[center][h1][url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/5157586][color=MediumAquamarine]Arin von Astastel[/color][/url][/h1][/center]
Arin was slightly taken aback when Rynn relented. She struck him as an individual who was headstrong, unabashedly obstinate even: nothing, absolutely nothing, would get in her way once she made a choice. He had just resigned himself to being kicked out of the castle and be on their way to Timberholde. Yet, here they were, about to head to the vaults.

He didn’t know what he said differently that convinced her now that didn’t convince her before. Maybe Arin pestered her enough that Rynn was allowing the investigation of the vaults only to shut him up. Wouldn’t be the first time that happened. Besides, it wasn’t as if his request was illogical considering the circumstance. Had they been someone who Rynn trusted with her life, she would have let them in the vaults without a doubt.

While he would have preferred having a whole day to examine the vaults, Arin knew he’d be pushing his luck. So, he took what he could get. 

On their way to the vaults, the group took a detour to retrieve his belongings. The elf brought with him a large leather satchel and an even larger wooden chest with makeshift wheels and a long sturdy handle attached to it. Based on the contents that protruded out of the satchel, anyone could guess that the elf’s luggage comprised primarily of alchemical ingredients and tools and little of his personal belongings.

As the group approached, what seemed to be, a dead-end, Arin could feel his skin tingle from the arcane energy that was either being emitted from the vault itself and, or was the magic seeping out from within. The elf checked his body to see if the energy affected him but was relieved to see that it didn’t. 

As Rynn cut herself with a blade to reveal the hidden vault, Arin made a mental note that a relatively small amount of blood, from individuals who were permitted access to the vaults ---probably most, if not all, members of the royal family, but also potentially a select few non-royals such as the mages who cast the spells and trusted loyalist---, was required. "Impressed?" Rynn asked. Arin smiled at her briefly as an answer and dropped it once she looked away. Though impressive, this made it even more likely that the theft, at least of the objects locked in the vaults, was an inside job. 

“[color=goldenrod]Your Grace, has there been any bodies found or any of your family missing, like a second cousin?[/color]” Elra asked. [color=MediumAquamarine][i]She makes an excellent point.[/i][/color] He’d have to look into it, but there was nothing to suggest that the blood had to come from the living. 

While he and the others waited for the guards to return with a key and additional guards to watch the group, Arin opened his chest and started to prepare. He asked the other volunteers ---those who remained--- what their expertise was concerning investigations and suggested that they should split the work to collect as much information as they can in the one hour they were given. He told the group that he was going to focus on whether or not magic was used to break into the vaults.

When the extra guards arrived, Arin gave his two guards things to hold. One was given a tray with sample tubes, tweezers, cotton, a small container of distilled water, an inkwell filled with ink, and a quill pen; one was given a tube rack, an unusual device, and a thin, rigid board with papers stacked on it. The guards were confused at first but were shocked, even mildly insulted, when they realized they were being used as a manservant. “[color=MediumAquamarine]Well, if you are going to hover over me and watch my every move like a love-struck maiden, you might as well be of some use,[/color]” Arin took the board with papers on it and dipped the quill into the ink. “[color=MediumAquamarine]Do you two have names?[/color]” The guards remained silent, though one was obviously glaring at Arin. “[color=MediumAquamarine]No? Then I shall name you Bob One and Ben Two.[/color]” The elf heard Ben Two mumble something about his name being Wyll and snapped, “[color=MediumAquamarine]Well it is too late for that, Ben Two. You should have introduced yourself like civil people when I asked. Now you have to live with your decision.[/color]” 

Ignoring Ben Two’s grumbling, Arin continued. “[color=MediumAquamarine]As you may already know by now, we are conducting an investigation of the vault to determine how a thief would be able to steal the Dark Dagger unnoticed. Since our time is limited, I will be primarily focusing on collecting samples to analyze later and taking notes to organize my thoughts. I will tell you every detail of the process and why it is being done so that you two do not go into a frenzy every time I do something that you think is suspicious. I will explain in such detail and repeat the explanation so many times that by tomorrow, you two will be experts yourselves.[/color]”

True to his word, Arin explained every little thing he did in agonizing detail and repeated the explanation again when he did the same thing once more. This ranged from relevant things such as the sample gathering methods to irrelevant and mundane actions such as scratching his nose and sneezing. Ten minutes into the vault examination, Bob One and Ben Two begged for Arin to stop explaining absolutely [i]everything[/i] he was doing. At the fifteen-minute mark, they asked him to only explain the new things he was doing. By thirty minutes, they just wanted him to work in silence.

During his time in and around the vault, Arin took meticulous notes about the vault and the objects inside. The notes included sketches, measurements, and personal comments. He made sure he collected all the samples that he could possibly collect. There was so much more he wanted to do, but there was precious little time left and Arin knew he needed to talk to the people who knew what authorized spells were used inside and on the vault, maybe throughout the castle itself. 

The plan was to compare the magic samples with the list of authorized spells to see if there were any outliers. Ideally, the unauthorized spell would be that of the thief. Arin would then use the essence to track the thief or the magical item that the thief used, which hopefully was still in the thief’s possession. If there were no unauthorized spells, then it was highly likely that no magic was used for the theft or the thief ---or their accomplice--- used authorized magic to cover their tracks. It would also strengthen the theory that someone close to Rynn was involved in the theft. It was that or there would have to be an outsider who had a deep knowledge of Eastormel Castle, but who would have that kind of knowledge? The elves of old? Perhaps there was a long-lost map floating around that revealed all the secret passages. The possibilities were endless, but Arin needed to focus on one thing at a time.

Arin reluctantly left the vault, with his two guards right behind him, to find the person he needed to speak to. After he verified the spells, he came back to the group. He carefully returned all his tools in their designated places in the chest. He took all his notes, reviewed them one last time before blowing on them. Slowly, the letters started to fade, becoming invisible to the naked eye. He then carefully tied the papers with rope and put it in the chest like the rest of the items. Arin whispered a spell after locking the chest and stood up.