From up on the roof, Heward and Awgin see Captain Percival making his way towards HQ. He spots you up on the roof and offers you a quick salute before heading inside.
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"Potions of see invisibility aren't cheap, Doctor, and despite everything, your division does still have a budget to take into account...but I'll see what I can do. Plan on some mundane means as well, just in case. Give your list to Mrs. Brigglespan - you can rest assured that if it's obtainable, you'll have it."
"I see," Percival says gravely. "A thorough search will be made. No officer of the City Watch...will be left to that. Ever. Nor will one be allowed to remain blinded, Mr. Dublaine." He pulls a notebook out of his pocket, writes something on a page and tears it out, folding it and laying it on the table. "The City Watch has a standing arrangement with the Church of Abadar here in Magnimar for such services. Take that writ to the temple and they'll take care of you." "I sense that you're all feeling a bit beat down, it's understandable, but misplaced. From what I can see, in one day, you identified your perpetrator, tracked him, fought with him, found him to be far more powerful than you had any reason to believe, still managed to fight him off, gather crucial intelligence on his capabilities and plans, and prevent hundreds of deaths in Lowcleft from a falling building. Next time you encounter him, you'll be prepared for his invisibility and elemental summoning, and I'm confident that you'll defeat him." He stands up, pushing his chair back. "I am sorry for the loss of your friend and comrade. That kind of loss hurts, even when you've only known each other for a day. A proper memorial will be arranged, but for now, you have a monster to catch. I will pave the way with Lord Millis to be more forthcoming and receptive. If he is responsible for all this, nothing I can say or do will help you, but if he's just an innocent buffoon (well, innocent of this at least), perhaps it will be enough to get you in the door. The man is arrogant and proud (most nobles are), and he is one of the most powerful men in the city, so tread carefully." "You're all doing well. I chose well when I picked you. Now chin up and kill the bastard for Lady Trace."
Captain Percival listens intently, asking how you tracked down Veristan's next target, and if you think Lord Millis is in danger of being next. He pries you for details on Veristan's capabilities, too. After awhile, he asks annoyedly, "Will Lady Trace not be joining us, or is she catching up on her sleep?"
"The Watch doesn't have anyone on staff who can do such a thing, but we have a standing deal with the church of Abadar for such needs. I will give you a writ that you can take there, and they will help you. Have no fear. You have all done excellent work, even if the scoundrel managed to escape. From what you tell me, this was the work of a careful plan and considerably more resources than we had even suspected before. I'm certain that next time, you will be even more prepared and successful. If that building had fallen over the cliff, hundreds of lives would have been lost. Again, excellent work. If you can get confirmation out of your prisoner that Mikobar is heading towards Lord Millis next, that should elicit you at least a little bit of cooperation from the man."
"And you have no idea why these Varisians sought to hinder you?"
"I wish you had consulted me before heading off to Millis Manor, but I suppose you had no way of knowing. Certain members of the Council of Ushers, enemies of the Lord Mayor mostly, were opposed to the creation of this unit. I'm not sure why, though the reason may be as simple as if the Lord Mayor wants a thing, Lord Millis and his supporters oppose it out of principle. Then, within days of losing the battle and the unit being created, MSI shows up on their doorstep with an admittedly wild story about tattooed Shoanti and ancient relics he just happens to possess. He's going to assume your visit was part of some "rub it in his face" hazing slash harassment, probably orchestrated by myself, or the Lord Mayor as some sort of childish ploy." The captain sighs. "As much as he hates me, he won't refuse an audience request, though he'll stall and make me wait a day out of spite, but I'll get you in to actually see him and make him understand this isn't some ploy. However, Bannock was being truthful to you. Closed Council sessions can't be interrupted for many reasons."
"Well, I'm sure Ms. Caumlo will want to examine the morgue and alchemy lab. The morgue has been magically chilled to better aid in preservation of bodies. You also have a refitted carriage at your disposal which contains a cargo slab underneath, designed to allow transportation of bodies - we figured such a thing would come up eventually, and it has. You'll also need these." He hands everybody a leather wallet, each of which contains a metal badge marked MSI. "These will get you most places in the city. Maybe not the Lord-Mayor's privy, but almost all else. They mark you as a rank of "Inspector", which is a new rank we've introduced just for you. It puts you between a constable and a sergeant." "However, if there's nothing else you need from me, I'll let you get to it. Good luck, and please keep me in the loop on any new developments." If there is nothing more, he departs.
Captain Percival doesn't look best pleased at Reinhold's tardiness, but says nothing, other than a, "Well, I guess I shall let you get to work. Keep me in the loop with what you find," and he departs.
"Well then, Dr. Lynch, have a look. We've arrived." You arrive at a square, two-storey garrison building, with the MSI logo above the main door, and enter into a small reception area. Behind the desk, you see a matronly, grandmotherly woman, her white hair pulled back in a tight bun. She looks up and smiles. "Why Ilar. Good morning to you. These must be our new recruits." "Indeed. Good morning, Mrs. Brigglespan." Turning to the others, he says, "This building has been outfitted specifically for your unit. Upstairs, you'll find sleeping chambers. On the main floor are offices, a conference room, a kitchen, a fully-stocked alchemy lab, and a corpse examining room kept magically chilled to aid in preservation. Use them as you see fit."
Answering Eudonius' questions, Percival says, "Both were not. The West Naos Market is in Naos district, obviously the west end of it, and Irefoot Hall is in Bridgeward, about a five minute walk from here. The body is still at the scene, but you have a carriage for your use. There's a cargo platform underneath for transporting bodies - we figured it would come up sooner or later. Interview whomever you need."
Percival nods. "By all means, settle yourselves in. The Council has provided you with a fully equipped alchemy lab, Ms. Caumlo, enough for all your investigation needs. The City will also provide you with materials to manufacture alchemical substances, provided they are for official business, of course, and that you don't burn the city down making barrels of alchemist's fire." The last sentence is made with a bit of a chuckle.
"Well, why don't you have a look for yourselves. Here we are." You arrive at a square, two-storey garrison building, with the MSI logo above the main door, and enter into a small reception area. Behind the desk, you see a matronly, grandmotherly woman, her white hair pulled back in a tight bun. She looks up and smiles. "Why Ilar. Good morning to you. These must be our new recruits." "Good morning, Mrs. Brigglespan." Percival makes the introductions.
"Indeed, Mr. Audalan. As for the cause of the night wtchman's deth, that will be for you to determine, Ms. Caumlo, will it not?"
"Officer Hora, you can have a look at pretty much whatever you want. Here." Percival hands everybody a leather wallet, inside of each are metal badges stamped with MSI. "Those will get you most places in Magnimar. Maybe not the Lord-Mayor's privvy, but most others. Certainly it gets you into a crime scene to talk to the investigator."
"I believe the Chief Building Inspector, Thora Rumblemountain, is currently on the scene at the West Naos Market, still investigating, though the merchants have been given permission this morning to begin sifting through the rubble, at their own risk, or course."
"Blueprints, if they exist for these buildings, may be found at the City Planner's Office in the Civic Building in Keystone. However, the City Building Inspector, Thora Rumblemountain, is currently investigating the West Naos Market site this morning. If there are blueprints, she would likely have them with her there." "Mr. Audalan. Good of you to join us."
"No known connections that we're aware of. West Naos Market was owned by the Coucil of Ushers, Irespan Hall by the business owners it housed. None of the businesses are owned by the same person, neither building was built by the same company or designed by the same architect." "As for people to run the small tasks, yes and no. You do have your secretary Mrs. Brigglespan, who can request files for you and send runners, but she's only one person."
"First, let me show you your facilities. You will need some of the equipment we have provided you there, and will need to know what resources you have available and what you will need me or your secretary to provide for you. Your missing colleague may yet arrive, and can find us there. Shall we?" He gestures for the door. Assuming you consent to leave, he leads the way out, pausing to stop at the front desk to let the sergeant there know where you will be, should your fifth arrive relatively soon. As you walk the short distance to your new building, he tells you a bit about what's happened. "Perhaps you are aware of the collapse of the West Naos Market? It was a building which housed several upscale businesses that inexplicably collapsed in the wee hours of the morning several days ago. It was a newish building, less than fifty years old, so a good deal of mystery surrounds its collapse. The Office of City Planners launched an investigation, but as no one was hurt, the City Watch has stayed out of it."
"That would be the end of it, except early this morning, another building collapsed - Irefoot Hall - again, a collection of upscale businesses, and this time, a man was killed. The businesses of Irefoot Hall had contracted the services of Guards and Wards, a private security firm, and one of those services was the presence of a night guard, who was killed in the collapse. With the death, the City Watch automatically gets on the case, and because of the suspicious nature of the collapse, compared with the other one three days previous, well, that's the kind of thing for which this Unit was created. Your first assignment is to figure out what caused these collapses, if they are related, and ensure that there are no more. Questions?"
"There is indeed a situation, but we do have time to show you your facilities. You will need some of the equipment we have provided you there, and will need to know what resources you have available and what you will need me or your secretary to provide for you. Besides, your missing colleague may yet arrive and find us there. Shall we?" He gestures for the door. Assuming you consent to leave, he leads the way out, pausing to stop at the front desk to let the sergeant there know where you will be, should your fifth arrive relatively soon. As you walk the short distance to your new building, he tells you a bit about what's happened. "Perhaps you are aware of the collapse of the West Naos Market? It was a building which housed several upscale businesses that inexplicably collapsed in the wee hours of the morning several days ago. It was a newish building, less than fifty years old, so a good deal of mystery surrounds its collapse. The Office of City Planners launched an investigation, but as no one was hurt, the City Watch has stayed out of it."
"That would be the end of it, except early this morning, another building collapsed - Irefoot Hall - again, a collection of upscale businesses, and this time, a man was killed. The businesses of Irefoot Hall had contracted the services of Guards and Wards, a private security firm, and one of those services was the presence of a night guard, who was killed in the collapse. With the death, the City Watch automatically gets on the case, and because of the suspicious nature of the collapse, compared with the other one three days previous, well, that's the kind of thing for which this Unit was created. Your first assignment is to figure out what caused these collapses, if they are related, and ensure that there are no more. Questions?"
Before Lady Trace can reply, the hallway door opens again to admit Captain Ilar Percival, followed by a younger man carrying an armful of scrolls. He takes note of your presence and nods. "Ah, good, you're all here." Turning back to the younger man, he says, "Timmins, ha-" "Have the Watchmen secure the scene. Nobody goes in or out of that building until they arrive," the younger man says in perfect time with the Captain. "Right away, sir," Timmins adds, then ducks out after depositing the scrolls onto a table. "It's good to see all of you, though we're missing one" the Captain continues once Timmins has left. He pours himself a cup of coffee, reaches for a pastry, but seeing the trays empty, merely shrugs and wanders over to a chair. "I assume this means you all accept the position. Hopefully, your fifth man will catch up. The desk sarge will tell him where to find us. I'm sure you have tons of questions, and I'll try to answer as many as I can. I wasn't planning on having you start until Sunday, but there's a bit of a situation brewing which is exactly for what this division was created, so we can't afford to wait. I'll take you over to see the old garrison building that we've refitted for your unit, where you'll be staying and taking your meals, and then it'll be straight into the field." "We do have a few minutes for your questions, however, so fire away."
As the conversation dies away into a lull, the hallway door opens again to admit Captain Ilar Percival, followed by a younger man carrying an armful of scrolls. He takes note of your presence and nods. "Ah, good, you're all here." Turning back to the younger man, he says, "Timmins, ha-" "Have the Watchmen secure the scene. Nobody goes in or out of that building until they arrive," the younger man says in perfect time with the Captain. "Right away, sir," Timmins adds, then ducks out after depositing the scrolls onto a table. "It's good to see all of you, though we're missing one" the Captain continues once Timmins has left. He pours himself a cup of coffee, reaches for a pastry, but seeing the trays empty, merely shrugs and wanders over to a chair. "I assume this means you all accept the position. Hopefully, your fifth man will catch up. The desk sarge will tell him where to find us. I'm sure you have tons of questions, and I'll try to answer as many as I can. I wasn't planning on having you start until Sunday, but there's a bit of a situation brewing which is exactly for what this division was created, so we can't afford to wait. I'll take you over to see the old garrison building that we've refitted for your unit, where you'll be staying and taking your meals, and then it'll be straight into the field." "We do have a few minutes for your questions, however, so fire away."
Barin Orcbane: "Just because somebody hasn't devoted themselves to learn weapon fighting doesn't mean they don't fight in their own way. Some fight with words, some with magic, some with just being there."
Grigory Reinhold: "Well, I wouldn't call the Irespan man-made, as I believe it was built by giants."
Lady Tracy Shannon: "Purple unicorn? I see. Well, that's useful I guess."
Rasil Bathbone: "Burly types don't tend to think about stealth and subtlety when they bash doors down."
Simza Caumlo: "Knowledge in medicine, anatomy, and alchemy are all hugely useful skills in this line of work."
Krojun Hora: "Of course the citizens need to be able to trust the Watch, but in the end, it doesn't matter who spills the beans, what matters is that the people see the Watch handling it. In the specific case you mentioned, enough people seemed to buy the cover story that it wasn't a concern. Of course, the beauty of that particular cover story is that it wasn't a lie, or even an evasion, just an incomplete picture. If we had had to 'come clean', it wouldn't have been hard to show the people how the Watch had the situation under control."
Dublaine: Captain Percival eyes the elf sitting across from him up and down, pausing to scan the application form Dublaine filled out earlier. "You indicated here that you hail from Riddleport. Tell me, Dublaine, what brings you to Magnimar?"
Krojun Hora: "Alas, if only the masses could be trusted to keep sensitive information secret. One thing you'll find in life, Officer Hora, is that a person is an amazingly intelligent and resourceful creature, but people are just dumb herd animals. Say word did get out, coming from us no less, an organization of authority and credibility, that a werewolf had attacked a tavern girl in Beacon's Point. How do you think the situation would have unfolded."
Simza Caumlo: "Stodgy clerics and bookish wizards do have useful knowledge to pass on at times, however. I do have need to select a divine spellcaster for this group, but sometimes it's also nice to get the complete package: the spell casting, but also the training in knowledge and diplomacy that often comes from the stodgy clerics. What do you offer to compete with that?"
Barin Orcbane: "I guess it depends on whose heads need motivating and whose need smashing. This MSI team will consist of a very diverse group of individuals. Some may not be warriors. Some may not even be comfortable with combat situations, but still useful and crucial to your success. Is that a problem for you?"
Rasil Bathbone: Percival's eyes go distant for a moment, humour crinkling the skin around his mouth. "As I recall, the first time I had a crossbow pointed at me like that, I didn't carry even as much dignity as you managed. If you were a Watchman, you would have endured months of training to not leap behind a chair at the first sign of a crossbow. But the point of this team is not to find new Watchmen, nor train them to follow our rigid protocols. We have Watchmen for that. You keep your cool, even when I mock and tease. I'm certain that, with practice, your skills at picking locks will improve."
Rasil Bathbone: Percival scratches furiously at his mustache, covering a huge grin. He takes the chest, resets it behind his desk, and gives it back to the gnome. "It's a training device. There's no poison, just a sting." Percival waits patiently while the gnome tries to redeem himself, and is pleasantly surprised when Rasil quickly spots the trap and disables it. The chest lid pops open. It's empty inside. "Very nice, when you take your time. Do people pointing giant crossbows at you tend to make you nervous?"
Dwuręczny Wążdrań: "Dran. I can work with that. Flattery is an interesting tactic for a job interview. I hold no personal prejudices against folks from Riddleport, as I find people tend to find their own way and don't always just blindly follow along with others from the place of their birth. I'm curious, how would you tap into your Riddleport roots here in Magnimar? What styles of law-enforcement from your native city do you see as being useful to you here?"
Grigory Reimhold: "A city is, for all intents and purposes, a living creature. It has its moods, personality, life-sustaining systems. Tell me your impressions of the living beauty named Magnimar."
Simza Caumlo: "I would never underestimate the importance of fore-warning, nor of magical healing. Cure light wounds has saved my bacon more times than I care to count, though whoever came up with the ridiculous names for healing spells could do with some lessons in catchy nomenclature, don't you think?"
Krojun Hora: Percival nods. "Well, tell me something. If you, in your capacity as an MSI operative, discovered a lycanthrope in Magnimar, assuming you and your team successfully dealt with the monster, how would you handle the public relations side of things?"
Lady Tracy Shannon: Tracy doesn't see much to give much away. The man has no family pictures, childish drawings, or anything terribly personal in his office. The desk and chair are plain, soldier-quality, as is the cabinet behind him. The tiny arrow slit of a window lets in enough light to keep one small plant alive. The man also doesn't give much away with his voice or body language. She has no idea whether he's humoring her or not. "So if you have not yet completed your magical studies, what skills would you bring to MSI?"
Rasil Bathbone: Rasil grabs the tools and begins working on the lock. Not long after he first inserts a pick he feels a tiny sting on his hand. A small needle has stuck him.
Barin Orcbane: "No, you do have tenacity, no doubts here. So is that the role you see yourself fulfilling with this group? Protecter, motivator, and head-smasher?"
Krojun Hora: "Fun?" Percival asks, his face dead pan and not indicating either way if he thinks that's a good answer or not. "I can certainly understand the frustration that must come from not being able to close cases because you lacked the resources. Tell me about some of those cases that got labeled 'special'."
Simzi Caumlo: Percival nods. "Yes, I can see that you are not well. Divine inflictions such as yours are not common, but I have heard of the phenomenon before. My primary concern would be that if I did give you a spot on this team, field work would still be expected, in fact, required. You may find yourself in the middle of a melee, possibly magical. Can you handle yourself in such a situation? How could you contribute?"
Lady Tracy Shannon: Tracy doesn't notice anything about the captain or his office which suggest he's anything but what he seems: a career officer, probably of common birth. She's never heard of the Percival family. "The same for me. I haven't seen Kendra since she moved to Sandpoint, and the troubles with her town keep her there, unfortunately. I understand the Sandpoint Heroes brought her here with them once last year, for a private conference with the Lord-Mayor, but she didn't have time to reconnect with old friends. I'm told she's well, however." "So you're studying wizardry. At the Stone itself, or one of the other smaller wizardry schools here in Magnimar?"
Grigory Reinhold: "Hopefully, you won't find any hags within the walls of Magnimar. How much experience do you have in large cities such as this one?"
Simza Caumlo (revised from earlier): Percival looks taken aback by Simza's question, and shuffles papers for a few moments as he formulates a reply. "The Arvensoar? No, sorry, I know some of its history: the stone for its construction had been quarried from the Irespan itself, resting spot of angels, Magnimaran-Varisian unity, stuff like that. But the Arvensoar is not a City Watch building. Sure, we have a garrison of Watchmen there, and use the Summit-Shore shortcut like the army does, but it's mainly a fortress for Magnimar's army. Are you sure it wasn't the military you wanted to apply to?"
Rasil Bathbone: "I see," Percival says as Rasil confesses lock-picking knowledge. When Rasil finishes, Percival opens a drawer in a cabinet behind him and pulls out a small chest. Fiddling with a few things out of view behind his desk, he plops the chest down on the desk, and says, "Open that." Fishing inside his own coat, he pulls out a set of masterwork thieves' tools. "In case you didn't bring your own."
Rasil Bathbone: "Next? I'd love for you to tell me what skills you have besides keen eyes and gnomish magic tricks. I'd also like to hear about what you did for a living before throwing in you lot with the Magnimar City Watch."
Grigory Reinhold: "Well, when you get yours, let me know so I can expect mine, too. So you have experience investigating mysterious disappearances? Tell me about it."
Rasil Bathbone: Will save: Percival chuckles, and Rasil hears the sound of the crossbow being put away. "Very nice, indeed, although if I may suggest, next time, something more believable like a knock at the door might be more appropriate. Please forgive my rather unorthodox questioning. I beg of you to return to your seat and I promise no more theatrics."
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