An Unfortunate Attachment

GUILDS: The Knights of Karchan.
FAMILY: The Haunt.
CHARACTERS: Elsie, Constance.
OOC: In-Character knowledge of things pertaining to this meeting must come out in game, not through reading this RP.
For the stance on metagaming, please go here: Metagaming.

Elsie appears.

Constance is patiently waiting in the library for Elsie, sitting at the table and playing a game of chess with herself. She's winning.

Elsie makes a light tapping on the door just before entering the library, so that her entry is announced. She doesn't wait to be answered, though, because it is a library after all. Upon entering, she bows to Constance and says, "Haunt Alpha, thank you so much for agreeing to meet with me."

Constance rises when Elsie appears, extending her hand politely. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Dame Elsie, though I intuit that the circumstances may not be pleasant." She moves toward the library doors, closing them and barring them shut for added privacy. Afterwards, she motions to the chairs at the table with the chess sets. "What can I do for you today?" She asks, sweeping her skirts beneath her as she takes a seat again. "I'll do what I can."

Elsie takes the offered hand, shakes it, and then has a seat in one of the indicated chairs. She fold her hands and frowns slightly, "I'm unsure where to start. The issue at hand has a fairly long and complex history, so let me give you a brief overview of that." She clears her throat, "When I was a squire, the Knight who trained me was a lovely, good-hearted woman who cared deeply for others and took her job very seriously. But she was very sad, and thus always a bit melancholy. During my time with her, I learned that she'd once been in love with a young man who had been afflicted by a terrible creature - a creature that she called a demon, though I don't believe that word quite fits. It was of a spiritual nature, malevolent and insidious. It attached to him in a way that was difficult to define, driving him to commit acts of violence and lust to satisfy it. Eventually, fighting the thing became too much for him, and he begged Dame Petra to end his suffering by taking his life. It was the only way he knew to be free of the thing. Although it broke her heart to do so, she saw enough of his suffering to eventually oblige him?"

Constance listens in thoughtful silence, not interrupting Elsie's introduction to the problem at hand out of respect. Though she doesn't say anything, it becomes quite clear that the knight has Constance's full, undivided attention, and that she fully intends on letting the other woman roll out the entire explanation before she'll comment. When Elsie trails off, Constance nods in an indication that she can keep going, and that she's taken everything in so far.

Elsie plunges ahead, "Soon after, it became clear to Dame Petra that the creature that had afflicted her beloved had been transferred to her. Apparently, it used the act of killing her love as a bridge to infect her; because it marred her purity of heart. These creatures, these wraiths, are very interested in corrupting the pure. But severing the connection is nearly impossible, short of death. This is because they do not have to stay present with their victim. They can retreat entirely, go elsewhere, hide. Later, I came to know a man by the name of Seferoth who was afflicted by the same type of spirit. Unlike Dame Petra, he was not willing to fight it - but rather, he relished in giving in to the wraith's worst impulses. Eventually, Sir Cor was able to fight Seferoth to the death, and we were able to capture the wraith that inhabited him as it was transferring from Seferoth to Sir Cor. That one has been incinerated, thanks to extremely fast work and good timing. But there are others at large in the land. And that is where I need help? Because it would appear that another Knight has come under an attachment to these wraiths."

Constance considers everything that Elsie has said, mulling it over to process the severity of it. "I see. All of that is heartbreaking, and I am sincerely sorry for those affected, whether directly or not. I'm unsure how The Haunt can be of help in this matter, but I assume that you have an idea or there is some kind of correlation, or you would not be here. Please be as open as you would like. I will gladly hear what you have to say and we can formulate a plan together, or I can give you whatever intel you may seek, assuming The Haunt can be of actual help. We do hate evil, and some of us are more dedicated to it's erasure." After her words, she motions for Elsie to continue, her blue eyes flickering.

Elsie nods to Constance and gets to the point, "The afflicted Mord Wraith, as we call those individuals with a connection to these creatures, is Sir Xenith. He is a Haunt. It had been my understanding that The Haunt are not capable of coming under such influences, so I've thought a great deal about how this could have happened. My belief is that due to its nature of not having to actually remain present, or remain attached to their victims may be the key. Furthermore, there is the fact that the particular wraith we are talking about is actually attached still to Sir Xenith's biological father, not to him directly. The problem is that this particular man promised his bloodline to the creature, and it seems to have its sights set on Sir Xenith's as its next host. This appears to have been the plan since his birth, so it wouldn't have been able to foresee that Sir Xenith would one day be turned into a Haunt. My concern is that, considering the history of the creatures transferring when the new host kills the old host, well?" she coughs, "Sir Xenith is quite bent on ending his biological father's life. He doesn't know who he is, but hunting him is why he came to Karchan. He's still intent on it. Although the current host has several children to choose from, I believe the wraith intends on the process being self-selected via which one kills their father first. And it's gone to heroic efforts to make sure Sir Xenith has reason to kill him." She shifts. "Because of Sir Xenith being a Haunt, and the risk this could cause him, I thought you may be willing to help. And I have a loose idea about maybe now. The creature is a spirit that likes to hide and burrow - what about a pack of spirit dogs hunting it down?"

Constance listens to Elsie as she speaks, and once she gets to the point, the alpha nods slowly in understanding. "I see. It's true that haunts cannot be possessed, so given this bit of information, it is rather troubling. It seems unique and unlikely to be duplicated, but it could be that this mord wraith had it's claws in Sir Xenith prior to him being turned. That may be the only reason that comes to mind as to how this could have happened." She's quiet in the aftermath of her statement, wracking her brain for other possibilities. She hmms quietly to herself when Elsie mentions The Haunt hunting it down. "If Sir Xenith's biological father promised his entire bloodline to this thing, then it seems vanquishing this creature may be the best. I am happy to organize a hunt with your direction so that The Haunt may do so. It is something I am certain should be within our capabilities as a pack and a people." There is a brief pause before she continues. "Haunts cannot get lost, so we have an excellent sense of direction. That may even be able to help us locate the creature and corner it, so how would you like for us to proceed, and is there any other information that you feel would be pertinent to this hunt?"

Elsie thinks for a moment. "I think the best thing to do first is for some of you to meet with Sir Xenith directly and see if you're able to find out the extent of his connection to it. Maybe this could also give you the creature's scent. I spoke with him about the matter as soon as I became aware, and he didn't know?" she frowns. "It's been a shock to him, and he's not taking it well. It's caused him to doubt himself, to second-guess his own mind. I'm sure you can see what a terrible feeling it would be, suddenly wondering how much of yourself was really you. Since Haunt have experience with the spiritual realm, I was hoping you, or one of your pack, could get with him personally and help him out on that level." She pauses, then says, "Then, if you can't get the scent from Sir Xenith, we can have you meet with the father directly. I think the creature will rear its head if we get either of them to engage in a fight, because violence and lust are the primary things that feed it. Once the scent is captured, I see no reason to wait to hunt it down." She pauses for a moment to think of anything else that may be helpful. "They used to be held in a prison, ages ago. Seferoth, using Sir Xenith's father, was able to wedge open a crack in the prison to let them out. I think my long term goal is to corral or destroy any that got out, and reseal or annihilate them. But for now, I am focused on just this one."

Constance nods when appropriate, taking everything in, then simpering. "I have personal experience with self-doubt due to some circumstances a bit out of my control. I will wholly dedicate myself to helping eradicating this problem not just for Sir Xenith, but for others as needed. I pledge the help of The Haunt, at least, those who wish to be involved in this process. I will speak with Sir Xenith personally, if he would be willing to meet with me. Either I can send a letter, or you can speak to him personally and have him reach out when he is comfortable. I understand that time is of the essence, but it's also important to me that he isn't more overwhelmed than he already is. Encouragement may be key here. I will pen a letter to him when you have left my company, and then you can speak with him one on one about The Haunt's sudden involvement. Since we don't know how attached this being is to him already, it may be best if he isn't fully aware of the plan so as not to give the creature insight. Does that make sense?"

Elsie nods to Constance as she agrees, "Yes, that?s part of the concern. Presumably, the creature knows whatever he knows. So I have been circumspect with him, although I also don?t want to keep him in the dark about his own wellbeing. So while I did talk to him about the attachment, I haven't yet told him that I intended to visit the Haunt. He is waiting to hear from me, however, on my plan to help diagnosis him. And one final thing?" The Knight hesitates for a moment before saying, "You should know who his father is, but I do want it kept confidential. There?s the concern about Sir Xenith going off to kill the man, of course, but moreso than that? Sir Xenith is a good man, and I am afraid the connection could damage his reputation."

Constance processes Elsie's words, but her expression shows that she understands. "It's a fine line to walk, for certain. I will send him a letter if you think it would be good, or I can wait until he reaches out to me after you've spoken to him next. Simply let me know what you think would be best given the circumstances, and I will be happy to follow your lead." The haunt pauses briefly before continuing. "How would you like for me to proceed, and is there anything else that I can help you with?"

Elsie clears her throat, "I think if you sent him a letter, that would be best. I?ll let him know to expect it. And his biological father is Sypher. You may have heard of him, but if you haven't, many others have. If you end up needing or wanting to interview Sypher personally, he hangs about at The Dew Drop on most evenings." With that, she rises and bows, "Thank you very much for seeing me this morning."

Constance rises with Elsie and drops a curtsy when the other woman bows. "The name is familiar, but that is all. I may have Haunt Chester step in and speak with him. And you're very welcome. I'm glad you sought out The Haunt, and I sincerely hope that we can help remedy this situation as soon as possible. I'll pen a letter to Sir Xenith immediately, in addition to reaching out to The Haunt and seeing who is interested in going on a hunt for this thing. Please have a good day. This will be handled."

Elsie smiles and turns to leave. ?Thank you. I really appreciate your assistance.? Then she bows again and disappears.

Elsie hears a distant voice and disappears in a flash of blue light.

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Last modified on June 13, 2025, 16:50:35