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

KuyKuy
edited January 2015 in The Scarlattan Theatre
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]
[2:41:24 AM] Kenway: I bet you smell like evergreen trees and you could wrestle boreal mammals but they'd rather just cuddle you

Comments

  • Sorry! I forgot to add the room desc. It's at the top!
    [2:41:24 AM] Kenway: I bet you smell like evergreen trees and you could wrestle boreal mammals but they'd rather just cuddle you
  • Very well executed! It might be partly due to a sleepless night, but it was honestly chilling and I even teared up a little.
  • That was...horrifically ingenius...

  • Incredible piece. It reminds me why I can't be a Mhaldorian, but hell, this is really well done. Thanks for sharing.
    Light prevails, always
  • MelodieMelodie Port Saint Lucie, Florida
    edited January 2015
    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.
    And I love too                                                                          Be still, my indelible friend
    That love soon might end                                                         You are unbreaking
    And be known in its aching                                                      Though quaking
    Shown in this shaking                                                             Though crazy
    Lately of my wasteland, baby                                                 That's just wasteland, baby
  • RuthRuth Singapore
    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. 
    "Mummy, I'm hungry, but there's no one to eat! :C"

     

  • AodfionnAodfionn Seattle, WA
    Holy shit
    Aurora says, "Are you drunk, Aodfionn?"
  • Aodfionn said:
    Holy shit
    INORITE?!

  • HerenicusHerenicus The Western Front
    Gotdamn!
  • 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?

  • AodfionnAodfionn Seattle, WA
    Lolno. I love Targ. And Mhaldor would never work, @Herenicus‌ is too good of a rival to have as an ally.
    Aurora says, "Are you drunk, Aodfionn?"
  • No, please continue.
    Lord Marshal Hasar Lichlord's words quietly thrum through the air as he says, "No one panick." #2015PEACEthedream!
  • CaoimhaenCaoimhaen Targossas
    edited January 2015
    @Aodfionn Whoa...hey...I leave Targossas and you start having a secret romance with @Herenicus. Or were you cheating on me the entire time?! :'(

  • HerenicusHerenicus The Western Front
    edited January 2015
    If you can make it through CC interpretative dance porn, you can obviously hang, @Aerek. Give your mental constitution proper credit! 
  • MelodieMelodie Port Saint Lucie, Florida
    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!
    And I love too                                                                          Be still, my indelible friend
    That love soon might end                                                         You are unbreaking
    And be known in its aching                                                      Though quaking
    Shown in this shaking                                                             Though crazy
    Lately of my wasteland, baby                                                 That's just wasteland, baby
  • CaoimhaenCaoimhaen Targossas
    edited January 2015
    @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.

  • 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.
    [2:41:24 AM] Kenway: I bet you smell like evergreen trees and you could wrestle boreal mammals but they'd rather just cuddle you
  • That was fantastic.  Its a damn shame you missed out on the Adikoi.
    *Animated Signature*

  • 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

  • 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.  :(
    [2:41:24 AM] Kenway: I bet you smell like evergreen trees and you could wrestle boreal mammals but they'd rather just cuddle you
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