EliteCommander

Blood Act I~ Ghosts of the Past

An ice storm knocked out my internet at home. I don't know when it will be on again.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

An ice storm knocked my internet out at home. I don't know when it will be on again.

The Aesteria Chronicles

"I told you they would scream" Ignis said to Helen, dissipating himself into the air once more as the children ran out from behind their hiding place. He was actually curious to see what the strange men would do once they saw the children. He thought it might cause some sort of an entertaining scene, but that thought ended once weapons were drawn. As much as Ignis liked to cause trouble, he never wanted to cause violence. Immediately, Ignis brought himself to the ready . He started to draw in as much heat as he could, creating a surprisingly chilly area around a rather hot core. He still could not be seen, but if someone passed through him, he could certainly be felt. For a few, brief moments, everyone just stood with weapons drawn, staring one another down. The first to fire was actually the boy, carrying Eli's rifle. but, because the universe did not seem to want to end this easily, the shot seemed to have no real effect. The fight broke out quickly, and while most of the thugs were falling easily, the leader remained, along with his terrifying ice spirit. Ignis quickly received his orders, along with Helen's other spirits. Helen herself was starting to run away, which was good. Humans were too fragile, and if Adonai ran too, Ignis would not have to worry about who mattered dying. Even so, fighting an ice spirit was inherently frightening for him. Spirits that manipulated the cold could harm him much more easily than most others, and when given the choice, he preferred to avoid them altogether. Still, at the very least, heat and fire could usually hurt them just the same. Okay, okay, that spirit is very...cold. Very cold. Ignis thought, his attention frantically darting around the room as he searched for options. There was far too much happening at once for him to be able to pay attention to it all, but luckily, there were still plenty of obvious options. In particular, Alan's spirit, Seru, was front and center in the middle of the fight. Oh, but that one definitely isn't. He thought as he positioned himself inside the ceiling just above Seru.

The Depths of Deception

Rareth smiled after taking her first drink of her glass. She sat herself down on a couch across from Shiva. It has been a while since she had been able to drink, especially since she did not join the others in drinking on their night out on Pax. Rareth was not greatly concerned about rules relating to the matter. It was quite difficult for a Datius to be reprimanded for any sort of small infraction or breach of protocol, especially since they operate above Rothian law. Technically, as the mission was a joint operation, Rothian laws and protocols were not necessarily what they were following, but it would be very difficult all the same for anything to happen to her or the others. "It is a wine from Rothia, my home city of Threria, actually. Strangely enough, it is not actually made from a fruit, but instead the root of a plant called...lulan'carth, I think. I do not know how one goes about making wine from a root, but apparently they can. The plant is actually ground beneath the main city, which is especially impressive considering that Thereia is built on a mountain range. If you didn't know, the ground level of Threria isn't really inhabited, at least not by the main population. It consists entirely of skyscrapers built on mountains, all of which are interconnected. It's known as "The City of the Sky," for obvious reasons." Rareth explained.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei made sure to write down that Oswall did not claim to notice that Jerrick was separated from his waterskin in the meeting room, as Vera had indicated, but that was not inconsistent with the situation as had so far been described to her. If Oswall had been the first to leave the room, then he would not know that Jerrick had left it behind. He also said that Jerrick had separated from his equipment during training, just like Vera, so that detail was becoming more reliable. So far, she knew that both Oswall and Vera had been in the training room at some point during his lesson, so both had the opportunity to be the poisoner. However, she still needed far more information to draw any conclusions. "Thank you, Oswall. That is all I have to ask for now. If I have any more questions, I will be sure to find you. Just the same, if you think of anything that can be helpful in my investigation, feel free to share it with me in private. You are an experienced member of this clan, and I hope to have your cooperation in such a stressful time. I hope you understand why I cannot eliminate anyone from suspicion without evidence. Our enemy is a crafty being; he can turn the most well-intentioned individuals to his cause without them even knowing it. I may have to do some things that you or other lieutenants may not like, and indeed, I do not want to do them either, but I have to do whatever I can for this clan. Now, let's head back out. I will send one of my pack with you to see Jerrick's body." Meesei explained before standing up and leading Oswall back out of the room with the others. As soon as the two left the room, Meesei looked to the nearest lieutenant once more. "Darahil, I shall speak to you next." She stated, but before he could move, she made one more announcement. "But first, I have made the decision to have at least one of my pack accompany all lieutenants at all times. I know that is not likely a comfortable arrangement for anyone. Most of you have been loyally dedicated to the clan for as long as you have been serving in your roles, and now you are being treated like suspects. That is not a situation that anyone would like, but I implore you understand the situation as I am dealing with it. I know that one of the lieutenants is the traitor, so by having one of my own with you all, we can all rest easy knowing that the traitor is being watched at all times. Beyond that, my pack shall help protect you should you be attacked in some form. Additionally, I am going to send one of my pack every day to Bruma, or perhaps other nearby villages, to buy food and water for both my pack, and all of you. This way, none of us will be in danger of being poisoned, of which we know the traitor is certainly capable. Now, Janius, could you go with Oswall to the meeting room to see Jerrick's body? If Ahnasha and Vera have already moved it, see if you can locate it." Once she had given her orders, Meesei moved back into the private room to question Darahil.

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."