Mal moves next to Darkmane, whispering quietly into her ear.
Priyya nods her understanding. "Tie him up."
She stands up and turns her attention to the nobles and others in the balcony, letting her Aasimar glow blossom, "Ladies and gentlemen, Captain Stallings down by the stage is conducting a full investigation and will likely need to speak with you before you leave. If you would all please move down there now, that would be very helpful. Thank you."
She calls down to the Bishop. "Your Eminence, we have a poisoned man up here. Can you assist with magic? I've done all I can."
Mal watches the assembled people for any reaction at the mention of poison, hoping someone will inadvertently reveal if they know something.
Mal tears off the bottom strip of his long jacket, using the strip of sturdy black cloth as a rope to bind the man's hands.
"Please," Tredônia says, "bring the man forth that the Shield-Bearer may purify him with hin spite of night's shadow."
At Priyya's words, the seemingly ageless elven woman turns as the captured assailant is brought before her. She bows her head, says a few words in prayer, and touches her sceptre to the man's chest. Instantly, the color returns to his face and his pulse stabilizes.
Lady Kale, her guard, the lighting technician, and the old man and the young woman from the mezzanine all follow when Mal and Priyya brought the man downstairs. Lureene brings up the rear noting the efficiency with which the clerics and acolytes attend to both the remains of the two dead men, the three women who fainted, and the injured musicians backstage. She gets a slight grin when one of them fusses over the bruise on Alis' forehead.
The motion of being man-handled, and the restoration of his vigor wakes the bound man. He opens his eyes and a look of alarm quickly registers on his face when he realizes he is a prisoner.
"Wha– what's going on?"
Trusting in Lureene's interpretation of events, Priyya smiles kindly. "That's a good question. What do you remember happening?" She watches him and the assembled people for any signs of lying or discomfort.
Before the man can say anything, Mal interrupts, "How about we move this conversation somewhere more private?"
Lureene decides to fade in the background for now, and let Mal and Priyya handle the interrogation of the assassin. She remembers something though, and she pulls Princess Alis aside and quietly says to her, "Sorry for scaring you like that, I did not mean to, not to mention knocking you out. I wanted to thank you for helping me out there, I really misjudged my leap there" She smiles weakly at Alis, the days events starting to hit her hard. "I am sure you figured it out by now but that man tried to kill you by dropping the chandalier on you. I know Captain Stallings will do a fine job, but I wanted to show you this, before he talks to you."
She pulls out the forged letter supposedly composed by the Princess from her gown, where it was nestled between her ample bosom, and silently hands it over to Alis. "What do you make of this, 'Lis?"
"How about we move this conversation somewhere more private?"
Valeria speaks up, "My office is just backstage here. I'll unlock it for you..."
The theater's owner shows you inside a triangular-shaped room adjoining the stage. "It's a bit of a mess right now, but it's about as private as you can get in a theater."
The Captain Stallings nods to the woman and motions for Mal to escort his prisoner inside along with anyone else who is participating in the interrogations.
Bishop Tredônia enters as well and says, "Fear of the divine is the beginning of wisdom. May wisdom allow truth to reign!"
"Sorry for scaring you like that, I did not mean to, not to mention knocking you out. I wanted to thank you for helping me out there, I really misjudged my leap there."
Alis smiles and laughs, "Ha! It wasn't even a month ago that 'Sis had to cast feather fall on me." She winks and stands with arms akimbo, "I'd like to think I at least make for a better cushion than the heap of bones I landed in. To be honest, when you jumped I had a flashback to the Black Boar when you and Suny came looking for Rath after that ill-fated shopping trip of ours. Do that again and I'm just going to think you like this dress!"
"I am sure you figured it out by now but that man tried to kill you by dropping the chandalier on you. I know Captain Stallings will do a fine job, but I wanted to show you this, before he talks to you."
"Yeah, I didn't actually figure out that's what was going on until after I woke up. I just heard everything get really quiet, heard Mal yell my name, and looked up to see you gliding towards the floor. Last thing I remember was thinking, 'Aw hell!' when I saw the curtains pull free."
"What do you make of this, 'Lis?"
"Hmm, what's this then?" Alis starts reading the note and does a double-take. "What in the world? Is this some kind of joke? It's like someone tried to imitate the letter I sent to Verona but rephrased it to be inflammatory, and then forged the seal from my signet ring. It's like– it's like what you'd see if you looked at it in a mirror!"
At a loss for words, Alis holds up her hands and asks, "Lureene, where did you get this?"
Alis smiles and laughs, "Ha! It wasn't even a month ago that 'Sis had to cast feather fall on me." She winks and stands with arms akimbo, "I'd like to think I at least make for a better cushion than the heap of bones I landed in. To be honest, when you jumped I had a flashback to the Black Boar when you and Suny came looking for Rath after that ill-fated shopping trip of ours. Do that again and I'm just going to think you like this dress!"
"I love that dress! If you ever tire of wearing it, just let me know!"
At a loss for words, Alis holds up her hands and asks, "Lureene, where did you get this?"
Lureene pauses for a moment, then waves to Felmor, who had been assisting the others securing the prisoner. He slips away from the others, and when he sees Alis holding the letter, he responds quietly, "That letter was delivered ta Lureene, Mal, 'n meself after ye had left ta git ready fer yer performance." He pauses and makes sure no one else is observing the quiet exchange, then whispers to Alis in a barely audible voice,
"Now then," the Captain begins, "As the priestess asked, start with what you remember happening."
"Well... I don't remember much of anything, Sir. I remember working last night and going out for a drink afterwards. I'm not sure how I got home, but I worked a regular day today landscaping at Lady Kale's estate. I finished in the afternoon and took a nap before coming to to work my job here on the spotlight crew."
"Before the play started, Miss Valeria told us that the intermission schedule had changed. The princess would be performing along with the full orchestra instead of just some solos like last night. The four of us would follow her down the aisle as she walked and then keep our lights on her on stage. After that it was back to the scheduled performance."
"For the life of me though, I can't remember what happened once we dimmed the lights at the end of the intermission. One moment I'm swiveling my beam back to the doors, the next minute I'm on the ground up behind the balcony seats feeling queasy and the big guy there is hoisting me up."
Know: Arcana:
Stallings gives looks expectantly to Tredônia who exchanges a brief glance with Priyya and nods in silent agreement. The two cast Detect Magic and observe the man.
"Captain, it would appear, that this man's memory has been modified by magic. The type of poison that was found in the vial he ingested is not of a sort that causes memory loss. This would mean that his memory was altered after he lost consciousness."
"El, come with me, please. Fel, you too."
Alis has Valeria show her the way to her office and knocks on the door. When Captain Stallings answers it, Alis says, "Captain, if we may speak without this man present..."
Captain Stallings nods and signals to two of his men to hold the prisoner outside the room while the rest of you (Alis, Felmor, Lureene, Mal, Priyya, Stallings, Tredônia) converse behind closed doors.
"Captain, this letter was given to Sir Traker, during the intermission by Lady Kale. While I did write her a letter this afternoon, a reply to one sent to me, this is not the letter I penned. Furthermore, compare the seal used here with my signet. It has been mirrored. There are also some differences in how I form my letters when I write."
Stallings frowns and examines both the seal and Alis' ring with a monocle he keeps in his chest pocket. "Your highness, do you have a copy of the letter you received from Lady Verona?"
Alis nods and turns away for a moment while she retrieves the letter from where she had rolled it up and concealed it in her cleavage:
To her most radiant highness,
The Princess Kirmoon of Silverwake:
Warmest greetings your highness. Please forgive this lady's presumptuousness in contacting one of your station. This past evening, I received news from Lady d'Calla of the demise of my father, Lord Kale, in the wilderness. I had feared that his age might lead him to reckless behavior, but I am saddened that others sought to take advantage of his senility in such a fashion.
Your highness, it was made known to me that it was by your intervention and the valiant efforts of your company that my father's death was avenged. That House Kale now has a chance for justice is something that would not have been possible without this intervention.
It is to my chagrin that this unexpected sadness has unfortunately kept the leadership of Valehaven in council and from properly welcoming a lady of your quality. If it would please your highness, it would be the great honor of House Kale if we might express our gratitude. Might you be willing to grace my humble estate with your presence for dinner this evening before the play at Valerian's?
Humbly and gratefully yours,
—Lady Verona Kale
P.S. Please forgive me for not welcoming you last night at the play. My father had sought to arrange my marriage to the young Lord Jarmaand. I know that Father meant well, but the young lord cares only for thoughts of adventuring and fairy tales. No doubt a lady of your highness' beauty and station can appreciate what a poor humor one is left in when entertaining an undesired suitor.
"I can recall what I actually wrote back too if you think that's important. One moment..."
The princess seats herself at Valeria's desk, finds a quill, looks about for a sheet of parchment and settles for using the back of a script that Valeria was reviewing...
Dearest Verona,
Your intended gratitude is thoughtful. Alas, your missive reaches me even as I am en route to a prior engagement.
Please accept my regrets over the loss of one of Valehaven's leaders, your Father. While it is a harsh fate, all the Dale is fortunate that the Ghostlord's ire seems to have been sated for now. Take comfort that at least your Father's death meant that many thousands of others did not need to suffer an untimely death.
Should your bereavement permit you to attend The Black Halo tonight, I shall speak to Valeria so that you may regale the assembled people of quality on your Father's noble sacrifice.
Be well,
—Alissariel Kirmoon,
Princess of Silverwake
Ambassador of Ilmarond
"Compare that with this forgery..."
Dearest Verona,
Your gratitude is transparent. Also, your missive reaches me even as I am en route to a prior engagement.
Please note my indifference over the loss of one of Valehaven's so-called leaders, your Father. It is a deserved fate, and all the Dale is fortunate that the Ghostlord's ire was so easily sated. Take satisfaction that at least your Father's death means that many thousands of others shall now look to your leadership as the result of his untimely death.
Should your bereavement permit you to attend The Black Halo tonight, I shall speak to Valeria so that you may regale the assembled people of quality on your Father's foolish actions.
Farewell,
—Alissariel Kirmoon,
Princess of Silverwake
Ambassador of Ilmarond
"The whole thing has been rewritten to be inflammatory. It's entirely to the contrary of my intent to avoid interfering with the politics of your city!"
The captain takes a pen and marks the differences he observes:
Dearest Verona,
Your gratitude is . , your missive reaches me even as I am en route to a prior engagement.
Please my over the loss of one of Valehaven's leaders, your Father. It is a fate, and all the Dale is fortunate that the Ghostlord's ire sated . Take that at least your Father's death that many thousands of others untimely death.
Should your bereavement permit you to attend The Black Halo tonight, I shall speak to Valeria so that you may regale the assembled people of quality on your Father's .
Farewell,
—Alissariel Kirmoon,
Princess of Silverwake
Ambassador of Ilmarond
Lureene sits back and lets her mind wander, looking for inspiration. Something she remembered happening when she had cast her charm spell. He had a conflicting set of compulsions.
She approaches Bishop Tredonia along with Captain Stallings, and speaks quietly, ”Excuse me, I also think we are missing a crucial piece of information as well. When I attempted to charm him, I discovered he was under the effects of a Domination spell.”
She sits back to let that piece of info sink in, and thinks of who would be able to cast such a powerful spell.
Priyya's brow crinkles at the differences in the notes. "Assuming our forger and those responsible for dropping the chandelier are one and the same... I'm forced to wonder who was the target of this attack? If the goal was to harm Alis then Lady Kale has been set up to draw suspicion. Perhaps they envisioned that the investigation would view the events as: Alis sends a false 'withering letter' about Lady Kale's father. Lady Kale is upset by the forgery believing it to be true. Lady Kale tries to drop a chandelier on our heroine." She smiles at Alis, "That would be you, in our story."
"If, however, Lady Kale is the target then it would seem the forger has some very strong opinions about the Lady and her father... so possibly an aggrieved local. In which case, the attack on Alis was meant to ruin Kale. Of course, potentially killing a Princess to hopefully bring grief to a local nobleborn is utterly insane. And being able to manipulate the memories of the assassin and force him to attempt to poison himself is - I think - a tad unbelievable for a local with a grudge against the Kales."
"Another obvious possibility is that the forgery and the attack are unrelated. I'm not a strong believer in coincidences, but it is possible."
Mal nods at Priyya's thoughts, "Unless I vastly misjudge this town and its occupants, I have a hard time thinking the Lady Kale would move so openly against Alis. But this is not exactly my area of expertise."
Tredônia muses, "I wonder if a grudge would actually be the motivation here. Greed, lust, and envy frequently lead to unconscionable acts as well..."
"Hmm..." Alis taps her lips with her forefinger, "You don't think it could have been an attempt to disrupt my mission do you? I would be surprised if word could have traveled so quickly, although, a fairly powerful mage must have been employed so..."
Lureene nods at Mal's words, "Well, if they wanted to disrupt your mission, killing you is certainly one way to do so. I get the sense this was planned well in advance, and executed to shift blame to Lady Kale. I confess, I do not see your death, 'Lis, as something that would advance Lady Kale's business interests." She pauses, to collect her thoughts, before continuing, "If there is a powerful mage working for these conspirators, then they could strike at you again from any place."
"Well there's a cheerful thought." Alis grumbles. "What if it wasn't to advance Kale's business interests but rather to destroy them? Didn't you say that when you were doing some investigating that you heard her father had some shady business connections?"
Stallings rubs the white stubble on his chin and says, "So we've got a possible outcome, an unclear or at least improbable motive, the use of some fairly high-level magic... Those dead musicians look like they got in a fight so I'm guessing they got animated. Exactly what sort of range and duration are we talking about for such effects?"
Noting the expectant looks and silence at the Captain's inquiry, Tredônia replies somewhat icily, "Perhaps Immerstal would be better to able answer such a question, Captain."
Captain Stallings gives a gruff, "Oh, of course, your Eminence..."
With that he sends a guard to inform Immerstal that his presence is requested.
A moment later, an aging gentleman dressed in red robes wearing a floppy beret of the same color over his grey hair enters, staff in hand. Stalling repeats the magical effects evidenced and Immerstal thinks for a moment before replying, "Create undead would take too long to cast and would create much more powerful undead. Unless our good maestro and his orchestra had imbibed a great deal prior to this evening's performance, I rather doubt that we had zombie musicians playing for us."
The man chuckles a bit as if considering what zombie musicians might sound like. "Oh but to the point, animate dead is clearly the spell that was used. It can be cast as quickly as any other, although it is a fairly short-range spell and does require one to have line-of-sight. The caster would have to have been somewhere within this theater. No further away than about 50-feet I would imagine. Oh and I almost forgot! It requires a black onyx to cast! The more undead and the stronger they are, the larger and more expensive the gem. I would estimate it cost at least 100 gold, it could have been more if the assassin expected to kill more people by their gambit, he he..."
Noticing that Tredônia is glaring at him, Immerstal says, "Oh not that I condone the reanimation of the dead, well, except maybe if the reanimation results in them still being a living person, of course. Merely academic knowledge on my part, nothing practical. Er well academic where undead are concerned, not..."
Seeing that the bishop is pointedly ignoring him at this point, he says, "What I find interesting is that your man's memory was modified after all the real excitement had already happened..."
As for memory modification, that has the same range as the other spells. However, while it can be cast quickly, it can require up to five minutes to set the new memories in a subject's mind. Given everything that occurred, you would estimate at least 1 minute of the lighting technician's memories were replaced meaning an equal amount of time would be required of the caster.
Priyya whispers to Mal.
Priyya excuses herself deferentially and leaves the office and backstage area and goes onto the front of the stage to view all of the 'witnesses' that are hopefully still being held in the theatre. She leans on her bow as if tired. She does a sweep for evil on the audience members and witnesses first, then on everyone else - musicians, stagehands, etc. She even sweeps the area in general in case there is an unseen evil. Everyone - backstage and front - gets swept under the gaze of the indefatigable Warrior-Priestess. On a hunch, she first casts her eye on the blonde girl and the older man. She is hoping to get lucky, not really expecting to find anything.
"You don't think it could have been an attempt to disrupt my mission do you? I would be surprised if word could have traveled so quickly, although, a fairly powerful mage must have been employed so..."
"Given the different skills we are seeing - mind manipulation and necromancy - we may be dealing with a pair of spellcasters."
Priyya sighs inwardly, that would have been far too easy. She returns to the office and gives Mal a small shake of her head to indicate her lack of success.
Lureene sighs, a feeling of helplessness welling in her. She really was not used to these kind of situations. In that respect, she feels much like the Surya-ka-Vahaak, who was a woman of action, not contemplation. reviewing everything in her mind, she waits to be acknowledged by the captain, then speaks, My magical studies lead me to believe the spellcaster was definitely in the theatre, and in my personal opinion, would have done so invisibily. The spell will maintain the invisibility while casting the animate dead spell, and very likely the memory modification spell."
She lets that sink in, and then continues, In order to maintain line of sight the easiest, I believe a seat in one of the balcony stages would be the best place to do so. I noticed when I flew up to the balcony, there was an elderly gentleman, and a young child with him. One thing that struck me is they did not flee with the others. I don't know if someone else was preventing them from fleeing, or perhaps they did not want to flee. I wish I had paid closer attention to the couple, but I believe that balcony would be an ideal place to cast both spells."
She turns to Captain Stallings, "I would advise we interrogate those two next, if you have not already done so. Also, I would like to ask Lady Valeria if she knows who they are."
Stallings says, "Alright, these are some useful parameters to consider. Since we know who Valeria is, and we have to interrogate everyone anyhow, let's give the gent with the young lady a talking to next. Your Eminence, Immerstal, I don't suppose either of you would have the means to sweep the theater for invisible intruders, would you?"
Immerstal responds, "There's an ointment I keep in my cupboard back at the tower that allows me to pierce any and all illusions. I could use a sending spell to ask my lady to deliver it straight away... provided I can be reimbursed, it's quite expensive to manufacture you see. See? Ha! Oh that was rich! Rich, get it! No?"
The wizard looks at Lureene absent-mindedly for a moment and says, "My dear, if you could fetch my special ointment, there's a couple things I'd like to have a better look at. Check the bedroom cupboard. Oh, and I'm in the manager's office at the back at the theater with a number of very lovely ladies, so don't tarry!"
Noting the number of glares and gaping mouths he sees, the wizard's eyes go wide. "Oh uh, I just need to step out and um... get away for a moment. Yes, that's it. Excuse me!"
With that, the grey-beard exits the room to away whomever it is that he was just [apparently] having a telepathic conversation with.
Tredônia merely closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. "Captain, I shall cast invisibility purge and make my way about the theater as if looking after the wounded."
With that, the bishop casts her spell. "Priyya, our lady has seen fit to bless the Surya-ka-Vahaak with wondrous powers of perception. Would you walk with me for a moment? This shouldn't take long."
As Priyya and the bishop prepare to canvas the theater, Captain Stallings calls out, "If you could ask the old man and the girl to come here, please..."
Tredônia nods in agreement and delivers the request personally when she and Priyya pass by.
Perception Checks
It takes approximately three minutes, but the two servants of Alíta are unable to discern any invisible creatures or objects within the theater. They return to the questioning room to find that the Captain has largely made small-talk with the old man and girl, attempting to make them comfortable until you got back.
While outside, Priyya approached Valeria who said, "The old man? I believe he owns a logging concern over to the east in Dunnwar. At least, his accent suggests that's where he's from. I don't know the man personally. He said his grand-daughter was looking to enroll at the Academy of Starsha this coming Autumn and that he just happened to hear of tonight's play after all the talk on the street about last night's performance of Epica."
Lureene shoots the old lecher Immerstal a final glare, as the wizard makes his hasty exit. If he was using a spell or telepathy, then I am a Surya-ka-Vahaak! I would love to talk to his wife about his behavior!
Once she sees the old man enter with his grand daughter, she puts on a winning smile, and smoothes her dress out, trying to get the wrinkles out. Once they have introdued themselves, she greets them with a smile, "Hello there, my name is Lureene. I am so sorry about keeping you late like this, but I just wanted to ask you some questions. Can you first tell me did you see anything unusual during the first act of Black Halo?"
"Hello Lureene," says the old man, "I'm Lorenzo and this is Lucia. Other than seeing a woman with angel wings walking about, I can't say that I noticed anything unusual during the first act. Did you?"
The younger woman, who is about an inch or so taller than Lureene, points at her wings and asks, "Miss, are those real?"
Lureene returns the young lady's smile, "Well..." then she noticed the compulsion to speak the truth, courtesy of Bishop Tredônia. She debates whether to resist the spell, and decides not to fight it, at least for the moment. She wanted to make the young girl comfortable.
"Lucia, my wings are real, and yes, I was born with them. Do you think they are pretty?"
"I suppose so. Does that mean you're an angel then?"
Lureene starts to answer in the affirnative, but the spell compulsion stops the words as they are being uttered. In that moment, she knows she cannot continue. Although there is a man out there who thinks of her as his , she knew that did not make it so, especially in the harsh light of Alita. She fights back a wave of longing for him, and her hand unconsciously fingers her locket. She takes a deep breath, and replies quietly, "No, Lucia, I am not an angel, although my appearance suggests otherwise. I have no celestial blood in my veins."
She blinks back tears as she remembers the last night she spent with Rath-hun, and remembers with clarity what he said I'll have the real you or not at all. She bravely continues, "I ask that you not judge me by my appearance, but by what is in my heart. If there is nothing else you learn, learn that lesson well."
Captain Stallings coughs pointedly and says, "While this is touching, I really didn't come out here to interrogate the Princess and her companions. Why don't we get down to brass tacks so that everyone can get on with their lives, shall we?"
"Now then, Lorenzo is it? You don't sound like you are from Valehaven, what brings you here?"
Lorenzo speaks up, "Ah yes, of course!" He clears his throat, "I had business in Valehaven and brought Lucia with me so that she could get a feel for the family trade."
Lucia says with exasperation, "Grandpop! I really wanted to see the academy campus, not see how logs float along the Elsmyr..."
Lorenzo smiles wanly and sighs, "Ah the impatience of youth..."
Captain Stallings gives a short laugh at the comment. "So you folks were the only ones who stuck it out until the situation was in hand. Well, aside from some gentlemen whose ladies fainted when the drummer's head flew into the crowd. How come you didn't run like everyone else?"
Lucia cuts off her grandfather and says, "Are you kidding? First someone jumps into our booth and nearly knocks us over then there are armed men in the hallway! We were safer behind our chairs!"
Lorenzo sighs and holds out his hand towards his grand-daughter.
Lureene sighs in relief at the Captain’s timely intervention. She was not the one on trial here, but the young girl Lucia’s questions brought back painful memories of her own childhood, and she felt envious of her, she had a loving family, and Lureene herself, was not so blessed.
Turning her mind back to the present, she noticed the others were conferring quietly. She approaches Lucia again, and asks quietly, ”Was there anything else unusual you noticed, maybe something prior to the start of the show?”
The girl shrugs. "No, nothing at all. Did you?"
Priyya looks at the girl, "So you have no additional knowledge of the strange goings-on?" She turns her attention to the grandfather, "And you, good sir. No additional knowledge of what transpired?"
Sense Motive Checks:
"So you have no additional knowledge of the strange goings-on?"
Lucia turns away from Lureene and says, "No ma'am, we were watching the princess sing and suddenly there were women flying thru the air, chandeliers falling, dead walking, people running, and men jumping from the catwalks."
And you, good sir. No additional knowledge of what transpired?"
Lorenzo clears his throat and says, "Well, it looks like an assassination attempt or blackmail to me."
Lucia gives him an odd look. "Well, isn't that why everyone is being questioned? That's not hard to figure out."
Felmor watches the scene quietly, trying to guage the young girl. Seeing something in her mannerisms, he glances at Priyya, and seeing her nod back, walks quietly behind Lureene and gently pulls her away from the questioning. He shoots a warning glance at his Desert Rose, and nods in agreement.