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Long Live House Mavanix - Kylin - 06-28-2012
((Warning: Some blood and gore present. Two more posts to accompany this one by the end of the House Mavanix storyline scheduled to end around mid-July.))
Present day...
"I doubt there'€™s anything even worthwhile still here,"€ the gruff highlander stated with a slight grunt as he entered the abandoned Mavanix Mansion ruins. Two other men followed him inside, a roegadyn seawolf, and a lalafell plainsfolk. The mansion had no doubt seen better days since it was attacked moons ago, resulting in the death of the then patriarch Cartius. Since the attack, the family only used the mansion as a meeting place and nothing else. It had become a haven for thieves, most of the artwork and furniture having been stolen and likely sold on the black market.
"€œI'€™m sure we can find something useful," the lalafell thief said cheerfully as the group examined the damaged lobby. "€œOh! How about those paintings?"
The three glanced up at the several paintings mounted on the lobby walls. It was somewhat bizarre that they hadn'€™t been stolen yet. Each one was titled. The first was titled "€œThe Igniter."€ The second was labeled "€œThe Exalter."€ The third was named "The Inquisitor." The fourth, being the only female painting, was "€œThe Sybil." The fifth was titled "€œThe Guardian." Clearly, the paintings were those of the past house patriarchs and matriarch.
The roegadyn shuddered slightly. "They give m'€™ the creeps. Maybe that's why nobody has bothered tryin' to steal '€˜em yet."€Â
"Help lift me up so I can reach them," the highlander ordered the roegadyn. The accomplice moved over to his ally and helped lift him up. "€œA little higher..."
The lalafell watched quietly, crossing his arms as the two reached for the first painting. Something quickly caught his eye though and the small thief'€™s jaw dropped. Descending the stairs slowly was a faint blue apparition. Glancing up to one of the portraits labeled "The Inquisitor," the lalafell instantly realized that it was the same man depicted in that painting. His shaggy beard, haggard old face, and expensive warrior-like gear matched the painting perfectly. The small thief began to shake as the terror began to sink in.
"€œG-g-guys! It'€™s a g-g-gh..."
"Stop your bickering," the highlander yelled to the lalafell before losing his footing and falling, taking the roegadyn to the floor with him. "€œOof! Damn it!"
The ghostly figure continued to gradually approach the thieves, the lalafell shaking quite visibly now. The other two thieves glanced up, finally taking notice to the approaching figure and quickly rising to their feet. The highlander grunted faintly. "Hmph. What kind of trickery is this? Some kind of illusion to keep people out of the house? Well, I ain'€™t dumb enough to fall for it!"€Â
The buff highlander remained motionless at the approaching apparition, the roegadyn taking several steps back himself. The lalafell was already starting to very slowly creep in the direction of the mansion door. The highlander grinned confidently as the "ghost"€™ came face-to-face with him. "€œWhat are you two oafs scared of? It ain'€™t even real. It'€™s just some--"
The man's words were instantly cut off as the vengeful spirit skewered a sword through the highlander'€™s torso. His two cohorts gasped in shock, the spirit twisting the sword maliciously as a devilish smile crossed the ghostly old man'€™s lips. The highlander simply gurgled up some blood before collapsing to the floor as the phantom removed the bloodied ghost blade from him.
The lalafell quickly burst for the door, the roegadyn hurrying after him. The mansion doors instantly slammed shut just as the lalafell made it outside. The roegadyn wasn't fortunate enough to make it in time, locked inside the mansion. He pounded on the doors, pushing and pulling the handle to no end. He quickly turned around to notice the wickedly smiling ghost coming toward him. Without a second thought, the thief dashed away and up the stairs to the second floor, not even noticing the figures in the paintings slowly turning their heads to follow the man'€™s motions. He ended up in a large empty chamber, several dried up blood stains on the walls around him. Quickly, the roegadyn dashed into the west room, looking back to ensure the creature wasn'€™t gaining on him.
The new chamber, an assembly room of some sort, had a balcony on the far west side. The thief sighed in relief as he approached it. The door leading outside seemed jammed though. After a moment of panicked attempts to pry it open, the man noticed a window just to the left of the door. It was open. He wasted no time in starting to climb out of it. Then his world came to an abrupt stop. A sheering pain shot through him as he realized what had just happened. The glass window had come down on him with incredible force, chopping the man in two complete halves. His upper body fell onto the patio as his lower body remained inside the assembly room. His sight began to rapidly blur as death took hold, the last thing he saw being his own blood poured out around him and the tall, slender, red-haired woman wearing an elegant black dress, a devilish yet seductive smile on the ghostly matriarch's face.
Re: Long Live House Mavanix - Kylin - 07-06-2012
Approximately 50 years ago...
"Rochelle, clearly it's time for us to come clean. This is going too far now."€ Julius leveled a gaze at his dark-haired wife. "€œWe can't continue this sham any longer."
The well dressed noblewoman stared daggers at her husband. "€œHave you even met your mother, Julius? Veronica is extremely protective of her family, especially of you. You'€™ve only recently discovered what she'€™s done to some of your past lovers who didn't pass her judgment. Are you not at all concerned about what she'€™ll do to me if she finds out?"
Julius scoffed at his wife, running a hand through this blond hair momentarily. "€œI love you deeply. And I can handle my mother!"
"€œNo you can'€™t!"€ Rochelle was shouting at the top of her lungs now. "€œShe's Veronica Mavanix, damn it! Nobody in this family can 'handle'€™ her! She wants us to have another child immediately and she always gets what she wants. The pressure has been mounting more and more."
"So lying to her about being pregnant was your solution?"€ Julius gazed at his frantic wife in deep thought.
"€œTelling her I was incapable of having any more children would have /certainly/ gone over better. She is beyond ruthless, and she has the sheer power to back that quality up. It'€™s hard not to panic in her presence. But if she finds out I lied, do you know what she'€™ll do to me? The same thing she did to Gabrielle no doubt."
"If you wish to proceed with this plan, so be it," Julius said with a faint sigh. "But it will not be easy to fool my mother. We'€™ll need to go about this carefully and execute it flawlessly. So just follow my lead."€  The patriarch-to-be turned to the butler who was standing quietly in the corner the entire time. "Gerald, I need you to fetch some things without my mother's knowledge..."
-----------------------------------
Several months later...
Veronica gazed in deep thought at the portrait of Joachim Mavanix. Age had set in on the old woman, but she remained more lively than any other woman her age. Her red hair remained fiery and snake-like. She wore an elegant and tight, but not too revealing, yellow dress. A hyur servant entered the large chamber, draped in black leather that revealed his sinewy yet well-shaped body. "You wished to see me, M'€™lady?"
"Yes, Eldrav. Come in. I have a task for you. I have seen what Joachim once saw, and so much more. I know the enemy who intends to bring our family to ruin. And that is why we must strike first."€Â
"What will you have of me?"€Â
Veronica gazed at the portrait for another long moment before answering. "Several moons from now, a child will be born. You will ensure its demise."
Eldrav raised an eyebrow. "Anything for you, Madame. But...would it not be easier if I just killed the mother now?"
"Nay," Veronica stated matter-of-factly. "€œShe is a prominent noble so we must thus cover our tracks and make this as low profile as possible. Nobody would expect us to assassinate an infant, after all."
"Who is my target then, Madame?"
"The Felstar child. It must die once it enters this world. I'€™m counting on you. Do not fail me."
"€œWhen have I ever let you down, Madame? Consider the job done. The Felstar child will perish in a tragic accident and none will be the wiser."
Veronica smiled wickedly to the portrait of Joachim. "You see grandfather. I'€™ll handle everything. And even should I somehow fail, I have prepared a contingency plan..."€ The matriarch'€™s gaze shifted to another nearby portrait of Darian Mavanix. The man's lips in the portrait began to slowly curl up into a confident smile.
Re: Long Live House Mavanix - Kylin - 07-15-2012
((Longish post, mostly dialogue to wrap up everything for those who could not attend.))
Elza stared in sadness at the Mavanix Mansion ruins. She had never even really been inside beyond the foyer. She recalled being summoned to Ul’dah when Cartius revealed her as his heir to the house. The mansion had already been damaged then. Now, after the battle with Veronica and the other Mavanix leaders, it was completely destroyed. A manor with so much history was now nothing but history.
Footsteps coming from the other side of the courtyard startled Elza, though she quickly smiled upon realizing it must have been the mercenaries of Shimmersong, Everwatch, and Corvus Cinis returning from their mission safely. The matriarch turned to the approaching footsteps, her smile quickly fading as her expression turned to one of disbelief. "Father?!"
Cartius smiled at Elza warmly, his scarlet robe dancing ever so faintly in the gentle breeze. "Hello, Elza...my beautiful queen of the night."
"How...you were killed?" Elza couldn'€™t help but control the overwhelming emotion coming over her.
"€œMy death was staged,"€ Cartius said matter-of-factly. "€œI had to go under the radar in order to protect our family."
"€œOur family is dead!"€ Elza fought back tears as she tried to take in her father'€™s presence before her. "€œHow in the hell did you protect us?"
"Elza, our family is very much alive."€ Cartius took several steps forward, placing both hands gently on his daughter'€™s shoulders. "€œI am not a Mavanix, nor are you or Kylin. We belong to House Felstar, a family that has been tormented by the Mavanix clan for too long now."
"Felstar?"€ Elza gazed at her father in deep confusion. "€œHow does that...oh gods. You're Cardinal Felstar? Aren't you?!"€ The matriarch quickly shoved the man'€™s hands away from her and backed several feet up. "You'€™re behind all of this madness?!"
"€œI had to do whatever necessary to protect our family,"€ Cartius said with a deep frown. "Surely you understand. House Mavanix had to fall. You can'€™t begin to know the extent of the torture they bestowed upon our family. Ever since Anabelle and beyond, we have all suffered enough at their mercy. I was content to let slide the fact that they kidnapped me as an infant and passed me off as a Mavanix, but I could not forgive their killing of my beloved Sophia and nearly killing my son in the process. It was clear what I had to do when I uncovered these horrid truths."
"So you had them all killed?"€ Elza looked in horror at her father. "€œNina, Kalara, Balthazor, Ekidnah, Xaliel...And, oh my gosh. Those documents I found detailing Ivan'€™s atrocities beneath the academy?"
"I ensured that you '€˜stumbled'€™ across those documents, knowing that you'€™d threaten to shut Ivan down and he'€™d try to retaliate. And when he did retaliate, bringing in mercenaries helped bring the atrocities to the public eye and caused the Mavanix Academy to crumble. Just as I planned."
Elza continued to stare in utter shock at the man. "€œAnd Margarah?!"
Cartius smiled faintly as he recounted his manipulations. "€œAh, yes. One of my undercover men planted the idea of a fashion duel in Nina and Kalara'€™s minds. Had they won, they'€™d have broke Margarah away from House Mavanix and cause another blow before I killed them both and watched Margarah implode afterwards. But instead, they failed and were publicly humiliated before the same thing happened anyway. The end result of the competition meant little to me as it would all be the same, but the extra blow to Nina and Kalara'€™s egos was certainly entertaining before I finished them off. You choosing Everwatch as your representatives was quite a bold and risky move. I'€™m proud of you."
Elza held her hand up to her chest, trying to take in all of the horrors she was listening to. "€œThe Templars...Kiba...GIN."
"I sent Vertigo to kill Kiba, yes. And we ensured that the artifact was delivered to the goblins so that yet another of the house'€™s resources would crumble, further bringing the house closer to its demise. And yes, I was responsible for persuading the goblins to attack Balthazor's manor on that night of the family meeting. But worry not, my dear. I made it crystal clear to Juravis and GIN that you and Kylin were not to be harmed. Xaliel either, as I still had plans for him..."
"€œPlans...?"€ Elza could barely think any longer. The fact that someone could plot all of this so masterfully was shocking enough. The fact that someone would do it at all was shocking even more.
"Someone had to take the fall for it all,"€ Cartius stated with a faint smile. "€œI certainly wasn'€™t going to. Xaliel was set up to take the blame for all of this. Well, he and the mercenaries that you hired as well."
"What?!"€ Elza gasped as she realized that the mercenaries were set up all along.
"€œThat's right," Cartius continued. "€œShimmersong, Everwatch, and Corvus Cinis were too close to the truth. So I had to ensure that their credibility was destroyed and them taking the fall for everything was the best manner to do so. I'€™ve sent documents by courier to the Syndicate giving irrefutable evidence to their role in House Mavanix's destruction. Them being at the right place at the right time and being watched by a journalist certainly helps solidify the case against them. So they'€™ll be criminals by the morrow no doubt. But Elza, those documents also contain proof that you are not a Mavanix, and as such did not meet my will's requirements to take over in my stead."
"So the Syndicate will dissolve House Mavanix entirely,"€ Elza said with a glare at her father. "€œAnd I'€™ll be made to look like I was trying to use the house for its money and resources. All the while, the mercenaries will be on the run from Ul'€™dahn authorities for destroying the house."
"If Juravis hasn'€™t killed them by now, yes."€ Cartius walked toward Elza once more. "You must leave Ul'dah immediately. My plans are complete now and another of our family's enemies are no more. Come with me and your brother to Ishgard so that I can keep you safe. Ishgard is far more beautiful and rich in culture than this city anyway. Come with me, my dear daughter."
Elza glared at the man for a long moment before pounding her fists at him. The cardinal raised his arms to defend himself as the matriarch screamed at him with tears streaming down her cheeks. "€œYou bastard! You used me! You used Kylin! You manipulated everyone and murdered an entire family! Do you have any idea how much we cried?! Do you even care?!"
As she stopped her assault and took several steps back, Elza removed the black queen chess piece around her neck and threw it to the ground. Cartius frowned at the sight as he straightened himself back up. "€œYou and Kylin are what'€™s most important to me. I did this all to protect you from them. So that you would not have to deal with their lies, deceit, and backstabbing like every other generation of the Mavanix family has dealt with. I'm sorry that you were hurt so badly. But this will only make you stronger. As for the mercenaries, who cares what fate awaits them? They are nothing but insignificant worms next to people like us. Come with me to Ishgard, Elly. I need to protect you."€Â
"Go to hell," Elza stated with a cold stare before she turned her back on Cartius.
Cartius let out a deep sigh. "Very well. I will be waiting for you should you ever change your mind. In the meantime, you should leave the city before tomorrow. I do not want to see you receive the wrath of Ul'€™dahn authorities. I'€™ll be waiting for you in Ishgard. Until then, be well my queen of the night."€Â
Elza bit her lip quietly before finally turning around to scream some more at her father. He was gone though, just as quickly as he had arrived. The fallen matriarch turned back to the mansion rubble and gazed at it. House Mavanix was finished, all because of one man'€™s paranoia and tyranny. And anyone who had tried to help the once noble house was now in more danger than ever. Elza fell to her knees, a gentle breeze blowing into the manor courtyard the only sound aside from her quiet sobbing.