Doctor Dalidande Mench

[whyemmdee]

The doctor is out! I had a blast playing her, but all those apples finally caught up to her.

Dalidande Mench was my first real EFU pc ever. I'd played in previous chapters, but never for very long nor with any sort of investment, but I'm a sucker for custom settings and I may be one of the only living people past the age of 25 on this planet who actually enjoyed the Mazerunner movies, so EFU5 really did a number on me. I was hooked. I started off the character with the intention of making a cut-throat merchant whose sole objective was to buy her way through the rings, but after two days of feeling out the server and the playerbase I quickly realized that standing around the square all day haggling for groats wasn't all that attractive to me, so instead I decided I'd play a supportive healer which quickly allowed me to get involved with some of the foremost ringrunners and eventually becoming one of the founding members of the Tears of Blood. Her backstory before coming to the City wasn't all that interesting: she was a courtesan in her youth turned lordly concubine and after birthing a son she and her spawn were exiled from court, forced to live in the countryside. This dualistic environment was the reason for her skill at playing at courtly etiquette while retaining some degree of rural practicality in the way she dealt with people, patients and stressful situations.

Dalidande was a natural manipulator, incapable of defending herself so she attempted to seek out strong individuals, primarily men, whom she could more easily charm and wrap around her finger, promising wealth, service, and even love. Cafrasil, Qualim, Cross, Varthan, Kowl, Malwick, Glint, and even the likes of Errilam, Beodda and Magnus, and many more others were targets of her practical and practiced affections to varying degrees of success, her own promises mostly empty and void, seeing them all as little more than means to an end to reach her foremost goal: reach ring 1 and return home to her son. Or at least, that's what it used to be until her descent into madness and her devolution from a quick-witted doctor to a crazed surgeon. SFP ran a very neat, self-contained Tchun encounter where an arbiter recruited a whole host of characters to go and track down a serial killer turned impromptu painter and when the deed was done and the butcher butchered, nobody seemed to notice that one of the grotesque Tchunite paintings went missing.. that, coupled with a weakened state of mind from losing almost 5 levels of experience the day before trying to beat a certain ring, made her a prime target for the insidious, subversive dreams of Tchun the Sleeper.

I chose to voluntarily explore this aspect of the server and the lore - Tchun seemed incredibly interesting, but as a new player I was worried I could pull it off. Luckily the DMs were quite supportive - even Howlando gave me some encouragement :)

I had a couple of rules for the character that I'd established that I'd promised I wouldn't deviate from, no matter what:
1) she started out as LN, but if she was discovered and was brought to reason/punished severely enough by people close to her, she could be 'cured'
2) if she reached CE, only the likes of Beodda - a powerful paladin and a man she respected - could sway her and realize her own sickness, but solely if it was done through logical persuasion and without influence of magic and faith (both of which she despised)
3) once she reached CE she would increasingly try to draw more attention to herself and I would try to have any prolonged social encounter with others showcase crazed erraticism to try and tip people off

I found it very challenging to play the character, but incredibly fun and rewarding. The most difficult aspect was believably portraying cognitive dissonance to hint at subtle crazy rather than all-capsing and being a dead giveaway Tchunite.

Mench was..

- a healer who wanted to destroy,
- an insidious murderer who was incapable of killing herself,
- an attractive woman who all her life had relied on charm suddenly finding herself charmless,
- a doctor who did not realize that she herself was sick,
- an individual who had no belief in neither gods nor trust in magic suddenly putting faith in ritualistic worship
- terrified of her own dying yet constantly - obsessively - put herself into situations where was surrounded by it from all angles.

She went from a saucy and sassy prima donna who tried to live up to the title of 'doctor' to screeching harpy who demanded recognition.. or else! She was part of exactly 8 FDs that more or less happened because of her and collected 13 PC bodies total for research and alchemical amalgamation in her search for a cure to the bane of all physicians: death itself.

It was a wild ride and I hope you all enjoyed interacting with her as much as I did with everybody else.  Special thanks to jollymole especially, as it was meeting 'Sixteen' that cemented my desire to remain on EfU indefinitely, and Akke, whose Magnus could've made the Manslayer into the Menchslayer.. but didn't, and allowed me to continue trying to become a villain alongside him :)

I have taken the liberty of putting a large collection of screenshots in order for people who are interested in seeing certain scenes and following her descension into madness. Fair warning: it's quite a lot of reading! Over the course of me playing her I made more than half a thousand snaps of interactions with other characters and of certain important events.. but here's a select few of them and a few smattering of posts  more or less categorized into a semi-coherent narrative of descent into madness. Enjoy!

In chronological order..
[hide]
The founding of the Tears
Comrades, we weren't  the first to ring 95 - but we'll be the first to ring 1 - Velastra Quarterdragon
How could anyone foretell the horrors to come following such a simple scene?.
Under the streets, in silent contemplation where time itself was made to stand still..
No succor even amongst the holy
Talking riddles with a mute - don't ask why..
Come now - me, a hero, a villain?
Hear you the rumors spread about me?
Until now, I've..
..*NEVER*..
..truly slept.
Careful now, a single mote of cinder and this place goes up in fire
Hew.. I will help hew at the ice
Until now, alone.. also hinting at eventual ambition!
Necromancy let slip
That was close
..cannibalistic tendencies??

Thank you all for doing what I asked. I assure you that our dear late wolf friend is better off now; stripped of her pelt, she'll serve house Orza better in the capacity she finds herself in. Make sure to keep bringing me more.

Also I'll be helping serve dinner tonight. I made soup.

See you all at dinner,
Doctor Dalidande Mench

House Orza at its best: at each other's throats..
United we stand against Siobhan's tyranny
Not that she knew..
Tchunism is commonly transmitted through painting-to-person contact
Come closer, Ringlock, and stay away from me
HAFIT. HUNT. HER.
Usurped my Tears, did you?

My fellow retainers, I fear it's too late to stop Errilam's scheming, he's likely poisoned most of the other houses, tickers and the remainder of the rabble against us; good, as that'll mean we won't have to worry too much about collateral damage. In matters like these, I like to take my favorite physician's adage to heart, which is that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.  So let's take our pounds of flesh., and hope that we'll able to cut away the cankers that way.

His death may serve as but an opportunity for another of his comrades to take the void left in his place. Nature abhors a vacuum, after all, so let's seek to neutralize the cretin by takings his hands, spaying him and taking the little, writhing worm between his legs, and then leaving him to hobble around his precious vale on what little will be left of his feet. Death is too.. permanent, for the likes of him.

I have an idea for this that is best discussed with all of us in person. All I ask for is his canines. I'd like to see if the viper's fangs can trully be milked.

Yours in sickness and in health,
Doctor Dalidande Mench

Not a good idea, Siobhan..
Tea first!
Can you believe we beat Errilam and Aliatris?!
House Orza resplendant
Uh-oh, Varthan wants to talk.., 2, 3, 4. 5
Now, sleep, Cedric
There's use out of you yet
Come again, Adrian? I have no idea what you're talking about..
Heavily invest in Bluff, Persuade and Charisma and you might romance yourself out of a murder you helped commit!
Umm, Magnus doesn't seem so bad at all.. a willing Tchunite?
No wait! He is- he is that bad!

Never edited her background since character creation up until that point, after which I updated it to reflect the person she'd become both inside and out:

Icy of countenance and feverishly hot of eye, this thirty-something year old woman shows signs of having once possessed bodacious curvature and classical beauty, though now her sickly sallow skin hangs loose and the left side of her face seems to have suffered hideous scarring. Her left eye has been seared shut, giving her a permanent, lopsided scowl. that scrunches up hideously and turns wet, red and raw whenever her expression threatens to shift, the burns inflicted never seeming to truly heal. Her voice rolls and hisses, shifting tonality from screeching to guttural croaking with every turn of an odd phrase uttered, as if someone else was constantly fiddling with the volume dial that was her voice. She wears a long, ragged physician's coat, belted at the waist, with strange surgical implements lining the belt and supplies filling the pockets. Her boots are worn with years of toiling travel and appear to be stained with flecks of blood, long-dried and new.

With her relic destroyed, I proposed the DMs a challenge: something cool if I managed to get seven bodies and seven gallons of 'prime' blood within seven days. Compliance was achieved and she set herself to the task at hand.. incapable of gathering the required components herself, she had to resort to her fellow retainers and others less equally willing but more than capable..

There we go: off to a good start
Come now Ian, be reasonable
Half-Orc hired in exchange for healing
Unbelievable, at last she got her hands on what she wanted most. Coincidentally, these were the last ingredients used for her final revelation, 2, 3
Noooo!!
[/hide]

The condensed version:
[hide]

City Sending by Dalidande Mench : I had once asked Beodda, the one man in these rings I truly admired, to save me. His heart was pure, as was his purpose, but like all men who have pledged to protect me, he has failed me utterly and so I had cast him aside. I tell you this now, red to the elbows. I have learned what I needed to know, done what I was required to do, and so have made something magnificent - something magnaminous. I have sliced, skinned, boned and butterflied the remains of more awoken than anyone other than me has any right to know. From their innards I have accomplished something greater than the greatest efforts of haruspicy from priestlings and paltry necromancers could accomplish. No magic, no faith, mere my mind with which I have divined truth and have concocted a cure. *The* cure.. and now I am sated, so much that I overflow. Now feast of my knowledge, and otherwise, and know that I have done what no other may accomplish.

I am doctor Dalidande Mench and I have cured death.

[A long pause, the sounds of many, many shuffling feet in the background audible.]

Let me show you..

DM Shout : -- From the gates of the Peerage Ward, a shrill high horn is sounded... --
DM Shout : -- And figures begin to emerge... --
DM Shout : -- From the Druthers, and from the direction of the Ponds, the dead swarm forth... --

I forgot to take screenshots of the final confrontation, but it went something along the lines of "Magnus! Do what you failed to earlier - kill them all!" But like any proper villain, the doctor finally got a taste of her own medicine.. Burn, baby, burn!

I took screenshots of her final ending, but I decided against posting them as I consider them a big spoiler to any future Tchunite.
[/hide]

Bonus screenies!
[hide]

Loot!, 2, 3, 4
CLYDE!
CLYYYYYYYYYYYYYDE!

[MAGIC]

Great character - I wish I had interacted with her more to see this descent into madness.

[Bio]

big nerd


nah im kidding, great character ymd we had a lot of cool interactions together. great ending too, made me feel like it was halloween time in may.

[Blue41]

Best screenie thread I've seen in a long time.

[Garem]

Out-friggen-standing.

Your character development was simply remarkable. On one hand, I regret not having had more time IG alongside you (seems our timezones are just too desynced). On the other, the ultimate story that you crafted was so outrageously good, it might have been for the best.

And it's your first EFU character?! Good grief! Welcome, and great start!

[Nazey]

Inspirational character arc.  I expect nothing less from a storyteller like you. Glad to have had a small part!

Also I really dig the way you've structured the thread .

[goate]

Nooooo, I had all the pieces, I just didn't put them together!

[HIDE=edited transcript]

Skill Focus [DM] : -- A sinister seam glimmers... His path from this hideaway to Ring 99. --
Bel Felenth: He is so fully in the filth. He'll be upset.
Dalidande Mench: [The woman's gaze seems enthralled by the painting off in the distance at the other side of the room.]
Umbertino: What have we here?
Clyde Fenton Gibbensdale: Doctor...
Daniel Brandybuck: Fortunately, we shall not be slain today... The Arbiter will be pleased.
Jonathan Aisling: Let's get out of here...
Clyde Fenton Gibbensdale: Please try to keep yourself together...
Clyde Fenton Gibbensdale: I fear you are... sick.
Vortigern Clale: Did someone enter the seam?
Errilam : We are not
Errilam : Going in the seam
Errilam : We have done the contract.
Daniel Brandybuck: The seam should lead to 99.
Umbertino: *tilts his head, staring at the painting for a moment*
Markus Ankrath: Do we know what force was driving that man?
Clyde Fenton Gibbensdale: [he tries now not to look at the painting]
Dalidande Mench: [She blinks twice in quick succession, rubbing her forehead. A glance at Clyde; a shrug, dismissive in nature.]
Daniel Brandybuck: We were told that he uses seams that shortcut to 99.
Markus Ankrath: He seemed to be the puppet of something larger.
Bel Felenth: The seam is the way home.
Clyde Fenton Gibbensdale: [shakes her]
Clyde Fenton Gibbensdale: Doctor!
Hermod Helgrund: Indeed, it would not be wise to leave the task unfinished, even if the Arbiter deems it complete.
Clyde Fenton Gibbensdale: We need you
Dalidande Mench: "Get. Off. <Me>."
Valmaxian Ilarae: "Doctor, he stirs!"
Clyde Fenton Gibbensdale: There are two casualties!
Clyde Fenton Gibbensdale: [points behind him]
Jonathan Aisling: [Jonathan shivers.]
Dalidande Mench: [She's rattled by the man's shaking, letting out a grunt as she tries to slap his hands away.]
Clyde Fenton Gibbensdale: They need your attentions!
Rowan Telamas: [He rolls, groaning.]
Clyde Fenton Gibbensdale: [backs off]
Impaled Corpse of an Arbiter: Tchun...
Dalidande Mench: "..ngh."
Daniel Brandybuck: Why don't we count in a less claustrophobic location?
Clyde Fenton Gibbensdale: Does he live?
Valmaxian Ilarae: "Yes I'd... really rather we didn't linger in this foul place."
Hargrist Chancey: Barely just.
Bel Felenth: If you need help, lean on my shoulder. We should go.
Valmaxian Ilarae: "Clearly something has influenced this mad beast, it could haunt us as well!"
Clyde Fenton Gibbensdale: Ah.... welcome back to the living, soldier.
Rowan Telamas: I think I can stand, for now. My thanks, Bel.
Hargrist Chancey: I feel as I've found myself in some mad hell. Is it over?
Dalidande Mench: "..no."
Clyde Fenton Gibbensdale: No, I'm afraid it may not be
Valmaxian Ilarae: "Ooooh.... a glimmering seam...."
Umbertino: Should we burn the painting?
Valmaxian Ilarae: Onwards!
Valmaxian Ilarae: "Yes!  Into unknown seams we go!"
Umbertino: *grabs the painting, trying to not look at it*
Umbertino: *And drops it in the water*
Dalidande Mench: [She lingers near the back, surveying the scene of carnage.]
Clyde Fenton Gibbensdale: [sighs]
Clyde Fenton Gibbensdale: I hate seams...
Clyde Fenton Gibbensdale: Doctor?
Dalidande Mench: [She blinks at the painting nearby, her features scrunched up in thought.]
Clyde Fenton Gibbensdale: I worry greatly for you
Clyde Fenton Gibbensdale: You've not been the same since...
Clyde Fenton Gibbensdale: [he looks at the seam]
Dalidande Mench: "..let's not.. bring that up."
Clyde Fenton Gibbensdale: Very well
Dalidande Mench: [She steps near the seam, motioning Clyde forward.]
Clyde Fenton Gibbensdale: [sighs]

[/HIDE]

Probably for the best, Mench's insidious arc was a wonderful thing to behold.  Really splended characterization, easily one of my favorite PCs in my EFU tenure.

[Stranger]

We've beheld in this thread the secret history of House Orza.

Imagine, Mench, if you had caught one of the Orza heirs with that portrait... what an indelible and beautiful mark you would've left on that faction...

...but as it is, I think, you've already played one of its most important characters. The mad mastermind lurking in the shadows, urging them on to their many, many crimes. All to wake what sleeps beneath the ice.

[Dillusionist]

I was only able to watch from afar but Dr. Mench has been one of my favorite characters this chapter. You had an excellent personal arc, and really were able to affect the server in a profound way.

I guess I'll have to eat apples now...

[Easy To Remember]

Really impressive, and not the least bit surprising having seen some of your past writing. You did a great job and you've got me super bummed I never really got to interact with Mench.

[SkillFocuspwn]

I don't think I need to say how much I loved the Doctor; one of the most interesting, exciting and well-delivered stories of EfU.

Wake the Sleeper, wake yourself...

[Quarterdragon]

Everyone is pointing out the incredibly well-portrayed descent into madness, but for we who suffered with her through the struggle of the rings, the tale of Dr. Mench is far more tragic.  She was never nice, but she was a great companion to have in the Tears of Blood, and it was a terrible loss to us when we had to part ways.  I would have loved to see Beodda pull off the big redemption, but sadly it wasn't in the numbers.  I had a blast playing with you, and hope I get the chance again on your next PC.

[LoveLess]

That entire time I was sitting there during that 'romance' thinking, "Holy shit Mench killed him." Was just not in Glint's cards to put it together with so little information.

Was a great character to interact with and had a lot of fun with her.

[Emerald, Ruby and Steel]

Absolute legend who will live forever in the pantheon of the very best PCs in the server's history. Impeccably written. Every moment of interaction was a delight.