[center][h2]Silver-Gold Tower, Lalrial, Imperial Heartlands[/h2]

Ixyan, the 8th of Gerna 1200 AU - 08.03.1200[/center]


“My lord Vialiph, the man, James Conrad, that you sent us to bring in for questioning has been found murdered.”


The Vialiph’s face turned towards the retinues man who had spoken, his golden eyes narrowing dangerously as they locked on the rare non vaelie member of the argentum’s own pair. “Where are inquisitors Sil’Vas and Rae’Vani?” His musical voice demanded, but not unkindly and without the force it often held.


“My lord, they remained behind with the others to ensure the body was not disturbed further. Sil’Vas said he would attempt a reconstruction.” The retinuesman held up well under the gaze and the voice of the Vialiph, he had been trained well.


“Why would a dead magistrate require a reconstruction?” He had already demoted these two once, if they were expending valuable magic for no good reason there would be little left of them once the holy fires had finished.


“The body was found bludgeoned to death with only the head destroyed. Sil’Vas and Rae’Vani thought it best to make sure of his identity since this was a heretic investigation my lord.” 


The Vialiph hesitated for a moment and then nodded. Had Lae’Vesi actually stumbled upon something this time? He had not thought that to be the case, her calls of heretic had always been false in the past. But the fable did say that eventually the girl who called silkhavin did actually flee from one. “Gather a full retinue and then join me in the courtyard. We have work to do.”


[hr]


[center][h2]The Magistrate Manor, Larial, Imperial Heartlands[/h2]

Ixyan, the 8th of Gerna 1200 AU - 08.03.1200[/center]


Part of the Magistrate Manor had been blocked off by the intimidating retinuesmen of the inquisitors. The entire hallway leading to the room formerly occupied by James Conrad was off limits to any who did not have the authority to command the Argentum. But those men parted swiftly before the Vialiph and the additional men that he had brought with him.


One of the two inquisitors, Rae’Vani was bent over the corpse of the man, her silver hands and the sleeves of her robe marked with crimson blood as she worked. The remains of the man’s head had been cut away and a roughly head shaped block of an odd putty had been attached, merging into the flesh of the man’s neck as if the necrotizing corpse was still alive. 


As the Vaeliph approached the female vaelie rose and began to recite rapidly in the strange lilting tongue that the vaelie used among themselves. Though the incantation ended in common words. “Reveal thy true form.”  And she pointed a bloody silver hand at the corpse. For a long moment nothing seemed to happen and then the putty began to shudder and squirm as if it were alive. 


First it took the shape of a head, and then features began to appear, a face forming from the putty into a replica of that which the corpse had worn in life. And it was not the face of James Conrad. But then the putty began to look more like flesh and started to decay like the rest of the body. It wasn’t easy to make and wasn’t long lasting but now they knew there was something fishy going on.


“My lord.” The bloody robed inquisitor curtsied before rising again as her musical voice sounded. “We have examined the body and a reconstruction has revealed that it is not the corpse of Prime Magistrate James Conrad but rather a sham.”


“Lae’Vesi reports this man as a heretic. Then a dead doppelganger turns up and he vanishes. This is now an active investigation.” The Vialiph said in reply as weighed his options. “You are to pursue the true identity of this man. Find out who he was and why he has been used by the heretics. I shall hunt this, James Conrad, myself.” And the Vialiph smiled in an all too inhuman manner.