Solar Infanticide, Take Two! (Closed RP, Elric/Nidhogg)

[blood_and_souls]

((Nidhogg appears with mod permission- his app will occur after this thread))

So, the first attempt had failed, but it was a spectacular failure. Never before had Stormbringer drank a soul yet left something behind. What that something was, was truly horrible- and also perplexing. The inverted sky above was clearly the aesthetic of Chaos- but yet,

Comments

[blood_and_souls]

The Actorios was indeed a strange a relic, and powerful indeed. It had been passed down for countless generations, and was tied to the power of Melnibone. Once, Elric had actually managed to lose it to some thieves, and not even really spectacular ones, which was what had lead to him slaughtering the actual Chekalakh on his own plane. It was not a requirement, for his own powers, with or without the ring, were great- but, the ring did enhance his powers to compel many sorts of entities.

He was undaunted by Nidhögg's demeanor, and had not really expected a friendlier reception. They were now conversing, and this was of primary importance. It appeared that the dragon recognized something in the Actorios, even if the relic did not have the same effect that it would have in his own realm. It had been some years since he had sat upon the Ruby Throne, however, having lead a fleet of corsairs to the city himself with aims that had only partly been achieved. His usurping cousin Yyrkoon was vanquished and Melnibone had been punished for what Elric felt was foolishness, but his other cousin Cymoril had been spitted on Stormbringer, and so he'd ended up drinking the soul of the only woman he'd ever loved. Unfortunately for him, he'd do it the next time he fell in love too.

He smirked slightly as he replied, "My suffering has been well-earned, and is nothing you should care for. The reason you should aid me is simple. This world is connected to the one from which I sought you, following the tangled astral pathways. If I could find my way, so might others. There are beings, and one being in particular, who are a vile bane upon the realm from which I have wandered. This being is a hideous mockery of the sun, and it may be a Lord of Chaos, or it may be some other sort of potency. I have already consumed its soul, and found it an unfamiliar thing. But still it shines. This thing defies all laws, even that of death, and once it is finished with its designs there, it may well turn its eyes upon neighboring planes and dimensions. It would be best to destroy this thing before its sickly rays shine through your roots and your mist. I bent my magics to seek one that could overcome this unnatural thing, and it was you that I found. I have the power to call you into the realm from which I came, if you will heed the call. And I shall aid you how I may in return, for pacts are not single-sided. But before I could do so, I would need to learn your name."

[yggdrasilgnawer]

Elric's explanation and offer fed the serpent's curiosity, though he strongly doubted this fiendish mockery of a sun would ever reach him or the realm of the dead. Elric's ignorance could be forgiven, however, since he was a foreigner and obviously did not know where it was he'd wandered into. Perhaps he wouldn't have come if he had known. Only the very foolish or truly desperate willingly traveled to Niflheim without first being sent there, and he was not yet sure which this emperor was, but thought he could prove to be an extremely useful ally either way.

"A simple task," Nidhögg surmised, more interested in knowing what, exactly, he stood to gain by giving Elric aid. "And you will do precisely as I bid you, when the time comes to fulfill your end of this pact? You shall face something far worse than this shining creature in the sky should you ever attempt to deceive me."

[blood_and_souls]

Elric doubted that the Baby Sun would penetrate Nidhögg's realm as well, but, he did not feel that mentioning this would help inspire the serpent's interest. It appeared a technical fact, that might prove useful to bait whatever motives it might have, particularly motives directed at the opportunity to traverse the world in which Hogwarts lay. A world which Elric cared little about, personally- there were a few beings whose well-being was of interest to him, chiefly the dragon Smaug, and his Patron demon Arioch. Who of course wasn't really there, but, Elric's belief the demon's supposed identity remained firm. One of the few things Elric required, beyond the black sword and something to exert his efforts upon, was the knowledge that his Patron was somewhere where he still might be able to contact him. Thus, it was unlikely that his faulty perception would be corrected.

The destruction of the Baby Sun had not proven a simple task for Elric, but, perhaps to the 'Serpent Father', it was. Or perhaps it was bravado- either way was acceptable to the albino, and it sounded as if the serpent was now seriously considering the arrangement. If in fact it was a simple task for the serpent, Elric would have made a worthwhile pact. His Patron required no less from him, and claimed possession of his soul on top of this, although this was something Elric sometimes liked to protest. Not that his occasional disbelief would make any difference in its reality, at least for a few more years. The existence of both Elric and the cycle he existed in would last no longer.

"Indeed, Serpent Father, I shall, unless this request be to turn against the one who claimed me first, who is the only one who might one day return me to my native realm. This I could not agree to, even if my soul were not so firmly bound to his whim." The small fact seemed important to mention, since it was right out. He also would not agree to assault Smaug or his 'elemental' friend, but, he felt this would not be a likely issue. And if it became one, he would take whatever results ensued. "But in all else, my blade and my sorcery shall be at your service, and if he would aid me once more, the powers of my Patron, through myself. I believe that the arrangement shall be one of mutual profit. The realm beyond is a realm where many strange powers dwell. Lords of Chaos live alongside dragons and Gods, and there is no clear sovereign, although Chaos seems the prevalent influence. And within Chaos, lies Possibility." Unfortunately, it usually manifested the worst of these, but, Melniboneans had long seen Chaos as potential- it was only as ancient age settled over the world that both Melnibone and Chaos began to manifest only the worst possibilities. But, these specifics mattered little- all that mattered was convincing the serpent that he stood to gain from helping him.

[yggdrasilgnawer]

It was unlikely that Nidhögg would even take an interest in Elric's false Arioch, unless the Baron Harkonnen used his silver tongue to likewise persuade the serpent that he stood to benefit from an alliance with him. The difference would be that he would know the Baron for what he was-an advanced species of human, but human nonetheless-which meant any pact between them would take far more effort to reach than the one Nidhögg had agreed to with Elric, who was clearly powerful in all the ways that appealed to the serpent; an emperor-sorcerer, who wielded a potent artifact as though it were merely his birthright. And who possessed such an innate understanding of the physical realm that he could wander freely through the astral planes, to do as he pleased.

Nidhögg would not squander this precious favour on something as banal as murdering a mortal. He could easily accomplish that himself, if he so desired. No, he had other Plans for this Elric of Melnibone, which would undoubtedly refine themselves once he became acquainted with Hogwarts and discovered old One-Eye in his various forms-plus his son, who could incite such chaos and madness through his music alone that even Loki might have been proud-dwelling there.

"I have naught to fear from such powers, for they hold no sway over me." So he believed. "Then as you are at my service, I am at yours. I will assist you, Elric of Melnibone. Return from whence you came and remember well the name of Níðhöggr," he instructed, giving his name in multiple variations, including one that could be spoken in no language but thought alone, "for that is whose aid you have sought and secured. I will heed your call."

Thus agreed, he began working his strangling coils free of Yggdrasil's tangled roots, preparing for Elric to guide him into this realm of strange powers.

[blood_and_souls]

Elric, despite his exceptional arcane knowledge, was from a very different environment, one in which Chaos was truly rampant. And as Chaos was often a tricky thing, it was too easy for him to see it everywhere at Hogwarts. This tendency caused him to appear rather cracked, when in fact he was fully sane- his mind was shaped by a world with different rules. This had the unfortunate side-effect of making him easy to manipulate at Hogwarts, which both Smaug and Nidhögg would surely find many ways to take advantage of. As would 'Arioch', whenever the Baron managed to actually communicate with the 'raving albino madman'.

For, Nidhögg did not possess a single favor from Elric. To Elric, a pact was a life-bond, one that he'd have to hearken to whenever Nidhögg called. And he would, just as he harvested blood and souls for Arioch. Elric needed to be kept busy, and, and so he'd be found an enthusiastic minion by those who held the right to direct him- and those who he simply wanted to help, such as Smaug. It seemed likely that Nidhögg would gain a similar status with Elric as well, due to the Melnibonean's fondness for dragonkind. Nidhögg would find that Elric would have very few qualms going after a God or their offspring- in his realm, the Lords of Law and Chaos held that position. Aside from his Patron, he'd happily pursue either one if need be. Any worthy challenge was far better than spending most of his time brooding over his ill luck.

Elric was pleased when Nidhögg accepted the pact, and bowed low in acknowledgement. "I will return to the realm above, and soon, you shall hear my call, Lord Níðhöggr." Amazingly, he pronounced it perfectly in one of the audible tongues, although the call that Nidhögg would recieve would contain the one in the language of thought. Most of Elric's chanting during his work was actually to create the right mental state, and allow him to communicate upon other, more subtle frequencies. He was beginning to think that he had not in fact found a Beast-Lord, but some other strange potency, closer in fact to a God, perhaps one of Death, and was feeling quite confident about the pact he had made. Nidhögg would undoubtedly fulfill it, and bring final destruction to the soulless, zombified Baby Sun.

As Nidhögg begain to uncoil himself from the roots, Elric wandered back through the tangled astral roads which had lead him to Niflheim. This was a far swifter process than finding the way, and now that he knew the route, it would not be difficult to send the necessary final call. After an unknown time, a semblance of life returned to his body, and the cold stiffness of his limbs brought the awareness that he had returned to his own realm. He still allowed a portion of his mind to linger along the astral road, to make it easier to sink into the next trance he would require, and slowly raised himself up, brushing soil from his unclad form. He had spent more than a full day and night in his trance. He looked to Smaug, who had keep a patient eye upon him through his working, with an expression of triumph. "Soon, Brother Smaug, this foul Sun shall be destroyed. I have obtained the necessary aid, and now, must make the final call." He gathered up the clothing he'd lain beside the circle, replacing it and welcoming its warmth, and took a moment to prepare a potion to keep up his strength. What was to come would not take so long as his astral journey, but would require far more actual energy expenditure on his part- for he needed to prepare a 'door', so to speak, between Niflheim and this realm.

He selected the lake as his focus, and settled himself down cross-legged upon the shore, staring out at the expanse of waters which he knew held 'Pyaray of Chaos' somewhere within them. But that was no matter- he was using the lake as a point of connection, and he began chanting quietly, again in the tongue of the Reptiles, but now mixed in with the frequently repeated name of Níðhöggr. Even if 'Pyaray' had surfaced, the albino's attention would not have been broken- although his eyes were fixed upon the lake, appearing almost glazed, his mind was elsewhere, sending out a loud and obvious call through the astral pathways, and holding open the shortest route for Nidhögg's use.

[yggdrasilgnawer]

((Mentions of Elric come courtesy of his player, naturally.))

The first indication that a new horror had been summoned to Hogwarts came in the form of peculiar rippling and bubbling within the normally serene waters of Hogwarts Lake, early on the morning following All Hallows' Eve. Elric of Melnibone was seated by the shore, chanting, his mind fixed upon two places at once, the strange realm of Niflheim where Nidhögg dwelled, and the physical point of the lake, his chosen focus for the summons.

After roughly an hour of this, dismembered human bodies began to bob to the surface, the churning water carrying these bloated sacks of flesh toward the lake shore, where they were quickly accumulating. The doomed albino didn't twitch a muscle at this sight, continuing his strange calls, through which a single sound repeated, the name of the creature he focused upon. There came a faint rumbling within the lake, growing steadily louder as its source approached the surface. It was not the familiar form of the giant squid which eventually breached the fouled water, but the massive jaws of a serpent, yet more corpses caught in his glistening, stained teeth and spilling out as he continued to rise from the lake.

Bathed in the sickly light of the hollow Baby Sun, the serpent's dark scales glimmered as an oil slick, deceptively beautiful. He arched forward, disappearing into the water and reappearing a few moments later as he slithered toward the shore. He used his forelimbs to pull himself through the corpse-filled mud and spread his dripping, leathery wings, casting a deep shadow across the school grounds.

Nidhögg, the legendary dragon and bane of Yggdrasil, had been called forth from Niflheim to play babysitter by a moody, screaming albino who looked quite smashing in a sparky tiara, and his noisy runeblade.

The serpent had only to glance up to know what it was he must do. With a great heave of his wings, he took to the skies, his earlier boasting proving true when he suffered little ill effect as he approached the foul shining creature. He easily twisted the coils of his body around it, its horribly deepened graaaaaahhhhhhhing raising in pitch slightly to what might have been a childish wail if not for how drawn out it was. Nidhögg merely coiled tighter, crushing the Baby Sun through constriction, its low ululation now muffled. If there was a struggle, it wasn't apparent to any onlookers; after a few minutes the serpent gaped his jaws, and began swallowing his victim whole.

The Baby Sun was no more.

With nothing now to support him, Nidhögg fell from the sky, fanning his wings out to slow his descent. The remains of the creature that had plagued Hogwarts were little more than a bulge in the serpent's body, and soon even that would diminish. As he approached Elric on the ground, he glanced at the morning sky, now mundane and unremarkable with its natural sun returned to its rightful place. "It is finished."

[blood_and_souls]

As Nidhögg's head broke the waters, Elric slid out of trance, and his crimson eyes tracked the serpent's progress with a glint of triumph. He felt certain this tactic would succeed, for surely the zombified Baby Sun could not resist the terrible might of the creature he had summoned forth. And indeed, Nidhögg crushed and enveloped the Sun with exceptional ease. The trace of a satisfied smile appeared on the albino's lips as the Baby Sun's weird wailing grew muffled, and after a few moments faded as the abomination was devoured. A murmur of pleasure came from Stormbringer as well, as the creature that had defied even it was now abolished.

Elric watched the impressive form of Nidhögg as he descended upon the grounds, and the albino bowed deeply before him as he approached. "I see that my confidence was not at all misplaced. I thank you for your assistance, Lord Níðhöggr. Our pact is cemented, and I am at your service, when you choose to call." The serpent had proven mighty indeed, an ally that Elric would be proud to claim.