crown5

gestures for his two guests to sit down. The scholar offers them a curt nod before returning with an ornate circlet.

He places it down onto the table for both of them to observe.

"This, Aesperus, is a temporary fix. Something to restore my appearance to what it once was until I have completed the catalyst that will do the one thing not even the Lich himself could do." He smirks.

"Perfect necromancy." He clears his throat, shamelessly.

"But that, is either here nor there! This circlet has been designed to make me look normal again. So that I may face my children without giving them nightmares. So that I may look my wife in the eye without feeling ashamed of what I am."

He sits on the side of the table, picking it up and moving it around. He shows the two the ornate runes carved into the inside and outside of the orchilacum circlet. Itwas lacquered in a velvet shade of ebony. The contraption was quite beautiful, really.

"In order to stabilize these runes and ensure that it works with maximum efficiency, to ensure that I look, feel and sound completely indistinguishable from a normal human? I need you to empower these runes, Aesperus."

Then he looks towards Effigy.

"But before we do that? I need you to lace the runic carvings with your blood. Your unique biology will enable an unparalleled degree of potency, that when combined with the empowerment to follow will work wonders."

"I hadn't thought of the idea originally, but since you offered-- I'm willing to accept your help with open arms."
(Adrian Montbell)

Aesperus would take a step back for Effigy to work his magic. Literally.
(Aesperus Entreri)

Effigy asks, "Huh. Well, yeah, no sweat, probably, uh- How much blood?"

Adrian Montbell says, "Not much. Just enough to cover the enterity of the runic carvings. Which, given the dimensions of the circlet itself.. "

Effigy says, "Right. Well. Here goes."

Adrian Montbell says, "Around.. 18 fluid ounces, Effigy."

There's a brief delay as the Mimic reaches into a pocket. It takes only a few moments before a small, rather pathetic looking blade is removed, clearly used for anything but actual fighting.

"Yeah, I don't know how much that is." There's a smirk that forms on Effigy's lips. "So just tell me when to stop, I guess.."

He'd move himself around so that he could actually face the circlet, eyes wandering over it curiously. The blade is hefted upwards, towards a finger, before it slowly slices through.. What isn't quite flesh. It parts ways, actually opening without the knife wounding him, as if it were simply parting water.

A steady hand would maneuver about the circlet, taking care not to completely cover the thing, but drip enough to get a proper covering. It's black, and when it hits the circlet it hisses, and when it misses and hits the table it practically sears small droplets into the table.

Acid blood. Of course.

It's black and barely moving, like one would expect tar to come from a container, though it's quick enough that they're not sitting there for long.

Fuckin' weird ass mimics. How did they even work?
(Effigy)

Adrian kept a careful eye on the amount of 'blood' being procured from Effigy's self-inflicted wound. It was strange. He had read about mimics countless times before, but never had he had the luxury of seeing one right in front of him.

It was almost enlightening, really.

The scholar's gaze was fixed to the mimic for one moment, and to the circlet the next. Once it encompasses all of the runic carvings, Adrian holds a hand forwards.

"Good, good. That should suffice. Thank you, Effigy. I will return the favor as soon as I am able to, I assure you." He offers him a scarred smile, nodding. The scholar quickly turns towards Aesperus.

"Alright. You're up."
(Adrian Montbell)

This was interesting. Aesperus understood how it worked, he'd wear the circlet and be 'returned' to his usual state. Though, no one but a certain few would realize just what he really was. A very crispy dead man.

"How long will this fix work?"

The woman piped up as Effigy was beginning to apply his blood to the circlet. It was something that she had the pleasure of watching, of witnessing. It wasn't every day that you saw a mimic's blood, after all.

As Effigy finished his part, the woman's hand came to hold just above the circlet. She wasn't touching it, but she got extremely close. Her right eye twitched and she'd start to slowly apply illusion magics to the circlet.

She wasn't a runewriter in the slightest, but she knew how to apply her magics to inanimate objects. She had done so for many masterwork armors and swords beforehand, with the help of a couple of others of course.

As the runewriting began to glow a supple blue, the woman would retract her hand and look towards Adrian. She didn't know if it was enough, so she was waiting for his signal.
(Aesperus Entreri)

"For as long as I need it to, Aesperus. Until the catalyst for the perfected variation of spire shard necromancy is completed-- and then some." He smiles. The scholar was clearly very confident in the work that he, Dylerun, Drew and now Aesperus and Effigy had put into the circlet.

He watched as the woman expelled her magic into the ornate runes that were now laced with mimic blood. He kept a careful eye on the circlet, watching as her mana poured into it. Not too much, not too little. It had to be the perfect amount.

"Good, Aesperus. Very good. That will do nicely." He holds a hand up after observing that her illusion empowerment had been applied proportionately. He smiled.

The scholar looked down at the contraption after the final steps had been put in place. It was finished. The next time he'd see his fiancé, she'd see him how he once was.

Whole.

Adrian offered a firm hand shake to Aesperus and Effigy.

"My sentiments cannot be properly articulated with words, you two. You do not know how much this means to me. Thanks to your assistance, I'll be able to be the father I was meant to be. To be the husband I was meant to be. Thank you, truly."
(Adrian Montbell)