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 Posted: Sun Jul 03, 2011 2:26 pm
--- ❀ Confirmation of the Divine ❀ ---
Miss Felicity Wickes (X Purple--Platypus X) with her Caedos, Claudia & the representative of The House of Obscuvos (ex o ex Snoof) the Quietus Andromeda.
In Shyregoed, in a small Obscuvian church. It was truly soul destroying walking into the church in which many of her usual devout Obscuvians were taking refuge – welcomed, sadly, in under the wings of fellow followers of the glutton god. A child was in the arms of a weeping mother; coughing and spluttering it took Felicity a moment or two to realise what the youngster was saying. “Papa, papa, where is my papa?” The onlooker felt a cold hand tighten around her gut as the mother hushed the boy... His papa was gone – he fought valiantly against the cruel raiders and he would be remembered by those lucky enough to have escaped without being slaughtered or had not been at church that day. He was with his god now, and, someday in the future he would be able to meet his father once more when they were reborn again through Obscuvos' might... Yet what were these promises to a sad young boy? Hollow words from mask wearing priests... He simply wanted the warm embrace of his papa, the comforting rasp of his beard on his forehead when he kissed him before bed each night, and the happy expression on his mother's face when she saw him rather than the desperate loneliness which was now a constant feature.
Felicity felt only guilt. She knew that there had been little she could have done to prevent this tragedy from occurring, yet her survival lay heavily upon her shoulders.
The hum of prayers filled the air and mingled with the strained sorrows of the many – mostly women – who had been left bereaved by the raid. Felicity nudged her way through the over crowed aisles (this was a much smaller place of worship than her previous church and the influx of ‘refugees’ meant that it was full to the brim with the faithful) in an attempt to get a pew seat near the front. She liked being close to the altar, so that the priest’s words would hit her directly; as though he or she were addressing her and her alone. She did not encounter any resistance as she walked and people parted with their heads bowed. However, Felicity could not tell if it was a mark of respect, or if it were, like how she was towards the thugs who boldly scythed through the crowds in town, they were trying to avoid her eye out of fear...
It had not taken long for the news of her vision to leak through the church community; Claudia had made sure of that. Felicity was not certain of the intentions of her plague being so bold and declaring the news left, right and centre. On the one hand she hoped that it was simply that the rose was proud of her. Finally she had proven herself to be a worthy Grimm to the headstrong flower – with potential prophetic status to be declared there was no longer any reason for the flower to be ashamed of being bonded to the frail girl... But alternatively Felicity knew in her heart how selfish the caedos was. They were a pair, and by exposing her Grimm’s merits and pushing for a ‘promotion’ in the ranks of The House, Claudia was also garnering status for herself. Felicity herself was not all that sure what to make of the newfound attention that her visions her given her... She was glad that, if they continued, she might be able to be an aid in bringing the lord’s messages to the people of The House, but, unlike Claudia she did not particularly want to be raised to any prominent of worship-able position. Continuing on in her humble way would suit her just fine so long as it pleased Obscuvos.
“E-excuse me..”
An old couple, with wide masks with stout hooked beaks like owls, shuffled away from her, allowing her room to sit down next to them on the end of the pew. One of them grasped the other’s hand and their wrinkled lips murmured something too quietly for Felicity to hear. Claudia was perched proudly on her Grimm’s shoulder, tutted with disgust and turned her head away from the decrepit pair and towards the small altar and organ at the front. It was no way near as grand as what she was used to... There were no tapestries depicting the end of the world, or illustrations of Obscuvos’ first meeting with man – giving the grand Prophet his message... And yet as a deep resounding note oozes from the metal pipes of the organ Claudia smiled and let the opening hymn envelop her.
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Posted: Sat Jul 16, 2011 3:52 pm
Despite the humble size and appearance of this church compared to most others of the House, its hymns were no less beautiful and powerful. Several hymns were sun between sermons and anecdotes given by various priests concerning the situation of weeks past as well as the church that was reduced to smoldering ash not too long ago. Their words and prayers carried hope through the masks of all present, spreading faith and relief to their hearts. On the outside, this church appeared as any other nondescript religious facility scattered about the mountainous landscape of Shyregoed but within pulsed and thrummed the beating hearts of Obscuvos' children.
And who could be more proud of them all in that single moment, save Obscuvos himself, than the Holy Wife?
Seated in one of the back pews was a pale woman, mask long and gilded, but unrecognizable as the High Prophet's Plague in her current state. Her normally vibrant Autumn attire was muted with the common black, accents of red in the form of a thick scarf which nearly hid the wide and proud smile on her face. Her brilliant hair was tucked back, hidden away in the confines of a dark hood which served to tone down her strikingly porcelain skin with its shadows.
Eyes closed, her head swayed gently in time with the music and singing, her hands clapped and held one another when prompted by the priests. She was indistinguishable from any other member of the House, from Follower to Bishop. Whenever there was a pause in speech or motion, however, her dark eyes drifted to the real reason she was present at such a small slice of home in the frigid tundra. The white rose instantly made her recognizable, this Felicity Wickes she had heard about through the grapevine. This woman, in a time where none of His children seemed gifted enough, had received a warning and was given solace from the cold fingers of death.
This Follower, this Grimm... she was special.
As this came to a close, Andromeda the Wise's eyes were locked on the woman and her small companion, hands clasped in her lap. She made no move to budge as others stood, leaving their seats and exiting to go about the rest of their day feeling lighter. Her attention never broke and for all anyone could tell she hadn't even bothered to blink. Finally, as the crowd thinned, Miss Wickes was given the opportunity to stand and just before she reached the end of her pew the owner of the gilded mask disappeared in a flash of dark smoke--
--only to appear the very next instant in their direct path. For a moment she stared blankly, sizing this woman up. Her hair was messy, her body frail, and she looked slightly ill as evidenced by the slight rings beneath her eyes but this woman was far from carrying death around inside -- merely carrying it upon her shoulder.
A smile then formed, so tight and wide there was the faintest sound of a crack like glass. "Miss Wickes, I believe?" she addressed calmly, her form being eerily still as the few lingering churchgoers walked by, "The Holy Wife would like to speak with you."
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Posted: Tue Jul 19, 2011 10:03 am
Felicity’s head was bowed, her hands clasped and her eyes were closed as the rest of the congregation began making their exits. She could hear them shuffling around her; some speaking quietly, commenting on today’s sermon, enquiring how people were coping, and, as with any religious crowd throughout the history of time, women were gossiping about other congregation members.
“Did you see what so-and-so was wearing?” “Rumour has it that thingamebob’s man is having an affair. Serves her right, snooty cow.” “Whatchamachallit hasn’t been to church these past few days... What do you think of that?” Sometimes silly, sometimes spiteful, these individuals who found the lives of others so riveting and felt the need to comment on and criticise everything were the complete antithesis of Felicity – she preferred to keep to herself at church and rarely said a word to anyone. Yes, she enjoyed the company of others in the communal religious sense, but since joining The House she had not once dipped her toe into these chattering circles and consequently she was somewhat of an outcast from the tight nattering friendship groups of the women in the congregation. Not that Felicity usually minded, they left her alone and she was able to concentrate on what she loved most; honest and pure worship of Obscuvos.
However, as she sat in her pew mouthing prayers to her glutton god, praying for help and guidance so that she could fulfil her full potential and aid him to the best of her ability, she could hear them discussing her. They were doubtful of the news that she had received a vision. She was so quiet, boring, a shadowy follower who had displayed no reason to be given a message from the Lord. One woman even declared, spitefully loud enough for Felicity to easily hear, that she thought that there was even something fishy about the whole thing. She had seen Felicity with a mage not so long ago – acting very friendly. Who was to say that she wasn’t in on the raid all along? Felicity flushed red, finished her conversation with her God and got up to leave, a choke of unhappiness settling dangerously in her throat. Until now, the churches she had been in had been friendly environments... These bitchy women threatened to ruin that.
Claudia’s prayers had not been half as peaceful as her Grimm’s. First of all they had focused on avenging those killed within the raid on their church - demanding that Obscuvos give her the strength to find those who had committed such a heinous crime and offer their flesh to him. Oh how she wished to be large enough to take the sacrificial knife between her hands and plunge it into the soft bellies of those who worked against The House; spilling their steaming innards across the alter before leaving them out for his birds to peck at with sharp punishing beaks. Yet as she caught wind of the chatter of the gossips her dark thoughts turned towards them. Their flapping tongues threatened her Grimm’s reputation (and consequently Claudia’s reputation by association) and she added a plea to her Lord that their insolence be punished.
As the frail woman made her exit Claudia glared at the women with malevolence. They, noting her malicious gaze, quickly hushed and seemed uncomfortable. In this church there was not a single plague besides the rose. Her route towards the ability to administer the plague at will was frightening to say the least. Perhaps from her intense look of hatred they gathered that, if she could, she would be causing buboes to rear their bulbous heads all over their body right now.
It was this half-humiliated state that meant that Felicity was looking dully down at the floor and very nearly missed the supernatural appearance of the woman in front of her. Only out of the corner of her eye did she see the swirl of black and the silent apparition in her path. “He-hello?” She stuttered. She was confused as to what was happening. Had she seen correctly? Was this another of her unusual visions? Or had her weary mind simply invented the fact that this woman had impossibly appeared so close without using the normal physical means? She was only further sent into confusion by the woman’s words...
Claudia however had seen everything and understood exactly what was being offered to them. She had noticed the flash of smoke as someone sitting in the pew they were passing vanished and then reappeared before them. She could smell the faintest whiff of decay that lingered around all plagues and as the smile splintered the perfect face and the offer was made and overwhelming awe overcame the flower caedos. Could it be that this woman was the Holy Wife herself? Or was she just a missionary sent to fetch Felicity? She had heard tales of the holy woman figure – a plague of great power and intelligence. Wedded to Obscuvos, she sat at the very top of The House in direct communication with the Glutton God. If Felicity had indeed been receiving messages from the lord and the Holy Wife desired her counsel then perhaps she really was fated to do great things...
Recovering herself Felicity responded; “S-she d-does? H-how do y-you know?” A glaze of admiration crossed her eyes. “H-have you m-met her yourself? I thought-t c-could only dream of m-meeting her.”
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Posted: Tue Sep 13, 2011 5:57 am
This poor woman's surprise and confusion was not unexpected, and so the pale smile upon her face did not falter. Her fingers moved like snakes, coiling around her arms as she folded them against herself, waiting for Miss Felicity Wicks to slowly piece things together. Black eyes traveled unnoticeably toward the small Caedos perched upon her shoulder so delicately, a look of understanding enveloping her incandescent features.
Finally another stuttering response was pulled out of the human and the masked individual's attentions returned. "Aye," she responded, smile never leaving, "She told me personally. The Holy Wife said to me; 'Fetch me the Grimm Miss Felicity Wicks, for I have need of her.'" With each mention of the Holy Wife by name, passers by would get curious and double take. They had no reason to linger, save eavesdropping, and were nearly gone from all the pews as she clasped her hands in front of herself, head tilting gently to the side.
"It is a very important matter she wishes your audience for, Miss Wicks. I must press upon the urgency of a response, for not only does she have need of you but so too does the High Prophet, nay, Obscuvos Himself." Yes... Her smile curled more as the woman's head bowed slightly. Yes, they all did have such a terrible need for her after the blunders, treason and betrayal suffered from the last woman ranked below High Prophet Molyneux. That poor Plague still brought forth pangs of disappointment, thoughts of what could have been had he not gone mad with his Grimm's death, but with the death and ashes of old came the new and before her stood the new.
As soon as Miss Wicks agreed to meeting with the Holy Wife, they would instantly be transported to the main church in Blackmere, Auvinus and the heart of the House. A delicate, black gloved hand reached out toward Felicity, waiting for her to take it.
"We mustn't keep Andromeda the Wise waiting."
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Posted: Mon Sep 26, 2011 3:41 pm
People were looking at her now. The name Andromea the Wise had garnered the attention of the remaining congregation and all of a sudden Felicity was no longer the one who they wanted to ostracise and spite. Felicity wasn't sure how to react to this. The strange messenger was holding out a hand to her - offering to take her to one of the most important members of The House. A shiver of excitement ran through her and a warm sensation glowed in her stomach, like she had just swallowed strong liquor that was pleasantly warming her from the inside outwards. She supposed this was what it felt like to be proud of oneself. Finally she was the one who people admired. Rather than being shunned and ridiculed she was elevated to a higher status than the norm. She could hear one or two people whispering as they looked on. With wide eyes she looked around at their perplexed and interested expressions.
"Take her hand..." Claudia hissed. The sooner Felicity accepted this offer the sooner they could leave the church. Under all these eyes the flower knew that Felicity would be prone to embarrassment or nervousness which would simply not do. When around such an important messenger they could not afford for any ridiculous action or irritating stutter to trip them up.
Patting the rose absent-mindedly with her hand to shush her Felicty continued to be in somewhat of a daze. However, the sharp words from the plague had had the desired effect and she nodded. "I w-will c-com-me with you." Her heart fluttered and she felt a little faint. Her mask sat heavily on her face and she could feel a cold sweat on the back of her neck as a faint thumping ache beat out the rhythm of her chest in her temples. For a second she wasn't sure if her body would cooperate when she ordered her arm to rise and her hand clasp the woman's offered hand, yet some magical force blessed her with movement and she felt the cool clasp of the other woman.
"Ind-deed. Keeping h-her waiting w-would b-be rud-de."
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Posted: Thu Sep 29, 2011 10:50 am
It was easy to see, from this brief interaction alone, that the poor woman's Plague had to keep her in check. Even more obvious was the joy Miss Wicks was feeling. Voices danced around them, curious whispers that dropped their previous spite. It was hard for them to understand, she was certain, but she understood and the Holy Wife would see to it that dear Felicity's abilities were not confused or muddled by negative connotations. After all, what could be negative about sight beyond sight?
Her fingers gently stretched as she waited expectantly, watching behind her inky black gaze as the Follower fought to gain the energy and control merely to take her hand in agreement. The ever present smile grew and tightened, leather clad fingers curling around Felicity's bare hand. A teasing urge to warn them to 'hang on' tickled at the back of her mind but there was no need to drag out the suspense any longer and, with a hissing cough, they were surrounded in darkness. The surrounding smoke dissipated quickly, revealing them to be standing in a large and ornate room made of black marble and dark stone. Hanging red banners were gently rustled by a warm and dry breeze, familiar Auvinian air drifting through a high open window. Outside, the faint cry of crows were heard and that was the messenger's cue to release the human's hand and step away.
"I do apologize, Miss Wicks, Miss Claudia," the mysterious woman drew a hand to her chest and rested it upon her heart as she bowed her masked head softly, "For I was not entirely honest with you." Softly, dark tendrils began to lift from the black cloak covering her and, slowly, it began to lose form and substance. Warm Autumn colors bloomed out beneath the disappearing darkness, hugging her fair porcelain skin. The hood pulled away last, waves of orange locks tumbling across her shoulders and back, framing her face and the gilded mask upon her face.
Once all of the smoke was gone, carried off by the breeze, the woman before them straightened herself and held her shoulders proudly. With a flourish, her other hand waved to herself, flaunting her true image. "I felt it best to fetch you myself," her body moved nimbly, curling as she took the hem of her skirt in hand and offered the other women a curtsy. The sound of her heels echoed in the silence of the room, her form practically seeming to float with the long skirt hiding her feet. She moved closer to the two, running a hand through her hair and using the other to indicate to herself, then the rest of the room.
"I am Andromeda the Wise, Holy Wife to the Lord Obscuvos, Plague Prophet of the House, and I welcome you both... home."
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Posted: Thu Oct 20, 2011 7:59 am
Felicity's breath caught in her throat as they were swaddled in rushing darkness. She thought for a second that she had fainted - it wouldn't have been unreasonable, her life had potentially just been changed dramatically and she was not known for her sturdiness... However she was still perfectly conscious; she could see the messenger's face in front of her; could feel the leather clad hand holding her own pale fingers; could feel Claudia gripping tightly to her as invisible black wind whipped around them. It was like they were falling through the darkness but in no particular direction. It was simultaneously terrifying and exhilarating and if the other woman was not an envoy for one of the most important figures within The House the frail woman would have probably yelped with excitement and fear.
The adrenaline producing experience stopped almost as suddenly as it started and Felicity blinked rapidly as the tendrils of shadowy smoke wisped away into nothingness and she found herself in a completely new place. It was comfortingly warm compared to the chill biting air of Shyregoed that she was acclimatised to. However some things were similar to the church from which she had been whisked away from. Large red banners fluttered and displayed the marks of The House, and Felicity began to recognise where they were - Auvinus... The heart of the church's activities. It made sense considering who she had been brought to commune with...
Claudia wriggled uncomfortably. Whereas Felicity seemed rather baffled and in awe of the impressive place that they had been taken to... Claudia was more dubious; it was in her character to be so. This woman had said that the Lady Andromea wanted to speak to Felicity. Where was she? Besides the envoy, Felicity and herself there was nobody else in the room. However, all her doubts melted away as the woman's false visage curled away in miasmatic vapours, revealing the beautiful features that both the flower and Grimm had seen recorded on a multitude of different mediums: religious scriptures, carved pew decorations, stained glass windows. This woman was Andromea.
Felicity gasped like a fish out of water. "H-h-holy w-w-wif-fe..." She dipped into a curtesy so low that her thin bird-like legs nearly had difficulty raising herself elegantly from the stoop. "I... we... W-we are h-honoured-d." Claudia bowed her head graciously too. For once she was in the same boat as her keeper - absolutely lost for words.
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Posted: Fri Nov 04, 2011 9:26 am
The awe with which both Plague and Grimm looked upon her only caused the Holy Wife to smile and preen, porcelain fingers delicately running through her think Autumn mane. Smiling quite plainly, but not letting her expression of happiness get too carried away, Andromeda beckoned Felicity to follow her as she lead the two toward a large wooden desk with red cushioned chairs at either side.
All of the material that was not stone in this room appeared to be made of the same sort of wood, or at least covered in a similar finish; it was all dark enough that, if one weren't looking close, would appear black. The bookshelves lining almost every wall were made of it as well, and even the stone of the walls and floor was dark enough to contrast highly with the red banners and draw them to a person's eye more readily.
A slow, theatrical wave of her hand told Felicity where she needed to sit and the Holy Wife took the seat opposite behind the desk. Her fingers intertwined upon her lap as she sat most impressively, keeping a taut posture so that even as they sat, she was looking down her mask's beak at the woman.
"Word travels quickly, my dears," her grin tightened, wanting to grow larger but she forced it to stay as it was, "Whispers have come from all around, near and far, about the woman who predicted the downfall of one of our churches." Andromeda's voice was low and mysterious, almost sultry, but her tone turned almost casual for a few moments as she altered her wording of the topic. She did not want either of them to have any misconceptions of what went on behind the church doors, spoken between herself and the High Prophet. "Of course, this would not be something of particular interest normally. No, no, for churches of the House rise and fall at an almost constant rate, particularly in Shyregoed."
The Holy Wife shifted, tilting her head gently as she scrutinized both human and caedos thoroughly with her blackened eyes. "Rhine, however, is one of our prime locations within those mountains. It is unusual, to say the least, for our main hubs to get ransacked such as what occurred there. They are rather... out of the way, to put it simply. It was but one small church in a sea of many, to be sure, but it was the only one that day to face such wrath." Pausing, her brows raised beneath the mask and her smile was finally allowed to grow. With a mild amount of excitement showing, she leaned toward Felicity across the table and lowered her voice to just above a whisper. "And in all of the churches in all of Rhine, in all of Shyregoed, that was the one you had chosen to visit. What are the odds, Ms. Wickes? One for every church? That is one in thousands of chances for you to have picked the entirely wrong church and I, for one, do not believe in coincidence."
Her mouth closed with such a pleasant grin as she paused to look upon the faces of the two in front of her. Miss Felicity Wickes was, to be sure, a frail creature and entirely unassuming if one were merely looking at her visage. On the other hand, the Plague at her side was beautiful and conspicuous, a memorable face if there ever was one. Indeed, in most situations Miss Wickes would have likely been over looked even despite this strange situation due to appearances alone but what did faces matter in a religion of masks?
"My dear... It was said you had a vision of some sort, a 'divine visitor' if you will. Pray, could you describe to me what you saw that day?" If things went well, surely their hierarchical problems at the top would be over for some time to come.
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Posted: Thu Jan 05, 2012 11:37 am
Felicity remained in a rather overawed state as The Holy Wife continued speaking to her. It was unbelievable, something only believable in dreams, that she - a speck of nothing from the northern wastes - was in communication with one of the most important figures in The House. The Grimm's mouth hung open and her sunken eyes were wide round moons, staring with adoration at the wonderful plague. She half wanted to reach out a hand and touch her beautiful auburn hair that glimmered like autumn fire... Obviously she restrained herself, but as the time came for her response she found herself struck dumb - her fingers fiddling nervously with a hem of her dress.
"Felicity?" Claudia's voice wasn't full of the usual contempt that snuck in when her Grimm was acting up... She didn't want to create a bad impression in front of Andromeda and thus yanking at the human's hair or pinching her till she squealed and was shocked into action was not acceptable... However she couldn't allow Felicity to flounder in silence. "Felicity... We were going to church weren't we Felicity?"
"Mmmnnnhhhmmgg.." Felicity nodded, making a bizarre noise as confirmation. She took a deep shaky breath. "Y-yes.. We were g-going t-to church. It w-was a d-day like any other b-but then..." She clasped her hands together tightly and squeezed her eyes shut, as if using every fibre of her being to summon back the memory as best she could, "Our L-lord Obscuvos s-sent a m-messenger t-to me. There w-was a b-bird - a c-c-crow even - on the p-path before m-me. Claud-dia was in m-my pocket so she d-didn't see it.. B-b-but it spoke t-to me. Told me n-not to go to church but instead g-go home." She slowly opened her eyes, unclasped her hands and smoothed out the crumpled front of her dress. Andromeda wanted to know what happened exactly - she believed in what had occured, she would not scorn her. "I think he s-saved m-me for a r-reason. The crow t-told me that it had f-further w-work-k for m-me.."
A grin spread across Claudia's face. It was an odd sensation that she was experiencing... A warm fuzz that seeped from her core to her toes and fingertips. She wanted to kiss Felicity and shower her in praise. She was proud of her Grimm. "Go on... Tell her about the other dream," she whispered, just loud enough that Andromeda could hear and prompt the nervous woman if she was reluctant to follow the plague's suggestion. However, fortunately for the flower plague Felicity was prepared to share her personal dream with The Holy Wife.
"I d-didn't t-tell anyone b-b-but Claudia ab-bout another message that I ha-had. He sh-showed me the end-d of the world... The c-catalyst... Shown t-to me... I think he wants m-me to help him..." She flushed red. It all sounded very big headed of her. One sharp remark from either of the plagues present (Claudia had made one on this subject on the past) and she would wish the ground would swallow her up. "Y-you know His w-will better than any.." She looked at the black eyes behind the ornate bird mask, imploring them for acceptance. "D-does he r-really c-care about someone l-like me?"
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