#arikos of caelid

[deathblightprince]

Once again, there is a knock on "Ordovis's" door within the Roundtable Hold, soon followed by the voice of a familiar ex-confessor and aspiring perfumer. "I've returned from my most recent excursion...and I have some very crucial clues. May I come in to discuss?"

@arikos-of-caelid

Arikos managed to catch Godwyn on time. He was about to leave the quarters, possibly the Roundtable Hold itself to go on his own excursions. It's mainly trips to the Deep Root Depths, but he would sometimes do excursions on the surface if weather and time permitted.

"Yes, come in." 'Ordovis' nods to him and he opens the door to let Arikos slip in.

Once he's in, Godwyn closes the door behind them and he takes his normal place to sit. Fia is noticeably absent this time. Perhaps she doing her own excursions within the Roundtable Hold or beyond?

He lowered his mask and hood to meet Arikos with his visage. It was a simple courtesy, but it was clear that Godywn was a bit nervous. He knows this wasn't the big reveal on who had orchestrated the dire plot, but everytime they would meet it loomed over him. The truth would soon be revealed, and every meeting meant it was getting closer, which meant a drastic change on Godwyn's life was getting closer as well.

"I'm glad thou hath made it back safely. I hath information for thee as well, but I shall let thee go first in thy findings."

[crybaby-tarnished]

A warm, somewhat spicy aroma arises from the kitchen corner of the Roundtable Hold. Upon further investigation, it appears to be one Arikos preparing some tea for himself, sighing deeply. However, he looks a bit more pale than he usually does, evidently resting himself after some ordeal... @arikos-of-caelid

Fyra had been lured by the smell of spice, though what kept her around was of course Arikos and how he seemed had to gone through something. A long night? Or many he went out and had trouble?

She slid in next to him, smiling up at him as she leaned in a little. "You want me to make you something? You look like you need more than tea.

[crybaby-tarnished]

arikos-of-caelid​:

And it was just the distraction Arikos needed to go to town. First, he raised the Golden Epitaph aloft, whispering the incantation while an unalloyed golden flash of the Haligtree’s crest seemed to extend an aura of strength over the both and keep the basilisks in a daze. He then quickly took up the Winged Scythe in both hands, crouching down in preparation to strike.

Find just the right angle to do as many of them in as you can, before they have the chance to return the favor. The blade arced upward as Arikos then leapt, leaving a trail of silver and spectral feathers, catching most of the basilisks in its path and leaving them badly wounded. Another swipe as he came down, finishing off most of them with a squelch and a blech of the horrid gas. He leapt back as the straggler pursued, gripping his sacred seal in his offhand and letting a blast of gold ring out. The last one slumped over lifeless. “…And that’s those buggers taken care of,” Arikos commented, waiting for the last of the deathly fumes to dissipate.

Fyra sank to her knees in the frankly disgusting water, but she didn’t care really. She took a few shaky breaths before rubbing her eyes. No! She was not going to break down crying. They were dead and gone... But there may be more... “Ugh...” She sniffed, then got up, her pants and everything else below her waste now wet.

“Thank you... Sorry I was not much help. Those scare me... Everything. How they look, what they do... Ugh.” She shook her head, the shook her legs, finishing her foraging for the glowing white flowers. “Hopefully that's all of them... I will try to not panic next time and try to coordinate with you..,” She finally took a swig of her cerulean tears, ready to cast more spells.

“Alright... Lets keep moving. Hopefully we are near the end.”

🕸

It HAD seemed like a relatively unassuming ruin, at least at first. A place where some texts of interest to the Hold's collection had been buried for far too long that in theory, two competent Tarnished could handle fairly easily. But it soon became clear exactly why they had been buried so long, given the layout of the surface and catacombs below had seemingly been deliberately constructed to confuse would-be intruders.

And so Arikos and Fyra stood in what would be an empty chamber, save for the corpses of some newly-dispatched imps. "Well...my sincerest apologies. I think it's safe to say I've gotten us lost. Any clues in the notes you brought, or...?"

[wol-kallix-sastrus]

Basic Rules/Info

-Independent Final Fantasy XIV Warrior of Light RP Blog

-Experienced in many RP formats for around ~15 years, Tumblr RP for a year or so at @arikos-of-caelid.

-Likes, follows, asks, etc. will come from main @zorialdiamond-blog.

-Muse and mun are both she/her and 21+.

-Semi-selective.

-Mostly in-universe, but open to interacting with others.

-Be warned, there may be unmarked spoilers current to patch 6.4 on here!

(Important: I don't do detailed sexually explicit content on here; mun is a repulsed ace who would Rather Not. However, there will more than likely be some Implied Spice.) (Muse Profile is currently a WIP)

Relevant Tags

[Face of a Wanderer] - Visual refs of Kallix of many sorts - whether my art, someone else's, game screenshots, and more [Duskwight's Diary] - Fanfic I've written related to Kallix. Informs how I play the character, though I consider her RP shenanigans to be a separate continuity unless otherwise stated.

[Adventurer in Action] - Dabbles and other RP specific writings. [Tavern Talk] - Miscellaneous in character chatter, ask answers and potential RP starters.

[Headcanons Ahoy] - exactly what it sounds like. Mun Zori rambles on or entertains others' headcanons both general and OC specific.

[slumbering-in-death]

@arikos-of-caelid

"Oh...This isn't my room. I apologize, miss Fia. But, since I'm here anyway, perhaps we could speak of something."

“What did you wish to speak of?”

She smiles patiently at the perfumer in her quarters.

[vaeltan-louxser]

Continued from here @arikos-of-caelid

---

There's something profound to be said about the usefulness of rope, Vaeltan thought.

In his experience, it was often overlooked, discarded, or left out of any reasonable wanderer’s packs in favor of other items.

He was among these rope-forgetters, embarrassingly enough.

Thankfully, the Redmanes stationed on Caelid tower hadn’t forgotten their ropes, tossing them down after Vaeltan had signaled them.

He held fast to a well-woven length of it with his right hand, his left hand - the one twisted by overuse of Communion incantations into a malformed claw - wrapped in two or three rounds of the same.

It wasn’t the easiest ascent thanks to the recent rain, but the rope was a blessing, especially when the rain began again.

He looked over to Arikos, several feet to the left and several more above, and called out over the wind;

“How’re you faring over there?”

[fearthecoldblood]

[arikos-of-caelid] Study...of the more weapon oriented variety?

“ Raise your arm a little higher. A beast’ll knock that weapon right out your hands if you don’t have the proper form. “ Gehrman redirected the apprentice towards a more appropriate position, eyes holding an uneasy dedication. He was utterly stoic when it came to matters of hunting; he had witnessed many a hunter torn apart by a beast’s claws and he wished to avoid it. There was a brief silence as he observed Arikos’ movements. “ That’s a lot better. Well done. “ Genuine praise was rare, not often handed out for those that succeeded in simple actions. However, he acknowledged the other hunter’s hesitance and wished to spur them on. “ Keep that up and you’ll be permitted to join the hunt. “

[deathblightprince]

(Continuation of last RP with @arikos-of-caelid)

As soon as Arikos released him onto Fia's bed, he could feel his body shutting down rapidly. His body was pulling itself towards the bed, and Fia's now reaching grasp made him want to melt into a puddle of the bed. He resisted the urge to just fall apart right there for just a little bit longer. Before Arikos left the room, he whispered "Thank you..." Before succumbing to the pull of the bed and Fia's embrace.

The next day would be more quiet. Business went on like usual in the hold. No one suspected a thing it seems. Although Godwyn had recovered from his panic attack, was still in a more anxious state than normal. The morning was hellish as his body screamed to stay in bed with Fia, and he was very tempted to listen. Hearing the gentle sound of the crackling fire, along with Fia's breathing tempted him to find peace within sleep again. But he knew that was not possible, he needed to get up and care for Fia, and care for himself somehow. So despite his bodies pleas, he got up and continued another day.

His body was making him pay, however... he was plagued with drowsiness. His hands are unable to stay completely still, either shaking when stationary or jittery when moving. He can't relax unless his back is towards a wall. He spoke with a constant edge to his voice, his sentences short and simple, but making more and more slip up with his old English.

He needed to find Arikos again, and soon. There was so much he need to talk about, but couldn't the last time they spoke. He had so many questions, and they now swarmed his mind until he could find answers. He would not know peace until he received answers.

[saxspielercaderface]

When the fires, when the fires are consuming you

And your sacred stars won't be guiding you

I've got blood, I've got blood on my name

A lil b-day gift for @zorialdiamond-blog, feat. her Very Good Tarnished lad, Arikos of Caelid (in the style of the Hanged Man tarot card because yes)

[crybaby-tarnished]

Gramophone @arikos-of-caelid

I thought for a bit and remembered the stuff he was doing just before he and fyra met and... yep.

[vaeltan-louxser]

@arikos-of-caelid

PERFUMER LAB PERFUMER LAB

In 2002, a flood in Prague caused some streets to collapse into a series of unknown underground tunnels. And just like that, a legit 16th cent. alchemist laboratory was discovered.

10 years of discovery, repair, and restoration later, it’s now open for tours.

On the outside, only a house was visible and it was used as a pharmacy in its time. Alchemists were notoriously secretive, so none but those on the inside knew about the tunnel system below where potions were made.

A room dedicated to herb storage. Many of the herbs in the potions came from China and India. The house was conveniently located by major trade routes.

Notice an alligator (or croc/caiman) above the left side. There were lots of stuffed animals, bottles, and books. Since few people in Europe had ever seen alligators/crocodiles, they were said to be the bodies of dragons, and were thought to guard the alchemists.

The alchemists were so secretive, they did everything themselves, down to making the glassware for their elixirs.

A stone in the wall that covered a hidden vault in the underground tunnels. Historians uncovered that it held a single bottle of ‘The Elixir of Life’ and the recipes for it, and the elixirs of love and memory.

This bookcase is an exact replica of the original, which was too damaged to restore. A statue on the right side (in the dark area on the third shelf from the top) is the door knob/switch to a secret sliding door.

Monks now recreate the elixirs exactly as detailed in the instructions and each of the elixirs (and blends!) are for sale in their shop. The only change is that the Elixir of Life does not contain opium as is instructed, since it’s now illegal.

http://asthecroweflies.co/

[zorialdiamond-blog]

Tarnished Arikos Lore (Part 1)!

Because My Boy has enough to warrant it at this point! The first part of many, hopefully.

[Alt Title: I Can't Believe a Couple Arbitrary Choices At Character Creation Led to This Tasty Backstory]

He starts orphaned on the doorstep of a church in Caelid (that has since been lost to the Scarlet Rot) under unknown circumstances. As a result, he was raised there and taught all the history and doctrines of the time. Eventually, he got his fingers read and his path was set: to train to become a Confessor.

While not having the slightest scholarly inclination either then or now and being something of a wet noodle, he possessed a great degree of personal charisma, street smarts, and psychological intuition. That, combined with his sense of loyalty from childhood, made him a brilliant, if borderline unstable infiltrator and assassin. He had a perfect, unbroken record of service until...

His biggest mission, which was infiltrating the conspiracy of the Black Knives. Not only were they a much trickier lot, he ended up forming a close connection with one Tiche (who winds up as something of a Platonic Soulmate) behind his mask. On the infamous Night proper, he ended up striking down one of Godwyn's retainers...

In the initial aftermath, hardly any of the other Knives are caught (if ingame events are any consideration). As such, after he is sentenced for murder and high treason, he winds up being extra-judicially killed by a member of the enraged public. This sets him on path to becoming a Tarnished instead of rotting in an Evergaol for all eternity.

When he finally awakes again at the Chapel of Anticipation, he hardly recalls anything about his major sin (mostly because he's actively repressed the hell out of it because Trauma). He's overjoyed to get a second chance, and easily falls right back into his old cloak-and-dagger rhythm. And it seems to be going well, right up until he attempts to sneak into Stormveil unseen and hits a hard wall in the form of one Margit the Fell...

To be continued...

In Part 2!

[fellomenking]

@arikos-of-caelid

"In my line of work, I've seen a lot of wretched souls hiding behind pretty faces. You are one of the few in which I've seen the opposite. The only one on the list I was given not worthy of death."

TELL MY MUSE SOMETHING THEY NEED TO HEAR.

The omen was tired...

To that, he only answered with a quiet huff.

[aberrantthornes]

IC WORD ASSOCIATION.

ROUGH - Leather HIDE - Shadows FOOLISH - Tarnished SAD - Melancholy HATE - Order LIGHT - Stars DARK - Night MOTHER FATHER CHILD MARRIAGE - Tradition LOVE - Passion SOFT - Cotton PET - Wolves DREAM - Sleepless DIVORCE - Loneliness WATER - Ice LOUD - Laughter ANNOUNCEMENT - School POWER - Heresy FIGHT - Invade WHITE - Stars SICK - Madness KISS - Desire HURT - Blood HAPPY - Silence

Tagged by: @lunarbrambles Thank you very much! Tagging: @castella-the-tarnished and @arikos-of-caelid Unless you've done this already.

[deathblightprince]

"They cannot be that sheltered." Godwyn replied. Now that the root was squeezed of it's essence, he found no use for it anymore. He cut the root from it's supply, allowing it to dry out.

"They encountered two sieges on their walls, along with an entire damn war. 'Tis not like they never seen a corpse before." Godwyn went to work on tending towards another root. His small garden of roots on the side of his castle was already growing long and "luscious" even though he had started it not that long ago. A brief silence fell upon them, allowing Godwyn a few moments to reflect on his words.

"Oh." The ball drops. Corpse?

He awkwardly looks back towards Arikos. Well he just looks silly now, doesn't he?

"Perhaps they hath not witnessed things more terrifying than death... Uh, no matter. Is there another topic we must discuss? Doth thou need anymore assistance on thy investigation?"

His hands clasped together to hide his nervous feelings towards the question. He could feel the investigation coming to a close for a while now. It was only a matter of time before he would learn the news that would shatter what's left of his old worldview.

"I feel like a damned monster." Godwyn said almost offhandly as he gingerly tended to a weeding deathroot from the outskirts of his new castle in the depths. It's briars sprouting and shedding right off, turning into corpseflies before he and Ariko's very eyes. Observing Godwyn's reaction, this is apparently normal.

"I cannot go anywhere around the Lands Between without people looking at me like I'm a walking corpse. I was reborn from mine highly deformed corpse, but people refuse to grasp that." He lightly twists the root in his hand, watching it as it oozed a dark fluid that emitted a foul gray mist. He takes a vial and collects the fluid.

"I peak up into Leyendell for a minute and a lady screams as she witnesses me. She must've believed she saw a damn ghost." He plugs up the vial with a cork before giving it to Arikos as requested.

"Mine apologies for the rambling. It's very quiet down here, I do not recieveth visitors often." He could feel Arikos might have big news for him, but he wasn't sure if he was ready for it or not.

@deathblightprince (thank you lol)

"...It pains me to hear that." A deep sigh. Arikos fidgets with his perfumer's knife, containing a deathroot mist, preserved for the worst of circumstances, perhaps as a subconscious mirror. He was indeed not ready to share the grim revelation yet. No, though it was inevitable, for now it would wait. "It's far from fair, but it's what they know. It does seem like most of the wisdom of the Golden Order was as superficial as the shining facades of the Royal Capital now, doesn't it? A means to heighten man's fear of what lies unknown, rather than giving them the boldness to face and understand it." Another deep breath.

"...Spoken from experience, of course. I 've been coming to grips with the grim fact that many of those past victims of my work were far from deserving, whatever I might have been told to believe from the ladies of the Fingers since my youth. By emphasizing things more viscerally horrifying without, it is much easier to conceal the horrors hidden within the world they crafted..."

[vaeltan-louxser]

[arikos-of-caelid] ✍️

(The following is written in somewhat legible handwriting)

Arikos,

Apologease apologies for the bad writing. I am learning to write better from Roderika and she says I have a long way to go. But she smiles and nods more often when she reads what I write for practice, so I can’t be doing that bad, write? right?

I haven’t heard from or seen you in a wile while. Are you well? You can’t be sick. I know you could make ten different aromatics to cure anything with in within less than a day if you were.

I hope you’re not dead for good or trapped anywhere.

If this letter reaches you, I’m spending time with Miriel at the Church of Vows for the time being, and I won’t be going back to the Hold if I can help it. These last two months since I managed to enter Leyndell have bean been strange scary painful not all bad strange, and I’m still healing from some bad injuries. Miriel said a lot of words I don’t want to even try and spell, but I think he meant that talking to people about what happened instead of holding it all inside would be good for me.

I get the sense that, if you’re still around, you could make good with something like that too these days. So, if you want to, stop by and visit for a chat? I promise to listen good well. Also, Miriel and I would be happy to see you again.

Your Frend Friend,

Vae