The tainting ceremony was quick and painless.
Syphile had really expected it to be worse, given the Orthorbbae's reputation for teaching classes on torture and blood-magic. But no, it was a simple, easy step into a circle, and the knowledge that she'd need to stay relaxed. As the tingling, thick demonic energy filled in the air around her, all she had to do was breathe deep, and soon they ended the ritual and called her out.
The leader, the tall Sharen who'd led them all here to begin with--never mind the teacher-- smiled and nodded. One more down.
As they left the room, and headed for their own separate quarters, the girls talked together. Each of them had been tainted, and by their own choice. They hadn't been all that close of a group before, but now, they looked at each other as new found allies.
These were their friends.
These were the ones who, like them, had changed today. Become stronger and better and more capable as Drow.
Syphile found plenty of voices mixing with her own. It wasn't a feeling she was used to-- far from it as one of Quain-tana's very few daughters-- and the rhythm was contagious. They talked in an ever shrinking group as they wandered towards home, led around as if by some kind of magic compass, each one departing without a ripple in the conversation except for a couple, quick goodbyes. Soon, the only ones left were herself and the Sharen. The leader... their leader. Her name was Xsa.
"So. How does it feel?"
Besides the fact that the leader was talking to her, the taint itself was barely there. She shrugged. "It... feels like it's in my mana."
"Is it... heavy?"
She thought, called her mana to her. "...no, not at all."
The energy swirled and sifted through her hands, much lighter and more active than before. Syphile blinked.
Xsa laughed. "You've taken to it well, Sarghress.....?"
"S-Syphile."
She nodded. "It feels amazing, doesn't it? All that power." Her eyes narrowed when she smiled, ears raising nearly vertical. "Remember this, Sarghress."
How could she forget? After all, the taint was permanent. It couldn't be reversed or even lightened. But she nodded anyway, and waving to Xsa, left to walk the rest of the way to her room.
Her footsteps echoed softly on the stone, the shadows flickered at the edges of her eyes, through her hair. The tainting process was simple: exposure to demonic energy, to the point that it affected the Drow's mana. It could be done to anyone without fear of side effect, overdose or adverse reaction, and was a widely used technique. This had all been fed to them.
Debates were raging in her own fortress about tainting... but why? Had she done the right thing by accepting the ritual? Her mother cared about strength, and tainted Drow are stronger... she must have.
The hallways was dark, and empty. No footsteps...
No voices...
Something scraped, far behind her.
She turned, but there was nothing there, and it was pointless-- immature-- so she hurried the rest of the way to her room, stripped down, and curled up in her bed without thinking again about why she couldn't locate the reason for the sound, why it felt off, scary, strange. Covers tucked tight around her cold feet, pulled high over her delicate ears, her sensitive eyes, her spinning mind as something nagged at her: what had she done wrong? Had she done wrong at all? What was that sound behind her?
The change couldn't be taken back. She'd just have to live with it.
The taint would draw demons to a more powerful soul. It would draw ghosts to some. Its effects after the fact weren't logged-- and they were strange, sometimes horrific. They were not recounted to those considering the procedure.
It was three in the morning when the first soul came, a long dead human slave.
She breathed into her prey's eyes, forcing them open, open wide, wide...
Syphile gasped in a breath of alcohol, mud and rot. Then she screamed.
Syphile had really expected it to be worse, given the Orthorbbae's reputation for teaching classes on torture and blood-magic. But no, it was a simple, easy step into a circle, and the knowledge that she'd need to stay relaxed. As the tingling, thick demonic energy filled in the air around her, all she had to do was breathe deep, and soon they ended the ritual and called her out.
The leader, the tall Sharen who'd led them all here to begin with--never mind the teacher-- smiled and nodded. One more down.
As they left the room, and headed for their own separate quarters, the girls talked together. Each of them had been tainted, and by their own choice. They hadn't been all that close of a group before, but now, they looked at each other as new found allies.
These were their friends.
These were the ones who, like them, had changed today. Become stronger and better and more capable as Drow.
Syphile found plenty of voices mixing with her own. It wasn't a feeling she was used to-- far from it as one of Quain-tana's very few daughters-- and the rhythm was contagious. They talked in an ever shrinking group as they wandered towards home, led around as if by some kind of magic compass, each one departing without a ripple in the conversation except for a couple, quick goodbyes. Soon, the only ones left were herself and the Sharen. The leader... their leader. Her name was Xsa.
"So. How does it feel?"
Besides the fact that the leader was talking to her, the taint itself was barely there. She shrugged. "It... feels like it's in my mana."
"Is it... heavy?"
She thought, called her mana to her. "...no, not at all."
The energy swirled and sifted through her hands, much lighter and more active than before. Syphile blinked.
Xsa laughed. "You've taken to it well, Sarghress.....?"
"S-Syphile."
She nodded. "It feels amazing, doesn't it? All that power." Her eyes narrowed when she smiled, ears raising nearly vertical. "Remember this, Sarghress."
How could she forget? After all, the taint was permanent. It couldn't be reversed or even lightened. But she nodded anyway, and waving to Xsa, left to walk the rest of the way to her room.
Her footsteps echoed softly on the stone, the shadows flickered at the edges of her eyes, through her hair. The tainting process was simple: exposure to demonic energy, to the point that it affected the Drow's mana. It could be done to anyone without fear of side effect, overdose or adverse reaction, and was a widely used technique. This had all been fed to them.
Debates were raging in her own fortress about tainting... but why? Had she done the right thing by accepting the ritual? Her mother cared about strength, and tainted Drow are stronger... she must have.
The hallways was dark, and empty. No footsteps...
No voices...
Something scraped, far behind her.
She turned, but there was nothing there, and it was pointless-- immature-- so she hurried the rest of the way to her room, stripped down, and curled up in her bed without thinking again about why she couldn't locate the reason for the sound, why it felt off, scary, strange. Covers tucked tight around her cold feet, pulled high over her delicate ears, her sensitive eyes, her spinning mind as something nagged at her: what had she done wrong? Had she done wrong at all? What was that sound behind her?
The change couldn't be taken back. She'd just have to live with it.
The taint would draw demons to a more powerful soul. It would draw ghosts to some. Its effects after the fact weren't logged-- and they were strange, sometimes horrific. They were not recounted to those considering the procedure.
It was three in the morning when the first soul came, a long dead human slave.
She breathed into her prey's eyes, forcing them open, open wide, wide...
Syphile gasped in a breath of alcohol, mud and rot. Then she screamed.