J - All my friends are heathens, take it slow

Maelyx Nocturne

Word Count → 500+ :: Maelyx (dressed in this, minus boots) is with her daughter Jaketta and her caracal companion Nephelcheres. Optime, early evening.

The witch and her daughter broke off from their escort a day away from Salsola's borders. The boy... yes, Maelyx still thought of Inca as a boy... was a cad and a horndog, but he was still a good enough soul and had been a good enough hired hand to help the two women through the lands during their journey to a new life. Payment for his services had been simple enough – a love potion draught which she had caught him trying to use on her. Certainly the moment had been entertaining, but no, her own potion did not work on herself, so the lascivious man had been left wanting.

The gods had given her a sign, probably one of the strongest she had ever experienced, that told her that she had been following the wrong path. Her life with her one-time Anatheman family and the new coven she had formed was wrong. As a stark sign that she had displeased her deity, Maelyx had been captured and tortured, and had been left without sight. It was a strange thing, to be blinded like that, because her captor had done nothing to her eyes. Some weeks ago, the jackal discovered her sight began to return when she spent time away from the coven, but she would be plunged into darkness every time she went back home. Heeding this warning of the gods, Maelyx packed up her daughter, Jaketta, wrote a curt note, and left for a new land.

A land that was rumored to have its fair share of witches.

The two women had left the rocky terrain of Halcyon two hours past, and now stood in the open territory straddled by the mountains and Amherst. The land of Salsola stretched out large and looming before them. Before approaching the lands the women stopped for a rest and to straighten up their appearances. Now, Maelyx stood clutching her staff. At first she imagined she would wear one of her nicer dresses, but the travel they still had to do changed that. Instead she opted for a form-fitting pair of black slacks, and a purple corset style top – though she had removed the boning from this particular top long ago. Then she painted her face with ash, using it to make a pattern of dots and create a dark mask around her eyes. Her daughter did not have such a wardrobe yet, so Maelyx brushed her hair, and Jaketta affixed her golden scarab hair clip and her golden wrist bracers. The women were ready.

Just as she reached out to squeeze Jaketta's hand, a small cream colored creature slipped up next to them. It was a caracal, and he was Maelyx's oldest friend. The witch fretted for Nephelcheres, for she knew not what this pack's policy would be on such companions... still, the witch squared her shoulders, stood erect and proud, and let a call ring out to Salsola to announce their impromptu visit.

After her voice died down she turned to her daughter, a young girl of six months who had just begun to shapeshift. Be strong. Do not show fear, do not show weakness. They are a strong, proud people, and we belong here.

Now some saint got the job of writing down my sins

Template by Kitty.

Word Count → ??? :: ---

The fox preceded its mistress, like a herald or a portent of something occult; Both things that the Nocturne women might have been in tune enough to recognize. It hid itself at first - But perhaps sensing that the strange cat might notice it, the russet creature slunk from the undergrowth and sat ahead of them on the path.

By the lustrous shine of its pelt and the fearless way in which it watched, certainly this was no wild-bred fox. Its yellow eyes blinked at the mother and daughter, round and shiny like flat gold coins; And then, with a bob of its round bristlebrush tail, it disappeared again.

The sound of hoofbeats rolled up from the flatland beyond Amherst's southern border some time later.

The rider was a slim young woman with dark raven hair that spilled, unbound, down beyond her waist. She rode the grey mare with a native sort of ease, tackless but for a simple rope hackamore around the animal's soft velvet nose. She might have been an ordinary sort of woman but for the shocking paleness of her face, like a ceramic mask against the deep earthen tones of her body.

And set in this brightness were two sanguine eyes, livid as a fresh wound and equally as alarming.

Jackals were still a rare sight in Nova Scotia, though Salsola had small pockets of them throughout its history. As she drew near the Outsider and her daughter, Elphaba slowed the grey mare with lessened pressure from her lean thighs. Obedient, the docile beast tossed its head once and came to a halt.

The simple green wool riding cloak the young woman wore seemed largely unnecessary this far down from Halcyon's range. The weather here was mild and drunk on summer; The air droned with insects and birdsong, and was saturated with rich golden sunlight. But clothing was a sign of status and privilege. It did not escape Elphaba's attention that the Outsider was likewise well adorned, and her cardinal eyes looked covetously across the fine stitching of the woman's traveling gear.

Sitting tall and nonchalant astride her steed, the young queen smiled. "And who are you," Her voice was rich as honey ale, and colored with insatiable curiosity, "To come calling at my border?"

From beneath a fold of the thick green cloak a small triangular face appeared; It was the fox, again, and there was something impish and telling about its sudden reappearance.

Maelyx Nocturne

Word Count → 666 :: This is the necklace Maelyx is presenting to her. Also seen here.

The first to stiffen and acknowledge the sight of the sunny creatures was Jaketta, as the youth betrayed herself by grasping her mother's arm and whispering to her. Maelyx had noticed the creature when it first chose to reveal itself, though she willed her visage to stay tranquil and impassive. At her child's insistence, she gave a small, measured nod, her own icy eyes fixated on the creature until it disappeared into obscurity once more.

A fox. Why a fox? Like a message from beyond the grave, though the one who had the connection with such creatures was very much alive. It was Maelyx's connection with her which she forced into death. Avinalora and her love for the small creatures. When the animal was out of sight again (though there was no telling how many hidden sentries peered upon the two jackals) Maelyx allowed her gaze to drop for just a moment as the influx of memories became too much to tolerate. This was no time for such foolishness. Closing her eyes, she forced the memories into a pit of darkness and buried them with denial. That was not her place, not anymore. Avinalora and the others must walk their own path, Maelyx hers.

Her eyes opened once more but remained heavily lidded as the cacophony of thundering hoof beats filled the silence. The woman who galloped up astride the horse was straight and dignified; beautiful in a fearsome way. Maelyx was proud of her daughter for standing tall and motionless beside her, this time not forgetting her facade when faced with another Luperci. There was little guessing whom this woman could be or her status in this place. Though the people from this land disguised their scent when outside its borders, the place here that marked their territory smelled richly of her. Clearly, every sentinel who had ever marked this place was her adjunct.

The mare came to rest before them, and the dark queen sized them up and then spoke, strength in her voice. After watching her approach, Jaketta assumed the stance her mother had instructed her in, averting her mismatched gaze and bowing her head. Maelyx, too, did the same out of respect, though to converse lifted her gaze to meet the Queen's face, if not her eyes.

I am Maelyx Nocturne, daughter of the Morrígan, Priestess of Badb, she spoke steadily, and the thick patois of her South African accent was evident in her every syllable. Though thanks to the last year she had spent amongst this land, her common speech was no longer broken. A pale hand gestured to the dark hybrid at her side. And this is my daughter, Jaketta. We have been led here by the Goddess herself, come to your court to pay homage and respectfully seek to join your people.

Slowly, she let the pack slip from her shoulder. Each woman had backpacks stuffed with only those items deemed absolutely necessary – a few spellbooks, little clothing, and some items to barter their way there. Including... I have a gift for you, she said, peering at the Queen as she slowly opened the bag, not wishing to alarm her. There was a soft tinking of metal as she lifted a silver chain from the back – a necklace, upon which was fastened a brilliant carnelian gemstone. Maelyx held it up for the Queen to see, then handed the treasure to her daughter who laid it out across her palms. If she may approach, Maelyx said, and Jaketta began padding forth slowly. The witch was not only presenting the Queen with a gift – something that had been a treasure and a powerful magical item to her for the past year – but she was also entrusting her very daughter in close proximity to the monarch. It was clear to any eye that Jaketta was barely over six months and unarmed, and if Maelyx's trust was misplaced then she was giving away a treasure far more valuable than jewels.

Now some saint got the job of writing down my sins

Template by Kitty.

Word Count → ??? :: oooooh, beautiful!! Elphaba likey ;>

There is much to be said for a favorable first impression: Elphaba had come to take her grandmother's throne through instinct and cunning, and trusted the warmth in her gut as much as any kingdom Law.

The Outsider was a curious looking woman up close, her jackal features gaunt and exotic, the sockets of her eyes darkened with char and ash to make the vivid iris shine. She was adorned with little sparkling things, beads and glossy feathers, and held her delicate weight against a crowskull staff. The ornament reminded Elphaba abruptly of Siv Helsi, the First Crone; And what fiery fate had claimed her in the end, when the Red Star fell.

Beside her mother's apparent proclivities, the woman's daughter was strikingly bare. Sparse gold winked like little pyres at her ears and wrists. She looked very young in the face, her dark fur a flawless ebony polish but for the rusty points to her soft hair. The girl was silent as her mother spoke, face turned aside demurely - a pretty thing, the young queen thought, her fingers twisting speculatively in the mare's silvery mane. A precious thing.

"A priestess?" It explained the woman's solitary boldness. Those who traversed in the otherworldly magiks were often beholden of such courage - For they had seen death, and knew it like a lover. Her intrigue piqued, Elphaba sat a little straighter, and leaned close over the horse's broad flank. Drinking in the words with all the voracity of a delighted minstrel, the eager gleam of her rubicund eyes was impossible to ignore.

The Outsider - Maelyx - was apparently willing to risk a gamble, and sent her lone daughter forward with gift in hand.

It was a beautiful pendant, the carnelian stone at its center bright like a ruby heart; But even this seemed to pale in comparison to the girl, who up close was resplendent.

For a moment the Boss seemed to consider this. Her terrible gaze roved between mother and daughter, calculating, measuring.

Then, like the sun coming out after a dreadful winter storm, she smiled. "My grandfather's people are worshipers of Morrígan," Stannis came from the green Isle, the Silver Valley, a place that Elphaba's sister had boarded at for a time. Maelyx' musical voice was thick with accent, but it was not the same Irish lilt that she associated with those distant kin. Smoothly, the young woman reached out to take the necklace from Jaketta's cupped palm - The mare sniffed at the girl inquisitively, but did not shift under its rider's moving weight.

She held the pendant up until the sun caught it properly, and the stone winked like the Red Star in miniature.

"How do you know of this place?" Her attention still riveted by the gift, she spared the witch a sideways glance. "Where did you and your daughter come from - have you traveled far, to seek us out?"

Maelyx Nocturne

Word Count → 800+ ::

Cool, calculating eyes watched the fae shape of her daughter as she padded to the majestic woman and presented her with the gift. Maelyx felt a shock of pride in her daughter. The Goddess lived within Jaketta and steeled her nerves, any lesser girl might have trembled with fright simply from Elphaba's beauty. While Jaketta may not have been as brave as she appeared, she remained steady, and as the queen's fingers slipped over her own to retrieve the gift her dark hands remained steady.

Maelyx could not ignore the brief tenor of excitement within her as the dark queen seemed to consider Jaketta, and not knowing the matriarch she did not know what thoughts lie behind those wanting eyes. The jackal tried not to betray herself in this gambol, but there was a moment when it seemed the silence stretched out a beat too long, and Maelyx's tail twitched in nervous response. But though the sands of the hourglass stretched painfully, the moment ended and Elphaba accepted the gift and continued to speak. Jak, as instructed, gave a humble bow and padded backwards to her mother's side once more, just as English subjects once backed out a room after appealing to their monarch.

You must come from a strong line of powerful people, she said, angling her head up, pleased with their mutual connection to the Morrigan. Each long moment served to reassure Maelyx that her choice had been the right one. She had followed signs of the Goddess, and here she was before one of Her extended bloodlines. The witch's muzzle curled up every so slightly with pleasure.

I have been in this land for a year and some months, she began. Enough time to see prosperity and squalor in equal measure. I come from a tribe named Kupolole, near Cape Town, South Africa. I... she nearly hesitated, but raised and stamped her staff into the ground and continued without further falter. I was outcast from my tribe for witchcraft. My craft was welcome in the tribe, and my mentor and I were revered amongst our people... until we were not. I lived for many months in Anathema, where my daughter and absent son were born. Unfortunately, as you well know, Babd Catha did not soar with the pack when war came, and so the pack fell. I, however, did not. I have seen victory in all battles that have been thrown at my feet. I have slain the assassins that my tribe sent after me, watched their blood melt the snow last winter. I have survived capture and torture at the hands of a vile creature just months ago. And I am all the better for it, for through such trial the Morrigan sent me a message, one that led me here. As you are of the Morrigan's people I can only conclude that my interpretation of her sign has been accurate.

Maelyx had thought long and hard about whether to reveal her one-time status in Anathema, but in the end there would be no concealing such a fact for long so she chose to tell it all to the Boss now. One does not live in this land for long without knowing of the great, but mysterious Salsola. It was my intention to seek your people out after the fall of Anathema, but I became distracted. It was a mistake I have paid for dearly, and one I shall not forget.

Jaketta knew that distraction was the coven, the attempt made by their small family unit to band together and create a life. It had failed, and the young girl did not truly understand why. She did, however, understand her mother's reasons for leaving, and it was her duty to respect and obey them. Nevertheless, she shifted uncomfortably for a moment, which solicited a cautionary glance from her mother.

When her eyes turned back to the leader before her, she took a few steps forward, slow and deliberate. She peered up at Elphaba and her eyes flashed ferociously, the words that came next dripping with conviction. My place is here and I shall withstand whatever trial to prove it. The Goddess commands it with such vehemence that she will blind me should I fail, her words could be mistaken for insolence, as though she was in turn commanding Elphaba to accept her, but she had to take that chance in order to let her passion bleed forth to ensure the queen understood her motives. You are her chosen queen, and so you are mine. I have come at the Goddess's command and should you accept me into your fold, myself and all my power will be at your disposal. I come to make you a powerful leader, With that, the witch folded an arm across her midsection, averted her eyes, and bowed low. In the background, her daughter did the same.

Now some saint got the job of writing down my sins

Template by Kitty.

Word Count → ??? :: ---

There was something clever that resonated in the jackal's eyes when she spoke. Less aware of the world beyond Salsola's borders than perhaps she aught to have been, Elphaba attributed this to the knowing look of a survivor - certainly something that Maelyx's words seemed to confirm.

She understood that practicioners of the Craft were often persecuted in other, more barbaric, places than this one. The idea was like a terrible story told to her as a child; For as long as the young queen had lived, civility and the Sanctus arts had been entwined and inseparable as twins in the womb. To her mind the study of the occult was as privileged a pursuit as the study of medicine or war, and equally (if not moreso) valuable, in that it served to answer, explain, and direct many of the mysterious of their great and terrible world.

So it was that to hear Maelyx's story was like hearing a sordid fairytale. Her nose wrinkled in distaste at the thought of commoners turning against a preacher or a priestess.

"My land is home to many gods, not only the goddess that you serve," She allowed cautiously, narrowing her eyes at the witch in thought, "A number of the noble houses here bring their own practice of faith. We encourage this, for I feel it is better to worship something than not at all."

In such a way the kingdom of Salsola, though rigidly defined by its secretive wiles and bloody hierarchy, was notably progressive. This was to benefit a higher plan, of course, a part of the intricate design that had allowed them to endure three wars and countless foes without greater political devastation.

Elphaba did not care who or what her people prayed to - she held her own beliefs close to heart - so long as she reaped the power of their piety, and was herself worshiped in return.

The woman and her daughter bowed low. It was an old display of submission, timeless and reverent. A pulse of fire ran through Elphaba's veins and lifted the hair on her arms until it prickled - Her pupils dilated so sharply they seemed submerged in pools of ruby and blood. The moment held all three women frozen still, like some sort of spell.

Then the young queen laughed, a peal of delight, and clapped her hands together.

"Sister, you are welcome here; Never again will you or yours find persecution for witchcraft under the protection of my rule," As she spoke, she looped the necklace beneath the dark river of her hair, and fastened it so that the bright pendant settled by the hollow of her throat. "To serve me I ask of you three things: Your loyalty, and that it belong to none other than myself, your blood, and your goddess; Your value, in the knowledge and magik that you have earned from a lifetime of hardships; And," Delicately, the Boss pointed one clawed finger at the pretty ebony girl.

"Your daughter as my ward," She said, with great finality and a blacklipped smile, "That she may live and grow among us as a true Salsolan. I will teach you both our ways, and in time, you will adopt them and they will become your ways too. Welcome home, Maelyx Nocturne."

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Maelyx Nocturne

Word Count → 500+ :: I love this. End thread?

Though she had come calling as a servant of the Morrigan, Maelyx knew the importance of honoring all the gods, and agreed with Elphaba when she explained that many gods were worshiped in this place. Even her own daughter, Jaketta, whom Elphaba had seemed to take a keen interest in had her own feelings toward a different set of gods – a fact that could come to light at a later time, when it mattered.

Ears twitched and cupped toward the dark queen as she spoke, after a measured moment she bestowed upon them words of welcome and acceptance. When Maelyx straightened again, both she and her daughter stood poised with renewed pride and vigor.

But then came the queen's conditions, and the humble smile on Maelyx's countenance wavered. The first two conditions were easily agreed upon, for they were why she had come. The last... well, it was a surprise to say the least. Ward. Ward, historically and politically speaking, was always another word for a political hostage. The witch had to swallow this fear, if she let it burble up it would jeopardize everything. There would be no turning back now. She must give over her daughter in whatever capacity Elphaba wished, else risk the wrath of both the great leader and the Morrigan.

A flash of confusion crossed the dark hybrid's face, and she turned her mismatched gaze from the Boss to her mother. Her lips parted to say something, but Maelyx stilled her with a calming hand on her shoulder. The queen honors you, her voice was firm, this was a fact and there was no questioning it. Our queen's desire is the Goddess's command, and we must honor and obey both. This is an opportunity few young ones could even dream of. Maelyx gently brushed a strand of rust-tipped hair away from Jaketta's eyes, and when the teenager turned back to the mounted queen there was a measure of anxiety, but no inkling of resistance.

Thank you for the honor, my Lady, Jaketta responded, voice steady, as she gave her dark leader another half-bow. I will not disappoint you. Maelyx's pale eyes focused on the jewel which now glinted from Elphaba's throat. The witch had once worn that gem like a talisman, a tool of power and of hope, and it had carried much history and sentiment. Now it has served her one final time.

My blood and my fealty are truly yours, Maelyx added. It was the unquestionable truth, now that Jaketta would become Elphaba's ward. With that, the witch and her daughter padded to their new queen. For the first time since her birth, Jaketta felt a rift between herself and her mother, as the tawny jackal kept an unfamiliar distance from her in a silent bid to urge her to fall in with Elphaba. Peering into the lands of Salsola, the women prepared to greet their new home, and to step into a world far different from that which they had ever known before.

Now some saint got the job of writing down my sins

Template by Kitty.