#casimir.1

[xnikandrosx]

@casimirnoctis location: passing through the Silverlands notes: uwu

There was room for the Light wherever Nikandros went. Returning from his expedition with Eivor had brought with it a new perspective, one that he looked forward to spreading with the good faith that Nikandros peddled with every breath. What might as well have been a world away, Aventia had fallen, but its losses rippled all the way to the Silverlands where those seeking safe harbor had crowded within the borders here and in Eterna.

A prayer passed from his lips as he looked down at the cracked lip expression of an orphan that the blight had taken refuge within. A pragmatic approach would be to sever the limb completely before it festered. Pity. Though it was none of the Inquisitor's concern.

"I missed you in Aventia," Nikandros commented, unsurprised that the dhampir had opted to remain out of harm's way. He looked around at the hopeless and the hapless, some had turned to faith - naturally - while many were just grateful to be alive. "not that it would've made a difference."

[xnikandrosx]

@casimirnoctis location: Church of Light, Eterna notes: meetcute

Cold eyes remained fixed on a stained glass fixture over an altar, the symbol of the blazing sun, a stalwart fixation among the Vanguard of the Light, hung as engrained into the cold walls.

Within Astoria witches were burned or cleaved, in Iskaldrik their presence was scarce but tolerated, and in Lysara they housed the less fortunate and worked alongside the wheels of change to build a brighter future. The great juxtaposition of their Creator and maker was the diversity of His following; one name, one prayer, and one point of focus made all the derivatives a small matter of consideration. In Ankhuria the flock worshipped a King as a God simply because his magic said it was so.

How things could change, but oh, how they always seemed to stay the same.

"I heard a rumor once that your kind can't step foot on holy ground," Nikandros commented as he looked sidelong at the skulking creature that lingered by one of the stone columns. They were alone here, so the Inquisitor fixed his stare upon the other. "I believed it for a while until I came upon a strigoi slaughtering a family unfortunate enough to believe that wives's tale.

Nikandros looked back toward the stained glass of the sun, "The first of the Creator's children watched across the veil and grew jealous of the life they could not feel, could not touch. In blackest envy were the demons born." Nikandros parrotted before he added, "Erudition 2:1; what brings one of the undead to His door?"

[xpolarisx]

@casimirnoctis location: Mercury's Abode, Eterna notes: he said, "I know what you are, bottom."

The dull hum of Mercury's Abode was quieter than Polaris remembered, but it was here - hidden within Eterna's cisterns - that the discreet guildsmen worked toward what the Tower was ignoring. The Kossith. Polaris hadn't spared the horned-southerners much thought until their arrival, then it just felt like a ticking clock.

"The Queen's silence speaks volumes," Word was already spreading that Arethusa would not send aid to Haven, not while the darkspawn were still causing trouble in the south. The Laurelin was dying, Valerius had escaped, the Kossith had taken Aventia and even now they marched on Haven, "you look troubled."

[alucardrakul]

@casimirnoctis location: In Vein notes: what's a guy like u doin' in a place like this

Control was a lifelong struggle, Vlad had actively discouraged it and in his youth, Alucard had attempted to rebel. Abstaining until his willpower would inevitably give way to hunger. Temperance took practice and even as every nerve in his body hummed, Alucard sipped the glass in front of him, attempting to savor the meal rather than pour it down his throat. A stray laugh in the corner made his jaw tic, Alucard's intrusive thought imagined tearing through that laughter and digging into a warm scream. Feeding with blown pupils as he went from room to room, racking up a debt along the way.

Weary eyes drew closed as Alucard moved to rub at the closed lids, from behind the dhampir worked to dispel the images and push the rampant scent of blood from his senses. It permeated more than this bar, but the city's streets and the myriad of homes with people stacked upon people. When at last he opened them, Alucard prepared to leave before a familiar face at the other end of the bar gave him a measure of pause.

A lifetime ago Casimir and he were twin shadows in the Church of Night, sons of the Princes of Veilcrest, the expectations placed upon them by their parents were contrary, but under Lusacan's eye, they ran parallel. It was strange to be in the same city as Valerius after all these years; despite the distance from the blood bar to the Tower, Alucard could feel the creature within. Biding his time. Valerius's arrogance had been enough to bring them to the city's walls, but that was where the campaign had ended. Years ago he'd sworn an oath to the dark, it took a lifetime to bring himself to this place again and it'd take another to chip away at the guilt surrounding his decision.

Alucard didn't know what prompted his body to start moving, and why, of all actions, he opted to take the seat next to the dhampir. "I didn't expect to see you again." It was a lame method of greeting, one that should've brought his insecurities to a boil, but quiet confidence had overtaken him since Alucard stood on Vlad's stage. Understanding, certainty, and his ultimate destination. He looked about the bar, not sure what to expect. "Is this your haunt?"