Descending Deeper: XXXVI
"What.. what do you mean; got it?" Vaelle quizzed, she felt timid and small following Donna, Damien, and Holiver like a lost puppy, a sensation she did not relish. She paced meekly in the backyard weaving between green hedges and emerald trees. She tugged nervously at her cultist gown not wanting to be seen in it. 'What if.. What if someone saw me? Oh gods..' she took a few deep breaths trying not to panic, rapidly latching onto Holivers arm for some kind of stability yet he seemed to pay her no attention.
"The stone.. Our Priestess couldn't believe it.. He actually got the stone for us." Damien chuckled. "I mean.. She said she had utter faith in him but.. To get a nimblewright and the Zhentarim to work together?"
"I would never have thought it possible.. Are you sure this deal is a smart idea?" Holiver asked Damien, Vaelle couldn't help but feel like she was merely a passenger in this conversation. She tried to squeeze harder onto Holivers arm but he began pulling away getting closer to Donna and Damien.
"I- can someone please explain what's.." Vaelle hung her head feeling defeated she'd spent over two weeks with the c.. faith and she was no closer to understanding any of it.
"The vault of Dagult Neverember." Damien started.
"That rymed.." Vaelle whispered. She tried for a smile but only Holiver laughed, thank the gods he was still with her..
"Is a.."
"Rumour I know that.." Vaelle frowned; she was a native to Waterdeep; it wasn't like she didn't know the mysteries and skepticism around the former Open Lord's embezzlement; not that she thought it was true.
"Well, the rumour gets more intense than that.. Whispers say that Dagult Neverember in an effort to avoid having his memory probed; wiped it. He stored the gold in a secret vault and hid its location and means of opening within an object." Damien concluded. Vaelle stopped walking, feeling the brush of warm air kick at her from the summer climate. She took a few deep breaths, dammit she was hungry.
"That's.. Assuming all this.. Is true. About Dagult and his embezzlement and-"
"It's true." Holiver bit in and placed a hand against her shoulder, she practically melted feeling what must have been the first ounce of physical affection in days. Dammit she missed her shop.. She wanted to go back, sell flowers and worry about anything else. She opened her mouth to protest but thought better of it, she didnt care if they believed in a fairy tale.
"What.. what does our priestess want with it anyway?"
Holiver and Donna exchanged nervous looks. "Well, the promise of five hundred thousand gold is one thing.. But there are rumours of another.. Something inside something.. Powerful." Donna elaborated. Vaelle tried to ponder what such an object could be.. Something powerful?
"Come on. You must be hungry right?" Holiver read her mind, she nearly leapt at him for a kiss but settled to just move closer into his arms.
"Yeah.. I am." She remarked happily. Damien looked more calm all of a sudden like the change of conversation pleased him. She shrugged not fully knowing why. They made their way back into the Villa through the hidden staircase and into a compartment below. A kitchen? She missed the days she'd make a clean cut salad in her own garden despite growing and selling flowers she loved actually gardening normal things. Like oranges or lettuce stuff she could manage in her home. Home.. how long had it been since she'd been home?
"Here you are." Vaelle tried to hold her nose when Holiver and one other person offered her a large burnt piece of meat she was.. Not a vegetarian but didn't eat meat very often. She felt her stomach rumble, the deep upper chest hurting kind when you haven't eaten all day.
"Thank you." She stuttered, she gazed around the small cramped room, her body shrinking up while she tried to sit on a nearby chair the walls were.. Dirty covered in Warnstorf's Peat Moss, it was a lovely blood orange color that litterted the walls, but all the same it was unsettling to have it growing so close. The floors were stained with a red like substance and the stone tables fused into the ground looked about two hundred years old. Vaelle wondered how Holiver could have ever joined a place like this, much less Donna. After a few minutes the four figures sat down at her table eating similar meals. She kept her head down; she was always quite timid around new people, especially now outside her own element.
"Praise The Lord of Nessus." The new voice declared, he was bright and chirpy with an upbeat tone and odd black rimmed glasses, he had long dark hair which was braided into a ponytail behind him, with dark olive skin and green eyes. His face was shaped like that of a pinecone really long and somehow really fat at the same time his arms were lanky and by his side was a wrapped book and a dagger.
"Praise." The table replied, barring Vaelle she sat there staring at the new man like a fool before realizing what was going on.
"O-oh yeah praise Asmodeus." She nipped. The new figure sat up with a sharp breath.
Donna cleared her throat "Vaelle we.. don't traditionally.." the new figure held out a hand as if it were all ok. 'Have I done something wrong?' She felt like panic was creeping in her again. Oh gods she wanted to leave, why couldn't she just.. Go.. she glanced around the room wondering how many others were like her, in desire to leave the place. "It's alright.. Don't worry." Her friend's words were comforting and soothing. She took several deep breaths to calm herself.
"Vaelle is it?" The new figure inquired. "Arn Xalrondar." He extended a hand she wanted to giggle at his last name.. Xalrondar? As in Sal-ron-dur? It felt ridiculous. "You were part of the group who saved us from the vicious attack-." Donna moved in to stop him but it was too late. Vaelle felt her sense clamp up and she remembered the vicious fighting in the prayer room, the hurl of insults and blood that came from the adventurers.. The way they were cut down but the forces of the cult.. Faith. She'd never actually seen that much blood in her life. Everyone gets told that humans and other animals have lots of blood. But it wasn't until you saw it spraying on the walls or leaking onto the floor like a crest on the beach did it really click. She tried to answer but felt the words choke up in her throat.
"Yes she was." Donna quickly intervened. Vaelle wasn't sure why her friend was so insistent on saying she was part of the protection she hadn't done anything at all.
"Impressive.. Especially for someone not yet a member of our faith.." Arn exclaimed happily. "I believe you have a promising future Vaelle.. One filled with prospect and dutiful service to our.." She tuned him out, more people were in the room now, more humans, a few elvish and what she thought was a dwarf, her mind raced about. This.. faith was disturbing she questioned how on Toril she could have been friends with Donna for so long.. Dating Holiver for so long without ever noticing this kind of life.
"Vaelle? Vaelle?" She snapped back to consciousness realizing she was being talked to, Donna was snapping her fingers in encouragement to wake her friend up. She got a dose of full concerned green eyes. "Do you want to move?" she glanced around the room with the filling prospectors and nodded fiercely. Holiver and Donna stood up at once followed by Damien who seemed to pay Arn no attention at all as they filed out. Ignoring his calls as they left. "Sorry Arn can be a bit.. Much but he is a tremendously powerful mage great for the faith and all-"
"What is this?!" Vaelle felt tears swell up in her eyes as she turned the corner from the room wrapping about a hallway near the center prayer study her mind beginning to go into overdrive she recalled when her mother used to joke whether or not she would jump off a bridge if her friends did. Well where was she now! Her voice was shaky and she leaned against a pillar for support. "How.. I've known you two for years!" She smacked a hand against Donna feeling fear rise in her chest. "How on Toril did you keep this secret? Why?? Why are you a part of this-" She tried to breath but felt like her chest was seizing up. Donna met her with a sorry expression. For a moment nothing happened, but slowly for the first time, Vaelle caught a glimpse of anger on Donna's face.
"Whoa." Damien stepped in between holding a hand up. "Evergrove.. Cool, she has a right to ask." Damien steadied his breath. For once in a long time terror wasn't stirken on her face but instead intrigue, anger, and a demanding thirst for answers. "Vaelle.. Do you know why I joined the faith?" She was slightly taken aback by the question.
"No." she admitted, what kind of question was that? She'd been there for a little under two weeks, they were already a week into Kythorn.
"When I was.. Eighteen." Damien slid down the wall settling to sit on the ground. Vaelle followed suit. "My cousin.. Told the city watch I was dealing in underground magic lessons. So they threw me into prison, the trial was a shame the city? Did nothing. The gods in their infinite wisdom and more? Did nothing, I was a follower of Tyr before this. I prayed day and night before trial and I got.. Nothing." His words were bitter and his voice hoarse. He reached to his side and unsheathed his sword. A doubled edged one handed long sword with strange writing on its blade.
"Did you? Were you guilty?" she asked. She felt like it was important, could he complain if he were innocent?
"No. I never did any of that. And yet no one cared. Vaelle this city is run by elites.. Nobility.. And shame religions. My family ostracized me, my church ejected me, I had nothing. No one, not a dollar to my name until.. The priestess welcomed me in and accepted me into the faith with open arms." She pursed her lip, the story sounded too good to be believable in her mind. Sure he'd been scorned by a system but to then turn around and join.. Join a cult??
"I'm sorry.. Sorry that happened but.."
"My point is Vaelle, don't assume that everyone here is.. Evil or some devil worshiper. We're not, we're people who need.."
"A family." Donna cut in. her friend reached across the floor and gripped Vaelle's hand, Holiver took her other. "Please.. Forgive us, we feared if we told you.. You'd freak out, it wasn't until we couldn't stand it anymore, until we needed you."
"Until I knew I needed you." Holiver assured her. Vaelle bit her lip trying to wrap her head around all this, but.. If this were true.. They- they had just killed people! During the last mass they killed and butchered people. Sure those adventurers had struck first but, did that make it any better? She opened her mouth to reply but she was cut off by the sound of clicking heels.
*JEK-GEK-JEK*
She spun her head around facing something she seldom expected, dressed in extremely long red and black robes with a golden shroud over her shoulders. Vaelle faced the silver featureless mask of the priestess. The woman was flanked by a large Goliath dressed in a priesteen suit with the sleeves rolled up. His face was ugly and hard like stone with a similar color shaped somewhat like a bull.
"Well.. what do we have here.." The priestess's voice came in a low slow whisper commanding some semblance of respect. Her long dark hair wisped behind her and her perfectly manicured fingers were outstretched towards Vaelle. 'What is she.. Doing here.' Vaelle wondered.
"My Lady." Damien instantly stood up and bowed, as did Holiver, and Donna. Vaelle felt awkward and tried to stumble to her feet.
"Here my dear." the priestess extended a hand. Vaelle stared at the silver mask drinking in its lack of emotion.
"T-thank.. You.." She finally managed to stutter out before being pulled to her feet. She stared at the floor sheepishly.
"You know it's considered polite to bow in the presence of nobility." Vaelle's ear's lit up red, she instantly grabbed the hem of her robes and bowed. "Better." The lady clicked through the hall for a few more steps passing her entirely. "Vaelle isn't it?"
"Y-yes Ma'am.." Was that right? Vaelle wasn't sure if Ma'am was the right addression, perhaps it was; priestess, or lady? The Priestess got closer, much closer. And placed a finger under Vaelle's chin she looked upward in fear suddenly the speech Damien had given her matterted far less. The lady cocked her head side to side inspecting her.
"Pretty." The woman turned her head but did not release her finger from Vaelle's face, she knew she wasn't held there. Not by force, but something compelled her. Something made her scared to squirm away. At that moment every sensation of going home filled her once again. She just wanted to return to the shop. "Holiver, has your bride begun her trials? Initiation into our faith?" the woman asked as if she already knew the answer. It's one she'd asked before.
"No Priestess.. She hasn't." Vaelle felt nervous and violated; she wanted to squirm away.
"Shame. Begin her initiation at once." The lady turned back to Vaelle for once, allowing her a glimpse of eyes under that mask, hazel eyes like her own spotted the tall imposing figure. The priestess had to be at least six foot one, maybe even taller. "With my blessing." With that the lady dropped her finger and with that Vaelle. Before she sauntered down the corridor with her large Goliath body guard in tow.
*JEK-GEK-JEK*
She clicked away. Vaelle collapsed on the floor unsure why she suddenly felt so weak, the interest and talk of initiation from that woman somehow made her uneasy, before she felt as if she could leave the faith at any point but now.. She recalled someone mentioning three trials.. Now.. looking into Damien, Donna, and Holiver's eyes she got the feeling she was about to receive it. 'I want to go home..'