A Study on Cruelty: Opening Old Wounds (Featuring Melodie)

Kuy

Preface: So, Sartan gets on CT and is all "Fill the next three months with demonstrations of cruelty."  So what does Kuy do?  Asks Melodie if he can use her to do such, telling her he'd do the same afterward.  She had no idea what was about to happen.

This is the first time I've done something quite along these lines.  Most of the "ritual" happened via tells, so those who came to watch didn't see what Melodie and Kuy saw.  Because of this, you'll notice there are lots of spoilers hidden throughout this log.  The spoilers are there to cover what happened via tells.  This way, if you are interested, you can read the log once as a spectator, then see what it would have been like to be Melodie.

A haunting ritual chamber bearing sigils scrawled in gore (indoors).

Overwhelming the senses, the smell of fetid death and splayed corpses lingers in the dark recesses 

of this chamber. Glossy obsidian lines the tall, concave walls which form a massive dome of 

reflected shadows. Crafted of jagged, darkened emerald and carved into the centermost point of the 

dome is a glistening window in the shape of a pentagram. The sickening, wretched green light casts a 

disturbing pillar downwards, its conical rays countlessly reflected upon the multifaceted obsidian 

structure. Directly below this only source of light rests a large slab carved of volcanic rock. 

Chiseled into its surface are large grooves which begin in its centre and spiral outward in a 

network of complex, geometrical figures. Beneath the table is an independent network of channels 

which cover the floor's entirety in similar patterns. The edges of the floor are lined with various 

severed limbs, drying organs, and the occasional sputtering creature. 

Kuy silently raises a hand to Melodie, offering it palm skyward.

Xinna steps away, towards the edge of the chamber, leaving you some space, and carefully stepping over the severed limbs and other items on the floor.

 

Melodie hesitates only briefly before standing beside you, taking your hand.

With a morbid grace, Kuy leads Melodie to the stone table in the centre of the chamber. Lying her on her back, he splays her limbs across the table before tightly locking them into place with rusted iron braces - one per wrist, one per ankle, one about the hips and just below the waist, and the last about the throat.

[spoiler]You tell Melodie Le'Murzen, Herald of the Insidium in Mhaldorian, "This is simply to ensure accuracy, Melodie. It will be difficult to properly perform the ceremony should you flail your limbs."[/spoiler]

Melodie nervously tells you, "All right."

Melodie lets out a short breath as she's guided about, closing her eyes briefly before opening them again with a brief nod.

Kuy takes a bottle of viscous, black liquid from within his robes. He moves silently to those gathered, unceremoniously trailing its contents in a line before them. With his tinderbox, he lights a small piece of kindling and tosses it toward the liquid.

As the kindling meets the slime, a violent reaction forms. Kuy watches from behind his mask as the almost instantaneous reaction causes a wall of strangely glossy obsidian to shoot skyward, matching the curvature of the chamber itself. Those behind the wall are able to see through it with clarity. When viewed from the centre of the chamber, however, the wall blends perfectly into those behind it - its oily black surface impenetrable to the eyes.

Kuy nods once, his masked visage bathed in the eerie green light from above. Without hesitation, he walks to the darkest edge of the chamber directly behind Melodie's head. An audible 'click' is heard, followed immediately by the slow tilting of the table. This motion stops when the table - and the body strapped upon it - are perpendicular to the ground.

Melodie presses her lips together, glancing at the odd wall with some befuddled confusion, but otherwise remains silent as she observes and waits.

Emerging from the pitch behind Melodie is a small, human girl. Guided by Kuy's robed hand, she walks silently. 

Her movements are oddly sterile as she offers no sign of struggle. About her neck hangs a crudely fashioned wooden puppet in the shape of an angel.

[spoiler]You tell Melodie Le'Murzen, Herald of the Insidium in Mhaldorian, "This child hails from Cyrene. She is sixteen years of age. She is an orphan. When discovered peddling stolen shoes on the street at an age barely old enough to speak, the monk who found her offered her shelter within his mountain monastery. She has grown into a studious Priestess. She has never known her parents, nor friendships of those outside her quiet monastery, but often longingly watches the ocean waves from atop her tower."[/spoiler]

Melodie stares oddly at the small girl, keeping her expression carefully blank.

Letting the child's hand fall loosely to her side, Kuy offers a decisive snap of his fingers. Upon the instant, the child's eyes grow terror-stricken as she desperately grasps the puppet about her neck. Her legs refuse to bear her weight any longer as she collapses to the floor. Her voice quivers as she shouts, "PLEASE! PLEASE NOT AGAIN!"

[spoiler]You tell Melodie Le'Murzen, Herald of the Insidium in Mhaldorian, "Her femurs have been splintered into four pieces each. She is only able to bear the pain of walking when comatose. Because of this, she is unable to leave this place."[/spoiler]

Melodie watches the girl fall and scream, chewing on her bottom lip and shaking her head slightly.

The girl's voice shakes as Kuy takes his place behind her. No mercy is shown to the girl as he forcefully turns her hunched frame so that her face is visible to both Melodie and the audience behind the obsidian glass. She continues to beg, her face lined with pain.

[spoiler]You tell Melodie Le'Murzen, Herald of the Insidium in Mhaldorian, "Unfortunately, the puppet she has about her neck has a rather nasty charm embedded within its core. It prevents her from seeing the form of her guardian angel... though the puppet's twin has the opposite effect."[/spoiler]

Taraus' eyes widen with interest as she steps closer to the dividing barrier, the obsidian fogging beneath her exhale.

Melodie glances between the girl and you, her expression growing steadily more uneasy. Still, she remains silently and without objection, watching the girl intently.

Kuy walks toward Melodie, producing a puppet similar to child's from within his robes. He carefully places the puppet about her neck, allowing it to hang just at her chest.

[spoiler]You tell Melodie Le'Murzen, Herald of the Insidium in Mhaldorian, "Do you see, Melodie? [Upon the necklace touching against your breast, your vision is suddenly clouded with an explosion of brilliant, golden light. It dims quickly, and as Kuy turns to return to his place behind the girl, you notice a puppet similar to yours hanging from his neck, yet concealed within his robes. As his cloaked figure steps away, your view of the child is no longer blocked. Before her, you see a guardian angel glimmering with the faintest of light, her gracefully form somewhat blurred about the edges.]."[/spoiler]

Kuy turns away from Melodie and walks once more to stand behind the child, his masked face refusing to turn down towards her crumpled form. The child calls out, "PLEASE! PLEASE HELP ME! WHERE ARE YOU?! WHY DO YOU LEND ME NO AID?!"

[spoiler]You tell Melodie Le'Murzen, Herald of the Insidium in Mhaldorian, "[You watch as the angel falls to her knees before her charge, a look of sheer desperation scrawled upon her face. She attempts to comfort the screaming child. But, unable to hear the words of her only friend, the child continues to scream, crying out for help. The angel's desperation turns to panic as she sees Kuy remove a puppet of the child from his robes.]."[/spoiler]

The obsidian window shudders, as if in response to the desperation in the child's cry.

Melodie stares at an empty space close to the child, biting her bottom lip hard and shaking her head in muted disbelief. She shudders in her locked-in position, seeming to try and reach her ears, but is unable to move barely an inch.

A small shuffle precedes the emergence of a puppet of the tortured child from Kuy's robes. Taking it within his hands gently, he holds it before him at chest level.

With little warning, Kuy violently mangles the arm of the puppet. The girl's arm twists unnaturally, offering a violent crack as the bones break in multiple places. Pain wracks the child's features as she cries out, unable to form words.

[spoiler]You tell Melodie Le'Murzen, Herald of the Insidium in Mhaldorian, "[As the child's arm snaps, the angel standing before you cries out in a pain similar to the child's. "Please! I beg of you! Please stop this!" the angel pleads to an unmoved Kuy. Tears stream down her face, the knowledge that she is unable to help the child welling behind her eyes.]."[/spoiler]

Melodie begins trying her stays with more strength, through all in futility. Her face reflects her inner turmoil as she tries to move, though she still makes not a sound.

Kuy casually toys with the other, intact arm of the puppet. Slowly, he lifts the arm out from the puppet's body, the same happening to the child before him. He pulls the arm away from the shoulder, gradually applying more force until the child's arm removes itself from its socket with a loud 'pop.' Unsatisfied, he continues. The flesh about the girl's shoulder begins to tear and bleed as her arm is eventually ripped from her body and falls to the floor.

[spoiler]You tell Melodie Le'Murzen, Herald of the Insidium in Mhaldorian, "[The angel screams in terror, unable to process just exactly what is happening before her own eyes. As her charge's arm is slowly torn from her body, she weeps and begs for mercy: "Please! Please stop this! What right do you have to do this?! Ple..ase.." Kuy looks upon the angel, still unmotivated by her pleading.]."[/spoiler]

Retrieving a small ritual dagger from his robes, Kuy brings its tip to the puppet's throat. He holds it there for what seems like an eternity, before casually raising it to point at Melodie.

[spoiler]You tell Melodie Le'Murzen, Herald of the Insidium in Mhaldorian, "[As Kuy produces the dagger, the angel cries out once more, unable to compose herself for even an instant. "Please, no! Anything but that! I can.. we can.. it..." the angel trails off as Kuy points the dagger in your direction. Following the tip with her gaze, the strangely familiar face looks upon yours. A sudden air of realization swarms the celestial figure as her body gives way. She calls out your name in a mortifying mixture of stark terror and despair, abandoning for a moment the charge which lies before her.]."[/spoiler]

Kuy

Melodie stares at the empty place before her in sudden realization, entirely ignoring the crying girl upon the floor as she pants in shock and the beginning traces of terror. She more bodily throws herself against the restraints, letting out a brief, "No!" as she struggles.

Dropping the puppet of the child, Kuy draws the dagger sharply across the girl's throat in an elegant, long motion. Her body hits the stone floor just before the final, falling rattle of the puppet is heard.

[spoiler]You tell Melodie Le'Murzen, Herald of the Insidium in Mhaldorian, "[As soon as the dagger reaches the girls throat, the angel cries out one final time before her form dissipates all at once. Nothing is left but mangled corpse of the child.]."[/spoiler]

Melodie's struggles cease entirely as the girl's throat is cut, and she stares off with an odd, longing, and pained look. She slumps against her restraints, and lowers her head.

Kuy walks carefully toward Melodie, stopping to stand directly before her, only inches separating his mask from her pained moniker.

With a gentle grace, Kuy uses a single finger to lift Melodie's chin. He pauses for a moment, looking upon her from behind his mask.

[spoiler]You tell Melodie Le'Murzen, Herald of the Insidium in Mhaldorian, "This is my cruelty, Melodie. It is both tactile and ephemeral. It can be healed by salves and magicks, but cannot be forgotten by its truest victim. This is what I have learned, yet... yet there is much more for us to discover."[/spoiler]

His sudden movement nothing more than a blur, Kuy violently plunges his hands into Melodie's chest, curling away the flesh to expose her rib cage and pulsing organs. Working quickly, yet meticulously, he removes the angelic puppet from about her neck and begins whittling it into a smaller, simpler image.

Melodie's blue eyes fly open and she arches her back, letting loose a scream of shocked pain. She writhes violently in place, paying no heed to the damage of her wrists and ankles as she tries to free herself.

Finished with his creation, Kuy forcefully inserts the small puppet into Melodie's body. One hand rustles beneath her ribs as the other fishes for the puppet's string from outside. Finding it, he uses it to carefully bind the puppet to the inside of her sternum.

You whisper to Melodie in Mhaldorian in a dry, pained voice, "Remember her pain, Melodie. Remember her despair."

Melodie begins to weep openly, seeming more from your words than the pain of her wounds. Another terrible shriek is loosed from her small frame as the puppet is tied, sweat tracing down around her tortured face along with her tears.

Kuy fidgets within Melodie's body more violently, with the obvious interest of causing more pain. Leaning close to her ear, his dry, muffled voice can be heard: "They did not witness it, Melodie. Tell them. Tell them her name. They must know who you've seen."

Melodie arches and twitches about her restraints in great pain, her blue eyes locking to you with a sudden, disdainful expression. 

It quickly passes in the face of her predicament, however, and she closes her eyes as she shudders and manages to whisper the single word, "Laurette."

Xinna's antennae probe the air curiously as she watches the exchange, her face emotionless.

Kuy throws his masked face backward, a throaty, bellowing laughter reverberating off the walls.

Tessa's countenance falls into a subtle frown as she remains still and silent.

You scream in Mhaldorian in a dry, pained voice, "SCREAM IT, MELODIE! SCREAM IT AT THE TOP OF YOUR LUNGS FOR ALL OF CREATION TO HEAR!" BLOOD POURS FROM BEHIND MASK AS THE TAIL END OF WORDS ARE ACCOMPANIED WITH A SICKENING GURGLE. HE VIOLENTLY RIPS HIS HANDS FROM MELODIE'S CHEST AS HE LAUGHS ONE MORE. "SING THE NAME OF THAT WHICH YOU HAVE FORSAKEN!"

Kisharo's eyes repeatedly shut as he tries to stay awake.

Succumbing to utter exhaustion, Kisharo falls into a deep sleep.

Kisharo opens his eyes and yawns mightily.

Kisharo stands up.

Kisharo clenches his fists and grits his teeth.

Succumbing to utter exhaustion, Kisharo falls into a deep sleep.

Kisharo opens his eyes and yawns mightily.

Kisharo stands up.

Kisharo clenches his fists and grits his teeth.

Succumbing to utter exhaustion, Kisharo falls into a deep sleep.

Kisharo opens his eyes and yawns mightily.

Kisharo stands up.

Kisharo clenches his fists and grits his teeth.

You scream at Kisharo in Mhaldorian in a dry, pained voice, "DO NOT INTERRUPT MY WORK!"

You pour your wrath out onto the left leg of the puppet, mangling it quite horribly.

The left leg of Kisharo is suddenly horribly mangled by an unseen force.

You pour your wrath out onto the right leg of the puppet, mangling it quite horribly.

The right leg of Kisharo is suddenly horribly mangled by an unseen force.

You flick the temple of a puppet of Kisharo, hard.

You curse your puppet to move slowly and tardily.

Kisharo seems to be moving in slow motion suddenly.

"Sleep...sleep," you whisper to a puppet of Kisharo.

"Sleep...sleep," you whisper to a puppet of Kisharo.

"Sleep...sleep," you whisper to a puppet of Kisharo.

Kuy turns once more to Melodie.

Kuy leans in close to Melodie, leaning his ear toward her as blood drips from his hands.

Melodie's face turns into a mask of surprisingly bitter hatred as she faces you, ignoring Kisharo completely as she screams out her pain in anguish.

You see Melodie Le'Murzen, Herald of the Insidium shout, "Laurette!"

You cackle hellishly.

With a strange twitch, Kuy's diligent composure suddenly returns. His body straightens and his voice falls silent. The only reminder of his outburst the blood roiling from beneath his mask.

His work finished, Kuy returns the bloody flaps to their proper place, applying a liberal amount of restoration salve to promote quick healing. After making sure everything has been put into place, he quietly nods once. Upon doing so, the table slowly tilts backward into its horizontal position, allowing Melodie to look towards the deep emerald skylight.

[spoiler]You tell Melodie Le'Murzen, Herald of the Insidium in Mhaldorian, "I shall leave you to rest while I tend to those who have stood witness. Thank you, Melodie. I have learned much. I will return shortly for you."[/spoiler]

Kuy turns quietly and walks toward the locked door. He pauses, waiting for those gathered.

Melodie stares up wordlessly at the skylight, silent at last as she pants, ignoring all around her.

Tessa looks once towards Melodie's bound form before moving to you from her place at the back of the group.

<after coming back for Melodie, calm dialogue ensures. The following is my favorite snippet:>

Melodie places a hand on her chest, looking down at it with something akin to curiosity, though her expression is far too distant to fully reach such a state.

Melodie softly asks with a flowing, cultured accent, "What will this do to me? What is its purpose?"

Kuy nods once.

You tell Melodie Le'Murzen, Herald of the Insidium in Mhaldorian, "It is but a piece of wood. Within it contains a small piece of the child's heart. The wood shall decay and splinter. It will cause you the occasional pain as its shards work their way throughout your body until it is simply no more."

You tell Melodie Le'Murzen, Herald of the Insidium in Mhaldorian, "Much like the past, Melodie, it will cruelly fade away and lead you only into a brighter future."

Kuy

Sorry! I forgot to add the room desc. It's at the top!

Verily

Very well executed! It might be partly due to a sleepless night, but it was honestly chilling and I even teared up a little.

Caoimhaen

That was...horrifically ingenius...

Shibumi

Incredible piece. It reminds me why I can't be a Mhaldorian, but hell, this is really well done. Thanks for sharing.

Melodie

Before I pass out to sleep, now that I've had some time to think about it:

I'm glad you didn't tell me ahead of time because frankly I'm not entirely sure I would have agreed to do it. I've definitely had many crazy moments in Achaea, but semi-torture under ritual is a very unexplored area for me, and one I doubt I'll ever delve very much into (for good reason - I'm a bit of a wuss). This is the second (the first being with @Halos and The Chaos Experiment(tm)), and both were fairly character-changing.

Was quite the experience, and will be interesting to see how things play out IC.

Ruth

I enjoyed this, and hope that there are more of such roleplays! It's been a while since I properly read well-executed situations like such. 

Kyttin

....-meekly- can I come to Mhaldor? >.>

Aodfionn

Holy shit

Kyttin

Aodfionn said:

Holy shit

INORITE?!

Herenicus

Gotdamn!

Aodfionn

I've seen some kind of messed up stuff in Achaea before (Jinsun, sadly, can't see any of it), but nothing quite that emotionally jarring while also being very masterfully done and tasteful. 

Kyttin

Aodfionn said:

I've seen some kind of messed up stuff in Achaea before (Jinsun, sadly, can't see any of it), but nothing quite that emotionally jarring while also being very masterfully done and tasteful. 

Does this mean you're coming to Mhaldor with me Aodfionnbb?

Aodfionn

Lolno. I love Targ. And Mhaldor would never work, @Herenicus‌ is too good of a rival to have as an ally.

Herenicus

I think our office bromance is making the rest of the office uncomfortable.

Ast

No, please continue.

Aodfionn

Herenicus said:

I think our office bromance is making the rest of the office uncomfortable.

We will discuss this in the car.

Caoimhaen

@Aodfionn Whoa...hey...I leave Targossas and you start having a secret romance with @Herenicus. Or were you cheating on me the entire time?!

Rangor

While totally awesome, I could never get into that kind of RP. 

Aerek

^

It was very well-written and the premise was much more creative than the standard fare, so props for that, but I still skimmed it once it got going. Torture porn is a trope that has never held my interest, and is a prime reason I would never last as a Mhaldorian character.

Mostly I took away that @Kuy put his hands on @Melodie's chest, so he's on the list.

Herenicus

If you can make it through CC interpretative dance porn, you can obviously hang, @Aerek. Give your mental constitution proper credit! 

Melodie

To be honest while I was sitting there typing responses (remembering I wasn't really prepared for this), I had a moment or two of "Am I really responding to a girl being tortured and seeing what I'm seeing right now? Do I feel okay with this?"

I would have never thought I could have dealt with it and would have shied away from it had I known, but then again I never would have thought I'd be able to deal with two excommunications (by surprise rather than on purpose) either, I guess. Once you're in the moment, you just kind of focus in and let yourself guide your character as you feel you should, and the rest is sort of numb (for me anyway), until you mentally deal with it later.

Having giving this a second reread, the feels have overwhelmed me once more, however. Damnit, feels!

Caoimhaen

@Melodie that is how I  felt when I some how for sucked into @Kuy finding redemption for his sins against evil. @Zii handed me a meat hook and was like, string Kuy up. I was like, what?! Or when @Orzaansyn cut Caoi's finger off. Or when @Aegoth at random performed weird ritual. You really can't prepare for it or know it's coming. Had I known they were coming,I might have said no. So I get what you are saying. I don't regret those defining moments. It made him who he is now. But I myself can be a bit squeamish about those kinds of things as well, but I love when people put  in such situations because I haveno idea what's going to happen. You did absolutely amazingly. Both of you. Seriously.

Kuy

To be honest, that was the biggest reason I kept it a secret OOCLY from @Melodie. That said, it always puts me on edge to watch/do crazy violent torture things. For me, the underlying psychological bit was what I focused on. Much like Kuy, I completely ignored the little girl because she was just a medium for the real stuff.

Zii

That was fantastic.  Its a damn shame you missed out on the Adikoi.

Kyttin

Kuy said:

To be honest, that was the biggest reason I kept it a secret OOCLY from @Melodie. That said, it always puts me on edge to watch/do crazy violent torture things. For me, the underlying psychological bit was what I focused on. Much like Kuy, I completely ignored the little girl because she was just a medium for the real stuff.

ME NEXT ME NEXT

Kuy

Kyttin said:

Kuy said:

To be honest, that was the biggest reason I kept it a secret OOCLY from @Melodie. That said, it always puts me on edge to watch/do crazy violent torture things. For me, the underlying psychological bit was what I focused on. Much like Kuy, I completely ignored the little girl because she was just a medium for the real stuff.

ME NEXT ME NEXT

That would require capturing Kyttin.

It would also require having enough information about Kyttin to make sure that it's meaningful and lasting, since we live in a world where limbs get hacked off all the time and no one bats an eye.

It would also require having a reason to do it.