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Aug 15, 2015 17:44:50 GMT
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Post by Guest on Jan 16, 2016 23:04:41 GMT
The common policy concerning property after death in Etirath is as follows: - Should the owner of the property and/or land in question leave behind a will and testament, it will be read and carried out by their remaining relatives.
- If no living relative is present to carry out the deceased’s will, the wishes will be carried out by the most appropriate government figure(s).
- In the absence of a will and testament, the property and/or land in question will be absorbed by the kingdom and handled accordingly by the most appropriate government figure(s).
There was no will or testament left behind after the death of Aleksandria Kostya. A week long search was conducted in spite of the public rumors about her criminal cult involvement. Captain DeCarlisle had his own reservations about the hunt but was happy to learn that nothing and nobody were found to inherit The Great Estate in her name. With no heir left behind the manor and all of the property within would be absorbed by the kingdom and put to use where it was most needed. Willem insisted that he be included in the process, determined to find any proof of unlawful activity or finally put the gossip to rest. He still harboured pain for the death of his close friend Arthur.. if there was any evidence of foul play it would be here. Willem was sure of it! Permission as granted by the surrogates.. at a cost. It wasn’t a condition set by his superiors but by fate. The majority of Alek’s belongings in The Great Estate were books. Hundreds of books crowded the dark dusty halls! There was enough reading to fill a dozen lifetimes, by Willem’s standards anyway. Without a relative to inherit the collection it would be up to the Library of Etirath to accept and catalogue the knowledge. Cory Burgess, head librarian, was currently unable to fulfill his duties. So the responsibility was left to the second in command. Story Burgess. “This way, Mrs. Burgess.” Willem called back to the small girl. “Your job starts in here.” A decently sized study acted as an entrance to the halls of seasoned bookshelves. The tiny tyrant had a reputation for order and efficiency but Willem didn’t want to start her off with more than she could chew. In the meantime he would keep an eye out for the golems that stomped slowly and dutifully through the house, other officials that might join them, and anything else that might catch an accusing eye.
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Jan 17, 2019 22:10:26 GMT
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blacknoise
I don't have kik.
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Aug 14, 2015 15:19:56 GMT
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Post by blacknoise on Jan 17, 2016 1:30:04 GMT
The library seemed almost 'too quiet' as the saying went. Guardsmen came and went, the stone guardians on the walls watching them carefully but taking no action against them. Strangers in the house, coming and going without a care, and the guardians did nothing. It seemed to be as if the house itself was not the real reason the stone golems existed. They allowed these strange footsteps, they allowed these strange hands, but the one thing they had not stood for was the touching of the books.
Growling, quick advances, but no full on violence yet. The Gargoyles threatened any guard that came close to touching the massive bookcases that stretched as high as the ceiling, tens of feet into the air. Despite this, the stone machinations seemed to treat every person that entered with the kindness of a guest, accompanying them for a minute or two. But after those first few minutes, they'd turn away and treat them with cold hostility once more.
They were looking for something, or someone, among the crowd. Whispers made from strange sounds passed from stone to stone. As Story Burgess entered the facility, the Gargoyles finally began moving in unison. The ones atop the wall began moving, thick roots and creeping vines pulled free from the ones who had no moved in tens, or even hundreds of years. Although they paid the guards and Story no mind, they ones outside began entering the estate.
Inside, a different route began taking form. The Gargoyles began ripping down books off of shelves, shredding them, destroying everything they once supposedly protected.
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#ed1717
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Annasiel
At last, my peace. I found it in her eyes.
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Aug 13, 2015 22:40:06 GMT
August 2015
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Post by Annasiel on Jan 22, 2016 16:37:23 GMT
As the young girl entered the estate, her eyes widened. An odd noise, like a mix between a mouse's squeak and a crow's cry, escaped from her lips in an instant. Unbelieving pupils skirted the spines of the countless tomes, scanning line after line with the frenetic fervor of a lunatic. Clamping her hands together enthusiastically, Story turned to Willem.
"When... when you told me there were books... you didn't tell me it would be books like these! I mean, some of these I didn't even realize existed!"
The child disappeared among the stacks, emitting the occasional cry or gasp as she stumbled upon new works she never even dreamed of finding. After a few long seconds of being lost in the stupor of excitement, Story peeked around one of the shelves, smiling at the captain of the guard with literary intoxication.
"I wonder if I could find the Five Tomes in here, or... or records of the lost kingdoms, or maybe even the Divine Writings!" she called to him. For this short moment, she was not the tiny tyrant of the library, but instead only an impassioned preteen, her often-stern face broken by pure joy. Suddenly, her gaze seemed to be not on Willem but on something behind him, and the joy began to fade.
"You... what are you doing?!"
They acted unlike how they had before. The gargoyles, once only apathetic and territorial, suddenly turned into unbidden violence. But not violence towards the beings in flesh, not violence that would draw blood... instead, the rending was of ancient parchment, faded leather, and carefully-inked manuscripts of timeless import. The gore of paper flutters began to litter the air, a snowstorm of information soon to be forever lost.
"Stop, stop it! You idiotic beasts, stop!" Story cried, running over to the nearest stone menace. She wrapped her tiny arms around its own limb, pulling with all her might to try and disengage the beast from the books.
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Post by Guest on Jan 24, 2016 4:28:25 GMT
Story chirped happily in the background while Willem meandered absently through the main study. His eyes slowly scanned the room’s desk for anything overly suspicious. Let’s face it, Alek wasn’t exactly a saint in Willem’s eyes! It would take a good look to find something he didn’t suspect her of already. There were letters concerning trivial matters with initials he might have or might not have recognized at the bottom. A few interesting trinkets that looked magic-related decorated the nearby bookshelves too. He almost continued his search elsewhere when he started to lose interest in the study, but Story’s enamored face peeked around to call out to him. The Captain smiled to one side as he listened to the girl’s musing.. then she shouted at the weighty presence that grew behind him.
"You... what are you doing?! Stop, stop it! You idiotic beasts, stop!"
Willem cocked his head back to face the angered golem. Its behavior was unexpected. What caused it to act this way?! Others had been in the house before. Nothing more than unwelcome glares were cast on the collecting staff until now!
“Story, stop!” He plucked the feisty girl off of the stone giant like a flea. Why did wrangling the Burgess sisters seem to be a routine? He couldn't remember his own sisters being this exhausting. “That thing will tear you apart. Stay back, understand?” A dull symphony of tearing parchment erupted around them. But Willem didn’t release Story until they were a safe distance away, and even then he kept an untrusting grip on the collar of her shirt.
“What in Den’s name is going on?” Were other collectors experiencing the same anomaly? A quick glance down the nearest hallway didn’t confirm anything. Willem couldn’t hear any screams of fright and didn’t see anyone wandering the house except the gargoyles. “Come with me,” he commanded. “I need to check the house.”
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Jan 17, 2019 22:10:26 GMT
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blacknoise
I don't have kik.
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Aug 14, 2015 15:19:56 GMT
August 2015
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Post by blacknoise on Jan 24, 2016 4:48:48 GMT
The stone golem completely ignored the small girl that clung to its arm. Moments after Williem pulled her off, the golem pulled the entire, thirty foot high bookcase down upon itself. Unharmed, it continued to shredding and ripping and tearing, but if Williem had not acted when he did then Story would have likely been unintentionally crushed to death by the heavy, soon to be destroyed, tomes. All throughout the house, the others were following suit.
They ignored the guards, and were both far too heavy and far too durable to be physically stopped. The books were lost, but the building was not. As bookcases collapsed and wood was shredded along with paper, Williem would notice something off. Behind one of the toppled bookcases, a hole existed. Large enough for even one of the golem to enter and exit from, a secret passageway that had been likely accessible and hidden by the bookcase, but now was revealed as it all came crashing down.
If Williem entered, he would see a small hallway behind the wall that lead to a wide spiral staircase that descended so far down that the bottom could not be seen, despite the deep blue, magical torches that lit the stairs up. Down and down the staircase went, every few hundred feet or so there'd be a mining tunnel. Most at the top were empty, but as they descended, magical torches were replaced with well-kept lamps and the sounds of miners could be heard echoing through the tunnel.
Men and women, most in shackles, sweating uncontrollably and standing in pools of their own vomit, slaved away. They mined a small, glowing rock, that sickened the body at the touch. Any attempts to use magic would be useless, and if the guards even got this far then they'd begin to feel sick in the head and stomach. Something was horribly wrong down there.
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Post by Guest on Jan 30, 2016 21:24:51 GMT
“Up we go,” he said absently while hoisting Story into his arms in stride. Willem didn’t want to drag Story around by the leash of her collar. There would surely be a fuss from the bothered teen if he did, and he didn’t want to be hampered while checking on the rest of the house.
Nobody was seriously injured in the sudden commotion. A few slower men and women suffered some scratches and bruises but all managed to avoid the literary wrath of the stone golems. Some with better sense rushed through the halls toward the mansion exit. Others were either too terrified or enthralled, hovering in corners and doorways, not wanting to draw themselves away from the spectacle. The rooms were soon cleared after a couple harsh orders and serious urging. Only Story and Willem seemed to be left in audience of the fierce stone gargoyles. They passed the study once more to make sure nothing was left behind before leaving. That’s when he saw it.
One of the golems had its back turned to an unsightly hole in the wall that equaled it in size. Was it his eyes playing tricks on him? Or was there a small hint of light coming from the darkness inside? Willem considered the circumstances.. one of the factors weighing down his left side. He couldn’t investigate with Story following him. She could get hurt or worse. But if he left the house there was no telling if the strange hole was going to be there when he returned.
“Story, you know your way out. I need you to leave and go back to the library,” he instructed while setting her back on her feet and twisting her to face the direction of the entrance. “Do not go wandering around, understand?” He gave her a coaching nudge forward. “Go.”
After sneaking past the gargoyle, Willem stepped over a pile of defiled books and entered the hidden hallway. The air was heavier the farther down he ventured. It was thick with the smell of wet dirt and rot. The eerie blue torches illuminated small tunnels on either side of him but Willem searched deeper still. There were noises growing closer..
"Hello?" The captain was surprised to feel a sudden sickness come over him as he spoke. He clutched his stomach and gripped a lamppost on the wall to steady himself. He was starting to sweat! He called out again. "H- Hello?!"
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#ed1717
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Annasiel
At last, my peace. I found it in her eyes.
369
Aug 13, 2015 22:40:06 GMT
August 2015
annasiel
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Post by Annasiel on Feb 19, 2016 13:37:42 GMT
Willem told her to go. Story had every intention of obeying his command, of leaving the house and it's secrets far behind. It was a shame, watching the ancient books go up in shreds around her, but there was nothing she could do. She had never felt so powerless in her life. Slowly, the young girl walked past the rampaging stone menace, her secreted bundle tucked tightly underneath her frock in a way that the bulge (hopefully) wasn't noticeable. While she edged past, the hollow eyes turned on her for a moment, seeming to pass judgement that could pierce the depths of even the most guarded soul.
Do you have any secrets to hide? They seemed to accuse coldly. Anything for me to destroy?
No, of course not. She was just an innocent little girl heading back to the library, like Mr. Willem told her to do. Maintaining her calm, she strode past the golem, and from the room now behind her the sounds of book murdering continued. Now her pace began to quicken, through the twisting gothic corridors of the ornate manse, arms tucked tight and eyes focused forward and nevermind the cold touch of the statue she just passed or the shadow down the corridor or the ragged sound of her breath as she dodged the glances of every gargoyle that she passed.
Any secrets to hide?
She flung open the entrance doors. Gargoyles. Gargoyles everywhere. Watching, waiting, judging, dragging bundles of turf under their sluggish, stony feet as they dug their paths across the lawn. Story ran. Despite the conventional intruders, it was still a straight shot off of the estate, an easy line for the girl's eyes to trace as her feet pounded the hostile terrain. For a moment she stumbled, tripped on a root or grass or her own awkwardness, and the stolen book tumbled from her grip.
Hide?
With a spurt of adrenaline, she grabbed the book out of the air and shoved it unceremoniously under her arm, her occupied hands trading away the task of breaking her fall to her tense face. It hurt, but it didn't matter. No one noticed. No one saw her secret. She clambered back to her feet and continued her exodus from the lot, only taking a moment to catch her breath when the estate was a good half-mile away. Only then did Story risk pulling the small, leatherbound book from her jacket. Only then did she open the cover once more to see what had caught her in the first place.
The Personal Journal of Aleksandria Kostya.
Maybe the rumors about this woman were true. Story had heart and mind to believe they were, most rumors had grounds in fact. Necromancy was a fickle, powerful art, and maybe, just maybe, the secret to saving her father's life lay inside this inconspicuous little book.
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