"I've studied Celestial, I will see whoat I can do to help as well."
"Oh? I appreciate all the help I can get." Rexus replies, and the three get to work. Despite their best efforts, however, the two cannot help but feel they're holding their friend back, and when he gently tells them to get some rest, they take the chance to do so.
Meanwhile, Vantine wakes up later to explain what happened to Laria, who seems troubled, but willing to accept the idea that they are safe, at least for the moment. "Good thing you caught it when you did," she says, "otherwise we'd have had a pest to deal with for a long time."
The following morning comes swiftly for the Silver Ravens, though it takes them several hours after curfew ends to arrive at the Wasp's Nest - the weather is, once again, miserable, with sleet coming down from the sky. Gozreh continues to focus his displeasure on the Silver City, and no one really wants to go out.
When they are all gathered, they find that Laria is down in the Wasp's Nest - a rarity, given how busy she usually is at the Coffeehouse. Iratea is with her, as are several others from the Scarlet Rose. The Fushi sisters are sitting and dicing with some of the others, as well as with Sierre Thrice-Blessed, one of the merchants that joined the Ravens last week.
"Good, you're here." Laria says, looking up from her conversation. "I was just listening to what Iratea had to say about your rescue. Good job, despite the occasional hiccup. Personally, I recommend laying low for the rest of the week, but if you have any leads you want to pursue, I can lend an ear and offer recommendations."
Nyxra will spend her time trying to drum up any information about where the people arrested on the Night of Ashes may be held.
With the Sarini research at home going swiftly, Jessibel decides to peruse things at the Newt Market before returning to the Wasps Nest. As she strolls from stall to stall, she keeps her eyes peeled for anything unusual and attempts to eavesdrop a bit in the hopes of picking up a rumor worth investigating.
Castle Kintargo...
The information troubles Nyxra, but at least she has something else to go on now.
After talking with Laria and stuffing herself on baked goods, Vantine decides to go out for a while as well. She's SO relieved Narcelia hadn't yet agreed to transfer to the "safer" Wasp's Nest yet. It would have been really embarrassing if she had been there yesterday.
She's also beginning to give up on her hopes Narcelia is going to remember much more on her own. If anything more is going to come to light, Vantine may have to be the one who discovers it. She goes back to the area where they first found the young woman and begins canvasing the area, asking around to see if anyone knows anything about a young woman fitting her description being seen around several days back, or has heard anything about such a person going missing recently.
Asking about disappearances doesn't get her much of anywhere - save the information that there were a few young (younger than Narcelia, from what she can tell) tieflings who disappeared a couple weeks ago - not really what she is looking for.
When Vantine notices she wraps up her conversation with the shopkeeper as quickly as she can without making it seem abrupt. She concludes the conversation by thanking the shopkeeper and telling her "my whole family is very worried about my cousin".
As soon as she's back out on the street, Vantine scurries to a street that will break line of sight from the shop's entrance and casts Pass Without a Trace. Then she quickly makes her way back to the Wasp's Nest taking a meandering route.
Vantine quickly loses the Asmodean in the streets, though she does see more signs of the Red Jills getting aggressive - mostly dark mutterings about the ineffectiveness of the dottari.
Jessibel's only gone for less than three hours when she returns, tending to a tummy ache from wolfing down too many of Laria's rich pastries in too short of a time.
"My cousin Jakardos--he's a guest lecturer at the Alabaster Academy--says the Sarinis allied with House Thrune at the time of the Civil War, so they would likely have been foes of the original Silver Ravens. He gave me the names of a few potential masters for our annoying-but-dead imp: Merendius, Davinia, Iustus, and Rocardo. I'll continue to investigate, when I have the time."
"I also overheard an interesting bit while doing a bit of shopping at the Newt Market," the young noblewoman adds. "A tengu shopkeeper said the local Kuthonites have apparently been planning some big ritual for the new moon tomorrow night, but it's been called off for some reason. And now all his twisted faithful are in a pissy mood about it."
After a bit of a pause, the bard concludes her report by saying, "The only body piercings I have are in my earlobes, but I could be talked into one or two more to go undercover and try to find out more about this ritual."
In the play, the protagonist is feted with lurid gifts and obscene orgiastic celebrations for eleven days before the first new moon of the year, before being tortured gruesomely to death by the priests and priestesses who had celebrated her in the days prior. It's predictably depressing fare from the most depressing place in the Empire. Supposedly, a few times it was performed with the Theater of the Real, but that's just hearsay.
Vantine, who was back well before Jessibel, blanches at Jessibel's idea.
"Under most circumstances I would applaud your interest in branching out to try new things. If you want some suggestions on where to add piercings I could give you some advice, like where they should go for visual appeal or personal pleasure. But having anything to do with Zon-Kuthon or his worshippers, no matter your intentions, is a really bad idea. They seriously don't care if you come home again. They don't even need to think you're an imposter for that to be true."
Vantine's stomach is also aching a bit. It's not from pastries, she never has any trouble from eating all she wants and more. This is because of concern.
"I was asking around earlier to see if anyone knew anything about Narcelia. She still doesn't remember anything helpful. I used her name in one shop and an Asmodean started trying to listen in at that point."
"I think I covered over the mistake well enough, but this is more serious than I thought. I'd figured she had gotten herself in trouble for something minor, picking pockets or doing something rude or whatever. I thought she was exaggerating because she didn't remember, or maybe because she thought we'd be more likely to help. But it looks like they have an abiding interest in her, by name. I don't think things are going to blow over with time as far as she's concerned."
"...made a few inquiries about the Night of Ashes while you were out. If anyone were arrested during that time, they'd be held in Castle Kintargo." Nyxra sighs.
Iratea scratches at one of the scars on her chin. "How does knowing who summoned the imp help? Unless they're an elf or something like that," she shoots an apologetic look at Nyxra, "they're almost certainly dead."
Laria frowns at the mention of the Nidalese faithful. "Well, I'm not going to weep for the Kuthonites. The people they'll hurt to vent their anger, though..." She drums her fingers on a table. "That's not good."
At Vantine's report, the halfling woman's fingers drum a bit harder. "If she needs to get out of Kintargo, I can try to get her out, but without the Network's presence, I'm not going to be of much use." She casts a glance towards the stairs back up into the rest of the Nest, before shaking her head. "We'd need people who are familiar with the local underground and smuggling routes. I don't think anyone here has much knowledge of that sort of thing."
Iratea speaks up. "Isn't Narcelia a fairly common name? Are you sure the Asmodeans aren't looking for someone else with the name? Although," she admits, "that seems unlikely."
Laria hops up from her chair and places a hand on Nyxra's arm. "We can't risk going after high-profile targets like that yet. We're not strong enough, and the people of Kintargo would just end up more terrified when we fail. Hold on to hope, Nyxra. We'll save as many as we can."
Vantine nods affirmatively at Iratea's point.
"Yes, it could be a case of mistaken identity. But the name rings a bell with people we don't want it to. Also Narcelia insists the new government and/or Asmodeans are after her. I think prudence calls for us to assume they're the same person until something suggests otherwise."
Aisling will spend her time looking into rumours sorrounding the incidents in the Devil's Nursery. She knows that the tieflings there are often overlooked and she wants them to know that Iomedae at least has not forgotten the poor and the lowly.
The priestess also finds that the tieflings aren't feeling very receptive towards the notion of Iomedae or her Church. Stony silences or polite deferrals are all she gets on that front. However, she does see a few tieflings hiding symbols carved on wooden pendants beneath their clothes as she approaches. Though she doesn't recognize the symbol itself, the reverence with which they treat it is telling - it is probably a holy symbol of some sort.
Nyxra grimaces as Laria offers comfort.
"...I know. It's just--I can't help but feel so damned useless at times like this... I'm supposed to be better than this."
"Focus first on what changes you can make." Iratea says, her scar-induced frown twisting up in the facsimile of a smile. "At least, that's what the Sarenite priest always told us when we were recovering."
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"MOTHER!" Alexius bellows as he barges through the front door to the Vashnarstill manor around breakfast time, slamming his cane against the wall with a loud crack. "Mother! I need... gold! I met a woman in the markets who said she could turn me to stone. THINK! Mother! What I could accomplish with the unending life of solid stone!" He continues to shout as he hobbles through the absurdly large house. Singling out a passing servant, Alexius pokes her in the chest with his cane. "You! Peasant! Begin researching ways to defeat erosion; it will be my only weakness." He orders, moving on before she can respond. "MOTHER!"
He finds his mother, Lady Elaida Vashnarstill, in her personal offices, crunching numbers. She rolls her eyes in exasperation as he erupts into her room. "Yes, Alexius, what is it now?"
Vantine's comment that certain piercings can be used for personal pleasure raises one of Jessibel's eyebrows briefly, but the teen is easily talked out of her idea about infiltrating the spooky Kuthonites' midnight ritual. She stoically ignores Iratea questioning the good in discovering the imp's old master but refrains from asking the woman something along the lines of "And what was the perceived good of scarring your faces to serve the whims of a mad queen?"
Jessibel knew how Cheliax was: History was written by the winners, in this case House Thrune. Other viewpoints--and the very truth itself--could be erased forever. The Sarinis had served House Thrune during the Civil War, and they served it now. Knowing everything you could about one's enemies was crucial...especially if you were planning on maybe taking the Sarini surname for one of your rebellious aliases.
The Magpie let the others know she'd be voting with her mentor, the Raven, on what mission to undertake next. Unfortunately, the masked man had vanished, leaving the Wasps Nest for some secret reason.
Aislingn retruns to the group looking slightly frurstrated. "I didn't find antying out, they aren't willing to talk to me. But I did see that some of them were carrying a symbol." She quickly draws a sketch of it. "Does it mean antying to any of you?"
Jessibel takes a look at the symbol that Aisling's sketched out.
None of the heroes recognize the symbol, though the obvious association would be with the moon.
Laria shakes her head slightly. "Sorry, I've no idea. I'm not familiar with religion, myself." Iratea also looks helplessly at the symbol.
Poor Lady Elaida. That is what everyone said. Poor Lady Elaida. One son who showed so much promise. One son to fulfill her branch of the families' military obligations and bring honor to her and her husband. Alexius Vashnarstill: a brilliant tactical mind and as clever with words as he was with swords. But no more. An assassin with a cursed blade took her sons military career and alcohol took his mind. She did her best to help her son adapt to his new life, tried to groom him in to a respectable politician, to show him that a soldier was not the only thing he could ever be, but Alexius was only interested in numbing the pain and the shame. Nowadays, her greatest hopes for her son are that he does not draw too much untoward attention to the family via his drunken, womanizing antics. The fact that Alexius is at this moment awake before noon is a moderate shock to the poor woman.
"Mother!" Alexius shouts as he storms into his mothers office, slapping his cane down across the top of the noble lady's desk with the combined sounds of wood-on-wood and parchments being unceremoniously flattened. He drops heavily into a seat across from his mother, not bothering to take off his tall hat. "Mother. Four things." The failed son says as he leans forward towards his mother holding up four fingers. "First: You look very tired. Second: I need gold for reasons best not expounded upon. Third... I... Hmm." The young man scratches his chin with gloved fingers, leaning back in his seat and looking pensively towards the ceiling as if trying to recall something. "Three things! "First: You look very tired. Really, it's embarrassing. Second: I need gold for reasons best not expounded upon. Third: Where are the long-term records for the shipyard kept? I have a sudden thirst for knowledge!" He could make up a more Alexius-sounding reason for seeking the documents, but a business did not stand the test of centuries by lax oversight. Claims that he suspected suppliers had been fleecing them or a shipyard on the other side of the globe was stealing their techniques or technology, while fitting claims for Alexius, would bring far too much attention down on him, assuming his claims were not dismissed outright. Better it be just another obsession Alexius Vashnarstill had developed out of nowhere. An obsession he would forget about in a fortnight. His mother would likely assume anything he said was a lie, anyways.
She lets out a resigned sigh, before reorganizing her papers. "You've already received your stipend for this month, Alexius, and I cannot convince Baron Sendi to increase the amount he's willing to give you. Be thankful he hasn't cut your funds entirely." After a moment, Elaida looks up. "You don't owe anyone money, to you? Because there's enough danger going around without getting involved in moneylending."
At his question about the shipyards, though, she looks distinctly startled. "Well, if you're looking for something within the past decade, you'll have to head down to Yolubilis Harbor and Sunset Imports... but I don't think Sedranni will let you access them freely. For older things, you'd need the permission of Dula, our archivist, and she isn't exactly willing to hand it out to just anyone."
After relating what little she guesses about the symbol, Jessibel buzzes to-and-fro throughout the hideout like a meandering gnat. At some point, she settles down long enough to wonder aloud if there might be some hidden link between the tiefling thieves (the Red Jills) and the murders in the slums.
"Moon deities...likely to be demigods or empyreal lords...worship of whom is almost certainly to be illegal here in Kintargo," Jessibel ponders aloud. "I could probably research the subject further--likely by visiting the Alabaster Academy--or we could just head into the Devil's Nursery and ask for ourselves. We might want to prioritize that mission: Murder generally trumps robbery, even though the Jills have shown no compunction to spare folks who don't hand over their belongings immediately."
The Raven arrives at the Nest fashionably late and is updated on the progress, or lack thereof, of the others. He takes Aisling's sketch and holds it up besides Vantine's face to compare the lips. "Hmmm. Suspiciously similar. But I suppose you claim to know nothing about this, my dear?" He had decided he was not going to allow Vantine to push him around anymore. A once-famed duelist and would-be general was not going to be run over by one small woman. "I think the night rituals of moon worshipers is beyond the scope of our mission statement, dear Magpie. Were they up to some dangerous demon summoning or whatever it is they do, Thrune would no doubt put an end to it." He pats Jessibel on the shoulder. Under no circumstances was he going to allow the young bard to attempt to infiltrate some insane cult.
"I agree with Liara. After pillaging the chicken coop, we should lay low for a while. Investigating these murders in the Devil's Nursery allows us to help the good people of Kintargo and our probing of the deaths is not likely to draw the attention of anyone loyal to Thrune. No one cares if tiefling's are murdered, who but the killer would care if we investigate? Taking on the Red Jill's would cause quite a stir, and I would like for our new heavily-armored friends to have more time to recover before we start a gang war." The Raven was born from the troubles of the oppressed tieflings within the city walls. He did not originally don the mask to overthrow governments; all he wanted was justice. As time wore on, it became evident that a change of city management would be required if anything was to change for the better.
Vantine once again finds herself questioning The Raven's sanity. She stares carefully in mock seriousness to find 'similarities', squinting slightly with concentration.
"Well, I have a nose and eyes, while lacking horns, tusks or spikes of any kind. My lips are red not blue and my hair is black rather than blue. While my complexion is light, it is not gray. Oh, and my skin is perfectly clear, not mottled."
She concludes with a sarcastic sigh.
"I can find no resemblance."
Elaida shoots a flat look at her son. "You don't have my permission to access the archives, Alexius. You have my permission to ask. I'm not sure where Dula is, but I'm sure you'll find her if you look hard enough."
With that, she turns back to her work as her son leaves. Even so, he can hear her sighing in exasperation as the door swings shut.
After asking around, he finds that Dula is in a meeting with Baron Sendi and a few others to discuss... something. The servants don't know what, exactly.
Laria rubs her chin. "It's a good plan. We want to show Kintargo that the Ravens are here to help them, not scavenge from whatever's left over by Thrune's predations."
Iratea speaks up. "My sisters and I would appreciate at least a week or so of rest and good food. After that, we can try to help you deal with these Red Jills."
"The Jills are also almost entirely tieflings, right?" One of the Scarlet Rose, the bronzed woman called Osaria says. "Helping out with the murders in the Nursery will show that you're not targeting them solely because of that. Without any tieflings as members, it'd be easy to cast us as, well, as bad as Thrune in that regard."
Jessibel keeps her Magpie mask tucked inside her backpack for now. She suggests trying to learn a bit more about the Devil's Nursery before diving in. She asks around a bit in the Old Kintargo neighborhoods that abut the murder-plagued slums.
Gather Info (Devil's Nursery) Roll: 15 + 8 = 23
The heroes say their goodbyes to Laria and the Scarlet Rose before making their way out into the tunnels once more. Crossing through Kintargo is easier than it was earlier that day, as the sleet has finally stopped, and the sun is showing itself once more.
Crossing Bleakbridge, they make their way into the Nursery once more. While a few tieflings seem to recognize Aisling and clam up, Jessibel's charming nature pulls through and they meet a young half-elf laborer named Vidas Dren who is willing to talk, though his tiefling wife looks somewhat wary.
"Yes, well, there've been ten bodies found since the murders started." Vidas says, his expression grave. "That was about three weeks ago, no?" He looks to his wife, who nods quickly. The Ravens realize that that was around the time that Barzillai took control of Kintargo.
"Lessee, there was..." He names each of the victims and where their bodies were found - all within the southern bounds of the Nursery, and entirely tieflings. "People are getting worried that we've got the next Temple Hill Slasher, or some crazy a@~$$%* who hates tieflings. And of course," he says bitterly, "the dottari don't give a damn about this part of town."
They also learn that the most recent body - that of Arator Two-Tail, reputed to be the bastard (or disowned) child of a nobleman - was discovered by a young tiefling named Zea, who works at an outfitters in the Nursery.
"If the Cloven Hoof Society were still organized, we'd be able to set up a volunteer watch, but as things are..." Vidas says, shaking his head. "Well, people are terrified - they don't go out after dark, even before curfew."
"People who do risk ending up the next victim." His wife chimes in, quietly.
Vantine takes care not to stare at the tieflings overly. It's not that she finds them ugly or disgusting, it's the variability and novelty of their forms. She finds them intriguing, exotic and a bit exciting.
"I suppose the best thing to do would be to find Zea then?"
She asks the couple "which street is the outfitters where Zea works on?"
Vidas purses his lips, but tells the Ravens where Zea normally works - an outfitters called Dignified Scales. "But, er, be careful. Most folks here are a little hostile to outsiders, and you all most certainly count." He casts a quick glance at Aisling and the Raven.
"Don't expect a friendly welcome, he means." His wife translates - she still hasn't introduced herself, exemplifying the mistrust that the tieflings have for outsiders.
"Aw, no one could be hostile to my friend!" the Magpie tells the unnamed wife while gesturing toward Vantine. "Especially when I'm present to put in a good word, too!"
"Let's go talk to this Zea!" the masked teen gushes.
After ten minutes of traipsing through the streets, the Ravens find the Dignified Scales, where a young tiefling woman is minding the shop - though there aren't any customers, so she is simply standing around, waiting for something to happen.
When the Ravens arrive, she lifts her horned head, looking at them with golden-brown eyes. "Can I help you?" She asks, looking at Aisling, Magpie, and the Raven in turn, utterly bemused.
Jessibel grins from behind her mask. "I hope so! And in turn, we'd we willing to help you...and all your neighbors."
Aislign nods. "You can hlep us, but you're free not to. As my friend says, we'd like to help out where the dottari aren't doing anythng. Can you tell us anyting about the body you found recently? We'd relally like to put a stop to whoever is preying on this part of town."
The young woman tilts her head at Aisling, scratching behind the base of one of her horns. As the Ravens get closer, they see that her eyes have rectangular pupils, akin to a goat's. "Huh. I do believe you might just want that."
She straightens from her lounging posture, turning her (frankly disturbing) gaze from one hero to the next. "I'm Zea, as you seem to have guessed. Who are you all, that you want to help us when no one else does?"
"At our core, we're just a group of concerned citizens," Jessibel tells Zea. "In truth, we've all lost something because of the whimsical and at times downright cruel rule of Lord-Mayor Thrune. It wouldn't surprise me in this least to learn that he's somehow orchestrated these murders to keep your people frightened and preoccupied; if so, we'd like nothing better than to ruin his mad plots. And even if Thrune's not involved, murder should not go unpunished in our city. If the dottari won't enforce the law, we will!"
Jessi notes the strange symbol that Zea wears, but she opts not to inquire about it just yet.
Vantine introduces herself and affirms she and the others with her are looking into the murders.
Alexius quietly attempts to let himself into the meeting Sendi is having. He is too exhausted to pick fights with everyone in the manor today, especially uncle Sendi, but if he can listen in to the meeting he could glean some idea as to what the upper echelons of the family are working on. He does not have any interest in the families' affairs, but knowing about major projects and developments in the wider noble community can help himself and the Raven avoid parts of Kintargo that are going to be more heavily trafficked by the wealth elite and, more importantly, their bodyguards.
The Devil's Nursery felt like home to the Raven. He had spent so much time here as an adolescent. The only real friends Alexius had ever had were in the Nursery. That was a long time ago. Alexius had not been here in years. The Raven, however, had long stalked the nighttime rooftops of the impoverished district doing what he could to right wrongs committed against the oppressed tieflings, hidden safely behind a mask. But there was only so much that could be accomplished by punching things. The Silver Raven's were looking to be the catalyst he had been hoping for to affect real change, not just in the slums but across Kintargo.
The Raven casually leans against the counter, partially from fatigue and partially to appear less physically imposing. He meets the tiefling's gaze when she looks in his direction and holds eye contact. The familiar rectangular pupils stir feelings of nostalgia deep within him. Nostalgia and regret. He breaks eye contact with the young woman to stare blankly at the ground.
Alexius manages to slip into the meeting with only an odd look or two from servants who simply assume he has business being there. Evidently it is not an especially important meeting, as the Baron, Dula, and several other cousins are sitting around a table, eating breakfast and discussing shipping issues.
"Hm. I see." Zea drums her fingers on the counter, before sighing. "There's not much to tell. It was two days ago I found him - just a body, really. Looked like he'd been attacked, but I couldn't tell you by what sort of weapons, let alone who was using them."
She closes her eyes for a moment before sighing and nodding. "Alright, I can take you to where I found him. Maybe you'll be able to find more there than I was." She looks to the back. "Ravius! I'm going out. It's important!"
There's a grunt, and an ebon-skinned man with a distended mouth and digitigrade legs walks out from the back of the shop. He nods briefly at Zea before shooting the Ravens a red-eyed, suspicious glare.
Zea fiddles with her belt pouches before leaving the Dignified Scales, leading the Ravens south through the mostly-cleared streets. After a few minutes, she stops, pointing at the street a few feet in front of her. "It was here." There's nothing immediately obvious about the area that makes it different from anywhere else on the street, but appearances could be deceiving.