ximilia | ( video | un: alucard )

Entry tags:

( video | un: alucard )

[ the feed starts with a very tall man with long blond hair, dressed in archaic clothing and a long black cloak. a large scar is visible on his chest. ]

Greetings.

My name is Alucard. I am a new arrival. No, I did not fill up the "form" as I found the criteria to be quite baffling and useless.

I do need to state that I am a half-vampire. Yes, I have fangs. No, I will not bite you. I do not require blood and you can go about your day in peace.

And no, I will not bite you if you have a kink for vampires. Find a sharp fork instead.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I see. The Dead I know of are... not interested in such things.

[Even when Kerrigor had attempted to kiss her, it had not been out of desire- instead, to humiliate both her and Touchstone. But Sabriel forces that memory away, and avoids any further questions about Alucard's family.]

Forgive my curiousity. My name is Sabriel, and I am a necromancer, of sorts.

[ he smiles faintly. ]

It was a rare exception.

When you say, of sorts, dare I assume you're not concerned with resurrecting the dead for nefarious matters?

I do not raise the Dead, I lay them to rest- or bind them, when that's not possible.

[It's just that there's only so much you can do with swords and Charter-spells. Sometimes, the most effective way to do things is to bind the Dead to your will and then instruct them to die.]

[ ah. that is interesting. ]

How effective are you in ensuring they never rise?

At making sure the Dead I banish don't return to Life? Extremely.

[No spirit returns from beyond the Ninth Gate, and Sabriel has sent many to face those stars.]

Or are you referring to more preventative measures, to keep them from rising in the first place?

A little of both, I suppose.

Then you're asking about bindings, which are generally reliable, but can be broken by a force of sufficient power.

Although I should clarify that missions have generally not involved the restless dead. Normally, the most necromantic thing I do is speak with the dead, if they have valuable information.

I am not asking because of the missions.

Would you be available to meet?

Yes. Is there any room in particular you'd like to meet at, or would the simulation room be acceptable?

The simulation room will do. I shall meet you there.

Then I'll meet you there.

[And Sabriel will be there waiting, with her sword and bell-bandolier slung over her blue surcoat. She's set the simulator to a version of the Ancelstierrian side of the Wall- one without any soldiers, but the barbed wire, trenches- and most importantly the wind flutes spaced throughout the area are all there.]

Is that you, Alucard?

[But oddly, it's only after speaking that Sabriel turns to look at him.]

[ he seems to take in the land. it is familiar, save for the wire and the trenches. england, perhaps? at any rate, he approaches politely, his cloak trailing in the ground. he's dressed in black and silvers, much like herself. and of course, across his chest, a pale diagonal scar can be seen.

and of course, being part vampire, he would seem a bit unearthly. ]

Indeed.

[ a beat. ]

I would like to prevent a resurrection.

[Sabriel can feel it- Alucard isn't Dead exactly, but there's something about him that sets off her necromantic senses. A few hundred yards away, there is a wall- crenelated, and in a perfect state of preservation, with Charter marks moving over the stones and through the mortar. And above it, the sky is split. On the side they're standing on, it's an overcast midday. On the other side, there's a brilliant sunset.]

Of a particular person? I'll need more specifics, but in general...

[Sabriel looks at him, even as the Book of the Dead- and another book, one she requested from Viveca- open to different pages in her memory, sections detailing how a spirit might be bound, if it could not be banished beyond the Ninth Gate.]

I understand the metaphysics of your world may differ from mine, but- if it was my world, you would have two options. Either banish the spirit beyond the Ninth Gate. That is, beyond the reach of any living necromancer, beyond the point the Dead can return. Or if that is not possible? Bind the spirit to keep it out of Life.

[Lerantiel's Chain. Sabriel remembers the instructions for how to make it, although it would be an involved project. And there are other bindings, ones sealed by Saraneth, that can force a spirit to stay in Death, even if it could not be made to pass on.]

I do not know of Gates, only of Hell.

[ and hell is very real. alucard pauses once more, considering his words. ]

For some time, the world has been focused in resurrecting Dracula. My father. To raise him from Hell. I would prefer that is no longer possible.

I see. Then the structure of our world's afterlives differ.

[And Sabriel's sure that would be a fascinating discussion, but it's not relevant.]

And all parts of Hell are accessible to those in Life?

[So banishment may not be an option. Which leaves binding. Or use]

If that is the case, then binding would be your wisest choice. Or simply destroying his spirit entirely, but that is far easier said than done.

[It might be possible for the weaker Dead spirits, but not for the stronger- and from what little Alucard has said, Sabriel is under the impression that his father is powerful. Sabriel thinks of Kerrigor, sealed away in the deepest basement of Abhorsen's House.]

But first, I have two questions- first, have you destroyed your father's body entirely, and scattered any ashes or remnants to the winds- and secondly, is it possible in your world for a Dead spirit to linger in Life without feeding on the living?

Yes. I've seen it done.

[ the infinite corridor is no longer a myth. and hell, it seems, does not bar its gate tightly enough. the idea of destroying his father's spirit completely makes him flinch, though alucard moves on like nothing happened. ]

And the body has been decapitated and burned. The ashes scattered to the wind. And no, I would say it is not possible for the spirit to linger.

[Sabriel sees the flinch- but doesn't comment. For all that Alucard sees his father as a threat, what she suggested was the most extreme form of patricide. But she nods approvingly as Alucard explains what happened to the body- one less means of anchoring his spirit to life.]

So shoving his soul into an ensorcelled bottle, sealing it up and keeping it in a secure location isn't an option.

[Which is the typical treatment for Free Magic spirits, not the Dead... but it's a generally effective tactic.]

My family always prefers to banish when we can, but... One of my ancestors made a chain, to bind those too strong to banish, and keep them trapped in Death. If there is a similar thing in your world, that may be your best option. Are you on good terms with any sorcerers, in your world? And why are people trying to bring your father back anyway?

[Because Sabriel doesn't know where the chain is, or if it would work in a different world. Or if she'd even be able to visit Alucard's world to bring it to him, once their regrets are undone.]

I am.

[ though he doesn't know if sypha would be up for it, he knows she'd help. anything to prevent further tragedy. alucard falls silent for a moment, gathering his thoughts. ]

I do not know what your world is like. I imagine it has its monsters. My father was the most famous monster in history. His death unsettled the night. It unsettled the dead and the living.

My world... has many. The most dangerous have followers, living and dead.

[Kerrigor, and the necromancers and lesser Dead who served him. And given the chance, she's sure some would seek to revive him. Some to gain his favor, some because they hoped to master him, others because they saw profit in serving him, and wished to help him tear the Charter asunder.]

And some of them do seek to revive your masters. I am not sure how much knowledge we can take with us when we return, but I will do what I can to aid you, in helping to keep your father from returning to Life.

I appreciate that. I think he would prefer to rest than to be brought back.

[ the last resurrection was particularly traumatic, especially for alucard. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

( video | un: alucard )

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

Shift to action?

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject