.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
The Lady Sat in one of the many parks within the 'City Grand. The largest city within the vast demi-plane that is The Lady's domain.
A dwarf in golden robes came up to her. Miltrolon always found it difficult to address The lady, not because she was a goddess but because he had no idea if this Avatar of her was the same as the last one he has spoken to. In fact, he had once found himself addressing 4 of them all sitting around a pond mulling over the finer points of Nrillon opera.
Miltrolon was stumped on which one to address.
He bowed low and then said,
"They will be sending the next team into Toralic prime later today. The briefing will be in two hours."
She focused on him, this also was disconcerting because sometimes it looked like far more than one looked at him from her silver eyes.
This was one such time.
Her voice came, soft yet powerful.
"Thank you Miltrolon, I think I would like to be there for that, could you tell the missions coordinator I will be atanding."
Miltrolon bowed once more.
"So it shall be My Lady"
Then he turned and hurried away, If The lady was going to be there, he best warn the Archivist General.
Meeting room 11 was a small room, on the west tower. You had been told to be there at 2pm. You know it was fully shielded.
As you enter your members of your crew may already be there or you may be 1st. This was a much more advanced briefing room than the ones the Beta teams used. This one has a tri-screen display system and a full plainer viewer system.
Other than your team there is no one there.
Tia was working in her office down in the Archive when the message came calling her team to the meeting. From there she only needed 5 minutes to reach the meeting room and her belongings were in the small pack in the lower drawer of her desk.
She took a moment to braid her long brown hair together, and checked her light red dress for ink stains.
What she saw in the mirror made her smile: a small elven woman barely reaching 5’, a little too portly with stern brown eyes. She had see the same woman looking back to her for thousand years, why would she expect anything to change, now ?
Taking a step away from the mirror, she reached into the bag, and pulled out a headband that she pined to her head, and a pair of silk mittens.
Emptying the bag , she opened her journal, flipped it to the last page and checked that she had not forgotten anything. Once she was happy with her inventory, she repacked it.
"Are you ready to go Melani ? We’ve got a meeting to attend."
The tiny golden dragon uncurls and takes flight, landing on Tia’s shoulder and clinging to the reinforced patch. Tia shoulder the tube-like bag that serves as a refuge to Melani in case of danger and slides a wand in it. She pick up her other bag in one hand, a staff made of white and black wood entwined together in the second hand and makes her way to the stairs, ignoring the elevator platforms.
Once she reaches the meeting room, she takes the chair the furthest away from the display and sits. Waiting for the rest of the people to arrive, she lays her journal on the table, takes out a dog-eared book and starts reading.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Sona was busy watering her garden. The cold-stone fighter's peppers were newly coming in after months of raising them from seeds. Being torn away by a message sent from headquarters frustrates her, but it is surely important. The cat that had come to call her place its second home lingers on her outdoor chair watching her work on the homegrown plant.
With eyes of temptation, Sona considers speaking to the cat as other people do with their paw-buddies but she shakes her head and refuses. "Wow...new low." Instead, she just looks at it a moment, then blinks her eyes. For some reason, the cat always seems to return the gesture with an almost pleasing look. Job finished, Sona then heads inside, closing her sliding glass door behind her and locking it. Immediately, the cat wants inside. Normally she would let it in and even occasionally pet it, but now that it's barred, it seems frustrated that she has abandoned it there. Perhaps now that she is occupied it will return to its primary home? No. It just watches her and begs to be let in.
Sona couldn't be bothered by its cries though and strips down to change into a skirt and sports top with her jacket. She gathers her equipment for a potential immediate deployment and then heads out. Before heading upstairs, she leaves early to make one stop.
The red door at the end of the hall on the second story of an apartment complex two blocks away had the number 21 on it. Her gloved hand knocks on the door in an almost imperceptible familiar pattern. From inside, her sister can be heard saying something, but Sona can't hear it, and when the door finally opens, the familiar waft of gunmetal and oil waves out into the hall. Carrie then asks her why she didn't come in.
"I couldn't hear you. Besides, I'm on mission. Potentially. We'll see. Can't stick around. If you aren't busy, water my plants in a week if I'm not back."
With that, she turns from the door and heads back out with the sound of Carrie's door closing behind her. She walks outside and the bright light of outside causes Sona to place her glasses from her forehead to their proper place. She doesn't waste time. The assassin now walks at a brisk pace to make the meeting by 2 pm. It is 1:55 when she arrives, and she is certain she is not the first or the last to enter. Seeing Madam Tia there, Sona pulls down her glasses a tiny bit to get a clear sight of the girl and then moves in. The much taller woman takes a seat next to the reader and slings her bag and her long braid to rest on her side.
"Beta team off again...I wonder if our normal meeting place is under construction? This is much nicer..." she comments while observing the technology before her.
Lilandra is meditating on a mountain peak on a distant planet on the material plane. Around her swirl mystical energies as she contemplates the unusual magical, geological and planar qualities of the mountainous region she is studying. In the distance, hurtling through the sky comes a very large dragon, jaws agape. As the magical message arrives summoning her she opens her eyes and see's the beast bearing down on her. She gives a shrug, mutters a spell, and vanishes into the ether.
Arriving at some far distant point on the Lady's demiplane she looks around and orients herself. Quickly dissolving into mist she rockets into the air and hurtles towards the City and the meeting room she has been summoned to.
As she descends to the front entrance (she knows better than to try to enter magically) she changes back into her physical form. Entering the meeting room she gives Madam Tia a grin and drops her pack into the corner of the room. Good to see you again, any idea what we are called to this time?
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
As Linadra says that, the door opens to the meeting room and two men walk in.
The 1st is Alpha teams Missions Coordinator, Arlog Kip
and he is talking. The second is none other than the The Archivist General himself. The person in charge of the Archive and all who work within it.
"This is most unusual, Archivist General, the mission slated for today is a test to see which Beta team will take Alph 9 place. The mission has been vest... "
The Archivist Genera help up his hand and spun around at the doorway.
"I understand your concerns Kip. But with all other Alpha teams on mission. This group just happens to be in the wrong place at the right time. So be a good man and wait outside the door."
Kip seems to want to say more than thought better of it and stepped back. The Archivist General slowly closed the door in Kip's face and with a movement of his hand sort to lock it.
Then a voice came from the back of the room.
"Humm Archivist General, your missing one"
The Archivist General held still.
Where there has just been no one, there now sat an Avatar of THE LADY.
Sitting on a silver seat that also had not been there a moment before. On her lap sat a cat.
Looking much cleaner, it's the cat from your garden.
The Archivist General steps away from the door leaving it unlocked. He then takes the seat at the head of the table. As if by magic, well it was magic, five folders come into being in front of him, 4 are your agent files the 5th is an unknown. He glances once more at The Lady then opens the files one after another and starts to read them.
Every now and then glancing your way.
The Lady says nothing but waits for him to finnsh.
Tia closes her cheap novel and pockets it.
Turning towards The Lady then the Archivist General, she nods respectfully: "My Lady, Archivist General"
She opens her journal at a new blank page and extends her right arm. The small dragon on her shoulder walks down to her hand where it stops, shimmers for a moment and turns into a beautiful golden ink pen.
She grabs it and starts taking notes.
"No idea why we're there, , she whispers to both of her companions. "but it's an alpha meeting room. And it's good to meet both of you again."
With respect, Sona will rise from her chair as the Archivist General presents himself. It is then that she notices the Lady. Perhaps it is a dose of her own medicine being so capable of stealth. This is what others experience when she appears out of nowhere. Her heart calms and she retakes her seat after a bow of her head to the Lady.
Sona herself could come and go unseen, but the Lady arriving there with a silver seat? That Sona could not do; with a cat underarm no less.
"Impressive," she thinks as she studies the Lady in close detail. "What is she doing here? This is all very odd. And I'm not alone in not knowing."
Her eyes then trail to the Archivist General who is most likely sorting through their dossiers. Surely they are nothing compared to what the alpha teams have in theirs by this point. She nods to what Madam Tia says and takes in a breath as she returns to studying the Lady and the cat on her lap.
"Similar markings."
Halfway across the city, Viri was travelling to the meeting. It seemed that no matter how much she explored, the realm always had surprises waiting to be discovered. This time is was a library of the deeps, submerged in elementally pure water. Knowledge had been collected from a number of aquatic races. On top of that, the central chamber had a fountain of air on the ceiling, a jet whooshing down to cascade back up in bubbles that reflected the lights placed there.
She wished she could have stayed longer, but she had a briefing to get to. She swam to the surface and took to the roads, running toward the center. The roads were populated by creatures and vehicles of all descriptions. It was customary to separate into lanes by speed.
Up ahead, she saw the problem before it happened. A pair of bicyclists paying too much attention to each other, and not enough to those around them. One of them swerved into a riding bird and fell off onto the road.
Viri instinctively swerved, leaping over a smooth metal vehicle on dozens of legs. She swooped up the rider and pulled her off to the side. She was bleeding and Viri talked softly, "Be calm, I have you safe. Let's look at that wound." She pulled bandages from her satchel to bind her injuries. But as she did so, she felt the waters of life flowing through her. The rider would be fine, though her bicycle did not survive the trip.
"I must go, I have an important appointment to keep." and with that, she leapt back into a space in the traffic and began running for the center as well.
Steeping into the room a few minutes late, she bowed. There is a slight pause as she acknowledged the Lady's avatar directly. "My apologies for my tardiness," she said softly as she slipped into the chair, prepared to continue the briefing.
"Ahh, there she is." she contemplates as Viri rushes in. A nod is given her way when she looks at Sona.
Her eyes then go back to the cat. "...Not similar. The same markings...," her roving eyes return to the cat about six more times before she cannot deny it is literally the same cat. "Wa.." she almost exclaims like someone who has seen something that boggles the mind. She partially sits up a little bit in her chair as if interested in what she saw, then stops herself, and checks her position. Not long after she shuts her gaping mouth and sits back in the chair. Whatever alerted or caught her attention must have passed. Her eyes no longer flicker to the happy cat.
"Couldn't get pet by me so it ran to the best. I wonder if it will come over here?" she thinks as she fights an inner grin from becoming an external one. The fighter distracts herself by looking to Viri and her equipment.
The Archivist General waved a hand and the door locked and the Null-Magic/Tech field came into full power. He had finished reading your files and had just picked up the 5th one, he got partway through it when he stopped and looked up at the lady.
"Are you sure! you with this team for this?"
All the Avatar of the lady did was nod her head once.
Shaking his The Archivist General went back to reading the file. Then he closed it slowly.
Looking up now at you for he said.
"As of this moment, your staff ranks are elevated to Alpha Team Prospects."
He opened a drawer in the table and took out 4 small pouches and tosses one to each of you.
"Alpha team kit bag, you can set the command word that will open it, once outside this room. Inside you will find a comms ring, 20,000 in gems, 2 letters of reference from us, a single-use Recall sigil, and an agent exit Pill"
He hands out a sheet of paper.
"Please sign for them once you have checked the contents. Be careful with the exit pill."
Once done he places the paper back into the mission folder and swipes his hand over the display in front of him.
This IMAGE comes up in 2.5D in the center of the table while on the walls 2d panels show the same image in 2D with information..
"What you are seeing here is the last image sent by Alpha team 9"
The image seems to be from a single vantage point. You can see a large well maintained City that seems to have a vast structure placed over it.
"This is the City of Beron, a Class 13 C2 D1 realm. Known for its researchers and creators of Mathimagic items. We have or had I should say a number of researchers in the city doing joint projects. we lost contact with them 8 days ago, 3 days ago we sent in Nine to investigate. They reported arrival but that they had some problems with the jump and comms. Then we lost contact, the singles we got ss of yesterday, were the ones indicating that the team's exit pills had been used. Meaning that each member of the team had elected to self-annihilation. This image was sent just before the team's medic just before she did so. All attempts by us to get back into that plane have failed, however, news has come to us."
He moved his hand and a new image comes up, this time of a wealthy Elven Noble.
"This is House Matriarch Astoreth Novawillow, Of the Elf house Novawillow. I... sorry 'we' have been told that she has the means to get into the plain. Your task is to go see her and see if she will let you use that means. Get yourselves to the City of Beron and find out what is going on and what happened to our people and their research"
He moves his hands again and all images are now on the screens around you. Leaving the table clear.
"The Compleat loss of an Alpha team is not uncommon, but it can't go unexplained. We.. sorry I have been told that may have what it takes to do this mission. Any Questions?"
The lady and the General seem to be Communicating in real-time by some unknown means.
If you make that roll, roll Spell Craft DC 30
If made you pop the Communique Ring on and hear, The lady say.
::"Don't you mean 'we'"::
::"Yes My lady"::
Tia quickly looks at the items in the pouch, identifying each of them easily.
Turning to Sona and Viri, she offers to check the magical items of their pouch as well. Once that is done, she signs and return the receipt and picks her journal again while she listens to the mission brief.
At the mention of the total destruction of Team Alpha 9, Tia stops taking notes and sits straight in her chair. She exchanges a look with her teammates while digesting the news. Then she raises a hand and asks: "Maybe I should know, but could you remind us who were in team Alpha Nine. I would also prefer if we could access to their files or at least a document detailing their capacities and their standard tactics. Whatever happened out-powered or out-smartened them. So the more we know about what they could do and did not seem to work, the better we can perform."
Viri will allow Tia to look over her items.
There is no hesitation as she slips of the newer and fancier of her rings to put on the new ring assigned. Her other ring is old worn brass, and the perceptive will notice that it seems to be removed rarely, if ever.
She nods with agreement at Tia's request. She would do the mission regardless, but additional knowledge might reveal methods that won't work.
He looks over at her Ladyship, who nods again just the once.
A folder comes into being in front of him.
"This is information is on a need-to-know basis beyond teams 9 names and calling. All of their mission information is redacted sorry. But I can give a basic outline of who they were and what skills and talents they had."
One after another images come up.
"Hector Ziilony, a Cleric of Law"
Image of a tall slender half-elf in Red
"Aliniya Gold, ex-assassin and cat bugler"
An image of a small halfling all dressed in Black.
"Bireeny Slogo, Half-orc sell ax and unarmed combat specialist"
Standing close to 7 feet tall, his body is massive and mussled.
"Oloyh Inkwell, a skilled investigator and bear geneus."
A tall man in simple clothing
Lilandra takes the offered items and documents. As she does so she takes careful note of the appearance of the Lady's avatar. She commits it to memory, another data point on the nature of the Lady. Eventually perhaps she will obtain enough data to understand her and her motivations.
At the mention of the Matriarch Lilandra takes out a hip flask, mutters a spell and takes a sip. She then falls into a trance and begins to mutter, only the occasional word can be heard, elf, matriarch, Beron...
Tia computes the information: Good melee, limited arcane, healing and various protection available. Trapped somewhere with no way of escape? No it wouldn't work, they had their gems of recall. They could come back here unless only planar travel was blocked.
"Do you know if they had any short range teleportation or movement available: Dimension Door, Teleport, ethereal travel for example?"
"And by the way, do you know if all the exit pills were used at the same time, one after another or some early and some late in the mission?"
"Holy..." she can't help but think as she is elevated to an Alpha prospect. Her eyes flicker back to the Lady in light of her decision. It is concerning the fate of the previous Alpha team. That fact isn't easily passed by in her mind.
A bag is tossed at her. The warrior quickly catches it and sets it down gently and then takes the sheet of paper handed to her.
After a quick read, she sees nothing there that is concerning that she hasn't already signed away when becoming a Beta. She signs and returns the form before listening to the most intimidating briefing.
While listening, she nonchalantly hands her back to Madam Tia to check for safety and then when returned, she will nod. "As suspected."
"What are our rules of engagement should we encounter hostiles?"
Once answered, she then dances her fingers on the bag before her.
"It is likely that we too will have issues similar to the previous team. Is there anything we can bring with us to help us bolster our communications so we have something to transmit?"
At the mention of the Matriarch Lilandra takes out a hip flask, mutters a spell and takes a sip. She then falls into a trance and begins to mutter, only the occasional word can be heard, elf, matriarch, Beron...
You remember that Sona once told you that a Matriarch Lilandra tried to have her killed once. Also that the elf noble was located off the plain.
"Do you know if they had any short range teleportation or movement available: Dimension Door, Teleport, ethereal travel for example?"
"And by the way, do you know if all the exit pills were used at the same time, one after another or some early and some late in the mission?"
"I Believe one of them had access to that sort of travel by means of scrolls. As for the order, they were not used all at the same time. Of the three days, they were there. one was used late on day one, two at or around noon on day two, and one at the end of day three."
The name of Matriarch Novawillow brings back bad memories and Sona ignores the picture of her. Clearly, she is perturbed, only witnessed by the increasingly rapid tapping of her finger on her bag. Before long, she will recoil her hand and twirl her thumbs in her lap to avoid the action. Her eyes travel back to the cat who is pleased on the Avatar's lap and Sona will blink at it like before, wondering if it will react in a similar fashion.
"What are the chances she is the contact? If I recall, that family was wealthy and quite capable of securing transportation. Hmm."
Sona, you know this Matriarch, maybe you can help us get an audience with her. Where can we find her....
She leaves the question hanging.
The cat blinks back. And yes you do know this Matriarch, but she was not the Matriarch last time you looked. She must have gone up in life. Which in the halls of Elvish power means over a pile of dead bodies.
"True...but she wasn't Matriarch last I knew of her, and our connection isn't a good one. I'm not sure what methods she has to connect us to the plane that we wish to go to, but she's certainly wealthy enough to afford planar travel...and that was back then. Now, being matriarch, I'd imagine she's even wealthier and has much more at her disposal. Such a person shouldn't be too hard to find" "...just follow the dead bodies they've trampled over to get to where they are..." she thinks but refrains herself from saying as much with Madam Tia and Viri there. That characteristic wasn't true to those women, but on some planes of existence, elves could be brutal. In any case, she doesn't wish to offend.
She waits patiently for the answer to her questions, focusing on the General Archivist instead of the silly cat.
Viri steeples her fingers as she absorbs all of the information. "If the exit pills were used separately, then we can presume that they were isolated. We should avoid this if we can. And be ready for trouble if we cannot avoid it."
She'll glance over at Sona to see if there's anything else she wants to add.
With Viri's glance at her, she smirks, "Alright...so I know exactly where she is and what plane she's on." Sona really dislikes revealing personal connections with her past. Even still, they do not know she has a sister after so many years. "I keep general tabs on such...individuals. I can lead us there."
He seems happy with this,
"Well if that is all, I suggest you get yourselves ready and head to the plane's shift chambers."
Behind him the ladies aviator stands, Cat jumping off and jumping onto Viri lap.
"Thank you Archivist General, if you would be so kind as to let me have a private word with this team I would be most thankful"
The Archivist General seems a little putout but bows and opining the door back's out still bowing. Saying
"As you wish my Lady"
Once the door closes the Aviator holds up a hand and the walls shine silver.
"There we can not be overheard not even by the Archivist General's hidden devices."
She takes his now-vacant seat,
"Before you head off on this mission I wanted to impart to you some information about the research that was being undertaken at your final destination."
She hold up a hand in by some unknown means a 3d form comes into being before you.
"What you are looking at is an artifact of great power. It was found in the void by some of my scouts. Quit unexpectily. Do you have any idea what it is?"
"Hello" she whispers to the cat. She gently strokes along her back as she focuses on the strange image.
You think it may have something to do with PLanes, but much bigger, something really important, you just cant put your finger on it.
Lilandra once again drops into her trance as she observes the object.
"Well it looks like an egg. But the question is then what bird is inside. Could it be a miniature demi-plane or the home of a creature ? Melani, do you have any idea ?"
The pen on the table turns back into its dragon form. It flies up and around the projected image before landing on Tia's shoulder. The two of them stat conferring in a mixture of draconic and elven.
With the image in your mind, you mull over what it may be, then an obscure scroll comes to your recollection. It talked of a thing called a cosmic Seed, something made by beings and powers beyond even gods, 11 Dimensional entities that crafted these extremely short-lived containers so powerful that held within them not just a single plane or Demi-plane but an entire cosmos, countless stars, worlds galaxies that could if it had the right balances have an age of 10 to the power of 60 to 100. A breathtakingly long time. Not only that this prime plane would have all its offshoot multi-planes as well, from elemental to Good/Evil Chaos and law and all in-between. This was a Seed to create all.
"But that wasn't all," she thinks. "He must be getting old, or he doesn't want to answer my questions?"
For some reason, the Archivist General avoided her two questions, which perturbed her a little as they were important to know. Perhaps the Lady was going to answer them?
"I have no clue," she answers simply. Her eyes look to the more brilliant of their team for potential answers. "If they don't know, I'd be surprised." There seems to be some guessing and toss back and forth on what it is. Sona sits there patiently while the girls work on it.
The avatar of the lady looks at Sona as if she knows what she is thinking.
"He is not getting old he is just doing what I asked. As for answers. All in good time."
Lilandra emerges from her trance, Truly, marvellous, a Cosmic Seed. What connection does this have to our mission?
The Lady's Aviator sat back and says to herself.
"So I was right, you had seen the scroll Lilandra. Good now I know I picked the right team for this."
She seemed to be lost in thought a moment then spoke.
"The suspected cosmic seed was the subject of my research team's work in Beron. Why not here you're asking yourselves. Well simply Secrecy. If word of such an artifact had got out every power-hungry nut job within a million plane would have been hammering on my door. And note my words suspected cosmic seed. so sending it and my team looking into it as far away as I could seem'ed like a very good idea."
You had never seen this before but the Lady seemed vexed.
"Then I lost contact with the research team. I suspected the worst. Sending in an Alpha team was a logical step, and then they... well we know what happened."
The image of the city and the thing over it came back in front of you.
"I really do not know if giving you this task is a good or bad idea, but my options are limited. I myself can not leave this plane. And the only real source of information about a cosmic seed was a scroll taken by the research team. Luckily I checked the records on who had booked it out for study and Lilandra's name was the only other outside of..."
The image moved to show 5 faces.
"The five active members of my research team."
Names and addresses ran under the images.
1: Lironda Lopex - Research Team leader
2: Vok Almack - Mythic law specialist
3: Master Oliandro - custodian of the Archive related to only known Scroll about the seed.
4: Grad mage Wilf - Mathimagion specialist in 11-dimensional math
5: Uolt Tillmar head Student to The Palatine Eye, Chief Librarian of the Golden Lattice,
Ex- Research team member
6: Ashkren Duvalier - Who found the seed [Current location unknown]
As the images had played through the Lady added.
"You asked about rules of engagement, They are simple, you have complete autonomy to set them yourselves. To start the investigation where you feel fit. And now access authorization by me to all active records related to this investigation."
4 Small wallets come into being in from of you, one each. Each holds a badge indicating the rank of a special investigator within the lady's realm.
"As for help to stop what befell the Alpha team. Alpha 9 did not know about the subject of the research teams' work. They simply went in to make contact with a lost research team acting on the assumption they were friendly. I suggest you don't. Act as if the research team has been compromised. Outside of that, there is little more I can do other than what I have just done. I need not tell you this is a need to know the only mission, Hence me briefing you myself. As for as anyone outside of the room is concerned. You're just investigating the loss of an Alpha team on a backwater plane. So be mindful not to give away more than that. Use extreme caution, trust no one but yourselves and me. Any Questions?"
Sona shifts in her seat when the Lady clearly knows her thoughts. She suspected a goddess might, but this confirms it. When asked again, she asks her initial question once more:
"Is there anything we can bring with us to help us bolster our communications so we have something to transmit? Assuming that their own communications weren't sabotaged from within."
She will lean forward and take the bags in front of her.
The Lady thinks a moment.
"We have been thinking on that, there is a device from the Lattice wars that was designed to get past even a god blocked plane, I have just sent for it. It may work but it takes time to charge before sending so you can only use it once a week a believe. For about 30 seconds. But for any plane that is not blocked presses your recall sigil, and think comms someone this end will open a line."
"That is good. What is out timescale? Clearly, we will act with expediency, but I'd like to do some research into these things before we leap there. Perhaps we can find out the 'why' this happened before even arriving. This may help us be better prepared for what we find."
She glances to the cat in Viri's lap and then back to the lady.
She nods
"The mean thing is I don't want to lose you as well, and as far as I can see there is no danger other than our research team locked off on a plane where the Alpha team died. For all, we know the research team may all be dead as well. They did not have exit pills. And the only contact we had with them was when they had something report. I'm happy to supply you with the three reports they filed. But I warn you there is little in them that hints at anything going wrong."
A folder comes into being in front of the lady and she hands out each report.
Report 1:
Just outlines Schdeals of setting up a research land and costings.
Report 2:
Outlines local hires the basic tests done on the item in the 1st few months.
Report 3:
Outlines working theses and planned tests to be done on the Object.
"Very good point, Sona. And thanks for being forthright, My Lady. If I understand correctly, the most important point is finding the research team and what happened with this artifact. Of course, we'll look into the issue with Team Alpha 9 but the first two points should lead us to unraveling the whole thing."
Let me have a look at the report of the tests, maybe Melani and I can figure something. Tia starts reading through, taking a few notes here and there and conversing with Melani.
"I think I have something. It helps I know some of the people who have written that one I think. That part is typically the way Master Olandro writes."
"Oh, and before we jump to the rest. I think you should all know I worked with Master Olandro for quite some time a few years ago. So if we find them I should be able to see if there's anything wrong with him. I don't think I ever worked or met the other four members. Do any of you know them ?", she asks.
"And if we keep on this subject, maybe we could pay a visit to their offices or homes. You told us they may have been compromised somehow. Could it be possible that this happened before they left?"
The lady nods
"The artifact was found sometime before the research team was assembled and some of them had access to it while it was here so, yes they could have been"
In the meany tests, they had planned most Arena in nature. A single one that seems out of place. One suggested by Master Olandro it seems as it's in his hand. A planned test whereby the city-wide Psionic grid was to be linked to the artifact.
Viri goes through the reports. "It is also possible that if the team was captured by enemies, or if one betrayed the others, then the reports may be falsified"
From what you can see Viri Report 1 seems fine.
The rogue nods at Madam Tia concerning her involvement with Master Orlando. She is, however, silent on the subject of who else was on the research team.
"I hope those poor people aren't dead," she thinks about the research team, forgetting that the Avatar can read her thoughts. It is a side of Sona that few know and see. There also is a slight bit of rage building within that will turn to wrath when she begins to find out who to blame in all of this if there is such a being or group. She hopes that there is not and this is all a big misunderstanding, but it is not likely to be so with the death of so many of their Alphas.
"I was seeing some patterns in the nobility concerning increased travel certain connected planes with close jump points. Does that help connect any dots for you all? I have no problem checking out these people's homes or offices. Family may not want us to, but this is more important."
Lilandra raises an eyebrow at the mention of the Palatine Eye. Interesting, we know of Tilmar's Professor, maybe we shall pay him a quick visit in Axis if we have the time.
She picks up the various dossiers and scans through them, muttering to herself as she does so.
Do we know anything about this Ashkren Duvalier, have attempts been made to locate him magically? We can use a Discern Location if we think that is likely to be of help although we suspect he will be shielded. We would also suggest that we search the quarters of the research team here, we might find something of use.
Tia raises her head from the file on the plans suggested by the research team:
"I'm all for looking at the quarters of the research team. And I suggest we start with those of master Oliandro. I know where both his office and lodgings are."
She point to a page on the file and passes it around: "Look here, all the research suggested is Arcana based. Except that one item: it proposed to 'link' the baby universe to the psychic grid of the city, whatever that is. This is going off the grid and was suggested by Oliandro himself."
She considers Lilandra last suggestion as well. "As for Ashkren Duvalier, it also a good idea. I'm no good at scrying in any form but if we find ourselves stuck after our first search on the research team, we have that option. I still suppose that if no one knows where he is, it means he is protected against scrying. A strong enough arcane caster can do it."