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Post by Mozenrath on Nov 8, 2019 4:52:12 GMT
"I WILL NEVER BE A DISAPPOINTMENT AGAIN."
He was surprised to hear the words come out of his own mouth. Did he truly care that much about the opinion of a man long dead? No, Destane was behind him. He'd seen to that. And it wasn't as if Destane mattered, anyway. All he ever was...was a chain that had held Mozenrath back from his true potential.
Though it was true that he didn't intend to be a disappointment. So maybe it was as simple as that.
Putting up his hands to signify calming himself, he said in a more deliberately even tone, "What's the first step toward the rise of the Cauldron-Born?"
The sooner he could get to work, the sooner he could stop...stewing.
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Post by The Horned King on Nov 8, 2019 5:46:11 GMT
Though he did not express it, for once, genuine surprise overtook the Horned King. Mozenrath had been in control of negotiations and was able to hold his ground in front of the king's frightful apperance, but it was the possibility of being seen as a failure in front of the Five's eyes that riled the young sorcerer up?
Ah... the irritable scars of the past. They loom over the boy. That could be useful later.
For now, however, it was important to... cooperate. "As obvious as it might sound, retrieving the Black Cauldron. Without it, there is little we can do... lest we ask Hades himself to delve into the Underworld to retrieve souls... but I believe that would not benefit anyone."
The lich paced some - he'd rather not mention how the cauldron was the one to end him in the first place, lest he earn a scathing comment from the boy. "In preparation for when I would first seize the cauldron, I had amassed an innumerable amount of bodies to act as my army. Soldiers collected from wars and battlefields long passed... it would probably do us some good to find some... volunteers, as well as a conduit for the initial summoning."
Though "sacrifice" was more akin to what he was going for, the undead warlock would be foolish to think for even a moment that anyone other than he would allow another member of this assemblage to be lost to the fires of the cauldron to bring forth the Cauldron-Born.
Duck stew didn't sound like something that would raise a glorious army of the undead, anyway.
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Post by Mozenrath on Nov 8, 2019 6:51:01 GMT
"Sooooooo you need one of us to step up and be the sacrifice," Mozenrath guessed. "...Might I suggest King Candy? Two birds, one stone."
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Post by The Horned King on Nov 8, 2019 14:53:49 GMT
Well. This was one instance where the king was fine with being wrong.
"Oh... but our dear diminutive monarch makes such a wonderful court jester," the Horned King could not help but allow a dark chuckle. "I simply could not deprive our forces of such... merriment..."
Even the king was losing steam with whatever notion of sarcastic jest he was playing. Candy's only notable factor was the fact that he was the first person he conversed with when arriving at the castle. Even the... Cy-Bug form, as he put it, was only so impressive.
"The cauldron is not picky in what it shall devour, so... it is a possibility. Far be it from me to weep for Candy's departure... though we risk Maleficent's ire from taking something belonging to her."
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Post by Mozenrath on Nov 8, 2019 19:57:23 GMT
"True, true..." Mozenrath put his hand to his chin pensively. "Maybe I'm just overeager to get him out of sight, out of mind, and OUT OF MY HAIR. I'll keep thinking. After all, I haven't met everyone here just yet. Odds are, someone's going to grate my nerves, and there could potentially be someone SO annoying that no one in the Five would miss them if they went away...but we can cross that bridge when we come to it."
Not Davy, he half wanted to say. And not Varian.
But, having no actual practical reason for not wanting them sacrificed, only what appeared to be an intrusive thought that was highly out of character, he kept silent.
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Post by The Horned King on Nov 8, 2019 20:53:17 GMT
The Horned King decided not to pursue Mozenrath's reasoning behind his desire to be rid of Candy - it did not take much to assume what the former king of Sugar Rush could do to annoy the others. The lich had only been so pleasant back in the dungeons to gather information and see if he could be used as a pawn for later. It did not bare as much fruit as he had anticipated, but he had no one else to blame but himself to believe someone named "King Candy" would be a reliable source of intel.
"It is not imperative a sacrifice be one of us. An evil soul is a powerful conductor, but we have been shown that there is an entire bevy of worlds to pick and choose an unlucky candidate from," the Horned King continued. "There's also the matter of the bodies to be gathered as the first portion of the legion of Cauldron-Born, as well as where the cauldron will be stored. The laboratory held a substantial space that could have housed it, but that room belongs to young Varian. I surmise the dungeons would make a fine resting spot for it, but do share if you have seen other locals here worthy of holding such an instrumental item of conquest."
Upon mentioning the dungeons, the lich was reminded of his theory from before: that there was someone or something already housed down in the depths of the castle. Someone, he believed, Maleficent was keeping away from prying eyes. Was that worth mentioning to Mozenrath? There was always the risk of being ratted out by the sorcerer to their superiors for knowing to much, or simply being wrong and appearing unreliably foolish for chasing after nothing.
The Horned King decided he would wait, as he always done.
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Post by Mozenrath on Nov 8, 2019 22:35:33 GMT
"Ohoho, NOW you're speaking my language!" Mozenrath cried enthusiastically. "See, back home, I was far from the only tyrant on the block. Now, some of the others would be...risky to mess with, such as Mirage or Ayam Aghoul. Not impossible, but risky. On the other hand, the thievery circuit has no shortage of black-hearted buffoons. And if I can get Abis Mal or Amin Damoola off the board back home, well, that's less competition on my field. The Five don't care; everyone wins!" This with a dramatic raise of both outstretched arms.
"As for Cauldron storage...I haven't managed to explore the bulk of the castle yet, but I did happen to pass through an ammunition storage hangar earlier. It might work...if you don't mind sharing space with a trigger-happy bird-man and all the crates of less-magical fare he's attempting to call dibs on."
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Post by The Horned King on Nov 9, 2019 1:08:40 GMT
"....Ayam... Aghoul..." The one name alone made the Horned King wish to speed up his expedition for the cauldron, simply so he can venture to Mozenrath's own world and eradicate the being who was assuredly ruining the reputation of the undead in that realm himself.
The king shook his head, though it did little to forget the insult to literature and reanimated-kind alike. "Certainly any blackened soul will be enough to power the cauldron, though I believe the stronger the individual, the more powerful the cauldron's magic is. Of course... what's the saying, as it goes... the more the merrier? Why stop at just one?"
However, the chuckle that would have punctuated the line died upon remembering Negaduck's presence, replaced instead with a scowl. "I'd much rather not have the mystic and all-powerful Black Cauldron, an ancient and dark crucible of grand evil, near the proximity of that loud mouthed fowl and any lesser beings or objects. No... it requires a proper chamber... perhaps a more accommodating room lays further within the confines of the castle's walls."
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Post by Mozenrath on Nov 9, 2019 1:24:15 GMT
"'Why stop at just one' is my life manifesto!" Mozenrath cried.
Okay, now he finally liked this man.
"Well, so far, the only other places I've been are..." He recounted it. "The library archive? Unfitting, if you ask me. The courtyard? Too out in the open. Sykes' office - no. Just...no. Don't even try the topmost tower; they will kill you. Just trust me. And then here, which is a BIG no. So if there's a better place, we have to go on a little scavenger hunt."
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Post by The Horned King on Nov 9, 2019 16:41:45 GMT
"I had personally thought the dungeons of the castle would be a perfect labyrinth to conceal the cauldron, as well as allow new... recruits to easily join the ranks," here, the king let forth a dark chuckle. "Perhaps, however, should Maleficent need its power, a more accessible location would be preferable."
The Horned King looked up, his gaze rising and rising with the tallest structure of the castle: the Topmost Tower. If Mozenrath's warning was anything to go by, that was surely a meeting place for the Five and the Five alone.
"What a... scenic view they must have," the lich grumbled, thinking of the future - his throne was meant to be up there, overlooking his conquered masses and vast army, not among the common rabble. It annoyed him, but there was nothing that could be done lest he should earn their scorn and fury.
"Perhaps an extended tour is necessary as you say, Mozenrath," the Horned King replied, his eyes leaving the tower and back onto the castle proper.
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Post by Mozenrath on Nov 9, 2019 19:23:04 GMT
"Well, then." Mozenrath gestured to the castle. "Shall we get started?"
[OOC: I don't really have a good idea of where I want to go or what location I want to make - do you have any particular thoughts that would serve the storyline HK is going for?]
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Post by The Horned King on Nov 9, 2019 20:55:02 GMT
"Let's, then." The Horned King replied, quite ready to end his prolonged stay in the gardens.
[OOC: I didn't have a specific room in mind at the moment for HK to just overhaul, so I would probably make an "The Empty Chamber" thread that would be later renamed "The Black Cauldron's Resting Chamber" after we do the Venture. I did, however, have a few quick additions to the king that I was meaning to mention in the OOC Planning Thread, like having him research a few spells I'd want him to use from tomes in The Archive, or even finding a sword to enchant in The Storage or a newly added The Armory. I know Ratigan and Varian are hanging in the Archive, hoping to see Moz soon regarding Ratigan's height, so we could make a pit-stop there if we wanted, otherwise I will make the new thread and go from there.]
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Post by Mozenrath on Nov 10, 2019 3:49:54 GMT
[OOC: Let's pass through the Archive, then - I know Gord wanted Ratigan to talk to Moz again!]
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Post by The Horned King on Nov 10, 2019 15:01:37 GMT
[OOC: Then I shall take us there! HK and Moz heading for the Archive!]
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Post by Mozenrath on Nov 10, 2019 20:17:18 GMT
[OOC: I hope you don't mind that I entered - the setup was PERFECT]
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