audio | user name: raven master

[pulvisetumbra]

( White sound, fragments of murmurs. Two men and a woman drowned by the tinny crescendo of a strained musical instrument. The music rises shrill and shrill, until it nearly deafens — then all is inexplicably quiet. At last, a man’s voice: )

...good afternoon. Following your... discoveries in Serthica, it appeared only prudent to reinforce every measure that protects our conversations. Our discretion is your survival.

You speak to the Merchant. We number a wealth of new... associates. I bid you welcome. Know this: whatever trials await you in your travels, they are as nothing before the ruthless undead enslavement the warlords would have intended you.

( A pause, then carefully: ) You are in Serthica. My initial recommendation was for you all to investigate which of the citadel’s halves houses undead and unnatural creatures. Since, Karsa has relayed the results of your efforts.

If I follow well, then you have unveiled the Remembrance insurgent group whose mannequins gain human likeness. I hope we have not chosen to bring home cursed dolls. ( His gritting teeth suggest otherwise. ) You have found that the old sickness that once splintered Serthica remains... alive. To that end, I salute the sacrifice of Master McCoy. We shall aim to recover your health, sir. And there is the matter of dragons, some living, some... troubled.

( A long, deep sigh rip from him. ) I fear Eidris and Minaras may have both been compromised. I first urged you to keep your head bowed and await the yearly opening of Serthica’s Neutral Zone beacon. We can no longer afford this passiveness. We must know what we protect against and how deeply the rot of Serthica runs.

The great Neutral Zone clock of Vassarizhia is the old heart of Serthica. Its beats regulate the rise and fall of Eidris and Minaras. Before the sundering, it was Serthica’s foremost watchtower, with vantage across the citadel whole. Karsa toils to finalise magical instruments that will allow us to forcibly but briefly reveal the state of this world, if you can reach the topmost levels of Vassarizhia and its enhanced telescope and watch monitors. I understand security will ease within the week, when Eidris and Serthica hold further summits.

( And now, a sprawling silence: ) As for the... white wanderer. I thank the consummate professionalism of Master Constantine and Mistress Pitts in delivering the uniforms of Ellethia. I understand one such garment was worn by the man who visited you during the Unwinding. The same intruder who haunted Ke-Waihu.

Let us be candid. I believe we speak of a former member of the institute of technology and magic of Ellethia, where the undead first surfaced. If this is correct, I can only recommend caution. I cannot say if the white wanderer is friend or foe. I know my preference.

Irrespective of this: onwards, upwards. To Vassarizhia. I leave this with you.

( ooc: threadjack away! You will get further details on the tower infiltration and our Halloween event mid-week for your plotting purposes. )

Comments

[pulvisetumbra]

Mostly large statement pieces, wall-length, Burrudian silver.

[blackscales]

During your time with the institution, the research did not involve mirrors? Or it had not turned up answers yet, perhaps?

[pulvisetumbra]

...what time with the institution?

Do you notice, perhaps, a pattern in your conversations? Where you keep attempting to sneak in various assumptions that assume that if I do not directly object to them, I am implicitly, tacitly confirming them?

You are a dreadful and inconsiderate communicator, sir.

[blackscales]

I assume you spent time there in some form, either as a past employee or in some other manner. It would explain your knowledge of what has been described as a discreet and secluded group. Am I incorrect?

[pulvisetumbra]

Relations between Taravast and Ellethia were so strained in their rivalry that the success of the institute over Taravast's achievements was considered a matter of patriotism. Everyone kept abreast when there was progress of note.

[blackscales]

That is not an answer. Am I incorrect?

[pulvisetumbra]

For the sake of all that waits and below, you are impossible, sir. You make a hundred statements, then ask, are you incorrect? You approach every conversation in a manner adversarial. You are, simply put, purposefully difficult. Allow me to speak to you as one might to a simpleton or a child. One by one, sir.

( He may or may not be approaching an aneurysm: )

Did I spend some time there in some manner? I've said before, I traded there.

Would it explain my knowledge? The knowledge is no where as constrained or guarded as you think. See my previous notes about the proliferation of the institution's successes at a national level.

The group was discreet? Yes. They were professionals. Of course. I am a professional. You do not see me flaunting every one of my business enterprises. In fact, you do not even know what I currently trade.

The group was secluded? Whatever lent you that notion? Kindly advi — ...no, do not advise.

[blackscales]

Forgive me if you dislike the description. A 'discreet and secluded group' was how you described them to me, previously.

[ Purposefully difficult? Him? Well I Never, What Gave You That Impression. ]

[pulvisetumbra]

Yes, and I am certain you intended to stay true to the spirit of my words, and not to manipulate their letter against me.

Let us be frank, sir: you do not trust me. I do not begrudge that. But we must find a way to coexist in our conversations without exasperating one other. Of the two of us — of any of us — I am the only one consistently and openly staying true to my stated intentions.

I continue to sponsor your travels, I make every effort to insinuate you in the outposts you visit, I facilitate your interaction with local officials, and, to whatever success, I attempt to further our investigations. I stand to gain from it, absolutely. But I have at no point failed in my commitments to any of you.

[blackscales]

Forgive me if you believe I have not been true to my stated intentions, but I have been sharing information as I said I would in return for candid answers. If you find my manner exasperating, you would not be alone. Nothing personal, you understand.

[pulvisetumbra]

...you recognise it is no virtue of character to admit your faults yet continue to proliferate them?

[blackscales]

I recognise you have still not told me what you traded in at the institute, if we're pointing things out. If you truly have nothing to hide, it should not be hard to do so.

[pulvisetumbra]

Very well.

I largely traded technical equipment. Alongside it, some wards to contain any seepage from magical experimentation, sourced from... inevitably, Taravast.

Given your previous line of inquiry, allow me to state it here and now: I did not trade them mirrors.

[blackscales]

Useful information. Wards are an excellent tool to be knowledgeable in, particularly given the party's penchant for collecting peculiar body parts.

In the spirit of exchange, I'll ask if you know some of what came to pass between the White Wanderer and the Beastmaster prior to his death. I'm willing to share what I have learned of their interaction, if you would find that retelling useful in building your understanding. Or, if you are already aware of that, perhaps some of what we saw during the... 'Unwinding', assuming you did not experience it yourself and have questions.

[pulvisetumbra]

I possess access to Karsa. You understand this, I hope. She is my eyes, she is my ears.

[blackscales]

I do, but I offered information in exchange for information and I aim to keep my word. Without knowing what specifically Karsa has seen, or indeed told you, I cannot know what is of interest to you. Redirect me if you so desire.

[pulvisetumbra]

Very well. Then answer me this: you all purported to have killed the Beastmaster. You are certain you prevailed?

[blackscales]

I observed a killing blow landed on the man, in his last known undead form. If he stayed securely dead, I could not say, given the nature of this place.

You are curious about the child, I presume?

[pulvisetumbra]

Precisely.

My starting assumption was that... there is no chance of this being the same man.

[blackscales]

[ Hmmm. ]

There was a distinct animosity around the child that I did not feel around the Beastmaster. That does not, in truth, rule things out -- it just brands them different currently. I believe some people suspect the child of being Hyang-Won's own, given his father's name. I don't believe I ever learned the name of his son, so I couldn't say if that's possible. We do know the child seemingly survived some time, after being taken to the House of Ravens.

Our mystery child also made no attempt to control any creature, but I suppose we could not say how powerful it would be on rising -- assuming something capable of raising him chose to do so in the form of a child.

[ A weird choice but listen, it cannot be ruled out. ]

Two additional considerations, however. While we were trapped in the unwinding, something -- or someone -- did try to send us a message. 'Children lie'. A very specific message to send. Either to confuse us or aid us, the result is intriguing regardless. Secondly, the fox mask. It means we never truly saw the child's face.

[pulvisetumbra]

In other words... that may not be a child.

[blackscales]

Quite so, given the nature of things here I would hesitate to assume anything is as it seems at first glance.

[pulvisetumbra]

In Ke-Waihu. It was the mother who turned the boy in, was it not? Not the Beastmaster.

[blackscales]

My understanding is that she was devout, he was not. She believed the child went willing, and he believes she took the child.

[pulvisetumbra]

But you see why a child would then incline more towards his father.