eastbound | Entries tagged with last case of benedict fox: benedict fox

[While the ghost ship has entered its final stages on the 'Other Side,' Benedict posts a quick message on the network.]

To anyone still on board the Headless Dancer: there's an object on board this ship, a knife used by Matthias. The tool he used to- to leave parts of himself behind. No time to explain, but I think we should look for it!

[It could be useful after all! Maybe. Hopefully, if they could find it.]

------

[A few hours later, after the ship has sunk for another time and Benedict has had time to recover somewhat and catch his breath at least, he makes another post to the network. This time he has a bit more to say and can say it without hurry. It's not a lot, but it's something he wants to share and there is a clear hint of roiling emotion buried beneath his otherwise calm relay of information.]

Matthias does not return to the Headless Dancer anymore. He lost something there, and so he doesn't return anymore. We'll have to find him elsewhere.

I spoke to her. To Cosette.

She was on that ship when it went down the first time, and she's on that ship every time it goes down now as it cycles through that fateful day. It was Matthias's actions that caused it and many others to sink. She said he's careless with the ones he loves, and that he won't be as forgiving to anyone else that gets in his way. He isn't pitiful. She said that. Not to pity him. That his actions have always been needlessly cruel.

[So he gathered from her intent anyway.]

I won't hand her over to him. All she wants is to rest. To find peace. That's all the dead want. They don't want the dark waters, the madness to fall over them, they just want to find a final rest. Being brought here doesn't help them, doesn't do them any good, it just traps them here.

[A pause ensued as he tried to decide whether he wanted to say more or not. If he did, he knew it would be even less objective than the rest of what he relayed.]

I told her I would help her. That's what I intend to do.

[Even if that meant confronting and even killing Matthias. Some people were just beyond saving.]

------

[[ooc: Wrathion is the one set to find said knife, of course, but Cosette mentioned it to Benedict so I thought to add that first part for flavor! He'll be too busy to reply to much while still on the ship, but hit him up with any questions/concerns during anyway! After his second post he'll be free to reply in more leisure as he catches his breath. o7]]

spoilers

As long as we're sharing, I acquired some interesting incense.

( For a very brief moment, she looks vaguely troubled, but it passes quickly. )

It seemed to impart a memory, one belonging to a young woman. She was on a ship, it was storming, and she was having quite the argument.

If this woman is Cosette, she was far from being a little girl when she died. There could have been a wife, I suppose. In either case, they were hardly contending for family of the year.

northerndragon

[Jon looks pensive, and not a little dismayed, and perhaps a bit winded.]

I went to the Oracle Hall to try to find what I could of Cosette. I spoke to the Oracle -- bloody lot of stairs that was.

A woman had been there. Blonde hair. She fears that she will be forced to stay in Hatthevar against her will. She knew Matthias's heart well, and he had called her from somewhere else. The Oracle told her that the foolishness and stubbornness of men can't be cured by reason.

Can it be her? If it is her, she doesn't want it. Not Hatthevar. Maybe not a return to her father, either.

[Who would want to return to a madman, a man who has done such harm? Who would want to claim that legacy?

Before Jon cuts away, a hand tugs at his sleeve, and a voice says, "You can help me, can't you? I heard you know everything." Jon mutters "Seven hells," with exasperation and feeling, and ends the message.]

(but he'll be back with replies if anyone wants to chat about it.)

companionsgrasp

I know a couple of us went to the bazaar to search for Cosette there, and I wanted to share what I found out about that mysterious puppet show that was the center of attention for quite a while. I talked to the puppeteer himself, a kindly old man by the name of Jasof, and he said that wasn't the original show he had been planning to put on that day. Instead, I found him coming out of a stupor and wondering what had happened--but he dismissed it as fortuitous since it earned him quite a crowd.

He mentioned that sometimes strong ghosts haunt his puppets to tell their stories... and I confirmed that he had been recently possessed by a ghost. Someone very much wanted to put on that show. I suspect it's exactly who one would think it to be: Cosette.

The story, for anyone who didn't catch it, was of a daughter arguing with her father about his absences and in the end she ran off into the wild where she ended up killed by animals. There seemed to be some sort of connection or compulsion over the crowd as well since every woman in the crowd started crying once it was over almost as if on cue.

Mathias was unhelpful in confirming or denying anything about the story. As I'm sure some of you are already aware, he has a...peculiar way of talking. He's not a very reliable narrator of information, is he?

[Press X to doubt with him.]

lonelydream

How long has it been since we've been allowed to see the night sky? Has anyone managed to pry their windows open? Where I'm from, peaceful nights are often spent drinking beneath the moonlight.

[ There's the sound of clinking ceramic--clearly, he isn't letting anything stop him from drinking, at least.

It's frustrating that he hasn't been able to explore to his heart's content, that he's cut off from investigating the mysteries of this place. How much longer does he have, here in this place of relative peace? What sort of place will they go to next? Is it worth the risk to wait? (No. He knows it's not.)

A brief pause, and then he continues, though his breathing sounds...not ideal. ]

My apologies for the late introduction. My name is Zhou Xu; I arrived not long before we left the last city.

It's been brought to my attention that we have a number of healers among us. I seek, at your convenience, Wen Qing, Anduin, Nynaeve, and Hermione. Any others with an understanding of medicine, healing, or magic would be appreciated as well.

[ Far more open and blatant than he'd ever been before, but he's running out of time. He simply can't afford to be discrete any longer. Just before he ends the transmission, something occurs to him: ]

--Ah. I've heard that I've been here before. If you once knew me, I'd also like to meet. Thank you.

mashiara

The Prince has been so direct as to exchange notes when sent inquiries.

In his words:

( here, an image, which isn't a photograph but instead her turning the watch pendant around to display the note she's received, several visible around the one she focuses on, reading: )

Until the witch does, in its name. The forest died. The animals perished. They will revive at their own pace. It is the witch who wants amends, who is never satisfied. The witch who taunts and teases. Who took everything, lives and likenesses.

He says he's doing what he can from his side. That he hopes for a change of heart from the witch. The witch who is male, yes, I did read what's been shared here. Men of all kinds, from the ones seeking blood, to the ones seeking reparations, all acting foolish.

Who's for knocking them all on the back of the head and telling them to sort it all out like grown adults?

redhourglass

( natasha ... doesn't usually do these sorts of things. she prefers to take in what everyone else shares via the device, put together her own conclusions, share them with a select group of people. that said — she's had a pretty unsettling encounter with a candelabra and it feels relevant to share, particularly given what others have shared about julien, the prince, their relationship, and the castle.

so, here goes. )

the inanimate object servants who move were turned that way by a 'guest' — a witch. the candelabra i talked to called it a blessing, but seemed to be doing so under duress. it happened close to ten years ago. my guess is whatever changed the prince, impacts the servants as well.

i'm wondering why julien doesn't seem to be caught up in that too. anything that would touch the whole castle should put him under the same spell, right?

( ok, admittedly ... magic isn't her forte. )

the candelabra seemed very concerned that julien think they were doing a good job. makes me think it's not just the bird-like servants who are frightened of him.

one more thing: the witch is a man. felt worth mentioning .. especially when you consider julien isn't impacted by the spell.

( it's definitely a logical leap to imply that julien is the witch, but in lieu of other options? why not? she's curious to hear what others might think. )

inferus

( The video opens on four individuals in the gardens: Benedict, Nami, Cole, and Wrath. He has finished winding the rope up and setting that aside when he lifts up the amulet and addresses the group. Wrath means to keep the information as succinct as possible, and so he wastes little time in conveying it. )

We learned the Prince has been struggling with what appears to be a more beastly nature if the destruction he's left behind is any indication - large claw marks across a particular painting as well as clothing ripped from being placed upon a frame too large to fit any longer with a clawed grip.

Julien has written the Prince many letters, beseeching him to fulfill his end of the curse's bargain and restore the forest. There was no indication of what the nature of this curse's bargain was. ( As an individual who has just broken his own curse with his wife and helped Five with his, Wrath knows that understanding the nature of the curse is the first step toward finding the solution to it. )

In addition, there's a note from someone who refers to the Prince as their brother was full of scorn toward the Prince for missing out on the proceedings of an event called the Red Hunt, referring to him as an embarrassment to the family and speaking of his failure to meet his... duties as a man.

Finally, Prince de Villeneuve was often brought cases from the village for adjudication and assistance. This is all the relevant information we procured, but if there are any questions, one of us can attempt to elaborate. Without more knowledge of the nature of the curse itself, we still ultimately know little.

clavesregni

[Caitlyn and Benedict are standing together. Caitlyn speaks hurriedly and excitedly into the camera. She's got a couple of black-and-white photos of Julien's bedroom that she's showing off - it's pretty indistinguishable from any of the bedrooms that everybody else is staying in, no personal touches. One photo is of a rose suspended under a glass dome.]

Julien is hiding something. And the servants know more than they’re letting on, too. A group of us broke into Julien’s bedroom, and several of the servants seemed quite nervous about it. The clock in particular tried to warn us off.

[Benedict spoke up for a moment here to mention the additional challenges to getting inside the room:] It wasn't just the servants or a locked door that tried to deter us from going inside either. There was a magical barrier set to electrocute anyone attempting to get in. It wasn't particularly powerful, but it was very well crafted and artfully stabilized magic for a small zapping current.

[Caitlyn cuts in:] As though the person who set it didn't want to hurt anyone.

[Benedict continues:] There didn't seem to be any other alarms set though.

[He gestured at Caitlyn to continue, which she did eagerly.]

The bedroom hardly looked like anyone lived there. There was nothing personal about it. It looks remarkably identical to the bedrooms we’ve been staying in. The few things we did find were a golden rose beneath a glass dome, a worn cloak, and a few love letters addressed to Julien. The rose is identical to those growing at the base of the tower in which the prince is living, but unlike those this one was golden in the middle of the day, while those, as far as I’ve seen, only bloom golden at sunset.

It's the same as those roses but much more magically potent. Why it was given to him to keep elsewhere, however, was beyond our abilities to discern at the moment. I suppose it could have just been a gift, or maybe there's more to it than that.

[Benedict was a little frustrated about that, but he didn't let it show beyond his lapse back into silence and a small frown on his face. Any more than that and he'd have trouble with his Companion. Thankfully, Caitlyn had plenty more to address.]

The cloak seems to indicate that Julien doesn’t come from wealth. He may be from one of the nearby villages. It is odd, though, that he would keep the cloak, especially as he seems to have no other similar clothes. It’s possible the cloak isn’t his, but whose it would be, I don’t know. The letters are all quite similar to each other. [She took a photograph of these, and she holds one up to the camera.] They all profess the writer’s love for Julien, but also accuse him of being aloof and withholding his affection. If these are from the prince, what could have changed? How did they meet, and when did Julien fall in love?

[Benedict seemed to blink out of his frustrated reverie and replied to Caitlyn's last bit.]

Assuming he wasn't just forced to stay here and fell in love during that time. [Someone here was thinking of The Beauty and the Beast.] As a final note: the whole room felt of loneliness. Everything about Julien speaks of...feeling alone. Both Cole and I could feel it seeping from every corner of the room. [There was a beat of silence and then Ben glanced at Caitlyn before hurriedly adding a conclusion.] Right, I think that about covers everything we found. It's not much but it's a piece of the puzzle. Any... uh, questions about what we saw? Or additional insight from other investigating?

Yes, if we can collect as much information as possible, I know we'll be able to get to the bottom of this and help the prince. [Said with all the conviction in the world.]

blackscales

Good evening, dear friends, I'm in need of some extra hands. Narula and Caius Justus both need replacing to keep Ephes functioning, and unless we want a demon or a useless figure with no opinions in charge we need to act quickly.

I need security details both to keep the senate from losing any further members, and to keep supporters of Caius Justus from acting rash. Caelius Silvanus is already easily convinced it would be self-serving of him to step in now, so some additional hands to spread whispers will get us all voting in the same direction which will save us from a tie or a useless lack of votes. I have suggestions for a new leader of the hand, a veteran of sound mind who disagreed with Narula's methods, and a suggestion for stable replacement for Caius Justus who I believe we can sell easily enough.

If you have connections, wine, or any suitable blackmail to lean on now is the time to come forward and organise.

cartographie

[ Instead of pointing the pendant at herself, Nami aims it so that the top of the table she's sitting at is what's in the frame instead. ]

This is a book I took from the chained god's room. [ She begins as she opens the book and starts leafing through the pages, making sure she lingers on each so the people watching on the other end of whatever this not den den mushi based network can get a good look at the contents while she thumbs through ]

There's a lot in here, and, weirdly, some of it looks like it was written recently. From what I've read, it sounds like the men of Ephes turned on the god and chained him up. One historian in here, Gallia Salusa, mentions that because the god didn't have a physical form to start with, the men waited until the timing was on their side, and this god - put himself together, or whatever it did, gaining a form - they think just from slowly accumulating power - so could be chained in the first place. [ She's seen that thing, it's gross. ]

The book also talks about how that worm god thing isn't the only being like this around, but like the chained god before whatever happened to him, happened - they don't have a physical form, and want one

[ Nami shuts the book finally turning the communicator around on herself so she's visible, along with the interior of the rundown windmill she and her crew have posted up in. There might even be one or two straw hats or perhaps an errant clown pirate milling around in the background, who knows? ]

Oh, and, that whale fishman told me about how the borders of Ephes - both land and sea - are much bigger than the space this place is occupying, but after the chained god was captured the dark water's been encroaching from many sides - something that's obvious to the farmers and the fishermen but not as much to everybody else.

[ She sits back in her seat, shrugging plaintively at whoever's on the other end of this not-a-snail, tempted to just end the message there before she remembers herself– ]

I'm Nami, by the way. If you want to meet up, take a look at the book, and tell me more about what's going on here, that's fine with me. I've got a crew to get back to the East Blue and any information is useful at this point.

[ ooc: a link to the initial comment with this info about the book, since Nami is slowly paging through it for the network, feel free to use the info in the comment if you want to let your character clock a snippet or two as she goes or something.

and threadjack away, ]

inferus

( The device opens on the quarters of the Chained God - the quake of the stones, the gulp of the magma through the cracks. The shot lingers on the rivulets of dark water that come through, but it also takes in the thin rivers of magma. The cracks in the floor appear to contain both of these, but the dark water appears to be taking over, sliding over the room.

Wrath then turns the device toward him instead - wings of silver fire at his back, unleashed by the energy of chaos and destruction within this temple. In one hand, Wrath carries a jar with the lid iced over after the dark water inside of it attempted to explode out of it - likely to join the rest in the cracks. It remains within the jar. He has spent some time studying the two very different energies within this room, but also how the two have comingled, how they've blended imperfectly together. The energy it manages to absorb is that of a god - an impossibility, or it certainly should be. In many ways, Wrath is a god himself, has the power of one, and he had assumed the dark water would not be able to assimilate his own ability in full, but this has begun to fill him with doubt. )

The dark water is absorbing the Chained God's energy.

The two energies do not combine seamlessly. Given one energy exudes fire and destruction and the other exudes cold and construction, it is unlikely they would ever be able to merge perfectly. However, the dark water is devouring the god's energy nonetheless.

It is difficult to tell how much of it has already been absorbed. However, given this particular god was known at one point to be associated with the ending of the world, I do not believe I need to go into detail about what this dark water may soon be able to become. ( Destruction is impending on a catastrophic level, which should not be surprising given all they know so far, and their options continue to be limited. )

companionsgrasp

I had a meeting with priestess Valeria. It seems she and the followers [hear: cult] of the Chained God could use all the help they can get. She offered me quite the set of benefits if I were announce in the arena that I had converted to the faith of the Chained God. There was a good emphasis on having me implore my loyal fans to support the god and his agents, the army--the Hand. I got the feeling this wasn't her first time making an offer to someone with influence in exchange for what she needs. They must not get much on their own merit.

Not that, I suspect, any of us are surprised to confirm that their faith isn't so sincere or well-off considering...well. Who wants to serve a god of destruction? It never turns out good, not even for the criminally insane that want to watch everything burn.

Too bad for her I'm not actually a gladiator. Or want to help out the cult of a god of destruction and chaos earn money for their endeavors.

blackscales

Do hope you're all settling in well. How are we finding our accommodations? I've a position that allows access to the senate. Let me know if I can assist.

The mood is largely in favour of conquest, of war to honour the Chained God. Worth noting that the aptitude of the army appears to be a new development, and Narula seems to be the reason that changed. Has anyone spoken to him? They describe him as a feral animal, and those who worked under him consider him a loose canon, risk prone with little regard for ethical combat and a drive to constantly improve at any cost. Since the senate lacks trust in Narula, and some favour Messalina leading because of that, I had put forward that a veteran might serve as Narula's replacement. Given how loyal soldiers of the Hand are, however, I suspect that would prove an uphill battle.

Equally, Jacob and I happened upon one of those target lists the news shouters received. All members of the Senate: Darius Alexandros, Julius Secundus, Drusilla Minora. Two curiosities: not all of them oppose Messalina, and parchment used was official senate paper. All senate paper is marked with a code, containing a date and unique number. The date here is five or so months past, which just so happens to be when Messalina entered Ephes.

Oh, and Caius Justus does appear to be alive for any concerned.

weifinder

( at speaking volume, head pounding, he offers a just shy of chipper address to everyone on network, in their ragtag group and those tied into it peripherally, over the scattered memories empathy left him with: )

Had a moment or two in the formerly living Tavernus's head. The sorts of lingering regrets a person has, and all that. How a man, before he learned to drown in drink, finds himself in uniform taking reports from farmers who say "it cannot go on further" as their wives and children grow more frightened. Screams heard in the distance, and Tavernus tells the farmers to leave, to keep wrestling "it" from the ground and taking it "to the granaries." The same place he directs a frightened solider to bring a summoned legion, with a sigh.

( A cluck of his tongue. )

Years later, how a different regret slides in around the alcohol he's drowning himself in on the pleas of his brother, Narula. Begging him to stop, stop the drinking and whatever else he's indulging, to return to the Hand. Tavernus slurs his own feelings about that, how it was Narula and his Hand that led him to this path to try and forget, before he rouses himself to hasten Narula's exit. Still looking like the soldier he'd been once, back when the farmers were complaining about what they were harvesting and storing in the granaries.

( His tone shifts now, less in the cadence of one sharing a story, a memory, and more of one opening a conversation. Like there aren't echoes of a very different set of circumstances he finds in the words of another man's memories, and maybe he doesn't: maybe he's long since learned to let go. )

Strange crops all around. What lingers out of them that's here today, that Tavernus couldn't live with remembering?

pepsifree

[ There're brief tapping sounds, like someone doing a mic test, and a quiet "is this thing even on?". But then a clear of the throat precedes an ever-awkward: ] Uh... hello. This is Marty. Um...

So I talked. Talked? Shared my brain with? The giant snake guy. Kharil-asuk. Kinda funny, I could never remember his name, but then we had that whole mental connection and now it's all I can think about the past couple of hours. Is that normal?

...anyway.

He wants to get married.

[ A long pause. ]

Uh. He gave me a huge bowl of his... juice... in exchange for me just kinda. Kinda asking around for. If anyone wants to marry him. So now I'm asking you guys if you'd know anyone who'd marry him. For what it's worth, he blesses you with luck and a long life and all that? It sounded like a pretty great deal! Heh.

What's so great about marriage that a magic snake wants it too? Crazy!

groundrules

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Page generated May. 23rd, 2025 11:38 am

exit, stage e a s t

Entries tagged with last case of benedict fox: benedict fox

audio; un: a tentacute observation

un: song | video;

[video] -- an oracle-tale

audio; un: a tentacute observation

un: seasonailed | audio

written + visual | un: wisdom

un: widow | text

[video, un: a civil serpent]

video; un: hopscotch

un: Black Prince; text

un: nami (video)

un: a civil serpent | video.

audio; un: a tentacute observation

un: Black Prince; text (pre-colosseum adventures)

voice | un: yiling laozu

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