EliteCommander

The Depths of Deception

The head spike comes from the back of the head, and is rather long, like a scorpion tail. (I think)

Blood Act I~ Ghosts of the Past

Ssarak Dyreackthanose --- Ssarak swooped down low, just a few feet above the water. He did not expect the robed man to come shooting up into his hammer in a small geyser of water, but nevertheless, it was unquestionably effective. He went limp, though whether he was dead or merely unconscious, Ssarak could not tell from above. The man crashed into some rocks jutting out of the river, forcing his head underwater. If he was alive, he would not be for long without intervention. The robed man had pushed for unreasonable reparations and had seemed all-too eager to get into the fight, but even so, Ssarak did not wish him dead. This fight had ultimately been instigated by Alaira, so he wanted to minimize casualties as much as possible. Additionally, there was enough that seemed wrong about the whole situation that Ssarak wanted to question him. As a psychomancer, it could be difficult to keep the man safely detained, but it was a risk they would have to take. Unfortunately for Ssarak, he was not precisely in a position to save the robed man. He was quite capable of swimming, but not in full plate armor. If he tried to pull him out, it was entirely likely he would drown himself. As such, he needed help. He turned and quickly landed on the riverbank before looking around for his allies. Meirin was the closest, so he shouted to her as he pointed out the robed man in the river. “He may still be alive, and we should save him if we can. I cannot swim in this armor.”

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Oswall's recollection did bring up some points of interest for Meesei. Based on Vera's explanation Jerrick's waterskin was open to be poisoned during training in the main chamber, and when he left it in the meeting room. According to Vera, she believed that Darahil had stepped away with Jerrick to the overlook of the dining chamber, and according to Oswall, Darahil was away all morning. That would mean he was not present for both poisoning opportunities. However, Meesei was not drawing any conclusions until she had heard everyone's recollection. Once she had everyone's story, and learned more about the poison from Sabine, she could start cross-examining each of their testimonies. She could already think of some more question she needed to ask Vera, but for the moment, Meesei simply finished her notes and moved on to her next question. "Thank you. I believe I have just one more question for the moment. We know the vector through which Jerrick was poisoned, his waterskin. In order for the poisoning to go unnoticed, he would had to have been separated from it at some point. Try to think back, were there any points during the day you can think of where he was not carrying it on his person?" Meesei asked.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei shook her head lightly. "I wish that were the case, but I am afraid this is very real. I will make sure all of you are able to see the body after I am done with my initial questioning. You have been here a long time, Oswall, and I am sure you know how important it is that the clan have a strong leader. Jerrick was a man who had earned Hircine's favor enough that our lord spoke to him personally, so I have no doubt that he was a talented leader. I can maintain order here for a time, but my place is not as the Alpha of your clan. But, I cannot name his successor until the traitor is discovered, so I need your cooperation. I have a few questions for you. Please, give as much detail as you can in your answers. Hopefully, once I have questioned everyone, I will be able to eliminate some of you as suspects, maybe even yourself." Meesei divided her notes into a new section for Oswall, then readied herself to take notes on his answers. "Firstly, I want to know, from morning up to when we awoke you a few minutes ago, what have you done, and where have you been all day? Also tell me everything you know about where Jerrick has been through the day."

The Depths of Deception

"I've turned down the heat somewhat. It should be more manageable for you soon enough." Rareth responded to Shuo once she let him in the room. By the point Shuo arrived, Rareth felt it had been long enough waiting for people to arrive so that she could begin. After all, it wasn't actually important that the entire team be present. Once Shuo and Shiva had settled in and the temperature was more moderate, Rareth wordlessly walked over to a storage cabinet built into the wall in the corner and produced a few glasses, which she set down on a nearby counter. "Now, I suppose we should get to the matter at hand. As I said, it is of the utmost importance. Officially, we are meant to be on duty at all times on the ship, no matter how little we actually have to do." Rareth said as she pulled a bottle of Rothian wine from the cabinet and poured it into each of the glasses. "Officially, there is no alcohol anywhere aboard the Boundless Light." Rareth commented, handing a glass of the deep violet wine to each of them. With a smile, she raised her own glass in the air. "And officially, I am not proposing a toast to our success."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei remained silent through Vera's explanation, making notes of where she said the others were in particular. So far, Meesei had identified two points at which Jerrick could have been poisoned: sometime before her pack arrived, perhaps while he was training students, and immediately after Gallus led her pack on the tour. Of course, questioning the others could also reveal opportunities for the poisoning. Fortunately, Meesei doubted they would have to do much guesswork as to when Jerrick was poisoned. Once Sabine identified the poison, she could determine how long it would have taken to kill him. That would help narrow down when the poisoning occurred. "Thank you, Vera. That is all the questions I have for right now. If I need to ask anything else, I will send someone for you, or simply find you myself. And if you think of anything else that might be helpful, feel free to come to me. Now, come on; I will have someone take you to Jerrick." Meesei said softly as she stood up and motioned for Vera to exit the small room. One they were back out with the others, Meesei turned to the first of her pack she saw, in this case, Ahnasha. "Ahnasha, could you take Vera to Jerrick's body? He needs to be moved somewhere he can be preserved for his funeral." Meesei requested, to which Ahnasha was quick to nod in confirmation. Wasting no time, Meesei turned her attention to the nearest lieutenant, Oswall. "Alright, Oswall, I will speak to you next."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

As Vera was talking, Meesei took notes on everything she was saying. She gave a few leads that Meesei could follow up on, as well as a list of where she had been all day. Once she finished, Meesei lowered and shook her head solemnly. "I wish I could tell you that was the case, I really do. His body is in the meeting room. Once we are done here, I will send one of my pack with you to see him. His body needs to be moved and preserved for his funeral anyway. I just have a few more questions for you, then you will be free to go." Meesei made another few notes on her parchment, then looked back up to Vera. "We know that the poison used was slow acting, so it seems likely he was poisoned sometime before my pack arrived. The poison was found in the waterskin, so I believe it is safe to rule out his breakfast as the vector. And given the size of the canal and the sheer amount of the substance that would be required to poison it effectively, it is also safe to say that the waterskin was poisoned sometime after he filled it. As well, if the canal were poisoned, then more than just Jerrick would have been affected. Although, there might have been some points after I arrived that it could have been poisoned as well. Was there any time after my pack left with Gallus that you can think of where he was separated from his waterskin? I also need you to tell me everything you know about what the other lieutenants have been doing all day. Please, be as specific as you can."

The Aesteria Chronicles

Ignis was carefully watching the movements of everyone around Alan, just as requested. Part of him wanted to make something happen, if only to make the situation more interesting, but that would probably annoy Helen. There were some tense words that might be considered an argument, but not long after Helen made her point, they seemed to be calming down. However, that was not the case just a short distance away, as another man was quite suddenly knocked to the ground with a few shards of glass in his face. Ignis was still invisible in form, but his gaze darted back and forth between Alan and the incapacitated man. "Wait, what? I'm confused, which fight am I supposed to be stopping?" He asked Helen. Helen sighed when she heard the glass shatter, her head tilted back to spot Eli's fist come into contact with the Serpentine's head and cause him to crumble. She inwardly groaned while Sira knew what to do. After all, she hadn't discouraged her spirits free thought and action as long as it didn't worse the situation. The cat immediately flash banged Eli sending the man to stumble after being blinded and made her smirk slightly. Damn fool. She might've found the thugs from the Serpentine's little band annoying, but didn't mean they deserved to be provoked. When Ignis' thoughts hit her own, his emotions filled with confusion and concern, she poured some the more soothing sensations from her current mood his way. Alan's table though it seems to have tapered off. Now, are you still eager to eat? While she knew he didn't really need to eat or use the food, she noted long ago how much Ignis liked to 'taste' it. She had made a point not to touch her food until he was free so he could experience it. Helen settle Adonai's plate beside him and nudged him to dig in, followed by taking her own seat. Waiting for Ignis, her ears caught her husband's comments about a normal day at the pub. He immediately followed up with an observation on the robot which she herself also noted, a thing that had bothered her since it originally walked in. "Yes it is. Nothing like a little conflict for the morning, but I swear anything else happens then I'm going to bandage someone's mouth shut." Helen said, adding a bit more. "The machine's odd, that's for sure. I've never seen or made one that advanced. I think it's almost alive which means someone's a genius or it's a fake." Sira trotted up to her calf and started to nuzzle, his head wrapped and pushed against her leg for his reward. His mewling cries shortly followed. "For crying out loud Sira! Can't I eat first?" Ignis looked at the man on the ground with at least a small measure of curiosity. He had not been paying near enough attention to know what he did to earn the hit, especially one that involved breaking glass over his face. Ignis had been with Helen more than long enough to know that cuts like that could easily get infected, so there was a good possibility he would need a doctor. However, that was something that Ignis actually couldn't care less about, since Helen was currently offering him the chance for a meal. After floating away from Alan's table without a hint of him ever actually being present, Ignis finally materialized into a visible form near Helen's table. Taking on his normal, translucent form, he sat down next to her, not unlike a dog. Although, he was a fair amount larger, and much more...exotic. He did not know what she was eating, but it didn't really matter as long as she enjoyed it. Of course, Sira was not going to let him have all of the attention, so he made it a point to show up again. Ignis sometimes fell into the trap of trying to compete for attention with the feline spirit, but this time, he just ignored it to enter the conversation. "Oh, are you talking about the big spirit-robot thing? I've seen it around sometimes when I...wander around. I wonder if you would like that drink it made?" He commented, not all that concerned about the spirit's presence. Sira continued to meow louder as Helen scowled, her voice trying override the annoy thing. "Spirit? Are you sur... Fine, Sira! Impatient thing!" Helen huffed and paused in her conversation, her hands bent down to scoop up the shimmering cat. He naturally looked rather smugly at Ignis' direction while Helen took a deep breath. She placed her mind on a key memory and trying to calm down. Slowly the memory filled the spirit's core as she held the tom on the table. A sudden rattling sound came from Sira's throat before his image vanished slowly, yet Helen seemed to have gone paler then usual. "Ignis, are you sure it's a spirit?" Ignis nodded to Helen. Even if he had not been capable of feeling her emotions at the moment, he knew well her feelings about unbound spirits. He had been the one to save her all those years ago, but even so, he couldn't quite understand the fear. Of course, he also couldn't understand the concept of death in the same way she could. And he could recognize how dangerous some spirits could be to Humans. "Yeah, of course. Spirits can sense spirits. Summoners can too, not that I really understand how that works. Just...don't worry. I mean, we don't even know for sure it's unbound. I go wherever I want, don't I? It could too" "I'm sure it'll be nothing" Adonai joined in with calming Helen. Despite how much she cared for her own spirits, she was particularly uncomfortable around unbound spirits. He didn't really understand any of the spirit things she did or why, but it didn't matter. He grasped her hand in his to reassure her with his touch. Shortly after that, however, an even stranger event happened with which he could draw her attention. A pair of children edged their way in and then sprinted to hide behind the bar. "Now what are they doing here? I wasn't aware the Guild let members bring their children here." Things got even stranger then, and as the door opened for a second time, Adonai's sixth sense crept up on him again quite suddenly. The men that came it looked thuggish, not like any Guild member he had ever seen. There was a certain style that all guild members seemed to adhere to, whether it was int heir clothing or the way they walked and held themselves, no matter the band. It was part of the Free City pride. Even the shadiest of Bands had it to some extent. These men didn't. At that moment he cursed the fact that they were sitting next to the door. They marched right up to the table and looked at Helen, asking her rather bluntly about the two kids. Adonai pulled a vial of brightly coloured liquid from his coat and set it on the table. Helen, and some of the pub regulars that had bought from him before would know that this was one of the explosive kinds, though to anyone else it could be anything. "A word of advice friend, whatever the answer anyone gives to your question, dont go causing any trouble here." He said with a friendly tone to the newcomers. He had a feeling they'd ignore it if they didn't hear what they wanted to hear, but that was what the vial was for. Helen's spirits, Sira as well as Nahor and Heimda sensed the discomfort within their summoner. Sira made an ear splitting hiss that made her flinch, accidentally sharing the pain with the others. Nahor snorted followed by swirling images in the form of steam rushed into her vision. Finally Heimda snarled before his icy sensation filled her body making her feel rather cold. All three had their own way to make their feelings known while they sought the source of her fear. Rattling her after all was rattling them all. "I hope you both are right... now, these damn nerves got everyone shaken up." Helen commented before her attention was shifted by Adonai's odd mention of children. She gave him a look and immediately twisted in her chair, her body half turned to spot the pair slip behind the bar. Her expression was nothing short of bewilderment. "No, I don't think they are anyone's, Adonai." Helen said still watching the spot where the two had vanished. It was then she noted his hand wrapped about her own causing her to give him a warm smile and gentle squeeze of thanks, keeping a firm grasp on his for comfort. These little gestures were a reason she loved him so. Her attention to her husband was short lived when someone new entered and took a table nearby, one of them tapped her on the shoulder. Something wasn't right. While Adonai gave the man a bit of sound advice, Helen noticed the younger one's, a girl by her dress and smaller frame peek out to shake her head. Her heart felt a warmth to the child almost instantly before she pulled down and was replaced by the cheeky little bugger, her mini protector, giving her a cold stare. An image of her brother and herself flashed in her head causing her to communicate with Ignis. I hate to farther delay your treat, Ignis, but something's not right. I'm going to tell you to withdrew, but instead I want you to head over to the pair currently hiding behind the counter? I get a feeling there's more to this story then meets the eye. Could you ask them if they know these men and why they are looking for them? I promise not to eat until you get back. "Let me put my spirit back and I'll see if I can recall. A little fight happened not too long ago and I might be needed shortly. So pardon me if I have to suddenly excuse myself. Now to answer your question, I want you to answer one of my own. Namely what would four burly, rough men who seem to be rather new around here would be wanting with two young children?" Helen asked while allowing Ignis to do his thing. Ignis was silently proud of his own answer to what the spirit-robot might be. She seemed to calm down, or at least not get any more upset. He moved from a sitting position to a laying position, not that either was any more relaxing to him than the other, and simply waited for the meal to begin. Ignis was not a spirit that liked to be idle, but for a few situations, he could make an exception. Unfortunately, now that he actually wanted everything to be calm, it seemed like the universe was making it a point to have everything happen at once. At first, Ignis paid little mind to the children who stepped into the tavern. Adonai and Helen thought it was peculiar, but he had seen far stranger in his time. However, it was not long before another group entered the tavern, took a table nearby, then started to question Helen. Out of all the people they could have bothered, they went straight to her. Can't everyone just leave them alone for a few minutes? It's like the world's only interesting when I don't want it to be. He thought to himself. Not only that, but apparently Helen wanted him to do something as well. "Alright, I guess. But it's not my fault if they start screaming or something." Ignis responded to Helen, dissipating into the air after Helen claimed she was recalling him. He made his way across the room to the children, then positioned himself behind the counter along with them. While he was still out of their line of sight, he coalesced once more into something close to his normal form, but smaller, and with features that were all around less harsh. He had no real problem speaking with children; in fact, they were some of his favorite people. Adults could be exciting in their own ways, but Ignis found that children had much looser interpretations of societal rules. That, or they just didn't care about them, much like himself. If he ever wanted an accomplice, or a target who would give a more entertaining reaction to one of his pranks, a child was always a good choice. "So...what are you hiding from?" Ignis finally asked in a quiet voice. He acted as if he was hiding with them, just to make himself seem a bit less threatening.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei nodded to her pack's suggestions. Having the interrogations in private would allow the innocent lieutenants to speak more freely, and hopefully reveal information that could be useful. At the very least, Meesei could get each of their perspectives that she might later deconstruct for inconsistencies. Once Najirra showed them the room they could use, Meesei was sure to request a quill and another parchment as well so she could take notes on the details of their statements. Vera was to the first Meesei would question. Despite her overall melancholy mood, she stepped inside the room when asked. Just as Meesei was about to follow, she gave one last glance to the still-frozen lieutenants. "Perhaps they could use some tea as well?" She suggested, though mostly it was so they would not have to spend their entire wait frozen in place. As long as they did not break into any more arguments, they could have their freedom of movement. As soon as Meesei and Vera were alone in the room, Meesei's expression immediately became much more sympathetic. She could not dismiss Vera as a suspect, but there was a greater chance than not that she was innocent, and this entire situation was especially horrible for her. To have her husband die and be suspect to his death would not be easy for anyone. Her sympathy was genuine, but that did not make her any less alert to potential treachery. "Vera, I...do not know what I can say. I did everything I could to preserve his life. I told him to avoid eating and drinking, I was in the shadows the entire time, waiting for him to be attacked, but...the poison was already there. As I have said, it would be a disservice to Jerrick to absolve you of suspicion, but...I know I cannot understand your pain." Meesei sat down across from Vera, then leaned forward with her elbows on her knees. "Just...believe me when I say that I am going to do everything I can to find Jerrick's killer. Anything you can tell me might help find the murdered. Let's start at the beginning, this morning. What did you and Jerrick do this morning, and around when did he fill his waterskin?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Surprisingly, Meesei was the last to start drinking the tea. Ever since Jerrick had first relayed to her Hircine's warning, her mind had been utterly focused on the task at hand, as it well should have been. Still, she found herself wanting to take action at all times, to not let herself waste a moment. Taking a break for tea seemed like it would waste vital time. It was not as if she could release the lieutenants on her own, however, so she eventually took up her own cup as well. In the few moments of relative silence that Meesei had, she elected to calm herself and think on how to proceed. Sabine was likely finished her tests on the poison, so hopefully, she would be able to identify what it was, and what could be used to make it. It would probably take some time for Najirra's daughters to collect all of the people she listed, so Meesei would need to come back in an hour or two in order to meet with them. As for the present, she needed to see if any of the lieutenants had anything to say about when Jerrick's water could have been poisoned. There were also some things she needed to make clear to them, especially when it came to mentioning Jerrick's death. Unlike most of the pack, Ahnasha liked the tea quite a lot, though that was perhaps to be expected. Also like the others, she had been silent through the entire situation. Meesei was in charge, and she was the most knowledgeable on what was happening, so it did not seem as if there was anything she could say to help. Still, she did hazard one comment after Fendros spoke. "I have the feeling this isn't the first time this has happened." Once Najirra's daughters had left and Meesei finished her tea, there were a few moments of silence before she spoke up in a calm, respectful tone. "I believe, since we have all had time to...calm ourselves, that I would like to hear the lieutenants' thoughts on how Jerrick could have been poisoned."