The Starscape Arcanium (Closed RP Location)

The Starscape Arcanium, home of the Occultrix. Existing on a demi-plane of its own, this cosmic island is a bastion of magical knowledge and artifacts, unique in its vastness. Avarys has gathered a great deal of arcane lore and resources over nearly eight-hundred years of life -- and all of it is kept in this sacred, moonlit place.

Now, Avarys herself strode casually down the mossy, gloomily-lit lanes that paved the outside of the labyrinthine "home base" of the demonic mutant. Her long, tattered black cape drifted behind her, caressing the stone steps she currently slithered down. "It's a pleasure to see you finally arrive, @necrommander -- or should I call you Cy'ian? Or... wait... was it Cyril, nowadays?" Her ruby smile showed an infinite amount of knowledge, one of the most frustrating things about the woman besides the way she flaunted her divine figure. "Part of me thought you might never respond to my invitation. Are you finally finished playing with children and imps?"

Of course, the Occultrix rarely "thought" anything. With her ability to gain knowledge, thoughts quickly became knowledge and rarely failed to make that transition. She'd known Cy'ian would eventually arrive, even if the lich himself did not. She'd foreseen it, the way the demonic witch had foreseen a great many things.

@occultrix: Impressive...

The home of his hostess was truly a marvel of arcane mastery; its creation would have required the expert manipulation of energies that most mortals would be utterly unable to fathom. Even the most uninventive mind, however, would have found itself...inspired by the inhumanely exquisite form that the Occultrix took. The Necrommander found himself thankful for his undead state; such smoldering sexuality would have been a most effective weapon against any living biology. Nevertheless, the Deathless Master knew he would need to proceed with caution...

"Ah, but what is time, to ones such as we, my dear?" The Necrommander had elected to wear his living guise; though not as ravishing as hers, he had always considered it to be of some aesthetic value, particularly those who had an appreciation for the exotic. "As for names, you may refer to me by whichever your tongue finds most pleasing. I thank you for your hospitality."

@necrommander:

"How... compliant," Avarys spoke her mind, tilting her head slightly. "You still serve the Ancient, do you not? I've seen so little of his presence on Earth, or either of the Afterrealms. Does his leash run so long that it even finds you here, among my Starscape?" She clucked her tongue slightly, but then took the lich's hand in hers idly. "My apologies, I do not mean to tease. My manners sometimes manage to slip their own leash."

Tilting Cy'ian's hand, she gazed at his palm, drinking in information at an alarming rate. "I have a great deal of respect for you, you know. Of many wannabe mages, even the immortal ones, you always struck me as both talented and disciplined. Shame, really, that your loyalties remain so strong to your maker. I beheaded both of mine, and melted their crowns into their own gravestone." She shrugged, a casual gesture for a topic that had long ago ceased to have any emotional significance. "Dear me, do I ramble. I suppose you want to know why I invited you to the Arcanium... unless it's simply that you came for my tea."

@occultrix:

Cy'ian smiled, or rather, he manipulated the image of his living visage into a smile, for his ability to convey any genuine expression had vanished long centuries prior. "Do not mean? My dear Avarys, I would be deeply wounded to know that I was considered unworthy of the sweet barbs of your delicious wit." In life, the lich had been the son of a nobleman, and though his mixed blood had precluded him from courtly company, his father had nevertheless ensured that he was thoroughly schooled in etiquette. "And yes, I do still serve Nordok; loyalty is an easy quality to possess, particularly when the one to whom you owe allegiance also happens to possess the ability to end one's existence with but a thought."

"But yes," he continued, "I must confess that your invitation has piqued my curiosity. As divine as I am certain your tea is, I am afraid it would be rather wasted on my unliving throat."

@necrommander:

"Of course," she said thoughtfully, straightening her back as she thought about how to phrase her proposition. Of course, for one whose figure was bare from breastbone to pubis, the mere act of stretching provided to be deliciously heinous in nature, an expression of erotic artwork that even the unliving could appreciate. "I seek your input on a little pet project of mine... a plague. Something truly foul, something that will send this already tenuous and warlike world into total madness." She paused, examining Cy'ian's face for one of his manufactured reactions. "For fun, of course."

@occultrix:

Her display did, briefly, evoke a nostalgia for the days when he was capable of appreciating such a sight for more than its utility. Ever the pragmatist, however, he also recognized that even a will as powerful as his would likely have been putty in the fingers of the seductress before him, were there still living blood coursing through his flesh. Raising one eyebrow speculatively at her offer, he reached up, stroking the image of the goatee he had once worn as he considered. "It has been too long since my father's people truly experienced a plague; their recent advances in medical science have eliminated a number of vile ailments as potential tools. Do tell me more, though."

@necrommander:

"Imagine, if you will," Avarys purred, a sort of maniacal glee beginning to dance across her features. "An insect plague. Something vicious. Biting humans, eating crops, devastating herds of animals. Not usually an issue in this modern world -- as you said, modern medicine and controlled toxins all but remove the possibility of a locust plague. But imagine if these tiny beasts could not be killed. Imagine if they were already very much dead." She grinned widely, the precise nature of her pitch nothing if not obvious. An undead swarm of flying insects that would not respond to poison, that would merely smolder when burned. That took no rest and gave no quarter.

@occultrix: Now this was an intriguing thought. He had used undead creatures of many kinds, even insects, for various purposes, but never on a scale as vast as the Occultrix was suggesting. Of course, with their combined arcane power, such a feat was more than possible. "It seems I have spoken prematurely, my lady Occultrix," he replied, as an equally devilish grin crossed his own artificial features, "for your proposal is my 'cup of tea,' after all."

@necrommander: "I'm glad you feel that way, my dear Cy'ian. Your mother would be so proud of you." She grinned, turning and walking up a smooth pathway that led to the Arcanium's hanging garden, a place of colorful majesty nearly as breathtaking as Avarys herself. Taking a seat on one of the many available benches, her loincloth hung perfectly between creamy thighs, leaving her prize alone to the imagination. "I can summon the beasts we'll need. Hellpit locusts, all but immune to fire and smoke. Once we... alter them, they should be all but invulnerable to anything mankind can level against them. Only Earth's greatest heroes and villains will stand a chance, they'll have no choice but to set their pitiful little lives on pause unless they want their world to die screaming."

(This is very, very cool. Would love to do something here sometime.)

@selene_liafador: [ It's kind of a pocket dimension that Avarys made, hehe, but if you can think of a reason to get a character here (probably a magical/occult one) then coolies. ^_^ ]

@occultrix:

The lich followed his voluptuous hostess, taking a seat opposite her in the sumptuous garden, and allowing his cloak to fall back, revealing his own finely-crafted musculature and skin the hue of a sky at dusk. Physical pleasure might be nothing but an increasingly hazy memory, but that did not mean that there was no psychological pleasure to be had in playing along with the game. "An excellent choice of creature," he agreed, propping his chin on his fist. "A portal then, one which opens from their dimension to the Earth realm, but a portal infused with necromantic energies which will strip them of life and transform them into our weapons."

@necrommander:

"Two birds with one stone. I enjoy the way you think." She smiled, something that might be radiant were it not filled with so much malice. "It shouldn't take us long to perfect the spell. My knowledge of portal creation is already quite extensive, and should you add the proper necromantic templates, I imagine the process being deceptively simple. The world will be screaming before long -- an upheaval that will require attention and action."

She leaned back, plucking a single small violet flower from a hanging basket and inhaling its scent as if she had never before done so. "I don't expect the plague to wipe out humanity. I don't even want it to. I know something or someone will arise that wants the world to keep spinning. I just want to have fun watching them."