The Shattered City: Second Interlude

[NeoTiamat]

Hazlani Consulate, Quartier Savant, Port-a-Lucine; Afternoon of March 27th, 770
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"Assisting a highly-placed and powerful member of the government of this country in investigating a crime, Mumtaz Agha," Darius replies flatly.

"We have been doing the work the Lawgiver bade us perform here," the elder twin added.

"I see. This is good. We all serve His Holy Name, each to our talents, each to our abilities. His cause is just, his work is sacred." Mumtaz Aksoy said, rising ponderously to his feet. "If this is the case, then why is he served by a pair of incompetent dunderheads such as yourselves!?"

"Half-witted curs! Incompetent oafs! Can you touch nothing without destroying it?" Aksoy screamed, producing quite a lot of volume for such a small man. He snatched up a sheaf of letters from the desk, brandishing them like a baton in front of the Twins' collective noses. "Look here!" An impossible task given how quickly he was moving them. "I have letters from 'highly-placed and powerful' members of the Government right here!"

"Look at this! It is from Lord Simon de Casteelle! 'We are most displeased', he writes, and well he should, for he blames Hazlan for the loss of Archeron's cargo." Aksoy shouted, holding one of the letters still just long enough for you to catch a glimpse of an elegant seal. "And here? What is this? It is from the Council of Brilliance! Councilor Chantreaux is not best pleased by, and I quote, the 'wanton destruction of Dementlieuse property by Hazlani nationals'. You blithering numbskulls!"

"I have letters from Lord de Casteele blaming Hazlan. I have letters from Lady Chantreaux blaming Hazlan. I will have letters from the Black Academy, blaming me as soon as they learn of their loss." The small and very excitable consul screamed. "Clods! Not enough you destroy my home, you wreck this shipment as well? Idiots! Imbeciles!"

Kocak smirked.

Guignol Museum, University of Dementlieu, Port-a-Lucine; Late Evening, March 26th, 770
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Lia shrugs. "As I said: it is mostly baseless supposition. Chastel certainly did not look as if she were born in the first year of Dementlieu."

"If so, she was remarkably well-preserved." Prof. Theroux commented, rubbing his chin, where a faint five o'clock shadow was forming. "Lady take it, I'd like to be able to take this to my colleagues in the Brotherhood, see if anyone knows anything. But..."

"They're not really acting very rationally at the moment." Andre said, sighing. "It was bad before, but now with the crackdown and escaped elemental they're downright paranoid. The Government raked them over the coals for the escape, and everyone's looking for scapegoats. If it wasn't for Sebastian the three of us would all be hanging by our feet over a vat of very short-tempered piranhas."

"I know this is a totally futile and pointless effort, but try to be careful." Prof. Theroux said, looking earnestly into Lia's eyes. "The Fraternity is on the verge of doing something stupid, and I don't want you or Tomas or Charles to get hurt. Sebastian can't keep them off us forever. Lady knows he's their biggest target now."


Fair-on-the-Red, Quartier Marchand, Port-a-Lucine; Early Evening, March 25th, 770
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"Bonjurno! Guten Abend, Salaam, Hola, Aloha, Nihao, and how are you?" Tomas winks at Mary, faux-bowing because these people really are hilarious like that. The modest bouquet is offered.

"Tomas, hello!" Mary said, before staring at the flowers in a somewhat nonplussed fashion. After a moment's rapid thought, she took them from the Lamordian, holding the bouquet gently in one soft glove. "Why... I... thank you, Tomas. No one's ever given me flowers before."

They must look like a pair of mobile statues playing at being people, the more cynical part of Tomas thinks, noting their shared...stature. The rest of him is glad to be doing something that doesn't involve herding cats or fighting cultists. "I, ah, think we see the head waiter to get our seat...I hope you weren't waiting long! -gosh, I didn't get the wrong time, did I?"

"No, I only came a few minutes ago." Mary said, then smiled charmingly. "It's all very educational, so many people."

It took a couple of minutes to find the head waiter and get seated. The two were placed in a dimly lit table near a wall, the headwaiter smiling and lighting a few candles in the middle of the table, then promising to return with a vase for the flowers. It was cool and a little dim, very private.

"How have you been, Tomas?" The tall, red-headed woman asked. She smiled, though her eyes lingered on the lit candles. "I hear you're a published columnist now."

[Kaitou Kage]

Cyrus remained unfettered by Aksoy's tirade. It was as he suspected. Aksoy was more concerned about himself than His Holy Word.

The priest smiled warmly at the Agha when he finished bellowing.

"Of course Lord de Casteele blames us," the dommer said smoothly. "He is no friend to the government here."

Cyrus tilted his head to the side, a faint serpentine smile crossing his face. "How much do you actually know about what is transpiring in this city?" he asked, "Or do you care?"

[Nathan of the FoS]

Darius half-smiles. "So send some letters of your own, Mumaz Agha. Why allow our nation to be blamed when so many others might be? We will tell you, as the representative of the Autark, may he reign a thousand years, that we were on board the Archeron just before it sank. We were authorized by the law of this place. We were not alone; there were Dementlieuse and even a professor of the University with us. We had nothing to do with scuttling of the ship, and it is hard to imagine how we are supposed to have boarded a ship in the middle of Port-a-Lucine harbor and sunk it. And the University could certainly be held responsible for a disastrous failure to secure property it had promised the Tower...."

Darius pauses, and then says, almost to himself, "The University is in a weak position at present and would prefer to keep as many allies as it can, I am sure."

The possibility that the ambassador has a more personal stake in the matter is also in Darius' mind, but it's probably best not to bring that up at present; it will only alert him to their suspicions and make it harder to root this toad out of its hole when the time comes.

[DocBeard]

Fire bad, in the words of Tomas's ancestors. "Oh, really?" Tomas blinks, as if the column bit was news to him. "Just a small thing, really, but I needed something to do while I was abroad, and turns out people like reading about far off places. Who knew?"

Modesty out of the way, Tomas taps his fingers against the table, and decides to start simply. "And yourself? The economy's been a bit rough lately, or so I hear..."

[Cronax]

The expression on the tollere's face was priceless. Three parts surprise, two parts horror, and a smidgen of eye-rolling exasperation battled for dominance of his cognitive function. Ultimately, it was the wine that did him in. Instead of an undignified and comedic spit take, he settled into a bought of coughing and struggled to regain his bearings.

13 Initiative... so its all up to you now Nerit.

Also, Insight of 28 to determine who in the bar is on our side and who is on the sisters' side, and who is a noncombatant.

[Rock of the Fraternity]

"And of course we must wonder whether their capacity for reason was affected by the night of madness," Lia adds in a soft voice. "Has anyone been acting stranger than usual, that you know?

Oh, and I do try to be careful, Andre. Honestly, I do. But events have an alarming way of overtaking me when I least expect it.

Now. Something that I would like you to look into in earnest ..." Lia spends a few highly technical minutes, explaining to Andre her perceptions of the water-into-glass trick that was played on captain Cedolin, as well as his hideous transformation inside the mirror. "I do not know what was done to the poor man," she concludes. "The gendarmes claim not to know. I trust, however, that the Fraternity may know if anyone might. And so they might perhaps also know of the cure.

I am sorry to add to your burdens, my friend. But if at all possible, I would like to know how to save the victims of this ... process."

[The Whistler]

Celeste, true to form, also failed to notice the grimness and/or gloom of the Boisson property; if pressed, she would probably have described it as “quaint”, before launching into an impassioned monologue on the aesthetics of ‘30’s-era Dementlieuse cornicework. As it was, nobody pressed. Instead, she curtsied brightly in Nikolai’s direction, favoring him with a look that said “hello, new acquaintance!”

“A pleasure, good sir! Any friend of Mlle. Rondelet is a friend of mine—and it is always a fortunate thing to make a friend! Oh, and my housemate does speak truly as regards our purpose, this day. Laying aside our mutual passion for the antique, I myself cultivate a particular enthusiasm for the work of Levi…oh, how breathtaking his craftsmanship! I come by the interest honestly, you understand. In any case, we were led to understand that the Boisson family laid claim to a similar predilection…?”

[NeoTiamat]

Hazlani Consulate, Quartier Savant, Port-a-Lucine; Afternoon of March 27th, 770
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"Any other recommendations, Oh Wise and Beneficent One?" Aksoy said with an aggrieved harrumph. Of his earlier rage, there was not a sign to be seen. He stormed back off to his desk. "Perhaps you would like to calm the ruffled egos of these heathen Dementlieuse?"

"Bah. This will blow over in time, neither the mages nor the government wishes a full-blown incident with Hazlan at this time. I shall protest, they shall press, it shall fall by the way side." Mumtaz Aksoy cast a glance at the Twins. "Though you two clodhoppers have cost Hazlan a fair amount of good will in this place, so consider how that serves the Lawgiver's will."

"In any case, it may interest you to know that the Gendarme makes no mention of your authorization. By their account, you entered the Archeron of your own initiative." Aksoy steepled his hands and looked at you with his steel-colored eyes. "Therefore, either you or the Gendarmerie are liars, and therefore forsaken in the eyes of the Lawgiver. And while I think you fools, I think you are honest fools. Consider that then."

Insight!

Fair-on-the-Red, Quartier Marchand, Port-a-Lucine; Early Evening, March 25th, 770
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"Just a small thing, really, but I needed something to do while I was abroad, and turns out people like reading about far off places. Who knew?" Modesty out of the way, Tomas taps his fingers against the table, and decides to start simply. "And yourself? The economy's been a bit rough lately, or so I hear..."

"But you do it so well! They're entertaining, and very dramatic." Mary said, her smile deepening. She took her eyes away from the candle as the headwaiter arrived with a vase for Tomas's flowers. "Myself, I'm getting along, though without any drama. It's... rather lonely, as a matter of fact, waiting for a big chance."

"Still, I can't complain about my life right now." The red-headed young woman said, tilting her head to regard Tomas. Mary tried to flutter her eyelashes at Tomas. There were women for whom this gesture would have looked alluring, enchanting even. For Mary Collins, tall, strongly-built, with vivid red hair and in an insipid pink dress, it did not work. Words failed to describe how much it did not work. "Other people are worse off than I am, these days."


Guignol Museum, University of Dementlieu, Port-a-Lucine; Late Evening, March 26th, 770
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"And of course we must wonder whether their capacity for reason was affected by the night of madness," Lia adds in a soft voice. "Has anyone been acting stranger than usual, that you know?"

"Everyones been acting stranger than usual." Prof. Theroux said, spreading his arms in a shrug. "Sometimes it's a subtle strangeness, sometimes it's a 'the misanthropic old mathematics professor suddenly throws a party for all the students, with free beer' kind of strangeness. This entire country is acting strangely."

"Now. Something that I would like you to look into in earnest ..." Lia spends a few highly technical minutes, explaining to Andre her perceptions of the water-into-glass trick that was played on captain Cedolin, as well as his hideous transformation inside the mirror. "I do not know what was done to the poor man," she concludes. "The gendarmes claim not to know. I trust, however, that the Fraternity may know if anyone might. And so they might perhaps also know of the cure.

I am sorry to add to your burdens, my friend. But if at all possible, I would like to know how to save the victims of this ... process."

"I... do not know. Though it sounds bad. I can try and ask around discreetly, or at least using whatever passes for discretion in me." Andre said with a brief, lopsided grin. He sobered quickly though, his eyes lost in thought. "Lia... I've heard of this Marquis. The Marquis de Montmort, the secret policeman. The stories... are not very nice. Don't trust him, and don't listen to him, not if you can help it. He's as dangerous as they get. Maybe not ancient-demon-pharoah dangerous, but bad."

"I know, I know, I'm telling you to be careful a lot these days." Andre sighed. "It's just I worry, what with everything that's been going on, and if anything happened to you or Tomas or Charles, I'd never forgive myself. Sebastian... okay, Sebastian can probably take care of himself, but I'd feel bad too."

Boisson House, Quartier Savant, Port-a-Lucine; Afternoon, March 27th, 770
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“A pleasure, good sir! Any friend of Mlle. Rondelet is a friend of mine—and it is always a fortunate thing to make a friend! Oh, and my housemate does speak truly as regards our purpose, this day. Laying aside our mutual passion for the antique, I myself cultivate a particular enthusiasm for the work of Levi…oh, how breathtaking his craftsmanship! I come by the interest honestly, you understand. In any case, we were led to understand that the Boisson family laid claim to a similar predilection…?”

"By His name, the two of you-- I can see why you are such good friends!" Nikolai greeted, showing the impressive talent of being able to interrupt his own mutterings. "Good day to you, and a pleasure to meet you." His store of small talk exhausted, possibly from watching Celeste for too long, the young man shrugged. "Well, you'd better come inside," he said, holding the door for the two ladies.

"It is strange you should mention the Levi mirrors. The woman who came by not a few minutes ago happened to be looking for just the same thing. Do you happen to be friends of-- ack!" Nikolai was interrupted by Cerise abruptly jumping in front of him, looking very miffed.

"Nikolai!" she protested, hands on her hips. "You said for certain we'd be the first ones here! This place isn't even supposed to be known about by anyone else!" She tapped her foot while Nikolai simply rolled his eyes. "I'll feed you to Grimmalken," she threatened, holding her cat up at Nikolai and waving his paws. Grimmalken gave a small mew.

"She just showed up, knowing about the sale. I'd just assumed Juste had sent her over," Nikolai said with a shrug, idly patting Grimmalken on the head.

Cafe David, Quartier Marchand, Port-a-Lucine; Lunchtime, March 27th, 770
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The sudden and random nature of the initial attack was startling, to say the least. The shock had barely worn off before the woman had pulled another gun out from her coat pocket, this time shooting true, catching Nicolas directly in the shoulder. The cafe patrons, finally freeing their swords and pistols from their sheaths, returned fire, tearing up one of the women's clothing with a hail of bullets. one of the braver ones bounded to Nicolas' side, striking out at the woman with the dagger in an attempt to blunt her attack. The rapier left a long, ugly cut down the woman's ribcage.

The woman screamed in both pain and fury, but it only seemed to make her angrier. She flew into Nicolas, clawing at his face with her empty hand and going into a frenzy of frantic knife slashes. The rabid force of the attack slammed Nicolas into the cafe table, leaving him reeling from the brutal knife blows that struck him over and over. The woman snarled in pure, insane rage, the look on her face inhuman. Pink froth flew from her lips, spittle mixing with blood from where she'd bit her lip.

Cafe Patrons win initiative (rolling an 18+ their modifiers). One charges the woman with the knife for 5 damage, the others open fire on the woman with the gun for 16 damage.

The woman with the knife goes berserk and hits Nicolas (22 vs AC) for 20 damage, pushing him into the table (which stops the forced movement).

The woman with the gun shoots Nick (30 vs AC) for 11 damage.



Sister Nerit Doherty (nd): 47/47
AC 18, F 14, R 17, W 21
Mr. Agale (A): 48/48
AC 18, F 16, R 19, W 21
Nicolas Etienne de Castaigne (N): 11/56
AC 21, F 18, R 20, W 21

Woman with Knife (currently at Q14): -5 HP
AC 19; Fortitude 20, Reflex 17, Will 19
Woman with Gun (currently at M15): -16 HP
AC 19; Fortitude 18, Reflex 19, Will 17

[Nerit]

Nerit, it seemed, was more keen to watch. The woman raised the gun, and the nun sat passively as an opium addict (though she would vehemently rebuke such a claim). Perhaps she didn't want to spoil Celeste's dress?
"Duck," she drawled. When the woman actually fired, that riled her up.

"Enough!" Nerit shouted and thrust her left hand at the woman currently trying to extract Nicolas' liver. The shout was louder than it should have been, and it was echoed a hundred times in different voices.

"Lady watch over you," she whispered to the poet. It was no normal whisper, it carried weight, something entirely different from the reverberated word she had uttered just before.


Standard: Thunder Wyrm's Jaws vs Stabbyface
24vsDC17 REF
Hit: 23 thunder dmg, Nerit gains 3 temporary hit points, hooray.

Minor: Healing Word - Nicolas can spend a healing surge and regain an additional 2d6 hit points.

[Nathan of the FoS]

"We will leave the calming of ruffled egos to you," Darius says, smiling a little more broadly now. "Our talents do not lie in that direction, Mumaz Agha, as you know. As for the gendarmerie, your tale is of interest. Do you believe that we and the others in the house where we reside are to be made scapegoats if or when our investigations perturb the wrong people?"

[yalenusveler]

Kerrian couldn't keep a shudder suppressed, but if it was because of the Marquis or Cedolin even he couldn't say. Anger at the thing that wore Cedolin's shape warred with concern for the man that it imitated. Finally he spoke, words finding their way to his lips.

"Have you been able to find out anything about him, or has just keeping him isolated been the priority?" His question directed at the Marquis, and if he didn't exactly make eye contact out of no small degree of nervousness it was probably the kind of reaction that Le Marquis had come to expect and quite likely enjoy.

[lostboy]

Nicholas' shock at learning that a) his half-sister was still alive, b) that she knew who and where he was and c) that she wanted him dead incpacitiated him for several moments. Several moments that allowed the two women to extract a large proportion fo his vital fluids and give his inner organs a breif airing. But then as chaos and anarchy erupt around him a small glint of perhaps slightly insane amusement appears in his eye.

"Maddy sent you? Hell I would have preferred flowers or perhaps a handwritten card" he quips, one bloody hand trying its best to hold his lacerated torso together.

"Now fun though this soiree has been I heartily suggest that unless you and your dear sister wish to join us for a convival chat over some lunch, that it is time for you to leave convenez-vous ?" The last two words are pronounced in a commanding voice, one which brooks no dissent, backed up by a deep resonance eminating from the cane he uses like a conductors baton, directing the frenzied wench away form him.

"Lady watch over you," she whispered to the poet.

"Why thankyou my dear, should I survive this I promise to dedicate a solilquoy to you and your blessed lady." He adds jovially as if he wasn't in the midst of a life-threatning confrontation.

Muttering something profane under his breath in pain he circles round the the table, directing his words at the one with the gun. "Come now ma chere, I think perhaps we got off on the wrong foot, whatever grudge my dear sister holds against me, I would be happy to discuss with her in person, let us not involve these good people unduly in a family matter."

Standard:
Compulsion on the one heretofore known as Stabbyface
23 vs Will
15 Psychic damage
Target slides 5 squares to K15 at the start of her turn, It seems I can do this every turn (save ends)
Target also cannot take move actions until it can save

Move action: Step to Q11

Minor action: Majestic word on himself for 14 + 9 hp back

Healign word (thanks Nerit!) for another 14 +10 hp back

[Rock of the Fraternity]

"I know, I know, I'm telling you to be careful a lot these days." Andre sighed. "It's just I worry, what with everything that's been going on, and if anything happened to you or Tomas or Charles, I'd never forgive myself. Sebastian... okay, Sebastian can probably take care of himself, but I'd feel bad too."

"You must have a care for yourself as well, Andre," Lia says, a note of concern creeping into her voice. "If things go wrong as you fear, you would be at the center of it all. Make sure to keep your ear to the ground and your nose in the wind; at the first sign of danger, get out. Just send us a message to do the same, but don't wait.

Still, we may yet prevail. The one good thing about this mess is that the first weapon of our opponent is depressingly obvious: division. The priesthood seems to be their current target because it has proved largely insensitive to the madness. We know Poincare was involved with some dark ritual, and I have no problem with you passing her name on to the Brotherhood. See if they know anything more about her. I can hardly believe they wouldn't have noticed such a power so closeby."

[Cronax]

"Firearms during the midday meal?" Agale did not sound amused as he craned his head back around to glare at the offending women. "you there!" He glared at the knife wielder, "Would you kindly chastise your compatriot for her indiscretion?"

Minor: Distract Against the Knife Wielder
Standard: Augment 1 Betrayal Against the Knife Wielder (26 vs will after combat advantage and cover. She makes a melee basic attack against the gun wielder with a +4 to hit and damage.)
Downgrade Move to Minor: Distract Against the Gun Wielder (The first PC next round to make an attack against her gains combat advantage)
Readying an Immediate Interrupt to Intellect fortress the first time it would help (+4 to a single defense until the end of Agale's next turn)

[The Whistler]

Celeste promptly looked as if she was trying not to be appalled.

"This woman...was it..."

"...Could it have been..."

Was that a dramatic chord? You were sure you had just heard some sort of dramatic chord.

"The Duchess Marie-Claudine von Auerbach?"

Maybe there was an organist nearby.

"...Because I have heard that she has expressed a likewise interest in the Levi mirrors. It is the only reason I ask, you understand. We are...acquainted." Celeste fidgeted a little. "Was it she?"