#devolved rahab

Rahab stared at the deep brown pelt around a jade-blue cloak resting in a wardrobe resting in his…in Maybelle’s personal study that he renovated for her in the mid-times of their once blissful time. He didn’t want her exhausting herself, traveling from the palace of Nachtholm and to the depths of the Termogant Forest, the domain of her father and the few remnants of his protegy. 

In the darkest depths of his blackened heart, the Fourth Son of Kain felt something he fought against for many decades; the venomous ire of a slithering betrayal. Was it really? Was it betrayal or a unseen woe that the wolfess refused to voice until it was too late? It was questions that haunted Rahab, even as he writhed in rage and agony of losing something so precious and irreplaceable to him. What should have been nothing for a Son of Kain was something only a mortal would howl over. Or so he thought? Then again, he was young and foolish. The visage of humanity still clung to his immortal bones. Now…Rahab had ascended beyond the lying talons of love. Nothing but a distraction. A long, ugly, time-wasting distraction that held no merits but to harm.

Ripping himself from his memories so harshly buried, the great leviathan found himself shaking in a tempest of emotion. His taloned hands tight around the pelt and something rolling on his oiled scales. A blink and a dark bead fell onto the once immaculate fur. The vampyre lord recoiled his head. “What is this?” 

A hand reached and touched where the dark liquid fell. Talons to fingers and when he looked again, the black blood clung like oil. Is he crying? Weakness…

Why, even after these centuries, did she still affect him so? What made her so damnable special!? You know why, you just refuse to acknowledge it for the truth.  Rahab looked down at the pelt, staring for what felt like hours before slowly lifting it to his snout. Inhaling lungs’ full. Lotus. Bestial Aroma. Alchemical hints. Old sanguine. Lick of deep forest. Womanly dash of perfume. Him. It still smelled of Her. Her unmistakable cocktail. It flowed into his mind and body. His mind saw memories that only made his chest ache like a barbed spear and eyes sting of allowed tears. He saw her. He saw his Queen with her beautiful smile, her precious scarred nose and golden mischevious eyes. 

Why?

Why, Sweet Moon…?

All he ever wanted was to be hers and his to adore forevermore.

Was he not enough…or was he just not enough?

Pulling away with a breath he never needed, Rahab kept his eyes closed and just shook his head mournfully. “Oh Mae…” He said, haunted with the memory of those furious ravens taking defiant flight to the east scant fresh until Razielim pyres some time later, never be truly seen again since. Only whispers and shadowed sightings.

 Like an ancient relic, Rahab put the cloak back into the wardrobe and sealed it back where he found it. His palm resting. His chest once more reminded just how empty and lonesome it was. There was constant consorts after her but none could have his heart like she did. She took it with her. 

The Serpent King turned and walked away, leaving his wife’s study as he found it. Bountiful and touched by her last visit ages ago, memoirs of their love and time. He gave one last look and closed it, locked by a wave of protection magic. None but they could enter this place…and perhaps none will after.

“Keep safe, my love.” 

The reason for the Abbey being abandoned was due to a rapid build up of water in the Lake of Tears and with the Abbey being in a flood zone due to it being built lower to the ground in a cave like area, it created issues such as constant water coming through and damage being done to the Abbey over time. For Humans it was a death situation as many could not swim properly, alongside various health issues and the humans were forced to flee.

When Rahab was given the land, most of the floor was either overflowing with water from the Lake and its rivers that attached to it, or completely damaged by water with various waterfalls cascading over certain areas and flooding through certain rooms. Rahab eventually constructed the place to be better built and able to withstand years of water damage, however due to the need to become immune to water and its lingering possibilities of floods, Rahab constructed rooms to be used as flood rooms and others as pools or a collective area of water that ran into the lake itself. This would later on enhance himself and his brood to be able to feed on humans while also submerge in water until they became immune.

There is always a constant flow of water from the ground and the sky as its always raining in this area. It became hard for humans to penetrate the abbey and its vampire lord due to these wet environments making knights and other soldiers unable to keep stable footing while engaged in combat. It also gave Rahab piece of mind knowing his other brothers were unable to visit the Abbey and therefore limited the risk of an attack, inside or out.

Overtime the Abbey was highly decorated, the inside with fine gold plating and gems in the walls to represents Rahabs taste in wealth and richness while showing his supremacy over others. His personal chambers where at the center of the Abbey. The chambers themselves had arches and a large bed of water that ran around the outside of the stone floor as it was a ‘vampire’ made water feature of sorts. Thus allowed Rahab a dry and perfectly clean bed and room where he would also have a personal feed bag room nearby. Water would pour from above the arches and into the flowing river, this gave a waterfall like appearance and gave Rahab a sense of privacy and protection from any light that might possibly come through. There were also various secret tunnels and passages built into the abbey, some of these had been deliberately flooded again to make it impossible for enemies of both kinds to be able to attack Rahab or his brood.

Rahabim also built outside the Abbey area to create small cave like houses that would be used to protect them in case any sun came through. It also worked out well for ambushes too.

When the Civil war Started, it was hinted that Turelim had attempted to seize the Abbey due to the various glyph’s of Turel being in number outside the Abbey area. Although still being affected by water, it limited how much they could take over.

It was at this point Rahab had come up with the idea to begin flooding certain areas that would push back Turel and his forces as a Brotherly rivalry started and the two would eventually engage in a battle for lands, to which Rahab won easily but did not carry on his vendetta to overtake Turel of his status as Emperor. The proof in this is throughout the Abbey there are various glyphs of Turel on the outside and inside as well as Turelim being found around the Abbey area.

Rahab flooded most of the abbey by this point and let it remain as such making it impossible by this point for anyone to penetrate his stronghold and enable his brood to become stronger and much more protected.