Alice frowns, taking notes. "I'm really sorry for your loss, Madam. You mentioned philosophers? Do you have any names, do you know what philosophy they followed? Heid Eschatol, Panoply...?"
Don't say Panoply, please, please!
"Also, we have reason to suspect that she had access to some euphoria-inducing drug or poison. We don't know which kind, but you wouldn't know how she may have had access to it? An alchemist friend, a fey pepper dealer... You won't get in trouble, we just want every lead we can get."
Barb looks absolutely horrified by the implication. "Drugs? Poison? I can assure you that a sweet girl like Nilasa would never have anything to do with that stuff! Clearly your information is in error. Now, do you have any more questions for me, or can I get back to serving the customers of this fine establishment?" To be honest, she seems rather offended.
"One moment, please... you didn't answer her other question."
"Is not our intention to suggest it was done deliberately; is just our job to try covering all possibilities. We ask because before she died, she took box of chocolates from here to consulate, apparently visiting her significant other, and we learned the the confections were tampered with somehow."
"Of course, it is possible they were tampered with in an attempt to get to her." Miselle doubted it - not given the over stuff Nilasa had on her - but it was clear that the women considered the girl a friend and would not hear anything negative about her. It was possible she would keep information back to defend her friends memory if pushed too hard.
"Hmm....The doctor still staying here?" Corynne asks running her fingers through her hair as she processes the information."Do you happen to know his name?"
Alice half-frowns at the woman's reaction. But the face of her own aging mother flashes in her mind, and she speaks calmly. "I don't want to insult her memory, Madam. We are only seeking to find the truth, to bring her killer to justice. And to do so, we will need every last tiny bit of information that we can manage. Anything about her that made you worry, anything that she was worried about, please."
"Wolfgang something or other. He's foreign, so kind of hard to understand. He booked a room upstairs for a few weeks but mostly kept to himself. Then, earlier this morning, he came bursting in here all covered with blood from a surgery. He's a doctor type; I think I forgot to mention that. Anyway, he rushed into his room to wash up before leaving out the back door. Weird, but I guess he'd needed a specialty tool or something."
Barb harrumphs. "Our chocolates are made from only the finest ingredients, thank you very much. If we poisoned them, we wouldn't stay in business for long, now, would we? And nobody here killed her, I can tell you that. Everyone loved her." It's pretty clear that she's done with this interview. Even though it was unintentional, your line of questioning has offended her.
Alice reaches for her patience reservoir, only to find it empty. "Guilty conscience? My friend told you that we suspected they had been tampered with, pretty obvious you wouldn't poison them openly, eh? Now, do you want to tell me the names of those philosophers she was hanging out with, so that we can do our job and catch a murderer, or should I sequester every last bit of confectionery in this inn to make sure? Or perhaps start an investigation about subversive songs back in the hall? That can't be good for business, eh?"
"That is pretty weird." Corynne says taking mental note. "He might bear interviewing at some point, same with that officer, though of course they won't know where I got their names form." she says with a smile.
"Oh, have you ever come across a Heward Sechim? Name keeps coming up as someone with quite a bit of clout."
"The acid guy? He's supposed to be really good for a factory owner. Treats his workers almost like real humans - or so I've been told."
"Bunch of Pardwright students calling themselves the 'Professors.' They're here most evenings to smoke fey peppers and have intellectual discussions," Barb says sullenly.
"Alright then, thank you." Ellena turns to address the others, once Barb's out of hearing. "Do any of you know anything about philosophy? It's not really part of the Battalion's curriculum."
"Yes, I've heard the same. Just wondering if there were any rumors that said different." Corynne responds. "So when is the doctor usually here?"
"Thank you." hisses Alice, before marching towards the exit. In the main hall, she makes a quick deviation to whisper to the halfling a growling "Play something different."
Outside, she lights a cigarette before answering Ellena. "My brother's from Pardwight, and I've got... I know someone who's into philosophy."
She visibly grimaces at the thought, not quite cherishing the idea of seeing Colin again. "I'll check up on him this evening.", she sighs after painful deliberation.
Good thing they're too young to remember the gossip from six years ago.
"He works doctor hours, so he's in and out all the time at odd hours."
The halfling glares at you but quickly changes to a less politically-charged song - much to the grumbling of the table that spoke up during that minor earth tremor. As you step outside, one of them approaches you. "Excuse me, constables, I couldn't help but notice you exert your authority over poor Jered a moment ago. It is obvious that your authority is mighty, and we should quail at the thought of disobeying it, but I'd like to remind you that we live in modern times - an age of reason. While a few of the ladies and gentlemen in this fine establishment would prefer it to be an age of revolution, I know that the two are linked in that they both require us to turn our thoughts. Always approach a problem in the same way, and you miss other possible paths to satisfaction. As such, I pose to you an assignment: can you give me reason why your authority is legitimate? We can leave for another day the discussion of whether it serves our interests to let watchmen hold us to account for actions when we are arguably creatures of free will. Instead, just tell me why you think you have the right to enforce the law?"
Still rather irritated by Barb, Alice considers growling at the new arrival, but his words intrigue her, bringing her back to heated debates in a Central salon. She ponders the question for a heartbeat before replying with a pass of smoke.
"Two questions in one, aren't these? To prove that we have the right to enforce the law, you ask first whether the law should be enforced, and therefore why should there be constables, then why it should be us to act in that regard."
"For the first point, one must ask why laws were first made when society is born. There are some who believe that they arose from some sort of internal ethics spirit, able to know good from bad. Nonsense, I say. I saw neither good nor bad in the war, just Risur and Danor. Then why are laws, governments created, rather than everyone living in perfect anarchy? I say the answer is cooperation. No one alone can create something much greater then oneself, so we are forced to work together. I can't sew, so I task a seamstress with making me shirts. I can't grow wheat, so I buy bread that a baker made. But where there's cooperation, so there can be betrayal, as I could take the baker's bread by force of arms and a conman could try and swindle me poor. What then? Everyone would fear each other, we could no longer work together, and back to being small and insignificant."
She puffs out smoke once again. "To prevent betrayal comes a government of sorts. A council of elders may be enough for a tribe, but as more and more people come together, a coherent system of rules must be set up. Through compromise and negotiation, the Law is born, of the people and for the people. And as is the mark of a good compromise, nobody is entirely satisfied, so politics arise to change. But the spirit remains, that the Law is made so that, if everyone followed it, we would be able to cooperate without fear."
"And yet, there are those who would still betray, and lie, and steal, and kill. The sole presence of the Law is not enough to stop all who would misbehave, so police is made: the State is born from the Law to be authority, enforcing it, and delegates such authority back to the people, so that the constables, the judges and the jailors are created, and vested with a measure of the same power that the people gave to the State, to protect them from who would betray the collective trust that is the Law."
"The second question is easier. We have proven ourselves to be skilled, as well as unquestionably loyal to Risur."
Alice's smile is cocky, almost a smirk. Five years of debate, discourse and shouting matches finally proved useful.
"As for your friend Jered, what purpose did his song serve, other than seeding strife and conflict in what are already troubled times? Mockery is hardly the best way to make your voice be heard; I daresay the worker strikes are far more effective and noble in both purpose and method. Are offensive tunes the best way to be noticed you can think of?"
"But if I answered your questions, I have a few for you, now that I think about it. Are you one of those Pardwight students, uhm, the Professors, who entertained discussions with Ms. Nilasa Hume?"
Your interlocutor gets a gleam in his eye. "But if you're part of a governmental structure endorsed by the people as a whole, what happens if a group claims it is separate from them. Do you still have authority over them? And, if your role is to protect us from harm, what makes you better arbiters of what is harmful?"
He pinches a little fey pepper into his pipe. "You call Jered's song offensive, but what gives you the right to judge it so? The barmaid's outfit offends my fashion sense. Does this mean I can force her to change clothes?"
Over his shoulder, you see a few of his tablemates listening with interest and amusement.
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Bright-eyed, Ellena stood off to the side and listened while Alice talked. Of all the things she'd expected from her, this hadn't ever been one of them. If they claim to be separate, and act accordingly, then we have no authority - the Border States would be a good example. But then you'd be all on your own, prey for anyone who wanted what you have. When we have have a problem is when you disregard authority but still want their- our help; when you're too afraid to set out on your own. And you're welcome to try to convince her to change, but you have no authority. No-one's delegated any to you. You haven't earned it.
She did speak up, softly, but only said. "You didn't answer her question."
The man grins playfully. "And you haven't yet proven that I am obligated to give her any answers." Behind him, his friends laugh and exchange high-fives.
Alice raises an eyebrow and smiles wickedly. "Funny you should ask. We met with one person who thought she was above the law, and raised her flag in open rebellion to Risur. You may have heard of her, Ethelyn, formerly Duchess of Shale. One person claims to be immune from the Law, they'll be criminals. A hundred people, it's sedition. Ten thousands, a revolt. But the main point is that if you relinquish your duties, you accordingly relinquish your rights. It is not that our authority should be over the people acting together and bound by law, but the contrary, we have authority over the miscreant and troublemakers. As you step out of peaceful cooperation, then we can enforce the Law itself, as the criminal forfeited their right to protection the moment they acted against the community. It is the Law itself that makes one arbiter of harm, or lack thereof. Should you not agree, rather than turning criminal or rebel, I suggest you move to Ber, or Crisillyir, orwherever strikes your fancy."
With a final drag, she finishes the cigarette, throwing the stump in the trash.
"As for the outfit, I can't believe you would really ask me to explain the difference between you and Risur, but since you insist, you see, Risur has hills and mountains and dales, while your thoughts are flat as the ruins of Elfaivar."
"There is no rule of cooperation stating that people must obey your fashion sense. But should you rise up to the Parliament, write a law stating that no barmaid should ever wear blue, and have it passed, then by all means it would be enforced. Missing such a law, we make due with laws we have written cooperatively, such as, let me see, sedition, libel and leasemaking, as well as, for you lot, drug possession, specifically fey pepper, and a possible obstruction to justice, should this drag on some more. Now, will you answer me?"
"He won't, I think." Miselle looked at the man. "He taunts and teases, wanting to see us explode. If we play his game this way, arrest him, he proves we are tyrants who force our points on them. Arresting him would be like giving him a badge of honour, something to display to others to show how...genuine he is." And like as not a rich family or patron to pay any fines. "But if we walk away, we are weak, the crown unworth of respect - and worse, a girl lays dead with no answers. So, Thinking Men of the Thinking Man, I think you have no desire to see a woman dead with no answers. What would you have us do to learn what you know? Or is that, too, part of the game?"
The man gives Miselle a semi-respectful smile. "At last we're getting somewhere! You see, before a game can be played or a ritual conducted, all participants must be knowledgeable of the proper rules and proceedings. In this case, your actions have revealed that you're performing the 'we have badges, so all must bow to our authority' ritual. Therefore, I have been determining the limits of said authority. After all, while you may enforce the law in Risur, you may not necessarily do so in other sovereign nations such as Ber, Crisillyir, or (he gestures to himself and his companions) the Professors' Table."
"Now, as you well know, for two nations to conduct official business, certain things must be established beforehand. The details aren't necessarily important for the purpose of this particular negotiation - as long as there's a basis of mutual respect. One nation may be vastly more powerful than the other, but if it simply invades the other country's borders and begins making demands ... I trust you can work out the rest."
Ellena's eyes narrow in a not-good way, though her hand stays off of Fabian - boorish philosophers weren't exactly rare out here. Still, and she felt a little disgusted with herself for thinking this, Grandfather had taken ears for less.
"There is no game. They're, well, they're avoiding saying anything about what they think. It's... fear. That's why they're so far away from Pardwright - they don't measure up to the competition. Out here, they can impress some wen- serving girls without risking having to debate their classmates. Nilasa was probably trying to recruit them, before... well..." Her expression softened.
"Yes, a woman is dead. Unfortunately, for all of us, you've all been implicated. If it would be easier, we could track you down on university grounds, though we'd likely need to tell the dean why we're there and it would become a... thing. Or you could answer our question here."
Az simply remains silent for the moment; he hasn't a head for philosophy and that of the dwarves back home nearly drove him batty. He wasn't about to get bogged down in it here.
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People like them are the reason drafted philosophy students were sent to the frontlines as cannon fodder.
Alice smiles as Miselle and Ellena join the fray, speaking in a stage whisper strong enough to be overheard by everyone. "It's a game to them, however. Noticed how they didn't even try to rebuke my points? They just want to say they held their ground against the RHC. It's the old adage of playing chess with a pigeon."
"Not to mention that inflating their fragile ego by playing verbal matches is more important to them than finding Nilasa's killer. Pathetic."
Turning to address the men, she bends her left arm behind her back, as if shifting into a fencing stance. "For the sake of brevity, and not boring my colleagues to death, I'll just pass over how you candidly ignored everything I said, but diplomatic relations don't work that way. Oh, if your table was a previously established country, we may have to go through the diplomatic hoops, but there is no charter, no embassy, no set of accords on relations between Risur and-" her eyebrows rise in mocking pity "your table. And before you say "Oh yeah this is Pat, he's our ambassador", accords have to be bilateral, so no free lunch for you."
"On the other hand, claiming independence out of the blue is, well, an act of war on your part. Penalty is exile, if I'm not mistaken. All of this boiling down to three points: if being an a*#@£$& was a crime, you'd be sent to the gallows, you are risking more than you think, and you are hampering us as we try to find answers for the murder of your own friend."
"Thanks, that's a lot that's pretty useful?" Corynne says taking note of what needed to be investigated next. " Anything interesting with you aside from business doing well?" she asks in a more relaxed tone.
Miselle looked at her colleagues as they provided the stick. She instead dangled a carrot. "Diplomacy between two nations is one part threats, one part thanks and one part promises, no? My colleagues provide the threats and the promises, so allow me to provide the other."
Taking a small breath, she said, "Please help us find who killed your friend. We would be grateful for your help."
Inside the doctor's room, you sense necromantic energy.
One of the other students pushes to the front. "Shut up, Groe, you've had your fun. Did I hear you correctly in saying that Nilasa was murdered? How can we help?"
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"She was killed," Miselle confirmed. It hadn't exactly been private, after all. Whether it was murder or something stranger...well, that they would find out. "We need to know why someone might have wished her dead, and why she was in the Danoran embassy. Tell us what you can about her, who would care for her, who might wish her harm. Information, gentleman, is what we need. With it we weave a net fine enough to sieve for the Truth."
"Nilasa's been hanging out with us for the last few weeks in the evenings. She's got a good head on her shoulders, and she liked archaeology and philosophy, so she fit right in with our little group. In fact, I recently returned from a dig in Crisillyir, myself, studying ancient fossils near Alais Primos. I plan to write a book about it one of these days, so keep a look out for it. Honestly, though, I have no idea why anyone would want her dead." One of his mates taps him on the shoulder and whispers something. "Oh, that's right. Maybe it was that Cippiano guy. Nilasa was trying to get something from him and wanted me to write a note in Crisillyiri script to impress him. She wouldn't tell me anything about it, but it seemed kind of shady."
Miselle wasn't good at local politics and such, and glanced at the others to see if any of the others recognized that name. As she did, she asked, "And what were her views on Gale?"
Alice smiles as the tide sways in their favor. The pen may not be mightier than the sword, but it's almost as fun.
Taking quick notes, she stops for a second to ask "Is this Cippiano another archaeologist? Where can we find him?"
Note: possible theft of artifacts? Check her house for clues.
The doctor's door is unlocked, so you're able to take a peek inside. The room's been ransacked, as if somebody had been searching for something. Overlooked under a pile of clothing, you find the source of the magic aura: a rag bearing small quantities of oil for maintaining a sword - and a large amount of black fluid radiating shadow energy.
"I've never heard of the man, I'm sorry to say. In regards to Gale, though, I know that Nilasa had occasional business in Cloudwood. She never shared any details, but she did come back from there with a golden bird necklace a few weeks ago. She said it was 'a gift from a friend.'"
Alice scribbles frantically in her notebook.
Note: Did she steal other things from consulate?
Note: Cloudwood - Sechim(skyseer) and Gale.
Note: Nilasa worked in factory, but friend with traditionalist Gale. ??? Gale hates Danor. Motive?
Note: Danor faked magic to implicate Gale?
Note: Was Gale in the consulate? Not seen by anyone.
Note: Crisillyir/Danor/Risur relations. Cippiano?
Miselle nodded. "Do you know of anyone in the Cloudwood who might be able to tell us more?"
"The owner of the Alkahestry we went to mentioned this bird necklace as well. Said she started wearing it around two months ago. Actually, he also mentioned man related to him and a prophesy he made about Nilasa's death that came true...are any of you knowing the name 'Nevard Sechim'?"
Do we really want to be telling them all of this?
Ellena's own question was a bit quieter than the others. "Did she ever mention a man named Braden?"
Taking an evidence bag from her pouch, a habit from years on policework, she places the rag inside before leaving.
"Nevard's that old weird guy who talks to the stars, right? I think he lives in the Cloudwood, but he might have died? I don't know. If I want to know about things, I turn to history to see how the ancients dealt with things. That's how you find real answers - not from sky mumbo-jumbo. I do know of a Braden, though. He was Nilasa's boyfriend."
Corynne heads to meet up with the others, dropping the cloth off as evidence before meeting them all.
Questions come and go, until eventually the topics are exhausted and Alice has filled a notebook page.
"Well then, thanks for your cooperation. Have a good night." she says before exiting the establishment and lighting another cigarette in the salty outside air. "Getting late. I told Corynne we'd be here, so we can debrief... Ah, there she is."
She waves at the incoming colleague, moving away from indiscrete ears and towards her to share the details.
"So, apparently Nilasa was meddling in philosophy -dangerous business- and had contacts with some guy named Cippiano, possibly linked to Crisillyir. And we suspect that her necklace, the one stolen by the old man as she lay bleeding, was given to her by either Sechim -the skyseer, not the businessman- or Gale herself. How about you, any luck?"
"Well, I think I found our Shadow man." Corynne replies ralating the strange comings and goings of the mysterious doctor, culminating in her brief foray into the man's room. "There's also an Officer Roger Porter, who seems to be investigating him. Might bear talking to."
"If Shadow man is found, he is dangerous sort to leave alone for long! We could maybe found out straight from him why someone was targeting Nilasa."
"Blade oil, and someone was stabbed on the consulate, although the witnesses said the Shadow Man was holding a gun. Which raises the question, if there were two attacks, where is the other victim? Still, it could very well be the one who stole Nilasa's pendant as well. Lead the way, please. I believe we should visit this doctor as soon as possible."
"Whatever he took does seem important to finding out why this happened, if perhaps not what exactly happened." Miselle considered that a very important first step, however.
Returning to the doctor's hostel , you find his room empty. According to the staff, he hasn't been back since Corynne was last here. His room, likewise, remains as it was before. Officer Porter hasn't followed up, but that's likely because the local police aren't always the speediest when it comes to investigations.