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"That's...that's not how you drink the mutagen. I'll be surprised if any of it goes in."
Alika hands over the mutagen. While Petal talks to the Clerk, Alika prepares to Clue In anyone else doing the talking.
"That's...that's not how you drink the mutagen. I'll be surprised if any of it goes in."
Kamzask makes a series of short hisses that you realize is the equivalent of giggling at Alika's observation. Perhaps a more forceful approach would be better.
Mar'goth leans towars Alika "I think tinkerbell have troubles getting her point across, do you want to try?"
Drinking.
Drinking?
With the mouth. Mouth!
Ingesting the liquid with the mouth! That's what other people do!
Everyone's staring.
Think!
Act cute!
"It's a lot of liquid for me to drink..." Petal Sakura smiles nervously.
Gund hurries up to the clerk, "Apologies! I was checking on some posies I planted before I left. Not watered properly!"
"Can we get in, old chum? Been in there a hundred times, so no harm in it."
"Ah, 384C, I believe," Gund gives the number for Caelios' apartment. "The old Restreto Building. Groans like an old fishwife whenever the wind blows."
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At this point, the gnome's face falls. "Oooh that one. That's Caelios' unit. All hush-hush and all. I'm not s'posed to let anyone into that one pending the investigation. We don't know where he's gotten to so the Headmaster tells me ta not let anyone inside 'til he comes back an' tells further what possessed him to raise Ileosa's ghost in Kendall Plaza. Tell ya what though. 'Coz we're old mates, I'll letcha in but I'll need the key back in a few hours or I'll get into hot water."
You get the key and head to the apartment.
The apartment looks lived-in but tidy. A search reveals no indication that Caelios packed up and left, nor are there any signs of a struggle.
Before searching the room, Alika draws from her replenishing vials, Quick Alchemies up a Serene Mutagen and chugs it down.
"Woah...I feel, calm and wide open and stuff, dude...and dudettes..." The Alchemist says, fully relaxed. With nothing else on (or in) her mind, she gets to work searching the apartment.
With her mind "serene", Alika searches the room more intently than she's ever searched anything before.
"Dude...and dudettes...check out this spellbook...Like, it's totally uncool and stuff for wizards to leave that behind, man...It's, like reaaaaal sussy behaviour..." Alika hands the book over to the others.
"Like...if none of you want to read it, I totally could...I was like, in the Acadamae and stuff..."
Alika Quick Alchemies up a Greater Cognitive Mutagen and quaffs it before trying to Decipher Writing on the Spellbook.
Unlike some of the others, Kamsazk didn't really know what would normally be in a student's room, but he tries to take a look around. It's not the first time, but he's reminded how different the lives of city folk were from his own on the farm. "We should try not to really disturb much, right?" He spots a pile a dirty clothes and wrinkles his nose at the smell. He gingerly lifts an item or two with his staff.
"What do we know about Caelios himself? Is there any reason why he would want to pull such a prank?"
Hopefully no one's asking Petal Sakura to be discreet. She's humming her way through the dormitory, waving hello to anyone who notices her.
Stupid Gnome not paying attention to me!
They reach Caelios's room and she's tempted to stick out her tongue and blow a raspberry at the Gnome. She got her way in the end after all.
But first thing's first. A Search.
Alika finds a spellbook. Which is useful. Petal Sakura doesn't understand what the words mean. It's like these Wizards learned how to write scrolls like druids but got the wrong message and overdid it. That's civilization in a nutshell.
"Alika, I'll never understand how you young folks speak! A dude sounds like an Arcadian cattle herder, and you know I don't hold with livestock," Gund grumbles.
Mar'goth would join in reading the spellbook
"Is there anything that could have brought back the dead queen?" says the monk looking at the plush finishing of the dormitory
"When I was training at monastery, we were sleeping on the ground, how can you advance towards perfection with all this luxury around you?"
Alika looks at the man, then at the spellbook in her hand.
"@#$! We've been found out." She thinks to herself.
She looks to Gund, the most Charismatic member of the party and hopes that he has something to say to disarm the situation.
When the knock comes, Kamzask is leaning over with a pair of pants hanging form his staff like a limp flag. He immediately looks towards the window to see if they should make an escape. Or if others are coming to surround them.
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"I might ask you the same question" Veracruz retorts.
And folds his arms, narrowing his eyebrows into a stern gaze, examining the man.
~) Biographical Eye w/ Society (M) +22
"Now, now! This is all on the up and up. We're looking into some mild shenanigans involving a possible prank, and we were told that there might be clues here," Gund tries to diffuse the situation.
"What they said!" Petal Sakura, still sloshed on the alchemical beverage she drank and bereft of any Stealth, wobbles up to the newcomer.
"I'm Petal Sakura! Pleased to meet you!"
As you search the room, you suddenly hear a tap-tapping on the door. Looking up, you see an anxious looking man at the door. "Well met, may I ask who you are and what you're doing here?"
Mar'goth stands between Alika and the doors trying to cover her and the fact that she holds a spellbook.
The monk listens to conversation between Gund and the new commer
"Well, I'm returning on a consultancy basis, as so many people do," Gund answers his former boss. "Someone still needs to clean up things around here."
"The Queen asked us to investigate the situation here."
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Seeing Gund relax and get familiar with this man, Alika moves out of the shadows and has a closer look too.
Upon realising that that's the same headmaster who probably expelled her, she shrinks back into the shadows and puts on her helmet in the hopes that he won't recognise the former Acadamae student.
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The man tsks and nods. "Bad business. Bad business this is. Especially the hit to the Acadamae's reputation. To have one of our students implicated in this is appalling. So who are these people? What's that you have there young la- " his voice trailing off as he notices something familiar. "My stars. Can it be?" His voice suddenly takes on a hard tone as he rounds on Gund. "Gund, I think I will demand an explanation for this. You investigating something for the Queen I can accept. But what is this ... abomination ... doing here?!"
He points to Alika
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Completely embarassed, Alika pulls the helmet over her head tighter and doesn't say a word...
Kamzask hisses and moves between the headmaster and Alika. "Hey, now. Whatever history you may have with her, she is here to help us. We brought her here. Besides, it's one of your current students that is now of interest."
He motions to the room. "Now, what can you tell us about Caelios? What happened with the prank and do you know where he is now?"
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"You ask a lot of questions, sir" Veracruz gets involved as well "As we wouldn't want to interfere with an investigation sanctioned by the crown, it's in everybody's best interest to keep personal matters aside, and to focus on what is important. So, I bid you to remember what is at stake, and to cooperate to the best of your ability"
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"Ah, Headmaster, you are diplomatic and forethinking as always," Gund responds.
He whispers to Alika, "I'll take care of this dunderhead."
"Please let me introduce my colleagues: This is Veracruz, an expert in investigation and from as fine a family as you could wish. I hear they are have donated quite a bit to the finest academic institutions in Ustalav.
"And Kamzask, a veteran trainer with the Korvosan Guard. Positively bashes crime in its tracks.
"The tall fellow over there is Mar'goth Iron-fist, faithful monk of Mahja Firehair. I hear he's the only one who can give Kamzask a run for his money."
"Petal Sakura is a visiting researcher. I think a sociologist, perhaps, but as you know, I'm more of a hands-on dwarf, so I get those pesky academic disciplines confused at times."
Gund ushers the headmaster gently toward the door, "Now, I'm sure you have 1,000 things to do today, so we'll let you get to the next vital administrative task."
As soon as the Headmaster mentions abomination and gestures towards Alika, Petal Sakura feels her sap boil. Already the weeds in the room are calling to her. It's a pain, a dismissal that's too familiar.
She is seething as Gund sweeps in and begins sweeping the headmaster away.
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Surprisingly, the Headmaster isn't swayed by Gund's dismissal. "Unfortunately, Gund, I'm not to be dismissed that easily. See, I caught wind of some group, assuming it was you, make inquiries about Caelios. I assumed you wanted to look into his apartment and find you here."
He gestures at Alika, speaking sternly, though not hostile, "I remember you're the one who cast an uncontrolled polymorph to one-up your classmates. You were told never to use prepared arcane magic ever again. What are you doing with a spellbook, then? It appears I caught you red-handed!"
Alika gathers her courage and retorts.
"W-well actually Headmaster, I'm p-part of the investigation arranged by the Queen. I-I-I was looking for any illusion or summoning spells in Caelios' spellbook so that we could determine if he was behind the sightings of former Queen Illeosa! Never casted a prepared arcane spell since the accident, h-h-honest!" She half-protests, half-explains her magical theory.
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"Very well, I shall believe you. For now. Seeing that you appear to have done well since your days at the Acadamae. Since we appear to be investigating a similar incident, perhaps we can put our differences aside for now. I am Headmaster Ornelos. There are greater perils facing Korvosa than ghosts. If I may, I can peruse his spellbook and see if he has the spells you are looking for?"
Relieved, Alika hands over the spellbook to the Headmaster with trembling hands.
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Headmaster Ornelos leafs through the spellbook. "Interesting, " he muses, "His spells consist of: comprehend language, dancing lights, detect magic, dimension door, dispel magic, floating disk, fly, levitate, mage hand, prestidigitation, read aura, slow, stinking cloud, summon construct, summon elemental, and unseen servant."
"He's made notes here about methods of attracting a house drake as a familiar. Seems that Caelios was part of a trend that favors Korvosa's house drake as a wizardly companion. Can't say I blame him."
The Headmaster turns to the last page. On it is a sketch of an elderly man with penetrating eyes, a long thin beard, and a wooden staff carved with strange runes that look almost, but not quite, like characters in Infernal. A brief caption scribbled nearby asks in Common, "Who is he? Why did he ask me to take the blame?"
"Those...those don't sound like spells capable of summoning a ghost or an illusion to me, Headmaster. An Unseen Servant spell probably isn't strong enough to fake the appearance of the Queen...I think." Alika offers her opinion, unsure of herself. It's been years since she had to cast any Arcane Prepared Magic.
Alika ingests a Greater Cognitive Mutagen, generated using Quick Alchemy from her Versatile Vials before taking a closer look at the man.
Alika raises a blue eyebrow upon seeing the sketch of the elderly man. Something about him seems familiar.
Just in time, her eyes dart to Headmaster Ornelos. Alika notices that for a brief second, Headmaster Ornelos was visibly started upon seeing the image.
"Headmaster...d-do you know this man, too?" Alika blurts out, startled.
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Headmaster Ornelos sighs. "Yes, that is my great-uncle, Volshyenek Ornelos. He is the original founder of the Acadamae. Perhaps I should start at the beginning. This is, of course, highly irregular. I trust that you will be discrete about this?" He looks to each of you for confirmation.
He does look extremely impressed at Alika. "You have indeed, done well for yourself! Refresh my memory please -- your name is, what, again?"
This fuddy duddy is distracting Petal Sakura from connecting the dots. Old man? Grandfather? Founded this school?
"Who is he? Why did he ask me to take the blame?"
"Is Volshyenek Ornelos still alive? How could he ask Caelios? How could Caelios see him well enough to draw him this accurately?"
She takes a deep breath. "Maybe Caelios was tricked, too."
Kamzask does a hard lean against his staff but towards the Headmaster. "Did your great-uncle have any connection to Caelios? Or to the former queen?"
He nods at Petal. "We are still assuming this was an illusion prank. But if the spirits are real, then would there be any reason why he would appear to Caelios?"