Due to the sheer number of documents, it takes you several hours just to glance through them all. Sorting them and beginning to make sense of things will take significantly longer. This is really the sort of project an entire team of specialists should be working on, so the fact that LeBrix appears to have compiled this much information by himself is incredibly impressive. It seems that the bulk of the documents are related to financial irregularities of Danoran-owned factories.
Rubbing the back of her neck, Miselle neatly placed the documents down with her other hand rather than tossing them on the table. "Follow the money. Whoever wishes to own so much has a reason." Checking her notes, she tried to reason what they could be building. Something that required alkahest, apparently, as they had tried to burn Sechim's.
Ellena was getting... tired. Yeah, tired was the word. Or maybe there was a better word for spending a full five minutes trying to read a financials broadsheet upside-down, but if there was she was too tired to think of it.
Face down on the hardwood table, she murmurs "Deeps, where's Efrem when you need him..."
She raises her head to stare blearily at Miselle. "Money? Oh... that's who's hurt by the factories burning, but who does it help?"
"Och, me brain is hurting...Az is no data-miner, this is sure." the dwarf laments, rubbing his eyes. "So...is something going on with moneys of businesses owned by Danor, yes? Then let us do as Miselle said. Follow the money and see where it leads."
Face on the table, Alice waits for her head to stop spinning. "Maybe the thing is getting big enough that we should involve Delft." she grumbles. "We have proof of Danoran cover-ups, we can get professional analysts involved. That is, unless they choose to sweep it all under the rug... ugh."
"At this point, the resources of an accounting team would probably get further than we ever could." Corynne says with a yawn.
"Az agrees. There is just too much here for us to sift through. We are solvers of problems, not readers of spreadsheets."
LeBrix has reports on every Danoran-owned factory in the city. As his own notes state, it's highly unlikely that they're ALL involved in whatever he's uncovered, but determining what factories actually matter will take much more time. One interesting thing that you DO note is that the name "Leone Quital" doesn't show up anywhere. That either means he's not connected ... or that he's VERY connected.
Alice stretches. "LeBrix could be on our side. He claimed that the Shadowman was trying to stop him from investigating these factories, before Nilasa interrupted them. This would suggest that Quital is acting against both Risur and Danor, rather than it being a cover-up. But I wonder about the government."
She looks at Miselle, not with suspicion but rather wondering if she could know more.
Miselle considered for a few moments. "It might be so. The leadership in Danor has...issues, hence why my family is here. Either someone high up is helping, or someone thinks they are."
"So... back to Delft?"
"Now we know what the documents contain I see no reason why not," Miselle agreed.
"Yes, and I think- damn it, this may tip our hand to Danor, but I think we should at least warn LeBrix about Quital. He may be in danger."
"He will likely refuse us, but we could also offer some protection." Although that was likely a political disaster waiting to happen, what with the royal wedding and all.
Az is agreed on all counts. We should give physical description of Quital, too. That may not be his real name."
Back in the RHC Headquarters, Alice opens her notebook as she adresses ACI Delft. "We have quite a lengthy report on the Hume case, sir, including a couple of deals, a kidnapping and an opponent with vast resources."
Several minutes later, she concludes by reporting what they learned from skimming the documents. "It's our opinion, sir, that Quital is behind these irregularities, and LeBrix is looking into them, which led, luckily for us and unfortunately to Nilasa, to the whole affair. What Danor thinks of the matter is another thing entirely. In any case, the murder proper has been looked into: the actual killer is -Corynne, correct me if I'm wrong- dead, while the one who gave the order, Quital, is still running around. We thought it reasonable to report before doing anything that could lead to an international incident."
"Um, there is also one other thing..." Ellena says. "Do we maybe have someone who's really good at magic on staff? I have some questions."
Delf listens intently as you make your report. Aside from the occasional clarifying question, he lets you deliver it without interruption. When you're finally finished, he takes the documents. "I'll give these to Dima in Financial. Based on what you've told me, he'll absolutely love going through them. You got back here just in time, by the way. Nevard's holding a rally in Dawn Square tomorrow afternoon. He says he's had a vision that's 'critical to protecting Flint from disaster.' Rumor has it he's called in a bunch of favors, so it's possible there'll be over ten thousand people in attendance. Seeing as Nevard knows and trusts you, I'd appreciate it if you were there to keep an eye on things."
"We should certainly be present when he reveals his prediction, both to see what it is and to make sure none attempt to stop him. There is always someone who wishes to silence another." Miselle did not approve of such, generally.
"He may need some protection too. Is possible not all in attendance want to see disaster averted."
"We'll have to keep sharp eyes and sharp blades, then."
"Both for trouble from this world and the other." Corynne adds, thinking of their recent encounter.
"That, um, that sounds fun." Ellena says. "I would have probably gone anyway, he was interesting."
As for the Bleak Gate, common lore of the Clergy calls it Purgatory, and envisions it as a hollow copy of this world lying just underground, a place where the dead pass through on their way to their reward or punishment in the afterlife. The dwarves of Drakr know better, and believe that it is a vision of the distant future, of what the world will look like when everyone has died. Berans believe it lies on the dark side of the moon. In Risur, folk tales say that once the beings of the Dreaming lived here in our world, and then King Kelland defeated the fey titans and split the world in two, giving the fey and humanity each their own homes, though the titans would exist in each. The Bleak Gate was thought to be a darker, more malevolent part of the Dreaming, a belief reinforced of late. As industry has narrowed the streets of Flint and darkened its alleys with soot, more and more people have begun to speak of disappearances, and of strange black beings that walk in the shadows.
@Azaghal: Early the next morning, you're contacted by Aryanna Cormack. Her father's tavern is located close to Dawn Square, as you know, and Nevard's upcoming announcement should mean increased business. Instead, she's been feeling an intense uneasiness, and several of her regulars who live nearby are reporting the same thing. Also, the air's been smelling vaguely of burnt engine grease since last night. She's wondering if you could tell her what's going on and how long it'll last, as it's going to start affecting business if it's more than a few days.
"Hmm...is something going on here, everyone. I have friend who says there is smell of burnt engine grease in air since last night...she is not only one to notice and she's feeling very uneasy about it. I think is no coincidence that it started just before Nevard's announcement. We should go see what's up."
"Burnt engine grease?" asks Alice, adjusting her twin rapiers in the new scabbards. "Any idea of what that could mean?"
"Perhaps they are working on some industrial projects. If they are taking control of so many producers of resources then maybe they need it for some large project." What that might be, however...
"Whatever it is, I doubt it is good." Ellena says in between mouthfuls of danish. "Anyone else in the RHC have anything to say?"
"Whether they do or not, I at least want to go check on Aryanna, and do what we can to help her and her father. They were first people to really take me in when I came to Risur. Dwarves are not exactly common sight here, and was hard for Az to find work at first. I am knowing I do not talk much...being among so many humans for first time, and knowing no one, it was difficult to find niche where Az fit. Ary helped me get settled, introduced me to people who could get me on my feet. Is debt that Az can never repay, but I want to help her." he states plainly.
"The engine grease scent aside, I'm concerned by multiple people having 'uneasy feelings' in the same area. That can often be a sign of spiritual activity or at least something that is agitating local spirits in the area." Corynne mentions, picking up and buttering a piece of toast with a careful deliberateness.
"Of course we'll help her Az, if we can't make things safe for our loved ones...." she trails off, a momentary haunted look passing in her eyes. The stone on her necklace seems to pulse with a glimmer of light for a moment, the young ghost whisperer tilting her head for a moment as if listening to something before a small smile comes across her lips, whatever was bothering her cast aside.
"Can we check the area with the feelings of unease before we go to Nevard's events?" Miselle wasn't at all certain the two were related...but she wasn't sure they weren't, and that was enough to want to get it done.
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As soon as you enter the area, you immediately begin feeling a palpable sense of dread. There are a few odd slicks of oil here and there that burn to the touch. After a little bit of testing, you're able to determine that the strangeness is confined to an area roughly the size of four square blocks.
Your ears are constantly battered by the sound of dozens of screaming voices echoing throughout the area. The spirits that are your constant companions shy away and seem ... afraid.
Alice grimaces as the feeling assaults her, Cauldron Hill too close in her memory for comfort. "Any ideas what could make this? The Bleak Gate's influence, maybe?"
I can try to track by smell, but it may overpower me...
"It seems likely," Miselle agreed uneasily, raising her now heavily modified weapon. No normal gun should crackle with electricity, or so she'd been told.
"Perhaps the spell Gale gave us could allow us to track down the source?" she suggested.
"Worth a try. Az, did Aryanna say how long this had been happening?" Ellena asks.
"Aye, she said it started last night..." he replies, taking a knee so he can dip his finger into the oil and daub a bit on the tip of his tongue. "That's oil, alright...strange that it just seems to have appeared like this..." he remarks, trying to think of any sort of phenomenon he knows of that would cause such a thing.
The oil is subtly different from the oils you're familiar with. It's infused with floating motes of white light. You remember a similar substance is mentioned in LeBrix's notes, but you hadn't read over that section in detail due to the sheer volume of information.
Corynne opens her awareness to the supernatural realm, pushing past the dread to sense the underlying energy.
"Well, I suppose we'll want to know what happened last night."
Grabbing one of the more senior constables, Ellena goes to a few nearby doors and, after introducing herself, asks if they remember anything strange from last night.
The constant wailing of spirits makes it difficult to pinpoint anything. The oil itself seems to be in pain.
One person vaguely heard machinery in the middle of the night but didn't pay too much attention to it.
Corynne seems to stare intently at the oil itself. "So much pain....the wailing.....the suffering..."
You detect neither undead nor magic.
Alice puts a hand in the hilt of Kindness and closes her eyes, reaching for the battle-trance that enhances her senses. In the moment before her scent become as sharp as a hound's, she faintly hopes that the stench will not overpower her.
Miselle simply looked for hints as to what might be going on.
"Machinery?" Ellena mutters. "What kind of machine would casue this? And was this the point, or a byproduct? Miselle?" She asks, looking to the one person among them with any kind of mechanical experience.
"This oil, too...is different. Is subtle, but difference is there. And look, see flecks of white in it? Az thinks there was mention of this in LeBrix's notes, but cannot remember anything but seeing it in passing. Was so much information."
"Any change we can go back and double-check them before the ceremony?"