Tippyverse '84: Hounds of the Magi (IC)

[Nathan W]

Raven retroactively follows through the portal

[Tavar]

Didn't we get permission before we left? Or was the portal only intended to get us here?

[Eurus]

Mirra sighs, muttering something about not having time for this. "Alright, looks like we are bugging the Operator. Hey!"

She marches determinedly over to the platform, and tries to get the man's attention. "Operator, this is SSAT operative Mirra Voss, requesting permission to view the treasury immediately. Reason to believe that its security may be compromised, due to evidence found only moments ago that I'm sure you're familiar with already. We wish to investigate."

[Kallisti]

"The Committee has sealed the Victory Grand Treasury until further notice, pending reinventory and investigation. You will be kept apprised of any and all pertinant information that falls within your security clearance level."

[Tavar]

So....what should we do then? The whole point of coming here was to examine the treasury. Do we have any other leads?

[Kobold-Bard]

W'den

"Have there been any reports a sudden spending spree, specifically in areas that Narron may have an interest? It may be possible to follow the spending trail back to his associates."

[Nathan W]

"We could ask our superiors if they have any other leads we should be following."

[Milskidasith]

Considering the protocol surrounding such an event, we're probably more likely to get information asking Narron directly.

[Eurus]

Mirra seems to half-consider Bryan's joking suggestion, but apparently decides against it. "Well then, we return to our previous assignment and start looking for Narron's goons and lines of communication. If we can't cut off the head, we'll just have to strike the body."

[Virgo]

Phenex nods. "Indeed. But where do we begin?"

[Tavar]

Are the attacks heavier in any particular areas?It might indicate Narron is trying to cover something.

[Kobold-Bard]

W'den

"Or it might indicate he wants us to believe that he's covering something. Frankly in this instance we might as well roll a die to decide where to go, for all the good it will do us against this lunatic."

[Eurus]

"We could go back to Hopefulness, where it all started. I'm sure CrimeThInc has operatives in most cities, so anywhere we go we'll undoubtedly find something to do."

[Milskidasith]

*bump*....

[Virgo]

Phenex nods and turns to the imp.

"It seems that we will be forced to operate with only the logistical support you can provide for us. Please search all the recent reports of the attacks and cross-reference the locations with the number of suspected CrimeThInk operatives in the area, then scan those suspect files for positions or specialties relevant to that specific insurgency. If operatives are directly involved, the nature of a given attack might lead us to a suspect that we can locate and interrogate. Open a portal to the location when you find a probable match."

[Kallisti]

"Scanning...scanning....scanning...Located: Fiesty Mug Tavern, believed to be point of appearance for a number of swarms of bloodmoths, also searched a grand total of three times as a suspected speakeasy where thoughtcriminal propaganda was created and dispensed, although no conclusive evidence was turned up in any search and charges were eventually dropped. Open portal?"

[Eurus]

Mirra shakes her head. "No, open the portal to elsewhere in the city. It sounds like the people there are already the 'usual suspects.' With all the chaos that's been going on right now, they're sure to expect a visit. If we barge in, we'll accomplish nothing. We should probably try to be subtle."

[Kallisti]

"Desired coordinates, Agent Voss?"

[Eurus]

"If nobody else has a better idea, drop us off in the SSAT headquarters there. It's not safe, of course, but I don't know of anywhere that is at this point."

[Virgo]

Phenex purses his lips. He did in fact have a better idea; Agent Voss' opinion apparently differed on the matter, though.

[Milskidasith]

The SSAT headquarters sound good; while Narron is no doubt attacking there, smaller criminals probably won't think it wise to attack, so we can at least have a bit of a breather by going there.

[Kallisti]

"As you command, Agent."

A shimmering portal with an oak frame appears out of thin air as the imp bows slightly. Through it, you see the standardized waiting room of a SSAT HQ.

[Eurus]

Oblivious to Phenex's unvoiced objections, Mirra confidently strides through the portal, gun in hand.

[Kallisti]

There are at least a dozen people in the robes of SSAT Battlemages on the other side, pointing Metamagic Rods at you. "Authorization and ID. Now."

[Virgo]

"Phenex Naberius, Mirra Voss, Brian O'Taslin, Raven Sable, Aldric Shadowsift, Halistar, and W'den Orthodos, with associated psicrystals and Qualues, mirror imp assigned us pursuant to SSAT Mission 134346-C; track and contain followers of thought criminal Narron."

Phenex shows whatever passes for identification in a high-magic state and waits for approval.

[Kallisti]

"Everything appears to be in order. State your business."

[Virgo]

"Discovery and apprehension of CrimeThInc operatives; the overt attacks may allows us to catch some red-handed, as it were."

[Kallisti]

"Well, you're welcome to try, but there aren't too many left here. Big Brother and the Committee started deploying the Shadesteel Golems. All that's left to clean up are his undead."

[Milskidasith]

Bryan frowns slightly, speaking with a bit of annoyance in his voice.

Undead? My talents are somewhat wasted on undead... even the intelligent ones are immune to most of my telepathy.

[Kallisti]

"Tell that to Narron."

[Eurus]

"I'm sure that any competent operatives of his would have the sense to be well clear of the attacks, and by extension the golems."

Lowering her voice to talk to the rest of the team without letting the whole building hear, she speaks again. "Anyway, I think we were heading to a place called the Feisty Mug, right? I doubt we could get in undercover without instantly being recognized, so we may have to do this the old-fashioned way, with a stakeout. I'm open to alternate ideas, though, if anyone has any."

[Tavar]

Why would going in undercover be difficult? If it's that people there know some of us, perhaps I can help: I've rarely left the lab, so I doubt anyone there would know me.

[Eurus]

Mirra shakes her head. "No, I think it's more that they probably know everyone who has any reason to be there, so no matter what we look like, we'll stick out like a sore thumb just for being newcomers. At a time like this, they'd be fools not to guess that we're SSAT."

[Tavar]

Hallistar nods his head at Mirra's words, then hefts his maul, gently tapping it his hand with it. True. In any case, kicking in the door was always one of my strong suits.

[Virgo]

Phenex picks his piscrystal off his shoulder and lets it scamper over his hand. "Delightful. Shall we move out?"

[Eurus]

Mirra shrugs. "Sure. We can watch the place for a bit, get a feel for who the regulars are, then try to bring a few of them in for questioning. They probably won't know much about Narron himself, but if we can use them to find more of his operatives, I'll call that a success."

"Hey," she asks one of the battlemages, "do you know where this place is?"

[Kallisti]

"Never heard of it."

[Eurus]

Realizing that Qalues was probably the only useful source of information around, she addresses him instead. "Alright, do you know where it is?"

[Kallisti]

"At the corner of Turnpike Lane and Goldcobble Road."

[Eurus]

"...Why don't you lead us there? Or to the street, at least."

[Kallisti]

"Follow me, Agent Voss."

The imp's mirror hovers into the air and begins to float off at a brisk walking pace.

[Eurus]

Pleased to finally be getting somewhere, she follows.

[Virgo]

Phenex follows as well, engaging Mirra in conversation.

"So, Agent Voss. Before we find ourselves in a combat situation, I must confess myself curious... What is your specialty? Your file alludes to some sort of ballistic device called the Paladin. I'm unfamiliar with both weaponry and arcana, and thus found the technical details outside my understanding."

He looks mildly chagrined to admit such a thing.

[Eurus]

Mirra's mouth twists into a smirk, perhaps at the ever-confident Phenex admitting his lack of knowledge or perhaps simply from a moment of self-reflection. Smoothly, she reaches down to a leather holster at her side (rather like a holster for an oversized dagger) and pulls up some sort of handheld wood-and-metal device, roughly L-shaped. A hole is bored in the end that is apparently pointed at the target, and the entire gadget is covered with faintly-etched runes and symbols representing various elemental forces.

"This is Paladin. A combination of magic and science. It packs a decent punch, about the same as a heavy crossbow, but it's smaller and easier to shoot one-handed. Bit less range, though; it's powered by steam. It's unique, as far as I know; I hear a gnome artificer made something similar a few years back, but it was about the size of a horse and designed more for leveling buildings than personal use."

She chuckles at the memory as she reholsters the strange weapon. "It was my teacher's, before he gave it to me. As for my specialty..."

She chews on her lip for a moment, trying to figure out how to explain it. "There's patterns to things, y'know? Patterns to everything. The wind, the stars, the planes, the way magic works - everything. And if I concentrate, I can see these patterns, and if I follow them, I can change 'em. And... magic happens. It's kind of like sorcery, or so I'm told, but harder. And I can do a lot with those patterns, if I go with the flow, but they're also limiting. It's not just magic, either; I can just kind of figure out how things work. I can do a lot of things that I probably shouldn't be able to."

Shaking her head, she laughs. "Or if you want the practical details, I'll just say that I'm an investigator, I shoot people a lot - sometimes with magic, sometimes with bullets - and I dabble in a lot of different things."

[Virgo]

Phenex eyes the Paladin with mild dislike. "How curious. You are the fourth to posses this device, I understand."

[Kobold-Bard]

W'den

As the bald man clanks along in his crystal armor, he telepathically communes with Byran.

"When an opportunity arises, would you consent to an exchange of our manifestations? The Psionic advantage is that we may draw Powers from another of our kind should they exhaust their mental energies, it makes sense to me for each of us to know our allies assets."

[Eurus]

"Fourth, huh? I didn't know that, actually. I always doubted my teacher could have built this thing himself, but I never knew who had it before he did."

[Virgo]

Phenex shrugs. "The origins of the device were not in the personnel records I checked. I can assure you, however, that you are indeed the fourth."

He raises an eyebrow and gives a brief smile. "I have no idea what we'll be facing from Narron, but you may be assured that I have no intention of allowing anyone to become the fifth any time soon."

[Eurus]

She chuckles. "Well thanks. Anyway, we should be getting to this place in a minute. Does a stakeout sound good to everyone else? Normally I'm all in favor of barging in gun blazing, but in this case I think we might be better off getting some information about the patrons."

[Virgo]

Phenex purses his lips. "A stakeout could be useful, but it would be foolish to assume that it would allow us a representative sample of the patrons of the establishment; if, indeed, Narron's agents are doing something exceptionally secretive, we cannot count on their using visible entrances and exits. We cannot cover mirrors, for example, during a simple stakeout."

[Eurus]

Mirra nods slowly, thinking. "This would be easier if we had eyes on the inside..."

Slowly, she turns to look directly at Phenex and Bryan. "Hey, psychics can see through their crystals, right? I'm not too clear on the details, but that's what they covered in basic training anyway. I can make them invisible, for a few minutes. Do you think you could get them hidden inside during that time? I doubt they have the whole place alarmed, but we could sweep it with a basic magic-detection spell first just in case."

[Kobold-Bard]

W'den

"Seeing through their eyes is a bit beyond anyone here unless I am grossly underestimating them. However it can technically see and I do bear a Mindlink with it, so it could be used to spy though."

[Virgo]

Phenex waves a hand. "As Agent Orthodos said. We have two options for delivery, depending on how many you can make invisible. Either they can enter on their own and under their own power, or we can carry them in, invisible, and place them inside while still getting a good look for ourselves. Obviously, the former is less risky, while the latter is more comprehensive and informative."

"Personally, I'd suggest the second strategy; we walk in under the guise of ensuring that everything is in order in light of the recent attacks, and our invisible psicrystals take the opportunity to place themselves in convenient locations with out help. After we leave, we can begin the stakeout proper. In addition, the simple sight of us, even on innocuous business, might spur a careless remark after we leave that could confirm suspicions of thoughtcrime.""

[Eurus]

"Sounds good to me. And if they know we're watching them, that might encourage them to use any secret escapes that they've got rather than the main entrance, which would be nice to find out about."

[Eurus]

As the bar comes into view, Mirra renders one of the psicrystals invisible. She concentrates for almost a minute before doing the same to the second. The effort seems to leave her visibly drained. "Ugh. That's about it for me today. I'm down to parlor tricks and bullets."

[Virgo]

Phenex purses his lips and looks at her. "Then if something goes wrong, I suppose bullets will have to do."

[Kallisti]

The inside of the tavern is a pristine snowscape of inch-thick dust. The walls are bare, and show lighter patches where wall ornaments one hung. There are no tables, chairs, or stools. The room is fairly large and lit dimly by the sun filtering through the dust-chokes windowpanes. On the left wall a set of stairs leads up into darkness, and there are two doors on the back wall, one near the left corner and one behind the bar.

[Virgo]

Phenex reacts with mild but carefully controlled surprise.

"Quales, didn't you say this was an active establishment?"

[Kallisti]

"I did. Checking records...checking...the records on the Fiesty Mug Tavern are in error and show signs of tampering. Now contacting the Archive's historical research department for earlier copies of the records...contacting...contacting...received. Agent Naberius, records as of last week indicate that the establishment has been closed for several years."

[Virgo]

Phenex doesn't move into the room, readying an action to manifest should anything unexpectedly spring out at him. "Agent Voss, can you manage some light?"

He continues speaking to Quales. "You'll forgive my skepticism of the records. There are two options; the first is that records were, as you say, corrupted to suggest that The Feisty Mug was still operational, presumably in order to lure us into a trap. The second option is that the records were in fact accurate and tampered with only to give the impression of tampering, so that we would access the historical archive and retrieve a long-ago planted record that seems to confirm that the Mug is long-closed. In the latter case, it suggests that we have fallen prey to some sort of elaborate and complex ward."

He taps a finger against his chin. "Both are intriguing possibilities. Retrieve data on shipping and import of alcohol and foodstuffs into this city and subsequent shipping manifests and purchase orders, then compare that figure to the standing surplus for each product. If there's a disparity large enough to feed a pub of this size, we can safely assume that The Feisty Mug is still operational. If there's a shortfall, then someone tampered with those records as well. Narron is brilliant, as we established, but even if he's listening and altering the records as we speak, the complexity and scope and necessary precision of the alterations should render them detectable."

[Kallisti]

"Yes, Agent Naberius. Accessing records...accessing...accessing...accessing...acce ssing...my apologies, loading times may be longer than usual given the amount of traffic on the Network...cross-referencing records...there is no disparity. Either this establishment truly is abandoned or the shipments have been successfully smuggled in."

[Eurus]

Mirra nods, and focuses for a moment. Soon a soft glow surrounds Paladin and illuminates the room. "Maybe we're in the wrong place? Could be that the Mug operates off the records now, and what records there are only serve as a false trail. Or maybe they just got word that we were coming and bailed. Anyway, we should at least check the place out."

She begins carefully searching the room, peering through a thin crystal lens that she produces from some pocket. "Hey, help me out with this. If anyone's been in here in the past few weeks, I should be able to find them, but if they used Dust of Tracelessness I'm going to need some help."

((Taking 20 on Search, and also on Survival to look for tracks. Search result is 34, and Survival result is 35, +2 for everyone who helps me.))

[Virgo]

Phenex begins to look around with Mirra, maintaining his ready action. "Quales, please display a graph of network activity; did it spike unusually while you were trying to access the records I requested, perhaps as Narron tried to delay you to give himself time?"

Frankly, Phenex would be pleasantly surprised if he actually finds evidence of Narron's manipulation; he's already decided that there's something here of value, and every moment Narron is spending trying to cover his tracks as Phenex finds new an inventive ways to look for them is a moment he's not spending plotting something new or causing trouble elsewhere.

((Phenex aids on both Search and Survival, as taking a 10 is enough to hit the aid another DC.))

[Kallisti]

"Ues, Agent Naberius."

The mirror's face goes blank for a moment, and then lights up again, displaying a graph:
http://s738.photobucket.com/albums/xx30/Temporaryaccount_album/?action=view&current=NetworkactivityTippyverse84.jpg&newest=1

(Sorry about the poor graph. I have no idea how to work Excel, so this was the best I could do quickly. It's not really Quales' style, though--bright colors are unprofessional.)

[Eurus]

Mirra glances at the graph, and shrugs. "No such luck, then. I stand by my idea, though; if I was running a haven for thought-criminals, I'd definitely want to keep it off the records. This whole place might be a decoy."

Finding the scratches on the doorframe behind the bar suspicious, she comments on them to the others. "Hmm. I suppose there could be a perfectly innocent explanation for this, but it still seems odd. I doubt it was just scratched up to make the place look run-down, since the place looks pretty desolate already..."

Curiously, she opens the suspicious door.

[Kallisti]

On the other side is a small larder with barren shelves.

[Eurus]

She searches it just in case, but doesn't get her hopes up.

((Assuming I don't find anything...))

"So. That's a bit of a bust, then. I'm not ready to give up on this lead, though. If we can't find the place through official records, I'm willing to try asking around. In plainclothes, obviously."

[Kallisti]

The inside of the doorframe is similarly scratched, but up in the corner you find a part of an inscription that hasn't been effaced. It's in Standard Runic Form, and the legible part reads "Through the space between spaces let--"

[Eurus]

"...the heck? Hey Qalues, come take a look at this. You have any idea what this means? Because I don't."

As an afterthought, she continues. "Oh, try scanning the text of Narron's poetry book for it. Uncommon Threads, that's what it was called, right?"

[Kallisti]

"Scanning, Agent Voss. One match in Uncommon Threads: A refined version of the Dissociation enchantment,."

[Eurus]

"Dissociation enchantment? Interesting... please clarify."

[Milskidasith]

So Narron's been messing with things again... I wonder just what's really going on here. I am also unsure about the Dissociation enchantment, but I have a feeling it probably has to do with the fact that this establishment rapidly transformed from lively to abandoned.

[Kallisti]

"The Dissociation enchantment is a variant on the magic used to create Rope Tricks and Bags of Holding. It allows for a room to have doors leading into other rooms, even if both rooms are in different buildings or on different planes. So a Dissociative room here in Victory could have doors leading into Sobriety or Honesty. A door to be connected to a dissociated room would need to be prepared with the proper charm, of which the phrase "Through the spaces between spaces let" is a fragment. The magic can be deactivated or reactivated with a command word, allowing for a doorway that sometimes leads to a normal room and sometimes to a Dissociative room. This magic is restricted to casters with a permit for the specific casting and Magical Clearance of level three or higher."

[Eurus]

"I see. So did vandalizing part of the inscription deactivate the enchantment, then, or just hide the command word?"

[Kallisti]

"The removal or effacement of the runes in the charmed doorway would ruin that doorway's preparation, sealing it off from the Dissociative room until and unless the preparation was recast and reinscribed."

[Milskidasith]

Hmm... so for all we know there are people in a dissociated room watching us and laughing right now, and we can't even get in. I wonder if they enjoy the meta-humor that comes with me mentioning the fact they might exist. Who knows, with Narron's crazy magic, maybe we aren't even in control of our own actions, just being led along like puppets by people who have no relation to our existence. But that's taking things a bit to far, isn't it?

OOC: :smallwink:

EDIT: You two posted before this. Some of it may not make sense.

[Eurus]

Mirra gives Bryan a sidelong look, and shakes her head. "Definitely too far. Remember, if we go crazy, Narron wins. Anyway, I wonder where this thing lead..."

She thinks long and hard for a few moments, before sighing. "Okay, this place is probably nothing but a red herring. Since we're here, though, let's check upstairs. I'm still expecting another 'present' from Narron somewhere, to be honest."

[Kobold-Bard]

W'den

The Erudite will go upstairs as Mirra suggested, tossing his Psicrystal in front of him to scout, just in case.

[Eurus]

"Hey Qalues," Mirra comments on the way up, "would it be possible to fix that enchantment if the other side is still functional, even without knowing where it leads? We can use Narron's book to figure out the rest of the inscription, and we might be able to requisition a casting or scroll of the actual spell from Central. But would that even work?"

[Kallisti]

"Sadly, no, Agent Voss. A part of the charm is an identifying word, name, or command phrase inscribed in the Dissociative room itself. So unless you could guess the command phrase, repairing the gateway would be impossible."

[Virgo]

Phenex shrugs. "I am perfectly willing to stand in front of that door reading every word of Narron's book out loud if it helps us catch even a single thoughtcriminal."

[Milskidasith]

While that's very nice, I hardly think Narron would actually use any word in his book for the command word. It's probably a meaningless phrase like "Shibbittybobbity 42" or something equally silly.

[Virgo]

"It rather depends on the purpose of the portal; a random password would do well for those already in Narron's employ, but if the portal were meant to only allow the ideologically similar, as a screening mechanism or a test of ideology, then a guessable code would be essential to recruiting new members."

[Milskidasith]

Yes, if Narron were actively recruiting, and if he did not have the resources to know everything about everybody, and if he didn't have knowledge that there were SSAT agents actively looking for him, and if this location were somewhere prominent rather than being somewhere disguised, and if people ideologically similar to Narron would reasonably know of highly specific spells and which of many of Narron's insane poems to guess as the password, I could see him using them as a password.

[Virgo]

Phenex continues to follow Mirra up the stairs. "I seek to be complete and comprehensive in my reasoning, Agent O'Taslyn. I imagine your intent of those delightfully repetitious, conditional clauses is intended to be pejorative. However, 'I suspect he is,' 'what would you have us do– give up?,' 'He's shown a propensity for games before,' "Narron only wants the cleverest people; it seems plausible he would make it challenging for them' and 'see previous answer,' in that order."

He looks back briefly and raises an eyebrow. "In any case, I imagine Agent Voss would prefer if we not debate the relative probability of those propositions, as it's unlikely to lead anywhere and would almost certainly devolve into you and I trying to determine who is more intelligent. That is inefficient and unnecessary."

[Eurus]

Mirra nods. "Yeah, pretty much. Anyway, this looks like a dead end too. So. We can go with plan B, which is hitting the streets and looking for leads. Downsides include time, greater potential for misleading information, and getting ourselves reported for suspicious behavior if we botch things. So if anyone's got a better idea, feel free to offer it up.

[Milskidasith]

Phenex, I appreciate the fact you are sure of yourself, but I am not in any way seeking an intelligence contest. Your hostility will get you nowhere, I am afraid. All I am suggesting is that we do not spend hours quoting Narron's insane poetry at a door when we have no guarantees that will work, and at least a few reasons to believe that it won't. Instead, we search for crime on the streets, or at least in a different abandoned building with it's archive records altered.

[Kobold-Bard]

W'den

"Remaining here, quoting prohibited material at a broken door is not going to achieve anything, that is clear. If you want to stay behind then so be it, you can shout all the heresy you want on your own. The SSAT insignia is intended to receive respect from the people when dealt with, and if that does not work, then the a sword against their throat just might. We should move on."

W'den will collect his Psicrystal and return it to his shoulder, the tiny thing vanishing against the man's crystal armour.

[Tavar]

I agree. After all, wouldn't having people quote thoughtcrime material where others could hear be dangerous? Especially when trying to make some sort of secret society. Plus, there's the fact that recruiting in such a way would be extremely dangerous: if he really can use the hall of mirrors to scry why not do so in order to find people who have similar views?

[Eurus]

Mirra gives W'den an odd look. "No offense, pal, but if you want to wave your badge around, I vote we split up. I'd like to take a more subtle approach."

[Kobold-Bard]

W'den

"You asked for alternatives that did not take as much time, and did not carry as great a risk of being reported and I gave you one. Whether you take it or not is entirely at your discretion. Regardless as several of you have served longer on this mission than I and survived, I will defer to your decision in this matter."

[Nathan W]

"Hay Qalues when were the swarms of bloodmoths ,and when was it searched as a suspected speakeasy?

[Kallisti]

"The bloodmoths emerged shortly after the alarm was raised as Narron's various minions began to strike. The search was conducted eleven years ago."

[Eurus]

((Consider this my way of shifting the OOC discussion to IC))

After some negotiation, the party decides to attempt to procure a meeting with the Baron of Hopefulness regarding the Orikalkos Project and any recent criminal activity in that area.

[Kallisti]

The Central official meeting with you looks over his desk at you. "The Baron is exceptionally busy at the moment, but I believe that, with your special dispensations, time can be made from 1:00 until 2:35 tomorrow."

[Eurus]

Mirra contemplates this for a moment, and turns to the others. "Normally I'd push for a quicker meeting, but with everything that's been going on, I don't doubt that the Baron doesn't have a free second. So, does anyone have any ideas for what do do until then?"

[Kallisti]

(Apparently not...)

The next morning, promptly at noon, a mirror imp, identical to Qalues except for the ornate patterns on his wings, appears. "The Baron will see you very shortly."

A shimmering, mirror-faced portal appears by him.

On the other side, you find yourselves in a sumptuous sitting room, with a white-haired manservant sitting in one of the many velveteen armchairs, staring with obvious boredom at one of the paintings that form a riot of images across the gilded walls. "His mighty-fine baronliness is speaking with the local Miniluv High Priest at the moment. Pull up a chair, stare off into space for a while, maybe twiddle your thumbs if you're feeling ambitious. He'll see you shortly."

[Eurus]

((I'm fully prepared to start bugging people with PMs if it looks like they've forgotten about this game. :smallamused:))

Mirra takes a seat, apparently working on collecting her thoughts. Bryan was ostensibly the team's face, but she found herself speaking surprisingly often. She chalked it up to a natural desire to represent herself, rather than letting others talk for her.

[Kobold-Bard]

W'den

W'den will stand to one side, his armour made sitting both uncomfortable and a danger to furniture.

[Kallisti]

As you sit, a manservant identical to the one who brought you here goes down the hall behind you, leading a group of wide-eyed proles. They stare at you. Tourists staring is an occupational hazard of the SSAT.

"Out of curiosity, are there SSAT agents here often?" asks a youngish gnome tagging along behind the group.
"Nah, these folks are from out of town to see His Great-and-terrible-ness."
"Is that an official Title?"
""Suuuuure it is.""
One of the tourists, a youngish wizard, waves his hands through the air and chants a simple incantation, and looks around in wonder. "It's even more beautiful when you look at the auras! Truly, I've seen no better example of magic as art."

As the group is led away, another identical manservant emerges from the double doors. "His Mighty-Fine Amazingness is ready for you." His voice practically oozes weary sarcasm.

[Eurus]

Mirra looks back at the rest of the group. "Everyone ready? Shouldn't be too bad, at least not compared to some of the stuff we've been dealing with. I doubt the Baron can be harder to talk to than Narron." She seems to be trying to encourage herself as much as the rest of the agents, though.

[Kobold-Bard]

W'den

"If he is harder to talk to than Narron I suggest we leave, because we'll never get anywhere anyway. But I suppose that is just recent frustration leaking through, we must remain positive or Narron will defeat us without a fight. Shall we go in?"

[Kallisti]

"Since the Baron's waiting for you and does not have a lot of time, you shall unless you want to lose your time slot."

The manservant guides you into the Baron's office, a study with dark wooden walls lined with bookshelves and a desk in the center, at which sits the Baron, a handsome middle-aged man with sandy hair and warm brown eyes.
"Ah, welcome, welcome. Do come in, have a seat. Forgive me if I seem a little distracted. Recent events have made much work for all of us."

[Kobold-Bard]

W'den

"Forgive me for not sitting, my armour generally causes much damage to furniture. You are correct though that the recent chaos has markedly increased prohibited activity, and it is such activity that brings us here today."

[Eurus]

Mirra does take a seat, and nods at W'den's response. "Yes, I'm not sure if you know, but we've been assigned to try to locate some of Jack Narron's men. Harass them, cut off his links to the outside, maybe even smoke him out. To that end, we'd like to ask you a few questions, if you have the time."

[Kallisti]

"Always time for 'friends' of Jack's. That old bastard has caused me endless trouble, and cost me no small expense over the years. It's mostly because of him I keep every third tile trapped and have Eyes of Power in all the lamps."

[Kobold-Bard]

W'den

"Wise precautions. I will not discuss definite connections since that would only waste time, but if you have any reason to believe that any recent activities might bear a weak link in Narron's chain we would request such information be made accessible to us doubleplus fast."

[Eurus]

"Yes, we're having a hard time finding leads. We also suspect that he might be after the experimental Orikalkos metal that we've heard about based on his interactions with Inesares, but that's mostly a hunch. Still, if you know of anywhere he might have to target to get the supplies to make the stuff it might be worth setting a stakeout."

[Kallisti]

"Inesares? Hmmm. That's strange, he's a very prominent and well-respected businessman here. I hadn't heard about that, although I have been to busy to read the official reports for the last week. Tell me more about that..."

[Eurus]

Mirra seems somewhat surprised that the Baron hasn't already heard, but explains. "We ran into Inesares drunk and lost on our way into Hopefulness, and he said that Narron had talked to him about doing business but then teleported him into the countryside for no discernible reason. Left him a business card, too. Right now we're working under the assumption that Narron's primary reason for approaching Inesares in the first place was because he's interested in the Orikalkos project, but we don't have any proof beyond our own hunches. It's possible that he was just trying to get some SSAT attention to entertain himself."

[Kallisti]

"Inesares said he'd been doing business with Narron? I assume he denied knowing it had been Narron he was speaking to, yes?"

[Eurus]

"Yes, he said that Narron had claimed to be sent by the Baron of Propriety regarding the possibility of opening a teleportation circle between the two cities. I'm inclined to believe him, simply because I can't imagine a well-off man like that risking everything by knowingly associating with criminals, but obviously we can't be sure."

[Kallisti]

I certainly believe it. Inesares has been around the Manor for the past few days making an awful bother of himself, demanding to know why 'the hooligan who dared to cross us both' is still at large. Arrogant fool. Narron's at large because there hasn't been a thaumic inventor with his genius since Mordenkainen, unless you count that strutting fool Bigby and his ridiculous fetish.

[Eurus]

Mirra nods, and tries to steer the conversation back on track. "But yes, we're trying to find his operatives. It looks like you've just gotten the latest intelligence from Hopefulness," she nods toward the open envelope, "is there anything you consider relevant to our investigation? As I said, we're treating anything related to the Orikalkos project as relevant right now too."

[Kallisti]

"My agents inform me you mirror imp ran two searches on the Feisty Mug tavern. It may interest you to know that there is such an establishment in this very city, and that it was recently subject to a SSAT raid following the entrance of a number of suspected subversives. The tavern was found empty, although your Qalues' interest in the definition of the term 'Dissociation Enchantment' may explain that. The tavern's owner, one Kerredai X, stripped of his prior surname of Mabsblood on the grounds that Mab is a nondeity and nonperson, has recently applied for license to exit the city with his wares, planning to strike out for the city of Honor and find his fortune there. Additionally, a small playing card, the Knave of Pentacles from a standard-issue Tarot deck, was found pinned to the inside of the door of the storehouse in which the adamantium chromate to be used in Orikalkos was stored. No goods were missing, but all goods, services, and processes relevant to the Orikalkos project were moved to the laboratories here in Hopefulness Manor. Tell me, is the charming little Anaphora still with you? I should be most interested to speak with her."

[Eurus]

"Anaphora fled around the time we went to Central, I'm afraid. And we may want to keep an eye on this 'Kerredai' person. Also..." Mirra quiets for a moment. "...are there any mirrors in the labs? Anything at all that could show a reflection?"

[Kallisti]

"Of course there are mirrors. There are always mirrors. The Mirrorcast mirror, the personal mirror, the Mirrorgate, all of the beakers and glassworks will show reflections, the floors are polished marble...why do you ask?"

[Eurus]

"We need to go see the labs immediately. Narron has been using the Plane of Mirrors for his crimes lately, and he's apparently got very low standards on what constitutes a 'mirror.' I'll bet he left that note specifically to incite you to put together all the materials and research in one place..." Mirra curses under her breath.

Reflexively, she begins looking around the room that they're sitting in for reflective surfaces, covering them up or turning them to face the wall.

[Kallisti]

(Eurus, the surface of the baron's desk is mirrored, as is his ceiling, and the floors are marble polished mirror-bright. There are also several mirrors on the walls, including one in an archway as though it were a door.)
"I sincerely doubt that even Narron would dare try my defenses here, especially in the laboratories. I would certainly know if any of my spells were disabled. That's what this mirror panel is for--it shows the various weaves of my wards and alarms. All of which appear to be perfectly functional." The Baron pauses, examining his mirror panel, and his mouth twists suddenly. "Bloody Lady forbid!" He rushed towards the door, shouting for the guards, and as you watch an ornate rune-graven brass urn in the corner begins to rattle, until it bursts and a host of white-and-blue smoky spirits emerge and trail after the Baron. Guards begin to pour from every mirrored surface, closely followed by mirror-demons and summoned minions of all varieties. As you watch, the mirror in the doorframe darkens and shatters, revealing the wall behind, painted with an ornate Jack of Hearts, grinning wickedly.

[Eurus]

Mirra leaps out of her chair and runs out of the room right behind the Baron, adrenaline suddenly surging. "Which way is the lab?!"

[Kallisti]

The Baron stares off into the distance for a moment. "Veni, venias, veni, venias, patefactus ostium, veni, veni, venias!" A shimmering door appears before him, and he throws it open. "Through here."

[Eurus]

Mirra darts right through with a nod to the Baron, before even confirming that the rest of the group is following her.

[Kobold-Bard]

W'den

Apparently arrogance is a trait he shares with his allies W'den thinks to himself as he follows Mirra through the door, drawing his sword (despite the funny looks he will inevitably get for it).

[Milskidasith]

Bryan sighs. This again? Why can't we have a mission where somebody *besides* Narron tries to kill us. It could be carthartic to fight somebody who you can institutionalize afterwards.

[Eurus]

"Cheer up, at this rate you might be institutionalizing me before long."

[Kallisti]

The Baron leads you into a massive vault with polished marble tiles, vast mosaics, and frescoes on the walls detailing the history of the Emperor and the Bloody Lady, whole chapters of the Nostra masterfully carven in mirror-bright marble and beaten bronze. There's something...off...about the vault. It feels like a dream, perhaps, or a lie, a place of echoes and shadows and dust.

In the center of the cavernous chamber lies a labyrinth of boxes and tubs and tables covered in glasses and beakers and alembics and other tools more obscure. The Baron carefully sweeps the chamber with his eyes, but nothing is openly out of place. "Show yourself, Narron."

[Eurus]

Mirra readies her gun, stalking carefully around the room. She makes her way over to the boxes, and peeks inside one of them as if to confirm that its contents were still present.

[Kallisti]

Within the box, you find a bunch of tiny glass bottles, labeled Adamantium Chromate. They're full of a purplish-grey liquid.

[Eurus]

"Looks clear," she mutters, "but I'm sure he's watching us. Not much chance of finding anything useful, then."

[Kobold-Bard]

W'den

W'den will walk towards one of the mirror-like surfaces.

"Do you feel like giving us a hint Narron? Assisting us may work in your favour when you are captured."

[Eurus]

"Or are you a coward?" Mirra questions, her voice rising in an obvious attempt to provoke the unflappable Narron. "Not that we didn't already know that... you always act through your lackeys, behind the scenes. You talk tough, but you're terrified of Tippy and the SSAT. So terrified, you won't even leave your extraplanar hidey-hole."

[Kallisti]

Mirra yells out her challenge, but the only answer is the echoes, seeming to ring back from the high vaulted ceiling and bronzed reliefs to mock her. The Baron raises his hands and mutters a few words, and a ring of light pulses from him, expands to fill the room, and collapses back, forming into a globe of light hovering above his hand. He looks at it for a long moment. "Either he's not here, or he's somehow managed to ward himself against that spell, even though it has never before been cast. I developed it specifically for a time like this. He couldn't have known to ward himself against it, could he? Where are you, Jack?"

[Eurus]

"I don't suppose this could all be some kind of distraction, could it? He's out there somewhere laughing at us, while we're guarding this stuff here?" Mirra's voice is back down to a half-whisper again, but her eyes are still hard and glaring.

[Kallisti]

"Everything of value is in the vaults. What would he be doing while we were here?"

[Milskidasith]

Turning your guards into statues and lining the hallways with rice pudding? The man's insane, we have no way of knowing what he wants to do. Anyway, so do you have a way of quickly checking to make sure nothing is missing, or are we going to have to do that by hand?

[Eurus]

"Yeah, I'd hate to find out that he's already picked through these supplies."

[Kallisti]

"There are spells for that, but nothing Narron couldn't have seen coming."

[Kobold-Bard]

W'den

"You are right. I apologise Sir but you are now a casualty of Narron, and it is our responsibility to seek active leads. Do you have any information that will aid us before we report to Central?"

[Eurus]

"Hey, I'm not giving up yet. I know he's here somewhere. And if it turns out he's not, we should still stay here until this stuff gets moved somewhere mirror-less."

[Kallisti]

"Mirrorlings, enter Mirror and canvass the area, searching for Narron or signs of his presence. Guards, begin searching the manse and grounds. Assorted genies, begin to search the crates. Look for anything missing or any signs of tampering. Agent Voss, you've dealt with Narron before, it seems. What might he be doing? Do you have any idea why he'd choose to strike here?"

[Eurus]

"Well, I can think of at least two reasons that he'd attack right here and right now. The first is that he was waiting for an opportune moment to steal these materials, and our arrival forced him to act early. The second is that he wasn't, but he was watching us, and the entire purpose of the attack was to confuse or harass us while we're here. The fact that he arranged to have all these materials moved here seems to make that unlikely, though. It's also possible that he might have other motivations that I don't know about."

[Kobold-Bard]

W'den

"Then, do we move the materials, or destroy the mirrors? The latter is safer because they don't leave the vault but I suppose isn't entirely foolproof."

[Eurus]

"There's so many of them, it would probably be faster to move the supplies. The floor, the walls, almost everything in here is polished up like a mirror."

[Kobold-Bard]

W'den

"Ah the wonder of luxury, buy a silk tie and Narron uses it as a noose. I'd very much like to examine his brain after he is detained."

[Kallisti]

One of the many smoky spirits flies to a halt before the baron, and quickly coalesces into a tall, elegant djinn in white. "Lord Baron, the only signs of tampering with the crates were beautifully painted Kings of Hearts left in every thirteenth crate, with the illustration showing the Blessed Emperor impaling his own head with what would appear to be your staff."

The Baron's face flushes a deep red, but before he can respond a panting guard rushes into the room. "E-excellency...he to...he took the ...took the Chalk, lord."

The Baron stares at the guard for a moment. "What would Jack want with the Chalk...oh, no. Not even Narron is that insane."

[Eurus]

Mirra frowns, and tries to think. "Chalk? ...You mean that portal chalk? Is Narron going to conjure a Gate somewhere?"

[Kallisti]

"This particular set of portal chalk only connects to two places--Faerie and the Far Realms. And not even Narron would be mad enough to make a portal to those."

[Eurus]

Mirra pales slightly, and shakes her head. "I'm not going to bet on Narron's sanity. I don't know about the Far Realms, but we know he's had at least some dealings with faeries... as henchmen, if nothing else."

[Kallisti]

"Henchmen? I'd assumed he'd summoned those...you have reason to believe they were lying when they testified that their only dealings with Narron were as summoned minions?"

[Eurus]

"Not sure, although technically they were called and not summoned. I remember feeling a bit suspicious; like Narron might have had other plans for them whether they knew it or not. But regardless, he doesn't seem to have any qualms with messing with Faerie. I just don't know where he'd try to open up the portal..."

[Kobold-Bard]

W'den

"We must find a mirrorless way to communicate this threat to Central immediately."