Page 1 of 1

The Necromantress Formerly Known as Ellasin

Posted: Sat Oct 06, 2018 4:05 pm
by Mads
Image
718 Vhalar 12...

“Come in.”

“You… asked to see me, Fiona O’Conner, the Cataclysmic Nightmare of Emea?”

“Fiona is fine, Mathias. Our Coven-given epithets are unnecessary. This is a safe space.”

“I still prefer you use it, if it is all the same to you.”

“Very well, Shield of Diamond Dawn.”

“Thank you. What is this about, if you do not mind me being direct? I was just starting into the third training module for the new Naxoses: ‘Proper Distribution of Eviscera and Various Other Internal and External Leavings’.”

“Do you find that training module necessary, Mathias? Do-”

“Shield of the Diamond Dawn.”

“-you think it’s an excessive bit of curriculum for the arcane leaders of the Coven’s future?”

“I… of course. How else will people be able to identify our very particular brand of bloody, gruesome, and needlessly violent executions of those who we arbitrarily deem an impetus to the glory of the Coven’s grand mastery over All Things Mundane and Magical™?”

“What if I told you that our brand image of being brutal arcane supremacists is, uh, detrimental in this day and age. What if I told you that Ellasin herself-”

“Ellasin Dathlande, Sera ba Randil, the Necromantress?”

“-Why do you people insist on doing that everytime I mention Ellasin’s name-”

“Ellasin Dathlande, Sera ba Randil, the Necromantress?”


“Yes. That. Her. She’s re-assigned me from vice chair of the Flaying corps to Head of Arcane-Human Relations in order to foster a new better brand image for a new modern Coven. No longer can we coast on the fear and brutality, Mathias-”

“Shield-”

“Can I meet you halfway? I’ll call you DD.”

“...That is not… I do not understand. Why now? Has something changed? I have no received any new or relevant information from my supervisors, and you yourself are well aware that the very first training module includes ‘Picking the Proper and Completely Relevant and Appropriate Moniker to Add to the End of Your Name as a Self-given Title’ right after ‘What Exactly Is Senseless Murder’.”

“And we will keep it per tradition. But we’re now looking at… softer words. Positive slogans. I’ve already picked out a few names for our next batch of Naxos’. Please take a look.”

“The Helper? Hope Bringer? Dawn of Charity? Gloved Mitten of Compassion? Touch of Love?”

“You sound… upset.”

“These are terrible names, for one. They have no presence, no sense of grandeur and- Friend? That is not even multi-syllabic!”

“It’s comes with a good message, DD, and a good message is what we need to finally bring the Coven out into the light!”

“Into the- what was wrong with the old message?”

“What isn’t? Name me one -one- good thing about the our current slogan.”

“‘Power Is Power’? What about that is not good? And ‘The Coven Is All’ very clearly supports not only camaraderie, but also very grandly suggests - and quite accurately, I might add - the execution exit clause in all employee contracts. They are both awe-inspiring and informative. Especially ‘Abolish the Hierarchies’; the seemingly counter-intuitive nature of that slogan in particular especially points to the absurdity in the general nature of life and why it should - no, must - be toppled.”

“Let’s pretend for a moment that everything you said did not just highlight the need to disband our Empathy Realignment Program-”

“There is no Empathy Realignment Program in Rynmere.”

“-Yes, of course. But the fact remains that mages of this modern seven hundredth century age have other outlets to pursue their talents. They have the Seekers, and the Acaba, and the Dumatos, and then there’s those daredevils who are into ‘just a prank’ employment opportunities enlistments in the Mantises, moving up to Hiladrith mage hunters after no more than a two arc progression scheme. Point is: the whole blood and death and bad bosses-”

“‘Revere the Necromantress’ is still the third, and very important, tenet, Fiona O’Connor, the Cataclysmic Nightmare of Emea.”

“Did I say bad bosses? I meant bad middle management. All hail Ellasin.”

“Ellasin Dathlande, Sera ba Randil-

“YES. HER. SHE’S SWELL-”

“She is, I agree.”

“POINT. IS. WE CAN’T COMPETE.”

“Then why not organize several units of season Naxosi under our very capable Sotrosei and eliminate the competition as we have always done?”

“Because 80% of them die before they complete the fourth -of twenty, I might add- Training Module.”

“That still leaves a sizable force, given the enlistment rates and-”

“And 60% of the survivors die during the initiations.”

“Well, not all of them undergo initiations. After all, as it says in the ‘New Naxos Namuel’: ‘You are not necessarily required to be mages, but you are required to be useful.’ I am certain there are at least… five or so of those around. Doing... something.”

“Yeah. Three of them go into the Flaying Chambers for processing.”

“Oh. I was wondering why my new wells were very distinctly Ithecal shaped.”

“That’s because I got a mandate from a Sae’A’Fei who will not be named coughvincentthemindrenderimmortalwhataprickcough that Ymiden EVIL theme of the month would be speciesism.”

“I do enjoy all the zaney themes they come up with for Eventful and Vile Integration of Loathing. What is the phrase…? ‘How fun’?”

“Do you not see a problem with all this?”

“From the incredulous look on your face, I feel as though I should respond with ‘yes’...”

“I… We’re EVIL. We’re capital letter ‘E’ EVIL. That’s not good. That is literally not good and it’s chasing our prospects away. I mean which Sae’A’Fei’s idea was it to dress up the orientation in the entrails of their infants?”

“Well, certainly not Talia the Night Sky. There are not many stars up there, if you get my meaning.”

“... I don’t.”

“...oh.”

“No, seriously, I don’t. What is that suppose to mean?”

“It- it was something I heard during that event. I assumed you would know what it meant, since you are… well... anyway. They did not even have the traditional ‘Rend the Flesh From Your Parent and/or Guardian’s Living Screaming Body’ at the end. Just a mixer. I do, at least, agree that that orientation was a complete letdown.”

“No.”

“I don’t think ‘that orientation was good’ is the opinion of any self-respecting Coven elite-”

“No, I mean… I’m not a gay mage. You just did that thing with your hands.”

“What thing?”

“That thing where you waggle your index fingers and bash them together and coil them around each other erotically. YOU’RE DOING IT RIGHT NOW.”

“I do not know what you are referring to. This is how my hands always are.”

“No, they were on your lap a bit ago. CAN YOU STOP DOING THAT.”

“Doing what? This?”

“GODS DA-”

“Or this?”

“YES. THAT. In the new modern Coven, this would go to Inhuman Resources straight away-”

“More reason for me not to endorse it, hm?”

“I don’t need your endorsement! This is a mandate from Ellasin-”

“Ellasin-”

“YES. HER. SHE WANTS THIS. OBEY.”

“Well, I do not see her here backing you in this. It is ‘Revere the Necromantress’, after all. Not ‘Obey Middlemanagement’.”

“That epithet is being changed and, with it, its tenet. From next season onwards, there will be no more Necromantress to revere.”

“...excuse me?”

“I did not stutter.”

“Yes, well, you will have to forgive my surprise at the mention of the removal of Ellasin Dathlande, Sera ba Randil, the Necromantress, the creator and leader of the Coven of Ellasin.”

“Why is that necessary every single time?”

“Why in the world do you think it is not?”

“Because my tongue is sore six syllables in! I’m not an empath!

“Clearly.”

“I can’t coast my way through life on useless charm and a fat mouth!”

“Well, at least you have… fat. I have heard it helps when life tosses you out like old refuse. Extra padding.”

“That comment has been noted-”

“Good, I am a bit behind on Mandatory Derogatives this month. I have been trying to get them in where I can.”

“-and disciplinary action will be executed when the new policies kick in next season. Any mention of the word ‘Necromantress’ will also be punished with a strict-”

“Please say beheading. I so love my taboos.”

Re: The Necromantress Formerly Known as Ellasin

Posted: Sat Oct 06, 2018 4:07 pm
by Zip
Image
“-fine of 50 nels.”

“This is outrageous. If I could legitimately feel upset, I assure you, I would be.”

“Your training modules will all have to be reevaluated as well.”

“Oh, absolutely not.”

“Serah says so. Yes, it’s Serah now. She wants us all to feel like a family.”

“That is absurd, who in the- Sarah? Who is Sarah?”

“The archmage formerly known as Ellasin-”

“You are telling me, Mathias Moreno, the Shield of Diamond Dawn, that Ellasin Dathlande, Sera ba Randil, the Necromantress, who has ruled over the Coven for literal centuries now wishes to be called ‘Sarah’?”

“No, Se-rah. It’s with an E. ‘Sarah’s are for the geriatric. Our new overlord? She’s reimagining her personal image to be with the in-crowd and the cool kids. You feel me?”

“Why be ‘cool’ when you can just slit their throats and raise them as pathetic thralls?”

“We call them Companions now.”

“Good gods.”

“Yes! Yes, now you’re getting it! We’re introducing a new Immortal induction program! The first session is next week. The champion of Famula herself is coming to speak at it.”

“You… is it Cylus already? Are we trying Raphael the Incubus’-”

“Ralph. Just Ralph. Rapheal was deemed… too aggressive. Too in your face. And his new official position is a sex therapist, no capitals and no more ominous titles.”


“Raphael the Incubus? I know you must be here somewhere! Come out of wherever you have hidden yourself away and let us - or, well, you - laugh about these entirely inappropriate shenanigans!”

“He’s in our reeducation session to adapt to this new vocation.”

“This… is not a ‘practical joke’?”

“Why would you think it is?”

“Well, first of all your hair-”

“Is fashionable and trendy.”

“Okay.”

“You better be. It’s a brave new world.”

“Well, it certainly sounds… different, at least. Who all have been notified of these… changes?”

“Who hasn’t? You’re the last one.”

“Damn. You told Jerry the Joyless Janitor before me?”

“He was more easily accessible. He is, after all, a mere janitor.”

“With three sparks.”

“He’s an overachieving underachiever.”

Now who sounds ridiculous?”

“Serah has approved that term. She’s trademarking it.”

“You are aware these changes effectively destroy everything the Coven of Ellasin was founded to do?”

“‘Destroy’ is a negative word. There are negative connotations to it.”

“Yes. I am acutely aware of this fact, which is why I very purposefully phrased it as such, Fiona O’Conner, the Cataclysmic Nightmare of Emea.”

“We would instead like this describe this revamp as an… evolution of the Coven’s goals. And please, my new title is just Public Uffairs Relations Guru Entrepreneur Senior Vice President Manager.”

“You are ‘fixing’ what is not broken, Miss Public Uffairs Relations Guru Entrepreneur Senior Vice President Manager.”

“I am fixing what is- WHAT HAS THIS ENTIRE SESSION BEEN FOR?”

You asked me here. How in the world would I know the answer to that.”

“This session was meant to acclimatize you to the restructuring of the Coven.”

“Well, you did a perfectly shoddy job at that, did you not?”

“This - look I have the Black resumes here. Let’s… let’s just got through them for a moment, okay?”

“Are you telling me inter-coven promotions are now under my jurisdiction?”

“NO. I’M TELLING YOU EVERYTHING WRONG WITH WHAT WE ARE DOING ARE IN THE WORDS ON THESE PAPERS.”

“Oh. No need to get so emotional. It seems transmuters really are too volatile to be put into positions of leadership after all.”

“And abrogators are too thick in their shields to listen.”

“I have been listening just fine, thank you. Now, you were saying something about ‘worms on cheese tapirs’...?”

“I… Let’s start with the easy one, okay? Vincent.”

“Vincent the Mindrender, Ellasin’s Fifth?”

“Just Vincent now. And we have finally accomplished the old tenet: abolishing all hierarchies-”

“Abolish the Hierarchies.”

“- at least within our Coven walls. There will no more first, second, third, fourths, and fifths. Equality now.”

“Equ- What is wrong with our current standard of equality? Slay everyone who disagrees and paint the streets with their blood? Or, in Vincent the Mindrender’s case, their brains?”

“.. My point is his interview transcripts are appaling. To the question of ‘what would you say if you were locked in a room with a tiny child’, he responded in what the transcriber has described as an overly creepy tone and said ‘Yield to me, your lifeline; ether, the thing I seek.’ He was hired on the spot.”

“Naturally. He is a very strong interviewee.”

“Only in the sense that he easily overpowered the interviewer and feasted on his entrails while the transcriber hid behind a shield.”

“Is that… not what a ‘strong interviewee’ is to you?”
“NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.”

“Oh. I see.”

“YOU DON’T. THAT’S THE PROBLEM. TALIA-”

“The Night Sky?”

“ - MADE A HYBRIDIZED TRANSMUTATION/DUSTFORGE CREATION OUT OF THE BLOOD OF A THOUSAND ORPHANS! NEITHER DISCIPLINE EVEN WORKS LIKE THAT! IT WAS A MEANINGLESS GESTURE TO PLACE A GLOOMY SPOT ON A GLOOMIER RESUME. EFFREN-”

“The Fist-?”

“NO, YOUR MUM.”

“My mother was hired here?”

“THEY’RE ALL MONSTERS AND THEY’RE ALL WILLING TO CHANGE. WHY NOT YOU?”

“Should I call on her to congratulate her or…?”

“ON YOUR… on your own time.”

“Oh. That seems reasonable.”

“Your mother likes these changes too.”

“Well, that hardly surprises me. She has terrible taste.”

“And a sensible mind.”

“If you call hallucinations and incessant repetent self bloodletting sensible, I can see where you might think that.”

“Look, I’m done. This session is over. You either get with a program or face the dire consequences.”

“...of fifty nels?”

“Oh no, this is much, much worse. You do not want to find out what we have in store for dissenters like yourself.”
“Perhaps it would motivate me.”

“Very well then: a generous severance package and and a free course to realign you to another magical vocation you may pursue in the future.”

“A very whelmining proposition.”

“And yet a very real threat.”

“We seem to have a shared vocabulary of very, very different definitions, Miss Public Uffairs Relations Guru Entrepreneur Senior Vice President Manager.”

“... Okay I’ll level with you.”

“Okay.”

“We’re not doing this out of the goodness of our own heart-”

“That is a relief.”

“-or because it’s the way to thrive. This goes change goes right to the heart of the organisation itself.”

“Which is?”

“I… this does not leave the room.”

“It will remain as stationary as Karen the Great Gelatinous Mass of Gore.”

“Just Karen. She’s a masseuse now.”

“Well? What is it?”

“There was an… infection awhile back that hit the coast of Ne’hear, near one of our strongholds. It was an etheric disease. A metaphysical disease that overwrote your concept and transmitted an idea into you and it spread like wildfire. The disease was a compulsion to call Ellasin-”

“El-”

“LISTEN. It overwrote every mention of the word ‘necromantress’ into ‘necromattress’ and inserted an image of a very dead, very mouldy couch. This entire restructuring? This whole rebranding process? This new and improved Coven? It’s all a sham to hide a name change so Serah can walk out in the light of day unembarrassed.”

“...damn.”

“Yeah. Three cheers for Serah.”

“Well that explains why Eyhav’abah Nhehm the Terror of Thorns and Other Shrub-based Goodies stopped returning my texts - and by texts, I of course am referring to the comprehensive collection of last arc’s training manuals.”

“Of course. What else would it refer to?”

“That is a very good question. For a moment, I was worried you might confuse what is very clearly a noun for a verb and treat it thusly. Though what ‘texting’ might even refer to… it sounds entirely lucidious just saying it outloud. I apologize.”

“I see. Are we finished?”

“I suppose so. This ‘restructure’, absurd as it is, most definitely donalds the alternative. What are we going to do with all the blood vats down in the Gore Core?”

“I dunno. Dump it in a soup kitchen.”

“Well, at least that sounds marginally more Coven-like.”
Image

Re: The Necromantress Formerly Known as Ellasin

Posted: Mon Oct 08, 2018 2:42 am
by Neronin
Name | Mads
Requested Rewards | N/a
Loot | N/a
Injuries/Overstepping | N/a
Renown | N/a
Points | 15

Name | Zipper
Requested Rewards | N/a
Loot | N/a
Injuries/Overstepping | N/a
Renown | N/a
Points |15

Comments | I chuckled at most of this, and shook my head. Ralph the sex therapist. Yea, I don’t know what you guys were going for here apart from getting a chuckle out of me but I liked it!