowing screen.

Gwen nodded in agreement as she looked at the mans work like a mother looking over a finger painting. "He was known to get over enthusiastic.." The woman said with a slightly defensive stance holding up her hands and smiling apologetically. Sure that her earlier condescending tone had earned her this light lashing. So she accepted it gracefully and allowed the younger woman to speak her mind plainly.

"- He placed wards, enchantments and curses all throughout and around this staff, but they aren't chained together. Half of them are completely isolated commands and the other half don't trigger unless the first ward is completely dispelled, and I've simply bypassed it to gain information. A fatal flaw, he obviously was so confident in his power that he never expected to be defeated and his staff taken. Sure, he was prepared for burglars and amateurs, but not a true wizard."

"Yes a very fatal flaw.." Gwen agreed solemnly nodding slowly.. "A flaw many would do well to learn from.. Myself included.." She continued. "He was limited by mankind's maturity as a race and knowledge of magic in his time. With age comes innovation and the maturity not to misuse it to the point of extinction."

Gwen would say continuing to allow Selina to work unimpeded. Speaking while they worked to fill the silence the young woman was to terrified of.

"He was a visionary and innovative. For his time. In his day healers were only highly trained clerics with massive mana reserves. Had to be born with them. They had an entire sect dedicated to breeding and maintaining what little healers managed to have the birthrights to carry out the task. Casualties in wars then were...Astronomical.." Gwen would calmly speak.

Her tone carrying the astronomical weight of the bodies. "His "juvenile" work allowed staffs to be made powerful and simple enough for anyone with half a mind for magic could use effectively. Even those with no magic in their blood. The clergy lost millions as the need for their rare and highly sought after healers plummeted. They invited Jyn to join them. Aid them. He told them to shove off. That they would only horde his magic to recoup their lost profits. He was found guilty of necromancy soon after."

Her voice took a much more somber tone as she continued.

"A reward was placed on his head and they hired the best to take care of him. He hid for decades, but the best were the best for a reason...." Her frown deepened and her tone grew heavier. Her light, instructive tone laden with something anyone who listened hard enough would find to be...

Regret.

"And now here it sits. The staff of Jyn Lyn The Lych...Scourge of the sands.." She spat reading the name carved into the altar.

"When...He was known to many as Jyn the angel of the east." Gwen finished with another sigh. She had almost implied SHE had known him as such, but the woman was scared of her as it was. Best not to p-

"Okay, listen, I don't know who you are, but how do you know so mu-"
She turned around and found herself staring up at a woman much taller than she expected, she gulped and stammered a bit, taking an involuntary step back and stopped against the edge of the alter where the staff sat with its secrets being read and recorded by her spell.

As if to illustrate her very point Selina cut off her thoughts by turning and responding only to take a nervous step back only to find her retreat blocked by the altar. Gwens hands had slipped from her shoulders in the shift and moved to her wrists so smoothly she wouldnt blame Selina for not noticing. Guiding her back from the altar close to her before finally releasing the young witch.

"Well of course You dont know who I am. You never asked. I would have volunteered it willingly, but its not often i find one so young with such a willing ear. So I forwent pleasantries to indulge myself if thats alright.." She said with a slight chuckle that bubbled like a gently flowing stream..

"- I-I mean... You j-just know so much... Umm, I'm Selina Altas, I'm a wizard from the college in Elbion... Arrrrre you an archivist here?"
She gulped again... She was super close, and this woman held power not just in her magic but in her body... Selina knew she couldn't go toe to toe with this woman and expect to win... Unscathed.

She enjoyed Selina facing her. The stammering...So cute.. She would stare into her eyes once more. "I know who you are Ms. Selina Della Atlas." She said with a smirk.

“Daughter of merchants. Not a drop of noble blood in your veins. Magic ability either. Nothing about you should exist..” Gwen said with her smirk only widening. “Yey here you stand.” Gwen said approvingly. “Laying bare magic that should be far beyond you. It’s inspiring. If I was one for emotions I would be at any rate..”

Like she had followed her entire struggle.

Her eyes held an harsh understanding in them. Like she understood as much as someone who wasn’t her could. Her eyes warmed losing their steel as she spoke.

"You have made quiet a few impressions with quite a few of quite the right people young lady." She would say flatteringly.

"And I have an eye for talent. I am the headmistress of Rosewood academy, and Briarthorne finishing school after all. Im sure your at least aware of them.." She would offer the credentials to at least show her that it wasnt merely hollow praise from a stranger in black.

"I have actually been looking for you for some time, but your quiet a busy bee, and im quite the busy one myself, but when I heard reports you would be so close by. I couldnt resist a chance to meet you. I hope I havent overstepped to badly." Gwen said soothingly.

No magic needed for her voice to sound soothing and slightly seductive. She could admit Selina was good looking so the seductiveness' was natural and somewhat fun, but Gwen casually dialed it back a bit.

She wanted this woman in her archives studying the secrets of the universe and allowing Gwen a front row seat to help her and view her progress before anyone else, not turn her into a hot, sweaty, slave in her bed. That came after.

Smoothly sliding her hand under Selinas chin to encourage a better look into them.

No tricks. Just seriousness of topic opted for such eye contact.

She had to dangle the fruit for the woman to see the massive reward waiting for her if she plays by Gwens rules.

"You hunger for answers do you not?" She would say gently. "I can show you." She would say. "I want to show you." She whispered. “But there will be prices to be paid. A business to discuss..”

 

[Selina Della Altas]

"I go where I please young one." She would say with a slight smirk. "Where a barrier exists that coin or force cannot break... Knowledge is the key..."

True enough, her depth of knowledge was part of the reason she was invited to the vaults, a bit of a reputation didn't hurt either.

"Hush. Focus on your task child."

Selina certainly tried to focus on her task, but this woman's presence lay around her like thick smoke, watching everything from every angle. Why was she so interested?!

"Outside discomforts will always exist. Some much worse than correcting your posture young lady."

She swallowed hard, outside discomforts she could handle, she'd fought monsters and men and not once lost her cool, she'd dealt with pinpricks and wads of wet paper being thrown at her head and never lost concentration on a spell... But a friendly touch... Much too friendly, even her sisters in the coven didn't hover like this, and they'd performed rituals dancing naked in the woods under the light of a full moon!

Even when attending the college, she'd never paid attention to romantic relationships, boys didn't excite her the way her studies did. She'd kept herself apart and turned down all advances. Her work was far too important to be distracted by the needs of another.
That is why this physical contact was so foreign to her.

"Yes, a very fatal flaw..." Gwen agreed solemnly nodding slowly... "A flaw many would do well to learn from... Myself included..." She continued. "He was limited by mankind's maturity as a race and knowledge of magic in his time. With age comes innovation and the maturity not to misuse it to the point of extinction." Gwen would say continuing to allow Selina to work unimpeded. Speaking while they worked to fill the silence the young woman was too terrified of. "He was a visionary and innovative. For his time. In his day healers were only highly trained clerics with massive mana reserves. Had to be born with them. They had an entire sect dedicated to breeding and maintaining what little healers managed to have the birthrights to carry out the task. Casualties in wars then were... Astronomical..." Gwen would calmly speak.

Selina shrugged a little, both in casual agreement and to keep herself from shivering again from her touch.
"I suppose it cannot be helped, I agree, for his time he must have been innovative... Which says more about his time than himself."

"His "juvenile" work allowed staffs to be made powerful and simple enough for anyone with half a mind for magic could use effectively. Even those with no magic in their blood. The clergy lost millions as the need for their rare and highly sought-after healers plummeted. They invited Jyn to join them. Aid them. He told them to shove off. That they would only horde his magic to recoup their lost profits. He was found guilty of necromancy soon after."

She'd always considered necromancy a misunderstood art, one with tremendous potential to be misused and unfortunately many to this day and since its discovery have chosen to abuse it.
And because of that reputation, it was very easy to be the target of a witch hunt simply by being labeled as one.

"A reward was placed on his head, and they hired the best to take care of him. He hid for decades, but the best were the best for a reason...." Her frown deepened and her tone grew heavier. Her light, instructive tone laden with something anyone who listened hard enough would find to be...Regret. "And now here it sits. The staff of Jyn Lyn the Lych... Scourge of the sands..." She spat reading the name carved into the altar.

"When...He was known to many as Jyn the angel of the east." Gwen finished with another sigh. She had almost implied SHE had known him as such, but the woman was scared of her as it was. Best not to p-

- As if to illustrate her very point Selina cut off her thoughts by turning and responding, only to take a nervous step back to find her retreat blocked by the altar. Gwen's hands had slipped from her shoulders in the shift and moved to her wrists so smoothly she wouldn't blame Selina for not noticing. Guiding her back from the altar close to her before finally releasing the young witch.

Selina felt breathless being this close to someone not only attractive, but dangerous. No matter what she claimed, those hands have killed before.

"Well of course You don't know who I am. You never asked. I would have volunteered it willingly, but it's not often i find one so young with such a willing ear. So, I forwent pleasantries to indulge myself if that's alright..." She said with a slight chuckle that bubbled like a gently flowing stream...

She enjoyed Selina facing her. The stammering...So cute... She would stare into her eyes once more. "I know who you are Ms. Atlas." She said with a smirk. "You have made quite a few impressions with quite a few of quite the right people young lady." She would say flatteringly.

"And I have an eye for talent. I am the headmistress of Rosewood academy, and Briarthorne finishing school after all. I'm sure you're at least aware of them..." She would offer the credentials to at least show her that it wasn't merely hollow praise from a stranger in black.

She had indeed heard of Rosewood Academy, if she hadn't gone to Elbion to study magic her parents might have sent her there to learn to be a lady... Those credentials looked real; she had no reason to doubt the elf before her. This was the Headmistress.
"Altas... My family name is Altas, not Atlas."
She examined the credentials at a glance and gleaned a name.
"Headmistress Vollmund... I'm afraid finishing school holds little interest for me at this point. But that's not why you've come."

"I have actually been looking for you for some time, but your quiet a busy bee, and I'm quite the busy one myself, but when I heard reports, you would be so close by. I couldn't resist a chance to meet you. I hope I haven't overstepped too badly." Gwen said soothingly. No magic needed for her voice to sound soothing and slightly seductive. She could admit Selina was good looking so the seductiveness' was natural and somewhat fun, but Gwen casually dialed it back a bit.

Selina put on a brave face, deciding not to back down anymore in the face of this imposing women... Even as she detected the husky undertone the elf adopted.
"If you've been looking for me then you know of my reputation. I'm not easy to kill even from this range, if you need my help for something I would appreciate brevity. If you've come to help me then I appreciate it thus far."

Smoothly sliding her hand under Selina's chin to encourage a better look into them.

No tricks. Just seriousness of topic opted for such eye contact.

She had to dangle the fruit for the woman to see the massive reward waiting for her if she plays by Gwen's rules.

"You hunger for answers do you not?" She would say gently. "I can show you." She would say. "I want to show you." She whispered.

She didn't allow herself to fluster but met her eyes evenly, her lips set in determination to not be dominated by this woman even as she tilted her chin upwards.
She whispered back, matching her tone defiantly.
"Answers suggest a question. You know my reputation, I seek knowledge of all kinds, magical and mundane. The world we live in is more than what can be sensed with our eyes. I don't seek anything so specific as an answer."

 

[Gwendolyn Vollmund]

"I suppose it cannot be helped, I agree, for his time he must have been innovative... Which says more about his time than himself."

Gwen smiled at that. With a shrug that seemed to say “Fair enough.” Allowing the silence to lengthen as her new quarry to work.

"Altas... My family name is Altas, not Atlas."
She examined the credentials at a glance and gleaned a name.
"Headmistress Vollmund... I'm afraid finishing school holds little interest for me at this point. But that's not why you've come."

“No.” Gwen said returning her creditable to her cloak. “I would like to think my time better spent than simply running about recruiting. “Besides. Your much too old..” Gwen said chuckling.

"If you've been looking for me then you know of my reputation. I'm not easy to kill even from this range, if you need my help for something I would appreciate brevity. If you've come to help me then I appreciate it thus far."

“I’ve been looking for you BECAUSE of your reputation.” She would say seemingly growing slightly annoyed. “And if I needed your help you would have been directly asked for such, and not by me.” Gwen snipped removing the hand tilting her chin examining the nails by clenching her fist and turning them towards her.

“I have people for that sort of thing dear.” She would continue with a dignified sniff of importance.

“And killing you?” Her she would laugh with the genuinely grim mirth of someone who had seen a lot of it.
“Do I look like a killer to you?” She would ask innocently raising an eyebrow at the assertion.

“Or do people generally try to kill you often?” She would laugh again, this laugh much warmer and far less grim. It had a melodic sound to it that many found enchanting, though there was still a feeling of strangeness about it. Like watching a monster roar only to produce the mewl of a kitten.

It was short lived as it subsided quickly and Gwen caught her breath.

"Answers suggest a question. You know my reputation, I seek knowledge of all kinds, magical and mundane. The world we live in is more than what can be sensed with our eyes. I don't seek anything so specific as an answer."

Gwen would raise her eyebrow again. This time more critically than comically so.

“I see..” She would say as you could almost mentally hear the box being checked on the list in her head. What was of note? Who knew. Just that it was noted.

“There’s a legend that hundreds of years ago there was tell of an archive containing both infinite knowledge and horrific danger. You searched for it before in your younger years. What do you remember of it and it’s owner?” She asked.

 

[Selina Della Altas]

“No.” Gwen said returning her credentials into her cloak. “I would like to think my time better spent than simply running about recruiting. Besides, your much too old...”

She blinked and her face reddened slightly. How old did this elf think she was?!

“I’ve been looking for you BECAUSE of your reputation.” She would say seemingly growing slightly annoyed. “And if I needed your help, you would have been directly asked for such, and not by me.” Gwen snipped removing the hand tilting her chin examining the nails by clenching her fist and turning them towards her.

“I have people for that sort of thing dear.” She would continue with a dignified sniff of importance.

“And killing you?” Here she would laugh with the genuinely grim mirth of someone who had seen a lot of it.
“Do I look like a killer to you?” She would ask innocently raising an eyebrow at the assertion.

Selina stiffened at the question... Honestly, by looking at her hands alone Selina could deduce that she at least COULD if she hasn't already over the course of her long life. Callouses were difficult to hide, this elf was familiar with weapons.

“Or do people generally try to kill you often?”

Selina shrugged, averting her eyes. Admittedly she'd been in many dangerous situations, but she'd only rarely been in any actual danger that she couldn't handle, people weren't generally out to kill her.
This elf was just giving her some weird vibes and Selina didn't know how best to handle them.

“I see...” She would say as you could almost mentally hear the box being checked on the list in her head. What was of note? Who knew? Just that it was noted.

“There’s a legend that hundreds of years ago there was tell of an archive containing both infinite knowledge and horrific danger. You searched for it before in your younger years. What do you remember of it and its owner?” She asked.

Selina's brow furrowed slightly.
"Younger years? Miss Vollmund, how old do you think I am?"
She turned her back, having had enough of trying to stand up to this woman and not wanting to maintain eye contact any further lest she give away her anxieties.
"I did visit an archive up in the foothills of the spine not long after leaving The Reach. An enchanted library with a massive stockpile of knowledge, for a price. I did come across a few journals that referenced another archive based somewhere in Alliria..."
One trait that has aided Selina in her studies and training to become a wizard was her near perfect memory, she could recall nearly any piece of information she has seen or read at any point of her life with almost perfect accuracy.
She checked on her spells as they continued to scan the staff... Then she froze.
"... That archive is owned by the Vollmund family."

She slowly turned around once again, her expression carefully masked, "... You are the keeper of the Vollmund Archives?"

 

[Gwendolyn Vollmund]

Selina's brow furrowed slightly.
"Younger years? Miss Vollmund, how old do you think I am?"

The Gwen’s eyes would widen along with her smile slightly embarrassed. “I simply meant at least school age or slightly above. I’m not the best with mor..With human aging..” Gwen would say catching her self. Halting her exit halfway and turning to face Selina. “I did not mean any disrespect..” She would say holding up her hands apologetically.

"I did visit an archive up in the foothills of the spine not long after leaving The Reach. An enchanted library with a massive stockpile of knowledge, for a price. I did come across a few journals that referenced another archive based somewhere in Alliria..."

Gwen remained impassive simply nodding. So she had been to the spine then…

The archive haunted by sisters long fallen. The residuals of their souls and magic fueling the husk of a building..

She could never bring her self to visit..

"... That archive is owned by the Vollmund family."

She slowly turned around once again, her expression carefully masked, "... You are the keeper of the Vollmund Archives?"

"No..No young one." Gwen would say rolling her eyes. Her tone sarcastic, but her expression good natured.
"I simply share the last name of the family that owns them." She would continue her teasing but returned to a serious expression. She did not have all day after all...

"Because I came here to offer you a deal. This was an..Interview of sorts. My gates have been closed to scholars for almost a century. The last allowed in...There were dire consequences. I wil not allow such a thing to take place again so i thought it prudent to speak with you myself and.." It was Gwens turn to look uncomfortable for a moment but it soon passed as she continued.

"You were far more impressive than your reputation let on." She admitted. "In fact it has made me reconsider many things..' She would say after a moment.

"I would like to make a deal Miss. Altas." She would say calmly. It was a gentle tone but there was no more charm, whit, or even seriousness in her voice, but the slight shift in her tone was unnerving nonetheless. the shadows of the room would form a parchment rolled and wrapped closed with a black silk ribbon sealed by wax and pressed with a strange crest. She would approach and hand it to her.

"I do not expect an answer now. I only ask for your consideration. If you decide to move forward simply sign the contract. It can take it from there." Gwen would say offering her hand to Selina. "It was truly a pleasure Miss, Altas," She would say with a smile.

Shaking the hand warmly if it was accepted. "Well. I shall take my leave, but first.." She would brush past Selina and approached the alter the staff rested on. "Rest well my friend. Your battle is fought. Your master resting. Calm your wails and quiet your cries." She would whisper in demonic holding her hand out to the staff.

The words burned her tongue and her nose began to bleed from the stress. One did not speak demonic here without consequences. A single tear traced down her cheek as she held her nose with one hand and wiped the tear deftly with the other. Every rune and ward Selina would have indicating the staff was quiet.

No longer crying for help. "Good day Miss. Altas.." Gwen would say with a small smile taking her leave before blood could seep through her fingers. Selina would have done the job smoother and with less pain, but.. When presented so plainly with an opportunity to ease the last remnant of a friend like Jyn on into the after life..

She felt she had to..

She owed him that much..

 

[Selina Della Altas]

The Gwen’s eyes would widen along with her smile slightly embarrassed. “I simply meant at least school age or slightly above. I’m not the best with mor...With human aging...” Gwen would say catching herself. Halting her exit halfway and turning to face Selina. “I did not mean any disrespect...” She would say holding up her hands apologetically.

Selina didn't know why, but she felt slightly offended at being called 'over school age'. She liked to think that she excelled for reaching this stage at such a young age... She couldn't say graduated, since she dropped out of the college to join the witch's coven
"I'll have you know I'm twenty-one years old. I like to think of my accomplishments thus far to be quite exceptional!"
She finished with a bit of a pout.

"No... No young one." Gwen would say rolling her eyes. Her tone sarcastic, but her expression good natured.
"I simply share the last name of the family that owns them." She would continue her teasing but returned to a serious expression. She did not have all day after all...

"Because I came here to offer you a deal. This was an... Interview of sorts. My gates have been closed to scholars for almost a century. The last allowed in... There were dire consequences. I will not allow such a thing to take place again so i thought it prudent to speak with you myself and.." It was Gwen's turn to look uncomfortable for a moment, but it soon passed as she continued.

"You were far more impressive than your reputation let on." She admitted. "In fact, it has made me reconsider many things...' She would say after a moment.

"I would like to make a deal Miss. Altas." She would say calmly. It was a gentle tone but there was no more charm, whit, or even seriousness in her voice, but the slight shift in her tone was unnerving, nonetheless. the shadows of the room would form a parchment rolled and wrapped closed with a black silk ribbon sealed by wax and pressed with a strange crest. She would approach and hand it to her.

"I do not expect an answer now. I only ask for your consideration. If you decide to move forward simply sign the contract. It can take it from there." Gwen would say offering her hand to Selina. "It was truly a pleasure Miss, Altas," She would say with a smile.

Selina stared wide eyed and blankly at the elf as she spoke, but mentally she was racing!
No way! No fricking way! I finally got to meet the keeper of the Vollmund Archives! And she wants to give me access to her library!
She numbly accepted the parchment without looking at it.
Gwendolyn offered her hand to shake, and Selina took it, the touch snapped her out of her thoughts. She gripped her hand firmly and an excited stream of words erupted from her mouth!
"By the gods it's really you! The keeper of the Vollmund Archives, I can't believe it! It is such an honor to finally make your acquaintance, I had just about given up chasing rumors that you even existed! By the gods I've always dreamed of finding your archives, are the rumors true?! Do you really have access to forbidden texts regarding the gods and devils?! Do you really have copies of the first spells ever created?! How do you operate without the Herald hounding your every step?! I can't believe you actually came to find me! I don't know what to say except that it is an extreme honor!"
Her voice pitched several times in her excitement as she fervently shook Gwen's hand.

Shaking the hand warmly if it was accepted. "Well. I shall take my leave, but first..." She would brush past Selina and approached the alter the staff rested on. "Rest well my friend. Your battle is fought. Your master resting. Calm your wails and quiet your cries." She would whisper in demonic holding her hand out to the staff.

The words burned her tongue, and her nose began to bleed from the stress. One did not speak demonic here without consequences. A single tear traced down her cheek as she held her nose with one hand and wiped the tear deftly with the other. Every rune and ward Selina would have indicated the staff was quiet.
No longer crying for help. "Good day Miss. Altas.." Gwen would say with a small smile taking her leave before blood could seep through her fingers. Selina would have done the job smoother and with less pain, but... When presented so plainly with an opportunity to ease the last remnant of a friend like Jyn on into the afterlife...

She felt she had to...

She owed him that much...

Abyssal, Selina knew the language and understood what Gwendolyn said. The language of demons, easily confused with Infernal, the language of devils... It was indeed bold of her to speak that language in this place of holy magic, no doubt she suffered for it... Which confirmed for Selina that she knew the owner of this staff at one point.
She watched her do her thing and go, her questions could wait, she clutched the contract tightly. Once she was done here, she will go and finally see the Vollmund Archive, it was the chance of a lifetime! If she passed it up, she couldn't call herself a wizard anymore!

She put the parchment into her satchel and turned her attention back to her spell. The information was conclusive, whatever Gwendolyn did, the staff was calm now. She still had some other tests to run and a few other things she wanted to find out, but at least the basic requirements of the contract have been fulfilled, the staff has been pacified as the clerics wanted.
She grinned, now the real work began...