The Sermon of Drogulu

I thought about this one for a while, because some drama happened to unfold both during and after this sermon. I debated whether or not to include said interactions and eventually settled on a 'no.' Those who were present have something interesting to gossip and roleplay about and I feel that shouldn't be countered with a mundane OOC explanation of events. To that end, this log ends when the sermon does. Maybe I should have been irritated but the actions during and at the close of the sermon served to invite all manner of RP to my doorstep and I ended up having a wickedly pleasurable time dealing with the aftermath among several other things. I've only lightly edited this log for readability and in order to make it be seen from a third person perspective. (Bet I messed that up somehwere, too!) I went ahead and left in all of my personal errors and typos because why not.

Here we are! The Sermon:

 l

Font of the Devourer.
Whispers in a thousand dissonant voices, each starkly dissimilar, carry hauntingly on the air from a 
healing shrine of Morgfyre nearby. The stone walls are sculpted to appear as though entirely of 
pulsating flesh, constantly shifting and mutating. At various intervals hands, feet, and every so 
often a horrible gnashing mouth emerges to snap at the empty air, as though mad with hunger. Upon 
the back wall is the only permanent growth of this edifice, a giant staring eye, red-veined and 
piercing. It gazes greedily down upon a wide rectangular hole in the floor beneath it, around which 
even the thrashing motions of the living room become still. Within the hole there is nothing but 
endless blackness and a terrible silence broken only by the screams of those sent to the gaping maw 
of the Devourer of Souls.

l rideta

She is a fiendish archlich master viscanti grotesque demigoddess and giant patches of her skin have been 
covered by calcified rot and pus, the disgusting liquid hardened and taking on a nearly crystalline 
sheen and hiding much of her flesh from view. Blazing emerald eyes stare out unhampered save for the 
times when hardened locks of ravenesque hair swing to block her line of sight. Deep beneath the patches 
on her skin, faint crimson traces of her flesh can be faintly drawn out due to the black lines trailing 
over them in a serpentine, ritualistic manner. While her limbs have been weighed down with the heavy 
pusstone, raw will and strength have broken the calcification over her fingers to allow her fine motor 
skill yet. She is wearing elegant high-heeled shoes of metallic dawn hues, a flowing, shadowed set of
hooded pitch-black robes and a bewitching censer smouldering with lavender flames. She walks with
the truefavour of Drocilla.

Rideta stays silent for a long moment, her emerald eyes dancing lightly from person to person in 
attendance. Her face a mask of disgusting stone and hardened puss, there is perhaps only the briefest 
evidence of emotion within her features. A visible corner of her lip turns up and her eyes seem to 
shrink slightly before she finally speaks.

In a gruff, raspy intonation, Warlady Rideta Feyranti, of the Gaping Maw says, "Thank you for coming."

A seething rush of wind sweeps in through the entrance of the Cathedral, growing in intensity and 
fervor before the great doors are inexplicably swept shut and a fathomless silence takes hold.

Bringing her misshapen and blocky limbs before her and clasping her fingers together, Warlady Rideta 
Feyranti, of the Gaping Maw says, "As a member of the Clergy it's been rather disdainful that we haven't 
held a sermon in so many years. I cannot claim to be all-knowing, yet, but I can claim an affinity of 
knowledge for both The Devourer and our own Lady Enchantress."

Unclasping her fingers and waving her arms out before her in a grand gesture, Warlady Rideta Feyranti, 
of the Gaping Maw says, "It's safe to say that I'm largely guided by Their shared tenets. What follows 
will be a brief and truly cursory explanation of some of these lessons and how they affect you."

An elegant strand of indigo fog appears before Rideta, twining and writhing against itself in a complex 
dance before coalescing into a intricate glowing Censer. The figure glimmers brightly and changes shades 
to a white, metallic sheen. The tiniest spark of light within heaves and expands, quickly growing into a 
pronounced and ravenous flame of deep lavender. Rideta smiles.

In stark contrast to the diminuative item of refined beauty lies the stone walls beyond, which seem to 
come alive and animate in a sickly green display. Coarse tendrils of flesh and horror begin to flail 
about continously in the background behind Rideta . The movements are pronunced by soft sucking sounds 
and a grinding of teeth, echoing throughout the chamber in constant hunger.

Warlady Rideta Feyranti, of the Gaping Maw says, "At first glance these two share absolutely nothing in 
common. What does Lord Gorgulu have to do with Lady Drocilla? To the common fool, nothing whatsoever. 
One might see a voracious hunk of flesh that demands satiation as nothing more than that. A powerful 
Elder Goddess espousing beauty of form lies a far cry from such things as well."

Ulalah's nose gives a little wrinkle.

Eyes flashing brilliantly in the light, you say, "However."

Vyell tilts her head and listens intently.

You say, "We here gathered are no fools, and thus we seek enlightenment."

Ulalah leaves to the west.

Rideta thrusts her hands forward in an upward fashion as a cold mist wafts down from her body. The 
landscape beneath her shifts. The floor beneath her rises just so, creating a modest pulpit, and a 
pillar of twisting flesh some four feet tall grows before her and undulates wildly.

Rideta visibly grits her teeth and casts a wicked grin before making a cutting motion in the air. The 
disgusting swell of skin ruptures in countless locations and expels a horrific fluid that fills the room 
with a nauseating aroma.

The grotesque smell persists for just an instant, suddenly overtaken by an overwhelming draft of 
lavender. These sores begin to immediately scab over, causing the pillar to gradually slow in motion and 
violence until a hardened collumn of decay stands before her at last. Rideta leans forward, resting her 
form against the crude lectern.

Warlady Rideta Feyranti, of the Gaping Maw says, "Lord Gorgulu is a hunger, aye. A deep, unfulfilled 
longing to consume utterly everything. Most are aware of this facet to His being. How that desire 
translates into power, however, eludes many. Lord Gorgulu's insatiable need for more is the very 
definition of strength... of passion."

Bringing a curled fist down upon the thick lectern, Warlady Rideta Feyranti, of the Gaping Maw says, 
"Never being satisfied, always looking to the next item, the next task, the next meal. Hunger is the 
essence of ambition and hated foe to complacency. How can one rest, satisfied with life, if they are 
constantly hungry and eager for more? It's impossible!"

Her voice rising with every word, until she is nearly yelling, Warlady Rideta Feyranti, of the Gaping 
Maw says, "Ah, I've already given away the correlation haven't I? Passion! Our Lady Drocilla views 
passion as incredibly important to the Mortal Shards. One must have passion in all things. One must put 
their everything into any given task and display their need for perfection! One must become a slave to 
ambition and seek to do all they can to create, to change, to endow the world around them with glory!"

Rideta frowns as the ruddy calcifications about her mouth crack and fall away as she speaks and divulge 
the presence of perfect wine-colored lips, seemingly a cruel jape against the horror of the rest of her 
face.

A crazed gleam upon her features, she hammers brutally against the lecturn as she speaks, causing it 
to shudder, Warlady Rideta Feyranti, of the Gaping Maw says, "Passion, Ambition, Hunger, the very 
cornerstones of Change and Transformation! These vital tenets are the sole reason for the existence of 
our dear City. Would that Saverian the First did not heed this Hunger and pronounce himself Warlord. 
Would that he failed to abolish the House of Prophets, would that he sat flaccidly and never pronounced 
the glory of the Viscanti and uphold them above all others. Could you even imagine?"

Rideta pants softly, rivulets of rusty tinged sweat eeking out a path across her face. She leans forward 
just so, causing great clumps of hair to hide her features. After a moment she whips the obstruction of 
hair savagely and causes the hardened blocks encasing her mane to shatter amongst eachother, revealing 
more and more the image of pristine raven locks. She composes herself, smoothing the rumples and creases 
of her robe.

Rideta clears her throat.

Laughing softly, Warlady Rideta Feyranti, of the Gaping Maw says, "Do you hunger? I think you should."

With a sudden shift in tone as her coarse and raspy voice moves into a pristine, sultry tilt, Warlady 
Rideta Feyranti, of the Gaping Maw says, "But with this heedless desire for more comes our next lesson 
alike. Lord Gorgulu is also a symbol of caution, is He not? His great hunger nearly doomed us all many 
years ago, and would have brought ruin not only to this city but to all of existence."

Warlady Rideta Feyranti, of the Gaping Maw says, "In this we must recognize caution, control, and the 
wisdom gained through this recognition.It is not a true directive of our Lord, but an indirect one of 
equal importance and measure. Our desires, ever encompassing... but brought to heel and focused like 
deadly plague."

Rideta clenches her fists in her fervor, the action sending barely visible fractures coursing up her 
arms with an audible crack.

Her blackened tongue dancing against her teeth, enunciating each syllable in a lusty exhalation, Warlady 
Rideta Feyranti, of the Gaping Maw says, "Refinement."

With an amused expression, Warlady Rideta Feyranti, of the Gaping Maw says, "Our Lady's teaching of 
refinement is traditionally interpreted as transformation into elegance, and this is true. An urchin 
into a Lady of the Court, for instance. Rags to gowns. Leather to lace."

Warlady Rideta Feyranti, of the Gaping Maw says, "But, there are other paths. Refinement has so many 
more far-reaching connotations. Refinement of action, refinement of slaughter, refinement of technique. 
So long as it is driven to improvement, one can say that there has been a refinement, no?"

Rideta begins to quite literally become taller, larger, her form growing in length and proportion as her 
sermon continues. Great chunks of pusstone debris begin to fall from her limbs, revealing unnaturally 
perfect carmine flesh within. Her skin glows with a liquescent sheen that ripples across her semi-divine 
form and the faint sent of pepper drifts lazily through the room.

Continuing to speak in a low and steady tone, seemingly oblivious to this ongoing revelation of 
presence, Warlady Rideta Feyranti, of the Gaping Maw says, "Refinement, in this sense of wisdom through 
control, is therefore refinement of purpose. You feel the hunger and the need to improve roiling your 
guts, tumbling about like a boulder deep inside of your belly, this desire for greatness... but you must 
focus your energies!"

Shaking her head softly, Warlady Rideta Feyranti, of the Gaping Maw says, "You must recognize that this 
refinement is not simply in existence, but must be crafted through your own efforts and practices. One 
is not simply born refined, one must forge that path through strength of will and adherence to passion. 
One must have a goal, a dream, and pursue it relentlessly. Over time this dream is like to evolve as you 
do, and through it we find greater refinement of self."

Holding out her hands, Warlady Rideta Feyranti, of the Gaping Maw says, "Hunger leads to passion. 
Passion yields to Ambition! Ambition need be tempered with Wisdom to be Refined, and Refinement creates 
the Improved Self. The process is a cyclical one, ever repeating, because as hungerers we must always 
reach for more. Perhaps eternally so. Only the Lady might know when we pitiful shards have reached 
perfection, but we are graced with the knowledge that this transformation is meant to be a difficult 
one."

Rideta casually pulls a pair of long crimson needles from within the folds of her robe and sets to 
taming the long flow of inky hair atop her head, fashioning it carefully into an extravagant and looping 
bun, which she impales in place with the pins.

Chuckling, the sound like sweet honey, Warlady Rideta Feyranti, of the Gaping Maw says, "After all, from 
Adversity, Strength."

l rideta

She is a fiendish archlich master viscanti transformative demigoddess and looms over her surroundings 
with an uneasy combination of grace and intimidation, aided in part by her six and a half feet of 
height. Carmine skin, as smooth to the sight as velvet, seems to shine with a liquescent sheen that 
gives off faint traces of stolen light and carries the strong, harsh, and spicy aroma of cayenne 
pepper. Rich, inky hair has been gathered in a luxurious updo, the loose bun held in place by two 
needles. Accompanying the updo are two long loops of hair that begin at the nape of her neck and 
stretch down to the middle of her back. Gleaming with a fierce intelligence, her emerald eyes have 
been outlined with the barest hints of eye shadow and liner. Her nose ends in a faint upward curve, 
defining the bow of her upper lip, the flesh there painted in a deep wine only a shade or two darker 
than her skin. A glimpse of pearly teeth can be seen when she opens her mouth, her black tongue 
nearly constantly in threat of being shredded against her dangerously sharp canines. She carries 
herself with the grace of a lady of court, evident in the easy and fluid movements of her limbs. 
Despite this, there is no evidence of undue fat, her muscles defined in a fair display of 
athleticism that accentuates her feminine attributes. She is wearing elegant high-heeled shoes of 
metallic dawn hues, a flowing, shadowed set of hooded pitch-black robes and a bewitching censer 
smouldering with lavender flames. She walks with the truefavour of Drocilla.

Rideta gives a flick of her wrist, accentuated by the graceful movement of her arm, and the floating 
censer before her vanishes. Another deliberate motion and the sculpted walls behind her cease their 
motions and sounds as a fathomless silence takes hold of the Cathedral once again.

Rideta taps a manicured nail lightly upon the foul lecturn before her and it shifts in upon itself, 
turning a bright coppery color before fading into a sickly goop and vanishing through the floor.


Her chin high as she gazes imperiously across the room., Warlady Rideta Feyranti, of the Gaping Maw 
says, "Hunger. Passion. Wisdom. Refinement. Learn these lessons well, and grow to untold heights of 
power."

Warlady Rideta Feyranti, of the Gaping Maw smiles and says, "In the name of The Five and in the name of 
The Twelve, slaughter well."

(Magnagora): Thax says, "My truest favour to the soldier that brings me the weave of Neos."

Comments

  • EveriineEveriine Wise Old Swordsbird / Brontaur Indianapolis, IN, USA
    Everiine is a man, and is very manly. This MAN before you is so manly you might as well just gender bend right now, cause he's the manliest man that you ever did see. His manly shape has spurned many women and girlyer men to boughs of fainting. He stands before you in a manly manerific typical man-like outfit which is covered in his manly motto: "I am a man!"

    Daraius said: You gotta risk it for the biscuit.

    Pony power all the way, yo. The more Brontaurs the better.
  • Did you just become an anime girl in the middle of your ritual?



  • TremulaTremula Banished Quasiroyal
    Aesthetic <3
                          * * * WRACK AND ROLL AND DEATH AND PAIN * * *
                                         * * * LET'S FEEL THE FEAR OF DEATH AGAIN * * *
              * * * WE'LL KILL AND SLAUGHTER, EAT THE SLAIN * * *
      * * * IN RAVAGING WE'LL ENTERTAIN * * *

    Ixion tells you, "// I don't think anyone else had a clue, amazing form."
  • Ngl @Rideta, when I first heard you mention the topic being Gorgulu and Drocilla I immediately thought, "That girl's bound for Gorgulu's maw if that goes south", so came to watch. Pleasantly surprised! 

  • Pectus said:
    Did you just become an anime girl in the middle of your ritual?

    Um. Always been a magic girl. Obviously.




    Drocilla said:
    Ngl @Rideta, when I first heard you mention the topic being Gorgulu and Drocilla I immediately thought, "That girl's bound for Gorgulu's maw if that goes south", so came to watch. Pleasantly surprised! 
    I'm glad you liked it, but... you doubted me! Gasp! :open_mouth:
    (Magnagora): Thax says, "My truest favour to the soldier that brings me the weave of Neos."
  • Brb, rolling a Mag newb
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