The Pirate Finale!

[Woe]

Theme Music

The 11th day was spent with the Gray Lady, Shania, trying to tamp down on the riots, and having frank conversations with the Treasurer about various topics here.

On the 11th and 12th, Woe had worked closely with Shania to make sure the riotous impulses of her citizens didn't make a resurgence. In that time, they got to work, putting the citizen's energy to use in rebuilding the docks, the harbor area, and shoring up defenses such as they were.

For as much work could be done in two days, they managed fairly well, but it wasn't compete by the 13th day, when Woe was residing in his Inn Room, thinking over all the things he'd experienced over the past dozen trials.


In the dark of the small hours before Cylus' dawning on the 13th trial, Woe had lost sleep again. If ever there was a time to forgo the need for sleep, it seemed this was critical, time being a commodity in increasingly short supply.

Woe had received, courtesy of Shania's echo scroll that Kura gave to her, all the information that had thus far been diseminated through that particular vector. He knew of Winston's doomsdate, the 30th of Ashan, a time by which all of Scalvoris would be reduced to... well it was unclear but a big explosion seemed in the cards, given the extremely volatile substance that was buried all around, beneath the island.

There were other facts, trickling in, but Shania could hardly be expected to update Woe at every turn, without his specifically asking. The woman was helpful, but could also be downright impossible.

So Woe focused on what he knew, and could get out to the proper parties. Winston and Kura, and Balthazar seemed most central to this, as they had an advantageous position, central in the island and could be counted upon to act as 'command central' as Kura had during the forging, along with a few others.

So Woe got to work, writing down what he knew or thought he knew:



1. The 'fire' or the material used to contain it repels spirits, perhaps is very harmful to them. My spirit ally got close to them, and they appeared to flicker. The spirit absconded to the beneath and didn't emerge from it for a few days afterward, just for being close by to these materials.. Spiritual beings are repelled by it, and get sick in close proximity.

This leads me to two potential theories. That the containing material is made of what we present during the Forging know as Drainglass. Or, the liquid is some explosive or poison unknown to me, that contains allergens that negatively impact spirits in close proximit, and also reacts to their presence.

2. I experienced a vision, gifted by Ziell, of Shania speaking to herself, wondering how 'they' managed to get the liquid fire under the entire island without 'us' knowing. This was a vision of the future. It ended with a singular scream, and Shania turning toward a bright light that exploded in the wake of her self-reflection.

3. Shania has confided in me, and perhaps it was already well known, that she is also known as the Gray Lady, and has or had special connections to the Mer clan adjoining Scalvoris' shores. They haven't contacted her since before the War of Slag's Deep, they stopped talking to her after she became Treasurer.

4. The Court of Miracles, a guild of organized theives in Almund, have been rumored to have dealings with pirates, and last I heard were meant to be recruiting out of the Inn, the Lost Prospect Inn, from a woman named Cobra.

5. There is something strange about the Warehouses in Gunvorton. It's almost as if the power that my spirits reacted to in those alchemical fire liquids was also present in there. It might bear closer investigation. I however recalled my spirit ally in fear that we might trigger something deleterious to our heatlh.

6. I will be riding for Egilrun in the next few days, and having my airborne allies scouring the skies, searching the ground for movements of any suspicious individuals. Should anyone have need of me, that is where I intend to be for the rest of this coming period, unless an emergency should present itself elsewhere.



Woe rode on his Snowsteed from Ziell, riding the roads where he could, making fast for Egilrun and stopping along at road inns on the way, testing the mood on the island in that way. He would spend those nights between travel at the inns, listening to conversations, trying to gauge the news from the rest of the island, as people may have been on the move in various places, from inland to outer shores.

He repeeated this pattern until he arrived at Egilrun.

There, he'd sacrifice as much of his personal wealth as necessary to repair any damage already done, during the rioting or any such attacks. He would rally his citizens and try to tamp down on any dissent with assurances that he and the rest of the people of Scalvoris had already risen up to meet the challenge. Aiming for a defensive spirit among the Egilrunners, lest they lose hope and opt to abandon all they had built in their lives.

on the 18th day, Woe would send the written notes he'd devised through the Egilrun scroll Kura had provided. He would divulge in addition to the original contents whatever intelligence he gathered along the road, and the state of Egilrun. He addressed it to Kura but also permitting that it may be shared with whoever she deemed worthy of being in the know,. In addition, he reaches out to Winston with a brief message, and parcel for him alone. He gives this to one of his most trusted couriers, which just happens to be Soz, who arrives in Egilrun on the 18th, having conducted an exhuastive overland search for susopicious activity.

He gives her the vial from the feast of Soaire, that contains all information regarding the Forging, and all the events therein. Also an echo scroll in an echo box, contained in the parcel with the vial. In a note he writes:

Mister Miller,

This vial will give you special insight into the events of the Forging, which I believe to be of extreme importance to these occurrences lately, this crisis we find ourselves in. The Alchemical fire seems deadly to spirits, as I sent along to the central network of echo scrolls. YOu do have one yes?

In any event, I've enclosed a copy of my intelligence here, and will be instrucitng Soz that she's to fly you anywhere you like. YOu'll find she flies at double the speed of ordianry dragonlings and fliers. Try not to test her patience.

In the meantime, if you wish to relay any information back to me, I've enclosed a spare echo scroll, just for us two. Good luck.


The rest of the time was spent suggesting any rangers or elements to keep tabs on the tunnels he'd tried to find in prior seasons.

Action Jackson

11th day, has a talk with Shania. Helps her tamp down on the riots with the Sombran Champion Power Neutrality Enforced. Riots are quelled, and people are put to work rebuilding in GUnvorton, as much as can be in the next few days.
12th day, continues to help quell riotous feelings, and guides them in rebuilding and work around the village.
13th-17th day Woe takes notes on his experiences and findings. He eventually leaves Gunvorton, and takes the roads through to Egilrun. He stops as road inns, and listens to rumors and tries to gather intelligence passively. When he arrives in Egilrun, he uses waht wealth he has (however much necessary) to repair damages.) He also tries to tamp down on any riotous or panicked states among the citizens.
18th: Sends all his notes nad findings both on leaving Gunvorton, and also on the way to Egilrun and the state of egilrun to Kura for dissemination to whoever she deems necessary.Sends copies of the intelligence, and a echobox/scroll to Winston, along with lending him his dragonling.
19th-20th Continues leading relief in EGilrun , and suggests that rangers and elements check out the area where he'd suspected there may be tunnels, and watch for suspicious activity.

All through this period he has Soz and Egil scouring the skies, flying above them and looking for suspicious activity. Egil has an abilty to see thorugh illusions.

Abilities and Useage

Neutrality enforced: wiki/index.php/Category:Sombran#Champion Used to quell the riots in Gunvorton for a full day while Woe and Shania try to gain order and rebuild some.
Snow Steed: wiki/index.php/Category:Ezere#Adored Used to travel ffrom Gunvorton to Egilrun, for the days he's on the road.
Egil's Illusionary REvelation: Under Egil Here: viewtopic.php?p=160581#p160581 Egil is flying over the island checking out suispiicious activity and revealing illusions if any.
Echo Scrolls: Using to link his messages back to central command or the network.
Woe is rich in WP. He is willingto nearly beggar himself to shore up defenses and accelerate the building of such. By the tune of up to 200 wp.
Woe Gives his vial of the forging sending it along to Winston on the back of his dragonling, Soz, who will bear the package to Winston in Beacon.
He's also included a spare echo scroll and box for just them to share. He also gave Winston a copy of the intelligence he's gatehred so far.

[Varlum]

Almost immediately upon arriving in Scalvoris Town did Varlum see exactly what Vega had been writing about.

Looting. Rioting. People in mass panic. The Ithecal hardly feared for his own safety, of course. But the riots weren't just a panicked grasp at survival. People fought amongst themselves. It was the worst coming out of people all at once, trying desperately to survive with no regard for anyone but themselves. To some extent Varlum understood the fear. But to another, Varlum was reminded of a much darker time in Rharne, where this kind of city-wide panic led to the racism against Aukari. Led to the assault on people he cared about. Led to the death of someone he loved.

Not this time.

As soon as Varlum saw people start to fight, a man being shoved to the ground as three others prepared to attack him for his supplies, Varlum barreled forward, coming to a halt between the group with a hiss as he towered over them. "That's enough" he snarled through his teeth, keeping his back to the man that was shoved to ensure that none got close to him. Even without his weapon in his hand, Varlum was a daunting sight to many. Yet Varlum ensured his Inspire was active at all times, pushing aside the doubts and fears of anyone so long as they weren't his enemy. But he had to be heard if he was going to make a difference.

"I said that's ENOUGH!" he roared out, voice booming as Dragon's Cry burst across two miles of distance for all to hear it, his voice reaching the ears of many. "These are your people! Your neighbours, your friends. Is THIS what you are, Scalvoris?" he roared out to any and all who listened. "You are a brave people. Think. Think about what you are doing, think about what your ENEMY wants you to do. Your enemy wants you weak, on your knees, desperate. Do NOT give it to them. Do not kneel. Stand defiant with me, with Scalvoris. No MATTER the cost."

After a moment of quiet Varlum looked around, eyes staring at him. It was hard to ignore a voice so loud from a man so tall. Yet the eyes before him, the men that were about to fight moments ago, looked up at Varlum with a look he knew all too well - fear. Not shaking, trembling fear. But a deep, solemn fear of what might happen. Inspire could encourage others to forgo their fears and act rationally, but it could not strip the fear away. "What if we can't win? What do we do?" one asked, glancing aside in some shame as he did so, as if the very thought frightened him to his core.

There was a deep sigh, Varlum's eyes looking to the man as he knelt down as a show of respect. "I don't know" he confessed. "But I know what happens if we don't try. Perhaps people will be hurt in the fight, perhaps people will need places to shelter for those that can't fight. But if you turn on each other now - you'll doom us all."

After a second of pause the man wiped a tear that formed in his eye, nodding his head as he sniffled. He stepped beside Varlum, who watched with caution, and extended a hand to the man that he'd shoved. "You're right" he looked to the Ithecal, trying to fight back the intense wave of emotions that overcame him, before looking to the man on the floor. "I'm sorry" he spoke with a humble acceptance of the mistake he'd made. The man below him, albeit still skeptical, took the hand. "Don't mention it."

Then they looked to Varlum, eyes narrowing with a serious glance.

"So what the hell do we do then, big guy?" they asked. There was a moment of pause as Varlum felt his heart freeze in his chest. Big Guy. A familiar nickname. One that had hurt once. But perhaps it was time it earned a new place in his memory. With a slight smile he looked around to all that had paused what they were doing, some even coming closer to the Ithecal to hear what was going on. "We march. Every corner of Scalvoris. If these riots spread further, we talk. I am one man, not of Scalvoris. But you? You ARE Scalvoris. Show them what they are doing is wrong. Unite your own people."

"And what about you?" a woman asked from the crowd, who had been quiet until now. Her two children stood by her side. It was likely she was grasping for supplies before an attempt to flee. Varlum looked to them, the two young ones looking up at him while hiding behind their mother. Varlum reached to his side, a pouch strapped around a belt as he pulled out a strange coin and a horn. "I'm going to call in a favour" he smirked. "Now then. To work?" he asked with a look to the people before him.

"You heard the man, go. Let's do this!" one man called out, the croud letting out a variety of cries that showed their agreement. It was then that Varlum blew into his Quacian Work Horn, doubling the efficiency of a project of his choosing per cycle. This was the time to use. If he could enhance the speed that they spread peace through Scalvoris, he'd be doing his job - and perhaps become Vega's favourite person in the process. Then, as the crowd dispersed, people helping one another up and conversations starting - Varlum flipped his coin in front of himself.

As the Ilaren summoning coin flipped in the air there was a burst of static, the coin seeming to charge up and spark for a moment - before it was caught midair by Ilaren herself. Immediately, Varlum knelt, cross one arm across his chest in a salute. "Lady Ilaren" he bowed his head for a moment, before rising to his feet with a serious expression. "You gave me this coin because I saved Rharne, on occasion. I need your help" he asked, his tone always conveying respect. He'd formerly been a lightning knight, after all. Many of the battles he'd fought were for Rharne and it's people. "These people need help, an escape. I would ask you and your allies give it to them, to those that need an escape. I can't think of two Immortals better equipped for helping them across the seas than you and U'frek".

With a look to the Immortal, Varlum bowed his head. "I wouldn't ask this of you if I didn't need the help - but I shall respect your answer, always."

Whatever Ilaren said, Varlum knew he had more work to do than just a day. First and foremost, Kura. Vega's letter had told him enough. Whatever Scalvoris needed right now, it wasn't this. They needed unity, they needed people to work side by side. For everyone to feel as though they stood together. Not to fear that someone was trying to stand above them all. So he head to Kura on the first night, hoping to find her. When he did so he came in with a strong demeanour, clear on his purposes. He didn't like what he'd been told about Kura making herself militant, nor did he like the state of Scalvoris. But he knew of Kura and trusted her to explain. It wasn't as if Varlum was the kind to be involved in politics, but Vega had told him to keep an eye on the place - and this was his way of doing so.

After the two talked for a while Kura explained her plans, explained why she made the choices she did and told of her plans to be open with communication. Varlum offered to take the role of militant until a better replacement came, or suggested a meeting be held for someone else to take it, but Kura made it clear that in the case of Varlum at least he was better left out of politics and working on the field. Truth be told, Varlum was skeptical of how well it would work, persuading people that Kura could be trusted after making such a large move. But she was the politician, not him, and he'd done his part in warning her.

After their talk that night Varlum used his echo scroll with Vega to inform her of what was happening (see Vega's letter thread once this post is done). A part of his conversation with Kura, however, gave him something to think about. When he asked about the threats to Scalvoris she talked about Chrien and a grudge she seemed to have with the island, though nobody knew why. Part of war, Varlum knew too well from his time with Faith, was understanding. Knowing your enemy, knowing what they want and why they want it so badly. He'd expected his night to be spent in the streets, trying to peacekeep somehow. But a part of his talk with Kura was what they did and didn't know, what he could try and find out. Much of this war would be spent on the frontline.

But not tonight.

Instead, Varlum activated the Library of Ralaith. As he entered Ralaith's domain he made time move differently, as all Champions of Ralaith could do in Ralaith's domain, aiming to give himself more time than he would have elsewise in the real world, making time move slower. Then he searched for the book he wanted. Ralaith's domain had books on, supposedly, everything. Which meant he needed a lot of time. Thankfully, the domain around him gave him plenty. Kura had given him a list of things to think about. Chrien and the Pirate Lords were two obvious ones, of course. But after a talk with Kura there was more. The Warden of Slag's Deep, the Centipede, the Church of Eternal Mercies and the Phoenix.

What he had hoped would be a research project that spanned one night quickly became more. Varlum only left the door he had created to get food and drink for himself, eventually stockpiling both in the room with him. He'd even sleep in the room if he had to. Ethelynda's blanket and pillow could keep him calm and give him an easier time resting, so he brought them along. So long as he avoided getting any on the books and ate away from the table, Ralaith likely wouldn't care. Especially given the importance of what he was doing. If anything, Ralaith might be too shocked at the sight of Varlum reading a book to react in any way.

Trials went by of reading books, words blending like mush in his brain as he tried to make sense of it all. Every part on it's own made sense. But it had been almost ten trials already, he'd read each of the books through. What was left? He spread the books across the table, letting out a frustrated snarl as he tried to wrap his head around it all. Research was far from his strong point, and the mass of words would likely haunt him forever. So he started to recount it all.

Chrien wanted to bring back Fei, wanted to get to the fracture to do it. The Pirate Lords didn't know they were working for Chrien, at least most of them, and he could find out easily who knew what - not that he imagined it mattered just yet. Those two made sense. But the rest? The Centipede, a faction of many legs. Many factions joined together for 'change in Scalvoris'. They laid out the explosives, they laid out half of this plan - and in the riots when he'd arrived they fled. And the Warden had been drilling to the fracture too, in fear of the Centipede and their plan to blow up the island - and in order to appease Chrien. But why? Why did the Warden want to be involve and where was he drilling? Why did Chrien side with the pirate lords but tell them nothing, and who did the Centipede serve to do and know all that they did?

In his moment of uncertainty he heard a throat clearing behind him. "Glad to see you're making yourself comfortable" Ralaith's voice echoed out across the chamber as Varlum almost jumped out of his seat, eyes glancing backwards. There was almost a smirk on Ralaith's face at the sight of Varlum sat in front of a bunch of books, bundled up like a scholar. Not a look he had likely expected when he marked the Ithecal. "What are you researching?" he raised an eyebrow. Varlum let out a deep sigh as he looked to the books and started to explain everything, Ralaith listening intently.

After what felt like a Break of talking Varlum looked at the books with narrow eyes. What piece of the puzzle was he missing? "So they all want the Fracture?" he asked, inquiring with a seemingly genuine tone, Varlum entirely unaware of the game Ralaith was playing. The ithecal nodded, not breaking his gaze from the books. "Perhaps the Warden was trying to save Scalvoris, in his own way?" he asked, Varlum leaning back in his chair. "But how did the Warden kn-" Varlum started with a low groan before the pieces finally snapped together, his eyes widening.

"Son of a bitch."

Varlum sat up in his chair and looked to Ralaith, who simply nodded in return. "I'll clean. Go." the Immortal spoke with a serious voice, understanding the importance of what Varlum had discovered. It was the 20th when he emerged, although it felt like the 40th truth be told, Varlum's head rushing as he left the door and entered the woods he had kept it in, having built himself walls of stone with Defiance with the snap of his fingers to keep anything away from the door, his Spirits all standing guard outside at any moment. As soon as he had the echo scroll for Vega he wrote to her, and asked her to share that information with everyone.

Off Topic

SO, big post, but not TOO many actions

Trial 1: Varlum stopped a riot and tried to make that a widespread action, using his Quacian Work Horn and the locals of Scalvoris.
Trial 1 - Action 2: Varlum asked Ilaren if she and U'frek would protect people trying to leave the island at sea, if such a thing was possible
Trial 1 - Action 3: Talk to Kura, find out what to research and have a pretty intense conversation about the public opinion. Write to Vega after this, telling her to come home.
Trial 2, 3, 4...every other trial: Varlum researched in Ralaith's Domain, a champion level power he has. After asking Peg what this research would come up with, he discovered a LOT of information that I will write in a letter below. This letter will be sent to EVERYONE on Scalvoris that has a means of hearing it

Also all conversations were agreed upon in Discord and both Immortal interactions were approved by Peg (sorry I didn't get to come see ya Darius, the books called!)
See the letter below.

Powers used:

Inspire: When this skill is activated, those around the user find themselves able to resist the fears and doubts that plague their minds, allowing them to act in spite of them when they might otherwise be unable to do so. This does not only apply to martial fears and doubts, but to fears and doubts in all facets of life. (to calm the rioters so they would listen)

Ilaren Summoning Coin (it has no description but it...well it's called Ilaren summoning coin and if needs be I can try and find where I was given it, it'll be on my CS somewhere. But it yknow...summons Ilaren. Prolly one time use)

Library of Ralaith: All the marked of Ralaith through the years have recorded their experiences and journeys in the tomes Ralaith grants them. When the marked passes, these tomes become the property of the Immortal and part of his immense collection of knowledge. To a Champion, this library is open for their perusal. When summoning their own Chamber of Wisdom, they can invoke the ancient tongue and instead create a door to the library of the Immortal Ralaith. Here shelves stretch into the distant sky with scaffolding and ladders, a domain of Knowledge where time is variable. A Champion can research almost any subject in this library and find the answers to secrets and legends once thought lost. With Prophet permission, any subject in Idalos lore can be researched or studied here. Sometimes a Champion is lucky and Ralaith will help them. No other is allowed entrance into the library, nor are any of the books allowed to leave. So long as these rules are observed, a Champion may have the same access to Wisdom as their benefactor.

Vega,

Researched in Ralaith's library, lot's to write down.

Centipede placed the explosives, they're working with Chrien. The Warden was digging to Fei's fracture because explosives were plan B - was trying to not let Chrien blow up Scalvoris. Pirate Lords working for Chrien but don't know it either. Centipede are all the small factions that want change. Church of Eternal Mercies, Crafters, The Guild. All of them. They fled the island during the riots, which they had planned from the beginning. All of them are linked, everything across Scalvoris' recent history with these factions - it's all been Chrien.

Chrien wants Fei back, and is willing to scorch Scalvoris to do it.

If Chrien lives, she won't stop. Her history says it all. She'll stop at nothing to get Fei back, her plan could even get her killed - but she doesn't care.

If Scalvoris wants to go to war, tell them everything. This is the carrot and the stick. We know what she wants, it's up to Scalvoris if they are willing to give it to her.

If war is our last option, I fear there are few ways we win it, and none of them pretty.

-Varlum

[Kura Wolfsdotter]

Day 11: Kura has Elements examine destroyed building, gets report from Balthazar, sends report of an active threat and details there-of, including tunnels under Almund and Scalvtown and volatility of explosives to the rest of the Council as well as non-council village leaders like Woe, Rorom, Darius, and Vega via Echo Scroll Network. If Winston's warning received same day, she'll send that one around as well, same method. Elements not on riot control duties, especially those trained in explosives and removal there-of are ordered to be ready to investigate the tunnels. She'll send warning about the dangers posed to Spirits to the four Induks. She goes out to calm the riots in Almund, confirms she had reports of a possible threat that she had been having investigated during the past few days, but only got confirmation of an active threat the day prior and details that morning and had already informed the Council of those details. Elements are ordered, once formed up, to secure entrances to tunnels in public spaces. Jacien is ordered to have these watched as well in case of rogue Elements. Kura also has the conversation with Varlum. Her stance is largely that she does recognize the issues brought up, and had slipped up and forgotten to make any of her motivations clear to people, but there really isn't time for a full council meeting during a crisis, given they tend to be long and unproductive. She tells him about the threats to the island and does mention the various factions that have been actively anti-government over the years, since he'll be doing research.

Day 12: Explosive and alchemy trained Elements are ordered to try and determine the explosive without disturbing any. Magically trained Elements are permitted to use attunement only if such an attempt can be made in a place where it won't cause additional damage if something happens. Kura will go to Scalvoris Town to curb rioting there. (GM Leadership for this and in Almund.) Per communication with Pegasus regarding the explosives: The determination they come to (initially) is that this stuff is liquid chaos. It changes on a minute by minute basis. There's seconds where it's giving off the kind of yellow fog Nir'wei saw. There's times when it would knock them out / kill anyone breathing it in. They very quickly (after a near miss or two) come to the conclusion that ANY kind of magic or marks is a very bad idea around this. It seems to react / get even more chaotic / change more quickly when around people who are marked or have magic. It's incredibly volatile and chaotic. After further testing it is discovered that basically - it will ALWAYS be very volatile. But literally anything that is "outside" normal (magic, marks, draconic etc) makes it even worse. This holds even for Divine Ether in Mortalborn and presumably Draconic Ether in Dragons, which are natural to them but still metaphysically weird. Ghosts also make it act up. Kura will send this out along the Echo Scroll Network, including non-council city leaders, and also to Balthazar. Included in this will be a note that she's heard back from the Induks and they're being made uncomfortable the liquid chaos stuff, but it doesn't seem to be harming them.

Day 13: Kura has Jacien and the Spirit Elements go out and try to track down any hideouts or such for groups like Centipede, the Phoenix, the Church of Eternal Mercies, and slave traders that held a grudge over the emancipation laws. Anyone that was actually a threat to Scalvoris has completely disappeared. Centipede in particular has, near as can be told, completely vanished. These investigations continue throughout the period, because presumably even Jacien can't pull that kinda confirmation immediately out of a hat. Kura does keep Balthazar informed of this, since he was checking out businesses that were up to shenanigans.

Day 15: Kura will agree to attend Winston's meeting, but she's very wary of it inviting Chrien. She'll let Winston know that she has tried to negotiate with Chrien before and had it backfire rather spectacularly.

Day 16: Kura gets word that Balthazar wants to try using magic to revive Rand. She agrees and gives orders that he be allowed to try. Kura also sends a request to Viden through the Ishallr portal. The request is a letter to Yvithia with a description of the bombs and what is known about them, requesting if Yvithia has any information on them and how to disarm them.

Day 18: Kura gets Woe's information and passes it around the Echo Scroll Network, including non-council city leaders, and Balthazar. She'll order non-Blessed, non-Forged, non-mage Elements to investigate the warehouse.

Day 19: Kura will send word to the Iron Maiden requesting information on any Pirate Lord hangouts. As she's not part of the Echo Scroll Network, she doesn't expect an immediate answer on this.

Day 20: Kura drafts an evacuation notice for Scalvoris as an emergency protocol. Nothing is issued and she doesn't tell anyone this. She has the bombs in the tunnels watched as well as she can in case someone tries to set them off.

[Winston]

11th of Cylus

Finished with his new friend, Sotong, he set off. Carrying the heavy warning and the mention of a mysterious Grey Lady with him, he sent all of this back to Saoire’s Dream to be decimated amongst the group from their previous meetings. He didn’t have a means by which to contact Woe directly, and so he simply passed on his desire to make contact. He had Mer, willing and able to help them, spy and leak information from the Pirates and perhaps Chrien, but he was not great at this… He could do with some help.

”De 30th af Ashen ‘oratio… Wateva et es, et’s gonna ‘appen den an' we need tuh stap et. Everyting will be ova ef we don’t.”

He said as their call ended and the diligent Cadouri saluted.

Felicity pulled at the fringes of his mind and as

Winston let her in, she settled and spoke

.

”You should just give them a Holo-com, thing, and tell them to pass on any and all information they stumble across. Pop one of the Holo-coms in a convenient location and just drop the hint that they can ‘discuss things’ there if they wanted information to leak…“

He took a long slow breath.

””Riiiiiight. ‘ow?

”Oh really? Let me ride for a bit will you?”

She replied with a tired tone.

Happily, Winston relinquished control as the Wisp took over and began making the arrangements, dropping the right hints to the right people, letting Sot know and arranging for the device to be installed once it was ready.

All that was left to do was to create the device for him to leave behind.

12th -13th of Cylus

Winston visits Beacon and sends the Rainbow fleet out to deliver aid here.

14th of Cylus

Sending out invitations to all the leaders he was aware of, through the Brain Trust, via one Horatio Thunderbustle at Saoire’s Dream, he set about putting together his plans for the coming event.

Some received letters, others received messages via Holo-com, but the messages read as follows, with a little personal flair for the individuals he knew well enough to try and convince personally:

Dear X,

I write to you today to invite you to a gathering to discuss the situation we have here in Scalvaris that is affecting us all. I am going to be talking with Chrien and require as much support as I can muster and your presence would, personally, be of great value and I would be deeply grateful if you could attend.

Your help could be the brick that makes the wall. Please, if you can, come and hear me out, because something needs to change if Scalvaris is going to weather this storm and I think I have a raincoat.

Love,

Winston Miller

P.S. There will be tea and cake! Please let me know if you have any dietary requirements.

14th onwards (depending on distances and each individual locations locale, etc.)

Across the shores of the ravaged towns of Scalvaris, a miraculous sight is beheld as Rainbow-coloured ships sail in, some appearing as if from nowhere, and deliver aid and good spirit.

Each ship gives supplies and good will, but equally as important, they take time to listen to people that speak and requests that are made. Making no promises, they pass these on to the Isonomia HQ to be filtered through to Winston, should there be anything they need that he can provide.

As the food and materials were shared out by volunteers, collected from

various locations over Scalvaris

, the word was

”Isonomia works with Scalvarius to keep us strong! We watch the waters with you!”

Using the magical ships, that were twice as fast as any standard craft and could sail against the wind with ease, were no longer a secret and Winston had them spend their time, darting around Scalvaris, making appearances off shores, appearing, projecting their illusions and trying to lift moral by ‘being seen’.

19th & 20th of Cylus

With so much happening, the preparations for the tea party were being furiously made. Using the Chalk that Faith had left them, that creates a room of requirement, and using everything he knew of

Saoire

,

Ol’Tuck

and

Sotong

, he prepared not a feast, but a well placed

Tea party menu that would allows people to to enjoy some food without it being the focus of the affair

.

Also, he’d received an Echo-box and some scrolls from Woe along with a Dragonling! He used the box to pass back any and all information he had on the Mer and Sotong and anything else he came across. He also took the chance, via their private scroll, to indicate that the Mer were happy to collect or decimate information for them, but that he was not best placed to know how to take advantage of that… should this be of interest to him in the long term.

The little ferret picked up the Vial Woe sent, with an expression of awe.

The Devil on My Shoulder
Curiosity: we'er going to drink that right?
Winston: Gulp-gulp-gulp!
Curiosity: Goood Ferret!
Winston: WWWWWeeeeeeeeeeeHeheee!!!!!

As the experience of the rushing information washed over him, he relaxed into it, trusting in Woe, that it was not a poison, and Saoire, this it was not things he should not know....

When he eventually came back around and started furiously making note, the news of some kind of spirit-killing alchemical fire caused shivers through his spine, but with the tea party so close… if this could work… none of that would ever need to be a problem they need to solve.

The invitations he sent out to the three core people included Sotong, Saoire and Ol’Tuck.

Of course he invited all the Scalvaris Induks, but it was Ol’Tuck he had the close connection with and he hoped his particular talents with air might be most helpful when dealing with any storms.

Message to Ol’Tuck

Via his connect with Joe, he reached out to the Induk to pose his request.

"'hello, Winston ‘ere.

Me ‘ave a great favour tut ask af yuh. Me would nat ask ef me did nat believe wid every fiba af me being dat de fate af de ‘ole af Scalvaris stood en de balance.

Cud yuh please meet wid meh an’ a group af Oddas, as yuh once did wid Saoire?

Me know et es a great fava dat me es asking an’ et es wid a ‘umble ‘art dat me ask.

Togedda, we cun do dis.

Please.”

Message to Saoire

Via a prayer, his Holo-com or even Horatio Thunderbustle.

”’hello, Winston ‘ere.

Sarry, bot me ‘ave a great favour tut ask af yuh an’ me was wonderin’ ef yuh would attend me tea party tut discoss a plan me ‘ave tut talk tut Chrien?

Et will be outside yuh place, inside Chest.”

Message to Sotong

Via his Holo-com connected to the Mer.

”’hello, Winston ‘ere.

Me ‘ave a great favour tut ask af yuh. Me would nat ask ef me did nat believe wid exvery fiba af me being dat de fate af de ‘ole af Scalvaris stood en de balance.

Cud yuh please meet wid meh an’ a group af Oddas outside Saoire’s Dream?

Me know et es a great fava dat me es asking an’ et es wid a ‘amble ‘art dat me ask dis af yuh.

Me know dat yuh praverbial ‘ands are a little tied, bot dis pertains tut Chrien an’ ef et make et easier tut jostify… Being dere will give yuh information she will want tut ‘ere. Wideout yuh dere, Chrien might nat ‘ave any eye an’ ears an what we discuss an’ me very much want her tut ‘ear wat me ‘as tut say.

Togedda, we cun do dis. Togedda, we cun save Scalvaris and free us all, you, Chrien and Scalvaris included.

Please.”

With each and every message or letter was the news that the gathering would be held, within Chest, outside Saiore’s Dream.

Action Summery

Thing people would know
Note: When I say PEOPLE, I mean the leaders and people of ‘the brain trust’, not necessarily the general public.

• Everything he was told by Sotong, including, but not limited to the Grey Lady, the warning about him needing to leave and Saoire’s Dream being the only place left safe and the cave under Scalv not being safe.
• That he has contacts with the Mer that can decimate and collect information.
• That he is sending aid to Harvardr, Ishallr and Beacon and requests resources for that ships to collect en-route.
• That there is a Gathering happening to discuss Chrien on the 21st of Cylus and any ‘leader of Scalv’ is encouraged to attend.

10-trial Timeline

11th: Tells everyone (in the brain trust, etc.) everything he knows. Gives the Mer a Holo-com for future contact.
12th -13th: Arranges that the Lab in Sharon and Cho et-al in Sweetsong start producing Holo-coms using Faith’s wells (with Kura’s blessing).
- Send the ‘Rainbow Fleet’ out to get and provide relief supplies to Harvardr, Ishallr and Beacon.
- Makes a BIG show of the Rainbow ships arriving, for people to ‘see aid and organised resistance’ happening and is not shy of letting them know Isonomia is there and so are their other heroes (Hopetown, Eglrun and anyone else that is helping, his goal is not to steal limelight, but to turn the lights on).
- Goes to Beacon and helps quell the panic in person and begin some repairs.
- Uses his

healing beam

to magically heal the injured.
14th: Harvardr, Ishallr and Beacon see the arrival of a Rainbow Ship from the Rainbow fleet.
14th-18th:
- Starts getting the magical ships to literally dark around Scalvaris projecting their presence to raise moral. Rainbows for Scalvaris! Isonomia for Scalvaris!
- Sends Woe a Holo-com via the echo-box on received of said echo-bo from woe and drinks the Forging Vial from Saoire!
- Sends out invitations to his meeting. He does not call it a tea party in most of the invites, unless he knew them very personally. The invitation is made by any means necessary. By Holo-com for Sotong, Saoire and the Brain Trust, by messenger or Letter for everyone else. The invitation says it’s critical, that it concerns Chrien and where appropriate pulls strings, favours or leverage for each individual that would work to get them to come.

Here is what Winston is drawing on to assume success of these efforts:

* Winston has 100 Songforged Points and I have not yet claimed my ‘meet and greet’ with Ol’Tuck.
* As outlined here, having 100 or more Forged Points means I could look to become Life Forged?
* I think Saoire would come to a party if Winston invited her.
* Sotong and Winston ‘made friends’ here, so if they thought it would get rid of Chrien, I think they might turn up, if they can.
* Socialisation Master.

What they are dealing with affects the WHOLE of Scalvaris, so he invites all the Induks, not just Ol’Tuck, but obviously has less ‘pull’ on them.

The Tea Party will be held inside Chest, by Saoire’s Dream, on the 21st (even with Varlum's finding emerging).

Winston will then spend the rest of his time organising the food and drink. He will use all his culinary skills (Cooking GM, Several

Capstones surrounding Spirit Food

and a Capstone about

understanding what people WANT to eat

), experience with Spirits and knowledge of anything else he can to prepare things people will enjoy eating, that will make them feel ‘at home, whatever that might be. He focuses on satisfying Saoire, Sotong and the Induks, but the Tea party will cater for all.

Sent Woe a Holo-com.

Drinks Woe Vial and learns all about the Forging.

19th-20th: Continues preparing for the arrivals and researching Chrien furiously with anything willing to share information.


Specific questions for moderation above and beyond the above:

• What’s the WP hit for Isonomia for the relief effort to Harvardr, Ishallr and Beacon? Suggestion: I really have no idea how much is a) available and b) he could afford, but as usual, he’ll be using 50% Renown Rewards to lighten the cost where possible. Suggestion: 20 WP?
• How many Holo-coms does Winston manage to get built between The Lab in Rharne and Sweetsong (he’s not going insane, if they got to something like 12 he’d stop, though 12 is, to be clear, probably way more than could be built by two teams over 6 days). Suggestion: 6 (what with Sweetsong's various production, skill and efficiency boons)

All template credit, love and admiration goes to Kisaik

[Balthazar Black]

Cylus 724

10 Cylus 724 - Explosion in the Streets of Almund
11 Cylus 724 - The Descent
All things considered Balthazar was happy to still be alive. He'd been blown up by a volatile and nearly impossible to test liquid and come out the other end alive. Mostly. His hands wouldn't stop shaking and every time he heard a loud noise it startled him. With hearing like his, a lot of noises were loud. The eleventh morning of Cylus was one of the loudest yet. It couldn't all have been due to the one explosion. There was far more panic in the streets than one explosion could have caused. The people in Almund should have been used to things getting attacking in Cylus by now but Balthazar wasn't so how could they be?

Balthazar saw the rioting and looting in the streets as he crossed from his house to the Black Cat's headquarters after a night failing to get a good rest. Every time he closed his eyes he saw the explosion again. He felt the weight pressing down against his body. It made it hard to focus on what he should have been thinking about. The riots were the perfect cover to move things through Almund and the tunnels- but he wasn't thinking about the tunnels. He was trying to figure out how to stop the city from tearing itself apart.

Robin, Lyanna, and Croft were waiting for him at the entrance to the headquarters. They were talking to the greeter, Avery, and dropped the conversation as soon as they saw Balthazar come through the door. They quickly ran through what they knew. Word was out and it had caused a wild panic across all of Scalvoris. They only really had enough time to find out about Almund's state but the rumors implied the panic was much further spread. Balthazar had Lyanna write out a report detailing their last trip into the tunnels which resulted in the loss of building. Once she was done he instructed Croft to deliver it to Albarech. By now he hoped she was getting more familiar with Croft's face. He always sent Croft to deliver the messages and that wasn't accidental. While Croft delivered the report Balthazar took Robin and Lyanna out into the city with a bag full of goodies.

The rioting at the docks was some of the worst. People were doing anything and everything they could to get onto a ship and Balthazar could feel that it was going to lead to violence. It hadn't boiled over yet. The Elements were keeping people back but they were spread thin against the force of Almund's panic. Balthazar reached into his bag and produced a small, hard candyYou find yourself unable to eat more than 1 on any trial. But each one provides the following to whoever eats it for the next 6 hours: "Saoire's domain of Gifts is not merely one of physical goods, but of the happiness and joy that comes with both giving and receiving a well-meant gift. This ability allows the Blessed to give both themselves and anyone they're with a feeling of joy and good cheer, banishing negative feelings like sorrow, anger, and fear." in a wrapper. He opened it and popped it into his mouth with a slightly disgusted look. He thought it would taste bad but it didn't. It was old but just as pleasant as it was on the first trial he'd been given them. He probably shouldn't have been thinking about the taste given everyone screaming and yelling and pushing back against the Land Troopers trying to stop them from jumping aboard stranger's boats with wild offers.

A smile spread over his face and he reached back into his bag. "Robin and Lyanna eat this and spread out for crowd control. Help the Element's however you can. I'll try to... calm everyone down." He pulled out two more of the candies and gave them to his allies. They each ate the candy and moved to spread themself into the rioting crowd. Far enough apart so that the candy's effect wouldn't overlap- but none of them really knew how far it would spread.

Next Balthazar produced a strange, brightly colored cubeFor this, you are awarded a small children's puzzle made of wood and brightly coloured. It draws attention, should you be trying to solve it. People will stop what they're doing and watch you, they'll be intrigued. It isn't massively powerful (Discipline, etc, will be able to resist it) but it's very useful for de-escalating situations. , and a bracelet.A simple bronze bracelet. When worn, this bracelet enchants the wearers voice and allows them to shout up to five times as loudly as they normally could without damaging their throat He slipped the bracelet onto his write and began turning the wooden cube in an effort to solve it.

He didn't have to yell. He was ready to yell but he didn't need to. Very slowly, but very surely, a strange quiet slipped throughout the port, centered on Balthazar and his effort to solve the puzzle he knew he never would. He wasn't disappointed either. It was all fun. The candies effect would radiate outward as well- purging the negative emotions from those around him who had the discipline to ignore the cube's magic. If not from the candy's natural effect, it would radiate outwards because Balthazar was sharing his emotionsThe character is able to share their emotions with a crowd within a short range around them for a single break. Greater levels of alcoholic intoxication increases the power of this ability. and he was impacted. He took advantage of the distraction to push for de-escalation. He spoke loudly, and the bracelet cast his voice over the port.

"Return to your homes!" He shouted as he lowered the cube. He had their attention now so he didn't need it to distract them. He spoke with a firm tone. He was no asking them to go home. He was commanding it."You are tearing your own city apart! If there is an enemy, you are giving them what they want! You are the only danger to each other here! You are as safe as you can be anywhere else. Go home! Return to your families and cast aside these rumors. Be with those you love and let those who have always defended you, do it once more. Live your lives. Breathe. Scalvoris will be here when the suns rise again."

There was disagreement among the crowd but the plan to spread the effects of Saoire's candy seemed to be working. It was hard to riot when all your negative emotions were being pushed out of you- and Balthazar knew how effective the candy could be.

12 Cylus 724 - Dukahrn Dips
Between his effort at the docks and the Albarech's own efforts, Balthazar felt comfortable to focus on the business side of the conspiracy. He was going to peel through each and every business in Almund which had been stockpiling weapons. He was going to pull apart whatever he needed to in order to get the information he wanted- even if it was his own soul. His mentor had once theorized that an Attuner could grow powerful enough to steal thoughts from a frequency. Perhaps he'd have to test that and find out if there was any truth to it. He would start with his most recent mistake- Dukahrn's Medical Facility.

He had helped Dukahrn's after the pirate attacks at the request of Lyanna. She had friends who used the facility and they estimated it would not get government help before the Order's outposts. He thought it was a good olive branch to the seedier side of the city. Instead he had just helped speed along another enemy. They were one of the first places he'd looked under. So... disappointing. Dukahrn would get no mercy from him. Not after a slight like that.

The problem was that Dukahrn's was entirely abandoned when he arrived. Shit. When had he left? Why hadn't the journal- oh... Do they know when I'm using the journal? The journal was currently set to show everything about Scalvoris Town. Balthazar was using his memory to investigate Almund's stockpiles now. Memory was only true to the moment. The door was locked up but that was only a matter of a firm kick to solve. He didn't care to be discrete at the moment. The building was in bad enough shape. It looked like the rioting had hit them hard. Cots were cut up and knocked around. A few had been stacked as a makeshift barricade against the door but it didn't seem to stop anyone.

The medical equipment was gone. Either looted or taken whenever the owner fled. A quick trip through Dukahrn's secret entrance into the tunnels revealed the stockpile of weapons was missing too. The barrels were emptied out and left behind but the weapons were gone. The mage took a frustrated breath and returned to the surface. He searched the facility again to make sure he hadn't missed anything but in the end the only conclusion he could draw definitively was that Dukahrn's people had run.

When he received Winston's warning later that trial he began to understand why. He made sure to write a report to Kura that Dukahrn's and the stockpile beneath it had been emptied out. Ironically he received her message about the explosives shortly after sending his out. It was good to know, but Balthazar felt how his diri did about the bombs. He wanted to keep them at a distance for now.

13 Cylus 724 - Nellie's Nowhere
He went to investigate a brothel where he'd cut his investigative teeth in Scalvoris before joining the Elements. It had been arcs since he'd come to check in on how things were going at Nellies which felt foolish in hindsight. He did that a lot early on. He came in, solved what he saw as a problem, and left everyone else in his wake. He'd helped the Element's arrested the former Madame Nellie when he discovered she was abusing her girls. Apparently someone else came in using the same name but he had heard things were better... or at least he hadn't heard about more girls being scarred.

The brothel was only slightly better than Dukahrn's had been and that was because there were at least people inside. Everything else was as bad as everywhere else. When he arrived he found three of the girls milling about with brooms- trying to clean up the damage caused by the rioting. He could smell the dead before his mark or any other senses told him that someone had died. His eyes shifted across the room to a closed door in the back.

"Please- just leave." One of the girls begged upon seeing Balthazar in the doorway. "There's nothing left to take. Madame's gone."

"I'm not here to take anything." Balthazar said with a cautious step into the building. He raised both hands to show he meant no harm. The other two girls who had been sweeping were holding their brooms with white-knuckled grips. "What happened here?"

Those three words, when strung together in that order, in this particular places, lead to a very unfortunate tale. Balthazar never let it feel like an interrogation but he was mining for information. He was careful not to push too hard when he saw the other begin to react sensitively. Nellies had been attacked and hit hard during the rioting- just like Dukahrn's. Only while Dukahrn's seemed to escape unharmed with all of their supplies, Nellies girls were less fortunate. The new Madame Nellie and Molly were gone, but no one knew where. All they knew was that they weren't there when the rioting hit the building.

So much for 'a local favorite.' Maybe that was the problem.

Three girls were dead. The three who remained were alone and had no idea what to do now. They'd only started working in the prior few seasons so they didn't know where to go now. They didn't want to leave their friends' bodied for other looters to find. Balthazar understood. He offered them temporary shelter at the Black Cats Headquarters until they could find somewhere to go. They'd be safer there than they would be in the ruin that was left behind from the rioting. They insisted on staying with the bodies and Balthazar offered to help move them so that the girls could have proper rites.

This offer, they accepted gladly.

It was during that time that Balthazar found the a long chain- like a necklace. It was a thin silver chain and clutched in the cold grip of one of the girls. It was long enough that whatever was on it originally could have been hidden beneath clothing but there was no pendant or adorning jewelry. It was just the necklace chain. Thinking it belonged to the victim, Balthazar asked the surviving girls about it but they all said they'd never seen it before.

Curious.

He spent most of the trial helping the girls and getting the rites organized for the dead- which was difficult given the chaotic situation persisting in the city. A lot of people needed help but Balthazar made sure these girls got it. He kept talking to them throughout it all to try and gather other information. Predominantly- 'where was the first place you heard the rumor?' The problem was that no two answers were ever the same. Sure there were similar places but always a different person in that place.

Only at the end of the trial did he return to Nellies and search their underground stockpile. Just like Dukahrn's, everything was gone. He wrote out another report for the Albarech and had Croft deliver it. When he received word from Kura about having Jacien investigate places associated with various factions- Balthazar found himself staring at the necklace he'd found clutched in the dead girl's hands. He knew about the Crafter and the Church of Eternal Mercies but the others he was less familiar with. Either way, he had names to work with going toward.

14 Cylus 724 - The Scalvoris Sapphire Scoots
The Scalvoris Sapphire didn't have any real personal link to Balthazar. He'd stayed a few times but he never thought much about their seeming love of the Pirate Lords. Now that he knew they had a stockpile of weapons beneath them and were likely part of a larger conspiracy he was beginning to think it was bold how open they'd been about it. He arrived at the inn and shouldn't have been surprised by what he found. It was the same as Dukahrn's and Nellies. Closer to Dukahrn's since it was entirely abandoned as well. All the staff were gone and the building had been cleared out quickly. Balthazar took his time moving from room to room in the empty inn.

He searched everything but it was becoming frustrating. Everywhere he went he found the same things. He wasn't getting anywhere and if the warnings were to be believed, time was running out. Each room had been overturned and ransacked by rioters or fleeing owners. There weren't many clues to be found about anything he wouldn't have already known. The inn was large so the search took time but Balthazar didn't let his lack of findings dissuade him from searching thoroughly. Given's Kura's information about the explosives, Balthazar was trying to rely on his more mundane senses to find the secrets being hidden from him.

All three floors of the building were devoid of life. The familiar scent of lavender and roasting meat was gone- replaced with the odor of dust and... mold? Balthazar wasn't entirely sure what mold smelled like. The more he saw, the more he had to wonder who had done all the damage to the buildings. If these conspirators with stashes of weapons beneath their businesses were all part of the same plot against the island- why had they let their businesses be ransacked and destroyed? Especially knowing that they had the weapons to defend it with during the rioting. Nellie had let girls die. The Scalvoris Sapphire was in ruin. Tables and chairs were broken for no reason but to create a mess. It didn't make sense. Chaos for chaos sake. Maybe they were trying to cover their tracks. They could return later and claim the government had failed to protect them no matter how quickly anyone stepped in to stop the rioting.

Without people to question, motivations were hard to determine. All he could do was look at the pieces of the puzzle he found and was fed. He'd clip them together bit by bit until the picture was clear. He checked the basement last because he started his search on the top floor and worked downwards in a grid pattern. The grid let him make sure he saw every part of every room in the building. Hidden doors and the like were not easily hidden from him. The story was the same on every floor above ground- ruined rooms. Destroyed furniture. Looted kitchen. The basement was where things changed.

The basement to the Scalvoris Sapphire Inn was always guarded and was a place of mystery to the patrons who visited. Now it was laid bare- unprotected and evidently unlocked. It seemed like it had been used for storage but all the shelves had been knocked over. There was a table too and some chairs- but most importantly there was another door at the far end of the basement. It lead out into the tunnels beneath Almund where once again Balthazar found a stockpile of emptied out barrels. They'd their weapons and run as well. He cursed under his breath and returned to the basement. He shifted some of the cabinets and shelves out of the way to make an easier path back up to the exit and when he did he saw a faint glimmer.

Balthazar knelt down and shifted aside some rubble that was covering a thing silver chain. It was just like the one in the girl's hand at Nellies. He pulled on the chain carefully with a single finger to pry it free from the rubble it was under. Trill by trill the chain came up from the dirt. It had a pendant at the end- just where he thought the other one should have. He took the charm into his hand and rubbed some of the dirt off to get a better look.

A phoenix?

That was one of the groups Kura had Jacien investigating. He'd make sure to include that he found the pendant at the inn when he wrote his report for Kura. Having found all he would be able to at the inn, Balthazar returned to his office to get his reports done and prepare for the next trial.

15 Cylus 724 - Berlwin's Bow Out
Balthazar targeted Berlwin's Brews on the fifteenth because of the poisons he had found in the stockpiles under The Kennels. Berlwin was one of the more renowned poison makers- or had been before his untimely demise. It couldn't be a coincidence. When he arrived it was a lot like Dukahrn's. The building was locked up but it looked like the rioting had still hit hard. The windows were smashed and a quick portal into the building revealed that the interior wasn't much better off. The shelves of reagents and poisons had been stripped but it was strange. Not everything was gone. Balthazar's experience with alchemy helped him identify a few reagents in various bottles which had been knocked over and either broken or been abandoned on the floor.

Remus, Berlwin's 'replacement' had fled in a hurry. He must have only taken was most important to him which might of included-

Yep. When Balthazar checked the stockpile beneath Berlwin's he found a few dozen empty crates. If everything tracked the same that meant barrels had weapons, marked barrels had the explosive, and crates had an assortment of poisons. It seemed that Remus kept most of his supply down in his stockpile. Perhaps that was why he'd been unable to take more. No. Balthazar returned to the main room of the shop and looked around again. Things had been knocked over while moving them. That didn't indicate he had no space. It indicated that he'd been in a rush to gather everything before leaving. Balthazar looked around for any sign of a necklace with a charm like the one he'd found at the inn but he found nothing. If Remus had one it was likely on the poisoner.

Where had everyone gone in such a hurry? Where was the safe place that these criminals were going to hide? Was there one? There had to be some sanctuary that they were using... but where? Balthazar pondered that for the rest of the trial while he wrote out his report to Kura. He didn't pose that question though. He had a different one brewing now. If time was running out they were going to need someone who knew better than them. In his heart he wanted to turn to Vri, or Ilaren, or even Qylios for some guidance- but if they turned to the immortals to solve everything they had failed to see coming, they would never be ready for the next time.

No. They needed someone who'd been around for a while... but Balthazar wasn't convinced yet.

Balthazar returned to his office and found a letter from Winston with a plan that seemed... optimistic. He had to remind himself that if anyone could do it, it would be Winston. The genius ferret had survived Yaralon according to his own claims, he could survive a lot... but Balthazar would consider lending any help he could.

16 Cylus 724 - The Merchant Guild Mishap
Someone in the building was guilty and Balthazar knew it. The moment he walked into the headquarters for the Merchant's Guild where his secondary office resided, he could feel eyes shift towards him. They always did because of the mutations but this time they lingered. Maybe he just looked good on the trial but Balthazar doubted that. He hadn't been as subtle about his investigating the abandoned businesses. By the sixteenth word had certainly gone around that the 'Officer of Bars' was checking in on everyone. The riots gave the criminals a cover to escape and Balthazar a cover to investigate. He went to his office first and shut the door. It was important that people think he was just paying a normal visit to the office.

After a few bits of going through the letters that hadn't been redirected to the Black Cat's yet, Balthazar went out to 'socialize with his coworkers.' It was honestly a relief to have people to talk to. The girls at Nellies had been traumatized so he had been delicate in questioning them but around the proverbial 'water cooler' Balthazar was able to be a bit more coy and charismatic. He wouldn't say he was 'having fun with it' but he was enjoying it more than walking around abandoned buildings that had been pillaged in the riots. Balthazar ended up spending the whole trial in his office at the Guild Headquarters but the time was used much like a stake out.

After his first trip out to talk with others, he left his door open so he could see out into the headquarters throughout the trial. He tried not to think about what was directly beneath all their feet while he worked. Instead he thought about the idea he had the night before. It might not work. It might do more harm than good. It never had before but he seemed to keep getting things wrong. He wished Elisabeth was there. He wanted her opinion. He wanted to talk to her. He-

Balthazar stood abruptly and left his office so he could focus on the investigation. A few local merchants were passing through and he spoke with them about the 'wild rumors' and strange difficulties facing their businesses but it was difficult to pin anything down for certain. Every person he spoke too, he looked at carefully to see if they were wearing a hidden necklaceAll-Seeing: Balthazar's senses have been refined so thoroughly that they allow him the ability to perceive the presence of sentient beings, creatures and objects hidden by any sort of mundane barrier (hollow floors, shadows, buildings, boxes, concealed weapons, etc). When actively focusing his senses to search his surroundings Balthazar gains a perfect sense of anything concealed through conventional/non-magic means within his range of perception. Using all of his senses he can gather basic information about hidden subjects (size, person or animal, etc.) but overcoming the concealment and interacting with whatever is hidden would require other abilities.

It is important to note that this ability works to counter passive concealment the majority of the time. If someone or something were to actively attempt to hide from Balthazar it would require a Tier 2 level ability or skill to match his level of detection like those he'd found in Nellies and the Scalvoris Sapphire Inn. He couldn't assume anything based on the presence of similar necklace alone but- it would still be useful to get an estimate of who had them and who didn't. Most of the smaller business owners didn't seem to be wearing them. Really, most of the people he saw didn't seem to be wearing them.

Over the course of the trial Balthazar began to notice things that were unusual for how the Merchant's Guild normally functioned- even in Cylus. Unusual in a way that even the recent rioting didn't justify. Everyone should have been more busy, like he was, but instead certain people were missing. He didn't know their names but he remembered their faces. He always saw them going into and come out of their offices. He made sure to ask around about the missing members when he made his next social trip through the offices.

It seemed that a large number of people with very particular viewpoints had taken a trip to 'get away from it all' or 'spend some time with family.' No one wanted to explain what 'particular viewpoints' meant to the Officer of Bars but Balthazar was able to grind them down with brief but valid points about why he was the best person to tell. When it finally came out, he recognized some of the sentiments. They aligned with the factions Kura had mentioned. Two of which Balthazar had personal experience with. The Church of Eternal Mercies had tried to kill a friend of his. The Crafter's had kidnapped Anton Callipo and put him in- oh... Oh, you're an idiot Balthazar Black.

He was disappointed but never showed it. The other merchants didn't notice or at least they didn't seem to. After a while of two parts subtle prying, and one part otherwise idle chat about gossip, Balthazar returned to his office with a vague idea of the Merchant Guild's involvement. He was going to have to spend the rest of the trial at the headquarters to find out more. He had to make sure not to ask the same people the same questions twice. Anyone who came in would get added to the mental list. Eventually, everyone would be questioned. It would just take time to confirm his suspicions.

It was very possible that members of the guild were in factions. The Merchant's Guild was arguably a faction. That wouldn't have been unusual. The usual thing was that they were all leaving the island at the same time. They'd coordinated. These groups were coming together somehow and he could suspect why. He knew certain parts of the ideology for the groups overlapped but he'd never have considered it would be enough.

One of the groups just happened to believe the best way to do that was to burn it all and rise from the ashes. Balthazar found himself back in his office staring at the necklace with the phoenix charm. He took a breath and began to work out a report for Kura with what he had found and with his peculiar request. If these groups were so mad about change, let them be hunted by the Militant they wanted.

Once that was done he'd spend the rest of trial continuing his investigation at the Merchant Guild Headquarters.

17 Cylus 724 - Saving Private Rand
It had been approved on the sixteenth but Balthazar needed the rest of the trial to finish investigating the Merchant's Guild. He wanted his vague image to become clearer. So instead, early on the seventeenth, Balthazar went to where Rand was being monitored. He had a single goal and only one method of achieving it. He wasn't sure it would work but they needed the Militant back. They needed another set of eyes on what they were doing. Another voice of reason. Balthazar was the only one with the particular power that he had. It wasn't domain magic. It wasn't a mark. It wasn't granted to him through his forging. Whatever was keeping Rand in a coma shouldn't have been able to get worse... but Balthazar thought the explosives wouldn't go off on him.

Regardless of his doubt, he would attempt to wake Rand from his coma.Flames of Lovalus - Lovalus has granted Balthazar the ability to conjure and manipulate a stream of purple flames which can encompass an individual or a large building (up to tier 4 in size, meaning three average rooms and a small room worth of space) in need of healing/repair. This purple flame is nothing like any conventional form of fire. Rather than give off heat, it seems to emit a cooling sensation like water and rather than burn it repairs damage done to whatever in surrounds slowly. This can be used to heal mortal wounds but it can not be used to restore life. Alternatively the flames can restore whatever building they encompass to immaculate condition, repairing damage done to foundations, windows, walls, etc. The purple flames leave a slightly damp sensation that lingers for a few bits after use and do not spread like normal flames would, they only spread as directed by Balthazar. These flames can only be conjured once a trial and require concentration to maintain, which in combination with their slow progress makes them ineffective in combat

18 Cylus 724 - They're Probably Empty Too But... Why Not?
Balthazar's plan for the trial changed when he received Woe's information from Kura. He and the rest of the Black Cats agreed that it was more important to track down what Woe thought was an active recruiting site than it was to look into another, probably abandoned, building. Croft had suggested using the journal again but Balthazar shot the idea down. They only had one more use of it this season and he wanted to save it for whatever 'sanctuary' they thought they could find. For now, they knew their enemies were moving and the stockpiles were being cleared. Kura had the Elements working on the tunnels, Balthazar needed to focus on the businesses.

Fortunately 'The Lost Prospect Inn' was a business and fell under the umbrella of The Merchant Guild's responsibility. He could have gone to give them a 'check up' but it didn't seem fitting given the intelligence they had about the location. Balthazar knew very little about The Court of Miracles so when he found out that they were operating out of Almund and they had dealings with the pirates, he was surprised it had slipped his notice. He wanted to find out what they were about and that was just something 'Balthazar Black' couldn't do. Nor could Robin, Croft, or even Lyanna. Any familiar face would have been recognized by a collective of thieves.

But Balthazar didn't need to wear a familiar face. He went into one of the many abandoned buildings that he had visited in the prior trials as 'Balthazar Black' and he came out as OrikTransformer's Timepiece - A Sorelian Steel pocket watch that is ornately designed and twice a season turns the wearer into a true sorcerer of shapes for a full trial, allowing them to shift their bodies into most anything they can imagine that is humanoid in nature, including any native Idalosian race. The user has complete control of what they look like, within the extent of the mortal sentient races of Idalos. More complex transformations will show signs of reversal within seven breaks or half a trial but if the transformation is reversed within the trial of opening the watch, the user can assume a different transformation. The transformation wasn't as significant as if he'd turned into a tunawa but it was far more than enough to make him not look like Balthazar.

Orik was a tan, bald heade, thick bearded biqaj who stood half a foot shorter than Balthazar with a wider build. He still had the dim glowing band around his arm but he covered his other marks with a thick shirt and gloves. As Orik, just incase the building wasn't abandoned, the detective would seek out Cobra and this 'Court of Miracles.'

19 Cylus 724 - The Bel Alley Tolls
On the nineteenth of Cylus, Balthazar looked into the place where his most notable competition was hiding. Bel Alley. He made a habit of avoiding there territory to be respectful but the time for respect had passed. He walked their streets now and visited the businesses- each one seedier than the last. At least the Black Cats were a decent part of a seedy city. Then again, it was more optimistic to remember that Bel Alley was gross but it wasn't abandoned. Balthazar spent the trial circling the territory of the Widow's Lament without coming into direct conflict with them at any point. They were a little more thuggish than his people but that might just have been because they didn't like him.

The business owners were more cooperative because they had more vested interests. The Merchant's Guild mattered to them more than it would to the Widow's Lament. After all, the guild had hired their only real competition to the role of Officer of Bars. Balthazar kept and eye out for any signs of necklaces similar to the ones he had found twice before. It was becoming clearer, throughout the trial, that the factions had come together but how remained. He heard whispers of Centipede in one building that was empty now, The Church of Eternal Mercies in another that just looked like housing, The Crafters in a well, The Phoenix- everyone was somewhere in the alley. The problem was that they were whispers. They weren't clear and they didn't bring anyone guilty to Balthazar's reach.

It wasn't hard to theorize why these group came together. Balthazar didn't think people were going to be happy with the changes Kura made but he understood the need. The Element leadership was taken out in one swift move. She had to do something.

This problem, these attacks, began before Kura had to make the hard choices. So why? What was driving these forces together to bring the end to Scalvoris? Balthazar reported more signs of the factions unifying to Kura, but was disappointed not to have more.

20 Cylus 724 - The Glass Kennels
Balthazar visited the place that started it all and found nothing new. Empty, abandoned, no necklaces, no stockpile. He reported it and he went to the Glass Tree to sit for short time with his thoughts. There at the tree, he closed his eyes and let his mind slip back. He didn't know if anyone in his family line had ever dealt with this sort of thing before but... he was running out of ideas. He focused on Vri's mark and tried to step back in search of guidance.Genetic Memory (Minor)- As a domain, Remembrance is often overlooked by those who follow Vri. Although of vital importance, few pay it the proper homage it’s due. Most take it for granted. Those who follow Vri know differently, however. Memory is a record of the past and in that past, answers to current problems can be found. This ability relies on the creative powers of the player to help describe, but can be immensely valuable to the marked. Entering into a meditative trance, a marked of Vri can step ‘back’ two generations of their lineage seeking the answer to a problem. These answers come in the forms of visions, snatches of imagery and experience. Some with this ability spend many trials poring through the lives of their parents and their parents parents, hungry for experience and knowledge. This ability cannot be used on those who are already alive as they must have passed through Vri’s hands to be applicable. If one's father still draws breath, this ability cannot look into their lives. Only the dead may whisper their secrets through genetic experience.

Actions / Abilities

Actions:
First Section (Explosions) - Just a reference to the vials blowing up and a link to the thread where Balth fixes himself after the boom.
11 Cylus 724 - Has a report about the explosion that took down the building sent to Kura. Goes to Port Diablo to help calm the rioting in Almund using the Cube, Blitzen Bracelet, and Saoire's happy candies.
12 Cylus 724 - Investigates Dukahrn's Medical Facility and finds that it has been locked up/ abandoned. The stockpile of weapons has been cleared out. Reports this to Kura.
13 Cylus 724 - Investigates Nellies and discovers it was hit hard during the riot. Three girls are dead and only three (very new) employees remain to clean up the mess. Everyone else has disappeared. The stockpile of weapons has been cleared out. Balthazar discovers a long chain like a necklace meant to be worn under clothing. Balthazar reports this to Kura and spend the day handling making arrangements for the dead and getting shelter organized for the three who were left behind.
14 Cylus 724 - Investigates The Scalvoris Sapphire Inn and discovers it has been abandoned/ransacked. The stockpile of weapons has been cleared out. Balthazar discovers another necklace under the rubble with a phoenix charm on it. He reports this to Kura.
15 Cylus 724 - Investigates Berlwin's Brews and discovers it was been cleared out, but oddly enough, it seems it was cleared out in a hurry. Useful reagents are gone but not everything. The stockpile of weapons/poisons has been cleared out.
16 Cylus 724 - Investigates The Merchant Guild all trial and determines that various members had beliefs lining up with factions like The Crafters, Church of Eternal Mercies, and what he assumes the Phoenix faction believe based on their mascot. All of those members had suddenly gone traveling for various vague safety reasons. He reports this to Kura and asks for permission to try and wake Rand from his coma.
17 Cylus 724 - Obtains permission to try and heal Rand from the Albarech and attempts to do that. If successful, he'll fill Rand in on what if happening. If not- it was worth a shot.
18 Cylus 724 - After receiving Woe's information from Kura, Balthazar will investigate the recruiting site for The Court of Miracles in Almund. He will assume that it is empty, but he will still go in a disguise and try to find/ get information from this 'Cobra.' He'll report whatever happens then to Kura.
19 Cylus 724 - Investigates Bel Alley and discovers more hints that various factions have come together but gains nothing conclusive.
20 Cylus 724 - Investigates Kennels and finds that it has been cleared out as well. Visits the Glass Tree and attempts to use Genetic Memory.

Abilities / Items Used:
Tier 2
- All SeeingBalthazar's senses have been refined so thoroughly that they allow him the ability to perceive the presence of sentient beings, creatures and objects hidden by any sort of mundane barrier (hollow floors, shadows, buildings, boxes, concealed weapons, etc). When actively focusing his senses to search his surroundings Balthazar gains a perfect sense of anything concealed through conventional/non-magic means within his range of perception. Using all of his senses he can gather basic information about hidden subjects (size, person or animal, etc.) but overcoming the concealment and interacting with whatever is hidden would require other abilities.

It is important to note that this ability works to counter passive concealment the majority of the time. If someone or something were to actively attempt to hide from Balthazar it would require a Tier 2 level ability or skill to match his level of detection.
Capstones
Intelligence:
- C.S.IBalthazar has investigated so many crime scenes and explored so much criminal behavior that he has learned to very easily identify the signs of organized criminal activity. After being in a city for 20 trials or more, he will have collected sufficient information from his sources to know about the organized crime groups and notorious individuals there. He may not know individual member names without further investigation, but he knows where to look. In role-play terms, this means that he has access to information about criminal organization / gangs which is usually restricted and gets it without risk to himself or his own identity being discovered unless he does something very stupid.
- Cracks in the FoundationBalthazar has traveled to so many different cities and worked with their respective governments while gathering intelligence that he had learned how to easily identify the signs of corruption. After being in a city for 20 trials or more, he will have collected sufficient information from his sources to know about the corrupt military officials and politicians there. He may not know the details of their corruption without further investigation, but he knows where to look. In role-play terms, this means that he has access to information about corrupt politicians, guards, and other prominent figures within the organizations he knows about which would usually be restricted and he gets it without risk to himself or his own identity being discovered unless he does something very stupid.
Investigation:
- Well Aimed BrickBalthazar has carried out a number of investigations where things have gone awry and / or have turned out to be much more than what he thought he was investigating. While it has gotten him into trouble in the past, he has learned to use it to his advantage. Now, should he happen across something unexpected in his investigation, he somehow manages to work it to his advantage - even if he should find himself in a completely unexpected situation during an investigation, he is able to turn it around. It does not guarantee success in all situations, but gives Balthazar the prognostication to see when the situation is getting out of hand and attempt to fix it before others of his skill would.

This is a story-focused capstone and allows for plot twists both in solos, collaborative threads and in moderated threads.
- Beyond the VeilArcs of working cases as a detective have given Balthazar ample experience with liars, cheats, and criminals who seem to frequently perform similar tells when fibbing. As a result Balthazar has become so adept at recognizing the signs of deception during interrogation that he has learned how to tell the difference between the truth and lies when questioning individuals, be it one or multiple. While this ability does not give him a sense of how much a suspect or suspects know, it allows him to discern whether or not they are responding to him truthfully. When faced with individuals who are as good at deceiving as he is at investigating (individuals with capstones to counter it), Balthazar would be unable to tell perfectly whether they speak the truth or not.
- The Exchange PrincipleIn forensic science there is a principle which indicates, in simple terms, that any two things which come into contact leave an impression on each other. Forensic evidence is crucial to all investigations and Balthazar has worked so many crime scenes that his skills in the field have developed to the point that he is able to identify any forensic evidence in a crime scene that would be able to link the investigation to a suspect. With this capstone, if there is evidence to find that has been left behind from a crime, Balthazar will find it the first time he visits the scene.
Socialization/Persuasion:
- Criminal IntentWhile he is widely known as a private investigator and former Element, Balthazar has learned to flip his reputation to persuade criminals and those who would be otherwise deterred by his history in law enforcement to speak as openly with him as they would with anyone they could trust. He has learned how to convincingly persuade criminals and others performing illegal deeds that his experience with the law makes him an asset and not a threat, given how it ended for him. With this ability Balthazar is able to insert himself peacefully into criminal or illegal environments as easily as anyone else of his skill level without his reputation would be able to. While this ability focuses on NPCs, PC characters should take this into account as well- though their reaction to him ultimately depends on the PC.
- Magnetic PersonalityBalthazar has attempted and failed enough efforts in negotiation that he has developed a subtle but useful counter to his failure. By leaning on his supernatural and mundane abilities, Balthazar has learned to convince whoever he attempts to negotiate with that even if they do not want what he is offering them specifically, he is an asset that they do want. This ability ensures that even if initial negotiations fail, the party opposite of Balthazar will present a few other options in an attempt to convince him to work with them rather than simply being willing to let him leave empty-handed. While the opposite party may not present terms Balthazar finds agreeable, they will present terms with the intent to convince him to join them.

This ability focuses specifically on NPCs and would not change how a PC feels about Balthazar, however it would hopefully be taken into account.
- For A Few Words LessBalthazar has always had a habit of choosing to strike first and strike hard in combat which has slowly bled into his social habits. Rather than learn to speak endless volumes to persuade people to act according to his will, he has learned how to effectively target and attack the arguments and stances of others to convince them that his idea is best while using remarkably few words. While using this ability Balthazar comes across as far more convincing by slowly dismantling the opposing arguments of those around him rather than reinforcing his own idea. The longer someone of lesser social skill attempts to debate an issue with him, the more effective Balthazar's persuasion becomes as the vice of Balthazar's 'logic' tightens around the debate.

While this ability allows Balthazar to succeed in short term socialization, it is less effective in the long term when individuals have had time to consider and affirm their positions on issues. This means that while Balthazar could persuade an individual to agree with his view on a topic or subject, he could not convince them to betray anything that they valued with long term commitments. For example he might be able to convince a pro-slavery ruler that slavery was bad in the moment, but he could not convince them to outlaw it entirely on the spot.

This ability is focused on NPC and will not impact how a PC perceives Balthazar, but it should be taken into consideration.
- Poison TongueThe proper words, if said at the right time in the right ears, can be as damaging to a relationship as a dagger in the back. Balthazar has learned, through his own social failures, what the right words are in most situations to turn an individual or group against another individual or group. With this ability Balthazar can more easily persuade individuals to exclude, ignore, and distrust others through a subtle application of rumors, facts and his social charisma. Individuals targeted by this ability will find Balthazar and those he vouches for more reliable and trustworthy than those he speaks ill of, opening new opportunities to him. In the short term, this can make Balthazar seem more fit for tasks than others he speaks poorly of in his group. In the long term, this could make Balthazar's seem more trustworthy than other established institutions.

This ability is focused on NPCs though PCs would hopefully take it into account.
Detection:
- Reverse Reading (For if someone tries to write a message around him)Throughout arcs of watching people write reports and a few of having to write reports himself, Balthazar has honed his sense of sight and muscle memory to interpret handwriting he can see no matter what angle he sees it from. In practice this ability allows Balthazar to know what someone is writing, as they are writing it, based on the movements of their hands while they are writing, regardless of the angle he sees it from. This ability only works when Balthazar can see the subject's hands or writing utensil moving as it requires him to at least see his target for it to function. Additionally, if it is being written in a language he does not know or a code, he would need applicable skills to understand it since this ability only allows him to know what is being written down.
- It Really Feels Like (For if someone tries to spy on him)Throughout arcs under the eye of governments concerned about mages and criminals looking to set up ambushes, Balthazar has developed a general sense of when he is being watched. When being observed through mundane or arcane means that he can perceive, Balthazar feels a strange sensation like an itch on the scars across his body. The location of sensation felt on the scars is specific enough that Balthazar can tell, in general, the direction and distance from which he is being watched.
Abilities
- Flames of LovalusLovalus has granted Balthazar the ability to conjure and manipulate a stream of purple flames which can encompass an individual or a large building (up to tier 4 in size, meaning three average rooms and a small room worth of space) in need of healing/repair. This purple flame is nothing like any conventional form of fire. Rather than give off heat, it seems to emit a cooling sensation like water and rather than burn it repairs damage done to whatever in surrounds slowly. This can be used to heal mortal wounds but it can not be used to restore life. Alternatively the flames can restore whatever building they encompass to immaculate condition, repairing damage done to foundations, windows, walls, etc. The purple flames leave a slightly damp sensation that lingers for a few bits after use and do not spread like normal flames would, they only spread as directed by Balthazar. These flames can only be conjured once a trial and require concentration to maintain, which in combination with their slow progress makes them ineffective in combat.
- Life of the PartyThe character is able to share their emotions with a crowd within a short range around them for a single break. Greater levels of alcoholic intoxication increases the power of this ability.
- Genetic Memory (Minor)As a domain, Remembrance is often overlooked by those who follow Vri. Although of vital importance, few pay it the proper homage it’s due. Most take it for granted. Those who follow Vri know differently, however. Memory is a record of the past and in that past, answers to current problems can be found. This ability relies on the creative powers of the player to help describe, but can be immensely valuable to the marked. Entering into a meditative trance, a marked of Vri can step ‘back’ two generations of their lineage seeking the answer to a problem. These answers come in the forms of visions, snatches of imagery and experience. Some with this ability spend many trials poring through the lives of their parents and their parents parents, hungry for experience and knowledge. This ability cannot be used on those who are already alive as they must have passed through Vri’s hands to be applicable. If one's father still draws breath, this ability cannot look into their lives. Only the dead may whisper their secrets through genetic experience.

Items
- The Cube (To calm rioting)For this, you are awarded a small children's puzzle made of wood and brightly coloured. It draws attention, should you be trying to solve it. People will stop what they're doing and watch you, they'll be intrigued. It isn't massively powerful (Discipline, etc, will be able to resist it) but it's very useful for de-escalating situations.
- Transformer's Timepiece (When he really needs not to be seen as Balthazar)A Sorelian Steel pocket watch that is ornately designed and twice a season turns the wearer into a true sorcerer of shapes for a full trial, allowing them to shift their bodies into most anything they can imagine that is humanoid in nature, including any native Idalosian race. The user has complete control of what they look like, within the extent of the mortal sentient races of Idalos. More complex transformations will show signs of reversal within seven breaks or half a trial but if the transformation is reversed within the trial of opening the watch, the user can assume a different transformation.
- Blitzen Bracelet (To be heard)A simple bronze bracelet. When worn, this bracelet enchants the wearers voice and allows them to shout up to five times as loudly as they normally could without damaging their throat.
- Conqueror's Tiara A tiara with both Conqueror's Armor and Commander's Boon. Essentially it will allow him to communicate with all the Black Cats if fighting breaks out and he gets armored. Also, it would allow him to hear Kura's orders wherever she is since he is serving under her. However this only applies to combat things, not casual conversations.
- Very old Saoire's Sweets (8 - Also for riot control)A small box of your favorite chocolates / candies. You find yourself unable to eat more than 1 on any trial. But each one provides the following to whoever eats it for the next 6 hours: "Saoire's domain of Gifts is not merely one of physical goods, but of the happiness and joy that comes with both giving and receiving a well-meant gift. This ability allows the Blessed to give both themselves and anyone they're with a feeling of joy and good cheer, banishing negative feelings like sorrow, anger, and fear."

[Darius Baer]

Arc 724, 11th of Cylus

"I predict a riot."

Darius was reading a missive he had received from Red, his contact in Almund. There were rumours of explosives beneath the city where she resided, and those rumours had since grown to include Scalvoris Town.

"Do you think there's any truth to it?"

"I don't know if there are really explosives, but the people clearly think there are. Fear spreads quickly, even if it isn't based on reality."

"Wasn't there a missive from the Albarech?"

Darius and Astra had been somewhat removed from the settlement following their harrowing time in Sweetwine, and were still playing a bit of catchup.

The settlement leader unfurled the document from Kura. He had read it before, but had been distracted.

"I wonder if this is what the Albarech was referring to when she wrote 'infiltration'," he muttered under his breath, before another aspect of the earlier message caught his eye. "But why isn't she having the Elements look into it?"

The Elements had already lost some respect for their perceived inactivity during the pirate attacks, and this unusual revelation did nothing to earn any of it back.

Darius immediately sat down and wrote a return missive to Red, asking her to investigate further.

Keep your ear to the ground, he wrote, and let me know what you hear.

Shortly after that, he received a note from Kura to confirm that explosives had indeed been found. And then he received the first knock on his door from a worried settler. It would be the first of many, and he would spend much of the trial allaying the fears of concerned Hopetounians.

Arc 724, 15th of Cylus

The mood in Hopetoun had calmed somewhat over the previous few trials. The shock of the discovery of explosives had begun to wear off, and though the settlers had concerns, the dust was settling. Some had reached out to family members, and Darius was among their number, having asked his father to visit the settlement. While he was hopeful that the danger of the explosives would be dealt with, it still felt better to know Josef was no longer in Scalvoris Town.

Two more messages arrived that trial. One was from Winston, although it took a while for Darius to realise who had authored it, as the cadouri's writing was a lot more formal - and a lot easier to understand - than when he spoke.

Darius wasted no time in accepting the invitation. It was unclear precisely what was going on, but something was, and he wanted to ensure the people of Hopetoun - and Scalvoris as a whole - would be protected.

The other note was a reply from Red. She had received word that whoever was behind the explosives had not kept themselves to Almund and Scalvoris Town. They were in other locations, too, and it was believed even Hopetoun was not immune. There was a spy in their midst!

Darius then sent instructions to a small group of hand-picked individuals; settlers he trusted implicitly. They would search the settlement for anyone unfamiliar: perhaps someone new to Hopetoun, whose backgrounds were not so well-known; possibly those who kept to themselves rather than involving themselves fully in the activities of other settlers; maybe someone whose whereabouts was not always known.

Arc 724, 20th of Cylus

The tunnels beneath Faldrass were widely known to exist. The eruption had sent hot lava beneath the island and given birth to the Hoeptpun Hole. What was not so well-known was just how extensive the tunnel network was. Many tunnels had yet to be explored, and where many led was a mystery.

Ever curious, Lars had taken it upon himself to explore them, and in doing so, had made a most unexpected discovery.

"I found a stockpile of weapons and tools," the wilderness man was briefing Darius, even as he tried to catch his breath. "Swords, spears, bows...but that wasn't all. Pickaxes and shovels. They've been mining."

"They?" Darius responded, taking in the news.

"It's too much work for one person. There's nobody there now, but they've dug a hollow cavern and supported it with wooden beams. If they were to set those beams alight..."

Darius nodded. He could picture it. The beams would collapse, causing a cave-in, and bringing down part of the structure that stood above ground, if there was one.

"Whoever they are, the aren't there now," Lars continued. "I expect they go there at night, so that their absence from the settlement isn't so noticeable."

Lars' discovery meant that although their efforts to find a spy had been unsuccessful, they had identified where he - they - would likely return to sooner or later.

"Where is it?" asked Darius.

"Under the Barony. I think they mean to collapse the manor."



When the miners returned that night, Darius was waiting. Lars had guided him and half a dozen soldiers to where the mining had taken place. Darius and the soldiers had taken up positions. Some hid in the shadows gifted to them by the sprawling network of tunnels that surrounded where the mining had taken place, while others crouched behind barrels.

But - crucially - Astra had given her small wooden carving to Darius. The small bear totem was much easier to hide than people, and it now rested in a particularly dark spot several yards away from the mining site, in the direction of the cave entrance. Nestled against the base of a cave wall, it would serve as a sentinel for Darius and the soldiers when the time came.

And that was precisely what it did. After darkness had fallen, and the soldiers were trying to relax as best they could in the uncomfortable environment, when Darius signalled to them to return to their hidden positions. The wait had been long since , but Darius could sense figures moving past the bear. Those who were approaching didn't bother to conceal themselves. Presumably unaware that they had been discovered, they carried with them an air of confidence that came with the assumption of being out of anyone's earshot.

Soon, their shadows appeared, and then their silhouettes, as they rounded the corner. But as they arrived at the hollow cavern that they had no doubt spent much toil in creating, Darius stepped out of the shadows.

"Welcome to the Hopetoun Hole!" he announced, the shadows hiding the smirk on his face. "Which one of you wants to leave here alive?"

The miners, who were in the process of picking up their tools, immediately dropped them and scrambled for weapons from one of the nearby barrels.

The half-dozen soldiers of Hopetoun then stepped out, armed with a mix of bows and polearms. Outnumbered, one of the miners lost his nerve, and attempted to flee...but a deep growl back towards the entrance brought him reluctantly back to the group. Another silhouette appeared from the tunnel, and Rua appeared.

"Best you surrender now," Darius said, brandishing his longsword, "before I can't stop the bear from ripping you to shreds."

With the trap sprung, and realising there was no escape, the miners cursed their misfortune and readied themselves for a fight.

ACTIONS TAKEN

Arc 724, 11th of Cylus: Darius received a letter from his contact in Almund to let him know about the riots and the explosives, confirming the rumours. He sent a letter back to ask her to find out any more information he can. Then he went to deal with the worried settlers.

Arc 724, 15th of Cylus: Darius received Winston's letter and accepted his invitation. At the same time, his informant in Almund advised that the issue was more widespread than Almund and Scalvoris Town, and that even Hopetoun had traitors in their midst! (Gasp!) He rallied the (particularly reliable and trustworthy) troops in the hopes of finding the rumoured spy. Prior to this trial, he also arranged for his father to leave Scalvoris Town and join him in Hopetoun.

Arc 724, 20th of Cylus: Lars discovered that someone was attempting to sabotage Smooglenuff Manor by tunnelling beneath it, and Darius rallies the troops to set a trap!

[Nir'wei]

Day 11.

He felt as though he'd found something, for certain; a hole in the wall that, with enough digging, could provide invaluable insight into just what powers they were up against. But it wasn't enough. Ten trials had yielded little more than a foothold and that deep, uncomfortable feeling of sand trickling through his fingers was growing steadily stronger. He thought it might even be Karem's survival instincts kicking in. Figuring that he'd extracted all he could from the Faldrass locals, instead he took Traveller to return to Scalvoris Town that very morning, to reconvene with the Office of Natural Affairs and plan out his next moves.

Traveller would ensure he'd arrive that same afternoon, but by then, the spreading panic over Scalvoris had already gripped the town and left shops looted, houses abandoned, peoples fled to the outer corners of the island. It didn't take long at all to find out why they were all in such hysterics. Less time still to summon his full force in preparation to quell the masses... but every time he thought about simply doing what felt obvious, rounding up the looters and rioters and shoving them back into their homes with a few snarling wolves at the doors to keep them there, he thought back to Hopetoun during the pirate attacks. How well-received such a move had been on a scattered and frightened people, when there was danger on their doorstep. It wasn't the right thing for now.

The Elements that had already dispersed to the city were handling the people as best they could, but seemed overworked and sorely outnumbered. Scent of the Alpha identified their deputy, and he approached her with an offer, once introductions were made. "Pool resources. I find where you're needed, you go there." It was a little more complicated than that. The birds and small creatures from within his Coat of Many Small Animals were released immediately, to scatter into the streets, sweep up across the sky, and bring back whatever little tidbits they could about the streets and the people filling them. He was no master sleuth, to create a tangled web of animal informants; but adding to the rats of the gutters and the small city-birds that fed on the bread of strangers, inspired into his temporary service with the promise of good seed and a little long-overdue affection, and he filled the streets with many unseen eyes, feeding back to him all manner of talks of the two-legs breaking, entering, attacking, fleeing. He fed it all back, until it seemed just a small handful of Elements were appearing all over the town at once.

He was not absent from the relief efforts himself, casting Calming Overcast multiple times as he walked through the streets to calm the frayed nerves of the knots of people, and inspiring them to remain calm and organised. His touch, today, was a gentle one, more human and civilised, despite his companions and appearance. He needed to be seen as the helping hand. He needed them to see just the smiling face, and not the fangs, until he knew for certain where the foxes hid among the sheep.

Someone had to be stirring up the people, after all. Panic didn't just rise up out of nowhere, not this bad and not this fast. He orchestrated his efforts almost like a hunt; picking out one person at a time as they were spotted among many different rioter groups, an outlier that didn't seem to so much as flow with the violence as create it wherever they were found. One of his wolves prowled after them, watching and listening. It wouldn't be hard to pluck them from the street in those few moments they were alone, or even seize them as he moved through the crowds with his Calming Overcast active, to separate them and surround them with bared fangs.

It wasn't enough to quell the panic. He'd excise the root of it, handed back over to the Elements once the unease had died down, with an explanation that would keep the perpetrators locked up for now, and give the Elements something more concrete to explain away the fear and panic, given Winston's letter confirming the hysteria was more well-founded than he'd thought.

... Well, actually. He'd hand most of them back.

One, he grabbed by the arm and pulled into an alleyway, snarling softly in the young man's face. He'd appeared in four or five different riots over the last few breaks, and seemed to be roaming all over the city from the calls of the birds; he was more than just reasonably certain that this could be one of the saboteurs intentionally trying to cause trouble in Scalvoris Town. Nir'wei was on the cusp of simply interrogating the man himself, or throwing him back to the Elements with the others, but he felt something wet on his thumb, and caught the scent of something metallic in the air. In his haste, he'd gripped the man's arm hard enough to dig his fingernails into the skin and draw a few pricks of blood. One would be enough. "Stay out of my way," he growled, then shoved him back towards the alleyway entrance for the young man to scamper back through.

Then, Nir'wei tasted the specks of blood on his thumb, and felt his Taste of Prey thrum to life. Of all the hidden saboteurs, he'd know where that one went. He wouldn't out them yet, though. It would be more productive to them all if he simply passed along the whereabouts of their newest little spy to Kura and her informants, with all the juicy details of the places he'd been, between all the other events during the week.

Day 13

Quelling the riots and the concerned locals would take more than just a single trial to resolve, but by then, he had more information. Kura's note suggested that the same yellow fog had been found in the explosives, and he shared the information he had gathered from the creatures on Faldrass as well; that the so-called 'liquid chaos' had an origin in the Great Beneath, and some involvement with the Misty Miasma. He needed a sample. After all, with a piece of the Miasma inside his own chest, he needed to see if there was a possibility it'd have some unusual effect on him, or in response to using the powers he'd been granted. That was what he told Kura, when he met her during her arrival in ScalvTown. He needed clues. He needed leads. If there was ever a time to find a way to stop this at its source, now was it.

Once he was allowed, he ventured into the caverns below Scalvoris Town, to the 'safe' zone that Kura had set up... and activated his Squirrel Orb, while standing a safe distance from the explosive. Beginning with a light thrum, a gentle probing for the nearest squirrels that he knew he would not find... before expanding that range gradually, to look further afield and beyond the immediate range of the town, and even its limits.

Day 15

Nir'weis office is used to receiving unusual notices, but this one takes the cake; Winston's invitation to a meeting was quite simple and straight-forward, but the inclusion of Chrien? Well, now he had no choice but to attend. However, to avoid arousing concern, he only replied his agreement to the attendance, and decided not to include any mention of his marking.

Maybe he'd get some answers about her reasoning on that day. Maybe she'd even prove helpful. But, there was a chance he'd have another use for the Ascension Ring on that day, if worst came to worst.

Day 16 onwards

Kura had given him a list of the scavenged materials found from the ships they'd sunk during the first pirate attacks, but of course it would have already been sifted for any useful gear mere trials after it was found. Looking through the remains now was mostly useless. Instead, he returned back to talking with the animals of the local habitats, drawing the birds, rats and other small things he'd plucked from the Faldrass forests and the streets of ScalvTown alike into his pockets for safe-keeping. "The Great Beneath." He'd heard of the Beneath, of course; it was the place of ghosts and spirits, the world that somehow hid beneath the world they knew. Why did the Great Beneath sound on the surface like it was something deeper still, like how the far edges of Emea, Sage's homelands, felt much deeper than the place he visited when just dreaming?

It wasn't. He knew it wasn't. The animals had spoken of it as 'the nature that lives beneath the earth', as though it was a part of the physical world, but... buried, somehow. "Moseke would know about this." Except he couldn't ask her, not without visiting Desnind at perhaps the worst possible time. He also couldn't ask Thetros for any information on the Miasma, despite the fact he was the one that had somehow known about its next appearance before it had arrived. There was one more person, though. Even if this wasn't really about the Beneath, they'd know something about the spirituality of nature, and where exactly it might be coming from.

Nir'wei had never taken up the offer to talk with his father, but he'd also never explicitly turned it down either. It wasn't really the best time for a pick-up of that old offer, but considering he had a few days to spare, and no better leads than what Ashan could offer on the subject, he uttered a short prayer and drew from his Mortalborn heritage's power, to feel the trickle of influence. "Let's have a chat, Dad." It'd probably come off in poor standing, to only invoke his father's name when he needed information from the Immortal. "How about we share some stories and get some long-overdue answers from each-other. Call it a good chance to connect properly. After a lot of time away." It wasn't far from the truth. He'd get to share all those strange things in his body and where he'd found them; Sage, and the Forest Orb, and Gaddwin and Cyshe. If Ashan answered and they got a chance to sit down, he just needed a few answers about the Great Beneath, and the Miasma, whichever he might know more about.

Actions

11th-12th: Nir'wei flies from Faldrass to Scalvoris Town and provides aid to local Elements in quelling the panic, while also hunting down the instigators. He uses Taste of Prey on one to make them into an unknowing spy and passes regular updates on his whereabouts to Kura directly via Echo Scroll.

13th-14th: Nir'wei helps set up and conduct a test on the explosives found beneath Scalvoris Town, by using his own Misty Miasma 'Forest Orb' while nearby.

15th: Nir'wei agrees to join Winston's meeting.

16th-20th: Nir'wei attempts to commune with his father, Ashan, to share some details of his history and begin a relationship. Over the course of the conversation, he will ask about the Great Beneath, stating that he heard about it from animals in relation to the Misty Miasma, and provide all details of the Forest Orb and everything he knows about the place.

[Rorom]

11th of Cylus 724

Apparently they'd been waiting for him. Moored and sheltered beyond the estuary that led the way out of the sea cavern where the Lady of Limbs had her nest. Dana crossed her arms, but Malmada waved in excess relief, while Eairok and Noille were embroiled in their own internal drama, and seemed busy at the task of keeping the Lucky Bird afloat and things running. Rorom hoped he hadn't been the cause of such strife, but now wasn't a time for domestic squabbles and bickering.

Dana's mood was inscrutable. Was she angry for his risky move, for the miserable weather? He couldn't tell, and wasn't of a mind to spend the time to understand. He had but enough wherewithal to talk, as his teeth chattered in the cold. Malmada threw his sea-wolf cloak over his shoulders as he clambered aboard. Without much word between any of them, it was understood what must be done, they would make their way back to Havardr, and see the damage.



13th of Cylus 724

Through the breaking of ice and navigating round the shallows, they had their hands full as they made way north through the water. Eventually they spotted the lights of campfires and torches besides. However, no sight of the Lighthouses. On closer inspection, as they arrived at the pier, they saw that they'd been demolished entirely. "Chrien's tail." Rorom muttered, "What happened to the lighthouses?"

It was Aurok who approached Rorom, upon recognizing the Lucky Bird. He helped him get off the gang plank, and down to the way. Dana fled the boat, running over toward their yurt,, which was mercifully spared Chrien's wrath. Rorom left her alone for now, but only looked to Aurok to explain what had happened.

He brought him up to date. Apparently the lighthouses had been smashed by none other than Chrien herself, in a great maelstrom and blasts of thundering lightning. Rorom shuddered to hear it, and frowned. Aurok and several other villagers, both old and new looked to Rorom, in concern, "What should we do?"

Another villager came forward, and with a vaguely accusatory tone muttered, "We had heard you were Breachfang, or turned into him. What misery has befallen us, if you be the villainous wolf himself?"

Rorom felt the sea wolf resting deep inside of him. It'd had its fill of whaleflesh in the battle that ensued several trials ago, and appeared appeased. Even so it stirred slightly at the invocation of his name. However, Rorom was determined to be the master. He shook his head, "Well, Chrien will always be out there, to send storms, beasts, mer, and sink ships. Nothing we can do about that." He muttered. But then he lifted his head, and pointed out to the water, "But what do we do when Chrien sends her storms, her beasts, and sinks our ships? We rebuild, we go on, fishing whaling and doing our duty to our own people. Fortune favors not cowards nor quitters."

"As for the Sea Wolf..." Rorom said, turning his eyes toward the one who'd asked about them, "Yes he lives on inside of me. I admit that I harbor the totem of the Sea Wolf. But I tell you, I wield him in defense of Havardr, where before he'd preyed upon your people. I bring his power now to bear against our enemies, and will do what I can to shore up our strength, with the aid of elements."

This said, he dictated a message to Kura, for one to write on the echo scroll gifted to them, "We need to get word to Kura that Chrien has struck here, and to send orders to us for how we ought to respond to this threat. If she has something specific in mind, now would be the time to make it manifestly known to us in Havardr. Else we'll get on our own.

How are we to defend against lightning and the might of the elements? With nary a military to speak of?

Signed,
Rorom."



15th of Cylus 724

The message thus having been sent on the 13th, Rorom set about using Mastrel's talent for building to fix the damage done to the two Havardr ships, as well as his own Onyx Cascade.

Even as they were repairing those ships, they continued to fish and whale and harvest the bounty of the sea. The road Rorom had built was not easilly demolished even by lightning and storm, and so they used it to transport much needed food both toward Scalvoris and Almund, and give the shipments a head start.

Actions

13th of Cylus: Rorom returns to Havardr, and begins informing the villagers of the situation, and what they must do in response to Chrien. To continue fishing, whaling, and doing what they always do. To survive. He gives a inspirational speech, and then sends a message to Kura for instructions on how to proceed in reference to the crisis facing the island.

15th of Cyus onwards: Fishing and whaling continues while repairs are made to the Onyx Cascade, and the two Havardr ships that were damaged.

[Vega]

11th

"Knickers" Vega said, reading the scroll from her brother Varlum.

"Oh, Pier 'n' Pre's Pink Parts!" was the exclamation when she read Kura's.

And then, she told Arlo and the Pirate King and the crew what she was doing. She went to their cabin, got her magic bootsPortal Boots: Point Bank Item and she made sure that she was fully equipped. Everything she needed or might need was, as always, in her Domain bag and she made sure that she had her swords, her new magic whip (why she might need that she wasn't sure), and everything else and then Vega clicked her heels.

She replied to Kura, to Varlum and to those she'd already written to on the Joy scroll. "I'm back in Sweetsong. Will be in touch. I would advise that we all -all of us who is Forged - send our Forged Diris to Kura so that we can stay in touch immediately."

As soon as she arrived in Sweetsong, she called a meeting and then spoke to her Diris. "Ok, you guys, we need to communicate. So, this is what I want you to do." First, it was her Warden diri,

Snuffle.

"Snuffle, I want you to go to Kura, an' let me know everthin' that's happenin' there. If she asks you to leave, do so, but let me know an' I'll be havin' words. Ok?" The small diri nodded, made a hooting trumpet-sound and disappeared off. Vega smiled, unable to help herself at the small and very happy creature. Then, she turned to

Noodle

and spoke earnestly. "Noodle, you're key. I need you to stay here an' keep in touch with me. I need to know everythin' what's happenin' an' I need you to communicate by writin' for everyone here so they know that I'm here an' with them, alright?" Noodle nodded, his military-type hat staying firmly in place.

Finally, she turned to

Jeff

, her Forged Diri. "Jeff, I want you to go an' inform Ol'Tuck about everythin'. Then, unless Ol'Tuck has anythin' more for you to do, go to Faldrass an' be with Darius. That means we can communicate straight away. If Darius don't need you, to Woe, but with a bit of luck we'll all be much better at communicatin' if we use our links between ourselves better." After all, she figured, the Forging had given them this ability and they should use it. It made, to her mind absolute sense.

Then, she looked at

Madam Leona

and the constellion who had been with her as a cub but was now full grown "Madam Leona an' Sparkles, I'd like you to stay here, too. Be visible. The people o' Sweetsong know me, an' they know you an' you bein' here will mean that the people know that I'm near an' they aren't bein' abandoned, a'right?"

That done, she made her way to where the people of Sweetsong had gathered at her behest and Vega looked at them all as they sat and she considered what was best to do. She decided that there was only one thing to do - and that was tell the truth. They were worried, they were concerned and they were looking to her for leadership. So that was what she would give.

"Right, so I reckon we've got a situation," she said. "An' we need it dealt with. We need to get a few folks goin' explorin' underground. Teams of five, an' it's an information-gatherin' mission only. It's possible that you're goin' to find that there are tunnels an' stuff under us an' they've got things. That's ok, jus' don't touch anythin' an' report back." She sought out a particular person and nodded. "Vorta," she said, speaking to the woman in question . "Will you lead up the description of what's there? You might be able to give us some information on it."

Vega reassured the people. She was a strong and visible leader and the people of Sweetsong knew and trusted her. They were to work together, she said, and she'd communicate with them constantly. This meant, she knew, that they would beneft from her leadership as though she was there , and they would work together betterWWVD (What Would Vega Do?)
Vega's leadership of Sweetsong has been, thus far, very successful. Therefore, I propose that with this ability she extends that by being a leader so good that her presence is no longer needed.

Should a PC or NPC be working under Vega's leadership the benefits from any bonuses from her Leadership skill (Capstones and future Leadership Tier 2 stuff) still happen as though she was there, even if she isn't. PCs (and NPCs) can choose to accept this - and in order for it to work they will need to consider / think about how Vega would deal with the situation / what she would say if she was there. It needs to be either a task Vega has specifically given or a situation where they are operating under her leadership anyhow (so, the people in Sweetsong would - when she was in Storm's Edge, the people there would have, too).

To her cousins, then, she asked them to get the boats ready. She spoke to them quietly and told them, get them ready and if there is any doubt at all, whether she said to do it or not, to get the people on the boats and to safety.

12th - 19th

Listed OOC below.

11th: Done IC above.
Comes home.
Sends out the Diri hoarde with the intention of us all using Diris as a means of immediate communication.
Sends teams out from Sweetsong to find out what's underneath Sweetwine *
Gets her cousins preparing the boats ready for getting the Sweetsong people out of here*
Sends a diri to tell Ol'Tuck *

* Note: Because of her Tier 2, everyone in Sweetsong has the impact of her Leadership and Fieldcraft no matter what. Those are:

Irritatin' an' Chipper

+

Leadin' By Example

+

When In Doubt Shout

+

Bamboo

** Note: Because of her Tier 2, everyone she is in communication with (via scrolls included) gets the benefit of her tactics capstones.
These are:

Scavenger

+

Environment

+

Twice the Distance

12th:
During the Day - She settles the Sweetsong settlers down, makes sure everything is in place for her to leave.
At night takes to the skies over Scalvoris and uses her Xiur-granted ability Guiding LightThe Blessed is guided by the stars at night. When the stars begin to appear it is as if they speak to him, giving intangible hints as to where things are, the best way to go to reach them, and what hazards may lie in whichever path he takes. The glares of starlight seem to take on brief shapes that warn and direct. There must be either direct, or directly reflected, starlight present to receive this benefit. Night clouds lit with starlight will also bestow this benefit. Those that lack Xiur's mark will not perceive this effect. which she can use whether there's starlight or not as per exalted levelThe Blessed can now gain the benefit of "Guiding Light" even when starlight is not naturally present. This includes being indoors and underground. The Blessed still sees visions of starlight hints in his eyes that no other sees.

13th - Reports to everyone what she's seen cos of the guiding light stuff. Returns to Sweetsong, having learned that there are tunnels under Sweetwine and helps to get people evacuated. She keeps constant communication.

14th - She gets the letter / communication from Winston. She will go to his aid and stand with him, but she will be clear that she thinks this is an absolutely bonkers idea. However, he's stood with her and she'll stand with him. She'll agree that inviting Chrien is a bad move but, if he's going to, then she suggests that he also invite Ziell (via Bao) and Xiur (she'll ask him), Qylios (she'll ask her), and U'frek and Treid. These are Chrien's siblings, and so might be able to help with keeping ole seaweed-for-brains calm.

She'll also go to the University (and afterwards realise that really she should have spoken to Kura first but meh) - and tell anyone that listens there that they need to a) have a single representative liaising with Kura and that all their people (or, as Vega puts it "Every researcher, scientist, big-brain an' boffin',") researching these explosives.

She'll suggest to everyone (not just Kura, but including her) that there needs to be an emergency Council of three or four people. Her reasoning for this is:
1. Kura's been acting like a dictator and Scalvoris isn't going to buy it. These riots may have been machinated, but they wouldn't have happened if Kura'd told people stuff.
2. "The council's obviously useless, since I'm the only one tellin' you this an' where actually are they?"
3. Kura needs to appoint someone as:
--- a) Interim / Temporary Militant.
----b) Interim / Temporary Welfare. - she suggests asking Bao to step upas High Priest. He has the experience and the trust of the people.
----c) Head of Intelligence Gathering.
--- d) Head of Communication: She needs to get someone who is in control of her image and of giving information to people. She suggests Woe for that. He is a member of the Order of the Adunih, Isonomia, and he's very well-known. He also has many means of communication at his disposal and is an excellent communicator.
^ And these need to be obviously seen. People of Scalvoris KNOW what's happening and, thus far, Kura's been silent.

15th. - 20th She'll travel Scalvoris on her Dragonling and get reports from everywhere she can. Scaltoth, Ishallr, the lot. All the places that - as she puts it - "you haven't looked. You don't know. We need to know." . She'll come back and help Winston as much as she can during this time.

18th: On receiving Woe's information she asks any / everyone in the group if they have any drainglass. She'll also ask the people of Sweetsong and


Note: Vega is straight-talking and not one bit impressed with how this has been handled thus far. She will not hesitate to say so and you can assume typical Vega.

This template was made by the stupendously talented Pigs. Much much thanks!

!

Message from: Pig Boy

The panic etc., already far less pronounced in Sweetsong due to Vegas Teir 2 skills, is all but dispelled completely as her people see her return. The boats are prepared and ready to leave if needed, though there is a general sense of worry and disappointment at the prospect of leaving their homes (nothing that is not deal with be Vega’s leadership, but nonetheless, the pirate settlers are up for running, but many of the original settlers have emotions about leaving). Guiding Light: If there was anything to be taken from the nature of the starlight this night, is was that they should leave, forwards Faldrass, no where else is safe from hazards and dangers the likes of which even the stars cannot describe beyond “do not delay”. Vegas advice as the university is acted upon and Kura has assigned the roles as she saw fit. By the 14th, all the diri are situated in their respective assigned positions to facilitate communication with Vega and her recipients. 15th: Ah! All revelatory information and conversion to Life/Death Forged (If eligible) happens to you, same as other players.

[Pegasus]

The Pirates Finale ......

Welcome to the Scalvoris seasonal event for Rebirth 724!

It's going to be done in a way that's heavily influenced by Pigs' awesome Fire event in Rharne - first things first, massive thanks to him! Then, without further ado, lets get going!

PLEASE NOTE this only goes so far before ... well, you'll see.

The Days..

Note: Please note my feedback / comments here. If I have not commented on an aspect of your post - then it's all ok!

Woe.

• Days 11 - 12
  • Lots of good work done in quelling unrest and calming folks down His discussion with Shania made him realise something (maybe later) - when he said that there were two of her in his vision - she wasn't surprised.
• Days 13 - 15
  • He gathers a lot of information - people are worried.
  • Also, he has a good indication that there are a lot of people who are missing - that are presumed to have left in the riots / panic. Many of them are people of small importance, but importance nonetheless. People with access to information, but not people who are themselves in the spotlight.
  • On the 14th he gets a message from Kura, asking him to take on the Communication / Intelligence person. This is both receiving / being the central hub for knowledge / information (like Doran in the Glass Temple previously).
  • On the 15th, just before the world burns, he realises that there's a picture and that picture is centipede. Many (some, not all, but a few) of the people who have disappeared - or those who worked people up into a panic (often the same people) - well, they fit snippets of information he's learned about centipede. There's not been names before now, but they seem to fit the pattern.

Varlum.

• Quelling the riots. Well, that works. It works because they're scared of him more than they are of the place blowing up. But yes.
• Ilaren's coin works. In areas where the rioters would overwhelm the place (aka: where there are no pcs). Well done.
• Then, he's in Ralaith's library when the explosion happens.

Kura

• Day 11 Elements investigate the tunnels. Even the best trained of them are spooked. Long story short? It's everywhere. Under the whole island, there are tunnels and caves (it's in the Lore thread, promise) - and they are filled with rows upon rows of shelves five or six shelves high, each one with maybe 50 vials of this stuff. Elements secure entrances - but they're stretched thin and the new reshuffle means they're working in groups that are new and with people they're not used to working with.
• Day 12: Information sent out. Shame Nir didn't listen, innit?
• Day 13: Jacien et al are searching, but the reports keep coming in. When they get a lead, they've left the island.
• Day 14: Kura asks Bao to be temporary welfare -- Vega to be temporary militant -- Woe to be temporary Intelligence / Comms -- they all said yes.
• Day 15: You've just sent the "yep, I'll come but really, think carefully about this" when ........

Winston.

Holo-Com given to the Mer. And yes, everything up to the 15th is approved and happens.
He is a LOT of help in Beacon - lots of healing, lots of help. People there are very very grateful.
The ships are a very welcome sight.
Then, on the 15th ......

Balthazar.

• Good use of that candle! Yep. Lots of difference made there, well done!
• Balth is putting together a picture, also - of key people leaving. Not the "front" or "face" always - but always the "power behind the throne". More and more it becomes apparent that this is an incredibly well-planned and (so far) well-executed plan. Whatever they're building up to - it's big.
• On the 15th, he's in Berlewin's Brews and he's just found a small coin which caught his eyes. He's never seen a coin like it before. It's entirely blank on the flat sides, but the round edges have a very delicate carving of a centipede. Odd. He's looking at it when ......

Darius.

The people of Hopetoun are calmed - although there's a feeling of unhappiness with the "mainlanders"
On the 15th, Darius had just finished replying to Winston and was digesting the news that there was, in fact, a spy among them when .......

Rorom.

He deals with the questions well - and honestly, he's done so much that he has major props there. So, they are happy that he's back.

He sends out the letter to Kura. The reply comes the next day (14th)
""Dealing with the lightning strikes will be difficult. Keep ships in shallow water right now so they can be repaired if damaged. I'll send Elements to try and help where they can. Defiers might be able to bend the lightning away from the ships, but if it's an Immortal, as some suspect, that may not work. We're looking into it and will provide aid as we can."

On the 15th, they're really settling in to doing as Rorom has told them - to doing what they do when ........

Nir'wei

Rioting quelled - with bared fangs to boot.
The instigators are nowhere to be found - they whipped them up and then legged it.
Then, on the 15th ......

Day 15 ......

Even here, in the dark and frozen cliff-face, they knew. They knew and they watched and they understood. So much more than those below them understood. He watched with eyes gone watery with age, his elderly brow furrowing as he looked into the darkness.

Here, the Elder of his people stood and watched. Here, he waited.

The Orb.

It was of the miasma, there was no doubting it and as Nir'wei experimented he had a brief moment where it might have seemed like all was going well. But had he heeded Kura's words well enough? Had he paid attention or was it hubris which drove him to send it out a little further.

Just a little further.

That was all it took. He didn't know what the Orb was, after all. Didn't understand it - but knew that it was chaos. And just for a moment, the final noise he would ever hear was a single, harmonious note. It was so beautiful it would bring tears to even the most cynical eye. As the world turned white and his life ended, Nir'wei heard a sound which was impossibly beautiful.

"Look," his daughter said to him. She stood next to him on the cragged slopes of Sypher, a woman grown and heavy with his fifth grandchild. Her voice did not shake as she pointed to small red dot in the darkness of Cylus. Within the blink of a wildling eye, that dot was a spiderweb and the spiderweb grew.

And the world exploded.

Starting in Scalvoris Town, within a few short seconds the myriad complex tunnels under the island exploded. Vial of chaotic elixir triggered the next and the next. From Scalvoris Town to the Mountains took four, maybe five seconds. Within that time the whole island became a volcano the like of which Idalos had never seen. Whatever was in those vials mixed with the lava from the volcano which ran under the island and everywhere the world was red and fire and pain and death.

Except on Faldrass. A dome of fire surrounded the small island and the voice of the Induk was heard booming one word: "NO!" The dome became transparent, the ground grew uncomfortably hot but those who were on Faldrass got to witness the destruction of the island. Those who were Forged who were on Faldrass or Ishallr saw what happened through their diris - even down to the moment where Nir'wei had used the orb.


And, as the seas boiled and the island of Scalvoris burned, the sound of Chrien's screams of fury could be heard.

The Antagonists:

(aka the group whose aim it is to destroy Scalv) have completed 50% of their tasks (with a little help from Nir'wei). When they reach 100, you lose. At this point, however, it's entirely possible that they are going to step away and leave you to it, as you've more or less done what they wanted.

Your Posts..... .

DO NOT POST HERE UNLESS I ASK YOU TO after you have messaged me.


Nir'wei - I'm afraid your PC is dead.
ALL PCs: I am going to ask you to message me (PM) if you have any actions / abilities that are going to change what happens after this.

Could all PCs in this thread please just let me know if you have a means of getting away.
I'm not going to kill any other PC by virtue of this being something that they had no control over. If you want to be entirely realistic, are bored with your PC or want to use that Ring of Reversal for giggles - feel free.

PCs on Faldrass - you have a temporary reprieve. So would any PCs on Ishallr.

If no one has anything that would change this - I'll post again in a few days once everyone's told me where they were / how they might escape. Thanks!