Connect the Dots (Part 2)
Log Info
- Title: Connect the Dots (Part 2)
- GM: Aftershock
- Place: Leca'fi Amdamu, the Castle on the Edge of Waking
Leca'fi Amdamu, the Border Ethereal
Telamon listens to Albus reciting the names, nodding as he commits them to memory. "There is one other imposition I must make, Albus. Many times, when I call a soul from the Halls, a servant of Vardama comes to mediate as needed." He makes a face. "Meaning no disrespect, but if they find you in our company, they might insist on taking you with them. While you will probably need to make your peace with that in time, it would be incredibly inconvenient for it to happen right now."
The sorcerer rubs his chin. "The castle is warded against scrying, so you should be all right if you remain in the study -- or the library, if you prefer -- while I do the honors in the great hall. The servants will bring you refreshments, and notify me if you need help." He offers a smile. "Not the worst way to spend a day, in my opinion."
Albus's new body blinks at Telamon a few times and then he chuffs. "Oh. Oh I don't think I mind at all. It would be nice to catch up with old friends but... I am rather hoping that you don't get to talk to either one of them aren't I? So I'll hope that it's a short trip to the library for me."
He rises a bit unsteadily to his feet and then queries as to where the library is and Auranar politely offers to show him where it is. Guiding the old mage to where he can find it. She isn't gone long, and you've had enough time to sort out other details (such as who you'd like to summon first) while she's away.
She smiles as she returns, settling into place in her seat and picking up her now-cooled tea and taking a sip. "I have missed him really, he's such a kind man. I feel badly that life has taken me on so many adventures that I've been too busy to visit. I need to be better about taking the time for friends." She smiles at Magpie. "I'll bake a pie."
Corey looks rather hopeful at the mention of friends getting pies. Then he realizes he's barely met Auranar prior to this. Most of their interaction has been trying to get his twin sister to not send him as her proxy for socializing with Auranar. (Ansír has a funny way with getting to know people, especially, for some reason, Auranar, who she has yet to speak to directly since their initial meeting.) "Ah... You know, I used to help my father in the kitchen when he baked pies." He flushes a little. "Maybe I could come over and help? One of these days? And..."
He'll be a good brother. "Maybe bring my sister, Ansír, over? She'd love to talk to you again, I think."
Then he looks at Telamon. "Are we ready to summon Fiz? I mean, we know he's dead, according to Albus, even if... I'm still figuring out how he's dead but I met him that one time..." Corey's brows are knit together in concentration. He's thinking very hard.
"That sounds like an awesome idea," declares Magpie, ardent fan of baked goods with fillings. "Let me know if you want some help? And hey, I'll even give him enough time to have his share!" Grinning at Auranar, she looks over her shoulder at the doorway Albus disappeared down, and sighs. "I don't... like thinking that he's gonna have to make his peace. He didn't do anything wrong, and it's not like he was looking for immortality. He just... was in the wrong place at the wrong time, y'know? That wrong place being 'not in his dead body' sure but still. ...Even though the only other way I can think to get him a new body is to crack the secrets of War Golems, which... Well."
Shaking her head, she slips out of her chair, bouncing on her toes and shaking her hands, as if limbering up for a round at the pells. "Okay, Telamon... let's see you show us why you're the best."
At Corey's musings, Magpie looks over at the Paladin, blinking owlishly. "...Ghost, maybe? It's not the weirdest thing I've heard of."
Telamon smiles, watching Albus go. He nods to Magpie. "Accidents happen. And even the Harpist cannot see every sparrow fall. It may be that we have to let him go, but considering his deeds... I do not think his fate will be terrible." His eyes twinkle. "The gods are not without mercy."
He chuckles. "I'm afraid there's not a lot of 'flash' to this, though. Just focus, and will." He holds his hands together, bowing his head. There's a sensation of something rippling through the room, and then outward. A message, a missive, to be placed before the final court for mortal souls.
The door opens at the end of the hall, and a friendly-looking wizard enters the hall with a gray-cloaked individual. It's indeed not particularly flashy, but it is kind of... intimidating to know that Telamon can just... summon a servitor of Vardama so handily? The wizard in question smiles a warm smile at those gathered but seems a little sad. "No squirrels? I was hoping there might be squirrels."
A squirrel appears on the end of the table and the mage gleefully offers the little rodent a nut which it accepts and starts to chew on and he pets it on the head. It accepts this in spite of both having just appeared out of nowhere and clearly having no idea who the mage is.
GAME: Telamon rolls spellcraft: (16)+26: 42
Corey blinks. It's the same wizard as before... And a squirrel. "You had a squirrel last time too," he murmurs. "Why the squirrels?"
And then he realizes he's being very rude. Corey flushes. "Oh! Hello Frisgar. Also known as Fiz. And several other nice things, I'm sure. It's nice to meet you again. ... You do remember us meeting, I hope?" Corey's really hoping someone does. Otherwise he's going to start questioning his sanity.
"...Oh you're Fiz!" Magpie chirps, hopping up to stand on her chair, and give the wizard a cheery wave. "Hi Fiz! I'm Magpie, I'm a friend of Kiz! He'd love to meet you himself, but he's uh... Indisposed."
Magpie very, very carefully does her absolute best not to look at the grey-robed servitor of Death. It follows that annoying one might have Grave Consequences.
Also the consequence of graves. Not recommended.
She starts to ask a question, but her mouth shuts with a click. This is Telamon's spell, thus his questions to prioritize. Horning in on another arcanist's divination is... rude? Rude.
Telamon looks utterly unsurprised by what happens next. Well, not the squirrel, that makes one eyebrow arch, but he dismisses the gesture with a smile. "Master Frisgar," he addresses the old mage with a slightly formal air. "A pleasure to meet you. I am called Telamon Lupecyll-Atlon." On the off chance Frisgar hadn't heard of him prior to his passing.
"We've run into a bit of a dilemma. Alexandria is being plagued by a fiend by the name of Koz'gon. Now, he's 'dead' for the moment -- he ran afoul of a dragon. But we'd like to ensure he stays out of our way." He exhales. "Worse, we know that he is involved with the machinations of the Queen of Air and Darkness, and specifically her son, Cul the Cruel. It's resulting in the Queen causing us no end of problems. Any insights or knowledge you would have would be most appreciated."
Frisgar chucks the squirrel under the chin and smiles benevolently at Corey. "Of course I remember you lad, handy with a bit of holy water you are!" He smiles at Corey. "Most people don't like squirrels you know. Consider them vermin, but me? I've got all of them in the whole city trained! They'll send messages for me for a nut! Isn't that right little fellow? My Ducky in particular can do all sorts of tricks."
The mage nods to Magpie and smiles widely at her. "You know Kiz? He's a good one! Sorry to hear he's indisposed. Probably reading some dusty book again. He never knew the value of a good squirrel." He sighs and seems to get down to the business of why he is here. "Koz'gon? Can't say that the name means much off the top of my head, but then we dealt with a lot of fiends in our day. The names tend to run together after a while but the brat? That's a name I won't forget. You piss off a fae prince and that tends to linger. Especially one like Cul."
His eyes narrow and he looks at Auranar then at Telamon. "If I were you, I'd keep the lady well away from him. Cul had a real mean streak when it came to ladies. But a weak spot too. So that might be a way to get to him if you're really itching to kill him and you've the means to do it. He's not the monarch you know, so he's as weak against cold iron as any of the other fae are. But boy if you do that queen is going to be after you right quick." Frisgar shudders.
"The only way I'd go after her is in a duel where mortal blood was invoked." He mutters to himself.
"I've always been partial to birds and fireflies. But squirrels are just as welcome in my gardens -- provided they behave." Telamon looks wry. "Sometimes they get pushy, and annoy Pothy. And then he complains."
Settling back in his chair, he nods sourly. "I think... we will be dealing with both. We have a plan," his eyes move to Auranar's, "and while it's not a perfect one, something has to be done to deal with the Queen. She knows she's in trouble, but she can't extricate herself."
Looking to Magpie and Corey, he explains, "Cul is impotent. And the fey courts are directly linked to the, ahem, potency of the monarch. If Cul takes the throne, the Unseelie Court runs the risk of disintegrating." He furrows his brow. "I don't think it'd collapse completely -- there are plenty of powers who don't want that to happen -- but it would wreak havoc in Quelynos. Cul's dalliance with fiends is a desperate attempt to fix that issue, but it hasn't worked -- and his mother indulges his insanity."
"Right," Corey says softly with a nod to Telamon's words. He's aware of some of the things his mother has told him about her intentions. He looks at Magpie for a moment.
"My Mother..." He begins, before he looks at Frisgar. "What do you mean by a duel where mortal blood was invoked? Because..."
Corey looks apprehensive for a long moment, before he says, "The plan we're talking about might have something to do with that."
"Wait what d'you mean invoking mortal blood?" Magpie says, tilting her head in curiosity
But then Telamon spills some serious fae tea, and Magpie pauses, puzzled for a moment. Then from her side of the table, there's a sharp gasp. "WAIT YOU MEAN--"
In a rare act of self-preservation, the gnome claps her hands over her mouth, wide eyes darting to everybody in the room. After a moment, her hands part slightly, and she speaks in a scandalized stage-whisper.
"You mean... the heir to the throne of the face-bitey fae is... loaded with dummy rounds?"
Because that's what's important right now.
"...Also uh... why doesn't she do any one of, like, half a dozen things folks do to avoid a succession crisis? Like, adopting? Declaring a different heir? Or does she--"
Magpie trails off again, probably wisely deciding one should not speak of the Queen of Air and Darkness when one is not in the mortal plane. And not the small-g goddess of her own domain.
When you're powerful enough, you get leeway. And Magpie is powerful, but not like this.
Friz considers Corey for a moment and then nods to Telamon and him after a moment. "No reading really isn't my thing like it is Kiz's but I heard him mumbling about a book once called 'Nae Moraenas' which is fae-speak for 'No Morality', or 'No Soul'. It discusses at length a period of time during which whole wars were fought between the fae invoking blood rites that saw them killing one another left and right. Dead. Fields of trees grew from their corpses. Mountains and rivers. Lakes of moaning. That sort of thing. Their deaths gave life to the land and made it more fertile in other words. When monarchs fight, they invoke the same right, because none other is serious enough. Anything less is merely murder. If you want a chance to defeat her, you must make her invoke it, you must insight her to that level of violence, or... you will merely die."
Auranar looks at Telamon seriously. "Then we must find a reason for her to take us seriously." He knows what she is thinking. A weakness. A son. A son who hates women.
Telamon sighs at Magpie. "She loves her son, Magpie. And I think it may be driving her crazy, too, as love is not allowed in the Unseelie Court. I would feel pity, if her games had not caused my family such heartache." He snorts. "So no. She will not do any of those things."
He scowls. "I didn't realize she would have to invoke it. This is complex... but not untenable." Tel gives Auranar an askance look. "Uh huh. Exactly what would you like me to tell Verna, dear sister? I'm not braving her wrath just so you can drag this idiot around by his empty dragonspitter, thank you."
He grins a bit. "Oh, and if you're worried about being pestered here... I've learned a few new tricks about the Castle. While I won't misuse them... suffice to say I have some ideas about security. And a very special idea for a 'night watchman' while I'm away."
Corey frowns deeply. He can't imagine that period of fighting, that time where fae killed each other to feed the world. He can imagine his mother... being very good at it. The things she has implied to him are visions of terror.
He looks at Auranar and frowns deeply. "I do not doubt your sheer intelligence and capability, Auranar--for I have seen what you've been capable of--but I feel badly about asking you to try and go and take out Cul. Who do we know that is a woman who could play at Cul's insecurities about his infertility and possibly get him alone to... Do the deed?"
Then Corey blinks owlishly. "Kill him, I mean! Not have sex with him. That would not be enjoyable."
"...Oh wait we'd have to seduce him? Uh..." Magpie blinks, staring down at the table for a moment and lacing her hands, tapping her thumbs together as though seeing a difficult math question for the first time.
Then she glances at Frix, and her face blooms with a bright smile. "...Probably not gonna be me then... But I can piss people off like whoa, used to be a time when I could manage it without even knowing I was doing it. So if you want a volunteer on the Mab side, I could!"
Dropping back down onto her chair, she gives the whole mess some thought, and realizing she's adding two plus two and coming up with Heth. "Also uh... If anyone has time, any chance I could get read into this whole mess with the fae? I'm just in it cos my buddy needed help, I think I'm missing a whole lot here."
Friz smiles kindly at Magpie. "Imagine how I feel dearie. I'm just here for the squirrels." He pets the little critter in question and seems quite content at that.
Auranar seems a bit put out by the idea that she can't be the one to lure Cul in and kill him, but she sighs and thinks about it for a moment. "We could always throw one of you boys in a dress and surprise him that way." She comments. "After all, there's no need for us girls to do all the hard work." She smiles a little meanly.
"It seems that Cul has formed something of an alliance with Koz'gon, probably in an attempt to cure his impotence. There have been a couple of incidents where it's clear there has been some suspicious activity." Telamon holds up one finger. "When we rescued Verna from her deranged mother, Captain Doyle showed up to collect Varyssa. Doyle is the Queen's right hand man, sworn to the service of the Unseelie Court. At the time I thought it unusual, especially as Koz'gon was directly involved with assaulting Verna."
Telamon raises a second finger. "Later, I encountered the vessel Koz'gon had used at the time to kidnap Verna, a changeling named Yehor. I was traversing the Dreamlands with Lana at the time, and we were able to extract Koz'gon from Yehor. Yehor was also the victim of having a summoning circle inscribed on the inside of his skull -- a nasty trick that Simony told us about in the wake of the Arcanist's dungeon jailbreak." His lips twist. "And guess who showed up to collect Yehor after I'd managed to remove the circle? None other than Captain Doyle."
"Please don't put me in a dress," Corey says with a wince, shaking his head. "Personal reasons, but... Please don't. Not unless all the other men you know are dead and it's life or death."
He shakes it off with a small sigh before he looks at Magpie. "I ask you to complete and utter secrecy," he says, before he walks over to Magpie and leans down to whisper it into her ear. Then he goes back onto his feet. "Which means I have a personal tie to this through my mother, and that the plans we are talking of have to do with... achieving her goals."
He looks at Telamon. "I... hate to impose on you, Telamon," he says, "but... perhaps your wife might be able to carry out this method of assassination? I have heard stories about her enchantment abilities. But I also have to admit that there are perhaps other ways. A fake seduction as a means of isolating the target for killing is just one of... the tactics that Karasu told me is common among assassins." Corey flushes again.
"Of course, Corey," Magpie says, bobbing her head rapidly. "I keep secrets all the time, lay it on me."
And then the paladin leans down to whisper in her ear, and Magpie's big eyes get bigger, and bigger, and the gnome simply... slaps her hands under her mouth again, drops, and rolls from her chair under the table.
Seems like she's gonna need a minute to get her mouth under control.
Fiz nods seriously to Telamon and then he frowns a little. "Did you say magic circles in the head? That does sound familiar actually. Mmmm You should ask Driz he was the one who did our tracking you know, he kept a little notebook with nicknames of the really nasty ones that did stuff like put magic circles in people's heads. Maybe he can help you more." He pats the squirrel on the head and then looks at the others before squaring up with Telamon. "I think it's time for me to go then youngster. Say goodbye to my friends for me would you when you see them both? Tell them Fiz is doing fine, and tell them that our project turned out just fine. The Compellation of the Eternal is locked up for the moment but once they figure out how to use it... it'll be the boon it was supposed to be for everyone. And Albus... He'll be okay. He'll be okay."